RTHK: Haiti arrests security official in Moise murder probe Haitian police say they have arrested the head of Jovenel Moise's security as part of the ongoing investigation into the president's July 7 assassination. Security chief Jean Laguel Civil is suspected of involvement in the plot that saw Moise killed at his home in the middle of the night by armed commandos who bypassed the president's guards without firing a shot. Civil had already been placed in solitary confinement at a prison in Delmas, near Port-au-Prince. "I can confirm that Jean Laguel Civil was arrested on Monday by police as part of the investigation into the assassination of president Jovenel Moise," said police spokeswoman Marie Michelle Verrier. Port-au-Prince commissioner Bed-Ford Claude had already ordered immigration authorities to prohibit four police officers who were responsible for Moise's security from leaving the country. Police on Monday also issued a warrant for Wendelle Coq Thelot, a judge for the highest court in the country who had been fired by Moise. Details of the assassination remain unclear, but newly installed Prime Minister Ariel Henry has promised to bring Moise's killers to justice. Police have arrested some 20 Colombian mercenaries as part of the plot they say was organised by a group of Haitians with foreign ties. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2021-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. South Africa: New magistrates appointed for SA courts Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola has appointed 158 new magistrates for courts around the country. The date of assumption of duty for the new magistrates will be 1 October 2021. This is to enable them to give the necessary resignation notices at their current positions and make arrangements to relocate. Of the 158 new appointments, 104 are African, 23 are Coloured, eight are Indian and 23 are White. In terms of gender, 88 are female and 70 male. We have made significant progress in terms of transformation over the last two decades. At the dawn of democracy in 1994, magistrates were part of the public service and were employed by the then Departments of Justice in the various homelands, the TBVC States and the rest of South Africa, the Department of Justice and Correctional Services said in a statement. An amalgamation process to bring them all under one department was led by the then Minister of Justice, the late Minister Dullah Omar. In 1998, there were a total of 284 female magistrates (18%) and 567 Black magistrates (37%) countrywide out of a total of 1 515 magistrates (including the regional, chief, senior magistrates and Regional Court Presidents). The department says the new appointments show how far it has come in terms of gender and racial transformation, as there are now 695 African, 143 Indian, 176 Coloured and 388 White persons on the level of magistrate. If one includes the regional, senior and chief magistrates, as well as the Regional Court Presidents, to get a view of the magistracy as a whole, 957 are African (50%), 204 are Indian (10.6%), 224 are Coloured (11.7%) and 528 are White (27.6%) out of a total of 1 913. A total of 947 are women. This means that 72.3% of magistrates are Black and 49,5% are female. In terms of the Regulations for Judicial Officers in the Lower Courts, 1993, all newly appointed magistrates must, before commencing with the functions of a judicial officer, attend a course by the South African Judicial Education Institute (SAJEI). It is envisaged that the course will take place during October 2021. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2021-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. South Africa: 10 suspects remanded for alleged role in Durban unrest Ten suspects were on Monday remanded in custody for their alleged role in the recent unrest in greater Durban. The suspects, who appeared before the Verulam Magistrates Court, face charges ranging from murder, attempted murder, malicious damage to property, possession of stolen goods, as well as the unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. Spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority in KwaZulu-Natal, Natasha Kara, said the matters were held in camera to protect the identity of the accused persons as identity parades were yet to be conducted. The matters were reminded to the 30th of July 2021 for bail consideration, she said. Two weeks ago, violent scenes swept across parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng when crowds looted and gutted businesses. The unrest claimed over 330 lives in the two provinces, with the most deaths recorded in KZN. Of these deaths, 22 were in Phoenix, north of Durban, were suspected vigilantism trumped communities protecting their communities. Last week government revealed that the unrest cost the KZN economy R20 billion and over 150 000 jobs. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2021-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. South Africa: Vaccines rolled out to Home Affairs staff Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi on Tuesday welcomed the rollout of the vaccination programme to departmental officials this week. The Minister, who has already taken his two jabs, encouraged officials to vaccinate while ensuring that services are delivered without disruption. Vaccinations save lives. Even though the vaccination is voluntary, employees are encouraged to vaccinate in order to lessen the impact of COVID-19 on the entire population. In addition to the vaccination, we need to continue to follow the non-pharmaceutical precautionary interventions such as wearing masks properly, sanitising hands regularly and observing appropriate social distancing, Minister Motsoaledi said. From this week, employees of the Department of Home Affairs will receive the COVID-19 vaccine in their respective provinces as part of the rollout of jabs to essential workers who are in the coalface of service delivery. This will be done at various sites identified by the Department of Health and respective Premiers Offices across all nine provinces. Protecting essential workers is meant to assist in limiting the spread of Coronavirus as our frontline workers are in regular contact with members of the public at the service sites across the country, the department said in a statement. As of June 2021, there were 8443 Home Affairs employees on the Personnel and Salaries Management System (PERSAL) and all of them are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. The department has lost 40 employees to COVID-19, some having lost their parents and siblings due to the pandemic and its associated complications, and another 1 389 staff have been adversely impacted. These are colleagues, mothers, fathers and agents of service delivery who have been part of those employees who could not work from home even during Level 5 of the lockdown, they had to face the brunt of the pandemic to serve members of our community with diligence amidst very difficult circumstances, the Minister said. Motsoaledi said each time a positive COVID-19 case is reported at Home Affairs offices, services have to be temporarily suspended to allow for disinfection. Alternate sites and mobile offices are provided to ensure that services are not disrupted whenever possible. This is done to still enable our communities to gain access to our much needed enabling documents such as identity documents, birth and death certificates, just to name a few, Minister Motsoaledi said. Motsoaledi said Home Affairs will continue to encourage adherence to COVID-19 health protocols. Every person visiting a Home Affairs office is reminded to observe all non-pharmaceutical interventions of social distancing, washing hands or sanitising and wearing their masks properly. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2021-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. South Africa: Fund established to assist youth-owned businesses affected by looting Youth-owned enterprises affected by the recent looting and violence have until Friday to submit applications for a fund to assist them during these challenging times. The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) has established the Youth Enterprise Rebuilding Fund to assist youth-owned enterprises affected by the recent looting and violence, and have no form of insurance cover. In a statement, the NYDA said the fund, which is reserved for youth owned businesses in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, is specifically established to ensure that youth owned enterprises who are affected can return to their business operations, as soon as is practically possible. The fund will exist alongside other forms of government support to business and jobs in these challenging times. Details of the fund are available on the NYDA website www.nyda.gov.za. The NYDA encourages all young people who may have been displaced from employment because of the recent violence to apply for support from the Unemployment Insurance Fund. Details can be found on https://ufiling.co.za/uif/ or through a Department of Employment and Labour Centre, the agency said. The applications for the fund close on 30 July 2021. The NYDA has also welcomed the reimplementation of the monthly Social Relief of Distress Grant and its extension to caregivers, as well as the extension of the UIF Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) for sectors affected during Alert Level 4. The agency noted that these are important mechanisms in supporting young people and the economy during the pandemic. The NYDA remains committed to supporting the Economic Recovery and Reconstruction Plan, which encompasses the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention, which was announced in SONA (State of the Nation Address) 2020 and reaffirmed on Youth Day 2021. Addressing the youth unemployment crisis remains front and centre of the economic recovery plan, the agency said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2021-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. South Africa: Call for access to finance to emerging markets for low carbon investment With emerging markets requiring an estimated US$3-4 trillion annually in low-carbon investments over the next 15 years, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creecy has called on developed countries to ensure access to long-term, predictable, and affordable finance for developing countries. The Minister made these remarks during the Ministerial Climate Change meeting hosted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP 26 President-Designate, Alok Sharma, on 25 and 26 July 2021 in London. The meeting heard that the emerging markets require an estimated US$3-4 trillion annually in low-carbon investments over the next 15 years in order to operationalise and implement the current round of updated nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and then to prepare a second updated NDC in 2025, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment said on Tuesday. NDCs embody efforts by each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. As part of the Paris outcome, developed countries were urged to scale-up their level of support with a concrete roadmap to achieve the goal of mobilising US$100 billion per year by 2020 for climate action in developing countries. With regard the US$100 billion 2020 and through to 2025 [Creecy] stressed that it is imperative from the perspective of restoring and maintaining trust and transparency that the Conference of the Parties (COP) assess whether the goal of mobilising jointly US$100 billion has been achieved, the department said. The July Ministerial meeting brought climate and environment ministers and representatives from more than 50 countries together to lay the groundwork for success ahead of Novembers Glasgow COP26 negotiations on climate change. The event marks the first face-to-face ministerial of its kind in more than 18 months. The topics under discussion included the Global Goal on Adaptation and scaling up efforts to adapt to the impacts of climate change, keeping 1.5C alive, loss and damage caused by climate change, focus on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, and mobilizing climate finance. The Minister stressed that for the UNFCCC COP 26 in Glasgow to be relevant, responsive and successful they need ambition and progression on mitigation, adaptation and means of implementation. South Africa envisages an outcome at COP 26 on adaptation that will enable practical progress, including launching a formal programme of work on the operationalization of the Global Goal on Adaptation and furthermore. We need to increase the adaptive ability and resilience of the global population to the adverse impacts of climate change by at least 50% by 2030 and by at least 90% by 2050. In this regard, focus would be placed on the most vulnerable people and communities; the health and well-being; food and water security; infrastructure and the built environment; and ecosystems and ecosystem services, particularly in Africa, Small Island Developing States (SIDs) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs), the Minister said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2021-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Hong Kong: CE mourns Lee Man-tat Chief Executive Carrie Lam today expressed deep sorrow over the passing of Lee Man-tat. Mrs Lam said: Mr Lee was a successful businessman and an outstanding industrialist with distinguished achievements. He developed the business inherited from his family into a Chinese sauce empire that has become a household name, with products being sold around the world. He was also devoted to the promotion of Chinese culture and cuisine over the years and was committed to charitable services. He had established a charity foundation to support local charity and community services. She noted that Mr Lee, who was awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star in 2018, cared about the country's development and participated in the relevant work in the Mainland and helped the disadvantaged. I am saddened by the passing of Mr Lee. On behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to his family. This story has been published on: 2021-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Hong Kong: Civil service chief meets interns Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip today met university students participating in the Administrative Service Summer Internship Programme to learn about their experience. He also encouraged the students to apply for the Administrative Officer post upon graduation to contribute to the country and serve society. The programme aims to offer university students a better grasp of an administrative officer's work and the chance to get hands-on experience of working in the Government, thereby facilitating their future career planning. Mr Nip was pleased to learn that the programme was well received among students, with a record high of some 280 applications this year. He pointed out that the officers, being multi-skilled professional administrators, are posted to different bureaus, departments and district offices as well as offices outside Hong Kong at regular intervals to undertake different areas of work. These include assisting in the formulation and implementation of policies, resource allocation and district administration, as well as important duties such as the promotion of Hong Kong's interests in the Mainland and overseas. In the face of the many challenges, we are looking for talents who have outstanding capabilities and are highly committed to contributing to the country and serving society to join the administrative service to support Hong Kong to strive ahead with renewed perseverance, the civil service chief noted. A total of 84 Hong Kong students studying in local and non-local universities have been posted to 28 government bureaus and departments this year, taking up duties similar in nature to those of administrative officers. The participants generally held the view that the programme enabled them to obtain hands-on experience in working with serving officers to see for themselves their diversified work and the Government's operation, and to gain a more in-depth understanding of public administration. This story has been published on: 2021-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. RTHK: Indonesia reports over 2,000 Covid deaths in 24 hours Indonesia reported a record 2,069 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours on Tuesday as it faces its deadliest Covid-19 surge since the pandemic began. The grim tally was nearly 600 deaths higher than the previous day and topped last week's daily record of 1,566 deaths, the health ministry said. New infections also shot up to just over 45,000, from about 28,000 on Monday. The eye-watering data comes after the Southeast Asian nation this week loosened virus curbs by allowing small shops, streetside restaurants and some shopping malls to reopen after a three-week partial lockdown. Health experts had warned that could trigger a fresh wave of cases, as the highly infectious Delta variant rips across the vast archipelago, which has overtaken India and Brazil to become the global pandemic epicentre. Shopping malls and mosques in less affected parts of the Muslim-majority nation also got the green light to open their doors from Monday, to limited crowds and with shorter hours. Offices were still under shutdown orders. Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous nation where tens of millions live hand to mouth, has avoided strict lockdowns seen in some other countries. But the government has been widely criticised for its handling of the pandemic and policies that critics say prioritised Southeast Asia's largest economy over public health. President Joko Widodo has pointed to falling daily infection and hospital occupancy rates, including in the hard-hit capital Jakarta, as justification for the easing. But the Delta variant has been detected in about a dozen regions outside Jakarta, densely populated Java and Bali, where infections have also soared in recent weeks. Nearly 19,000 foreign nationals have left Indonesia through Jakarta's main international airport since early July, an exodus led by Japanese and Chinese expatriates, with 2,962 and 2,219 departures respectively, the immigration department said Tuesday. Indonesia is a major market for Japanese firms, and hosts many business projects backed by companies in China, its biggest trading partner. Indonesia's vaccination levels remain well below the government's one-million-a-day target for July. Less than seven percent of its 270 million people have been fully inoculated with two jabs. The country has reported a total of more than 3.2 million cases and 86,835 virus deaths, but those official figures are widely believed to be a severe undercount, due to low testing and tracing rates. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2021-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely Holding) and the Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com signed a framework agreement on July 26 to form a strategic partnership for a slew of businesses related to logistics service. Photo credit: JD Logistics Under the agreement, the two companies will carry out in-depth cooperation on full-channel warehouse logistics service, in-plant logistics service, upgrade of logistics system, smart warehousing, and commercial vehicle technology empowerment by leveraging both parties' know-hows in smart logistics service and supply chain, and relying on JD Logistics' supply chain integration capability. The collaboration between JD.com and Geely can date back to March 2018 when they announced a strategic partnership for businesses like intelligent connectivity, auto e-commerce and auto aftermarket service, aiming to provide consumers with IoV (Internet of vehicle) services. Geely Auto Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Geely Holding, has operated businesses in relation to mobility service, digital technology, finance service, and education. JD.com and Geely Holding will explore new service models in the full-chain sale, the digital transition for industrial product procurement, and other areas, and co-work on reducing the purchase cost and improving operation efficiency for Geely Holding. For the first half of 2021, Geely Auto and its subsidiaries (collectively called the Group) sold 630,237 new vehicles, representing 19% year-on-year growth and fulfilling 41% of the Group's annual sales target of 1.53 million units. Beijing (Gasgoo)- Hefei, capital of Anhui province, is in talks with Xiaomi, seeking to convince the smartphone maker to set up vehicle business there, Chinas local media outlet 36kr reported on Tuesday, citing several sources familiar with the matter. Xiaomi announcing its entering into EV market; photo credit: Xiaomi One source from JAC Motors said that the Hefei-based automaker may become the contract manufacturer of Xiaomis vehicles. JAC has a relatively mature contract manufacturing system and has accumulated much experience via the cooperation with NIO and Volkswagen, the source added. Hefei has a good industrial foundation for new energy vehicle (NEV) segment, which is attractive to Xiaomi, said another source. Earlier this month, Wang Chuanfu, founder and chairman of BYD company, talked with Hefei government for strategic cooperation, and BYDs program in Hefei will begin in August. NeoPark, jointly built by NIO and Hefei, will be another advantage. The electric vehicle industry park, whose construction was kicked off in April, is a world-class smart electric vehicle industry cluster encompassing innovative research and development of vehicles, core parts and components, and autonomous driving. And Lei Jun is also an investor of NIO. Besides, Xiaomi will also reportedly start its own battery swapping business. On June 23, Youpin Information Technology Co., Ltd., of which Lei Jun, Xiaomis founder and CEO, holds 70% stake, expanded its business with sales of new energy vehicle accessories and battery swapping facilities, according to data provider Tianyancha. Anhui province aims to nurture 3 to 5 NEV enterprises of great influence and a group of key parts suppliers with global competitiveness, according to the provinces 2021-2023 NEV industry development planning. It wants to have over 10 well-known vehicle brands and create world-class NEV and intelligent and connected vehicle (ICV) industry clusters. Update: 27-07-2021 | 12:22:48 Cambodias Ministry of Health said on July 26 that the country recorded 303 new domestic COVID-19 cases, a remarkable drop from its peak of 991 cases on June 30. People waiting in line to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. However, the Southeast Asian nation had seen a significant surge in imported cases, the ministry said, adding that Cambodia found 475 imported cases on July 26. Authorities attributed the increase in imported cases to the entry of migrant workers returning from neighbouring Thailand. This has caused strain in the medical infrastructure and raised concern on the increase of community transmission of the Delta variant due to illegal entry. In a released statement by the US Embassy in Cambodia, the US will provide the Southeast Asian country with 1 million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine through the COVAX Facility and UNICEF in the coming time. The country is accelerating its inoculation drive from 10 million to 13 million people. On the same day, the Philippine Department of Health said that the country recorded an additional 6,664 new infections, bringing the national tally to 1,555,396 cases. In the past 24 hours, the country also reported 23 more fatalities, raising the total number of deaths to 27,247. Health officials believe that the number of new infections continues to increase in the Philippines as the country discovers new cases of highly infectious variants, including Delta variant./. VNA We are the most effective way to get your press release into the hands of reporters and news producers. Check out our client list. Xi congratulates Nguyen Xuan Phuc on re-election as Vietnamese president Xinhua) 08:11, July 27, 2021 Nguyen Xuan Phuc is sworn in after being re-elected as the Vietnamese president in Hanoi, Vietnam, July 26, 2021. (VNA via Xinhua) BEIJING, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a congratulatory message to Nguyen Xuan Phuc on his re-election as Vietnam's president. In his message, Xi said that China and Vietnam are socialist neighbors linked by mountains and rivers, and enjoy profound traditional friendship and extensive common interests. In the face of transformations rarely seen in a century and the once-in-a-century COVID-19 pandemic, the two sides have stuck to their shared ideals and convictions, acted on the original aspiration of solidarity and friendship, and taken concrete actions to enrich and update their comprehensive strategic cooperation. Visitors discuss an exhibit while attending the opening ceremony of the "Splendid Vietnam, Splendid China" photo exhibition at the Confucius Institute of Hanoi University in Hanoi, Vietnam, on April 18, 2021. (Xinhua/Tao Jun) Xi noted that since the beginning of this year, the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam has been successfully held and the Communist Party of China has celebrated its centenary, saying that the two parties and the two countries' cause of national development have entered a crucial stage of inheriting the past and ushering in the future. He also said that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Vietnam relations, adding that he is ready to work with Vietnamese leaders and comrades to strengthen strategic guidance for the relationship between both parties and both nations in the new era, and make continuous progress towards the goal of building a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that bears strategic significance. On the same day, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang sent a message to Pham Minh Chinh, congratulating him on re-election as Vietnamese prime minister. Li said he is willing to work together with his Vietnamese counterpart to enhance political trust between the two sides, consolidate the basis for friendly cooperation, accelerate the docking of development strategies, build up a pattern of mutual benefits and win-win results, and promote continuous development of China-Vietnam relations for the new era. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Chinese FM meets U.S. deputy secretary of state, urging rational China policy Xinhua) 08:18, July 27, 2021 Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in north China's Tianjin on July 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Ran) TIANJIN, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday met with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, urging the United States to drop arrogance and prejudice and steer back to a rational and pragmatic China policy. In face of severe difficulties and challenges in China-U.S. relations, Wang said it requires serious consideration for the U.S. side to make correct choices as to whether the bilateral ties will head to confrontation or improvement. Calling Sherman's visit a part of mutual contact and dialogue, Wang said the two sides should enhance mutual understanding, erase misunderstanding, avoid misjudgment and better manage differences via constant dialogues. As the new U.S. administration has in general continued its predecessor's extreme and erroneous China policy, constantly challenged China's bottom line, and stepped up containment and suppression on China, Wang said China is firmly opposed to such U.S. practices. Noting the U.S. attempt to impede and disrupt China's modernization drive, Wang said "such an attempt is doomed to fail for now, and is even more so in the future." China's development, driven powerfully from within, is a trend of historical evolution, Wang said, adding that socialism with Chinese characteristics totally fits China's national realities. "The great rejuvenation of Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical process, which cannot be held back by any force or country." He said China sticks to the path of peaceful development and follows an open strategy of win-win cooperation. China will never tread the beaten track of big powers in seeking hegemony, and is willing to realize common development and prosperity with all countries including the United States, Wang added. Wang also said that China's development is aimed at seeking happiness for all Chinese people, rather than challenging or replacing the United States. "We take no interest in betting winnings or losses of the U.S. side. China's development is not based on the premise of U.S. decline." To prevent China-U.S. relations from further deteriorating or even getting out of control, Wang underlined three basic demands as bottom lines that China firmly upholds. He said the first is that the United States must not challenge, slander or even attempt to subvert the path and system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Chosen by history and the Chinese people, China's path and system are matters of Chinese people's welfare and Chinese nation's future, as well as core interests that China must firmly uphold, Wang said. The second, Wang said, is that the United States must not attempt to obstruct or interrupt China's development process. Chinese people have their rights to live better lives and China has its right to achieve modernization, said Wang, adding that modernization is not an exclusive right of the United States. China urges the United States to remove all unilateral sanctions, high tariffs, long-arm jurisdiction and technology blockade it has imposed on China as soon as possible, Wang said. Wang said the third is that the United States must not infringe upon China's state sovereignty, or even damage China's territorial integrity. He said issues regarding Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong have never been about "human rights" or "democracy," but about fighting against "Xinjiang independence," "Tibet independence" and "Hong Kong independence." No country will allow its national sovereignty and security to be compromised, Wang added. As for the Taiwan question, Wang said it's even more important. He said the fact that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China and Taiwan is part of China has never changed and will never change. If "Taiwan independence" forces dare to provoke, China has the right to take any necessary measure to stop it, Wang said, urging the U.S. side to honor its commitment on Taiwan question and act prudently. China is the largest developing country and the United States is the largest developed country, and neither side can replace or defeat the other, Wang said. "We have a clear view on where China-U.S. relations are headed, that is, to find a way for two major countries with different systems, cultures and stages of development to coexist peacefully on this planet through dialogue." It would be even better if it could be mutually beneficial, Wang said, adding that this is a good thing for both China and the United States, and a great boon for the world. "Otherwise, it would be a catastrophe." "It is hoped that the U.S. side will have an objective and correct understanding of China, abandon arrogance and prejudice, stop acting as a preacher, and return to a rational and pragmatic China policy," Wang said. Noting the U.S.-China relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world, Sherman said the United States is willing to continue to have open and candid contacts and dialogues with China. The United States also hopes that the two countries can coexist peacefully. It has no intention of restricting China's development, nor does it want to contain China, but would like to see China's development, Sherman said. The two sides can engage in healthy competition, cooperate on climate change, drug control and international and regional hotspot issues, strengthen crisis management capacity, and avoid conflicts, Sherman said. Sherman said as two major countries, the United States and China can communicate and discuss in a responsible way even if they have differences, in the hope that both sides will take joint actions to improve bilateral relations. Sherman reiterated that the United States adheres to the one-China policy and does not support "Taiwan independence." The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) Commentary: Washington's misleading binge in COVID-19 origin tracing highly irresponsible Xinhua) 08:20, July 27, 2021 GENEVA, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The United States is once again playing its old trick of smearing China, after China rejected the proposal of the World Health Organization (WHO) on its second phase of the study to trace the origins of COVID-19. Rather than helping trace the origins of the virus, the United States is actually misleading the origin-tracing work deliberately. Showing no respect to science and facts, the United States blatantly seeks presumption of guilt and political manipulation. Such malicious speculation reveals its arrogance towards science and also its sinister intention to suppress China under the pretext of origin-tracing. At a time when the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is still grim, Washington's rhetoric and actions of inciting conflict and separation not only undermine international cooperation in the global COVID-19 fight but are also highly irresponsible regarding the scientific study of COVID-19. China's rejection is reasonable. China has always maintained an open and transparent attitude on the origin-tracing issue and has invited WHO experts to China twice. The WHO-China joint mission report clearly concluded that lab leak is extremely unlikely, and there is a broad consensus in the international scientific community to this end. Regrettably, this work plan still lists the hypothesis that "a Chinese violation of laboratory protocols had caused the virus to leak during research" as a research priority, and deliberately ignores important research directions including the early cases worldwide and cold-chain transmission of the virus. In face of such a work plan that was heavily disrupted by politicization, lost scientific principles and lacked a spirit of cooperation, China has every reason to reject. For quite some time, there have been more and more reports of COVID-19 cases registered in different places across the globe in the second half of the year 2019. In the United States alone, COVID-19 infections in at least five states were identified earlier than the first reported confirmed case in the country. These evidence have well demonstrated that the origin-tracing of COVID-19 is a complex and scientific issue and should be carried out by international scientists based on a global perspective. However, some people in the United States ignore science and facts, hype up the so-called lab leak theory, put politics above science and place personal interest above people's lives and health. This is also an important reason why Washington has been weak in its response to the epidemic. Behind Washington's claimed support to the so-called "investigation" lies its ulterior motive to stigmatize China. In fact, the investigation of the origin, spread and evolution of the rampant coronavirus is a convoluted research subject for the global scientific community, and a time-consuming process that requires numerous biological information and epidemiological evidence. Previous studies have revealed that the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Brazil and some other countries showed signs of the virus and infections earlier than the first case in Wuhan. However, disregarding these facts, the United States has put all its attention on China, with a blatant aim to divert responsibility for its own failure in fighting the pandemic by smearing others. Encouragingly, such politicization of virus origin-tracing is unpopular around the world. Up till now, nearly 60 countries sent letters to the WHO, agreeing with the results of the first phase of origin-tracing research and opposing the attempt to politicize the study of the origins. Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said Finland advocates that origin-tracing should be conducted scientifically. The purpose of the origin-tracing is to be better prepared for future circumstances, instead of targeting or blaming specific countries, Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva said, adding Portugal advocates conducting the origin-tracing in a scientific and professional spirit and does not support any act of politicizing the origin-tracing or the WHO's work. Upholding the spirit of openness, transparency, science and cooperation, China is willing to continue supporting and participating in global origin-tracing cooperation, but no political interference can be tolerated in the process. Having returned to the WHO, the United States should commit itself to the global cooperation against the pandemic, rather than using the platform to continue spreading various political viruses. Stigmatizing others and politicizing the origin-tracing will only meet with resolute opposition from the international community, and such acts are doomed to fail. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) U.S. to end combat mission in Iraq by end of year Xinhua) 08:22, July 27, 2021 Combo photo of U.S. President Joe Biden (L) and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. (Xinhua) There are now around 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq. U.S. media said the move may not lead to a significant reduction of U.S. military presence in Iraq, given most of the American troops in the country have already been taking training and advising roles for the Iraqi forces. WASHINGTON, July 26 (Xinhua) -- President Joe Biden said on Monday that U.S. forces in Iraq will end the combat mission by the end of the year while continuing to train and assist Iraqi forces. "Our role in Iraq will be ... continue to train, to assist, to help and to deal with ISIS (Islamic State) as it rises, but we're not going to be, by the end of the year, in a combat mission," Biden said at the beginning of a meeting in the Oval Office with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. "Our counter-terrorism cooperation will continue even as we shift to this new phase," he said. Al-Kadhimi told the Associated Press ahead of the visit that there is no need for any foreign combat forces staying in Iraq. "What we want from the U.S. presence in Iraq is to support our forces in training and developing their efficiency and capabilities, and in security cooperation," he said. There are now around 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq. White House Press Secretary on Monday declined to provide the number of troops staying in Iraq at the end of the year. U.S. media said the move may not lead to a significant reduction of U.S. military presence in Iraq, given most of the American troops in the country have already been taking training and advising roles for the Iraqi forces. The two countries agreed to shift U.S. troops' mission back in April, but no timeline for the transition had been set at the time. Analysts noted that the Iraqi leader faced mounting pressures at home from hardline Shia factions who demand all U.S. troops to leave the country. This shift in the mission of U.S. troops could be seen as a political gain for al-Kadhimi ahead of parliamentary elections in October. Iraqi protesters take part in a demonstration against the presence of U.S. troops in the country, in Baghdad, capital of Iraq, Jan. 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood) The U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq in 2011, eight years after the U.S.-led invasion. U.S. troops returned to the country in 2014 to support the Iraqi forces in the fight against the Islamic State militants. Immediately after the deaths of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a U.S. airstrike at Baghdad airport in Jan. 2020, the Iraqi parliament passed a resolution requiring the government to end the presence of foreign forces in Iraq. Iraqi military bases housing U.S. troops across the country and the U.S. embassy in the Green Zone in central Baghdad have been frequently targeted by rocket and drone attacks from Iran-backed Shia militias. The U.S. military launched retaliatory airstrikes against Shia militants in Syria and Iraq this February and June, only leading to a cycle of more attacks and reprisals. Earlier this month, up to 14 rockets hit Al-Assad Air Base housing U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq's western province of Anbar, causing two minor injuries. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) More intl voices opposing US politicizing virus origins probe Global Times) 08:47, July 27, 2021 Online petition calling for investigation of Fort Detrick lab garners 13m signatures Play Dirty. Illustration: Liu Rui/GT Politicians, media outlets and experts from more countries are choosing to stand against the US' politicization of the coronavirus origins probe and slammed the country's refusal to open Fort Detrick lab to investigation. Analysts expected more countries and people to follow suit, as they see the US selfish deeds of putting politics over science as hobbling international efforts to tackle the COVID-19 surge. At a Monday briefing, Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave multiple examples of foreign media and experts lashing out at the US for putting politics over science, including Hamdan Shakeel, senior editor of Maldives News Network, who published an article last week suggesting that Western countries are politicizing the search for the source of the coronavirus, which means it is distorting facts and imposing responsibility on China. The spokesperson revealed that the world has seen through the US' attempt to shift attention away from its bungled approach to COVID-19 and blame China, and urged the US to invite WHO experts to probe the Fort Detrick biolab and "give the world the truth." More rational voices criticizing US attitude on COVID-19 origins tracing investigation emerged in the international community recently. Anil Sooklal, a deputy director-general at South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation, told the Xinhua News Agency earlier this month that countries must refrain from using the tracing of the origins of COVID-19 to score cheap political points. "What is important is that COVID-19 should not be used for political point scoring exercises, which is what is happening at the present time," said the official, while applauding China's cooperation in tracing the origins of COVID-19. Herman Tiu Laurel, a columnist, proposed on Philippine media outlet Sovereign PH on Friday an online petition to be signed by netizens for the WHO to look into the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick. "While China has shown it has nothing to hide by opening the city of Wuhan, its suspected market epicenter, and its virology institute to the WHO international team, the US is not only uninviting but is aggressively applying 'weapons of mass distraction' and smoke-screening Fort Detrick from questions by steering attention back to China with the false narrative of a 'Wuhan lab-leak' conspiracy theory," the columnist added. Jeffrey D. Sachs, director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, also wrote on Thursday an article in which he urged international cooperation to deal with the pandemic, instead of blaming or acquitting some countries. With many parts of the world overwhelmed by the COVID-19 surge, the US' politicization of virus origins tracing has seriously hobbled scientific research on this issue, which is why countries still ravaged by the pandemic have vented their anger against the politicization of the probe, Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations of the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times. He said that more countries and more scientists will stand up and voice their indignation if Washington continues to play the blame game on the coronavirus origins probe and keep Fort Detrick biolab shrouded in secrecy. A source close to the China-WHO joint expert team told the Global Times that the trend of politics leading science is "unlikely to result in useful results. It will also significantly delay the next steps, making tracing even more difficult." He said that eventually everyone stands to lose because politicization of this issue. Illustration: Liu Rui/GT To date, nearly 60 countries have sent letters to the WHO, agreeing with the results of the first phase of origin-tracing research and opposing the attempt to politicize the study of the origins, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday while meeting the press with Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto. The coronavirus needs origin-tracing, and so does the political virus, said Wang. "Yet the US, long being obsessed with hegemony, and the one that has forced international organizations to probe others, is unlikely to change its attitude because of the international petition," said Li, noting that the US refusal to subject itself to a WHO virus origins probe exposes its hypocrisy and condescension. Standing up for truth Before the international community began opposing politicization of the virus origins investigation, Chinese people have taken actions to have their voices heard. An online petition demanding that the WHO investigate the Fort Detrick lab launched on July 17 has garnered 13 million signatures among Chinese netizens as of press time. However, the petition was attacked by multiple US IP addresses Saturday night as the number of signatures approached 10 million. Responding to the cyberattack, Zhao Lijian said that the US owes Chinese netizens an explanation on why it remains silent on opening the Fort Detrick lab for investigation and why it launched a cyberattack against the online petition. The US is ignoring a request from 13 million Chinese people, and deliberately dodging questions on the Fort Detrick lab, Zhao remarked. "The US presents itself as 'transparent,' where is your transparency now?" About a week ago, the US together with its allies accused China of launching large-scale cyberattacks against Western countries. But the cyberattack from the US on the petition has exposed its double-standards on the issue of cybersecurity and exposed the US as a threat to cybersecurity, Zhao continued. Chinese observers said the strong appeal shows that Chinese people will not stop questioning the American lab until the US gives a reasonable explanation, and they also urged the WHO to truly play its coordinating role based on science and objectivity rather than becoming a political tool of the US. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the WHO, outlined a plan recently for a second investigation in China of the origins of coronavirus, including a proposal for "audits of relevant laboratories and research institutions operating in the area of the initial human cases identified in December 2019." The proposal was rejected by Zeng Yixin, China's vice minister of the National Health Commission, saying it "disregards common sense and defies science." The recent steps Tedros has taken are likely to lead to months being lost in the scientific study to understand the origins of coronavirus, said the anonymous source, noting that it seems political agendas have been put at a higher priority than science. Lei Ruipeng, an expert at the School of Philosophy and Center for Bioethics at the Wuhan-based Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and a member of the WHO Ethics and COVID-19 Working Group, told the Global Times that virus origins tracing is complex work that requires international cooperation. China has taken the lead and opened the country for a WHO investigation. It would be unfair and unjust to only focus on China while other countries, such as the US and Italy where the epidemic is severe and suspicious cases had been reported before the pandemic emerged, still refused to cooperate. Lei said that the WHO second-stage plan has deviated from the roadmap and distorted the key point of the virus origins tracing work by politicizing the issue. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Chinese family saved from fatal floods thanks to good Samaritans Xinhua) 08:59, July 27, 2021 -- Record rainstorms have wreaked havoc in central China's Henan Province, and floodwater trapped a car where Vee Hou's mother and two children were stuck in Zhengzhou, the provincial capital, on July 20th. -- A group of strangers swam to the car, smashed open the window and pulled them out, leading to an outpouring of sentiment online. -- Vee Hou calls the good Samaritans heroes, and said the rescue will be a lifelong treasure. ZHENGZHOU, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Just before the car trapping Vee Hou's mother and two children could sink below the floodwaters, they were saved by a group of strangers who swam to the car, smashed open the window and pulled them out. The rescuers then placed the children inside a large blue bucket and floated them to safety one by one, and lifted the senior to safety. Snapshot taken from a video shows residents working together to save the trio stuck in the car swamped by floodwaters in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province. (Xinhua) Record rainstorms have wreaked havoc in central China's Henan Province, inflicting heavy losses. The death toll has risen to 69 as of noon on Monday, the information office of the Henan provincial government said during a press conference. Henan has so far deployed more than 116,000 rescue workers to aid disaster relief, in addition to national-level rescue personnel and those from other provinces and state-owned enterprises, according to the provincial department of emergency management. A recent viral video shows many residents in the provincial capital Zhengzhou working together to save the trio stuck in the car swamped by floodwaters on July 20. "They are truly unsung heroes and I am so grateful to all of them," Hou said. RESIDENTS TO THE RESCUE As the rain poured down and the flooding reached knee height, Vee Hou became increasingly anxious. Her mother had just picked her two children up from kindergarten in Zhengzhou. Their car stalled at a crossroads and they were unable to get out. The only things still moving were the windshield wipers. The flood was pushing in. "I waved outside, but the closest shop was more than 20 meters away and no one could see me," Hou's mother said. She called her daughter to alert her to the danger they were in. Hou tried to call the police, but all lines were busy. She then searched for information about the surrounding shops and called their owners. One of them responded and called hotel staff Li Kunpeng to help. After receiving the call, Li grabbed a kitchen knife and rushed to the rescue, regardless of the fact that he didn't know how to swim. When Li reached the car, the water had risen to his neck, leaving only the top of the car visible. "I managed to climb on top, and I saw this lady and the two kids inside," Li recalled. "I tried to break the window with the knife but I wasn't able to." Rescuers help people to evacuate near the Fuwai Central China Cardiovascular Hospital in Zhongmu County of Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province, July 22, 2021. (Xinhua/Cai Yang) As more people swam over, Li shouted, "Hammer!" Another nearby stranger attempted to break in the window with Li's knife, but they were again unsuccessful. Two security guards then swam to the car holding a hammer. Hotel owner Yin Longfei pulled over a large blue bucket, which he later said he uses to wash bedsheets. Noodle shop owner Li Xiang also arrived to aid the rescue, bringing with him a large hammer. Li Kunpeng took a hammer and using all his strength, he was able to break the roof of the car. Meanwhile, Li Xiang had managed to make a small hole in a side window and broke it open with his bare hands. Within minutes, the rescuers had pulled the children out. Security guard Lou Yanzhe attempted to warm them up with the coat from his own back. The children were stowed in the blue bucket separately and dragged to safety. All three occupants of the car were eventually saved. The footage of the rescue has led to an outpouring of sentiment online, with many saying they were deeply moved. "If there were a Noah's Ark in the world, I think this would be it," said a netizen with the screen name Yangjunjiang. In this aerial photo, firefighters pump rainwater out of a road in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, July 21, 2021. (Photo by Ma Xiaoran/Xinhua) ORDINARY PEOPLE -- AND HEROES Vee Hou said the rescue will forever be remembered in her heart. "I remember when I called one of the rescuers, he simply told me not to worry, and that they would take care of it," Hou said. "I didn't know how much the words meant until I learned more about the rescue process." The rescuers included people from many walks of life, including hotel staff, soldiers, a noodle shop owner, security guards and a dancing teacher. During the battle to save the grandmother and her grandchildren, one rescuer sustained cuts to his hands and a broken finger. Another lost his phone and wallet in the process. But not one of them uttered a word of complaint. "Anyone would have done the same thing," one rescuer said. Vee Hou's mother was able to keep her calm throughout the ordeal. "She did not sound anxious on the phone," Hou said. "She later told me that she did not want to make me or the kids worry." While waiting for help, Hou's mother held the two children high in the car and told them they were playing a game called "Flood Adventure." "She was so brave," Hou said. Combo photo shows hotel staff Li Kunpeng, security guard Lou Yanzhe, hotel owner Yin Longfei and noodle shop owner Li Xiang (from left to right) who worked together to save the trio stuck in the car swamped by floodwaters on July 20, 2021 in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province. (Xinhua) Vee Hou later took her children to visit Li Xiang, the man who had broken his finger while aiding the rescue. "He asked my sons if they were scared during the flood, and they said they were not," Hou said. "He praised them for their courage, and told them to be brave people when they grow up." "These people are ordinary citizens, but they are also heroes," she said. "This rescue will forever be in our hearts. It will be a lifelong treasure." (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) Interview: China's development benefits all peoples, says former Bolivian president Xinhua) 09:09, July 27, 2021 LA PAZ, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The "socialist policies" have made China the world's second largest economy, "a productive and complementary economy for the benefit of all peoples," former Bolivian President Evo Morales has said. China's development is in sharp contrast with the "individualistic and competitive predatory" behaviors by the United States and the West for decades, Morales, also chairperson of Bolivia's Movement Towards Socialism party, said in an interview with Xinhua. Morales expressed his admiration to the Chinese government and people over China's achievements since the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) 100 years ago. China's achievements in poverty alleviation have also impressed Morales, who said the fact that China has lifted over 700 million people out of extreme poverty "caught my attention." Putting people first is the vision shared by the CPC and Bolivia's Movement Towards Socialism party, according to the former president. "What unites ... the Communist Party of China and the Movement Towards Socialism ... is that: first the people, first the humble people, first poor people, seeking equality, (and) fighting, working for equality," said Morales. Morales spoke highly of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well as the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. Noting that the BRI will benefit not only Chinese people but also many other peoples across the world, Morales expressed his "respect" and "admiration" to the Chinese president, the CPC, and the Chinese people "for projecting humanity thinking." According to Morales, Bolivia has considered the plan of building a railway linking South America's Atlantic and Pacific coasts, which would benefit not only Bolivia, but also other South American countries. By aligning with the BRI, such a plan could create more space for cooperation between Bolivia and China, he said. China's commitment to multilateralism, international law and the United Nations is "extremely important" for tackling today's global challenges, Morales said, adding that the current challenges, such as climate change and social inequality, "can only be solved through true global cooperation." Morales said his country and China maintain a relationship marked by broad and diverse cooperation, and reciprocal respect, which has fostered the development of political trust, economic complementarity and mutual learning. "China is more than 17,300 km away from Bolivia, but that distance has not been, and is not, an obstacle to strengthening our ties of brotherhood and cooperation," he added. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) U.S. coerces WHO into launching new COVID probe to pressure China: British writer Xinhua) 09:36, July 27, 2021 Photo taken on March 30, 2021 shows an exterior view of the headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. (Xinhua/Chen Junxia) Fowdy noted that Washington is now wielding coalition politics to scapegoat the WHO. MOSCOW, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The United States is forcing the World Health Organization (WHO) to launch a new investigation into the origins of COVID-19 to add pressure on China, British writer Tom Fowdy has said in an article published by RT recently. "The U.S. politicization of the virus and the WHO has simply continued, with the theatrics of the Wuhan lab-leak conspiracy theory and speculation about the origin of the virus gaining new life ... as part of the ongoing American hostility against China," Fowdy said. "Amid the chaos, the findings of the WHO-led investigation in Wuhan into the origins of COVID-19 were quickly discredited because they didn't fit the U.S. narrative," he wrote in the op-ed titled "If the world wants a WHO that functions properly, America has to stop scapegoating it." As a political and international relations analyst with a primary focus on East Asia, Fowdy noted that Washington is now wielding coalition politics to scapegoat the WHO, demanding reform of the organization and leveraging funding on its change. "America's constant attempts to proliferate the narrative of the pandemic being based not on benign and boring scientific facts but an almost romanticized science-fiction trope is geared towards placing maximum culpability on Beijing," he said. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) Interview: China to boost pragmatic cooperation with Lebanon in various fields: ambassador Xinhua) 09:40, July 27, 2021 BEIRUT, July 26 (Xinhua) -- New Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Qian Minjian vowed to promote pragmatic cooperation between China and Lebanon in various fields by turning visions into tangible results, so as to bring more benefits to the two countries and their peoples. "We look forward to working with friends from all walks of life in Lebanon to continue deepening our pragmatic cooperation," Qian told Xinhua in a recent exclusive interview marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Lebanon. Qian, who had been in Beirut as a diplomat 20 years ago, said since the establishment of diplomatic relationships in 1971, the China-Lebanon relations have developed steadily, with exchanges and cooperation becoming increasingly wider and closer in various fields. "China and Lebanon are traditional friends, and China has long been providing Lebanon with humanitarian and development assistance within its capacity," he noted. Given the multiple crises and severe economic difficulties that Lebanon has suffered in recent years, the Chinese government has increased support for Lebanon, providing grants, materials and food aid through bilateral and multilateral channels. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Lebanon have always maintained close cooperation in the fight against the virus, exchanging information and sharing experience in prevention, control, diagnosis and treatment of the infectious disease. In 2020, China provided Lebanon with PCR testing reagents, large infrared thermometers, KN95 face masks and other anti-virus supplies to help the country combat the pandemic, according to the Chinese ambassador. This year, the Chinese government donated two batches of the COVID-19 vaccine to Lebanon. Recently, the Chinese Red Cross donated additional doses of the vaccine to the Lebanese Red Cross, Qian said. "China is very pleased to see the good progress made by Lebanon in the prevention and control of the contagious disease, and is informed of Lebanon's recent threat of the Delta variant," said the ambassador, noting China is ready to maintain close contact with Lebanon and provide needed support. Following Beirut port's blasts, the Chinese government provided the Lebanese government with 1 million U.S. dollars in cash for emergency humanitarian assistance, Qian said, adding the Chinese government is willing to encourage reputable Chinese companies to bid for the reconstruction projects of the port when the Lebanese government launches official tenders for the purpose. Some Lebanese entrepreneurs have expressed their expectation to work with the Chinese partners in the port's reconstruction, he told Xinhua. Qian said some Chinese companies that are interested in investing in large-scale projects in Lebanon's power, telecommunications, transportation, water conservancy and other infrastructure fields are exploring and surveying the Lebanese market. With regard to economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, Qian said the overall economic and trade cooperation between China and Lebanon has remained stable in recent years. Before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, China had been Lebanon's largest trading partner for six consecutive years. The two governments and relevant industry associations have been actively promoting the export of Lebanese speciality products to China. Moreover, the Chinese Embassy in Lebanon has been assisting Lebanese business communities in actively participating in trade exchange platforms such as the China International Import Expo, the China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair), and China-Arab States Expo to expand the popularity of Lebanese speciality products in China. "After years of hard work, the Lebanese olive oil, wine, handmade soap, chocolate and other speciality products have gradually become known to Chinese consumers," Qian said. Lebanon is a natural partner in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation with China, Qian noted. In 2017, the two governments formally signed a memorandum of understanding on jointly building the BRI. Successive Lebanese governments have voiced willingness to deepen pragmatic cooperation with China within the framework of the BRI. The ambassador stressed that the Chinese side has always been pursuing the BRI cooperation with Lebanon on the basis of the principle of achieving shared benefits through extensive consultation and joint construction without any political strings attached. The Chinese government-funded Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music is a large-scale iconic project in promoting the BRI cooperation and enhancing friendly ties between the two countries, Qian said. To mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Lebanon, a variety of celebrations and events will be held by the Chinese embassy, he added. In the first half of this year, the embassy successfully held the online New Year concert and children's painting competition. A series of activities are scheduled to be followed, including the publication of a special issue commemorating the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and Chinese songs and speech contests among the Lebanese students. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) China-Europe freight trains make more trips, provide better services 10:02, July 27, 2021 By Lu Yanan, Feng Xuejun ( People's Daily Photo taken on April 1, 2021, shows railway workers of the port of Erenhot in north Chinas Inner Mongolia autonomous region having containers lifted onto a China-Europe freight train. (Photo by Xia Liang/ People's Daily Online) China-Europe freight trains, which feature long-distance transport of large volume of freight between different continents and countries, have seen its transport network extend to 168 cities in 23 European countries and become a global public good widely recognized by countries along its routes. In the first half of this year, China-Europe freight trains witnessed a rise in both its number of trips and quality of services. Railway operator of Xian, capital of northwest Chinas Shaanxi province, increased the number of its China-Europe freight trains from 41 to 50 during the first six months of this year. Xian continued to rank first in the country in terms of the number of train trips, the volume of goods transported, and the proportion of fully loaded trains. During the same period, Horgos port and Alashankou port in northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region both saw their number of freight train trips to and from Europe and Central Asia exceed 3,000, with an increase in the volume of both imports and exports. Photo taken on July 9, 2021, shows large machinery unloading containers at China-Kazakhstan (Lianyungang) logistics cooperation base in Lianyungang city, east Chinas Jiangsu province. (Photo by Wang Jianmin/ People's Daily Online) These rising indexes have reflected the rapid development of the China-Europe freight trains. According to data from China State Railway Group, China-Europe freight trains made a record 7,377 trips and sent out 707,000 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) of goods in the first six months of this year, up 43 percent and 52 percent respectively from the same period last year. On the morning of June 2, a China-Europe freight train fully loaded with treadmills, exercise bikes, sterile syringes and other goods left Zhongding Logistics Park in north Chinas Shanxi province for the railway station of Valenton, Paris, France, marking the launch of the first direct China-Europe freight train route linking Shanxi with France. The launch of the new route increased the number of China-Europe freight train routes covered by our companys services to nine. It makes our company more competitive, said Zhou Zhifei, deputy general manager of Zhongding Logistics Park. While constantly expanding their routes, operators of China-Europe freight trains have continuously increased the number of train trips. From January to June, Zhongding Logistics Park alone saw 74 outbound trips made by China-Europe freight trains, which sent out 7,148 TEUs of goods, representing a year-on-year growth rate of 48 percent, according to Zhou. As the variety of goods becomes increasingly rich, the added value of products transported by China-Europe freight trains is getting higher. In the first half of this year, a total of 1,079 trips were made by China-Europe freight trains departing from east Chinas Zhejiang province, according to Chen Dengke, deputy director of Jinhua freight center of China Railway Shanghai Bureau Group Co., Ltd. The number of containers transported from and to Zhejiang increased by 204.4 percent year on year during the period, and the composition of goods has changed from small commodities to high-tech products like automobiles and photovoltaic power generation equipment, said Chen. Photo taken on July 16, 2021, shows No. X9216/5 special train connecting China with several central Asian countries, departing from Jinhuanan Railway Station in Jinhua, east Chinas Zhejiang province, with 100 TEUs of export goods, on its first trip. (Photo by Hu Xiaofei/ People's Daily Online) After the outbreak of the COVID-19, export of Guangxi LiuGong Group Co., Ltd., a machinery manufacturer based in Liuzhou city, south Chinas Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, was affected for a time due to slow customs clearance procedures at both highway and waterway ports. Fortunately, railway operator of Nanning city, capital of Guangxi, reached out to the company and opened for it a new route linking Liuzhou city with Moscow, Russia. China-Europe freight trains can save at least two weeks of transport time compared to our past sea transportation and road transportation, said Xue Bing, head of the international division of LiuGong Group Co., Ltd. Grasping well the pain points of clients and addressing difficult problems of the market, China-Europe freight trains have made more than 40,000 trips accumulatively. The ever-growing number of trips comes from the trains constantly improving capacity for providing comprehensive services. In response to the demand for a concentration of goods from different areas before transportation, railway operator of Xian launched 15 trans-provincial routes and four local routes to have trains carrying goods from various areas gathered at the China-Europe freight train assembly center in the city and then regrouped before leaving for Western Europe. Containers with Customs seal are exempted from out-of-box inspection and allowed to be directly loaded onto China-Europe freight trains at the assembly center based on relevant Customs clearance notice, thus significantly improving operating efficiency of the trains. In recent years, multiple authorities in China have made concerted efforts to improve the Customs clearance efficiency for China-Europe freight trains. Since the beginning of this year, Manzhouli Railway Station in Manzhouli, north Chinas Inner Mongolia autonomous region, has realized the sharing of information online with parties involved in the joint inspection and multimodal transport of goods, such as the Customs and freight forwarders, by leveraging its digital port system. By making detailed plans for the Customs clearance and transportation of China-Europe freight trains, the railway station has managed to shorten the time needed for procedures from declaration to clearance of goods at Customs from about half a day to less than 30 minutes on average. China-Europe freight trains bear great significance for promoting efforts to strengthen infrastructure construction and improve the construction of transportation networks in countries along their routes, and make railway transportation between Europe and China more stable, said Olaf Krueger, chairman of Germanys International Rail Freight Business Association (IBS). With the establishment and improvement of an interactive and complex railway network, trade contacts between Europe and China will be increasingly deepened, which is going to further advance the course of economic globalization and make the results of economic development benefit people in countries and regions along the routes of China-Europe freight trains, according to Krueger. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) The US is doing everything to make and spread lies about COVID-19 10:13, July 27, 2021 By Zhong Sheng ( People's Daily People visit the Lincoln Memorial at the National Mall in Washington D.C., the United States, on July 24, 2021. The current COVID-19 surge in the United States will steadily accelerate through this summer and fall, an article published by the U.S. non-profit media organization National Public Radio (NPR) has said. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) Fabricating and spreading lies, and manipulating media into hyping so-called "evidence" for "presumption of guilt" is a common practice for the White House to slander, tarnish and oppress other countries. The impacts of the "two-man acts" staged by Washington and relevant media organizations, including the "washing powder" lie that triggered Iraq war and the fake video of "White Helmets" that started the crisis in Syria, are still lingering today, becoming an inescapable stain of the US that reminds the world of how dangerous American hegemony is. Today, the US is once again employing the same old trick on the serious and scientific issue of origin tracing of COVID-19, trying to pass the buck and contain the development of China by demonizing and stigmatizing the country. Is Washington planning to make another "washing powder" lie, or fake some other "White Helmets" videos? If so, then it will not bring a single change to Washington's failure in pandemic control, and only marks a serious underestimation of China's resolution, willpower and capability to safeguard its interests on its way to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Instead of finding a way to kill the coronavirus, the White House has never stopped making and spreading the political virus to achieve self-interest and contain China's development over the past year. Calling COVID-19 the "China virus," the White House instigated US officials to put the blame on China. There was even a 57-page strategy document that taught US politicians to slander China with the pandemic. The US government made hypes of the so-called "lab leak theory," and launched a notorious intelligence operation to force the "lab leak" on China. It also resorted to "origin sourcing terrorism," coercing the WHO and some scientists to give up objectivity. As a result, the second stage of the origin tracing work is deviating from science-based principles. The US, doing everything to make and spread lies, is just trampling on human civilization and the norms governing international relations. Over the past year, there have been nearly 35 million infections and over 610,000 deaths in the US, and the country is always trapped in a cycle of "deterioration - alleviation - deterioration," which explains that making lies hurts not only others, but also the US itself. The WHO outlined the importance of fighting infodemic as early as February the last year, as it believes rumors would harm the global efforts in fighting COVID-19. It also established a managing board for fighting infodemic. The Lancet once published a joint statement by 27 top scientists in public health, expressing strong condemnation of the conspiracy theories about COVID-19. "Conspiracy theories do nothing but create fear, rumours, and prejudice that jeopardise our global collaboration in the fight against this virus," the statement said. In the past year, the political virus made by Washington has become a public enemy of the world. Deluded by the rumors fabricated by the US, Asian hate started in the country and other parts of the world, which was indicated by an increasing number of hate crimes committed against Asian people. Besides, it was because of the coercion from the US, the origin tracing work of the virus is not being advanced based on scientific principles, professionalism, or objectivity. Peter Daszak, a member of a WHO expert team sent to China for COVID-19 origin tracing, said China is a victim of the so-called "lab leak theory." The Nature magazine said the US tone about the so-called "lab leak theory" is unsettling, and some toxic remarks might thwart efforts to study the origins of the virus. Lies are always lies and are easily shattered by facts. In the first stage of the origin tracing work, China upheld principles of openness, transparency, science and cooperation, and did all it could to support the WHO expert team consisting of scientists from multiple countries and organize and coordinate relevant departments. The experts went to all the places they wanted to visit, and met all the people they wanted to see. China has sufficient evidence indicating that the Wuhan Institute of Virology has never conducted the gain-of-function experiment on coronavirus, or artificially made the virus. Besides, no staff member or postgraduate student of the institute has contracted COVID-19, and there are not any traces of modification in the virus, which totally rules out the theory that it was man-made. Because of such facts and confidence, China will not accept the second-phase origin tracing work which disrespects common sense and science and aims at tarnishing itself, before an investigation is carried out into the US, the hardest-hit country by COVID-19. The US made lies about the pandemic to slander China, because some Americans are not willing to accept a growing China. Their practices once again showed how hegemonic the US is, and mirrored the ignorance of the US for the development trend of the world. It seems like that Washington has forgotten that it is facing the world's second largest economy that is resolute and competent to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and is committed to building a community with a shared future for mankind and providing new opportunities for the world with its own development. So far, there have been nearly 60 countries sending letters to the WHO in recognition of the conclusion reached in the first-phase origin tracing and opposing politicizing the origin tracing work. Besides, over 12 million Chinese people have signed an online petition in just days, requesting the WHO to launch an origin-tracing investigation into the US. "You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time." The rumors fabricated and spread by the US can neither blind the people nor cover the facts, and are destined to fail. (Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People's Daily to express its views on Chinas foreign policy and international affairs.) (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) Fighter jets take off with suspension weights China Military Online) 10:29, July 27, 2021 Maintenance men assigned to an aviation brigade under the PLA Southern Theater Command load rockets onto a fighter jet prior to a live-fire flight training exercise on July 13, 2021. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Zhan Boqin and Wang Guoyun) (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) China-Europe freight train service resumes from flood-hit Zhengzhou Xinhua) 10:41, July 27, 2021 Aerial photo shows a China-Europe freight train bound for Helsinki, Finland departing from Putian Station of Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province, Nov. 20, 2020. (Xinhua/Hao Yuan) ZHENGZHOU, July 26 (Xinhua) -- China-Europe freight trains that depart from the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou have resumed operations after the city was hit hard by floods triggered by torrential rain. On Sunday, a freight train loaded with electronic components, auto parts and other goods departed Zhengzhou for Belgium's Liege via the border port of Erenhot in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The China-Europe freight-train service has handled more than 7,300 trips in the first half of this year, up 43 percent from the same period last year, data by the China State Railway Group Co. Ltd. showed. The freight trains have carried over 700,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit containers of goods in the six-month period, surging 52 percent year on year. Launched in 2011, the freight trains have reached 168 cities in 23 European countries and recorded more than 40,000 trips, according to the group. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) Xinjiang nature reserve expects 8,000 endangered Tibetan antelope births Xinhua) 10:44, July 27, 2021 Tibetan antelopes are released into the wild at a wildlife rescue center of the Sonam Dargye Protection Station in Hoh Xil, northwest China's Qinghai Province, July 7, 2021. Tibetan antelopes are mostly found in China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.(Xinhua/Zhang Long) URUMQI, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Approximately 8,000 Tibetan antelopes are expected to be born in a nature reserve in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, showing the steady growth in the number of the endangered species in the reserve. Scientists who launched an expedition in the Altun Mountain National Nature Reserve last month made the preliminary estimation through field observation, which showed that about 35,000 female Tibetan antelopes entered the reserve this summer, some 5,000 more than in 2020, said Xu Donghua, an official with the reserve's management bureau. Approximately 25 percent of the antelopes are pregnant, Xu added. Tibetan antelopes are mostly found in the Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and Xinjiang. The species is under first-class state protection in China. The expedition team was composed of 21 members from the reserve's management bureau, the Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and other institutions. The expedition program is scheduled to last five years, during which time scientists will conduct research into and compile statistics for endangered species and their habitats in the reserve, said Xu. Covering 45,000 square kilometers, the Altun Mountain National Nature Reserve lies at the juncture of Xinjiang, Tibet, Qinghai and Gansu, and is home to a wide variety of rare animals. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) China urges U.S. to invite WHO experts to investigate Fort Detrick lab Xinhua) 10:57, July 27, 2021 BEIJING, July 26 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Monday urged the United States to adopt a transparent and responsible attitude and invite World Health Organization (WHO) experts to investigate Fort Detrick lab for coronavirus origin tracing as soon as possible. The United States must do so to show the truth to the world, spokesperson Zhao Lijian said. Zhao made the remarks at a daily press briefing in response to a question on the increasing amount of rational voices from the media and experts of multiple countries, criticizing the U.S. politicizing the issue of virus origin tracing and urging an investigation of the Fort Detrick bio lab. Some people in the United States are bent on political manipulation under the pretext of virus origin tracing to divert attention and shift blame for a poor performance in their pandemic response, Zhao said. "Their vicious motives have long been laid bare." He said the United States is the country with the most COVID-19 infections, the timeline of infection cases at the early stage in the United States is being advanced, and the correlation between Fort Detrick and vaping-related illnesses remains puzzling. "If there are to be investigations on laboratories, the WHO should go to the Fort Detrick," said Zhao. Concerning the U.S. failure to respond actively to joint signatures by more than 13 million Chinese netizens calling for a WHO investigation of Fort Detrick, the spokesperson said the United States owed Chinese netizens responsible explanations about doubts at Fort Detrick and cyberattacks from the United States against the joint signature server. These attacks have once again exposed U.S. hypocrisy and double standard on cybersecurity, as well as its true identity of the number one "matrix" in the world, Zhao added. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) Chinese, Mongolian defense ministers agree to strengthen cooperation Xinhua) 11:00, July 27, 2021 ULAN BATOR, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe and Mongolian Defense Minister Gursed Saikhanbayar pledged here on Monday to beef up pragmatic cooperation between the two militaries. China and Mongolia are friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers, and their building of a community with a shared future has been constantly deepened, Wei said during a meeting with Saikhanbayar. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two countries have been supporting each other and working together to overcome difficulties, setting an example of anti-pandemic cooperation among neighboring countries and injecting positive energy into a turbulent world, he said. The two sides should continue to firmly support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns, remain highly vigilant against interference by outside forces in regional affairs, and jointly safeguard regional security and stability, Wei added. The Chinese military is willing to work with the Mongolian side to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, enhance strategic mutual trust, expand practical cooperation, and make greater contribution to the sound and steady development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, he said. Saikhanbayar extended his congratulations on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. Mongolia highly appreciates China's building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, among other remarkable achievements, and is grateful to China for its support and assistance in fighting the epidemic and boosting trade, he said. Mongolia attaches great importance to its relations with China and will continue to actively promote pragmatic cooperation in such fields as defense and security, strengthen communication and coordination with China on regional issues, and make positive efforts for regional peace and stability, Saikhanbayar said. Also on Monday, Mongolia's parliamentary speaker Gombojav Zandanshatar met with Wei in Ulan Bator. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) China's Guizhou plans to build 38,000 EV charging piles by 2023 Xinhua) 11:06, July 27, 2021 A new energy vehicle is displayed at Eco Forum Global Guiyang 2021 in Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province, on July 12, 2021. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin) GUIYANG, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Guizhou Province plans to build 38,000 charging piles for electric vehicles (EVs) by 2023, the provincial government has said. According to the action plan, 4,500 EV charging piles will be set up this year, with a further 5,000 in 2022 and 5,500 in 2023. The plan notes that the charging piles will be built in places such as tourist attractions, transport hubs and expressway service areas, as well as passenger transport centers in counties and towns. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) China's Nanjing classifies four areas as COVID-19 high-risk Xinhua) 11:07, July 27, 2021 Ice blocks are placed to help cool off as people wait to receive COVID-19 tests outside a testing site at the Hexi compound of the Nanjing First Hospital in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, July 22, 2021. (Xinhua/Yang Shaogong) NANJING, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The eastern Chinese city of Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu Province, has classified four areas as high-risk for COVID-19, local authorities said. Starting from Monday, four regions in Lukou Subdistrict, Jiangning District, have been labeled as high-risk areas, while 25 regions in the city have been placed on the list of medium-risk areas, according to the municipal COVID-19 prevention and control headquarters. Jiangsu Province on Sunday reported 39 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and one asymptomatic infection, all locally transmitted, local authorities said Monday. The provincial health commission said 38 of the 39 confirmed cases and the one asymptomatic case were registered in Nanjing, while the other confirmed case was found in the city of Suqian. Nanjing, a mega-city with a population of more than 9.3 million, has launched a second round of all-inclusive nucleic-acid testing and urged residents not to leave the city unless necessary. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) Commentary: Virus origin-tracing should be conducted in multiple countries Xinhua) 11:10, July 27, 2021 BEIJING, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 source tracing should be conducted in multiple countries globally other than a single nation. The United States should be one of the priority countries in the next stage of investigations by scientists. More and more reports have pointed to separate outbreaks in multiple places globally in the latter half of 2019. Recent studies have shown that the United States and other countries showed signs of the virus and infections before the outbreak in China. At least five states in the United States alone had earlier COVID-19 infections before the first officially reported confirmed case in the United States. The United States is the country that saw the most infections and deaths in the pandemic and whose fight against the outbreak has a flurry of unanswered questions. But the origin-tracing work in the United States was inadequate. In June and July 2019, U.S. media started to report issues involving Fort Detrick. By the end of July, two retirement communities near the base witnessed outbreaks of pneumonia of unknown cause. In September, vaping-related lung illness cases doubled in Maryland where Fort Detrick is located. Despite facing mounting doubts, the United States has continued to refuse to release critical information regarding the base's closure under the pretext of "national security." Instead, the United States has tried to stigmatize China's concerted and effective anti-virus measures, despite the fact that China did its best to organize and coordinate with relevant parties to meet the needs of the World Health Organization (WHO) expert team who visited Wuhan in central China to carry out the virus-source tracing and relevant global research jointly with Chinese experts. The expert group concluded that the so-called "lab leak" theory is "extremely unlikely" and recommended conducting further research around earlier cases globally. The purpose of the United States is barefaced. It is to shirk responsibility for their spotted epidemic response and achieve the political purpose of discrediting and suppressing other countries. It is necessary to record this ugly page in the annals of humanity's fight against the pandemic. The origin-tracing should not be manipulated by politics. It should not be used to blame any one country, let alone splitting the international community. Other than being obsessed with finger-pointing and buck-passing, the U.S. side should open its door to investigations by international scientists to answer the many questions of the global community and contribute to origin-tracing of the COVID-19 virus. Tracing the COVID-19 virus is a complex scientific matter that calls for a global collaboration of scientists with a global perspective. Politicizing the matter will impede this effort and kill more lives. China would continue to support and participate in global origin-tracing cooperation in the spirit of openness, transparency, science and cooperation. Other countries, particularly the United States, need to follow suit. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) China launches special campaign to regulate its internet sector Xinhua) 11:15, July 27, 2021 A visitor walks past an outdoor installation displaying QR code at the China International Big Data Industry Expo 2021 in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu) BEIJING, July 26 (Xinhua) -- China has launched a special six-month campaign to regulate its internet industry, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on Monday. The campaign targets problems that may disrupt market order, damage consumer rights, or threaten data security. The ministry will crack down on malicious internet company practices that could disrupt market order, such as link-blocking activities and interference in products and services operated by other entities. In the interest of data security, the ministry will target companies that have not taken management and technical measures as required in the collection, transmission and storage of data, and in offering the data to other entities. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) Wing Loong drones used in disaster relief, weather study China Daily) 13:46, July 27, 2021 China's Wing Loong series of unmanned aircraft have long been known for their strong combat capability, good performance in battles and popularity among foreign buyers. Now, their manufacturerthe State-owned defense conglomerate Aviation Industry Corp of Chinasaid the powerful machines are not only suited for theater reconnaissance and precision strikes, but can also serve a host of civilian purposes. The most recent example, which involved a Wing Loong 2H that provided communication signals to people besieged by floods in Henan province, has gone viral in Chinese media and social networks, with internet users calling it a "magic drone" that helps to save lives. Last week, China deployed a Wing Loong 2H to restore communication services and survey conditions in several parts of Henan province that were severely affected by recent heavy rain and flooding. The remotely controlled aircraft used a mini signal transmission device to allow people trapped in flooded areas to connect to the China Mobile network, enabling them to report their situation, call for help or coordinate evacuation work. Wang Dayong, a deputy chief designer of the Wing Loong series at the AVIC Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, said on Monday that his institute had designed and built several civilian models based on the Wing Loong 2 and Wing Loong 10 combat drones. "We have built a weather modification drone, called Ganlin 1, based on the Wing Loong 2 and conducted its maiden flight test in January in Gansu province. It is the world's first large drone dedicated to weather control," he said. "It has world-class weather modification technology. It can remain airborne for up to 14 hours and has a flight capacity of 5,000 kilometers." The China Meteorological Administration is working with Gansu provincial authorities to operate a trial run of deploying the drone to produce artificial precipitation, according to the designer. In addition to making rain, the aircraft is also capable of long-range meteorological detection and gathering atmospheric data, and can operate in bad weather, Wang noted. He said another Wing Loong 2 has been used by forestry fire departments. Carrying cameras and sensors, the drone can enable firefighters to detect and handle forest fires in a rapid, efficient manner. "Currently, fire departments need to send in personnel to detect and monitor forest fires at short range, which usually causes risks for firefighters. Some would use small drones to conduct the task, but small craft are hugely restricted by their short operational time and flight range, therefore large drones like Wing Loong 2 are an ideal option," the designer explained. Li Yidong, Wing Loong series' chief designer, said researchers have developed a Wing Loong 10H coastal search-and-rescue drone to find people and ships in distress at sea, provide communication signals and deliver life buoys. Moreover, another Wing Loong 10-based model is being used by the China Meteorological Administration in studying typhoons and other marine weather phenomena, he said. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) China's PLA to continue defending national dignity, world peace: Chinese envoy Xinhua) 14:06, July 27, 2021 BEIRUT, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Qian Minjian said on Monday that the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) constitutes a strong pillar in defending their country and will continue to maintain national dignity and safeguard regional and world peace. The ambassador's remarks came during an online reception organized by the Chinese embassy in Lebanon to celebrate the 94th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army which falls on Aug. 1. Chinese Military Attache Brigadier General Zheng Yuchong gave an overview of China's national defense policy and the functions and tasks of the Chinese military, while emphasizing that the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party is key to the rapid and steady development of the Chinese military. Deputy Chief of Staff of the Lebanese Army Brigadier General Ziad Hachem praised the great achievements of the Chinese PLA, and fully affirmed China's positive role in safeguarding world peace. Meanwhile, UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Deputy Force Commander Brigadier General Irvine Nii-Ayitey Aryeetey, representative of the UNIFIL Commander, spoke highly of the achievements of the Chinese peacekeeping forces in mine clearance, infrastructure, medical care and epidemic prevention. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) Political parties urge U.S. to shut down hazardous biological labs: media Xinhua) 14:52, July 27, 2021 KIEV, July 25 (Xinhua) -- At least 32 political parties worldwide have signed a petition calling for the closure of those U.S. military biological laboratories all over the world due to biosafety concerns, Ukrainian independent media outlet Politnavigator reported. The petition against the proliferation of biological weapons was initiated by a coalition of political forces, which includes the Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan, the United Communist Party of Georgia, the Socialist Party of Latvia and the Communist Party of Pakistan. As international struggle and competition intensifies, "the accumulated biological weapons can be used by the U.S. military to fight with its opponents, which will lead to catastrophic consequences," the petition said. Statistics show that the United States has set up more than 200 overseas biological laboratories in 25 countries and regions, including Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and the former Soviet Union, including 16 in Ukraine alone. According to Politnavigator, there is evidence showing that biologists in the U.S. military are working in Kazahkstan to develop new methods of spreading infectious and deadly virus strains through livestock raised in Central Asia. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) FM rails against COVID-19 'political virus' By Cao Desheng (China Daily) 14:55, July 27, 2021 Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto in Chengdu, Sichuan province, July 25, 2021. (Photo/Xinhua) US blaming others for failures harms research efforts, state councilor says State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has stressed the need to look into the origin of the "political virus" while tracing that of the coronavirus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic, reiterating that efforts to trace the origins of the coronavirus should not be politically manipulated. Wang made the remarks at a joint news conference with Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto in Chengdu on Sunday. The United States has, from the very beginning, attempted to politicize the pandemic, stigmatize the virus and use origin tracing as a tool to practice political manipulation, Wang said. The US neglects scientists' painstaking efforts, resorts to intelligence means for the purpose of so-called origin-tracing, and keeps hyping the "lab leak" theory, he said. Washington's purpose is very clear, Wang said: it wants to blame others for its inability to curb COVID-19 while realizing its political purpose of smearing and suppressing other countries. It is necessary to put such an "ugly page" into the historical record of humankind's fight against the pandemic, he said. It seems that since the US returned to the World Health Organization it has not focused on joining the international fight against the pandemic, but has continued to use the platform to spread the political virus, Wang said. He reaffirmed that China cannot accept the WHO's plan for a second phase of a study into the origin of the virus, saying such a plan has shocked many scientists. It deviates from the resolution of the 73rd session of the World Health Assembly and neglects the conclusions and proposals of the joint WHO-China investigation report, he said. A joint WHO-China investigation mission conducted earlier this year concluded that transmission of the virus to humans through an intermediate animal was the likely cause and that a laboratory leak was "extremely unlikely" to have been the cause. Truth instead of lies If a work plan does not truly aim to look into the origin of the virus, but attempts to discredit China, the country, as an independent sovereign state will not, and cannot, accept it, Wang said, adding that about 60 countries have written to the WHO to express their opposition to politicizing efforts to find the origins of the virus. He reiterated that in terms of such work countries should seek to work with one another instead of discrediting others, and that there should be truth instead of lies and respect for science rather than political manipulation. China is ready to uphold the spirit of openness, transparency, science and collaboration, and to continue to support and take part in virus origin tracing efforts worldwide, he said. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) How mainstream US media outlets make a U-turn on virus lab leak theory By Xu Liang (Global Times) 15:01, July 27, 2021 Illustration: Liu Rui/GT The tracing of COVID-19 origins is supposed to be a task for scientists. Yet Western media have never stopped hyping speculations and smears against China. Granted, some of them, including mainstream US media outlets, remained cautious with a disapproving view on the "lab leak" theory in 2020. Yet their stance took a U-turn by clamoring how credible a "lab leak" from Wuhan could be. In January 2020, the Washington Post published an article entitled "Experts debunk fringe theory linking China's coronavirus to weapons research." The next month, The New York Times called the hypothesis a "conspiracy theory" which "lacks evidence and has been dismissed by scientists." By the end of 2020, the Associated Press put it more bluntly, "Debunked COVID-19 myths survive online, despite facts." Their rhetoric, however, took a sudden turnabout since May. Washington Post claimed, "To some pundits, the early dismissals of the lab thesis now look like media malpractice." And New York Times wrote, "Scientists don't want to ignore the 'lab leak' theory" and welcome the call for a more rigorous investigation of a virus lab in Wuhan. The change coincides with the time when US President Joe Biden directed the US intelligence community to redouble their efforts in investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and report back to him in 90 days. Or in other words, it coincides with Biden's increasingly clear strategy against China. Infographic: Wu Tiantong/GT The "lab leak" theory was once pushed hard by the Trump administration, yet due to his horrible relations with mainstream US media outlets, the latter often scoffed at his remarks, kept a distance with his stance, while showing a supportive attitude toward the Democratic Party. After Biden walked into the Oval Office, thanks to his good relationship with media outlets, the latter is willing to play the role as a horn and a tool of the current administration. That being said, the "lab leak" theory is no longer a pure science affair, but the epitome of a major power game between China and the US. In the early stage of the outbreak, the US failed in combating the virus, which humiliated the country's image as a world leader. Yet by choreographing conspiracy theories, US politicians and media jointly shaped a worldview of the pandemic, in which China is portrayed as a demon, while the US is still the leading role. Take Bloomberg, an "authoritative" media outlet. It put the US in the No.1 position in its COVID Resilience Ranking. Nothing can better illustrate its move than "it tried so hard." If the US was simply scapegoating and was out of a defensive, realistic tactic to insist that the virus originated in China, the hype over the "lab leak" theory is a major step forward. It has become a weapon for the US to secure its leadership, to make the US a "saint" and make China a "devil." The easily changed stance of the so-called liberal news sources in the US vividly proved that they are participating in and serving the Biden administration's information war to demonize China. The theory is nothing but a forged, fake "knowledge" about China, creating an image that China's biosafety management is a disaster, which will later result in a global iron curtain to contain any progress in China's biotechnology. This is a link in Biden's comprehensive demonizing strategy, just like how US puts more efforts in fabricating "China hacking" very recently. So far, from the perspective of science, the "lab leak" theory is sheer nonsense. But in terms of an information war, even if Washington won't get the conclusion it wants in the end, it could still successfully divert the public's attention and muddy the waters, pinning China on a position of being suspected. For the US, that would be a victory. When it comes to propaganda about China, US media outlets are trapped in a predicament - not daring to accept the truth, not daring to voice the truth, and not daring to take defeat. American media outlets still have the ability to correct errors. But the capability is becoming weaker in terms of China-related issues, as core mainstream media outlets are taking the side of the "lab leak" theory. US media outlets had acted as a political tool during the US elections, this is already well known. Now, people from across the world are also increasingly aware that these media are also tools to serve the US' geopolitical interests. US media outlets are even helping politicians lie, creating and spreading rumors worldwide. This has turned out to be one of the natures of mainstream US media. Media outlets should shoulder the responsibility of covering the facts, yet when it comes to putting their political stance in priority, they are no less proactive than politicians. US media outlets have long seriously degenerated. They do not care about science at all. All they want is that the WHO declares Wuhan is where the COVID-19 first appeared in the world. All the US will get from this information war is a temporary condescending position over the case. Yet China is no longer a lamb to be slaughtered. Justice may be delayed, but will never be denied. Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. When the US government kidnaps science with politics, some politicians may win, but the neutral and objective banner of US media outlets will lose. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) HEFEI, July 24 (Xinhua) -- China will begin establishing another 16 regional health centers in 2021 to provide the public with easier access to quality medical services, according to an official with the National Health Commission Saturday. In addition, the country will also push forward the establishment of national medical centers and national research centers for clinical medicine, said Li Bin, deputy head of the commission, at a conference on the reform on medicine and healthcare system held in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province. The effort is in line with the State Council's requirement to balance the distribution of medical resources and improve the tiered system of diagnosis and treatment, conveyed in a document released in May. The major task of the reform in the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) is to ensure that patients receive proper medical services without leaving their native provincial-level regions, and that treatment for minor illness can be provided at their doorstep, said Xu Shuqiang, another commission official. Previously, China had already established regional health centers in eight provinces. "Next year, regional health centers in China will basically cover all provincial-level regions," Xu added. Enditem After making a second landfall in East China's Zhejiang province on Monday, In-Fa, the sixth typhoon this year to affect China, reached Liyang in neighboring Jiangsu province on Tuesday morning. It will keep moving northwest and arrive at Anhui province in the afternoon before reaching coastal Shandong province on Thursday, the National Meteorological Center said on Tuesday morning. The typhoon will bring rainfall to Shanghai municipality, Jiangsu and Shandong provinces, as well as some parts of Anhui and Henan provinces in the subsequent three days, though it had moved away from Shanghai and Jiangsu, according to the center. Affected by the typhoon, a total of 12 national rainfall observation stations from Shanghai and Zhejiang reported record rainfalls for July, mostly from Saturday to Monday. As part of the precautionary measures, local authorities in Jiangsu have relocated 335,529 people, turned 19,091 vessels back to harbor, suspended the business of 7,802 companies and closed 479 scenic sites. Anhui had designated more than 27,300 officials for flood prevention, while over 240,000 rescue workers had been ready for potential flooding relief by Monday, according to the provincial government. Luo Junmei, a rural civil servant from Feixi county of Hefei, capital of Anhui, said on Tuesday she and her colleagues had received orders to stay in position and will not return home, if their homes are far away, to guarantee a quick response. To make it more convenient for local residents to park their vehicles, the Hefei government decided to exempt residents from parking fees if they use the 14,000 lots on the sides of urban streets starting Tuesday, while Xuancheng city had made all of the city's above-ground parking lots free of charge starting Sunday. Shandong required all local governments to be fully prepared. ZHENGZHOU, July 27 -- As of 5 p.m. on July 25, the PLA Central Theater Command has dispatched a total of 67 rescue batches to the flood-stricken areas in Henan, central China. More than 8,600 officers and soldiers of the PLA and Chinese People's Armed Police (PAP) Force, together with more than 11,000 militia and reserve personnel, have participated in the disaster rescue. With more than 1,300 vehicles and equipment and 217 rafts, they will continue to carry out rescue operations and reconstruction tasks in many places in Henan. Several task forces rushed to the rescue after a dangerous situation occurred in the Xuwangzhao Village Section and Guqiao Village Section along the Shuangji River in Changge City. The two embankments were closed by the afternoon of July 25 and officers and soldiers are currently strengthening the embankment. A brigade assigned to the 83rd Group Army dispatched 597 officers and soldiers in three groups to carry out the tasks of transferring the masses and post-disaster rebuilding in Mihe Town of Gongyi City, Muye District of Xinxiang City and Xinzhen Town of Hebi City. A detachment of the First Mobile Corps of the PAP dispatched more than 1,300 people to carry out tasks such as dredging, disinfection and strengthening dams in Mihe Town of Gongyi City, Zhifang Reservoir in Dengfeng City and the downtown area of Zhengzhou, the capital city of Henan Province. More than 100 tons of street garbage has been cleaned out. A number of troops are carrying out dredging work in Zhengzhou. More than 2,400 officers and soldiers of the "Yang Gensi Company" carried out urban cleanup tasks in multiple districts. They cleaned a total of fifteen streets, one college, two communities and one housing estate on July 25. An aviation brigade assigned to the Air Force of the PLA Central Theater Command dispatched 171 officers and soldiers to carry out dredging operations in the tunnel underneath the Huanghe Road, Zhengzhou, and successively cleared hundreds of cubic meters of silt. A base of the PLA Rocket Force dispatched more than 400 officers and soldiers, more than 30 vehicles and professional equipment to carry out to dredging and disinfection operations in the disaster-stricken area of Fuwai Central China Cardiovascular Hospital. They have cleaned up a total of 3,000 bags of garbage and cleaned and decontaminated more than 200,000 square meters. The People's Armed Forces Department (PAFD) of Erqi District, Zhengzhou dispatched 500 militias to help with community cleaning up and disaster relief materials distribution. The Qixian PAFD dispatched 270 militias to help the masses resume production, open up broken roads, and organized a medical rescue militia company to carry out pandemic prevention and disinfection work. Over the past few days, the Xinxiang prefectural military command has dispatched more than 1,200 militias to carry out investigations of hidden geological hazards, dredging and restoration of facilities to help the masses with post-disaster reconstruction. DPRK leader pays respects to fallen soldiers to mark anniversary of Korean War armistice EditorWang Xinjuan Time2021-07-27 14:55:13 DPRK leader Kim Jong Un (C) visits the Fatherland Liberation War Martyrs Cemetery for the 68th anniversary of the Korean armistice in Pyongyang, the DPRK, July 27, 2021. /KCNA via Reuters Kim Jong Un, the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), visited a cemetery on Monday midnight to pay respects to the soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War to commemorate the armistice that ended the fighting in the war, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. Laying a flower at the cemetery, Kim, also general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), chairman of the State Affairs Commission and commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the DPRK, made a round of the cemetery together with other participants. "No matter how much time may flow and how many times a generation is replaced by another, the noble revolutionary spirit and heroic exploits of the generation who won the victory in the war would dynamically propel the victorious advance of our people towards a fresh victory of the revolution," KCNA quoted Kim as saying. The spirit will "steadily stimulate and sublimate patriotism and enthusiasm of the rising generations for struggle," he said. By Wang Zhen (Research Professor, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences) Thanks to the swift withdrawal of U.S.-led international forces from Afghanistan, the Taliban is making a comeback in the country. By early July, according to media reports, the Taliban controlled more than 85 percent of the country's territory, and it's a foregone conclusion that the group will be back in power. For the past two decades, the United States has been engaged in a war against terrorism in Afghanistan, starting in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. Now it's leaving hastily and recklessly under the pretext of great power competition. Two decades on, the episode begs the question: Has America's strategic goal in Afghanistan been achieved? What are the lessons? Sept. 11 saw a major attack on the U.S. heartland, as psychologically significant as Pearl Harbor. For the Bush administration, a forceful response was required, both on the grounds of domestic politics and international standing. However, the war styled as the global war on terror deviated from its purpose from the beginning, so much so that the tactical success of the U.S. military has failed to salvage the longest war in history. There are at least three lessons that can be drawn while we assess the gains and losses of America's two-decades in Afghanistan. The first is a substantial expansion of counter-terrorism objectives, leading to a serious decoupling between strategic resources and strategic objectives. The ultimate goal of the war against terrorism launched by the Bush administration was not only to avenge the attacks of al-Qaida and the Taliban, which provided shelter, but to reshape the international political landscape by calling it a global war. Afghanistan was a breakthrough intended to shore up the unipolar hegemony of the United States established after the Cold War.This is where the goals of the war on terror have been expanded to what Ambassador Chase W. Freeman calls undefinable. Before the war in Afghanistan was over, the George W. Bush administration was engaged in outright regime change in Iraq, in disregard of strong opposition from the international community. Although the U.S. military overthrew Saddam Hussein, who was anti-America, it lost the best opportunity for reconstruction in Afghanistan, opened a Pandora Box of geopolitical imbalance and sectarian conflict in the Middle East and further stoked anti-American sentiment and radical Islamic movements around the world. Second, unilateralism and parochial diplomacy in the name of this global war have virtually unraveled the unified anti-terror front that was formed globally after 9/11. International cooperation is essential to the fight against international terrorism, but the U.S. was unable to shake off the egoism that drives its anti-terrorism policy.Since the 1980s, the United States has targeted anti-American regimes by calling them purveyors of state-sponsored terrorism. Even after 9/11, this approach of identifying terrorist activities based on self-interest and closeness of relations has not changed much. In the meantime, the U.S. has been using a double standard in dealing with counterterrorism activities with non-allies such as China and Russia. Some observers even believe that the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan was a strategic move to contain China, Russia and Iran.In other words, the outpouring of sympathy and support for the U.S. after 9/11 not only failed to yield returns, but some countries (such as Pakistan and Egypt) that actively supported the U.S. against terrorism have been forced to bear huge costs stemming from terrorist retaliation, including military investment and political risks. Last but not least, a blind copy of the Western political model was responsible for the failure of reconstruction in Afghanistan and its untenable social order and governance. Since the end of World War II, democracy featuring elections and a representative system has been regarded as ideal by the West, and the U.S. has successfully transformed some countries aided by Western democracy in the postwar period. However, for developing countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq, which have strong Islamic traditions, political loyalty and policy choices are often dictated by their tribes and sects, so relying solely on elections, which are merely procedural, may not lead to reasonable political outcomes and effective modern governance.In the political vision of Afghanistan after 9/11 the U.S. military has repeatedly excluded and delegitimized the Taliban, but it has never been able to root out the tribal and religious forces behind the group. In fact, political reconciliation and reconstruction in Afghanistan have long been stalled precisely because of the neglect and miscalculation regarding the Taliban. While U.S. troops are ending their presence in Afghanistan, the troubles brought by the war on terrorism in the country are far from over. U.S. President Joe Biden has said that the withdrawal of U.S. troops will allow resources to be directed at competition with China. But if the U.S. fails to take to heart the lessons of Afghanistan, it will pay a hefty price anew in the future. It will not likely regain its advantage in a new round of international competition. Soldiers of the First Company of the PLA's 83rd Army Group train in a teamwork drill. [Photo by JIANG DONGPO/FOR CHINA DAILY] A People's Liberation Army unit renowned for historic victories has vowed to uphold its loyalty to the Communist Party of China and the people by honing its combat capabilities and readiness. On the morning of June 30, a day before the centenary of the founding of CPC was celebrated, all the members of the First Company of the PLA's 83rd Army Groupfully armed and neatly arrayedsolemnly pledged the Party admission oath in front of the Party flag to celebrate the anniversary. Captain Hu Guanlei, the company's commander, said the strong leadership of the Party had led generations of the company's soldiers to victory in hundreds of battles, so they celebrated the Party's centenary militarily. "It is also to make all members of the company remember the loyalty and fighting qualities instilled in our blood," he said. The companyoften referred to as the "Red First Company"started as a peasant self-defense force that was integrated into the Red Army. It pledged the first Party admission oath in the history of the Chinese armed forces 94 years ago. On Oct 15, 1927, Mao Zedong admitted six soldiers from the company into the CPC and set up a Party branchthe first company-level Party branch in the army. The establishment of what was dubbed the "Party branch built on a company" was historically significant because it kicked off the successful practice of building a new type of people's army with a primary political nature, contributing to the final victory of the revolution. The company has fought in more than 300 battles and been awarded first-class merit honors four times, second-class merits 10 times and third-class merits 14 times. It has also received five honorary titles, including "Hundred Battles, Hundred Victories" in 1942, "Valiant Company" in 1948 and "Model Party Branch" in 1991. Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the company has completed numerous major missions, including international peacekeeping, rescue and disaster relief, taking part in international military competitions and joint exercises, and has been recognized as an advanced PLA unit. Soldiers from the company said its Party branch committee plays a strong role in maintaining its edge. The seven-member committee, with company instructor Captain Zheng Jiwen as secretary and Hu as deputy secretary, takes the lead in training. Late last year, the company was equipped with new combat vehicles. No one was familiar with the new equipment, and the committee members worked overtime to master the vehicles before developing a training program. The Party branch has also set very strict requirements for its committee members: they have to achieve "excellence" in all training subjects and win first place in competitions just to "pass". In difficult subjects, they have to train to their limit and their command skills must prove useful in combat drills. "We have to master all important and difficult subjects first so that we can be convincing enough to demonstrate, teach and lead our company soldiers," said Sergeant Ke Changshui, a member of the committee. "This is an effective way to increase cohesion, solidarity and combat power." Efficient training In 2017, the Chinese military began undergoing a series of reforms. To adapt to modern warfare, the company also formulated new development plans. It was the first unit in its brigade to set up a special room dedicated to combat research. The room has a database of tactical and combat-related information and also displays models of major military equipment from home and abroad. The company's officers and soldiers are divided into 13 warfare research groups to carry out regular studies on equipment, cases, tactics and strategies, and training methods, and discuss military dynamics, the use of firepower and cutting-edge technologies. Sergeant Miao Hui, a squad leader, says "innovate or perish" is his motto. In the past, when the company trained for shooting at night, at least 10 soldiers needed to sit under targets to light them up with flashlights. Although the company had access to other equipment, its controls were very cumbersome, Miao said. Miao bought wires and remote control devices and started experimenting. Without any knowledge of electrical circuits, he studied all the books he could find and kept pestering the company's technicians to learn circuit principles. After repeated failures, he managed to design a control circuit for 10 spotlights, allowing the commander to control them remotely and vary the length of time the targets are illuminated, greatly improving training efficiency. This innovation helped the company improve its night shooting accuracy by 20 percent. That spirit of innovation has, in recent years, encouraged the company to explore 13 new training methods, develop eight training aids, including a laser simulation calibration system, and produce five types of software. "Old equipment is constantly being updated, so our training methods and equipment also need to catch up and our training ideas must also constantly innovate in order to keep up with the standard required of the army in the new era," Miao said. Statistics from the US Centers for Disease Control(CDC) and Prevention show that as of July 23rd, the average number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the US increased by 40,246 per day over the past week, an increase of 46.7% compared with the week earlier. In the face of the increasing tension arising from the pandemic, instead of committing themselves to fight the pandemic in the US, some US politicians continue to play the old tricks of stigmatizing China over pandemic, labeling the virus with certain regions in China, and politicizing the COVID-19 origin-tracing. In order to create a veneer of legitimacy for them to smear other countries and undermine global efforts against the pandemic, the US, holding the banner of "multilateral institutions" and "partner countries," is trying to present itself as the spokesperson for the international community. With the motto "America is back" shouted out loud, the US believes "America first" deep down inside. From last year's blatant violation of WHO relevant rules regarding non-stigmatizing naming of a virus, the outright withdrawal from WHO, this year's denial of the China-WHO joint study on the COVID-19 origin-tracing with some US allies, overtly allowing intelligence agencies to dominate the origin-tracing, to repeatedly hyping the "laboratory leak theory" premised upon the presumption of guilt, the US has laid its attempts bare: to shift the responsibility for its mishandling of the pandemic and to achieve the political goal of slandering and containing China. More and more evidence indicatesthat there remain plausible signs of the early spread of the pandemic in the US. As of July 26th, more than 13 million Chinese netizens have signed a petition calling on the WHO to investigate the US' Fort Detrick lab. A great number of netizens outside of China have also taken to social media to propose opening up signatures to people from all over the world because the world wants to know the truth about the origin of the COVID-19pandemic. Stephen Kinzer, senior research fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University, said that Fort Detrick lab not only has a "dark history" of working with Japanese war criminals but also remains the center of US biological warfare research, and an in-depth investigation of the lab "would be very intriguing". But according to US media reports, the US government has issued an internal warning: "Do not investigate the origins of COVID-19, otherwise it risks opening a can full of worms. " While the US turns deaf ears to the doubt of the international community, it touts its "support for multilateral approaches. For the US, the only criterion for the so-called multilateralism is that it can be employed to yield favorable results for itself. Such blatant pseudo-multilateralism is the greatest disservice to genuine multilateralism, which aims at international cooperation. The essence of the US brand of multilateralism is to gang up on other countries, engage in "cabals" and group politics, and impose its own hegemonic will on other nations. The second phase of the WHO Secretariat's origin-tracing work plan insists that " virus leak caused by China's violation of laboratory protocols" is the research priority. This makes people wonder whether this work plan, which ignores science and common sense and targets no one else but China, echoes the "laboratory leakage theory" propagated by the US and serves the political agenda of the US to contain China. Some British scholars point out that Washington not only uses alliance politics to influence the WHO investigative process but also exerts pressure on WHO on various occasions. Obviously, the US returning to the WHO, the world's largest professional international organization in the field of public health, is not intended to strengthen international cooperation in the fight against the pandemic, but to exploit the influential platform to spread the political virus to Chinas disadvantage. For the US, political logic has long dominated scientific logic, and there is no lower limit of what it can do to hurt China. According to an article on the website of Wired, a US-based magazine, some Americans just want to use the lengthy and complicated scientific process of origin-tracing to deepen the suspicion about China and sabotage Chinas image rather than an answer, to distract the attention from domestic political confrontations in the US. It is important to note that the US has misjudged the situation by thinking it can "lead the worlds opinions" by gangs and pressure. The US can not represent the international community and is unqualified to order around in the name of the international community. On the issue of origin-tracing of the virus, a growing number of countries stand in solidarity with the results of the first-phase research and reject the attempts to politicize the issue, which fully demonstrates that the virus origin-tracing plan shouldnt deviate from true multilateralism and therefore must adhere to the leadership of and full consultation among all WHO member countries. Choosing cooperation, truth, and science, instead of smear, lies and political manipulation is the right formula for origin-tracing. If the US insists on unilateralism in the name of multilateralism, it will only isolate itself even more and induce more suffering for its citizens. Editor's note: This article is originally published on people.com.cn. It is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn. The staff of a hotel in Zhengzhou, the provincial seat of Henan in central China, arrive at the vicinity of the tunnel on the Weilai Road and give dumplings to the military personnel assigned to a brigade of the PLA Air Force, who are performing the task of dredging there on July 23, 2021. (Photo by Wan Bei/Xinhua) Zhengzhou City, the provincial seat of Henan in central China, has finally embraced a sunny day after several consecutive days of rain. On July 23, Chen Bo, the director of the political work department of an air force station assigned to the PLA Air Force stationed in Henan, got up early at 4 a.m. He received an order to carry out road dredging operations on five main roads in the urban area of Zhengzhou City with his 148 comrades. "Affected by this torrential rain, all the roads in Zhengzhou were cut off," said Shen Hongya, a director of Zhengzhous city administration bureau. Road traffic is directly related to the city's progress in restoring the order of production and life, Shen Hongya stated. At the scene of the operation, an old lady surnamed Li who lives on Weilai Road brought two big pockets of steamed buns and eggs, and thrust the foods into soldiers hands. "My grandson is also a soldier in the military. I talked to him on the phone last night. He said he was strengthening dams in Xinxiang City of Henan Province, and told me not to worry and take care of myself," Li raised her hand and wiped the dirt on the face of the young soldier beside her. Before she said a few words, her tears fell. Soldier Qin Yongai, a member in the dredging team, always let someone else take more rest when taking breaks in batches. He said, "Everyone is trying his best. I always feel that I should do more !" When they completed one-third of the workload, Fang Shun and a dozen soldiers voluntarily asked for additional tasks. "We can still move things, transport supplies, and clear garbage during the rotation intervals," they said. Anybody from nearby hospitals, hotels and supermarkets would greet the PLA soldiers as long as he or she saw them. Although the troops had sufficient supplies, people still rushed to give them water or anti-heat articles, and offered room for the soldiers to take a break. Soldier Qin Yongai, who had been working for the whole morning, was about to go to the bathroom, but he stopped at the door of the hotel as he saw in the glass that his shoes and trousers were all covered with mud. He was a little embarrassed and afraid of getting the hotel dirty. The reception staff at the hotel saw the soldier and immediately got out to invite him in. "You are covered in mud for our sake, and we cannot thank you more," they said. The silt cleaning work went on in the afternoon with more and more citizens coming to express their gratitude. Some cheered for the troops, some asked them to take a rest, and some wanted to join hands with them. "Mom, who are they?" a little boy passing by asked. "They are the PLA soldiers who protect us," the mother answered. The shy little boy standing behind his mother looked at the PLA soldiers and officers for a long time. He plucked up the courage and lifted his folded paper airplane, ran towards the soldiers, and put the paper airplane on the front hood of the jeep. Until the 10 p.m., all the scheduled tasks of this brigade had been completed. The soldiers rode through the underground tunnel of Weilai Road that was just cleared and opened. They had been the first batch of vehicles to pass through this tunnel since Zhengzhou City suffered continuous heavy rainfall. "The soldiers decided to sing the military song when they passed by, taking it as their special opening ceremony of the tunnel," said Fan Jianqiong, instructor of the brigades maintenance contingent. Fan got very excited thinking that there would be a lot of traffic again tomorrow. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Li Xuan of the PLA Central Theater Command introduced that the Central Theater Command has dispatched more than 8,000 people to the water removal, road dredging, emergency repairs, pandemic prevention and sanitizing, and medical rescue work in Zhengzhou City as of 6 a.m. of July 24. Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon and Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe (L) pose for a group photo before their talks in Dushanbe on July 27, 2021. (mod.gov.cn/Photo by Li Xiaowei) BEIJING, July 27 -- Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon met Tuesday with the visiting Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe in Dushanbe. Rahmon said that in recent years, Tajikistan and China have seen the pragmatic and in-depth cooperation in political, economic, cultural, security and military fields. Tajikistan congratulates the Communist Party of China on its 100th founding anniversary, rejoices in China's great achievements and hopes to continuously strengthen friendly cooperation with China in various fields. Tajikistan is sincerely grateful for China's support and assistance in the fields of military and security and willing to work with China to combat the "three evil forces" of terrorism and jointly deal with new changes of the situations in Afghanistan, he said. Wei Fenghe said that under the strategic guidance of the Chinese President Xi Jinping and Your Excellency President Emomali Rahmon, the China-Tajikistan comprehensive strategic partnership has been maintaining a high-level development. China firmly supports Tajikistan's efforts to safeguard its own sovereignty and security, thanks Tajikistan for its strong support on China's core interests. China is willing to promote practical cooperation between the two militaries in various fields, said Wei, adding that, at present, given the changing situation in Afghanistan, China is willing to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation with Tajikistan, work together to prevent the terrorist activities spreading across borders, and join forces to fight against terrorists, making positive contributions to regional peace and stability. On the morning, Defense Minister of Tajikistan Sherali Mirzo held a welcoming ceremony for Wei Fenghe before their formal talks, in which the two sides exchanged views on the international and regional situations, relations between the two countries and two militaries, counter-terrorism cooperation and other issues. On July 26, Sherali Mirzo met Wei Fenghe and his entourage in person at the airport. Tajikistan's Defense Minister General Sherali Mirzo (R) holds a welcoming ceremony for Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe (L) and accompanies Wei to review the guard of honor of the Tajikistan's armed forces on July 27, 2021. (mod.gov.cn/Photo by Li Xiaowei) As the number of new coronavirus cases surges again in the United States, major medical groups in the country on Monday called for mandatory vaccinations of millions of health care workers, saying it is a moral imperative to help curb the spread of the infection. The American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association and 55 other groups said in a joint statement, "We call for all health care and long-term care employers to require their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19." The groups, many of them calling for mandated vaccinations for the first time, said, "The health and safety of U.S. workers, families, communities, and the nation depends on it." Within hours of the statement, the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department, which operates 1,700 medical centers and outpatient clinics for retired military personnel, said it is now making vaccinations mandatory for most of its health care workers. It is the first federal agency to impose such a demand and gave workers eight weeks to comply. "Whenever a Veteran or VA employee sets foot in a VA facility, they deserve to know that we have done everything in our power to protect them from COVID-19," Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough said in a statement. Some health care organizations have been reluctant to require their workers to get vaccinated, even though they are on the front lines of treating patients. Surveys have shown that less than half of nurses treating patients have been vaccinated even though they have had ready access to the shots for months. One major hospital in Houston, Texas, imposed mandatory vaccinations, with more than 150 of their workers resigning or being fired in June when they refused. The remains of a Korean mountaineer who went missing in the Himalayas 22 years ago were found near the base camp at the 8,047-m Broad Peak earlier this month, the Foreign Ministry said Monday. Heo Seung-gwan went missing in July 1999 on the descent after giving up the quest for the summit at an altitude of 7,300-m. He was 26. A jacket and a flag that were identified as Heo's were found along a body. Meanwhile, the search for Kim Hong-bin, the disabled mountaineer who went missing after falling off a cliff on the descent from the Broad Peak summit last week, was halted at the request of his family on Monday. Kim, who had lost all his fingers on both hands, became the first disabled person in the world to conquer 14 peaks over 8,000 m in the Himalayas. His wife said Kim would not have wanted to impose on other mountaineers who would have to risk their lives to retrieve his body. "He said to me, 'If I have an accident while climbing, please don't let extra accidents happen due to any search,'" she recalled. A member of the search party said, "Kim's family think he's unlikely to be alive considering the circumstances and asked for the search to be called off." On Sunday, a Pakistani helicopter made six rounds around the location where he had fallen but failed to spot him. The output and sales of Korea's three smaller carmakers -- GM Korea, Renault Samsung and Ssangyong -- fell to a 23-year low in the first half of this year. According to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association on Monday, the troubled three manufactured just 240,319 cars between them in the first six months, the lowest volume since the height of the Asian financial crisis in 1998. Production in the first half declined another 12 percent from the same period last year, when the coronavirus pandemic forced plants shut. Their domestic sales totaled only 88,625 cars, which was also the lowest since 1998. Industry watchers blame a lack of new models, tough business conditions and the inevitable pall that hangs over brands that are widely reported to be in trouble. A supply shortage of semiconductors and worker strikes also reduced output. Many emerging global climate risks, such as heat stress, will be concentrated in urban areas, according to reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Heat waves can hit hard in cities, partly because of urban infrastructure that both exacerbates and fails to handle extreme heat. With over 50 percent of the world's population residing in densely populated urban areas, experts expect heat-related deaths, economic consequences and infrastructural damage will become a growing concern. "[Heat] is different than other extremes because it's slow moving, it's invisible," said Jennifer Vanos, who studies the effects of extreme heat on human health at Arizona State University. "And when it's anomalous, when it's something people have never experienced before, then it becomes a lot more dangerous." A few weeks ago, a record-breaking heat wave in the usually temperate Pacific Northwest of the United States and western Canada brought temperatures of 42 degrees Celsius or higher. Oregon and Washington state reported nearly 200 heat-related deaths, and British Columbia's Coroners Service recorded over three times the number of sudden deaths than usual. Laborers in kitchens, warehouses, factories and fields suffered from heat exhaustion. Thousands of people lost power, and some public transportation services shut down due to melting operating infrastructure. Several countries in the Middle East, including Iran, Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, surpassed 50 degrees Celsius this summer. Also, Moscow and Helsinki, Finland, saw their hottest June temperatures on record. As the world braces for more intense heat waves fueled by climate change this summer, urban centers across the world are unprepared to face these brutal natural disasters. Urban Islands of Heat Cities can run several degrees hotter than nonurban environments. This effect, known as an urban heat island, puts city dwellers at more risk during hot weather. Asphalt in pavement and roof shingles, for example, provides a dark surface that reflects less light and absorbs more heat, explained Hashem Akbari, who studies urban heat islands at Concordia University in Montreal. Meanwhile, closely packed buildings and streets also mean fewer trees and plants, which reduces potential shade. Plants normally absorb water through their roots and use surrounding heat to evaporate and emit the moisture as vapor from their leaves. With less greenery, that natural cooling effect is also gone. "Citizens who are living in urban areas are going to see the cumulative effect of the heat island plus the extreme heat that will come," Akbari told VOA. Energy Demands In these scenarios, to avoid the heat, urban populations rely on electricity to power air conditioners and fans. "Urban infrastructure already has a higher population to serve, so the infrastructure is working at a higher capacity because of the demand [for electricity]," said Sayanti Mukherjee, a professor in the department of industrial and systems engineering at the University at Buffalo, New York. When all these demands exceed how much electricity an energy grid can generate and provide, the system overloads and the flow of power shuts off. Extreme weather events are difficult to anticipate when they are far from the historical norms that helped city planners and engineers prepare for possible situations. "There is a lack of adequate models that can predict what would be the demand in the future accounting for all of these extreme events," Mukherjee explained to VOA. "Climate is just taken as a constant, but the climate is changing." Materials in Infrastructure Heat makes materials expand, and that can have consequences on urban infrastructure. Power lines, typically made of copper or aluminum, help transmit electricity to buildings and transportation systems. A combination of heat from the weather and overloaded electricity demands can cause the metal to expand and sag. The drooping lines then risk touching trees, vehicles or people and can cause fires or deaths. Concrete and asphalt expand too. "What we really get concerned about with heat is big variations at a quick time scale," said Matthew Adams, who studies concrete durability and sustainability at New Jersey Institute of Technology. Sudden changes in temperature can heat up a surface faster than an interior. The difference results in inconsistent expanding in concrete that creates cracks and can cause buildings, streets or bridges to deteriorate faster. On asphalt pavement, the material has nowhere to expand sideways, so it pushes against itself, buckles upwards and cracks, Adams explained. Then there is steel. A bridge roasting under the sun, for example, can swell where the joints of two steel parts meet and push against each other. Without room to shift, they can get stuck when trying to lift the bridge to allow boats to pass under. Similarly, rail tracks can expand to create curves and kinks that force trains to run slower or even stop to avoid accidents. Preparing for Climate Change Besides lowering greenhouse gas emissions to limit climate change, researchers are also encouraging other solutions for helping urban populations endure extreme heat. "I think one thing cities or counties can do better is have more systematic records of heat-related deaths," Vanos said, referring to the frequent underreporting of these mortalities. That, and improving coordination across different public sectors, can help identify at-risk populations and improve emergency responses. Planting more vegetation such as trees, grass and green roofs to shade and cool cities has the potential to turn cities into oases instead of urban heat islands, said Akbari. Updating structures with materials that are lighter in color and more reflective can also lower temperatures and save energy. To address energy demands, Mukherjee recommends integrating renewable sources, such as wind and solar, into power generation. Introducing smart grids with computer-based operators to control the multiple components of a power system can also help utilities respond efficiently to weather events. The world's carbon emissions have pushed the climate past a tipping point, according to experts. "The more frequent and intense heat waves are showing that we need to prepare ourselves more to address this problem in the future," said Mukherjee. Fresh and novel delicacies to debut at fourth CIIE By:Wu Qiong | From:english.eastday.com | 2021-07-27 17:45 The 4.0 version of New Zealands first grass-fed milk went on the market successfully. So, we decided to sell one million of them to the Chinese market through live-streaming, making a debut at the China International Import Expo (CIIE), said a Theland representative at a pre-expo docking meeting for the fourth CIIE on July 26. The day marked the 100-day countdown of the fourth CIIE. A docking meeting was organized for exhibitors of food and agricultural products, who not only showcased new products but also participated in the meeting in new forms. This time, we brought two gifts for the CIIE, said Roy Van den Hurk, general manager of Theland Global R&D. First, we have the latest development result: the 3F grass-fed milk, representing our commitment to green development. Second, we plan to sell 1 million bottles of the milk through live streaming, so as to enable the viewers to try them out no matter where they are. According to Roy Van den Hurk, the 4.0 milk is more nutritious. Unlike much of the milk sold presently on the market, grass-fed milk contains higher levels of n-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Although CLA is a fatty acid, it is good for the heart. At the docking meeting, other CIIE exhibitors also brought delicious and attractive food choices. As a veteran of the CIIE, Dole brought many new products worth looking forward to this year. Among them are a limited-edition Shanghai Disney 5th Anniversary-themed coconut, YOOM cocktail tomato imported from the Netherland, and a variant of the Belgian Green Pearthe Belgian Red Pear. The CIIE is so far the worlds first national-level import expo, said a representative from Dole. It has promoted countries around the world to strengthen their economic and trade exchanges and cooperation. For brands, it is a stage to show ourselves to China. We also felt how the expos spillover effect has benefited the brand. Apart from traditional bread, French company Lesaffre also brought a new product nicknamed cow dung bread. Originally from Tibet, it uses highland barley flour and a high-quality and efficient yeast. Thanks to the golden ratio of highland barley flour to ordinary flour, the traditional food and craftsmanship is able to find a valuable market. For Louis Dreyfus, the company said it will expand its exhibition area, using high-tech forms like the virtual museum to present its company history, concept and its traceable supply chain. Gathering worldwide delicacies, the total exhibition area of food and agricultural products at the fourth CIIE will be 80,000 square meters this year. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 New Braunfels, TX (78130) Today Showers early then scattered thunderstorms developing later in the day. High 89F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. New Braunfels, TX (78130) Today Rain showers in the morning with scattered thunderstorms arriving in the afternoon. High 89F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Mainly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Thermo Fishers carbon reduction efforts build on its 2030 targets to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across its operations. Its new pledge to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 incorporates additional targets to reduce its value chain emissions. Kings Heating & Plumbing, Inc. have joined forces with Kokomos Ivy Tech campus, giving students in the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) program a new study space. The Kings Heating & Plumbing, Inc. HVAC Classroom includes overhead projectors and computers that previously werent available to students. The space also has two large garage-style doors that will allow instructors to move equipment in and out of the classroom for demonstration purposes without having to move into a lab. HVAC is an important part of peoples lives, so much so that 68 percent of all energy use is HVAC related, said Bill Slonaker, chair of Ivy Tech Kokomos HVAC program. Highly trained HVAC technicians are in high demand in fields that include commercial, industrial, residential, and hospitals as well as energy-related fields such as geothermal and solar thermal. U.S. Department of Labor data shows that Indiana expects to have 2,511 annual job openings in the field. The median HVAC salary in Indiana is $23.75 per hour. Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute This project is so good for our community, Jerry King, president of Kings Heating & Plumbing, Inc., said. I really think we need to have more young folks get into this field and Ivy Tech is a great place for them to learn the skills they need. With so many skilled tradesmen retiring, the service industry needs to attract the young generation. Kings Heating & Plumbing, Inc. is in its 75th year of business. Since it started in 1946, the operation has grown from one truck and two employees to 21 trucks and 23 employees, some who have been with the company for over 35 years. Ivy Tech offers certificates, technical certificates, and an Associate of Applied Science degree in HVAC Technology, credentials that prepare students for jobs in the field at various skill levels. Classes are lab-based and most include hands-on portion where students train and work on furnace and air conditioning equipment. The Kings donation comes as Ivy Tech closes in on its goal of raising $3 million in community support to complete the $43 million transformation of the Ivy Tech Kokomo Campus. The new campus will be officially unveiled at a community open house on Sept. 18, from 1 to 4 p.m. A veteran federal prosecutor originally from Gary was nominated Monday by Democratic President Joe Biden to serve as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Indiana. If confirmed by the Democratic-controlled Senate, Clifford Johnson would make history as the first black U.S. attorney in the district, which includes all of Northwest Indiana and 32 counties altogether. In a sense, Johnson already holds that distinction. He was acting U.S. attorney for six months in 2017 following the resignation of U.S. Attorney David Capp and prior to the appointment of U.S. Attorney Thomas Kirsch II. During that period, Johnson oversaw the prosecution and conviction of Lake County Sheriff John Buncich on public corruption charges. But Johnson's experience as a federal prosecutor dates back to 1986 when he left the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division after five years to join the U.S. attorney's office in Hammond as a civil assistant U.S. attorney. The graduate of Gary's Emerson High School and Valparaiso University Law School then served as chief of the local civil division before becoming first assistant U.S. attorney in 2010. He left the office in 2020. The White House said the president selected Johnson for U.S. attorney because of his devotion to enforcing the law, professionalism, experience, dedication to pursuing equal justice for all, and his commitment to the independence of the Department of Justice. In addition to directing the office's criminal prosecutions, Johnson will be expected to cooperate with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, and promote public safety throughout the Northern District of Indiana. The president on Monday also nominated Zachary Myers to serve as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. If confirmed, Myers the son of 2020 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dr. Woody Myers also will be the first black person to lead that office, which is based in Indianapolis. Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute Indiana's two Democratic congressmen, U.S. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan, D-Highland, and U.S. Rep. Andre Carson, D-Indianapolis, issued a joint statement praising both U.S. attorney selections. "We thank President Biden for taking the delegation's recommendation and nominating these two exemplary public servants to help lead the justice system in our state," Mrvan and Carson said. "Zachary Myers and Clifford Johnson bring decades of experience in the legal profession and a strong commitment to public service. We look forward to working with both Senators Young and Braun for prompt confirmations of these extremely qualified nominees for their continued service to Indiana." Watch Now: Riding Shotgun with NWI Paramedics The nominations come as the Justice Department is continuing to round out its leadership team under Attorney General Merrick Garland, who traveled to Chicago last week to announce an initiative to crack down on gun trafficking corridors. The two Indiana U.S. attorneys are likely to be central to federal efforts to combat violent crime since many guns used in Chicago originate in the Hoosier State. U.S. attorneys serve at the pleasure of the president and routinely are replaced following a change in administrations. Kirsch, a Schererville native who became U.S. attorney in 2017 under Republican President Donald Trump, resigned in December after the U.S. Senate confirmed his appointment as a judge on 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. Tina Nommay has been acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Indiana since June 7 when she succeeded Gary Bell who resigned as acting U.S. attorney to become the district's clerk of court. By Jang Daul A scorching heat wave is hitting South Korea right now. The temperature has already risen close to 37 degrees Celsius and most parts of the country have been under an emergency heat wave warning since last weekend. Extreme weather events are happening all over the world. Hundreds of people died due to the heat dome in western Canada and the northwestern United States. In Europe, severe floods have swept through western Germany and Belgium. There is no doubt that we are living in an era of global warming and climate crisis. However, what is more frightening is that climate change is irreversible. Some people still believe we can fix the problem by developing magic bullets, such as geoengineering, small modular reactors (SMRs) and nuclear fusion. However, these are unproven technologies in terms of their performance, safety, economics and public acceptance, and therefore they are false solutions that we cannot rely on. We do not have much time left in order to prevent the climate crisis from reaching a tipping point; we must limit the global temperature increase to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius. We need solutions that we can apply right now and at least within fewer than 10 years. Therefore, in this unprecedented challenge that humans have brought on ourselves, it is critical for us, especially leaders, to ask the right questions. However, it seems that many of the leaders in our society are not asking the right questions. First, a few political leaders have stressed that the nuclear phase-out policy of the Moon Jae-in administration needs to be discarded in order to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. Whether you support the nuclear phase-out policy or not, if we want to solve the climate crisis, we need to stop emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. The share of fossil fuels coal, natural gas and oil in power generation was 62 percent in 2020. That being the case, the right question is not whether we should continue the nuclear phase-out policy or not, but how can we replace this 62 percent of fossil fuels? In other words, how can we reduce our annual greenhouse gas emissions by a minimum of 50 percent by 2030? Even if we go back to the nuclear policy of the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations in the past building six additional reactors nuclear energy could additionally contribute only around 10 percent. If that's the case, then we still need to replace more than 50 percent of the fossil fuels currently used in power generation. The correct answer to the above question is to increase renewable energy production rapidly. Most political leaders in global major economies strongly support the expansion of renewable energy regardless of their political ideologies and stances on nuclear energy. However, unfortunately, many conservative politicians in our society tend to focus solely on undermining and underestimating the importance of renewable energy in the path to carbon neutrality. Yet, renewable energy is the proven, faster, cheaper, safer and cleaner option for supplying electricity without exacerbating the climate crisis. These qualities are why the share of renewables in the global capacity expansion in 2020 was 82 percent, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. Secondly, many corporate leaders in our society, including the Federation of Korean Industries, tend to focus on slowing down the speed of the industrial transition, due to the short-term negative impact on our economy and jobs. However, the right question should not be about the negative impact due to stronger climate regulations and the transition to a zero-carbon economy, but rather, about the negative impact on our industrial competitiveness if we do not follow the global trend of stronger climate regulations and the transition to carbon neutrality. In 2011, the Korea Environment Institute estimated that the total cumulative cost of climate inaction could be 2,800 trillion won ($2.42 trillion). However, if the world puts its ambitious efforts together to reduce carbon emissions, the total cost could be reduced by up to 580 trillion won ($502 billion). Recently, the European Commission disclosed a package of proposals called "Fit for 55" to curb greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030, compared with 1990 levels. The package introduces a globally unprecedented carbon border adjustment tax mechanism as well as bans sales of new fossil-fuel cars after 2035. The package will become a disaster if Korea's industry does not change quickly by setting an ambitious 100 percent renewable electricity (RE100) target by 2030, and by drastically reducing carbon emissions in business activities. Several corporations, including SK Telecom, Hyundai Motor and LG Electronics recently announced their participation in the RE100 goal, but still their ambition levels are still far away from the global standard. More proactive and ambitious climate leadership is required for corporate leaders in Korea. Being late to take off cannot be an excuse for slower climate action in Korea. The question of what the consequences will be if we fail to hold the global average temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius needs to come first. Jang Daul (daul.jang@greenpeace.org) is a government relations and advocacy specialist at Greenpeace East Asia's Seoul Office. Press Release July 26, 2021 Poe reaction to SONA: What we need now is the assurance that there will be jobs in the near future and food on the table. Our people are tired and hungry. What I believe we needed to hear was the plan moving forward. What's the plan to restore the dignity of our people and provide opportunities for their future? I believe many were looking forward to hearing whether or not we will be able to afford another round of cash assistance. The assistance that was given before was merely enough to help some Filipino families through two months but this pandemic has gone on for over a year. If no new economic opportunities will present themselves, we need to know whether or not we'll be able to provide a third round of cash assistance, and how we'll go about sourcing the funds for our people. As we continue to come to grips with this pandemic, it is of utmost importance that we settle our debts to the medical community. Our medical frontliners who have dedicated themselves to serving our people deserve to be compensated. And if we expect our hospitals to deliver medically, then we should also deliver financially. That is why I believe many wanted to hear what the President has to say about PhilHealth and when he plans to reimburse the medical community. I also know many were interested in knowing how the President plans to go about the back-to-school program in September. For many of us, this is the first step back to normalcy. For our children, this is their chance to catch up on the learning and experiences they've missed out on with friends and teachers. But are we ready? Are the teachers vaccinated? Are the protocols in place? Will our children be safe? Of course not everyone will be able to physically go back to school. What happens to them? We were hoping to hear about how the internet situation would be improved, or whether or not teachers and students would be compensated for the load they need to connect to class. Even in the midst of a pandemic, it's important that educationally, no one gets left behind. As this is his last SONA, the President should not only have focused on what he has accomplished but rather what he still wishes to accomplish to safeguard the future of our country in terms of jobs, education, and healthcare. That in my opinion would leave a message of hope and a better legacy for our people. Press Release July 27, 2021 Dispatch from Crame No. 1,109: Sen. Leila M. de Lima on Duterte's Last SONA 7/27/21 Puro kuwento at drama. Pang-huling taon na, wala pa ring plano. Duterte's last State of the Nation Address is heavy on dramatics, rhetorics, and bravado, but light on substance and concrete solutions. When Duterte assumed office, he inherited a rising economy which was made possible by the policies and hard work of the late Pres. Noynoy Aquino and his administration. All he had to do was stay the course and his economic managers did just that. His mismanagement of the pandemic and his skewed priorities undid everything we worked on. He will leave office with our country in the worst economic condition since the Martial Law years. He claimed credit for the enactment of the Free Tertiary Education Act and the Universal Healthcare Act, but failed to mention that it was the opposition stalwarts Sens. Bam Aquino and Risa Hontiveros who led the charge in passing these measures. His so-called accomplishments in infrastructure were also mostly the completion of projects which started during the previous administration. He bragged about his foreign policy. He narrated how he bullied his customs officials to find a solution on how to return the garbage smuggled from Canada. He also boasted of how he demanded the return of the Balangiga bells and how he has refused several invitations to visit the United States. In contrast, in his five years in office, Duterte visited China five times. The most by any Philippine president. Duterte, in his speech, admitted that he does not know how to enforce our arbitral award against China. He said that he does not believe in the outcome of the arbitration because China did not participate. Once again, he insisted that the only way to do so is through war against China, in spite of other ASEAN countries being able to insist on their claims without declaring war. Duterte also revealed that in response to the pandemic, his first call was to Chinese President Xi Jinping to ask for vaccines. His continued use of China's talking points on the arbitral award not only shows the hypocrisy of his so-called independent foreign policy, but is tantamount to treason and betrayal of public trust by espousing a position against our national interests. Duterte also admitted that his government's prosecutorial arm has failed to keep drug trading suspects off the streets in spite of the charges being non-bailable. He ended up rehashing his oft-repeated threat to kill druglords, which no druglord really treated seriously. He explained how illegal drugs entered our territory but has failed to present any solution on how to prevent it from happening. He failed because his War on Drugs is merely a ploy to consolidate power and not really to protect our countrymen against the evils of illegal drugs. Duterte's words rang hollow as he offered excuse after excuse on why he is unable to stop the illegal drug trade, corruption in the government, the Chinese incursion in the West Philippine Sea, or manage our pandemic response thus far and in response to the new Delta strain. This after he guaranteed success in exchange for billions of pesos in funding from our Congress. The Congress gave him every centavo he asked for, extended the Martial Law in Marawi for as long as he wanted, and the Bayanihan laws needed to address the COVID-19 pandemic. In exchange, he only had failure to show for it. If he truly wanted the best for our country, he should have resigned a long time ago. All the accomplishments of his government, if at all, were made in spite of him, not because of him. He should spare us the theatrics and let us move forward with a leader who will deliver results instead of excuses. Duterte's last SONA reflects his tenure as President. He did not take the important parts seriously and spent his longer-than-it-should-be moment wasting our time with his nonsense. In the end, he had nothing else to say but to ask his audience if they already wanted to piss. That just about sums up Duterte's term of office. ### (Access the handwritten version, here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatch_from_crame_no._1109) Press Release July 27, 2021 Bong Go says let Filipinos judge Duterte presidency as they can attest to the positive change the administration has brought to the country Senator Christopher "Bong" Go lauded President Rodrigo Duterte for his well-delivered State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 26. He emphasized that it is up to the Filipino people to judge and attest to the success of his presidency and the positive change this administration has brought to their lives. Go expressed confidence that the realities on the ground speak volumes of the successes of the Duterte Administration as a whole to address the most important challenges facing the country. In a pair of television interviews given on Monday, July 26, Go said that President Duterte has delivered on his campaign promises to tackle problems of corruption, criminality and illegal drugs while strengthening the competitiveness of the economy through rapid infrastructure development and other programs that aim to provide a more comfortable life for all. "Nung nangangampanya pa siya, ito ang ipinangako niya---labanan ang korapsyon sa gobyerno, labanan ang kriminalidad at labanan ang iligal na droga. Iyon 'yung tatlong malaking problema ng ating bansa, including insurgency. Napakahirap 'nun pero binoto siya ng tao dahil umaasa sila na magkaroon ng pagbabago sa buhay nila," said Go. "Magiging biased ako kung sasabihin ko ganito ang nagawa niya. Tanungin niyo na lang ang taumbayan kung nakakalakad na sila ng ligtas sa gabi, 'yung mga anak natin kung nakakauwi sila na hindi nababastos at nasasaktan ng mga adik," he continued. The Senator added that he had personally heard from Filipinos who are grateful for the administration's continued emphasis on peace and order, and credited the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines for their contributions to the campaign to address crime and violence in communities. "Kapag pumupunta ako sa abroad, nagpapasalamat (ang overseas Filipino workers) sa Pangulo. Mayro'n na raw silang peace of mind habang nagtatrabaho. Napakahirap magtrabaho sa ibang bansa, na mapalayo sa pamilya mo, lalong-lalo na kung iniisip mo kung ang mga anak mo ay nakakauwi sa inyong pamamahay," he shared. "Maraming salamat sa pulis at militar dahil kung hindi sa inyo, mahihirapan si Pangulong Duterte na matupad ang kaniyang mga ipinangako," he said. In addition to the President's campaign promises, Go also highlighted the successes of the government's Free Higher Education program which was created under the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act which Duterte signed into law in August 2017. The program has assisted nearly 1.6 million students, as of May 2021, 1.3 million of whom are from 112 state universities and colleges nationwide. The government has also sponsored the enrollment of over 500,000 primarily disadvantaged students in private institutions through the Tertiary Education Subsidy. Other major legislative accomplishments include the Universal Health Care Law which provides affordable quality healthcare services to every Filipino; the Malasakit Centers Act which provides quick and convenient access to the government's various medical assistance programs; and the Salary Standardization Law 5 which increased the salaries of government employees, including nurses and teachers. "Ramdam ng mga kababayan natin 'yung pagbabago na ginawa ni Pangulong Duterte. Dinadagdagan na lang niya 'yung free education sa mga state colleges and universities, universal healthcare at Malasakit Center na ating ini-sponsor," continued Go. "And, of course, makikita niyo 'yung mga infrastructure projects. Kaliwa't kanan 'yung mga highways at skyways. Mahirap gawin 'yan kung walang political will dahil marami pong masasagasaang properties. Dati, sangkatutak na injunctions ang inaabot ng ating public works and highways (department). Hindi magagawa 'yan kundi sa political will ng ating Pangulo," he stressed. Under the "Build, Build, Build" program, the government has completed or is set to complete the Clark International Airport Expansion Project, Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3, Light Rail Transit 2 East Extension Project, Metro Manila Logistics Network, Bonifacio Global City-Ortigas Center Link Road Project, North Luzon Expressway-South Luzon Expressway Connector Road Project, and C5 South Link Expressway Project, among others. Aside from the flagship projects, a total of 212 airport projects, 446 seaport projects, 10,376 flood mitigation structures, 26,494 kilometers of roads, and 5,555 bridges have also been completed, as of July 2021. Another 102 airport projects, 117 seaport projects, 1,090.30 kilometers of railway, 2,587 flood mitigation structures, 2,515 kilometers of roads, and 1,020 bridge projects are currently under construction. Finally, the Senator hailed the Duterte Administration's efforts to ease the process of doing business in the country. In 2018, President Duterte signed the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act which streamlines the process of starting a business by mandating the creation of a central business portal to receive all business applications and the Philippine Business Databank to serve as a repository of information on all businesses registered in the Philippines. He also signed the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) Act in the same year which directs the creation of the PhilSys Registry, an integrated identification system to consolidate all existing government-initiated identification systems. Every citizen and resident alien shall be assigned a unique and permanent identification number, thus eliminating the need to present other forms of identification. "Even before I took my oath of office ... I knew the gravity [and] enormity of the problems that the country was facing. And precisely because of that awareness, I was driven to hasten the implementation of changes which I believed the country needed," the President said during his sixth and final State of the Nation Address on Monday. "I did not succumb to the attacks. And neither did I allow criticisms, however intense, to dampen my determination and initiatives because my purpose was pure and unpolluted ... We have laid down the ground work and are continuing to push for landmark reforms and key accomplishments until the last day of my term," he reassured. Press Release July 27, 2021 CO-SPONSORSHIP SPEECH OF SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS ON SENATE RESOLUTION HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF FORMER PRESIDENT BENIGNO SIMEON "NOYNOY" AQUINO III July 27, 2021 It is with gratitude that I co-sponsor resolution No. 760 honoring the life of President Benigno Noynoy Aquino, a former President and a beloved friend. Dahil po kay Hidilyn Diaz na binuhat hindi lang Ang 127 kg kundi ang buong sambayanan, I am called to remember how PNoy was a true fan of the Filipino athlete. Sabi niya, "nawa'y maging bukal kayo ng inspirasyon para sa inyong mga kababayan." Sa panahon din ni PNoy, naisabatas ang Republic Act No. 10699 na isinabatas ng ating kasamang si Sen. Sonny, which institutionalizes benefits for our national athletes and provides a cash reward of 10 million pesos to the gold winner. But what we celebrated yesterday with such jubilation and what we commemorate now with gratitude is really this: the unshakeable love for the Filipino people, the single-minded desire to make the country proud even amidst adversity. Inulan ng batikos, ginawan ng kwento, biniktima ng fake news at trolls -- focus lang, trabaho lang, gawa lang ng tama para sa bayan, di magpapadaig sa China. In the weeks after PNoy's death, we all saw a tremendous roll-out of stories in social media from people who worked closely with him. The vignettes covered many aspects of his life and habits as our president, but they all speak to his brand of hard work and commitment to excellence, even in the details. This is a legacy that the troll infrastructure sought to destroy, but ultimately couldn't. As a woman's rights advocate, I will always remember the careful attention, dogged argumentation, and invaluable political support he gave to the eventual passage of the hard fought Reproductive Health Law. President PNoy's legacy looms large before us, a seemingly ordinary man who did extraordinary things for the country. This is a legacy we should all strive to uphold. But as Hidilyn's win should open the pathway for more Filipino Olympic medalists, PNoy's legacy should inspire leaders who will do right by our country. And lift us all up to gold. Salamat PNoy. With the filipino people, we in Akbayan Party, will always hold your memory with gratitude, pride and fighting spirit. With the kind indulgence of the Senate President, may I move to spread into the record, the sponsorship speech of Senator Leila De Lima. Salamat po, Ginoong Pangulo. Press Release July 27, 2021 SPONSORSHIP SPEECH PSR 765: Honoring the Life and Service of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III Magandang hapon. I rise on a matter of personal and collective privilege, and to sponsor Senate Resolution 765, to honor the life and legacy of His Excellency Benigno "PNoy" Aquino III, the 15th President of the Philippines, son of democracy icons Senator Ninoy Aquino Jr. and President Cory Aquino. While his father famously said, "The Filipino is worth dying for" and his mother, "The Filipino is worth living for," PNoy served us all exceedingly well by living the mantra, "The Filipino is worth fighting for." One of President Aquino's most significant fights for the Filipino is the fight for Philippine sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea against our giant neighbor. And we won. Like the country's first Olympic gold medal from Hidilyn Diaz, the historic victory lifts the spirit and inspires us to continue to fight for one another and to fight for our country. Another important battle is the one against poverty. Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap. By the end of PNoy's term, 7 million Filipinos were able to cross the threshold from poor to non-poor. This is in large part thanks to his administration's continued and ramped-up coverage of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program from only 786,523 poor households when he took office June 2010 to a whopping 4.4 million poor households and displaced families when his term ended in 2016. PNoy also fought against hunger by increasing rice sufficiency from 81% in 2010 to 95% in 2016. With more investments in agriculture, average palay production rose by 21% from 14.92 million metric tons from 2001 to 2010, to 18.05 million metric tons from 2011 to 2015. His administration also wrestled for good governance. The victory in this aspect became manifest in greatly improved tax effort -- from 12.1% in 2010 to 13.7% in 2015. Noteworthy is that this was achieved by efficient tax collection, consistently going after tax evaders, AND, with the exception of the Sin Tax Law, without imposing new taxes. The Sin Tax Law which caused PhilHealth coverage to dramatically expand from 51% in 2010 to cover 92% as of December 2015. So together with victory after victory: - Net foreign direct investments, long-jumping from US$1.07 billion in 2010 US$5.74 billion in 2014, nearly a five-fold jump, a phenomenal 436% increase and the highest ever recorded level since 2005; - Public-private partnerships, worth P194.87 billion and double those awarded in the preceding three administrations; - Infrastructure development, and - Reduced cost of doing business, among others, The Philippines won a round (so to speak) against unemployment, when PNoy's government recorded 5.6% unemployment rate in October 2015, the lowest in 10 years, and the first time in history that it dropped below 6.0%. And this is the gold medal for good governance, transforming the Philippines from being the "Sick Man of Asia" to being hailed as one of the fastest-growing economies in the entire world. The economy grew by an average of 6.2% from 2010 to 2015, the highest six-year average growth since 1978. In the first quarter of his last year in office, the Philippine economy grew by 6.9% -- the fastest among the ASEAN-5 and even surpassing global economic powerhouse China. Other significant battles PNoy won for the Filipino included those for responsible parenthood, reproductive health, and for lasting peace and development in Mindanao. PNoy won the good-governance bout, encapsulated in the slogans "Walang mahirap kung walang corrupt" at "No wang-wang" policy by - improving the budget process, - making participatory governance a key strategy, - opening up government transactions to the public, - incentivizing good local governance, - leveling the business playing field, and - intensifying the fight against graft and corruption. This caused the Philippines to overtake its competition in rankings in various internationally-recognized third-party assessment reports. At the end of these tests, 'ika nga, the Philippines emerged as honor student who received the following awards: - In the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, the country ranked 95th in 2015 from 146th or 51 places up from 2010. - Our World Bank Ease of Doing Business ranking rose to 103 in 2016 from 144 in 2010 or 41 places up; - Our World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Index 2015-2016 ranking jumped to 47 from 85 or 38 places up; and - In the Heritage Foundation Economic Freedom Index, the country ranked 70th in 2016 from 109th in 2010 or 39 places up. As he set out to do, PNoy undeniably left office in 2016 better off than he found it. And what better way to honor PNoy's life of service, the best we can, than be guided by his deeds especially in the crucial days ahead as the country continues to battle with the Covid pandemic and its devastating effects on the Filipino family. Nabanggit kanina ni Senator Joel Villanueva, magkasama kami sa gabinete ni Presidente Noynoy Aquino. Ang hindi ko isang makakalimutan ay iyong isang meeting bilang Food Security Secretary para maaprubahan ng NEDA ang mga big-ticket projects. Hinanda ko ang sarili ko para maprisinta ang mga proyekto ng National Irrigation Administration bilang Chairman of the Board. I was warned by the Cabinet that PNoy, contrary to the "Noynoying" tag was very, very meticulous especially about how it was to spend people's money. Although feeling ko, sanay na rin naman akong magdepensa ng mga bills sa Senado. Ang hinihingi ko lang sa NEDA noong araw na iyon ay iyong approval ng P15 billion Balog-Balog High Dam Project sa kanyang probinsya ng Tarlac sa San Jose municipality. So nag-umpisa ang meeting ng mga 11 a.m. at matatapos pala ito 1 a.m. sa susunod na araw. I was one of the firsts to present. PNoy asked me the type of dam to be constructed. Whether it ought to be a high dam or a series of cascading dams. Ano ba ang mas appropriate? Sinabi ko, high dam. Kinumbinsi ko sya. Prinesenta ko ang pros and cons nguni't hindi sya nakumbinsido sa aking presentation. Ni-reject ang proposal ko at sabi nya, hanggang hindi nasasagot yung ilang mga katanungan niya, ay isantabi muna iyong proyekto sa susunod na meeting. Akala ko aprubado na iyong project. Ang feeling ko napahiya ako at sa harap ng mga kapwa ko Cabinet members. Eh iyong iba pa pinapatawag ko sa Senado noong ako ay Senador. Kaya naisip-isip ko, sa kahihiyan, eh magre-resign na lang ako. But then, as the meeting progressed, I realized that PNoy was equally exacting and demanding of everyone else. Sa meeting, PNoy also denied the approval for the project presented by DPWH Secretary Babes Singson. And then iyong proyekto ni Secretary Butch Abad ng DBM, disapproved din. Dahil na-reject mga project ni Babes at Butch, sabi ko, nagkaroon ako ng appreciation nung katagang, "Hindi ka nag-iisa." Nag-iba ang aking pakiramdam. Hindi na ako magreresign. Hindi na ako masyadong napahiya. Misery loves company dahil lahat pala kami, regardless kung malapit sa kanya o hindi, walang personalan, trabaho lang. All the presentations throughout that 14-hour meeting were subjected to PNoy's incisive questions. Doon ko nakita ang tindi ng pagsusuri at pagbubusisi ni PNoy dahil mahal nya ang Pilipino. Mahal niya ang ating bayan. Ayaw niyang masayang ang pondo ng gobyerno sa mga proyektong hindi tama ang paghanda. Gusto niyang tama ang proyekto at maging tiyak ang benepisyo sa taumbayan. Ito ang halimbawa ni PNoy bilang isang mabuting tao at mahusay na lider at masinop na ama ng bayan. Sa pagtatapos, naulila kami sa Partido Liberal nang pumanaw ang aming Chairman Emeritus na si Presidente Noynoy Aquino. Subalit ang alam namin, bilang nakasama at nakatrabaho si PNoy, ayaw niyang pinagkakaabalahan sya. Ang nais lamang niya ay tuloy lang ang ating trabaho. Kaya sa ilalim ng pamumuno ng ating Bise Presidente na si Vice President Leni, tuloy lang ang trabaho sa pagtugon sa mga problema dito sa Covid. Tuloy lang na makikipagugnayan at makikiisa sa pagtulong at sa pagharap ng problema ng ating bansa. In the end, it is this spirit of PNoy that inspires us to continue to plod on. He fought for democracy. His parents fought for democracy. He made democracy real and vibrant. And if, I would like to think, he is asked today what we should do now that he is gone -- in our party and among us in public service, is that: we continue to fight for democracy and make sure that democracy is transformed into a better quality of life for our people. It is in this spirit and hope that we move for the adoption of our Senate Resolution together with other Senate Resolutions "Honoring the Life and Legacy of His Excellency Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III, the 15th President of the Republic of the Philippines". Maraming salamat. A Nairobi court has barred the media from covering the proceedings of a case where a woman is demanding Sh25 million in child support from Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka. Lawyer Danstan Omari, representing the woman, applied for the gag orders against all media houses, which Nairobi Resident Magistrate F. Terer allowed on Monday. That a gag order is hereby issued to any print or electronic mass media in Kenya from accessing, publishing, airing, narrating or commenting the case in any newspaper, journal, weekly magazine and TV or radio show, the gag order states. The case will be mentioned on Wednesday, July 28, 2021, with an update on the progress of negotiations between Lusaka and the woman over an out-of-court settlement. Through his lawyer Peter Wanyama, Lusaka told the court is willing and ready to pay the costs of prenatal care. Read: Kenneth Lusaka in Negotiations With Woman Seeking Sh25M For Unborn Baby Law Society of Kenya President Nelson Havi has slammed Chief Justice Martha Koome for seeking the dismissal of a case challenging President Uhuru Kenyattas decision to reject the nomination of six judges. While seeking the dismissal, CJ Koome and the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) on Monday argued that the petition filed by Katiba Institute challenging the Presidents decision has been overtaken by events. Through her lawyer Isaac Wamaasa, the CJ termed the petition by Katiba Institute as bad law, fatally defective and an abuse of the process. The Chief Justice and JSC have no powers under the Constitution or the law to stop any judge of a superior court or a judicial officer from performing his or her judicial functions, Koome indicated. The decision prompted Nelson Havi to criticize the CJ, accusing her of siding with the Executive and failing to protect the Judiciary. CJ Martha Koome is not being bullied. She is being held accountable. She has undermined elected leaders of bodies that are key players in the justice sector, Havi said in a tweet. He added: She has gone to bed with the Executive and failed to protect the Judiciary. This, the CJ will be reminded of daily. Kenyas High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK) Manoah Esipisu has said President Kenyattas visit to the European country this week is aimed at strengthening the Kenya-UK strategic partnership. Briefing the press in London ahead of the Presidents arrival, Amb Esipisu said the highlight of the Kenyan leaders visit will be his co-chairing of the Global Education Summit with Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Amb Esipisu pointed out that the aim of the summit scheduled for July 28th and 29th is to raise funds for investment in the education of millions of vulnerable children around the globe. The target for this fundraiser, effectively, is USD 5 billion. Most of the money has already been raised along the last few monthsthe President has been busy talking to fellow Heads of State around the world, urging them to put the money where their mouth is; to take action to protect their budget for education, take action to increase their budget for education and take action to fund specific areas of education that they have previously lagged behind, he said. The Kenyan diplomat indicated that during the visit, President Kenyatta will hold bilateral talks with PM Johnson to review other areas of the Kenya-UK strategic partnership. He pointed out that the strategic partnership is a broad framework for cooperation which covers a wide array of bilateral subjects between the two nations among the trade and investment, and security cooperation among other sectors. It (strategic partnership) does include security and defence. Regional security specifically because we, as Kenya, live in a fairly tricky region. And we collaborate with our partners around the world, including the UK, to deal with these security imperatives, Amb Esipisu noted. Also on the Presidents to do list will be discussions on climate change especially in the Kenya-UK agenda for the forthcoming Conference of Parties (COP26) in Glasgow. Amb Esipisu disclosed that President Kenyatta and his hosts will discuss the progress of the Big 4 Agenda initiatives leading to the signing of several bilateral agreements aimed at boosting the implementation of the economic blueprint. These are some of the highlights of the issues the President will be facing, will be dealing with and will be resolving on behalf of the Kenyan people and for the Kenyan people while he is here in the United Kingdom, Ambassador Esipisu said. President Kenyatta is expected in London on Tuesday at the start of his official visit to the UK at the invitation of his host, Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Willis Raburus partner, Ivy Namulindwa, has shed more light on her newborn baby with the television presenter. The pair welcomed a baby boy a few weeks ago but they have been keeping details away from the public. But in a Q&A session with her followers on social media, Ivy revealed that she delivered through a Caesarean section. I was at Nairobi Hospital and they took really good care of me especially since I am a first-time mum, she said. From the theatre, talking me through the processI was a bit anxious to aftercare, where the nurse and staff were patient and kind to me. I am grateful for all that. The Kenyan-Ugandan vlogger also disclosed that she and Willis Raburu planned for the baby. Yeah. This was a planned pregnancy. And when asked if Willis is the biological father of her child, Ivy told the fan to leave fatherhood to Abraham. Another fan asked Ivy why she decided to get a baby before marrying Willis first. Because it is my life, and I do what I want, when I want and how I want. Also hii life haina manual or one-size-fits-all formula please, she responded. Ivy also advised any couple looking to have a baby to arrange their finances, insurance, and all, to avoid surprises. She also declined to reveal the name of the child. Willis Raburu and Ivy met at Royal Media Services when she started working at Hot96 and on the 10/10 fan page. Following his arrest on Friday last week, Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua was Monday arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts on corruption charges. Rigathi was charged with conspiracy to commit an offence of corruption, fraudulent acquisition of public property, money laundering, acquisition of proceeds of crime, and conflict of interest. He is alleged to have unlawfully received about Sh7.4 billion. Rigathi is charged alongside nine others who were not before the court. Appearing before Chief Magistrate Lawrence Mugambi, the lawmaker denied the charges and was released on a cash bail of Sh.12 million with an alternative of Sh.25 million bond. The court further directed that Rigathi Gachagua surrenders his passport and should not contact witnesses. The other accused persons were summoned to appear before the court on August 3, with the pre-trial scheduled for August 9. According to information published by the Military News Agency website of Taiwan on July 27, 2021, the Taiwanese Navy took delivery of its first Tuo Chiang-class stealth multi-mission corvette, the Ta Chiang (PGG-619), on Tuesday, July 27, 2021. Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link Tuo Chiang-class stealth missile corvette of Taiwanese navy. (Picture source Military News Agency website of Taiwan) The official delivery ceremony was held at the Lungteh Shipbuilding facility in Yilan County, eastern Taiwan and was attended by Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng, Yilan County Magistrate Lin Zi-miao, and other military officials. In December 2020 the first of the improved Tuo Chiang-class corvettes, PGG-619 Ta Chiang, was launched in Yilan. 6 improved models are to be delivered by 2023. The Tuo Chiang-class corvette is based on a catamaran design. The ship has a length of 60.4 m, a beam of 14 m, a draught of 2.3 m, and a displacement of 567 tones. She has a crew of 41 people. The Tuo Chiang-class corvette can operate up to sea state 7 in waves up to 2030 ft (6.19.1 m) high. Taiwan Security Analysis Center (TAISAC) stated that the ship features stealth technologies to help evade radar detection, a combat system that includes a distributed-architecture combat direction system known as Taiwan Aegis" developed by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology. The armament of the Tuo Chiang-class corvette consists of Sea Sword II missiles, Hsiung Feng II and III anti-ship missiles, one 76 mm Otobreda naval gun, one Phalanx CIWS Close)In Weapon System, two 12.7mm heavy machine guns and two Mark 32 triple torpedo launchers. Your browser does not support the video tag. Susan Bonifield (right) will join Emory as senior vice provost for strategic financial and resource planning, following the retirement of Deputy Provost Michael Andrechak (left), who has led the administration and planning team since 2014. Susan Bonifield will join the leadership team of Emory University Provost Ravi V. Bellamkonda as senior vice provost for strategic financial and resource planning, following the retirement of Deputy Provost Michael Andrechak, who has led the administration and planning team since 2014. Bellamkonda, who also serves as executive vice president for academic affairs, announced the transition July 27. Prior to arriving at Emory, Andrechak served as associate chancellor and vice provost for budgets and resource planning at the University of Illinois at Urbana, where he worked for 35 years. In Andrechaks time at Emory, his experience has provided a unique perspective on the inner workings of universities. His deep knowledge of academic finance has allowed him to identify underutilized funds and redirect them to support key university initiatives and strategic priorities. Andrechak was also instrumental in classroom and space planning during COVID-19. In addition to his long-standing, crucial work in university budgeting, Mike was an indispensable part of Emorys COVID-19 recovery and response team. Were lucky to have had his steady guidance and expertise to rely upon especially during difficult times, notes Jan Love, dean of Candler School of Theology and former interim provost and executive vice president of academic affairs. Mike has been of the greatest assistance to me as I learn about Emory as its provost. He will be greatly missed, Bellamkonda states. It has been an honor and pleasure to serve Emory, says Andrechak. I am happy to be entering retirement after using my knowledge and skills to advance the academic mission of a school I care deeply about. Beginning Sept. 1, Bonifield will serve as Bellamkondas chief advisor on all matters relating to financial resources and planning processes that support the strong stewardship of Emorys academic aspirations. She will work closely with deans and academic leaders to ensure the alignment of financial resources and institutional goals and will work with Christa Acampora, deputy provost for academic affairs, to ensure the strategic allocation of resources for the implementation of Emorys strategic framework. Bonifield will also be responsible for multi-year budget planning. Space planning, including the use of space for academic programs, new construction, renovations, and changes in occupancy, will also be within her remit. My immediate priority will be to listen and learn, Bonifield says. The best way for me to support the academic mission will be to build strong partnerships based on transparency and trust with my colleagues in all parts of the university. I am committed to being accessible and available to our schools and units, and I will place a strong focus on collaboration and create a culture of collegiality among my colleagues. Fundamentally, my role is to do whatever I can to support the academic mission. Bonifield has spent the last 21 years at Duke University, gaining expertise in financial management and planning first at the Duke Heart Center as senior strategic services associate and administrative director from 2000-2007 before joining the universitys Pratt School of Engineering, where she served as associate dean and then senior associate dean of finance and planning. Asked what excites her most about joining Emory University, without a doubt, I am most excited about the people, Bonifield says. Emory is known for being a welcoming and warm community, and I have definitely found that to be true. The dedication of the team members I have met so far has been impressive, and I am truly looking forward to becoming a part of the Emory family. Emory President Gregory L. Fenves sent the following message to the Emory community on July 27. Dear Emory University Community, We are a month away from the start of the fall semester and the full return to campus. I know many of us are looking forward to carrying out our educational and research missions through in-person teaching, learning, and scholarship. And I sense the excitement building as we look forward to seeing friends, meeting new people, and experiencing Emorys renewed energy in Atlanta and Oxford. The COVID-19 vaccineswhich Emory researchers played a role in developing and testinghave been highly effective and are our strongest defense against the virus. Yet the pandemic is not over. With the spread of the Delta variant and rising COVID-19 cases in Georgia, we must remain committed to protecting the health of the Emory community, and it starts with getting vaccinated. Today, Im announcing a new policy in response to current regional COVID-19 conditions: All Emory University faculty and staff members must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 for the fall semester. Emory community members can sign up to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, free of charge, via Emory Forward. If you are in the process of being vaccinated, you must continue to take a weekly test until fully vaccinated (two weeks after your final dose). As previously announced, all Emory students must also be vaccinated to return to in-person learning this fall. Emory staff and faculty members can apply for a vaccination exemption based on medical contraindications or strong personal objections. We ask that all exemptions be submitted no later than August 16. Community members who have an exemption will still be required to complete a COVID-19 screening test once a week. Screening tests can be scheduled online. Currently, more than 85% of Emory faculty, staff, and students are fully vaccinated. The recent rise in COVID-19 cases is connected to a surge in transmission among unvaccinated individuals, and although the Emory vaccination percentages are high, we must do even better. A follow-up message with further details on the updated policies including how to submit an exemption requestwill be sent later today by Amir St. Clair, associate vice president and executive director of COVID-19 response and recovery. We are continuing to monitor COVID-19 throughout our city and region, along with the latest CDC recommendations, and will adjust Emorys policiesincluding mask wearingas needed for the health of the community. As a reminder, all Emory community members are currently required to wear masks when inside campus buildings, except when eating or drinking. If future conditions warrant, we may also increase the frequency of testing and/or expand the range of people who will need to be tested depending on the public health situation. Id like to thank you all for doing your part to keep our community healthy during these challenging times. I cant wait to see you in person in just a few short weeks! Sincerely, Gregory L. Fenves President Saving Libraries: Its a Critical Time for Funding Legislation According to ALA, there are nearly 17,000 libraries nationwide totaling more than 210 million square feet, and the average U.S. public library building is more than 40 years old. Congress has not provided dedicated funding for library facilities since 1997. Insufficient capital funding has made it difficult for libraries to make improvements to their facilities, and President Joe Bidens new infrastructure plan does not include any funding for libraries. Budget cuts are also pending for public libraries in New York City, Ohio, Kentucky, and Maine. Although the digital age and the internet were not yet even imagined, Andrew Carnegiethe wealthy industrialist who lead the expansion of the U.S. steel industry in the in the late 1800sunderstood the value of libraries as they exist today. Carnegie funded the creation of 2,509 libraries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Of these libraries, 1,689 were built in the U.S. He said, There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration. Libraries also proved themselves to be indispensable during the COVID-19 pandemic. The summary from a May 2020 survey conducted by ALA and other organizations states, Several themes emerged from the survey results, including that libraries are: involved in community crisis response, cautiously planning for re-opening facilities, committed to meeting the educational needs of students and researchers, and experiencing ongoing or increased demand for library programs and services. It continues with an analysis of library services, noting that libraries overall report increased use of virtual library cards, digital content, and virtual programming. As libraries re-open, they anticipate demand for access to physical and special collections, access to computers and the internet, helping students make up for lost ground, supporting faculty and teacher needs, and application support for government services and employment. According to EveryLibrary in April 2020, public libraries are locally funded through dedicated property taxes; through dedicated sales or use taxes; through the general fund of a municipality; by the terms of a contract with a municipality; through a fund allocation by a school district; through fund allocations by several legal or municipal entities via [a memorandum of understanding] or [intergovernmental agreement]; or by direct funding from a state. In most states, over 90% of operational funds are from one of these sources. In some states, there is a supplemental aid contribution from the state via a formula. There are significant and important differences in the underlying stability of local tax revenues between all of these systems. Because of the pandemic, many establishments shut down and people stayed home and didnt shop or dine out. Since these entities generated less or no revenue, sales and use taxes declined. Consequently, less tax revenue is available at the state level for libraries that are funded in this way. EveryLibrary notes, The shock to the economic system in the United States is profound, deep, and immediate. It will be felt by everyone regardless of prior means or station. And will reverberate through our global economy for a generation. FEDERAL FUNDING LEGISLATION There are companion bills in the House of Representatives and the Senate that are both titled Build Americas Libraries Act. The Senate bill (S 127) was introduced on Jan. 28, 2021, and was subsequently referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. The House bill (HR 1581) was introduced on March 3, 2021, and was referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor. The legislation would provide $5 billion to restore, upgrade, and build library facilities in underserved and disenfranchised communities. More legislation is also pending at the federal level. On July 15, 2021, the House Appropriations Committee approved a spending package that includes an increase of $9 million for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). This full spending package heads to the House floor in the coming weeks. The Senate will begin taking up its funding bills later this summer, ALA notes. In addition, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 includes $7.17 billion for the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) program, which, according to ALA, will provide funding for public and tribal libraries and K12 schools to purchase connected devices and broadband internet connections for use off of library and school grounds by library patrons, students, and teachers and staff who otherwise don't have internet access. ALA shares that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published the rules and policies for the ECF program on May 11, 2021. While the ECF program is not the same as the federal E-rate program, it will leverage some existing E-rate forms and processes to expedite implementation. ALA advises, Libraries and schools can apply for funding for the purchase of eligible equipment and services made between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022. The application window for the ECF program will open on June 29 and will stay open until August 13. For tips and additional information about the program and how to apply, visit ala.org/advocacy/ECF. Marijke Visser, associate director and senior policy advocate at ALAs Public Policy and Advocacy office, says the following: Your library may also take advantage of other ARPA funds to support related digital inclusion needs, such as programming, staffing, and staff training. The pandemic helped draw attention to what library advocates have known all alonglibraries are vital to communities. The billions of dollars in new federal funding through the Emergency Connectivity Fundand the American Rescue Planis a vote of confidence in libraries and shows that more decisionmakers are paying attention. Its now up to libraries to claim the new funding, and ALAs new resources will help libraries think big and develop connectivity programs that reach those who need support right now. Libraries know first-hand the lack of internet accessand a device to use itdisproportionately impacts communities of color. With funding from the Emergency Connectivity Fund, libraries are poised to make a huge dent in the nations connectivity gap. The ECF funding can be a game changer for our smaller libraries and especially tribal libraries, which are often cut out of federal funding opportunities. STATE FUNDING At the state level, of the nine states requiring more than $8 billion for construction and renovation that were referenced in ALAs May 2021 Data Brief, California needed the most, at $5 billion. On June 1, 2021, the California State Senate and Assembly issued a 20212022 budget plan requesting $500 million for public libraries. The final package, released on June 28, proposed $390 million for support for libraries and $6 billion over a multiyear period for broadband infrastructure and improved access to broadband services throughout the state. It also included $439 million to renovate and overhaul local libraries and address health and safety issues for libraries in low-income areas. Furthermore, $6 million will be allocated to library broadband connectivity and $35 million to connect schools, libraries, and telehealth providers. ADVOCACY Right now, advocacy for funding public libraries is critical at both the state and federal levels. ALA offers tips and links to forms that may be used to contact elected officials, including one titled, Tell Congress to Invest in Library Facilities Today! As Andrew Carnegie stated, A library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people. It is a never failing spring in the desert. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Case over recognition of murders of Pskov residents during WWII as genocide to be heard in August RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 16:28 27/07/2021 MOSCOW, July 27 (RAPSI) The Pskov Regional Court is to hear a petition of the prosecutor's office seeking to recognize the massacres of civilians committed in the region by the Nazis during the Great Patriotic War as genocide, the Joint Press Service of the Courts of General Jurisdiction of the Pskov Region informs RAPSI. The court session is to decide on a fact of legal significance - the recognition of newly revealed crimes committed during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 on the territory of the Pskov and Velikiye Luki (from 02.10.1957 - Pskov) regions by unidentified persons from among the Nazi criminals and traitors against the civilian population and prisoners of war as war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide is scheduled for August 9, 2021 at 10 o'clock, the press service said in a statement. Within the framework of the No Statute of Limitations project, in July - October 2020, mass graves of civilians and prisoners of war perished during the Great Patriotic War were discovered on the territory of the Pskov region. During the war, these areas were under German occupation. During the occupation of the Pskov region by the Nazis and their accomplices, 42,537 civilian Soviet citizens were shot, 776 were hanged, 7,629 people died as a result of torture or were burned alive, 329,455 Soviet prisoners of war were exterminated, the Prosecutor General's Office has noted earlier. Seguin, Texas (78155) Today Showers in the morning with isolated thunderstorms arriving in the afternoon. High 89F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Mainly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. [July 27, 2021] New 8x8 XCaaS Enhancements Deliver Large Video Meetings and Advanced Mobility Support for Company-wide Collaboration 8x8, Inc. (NYSE: EGHT), a leading integrated cloud communications platform, today announced new 8x8 (News - Alert) XCaaS (Experience Communications as a Service) enhancements, including support for video meetings with up to 500 active participants and advanced mobility, to drive organization-wide collaboration for a hybrid workforce. "Our employees live in 8x8 Work to communicate, collaborate and engage with colleagues and customers across all of our operational centers and teams. As our centralized meeting platform, the latest improvements deliver great efficiencies and will assist with reducing our IT software support footprint," said Tony Forder, Head of Information Technology Operations at transcosmos Information Systems Ltd. "Support for 500 video meeting participants not only will benefit our global customer service and support centers, but will also improve the reach of our service and quality leadership teams." "8x8 Work is a great tool for ensuring communications, collaboration and cohesion amongst our teams, partners and the community, regardless of location or device," said Cecil Lawson, Information Technology Manager, City of Campbell. "With support now for 500 simultaneous participants in online video meetings, we can evaluate our technology stack to reduce our costs by utilizing more of the 8x8 product suite when conducting large public meetings." 8x8 XCaaS is built on the 8x8 Experience Communications Platform, a single-vendor cloud technology platform for both employee and customer engagement, which includes fully integrated contact center, voice, video meetings, team chat and embedded APIs. New 8x8 company-wide collaboration features support: Better Video Meetings More meeting participants: The 8x8 Work app easily handles larger video meetings, supporting up to 500 active desktop users in a single meeting, and all with the ability to collaborate and share video, audio and screens. This capability is available for all 8x8 X Series plans that include video meetings without any additional license costs. The 8x8 Work app easily handles larger video meetings, supporting up to 500 active desktop users in a single meeting, and all with the ability to collaborate and share video, audio and screens. This capability is available for all 8x8 X Series plans that include video meetings without any additional license costs. Leverage existing investments: Expanded access includes more endpoints, allowing attendees to join 8x8 video meetings and share screen content from huddle rooms using legacy SIP devices. This enables organizations to leverage existing hardware investments at a time when demand is impacting deployment of newer technologies. Deeper Integration with 8x8 Voice for Microsoft (News - Alert) Teams Visibility across the organization with 8x8 Presence Sync : The presence status of Teams-based users is updated in real time, and is visible in 8x8 Work and 8x8 Contact Center, facilitating sales, service and support agents to quickly connect and collaborate with Microsoft Teams-enabled experts to resolve issues faster. : The presence status of Teams-based users is updated in real time, and is visible in 8x8 Work and 8x8 Contact Center, facilitating sales, service and support agents to quickly connect and collaborate with Microsoft Teams-enabled experts to resolve issues faster. Integrated business messaging: The 8x8 Voice for Microsoft Teams direct routing solution provides an organization's hybrid workforce with individual business phone and fax numbers. This enables employees to conveniently send and receive SMS or MMS messages (US and Canada) or faxes (Globally) directly from any Teams native interface to further extend the experience for users. Enhanced Workforce Mobility Share from mobile devices : Mobile participants are able to share content while accessing video meetings via the 8x8 Work Mobile iOS and Android (News - Alert) apps. : Mobile participants are able to share content while accessing video meetings via the 8x8 Work Mobile iOS and Android (News - Alert) apps. Tap to reply : The 8x8 Work Mobile app allows users to reply inline to new 1:1 and team chat messages directly from their mobile device's notification section without having to open the app, making it easier to respond to messages. : The 8x8 Work Mobile app allows users to reply inline to new 1:1 and team chat messages directly from their mobile device's notification section without having to open the app, making it easier to respond to messages. Handoffs with context : Users on the 8x8 Work Mobile app can warm transfer active calls to the desired recipient, and provide pertinent information for added context. : Users on the 8x8 Work Mobile app can warm transfer active calls to the desired recipient, and provide pertinent information for added context. Share voicemails with other users: Voicemails can be shared with colleagues in team chat rooms using 8x8 Work Mobile to speed collaboration and issue resolution. "The ideal unified communications and collaboration architecture enables individuals to collaborate via integrated voice, video, or messaging, through a unified interface that extends to back-office, field workers, and customer service agents alike. And a single-vendor, end-to-end approach not only offers end-user benefits, including reduced task switching and improved collaboration and productivity, but also optimizes total cost of ownership (TCO) as well," said Irwin Lazar, President & Principal Analyst at Metrigy. "Our analysis of real-world operating costs of more than 560 end-user organizations found that a single-vendor approach results in 56 percent lower TCO compared to a multi-vendor strategy with the key areas of savings include staffing, licensing, and the cost of managed services." "Organizations recognize the importance of modern communications experiences for powering business agility, especially as they drive new work requirements for a distributed workplace," said Rob Pilgrim, Global Vice President of Product Management at 8x8, Inc. "We continue to innovate across 8x8 XCaaS, allowing organizations and their employees to maximize productivity and responsiveness as they collaborate from anywhere, on any device in the app of their choice." Visit 8x8.com to learn about the latest 8x8 Experience Communications Platform enhancements. About 8x8, Inc. 8x8, Inc. (NYSE: EGHT) is transforming the future of business communications as a leading Software-as-a-Service provider of contact center, voice communications, video, chat and API solutions powered by one global cloud communications platform. 8x8 empowers workforces worldwide to connect individuals and teams so they can collaborate faster and work smarter. Real-time business analytics and intelligence provide businesses unique insights across all interactions and channels so they can delight end-customers and accelerate their business. For additional information, visit www.8x8.com, or follow 8x8 on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. 8x8 and 8x8 X Series are trademarks of 8x8, Inc. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005407/en/ [ Back To SIP Trunking Home's Homepage ] Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on July 27, 2021 2021/07/27 CCTV: US Deputy Secretary of State Sherman concluded her visit to China yesterday. How does China see her trip to Tianjin? Has China achieved its expected outcomes from the meeting and talks? Zhao Lijian: The trip to Tianjin by Deputy Secretary Sherman is another important diplomatic interaction between China and the US after the dialogue in Anchorage. During her brief 24-hour stay, Ms. Sherman spent altogether six hours in the meeting with State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and talks with Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng. We can say that the two sides had deep and thorough conversations and enhanced mutual understanding. China made clear its views on the current China-US relations in the meeting and talks. China-US relations face severe difficulties and challenges. There is a big question mark on whether bilateral ties will head to conflict and confrontation or improvement and development. The US needs to think carefully and make the right choice. China made clear its attitude to the China policy of the new US administration. It pointed out that this administration has in general inherited its predecessor's erroneous China policy, constantly challenged China's bottom line, and stepped up containment and suppression on China. China firmly opposes such practices and has made resolute responses. The Chinese side pointed out that the erroneous China policy comes down to the US side's misguided perception about China, its view of China as an "imaginary enemy", the primary rival, and increasingly an adversary. It is this perception that drives the US to hype up the competitive, collaborative and adversarial rhetoric, the notion of "a position of strength" and the so-called "rules-based international order". This perception can also be found behind erroneous words and acts that interfere in China's internal affairs, slander and smear China, and undermine China's interests. China urges the US side to come to an objective and correct understanding of China, change course by redressing mistakes, work with China on the basis of mutual respect, seek fair competition and peaceful co-existence, and return to a rational and pragmatic China policy. China always believes that a sound and stable China-US relationship not only serves the interests of both parties, but is also the common aspiration of the international community. The US talked about "responsible management" of bilateral relations during this visit. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi underlined three basic demands as bottom lines on how to effectively manage differences and prevent China-US relations from getting out of control. The first is that the US must not challenge, slander or even attempt to subvert the path and system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The second is that the US must not attempt to obstruct or interrupt China's development process. The third is that the US must not infringe upon China's state sovereignty, or even damage China's territorial integrity. The US also talked about setting "guardrails" for bilateral relations. The Chinese side stressed that any norm of behavior in China-US relations must be discussed and agreed on by both sides. It must be based on equality and mutual benefit and guided by safeguarding the interests of both sides. It must be binding on both parties and cannot be barriers set by the US unilaterally for China. During the meeting and talks, the Chinese side solemnly elaborated on China's position on issues relating to study of origins of SARS-CoV-2, Taiwan, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, the South China Sea and cybersecurity, sternly rebuking US fallacies and putting forward clear demands. China also gave the US two lists, as I said yesterday, one consisting of 16 items detailing erroneous US policies, words and actions that should be redressed, another containing 10 key individual cases of particular concern. The two sides also exchanged views on some international and regional issues including climate change, the Iranian nuclear issue, the Korean Peninsula, Afghanistan and Myanmar. On these issues, China and the US have sound cooperation and there is broad space for both to work together. That being said, China also pointed out explicitly that cooperation must be based on mutual trust and premised on mutual benefit. The US needs to show sincerity and create conditions for cooperation. It cannot expect to harm China's interests on one hand while hoping for unconditional cooperation from China on the other. Differences and somewhat tense encounters are commonplace in diplomacy. Both sides believe that the meeting and talks are candid, in-depth and constructive. Both agree on the utmost importance of maintaining communication between China and the US and the need for more frank and sincere dialogues. China News Service: How does China envision China-US relations after this visit by Deputy Secretary Sherman? Zhao Lijian: A choice needs to be made to decide the direction of China-US relations. China has a clear view on it. As State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated, we should try to find a way through dialogue for two major countries different in system, culture and stage of development to coexist peacefully and even achieve win-win results. Whoever tied the knot is responsible for untying it. The US side needs to change course, work with China on the basis of mutual respect and embrace fair competition and peaceful coexistence with China. After all, a healthy and stable China-US relationship serves the interests of both sides and will be good news for the world as well. Global Times: According to reports, on July 26, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin visited the southern Kuril Islands and proposed establishing a special economic zone free of most taxes and customs duties to attract foreign investment there. The Japanese side has strongly protested this. Does China have any comment? Zhao Lijian: I have noted relevant reports. This is a bilateral issue between Russia and Japan and should be properly handled by the two sides. At the same time, it is China's consistent belief that the outcomes of the victorious Anti-Fascist War should be earnestly respected and upheld. CCTV: According to a recent Ipsos poll, 36% of Americans say US democracy is in crisis; 50% think it is facing serious challenges; 75% believe the "political system can become less divisive and more constructive"; 71% want ordinary people to "have more of a voice". The polling result is deemed to be a reflection of persistent problems besetting the US democratic system which cast a cloud over its future. Could I have your comment? Zhao Lijian: Just look at their so-called "democracy". Some US politicians have been pretentiously portraying their country as a "beacon of democracy". They are obsessed with interfering in other countries' internal affairs and engaging in ideological infiltration under the guise of democracy, while what they really need to pay attention to is issues with democracy at home! In addition to the Ipsos poll you mentioned, a YouGov poll in June shows that only 31% Americans are optimistic about the future of American democracy, while 59% are "dissatisfied with the way American democracy is working". Another poll indicates that 67% of Americans believe American democracy is "under threat", and 52% think the nation "is headed in the wrong direction". As an old Chinese saying goes, "one who lives under the roof knows it when it leaks; one who lives among the folk knows it when the government policy is wrong". Democracy is a common value of all mankind. The key yardstick to judge whether a political system is good or not lies in whether it can bring political stability, social progress and better livelihood, and whether it is endorsed and supported by the people. With numerous problems at home, the US is in no position to impose its so-called model of democracy on others with an condescending air of arrogance and prejudice. Still less does it have the right to use the banner of "democracy" to form small cliques targeting specific countries, and malign or even demonize other social systems. The US ought to heed the appeal of its people, reflect on itself, and acknowledge and solve problems with its own democracy. AFP: It has been reported that Vice Foreign Minister Qin Gang is leaving today for the US to assume the role of the new Chinese ambassador to the US. Can you confirm this? Zhao Lijian: We appreciate your interest. Relevant information will be released in due course. Yonhap: The ROK and the DPRK have decided to resume previously suspended channels of communication. Recently the two heads of state have also penned letters to each other. Analysts believe this has prepared the ground for the resumption of dialogue between the north and the south. Does China have any comment? Zhao Lijian: I noted that the DPRK and the ROK have reached consensus on resuming communication channels, restoring mutual trust and improving relations with one another. As a close neighbor to the Korean Peninsula, China always supports the DPRK and the ROK in improving their relations and advancing reconciliation and cooperation through dialogue and consultation. We hope these latest consensus and measures will play a positive role in improving and growing the DPRK-ROK ties. Prasar Bharati: All India Seafarers Union has said China has imposed an unofficial ban on commercial vessels with Indian crew. They said that China is not allowing such ships with Indian crew to berth at Chinese ports. This is happening since March. Can you please confirm this? Do you have any response to this? Zhao Lijian: We can confirm after verification that China has never imposed the so-called "unofficial ban" you mentioned. Relevant reports by Indian media are not true. Trot Insider is asking for help in locating a missing BEMER Horse-Set in the area of Puslinch, Ont. Trainer Pat Hunt is missing his set consisting of a blanket, both leg boots, the charger and the green and orange bag that the set comes in. This set looks identical to all other horse sets except that the right leg boot is missing the orange cover which makes the blanket very recognizable. The set was last seen in Hunt's office at Shamrock Training Centre on July 14. If anyone has any information or sightings they can kindly contact Pat Hunt at (905) 805-3262. SC Identification Technician Stephen MacLeod will be New Brunswick on Wednesday, July 28, 2021 to microchip any horses requiring identification. He will be going as far as Woodstock, N.B. This will be the last trip to New Brunswick for the ID technician this year. Please contact Stephen to make an appointment at (902) 897-5156. Longtime harness racing horseman Terry (Terrance Shane) McVeay passed away on July 26, 2021 after a long and courageous battle with cancer at the age of 74. Terry was born at home in Ayer's Cliff, Quebec. He spent many hours as an eight-year-old at the local fairgrounds learning to care for and train harness horses under the tutelage of the late Wendel Mosher. Terry came to Ontario in 1970 to work for the late Honorable Earl Rowe. He went on to work with RobRon Acres, Phil and Marie Privitera, the Murrells of North York Stables, John Bosworth and Tara Hills where he was the stallion manager for 10 years. Terry taught Rob McMillan to train harness horses and encouraged him to get his trainer/driver license and make a career of racing. Terry raced at many tracks: Sherbrooke, Garden City, Blue Bonnets, Barrie, Georgian, Mohawk and took Beau Winter to Roosevelt Raceway where he represented Canada in the International Trot. He had a great love for Kadabra (pictured with Terry at right) a world class trotting stallion. Terry had an undying love of horses and was always a true harness man. He was a kind, solid, lovely man. Terry is predeceased by his beloved parents, Arnold and Helene and older brother, Jack. He will be sadly missed by his sister Debby Black (Lindsay) who along with her husband devotedly looked after Terry in the last months of his life. He will also be sadly missed by his sister Sue-Lane (Steve) Garrett of Massachusetts. He will be fondly remembered by his niece and nephews and their families. Terry will be going home to Ayer's Cliff where his ashes will be scattered on the Fairgrounds. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Terry McVeay. Swift has launched Swift Go, a transformative new service that enables small businesses and consumers to send fast, predictable, highly secure, and competitively priced low-value cross-border payments anywhere in the world, direct from their bank accounts. Seven global banks, which collectively handle 33 million low-value cross-border payments per year, are already live with the service. Swift Go enables financial institutions to offer a seamless payments experience for low value transactions often initiated by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to pay suppliers overseas and by consumers sending money to friends and family internationally. Using tighter service level agreements between institutions and pre-validation of data, Swift Go enables banks to provide their end customers a fast and predictable payments experience with upfront visibility on processing times and costs. The Swift Go service builds on the high-speed rails of Swift gpi, which have transformed the speed and predictability of high-value payments. The service marks another milestone in Swifts strategy to enable instant and frictionless transactions from one account to another, across Swifts network that connects more than 11,000 institutions, and 4 billion accounts across 200 countries worldwide. It will further strengthen the capabilities of banks to serve their customers in the high-growth small business and consumer payments segments. Stephen Gilderdale, Chief Product Officer, at Swift said: Swift Go is a further step towards achieving our vision of enabling anybody, anywhere, to send money instantly and securely around the world. The new service is a direct response to the needs of small businesses and consumers for fast, easy, predictable, secure and competitively priced cross-border payments. Our new service will allow banks to compete effectively in one of the fastest growing segments of the payments market, delivering a seamless experience for their customers. Seven leading global banks are now using Swift Go live: BBVA; Bank of New York Mellon; DNB; MYBank; Sberbank; Societe Generale, and UniCredit. Raouf Soussi, Head of Enterprise Payments Strategy of Client Solutions, BBVA said: BBVA is very excited to be one of the first banks to sign up to Swift Go and we recognise the potential of this solution to revolutionise the way SMEs and consumers move money around the world. We have listened closely to our customers and we know how much they value a secure service that ensures payments reach their destination quickly and seamlessly." Isabel Schmidt, Head of Direct Clearing and Asset Account Services Products, Bank of New York Mellon said: Its no secret that for many years consumers and small businesses have been running into varying pain points when transacting international payments. These challenges have included opaque costs and lack of certainty on how quickly funds are delivered to the final beneficiary. This is why BNY Mellon is pleased to be the first US bank to go live with Swift Go, a new service that overcomes all of these challenges and assists financial institutions in delivering a competitive, seamless, fast and predictable payments experience to their customers. Feng Liang, Deputy CEO, MYBank said: Swift gpi has become the benchmark for high-value cross-border transactions and we are confident that Swift Go will be equally as transformative for SME payments. By providing for instant, seamless transactions within one of the highest growth areas of our industry, we expect that adoption of Swift Go will be widespread and that it will quickly be established as the industry standard for lower value transactions. Jean-Francois Mazure, Head of Cash Clearing and Correspondent Banking, Societe Generale said: As customer expectations for faster payments evolve, the correspondent banking industry requires a solution to more competitively process SME and consumer payments. Swift Go fits perfectly with it, allowing us to provide an outstanding experience to our customers with predictable, seamless, and frictionless low-value cross-border transactions reaching beneficiaries accounts quicker than ever. Raphael Barisaac, Global Head of Cash Management, Global Co-Head of Trade, UniCredit said: UniCredit has long been a keen supporter of innovations within payments that deliver excellent outcomes for end-customers, and as such we are very proud of our involvement in Swift Go. This is a service that will lead to real benefits for SMEs and consumers, allowing them to enjoy the speed, predictability and transparency that Swift gpi has brought to high-value transactions.-- TradeArabia News Service Jubail Island Investment Company (JIIC) has announced the expansion of its senior leadership team with the appointment of Engineer Abdulla Saeed Al Shamsi as Operations Corporate Director. An industry veteran with more than 20 years experience in the development, construction and roads, infrastructure and housing industries, Al Shamsi will join the senior management team in spearheading the development of Abu Dhabis newest and most sought-after community, Jubail Island. A UAE national, Engineer Abdulla has held senior management roles at some of the UAEs most prestigious organisations including Executive Director at Abu Dhabis Housing Authority as well as Executive Director, Strategic Affairs of the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC), which is recognised as having a pivotal role in the achievement of Abu Dhabi Vision 2030. In 2005, Al Shamsi joined Abu Dhabi City Municipality (ADM) where he undertook important roles including Acting Executive Director for infrastructure and municipal assets sector, as well as the Executive Director for the strategic planning and performance management division. He has achieved many impressive career accomplishments to date including completing the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Sheikh Zayed Street and Tunnel (Al Salam), Al Mafraq Intersection Bridge, Al Ghuwaifat International Highway, and was also involved in the preparation and execution of the Infrastructure Master Plan for three mega cities in Abu Dhabi, among other successes. Al Shamsi has directed many multimillion-dollar international projects in the UAE, Morocco, Pakistan, Syria, Kazakhstan and West Bank. Mounir Haidar, Managing Director of Jubail Island Investment Company, commented: We are delighted to welcome Mr Abdulla Saeed Al Shamsi as Operations Corporate Director for Jubail Island. We have no doubt that Abdulla will build upon his experience to lead his team with the dedication and passion he has become synonymous with. Abdulla is a huge asset to the organization and were confident that with his experience, drive for results, dynamic personality and innovative ideas he will help to lead the Jubail Island strategy and vision for an inclusive and sustainable community in the heart of Abu Dhabi. I wish Mr. Al Shamsi all the success in his new role by leading the JIIC team to continue the successful track record of Jubail Island Investment Company. Al Shamsi has a Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering/Project Management and a Masters Degree in International Business. He is an elected fellow member for the CIHT (The Charter Institute of the Highway and Transportation in United Kingdom) since 2010. -TradeArabia News Service Global players will be back for The Big 5 expo, at the Dubai World Trade Centre, which will host the only live in-person construction event to connect the industry's bigwigs in 2021, thus playing a crucial role in driving economic recovery in the post-Covid-19 era. Organised by dmg events, The Big 5 runs from September 12 to 15 alongside The Big 5 Heavy, Middle East Concrete, Windows, Doors & Facades Event, Gulf Glass, HVAC R Expo, The Big 5 Solar, Middle East Stone, Urban Design & Landscape Expo, FM Expo. Celebrating its 42nd year, the Middle East and Africa (MEA) and South Asia regions largest and most influential event for the construction industry has so far confirmed more than 1000 exhibitors from 45 countries and 20 country pavilions, said the organisers dmg events. An online networking and meeting facilitation add-on will help organisations kick-start their businesses wherever their location, it added. In a recent report released by Meed Projects, the projects data and intelligence partner for The Big 5, it has been revealed there were a $163 billion worth of contracts awarded in 2020 in the MEA region despite Covid-19 impact, and $1.9 billion worth of projects are currently in execution in the region. Josine Heijmans, Vice President at dmg events, foresees that powerful face-to-face connections between industry stakeholders is key for the sectors continued development. "With $5.06 trillion worth of projects planned and unawarded across all sectors in the MEA construction market it is more important than ever to offer a safe environment for the regional and international community to come together where they can boost business activities, rebuild partnerships, and discuss vital lessons learnt all in one place," noted Heijmans. The Big 5 will welcome exhibitors across nine specialised events this year, offering visiting professionals the chance to source the latest industry innovations for any stage of the construction cycle. Heavyweights signed up to exhibit include Caparol, Soudal, Saudi Ceramics, Mahy Khoory, Zamil Air Conditioning, Climatech and Emirates Steel. Gulf Extrusion CEO Christian Witsch said: "For many years, we have been representing our products and innovations at The Big 5, which is a very important and great event for our industry. After one year of interruption due to the pandemic, we are very excited about the possibility to meet and engage with our important customers and the interested community about our products at The Big 5 once again." Hitachi ABB Power Grids, a global technology leader, has announced the opening of Collaborative Operations Centers (COC) for grid automation solutions at key regional centres around the world, extending its global base of engineering and service centres. In addition, Hitachi ABB Power Grids announced its new lifecycle management program which enables customers to map and track their installed assets. The Grid Automation Shield program will provide up-to-date information about the product lifecycle and associated services required to optimize operations. Already under development before the pandemic, the network of Collaborative Operations Centers and the Grid Automation Shield program are at the forefront of todays era of digitally enabled remote work and service, helping utilities and industries maintain and grow operations in challenging times. Our digitalized expert support delivers the attention and focus customers need to deal with some of their more complex issues, said Dr Mostafa AlGuezeri, Managing Director of Hitachi ABB Power Grids in the UAE, Gulf, Near East and Pakistan. The Collaborative Operation Centers and Grid Automation Shield program address our customers most urgent operational and technological needs and deliver full lifecycle value for their assets. Orsted, a global leader in green energy selected Hitachi ABB Power Grids to deploy and maintain the automation, protection, and control systems of its offshore wind farms. As part of a global framework agreement, Hitachi ABB Power Grids will leverage the Collaborative Operations Centers to provide ongoing support to Orsteds critical infrastructure and systems located across the world. This will include expert consulting to ensure operational continuity and efficiency while safely integrating and generating renewable energy, as well as regular activities to ensure the highest levels of compliance for Orsted. Globally, utilities and power system operators are contending with aging infrastructure that hampers their ability to expand coverage or add new services. Based on specific service level agreements, and through periodic investigations, services such as support, maintenance, patch management, engineering and more can be delivered over a secure remote platform to manage and protect customers digital equipment. Working in harmony with engineering and service centres in more than 40 countries, the Collaborative Operations Centers in Malaysia, Australia, the United States, United Arab Emirates, Switzerland and Italy will ensure 24/7 world-class customer service is available locally, anywhere in the world. At the same time, the Grid Automation Shield program offers customers access to the Collaborative Operations Portal and service agreements to access all the relevant information on their installed assets. The program delivers exclusive services for maintenance, evolution and continual enhancement of their grid automation and communication products and systems. This combined approach helps customers better review and plan updates and upgrades, paying particular attention to anticipating and addressing reliability and performance issues. The program represents a new way to connect customer operations, engineering, and business management with Hitachi ABB Power Grids Internet of Things (IoT) applications and expertise, bundling industry knowledge, cloud-based solutions and remote service centres. TradeArabia News Service Rockwell Automation, the worlds largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, has announced a partnership with Kezzler AS, a cloud-based product digitization and traceability platform. The partnership aims to help manufacturers capture the journey of their products from raw material sources to point-of-sale or beyond using cloud-based supply chain solutions that focus on product traceability. The combined offering is ideal for customers in industries like life sciences, food and beverage, and consumer packaged goods that are focused on complying with regulatory requirements and meeting consumer expectations in areas like product quality, safety, and sustainability. Rockwells supply chain capabilities will combine with Kezzlers traceability technologies to help customers connect suppliers, manufacturing, logistics, and consumers into one real-time traceability platform. Kezzlers cloud-based solution provides integration flexibility and ease of access to existing systems of record that incorporate a wide range of technologies from immutable ledgers (blockchain) to traditional databases. The two companies can also create unique identities that can be used to digitally identify and track products from creation to consumption. For example, Rockwell and Kezzler can provide the data needed for manufacturers to aggregate total environmental footprint per manufactured product. This data can then be used for evidence and improvement or be shared directly with consumers through the product, allowing a company to use sustainability practices as a competitive advantage. Once the recently announced acquisition of Plex Systems closes, Rockwell anticipates integrating the cloud-native factory floor track-and-trace capabilities of Plex with the end-to-end capabilities of Kezzler, providing supply chain visibility and management capabilities that are both broad in scope and deep in functionality. Our partnership with Kezzler will provide greater supply chain transparency to enhance safety and quality control measures, ensure regulatory compliance, and meet ESG goals with cloud-based technologies that are easy to implement and easy to use, said Matt Fordenwalt, Rockwell vice president and general manager, Systems & Solutions Business. By combining our technology and expertise with Kezzlers, we can quickly design and deliver a serialization solution customized to meet specific business requirements with advanced cloud-native software. Rockwell and Kezzler have already created traceability solutions for customers like FrieslandCampina, one of the worlds largest dairy companies. By creating unique QR codes on each of its Friso infant formula products, the company can now track its products from farmer to consumer. Consumers can also scan the codes to check authenticity and learn more about the product and its origin. Together, we can help manufacturers connect all points of a products journey, beginning with its inception and ending with its point of sale, consumption, or even where its recycled, said Kezzler CEO, Christine C Akselsen. Tying upstream and downstream data together creates true end-to-end traceability, with a single data repository for each product. Kezzler is joining the Rockwell Automation Digital Partner Program, a centralized resource for best-in-class digital solutions designed to help customers as they guide and simplify digital transformation within their manufacturing operations. TradeArabia News Service The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced the launch of a global Mobility Aids Action Group to examine and improve the transport journey of mobility aids, including wheelchairs, with the objective of improving the handling of this vital equipment for travellers with disabilities. The Action Group will be the first of its kind aimed at tackling issues around the safe and secure transport of mobility aids an issue of huge importance to a growing number of travellers. It will also provide advice and recommendations to airlines and other stakeholders concerning the establishment of policy, process and standards related to the handling and transport of mobility aids. IATA Director General Willie Walsh said: Every year, thousands of wheelchairs are transported safely by air. However, damage or loss is still occurring. And when it does, it is devastating to the passenger as these devices are more than equipment they are extensions of their body and essential to their independence. "We acknowledge that we are not where we want to be on this as an industry. This is why we want to do something about it on a global level, not through setting up a talking shop, but by bringing the key groups together to take practical action. Uniquely, the Mobility Aids Action Group will involve the full range of stakeholders impacted by this issue, including accessibility organisations (representing travellers with disabilities), airlines, ground service providers, airports and mobility aids manufacturers. It will be the first time a mobility aids manufacturer will be invited to participate in an IATA task force. This is the beginning of a new day where the accessibility community has a seat at the table. The challenge of transporting assistive devices faces airlines across the globe and having IATA create this action group shows how committed the industry is to solve one of the largest accessibility topics, said Eric Lipp, Founder and Executive Director of the Open Doors Organization (ODO). As airlines are just one link in the chain in the handling of mobility aids, it is essential we bring all players together to develop solutions. Whats more, we are excited to invite a mobility aids manufacturer to the table. We think this is critical so all stakeholders can work together to take steps to improve the transport journey of mobility aids, said Walsh. As airlines rebuild, the industry is eager to build a more inclusive restart. Despite the COVID-19 crisis, IATA and its member airlines have worked with the accessibility community to move the priority of accessible air travel forward through a number of efforts. These include developing new practical guidance to shape airline policy given new health and safety measures, and guidance for face mask policies for travellers with accessibility needs. IATA also went ahead with its annual Accessibility Symposium in 2020, which welcomed some 400 online attendees from both the accessibility and wider aviation communities to increase dialogue and discuss key air travel accessibility topics. According to the World Health Organisation, there are more than a billion people living with disabilities. And with ageing populations in countries around the world, travellers with disabilities will be a growing customer segment for airlines. With this action group as part of the industrys other accessibility initiatives, we want to continue on this journey to make the freedom to fly more inclusive while continuing to work with the accessibility community every step of the way, said Walsh. - TradeArabia News Service Sonia Parmar has joined the Sheraton Jumeirah Beach Resort team as Marketing Manager. Born and raised in India (New Delhi), Parmar was always captivated by the hospitality industry. A digital marketing & communications professional with 17+ years experience, Parmar has worked with an array of hospitality groups in the region. Her career began at Claridges Hotel followed by successful roles at Emirates Palace, UAE, Meydan Hotels & Hospitality, Royal Rose Hotel, Abu Dhabi and Gloria Hotels & Resorts. She later moved on to Meraas Dubai Gourmet, UAE as a Marketing & Communications Manager and then joined the team at Sharjah Collection by Mysk as Cluster PR and Marketing Manager, managing PR and marketing for four five-star resorts. Parmar is a recipient of several awards and honours including First Best Employee of the year at Emirates Palace in 2006, Second highest score in MHA Sales Assessment in 2008, Gulf Cooperation Countries certification for contribution in 2005 and 2010, Green Globe Champion Certificate for Extensive Contribution in 2015. -- TradeArabia News Service Help India! The Supreme Court ordered the demolition of a settlement in Khori Gaon in Faridabad, Haryana on June 7 and given the municipal corporations until July 19 to finish the eviction, which was extended to four more weeks on July 23. To date, the village of Khori in Faridabad has seen nearly a thousand homes demolished. The photo essay captures the plight the residents of Khori Goan, who have been rendered homeless and have no where to go. Shadab Farooq | TwoCircles.net Support TwoCircles The sound of drums and dhols fills a five-star hotel adjacent to the Khori Village, where ten thousand buildings are being demolished, as a wedding function takes place. The cries and screams for help of the villagers were being drowned out by these deafening noises. Meanwhile, over 50 villagers were arrested and brought to the local police station after they began resisting the demolition of their homes. On the second day of the demolition (July 15), many local journalists were denied access to the site and were detained on the hotels top floor, the same hotel where the big wedding was being held. Ironically, the same hotel, several farmhouses, an ashram and a wine shop are all located on the same Aravalli land where the Supreme Court has ordered the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad that the encroachment to be removed stating that the land grabbers cannot hide behind the rule of law and claim to be acting fairly. When his home was demolished, Priyanshu Kanojia, 18, an undergraduate was writing his paper in Delhi. When I returned, my house had been demolished. Priyanshu remarked, anguished and teary-eyed, If they care about the law, tell them to start by demolishing the hotels and ashrams that are in the same area. But no, they will only demolish the homes of the most defenceless and weakest, he said. Locals of Khori village have been fighting the decision, which will make them homeless amid the Covid-19 pandemic. They said that they have lived in the area for decades. Khori Village, with a population of over 1 lakh people, was primarily made up of daily wage employees and labourers, with Muslims and Christians making up the majority of the population. When her home was being demolished, Versha Kumari, 23, tried begging with the police officials. But all of my efforts were in vain, she said. I will no longer volunteer for civil defence, Versha, an undergraduate and civil defence volunteer, said. I pleaded with everyone (even the civil defence volunteers) but they continued demolishing. All of my books, my hard work today is under the debris. Even though the residents were cut off from electricity and water weeks before the demolition, they continued to live without these necessities. According to Mohammed Toufeeq, 41, The authorities attempted all they could to get us to leave, including denying us water and electricity. Now that everything has been razed, we shall continue to live here, with or without the roof. Many residents claim to have purchased the land and said they are not lawbreakers. The majority of them invested their whole decades earnings in the construction of these homes, but everything was destroyed in a matter of hours. I put all of my efforts into making this house, Madhukant, 42, a daily wage worker, said. I even took loans from individuals so that I could provide a better life for my family. Where will I take my family now?, Madhukant wonders. Its preferable if I poison myself and my family and put an end to everything. On the other hand, United Nations (UN) experts urged Indian authorities on July 16 to suspend evictions of about 1 lakh people from Khori village in Haryana during the monsoon season. They urged India to immediately reconsider its plans to demolish the Khori hamlet and consider regularising the settlement so that no residents be displaced. The displacement drive began on July 14 and has been going on since then. To date, the village of Khori in Faridabad has seen nearly a thousand homes demolished. As reported by Newsclick, Those who have been evicted are now forced to sleep outside in the open or under plastic sheets. Many others have reported illnesses as a result of a lack of food or water. The visiting Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe holds talks with Mongolian Defense Minister Gursed Saikhanbayar in Ulan Bator on July 26, 2021. Before their talks, Gursed Saikhanbayar holds a welcome ceremony for Wei Fenghe and accompanies Wei to review the guard of honor of the Mongolian armed forces. (mod.gov.cn/Photo by Li Xiaowei) BEIJING, July 26 -- Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe held talks with Mongolian Defense Minister Gursed Saikhanbayar in Ulaanbaatar on July 26. Wei Fenghe said that China and Mongolia are friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers, and the building of community with a shared future for the two countries has achieved continuous and concrete progress. Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the two countries stood by and helped each other, overcame difficulties together, setting a model of anti-pandemic cooperation between neighboring countries and injecting positive energy into the turbulent and restless world, Wei said. The two sides should continue to firmly support each other's core interests and major concerns, and meanwhile, maintain sharp vigilance against extraterritorial forces interfering in regional affairs, and jointly safeguard regional security and stability, Wei added. Gen. Wei told his Mongolian counterpart that the Chinese military is willing to work with the Mongolian side to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, enhance strategic mutual trust and expand pragmatic cooperation, with the aim of making greater contributions to the sound and stable development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. Saikhanbayar expressed his congratulations on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. He said that Mongolia highly appreciates China's great achievements that has been acknowledged throughout the world and its decisive victory in building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and sincerely thanks China for its support and assistance to Mongolia in anti-pandemic campaign and trade. The Mongolian side attaches great importance to bilateral relations and will continue to promote pragmatic cooperation with China in defense and security areas, and strengthen communication and coordination on regional issues, making positive efforts for regional peace and tranquility, Saikhanbayar said. Before their talks, Saikhanbayar held a welcome ceremony for Wei Fenghe and presented him with a horse. On the afternoon, Gombojav Zandanshatar, chairman of the State Great Hural, which is Mongolia's parliament, met with Wei Fenghe. The visiting Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe holds talks with Mongolian Defense Minister Gursed Saikhanbayar in Ulan Bator on July 26, 2021. (mod.gov.cn/Photo by Li Xiaowei) HANGZHOU, July 26 This years sixth typhoon In-Fa, which formed in July 18, made landfall at Putuo District, Zhoushan City in east Chinas Zhejiang Province, at around 12:30 on July 25. Military members, militia and reserve forces stationed in Zhejiang quickly join typhoon emergency rescues in the frontlines. After the typhoon landed, the logistic support troops under the PLA Eastern Theater Command released information on the time and location of the typhoon landfall, wind force, rain, and flood conditions in a timely manner to provide information support for the Theater's joint command center to make decisions and for troops to carry out emergency rescues. On the afternoon of July 24, a brigade of the PLA 72nd Group Army rushed to Xiangshan County, Ningbo City to seal breached levees and urgently transferred the elderly in the local nursing home to a safe place. A vehicle transport battalion and a warehouse of the naval aviation with the PLA Eastern Theater Command engaged in tasks such as transferring the masses and strengthening the cofferdam. Troops assigned to the Chinese People's Armed Police (PAP) Force in Zhejiang Province sent soldiers to participate in emergency rescue tasks. The PAP Shaoxing Detachment rushed to Xialv Town, Keqiao District to transfer 32 trapped villagers on the evening of July 24. On the morning of July 25th, a dangerous situation occurred in the embankment on the Yongjiang River in Jiangbei District of Ningbo City and the seawall of Zhapu Port in Jiaxing City. The PAP Ningbo Detachment and the PAP Jiaxing Detachment formed a joint rescue force with local emergency management departments to quickly reinforce the dam. The General Hospital of the PLA Eastern Theater Command launched an emergency plan to prepare for typhoon medical assistance. The No.903 Hospital of the Joint Logistic Support Force (JLSF) held a mobilization and deployment meeting to gather personnel, vacate beds, and prepare supplies. The No. 906 Hospital of the JLSF established an emergency rescue medical unit. The PLA Zhejiang Provincial Military Command organized a militia unit to rush to the frontline. As of 4 p.m. on July 25, the PLA Zhejiang Provincial Military Command had deployed a total of 9,186 militias, rescued and transferred 93,593 people, assisted in setting up 281 shelters, filled more than 43,100 sandbags, reinforced dams of 9,210 meters, blocked 50 piping, and repaired 6,160 meters of roads. Assyrians Soldiers in Armenia: A Vanished Generation When fighting erupted between the countries of Armenia and Azerbaijan on September 27, 2020 over the ethnically Armenian majority Nagorno-Karabakh (Armenian: Artsakh), other ethnic Christians such as Assyrians joined in defending Artsakh. Ten ethnic Assyrian military soldiers, from as young as 18 years to as old as 59, were killed during the 44 days of heavy fighting; more than a dozen others were wounded. Although a small community inside Armenia, the Assyrians rallied to the defense of the country that they have called home during the past two centuries. Being citizens of Armenia, they protected the land of Artsakh as their own and died as heroes. Military volunteer Vitalik Ionanov was one of them. The 30-year-old man was born in the village of Verin Dvin, which is mainly populated by Assyrians. In 1998, Vitalik moved with his mother to Artsakh's village of Gihut in the Kashatagh region, which is now under Azerbaijani control. The family had a large farm there and was engaged in cattle breeding. Originally, Vitalik did not complete mandatory military service when he turned 18 years old because he has kidney problems. However, after learning about the war in Artsakh, he immediately left for frontline, assuring his mother that he would return in a few days. He did not tell anyone which volunteer detachment he went with, which would later hinder the search for him. When the war was over, his family found out that he was in Jabrail, on the edge of the border between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, defending against Turkish drones and rockets. Vitalik's sister Lola remembers the last conversation with her brother, "On September 29, I spoke with Vitalik. I said, 'you are the only son of our mother, why are you going?' His response was shocking, 'Don't do that! Any patriotic person would not give such an advice. You are my sister, I know you are a patriotic girl, and I am sure you love our country, how you could say that to me? Those who run away from this fight cannot be good guys. Nobody escapes from the war; this is our homeland.' I responded, 'Ah, what homeland do you and I have? We are Assyrians, we are stateless people, and our grandfathers just escaped Ottoman genocide and immigrated here to survive.' He said, 'Armenia has become our homeland, we were born and grew up on this land, we should never betray it. If I do not go today, tomorrow your children will be in danger.'" The body of Assyrian soldier Vitalik Ionanov was searched for eight months after he went missing. Only a DNA test revealed his remains, which were handed over to his mother on May 19, 2021. "My son said, 'I cannot escape the war and save myself, I must go, mom," says Mrs. Arina, Vitalik's mother who currently resides in her native village of Verin Dvin where she rents an apartment, having lost her property. She said she never thought that one day she would never be able to return to her village in Artsakh, which had become her home. She left everything behind and escaped the last day before the Kashatagh region was completely occupied by the Azeris. Mrs. Arina mourns the loss of her one and only son certainly, but at least she is "glad" that Vitalik has a grave where she can go and cry for him. The last time she heard her son's voice was October 2nd, when Vitalik called her just for few seconds and said he cannot speak long, but that he wanted to hear his mom's voice. He said that everything is absolutely fine with him, and soldiers like him are going to fight to protect Artsakh until the end. For eight months after that, Mrs. Arina was in uncertainty every day and night praying for her missing son to God. According to Lola, the consequences of the war will make the entire population of Armenia mourn for a long time. "We all grew old regardless of age. I feel huge pain for all of Armenia because we lost a wonderful generation. Better guys may come to replace the ones which are gone, but still the vanished soldiers of the Artsakh war were our golden generation." Hariri gave up after 10 months of unsuccessful attempts. Backed by 72 MPs, the 65-year-old Mikati, a billionaire businessman, is tasked to form a new government, his third stint at the prime ministers office. Promising a cabinet "in the interest" of the country, he has the support of Hezbollah, but must still earn that of Christian factions. Beirut (AsiaNews) After a political crisis that lasted months, the Lebanese Parliament gave Najib Mikati[*] a mandate to form a new government. This follows failed attempts by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri to do the same. Mikati, a 65-year-old billionaire and long-time politician, received 72 votes with 42 abstentions, while independent MP Fouad Makhzoumi voted for former Ambassador Nawwaf Salam. Today the prime minister-designate will start consultations with the various political parties in order to pick members of his new cabinet. Born in the northern city of Tripoli, Mikati is considered Lebanons richest man and one of the wealthiest in the Middle East, with a personal fortune estimated to be around US$ 2.7 billion by Forbes. Mikati served as prime minister twice before: from April to July 2005 following the assassination of then Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, and from June 2011 to March 2013, at the start of Syrias civil war. I want the confidence of the people, not only MPs, Mikati said after his designation. "The cooperation of all Lebanese is required in order to stop the inferno," he added. Although he noted that he does not have a magic wand, he stressed that the new government will be formed in the interest of Lebanon and its economy, adding that If I didn't have specific foreign reassurances, I would not have made my step. The faint hope is that the billionaires nomination could end months of failures and personal bickering, especially between Hariri and President Michel Aoun, which prevented the setting up of a government and aggravated an unprecedented financial crisis. Lebanons former ambassador to Germany Mustafa Adib was the first to try to form a government in this troubled phase of Lebanese political history in the aftermath of the double explosion in the Port of Beirut on 4 August last year. A month later he threw in the towel. Saad Hariri was next tasked with forming a government, but he too gave up ten months later after vain attempts in a country moving ever closer to the abyss. In his case, Mikati received the backing of various factions, including pro-Iranian Shia party Hezbollah and three former prime ministers, including Hariri himself, all Sunnis. However, allegations of malfeasance hang over the new primate minister-designate over the use of public funds, and many Christian factions seem reticent towards him, in particular President Aouns Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces. An anonymous political leader cited by Lebanese French-language daily LOrient-Le Jour, described Mikati as "the water that flows between the fingers of a hand that one can never collect, i.e., someone chosen when no other alternative exists, a man hard to pin down politically who maintains cordial relations with everyone. [*] Also spelled Miqati. First (cordial) meeting between the two leaders yesterday at the White House. The goal remains the "permanent defeat" of Isis in the area. US military will remain on the ground to train soldiers. The withdrawal will take place by the end of the year. The "strategic partnership" between Washington and Baghdad remains. Washington (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and U.S. President Joe Biden have reached an agreement for the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq, to be completed by the end of the year. The agreement was sealed yesterday between the two leaders, during the meeting held at the White House. However, a source in the U.S. State Department warns that "no one" intends to declare the famous phrase "mission accomplished" and the goal remains "the permanent defeat of Isis" (Islamic State). To date, there are about 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq, who are collaborating with local soldiers to fight the still active cells of the jihadist movement. Some of the forces are expected to remain in the country to continue training programs. Biden declared that the US intends "toto continue to train, to assist, to help and deal with ISIS as it arrives"; however, "we're not going to be, by the end of the year, in a combat mission." Biden and Kadhimi met in the Oval Office for their first face-to-face conversation as part of a strategic dialogue between the United States and Iraq. The agreement between the parties comes at a politically sensitive time for the Iraqi government, from which Baghdad could greatly benefit. In the last period, the Iraqi premier has been facing increasing pressure from Iran-aligned parties and paramilitary groups opposed to the U.S. military role in the country. U.S.-led forces invaded Iraq in 2003 to overthrow then-President Saddam Hussein and eliminate weapons of mass destruction, no trace of which has ever been found. The U.S. presence in Iraq has become a source of political and military confrontation following the killing in a drone strike of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and the local leader of a Tehran-backed Shiite Muslim militia in early 2020. Political parties aligned with the Islamic Republic have called for the withdrawal of all forces from the coalition, despite the threat posed by the Sunni extremist group. In the past, Washington has accused Shiite militias of carrying out hundreds of attacks with missiles, mortars and drones against Iraqi military bases hosting coalition forces, to increase pressure and force them to withdraw. For the U.S. president, the announcement marks the end of another war started by former President George W. Bush, after Afghanistan. Speaking at the White House, Biden told his Iraqi counterpart that "our counterterrorism cooperation will continue even as we move into this new phase." Kachin responded by speaking of a "relationship" that is now "stronger than ever. Our cooperation," he concluded, "encompasses economics, health, education, culture and so much more," but no foreign combat troops are needed. by Li Qiang Local sources: 50 villages suberged by water; many missing. Aid is concentrated in large cities. Suburbs and rural areas neglected. Army stationed around most affected areas to prevent access to journalists, especially foreign ones. Fatal delays reminiscent of Covid-19 in Wuhan. Zhengzhou (AsiaNews) - The number of victims from the floods which swept Henan in the past week, could hit up to 10 thousand dead, according to several local sources. "The maths is easy," says one local source who wishes to remain anonymous: "In the Xinxiang area at least 50 villages have been completely submerged under water and people are missing. Rescue forces are working hard in the big cities like the provincial capital, but no one is coming to the suburbs and villages in the countryside." Indeed, in Zhengzhou, seven days after the torrential rains - more than 600 mm of water fell in just a few hours, nearly the entire annual amount of rain - the city is resurfacing and coming back to life. Electricity, gas, road transport have been restored. This, is not the case in the villages, where there are still houses under water up to the second floor, with bodies floating and rotting. There is no light, gas, drinking water, telephone lines: it is even impossible to cook instant noodles due to the lack of hot water and people have been without food for days. Zhengzhou is also struggling with the death toll. The authoritys calculations - reported today by the Chinese Communist Party Global Times - put the dead by yesterday at noon at 69, with five missing. At least 12 of them died in the subway (see photo), where the water flooded the tunnels and penetrated the carriages up to eye level. Authorities point out that more than 500 people have been rescued. The subway is barricaded and the army alone has the task of cleaning up the tunnels. In front of the subway doors, people have deposited hundreds of bouquets of flowers for the dead, which the authorities have taken care to hide with yellow plastic screens. Other doubts about the death toll come from the disaster at the Jingguang tunnel, which was flooded by water during rush hour. In a few minutes the water covered everything, giving perhaps only the drivers of the first and last vehicles the chance to save themselves. The tunnel is at least two kilometres long. It is not known how many perished inside. Again, the only ones who have the right to enter and clean up the tunnel are soldiers. So far they have extracted 249 vehicles. Witnesses say that entire buses have been dragged into the light, with their windows shielded so that the horrific sight inside cannot be seen. On social media, many critical comments are censored; netizens are urged not to criticize too much to avoid being "manipulated by hostile foreign forces." Foreign journalists, such as those from the BBC and Deutsche Welle have been criticized and threatened; others are being kept away from sensitive locations thanks to police deployment. The fact remains it was an exceptional event, but it is equally true that the authorities were slow to sound the alarm, waiting until 5 pm on July 20, when by then the water had flooded and invaded many areas of the province. According to some, the struggle over the number of dead in the disaster will have the same fate as those in Wuhan, who were killed by the coronavirus. Even then, the authorities delayed (for almost two months) the epidemic alarm; even then the official death toll was minimal (3,900), while the calculation of the cemetery urns in the city epicentre of the virus brought the deaths to over 40 thousand. by Mathias Hariyadi Akidi Tio's family makes the donation through the provincial police. Most of the money will be used to buy oxygen supplies, build a self-quarantine facility, and support health workers. Jakarta (AsiaNews) Indonesias South Sumatra province has received a donation of two trillion Indonesian rupees or US$ 134 million to counter the COVID-19 emergency, from the family of Akidi Tio, a businessman who died a few days ago. Hardi Darmawan, the donor familys doctor, handed the money over to South Sumatra Police Chief General Eko Indra Heri in a ceremony attended by South Sumatra Governor Herman Deru and other officials. General Heri said he had known Akidi Tio when he served in Aceh province, and that managing the money will now be "a great responsibility". Speaking with local media, Dr Hardi Darmawan explained that the businessmans last wishes were to help the province fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. I am personally stunned at being contacted by the Tio family to deliver this aid package, the doctor said. Most of the money, he explained, would be used to buy oxygen supplies, build a facility for self- quarantine, and provide financial support to health workers. With an average of more than 40,000 new coronavirus cases per day, Indonesia is now considered one of the pandemics epicentres in Asia. A leading figure in the construction industry, Akidi Tio, an ethnic Chinese, hailed from Langsa, a city in Aceh province, before moving to Palembang, South Sumatra with his seven children. He had made donations in the past to local hospitals and long-term care facilities for the elderly. by Vladimir Rozanskij Putin wants to stimulate investment in remote areas of the Russian Far East. Tokyo protests, claiming territorial rights over the archipelago. The Kremlin replicates staking its own claim. Decades of negotiations have failed to reach any agreement between the two sides. Moscow (AsiaNews) - The Kremlin wants to turn the Kurils into a tax haven. This move was unveiled by Prime Minister Mikhail Misustin, who visited Iturup, one of the islands administered by Russia, but disputed by Japan on July 25. Misustin announced the "unprecedented project, which I will discuss with Vladimir Vladimirovic [Putin] to see what can be done." On July 23, the Russian president himself had anticipated Council "a surprise" "to arouse the curiosity of entrepreneurs" regarding the Far Eastern archipelago to the Security. After World War II, the Kuril Islands remained a disputed territory between the Soviet Union and Japan, which for this reason never signed a peace treaty. Russia considers the island chain as part of the Sakhalin region, while Japan claims sovereignty over the southern islands (Iturup, Kunasir, Sikotan and the small Khabomai group) as territories of the Hokkaido prefecture. In the 1990s, Russia's first president Boris Yeltsyn had made the Kurils an offshore territory, what Misustin says today he does not want to repeat: "At that time, free trade zones were made available to private investors, to relieve them of fiscal pressures, without benefiting the territory." In 2019, the then governor of Sakhalin, Valerij Limarenko, had called for zero tax on the islands; incumbent Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev had deemed it "an interesting proposal." Through Deputy Foreign Minister Takeo Mori, Japan lodged a protest with the Russian government against Misustin's visit to Iturup. In response, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov summoned Japan's ambassador to Moscow, Toyohisa Kozuki, yesterday. Morgulov conveyed to the Japanese envoy the Kremlin's "firm protest" against Japan's "territorial claims" against Russia. In their statement, the Russians insistently call on the Japanese not to slide towards damaging bilateral relations. Moscow calls on Tokyo to return to compliance with prior agreements on improving Russo-Japanese relations. It urges the counterpart to work on reaching a new qualitative level through development in all fields of economic and trade cooperation, "identifying common areas of trust in security and international relations." On the same day, the Russian ambassador in Tokyo, Mikhail Galuzin, expressed to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs the total opposition of his government to the protest against Misustin's trip, reaffirming the Russias full sovereignty over the Kuril Islands. In reality, the Russian premier set out from Iturup on a tour with a wide itinerary throughout all of Siberia and the Far East, on Putin's express indication. The aim is to verify the feasibility of an economic plan that can lift the fortunes of Russia's Asian territories, where the economic crisis is heavily felt. The controversial relationship with Japan is one of the knots to unravel for Moscow's projects, which has decided with this initiative to address the problem directly, given that the many decades of negotiations with Tokyo have so far not yielded the desired results. Misustin's visit is not a very original move, following the visit of his predecessor Medvedev in 2010: the first time a Russian leader went to the Kurils after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Now he expects the full unravelling of the "Putinian surprise" for Asian Russia. South Korean announced the restoration of channels, confirmed by the North. A first call took place at 10 this morning. The two leaders had begun exchanging personal letters since April. Communications had been interrupted by the North Koreans in protest of propaganda leaflets from the South Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies) - The two Koreas today restored direct lines of communication that had been blown up by Pyongyang in June 2020. This was announced by the spokesman for the South Korean presidency Park Soo-hyun, specifying that the two countries' leaders spoke this morning at 10 a.m. for three minutes and another call will be conducted in the afternoon, and from now on every day. "We are happy to talk again after more than a year. We hope this ... [brings] good news to all the Korean people," commented Seoul's Unification Minister. The resumption of inter-Korean communications is the result of an agreement between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who have been exchanging personal letters since April this year, the South Korean government explained. The news was also confirmed by the North's official Korean National Central Agency, which said the two countries had "the top leaders agreed to make a big stride in recovering mutual trust and promoting reconciliation." North Korea had cut communication lines in protest of Seoul's alleged failure to stop activists sending anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets into the communist nation. Shortly thereafter, the communist regime had also blown up a liaison office in Kaesong, an important city on the border between the two Koreas. According to South Korean Yonhap news agency, the reopening of communication channels could lead to a breakthrough in the resumption of dialogue between the two countries and possibly even a summit between Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un. "We expect that the restoration of communications between the South and the North will positively affect the advancement and development of inter-Korean relations," the Blue House said. Since Joe Biden's arrival at the White House, Seoul has pledged to resume negotiations with Pyongyang, while North Korea has stayed away from talks with the U.S. since the failure of a meeting with Donald Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February 2019. Spros closure marks the end of an era for local coffee aficionados including many who worked there over the years. Today, Sarah Walker owns Vent coffee roasters in Hampdens Union Mill Collective, but says she worked at Spro in 2012 after moving back to the area from California, where she had been studying third wave coffee, a term that refers to the post-Folgers, post-Starbucks era of specialty brewing that emphasizes roasting styles and relationships with coffee farmers. if you are a Biden/Harris supporter you will be targeted. We have a list of homes and addresses by your election signs. We are the ones with those scary guns. We are the ones your children have nightmares about the note read. Despite weeks of closed-door discussions, senators from the bipartisan group blew past a Monday deadline set for agreement on the nearly $1 trillion package. Instead they hit serious roadblocks over was how much would be spent on public transit and water infrastructure and whether the new spending on roads, bridges, broadband and other projects would be required to meet federal wage requirements for workers. Theyre also at odds over drawing on COVID-19 funds to help pay for it. In an afternoon news conference, officials acknowledged that coronavirus is surging in many parts of the country and recommended that even vaccinated people wear masks indoors in those areas. They also recommended that K-12 schools everywhere adopt a universal mask mandate for all students and staff regardless of vaccination status. It was an abrupt about face that underscored just how wrong they were to toss masks aside in the spring. Not only was that messaging from the CDC in May questionable, much of the media reported it in a superficial way making it more dangerous, with headlines like Unmasking America: CDC says fully vaccinated can ditch the mask perhaps leading some to think the nightmare was over and we could all go to the beach and get drunk again. I was elected four years ago on the promise that I would always be accessible and responsive to the residents of downtown Annapolis, that I would balance the needs of our business owners and our residents, and that I would focus on the issues that will determine our future, Tierney said in an announcement. Im proud to say that in partnership with our Mayor and my colleagues on the city council, weve made great strides on those issues but the job is never done. Thats part of a more than $7 billion maintenance backlog across the port and the states highways, transit, airports and other transportation systems, Slater said. Those needs would be first in line for any federal funding Maryland receives from the deal, he said. NEW DELHI (PTI): India and Russia will carry out a 13-day mega military exercise with a focus on counter-terror operations in the Russian city of Volgograd from August 1, the Indian Army said on Tuesday. It said the 12th edition of the "Indra" exercise will be yet another "milestone" in strengthening the bilateral security cooperation and will serve to reinforce the long-standing bond of friendship between India and Russia. The Army said 250 personnel from each side will participate in the 12th edition of the joint military exercise. "The 12th edition of Indo-Russia joint military exercise Indra-21 will be held at Volgograd, Russia from August 1 to 13," the Army said. It said the exercise will entail the conduct of counter-terror operations mandated under the UN's framework of joint forces against international terror groups. "Exercise Indra-21 will further strengthen mutual confidence and interoperability between the Indian and Russian armies and enable sharing of best practices between the contingents of both the countries," the Army said in a statement. "The exercise will be yet another milestone in strengthening security cooperation and will serve to reinforce the long-standing bond of friendship between India and Russia," it added. It said the Indian Army contingent participating in the exercise will comprise a mechanised infantry battalion. Volgograd is a major Russian city situated on the western bank of the Volga river. NEW DELHI (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is expected to pitch for concerted efforts to deal with terrorism and other security challenges facing the region at a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Dushanbe on Wednesday. Singh begins a three-day visit to the capital city of Tajikistan on Tuesday to attend the meeting of the defence ministers of the member states of the SCO, an eight-nation influential grouping. He is visiting Dushanbe from July 27 to July 29 to attend the annual meeting of the defence ministers of the SCO member states, Singh's office said in a tweet. "In the annual meeting, defence cooperation issues among SCO member states are discussed and a communique is expected to be issued after the deliberations," it said. In his address, officials said, Singh is expected to delve into regional security challenges, including terrorism, and the ways to deal with them. The Defence Minister is also expected to meet his Tajik counterpart, Col Gen. Sherali Mirzo, to discuss bilateral as well as other issues of mutual interest. Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe is also likely to attend the SCO meeting. However, it is not immediately known whether there is a possibility of a bilateral discussion between him and Singh. Singh and Wei had held bilateral talks in Moscow on September 4 last year on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the defence ministers of the SCO states. It was the first highest-level face-to-face meeting between the two sides after the border row in eastern Ladakh erupted in early May. Tajikistan is chairing the SCO this year and hosting a series of ministerial and official-level meetings. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Dushanbe to attend a conclave of foreign ministers of the SCO states on July 14. He held an hour-long bilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the conclave. The SCO, seen as a counterweight to NATO, is an eight-member economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017. The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India has shown keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence. India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping, which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region. Diana Aga named director of UB RENEW Institute Aga, a professor of chemistry, is a globally recognized leader in environmental science and analytical chemistry RENEW acts as a catalyst to bring together UB researchers from across disciplines to collaborate on addressing big issues related to environmental pollution and its health effects, climate change impacts and mitigation, sustainable energy production and other vital concerns. BUFFALO, N.Y. Diana Aga, Henry M. Woodburn Professor of Chemistry in the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences, has been named director of the UB RENEW (Research and Education in eNergy, Environment and Water) Institute. The UB RENEW Institute is a university-wide, multidisciplinary research institute that focuses on complex energy and environmental issues, as well as the social and economic issues with which they are connected. Agas appointment as director begins Aug. 1. Aga, PhD, is an internationally recognized environmental and analytical chemist, and a devoted mentor who has encouraged and helped to launch the careers of a new generation of diverse scientists in her field. Agas research has had a far-reaching impact on the analysis of emerging contaminants such as antimicrobials and other pharmaceuticals, endocrine-disrupting chemicals and engineered nanomaterials, as well as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and pesticides in a wide range of biological and environmental samples. In the Department of Chemistry, Aga leads a team that has collaborated with colleagues at UB, other universities and industry on projects that focus on detecting known and unknown contaminants, removing them from municipal and agricultural wastewater, developing new technologies to degrade POPs, and understanding the impact of environmental pollutants on humans and wildlife. Her work is local and global, ranging from studies on the bioaccumulation of pollutants in fish and common terns in the Great Lakes region, to research investigating the presence of pharmaceuticals, personal care products, antibiotics and antibiotics resistance genes in waters in the U.S., Asia and Europe. She has been involved with action plans and various activities by the World Health Organization and other international institutions to combat antimicrobial resistance, one of the greatest threats in modern medicine and public health. Buffalo, WY (82834) Today Partly cloudy early with thunderstorms becoming likely during the afternoon. High 79F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Duluth, MN (55816) Today Partly cloudy skies. High around 85F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Clear to partly cloudy. Low around 65F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 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. Goldson said that 50 percent of students who are eligible for vaccinations have received their shots and that she is looking for a higher number closer to a herd immunity level of at least 70 percent before considering lifting the mask mandate, according to spokeswoman Raven Hill. If you ever wondered why a Napa Valley label on a bottle of wine usually comes with a premium price, heres a clue. According to the website Vinovest, a planted vineyard in Sonoma County starts at about $70,000 per acre. Napa Valley, on the other hand, will cost about $250,000 per acre for an entry-level vineyard. In order for Napa producers to get a decent return on investment, they must sell wine at higher prices. My colleagues who voted no had absolutely no logic in voting no on the merits of the bill. They displayed their biases about protecting their own zones and special interests and not adhering to an established process, she said to The Capital after the vote. Arnett and Finlayson think the STR bill was the holy grail and it wasnt. Our hiring of home compliance is whats working. I invite original wisdoms, said Murray-Browne, referring to healing with music, meditation, physical expression, artistic expression and spirituality. Its about helping us to reclaim our history in the ways that weve always healed, and helping us to have the eyes to see, and the language to be able to advocate for the kind of care that we demand. Localities throughout Maryland have struggled to meet the needs of residents with disabilities. In March, The Arc Maryland filed a lawsuit against several counties alleging they did not provide equal COVID-19 vaccine access to those with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Wheelchair users in Baltimore sued the city in June over inaccessible sidewalks. And caregivers for those with disabilities are worried the Maryland Department of Health may end Appendix K a temporary program that allows more flexibility in billing for and providing care. That said, they have policies that are not always the most beneficial, and Ive been navigating this new dynamic. How can I be supportive of their work while also being an advocate pushing them to better policies? The CDC came out for fully vaccinated people not needing masks and that led to an end of mask mandates overnight. Ive called out the CDC for this poor decision, not because I wanted to criticize the CDC but I wanted them to do better. Councilman Adam Hiob agreed that there needed to be a clearer separation of powers and that, when executed through a city manager, the council and mayors goals can be lost in translation or personalities dont blend well, he said. He is in favor of a strong mayor and council system where more powers are concentrated with the mayor like Havre de Grace, where the mayor only votes to break ties but has greater appointment authority. Around 6:30 a.m. officers arrived at the 500 block of Bellerive Drive to meet a victim who reported two bullet holes in the rear of her Toyota SUV. Officers located several shell casing and a second car thats rear window had two bullet holes. Police collected 13 shell casings and two unspent rounds in the first row of a residential parking lot and found five more shell casings in a far corner of the parking lot, police said. In June, a man stormed a Maryland City home and killed two people before killing himself. Ryan and Ivania Lee, both 31, died at the scene. Latisha Adams, a Laurel woman who was about five months pregnant, was shot and killed while riding in a car in May. Ronald Smith, who was sitting behind Adams and fired a round while manipulating a handgun, was charged with manslaughter. Shende filed forms with the IRS for Progressive Health showing the amount of employment taxes withheld. However, as he did with Progressive Rehab, Shende willfully chose not to pay the taxes withheld from Progressive Healths employees wages to the IRS, nor did he pay the employers portion of the employment taxes, the Maryland States Attorneys Office said in a statement. I have devoted my career to investigating excessive-force cases because I believe that they are among the most crucial tests of our values and commitments to each other, Mulhauser said in a statement. I am honored to join the effort to put Marylands new police reforms into practice, and I look forward to helping build a statewide system that will examine fatal incidents with rigor and impartiality. The dead included members of the areas large Orthodox Jewish community, the sister of Paraguays first lady, her family and their nanny, along with an entire family of four that included a local salesman, his wife and their two young daughters, 4 and 11, who were buried in the same coffin. Candace made it a point to really shadow the student members, he said. One of the first conversations we had, we just sat down and she said OK Drake, what do you want to do in your year as SMOB? And she basically broke it down how to get to each goal. Of the top three hospitals in Illinois, Northwestern Memorial performed the worst, with U.S. News finding that the proportion of non-white patients who received elective care there was 45% to 75% lower than their proportion of the population in surrounding communities. Rush did a little better, with its proportion of non-white patients hovering between 15% and 45% lower than in the community. University of Chicago Medical Center did the best of the three, with its proportion within 15% of the community or higher. He wrote that one day the protesters and activists of the South would be remembered, as they are now, as the real heroes: One day the South will know that when these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters, they were in reality standing up for what is best in the American Dream and for the most sacred values in our Judeo Christian heritage, thereby bringing our nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the Founding Fathers in their formulation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The variants listed by IDPH seem to spread more easily and quickly than other variants, according to the health department, which may lead to more cases of the virus. So far, studies suggest antibodies through vaccination recognize these variants; more research is underway. A new study suggested the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is less effective against the delta and lambda variants; these findings were at odds with those from other smaller studies. When it comes to music and history, I was a fortunate kid. My dad grew up near Detroit and was a dedicated Motown fan. Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, and Marvin Gaye were constants in the house. So too were books like Roots and Native Son, and The Fire Next Time, but even so, it has become clear to me that I am woefully ignorant of huge portions of our countrys history, and I am not better for it. In fact, it mattered not whether it was Jackie Mason: Freshly Squeezed, Always Fresh Never Stale, (you can discern his insecurities, no?), No Holds Barred, Politically Incorrect, Prune Danish or even The Ultimate Jew. People were buying Masons old-school stand-up act and he would come out and say pretty much whatever he wanted on that given night. I think the phrasing of it was something like, Thats why Im so honored to be here today to introduce the incredible Jane Goodall. But it went directly into the next thing, so I thought that meant there was more I needed to say. I just kept going, like a freight train. I really cant tell you why I thought I should continue speaking, but the way it was written, it was all lumped into one thing together. The shift from a U.S. combat role to one focused on training and advising the Iraqi security forces was announced in April, when a joint U.S.-Iraqi statement said this transition allowed for the removal from Iraq of any remaining U.S. combat forces on a timetable to be determined later. It did not specify what combat functions the U.S. was engaged in then, nor did Biden get into such specifics on Monday. Robert Aaron Long, 22, still faces the death penalty in the other deaths, which are being prosecuted in another county. The string of shootings at three businesses in March ignited outrage and fueled fear among Asian Americans, who already faced increased hostility linked to the coronavirus pandemic. Many were particularly upset when authorities suggested Longs crimes werent racially motivated but born of a sex addiction, which isnt recognized as an official disorder. In its statement, the Israeli military said the casualties were caused by errant rocket fire launched by militant groups, not Israeli airstrikes. It released aerial photos of what it said was the launch site, some 7.5 kilometers (4.5 miles) away, and the landing area. It also said it did not carry out any strikes in the area at the time of the explosion. Your attorney ... brings up things about a 17-year-old that are relative and relevant to a 17-year-old that are statutory factors to consider and are things that I would expect to hear regarding someone who is 17, Navarro said. But this encounter that starts out as bumping shoulders turns into the victim being shot at that gas station multiple times by you and the other individual and these acts were captured on video surveillance. But Lincoln Park Ald. Michele Smith, 43rd, pointed out aldermen just approved the creation of a civilian police oversight board. Smith said new policies like those her colleagues are proposing should go through that body or be covered by the federal Police Department consent decree, rather than be created by City Council ordinance. Other physician colleagues have warned me about that, he said. (They say) just lay low and try to get back on your feet. Im choosing to talk about the issue. Im choosing to create awareness about it, because I feel passionate enough that whatever (consequences) come to me, its less than the broader benefit that would come from speaking out. The 33-year-old man was attacked around 2:55 a.m. in the 5100 block of South Kimbark Avenue. The attacker was an unknown man who exited a black SUV, according to authorities with the Chicago Police Department, the agency leading the investigation. But where we are right now, were taking COVID seriously. And I cant promise that there wont be any COVID cases associated with Lolla. When youre having this many folks who are coming through, almost certainly there will be some cases. But Im confident that the combination of what we know about limiting risk in outdoor settings, pairing that with vaccination and/or testing and ideally mostly vaccination, which is what we expect as well as all the other mitigation factors, Im certainly hopeful that we wont see a significant problem. According to the Cook County medical examiners office, the man was located at 5302 S. Cicero Ave. and he was pronounced dead at 5:18 p.m. The medical examiners office had not released information about the mans age or identity Tuesday morning. Robert Shaw was elected as an alderman in the 9th Ward in two nonconsecutive terms. The first was in 1979. Over the next four years, he pushed for legislation for Black history to be taught in public schools. He also worked toward creating 40,000 patronage jobs and tried to remove the image of a tall ship from the citys seal by arguing that the large vessel represented slavery. Police are asking people to be aware of their surroundings, of unusual debris or litter on their property or moved or displaced outdoor furnishings. People should be sure to lock their doors and windows at night and tell children to report suspicious activity to an adult, police said. After four members of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department and the Capitol Police testified about battling insurrectionists that day, Kinzinger choked back tears and said, You guys may individually feel a little broken. You guys all talk about the effects you have to deal with and, you know, you talk about the impact of that day. But you guys won. You guys held. CCTV: US Deputy Secretary of State Sherman concluded her visit to China yesterday. How does China see her trip to Tianjin? Has China achieved its expected outcomes from the meeting and talks? Zhao Lijian: The trip to Tianjin by Deputy Secretary Sherman is another important diplomatic interaction between China and the US after the dialogue in Anchorage. During her brief 24-hour stay, Ms. Sherman spent altogether six hours in the meeting with State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and talks with Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng. We can say that the two sides had deep and thorough conversations and enhanced mutual understanding. China made clear its views on the current China-US relations in the meeting and talks. China-US relations face severe difficulties and challenges. There is a big question mark on whether bilateral ties will head to conflict and confrontation or improvement and development. The US needs to think carefully and make the right choice. China made clear its attitude to the China policy of the new US administration. It pointed out that this administration has in general inherited its predecessor's erroneous China policy, constantly challenged China's bottom line, and stepped up containment and suppression on China. China firmly opposes such practices and has made resolute responses. The Chinese side pointed out that the erroneous China policy comes down to the US side's misguided perception about China, its view of China as an "imaginary enemy", the primary rival, and increasingly an adversary. It is this perception that drives the US to hype up the competitive, collaborative and adversarial rhetoric, the notion of "a position of strength" and the so-called "rules-based international order". This perception can also be found behind erroneous words and acts that interfere in China's internal affairs, slander and smear China, and undermine China's interests. China urges the US side to come to an objective and correct understanding of China, change course by redressing mistakes, work with China on the basis of mutual respect, seek fair competition and peaceful co-existence, and return to a rational and pragmatic China policy. China always believes that a sound and stable China-US relationship not only serves the interests of both parties, but is also the common aspiration of the international community. The US talked about "responsible management" of bilateral relations during this visit. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi underlined three basic demands as bottom lines on how to effectively manage differences and prevent China-US relations from getting out of control. The first is that the US must not challenge, slander or even attempt to subvert the path and system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The second is that the US must not attempt to obstruct or interrupt China's development process. The third is that the US must not infringe upon China's state sovereignty, or even damage China's territorial integrity. The US also talked about setting "guardrails" for bilateral relations. The Chinese side stressed that any norm of behavior in China-US relations must be discussed and agreed on by both sides. It must be based on equality and mutual benefit and guided by safeguarding the interests of both sides. It must be binding on both parties and cannot be barriers set by the US unilaterally for China. During the meeting and talks, the Chinese side solemnly elaborated on China's position on issues relating to study of origins of SARS-CoV-2, Taiwan, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, the South China Sea and cybersecurity, sternly rebuking US fallacies and putting forward clear demands. China also gave the US two lists, as I said yesterday, one consisting of 16 items detailing erroneous US policies, words and actions that should be redressed, another containing 10 key individual cases of particular concern. The two sides also exchanged views on some international and regional issues including climate change, the Iranian nuclear issue, the Korean Peninsula, Afghanistan and Myanmar. On these issues, China and the US have sound cooperation and there is broad space for both to work together. That being said, China also pointed out explicitly that cooperation must be based on mutual trust and premised on mutual benefit. The US needs to show sincerity and create conditions for cooperation. It cannot expect to harm China's interests on one hand while hoping for unconditional cooperation from China on the other. Differences and somewhat tense encounters are commonplace in diplomacy. Both sides believe that the meeting and talks are candid, in-depth and constructive. Both agree on the utmost importance of maintaining communication between China and the US and the need for more frank and sincere dialogues. China News Service: How does China envision China-US relations after this visit by Deputy Secretary Sherman? Zhao Lijian: A choice needs to be made to decide the direction of China-US relations. China has a clear view on it. As State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated, we should try to find a way through dialogue for two major countries different in system, culture and stage of development to coexist peacefully and even achieve win-win results. Whoever tied the knot is responsible for untying it. The US side needs to change course, work with China on the basis of mutual respect and embrace fair competition and peaceful coexistence with China. After all, a healthy and stable China-US relationship serves the interests of both sides and will be good news for the world as well. Global Times: According to reports, on July 26, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin visited the southern Kuril Islands and proposed establishing a special economic zone free of most taxes and customs duties to attract foreign investment there. The Japanese side has strongly protested this. Does China have any comment? Zhao Lijian: I have noted relevant reports. This is a bilateral issue between Russia and Japan and should be properly handled by the two sides. At the same time, it is China's consistent belief that the outcomes of the victorious Anti-Fascist War should be earnestly respected and upheld. CCTV: According to a recent Ipsos poll, 36% of Americans say US democracy is in crisis; 50% think it is facing serious challenges; 75% believe the "political system can become less divisive and more constructive"; 71% want ordinary people to "have more of a voice". The polling result is deemed to be a reflection of persistent problems besetting the US democratic system which cast a cloud over its future. Could I have your comment? Zhao Lijian: Just look at their so-called "democracy". Some US politicians have been pretentiously portraying their country as a "beacon of democracy". They are obsessed with interfering in other countries' internal affairs and engaging in ideological infiltration under the guise of democracy, while what they really need to pay attention to is issues with democracy at home! In addition to the Ipsos poll you mentioned, a YouGov poll in June shows that only 31% Americans are optimistic about the future of American democracy, while 59% are "dissatisfied with the way American democracy is working". Another poll indicates that 67% of Americans believe American democracy is "under threat", and 52% think the nation "is headed in the wrong direction". As an old Chinese saying goes, "one who lives under the roof knows it when it leaks; one who lives among the folk knows it when the government policy is wrong". Democracy is a common value of all mankind. The key yardstick to judge whether a political system is good or not lies in whether it can bring political stability, social progress and better livelihood, and whether it is endorsed and supported by the people. With numerous problems at home, the US is in no position to impose its so-called model of democracy on others with an condescending air of arrogance and prejudice. Still less does it have the right to use the banner of "democracy" to form small cliques targeting specific countries, and malign or even demonize other social systems. The US ought to heed the appeal of its people, reflect on itself, and acknowledge and solve problems with its own democracy. AFP: It has been reported that Vice Foreign Minister Qin Gang is leaving today for the US to assume the role of the new Chinese ambassador to the US. Can you confirm this? Zhao Lijian: We appreciate your interest. Relevant information will be released in due course. Yonhap: The ROK and the DPRK have decided to resume previously suspended channels of communication. Recently the two heads of state have also penned letters to each other. Analysts believe this has prepared the ground for the resumption of dialogue between the north and the south. Does China have any comment? Zhao Lijian: I noted that the DPRK and the ROK have reached consensus on resuming communication channels, restoring mutual trust and improving relations with one another. As a close neighbor to the Korean Peninsula, China always supports the DPRK and the ROK in improving their relations and advancing reconciliation and cooperation through dialogue and consultation. We hope these latest consensus and measures will play a positive role in improving and growing the DPRK-ROK ties. Prasar Bharati: All India Seafarers Union has said China has imposed an unofficial ban on commercial vessels with Indian crew. They said that China is not allowing such ships with Indian crew to berth at Chinese ports. This is happening since March. Can you please confirm this? Do you have any response to this? Zhao Lijian: We can confirm after verification that China has never imposed the so-called "unofficial ban" you mentioned. Relevant reports by Indian media are not true. On the afternoon of July 26, 2021, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in Tianjin. Noting severe difficulties and challenges in China-U.S. relations, Wang Yi said, it requires serious consideration for the U.S. side to make correct choices as to whether the bilateral ties will head to confrontation or improvement. Your visit to China is a part of mutual contact and dialogue between China and the United States, and the two sides should enhance mutual understanding, erase misunderstanding, avoid misjudgment and better manage differences via constant dialogues. Wang Yi said, as the new U.S. administration has in general continued its predecessor's extreme and erroneous China policy, constantly challenged China's bottom line, and stepped up containment and suppression on China, China is firmly opposed to such U.S. practices. The occurrence of the above-mentioned issues comes down to the U.S. side's misperceptions about China. The United States, regarding China as the uppermost rival or even tending to consider China as an opponent, attempts to impede and disrupt China's modernization drive. Such an attempt is doomed to fail for now, and is even more so in the future. Wang Yi underscored, I would like to tell the U.S. side clearly and explicitly that China's development and revitalization, driven powerfully from within, is an irresistible trend of historical evolution. Socialism with Chinese characteristics totally fits China's national realities and requirements, has already made and will continue to make an overwhelming success. With a close bond and a shared future with the Chinese people, the Communist Party of China is always supported by the 1.4 billion Chinese people. The great rejuvenation of Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical process, which cannot be held back by any force or country. The modernization drive of all ethnic groups of China is also a great process along the progress of human civilization, which should not be held back by any force or country. Wang Yi pointed out, I would also like to tell the U.S. side clearly and explicitly that China sticks to the path of peaceful development and follows an open strategy of win-win cooperation. China will never tread the beaten track of big powers in seeking hegemony, and is willing to realize common development and prosperity with all countries including the United States. China has been one of the founders and beneficiaries of the international order since World War II, and we will not start all over again, nor do we have any intention to go our own way. China will firmly safeguard the international system with the United Nations (UN) at its core, uphold the international order underpinned by international law, and defend the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. Wang Yi said, I would like to tell the U.S. side clearly and explicitly as well that China's development is aimed at seeking happiness for all Chinese people. Just as President Xi Jinping indicated, people's aspiration for a better life is the goal of all our efforts. China's development is not to challenge or replace the United States. We take no interest in betting winnings or losses of the U.S. side. China's development is not based on the premise of U.S. decline. We never export our ideology or development model because we take the basic position that each country should independently explore a development path suited to its national conditions. Wang Yi pointed out, to properly manage the differences between the two sides and prevent China-U.S. relations from further deteriorating or even getting out of control, China puts forth three basic demands on the United States as bottom lines that China firmly upholds. First, the United States must not challenge, slander or even attempt to subvert the path and system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Chosen by history and the Chinese people, China's path and system are matters of 1.4 billion Chinese people's welfare and Chinese nation's future, as well as core interests that China must firmly uphold. Second, the United States must not attempt to obstruct or even interrupt China's development process. Chinese people have their rights to live better lives and China has its right to achieve modernization. Modernization is not an exclusive right of the United States, but involves the basic conscience of mankind and international justice. China urges the United States to remove all unilateral sanctions, high tariffs, long-arm jurisdiction and technology blockade it has imposed on China as soon as possible. Third, the United States must not infringe upon China's state sovereignty, or even damage China's territorial integrity. The issues regarding Xinjiang, Xizang and Hong Kong have never been about "human rights" or "democracy", but about fighting against "Xinjiang independence", "Xizang independence" and "Hong Kong independence". No country will allow its national sovereignty and security to be compromised. As for the Taiwan question, it's even more important. Although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have not yet been reunified, the fact that the Chinese mainland and Taiwan belong to one and the same China and Taiwan is part of China has never changed and will never change. If "Taiwan independence" forces dare to provoke, China has the right to take any necessary measure to stop it. We urge the U.S. side to honor its commitment on Taiwan question and act prudently. Wang Yi said, China is the largest developing country and the United States is the largest developed country, and neither side can replace or defeat the other. We have a clear view on where China-U.S. relations are headed, that is, to find a way for two major countries with different systems, cultures and stages of development to coexist peacefully on this planet through dialogue. It would be even better if it could be mutually beneficial. This is a good thing for both China and the United States, and a great boon for the world. Otherwise, it would be a catastrophe. He hopes that the U.S. side will have an objective and correct understanding of China, abandon arrogance and prejudice, stop acting as a preacher, and return to a rational and pragmatic China policy. Noting the U.S.-China relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world, Sherman said, the two sides have contacted each other many times since Biden was sworn in, and the United States is willing to continue to have open and candid contacts and dialogues with China. The United States also hopes that the two countries can coexist peacefully. It has no intention of restricting China's development, nor does it want to contain China, but would like to see China's development. The two sides can engage in healthy competition, cooperate on climate change, drug control and international and regional hotspot issues, strengthen crisis management capacity, and avoid conflicts. As two major countries, the United States and China can communicate and discuss in a responsible way even if they have differences. She hopes that both sides will take joint actions to improve bilateral relations. Sherman reiterated that the United States adheres to the one-China policy and does not support "Taiwan independence". The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern. Nearly one century after it was lost, a Buddha head statue repatriated from Japan finally returned to its home in the Tianlongshan Grottoes in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, on Saturday. The relic, dating to the Sui Dynasty (581-618), was originally set on the northern side in the No 8 Tianlongshan Grottoes, and was believed to be stolen and lost overseas around 1924, according to an appraisal by an expert panel formed by the National Cultural Heritage Administration. The No 8 Cave was the largest grotto in Tianlongshan, where the carving of caves with Buddhist iconography lasted from the sixth to the early eighth centuries, and is the only one with a specific date of construction (AD 584). This smiling Buddha, with typical artistic features of its time, represents extraordinary craftsmanship and academic values, according to the panel. The 44.5-centimeter-high Buddha head is the first among stolen items from Tianlongshan to be returned from Japan, according to Li Qun, director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration. "The fate of cultural relics is linked to the destiny of a country," Li said at the ceremony on Saturday. "Its journey home reflects Chinese people's patriotism, whether they live at home or abroad, and it's a note marking a nation's rejuvenation." The National Cultural Heritage Administration learned in September that a Buddha head statue was about to be auctioned in Tokyo, and was suspected to be a stolen piece from Tianlongshan. The administration soon began the process of repatriation. In October, the auction house in Tokyo, whose board chairman Zhang Rong is a Chinese from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, agreed to cancel the auction. After negotiations among the administration, Zhang and the local holder of the relic in Japan, the Buddha head was bought by Zhang and donated back. The lost relic was transferred to the Chinese embassy in Tokyo in November. It arrived in Beijing in December. Zhang was given 300,000 yuan ($46,000) by the Chinese government for his contribution in rescuing the lost relic. But at the return ceremony in Taiyuan, he announced the donation of the entire reward to support the repatriation of more lost Chinese artifacts. To welcome its return, a special exhibition opened on Saturday in the Tianlongshan Grottoes Museum to review its history through cultural relics, pictures, digitization and 3D-printing technology. Yu Hao, director of the museum, says the Buddha head will be well protected in the gallery. To avoid damage and natural erosion, the statue will not be put back in the No 8 Cave, because its original position has deteriorated. Tianlongshan was the most heavily ransacked Chinese Buddhist grotto site by foreign hands in modern times. It was looted in the 1920s, shortly after it was known to foreign explorers, and almost none of the caves remained untouched. According to Li Yuqun, an archaeology professor with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, 233 cultural relics, including 176 Buddha statues, were stolen and lost overseas through a Japanese antique dealing agency. Most of them are in museums or private collections in Japan, Europe and North America. To mark the return, scholars and administrators of major Chinese grotto temples also held a symposium in Taiyuan. A document titled Tianlongshan Initiative was released, calling for the return of more lost relics of the grottoes from overseas. Many Chinese Buddhist grottoes other than Tianlongshan were looted by foreign antique dealers from the late 19th century to 1930s. "China should accelerate the process of researching its grotto relics lost overseas and their ownership," says Huo Zhengxin, a professor at China University of Political Science and Law. "We need to explore various channels to seek their return and contribute to creating an international consensus to bring lost relics back to the origin countries." While studying in Japan between 1915 and 1919, Chen Wangdao (1891-1977) came across communist ideas via Japanese translations of The Communist Manifesto, one of the most influential political works by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. After returning home, Chen began to translate the Manifesto into Chinese, publishing his work in 1920. Before that there had been only excerpts of the Manifesto in Chinese newspapers and publications, making Chen's book the first complete translation in Chinese. Chen was also one of the founders of the Communist Party of China in 1921. After Chen's version, there were six more translations of the Manifesto published in the country before the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. To mark the centennial of the CPC, Central Compilation and Translation Press recently published a collection including all seven translated versions. The assembly of seven volumes is of historic and literary value as their authors, like Chen, enjoyed prominence in various fields. A team led by Deng Jun and Jun Shujun, two professors with Guangxi Normal University in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, was responsible for adding annotations to these versions, as there are parts written in the traditional wenyanwen language style, which is difficult for modern readers to comprehend. Additionally, other translations were themselves based on other translations --- for example, Chen's translation was based on Japanese and English versions --- therefore some resulting imperfections needed to be corrected. The book covers feature an image of the statues of Marx and Engels which were made by Wu Weishan, director of the National Art Museum of China and a sculptor in his own right. The original statues are seated at the compound of the Central Compilation and Translation Bureau in Beijing. Editor's note: Three events you won't want to miss this week: a famous Chinese painter's retrospective, a dance drama calling for environmental protection, and one of the "Top 10 Performance Art Works" in Guizhou. 1. Art exhibition: Ren Bonian's figure painting Ren Bonian (1840-1895) is a reputed painting master and the main originator of the Shanghai school of painting. During his lifetime, he obtained remarkable achievements and painted numerous artworks of his signature splendid artistic flowers. His paintings are vivid and distinctive, which can make the observer feel the vitality of the nature. Nearly 70 paintings by Ren will be on display at the exhibition. Dates: July 30 - August 22 Venue: National Art Museum of China (NAMOC), Beijing 2. Dance drama: 'The Crested Ibis' A stage photo of environmentally-friendly dance drama "The Crested Ibis" at Zhoushan Arts Theatre in east China's Zhejiang province, Dec. 16, 2017. [Photo/VCG] The crested ibis is a large, white-plumaged bird native to East Asia's pine forests. This dance drama, themed on this rare bird, presents the relationship between living creatures and the natural environment, calling for our attention to the harmonious and necessary connection between humans and nature. Date: July 29 - August 8 Venue: Majestic Theatre, Shanghai 3. Guizhou Huadeng Opera: 'Ode to the Red Plum Blossoms' The Guizhou Huadeng Opera "Ode to the Red Plum Blossoms" was selected as a special project for the development of southwest China's Guizhou's provincial cultural industry in 2019 and was recognized as one of the "Top 10 Performance Arts Works" for Guizhou Cultural Tourism Brands in 2020. Date: July 28 Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts, Beijing Cultural events of the week: July 19-25 Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday called for all-out efforts to ramp up flood control and disaster relief, putting the safety of people's lives and property first. Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks while chairing a video conference at the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters in Beijing. He listened to reports from officials from disaster-affected regions, the Ministry of Emergency Management, the China Meteorological Administration, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the Ministry of Transport at the conference. Recent downpours caused heavy casualties and property losses to parts of the country, said Li. He called for comprehensive preventive safety measures to minimize losses when bracing heavy forecasted rains in north China and typhoons in coastal areas. Rescuing the stranded should be the primary task of flood control and disaster relief work in disaster-stricken regions, including Henan Province, said Li. He required efforts to timely dispatch professional teams and equipment and to release rescue information openly and transparently. More work is needed to strengthen weak links of disaster control to improve the country's emergency response-ability and people's awareness of self-protection, the premier said. In case of emergencies such as severe urban waterlogging, it is necessary to organize the public to take shelter in time, and schools and workplaces should be shut down decisively, said Li. Li urged efforts in disaster-hit areas to ensure the livelihood of the affected, strengthen health and epidemic prevention, speed up dredging and drainage, and restore power and water supply, transportation, and communication urgently. The premier said that the government would allocate billions of yuan from the central financial reserve in advance to support severely affected areas to carry out major production recovery and post-disaster reconstruction. The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State Council on July 15 jointly released a guideline to uphold high-level reform and opening up in Pudong New Area in Shanghai, proposing to turn Pudong into an attractive district boasting creativity, competitiveness, and influence by 2050. The area is going to act as a global example in terms of high-quality and high-efficiency urban management. This guideline signals that the second centenary goal of the CPC, which aims to forge a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful by the middle of the century, is being taken from blueprint to reality. The perks of Pudong Located in the east of Shanghai and at the eastern edges of the Yangtze River Delta, Pudong is positioned at the estuary of the Yangtze River. In April 1990, the Central Government decided to develop Pudong, making it a new area with special economic policies. Thanks to three decades of hard work, the former farmlands have been replaced by an advanced modern city boasting well-developed facilities and functions. The development of Pudong suggests that China is further opening up its cities aligning the Yangtze River. When Shanghai grows into an international economic, financial and trade center, other cities nearby and along the Yangtze River, too, will be able to ride the tide. In this sense, Pudong is a highlight and symbol of China's reform and opening up. Three decades on, China now enters the new stage of building a great modern socialist country in all respects, facing complex variables. No experience can be drawn on to deal with the unprecedented mission. Thus, there must be a pilot zone that serves as a vanguard, offering its experiences and answering questions from other areas that encounter difficulties in their modernization drive. Then why has Pudong specifically been selected to serve this purpose? Pudong has had the resources to realize high-quality development since the 1990s. As the largest economic center of China, Shanghai is tasked with developing itself into an international economic, financial, trade, shipping, and sci-tech innovation stronghold. Pudong, in turn, is expected to be the major player in the achievement of these five goals. Pudong is equipped with a number of advantages essential for high-level economic development. Take the example of advanced core technologya sector vital to modernization that can only be independently developed by China. Pudong is cracking nuts in term of advanced technology, such as high-end integrated circuit components, as well as basic software and hardware. Additionally, Pudong is endowed with preferential policies to further reform and opening up. As China's reform continues, some stumbling blocks are yet to be removed. For instance, there is much room for improvement in terms of offshore RMB transaction, cross-border trade settlement and overseas financial services. Meanwhile, Pudong is experienced in the efficient management of urban areas, and in developing a harmonious relationship between man and nature. The urgent task for the area is: exploring ways to enhance equal and high-quality public service, so that the public will have a stronger sense of satisfaction and security. A transfer of power There are three key points in developing Pudong into a pioneer area for socialist modernization. First, to support Pudong's role as a pioneer in the new journey of China's socialist modernization. Second, to position Pudong as a central intersection of the domestic market and a strategic link in China's new development paradigm of dual circulation, which underlines the importance of domestic and overseas markets reinforcing one another. The area is expected to lead the development of the Yangtze River Delta in all respects. Third, to push forward reform and opening up in the new area to set an example for other regions. Only when restrictions are erased, can the momentum of development be fully released. In the past three decades, Pudong has acted as the first finance and trade zone, the first bonded zone and the first pilot free trade zone. According to the most recent decisions by China's top legislature, Pudong will be given as much power as possible in its exploration of better ways to push forward socialist modernization. Entering the new development stage, China's reform and opening up is at a historic critical point, faced with more arduous tasks. More efforts are needed to break down the barriers preventing this further development. In the coming years, Pudong is supposed to focus on the coordination of various systems and try to carry out reform by taking into account the overall process of business and industrial development, so that various practices and systems involved can then be efficiently integrated and converge into a greater force than when separated. Meanwhile, Pudong will pursue an all-dimensional, multi-tiered and wide-ranging opening-up pattern, so as to form an open economic system that conforms to international common practices, which can in turn be followed by other parts of China. In sum, it will be up to Pudong to deliver its progressive fruits to the whole of society. Flash Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in north China's Tianjin on July 26, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua] Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday met with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, urging the United States to drop arrogance and prejudice and steer back to a rational and pragmatic China policy. In face of severe difficulties and challenges in China-U.S. relations, Wang said it requires serious consideration for the U.S. side to make correct choices as to whether the bilateral ties will head to confrontation or improvement. Calling Sherman's visit a part of mutual contact and dialogue, Wang said the two sides should enhance mutual understanding, erase misunderstanding, avoid misjudgment and better manage differences via constant dialogues. As the new U.S. administration has in general continued its predecessor's extreme and erroneous China policy, constantly challenged China's bottom line, and stepped up containment and suppression on China, Wang said China is firmly opposed to such U.S. practices. Noting the U.S. attempt to impede and disrupt China's modernization drive, Wang said "such an attempt is doomed to fail for now, and is even more so in the future." China's development, driven powerfully from within, is a trend of historical evolution, Wang said, adding that socialism with Chinese characteristics totally fits China's national realities. "The great rejuvenation of Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical process, which cannot be held back by any force or country." He said China sticks to the path of peaceful development and follows an open strategy of win-win cooperation. China will never tread the beaten track of big powers in seeking hegemony, and is willing to realize common development and prosperity with all countries including the United States, Wang added. Wang also said that China's development is aimed at seeking happiness for all Chinese people, rather than challenging or replacing the United States. "We take no interest in betting winnings or losses of the U.S. side. China's development is not based on the premise of U.S. decline." To prevent China-U.S. relations from further deteriorating or even getting out of control, Wang underlined three basic demands as bottom lines that China firmly upholds. He said the first is that the United States must not challenge, slander or even attempt to subvert the path and system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Chosen by history and the Chinese people, China's path and system are matters of Chinese people's welfare and Chinese nation's future, as well as core interests that China must firmly uphold, Wang said. The second, Wang said, is that the United States must not attempt to obstruct or interrupt China's development process. Chinese people have their rights to live better lives and China has its right to achieve modernization, said Wang, adding that modernization is not an exclusive right of the United States. China urges the United States to remove all unilateral sanctions, high tariffs, long-arm jurisdiction and technology blockade it has imposed on China as soon as possible, Wang said. Wang said the third is that the United States must not infringe upon China's state sovereignty, or even damage China's territorial integrity. He said issues regarding Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong have never been about "human rights" or "democracy," but about fighting against "Xinjiang independence," "Tibet independence" and "Hong Kong independence." No country will allow its national sovereignty and security to be compromised, Wang added. As for the Taiwan question, Wang said it's even more important. He said the fact that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China and Taiwan is part of China has never changed and will never change. If "Taiwan independence" forces dare to provoke, China has the right to take any necessary measure to stop it, Wang said, urging the U.S. side to honor its commitment on Taiwan question and act prudently. China is the largest developing country and the United States is the largest developed country, and neither side can replace or defeat the other, Wang said. "We have a clear view on where China-U.S. relations are headed, that is, to find a way for two major countries with different systems, cultures and stages of development to coexist peacefully on this planet through dialogue." It would be even better if it could be mutually beneficial, Wang said, adding that this is a good thing for both China and the United States, and a great boon for the world. "Otherwise, it would be a catastrophe." "It is hoped that the U.S. side will have an objective and correct understanding of China, abandon arrogance and prejudice, stop acting as a preacher, and return to a rational and pragmatic China policy," Wang said. Noting the U.S.-China relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world, Sherman said the United States is willing to continue to have open and candid contacts and dialogues with China. The United States also hopes that the two countries can coexist peacefully. It has no intention of restricting China's development, nor does it want to contain China, but would like to see China's development, Sherman said. The two sides can engage in healthy competition, cooperate on climate change, drug control and international and regional hotspot issues, strengthen crisis management capacity, and avoid conflicts, Sherman said. Sherman said as two major countries, the United States and China can communicate and discuss in a responsible way even if they have differences, in the hope that both sides will take joint actions to improve bilateral relations. Sherman reiterated that the United States adheres to the one-China policy and does not support "Taiwan independence." The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern. Flash Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a congratulatory message to Nguyen Xuan Phuc on his re-election as Vietnam's president. In his message, Xi said that China and Vietnam are socialist neighbors linked by mountains and rivers, and enjoy profound traditional friendship and extensive common interests. In the face of transformations rarely seen in a century and the once-in-a-century COVID-19 pandemic, the two sides have sticked to their shared ideals and convictions, acted on the original aspiration of solidarity and friendship, and taken concrete actions to enrich and update their comprehensive strategic cooperation. Xi noted that since the beginning of this year, the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam has been successfully held and the Communist Party of China has celebrated its centenary, saying that the two parties and the two countries' cause of national development have entered a crucial stage of inheriting the past and ushering in the future. He also said that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Vietnam relations, adding that he is ready to work with Vietnamese leaders and comrades to strengthen strategic guidance for the relationship between both parties and both nations in the new era, and make continuous progress towards the goal of building a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that bears strategic significance. On the same day, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang sent a message to Pham Minh Chinh, congratulating him on re-election as Vietnamese prime minister. Li said he is willing to work together with his Vietnamese counterpart to enhance political trust between the two sides, consolidate the basis for friendly cooperation, accelerate the docking of development strategies, build up a pattern of mutual benefits and win-win results, and promote continuous development of China-Vietnam relations for the new era. Choteau, MT (59422) Today Sun and a few passing clouds. High 92F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight A mostly clear sky. Low 58F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. The book of Hosea Have you ever read the book of Hosea? The story is not your average love story, but it holds a profound meaning in the Kingdom of God. The first time I heard this story, I was appalled at what God had asked Hosea to do. I thought to myself, which present-day man would marry a prostitute and continue to pursue her? For anyone this reality would be a mammoth task, but the story in the book of Hosea is but an archetypal of Gods love for Israel and us all. Such a profound and deep love that it can be likened to the contemporary Christian song Reckless Love by Cory Asbury. It is not one of the more commonly told Bible stories as more people are akin with Abraham and Sarah and Rebecca and Isaac. But the truth is that, as humans we are more like Gomer than Rebecca or even Sarah. I have looked for many renditions of this story in books and movies because I was so touched by the message of this redeeming love. A novel Redeeming Love Christian author, Francine Rivers, created a beautiful rendition of the book of Hosea with her novel Redeeming Love. Set in the 1850s during the gold rush in California, Rivers brings to life a Bible story that would yet again demonstrate the pure love God had for his people. Sarah was born in England to a prostitute who conceived her with a married man. Her father was quite upset that her mother had kept the pregnancy and as such wanted nothing to do with her. At the tender age of 8, her mother passed and she is left with a man named Rab who is optimistic about finding ger a home. Instead, she ends up in the home of a wealthy man called Duke, who renamed her Angel, abused her and finally introduced her to the world of prostitution. Fleeing the country to get away from him and that life, she ends up in San Francisco but was eventually led back into prostitution as she had no other means of survival. Now 18 years old and working for the Duchess, Angel is under heavy guard as she is the prized attraction at the Palace Brothel. Michael Hosea, a farmer on a trip to that town to sell produce, encounters Angel and is told by God She is the one. The woman he should marry. When he finds out she is a prostitute he is shocked but decides to obey God. Paying the price to see her, he tries to convince her to marry him and leave this life behind, but she is a hard cookie to crack, after all, why would she trust any man? It was only after she was nearly beaten to death by her bodyguard that Michaels advances are given any credence as she is holding on for dear life. She barely accepts his proposal and Michael could finally rescue her from that degrading life and nurse her physically back to health. Angel would argue and fight with Michael as she was unable to accept her new life, however good it was. She would run back to her former life a few times over and just like in the book of Hosea, God kept telling Michael to go get his wife. the final time she ran off, God confronted her, and she began to understand her worth. Instead of taking a job in a brothel, she found more upstanding employment in a restaurant and eventually became a beacon to young women in vulnerable situations like herself. Becoming their liberator, she helps a few young women escape the brother and is rescued by an old Christian philanthropist, on a similar crusade. With his help and his daughter, she was able to establish a safe house for transitioning these women back to society. It is much later that her husbands best friend comes seeking her out to let her know that Michael is still awaiting her return, for he never loved another. Finally realising that no man has ever loved her quite like Michael, if at all, she agrees to return to her husband and leave the philanthropists daughter in charge of the safehouse. On this journey to protect these girls, she had indeed found her own relationship with God. Back with her husband Michael, Angel reveals her real name as Sarah, and they start a new life together. A love like no over I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion. I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as the Lord (Hosea chapter 2, verse 19 20). Just like this demonstration in Hosea and the book, God will never give up on us. Hosea and Gomer represents God and Israel and just how grave her betrayals were that they were likened unto that of prostitution. But, every single time, God took her back and loved her, and its the same for us. No matter how man times we have sinned, God is still there waiting for us. He even pursues us. This to me is an unmatched demonstration of love. Then the Lord said to me, Go and love your wife again, even though she commits adultery with another lover. This will illustrate that the Lord still loves Israel, even though the people have turned to other gods and love to worship them (Hosea chapter 3 verse 1). My favourite love story in the Bible remains in Hosea, because as long as we are in this life, God will never give up on us. What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 319-283-2144 or email circ@oelweindailyregister.com. Today Sunshine and some clouds. High 84F. Winds light and variable. Tonight Mainly clear. Low 57F. Winds light and variable. Tomorrow Sunny along with a few clouds. High 87F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 319-352-3334 or email legals@waverlynewspapers.com. Coronado, CA (92118) Today Clear to partly cloudy. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Clear to partly cloudy. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable. Officers located a victim, in the passenger seat of a vehicle, suffering from gunshot wounds, police said. The victim, a female in her 20s, was transported to an area hospital for treatment. She is currently listed in stable condition. Theres going to be a couple of chances with tomorrow evening showers that could wash some of the smoke out, Lessor said. Same with Thursday afternoon, Thursday evening and another chance during Sunday. So theres plenty of opportunity for Connecticut to keep the smoke in check. I would be concerted if we were getting into a heat wave, but were not. Were seeing drier Canadian air for the most part, especially when we get to Friday. Trumbull police personnel then set up surveillance on the vehicle, until about 2:30 p.m., when the men returned and entered the Audi, police said. As officers approached the occupied Audi, Delgado and Rondon were apprehended, but Reid remained inside the drivers seat of the vehicle. As vaccinations have increased this year, ridership has started to climb. In June the latest month for which statistics are available 30,905 riders stepped onto the Hartford Line. Thats still only about half of the same month in 2019, but the highest ridership since February 2020, just before the pandemic struck Connecticut. Some public health experts said they thought the earlier CDC decision was based on good science. But those experts were also critical, noting that there was no call for Americans to document their vaccination status, which created an honor system. Unvaccinated people who did not want to wear masks in the first place saw it as an opportunity to do what they wanted, they said. Its not just about you, its about all the people youre in contact with, he said. Its about doing everything we can to keep you healthy so that your class is healthy, so that your team is health, so that we get through this faster. An educational nonprofit, Achieve Hartford!, will expand its efforts supporting low-income students of color who are the first in their families to attend community college. The group already works with graduating seniors in Hartford to enroll and support them at Capital Community College and Manchester Community College; now it will be able to expand to Bloomfield, Windsor, East Hartford, Vernon and Manchester. Juthanis experience is primarily clinical and research-focused, though she said she was drawn to the role of commissioner because it would allow her to advocate for the public health of Connecticut residents on a larger scale than what might be possible through academia. As commissioner of the Department of Public Health, she will oversee an agency with nearly 700 employees and a budget of about $150 million in state funds. Cut Bank, MT (59427) Today Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 89F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear skies. Low 54F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. 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. What we have seen over the years and we see it all over the country is individuals having some type of mental health crisis will be picked up by an ambulance or a police officer, taken to a hospital and theres not much the hospital can do for them, Johnson said. Sometimes within hours they go right back to where they were, same situation, no medicines, no assistance, no help. At the time of the Feb. 9, 2019 shooting, Jeffrey Tyree, 57, was in a mental health crisis, according to his family. He had been arguing with his siblings for days about the care of their dying mother and was threatening one of his brothers when the brother called police to their mothers house in the Arrowhead community. Already, customers have their menu favorites, such as Ropa Vieja, a combination of shredded beef, peppers, onions and tomatoes all thrown together like a pile of old clothes and Vaca Frita, pan-friend shredded flank steak, marinated in garlic, lime juice and salt before being fried until the exterior is crispy. These items are selling twice what other items are selling, he explained. His own favorite desert is Flan de la Casa, a type of custard. Earlier this month, a leading Indian business magazine released its inaugural list of BW Disrupt 30 under 30, celebrating the start-up, entrepreneur and intrapreneur communities. One among the 30 under 30 includes Hyderabad entrepreneur Sreekar Sannapareddy, whod co-founded Gradvine, an education consulting service, with Suraj Peri in 2017. Talking to us about how great an honour this feels to him, Sreekar said, I am thrilled to be featured in a periodical that has featured many personalities Ive idolised, ascribing his success to his family and wife, Aditi. Having pursued Masters in engineering management from a US Ivy League university, Dartmouth College, Sreekar, whose father is a businessman, always aspired to be an entrepreneur himself. While studying at Dartmouth, he learnt many values of entrepreneurship and shaped and transformed his personality. While in college, he also got to interact with various entrepreneurs, which further strengthened his aspirations to start his own firm. I was deeply inspired to set up my own company. Moreover, both my father and his cousin, BVR Mohan Reddy, tech entrepreneur and the current chairman of NASSCOM, also encouraged and mentored me to take up the entrepreneurship plunge, recollects Sreekar. Back home into enterprise So, when Sreekar returned from the US, he lost no time setting up Gradvine in 2017. The idea of starting a business in EdTech sector arose from his personal experiences such that he wanted to solve the problem of choosing from career options and give it a structure through his company. I remember when I completed graduation there werent many options other than engineering and medicine, but now there is a wide range of career options to choose from. I was determined to start a business in EdTech to assist students explore diverse career opportunities to choose from, he elaborates. His company, Gradvine, is one of biggest education consulting & career guidance business. We are an online platform where we guide students who wanted to go abroad and study; we help them get access to various universities for pursuing various courses, explains Sreekar, stating that they act as a bridge between students and university/colleges. The young businessman reveals that he and his Gradvine co-founder Suraj were friends and engineering batch mates. Although after engineering we went to different universities, we stayed in touch and kept exchanging ideas. It helped that both of us were like-minded. So, when I bounced off the idea of an EdTech business, to Suraj, he liked it and was game to join me, the 28-year-old says. While Sreekar is responsible for the companys strategic marketing, his partner Suraj handles the technology aspects related to the enterprise. Finding growth in a slump Like every business, Sreekar was worried wondering how tough the going will be. I was even planning to cut down the salaries and staff, he recalls. But much to his surprise, the firm started doing better! A lot of people started approaching us online for career consulting services, says Sreekar. Today, his fast-growing company reaches out to over 4,000 customers from over 20 countries. COVID-19 has been a blessing for EdTech businesses. It was something Id never expected, he adds as he signs off. The Killa Court has sent businessman Raj Kundra, accused in a pornography case, to judicial custody for 14 days. Kundra, who was under arrest, had applied for bail, and was produced in court when the period of police remand ended. The court order comes as a setback to Kundra. Sources from the police department said when the day crime branch took Raj Kundra to his Mumbai home for the searches, and questioned Shilpa Shetty too, the actress was very upset. She had a huge argument, shouted at Kundra and asked him what was the need for doing such a thing. She told Kundra that due to his actions the family name is getting defamed and their endorsements in the industry are being cancelled, the sources in Mumbai police added. They informed that Shetty broke down in front of the cops and told them that Kundra had kept her in dark. Kundra was arrested on July 19 and the Crime Branch later found a hidden cupboard with documents about his financial transactions and cryptocurrency holdings. The Crime Branch is also in possession of Kundras laptop and a Storage Area Network box from where a lot of data had been deleted. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) will also be joining the investigations, with reference to some financial transactions mentioned in the documents. It may be recalled that Shilpa had earlier told cops investigating the pornography case that her husband had nothing to do with porn and that the app in question contained erotica. Meanwhile, police sources have confirmed that the case is part of an ongoing probe which started on February 4 this year, after five people were arrested on charges of forcing women to act in erotic films on the pretext of giving them roles in web movies. The scripts and the scenes would be changed on the day of the shoot, and if the actresses refused to perform those scenes, they would allegedly be asked to foot the bill for the days shoot. After Kundras arrest, a few people who had other issues with the businessman approached the Mumbai Police. Hiren Parmar, a Gujarat-based trader claimed that Kundras company Viaan Industries had taken Rs 3 lakh from him on the promise that he would be made a distributor of an online game called Game of Dot. Producer and entrepreneur Sachiin Joshi said he had recently won a case against Kundra regarding a gold purchase scheme. He said, We got our 1 kg gold and the Rs 3 lakh they had to pay us as a fine for making us go through a legal process to recover the money. He added that a cheque issued by Kundras firm has bounced and said he hoped to win the case relating to that too. I am glad karma finally caught up with Kundra, he said. (Sanskriti Media) Police personnel during a clash at Assam-Mizoram border at Lailapur in Cachar district, Monday, July 26, 2021. 6 police personnel died and many were injured. (PTI Photo) New Delhi: The Congress has formed a seven-member committee to visit Assam's Cachar district to assess the situation on the ground after violence erupted along the state's border with Mizoram on Monday. The committee will submit a detailed report to the party on the matter, Congress in-charge for Assam Jitendra Singh said. According to officials, at least five Assam Police personnel were killed while defending the "constitutional boundary" of the state with Mizoram and more than 60 people injured, including an SP, in a sudden escalation of the border dispute between the two northeastern states. On Tuesday, Singh shared on Twitter a party circular dated July 26 that read: "A seven-member committee is to be formed with immediate effect... to visit Cachar and any other area to assess the Assam-Mizoram border dispute on the ground and the ensuing violence that has cost the lives of police personnel, amongst others." The panel members are Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bhupen Bora, CLP leader in Assam Assembly Debabrata Saikia, MP Pradyut Bordoloi, Deputy CLP leader in Assam Assembly Rakibul Hussain, MP Gaurav Gogoi, president of All India Mahila Congress Committee Sushmita Dev, and MLA and APCC working president Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha. In a statement on Monday, the Assam government alleged that the Mizoram Police opened fire on its officials and civilians from two dominating high features with automatic weapons, including light machine guns (LMGs). However, Mizoram Home Minister Lalchamliana claimed that the state police responded "spontaneously by firing back" at Assam Police after its 200 personnel forcibly crossed a duty post manned by CRPF personnel and indulged in arson and firing and assaulted unarmed people. Later, Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga and urged them to ensure peace along the disputed border and find an amicable settlement. Assam's Barak Valley districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi share a 164-km border with Mizoram's Aizawl, Kolasib and Mamit districts. Sarma recently said a resolution of border dispute with Mizoram may take some time as the people of Mizoram have encroached on almost 1,800 hectares of Assamese land in three districts. DC file photo Guwahati: Just two days after Union home minister Amit Shah had a closed-door meeting with the chief ministers of all northeastern states, the ongoing Assam-Mizoram border row took an ugly turn on Monday with at least six police personnel killed and 67 others, including the Cachar SP and his PSOs, injured in the incident of cross-firing between the police forces of the two neighbouring states. Saying that Cachar SP Nimbalkar Vaibhav Chandrakant, IPS, and the officer-in-charge of the Dholai police station with 65 police personnel and a few civilians were injured and shifted to Assam Medical College and Hospital, Silchar, security sources told this newspaper that six police personnel, including two from the 21 India Reserve Battalion, were killed in the cross-firing between the Assam and Mizoram police that was going on till late in the evening. Among those killed, two police personnel were identified as Samsul Zaman Borbhuyan and Sapan Kumar Roy of 21 IR battalion. The security sources said Union home minister Amit Shah called up the chief ministers of Assam and Mizoram and directed them to defuse the situation. Pointing out that the home ministry had taken a tough stand on the escalating tension between the two states, the sources said fresh tension erupted along the inter-state border at Lailapur area in Cachar district after over 10 persons, including an IGP and some policemen and civilians, were left with injuries in a scuffle on Monday morning. The security sources said that it started with stone pelting but mounting tension escalated it into fierce cross-firing between the police personnel of the two states. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma rushed Cabinet minister Pijush Hazarika to visit the trouble-torn areas where the situation was tense after the Assam police allegedly took control of a police outpost of the Mizoram police in the disputed border areas. Saying that at a place between Vairengte in Mizoram and Lailapur in Assam, the convoy of Cachar deputy commissioner Keerthi Jalli was also targeted by miscreants along the border, the security sources said she faced stiff resistance during her visit at the inter-state border. Officials of the Assam government had gone to evict the encroachment allegedly by some Mizo miscreants inside Assam, but a large crowd of civilians and Mizoram police personnel challenged the eviction drive and resorted to stone-pelting, forcing the Assam police to fire teargas shells to disperse the crowd. The situation continued to escalate and SP Cachar Nimbalkar Vaibhav Chandrakant also rushed to the trouble-torn areas, the security sources said, adding that the crowd mixed with armed Mizoram police personnel refused to vacate the area. Pointing out that in the evening, a crowd resorted to indiscriminate firing on an Assam police team, the sources said they are yet to ascertain who had resorted to firing on the police team. The security sources said Mr Nimbalkar and his PSOs had bullet injuries and shifted to the Medical College Hospital, Silchar, where his condition was stable. Most of those critically wounded have been shifted to Silchar Medical College Hospital, where the condition of at least five was stated to be very critical. Earlier during the day, the incident had triggered a diatribe between the chief ministers of the two states on Twitter as Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote: Honble Zoramthangaji, Kolasib (Mizoram) SP is asking us to withdraw from our post until then their civilians wont listen nor stop violence. How can we run the government in such circumstances? Hope you will intervene at the earliest. Shortly after that, the Mizoram CM responded to the Assam CM, saying: Dear Himantaji, after cordial meeting of CMs with Amit Shahji, surprisingly two companies of Assam Police with civilians lathicharged and teargassed civilians at Vairengte Auto Rickshaw stand inside Mizoram today. They even overran CRPF personnel and the Mizoram Police. Both the chief ministers in their tweets tagged the Union home minister and the Prime Ministers Office. Meanwhile, senior police officers have rushed to the border areas and both sides have refused to go back from their positions. The security sources said senior officials of the Union home ministry were in touch with the top authorities of the two states and trying to defuse the tension. Mr Sarma recently said a resolution of border dispute with Mizoram may take some time as the people of Mizoram have encroached on almost 1,800 hectares of Assamese land in three districts. Mr Sarma claimed a total of 1,777.58 hectares of land in the Barak Valley region have been taken over by encroachers from Mizoram. Out of it, the largest area of 1,000 hectares has been encroached in Hailakandi district, followed by 400 hectares in Cachar and 377.58 hectares in Karimganj, he added. Mizoram shares a 164.6 km-long border with Assam. The hill state was part of Assam until 1972 when it was carved out as a Union territory. In order to resolve the border dispute between the neighbouring states of the Northeast, Mr Amit Shah had a closed-door meeting with all the CMs of the region in Shillong on Saturday, which had ended on a cordial note and with a resolution of resolving the issue mutually. In fact, Mizoram CM Zoramthanga in his speech at the meeting said: The border disputes between the states of the region are a legacy of the colonial era that the present government inherited from its predecessor, which had been left unresolved at the time of the formation of states like Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram. It is been made clear to the babus in the civil aviation ministry that the divestment of Air India is the top priority of the government this year. (PTI Photo) The privatisation of the national carrier Air India is being watched keenly both within the government and outside. The well-regarded and efficient civil aviation secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola is busy speeding things up on the divestment process. It had, insiders concur, got delayed by the governments own red tape and then the Covid pandemic. And, with newly inducted minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on board who is a former investment banker, with a firm grip on things, there is reason for some to start believing that the sale of Air India is finally on course for take-off. It is been made clear to the babus in the civil aviation ministry that the divestment of Air India is the top priority of the government this year. And Mr Kharola has the full attention of his mantri now. When theres total focus on one ministry, babus also feel more empowered, weve seen. Apparently, Mr Kharola and his cohorts at Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan are seeking to step up the pace of privatisation by exploring the added option of limiting the benefits of Air India employees till such time as the government is the owner of the carrier. This is to make the airline more attractive to private bidders who then can have new terms for employees and tweak compensation packages. All eyes are on the move since it is widely believed that it may well become the template for the privatisation of other public sector companies that the government is also planning to put on the block. Haryana govt keen to shine bright The Manohar Lal Khattar sarkar in Haryana has tightened the screws on government officers to improve its public image. IAS and IPS officers, and others who are facing CBI probes, will not be given field assignments or posts where they deal with the public. Public awareness of this is expected to be politically advantageous. State chief secretary Vijai Vardhan has issued an order directing that officers for whom sanction to prosecute has been granted by the competent authority or court has framed charges in a criminal case stand debarred for field postings or positions involving public dealing. To give further evidence of its intent, the state government has recently sacked a 1991-batch IAS officer, Sandeep Garg, for corruption. Mr Garg was under suspension since 2016 after his conviction by a CBI court for amassing assets disproportionate to his known income. The termination from service follows the approval from the department of personnel and training at the Centre. Mr Garg, reportedly, is only the second IAS officer from the state to be dismissed for corruption. Undoubtedly, the Garg case is just a warning to corrupt babus that the government is serious about cleaning the Augean stables. Hopefully, this current enthusiasm of the state government will last long enough to leave an abiding impact on the administration. Pegasus prelude or ED under routine scanner? The recent repatriation of Enforcement Directorate (ED) special director Sushil Kumar to his parent cadre the Central Board of Direct Taxation (CBDT) has set tongues wagging. The order came from the department of revenue. The move surprised many since it is widely believed that Sushil Kumar is a trusted officer of the ED chief. Apparently, the repatriation order was directed by the finance ministry, which acted on intelligence reports, overruling the ED top brass. In this time of Pegasus revelations, those in law enforcement, including the ED are no longer sure, whos been snooping on whom. Clearly, all is not well in the ED, the premier agency that investigates economic offences in India. Its officers may groan that their workload has risen but so have allegations of faulty policing. Just a few days before this, two senior ED officials were arrested by the CBI for allegedly demanding a bribe from the owner of a Gujarat-based firm that is being probed for bank fraud. The arrest of deputy director P.K. Singh and assistant director Bhuvnesh Kumar has caused serious embarrassment to the agency. Sources say that in recent years ED has been dominated by officers from the Indian Revenue Service (IRS), which may not have gone down well with the police officers. These moves seem to be the governments attempts to fix the agencys reputation quickly before serious damage is done. No one is saying it yet, but these moves do not auger well for the top brass in national agencies beyond just this one. Share a babu experience! Follow dilipthecherian@Twitter.com. Lets multiply the effect. West Bengal became the first state to order an inquiry into the explosive Pegasus spying row that rocked the nation. An international investigative consortium had reported that India was among the users of Israeli spyware that hacks into mobile phones converting them into 24x7 spies for the government. A two-member commission of inquiry comprising retired judges will look into how such alleged hacking was done and who were the persons behind it. A French non-profit named Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International had taken up investigation in association with media outlets to suss out the truth behind whistleblowing on suspected large-scale government spying that shows no concern for the rights of individuals. The move by West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee may be just another arrow in a war between the Opposition and the Centre but it is a shrewd political move because New Delhi has shown no inclination to probe the allegations that the Pegasus Project software can become a masterly spy at the governments behest. The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, has taken up the issue with the Israeli PM Naftali Bennett but Indias reaction to what appears to be an international spying scandal showed keenness only in sweeping things under the carpet. An independent judicial commission or parliamentary panel set up by the Centre would have been appropriate to probe whether there was any basis to reports of concerted spying activity on journalists, activists, political leaders from the Opposition, political analysts and businessmen. The Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952, has a provision for the Centre or states to order such a probe. Given political considerations, any report of a state-appointed commission is likely to be met with cynicism by those who are accused of resorting to spying. This may only be a game of oneupmanship in which Bengal has taken the lead. To get to the bottom of global allegations would have been the responsibility of a nation accused of espionage of its own citizens. What happens if the nation itself is guilty of such subterfuge is a query that defies clear answers. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! 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Great ape numbers and habitats have declined rapidly in recent decades, and all species are classified as "endangered" or "critically endangered". Alongside hunting and deforestation, infectious diseases are a major threat and genetic similarity with humans means great apes can catch some diseases from people. This is especially true of respiratory viruses, so researchers say tourists should follow similar rules to those advised to prevent COVID-19 transmission. The researchers have launched a website offering key information, and inviting tourists to make a pledge to protect great apes from disease. They have also designed guide training material and educational posters that will be displayed at locations including airports, hotels and tourism sites, to ensure everyone involved in great ape tourism knows how to protect great apes from disease. "Many tourists want to get really close to these wild animals, to take pictures with them or even touch them," said Dr Kimberley Hockings, of the Centre for Ecology and Conservation on the University of Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall. "We want to change that mindset. "People can still have a great experience while observing guidelines that protect the animals." Dr Hockings added: "It was clear to all of us great ape researchers that there was no consistency in disease prevention regulations between tourism sites. "The COVID-19 pandemic was an opportunity to change that." The researchers ask tourists visiting great apes to: - Check and follow disease prevention guidelines for the country they are travelling to. - Postpone if they have any signs of illness, or have come into contact with anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 14 days. - Wear a facemask, use hand sanitiser and wear clean shoes and clothes. - Maintain a safe distance from the animals at all times. Africa's great apes are chimpanzees, bonobos, western gorillas and eastern gorillas (which includes mountain gorillas). Respiratory viruses of human origin infect wild apes across Africa, sometimes lethally. Previous research has identified outbreaks of such viruses among chimpanzees, while another study found that nearly every mountain gorilla group visited by humans in Rwanda experienced at least one outbreak of respiratory disease. More than 1,000 people who have visited great ape tourism sites in Africa, or intend to do so, have completed a questionnaire created by the research team. Survey participants showed a very high willingness to observe protective measures. "We hope that tourists, tour companies and governments will take note and ensure these guidelines are followed," Dr Hockings said. The research team includes veterinarians, great ape disease experts and great ape conservation scientists, and the measures they suggest are endorsed by the great ape section of the IUCN Primate Specialist Group. The team includes Kimberley Hockings and Chloe Chesney of the University of Exeter, Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka of Conservation Through Public Health in Uganda, Fabian Leendertz of the Robert Koch Institute and Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Germany, Aissa Regalla of the Institute for Biodiversity and Protected Areas in Guinea-Bissau, Amanda Webber of the University of the West of England and Ana Nuno of NOVA University Lisbon. The project is funded by the Darwin Initiative. To find out more, visit www.protectgreatapesfromdisease.com Monitoring helps communities find out how much forest is being cut down, punish those who cut too much and adjust norm and rules on forest use. Deforestation only displaced under community monitoring schemes Community-led monitoring of deforestation might not reduce forest use overall, but merely displace it to unmonitored areas, a new study finds. The peer-reviewed study, by researchers including Dr Sabrina Eisenbarth from the University of Exeter Business School, measured the impact of community-led forest monitoring on activities such as tree felling, domestic animal grazing and charcoal production in community managed forest in Uganda. The year-long research project paid six community members from 60 communities to patrol the communal forest surrounding the village once a month. The community monitors reported any threats to the forest every month and shared information with the wider community in village meetings, providing an opportunity for discussion around forest use and sustainability. The research team evaluated the effect of this monitoring activity on forest use in both monitored and unmonitored areas. They looked at a combination of detailed forest measurement on the ground and satellite data from the 60 communities and compared it to equivalent forest measurement in 50 control communities without systematic community-led monitoring. The researchers found that community-led forest monitoring did not affect forest use overall. While forest loss decreased slightly in the monitored villages, amounting to 450m2 of forest per village, forest use in areas adjacent to those villages, where there was no or less monitoring, rose by 300% and 150% respectively totalling an extra 12,600m2 of forest loss. Nearly a third of forests across Africa, Asia and Latin America are now managed by local people and community forest management has been hailed as a powerful policy tool that could reduce deforestation one of the main drivers of climate change. Previous research has shown that communities can successfully manage their forests, but only if certain institutional features are in place one of those features is community-led forest monitoring. Monitoring helps communities find out how much forest is being cut down, punish those who cut too much and adjust norm and rules on forest use. The research team had initially hypothesised that community monitoring would decrease forest use, with potential rule-breakers deterred by the fear of being caught and the information provided to community members driving a shift in norms over forest use, leading to a change in the official forest-use rules. But one of the authors, Dr Sabrina Eisenbarth, a Lecturer in Economics at the University of Exeter Business Schools Land, Environment, Economics and Policy (LEEP) Institute, said the fear of being caught was potentially moving the deforestation to other areas. We suspect that the increase in forest loss in unmonitored areas is, at least to some extent, driven by displacement of forest use by members of treatment villages due to fear of sanctions. If reductions in forest use are driven by a fear of being caught rather than self-restraint, community members could merely displace forest use outside of the monitored areas and accelerate deforestation in adjacent areas. The research team say more attention is needed to the design of conservation programmes based on community monitoring in order to avoid displacement. If displacement is driven by a fear of sanctions, the design of a monitoring intervention might be improved if monitoring was more widespread or if community members could not predict which parts of the forest were unmonitored, said Dr Eisenbarth. The researchers said the success of community-monitoring schemes ultimately depends on community self-restraint, which might require changes in the norms and rules around forest use. The one-year community monitoring intervention did not lead to such norm-shifts. Can community monitoring save the commons? Evidence on forest use and displacement by Dr Sabrina Eisenbarth, Louis Graham and Dr Anouk S Rigterink is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS). gettyimagesbank By Yoon Ja-young Chinese buyers are increasing real estate purchases in Korea, leading to concerns among some Koreans who are suffering from soaring housing prices. According to data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport submitted to Rep. Hong Seok-joon of the main opposition People Power Party, foreigners owned 157,489 real estate properties as of 2020, which is 2.2 times more than 2011. Of this number, 40,431 were apartments. The real estate owned by Chinese nationals especially rose steeply. The number of properties owned by Chinese nationals totaled 57,292 in 2020, which is up 16.3 times from 2011. They account for 36.37 percent of total foreign ownership as of last year. They are especially purchasing real estate in Seoul, with the number of properties under Chinese ownership increasing 11.1 times from 2011 to 2020. Chinese real estate ownership increased 26.6 times in Gyeonggi Province which surrounds the capital. On Jeju Island, a popular tourist destination, it grew 112 times to 11,219 properties. They are also purchasing real estate in Sejong, which is highly popular among real estate investors at this time. The number of Chinese-owned properties grew 85.3 times there. The increasing real estate purchases by foreigners is causing concern over their negative impact on the real estate market, according to Rep. Hong, who said the same problem has become a contested political topic in countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand. In online communities for sharing housing market information, some users are posting concerns that foreign property investors, especially from China, are pulling up housing prices even further and the Moon Jae-in administration has done little to solve the problem. A unit in Gyeongnam Marina Apartment in Busan's Haeundae District, which made headlines due to its steep price increase, later turned out to have been purchased by a Chinese national. The 84.93-square-meter unit on the seventh floor of the seaside apartment building was purchased for 1.7 billion won ($1.47 million) in March by a Chinese national. It is indeed a steep rise when considering that a similar unit on the 12th floor sold for 765 million won ($663,600) only three months earlier. "The 1.7 billion won purchase by a Chinese national of course pulled up the price. Other homeowners think they can also get that much. They even canceled plans to sell their apartments on expectation that the prices will rise further," said an agent at Haegang Real Estate Agency near the apartment. However, she said that she hasn't received further inquiries from potential Chinese buyers. The government introduced layers of regulations to curb the steeply soaring housing prices, but they have failed to stabilize the surging prices and do not apply to foreigners. A person who submitted a petition to the Cheong Wa Dae website said real estate purchases by foreign nationals are disturbing the market due to lack of proper regulation. The petitioner said foreigners should also be subject to the same rules as Koreans. Rep. Hong said that it could be a serious problem in the future as Chinese people are allowed to own real estate in Korea with no restrictions while Korean nationals cannot own land in China. "While Korean nationals cannot own land in China, Chinese nationals can own Korean land and the ratio of their ownership is increasing steeply. This can become a state-level problem in the long run so it should be restricted in terms of reciprocity," the lawmaker said. Kim Dae-ji, left, Korea's National Tax Service (NTS) Commissioner, stands next to his Russian counterpart, Daniil Egorov, Commissioner of the Federal Tax Service of Russia, during their first bilateral meeting in Moscow, Russia, last Friday. Courtesy of NTS By Anna J. Park In a move to strengthen concerted efforts for international coordination, Korea's National Tax Service (NTS) pledges to cooperate closely with Russia and Uzbekistan, particularly in preventing double taxation and in uncovering offshore tax evasion. During his recent trip to Russia and Uzbekistan, NTS Commissioner Kim Dae-ji held meetings with his counterparts in each country to discuss coordination in the international taxation arena. First off, Kim held a bilateral meeting with Daniil Egorov, the commissioner of the Federal Tax Service of Russia in Moscow, last Friday, the first time ever that the two countries' tax agency chiefs were able to sit together and hold an official meeting on taxation. During the meeting, NTS Commissioner Kim suggested that the two countries effectively adopt both a Mutual Agreement Procedure (MAP) and an Advance Pricing Arrangement (APA), which is an agreement between the tax authorities of two different countries that helps prevent double taxation. His Russian counterpart, Egorov, affirmatively responded that he would review it. Prior to the meeting, Kim held a meeting with Korean businesses operating in Russia to listen to their difficulties regarding tax issues, and delivered them to the Russian tax authority. Korea's National Tax Service (NTS) Commissioner Kim Dae-ji, right, shakes hands with his Uzbek counterpart Sherod Kudbiev, Chairman of the State Tax Committee in Uzbekistan, at their bilateral meeting in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Monday. Courtesy of NTS Tsay Tatyana, left in front row, a Samsung Life Insurance sales agent from Uzbekistan, poses with her colleagues at the firm's branch office in Yeongdeungpo, a Seoul district with a large population of foreign residents, July 13. Courtesy of Tsay Tatyana By Yi Whan-woo Tsay Tatyana, a Samsung Life Insurance sales agent from Uzbekistan, is among many foreign professionals hired by Korean insurers to deal with the growing number of foreign nationals who are residing in Korea long-term and searching for insurance plans that will help them lead a more stable and secure life. "The longer they stay, the more they are interested in insurance and saving for major life events, as they will have a higher chance of requiring dental implants, being diagnosed with cancer, sending their children to college as well as wanting to make sure their loved ones are not financially disadvantaged in the event of their unexpected death," she told The Korea Times this week. Tsay joined Samsung Life, the country's leading life insurer, in March 2020, almost 13 years after she first came to Korea and began witnessing a consistent growth in the number of long-term foreign residents. She works as a team leader at one of the insurer's two branches in Yeongdeungpo, a Seoul district with a large population of such residents. After opening its first branch with non-Korean sales agents a few years ago, the company set up an additional one in the same district in 2020 as the number of foreign subscribers there grew too fast for one office to manage. A total of 85 foreign consultants work at the two offices 45 in the first and 40 in the second. The policies the branches offer cover a range of medical expenses from cancer treatment to dental implants as well as providing savings plans to help customers manage their pensions, prepare for retirement and pay for their children's university tuition. While English and Chinese are the two most-served languages, services are also available in Kazakh, Mongolian, Russian, Ukrainian, Uzbek and Vietnamese. "You can see how extensively we deal with foreign subscribers and help them understand terms and conditions," Tsay said. In this April 27, 2018, file photo, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, poses with President Moon Jae-in inside the Peace House at the border village of Panmunjom in Demilitarized Zone, South Korea. AP-Yonhap North Korea said Tuesday that the restoration of inter-Korean communication lines will play a positive role in improving inter-Korean relations. "Now, the whole Korean nation desires to see the North-South relations recovered from setback and stagnation as early as possible," the official Korean Central News Agency said, confirming that all inter-Korean communication liaison lines were restored as of 10 a.m. An official of South Korea's Ministry of Unification calls with his North Korean counterpart at the Seoul branch of the joint inter-Korean liaison office, Tuesday, when the two Koreas restored communication lines 13 months after Pyongyang cut them off in June last year. Courtesy of Ministry of Unification Expectation grows on improvement in inter-Korean relations By Nam Hyun-woo South and North Korea have restored their communication lines, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday, with leaders of the two countries agreeing to rebuild mutual trust for better inter-Korean relations. This latest development has raised hopes for another reconciliatory mood on the Korean Peninsula and a resumption of the stalled nuclear talks between the United States and North Korea. "South and North Korea have agreed to restore their communication lines, which had been severed, as of 10 a.m., Tuesday," presidential senior secretary for public communication Park Soo-hyun said during a press conference. All direct communications between the two Koreas were cut unilaterally severed by the North on June 9, 2020. "Since April, the leaders have exchanged multiple letters to restart inter-Korean relations. During the process, the two sides agreed to start by restoring communication links," Park said. "Also, the leaders agreed to rebuild mutual trust as soon as possible and further develop inter-Korean relations." Presidential senior secretary for public communication Park Soo-hyun speaks during a press conference on the restoration of communication lines between South and North Korea at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae A senior Cheong Wa Dae official said President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have exchanged letters multiple times since April, on the occasion of the third anniversary of the Panmunjeom Declaration made during their first summit held April 27, 2018. "In the letters, the leaders recognized the problems stemming from the longstanding severance of inter-Korean relations and the necessity to rebuild mutual trust," the official said. "Also, they exchanged consolations over Koreans' suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic, and talked about improving inter-Korean relations." The official said, however, that the leaders had not spoken with each other via telephone, or consulted about doing so or having an in-person meeting. Also, the official did not reveal which side first suggested restoring the communication lines, saying, "The communication lines were reactivated through consultations between the two sides." The Ministry of Unification said representatives from the two Koreas held a telephone call at 10 a.m. utilizing a fixed line crossing the Panmunjeom border area for technical testing, and then another one from 11:04 a.m. to 11:07 a.m. through a line between the joint inter-Korean liaison office in Gaeseong and its Seoul branch. During the conversation, the two sides agreed to call twice a day at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., as they used to do before the North severed communications. The Ministry of National Defense also said the Western Sea military communication line with the North was restored at 10 a.m. and was now fully operational. The ministry added that it was working on technical problems on the East Sea communication line, and the two sides will exchange calls at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. every day. A joint liaison office between South and North Korea in Gaeseong in the North is blown up in these June 16, 2020 combined photos carried by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency a day later. Yonhap The reopening of the communication lines comes 13 months after Pyongyang cut them on June 9 last year in retaliation for Seoul-based activist groups' campaign of flying anti-Kim regime leaflets across the border. The regime also blew up a building housing the joint liaison office in Gaeseong in the North. South Korean officials previously stationed at the office had been working in Seoul since January last year due to the pandemic. A unification ministry official said the government could not confirm which location the North was answering the phone call from. The hostile actions last year were largely interpreted as the North having grown frustrated at Seoul's role in persuading the United States to ease sanctions on the regime, in the wake of the 2019 U.S.-North Korea summit in Vietnam that ended without a deal being reached. Though the two side have restored the communication lines, Pyongyang did not apologize for blowing up the liaison office building the Cheong Wa Dae official said, "it is a matter of further consultations." The North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) also reported that the two Koreas agreed to resume telephone calls. "Now, the whole Korean nation desires to see the North-South relations recovered from setback and stagnation as early as possible," it reported. "In this regard, the top leaders of the North and the South agreed to make a big stride in recovering the mutual trust and promoting reconciliation by restoring the severed inter-Korean communication liaison lines through the recent several exchanges of personal letters." It also reported that the reopening of communication lines will "play a positive role in improving and developing inter-Korean relations," implying there could be more steps forward. The restoration was announced on the day marking the 68th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, leaving the two Koreas still technically in a state of war. Following the resumption of communications, expectation is growing that inter-Korean relations will pick up momentum, given previous cases of Seoul-Pyongyang contacts. In February 2016, South Korea shut down the Gaeseong Industrial Complex, a joint business area operated by the two sides, and pulled out companies from the complex in response to the North's nuclear tests and missile launches. The North countered this by cutting off the communications lines. The lines were restored in January 2018, which became a prelude to the North's participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in February that year. Following the Olympics, Moon and Kim had three summits, in tandem with summits between then U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim. Former U.S. President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the border village of Panmunjeom in the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea, June 30, 2019. AP-Yonhap People are observed for possible side effects after receiving their COVID-19 vaccines at a vaccination center in Seodaemun District, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap By Lee Hyo-jin The government's COVID-19 vaccination plan is facing uncertainties due to supply issues involving products from Moderna, with which the country has signed a contract to receive 40 million doses, enough for 20 million people. Korea has so far received 1.15 million doses from the U.S. pharmaceutical company, with the remainder set to arrive in the latter half of the year. The government was planning to use the doses to vaccinate people in their 50s, as well as those in lower age groups, from August But the health authorities have were informed by Moderna, July 23, about a production issue involving its vaccines, making changes in the supply schedule inevitable, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). "There may be some adjustments to the shipment schedules, but we are mobilizing all administrative and diplomatic capacities to look into the details and come up with countermeasures," Park Ji-young, a senior official at the KDCA, said Monday. But the agency did not specify what the production issue was, or how long the shipment would be delayed, saying, "We will announce the details after talks with the pharmaceutical company." Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Tuesday that the government is engaging in talks with Moderna officials on specific volumes and shipment dates. "We will soon announce a revised vaccination plan," he said, vowing to keep the goal of reaching herd immunity by November. Later in the day, the KDCA said Moderna doses which were initially scheduled to arrive in late July have been pushed back to August, but failed to give any specific dates. Moderna's production problems, which come as the country expands its vaccination drive for people in their 50s, has brought last minute changes in the types of vaccine to be used for people in this age group, and may cause further setbacks in the inoculation schedule on lower age groups slated for the third quarter of the year. The health authorities had initially planned to use Moderna doses for the vaccination of people in their 50s, which began Monday. Test tubes are seen in front of a Moderna logo in this May 21 photo. Reuters-Yonhap But one week ahead of the rollout, the KDCA decided to include Pfizer vaccines in its inoculation plan, as the arrival of Moderna products had been delayed due to quality inspection and delivery issues. Therefore, this week, people in the metropolitan area began to receive the Pfizer vaccine, while those outside the capital area, had the Moderna vaccine for their first shots. But due to the unstable shipment schedule, the government has decided to replace the Moderna vaccine with the one from Pfizer. Due to the continuously changing plans, many people in their 50s have no idea whether they will receive the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine. The health authorities will announce their vaccination plan for people aged between 18 and 49 this Friday, but it is uncertain which product will be used. If the problem in the supply of the Moderna vaccine is not resolved soon, vaccination for this age group could be pushed back from the initial plan inoculation with the first shots from the end of August to the end of September. In this case, the target of planned herd immunity by November after this group receives their second shots could also be pushed back. As of Monday, around 34 percent of the population had received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, while 13.5 percent have been fully vaccinated, according to the KDCA. U.S. President Joe Biden / AP-Yonhap U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday said his country is proud of its friendship with South Korea, which he said still remains the key to maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. His remarks came as the allied countries mark the anniversary of the signing of the Korean armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War nearly seven decades ago this week. "Our commitment to protecting peace on the Korean Peninsula has endured and grown in the ensuing decades. We are immensely proud of our historic friendship and the trust we share with the Republic of Korea," the U.S. president said in a statement, released by the White House. "The service and sacrifices of both our nations have left an indelible determination to sustain peace and promote regional stability," he added. Some 1.8 million American service members had fought for the defense of South Korea from the invasion of communist China and North Korea, more than 36,000 of whom were killed in action, Biden noted. "We shall never forget the service members who made the ultimate sacrifice," he said, proclaiming July 27 as National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day. "I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities that honor and give thanks to our distinguished Korean War Veterans." Biden insisted the South Korea-U.S. alliance continues to remain crucial to maintaining peace and security on the Korean Peninsula. "Training side-by-side with the Korean military, our Armed Forces abroad help keep the watch while proudly upholding the legacy of those serving before them. Our partnership remains crucial to maintaining peace and stability today, and to expanding economic growth in a critical region of the world," he said. The U.S. currently maintains some 28,500 troops on the Korean Peninsula. Biden also noted the armistice did not officially end the war but that South Korea still managed to thrive. "The armistice made possible the exchange of prisoners of war as well as an opportunity to negotiate a peaceful settlement. Almost 70 years later, that settlement still has not been reached, and the Korean Peninsula remains divided along the 38th parallel," said the released statement. "Yet, the Republic of Korea has grown into a thriving, vibrant country, and the enduring relationship between our two nations has flourished through decades of peace." (Yonhap) An apartment building in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, remains dark due to a blackout following a surge in electricity use in this Aug. 5, 2019 photo. Yonhap By Bahk Eun-ji The continued heat wave has caused a series of power outages at apartment complexes due to aging electrical infrastructure. As a countermeasure, some apartments are running energy-saving campaigns, urging their residents to take turns using their air conditioners or to go on vacation, despite the risk of COVID-19 infection. The head of a management office at an apartment complex in Songpa District, Seoul, posted a sign announcing the start of a campaign for residents to use their air conditioners only at designated times units on odd-numbered floors could use their air conditioners during odd-numbered hours of the day, and units on even-numbered floors, during even-numbered hours. It also recommended that residents use only one air conditioner per household if they have more than one, and use washing machines in the morning when the electricity consumption level is not as high. The notice reflects concerns about power outages in case surging electricity consumption exceeds the capacity of aging transformers and other electricity-related equipment. The particular apartment complex in question, which has more than 5,000 households, was built more than 30 years ago, and due to the age of its electric power infrastructure, there have been cases of blackouts every summer, including in 2018 when the worst heat wave ever was recorded. During this summer too, 824 households suffered from a power outage lasting 10 minutes on Friday evening. A sign posted at an apartment complex in Songpa District, Seoul, encourages residents to limit the use of air conditioners. Yonhap Emblem of Korea's police / Korea Times file By Yoon Ja-young A Sri Lankan worker at a plastic manufacturing factory in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, died in an industrial accident. He had been working for 18 consecutive hours to meet a deadline. According to Hwaseong Seobu Police Station, the 33-year-old worker from Sri Lanka died at a plastic goods manufacturing factory in Paltan Township of Hwaseong City, at around 3:30 a.m. on July 25. He was caught in an oil pressure compressor while trying to replace the plate. There were two other workers of foreign nationality nearby, but they weren't aware of the accident until they heard the victim screaming, according to police. They immediately reported the situation to the manager of the factory, who then called 119 while on his way to the factory. Police said that the compressor, which had some oil pressure gas left in it, seemed to have started operating suddenly, but they are investigating the exact cause of the accident. The victim was a new worker who had joined the factory less than three months earlier. It turned out that the three workers of foreign nationality including the victim had been working for more than 18 consecutive hours, starting at 9 a.m. the previous day. The Korean factory manager had reportedly left the factory at 11 p.m., a few hours before the accident occurred. Police suspect the workers had to work overtime as the factory was having trouble meeting a deadline, due to a defect in production. They are also examining whether there were any violations of labor laws. Police plan to punish all those related to the factory management based on what kind of irregularities are found after their investigation, including analyzing surveillance footage recorded at the factory. Despite its advanced economic status and GDP, Korea is still infamous for both occupational accidents and overwork. It ranks in the top five among OECD member countries in terms of workplace fatality rate. By Joschka Fischer BERLIN German Chancellor Angela Merkel's farewell visit to the White House this month offers an ideal opportunity to reflect on the state of U.S.-German relations. But it is not a sentimental opportunity. The long, complicated history of the bilateral relationship may be about to enter a new phase. From the aftermath of World War II until Germany's reunification in 1990, the United States shepherded the country's reconstruction and economic resurgence. This epoch could be summed up under the heading "Guardian and Ward," which was far more fortuitous than the preceding chapter, "Enmity and War." In that chapter, Germany's ruthless pursuit of world power in two savage world wars eventually ended in its complete and utter defeat. The Allies victory in WWII left Germany divided into four occupation zones. Large swaths of its eastern territory were lost, resulting in 12 million refugees and expellees. And, everywhere, there was the moral abyss of the Nazis' monstrous legacy. Since post-war reconstruction relied on U.S. protection and aid, it occurred exclusively in Western Europe, and thus also only in West Germany. Joseph Stalin viewed the Soviet Union as the socialist Greater Russian counterpoint to the U.S.-led capitalist West. From the late 1940s onward, this ideological and geostrategic posturing sustained the Cold War, which played out largely in Germany, and particularly in Berlin, the central point of the new great-power divide. Germany's twice-defeated bid for European hegemony and global domination gave way to a close alliance between the U.S. and the Federal Republic of Germany. A degree of political distrust on the part of the U.S. persisted, but German "transatlanticists" refused to see it. From their perspective, the alliance which included a military component with the establishment of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) had supplanted all previous antipathy, and that was that. They were wrong. Throughout the Cold War, the U.S. pursued a multi-pronged strategy, both deterring the Soviet Union and maintaining control over Germany, in recognition of its vital position at the heart of Europe. The transatlantic relationship was never as simple as its champions wanted it to be, and it still isn't today. In normative terms, the Federal Republic was successfully integrated into the West more or less immediately, under its first post-war chancellor, Konrad Adenauer. But in terms of raw interests and political economy, significant differences remained. Since the mid-1950s, for example, the transatlantic perspective competed with a more distinctively European one. And with German Chancellor Willy Brandt's Ostpolitik (Eastern Policy) in the 1970s which coincided with the nascent detente between the U.S. and the Soviet Union the protector and the ward's diverging interests became even more obvious. Nonetheless, when the Soviet Union collapsed, the U.S. was the only transatlantic power to issue immediate and wholehearted support for German reunification. For Germany's European neighbors, its potential return as a geopolitical force brought back old fears of the "German question." When Germany became a fully sovereign state through reunification, the old protector-ward relationship necessarily changed. And yet, Germany has not shaken the post-war mindset. Consider other similarly sized European powers. The United Kingdom and France are nuclear powers with permanent seats on the U.N. Security Council, where they do not hesitate to lay claim to a global leadership role. By contrast, Germany the world's fourth-largest national economy makes no such claims. Germany therefore will remain dependent on the U.S. security guarantee for a long time to come. Not only is it haunted by its own history; it also must manage enormously complex security conditions. Lying in the heart of Europe, Germany must account for the interests of smaller Central and Eastern European countries both within and outside of the European Union while also getting along with an increasingly expansionist, nuclear-armed Russia. And it must do all of that at a time when its economic foundations are fracturing. Moreover, Germany must account for the strategic interests of its protector, even though they are not always congruent with its own. The U.S. is engaged in an escalating confrontation with China, the twenty-first century's new global power; but China is one of Germany's most important trade partners. Even more important is the EU, whose future Germany has a key role in shaping. German diplomacy is an immensely complicated enterprise, to say the least. After Donald Trump's presidency, which did more serious damage to U.S.-German relations than anything else since WWII, the question for President Joe Biden is whether the U.S. can regain its allies' trust. What happens if the Trump era resumes either with Trump himself or one of his many ambitious acolytes? For Germans, this question will dwarf all other considerations in the coming years. The protector-ward relationship is no longer functional; but nor can Germany establish a fully independent role for itself within a European framework. To make matters worse, differences in interests starting with China and Russia will bring more controversies and friction between the US and Germany. The next phase of the bilateral relationship, one hopes, will be defined by the high art of compromise. Joschka Fischer, Germany's foreign minister and vice chancellor from 1998 to 2005, was a leader of the German Green Party for almost 20 years. This article was distributed by Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org). Rival parties strike deal, laying basis for 'cooperative politics' The rival political parties have agreed to distribute the chairmanships of National Assembly standing committees according to the numbers of their respective lawmakers. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the largest opposition People Power Party (PPP) also decided to share the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chairmanship for two years each. Under the agreement reached last Friday, the DPK will chair 11 Assembly committees, and the PPP, seven. Additionally, the PPP will take over the gavel of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee next June, when the second half of the 21st Assembly begins. Both parties have opened the way for normalizing the Assembly's operation by resolving the controversial issue of chairing the judiciary panel. The agreement is meaningful in that it has laid the basis for bipartisanship, leaving behind the past 14 months of partisan bickering over what the PPP called the ruling party's "legislative dictatorship." The two sides also agreed to limit the authority of the legislation-judiciary committee to the review of legal problems and wording of bills approved by other committees. To date, it has modified the content of bills, particularly those presented by opposition parties, and interfered with their passage. To present such abuses of authority, the DPK and the PPP also decided to shorten the judiciary panel's legislative review period from 120 days to 60. The move is a step in the right direction by correcting the role of the judiciary committee that has hampered the legislation of urgent and essential bills because of partisan interests. The parties should remove any room for the committee to assume the role of final gatekeeper under the pretext of reviewing legal systems and expressions, through more discussions. Some DPK supporters, however, expressed discontent with the agreement, saying, "What political agenda can the ruling party push if it yields the judiciary committee to the opposition party?" However, the DPK's legislative monopoly over the past 14 months has only had various adverse effects and deepened political conflict, leading to its humiliating defeats in mayoral by-elections in the nation's two largest cities. The accord reflects these bitter experiences of the ruling party in which its legislative one-man show resulted in a voter backlash. The DPK should not just talk about "cooperative politics" but show it with action. Two Koreas should resume dialogue for peace South and North Korea reconnected their severed cross-border communication lines Tuesday, raising cautious hopes for the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue as well as the stalled denuclearization talks with Washington. The move came 13 months after the North cut all communication lines with the South to protest North Korean defectors sending propaganda leaflets into the reclusive country. The reconnection was in accordance with an agreement between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The presidential office said the two leaders agreed on the restoration of the communication lines after exchanging several personal letters over the past three months. It added Moon and Kim also agreed to seek to restore mutual trust and promote reconciliation between the two Koreas. We welcome the agreement and hope for better inter-Korean ties. We also have cautious optimism that the North will soon return to the negotiating table to discuss denuclearization with the United States. During their first face-to-face summit in Washington, D.C., in May, Moon and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to resolve the North Korean nuclear problem through dialogue and diplomacy. Notably, they acknowledged previous agreements, including the Singapore statement issued by Kim and then U.S. President Donald Trump during their historic summit in June 2018. However, the Kim regime has yet to accept the Biden administration's offers for dialogue. It should no longer drag its feet. The longer the deadlock remains, the harder it becomes to find a solution to the nuclear showdown with the U.S. That's why we call on the North to embrace U.S. overtures sooner rather than later. If that is difficult, Pyongyang can first start talking with Seoul to rebuild trust and ease tension on the Korean Peninsula. Then the two sides can boost inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation. The starting point could be the South's humanitarian assistance to help the North tackle the chronic food shortage and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Through this, the two Koreas can improve their relations and move toward peace, reconciliation and prosperity. Inter-Korean detente will certainly make it easier for the North to negotiate with the U.S over sanctions relief in return for denuclearization. If Pyongyang keeps demanding that Washington first lift major sanctions before starting the denuclearization process, it will not see a breakthrough. Thus, the North had better take a flexible approach. As such, Washington needs to provide more incentives to lure Pyongyang back to talks. Against this backdrop, President Moon should play a more active role in brokering dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea. It will be Moon's last chance to promote his much-touted "peace process" on the peninsula before his term ends in May 2022. However, he should not seek another grandstanding event only to help the ruling Democratic Party of Korea win next year's presidential election. Customer orders groceries on a mobile application using quick commerce service by GS Retail in Seoul, on June 30. Korea Times file By Kim Jae-heun Coupang has launched the quick commerce service "Coupang Eats Market" in a bid to make a rebound from the fallout of a number of scandals that led customers to turn their backs on the online retailer. Customers recently declared a boycott of the retail giant after founder Kim Bom-seok shunned responsibility for a fire that broke out at a logistics center in Icheon, last month, and was accused of bullying a member of a union. The company also took a passive approach to the death of a restaurant owner, whose demise in May was "linked" to his use of Coupang's food delivery service. The company's attempt to recapture customers is by introducing a quick commerce service that puts the utmost priority on consumer convenience. Coupang Eats Market plans to establish small-sized local fulfillment centers in various areas to deliver orders within 15 minutes; twice as fast as Baedal Minjok (Baemin). The company hopes that its free delivery service will attract customers to Coupang Eats Market it only requires a 2,000 won minimum order. Baemin's B Mart requires customers to make a minimum 10,000 won purchase to get their order for a 3,000 won quick delivery fee. Coupang's online order service has 16 categories including fruit, vegetables, salads, meat, fish and eggs, but currently, it is only available in Songpa, western Seoul. "We are currently testing our service for customer convenience, and will expand it to other parts of Seoul including Gangnam," a Coupang official said. Coupang Eats Market has rapidly gained popularity in Songpa with an increasing number of residents using the service amid the resurgence of COVID-19. Its number of paid-membership users decreased from 10 million to 8 million after the fire in Incheon, but the figure had risen to 9.6 million recently. The biggest problem facing Coupang, is the opposition from convenience stores that allege Coupang Eats Market hurts local businesses. Convenience stores have been going through a tough time with declining sales affected by the pandemic and the increase in the minimum wage. Many stores are considering whether to continue staying open after midnight. To combat the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government has restricted people from holding gatherings of over three people after six p.m. making it harder for convenience stores to see a rebound. Convenience stores have already issued a statement protesting quick commerce service operators, not only against Coupang but also Baemin and Yogiyo. An aerial view of a lagoon that turned pink due to a chemical used to help shrimp conservation in fishing factories near Trelew in the Patagonian province of Chubut, Argentina, July 23. AFP-Yonhap A lagoon in Argentina's southern Patagonia region has turned bright pink in a striking, but frightful phenomenon experts and activists blame on pollution by a chemical used to preserve prawns for export. The color is caused by sodium sulfite, an anti-bacterial product used in fish factories, whose waste is blamed for contaminating the Chubut river that feeds the Corfo lagoon and other water sources in the region, according to activists. Residents have long complained of foul smells and other environmental issues around the river and lagoon. "Those who should be in control are the ones who authorize the poisoning of people," environmental activist Pablo Lada told AFP, blaming the government for the mess. The lagoon turned pink last week and remained the abnormal color on Sunday, said Lada, who lives in the city of Trelew, not far from the lagoon and some 870 miles (1,400 kilometers) south of Buenos Aires. Environmental engineer and virologist Federico Restrepo told AFP the coloration was due to sodium sulfite in fish waste, which by law, should be treated before being dumped. The lagoon, which is not used for recreation, receives runoff from the Trelew industrial park and has turned the color of fuchsia before. But residents of the area are fed up. An aerial view of a lagoon that turned pink due to a chemical used to help shrimp conservation in fishing factories near Trelew in the Patagonian province of Chubut, Argentina, July 23. AFP-Yonhap In this Sept. 29, 2019, file photo, Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny delivers a speech during a rally to demand the release of protesters detained during opposition demonstrations for fair elections, Moscow. Reuters-Yonhap Russian authorities have restricted access to the website of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny and to dozens of sites run by his close allies, Navalny's team said Monday. The action came amid mounting government pressure on opposition supporters, independent journalists and human rights activists in Russia ahead of the country's parliamentary election. The September vote is widely seen as an important part of President Vladimir Putin's efforts to cement his rule before a 2024 presidential election. The 68-year-old Russian leader, who has been in power for more than two decades, pushed through constitutional changes last year that would potentially allow him to hold onto power until 2036. Navalny's website, as well as the website of his top strategist, Leonid Volkov, and longtime ally Lyubov Sobol were unavailable on Monday. The websites of Navalny's Foundation for Fighting Corruption and a network of about 40 regional offices, which the Russian government outlawed as extremist groups last month, also could not be accessed; neither could the website of the Navalny-backed Alliance of Doctors union and an online page calling for Navalny's freedom. According to Russia's state communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, access to all of the websites was restricted at the behest of the Russian prosecutor general's office. In a statement to the Interfax news agency, Roskomnadzor confirmed blocking the websites, saying they were being ''used for propaganda'' of extremist groups. ''(They) have decided to completely wipe us out of the internet,'' Navalny associate Maria Pevchikh tweeted. Navalny, who is Putin's most ardent political foe, was arrested in January upon returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin an accusation rejected by Russian officials. In February, Navalny was ordered to serve 2 years in prison for violating the terms of a suspended sentence from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that he dismissed as politically motivated. His arrest and jailing sparked a wave of mass protests across Russia's 11 time zones, in what appeared to be a major challenge to the Kremlin. The authorities responded with mass arrests of demonstrators and the criminal prosecutions of Navalny's closest associates. The politician's Foundation for Fighting Corruption, which he launched 10 years ago and has published dozens of colorful and widely watched videos exposing the alleged corruption of senior government officials, was labeled as an extremist group along with the network of regional offices Navalny had relied on to organize protests. The ruling not only barred the foundation and the offices from operating, but also prevents people associated with the organizations from seeking public office and exposes them to lengthy prison terms. Navalny's team pointed out Monday that the website of Smart Voting a project to support candidates most likely to defeat the ones from the Kremlin's dominant United Russia party in various elections remained available. Volkov, the strategist, suggested that authorities might block the strategy site ''closer to the election'' in September, in which Navalny's team plans to deploy the Smart Voting project. Ivan Zhdanov, a close Navalny ally, said in an Instagram post that the politician's team was ''was not surprised'' by the blocking of the websites ''and therefore ready'' for them. Zhdanov urged supporters to follow Navalny's team and its members on social media, ''where it's harder to block us,'' and to download a mobile app that contains all the recent investigations and the Smart Voting project. ''An app cannot currently be blocked,'' Zhdanov wrote. (AP) The Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Iowa State University (ISU) invites applications for at least two tenure-track open rank, Assistant to Full Professor, positions in technical areas contributory to the MSE Departments education and research efforts. Areas of interest include ceramics, inorganic materials, polymers, or soft matter. Exceptional candidates may be considered for tenured ranks and/or endowed research chair/professorship positions. The successful candidate will be expected to develop a vibrant research program, develop an innovative course portfolio at the undergraduate and graduate level in materials science and engineering, and engage in professional and institutional service and leadership. All faculty members are expected to interact collegially and maintain the highest standard of integrity and ethics. The candidate will have opportunities to engage in significant interdisciplinary collaborations on the Iowa State University campus, including those offered by the Ames Laboratory (www.ameslab.gov) which includes the Sensitive Instrument Facility, the Materials Preparation Center, and the Critical Materials Institute; the Center for Nondestructive Evaluation (www.cnde.iastate.edu); the Center for Advanced Nonferrous Structural Alloys (https://canfsa.org); Nanovaccine Institute (https://www.nanovaccine.iastate.edu/); the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Biorenewable Chemicals (www.cbirc.iastate.edu); the Bioeconomy Institute (www.biorenew.iastate.edu); ISUs Office of Biotechnology (www.biotech.iastate.edu); and the Microelectronics Research Center. The Department of Materials Science and Engineering has 28 faculty members among which are a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Nobel Prize winner, and 3 members of the National Academy of Inventors. The Department of Materials Science and Engineering has ~200 undergraduate students and ~55 graduate students. Sponsored research expenditures of the department are over $13M per year. Iowa State University is an equal opportunity employer with externally funded programs to broaden the participation of women and underrepresented minorities and enhance the success of all faculty in STEM fields. Application Instructions To apply for this position, please click on Apply and complete the Employment Application. Please be prepared to enter or attach the following: Resume/Curriculum Vitae Letter of application/Cover letter If your career has been impacted by the COVID pandemic and/or other event(s), please feel free to describe this in your Cover letter. Contact information for three references, including name, address, e-mail address and phone number A one-page statement of teaching philosophy, experiences, and interests, especially of those courses in our department. A concise statement of research interests and experiences as well as a vision for future research not to exceed three pages. A one-page statement on your strategies to support diversity, equity, and inclusion A minimum of one, and not more than three, representative refereed conference or journal publication(s). Review of applications will begin on October 1st, 2021 and continue until the positions are filled. Iowa State University is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, status as an individual with a disability or status as a protected veteran. Micron Technology, Inc. has openings for the following positions in Boise, ID. Mail resume to Amberley Johnson, 8000 S. Federal Way, Boise, Idaho 83716. Must reference Job number and job title when applying. Engineers- AMD RT: Collaborate with Process Integration, Photolithography teams, and OPC vendors to deliver reticle solutions with production-worthy patterning fidelity on wafers. Some travel may be required to work on projects at various, unanticipated sites throughout the United States. Job #10878.2814. IT Business Intelligence Analyst: Responsible for understanding the desired business outcomes, technical platforms, and data management and data warehousing techniques in order to design and provide detailed technical data warehouse requirements for the delivery of business solutions. Job #10878.3237. recblid jpbbc5d5sh6fm1fc7gq2ht0ukaq6qp Acquisitions Associate (Miami, FL) Dvlp microeconomic models to predict future growth for real estate investment/dvlpmt Co.; create valuation models; dvlp internal strategies to improve performance of Co.; assist in managing investor relationship. Master's or its foreign equiv in Bus Admin or Finance or Mgmt or Accounting or rltd field plus 1 yr exp in duties or rltd finance position involving auditing for real estate industry & due diligence analysis for acquisitions & identifying industry trends. Email resumes to: reception@keyinternational.info or mail resumes to: Key International II, LLC, 848 Brickell Ave, #1100, Miami, FL 33131. recblid v2054jrry8uufvbk31ie35g1qge3al CtrlCS Inc seeks a Principal Systems Development Engineer in Sacramento, CA to develop, test & support projects in VMware Cloud foundation technologies on Dell Platforms (HCI VxRail, VxBlock, Compute, Storage and Networking), Dell EMC Storage VMAX, VNX-2 (Unity All-Flash), UNIX, Python and Shell Scripting. Also expert in managing End-to-end infrastructure and IT management for Converged/HCI, Storage, Cloud Applications, Platform Infrastructure, Data Protection. Masters in CS/IS/IT/Engg/Sci. or equiv or Bachelors in CS/IS/IT/Engg/Sci. or equiv + 5 yrs of exp for sr positions. Mail resume: 3754 Sardinia Island Way, Sacramento, CA -95834 recblid 6mr5vz3qktv23e832so98g8b2o78o1 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. QMA (Qualified Medical Assistant) Five Star Residences of Noblesville is a beautiful community in Noblesville, IN, with more than 150 units offering independent living, assisted living, and Alzheimer's care. Starting Wage: $17 hourly Key Responsibilities At this time, we are seeking Part Time QMA (Qualified Medical Assistant) Responsibilities This is the job of the Medication Aide to administer oral and external medications to residents under the direction and supervision of a registered nurse or a licensed practical/vocational nurse. Follows current standards of hygiene, safety and infection control when handling, storing and disposing of medications. Administers medications within 60 minutes of scheduled time. Takes and records vital signs upon administration of medications when required. Recognizes the resident's right to refuse medication. Notifies the appropriate RN/LPN when making the decision not to administer medication or treatment. Clarifies any order or treatment regimen believed to be inaccurate, ineffective or contraindicated by consulting with the appropriate licensed nurse (RN/LPN). Monitors residents who self-administer medications and report deviation from the plan of care to the licensed or registered nurse. Secures medication cart. Removes discontinued, outdated or deteriorated drugs from inventory. Recognizes and reports unsafe conditions for medication provision. Accurately documents medication provision. Recognizes and reports general reactions to medications. Recognizes the limitations of the Medication Aide role. Qualifications High school diploma or equivalent. Graduate of a state approved nursing assistant training program and passed a state approved competency examination. Successful completion of a state approved Medication Aide course and is approved to administer oral and external medication. Ability to perform medication administration in accordance with state regulations. Strong communication skills. Shift/Hours Daytime Our Core Values We Put People First We Act With Integrity We Mind the Business We Listen, Then Act Decisively We Work to be Our Best About Five Star Five Star Senior Living Inc., a national healthcare and senior living provider headquartered in Newton, Massachusetts, proudly offers the highest quality service and care with the warmth and hospitality of home. Founded in 2000, Five Star has two major operating division: Five Star Senior Living and AGEILITY Physical Therapy Solutions. The Five Star Senior Living division includes more than 280 Independent Living, Assisted Living, Alzheimer's/Memory Care, Healthcare Centers with Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation and Continuing Care Retirement Communities. With communities in over 30 states and more than 25,000 team members, Five Star is committed to maximizing our residents' independence and enhancing their lifestyles. The Ageility division provides both inpatient and outpatient services to over 150 communities. These services are provided both within Five Star and to customers externally. We offer Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy Services. Our specialty programs includes our Step up to Stop falls Program, "Connections" our memory care therapy program, and our executive functioning program that focuses on cognitive strategies aimed at keeping our residents independent in areas such as medication management and house hold functions. EEOC Five Star prohibits discrimination against any applicant or employee with regard to or on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, ancestry, sex, pregnancy (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), gender, gender identity and expression (including transgender), sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, military status, certain criminal records, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), HIV testing, a personal admission to a facility for the care and treatment of a mentally ill person and taking of parental leave or membership in any other category protected by applicable law. In addition to federal requirements, Five Star complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has communities and/or facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. In addition, Five Star expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, ancestry, sex, pregnancy (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), gender, gender identity and expression (including transgender), sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, military status, certain criminal records, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), HIV testing, a personal admission to a facility for the care and treatment of a mentally ill person and taking of parental leave or membership in any other category protected by applicable law. We will not tolerate harassment of employees in the workplace, or in other settings in which employees may find themselves in connection with their employment. Improper interference with the ability of Five Stars employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge. Additionally, retaliation, including intimidation, threats, or coercion, because an employee or applicant has objected to discrimination harassment or retaliation, engaged or may engage in filing a complaint, assisted in a review, investigation, or hearing or have otherwise sought to obtain their legal rights under any federal, state, or local law is prohibited and will not be tolerated. recblid skimw0jdzxzdzetqtpc2ryhp69k7f9 Part Time: 20 hours weekly (Saturday and Sunday 12:45pm -10:45pm) pro-rated benefited position Mandatory Training Session- full time 12 week training session during 1st and 2nd shifts $ 27.80 hourly The successful candidate will be responsible for operating the telephone, computer systems, multiple radio frequencies, recording systems and 911 phone systems. Additional tasks include receiving and transmitting police, EMS, and Fire calls; dispatching service calls, inputting complaints and other data into computers, and interacting with the public. Varied clerical work will also be required. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS Must have a High School Diploma or GED with one year experience in dispatching, law enforcement or clerical work, and operation of personal computer or system computer, OR an acceptable equivalent combination of education and experience. SELECTION PROCESS Written Examination : Town of Bloomfield is a Connecticut Police Chiefs Association (CPCA) participating department. Register on www.policeapp.com for the CPCA written exam. Oral Panel Examination : Candidates who have applied to the Town of Bloomfield Police Department and who successfully pass the CPCA examination with a score of at least 70% will progress to the oral panel examination. The oral panel examinations will be held at the Town Hall. CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS Candidates must have no criminal record revealing any conviction, under federal or state law, of any felony, or any conviction of any Class A or Class B misdemeanor, or of any crime in any other jurisdiction that would, if committed in this state, constitute a Class A or Class B misdemeanor, or any act which would constitute perjury or false statements. All other criminal records will be evaluated during the background investigation. BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION Candidates' background and character will be investigated, including criminal record, driving record, employment record, military record, educational record and other related areas. Applicants are required to pass a pre-employment drug test. A psychological evaluation will also be administered. The Town of Bloomfield will be accepting application via www.policeapp.com/Bloomfield until midnight Friday, August 20, 2021. Applications will only be accepted via www.policeapp.com/Bloomfield . You MUST have received a CPCA written score of at least 70% to apply to the Bloomfield Police Department. For information contact Human Resources Department located in the Town Hall Annex, 800 Bloomfield Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002. - 860-769-3544. Town of Bloomfield is an affirmative action/equal employment opportunity employer. Minorities, women & persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Town of Bloomfield is an affirmative action/equal employment opportunity employer. Minorities, women & persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Persons with a disability who may need this information in an alternative format or who may need accommodations during the testing procedure should contact Cindy Coville, ADA Coordinator at 860-769-3538 or at ccoville@bloomfieldct.org. recblid vmk3ha4tjaftx7sk0wl58bj4dxq0rh Description Req #17488 Tuesday, July 27, 2021 Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is a subscription-led and digitally focused media and marketing solutions company committed to empowering communities to thrive. With an unmatched reach at the national and local level, Gannett touches the lives of millions with our Pulitzer-Prize winning content, consumer experiences and benefits, and advertiser products and services. Our current portfolio of media assets includes USA TODAY, local media organizations in 46 states in the U.S., and Newsquest, a wholly owned subsidiary operating in the United Kingdom with more than 120 local news media brands. Gannett also owns the digital marketing services companies ReachLocal, Inc., UpCurve, Inc., and WordStream, Inc., which are marketed under the LOCALiQ brand, and runs the largest media-owned events business in the U.S., USA TODAY NETWORK Ventures. To connect with us, visit www.gannett.com. The USA TODAY Network is seeking a storytelling reporter to join our North Carolina Statewide News Team to produce premium enterprise and audience-focused content that resonates in local communities with statewide and national interest. This role will go beyond reporting on trending topics and the news of the day to focus on longform, narrative-driven enterprise work that spotlightsNorth Carolinians and their stories. This reporter should have a passion for people-focused storytelling that helps readers understand their neighbors and highlights solutions as well as problems, with an eye toward equity, inclusion and amplifying a diverse range of voices. A successful reporter in this position will have strong skills in original story idea generation and development, will be able to work independently, be comfortable taking initiative and experimenting with new storytelling techniques across platforms. While the bulk of this position will be focused on longer-term projects, the ability to be agile, to juggle multiple stories and occasionally produce quick-turnsis also a must. This reporter will be based in North Carolina but will work remotely with office access as needed. They will work primarily alongside our NC statewide news team, as well as on collaborative projects with our 12 NC news organizations and others throughout the USA TODAY Network. Requirements: Bachelor's or masters in communications, journalism or an equivalent combination of education and experience. 5-plus years reporting/newsroom experience. Strong command of AP grammar and style. Strong copy-editing skills and the ability to produce content that is clean, accurate and "publication ready." Is passionate and enthusiastic about news and content that will work well with audiences on social platforms. A desire to grow and develop a key role on our news team. Is comfortable using social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat to enhance reporting and promote stories. Understands reporting ethics and sourcing. Excels in a fast-paced news environment and understands the digital first mission. Collaborates well with others and can work with a team on the biggest stories. This role requires a valid drivers license, reliable transportation, and the minimum liability insurance required by state law. We are eager to learn more about you and how you fit this role. When you apply, dont limit your upload to a resume; show us what youve done. To do so, put together a single document file that includes the following, in this order: 1.Your resume one to two pages. 2.A cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job. 3.Links to 3-6 online samples of your work. Show us what youve produced or had a hand in that best reflects what you can do in your desired role. #content Gan.content Gannett Co., Inc.is a proud equal opportunity employer. We are a drug free, EEO employer committed to a diverse workforce. We will consider all qualified candidates regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity, family responsibilities, disability, education, political affiliation, or veteran status. Job Family Frontline Journalists Job Function Consumer Pay Type Hourly Other details recblid a125glsjodw1luokq9vps7zeosxmso Requirements None Description Description PURPOSE OF POSITION The Duluth Trading Company Sales Associate, in this guest facing role, delivers the Duluth Brand experience daily. Consistent with that the associate provides thoughtful, engaging and solution based customer service, demonstrates superior product knowledge, enjoys being part of team, supports the overall sales goals and takes pride in maintaining a well merchandised, organized and clean store. What We Offer: Flexible Hours Great Store Discounts Incredible Holiday Hours Growth Opportunities What Youll Love: Being a part of an innovation-driven organization that is growing fast, and taking care of business through catalog, web and retail stores. Working on a team that makes retail workwear for customers who are smart, straight-talking folks who do everything from pounding nails to shoeing horses and pitching bales. POKING AVERAGE IN THE EYE! What You'll Do: Develops an exceptional familiarity of the Duluth brand and comprehensive product knowledge to provide solution-oriented, friendly service to customers. Understands the customer is the center of what we do. Understands how to layer personalized service into each area of interaction from greeting to fitting room to register. Effectively communicates sales and promotions. Understands the importance of email capture as part of sales and service and executes to standard. Responds proactively and is empowered to provide positive resolutions to customer concerns. Answers telephone in a courteous and friendly manner including, but not limited to, giving store greeting, directions to store location, and receiving and filling customer orders. Assists in receiving, processing and replenishing merchandise. Maintains merchandising, presentation and display standards. Sales floor is customer ready. Ensures Company standards for cleanliness for the sales floor, stockroom, restrooms, cash wrap and hospitality area. Accurately and efficiently processes all register transactions. Adheres to all Company policies, procedures and practices. Performs any other duties as directed by management. What We're Looking For: High school diploma or equivalent. Retail experience preferred but not necessary. Customer Centric. Takes pride in a job well done, shows ownership in the store. Operates with integrity and trust. Excellent communicator and listener. Collaborates and functions as part of a team. Performs other duties as directed. Environmental Factors: Must be able to stand or walk for up to eight hours a day. Frequent reaching and bending and twisting below waist and above shoulders. Frequently required to use repetitive hand to finger motions and reach with hands and arms. Frequently lifting up to twenty pounds, occasionally lifting up to 40 pounds. Push/pull up to 20 lbs. Ability to climb ladders, reach and bend. Work in temperatures ranging from 50 - 85 degrees especially in our stock room areas. Use of a computer up to 60 % of the time throughout the day. Who We Are: We are a no bull brand that started in 1989 and we provide apparel and other gear for hardworking men and women. Favorites such as our Ballroom Jeans featuring crouch without the ouch," Buck Naked Underwear and our Longtail T Shirts that hide plumbers butt reflect our attitude. The heart of Duluth Tradings success is creating one-of-a-kind mens and womens clothing, innovative tools and ingenious gadgets while being humorous story tellers. The talented people we seek want to be proud of where they work, have a commitment to do things better and be part of a retail, web and catalog apparel company that knows where its going. The responsibilities outlined in this position description are a guideline for the general duties of the position and are not exhaustive of all duties inherent in the job. Duluth Trading Company is an equal opportunity employer. recblid wg9gunrtygdqp5j0zkueycztuq0sfp Requirements None Magnolia, AR (71754) Today Sunny along with a few clouds. High 88F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear skies. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. The Columbia County Library will get a new roof thanks to a Community Development Block Grant. Dilan U. Estes, 26, of Monticello is charged with capital murder in the death of Crissy Lee Jacks, 44, of Banks. Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. The GBV Mobile App, LESPWAR, launched on 25 November 2020, enables a victim of GBV to alert the authorities concerned at the press of a button, known as the panic button in the App. The moment the panic button is pressed by a victim, the Main Police Command and Control Centre and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare are alerted simultaneously and the exact location of the victim is displayed through a geolocalisation feature. Assistance is subsequently provided to the victim, in line with a protocol for intervention, signed between the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare and the Mauritius Police Force. The App is easily downloadable on any smartphone, free of charges and is accessible to all age groups of women and men victims/survivors of Gender-Based Violence (GBV). Process when panic button is pressed: 1) Police Officers at the Main Police Command and Control Centre (MPCCC) obtain service requestor data and geolocalisation from the backend; 2) The information is sent to the nearest Police Station; 3) Police Officers nearest to the place of incident initiate the first intervention through response officer and liaise with PFPU officer on call in division; 4) After intervention, Police Station(s) reports outcome to MPCCC; 5) Second intervention is carried out by Officers of the Police Family Protection Unit, if required; 6) The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare, on a 24-hour basis, provides necessary psycho-social support to all cases referred by the Police, including accompanying and admission of victims to shelters, if need be. The sixth edition of the Sub Sahara Spectrum Management Conference kicked off this week with regulators, experts, and other industry players looking for the African common stand on spectrum management. As more and more of the African continent comes online, spectrum management will be critical to ensure consistent, affordable, and equitable internet access. Across the region, approximately 800-million people are not connected to the mobile internet. Of those, some 520-million can access the mobile internet but dont, because of factors such as smartphone penetration and lack of skills while 270-million cannot access the mobile internet because they dont have the requisite coverage. Less than half of the population is covered by 4G mobile broadband. Achieving consensus on spectrum management will play a major role in addressing those shortfalls. We live in a time when we talk about digital as a default, about digital transformation of our societies and economies, and the need for a fully connected society, says Mario Maniewicz, Director of ITUs Radio communication Bureau. If this is to become a reality, broadband connectivity needs to be made accessible to all, even in the most remote areas. Societys increasing need for radio-based technologies and the tremendous opportunities for social development which those technologies provide have elevated the importance of the radio frequency spectrum and national spectrum management, he adds. John Omo, Secretary General, African Telecommunications Union (ATU), emphases on the need for collaboration and the ability to come up with common solutions. The events of the past 18 months have only made this need more urgent, he says. COVID-19 has kept people apart from each other, but spectrum on mobile networks have built bridges and kept us together, he says. Whether we succeed in our quest to further bridge the digital divide and address other challenges is pinned on our dedication to duty and the extent to which we want to go in using spectrum to address these challenges. He also points out that bringing the 1.1-billion Africans online will require exceptional and coordinated efforts from government, from the private sector, from development partners, and civil society. This is echoed by Samuel Chen, Vice President for Huawei Southern Africa region. Radio Spectrum plays an important role in increasing Africas broadband penetration and throughput. African countries can allocate more spectrum to operators to accelerate the deployment of wireless broadband networks and increase peoples access to wireless broadband and data services at affordable prices, this will in turn promote the development of Africas digital economy, said Chen. Among the other issues that the conference will address are the importance of the 700 MHz-800 MHz frequency bands for widespread coverage, and the need to address the skills gap when it comes to install the technologies that will enable the widespread adoption of spectrum. Backed by the eradicateMalaria initiative, German company BioNTech announces a malaria project consisting of the development of an mRNA-based vaccine against the disease and the evaluation of mRNA vaccine production in Africa; The initiative can count on substantial financing by Team Europe, including for the late-stage trials of BioNTechs project; eradicateMalaria is run by the kENUP Foundation and benefits from the convening power of the World Health Organization and the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. Backed by the eradicateMalaria initiative, German biotech company BioNTech SE announced a project to develop a malaria vaccine candidate based on its proprietary mRNA technology today. The project also aims to expand vaccine production capacity across Africa. BioNTech co-developed the first mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine with its partner Pfizer. The company has benefited from two European Investment Bank (EIB) loans under the Investment Plan for Europe for its cancer and COVID-19 research. The scientific and entrepreneurial progress made during the pandemic raises hopes that a highly efficacious vaccine could soon help to eradicate malaria. This goal was out of reach so far, despite the enormous financial and public health efforts of the global community. BioNTech is the first major vaccine developer in over 30 years to commit to working towards eradicating malaria. The company follows a two-pronged approach. 1) It aims at developing a first-generation mRNA (https://bit.ly/3ycwDzC) vaccine, using a known antigen, the CSP protein. The clinical trial for this first-generation vaccine candidate is expected to start at the end of 2022. 2) It will be running a dedicated antigen discovery process to potentially identify new antigens, which may pave the way for a second-generation vaccine with higher efficacy. In addition, the company has pledged to manufacture the potential vaccine in African facilities either with licensed production partners or on its own. BioNTech plans to use revenues from the COVID-19 vaccine to develop its malaria vaccine candidates and bring them to the first phase of clinical trials. The EIB and the European Commission pledge to support companies that aim to eradicate malaria via the joint InnovFin Infectious Diseases Finance Facility (https://bit.ly/3eS6ZIH), backed by Horizon 2020. EIB investment will cover projects that enter late-stage clinical development, which primarily aims at demonstrating the efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness of a medical product. Malaria is a tricky disease to vaccinate against this is why it takes a lot of courage and dedication to embark on the endeavour BioNTech just committed to, said Werner Hoyer , President of the EIB. Finding an efficient vaccine is the only way to eradicate one of the biggest causes of death in children in less developed countries. mRNA technology has shown itself to be a game changer to end the pandemic, and the EIB confirmed its support for this innovative approach with two loans to BioNTech, one in 2019 for developing cancer treatments and the other in 2020 for research on the COVID-19 vaccine. If mRNA can revolutionise malaria vaccine development as well, the EU bank would be proud to support this mission. Ursula von der Leyen , President of the European Commission: We are witnessing the start of a revolution in medical science the revolution of messenger RNA technology, pioneered by BioNTech and others. Thanks to this, billions of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine are being produced for Europe and the world. And mRNA technology can be a game changer in the fight against other diseases too including malaria. Eradicating malaria is a realistic goal and now we know that it might be achieved already in this generation. The European Commission is supporting the global effort to develop mRNA vaccines against malaria. This initiative is also a part of the broader engagement by the EU for health in Africa and the Developing World. If we succeed, we will not only be better equipped for the next pandemic. We will also invest in an African continent that is finally free from malaria. Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth: For decades, the European Unions research and innovation programmes along with its financial instruments have provided the framework and financing to contribute to the global research agenda for malaria, and we are committed to continuing these efforts. Solving the global threats of malaria requires breakthrough discoveries, the efforts of our brightest minds, and also the joint actions of policymakers and investors. Today, I am very pleased to embark on a new venture with our global partners with the aim of bringing an mRNA-based vaccine against malaria from the idea to the patient to address and eradicate the disease once and for all. Jutta Urpilainen , Commissioner for international partnerships: I warmly welcome the ground-breaking announcement of BioNTech, that aims to use the mRNA technology in the fight against Malaria, a major disease affecting the African continent. Our Team Europe initiative on enhancing vaccine manufacturing and access to medicines and health technologies in Africa will support this important project. Ugur Sahin , CEO and co-founder of BioNTech, said: Were committed to reducing the suffering of people worldwide, so we feel we have a duty to utilise our technology to develop and manufacture an mRNA-based vaccine that addresses this life-threatening disease. We want to develop sustainable solutions for and together with the people of Africa. Setting up infrastructure could help to address various diseases using this disruptive technology. Building on our mRNA technology and the expertise gained during the pandemic, our efforts will include substantial investments in vaccine development as well as transferring manufacturing expertise to sites on the African continent. In parallel to developing a malaria vaccine, BioNTech will evaluate how to establish sustainable mRNA manufacturing capabilities on the African continent. The company plans to co-locate its potential African facilities with the technology transfer hubs under development by the World Health Organization (WHO). The hubs will strengthen low- and middle-income countries capacity to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines and increase global vaccine production. BioNTechs commitment to vaccine production on the African continent supports Team Europes Sustainable Healthcare Industry for Resilience in Africa (SHIRA) initiative , as the companys projected mRNA vaccine manufacturing facilities could also produce the existing vaccine against COVID-19 or an envisioned tuberculosis vaccine pending successful development of candidates and regulatory approval. The fight against malaria has been one of the European Unions priorities in the health and development sectors for some years now. In 2019, the EIB and the European Commission supported the EU Malaria Fund, a public-private partnership between the European Union, international organisations, corporations, and civil society, initiated by the kENUP Foundation. With the advancement of the BioNTech malaria vaccine candidate on a proven technology platform, the EU Malaria Fund accomplished its mission earlier than expected. Therefore, on June 30, its investment period came to an end. The fund has successfully initiated more than two dozen novel scientific approaches to fighting malaria and financed several innovative companies. Tower 6 is in Allentowns Neighborhood Improvement Zone, which in the past had drawn criticism that it was unable to attract new taxpayers from out of state. In 2017, Seed Development became the first out-of-state company to move its headquarters to the NIZ, relocating from New York City. New York City implemented its own mandate on Monday that requires the citys hundreds of thousands of public employees, including teachers and police officers, to get vaccinated. California also put in place a vaccine mandate that applies not only to the states public employees but also to its millions of health care workers in hospitals, nursing homes and other care facilities. Have no fear, with the help of local officials, our landlord and our staff we have figured out a way to continue servicing our loyal customers, the Ritas of Emmaus operators wrote on the business Facebook page. Our trailer is a full-blown Ritas on wheels and we will be running specials as we count down to our new store opening. The day before we open our new store will be a free ice day (*think first day of spring*). Mack is one of the Lehigh Valleys largest manufacturers and employers overall. The company stopped making trucks in Allentown in 1987 the year the company closed its 5C plant until this year, when it recently announced it is assembling heavy dump trucks for the Army at the Mack Experience Center. Its a $6.5 million investment to create a dedicated production line at the 2402 Lehigh Parkway South site. Macks Lower Macungie plant, meanwhile, has been making trucks since November 1975. My wife and daughters left to go to Home Depot, Schware said. They saw the smoke coming from that end of Union Street, so they went to check it out and called me. I walked down there with my dog and saw the fire. By then, the firefighters were there and breaking the window of the front door to the main building to gain access. Everything seemed confined to the rear, in those trailers housing temporary classrooms. Biden is scheduled to speak at Macks facility about 2 p.m., according to a news release from the company. It said Biden will discuss the importance of American manufacturing, buying products made in America, and supporting good-paying jobs for American workers. Young people ages 12 and older should be vaccinated for the coronavirus, while those ages 2 and older who are not fully vaccinated should wear masks indoors when returning to school in person in the fall, Pennsylvania officials said. Defense attorney Philip Lauer argued in April that Michael Horvath, charged in the 2013 kidnapping and murder of his coworker, Holly Grim, could be Stephanie Roofs killer. He said jurors should hear about similarities between the cases, including the discovery of homemade firearms among Horvaths belongings, a diary of his alleged stalking and that Horvath, Grim, Roof and Raszler all worked at the Allen Organ Co. in Macungie, although not at the same time. When we take into account the temperature and the humidity, we get the heat index, which is hotter than the actual air temperature. But when its dry outside (or in this case, as dew points lower significantly), you get a feels like temperature that will be much closer (or in some cases, even lower) than the actual air temperature. This House committee investigation is about finding exactly who was responsible for that debacle. I am sure the Republican Party knows the answer, but they also want the money flowing in to their campaign funds. Images Sorry, there are no recent results for popular images. 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. : zypz8 (Lime), : Banquet : "Fort Detrick"! What did you do? ? ? : BBS (Mon Jul 26 23:07:04 2021, ) Facing the suspicion of the new crown, can the United States answer many questions, such as "What happened in the US military biological laboratory? In July 2019, the United States broke out a mysterious e-cigarette pneumonia . Why did the US Fort Detrick Biological Experiment at the same time? The room was suddenly closed? Since the outbreak of the new crown, the American e-cigarette white lung disease has disappeared, why only the American e- cigarette caused white lung disease? Is it just a coincidence? Fort Detrick Biological Laboratory, once leaked the Ebola virus, 2001 In the United States anthrax attack in the year, the perpetrator came from Fort Detrick, but he committed suicide afterwards. The doubt is that the United States can give a reasonable explanation? For all kinds of doubts, the world needs answers? It's like a self-directed and self-acted series. An unidentified e-cigarette pneumonia broke out in the United States in July 2019 and quickly spread across the United States. In July of the same year, Fort Detrick Biolab was closed. In October of the same year, the World Military Games was held in Wuhan. In December of the same year, a new type of coronavirus infection was found in Wuhan. ! Everyone will understand this timeline by looking at it. God is fair, facts speak louder than words, even if you perform with your heart. According to the findings of the plot, more and more evidence points to the fact that the new crown pneumonia not only did not originate from Wuhan, China, but it is also particularly likely to be the outbreak of the Fort Detrick Biolab in the United States. This shows that the United States anti-bite was true. It's Zhu Bajie's trick: beat it up! Now the U.S. has to spare no effort to care about the life and death of the masses of the people, and has to politicize the new crown epidemic. Even the scientist Fauci can betray science, and when he encounters things like a villain, I am speechless too! -- :WWW mitbbs.com [FROM: 46.] Today's Headlines Would you like to receive our daily news? Sign up today! Breaking news Sign up for breaking news alerts from morning-times.com!!! Week in Sports Get a weekly local sports round-up from www.morning-times.com every Saturday morning!!! Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. International Chinese FM, US Deputy State Secy discuss ties Beijing, Jul 27 (IANS) | Publish Date: 7/27/2021 11:53:42 AM IST In a first face-to-face meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and visiting US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman discussed ways to set terms for responsible management of bilateral ties. The meeting took place in Beijing on Monday. According to a readout of the meeting issued by the US State Department, Sherman and Wang had a frank and open discussion about a range of issues, demonstrating the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between our two countries. Although Sherman underscored that the US welcomes the stiff competition between the two superpowers, Washington does not seek conflict with Beijing, it added. According to the State Department, Sherman raised a series of concerns in private, in particular, human rights, including Beijings anti-democratic crackdown in Hong Kong; the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang; abuses in Tibet; and the curtailing of media access and freedom of the press. She also spoke about our concerns about Beijings conduct in cyberspace; across the Taiwan Strait; and in the East and South China Seas, the readout said. The Deputy Secretary also raised the cases of American and Canadian citizens detained in China or under exit bans and reminded officials that people are not bargaining chips. She reiterated concerns about Chinas unwillingness to cooperate with the World Health Organization and allow a second phase investigation into the Covid-19 origins. Meanwhile, Sherman also affirmed the importance of cooperation in areas of global interest, such as the climate crisis, counter-narcotics, non-proliferation, and regional concerns including North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan, and Myanmar, said the readout. On his part, Wang, who is also the State Councillor, said it requires serious consideration for the US side to make correct choices as to whether the bilateral ties will head to confrontation or improvement, reports Xinhua news agency. Calling Shermans visit a part of mutual contact and dialogue, he said the two sides should enhance mutual understanding, erase misunderstanding, avoid misjudgment and better manage differences via constant dialogues. The Foreign Minister also said that Chinas development is aimed at seeking happiness for all Chinese people, rather than challenging or replacing the US. We take no interest in betting winnings or losses of the US side. Chinas development is not based on the premise of US decline. He said issues regarding Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong have never been about human rights or democracy, but about fighting against Xinjiang independence, Tibet independence and Hong Kong independence. We have a clear view on where China-US relations are headed, that is, to find a way for two major countries with different systems, cultures and stages of development to coexist peacefully on this planet through dialogue, he added. National Senior journalists move SC for probe into Pegasus snooping scandal NEW DELHI, JUL 27 (IANS) | Publish Date: 7/27/2021 1:15:50 PM IST Veteran journalists N. Ram and Sashi Kumar have moved the Supreme Court seeking a direction for an independent probe by its sitting or retired judge into the alleged Pegasus snooping scandal. The plea said mass surveillance using a military-grade spyware abridges several fundamental rights and appears to represent an attempt to infiltrate, attack, and destabilise independent institutions, which are critical pillars of the countrys democratic set-up. The petitioners sought direction should be issued to the Centre to disclose if any of its agencies have obtained license for Pegasus spyware or used it either directly or indirectly, to conduct surveillance as alleged. The plea is likely to come up for hearing within next few days. It also sought directions to investigate if the illegal hacking into the phones, represented an attempt by agencies and organisations to muzzle and chill the exercise of free speech and expression of dissent in the country. The plea argued that investigation involving several leading publications around the world has revealed that more than 142 Indians, including journalists, lawyers, government ministers, opposition politicians, constitutional functionaries and civil society activists, have been identified as potential targets for surveillance. The plea said: Such targeted surveillance using military-grade spyware is an unacceptable violation of the right to privacy which has been held to be a fundamental right under Articles 14, 19 and 21 by the Supreme Court in KS Puttaswamy v. Union of India. It contended that the attack prima facie constitutes an act of cyber-terrorism that has several grave political and security ramifications. The plea claimed hacking constituted a criminal offence punishable under, inter alia, Section 66 (computer related offences), 66B (punishment for dishonestly receiving stolen computer resource or communication device), 66E (punishment for violation of privacy) and 66F (punishment for cyberterrorism) of the IT Act, punishable with imprisonment and/or fine. This is the third petition in the Supreme Court, which sought probe into Pegasus scandal. Earlier, advocate M.L. Sharma and CPI-M Rajya Sabha member John Brittas had also moved the apex court seeking probe into the spying allegations. In the current studies of Covid-19 infections, scientists have confirmed that household pets are indeed susceptible to the virus, but should be 'manageable' for pet owners. In a recent study, findings suggest that cats are more likely to get infected with the SARS-CoV-2 than dogs, and here's why: Blood samples from 239 pet cats and 510 pet dogs collected between mid-April and mid-June of 2020 revealed antibodies that would indicate infection history. Results showed that 8 percent of cats but fewer than 1 percent of dogs had contracted COVID-19 so far, which confirms the hypothesis that pet cats and dogs can indeed host the viruses. "Because companion animals can be the source of a range of infectious diseases, determining how susceptible the two most popular pet species in the United States are to SARS-CoV-2 - and how prevalent the disease may be among them - could have significant impacts for both human and animal health," says molecular biologist Hinh Ly from the University of Minnesota. "Part of a Bigger Picture" It looks like a detailed explanation of why cats might be more susceptible to infection than dogs cannot yet be guaranteed at this time, due to several reasons. First, although pets can become infected with SARS-CoV-2, the "likelihood of them becoming sick appears to be low". "I am still a bit surprised that cats are so readily infected and yet rarely exhibit any signs of illness," biomedical researcher Angela Bosco-Lauth from Colorado State University, who wasn't involved in the new study, told the New York Times. Second, it is also unlikely that these animals can pass the virus to humans, except of course if there is a very close physical contact like when sharing a bed with your pet cats, and cuddling them. However, scientists are convinced that the ACE2 protein in cats, which is more similar to the human ACE2 protein than the dog equivalent, serves as a "receptor for coronavirus and could be one reason". Also read: Pet Owners Ordered to Get Rid of 400 Rabbits After Neighbors Complained Cross-species Transmission of the Virus Among Pets and Their Owners At this time, it is hard to tell why cats were more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 due to lack of some important factors, such as whether the animals lived mostly outdoors or indoors, or whether there was evidence of transmission between pets. In addition, the team collected the blood serum among pets anonymously which did not provide much insights and factors to weigh. "The results will help clarify the prevalence of cross-species transmission of this coronavirus among pets and their owners," says molecular virologist Yuying Liang, from the University of Minnesota about the follow-up study they will be covering in the latter months of 2020, when COVID-19 cases in humans in the area was much higher and in its peak. "That should give us more useful data into just how the SARS-CoV-2 can spread, and how it might be better contained in the future," the team wrote. Also read: Elder Apes Murder Albino Chimp Baby Just Days After Rare Sighting The United States Geological Survey (USGS) had currently tracked US active volcanoes exhibiting eruptions risks, 'with elevated unrest above known background level', and posted Orange code and Watch alert for one volcano and a Yellow code and an Advisory alert for six others across the country. USGS and their Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) have raised highest alert code for Great Sitkin in Alaska, up to Orange and Watch. Meanwhile, the six includes the world's largest active volcano, Mauna Loa, and Kilauea (both on Hawaii's Big Island), Gareloi, Semisopochnoi, and Cleveland, with the heightened level of alert of Yellow/Advisory. Monitoring the Hawaii and Alaska Volcanoes The USGS estimates around 169 active volcanoes in the US, most of them are in Alaska, a home to many volcanoes. Although there are over 130 volcanoes and active volcanic fields within the geologically young last 2 million years, 50 have been active since the mid 1700s, AVO found. On the Big Island of Hawaii, the famous Kilauea, Mauna Loa, and Hualalai are considered active and has potential risk of erupting, monitored by the Hawaii Volcano Observatory (HVO). While Kilauea, which erupted in December 2020 came to an end just weeks ago, USGS and HVO remains concerned for nearby Mauna Loa volcano, the world's largest active volcano. Meanwhile, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) monitors the Alaska volcanoes. There are also existing other volcano observatories in some regions such as the California Volcano Observatory, Cascades Volcano Observatory, and the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory which monitors volcanoes in their respective regions. As of now, no unusual activity or signs have been reported by other observatories more than the typical background noises. Also read: Towering Inferno Explodes Above the Caspian Sea, Triggered by Mud Volcano The Ring of Fire The 'Ring of Fire' around the Pacific Rim is a region where most of the volcanoes in the world are located, and had recorded many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, due to plate and lithospheric plates movements under and around the Pacific Ocean. Whenever these plates collide and/or destroyed, it creates a seismic activity the Ring of Fire is known for. As a part of monitoring active volcanoes in the US, there are designated observatories that are responsible for issuing Aviation Codes and Volcanic Activity Alert Levels. Aviation Codes are green, yellow, orange, or red. Green indicates normal activity with a non-eruptive state, yellow means there are signs of elevated unrest above known background levels exhibited by a volcano, while orange exhibits heightened or escalating unrest as well, but with increased potential of eruption. Finally, when there is an imminent and significant emission of volcanic ash in the atmosphere, leading to an eruption, the code becomes red. Volcanoes with insufficient level of activity are simply tagged as 'unassigned', and ones with non-eruptive state is considered normal. In a recent news release of HVO and USGS scientists, the world's largest at Mauna Loa in Hawaii is foreseen to erupt next. Both observatories suggest to revisit personal eruption plans on advance helps during an emergency, similar to preparing for hurricane season. Also read: Ancient 'Eye of Sauron' Has Been Discovered as an Undersea Volcano in Australia Experts say that adolescents are capable of 'branching' out their cognitive health and develop brain performance more when they had spent more time around trees as kids. This could be hard to prove since many factors contribute to one's mental growth and development, but a long-term study finally explains how this could be possible. Researchers studied 3,568 students in London, between the ages of 9 and 15, and found that kids who grew up near woodlands or in green space "improved cognitive performance and mental health in adolescence." "These findings contribute to our understanding of natural-environment types as an important protective factor for adolescents' cognitive development and mental health and suggest that not every natural-environment type may contribute equally to these health benefits," the authors wrote. While other factors like grasslands or lakes and rivers could contribute to brain growth, researchers are convinced that it shares the same impact. The Human State of Mind Nationwide epidemiological studies of children in the US and Denmark have shown that growing up in residential areas with greener yards lowers the risks of mental issues later on in life. In UK, same studies also suggests that green neighborhoods "have better spatial working memory". How does green spaces, especially trees, creates an impact to young minds? A few studies suggest that green spaces are linked to structural changes in the brain, 'including increased white and gray matter', as well as the increased amygdala that controls emotions, which brings some of the cognitive and mental health effects. UK researchers had also shown mounting evidence that trees can do things that other types of foliage cannot, such as grass, which could be linked to the fractal patterns in tree branches. It seems like humans, as kids, have an innate appreciation for these shapes and "could be part of what is calming our minds and invigorating some pathways in our brains." Also read: Man Spends Years Searching and Preserving More Than 1,000 Lost Apple Varieties! Socioeconomic Factors Also Play an Influential Role "Children raised in greener neighborhoods exhibit better overall cognitive ability," the authors of the 2019 study concluded, "but the association is likely accounted for by family and neighborhood socioeconomic factors." The 2019 study suggests that trees are not necessarily the ones to thank for kids who grow up surrounded by greenery getting high scores than the other in cognitive tests, as "socioeconomic factors can also play an influential role in child development." Children raised in greener neighborhoods did show greater ability at all ages, however, it is best to not 'conflate' the factors. Living in the woodlands could mean conducive atmosphere, refuge from the heat, and away from noise of the city, or even pollution. These are just some of the many factors to consider. Thus, it is a little early to tell if being around trees while growing up creates smarter children or if that exposure lasts a lifetime. "Given how increasingly urban our landscapes have become, it's worth figuring out whether we can use trees to make life better for people around the world." Also read: Kids Get Better Quality Sleep Next to Their Pets, Study Suggests It seems like climate change is to blame once again for decline in population among species. Researchers from Michigan State University fear the 'precipitous decline' of the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) in North America, as well as the possibility of its breeding range becoming inhospitable if global warming shall persist. The insect is known for its extraordinary migration from Mexico off north to their breeding grounds in the US, then south in the autumn to shelter against North American winters, and then fly north again in early March. So far, the reason why butterflies leave the relative warmth of Mexico and go back to the US has not been figured out. From the looks of it, cold weather could be their decisive factor, which implies that monarch behavior could change profoundly over the coming decades if the globe warms persistently. Solving the 'Puzzling' Decline of Monarch Butterflies Researchers have pointed out various causes for the insects' decline such as herbicides wiping out the milkweed plant where caterpillars exclusively feed on, migratory route problems and human-induced climate change. In order to empirically test which provides the most impact, the team of researchers led by Erin Zylstra combed 18,000 mostly citizen science surveys of monarchs carried out in the US and Canada, and combined them with weather data between 2004 and 2018. They calculated the amount of rainfall and temperature deviated from long-term averages and found that the climate is nearly seven times more significant than other factors on how the monarch's summer numbers came to be. "Yes, climate change is happening. It looks like it's affecting monarchs. Now we have this information, we can have a smart plan for what we might do for conservation of monarchs and other wildlife," says co-author Elise Zipkin, also at Michigan State University. Also read: Highly-Venomous Caterpillar May Hold a Life-Saving Tonic in Its Venom! "Butterflies are highly sensitive to environmental change." The study's findings do not dismiss the fact that herbicide use and milkweed loss are still 'pretty constant' factors in monarch declines, says Zipkin. It was only recently that climate change was blamed for the recent declines. "As we think forward (to climate change), not every spot that's been good for monarchs may continue to be good, and planting milkweed may not be enough," says Zipkin, suggesting the continuous efforts to protect and plant milkweed to help the butterflies. Despite the possible "geographical bias" of the study being reliable on citizen science projects - which may be inherently biased to areas near cities, Marcus Kronforst from the University of Chicago is convinced of the researchers' claims, noting another recent research on why there are fewer butterfly population in the US due to warming and drying landscapes. In addition, Elizabeth Crone at Tufts University, Massachusetts, also agrees that the climate has contributed to year-to-year fluctuations in monarch abundance in recent years, however, she also noted that earlier loss of milkweed has permanently reduced the reproduction of female monarchs which created a spiral decline since 2004. Also read: Gypsy Moth's Name Changed After People Found it 'Offensive' to Marginalized Communities Jamuna Group is going to invest Tk 1,000 crore in Bangladeshs e-commerce company Evaly, an Evaly press release said on Tuesday. Initially, Jamuna will invest Tk 200 crore. The company plans to invest a total of Taka one thousand crore phase by phase, it read. None of the parties, however, disclosed the original market value of the e-commerce company. We, as a local venture, are really pleased to have another local company by our side. Through this investment, Jamuna is part of the ongoing investments and they have the opportunity to invest in the next phase as well. This investment will be spent on the future development and business scope of Evaly, the release quoted founder and Evalys chief executive officer Mohammad Rassel as saying. Global trend-wise ecommerce can play a good role in the countrys economy. Jamuna Group has been working for the welfare of the country and its people for over 50 years as well, the release said, adding that Evaly and Jamuna Group from now on had become partners in fulfilling those dreams. Jamuna Group has been doing business with quality products and services in the countrys market. Jamuna Future Park is the largest offline marketplace in Bangladesh. And now Evaly will remain as the largest online marketplace with Jamuna Group. We have stood by them in their difficult times, believing in Evalys honest business intentions to take Digital Bangladesh and the countrys e-commerce sector forward in a strong position, the release quoted Jamuna Groups group director Monica Islam to have said. Quoting Jamuna Groups director (accounts) Sheikh Wadud, the release said that Jamuna Group wanted to contribute to the domestic economy at a time of Covid pandemic. We will publish more detailed information about this investment step by step, the release quoted Sheikh Wadud as saying. The seizure of a Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa (ZAOGA) top of the range vehicle central to police investigation was lawful, the High Court has ruled in the case in which the church wanted an order compelling the police to release the vehicle. The vehicle, a Toyota Hilux D4D twin cab was seized by the police last month on the basis that it was an exhibit in a criminal case of kidnapping and extortion reported by one Marufu Chipondoro. ZAOGA had sued the police, Chipondoro and Tinotenda Shumba involved in the sale of the vehicle, arguing that the church was not party to the criminal investigation which led to the confiscation of the vehicle. It was also the churchs contention that delays in completion of the criminal process would expose the vehicle to the vagaries of the weather during the time it would be under police custody. According to the church, the car was bought for use in its ministry work during the period of the Covi-19-induced lockdown and was prepared to avail the vehicle as and when it was required by the police for the ongoing criminal proceedings. But the police, through its legal counsel implored the court not to interfere with a process that was lawfully carried out. It argued that granting the relief sought by the church would be tantamount to defeating the course of justice. The criminal allegations made against the suspects implicated in the kidnapping and extortion cases went to the root of the legality of the disposal of the vehicle to the unsuspecting church. The court was called to determine whether the court could grant relief that effectually upsets a lawful process. Justice Paul Musithu could not agree with the churchs submissions, saying the court cannot interdict a lawful process. He dismissed the application. Doing so would be undermining the very law in terms of which the process was carried out, he said. The law is presumed to constitutionally valid, until declared unconstitutional by the courts. The courts will only interfere where the process which found the complaint was not carried out in terms of the very law that permits it. Justice Musithu noted that it was not refute that the police action was lawful. What up-stretched the churchs indignation was the apparent inconvenience that it was likely to suffer as a result of the confiscation of the vehicle. The vehicle had been acquired for a definite purpose. Its confiscation meant that the objectives behind its acquisition had been defeated. The church was also concerned about the delays in the conclusion of the criminal proceedings and deterioration of the vehicle as a result of its exposure to the unfriendly weather conditions. This, Justice Musithu, said such complaints could not make a basis for the court to interfere with a lawful process. The seizure was carried out in terms of the provisions of the criminal law procedure and evidence law. Herald United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) suspended a trainee nurse from a training programme after a pregnancy test conducted on her showed a false-positive result. The nurse identified as Sibonginkosi Jacoline Dube was subsequently dropped from the training programme. Dube through her lawyer Jabulani Mhlanga of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) wants the hospital to reinstate her citing the decision as grossly unfair. Dube had advised that on the day the pregnancy test was taken, a certain Ms. S Moyo had informed the group of nursing trainees of a mix-up in the test results conducted at a UBH laboratory, Mhlanga wrote to UBH chief executive officer Dr Narcisius Dzvanga. Mhlanga said after receiving the pregnancy results Dube conducted a self-test which came out negative and she informed officials at UBH of this development. She also undertook further testing at Mpilo Central Hospital and the results were negative. But despite the outcome of the second set of the pregnancy test results and numerous engagements with some UBH officials as well as some officials from the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dube has not been reinstated to continue with the nurse training programme, said Mhlanga. ZHLR said the decision taken by UBH to keep Dube out of the training programme was grossly unreasonable and unfair and in violation of section 68 of the Constitution, which provides for the right to administrative justice and also in violation of section 3 of the Administrative Justice Act. Mhalnga said UBHs policy is contrary to the national objectives of the Constitution in particular section 17 which provides that the State must promote the full participation of women in all spheres of the Zimbabwean society on the basis of equality with men. Furthermore, section 56 of the Constitution affords women to enjoy the right to equal treatment including the right to equal opportunities in political, economic, cultural and social spheres and prohibits unfair treatment or discrimination on the grounds of pregnancy. UBH has also been urged to urgently align its policy to the provisions of the Constitution. Mhlanga added that if UBH fails to respond favourably to Dubes request, they will institute legal proceedings against the state-run hospital to assert and protect her rights. Cite.org.zw Slightly less than half of all Americans had been fully vaccinated as of Monday, according to CDC data. Walensky has said the country is facing a pandemic of the unvaccinated. New Yorkers beat back COVID before going from the highest positivity rate on the globe to one of the lowest by staying smart, following the science, and having each others backs, and thats exactly what well keep doing in this next phase of the pandemic, Cuomo said in a statement. We are reviewing the CDCs new recommendations closely in consultation with federal and state health experts. I am gratified that the New York Legislature legalized marijuana earlier this year in a bill that included an automatic expungement provision. Since its passage, my office has moved to dismiss open cases and stated we will no longer bring pending marijuana charges before grand or petit juries, Gonzalez said. His toilet has been BROKEN for three days and there has been a lockdown and Officers refuse to help him by allowing him to use another toilet but even worse have failed to repair the toilet. No one will tell him when it will get repaired, Cardi wrote in a letter to Kuntz on July 23. Judge Paul Crotty wrote in a five-page decision that the law requires he grant Schultes request to act as his own attorney, despite the challenge of preparing for trial while locked up at the Metropolitan Correctional Center. Prosecutors charged him and other accused LIRR fraudsters with conspiracy because they planned to cover each others backs and explain absences to anyone who asked questions. The scheme was charged in Manhattan Federal Court because the MTA receives federal funding. Right now we have a good relationship, she said of her father, adding that she last spoke to him on the phone in 2020, when her mother died. She has also seen him numerous times on visits back to Pakistan since the murder. The last time she saw him in Pakistan was 2019. The lifeguard was swimming near the Central Mall at the Nassau County Beach about 11 a.m. when he sustained a roughly inch-long bite on his left calf and said he saw a fin in the water, ABC News reported. Over the next eight years, he produced thousands of child pornography photos and videos of the girl, and used her to identify her friends and their siblings, who he would then victimize, prosecutors said. In some videos, he forced children to perform sexual acts with each other. One of the youths was caught on video saying it was fight night and another kept yelling Give him a shot! police said. While nothing can bring back Carlie[,] we are grateful that her family, her friends, and the entire Sarasota community will finally have closure and will not have to endure any further court proceedings to bring Smith to justice, State Attorney Ed Brodsky, who was notified of Smiths death by the Florida Attorney Generals office, said in a statement to the paper. In a court motion published by the Smoking Gun, a lawyer for the 46-year-old man paints a scenario in which Feaster, sitting in his home with an AR-15, believed 27-year-old Kyndal McVey was the first wave of an attack from an anti-fascist collective that posed a threat to him. After the victim grabbed one of his flags, he opened fire as she was running away, striking her several times non-fatally. He speculated the dogs were in the trucks front seat, where they tripped up something or another, and sent the vehicle into motion. The chocolate labs were reportedly uninjured, though the home their truck hit appeared to have been badly damaged. The suspect, whose name has not been released, refused to turn himself in even after being tased and even charged at deputies with his knife, Abbott said. Yall aint getting away with nothing. Youre not getting away with anything, Sutherland said directly to the deputies. I dont want you to ever forget what you did to him. Back in April, NASA opted to award its $2.9 billion contract to Elon Musks SpaceX, rejecting a bid from Bezos Blue Origin, which partnered with Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Draper. The space agency initially intended to have at least two private-sector companies compete to build a spacecraft for the first moon landing since 1972 an initiative dubbed the Human Landing System or HLS. CBS News reports that David Demaison declared I have a nuclear weapon, and I will kill everyone here, before being detained by hotel security. He then upped the ante, claiming I will blow up the whole country. If they go through round two and you start showing up (with) all these masks and all this nonsense, I will ask you to leave, pastor Greg Locke told his Nashville congregation Sunday, video of which was posted online. I will ask you to leave. I am not playing these Democrat games up in this church. Sucks to be them, he said. Theres no reason to get mad at anybody for their preference. Theyre not out here hurting nobody. Nobody is selling drugs here. People just want to have a good time, enjoy themselves the way they want to. Firefighters continue to battle the Dixie Fire ravaging the Plumas and Butte Counties in California. The blaze, which started on July 13, has grown to more than 217,000 acres with only 23% containment as of Wednesday, July 28, 2021. Low moisture in the vegetation and limited access to the remote area has made it difficult for the firefighters to fight it. The massive wildfire has destroyed 35 structures in its path and threatens over 10,700 more as it continues to burn. (Joanna Tavares) Ive lived almost my entire life in New York, and never never have I witnessed anything like what our city has gone through over the last year and a half, said Davis, a Brooklyn native and graduate of Erasmus Hall High School. As a born, bred and true New Yorker, I well know how resilient we are and how New York always comes back and yes, ladies and gentlemen, we are coming back. These folks are our first responders and our frontline workers, said Dr. Bob Bollinger, a professor of infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Of all the groups I can think of, they really are the ones who need to be vaccinated to protect not just themselves, but also their communities and the people they interact with on a daily basis. I was walking around this neighborhood that I love so much, she told the station. I just said, How can you do this to a grandmother? I want to call my grandkids. Why are you doing this? He could care less and got in the car and they sped away. The Senate Majority Leader is a self-styled champion of public transit funding and often brags about his ability to bring home the bacon for the Metropolitan Transit Authority, which runs the subway system. Nothing gets done when were just telling each other how wrong we are, Enzi said in his farewell address to the Senate in 2020. Just ask yourself: Has anyone ever really changed your opinion by getting in your face and yelling at you or saying to you how wrong you are? Usually that doesnt change hearts or minds. The story of refugees is so important for the whole world, Kohler said in a statement on the site. Many countries are on the move because of conflict, climate change, farmers that cant work anymore through lack of rain. Its the big story of our time. Because its an outdoor event, The Walk has the potential of bringing people together again. At a moment when theaters are struggling to re-open this is something everyone can be a part of. Weve got Google, so perhaps that was a reference to the fact that Kim worked under U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara back when Bharara investigated Cuomos pulling of the plug on the anti-corruption Moreland Commission he had created. So? Bharara and Kim never charged Cuomo or anyone else with a crime. Or maybe Cuomo thinks Kim is tainted having led the prosecution of his former top aide Joe Percoco, who actually did some very bad things. Meanwhile, Cuomo aides are simultaneously discrediting the probe because James herself may have her eye on the governors mansion, as though she is poised to use those ambitions to fabricate testimony about groping or unwanted kissing. As if going through all of that trauma, wrought upon them by American citizens, and at the very Citadel of American democracy, wasnt bad enough, they each described the final indignity: being told by certain members of Congress that what they experienced wasnt real, wasnt that bad; that the people who tried to kill them that day were just tourists, or Democrats; that they were the ones who were traitors. Jamil added, It is a sad truth that media drips down into culture, society, schools etc. We have to actively reject the rot. We control the market. The media responds to whatever they think we want. So lets show them what we dont want so that they stop doing it I cant wait to have children in 2022, Hilton said. But, like I said, I am just preparing for the wedding right now. I am shooting my new TV docuseries, capturing it all. Its called Paris in Love on Peacock, and that will be out soon as well. Bonsall, who is conservative, is frustrated by how the vaccine has become a political issue for many people rather than a public health one. He said he got the vaccine as soon as he could get his hands on it because of the touring his band does. But his wife, along with other family members, refuse to get vaccinated until it receives full approval (the vaccines now have emergency-use approval) from the Food and Drug Administration. We know from an enduring refusal to admit that the climate has gone haywire that even extreme evidence can dissuade a determined ideologue. This newspaper has been reporting the scientific consensus about the coming consequences of global warming for four decades, but a 97% agreement among scientists hasnt convinced Republican politicians and their hardcore constituents to consider serious remedies. No matter that nine of the 10 hottest years on record occurred in the last decade. Record droughts, record wildfires, record flooding, rising seas, melting glaciers havent altered their fallacious precepts. A Pew Research Center poll in 2020 found that 45% of Republican dismiss climate change as only a minor threat, while 24% dismiss it as no threat at all. Theres a great deal of value to Zoom and remote proceedings that we picked up over the pandemic, he said. Its got value to our clients. Its got value to the mental health and well-being of our lawyers. ... If we learned anything through the pandemic, we should hold on to what was working and what made the court system ultimately more efficient and got more work done. We can do better, the mayor said after a county commission meeting Tuesday. Were going to have to make some adjustments ... and if we make those adjustments Im highly encouraged that we can keep businesses open, keep commerce flowing and reduce the spread of the virus at the same time. The girl was able to communicate where her home was located to the officers. Officers knocked on Doss front door but she refused to open. After knocking on the door several times, officers then saw Doss climb over a fence and walk around the house to speak with them, the report stated. Doss told officers the girl was living with her, and she had escaped out the back without her knowledge. Doss also denied officers entry into her home telling them if they saw the inside they would call the Florida Department of Children and Families. After the conversation, the officers called DCF. Jarvis Madison then drove to Florida and started watching at an Ormond Beach home where Rachael Madison was staying with a relative. He saw her go for a jog Nov. 27, 2016, and, wearing a disguise, waited for her to finish. He forced her into the front seat of his SUV and shot her three times with a .45 caliber pistol, authorities said. He then drove back to West Virginia where he spent the night with Sandy, with the body still inside his vehicle. The American Academy of Pediatrics this month recommended all students and staff wear face coverings in schools because they help significantly reduce the spread of the coronavirus. The academy said universal masking made sense because many school children are too young for COVID vaccinations, and there is no way for schools to monitor whether older students who are not wearing masks have received the shots. The House Republican leader, Kevin McCarthy, withdrew the participation of the Republicans he had appointed last week after Pelosi rejected two of them, saying their antics in support of Trump, and his lies that he won the election, werent appropriate for the serious investigation. Monday evening, the House voted against a resolution offered by the GOP leader to force his chosen members onto the panel. For example, after 20 little kids were massacred at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012, Ivey was among the sheriffs who issued statements in support of a pledge by the Constitutional Sheriffs Association to not enforce new gun regulations, according to an archived Facebook post signed by Ivey. For the letter-writer who wrote about being scared of the vaccine because the FDA hasnt yet given it full approval (FDA hesitancy causes some to fear vaccine, July 27), maybe this will help you overcome your hesitancy: So far, over 3.9 billion doses of the vaccine have been distributed. It might be linked to a few hundred cases of myocarditis and blood clots, and the death rate from the vaccine in the United States is 0.0018 percent. Part of me wondered if Florida lawmakers voted for the measure they thought was the most constitutionally suspect, hoping it might get overturned by the courts. Then they could claim they tried to do something about gun violence without actually accomplishing anything. Our view is that this should absolutely not be imposed. It should not be mandated, DeSantis said at the meeting. And I know our Legislature feels strongly about it, such that if, if you started to see a push from the feds or some of these local school districts, I know theyre interested in coming in, even in a special session to be able to provide protections for parents and kids who just want to breathe freely and dont want to be suffering under these masks during the school year. Artiles, a former Republican state senator who became a lobbyist and political consultant, is now awaiting trial on charges related to the sham-candidate scheme, in which authorities say Artiles bribed Rodriguez to put his name on the ballot as an independent candidate. A dark-money group then featured Rodriguezs candidacy in advertisements prosecutors say were designed to siphon support from the Democratic candidate in the race which the Republican candidate won by just 32 votes out of more than 210,000 cast. Above divers explore the wreck of the schooner St. Peter off the southern coast of Lake Ontario Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - Human rights watchdog, Amnesty International, has asked Tunisian President Kais Saied to publicly commit to respecting and protecting human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, after he suspended parliament and assumed some judicial powers Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan Presidential Council Monday called on all Tunisian parties to resort to dialogue and communication to resolve their differences, an official statement said here Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Member of the Libyan Presidential Council Moussa Al-Kouni said here Monday the Fezzan Forum for Peaceful Coexistence and Social Harmony represented a big step towards achieving comprehensive national reconciliation in all parts of the country Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) A Cape Town woman has been caught in an FBI sting for allegedly selling explicit photographs of her four-year-old daughter on the Internet New York, US (PANA) - Negotiations began on Monday to approve a UN science report which will anchor high level summits later this year, charged with boosting climate action worldwide 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 Mevalone will be marketed as Araw in Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia ( ) ( ) has signed an agreement with Sipcam for the marketing, distribution and sale of Eden's fungicide product in four North African countries. The product, called Mevalone, will be marketed as Araw, initially against Botrytis on wine and table grapes, strawberries, tomatoes and cucurbits (which include cucumber, courgette, squash, melon) in Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. All four countries are members of a biocontrol commission established by the International Organisation for Biological Control, which promotes sustainable and environmentally friendly means of managing pests and disease and collaborates with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, the World Health Organisation, the Commission of the European Union and the European Plant Protection Organisation. Eden said North Africa is well recognised for its agricultural output, which is increasing in quantity and quality. It added that the fungicidal active ingredients in Araw are exempt from residue limits and have very low pre-harvest intervals, giving growers the ability to apply the product just before harvesting. This is helpful for main export markets such as the EU, where there are clearly defined maximum residue limits and pesticide residue notifications can lead to rejections at the border. Grapes and tomatoes make up two of the major crop types in Egypt, which exports most of its fruit and vegetables to the EU. In January 2020, Egypt's Parliament approved a new law that regulates organic agriculture and aims to reduce the use of conventional, synthetic pesticides. In Tunisia, agricultural produce accounts for over 6% of total exports value and, in particular, exports of organic products are growing. Tunisian organic agriculture also has recognised equivalence with the EU. Around 260,000 hectares of fruit and vegetables are grown in Morocco and in 2020 tomato exports to the EU were worth US$529.8mln. However, in 2018 up to 7.9% of total Moroccan fruit and vegetable samples analysed by the EU-coordinated control programme exceeded maximum residue limits. Commercial activities will begin in the four countries following the receipt of regulatory clearance for the marketing and use of Araw. Eden said it expects approval after its Cedroz product was approved in Morocco earlier this year. "Sipcam currently sells Mevalone under the brands 3logy in Italy and Araw in Spain and Portugal, said Edens chief executive Sean Smith. This agreement builds on earlier, positive developments where the label for Araw has been significantly expanded to include a range of new crops in Spain. The experience in Spain is directly transferrable to these North African countries due to similarities in climatic conditions and agricultural practices, so we anticipate relatively easy integration of Araw into crop protection programmes once approval is granted. ( , ) ( )( ) Chairman & Director Andrew Male joins Proactive London's Katie Pilbeam to discuss the highlights published in their latest trading update for the year ended 30 June 2021. Male takes viewers through the details, with significant sales growth during the period as a result of increasing consumer recognition of its brand and establishing their online platforms. The success of their presence in major retailers also added to this performance and the growing interest in CBD products in the UK. FY21 revenue totalled 4.31 million, a 60% increase on FY20, with the number of units sold in FY21 increasing 244% from FY20 to 188,865. A look at the major movers on the London market on Tuesday ( ) has climbed higher after reporting record results despite the impact of the pandemic. The defence specialist said full year revenues had climbed by 9% while operating profits rose 2% to 18.6mln. Its order book jumped by 32% to 242.4mln. Sales to non-Ministry of Defence customers dominated for the first time, helped by increased exports and a higher than expected contribution from ELAC, the solar systems company bought in December. Chairman Nick Prest said: "The 30 April 2021 order book of 242.4mln underpins nearly 100mln of in-year revenue, representing 64% of the consensus forecast. Following further contract awards of over 50mln since the start of the financial year, that cover now stands at 70%. "Looking forward we expect that strong performance across most of the group in 2021/22 will be partly offset by a weaker year at [Lisbon-based communications business] EID. Overall, we expect to achieve continued growth in 2021/22, albeit at a modest level, and to have zero net debt at the year end. "Prospects for 2022/23 depend on order progress in the current year. We are optimistic that the group will return to a higher rate of growth in 2023/24, based on current orders for long term delivery and our strong pipeline of opportunities." Cohort shares have added 3.81% or 18.8p to 512.8p. 2.51pm: Caspian Sunrise brightens on Kazakh drilling news ( ) is looking bright after a positive update from its key project in Kazakhstan. The company's first horizontal well was drilled at the MJF structure in the BNG area and produced 645 barrels of oil per day for three days. At this level of production, the total would be increased by around 50%. It intends to drill further horizontal wells on the MJF structure and once the final licence upgrade is received at the South Yelemes structure. Chairman Clive Carver said: "For some time we have believed that the shallow structures at the BNG Contract Area, namely the MJF structure and the South Yelemes, would be suitable for a horizontal well. "The company now plans to drill further horizontal wells on each structure." The news has lifted Caspian shares by 19.15% or 0.45p to 2.8p. 1.17pm: Kitwave falls as lockdowns hit its hospitality and leisure customers ( ), an independent wholesaler specialising in confectionery, soft drinks and groceries, has seen its shares go on sale after a trading update. The company, which floated in May at 150p, said full year operating profit fell from 7.6mln to 0.8mln as its business was hit by COVID-19 lockdowns and closures in the leisure and hospitality sector. Since April it said trading had returned close to pre-pandemic levels and is currently in line with market expectations. Chief executive Paul Young said: "All of the group's divisions have experienced some level of impact from the stop-start nature of COVID-19 restrictions during the period. Supply to pubs, restaurants and vending machine operators was severely disrupted as these businesses were either closed or operating under constraints. In contrast, our Frozen & Chilled division was extremely resilient and operated close to pre-COVID-19 levels throughout the period. "Since mid-May 2021, COVID-19 lockdown restrictions have been eased and trade has accelerated. Thanks to a period of warmer weather and consumer interest in the Euros, we are already experiencing sales volumes that are moving toward pre-pandemic levels; this was the case even before the highly anticipated 19 July 2021 'Freedom Day'. As such, we remain confident that the group is on track to achieve its full year expectations. "This belief is further supported by the timing of the return to normal, as it allows the group to take full advantage of the second half of our financial year, when trading is traditionally stronger due to the seasonality of the Frozen & Chilled division." In the market however, the company's shares have lost 5.9% to 162.55p - still above the flotation price. 11.56am: Foresight Group sees the benefits of its recent stock market listing Foresight Group Holdings Ltd, the infrastructure and private equity manager, is already seeing the benefits of its listing in February. The company's full year revenues rose 21% to 69.1mln, with earnings up 89% to 23.9mln. Assets under management climbed 59% to 7.2bn, with 1.7bn coming from the acquisition of Pensions Infrastructure Platform. It has also made its first investments in forestry, fibre broadband and refuelling stations, and added that joining the stock market was already leading to increased visibility and opportunities. Chairman Bernard Fairman said: "These are transformational times for Foresight Group as we work to cement and develop our position as market leader in both sustainable infrastructure and real assets and in regional UK private equity. "Foresight performed very strongly during the year to the end of March and this momentum has continued into the current year... "And we are already seeing the benefits of our February listing as we leverage our fast-growing platform to scale our business and to deliver on our ambitious growth plans." Its shares are up 29p or 7.84% at 399p. 10.38am: Reaching for the stars after good news ( ), the business formerly known as Trinity Mirror, has published some good news for investors. It said half year revenues were up 2.6%, with print down 5.2% but digital soaring 42.7%. Operating profits for the period jumped 25.5% to 68.9mln, and current trading is ahead of expectations. It said digital revenues were now 23% of business, up from just 15% in 2019. The company said: "While macro uncertainty remains, the business is well placed to progress further against our strategic objectives and is trading ahead of full year expectations. "Trading during the first half, specifically the second quarter, benefited from relatively soft comparatives due to the impact of the first UK lockdown during spring last year. This benefit will unwind during the second half as we begin to annualise a more normal pattern of trading. "Despite this, we expect underlying momentum will continue, in particular the improvement we're seeing in print circulation and growth in digital revenues, which has also been supported by the broader sector shift to online. Efficiencies, driven by last year's transformation programme, will continue to support increased digital investment, further expansion of our profit margin and a strong cash position." Reach's shares have climbed 7.67% or 24p to 337p. 9.49am: Itaconix slumps as it warns of order delays and supply chain issues ( , ) has slumped after warning of order fluctuations and supply chain volatility. The company, which specialises in plant-based polymers for consumer products, said first half revenues rose 26% to US$1.4mln compared to this time last year but fell 36% compared to the second half of 2020. The fall was expected due to major customers changing their order requirements. The decline accelerated towards the end of the period, especially in the detergents and personal care sectors as brands and retailers adjusted their inventories after the lockdowns upset consumer buying habits. Overall it said it had made a loss before tax for the period, although this was in line with management expectations. It expecs further delays in new orders in the personal care sector but remained confident of the overall major market potential for its products. It said it had increased prices and adjusted inventories to take account of rising costs and delays for key raw materials, with the proceeds from a recent US$1.5mln fundraising helping to support its supply chain. Chief executive John Shaw said: "We continue to make significant progress capitalising on the revenue potential in every household for our plant-based technologies. Supply chain delays with both our customers and our suppliers are causing some short-term issues, but our revenue opportunities are growing through the increasing recognition of the value of our ingredients in sustainable consumer products and through new additions to our offering of plant-based products. Underlying consumer demand for these products also remains strong." But the market is looking at the negative rather than the positive, and the company's shares are down 3.2p or 29.36% at 7.7p. 8.29am: 7Digital boosted by healthcare deals ( ) is seeing a healthy rise after unveiling two new contracts from companies using its music platform for patient therapy. The first is with US group MedRhythms Inc, which uses digital therapeutics including prescriptiion music to measure and improve walking among patients. The second is with a company creating a music-based health application for people with dementia. Both companies will use 7digital's music platform-as-a-service to access its licensed catalogue and will design their therapeutic and interactive experiences using the 7digital playlisting tool. 7digital said the contracts were both for 24 months and included upfront set-up fees, recurring monthly fees and usage based payments. It said the new contracts provided additional visibility over full year revenues and anticipated significant growth for 2021. Chief executive Paul Langworthy said : "These new customer wins are further evidence of the growing commercial momentum across 7digital as we continue to convert our busy sales pipeline into a raft of multi-year contracts with recurring revenues. We are proud to support innovative and forward-thinking companies, and this is particularly the case in the emerging wellness space where music is used as an effective form of therapy to treat specific neurological functions and conditions. This also builds on our expanding reach across fitness and health brands, with new clients Barry's and Volava announced in recent weeks. These contracts provide us with increasing visibility over our projected revenue growth for 2021 and the delivery of a full year of positive EBITDA for the first time in 7digital's history." In early trading the company's shares climbed 13.6% to 1p. Elsewhere ( ) is 4.61% better at 79.5p after the diagnostics company receiived a certificate of registration for its newly established laboratory in Tennessee. The certificate allows the company to begin commercial operations as a diagnostic laboratory. Verici Dx's two leading commercial clinical offerings, Clarava and Tuteva, are designed to support clinician management and short and long-term graft health in kidney transplant patients. The company's chief medical officer Michael J Donovan said: " Michael J. Donovan, Chief Medical Officer of Verici Dx, said: "This Certificate of Registration is a key milestone in the ... approval pathway essential for commercial launch of the company's two lead products. " The next test will be the response of infections to the opening up of nightclubs Britain might be just months away from the end of the pandemic, according to the epidemiologist who predicted the original spread of the virus. Professor Neil Ferguson, from Imperial College, told the BBC: "The effect of vaccines has been huge in reducing the risk of hospitalisation and death and I think, I'm positive that by late September, October time we will be looking back at most of the pandemic." While there were still areas for concern, Ferguson said that the equation has fundamentally changed, with vaccinations dramatically reducing the incidences of hospitalisations and deaths. Ferguson was speaking after the UK notched up its sixth day of falling cases in spite of predictions new cases might jump to as high as 100,000 or even 200,000 per day after a spike earlier in the month. The current wave of infections reached 54,674 on 17 July but have been falling recently with recorded new infections at 24,950 on Monday though the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 rose by 186 to 5,238 By October, Britain will still have COVID with us, we'll still have people dying from COVID, but we'll put the bulk of the pandemic behind us," Ferguson said. Other scientists were cautious about the drop in infections suggesting that it needs to be backed by lower hospital admissions and data from the Office of National Statistics. Professor Adam Kucharski, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told the BBC: For me, there are two big ones: schools closing and an increased awareness of a growing epidemic - alongside nicer weather. People also turning off the NHS test & trace app after the headlines about the pingdemic might also be a factor. The next test will be the response of infections to nightclubs, festivals and other events reopening from 19 July. Elsewhere, there were reports that airlines might also get some relief with a host of countries expected to be added to the UKs greenlist in the review scheduled for next week. The Telegraph reported that up to 77 countries are being considered for a change to green, which means people dont have to quarantine on their return, while France is expected to have its risk level reduced to amber from amber plus, again meaning travellers returning to the UK don't have to self-isolate. A deal to allow overseas travellers into the UK without the need to quarantine using the NHS app might also be announced as early as this week. Hopes of a US/UK corridor, however, seemed to have been ruled out by the Americans due to the incidence of the Delta variant, though the amber status of the US might be relaxed for people travelling here from the States. Shares in easyJet PLC rose 3% to 873.3p and Ryanair 4% to 17. Some managers suggested China was just catching up with the West in terms of regulation Further falls for some major Chinese tech stocks on the back of a local regulatory crackdown have put another dent in some major London-listed funds, notably including the popular ( ). Meituan shares tumbled an added 18% today in Hong Kong, taking their decline for the week to 25%, after a group of regulators introduced tighter reforms for digital food delivery platforms. Fast-growing Meituan and Alibaba's Ele.me arm are among the tech platforms that have been condemned on social media for the way delivery drivers are treated. This followed a new clampdown on digital media giant Tencent Holdings Ltd and the online education sector earlier in the week, which sent shockwaves out to the many funds invested in Chinese tech. Shares in FTSE 100-listed Scottish Mortgage, where Tencent and Meituan make up four of its top 10 largest positions, were down 1.7%. ( ), where Tencent was the largest position but has no stake in Meituan, slipped 4.5%. Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust PLC, where Tencent and Meituan are first and third-largest holdings, shares fell 6.6% and JPMorgan China Growth & Income PLC, where the pair are the largest and fourth-largest in the list, shares dropped 9%. The ( ) Asia Trust plc and Abrdn's Asia Dragon Trust PLC, which focus across the Asia Pacific sector but have China as their biggest country allocation, with Tencent the largest and third-largest holdings respectively, were down 2.6% and 1.6% respectively. Many investors new to investing in China are likely to be concerned. With many investors trying to unpick whats going on in Beijing, Marc Ostwald, chief economist and global strategist at ADM Investor Services International, said: One thing is now very clear and that is this is a row back to Maoist command and control, even if its economy is totally transformed relative to the Mao era. Perhaps the strongest signal lies in how the focus has been on reining in and taking more control over those companies with no obvious ties to the government, such as Alibaba, Didi and Tencent, while other tech behemoths for example Huawei and ZTE are left untouched. In the longer run, it is a major headwind to both the Chinese economy and to innovation in the tech sector, which will also heighten tensions with western advanced economies and their allies, embedding a cold war like mentality. The challenge for the western advanced economies is large, above all in terms of building up an alternative production and supply chain infrastructure, which will take many years even with all the advanced technology, and with likely substantial implications for costs, margins and profitability. Dale Nicholls, manager of the Fidelity China Special Situations investment trust (FCSS), suggested China was just catching up with the West in terms of regulation. Companies have to rein in their exploitation of data and all countries are going to be thinking about data differently, he told Morningstar, adding that it was to be welcomed from an ESG perspective. And Ronald Chan, founder of Hong Kong asset management firm Chartwell Capital and a listing committee member on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange panel, said he did not reckon investing in China is any riskier than before. Political risk has always been an overhang, and there are no surprises that central government wanted to reign in cannibalizing, monopolistic market tendencies, he said. Applying a Western mindset to interpreting Chinese policymaking is too binary, and accepting the cultural and ideological differences is part of the investment thesis. Remember that markets are fickle and have a short term memory; investors have had a phenomenal run over recent years, so investors late to the party have only themselves to blame. Investing in China is two steps forward, one step back. If investors are going to dance with China to capture the development and growth of the country, they need to expect to get their toes stood on occasionally. For investors wondering where to go from here, Chen advised avoiding the eye of the storm, which seems to be the big names that have heavy trading volume and are big components of the major indices and ETF. We think that the Asian post-pandemic recovery story is a much safer and more rewarding position to take. Domestic consumption such as food and restaurant and retail spending are themes that regional governments and business owners are all aligned with. We like the quality small to mid-cap companies where we can grasp what exactly is going on in their business, and see the catalysts for recovery and growth. Localised themes are also important, such as the broad spectrum of businesses that will benefit from borders re-opening. Finally, make sure your portfolio is bullet-proof by having an all-weathered strategy. We like to blend income stocks and quality growth companies that typically move differently and give the portfolio some insulation from volatility and generate more asymmetric returns than a pure beta play. The publisher of Call of Duty and World of Warcraft is involved in a battle with disgruntled employees that looks even more serious than BrewDog's bust-up In an echo of the staff rebellion at Punk IPA brewer , disgruntled staff at computer games giant Activision Blizzard have criticised the companys culture. More than 1,000 employees past and present have signed a letter taking the company to task for its alleged frat boy (think of the film Animal House) culture. Last week, the California Department of Fair Housing and Employment (DFEH) started proceedings against Activision Blizzard, famous for many classic computer games such as World of Warcraft and Call of Duty, for an alleged culture of sexual harassment and discrimination. While former members of Activision Blizzard senior management team, such as Blizzard co-founder, have expressed shame at the companys culture and have apologised for allowing the mistreatment of women working for the company, the current management has defended itself. The DFEH includes distorted, and in many cases false, descriptions of Blizzards past, the company said in a statement. This is later than it should have been. Heres my response. pic.twitter.com/0h8iF6a1JR Chris Metzen (@ChrisMetzen) July 24, 2021 We have been extremely cooperative with the DFEH throughout their investigation, including providing them with extensive data and ample documentation but they refused to inform us what issues they perceived, the statement continued. Activision Blizzard said the lawsuit was an inaccurate complaint and pledged to demonstrate that in court. A leaked email from Frances Townsend, the executive sponsor of the companys Employees Womens Network indicated she believes the lawsuits claims are meritless and irresponsible. UPDATE: Activision Blizzard issued a lengthy statement to IGN about the lawsuit, saying we are confident in our ability to demonstrate our practices as an equal opportunity employer that fosters a supportive, diverse, and inclusive workplace for our people. Full statement: pic.twitter.com/jKFIpYX0S7 CharlieIntel - Call of Duty News (@charlieINTEL) July 22, 2021 The companys protestations have been undermined by the open letter signed by people who have worked for Activision Blizzard, which said the companys reaction to the lawsuit, including Townsends response was abhorrent and insulting. "We believe these statements have damaged our ongoing quest for equality inside and outside of our industry. Categorising the claims that have been made as 'distorted, and in many cases false' creates a company atmosphere that disbelieves victims. It also casts doubt on our organisations' ability to hold abusers accountable for their actions and foster a safe environment for victims to come forward in the future. These statements make it clear that our leadership is not putting our values first. Immediate corrections are needed from the highest level of our organization, the letter said. The leading international trading house will provide a US$7.5 million prepayment facility to assist FELs working capital requirements during the ramp-up phase. ( ) has received strong validation of its iron ore production strategy at the JWD Iron Ore Project in Western Australia with leading global trading house Glencore executing an offtake agreement for 100% of the product. Glencore International AG has signed an exclusive agreement with FEL subsidiary Wiluna FE Pty Ltd for all of the product, including iron ore lumps and fines, over the life of the companys operations at JWD. FEL executive chairman Tony Sage said: We are pleased to have secured a major company such as Glencore as our offtake partner for JWD. US$7.5 million prepayment The terms will see Glencore provide FEL with a US$7.5 million prepayment within five working days of signing to assist in meeting the companys working capital requirements during the JWD ramp-up phase. This prepayment will be repaid by FEL in five instalments of US$1.5 million, plus applicable interest, from shipments two to six, or within six months of the prepayment being received, whichever is the earlier. Great vote of confidence Sage added: "It is a great vote of confidence in our project and the team, particularly given they have been willing to make a prepayment. "The prepayment facility will provide us valuable liquidity as we ramp up our operations to full capacity. The offtake arrangement with Glencore is subject to ( ) Ltds existing right to elect to purchase up to 50,000 tonnes of fines product at the mine gate. Contract terms Sales to Glencore will occur on a Free on Board basis and this will further assist FELs cashflow in that it will not have to fund the cost of freight. The agreement is an agency style arrangement whereby Glencore funds the purchase of the product upfront and the parties work together to optimise placement of the product with end-users to achieve the best price. This process will utilise Glencores substantial global distribution capability, supplemented by existing relationships between end-users and the FEL team. Operations ramping up JWD operations are continuing to ramp up toward full capacity with finished product stocks accumulating at the Port of Geraldton in advance of the companys first export shipment. READ: Fe Limited secures key Geraldton Port contracts, decisions to mine at JWD Iron Ore Project finalised This comes after FEL made the first haulage of iron ore from JWD to Geraldton Port earlier this month. Haulage operations are being carried out by David Campbell Transport Pty Ltd on a 24/7 basis with the contract allowing for the transportation of at least 1,200 tonnes of JWD product per day, making up around 60% of the intended initial volumes. Loading of the companys first shipment at the port is targeted for the second half of August. King River is focused on improving the precursor product as it refines its ARC process for the upcoming definitive feasibility study. Precursor 5N product produced from an industrial aluminium chemical compound feedstock by the ARC Process. ( ), which hopes to become a world-leading producer of 4N (99.99% purity) high purity alumina (HPA), has produced a 5N (99.999%) purity precursor compound. The precursor production is an important step for the company towards the definitive feasibility study for its High Purity Alumina Project and proposed Kwinana plant near Perth. King River tapped analytical service provider Source Certain International (SCI) to produce several batches of the high purity 5N precursor. 5N precursor details The precursor was produced through King Rivers ARC HPA process from an industrial aluminium chemical compound feedstock; highlighting the Aluminium feedstock, the use of only Recrystallisation steps in purification and final Calcination. SCI assayed the precursor using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and ICP-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) methods, completing up to 5 duplicate analyses on each batch to improve confidence in the results. The 5N purity result was calculated by the addition of all the assayed element impurities that reported above the detection limit then subtracting this result from 100%. The main contaminants in the precursor were potassium (K), silicon (Si) and sodium (Na), with other elements less than 1 part per million (ppm) or below the detection limits. Repeat assays for Precursor Batches 8-13. Next steps A pre-feasibility study (PFS) released in June confirmed the value of the proposed Kwinana HPA plants technical and economical viability, and affirmed King Rivers decision to initially focus on entering the global HPA market. The PFS forecast a production rate of 9,000 tonnes per annum of 99.99% high purity alumina (HPA) once at full production, with project revenue of more than $7 billion over 25 years. HPA is an essential ingredient in the production of LEDs and lithium-ion battery separators, both of which are used in clean energy and high technology applications, such as lighting and electric vehicles (EV) - as such, demand for HPA is expected to increase. Metallurgical test-work is ongoing to further refine the ARC HPA process for the DFS with the current focus on further improving the precursor product to simplify the final calcination stage. King River has also begun the development of a mini pilot plant to demonstrate the ARC HPA process works at a larger scale for the DFS and to produce market samples. The process flowsheet and mass balances have been used to scale the mini pilot plant and enquiries and purchase orders with vessel vendors are underway. - Daniel Paproth The company is aiming to provide a European source of very high-grade, clean, low-impurity zinc and lead concentrates from Gorno by 2024. Alta is trialling the innovative use of high-intensity laser scanning for geologic assessment of the mineralisation, ( ) has received funding support for an innovative remote sensing and laser project through the EIT RawMaterials program at Gorno Zinc Project in northern Italy. EIT RawMaterials was established by the European Raw Materials Alliance (ERMA) under the EUs initiative to secure sustainable access to vital raw materials as key enablers for a globally competitive, green, and digital Europe. Promisingly, EIT RawMaterials is demonstrating EUs support for Gorno by funding an innovative program to enable locked up high-grade zinc, lead and silver mineralisation to be mined without additional mine development. Alta is aiming to provide a European source of very high-grade, clean, low-impurity zinc and lead concentrates from Gorno by 2024. Clean and environmentally responsible Alta Zinc managing director Geraint Harris said: We are delighted with the positive response our activities have received from Pier Luigi Franceschini and the EIT RawMaterials team in Rome, and it is rewarding to be able to contribute to the raw materials requirements of Europe with the pioneering re-start of base metal mine in a historic mining country such as Italy. Our goal is to turn Gorno into one of the cleanest and most environmentally responsible new breed of base metals mines coming on stream in Europe. Their actions show that the EU is taking concrete steps towards ensuring reliable, secure and sustainable access to raw materials; and we are happy to be contributors to a globally competitive, green, and digital Europe. Reducing surface environmental impact Alta is designing Gorno to be one of the few mines worldwide with no long-term surface tailings storage. A key feature of the re-development plans for Gorno is that plant tailings will be permanently stored in the mined stopes as cemented paste backfill, which means tailings do not need to be stored above ground thereby significantly reducing the surface environmental impact. A cemented paste back-fill containing the mine tailings will provide support to underground openings, thereby increasing roof stability to allow for maximum extraction of the mineralisation with minimal additional development. The EIT RawMaterials funded program enables cutting-edge assessment of the historical voids to maximise storage capacity. Reliable access to key raw materials Alta became a member of the ERMA in January 2021, aligning with the EUs aim of providing reliable access to key raw materials and recognising the benefit of being part of a unique network of organisations across the raw materials value chain. ERMAs purpose is to contribute to ensuring reliable, secure and sustainable access to raw materials as key enablers for a globally competitive, green and digital Europe. EIT RawMaterials coordinates with ERMA to unlock multi-country, public and private investment potentials and supports strategic developments with potential for innovation and high-value job creation in the raw materials sector to secure access to critical and strategic raw materials, advanced materials, and processing know-how for EUs industrial ecosystems. Unique environmental qualities EIT innovation hub director Pier Luigi Franceschini said: We are very happy that EIT RawMaterials is able to support this innovation program at Gorno, and we recognise the projects unique environmental qualities. The Booster program support for Gorno is evidence that EIT RawMaterials has an agile process to bring suitable raw materials projects into an investment channel. We look forward to engaging the team at Gorno further with our networks towards achieving our shared vision of a green and resilient Europe, where raw materials are a major strength of the EU economy. Reduced CO2 footprint Altas test work has shown that the Gorno mineralisation is highly amenable to XRT sorting technology which reliably separates the valuable metal ores from the host rock (limestone). This has been shown to reduce the amount of ore fed to the processing plant by half, with minimal loss of contained metal, which significantly cuts the size of the processing plant required with savings to the initial capital cost and ongoing maintenance costs and it is estimated that energy consumption can effectively be halved compared to traditional methods. Once the host rock is separated from the metallic minerals by the XRT technology it can potentially be reused as a saleable limestone by-product which will offset aggregate produced from quarries for use in the circular and low-carbon economy. All of these savings will be measured to calculate the reduced CO2 footprint of the operations. Cleanest and highest-grade zinc The European smelter industry produces 2.2 million tonnes per annum of zinc metal of which more than 55% is imported. Many of these imported concentrates are shipped over significant distances and are containing high levels of deleterious elements which makes it difficult for the smelters to dispose of the smelter waste within environmental guidelines. Alta can produce some of the cleanest and highest-grade zinc and lead concentrates available globally at Gorno. These high purity products would provide a traceable, clean and environmentally sustainable metal supply to European smelters with very low transportation and environmental waste impact compared to other market sources of concentrates. - Ephrems Joseph ( , )'s Matt Gill tells Proactive's Andrew Scott they've now reached the halfway point in its 2021 field season at the Red Mountain project in Alaska. He says two remote camps with more than 40 personnel have been established at the project site in the prolific Tintina gold province where the company is exploring for intrusion-related gold system (IRGS) mineralisation and high-grade silver-zinc-gold-lead volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits. Gill also discusses the company's enterprise value and longer term strategy for its portfolio of assets. The Wickepin Project produces kaolin products for tier-one customers and the company aims to expand its annual production to 400,000 tonnes in a two-stage strategy. Construction continues onsite at Wickepin, with 100% of the building structural steel and roofing completed. ( ) is on track to complete construction and installation activities at its Wickepin Kaolin Project southeast of Perth in WA by the end of 2021, as building work at the end of the June quarter reached a completion target of 92%. To date, 100% of the structural steel building and roofing has been completed by AUSPAN, one of Australias leading steel frame construction companies, while walls and doors hit 85% completion and civil works and concrete floors holding 95% completion. Final inspections are expected to be complete by the end of this month and the internal fit-out and cladding of the site laboratory and control room is expected to be completed in early August. Stage 1 work program. As construction and installation activities continue, the next steps the company will focus on are: Equipment fabrication, and commissioning; and Equip and start-up Wickepin laboratory. The mining campaign at Wickepin is underway with high-grade material extracted from Pit 2 Equipment Engineering design works on the fixed plant at Wickepin are all completed and signed off only minor items await construction drawings, whilst the main kiln is expected to be complete and be delivered by the end of August 2021. A purchase order and contract are in place for the product collection, one of the largest equipment components of the plant, which is used to capture the kaolin during the separation process to be transferred for packaging. WAK estimates, whilst delivery will be progressive, with structures arriving first to allow wiring to be readied, all components will arrive at Wickepin by the end of September 2021. New customers Throughout the quarter, WA Kaolin continued to build its customer base. Under the guidance of the newly appointed sales and marketing manager, Justin Swan, the team has delivered an increase in new customers. New customers include a brick company in Australia, a ceramics company in Vietnam, a fibreglass company in Japan and a rubber company in China. All new orders were contracted at prices higher than the Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) value for each grade. 15-year LNG supply contract In May, WA Kaolin announced the signing of a 15-year contract for the supply of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) for the Wickepin Kaolin Project, with Mid-West LNG Pty Ltd, a group company of Clean Energy Fuels Australia (CEFA). CEFA is an established Perth-based company that provides, as part of its energy transition platform, integrated solutions developing small scale LNG infrastructure assets for remote mining operations and communities within Australia. Through Mid-West LNG Pty Ltd, CEFA is in the process of building a new LNG plant in Mount Magnet, approximately 600 kilometres north of Wickepin. WAK will be the second customer supplied from this new facility. The Mount Magnet LNG Hub, once completed, will have the ability to supply in excess of 500 tonners per day of LNG. This supply of LNG to Wickepin will be used to fire the rotary kiln that dries the kaolin ore, which is the first step in the Companys proprietary K99 dry processing method. The contract, valued at $22 million includes the supply of commissioning gas from September 1, 2021, to the end of 2021 will begin on January 1, 2022, and will run for 15 years with reviews at year 5 and year 10, and provides for two options to extend for a further five years respectively. Chemist Warehouse will provide sales and marketing services over three years and in return, Fiji Kavaa will issue shares and will emerge with 10% of Fiji Kava's expanded issued capital. Fiji Kava will become platinum supplier and receive greater marketing and promotional benefits ( ) has signed an equity-linked partnership with Chemist Warehouse Group that will also see the Australian-Fijian health & wellness company becoming a platinum supplier. The partnership will see Chemist Warehouse receive up to 12,995,454 shares in Fiji Kava at 11 cents per share in a strategic association that will expand Fiji Kava's presence in Chemist Warehouse stores in Australia and New Zealand. As a platinum supplier, Fiji Kava will also receive greater marketing and promotional support across Chemist Warehouse's global network, in return for a marketing and promotional fee, to be paid via the equity agreement. Strong and meaningful endorsement Fiji Kava CEO Dr Anthony Noble said: "This partnership is a strong and meaningful endorsement of Fiji Kava. To have Australia's leading pharmacy brand take a strategic equity stake in our business only two months after our unique noble kava varieties were launched in Chemist Warehouse stores and online is transformational for us. Deepens relationships and aligns commercial interests Noble added: "At a time when the market for natural remedies for anti-anxiety is soaring in light of the global pandemic, not only will this partnership increase the availability of our products and awareness of our brand globally, it also deepens our relationship and aligns our commercial interests to the long-term success of Fiji Kava. There are natural synergies with this partnership as we both look to capitalise on the pharmacy network is the single largest domestic channel for Australian consumers purchasing complementary medicines. "We look forward to working with Chemist Warehouse to maximise the distribution and marketing opportunities now available to Fiji Kava across their large global pharmacy network in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, with the launch of our products on Chemist Warehouse's Tmall Global store we also see another key avenue for growth in sales in China. Strong belief in Fiji Kava Chemist Warehouse chairman and co-founder, Jack Gance said: "This investment signals our strong belief in Fiji Kava as a company that has something truly unique to offer in the natural medicine market. Pharmacy is the clear leader for kava consumers, with this strategic alliance deepening our relationship with Fiji Kava while providing our global consumer network with access to their high-quality noble kava varieties. The first half of the investment Under the agreement, Chemist Warehouse will make the first half of their investment by the end of 2021 and will take a hands-on role in driving marketing and sales of Fiji Kava products across all Chemist Warehouse markets. The partnership also includes active participation in new product development, market research and intelligence. The scope of partnership also includes Chemist Warehouses support for product communication, labelling, design, packaging promotion and improvement opportunities. The second half of the investment will be recognised following the achievement of target sales in FY23 and will see a further delivery of co-funded advertising, sales, and marketing activities. Gance said: "By investing in a genuine market leader in the kava sector, we clearly believe this partnership will be mutually beneficial especially as their products become more widely available across our network. Becoming a platinum supplier Overall, the new equity partnership with Chemist Warehouse will include the sale of Fiji Kava's full range of Noble Kava. This includes Noble Kava extract capsules and the three uniquely formulated varieties of Noble Sleep, Noble Calm and Noble Body, as well as the pipeline of new products Fiji Kava will be launching this financial year including Noble FocusTM and its range of Fiji Kava medicinal teas. By becoming a platinum supplier, Fiji Kava will also benefit from its products being available on Chemist Warehouse's Alibaba Tmall Global store and this will further expand Fiji Kava's presence in China with Chemist Warehouse being one of the largest health retail stores on Alibaba. Gance said: Demand for kava in China also presents another opportunity, which we look forward to unlocking via our Alibaba Tmall Global store. "We only partner with organisations that share our values and have a clear strategy to deliver on their ambitions for growth. As we've witnessed over the past two months, Fiji Kava has both. We certainly believe in the global opportunity of kava and our investment ensures we work collaboratively to realise kava's international potential. The move will permit the company to pursue its integrated health plan through initiatives such as the national clinic expansion and Kai Care Testing Solutions Empower CEO Steven McAuley said divestment will allow the company to engage with different partners such as banks, auditors and advertising companies that had restrictions against engaging companies in the cannabis space Empower Clinics Inc ( ) (FRA:8EC) ( ) said it has signed a non-binding term sheet to enter into an agreement that would allow the company to divest of its legacy cannabis assets and fully focus on its integrated healthcare business. The company said the associated non-binding agreement outlines that Andrea Klein and Dustin Klein (together the "Kleins") will acquire 100% of Sun Valley Health Holdings LLC, Sun Valley Health Franchising LLC, Sun Valley Health LLC, Sun Valley Health West LLC, Sun Valley Health Tucson LLC, Sun Valley Health Mesa LLC, Sun Valley Alternative Health Centers NV LLC, and all subsidiaries. "This transaction will allow Empower to complete the divestment of its legacy cannabis assets and focus on its integrated healthcare vision," said Empower CEO Steven McAuley in a statement. "We also expect this divestment to allow Empower to engage with a different breadth of partners - such as banks, auditors and advertising companies - who had restrictions against engaging companies in the cannabis space," McAuley added. Empower said the structure of the agreement is on a cash-free, debt-free basis with consideration of US$1 million to be settled by the transfer from the Kleins to, or as directed by the seller, of such number of common shares of Empower equal to US$1 million divided by the US dollar equivalent (based on the daily exchange rate for the conversion of Canadian dollars to US dollars) of the volume-weighted average trading price of the shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange for the 10 trading days ending on the date that is two business days prior to the date of closing of the acquisition. Completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including completion of due diligence, negotiation of definitive agreements, and receipt of all necessary approvals. If such conditions are not satisfied, the company said it is possible that the proposed transaction will not be completed. The parties anticipate completing the definitive agreements within the next 30 to 60 days. Empower said the non-binding transaction will permit it to robustly pursue its integrated health plan through initiatives such as the national clinic expansion and Kai Care Testing Solutions, along with an aggressive acquisition strategy. Contact the author: patrick@proactiveinvestors.com Follow him on Twitter @PatrickMGraham The US$30bn combination, which could have created the world's largest insurance broker, has been scrapped after the US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the move citing competition concerns A US$30bn merger between Aon PLC and Willis Towers Watson PLC which would have created the worlds largest insurance broker has collapsed after hitting a major roadblock with US regulators. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit in June in a bid to block the combination, originally announced in March last year, on the grounds that it would reduce competition in the market and result in higher prices, particularly in the areas of reinsurance brokering, pension and retirement planning, and private retiree multi-carrier healthcare exchanges. While both Aon and Willis previously agreed to several divestments in order to appease regulators, the merger plans have now be dropped completely to end the litigation with the DOJ. "Despite regulatory momentum around the world, including the recent approval of our combination by the European Commission, we reached an impasse with the US Department of Justice", Aon chief executive Greg Case said in a statement. "The DOJ position overlooks that our complementary businesses operate across broad, competitive areas of the economy. We are confident that the combination would have accelerated our shared ability to innovate on behalf of clients, but the inability to secure an expedited resolution of the litigation brought us to this point", he added. The scrapping of the merger will cost Aon US$1bn in termination fees now owed to Willis, which coincidentally said on Monday that it will increase its existing share repurchase program by the same amount. The share prices of the two firms were sent in opposite directions in mid-morning trading on Wall Street on Monday, with Aon jumping 7.3% to US$249.48 while Willis Towers slumped 7.1% to US$210.44. The extensive exploration program covers new target generation, detailed prospect exploration, drill testing new targets, resource extension drilling and downhole geophysics surveys. ( , ) has reached the halfway point of its 2021 field season at Red Mountain Project with three diamond drill rigs on the go supported by two helicopters as part of its biggest exploration program undertaken yet in Alaska. Two remote camps with more than 40 personnel have been established at the project site in the prolific Tintina Gold Province where the company is exploring for intrusion-related gold system (IRGS) mineralisation and high-grade silver-zinc-gold-lead volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits. Key field activities completed to date include drilling for down-dip extensions to the Dry Creek VMS deposit, drill testing new VMS targets in the Red Mountain area as well as along the newly identified Keevy VMS trend, and drill testing the Last Chance gold target. Testing as many targets as possible Speaking to the exploration update, technical advisor Dr Quinton Hennigh said: Before the companys 2021 field program commenced, many VMS targets were identified for field examination. Six high-priority VMS targets were quickly identified along the Keevy VMS trend immediately south of Dry Creek. Recent samples collected from these areas include massive sphalerite, galena and chalcopyrite, a very promising indication these targets are potentially high grade. These targets are drill ready, and in addition to the already aggressive exploration plans, White Rock will attempt to test as many of them as possible this season. Other field activities Surface reconnaissance of numerous VMS targets in both the Red Mountain and Last Chance areas has been a key focus with detailed soil sampling, ground magnetics and CSAMT geophysics completed and/or underway at: Jack Frost and Easy Ivan - both new prospects identified during the 2021 field season that are now drill-ready in less than seven weeks of fieldwork; Yogi, Kiwi and Yeti, all on the newly identified Keevy VMS trend; and Horseshoe, Ringer, Bullseye, Bib, Bib West, Copper Creek and Peaches. Surface reconnaissance of new gold stream anomalies identified during 2020 has also been occurring with detailed prospect soil sampling and ground magnetics at the newly identified Pepper prospect, east of the Last Chance Gold Target. In total, across both the VMS and gold targets more than 5,000 soil samples and 200 rock chip samples have been taken, plus more than 70 line kilometres of ground magnetics and 10 line kilometres of CSAMT surveyed. The electric car-maker took a Bitcoin-related impairment of US$23mln during the second quarter ( ) beat Wall Street expectations with its second-quarter results and said the first cars will roll off production lines in the new Berlin and Texas gigafactories later this year, although the launch of the Semi truck programme has been pushed to 2022 as the group struggles with supply chain challenges. Boss Elon Musk, who received US$176mln of share-based payments during the period, said the big struggle this quarter was to get enough supplies for airbags and seatbelts in the company's electric vehicles. Nevertheless, total revenues came in at US$11.96bn for the three months to the end of June, up 98% on this time last year thanks to a 148% increase in Model 3/Y deliveries offsetting a decline in Model S/X deliveries, and ahead of the US$11.51bn consensus forecast. Average sales prices fell 2% year-on-year, which reflected increased sales of lower-priced cars in China. Automotive revenues were US$10.2bn, up 97% year-on-year, while Energy Storage sales more than doubled to US$801mln, while Services & Other revenue jumped 95.3% to $951mln. Capital expenditure rose 176% to US$1.5bn, while free cash flow swelled 48% to US$619mln, and the quarter ended with US$16.23bn cash in the bank, down 5% since the end of March. Automotive gross margin in the quarter reached 28.4%, or 25.8% once regulatory credits are eliminated, while the Street's estimate was for 25.3%. Despite the share-based payments to Musk, as well as lower regulatory credit revenues and a Bitcoin-related impairment of US$23mln, operating margins soared to 11.0%, up from 5.7% last quarter and 5.4% a year ago. Earnings per share landed at US$1.02, ahead of analyst expectations of US$0.98. "The margin performance was impressive and will be a focus of the bulls with more Street questions around when profitability can be hit ex EV tax credits heading into 2022," said analysts at broker Wedbush. "From a capacity perspective, Tesla plans to build its first Model Y vehicles in Berlin and Austin during 2021, a positive sign for those worried about the timeline of these buildouts. While supply chain issues remain, it appears to be moderating heading into the next 6 to 9 months with our view that 900k deliveries is still the bogey for annual 2021 numbers." Analyst Nick Hyett at Hargreaves Lansdown noted that Tesla didnt update longer term production or profit guidance, although reiterated that it has sufficient liquidity to fund its product roadmap and long-term expansion plans. The main impression of Tesla from these numbers is one of resilience. Despite the decline in higher margin Model X/S deliveries, an increase in lower value Chinese vehicles and potential headwinds from global computer chip shortages, Tesla has managed to grow production substantially and crucially margins have improved dramatically too," he said. This means mining can begin at the asset although some additional development work is needed to access the stopes and begin full mining operations Soma Gold owns two adjacent mining properties in Antioquia, Colombia with a combined milling capacity of 675 tonnes per day (tpd) and is permitted for 1,400 tpd Soma Gold Corp has updated investors on the progress towards beginning full mining operations at its Cordero mine in Colombia, saying the Fenix portal has now reached level 2 and encountered the vein. This means mining can begin at the asset although some additional development work is needed to access the stopes and begin full mining operations. This will be completed in August this year. The Fenix portal will then also hit the vein at Level 3, which is 310 meters away and is expected to be completed in September this year. Ultimately, the Fenix portal will be connected to the Atena portal at the other end of the deposit, and the full daily tonnage of production will be achieved. Completion of the Fenix portal is an important milestone for Soma as the gold miner transitions to mechanized mining, Soma CEO Javier Cordova told shareholders. "The Cordero mine production rate will increase to 400 TPD by Q4 2021, which will supplement the current 325 TPD production from the La Ye and Mangos mines, The additional ore will allow Soma to fully utilize its installed milling capacity of 650-700 TPD. The ore from Cordero mine is higher grade than the ore from Mangos and La Ye mines resulting in a higher average grade and a doubling of through-put," the CEO said in a statement. "We expect a strong finish to 2021 and excellent prospects for 2022 and beyond. Mining activities at the company's 100% owned Nechi mine is expected by mid-2022, extending the expected life of mine beyond 2030," he added. Soma Gold owns two adjacent mining properties in Antioquia, Colombia with a combined milling capacity of 675 tonnes per day (tpd) and is permitted for 1,400 tpd. Its El Bagre Mill is currently operating and producing. Internally generated funds are being used to finance a regional exploration program. Soma also owns an exploration and development property near Tucuma, Para State, Brazil. Contact the author at giles@proactiveinvestors.com Qples is a cash flow positive business that is expected to generate around $1 million in revenue for 2021, followed swiftly by $2 million in 2022 FOBI said the synergistic deal is expected to be completed in August after due diligence and exchange approvals ( , ) Inc, a provider of real-time data analytics through artificial intelligence (AI) to drive customer engagement, revealed that it has signed a binding Letter of Intent (LOI) to acquire Qples, a dominant player in the coupon industry with strong relationships with top consumer brands. The company noted that Qples is a cash flow positive business that is expected to generate around US$1 million in revenue for 2021, followed by US$2 million in 2022, prior to any impact from the acquisition. The deal is expected to be completed in August, subject to customary due diligence and exchange approvals, said FOBI. Qples is a next-generation provider of digital coupons, and the first coupon provider to sign on to The Coupon Bureaus universal digital coupon AI 8112 project. Qples recently announced the launch of the Grocery Coupon Network mobile application, the first IOS and Android app to allow consumers to discover, save and redeem both print@home and universal digital coupons in one place. As a result, consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands are able for the first time to deliver manufacturer-level digital coupons into any digital platform and track the performance through detailed data and analytics. Through its proprietary coupon delivery platform, Qples provides brands with data about the offers and the consumers such as name, gender, location, point of origin and much more, said the company. In a nutshell, Qples provides a disruptive and cost-effective way for brands to accurately market to consumers across social, local, and mobile channels. Moreover, unlike load-to-card coupons that must be clipped and used at a specific retailer, universal digital coupons can be used anywhere. The Qples acquisition is a key step in FOBIs strategy to connect CPG brands and retailers, as well as become a leader in the grocery, convenience and pharmacy verticals, where FOBI has announced major pilots. The company also pointed out that with the recent integration of FOBIs Wallet pass and the new Universal Digital Coupon standard AI (8112), the acquisition is a great fit to power a coupon service. FOBIs receipt marketing and e-receipt capabilities, enables coupons to be printed at the till or delivered digitally through email or FOBIs Wallet pass. This is the final piece of the puzzle that enables a new revenue stream for FOBI, selling coupons to CPGs, which is complementary to FOBIs core software-as-a-service (SAAS) business, said the company. In a statement, FOBI CEO Rob Anson said: "The acquisition of Qples gives FOBI powerful abilities to offer a coupon management platform to CPGs and a seamless end-to-end solution for our customers, allowing us to attack the market from both ends. With this acquisition, we gain a turnkey asset that immediately plugs into the FOBI solution stack, enabling us to leverage and add greater value to existing revenue contracts with CPGs. As a cash flow positive business on the cusp of a major breakout, Qples is a perfect example of FOBIs ideology of Partner, Build or Buy." Meanwhile, Qples President Eddy Watsonstates said joining forces with FOBI makes perfect sense. It creates new opportunities for Qples by coupling our industry-leading coupon technology with FOBIs vast portfolio of complementary products, added Watsonstates. In June this year, FOBI appointed Richard Lee, former VP of strategic alliances at NielsenIQ, as its new SVP of strategy and corporate development to sharpen FOBIs roadmap for mergers and acquisitions (M&A). With his deep knowledge of the market research and data and analytics industry, Richard will continue to work with Senior Management and focus on further M&A opportunities, said the company. Lee said the deal aligns very well with FOBIs growth strategy as it sets out to work across the various retail verticals and build a collaboration model between retailers and CPG brands. The acquisition of Qples brings additional capabilities that interface with our current suite of services and strengthens our position to help connect the CPG and retail industry, added Lee. FOBI's recent private placement and warrant exercises injected $10.4 million in working capital to fund current growth and further strategic acquisitions. Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive From its 5,000 sq ft facility, Exro will carry out testing to optimize electric vehicles of all types ( , ) Inc, the power solutions cleantech group, continues to grow and has announced its US headquarters will be in the city of Mesa in the state of Arizona, which is a hub for automotive research and development. From its 5,000 square foot (sq ft) facility, Exro will carry out testing to optimize electric vehicles (EVs) of all types, from scooters, buses to e-bikes. It plans to hire 50 employees over the next 18 months. Arizona is a leading US state for cutting-edge research in mobility technology, and its calm winds and wide temperature range allows for more testing on roads. "The Greater Phoenix area was a natural choice for our U.S. home, and we're thrilled to become a part of the innovative business community," Sue Ozdemir, the CEO of ( , ), told investors. "The region is ripe with potential manufacturing partners and suppliers, and its competitive talent pipeline will support our continued growth. "Mayor Giles and the city of Mesa have welcomed our vision and we look forward to building on the city's enthusiasm for electric vehicles. We're excited to invite customers and shareholders to visit us and see our technology at work!" Mesa Mayor John Giles added: "Exro Technologies made an excellent decision in choosing to locate its US headquarters in the Mesa Gateway area. The company's mission to optimize and increase the adoption of electric vehicles is in line with our city's goals to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and manage electric materials responsibly." This latest news comes on the heels of Exro's graduation to the Toronto Stock Exchange and demonstrates the firm's "continued growth and momentum", said the company. Contact the writer at giles@proactiveinvestors.com A glance at some of the day's highlights from the Proactive Investors US and Canada newswires ( ). has acquired two mineral properties in British Columbia. In a statement, the company said the Island Property was acquired from ( , ) for $60,000 cash and is roughly 1,277 hectares in size and contiguous with the south-central border of its Ruby Creek Property. The second acquisition is the Big Ledge Property, which Stuhini said was acquired from a company director for nominal consideration and is roughly 5094 hectares in size. Arizona Silver Exploration Inc has picked up more claims around its Philadelphia project in Mohave County after recent high-grade drilling results highlighted the potential of the wider property. The Vancouver-based company added another 10 lode mining claims, comprising 200 acres, around the project. In a statement, Arizona Silvers vice president of exploration Greg Hahn told investors that the new claims cover the depth extension of the Perry vein system that returned high-grade gold results a few weeks ago. Marvel Discovery Corp announced it has completed a heliborne magnetic and time-domain electromagnetic (TDEM) survey over its Duhamel property. The company also announced that Gary Musil has tendered his resignation as company chairman and is stepping down from the board of directors due to personal reasons. The Duhamel property, located 350 kilometres (km) north of Quebec City, contains seven occurrences of nickel-copper-cobalt and one of titanium-vanadium-chromium, discovered between 1997 to 2001 by previous operators. Camino Minerals Corp. has reported that the Los Chapitos copper project's local community of Atiquipa, Jaqui, y Yauca, and the nearby township of Chala in Peru have started to receive their first coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations of Sinopharm. The company said the vaccination program will benefit its operations and improve overall safety conditions, as it has hired locally to staff its housing and operations and to support and execute the current geophysical program. During the pandemic, Camino said it provided the local community with COVID-19 testing kits, financial support for ranchers to purchase feed for animals, and food packages for those infected with COVID-19. Logiq Inc announced the partial exercise of an overallotment option as part of its C$5.9 million initial public offering. Logic raised C$5,929,302 through the issuance of nearly 2 million units priced at C$3 per unit. Under the overallotment option, the company issued an additional 201,700 units for additional proceeds of C$605,100, bringing the total gross proceeds to C$6,534,402. Each unit in the offering consisted of one share and one warrant exercisable at C$3.50 for a 36-month period. ( , ) Inc has announced the appointment of Anthony Durkacz as the companys new interim chief executive officer (CEO) as well as the reinstatement of Zeeshan Saeed as ( , )s president. Durkacz had previously served on ( , )s board of directors as its co-chairman. The Company now has the benefit of a strong board of directors who bring with them highly-relevant experience and knowledge, Durkacz said in a statement. PowerTap Hydrogen Capital Corp announced that it has acquired 49% of AES-100 Inc in a move that will assure the rapid global deployment of its hydrogen refueling stations. The company, which is focused on installing hydrogen production and dispensing fueling infrastructure, said the strategic move will also create attractive value for its shareholders. AES-100 owns the exclusive rights and all intellectual property pertaining to the Advanced Electrolyzer System (AES), a novel electrochemical technology that selectively recovers high purity hydrogen from dilute syngas streams. The technology was invented by T2M Global - a world leader in clean energy technology - to address the problem of hydrogen trapped in dilute syngas streams that is wasted on low-value applications. ( , ) said it has entered into the baby food space with the introduction of a nutritional plant-based baby cereals line suitable for those six months and older. The company noted the cereals are aimed to further help those families struggling with dairy intolerance, as well as those embracing plant-based living, and those unwilling to accept the overly processed formulas/nutrition products currently available. ( , ) announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Altum Pharmaceuticals Inc, and Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile have obtained approval to conduct their planned randomized placebo-controlled trial (IN2COVID) on coronavirus (COVID-19) patients. The trial, which was approved by Instituto de Salud Publica de Chile, is set to start in early August. It will test BetterLifes proprietary inhaled interferon alpha-2b (IFN-a2b) product, AP-003. ( ) has announced the renaming and rebranding of its proprietary property management and post-construction software to Tribe Home. In a statement, the company said the name Tribe Home replaces the platform's original name, bazinga!, used since its inception in 2011 and strengthens the company's brand recognition under its Tribe portfolio of products and services. "As a company, we have built ourselves around the concept of community," said CEO Joseph Nakhla. "Our goal is to change the way people experience community living, connect with their neighbours, and interact with their homes. To do this, we need to simplify community living and all of the complexities around it. Tribe Home is the next step in the evolution and simplification of what Tribe represents. Tribe Home is community in the palm of your hand." C3 Metals Inc, formerly Carube Copper, told investors that drilling at its flagship Jasperoide copper-gold project in Peru continues to suggest the presence of a porphyry deposit at depth. The company has posted assays from three holes, which were sunk 50 metres (m) north of previously high-grade drill intercepts reported in May this year, and included an intercept of 99.81m at a grade of 0.90% copper and 0.34 grams per ton (g/t) gold from 68.4m depth. Also encountered was 118.71m grading 1.15% copper and 0.37 g/t gold from 87.3m depth. Empower Clinics Inc has announced a pilot program with pharmacy leader Save-On-Foods to sell its Kai Care At Home coronavirus (COVID-19) and influenza A/B saliva test kits in multiple locations across Vancouver, the Lower Mainland and the Okanagan. The integrated healthcare firm said the program will ensure its Kai Care Testing solutions are easily accessible to a wide consumer base. Even with a global return to pre-pandemic life, Empower said a reliable negative COVID-19 test is going to be essential for travel in the foreseeable future. ( ) has said customers in Canada and the US will be able to purchase its new premium espresso pods via the company website on July 29, 2021. The espresso pods mark NEXE's introduction into the single-serve coffee pod sector, a market that is valued at more than US$25 million annually. Unlike similar products available today, NEXEs espresso pods are fully compostable, a factor that is of particular importance to NEXE. Snowline Gold Corp has revealed its first set of drill results from the Jupiter Zone on its Einarson project that confirmed the presence of near-surface gold mineralization. Drilling at Jupiter intersected mineralization in all 15 of the holes drilled across 930 metres within a three-kilometre soil anomaly. Assay results from five of the holes include 3.96 grams per ton (g/t) gold over 7.05 metres and 4.10 g/t gold over 4 metres. FOBI AI Inc, a provider of real-time data analytics through artificial intelligence (AI) to drive customer engagement, revealed that it has signed a binding Letter of Intent (LOI) to acquire Qples, a dominant player in the coupon industry with strong relationships with top consumer brands. The company noted that Qples is a cash flow positive business that is expected to generate around US$1 million in revenue for 2021, followed by US$2 million in 2022, prior to any impact from the acquisition. The deal is expected to be completed in August, subject to customary due diligence and exchange approvals, said FOBI. Soma Gold Corp has updated investors on the progress towards beginning full mining operations at its Cordero mine in Colombia, saying the Fenix portal has now reached level 2 and encountered the vein. This means mining can begin at the asset although some additional development work is needed to access the stopes and begin full mining operations. This will be completed in August this year. The Fenix portal will then also hit the vein at Level 3, which is 310 meters away and is expected to be completed in September this year. ( ) has announced the appointment of Oded Orgil as an independent director to the companys board, replacing Jason Saltzman, who will continue to act as Adcore's Canadian legal counsel through the law firm Gowling WLG. Orgil is the president of the Canada Israel Chamber of Commerce and was previously a senior vice president with ( , ). ( ) said it has intersected significant mineralization at the Boundary Zone West target on its Macmillian Pass zinc-lead-silver project in Yukon. Initial holes drilled at Boundary West confirmed the presence of mineralization both along strike and down dip from a 2020 discovery of 4.22% zinc, 0.34% lead and 25.6 grams per ton (g/t) silver over 76.5 metres, according to Vancouver-based Fireweed. The company said that the intersections confirmed significant widths of both laminated sphalerite-galena-pyrite-barite mineralization and massive pyrite-sphalerite-galena mineralization, located 75 metres and 210 metres down-dip, respectively. ( , ) said it has appointed top-ranked law firms DLA Piper and GOWLING WLG to assist it in fulfilling all required compliance mandates and regulatory approvals to produce and commercialize cannabis and hemp products in the US and Canada. In a statement, the Vancouver-based company said retaining legal counsel with experience and expertise in the US and Canadian cannabis and hemp industries has become a priority as the company advances its BioFarming technology to create cannabis and hemp products The technology is the first and only industrial-scale plant cell technology capable of producing active plant ingredients without the necessity to grow the plant itself. The company expects to commercialize its first cannabis-based products in the first half of 2022. Western Magnesium Corporation is moving closer to realizing its plans to produce low-cost, green magnesium metal, saying its commercialized pilot plant was now undergoing the final build-out. The company said testing would begin on its proprietary new reactor within the next 30 days. Tocvan Ventures Corp said it has received the results from four drill holes that were part of the Phase II drill program at the Pilar Gold-Silver Project in Sonora, Mexico. The Phase II drill program was completed in June with over 3,500 meters (m) of reverse circulation (RC) drilling in 20 drill holes. Highlighted in the statement was drill hole JES-21-53, which returned 15.3m at 1.1 grams per ton (g/t) gold. The company targeted an area described as 4-Trench, where a new mineralized trend 500m long was identified. Endexx Corporation revealed that its recently-released BLESSWELL line of CBD-infused men's grooming items, in partnership with Grammy Award-winning artist DJ Khaled, has signaled strong promise in the CBD wellness sector within the first months of its debut. In May this year, Endexx and DJ Khaled, joined forces to launch BLESSWELL to equip men with the tools they need to achieve their healthiest summertime skin and hair. The company said early reviews of the BLESSWELL collection have exceeded expectations, with men finding that the products perform exceptionally well for their daily face, body, and skincare regimens. Endexx noted that the BLESSWELL CBD-infused mens grooming line has been featured in publications such as Forbes, Oprah Daily, Yahoo, Mens Health, PEOPLE Magazine, while also receiving airtime on a recent episode of the Jimmy Kimmel Show, in which DJ Khaled reminded viewers to BLESSWELL or Time Will Tell. DGTL Holdings Inc said its wholly-owned subsidiary Hashoff LLC has signed a new social media content services contract with one of the fastest-growing cryptocurrency trading platforms worldwide. London-based Hashoff's newest key account is a European-based cryptocurrency trading platform that leverages tokenized assets onto proprietary technology. DGTL said the initial campaign for this new key account will focus on enhancing new user account conversion rates in the US by engaging Hashoff to activate top-ranked social media content publishers to demonstrate the cryptocurrency platform to a new US-based audience. First Mining Gold Corp has announced the commencement of a second phase drill program at its Pickle Crow gold project in northwestern Ontario. The 50,000 metre (m) program follows the strong results obtained in an initial 45,000m program completed by joint venture partner Auteco Minerals Ltd in 2020 and 2021. Pickle Crow is one of Canada's highest-grade historical gold mines. It operated from 1935 until 1966, during which time it reportedly produced almost 1.5 million ounces of gold at an average grade of 16.14 grams per ton (g/t). Dalrada Corporation named three new directors Bijan R Kian, Jose Arrieta, and Kyle McCollum to its board, as the diversified group enters a new growth phase with many global initiatives. With a global footprint in Malaysia, UK, India and the US, the San Diego, California-based diversified group holds a portfolio of subsidiaries comprising early-stage high growth businesses. In a statement, Dalrada CEO Brian Bonar said: Dalrada is excited to report new growth with its Board of Directors that expands and accelerates the companys global initiatives in engineering and technology, health, and clean energy. Phunware, Inc. said it has engaged Steve Grasso of Grasso Global, Inc., to support its expanded investor relations program initiatives, including both institutional investor outreach and other consulting services. Phunware has a compelling opportunity to lead a transformational market shift as brands look to leverage mobile platforms to personalize customer engagement, said Grasso. Im excited to not only help introduce Phunware to more institutional investors, but also to strategize with management on how to most effectively navigate the financial markets. For over 20 years, Grasso has worked with the largest mutual funds, pension funds, insurance companies and hedge funds, providing real-time trading advice and services. Grassos achievements in trade have made him a recognized and respected voice across global financial markets. Our primary job is to maximize shareholder value and we are confident that working closely with Steve and his team at Grasso Global will help us do just that, said Matt Aune, CFO of Phunware. Steves trade competencies and connections with institutional investors makes him an invaluable addition to our investor relations team. ( , ) Inc, the power solutions cleantech group, continues to grow and has announced its US headquarters will be in the city of Mesa in the state of Arizona, which is a hub for automotive research and development. From its 5,000 square foot (sq ft) facility, Exro will carry out testing to optimize electric vehicles (EVs) of all types, from scooters, buses to e-bikes. It plans to hire 50 employees over the next 18 months. Arizona is a leading US state for cutting-edge research in mobility technology, and its calm winds and wide temperature range allows for more testing on roads. Karora Resources Inc said its senior management will host a conference call/webcast on August 9, 2021 at 10 AM ET to discuss the company's second quarter 2021 results. North American callers please dial: 1-888-664-6392. Local and international callers please dial: 416-764-8659. Webcast link: https://produceredition.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1483790&tp_key=a8e5683dcb. Karora noted it plans to issue a news release containing second quarter 2021 results before markets open on Monday, August 9. ( ) said it has settled aggregate indebtedness of $265,800 under debt settlement agreements with six creditors by issuing an aggregate of 4,430,000 units of the company. In addition, SoLVBL also settled indebtedness under a debt settlement agreement with a creditor by issuing an aggregate of 500,000 common shares of the company. SoLVBL also announced that it has entered into a one year marketing agreement with LDJ Consulting Inc., a Toronto, Ontario-based marketing consulting company beginning in July 2021 and ending in July 2022. The company is prepaying the marketing fees to LDJ and intends to issue 500,000 common share purchase warrants to LDJ at an exercise price of $0.12 per common share exercisable for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance. The warrants and the securities underlying the warrants will all be subject to a four-month and one-day statutory hold period commencing on the date of issuance. Raymond Pomroy, SoLVBLs CEO commented: "LDJ has an extensive network throughout North America, particularly among the millennial and the female demographics. SoLVBL is excited to tap into the millennial and female investor groups. We look forward to working with LDJ to bring our story to these new group of investors." SoLVBL has also entered into a one-year consulting agreement with an arm's length individual for business development services, and the company agreed to issue 500,000 warrants at an exercise price of $0.12 per common share exercisable for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance. The warrants and the securities underlying the warrants will all be subject to a four-month and one-day statutory hold period commencing on the date of issuance. ( ) said that it has filed a preliminary short form base shelf prospectus with the securities commissions in each of the provinces and territories of Canada, except Quebec. When final, the Shelf Prospectus will allow LQwD to offer and issue up to $50 million of common shares, warrants, subscription receipts, units, debt securities, or any combination of such securities during the 25-month period that the shelf prospectus is effective. The securities may be offered separately or together, in amounts, at prices and on terms to be determined based on market conditions at the time of sale, which will be set forth in a prospectus supplement to be filed. The company said it is filing the shelf prospectus to maintain financial flexibility as it advances the development of the Lightning Network but has no immediate intentions to undertake an offering. ( , , ). has announced that on July 26, 2021, it was informed that Livermore Partners LLC, a company in which David Neuhauser, non-executive director of AEX, is managing director, acquired a total of 128,300 common shares of no par value in the company for an average price of $0.54. ( ) has launched a new corporate website. The new site features a clean and responsive modern design, simplified usability, functionality, alongside easy access to essential information about Altaley and its projects. Meanwhile, the company will host a live investor summit on August 10 at 11:45 am PST. CEO Ralph Shearing will be presenting at the John Tumazos Very Independent Research Conference where he will discuss and provide updates on the company's two projects, including Campo Morado's second-quarter 2021 production update, construction progress at its Tahuehueto Project, and outline the company's short- and long-term plans during the webinar. Chesapeake Financial Shares, Inc. said that at its meeting on July 16, 2021, the company's board of directors approved a dividend of $0.13 per share to shareholders of record as of September 1, 2021, payable on or before September 15, 2021. ( , ) said the TSX Venture Exchange has accepted for filing documentation with respect to its non-brokered private placement announced May 11, 2021, which will see the issue of 1,190,476 flow-through shares at a purchase price of 42 cents each and 1,428,571 non-flow-through shares at a purchase price of 35 cents each, together with 714,285 share purchase warrants attached to non-flow shares with an exercise price of 55 cents for an 18-month period, with two placees. ( , ) Ltd. said it will hold its annual general and special meeting of shareholders on July 28, 2021, at 3.30pm EST by telephone only in light of ongoing concerns related to the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), and in order to mitigate potential risks to the health and safety of its shareholders, employees, communities and other stakeholders. Shareholders may call into the meeting using the following number: 1-888-892-3255, toll-free. TPCO Holding Corp. - ( , ) - has announced it will report financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021, on Monday, August 16, 2021, after the market close. The company will host a conference call to discuss the results at 5.00pm. Eastern Time on the same day. Webcast: https://produceredition.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1483225&tp_key=c21b001932. Dial-in details: 1-(888)-664-6392; conference ID 26533062. Replay details: 1-(888)-390-0541 or 1 (416)-764-8677, available until 12:00 midnight Eastern Time Monday, August 23, 2021; replay code: 53306 ( , ) Corp. has announced that its president and chief executive officer, Trent Mell will present live at VirtualInvestorConferences.com on July 27, 2021, at 3.00pm ET via the following link: https://bit.ly/3hGKd6Z. Mell will provide an update on the company's Refinery Project in Canada, its longer-term ambition for a Battery Park as well as its Iron Creek cobalt-copper project in Idaho, USA. This will be a live, interactive online event where investors are invited to ask the company questions in real-time. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event. Investors can learn more about the event at www.virtualinvestorconferences.com Empower Clinics CEO Steven McAuley joined Steve Darling from Proactive to bring news the company has teamed up with Save-On-Foods in British Columbia to offer Kai Care At Home COVID-19 & Influenza saliva test kits in multiple locations across Vancouver, the Lower Mainland and the Okanagan. McAuley telling Proactive this will be done on a pilot program and will be assessed ongoing. The new claims cover the depth extension of the Perry vein system that returned high grade gold results a few weeks ago Arizona Silver Exploration Inc has picked up more claims around its Philadelphia project in Mohave County after recent high-grade drilling results highlighted the potential of the wider property. The Vancouver-based company added another 10 lode mining claims, comprising 200 acres, around the project. In a statement, Arizona Silvers vice president of exploration Greg Hahn told investors that the new claims cover the depth extension of the Perry vein system that returned high grade gold results a few weeks ago. The new claims cover strongly altered and iron oxide-stained flow dome rhyolite that forms the hanging wall of the vein system where drilled, Hahn said. Significantly, alteration in the rhyolite is strong to intense which suggests it overlies a robust mineral system. In my view it was imperative that we secure the potential depth extensions of the vein system beneath such impressive hydrothermal alteration. Arizona Silver said that the eastern portion of the new claims cover a shallow bowl-shaped area in unmineralized and weakly altered to unaltered volcanics, which the company thinks could be a potential waste rock disposal site for future open pit mining at Philadelphia. The junior resource firm owns gold-silver projects in western Arizona and Nevada. Contact Angela at angela@proactiveinvestors.com Follow her on Twitter @AHarmantas Camino Minerals CEO Jay Chmelauskas joined Steve Darling from Proactive to share news the company has completed their acquisition Minera Maria Cecilia which allows them is to gain control of the Maria Cecilia Porphyry and Skarn Complex located in Ancash, Peru. Chmelauskas telling Proactive more about the project and the fact they plan to drill it right away. Chmelauskas also told Proactive more about their other assets including the Los Chapitos copper project There were a lot of people there that had regrets that they wish that they had known more before they votedThere's three of them that voted [for Biden] that feel terrible about it. I said you know what? I said you didn't know about this but you thought you were voting for something. I said you didn't get to vote. I said China did our voteWhen we get through this and the Supreme Court pulls down this election -- like I've been telling everybody -- when they do this, it's going to be a great uniting and that gives me hope[B]y the night of the 12th or the morning of the 13th, if everyone has seen it, including the administration that's in there now that didn't win, maybe, you know, Biden and Harris would say, hey, we're here to protect the country and resign!" My Pillow guy and former crack addict Mike Lindell on what will happen after he broadcasts his cyber-symposium on the 2020 election the return of Trump on August 13. Russian accused of publishing Nazi criminal photo on Immortal Regiment site goes on trial RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 17:59 27/07/2021 MOSCOW, July 27 (RAPSI) The Tomsk Regional Court will consider a criminal case over rehabilitation of Nazism against local resident Sergey Sakharov, who has allegedly published the image of Josef Goebbels on the Immortal Regiment website, the press service of the Prosecutor Generals Office of Russia reports. Investigators believe Sakharov using his cell phone intentionally published the photo of the Nazi criminal on May 7, 2020 and May 2, 2021. The defendant was charged with rehabilitation of Nazism with the use of mass media or information and telecommunication networks. He pled guilty in part. A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has put the state on alert mode in view of the possible third wave of the pandemic. The government spokesman said on Tuesday that the government is sparing no efforts to expand all the healthcare facilities for children across the state and making fool proof arrangements including paediatric ICUs and Neonatal ICUs in every medical college and district hospital. More than 10,000 paediatric ICUs (PICU) have been established in the state. Considering fears that third wave will affect children more, paediatric ICUs have been increased to 6,522 in medical colleges across Uttar Pradesh. Besides, over 3,000 PICUs and isolation wards have been prepared in the other government hospitals. The government spokesman said that the chief minister has directed the health department to ensure there is no shortage of beds to treat children in any situation. He has also asked the health officials to ensure there should be no shortage of medical equipment in medical colleges and health department hospitals. There is adequate availability of all the necessary equipment including BiPAP machine, Paediatric ICUs and mobile X-ray machine. Adopting a multifaceted approach to nullify a probable third wave, the state government has urged people to stay cautious and not let the guard down by getting vaccination as soon as possible and strictly adopting the mantra of SMS - Social distancing, wearing masks, using sanitizers. The BJP high command is likely to announce the new candidate for the post of the chief minister of Karnataka after the legislature party meeting on Tuesday, sources said. They further stated that the Raj Bhavan has communicated to the Chief Secretary office to get things ready for the swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday. It is expected that the new Chief Minister will take oath on Wednesday and the cabinet will be formed after a while. Sources said, the names of former chief minister Jagadish Shettar and BJP MLA Aravind Bellad are doing the rounds in the party circles. Both, hailing from the Lingayat community are known for their flexibility and soft approach. Sources explained that the party high command is in no mood to waste any time in the process of announcing a new chief minister. Earlier, Karnataka unit in-charge Arun Singh, accompanied by the state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel, arrived at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIAL) on Tuesday afternoon from New Delhi to oversee the legislature party meet scheduled to take place later on the day. After arriving in Bengaluru, Arun Singh said, the BJP will utilize the experience of and take guidance from B.S. Yediyurappa as he has contributed immensely to the party and has done good work in governance. Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/28/2021 -- Latest business intelligence report released on Global Telehealth Mobile Application 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 Telehealth Mobile Application market outlook. List of Key Players Profiled in the study includes market overview, business strategies, financials, Development activities, Market Share and SWOT analysis: American Well Corp. (United States), Cisco Systems Inc. (United States), Doctor On Demand Inc. (United States), Enghouse Systems Ltd. (Canada), General Electric Co. (United States), Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherlands), Medtronic (Ireland), Cerner Corporation (United States), Siemens Healthcare GmbH (Germany) and Teladoc Health, Inc. (United States) If you are associated with the Telehealth Mobile Application 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. Click To Download Free Sample PDF Brochure (Including Full TOC, Table & Figures) https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/177059-global-telehealth-mobile-application-market Brief Overview on Telehealth Mobile Application: Telehealth is irrevocably connected to the mobile app trend within the care sector; the apps are referred to as telehealth mobile applications. A telehealth mobile application helps the doctor and patient to speak through their most popular digital device, like smartphone, tablet, or desktop. Telemedicine is that the set of telehealth, that uses a broad vary of recent technologies to supply medical services from a distance with the assistance of package and communication tools. Market Influencers and their development strategies In 2021, Telehealth provider Doctor on Demand merged with clinical navigation platform Grand Rounds to create a new integrated virtual health company. This merger will be working towards clinical navigation and virtual primary care development with help of clinical navigation and patient advocacy tools and Doctor on Demand's telehealth offering. Influencing Market Trend - Integration of Automation with the Application for the Ease of Data Tracking and Security options for Privacy Market Drivers - The rise in Adoption of Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) - Growth in Patient Engagement in Healthcare to Improve the Quality of Patient Care Opportunities - Rising Digitization in the Healthcare Field and Employment of 5G technology - Increasing penetration of the Smart Devices and Consumer Electronics Restraints - Malware Attacks and Security Breach on the Telehealth Mobile Application Challenges - Less Awareness about the Telehealth Mobile Application in Remote Areas Segmentation of the Global Telehealth Mobile Application Market: by Application (Telemedicine, Patient Monitoring, Tele-radiology, Tele-consultation, Tele-ICU, Other), Pricing (Monthly, Annually), Deployment (On-Premises, Cloud-Based), End User (Hospitals, Healthcare Firms, Clinics, Others) 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. Share your budget and Get Exclusive Discount @: https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/request-discount/177059-global-telehealth-mobile-application-market The research report shares knowledgeable insights with regards to key industrial Value chain and interesting elements of global Telehealth Mobile Application market. It features end-use ventures that directly impact the development cycle of the market during the forecast period. Major players in global Telehealth Mobile Application 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/177059-global-telehealth-mobile-application-market Summarized Extracts from TOC of Global Telehealth Mobile Application Market Study Chapter 1: Exclusive Summary of the Telehealth Mobile Application market Chapter 2: Objective of Study and Research Scope the Telehealth Mobile Application 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 Buy Full Copy Telehealth Mobile Application Market 2021 Edition @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/buy-now?format=1&report=177059 Some of the Valuable insights gathered through the business intelligence report on global Telehealth Mobile Application 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 Telehealth Mobile Application market. - The report provides historic data from 2016, and forecast data from 2021 to 2026 for the global Telehealth Mobile Application market. - Emerging technologies that can revolutionize the product inventory in global Telehealth Mobile Application 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. At Zuckerbergs side throughout was Sheryl Sandberg, the former Google executive who converted his technology into a profit powerhouse using an innovative and pernicious advertising business that was surveilling users for personal data. by Cecilia Kang and Sheera Frenkel Following excerpts adapted from the authors' recent book, An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook's Battle for Domination published by Harper Collins Mark Zuckerbergs three greatest fears, according to a former senior Facebook executive, were that the site would be hacked, that his employees would be physically hurt, and that regulators would one day break up his social network. At 2:30 p.m. on December 9, 2020, that last fear became an imminent threat. The Federal Trade Commission and nearly every state in the nation sued Facebook for harming its users and competitors, and sought to dismantle the company. Breaking news alerts flashed across the screens of tens of millions of smartphones. CNN and CNBC cut from regular programming to the announcement. The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times posted banner headlines across the tops of their home pages. Minutes later, New York State Attorney General Letitia James, whose office coordinated the bipartisan coalition of forty-eight attorneys general, held a press conference in which she laid out the case, the strongest government offensive against a company since the breakup of AT&T in 1984.1 What she claimed amounted to a sweeping indictment of Facebooks entire historyand specifically of its leaders, Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg. It tells a story from the beginning, the creation of Facebook at Harvard University, James said. For years, Facebook had exercised a merciless buy-or-bury strategy to kill off competitors. The result was the creation of a powerful monopoly that wreaked broad damage. It abused the privacy of its users and spurred an epidemic of toxic and harmful content reaching three billion people. By using its vast troves of data and money, Facebook has squashed or hindered what the company perceived as potential threats, James said. Theyve reduced choices for consumers, they stifled innovation and they degraded privacy protections for millions of Americans. Cited more than one hundred times by name in the complaints, Mark Zuckerberg was portrayed as a rule-breaking founder who achieved success through bullying and deception. If you stepped into Facebooks turf or resisted pressure to sell, Zuckerberg would go into destroy mode subjecting your business to the wrath of Mark, the attorneys general wrote, quoting from emails by competitors and investors. The chief executive was so afraid of losing out to rivals that he sought to extinguish or impede, rather than outperform or out-innovate, any competitive threat. He spied on competitors, and he broke commitments to the founders of Instagram and WhatsApp soon after the start-ups were acquired, the states complaint further alleged. At Zuckerbergs side throughout was Sheryl Sandberg, the former Google executive who converted his technology into a profit powerhouse using an innovative and pernicious advertising business that was surveilling users for personal data. Facebooks ad business was predicated on a dangerous feedback loop: the more time users spent on the site, the more data Facebook mined. The lure was free access to the service, but consumers bore steep costs in other ways. Users do not pay a cash price to use Facebook. Instead, users exchange their time, attention, and personal data for access to Facebooks services, the states complaint asserted. It was a growth-at-any-cost business strategy, and Sandberg was the industrys best at scaling the model. Intensely organized, analytical, hardworking, and with superior interpersonal skills, she was the perfect foil for Zuckerberg. She oversaw all the departments that didnt interest himpolicy and communication, legal, human resources, and revenue creation. Drawing on years of public speaking training, and on political consultants to curate her public persona, she was the palatable face of Facebook to investors and the public, distracting attention from the core problem. Its about the business model, one government official said in an interview. Sandbergs behavioral advertising prototype treated human data as financial instruments bartered in markets like corn or pork belly futures. Her handiwork was a contagion, the official added, echoing the words of academic and activist Shoshana Zuboff, who a year earlier had described Sandberg as playing the role of Typhoid Mary, bringing surveillance capitalism from Google to Facebook, when she signed on as Mark Zuckerbergs number two. With scant competition to force the leaders to consider the wellbeing of their customers, there was a proliferation of misinformation and violent or otherwise objectionable content on Facebooks properties, the attorneys general alleged in their complaint. Even when faced with major impropriety such as Russias disinformation campaign and the data privacy scandal involving Cambridge Analytica, users didnt leave the site because there were few alternatives, the regulators maintained. As James succinctly described, Instead of competing on the merits, Facebook used its power to suppress competition so it could take advantage of users and make billions by converting personal data into a cash cow. When the FTC and states came down with their landmark lawsuits against Facebook, we were nearing completion of our own investigation of the company, one based on fifteen years of reporting, which has afforded us a singular look at Facebook from the inside. Several versions of the Facebook story have been told in books and film. But despite being household names, Zuckerberg and Sandberg remain enigmas to the public, and for good reason. They are fiercely protective of the images theyve cultivatedhe, the technology visionary and philanthropist; she, business icon and feministand have surrounded the inner workings of MPK, the shorthand employees use to describe the headquarters campus in Menlo Park, with its moat of loyalists and culture of secrecy. Many people regard Facebook as a company that lost its way: the classic Frankenstein story of a monster that broke free of its creator. We take a different point of view. From the moment Zuckerberg and Sandberg met at a Christmas party in December 2007, we believe, they sensed the potential to transform the company into the global power it is today. Through their partnership, they methodically built a business model that is unstoppable in its growthwith $85.9 billion in revenue in 2020 and a market value of $800 billionand entirely deliberate in its design. We have chosen to focus on a five-year period, from one U.S. election to another, during which both the companys failure to protect its users and its vulnerabilities as a powerful global platform were exposed. All the issues that laid the groundwork for what Facebook is today came to a head within this time frame. It would be easy to dismiss the story of Facebook as that of an algorithm gone wrong. The truth is far more complex. 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To do this, AMSAT-EA operators will be in the air on all available satellites with the callsign AM1SAT between the 13th and 19th of that month, activating a minimum of 14 different locations. As part of this activity and to encourage participation, the SILVER and GOLD classifications will be available, as well as a trophy for the one who achieves the greatest number of grids and for the one who manages to work the greatest number of different satellites. In the last edition of the contest held in 2019, 727 QSOs were made, awarding 10 gold and 28 silver diplomas. The trophies for the best grid and satellite 'hunter' were awarded to F4DXV and EA3CAZ. The rules in English for this year's contest can be found at https://www.amsat-ea.org/app/download/12828633/AMSAT+EA+-+AM1SAT +2021+-+English.pdf Source URE https://tinyurl.com/IARU-Spain Direct violence is as a rule not revolutionary but conservative, a reaction to the threat of a more basic changewhen a system is in a crisis, it begins to break its own rules. Following excerpts from the author's new book, Heaven in Disorder, published by OR Books by Slavoj Zizek In the weeks before the 2020 US presidential elections, different forms of populist resistance were forming a unified field, as reported in the Guardian: Armed militia groups are forging alliances in the final stages of the US presidential election with conspiracy theorists and anti-vaxxers who claim the coronavirus pandemic is a hoax, intensifying concerns that trouble could be brewing ahead of the election day. Leading advocates of anti-government and anti-science propaganda came together at the weekend, joined by the founder of one of the largest militia groups. Three dimensions are at work here: conspiracy theorists (like QAnon), Covid deniers, and violent militias. These dimensions are often inconsistent and relatively independent: there are conspiracy theorists who dont deny the reality of the pandemic but see in it a (Chinese) plot to destroy the United States; and there are Covid deniers who dont see a conspiracy behind the pandemic but just deny the seriousness of the threat (i.e. Agamben). But the three dimensions are now moving together: violent militias legitimize themselves as defenders of freedom which they see as threatened by a deep-state conspiracy against the re-election of Trump, and they see the pandemic as a key element of this conspiracy. In this view, for Trump to lose re-election would be the result of this conspiracy, which means that violent resistance to Trumps loss is legitimate. On October 29, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, a former Vatican ambassador to the United States and outspoken adversary of Pope Francis, made waves within the online world of QAnon after his open letter to President Trump was quoted in a post from the anonymous leader of the cult-like conspiracy movement. The letter hit many of the favorite themes of the pro-Trump conspiracy theory, attacking their familiar villains from the ominous global elite, to Bill Gates and the mainstream media. The fate of the whole world is being threatened by a global conspiracy against God and humanity, Vigano wrote, emphasizing the epochal importance of the imminent election, casting Trump as the final garrison against the world dictatorship. The jump to violence is easy from such a standpoint. In October 2020, the FBI revealed that a right-wing militia group planned to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan from her house, taking her to a secure location in Wisconsin where she would undergo a kind of peoples trial for her treason. As a governor, she imposed tough restrictions to curb Covid-19 infections and, according to the militia group, thereby violated the freedoms guaranteed by the US constitution. Is this plan not reminiscent of the most famous political kidnapping in Europe? In 1978, a key figure of the Italian political establishment who evoked the possibility of the big coalition between the Christian Democrats and the Communist Party was kidnapped by the Red Brigades, put to a trial by a peoples court, and shot dead . Angela Nagle was right in arguing that the new populist Right is taking over procedures that were decades ago clearly identified as belonging to extreme Left terrorist groups. This, of course, in no way implies that the two extremes somehow coincidewe dont have a stable Center symmetrically flanked by the two extremes. The basic antagonism is the one between the establishment and the Left, and the rightist violent extremism is a panicky reaction triggered when the Center is threatened. This became clear in the last presidential debate when Trump accused Biden of backing Medicare for All, saying Biden agreed with Sanders, to which Biden replied: I beat Bernie Sanders. The message of this reply was clear: Biden is Trump with a human facein spite of their opposition they share the same enemy. This is liberal opportunism at its worst: renounce the Left extremists out of fear of scaring the center. And its not just the United States that is moving in this direction. Lets just take a look at the cover stories in European media: in Poland, liberal public figures complain that they are becoming spectators at the dismantling of democracy; the same in Hungary . . . At an even more general level, a certain tension that is immanent to the very notion of parliamentary democracy is gaining visibility today. Democracy means two things: the power of the people, or the idea that the substantial will of the majority should express itself in the state; and trust in the electoral mechanism, such that no matter how many manipulations and lies there are, once the numbers are counted the result is to be accepted by all sides. Thus Al Gore conceded defeat to Bush even though more people voted for him and the counting in Florida was very problematictrust in the formal procedure is what gives parliamentary democracy its stability. Problems arise when these two dimensions get out of sync, and both the Left and the Right often demand that the peoples substantial will should prevail over electoral formalities. And in some sense they are right: the mechanism of democratic representation is not really neutral. As Alain Badiou writes, If democracy is a representation, it first of all represents the general system which sustains its form. In other words, the electoral democracy is only representative insofar as it is first the consensual representation of capitalism, which is today renamed market economy. One should take these lines in the strictest formal sense: at the empirical level, of course, the multi-party liberal democracy representsmirrors, registers, measuresthe quantitative dispersal of different opinions of the people, what they think about the proposed programs of political parties and about their candidates, and so on. However, prior to this empirical level and in a much more radical sense, the very form of multi-party liberal democracy representsinstantiatesa certain vision of society, politics, and the role of the individuals in it, whereby politics is organized in parties which compete through elections to exert control over the state legislative and executive apparatus. One should always be aware that this frame is never neutralit privileges certain values and practices. This non-neutrality becomes palpable in moments of crisis or indifference, when we experience the inability of the democratic system to register what people effectively want or think. This inability is signaled by anomalous phenomena like the UK elections of 2005, where, in spite of the growing unpopularity of Tony Blair (he was regularly voted the most unpopular person in the UK), there was no way for this discontent to find a politically effective expression. Something was obviously very wrong here, and it was not that people did not know what they wanted, but, rather, that cynical resignation prevented them from acting upon it, so that the result was the weird gap between what people thought and how they acted (voted). *** ABOUT THE BOOK: As we emerge (though perhaps only temporarily) from the pandemic, other crises move center stage: outrageous inequality, climate disaster, desperate refugees, mounting tensions of a new cold war. The abiding motif of our time is relentless chaos. Acknowledging the possibilities for new beginnings at such moments, Mao Zedong famously proclaimed There is great disorder under heaven; the situation is excellent. The contemporary relevance of Maos observation depends on whether todays catastrophes can be a catalyst for progress or have passed over into something terrible and irretrievable. Perhaps the disorder is no longer under, but in heaven itself. Characteristically rich in paradoxes and reversals that entertain as well as illuminate, Slavoj Zizeks new book treats with equal analytical depth the lessons of Rammstein and Corbyn, Morales and Orwell, Lenin and Christ. It excavates universal truths from local political sites across Palestine and Chile, France and Kurdistan, and beyond. Heaven In Disorder looks with fervid dispassion at the fracturing of the Left, the empty promises of liberal democracy, and the tepid compromises offered by the powerful. From the ashes of these failures, Zizek asserts the need for international solidarity, economic transformation, andabove allan urgent, wartime communism. 240 pages Paperback ISBN 978-1-68219-283-2 E-book ISBN 978-1-68219-280-1 *** A year or so ago, the same gap exploded more brutally with the rise of the gilets jaunes (yellow vests) in France. The protests clearly articulated an experience that was impossible to translate or transpose into the terms of the politics of institutional representation, which is why the moment Macron invited their representatives to a dialogue and challenged them to formulate their complaints in a clear political program, their specific experience evaporated. Didnt exactly the same thing happen with Podemos in Spain? The moment they agreed to play party politics and entered government, they became almost indistinguishable from the Socialist Partyyet another sign that representative democracy doesnt fully work. In short, the crisis of liberal democracy has lasted for more than a decade; the Covid pandemic only made it explode beyond a certain level. The basic premises of a functioning democracy are today more and more undermined. The trust on which democracy relies was best expressed by Lincolns famous saying: You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time. Lets give to this saying a more pessimist spin: only in rare exceptional moments does the majority live in truth; most of the time they live in non-truth while only a minority is aware of truth. The solution is certainly not to be found in some kind of more true democracy that is more inclusive of all minorities; the very frame of liberal democracy will have to be left behind, exactly what liberals fear most. The solution is also not that somehow the self-organized and mobilized civil society (i.e. with Podemos, the gilets jaunes) directly takes over and replaces the state. Direct rule of the multitude is an illusion; as a rule it has to be sustained in a strong state apparatus. The path to true change opens only when we lose hope in a change within the system. If this appears too radical, recall that today, our capitalism is already changing, although in the opposite sense. Direct violence is as a rule not revolutionary but conservative, a reaction to the threat of a more basic changewhen a system is in a crisis, it begins to break its own rules. Hannah Arendt said that, in general, violent outbreaks are not the cause that change a society but rather the birth pangs of a new society in a society that has already expired due to its own contradictions. Lets remember that Arendt says this in her polemic against Mao, who said that power grows out of the barrel of a gunArendt qualifies this an entirely non-Marxist conviction and claims that, for Marx, violent outbursts are like the labor pangs that precede, but of course do not cause, the event of organic birth. Basically I agree with her, but I would add that a fully peaceful democratic transfer of power cannot happen without the birth pangs of violence; there will always be moments of tension when the rules of democratic procedure are suspended. Today, however, the agent of this tension is the Right, which is why, paradoxically, the task of the Left is now, as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pointed out, to save our bourgeois democracy when the liberal center is too weak and indecisive to do it. Is this in contradiction with the fact that the Left today should move beyond parliamentary democracy? No. As Trump demonstrates, the contradiction is in this democratic form itself, so that the only way to save what is worth saving in liberal democracy is to move beyond itand vice versa: when rightist violence is on the rise, the only way to move beyond liberal democracy is to be more faithful to it than the liberal democrats themselves. This is what the successful democratic return to power of Moraless party in Bolivia, one of the few bright spots in our devastated landscape, clearly signals. Slavoj Zizek is one of the most prolific and well-known philosophers and cultural theorists in the world today. His inventive, provocative body of work mixes Hegelian metaphysics, Lacanian psychoanalysis, and Marxist dialectic in order to challenge conventional wisdom and accepted verities on both the Left and the Right. Congresswoman Cori Bush announced more than $1 million in federal funding for the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis as part of President Bidens American Rescue Plan. The funding will support the organizations Head Start program. Photo from a press conference in April 2021. Multiple people familiar with the trials said the Food and Drug Administration has indicated to Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna that the size and scope of their pediatric studies, as initially envisioned, were inadequate to detect the rare side effects, including myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, and pericarditis, inflammation of the lining around the heart. Members of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee have said that the benefits of shots for people older than 12 greatly outweigh the risks, including of heart problems. When police pulled her from the water and placed her on the grassy bank, they saw multiple scratches around her mouth. There was a small laceration near the left side of her lip, according to the police report. But the key to the case was a text the sixth grade instructor sent the girl during school hours seeking sex with her during second period, according to phone records obtained by detectives that became part of the prosecution. The 47-year-old judge is accused of failing to devote full time and attention to her responsibilities from 2016 to 2019, as well as not notifying the chief judge about her absences over the same period. These are alleged violations of state and county judicial rules. They see the international leaders come in and out, he continues. Theyre flying in and out, theyre on the plane to Haiti, nobody knows what theyre doing. They see the leadership, all they do is drive beautiful cars. ... They enjoy life in Haiti. They go to the beach, they have all the beautiful houses, they have funds. So what happens to the rest of the people living in poverty? Theyre discouraged. They have no hope. There was a roomful of people who would not leave, and it escalated and it sounded like a riot was going on, said Hixon, who was inside the boardroom attending a closed-door session. With the new guidance coming from the CDC, it made sense to put it off until tomorrow when we could better control who come in and make sure they have masks on and also use the new CDC guidance as a direction for the conversation. We have to be very careful about infringing on peoples rights, Andrews said. But were going to try to rearrange the speakers so that the camera view is only on people speaking and not those who are trying to do things on the side. The arrest comes as more than 1,000 demonstrators gathered around one of Haitis most notorious gang leaders to commemorate Moise. The crowd was mostly dressed in white as they cheered on Jimmy Cherizier, a former police officer who now leads G9, a federation of nine gangs that officials have blamed for a spike in violence and kidnappings in recent months. The movement we see today was started by the Cuban people, and the course of the nation is in their hands. But the U.S. and other pro-democracy international actors can and should do what they can to help. One way to help immediately is through providing desperately needed humanitarian assistance. After the protests began, the Cuban government announced that it will temporarily lift restrictions on some goods brought by travelers to the island. However, this is a limited and mostly symbolic measure since it only applies to a few suitcases of products per week given the paucity of daily flights from the U.S. to Havana. Government-imposed impediments on the bulk of potential humanitarian assistance that can be donated and distributed by U.S. and other donors remain in place. DeSantis regularly compares himself favorably to California. Yet the Anderson researchers found that Californias economy shrank slightly less than Floridas over the last six months of 2020. Each state did a little better than the nation as a whole. Two people, including the seriously-injured victim, have been arrested by the National Police after a man was stabbed with the neck of broken bottle during a party in Marbella. The incident happened in the early hours of last Sunday when, at around 4.05 am, several people alerted the 112 Emergency Services that a man had been stabbed at a villa in Calle Pizarra, in the Nagueles area. The victim was transferred in critical condition to the Costa del Sol Hospital and he was then transferred to Malaga for urgent surgery. His life is now out of danger and he is being guarded by police officers. Initial National Police investigations suggest a fight broke out at the party and as a result a 26-year-old Swedish man has been arrested and charged with attempted murder. However, police have also arrested the man in hospital who is accused of stabbing his attacker, causing an injury to his arm that needed stitches. Initially the police believed the seriously injured person in hospital was a 35-year-old British man, but it turned out he, too, is Swedish. What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 712-243-2624 or email circ@ant-news.com. Unlimited website access 24/7 Unlimited e-Edition access 24/7 The best local, regional and national news in sports, politics, business and more! With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you already subscribe to our print edition, sign up for FREE access to our online edition. Thanks for reading The Henderson News. MBABANE Business Eswatini (BE) insists on dialogue as a way forward following unrest that rocked the country over two weeks. While many lives were lost, businesses also suffered an estimated E3 billion in damages and theft following the violent protests. BE CEO Nathi Dlamini said in the recent meeting with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Troika- fact-finding mission, they insisted on dialogue because it was in emaSwatis cultural DNA. The Troika team left the country in the past week after engaging with people from different sectors. Dialogue It is not our duty to identify the parties to dialogue because were not involved in politics. Were just interested in a conducive business environment so that we can create jobs and generate revenue and pay taxes, he said in an interview on national radio yesterday morning. Back on June 29 during the violent protest, BE issued a statement, calling upon all parties to make necessary effort to engage in dialogue immediately. Dlamini, in yesterdays interview, further decried the violence because it created an unwanted picture to potential investors. On the E500 million Reconstruction Fund launched by the king, Dlamini said their prayer was for government to be able to raise the funds, as the expectations among the affected businesses were very high. MBABANE Recently liquidated Swazi Spa Holdings market capitalisation is said to be over E41.9 million. About a week ago, the High Court of Eswatini issued a final order for the liquidation of five companies under Sun International Management Limited. Liquidation means that the business is not able to pay its debts. It further implies that the business will cease to operate (generally as a result of financial problems). The court had previously issued an interim order placing the companies under provisional liquidation. Judge Cyril Maphanga issued a final order for liquidation of the companies. Companies The affected companies include Eswatini Stock Exchange-listed Swazi Spa Holdings, which was operating SwaziSpa Hotel and Casino, Lugogo Sun and the Ezulwini Sun. Figures sourced from the Eswatini Stock Exchange show that Swazi Spa Holdings market capitalisation is E41 966 964. Market capitalisation refers to how much a company is worth as determined by the stock market. It is defined as the total market value of all outstanding shares. Shares outstanding refer to a companys stock currently held by all its shareholders, including share blocks held by institutional investors and restricted shares owned by the companys officers and insiders. According to Investopedia, any authorised shares that are held by or sold to a corporations shareholders, exclusive of treasury stock which is held by the company itself, are known as outstanding shares. The fate of these shares is expected to be known this week, as liquidator of the companies lawyer Marisa Boxshall Smith is set to meet with stock exchange officials. Powers The court appointed the lawyer as the provisional liquidator of the five companies inclusive, with all powers, direct and ancillary to the joint winding up of the companies. She confirmed the planned meeting in an interview in the past week. Usually, when a publicly-listed company ceases operations and goes into liquidation, the companys shareholders may be entitled to a portion of the assets, depending on the type of shares they hold. However, the stock itself is usually worthless. If a company has shut its doors for good, its assets will be sold and the entire proceeds will be distributed to its creditors in a strict order of precedence. Assets The common shareholders may, at best, get a portion of their value back when the assets are distributed. The amount of the payment a common shareholder will receive is based on the proportion of ownership they have in the bankrupt firm. Swazi Spa, on the other hand, is one of only eight companies listed on the countrys stock exchange. Sir, If I didnt know any better I would say government was staging a coup detat either against itself or the Tinkhundla political system. If emaSwati had not opted to spend their whole life waiting to start living they would be the patriots in the forefront of defending the Kingdom of Eswatini from destructive tendencies. Or perhaps it is the knowledge that emaSwati walk through life like zombies that may be causal to governments penchant for its historical suicidal tendencies knowing very well that nothing would happen however much it tramples on the people. Potential With a potential at independence in 1968 of becoming the oyster of the continent given its relatively small manageable geographical size with an equally small population yet plentifully endowed with natural resources, the kingdom has failed to live up to its potential as a medium to high income country with the majority of the people shackled by poverty. With good governance and visionary leadership anchored on the institution of the monarchy, this country would have exploited its special attributes to be on the cutting edge on many fronts; heavily invested in its small human capital to become the most literate and educated nation per capita on the continent; employed its human capital to transform the country into an international academic and centre of learning of choice; pioneered high-end health and medical facilities to establish a thriving medical tourism industry; the list is endless. Silhouetted against this optimistic picture of a dynamic and highly mobile successful nation is the reality of a country in decay whose citizens have been forced to look elsewhere for a better life, better education, better health facilities and a net consumer of information technology and scientific innovations, etc. Creativity This is all thanks to a government lacking in creativity and innovation, itself a product of a dysfunctional political system that has aggressively and systematically driven the majority of the people into a conspiracy of silence and inaction for fear of the unknown. Instead of exploiting the full potential of the kingdom, government has tended to expend resources on security to enforce superficial peace by silencing the people as well as recklessly spending on uneconomical and unsustainable projects. Projects like a new Parliament ought to be canned until the cash flow position of government improves and focus must be on priorities such as education, improving the healthcare delivery system and humanitarian interventions to reduce poverty, among others. EmaSwati are going through life without living because on one hand they fear their government and, on the other hand, gave up their power because they thought they did not have any. MANZINI The United States of America Embassy in Eswatini says the suppression of the right of individuals including Members of Parliament (MPs) to freely express their opinions is unacceptable. The US Embassy, through a statement posted on its social media pages, said it was deeply troubled by the arrest of the two legislators Hosea Constituency MP Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Ngwempisi Constituency MP Mthandeni Dube. The embassy said the people of Eswatini had a constitutional right to be heard through, and represented by, their own freely chosen representatives in Parliament. We call on the authorities to exercise transparency in the application of law and to respect and protect human rights, despite political differences, the statement read. Dialogue The embassy said it would continue to engage contacts at all levels of government and across civil society. Furthermore, they reiterated their call for an honest, constructive dialogue with all stakeholders. The emphasis on the call for an honest, constructive dialogue with all stakeholders is subsequent to a joint statement published by the European Union (EU), United States and United Kingdom missions. Meanwhile, minutes after posting the statement by the US Embassy yesterday, some members of the public said the time for releasing statements was over. They said it was clear that Eswatini Government was not willing to cooperate. Another Facebook user appreciated the embassys concern over this matter. The user further said talking alone would not make a difference and said it was time for the people to seek intervention of the US Government in this matter. World Banks support to the Mena region has exceeded $4.75 billion in fiscal year 2021, helping countries respond to needs arising from the pandemic including securing vaccines while strengthening health, education, and social protection systems. In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, new commitments in Mena totalled $3.98 billion from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which supports middle-income countries; $658 million from the International Development Association, the Banks fund for the worlds poorest countries; and $114 million for the Palestinian Authority. The pandemic has put the regions already strained resilience to the test and has taken a devastating toll on people across Mena. It has also heightened the urgency for decision makers to undertake further reforms to address long-standing development challenges in their countries, said Ferid Belhaj, World Bank Vice President for Mena. The World Banks response is helping countries and their people cope with the ongoing health, social, and economic impacts of the crisis, but much more needs to be done. We remain committed to working with countries in the region as they continue to combat the pandemic and address their immediate priorities in climate mitigation and water resources management to forge a green, resilient, and inclusive development path. This year, the World Bank approved 35 new operations in the Mena region, including those focused on the Covid-19 response across health, business and social safety net systems as well as those focused on climate-smart investments for a resilient recovery. Operations included $200 million in Egypt for initiatives to reduce air pollution in Greater Cairo; a $500 million operation in Jordan to spur climate-smart public and private investment and help accelerate recovery, create more jobs, and strengthen green growth opportunities; and a $250 million operation in Morocco to support the economic inclusion of youth in rural areas and improve the marketing efficiency and environmental sustainability of agri-food value chains. In Tunisia, the Bank provided $300 million for cash transfers for approximately one million vulnerable households and over 100,000 children. In Yemen, a further $203.9 million in grants strengthened emergency social protection, by targeting food-insecure households through a cash transfer program. In addition to health systems strengthening, the Bank also responded to requests for support for Covid-19 vaccines. Financing for vaccines included a reallocation of $34 million for citizens and refugees in Lebanonthe first World Bank-financed operation for the procurement and distribution of the vaccine anywhere. The Bank also approved support for Covid-19 vaccination programs in Tunisia ($100 million), and additional financing, including co-financing, for Jordan ($63.5 million) and Yemen ($20 million). The impact of the pandemic on the region has been exacerbated by other crises, such as volatile oil prices and growing unrest and fragility in some countries. The World Bank worked with the United Nations and the European Union on damage and needs assessments immediately after the Port of Beirut explosion in August 2020 and the violence in Gaza in May 2021. A multi-donor trust fund was also set up in Lebanon to kickstart the immediate recovery of vulnerable populations and businesses and support the governments efforts to catalyze reforms and prepare for medium-term recovery and reconstruction. - TradeArabia News Service Egypt has reached an agreement with Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development for development of two desalination plants in the new cities of Rafah and Bir al Abed in North Sinai, said a report. The loan agreement worth KD5.5 million ($18.27 million) between Egypt and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development has been approved by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, reported Egypt Today. In April last year, North Sinai Governor Mohamed Shousha announced that construction of the largest desalination plant in Africa and the Middle East has started. The capacity of the first phase is 100,000 cu m per day, and that of the second and third phases is 300,000 cu m per day, he added. Egypt, Sudan politicizing Renaissance Dam construction Moscow, Jul 27 (UNI/Sputnik) Egypt and Sudan are politicizing the issue of Renaissance Dam construction on the Blue Nile and are trying to get other countries involved just to solve their internal problems, while the dam in fact carries no environmental risks, Ethiopian Ambassador to Russia Alemayehu Tegenu here on Tuesday. "There is no single drop of water reduction for the downstream countries. Egypt and Sudan internationalize and politicize the dam to solve their internal affairs. The dam has no significant harm [for Egypt and Sudan]," Tegenu said. The dam is designed in the way to prevent damage for the downstream countries and to secure a "win-win, equitable" utilization of resources, the ambassador emphasized. Tunisia president extends curfew hours Tunis, Jul 26 (UNI/XINHAU) Tunisian President Kais Saied extended the hours of night curfew across the country from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. local time between July 26 and Aug. 27, the presidency said in a statement on Monday. "The president issued a decree imposing the ban ... with the exception of urgent cases and people who work at night," the statement said. UW President Ed Seidels Statement on Death of Sen. Mike Enzi University of Wyoming President Ed Seidel has issued the following statement regarding the death of former U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi: The University of Wyoming is deeply saddened to learn of the death of former U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi. As a strong supporter of the states university both personally and professionally, Senator Enzi contributed so much to generations of UW students, as well as to our research and economic development efforts. His passing is a tremendous loss for Wyoming. During his Senate tenure, Senator Enzi worked with Senate Democrats on reauthorization of Head Start early education and college aid programs. He valued educational access at all levels, and his career reflected that commitment. UWs wonderful new undergraduate laboratory building (the Michael B. Enzi STEM Facility), which opened in 2016, bears his name, assuring that future generations of UW students will know of his amazing legacy. Naming the building after Senator Enzi was proposed by former Gov. David Freudenthal, who saw an opportunity to honor Enzis contribution to education and propel the state forward in science, technology, math and engineering (STEM). Senator Enzi played a key role in securing federal Abandoned Mine Lands funds to construct the $50 million building. The University of Wyoming extends its deepest condolences to the Enzi family during this time of loss. With virus surge, US to keep travel restrictions for now remaining of Thank you for reading! 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CDC May Change Some Masking Guidelines By The Associated Press ATLANTA - The nations top health agency is expected to backpedal Tuesday on its masking guidelines and recommend that even vaccinated people wear masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging, according to a federal official.The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to release the data.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was expected to make an announcement later Tuesday.For much of the pandemic, the CDC advised Americans to wear masks outdoors if they were within 6 feet of one another.Then in April, as vaccination rates rose sharply, the agency eased its guidelines on the wearing of masks outdoors, saying that fully vaccinated Americans no longer needed to cover their faces unless they were in a big crowd of strangers. In May, the CDC further eased its guidance for fully vaccinated people, allowing them to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings.The guidance still called for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings, like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters, but it cleared the way for reopening workplaces and other venues.Subsequent CDC guidance said fully vaccinated people no longer needed to wear masks at summer camps or at schools, either.For months COVID cases, deaths and hospitalizations were falling steadily, but those trends began to change at the beginning of the summer as a mutated and more transmissible version of the coronavirus, the delta variant, began to spread widely, especially in areas with lower vaccination rates.In recent weeks, a growing number of cities and towns have restored indoor masking rules. St. Louis, Savannah, Georgia, and Provincetown, Massachusetts, are among the places that reimposed mask mandates this month. Cox, Graham Get Separate Murder, Complicity Trials By West Kentucky Star Staff PADUCAH - On Monday, two Paducahans were granted separate trials on charges related to a Lone Oak shooting last August.The McCracken Circuit Court Clerk says a motion was granted to sever the defendants, which would allow Alexis Graham and Mykweze Cox to have individual trials. Both were scheduled for trial on July 6, 2022, but that date is now reserved only for Cox. Graham's trial is now set for April 11. Pre-trial conferences are set for Graham on March 18 and for Cox on May 6.Cox is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, first-degree burglary, first-degree robbery, tampering with physical evidence, and being a felon in possession of a handgun. At a June 28 hearing, aggravated circumstances were added to Cox's charges, which could allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty.Graham faces two counts of complicity to first-degree murder, first-degree burglary, and first-degree robbery for her alleged role in the killings. Under Kentucky law, complicity to a crime is treated the same as having committed the crime, and is subject to the same penalty.Charges against both defendants stem from a shooting on August 22 at Lone Oak Manor apartments, where 23-year-old Justice Hicks and 31-year-old Victor Moore were killed. McCracken Sheriff's Detectives said Cox admitted to shooting Hicks and Moore after he went to the apartment to collect a drug debt.On the Net: Man Pleads Guilty to Charge from Local Girl's Case By West Kentucky Star Staff PITTSBURGH - A Pennsylvania man arrested two years ago in the case of a missing Paducah teen has pleaded guilty to a federal crime.The US Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania says 58-year-old Rory Shelton plead guilty Tuesday to possession of matter portraying the sexual exploitation of a minor. He will be sentenced on December 1, but will remain in custody until that time.In May 2019, police in Glassport, Pennsylvania, visited Shelton's apartment at the request of Paducah Police, who had asked for the public's help finding Megan Edgin after she was reported missing by her foster parents. Their first visit came up empty, but a check of surveillance video led them to come back. Police found Edgin naked in the apartment, and she said she was going to marry Shelton.Shelton reportedly drove to Paducah in a rented car to get Edgin, helped her remove an ankle monitor she was wearing, and took her back to Glassport. Police didn't say why Edgin was wearing the monitor, but she had been reported missing twice before.Shelton was charged with custodial interference and obstruction of justice, but the federal charge was added after his cell phones were searched. The US Attorney's office says an extensive collection of child porn was found, including images of the girl, who was 16 at the time.Shelton faces a total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.On the Net: McCracken County Court Round-up for Monday By West Kentucky Star Staff PADUCAH - Multiple suspects appeared in McCracken Circuit Court for pre-trial conferences on Monday.Joseph Owen's next pre-trial conference is September 27. He faces charges of multiple counts of receiving stolen property, contempt of court, credit card fraud and other charges related to several cases.James France will have another pre-trial conference on September 27. He was arrested October 21 after execution of a search warrant led to a standoff in Reidland. He faces multiple trafficking and possession charges, along with resisting arrest, menacing, fleeing or evading and disorderly conduct.Luther Robinson's next pre-trial conference is September 27. He faces multiple trafficking charges along with resisting arrest, menacing, disorderly conduct, tampering with evidence and promoting contraband. The charges stem from a March 19 incident, where McCracken detectives say he arranged to sell them methamphetamine.Denzel Powell will have his next pre-trial conference on September 27. He was charged March 4 after a traffic stop with with multiple counts of drug possession, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and driving with a suspended or revoked driver's license.Sharon and Kenneth Wallace appeared in court and will return on September 27 for another pre-trial conference. They were arrested March 11 at a home on West Paducah School Road. Execution of a search warrant led to trafficking, possession and wanton endangerment charges, since a one-year-old child was with them in the home.Gary Wiley will also have another pre-trial conference on September 27. He faces charges of unlawful transaction with a minor, unlawful imprisonment, possession of child pornography, and drug charges related to multiple incidents, including one last July involving a teen girl who said she was not allowed to leave his home.Shaun White's next pre-trial conference will be on September 27. He was arrested for DUI, disregarding a traffic device, fleeing or evading police in a vehicle and on foot, and resisting arrest on May 2. Police say he was reportedly passed out behind the wheel of a vehicle, but he drove away when they approached and later fled on foot.Phil Tucker faces charges of trafficking in meth, heroin, cocaine, fentanyl and synthetic drugs, and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon. The charges stem from an arrest on February 18. Tucker's next preliminary hearing is September 27.Alan Jackson appeared on charges of assault of a police officer, trafficking in a controlled substance (meth), resisting arrest, providing false identifying information, and tampering with physical evidence from an arrest on April 21. Sheriff's Deputies pulled over his vehicle and after properly identifying Jackson, learned there were warrants for his arrest. He was tased and arrested, and drugs were reportedly found at the scene.Jeremy Priddy was in court on Burglary and alcohol intoxication charges related to an incident on April 6. Police found him locked in a stranger's bedroom and wielding a screwdriver. His next preliminary hearing is September 27.A bench warrant was issued for the arrest of another man who was supposed to appear in court. Bobby M. Freeman now faces a charge of failure to appear in court, along with his original charges of trafficking in marijuana, amphetamine, methamphetamine, and cocaine.See additional details at the links below.On the Net: McCracken Co. Announces School Opening Plans By West Kentucky Star Staff MCCRACKEN COUNTY - McCracken County Schools has announced its plans for the upcoming school year which begins on August 5.The school district will welcome students back to school buildings for in-person learning five days a week.School officials said they want to provide an opportunity for students to return to the traditional school setting while keeping the community's health, safety, and well-being as a top priority.Under the plan, students, parents, and staff will have the option of wearing masks or face coverings in McCracken County Schools regardless of vaccination status.Masks will be required for all students on school buses.The school district will maintain three feet of physical distancing where possible, and the custodial staff will continue with their COVID-19 cleaning regimen.Parents are asked to screen students before allowing them to leave for school or get on a bus. Students with a temperature of 100.4 should remain home, and parents should contact their child's school. Students should be symptom-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication before returning.The school district will continue working with the Purchase District Health Department and abide by the CDC social distancing guidelines to prepare for its return.You can see the entire school reopening plan by clicking here. Paducah Police Stop Stolen Michigan Vehicle By West Kentucky Star Staff PADUCAH - A man was arrested early Sunday after police said he was found driving a vehicle stolen from Michigan.The Paducah Police Department said an officer saw the vehicle with dealer tags in a parking lot and conducted a traffic stop. The driver, 27-year-old Javarrius Flemons, reportedly told the officer he did not have any paperwork for the vehicle, and it was a loaner from a car dealership.While gathering information on the vehicle, the officer saw several scratches on the identification sticker, consistent with tampering.Another identification number on the vehicle came back as having been reported stolen from Michigan.Police said Flemons admitted he purchased the vehicle for $50,000 from a man he met at a club in Atlanta.A search of the car revealed a loaded, .22-caliber pistol.Flemons was booked into the McCracken County Regional Jail. He's charged with possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, receiving stolen property and improper use of dealer plates. Five Arrested in Lone Oak Drug Bust By West Kentucky Star Staff MCCRACKEN COUNTY - Five people were arrested during a drug investigation Tuesday in Lone Oak.The McCracken County Sheriffs office said they had received numerous complaints over the last several weeks about possible illegal drug activity and indecent exposure at a home on Charleston Avenue.Detectives went to the home Tuesday. They said 23-year-old Justice B. Brown gave them consent to search the residence where they found several people inside.Detectives allegedly found 41-year-old James W. Towery of Salem hiding in the bathroom attempting to flush contraband down the toilet. They allege that Towery was under the influence of methamphetamine and that detectives found more meth in the bathroom.Detectives said they allegedly found meth and marijuana throughout the home, including in Brown's bedroom as as well as the bedrooms of 44-year-old John M. Day and 24-year-old Kaitlin P. Richardson. Brown and Day also allegedly had meth concealed on them at the time.Richardson and a fifth person in the home, 28-year-old Danielle L. Sherrill, both had outstanding arrest warrants.All five were arrested and taken to the McCracken County Regional Jail.Brown was charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.Towery was charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, tampering with physical evidence and an outstanding KY Department of Corrections parole violation warrant.Richardson was charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and an outstanding bench warrant.Day was charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. Sheriff's Online Fentanyl Discussion Thursday By West Kentucky Star Staff PADUCAH - The McCracken County Sheriff's Office will hold a Facebook Live event at noon on Thursday to discuss the synthetic drug Fentanyl.Director of Mercy Regional Ambulance Service Jeremy Jeffery and Chief Deputy Ryan Norman will lead the discussion.Some of the topics will include how Fentanyl is disguised, its effects, what law enforcement and medical personnel are seeing in our area, and avenues available for those who are addicted to Fentanyl or other drugs.Those watching live will be able to interact and ask questions regarding Fentanyl after the brief overview. Three Plead Guilty in Separate Court Cases By West Kentucky Star Staff PADUCAH - Three defendants entered guilty pleas Monday in their individual McCracken County cases.The circuit court clerk said James Bowen of Tennessee pleaded guilty to obstructing a highway, menacing, disorderly conduct, fleeing or evading police, wanton endangerment of a police officer, third-degree assault of an officer, and resisting arrest. His sentencing is set for September 30. He was arrested March 11 after deputies found him walking his dog in the middle of Kentucky Dam Road. He was reportedly jumping in front of vehicles as they passed, and threatened deputies with a large tent spike when they approached him.Racheal Land pleaded guilty to three counts each of attempted tampering with evidence, theft by deception, and receiving stolen property valued under $10,000. She also pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of meth and drug paraphernalia, along with speeding and resisting arrest. These charges stem from at least two incidents in February and June of 2020. She was involved in the theft of cell phones from stores and was arrested after a traffic stop when drugs were found. Land's sentencing is scheduled for November 3.Decole Ingram pleaded guilty to trafficking in marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia related to his arrest on March 9. Deputies investigating drug activity on South Gum Springs Road found Ingram, drugs, money and a two-year-old child at the home. His sentencing will be on November 3.On the Net: 5 More Counties Transfer Driver License Services By West Kentucky Star Staff WESTERN KENTUCKY - A new era of driver licensing services has begun in 5 more western Kentucky counties this week.Now in Ballard, Carlisle, Fulton, Hickman and Livingston counties, the traditional trip to the local Office of the Circuit Court Clerk is being replaced with a visit to a secure, specialized Driver Licensing Regional Office operated by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.The Office of Circuit Court Clerk in each of those counties ceased in-person driver licensing services, and licensing services will instead be performed at KYTC's regional offices moving forward. With the July transition, one-third of Kentucky's 120 counties will have made the transfer of services.Residents of counties making the transition may renew or apply for a REAL ID or new standard card version of driver licenses, permits, CDLs and ID cards at any KYTC Driver Licensing Regional Office.Regional offices in western Kentucky the only places to get a REAL ID are operating in Paducah, Madisonville, Owensboro, Bowling Green, and Elizabethtown.Other western Kentucky counties that have already transferred services to regional offices include Caldwell, Hopkins and McCracken.In late August, Crittenden and Lyon counties will be next to make the transition.The phased county-by-county transition will be complete statewide by June of 2022.Customers are encouraged to make an appointment online at https://drive.ky.gov/driver-licensing/Pages/Regional-Offices-Map/aspx.During the transition, KYTC has launched online renewal of driver's and motorcycle licenses. The service is not available to anyone whose name or address has changed, or who requires testing by the Kentucky State Police.Kentucky State Police administers all permit, driver and commercial driver license testing for the commonwealth. Testing services are offered Monday through Friday by appointment only.Applicants who require testing by KSP for a permit, driver license or commercial driver license may make an appointment online by visiting KSP's website, selecting written or road testing and then locating the schedule associated with their county of residence. Ballard County Schools Release New Guidelines By West Kentucky Star Staff BALLARD COUNTY - Ballard County Schools has announced its guidelines for opening school next month.The school district will welcome students back to school for in-person learning five days a week, but there will be a virtual option available for students, via an application process at each school building.The school will make every attempt to increase space between students to 3 feet when possible. They will attempt to reduce congestion in the classroom and in common areas and buildings may limit visitors.The school district says masks will be optional for any student or staff member at school, however masks will be required on school buses for all students.All schools will clean and disinfect surfaces frequently and hand sanitizing stations will be located in every classroom and in high traffic areas.They are asking families to screen their students for COVID-19 before sending them to school. Students with a fever of 100.4 or greater will not be allowed in school. In order to return to school, students should be fever-free for 24 hours with no medication.If a student or staff member displays at least one symptom of Covid as determined by the school nurse, the student or staff member must be isolated immediately and leave the school.There will be daily cleaning and disinfection of school facilities and cleaning, disinfecting, and PPE supplies will be on hand daily.To see the full guidelines click the link.On the Net: Man Charged With Harrassment At Kuttawa Beach By West Kentucky Star Staff KUTTAWA - Lyon County authorities arrested a Texas man Sunday after he was said to be harassing people at a beach in Kuttawa.The Lyon County Sheriff's Department said they were told that a man was harassing people at at Old Kuttawa Recreation Area and Beach. A deputy said Jamani S. Riyaz appeared to be under the influence of methamphetamine.Riyaz was arrested for public intoxication and taken to Crittenden County Detention Center. Marshall County Sees Recent COVID Uptick By West Kentucky Star Staff MARSHALL COUNTY - Marshall County health officials report this week that the county's current rate of COVID-19 cases has ramped up since the beginning of the month.They said the 7-day rolling average of daily positive case incident rates for the county had fluctuated between 1.8 to 3.2 per 100,000 in June and early July, but rates have increased for the past two weeks.As of Monday, the county's latest 7-day average reported by the Kentucky Department of Public Health was 31.2 cases per 100,000.That makes Marshall county the only "red" state in far western Kentucky, according to the KDPH threshold of 25 cases per 100,000. By comparison, McCracken County has an incidence rate of 9 ("yellow"), Calloway County 18 and Graves County 19 (both "orange".)The COVID daily report provided by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services indicates that Marshall County had 9 new cases on July 26.That same day, McCracken and Graves counties reported 5 new cases, and Calloway saw no new cases.The most recent positivity rate for Marshall County was calculated at 9.94 %. The McCracken positivity rate was 5.05%, Graves 8.11% and Calloway 10.95%. Kentucky's statewide positivity rate as of July 25 was 7.89% .Marshall County Public Health Director Billy Pitts said most of the positive cases in Marshall County are occurring in the unvaccinated population.He said that information gathered through Disease Investigators indicates the most common sources of new cases relate to large gatherings and out of state travel.Pitts added that they don't have any confirmation whether the newer delta variant is among the county's positive cases.Pitts asks residents to take necessary precautions to protect themselves and the community.On the Net: Masks Not Required At Graves County Schools By West Kentucky Star Staff GRAVES COUNTY - Graves County Schools has announced its plans for opening school on August 5.The school district plans to operate all schools in person and on a standard schedule and provide virtual instruction when necessary.The school district will not require that masks are worn inside buildings, but will allow masks to be worn by any student or employee that wishes to wear one. However, they will require masks on school buses.They will also continue to ask employees and students to screen themselves for fever or other COVID-19 related symptoms and to stay home if they have those symptoms or if they have come into contact with someone that has COVID-19.They will work with the local health department regarding contact tracing and potential quarantines, but said fully vaccinated people will not have to quarantine if they are not experiencing symptoms. They do plan on using seating charts to minimize the number of potential quarantines and promote physical distancing where practical.The school said students and employees can expect them to continue with cleaning and disinfecting of all facilities daily and high touch surfaces will be cleaned regularly throughout the day. They will also have hand sanitizer stations placed throughout the buildings.You can see the full back-to-school plan by clicking the link.On the Net: Masks Optional in Mayfield Independent Schools By West Kentucky Star Staff MAYFIELD - Mayfield Independent Schools has released its back-to-school plan for the upcoming school year.The school district will provide in-person learning, with students attending school on a five-day schedule while following health and safety guidelines. Online learning is available to those with pre-approved medical documents.Schools will stagger arrival and dismissal times when necessary. Mayfield Middle School will begin classes at 7:30, and Mayfield Elementary will begin classes at 8:05. Preschool start times will be 8:10 and 12:10. Mayfield High School's start time will remain at 7:55.If possible, schools will increase space between students.Everyone eligible is encouraged to get a COVID-19 vaccine. However, vaccination will not be required to attend or work in the school district.It is recommended that students wear a mask inside if not fully vaccinated, but it is not required. Masks will still be required on buses.Students and staff should stay home or will be sent home if they develop a temperature of 100.4 or greater, cough that causes difficulty breathing, new rash, or exposure to COVID-19.There will be daily cleaning of classrooms, gymnasiums, restrooms, locker rooms, cafeteria seating, and other facilities as needed.You can see the entire back-to-school plan by clicking here. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans to close a section of Pisgah Road in Livingston County on Wednesday. PHOTO:KYTC D1 Livingston's Pisgah Road Closed Today By West Kentucky Star Staff LIVINGSTON COUNTY - The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans to close a section of Pisgah Road in Livingston County today.The closure will take place from 7 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. for base repairs between Mt. Pisgah Church Road and Joiner Road. Police Searching for Trigg County Murder Suspect By West Kentucky Star Staff TRIGG COUNTY - Kentucky State Police are requesting the public's help with locating a Trigg County murder suspect.Troopers said James W. Gentry of Hopkinsville didn't show up Tuesday for a Trigg County Circuit Court appearance. Police also said Gentry has removed his ankle monitor.Gentry might be headed south in a gold Buick Regal. He could be considered dangerous as his charges include murder, robbery, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact Kentucky State Police Post 1 at 270-856-3721 or local law enforcement.You can also call anonymously at 1-800-222-5555. You can report tips anonymously through the KSP app. Weekend Assault on Boat Being Investigated By West Kentucky Star Staff LAKE BARKLEY - A reported assault on a boat on Lake Barkley over the weekend is being investigated.Kentucky Fish and Wildlife officers and Lyon County deputies were dispatched Saturday to Davenport Bay. They were told that a woman assaulted three people while on a boat. One of the victims required medical treatment for significant injuries at an area hospital.The Lyon County Sheriff's Department said charges will likely be filed against the person or persons responsible, and that more details will be released once all witnesses have given statements. With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 574-583-5121 or email cgrace@thehj.com. Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-26 21:08:15|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Tunisian police block the parliament building in Tunis, Tunisia, July 26, 2021. Tunisian security and military units were deployed to protect the government headquarters in Tunis by blocking all access and preventing officials from reaching their workplace in the government. The measure came as Tunisian President Kais Saied announced on Sunday evening that he had removed Hichem Mechichi from the post of prime minister and suspended all activities of the Assembly of People's Representatives, the parliament. (Photo by Adel Ezzine/Xinhua) TUNIS, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian security and military units were deployed to protect the government headquarters in Tunis by blocking all access and preventing officials from reaching their workplace in the government. The measure came as Tunisian President Kais Saied announced on Sunday evening that he had removed Hichem Mechichi from the post of prime minister and suspended all activities of the Assembly of People's Representatives, the parliament. Saied said he will temporarily head the government until he appoints a new prime minister. The president also announced that he annulled the immunity of all parliament members. At dawn on Monday, units of the Tunisian National Army prevented Tunisia's parliament speaker Rached Ghannouchi, accompanied by other deputies, from entering the parliament headquarters in the district of Bardo. Amid tight security measures, dozens of Tunisians gathered in front of the parliament. Violent protests broke out on Sunday in several Tunisian provinces as protesters expressed anger at the deterioration of the North African nation's health, economic and social situations, calling for the departure of the government and the dissolution of the parliament chaired by Rached Ghannouchi, leader of the Ennahdha party. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-26 22:43:12|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LA PAZ, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The "socialist policies" have made China the world's second largest economy, "a productive and complementary economy for the benefit of all peoples," former Bolivian President Evo Morales has said. China's development is in sharp contrast with the "individualistic and competitive predatory" behaviors by the United States and the West for decades, Morales, also chairperson of Bolivia's Movement Towards Socialism party, said in an interview with Xinhua. Morales expressed his admiration to the Chinese government and people over China's achievements since the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) 100 years ago. China's achievements in poverty alleviation have also impressed Morales, who said the fact that China has lifted over 700 million people out of extreme poverty "caught my attention." Putting people first is the vision shared by the CPC and Bolivia's Movement Towards Socialism party, according to the former president. "What unites ... the Communist Party of China and the Movement Towards Socialism ... is that: first the people, first the humble people, first poor people, seeking equality, (and) fighting, working for equality," said Morales. Morales spoke highly of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well as the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. Noting that the BRI will benefit not only Chinese people but also many other peoples across the world, Morales expressed his "respect" and "admiration" to the Chinese president, the CPC, and the Chinese people "for projecting humanity thinking." According to Morales, Bolivia has considered the plan of building a railway linking South America's Atlantic and Pacific coasts, which would benefit not only Bolivia, but also other South American countries. By aligning with the BRI, such a plan could create more space for cooperation between Bolivia and China, he said. China's commitment to multilateralism, international law and the United Nations is "extremely important" for tackling today's global challenges, Morales said, adding that the current challenges, such as climate change and social inequality, "can only be solved through true global cooperation." Morales said his country and China maintain a relationship marked by broad and diverse cooperation, and reciprocal respect, which has fostered the development of political trust, economic complementarity and mutual learning. "China is more than 17,300 km away from Bolivia, but that distance has not been, and is not, an obstacle to strengthening our ties of brotherhood and cooperation," he added. (Video reporter: Zhao Kai, Zhu Xiaoguang, Yu Lizhen; Video editor: Hong Yan) Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-26 23:01:55|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TOKYO, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Monday the Japanese government has decided to give up on appealing against a recent ruling that recognized 84 people in Hiroshima Prefecture as eligible for state health care benefits for being exposed to radioactive "black rain" after the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing, local media reported Monday. The government made the decision "given many of them are elderly and some have illnesses," Suga told local media, adding that the government would immediately seek to issue certificates to plaintiffs, the 84 people, to classify them as "hibakusha", or survivors of the atomic bombing, and consider measures to help other people in a similar situation. Suga added that the ruling is not entirely acceptable, and later the government will make a clarification in a statement. The statement will be approved by Suga's Cabinet Tuesday, government officials said. Residents of the state-designated "black rain" zone are able to receive free health checkups and atomic bomb survivors' certificates, which entitle them to medical benefits covering 11 specific illnesses caused by atomic radiation. Since the plaintiffs lived outside of the designated zone, their applications for the medical benefits of atomic bomb survivors between 2015 and 2018 were rejected. The Hiroshima High Court ruled on July 14 that the plaintiffs are eligible for the aid even though they were exposed to "black rain" outside of an area recognized by the government. It ruled radioactive rain fell across a wider area beyond the recognized zone, and the plaintiffs are likely to have suffered health damage caused by their exposure to radiation. The deadline for appealing the ruling was set for Wednesday. The plaintiffs and their lawyers submitted a petition with 8,440 signatures collected online to the Hiroshima prefectural and city governments on Monday, urging the central government not to appeal against the ruling. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-26 23:11:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Iraqi citizens register to receive COVID-19 vaccination at a health center in Baghdad, Iraq, July 26, 2021. Iraq reported on Monday 12,180 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily count since the outbreak of the pandemic, raising the nationwide caseload to 1,564,828. A statement by the health ministry also confirmed 60 more deaths, bringing the death toll from the virus to 18,347, while the total recoveries in Iraq climbed by 9,966 to 1,420,995. (Photo by Omar Khalil/Xinhua) BAGHDAD, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Iraq reported on Monday 12,180 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily count since the outbreak of the pandemic, raising the nationwide caseload to 1,564,828. A statement by the health ministry also confirmed 60 more deaths, bringing the death toll from the virus to 18,347, while the total recoveries in Iraq climbed by 9,966 to 1,420,995. A total of 12,804,155 tests have been carried out in Iraq since the outbreak of the disease last year, with 50,880 done during the day, the statement said. A total of 86,531 people were vaccinated against COVID-19 in the past 24 hours across the country, bringing the total number of doses administered to 1,391,523, it said. Ruba Falah, a member of the ministry's media office, said in a press release that the recent increase in infections "is clear evidence of the ferocity of this wave of coronavirus." "Today we face a great challenge. We are facing the battle of our enemy, the virus, and our only weapon is to adhere to protective measures and take the vaccine," Falah said. For his part, spokesman of the ministry Sayf al-Badr said in a statement that the recent increase in infections can be attributed to the failure to adhere to health-protective measures during the Eid al-Adha celebrations. "This increase may also be due to the occasion of Eid al-Adha and the unprecedented crowdedness in public places, celebrations, tourist groups, and parties," al-Badr said. However, despite the rising pressure on the health institutions, al-Badr said that the pandemic can still be contained by adhering to health-protective measures and taking vaccines, according to the statement. On June 26, al-Badr said that Iraq entered the "third wave" of the coronavirus pandemic, warning that the new wave is more severe and dangerous than the previous waves. Iraq has been pushing forward its vaccination drive since the drug authority approved in January the emergency use of the Sinopharm vaccine and other COVID-19 vaccines. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 07:36:15|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations is disappointed by Houthi rebels' comments on the derelict tanker Safer carrying 1.1 million barrels of oil in danger of spilling, a UN spokesman said on Monday. "From what the United Nations can understand, the Houthis are demanding advance guarantees that the United Nations will complete all the potential light maintenance activities in the mission plan," said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "The SAFER is a very dangerous site, and advance guarantees -- before verifying conditions onboard -- are not possible. That is also why the November 2020 agreement explicitly conditions the light maintenance activities on the safety environment we find onboard." The rusting storage tanker has been off the port city of Hodeidah since 1988, endangering the environment and livelihoods of thousands of people along Yemen's Red Sea coast should it leak out or there is an explosion. A leak of seawater into the engine room last year was stopped by divers applying an emergency patch. The world organization has prepared a team to board the vessel, inspect it to determine what work needs to be done and conduct emergency repairs. Still, it needs a green light from the Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, since they control the tanker. "For a UN-led solution, that starts with an assessment and, if it's safe enough, some light maintenance that the UN hopes will buy a bit more time for a longer-term solution," Haq said. "We also remain open-minded regarding any other safe, quick solutions to this problem." The Houthis want more substantial maintenance starting with the initial assessment visit. The organization said that following the first look, it would take time to order in the necessary personnel and heavy equipment to carry out more significant maintenance. The fate of the Safer is not the only threat to the port city. Heavy rains are causing flooding from Hodeidah to the traditional capital of Sanaa and the northern governorate of al-Jawf, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. On Tuesday, the rains are forecast to include the Governorate of Taiz to the south. The area includes where people displaced by conflict from other locations are sheltering. "Humanitarian agencies are working with local authorities to identify needs and to provide initial assistance," the office said. "Priorities include shelter, food, water, and essential household items." More rain and storms are expected in much of the country over the next 24 hours, including medium to heavy rainfall in flood-prone areas, including Taiz governorate, OCHA said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 09:11:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KUNMING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Yunnan Province reported 19 imported confirmed COVID-19 cases and three imported asymptomatic carriers on Monday, the provincial health commission said Tuesday. All the imported confirmed cases lived in Myanmar before entering Yunnan through land checkpoints. They tested positive for coronavirus on Monday while under quarantine. The asymptomatic cases were imported from Laos. Yunnan reported no locally transmitted COVID-19 confirmed cases or asymptomatic carriers on Monday, the provincial health commission noted. By the end of Monday, there were 325 confirmed COVID-19 cases still hospitalized in Yunnan, including 69 locally transmitted cases and 256 imported ones. There were also 29 asymptomatic cases, among whom 27 were imported. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 11:12:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Monday urged the United States to invite World Health Organization (WHO) experts to investigate the Fort Detrick lab for coronavirus origin tracing as soon as possible. The United States must do so to show the truth to the world, spokesperson Zhao Lijian said. Zhao made the remarks at a daily news briefing in response to a question on the increasing amount of voices from the media and experts from multiple countries, criticizing the U.S. politicizing the issue of virus origin tracing. Some people in the United States are bent on political manipulation under the pretext of virus origin tracing to divert attention and shift blame for a poor performance in their pandemic response, Zhao said, adding, "Their vicious motives have long been laid bare." He said the United States is the country with the most COVID-19 infections, the timeline of infection cases at the early stage in the United States is advancing, and that the correlation between Fort Detrick and vaping-related illnesses remains puzzling. "If there are to be investigations on laboratories, the WHO should go to the Fort Detrick," he said. Produced by Xinhua Global Service Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 14:00:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIRUT, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Qian Minjian said on Monday that the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) constitutes a strong pillar in defending their country and will continue to maintain national dignity and safeguard regional and world peace. The ambassador's remarks came during an online reception organized by the Chinese embassy in Lebanon to celebrate the 94th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army which falls on Aug. 1. Chinese Military Attache Brigadier General Zheng Yuchong gave an overview of China's national defense policy and the functions and tasks of the Chinese military, while emphasizing that the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party is key to the rapid and steady development of the Chinese military. Deputy Chief of Staff of the Lebanese Army Brigadier General Ziad Hachem praised the great achievements of the Chinese PLA, and fully affirmed China's positive role in safeguarding world peace. Meanwhile, UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Deputy Force Commander Brigadier General Irvine Nii-Ayitey Aryeetey, representative of the UNIFIL Commander, spoke highly of the achievements of the Chinese peacekeeping forces in mine clearance, infrastructure, medical care and epidemic prevention. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 15:52:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Scientists, politicians and media outlets have called for science-based COVID-19 origin tracing and opposed intentions to politicize the issue amid a recent wave of debate stoked up by the U.S. government on COVID-19 origins. Again, Washington played the "blame game" and questioned the conclusions from the Joint Report of the WHO-convened global study of origins of SARS-CoV-2 released by the World Health Organization at the end of March, based on a joint research with China. The approach to COVID-19 origin tracing "has to be evidence-based, scientifically based," said Nanaia Mahuta, New Zealand's foreign minister, in an interview with Radio New Zealand (RNZ) on Friday. "We very much rely on the scientific evidence and there needed to be a further investigation... our position remains the same as it was," Mahuta added. The South African Communist Party (SACP) released a statement on Thursday, denouncing the attempts to politicize the COVID-19 origin tracing. In the statement, the SACP said virus origin or source tracing is a scientific undertaking, which should be viewed in a science-based, objective and fair manner, conducted with intellectual rigor, and in the interest of advancing global anti-pandemic cooperation. "The SACP denounces attempts at politicizing scientific research. A part of the attempts involves geographic location naming of viruses or attacks against scientific research because of the countries involved in it," read the statement. "In this era of pandemics, scientific collaboration across our globe is critical for progress and for the protection of human society. The scientific field of origin or source tracing of viruses is a critical instrument in the campaign against their spread," the statement added. The scientific findings include the recognition that there are indications that COVID-19 cases took place before December 2019 in various places across the globe, it added. The SACP believed that the world should commend the role of scientists from China and 10 other countries under the leadership of the World Health Organization in undertaking the research on the scientific field of COVID-19 origin or source tracing. "China has particularly been open to the scientific endeavour," the statement said. A retest by Italian and Dutch researchers of pre-pandemic blood samples has found that they have coronavirus-linked antibody IgM, Reuters said in a report published Saturday, citing a paper published on July 14 that detailed the results from the retest. The retest, carried out by researchers from the VisMederi laboratory at the University of Siena and their Dutch counterparts from the Erasmus University of Rotterdam, founded that the oldest sample with IgM dated back to Sept. 3, 2019 in Italy's northeastern region of Veneto. In November 2020, VisMederi and the National Cancer Institute in Milan (INT) published their study, showing that 11.6 percent of 959 healthy volunteers had developed COVID-19 antibodies well before February 2020 when the first official case was recorded in Italy, with four cases from the study dating back to the first week of October 2019, which means those people had been infected in September 2019. The study indicated that the virus could have circulated in Italy weeks before it was formally identified in China, Giovanni Apolone, INT scientific director, was quoted by Reuters as saying. The idea that COVID-19 originated in animals should still be considered, Stephen Winchester, a British medical expert, told Xinhua. As a consultant virologist at Berkshire and Surrey Pathology Services, he said "so I think there's a high likelihood with an emerging virus that actually has come from nature." Gerardo Lopez Perez, a Mexican epidemiologist, said the United States now again raises the issue of origin tracing mainly out of self-interests. "Generating a search for guilty right now ... is truly idle, right now what we are looking for are not guilty but solutions," he said in a recent interview with Xinhua. Maldives News Network senior editor Hamdhan Shakeel wrote in an editorial published on Friday that Western countries have attempted to politicize the origin-tracing issue by distorting the facts and shifting the blame onto China. According to a CGTN Think Tank online opinion poll that is available in several UN official languages including Chinese, English, Russian, French, Spainish and Arabic, 80 percent of global respondents believe that the issue on COVID-19 origin tracing has been politicized. Meanwhile, data of the survey published on Monday also indicated that 83 percent of netizens support the idea of conducting COVID-19 tracing in multiple countries, with more than 60 percent of netizens who voted on English platforms believing that the most pressing task is to work on "vaccines and medication." Similar incidents have shown that the origin tracing of virus is far from an easy task, Shakeel said, noting that it took nearly two decades before scientists could identify the patient zero of HIV, and in the case of the Ebola epidemic, scientists have been researching its origin since the 1970s to no avail. All these prove that origin tracing is a highly scientific work and its politicization will "undoubtedly interfere and obstruct the scientific effort" required to successfully combat the next pandemic as such, Shakeel noted. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 17:02:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NANJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The virus strain behind the latest clusters of COVID-19 cases in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, has been identified as the highly infectious Delta variant, local authorities said Tuesday. The recent spike in infections in the city can be attributed to the special location of the outbreak and the highly contagious nature of the strain, said Ding Jie, vice director of the city's center for disease control and prevention, at a press conference. Nanjing, a mega-city with a population of more than 9.3 million, has added more than 100 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases since a few airport workers tested positive for coronavirus last week. Ding confirmed that the latest outbreak first emerged among airplane cabin cleaners of the Nanjing Lukou International Airport. The virus has since spread through their work environment and social activities. On Monday, the Chinese mainland reported 31 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, all in Nanjing. So far, the virus cluster in Nanjing has involved airport workers and their contacts, but new infections were also reported among flight passengers in other parts of China who have visited the Nanjing airport. South China's Guangdong Province last Thursday reported a new locally transmitted asymptomatic carrier, a flight passenger returning from Nanjing. Sichuan Province in southwest China on Saturday also reported a confirmed COVID-19 case in the city of Mianyang, after it launched mass testing among travelers from Nanjing. On Monday, northeast China's Liaoning Province reported three asymptomatic cases in the city of Dalian, who had transited via the airport and spent around two hours there. Nanjing Lukou International Airport is a busy airport that handled more than 30 million passengers in 2019. The city of Nanjing has launched its second all-inclusive nucleic acid testing campaign and urged residents not to leave the city unless necessary. On Tuesday, 11 villages and residential compounds in Nanjing were added to the list of medium-risk areas for COVID-19. The city now has four high-risk areas and 36 medium-risk areas. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 17:40:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close U.S. members of Congress observe a moment of silence for 600,000 coronavirus deaths across the United States on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the United States, on June 14, 2021. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) The approach to COVID-19 origin tracing "has to be evidence-based, scientifically based," said Nanaia Mahuta, New Zealand's foreign minister. BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Scientists, politicians and media outlets have called for science-based COVID-19 origin tracing and opposed intentions to politicize the issue amid a recent wave of debate stoked up by the U.S. government on COVID-19 origins. Again, Washington played the "blame game" and questioned the conclusions from the Joint Report of the WHO-convened global study of origins of SARS-CoV-2 released by the World Health Organization at the end of March, based on a joint research with China. The approach to COVID-19 origin tracing "has to be evidence-based, scientifically based," said Nanaia Mahuta, New Zealand's foreign minister, in an interview with Radio New Zealand (RNZ) on Friday. "We very much rely on the scientific evidence and there needed to be a further investigation... our position remains the same as it was," Mahuta added. Photo taken on March 30, 2021 shows an exterior view of the headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. (Xinhua/Chen Junxia) The South African Communist Party (SACP) released a statement on Thursday, denouncing the attempts to politicize the COVID-19 origin tracing. In the statement, the SACP said virus origin or source tracing is a scientific undertaking, which should be viewed in a science-based, objective and fair manner, conducted with intellectual rigor, and in the interest of advancing global anti-pandemic cooperation. "The SACP denounces attempts at politicizing scientific research. A part of the attempts involves geographic location naming of viruses or attacks against scientific research because of the countries involved in it," read the statement. "In this era of pandemics, scientific collaboration across our globe is critical for progress and for the protection of human society. The scientific field of origin or source tracing of viruses is a critical instrument in the campaign against their spread," the statement added. The scientific findings include the recognition that there are indications that COVID-19 cases took place before December 2019 in various places across the globe, it added. The SACP believed that the world should commend the role of scientists from China and 10 other countries under the leadership of the World Health Organization in undertaking the research on the scientific field of COVID-19 origin or source tracing. "China has particularly been open to the scientific endeavour," the statement said. A pedestrian walks past a COVID-19 testing billboard in New York, the United States, July 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) A retest by Italian and Dutch researchers of pre-pandemic blood samples has found that they have coronavirus-linked antibody IgM, Reuters said in a report published Saturday, citing a paper published on July 14 that detailed the results from the retest. The retest, carried out by researchers from the VisMederi laboratory at the University of Siena and their Dutch counterparts from the Erasmus University of Rotterdam, founded that the oldest sample with IgM dated back to Sept. 3, 2019 in Italy's northeastern region of Veneto. In November 2020, VisMederi and the National Cancer Institute in Milan (INT) published their study, showing that 11.6 percent of 959 healthy volunteers had developed COVID-19 antibodies well before February 2020 when the first official case was recorded in Italy, with four cases from the study dating back to the first week of October 2019, which means those people had been infected in September 2019. The study indicated that the virus could have circulated in Italy weeks before it was formally identified in China, Giovanni Apolone, INT scientific director, was quoted by Reuters as saying. A staff member carries out testing at the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine quality inspection lab of Sinovac Life Sciences Co., Ltd. in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei) The idea that COVID-19 originated in animals should still be considered, Stephen Winchester, a British medical expert, told Xinhua. As a consultant virologist at Berkshire and Surrey Pathology Services, he said "so I think there's a high likelihood with an emerging virus that actually has come from nature." Gerardo Lopez Perez, a Mexican epidemiologist, said the United States now again raises the issue of origin tracing mainly out of self-interests. "Generating a search for guilty right now ... is truly idle, right now what we are looking for are not guilty but solutions," he said in a recent interview with Xinhua. Maldives News Network senior editor Hamdhan Shakeel wrote in an editorial published on Friday that Western countries have attempted to politicize the origin-tracing issue by distorting the facts and shifting the blame onto China. According to a CGTN Think Tank online opinion poll that is available in several UN official languages including Chinese, English, Russian, French, Spanish and Arabic, 80 percent of global respondents believe that the issue on COVID-19 origin tracing has been politicized. Meanwhile, data of the survey published on Monday also indicated that 83 percent of netizens support the idea of conducting COVID-19 tracing in multiple countries, with more than 60 percent of netizens who voted on English platforms believing that the most pressing task is to work on "vaccines and medication." Similar incidents have shown that the origin tracing of virus is far from an easy task, Shakeel said, noting that it took nearly two decades before scientists could identify the patient zero of HIV, and in the case of the Ebola epidemic, scientists have been researching its origin since the 1970s to no avail. All these prove that origin tracing is a highly scientific work and its politicization will "undoubtedly interfere and obstruct the scientific effort" required to successfully combat the next pandemic as such, Shakeel noted. Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 17:50:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- "The Battle at Lake Changjin," a highly anticipated film following the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) in a courageous battle during the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953), is set to hit the big screen this moviegoing season. Jointly directed by Chen Kaige, Hark Tsui and Dante Lam -- all big names in the Chinese film industry -- the film is slated for release on Aug. 12, according to an announcement on the movie's official Weibo account. It features a star-studded cast led by Wu Jing and Jackson Yee, and tells the story of CPV soldiers fighting bravely in freezing temperatures in a key campaign around Changjin Lake. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 17:53:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close "Do bad things and get good results. How is that even possible?" said Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng, urging the United States to change its highly misguided mindset and dangerous policy. Produced by Xinhua Global Service Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 18:05:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close "A deep investigation of everything that happened at Fort Detrick would be interesting indeed, but difficult for reasons of secrecy," said Stephen Kinzer, senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University. "Fort Detrick is an enormous complex; it has been for decades the center of American military research related to biology... some of what's going on there a secret. For a long time, people were coming out, protesting outside the gates of Fort Detrick for projects of which we don't know the nature," Kinzer, a former foreign correspondent for The New York Times, told Xinhua in a recent interview. Kinzer's remarks come amid growing support to advance the study of the origins of SARS-CoV-2 globally and opposition to politicizing the origins issue. Produced by Xinhua Global Service Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 18:20:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JERUSALEM, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The number of active COVID-19 cases in Israel surpassed 13,000 on Tuesday, according to its health ministry. The number of active cases in Israel rose by 904 to 13,147, the highest since March 23, the ministry said. The total number of coronavirus cases has risen to 863,680, while the death toll stands at 6,461, it added. The number of patients in serious condition rose from 121 to 138, while the number of recoveries rose to 844,072. The number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 in Israel stands at nearly 5.77 million, or 61.9 percent of its total population. Israeli Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said the infection rate of the Delta variant is high in Israel, and the rate is expected to continue to rise. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 19:05:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SANAA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The Saudi-led airstrikes targeted and destroyed the reinforcements of the Houthis rebels in Yemen's central province of Marib as the rebels intensified their ground offensive against the Yemeni government forces in the past 24 hours, a military source said Tuesday. "Several vehicles of the rebels in Sirwah district and adjacent areas were hit and destroyed, killing all on board," the source in Marib told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. The heavy clashes and exchange of artillery shelling continued as the Yemeni government forces pushed back Htouhis' further ground attacks, he said. Meanwhile, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported that the Saudi-led coalition launched 18 airstrikes on the districts of Sirwah, Raghawan, Jabal Murad and Majzar in the western and southern parts of Marib. The Houthis began in February a major offensive on Marib in a desperate attempt to seize control of the oil-rich province, the government's last northern stronghold. The United Nations has warned that the offensive on Marib, which hosts nearly 1 million internally displaced people, could lead to a major humanitarian catastrophe. Yemen's civil war flared up in late 2014 when the Houthi group seized control of much of the country's north and forced the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa. The Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in March 2015 to support Hadi's government. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 21:03:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Egypt received on Tuesday Dredger Hussein Tantawi, the biggest and most modern dredger in the Middle East, said the head of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA). "Coming from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, the cutter dredger arrived at the Suez Canal to maintain and improve work of the artificial waterway," said Osama Rabie. The 29,190-kilowatt heavy-duty rock dredger Hussein Tantawi was made by Dutch shipbuilder Royal IHC. With an overall length of 147.4 meters and a width of 23 meters, the vessel can dredge to a depth of 35 meters, while the Suez Canal is 24 meters deep. A similar vessel, Mohab Mameesh, was delivered to SCA in March. The two vessels, the largest of their kind in the Middle East, were specifically designed by IHC for the SCA, according to Rabie. In late March, the massive Panama-flagged container ship Ever Given was successfully re-floated after being stranded in the Suez Canal for almost a week, which drew attention to the necessity of widening the southern part of the rocky-soil waterway. Linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, the Suez Canal is a major lifeline for global seaborne trade as it allows ships to travel between Europe and South Asia without navigating around Africa. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 21:08:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISTANBUL, July 27 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were killed and one was injured on Tuesday after a shooting in the center of Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, Ihlas news agency reported. An armed group opened fire on people in the Beyoglu district on the European side of the city, and the suspects fled after the shooting, Ihlas said. A police investigation has been launched without providing further details, it added. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 21:08:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- China has made great progress in original innovation and science and technology development, said Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang. China has substantially increased funding for basic research, with an average annual growth rate of 16.9 percent, Wang said at a press conference on Tuesday. The spending on basic researches has reached six percent of the total research and development (R&D) spending, he added. China has become the second-largest contributor of high-quality scientific and technological papers in the world, said Xu Jing, an official with China's Ministry of Science and Technology. The number of citations of China's high-level academic papers in 12 fields including materials science, chemistry, engineering technology, mathematics and physics ranked among the top two in the world, said Xu. According to Wang, China is actively promoting building regional innovation hubs and encouraging regions with proper conditions to take the lead in innovation-driven development. He said that the total economic output created by the high-tech zones across the country accounted for more than 12 percent of the whole country. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 21:21:54|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIRUT, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) signed on Tuesday an agreement to expand support for the solid waste management in Lebanon, the National News Agency reported. According to the agreement, the KFAED will provide 2.5 million U.S. dollars to support the UNDP in Lebanon in addressing this country's mounting waste management challenges. "Improving solid waste management is key to strengthening inclusive service delivery and addressing critical environmental and health hazards which further compound the multifaceted crisis facing the country," said Khalida Bouzar, UNDP's assistant secretary-general and director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 21:38:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close -- COVID-19 cases are on the rise in nearly 90 percent of U.S. jurisdictions, with outbreaks in parts of the country that have low vaccination coverage, said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in its latest weekly report. -- It was "disappointing" that politics played a role in whether people decided to get the vaccine, lamented Arkansas Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson in a recent interview with "Full Court Press" news show. -- Misinformation regarding the virus and vaccines, which is spreading like wildfire across social media platforms, has undercut U.S. vaccination push. by Yang Shilong, Matthew Rusling, Tan Jingjing WASHINGTON, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The United States is facing a resurgence of new COVID-19 infections nationwide, due to the rising cases of the more contagious Delta variant fueled by misinformation about the virus and politicization of the nation's response to the pandemic. GOING IN WRONG DIRECTION COVID-19 cases are on the rise in nearly 90 percent of U.S. jurisdictions, with outbreaks in parts of the country that have low vaccination coverage, said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in its latest weekly report. As of July 22, 35 percent of U.S. counties were experiencing high levels of community transmission, according to the CDC. People wander near the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, June 22, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) Health experts blamed the recent surges on low vaccination rates and the accelerating Delta variant transmission. The United States is "going in the wrong direction" on the pandemic with about half of Americans not yet vaccinated and the Delta variant accounting for more than 80 percent of COVID-19 cases in the country, warned Anthony Fauci, U.S. top infectious disease expert, on Sunday. Asked on CNN's "State of the Union" program about a model projecting a worst case scenario of 4,000 COVID-19 deaths a day in the country if vaccination rates do not improve, Fauci, who also serves as President Joe Biden's chief medical advisor, said "it's not going to be good." About 48.8 percent of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and 56.4 percent of the population has received at least one shot as of July 22, according to the CDC. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said earlier this month that the coronavirus outbreak will become a "pandemic of the unvaccinated," and encouraged Americans to get the jab. POLITICS PLAYS A ROLE The United States is "one of the few countries with enough vaccines at its disposal to protect every resident," and yet it has one of the highest rates of vaccine hesitance or refusal, noted a recent story by New York Times. The vaccination lag is "a hydra-headed problem," and some responsibility "lies with the frank refusal of conservative leaders -- often Republicans -- to champion the vaccines," said the report on Sunday, adding that misinformation "emanates from all parts of the cultural spectrum." It was "disappointing" that politics played a role in whether people decided to get the vaccine, lamented Arkansas Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson in a recent interview with "Full Court Press" news show. A medical worker prepares a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at the Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles, California, the United States, June 18, 2021. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) Hutchinson said that Arkansas' political leaning might explain the state's lower vaccination rate. "We have a lot of resistance. It's a conservative state. Sometimes conservatives are hesitant about the government, and we've just got to counteract that by getting better information to them, building confidence." The politicization of the nation's response to COVID-19 has been a consistent theme since the pandemic began. A Washington Post-ABC News poll released earlier this month found 47 percent of Republican respondents said they were unlikely to get vaccinated, compared with 6 percent of Democrats who said so. Among Republicans, 38 percent said they definitely would not get the shots. "Fewer than half of House Republicans are vaccinated as of May, compared with 100 percent of congressional Democrats. For months, some Republican lawmakers including Senators Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Rand Paul of Kentucky, and conservative news commentators like Tucker Carlson, have voiced their skepticism of vaccines, loudly and insistently," said the New York Times report. GOP Representative Clay Higgins of Louisiana, a coronavirus skeptic who opposes vaccine mandates, said Sunday that he was infected with the coronavirus for the second time, NBC news reported. Last week on Capitol Hill, Fauci vehemently rejected a Republican senator's insinuation that the United States helped fund research at a Chinese lab being targeted in a smear campaign launched by some U.S. politicians. "Senator Paul, you do not know what you're talking about ... If anybody is lying here, senator, it is you," said Fauci when he angrily confronted the Kentucky Senator in testimony. Louisiana has one of the highest rates of new infections and lowest vaccination rates in the country. As the virus spreads largely in GOP regions with low vaccination rates, some Republican leaders have begun championing vaccination. Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, said Wednesday that "the politicization of vaccination is an outrage and frankly moronic." MISINFORMATION FANS VACCINE HESITANCY Misinformation regarding the virus and vaccines, which is spreading like wildfire across social media platforms, has also undercut Biden's vaccination push. Both Pfizer and Moderna, two of the main manufacturers, said their vaccines are safe and protect against the deadly virus. Yet millions of Americans are refusing to get the vaccines, on fears of side effects or other worries -- many of which are posted on social media. Social media users called "anti-vaxxers" have posted ridiculous conspiracy theories on the vaccines. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy recently issued a warning that vaccine misinformation spreading online was partly responsible for Americans refusing the vaccines, leading to avoidable deaths and illness. A man receives COVID-19 test at a mobile testing site in Times Square, New York, the United States, July 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) Social media companies need to understand that they have played a decisive role in the spread of wrong information on the pandemic, said Murthy, noting while they have taken steps to crack down on this, it has not been enough. White House press secretary Jen Psaki made recent headlines when she revealed the Biden administration was flagging social media posts it believed were threatening the government's vaccine goals. But Republicans and civil libertarians are blasting big tech for what they claim as an attempt to regulate speech. Noting the U.S. Constitution, Republican Strategist and TV news personality Ford O'Connell echoed the argument of many conservatives, telling Xinhua that when the government coordinates and delegates its powers to social media, "it's a 1st Amendment violation." The issue also underscores the deep divide between liberal and conservative Americans. Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua that the anti-vaxxers "definitely lean right and tend to be (Donald) Trump supporters." "Even though Trump himself was vaccinated, (anti-vaxxers) believe the misinformation that vaccines are dangerous and medical experts are not trustworthy. That makes them unwilling to obtain a vaccine even though nearly all the fatalities now are taking place among those who did not get vaccinated," West said. The pandemic has killed over 611,000 people in the United States as of Monday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Video reporter: Hu Yousong; video editor: Liu Xiaorui) Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 21:56:48|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday called for easing the burdens of maternity, parenting and education to facilitate the implementation of the third-child policy. Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks in an instruction to a video conference on improving birth policies in Beijing. The population issues are of fundamental, holistic, and strategic importance that concern the development of the Chinese nation, Li said. Implementing the third-child policy and its supporting measures is a significant decision made by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council to promote long-term and balanced population development, Li said. The relevant economic and social policies and supporting measures should be coordinated to ease the burdens that giving birth, raising children, and providing education place on parents, Li stressed. Li urged governments and authorities at all levels to formulate detailed plans and supporting measures to ensure the implementation of the policy. When addressing the conference, Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, urged joint efforts on medical, educational, housing, and fiscal areas to achieve the strategic goal of population development, including speeding up revision of relevant laws and regulations. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 22:07:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Chen Xi, head of China National Academy of Governance, Tuesday said the academy stands ready to strengthen cooperation and exchanges with counterparts from member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Chen, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks at the opening of the SCO Forum on Governance and Leadership via video link. Chen noted that the CPC has united the Chinese people and led them in remarkable achievements. Chen said China's development benefited not only the Chinese people but also the world. The CPC's governance upholds and strengthens overall Party leadership, he added. It is also committed to a people-centered approach, following scientific theories, and building a community with a shared future for humanity. The CPC seeks happiness for the people and progress for humanity, Chen said. The forum, jointly held by the academy and the SCO Secretariat, was attended by about 200 representatives from the SCO member states, observer nations, and dialogue partners, as well as international organizations. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 22:37:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Tajik President Emomali Rahmon (R) meets with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, July 27, 2021. (Xinhua) DUSHANBE, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe agreed to strengthen cooperation between the two countries during their meeting here on Tuesday. Rahmon said that cooperation between Tajikistan and China in recent years in the political, economic, cultural, security and military fields has been deepened. The president extended his congratulations on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, saying that the Tajik side is sincerely pleased with China's great achievements and is willing to continue to strengthen the friendly cooperation between the two countries across a number of fields. Tajikistan sincerely thanks China for its support and assistance in its military and security sectors, and is willing to work with China to combat the "three evil forces" of terrorism, extremism and separatism, and jointly respond to the evolving situation in Afghanistan, he added. For his part, Wei said that under the strategic guidance of Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Tajik president, the China-Tajikistan comprehensive strategic partnership is developing at a high level. China firmly supports Tajikistan's efforts to safeguard its sovereignty and security, thanks Tajikistan for its strong support of China's core interests and is willing to work with Tajikistan to promote practical cooperation between the two militaries, he said. He said that as the current situation in Afghanistan evolves, China is willing to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation with Tajikistan, work together with the country to prevent the spread of terrorist activities across borders, and fight terrorists to make positive contributions to regional peace and stability. On Tuesday morning, Tajik Defense Minister Sherali Mirzo held a welcoming ceremony for Wei and the two military officials held formal talks. The two sides exchanged views on international and regional issues, relations between the two countries and two militaries, and anti-terrorism cooperation. Mirzo personally greeted Wei and the delegation at the airport on Monday. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 23:27:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Six representatives of the Communist Party of China (CPC) membership nationwide have vowed to continue promoting ethnic unity through their work and jointly strive for a shared better life. At a press conference held Tuesday by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee in Beijing, the Party members shared their stories on working together for a better life. "Ethnic groups are closely united like the seeds of a pomegranate in our village," said Gesang Zhoigar, former Party chief of Tama village in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. Tama village used to be poverty-stricken, but it has been successfully transformed into a demonstration village where all people enjoy a well-off life. In the village, facilities such as tap water, heating and gas supply have been set up, as well as the Internet. Primary school students enjoy free milk and residents have their own health records. Ding Xiuqin, board chairwoman of an agriculture and animal husbandry company in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, has helped poor families develop their own farming business by donating cattle to the locals. She has also provided people with technical guidance and established a local cooperative, helping nearly 1,000 households participate in husbandry industry. "The increased income from cattle raising has given hope for a better life to the villagers," Ding said. Ubulkasim Mattursun is head of the Awat county government in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. In recent years, Ubulkasim Mattursun has led more than 4,000 local Party members and cadres in helping some 15,000 families of various ethnic groups deepen mutual understanding and promote ethnic unity. "The tradition of ethnic unity should be carried on generation by generation," he said. "People of all ethnic groups should jointly promote solidarity, safeguard national unity, maintain social stability and build a happy homeland." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 04:03:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A rescued migrant holds a piece of paper bearing a registration number in Senglea, Malta, July 26, 2021. The Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) on Monday rescued a group of 46 migrants who were in distress in its search and rescue region, a spokesman for the police has confirmed. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua) VALLETTA, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) on Monday rescued a group of 46 migrants who were in distress in its search and rescue region, a spokesman for the police has confirmed. He told Xinhua that the group had been rescued by the AFM maritime squadron in an operation that began on Sunday, when the distress call was received. The migrants arrived on safe land on Monday. According to NGO Alarm Phone, which receives distress calls from people making the Mediterranean crossing, some of the migrants were nursing "severe" gunshot wounds. However, the police spokesman could not immediately confirm this. The group included at least one minor. This is the second boatload of migrants brought to Malta following the rescue on July 14 of a group of 81 migrants, including women and children. On that occasion, the rescuers also found that three migrants on the wooden boat had already passed away by the time of the rescue. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 12:11:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TRIPOLI, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Monday that more than 2,100 illegal migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast and returned to Libya in the past week. "In the period of 18-24 July, 2,185 migrants were rescued/intercepted at sea and returned to Libya," the IOM said. So far in 2021, a total of 18,282 illegal migrants, including women and children, have been rescued, while hundreds others went missing on the Central Mediterranean route, according to the IOM. Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, which makes 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 them. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 16:47:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LUANDA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Angola's major public bank has resumed partial operation of branches that suffered total interruption due to a cyber attack on the computer system last week, the bank said Monday. "All necessary steps have been taken to restore normality in the shortest possible time," the Savings and Credit Bank (BPC) said without specifying the extent of the attack. The branches that have resumed operations include those in Luanda, Bengo, Cuanza Sul, Bie, Benguela, Zaire, Cabinda, Malanje, Cunene and Namibe, the bank said. On July 15, the technological platform that supports the bank's activities suffered a cyber attack of unknown origin and cause, the BPC said. Security protocols were activated upon the attack to protect the integrity of the financial assets of the clients, said the bank, adding that an investigation is underway. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 21:18:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KAMPALA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Activists in Uganda on Tuesday welcomed the signing into law of a parliamentary bill that criminalizes human sacrifice in the East African country. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni recently accented to the bill, which will now see those involved in the act face death or long prison sentences. "We welcome the new law. It has taken a while but none the less we are glad to have it," Yvonne Laruni, a program officer at Raising Voices, a nonprofit organization told Xinhua by telephone. "Having tough penalties like those in the new law will sound a warning to perpetrators of such acts to desist from them," Laruni added. Damon Wamara, the Executive Director of Uganda Child Rights NGOs Network told Xinhua that the new law was a big win. "The law will fill up the possible gaps in the existing laws. It addresses issues of participating, engaging and funding human sacrifice," Wamara said. "We know that together with the Children's Act and the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act, this law is definitely going to be a strong addition to the wellbeing of especially children," he added. The rights activists urge the government to allocate resources toward the implementation of the new law and carry out community sensitization. The law says that a death penalty will be imposed on a person who commits the offence "where such a person is a parent, guardian or person having authority or control over the victim of the offence or where the act results in the death of the victim". "Where a person causes grievous bodily harm to the victim, the person should be liable to imprisonment for life and if the person causes any other injury to the victim, the person should be liable to imprisonment for ten years," the law reads. The law also makes it criminal to finance acts of human sacrifice. "A person shall not finance another person, whether directly or indirectly, to commit the offence of human sacrifice and a person who contravenes this subsection commits an offence and is liable, on conviction, to suffer death," the law states. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 21:19:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Egypt signed on Tuesday four contracts for gold exploration in the Western Desert with a Canadian company, the Ministry of Petroleum, Mining, and Mineral Resources said in a statement. The contracts resulted from Egypt's international bidding for gold exploration held in March 2020, and the Barrick Gold Corporation, the Canadian company as the world's largest firm in producing gold and the second in exploring gold, will invest 8.8 million U.S. dollars in 18 new sections in the Western Desert, said the statement. This cooperation is the beginning of a strong partnership between the two sides and will be an important and strong addition to the gold exploration in Egypt, the minister Tarek el-Molla said in the statement. Meanwhile, Joel Holliday, president of the Barrick Gold Company, said they seek to build a strong and long-term partnership with Egypt, as "Egypt is on the way to build a strong mineral industry." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 21:56:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KAMPALA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- As the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda wanes, scientists in the east African country on Tuesday warned of a third wave if there is no persistent behavioral change towards the spread factors. The scientists told reporters here during a national update on the pandemic that already some African countries are facing the third wave because of lack of strict adherence to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in the prevention of coronavirus. David Serwadda, an infectious disease epidemiologist and head of the Institute of Public Health at Makerere University said if the public continues to adhere to the prevention measures like avoiding mass gatherings, wearing face masks, hand sanitization among others, the virus can be suppressed to manageable levels. "If we maintain strict SOPs, we can actually suppress it to such levels that community transmission is not high," Serwadda said. Jane Ruth Aceng, minister of health, said prevention of a third wave is dependent on every member of the community. Aceng said while some community members are adhering to the prevention measures, others are not, which poses a risk of a third wave. She said the second wave has already been detrimental leading to massive infections and deaths. In June, the country used to register 1,000 COVID-19 confirmed cases daily, according to ministry of health figures. The health care system was overwhelmed as hospitals were filled to capacity, forcing government to opt for home based care management. Government also re-imposed a strict lockdown aimed at plugging the surging infection rates. Misaki Wayengera, chairperson of the ministerial scientific advisory committee, said while a considerably vaccinated population can be helpful in creating hard immunity, there is emerging evidence that even then, the virus can break through causing a surge in cases. Ministry of health figures show that for the country to have suppressed the second wave, the infection rate has to be below 5 percent but it is currently at 6 percent. LOCKDOWN BENEFITS The ongoing 42-day lockdown, which is scheduled to end on July 30, has had a considerable impact in suppressing the spread of the pandemic, according to the scientists. Minister Aceng said government has enhanced measures which have interrupted the transmission of COVID-19 among health care workers and the general population. As of July 25, the country recorded 71 cases as opposed to the over 1,000 daily cases that were recorded last month, according to ministry of health figures. She said the ministry has trained over 301 nurses in critical care. These were deployed to various COVID-19 Treatment Units -- both in public and private facilities. An additional 100 nurses are undergoing training and over 180 existing health workers (doctors and specialists) are being re-skilled in oxygen titration, oxygen management, management of the critically ill, and infection, prevention and control. With support from WHO, experts were hired to enhance the capacity of health workers in management of patients in critical care. The minister said process of capacity enhancement will continue to all regional referral hospitals across the country. At the district level, government, according to the ministry has provided resources to manage the pandemic from the village level. Village Health Teams carry out community based surveillance and if a case is identified, it is referred through the structures. Some cases are managed at home. STRIVE FOR VACCINES Aceng said the country's COVID-19 mass vaccination program has been slowed down by the global shortage of vaccines on the market where the global demand outweighs the production. Uganda targets to vaccinate about 22 million people or half the country's population as means of optimal control of the pandemic and full opening up of the economy. So far only over one million people have been vaccinated, according to the ministry. "Government is doing all it can to access vaccines for the eligible population 18 years and above. In addition, consideration will be given to children aged 12-15 years with comorbidities," Aceng said. She said government has devised approaches of securing the vaccines, which include through donations under the COVAX facility, purchase through the COVAX facility, purchase through the African Union, and purchase of from manufacturers. The ministry has generated a priority list of COVID 19 vaccines, that can be used in the country and these include AstraZeneca, Johnson and Johnson, Pfizer BioNTech, Sinovac, Sinopharm, Sputnik V, Sputnik Lite, and Moderna. The minister said an order of 9 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine has been placed with the COVAX facility. In addition, an order of 2 million doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccines have been signed up with the African Union and a down payment of 3 million U.S. dollars has been effected. She said government is studying and assessing the private sector companies that have expressed interest on their capacity to handle and dispense vaccines, and the cold chain. "Ministry of Health working with the Medical Councils is concluding modalities on the regulation of prices of vaccines and other COVID-19 related services. In due course, the ministry will inform the public on which private sector institutions may carry out vaccination," Aceng said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 22:19:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close YAOUNDE, July 27 (Xinhua) -- At least 17 militants of terror group Boko Haram were killed when Cameroonian troops repelled a coordinated attack launched in the country's Far North region, military sources said on Tuesday. Five soldiers were also killed during the attack that took place Monday night in Zigue, a locality in the region. The militants who were heavily armed targeted an advanced military post of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in the locality by 10:30 pm local time, a senior military officer who asked not to be named told Xinhua. "The soldiers were very brave and resisted the attack for hours and chased them away. This morning, we discovered at least 17 bodies of the terrorists who attacked MNJTF post. Unfortunately, one civilian was killed in the attack as well," the source said. MNJTF is a joint military effort created by countries including Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Benin to fight Boko Haram and the ISIS affiliate - West African Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), which threaten the stability of these countries and the entire region. On Saturday, eight Cameroonian soldiers and 20 militants were killed when the insurgents raided a military outpost in Sagme, another locality in the region, according to Cameroon army spokesman, Colonel Didier Badjeck who added that the troops were on "high alert" to prevent "possible new assaults". Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 10:54:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WELLINGTON, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The New Zealand government is celebrating a key milestone of its insulation and heating program "Warmer Kiwi Homes," with the completion of more than 38,000 insulation and efficient heater installs in the year to the end of June, smashing its target of 25,000 installs for the year. "It's great to see so many New Zealanders engage with our plan to boost energy efficiency and health standards in the home," Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods said on Tuesday. "Low-income families, young children and older Kiwis are especially vulnerable to the impacts of living in cold, damp homes," Woods said in a statement, adding warm, healthy homes reduce the risk of respiratory illness, doctor's visits and hospitalizations. Warmer Kiwi Homes, run by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, improves the health and well-being of communities by offering government grants for insulation and an efficient heater to eligible lower income homeowners, with top ups from community organizations in some centers making the cost of insulation even lower or no-cost, she said. "Warmer Kiwi Homes also stimulates job growth and is good for the economy," the minister said, adding 86 companies are currently contracted to deliver Warmer Kiwi Homes, with over 81 percent of the insulation products they install manufactured in New Zealand. The program has supported jobs throughout the supply chain, helping the economic recovery from COVID-19, Woods said. Warmer Kiwi Homes has completed 69,000 installs since it started in July 2018. Thanks to further support for Warmer Kiwi Homes in Budget 2021, an extra 47,700 New Zealand homes will be warmer and energy efficient this year, she said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 11:06:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW DELHI, July 27 (Xinhua) -- At least six cops belonging to India's north-eastern state of Assam were killed in violent clashes that broke out with the police of neighbouring state of Mizoram on Monday, confirmed an Assam government official on Tuesday. Around 80 people, including security personnel and local civilians, have been injured on both sides. Tempers had been running high on both sides of the inter-state border for the past few days over some border bickering. Following the bloody clashes, federal Home (Internal Security) Minister Amit Shah called chief ministers of both the states by phone asking them to resolve the border issues amicably. Three districts of Mizoram namely Aizawl, Kolasib and Mamit share a 164.6-km-long inter-state border with Assam's Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj districts. The border areas have seen clashes for decades, as the local people and security forces on each side accuse the other of intrusion. The last incident was reported in June, said media reports. Mizoram Home Minister Lalchamliana reportedly said that around 200 Assam armed Police led by a senior cop came to a particular spot and forcibly crossed duty post manned by the paramilitary personnel stationed there and overran a duty post manned by Mizoram police. The Assam government also issued a statement accusing the Mizoram side for escalating violence. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 13:42:48|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close VIENTIANE, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Laos saw a record 932 million U.S. dollars in the value of imports and exports for June, according to the latest information from the Lao Trade Portal website. Laos recorded a trade deficit of 62 million U.S. dollars, according to the report. Laos' exports in June totaled 435 million U.S. dollars and imports totaled 497 million U.S. dollars. In June, the main imported products were vehicles (other than motorcycles and tractors), electrical devices and equipment, diesel, mechanical equipment (other than motor vehicles), steel, steel products, premium and regular grade fuel, auto parts (including glass and chains), plastic products, fertilizer, and food factory waste. Meanwhile, Laos exported mainly copper ore, bananas, mixed gold (gold bars), cassava, clothes, raw coffee, sugar, rubber, fruit (watermelons, passion fruit and tamarind) and sawn wood. The main countries for imports are Thailand, China and Vietnam. These figures did not include earnings from the export of electricity. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 14:49:32|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MALE, July 27 (Xinhua) -- President of Maldives Ibrahim Solih said that the Islamic faith and strong multilateral relationships were important pillars in sustaining the country's independence and sovereignty. In a public address marking Maldives' 56th Independence Day on Monday, Solih said that his country won the Presidency of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly thanks to strong diplomatic ties with foreign nations, local media reported Tuesday citing a statement published by the President's Office. Solih said that Islam had contributed to the independence of Maldives, and that his government was working on incorporating Islamic values into the educational sector. Solih called on citizens to unite against radical extremist groups whose acts contradict Islamic beliefs. He added that Islamphobic sentiment should not be tolerated either. The government aims to vaccinate 90 percent of the eligible population against COVID-19 by August, Solih said. Maldives must adapt to a new normal and rebuild the economy, he said. Maldives won independence from Britain on July 26 1965. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 16:19:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close FAIZABAD, Afghanistan, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A total of nine militants including four foreigners were confirmed dead after Afghan soldiers ambushed a group of Taliban fighters in Kuran-wo-Munjan district of the northern Badakhshan province on Tuesday, an army officer in the restive province Abdul Razaq said. "The Taliban militants were moving from one place to another place when the soldiers ambushed them in Askazar village today morning, killing nine including four foreign nationals on the spot," Razaq told Xinhua. Without identifying the nationalities of the foreign militants killed in the ambush, the official said foreign militants are fighting alongside Taliban fighters in Badakhshan province. Two soldiers were also injured in the firefight which lasted for a while, the official added. Taliban militants who are reportedly in control of 19 out of 27 districts in Badakhshan province, haven't made a comment yet. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 22:12:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW DELHI, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Tuesday declared India's ancient site Dholavira as a world heritage site. Dholavira is a Harappan-era metropolis situated in the country's western state of Gujarat. Making the announcement, UNESCO tweeted "Dholavira: A Harappan City, in India, just inscribed on the UNESCO's world heritage list. Congratulations!" Indian minister for culture G. Kishan Reddy called it another feather in India's cap. Dholavira is the third heritage site in India's Gujarat state. The other two are Champaner near Pavagadh city and Rani ki Vav in Patan town. According to Reddy, Dholavira is the 40th treasure in India to be given UNESCO's World Heritage inscription. "Another feather in India's cap as we now enter the Super-40 club for World Heritage Site inscriptions," the minister tweeted. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also hailed the development, saying "Absolutely delighted by this news. Dholavira was an important urban centre and is one of our most important linkages with our past. It is a must visit, especially for those interested in history, culture and archaeology." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 16:44:54|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LONDON, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Britain on Tuesday voiced deep concern about and firm opposition to the recent remarks by a senior British official on the South China Sea as they disregard facts and undermine regional peace and stability. Referring to British Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace's "extremely irresponsible" remarks made during a visit to Vietnam, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy said the remarks "disregard the historical merits and objective facts of the South China Sea issue, deliberately sow discord among regional countries and thus, undermine regional peace and stability." China's sovereignty, rights and interests in the South China Sea have been formed in the course of a long history and have abundant historical and legal basis, the spokesperson said, adding that they have been upheld by successive Chinese governments all along and brook no challenge by anyone. The so-called "arbitral tribunal ruling" on the South China Sea is illegal, null and void, the spokesperson stated, noting that the arbitration violated the "principle of state consent" and the arbitral tribunal exercised its jurisdiction ultra vires and rendered an award in disregard of law. China always advocates friendly negotiations and consultations on issues in relation to the South China Sea, treats its littoral neighbors as equals and exercises maximum restraint when safeguarding its sovereignty, rights and interests in the South China Sea, the spokesperson stressed. In contrast, Britain claims to uphold "rules-based international order" but its cherry-picking of rules of international law reveals a typical practice of hypocrisy and double standard, the spokesperson noted. With the joint efforts of countries in the region including China, passage through the South China Sea has been smooth and safe all along, the spokesperson said, calling the allegation that "freedom of navigation is under threat" in the South China Sea "untenable." "If indeed this allegation is true, the threat could only come from the one who deploys carrier strike group to the South China Sea half a world away and flexes its naval muscles to heighten the military tension in that region," the spokesperson said. According to Wallace, Britain, a former influential colonial power who used its military superiority to subdue Asian countries, is increasing maritime presence in the Indo-Pacific region to uphold the so-called "rules-based international order." "Gunboat diplomacy no longer works in the 21st century. As a country outside the region, Britain should refrain from stretching its arms too far," the spokesperson said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 18:37:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISTANBUL, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Turkish authorities Tuesday urged the citizens to get their shots done to curb the resurge of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Health Ministry, over 22 million people have not yet taken their first vaccine dose among the total population of 83 million. "The increase in the number of cases makes it difficult to keep the pandemic under control," Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on his Twitter account. Ekrem Imamoglu, mayor of Turkey's largest city Istanbul, noted that he received two vaccine doses and urged others to do the same when the daily coronavirus cases are on the rise again. "All scientific data reveals the protectiveness of vaccination," he said on Twitter. "Please, let's protect each other," added Imamoglu. In Turkey's southeastern provinces of Diyarbakir and Sanliurfa, where the vaccination ratios are significantly low, local authorities planned to offer young people a reward for receiving shots. Additionally, in the northern province of Trabzon, those who are vaccinated after July 15 will be entitled to a discount in August in the tourism facilities in the region, the NTV broadcaster said. The Health Ministry's data revealed that so far, 64 percent of the population over age 18 have been vaccinated with at least one vaccine dose. Turkey recorded 16,809 COVID-19 cases on Monday, according to the ministry. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-27 22:12:15|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Firefighters try to put out a fire in a house in the village of Stamata in the eastern Attica region, Greece, on July 27, 2021. Greek firemen were battling on Tuesday a major wildfire fanned by strong winds in the villages of Stamata and Rodopoli in the eastern Attica region. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos) ATHENS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Greek firemen were battling on Tuesday a major wildfire fanned by strong winds in the villages of Stamata and Rodopoli in the eastern Attica region in Greece, about 23 kilometers northeast of Athens. The fire brigade had to reinforce the teams as the fire was threatening residential areas. According to the local authorities, 141 firefighters were deployed in the area along with 45 vehicles, 12 helicopters and eight aircraft. An emergency 112 alert has been issued to nearby residents urging them to keep doors and windows closed to prevent sparks from entering the buildings. Due to the strong wind gusts, the flames were spreading quickly, posing a threat to the inhabited areas. "The strong winds reaching six on the Beaufort scale make the firefighters' mission very difficult," the Fire Brigade's spokesman, Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, told the Greek national news agency AMNA. Greece suffers from scores of destructive wildfires each summer linked to high temperatures and arson. Enditem Tajik President Emomali Rahmon Meets with Wang Yi 2021/07/13 On July 13, 2021 local time, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon met with State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Dushanbe. Wang Yi conveyed President Xi Jinping's warm greetings to Emomali Rahmon. Wang Yi said, under the guidance and promotion of the two heads of state, China-Tajikistan relations are at a historic high level. China regards Tajikistan as a trustworthy brother and reliable partner. As the international situation is undergoing profound and complex changes, the two sides should firmly support each other in safeguarding the core interests and guard against interference and sabotage by external forces. Tajikistan's firm support on issues concerning China's core interests is also a defense of international fairness, justice and basic norms governing international relations. China will, as always, firmly support all domestic and foreign policies of Tajikistan and its efforts to safeguard national sovereignty and security. Next year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Tajikistan, which presents new opportunities for the development of bilateral relations. China is ready to work with Tajikistan to consolidate political mutual trust, deepen cooperation in various fields, build a high-quality and in-depth China-Tajikistan community of development and an unbreakable security community, safeguard the common interests of the two countries and contribute to regional peace and development. Wang Yi said, China will continue to firmly support and help Tajikistan in its fight against the pandemic and deepen the pragmatic cooperation between the two countries, especially the Belt and Road cooperation. The two sides should consider the post-pandemic era, speed up the alignment of development strategies of both countries, expand cooperation in emerging areas such as high technology, high-end manufacturing and digital economy, and implement some new large-scale projects with demonstration effect. As the situation in Afghanistan is rapidly changing, China and Tajikistan should carry out more substantive security cooperation, jointly withstand risks and challenges and guard against external interference. China appreciates the tremendous work that Tajikistan has done to promote the development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) during its rotating presidency and supports Tajikistan in hosting a successful summit on the 20th anniversary of the founding of the SCO. Emomali Rahmon asked Wang Yi to convey his warm greetings to President Xi Jinping and warmly congratulated him on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), expressing confidence that under the leadership of the CPC, the Chinese people will surely make new and greater achievements. Tajikistan and China are comprehensive strategic partners and close neighbors. Both sides have continued to advance high-level cooperation in political, economic and cultural fields and achieved fruitful results in security cooperation. Tajikistan is willing to further deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with China in all fields and all forms. The COVID-19 pandemic is a challenge for all mankind. China has been the most successful country in fighting the pandemic and has made a major contribution to world public health and the global fight against the pandemic. He appreciated China's strong support in its fight against the pandemic and said Tajikistan hopes to further strengthen cooperation with China in the field of vaccines and others. Tajikistan is willing to further strengthen cooperation with China under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, especially cooperation on agriculture, connectivity and major projects, jointly combat the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, transnational organized crime and cybercrime, and deepen bilateral strategic partnership in the security field. He appreciated China's support for Tajikistan's work as the rotating chair of the SCO and said Tajikistan is willing to work with China to promote the development of the SCO, cooperate closely on the Afghan issue and jointly safeguard regional peace and security. On the same day, Wang Yi also held talks with Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin, attended the signing ceremony of relevant bilateral cooperation documents and jointly met the press. " " MaxPixel (CCO Public Domain) Utah's Great Salt Lake is a remnant of prehistoric freshwater Lake Bonneville, which once covered much of western Utah. It's the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere, and one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world. In the hot summer of 2021, one of America's most spectacular lakes has been in the news and the reason for that is not good. Salt Lake City, Utah, is just a short road trip away from its natural namesake, a large body of water known as the Great Salt Lake, or the "GSL." Filled with around 4.5 to 4.9 billion tons (4 to 4.4 billion metric tons) of dissolved salt, the lake has certain areas that are roughly 10 times saltier than the ocean. Utah residents have gotten used to the GSL's inconsistent size. It's always shallow, that much is a given. Throughout recorded history, no part of the Great Salt Lake has exceeded 44.6 feet (13.6 meters) in depth. Summer heat takes its toll; the water is typically 1 to 2 feet (0.3 to 0.6 meters) higher in May, June and July than it is in the fall and early winter. Some years are gentler than others. At its maximum recorded size, the Great Salt Lake expanded to cover an area of over 2,300 square miles (5,956 square kilometers), making it bigger than the U.S. state of Delaware. We are currently witnessing extremes in the opposite direction. Right now, the GSL is shrinking. Scientists keep tabs on the lake's fluctuating surface elevation. On Tuesday, July 20, 2021, this fell to just 4,191.4 feet (1,277.5 meters) above sea level, tying the lowest GSL surface elevation ever recorded. And that wasn't the end of it. Over the following weekend, the United States Geological Survey announced that the water level in the southern part of the lake had dropped even lower, a worrying development for conservationists. Advertisement Last Stop (For Salt) "GSL is what's called a terminal lake. It means there's no outlet leading out of Great Salt Lake," explains Jaimi Butler, a field biologist at Westminster College in Salt Lake City. Fresh water flows into the lake through the Bear, Webber and Jordan rivers, among other routes. However, unlike a body of water such as Lake Superior, for example, the Great Salt Lake isn't connected to any outgoing waterways. "There are 22,000 miles (35,405 kilometers) of watershed and they're all draining into this basin that is Great Salt Lake," notes Butler. "The only thing that can leave is water through evaporation." This incoming water naturally carries small amounts of salt and other minerals along for the ride. Yet in a terminal lake such as the GSL, those materials have no place to go. Unlike the water which ferried them over, they can't just evaporate away. So over time, they accumulate making the lake saltier and saltier. Advertisement How the Other Half Lives "The Great Salt Lake proper is this hypersaline lake that has two pieces; there's a north arm and a south arm," says University of Utah geologist William Johnson. Separating the two is the Southern Pacific Transportation Co. (SPTC) causeway. Finished in 1959, this railroad cuts right through the Beehive State's signature lake. Being a solid structure full of rocks, it doesn't allow much water to circulate between the northern and southern ends of the lake. According to an article Johnson and his colleagues wrote for the book "Encyclopedia of Water: Science, Technology, and Society," over 90 percent of all the freshwater runoff that the Great Salt Lake receives enters the south arm. With the SPTC causeway now impeding its water flow, the north arm is not only denser, but it also has an incredibly high salinity ("salt content") of 16 to 29 percent. Compared to the south arm whose salinity can fall into the single digits this is a pretty intense environment. " " The Great Salt Lake captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2, an Earth observation mission launched in 2015. The distinct color differences are caused by the railroad line, which is visible cutting across the top part of the lake. It acts as a dam, preventing the waters from mixing, causing the north basin to have a much higher salinity than the southern, freshwater side of the lake. European Space Agency /Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0) Advertisement All About Those Bays Apart from the north and south arms, the Great Salt Lake includes a handful of bays, like Farmington Bay and Bear River Bay. Most of these are attached to their own wetland systems. "In some ways, it's really five lakes that are interconnected," Johnson tells us although he points out that Farmington Bay is "no longer a bay, it's just a stream that's flowing in." Between the bays, the arms and the incoming water sources, salinity levels vary widely across different parts of the Great Salt Lake. "The GSL is one of the most diverse places on the planet in terms of salt content," Butler says. "It goes everywhere from fresh water to saturated with salt and everything in between." Which brings us to one of Google's most frequently asked questions about the Great Salt Lake: Are there any fish inside? "No fish live in the lake," says Michael Vanden Berg of the Utah Geological Survey in an email. "Sometimes, fish will enter the lake via one of three rivers, but will die shortly after. When lake levels are high, fish might be able to survive in places like Farmington Bay (east side of Antelope Island), but can't survive in the lake proper." Advertisement Pink Lemonade None of this is to say that the Great Salt Lake is a desolate, lifeless place. On the contrary: It's a birdwatcher's paradise. An estimated 17 trillion brine shrimp reside in the GSL, making them an abundant food source for birds. The tiny invertebrates grow up to half an inch, or 1.27 centimeters, long when mature. They periodically lay nutritious eggs called "cysts," which also get eaten. Local brine flies and their larvae make convenient bird snacks as well. In turn, these little creatures eat algae. By the way, many of the native algae and bacteria species release colorful pigments into the lake. "Microbes ... can live anywhere and the north arm has so many microbes in it that are colored pink and red and orange that the water looks like pink lemonade," says Butler. South of the SPTC causeway, you'll see green-tinted waters, courtesy of green algae. Advertisement Feathered Friends: The Birds of GSL The Utah state government's official website reports that, annually, "10 million birds from 338 different species come to rest, eat and breed" at the Great Salt Lake. For birds like the eared grebe, it's an essential pit stop on their long migration routes. Butler tells us that 5 million of these grebes, or "95 percent of the world's population," visit the GSL each year. "There's plenty of brine shrimp and resources for them to eat, even after people harvest [the shrimp] and their eggs for use in aquaculture," she notes. Then we have the American white pelican, a charismatic bird that treats the GSL's Gunnison Island like a giant nursery. "They nest in the saltiest part of Great Salt Lake on this island," says Butler. Until recently, high water levels kept most predators out. "They trade food for a safe place to raise their young, even if it means traveling 30 to 60 miles [48 to 96 kilometers] to catch fish." Advertisement What Comes Next? Over the past few years, receding shorelines have turned Gunnison Island into a peninsula, where hungry coyotes are now free to wander. White pelicans have taken notice; in 2019, a preliminary survey found 3,414 pelican nests on Gunnison. That's 66 percent fewer than the 10,000-plus nests documented there in 1992. What accounts for this downward trend? And why are water levels in the Great Salt Lake hitting record lows this year? The usual suspects of drought and climate change aren't helping. Another factor and a major one, at that is the deliberate removal of fresh water from the GSL's natural sources. "The diversion of water for culinary and other uses is depleting the lake. That's a fact," says Johnson. "Right now," Butler adds, "the lake is essentially half the size that it would be if we hadn't been diverting water." "This issue ... affects everybody," she tells us. "I have hope that if we start to take action, good things will follow and there won't be an environmental catastrophe in my backyard." Now That's Interesting Between about 32,000 and 14,000 years ago, the place where the Great Salt Lake now resides was part of an ancient body of fresh water geologists call Lake Bonneville. Approximately 135 miles (217 kilometers) wide by 325 miles (523 kilometers) long, it covered parts of Idaho and Nevada along with a huge chunk of Utah, of course. "Peru implemented a credit policy supported by State guarantee, which although it has a future cost explains that notable growth in bank credit; it is the main variable why Peru is recovering faster than the rest of Latin America," Mendoza explained. (END) CNA/JJN/MVB Less than a day before the 200th anniversary of Peru's Independence Bicentennial (July 28), the nation's economic situation has been recovering in a remarkable manner Published: 7/27/2021 "In our case, we have had an excellent relationship with many lawmakers, although I must point out that some a few of them believe that their role is to attack the Executive Branch, by twisting our statements in many cases," the top official expressed. Sagasti's remarks were made on Monday during the last press conference given by the Transition and Emergency Government. Presidente @FSagasti : Hemos tenido una excelente relacion con muchos congresistas. Confio que el clima de confianza y colaboracion en temas clave continue con el proximo gobierno. pic.twitter.com/gPj7dZ6DJs Ahora | El presidente de la Republica, @FSagasti, junto con la titular de la @pcmperu, @VBermudezV; brinda la ultima conferencia de prensa del Gobierno de Transicion y Emergencia.#ConfiazaYEsperanza ?? En vivo: https://t.co/bxKi2EADu0 STEPANAKERT, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. On July 26, at around 22:26, soldier of the Defense Army of Artsakh Sargis Grigoryan, born in 2002, was fatally wounded in a military unit located in the northern direction, the Artsakh defense ministry said in a statement. The circumstances are yet to be determined. Investigation is underway. The Defense Ministry of Artsakh shares the grief of the loss and expresses its condolences to the family, relatives and co-servicemen of the soldier, the statement says. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan STEPANAKERT, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. A resident of Machkalashen village of Artsakhs Martuni region, who has been taken captive by the Azerbaijani armed forces, has been returned. He has been beaten by the Azerbaijani troops, Ombudsman of Artsakh Gegham Stepanyan said on Facebook. He has been handed over to the Armenian side at the mediation of the Russian peacekeepers. The medical examination has revealed that he has been beaten and inhumanly treated by the Azerbaijani armed forces, injuring his right leg as a result. The clothes were torn. The citizen is currently at his home in the village, the Ombudsman said. Gegham Stepanyan said the Azerbaijani side continues its aggressive behavior, by not missing the occasion to torture and humiliate the citizens who appeared under their control. The Ombudsman drew the attention of international organizations and the law enforcement agencies of Artsakh on the incident. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. Its Azerbaijan, not Armenia, that obstructs the complete implementation of the 2020 November 9 and the 2021 January 11 statements signed by the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Armenias Foreign Ministry told ARMENPRESS, responding to the statements of Azerbaijani foreign minister Jeyhun Bayramov. Question: During a joint press conference with the Foreign Minister of Serbia, the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan accused Armenia of obstructing the implementation of the November 9 trilateral statement. How would you comment on this statement? Answer: When referring to the implementation of trilateral statements of November 9, 2020 and January 21, 2021 one should be guided by clear facts and not arbitrary interpretations of those statements. And the facts are as follows: A month after signing the Statement, the Azerbaijani armed forces violated its first provision, according to which the sides should remain in their positions, and launched an attack on the villages of Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd in the region of Hadrut, as a result of which these settlements were occupied, the Armenian soldiers were killed and captured. Unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan did not fulfill the 8th provision of the November 9 statement, which enshrines the exchange of prisoners of war, hostages and other detainees. Moreover, Armenian prisoners of war are being prosecuted, which is also a gross violation of international humanitarian law. Since May 12, the armed forces of Azerbaijan have infiltrated and continue to stay in the sovereign territory Republic of Armenia. It is noteworthy that Azerbaijani troops infiltrated into the Republic of Armenia from the territories over which Azerbaijan established control following the implementation of the Statement of November 9. In other words, the constructive approach of the Armenian side to implement the Statement was opposed by Azerbaijan`s policy of disrupting regional security and peace by the encroachment on the territorial integrity of Armenia The fact that the Azerbaijani military units are in the territory of Armenia was accepted by the President of Azerbaijan, noting that Zangezur is the land of our ancestors. Recently, Azerbaijan has been making statements denying Nagorno Karabakh as a territorial entity, which in turn violates Provision 7 of the Statement, where the parties, including Azerbaijan, agreed on the term "Nagorno Karabakh and adjacent areas." Armenia has been the most constructive in implementing the November 9 and January 11 statements regarding the unblocking. Unfortunately, the Azerbaijani side has actively manipulated Armenias constructive approach and has attempted to circulate the official idea of "opening the corridor" with official public statements, which is unacceptable and completely distorts the content of the trilateral statements. It is noteworthy that along with these speculations, Azerbaijan, on one hand, made false territorial-historical claims to Armenia, and on the other hand, the Azerbaijani military units penetrated into the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. As for the accusations that Armenia does not help Azerbaijan to demine the territories of the conflict zone, it should be emphasized that the November 9 statement does not contain any provision for cooperation between the parties in the field of demining. It is worth mentioning that the possibility of cooperation with Armenia and Artsakh in this direction was usually denied by Azerbaijan. Moreover, in 2017 due to Azerbaijan's efforts, the OSCE Office in Yerevan was closed under the pretext that the OSCE was engaged in a humanitarian demining program. Not having any obligation to cooperate in the field of demining, the Armenian side nevertheless provided information to Azerbaijan through third parties as an expression of goodwill. The complete implementation of the process of repatriation of prisoners of war, hostages and other detainees held in Azerbaijan may create a constructive environment for the implementation of the November 9 Statement. YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. The Defense Ministry of Armenia informs that there is not information yet about servicemen Aramayis Torozyan and Artur Nalbandyan, with whom contact was lost on July 14. Unfortunately, we do not have information yet. Search operations are carried out on daily basis, the ministry said. On July 14 contact was lost with soldier Artur Nalbandyan and driver Aramayis Torozyan of a military unit located in the south-eastern direction. The soldier and the driver were conducting service duties via a vehicle in foggy conditions. The soldier and the driver were without weapons. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. The U.S. President Joe Biden prolonged the moratorium on prohibition of deliveries to Azerbaijan of the military equipment and the weapon at the end of April. Previously Baku could not benefit from the opportunity of purchasing of armament from Washington according to the Section 907 amendment of the Freedom Support Act of the U.S. Congress, which was accepted in 1992 and completely banned any kind of direct United States aid with arms supplies to Azerbaijan, an article published at the Bulgarian Military says. Referring to the U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinkens words, exports of arms to Baku are also necessary for support of efforts of Washington to counter the international terrorism. Meanwhile a number of eminent experts and politicians are skeptical about the appropriateness of the step of the White House, indicating the need for establishing legislative measures setting severe restrictions on armament supplies to Azerbaijan. In particular, Congressman Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, criticized the decision of the United States Presidential Administration to prolong the moratorium. In his view, receiving regular military aid from the USA or the countries of the European Union, the Azerbaijani authorities not only conceal that it will be sent to war with Armenia for Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), but also deliberately omit the fact that the part of armament is subsequently sold to the third countries, terrorists or on the black market. The article touches upon Azerbaijans arms sale in the black market, trying to understand to what extent its appropriate for the Western countries to sell weapons to Azerbaijan and where and for what purposes these weapons can be used. Much evidence incriminating Azerbaijan in illicit trafficking in weapons in the black market were already made public. For example, Baku as a part of regular military exercises in 2017 showed the Czech MLRS RM-70, multiple launch rocket systems which Azerbaijan could not simply have under the laws in force in the Czech Republic confirmed with statements of Czech officials. At that time Armenia was already blaring about the appearing of these military assets in Nagorno Karabakh, and nevertheless the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic officially declared an impossibility of such transaction. As a result, the point of view about its smuggling origin began to prevail among military experts, the article says. Besides, many analysts reasonably suspect Baku of resupplying of arms and ammunition of ISIL militants in Syria and other hot zones. For example, the investigation by the Bulgarian journalist Dilyana Gaytandzhiyeva was published in the Bulgarian newspaper Trud. With the reference to the confidential data obtained by group of the hackers acting under the name of Anonymous Bulgaria the facts of participation of the Azerbaijani state-owned airline Silk Way Airlines in deliveries of armament to Saudi Arabia, and from there to the pro-Saudi forces in Yemen, to jihadists in Syria, and also to Mali, Burkina Faso and Afghanistan, were made public. At the same time it turned out that suppliers and arms manufacturers were the VMZ and Transmobile companies from Bulgaria, Yugoimport from Serbia and CIHAZ from Azerbaijan. It is noteworthy that even the independent Azerbaijani analysts resisting to authoritarian regime of the president Ilham Aliyev adhere to the similar point of view. According to the messages of Timeturk news agency, Azerbaijanis form the isolated part of the militarized Makhmut group which participates in military operations against troops of the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. according to the messages of Timeturk news agency, Azerbaijanis form the isolated part of the militarized Makhmut group which participates in military operations against troops of the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Consequently, there is the reasonable question whether the USA need such laws which legalize supplies of armament to authoritarian regimes. Daniel Larison, the American historian, and also the editor and the weekly observer of the analytical Antiwar website is convinced that the US do not need it. He called upon Washington to start elaborating the legal mechanism which will allow to ban deliveries of arms of NATO to Azerbaijan. According to Larison, military support to Baku from the White House posed a real threat of jeopardizing the stability in the Caucasus. So, if the USA and the European countries really want to justify the commitment to protection of human rights in foreign policy and counter the international terrorism, they should begin with reforming of the legislation system, and in particular, with the termination of any military aid to Azerbaijan, Bulgarian Military says. The article has also touched upon the fact that Azerbaijan has used terrorists in the recent war against Artsakh with the support of Turkey. The military analyst Michael Coffman, the head of the Russian programs of the non-governmental research center CNA in Washington, believes that Azerbaijan aimed to minimize own losses. Elisabeth Tsurkov from the Center of global policy in Washington, having interrogated several tens Syrians participating in the conflict, she agrees that those were used as gun meat, especially in the south of military operations. There are no doubts that the Turkish authorities together with Azerbaijan throw down thus a challenge to all world community, openly exploiting jihadists. Baku will hardly manage to be washed from the shadow cast on its reputation from cooperation with terrorists for the sake of achievement of the goal of a conquest of Nagorno Karabakh. And partners of Turkey in North Atlantic alliance in turn should think of expediency of further military and technical cooperation with Ankara, especially against signing in the middle of June of the Azerbaijani-Turkish agreement on military cooperation expanding access of Baku to modern arms of NATO. Who knows against whom it can be used already tomorrow, Bulgarian Military stated. YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. Aesthetic surgery, dentistry are among the main directions of medical tourism in Armenia. However, recently another direction has also been revealed the vaccinations against COVID-19, Deputy Minister of Healthcare Gevorg Simoyan told Armenpress. The number of foreigners arriving in Armenia for COVID-19 vaccination is quite high, and our recent change has played a big role. Their mandatory stay here for 10 days boosts tourism in general because the tour companies have prepared 10-day packages so that the vaccination will be carried out on the last, the 10th, day, he said. According to him, hematology and oncology are among the directions which are currently at a development stage, for which a certain base is collected so that they can present to international partners. We already have a successful experience in this direction as allogeneic bone marrow transplantation has been conducted in Armenia for the first time, he said. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan The U.S. Army announced on 23 July the award of five firm-fixed-price contracts for the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) Phase II Concept Design Phase using full and open competitive procedures. The contracts were awarded to Point Blank Enterprises, Inc. (Miami Lakes, Florida); Oshkosh Defense, LLC (Oshkosh, Wisconsin); BAE Systems Land and Armaments L.P. (Sterling Heights, Michigan); General Dynamics Land Systems, Inc. (Sterling Heights, Michigan); and American Rheinmetall Vehicles, LLC (Sterling Heights, Michigan). The total award value for all five contracts is approximately $299.4 million. Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link M2A2 Bradley in eastern Syria, Nov. 11, 2019 (Picture source: U.S. Army) During this phase of the program, the industry will develop digital designs while requirements mature; prototypes will be required in the following phase. "The Concept Design Phase reflects the Armys effort to structure a program which incentivizes industry innovation and provides the analytical underpinnings for the development of an abbreviated capability development document," said Brig. Gen. Glenn Dean, program executive officer for Ground Combat Systems. The initial digital design will inform the first formal OMFV requirements document, known as the A-CDD, which will be published in the first quarter of the fiscal year 2022, Ashley John reports on U.S. Armys website. "This process allows the Army to make future decisions on the design without overly constricting vendor efforts to innovate," said Brig. Gen. Glenn Dean. The overarching five-phase strategy for the OMFV program remains unchanged the Army is focused on encouraging innovation, maximizing competition throughout the entire program, and producing a transformational infantry fighting vehicle that will dominate maneuver in multi-domain operations. "The OMFV will bring a transformative change to the battlefield, providing new technology and new capabilities to our formations," said Maj. Gen. Ross Coffman, director of the Next Generation Combat Vehicles Cross Functional Team. "Once these designs are completed, our Soldiers will engage with the designs and will provide feedback and input to ensure we are providing the equipment they need to defend our great nation." Following the Concept Design Phase, the Army intends to have another full and open competition for the Detailed Design Phase (Phase III), with the intent to award up to three contracts in the second quarter of the fiscal year 2023. The Detailed Design Phase awardees will transition into Phase IV of the program to build and test actual prototypes. The Army intends to downselect to one vendor at Milestone C (for Low Rate Initial Production) near the end of the fiscal year 2027. The Armys OMFV is an optionally manned platform that maneuvers Soldiers to a point of positional advantage to engage in close combat and deliver decisive lethality during the execution of combined arms maneuvers. It is designed to operate with or without a crew and Soldiers under armor based on the commander's decision, while also controlling maneuver robotics and semi-autonomous systems. The Armys Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) Program: Background and Issues for the Congress In June 2018, in part due to congressional concerns, the Army announced a new modernization strategy and designated the Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) as the program to replace the M2 Bradley. In October 2018, Army leadership decided to redesignate the NGCV as the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) and to add additional vehicle programs to what would be called the NGCV Program. The M2 Bradley, which has been in service since 1981, is an Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) used to transport infantry on the battlefield and provide fire support to dismounted troops and suppress or destroy enemy fighting vehicles. Updated numerous times since its introduction, the M2 Bradley is widely considered to have reached the technological limits of its capacity to accommodate new electronics, armor, and defense systems. Two past efforts to replace the M2 Bradley the Future Combat System (FCS) Program and the Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) Program were canceled for programmatic and cost-associated reasons. In late 2018, the Army established Army Futures Command (AFC), intended to establish unity of command and effort while consolidating the Armys modernization process under one roof. AFC is intended to play a significant role in OMFV development and acquisition. On March 29, 2019, the Army issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to the industry for the OMFV. The Army characterized its requirements as aggressive and noted industry might not be able to meet all requirements. On January 16, 2020, the Army canceled the current OMFV program, intending to restart the program following analysis and revision of program requirements. According to Army officials, a combination of requirements and schedule overwhelmed industrys ability to respond within the Armys timeline. On February 7, 2020, the Army reopened the OMFV competition by releasing a new market survey with a minimally prescriptive wish list and an acquisition strategy that shifted most of the initial cost burden to the Army. On April 9, 2020, the Army provided new OMFV program guidance to industry featuring a five-phased approach to acquisition as well as a pledge to reduce foreign barriers to competition, and identify a pathway to integrate relevant but immature technologies into the program. Reportedly, the three companies that participated in the first iteration of the OMFVcompetitionBAE Systems, General Dynamics Land Systems, and American Rheinmetallhave announced they plan to bid for the new OMFV program. In addition, Oshkosh Defense and Hanwha Defense, a Korean defense company, plan to team up on a bid, and Mettle Ops, a small defense firm with no experience building vehicles, also plans to submit a bid. Phase Two of the new competition, the Preliminary Design Phase, is planned to begin June 25, 2021, and run for 15 months. The Armys FY2022 OMFV Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) budget request is $225.106 million. Rik Daems, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), is to make a working visit to Georgia on 27 and 28 July 2021, PACE reported. July 27, 2021, 14:21 PACE chief makes working visit to Georgia STEPANAKERT, JULY 27, ARTSAKHPRESS: In Tbilisi he is due to meet the Speaker of Parliament and Prime Minister, as well as the Foreign, Justice and Internal Affairs Ministers. Meetings are also planned with the chairs of the Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee and the Permanent Parliamentary Gender Equality Council, and with members of the Georgian parliamentary delegation to PACE. Speaking about the implementation of the trilateral statements of November 9, 2020 and January 11, 2021 - clear facts should be guided and not arbitrary interpretation of these statements, Armenian Foreign Ministry told in response to the inquiry of Armenpress. July 27, 2021, 14:25 Armenian MFA: Azerbaijan's idea of opening a corridor completely distorts content and purpose of trilateral statements STEPANAKERT, JULY 27, ARTSAKHPRESS: The comment is presented below: Question. During a joint press conference with the Foreign Minister of Serbia, the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan accused Armenia of obstructing the implementation of the November 9 trilateral statement. How would you comment on this statement? Answer. When referring to the implementation of trilateral statements of November 9, 2020 and January 21, 2021 one should be guided by clear facts and not arbitrary interpretations of those statements. And the facts are as follows: A month after signing the Statement, the Azerbaijani armed forces violated its first provision, according to which the sides should remain in their positions, and launched an attack on the villages of Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd in the region of Hadrut, as a result of which these settlements were occupied, the Armenian soldiers were killed and captured. Unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan did not fulfill the 8th provision of the November 9 statement, which enshrines the exchange of prisoners of war, hostages and other detainees. Moreover, Armenian prisoners of war are being prosecuted, which is also a gross violation of international humanitarian law. Since May 12, the armed forces of Azerbaijan have infiltrated and continue to stay in the sovereign territory Republic of Armenia. It is noteworthy that Azerbaijani troops infiltrated into the Republic of Armenia from the territories over which Azerbaijan established control following the implementation of the Statement of November 9. In other words, the constructive approach of the Armenian side to implement the Statement was opposed by Azerbaijan`s policy of disrupting regional security and peace by the encroachment on the territorial integrity of Armenia The fact that the Azerbaijani military units are in the territory of Armenia was accepted by the President of Azerbaijan, noting that Zangezur is the land of our ancestors. Recently, Azerbaijan has been making statements denying Nagorno-Karabakh as a territorial entity, which in turn violates Provision 7 of the Statement, where the parties, including Azerbaijan, agreed on the term "Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent areas." Armenia has been the most constructive in implementing the November 9 and January 11 statements regarding the unblocking. Unfortunately, the Azerbaijani side has actively manipulated Armenias constructive approach and has attempted to circulate the official idea of "opening the corridor" with official public statements, which is unacceptable and completely distorts the content of the trilateral statements. It is noteworthy that along with these speculations, Azerbaijan, on one hand, made false territorial-historical claims to Armenia, and on the other hand, the Azerbaijani military units penetrated into the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. As for the accusations that Armenia does not help Azerbaijan to demine the territories of the conflict zone, it should be emphasized that the November 9 statement does not contain any provision for cooperation between the parties in the field of demining. It is worth mentioning that the possibility of cooperation with Armenia and Artsakh in this direction was usually denied by Azerbaijan. Moreover, in 2017 due to Azerbaijan's efforts, the OSCE Office in Yerevan was closed under the pretext that the OSCE was engaged in a humanitarian demining program. Not having any obligation to cooperate in the field of demining, the Armenian side nevertheless provided information to Azerbaijan through third parties as an expression of goodwill. The complete implementation of the process of repatriation of prisoners of war, hostages and other detainees held in Azerbaijan may create a constructive environment for the implementation of the November 9 Statement. A plane carrying Turkeys defense minister and other top military officials was forced to make an emergency landing on Monday after it hit a bird, AP reported, citing the state-run news agency. July 27, 2021, 16:46 Plane carrying Turkish defense chiefs makes emergency landing STEPANAKERT, JULY 27, ARTSAKHPRESS: Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, the chief of military staff, Gen. Yasar Guler and Gen. Umit Dundar, the land forces commander, were returning to the capital Ankara from an airbase in Gaziantep, near the border with Syria, after inspecting troops in the region, Anadolu Agency reported. The Turkish Air Force plane came into contact with a bird shortly after taking off, forcing it to land at another air base near the city of Adana. Anadolu said the plane ended with a crack on its windshield. No one was hurt during the emergency landing. UNESCO status for the remains of a Roman mining complex is expected to further stall a Canadian company's project in the area Romania on Tuesday welcomed a decision to add the remains of a Roman mining complex -- threatened by a controversial gold digging project -- to UNESCO's World Heritage List. Situated in the Apuseni Mountains, part of the Carpathian range, the village of Rosia Montana harbours "the most significant and extensive... Roman gold mining complex currently known in the world", dating from the second century, according to ICOMOS, an advisory body of the UN agency. Romania has sought to get UNESCO status for the site -- an effort which finally bore fruit and which is expected to further stall a Canadian company's mining project in the area. President Klaus Iohannis "saluted" the decision, saying that "Rosia Montana must become a model of emphasising the heritage through sustainable development of the area." "It's the result of 25 years of efforts. Rosia Montana is placed where it belongs," villager Sorin Jurca, 56, told AFP. "Not everybody embraces this honour, but I know that this is the real way to development," the former miner turned activist said. The mining village was at the heart of a bitter controversy for more than two decades with the local community split over the gold digging project. One of the project's biggest supporters, Rosia Montana mayor Eugen Furdui said the decision by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee blocked "Europe's largest gold and silver deposits" for the long term. "This is a bad decision for the community and the country. It won't bring benefits, only obligations," Furdui told Digi24 TV station. - 'Investment obligations' - The seeds of discord were sown in the 1990s when Canada's Gabriel Resources came to Rosia Montana to extract 300 tonnes of gold and 1,600 tonnes of silver, using cyanide. Its subsidiary, Rosia Montana Gold Corporation (RMGC), in which the Romanian state holds a 20 percent stake, received a mining concession in 1999. Story continues But tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Bucharest in 2013, expressing environmental concerns and putting pressure on the government to withdraw its support. Unable to get the government's necessary environmental approval, Gabriel Resources is now suing Romania for $4.4 billion (3.7 billion euros) in damages. A verdict is expected at the end of 2022, but the company also does not rule out launching another legal case over the UNESCO bid. "The UNESCO application and inscription are fundamentally at odds with Romania's obligations under its investment treaties," the company said in a statement. It added its "carefully planned, sustainable and modern mining development would have been the best way to safeguard the significant cultural heritage of the Rosia Montana area". ii/jza/wai/nrh An artist puts the final touches to a portrait of Pakistan climber Muhammad Ali Sadpara in February after he went missing while scaling K2 The bodies of three mountaineers who died during a winter expedition on Pakistan's K2 have been found months after they went missing while scaling the world's second-highest peak, officials said Tuesday. The remains of Pakistani mountaineering legend Muhammad Ali Sadpara, Iceland's John Snorri and Juan Pablo Mohr from Chile were spotted Monday near "the bottleneck" -- a narrow gully just hundreds of metres from the summit. "We are now focusing on a strategy to bring the bodies to a point from where they could be airlifted," Ayaz Shagri, an official with the Alpine Club of Pakistan, told AFP. "The bodies of the mountaineers are intact and frozen," Shagri added, saying the climbers' remains were at an altitude of 7,800 metres (25,600 feet). "It is very difficult to bring the dead bodies down from this high altitude," said Karrar Haidri, also from the Alpine Club, adding that the military was helping with the operation. The trio lost contact with K2's base camp in early February, sparking a massive rescue effort that included military helicopters and planes. Sadpara's son Sajid is in the team coordinating the recovery effort, Shagri added. The discovery of the bodies followed the death on Sunday of Scottish climber Rick Allen, who was killed after being hit by an avalanche. With Pakistan's borders open and few other places to go due to the coronavirus pandemic, the country's summer climbing season is attracting a large number of alpinists. Known as "the savage mountain", K2 has harsh conditions -- winds can blow at more than 200 kilometres per hour (124 miles per hour) and temperatures can drop to minus 60 degrees Celsius (minus 76 Fahrenheit). Unlike the world's highest peak Mount Everest, which has been scaled by thousands of climbers young and old, K2 is much less travelled. jaf/ds/fox/qan A lagoon in Argentina's southern Patagonia region has turned bright pink in a striking, but frightful phenomenon experts and activists blame on pollution by a chemical used to preserve prawns for export. The colour is caused by sodium sulfite, an anti-bacterial product used in fish factories, whose waste is blamed for contaminating the Chubut river that feeds the Corfo lagoon and other water sources in the region, according to activists. Residents have long complained of foul smells and other environmental issues around the river and lagoon. Aerial view of a lagoon that turned pink due to a chemical used to help shrimp conservation in fishing factories near Trelew, in the Patagonian province of Chubut, Argentina. Source: AFP "Those who should be in control are the ones who authorise the poisoning of people," environmental activist Pablo Lada told AFP, blaming the government for the mess. The lagoon turned pink last week and remained the abnormal colour on Sunday (local time), said Lada, who lives in the city of Trelew, not far from the lagoon and some 1,400 kilometres south of Buenos Aires. Environmental engineer and virologist Federico Restrepo told AFP the coloration was due to sodium sulfite in fish waste, which by law, should be treated before being dumped. The lagoon, which is not used for recreation, receives runoff from the Trelew industrial park and has turned the bright pink colour before. But residents of the area are fed up. Locals have raged at the otherwordly sight. Source: AFP Resident revolt over pollution after lagoon turns pink In recent weeks, residents of Rawson, neighbouring Trelew, blocked roads used by trucks carrying processed fish waste through their streets to treatment plants on the city's outskirts. "We get dozens of trucks daily, the residents are getting tired of it," said Lada. With Rawson off limits due to the protest, provincial authorities granted authorisation for factories to dump their waste instead in the Corfo lagoon. "The reddish colour does not cause damage and will disappear in a few days," environmental control chief for Chubut province, Juan Micheloud, told AFP last week. Story continues The colouration is due to a preservative called sodium sulfite. It is an antibacterial that also contaminates the waters of the Chubut River and waters of the cities of the region. Source: AFP Sebastian de la Vallina, planning secretary for the city of Trelew disagreed: "It is not possible to minimise something so serious." Plants that process fish for export, mainly prawns and hake, generate thousands of jobs for Chubut province, home to some 600,000 people. Dozens of foreign fishing companies operate in the area in waters under Argentina's Atlantic jurisdiction. "Fish processing generates work... it's true. But these are multi-million-dollar profit companies that don't want to pay freight to take the waste to a treatment plant that already exists in Puerto Madryn, 56 kilometres away, or build a plant closer," said Lada. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. Six weeks before most children in New York go back to school, there are still questions about what school will look like this fall. Will children be wearing face masks? How far apart will they be? Those are big questions on the minds of parents, children, teachers and staff. And as in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, there seem to be more questions than answers, particularly about the effect the more contagious Delta variant of the virus will have. Schools are waiting for the State Department of Health to issue its guidelines on going back to school. By this time last year, state health and education departments had issued lengthy reopening guidelines and school districts were putting together plans on how they would safely reopen in September. While most adults in New York have been vaccinated, children under 12 are not yet eligible for the vaccine. The Delta variant has quickly become the dominant strain of the virus in the country. But only 0.15% of those who have been vaccinated have tested positive, according to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. Conflicting advice New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo declined to answer a question about whether he will require state employees to be vaccinated. Speaking at a news conference at Yankee Stadium, Cuomo urged localities to consider vaccinating public-facing government workers. The Sept. 13 deadline in New York City coincides with the start of public school, when the Democratic mayor has said he expects all pupils to be in classrooms full time. City health care workers and employees in congregate setting such as group homes will face earlier deadlines. The move comes as the city battles a rise in COVID-19 cases fueled by the highly contagious delta variant. Since the end of June, the daily average of new cases has increased by more than 300%. Last week, the city had announced it was mandating vaccinations or weekly testing for workers in the city's hospital system. De Blasio expanded the requirement Monday and urged private employers to adopt similar rules. My message to the private sector is: Go as far as you can go right now," the mayor said. I would strongly urge a vaccination mandate whenever possible, or as close to it as possible. City workers' unions offered mixed responses to the new mandate. The chief executive of the company that makes Marlboro cigarettes was quoted by Britain's Mail on Sunday as saying that the tobacco company foresees an end to its sales of traditional cigarettes in Britain within 10 years. "I want to allow this company to leave smoking behind," Jacek Olczak, the CEO of Philip Morris International, was quoted in the paper saying. "I think in the UK, 10 years from now maximum, you can completely solve the problem of smoking.' Asked if that meant Philip Morris would stop selling traditional cigarettes in the UK within that time, he was quoted as saying, "Absolutely." Olczak said that the company's Marlboro brand would "disappear" from Britain. For years, Philip Morris has said that its future will not include Marlboro cigarettes as it shifts to electronic devices. The company has been vocal in laying out its goal of replacing cigarettes with alternatives such as its IQOS heated tobacco system that heats tobacco without burning it. The goal of Philip Morris, it has said, is to become a majority smoke-free company in terms of net revenues by the end of 2025. In July 2019 the British government said it wants to end smoking in England by 2030. Tata Motors on Tuesday announced that it has produced 10,000 units of its new-gen Safari SUV from its Pune-based manufacturing plant. The company said that while the first 100th unit of the car was rolled out in February 2021, the remaining 9,900 units of the new Safari were produced in less than four months. (Also Read: Tata Motors seeks equal treatment from Centre after Tesla calls for EV sops) Speaking on this milestone, Shailesh Chandra, President Passenger Vehicles Business Unit, Tata Motors said, We are thrilled to have reached this significant milestone for the new Safari in a span of four months. Not to mention, we have achieved this landmark during one of the toughest periods our country has endured in its long history. The 10000th feat validates the collective hard work put in by various teams responsible for the rebirth of this illustrious model." (Also Read: Tata Motors tweets on 10,000th Safari unit roll out, removes post later) The new Safari is offered in both 6 and 7-seater formats. The company says that its Safari is one of the top-selling SUVs in its segment with a current market share of 25.2% in its category. In addition to that, Safari along with Harrier command a 41.2% market share in the high SUV segment (as of Q1 FY22). The new Safari sets sight on the recently launched Hyundai Alcazar which is a longer version of the Hyundai Creta SUV. L "The Safari in its new avatar takes forward the brand's rich legacy by combining Tata Motors' Impact 2.0 design language with the proven capability of OMEGARC, the architecture derived from Land Rover's renowned D8 platform the gold standard among SUVs worldwide. This iconic brand is already leading the segment and we are delighted with our customers response. We thank our customers for their continued trust in the brand. We will continue to keep our New Forever range refreshed catering to the ever-evolving needs of our customers," added Chandra. Tata Motors wants the Centre to treat all electric vehicle manufacturers equally after US-based EV maker Tesla demanded a reduction on import duties to be able to bring its electric cars to India. During a virtual press conference on Monday, Tata Motors said it expects the government to be consistent in its approach towards local manufacturing of EVs under the FAME II scheme. P Balaji, CFO at Tata Motors, said, "From Tata Motors' perspective, the Indian government through the FAME II incentives, eligibility criteria have been very clearly set for the direction in which the country should take to accelerate the adoption of EVs. This has always emphasised affordable EVs and also localisation as per the phased manufacturing plans." "I am sure the government will remain consistent to that particular philosophy and the principles of FAME II. This is what all of us are working towards," he added. According to Tata Motors, the carmakers invested in the EV segment look forward to long-term visibility of the policy Tata Motors already offers two electric cars in India - the Tigor EV and the Nexon EV. The carmaker also plans to launch at least 10 new electric vehicles in the next four years. Tata Motors' reaction comes after the demand by Tesla to cut import duties on its cars. Tesla wants import duties on electric vehicles in India reduced to be able make its business more viable. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that import duties in India currently are 'the highest in the world'. While Musk said that Tesla is 'quite likely' to build a manufacturing unit in India, he also hopes for 'at least a temporary tariff relief for electric vehicles'. India currently demands customs duty ranging between 60 per cent to 100 per cent on imported cars. India imposes 100% import duty on fully imported cars with CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) value over $40,000, while 60% duty is imposed on cars that cost less than the amount. Musk also said, "Clean energy vehicles are treated the same as diesel or petrol, which does not seem entirely consistent with the climate goals of India. We are hopeful that there will be at least a temporary tariff relief for electric vehicles. That would be much appreciated." Tesla announced its entry in India earlier this year by registering as Tesla India Motors in Karnataka. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari also said Tesla is set to start its operations in India by this year and may set up a manufacturing unit as well. Tesla is likely to make its India debut with the Model 3 electric car. It is expected that a Tesla Model 3 would cost roughly around 70 lakh. Tata Motors plans to overcome the ongoing chip shortage crisis due to lack of supply of semiconductors in coming days. The crisis, which has impacted almost every vehicle manufacturer across the world, contributed heavily towards Tata Motors' loss in the second quarter this year. Tata Motors hopes that the crisis will ease out by the second half of the next fiscal. However, the company does not want to wait for the crisis to end and revealed a workaround plan to actually reduce dependency on semiconductors. According to Girish Wagh, President of Commercial Vehicle Business at Tata Motors, the company has taken several steps to overcome the challenge, including making some changes in the product configuration so that the requirement is reduced. The company is also engaging with suppliers and talking to semiconductor manufacturers to get some of the consignments faster. "In H2 (second half of the ongoing fiscal), we have also seen the semiconductors becoming a major constraint. This is something which has actually affected us in the commercial vehicles (CVs) also," Wagh was quoted by news agency PTI. "We have seen some impact. Initially, it was on the small commercial vehicles (SCV) and later we have also seen some impact happening in medium and heavy commercial vehicles (M&HCV)," he added. Due to the supply issues, Tata Motors had hiked prices of its vehicles in October last year and then in January, to tackle the impact of rising commodity rates. We are now monitoring the situation to see what happens going ahead for the next year and looking at the current situation, we will also be looking at doing the same in the month of April when we get in the next year," Wagh added. (Also read: Tata Motors seeks equal treatment from Centre after Tesla calls for EV sops) Wagh said, "As suppliers have indicated to us, the impact should go on gradually reducing. Therefore, from that perspective, I am looking at next (fiscal) year from an optimistic mindset...towards the end of Q2 and beginning of H2, we should be seeing the supply side completely on track but the situation is indeed very very dynamic..." Wagh expects the commercial vehicle industry will grow over 30% if conditions are favourable and is able to outweigh factors like high fuel prices and the coronavirus pandemic. Weve learned a lot during the last 18 months of COVID, of working remotely and so how we translate those lessons to new policies that we provide a more and a new NAU workplace and we expect that work to be done in the next several weeks to allow time for the campus to be back and people to be consulted, he said. NAU also announced a vaccine incentive program last week, called Jacks are Vaxed. Students can enter into a prize drawing by uploading their vaccination card to the Campus Health Services Portal. According to the July 23 announcement of the program, prizes include an Arizona Snowbowl season pass and Apple Watches, as well as housing and dining scholarships. The first prize, a Phoenix Suns jersey signed by All-Star guard Devin Booker, will be awarded Friday, July 30. The program is meant to encourage vaccinations on-campus as cases rise in the county and vaccination rates have slowed overall. As we have heard from many sources in the last few weeks, as COVID-19 case numbers rise in certain areas, the true challenge ahead is that we face a pandemic of the unvaccinated, Cruz Rivera said in the announcement. ...Together, we can help protect ourselves and our community. In other cases, the institute says that special permitting required by the city for new developments is a costly burden on property owners. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The Goldwater Institute is seeking relief on the property owners behalf, claiming the rules violate Arizonas Private Property Rights Protection Act, also known as Prop 207. Arizona voters approved Prop 207 in November 2006, which says that state property owners are entitled to just compensation if the value of a person's property is reduced by the enactment of a land use law. The state ballot initiative came as a response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Kelo v. New London case, a controversial ruling that cemented the government's power of eminent domain in situations where private property can be turned over for economic development. Arizona voters rejected the Courts vast expansion of government power by adopting a ballot measure that creates some of the strongest protections for home and business owners in the country, according to the statement. ... Flagstaffs ordinance is exactly the kind of government overreach that Arizona voters sought to guard against, it continued. UNITED NATIONS The U.N.s deputy humanitarian chief is warning that the COVID-19 pandemic is hitting conflict-ridden and impoverished countries much worse this year than in 2020, with many facing higher caseloads and rising deaths. Ramesh Rajasingham said in a closed briefing Monday to the U.N. Security Council that these surges are being fueled by a lack of access to vaccines, the easing of public health measures, increased social mixing, and the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus. In his briefing obtained by The Associated Press, Rajasingham says that so far in 2021 almost three-quarters of countries needing humanitarian aid have recorded more pandemic cases or deaths than in all of 2020. He adds that in over one-third of those countries at least three times more cases or deaths have been recorded this year compared to last. MONTGOMERY, Alabama The number of COVID-19 patients in Alabama hospitals has climbed to more than 900 a number the state has not seen since February. Birthday wishes Call 281-422-8302 or email david.bloom@baytownsun.com to wish someone a happy birthday. We will print your birthday wish on Page 2 of The Sun. Happy Birthday Wishes One of the most intelligent men to ever walk the face of the Earth once said something that was, not surprisingly, really smart: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. It is a shame Albert Einstein is not alive today because he could deliver that message to many people in the United States media and political elites who are determined to convince you and me that the "lab leak" theory to explain the origin of the coronavirus pandemic must remain at the forefront of our thoughts. They keep saying the lab leak theory is credible, and the available evidence continues to refute this. This never-ending cycle does seem to fit Einstein's description of insanity. Allow me to put my cards on the table: I am no scientist, but I believe the investigation already undertaken by the scientific community has made abundantly clear that it is highly unlikely if not improbable that the lab leak theory has any credibility. I am confident in stating that the top notch work already done by scientists refutes any effort by anyone to point a finger of blame at the highly trained professional crew that worked inside the Wuhan Institute of Virology when the coronavirus pandemic began. Yes, I know by making such a statement I will be accused of being a sellout, someone who is happy to do Beijing's bidding while ignoring reality. My reply is simple. The facts that we have at the moment are quite clear: The lab leak theory lacks any substance. By extension, the only reason I can see to continue pursuing it with such vigor is because there remains a chronic need in the West to undermine the credibility of China on the global stage. Of course, at the end of the day, neither your opinion nor mine matters. The facts do. And I repeat that the facts we have are rather obvious. As a result, you cannot blame Chinese officials for being exasperated. Week in and week out they must respond to the latest lab leak pronouncement emanating in the West. But a few days ago, the Chinese decided to fight back. Speaking to a room full of journalists, Vice Minister of the National Health Commission Zeng Yixin basically said enough is enough. He forcefully told the gathered media that China can't accept the World Health Organization's plan to restart an investigation into the work done by the scientists inside the Wuhan Institute of Virology. He correctly stated that no legitimate scientific effort can follow from an investigation now, roughly 20 months after the beginning of the pandemic. Vice Minister Zeng was joined by the institute's biosafety director Yuan Zhiming, who said, "The Wuhan Institute of Virology has never designed, made or leaked the novel coronavirus." We know such statements never will be good enough for Western leaders, so none of us should be surprised that the White House was quick to dismiss what the Chinese officials had said. "Deeply disappointed" were the words used to describe how American officials felt after hearing from Zeng and Yuan. The White House spokesperson soon added she believed it was "irresponsible and, frankly, dangerous" for the Chinese to rebuff the World Health Organization. We cannot forget one important reason the U.S. continues to advance the lab leak idea. A Wall Street Journal report claimed at least three scientists inside the Wuhan lab had become ill in November 2019, mere weeks before the virus began spreading rapidly throughout China and then the world. Official Washington wants us to remember that potentially dubious reporting, while it also appears disinterested in listening to the words of an Australian scientist who was working alongside the Chinese inside the Wuhan lab in late 2019. Dr. Danielle Anderson gave a lengthy interview to the Bloomberg News agency about one month ago, and she provided some of the most important evidence dismissing the Wall Street Journal's reporting. Dr. Anderson said, "If people were sick, I assume that I would have been sick and I wasn't." She also told Bloomberg that she was tested for coronavirus soon after she left China, and the test came back negative. Dr. Anderson left China in late 2019 once a grant associated with her work had come to an end. But only weeks later, at an important scientific gathering, she said not one person in attendance had heard of any Chinese scientists being ill. "Scientists are gossipy and excited," Dr. Anderson told Bloomberg. "There was nothing strange from my point of view going on at that point." What are we left with? A recognition of raw politics. The West must press ahead with the lab leak idea because it aligns well with its longstanding narrative that the Chinese cannot be trusted. Recognizing that the Western media likes controversy, continued calls for another investigation can be packaged by the media to affirm to their audiences that there had to be something fishy going on inside that lab. Why else would American officials keep demanding an investigation? Yes, Mr. Einstein, this is crazy. By Anthony Moretti is an associate professor at the Department of Communication and Organizational Leadership of Robert Morris University. Source: CGTN All of the officers expressed feelings of betrayal at the Republicans who have dismissed the violence. I feel like I went to hell and back to protect them and the people in this room," Fanone testified, pounding his fist on the table in front of him. Too many are now telling me that hell doesnt exist or that hell actually wasnt that bad. The indifference shown to my colleagues is disgraceful. The witnesses detailed the horror of their assaults and the lasting trauma in the six months since, both mental and physical. At the hearings end, the witnesses all pleaded with the lawmakers to dig deeper into how it happened. The lawmakers on the committee, too, grew emotional as they played videos of the violence and repeatedly thanked the police for protecting them. Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Florida told them she was hiding near an entrance they were defending that day and said the main reason rioters didnt harm any members of Congress was because they didnt encounter any members of Congress. Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, one of two Republicans on the panel, shed tears during his questioning. He said he hadnt expected to become so emotional. State Rep. Terry Moore, a Republican from Billings, asked Meier about privacy concerns if a student were to test positive. Meier said schools are familiar with privacy requirements and also work closely with local health departments. With that said, as you can probably imagine, oftentimes by process of elimination, people guess what's happening and I think that's certainly something that schools have probably struggled with, Meier added. Sharyl Allen, the deputy superintendent of the Office of Public Instruction, also raised concerns about privacy and that a student or staff member who was tested and later out of school could be easily identified, especially in smaller schools. It doesn't become difficult to figure these things out, Allen said. On the other side of it as we continuously look for how we do everything we can to keep our kids safe, this is one of the elements of the society in which we live today. And it's important to constantly weigh that balance between protecting students at that social-emotional level, and also protecting them at that physical level. After the meeting, OPI spokesperson Chris Averill said it was critical to the office that parents were in the driver's seat. Were down to the lowest level Ive seen since Ive been here, she said of the five years she has worked at the marina. The lower water means the loss of some docks in a busy summer season that typically extends into September, she said. Luckily, the marina has a long boat launch. The biggest impact right now is to property owners and recreationists that use Hebgen, said Jo Dee Black, of NorthWestern Energy. Some of the concerns are that it may be more difficult to put your boat in. And some of the shallow areas you need to be cautious around. Forecast Whether the lower water levels in Hebgen could result in fewer pulsed releases into the Madison River, Black said that is unlikely, although she said this summers weather is similar to conditions in 2007 when the lake dropped 8.5 feet by Oct. 1. Luckily, the lake is a bit higher this year than in 2007. Cool water pulse releases typically end in mid-August, Black noted. Temperatures of 70 degrees and higher are harmful to trout, sometimes lethal or causing stress that can lead to other infections or disease outbreaks. The Madison River near West Yellowstone, at the head of Hebgen Lake, was almost 70 degrees on Monday. Police in Moorhead, Minnesota, have arrested a man in connection with a shooting in Dunn County that killed a Watford City man. Oscar Ortiz was arrested without incident about 3:15 p.m., the police department said. He was found under the stairwell of an apartment building in the 500 block of 32nd Avenue South in Moorhead. A handgun was found in the area, police said. Ortiz will be held in the Clay County Jail pending extradition to North Dakota. Dunn County sheriffs deputies were called Sunday about 8:15 p.m. Mountain time to a location near 114th Avenue Northwest on the Gap Road in the northwest part of the county, according to information from the sheriffs office. Dunn County authorities said Brian Clifford Rowe of Watford City died of multiple gunshot wounds. The sheriffs department asked the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation to assist in the investigation. The bureau contacted the Moorhead Police Department early Tuesday for assistance in finding Ortiz. He initially eluded police despite a K-9 search and assistance from the Moorhead Fire Department drone team. A woman who is an acquaintance of Ortiz was taken into custody. Its unclear if the woman was involved in the shooting. An infectious disease expert said that COVID-19 vaccines are still effective against the delta variant. Paul Carson, an infectious disease specialist and professor of public health at North Dakota State University, said the delta variant of COVID-19 appears to spread faster and may be more likely to cause hospitalization. "If it's not the predominate strain now, it will be shortly," he said in a North Dakota Health Department webinar Tuesday. Carson said that data from England, Scotland, Israel and Canada showed that the Pfizer vaccine was still effective at preventing hospitalization from the delta variant. Effectiveness at preventing symptoms dropped slightly with the delta variant but still remained at or above 80%, he said. Israel's data is an outlier and showed a greater decline in how effective the vaccine is against symptomatic infections, he said. Carson also discussed why the benefits of vaccination against COVID-19 outweigh the risks. In several studies, people who had COVID-19 reported experiencing symptoms months after they were diagnosed, including fatigue, difficulty breathing and cognitive issues, he said. A berm has been built around the well pad to contain any fluids. The fire is contained to the well pad, and it has not resulted in any injuries, Petro-Hunt said earlier this week. Environmental Quality is among several state and local agencies responding to the situation. The agency could issue a penalty related to the incident down the road, but officials need to know the facts before we would make that determination, Glatt said. It will take several weeks to sort out the details of what happened at the site, and any future action the department might take would depend on factors such as the cleanup effort and whether the incident was the result of negligence or an accident such as equipment breaking, he said. The well pad is located just south of Lake Sakakawea near Keene northeast of Watford City. The site is on federal land within the U.S. Forest Services McKenzie Ranger District. McKenzie County Emergency Manager Karolin Jappe said authorities have closed roads in the area and are asking people to avoid driving or boating near the fire so as not to interfere with the response. Reach Amy R. Sisk at 701-250-8252 or amy.sisk@bismarcktribune.com. Love 0 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. HONG KONG (AP) The first person to be tried under Hong Kongs sweeping national security law was found guilty of secessionism and terrorism on Tuesday in a ruling closely watched for indications of how the law will be applied as China tightens its grip on the city long known for its freedoms. Tong Ying-kit was charged with inciting secession and terrorism for driving his motorcycle into a group of police officers last year while carrying a flag bearing the banned protest slogan Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times. Rights groups condemned his conviction, and many are bracing for further such trials since more than 100 people have been arrested under the legislation part of Beijing's increasing crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong following months of anti-government protests in 2019. Tong, a 24-year-old restaurant worker, pleaded not guilty to the charges, arguing the slogan itself does not call for secession. He now faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, but his lawyers are expected to argue for a lighter punishment at his sentencing hearing Thursday. The destruction of democratic principles are another facet of the Chinese Communist Partys never-ending pursuit of absolute control. [] In 1989, authorities armed with assault rifles accompanied by tanks fired at millions of student-led pro-democracy, demonstrators killing thousands and arresting most others. Every year in Hong Kong, pro-democracy advocates commemorate the massacre by hosting a vigil that marks the June anniversary. Recently, Hong Kong is upping its crackdown, not just on pro-democratic demonstrations, but also on the memory of them. Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai was present at both the massacre itself and its succeeding annual vigils. He and another democratic activist, a former Hong Kong lawmaker named Leung Yiu-chung, were charged at the banned 2020 vigil, and both say they will contest incitement charges, while 10 others say they will plead guilty. The 2020 and 2021 vigils were banned for the first time in three decades, with police citing health concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic. Last Friday, the 12 charged from the past vigil returned to the Hong Kong District Court for another hearing before District Judge Ko King-Sau. Leung Yiu-chung denied charges related to participation in the unauthorized assembly. In addition, he and Lai agreed they would not plead guilty to the charge of inciting others to partake in the assembly. They stand trial on Nov. 1 with former Democratic Party Chairman Qu Chi-wai, activist Gwyneth Ho Kwai-lamalong, along with four members of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, the organizer of the vigils. They too, will not plead guilty to the charges. Six others have also been charged on differing accounts for attending the vigil. The Tiananmen Square massacres were scarring enough to the Chinese people and their hurt is exacerbated by Hong Kongs criminal charges of a mere memory. Censorship in Communist China now seeps into the memory of the Chinese tragedy. This censorship threatens to wipe out entire swaths of Chinese culture and memory. The destruction of democratic principles are another facet of the Chinese Communist Partys never-ending pursuit of absolute control. The citizens of California cannot undo the last 16 months of damage done by the government, but they can choose to contribute to a better solution. [] Its been barely a month since California reopened, and some counties are already beginning to reinstate mask mandates, even for fully vaccinated residents. This is but the latest pivot in Californias ongoing response to the pandemic, marked by constant bureaucratic whiplash and a flood of social, economic, and political crises. During the past year, homelessness in California rose almost 7%. As a result of the governments pandemic response, millions of people lost their jobs and were forced to file for unemployment. The unemployment rate peaked at 16% in April 2020 and is now at 7.9%, still nearly twice what it was in March 2020. Sixteen months after its initial state-wide lockdown, Governor Gavin Newsom still considers California to be in a state of emergency, and outside of his recall election in September, theres no end in sight. On top of it all, gas now costs $4.32 a gallon. It seems like things cant get much worse. As a native Californian, the worst part of the pandemic was watching the states residents lose their spirit. Small business owners fought to keep their businesses afloat. Bright and hardworking college graduates struggled to find jobs. Students of all ages spent hundreds of hours on Zoom, desperately trying to substitute real life experiences with images on a screen. Even now, while much of the nation has returned to relative normalcy, Californians are still struggling. Constantly changing mask policies represent the looming uncertainty of the states future. The political left blames the right for not adhering to mask mandates and for promoting anti-vaccination sentiments, while the right blames the left-leaning government for passing seemingly nonsensical policies and disrupting the economy. But while we can and should debate specific policies, there is a much bigger issue at stake. The government must not be the end-all of civil society. It is not the sole cause of societys issues, nor should it be elevated as the sole solution. The preamble of the California Constitution says, We, the People of the State of California, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure and perpetuate its blessings, do establish this Constitution. It does not say we the government, but we the people. This state was founded for us, the people for our freedom and our benefit. Its problems are our problems, and the solutions should be ours, too. One of the most fundamental premises of our nation is that people have agency, the power to change the world around them, for better or for worse. We surrender our power and agency to the government both when we trust it too much and when we blame it for the problems that we ourselves should be fixing. When our communities struggle, citizens should be first responders with the government as a last line of defense not the other way around. The citizens of California cannot undo the last 16 months of damage done by the government, but they can address the states current problems and choose to contribute to a better solution. As British evangelist Rodney Gipsy Smith once said, Do not blame society, for you are a part of society, and if society is not right you be right and show society what you think it ought to be. California has a rich history and vibrant culture. The people who first settled here literally struck gold. From San Francisco to San Diego, Hollywood to Yosemite, Silicon Valley to Disneyland, beaches to mountains to farmland, California has so much to offer, including a gross domestic product larger than that of the entire United Kingdom. California could be an amazing place to live, but it is up to the people, not the government, to make it that way. We need stronger local communities, more collaboration, and a heightened sense of personal responsibility. When we surrender our agency, we are driven by reactionary impulses rather than reason and integrity. California does need better governance, but even more so, it needs better citizens. The buck stops here. The Elmwood Village has long been like a third rail for real estate developers: Touch any of its buildings let alone demolish anything or build too high and you'll risk the shock of your life. Then there's Douglas Jemal. The Washington developer's proposal to redevelop a multi-building complex at the corner of Elmwood Avenue and Bidwell Parkway met with hardly a peep of opposition from anyone in the community when it came before the city Planning Board on Monday. That's despite his intention to demolish a small structure in back, and then nearly double the size of the entire project. Jemal plans to renovate the two-story structures in front, and then construct a four-story addition in the rear to create 33 apartments and six storefronts up from perhaps 19 apartments that most recently existed in the dilapidated buildings. The construction would be set back far from the street facade, but it's higher than allowed by code, so he needs variances from the Zoning Board of Appeals, which meets on Thursday. Yet only two people spoke out with any criticism, and neither was strenuously opposed, especially after Jemal's deputy pre-empted one of them by announcing a change in the design that effectively dulled the thrust of her comments. A film studio set for Niagara Street will have to wait a little longer before putting its plan into action. The Buffalo Planning Board tabled Great Point Media's plan to expand its proposed 57,700-square-foot Niagara Studio sooner than expected but with less than previously envisioned. The British production company plans to add two 5,000-square-foot sound stages to the 20,000-square-foot stage and support space that was already approved. The original plan called for another 20,000 square feet, but technology has changed, film studios need more space now, and they want smaller spaces to give them more options for film, television and streaming production, said Kevin D. Murrett of Architectural Resources, the project architect. The larger studio will now shift to the eastern end of the building, with the two smaller stages immediately to the west, with a corridor in between that links all three. There are no changes to the public mural or the support spaces fronting on West Ferry and Niagara streets, including the dressing rooms, production and set shops, creative spaces and offices. And the greenspace along West Avenue will increase, since the building footprint will be reduced. The demolition would free up the area along Pearl for 13 two-story town houses down from 17 connecting the campus to the residential houses on the other side of Pearl, officials said during their presentation to the North Pearl group. The three-bedroom town houses will also act as a buffer for the higher buildings behind them toward Main including a proposed six-story building across from the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. Also planned is a four-story building and a three-story shelter building with 60 to 80 beds at the far southern end of the campus, with the two-story headquarters in between. The two larger buildings will house up to 155 mostly one-bedroom apartments for households earning no more than 60% of the area median income. First-floor space along Main will be mixed-use, including amenities like a coffee shop, as well as administrative offices or services that are walkable and approachable, Simonetti said. The Salvation Army already has a parking lot across the street on Pearl, with 60 spaces that are only partly used normally. Officials said the shelter occupants and supportive housing residents can't afford cars, and only about half of the affordable housing tenants typically have cars. The project is also across Main from the Metro Rail and buses. It is yet another of the books that I most looked forward to in this literary season: "Pessoa: A Biography" by Richard Zenith (Liveright), a biographer whose name couldn't possibly have been more appropriate. Zenith's subject is Fernando Pessoa (1888-1935), a Portuguese writer all but unknown in his lifetime who is now considered one of his time's towering figures in world literature. What Pessoa did wasn't just write books with "pseudonyms" he invented what he called "heteronyms," a throng of hugely elaborate fictional writers whose lives were limned with enormous specificity as well as their literature itself in Portuguese, English and French. It's as if Vladimir Nabokov's singular stunt in "Pale Fire" a "fictional" (but real) poem written by a fictional poet and then explicated by a fictional madman who explains that the poem is really about him and his monarchy in the Kingdom of Zembla was multiplied in a hall of mirrors to be arranged differently every time. Pessoa postulated all of literature as fiction, or rather all of literary fiction to be read as multiple literary genres. Just when Pessoa's literary cause seemed hopeless, some "25,000 unpublished papers" were extricated from a wooden trunk and left to be ordered and revealed in a lifework among the great achievements in 20th century literature. Before that, he went to school at Cornell University, then started working on a master's degree in animal science at the University of Idaho. He joined the U.S. Army, including a deployment to Afghanistan, then finished his masters degree after returning. In North Carolina, he worked for the state, doing farm extension work. It worked out well, Agle said. I had enough time to get out and see the world, and realize I wanted to come back to the farm. After he came back to the welcoming arms of his huge family, Agle started running into a problem: the nieces and nephews birthday parties. I never really had much experience buying gifts regularly for my nieces and nephews, he said. I didn't want to just give them another gift. What's at every birthday party? Cake and ice cream, and the family usually made the cake. Agle used ice cream to present what was fresh on the farm. Rhubarb was a harbinger of early summer. There's a lot of produce that doesn't make it to market, so I was also racking my brain with ideas on what could be done with some of the fruit that's imperfect, but still tastes just as good. When Fanone and Albright arrived on Capitol Hill, they could see why. They encountered hundreds of angry Trump supporters who taunted them as they neared the Capitol. There, Fanone and Albright made their way to the Capitol basement, where they found a line of police officers trying to hold off a mob determined to enter the building through a tunnel. Fanone fought his way to the front of the tunnel and the entrance to the Capitol, where he welcomed a quick breath of fresh air. Before long, though, he felt himself pulled out into the crowd. "I heard someone scream: 'I got one' as I was swarmed by a violent mob," Fanone said. "They ripped off my badge. They grabbed and stripped me of my radio." Sibick is charged with those offenses. And at its first hearing, the House Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol played footage from Fanone's body camera that shows his badge and radio being snatched from his uniform. But that was just part of what the crowd did. Six weeks before most children in Western New York go back to school, there are still questions about what school will look like this fall. Will children be wearing face masks? How far apart will they be? Those are big questions on the minds of parents, children, teachers and staff. And as in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, there seem to be more questions than answers, particularly about the effect the more contagious Delta variant of the virus will have. Schools are waiting for the New York State Health Department to issue its guidelines on going back to school. By this time last year, state Health and Education departments had issued lengthy reopening guidelines and school districts were putting together plans on how they would safely reopen in September. While most adults in New York have been vaccinated, children under 12 are not yet eligible for the vaccine. The Delta variant has quickly become the dominant strain of the virus in the country. But only 0.15% of those who have been vaccinated have tested positive, according to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. Conflicting advice `"All elected leaders have a role to play in keeping Minnesotans safe, and the Governor invites Senate Republicans to work with him rather than against him to improve public safety, Lancaster said. The top Republican on the House public safety committee, Rep. Brian Johnson of Cambridge, said the divided Legislature took steps this year to address the rise in officer-involved shootings and to improve training and use-of-force standards, as activists demanded. But he said Democrats rejected GOP proposals to combat rising crime. With (Democratic) politicians pushing anti-law enforcement and defund the police policies in our cities, its more important than ever that we step up at the state level to address rising crime and make Minnesota a safe place for all families, Johnson said in a statement. Those killed in Cherokee County: Michels, 54; Xiaojie Emily Tan, 49; Daoyou Feng, 44; and Delaina Yaun, 33. The Atlanta victims were: Suncha Kim, 69; Soon Chung Park, 74; Hyun Jung Grant, 51; and Yong Ae Yue, 63. Long said he planned to kill himself that day and went to the massage businesses thinking that paying for sex which he considered shameful would push him to do it. But while sitting in his car outside the first spa, he decided to kill the people inside. After he was caught in south Georgia, Long told detectives he struggled with pornography and sex. He believed he was an addict and felt tremendous guilt when he viewed porn or engaged in sexual acts at massage businesses, Wallace said. Long blamed the victims for his inability to control his impulses, Wallace said. Long is scheduled for arraignment next month in Fulton County. His Cherokee County lawyers said in a statement they hope prosecutors there will follow Wallace's example and reach a similar plea agreement. Wallace said that after the shootings at the two Atlanta spas, Long intended to carry out similar crimes in Florida. CANBERRA, Australia (AP) Australias second-most populous city Melbourne will end its fifth lockdown on Tuesday with the Victoria state government declaring it had beaten an outbreak of the highly contagious COVID-19 delta variant for a second time. The five-day lockdown across Victoria ends at 11:59 p.m., allowing schools, pubs and restaurants to reopen, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said. But people will not be allowed to have visitors in their homes for another two weeks. This lockdown ... sends a very clear message that we have seen off two delta outbreaks, Andrews said. I dont think theres a jurisdiction in the world that has been able to achieve that, and every Victorian should be proud of that. Sydney, Australias most populous city where the delta outbreak began in mid-June when a limousine driver was infected while transporting a U.S. air crew from the airport, remains in lockdown indefinitely after more than four weeks. The new outbreak has claimed 10 lives. The New South Wales state government on Tuesday reported 172 new infections in the latest 24-hour period, a new daily record. Victoria reported 10 new cases on Tuesday, but all had been in isolation while they were infectious. Theres no single magic bullet for conquering hesitancy among the unvaccinated, but as the coronavirus delta variant spreads, public officials need to give it their best shot. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomos designation of $15 million for outreach in 117 ZIP codes across the state including two in Western New York makes smart use of community groups that know many of the individuals they are trying to reach with appeals to get their shots. At the federal level, the Food and Drug Administration will perform a public service when it gives final approval to the three coronavirus vaccines being administered in the U.S. Were not the only observers asking, whats the holdup? The agency faces a balancing act in that it must not cut any corners in evaluating safety data from the makers of the Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. However, there is growing sentiment in the scientific community that the FDA should have enough data to give final licensure now to the shots that it approved under emergency use authorization. Agency officials have made statements amounting to: Do you want the job done fast or done right? The answer in this case is an emphatic both. There is no acceptable alternative. (Adds Russia) (Reuters) - A growing number of countries are looking at switching to different COVID-19 vaccines for second doses or booster shots after supply delays and safety concerns have slowed their vaccination campaigns. The World Health Organization said on July 12 the practice was a "dangerous trend" since there was little data available about the health impact, while Europe's drug regulator on July 14 made no definitive recommendations on switching doses. The following are countries that are considering, or have decided to adopt, such a solution: BHUTAN * Bhutan's Prime Minister Lotay Tshering said on June 24 he was comfortable about mixing-and-matching COVID-19 vaccine doses to immunize a population of about 700,000 people. CANADA * The National Advisory Committee on Immunization said on June 17 that the provinces should offer recipients of a first dose of AstraZeneca's vaccine a different shot for their second dose, CBC News reported. CHINA * Chinese researchers are running an early-stage, small-scale trial on the mixed inoculation of one dose of the vaccine from CanSino Biologics (CanSinoBIO), followed by one dose of the shot provided by a unit of Chongqing Zhifei Biological Products, clinical trial registration data showed in April. * Researchers are also running a trial using one dose of CanSinoBIO's shot as a booster for those who have received one or two doses of an inactivated vaccine, clinical trial registration records in June showed. INDONESIA * Indonesia is considering offering a booster shot to its healthcare workers immunized with Sinovac's vaccine, as thousands of them are testing positive for COVID-19. ITALY * Italy's medicine agency AIFA said on June 14 that people under the age of 60 who were inoculated with a first dose of the AstraZeneca shot can receive a different second shot. RUSSIA * Russia approved on July 26 clinical trials combining an AstraZeneca shot with Sputnik V vaccine, according to the country's state drug register, after the approval process was suspended in May by the health ministry's ethical committee due to a lack of data. Story continues SOUTH KOREA * A study from South Korea found in July that a mixed vaccination of an AstraZeneca shot first and then a Pfizer one boosted neutralizing antibody levels six times more than two AstraZeneca doses. In June, a British study showed that an AstraZeneca shot followed by a Pfizer one produced the best T-cell responses, and a higher antibody response than a Pfizer shot followed by an AstraZeneca one. THAILAND * Thailand said on July 12 it would use AstraZeneca's shot as a second dose for people first inoculated with Sinovac's vaccine, in an attempt to increase protection. The move is the first publicly announced mix-and-match of a Chinese vaccine and a Western-developed shot. VIETNAM * Vietnam said on July 13 it would offer the mRNA vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech as a second dose option for those who received the AstraZeneca vaccine as their first dose. (Reporting by Federico Maccioni; Editing by Gareth Jones, Nick Macfie, Barbara Lewis) Scientists have discovered the first evidence of water vapor on Ganymede, Jupiter's largest moon. They used new and archival datasets from the Hubble Space Telescope to find the vapor, which forms when ice on the surface sublimates and turns from solid to gas. A team led by Lorenz Roth of the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden examined data captured by Hubble's Cosmic Origins Spectrograph in 2018 and images the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph obtained between 1998 and 2010. Ultraviolet images captured by the STIS in 1998 showed colorful ribbons of electrified gas called auroral bands, according to NASA (which launched Hubble as a joint project with the European Space Agency). Researchers previously believed that atomic oxygen may have caused discrepancies between UV images that were captured over time. However, using data from the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, Roth's team found that there was barely any atomic oxygen in the moon's atmosphere. As such, there had to be another reason for the discrepancies. The temperature at Ganymede's equator may become warm enough for surface ice to release some water molecules. When they re-examined the relative distribution of the aurora in the UV images, Roth's team found that differences between them match up with where water would be expected in the moon's atmosphere. Previous research indicated that Ganymede may hold more water than in all of our oceans. The moon's ocean is believed to be around 100 miles below the surface, so the vapor isn't from there. Water on the surface is frozen due to the moons temperatures. The finding arrived ahead of the ESA's wonderfully named upcoming mission, JUICE, or JUpiter ICy moons Explorer. The mission should launch in 2022 and arrive at Jupiter in 2029. It will then spend at least three years examining the planet and three of its largest moons. JUICE will pay special attention to Ganymede, both as a planetary body and possible habitat. "Our results can provide the JUICE instrument teams with valuable information that may be used to refine their observation plans to optimize the use of the spacecraft," Roth said in a statement. NASA's Juno mission has also been studying Ganymede and Jupiter's environment (aka the Jovian system) since 2016. The agency says examining the Jovian system and understanding its history "will provide us with a better understanding of how gas giant planets and their satellites form and evolve. In addition, new insights will hopefully be found on the habitability of Jupiter-like exoplanetary systems." U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) was joined by several colleagues in writing a letter to President Biden expressing deep concern with the White Houses announcement that it will be flagging American citizens speech on social media platforms for misinformation. The senators urged the Administration to halt any actions it has or is currently undertaking to censor Americans speech. The letter asks for information on how the Administration is carrying out the flagging of Americans speech no later than August 9. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} With this history, big tech, the corporate media, and the Administration have no credibility in determining what is and isnt misinformation, the senators wrote. Americans are rightfully alarmed and suspicious of the motivations behind the Administrations apparent coordination with tech companies to potentially censor disfavored speech, as vaguely described by Ms. Psaki at the recent White House press briefing. Joining Johnson in signing the letter were Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.). Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27) The Philippines finished last in the UK think tanks scorecard on economic scarring or permanent losses to economic output assessing the Asia Pacific region. In a research briefing published Tuesday, Oxford Economics gave the Philippines an overall scarring score of -1.2. It expects the country to experience the largest declines in output relative to prepandemic trend growth by 2025, adding its gross domestic product level could be 8-10% lower than forecasts prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Philippines shares this projection with second lowest placer India, who was assigned a score of -1.0. The South Asian giant has recently been pummeled by a devastating surge in coronavirus infections driven by the Delta variant. The think tank also noted how both countries struggled to contain outbreaks since the global health crisis began, along with their meagre fiscal response considering how strict their lockdowns were. Economists have raised concerns about the Philippines fiscal response amid the coronavirus crisis, noting the government fell short in softening the economic downturns impact. RELATED: SONA 2021: The economy under President Rodrigo Duterte This has led us to lower our investment and employment forecasts significantly, added Oxford Economics. Indeed, investment in the Philippines was still 25% below pre-Covid 19 levels in Q1 2021 and the unemployment rate in Q2 was nearly double what it was before the pandemic. Oxford Economics takes into account cyclical and structural factors split into five categories for its long-term economic scarring scorecard: decline in activity growth in the crisis year, recovery of potential gross domestic product drivers, health-related scarring, structure of the economy, and policy offsets. The Philippines remains in recession in 2021, with GDP plunging 4.2% in the first quarter of the year. Still, economic managers remain confident growth will fall within the downscaled 6-7% target band this year. When Ken Alambra and Reina Sagnip started developing the Vaccine Queue Calculator a website that estimates when an individual can get vaccinated they created a formula that estimated that at least half of Filipinos would want to receive the vaccine once the government started rolling it out. But most recently, Sagnip, a researcher at Omni Calculator, shared, [We] updated the calculator because we saw a survey that said now only 32% of Filipinos would be willing to get the vaccine. She was referring to the First Quarter 2021 Social Weather Survey, a nationwide survey, conducted through face-to-face interviews that revealed roughly only 3 out of 10 Filipinos are willing to be vaccinated. The remaining seven either responded uncertain or unwilling, including Marco*, a 28 year-old social media specialist living in Makati City. As an individual, nothing will change if I get vaccinated; I still need to wear a mask, he said. I can still get COVID albeit a milder form. I can still be a carrier. Marco is one of the vaccine-hesitant: the 33% of respondents in the country who remain unwilling to get vaccinated. Vaccine hesitancy can be viewed as a continuum between vaccine refusal and vaccine acceptance, with most people somewhere in between most of the time, said Unit Head of Research at San Beda College of Medicine, Dr. Julius R. Migrino, Jr. Behind the lines at the SM Megamall vaccination site. Photo by JL JAVIER Physician, scientist and World Health Organization (WHO) Digital Health Expert, Dr. Melvin Sanicas, who has spent over ten years working on drug and vaccine development around the world said, Vaccine hesitancy is really complex and context specific, it varies across time, place and different vaccines Vaccine hesitancy does not mean someone is an anti-vaxx. Most people just want to have more information to allay their concerns. At the moment, that information comes from channels both official (e.g. Department of Health, World Health Organization) and unofficial (i.e. peers discussing among themselves). Official channels are consistent in the message about three things: 1) How vaccines work (either it contains a weak version of the virus, training your immune system to recognize it and create antibodies; or in the case of mRNA vaccines, contains a blueprint for your cells to make a protein that triggers an immune response to produce antibodies). 2) The level of protection: While a vaccinated individuals chances to contract COVID-19 do not drop to 0, vaccination lessens the severity of symptoms if you do contract it. 3) Safety protocols: Widespread inoculation does not equate to the total abandonment of mask-wearing, social distancing, and other safety protocols that emerged to reduce exposure, i.e. protect not just oneself, but the people around you. As of July 27 only 7.9% of Filipinos have been vaccinated despite over 27 million vaccine doses arriving in the Philippines (which can fully vaccinate 14.11% of the population.) Another 13.5 million doses (a combination of Sinovac, Sputnik V, Moderna, Novavax, Johnson & Johnson, and AstraZeneca) are expected to arrive this month. According to National Task Force Deputy Chief Implementer Vince Dizon, the daily target is 500,000 daily vaccinations (whereas the current average is 250,000 shots per day). Patients receive COVID-19 vaccines in a vaccination site in Zamboanga City Medical Center. Photo by MOHD SARAJAN But challenges surrounding logistics and access to supply delay deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines and slow down the countrys inoculation efforts. Harder to probe are the effects of mindsets on the pace of inoculation. Two sentiments stand out in the SWS survey: a lack of trust, and disbelief that the vaccine is effective. Next time na lang Among those who are either uncertain or unwilling to get vaccinated, a primary reason cited is the fear of unintended effects on the body, which itself roots from information circulated online that the vaccine was developed too quickly (a claim that is refuted by scientists who say they were able to rapidly develop a vaccine not by trimming down the time spent on necessary steps, but by working on multiple steps simultaneously). 43 year-old banker Johnny* said, Di pa ako convinced sa mga studies, rushed kasi yung vaccine eh. What if may mangyari sa akin lalo na dahil may high blood ako? (I'm still not convinced with the studies. The vaccine was rushed. What if something happens to me especially because I'm hypertensive?) 59 year-old housewife Beth* echoed this sentiment. It seems as if it was rolled out too quickly We dont really know what will happen after you get the vaccine. We dont know what that will do to the body years from now. A patient getting a COVID-19 vaccine at the Pedro P. Cruz Elementary School in Mandaluyong. Photo by JL JAVIER Camille, 25, a daughter of a family running a pharmaceutical company, shares that her parents ironically dont give her and her siblings medicine when theyre sick, just vitamins and organics. [Because] they know exactly whats inside drugs, its chemicals, and what the different side effects are, she said. Whatever chemicals you put in your body, it could end up affecting you differently. Im extra cautious because I [had] Bells Palsy and I couldnt move half of my face. Until now, my neurologists dont have a final answer for what caused it apart from that it was a random side effect. But what they told me is if my immune system was down, I couldve gotten a virus from wherever and it couldve attacked my system because its low. 29 year old driver Nikko* also prefers to practice caution. Nagbabase po kasi ako sa salita ng Diyos (My actions are based from the word of God), he said. Nikko is a follower of Members Church of God International (MCGI). Hindi ko naman kailangan ng mga [vitamins]. Para sakin, parang pinapakialaman mo yung katawan na bigay ng Diyos mo sa iyo Paniniwala ko sa Diyos na kung hindi [ako] gumagawa nang labag sa utos niya, eh syempre, aalagaan niya ako. (I don't really need vitamins. For me, it's like you're tampering with the body that God gave you... What I believe is that if I don't do something that is against God's will, he will take care of me.) Patients at the screening area of the SM Cente Las Pinas. Photo by JL JAVIER 39 year-old security guard Jeffrey* said, Kapag nilagnat po ako o kung ano pang side effects yung mangyari, hindi po ako makakapasok sa trabaho (If I get fever or other side effects, I can't go to work). Wary of downtime should he take the vaccine, the breadwinner of a family of six instead practices frequent handwashing, mask-wearing and social distancing. Next time na lang po yung vaccine (I'll get the vaccine next time), he said. Similarly, Beth* said Its all in Gods time if I am meant to get the vaccine. Regularly seeking guidance from her churchs pastor including whether to get vaccinated or not, she shares that she already had a [vaccine] schedule. But an admin personnel of that site called me a day before and told me I was suddenly waitlisted. Like Nikko, embedded in her questions of faith is a question of safety something Migrino cited from a study published in the scientific journal Vaccine, which examined the interpretations of people who decline vaccination due to various religious reasons. One international study showed that it is likely that people who refuse vaccines allegedly because of their religious beliefs may actually have underlying issues more akin to vaccine safety, he said. This hesitancy with vaccination is also shaped by our countrys history and events like the Dengvaxia controversy that started in 2017. There are a lot of articles and some studies that point to this event as dealing a significant blow to the vaccination efforts of the government in that it decreased the vaccine confidence of people, Migrino explained. The public health controversy concerns aiding dengue with the use of the Dengvaxia vaccine, created by French pharmaceutical company, Sanofi Pasteur. When reports alleging that a number of children had died because of the vaccine circulated, the Department of Health (DOH) suspended the school-based vaccination program in late November 2017. According to an ongoing dissertation authored by Karl Patrick Mendoza, a PhD Research Candidate in Media and Communications, vaccine hesitancy is enabled by a particular culture of distrust formed by online news discourse on the Dengvaxia vaccine controversy. Some even argue that the issue may have contributed to the drop in vaccination rates in 2018, the year which saw record-breaking increases in measles cases, [which is] one of the vaccine-preventable diseases, said Migrino. Perceived effectivity and urgency In a webinar on COVID-19 vaccines and misinformation hosted by the Royal Society for Public Health last July 14, Sanicas explained through e-mail correspondence: Vaccine decision-making is very complex influenced by social norms and lived experience not just access to facts. Now information flows in multi-directions, it is harder to trust expert sources. In the Philippines, this is illustrated by the conversation around efficacy rates or performance in controlled clinical trials of available vaccines. To wit: Pfizer-BioNTech, an RNA vaccine, has an efficacy rate of 95.3% which means that people who received the vaccine during clinical trials were found to be at 95.3% lower risk of developing the disease compared to those unvaccinated. Moreover, it also reduces risk for hospitalization by 94% among older adults. This information is readily available, if one can parse the string Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2): 95% (94.7%, 95% CI 90.3 to 97.6%) against symptomatic COVID-19, seven days after second dose published officially in a node of the DOH website. Patients wait at the observation area of Zamboanga City Medical Center's vaccination site after they received their first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Photo by MOHD SARAJAN But more likely, the information reaches regular citizens through discussions in family chats, messaging groups, or with close personal friends or physicians. 36 year-old Tina*, who is pregnant with her first child, said she had originally planned to fly to the U.S. to get vaccinated because she wanted to get Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines the only brand she would allow herself to get due to the sensitivity of her pregnancy. Just so we can protect ourselves, protect the baby. Its just better overall. If we can afford it, we can go, why not? And that was a big consideration. But thankfully, as we were planning to leave, the Pfizer vaccines arrived [in the Philippines] so we decided to try to get it here. Similarly, 72 year-old stroke survivor and kidney transplant recipient Paul* is holding out for a specific brand of jab. Ang rinecommend lang kasi ng doctor ko ay Pfizer or Moderna (My doctor recommended Pfizer or Moderna). I was advised that I couldnt take anything else because of the transplant. His daughter Maine*, 25, is more flexible: she immediately signed up for the vaccine when it was offered to their student body. I live with immunocompromised people like my dad and my mom and with rumors that face-to-face classes [are resuming], instances where I have to see patients, I am terrified of bringing home a virus to them. 26 year-old operations manager Melanie* had grown accustomed to reading the daily updates on the growing numbers of reported cases, but felt the virus drawing closer during the uptick in cases reported last March. First, it was my aunt then it was my friend; after that came my friends mom or my friends dad followed by other people who are so close to me. Soon after she signed up under the A3 category, she received her schedule for her first dose at her local LGU in Quezon City. We want to inform people because we dont want them to just rely on emotions that just because the vaccines have finally arrived, it means we are done with the pandemic. Like the rest of those CNN Philippines Life spoke to, the numbers werent actually a concern but rather, knowing people who might be affected by ones action (or inaction). Sanicas offered an explanation on how most individuals interpret and understand reported figures surrounding COVID-19 vaccination. Most humans dont have a natural facility with numbers and probability. Its not intuitive. When you tell someone that the chances of getting a particular vaccine-related adverse event is 1 in 1,000,000 they think its too high but when you tell them that 1-2% of those infected with COVID can die, they feel that the risk is too low so COVID is not a big deal. Since its impossible to know the true denominator, or the actual total number of infected individuals (unless you test everyone), he urges reporting bodies to make things more relatable or descriptive. Say 3.3 billion doses of vaccines have been given, thats more than all the population of China and India combined. And COVID has killed four million so far. Imagine the Philippine Arena with a seating capacity of 55,000. Four million is almost 73 Philippine Arenas. A patient takes a selfie while getting vaccinated at the SM Megamall vaccination site. Photo by JL JAVIER To this end, efforts like the Philippines Vaccine Queue calculator and Herd Immunity Tracker aim to provide the public with better information. We want to inform people because we dont want them to just rely on emotions that just because the vaccines have finally arrived, it means we are done with the pandemic, Sagnip, who is trained in communications research, explained. We dont want to scare people, but we need them to know the reality [and] to have an idea of how long the pandemic might last. Persuading self and others Screencap from herdimmunity.ph as of July 27, 2021, 12:07 pm. To persuade more people to take the vaccine, organizations and local government units are carrying out initiatives that address concerns among the hesitant, or incentivize with a freebie. These include Quezon Citys Bakuna Nights, which provide immunization for employed citizens after working hours, Vice President Leni Robredos drive-thru bakuna service Vaccine Express, and Love Yourself PHs vaccine registration drive where they gave out free condoms and lubricants after the second dose. Restaurants and dining establishments have also set up discounts, incentives, and promotional schemes for vaccinated individuals. Private companies and businesses have also taken action to procure their own supply to protect their employees. A senior citizen poses for a photo after getting a COVID-19 vaccine at the Zamboanga City Medical Center. Photo by MOHD SARAJAN Mark*, a 26 year-old co-founder of a small and medium enterprise, placed an order for Moderna vaccines for their lean team of employees last April. Our employees were having a difficult time procuring vaccines from their respective LGUs. The online sign-ups for LGUs would usually take a long time to process, and most of the time, there wouldnt be any confirmation at all so [our team] felt lost, he said. Mark also considers their decision to purchase vaccines for their employees as their contribution to herd immunity. A lot of businesses have been hit hard by the pandemic and we want to do all we can to improve the outlook of the economy. Now, Melanie*, an operations manager of a local food kiosk chain, is feeling the urgency. Suddenly, these numbers started to have faces and they were faces I actually knew. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27) President Rodrigo Duterte failed to address the concerns of healthcare workers on low wages and unpaid benefits, as well as lay out concrete measures in handling the COVID-19 pandemic in his last State of the Nation Address, a healthcare workers group said. In a statement on Tuesday, the Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) said it was "extremely dismayed" over the President's last SONA, noting that it only included words of praise for medical frontliners. "We need the sincerity and political will of your government to proactively address the economic and health crisis and address the long-standing problems of health workers such as low wages, unjust benefits, and severe understaffing of hospitals that caused health workers to become overly [fatigued] and burned out," said Robert Mendoza, AHW National President. Mendoza earlier pointed out that one nurse would often tend to 35 patients. Two days before Monday's SONA, some healthcare workers said they have hardly felt the billions of pesos allocated for frontliners under Bayanihan 1 and 2. For one, despite the significant budget, they said they have yet to receive their special risk allowance, or SRA. Last month, the Department of Budget and Management said the payment of the SRA should be released not later than June 30, the same day the Bayanihan 2 expired. No plan The group pointed out that the lack of a "comprehensive, systematic, scientific and concrete" plan to handle the health crisis further exposed the President and his administration as "grossly sloppy, incompetent and negligent." In his speech, Duterte warned lockdowns may be put in place similar to the "early days" of the pandemic if the highly contagious Delta variant continues to spread. "I really do not know what to do. I have to listen to the task force. This is a group of people...[who] would give you advice collectively," he said. The country has so far recorded at least 119 Delta variant cases. (CNN) -- Indigenous leader and advocate Mary Simon has been installed as Canada's governor general. Simon is the first Indigenous person to serve as the official representative of Queen Elizabeth II in Canada and commander-in-chief of the Canadian Armed Forces. It is a largely ceremonial role although the Queen must approve the appointment after seeking recommendations from the Canadian government. "I am inspired by the historic nature of this moment, as our country continues to come to terms with the difficult realities of our collective past," , Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement Monday. "I know that, as Canada's first Indigenous Governor General, Her Excellency will devote herself to helping us as we confront these difficult truths together, walk the shared path of reconciliation, and build bridges between all those who call our country home. Simon will serve as the country's 30th governor general, replacing former Canadian astronaut Julie Payette who resigned from the position earlier this year after she was accused by current and former employees of creating a "toxic" workplace environment. As first reported by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) last year, current and former government employees accused Payette of creating a toxic workplace, harassing and bullying employees and reducing some employees to tears. The appointment comes at a controversial time in Canada as the country confronts its history of systemic abuse of Indigenous communities, including forced assimilation programs. Hundreds of human remains have recently been found in unmarked graves on the grounds of several former residential schools, leading to widespread outrage and criticism. Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission reported in 2015 that tens of thousands of indigenous children were neglected and abused in boarding schools they were forced to attend. During her remarks earlier this month, Simon noted that as an Indigenous person, she understands the "pain and suffering" felt across the country. "And as I said in my remarks, we need to stop to fully recognize and memorialize and come to terms with the atrocities of our collective past that we are learning more about each day," Simon said, adding that it took "courage" for Trudeau to appoint her to the position. Simon was born in Kangiqsualujjuaq, Nunavik, and has served as an advocate for Inuit rights and culture, according to a Canadian government statement. She was actively involved in negotiations that led to the 1982 patriation of the Canadian Constitution that formally enshrined Aboriginal and treaty rights in the supreme law of Canada. Simon is also a former Canadian ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs, former ambassador to Denmark and past president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, a national Inuit organization. "Ms. Simon has dedicated her life to advancing social, economic, and human rights issues for Canadian Inuit and Indigenous peoples, and I am confident that she will serve Canadians and promote our shared values with dedication and integrity," Trudeau said in a statement. As Simon takes on the role, she hopes she can be "a bridge between the different lived realities that together make up the tapestry of Canada." "I can relate to all people no matter where they live, what they hope for or what they need to overcome," she said. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Canada's first Indigenous governor general is installed" Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27) Business groups rejected a possible return to wide lockdowns should local infections surge due to the more contagious COVID-19 Delta variant. Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion floated a counter proposal to President Rodrigo Dutertes threat that the country may return to strict movement restrictions just like what happened in the early days. Automatically, a lockdown is the way forward but you are also costing the economy. As you lock down, the economy takes the pain, Concepcion told CNN Philippines on Tuesday. What is the least pain? Dont lock down the entire economy, lock down the unvaccinated people. People have to sacrifice. In the end, the unvaccinated cannot get sick because they will add on to our health system, he added. READ: Delta is dangerous and spreading but vaccination can stop it Concepcion said he brought up the idea with Health Secretary Francisco Duque III last week. He said the rule may be imposed in the last three months of the year when more vaccines arrive. This would target those who refuse to receive the shots despite their availability. The policy will be put to the test in Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu. Mayor Junard Chan announced that unvaccinated residents will not be allowed to enter malls and supermarkets by August 25 to bring down local infections. The weakest link is actually the unvaccinated If we dont solve the health issue, we will never solve the economic problem. Its plain and simple, Concepcion added. Earlier, the GoNegosyo founder also pushed for separate areas for the vaccinated and unvaccinated in offices, restaurants, and other establishments. Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, however, said this might not be the right time for such policy. He told CNN Philippines' The Final Word that many Filipinos still want to get their vaccine shots, but it takes time to do so. "Right now, marami pang gustong magpa-vaccine pero hindi pa lahat (nabibigyan ng bakuna). It requires time, pumipila pa sila," he said, adding that the best time to implement such approach is when fewer Filipinos will want to be immunized when there is so much vaccine supply. [Translation: Right now, many still want to get vaccinated but not all are given their shots. It requires time, they're still lining up.] Meanwhile, Ebb Hinchcliffe, executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce, said he hopes the local Delta variant situation does not worsen" as the economy cannot endure another NCR-wide lockdown. RELATED: Duterte mulls closing PH borders amid COVID-19 Delta variant threat Pandemic concerns Business groups said separately that they are closely watching the local COVID-19 situation. The key then is the vaccination, maybe that could have been done clearer, British Chamber of Commerce Philippines executive director Chris Nelson said in an interview, reacting to Dutertes Monday State of the Nation Address. READ: 5.5M Filipinos now fully vaccinated against COVID-19 He added that the pace of vaccination in countries has become a major factor for investors in deciding where to put their money: Companies that do business are looking at the management of the pandemic, how it moves forward. You can see that in the reactions in the financial markets across the world. Other business leaders also stressed the importance of flattening the curve for continuous economic recovery, rather than just spurts of profit and loss. READ: DTI against tighter restrictions amid Delta variant threat Investor woes The ease of doing business in the Philippines remained a source of concern. We fervently hope that the President will make use of his remaining days in office to prove that rule of law prevails in the country as this is equally important in attracting more investments in the country, Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines president Francis Lim said in a statement. Lim said they drew optimism from Dutertes fresh push for the passage of changes to the Foreign Investments Act, Public Service Act and Retail Trade Liberalization Act which are pending before Congress. Another said they want more business-friendly rules enforced on the Presidents last year in office. We are happy he encouraged Congress to pass the three economic bills to help spur the economy but was hoping to hear more on other bills and actions he is planning for final year, AmChams Hinchcliffe said. RELATED: Why the Delta variant is spreading so much faster than other coronavirus strains For his part, Lopez also noted that these measures will surely invite more foreign investments as the government looks for ways to achieve economic recovery. More investments will also translate to more jobs, lifting more Filipinos from unemployment, he added. The Trade chief said they are already seeing signs of economic recovery - like exports and manufacturing index improving. Gross domestic product and unemployment are seen to improve in the coming period as long as there will be no "extreme lockdowns," he noted. "As long as we are able to reopen, we see a faster reaction to employment. In other words, more people are going back to work, more sectors, more businesses are opening up again," Lopez said. CNN Philippines digital producer Bamba Galang contributed to this report. Things got a little tense outside Pedro P. Cruz Elementary School in Mandaluyong. Close to the live airing of President Dutertes final State of the Nation Address, people were still in line to see if they could still get vaccinated. All those with appointments for the day were inoculated such that the security and volunteers allowed walk-ins to get the shot. But it was close to cut-off time and people wanted their turn. Nauna ako sa kanya! Ano to, palakasan? (I was first. Are there favorites here?) someone yelled near the front of the queue. Volunteer guards at the gate calmed her down. Everyone would get their turn. Its not a long line anyway. A few minutes later, the sound of the national anthem was heard from TV speakers. To some, its business as usual. But for others, their attention was held by the president for the next two hours and 45 minutes, delivering his final speech to the nation about his governments achievements for the people. These included the war on drugs, infrastructure and efforts to fight insurgency. Bernard with a customer in his barbershop in front of Pedro P. Cruz Elementary School in Mandaluyong. Photo by JL JAVIER Just across the school gate, Bernard, a barber, attended to his customers while the president drones on a TV at the back of his shop. Business hasnt been the same since the pandemic hit but he said he is surviving. Kinakaya (Im coping), he said. Hindi [na] gaya [ng] dati yung customers. May mga nawalan ng trabaho, mga estudyante nasa bahay lang. Pero kaya pa naman. Nagsu-survive kahit papaano (Customers were unlike before. Some lost jobs, students were just at home. I can handle it. Am still surviving somehow). A few houses away at the corner street lives Elizabeth and her family. She and her husband are unemployed. Theyre watching a movie on their TV. I asked her why she wasnt watching the SONA. Nakalimutan ko (I forgot). She said she anticipated it and even talked about it with her family the night before. They wanted to watch it but her mind has been preoccupied, worried and trying to make ends meet. Madaming problema, madaming iniisip (Many problems. A lot on my mind). She hoped that someone would give her or her husband a job soon. Kahit anong trabaho basta makatulong sa pamilya (Any job will do as long as it will help the family), she said. Elizabeth forgot that it was President Duterte's SONA on Monday. Madaming problema, madaming iniisip (Many problems. A lot on my mind). Photo by JL JAVIER Both Elizabeth and Bernard hit on the problem of unemployment as the president listed more of his administrations achievements. The president talked about many accomplishments, but people like Elizabeth or Bernards customers still suffer from the health crisis and wonder when their burdens would end. Just a few blocks from Bernard was Jaime, another barber. He prepared coffee and bread and sat on a red block that looked like a booster seat for kids while getting their haircut. He settled down to watch President Duterte, whom he voted for in 2016. He said he watched the SONA every year. Marami naman siyang magandang nagawa (He did a lot of good things), he said, referring to Dutertes five years in office. Jaime watches the SONA in his barbershop while eating bread. Photo by JL JAVIER He added, Mga tao naman hindi perpekto, may mga pagkukulang (People are not perfect, there are shortcomings). Like everyone else, his business has been struggling since the pandemic. Diskarte (Resourcefulness), he said, is how he is getting by. His customers are mostly kids (hence the booster seat) so theyre hard to come by these days with the quarantine prohibiting them to go outside. I asked him if he tried home servicing. Oo. Pero napagod ako! Dito na lang. Hintay na lang [ulit] kung kailan pwede. Pinag-PPE nila kami dati pero mainit (Yes, but I got tired. Id rather wait for the customers. We are required to wear PPE but its hot). He turned his attention back to the TV and ate his bread. A number of people stood outside his open air shop and joined him to watch the SONA. Yhobe, who runs his sisters eatery a street away from Jaimes barber shop, also enthusiastically watched the SONA. Passing by their eatery, it sounded like theyre just listening to the SONA through the radio. But he later went into the dining area from the kitchen and placed his phone on a ledge attached to the counter, just below the large speakers with multi-colored lights. He took out a notebook, jotted things down while listening to the speech and took orders in between. He applauded when the president talked about the COVID-19 response. He laughed when the president cracked a joke. Yhobe watches the SONA on his phone while minding his sister's eatery in Mandaluyong. Photo by JL JAVIER Right next door is the vape shop of husband and wife Patrick and Lay. Inaabangan ko to kasi last na (I was waiting for this because it is the last), said Patrick, Ineexpect ko na iyayabang niya yung mga ginawa niya (I expected he would banner his achievements). Patrick said he was satisfied with the governments flagship programs, such as the war on drugs (Kahit papaano mukhang na-lessen naman ang krimen) (Criminality has somehow lessened) and the Build Build Build (Maganda yan!) (Thats good). He said he also liked how this administration tried to tackle the issue of vaping, which has become controversial. Unti-unti nang papunta na mali-legalize (It will eventually be legalized) and we are happy about it. Meanwhile, Lay, who works for the Department of Education, happily reported that the president has been supporting their programs. Sinusuportahan naman niya yung desisyon ni [Sec. Leonor Briones] at kinokontra kapag ayaw, katulad nung face to face classes ngayon, ayaw namin yun (He is supporting the decision of Secretary Leonor Briones, and is against if he doesnt like, such as the face-to-face classes, which we oppose). Husband and wife Patrick and Lay listens to the President's speech in their vape shop in Barangka, Mandaluyong. Photo by JL JAVIER As for the administrations handling of the pandemic, Patrick said, Kahit sino naman mabibigla. Lahat magkakaproblema [sa pagtugon diyan] (Everyone was caught by surprise. Everyone will have a problem when it comes to the response). Sa [mga ginawa nya sa] pandemic, wala akong mai-co-comment (I have no comment on what he did in the pandemic), said Bernard when asked about the same issue. Sa Build Build Build, tama lang. Sa droga fail siya, kasi hanggang ngayon nagaabang pa din ng droga (In the Build Build Build, just right. On illegal drugs, he failed because drugs continue to proliferate). Later on, he gave the president a fail mark on Health Secretary Duques crisis response. Akala ko ayaw niya sa corruption. Sabi niya sisibakin niya agad [ang mga corrupt]. Mga congressman, mga senator [ayaw na kay Sec. Francisco T. Duque] pero hindi [niya] masibak (I thought he didnt like corruption. He said he will fire the corrupt. Congressmen and senators didnt like Duque but the president could not fire him). It looked like Bernard was done for the day so he let the Presidents speech drone in the background as he sat on a wooden bench outside his shop. A trike driver watches the President's SONA while waiting for customers. Photo by JL JAVIER Across Bernards shop, LGU workers and volunteers just wrapped up their day too. Within a radius of shops, small businesses, and institutions, the impact of labor holding up our country was undeniable, even when it stepped onto a precarious ledge because of the health crisis. I chatted with the vaccination centers coordinator a bit before she went home, and told me that many of the people helping out are volunteers. I asked her if shell also watch the SONA when she gets home. Probably, just to catch up. I realized I forgot to ask her if the volunteers at the vaccination center were paid so I asked someone at a nearby table, who stretched her back, probably sore from working all day. She paused and gave me a puzzled look. Hindi po namin alam kung bayad kami (We do not know if wed get paid). And then she laughed. She gathered her things and headed out to the gates. She and her colleagues would be back tomorrow at 9 a.m., braving crowds and the threat of a possible infection, and helping build the defense against COVID-19. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27) The Philippine Genome Center said Tuesday its satellite offices in the Visayas and Mindanao each need P50 million this year to conduct genome sequencing, which identifies the type of variant a coronavirus-positive person has. "For the rest of the year...they would need something like [a] 50-million budget. Not just for the equipment, pero pati na iyong mga kits (but also the kits)," PGC executive director Cynthia Saloma told reporters in an online forum. Saloma said they will try to ask the Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Health to provide the required funding, but that "everybody" is welcome to help. The donation must be done in coordination with the DOH's epidemiology bureau. The P50 million budget for each facility is already the cheapest, the official said, adding that the biggest chunk will be spent on purchasing reagents. With the funding, each facility will be able to sequence 50 samples per week, she noted. Ideally, 5% of the country's total COVID-19 cases should be sequenced, according to Saloma, citing the World Health Organizations recommendation. But Saloma said the PGC is not aiming to test 5% of all the cases, but to improve the turnaround time of results -- currently between three and five days -- by expanding the capacity to conduct genome sequencing. Currently, only the PGC main office in Quezon City is sequencing the samples. Saloma also welcomed the plan of the Manila city government to put up its own genome sequencing facility, but warned the LGU it would not be easy. "We can also help them train the people, in the same manner, that we train them for RT-PCR [testing]," she said. "The problem is siguro (maybe) number one, mahirap mag-hire ng [it is difficult to hire] molecular biologists. Number 2 is (the assurance) that they would stay with you," she added. The country was able to sequence 9,351 samples or 0.86% of around 1 million cases from January to July this year, another PGC official said in the same forum. (CNN) The first person to be tried under Hong Kong's sweeping national security law faces life in prison after being found guilty on Tuesday of inciting secession and terrorism in a landmark court ruling that is likely to have profound implications for the city's legal system. Tong Ying-kit, 24, was found guilty of terrorism for crashing his motorcycle into a group of police officers, injuring three, and incitement to commit secession, for carrying a large black banner emblazoned with the popular anti-government protest slogan, "Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times." A three judge panel selected by Hong Kong's leader ruled that Tong's actions constituted a "deliberate challenge against the police" and intended to cause "great harm to society." As the first trial under the new legislation, which was promulgated by Beijing on June 30 last year, Tong's case is widely seen as a litmus test for how the law will be implemented and interpreted in court in the coming months. Much of the case had hinged on the judge's interpretation of the protest flag Tong was carrying. On Tuesday, the judges made clear the slogan, a common rallying call during the city's 2019 anti-government, pro democracy demonstrations, was "intended to communicate secessionist meaning" and was "capable of inciting others to commit secession." Tong had pleaded not guilty to all charges, which stemmed from an incident on July 1, 2020, just one day after the the law was enacted. Tong's sentencing will be announced at a later date. The wide ranging national security law criminalizes acts of secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces, and carries with it a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Tong was denied bail and his trial held without a jury, in a significant departure from the common law traditions that Hong Kong's legal system had previously followed. As a former British colony, Hong Kong's legal system is heavily influenced by British common law, and has relied on trial by jury throughout its history. A 2003 government report noted that trial by jury was one of the "key features of the Hong Kong legal system." But under the national security law, Beijing can take over national security cases in special circumstances -- and if it involves "state secrets or public order," it can mandate a closed-door trial with no jury. As of Monday, police have arrested 138 people and charged 76 under the law. Those arrested include students, activists, former lawmakers, journalists, and lawyers. Three companies have also been charged. This is a breaking story, more to follow. This story was first published on CNN.com, "First person charged under Hong Kong national security law found guilty on two charges." Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Although SideStep has enjoyed entertaining the masses throughout Northeast Nebraska and beyond, including during the induction ceremony, their signature country/rock sound has evolved over time. They initially started with a focus on country, but throughout the years theyve played everything from corporate parties and wedding receptions to festivals, street dances and private parties that inspired them to expand their catalog. Classic rock n roll, classic and current country, pop, we do a little bit of everything but rap. I dont know any rap music, Cattau said, with a laugh. This particular group, we knew each other before we even came together. We knew the talent was there, so we knew we could achieve success coming together. Robbins echoed that sentiment, noting the band members just relish playing together and have great chemistry on stage. Thats why they have continued to play together all these years. We just kind of feed off each other. We are really blessed with the talent we have, Robbins said. Its nice to be recognized, but at the end of the day, we just go out, play music and have a good time. You try to spread joy as much as you can. Im not one for accolades or awards, you never expect anything like that. * Page 9: A photo of Nebraskas first unicameral legislative session, and the story behind the countrys only one-house legislature. * Page 24: Crazy Horses grave near Hay Springs, but why its not really his grave. * Page 25: The 1899 mugshot of an Omaha burglar, who had to be restrained by an officers headlock for the photo. * Page 42: A photo of Ken Eddys Drive-In restaurant at 48th and O in Lincoln, and a brief history of drive-ins. * Page 43: The story of Bert Martin, a Keya Paha County ranch hand sentenced to the State Penitentiary in 1900 for stealing a horse -- and how the governor reacted when Martin was revealed to be a woman. * Page 90: A photo of a 14-year-old Willa Cather wearing a wax mustache in an 1888 production of Beauty and the Beast at the Red Cloud Opera House. * Page 91: An explanation of the Japanese-inspired pagoda atop a Pilger service station. That randomness -- the surprise waiting on the next page -- was by design. The book is meant to be browsed, Bristow said. I tell people, Start in the middle, or read it back to front. Keep it in your bathroom or on the floor of your pickup. Source: iStock/Zerbor The accounting giant PwC says it has seen an exponential increase in recent months in inquiries about tax declarations from crypto holders in Spain where new crypto regulations have come into force. Spains Treasury department has already sent out thousands of warning letters to citizens it suspects of trading in crypto, warning them that if they fail to declare their earnings correctly, they could face fines. And a controversial new law has also come into force, obliging owners of crypto in platforms located overseas to declare tokens. Per El Pais, this has all led to widespread worry among crypto traders in the country, particularly exacerbated by the fact that earlier this month, the nations passed a sweeping new anti-fraud law that will have a direct impact on crypto traders. The anti-fraud law, which was published in the Boletin Oficial del Estado, the governments official gazette, on July 10, obliges Spanish crypto exchanges to provide the government and its agencies with information on the bank activities and balances of cryptoasset holders, as well as transactions conducted in crypto. The media outlet quoted sources from the Tax Agency as stating that while agents previously had to do the majority of the legwork themselves when it came down to hunting down crypto-owning tax evaders, now they will be provided with a permanent and homogeneous supply of information. Yet more information could be put at agents disposal if the EU gets its way. The sources added that the new Spanish laws were unrelated to other regulators plans that are now under discussion in the EU. PwC was quoted as stating that a rise in crypto-related inquiries had been exponential, hinting that crypto investment is on the rise in Spain. Maria Sanchiz, a partner at the firm, said that they advise clients with capital gains of more than USD 118,000. Sanchiz added that the firms clients included many who had invested a long time ago and have accrued very sizeable profits, as well as many who had turned to cryptocurrencies as an alternative way to diversify their portfolios. She concluded: We advise our clients to provide as much evidence as possible to show that the funds are not derived from illicit activities and to justify the capital gains. Another PwC expert, meanwhile, was quoted as stating that many of the companys clients with very large crypto holdings were primarily concerned with finding ways to ensure their tokens would be passed on safely to their next of kin after their own deaths. Elsewhere, South Korean tax agencies are also looking to close the net on crypto tax evaders: Reuters reported that Seoul will look to tighten a crackdown on tax evasion by cryptocurrency investors and high-income earners in a bid to fund rising welfare costs. Finance chiefs said they would ask parliament to amend the tax code to let tax authorities seize crypto assets held by tax dodgers even if their cryptocurrencies are stored in digital wallets from 2022. ____ Learn more: - Tax Haven Citizenship Loophole for US Crypto Folk May Not Stay Open for Long - Bidens Crypto Tax Evasion Crackdown Could Also Hit Non-US Traders - El Salvador Brings New Global Puzzle - What Is Bitcoin & How To Tax It? - Global Tax Deal Gets Closer - South Korean Customs Officers Close Net on Kimchi Premium Offenders - New Crypto Tax Law Will Be Adopted in Autumn Says Russian Policy Chief Coronavirus California, NYC to workers: Get vaccine or face weekly tests The Department of Veterans Affairs became the first major federal agency to require health care workers to receive the coronavirus vaccine, and California and New York City announced Monday that they would require all government employees to get the shot or face weekly COVID-19 testing. Meanwhile, in a possible sign that increasingly dire health warnings are getting through to more Americans, vaccination rates began to creep up again, offering hope that the nation could yet break free of the coronavirus if people who have been reluctant to receive the shot are finally inoculated. The announcements are the opening of the floodgates as more government entities and companies impose vaccine mandates after nationwide vaccination efforts hit a wall, said Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown Universitys School of Public Health. Some people find mask mandates annoying, but the reality is theyre temporary. We cant do them forever, he said. Vaccine mandates have to be one of the major paths moving forward because they get us closer to the finish line. Mask mandates just buy you a little more time. Cumberland County reported 12 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday. In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that all municipal workers including teachers and police officers will be required to get vaccinated by mid-September or face weekly COVID-19 testing, making the city one of the largest employers in the U.S. to take such action. California said it will similarly require proof of vaccination or weekly testing for all state workers and millions of public- and private-sector health care employees starting next month. The VAs move came on a day when nearly 60 leading medical and health care organizations issued a call through the American Medical Association for health care facilities to require their workers to get vaccinated. It was unclear what would happen to employees who refuse to comply. Some of the unions representing New York municipal workers said the city could not impose the requirement without negotiations. The longstanding policy in the health care industry is for staff to stay up-to-date with vaccinations, such as annual flu shots, but a general rule also allows exceptions for medical reasons, such as allergies. Elsewhere, St. Louis became the second major city to mandate that face masks be worn indoors, regardless of vaccination status, joining Los Angeles in re-imposing the orders. For those who are vaccinated, this may feel like punishment, punishment for doing the right thing, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, a Democrat, said Monday. Ive heard that, and I feel that frustration. President Joe Biden should lead by example and impose further mandates on the federal workforce and in public venues where the government has jurisdiction, including in planes, trains and federal buildings, said Dr. Leana Wen, a former Baltimore health commissioner. We need vaccine mandates and vaccine verification, she said. Were well past the time for the Biden administration to get on board with this. What were doing is not working. Doing more of the same is not the answer here. The administration has so far recommended that unvaccinated people keep wearing masks indoors, but top officials over the weekend said they are considering recommending that the vaccinated also wear them indoors. Were going in the wrong direction, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert, said Sunday on CNNs State of the Union. Wen, who is also an emergency physician and a professor at George Washington University, said public health experts have worried for months about this very scenario. We were worried the honor system would not work, the unvaccinated would be behaving as if theyre vaccinated, and people would think the pandemic is over, she said. Thats precisely what has happened, and its incredibly frustrating. The U.S. should not have been caught off guard after watching the delta variant ravage India in May and then land in the United Kingdom, Israel and other highly vaccinated nations with force last month, said Dr. Albert Ko, an infectious disease specialist at Yales School of Public Health. We have learned multiple times to not take anything for granted with COVID, he said. Jha said Americans should brace for another rough few months of COVID, which has already claimed nearly 611,000 lives in the U.S. I really thought this would be a fabulous summer, but I underestimated the misinformation campaign that was coming, he said Monday. What were the chances that after more than half a million Americans dead, that one-third of the country would still not want to end the pandemic? Vaccinations ticked up over the weekend, with about 657,000 vaccines reported administered Saturday and nearly 780,000 on Sunday, according to CDC data. The 7-day rolling average on Sunday was about 583,000 vaccinations a day, up from about 525,000 a week prior. Public health experts on Monday said the uptick in vaccinations is encouraging but warned that its far too early to say if millions of unvaccinated people are finally overcoming their reticence. I wish I could say yes, but I honestly dont know, Ko said. There is a lot of ground to cover. The U.S. is around 67% immune from COVID-19 when prior infections are factored, but it will need to get closer to 85% to crush the resurgent virus, Jha said. So we need a lot more vaccinations. Or a lot more infections, he said. The seven-day rolling average for daily new cases in the country shot up over the past two weeks, from more than 19,000 on July 11 to nearly 52,000 on July 25, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Health experts said they are hopeful that the prominent conservative and Republican voices that have spent months casting doubt on the vaccination effort are finally willing to help move the needle. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise and other Republicans on the GOP Doctors Caucus held a press conference at the Capitol late last week imploring their constituents to lay lingering doubts aside. Fox News host Sean Hannity declared on his popular show: It absolutely makes sense for many Americans to get vaccinated. I believe in science. I believe in the science of vaccinations. Facebook also needs to do a better job cleaning up misinformation on its social media platform, Jha said. And the Food and Drug Administration needs to fully approve the COVID-19 vaccines, which currently have emergency approval. That final step will give more companies greater confidence to impose vaccine mandates, he suggested. FDA approval matters a lot, Jha said. Its absurd at this point. The safety and efficacy of these drugs has been well-documented. Local data The state Department of Health reported 12 new cases of COVID-19 for Cumberland County Monday. Mondays numbers puts the countys 7-day average at 13.14 the first time that seven-day average has been above 10 since June 11. Mondays report included 76 total test results, with one probable case. Comparing just the number of negative tests (64) and confirmed positive tests (11), the county saw 14.7% of its tests come back positive. The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 increased to 11 in Mondays report, an increase of one from Sundays report, with two in intensive care units and one on a ventilator. In data updated Sunday evening, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 53.1% of Cumberland Countys total population of 253,370 has been fully vaccinated. For the countys vaccine eligible population of people ages 12 and older, 61.2% of that population has been fully vaccinated. CDC data is current as of 6 a.m. on the day it is posted. Cumberland County showed increases in percent positivity and incidence rate per 100,000 people in the Health Departments weekly update to its Early Warning Monitoring System Dashboard Friday. Cumberland County saw its percent positivity increase to 3.6% for the week of July 16-July 22 (up from 2.5% from last week). The incidence rate per 100,000 people increased to 17.8 (up from 13 the previous week). Health officials say the delta variant of the coronavirus continues to surge and was expected to account for an estimated 83.2% of U.S. COVID-19 cases by July 17. Thats a dramatic increase from the week ending July 3, when the variant accounted for about 61.3% of genetically sequenced coronavirus cases. For Region 3 in the U.S. (which includes Pennsylvania, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia), the delta variant was expected to account for an estimated 45.3% of COVID-19 cases in that region by July 17. The delta variant is a mutated coronavirus that spreads more easily than other versions. It was first detected in India but now has been identified around the world. Southcentral region cases County numbers in the southcentral region (for July 26): Adams County (pop. 103,009): 5 new cases; 9,784 total cases (8,084 confirmed, 1,700 probable); 38,675 negatives; 190 deaths; 42.4% of county population vaccinated Bedford County (pop. 47,888): 0 new cases; 4,747 total cases (3,307 confirmed, 1,440 probable); 10,644 negatives; 142 deaths; 30.6% of county population vaccinated Blair County (pop. 121,829): 4 new cases; 13,545 total cases (10,639 confirmed, 2,906 probable); 41,351 negatives; 344 deaths; 40.7% of county population vaccinated Cumberland County (pop. 253,370): 12 new cases; 20,790 total cases (16,708 confirmed, 4,082 probable); 86,017 negatives; 528 deaths; 53.1% of county population vaccinated Dauphin County (pop. 278,299): 12 new cases; 26,294 total cases (22,883 confirmed, 3,411 probable); 111,987 negatives; 562 deaths; 49.9% of county population vaccinated Franklin County (pop. 155,027): 2 new cases; 15,542 total cases (13,157 confirmed, 2,385 probable); 56,875 negatives; 377 deaths; 37.8% of county population vaccinated Fulton County (pop. 14,530): 0 new cases; 1,389 total cases (776 confirmed, 613 probable); 4,249 negatives; 17 deaths (+1); 26.3% of county population vaccinated Huntingdon County (pop. 45,144): 1 new case; 5,189 total cases (4,346 confirmed, 843 probable); 17,186 negatives; 136 deaths; 39.7% of county population vaccinated Juniata County (pop. 24,763): 0 new cases; 2,151 total cases (1,946 confirmed, 205 probable); 5,691 negatives; 88 deaths; 33.8% of county population vaccinated Lebanon County (pop. 141,793): 7 new cases; 16,271 total cases (14,080 confirmed, 2,191 probable); 55,812 negatives; 295 deaths; 43.5% of county population vaccinated Mifflin County (pop. 46,138): 1 new case; 5,451 total cases (5,147 confirmed, 304 probable); 15,587 negatives; 183 deaths; 40.5% of county population vaccinated Perry County (pop. 46,272): 0 new cases; 3,864 total cases (3,007 confirmed, 857 probable); 11,369 negatives; 101 deaths; 39.5% of county population vaccinated York County (pop. 449,058): 13 new cases; 47,337 total cases (38,520 confirmed, 8,817 probable); 167,248 negatives; 837 deaths; 46.9% of county population vaccinated HARRISBURG The lawyer for a Republican candidate for Pennsylvania governor said Monday his client apparently did not hit the motorcyclist who was killed on the Pennsylvania Turnpike last week, but rather hit the downed motorcycle in the road. The candidate, Charlie Gerow, was not driving impaired and voluntarily gave a blood sample, attorney Joseph P. Green Jr. said. An attendee at the political fundraiser Gerow had been attending in suburban Philadelphia last Wednesday evening said she never saw him drinking and that he seemed sober when he left. Gerow apparently drove for several miles with the motorcycle stuck on the front of his car before pulling over, according to a construction worker who saw the car speed by. State police have said little about what they have found in their investigation into the crash, which shut down the turnpike overnight and left motorcyclist Logan Carl Abbott dead. They have not identified Gerow as the driver of the Mercedes 300 involved in the crash, described how it happened or disclosed whether another vehicle was involved. Gerow, 66, has said through a spokesperson that he is cooperating with police and that he did not cause the crash. Supporters of the law cited the public safety threat from people who are legally prohibited from owning and registering firearms but can build guns from kits. The lawsuit was filed June 10 by the coalition and Nevada residents Roger Palmer and Chad Moxley against state and local officials. It claims plaintiffs have a constitutional right to build their own guns. The lawsuit calls the law a broad and unconstitutional ban on constitutionally protected conduct that raises the specter of thousands of individuals and countless local businesses being forced to give up property they own. The judge said the law doesnt severely burden the Second Amendment right to own guns, merely regulates it, and does not completely prohibit, as plaintiffs suggest, the right to self-manufacture firearms but rather prohibits self-manufacturing of unserialized firearms. Plaintiffs have not shown a likelihood of success on the merits, Du said. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in December served a search warrant for a Nevada gun-kit maker, Polymer80 in Dayton, as it investigated whether the company evaded gun laws by making and selling the kits. According to ATF data, about 10,000 ghost guns were recovered from crime scenes and seizures by law enforcement in 2019, including 2,700 in California alone, the Review-Journal reported. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 HARRISBURG A Pennsylvania man who boasted of macing police at the breach of the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection is facing federal charges. Agents detained Samuel Lazar, 37, in Ephrata on Monday, on charges of assaulting police and obstruction of law enforcement, according to court filings unsealed Tuesday. Court records do not list a lawyer for Lazar. In April, LNP/LancasterOnline reported that it had identified Lazar as Suspect 275 from photos issued by the FBI of its most wanted insurrectionists. Online sleuths nicknamed him Face Paint Blowhard for his distinctive Jan. 6 outfit, including a tactical vest and goggles and his face painted in camouflage appearing in photos and videos circulated on social media from the attack. In them, he can be seen pulling away barricades, shouting in officers faces, using a megaphone to guide the mob forward and helping others use a large Trump sign as a battering ram against police, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. In videos, Lazar is seen spraying what appears to be a chemical irritant at officers, and then later boasting about having maced them, according to court papers. Dear Editor: There seems to be increasing concern today at least among Republicans in Congress regarding the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT) within the U.S. Army and in the other services as part of their continuing efforts to increase diversity and inclusion within the armed forces. As described in Mark Levin well documented book "American Marxism, Critical Theory" was founded by the Marxist intellectual Herbert Marcuse in the mid-20th century. He created Critical Theory and laid the predicate for its various subsets (race, gender, etc.). CRT boils down to a view of society divided by the oppressors (whites) and the oppressed (African Americans and other minorities). Individual behavior is insignificant because everyone in America functions within a society of systemic racism, structural racism and institutional racism. Therefore, an incremental approach to fixing racism in America as has been done in the past is futile. What is needed is a complete restructuring of America as we know it, the tearing up of our Constitution and building some not very well-defined utopia on the ashes of America. "We have about a 30% breakthrough in our positive cases and that breakthrough in our language means that people who are fully vaccinated are getting sick with COVID," Hunt said. "None of them are hospitalized at this time, which is good and what we are hoping the vaccine will do." Hunt said she feels like it is time to start on the bandwagon again about social distancing and when you are unable to social distance, go ahead and use a mask. "Do I know that I'm not a carrier? No, I don't," Hunt said. "People are coming back from vacations. School is getting ready to start. If we try to do some protective measures now, maybe we can keep those numbers low." Hunt said this is not an order or a mandate, just a recommendation. She said she would never put out a mask mandate and that anything such as that would have to come down from the state level. "I can tell you that I'm tired," Hunt said. "I don't want to do this anymore than anyone else in this community, but it's here, and I also don't want to see the funeral homes full. I don't want to see my parents go through this again and I don't want to see anyone else's loved ones go through it either." Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Hunt said the vaccination will more than likely keep you out of the hospital if you were to contract COVID-19. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} In the case of the fire call Saturday evening where a quick response saved a resident, Mecey said that had that crew been on another emergency, it would have been about 20 minutes before getting a truck on the scene. The tax is expected to generate $2.2 million in annual revenue. The preliminary use of funds would be to hire five new full-time police officers and eight full-time firefighters, along with salary increases for the police department to remain competitive in retention and recruiting. Another portion of the taxes would replace the general funds currently used for public safety. Forsythe said that there will be a public hearing on the matter during the next city council meeting. In other legislation, the council also held a first reading of a use tax (known as Wayfair tax), also subject to the approval of the voters on Nov. 2. The use tax would allow the city to capture taxes from internet sales through the state of Missouri after state legislation was passed during the last session in Jefferson City. During the Public Safety Report, Forsythe read a letter from Mecey regarding the contributions of a neighbor and Farmington officers responding to a residential fire on Trimfoot Terrace on Saturday evening. County spokeswoman Tiffany Bradbury released a copy of Pearsons July 7 letter explaining his decision but said no one was available to talk about the issue Monday. The latest hitch in the long-delayed plans arose two months ago, when a citizens group opposed to putting the giant turbines on a remote mountaintop argued that Apex had failed to meet a May 26 deadline for county approval of its site plan. Such an approval was a condition of a special-exception permit granted one year earlier. Apex said its project was delayed by the pandemic, and that it should qualify for an extension approved by the General Assembly late last year that pushed the deadline back to July 1, 2022. The law, which came as many businesses and construction projects were slowed by the spread of the deadly virus, allowed such an extension for any developer that was required to commence the project or incur significant expenses on a certain timeline. In his July 7 letter to an attorney for wind farm opponents who requested his decision, Pearson wrote that a special-exception permit granted to Apex on May 26, 2020, by the countys Board of Supervisors required neither a start of work nor significant money spent on the wind farm within a year. The statues continue to be property of the city and in storage. While in storage, we can provide the public additional time to show interest while staff works with council on how best to obtain proposals from interested organizations, Boyles wrote in an email to The Daily Progress. Proposals of acquisition may be considered by the City Council to assist them in their determination for final disposition. Some councilors have voiced their opinions on where the statues should and should not be displayed. Councilor Heather Hill told The Daily Progress in June that she is open to relocating the statues, but does not think they should go to a battlefield. The story of why they are no longer in our parks is really important and should be part of any contextualization if that were the direction that we would go, Hill said. Councilor Michael Payne also said its important to consider whether it is possible to relocate the statues without them continuing to celebrate the Confederacy. GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) Retired Sen. Mike Enzi, a Wyoming Republican known as a consensus-builder in an increasingly polarized Washington, has died after he broke his neck in a bicycle accident. He was 77. Enzi died peacefully Monday surrounded by family and friends, former spokesman Max DOnofrio said. He had been hospitalized with a broken neck and ribs for three days following a bicycle accident near Gillette. He was stabilized before being flown to a hospital in Colorado but remained unconscious, DOnofrio said. Enzi fell near his home about 8:30 p.m. Friday, family friend John Daly said. Around the same time, Gillette police received a report of a man lying unresponsive on a road near a bike. Police have seen no indication that anybody else was nearby or involved in the accident, Lt. Brent Wasson told the Gillette News Record. A former shoe salesman first elected to the Senate in 1996, Enzi emphasized compromise over grandstanding and confrontation to get bills passed. His 80-20 rule called on colleagues to focus on the 80% of an issue where legislators tended to agree and discard the 20% where they didnt. Thompson, 73, is a liberal fixture in Congress and longtime champion of civil rights, the only Democrat in the Mississippi delegation, hailing from a majority-black district in the states western half. He has avoided the limelight during his more than 15 years on the Homeland Security Committee, notching achievements with careful bipartisan outreach. Several Democrats and Republicans said Thompson was the right choice to lead an investigation that is certain to be partisan and fraught. Ive dealt with Bennie for 15 years, and we disagreed on a lot, but I dont think there was ever a harsh word between us, says former Republican Rep. Pete King of New York, who was the chairman and top Republican on the Homeland Security Committee for years opposite Thompson. Bennie is low key, he manages his side well. He was a good guy to work with. He was strong and knew what he wanted, but there was very little drama. New York Rep. John Katko, who is now the top Republican on the Homeland Security Committee, gave a similar assessment. Thompson is a good man, a patriotic American and a productive partner, Katko said in statement. For me, and no doubt others who dedicated the bulk of their careers to [the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services], the neglect of the hospitals and its consequences are distressing and demoralizing, Barber said in an email message to Dr. Dan Carey, secretary of health and human resources, on July 15. Honestly, I am amazed at the lack of accountability for you and the administration for the cascade of decisions and actions that led to this point, Barber said to Carey. Now, Carey replaced Barber three years ago which is why Barber would have been briefing his replacement. That commissioner, Dr. Hughes Melton, died in August 2019 from injuries received in a car crash in Augusta County. Carey then appointed Land to the position. But the General Assembly also bears some responsibility. Were already on fire and the fire is going to get hotter, Barber told lawmakers four years ago, per the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Barber then proposed to restructure the states system of financing public mental health care. His plan would have shifted more funds from institutions to community-based care something that has been a long-term goal for Virginia and that politicians, advocates and many in the public have said they support. Yes. I will do my part to conserve household energy usage, even if I'm uncomfortable in my home. No. It is too hot to conserve household energy usage. I already conserve, even before ERCOT requested it. Maybe, depending on the reason ERCOT provides and whether or not I am home during that time. Vote View Results Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Corvallis Gazette-Times. Core volunteers Josh Smith and Doug Davis were on hand to fill in with the details. Lots of them. Smith explained the various layers that went into the insulation of the walls of one of the Philomath homes. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} When you open and shut the door its like a submarine, Smith said. If we left people in there overnight and didnt do some things they would run out of air. Its all sealed. Sustainability, affordability and efficiency, Davis said. The codes are changing. Heating and ventilation have come a long way. Were making sure everything is sealed up and insulated. There is an outlet for charging and electric car in the garage. And we could be eligible for an Energy Trust of Oregon rebate of $4,000. Which would be applied to the mortgage, Rockwell said. All of the houses will be solar ready, but a tall group of evergreens which line the southern end of the 1-acre property might make solar problematic on some of the homes. Habitats use of volunteers tends to make its construction projects take longer than those by commercial developers. But the pandemic widened that gap even further, with Benton Habitat unable to use its regular volunteers or community groups for much of 2020. If officers show up at a burglary, for example, and they see someone matching the description of the suspect but dont have confirmation its the same person they can ask that person to stop. If the person leaves, officers cant use force to detain them while figuring out if they have the right suspect, they say. The Criminal Justice Training Commission, which operates the states police academy, has had to modify its teaching to stress the importance of identifying probable cause. There is nobody else in the country having to do this, said instructor Ken Westphal. We have always worked in reasonable suspicion. Now, those force options arent there unless you have probable cause. But even that approach is not universal. Some departments, including Kent, say they will arrest violent suspects for obstruction if they flee, even if they dont yet have probable cause for the underlying crime. Im not letting violent felons take off, Padilla said. Other departments, including the King County Sheriffs Office, wont arrest people in such circumstances. Obstruction is sometimes considered a frivolous charge, filed when officers lack evidence of other crimes, and its unclear prosecutors will pursue it. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Denver-based Frontier Airlines on Tuesday announced the addition of 20 new nonstop routes, including several international, in what company officials are calling one of our largest international expansions ever. The introductory fares are sure to raise some eyebrows: As of Dec. 11, travelers can fly from Denver International Airport to Belize for $99. While DIA only got one new weekly route, the one to Belize, the airport connects to Frontiers Orlando, Florida, hub, where new routes can be taken to Antiqua and Barbuda; Liberia, Costa Rica; and Turks and Caicos. Todays announcement marks one of our largest international expansions ever and we are thrilled to now offer our customers affordable service to four more popular destinations offering both sun and fun, Daniel Shurz, senior vice president of commercial, said in a statement. Summer 2021 has led to phenomenal growth for Frontier and this announcement of 20 new routes comes on the heels of 21 that we unveiled just last week. Frontier travelers now have more route options than ever before to explore, while at the same time knowing theyre flying on Americas Greenest Airline, with a young fleet that maximizes efficiency every flight. Promotional fares must be purchased by Aug. 2. In April, the company added new flights out of DIA to Grand Junction and Durango; Anchorage, Alaska; and Kalispell, Montana. Those routes started in June. The new route means Frontier offers flights to and from 85 destinations via DIA this summer. Frontier has more than 1,900 employees based in Colorado. It also has a maintenance facility and training facility in Denver. The Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA), a government statutory agency, has launched a basic fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband package with a minimum connection speed of 100Mbps. Speaking to local press, the Minister of Public Utilities, Sir Robyn Yearwood, has explained that APUA will introduce a basic broadband package at a minimum of 10MBps at a rate below EC$100.00 (around $37) per month on its FTTH service. This is described by TeleGeography's CommsUpdate as markedly lower than the EC$335 ($124) it currently charges for a 20Mbps/10Mbps entry-level plan and EC$160 ($59.2) for a 10Mbps/1Mbps Super DSL line. APUA was set up to ensure that consumers receive the best possible value in telecommunications (including mobile and internet), electricity and water services. APUA offers high-speed broadband in the country under the brand name inet, the commercial brand of the APUA Telecommunications Business Unit, which has three service offerings covering mobile, home and business. Local press outlets report that infrastructural work is complete, meaning that communities on the north side of the island are now ready to convert from DSL. Although no finish time is specified we are told that soon APUA will have laid the new cables throughout Antigua, enabling the best and lowest-cost service in the state. A seabed cable is also planned to connect Antigua with Barbuda. Government agrees initiatives to further enhance Irelands global influence Press release Today the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney TD, presented a range of initiatives to add to the Governments Global Ireland programme. The Minister described the connecting theme for all five memoranda as Irelands rapidly evolving role in the world, saying that: Our Global Ireland programme, launched in June 2018, is now demonstrably providing a robust foundation for a broader, deeper engagement for Ireland with the world, and will be a major platform in renewing international connections and getting Ireland back on the world stage. The five memoranda to Government covered the following: Proposals for four new overseas Missions - new Consulates General in Miami (United States of America), Toronto (Canada), Lyon (France) and a new Embassy in Dakar, (Senegal). The appointment of New Heads of Mission in strategically important locations. Irelands chairing of the UN Security Council in September, which will highlight our work on the Council focused on building peace, strengthening conflict prevention and ensuring accountability. An update on Irelands participation in EXPO 2020 Dubai a key platform for Irelands post pandemic international recovery, providing an important showcase to promote the country, as it will be one of the major global gatherings since the onset of COVID-19. An overview of Irelands bid to host the Americas Cup in 2024, the 3rd biggest sporting event in the world. This will be a uniquely valuable opportunity to showcase Ireland to a global audience and raise awareness of Irelands attractiveness as a place to live, visit, study, work and do business. On Irelands new overseas missions, the Minister pointed to the strategic importance of each: The Consulate General in Miami will establish an additional regional presence for Ireland in the fast-growing and heavily populated south-eastern United States. The Consulate General in Toronto will advance Irelands interests in the Greater Toronto Area, and send a strong signal of our commitment to the Canadian-Irish relationship. The Consulate General in Lyon will deliver a strong signal of our commitment to the Franco-Irish relationship in the new post-Brexit EU context. The new Embassy in Senegal will extend Irelands presence in Francophone Africa, considerably enhancing access for Irish goods and services where there is significant untapped potential. The confirmation of Heads of Mission in strategically important Embassies will provide important stability in the coming year: The Government has asked both the Ambassador to the United Kingdom Adrian ONeill and Ambassador to the United Nations Geraldine Byrne-Nason to continue in these vital roles for one further year. Secretary General in the Department of Foreign Affairs Niall Burgess will take up a new role as Ambassador of Ireland to France. Ambassador Patricia OBrien will be appointed Ambassador to Italy, replacing Ambassador Colm O Floinn. Deputy-Secretary General Brendan Rogers will also be appointed Irish Ambassador to the Netherlands, replacing Ambassador Kevin Kelly. Secretary General in the Department of the Taoiseach Martin Fraser will be appointed Irish Ambassador to the United Kingdom in 2022. Geraldine Byrne-Nason will at this time also replace Dan Mulhall as the Ambassador of Ireland to the United States and vacate her role as Ambassador to the United Nations, which will be filled by Fergal Mythen, currently Director General of the Ireland, UK and Americas Division in DFA. Additionally, Katherine Zappone has been appointed as a Special Envoy on Freedom of Opinion and Expression. This appointment will provide enhanced capacity for engagement on Irish human rights priorities. The Minister provided an update on Irelands membership and active engagement on the UN Security Council since 1 January, highlighting particular achievements including; the renewal of the mandate for cross-border delivery of humanitarian aid into North West Syria; the facilitation of the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) on the Council; and the leadership role that Ireland has played on the situation in Tigray, Ethiopia. Ireland has been active across the full range of country situations on the Council agenda, including the Middle East Peace Process, Yemen, Myanmar, Libya, Afghanistan and Colombia. The Minister also informed the Government of Irelands efforts to improve peacekeeping mandates, advance the Women, Peace and Security agenda, and strengthen the understanding of the link between climate change and instability. Ireland will hold the month-long Presidency of the Security Council in September, and preparations are underway. On our participation in Expo 2020 Dubai, the Minister said that our programme will be an important marker of Irelands international recovery and will: Highlight Irish innovation, support trade, investment, and tourism opportunities, and strengthen our international relations. A key focus of participation is to drive awareness of Irelands attractiveness as a place to live, visit, study, work and do business. Turning to the Americas Cup, the Minister said that a successful bid and hosting of the Americas Cup would be a significant expression of, and activation platform for, the Governments Global Ireland initiative. He added that the event would establish Ireland as a leader of the Blue Economy within the EU and inspire a new generation of technologists in third level education through the application of engineering and science to sport. The Minister said a successful bid would fast-track Project Ireland 2040 investment in Cork, in particular Cork Harbours ambition in becoming Irelands offshore renewable energy hub by supporting 5bn capital deployment in wind projects, creating 10,000 jobs over the next decade. ENDS Press Office 27 July 2021 Previous Item | TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose re-election campaign is selling koozies quoting him saying, "How the hell am I going to drink a beer with a mask on?" held a private meeting Monday with doctors to oppose mask mandates in public schools. DeSantis said he fears that the federal government might try to force mask mandates in schools, saying children would suffer. On Tuesday, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to schools, regardless of vaccination status. "Our view is that this should absolutely not be imposed. It should not be mandated. And I know our Legislature feels strongly about it," said DeSantis. He predicted lawmakers would hold a special session "to be able to provide protections for parents and kids who just want to breathe freely and don't want to be suffering under these masks during the school year." DeSantis didn't invite media to the discussion, but his office provided a video and transcript of the meeting in the state Capitol. Florida accounted for a fifth of the nation's new coronavirus infections last week, more than any other state, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The hospital system went into a code red status this week, postponing elective surgeries to free up capacity for COVID-19 patients. Of particular concern is a significant increase in unvaccinated pregnant women needing hospitalization for the virus, said Herrera, who urged pregnant women to talk to their doctors and consider getting the vaccine. Some of them are very sick and intubated," Herrera said. The median age of Orange County patients who have died from COVID-19 is 59 and trending younger, with almost all the new infections in unvaccinated people, said Dr. Raul Pino, director of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County. A silver lining is that the county's death rate from the virus is the lowest it has been in a year, an indication of how effective the vaccines are, Pino said. More than 73,000 new coronavirus cases were reported in Florida over the previous week, according to the state health department, nearly seven times the 12,000 reported a month ago. Floridas numbers had been falling since mid-January when 100,000 new cases per week were reported. Florida had 341 cases per 100,000 people over the past week, second only to Louisiana, according to CDC data. There are those who believe that government should mandate the vaccine or that we should bribe people to take it. Thats not going to happen in my state, no matter how many times the media ask me, wrote Ivey, who was vaccinated in public months ago. Ivey, who previously said it was time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks for the worsening rise in cases, wrote that those who are pushing fake news and conspiracy theories about this vaccine are reckless and causing great harm to people. The unvaccinated folks are being lied to, and that is just plum sad. Ivey said in the piece. Over the past two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases has increased by 1,033, a jump of 185%, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. There were 345 new cases per 100,000 people in Alabama over the past two weeks, which ranks seventh in the country for new cases. While relatively few people are now wearing face masks in public in the state despite its low vaccination rate, Harris told a news conference that people without vaccinations should continue covering their mouth and nose in public. Harris said he does not expect the state to issue another order requiring masks. Cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations are still far below the levels from December and January, but Harris said the growth in cases right now is unprecedented. SELMA An Alabama police officer on break at the apartment complex where he lived was shot to death early Tuesday and a woman was wounded in what a prosecutor described as an ambush. Selma Police Officer Marquis Moorer was on duty and went home to get a bite to eat when he was fatally shot, Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson said. A woman believed to be his wife or girlfriend was wounded, he said. The officer was ambushed, according to Jackson. Moorer was on a lunch break when shots were fired from outside, Attorney General Steve Marshall said. The officer was killed and another person inside the residence at Selma Square Apartments was wounded, Marshall said in a statement. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Moorer was an upstanding officer who took his job seriously, Jackson said. He was credited with making the citys first heroin arrest in a decade in 2019, shortly after he joined the police force as a patrol officer. The Selma Police Department is devastated, Chief Kenta Fulford told a news conference. Were asking the community for your prayers. Authorities did not release the name of the woman who was shot. She was hospitalized but no additional information was available. France was hit by its worst spring frost since 1947. Agriculture minister Julien Denormandie called it the greatest agricultural catastrophe of the beginning of the 21st century, and the government declared an agricultural disaster. Eighty per cent of vineyards were effected and more than a third of Frances 2021 vintage has been lost to a tune of an estimated $2 billion. Californias water shortage has caused governor Gavin Newsom to extend his drought emergency declaration to 50 counties, which include the wine-growing regions of Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino. The drought will bring more wildfires and lower yields to producers who have just navigated a challenging 2020 harvest the third-driest on record since 1895. In the Marlborough region of New Zealand, a combination of extreme spring frost and an earlier than normal budburst resulted in the lowest Sauvignon Blanc yield in a decade and Pernod Ricard Winemakers chief executive Bryan Fry admitted the reality is that we are not going to meet the demand of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. In April, the Prosecco DOC was hit by its coldest spring frost since 2003. While it was a milder blow than those suffered by the regions mentioned above, it certainly provided an alert. We didnt have a very warm May, which will impact the harvest. It will mean that the harvest time will be delayed, says Flavio Geretto, global export director for Villa Sandi. For Glera, the harvest will start not before the second week of September. Some of the vinegrowers working for us had problems. Of all the grapes that we control, 20% of our vineyards suffered from frost, but there can be a second greening so we will only fully understand the full impact of the frost at the beginning of August. The climate events of this year arent unique, and the changing climate has been felt in Prosecco for some time. Vines are highly sensitive, and frequent dry summers can cause Glera in the Prosecco DOC to ripen too quickly, which produces grapes with low acidity. Every year, records get broken with driest springs, wettest summers, coldest winters, and it is making growing food produce and grapes much more difficult, says Ed Smith, founder of UK Prosecco brand The Emissary. Its so important that sustainable practices are employed. ECO-FRIENDLY PRACTICES Prosecco producers are increasingly using these practices. We started the Villa Sandi for Life project 25 years ago, and every year since we have brought in something [to improve sustainability], says Geretto. Forty per cent of the energy we use is completely zero impact because we have a hydroelectric plant in our winery. There is a channel in the middle of our winery with a strong flow of water, so we built a hydroelectric plant. Many argue they protect and add value to a product through provenance and quality guarantee think Scotch whisky. However some believe they can be restrictive and limit innovation again, think Scotch. Nevertheless it is far easier to edit an existing GI than it is to establish a new one, particularly when the reputations of existing brands are at stake. The British colonisation of Barbados in the 17th century was largely driven by the sugar craze in Europe, but following the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 and the decline of the sugar industry, it was rum production that took over as the islands most popular commodity. Originally the local sugar mills made just pot-stilled rums, until German engineer George Stade built the West Indies Rum Refinery in 1893 later renamed the West Indies Rum Distillery (WIRD) which introduced the column still to Barbados. From the 1930s onwards the exports of Barbados rum began to pick up and to this day WIRD is responsible for the majority of the islands rum production. In 1996 the RL Seale company, one of WIRDs biggest customers at the time, opened the Foursquare Rum Distillery where it now produces its namesake brands as well as other rums including Doorlys. Alongside these two producers are Remy Cointreaus Mount Gay, the oldest commercial rum distillery in the world, and St Nicholas Abbey, a small-scale producer launched in the 2000s. With just four distilleries on the island, an all-inclusive and productive GI should, in theory, be a straightforward development, but this is far from the case. In late 2019, Mount Gay, Foursquare and St Nicholas Abbey proposed their own GI to the Barbados government, which, according to its regulations, would force WIRD to remove Barbados from some of its rum labels. Barbados is the birthplace of rum, so it is important that all distilleries using the Barbados rum name adhere by the rules and are transparent when it comes to how their rum is crafted, says Mount Gay MD Raphael Grisoni. There is no restriction against making non-compliant rums, but they would not bear the Barbados rum GI name and seal. Rum distilleries across the world look up to Barbados as the industry leader and it is imperative that we continue to be transparent with how our rums are made and stick to those rules within which each distillery can express their style. The GI will help the Barbados rum reputation differentiate from non-genuine products, like some today that blend with other provenance rum, add sugars to round the taste, flavour to accentuate vanilla or other flavour profiles, and use rum distilled in Barbados and aged abroad. We open ourselves up to the possibility of having any brand use Barbados rum in their name, which will detract from over 300 years of rum-making expertise. Haymans Distillery has created a special gin to celebrate the 50 th anniversary of the first Singapore Airlines flight to London. The esteemed family distiller fused its London Dry Gin with Asian flavours of kumquat, lemongrass, galangal and Persian lime to create the Singapore Airlines Connoisseur Gin. The label has been designed to reflect the gold and blue colours of Singapore Airlines, with a gold wax finish. James Hayman, co-owner of Haymans Gin, said: As the most Internationally recognised independent London gin, we are thrilled to have collaborated with Singapore Airlines. It has been great fun working on this gin together and fusing the very essence of London and Singapore to create this delightful gin. The gin is available in the Singapore Arlines lounge at Heathrow Airport, or online for 35 at haymansgin.com. HCMC delivery people to ship goods to only one district to prevent Covid spread A ride-hailing driver delivers a parcel to a field hospital complex in HCMC's Thu Duc City in July 2021. Photo by VnExpress. HCMC authorities have decided that delivery people shipping essential goods can only do so in one district each to minimize possible spread of Covid-19 by them. On Monday, they also instructed tech-based transport firms to issue their employees badges using QR code-based identifying technologies and armbands with the word Shipper printed on it in white. All delivery people have to wear the photo-embedded badges and armbands for easy recognition and regulation, and are encouraged to test for coronavirus once a week. The companies have also been told to temporarily reduce the number of shippers by 10 percent. Delivery staff at supermarkets and convenience stores too need to comply with these requirements. The delivery companies and supermarkets will send a daily list of shippers and their goods to the departments of industry and trade and transport for registration and oversight. The departments will send text messages to shippers for confirmation. Similarly, the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade has asked all shippers to send their list of employees delivering goods by motorbike, and it will confirm their eligibility. Both Hanoi and HCMC have mandated social distancing. Vietnam has recorded 105,287 local Covid-19 patients in 62 cities and provinces since the new wave started three months ago. Of these, 489 have died, according to the Health Ministry. A person uses a credit card to make purchases on a tablet. Photo by Shutterstock/LDprod. Vietnam is set to delay an online tax on e-commerce vendors by five months to support economic recovery amid severe Covid-19 impacts. The Ministry of Finance has proposed to the government that the implementation of Circular 40 be postponed until January 1, 2022, Minister Ho Duc Phoc said Sunday. The circular was to take effect on August 1. The delay has been proposed as part of several solutions to support the recovery of businesses as the fourth Covid-19 wave spreads in Vietnam, infecting over 105,000 people, most of them in HCMC, often referred to as the nations locomotive. The circular imposes a 1.5 percent tax on e-commerce vendors with annual revenues of VND100 million ($4,354) or higher. E-commerce platforms are responsible for collecting this tax from vendors and paying it to the finance ministry. An average of 3.5 million transactions are made on e-commerce platforms each day in Vietnam, and the transaction value has been increasing steadily, according to official data. However, e-commerce platforms have proposed that they arent made responsible for paying tax on vendors behalf as it will create excessive costs and personnel burdens. Vietnams e-commerce market expanded by 18 percent last year to $11.8 billion, the only one in Southeast Asia to record double-digit growth amid the pandemic, according to the Vietnam e-Commerce and Digital Economy Agency. Doctor Bui Thanh Phuc (R) from the Viet Duc University Hospital in a phone call with a Covid-19 patient in HCMC, July 26, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Manh Cuong. Thousands of doctors are now offering Covid-19 diagnoses and support online for coronavirus cases and their closest contacts at home. Vietnam Young Physicians Association plans to mobilize around 2,500 medical workers from all over the country by Wednesday to join a network supporting Covid-19 patients and their close contacts who are either self-isolated or unable to visit medical facilities. The network would provide Covid-19 screening, risk assessment and counseling for coronavirus cases and close contacts so doctors could give out appropriate advice and recommendations to each individual, said Le Tuan Thanh, who manages the network. Coronavirus cases and their close contacts who have yet to attend medical facilities for proper diagnoses are among the most vulnerable as they are not aware of their exact conditions or when they should be wheeled to a hospital for treatment. As their health deteriorates and they grow unable to make contact with medical authorities, anxiety and even paranoia could set in, said Thanh. By offering help to said cases, the burden on the healthcare system could be relieved, he added. By Monday afternoon, the network had garnered around 1,450 volunteers for the project. They include doctors, nurses, pharmacists and psychiatrists working in localities that have yet to be severely impacted by Covid-19. How it works Local Centers for Disease Control (CDCs) and Covid-19 hotlines would feed all information about coronavirus cases and their close contacts to a common database, which would then be shared among network doctors while maintaining patient anonymity. Doctors would then assess each case via a phone call. Based on the information, doctors would classify each individual on a scale from zero to four. Zero and one would comprise symptomatic and mild cases, while four would indicate those at highest risks of severe symptoms or even death. The mildest cases could be monitored through the phone, while the most severe would warrant emergency alerts to local medical centers so patients could be taken to hospital. The first batch of volunteers, including several doctors from Viet Duc University Hospital, initiated a network trial Monday following a week of preparation. Initial surveys revealed close contacts of Covid-19 cases had a high demand for support calls. The network is expected to officially launch Wednesday night. Last week, Ho Chi Minh Citys information and health departments had also created a hotline to support citizens in Covid-19 prevention. People could call these hotlines to receive advice and recommendations from health experts regarding the coronavirus. It goes beyond just Covid-19. Seeing the demands of several people for remote medical diagnoses and advice, Do Trieu Hung, general secretary of the Medical Practitioner Society of HCMC, earlier this month called on several of his colleagues from numerous hospitals to create a free health counseling network. After nearly two weeks since launching the campaign, over 250 doctors have joined the cause, providing online diagnoses in multiple medical fields. That campaign is expected to last for a month until Aug. 15, said Hung. Official statistics from the HCMC Department of Health revealed asymptomatic and mild Covid-19 cases account for around 80 percent of all infections. The southern metropolis has recorded 68,271 local cases in the fourth coronavirus wave since late April, the worst-hit locality in the entire country. Vietnam's coronavirus tally in the new wave now totals 105,287. Seven medics at Can Tho General Hospital and its director have tested coronavirus positive after giving emergency aid to three infectees. On the night of July 22, the Emergency Resuscitation Department of the hospital, one of the largest in the Mekong Delta, received three patients seeking emergency aid. Of the patients, two had tested positive once for the new coronavirus and one had been confirmed a Covid-19 patient by the time they were admitted. They had been transferred from two other hospitals in the city, capital of Vietnams Mekong Delta, after their conditions grew worse. As two of them had suffered severe respiratory failure, medics at the Can Tho hospital had to quickly perform intubation and emergency procedures, according to a report by the municipal Health Department. Timely aid saved the two patients, who have continued receiving treatment at the hospital. All three patients later tested positive via real-time PCR. Yet since the administration of emergency aid had apparently exposed medics to the virus, the hospital has tested the entire team involved. As shown via PCR tests on July 24 and 25, eight medics were confirmed as positive for the new coronavirus. They are seven doctors and nurses who had directly saved the patients, and the hospitals director, Tran Quoc Luan, who monitored activities at the Emergency Resuscitation Department that night. Among them, all had been vaccinated against the coronavirus, with some having received two doses. The Health Ministry has yet to announce them as official Covid-19 patients. However, a top hospital official said recently all eight are in stable condition and that PCR tests results arriving Monday night showed they had all tested negative once. The hospital has already tested more than 250 others, who are staff and patients at the hospital, with all returning negative results. After the incident, the hospital continues to operate as normal with stringent measures to prevent any possible Covid-19 threat. Can Tho has recorded 393 Covid-19 community cases so far in the new wave that hit Vietnam three months ago. Inside the Binh Duong factory, 30 staff including workers, technicians, and drivers are charged with filling and transporting oxygen cylinders. Employees are kept on site to avoid them catching Covid-19 on their daily commute. Nguyen Van Phuong, production supervisor of Messer Vietnam Industrial Gases in Binh Duong, said every day the factory supplies 400 to 800 oxygen cylinders of six and 10 cubic meters to the market. "Currently, market demand for medical oxygen orders has increased. Over the past month, we have prepared accommodation for all employees at the factory to avoid Covid-19 and ensure oxygen supply." Vietnam is in the grip of its fourth Covid-19 community wave, which hit the nation in late April. Since then, more than 110,000 cases have been recorded. The nations biggest city HCMC accounts for most infections, more than 72,000 cases, followed BinhDuong with 8,909. In July, we honor two journalists, Natalia Estemirova and Paul Klebnikov. They were assassinated in Russia, five years and a great distance apart. Both were dedicated to their work, exposing corruption and violations of human rights. Paul Klebnikov was an American of Russian descent. He was the chief editor of Forbes Russia magazine, a periodical on economic and trade issues. Mr. Klebnikov specialized in exposing corruption, particularly though the investigation of murky post-Soviet business dealings. On July 9, 2004, Mr. Klebnikov was shot nine times from a passing car as he stepped outside his Moscow office building. Natalia Estemirova was a journalist and human rights defender in Grozny, the capital city of Chechnya. As a researcher and board member of the Memorial Human Rights Center, Ms. Estemirova collected evidence of kidnappings, torture and killings in Chechnya from the start of the second separatist war there in 1999. She also focused on exposing extrajudicial executions, punitive house burnings, abductions, and arbitrary detentions in Chechnya. She criticized government authorities for failing to bring the perpetrators to justice. Ms. Estemirova worked closely in Chechnya with Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, another journalist and human rights defender, and a critic of the Russian Government, who was murdered in Moscow in 2006. In 2007, Ms. Estemirova was the first recipient of the annual Anna Politkovskaya Award, which honors women human rights defenders from around the world working in conflict zones. On the morning of July 15, 2009, Natalia Estemirova was accosted on the street as she walked to work and forced into a car. That afternoon, her remains were found not far from the main road in the neighboring Russian state of Ingushetia. She had been shot multiple times in the head and chest. The murders of Paul Klebnikov and Natalia Estemirova remain unsolved. The organizers and perpetrators of these heinous murders were never brought to justice, and violence and pressure against journalists continues with impunity in Russia, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a written statement. The United States condemns the Russian governments ongoing crackdown on independent media and stands in solidarity with independent Russian journalists and human rights defenders. Estemirovas and Klebnikovs legacies will live on in their work, in the next generation of brave reporters they have inspired, and in the fight for human rights and against corruption in Russia. The United States strongly condemns the recent detention of 2015 National Assembly representative Freddy Guevara and the harassment of interim President Juan Guaido in Venezuela, said State Department Spokesperson Ned Price at a recent press briefing. Freddy Guevara is an ally of interim President Guaido. He was reportedly pulled from his car on a Caracas highway on July 12 and arrested. He faces trumped-up charges of terrorism and treason. On the same day, police surrounded the home of interim President Guaido and reportedly entered the building without showing identification or a court order. Guaido credited the actions of neighbors and the appearance of journalists for pressuring the police to leave without arresting him as well. The raids were carried out as the opposition was seeking to participate in negotiations with the illegitimate Maduro regime, which has driven the once rich, dynamic, and democratic country into severe poverty and dictatorship. European Union delegates were also in Venezuela at the time of the raids to negotiate terms for a possible observation mission to local and state elections, which are scheduled for November. The E.U.s spokesperson for external affairs said on Twitter that the arrest of opposition leader Freddy Guevara and the harassment of other opponents and human rights activists hinders efforts to find a peaceful solution to the crisis. Pluralistic civic space = key in the upcoming elex [elections]. Speaking at a conference at the Atlantic Council, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Kevin OReilly said the arrest and harassment raised doubts about the possibility of the upcoming elections being free and fair. The arrest certainly makes it harder to demonstrate that Maduro and his supporters are going to allow this to be a level playing field, he said. That would be nothing new for the illegitimate Maduro regime. As the State Departments latest human rights report on Venezuela notes, although Maduros constitutional term as president ended in January 2019, he refused to cede control based on his claimed victory in the 2018 presidential elections, which were widely condemned as neither free nor fair. U.S. State Department Spokesperson Price called the recent actions against Venezuelas opposition leaders reprehensible and incompatible with efforts to create conditions for comprehensive negotiations between the Venezuelan opposition and the Nicolas Maduro regime to resolve Venezuelas crisis. We call for the immediate release of Congressman Guevara and urge the international community to join us in condemning his detention in the strongest terms. TORONTO Barrick Gold Corp. has been awarded four exploration licenses for 19 blocks following its participation in the International Bid-Round (1)/2020 led by the Egyptian government for exploration of gold and associated minerals in the highly prospective Eastern Desert region of the country. The opportunity in Egypt is an exciting addition to our portfolio and we look forward to a long and successful partnership with the Egyptian government, said Barrick President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Bristow. The Eastern Desert is part of the Proterozoic Arabian Nubian Shield, which hosts the giant Sukari deposit and numerous other gold occurrences, but which has seen no recent systematic exploration, according to Barrick. Barrick intends to work closely with the Egyptian Mineral Resource Authority and other participating exploration and mining companies, over the period of a year, to finalize the terms of Egypts exploitation license agreement, the company stated in its July 27 announcement. ELKO Active cases of COVID-19 have increased more than 50% in Elko County over the past week, and roughly half of the infected are under the age of 40. There were 104 active cases as of Tuesday. The number of cases a week ago was 60. The last time there were this many cases was at the end of February. Six patients are currently hospitalized. The death toll remains at 60. Roughly 25% of the countys residents are now fully vaccinated, compared with 40% statewide and 50% nationwide. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Immunize Nevada will be hosting two free, confidential COVID-19 vaccination clinics in Elko next week. The first is at The Terrace at Ruby View, 1795 Ruby View Drive, from noon to 4 p.m. Monday. The second is at FISH, 821 Water St., from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday. No appointment is necessary at either clinic. Elko Countys case rate per 100,000 people is 302. That is less than half the rate in Clark County, at 755, and lower than Nye County (407) and Mineral County (417). The countys test positivity rate is listed at 16.9%, compared with 13.7% statewide. It now blares at 5 p.m. a compromise that many in the tribe have said they're uncomfortable with and will challenge. Frisby attributes the dispute to conflicting versions of history and emphasizes intent over interpretation. He doesn't doubt the siren was used to signal the enforcement of the ordinance but said it was purchased to honor first responders. Nothing hes found in the town archive or other records connects the siren to the sundown ordinance, and he doesn't believe defense of the siren is incompatible with acknowledging the county ordinance's awful legacy. A lot of Minden residents have taken this hard because their fathers and grandfathers were the ones that worked to save up the money to purchase that siren for the purpose of responding to emergencies, he said. Its just unfortunate that because of the proximity in time, its been lumped in with this ordinance. Assemblyman Howard Watts, the Las Vegas Democrat who sponsored the legislation to shut off the siren, said the lingering pain its sound evokes demanded action. He respects the agreement the tribal chairman and town manager reached, but beforehand didn't think the town's effort to clarify what the siren means in their eyes was sufficient. In the last week covid-19 infections have risen by 47% in the US. The Delta variant leads the attack as the new variant of concern that is quickly swamping communities. Cases are rising but this can't be fully attributed to the variant as lack of vaccinations allow the virus to spread more easily. What role has the Delta variant played in rising infections? First sequenced in India, the B.1.617.2. variant quickly overwhelmed the south Asian country and began to spread around the world. In the US it currently accounts for more than 83% of all covid-19 cases and is due to eliminate the spread of other vairants within a week. What makes the variant so contagious? One of the main reasons is its high viral load. This means the speed the variant reproduces in the body is fast and people can become infected with a shorter contact time. It is estimated that the viral load of Delta is 1260 times more than variants from the beginning of the pandemic. Health guidance says there is a risk of infection even with people outdoors for no more than five minutes. Dr. Ashish K. Jha, Dean, Brown University School of Public Healthsaid, "this is the most contagious variant of the virus we have seen in the whole pandemic." Indeed, the CDC notes that Delta is 55% more contagious than Alpha variant first sequenced in the UK. The Alpha variant was itself 50% more contagious than he original strain from Wuhan in China. Public Health England anticipates that the R-value, that is how many people will be infected by one person, could be "greater than five and maybe up to seven," if there variant was left to run riot with no restrictions. The variant is the most infectious to date, but that doesn't mean wholesale restrtictions are returning to contain it, quite the opposite. Are their any other factors involved? The greatest factor in preventing the spread of the Delta variant are vaccination rates. The states with the highest rates of covid-19 right now are those with low vaccination rates with more than 40% of national cases occuring in just four states. As of the last reported numbers from Friday July 23, Florida accounted for nearly a quarter of the national total with 14,258 new cases out of 64,317 nationwide. The state doesn't yet have half of its population fully vaccinated and a large outbreak as is happening could be disastrous. As the vaccine rollout continues, many states across the US have been relaxing restrictions in the last few months. More social interactions, especially with people indoors, contribute to a rise in cases. Last month California ended its mask mandate, only for it to be reimposed in some counties mere weeks later. The relaxing of restrictions have only exacerbated the covid-19 rate with the increased infectiousness of the Delta variant. For states with high vaccination rates this isn't so much of a problem but with the US soon heading toward winter an increased vaccine drive is paramount before another winter spike in infections. Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci says people should still wear masks if they want to be extra safe. Its suggested that you wear a mask when you are indoors in a situation where you have a level of dynamics of virus in the community thats high, he said. The three US vaccines offer good protection against the Delta variant but those unvaccinated are very much at risk. And with less than half of the US population being fully vaccinated, according to CDC data, the CDC is warning of a "pandemic of the unvaccinated." Double vaccinated people can still catch the virus, but the risk of serious illness is extremely low. 97% of hospitalizations with covid-19 are people who are unvaccinated. Throughout the pandemic many frontline workers have been tasked with trying to continue in difficult circumstances, often putting themselves at greater risk to ensure certain essential services can continue. Teachers are certainly among this group; juggling in-person and online teaching sessions, contending with erratic schedules and going into work while most people were advised to stay at home. To show appreciation for their efforts some states have passed legislation proving a one-time stimulus check for educators, often termed a thank you or hazard pay bonus. Which states have already distributed a stimulus check for teachers? Last October the state of Michigan set aside $73 million in federal funding to provide hazard pay for teachers and support staff in schools as part of a deal struck between Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the state legislature. In February teachers were awarded MI Classroom Heroes Grants, which provided a $500 bonus for all teachers and $250 for other school staff. This was followed by a similar effort in Georgia as the state approved a $1,000 retention bonus in March. Roughly 230,000 K-12 public school teachers and staff were eligible for the payments, which were aimed to boost recruitment and retention after a tough year, as well as a show of gratitude for their work and sacrifices during the covid-19 pandemic. Funds for the Georgia payments came from the American Rescue Plan, which provided the state with $660.6 million from the federal government. The total cost of the teachers payments is thought to be around $230.5 million. Which states will pass the next teachers stimulus checks? Around the same time that the Georgia legislature approved the educators payments, Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed a similar programme in Florida. The proposal was passed in March but it wasnt until June that the states budget was approved and the payments could begin. The DeSantis has said that he expects the payments to go out to teachers when the new school year begins. Around 175,000 teachers and 3,600 principals in Florida will receive a $1,000 thank you bonus from the state. Controversially however, roughly 120,000 other members of staff in schools will not be included in the scheme which is estimated to cost the state $216 million, also paid for with funding from the federal government. Floridas Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran said of the programme: The Governors proposal is just one way we can show our appreciation to our hard-working teachers and principals who guided Florida through these immense challenges, and I look forward to the Legislature making it a reality. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to update its covid-19 guidance to advise that even fully vaccinated people should wear masks indoors to help combat the United States rising infection rate. The decision is expected to be announced later on Tuesday and is thought to be a direct consequence of concern that the more transmissible Delta variant is causing another spike of cases. Officials still believe that fully vaccinated people are far less likely to suffer serious illness and only represent a very small proportion of covid-19 transmission, but this new guidance outlines the severity of the situation. The CDCs updated recommendation does not automatically become the federal governments official policy but it may encourage states and local authorities to reimpose their own mask mandates indoors. Mask mandates are back in certain parts of the United States Last Sunday Dr Anthony Fuaci, the White House chief medical advisor, told CNNs State of the Union that health authorities were considering whether to revise mask guidance due to the rising infection rate. The national vaccination campaign had been credited with causing a drop in case numbers earlier this summer but with the vaccine rate stalling there is concern that the Delta variant will only grow in severity. Fauci said that convincing those who have not yet got a shot will be crucial to the return to normality, saying: Weve got to get more people who relate well to the individuals who are not getting vaccinated to get out there and encourage them to get vaccinated. His comments came after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis publically called on residents to get the vaccine, as did Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana. Los Angeles county and St Louis, Missouri have already reintroduced the indoor mask mandate and several counties across California and Nevada are now advising everyone to return to indoor mask-wearing. Delta variant changes the calculation for health authorities As was the case in 2020, health officials are expecting another surge in coronavirus cases as we head into the fall season and the highly infectious Delta variant makes the prospect even more dangerous. It comes as businesses and schools across the country are preparing for a return to normality with millions of workers expected back in offices and children back in classrooms. The latest data from the CDC suggests that around 83% of new covid-19 cases in the United States are the Delta variant and that number appears to be growing rapidly. Little over a month ago, on 19 June, the Delta variant accounted for roughly 30% of new cases. The USA's Carissa Moore claimed Olympic gold medal glory on surfing's Games debut as she dazzled in waters made choppier than normal by the nearby tropical cyclone. Moore follows up world titles with Olympic crown Born in Hawaii, where she still lives, and a former student of the Punahou prep school that was also attended by Barack Obama and Michelle Wie, Moore added to her four world titles with the Tokyo 2020 top prize. The 28-year-old had been a favourite for the new addition to the Olympic programme and did not disappoint, producing big runs on her fourth and fifth attempts on the waves at Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach. She scored 7.33 followed by 7.60 for a combined 14.93 to comprehensively defeat Bianca Buitendag in the final. Buitendag's best two scores were 3.23 and 5.23 as she failed to impress the judges in the way Moore's eye-catching performances had. Few at the Olympics welcomed the threat of an incoming storm, but the surfers are a breed apart and thrive on the powerful waves, the likes of which Moore is familiar with from home. Moore feels "super blessed" after gold-medal win If anything weighed on her shoulders, it appeared to be the medal more than the pressure. "It's quite heavy," Moore said as she tried the gold on for size. "I'm very proud and honoured. It's been a crazy couple of days, a little bit of a rollercoaster of emotions just trying to figure out the break, find my rhythm, learning how to trust myself without my family here. "I feel super blessed, super fortunate. It's been an incredible experience." Moore started her life in surfing at the age of five, on Waikiki beach in Honolulu, and she had described it as "a cherry on top" of her Olympic experience to reach the final. While Buitendag took silver, bronze went to Japan's Amuro Tsuzuki. "One of the best days of my life" - Ferreira beats Igarashi to men's gold Gold in the men's event went to Brazil's Italo Ferreira, who scored a resounding win over Japan's Kanoa Igarashi, prevailing by 15.14 to 6.60 in the final. Igarashi had scored impressively on his way through the rounds, notably with a 17.00 combined score in the semi-final, but could not produce that level when it mattered most. Ferreira said: "It's one of the best days of my life for sure. I was so nervous at the beginning but I just tried to surf and have fun because two months ago I was busy with training and thinking and dreaming and now I've got the gold medal. The dream came true." Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng (3rd R) holds talks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman (3rd L) in north China's Tianjin on July 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Ran) TIANJIN, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The China-U.S. relationship is in a stalemate, fundamentally because some Americans portray China as an "imagined enemy," said Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng, urging the United States to change its highly misguided mindset and dangerous policy. Xie made the remarks on Monday during talks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, who is on a visit to north China's port city of Tianjin from July 25 to 26. For quite some time, when talking about conflict with China and challenges facing the United States, the "Pearl Harbor moment" and the "Sputnik moment" have been brought up by some Americans, Xie said. Some international scholars, including some U.S. academics, perceive this as comparing China to Japan in the Second World War and the Soviet Union in the Cold War. It seems as if by making China an "imagined enemy," a national sense of purpose would be reignited in the United States. The hope may be that by demonizing China, the United States could somehow shift domestic public discontent over political, economic and social issues and blame China for its own structural problems, he said. It seems that a whole-of-government and whole-of-society campaign is being waged to bring China down. It is as if when China's development is contained, all U.S. domestic and external challenges would go away, and America would become great again and Pax Americana would continue to go on, Xie said. BILATERAL TIES In terms of the United States' "competitive, collaborative and adversarial" rhetoric, Xie said this is a thinly veiled attempt to contain and suppress China. The Chinese people feel that the real emphasis is on the adversarial aspect, the collaborative aspect is just expediency, and the competitive aspect is a narrative trap, he said. The U.S. policy seems to be demanding cooperation when it wants something from China; decoupling, cutting off supplies, blockading or sanctioning China when it believes it has an advantage; and resorting to conflict and confrontation at all costs, he added. "It seems that the United States only thinks about addressing its own concerns, getting the results it wants and advancing its own interests. Do bad things and get good results. How is that even possible?" Xie said. What the world needs most is solidarity and cooperation, for humanity are passengers in the same boat, according to Xie. "The Chinese people cherish peace," said Xie, adding that what China hopes to build is a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, equality, justice and win-win cooperation, and a community with a shared future for mankind. "China wants to work with the United States to seek common ground while shelving the differences," he said. The U.S. side needs to change course and work with China on the basis of mutual respect and embrace fair competition and peaceful coexistence with China. "After all, a healthy and stable China-U.S. relationship serves the interests of both sides. And the world expects nothing less from the two sides," he added. The U.S. side's so-called "rules-based international order" is designed to benefit itself at others' expense, hold other countries back and introduce "the law of the jungle," Xie said. This is an effort by the United States and a few other Western countries to frame their own rules as international rules and impose them on other countries. The United States has abandoned the universally-recognized international law and order and damaged the international system it has helped to build, he said. "It is trying to replace it with a so-called 'rules-based international order.'" "The purpose is to resort to the tactic of changing the rules to make life easy for itself and hard for others, and to introduce 'the law of the jungle' where might is right and the big bully the small," Xie added. COERCIVE DIPLOMACY The United States is the "inventor and patent and intellectual property owner" of coercive diplomacy, Xie said. The Chinese believe that one must not do to others what one does not like to be done to himself. The desire to seek hegemony or territorial expansion is simply not in the Chinese DNA, according to Xie. "China has never coerced any country," he said, adding that China responds to foreign interference with legitimate and lawful countermeasures, and the aim is to defend the legitimate rights and interests of the country and uphold international equity and justice. China has never gone to others' doorsteps to provoke trouble. Neither has China ever stretched its arm into the households of others, still less has China ever occupied any inch of other countries' territory, he said. "It is the United States who has engaged in broad unilateral sanctions, long-arm jurisdiction and interference in other countries' internal affairs," he said. The U.S. notion of "engaging other countries from a position of strength" is just another version of the big bullying the small and "might is right." This is pure coercive diplomacy, he added. COOPERATION BASED ON MUTUAL TRUST Cooperation between China and the United States should be based on mutual trust and mutual benefit with a sense of sincerity, Xie stressed. "The United States cannot expect China to cooperate unconditionally on hotspot issues while suppressing China at the same time," he said. Xie expounded China's position on COVID-19 origin-tracing, cyber security, as well as issues relating to Taiwan, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong. Sherman said the United States does not seek to contain China's development, and reiterated adhering to the one-China policy and the stance of not supporting "Taiwan independence". As permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, the United States and China bear major responsibilities for safeguarding peace and security of the world, Sherman said. Both sides agreed that the talk between Xie and Sherman, which lasted over four hours, was candid and in-depth, and pledged to continue such frank communication. Editor: JYZ On July 26, during his talks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng urges the U.S. side to address its own human rights issues first, that the U.S. side is in no position to lecture China on democracy and human rights. Ultimately, Xie stresses China wants to work with the United States to seek common ground while shelving the differences. The U.S. side needs to change course and work with China on the basis of mutual respect and embrace fair competition and peaceful coexistence with China. Here are the key remarks from Xie: The United States is the "inventor, and patent and intellectual property owner" of coercive diplomacy. 6 1 Editor: JYZ Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, chairs a video conference at the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters in Beijing, capital of China, July 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Ding Lin) BEIJING, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday called for all-out efforts to ramp up flood control and disaster relief, putting the safety of people's lives and property first. Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks while chairing a video conference at the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters in Beijing. He listened to reports from officials from disaster-affected regions, the Ministry of Emergency Management, the China Meteorological Administration, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the Ministry of Transport at the conference. Recent downpours caused heavy casualties and property losses to parts of the country, said Li. He called for comprehensive preventive safety measures to minimize losses when bracing heavy forecasted rains in north China and typhoons in coastal areas. Rescuing the stranded should be the primary task of flood control and disaster relief work in disaster-stricken regions, including Henan Province, said Li. He required efforts to timely dispatch professional teams and equipment and to release rescue information openly and transparently. More work is needed to strengthen weak links of disaster control to improve the country's emergency response-ability and people's awareness of self-protection, the premier said. In case of emergencies such as severe urban waterlogging, it is necessary to organize the public to take shelter in time, and schools and workplaces should be shut down decisively, said Li. Li urged efforts in disaster-hit areas to ensure the livelihood of the affected, strengthen health and epidemic prevention, speed up dredging and drainage, and restore power and water supply, transportation, and communication urgently. The premier said that the government would allocate billions of yuan from the central financial reserve in advance to support severely affected areas to carry out major production recovery and post-disaster reconstruction. Enditem 2 1 Editor: Zhang Zhou TIANJIN, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The China-U.S. relationship is in a stalemate, fundamentally because some Americans portray China as an "imagined enemy," said Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng, urging the United States to change its highly misguided mindset and dangerous policy. Xie made the remarks on Monday during talks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, who is on a visit to north China's port city of Tianjin from July 25 to 26. For quite some time, when talking about conflict with China and challenges facing the United States, the "Pearl Harbor moment" and the "Sputnik moment" have been brought up by some Americans, Xie said. Some international scholars, including some U.S. academics, perceive this as comparing China to Japan in the Second World War and the Soviet Union in the Cold War. It seems as if by making China an "imagined enemy," a national sense of purpose would be reignited in the United States. The hope may be that by demonizing China, the United States could somehow shift domestic public discontent over political, economic and social issues and blame China for its own structural problems, he said. It seems that a whole-of-government and whole-of-society campaign is being waged to bring China down. It is as if when China's development is contained, all U.S. domestic and external challenges would go away, and America would become great again and Pax Americana would continue to go on, Xie said. BILATERAL TIES In terms of the United States' "competitive, collaborative and adversarial" rhetoric, Xie said this is a thinly veiled attempt to contain and suppress China. The Chinese people feel that the real emphasis is on the adversarial aspect, the collaborative aspect is just expediency, and the competitive aspect is a narrative trap, he said. The U.S. policy seems to be demanding cooperation when it wants something from China; decoupling, cutting off supplies, blockading or sanctioning China when it believes it has an advantage; and resorting to conflict and confrontation at all costs, he added. "It seems that the United States only thinks about addressing its own concerns, getting the results it wants and advancing its own interests. Do bad things and get good results. How is that even possible?" Xie said. What the world needs most is solidarity and cooperation, for humanity are passengers in the same boat, according to Xie. "The Chinese people cherish peace," said Xie, adding that what China hopes to build is a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, equality, justice and win-win cooperation, and a community with a shared future for mankind. "China wants to work with the United States to seek common ground while shelving the differences," he said. The U.S. side needs to change course and work with China on the basis of mutual respect and embrace fair competition and peaceful coexistence with China. "After all, a healthy and stable China-U.S. relationship serves the interests of both sides. And the world expects nothing less from the two sides," he added. The U.S. side's so-called "rules-based international order" is designed to benefit itself at others' expense, hold other countries back and introduce "the law of the jungle," Xie said. This is an effort by the United States and a few other Western countries to frame their own rules as international rules and impose them on other countries. The United States has abandoned the universally-recognized international law and order and damaged the international system it has helped to build, he said. "It is trying to replace it with a so-called 'rules-based international order.'" "The purpose is to resort to the tactic of changing the rules to make life easy for itself and hard for others, and to introduce 'the law of the jungle' where might is right and the big bully the small," Xie added. COERCIVE DIPLOMACY The United States is the "inventor and patent and intellectual property owner" of coercive diplomacy, Xie said. The Chinese believe that one must not do to others what one does not like to be done to himself. The desire to seek hegemony or territorial expansion is simply not in the Chinese DNA, according to Xie. "China has never coerced any country," he said, adding that China responds to foreign interference with legitimate and lawful countermeasures, and the aim is to defend the legitimate rights and interests of the country and uphold international equity and justice. China has never gone to others' doorsteps to provoke trouble. Neither has China ever stretched its arm into the households of others, still less has China ever occupied any inch of other countries' territory, he said. "It is the United States who has engaged in broad unilateral sanctions, long-arm jurisdiction and interference in other countries' internal affairs," he said. The U.S. notion of "engaging other countries from a position of strength" is just another version of the big bullying the small and "might is right." This is pure coercive diplomacy, he added. Enditem Editor: Zhang Zhou Wang Yu (1st R) takes a swab sample from a resident for COVID-19 test at a testing site of Longxi Community in Jiangning District of Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, July 24, 2021. A second round of COVID-19 nucleic acid test was launched Saturday night in Jiangning District of Nanjing. Wang Yu, a nurse from Dongshan Community Hospital in Jiangning District, was racing against time in epidemic battle on Saturday night. Wang, along with other medical workers and community workers, has been busy conducting nucleic acid tests for the residents until late night. (Xinhua/Li Bo) 8 1 Editor: WXL Dmytro Sennychenko, Chairman of the State Property Fund of Ukraine The State Property Fund will soon celebrate two anniversaries. The first is the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's independence, the second is two years from the moment when the word "reforms" ceased to be a sham, but began to mean real transformations in the main spheres of the state's life. The land market, the demonopolization of the alcohol industry, as well as a number of initiatives and actions on the reduction of the economic "weight" of the oligarchs - this is an incomplete list of difficult but necessary steps that have been implemented in Ukraine over the past two years. The reforms and the combating corruption are the choices made by the Ukrainians in the Maidan. In fact, behind the loud word "reforms" there are quite definite, concrete daily tasks, for the result of which everyone is responsible. For us at the State Property Fund, the reforms are our daily hard work, and we have achieved significant progress recognized by our international partners. It instills optimism in us, and confirms that we are moving in the right direction. Although we still have a long way to go, we have no doubt that we will overcome it. The secret of successful reforms is quite simple. The main thing is that they are based on the principle of justice. And then the most difficult and unpopular transformations receive support from society, opportunities for corruption are minimized, and changes provide a long-term positive effect. The State Property Fund of Ukraine successfully manages this. New look at privatization For almost 30 years of Ukraine's independence, the term privatization has been synonymous with the words corruption and the fix. With rare exceptions, such as the Kryvorizhstal case, the state property management was an unpresentable sight: assets, which had been exhausted by corrupt officials, various schemes, and outdated infrastructure. Obviously, there could be no fairness and transparency in such conjuncture. We decided to put an end to it. By now, the form of privatization has been changed, and I am positive that it will remain that way from now on. The corruption practices that existed for decades were eliminated: the state's control over the most attractive objects was restored sometimes with battles, and transparency of their work was ensured. The privatization ceased to be a hobby for insiders, but became available to any investor. Little less than two years ago, my team and I started to operate the part of our work where the transparency parameter was provided by 400 paper (and unavailable) copies of the Privatization Reporter and the alternative way to find out something was only to buy a flash drive with data from an employee of the fund. Now the information about privatization objects by dozens of filters is available on the privatization.gov.ua portal, and whole report sets are uploaded to virtual data rooms. The principle of only for insiders was replaced by the opposite: everyone knows everything. The financial result of such openness wasnt long in coming: since the start of 2020, the State Property Fund of Ukraine has organized more than 2,990 auctions, with the successful ones providing budget revenues at the level of 4,5 billion UAH. Last year, the State Property Fund transferred UAH 2.25 billion to the treasury, which is 4 times higher than the result of a successful 2019 and 8 times higher than in 2018. This year, the Fund will put its best foot forward in privatization to bring 12 billion UAH to the state budget, which is 44 times more than in 2018. This dynamic seems surprising and unrealistic even, but there is an explanation for it: No more stealing practices at the State Property Fund, and zero tolerance for corruption exercised now at all levels. We launched the Big Privatization project. The first super-large state-owned facility The United Mining and Chemical Company will go for auction at the end of summer. I never get tired of repeating that the goal of privatizing objects of any scale is not just to sell at a higher price. I will say more, the main purpose of privatization is not even to fill the budget, although this is of course an important bonus, because the money for the country which restrains the aggressor and fights the pandemic is never superfluous. The main goal of privatization is to provide a new life for objects that, due to abandonment and poor management, dropped out of economic circulation, or on the contrary continued to work successfully, not in favor of the state, but conditional financial and industry groups. Just over a month ago, the State Property Fund sold into private ownership the abandoned penitentiary facility #48 in Lviv, located just a 10-minute drive from the city center. State budget replenishment amounted to UAH 407.5 million, but it is much more important that the abandoned facility with an ambiguous past got a chance for a new and much brighter future. The new owner of the facility is the IT company that will turn a dilapidated prison into a creative campus with main office and infrastructure facilities for education, talent development and recreation. This case is a kind of watershed of perception, values and thinking, which should be extended to the entire country. Abandoned facility that represents lack of freedom and old regime is to be replaced by a modern creative hub the epicenter of freedom and new ideas. Again, everything is fair: not a covert agreement, but an open auction, not an obvious winner plus a pocket rival, but a competitive struggle between 7 bidders. Now that the effectiveness of the program is proven in practice, and the majority of processes are transparent and debugged, it is necessary to accelerate and scale up the privatization. We do have the key to this. The State Property Fund has developed a complex bill No. 4572, which will eliminate a variety of obstacles to privatization and will allow you to get through the thicket of bureaucracy to attract investment. Verkhovna Rada supported the bill by 257 votes on July 15, 2021, and it has passed through first reading. The bill improves the processes of privatization and rent, introduces mechanisms to control the use of state property, and establishes clear criteria for the transfer of objects for privatization. It is an important innovation that 10% of funds from small-scale privatization will remain in local budgets to ensure the development of local administration. The expected economic effect of the adoption of the bill for Ukraine is 200 billion UAH over several years. This is a plus to the GDP, which will attract investment in the development of privatized objects. Rent from Ukraine Not all investors are ready to buy state objects, and not all objects can be permanently transferred to private ownership. A significant part of the partners of Ukraine and the State Property Fund, as its authorized representative, are renters of the state property. In a sense, this is a more profitable format of cooperation, since it provides the budget with a long-term cash-flow. Until recently, the situation here was not much better than in the field of privatization. The rent for 1 UAH per year or completely behind the scenes, blurry contracts, a lack of a proper list of areas it was the rental reality we changed. The State Property Fund has introduced a mechanism for online rental auctions, which ensures the transparency of the rent of state facilities and fair conditions for both renters and the state. On the online marketplace orenda.gov.ua, which we launched from scratch in a short time, all current offers and vacant space are presented. There are more than 4000 objects for every taste and budget. Recently, at an auction for the rent of 5 square meters at the Boryspil airport, the price rose up to 125,000 UAH. It was 16 times less according to the previous agreement (only 7,000 UAH). But that's not all. At the conclusion of the contract, the winner of the auction paid an advance payment for 6 months and a security deposit of two rental payments. Thus, the government immediately received 1 million UAH. That money would have been paid within the next 12 years under the previous agreement. Anyone can become a renter there is no need to wander through the corridors of the Fund or its enterprises and look for someone to deal with. The rules are the same for everyone: transparency, market price, fair competition. The result is more than 1.2 billion UAH of budget income from rent since the beginning of this year. While implementing the rent reforms, we once again made sure that digitalization is an effective tool that we use in the reforms. President Zelenskyi has emphasized the importance of digitalization in the development of Ukraine recently when speaking at the conference in Lithuania. We fully support this course in our work, because the transition of most state processes to digital actually neutralizes corruption. Rate all The reform of the valuation sector is an ungrateful direction of activity, in the sense that this actually doesn`t mean anything for the people. Until they need to sell or buy an apartment, house, land plot etc. The State Property Fund made a breakthrough by literally removing from the market of companies profiting from optional and unreasonable services. Here is a little reminder of how the valuation procedure looked until recently: a person had to pay 1,800 UAH out of nothing just for transferring the data into the Unified database of valuation answers by one of the four shell companies. We have eliminated these intermediary sites by launching free service for entering information into the Unified database. The net saving for Ukrainian citizens is more than 1 billion UAH within 18 months. The second stage was the launch of an automatic electronic reference the creation of a free service for electronic real estate valuation SPFU Unified database of valuation, which can be accessed at any time by anyone with Internet access and an electronic digital signature. No visits to government agencies needed, no spending on valuators, no variability in data considering the human factor. Now there are 18 types based on a complex of OLX parameters, notaries, historical data on the former deals are totaling in reliable results of object valuation. One has the right to address the private valuator if the state valuation result does not satisfy. That may occur in cases with unconventional types of property that require additional valuation. 25,000 citizens used the service during the first week of operation; notaries based on the received documents registered more than 10 thousand contracts. As they say use it with pleasure. The reform continues with two stages ahead. First, the elimination of fractional valuation an outdated practice when the land and the premises were valuated separately. The corresponding bill is registered in the Verkhovna Rada, and we count on the assistance of MPs in passing it in parliament. The final stage is the introduction of international standards for valuation, as the standards have not changed since 2003. The bill was developed by The State Property Fund in cooperation with the World Bank specialists on the ad hoc basis, and introduces transition to international standards of valuation and new approaches to professional training. Corporate governance The caseload on the State Property Fund has increased dramatically since the end of 2019. We are not complaining, but this factor shall be taken into account when analyzing our progress in reforms. The numbers are clear: In 2019, the State Property Fund managed 348 state-owned enterprises, in 2020 724, in 2021 860. This caseload, which again we resignedly accepted, was not easy. To understand the scale of the work and extremely poor condition of the enterprises transfered to the Fund, I will say that only 12 (!) from several hundred state-owned enterprises had strategic development plans approved at the time of the transfer, and there were contracts signed only with 92 managers. More than half (53%) of enterprises were totally unprofitable. The total debt has exceeded 4,2 billion UAH. The situation with the so-called second-tier enterprises was catastrophic, let alone the giants potential blue chips. The various structures close to the oligarchy held on to them tight and perceived the government claims to their rights as some kind of an offense. After almost two years of hard work, the State Property Fund of Ukraine restored justice by returning government control over 10 large enterprises that had been under control of various financial and industrial groups for years. This became possible due to the change in management, close cooperation with law enforcement agencies and strong nerves of the State Property Fund team, which were able to ignore both tempting financial offers and black PR in the media. Successively, performance indicators, terrifying at the start of our work, have evened out: wage debts for 15,000 employees at 32 enterprises were paid off, the state-owned enterprises managed by the State Property Fund have doubled tax deductions up to 8,4 billion UAH. Information on state property entered into a Unified database, and enterprises, having received realistic business planning, report on KPI weekly / quarterly. Due to effective work, the state ceases to be a donor of its assets. On the contrary, the distributed profits of state-owned enterprises in Ukraine will grow 2,5 times this year from 261 million UAH to more than 630 million UAH. The state assets are finally start working for the states benefit, rather than enriching corrupt officials. These reforms related with privatization, valuation, corporate governance, rent are all parts of one big transformation that Ukraine is going through, parting with an oligarch-centric economy and building new market relations integrated into the global system. The State Property Fund is pleased to be a part of these transformations and supports them. The Ukrainian people won the independence 30 years ago and rebelled twice, demonstrating their will for justice and constant course towards decent living. With such support, we feel confident and working effectively. The State Property Fund (SPF) of Ukraine on August 27 initiates an extraordinary meeting of shareholders of JSC Turboatom, at which it submits the issue of joining the Electrotyazhmash plant (both Kharkiv). "To join the joint-stock company Electrotyazhmash Plant to the company [JSC Turboatom]," the SPF said the draft resolution of the meeting on this issue. At present, Electrotyazhmash is a state-owned enterprise. In Turboatom JSC, represented by the SPF, the state owns over 75.22% of shares. The agenda of the meeting of shareholders of Turboatom also includes issues of approving the market value of Turboatom JSC shares and changing its name. According to the draft decision, it is planned to approve the market value of shares of Turboatom, determined by an appraiser selected at an extraordinary meeting of shareholders on August 20, at UAH 1.95 per share (with a nominal value of UAH 0.25). The name of JSC Turboatom is supposed to be replaced by JSC Ukrainian Power Machines. Accordingly, it is planned to amend the charter and internal regulations of the company (in particular, the regulation on the principles of forming the company's supervisory board). Two-fold reduction in losses of Ukrainian Armed Forces recorded during year of ceasefire operation in Donbas - Ukrainian delegation to TCG During the year of the ceasefire operation in Donbas, a two-fold reduction in casualties among the military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was recorded, the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) on resolving the situation in eastern Ukraine reports. "A year ago, the ceasefire regime came into effect. Despite numerous violations on the Russian side, the results of the ceasefire are obvious: half the deaths of Ukrainian servicemen, three times fewer wounded, almost three times less shelling attacks, compared to the period from July 2019 to July 2020," the Ukrainian delegation said on Facebook. According to the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) Headquarters, from July 27, 2019 to July 26, 2020, the armed formations of the Russian Federation have launched 4,257 attacks on Ukrainian positions. Eighty-eight Ukrainian servicemen were killed, 494 were injured. Over the same period from July 27, 2020 to July 26, 2021, some 1,995 attacks were recorded, 45 Ukrainian military personnel were killed, and 154 were injured. "All this was paid for at a high price. The Ukrainian delegation thanks every serviceman who fulfills his military duty in difficult conditions. Ukraine remains faithful to its obligations on the political and diplomatic way of resolving the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine," it said. A full and comprehensive ceasefire in Donbas began to operate from 00:01 on July 27, 2020. The corresponding agreement within the TCG provided for, inter alia, a ban on the activities of sabotage and reconnaissance groups, on the conduct of sniper fire. Since Tuesday midnight, on July 27, Russia-occupation forces in Donbas twice violated the ceasefire regime in Zolote-4 and Vodiane, without losses reported, the press center of the JFO (Joint Forces Operation) headquarters reported. "As of 7:00 on July 27, two violations of the ceasefire regime were recorded. Near Zolote-4, the enemy opened fire from 120-caliber mortars. Not far from Vodiane, near Donetsk, the enemy fired at Ukrainian positions with 120-caliber mortars. There are no casualties among the military of the Joint Forces," the JFO staff said in its morning update on Facebook on Tuesday. Over the past day, on July 26, fifteen violations of the ceasefire regime were recorded. The enemy fired at the Ukrainian positions using 122 mm artillery, 120 and 82 caliber mortars, anti-tank missile systems, light and heavy anti-tank grenade launchers, and heavy machine guns. In addition, in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, two unmanned aerial vehicles of the Orlan-10 type were recorded overflying the contact line. As a result of the shelling attacks, four servicemen received shrapnel wounds, and another three received combat injuries. Zelensky on personnel changes in SBU: There is no and won't be alternative to SBU reform President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is in favor of an early reform of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), according to the website of the head of state. "There is no alternative to the reform of the Service, and there will never be. As soon as the parliament votes for the reform, we must begin the transformation on the very first day, without wasting time on adapting to the decision," Zelensky said, commenting on the signing of a number of decrees on personnel changes in the leadership of the SBU on Monday. The message says that the main goal of the President in making these personnel decisions is to ensure the readiness of the SBU for systemic transformation, corresponding to the content of the department's reform. The corresponding bill is being worked out in the Verkhovna Rada. At the same time, according to the president, already now the work of the SBU should be strengthened taking into account future changes, since the state requires much more intensive activity of the SBU in fulfilling the tasks set by the law. "The second task is to significantly intensify the fight against smuggling. The pace of work against smuggling, which we see now, cannot suit anyone," Zelensky stressed. According to expert estimates, as a result of the activities of smugglers, the state annually loses up to UAH 300 billion, and strengthening the work of the SBU should be the foundation for countering such a destructive situation. "The specific result should be tangible both at the border and in all state institutions responsible for the purity of economic processes," Zelensky said. U.S. Secretary of Transporation Pete Buttigieg will represent the United States at the Crimean Platform summit to be held in Kyiv on August 23, said deputy of the Verkhovna Rada (European Solidarity) and leader of the Crimean Tatar people Mustafa Dzhemilev. "The United States is sending [to Ukraine] the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, he is a rather influential figure in the U.S. administration, this is Pete Buttigieg," Dzhemilev said in an interview with Suspilne, published on Monday. He added that earlier in diplomatic circles they did not rule out the visit of U.S. President Joseph Biden to Ukraine, but the head of the White House would not arrive yet. "I met with Kurt Volker, and he said that for a number of reasons Biden would not come. And besides, Biden has a specific relationship with Ukraine because of Trump election campaign, so because of this, most likely, he will not come. Even if he really wants to, his entourage will try to dissuade him," Dzhemilev added. The European Union and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, together with national partners, officially opened two renovated medical call centers in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, and Severodonetsk, Luhansk region. The equipment for the call centre, worth around EUR 17,000 (about UAH 540.000), was purchased with the financial support of the European Union under the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme, the message reads. The centers are based at Kramatorsk Primary Healthcare Centre No. 1 and Severodonetsk City Multidisciplinary Hospital. They will serve about 180,000 residents of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Up to six coordinators work in the call centers and use a specially designed call system, which helps them call back those who could not reach the centre immediately. "The European Union continues to support the effective functioning of the healthcare system in eastern Ukraine, ensuring that needs of all local residents are addressed. Together with our partners from the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme and the European Investment Bank, we've been piloting new approaches to health service delivery, which is crucial in the times of the COVID-19 pandemic, and renovating medical facilities in Donetsk and Luhansk regions," Martin Schroeder, acting Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Ukraine, said. The majority of Ukrainians, 55%, disagree with the recent statement of Russian President Vladimir Putin that "Russians and Ukrainians are one people, which belongs to one historical and spiritual space." At the same time, 41% of respondents agree with this statement, according to the results of a survey by the sociological group Rating, published on Tuesday. "In the east, as well as among the parishioners of the UOC-MP, more than 60% agree with this opinion. Among the residents of the western region, on the contrary, more than 70% do not agree with this. More than 80% of the voters of the Opposition Platform, Murayev's and Shariy's parties agree with the thesis about 'one people,'", results of the survey say. The survey was conducted on July 23-25, 2021 among the population of Ukraine aged 18 and over in all regions, except for the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas. The sample is representative in terms of age, gender and type of settlement. Interview method: CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews) based on a random sample of mobile phone numbers. Some 2,500 respondents were interviewed. The error of representativeness of the study with a confidence level of 0.95: no more than 2.0%. A group of members of the European Parliament issued a statement regarding the recent conclusion of an agreement between the United States and Germany on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, stating that its implementation both undermines the security of Ukraine and increases the EU's energy dependence on Russia. The text of the statement, which is dated July 27, was made public on Tuesday in Brussels. The politicians said the agreement between the United States and Germany on Nord Stream 2 is not a European agreement, but an attempt by the two countries to improve their bilateral relations and change the situation from very bad to bad. According to the MEPs, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline undermines Ukrainian security, all the more so, that Russia continues provocations and increases tension against Ukraine, from the buildup of the military presence on the Ukrainian border, which we observed this spring, to quite recent propaganda actions in the form of sending a complaint against Ukraine to the European Court of Human Rights. They also said that, in addition, the Nord Stream 2 project contradicts the EU Green Deal and increases the EU's dependence on energy supplies from Russia. The MEPs urge EU institutions to learn from the mistakes of past and current relations with Russia and continue to support a comprehensive policy that is based on European values and not on business deals. The statement was signed by Petras Aushtrevicius, Vitold Vaschikovsky, Andrius Kubilius, Sandra Kalniete, and other politicians. On Thursday, July 29, at 15.30, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press briefing based on the results of the congress of the Holos political party with the participation of the leadership and regional representatives of the political force (8/5a Reitarska Street). The broadcast will be available on the YouTube channel of Interfax-Ukraine. Due to quarantine restrictions, the number of seats in the press center is limited. Media accreditation at: https://bit.ly/3vifP7Q. KYIV. July 27 (Interfax-Ukraine) Bills on the reform of architectural and construction control should be developed with the direct participation of the architectural professional community. This opinion was expressed by President of the National Union of Architects of Ukraine Oleksandr Chyzhevsky during a press conference devoted to how bill No. 5655 can destroy the architecture of Ukraine and architects as a profession held at Interfax-Ukraine. "We highly and positively assess the efforts of legislators to eradicate corruption in the construction industry by introducing elements of the Unified Electronic System into practice. This should become a part of the overall process of digitalization of the country, the introduction of ubiquitous e-government. However, the professional community is protesting against the provisions of bill No. 5655, which curtail the powers of the architect and unbalance the industry as a whole," Chyzhevsky said. According to Deputy Chair of the Architectural Chamber of the National Union of Architects Anna Kyrii, today none of the numerous amendments that were transferred to the text of bill No. 5655 have been taken into account. "In its current version, bill No. 5655 unprecedentedly deprives architects of the rights and opportunities to influence and control their project," Kyrii said. Kyrii called "the destruction of authorship as such" the most painful blow. "For some reason, the creators of the bill pay attention to only one point, which directly determines that authorship is deprived if the project is carried out using budgetary funds. Yes, this point is the most terrible, because the architect is deprived of copyright property rights to the project even before that moment he began to design. However, this is not the only moment dozens of points of the bill, one way or another, deprive or squeeze the rights of the architect, or discredit the architect in front of the rest of the project," Kyrii said. At the same time, the expert said that the practice of attracting famous architects to the implementation of projects significant for society, which are financed from budgetary or donor funds, is popular all over the world. And this increases the credibility of both customers and architects. According to Chair of the expert commission of the Architectural Chamber of the National Union of Architects Olha Podushkina, the property rights of architects are protected by the law of Ukraine on copyright and related rights (section II, Article 15). "And although the majority thinks that an architect's copyright is about ownership of an idea and concept, in fact, an architect's copyright is primarily about his responsibility for the quality and safety of the project," Podushkina said. The expert said that for an architect, a project is not only a set of reinforced concrete structures, glass and engineering systems, but a harmonized spatial structure of the human life environment, which should be created taking into account aesthetic principles, reliability, environmental friendliness, and functional comfort. "Only an architect can organize the process of implementing his project and help the customer to obtain a high-quality product. Only an architect can control the implementation of the designed solutions that shall meet all standards. Only in this case the building will serve the projected period, it will be safe and comfortable, aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly," Podushkina said. According to Kyrii, the current version of bill No. 5655 creates a corruption risk for projects implemented using budgetary funds: if, after the approval of the project and its estimate, the customer, seeking to save money, makes a choice in favor of materials and solutions of lower quality. "If the architect does not have leverage to influence this choice, and this is also a security issue, buildings will simply come down with cheaper materials. On the other hand, if accounts are settled according to the previously approved estimate, and cheap materials are used, who will check it? and who will be responsible for this?" Kyrii said. Chyzhevsky said that the rights of architects should be harmoniously combined with responsibilities. "Duties can be fully fulfilled only when there are full rights, in particular, property copyright," Chyzhevsky said. The experts called the creation of the Urban Development Chamber as another controversial point of the bill. According to Kyrii, this initiative leads to the strengthening of centralized power instead of expanding the rights of horizontal structures, i.e., in fact, it leads to the leveling of the very practice of self-regulation. According to her, bill No. 5655 will unbalance the entire system. "An architect is deprived of his rights and at the same time he is entrusted with even greater responsibility. We are becoming even more dependent on those who are still in charge of the market. The main resource is concentrated in the developers, those who distribute funds. In most cases, they are the initiators of violations of state building codes, saving resources, replacing quality materials with cheaper ones," the expert said. She drew attention to the fact that at the same time, it is for developers that the current version of the bill expands the rights. "The Urban Development Chamber will supervise the responsible executors of the works, and the developers will receive both property copyrights and urban planning control, which they can order from legal entities," Kyrii said. According to Chyzhevsky, the organization of separate bodies with the broadest possible powers is extremely dangerous. "This creates many additional levers of influence on responsible executors, which is demonstrated by the experience of SACI," Chyzhevsky said. The expert said that self-regulation is a sign of our times. "On the one hand, this is a component of the formation of civil society, which ensures stable democracy, which is so important for our country. On the other hand, the implementation of the powers delegated by the state, the process of certification of a creative employee by a creative employee, which is implemented by the National Union of Architects, meets not only the recommendations of the World Organization of Architects, but also the obligations of the state of Ukraine to the WTO and the EU," Chyzhevsky said. Children leave a school in the Shekou area of Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China (Photo : REUTERS/David Kirton) Battered by a regulatory crackdown, China's multi-billion dollar private tutoring sector could seek to separate its business segments and bulk up non-academic tutoring as it tries to soften the blow on its operations, analysts said on Monday. Shares in Hong Kong and U.S.-listed education firms such as New Oriental Education & Technology Group, TAL Education Group and Gaotu Techedu fell sharply for the second straight session on Monday after China barred for-profit tutoring in core school subjects. Advertisement Graphic: Chinese stocks under regulatory fire: https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/movanmldqpa/China%20stocks%20regulatory%20fire.png While the firms said they expected the new rules to have a material impact on their after-school tutoring services, some analysts expect some of the largest education providers to take steps to mitigate the impact on their businesses. "Tutoring companies likely have to dispose of K-9 academic tutoring businesses," China Renaissance Securities analyst Don Lau said in a note. Mark Haefele, chief investment officer at UBS Global Wealth Management, noted that implementation of previous regulations has "often not taken the strictest form" and said listed after-school tutoring firms may look to spin off their school curriculum-based businesses and focus on other areas to avoid delisting. Under the new rules, all institutions offering tutoring on the school curriculum will be registered as non-profit organisations, according to an official document. China's education industry sub-index plunged as much as 15% from Thursday's close. Morningstar Equity Research said in a report that it believed "both New Oriental and TAL would need to adjust their K-12 academic businesses and likely spin off the non-profit mandatory education businesses in the longer term - while keeping high schools and other business such as overseas test preparation, adult English, and general English." It expects both providers to invest in non-academic tutoring such as art, computer coding, sport, music, and other extra curricular programs to keep their companies to remain listed. Commissioner Allison Lee participates in a U.S Securities and Exchange Commission open meeting to propose changing its decades-old definition of an "accredited investor" (Photo : REUTERS/Erin Scott) Chinese companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges must disclose the risks of the Chinese government interfering in their businesses as part of their regular reporting obligations, a top U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission official said on Monday. Democratic commissioner Allison Lee's comments are the first by an SEC official since Chinese regulators launched a massive cyber probe of ride-hailing giant Didi Global last week, just days after its $4.4 billion New York listing, wiping 25% off its share price. Advertisement U.S. authorities have cracked down on other U.S.-listed Chinese companies and may require tutoring firms to become non-profits, according to a Bloomberg report that hit shares in the sector, including New York-listed TAL Education Group and Gaotu Techedu Inc. Some policymakers worry Chinese firms are systematically flouting U.S. rules, which require public companies to disclose to investors a range of potential risks to their businesses. "Public companies must disclose significant risks which, for China-based issuers, may sometimes involve risks related to the regulatory environment and potential actions by the Chinese government," Lee, who served as acting head of the SEC from late January to mid-April, told Reuters in an interview. The Wall Street Journal has reported that Didi had been warned by regulators to delay its initial public offering and to address its cyber security. Didi has said it had no knowledge of the investigation prior to its listing. Lee declined to comment on whether the SEC had opened a probe of Didi for potential disclosure failings. "We should always be focused on ensuring investors are fully informed of material risks, such as the risks we've seen recently related to China," Lee said. An SEC spokesperson said that as a matter of policy, the SEC conducts investigations on a confidential basis and does not acknowledge the existence or non-existence of any investigation unless or until charges are filed. Over the past decade, Washington policymakers have focused on getting U.S.-listed Chinese companies to comply with U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board rules. Last year Congress passed a law that would kick Chinese companies off U.S. exchanges unless they adhere to American auditing standards. But regulators have not generally focused on Chinese company disclosure issues. Some lawmakers are calling for the SEC to devote more resources to the issue. "U.S. regulators must insure that American investors and workers are protected from the sort of non-market behavior that is leaving American investors scorched," Senator Bill Hagerty, who sits on the Senate Banking Committee, said in a statement to Reuters. "This includes enforcing compliance with Public Company Accounting Oversight Board audit requirements, as well as investigating whether there have been sufficient disclosures about the serious potential investment risks associated with such a centrally-controlled economy," Hagerty said. 'The sky has fallen': Chinese farmers see livelihoods washed away by floods A pig carcass lies in floodwaters on a farmland following heavy rainfall in Wangfan village of Xinxiang, Henan province, China (Photo : REUTERS/Aly Song) Chinese farmer Cheng wades through knee-deep water, pulling dead pigs behind him one-by-one by a rope tied around their ankles as he lines up the bloated carcasses for disposal. More than 100 of Cheng's pigs drowned in floods that paralysed China's central Henan province last week, and the outlook for those left alive is bleak. Advertisement "I'm waiting for the water levels to go down to see what to do with the remaining pigs," said the 47-year-old farmer from Wangfan village, about 90 kilometres (55 miles) north of provincial capital Zhengzhou. "They've been in the water for a few days now and can't eat at all. I don't think even one pig will be left." Cheng's farm is one of thousands in Henan, famous for agriculture, and pork production in particular. The province was struck by heavy rains last week that sparked the worst flash flooding in centuries, catching many by surprise. "In an instant, we now have no way of surviving. We have no other skills. We have no more money to raise pigs again," Cheng, who has raised pigs all his life, told Reuters at his farm on Sunday. "This is as if the sky has fallen." Across the village, where most of the 3,000 other residents also raise pigs or chickens or grow grain, people were clearing debris left by the receding floodwaters. Some carted out wheelbarrows and crates of lifeless chickens. Dead pigs lay bloated in the water, tied to trees to stop them floating away. Parts of the village smelled strongly of mud and rotting carcasses. At least 200,000 chickens and up to 6,000 pigs were lost in the flood, half of the village's herd, farmers told Reuters. Across Henan, rains have deluged 1,678 larger scale farms, killing more than a million animals. Though Chinese pig production has become increasingly intensive in recent years, millions of small farmers still play a major role in producing the country's favourite meat. Even after a devastating epidemic of the deadly pig disease African swine fever swept the country during 2018 and 2019, many farmers returned to pig raising and expanded their herds to capitalise on high prices. Cheng said he's facing losses of about 30,000 yuan ($4,627.13), and worries he won't receive any government compensation. Livelihoods aside, the flooding also has many worried about fresh disease outbreaks. Last summer, heavy rain and flooding across southern China was blamed for dozens of outbreaks of African swine fever, a disease that usually kills pigs though is not harmful to people. "The disease issue is a much more severe issue than the direct losses," said Pan Chenjun, senior analyst at Rabobank. The swine fever virus lives for about 10 days in pig faeces and water, and can survive for up to 100 days in manure pits. "Whatever's in the manure pits will be washed out and spread around," said Wayne Johnson, a veterinarian and consultant at Beijing-based Enable Ag-Tech Consulting. Last week, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued guidelines to local governments on how to prevent animal disease after flooding, including measures on disposal of carcasses and disinfection of farms. For now though, Wangfan farmers are not even sure they'll return to farming. "After doing this for so many years, in a flash, everything is gone," said 53-year-old Zhang Guangsi, who lost about half his herd. "I don't feel like raising pigs anymore." Man pleads guilty to four murders in Atlanta-area spa shootings (Photo : REUTERS) ATLANTA (Reuters) - A man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to the shooting deaths of four people killed in attacks on Atlanta-area spas in March that ended the life of eight people, six of them women of Asian descent. Dressed in a white, button-down shirt with an open collar, and dress slacks and sporting a mohawk haircut, Robert Aaron Long, 22, pleaded guilty in court to the four murders at the day spa in Cherokee County, about 40 miles (64 km) north of Atlanta. Advertisement Long, holding his head up but looking somber, also affirmed agreement with the state's recommendation of four life sentences without possibility of parole, to be served consecutively, plus 35 years on other charges. Long has also been charged in the March 16 killings of four women at spas in Atlanta, where the district attorney has said she believed the women were targeted because of their race, national origin and gender and would seek the death penalty. The killings, which Cherokee officials have tied to "sex addiction," galvanized awareness of a wave of anti-Asian bias and violence in the United States in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, which is believed to have originated in China. But Cherokee District Attorney Shannon Wallace said her office's investigation did not turn up any bias based on race or gender. "We were not able to conclude that it was motivated by bias or race," she told the court. "In discussing this case, this was not any kind of hate crime." Long initially went to Youngs Asian Massage with the intent to engage in sexual activity to obtain the "necessary amount of shame and hate" to kill himself over his struggle with sex addiction, Wallace said. At some point, while drinking bourbon, Long decided instead to carry out "vigilante justice" to end the sex industry, she said. The victims in Cherokee County have been identified as: Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33; Paul Andre Michels, 54; Xiaojie Yan, 49; and Daoyou Feng, 44. (Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta and Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut;Editing by Alistair Bell) An investor sits in front of a board showing stock information at a brokerage office in Beijing, China, (Photo : REUTERS/Thomas Peter) China's equity markets suffered outflows of $600 million on Tuesday after bleeding $2 billion on Monday, the Institute of International Finance (IIF) said. "These are very weak figures compared to the first half of 2021, when monthly inflows averaged $5.8 billion," said Jonathan Fortun Vargas, economist at the IIF. "This is likely due to Beijing's regulatory actions in the past week." Advertisement Hong Kong's benchmark index and Chinese A-shares had extended sharp losses to end at multi-month closing lows on Tuesday, as investors worried over the impact of tighter government regulations following a crackdown by Beijing on the tech and education sectors. Graphic: IIF China flows: https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/egpbknoowvq/IIF%20China%20flows.PNG Chief of the General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces Ruslan Homchak attends the annual exhibition of weaponry and military equipment "Arms and Security" in Kiev (Photo : REUTERS/Gleb Garanich/File Photo) Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has dismissed the head of the armed forces, Ruslan Khomchak, his spokesman said at a briefing on Tuesday, citing tensions between the armed forces and the defence ministry. Khomchak will be moved to a post on the national security and defence council. He will be replaced by Valery Zaluzhny, who heads the military's northern command. Ukrainian troops have fought Russian-backed separatists in a conflict that Kyiv says has killed 14,000 people since 2014. Advertisement "Commander-in-Chief Ruslan Khomchak is leaving his post, this is the president's decision," Zelenskiy's spokesman Sergii Nykyforov told a briefing. "The president wants to see synergy between the ministry of defence and the armed forces of Ukraine, but unfortunately we do not see synergy, but on the contrary we see conflicts." The Ukrainian media in recent months have reported disputes between the defence ministry and Khomchak. Khomchak in March denied any rift: telling the news outlet gordon.ua: "Here is a working relationship where everyone has his own opinion, they can argue, they can discuss, they can come to something." Ukraine has urged its Western backers to speed up its entry into the NATO military alliance as a deterrent against Russia, though NATO members say Kyiv must reform its armed forces and tackle corruption to be able to apply. The Russian Foreign Ministry has expressed its rejection of attempts to link its military cooperation with Ethiopia with the dispute of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), calling for not politicizing the dam issue. Linking the military-technical cooperation between the Russia and Ethiopia with the uneasy and long-term negotiating process between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia on the construction of the Renaissance Hydroelectric Power Plant [GERD] on the Nile River is surprising, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in the statement late on Friday. The ministry stated that the Russian-Ethiopian cooperation in the military technical field is based on a governmental agreement for defense cooperation. On 12 July, Russia and Ethiopia inked a military cooperation agreement at the conclusion of three-day deliberations of the 11th Ethiopia-Russia military technical cooperation joint meeting held in Addis Ababa. Russia stressed in the Fridays statement that the military agreement doesnt have any destabilizing character, indicating that it maintains similar joint cooperation with a number of other countries, including Egypt and Sudan." Accordingly, the Russian ministry called for not politicizing the construction of the GERD so as to avoid any possible escalation of tension between the three parties. We believe that the chances of reaching a resolution acceptable to all within the framework of the tripartite negotiating mechanism mediated by the African Union have not expired yet," the Russian ministry said. The settlement of the existing disputes between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan must be carried out in accordance with the spirit and provisions of the 2015 Declaration of Principles and on the basis of the preliminary understandings reached in the tripartite framework, the ministry noted. The two downstream countries Egypt and Sudan have been negotiating with Ethiopia for a decade to reach a comprehensive and legally binding agreement on the GERD, which Addis Ababa has been building on the Blue Nile since 2011, but to no avail as the upstream country rather seeks mere guidelines that can be modified any time at its discretion. On Monday, Ethiopia announced it fulfilled its unilateral second-year filling of the GERD, which both downstream countries condemned, with Cairo describing it as a "blatant and dangerous" violation of international laws as well as the Declaration of Principles signed in 2015. Later, the Ethiopian foreign ministry said a win-win solution is still within reach, but we cannot sign a final agreement. On 22 July, Russias Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova in a press briefing said that Moscow is following closely the developments related to the GERD and fully aware of the significance of this matter for Addis Ababa and also for Egypt and Sudan. Russia took an equidistant stance with regard to differences between the three countries regarding the filling and operation of the hydroelectric complex at the July 8 open meeting of the UN Security Council on this subject. We believe that a search for solutions should take place at trilateral talks under the African Unions aegis, Zakharova said. The UN body held earlier this month a session on the GERD in an attempt to settle the dispute over the near-complete dam. On 15 July, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi stated in a public speech that we managed to put the GERD issue on the international agenda during the UNSC meeting. El-Sisi reiterated Egypts demand for signing a legally binding agreement on the filling and operation of the GERD, saying: "lets make a legally binding agreement that will bring prosperity, security and peace to all of us. We offered to our brothers in Sudan and Ethiopia our cooperation and expertise in agriculture and energy on the condition that Egypts water rights not to be touched, El-Sisi said. We have the economic and military power to impose our will and defend our interests. We have several options and we will consider them according to the situation and the circumstances at time. Egypt, which relies on the worlds longest River Nile for more than 95 percent of its renewable water resources, fears that the unilateral filling and operation of the massive hydropower project will significantly diminish its water supply, which at 560 m3 per person annually is already well below the international threshold for water scarcity. Egypt is considered one of the most water-scarce countries in the world, as it receives around 60 bcm annually mainly from the River Nile though its needs stand at around 114 bcm. Short link: Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad has stressed that Egypt is keen on sharing its own visions and ideas on climate change-related issues. The minister's remarks came on Monday at the preparatory ministerial meeting held by the United Kingdom, which hosts climate and environment ministers from 51 countries for "critical" climate talks ahead of November's United Nations Climate Change Conference ("COP26") summit in Glasgow. Fouad placed emphasis on the need to reach a clear-cut agreement to develop a plain and concrete definition of the global goal to adapt to and deal with the climate change impacts. The minister also urged to reconsider the procedures on adaption projects and provide the necessary funding for relevant policies and programs. Short link: Municipal authorities in Egypts Mediterranean city of Alexandria have begun demolishing a 17-storey leaning building to avoid its collapse. The 39-apartment building in the well-known Sayala neighbourhood in the Bahary district was evacuated before the start of the process. Ten floors will be removed from the building, Alexandrias Governor Mohamed El-Sherif said, pointing out it was constructed without registeration in 2016 and multiple demolition orders were issued for it. Temporary homes are being prepared currently for the evacuated residents. There are 164 leaning buildings in Alexandria at varying degrees, El-Sherif said in a phone interview with Ahmed Moussa on Sada El-Balad TV channel. On Saturday night, tenants heard cracking sound from under the building, prompting them to rush out of the premises immediately. Then, security forces and ambulances hurried to the scene to ensure the safety of all residents. Several nearby buildings were also evacuated to determine if they were affected or not. Building collapses are commonplace in Egypt and are usually attributed to violations of building specifications, illegal extensions and lax oversight. However, Egypt has pledged the adoption of resolute measures to stop building violations, especially in agricultural lands nationwide. Search Keywords: Short link: The first round of the Joint Higher Committees preparatory meetings at the expert and ministerial levels between Egypt and South Sudan launched on Tuesday, Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat announced. The meetings are the first to be held since signing the Higher Committee Establishment Agreement in January 2012. The meetings come within the framework of strengthening joint economic relations between Egypt and South Sudan and showing Egypts keenness to strengthening economic relations with fellow African countries. It also comes in implementation of Egypts Prime Minister Mostafa Madboulys directives, issued in October 2020, to start the preparations of the Joint Higher Committee between the two countries, after which the Ministry of International Cooperation held the first coordination meeting in November 2020, between line ministries and entities concerned with strengthening cooperation with South Sudan, whereas the second meeting was held last June. Additionally, several field visits were also carried out by line ministries and technical entities to discuss the proposed areas of cooperation between both countries. Madbouly and South Sudan's Vice President James Wani Igga chaired the first session of talks of the Egyptian-South Sudanese Higher Committee, where they witnessed the signing of several cooperation agreements between the two countries. Al-Mashat emphasised that holding the first session of the Egyptian-South Sudanese Higher Committee comes as part of the agreement signed in 2012 between both countries, reflecting Egypts keenness to enhance cooperation with African countries, under the leadership of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. She also referred to the Egyptian presidents visit to South Sudan in November 2020 and his directives to advance development efforts and joint relations between both countries. Al-Mashat further mentioned that there are several areas of joint cooperation between both countries across various sectors, including water resources, irrigation, health, education and electricity, expressing that this cooperation paves the way for advancing development efforts in Sudan. It also leads to strengthening Egyptian investments that aim to deepen economic relations between Egypt and South Sudan, which in turn makes room for enhancing the private sectors engagement, according to Al-Mashat. Search Keywords: Short link: Work on Egypts first monorail train that connects the new administrative capital to various parts of Cairo is picking up as Egypts Transport Minister Kamel El-Wazir announced on Tuesday that the first monorail train has arrived at Alexandria Port. El-Wazir emphasized the quick pace of construction of the monorail is necessary as it represents a quantum shift in urban transportation in Egypt. There are currently two monorail projects underway in Egypt - one connects the administrative capital to Nasr City neighborhood over a 56.5 km stretch of road while the other connects the sixth of October city to the Arab League headquarters in downtown Cairo in a route that is 42 km long. Both monorails are connected to Cairos third metro line in a bid to reduce the commutes from Cairo and Giza to the administrative capital to the shortest time possible as both monorail projects take less than 60 minutes to trot through the entire line. The monorail project is entirely autonomous and features screen doors placed on the platform to conserve energy and to ensure the safety of the passengers in addition to the monorail being constructed entirely from aluminum to save weight and increase speed. The administrative capital monorail is 21.2 percent complete as of July as the first phase is projected for release by late May of 2022 while the second phase should be done by February 2023, Egypts Cabinet said last month. As for the sixth of October line, it is expected to be ready for passengers by June of 2023. Short link: Ethiopian Minister of Water and Irrigation Seleshi Bekele expected on Monday a possible flood in downstream countries as highlands have witnessed heavy rainfall. In a tweet, Bekele said that rain over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is pouring at a rate of 6,000 cubic metres per second. The Ethiopian minister said the water in the massive dams reservoir has already surcharged by five metres due to the downpour. Separately, Bekele called the GERD a guardian for downstream countries, claiming that it contributes to reducing floods and raising water during drought. Tensions between Sudan, Egypt, and Ethiopia were aggravated earlier this month after Ethiopia informed Egypt and Sudan that it had started the second phase of filling the dams reservoir, a step that the two downstream countries have condemned. Ethiopia said earlier in July that it has completed the second stage of filling the dams reservoir. Egypt and Sudan have been calling for a binding deal on the filling and operation of the dam that would preserve their water rights and protect their people against potentially significant harm. Their demand has been met with Ethiopian resistance, leading rounds of African Union-sponsored talks to collapse and causing Egypt and Sudan to resort to the United Nations Security Council earlier this month. Short link: An Egyptian criminal court sentenced terrorist Bahaa Kishk, a top aide to Hisham Ashmawy who was executed in Egypt last year, and two others to death on Tuesday over terrorism charges. The court referred the sentences to Egypt's Grand Mufti for a non-binding opinion, and set 25 October to issue its final verdict in the case. The defendants are charged of leading Al-Qaeda-aligned group Al-Mourabitoun along with Ashmawy, and financing a terrorist organization with arms, ammunition and explosives. Kishk, who was arrested in Libya and extradited to Egypt, was considered the right hand of Ashmawy who was also captured in the eastern Libyan city of Derna in late 2018. Asmawy, described as the country's most dangerous terrorist, was handed over to Egypt by forces loyal to Commander Khalifa Haftar in May 2019. Ashmawy was handed two death sentences after being convicted of orchestrating several deadly high-profile attacks against security forces. He was executed by hanging in March 2020. Short link: Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi followed up on the work progress to establish a unified national network for emergency and public safety in a meeting with ministers on Tuesday. The planned network aims to achieve full control and cooperation among all parties to quickly face and contain all types of emergencies, crises and disasters within a limited period of time, a presidential statement read. The network also aims to support the states sustainable development plans through the use of modern communications technology within the framework of a unified and fully secured network. This network should include all the relevant parties within the state in accordance with the latest international standards, the statement read. The network should serve as a backbone for the state institutions in terms of the emergency services and in a way that ensures fast response to respond to the various emergency reports. Sisi instructed officials to continue evaluating the results of the operation of the first phase of the networks indicative model in Port Said city so that it can be generalized across the nation. The network should link the emergency elements and vital facilities, including the ambulance, medical care, petroleum and electricity sectors, traffic and civil protection. These elements would be connected through a main centre and a specialized operations room in every governorate to receive the citizens emergency reports, the statement noted. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli, Interior Minister Mahmoud Tawfik, Health Minister Hala Zayed, Local Development Minister Mahmoud Shaarawy, Communications Minister Amr Talaat and Port Said Governor attended the meeting. Sisi also met on Tuesday with the premier and Public Business Sector Minister Hisham Tawfik, and discussed efforts to restructure and develop the public business sector companies. Short link: Egypts investigating authorities ordered on Tuesday the detention of a TikTok influencer, known on social media as the Hohos Girl, and a friend of her for four days pending investigations over charges of publishing videos containing sexual innuendos. The pair is accused of inciting debauchery and transgressing societys values through posting videos that contain explicit sexual innuendos, an official statement said. The authorities have included in the case five videos of the girl and her friend that contained indecent expressions that incite immorality, debauchery and prostitution, the statement added. Investigations also revealed the friend was in charge of filming the girl and posting the videos to make financial profits, the statement said. The girl admitted to seeking to rack up a large number of views on TikTok, exactly as the renowned influencers Haneen Hossam and Mawada Eladham, who are currently detained over similar charges, did. The girl was arrested days after she fled when she knew she was wanted by police. Last month, influencers Hossam and Eladham, along with other convicts, were sentenced to prison over human trafficking-related charges. The prosecution accused Hossam, Eladham and the other girls of human trafficking by using girls in acts that violate 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 organized for human trafficking purposes" the victims poor economic circumstances and their need for money by promising them a sum of money. Short link: Three thousand Ethiopian asylum-seekers crossed into Sudan late Monday, according to a government report seen by AFP, hailing from the Amhara region which borders the conflict-hit Tigray region. The two regions, which both border Sudan, are locked in a decades-old land dispute that has become central to an eight-month-old war in Tigray. "Three thousand people from the Qemant tribe crossed the border late today (Monday) into Taya village" in El-Gedaref state, the Sudanese government report said. More asylum-seekers from the war-torn region were pouring in, it added. Taya lies in the disputed Al-Fashaqa district, where Ethiopian farmers cultivate fertile land claimed by Sudan. On Sunday, Amhara regional president Agegnehu Teshager called on all armed residents to mobilise for battle against the Tigrayan rebels dubbing it a "survival campaign", state media reported. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, sent troops into Tigray last November to oust the region's ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a move he said was in response to TPLF attacks on federal army camps. Ahmed has leaned heavily on security forces from the Amhara region during the fighting in Tigray. Fighting dragged on for months before the tables turned in late June, with pro-TPLF fighters reclaiming the Tigray capital Mekele and Abiy declaring a unilateral ceasefire. The Tigrayan rebels have since pushed on into other areas, including ones claimed by the Amhara region, and the federal government has sought assistance from other regions. The war has already killed thousands of people and pushed hundreds of thousands more into famine, according to United Nations. Short link: An attack by Boko Haram killed five Cameroonian soldiers and a civilian, according to a defence ministry statement on state radio Tuesday. The attack took place on Monday night in the far north of the central African country near the border with Nigeria, where operations by the Islamist group have been on the rise. Short link: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday spoke by telephone with Tunisian President Kais Saied to urge respect for democracy after he sacked the government. In his call, the top US diplomat urged Saied to "maintain open dialogue with all political actors and the Tunisian people," the State Department said in a statement. "He encouraged President Saied to adhere to the principles of democracy and human rights that are the basis of governance in Tunisia," it said. Blinken also promised US support on Tunisia's economy and fight against Covid-19, a key factor in protests that erupted around the nation and led Saied on Sunday to dismiss the prime minister and suspend parliament. President Joe Biden's administration, which considers democracy promotion a key priority, earlier voiced alarm over the situation in the birthplace of the Arab Spring. "Tunisia must not squander its democratic gains. The United States will continue to stand on the side of Tunisia's democracy," State Department spokesman Ned Price said. Price said the United States was "troubled" by the closing of media offices and urged "scrupulous respect for freedom of expression and other civil rights." White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said it was too early to determine whether Saied had carried out a coup, saying the State Department would carry out a legal analysis. Under domestic law, the United States is obligated to cut off direct assistance to governments that came to power by overthrowing elected leaders. The law has occasionally led the State Department to go through bureaucratic contortions when it does not want to curb aid. Tunisia had often been cited as the greatest success story of the Arab Spring, the tumult sparked across the region after Mohamed Bouazizi, a university graduate who could only find work as a fruit vendor, self-immolated in December 2010. *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: Human Rights Watch on Tuesday accused the Israeli military of carrying out attacks that apparently amount to war crimes during an 11-day war against Hamas in May. The international human rights organization issued its conclusions after investigating three Israeli airstrikes that it said killed 62 Palestinian civilians. It said there were no evident military targets in the vicinity of the attacks. The report also accused Palestinian militants of apparent war crimes by launching over 4,000 unguided rockets and mortars at Israeli population centers. Such attacks, it said, violate the prohibition against deliberate or indiscriminate attacks against civilians. The report, however, focused on Israeli actions during the fighting, and the group said it would issue a separate report on the actions of Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups in August. Israeli forces carried out attacks in Gaza in May that devastated entire families without any apparent military target nearby, said Gerry Simpson, associated crisis and conflict director at HRW. He said Israels consistent unwillingness to seriously investigate alleged war crimes, coupled with Palestinian rocket fire at Israeli civilian areas, underscored the importance of an ongoing investigation into both sides by the International Criminal Court, or ICC. There was no immediate reaction to the report by the Israeli military, which has repeatedly said its attacks were aimed at military targets in Gaza. It says it takes numerous precautions to avoid harming civilians and blames Hamas for civilian casualties by launching rocket attacks and other military operations inside residential areas. The war erupted on May 10 after Hamas fired a barrage of rockets toward Jerusalem in support of Palestinian protests against Israels heavy-handed policing of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers in a nearby neighborhood. In all, Hamas fired over 4,000 rockets and mortars toward Israel, while Israel has said it struck over 1,000 targets linked to Gaza militants. In all, some 254 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, including at least 67 children and 39 women, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Hamas has acknowledged the deaths of 80 fighters, while Israel has claimed the number is much higher. Twelve civilians, including two children, were killed in Israel, along with one soldier. The HRW report looked into Israeli airstrikes. The most serious, on May 16, involved a series of strikes on Al-Wahda Street, a central thoroughfare in downtown Gaza City. The airstrikes destroyed three apartment buildings and killed a total of 44 civilians, HRW said, including 18 children and 14 women. Twenty-two of the dead were members of a single family, the al-Kawlaks. Israel has said the attacks were aimed at tunnels used by Hamas militants in the area and suggested the damage to the homes was unintentional. In its investigation, HRW concluded that Israel had used U.S.-made GBU-31 precision-guided bombs, and that Israel had not warned any of the residents to evacuate the area ahead of time. It also it found no evidence of military targets in the area. An attack that is not directed at a specific military objective is unlawful, it wrote. The investigation also looked at a May 10 explosion that killed eight people, including six children, near the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun. It said the two adults were civilians. Israel has suggested the explosion was caused by a misfired Palestinian rocket. But based on an analysis of munition remnants and witness accounts, HRW said evidence indicated the weapon had been a type of guided missile. Human Rights Watch found no evidence of a military target at or near the site of the strike, it said. The third attack it investigated occurred on May 15, in which an Israeli airstrike destroyed a three-story building in Gazas Shati refugee camp. The strike killed 10 people, including two women and eight children. HRW investigators determined the building was hit by a U.S.-made guided missile. It said Israel has said that senior Hamas officials were hiding in the building. But the group said no evidence of a military target at or near the site and called for an investigation into whether there was a legitimate military objective and all feasible precautions were taken to avoid civilian casualties. The May conflict was the fourth war between Israel and Hamas since the Islamic militant group, which opposes Israels existence, seized control of Gaza in 2007. Human Rights Watch, other rights groups and U.N. officials have accused both sides of committing war crimes in all of the conflicts. Early this year, HRW accused Israel of being guilty of international crimes of apartheid and persecution because of discriminatory polices toward Palestinians, both inside Israel as well as in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israel rejected the accusations. In Tuesdays report, it called on the United States to condition security assistance to Israel on it taking concrete and verifiable actions to comply with international human rights law and to investigate past abuses. It also called on the ICC to include the recent Gaza war in its ongoing investigation into possible war crimes by Israel and Palestinian militant groups. Israel does not recognize the courts jurisdiction and says it is capable of investigating any potential wrongdoing by its army and that the ICC probe is unfair and politically motivated. *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Short link: A day the Tunisians will remember for a very long time. President Kais Saied made a bundle of decisions on Sunday that are related to the countrys executive, legislative and judicial authorities. As Sarah Yerkes, a senior fellow at Carnegies Middle East program, put it, rumors have been circulated about Saieds latest measures before he declared them for several weeks. Saied decided to lead the public prosecution to be in charge of investigations into crimes committed against Tunisia, dismiss premier Hichem Mechichi, suspend the parliament for a month and revoke the immunity of all parliamentarians. The president will also lead the executive authority and announce a new head of government whose name is yet to be revealed. He also removed the defence ministers and acting justice minister from their posts. The former law professor unveiled these moves - which he stressed are constitutionally correct - in a televised speech that followed his emergency meeting with security and military leaders. "We will not remain silent on anyone who insults the state and its symbols, and whoever shoots a single bullet will face a barrage of army bullets," said Saied in his speech. Saied also ordered a nationwide curfew between 7pm and 6pm from 26 July to 27 August and banned travelling across cities and public gatherings of more than three people. The consequences of these decisions are arguably the key question that the whole world - needless to say Tunisias forces and people themselves - is thinking about. As only 48 hours have passed since Sundays events, all options remain possible. It is worth mentioning that Saied took this direction following a day of anti-Islamist protests in different parts of the country, including the capital Tunis, Nabeul, Sousse, Kairouan, Sfax and Tozeur. A group of protesters then broke into the offices of the Islamist Ennahda Party, which has the largest number of seats in parliament and one of Tunisias most successful political forces since its decade-long uprising. So far, it seems that Saied will face more problems with Ennahda than with Mechichi. Mechichi issued a statement on Monday night saying that he will hand over power to the presidents pick for the premiership, as a continuation of the peaceful transition of power tradition since the 2011 revolution and as a sign of respect for the states rules and laws. I cannot be an element that impedes the country or exacerbates the crisis it is in, he said. On the contrary, Ennahda wants to reverse Saieds moves. Radwan Masmoudi, an Ennahda member and President of the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy, said that we are going everything in our powers to resist and to undo all these actions, by protecting and respecting the constitution and the legal process. Masmoudi added that Ennahda wants the backing of all political parties, national and international organizations, and the international community. But Saied vowed to protect the democratic path, rights and freedoms in Tunisia, sources told Sky News Arabia on Tuesday. The same sources added that Saied, during his meeting with civil society organizations, said that these measures are exceptional and temporary. For several months, Saied has been involved in a political crisis against Mechichi and Ennahda leader Rached Al-Ghannouchi - arguably allies by then - over a cabinet reshuffle. In March, Mechichi changed 11 ministers out of the 28-minister cabinet, a step that was widely seen as a move to replace the pro-Saied figures with those who are close to Ennahda and Qalb Tounes. Saied then responded by refusing to swear in four of them, including the interior, justice and health ministers. The crisis also spread to disagreements between these figures on the structure of the government, whether to have a constitutional court, and the shape of the political system. For example, Saied believes that Tunisia has moved to a parliamentary, multi-party system that bruises the Tunisian people in terms of food, transportation and health, especially amid a catastrophic health situation. The latest measures were followed by a call by the General Union of Labour (UGTT) for a clear participatory roadmap and abiding by the constitution. It emphasized the need for reviewing the measures related to the judiciary to ensure its independence. The UGTT one out of four Tunisian institutions that received a Nobel Peace Prize in 2015 for brokering a post-revolution transitional deal between political forces said it believes in the armys nobility, patriotism, and unconditional adherence to the protection of the country and people and preservation of the civil state. Arnaud Kurze, an associate professor of Justice Studies at Montclair State University, said it is worthwhile inquiring whether important civil society actors, such as unions and syndicates, might have to step in to mitigate the crisis, as they have done before, during the 2013 crisis when the National Dialogue Quartet defused a crisis when the nation had to confront political assassinations and turmoil across the country. Short link: NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday reiterated calls for a "negotiated settlement" with the Taliban in Afghanistan, admitting the country faced a "deeply challenging" security situation as foreign troops leave. "The security situation in Afghanistan remains deeply challenging, and requires a negotiated settlement. NATO will continue to support Afghanistan, including with funding; civilian presence; and out-of-country training," Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter after speaking to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Since early May, violence has surged as the Taliban launched a sweeping assault just days after US-led NATO forces began a withdrawal which is now almost complete. The deadly advance has seen the insurgents capture scores of districts, border crossings and encircle several provincial capitals. The fighting continues across the rugged countryside as peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban have so far failed to reach a deal to end the war. Most of NATO's 10,000-strong force have already pulled out of the country after a decision by President Joe Biden to bring Washington's troops home after two decades. The United Nations warned Monday that Afghanistan could see the highest number of civilian deaths in more than a decade if the Taliban's offensives across the country are not halted. The US descended on Afghanistan and its Taliban government in 2001 in the wake of the 9/11 attacks by Al-Qaeda, which had sought sanctuary in the country. There are serious fears that the Taliban's advance could see the collapse of the country and unravel the tenuous gains made in 20 years of costly involvement in the country. Short link: Egypt has signed four agreements on gold exploration in the Eastern Desert with Canadian Barrick Gold Corporation. According to the agreements, the company will invest for the first time in the mining domain in 19 sectors in the Eastern Desert at a total investment cost of $8.8 million. The Canadian company will start the project after winning a bid by the Egyptian Petroleum Ministry in 2020. Minister of Petroleum Tarek El-Molla, in press statements, said that the reforms that were implemented by the ministry succeeded in increasing Egyptian and foreign investments in gold exploration in the country. Short link: Egypt has secured the majority votes of both the International Cooperative Alliance and the African Cooperative Alliance to host the permanent headquarters of the African Organisation for Housing Cooperatives in Cairo, according to a statement issued by the Egypts General Authority for Construction and Housing Cooperatives (GACHC). GACHC will also host the International Cooperative Alliances regional office for north Africa, according to the statement. Meanwhile, GACHC is expected to sign the required protocols for these actions during the ceremony it is scheduled to hold over five days on 2 August in the presence of the officials of the two alliances. Prior to the pandemic, GACHC organised the third round of the international conference for cooperative housing in December 2019 under the theme Sustainable Cooperatives, discussing the alignment of international and national cooperative development frameworks with the Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030. As the voice of cooperatives, GACHC is committed to educating its stakeholders about its efforts and how they fit within the SDGs, helping cooperative companies to respond to the UNs call to action and collecting information about their contributions to the 2030 Agenda in order to better position cooperatives as partners throughout the implementation process. According the International Cooperative Alliance, the cooperative movement in Egypt consists currently of five sectors, including consumer, agriculture, fishery, housing and production. It covers 18,000 democratic cooperative organisations, with 25 million citizens benefiting from its services. Short link: Following their regular summer practice, Egypts Gamal El-Helw International Circus took its performances to Marsa Matrouh city on the Mediterranean coast. Launching the shows during Eid, the circus will continue its performances until the end of September. The circus has been visiting Marsa Matrouh during the summer for 11 years now, however, it is the first time for us to set up in an area at the Modaireen Street, close to the Police Club, reveals Mona Helmy, who is in charge of the companys Communications Department. The private circus was founded over 25 years ago by El-Helw, a graduate form the Faculty of Commerce of Helwan University who comes from the iconic Egyptian family that founded Egyptian circus. He was involved in circus arts since a very young age. The circus doesnt have a fixed place. We keep touring throughout the year, coming to Marsa Matrouh during summer. In the following months we will visit other Egyptian governorates, Helmy explains. The shows presented to the Marsa Matrouh audience include Egyptian artists linked to El-Helws circus in addition to international performers from Russia and Ukraine. The programme includes numerous acrobatic stunts, trapeze artists, balancing, clowns, and performances featuring animals, including horses, lions, and tigers. El-Helw hails from a long line of Egyptian circus artists. The father of the Egyptian circus, Mohamed Ali El-Helw, founded the familys first circus in 1889. In the early 1950s, the family established another circus, that was then nationalised in the 1960s and started its operations under the House of Folklore and Performing Arts of the Cultural Production Sector. A number of El-Helw decendants continue to work at the national circus while others embarked on their own private projects. Over the decades, numerous Egyptian circus artists participated in international festivals, garnering a variety of recognitions for their shows or individual performances. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Short link: Naeema Al-Gasseer, a Bahraini national, was appointed to the position of World Health Organisation (WHO) representative in Egypt in August 2020 at a critical time in the fight against the coronavirus. A year later, she says there is a lot to be learnt from the Egyptian experience. According to Al-Gasseer, the WHO has included Egypt as one of the worlds success stories in handling Covid-19 due to the top-level political commitment to the countrys healthcare sector led by Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed. All sectors of the government worked together, she said. The whole community was also engaged in combating Covid-19, she added, citing the example of contributions by businesses to the Tahia Masr Fund, for example. Another success story was how Egypt had worked closely with neighbouring countries and with the international community to combat the pandemic. Very early on, Egypt positioned itself to be part of the global solidarity in addressing the pandemic, Al-Gasseer said. Egypt joined the clinical trials for the vaccines against Covid-19, since these could not be approved until their safety, efficacy, and quality had been shown. Al-Gasseer herself chose to take part in one clinical trial as an act of solidarity in the fight against Covid-19. She lamented that vaccine availability was still an issue, however, not only for Egypt, but also for 140 other countries where there is a shortage of vaccines. We were expecting 20 per cent of Egypts population to be vaccinated by the end of the year. Today, we are only talking about around four million people having been vaccinated because promises to Egypt in terms of vaccine delivery were not met, she said. Nonetheless, Egypt had done well in managing its resources. We really commend Egypt because when the national vaccine campaign began it included everyone refugees, migrants, everyone living in Egypt had access to the vaccine, she said. Globally, two billion doses were supposed to be distributed through the COVAX facility established to deliver the vaccine worldwide, especially to low and middle-income countries. However, these doses did not materialise in the promised numbers because production is lower than demand, Al-Gasseer said. COVAX, co-led by Gavi (the Vaccine Alliance,) the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and WHO, is one of the three pillars of the Access to Covid-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, launched in April 2020 in response to the pandemic with the aim of providing equitable access to Covid-19 diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines. The goal was that by the end of September 2021 at least 10 per cent of the worlds population would be vaccinated, 40 per cent by the end of December 2021, and 70 per cent by next year, Al-Gasseer said, adding that today these goals have not been attained. In Africa for example, less than one per cent of the continents population has been vaccinated. One factor that should help improve the availability of the vaccines is the announcement by the G7 countries that they will contribute quantities of them. During their meeting in June this year, leaders of the G7 group of the worlds major industrial nations pledged one billion Covid-19 vaccine doses to poorer countries. While the move was seen as a step in the right direction, observers believe is it still not enough, however. Another factor is increased local production, and Egypt has taken steps towards the production of the vaccines on its own territory, not only through the transfer of technology, but also by developing its own vaccine through the National Research Institute. This is now in phase 2 clinical trials, Al-Gasseer noted. Egypt can be a hub for the production of the vaccines given its capacity and expertise, she said, adding that the more production there was, the more the world can meet demand, especially as there may be a need for annual vaccinations. She stressed that the WHO advocates for a transitional period in which intellectual property rights will be lifted in order to enable the expansion of vaccine production worldwide. The Egyptian government announced in early July that it has produced one million Sinovac doses through the state-owned Egyptian Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA). The manufacture of Sinovac vaccine doses is part of an agreement between VACSERA and the Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac. SUCCESS STORY Al-Gasseer said that Egypt has been a success story because it has not only managed the pandemic, but has also managed other health issues as well. In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, a task force for essential health services had been formed for maternal healthcare, people with diseases like hypertension and heart disease, and people with diabetes or cancer. The digitised system initiated under the 100 Million Health Campaign had also been useful. The campaign, which aimed initially at eliminating the Hepatitis C virus in Egypt, has been expanded to include screening for diabetes, hypertension, and heart and respiratory diseases, and has involved putting patient data into a national digitised system. Information can easily be retrieved from the system about those who have non-communicable diseases, allowing them to be given their medicine at home instead of coming to health centres during the pandemic, noted Al-Gasseer. This is a success story that could be scaled up, including in many other countries that do not have such digital systems, she said. The campaign is a good example of the universal healthcare that Egypt is currently rolling out, she added, ensuring everyone is covered by health insurance. Universal health coverage is something Al-Gasseer worked on in Egypt in 2010 when she was assistant regional director of the WHO and focused on strengthening the health system based on research and evidence. Back then, she said, such strengthening was not yet part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Transforming it from an idea to positioning it strategically was possible thanks to the political commitment at the time, she said, noting that Egypts constitution makes health coverage a right for all. Healthcare, she said, is not only about hospitals and administering medication, but is also about a combination of promoting peoples health and prevention through early detection and vaccination, providing care and ensuring rehabilitation services if needed. By providing healthcare coverage on the widest possible basis, Egypt is also tackling poverty, Al-Gasseer noted. A WHO study in 2010 found that many people still pay out of their own pockets for healthcare, and that it can be a major expense, adding to poverty rates in some countries. In order to reduce poverty, it is important that people pay less out of their own pockets for healthcare and have their sicknesses detected earlier to minimise consequences, she said. Through the universal health insurance system Egypt aims to protect people from poverty through giving people better healthcare, not sick care, she stressed. Al-Gasseer also praised Egypts efforts to put an end to Hepatitis C. In 2010, Hepatitis C was identified as one of the major public health threats draining Egypts health system and finances. Now, we are being asked to evaluate whether Egypt has succeeded in eradicating the virus. There is a good deal of pride in what Egypt has done, she said. This had been possible through investing in early detection, health education, and the improvement of blood safety and infection control, including access to safe water and sanitation. Today, Egypt is one of the first countries maybe in the world in this regard. In 2010, it had one of the highest numbers in terms of prevalence of Hepatitis C, but it is now eliminating it, she said. Egypt is not only protecting itself, but its neighbours as well, noted Al-Gasseer. It has reached out to Africa by promising to treat one million Africans for Hepatitis C. It did the same thing with Covid-19 when it supported many countries with donations. Another initiative Al-Gasseer believes will help in the provision of better healthcare is the Decent Life initiative, a presidential initiative which aims at improving quality of life in the poorest rural communities where it is aligned with the WHOs constitution that aims at the attainment by all people of the highest possible level of health, where health is defined as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The initiative involves improving primary healthcare centres and access to health facilities and improving working conditions for healthcare providers. It seeks to provide a healthy environment, access to safe water, and access to areas where individuals with disabilities, women, children, youth, and the elderly can exercise and spend time. Al-Gasseer noted that part of Egypts universal health insurance law aims to improve the working conditions of healthcare workers and to improve their renumerations, incentives, and salaries. This caring for the carers is key, she said, adding that it is also timely, given that this year is also the International Year of Health and Care Workers. We should all express our thanks to them for keeping everyone safe, Al-Gasseer concluded. *A version of this article appears in print in the 29 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Short link: Minister of Transport Kamel Al-Wazir announced two weeks ago that the private sector would be involved in managing and operating some of Egypts national railway networks activities. He revealed that nine private Egyptian companies would be contracted to manage and operate Egypts railway system under a cooperation protocol signed with the Egyptian Railways Authority (ERA). The protocol includes private-sector behemoths Orascom Construction, Al-Sewedy Electric, Samcrete, Arab Contractors, Concord Engineering, Hassan Allam Holding, Al-Gharably Group, Alkan Investments, and the Triangle Group. Al-Wazir indicated that these companies will also be in charge of managing modern means of transportation in Egypt, including two monorail lines, fast track electric trains, a light-rail train system connecting Al-Salam city and 10 Ramadan city and the Sokhna and Alexandria ports, Alexandrias Al-Raml tram system, the Abu Qir underground metro, and the new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. Another eight companies will be set up to invest in managing and operating cargo and tourist trains, integrated services, maintaining passenger train carriages and locomotives, and upgrading railway track, Al-Wazir said one week ago, explaining that a foreign or multinational company would manage trains imported from Spain, Russia, South Korea, and China. The ministry will also work in partnership with Iratrac, a unit of Egypts Mantrac Group, to upgrade and maintain the rail lines, Al-Wazir said. He indicated that the protocol also states that an international consultancy firm will be contracted to conduct research on the transfer of the operation of railway services from the ERA to the private sector. He said he expected the partnership with the private sector to create a competitive environment that will lead to improving the train services offered to the public, preventing accidents, preserving the railway sectors assets, and increasing profits. The ministers announcement came against the backdrop of a number of deadly train accidents that have hit the railway sector over the last two months, leaving dozens dead and injured. Al-Wazir came under fire in parliament, with many pressuring him to resign. A number of opposition MPs have also voiced concerns in recent days that Al-Wazirs privatisation drive will hurt millions of ordinary people who use trains every day. Diaaeddin Dawoud, a Nasserist MP, warned that Al-Wazirs policy of privatising Egypts railways would lead to increases in ticket prices. Introducing higher-class and VIP trains will place them beyond the financial means of most ordinary Egyptians, Dawoud said, asking Al-Wazir to increase the salaries of railway employees and improve their standards of living instead of leading the sector into private hands. I think that most railway employees are capable of managing the sector efficiently, and all they want is higher salaries and rewards, Dawoud said. Atef Meghawri, a leftist MP, warned in a statement against Al-Wazirs recent move that this is a very dangerous step because it will lead to liberalising the prices of train transport, ultimately making it very difficult for the majority of Egyptians to travel by train. He added that the private sector looks to make profits by its very nature, and this will come at the expense of the states obligation to support low-income citizens and provide essential services to them at reasonable prices. In response, Al-Wazir indicated that the move to privatisation was limited and did not mean that the ministry was about to start the large-scale privatisation of the railway sector in Egypt. This sector will remain fully owned by the state, and the government will be the one authorised to set ticket prices, he said, adding that the price of tickets would remain affordable to most citizens. He said that taxpayers would not bear the costs of modernising and upgrading the railway system, adding that the aim was to bring in revenues appropriate to maintaining the system at high standards and with excellent operations. Privatisation was when private companies own the railway network, but this would not be the case under the ministrys moves. The mission of private-sector companies will be limited to managing and operating the railways to the highest possible standards and using the most up-to-date technology, Al-Wazir said, also arguing that the government had had to raise ticket prices over the last few years in a bid to cover costs, but the service as a whole is still largely subsidised. But Meghawri said that when Al-Wazir had delivered a statement before parliament in April, he had not said a word about privatisation but only about importing new passenger carriages and locomotives from different countries, particularly Spain and Russia. He had said that the ministry would focus on introducing a modern signalling and communication system for the systems operation, Meghawri said. In his statement before parliament on 26 April, Al-Wazir said the government planned to spend LE225 billion ($15.5 billion) on railway projects until 2024. We plan to import a fleet of 110 modern locomotives from the US company General Electric, 1,300 air-conditioned passenger train carriages from the Russian company Transmash Holding, and six trains from the Spanish company Talgo, Al-Wazir said. He complained that some railway employees were combating the reforms. I have repeatedly said that the introduction of the private sector is part of the necessary reforms, and for those who object to these, I say please go away, Al-Wazir said, also complaining that some railway employees affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood had been using social media to cause problems and incite other employees to oppose any role for the private sector. Al-Wazir complained that there was a problem of negligence among some railway workers. More worryingly, there is also drug use, and this is another reason prompting me to resort to the private sector, Al-Wazir said. He announced in a statement on 23 July that time would be needed for the modernisation of the railways to bear fruit. We will need to install a modern signalling system and an integrated network of closed-circuit TV cameras in order to reach zero accidents, and in this respect we will largely depend on the private sector, he said. The introduction of the private sector is in line with Article 32 of the constitution, which allows the private sector to operate public utilities for no more than 15 years, he added. Giving the private sector a role in Egypts railway system has been on the table since 2018, when the House of Representatives, the lower house of Egypts parliament, gave the green light to private investment in the railway sector. The House approved amendments to Law 152/1980, which regulates the performance of the debt-laden ERA. They allow the ERA to invite private investors to build, manage, operate and maintain railway utilities by public tender and for no more than 15 years. The amendments to Article 4 of the 1980 law also give the ERA the right to establish joint-venture companies whose shares can be traded on the stock market. *A version of this article appears in print in the 29 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Short link: Kicking off on Saturday at the American University in Cairos Greek Campus in downtown Cairo, the Shaghalni (Employ Me) Forum will be connecting visiting job-seekers with companies and employers. Shaghalni already has a website that helps job-seekers find employment. It has been operating since 2016, and it has been growing over the years. The forums first round saw the participation of nine companies hunting for 3,500 workers, said Omar Khalifa, CEO of Shaghalni. In this years edition, 30 companies will be offering between 50 and 800 jobs each, he told Al-Ahram Weekly. Anyone looking for a job can post their resume for free on the Shaghalni website where it will be seen by companies seeking to hire employees in different fields. Khalifa is optimistic about this years round of the forum, believing that the labour market has regained its strength, primarily because the majority of companies that had earlier slowed down their rate of hiring during the Covid-19 pandemic are now bouncing back. Egypts unemployment rate ranges around 7.5 per cent. Egypts labour market has been suffering from gaps that Shaghalni is trying to fill: despite the rise in the unemployment rates, many companies have been failing to fill vacancies. The problem, Khalifa said, is that employers and job-seekers cannot find meeting points, which is where Shaghalni comes in. It started as an online phone directory where job-seekers could post their phone numbers and CVs. Khalifa later replaced the directory with a website. He said the countrys labour market was facing challenges other than the failure of job-seekers and companies to find a meeting ground. Some employers dictate unfair terms for vacant jobs, such as low salaries, long working hours, and unjust holiday arrangements, leading some of the unemployed to stop looking for jobs, he said. On the other hand, some young people do not realise that they do not have adequate skills or experience to request high salaries, adding that accepting a modest salary, while gaining more experience on the job, will grant young people a better future. The Shaghalni website is committed to a host of standards, among them that vacant positions must be offered for at least the minimum wage of LE2,400. Some companies had earlier offered jobs for as little as LE1,000, also demanding long working hours and dictating conditions, Khalifa stated. He said that demand in the first round of the forum had focused on sales representatives, technicians, warehouse workers, workers in the tourism sector, employees in customer service departments, and security workers. Today, there is increased demand for sales representatives due to the rise in e-purchasing since the outbreak of the coronavirus, Khalifa said. Demand is also high for security personnel and workers in different services, maybe because of the increase in real-estate projects in Egypt. Technicians are still in demand, being sought by companies and factories alike. There is higher demand for blue-collar workers than white-collar workers, Khalifa said, since many companies are looking for drivers and security and cleaning workers. Shaghalni will soon add an icon on its website targeting white-collar workers who are private or international university graduates or have postgraduate degrees, Khalifa said, adding that it would organise another Forum for these workers before the end of the year. Such workers are easily reached via social media, he said, unlike some other workers who may depend on word of mouth to get a job. The latter are also being targeted by SMS. *A version of this article appears in print in the 29 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Short link: Tunisian President Kais Saied suspended parliament and immunity for MPs and fired the government this week, citing imminent danger to the country. The move underlined his reputation as an unknown quantity and a political outsider whose success in the 2019 presidential elections came as a thunderbolt to the countrys established parties. It plunged Tunisias still young and fragile democracy into uncertainty, while generating protests among Saieds opponents, notably the Islamist Ennahda Party. Tunisias 2019 elections produced a parliament without a clear majority, leading to a complicated political situation that has frustrated the economic recovery and led to additional problems in managing the Covid-19 pandemic. In recent weeks, the country has faced soaring Covid-19 cases and deaths from the virus, with one of Africas highest infection rates. On Sunday, Saied announced game-changing measures for the country, which has been stuck for months in a constitutional impasse. There have been apparently endless conflicts between the parties in parliament and a standoff between the president and Speaker of Parliament Rachid Ghannouchi, also leader of the Ennahda Movement. The tense political climate and the economic difficulties fuelled by public dissatisfaction and the Covid-19 pandemic have resulted in a precarious situation and undeniable popular anger. On the occasion of the 64th anniversary of the Tunisian Republic on 25 July, many Tunisians took to the streets to make their voices heard and express their rejection of a failing political class. They demanded the dissolution of the parliament and the departure of a government deemed to be incompetent. That day I went out onto the streets to celebrate, as I do every year on 25 July despite the general situation. But what was different was that I could feel the rage of my fellow citizens walking alongside me to protest in front of the parliament, said Yosra Chikhaoui, a young activist. She recalled sensing the anger and frustration of the protesters, triggering the feeling that the day was going to change something for the country. Everyone had a feeling that the protest was not like any other. People had been tired and furious for months, even years, and it was the moment to say enough is enough, she added. Saied, for months engaged in a standoff with the Islamist movement, then sacked the government, froze the work of parliament, and took personal charge of the executive. This dramatic turn of events, a shock for a country that since 2014 has been operating on the basis of compromise, has transformed the political scene and led to protests from Saieds opponents. Following the announcement on Sunday, Ennahda immediately denounced what it called a coup against the revolution and against the Constitution. Ghannouchi, 80, observed a sit-in in front of the parliament to protest against his being denied access by military forces. He has chaired meetings of his office online from a car parked in front of the parliament building. For Tunisian political expert Sghaier Hidri, Ennahda has never been as weak as it is today, and its frailty has been translated into the absence of a popular response to Ghannouchis call to support him in his sit-in. The electoral base of the Ennahda movement has seen a notable decline in recent years, which explains the lack of a large mobilisation of its supporters. It is therefore in an unprecedentedly thorny situation, with a reduced number of supporters and no significant political support. Even the declarations of its leaders aimed at winning the sympathy of foreign parties have not been echoed, Hidri told Al-Ahram Weekly. But the Islamist movement was quickly supported by its two powerful parliamentary partners, the Heart of Tunisia and Karama Parties, which also claimed that Saied had carried out a coup. Former president Moncef Marzouki said the decisions made by Saied could be the beginning of a slippery slope, leaving Tunisia in an even worse situation. Saied has found supporters in the powerful Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), however, which has joined the president in his undeclared war against Ennahda. Among international reactions to the move, Turkey denounced what it called a blow to the democratic process in Tunisia. The Turkish Anadolu News Agency reported that Turkey wanted to see a quick return of democratic legitimacy in Tunisia, according to the provisions of the Tunisian constitution. Western reactions were more reassuring, with Spokeswoman for the German Foreign Ministry Maria Adebahr saying that her country did not regard the events in Tunisia as a coup. The US has followed the same line, and the EU has called on all Tunisian parties to maintain calm in order to preserve the stability of the country. Josep Borrell, EU high representative for foreign policy, said that Brussels was closely following the situation. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russia was closely following developments in Tunisia, indicating that it hoped that the events would not threaten the security of Tunisian citizens. Reactions from the Arab countries have thus far been restrained. We can say that the international reactions have surprised the Islamist movement, which expected more. Faced with this situation, it is now seeking a settlement to avoid the prosecution of its leaders or their exile. Ennahda now finds itself entangled and its own existence threatened, Hidri said. While the future of the democratic experience in Tunisia is still uncertain, observers say things should become clearer in the weeks to come. While many hope that the country will now be able to focus on the fight against the pandemic and the need to support the economic recovery, further resistance from Ennahda cannot be ruled out. *A version of this article appears in print in the 29 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Short link: The recent spike in tensions between Israel and the Lebanese Shia group Hizbullah have led some political analysts to notch up their forecasts of a war between the two to impending. They base their predictions on the broader area of friction between the two sides, which has come to include Syria as well as Lebanon, the short intervals between their bouts of military strikes, and their race to bring about a significant shift in military balances. Hizbullah has been amassing weapons in Syria and Lebanon, gradually expanding its area of deployment and recruiting auxiliaries from the Palestinian camps in Lebanon. Palestinian factions were identified as the source of the two missile strikes against Israel on 20 July and of similar strikes against Israel from Lebanon during the Israeli war against Gaza in May 2020. Israel has been working to curtail Hizbullahs activities and abilities by expanding the scope of its preemptive strikes on Hizbullah targets in Syria, reinforcing its defence capacities, and staging attacks against the northern front. The tactics are part of the strategy the Israelis call the campaign between the wars. Military analysts, on the other hand, do not see a great likelihood of an impending war, though they do not dismiss the possibility entirely. They believe that both sides are keen to avert war as much as possible for fear of its potential consequences. The premises of the military calculations today are not the same as they were at the time of the last war between Israel and Hizbullah in 2006 as the next war will be an existential one for both sides. It would compel Israel to fight an open battle on at least two fronts, Syria and Lebanon, and to take on several adversaries, from Iranian forces in Syria to Hizbullah forces in Syria and Lebanon and the Palestinian factions in the camps in Lebanon. Israel would also have to be prepared to sustain major losses in the north of the country in particular. Israeli intelligence estimates that Hizbullahs missile arsenal has grown from an estimated 100,000-110,000 missiles last year to 130,000-150,000 today. The missiles are much more accurate, and Hizbullah now has the capacity to fire between 1,000 and 3,000 missiles a day. In addition, it has increased its attempts to smuggle fighters and mid-sized weapons into Israel and expanded its network of border tunnels. Other factors also need to be borne in mind. First, the results of the last Israeli-Hizbullah war came as a stunning eye-opener to Israelis, and not just because of failings in the countrys Iron Dome defence system. Israels forced retreat from Lebanon had a profound impact on the domestic front, which will make Israel think twice before embarking on another war on the northern front. Second, Hizbullah is clearly testing Israels political will under the new Naftali Bennett administration. While this is occurring at a time when another hardliner, Ebrahim Raisi, has been elected president in Iran, Tehran is preoccupied with domestic problems, such as the water protests in Khuzestan, and with delicate and still uncertain nuclear agreement negotiations. As a result, Iran is unlikely to risk supporting a drive to war at this point. While Hizbullah is better equipped militarily today compared to how it stood in the period before the Syrian Civil War started, it is also keen to avert a slide into an engagement in which its very existence would be on the line or at the very least it would risk losing its gains from more than a decade of fighting in Syria at a time when it believes it will soon reap the fruits of them. As a result, it appears that Israel and Hizbullah are establishing certain red lines, which, if crossed, would put paid to the rules of engagement they have worked by during the past decade despite the current escalation and the relative changes in Hizbullahs capacities and patterns of deployment. For example, after the Israeli strike against Hizbullah targets in Al-Safira and Al-Qusayr in the Syrian Aleppo and Homs provinces, Hizbullah retaliated indirectly from inside Lebanon via the Palestinian factions. According to Israeli accounts, these depend on Grad 122 mm missiles and are based in Qalile in the Beqaa region of Lebanon. The Israelis said they had come across one such missile that had not been fired and believe that the purpose was to leave it as proof that Hizbullah was not behind the attack. The breakdown of the red lines established by the two sides would mean that their deterrent strategies had collapsed and that things had spiralled out of control. This point has not been reached, despite the current tensions. Israel is compensating for the increased threats posed by Hizbullah by targeting the movements arsenal in Syria more than ever during the Syrian war. The politically wrapped military messages the two sides have been exchanging also reflect their ability to read one another closely. Israel believes that its border with Lebanon has become precarious because of Hizbullahs attempts to penetrate the country. However, in addition to countering infiltrations and the border tunnels, it is also working together with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and is stepping up its strategy of building up anti-Hizbullah sentiment in Lebanon, taking advantage of the part Hizbullah has played in worsening the crisis in the country. Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz recently said that Israel would not allow the political, social and economic situation in Lebanon to turn into a threat to the security of Israel. He also offered Israeli aid to Lebanon via UNIFIL, but Beirut rejected the offer. Commander of the Israeli 91st Division Shlomi Bender, responsible for the Israeli northern front, explained that Israel feared that Lebanons collapse could bring the collapse of the Lebanese army, which would give Hizbullah access to advanced weaponry, enabling it to control Lebanon and Iran to expand into the country directly. Recent statements by Lebanese army commanders have expressed concern over the lack of commitment of some military personnel and their failure to return from leave on time. This has been interpreted as a silent protest against the armys inability to pay salaries due to the economic situation in the country. According to some US and Israeli assessments, there has been a pickup in arms smuggling in Lebanon, particularly of modern weapons that Hizbullah does not possess, raising concerns that the economic crisis has driven some army personnel to sell arms in order to make money. If, as military analysts believe, the evolution and repercussions of the Lebanese crisis have become key factors in the calculations of the conflict between Israel and Hizbullah, then the exchange of missile fire and the situation at the Lebanese-Israeli border are merely preliminary symptoms of worse to come if Lebanon slips into a black hole, as Israeli assessments put it. One Israeli viewpoint holds that Hizbullahs tactical approach is to take advantage of Lebanons collapse in order to impose its own de facto control. But Israels greater challenge is to prevent the situation from turning into an Iranian encirclement of Israels northern borders with Syria and Lebanon. This explains why Israel is so keen to help Lebanon in its current economic crisis, despite Beiruts repeated rejection. Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallahs recent appeal to Iran for oil supplies in order to help Lebanon through the fuel crisis has heightened Israeli concerns in this regard. Earlier reports revealed that Iran had succeeded in delivering oil to Lebanon via Syria, using various forms of camouflage to convey it to the Baniyas Port south of Latakia, from where it was transported down the coast to Lebanon. For the moment, the Lebanese fuel crisis has abated thanks to an agreement between Lebanon and Iraq that should provide enough oil to last Lebanon for the next four months. However, Iran still retains the ability to resort to its camouflaged shipping strategy in the future. Changes in the Russian position towards the recent escalation between Hizbullah and Israel should also be taken into account. In the past, Russia tended to turn a blind eye to Israeli strikes in Syria, leaving it to the Syrian army to declare its own stance. However, in the wake of Israels strikes against Hizbullah targets in the Homs and Aleppo provinces, Russia issued two successive statements. These focused on the interception of the Israeli missiles by the Syrian aerial defence forces (which are actually Russian) and illustrated how this took place. Israel staged around 14 missile strikes in Syria in the first half of this year, destroying some 41 targets, such as weapons and ammunitions depots and military equipment and bases. According to Syrian reports, the Russian statements were misleading, since in fact the recent strikes did hit military installations, one of which was a scientific research centre, in areas under joint Iranian-Hizbullah-Russian influence. But Russias calculations operate on a different set of premises. Russia is determined to sustain its status as a key player in Syria capable of steering developments in the country. On a larger strategic level, Russia is also keen to prevent further Iranian expansion into Lebanon because of how this would impact the balance of power in Syria. On the other hand, the Israel escalation occurred as the Iranian navy was taking part in a Russian military exercise on the anniversary of the founding of the Russian Navy and at time when the Russians and Iranians need to coordinate more closely against the backdrop of the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan. At this stage, therefore, Russia is keen to send positive signals to Iran, and one of these took the form of its sharp denunciation of the recent Israeli strikes. Washingtons growing concern over political developments in Lebanon is informed in part by changes in the Russian position, the incremental strengthening of the Russian-Iranian partnership and the decline in Russian-Israeli coordination in Syria. *A version of this article appears in print in the 29 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Israel has been reinstated to the African Union two decades after it was ousted from the 55-nation pan-African bloc shortly after the union was formed in 2002 under pressure from the then Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi. Today Israel celebrates what it considers a diplomatic achievement by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid after two unsuccessful attempts to return to the bloc over the last 19 years. Adopting a pro-Palestinian stance in its official statements, over the years the AU has rebuffed Israel and slammed its actions against the Palestinians. In May it condemned Israeli attacks on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and Al- Aqsa Mosque and the evacuations in Sheikh Jarrah. For its part Algeria which refers to Israel as the Zionist entity and does not maintain diplomatic ties with it strongly condemned the move and vowed to continue support to the Palestinian people. By rejoining the bloc Israel, which maintains relations with 46 out of 55 African countries, will be able to establish ties with a number of African states. In 2016, Israel renewed ties with Guinea for the first time since the 1967 Six-Day War. Three years later, it did the same with Chad, which had severed relations in 1972. In 2020, Israel normalised relations with Morocco, and announced the beginning of such a process with Sudan. In recent years, Israel has tried to woo Africa, the second largest continent globally, to extend its influence within it. In 2017, the former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu became the first non-African leader to address the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Heads of State and Government Summit in Liberia. According to Martin Plaut, a former BBC Africa news editor and currently senior research fellow at Kings College London, Israel has worked hard for many years to try to engage with African states, but its treatment of the Palestinians and Israeli Arabs have been an obstacle in the past. Egypt and Morocco, for different reasons, maintained low key, but positive, relations with Israel. There was no doubt that Israel, as it normalised ties with Sudan through the Abraham Accords, sent signals to other countries in the Horn of Africa to consider the move by establishing relations with more countries. The policies of president Trump opened the way to further developments. They paved the way to Israel signing the so called Abraham Accords with the UAE and Bahrain, allowing Africa to look more favourably at relations with Israel, Plaut told Al-Ahram Weekly. Besides being of economic interest and a region rich in natural resources such as water, which is scarce in Israel, Africa represents a region where Israel can establish a wider diplomatic infrastructure and boost some political, strategic and security elements to fight terror groups in the Horn and West Africa. Israeli officials had also indicated the political significance of keeping contacts with Africa especially since 2016, after Netanyahus historic visit. Arieh Oded, Israels former ambassador to a number of African countries, thought one of the goals of the visit is to change the situation, so that they wont automatically vote against us, or that theyll at least abstain. If Israel uses its observer status to influence discussions within the AU on the Palestinian issue, this could have an impact on the approach individual African states take to Israel in other international institutions, said Yotam Gidron, a researcher and the author of Israel in Africa: Security, Migration, Interstate Politics. On the level of its membership as an observer country, Israel will be able to follow up with the AU agenda especially regarding issues related to Palestine as the move will give Israel a chance to vote against Palestine or create an African lobby to support its own vote. Having access to the AU will create more room for Israel to lobby for its political objectives and curb Palestinian influence in Africa. The AU has long maintained a critical stance towards Israel, and African states tend to follow the position coordinated between them under the umbrella of this institution when they cast their votes in other international fora, such as the UN General Assembly, Gidron added to Al-Ahram Weekly. Israel is a source of security knowledge and equipment to African countries, which makes the bigger part of its influence in the region besides investments and development plans in the regions developing countries through MASHAV (the Foreign Ministry Agency for International Development Cooperation), but the extent of Israels influence in the AU is still to be discovered. How significant Israeli influence will be within the AU remains to be seen, but it is important to note that there is also a symbolic weight to its inclusion in this institution. Not all AU member states have diplomatic ties with Israel, but its acceptance as an observer state may make it easier for more African countries to normalise ties with it in the future, Gidron noted. *A version of this article appears in print in the 29 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: The Palestinian Ministry of Works, in cooperation with Egyptian technical and engineering teams, will soon complete removing the rubble from the latest Israeli military onslaught on the Gaza Strip (10-11 May). This is a record time compared to previous military operations in Gaza. Aided by Egyptian engineers and technicians and using equipment from Egypt, the Ministry of Works has been able to work faster and more effectively than before. The Egyptian teams went home for the Eid holiday, but returned to the Gaza Strip on Sunday to continue clearing the rubble of 1,400 housing units that were pulverised by Israel. They will also survey the newly cleared areas to prepare for the next phase of reconstruction, in which they will be directly participating. The Undersecretary of Works and Housing in the Gaza Strip Naji Serhan said that the 50 Egyptian machines used in the clean-up operation greatly helped remove, especially with taller buildings that had been more than 15- storey high. Serhan asserted that these machines remarkably accelerated the process of removing debris in just two months. These Egyptian machines were used to remove the rubble of the Hanadi, Jalaa and Shorouk towers, as well as other residential buildings, he said. Serhan went on to say that, having removed 80 per cent of the debris by helping Palestinian contractors, Egyptian technical construction teams will begin work soon, with the residential towers rebuilt as soon as the debris is cleared, as per the deal made with Egyptian officials. After visiting Egypt, we agreed to draw up a list of priorities, said Serhan. Egyptian engineers inspected all the areas that need construction, and we hope this begins soon. The Palestinian official expressed gratitude to President Al-Sisi and the people of Egypt for their goodwill, which demonstrates the deep historic ties between Palestine and Egypt. About 1,400 housing units were completely demolished during the assault on Gaza, Serhan said. The rubble of more than 1,000 of these has been cleared away so far. Partially destroyed homes will remain as is. He hoped Egypt would soon allow the transport of construction materials into the Gaza Strip without restrictions, since Palestinians are hoping to use only Egyptian construction materials to rebuild what was wiped out during Israels ferocious attacks. Egyptian engineering teams conducted field visits in several destroyed and damaged areas, and presented a comprehensive overview of what the Gaza Strip requires for reconstruction and restoring normal life, as well as improving and developing infrastructure facilities based on Egypts extensive experience in the field of engineering construction and advanced infrastructure projects. After completing the first phase, several challenges now face reconstruction under complicated political conditions: the fragile situation on the ground in Gaza, an unstable ceasefire between Palestinian factions and Israel, and the yawning gap between the two sides on the issue. Israel ties reconstruction with progress on other political and security issues, most notably the return of captured Israeli soldiers who were taken by Hamas. The group admits to capturing four Israelis, including two soldiers during the 2014 Israeli war on Gaza. However, Palestinian factions insist that progress should be made simultaneously and in parallel on all tracks, not consecutively. Recently, these factions in the Gaza Strip threatened that siege and closure will no longer be tolerated by the Palestinian people, stating, We will give mediators a chance to end this siege and closure, bring in construction and building materials, and guarantee freedom of movement for our people at border crossings... If these efforts fail, the Palestinian people will only have the option of confrontation, and they will use all their might to take back their rights to dignity and freedom. Palestinian forces further explained that they will never allow homeowners, factory and farm owners in the Gaza Strip to be punished twice. Once, when their properties were incinerated, and again, when they are prevented from rebuilding them. The factions warned Israel against continuing this unacceptable siege, saying they would not allow it to overturn the situation or establish new rules. Hamas Spokesman Hazem Qassem threatened a return to escalation against Israel due to the explosive situation in Jerusalem and the continued closure of Gaza. Qassem warned that these issues were the triggers most likely to ignite the situation, noting that Hamas has informed all mediators that resistance factions in Gaza will never succumb to blackmail. He noted that Israel has started to talk about gradual facilitation for Gaza, adding that conditions must be restored to pre-aggression times. Hamas, said Qassem, is adamant about lifting the siege on Gaza and that Gazans should live with dignity. Meanwhile, Israel will not allow the transfer of any funds for reconstruction in the Gaza Strip, except through the Palestinian Authority (PA) or the UN. Despite ongoing talks by the UN and Egypt to enforce the ceasefire and make progress on the issue of the prisoners captured by Hamas, all efforts ground to a halt when both sides refused to compromise. According to the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (KAN), Egypt is working on defusing the crises and on several issues, including resolving the matter of transferring Qatari funds to Gaza as a first step, and then moving on two parallel tracks of reconstruction and exchange of prisoners between Hamas and Israel. KAN also reported on Egypts efforts to contain any possible escalation by Hamas against Israel, as the latter resumes strict measures against Gaza. Most recently, on Sunday, Israel bombed Hamas locations in Gaza in response to what Israel claimed were fires caused by incendiary and booby-trapped balloons launched from there. Relations with Israel, however, are not the only problem facing reconstruction in the Gaza Strip. The PA and Hamas differ over the mechanism needed for reconstruction in Gaza. The former believes reconstruction must be through and directly supervised by the PA and its institutions, while Hamas proposed a national committee, coordinated with Egypt, to oversee construction. Tensions and lack of trust overwhelm the issue. Despite all these challenges, Palestinians hope this urgent matter will soon be resolved and are counting on Egypt to put pressure on Israel, as well as bring the Palestinian viewpoints closer together. Al-Sisi also promised $500 million for rebuilding Gaza, and gave directives to Egyptian state institutions to provide all that is needed to accelerate reconstruction and completion. *A version of this article appears in print in the 29 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Short link: Supposedly, there is nothing worse than a war, but actually there is something worse an incomplete war. An incomplete war is a war that has lost its purpose and deviated from its original mission and one that ends in massive compromises and withdrawal. Following the most devastating terrorist attack in history on 11 September 2001, which left over 3,000 people dead in New York and Washington, former US president George W Bush responded by declaring a war on terrorism. The main target was to avenge the civilian causalities by uprooting Al-Qaeda and its ally the Afghan Taliban Movement, which came to power in 1996 seven years after the withdrawal of Soviet troops from the country in 1989. The US had a casus belli for the war, and in every political sense it was a justified war to topple a regime that had turned Afghanistan into a launching pad for terrorism that had reached as far as the United States. The initial Operation Enduring Freedom campaign against Afghanistan was successful, and in record time the US forces, aided by the Afghan Northern Alliance which had been fighting the Taliban for years, had brought down the movement. But after the initial successes, the US leaders did not finish the job. They were unable to capture Saudi-born Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, until 2011, or nearly a decade after the beginning of the war. Instead, Bush switched his focus from ending the Afghanistan conflict to targeting Saddam Husseins Iraq. Instead of finishing the hard job of eliminating and neutralising the threat of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, Bush switched his countrys military might and financial resources to commit the worst political blunder in recent history, namely the invasion of Iraq in 2003. It was not long before the US forces and their allies overthrew the longstanding Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and eventually managed to capture him. But this came at the expense of finishing the job in Afghanistan. The US military could not fight both wars at the same time efficiently enough to score any decisive victory, and the financial burdens and human casualties, along with the members of the civilian population that were killed during the operations, became enormous. The terrorist group that the US forces had come to fight and defeat also did not disappear, but actually grew in size and capabilities. It managed to find a new nesting ground in Iraq, from where it spread to the rest of the Middle East. Other franchises of the group in the forms of jihadists pledging allegiance to it continued to grow in numbers. Terrorist groups from Nigeria, such as Boko Haram, all the way to the Philippines, in the case of Abu Sayaf, also joined Al-Qaeda. In recent years, the US media has labelled the Afghanistan war the forgotten war given the disregard that it has suffered from US officials. The costs of the war for the US range from $933 billion to nearly $2 trillion, counting various expenses which include reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, medical care and rehabilitation for returning US soldiers and nearly $530 billion in interest to cover the expense of borrowings. This is the third most-expensive war in history following World War II and the Iraq War and ahead of the Vietnam War, all of which ironically involved the United States. The staggering cost, more than the annual GDP of some G20 countries, would have been warranted if its announced goals had been met by success. But alas, the 20-year-old war has not attained most of its targets despite the efforts and sacrifices it has involved. The terrorist Taliban group, which the US administration has negotiated with in recent years, has increased in power and influence. It was not obliterated as planned in the early days of the war. Al-Qaeda and its current leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri are also still holding their ground in Afghanistan and the neighbouring Waziristan region of Pakistan. The group is projected to expand later this year, with the Afghan army retreating to protect the capital Kabul from what seems to be its imminent fall into the hands of Taliban. The war in Afghanistan is thus the longest war that the US has been through, and it is closest in character to the Vietnam War (1955-1975), in which the US was involved starting from former president John F Kennedys escalation of it in 1961 to its last days in 1975. This was when the US pulled its last troops out, leaving North Vietnamese troops to capture the South Vietnamese capital Saigon in the most humiliating manner. The fall of Saigon marked the end of the Vietnam War and was a blatant defeat for the United States despite the massive casualties inflicted on the Vietnamese Vietcong. The same thing will be the case if Kabul falls into the hands of the Taliban after the US withdrawal this year. As a general rule, victory or defeat in war is not counted by the amount of damage caused by one belligerent to another, but rather by attaining the planned goals in launching the war. In the case of Vietnam, despite the massive casualties that the US troops caused the North Vietnamese side, running into millions, they failed to attain their goals as they were forced under the brunt of heavy casualties and costs to withdraw. The two wars have other things in common. The Vietnam War aimed to curb communist expansion in Southeast Asia and put a halt to Soviet influence in the region. The war in Afghanistan aimed to end the Al-Qaeda terrorist group and the spread of jihadist Salafism in Central Asia, which was pouring into neighbouring countries from Afghanistan. Both wars left the job unfinished, and the enemies which they targeted became more powerful and had the upper hand in both. Over the next few months, the Taliban will seek to spread their control over Afghanistan, which means they will either clash with the new player in the country, the Islamic State (IS) group, or seek to recruit its members to their ranks. Meanwhile, Russia is alarmed at the thought of IS spreading across Afghanistan, but it is unlikely to do anything about it except use airstrikes as it has done in Syria. The Russians do not want to engage in another war in Afghanistan whatever the reason may be. Eight years of war in the country in the 1980s left the former Soviet Union militarily and economically battered, hastening the fall of the entire state in 1991. Therefore, Russia as the Soviet Unions successor state, will not be eager to repeat that bitter experience. Moreover, the US withdrawal and capitulation to the likes of the Taliban is a message that even the most powerful of nations will yield if a terrorist group holds its ground for long enough. Countries such as Russia and Iran may be thrilled that the US is withdrawing from the region, but at the same time their governments are not thrilled that it has left a ticking bomb behind it in the form of an empowered Taliban and a resurgent Al-Qaeda and IS. The cost of this incomplete war may be too vast for the world to bear if Al-Qaeda recommences its activities. Moreover, the human costs for the Afghan population may be staggering, especially if the government of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fails to prevent the country from falling into the hands of Taliban and its Al-Qaeda allies. What US politicians have left in Afghanistan as a result of their decision to withdraw from the country without defeating the Taliban and Al-Qaeda is a mess that will have ramifications for both the Afghan people and the rest of the world. The world is much less safe now that the Taliban is poised once again to take over Afghanistan. The writer is a political analyst and author of Egypts Arab Spring: The Long and Winding Road to Democracy. *A version of this article appears in print in the 29 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Short link: On 26 July 1956, president Gamal Abdel- Nasser nationalised the Suez Canal. In his annual address to the nation from Manshiya Square in Alexandria, he said that the famous canal would now become Egypts exclusive property. Until that point, Egypt had had no control over it because it was run by a foreign-owned firm, and the country obtained only five per cent of its revenues. Although six decades have passed since that day, we still find people who question whether the nationalisation proclamation was worth it, given how it triggered the Tripartite Aggression by France, Britain and Israel in November that year. Ironically, rather than harm us, the invasion boosted Egypts political might and confirmed its role as a post-colonial leader. Egypt became a model for the third world countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America struggling for independence and control over their national resources. Fidel Castro once acknowledged that Nassers nationalisation of the Suez Canal had inspired the Cuban revolution, which occurred some years later. One of Castros first actions, after the revolution succeeded, was to nationalise all the US oil refineries in the country. Meanwhile, the Tripartite Aggression proved a fiasco in the lead-up to the collapse of the old British and French colonial empires. Critics of the nationalisation of the canal argue that the foreign companys concession was going to expire in 1968 anyway, after which ownership would revert to Egypt automatically, so there was no need for nationalisation and the war that followed. That argument is a misleading oversimplification showing a weak grasp of the realities which clearly indicated that the foreign powers affiliated with the company planned to retain control of the canal even after the concession expired. The very fact that Britain and France went to war in order to seize control of the canal militarily already confirms that they never intended to let it out of their grip. If they truly intended to hand over the canal after the concession expired, they wouldnt have gone to the trouble of holding secret war planning meetings in Sevres or incurred such exorbitant economic, military and political costs. Ever since 1909, the Universal Company of the Maritime Company of Suez had persistently tried to have the concession extended for another 30 years. Shortly before the nationalisation, Jacques Georges-Picot, who served as the companys French general-director until it was nationalised, said the company had sent memoranda to France, Britain, the US and Italy, warning of problems that would arise when the concession expired and urging those governments to intervene to internationalise the canal. London and Washington rejected the request for fear that it would give an opening to the USSR to participate in negotiations, since Tsarist Russia had been a party to the 1888 Convention of Constantinople regulating the use of the Suez Canal. As for the countries that were parties to the concession, they preferred extension over internationalisation. The company then put together a group of prominent British figures to launch an international campaign to keep the canal administration under foreign control. Their role was to spread alarm over the impending handover of the canal to Egypt which, they said, would lead to the withdrawal of the foreign supervisors and the consequent malfunctioning of the waterway. In 1954, the company also organised a massive media campaign in the US to build up pressure on officials in Washington to support the idea of creating an international authority based in Egypt to supervise the canal. Critics of the decision to nationalise the canal also argue that Egypt was forced to pay huge sums of money as compensation to the companys foreign shareholders. In the 1990s I had the opportunity to meet Jean-Paul Calon, the honorary president of the Association du Souvenir de Ferdinand de Lesseps et du Canal de Suez, who had represented France in the negotiations with Egypt over the amount of compensation the Egyptian government owed the shareholders after nationalisation. He told me that the French shareholders had received all the amounts due to them on time and that the amount they received was used to establish the association of which he was now the honorary president. In addition to activities intended to keep alive de Lesseps memory, the association also organises a range of cultural activities related to the canal and its history. Some years ago, Colon donated an important collection of historical documents that his association had possessed. What many critics and others do not realise is that the natural expiry of the concession and handover of the canal to Egyptian administration would also have cost Egypt quite a lot. One of the terms of the concessionary contract stipulated that, upon expiry, Egypt would have to compensate the company for all the companys machinery, equipment and materials, and that the price of these items would be determined by mutual agreement and, if that was not possible, then by experts. That would naturally have left the door open to disputes, which would have prevented the handover of the canal on time. The decision to nationalise spared Egypt all these problems and ensured the return of the canal to its legitimate owners, the descendants of those who built it and who now enjoy its revenues in full. *A version of this article appears in print in the 29 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Short link: In early July, Culture Minister Ines Abdel Dayem appointed Gamal Yakout president of the 28th Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre (CIFET, 14-19 December). Though this is Yakouts first time as president of Egypts most important theatre festival, the celebrated Alexandrian theatre maker is hardly new to the scene. Originally a graduate of the Faculty of Commerce and overseeing a textiles business, Yakout has nonetheless made numerous theatrical achievements.In 2011 he earned his PhD in directing and production, having studied for a masters in his forties, and he teaches at the Faculty of Arts, Alexandria University, the Higher Institute of Child Arts (part of Academy of Arts) and other institutions across the country; he also gives workshops for adults and children in the fields of acting, directing, playwriting, storytelling, and theatrical production all over the Arab world. Yakouts acting career kicked off in early 1980 but he soon shifted to directing, contributing over 70 plays many of which garnered awards at, among other events, the National Theatre Festival. He founded his own theatre troupe Creation Group, and in 2008, he founded Alexandrias Theatre Without Fund Festival, an event over which he had presided until this year. His studies which include musical theatre in the UK, and Avignon Theatre Festival in France, are topped with the accumulated experience working with independent troupes.As CIFETs president, Yakout replaces Alaa Abdel-Aziz who presided over the festivals 27th round, which took place in 2020 under the challenging conditions of a global pandemic at its peak. Abdel Dayems announcement also named Mohamed Abdelrahman El-Shafei and Saeed Kabeel artistic directors, and listed an impressive coterie of theatre people as the festival board: Hoda Wasfi, Abu Hassan Salam, Ayman El-Shiwi, Ahmed Megahed, Yehia El-Taher, and Hazem Shebl.To understand the weight CIFET places on its presidents shoulders, a little history is in order. The Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre was launched in 1988 on the initiative of then culture minister Farouk Hosny. Taking place annually in the first week of September (with a few roynds moved to October), over the years the festival expanded in size, inviting an ever growing number of international troupes and guests until it became a lavish, high-budget event. By the 2000s quantity began to undermine quality, however, and in 2011 it was interrupted by the revolution. With the cultural scene undergoing all kinds of transformations, it was clear that the CIFET as we had known it could no longer return. After a five-year hiatus, however, the festival was finally relaunched in 2016 as a smaller event without a competition as the Cairo International Festival for Contemporary and Experimental Theatre (CIFCET). Following much debate the word contemporary was removed and the competition restored under Alaa Abdel-Aziz. The 2020 round was anticlimactic, however, since the international shows were only shown online. With CIFETs next round scheduled for December and many countries slowly allowing international travel again, the role of Gamal Yakout seems even more challenging. He is in charge not only of a major festival in Egypt and the region but also of the first (competitive) round of that festival to be held following a debilitating shut-down. As the theatre scenes asks more and more questions, pressure on Yakout is mounting. We are very ambitious and hopeful, Yakout says, stressing the handpicked boards support. The pandemic is not over and were taking into account difficulties in travel and other restrictions that are still in place in many countries. But this will not discourage us as we aim to focus on quality and not quantity, keeping health concerns in mind. Unlike previous rounds, which lasted for 10 days, this time the festival will take place over only six days, providing the best truly experimental performances with a stage. The only advice I am giving the viewing committee is to prioritise quality, even if this means we end up with a small number of performances. Our aim is to present up to 12 international and two Egyptian performances in the competition. A couple of performances will be also presented in CIFETs non-competitive segment. It is worth adding that the festival has already released a call for submissions with 7 August as the deadline, and international troupes have begun to respond. Yakout continues that while the viewing committee prepares to review the submissions, he is already laying plans for CIFET to reach numerous Egyptian cities, an approach different from that of previous rounds which were held in Cairo (with only a very occasional performance staged in some other city). But Yakouts horizontal strategy aims to make performances and workshops available all across the country. As a specialist who dedicated a significant portion of his life to theatre for children, did Yakout consider incorporating childrens performances into the festival? To be honest, he says, I did not have a chance to think about this issue in depth. The proposal hangs on educational and social issues that might conflict with the idea of experimental theatre. It needs more time to study, but I do hope future editions of CIFET can have a section for young audiences. The idea of a dedicated childrens theatre festival is also on his mind. Among this years organizational challenges, Yakout says, is one major change: I want to reassess the awards system. This is not a conventional festival, so the awards dont have to be granted in a traditional way, putting successes in boxes: best actress, best actor, best director, etc. During the festival, we might be surprised by amazing theatrical solutions that deserve an award but do not fall under the traditional award protocols. Id rather set up a number of awards to be given depending on what we see. We might find that a theatrical component video mapping, communication between the actors, music, choreography, etc deserves an award, or a combination of components, but maybe no actors or directors will stand out. I want to have the freedom to award what is exceptional. I am thinking of how to allow the festival to evolve. After all, it is an experimental festival. Yakout is considering setting up a total of ten awards to be given by the jury to any exceptional creative component in a play. This approach might prove shocking to some, but its benefits are immeasurable. As Yakout continues to explain, the festival will also include workshops and seminars tailored to the development of theatre practitioners and those who want to enter the field. Regarding workshops, however, Yakout thinks in even bigger terms. This festival is a creative organisation and its operation cannot be limited to the few days programme. We should be present throughout the year. Plans, which Yakout feels should be feasible, include continuing to invite theatre specialists to educate artists and the public. CIFET is after all a unique international event stressing the experimental concept, which does not reflect a specific time or place in theatre history but rather a flexible dynamic. What was new or unconventional at the time of Alfred Jarry is no longer new in the West. Over a century or so, the avant-gardes conceptual revolution that began then has given way to new approaches to texts and the relation with the spectator. With all kinds of cultural, technological and conceptual variables, this makes the term confusing and raises the question of parameters. There is definitely a big problem with the terminology, Yakout agrees, since experimental theatre has many definitions, each correct in its own way. To me, the only one solid truth about experimental theatre is the concept of departing from what has already been done. Yakout goes on to argue that the idea of experimental theatre is not static. The form surprises us with what is unexpected, what is novel, whether in acting, directing, music, sets, technology, relation to the audience, or any other element. What was experimental on the CIFET stage in the early 1990s might be classical today. For example, experimental theatre makers make use of new technological inventions, setting them within their artistic concepts. Experimentation has many different layers; its an ocean of endless possibilities. For Yakout, as the world keeps moving forward and developing, so does experimental theatre. He points out that the creator experiments with the audience as well, hence you may find that what is traditional to one audience is experimental to another. With local, regional and international companies submitting their fare, the festival has yet to decide on the stages to be used. We thought about regular theatres of course, Yakout explains, but there are other unconventional venues such as the Amir Taz Palace, Bayt Al-Suhaymi, the Saladin Citadel, open-air theatres in Cairo, Alexandria or other cities. However we cannot decide on the venues before deciding on the performances as each of the chosen plays will fit a specific location. Regardless of location, however, each year CIFET sees large audiences queuing up at theatres where the halls are often filled to capacity before everyone has a seat. Yakout is considering online ticketing or registration to avoid large crowds, as well as a special committee to be in charge of this aspect of the festivals organisation. I am fully aware of the problems at entry points, and we will definitely have a solution to avoid tensions and allow those who are interested to get in. Together with his passion for the theatre, Yakouts business background makes for a powerful recipe for realizing all those ambitions and reviving what is arguably the most important theatre festival in the Arab world. It is probably the Avignon Festival that presents the most useful model for Yakouts project of using creative business skills to the benefit of theatrical practice. His combination of interests and accomplishments not only qualifies him to head CIFET but also promises to benefit the festival itself. *A version of this article appears in print in the 29 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Short link: We all have our theories and views about how the world works and how different actors deal with each other on the domestic and the international level. Some of us base these views on what they see directly without assuming any hidden actions behind the curtains. Others, on the other hand, have reasons to believe that there is more than meets the eye and that there are certain powers-that-be controlling the world and influencing its events behind closed doors. In other words, they have their own conspiracy theories about how the world works. According to European academics Michael Butter and Peter Knight, conspiracy theories are narratives that assume that a group of evil agents, the conspirators, are secretly controlling events and developments. Conspiracy theories have three assumptions in common. First, nothing happens by accident, and everything is done by the conspirators behind the curtains. Second, nothing is what it seems; you have to look beneath the surface to know the real truth. Third, everything is connected, and events that may seem unrelated to each other are actually deeply interlocked. A conspiracy theory can differ from one region of the world to another, depending on the political circumstances. Each person propagating one considers himself to know the real truth behind events. Conspiracy theories become popular in times of crises and uncertainties, and they are mostly believed by people who have a problem dealing with uncertainties and ambiguities. It has therefore been natural for conspiracy theories to cast their shadows on the most influential event that has changed the world over the past couple of years: the Covid-19 pandemic. Those who believe in Covid-19 conspiracy theories have blamed evil forces for being behind the spread of the virus and/or have been pushing for vaccination against it for their own sinister purposes. Like most conspiracy theories, the Covid-19 conspiracy theories dismiss the science in favour of some extreme, outlandish claims. Furthermore, because this is about a disease that has affected us all, such conspiracy theories, and peoples acceptance of them and acting upon them, may actually cause a delay in eradicating the virus, because these conspiracy theories cause people to doubt the effectiveness, or even the very purpose, of the vaccines that aim to eradicate the disease. Nevertheless, there is hope that these Covid-19 conspiracy theories can be reversed, if we all improve the way we deal with people who believe in them. Before I proceed, there are a few points which I would like to emphasise regarding my own personal views. First, I am not dismissing all conspiracy theories outright. Indeed, human history is full of conspiracies and hidden agendas. The overthrow of Irans democratically elected prime minister Mohamed Mossadeq in 1953 was a real CIA conspiracy. The Israeli Mossad did plan a series of terrorist attacks against US facilities in Cairo in the 1950s to ruin Cairo-Washington relations (the so-called Lavon Affair). The Tripartite Attack against Egypt in 1956 was a real conspiracy against former president Gamal Abdel-Nasser that was secretly planned in Sevres just outside Paris. The CIA did conduct mind-control experiments on people (the so-called Manchurian Candidate conspiracy), although these experiments failed. The US government did have plans to orchestrate acts of terrorism inside the United States to use them as an excuse to attack Cuba and its leader Fidel Castro in the 1960s, although this plan was never actually implemented. The CIA was indeed involved in drug-trafficking to finance certain militias in South America in the 1980s. Secret societies like the Illuminati and the Freemasons have existed for hundreds of years, although we can disagree over the extent of their influence on global events. I am not against believing in conspiracies, provided that there is evidence to support them. What I do have a problem with, however, is propagating conspiracy theories based on myths and rumours, instead of solid scientific and historical evidence. Second, I am not a medical doctor. I do not have a degree in medicine or health science, and I am not qualified to discuss these claims. Scientists and medics have done a much better job at debunking these myths and conspiracy theories than I ever could. Third, even though I am defending science and logic here, I have not been vaccinated myself (at least not yet). This is due to a certain condition that prevents me from having the vaccination for now. Having said these things, I will now present my views about the goofy conspiracy theories about Covid-19 and its vaccines, the sad consequences of these conspiracy theories, and the useful things that we can do to talk the Covid-19 conspiracy theorists out of their potentially harmful beliefs. GOOFY THEORIES: Vaccine-related conspiracy theories existed even before Covid-19. For decades, there has been a widespread belief in the West that vaccinations, especially the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination, can cause autism among children. This was based on a scientific paper by a British doctor named Andrew Wakefield published in a respectable scientific journal in 1998. The article caused a great deal of controversy. Years later, it was discovered that Wakefield had not followed scientific or ethical methods in writing his article. He has since had his medical licence revoked and been banned from practicing medicine. There have been other similar conspiracy theories claiming that Big Pharma was concealing the real data about the hazardous effects of vaccinations and bribing government officials to allow and even promote them among children. These anti-vaccination conspiracy theories existed even before the Covid-19 outbreak. In fact, health-related conspiracy theories have existed for centuries. They happened, for example, when the plague, or Black Death, spread in Europe and wiped out a third of the population in the 14th century. Due to widespread hatred of the Jews in Europe at the time, Christian Europeans accused the Jews of being behind the spread of the Black Death by poisoning the wells from which the Christians were drinking. Needless to say, this has been scientifically disproven, and modern science now knows that the Black Death spread through rats and fleas. Conspiracy theories have been abundant as a result of the outbreak of Covid-19 and the promotion of the vaccines against it. These conspiracy theories, and claims about the hazards of the vaccines, have caused vaccine hesitation, or the fear of having a vaccine due to such claims. Even before the current Covid-19 outbreak, studies showed that parents who were subject to such conspiracy theories, whether from social media or other sources, were less likely to vaccinate their children. Several conspiracy theories were being thrown around as Covid-19 started to spread all over the world and cause lockdowns and deaths. Former US president Donald Trump and his supporters implied that the pandemic was a hoax led by the anti-Trump deep state aiming to undermine the US economy and halt the gains it had achieved under Trumps management. Other Americans said that Covid-19 was a Chinese bioweapon that had originated in the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. Others said that the virus was being transmitted by 4G and 5G communication technologies. The Chinese version of the conspiracy theories, on the other hand, said that Covid-19 was an American bioweapon that had been released in China, but had backfired and had eventually hit the US itself. Needless to say, all these conspiracy theories are not based on hard evidence, but on personal views and on imagining a link between unrelated events, like the timing of Covid-19 and the timing of the 2020 presidential elections in the United States. Conspiracy theories have hit the Covid-19 vaccination process as well. Conspiracies about the vaccines have revolved around two main beliefs. The first is that the vaccination, or the cure, has existed for a long time, but the large multinational pharmaceutical corporations, or so-called Big Pharma, hid it until the situation became critical in order to raise vaccination prices and make more profit. The second is that Big Pharma is pushing plans for mass mandatory vaccination in order to sell the vaccines and make profits. There has also been the conspiracy theory that the vaccines contain microchips enabling the intelligence agencies to put citizens under surveillance and mind control and that this particular scheme was masterminded by US billionaire Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft. There have also been claims that the vaccines make you magnetic, that they alter your DNA, that they do not work, and that they can actually kill. This plandemic (a combination of the words plan and pandemic), according to conspiracy theorists and those who follow them, is all a scheme by the deep state, Big Pharma, and business magnates. These conspiracy theories, which sound goofy due to their far-fetched claims and lack of solid scientific evidence, could have sad consequences on those who believe in them and on society in general. They could delay or even prevent the publics acceptance of the real medical treatment of Covid-19, thus delaying the eradication of the pandemic. SAD THEORIES: These conspiracy theories reach millions of people through social media. Influencers then take these claims and spread them, and their followers listen to them without questioning or double-checking. Such conspiracy theories have led to the rise of anti-vaccination groups, or anti-vaxers, in several countries in the West. These groups promote conspiracy theories to discourage vaccinations. Former US president Trump did not want to harm the economic boost the American economy had experienced during his administration, thus weakening his chances of winning the 2020 presidential elections. He therefore went to great lengths to dismiss the Covid-19 pandemic as a common, non-dangerous flu epidemic that would not cause deaths and should not force people to change their lifestyles. He tweeted that the Democrats and the liberal media in the US were doing everything possible to make Covid-19 look as bad as possible, including panicking markets, if possible, and then claimed that the USA is in great shape. Needless to say, his actions were a factor in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans of Covid-19. He also made other claims that dismissed the real science behind Covid-19. In fact, he appeared wearing a mask only a few times during the pandemic, and the vast majority of his public appearances were without a mask. Among the controversies that Trump caused was his apparent claim that Covid-19 could be cured if people injected disinfectants like bleach into their bodies. To be fair, Trump did not explicitly recommend ingesting a disinfectant like bleach. What Trump actually did was say that disinfectants are very effective in killing the virus on surfaces, wondering if this could be applied to the human body as well. Is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning, because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so itd be interesting to check that, so that youre going to have to use medical doctors with, but it sounds interesting to me. So, well see, but the whole concept of the light, the way it kills it in one minute. Thats pretty powerful, Trump said. The wording of his remarks led some companies and state agencies to issue warnings about ingesting disinfectants. For example, the makers of certain disinfectant products said in statements that under no circumstances should their products be used in the human body. Nevertheless, some Americans were hospitalised, and at least one died, after they injected cleansing agents into their bodies based on Trumps statements. He never apologised for them, even though he knew the effects of his statements on his loyal and often poorly educated followers. Another factor that added to the anti-vax movement has been that a percentage of people who have died of the Delta variant of Covid-19 had received one or two shots of the vaccine. While experts said that this was indeed a fact, they counter-argued that deaths among those who were vaccinated were much less than among those who were not vaccinated. Such conspiracy theories, and claims about the hazards of the vaccines, also cause vaccine hesitation, which is the fear of having a vaccine due to such claims. It is indeed sad that people base life decisions on rumours and unfounded conspiracy theories instead of scientific and medical evidence. What are the useful things that we as individuals can do when we are faced in our daily lives with people who believe in such conspiracy theories? USEFUL THEORIES: The good news is that experts on conspiracy theories and their spread offer a series of useful steps you can follow to debate a conspiracy theorist effectively and perhaps even eventually convince him to give up his beliefs without getting involved in a shouting match or losing a friendship. According to Knight, it is very hard to argue a committed conspiracy theorist out of his beliefs using logic and facts. The long-term solution is to improve the education system and to increase awareness of what social-media spreads, to not believe everything you read, and to fact check what you hear and see on the media. Do not get angry or get involved in a shouting match with conspiracy theorists, because this will just make them angrier and cling more to their beliefs. Do not bombard them with logic or scientific evidence straight away, as this will simply not work. They will simply dismiss what you say and continue to cling to the beliefs they have. This is because conspiracy theories, and those who believe in them, do not depend on facts and information. Rather, they depend on deep feelings, emotions, and perhaps even fears not based on science or logic. According to psychologist Jovan Byford, a lecturer at the Open University in the UK, conspiracy theories often have a strong emotional dimension. They are not just about right and wrong, he told the BBC, but are underpinned by feelings of resentment, anger, and indignation over how the world works. People who believe in a conspiracy theory will claim that the ideas they believe in are based on their own research, even though their research is usually based on biased, unscientific sources (whether social media or TV hosts with certain biases). Therefore, instead of using facts when you deal with a conspiracy theorist, perhaps it would be more effective if you addressed his emotions and feelings. People seem receptive to you when you use the same ways in which they may have been manipulated, said Sander van der Linden of Cambridge University in the UK, an expert on the spread of misinformation and ways to stop it. For example, people who spread conspiracies depend heavily on provoking other peoples emotions, telling them that the fact that they believe in such conspiracies is a sign of high intelligence, a willingness to think outside the box, an independent personality, and even personal superiority. Therefore, if you want to convince a conspiracy theorist to give up his ideas, then perhaps you should use these techniques, too. Instead of being confrontational and bombarding them with lots and lots of facts and evidence, you should, first, use empathy and show that you understand the fears and concerns which have led them to believe the beliefs they have. Praise their intelligence and express your admiration that they have principles that are they enthusiastically defending. Do not shame them for what they believe and do not be dismissive. Instead, try to find middle ground where you can both agree and start from there. Try asking them questions which could make them realise the contradictions or the fallacies in their beliefs. You will, of course, have to use logic and evidence, but present it to them gently and calmly without offending them and show that you respect them even as you do not share their beliefs. Finally, do not expect quick results, because it will take a long time for a conspiracy theorist to reverse ideas in which he strongly believes. According to experts, this is the useful and effective recipe you should follow when you are faced with a conspiracy theorist who strongly believes in his ideas and is stubbornly defending them with all his power. Now that you have reached the end of this article, I strongly suggest that you do not just take everything I have written for granted. Instead, I advise you to fact-check everything I have written. I think that this would be a good first step for all of us to combat conspiracy theories based on rumours and myths instead of science and facts. The writer is a political science lecturer at the British University in Egypt, a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs and the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, UK. *A version of this article appears in print in the 29 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Short link: Since 2007 when the social media site Facebook was launched, peoples lives have been changing in major ways, including the ways that they communicate, hang out and even mark major events in their lives. Things took a more public detour in the Arab region in 2011 when people discovered that the platform could be used to coordinate protests, eventually helping to give rise to a wave of revolutions. Since then, social media platforms have not always been used responsibly, and as a result many have started to institute policies to remind users of their responsibilities. Instagram has decided to hide likes and followers on its platform, a policy that started in Canada in 2019 and that has now spread to countries including the US, Australia, Brazil, Ireland, Italy, Japan and New Zealand. The reason is that some people may be literally dying as a result of their desire to become famous on social media. Is a life worth a photo was a question posted on an Instagram account shared by a young couple named Vishnu and Meenakshi Moorthy, two software engineers and travel bloggers from India who had been living and working in the US. The post showed a picture of Moorthy, taken by her husband Vishnu, sitting on the edge of a rock over the Grand Canyon in the US with this caption. Later that same year, both were killed in an 800-foot fall at a national park in the US, an accident that occurred while they were on the edge of a cliff probably taking pictures for Instagram. The Moorthys lives ended tragically. But their story is part of a growing and dangerous trend in the global contest for social media fame. Instagram can also affect other lives in just as dramatic ways. One 16-year-old girl in the US allegedly took her own life after asking her Instagram followers to vote on whether she should live or die. The girl ran an Instagram poll with the question really important, help me choose D/L hours before her death. Investigations said that those who had voted for the girl to die could be guilty of abetting her suicide. According to reports, 69 per cent of the girls followers had voted death. This was another death that can be put down in part to the mania of social media. I think Instagram is doing a good job in hiding its interactions button, and I hope it applies the same policy in Egypt soon, said Ihab Youssef, a psychotherapist in Cairo. People by nature crave approval, and social platforms, being open spaces without personal boundaries, do not provide acceptance and more often provide rejections, he commented. But with such great freedom comes great responsibility and being capable of interacting in a digital world means knowing how to respect others and their personal boundaries. It means having the mindset to put things in perspective and not project personal insecurities or experiences onto others. Around 90 per cent of my clients feel less stressed when they do a digital detox and stop using apps like Facebook or Instagram. They feel less anxious and depressed after not exposing themselves to the toxic environment of social narcissism and low self-esteem that can easily install itself on social media, Youssef said. As a result of such observations, social media is sometimes seen as one of the most crippling pandemics of our time. It is an easy and convenient way to see what other people are doing in their lives, but it can come at a huge cost. The accessibility offered by the platforms means that people unconsciously cross other peoples boundaries and do not respect their own boundaries and limits. They may start comparing the image they perceive of others with the image they perceive of themselves, which may be both distorted and incomplete. While it is normal that we seek social acceptance and validation from others, it can become dangerous when this social acceptance and validation takes place only on social media and not through real human interactions. The apps in themselves are not toxic, but they can trigger insecurities in psychologically and mentally unstable people. Taking an initiative not to trigger such insecurities is a healthy step for collective psychological well-being, Youssef said. However, while many have praised Instagrams initiative, others have been asking how far it will affect influencers and businesses. I think this is a really positive change for the platform. Instagram stories dont have public metrics, but that hasnt stopped it from exploding in popularity with users, brands and influencers, said Salma Hesham, a 32-year-old fashion blogger in Cairo. The fact that likes will now be out of sight means that the focus is on the content rather than the numbers, and this could allow people to post more freely, she said. The change does have major implications for influencers, however. It could make it more difficult for brands to find Instagram influencers to work with, for example. Brands care more about reach and engagement than they do about followers, so without the ability to publicly view an influencers likes, it could make it harder to gauge how engaged their community is. Likes were always a false currency, but they are an easy number to give when asked how content is performing and an easy way to compare. So, I think this shift will force businesses to look at whats actually working, Hesham said. It seems that Instagram is not the only platform that is pursuing this approach. In an effort to improve the well-being of content creators, YouTube is also testing the impact of hiding dislike counts. However, after it announced that it would be making a major change to the way dislikes work on its platform, many content creators spoke out against the decision, saying it would not stop poor content appearing. While the change does not remove dislikes altogether from appearing, the number of dislikes a video has will no longer appear next to the dislike button on the YouTube site. But viewers will still be able to freely like and dislike videos, and content creators will still be able to view the number of dislikes to help provide feedback to YouTubers. YouTube has cited the well-being of content creators and the need to prevent targeted dislike campaigns taking place on its platform as reasons behind the change. But this isnt the first time that YouTube has attempted to change the dislike function on its platform, commented Omneya Ibrahim, a 34-year-old media researcher in Cairo. A couple of years ago, YouTube set out to remove the button completely for a similar reason to the current decision to remove the number of views shown. Back then, it was due to users spamming the dislike button. Now it might be YouTubes way of combating the current cancel culture, Ibrahim said, referring to campaigns to deplatform various individuals for their views in several Western countries. *A version of this article appears in print in the 29 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Short link: Following six and a half months of plenary meetings, the House of Representatives Egypt's lower parliament announced on Tuesday that it would adjourn for summer recess. The House Speaker Hanafi Gibali said that today Tuesday will be the end of the House's first legislative season which began on 12 January. "This season was completed during a very delicate period, during which we passed through the very hard circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic," said Gibali, adding that "MPs were up to their responsibilities and were keen to spare no effort in discussing the country's political, economic, and social problems in a very serious way." Gibali also indicated that during the first legislative season, he was keen to give the floor to MPs from both the majority and the opposition to express their opinions and voice their concerns. "I did my best to promote the exercise of democratic practices and was keen to conduct a democratic dialogue on all issues," said Gibali. Gibali also explained that in its first legislative season, the House held very intensive and constructive debate over the state's budget and socio-economic development plan. "The House's committees also produced very important reports about laws and this helped the House very much do its legislative job in a very effective way," said Gibali. Gibali referred to the fact that the House has used all supervisory tools at its disposal to exercise control over the government and reflect the opinion of citizens on different issues. A general report showed that in its first legislative season, which began on 12 January and ended on 27 July, the House held 58 plenary sessions that took 278 hours, during which 532 MPs took the floor. The report also indicated that the House has passed 146 laws including 1,749 articles, discussed 128 information requests, 230 questions and 265 proposals submitted by MPs. Before it adjourns for summer recess, the House decided to rebuke Mohamed Abdel-Aalim, an MP affiliated with the Wafd party. Ibrahim El-Heneidi, the chair of the House's Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee, said the House's Ethics Committee decided to rebuke the MP in response to insults used when he addressed the House on 29 January. Abdel-Alim was accused of insulting the majority party Mostaqbal Watan (the Nation's Future), charging it with inappropriate practices during last year's parliamentary elections. Abdel-Alim defended himself by telling the ethics committee that Article 112 of the constitution gives MPs the right to freely express their opinions during parliamentary debates. In a comment, Speaker Hanafi Gibal urged all MPs to express their opinions in a disciplined and respectful way. Before it adjourns for summer recess, the House approved two laws, the first on irrigation and water resources and the second on protection and development of lakes and fish wealth. The law on irrigation and water resources aims at introducing a more effective system for managing water resources in Egypt, and addressing pollution and waste water at a time the country is facing dwindling water resources and adverse climate change. The 134-article law imposes fees on the use of irrigation water, with farmers obliged to pay EGP 1,250 every five years or EGP 250 per year to obtain a license (about $80 and $16, respectively). The second law states that an "Authority on the Protection and Development of Lakes and Fish Wealth" will be set up to take charge of managing and preserving Egyptian lakes to double their production of fish. The authority, which will be affiliated with the cabinet, will be authorized with licensing fish farms and fish processing projects, as well as regulating fishing operations and managing fishing ports. Search Keywords: Short link: Thousands of Ethiopians cross into Sudan fleeing conflict AFP, , Tuesday 27 Jul 2021 The war has already killed thousands of people and pushed hundreds of thousands more into famine, according to United Nations Three thousand Ethiopian asylum-seekers crossed into Sudan late Monday, according to a government report seen by AFP, hailing from the Amhara region which borders the conflict-hit Tigray region. The two regions, which both border Sudan, are locked in a decades-old land dispute that has become central to an eight-month-old war in Tigray. "Three thousand people from the Qemant tribe crossed the border late today (Monday) into Taya village" in El-Gedaref state, the Sudanese government report said. More asylum-seekers from the war-torn region were pouring in, it added. Taya lies in the disputed Al-Fashaqa district, where Ethiopian farmers cultivate fertile land claimed by Sudan. On Sunday, Amhara regional president Agegnehu Teshager called on all armed residents to mobilise for battle against the Tigrayan rebels dubbing it a "survival campaign", state media reported. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, sent troops into Tigray last November to oust the region's ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a move he said was in response to TPLF attacks on federal army camps. Ahmed has leaned heavily on security forces from the Amhara region during the fighting in Tigray. Fighting dragged on for months before the tables turned in late June, with pro-TPLF fighters reclaiming the Tigray capital Mekele and Abiy declaring a unilateral ceasefire. The Tigrayan rebels have since pushed on into other areas, including ones claimed by the Amhara region, and the federal government has sought assistance from other regions. The war has already killed thousands of people and pushed hundreds of thousands more into famine, according to United Nations. https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/417822.aspx KYODO NEWS - Jul 27, 2021 - 19:56 | All, Japan Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has tapped Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, as a possible site for a chip plant it is considering building in the country, sources familiar with the matter said Tuesday. The move comes as the Japanese government, which regards securing a stable supply of semiconductors as important for national security, has been working to attract the world's largest contract chipmaker to set up a factory in the country. TSMC is seeking financial support for building a plant, a government source said, as the construction would require investment of several hundred billion to more than 1 trillion yen ($9 billion). Kumamoto is known for having an abundance of water, necessary when manufacturing semiconductors. A high concentration of related industries in the prefecture may have also strengthened its appeal for the company, the source said. Demand for semiconductors is increasing in various fields such as automobiles and electronic devices, and efforts are being made to tackle the current global chip shortage. Trade tensions between the United States and China, which could disrupt global supply chains, have also turned ensuring a stable supply of semiconductors into a national issue, with TSMC facing a deluge of orders from companies in various countries. In a new digital industry strategy compiled in June, the Japanese government indicated it would aim to mass-produce advanced semiconductors domestically by cooperating with foreign manufacturers. TSMC Chairman Mark Liu told a virtual meeting of shareholders this month that the company is aiming to build a plant in Japan. But he did not mention any specific partner or possible construction site. ==Kyodo KYODO NEWS - Jul 27, 2021 - 17:19 | World, All Samoa's first female prime minister, Fiame Naomi Mata'afa, took office on Tuesday, ending the 23-year term of outgoing Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi. The government led by Fiame's FAST party expects to reconvene parliament as early as Wednesday, after the south Pacific nation's court of appeal ruled in favor of the new government's validity on Friday, ending a three-month-long political impasse. Fiame's leadership will likely mark a change in relationship between Samoa and China, as the small island nation's heavy indebtedness to Beijing was a key issue in recent elections. Fiame has pledged to pull the plug on a $100 million Chinese-backed port development project, marking a decisive departure from the close relations China enjoyed with Samoa under Tuilaepa's two decades as leader. The power transition comes after her party beat Tuilaepa's Human Rights Protection Party by one seat in an April general election, sparking a constitutional crisis as Tuilaepa refused to accept defeat. Officials of the newly elected government were forced to hold an ad hoc swearing-in ceremony outside the parliament in May, after the former prime minister barred them from entry. In a statement issued Saturday following the court's recognition of the swearing-in ceremony as legitimate, Fiame thanked the people of Samoa for their patience, and said "It is now time for all of us to get back to work and make Samoa the country which all of us can be proud of." The nation gained independence from New Zealand in 1962. Samoa has a population of around 198,000, and its economy is heavily reliant on tourism and agriculture. KYODO NEWS - Jul 27, 2021 - 04:00 | World, All China on Monday lambasted the United States for portraying it as an "imagined enemy," calling on the administration of President Joe Biden to change what the Asian country claims is its highly misguided mindset and dangerous policies, the Foreign Ministry said. During talks between Chinese officials and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in Tianjin, Beijing also urged Washington to rectify its "wrong" policies against the nation, including revoking the visa restrictions on members of the ruling Communist Party. As the bilateral rivalry has increased, the latest Sino-U.S. gathering provided few signs that their tensions will ease soon, observers say, with the No. 2 diplomat under Biden raising worries about a range of Chinese actions that run counter to U.S. interests. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng was quoted by the state-run Xinhua News Agency as telling Sherman in their meeting, "China wants to work with the United States to seek common ground while shelving the differences." Washington needs to cooperate with the government of President Xi Jinping on the basis of mutual respect as well as embrace fair competition and peaceful coexistence, Xie added. Nevertheless, Xie told Sherman that by demonizing China, the United States could somehow shift domestic public discontent over political, economic and social issues and blame China for its own structural problems. The U.S. State Department said later in the day that Sherman also had "a frank and open" discussion with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi about many issues in China, demonstrating "the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between our two countries." She underscored that the United States "does not seek conflict with the PRC," the department said, using the formal name of the People's Republic of China, founded by the late Communist leader Mao Zedong in 1949. Sherman's trip to China, one of the stops in her tour of Asia, came as Washington has signaled its eagerness for a possible first bilateral summit meeting since Biden took office in January. But White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the issue was not discussed during the talks in China, although she emphasized that Biden "believes in" face-to-face diplomacy and the United States expects "there will be some opportunity to engage at some point." Sherman voiced concerns about Beijing posing security challenges to Taiwan, the situations in the East and South China seas, and allegations of human rights abuses, the department said. Sherman visited Tianjin for two days from Sunday, making it the highest-level trip by a U.S. official to China in months. In the city near Beijing, the Communist-led government asked the United States not to interfere in what it calls "internal affairs," such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and the South China Sea, the Foreign Ministry said. Since the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump, Biden's predecessor, began in 2017, Washington has taken a hardline approach to China and imposed sanctions on the nation in an apparent bid to curb its rise in the economic, security and technology fields. Beijing has insisted that the Biden administration has refused visa applications by some Chinese students, suppressed the country's companies and harassed its diplomatic and consular missions in the United States. China requested the United States to address those cases as soon as possible and earnestly respect and protect the legitimate interests of Chinese citizens and institutions in the nation, according to Xinhua. The U.S. side, meanwhile, called Monday for cooperation with China in tackling matters related to climate change and nuclear programs of Iran and North Korea, it added. As for the COVID-19 pandemic, however, Sherman expressed dismay toward China for rejecting the World Health Organization's proposal for a second phase of an investigation into the origin of the novel coronavirus, the department said. Near a hotel where Xie and Sherman appear to have met, tight security was in place, with police cars patrolling. Sherman moved around in isolated circumstances, as China has been taking strict measures to prevent infections with the virus. Beijing has been at odds with Washington over several other issues like its alleged unfair business practices, especially regarding intellectual property violation, and its crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong. The first high-level in-person contact between the two countries under Biden's presidency took place in March in Alaska. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi and Wang attended the gathering. At the time, they engaged in rare sparring in front of TV cameras over their differing visions for the international order and their respective positions on human rights and democracy issues, among other topics. In April, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry traveled to Shanghai for discussions with his counterpart on climate change, becoming the first senior official under the Biden administration to visit China. Related coverage: U.S. Secretary of State Blinken to make 1st trip to India next week U.S. raps China for shunning WHO plan for further COVID origin probe Japan, U.S., S. Korea agree to boost cooperation over N. Korea nukes KYODO NEWS - Jul 27, 2021 - 12:05 | World, All A military-appointed election commission in Myanmar has officially nullified the results of a November general election that the military alleged was marred by widespread fraud, state media reported Monday night. The nullification could be the prelude to a dissolution order for the formerly ruling National League for Democracy, which the military ousted from power in a February coup. Led by leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the NLD won the election resoundingly, paving the way for its continued perch on power. But the NLD-led government was toppled just hours before newly elected lawmakers were supposed to be seated in parliament on Feb. 1. The military, whose affiliated party fared dismally in the election, cried foul over the election results, alleging massive voter fraud. The military-appointed election commission, which was launched following the coup, claims that the NLD usurped coronavirus-related restrictions to its advantage and attempted to grab power by obstructing the activities of other political parties. The military said right after the coup that the November election would be nullified and a new election held. The election commission said early this month that in all 315 townships where voting was held, a total of over 11.3 million cases of fraud had occurred, including voter list irregularities. The military-led State Administration Council has indicated that the NLD would be dissolved for masterminding the alleged fraud, adding to speculation that the military is determined to keep the detained leader Suu Kyi from the country's future political landscape at all cost. Following the defeat of its affiliated party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party, in the November election, the military demanded that suspected election fraud be investigated. It said it mounted the coup because the then ruling NLD-led government did not listen to its calls. Related coverage: Asylum-seeking Myanmar soccer player to join Japanese club as trainee Top member of Myanmar's NLD dies under detention of COVID-19 Myanmar faces oxygen shortage as new virus cases top 7,000 KYODO NEWS - Jul 27, 2021 - 17:47 | World, All Visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen agreed Tuesday on the need for a rules-based order for regional security and to work on expanding their defense partnership. Austin, who arrived in Singapore on Monday, is the first key member of President Joe Biden's Cabinet to visit Southeast Asia and is set to travel to Vietnam and the Philippines after three days in the city-state. During their meeting in Singapore, Austin and Ng "agreed on the importance of sustaining a rules-based order" and "committed to continue discussions on U.S. force posture initiatives," according to a joint statement issued afterward. Singapore provides logistical support to U.S. military aircraft and vessels and allows the regular rotational deployment of U.S. Navy littoral combat ships and P-8 aircraft. The statement described the U.S. presence in the region as being "vital for its peace, prosperity and stability." Austin also held talks with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday. "We are looking for new ways to work together, and strengthen this relationship further," Lee said on Facebook later. Related coverage: U.S. Secretary of State Blinken to make 1st trip to India next week Japan, U.S., S. Korea agree to boost cooperation over N. Korea nukes British carrier strike group to make port calls in Japan in Sept. KYODO NEWS - Jul 26, 2021 - 22:41 | All, Japan, World UNESCO decided Monday to add a chain of islands in southwestern Japan with dense subtropical forests to its natural World Heritage list, Japanese government officials said. The World Heritage Committee of the U.N. organization decided during an online session to list as Japan's fifth World Natural Heritage site the 43,000 hectare area, comprising Amami-Oshima Island and Tokunoshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture as well as the northern part of the main Okinawa Island and Iriomote Island in Okinawa Prefecture. The decision follows the recommendation in May by a UNESCO advisory panel that the islands with diverse ecosystems, home to rare animals and birds including the Amami rabbit, the Iriomote cat and the Okinawa rail, be added to the list. Animals and plants in the areas have evolved in the formation process of islands as they detached from the continent. The Japanese government initially submitted its World Heritage proposal for the islands to the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in February 2017. However, it withdrew the proposal in June 2018 in line with the advice of the panel, or the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which said that measures to preserve them were insufficient. The government rearranged the candidate areas into five sites by including a forest within a former U.S. military site in northern Okinawa that was returned to Japan in December 2016 and reinforced measures against invasive species before resubmitting the proposal in February 2019. This year's World Heritage Committee session through Saturday will evaluate candidate sites for 2020 and 2021 as the registration of candidate sites last year was delayed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The listing of the southwestern Japan islands follows the Ogasawara Islands, which were inscribed on the UNESCO list in 2011 and could be the final natural World Heritage site in Japan, as all candidate sites recommended by the Japanese government have been added to the UNESCO list. Jomon Era archaeological sites in the country's north -- 17 archaeological sites across Hokkaido and Aomori, Akita and Iwate prefectures -- are expected to be added to the World Cultural Heritage list during the committee session. Another UNESCO advisory panel recommended the ruins for the listing in May, which will bring the total number of World Heritage sites in Japan to 25. New Delhi: Do you know how harmful are your favourite sweet candies and all those pretty little things you like? A study has revealed that the most common white pigment used in everyday goods ranging from paint to candies may be linked to diabetes. The latest on diabetes found by scientists from the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) in the US reveals that crystalline particles of titanium dioxide were found in pancreas specimens with Type 2 diabetes, suggesting that exposure to the white pigment is associated with the disease. New Findings on Type 2 Diabetes: It could be a chronic crystal-associated inflammatory disease of the pancreas Our initial findings raise the possibility that type 2 diabetes could be a chronic crystal-associated inflammatory disease of the pancreas, similar to chronic crystal-caused inflammatory diseases of the lung such as silicosis and asbestosis, said Adam Heller, professor at UT Austin. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is not a known constituent of any normal human tissue. Our body normally has plenty of salts and compounds of metallic elements such as sodium, potassium, calcium, iron and magnesium, as well as lesser amounts of other metallic elements like cobalt or molybdenum but not of titanium. The team examined 11 pancreas specimens, eight of which were from donors who had type 2 diabetes and three from donors who did not. Whereas the three non-diabetic pancreatic tissue specimens contained no detectable TiO2 crystals, the crystals were detected in all of the eight type 2 diabetes pancreatic tissue specimens. Researchers found more than 200 million TiO2 crystallites per gram of TiO2 particles in the specimens from type 2 diabetes donors but not in the three specimens from non-diabetic donors. How titanium dioxide pigment replaced highly toxic lead-based pigments In the mid-20th century, titanium dioxide pigment replaced highly toxic lead-based pigments. It became the most commonly used white pigment in paints and in foods, medications, toothpaste, cosmetics, plastics and paper. As a result, annual production of titanium dioxide has increased by 4 million tonnes since the 1960s. WHO report on diabetes: The number of people with diabetes has quadrupled during the past four decades, affecting about 425 million people, with type 2 diabetes comprising the majority of recorded cases. Although obesity and an aging population are still considered major factors leading to a rise in type 2 diabetes cases worldwide, the study suggests that increased use of titanium dioxide may also be linked to the rapid rise in the number of people suffering from the disease. The increased use of titanium dioxide over the last five decades could be a factor in the Type 2 diabetes epidemic, Heller said. The dominant T2D-associated pancreatic particles consist of TiO2 crystals, which are used as a colorant in foods, medications and indoor wall paint, and they are transported to the pancreas in the bloodstream, he said. The study raises the possibility that humanitys increasing use of TiO2 pigment accounts for part of the global increase in the incidence of T2D, he added. Given the wide-reaching implications of his findings, Heller is keen to repeat the study using a larger sample. (With PTI inputs) New Delhi: After holding a high-level meeting with all the major political parties in Jammu and Kashmir, Governor NN Vohra on Tuesday wrote to President Ram Nath Kovind for the imposition of Governors rule under Section 92 of the Constitution in the militancy-hit state. "Governor NN Vohra has forwarded his report to the President of India for the imposition of Governors Rule under Section 92 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir," the news agency ANI reported. Meanwhile, another source closed to the development said the BJP may appoint a new governor in Jammu and Kashmir after the Amarnath yatra - an annual pilgrimage, which will start on June 28 and continue for two months. According to sources, the central government would like incumbent NN Vohra to be in charge of the annual pilgrimage given his vast experience. Vohra, who was appointed the governor in June 2008 and given a fresh term in 2013, is among the few governors appointed by the UPA government to have continued in his position in the BJP-led NDA dispensation. After concluding his consultations with all the major Political Parties in #JammuAndKashmir, Governor NN Vohra has forwarded his report to the President of India for imposition of Governors Rule under Section 92 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir. (File pic) pic.twitter.com/LAlQZNGmVr ANI (@ANI) June 19, 2018 "We may consider having a new governor after the yatra is over," a senior BJP leader told PTI. The conduct of the annual pilgrimage has been a high-security exercise and the deteriorating condition in the Valley has heightened the threat perception this year. Home Minister Rajnath Singh was recently in the Valley to take stock of the security measures ahead of the yatra. The BJP on Tuesday pulled out of the coalition with the PDP in Jammu and Kashmir, paving the path for governor's rule in the state. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday ended his strike at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal's house, called against the alleged strike of IAS officers in the national capital. The move came shortly after, the Delhi LG wrote to Kejriwal requesting him to urgently meet the officers in the Secretariat so that apprehensions and concerns of both sides can be suitably addressed through dialogue in the best interest of the Delhiites, according to a press release, released by Raj Niwas. Earlier in the day, the Delhi CM dashed a fresh letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, berating him for not intervening in the crisis. "Ab toh gazab hi ho gaya! (Now this is getting ridiculous). My ministers and I have been sitting at Raj Niwas and waiting to meet the LG and the LG is not willing to meet us. Yeh toh ek ajooba hai (this is very peculiar). Nobody in the world will accept that he (LG) is doing this on his own," Kejriwal wrote in his three-page letter. "Everyone is saying this is happening at your behest. I am an insignificant man. I have not come to meet him in a personal capacity but as the elected Chief Minister of the people. This is not an insult to me, but an insult to the people of Delhi. Is it not the Constitutional duty of the LG to meet an elected CM? By not meeting the CM, is the LG not indulging in dereliction of duty?" the letter went on to claim further. #Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ends his strike at Lieutenant Governor's house, called against alleged strike of IAS officers in #Delhi pic.twitter.com/kK5BsgeciK ANI (@ANI) June 19, 2018 Read | AAP Dharna: SC refuses urgent hearing of plea to declare Kejriwal's sit-in as unconstitutional "Today, I cannot transfer an officer, I cannot suspend an erring officer or send a corrupt officer to jail. Why did you pass such an order? It is clear that your aim is to handicap the elected government of Delhi," the AAP leader accused. Accusing PM Modi of using the L-G office to stall work of the AAP government, Kejriwal said, "After gaining independence, we chose a democratic system of government very carefully. In our system, people elect their own government and that government works according to the wishes of the people and is answerable only to the people. This democratic system will crumble if the central government stops state governments from doing their work on some pretext or the other. I request you, once more, to let us work for the people of Delhi and direct the LG to solve this crisis at the earliest. The people of Delhi will be grateful to you". The Delhi CM, his deputy Manish Sisodia and other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ministers, including Satyendra Jain and Gopal Rai on June 11 started a Dharna at L-G office demanding a direction to IAS officers to end their "strike" and action against officers who have struck work for "four months". Read | AAP Dharna: On fast for six days, Manish Sisodia admitted to hospital Post that, Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues dug in their heels with Health Minister Satyendra Jain and Sisodia beginning an indefinite hunger strike to press for their demands. Their demands also include the implementation of AAP's ambitious doorstep ration delivery scheme in Delhi. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: India blessed the world with a mantra to lead a happy and healthy life in the form of yoga. On the occasion of International Yoga Day 2018, Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel on Thursday performed Yoga at the altitude of 18,000 feet in the cold desert of Ladakh. In the backdrop of snow-covered Himalayas, the security personnel performed several Yoga asanas, including Surya Namaskar to celebrate the world yoga day. Apart from ITBP, the Eastern Naval Command staff also performed yoga on board INS Jyothi in the Bay of Bengal off Visakhapatnam. The submarine staff of the Eastern Naval Command also participated in the celebrations of International Yoga Day 2018. Vice Admiral Karambir Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Naval Command was also present during the navy personnels yoga day celebrations. #WATCH Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel perform Surya Namaskar in cold desert of Ladakh at an altitude of 18,000 feet pic.twitter.com/ky3PmJUm0G ANI (@ANI) June 21, 2018 From Australia to Dubai and China to America, the entire world was celebrating the 4th International Yoga Day to promote healthy lifestyle. The world yoga day was also celebrated at the UN Headquarters where people took to the yoga mat and performed asanas. Practicing yoga can improve strength, flexibility and mental healthall elements of Goal 3 of the #GlobalGoals, Good Health and Well-being, United Nations tweeted along with a picture of people performing yoga asanas. Also Read | International Yoga Day 2018 LIVE: Yoga biggest mass moment for good health, says PM Modi In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led an estimated 50,000 enthusiasts performing asanas during the 4th International Yoga day celebrations at the picturesque Forest Research Institute in Dehradun. Addressing a large gathering on the occasion of International Yoga Day, Modi said that yoga has shown the world the way from "illness to wellness" and enriching lives across the globe. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In a veiled attack on Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad over his controversial Kashmir remark, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday demanded an explanation from UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi regarding his statement. In an interview with a television channel, Azad had earlier said that the army was killing more common people than militants in Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, addressing a press conference in the national capital Ravi Shankar termed Azad's remarks very "embarrassing, unfortunate, and irresponsible". "Congress is now standing with those who want to break the country. What kind of politics is this?" Prasad said. "In J&K, 72 terrorists were killed in 2012, 67 in 2013. In June'14 we came to power. 110 were killed in 2014, 108 in 2015, 150 in 2016, 217 in 2017 and 75 have been killed till May 2018. So Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad you can see difference between your and our government," Prasad said responding to Azad's statement, which was demeaning for the Indian Army. In J&K 72 terrorists were killed in 2012, 67 in 2013. In June'14 we came to power. 110 were killed in 2014, 108 in 2015, 150 in 2016, 217 in 2017 & 75 have been killed till May'18. So GN Azad you can see difference b/w your & our govt. LeT is supporting what Cong says: RS Prasad pic.twitter.com/OycKBKHqEr ANI (@ANI) June 22, 2018 The Union Minister's statement came days after Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in an emailed statement supported Azad's remark on security forces in Kashmir. LeT spokesperson Abdullah Ghaznavi quoted chief Mahmood Shah saying that they agreed with Azad. The cat is out of the bag. Lashkar terrorists have spilled the beans. Know your Italian Congress Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) June 22, 2018 "We have been of the same opinion as of the expressions of Ghulam Nabi Azad and others since the beginning. India is up to bringing back the era of Jagmohan by imposing the Governor law so as to sabotage the infrastructure and commit a massacre of innocents. It is a move to further intensify the mass killings," the statement read. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Heavy summer rains in Manipur have triggered flash floods in the capital - Imphal Valley and massive landslides in the West hills - Tamenglong and more rains are predicted till , MeT officials said on . Normal life has been hit in several low-lying areas in Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal and Bishenpur districts which have been inundated by the incessant rains, they said. The Imphal river at Minuthong in the state capital is flowing at the "highest flood level". The Irilbung and Lilong rivers are also flowing at the danger level, they said. All government offices and educational institutions were closed as the General Administration Department declared a holiday in view of the natural disaster situation. The Directorate of Education (School) declared a two-day holiday - and - for all government and private schools in the Imphal Valley, barring Jiribam district. In Thoubal district, as many as hundred houses have been flooded by the overflowing Thoubal river, forcing residents to take shelter in relief camps. In Tamenglong West district, massive landslides have been reported in several areas, damaging roads and leaving several vehicles and travellers stranded. The MeT department has predicted more showers till . New Delhi: A police constable wounded in a militant attack near Galander Bypass on Srinagar-Jammu highway area of Pampore in south Kashmirs Pulwama district succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday evening. The militants fired upon a police vehicle at Kandizal near Galander Bypass, as per official sources. Photo of Police constable Tanveer Ahmad who succumbed to his injuries following terrorist attack on police party in Pulwama's Kandizal. #JammuAndKashmir pic.twitter.com/XlJp05nxIk ANI (@ANI) June 20, 2018 In the attack, three policemen sustained bullet wounds and were rushed to a nearby hospital for initial treatment from where they were shifted to an army hospital at Badamibagh, Srinagar. Among the injured, Tanveer Ahmed, who had sustained severe head injuries later succumbed at the military hospital, as per official reports. The other two policemen who were injured have been identified as Mudasir Ahmad and Mohammad Ayoub. #JammuAndKashmir: Police constable Tanveer Ahmad who was injured in terrorist attack on police party in Pulwama's Kandizal succumbs to his injuries (File pic) pic.twitter.com/nqS7JbZTks ANI (@ANI) June 20, 2018 A police spokesperson issued a statement, confirming the attack and said that cop Tanveer Ahmad with critical injuries succumbed to his injuries. The condition of the other two police personnel Mudasir Ahmad and driver Mohammad Ayoub are stated to be stable as of now. Police has registered a case in this regard and search to nab the terrorists has been initiated. We pay out a tribute to the constable Tanveer and stand by the family at this critical juncture, the spokesman added. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Opposition Congress on Tuesday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over its decision to break alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Jammu and Kashmir and accused the saffron party of "destroying the peace" in the state. "An opportunistic alliance has come to an end. BJP is running away after destroying the peace in the valley," the Congress party tweeted. Reacting to the fall of the BJP-PDP government in Jammu and Kashmir, Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the saffron party "ruined" the state in last three years and people of the Valley will now take a sigh of relief. Whatever has happened is good. People of J&K will get some relief. They (BJP) ruined Kashmir & have now pulled out, a maximum number of civilian & army men died during these 3 years, ANI quoted Azad as saying. Azad denied speculations of the Congress extending support to the PDP and said that the BJP had committed a Himalayan blunder by forming a government with Muftis party. The BJP pulled out of its alliance with the PDP in Jammu and Kashmir, saying that it had become untenable to continue in the government in view of the growing radicalism and terrorism in the state. Meanwhile, National Conference (NC) also refused to stake claim to form the government and demanded fresh elections in the state. We requested the Governor that Governor Rule should not remain imposed for a long time period. After all, people have the right to choose their government. Fresh elections should take place & we will accept the mandate of the people, the NC chief Omar Abdullah said in a press conference. (With inputs from agencies) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The inevitable has happened. There was scarcely a doubt that the PDP-BJP alliance in Jammu and Kashmir would collapse someday under the weight of its contradictions and the burden of its huge stockpile of failures on key fronts but who would pull the rug from under the others feet was a subject of speculation. With general elections less than a year away, the BJP has withdrawn support to the Mehbooba Mufti government, leading to its collapse and the chief minister has formally submitted her resignation to Governor NN Vohra, paving the way for Governors rule. An experiment that brought two diametrically opposing parties in a coalition has ended for now, arguably leaving Kashmir in a worse mess than there was when the coalition took charge a little over three years ago. In all fairness to the BJP, the unnatural alliance was dictated by the nature of the election results. While the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) won the largest number of seats at 28 in the 87-member Assembly, the BJP which won all its 25 seats from the Jammu region was a close second. The National Conference won 15 while the Congress got 12 seats. The only way a viable government could have been formed was by the PDP and BJP coming together. In this manner, the Hindus who won seats in Jammu were represented in the government by the BJP which drew a blank in the Muslim-majority valley. Read | Jammu and Kashmir government falls as BJP quits alliance with PDP Right from the word go, the BJP complained that the valley was being pampered at the cost of Jammu and the Ladakh regions. It complained that the Mehbooba Mufti government failed to contain militancy and radicalisation of youth in the Kashmir Valley. Mehbooba was soft on the youth who pelted stones at the security forces, even giving them amnesty when many of them were jailed. The BJP decision to withdraw from the government came a day after suspension of the ceasefire in Kashmir Valley which was ordered at the behest of Mehbooba Mufti. Mufti is understood to have demanded an extension of the ceasefire. That escalated the row between the parties and led to the final parting of ways. However, terror activities continued in the Valley despite the unilateral ceasefire. Rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua was a big dampener for the BJP-PDP alliance. The PDP was critical of the BJP being soft on the alleged party supporters of the accused. The local BJP leaders wanted a CBI inquiry into the incident while Mufti preferred probe by the Jammu and Kashmir Police. Read | BJP-PDP Alliance Over: Muscular security policy will not work in J-K, says Mehbooba Mufti The BJP leaders of Jammu and Kashmir are believed to have complained to the central leadership that Mufti was taking unilateral decisions in the matter of governance and the saffron party was not being given due importance. The PDP and the BJP did not see eye to eye over the Centre's decision to end its Ramzan ceasefire with terrorists. The month-long ceasefire in the valley witnessed a spurt in terror strikes in the region. Noted journalist Shujaat Bukhari and Army jawan Aurangzeb were killed in separate attacks on the eve of Eid. With the general elections approaching, the BJP was conscious that the electorate across the country would hold the situation in Kashmir against the party for failure to control terror and violence. It was felt that Governors rule could retrieve the situation somewhat for the party. Governor Vohra was to lay down office on June 28 but in the circumstances, an extension for him may become imperative. It would now be vital to improve law and order and to pump in more Central money to win over the hearts of the people. Read | Mehbooba Mufti resigns as Jammu and Kashmir CM; 'this had to happen,' says PDP All-out efforts would be required to tackle militancy with a heavy hand while giving succour to the common Kashmiri. It would indeed be a hard grind, given the alienation of the people from the authorities. But it will have to be done. Paris: India will construct a war memorial at Villers Guislain, a town around 200 km from Paris, to honour the valour and sacrifice of the thousands of its soldiers, sailors and airmen who fought for peace in the World War I. This was announced by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in Paris. "India will construct an Indian Armed Forces Memorial at Villers Guislain," she said. This will be the second such memorial in Europe, she added. During the World War I, Villers-Guislain had witnessed a fierce battle in which the British Indian cavalry regiments were heavily involved. The town was liberated on September 29, 2018. Swaraj, who arrived here from Rome yesterday on the second leg of her four-nation tour, addressed the Indian diaspora at a reception organised in her honour. She said that Indians in every part of the world carry India and its civilisational ethos in their heart. She also handed over certificates of appreciation to Indian community organisation and individuals who have contributed to the Swacch Bharat Kosh. Read | Sushma Swaraj arrives in Luxembourg on third leg of four-nation visit The minister also attended a ceremony held to name the Indian Culture Centre in the memory of Swami Vivekanand. A bilateral Letter of Intent was signed between India and France in her presence on cooperation in the field of conservation of pre-historic ornate caves and rock shelters. The document signed between the Ministry of Culture of India and the Ministry of Culture of France will aid conservation efforts at the Bhimbetka caves in India and the caves of Lascaux and Chauvet in France. Swaraj also visited the India House, Maison de l'Inde, which is a hostel for Indian students in the University City of Paris. She addressed the Indian students and unveiled a plaque at the India Hostel to commemorate the golden jubilee of the landmark building. "Bridging the gap between India and France through people-to-people connect! EAM @SushmaSwaraj with the Indian students staying at Maison de l'Inde or Indian hostel on the occasion of its 50th anniversary," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesman Raveesh Kumar tweeted. Read | Sushma Swaraj leaves for South Africa on five-day visit, to attend BRICS, IBSA Swaraj also released a publication States of India' which is meant for increasing awareness of the business climate in various states of India and would prove to be a handy guide for French investors. Later in the day, the minister arrived in Luxembourg for a two-day visit. She is the first external affairs minister from India to visit Luxembourg. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Iran on Monday executed a Sufi member who rammed a bus into police triying to disperse a rally, killing three of them. Mohammad Salas was hanged early in the morning, according to the official website of the judiciary. Salas had said that he meant no harm to anyone as he testified in March that he was trying to get away from the clashes. The clashes took place in February when supporters of Sufi leader Nourali Tabandeh rallied outside his home, fearing his possible arrest. Iran Government frowns on Sufism, the mystical strain of Islam. Many conservatives view it as a deviation from the faith. Rights groups say Iran is one of the world's leading executioners, and have repeatedly called on it to abolish the death penalty. (With AP/PTI inputs) For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: A day after the BJP-PDP coalition collapsed in Jammu and Kashmir, President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday approved the imposition of Governors rule in the state with immediate effect. This was the fourth time since 2008 and eighth time since 1977 that the Governor's rule was imposed in Jammu and Kashmir. On Tuesday, the Mehbooba Mufti-led government had crashed after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) pulled out of its alliance with ruling the People's Democratic Party. Following the crash of the government, Governor's NN Vohra had written to President Ram Nath Kovind for the imposition of Governors rule under Section 92 of the Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir. Although the "unholy and unnatural" PDP-BJP coalition never looked easy and its fall was inevitable, but, the sudden move by the saffron party still took Mufti by surprise and she was informed about the development by Governor Vohra and not its three-year-old ally. Mufti handed over her resignation to Governor Vohra soon after the BJP announced break up. "Our agenda was healing touch, we can't treat Jammu and Kashmir as enemy territory, neither the muscular approach will work," she told reporters during a press conference on Tuesday. Here are the five reasons why BJP ditched PDP in Jammu and Kashmir Earlier, BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav, who was the key architect of the BJP-PDP alliance in Jammu and Kashmir announced the breakup, saying that it had become "untenable" for the party to continue in the government. "It had become untenable to continue with the PDP government in Kashmir," Madhav said, accusing Mufti of non-cooperation. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In view of the Governors rule in Jammu and Kashmir, the Niti Aayog meeting with the officials of Jammu and Kashmir government and NGOs has been shelved, a senior official said. The meeting, which was scheduled on in Srinagar, is likely be postponed to a convenient date in July. Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant was scheduled to lead the Niti Aayog delegation, which among other things was also supposed to discuss the developmental activities in the Aayogs two identified aspirational districts Baramulla and Kupwara. The state, however, was on placed under Governors rule for the fourth time in the last decade after the BJP withdrew support to its alliance partner PDP, prompting Mehbooba Mufti to resign as the chief minister and leading to the collapse of her government. (With PTI inputs) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday described the end of alliance between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Jammu and Kashmir as very unfortunate and said it would lead to imposition of governors rule and it is a prelude to more repression. This is a very unfortunate step which will lead to imposition of Governors rule. I am of the opinion that this is a prelude to more greater repression, he told reporters in Hyderabad. The Hyderabad MP charged that PDP and BJP had an agenda of alliance but not a single move was made to implement it. BJP, as a partner in government, made no serious attempt for a dialogue either by indicating a bare outline of their agenda. Though they had an agenda of alliance which both the parties agreed to, not a single step was taken to fulfilnwhat was promised in their agenda of alliance, he said. Owaisi said that he felt sorry for the residents of Kashmir and not for PDP which brought upon this great political disaster for itself. The PDP said and the BJP also agreed that this is an alliance between north pole and south pole. The people of the nation wants to know what happened to this so-called meeting of north pole and south pole, he said. Bashing the BJP, he added that the party cannot run away from failure to provide governance and stopping cross-border terrorism and attacks on army camps. Owaisi said that he felt the BJP took the early decision to pull out as they knew it was losing ground in Jammu. The AIMIM chief said the BJP would have to explain to the people why it was announced in a rush and called off, while replying to query on ceasefire. Asked whether he stood with the government on the issue of ceasefire and whether it should be extended, the MP said he was with the people of the country and Kashmir. He also said the BJP cannot blame the PDP for alleged non-performance. His (BJP general secretary Ram Madhav) own party ministers and deputy CM were there. BJP cannot hide behind or cannot put forward this cowardly defence that our partner was not listening to us..., he said. On Madhavs reported comments that his party was forced to pull out of the coalition because internal security was being compromised, Owaisi claimed the BJP is running away as all operations were conducted with the consent of the Centre. Describing the recent killing of journalist Shujaat Bukhari as a monumental tragedy, he said it was being exploited to fulfil a policy which was started two years ago. (With inputs from agencies) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Hitting back at BJP chief Amit Shah for false allegations of discrimination against Jammu and Ladakh region, Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said that if the charges were true, why none of the BJP ministers spoke about it till now. If anything they (BJP) should review the performance of their own ministers, who largely represented the Jammu region. If there were any such concerns, none among them either at the state or central level talked about it during the last three years, Mufti tweeted. In a series of tweets, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said that all the decisions taken during the PDP-BJP government in the state were in accordance with the Agenda of Alliance (AoA) the parties had agreed upon. Many false charges levelled against us by our former allies. Our commitment to the Agenda of Alliance, co-authored by Ram Madhav & endorsed by senior leaders like Rajnath Ji never wavered. It is sad to see them disown their own initiative & label it a 'soft approach, Mufti tweeted. She further said that the decisions to withdraw against stonepelters and the unilateral ceasefire were necessary and the BJP had also endorsed them. Status quo on Article 370, dialogue with Pakistan & Hurriyat were a part of AoA. Encouraging dialogue, withdrawing cases against stonepelters & the unilateral ceasefire were much-needed measures to restore confidence on the ground. This was recognized & endorsed by BJP, she said in another tweet. Status quo on Article 370, dialogue with Pakistan & Hurriyat were a part of AoA. Encouraging dialogue, withdrawing cases against stonepelters & the unilateral ceasefire were much needed measures to restore confidence on the ground. This was recognized & endorsed by BJP. 2/6 Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) June 24, 2018 She said that not handing over the Rasana rape and murder case to CBI and removing pro-rapist ministers were her duties as the chief minister of the state. Not handing over the Rasana rape & murder case to CBI, getting the pro-rapist ministers removed & also issuing orders not to harass the Gujjar & Bakarwal community in the guise of anti-encroachment drives were my duties as CM to provide a sense of security to both communities, the PDP chief said. Referring to BJP leader and former minister Choudhary Lal Singhs remark that journalist should mend their ways, she said, After expressing concern about freedom of expression in J&K following Shujaat (Bukhari)s murder, their MLA, notorious, still threatens journalists belonging to the valley. So what are they going to do about him? The BJP last week had pulled out of its alliance with the PDP, accusing the latter of discrimination against Jammu and Ladakh region and having a soft approach against the increasing alienation of youth in the Valley. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. India receives information about Pak-based terror groups setting up bases on the Indian side. The Afghanistan government has informed India about terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba shifting its base inside the country. According to the Afgan govt, Taliban development comes as territorial gains in the country and the fear is that ungoverned places may be used by international terror groups. The central government is conducting various private meetings with various regional capitals has been raising this issue. The terror of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed has been constantly increasing across the nation. Earlier this month, publically slamming Pakistan, Afghan President Ghani pointed out that "more than 10,000 'jihadi fighters entered the country from Pakistan in the last month." This was said in the presence of Pakistan PM Imran Khan at the Uzbekistan connectivity summit. Now, the reports emerged that the number of fighters killed in Afghanistan in the past few weeks had Pakistani ID cards. These countries- Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, China have all been concerned about ungoverned places in Afghanistan. It may be that they are used by international terror groups. Uzbekistan shows concern about the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, while China is worried about East Turkestan Islamic Movement. Also Read: Bhopal: Cheated Lakhs by becoming PA of 2 ministers, now arrested BL Santosh to be the next CM of Karnataka? BJP may announce in a day or two Tokyo Olympics Hockey: India defeats Spain 3-0, Rupinder Pal Singh shines as a star New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be leaving for Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe today (July 27) to partake in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's (SCO) Defence Ministers Meet. Wednesday will be the main day of engagement, which will include a joint call on by SCO defence ministers with Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon. Rajnath Singh's Chinese leader General Wei Fenghe will also take part in the meet. However, there is no planned meet between the two ministers like they met on the sidelines of the SCO meet in Moscow last year. Very recently, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was in Dushanbe for the Meeting of Council of Foreign Ministers of SCO States. He had met his Chinese counterpart and held a one-hour-long bilateral meeting with him. During the meeting, EAM conveyed that that unilateral change of status quo of the border area is not acceptable to India. The discussions between the two ministers focused on the outstanding issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector. During the meet, the Indian side clearly told the Chinese side that "unilateral change of status quo is not acceptable" and called for "resolving the remaining issues along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh at the earliest" according to the readout by the ministry of external affairs. Pakistans Defense Minister Parvez Khattak has arrived in Dushanbe for the meet. He will hold meetings with his Tajik, Uzbek, Russian, Chinese counterparts on the sidelines of the SCO DMs meet. Population law against Hindus, as most children belong to them- Maulana Tauqir Raza Church in Kerala announces welfare scheme for families having five or more children Monsoon session: BJP Parliamentary Party meeting underway Kabul: Sikh and Hindu communities in Afghanistan, which are being hit by the Taliban, have appealed to the international community to evacuate them safely before it is too late. According to media reports, Gurnam Singh, head of the Kabul-based Gurudwara Karta Parwan, said there are 150 Sikhs and Hindus living in Kabul amid fears of a perpetual Taliban. Singh further said that for the time being we are in Kabul and safe, but no one knows how long we will be safe. At the same time, he said he's quite afraid to leave. Gurnam Singh said four out of five gurudwaras in Kabul have been closed. Singh said the remaining Sikhs and Hindus do not want to go to India as there is no financial security for them. Meanwhile, the Manmeet Singh Bhullar Foundation, Khalsa Ed Canada, and the Canadian World Sikh Organization (WSO) have requested the Canadian government to create a special program for Afghanistan's most vulnerable Sikh and Hindu minorities. WSO legal counsel Balpreet Singh Boparai said, 'We are in a strong agreement with those who are asking the Canadian government to work fast to give a way to security for the weaker sections in Afghanistan. This includes Sikh and Hindu minorities, which have been targeted by terrorist groups for a long time. Attacks on places of worship have killed children and adults." The Taliban have started wreaking havoc in the country after the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan and there is panic among the people. Tunisian army tightens security to protect gov't after Prime Minister sacked U.S still to maintain travel curbs due to Delta variant due to the surging cases of Delta Facebook sets up a new Metaverse project team focusing on the next connection transition The United States will not lift any existing travel restrictions due to concerns over the highly transmissible Covid-19 Delta variant and the rising number of US coronavirus cases, the White House confirmed on Monday. "we will maintain existing travel restrictions at this point," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at a daily briefing. The announcement definitely dooms any bid by US airlines and the US tourism industry to salvage summer travel by Europeans and others covered by the restrictions. Airlines have heavily lobbied the White House for months to lift the restrictions and some say the industry may now have to wait until September or later for a possible revision. The federal administration has been under pressure from the travel industry and allies to lift these restrictions. The US currently bars entry for most non-citizens who within the last 14 days have been in Britain, the European Schengen area, Ireland, China, Iran, South Africa, Brazil, and India. It also keeps non-essential travel restrictions across its borders with Canada and Mexico. The U.S. currently bars most non-US citizens who within the last 14 days have been in the U.K. the 26 Schengen nations in Europe without internal border controls, or in Ireland, China, India, South Africa, Iran and Brazil. Last week, the US State Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning against travelling to Britain due to the country's high level of Covid-19 cases. Joe Biden declares end of U.S combat operations in Iraq as he shifts U.S foreign policy focus Portugal PM says, Economic recovery must be done with an eye to the future Tropical Typhoon Nepartak could make landfall Tuesday on Japan's main island Lucknow: A large Rohingya racket has been busted in Uttar Pradesh. This racket was involved in human trafficking in large numbers. The racket was used to bring women and children from Myanmar and Bangladesh and settle them in Delhi-NCR and Noida. People living illegally are now also involved in women trafficking. UP ATS has arrested 3 members of the gang, who have also recovered 3 victims who they brought for smuggling. The gang of Rohingyas living illegally in India used to collect money from people through human trafficking. Children from Myanmar and Bangladesh were brought in large numbers and illegally settled in the Delhi-NCR region and in Noida. 3 victims who came to India illegally have expressed their anguish to the police. These include 2 women and one man. According to UP police, a man named Mohammad Noor brings women and children through the Tripura border, then transports them to different places by train. This is where the racket operates to sell them. Two men, Mohammed Noor and Rahmat, were arrested earlier, while six others were also detained. Inquiries have revealed that 2 women look like minors. Among those detained are 3 victims, while 3 are criminals. Police have registered a case against the culprits. The chargesheet will be produced in court. That's where women will be sent to the ASHA Centre. The main accused Mohammad Noor is a resident of Tripura, whose original address is in Bangladesh. Pics: Raj Kundra sent to judicial custody for 14 days Ind vs SL: India-Sri Lanka 2nd T20 postponed! India's this star player became corona positive MP man set himself on fire after fight with shopkeeper over samosa price Home Just In Why is Nepal not so friendly to pets yet? What could be a solution? On a normal day in April 2021, Sneha Dhakal, a social influencer as well as animal lover, saw a TikTok video in which a dog of a cocker spaniel breed was chained up on the roof of a home. That woman has posted that video looking for some help to rescue the dog. I then immediately contacted her as I could not watch the dog like that. Dhakal then reached Sitapaila of Kathmandu along with the woman who posted the video in a bid to rescue the animal. We went to the family who owned that dog and talked, however, they were not cooperative. Side by side, the duo also talked to the neighbours, police and organisations working for animal welfare. After talking to the family and neighbours, I found out that the person who brought the dog in that family was no more. After his death, the dog had been kept in a tin kennel on the roof, chained up all days of the year, notwithstanding whatever weather it was, shares Dhakal. Despite their continuous efforts, the dogs host did not change a bit. Whenever they or the police or any official from any organisation used to visit the dog, they used to pretend they were taking good care of the pet, but the reality was different. Unfortunately, we couldnt change their mindset and behaviours towards that dog. With a heavy heart, I had to return to Bhairahawa, my home, after the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic started, says Dhakal. In the past few months, various such cases have been shared on social media and mainstream media platforms with photos and videos. In some cases, a dog is being chained to an electric pole and beaten till death and in others, a cat inside a cattery is burnt alive. Though social media platforms are inundated with rage against such cruelty at different points of time, the issue has cooled down as of now and very rare discussions have been taking place regarding animal rights. However, the cases of cruelty against animals have been rampant in past years, inform animal lovers and animal welfare activists, adding the Nepali society has to be more conscious to speak against the ill-treatment of animals. Increase in cruelty or reporting? Shristi Singh Shrestha, the vice-president of Animal Nepal, says her organisation has seen an increased number of cases of animal cruelty in the past few months although it is not sure if the violence is on the rise or the trend of reporting such cases. Activists say this dog named Setu was murdered by a man in Kathmandu, on Saturday, December 7, 2019. Photo: SPCA Nepal/Facebook There used to be many cases of cruelty against animals in the past as well. But, with the extensive use of social media and the increasing awareness about animal rights, there is a high possibility that its reporting has increased more significantly than the cases. Plus, after the new Penal Code was adopted in 2017, many people became aware that there is a law related to animals and birds, she opines. But, Dhakal, who takes care of around 12 street dogs by providing them shelter, food and necessary medical help on her own, thinks many people are not sensitive towards the animals even today. Dhakal, who lives in Bhairahawa, shares, On my way to my office, every day, I see a dog wounded. Almost every day, a dog is hit by a bike or any vehicle and its legs and other body parts are fractured. And, nobody really cares about them. The responsibility of the breeding industry Whereas street dogs and other animals still live in problems, the trend of keeping breed dogs for business purposes or as a status symbol is also increasing day by day, adding up to the cruelty of the animals. According to Shrestha, whenever someone brings a pet home, they also need to treat the pets as a part of their family and recognise they need as much care, love and attention as other family members do. They should not have the feeling like they are the masters. But, that is not what is actually happening. Shrestha shares, They love keeping dogs, but they dont really love pets or dogs. They just love them for themselves, just for a status symbol. Here, she clarifies that the breeding industry of Nepal is also responsible for the problem. They bring and sell a dog or any other pet as per the demand. But, whoever buys the pet needs to acknowledge what kind of dog or cat it is and their characteristics, in which climatic condition they are habituated and many more. As per our research, as of now, there is a huge demand for Siberian huskies in Kathmandu. This breed is habituated to cold places as it has a thickly furred double coat, she continues, However, without acknowledging this, the breeding industry is selling huskies in Kathmandu, which of course is not a cold or snowy place. A Siberian husky. Photo: Pixabay According to her, when there is a demand for these breeds, the breeders will bring the dogs notwithstanding the breeds requirements. The way they keep them is beyond our comprehension. Even big breeders keep hundreds of dogs in the worst conditions as there is no monitoring and guidelines in the breeding industries. Nor is there the provision of a licence in this industry. Anyone can grow pets, mainly dogs, and sell them, according to Shrestha. On the other hand, Suresh Shah, the managing director of Mount Everest Kennel Club, feels Nepal is naturally blessed for all kinds of breeds and breeding as well. Yet, he accepts the industry has some problems, Yes, there are neither guidelines nor any monitoring authority set by the government for the breeding industry, but that does not mean that this industry is contributing to the cruelty against animals. In addition, he claims breeders keep the dogs or any other pets with much care and attention as they are the source of their incomes. Yet. he also mentions that some of the few breeders may not give proper care to the animals due to a lack of knowledge. But, Shrestha complains many bred dogs are later abandoned when they are not sold or when they become old or come across some health issues. And, about 70 per cent of them die after being abandoned as they are very much dependent on humans. They do not even know to cross the streets; finding food is a far-fetched thing for them, she adds. Many pet owners do not have the idea of responsible pet ownership. Some keep the pets as a status symbol while some do for business purposes. But, they do not care for them properly, share both Shrestha and Dhakal. Dealing with the difficulty In order to put a full stop to the brutality against animals, Shrestha suggests laws should be made stricter first. The cruelty against animals should be taken as a serious offence. Secondly, all police officials should be made aware of animal laws. A street dog being treated. Courtesy: Animal Nepal Further, she adds, Even if they are well-aware of the laws, some of them hesitate to register the case because the level of awareness and seriousness towards this law is generally not seen in many of them. Until and unless police officials register and investigate the cases seriously, the cruelty will not stop as they think they would easily get away with it, as per Dhakal and Shrestha. The third is awareness, shares Shrestha. More people need to speak up. If you are seeing a dog or any other animal being tortured, you should not wait for any other organisation to help, you need to speak up against that and try to stop that. Because animal welfare organisations also have limited resources and time and are already overwhelmed with many such cases, the public needs to handle many cases on a daily basis, they say. Workforce New OPM guidance addresses locality pay and travel costs for remote workers A new document from the Office of Personnel Management dissects current human resources policies for issues ranging from managing remote workers to flexible work schedules as agencies plan for re-entry into offices and a post-pandemic federal workforce. The additional guidance includes sections on remote work as it relates to locality pay and travel reimbursements, two policy areas already flagged by OPM officials as complicated by not being designed for federal employees to live and work far from their agency's offices, but it does not issue new policy. A section on labor-management relations also reminds agencies that they may have collective bargaining obligations over re-opening procures, such as how much notice employees get before they return to the office or what safety measures will be in place when they do. Agencies should bargain before they direct employees to return, the guidance states. The document also includes a reminder of President Joe Biden's instructions for agencies to bargain over a broader set of "permissive," non-mandatory bargaining subjects. In her daily White House briefing on Tuesday, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the administration had not made any determination yet about the legality or appropriateness of mandating that federal employees get vaccinated. That same day, Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough announced a vaccine mandate for Title 38 VA employees involved in patient care. This new FAQ, dated July 23, comes soon after agencies' July 18 deadline to submit their preliminary reopening plans. It also lands in the midst of rising COVID-19 cases nationwide and increasing concern about the Delta variant of the virus, two conditions that could interfere with reopening. Remote work OPM has already encouraged agencies to take advantage of this junction to facilitate a more hybrid workforce. One type of flexibility is remote work, a setup where workers don't report to the office regularly like teleworkers. OPM highlights potential benefits like retention, but also notes that approving remote work comes with costs. "There may be several cost implications for the agency and the employees who are approved for remote work (e.g., changes in locality pay, travel expenses, etc.). Agencies should assess all benefits and costs before approving a remote work arrangement," the document states. OPM will issue a "Remote Work Guide" to "further explain the implications, considerations, and strategies for the appropriate use of remote work," according to the recent guidance. Federal employees have an "official worksite" that determines certain pay and benefits like locality pay and travel expenses. While teleworkers' official site is the agency's office, remote workers' is their home or alternative work location. That difference can affect costs. During the pandemic, much of the government was operating under exceptions for mass teleworking that meant that feds' official worksites remained their agency worksite, but the math changes outside of an emergency exception. An employees' official worksite determines their locality pay, a percentage rate increase to the pay of feds in the General Schedule. Their location also formulates travel reimbursements, a cost agencies have flagged as a potential impediment to broad scale remote work, according to an OPM official. For feds living in the agency's official commuting area, relocation benefits and temporary duty travel expenses, which cover costs for official business, don't apply. If a remote worker's official station is outside the agency's commuting area, however, "reimbursement will apply each time the employee needs to travel back to the office in person," the guidance states. Officials should think about how often they'll want a remote fed to come into the office, especially if they are working outside the local commuting area of the office, the guidance states. Technically, agencies are able to set parameters for where remote work can be done, it says. In terms of relocation costs, agencies "generally" won't have to them for feds that asked to work remotely, but they might have to if the agency relocates them back to the agency office, according to the document. Another potential cost for agencies is equipment like monitors, chairs and standing desks for remote and teleworking feds. If the agency posts a position as remote, then they have to provide equipment needed for the positon, the guidance states. If an employee requests remote work, the agency can decide what to offer. Since telework is voluntary, agencies policies for equipment may vary for this as well, the guidance states. IT Modernization TMF could help solve records request backlog for veterans, lawmakers say A bipartisan group of lawmakers from the House Oversight and Reform Committee wants the National Archives and Records Administration to apply for funding from the Technology Modernization Fund to modernize its IT systems and clear its backlog of records requests. The National Personnel Records Center in particular holds veteran records that are a key part of the disability compensation and pension claims process for veterans. The majority of military records are paper-based. The COVID-19 pandemic and its limiting effect on in-person work has contributed to backlogs at NRPC, which in turn has also furthered a backlog of pending claims at the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). In a July 26 letter to NARA chief David Ferriero, six lawmakers urged him to apply for TMF funding. The letter was signed by Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), the chairwoman of the committee, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), the ranking member, along with the chairs and ranking members of two key subcommittees. "In particular, NARA could more quickly process the NPRC backlog with modernized IT systems. NARA has identified the need to digitize records as one of the biggest hurdles to addressing the backlog of veterans' requests," they wrote. "We strongly believe that the digitization of NPRC's records holdings fits both the objective and the spirit of the TMF, and we urge NARA to apply for additional assistance through this important program." TMF, recently capitalized with $1 billion from pandemic recovery legislation, provides agencies with no-year funding for critical IT modernization projects. The funding comes with payback requirements but those can be minimized for projects that address "critical security or capability gaps," according to the TMF website. NARA is already planning to digitize these records to support remote access. In a July 19 letter to lawmakers, Ferriero stated that the agency was adding 100 new staffers and was planning to launch a mass digitization effort in August. Ferriero said that he hoped to eliminate the backlog of 500,000 records requests by the end of next year. The agency has also asked the Department of Defense for personnel support. NARA has yet to receive a formal response from DOD, Ferriero said in his letter. Lawmakers have also backed this request and urged DOD to respond. Additionally, NARA is working to arrange access to scanned forms contained in the Veterans Benefits Management System at VBA. SAN JOSE, Calif., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- [24]7.ai, Inc., a recognized leader in Omnichannel conversational AI and contact center services, today announced it has been positioned by Aragon Research, Inc. in the Leader section of the Aragon Research Globe for Conversational AI 2021. [24]7.ai, a global leader in intent-driven customer experience solutions For this year's report, Aragon Research evaluated 15 vendors against specific dimensions tied to strategy, performance, and reach. Vendors were then categorized as leaders, contenders, innovators, or specialists. Three key criteria were required for inclusion in the report: Conversational AI is defined by Aragon as the platforms used to create chatbots and virtual agents. These offerings interact with humans and/or other chatbots/agents via text or voice, or both. A minimum of $5 million in primary revenue for conversational AI solutions or a minimum of $10 million in revenue in a related market (team collaboration / messaging, RPA, or other related software market). Shipping product. Product must be announced and available. "Customer experience is changing rapidly, and the ability to provide personalized experiences and effortless journeys are now crucial to business success," said Lisa Matherly, SVP of Marketing for [24]7.ai. "Businesses today must meet customers where they are, and this is especially true in mobile and digital channels. Our placement in this year's Conversational AI Globe report, we believe, attests to our company's efforts to empower brands, empower agents, and empower customers on their efforts to achieve digital transformation." Download the Aragon Research Globe for Conversational AI 2021, to learn more about why [24]7.ai was named as a Leader. Aragon Research does not endorse vendors, or their products or services that are referenced in its research publications, and does not advise users to select those vendors that are rated the highest. Aragon Research publications consist of the opinions of Aragon Research and Advisory Services organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Aragon Research provides its research publications and the information contained in them "AS IS," without warranty of any kind. Story continues Follow us on Twitter: @247ai and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/24-7-ai Visit us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/247US About [24]7.ai [24]7.ai uses artificial intelligence, human insight, and deep vertical expertise to produce personalized, consistent, and satisfying customer experiences. The company's advanced conversational AI platform, combined with more than 20 years of contact center operational expertise, empowers the world's largest and most recognizable brands to deliver natural, frictionless conversations across all digital and voice channels. For more information, visit http://www.247.ai. [24]7 and [24]7.ai are trademarks of [24]7.ai, Inc. All other brands, products, or service names are or may be trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. Contact Ian Bain VP Communications Ian.bain@247.ai Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/247ai-named-a-leader-in-the-aragon-research-globe-for-conversational-ai-2021-301341491.html SOURCE [24]7.ai CAPE TOWN, July 27 (Reuters) - The majority of public sector unions in South Africa have signed a one-year wage hike deal, a cabinet minister said on Tuesday, as government looks to cut a huge spending bill and boost economic prospects worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. When talks started in March, public sector unions representing more than 1 million teachers, police and nurses, wanted a salary hike of consumer inflation plus 4% for all workers in the 2021/22 fiscal year. Government offered zero increase at the outset, but changed tack during a conciliation process after parties deadlocked and labour threatened strike action. In July, Public Service and Administration Minister Senzo Mchunu offered civil servants a 1.5% salary increase plus a cash payment, which the majority of unions, including the South African Democratic Teachers Union and the Public Servants Association, accepted on Monday. "Thank you for your leadership, thank you for negotiating with the interests of public servants and the citizens at heart," Mchunu said in a statement welcoming the deal. The government is trying to contain its wage bill, which accounts for about a third of consolidated spending and which has risen quickly in the past decade. The huge wage bill has been flagged among major concerns for credit-rating agencies that already rate the sovereign as "junk". (Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Editing by Edmund Blair) GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo., July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alpine Banks of Colorado (OTCQX: ALPIB) (Alpine or the Company), the holding company for Alpine Bank, today announced results (unaudited) for the second quarter 2021. The Company reported net income of $15.7 million, or $152.16 per basic Class A common share and $1.01 per basic Class B common share for the second quarter 2021. Second Quarter 2021 Achievements Book Value per Class A share increased 3.5%, or $131.85 to $3,877.86 per share versus first quarter 2021 Book Value per Class B share increased 3.5%, or $0.88 to $25.85 per share versus first quarter 2021 Organic loan growth during the second quarter 2021 was 2.5% or $76.7 million versus first quarter 2021 Core deposit growth during the second quarter 2021 was 2.8% or $141.8 million versus first quarter 2021 Alpine performed well during the second quarter 2021, said president and vice chairman Glen Jammaron. The Colorado economy continues to perform well and that manifests itself in Alpines financial results. The Company has locations in many diverse and exciting markets within Colorado. We are well-served by operating in markets where people want to live and vacation. Net Income Net income for the second quarter 2021 and the first quarter 2021 was $15.7 million and $14.1 million, respectively. Interest income decreased $1.9 million in the second quarter 2021 compared to the first quarter 2021 primarily due to a decrease in yields on loans, securities and balances due from banks, slightly offset by an increase in volume in the loans, securities, and balances due from banks. Loan yields were unusually high in the first quarter 2021 due to the booking of $6.0 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) fees compared to $2.0 million booked in the second quarter 2021. Interest expense decreased $85,000 in the second quarter 2021 compared to the first quarter 2021 primarily due to a decrease in yield on deposits and the Companys subordinated notes and slightly offset by an increase in volume on deposits. Noninterest income increased $0.6 million in the second quarter 2021 compared to the first quarter 2021 primarily due to an increase in income generated by Mortgage Banking activities, other income and service charges on deposit accounts. Noninterest expense decreased $0.3 million in the second quarter 2021 compared to the first quarter 2021 primarily due to decreases in occupancy expense, furniture and fixture expense and salaries and employee benefits. Provision for loan losses decreased $3.0 million in the second quarter 2021 compared to the first quarter 2021, primarily due to managements analysis that the allowance adequately supports the inherent credit losses within the loan portfolio. Story continues Net income for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 was $29.8 million and $23.4 million, respectively. Interest income increased $3.9 million in the first six months of 2021 compared to the first six months of 2020, primarily due to an increase in volume in loans, securities and balances due from banks, slightly offset by decreased yields on loans, securities and balances due from banks. Interest expense increased $46,000 in the first six months of 2021 compared to the first six months of 2020, primarily due to an increase in volume and yield on the Companys subordinated notes and an increase in volume on deposits, slightly offset by a decrease in deposit yields. Noninterest income increased $3.1 million in the first six months of 2021 compared to the first six months of 2020, primarily due to an increase in fee income, service charges on deposit accounts, and other income, slightly offset by a decrease in earnings on life insurance. Noninterest expense increased $2.2 million in the first six months of 2021 compared to the first six months of 2020 primarily due to an increase in salary and employee benefit expenses, other expenses and occupancy expenses, slightly offset by a decrease in furniture and fixtures expenses. Provision for loan losses decreased $3.4 million in the first six months of 2021 compared to the first six months of 2020, primarily due to managements analysis that the allowance adequately supports the inherent credit losses within the loan portfolio. Net interest margin decreased from 3.43% to 3.07% from the first quarter 2021 to the second quarter 2021. Net interest margin for the first quarter 2021 was substantially influenced by PPP loan fee income of $6.0 million as compared to PPP loan fee income of $2.0 million in the second quarter 2021. As a result, the second quarter 2021 PPP loan portfolio yield was 4.31% compared to the first quarter 2021 PPP loan portfolio yield of 11.43%. Net interest margin for the second quarter 2021 net of the PPP loan influence was 3.01% compared to the first quarter 2021 net interest margin net of the PPP loan influence of 3.06%. Net interest margin for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 was 3.24% and 4.26%, respectively. Assets As of June 30, 2021, total assets were $5.8 billion, an increase of 2.6% or $149.1 million from the first quarter 2021. Total assets increased in the second quarter 2021 from the first quarter 2021 due to organic loan growth, strategic growth in the securities portfolio and core deposit increases. Total assets grew 24.51% or $1.1 billion from June 30, 2020 to June 30, 2021. Alpine Banks Wealth Management Division* had assets under management of $1.13 billion on June 30, 2021, compared to $0.94 billion on June 30, 2020, an increase of 20.1%. Loans Loans outstanding as of June 30, 2021 totaled $3.4 billion. The loan portfolio increased $29.3 million or 0.9% during the second quarter 2021 compared to March 31, 2021. This growth was driven by a $60.7 million increase in Commercial Real Estate loans, a $22.3 million increase in Real Estate Construction loans, a $7.2 million increase in Residential Real Estate loans, primarily due to an increase in one-to-four family residential loans, and a $0.3 million increase in Other loans. This growth was slightly offset by decreases in Commercial and Industrial loans of $60.7 million and Consumer loans of $0.6 million during the second quarter 2021 compared to March 31, 2021. The decrease in Commercial and Industrial loans was primarily the result $47.3 million in PPP loan forgiveness paydowns processed in the second quarter 2021. Loans outstanding net of PPP loans as of June 30, 2021 reflected an increase of $76.7 million or 2.5% compared to loans outstanding net of PPP loans of $3.1 billion on March 31, 2021. Loans outstanding as of June 30, 2021 reflected an increase of $253.4 million or 8.1% compared to loans outstanding of $3.1 billion on June 30, 2020. This growth was driven by a $175.8 million increase in Residential Real Estate loans, primarily due to an increase in one-to-four family residential loans, a $165.5 million increase in Commercial Real Estate loans and a $3.7 million increase in Consumer loans. This year-over-year growth was slightly offset by a decrease in Commercial Real Estate loans of $74.7 million, Real Estate Construction loans of $16.1 million and Other loans of $0.1 million. The decrease in Commercial and Industrial loans was primarily the result of $85.3 million in PPP loan forgiveness paydowns. Loans outstanding net of PPP loans as of June 30, 2021 reflected an increase of $338.7 million or 12.0% compared to loans outstanding net of PPP loans of $2.8 billion on June 30, 2020. Deposits Total deposits increased $141.8 million or 2.8% to $5.2 billion during the second quarter 2021 compared to March 31, 2021, primarily due to a $139.4 million increase in Money Fund accounts, a $39.6 million increase in Interest Checking accounts, and a $3.7 million increase in Savings accounts. This was slightly offset by a $34.5 million decrease in Demand accounts and a $6.1 million decrease in Certificates of Deposit accounts. The second quarter 2021 deposit growth is partially reflective of PPP loan activity and a high amount of liquidity in the general market. Total deposits of $5.2 billion on June 30, 2021 reflected an increase of $1.1 billion or 27.2% compared to total deposits of $4.1 billion on June 30, 2020. This increase was due to a $496.0 million increase in Demand deposits, a $416.6 million increase in Money Fund accounts, a $261.3 million increase in Interest Checking accounts, and a $25.1 million increase in Savings accounts. This was slightly offset by a $90.9 million decrease in Certificates of Deposit accounts, primarily related to matured Brokered Certificates of Deposit. Capital The Companys banking subsidiary, Alpine Bank (the Bank), continues to be designated as a well capitalized institution as its capital ratios exceed the minimum requirements for this designation. As of June 30, 2021, the Banks Tier 1 Leverage Ratio was 8.31%, Tier 1 Risk-Based Capital Ratio was 13.14% and Total Risk-Based Capital Ratio was 14.33%. On a consolidated level, the Companys Tier 1 Leverage Ratio was 7.96%, Tier 1 Risk-Based Capital Ratio was 12.58% and Total Risk-Based Capital Ratio was 15.17% as of June 30, 2021. Dividends During the second quarter 2021, Alpine paid cash dividends of $24.00 per Class A common share and $0.16 per Class B common share. The Class A and Class B common share cash dividends were unchanged from the Class A and Class B common share cash dividends paid during the first quarter 2021. On July 8, 2021, Alpine declared a dividend of $24.00 per Class A common share and $0.16 per Class B common share, payable on July 26, 2021. The dividend is unchanged from the dividend paid in the previous quarter. COVID-19 Pandemic Response The Company continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic as circumstances change. All Bank branches are currently open to customers. There were no branch closures due to positive COVID-19 tests in the second quarter 2021. Back office personnel returned to the office on July 6. In order to support its customer base, Alpine enacted a 90-day loan payment deferral program in late March 2020. Both principal and interest payments during the period were deferred to the end of the loan. As the 90-day deferral period came to an end, Alpine reviewed options to extend the deferral period for up to 180 days as provided for in regulatory guidance. Reviews for an additional 90-day extension for each borrowers deferral period included an analysis of the borrowers plan and ability to resume normal payments when the deferral period ends. As of June 30, 2020, $823.0 million of the loan portfolio (26.5%) was active in the loan deferral program. The majority of borrowers did not require a second 90-day deferral period. On December 31, 2020, only $29.3 million (0.9%) of the loan portfolio remained in a deferral status. As of June 30, 2021, $0.4 million (0.01%) of the loan portfolio remains on a COVID-19 deferral status. The Company actively participated in Round 1 of the PPP loan program. As of June 30, 2021, Alpine had outstanding balances of $60.2 million in Round 1 PPP loans. The Company entered into a contract with a third party technology provider to assist with the Round 1 PPP loan forgiveness process for our borrowers. The web portal for processing Round 1 PPP forgiveness was activated in September 2020. Forgiveness activity began in the fourth quarter 2020 and the Bank processed $249.9 million in Round 1 PPP forgiveness approvals from the SBA as of June 30, 2021. Its anticipated that the majority of remaining Round 1 PPP loans will be forgiven in the second half of 2021. The Company began actively participating in Round 2 of the PPP loan program in late-January 2021. Alpine issued 1,965 Round 2 PPP loans during the first half of 2021 with combined original balances of $162.1 million. The total outstanding balance of the Round 2 PPP loans was $157.5 million as of June 30, 2021. About Alpine Banks of Colorado Alpine Banks of Colorado, through its wholly owned subsidiary Alpine Bank, is a $5.8 billion, employee-owned organization founded in 1973 with headquarters in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. With banking offices across Colorado, Alpine Bank employs more than 790 people and serves more than 160,000 customers with personal, business, wealth management*, mortgage and electronic banking services. Alpine Bank has a 5-star rating for financial strength by BauerFinancial, Inc., the nations leading bank rating firm. The 5-star rating is BauerFinancials highest rating for financial institutions. Shares of the Class B Nonvoting Common Stock of Alpine Banks of Colorado trade under the symbol ALPIB" on the OTCQX Best Market. Learn more at www.alpinebank.com. *Alpine Bank Wealth Management services are not FDIC insured, may lose value and are not guaranteed by the Bank. Contacts: Glen Jammaron Eric Gardey President and Vice Chairman Chief Financial Officer Alpine Banks of Colorado Alpine Banks of Colorado 2200 Grand Avenue 2200 Grand Avenue Glenwood Springs, CO 81601 Glenwood Springs, CO 81601 (970) 384-3266 (970) 384-3257 A Note About Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as anticipates, intends, plans, seeks, believes, estimates, expects and similar references to future periods. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements we make regarding our evaluation of macro-environment risks, Federal Reserve rate management, and trends reflecting things such as regulatory capital standards and adequacy. Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business, 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. Our actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. We caution you therefore against relying on any of these forward- looking statements. They are neither statements of historical fact or guarantees or assurances of future performance. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statement include: The ability to attract new deposits and loans; Demand for financial services in our market areas; Competitive market-pricing factors; The adverse effects of public health events, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, including governmental and societal responses; Statements regarding the expected impact of the stock split of our Class B common shares; Deterioration in economic conditions that could result in increased loan losses; Actions by competitors and other market participants that could have an adverse impact on our expected performance; Risks associated with concentrations in real estate-related loans; Market interest rate volatility; Stability of funding sources and continued availability of borrowings; Risk associated with potential cyber threats; Changes in legal or regulatory requirements or the results of regulatory examinations that could restrict growth; The ability to recruit and retain key management and staff; The ability to raise capital or incur debt on reasonable terms; and Effectiveness of legislation and regulatory efforts to help the U.S. and global financial markets. There are many factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press release speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law. Key Financial Measures Click the following links for tables that highlight Alpines key financial measures for the periods indicated (unaudited). Key Financial Measures 06/30/2021 Statements of Income 06/30/2021 Statements of Financial Condition 06/30/2021 Statement of Comprehensive Income 06/30/2021 Contact: Eric Gardey, Chief Financial Officer Alpine Bank (970) 384-3257 ericgardey@alpinebank.com PHILADELPHIA, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amicus Therapeutics (Nasdaq: FOLD) today announced that the Company will host a conference call and live audio webcast on Thursday, August 5, 2021 at 8:30 a.m. ET to discuss financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021. Interested participants and investors may access the conference call by dialing 877-303-5859 (U.S./Canada) or 678-224-7784 (international), conference ID: 7374935. A live audio webcast and related presentation materials can also be accessed via the Investors section of the Amicus Therapeutics corporate website at ir.amicusrx.com. Web participants are encouraged to register on the website 15 minutes prior to the start of the call. A replay of the call will be available for seven days beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET. Access numbers for this replay are 855-859-2056 (U.S./Canada) and 404-537-3406 (international); conference ID: 7374935. About Amicus Therapeutics Amicus Therapeutics (Nasdaq: FOLD) is a global, patient-dedicated biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing and delivering novel high-quality medicines for people living with rare metabolic diseases. With extraordinary patient focus, Amicus Therapeutics is committed to advancing and expanding a robust pipeline of cutting-edge, first- or best-in-class medicines for rare metabolic diseases. For more information please visit the companys website at www.amicusrx.com, and follow on Twitter and LinkedIn. CONTACT: Investors: Andrew Faughnan Executive Director, Investor Relations afaughnan@amicusrx.com (609) 662-3809 Media: Diana Moore Head of Global Corporate Affairs & Communications dmoore@amicusrx.com (609) 662-5079 FOLDG SEATTLE, July 27, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CORT Tenting Solutions, a brand extension of CORT Party Rental, has announced the expansion of additional service areas in Washington along with Oregon, Idaho and Northern California. Previously only servicing the Seattle Metropolitan area, CORT Tenting Solutions is excited to announce this business expansion and looks forward to building relationships in these areas. As part of CORT, the nations leading provider of transition services, CORT Tenting Solutions offers an extensive range of structure rentals and comprehensive product solutions for all outdoor environments. From private meetings to sizable projects, they cover requests of all sizes including backyard parties, business expansions, charity events, community gatherings, conventions, corporate meetings, emergency response, outdoor festivals, weddings and more. Their skilled tenting professionals have significant experience with small to large-scale structures, flooring systems, power distribution, climate control, lighting, and more. CORT Tenting Solutions also offers turnkey services, including project management, site consultations, planning and permitting, in-house design and manufacturing, custom branding and graphics, and on-site logistical support for large-scale events and outdoor gatherings. As COVID-19 significantly disrupted the events industry, this business expansion comes at an exciting time for CORT Tenting Solutions. The companys product solutions provide a wide variety of tent rental styles, colors and sizes ranging from 8 132 wide. CORTs customer-owned tenting solutions also helps those who own or are looking to own a tent manage this asset in the most efficient way possible based on customer and event needs. The company offers off-the-shelf and custom solutions that are scalable, relocatable, and adaptable leading to CORTs broad array of industry expertise across both custom commercial spaces and short-term temporary venues. Story continues "Im proud to say that we can manage the most challenging tenting projects. Were excited for the opportunity to support our customers and partners with temporary and semi-permanent space solutions when and where they need us," said Phil Heidt, Area Manager, CORT Party Rental, on the decision to expand. To learn more about CORT Tenting Solutions, please visit: www.cortpartyrental.com/cort-tenting-solutions. About CORT CORT, a part of Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway, is the nations leading provider of transition services, including furniture rental for home and office, event furnishings, destination services, apartment locating, touring, and other services. With more than 100 locations including offices, distribution centers, rental showrooms, and retail furniture outlets across the United States, operations in the United Kingdom, and partners in more than 80 countries around the world, no other furniture rental company can match CORTs breadth of services and companywide commitment to making a house a home, an office a great place to work and an event a memorable celebration. For more information, please visit www.cort.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005235/en/ Contacts CORT Media Contact INK Communications Co. Alex Austin CORT@INK-co.com 508-439-2802 Rwanda Gorillas It is the high season across east Africas national parks. But for the second year in a row, the plains remain unusually quiet. Despite hopes of a revival in the tourism sector after a difficult 2020, the regions industry is still struggling to get back on its feet due to a third wave of Covid-19 sweeping across the continent. A recent UN report shows that East Africas tourism decline will contribute to a loss of 9.3% to the regions economy this year. It will be the second most impacted region in the world, after Central America, and the worst affected in Africa. East Africas tourism hotspots are open to visitors, but Covid-19 measures are keeping them at bay In June 2021, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for Africa said that the continent had seen a rapid increase in the number of cases. Uganda and Rwanda have implemented lockdowns, while a curfew remains in place in Kenya. Despite this, East Africa remains open to international travel. However, news of the lockdown has kept tourists at bay. The Hotel Owners Association in Uganda said nearly 90% of bookings were canceled since it was announced. The country has also banned intra-district travel and put in place additional measures that will essentially curb domestic tourism. We vaccinated all our key staff. We have created safe zones within the tourism industry. Tourists are telling us they want to come but their countries are telling them not to. Governments across Europe have enforced strict travel restrictions to East Africa. The entire region features on the UKs red list, meaning tourists returning from East Africa must undertake a mandatory hotel quarantine for 10 days. The UK is a significant market for the regions tourism industry. We need Kenya to be removed from those red lists because people are scared there is a serious outbreak, Mike Macharia, the chairman of the Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers, told Quartz. We vaccinated all our key staff. We have created safe zones within the tourism industry. Tourists are telling us they want to come but their countries are telling them not to. Story continues East Africas tourism workers are struggling to survive This recent wave is another blow for the sector, which suffered heavily during the first outbreak in 2020. A report by the East African Business Community (EABC) revealed that 2.1 million jobs were lost, while partner states estimate they lost international tourism receipts to the tune of $4.8 billion. This has a significant impact on the regions overall economy, which relies heavily on tourism. It contributes on average 10% to the GDP of the six East African Community (EAC) partner states and 7% to employment. While many hoped that 2020 would spell the end of the slump, the third wave has dashed hopes of a resurgence in 2021. Meanwhile in Europe, a faster vaccine campaign has opened borders and countries are cashing in from inter-continental travel, with intra-European trips expected to account for over 80% of Europes travel in 2021. Its been challenging. Covid-19 has brought a lot of poverty. Many people were getting money directly and indirectly from tourism. But for the past year and a half, there has been nothing. After 18 months of slow business, East Africas tourism workers are now struggling to survive. It is the high season now, but it does not feel like it, said Ivan Kakooza, the director of Fravan Safaris, a tour company in Uganda. Last year, we were in high spirits that 2021 would bring good business. It took us by surprise that things turned upside down again. In Tanzania, low visitor numbers since March 2020 has led to many tourism businesses closing. I saw many companies sell off their assets and others have struggled to make their loan repayments, shares Edward Ndakie, the owner of Safari Partners, based in Morogoro, Tanzania. Its been challenging, he said. Covid-19 has brought a lot of poverty. Many people were getting money directly and indirectly from tourism. But for the past year and a half, there has been nothing. There are some slow signs of revival in East Africas tourism industry However, despite the industry lagging, numbers are higher than 2020 due to the global vaccine rollout. The Bank of Tanzania said that services receipts increased to $189.6 million in May 2021, compared to $109.7 million in the previous year attributed to an increase in tourism. In Kenya, a faster vaccination drive, which has seen over 1.5 million people vaccinated, and an early lockdown from March to May 2021, has brought hope for this years high season. Two months ago, things looked bad, but bookings are coming in fast for August and September. Some hotels are full, said Glen Rawlings, Director of Southern Cross Safaris in Kenya. In 2020, we had to reduce our staff numbers by half but now we are starting to call them back. Although there are signs of recovery, the economic impact of the tourism industry has also left the wildlife and conservation sector in a vulnerable state. A combination of reduced funding from tourists and lower management capacity from budget cuts and restrictions have created a perfect storm to harm conversation efforts. As a result the region has seen steady trafficking rates. Vaccine rollout will impact East Africas tourism numbers The vaccine rollout will play a key role in the recovery of the sector. The UNWTO assumes that countries with low vaccination rates will likely see a 75% reduction in tourism, while countries with high vaccination rates will see a 37% reduction. Vaccination schemes across Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda are well underway. While in Tanzania, the new presidents recent U-turn on the Covid-19 policy will instill more confidence in travelers. Under President Hassan, Tanzania has started reporting statistics on the virus for the first time in over a year and has ordered vaccines. East African governments are introducing incentives to attract holidaymakers. In Tanzania, the national park authority, TANAPA, has halted the plans to increase park entrance fees, while Uganda reduced their prices for gorilla trekking permits. In July 2021, The East African Community (EAC) revealed their plan to revitalize the sector, which includes bolstering domestic and regional tourism. The signs this year are still bleak given the recurrent waves of the pandemic, said Dr. Peter Mathuki, the EAC Secretary General. It has resulted in unpredictable measures and restrictions by governments around the world. Sign up to the Quartz Africa Weekly Brief here for news and analysis on African business, tech, and innovation in your inbox. Sign up for the Quartz Daily Brief, our free daily newsletter with the worlds most important and interesting news. More stories from Quartz: Combination of Teletrack with the Equifax DataX Business Creates a Leading U.S. Specialty Consumer Reporting Agency; Purchase Underscores Equifax Commitment to Expanding Access to Credit Through Alternative Data Insights ATLANTA, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Equifax (NYSE: EFX) a global data, analytics and technology company today announced that the company has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Teletrack, a U.S. leader in alternative credit data, from CoreLogic. The combination of Teletrack with the Equifax DataX business creates a leading U.S. specialty consumer reporting agency, with data on more than 80 million thin-file, unbanked, underbanked and credit rebuilding consumers. This powerful source of information will enable lenders and service providers to access more alternative data sources in credit decisioning that can help open new consumer financial opportunities. EFX logo "Our strong financial performance, balance sheet, and cloud investments allow Equifax to reinvest our cash flow in this accretive and strategic acquisition of Teletrack that will expand the breadth of differentiated data assets that only Equifax can provide," said Mark W. Begor, CEO of Equifax. "The acquisition of Teletrack is yet another significant investment in our United States Information Solutions (USIS) business that will provide new value to our customers and further establish Equifax as a leading provider of alternative data for use in credit decisioning." Teletrack has been a leader in the alternative credit data market for more than 30 years. With the ability to receive real-time updates, the Teletrack database can accept new inquiries and a continuous stream of consumer loan performance data from businesses nationwide, including small-dollar installment lenders, rent-to-own businesses, furniture financing companies, auto financiers and subprime credit card issuers. This data can help create a more robust personal financial profile for unbanked or underbanked individuals when they apply for loans and other services. Story continues "The combination of Teletrack and DataX creates a leading specialty consumer reporting agency that will leverage the power of our Equifax cloud investments to make non-traditional credit information more accessible to our U.S. financial institution and service provider customers," said Sid Singh, president of Equifax USIS. "Bringing the combined DataX and Teletrack data assets to our unique data fabric powered by the Equifax Cloud will enable us to create new solutions that can be used in conjunction with bank transaction data, telco and utility payment history and other alternative data assets to create more products to bring unbanked consumers into the financial mainstream." According to the Federal Reserve , 63 million American adults are either unbanked or underbanked. These individuals potentially face higher costs for borrowing money and barriers to housing and employment. Helping more of these consumers obtain access to mainstream financial services and products requires new insights into individual financial history. More data reveals more scorable consumers, more opportunities for lending offers, and higher approval rates. Equifax research shows that alternative data and technology can enable an additional 21 percent of thin/invisible consumers to become scorable. "CoreLogic and Equifax have a shared commitment to the development of solutions that help people live their financial best, which in turn strengthens our local communities," said Frank Martell, president and CEO at CoreLogic. "Enabling broader access to alternative data insights is critical towards driving financial inclusion in the United States. The Teletrack team is excited to join forces with DataX to help more consumers obtain access to the credit they need at a time when they need it most." The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory review and is expected to close in the second half of 2021. All Teletrack employees are expected to join the Equifax USIS business unit. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. All statements that address our performance and events or developments that we expect or anticipate will occur in the future, including statements relating to our future operating results, expected growth and performance, and ability to successfully consummate the Teletrack acquisition, and similar statements about our business plans are forward-looking statements. We believe these forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made. However, forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from our historical experience and our present expectations or projections. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those described in our 2020 Form 10-K and subsequent SEC filings. As a result of such risks and uncertainties, we urge you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date when made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. ABOUT EQUIFAX INC. At Equifax (NYSE: EFX), we believe knowledge drives progress. As a global data, analytics, and technology company, we play an essential role in the global economy by helping financial institutions, companies, employers, and government agencies make critical decisions with greater confidence. Our unique blend of differentiated data, analytics, and cloud technology drives insights to power decisions to move people forward. Headquartered in Atlanta and supported by more than 11,000 employees worldwide, Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. For more information, visit Equifax.com ABOUT DATAX, AN EQUIFAX COMPANY DataX, an Equifax company, is an industry leading Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) regulated specialty finance credit reporting agency (CRA) and alternative data provider offering premier financial management solutions to businesses through a suite of advanced products. The insights gleaned from DataX's services empower businesses to manage risk proactively, safeguard customers from fraud, lower customer acquisition costs, and increase revenue opportunities. www.DataXltd.com ABOUT CORELOGIC CoreLogic, a leading provider of property insights and solutions, promotes a healthy housing market and thriving communities. Through its enhanced property data solutions, services and technologies, CoreLogic enables real estate professionals, financial institutions, insurance carriers, government agencies and other housing market participants to help millions of people find, buy, and protect their homes. For more information, please visit www.CoreLogic.com. ABOUT TELETRACK Teletrack, a subsidiary of CoreLogic, is a leading Specialty Consumer Reporting Agency ("CRA") that provides non-traditional credit data and insights to the alternative financial services industry. Teletrack provides differentiated consumer insights to enable clients to make informed lending decisions and monitor existing loans portfolios. FOR MORE INFORMATION Kate Walker for Equifax USIS mediainquiries@equifax.com Amy Brennan for CoreLogic newsmedia@CoreLogic.com Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/equifax-to-acquire-corelogic-teletrack-301342577.html SOURCE Equifax Inc. FILE PHOTO: Workers at Tenke Fungurume, a copper mine in the southern Congolese province of Katanga, check bundles of copper cathode sheets ready to be loaded and sent out to buyers By Zandi Shabalala and Helen Reid LONDON/JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Crime gangs have stolen dozens of truckloads of copper owned by miners and traders including Glencore, Trafigura and Traxys this year as they were heading to ports in southern Africa, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter said. Record high copper prices have triggered an increase in hijackings in recent months in Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia, said the sources who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. The South African Police Service told Reuters that the matter was being investigated, but declined to give further details. Glencore declined to comment. Trafigura said it did not comment on security issues. Traxys did not respond to requests for comment. Copper mined in Zambia and Congo, which accounts for about 10% of global supplies estimated at 24 million tonnes, is transported to ports across southern Africa. A total of 66 trucks carrying copper were robbed between January and May this year, and 60% of the hijackings occurred in South Africa, one of the sources said. With the average truck carrying between 32 and 34 tonnes of copper cathode, the thefts would amount to roughly $21 million worth of copper at current prices. More trucks were stolen in June and July, according to the source, who did not provide figures for those months but said one truckload of the copper stolen on July 9 was worth $470,000. Organised crime gangs melt down copper to remove serial numbers and other marks of ownership, and then resell it locally or transport it by truck to be sold in neighbouring countries, two sources said. Copper prices hit an all-time high above $10,700 a tonne in May thanks to a rebound in global demand, including in top consumer China, as manufacturing activity ramped up and economies reopened after COVID-19 lockdowns. Currently at around $9,700, prices of the metals used widely in the power and construction industries have climbed more than 50% over the past 12 months. (Reporting by Zandi Shabalala and Helen Reid; Editing by Pratima Desai and Pravin Char) ORNSKOLDSVIK, Sweden, July 27, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BAE Systems has signed a contract with Finland to upgrade the Finnish Armys fleet of CV90s. The agreement, worth up to $32 million USD with options, includes a mid-life extension program to increase the vehicles combat efficiency for the future battlefield. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005173/en/ A combat-proven CV9030FIN on a gravel road in front of a green forest. Finland is the latest in a series of CV90 customers to reinvest in the infantry fighting vehicle platform. (Photo: BAE Systems) The CV9030FIN prototype and test series vehicles will be upgraded first, with the remaining lifecycle upgrades carried out between 2022-2026. As part of the contract, BAE Systems Hagglunds, the original manufacturer of the CV90, will work closely with Finnish industry to upgrade the general availability and maintainability of the vehicle, further develop in-service safety, and enhance the systems technology and software. "The upgrade program will secure the capability of the vehicles into the 2030s. At the same time, it will make it possible to eventually have a more extensive mid-life upgrade performed on the vehicles during the latter part of their lifecycle," said Colonel Rainer Peltoniemi, Inspector of the Infantry for the Finnish Army. Finland is the latest in a series of CV90 customers to significantly re-invest in the combat-proven Infantry Fighting Vehicle platform. Four of seven nations in the CV90 User Club have recently signed contracts to extend the lifecycle of their fleets and enhance their vehicles capabilities. Sweden, Switzerland, and the Netherlands signed mid-life upgrade agreements, while the Norwegian Army recently completed a fleet upgrade and ordered 20 additional CV90s to increase the combat power of its existing fleet. "We are looking forward to further supporting Finland with its latest program and deepening our relationships with local industry," said Tommy Gustafsson-Rask, managing director of BAE Systems Hagglunds. "Our customers continued commitment to the platform benefits all current and future CV90 users, as each nation shares their experiences and innovations which help keep the vehicle modern, advanced, and affordable for years to come." Story continues Finland is one of seven users operating the CV90. The other six are: Denmark, Estonia, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. With close to 1,300 CV90s of numerous variants in service, the vehicle has a combat-proven track record and is designed to accommodate future growth to meet evolving missions. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005173/en/ Contacts Ola Thoren, BAE Systems Hagglunds Office: +46 660 80506; Mobile: +46 708 335000 ola.thoren@baesystems.se Rebecca Surtees, BAE Systems, Inc. Mobile: +44 (0)7825 948274 rebecca.surtees@baesystems.com www.baesystems.com @BAESystemsInc DUBLIN, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Industrial Safety Market Research Report by Industry, by Component, by System, by Region - Global Forecast to 2026 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Research and Markets Logo The Global Industrial Safety Market size was estimated at USD 5,545.02 Million in 2020 and expected to reach USD 6,013.29 Million in 2021, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) 8.78% to reach USD 9,189.14 Million by 2026. Market Statistics: The report provides market sizing and forecast across five major currencies - USD, EUR GBP, JPY, and AUD. It helps organization leaders make better decisions when currency exchange data is readily available. In this report, the years 2018 and 2019 are considered historical years, 2020 as the base year, 2021 as the estimated year, and years from 2022 to 2026 are considered the forecast period. Market Segmentation & Coverage: This research report categorizes the Industrial Safety to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets: Based on Industry, the Industrial Safety Market was examined across Aerospace & Defense, Automotive, Chemical, Energy & Power, Food & Beverages, Healthcare & Pharmaceutical, Metal & Mining, Oil & Gas, and Semiconductor. Based on Type, the Industrial Safety Market was examined across Machine Safety and Worker Safety. Based on Component, the Industrial Safety Market was examined across Emergency Stop Controls, Presence Sensing Safety Sensors, Programmable Safety Systems, Safety Controllers/Modules/Relays, Safety Interlock Switches, and Two-Hand Safety Control. Based on System, the Industrial Safety Market was examined across Burner Management Systems, Emergency Shutdown Systems, Fire & Gas Monitoring System, High-Integrity Pressure Protection Systems, and Turbomachinery Control System. Based on Geography, the Industrial Safety Market was examined across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas was further studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific was further studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa was further studied across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom. Competitive Strategic Window: The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies to help the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. It describes the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth during a forecast period. FPNV Positioning Matrix: The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Industrial Safety Market based on Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape. Market Share Analysis: The Market Share Analysis offers the analysis of vendors considering their contribution to the overall market. It provides the idea of its revenue generation into the overall market compared to other vendors in the space. It provides insights into how vendors are performing in terms of revenue generation and customer base compared to others. Knowing market share offers an idea of the size and competitiveness of the vendors for the base year. It reveals the market characteristics in terms of accumulation, fragmentation, dominance, and amalgamation traits. Company Usability Profiles: The report profoundly explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Industrial Safety Market, including ABB Ltd, Balluff GmbH, Banner Engineering India Pvt. Ltd., Emerson Electric Co., Euchner, Fortress Interlocks, General Electric Company, HIMA Paul Hildebrandt GmbH, Honeywell International Inc., IDEC Corporation, Johnson Controls International PLC, Keyence Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Omron Corporation, Paladon Systems Ltd., Pilz India Pvt Ltd, Proserv Ingenious Simplicity, Rockwell Automation, Inc., Schmersal India Pvt Ltd, Schneider Electric SE, SGS Group, Sick AG, Siemens AG, and Yokogawa Electric Corporation. The report provides insights on the following pointers: 1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players 2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyze penetration across mature segments of the markets 3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments 4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, certification, regulatory approvals, patent landscape, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players 5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and breakthrough product developments The report answers questions such as: 1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Industrial Safety Market? 2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Industrial Safety Market during the forecast period? 3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Industrial Safety Market? 4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Industrial Safety Market? 5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Industrial Safety Market? 6. What is the market share of the leading vendors in the Global Industrial Safety Market? 7. What modes and strategic moves are considered suitable for entering the Global Industrial Safety Market? Key Topics Covered: 1. Preface 2. Research Methodology 3. Executive Summary 4. Market Overview 4.1. Introduction 4.2. Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 5. Market Insights 5.1. Market Dynamics 5.1.1. Drivers 5.1.1.1. Rapid rise in automotive manufacturing activities 5.1.1.2. Rising technological advancement producing reliable safety equipment 5.1.1.3. Increasing demand for the safety systems in the oil & gas industry 5.1.2. Restraints 5.1.2.1. Initial investment cost for the installation of industrial safety systems 5.1.2.2. Limited training initiatives and complicated safety standards 5.1.3. Opportunities 5.1.3.1. Rising demand for industrial safety systems in the oil, gas, automotive, and construction sectors 5.1.3.2. Stricter implementation of government protocols for creating a safer work culture Adoption of IIoT 5.1.4. Challenges 5.1.4.1. Minimizing cost and risk by improving workforce efficiency 5.1.4.2. Lack of awareness about the potential benefits of workplace safety programs by numerous businesses 5.2. Porters Five Forces Analysis 5.2.1. Threat of New Entrants 5.2.2. Threat of Substitutes 5.2.3. Bargaining Power of Customers 5.2.4. Bargaining Power of Suppliers 5.2.5. Industry Rivalry 6. Industrial Safety Market, by Industry 6.1. Introduction 6.2. Aerospace & Defense 6.3. Automotive 6.4. Chemical 6.5. Energy & Power 6.6. Food & Beverages 6.7. Healthcare & Pharmaceutical 6.8. Metal & Mining 6.9. Oil & Gas 6.10. Semiconductor 7. Industrial Safety Market, by Type 7.1. Introduction 7.2. Machine Safety 7.3. Worker Safety 8. Industrial Safety Market, by Component 8.1. Introduction 8.2. Emergency Stop Controls 8.3. Presence Sensing Safety Sensors 8.4. Programmable Safety Systems 8.5. Safety Controllers/Modules/Relays 8.6. Safety Interlock Switches 8.7. Two-Hand Safety Control 9. Industrial Safety Market, by System 9.1. Introduction 9.2. Burner Management Systems 9.3. Emergency Shutdown Systems 9.4. Fire & Gas Monitoring System 9.5. High-Integrity Pressure Protection Systems 9.6. Turbomachinery Control System 10. Americas Industrial Safety Market 10.1. Introduction 10.2. Argentina 10.3. Brazil 10.4. Canada 10.5. Mexico 10.6. United States 11. Asia-Pacific Industrial Safety Market 11.1. Introduction 11.2. Australia 11.3. China 11.4. India 11.5. Indonesia 11.6. Japan 11.7. Malaysia 11.8. Philippines 11.9. Singapore 11.10. South Korea 11.11. Thailand 12. Europe, Middle East & Africa Industrial Safety Market 12.1. Introduction 12.2. France 12.3. Germany 12.4. Italy 12.5. Netherlands 12.6. Qatar 12.7. Russia 12.8. Saudi Arabia 12.9. South Africa 12.10. Spain 12.11. United Arab Emirates 12.12. United Kingdom 13. Competitive Landscape 13.1. FPNV Positioning Matrix 13.1.1. Quadrants 13.1.2. Business Strategy 13.1.3. Product Satisfaction 13.2. Market Ranking Analysis 13.3. Market Share Analysis, By Key Player 13.4. Competitive Scenario 13.4.1. Merger & Acquisition 13.4.2. Agreement, Collaboration, & Partnership 13.4.3. New Product Launch & Enhancement 13.4.4. Investment & Funding 13.4.5. Award, Recognition, & Expansion 14. Company Usability Profiles 14.1. ABB Ltd 14.2. Balluff GmbH 14.3. Banner Engineering India Pvt. Ltd. 14.4. Emerson Electric Co. 14.5. Euchner 14.6. Fortress Interlocks 14.7. General Electric Company 14.8. HIMA Paul Hildebrandt GmbH 14.9. Honeywell International Inc. 14.10. IDEC Corporation 14.11. Johnson Controls International PLC 14.12. Keyence Corporation 14.13. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation 14.14. Omron Corporation 14.15. Paladon Systems Ltd. 14.16. Pilz India Pvt Ltd 14.17. Proserv Ingenious Simplicity 14.18. Rockwell Automation, Inc. 14.19. Schmersal India Pvt Ltd 14.20. Schneider Electric SE 14.21. SGS Group 14.22. Sick AG 14.23. Siemens AG 14.24. Yokogawa Electric Corporation 15. Appendix For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/1cshk0 Story continues Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Cision View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-industrial-safety-market-research-report-2020-to-2026---by-industry-component-system-and-region-301341985.html SOURCE Research and Markets - $55.5 million (47M) closing of iAngels Ventures announced by iAngels - a women-led venture capital firm and investment platform - Investment supported by EIF under the Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. TEL AVIV, Israel and LUXEMBOURG, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- iAngels , a women-led, Israel-based venture capital firm and investment platform led by Mor Assia and Shelly Hod Moyal , announced the successful closing of $55.5 million in capital for iAngels Ventures, the firm's first institutional fund, bringing its total AUM to over $300 million. iAngels Ventures invests in Israeli high tech and is anchored by a $25 million investment from the European Investment Fund (EIF). This investment, the largest the EIF has made in Israel to date and after a multiyear vetting process that examined all Israeli VCs, is a direct benefit of Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014-2020). iAngels logo With a focus on supporting its entrepreneurs in scaling global businesses, iAngels has produced 22 profitable exits and is expected to return this year alone more capital to investors than has been raised since the company's inception in 2014. This includes eight recent announced or completed exits representing an expected aggregated enterprise value of $13 billion among them Arbe, eToro, Applitools and Simplex. "The Israeli startup ecosystem has reached a new level of maturity, moving from ambitious startups to building sustainable billion-dollar tech companies with a global footprint," explains iAngels Founding Partner Mor Assia. "We are well-positioned now to lead rounds and provide significant support to our companies from inception to exit. We are proud that our portfolio companies are driving innovation and firmly believe that Israel is uniquely capable of cultivating technologies that will generate impact around the globe." iAngels Founding Partner, Shelly Hod Moyal adds, "Successful Israeli entrepreneurs often pay it forward by investing time and capital to help the next wave of Israeli entrepreneurs profit from their success. We're honored that some of our most successful entrepreneurs see how iAngels contributed to their success and chose iAngels Ventures Fund as the vehicle for investing in the next wave of Israeli start-up and scale-up companies. We're pleased to become a hub for successful entrepreneurs, who are joining iAngels in sharing their wealth of knowledge and experience to influence the success of the Israeli companies." Story continues Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, commented: "We are proud to support a women-led fund active in the Israeli high-tech market. Our investment is reinforcing the links between Israel and the European Union, and will result in strengthened cooperation in the research, development and innovation sphere." President of the EIB, Werner Hoyer expressed, "Support for innovation and SMEs are key priorities for EIF and the EIB group. With the signature of this new agreement, the EIB Group is demonstrating a commitment to support innovative and dynamic businesses. EU backing for equity funds such as iAngels can play a role in creating an ecosystem for tech growth. Innovation and SMEs are crucial for Israel and the European Union as we work to increase competitiveness in local and global markets." EIF Chief Executive, Alan Godard added: "We are pleased to be supporting one of the first equity agreements between EIF and Israel, which will contribute to bridging EU-Israel start-up and venture capital markets. Through its active role in the European business angel network and the innovation arena, iAngels will be able to create additional ties and synergies between Israeli and European investors, helping businesses to grow and innovate." Additional investors in the fund include 20 iAngels' portfolio company founders including, Talmon Marco, Founder and CEO of H2Pro and former Founder and CEO of Viber and Juno; Eyal Gura, Co-Founder of Zebra Medical Vision; Moran Shohat, Founder of Clear Genetics and Kobi Marenko, Founder and CEO of Arbe Robotics, who are expected to IPO in the coming months. Marenko comments, "iAngels is extraordinary. They're investors of the highest calibresharp, smart, connected, and full of energy. In Israel where there is no lack of venture funds, iAngels is one of the best." The General Partners of iAngels Ventures include iAngels founders Hod Moyal and Assia, as well as iAngels Chairman David Assia . David Assia, an experienced entrepreneur and prominent Israeli angel investor articulates, "iAngels Ventures is invested, and will continue to invest, in industries ripe for disruption and growth, where the potential for both impact and returns are high. Whereas previously the adoption of technology took years, if not decades, we are now seeing rapid adoption of technologies, a sign we see as the world readily accepting a tech-dominated future. I'm honored to partner with so many of our LPs who share this vision with us." About iAngels iAngels is a venture capital firm founded in 2014 by Shelly Hod Moyal , Mor Assia and David Assia , that sits in the heart of Tel Aviv. Founded with the same entrepreneurial spirit as the companies it invests in, iAngels offers professional investors worldwide exclusive access to high-tech startups originated in Israel and curated through a streamlined due-diligence process. With more than $300 million AUM, a global network of 20,000 members, iAngels is one of the most active investors in the Israeli-tech ecosystem, helping its portfolio companies scale internationally through a vast global network of serial entrepreneurs, professional investors and industry experts. For more information visit the company's website at www.iAngels.com . About EIF The European Investment Fund (EIF) is part of the European Investment Bank group. Its central mission is to support Europe's micro, small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) by helping them to access finance. EIF designs and develops venture and growth capital, guarantees and microfinance instruments, which specifically target this market segment. In this role, EIF fosters EU objectives in support of innovation, research and development, entrepreneurship, growth, and employment. About InnovFin Equity This investment is supported by InnovFin Equity with the financial backing of the European Union under Horizon 2020, the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014-2020). Through or alongside selected Venture Capital (VC), Business Angels (BA), Technology Transfer funds and funds-of-funds, the EU provides risk capital financing to enterprises, research organisations, universities in their proof-of-concept, pre-seed, seed, start-up and other early-stage phases allowing them to set up or reach their next stage of development. InnovFin Equity investments, deployed by the European Investment Fund (EIF), can represent up to 50% of the total commitment made by the financial intermediary, who shall demonstrate a high policy fit by targeting in its investment strategy sectors covered by Horizon 2020 including ICT, medical technologies, biotechnologies, green technologies, nanotechnologies, etc. In addition, the facility has been designed to support Horizon 2020 objectives addressing societal challenges such as those related to resource efficiency, bio-economy, health and demographics, and climate change. Press contacts: iAngels Ayelet Cohen ayelet@iangels.com IL: +972-58-631-9420 US: +1-646-968-0264 iAngels media relations Gina Shaffer gina.shaffer@si14global.com US: +1(707) 533-1504 IL: +(972) 54-649-3485 EIF David Yormesor + 352 24 85 81 346 d.yormesor@eif.org EU Delegation to Israel Sharon Offenberger +972 544 282 213 sharon.offenberger@eeas.europa.eu After recording 22 exits in 7 years, iAngels, led by Mor Assia and Shelly Hod Moyal, announces its first institutional fund backed by the European Union. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/iangels-ventures-raises-55-5m-47m-for-first-institutional-fund-anchored-by-the-european-investment-fund-bringing-total-aum-to-over-300m-255m-301341785.html SOURCE iAngels By Hilary Russ NEW YORK (Reuters) - McDonald's BTS celebrity meals and crispy chicken sandwiches are expected to fuel a U.S. sales increase of 24% when the company reports second-quarter earnings on Wednesday, but analysts are eyeing whether labor shortages could slow growth. If results for McDonald's fall short of the mark, the lack of cooks and cashiers could be a culprit, along with competition from other restaurants reopening, independent analyst Mark Kalinowski said in a research note. As the United States and other economies move toward emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase in demand for food and goods is exacerbating a shortage of servers, retail workers, truckers and delivery drivers. That crunch is causing slow service and menu outages. McDonald's Chief Executive Officer Chris Kempczinski told investors in June that the competition for workers is likely to persist for some time, according to a transcript from a Bernstein conference. To be sure, many fast-food chains have recovered to pre-pandemic sales levels and are expected to keep reporting strong earnings as customers use drive-thrus and digital apps to place contactless orders for quick family meals. But some of McDonald's Corp's franchisees are cutting operating hours because of staffing problems and seeing sales drop as competitors reopen, according to a survey by Kalinowski. Domino's Pizza Inc said on Thursday that delays in delivery of equipment because of global supply chain logjams as well as low staffing levels and construction and permitting delays has slowed a number of new store openings. Some analysts expect McDonald's U.S. sales to beat estimates, including Nick Setyan of Wedbush Securities, who pointed to new menu items such as the new line of chicken sandwiches, increased marketing spending and growing adoption of the company's app for ordering. Story continues McDonald's also launched a new celebrity meal with the South Korean boy band BTS and gave away French fries on Fridays to app users that likely helped boost sales in the quarter. International sales, which weighed on McDonald's global sales in recent quarters, may recover as COVID-19 cases fell in France, Germany, Canada, Spain and Italy and vaccination rates in some of those countries doubled, wrote Gordon Haskett analyst Jeff Farmer. Analysts expect sales in those international operated markets to rise 65%, according to Refinitiv data from IBES. (Reporting by Hilary Russ in New York; Additional reporting by Aishwarya Venugopal in Bengaluru; Editing by Will Dunham) Yahoo Entertainment Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ken Resnicow, appeared on The Weekend With Joshua Johnson Sunday, where he explained how to convince unvaccinated people to get the COVID-19 vaccine with a technique called motivational interviewing. Let them express their anger, their mistrust, their doubts, and then reflect it back with you statements, Resnicow said. Youre worried that the government is trying to force this on people. You dont trust the public health system. Youre not convinced that the disease is as scary as people say. Those you statements without judgement, without trying to persuade, send a meta-message that Im trying to understand you, Im not gonna judge you and Im not gonna push you. Resnicow said the important first step is to listen to whatever grievances and concerns a person has, and let them know theyve been heard. He also said its important to keep whatever anger or frustration you may be feeling toward the unvaccinated to yourself. We know from hundreds of randomized trials that that type of communication, guilt and shame or pressure, are not gonna move the unpersuaded. We have to do things like affirm. Things like, You really care about understanding this vaccine. Youve really tried to figure it out. You value your independence. God is important to you. Its important to establish that bridge between you two before you try to persuade or in any way inform, Resnicow said. And we understand it takes some psychological discipline because human nature is aligned with what you (Johnson) just said, where some people are getting frustrated with the unvaccinated. Its not gonna help. PenFed's Eugene Service Center chooses three local non-profit organizations as the recipients of its second quarter donations. EUGENE, Ore., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, PenFed Credit Union 's Eugene Service Center announced the recipients of its second quarter charitable donations. These donations, totaling $20,000, were presented to three Eugene charities: Bags of Love, A Family for Every Child, and Hope & Safety Alliance, formerly known as Womenspace. PenFed employees present checks to Eugene Area non-profits: (clockwise from top left) Bags of Love; Hope & Safety Alliance; A Family for Every Child. "PenFed has been proud to support employee-selected, charitable organizations in the Eugene region for the past 25 years," said PenFed's Senior Vice President of the Eugene Service Center, Chris Martin. "Our members and employees are inspired by these three organizations and we believe it is important to give back to the community where we live and work." Bags of Love provides every child they connect with the essentials: clothing, toiletries, toys, books, school supplies, and a handmade quilt or fleece blanket. For a child in crisis, a Bag of Love delivers support and comfort at the time he or she is most vulnerable. PenFed donated $10,000 to assist Bags of Love's unique way of showing support to children when they are at their most vulnerable. "Bags of Love is so grateful for this donation from PenFed Credit Union," said Executive Director of Bags of Love Becky Stenzel. "Over the past two years, the requests for our services have increased by 34% with more than 3,000 children and teens now receiving support from our organization annually. The generosity of PenFed and their employees will play a significant role in our ability to provide tangible support for even more children who are impacted by abuse, neglect, poverty, and homelessness." A Family for Every Child seeks to find permanent and loving adoptive homes for all waiting children. Their intention is to develop programs that assist special-needs/challenging-to-place foster children in finding their own "Forever Families." PenFed donated $5,000 to support A Family for Every Child's mission. Story continues A Family for Every Child said the following in response to PenFed's donation: "We started with our first sole project called The Heart Gallery in November 2006, and now we have blossomed into thirteen incredibly successful programs. None of this could have occurred without the wonderful support from this community's sources, including volunteers, sponsors, photographers, in-kind donors and many more. It is always our goal to facilitate, encourage, and publicize the need for families to adopt special needs children. To inspire and educate families that otherwise would not have thought of becoming an adoptive family." Hope & Safety Alliance (formerly Womenspace) has been providing hope and safety to survivors of domestic violence for over 40 years. Each year, they serve thousands of survivors and children from our communities of color, tribal communities, LGBTQIA, survivors with disabilities, men, and the rural communities in Lane County, Oregon. PenFed gave $5,000 to equip Hope & Safety Alliance to serve more people. "We are so grateful for the support of PenFed Credit Union and their employees," said Hope & Safety Alliance Chief Executive Director Julie Weismann. "Your donation will provide hope and safety to survivors and their families as they begin new lives, free from violence. We think the PenFed team will be happy to know that the first families receiving support will be at our new shelter, Jamie's House." PenFed's Eugene Service Center has been proudly serving members and supporting local community organizations for over 20 years. Employees at the service center have completed 2,500 volunteer hours and donated $628,330 to charity since its founding in 1996. About PenFed Credit Union Established in 1935, Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PenFed) is America's second-largest federal credit union, serving over 2.3 million members worldwide with over $28 billion in assets. PenFed Credit Union offers market-leading certificates, checking, credit cards, personal loans, mortgages, auto loans, student loans, and a wide range of other financial services. Our mission is to empower members of our community to achieve their financial well-being. PenFed Credit Union is federally insured by the NCUA and is an Equal Housing Lender. To learn more about PenFed Credit Union, visit PenFed.org, like us on Facebook and follow us @PenFed on Twitter. Interested in working for PenFed? Check us out on LinkedIn. We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. PENFED logo (PRNewsfoto/PenFed Credit Union) Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/penfed-credit-union-donates-20-000-to-eugene-charities-301342335.html SOURCE PenFed Credit Union Top companies covered in the plastics market report are Beaulieu International Group (Belgium), Borealis AG (Austria), Repsol (Spain), Braskem (Brazil), Formosa Plastic Group (Taiwan), Ducor Petrochemicals (Netherlands), ExxonMobil Chemical (U.S.), MOL Group (Hungary) , Borouge (UAE), BASF SE (Germany), Total S.A. (France), Reliance Industries Limited (India), SABIC (Saudi Arabia), INEOS (UK) and more players profiled Pune, India, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global plastic market size is projected to reach USD 616.82 billion by 2028, exhibiting a CAGR of 5.0% during the forecast period. Skyrocketing demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face masks and gloves amid the COVID-19 will emerge as a major growth accelerator for this market, shares Fortune Business Insights in its report, titled Plastic Market, 2021-2028. The market size stood at USD 434.71 billion in 2020. COVID-19 Impact : PPE products are mostly made from plastic as the material is easy to use for mass manufacturing. The coronavirus pandemic has led to an unprecedented spike in demand for PPE from the healthcare industry as frontline workers are constantly exposed to COVID patients and need adequate protection. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 89 million medical masks and 76 million disposable gloves are required every month to battle the virus. In March 2020, the WHO, citing these estimations, urged companies to increase their manufacturing capacity by 40%. The pandemic, therefore, is generating lucrative opportunities for this industry. The main highlights of the report include: Comprehensive overview of the industry trends and outlook; In-depth examination of the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the market; Tangible research into the market drivers, restraints, and segments; and Detailed study of the competitive landscape and regional prospects of the market. Get a Sample PDF Brochure: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/plastics-market-102176 Story continues Competitive Landscape Key Companies to Broaden Horizons through Novel Product Developments With a view to broadening business horizons, key players in this market are focusing on developing innovative products and solutions. These innovations are enabling companies to carve a niche space in the polymer industry and gradually advance sustainability in this industry, which will further boost the plastic market growth. Key Industry Developments: December 2020: LyondellBasell introduced Beon3D, an ultra-modern polypropylene (PP) product range that will provide unique design and enable production of high-quality, complex 3D printed objects within one step. This product was created by integrating polymer technologies and additive manufacturing. This product range will serve transportation, industrial, building & construction, and consumer goods markets. List of Top Players Covered in the Plastic Market are: Beaulieu International Group (Belgium) Borealis AG (Austria) Repsol (Spain) Braskem (Brazil) Formosa Plastic Group (Taiwan) Ducor Petrochemicals (Netherlands) China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (China) ExxonMobil Chemical (U.S.) MOL Group (Hungary) Borouge (UAE) BASF SE (Germany) Total S.A. (France) Reliance Industries Limited (India) SABIC (Saudi Arabia) INEOS (UK) LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (Netherlands) China National Petroleum Corporation (China) Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/plastics-market-102176 Market Segments : Based on type, the market is classified into polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polyamide, polycarbonate, polyurethane, polystyrene, and others. Based on the End-Use, the market is categorized into packaging, automotive & transportation, infrastructure & construction, consumer goods/lifestyle, healthcare & pharmaceutical, electrical & electronics, textile, and others. Geographically, the market is classified into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. Market Restraint Rampant Plastic Pollution Worldwide to Stem Adoption The extensive and rampant utilization of plastics around the globe has heightened the problem of plastic pollution and it is slated to intensify in the next few decades. According to a model developed by researchers from the University of Leeds, University of Oxford, SYSTEMIQ, and The Pew Charitable Trusts, over 1.3 billion tons of waste will be dumped into the oceans and on land between 2016 and 2040. Presently, the study finds that roughly 30 million tons of plastic is dumped on land, 50 million tons is burnt, and 11 million tons ends up in seas. Furthermore, burning it is expected to lead to massive increases in air pollution. For example, a recent report by the Center for Environmental Law found that the current rate of plastic incineration is approximately equivalent to the emissions released by 189 coal-fired plants. With governments tightening the screws on plastic production and consumption to curtail plastic pollution, the growth of this market is likely to dampen in the coming years. Regional Insights Asia Pacific to Present Attractive Business Opportunities to Plastic Manufacturers Asia Pacific is anticipated to dominate the plastic market share during the forecast period owing to exponential growth in plastic consumption in the regions developing economies. In China, polymer production is rapidly expanding as a result of wide availability of raw materials, while promising growth in Indias consumer goods industry is attracting large investments in the domestic polymer industry. In 2020, the regions market size stood at USD 220.57 billion. The North America market is also expected to display excellent owing to extensive adoption of plastics in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, and automotive industries. The prospects for the market in Europe also appear promising as major automotive industry giants in the region have been commonly using polymers for manufacturing vehicles. Inquire Before Buying This Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/queries/plastics-market-102176 Detailed Table of Content: Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions Executive Summary Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities Emerging Trends Key Insights Key Market Trends in the Global Market Key Developments: Mergers, Acquisition, Partnership, etc. . Latest Technological Advancement Insights on Regulatory Scenario Porters Five Forces Analysis Price Trend Analysis Qualitative Insights Impact of COVID 19 on Global Plastic Market Supply Chain Challenges Steps taken by Government/Companies to overcome this impact Potential opportunities due to COVID-19 outbreak Global Plastic Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2017-2028 Key Findings / Summary Market Size Estimates and Forecast By Type (Value and Volume) Polyethylene Polypropylene Polyethylene Terephthalate Polyvinyl Chloride Acrylonitrilie Butadiene Styrene Polyamide Polycarbonate Polyurethane Polystyrene Others By End-Use (Value and Volume) Packaging Automotive & Transportation Infrastructure & Construction Consumer Goods/ Lifestyle Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Electrical & Electronics Agriculture Textile Others By Region (Value) North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa TOC Continued! Speak to Our Expert: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/plastics-market-102176 Have a Look at Related Research Key Updates: The Global Polyethylene Market Size was USD 107.43 Billion In 2019 Is Projected To Reach USD 130.26 Billion By 2027, Exhibiting A CAGR Of 3.4% During The Forecast Period 2019 to 2027 The Global Polyurethane Market Size Was Valued At USD 55,205.9 In 2018 And Is Projected To Reach USD 87,635.8 Billion By 2026, Exhibiting A CAGR Of 6.0% During The Forecast Year 2019-2026 About Us: Fortune Business Insights delivers accurate data and innovative corporate analysis, helping organizations of all sizes make appropriate decisions. We tailor novel solutions for our clients, assisting them to address various challenges distinct to their businesses. Our aim is to empower them with holistic market intelligence, providing a granular overview of the market they are operating in. Phone: US:+1 424 253 0390 UK: +44 2071 939123 APAC: +91 744 740 1245 Email: sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fortune-business-insights Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FortuneBusinessInsightsPvtLtd Twitter: https://twitter.com/FBInsightPvtLtd Saudi Arabia Cafes Market, By Ownership (Standalone Outlets & Chain Outlets), By Segment (International & Domestic), By Sales Channel (Retail Sales & Online), By Region, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2026F New York, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Saudi Arabia Cafes Market, By Ownership, By Segment, By Sales Channel, By Region, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2026F" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06105536/?utm_source=GNW Saudi Arabia Cafes market was valued USD 4.79 Billion in 2020 and is forecast to grow at CAGR of over 7.54% in the next five years. The increasing per capita income, rising number of tourists, growing western influence, changing consumer tastes and preferences and rapid expansion in cafe services, are the major drivers for the Saudi Arabia cafes market. Furthermore, the online cafe services industry has expanded dramatically, with significant technological advances facilitating the development of the online platform and allowing for a better user experience and convenience. The increasing use of online cafe services by millennials and the younger population has been a major driver for the growth of Saudi Arabia cafes market over the years. Due to the governments strict regulations during pandemic, all cafes were closed, forcing them to shift to home delivery services.As most people are addicted to the taste of a particular cafe, this increased the overall demand for online food ordering from cafes. As Saudi Arabia has an internet penetration rate of 95.72% as of 2019, the majority of people preferred to order online during the pandemic. The tourism industry in Saudi Arabia is changing as a result of private and public sector efforts to diversify the tourist base and the purpose of visiting Saudi Arabia.The number of tourists visiting the country is increasing, which is boosting domestic tourism. In 2019, approximately 19 million people visited the country for religious and other reasons, a 10% increase from 2017. The increasing number of foreign workers, as well as millions of pilgrims visiting the country has augmented the tourism, resulting in the growth of the Saudi Arabia cafes market. Saudi Arabia cafes market is categorized by ownership, by segment, by sales channel, by region and by company.In terms of ownership, the Saudi Arabia cafes market is segmented into Chain Outlets & Standalone outlets. Among which, Chain Outlets have accounted for the majority of shares in the countrys cafes market and this segment is expected to continue its dominance over the forecast period on account of changing tastes and preferences of people.One reason for this segments rapid growth is the widespread use of the internet and social media, which has exposed a large number of Saudis to western food and culture. Cafes are increasing in number in Saudi Arabia, with international brands like Applebees, Outback Steak House, Chilis, and TGI Fridays marking their presence. In terms of region, the Saudi Arabia cafes market is categorized into Western, Central, Eastern, Southern and Northern region. Western region is the dominant region in Saudi Arabia cafes market in 2020 followed by the central region and is expected to maintain its dominance in the forecast period due to changing lifestyle and preferences, rising per capita income, and growing population. Some of the major players operating in the Saudi Arabia cafes market are Applebees, Starbucks, T.G.I. Fridays, Chilis, Java Time, etc. Years considered for this report: Historical Years: 2016-2019 Base Year: 2020 Estimated Year: 2021E Forecast Period: 2022F-2026F Objective of the Study: To analyze the historical growth in the market size of the Saudi Arabia cafes market from 2016 to 2020. To estimate and forecast the market size of the Saudi Arabia cafes market from 2021E to 2026F and growth rate until 2026F. To classify and forecast Saudi Arabia cafes market based on by ownership, by segment, by sales channel, by region and by company. To identify the dominant region or segment in the Saudi Arabia cafes market. To identify drivers and challenges for the Saudi Arabia cafes market. To examine competitive developments such as expansions, new cafes launches, mergers & acquisitions, etc., in the Saudi Arabia cafes market. To identify and analyze the profiles of leading players operating in Saudi Arabia cafes market. To identify key sustainable strategies adopted by market players in Saudi Arabia cafes market. The analyst performed both primary as well as exhaustive secondary research for this study.Initially, the analyst sourced a list of service providers across the country. Subsequently, the analyst conducted primary research surveys with the identified companies.While interviewing, the respondents were also enquired about their competitors. Through this technique, the analyst could include the service providers which could not be identified due to the limitations of secondary research. The analyst examined the service providers, and presence of all major players across the country. The analyst calculated the market size of Saudi Arabia cafes market using a bottom-up approach, wherein data for various segments were recorded and forecast for the future years. The analyst sourced these values from the industry experts and cafes chain representatives and externally validated them through analyzing historical data of these segments for getting an appropriate, overall market size. Various secondary sources such as company websites, news articles, press releases, company annual reports, investor presentations, and financial reports were also studied by the analyst. Key Target Audience: Cafe owners and franchise. Cafe end users. Research organizations and consulting companies. The study is useful in providing answers to several critical questions that are important for the industry stakeholders such as service providers, end-users, etc., besides allowing them in strategizing investments and capitalizing on market opportunities. Report Scope: In this report, Saudi Arabia cafes market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below: Saudi Arabia Cafes Market, By Ownership: o Chain Outlets o Standalone Outlets Saudi Arabia Cafes Market, By Segment: o International o Domestic Saudi Arabia Cafes Market, By Sales Channel: o Retail Sales o Online Saudi Arabia Cafes Market, By Region: o Western o Central o Southern o Eastern o Northern Competitive Landscape Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in Saudi Arabia cafes market. Available Customizations With the given market data, we offers customizations according to a companys specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report: Company Information Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five). Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06105536/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 ATLANTA, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- To address the financial hardships that have taken a toll on students and families over the last year, Spelman College cleared outstanding student balances from the 2020-2021 academic year, an action made possible by the receipt of funds from the federal government. Spelman College Clears Outstanding Student Balances from AY 2020-2021 In addition, for all Spelman students during 2020-2021, the college implemented a significant 14 percent discount of tuition and fees, and reset tuition and mandatory fee rates back to 2017-2018 rates for academic year 2021-2022. "This reset to the lower tuition rates of four years ago will have a long-term impact on affordability," said Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D., president of Spelman. "Spelman's in-depth study into the financial aid needs of our students several years ago reinforced our understanding of one of this country's fundamental inequities: high performing, high need students are drastically underfunded," said Dr. Campbell. "If 2020 taught us anything, it is that racial fault lines continue to make the lives of African Americans quantitatively harder than those of non-Black Americans." Beyond the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the College is mindful of the amount of debt that families incur and has spent the last four years raising more than $120 million in new financial aid. "Despite the financial hurdles, our academic outcomes are impressive. Half of the students Spelman serves are PELL eligible, that is low to moderate income, which makes our six-year graduation rate of 75 percent, 30 percentage points above the national average, a standout," said Dr. Campbell. During the pandemic, Spelman was able to directly impact every enrolled student in one or more of the following ways: Refunding a portion of fees to enrolled students related to the spring 2020 semester Establishing a student emergency fund in spring 2020 Offering a one-time 14 percent composite discount on tuition and fees for academic year 2020-2021 Providing federally funded emergency student financial aid grants to students June 2020, spring 2021, and summer 2021 Clearing outstanding student balances for 2020-2021 Developed a forthcoming partnership with Lyft to provide subsidized rides to a maximum of 500 students residing off-campus without their own vehicle About Spelman College Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a leading liberal arts college widely recognized as the global leader in the education of women of African descent. Located in Atlanta, the College's picturesque campus is home to 2,100 students. Spelman is the country's leading producer of Black women who complete Ph.D.s in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The College's status is confirmed by U.S. News & World Report, which ranked Spelman No. 54 among all liberal arts colleges, No. 19 for undergraduate teaching, No. 4 for social mobility among liberal arts colleges, and No. 1 for the 14th year among historically Black colleges and universities. The Wall Street Journal ranked the College No. 3, nationally, in terms of student satisfaction. Recent initiatives include a designation by the Department of Defense as a Center of Excellence for Minority Women in STEM, a Gender and Sexuality Studies Institute, the first endowed queer studies chair at an HBCU, and a program to increase the number of Black women Ph.D.s in economics. New majors have been added, including documentary filmmaking and photography, and partnerships have been established with MIT's Media Lab, the Broad Institute and the Army Research Lab for artificial intelligence and machine learning. Outstanding alumnae include Children's Defense Fund founder Marian Wright Edelman, Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Rosalind Brewer, political leader Stacey Abrams, former Acting Surgeon General and Spelman's first alumna president Audrey Forbes Manley, actress and producer Latanya Richardson Jackson, global bioinformatics geneticist Janina Jeff and authors Pearl Cleage and Tayari Jones. For more information, visit Spelman College. Story continues Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spelman-clears-outstanding-student-balances-from-academic-year-2020-2021-301342112.html SOURCE Spelman College (Bloomberg) -- Starbucks Corp. reported quarterly results that outpaced estimates on the back of a strong U.S. recovery -- but a less optimistic outlook for the key Chinese market weighed on shares in late trading on Tuesday. Global same-store sales, an important gauge of restaurant success, rose 73% in the fiscal third quarter ended June 27 compared with the year-earlier period, surpassing projections. U.S. same-store sales also beat estimates, and even grew 10% from two years ago -- prior to the pandemic -- on strong cold-beverage sales. However, China same-store sales came in significantly below estimates, and the company said average customer spending also declined there. Starbucks said value-added tax exemptions in China boosted its Chinese and international sales figures in the period a year earlier, hurting comparisons with the recent quarter. Starbucks shares fell 3% at 6:23 p.m. in late New York trading. The stock had advanced 18% this year through Tuesdays close. The tax impact explains part of the slower growth in China -- but investors may question the dramatic reduction in its guidance for the fiscal year. The Seattle-based coffee chain now sees comparable sales growing 18% to 20% in China, down from a previous range of 27% to 32%. Starbucks also trimmed its international outlook for the same measure. China Challenge The results highlight the companys challenge as it rapidly expands in China, a crucial economy that has investors increasingly skittish about its governments regulatory crackdown. Starbucks now has more than 5,000 China locations, with 600 new ones coming this fiscal year. It has established the market, along with the U.S., as its most important, so the results will garner close scrutiny on Wall Street. Consumers remain cautious in China despite coronavirus outbreaks being largely under control for a year and the government on course to deliver 1 billion vaccines by the end of the week. Spending during a national holiday this past weekend was 25% lower than pre-pandemic levels, according to government data. Story continues Starbucks executives voiced optimism on China in spite of the lowered expectations. Belinda Wong, who leads Starbucks business in China, said the companys recovery in that market will be nonlinear but the company was playing the long game there and the company had full confidence in the nations consumer economy. Theres not a geopolitical situation that has really impacted us in China over the last couple of years, Chief Executive Officer Kevin Johnson said during the earnings call. I dont really foresee that happening as long as we continue to stay focused on what we do, and what we do well. Cold Beverages In the U.S., meanwhile, the results showed that rising vaccination rates are helping to bolster the company. Cold beverages accounted for three-quarters of all drinks sold in the U.S. in the fiscal third quarter. Starbucks also expanded its digital customers by 48% from the same period a year ago to 24.2 million. The company says online and mobile customers are driving its recovery in key markets. The companys adjusted operating margin of 20.5% exceeded Wall Streets expectations despite labor and cost pressures. The company didnt explicitly comment on the recent spike in Arabica coffee prices brought on by a rare freeze in the key growing market of Brazil. In its home region of the Americas, margin is being pressured by increased supply-chain costs due to inflation, the company said without offering more specifics. Nevertheless, Starbucks narrowed its outlook for the year for comparable sales in the Americas to 21% to 22%, which represents the top of its previous range. (Updates to include executives comments from the earnings call.) More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2021 Bloomberg L.P. DUBLIN, July 27, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Thailand Managed Security Services Market, By Security Type, By Deployment Mode, By Organization Size, By End User Industry, By Region, Competition, Forecast & Opportunities, 2016-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Thailand Managed Security Services Market stood at USD 233.36 million in 2020 and is forecast to grow at a CAGR of over 9.02% until 2026. Growth in the managed security services market is driven by the rapid increase in the need for managed detection and response capabilities which is driving the managed security systems in Thailand. Integration of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in security events is expected to act as a catalyst for the growth of managed security services market in Thailand. Based on security type, the market can be segmented into Network Security, Endpoint Security, Application Security, Cloud Security and Others. Network Security type dominated the market in 2020 as this type of security system helps to reduce the risk associated with data theft and sabotage. Moreover, network security helps to protect workstations from harmful spyware and ensures that shared data is kept secure, thereby, contributing to the significant share of the segment in the Thailand Managed Security Services Market. Based on deployment mode, the market can be bifurcated into on-premise and cloud. The cloud segment dominated the Thailand Managed Security Services Market in 2020 with a share of 57.08% because majority of data and information are being stored in cloud nowadays due to requirement of advanced cloud security. Therefore, organizations are outsourcing the tedious but sensitive workload of cybersecurity to dedicated and expert organizations via cloud deployment. Based on the end-user industry, the market can be segmented into BFSI, IT & Telecommunication, Energy & Utilities, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Government & Defense, and Others. BFSI segment dominates the Thailand Managed Security Services Market primarily due to the critical and sensitive nature of data & information stored and operated in the BFSI sector. Moreover, to safeguard its crucial assets, the banking and financial industry needs a robust security system that is backed by continuous monitoring. Story continues On the basis of region, Bangkok held the largest share in the Thailand Managed Security Services Market in 2020 with a share of 32.52% owing to increasing investment in the technology sector and increased investment in infrastructure projects. The region is expected to maintain the market dominance during the forecast period owing to the presence of major players and large urban population in the region. Some of the major players in the Thailand Managed Security Services Market are Seagate Technology (Thailand) Ltd., Vicon Industries, Inc., BCDVideo, Dahua Technology (Thailand) Co., Ltd., Teledyne FLIR LLC, IDIS. Ltd., HID Global Corporation, Fujitsu (Thailand) Co.,LTD, etc. These companies are developing advanced technologies and launching new products to stay competitive in the market. Other competitive strategies include mergers & acquisitions and new product developments. Years considered for this report: Historical Years: 2016-2019 Base Year: 2020 Estimated Year: 2021E Forecast Period: 2022-2026F Report Scope: Thailand Managed Security Services Market, By Security Type: Network Security Endpoint Security Application Security Cloud Security Others Thailand Managed Security Services Market, By Deployment Mode: On-Premise Cloud Thailand Managed Security Services Market, By Organization Size: Large Enterprises SMEs Thailand Managed Security Services Market, By End-User Industry: BFSI IT & Telecommunication Energy & Utilities Healthcare Manufacturing Defense Others Thailand Managed Security Services Market, By Region: Bangkok Eastern Northeastern Southern Northern Rest of the Thailand Competitive Landscape: Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Thailand Managed Security Services Market. Seagate Technology (Thailand) Ltd Vicon Industries, Inc Burgees Computer Decisions, Inc (BCDVideo) Dahua Technology (Thailand) Co, Ltd Teledyne FLIR LLC IDIS Ltd HID Global Corporation Fujitsu (Thailand) Co Ltd Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co, Ltd I-secure co Ltd Datapro Computer Systems Co Ltd CAT Cyfence For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/wnhs5f View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005647/en/ Contacts ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 Independent study evaluated the potential financial impact of Livestorm on customer organizations Livestorm offers the first Video Engagement Platform (VEP) for pain-free video engagements at scale A commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Livestorm found that companies can achieve a three-year 181% ROI on Livestorm. A commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Livestorm found that companies can achieve a three-year 181% ROI on Livestorm. BOSTON, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Livestorm , which offers the first Video Engagement Platform (VEP), announced today the results of a new independent study on the potential financial impact of its platform on customer organizations. A commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Livestorm, the Total Economic Impact (TEI) published in July 2021 study found that companies can achieve a three-year 181% ROI on Livestorm due to four quantifiable benefits: Increased incremental profit from hosting live events, Increased incremental profit from sharing on-demand events, Reduced time spent on events administration, and Reduced time spent on internal meeting and training administration. Additional, non-quantifiable benefits included making more data-driven decisions about future content, reassuring board members and senior stakeholders by showing attendance and engagement, providing training and demonstrations for existing customers, and attracting higher-caliber speakers. Forresters customer interviews and financial analysis found that a composite organization experiences benefits of $273,000 over three years versus costs of $97,000, adding up to a net present value (NPV) of $176,000 and an ROI of 181%. This results in a payback period of less than six months. These numbers could be even higher depending on their usage of the platform and their business model. One Livestorm user, a marketing manager for a medical technology company, told Forrester Consulting in an interview, Previously, one employee would take 8 to 10 hours to do all these things with emails and adding people to lists and setup. Now using Livestorm, it all takes about one hour. Story continues This Forrester study echoes what Livestorms customers have been saying - that Livestorm makes it faster and easier for them to host internal and external online meetings, and helps them host much higher-quality events, said Gilles Bertaux, co-founder and CEO of Livestorm. Every day, we are converting Zoom and Microsoft Teams customers into Livestorm customers by providing a much easier to use and more reliable solution for hosting online meetings, webinars and virtual events. Livestorm goes beyond simple video communication to help companies connect, engage, collaborate and measure results for video events in a single place. Operating entirely within the browser, with no app downloads needed, Livestorm enables organizers to create and manage professional video engagements, end-to-end, in one place. Organizers can use Livestorm for on-demand, live, or pre-recorded meetings or events. Livestorm supports all the workflows around a video engagement, including registration pages, email follow-ups, analytics and sharing video recordings. To read the full Total Economic Impact study, visit https://livestorm.imgix.net/1127/1626189142-teioflivestorm-final.pdf . About Livestorm Inc. Livestorm offers the first Video Engagement Platform (VEP) for powerful, yet pain-free video engagements at scale. Livestorm is a browser-based platform that doesn't require a download, or setup. It enables organizations to create professional live, on-demand, automated or pre-recorded video meetings and events that can be easily managed in one place. Livestorm supports all the workflows around a video engagement - including registration pages, email follow-ups - and includes powerful analytics to measure audience engagement. More than 4,000+ companies from startups to Fortune 500 companies rely on Livestorm, including brands such as Shopify, Honda, Spendesk, Front, Sephora, and Revolut. Livestorm Inc. is a remote-first company with headquarters in Paris. Learn more at https://livestorm.co/ Media contact: Michelle Faulkner Big Swing 617-510-6998 michelle@big-swing.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/39275346-a702-447f-a957-1e8f04c2e82a By Tarek Amara TUNIS, July 27 (Reuters) - Tunisia's biggest party, the moderate Islamist Ennahda, on Tuesday called for political dialogue to get the country out of crisis after it accused the president of a coup when he dismissed the prime minister and suspended parliament. The statement came as Ennhahda issued instructions to its supporters through party branches not to resume a sit-in outside parliament and to avoid protests, in a reversal of an earlier call by its leader Rached Ghannouchi to take to the streets. Though some senior party members wanted to retain a street presence, its leaders decided to avoid any further escalation and allow a period of calm, two Ennahda officials said earlier on Tuesday. The area outside the parliament building, the site on Monday of confrontations between hundreds of supporters of Ennahda and Saied, was empty on Tuesday morning. Ennahda's supporters left the parliament on Monday evening and have not returned. Tunisia is facing its biggest crisis since the 2011 revolution that introduced democracy. Saied said his actions were in line with a constitutional clause allowing extraordinary measures during an emergency. It raised the spectre of major street confrontations or a slide back from the democratic gains won a decade ago. Ennahda and the next three largest parties in parliament have all denounced the move as a coup. A Tunisian political source said neighbouring Algeria had pushed both Saied and his opponents to step back from any confrontation to avoid further destabilisation or the intervention of any external forces. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Saied late on Monday and said he had urged him to "to adhere to the principles of democracy and human rights". Saied has yet to announce a new interim prime minister and has said he will replace the defence and justice ministers. He has not said whether the other cabinet ministers will remain in place. (Reporting by Tarek Amara, writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise) TORONTO, July 27, 2021 /CNW/ - Unifor members of Local 112 and 673 at the Downsview plant employed by Bombardier Aviation and De Havilland Aircraft Canada commenced strike action as of 10:01 a.m. today. Unifor Local 112 and 673 members on the picket line at the Downsview plant. (CNW Group/Unifor) "We will remain at the bargaining table with both companies as the strike action is ongoing," said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. "Our union will continue to make every effort to reach a fair settlement but we have a number of key issues to resolve with both employers." Approximately 1,500 Bombardier workers and 700 De Havilland workers are on strike affecting both companies. The Downsview plant is the manufacturing site for Bombardier's Global series aircraft and De Havilland's Dash 8 turboprop aircraft. "Our members are among the most highly skilled workers in the country, building two of the highest quality aircraft products in the world. What we're looking for is an agreement that reflects that," said Scott McIlmoyle, President of Unifor Local 112 which represents production and skilled trades workers at the Downsview site. Unifor previously outlined the union's key priorities in the negotiations, including pensions, use of contractors and erosion of bargaining unit work at Bombardier and the future of the Dash 8 program at De Havilland. Other issues relate to the sale of the Downsview site in 2018 and both companies' planned exit of the facility. "Our members do highly technical, intricate, and precise work that supports some of the most advanced manufacturing this country does. These are demanding jobs. Our members work hard and deserve nothing less than an agreement that values their incredible contribution to these companies and respects their hard work," said Maryellen McIlmoyle, President of Unifor Local 673 which represents technical, office, and professional workers at both companies. The union remains committed to reaching a fair settlement with Bombardier Aviation and De Havilland Aircraft of Canada. Story continues Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future. SOURCE Unifor Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2021/27/c2668.html MIAMI LAKES, Fla., July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal has awarded Point Blank Enterprises, Inc. (PBE) business unit, The Protective Group (TPG) a $60.6M Firm Fixed Price Contract for Phase 2, Concept Design for the U.S. Armys Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) Program. The OMFV is planned to be an important weapon system platform in the Armys Armored Brigade Combat Teams (ABCTs) and is part of the larger Next Generation Combat Vehicle Family of Combat Vehicles. The OMFV concept is envisioned to encompass future capabilities and basic operational requirements including: scalable survivability and protection, remotely controllable, preplanned growth to easily integrate future capabilities, embedded platform training, and decisive battlefield lethality. The Army plans for the first OMFV delivery in the fourth quarter of FY2028 for final testing with a final Full Rate Production (FRP) decision in the third quarter of FY2029. Mark Edwards, Executive Vice President for Point Blank Enterprises said, We are honored to be selected to participate in this essential Army combat vehicle program. We have assembled a diverse industry team that, like Point Blank, is fully committed to providing the most advanced and reliable products to our men and women in uniform. This award reaffirms our ability to assemble and manage diverse technical teams performing complex and innovative collaborative design engineering programs. Our OMFV design concept will not be constrained or limited by previous design engineering approaches or technologies that produced the last generation of combat vehicles. Innovative engineering solutions and continuously integrating improvements into our product designs are in our DNA, both of which are key to this phase of the OMFV program. For nearly 50 years, Point Blank Enterprises, Inc. has been a leading provider of threat protection products engineered to maximize user survivability. Story continues About Point Blank Enterprises, Inc. Point Blank Enterprises, Inc. is a leading provider of high performance protective solutions, including bullet, fragmentation, and stab resistant apparel and related products and services. Through its key brands Point Blank Body Armor, Protective Apparel Corporation of America (PACA), Protective Products, PARACLETE, The Protective Group (TPG), Advanced Technology Group (ATG), First Tactical, and Gould & Goodrich (G&G), the Company ranks as the largest global supplier of ballistic armor systems and systems integrator in the world. The Companys ballistic solutions have been credited with saving countless lives for the most important customers in the world, including the U.S. Armed Forces, Department of Defense, Federal Government and law enforcement, corrections and security personnel, both domestically and abroad. For more information on our Company, please visit our website at www.pointblankenterprises.com. PBE Company Contact: Michael Foreman Point Blank Enterprises, Inc. Email: mforeman@pbearmor.com The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced Monday that employees who provide medical care will now be required to be vaccinated against Covid-19, the first time a federal agency has made such a decision. Starting Wednesday, frontline workers will have eight weeks to get their shots, and those who fail to meet the requirement will face penalties, including possible job loss. VA Secretary Denis McDonough told The New York Times that his main goal is to protect the people in the agencys care. I am doing this because its the best way to keep our veterans safe, full stop, he said. The VA runs the biggest health care system in the country and is one of the largest federal employers. A growing movement: The VAs announcement came on the same day that more than 50 medical organizations including the American Medical Association, the American College of Physicians and the American Nurses Association called on health care organizations to impose vaccine mandates. Because of highly contagious variants, including the Delta variant, and significant numbers of unvaccinated people, COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are once again rising throughout the United States, the group said in a collective statement. Vaccination is the primary way to put the pandemic behind us and avoid the return of stringent public health measures. ... We call for all health care and long-term care employers to require their employees to be vaccinated against covid-19. Also on Monday, officials in New York City and the state of California announced new Covid-related rules for workers. As of Labor Day, all 350,000 city employees must be vaccinated or start getting testing on a weekly basis. The same rule goes into effect in August in California, and includes all health care workers as well. Too many people have chosen to live with this virus, California Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters Monday. Were at a point in this pandemic where individuals choice not to get vaccinated is now impacting the rest of us, and in a profound and devastating and deadly way. Story continues Resistance to vaccinations: The more aggressive push for vaccinations comes amid rising case counts in many parts of the country, especially in areas with low vaccination rates. A substantial percentage of the U.S. population is resisting getting vaccinated, and health officials are growing increasingly frustrated, especially as more people get sick. The reality ... is that the new infections, hospitalizations and deaths are almost exclusively among the unvaccinated, Mollyann Brodie of the Kaiser Family Foundation told The Washington Post. Many unvaccinated people say they have no plans to become vaccinated. According to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll released last week, 35% of those who have not been vaccinated say they probably will not take the vaccine, while 45% say they definitely will not. We always knew some proportion of the population would be difficult to persuade no matter what the data showed, Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University, told the AP, adding that a lot of people are beyond persuasion. Like what you're reading? Sign up for our free newsletter. DHAHRAN, Saudi Arabia, July 27, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Waed, the entrepreneurship arm of Aramco, has signed a contract with HES FinTech lending software provider to automate financial operations at the company. About the project Waed is an entrepreneurial support center, providing end-to-end assistance to boost Saudi-based start-ups, including mentoring, incubation, loan financing, and venture capital investment. In addition to incubation and mentoring, the center invested more than $100 million in the Kingdoms entrepreneurship ecosystem over the 10 years since its inception. Waed is the largest institutional venture capital investor supporting Saudi startups and the only lender requiring no collateral. In 2021, Waed started searching for a software vendor to automate loan granting. Recently, the company signed a contract with HES FinTech - a major provider of digital solutions for loan origination and loan management with a decade of experience in SME lending. What is special about this collaboration? With premium technology at its core, Waed is building an entrepreneurial ecosystem at a faster pace and expanding the geography of its portfolio more effectively. "We have placed our trust in HES FinTechs expertise to develop lending software and predictive analytics software for our financial services. Their expertise will support the launch of our updated platform, which will benefit from automation, clear UI & UX, and a fully functional customer portal," - said Mazen Alasnag, Head of Loan Management, Waed "We are deeply honored and excited to assist Waed in their initiative oriented at the regions economic growth and support of small and medium enterprises. Our major goal is to create a digital product that will help scale up Waeds activities and bring tangible value to our world-renowned customer," - said Ivan Kovalenko, CEO, and Co-Founder of HES FinTech. Join a free live demo to discover the opportunities HES FinTech brings for your lending business. Story continues View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005038/en/ Contacts Ivan Halynkin Head of Marketing im@hesfintech.com hesfintech.com DUBLIN, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Molten Salt Thermal Energy Storage Market - Forecasts from 2021 to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Research and Markets Logo The global molten salt thermal energy storage market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 15.65% over the forecast period to reach a market size of US$1,743.663 million in 2026 from US$629.969 million in 2019. The molten salt thermal energy market is estimated to increase in the forecast period. The factors responsible for the growth of the market are increase in the population which has led to increase in the consumption of energy and initiatives taken by the government for the use of renewable sources of energy will boost the market growth in the coming years. Another reason for the use of the molten salt thermal energy is the decrease in the cost per kilowatt for the storage of energy. Impact of COVID-19 on the market The deployment of renewable energy technology in many markets was already threatened at the start of 2020 by funding, policy uncertainty and grid integration, which COVID-19 had further amplified. According to IEA projections, owing to the unprecedented global COVID-19 crisis, the number of new renewable energy installations worldwide declined in 2020. The decline is due to lockdown restrictions in various countries because of the pandemic, thereby severely affecting the supply chain globally. It is estimated that in 2021, with revival of the economy the market will resume with the majority of projects that were delayed. Increase in the government initiatives and investments in renewable energy technologies is going to foster the growth of the market Market Drivers Concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies are considered to have a key advantage over photovoltaic systems. In this the solar radiations are captured and then transferred to thermal storage to enable generation of electricity when the sun is not shining or during the late nights or early evenings. In central receiver direct-storage plants and parabolic trough indirect-storage plants, molten salt is commercially used. Many new CSP plants, operated by molten salt storage, have a capacity of more than 1200 MW, consist almost exclusively of indirect TES parabolic trough plants, usually providing 50 MW of generating capacity and at least 7.5 hours of maximum power storage capacity. China is one of the largest users of molten salt thermal energy storage system. In the year 2019 China accounted for half of the global newly installed concentrated solar power capacity. Botswana government has announced that they plan to build 200 MW of CSP capacity by the year 2026. According to a recent report by Reuters, Cubico Sustainable Investments has recently acquired 50 MW Moron and Olivenza CSP plants, thereby extending its Spanish CSP portfolio to 250 MW. Increase in the research will help boost growth in the market, teams in US and Europe have developed self-aligning heliostat technology which will help boost the performance and reduce the CSP costs. China has invented a system that would reduce the risk of clouds in high altitude. The use of latest AI technology will help improve the performance. Molten salt is 33 times cheaper when compared to the lithium-ion batteries. Growing concerns for the environment will boost the demand for molten salt thermal energy storage. For example, Sweden which has made an ambitious goal of eliminating the use of fossil fuels for the generation of electricity by the year 2040. Market Restraints Story continues Battery storage and pump-storage are one of the closest substitutes of molten salt thermal energy storage. They are the major barriers in the growth of molten salt thermal energy storage market. Asia Pacific will witness lucrative growth in the market The market of molten salt thermal energy storage is estimated to be dominated by the Asia Pacific region, wherein China and India will be the leaders driving the market. China has invested heavily in renewable resources. According to the vice chairman of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA) the solar capacity of China has increased by more than fivefold since 2015 and it is estimated to double in the coming five years. On the other hand, India has set a target of generating 175 GW of clean energy capacity by 2022 Major Players The major players in the market are Torresol Energy Group, BrightSource Energy, Inc., Acciona AS, Abengoa SA, Yara International ASA, ENGIE Group, ACWA Power, Lanco Group, KVK Energy Ventures Ltd, and others. The companies compete with each other by entering into a joint venture, merger and acquisition in order to expand their reach and global presence 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 4.3.1. Bargaining Power of Suppliers 4.3.2. Bargaining Power of Buyers 4.3.3. The threat of New Entrants 4.3.4. Threat of Substitutes 4.3.5. Competitive Rivalry in the Industry 4.4. Industry Value Chain Analysis 5. Molten Salt Thermal Energy Storage Market Analysis, By Technology 5.1. Introduction 5.2. Parabolic Trough 5.3. Fresnel Reflector 5.4. Power Tower 6. Molten Salt Thermal Energy Storage Market Analysis, by Geography 6.1. Introduction 6.2. Americas 6.3. Europe Middle East and Africa 6.4. Asia Pacific 7. Competitive Environment and Analysis 7.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis 7.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrativeness 7.3. Mergers, Acquisitions, Agreements, and Collaborations 7.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix 8. Company Profiles 8.1. Torresol Energy Group 8.2. BrightSource Energy, Inc. 8.3. Acciona AS 8.4. Abengoa SA 8.5. Yara International ASA 8.6. ENGIE Group 8.7. ACWA Power 8.8. Lanco Group 8.9. KVK Energy Ventures Ltd. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/enq001 Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Cision View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-worldwide-molten-salt-thermal-energy-storage-industry-is-expected-to-reach-1-7-billion-by-2026--301342027.html SOURCE Research and Markets A Fredericksburg man has been charged with more than a dozen offenses in connection with an armed robbery and three burn or bomb threats this month in the city, police said. Michael Blake, 53, has charges that include robbery, abduction, grand larceny, assault and battery, attempt to burn, extortion and threatening to bomb. He was arrested Monday afternoon. According to city police spokeswoman Sarah Morris, the first incident allegedly involving Blake occurred on July 16 in the 200 block of Bridgewater Street. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} A man approached a woman outside her home with a weapon and demanded her purse. He then forced her into the garage and took off with her property. On Saturday, Morris said, someone left the note in the bathroom at the Valero gas station at 501 Jefferson Davis Highway. The note demanded money and the writer threatened to burn down the business if his demands weren't complied with. The restroom was doused with a flammable liquid. And finally, on Monday notes were left at two homes in the 200 blocks of Charles and Ferdinand streets demanding money. The notes included a threat to bomb the homes if the money wasn't provided. Flowers beds at both residences were doused with a flammable liquid, Morris said. The attorney for a man who shot his neighbor in the leg last year during a dispute about gun laws is trying to persuade a judge to change his mind about the decision he made at the end of the trial earlier this year. Judge Gordon Willis found 34-year-old Anthony Patrick Washington guilty of aggravated malicious wounding and using a firearm in the commission of a felony on March 19. The malicious wounding charge carries a potential prison sentence of up to life in prison. Washington was scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday in Fredericksburg Circuit Court, but the case was moved to Aug. 27 at the request of defense attorney Jim Ilijevich. Ilijevich has filed a motion asking that Willis reconsider his decision and set aside the earlier verdict. Ilijevich, who did not represent Washington at trial, claims that the facts of the case support no more than an unlawful wounding conviction. Unlawful wounding carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. In addition, if the conviction was reduced to unlawful wounding, the firearms conviction would be dismissed. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Willis will consider the motion prior to the scheduled sentencing in August. If he denies the request, Ilijevich would have the option of appealing to the Court of Appeals. The airstrikes have been launched in a number of regions in the country, but a key focus has been around Kandahar, a provincial center that officials worry could fall to the Taliban. The Taliban now control more than 200 of the 419 district centers and have made progress in cutting off some supply routes. But while they are putting pressure on up to half of the 34 provincial capitals, they have yet to seize control of any. Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of U.S. Central Command, who is overseeing the U.S. military withdrawal and making decisions on air support for Afghan troops, said on Sunday that airstrikes had been increasing. Were prepared to continue this heightened level of support in the coming weeks if the Taliban continue their attacks, McKenzie said. McKenzie also said the U.S. was providing contract logistics support both here in Kabul and over-the-horizon in the region, funding for them, intelligence sharing, and advising and assisting through security consultations at the strategic level. Central Command says the U.S. troop withdrawal is more than 95% complete. It is to be finished by Aug. 31. Whether the U.S. will continue to provide airstrikes in support of Afghan government forces after that date is yet to be determined. Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. PLATTSMOUTH If someone out in Cass County suffers a cardiac arrest the countys sheriffs department now has the equipment to offer needed help. The department recently received 29 automated external defibrillators (AEDs) as part of a grant from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. The trust has awarded a grant of $6.4 million to equip every law enforcement agency, plus Nebraska Game and Parks facilities, with the next generation of AEDs in an ongoing effort to improve the cardiac care system in the Upper Midwest, a trust official said. The grant, facilitated through the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, will fund devices to be placed in law enforcement vehicles in the county. The project includes training. Seconds count during a cardiac arrest, said Walter Panzirer, a Helmsley trustee. We know in Nebraska first responders often have great distances to cover. This funding will ensure those who get to the scene before EMS arrives give patients a better shot at survival. He noted that there is "no comparison" between the small chance the COVID-19 vaccine will cause what are almost always minor side effects "and the complications of the disease." Ward said it is "heartbreaking" to see seriously ill COVID-19 patients in the hospital who are there because they failed to get vaccinated. He said CHI Health has not seen a huge increase in hospitalizations across its 14 Nebraska hospitals, with 32 patients currently. While that's more than double where it was a few weeks ago, it's still well below where the system was at its peak, when it had more than 200 patients. Other hospitals are seeing big increases, however. Bryan on Monday said it had 27 COVID-19 patients at its two Lincoln hospitals, up from 20 two weeks ago. In early June, the hospital system had fewer than five. Nebraska Medicine said its 25-person COVID-19 unit is now full again and patients are having to be moved to other areas of the hospital. In its weekly COVID-19 update provided last Wednesday, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services said there were 97 active hospitalizations statewide for COVID-19, the highest number in more than two months. Reach the writer at 402-473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LincolnBizBuzz. The Australian Shepherd Club of America will bring its national finals to Grand Island in 2024 and 2025. The announcement was made by the Grand Island Livestock Complex Authority. This will be an eight-day event that will take place in October of both years. The shows are scheduled for Oct. 11-19, 2024, and Oct. 9-18, 2025, at Fonner Park. This is a major event that hosts more than 1,000 dogs and will use the entire Fonner Park campus, according to GILCA. Dogs from the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia will compete in areas including agility, conformation, junior showmanship, obedience, rally, scent search, stock dog, tracking and versatility. This event stands out because of its sheer size, said Brad Mellema, Grand Island Tourism director. The shows are expected to bring more than 2,000 people to town each year. Dog shows such as this prove the value of investing in animal events at Fonner Park, Mellema said. I think were going to see more large-scale dog shows such as this in the future, and were honored to welcome the Aussies to Grand Island. A 31-year-old Fremont woman was sentenced to three-and-a-half to five years in the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women after pleading no contest to possession of marijuana with intent to deliver Monday. Victoria E. Solberg was also sentenced to two years in prison for possession of methamphetamine, which will run concurrently with her other charge. On May 21, Dodge County Sheriffs Office deputies were made aware of a physical domestic assault occurring in a car parked outside of a Fremont hotel and made contact with the couple, which included Solberg. During their investigation, the deputies ran the parties through dispatch, Deputy Dodge County Attorney Emily Beamis. Dispatch had advised that the defendant, as well as the male party, had active warrants out for their arrest. After searching the vehicle, deputies found 455.5 grams of marijuana located inside two bags in the trunk, as well as two pipes with meth residue. In court on Monday, Solberg pleaded no contest to both charges and waived her right to a presentence investigation. As part of the plea agreement, Beamis said both sides would ask for a prison term for Solberg. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} YORK Erica Jenkins, 31, an inmate at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women in York who is serving a life sentence for murder (with additional decades for robbery, assault by a confined person and being a habitual criminal) has had her name legally changed to Elluminati Egoddess Enikko Prestige. In her handwritten petition, it appeared she wanted her third name to be Erikka, but she clarified Monday before Judge James Stecker in York County Court that the name is actually Enikko. Jenkins is serving a life sentence for the 2013 slaying of Curtis Bradford of Omaha. She is the sister of death-row inmate Nikko Jenkins, who participated in Bradfords killing and was responsible for three other murders. She also has a decades-long sentence for robbery associated with the killing. Jenkins is also serving a 20-30-year sentence for the beating of fellow York inmate Christine Bordeaux. Jenkins was found guilty by a York County jury of assaulting Bordeaux (her cousin, who testified against the Jenkins siblings in the Bradford case). In that situation, Bordeaux suffered a concussion, broken arm and nose. When asked why she wanted to change her name to this particular name, Jenkins said it was to exercise her First Amendment rights and her religion. The windstorm that struck the Omaha metro area July 10 was one of the citys most damaging on record, said Brian Smith, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service. It was notable for its durability, its power and its breadth, but the results could have been so much worse. No one was killed or seriously injured. That was likely due to it occurring overnight. Damaging winds blew for 15 to 20 minutes, with some reaching record strength, and the core damage path was 25 miles wide. To appreciate the reason for the extensive damage, consider this: Wind speeds were the measured equivalent of an EF1 tornado, and likely were stronger. The widest tornado on record measured 2.6 miles occurring in Oklahoma in 2013 and this storm's path was nearly 10 times wider. The storm, which built strength as it traveled across Nebraska, reached peak intensity on the east side of Douglas County, Smith said. In other words, where some of Omahas most densely treed and populated neighborhoods are. An Omaha man has been indicted for bank fraud in connection with a loan application to the Paycheck Protection Program for COVID-19 relief. M.A. Yah's case is believed to be the first of its kind in Nebraska. According to the indictment, Yah was the director of The Heartland News, a nonprofit newspaper focused on work with the homeless that dissolved in 2019. The business was reinstated in March 2020, after paying its biennial fee to the Secretary of State. In court records, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Lynch said in April 2020, Yah requested a PPP loan of $100,800 to support the newspaper's payroll and submitted a fraudulent application overstating the number of employees and payroll for the previous year. On May 6, 2020, $100,800 in PPP funds were deposited in the newspaper's account at an Omaha bank. In a news release, Acting United States Attorney Jan Sharp said Yah, who is set for court next month on the allegation, could get up to 30 years of imprisonment, a $1 million fine and five years of supervised release. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says he has reiterated the military alliance's support for Afghanistan in a call with President Ashraf Ghani as Taliban militants solidify territorial gains made during the withdrawal of international troops from the war-torn country. "Good to speak with President @ashrafghani today. The security situation in #Afghanistan remains deeply challenging, and requires a negotiated settlement," wrote Stoltenberg on his Twitter account on July 27. "#NATO will continue to support Afghanistan, including with funding; civilian presence; and out-of-country training," he added. In recent weeks Taliban militants have brought large swaths of Afghanistan under their control, including key border crossings, as U.S.-led international forces withdraw from the country, raising increasing concerns that the Afghan government may collapse. The Taliban and Afghan government officials met for talks in Qatari capital Doha on July 17, but little came out of the meeting besides promises of more talks. U.S. President Joe Biden held a similar call with Ghani on July 23, emphasizing that the United States too will continue its support for Afghanistan, including developmental and humanitarian aid. Biden also reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to continue supporting the Afghan security forces to defend themselves. A venue official takes a look at the BMX Freestyle course after a training session was cancelled due to rain, at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. Colorado Springs, CO (80903) Today Cloudy skies during the morning hours followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 76F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms, especially in the evening. Low 59F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Colorado Springs, CO (80903) Today Scattered thunderstorms. High 76F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. Low 58F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. The new Cloud Ladder route in the via ferrata system at The Alpine Jewel in Estes Park. The route represents "a new bar for what's possible on a via ferrata," said its designer, Harry Kent. As of Tuesday afternoon, in north central Iowa, Kossuth and Worth Counties were rated as having "high" community transition rates, the most severe ranking by the CDC, while Hancock County's was "substantial," the next-highest rating. Cerro Gordo and Winnebago were ranked as "moderate" while Floyd and Mitchell were rated "low." Right now, Im not going to wear a mask, said Steve Smolik, chairman of the Mitchell County Board of Supervisors. Smolik has been fully vaccinated. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} As it progresses, we may end up all wearing masks again, but I will go by what the CDC says, Smolik said. Or if the president does mandate it, I guess then well go to wearing a mask. At the board meeting on July 27, none of the supervisors were wearing masks. I think its up to the individual where theyre going and who theyre visiting with to use their own discretion on whether they should wear a mask, Smolik said. Were in rural Iowa, and were not running into a lot of people that are out of the area. On the other hand, the disease is so prolific, its gaining so much strength, anybody could have it. The common sense thing is if you havent had your shots you probably should wear the mask. The unclaimed city funds can be designated to go to the State of Iowa. If undesignated, the funds will stay in the pot of money set up for cities, which would increase the per capita rate for every other city. The City Council and [Mayor Steve Cooper] have really not had serious conversations about how the money would be spent, Penney said. They, Jerry [Dunlay] and I have been so busy with everything else going on that we havent even made a wish list. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} We are fairly certain that we cannot use any of the money toward the water and sewer projects that are currently under construction, or to make payments on the bonds we sold in June to finance those capital projects. We also cant use the money to reduce property tax rates. We [also] dont need to have details on how we will spend the money in order to apply to receive funds. Penney said Osage would need to have a project in place by Dec. 31, 2024, and the money spent by Dec. 31, 2026. Id like to see the money used in a way which will have an impact on the greatest number of our citizens, but I have no idea what that might look like, she said. WASHINGTON (AP) In their search for a new approach to arms control, Moscow and Washington are likely to soon encounter an old bugaboo: Russia's demand that the U.S. stop resisting limits on its missile defenses, which the Russians view as a long-term threat and the Americans see as a deterrent to war. It is likely to arise when U.S. and Russian officials open a strategic stability dialogue Wednesday in Geneva talks meant to lay the groundwork for future arms control and to reduce the risk of nuclear war. The talks are an area of modest promise in a relationship otherwise marred by disputes over ransomware attacks, Russian military intervention in Ukraine and other issues. The Geneva session is not expected to yield a major breakthrough, but it likely will lead to additional talks. Russia's point man on arms control negotiations, Sergei Ryabkov, told reporters in Moscow on Tuesday that the Russian delegation had submitted proposals in writing, although he offered no details. He said the purpose of Wednesday's session will be to analyze in detail where we have differences, and try to find directions for joint work where there is a certain opportunity, according to a Tass news agency report. She has been an I can do it person all her life, and she passed that on to all of us," said her granddaughter, Shannon Akerstrom of Potter Valley in Mendocino County. The Rosie thing that was really her." I do welding on my ranch like grandma did and so does my daughter, Akerstrom told the Chronicle. Grandma always thought that was very cool. Women defense workers received little notice or appreciation after the end of the war but Gould fought tenaciously to honor them. She helped push for creation of the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, established in 2000. Gould and other Rosies met with former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden in 2014. She pushed for the declaration of national Rosie the Riveter Day, held annually on March 21, and before her death was helping design a Congressional Gold Medal to be issued next year to honor the Rosies. She really put the Rosies on the map. It was her letters so many of them she wrote, to everyone that did it, her sister said. Phyllis is, in modern-day life, as iconic as the Westinghouse poster with the woman in the polka-dotted bandana, said Rep. Jackie Speier, who led the effort that got the gold medal authorized. She flexed her muscles on the telephone every day telling Congress to move forward on recognition of the Rosies." Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. What does all this tell us? Keep in mind the old saying that all models are wrong; some are just more useful than others. This one gives us a statistical basis to make judgments from, so that any labels we apply (far left, centrist, far right) actually have some basis in fact. Sometimes the numbers here confirm what we already knew, other times they challenge them. The results also help us see some broad patterns that may or may not be surprising (theres more diversity of thought among both House and Senate Republicans than there is among House and Senate Democrats). And there are no real moderates left. When the shutdowns were happening, there were farmers markets and restaurants closing down, and a little bit of panic was setting in, Miller said. It put farmers in a bind. They were now without those immediate markets to sell their products. CFSA organizers also began considering those who had lost their jobs during the pandemic. Eventually, the association partnered with the Piedmont Culinary Guild, a forum for farmers and culinary professionals. Soon thereafter, they began working with local food hubs to sign up laid-off restaurant and hospitality workers to receive produce boxes. Jesse Leadbetter, co-founder of Charlotte-based foodhub and delivery service Freshlist, said that 95% his business was restaurant based prior to the pandemic. When the shutdowns began, Freshlist began doing home deliveries, and also partnered with FarmsSHARE to distribute produce. We had helped the CFSA do a sustainable ag conference every year, and we helped them source local ingredients from our farmers for the conference, Leadbetter said. And this program (FarmsSHARE) had a lot of layers of benefits. We had money going into farmers hands quickly, food to hospitality workers. Last year we distributed products from 191 different growers. RALEIGH Some private universities in North Carolina are joining the hundreds of schools nationwide requiring students to get a COVID-19 vaccine before returning to campus in August. But North Carolinas 16 public universities are not, citing a lack of clear legal authority. Some public universities across the country have a coronavirus vaccine mandate. Indiana University just got the green light to require student vaccinations with a recent federal court ruling. At Duke University, for instance, all students must be vaccinated in order to attend classes and other campus activities this fall. All faculty and staff are expected to present proof of vaccination by Sept. 1. As of June 29, more than 81% of Dukes faculty and staff and nearly 10,000 students were fully vaccinated. All students will be tested when they arrive at Duke and will participate in weekly surveillance testing. Students who have an exemption from being vaccinated will have to get tested twice a week, wear masks and follow other COVID-19 protocols. Faculty and staff with a vaccination exemption also will participate in weekly COVID-19 testing. RALEIGH Over 75% of COVID-19 tests from North Carolina in recent weeks show residents infected with the delta variant, but the testing sample makes up less than 10% of all tests, according to the state. That may surprise some, but state health officials are confident their numbers yield an accurate representation of the variants impact on North Carolina. They blame the low sampling on the complexity of having to test for the variant. Still, the number of samples tested is a shockingly small number about 6% to 10% of all COVID-19 tests statewide. Zack Moore, a state epidemiologist, said the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services is working to change that. Were working toward this broader network that will give us access to sequencing data from a wider range of places, Moore said. But even though the amount of sequenced tests is low, it has increased from a few months ago, Moore said. And it still indicates that the delta variant, which is more transmissible and possibly more deadly, is spreading in North Carolina. Allison Whitmer, film commissioner with the state Film Office, said Tuesday demand for TV content has skyrocketed during the pandemic and all of the networks and streaming services globally have been vocal about their need for new content. Whitmer said it is not unusual for winter-themed films to be done in the summer to fit production schedules. And she said the states evergreen trees make it easier to change the seasons. East Helena really assisted in creating a beautiful winter sequence during this heat wave, allowing night filming, blocking off part of the street and working with the crew on the best places for decorations, Whitmer said. East Helena City Councilman Kelly Harris was uptown and got caught up in the movie making. He says he is standing in the background as an extra. He saw it as an opportunity that may not come around for him again. He said the actors were extremely friendly and he said many of the crew members were from Montana. He said they had transformed East Helena into a winter wonderland for the shoot. Harris said he left the night knowing a couple of simple truths: One was that he will never be an actor. The other was that this man who likes to watch sports on TV would likely be watching a movie on Lifetime. Assistant editor Phil Drake can be reached at 406-231-9021. Love 20 Funny 1 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 3 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Helena Regional Airport secured a little more than a million dollars in grant funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation to help attract new service to Arizona. As part of the federal department's Small Community Air Service Development Program, the about $1 million will be packaged with local fundraising dollars to create an incentive package intended to woo an airline into starting a route from Helena's airport to Phoenix. According to Airport Director Jeff Wadekamper, some of the money will be spent on marketing of the new route. Other dollars from the new incentive package could be spent on minor terminal upgrades, most likely at the ticketing windows. The bulk of the money will be kept as revenue guarantees for the first three years. Should the airline that ends up providing a route to Phoenix lose revenue in the route's first three years, it can appeal to the Department of Transportation to draw down those funds to cover the loss. "The goal is of course is the airline won't need it," Wadekamper said. He said the money may also be used to offer fee waivers for up to a year that could result in about $120,000 in savings, further incentivizing any airline that takes advantage of the opportunity. "There are so many fires going on, so much demand and not nearly enough equipment and personnel resources to fight all of those fires as extensively and aggressively as we would like," he said. He then asked Lewis and Clark County Disaster and Emergency Coordinator Alexa Noruk, "How thin are we?" "It's pretty bad," Noruk said. Some national wildfire fighting teams are offering assistance with some fires, but the more than 80% of those national teams are presently engaged in battling other fires, according to Noruk. "Based on the update we've gotten from (Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation) and from U.S. Forest Service, it's more than 80%, so it's really a fear of getting down into those one or two teams left and then trying to move them around to meet the greatest need and prioritize those resources the best they can," she said. "So it's certainly a dire situation." County Commissioner and Chairman Andy Hunthausen asked about the potential of enacting further restrictions. "30 x 30" a new land grab brought to you by the left of which Montanas Sen. Jon Tester is a member in good standing. I did question Sen. Tester about this. He is all in on it. I did ask if he was willing to turn over his farm in Big Sandy to this idea of conservation. No answer on that one. Just what does all this mean? Well, I am not sure. Reading about this conservation I found out that there is no real meaning to it. One only need ask all the groups in Montana to find out each has a different take on conservation and what needs to be done. So what will be the governments idea? Farmers and ranchers already do a lot for conservation, yet it may not be enough for the government. If these folks enter into an agreement with the government the devil may be in details and fine print. Will they lose their land if a detail is overlooked or cannot be done? It appears they could. It is a contract. Will the mass public be able to enter these lands at any time or will they be held to a lotto system get in line and take your chances. How much land will be turned into wilderness or national monuments so that natural resources cannot be used, depriving the public the use of them when they pay for the upkeep. Two groups have filed a lawsuit to halt a Red Lodge-area logging project, approved by the Forest Service this spring, claiming it will be conducted in some of the best remaining wildlife habitat in the landscape. Alliance for the Wild Rockies and Native Ecosystems Council filed the suit in District Court in Missoula on Monday, the second suit they have filed against a project that dates back to 2012. "It's unfortunate to have to take a federal agency to court a second time over this logging project, but federal agencies have to follow the law, just like the rest of us, said Mike Garrity, executive director of the Alliance for the Wild Rockies, in a news release. Logging The lawsuit seeks to halt the project, which was scheduled to begin this spring in Red Lodge, Willow and Nichols creeks. The drainages are west of the resort community of Red Lodge along the northeast face of the Beartooth Mountains. The previous lawsuit, filed in 2015, prompted the Forest Service to pull its decision and rework its analysis. That resulted in the announcement this March to move ahead with the project, conducting logging, prescribed burns and fuels reduction on portions of 22,000 acres. BLOOMINGTON McLean and Piatt counties are now at "warning level" status on the Illinois Department of Public Health's COVID dashboard. McLean County reported 50 new cases per 100,000 people for the week of July 11-17. Anything at over 50 triggers a warning. Piatt County is at 104 during the same period. Both counties also exceeded the threshold for emergency department visits with people who had COVID-19-like illnesses. Piatt also had a warning for the number of COVID tests performed. More than 20 counties have one or more warnings. On Friday, it was announced the seven-day average of daily COVID-19 cases in Illinois has increased by five times in the past month after reaching the lowest point since the beginning of the pandemic in late June. McLean County officials have been warning about the fast-spreading delta variety of COVID. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The state health department has been tracking county metrics, which were used to determine what COVID restrictions would be in place. Those were lifted as numbers declined, although health officials have said that could change if infections increase. Lightfoot made the comments in a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times where she was asked about the pandemic and expressed alarm about rising totals among the unvaccinated, as she did during a news conference last week. Asked what her threshold is for reinstating a mask mandate, Lightfoot said: Well, look, if we get back into an area where we feel like were in a red zone, which we are working very hard to make sure that our daily case rate is below 200, if we start to see consistently going over that, were not only going to look at a mask mandate, but were going to look back at other tools that weve been compelled to use. The states case positivity rate on Friday increased to 3.5% from 1.9% last week. A mask requirement went into effect in St. Louis city and county on Monday as the number of COVID cases increased. The Chicago Tribune contributed to this report. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A Joliet-area husband and wife were arrested Monday on federal charges alleging they breached the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection and took photos inside the buildings historic rotunda. John Schubert, 71, and his wife, Amy, 61, of Crest Hill, were charged in a criminal complaint filed in Washington with unlawful entry of a government building and disorderly conduct. Both charges are misdemeanors. They appeared separately Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Chicago, where U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel Fuentes ordered them released on their own recognizance. According to the complaint, the couple were identified in part by a Joliet plumbers and pipefitters local union jacket that Amy Schubert was seen wearing in a lengthy video posted to YouTube by an unidentified person. Investigators were able to determine that a phone linked to Amy Schubert was one of only six devices with a Joliet area code being used inside the Capitol at the time, according to the complaint. Photos on Schuberts publicly available Facebook profile were then matched to the images of the woman in the video, according to the charges. Authorities then seized records from Google that turned up photos and videos taken on a device linked to Amy Schuberts Gmail account, including one of her husband standing inside the Capitol rotunda during the unrest and another of protesters wearing Donald Trump campaign gear and waving American flags while walking through the building, the complaint alleged. The Schuberts were at least the 12th and 13th Illinoisans to be federally charged as part of the ongoing investigation into the Capitol attack, which prosecutors have described as one of the largest criminal investigations in American history. In July, Chicago police Officer Karol Chwiesiuk was accused of breaching the building with the mob and entering the office of U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D- Ore. Another man, Christian Kulas, 24, of Kenilworth, was arrested on charges alleging he posted video of himself on Instagram storming the Capitol building during the siege while wearing a designer coat and pro-Trump hat. Also charged in July was Shane Jason Woods, 43, of Auburn, who was accused of assaulting members of the media and tripping a police officer who was running from bear spray during the Capitol unrest. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 As the nation grapples with a record number of overdose deaths, it might not seem like the ideal time for a physician convicted of illegally prescribing opioids to push for liberalized drug laws. Dr. Jay Joshi is taking his shot anyway. Joshi, 37, who lives in Chicagos western suburbs but practices in northern Indiana (and is not to be confused with a pain doctor of the same name who works out of Vernon Hills), served 11 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to prescribing controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose. Prosecutors said Joshi gave an undercover agent prescriptions for 246 hydrocodone tablets over four visits without performing a proper exam or seeking the mans medical records. Though he expressed regret at sentencing, Joshi now says his guilty plea was a mistake, and that his prosecution was the product of government hysteria over opioid painkillers. If you want to question my decision making, then lets work together to create guidelines and optimize decision making, he said in a recent interview. But to state that a (medical) decision you may not agree with is a criminal decision is, I believe, a step too far. Indiscriminate prescribing is often viewed as a main cause of the opioid epidemic. Just this month, the nations attorneys general announced a $26 billion deal with pharmaceutical manufacturer Johnson & Johnson and three drug distributors, all accused of enabling the misuse of addictive painkillers. But there is a growing sentiment among critics that the pendulum has swung to a dangerous extreme. They say federal prosecutors and the Drug Enforcement Administration have frightened doctors away from making legitimate opioid prescriptions, subjecting patients to needless suffering and prompting some to seek dangerous alternatives. Every time a doctor is prosecuted and the prosecution is prominently announced, the DEA is saying: Were going to get you and we dont care how long it takes; well put your (behind) in prison if you continue prescribing and we dont care if the science disagrees, said patient advocate Richard Lawhern. The DEA grants licenses that allow doctors to prescribe controlled substances, and Joshi is circulating a petition that aims to restrict its oversight (he made a similar argument in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland). He argues the agency has abused its authority and doesnt have the medical expertise to make appropriate decisions. That might sound self-serving given the loss of his own DEA license. But Joshi, who has returned to practice in Merrillville under the supervision of another physician, said law enforcement shouldnt second-guess doctors. Theyre co-opting the patient-physician encounter as another aspect of the war on drugs, he said. Theyre using the Controlled Substances Act, which is the same law used to restrict illicit drug transactions, and applying it to health care. Investigation begins Joshi grew up in the Chicago suburbs, and after medical school established a practice in Munster called Prestige Clinics. Many of his 1,500 or so patients had issues related to pain, he said, but he was well aware of the potential danger of opioids: One of his specialties was treating drug addiction. His trouble began when Munster police received an anonymous complaint about suspicious people patronizing the clinic. The DEA got involved and found that Joshis small practice was among the states top opioid prescribers (Joshi disputes that, saying an employee was forging prescriptions behind his back). In 2017, according to court documents, an undercover federal agent posing as a truck driver came to the clinic complaining of leg pain and asked for Vicodin, a brand of hydrocodone. Prosecutors said the agent purposefully modeled drug-seeking behavior, and that Joshi did only a cursory exam before agreeing to prescribe 60 tablets. He wrote similar prescriptions for the man three more times before he was arrested. Joshi said in a court filing that he tried to cut the risk of abuse by ensuring the man wasnt getting the medication from other doctors, and by giving him a coupon for Suboxone, a medication used to curb opioid craving. He also said he relied on rapport to discern whether the man might misuse the tablets. More than any imaging test, any physical exam, any urine drug screen, any evaluation of a prescriber database, trust is the biggest determining factor as to whether a patient will abuse opioids, he wrote. Dr. Andrew Kolodny of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing, a group that promotes what it calls cautious use of the medication, said that rationale makes little sense. Rapport isnt relevant, he said. Whats relevant, when prescribing a treatment with serious risks, is to make sure that in your patient, the benefits of the treatment outweighs those risks. Joshis reasoning wasnt much help in his legal case. At sentencing, the judge said it was clear Joshi wrote opioid prescriptions for someone who absolutely did not need that. Plunging prescriptions But a counterargument to stingy opioid prescribing has grown in recent years, contending that pain patients are being hurt by doctors scared of federal heat. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says opioid prescriptions, which peaked at 255 million in 2012, have since dropped by more than 100 million. Some critics attribute the plunge to the CDC itself, which in 2016 published guidance saying doctors should avoid prescribing large doses to chronic pain patients. Many doctors took that as a warning and stopped prescribing the drugs entirely, said patient advocate Claudia Merandi, who has joined Joshi in his petition effort. She said she has heard from many desperate patients whose pain is no longer under control. Some, she said, have sought relief via fentanyl-tainted street drugs, which were responsible for most of the record 93,000 fatal overdoses last year. Doctors are afraid to speak out, Merandi said. The CDC guidelines are a million percent responsible for doctors being targeted, a million percent responsible for the fentanyl overdoes and a million percent responsible for pain patients suffering. The CDC is now reconsidering those guidelines. At a hearing July 16, some doctors endorsed keeping a strict stance while pain patients appealed for a new approach. Our conversation has gone from the best types of treatments to what our suicide plan is like when we are untreated, one said. The situation is desperate. Austin Wynn has a different perspective. The Munster-based founder of Never Alone Recovery, which connects patients with rehab centers, said that when he was a teen, he received liquid hydrocodone following sinus surgery and conned doctors into giving him more. He said that eventually led to a heroin addiction, from which he has recovered. Though he doesnt know Joshi, he said his own experience taught him that doctors should be skeptical and strict when it comes to opioids. That errant prescription that maybe shouldnt have been written can rip a family apart, he said. A new quest Joshi pleaded guilty in 2018, but before he was sentenced, he was sued by the pain doctor who shares his name; the other Dr. Jay Joshi alleged his practice suffered when patients confused him for his Indiana counterpart. According to court records, the physicians agreed last year to dismiss the case. That has freed the Indiana-based Joshi to focus on his new quest. His petition, which has more than 3,500 signatures, aims to limit the DEAs regulatory power over opioid prescriptions, alleging the agency is engaged in a war against physicians who prescribe (the medication). Asked for comment, the DEA did not address the petition but defended its role in overseeing the prescriptions, saying it is charged with protecting public health and safety. Joshis suspended DEA license means he can prescribe neither opioid painkillers nor Suboxone, but the Indiana Medical Licensing Board has otherwise allowed him to resume practicing on a probationary basis. A supervising doctor must review all aspects of his practice for at least one year. One longtime patient, John Wielogourski, a retired well driller, has followed Joshi to his new office. He said the doctor got a raw deal from the government. He does everything by the book, Wielogourski said. He was not just handing (opioids) out. Hes a good doctor, I dont give a (hoot) what anybody says. Joshi said hes optimistic hell get his controlled substance license back, which would allow him to prescribe a full range of medications. Asked whether his campaign against the DEA might endanger that goal, he said hes willing to take the risk. Other physician colleagues have warned me about that, he said. (They say) just lay low and try to get back on your feet. Im choosing to talk about the issue. Im choosing to create awareness about it, because I feel passionate enough that whatever (consequences) come to me, its less than the broader benefit that would come from speaking out. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 CHICAGO Mayor Lori Lightfoot will consider reinstating a mask mandate and other restrictions if the city starts to consistently record more than 200 new COVID cases per day, she said. Asked what her threshold is for reinstating a mask mandate, Lightfoot said, Well, look, if we get back into an area where we feel like were in a red zone, which we are working very hard to make sure that our daily case rate is below 200, if we start to see consistently going over that, were not only going to look at a mask mandate, but were going to look back at other tools that weve been compelled to use. I hope we dont get there," Lightfoot added. What were going to keep focusing on is pushing the vaccine. But my number one priority is to keep people safe. As of July 19, the most recent city data available, Chicagos seven-day rolling average of new cases was 130, a 76% increase from the previous week, when the figure was 74 cases. Lightfoot faces a complicated balancing act on the pandemic. She has encouraged residents to get vaccinated and warned about possible restrictions if the city sees spikes. But she also has made a point of emphasizing her desire to keep the city as open as possible. At times, it has led to some mixed messaging. As cases rose last October, for instance, she regularly warned about tighter restrictions being forthcoming then criticized Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker for again shutting down indoor dining. Lightfoot is also facing some criticism from people who think Lollapalooza shouldnt be allowed to happen this year as cases swell. Her administration is nevertheless carrying on with plans to host the 100,000 person a day festival. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she isnt having any second thoughts about allowing Lollapalooza to go forward, even as COVID-19 cases spike and the safety standard for admittance to unvaccinated guests has been lowered from what was originally announced. In the weeks before the city welcomes hundreds of thousands of spectators to Grant Park for the four-day festival starting Thursday, the festival quietly loosened the safety standard for unvaccinated guests. In May, Lightfoot first announced the festival would require attendees who arent fully vaccinated to get a negative COVID-19 test result within 24 hours of attending Lollapalooza each day. Its unclear when the testing window change occurred but it appears it was between June 18 and July 8, according to a review of the festivals public communications. Now the city and Lollapalooza are allowing the festival to go forward with negative tests up to 72 hours before the guest enters, according to the festivals website. For her part, Lightfoot said she doesnt have concerns about Lollapalooza happening. Its outdoors. Weve been having large-scale events all over the city since June without major problems or issues, Lightfoot said. The Lolla team has been phenomenal. Lightfoot also said its important for attendees to demonstrate a negative test within a reasonable period of time, and indicated it could be more than 24 hours. Lightfoot said unvaccinated entrants would need a negative test within 48 hours but acknowledged she might be wrong about that. News of the lower standard for admission comes at a time when Lightfoot is facing criticism from people who fear the Lollapalooza festival could become a super-spreader event. Some have pointed to what happened at a Dutch music festival as a warning for Chicago. After more than 1,000 people tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a music festival in early July in Utrecht, the Netherlands, a representative of that citys health board told a Dutch broadcaster it was a mistake to allow unvaccinated attendees to get in with a negative test within 40 hours of entering. A spokesman for the Utrecht Health Board said the 40-hour time period was too lax, leaving too much time for people to get infected between receiving the test result and attending the festival. The Utrecht festival had a total of 20,000 attendees over two days, compared to a full capacity at Lollapalooza of 400,000 over four days. "A pandemic of the unvaccinated." That's the misguided and dangerous statement that took hold last week nationwide as President Joe Biden and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky used it to describe the latest phase of the pandemic, with Biden going so far as to say, "Look, the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated." Suddenly, headlines and cable TV news chyrons all screamed the pithy sound bite. On its face it seems logical. Cases among unvaccinated people are soaring, and more than 99% of deaths are now among the unvaccinated. COVID-19 cases overall nearly tripled in the past few weeks. It's tempting for a weary and frustrated vaccinated public to say "well, those people are getting what they deserve." Vaccines are plentiful in the U.S. and it might seem like unvaccinated people are making their own beds with their refusal to accept science. But it's not that simple and to oversimplify by calling it a "pandemic of the unvaccinated" will only make the problem worse. I think for many, unvaccinated people are perceived to be white MAGA supporters who listen to conservative media telling them that vaccines are dangerous and that COVID-19 is a hoax. Yet that perception does not include the Black and Latino people who lag in vaccination rates; it also fails to consider the wider range of people who are unvaccinated or unable to get protection from vaccines. If we accept the idea that it's now just a "pandemic of the unvaccinated" and those smart enough to get vaccinated should be able to go back to pre-pandemic life and too bad for everyone else, we are also leaving behind groups like all children under 12 who do not yet have access to vaccines; teens who remain unvaccinated; immunocompromised people who are not seeing immune response from vaccines; as well as communities of color who are hit hardest by the virus. Calling it a "pandemic of the unvaccinated" also ignores the fact that the unvaccinated groups are intrinsically connected to the rest of the vaccinated population. A vaccinated parent's level of COVID-19 mitigation has a direct impact on their child's ability to stay safe, for example. An unvaccinated health care worker can have a direct impact on an immunocompromised patient. By ending almost all mitigation efforts such as masking and distancing we effectively hung up the "mission accomplished" banner before the mission was close to accomplished. Now the delta variant is running rampant and cities like Los Angeles are reinstituting mask mandates to try to combat the surge. Early evidence is suggesting that people infected with the delta variant may carry 1,000 times more virus than the original virus. Even more concerning, in Los Angeles County, 20% of COVID-19 cases in June were in vaccinated people, though it's critical to note, the vaccine still protects against serious illness and death. Pediatrician and public health advocate Dr. Rhea Boyd said in a July 17 tweet that we need to resist the urge to flatten the motivations of the unvaccinated, writing: "'The unvaccinated' are not a monolith of defectors. They are people our health care system has long underserved Black folks, rural folks, un and un/under insured folks and young folks." This crisis is not over and it's not just half the population's problem. We are in it together and must fight it together, if we hope to ever see the end of this long, terrible nightmare. Naomi Ishisaka is a columnist for The Seattle Times. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The summer isnt even halfway through and its already proved to be a season of deadly extremes. In a little over a month, four major heat waves have broiled the Western United States, including record-shattering triple-digit temperatures in Oregon and Washington that caused hundreds of heat-related deaths. Wildfires are again tearing through the West, burning hundreds of thousands of acres in California, Oregon and British Columbia in Canada. The fires are so massive that smoke has traveled all the way to the East Coast, prompting health warnings in Connecticut and Maryland and turning the skies above New York City hazy and red. And from Germany to China, extreme flooding has caused death and destruction. At least 180 people in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands were killed last week when two months worth of rain fell in two days, causing floods and mudslides. In the central Chinese province of Henan, at least 33 people died after riders were trapped on a subway amid catastrophic flooding after torrential rains. These terrifying scenes from across the globe have long been predicted by scientists studying our warming planet. Higher temperatures would lead to more heat waves and droughts in some areas that would fuel bigger, more frequent wildfires. In other areas the warmer climate would trap moisture in the atmosphere, leading to heavier rainfall during storms. Climate change is making normal weather events heat waves, droughts, rainstorms and hurricanes more extreme and more devastating to communities unprepared for the onslaught. Whats most frightening, however, is that extremes are happening faster than many predicted or wished. Its clear that the world is running out of time to slow the devastation. The impacts of climate change are undeniable. So why are the worlds developed countries still slow-walking efforts to wean their economies off fossil fuels and slash the greenhouse gases responsible for climate change? Last year, a United Nations report warned that the world needs to triple promised reductions in carbon emissions to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius to prevent dire consequences, including famine and widespread flooding. But, according to another U.N. report, instead of cutting fossil fuel production, countries were planning to increase production. Few corners of the U.S. have been spared the impacts of extreme weather, yet members of Congress are still squabbling over funding for clean energy projects and reducing the nations dependence on fossil fuels. President Biden has proposed an expansion of funding and programs to curtail oil and gas production, promote zero-emission vehicles and invest in renewable energy. But Biden needs a cognizant, cooperative Congress to make these long-term shifts in policy stick. The European Union and China have also proposed sweeping plans to curtail emissions. The EU is considering legislation to phase out gasoline and diesel cars and impose tariffs on imports from polluting countries. China announced plans for a cap-and-trade-like system for high-polluting companies in the country; companies would ratchet down emissions over time. But there is no guarantee these proposals will come to fruition or quickly deliver emissions reductions. As the last few weeks have shown, theres no time to waste. The summer has already given a terrible glimpse of the future if we dont change course now. Los Angeles Times Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 A Bristol, Virginia man faces nearly two decades in prison after pleading guilty in connection with a fatal shooting in 2018 at the Hog Wild Saloon in Kingsport, Tennessee. William Newkirk Jr., 19, is scheduled to appear in Sullivan County Criminal Court on Dec. 16 for a sentencing hearing, according to Sullivan County Circuit Court Clerk Bobby Russell. In a plea agreement, Newkirk pleaded guilty July 7 to charges of second-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, reckless endangerment involving a deadly weapon, employment of a firearm with intent to go armed and possession of a firearm with intent to go armed. He had originally been charged with first-degree murder. He faces 19 years in prison. Newkirk was accused of killing Brett Rodgers II of Kingsport at the bar on Stone Drive on March 2, 2018. Rodgers, who previously attended Virginia High School in Bristol, was shot in the chest and died at the hospital. Officials said Newkirk also shot Tony Nguyen, who survived, in the buttocks. Newkirk fled the scene before police arrived. He was captured the following in day in Bristol, Virginia. Sgt. Steve Crawford said officers went to his home on Russell Street and arrested him as he got off the school bus. Near the close of that July 19 meeting, Fleenor hinted that he might soon resign. On Sunday, he did just that with a resignation emailed at 11 p.m. after discussing the matter with Superintendent Brian Ratliff, Fleenor said. The resignation takes effect Saturday, July 31. Its been multiple things, especially over this past year, Fleenor said Monday. The ultimate thing that happened, of course, was our last board meeting where we were discussing the transgender issues, Fleenor said. And, the public comment, it became rather nasty with the peoples comments, and I objected. He added that he believes the political climate in the county is not conducive to anything right now except hate. I cant be part of that. Besides the more recent meeting, Fleenor said his opinion on virtual school versus in-person school has also been challenged. To that, Fleenor said he received prank phone calls and one threat that my vehicle needed to be burned, he said. In turn, Fleenor said his stance at the last meeting prompted hate-filled emails. Replacement While still well below their winter peaks, the latest spikes in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are raising concerns among health officials and among many Americans just not among enough, given how many people still remain unvaccinated. New coronavirus cases have more than doubled in the past month in San Diego County and in California, fueled by the highly infectious delta variant that now makes up 83% of new U.S. cases. The surge is even stronger in Los Angeles County, leading authorities to reimpose indoor mask mandates. Even now, 16 months into this public health crisis, there remains much we dont know about the novel coronavirus and COVID-19, the disease it causes. But its very clear that the vaccines work very well and that more Americans should have shots by now and more should get them as soon as possible. As Michelle Goldberg noted in her column in The New York Times this week, the irony is that the social distancing required to control COVID-19 nurtured pathologies that are now prolonging it, and isolated people turned to movements that turned them against vaccines. Thankfully, some pundits and Republican politicians whose forceful advocacy might have helped prevent a new surge are joining the fight this week. Cuba trades with much of the rest of the world, so the islands problems cant be all, or even mostly, Americas fault. Should human suffering not include the number of people imprisoned by Castro and his successors? As one might expect, Cuba does not publish information about the number of humans suffering in their prisons, but in 2012, Reuters reported that Cuban authorities acknowledged 57,337 of its 11.2 million population were incarcerated. The Cuban Prisoners Defenders group, based in Madrid, estimates the number is far higher 123,000, which would make it first in the global ranking of prison populations per capita. For years, the Hollywood left, liberal clergy and some American politicians have touted the supposed greatness of Cubas literacy program and free health care. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} According to the update, at least 1,500 staff members from the three school districts in Catawba County have been vaccinated. Dan Moore, assistant superintendent of operations for the Catawba County Schools district, said the school district will continue to maintain cleaning practices and encourage students to social distance. Before the board voted, 13 parents, guardians and teachers spoke to the board regarding masks. All of them asked for masks to be optional. Jamie Miles told the board she has four kids who all stayed home during the 2020-21 school year. I kept them all home due to masks, she said. Their grades faltered. I can only do so much keeping my four home. I want them to get a good education. Angel Beard Ramseur said her two nephews, Baron Beard and Barrett Beard, would not go back to school if the board voted to require masks. Both suffer from asthma and have difficulty breathing with masks. These two boys were left out of school last year, she said. They did not get to see their friends. They did not get to play in any sporting activities. They didnt get any one-on-one time with their teacher. Norma Cervantes said while her son was at school at Mountain View last year, he was diagnosed with the virus and wore a mask at school. The masks dont work, she said. Its clear how the two political parties want to define the debate in next years elections, in North Carolina and nationally. Republicans want to argue about race and culture. Democrats want to argue that government can work and can help people. The dueling agendas show how far apart the parties are today. They inhabit separate worlds spinning faster and farther away from each other like matter after the Big Bang. Ive got bad news for my fellow Democrats: race-based campaigns have a history of working. And Ive got good news: America and North Carolina might be different next year. Well witness the parties debate in North Carolina, with the U.S. Senate race and legislative races. Weve had the fight at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill over the history of American slavery. Now the states most powerful Republican, Senate leader Phil Berger, wants a law to prevent public schools from indoctrinating students with critical race theory. He also proposed a state constitutional amendment to ban affirmative action. Berger reflects the national Republican/Fox News agenda, which focuses on racial and culture war issues. This poses a dilemma for Democrats. Do they engage on Republicans turf, at the risk of inflaming emotions, boosting GOP turnout and losing swing voters? As the world opens up and people once again move around freely, COVID passes are looking increasingly likely to enable cross-border travel and a return to other freedoms. Soon Android users could choose to store COVID-19 vaccination and test results on their phones in the form of a COVID card after Google updated its Passes API to allow healthcare organisations, government agencies and public health authorities to create a digital version of vaccination or test information. Once a user stores the digital version of the COVID card to their device, they will be able to access it via a shortcut on their device home screen, even when they are offline or in areas that have weak internet service, Google said in making the announcement. Kicking off in the United States, the digital COVID-19 card rollout will then move to other countries and Android devices will need to be running Android 5 or later, giving it a potentially wide user base that should include Australia. People who opt to store a digital COVID card will also need to be Play Protect certified, which recognises Android compatibility and make them eligible for downloading certain Google apps, although it wont be necessary to have the Google Pay app installed as it will work through the shortcut. What about privacy? With this new feature, Google will potentially have access to sensitive health information, although the search giant has declared that it wont disclose the information to other parties. At a time when many users are becoming more concerned about how their personal information is treated, and with Apple looking to turn privacy into a competitive advantage, addressing potential privacy issues is likely to be a key element in building confidence and user uptake. Google has previously run into trouble with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for potentially misleading consumers over the use of personal data after acquiring health platform Fitbit. Google says its COVID card has been designed with privacy and security at its core and that it does not retain any of the users COVID vaccination or test information. If a user wants to access this information on multiple devices, they will need to manually store it on each device. Google does not retain a copy of the users COVID vaccination or test information, the company stated. To share information, users simply show their COVID card to others. Google explained that the users COVID vaccination or test is not shared with its various services or third parties. Users worried they will suddenly start seeing ads about COVID-related products after storing their information should be reassured because Google says the details are not used for targeting ads. To protect the information getting into the wrong hands, devices must be enabled with a lockscreen to store the COVID card for added security and to protect the users personal information. A password, PIN or biometric identification is needed on the Android device to access the information. Could the COVID card become a Vaccination Passport? The COVID card may sit alongside other digital immunisation certificates, with some used domestically and others for international travel. Travellers may soon need a digital version of the 'yellow book that was a record of vaccinations and needed for gaining entry to many countries. There are promising signs that Australia will also have a digital vaccination card that will be more widely recognised. Its been reported that plans are underway for an Australian COVID app, with the Australian Digital Health Agency opening a tender for iPhone and Android-compatible immunisation record apps to be developed by the end of the year. This will most likely be connected to the My Health record system and function as a kind of digital immunisation card. Police in Malaysia steamrolled 1,069 bitcoin mining devices seized in raids on cryptocurrency miners earlier this year. After laying out the devices in a precinct car park, local authorities destroyed the rectangular grey boxes by running over them with a large orange steamroller, as seen in footage posted online by local news site Dayak Daily. The devices were application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) built for the express purpose of completing proof-of-work tasks needed to find blocks in cryptocurrency networks like bitcoin. Police arrested eight people in connection with the bitcoin miners which had allegedly been powered by $2.7 million worth of stolen electricity. The crypto-miners stole electricity, Assistant Police Commissioner Hakemal Hawari told the Agence France-Presse. Their actions are dangerous for life and property, as they can cause power outages. Police conducted six raids on properties around the Miri International Airport between February and April this year after a local electricity company noticed unusual activity on its network. Six of the suspects were jailed for up to eight months and fined 8,000 Malaysian Ringgit ($2,560). Malaysia is one of the top 10 countries for bitcoin mining, according to the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, making up around 3.4 pre cent of the global bitcoin hash rate in April. The global hash rate is the amount of cryptographic hashes completed by computers mining on the bitcoin network. Individual computers race to find, by chance, the winning hash that completes the latest block in the chain and sees them rewarded by the Bitcoin network. The network currently runs at around 100 million terahashes per second (TH/s) down from its peak at 180 million TH/s in May when cryptocurrency prices were at an all-time high. A major crackdown by Chinese authorities saw the country effectively ban mining and has since seen its share of the global hash rate continue to fall well below the 50 per cent mark. Bitcoins high energy use has been a major source of criticism for the original cryptocurrency with Elon Musk helping drive the price down by casting doubts on the networks viability given its current environmental impact. Its unknown exactly how much of the bitcoin network is powered by electricity siphoned off the grid, but Malaysian police arent the only ones to find miners stealing power. As cryptocurrency prices were peaking in May, English police investigating a suspected cannabis farm were surprised to discover a clandestine bitcoin mining operation. The miners had wired up 100 ASICs in a warehouse near a local electricity distribution centre in what police said had all the hallmarks of a cannabis cultivation set-up. Sandwell Police did not choose to destroy the bitcoin mining devices with a steamroller. Pune-based computer engineers Sanjay Borkar and Santosh Shinde started FarmERP as Farm Management Software in 2001. While several internet businesses made a noise during the dotcom boom, technology in agriculture was unheard of. However, Sanjay and Santosh, both hailing from agricultural families, were convinced that technology could be used to make farming predictable and profitable like many other businesses. They began by creating multilingual computer-based training (CBT) kits for farmers, grower associations, NGOs, government agencies, and agricultural institutes. Farm Management Software acquired its first customers in 2004, while doing a project for the Department of Agriculture, Maharashtra. It was extremely difficult in the beginning. But we managed to find some progressive farmers who agreed to try our product that could help them manage their farms efficiently and save time, resources, and money, Sanjay tells YourStory. FarmERP founders Sanjay Borkar and Santosh Shinde In 2007, Farm Management Software was renamed as FarmERP. The first version of the product enabled farmers to input and output data of farms, improve profitability, and bring about sustainable agricultural practices. However, in pre-Flipkart India, running a tech startup, especially in an orthodox industry like agriculture, was no mean task. Selling directly to farmers was very difficult and getting money from them was even tougher. So, we targeted corporates, and got our first opportunity in Oman in 2010, the founder reveals.. In 2011, Sanjay told YourStory, We want FarmERP to be the [MS] Office package for farmers, and were confident that well get there. Its just a matter of time of funding. ALSO READ Farming on autopilot: Agritech startup Fasal uses IoT to help horticulture farmers go remote Decadal growth of FarmERP Over the last 10 years, FarmERPs smart agricultural systems have been deployed at over 600,000 acres of farmland in 25 countries, including India, the US, and markets in Europe, Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Story continues It has served 1.3 million farmers directly or indirectly and helped them achieve higher efficiency, yields, profitability, and traceability. The size of their landholding ranges from 10 acres and 300 acres. FarmERPs platform consists of 23 modules that services 12 industry verticals, including farms and plantations, contract farmers, biotechnology companies, pack houses and exporters, greenhouses and nurseries, agribusinesses and retailers, agri research and development organisations, crop insurance companies, FPOs, NGOs, government institutions, and farm input companies. We have implemented our ERP system in agriculture and all allied industries, says the founder. FarmERP manages 600,000 acres of farmland across 25 countries Without revealing numbers, Sanjay claims FarmERPs revenues have grown 65 percent since March 2020. We invested in product development and marketing post the pandemic. We look to reach Rs 100 crore revenues by 2023, he says. In March 2021, FarmERP bagged the second place in the Asia Agritech Challenge organised by the Value-Chain Capacity Building Network (VCB-N). It secured a grant of $2,000 for its Uberisation of Agriculture project, which focuses on bringing smallholder vegetable growers in Maharashtra and buyers on a single platform. It covers 24 organic and conventional vegetable crops, and farmers are given end-to-end solutions, including best practices on harvesting, climate-smart advisory on crop nutrition, irrigation, pest management, and disease control. FarmERP has also partnered with Go4Fresh and NextOn Foods for procurement and ensuring predictability and profitability for vegetable growers in India and Southeast Asia. Because of the short crop duration, vegetable farmers need an accurate execution plan backed up with resource availability and knowledge, Sanjay says. Starting 2021, the startup also ventured into the B2C segment. (more on that later) FarmERP snapshot ALSO READ This Bihar boys agritech startup is building the Facebook and LinkedIn for farmers and agri traders Building SaaS for global agriculture FarmERPs offering essentially solves four key pain points: food safety, traceability, sustainability, and climate resilience. These are in line with two of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger and Climate Change. Its future-ready platform captures the entire production to purchase data in the agricultural value chain. From farmer profiling and farm mapping to inventory management and quality control (cleaning, grading, packing) to food traceability and exports the startup has built an end-to-end digital farming solution. Sanjay explains, The man-machine-material consumption on every plot of land is captured on FarmERP. Customers also get plot-level P&L data that gives them insights to help with decision making. They can prepare a crop budget and optimise resources like fertilisers, chemicals, machinery, and manpower. He claims that FarmERP can reduce inventory cost by 85 percent, labour cost by 90 percent, water cost by 95 percent, and increase operational efficiency by 25 percent. FarmERP's SaaS offering consists of 23 modules and serves 12 industry verticals The SaaS-based solution also manages and analyses accounts, financial data, POS documents, HR, and other post-production processes. We even train farmers to use our solutions and feed data into the system, says the founder. The startups Indian clients include Mahindra Agri Solutions, Dharampal Satyapal Group, Coromandel Fertilisers, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Waycool, and more. Globally, FarmERP works with rubber, tea, and oil farms in Iran, berry plantations in France, hydroponics set-ups in the US, orchard farms in Panama, agribusinesses in Thailand, Turkey, Azerbaijan, South Africa, and UAE. We plan to cover two million hectares of farmland in the next few years, Sanjay states. In late-2019, FarmERP raised a Series A round of $1.4 million from Singapore-based strategic investor Technogen IT Services. The company will use the funds to combine the FarmERP platform with Climate Resilient Intelligence. It will also be used to enter new markets and geographies to solve the problems agriculture faces in those regions, Sanjay said at the time. FarmERP has served 1.3 million farmers directly and indirectly ALSO READ All the world's a farm: How Berrika curates and delivers exotic grocery baskets to your doorstep Venturing into B2C and future roadmap FarmERP Is looking to raise a Series B round in the last quarter of 2021 to develop its AI-based climate risk-mitigation solutions to make fresh-fruits-and-vegetables (FFV) farms less vulnerable to unpredictable weather conditions. It has also integrated its platform with sensors, Internet of Agricultural Things (IoAT) devices, drones, and GIS systems, and is offering a single sign-on experience. Sanjay explains, We have started offering predictive analytics (FarmGyan). We want to solve issues using AI and computer vision for pest and disease detection, and help prevent crop damage. We have already achieved 87 percent accuracy in onion and tomato, and will expand the solution to other crops. The awareness around food safety and traceability has gone up 3X since the pandemic. Interestingly, FarmERP recently ventured into the B2C space due to rising demand. The founder says, Our clients wanted an ecommerce platform because they wanted to sell directly to consumers. We have fruits and vegetable growers and aggregators using our ecommerce platform Farmizo Fresh. Vendors who cannot afford to have their own websites see us as a low-cost option to reach consumers. Farmizo Khata, a farm accounting app for smallholders, was launched in July ALSO READ Amazon of agro commodities: How TradeBridge is digitising the Rs 3 lakh crore dry fruits and spices market In April, FarmERPs parent company Shivrai Technologies partnered with YONO by SBI to launch Farmizo Khata, a free farm accounting app. It is targeted at smallholder farmers who incur huge losses for lack of proper accounting and business visibility. Farmers can also geo-tag their crops on the free app. We plan to grow this to a few lakh users in a year. In future, we can also use this platform to offer loans and insurance to farmers, Sanjay shares. Why the shift of focus from B2B to B2C, given that the latter is much more challenging? Sanjay explains, FarmERP is our bread and butter. We will expand it to newer markets. But there is no compelling solution for smallholder farmers. Existing products are not affordable and their income depends on the market, which is very volatile. So, we need holistic efforts to give farmers the right value for their produce. It is not in the hands of one FPO, an ecosystem change is needed. It is a smart move, given the post-pandemic tailwinds in agritech have led to the growth of farm-to-consumer (F2C) brands. A 2020 Accel-Omnivore report states that F2C brands recorded a 10X reduction in their customer acquisition costs and 3X growth in volumes since COVID-19. With people shifting to online ordering due to the lockdown, this could prove to be a watershed moment for F2C brands as they look to disrupt traditional distribution channels, it stated. For FarmERP, if the last decade was about growing its SaaS platform globally, the next one could be about penetrating the Indian market with its consumer products. Edited by Teja Lele Desai PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday, 27 July, attacked the Congress and said that it was not allowing the Parliament to function during this Monsoon Session, NDTV reported. According to news agency ANI, PM Modi further asked party MPs to expose the Opposition as it is not attending meetings or allowing the House to conduct any business. PM Modi was addressing a meeting of the BJP's Parliamentary Party, that took place on Tuesday. The meeting comes amid multiple adjournments in the two Houses due to ruckus created by Opposition parties. According to India Today, PM Modi lashed out at the Congress for the deadlock in Parliament, adding that the party is not interested in debate and is not allowing the Houses to function. Besides PM Modi, BJP national president JP Nadda and Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also attended the meeting on Tuesday, reported ANI. Also Read: All-Women Farmers' Parliament in Delhi to Mark 8 Months of Protest Very little business has been conducted in the Parliament since it convened for the Monsoon Session on 19 July. Every day has seen repeated ruckus and chaos, leading to both Houses being adjourned repeatedly, amid loud chants over the Pegasus Project reports, in addition to other issues. Amid the Opposition's continued disruption, the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday reminded them that Parliament is meant for discussion, reported IANS. Naidu, amid disruptions, said that he is concerned about the media reports that some sections of the House are determined not to allow the House to function for the remainder of the session. Parliament is meant for making laws and to discuss public issues. "Leaders of parties have voiced their concerns to me over the ongoing sorry state of affairs and for being deprived of raising issues of public concerns. I appeal to all of you to rethink this attitude," he said. The opposition was demanding that the issue of Pegasus be taken first while continuing with sloganeering and holding placards in the House. Story continues The House was adjourned first till 12 and then till 2 pm. (With inputs from NDTV, ANI, India Today and IANS) . Read more on Politics by The Quint.Influencer Iffy Khan Fakes Suicide To Go Viral, ArrestedDay 4 Tokyo Olympics: Men's Hockey Team Wins 3-0; Boxer Lovlina in QFs . Read more on Politics by The Quint. Representative image New York [US], July 27 (ANI): Pakistan-based terror group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has maintained ties with the Taliban as about 6,000 of its terrorists are on the Afghan side of the border, Dawn reported citing a report prepared for the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The 28th report of the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team says that terrorists from a variety of countries and militant groups continue to operate in Afghanistan. "The Monitoring Team continues to estimate the number of foreign terrorist fighters to be approximately between 8,000 and 10,000, mainly comprised of individuals from Central Asia, the north Caucasus region of the Russian Federation, Pakistan and the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region of China, among others," the report notes. According to the UN report, the TTP is traditionally located in the eastern districts of Nangarhar province, near the border with Pakistan, Dawn reported. In a chapter that deals with the Taliban's approach towards foreign terrorists, the report notes the group's efforts to suppress such outfits "has been more pronounced in cases of foreign fighters with suspected leanings" to Islamic State and TTP. "Attempted enforcement has reportedly led to clashes (some fatal) between the Taliban and TTP over operational restrictions placed on the latter," the report adds. But the UN monitors also note that "despite growing distrust, TTP and the Taliban carry on with relations mainly as before". The UN team points out that "a reunification took place in Afghanistan between TTP and certain splinter groups in the period from December 2019 to August 2020". This included the Shehryar Mehsud group, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), Hizb-ul-Ahrar, the Amjad Farooqi group and the Usman Saifullah group (formerly known as Lashkar-i Jhangvi). Al Qaeda was reportedly involved in the moderation between the groups. The return of splinter groups to the TTP fold has increased its strength, "of which current estimates range between 2,500 and 6,000 armed fighters," says the report, adding that "the upper range is more accurate". The group has been led since June 2018 by Noor Wali Mehsud. The deputy to Mehsud is Qari Amjad. UN monitors note that TTP "has distinctive anti-Pakistan objectives but also supports the Afghan Taliban militarily inside Afghanistan against Afghan government forces". (ANI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh (File Photo) New Delhi [India], July 27 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will attend the annual meeting of the Defence Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. According to the Defence Ministry, Singh will embark on a 3-day visit to Dushanbe today. In the annual meeting, defence cooperation issues among SCO member states are discussed and a communique is expected to be issued after the deliberations. Singh's address at the meeting is slated for July 28, 2021. During his visit to Dushanbe, the Defence Minister is also expected to meet his Tajik counterpart Col Gen Sherali Mirzo to discuss bilateral issues and other issues of mutual interest. It may be recalled that Tajikistan is chairing the SCO this year and hosting series of Ministerial and official-level meetings. Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar was in Dushanbe for the Meeting of Council of Foreign Ministers of SCO States. Jaishnakar had met his Chinese counterpart and held a one-hour-long bilateral meeting with him. During the meeting, EAM conveyed that that unilateral change of status quo of the border area is not acceptable to India. (ANI) CONCORD Global aluminum beverage packaging company Ball Corporation will create 220 jobs in Cabarrus County, Gov. Roy Cooper announced Tuesday. The company will invest $383.8 million to join Red Bull and Rauchs beverage manufacturing hub in Concord. Together, the three companies will invest over $1 billion in Cabarrus County by 2027, creating more than 600 jobs at an overall average wage of $57,393. With headquarters in Colorado, Ball Corporation is a global leader in supplying recyclable aluminum packaging for beverages and aerosols. Since its start in 1880, the company has grown to more than 60 production facilities and 21,500 employees around the globe. Ball will manufacture aluminum cans for Red Bull and other customers in a new, 800,000-square-foot state-of-the-art operation. Balls average annual salary for all new positions is $70,555, creating an annual payroll impact of more than $15.5 million per year. Cabarrus Countys overall average annual wage is $41,255. So I asked our board to say we make sure weve got something. I want to do something for the parents (where) choice is good, but I want us to be able to do something for everybody, for every child. And I said if you push me to a choice tonight, I dont know if I could make it. This is not a difficult decision to me, Furr said. If you want to know, optional for parents is my choice. But Ms. Carpenters right. Were going to have to deal with this all year. I dont think theres any way around it, but we did it last year and our goal was to get kids in school and it took a while, but we made that happen and were going to do everything we can to make sure our kids are in school and (that) theyre having a good experience. Blackwell and Walter echoed those comments in their discussion as well. It brings the choice back to us and, for us, its really (about) families, Walter said. What do families believe is safe for their students? And thats where my hearts been. Ashtyn Berry, a third-grade teacher at W.R. Odell Elementary School, was recently named the 2020-21 CCS Teacher of the Year. While she was unable to attend the meeting Monday, she did record a statement. CHA also announced the first case of the delta variant was found in the county in recent weeks. Research into the new variant is still in its nascent stages. According to one article by Yale Medicine, there have been studies done showing the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are effective against the variant, while another showed the variant was twice as likely to result in hospitalizations among unvaccinated individuals. The important thing noted, though, is that none of these studies have been peer reviewed so there is still more to learn about delta. Research into viruses such as COVID-19 can take years to conduct. The Board of Educations decision is final, but changes can be made to the policy if it chooses to do so later. Board vice chairman Tim Furr said at Mondays meeting that this is not something that they are going to be able to vote on and forget about. Were going to deal with this all year, he said. I dont think theres any way around it, but we did it last year and our goal was to get kids in school, and it took us a while, but we made that happen. Were going to do everything we can to make sure the kids are in school and theyre having a good experience. SALISBURY The Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Cosmetic Arts program is offering a cosmetology instructor pathway that allows licensed cosmetologists to earn the credentials to teach their craft. For many licensed cosmetologists, teaching is a natural next step to enhance their careers once they have gained professional experience. Former Rowan-Cabarrus student Patricia Stirewalt operated a successful business before deciding to return for the cosmetology instructor program. She now works as a cosmetology instructor at the college, preparing new students to enter the field. I had gained plenty of experience and knowledge, and I felt confident I could share what I had learned, Stirewalt said. It is amazing to teach students what I have gained over the years and help them attain an education that has so many opportunities attached. This industry has a broad range of job opportunities that allow flexibility with family life, traveling and continuing education. Stirewalts favorite part of working in the cosmetology field is being able to make people feel good about themselves. How you look certainly does not make you a better person, but it is rewarding to have the ability to help someone improve their self-esteem because they like the way they look, she said. The American Red Cross and Carolina Renaissance Festival invite donors to roll up a sleeve and travel back in time at the fifth annual Carolina Renaissance Festival Blood Drive on Sunday, Aug. 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Comfort Suites Lake Norman Huntersville, 14510 Boulder Park Drive, Huntersville. All presenting blood donors will receive a buy-one, get-one free admission coupon to the 2021 Carolina Renaissance Festival and a Red Cross gift. There are limited free tickets to the 2021 Carolina Renaissance Festival, while supplies last. Performers from the Renaissance Festival will also be present to perform for donors. As we head into late summer, blood donors are urged to make an appointment to ensure a strong blood supply especially as vacations wrap up and students prepare to head back to class. In most cases, theres no blood donation deferral if you received a COVID-19 vaccine and you are symptom-free and feeling well when you come to give. Call 800-RED CROSS, visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter sponsor code: CarRenFest or use the free American Red Cross Blood Donor App. About blood donation Government agrees initiatives to further enhance Irelands global influence Global & Diaspora Today the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney TD, presented a range of initiatives to add to the Governments Global Ireland programme. The Minister described the connecting theme for all five memoranda as Irelands rapidly evolving role in the world, saying that: Our Global Ireland programme, launched in June 2018, is now demonstrably providing a robust foundation for a broader, deeper engagement for Ireland with the world, and will be a major platform in renewing international connections and getting Ireland back on the world stage. The five memoranda to Government covered the following: Proposals for four new overseas Missions - new Consulates General in Miami (United States of America), Toronto (Canada), Lyon (France) and a new Embassy in Dakar, (Senegal). The appointment of New Heads of Mission in strategically important locations. Irelands chairing of the UN Security Council in September, which will highlight our work on the Council focused on building peace, strengthening conflict prevention and ensuring accountability. An update on Irelands participation in EXPO 2020 Dubai a key platform for Irelands post pandemic international recovery, providing an important showcase to promote the country, as it will be one of the major global gatherings since the onset of COVID-19. An overview of Irelands bid to host the Americas Cup in 2024, the 3rd biggest sporting event in the world. This will be a uniquely valuable opportunity to showcase Ireland to a global audience and raise awareness of Irelands attractiveness as a place to live, visit, study, work and do business. On Irelands new overseas missions, the Minister pointed to the strategic importance of each: The Consulate General in Miami will establish an additional regional presence for Ireland in the fast-growing and heavily populated south-eastern United States. The Consulate General in Toronto will advance Irelands interests in the Greater Toronto Area, and send a strong signal of our commitment to the Canadian-Irish relationship. The Consulate General in Lyon will deliver a strong signal of our commitment to the Franco-Irish relationship in the new post-Brexit EU context. The new Embassy in Senegal will extend Irelands presence in Francophone Africa, considerably enhancing access for Irish goods and services where there is significant untapped potential. The confirmation of Heads of Mission in strategically important Embassies will provide important stability in the coming year: The Government has asked both the Ambassador to the United Kingdom Adrian ONeill and Ambassador to the United Nations Geraldine Byrne-Nason to continue in these vital roles for one further year. Secretary General in the Department of Foreign Affairs Niall Burgess will take up a new role as Ambassador of Ireland to France. Ambassador Patricia OBrien will be appointed Ambassador to Italy, replacing Ambassador Colm O Floinn. Deputy-Secretary General Brendan Rogers will also be appointed Irish Ambassador to the Netherlands, replacing Ambassador Kevin Kelly. Secretary General in the Department of the Taoiseach Martin Fraser will be appointed Irish Ambassador to the United Kingdom in 2022. Geraldine Byrne-Nason will at this time also replace Dan Mulhall as the Ambassador of Ireland to the United States and vacate her role as Ambassador to the United Nations, which will be filled by Fergal Mythen, currently Director General of the Ireland, UK and Americas Division in DFA. Additionally, Katherine Zappone has been appointed as a Special Envoy on Freedom of Opinion and Expression. This appointment will provide enhanced capacity for engagement on Irish human rights priorities. The Minister provided an update on Irelands membership and active engagement on the UN Security Council since 1 January, highlighting particular achievements including; the renewal of the mandate for cross-border delivery of humanitarian aid into North West Syria; the facilitation of the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) on the Council; and the leadership role that Ireland has played on the situation in Tigray, Ethiopia. Ireland has been active across the full range of country situations on the Council agenda, including the Middle East Peace Process, Yemen, Myanmar, Libya, Afghanistan and Colombia. The Minister also informed the Government of Irelands efforts to improve peacekeeping mandates, advance the Women, Peace and Security agenda, and strengthen the understanding of the link between climate change and instability. Ireland will hold the month-long Presidency of the Security Council in September, and preparations are underway. On our participation in Expo 2020 Dubai, the Minister said that our programme will be an important marker of Irelands international recovery and will: Highlight Irish innovation, support trade, investment, and tourism opportunities, and strengthen our international relations. A key focus of participation is to drive awareness of Irelands attractiveness as a place to live, visit, study, work and do business. Turning to the Americas Cup, the Minister said that a successful bid and hosting of the Americas Cup would be a significant expression of, and activation platform for, the Governments Global Ireland initiative. He added that the event would establish Ireland as a leader of the Blue Economy within the EU and inspire a new generation of technologists in third level education through the application of engineering and science to sport. The Minister said a successful bid would fast-track Project Ireland 2040 investment in Cork, in particular Cork Harbours ambition in becoming Irelands offshore renewable energy hub by supporting 5bn capital deployment in wind projects, creating 10,000 jobs over the next decade. ENDS Press Office 27 July 2021 Curry and Noodle is now open in Robinhood Village shopping center, serving a mix of Indian, Thai and Nepalese dishes. Parash Ojha, a native of Nepal, is the head chef and on-site partner in the restaurant, which quietly opened this spring. His partners are Pralita Pokharel of High Point and Babu Dawadi of Morrisville. Pokharel and Dawadi are also partners in Everest Kitchen in Wendell, and Dawadi is a partner in Kabab and Curry in Raleigh and Curry House in Wake Forest. Dawadi, also a native of Nepal, said he came to the United States in 1998 as an engineering student but eventually got into the restaurant business, working his way up from dishwasher to server, cook and manager. After moving to North Carolina from Massachusetts in 2010, he opened Kabab and Curry in 2014, Everest Kitchen in 2018 and Curry House in July 2020. He said he and Ojha had talked about a partnership for some years. Parash is a very experienced chef, Dawadi said. He used to cook in a place in Cary, and I liked his food, and we became friends. Ojha, 52, said he has been in the United States about 20 years and has cooked all over the country, including such places as Las Vegas and California, but this is his first time as a partner. Q: Last weekend I saw a repeat episode of BBQ Pitmasters with Mark Pig Daddy Little of the former Bibs Downtown restaurant. Whats he up to these days please? (Sure do miss Bibs!..) W.W. Answer: SAMs colleague, Michael Hastings, the Journals food editor talked with Little and found out what hes up to these days. Since Little and his partners closed Bibs on Dec. 31 after 12 years in business, Little has returned to his first love: art. Before he opened Bibs, Little made his living in commercial graphic design and illustration. Now he is painting acrylics, including artwork done on commission. Little also creates prints, greeting cards and other products from his original paintings. Little said he has no plans to return to restaurant work. I did graphic design and illustration for 25 years. That was my very first passion, Little told Hastings this week. Im starting over at 61 years old, and doing probably the only other thing my body can do. Im afraid Ive just aged out (of restaurant work). But Im faithful the Lord has a plan. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Thompson told the nurse he had copies of the recordings on his cellphone and in other places, and that there were devices that someone could buy that could capture conversations simply by pointing the device. He also told her that there were cameras and other devices that could see through tinted windows. Thompson told the nurse that he would not release those recordings if she agreed to have physical alone time with him for one hour, twice a month, for one year. Then he told her several times that he found her attractive. The nurse believed Thompson was asking her for sex. Thompson also told her that he could help her attain bigger bonuses from Wake Forest Baptist Health and that their professional relationship would not change because he knew she could compartmentalize the sexual relationship, the lawsuit alleges. Thompson told the nurse that he wanted to start having sex that day and that they could go to his apartment because they did not have any surgery scheduled for the rest of the day, the lawsuit said. The nurse asked to wait until June 14 before she made a decision. Thompson agreed but told her if she refused, he would send the audio- and video-recordings to her husband and other members of her family. And, the lawsuit said, Thompson implied that if she refused, she could also lose her job. The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education is likely to vote on masking guidelines for the coming school year at a meeting on Wednesday. The 2021-22 school year will begin on Aug. 23. Scheduled for 5:30 p.m., at the Education Building, 4801 Bethania Station Road, the special called meeting will include a period for public comments. After a return-to-school update from Superintendent Tricia McManus, the school board is expected to vote on masking guidelines, according to the agenda. The board had not been scheduled to meet until Aug. 10, but McManus said earlier this month that she wanted the new protocols in place by the end of July. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Teachers report to work Aug. 16. When the 2020-21 school year ended in June, the number of daily COVID-19 cases in North Carolina had declined to around 350 a day, and there was hope that some students and staff members wouldnt have to start the new year wearing masks indoors. However, the highly transmissible delta variant, coupled with a sluggish vaccine rate, has fueled a surge in new cases, with daily cases now regularly eclipsing 1,000. Fridays case-count of 2,133 cases was the highest in four months. Most of the cases involve unvaccinated people. Swift said the health department handed out 164 gift cards on July 21, the first day of availability 154 to people getting their first dose, and the other 10 to people who drove others to the vaccination site. Swift said Tuesday that since July 21, the department has been providing between 80 and 100 gift cards each day. He has requested an additional 500 gift cards, which could be the maximum amount, given its meant to be a six-week initiative. Before the gift-card promotion began, the average vaccination total had dropped recently into the teens, Swift said. Drivers can receive a gift card even if they already have had their first dose. Drivers are eligible for a card for each person they bring to the countys vaccination site. The gift cards can be used anywhere a debit MasterCard is accepted. They are available only to people who get vaccinated at the health department. and not through Novant Health Inc. and Wake Forest Baptist Health facilities. Each individuals COVID-19 vaccination history will be checked before the shot is administered or the gift card is given. Sense of urgency There are a huge number of vulnerable people, including children under 12 who cant yet get vaccinated and those who are immunocompromised, and the new CDC guidance will help to protect them. Novant Health Inc. said in a statement that "when the CDC relaxed its guidelines for vaccinated individuals, community spread was down and the delta variant was not the dominant strain. " "We supported their decision then, and we support their decision now with variant cases on the rise." Novant said the CDCs recommendation "should send a strong signal to all of our communities that the delta variant is a real threat and must be taken seriously. "The only way we are going to get out of this pandemic and go back to living our lives without masks is for everyone to get the vaccine. Were all ready to put the masks away." State bill A Republican-sponsored legislative bill focused on masks in K-12 schools reached the concurrence stage between chambers on July 13. There has been no public update. Hospitals faced incredible challenges this past year, and the best of them have provided great care throughout the pandemic and continue to offer excellent care today. Novant said in a statement Monday that U.S. News and World Reports Best Hospitals is just one of many hospital rating systems, each with their own criteria and methodology. We believe different hospital rating systems are a good resource for patients to make healthcare decisions that are right for them. We remain dedicated to finding ways to make the healthcare experience better for all patients, Novant said. Dr. Julie Freischlag, Wake Forest Baptists chief executive, said in a statement that as an academic learning health system that is on the leading edge of some of the newest treatments and techniques, we often provide opportunities for our patients years before they become available at other hospitals in the area. Ranking changes U.S. News made a significant change in 2019 in how it measures the nations best hospitals performance in 15 specialty categories. The Lincoln Journal Star will soon be closing one chapter of its history and starting a new one. Aug. 13 will be the last day for employees at 926 P St., the building that has been home to the newspaper's journalists and its business offices for the past 70 years. The block itself has been home to a Lincoln newspaper for 140 years, since the Nebraska State Journal moved into a building at 900 P St. in 1881. After a short period where employees will work either from home or in a temporary location, the newspaper will relocate to new offices in the Telegraph District. The Journal Star has signed a lease to occupy two floors of Telegraph Lofts East, a mixed-use building that recently opened at 21st and N streets, adjacent to Antelope Creek, the Rock Island Trail and N Street Bikeway. Journal Star President and Publisher Ava Thomas said employees will likely move into the building sometime in October. Thomas said the newspaper looked at several potential sites and "found the perfect fit in the Telegraph District." "The new location will provide us with a modern facility that better reflects the massive transformation weve undergone over the last two decades," she said. Nebraska editor's pick topical alert top story Nehawka's yellow stop sign, Willa Cather's mustache: New book serves small doses of Nebraska's rich history HISTORY NEBRASKA, Courtesy photo After surviving a 30-kiloton blast at a nuclear test site in Nevada, this corrugated Behlen Manufacturing building was reassembled outside the company's headquarters in Columbus and painted atomic orange. As an editor at History Nebraska, David Bristow is comfortable overseeing 7,000-word stories for the state agencys quarterly magazine. As an author, hes gone even longer, publishing a handful of full-length books. But his latest project was more challenging: He distilled 120 Nebraska history lessons -- some of them monumental, like Omahas Union Stockyards; some minor, like Nehawkas yellow stop sign -- to small, self-contained doses, none of them longer than 150 words or so. Good dogs, bad humans: A Lincoln animal control officers wild tour of duty He wrangled animals that could have done damage desperate dogs, 5-foot alligators, a 200-pound Burmese python, a jaw-snapping badger. Short enough that each only takes one page of his latest book, Nebraska History Moments. I joked to my wife and other people its kind of like writing history haikus. You have to boil the story down to its essentials, Bristow said. Courtesy photo "Nebraska History Moments" was released this summer. But they need to be more than boring, just-the-facts recitations, he said. They need to be entertaining. They need to be complete. And they still need to be a story with a beginning, middle and an end, be factual and flow. It takes more work to write something that short. The book has no table of contents and no apparent organization. Its stories arent sorted chronologically or geographically. I was impaled by a stump and thousands of other stories online archive unleashes 50 years of Nebraskalands wild history It took three years to digitize and publish online the first 50 years of Nebraskaland magazine. * Page 8: The mystery grave that surfaced in Boyd County in 2012. Was the skeleton inside -- with what appeared to be a bullet hole in the skull -- a turn-of-the-last century cattle rustler? * Page 9: A photo of Nebraskas first unicameral legislative session, and the story behind the countrys only one-house legislature. * Page 24: Crazy Horses grave near Hay Springs, but why its not really his grave. * Page 25: The 1899 mugshot of an Omaha burglar, who had to be restrained by an officers headlock for the photo. * Page 42: A photo of Ken Eddys Drive-In restaurant at 48th and O in Lincoln, and a brief history of drive-ins. HISTORY NEBRASKA, Courtesy photo Ken Eddy's Drive-In at 48th and O in Lincoln attracted diners in the early 1950s. * Page 43: The story of Bert Martin, a Keya Paha County ranch hand sentenced to the State Penitentiary in 1900 for stealing a horse -- and how the governor reacted when Martin was revealed to be a woman. * Page 90: A photo of a 14-year-old Willa Cather wearing a wax mustache in an 1888 production of Beauty and the Beast at the Red Cloud Opera House. * Page 91: An explanation of the Japanese-inspired pagoda atop a Pilger service station. HISTORY NEBRASKA, Courtesy photo In the early 20th century, this Pilger gas station sported a Japanese-inspired pagoda to stand out. That randomness -- the surprise waiting on the next page -- was by design. The book is meant to be browsed, Bristow said. I tell people, Start in the middle, or read it back to front. Keep it in your bathroom or on the floor of your pickup. He compiled the book with more than one intended audience. First, he knows some people just want a quick, easy and interesting read. But he also has an ulterior motive. He wants to get others hooked on Nebraska history and introduced to the departments resources. David Bristow Ive said, only half-joking, that this book is plot to draw people into our web. They start with this and then they start poking around our website and see we have all these other things. The book didnt start out as a book. A half-dozen years ago, Bristows new boss, Trevor Jones, told him about a project at his previous post with the Kentucky Historical Society: It sent daily history moments to members of the Kentucky legislature when it was in session. Bristrow and History Nebraska started sending similar emails -- succinct historical stories, always with a photo -- to Nebraska lawmakers and their staff in 2017. Senators seem to appreciate them, he said, because they repost them on their Facebook pages or, occasionally, discuss them on the floor. At the same time, hed been summarizing stories and describing the departments photos and objects for its blog and social media posts. Postcards from Exaggeration Land a look at Nebraska's history of 4- by-6-inch whoppers A college professor with a penchant for antiques and his student son research the history of giant ears of corn and rabbits as big as a Buick on early 20th century postcards. He was building a wealth of material. And it seemed like this would make a really nice small paperback for people who dont yet know they love history, or people who like history but they dont have time to read a long book. He rewrote and revised and selected 120 eclectic stories, each of them illustrated. He chose pivotal points for the state, scenes of daily life, causes and controversies, disasters and a disappearing town. HISTORY NEBRASKA, Courtesy photo Omaha burglary suspect Herbert Cockran needed help staying still for this 1899 mugshot. Its a broad range of topics, but it represents just a sliver -- less than 1% -- of his departments collection and resources, he said. He already has enough material for three more books. Theres just a wealth of stories to be told, and thats just the ones we know about so far. There are much more we dont know. HISTORY NEBRASKA, Courtesy photo In 1913, photographer John Nelson captured runners in their stocking feet and Sunday best, crossing a dirt-scratched finish line in Bartlett. +37 +37 Lincoln buildings that have made history See the Lincoln buildings that have made the National Register of Historic Places for being historically and architecturally significant. Desc Boston indie rock band Slothrust, Native blues rockers Indigenous and Chicago bass house brothers Birthdayy Partyy will headline Lincoln Calling when the multi-day, multi-artist festival returns to a half-dozen downtown venues Sept. 23-25. The festival, which began in 2004, moved online last year, presenting about 40 artists on three digital stages over three days. It will be back downtown in September, with around 70 artists. Thats a couple dozen fewer artists than usually appear at the festival. And many of the artists who were announced Tuesday are from Lincoln. That reflects the festival operating on a budget about half that of 2019, a decision made this spring when COVID-19 capacity and health and safety restrictions were still in place. Not knowing what was going to happen in the fall, we chose to be very conservative with the budget, said Executive Director Spencer Munson. And a couple of our major sponsors, one diverted their resources to health concerns you cant blame them for that and the other saw reduced receipts from hotel tax. That made us be conservative, but we also wanted to focus on local and regional. We wanted to make sure our local artists, who havent been able to play during the pandemic, got paid well." Dr. Angela Hewlett, who directs the University of Nebraska Medical Centers COVID-19 infectious diseases service, said the 25 beds in the Nebraska Medical Centers main COVID-19 unit are now full. Hospital officials, she said, are considering opening additional beds. At the end of June, the number of COVID patients in the hospital had dwindled to only three or four. This delta variant has really come in and taken hold, just like were seeing in other places in the U.S. and the world, Hewlett said. Health care workers across the state have dealt with surges before, including a spike last fall that saw almost 1,000 Nebraskans hospitalized in November. But that was before the rollout of the vaccines, which provide protection against hospitalization and death. Health care workers are frustrated, Hewlett said, because they were hoping that enough people would get vaccinated that they wouldnt see another surge. The vast majority of the hospitals COVID patients now are unvaccinated and younger previously healthy 20-, 30- and 40-year-olds than those they saw during the previous waves. The few who are vaccinated have suppressed immune systems, which can keep them from getting full protection from the vaccine. Gov. Pete Ricketts, who opposed a statewide mask mandate even in the heights of the pandemic, on Tuesday criticized the new CDC guidance. "The CDC announcement only furthers the distrust many have with the CDC and does not help to encourage more people to get the vaccines that are helping bring the pandemic to a conclusion," Ricketts said in a news release. "The State of Nebraska will not be adopting their mask guidance. Lopez said the delta variant of the disease, which is more infectious, is a major factor in the increase in local cases, along with the significant portion of the population that is not fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Lopez said recent case data shows people who are unvaccinated are more than seven times more likely to be infected with the disease than those who are vaccinated. They also are much more likely to be hospitalized, with 88% of all COVID-19 hospitalizations over the past four weeks occurring in people who are not fully vaccinated, she said. "Vaccination is really the best protection we have against the delta variant," Lopez said. A 35-year-old Lincoln man has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute at least 99 pounds of methamphetamine in the area. A grand jury last year indicted Carlos Lorenzana for the conspiracy that prosecutors said involved 5 ounces of pure meth and 99 pounds of a mix between June 2019 and February 2020. He later pleaded guilty. On Feb. 18, 2020, Lincoln police had been in the area of 10th and A streets looking for another man on a broadcast when they saw Lorenzana, who looked similar, in a pickup. When he couldnt provide an ID, they asked for permission to search the vehicle. When officers found a small bag of marijuana and packaging supplies on the floor of the pickup, they handcuffed Lorenzana to do a more thorough search, which turned up a large plastic bag of meth. In all, it weighed just under a half a pound, which had a street value of roughly $2,600. Police also found $3,910 cash and owe-notes in his wallet. Acting U.S. Attorney Jan Sharp said information provided to law enforcement implicated Lorenzana in the delivery of at least 99 pounds more. A Lincoln man was arrested days after police say he started a fire in a mobile home near 25th and Theresa streets while several people were inside. Steven K. Hillman, 38, had been arguing with a woman inside the trailer on July 20 before Hillman left the dwelling, LPD Officer Luke Bonkiewicz said. Hillman then walked around the home, reached through an open window and lit the curtains on fire, Bonkiewicz said. The residents inside the trailer were able to put the fire out, and Hillman fled the scene before officers arrived, according to police. But at about 4:50 a.m. on Monday, officers responded to 17th and Sumner streets, where Hillman had been the victim of an assault -- an incident Bonkiewicz said remains under investigation with no arrests yet made. Responding officers realized Hillman was wanted for starting the fire on Theresa Street and arrested him on suspicion of arson. He was taken to an area hospital to be treated for the injuries he suffered in the assault. Bonkiewicz said the arson and assault are not thought to be linked. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Former Gov. Dave Heineman is actively considering entering the race and is currently traveling to a number of communities assessing potential support for his candidacy. "Nebraskans across the state have asked me to consider doing that, so I'm trying to get out here, listen to them, understand what the issues are," he said during an interview with NTV News in Kearney last week. "Right now, I'm hearing a lot about critical race theory, about immigration on the southern border, election security and, of course, property taxes for farmers." Heineman expressed support for additional property tax relief and said he plans to take most of the summer and fall before making a decision. "We've got a big state," he said. "I want to get all around. I want to talk to citizens." Heineman was term-limited out of office in 2015 after serving 10 years as governor. He moved up from lieutenant governor when Gov. Mike Johanns was named U.S. secretary of agriculture in 2005, and then was elected to four-year terms in 2006 and 2010. Reach the writer at 402-473-7248 or dwalton@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSdon Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. It is important to note that this is not a "one off" for our attorney general, but a pattern and practice. Peterson used his position of power to try and overturn the 2020 presidential election, adding his support to a lawsuit the U.S. Supreme Court rightly refused to hear. He also targeted the most vulnerable in our state when he signed on to a lawsuit against the federal government to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. And now, Attorney General Peterson is once again placing vulnerable youth in a place of fear and uncertainty. His support for banning health care for trans youth shows that he does not care about protecting youth or acting as a check on big government overreach into personal family affairs and our doctors' offices. Instead, he is putting youth at risk by defending a bill that takes health care decisions away from families and physicians. Medical experts across the nation agree that gender-affirming care is medically necessary care that can be lifesaving for trans youth. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that proper gender-affirming care can alleviate clinical distress and improve the well-being of at-risk youth and those who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria. We need to listen to the medical experts who study and immerse themselves in these issues. We need to listen to parents fighting for lifesaving care for their kids. Local topical alert TEACHING ABOUT RACE Educators work to understand and explain the debate about 'critical race theory' Wichgers Jacque RACINE Burlington Area School District parents spent a majority of their public comments at a recent school board meeting condemning critical race theory. One parent, Misty Gilbert, joined others in urging school board members to keep critical race theory an approach to teaching kids the history of racism out of the classrooms in Burlington. Critical race theory, equity initiatives, transformative social emotional learning, diversity and inclusion, culturally responsive teaching, implicit bias, anti-racism, and yes, dismantling racism no matter what you call it, or what buzzwords you want to use for the day what youre set to do to all the children of the district isnt right, Gilbert said. Critical race theory, however, is not found in any elementary school or high school classrooms. It is rooted in a body of scholarship that seeks to understand how laws and race intersect in the United States. The theory itself can be found in the halls of law schools. So, when parents spend the public comment section of a school board meeting speaking out against it, Burlington School Board President Peter Turke said, it is hard to address concerns. What is critical race theory? And why does it matter so much in Wisconsin right now? Gloria J. Ladson-Billings, the National Academy of Education President and a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor emeritus, titled her 2010 research paper on the topic "Just what is critical race theory and what's it doing in a nice field like education?" Eleven years later, debate in the U.S. is picking up where Billings left off. Turke Thats where its a little challenging to address peoples concerns, Turke said. We want to make that clear: Its not part of our curriculum. Other school districts are similarly attempting to understand the debate about how to teach the history of racism. Racine Education Association President Angelina Cruz and Kenosha Education Association President Tanya Kitts-Lewinski both echoed sentiments that those debating critical race theory may not fully understand what it means or that some in education regard the issue as a ruse or a distraction. Cruz, who holds a masters degree in cultural foundations of education with an emphasis on race and race relations, said she is uncertain how a debate on the subject is even possible. Cruz I dont know how to have a debate about critical race theory with people that dont actually know what critical race theory is, Cruz said. I think what people dont want to have discussions about is race and racism. Pledging to teach the truth Amid the emerging and contentious topic, one group is asking teachers in the Racine area to sign a pledge to include lessons on the origins of racism in what the group calls an accurate history curriculum. The Zinn Education Project, a Washington, D.C.-based group focused on social justice in teaching, is offering a petition for teachers to sign, pledging that they will resist what the group calls Republican-led efforts to distort history lessons in the classroom. The group calls its petition drive an act of resistance to the GOP bills in at least 27 states that would require teachers to lie to students about the role of racism, sexism, heterosexism, and oppression throughout U.S. history. The website indicates that the petition has been signed by several teachers living in Racine, Burlington and Kenosha, although that information could not be independently verified. Jesse Hagopian, a team member from the Zinn Education Project, said the organizations aim is teaching what he described as a peoples history. The Zinn in the groups name is a reference to Howard Zinn, the late historian and political science professor best known for A Peoples History of the United States, published in 1980. Zinn Education Project is dedicated to introducing students to a more accurate and complex history of our country, Hagopian said, and engaging them in conversations about the contributions of ordinary people to our country that are often excluded from textbooks that rely on simply the great man narrative, that history is created by simply amazing individuals rather than social movements, and collective struggle. He continued: We really support teaching a peoples history that looks at the many contributions from many marginalized groups in this country, including African-American people, indigenous people, people of color, women and working class people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. Local legislation and resolutions Some political leaders in Wisconsin are taking steps to keep children away from such an approach on history education. State Rep. Chuck Wichgers, R-Muskego, and state Sen. Andre Jacque, R-De Pere, have co-authored and introduced a bill that suggests that critical race theory is based on stereotypes. Their bill prohibits race or sex stereotyping in 1) instruction provided to pupils in school districts and independent charter schools; and 2) training provided to employees of school boards and independent charter schools. Closer to home, BASD School Board member Taylor Wishau has drafted a resolution aimed at prohibiting critical race theory in Burlington classrooms, arguing that such teachings are divisive and would dilute the quality of American history without question. With police officers in the building, Burlington school board returns to tense in-person race discussions BURLINGTON With at least four police officers on site and a packed meeting space, the Burlington Area School District on Monday night held its first in-person meeting since Nov. 9. So far, nothing has been adopted in BASD, where a Cooper Elementary School teacher last year came under heavy criticism for teaching students about the Black Lives Matter social justice movement. Also last year, one BASD parents complaint led to a state Department of Public Instruction investigation that found the school district had allowed a racially hostile environment to exist. The state ordered the district to implement a corrective action plan to address its racism issues, which the district is taking steps to accomplish. If a state law or school district policy established any sort of mandate on critical race theory, Turke and district spokeswoman Julie Thomas both said school employees would be expected to comply. Black Lives Matter debate takes center stage at Burlington Area School District meeting BURLINGTON One by one, they lined up and stepped up to the microphone in the echo-filled confines of the Burlington High School gymnasium on Monday. An emotionally charged conversation about the Black Lives Matter movement and its place within the classroom ensued. While the Kenosha district this year has been focused primarily on the separate issue of COVID-19 pandemic face mask protections, Kitts-Lewinski said she believes the critical race theory debate also will reach KUSD eventually. But Kitts-Lewinski expressed doubt that any mandate will come down from state government. Kitts-Lewinski Were not going to have a law in this state, she said. We have a governor who would not sign a law like that. Districts and demographics Cruz said there has not been any significant debate on the subject in Racine schools, either, which she attributed partly to the demographics of the school district. The Racine Unified School District, according to the state, has a student population mainly consisting of African-American and Latino students, which make up 25.3% and 28.4% of the student body respectively. White students are in the minority, accounting for just 38.9%. The racial and ethnic diversity, according to Cruz, might explain the lack of debate about how to teach the history of racism. I havent seen a debate here at all, she said. I think, to our districts credit and Im still trying to help them figure out how to do this best but they are shifting to providing more like equity professional learning for teachers. Officials at Racine Unified School District and Kenosha Unified School District could not be reached for comment. Kenosha schools are comprised of 14.2% African-American students, 28.9% Latino and 48.7% white students. Burlington, meanwhile, has a mainly white student student body, with 80.2% being white. Latino students make up 13.6% of the population, and just 1.4% of students are African-American. Hagopian and Kitts-Lewinski both said students of all races and ethnicities should be able to see themselves in the curriculum. For Hagopian and the Zinn Education Project, that means allowing teachers the freedom to teach that way. Well, you know, were supporting teachers right to teach about the fact that structural racism is real, Hagopian said. And thats not divisive at all. No, racism is divisive. Racism is one of the most tried and true methods of divide and conquer. Understanding racism isnt divisive. Learning about movements, and people of every race and ethnicity that have come together to challenge racism isnt divisive; its quite the opposite. Its the kind of teaching that promotes unity for a more equitable world. Records show instances of racism in Burlington School District BURLINGTON Discipline records from Burlington Area School District detail multiple incidents in the past four years in which students have been called racial slurs, among other racist incidents. +30 +30 In photos: Protesters shut down Burlington School Board meeting Monday evening After an hour of comments and arguments over the proposed anti-racism curriculum, protesters shut down the Burlington Area School Board meetin Taylor Wishau's CRT resolution The mission and the vision for the Youth Development and Care Center remain the same, Delagrave said. History The amount of $290,000 for purchasing the former Brannum Lumber property on Taylor Avenue with the intent of making it a juvenile detention facility (or at least a parking lot to serve the facility) was approved in July 2020, although word of it flew mostly under the radar until months later. The majority of Racines 15 aldermen, as well as Mayor Cory Mason, opposed the countys plan to build its juvenile detention center on Taylor Avenue. But, when the County Board voted to move forward with the $45 million project, only one supervisor, Fabi Maldonado, voted in opposition. Opposition from Mason or the Racine City Council wouldnt have any legal power on the Taylor Avenue property. The county owns the land and thus can build on it without city approval. The proposed Racine County Youth, Development and Care Center will replace that facility and serve a maximum of 48 youths from Racine, Kenosha, Waukesha, Manitowoc and Washington counties. The group calls its petition drive an act of resistance to the GOP bills in at least 27 states that would require teachers to lie to students about the role of racism, sexism, heterosexism, and oppression throughout U.S. history. The website indicates that the petition has been signed by several teachers living in Racine, Burlington and Kenosha, although that information could not be independently verified. Jesse Hagopian, a team member from the Zinn Education Project, said the organizations aim is teaching what he described as a peoples history. The Zinn in the groups name is a reference to Howard Zinn, the late historian and political science professor best known for A Peoples History of the United States, published in 1980. Zinn Education Project is dedicated to introducing students to a more accurate and complex history of our country, Hagopian said, and engaging them in conversations about the contributions of ordinary people to our country that are often excluded from textbooks that rely on simply the great man narrative, that history is created by simply amazing individuals rather than social movements, and collective struggle. More than two dozen states have ended the payment early, citing concerns about worker shortages. Labor experts say the labor shortage is not just about the $300 payment. Some unemployed people have been reluctant to return to work because they fear catching the coronavirus. Others have found new occupations. And many women, especially working mothers, have left the workforce to care for their children. For the veto override to be successful, it must pass both the Senate and Assembly with a two-thirds majority. The Senate was not scheduled to be in session this week to take up overrides and it wasnt clear if they would take up the same bills or not. Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu did not immediately return a message seeking comment. Republicans, who hold a 61-38 majority in the Assembly, would need 66 votes in favor of an override if everyone is present. That means at least five Democrats would have to switch sides, something that Democratic Minority Leader Gordon Hintz said would not happen. We'll uphold the veto, he said Friday. Melnikova said that they learned of Biles' withdraw but tried to stay focused. This did not distract us," Melnikova said. We wanted to do the upmost, so we tried not to think about this." Their performance Tuesday wasnt perfect: two of them, back to back, fell off the balance beam. Still, the Americans could never catch up. Melnikova was the last to perform. I tried not to think," she said. When she walked off the floor after a flawless routine, she and her teammates knew they'd won gold. I knew that it was depending on me and I was feeling overwhelming happiness and I knew I did it," she said. I knew I had done my job. They hugged as they waited. The score flashed on the screen enough to sail easily past the Americans and Melnikova bent over, put her hands on her knees and wept. Biles and the rest of the American team came to congratulate them. They hugged and high-fived. The team has many more chances to collect even more medals. Melnikova and Urazova will compete later this week in the individual all around competition. The Russian team will also be strong contenders in the individual event competitions. 1. Yes. A sudden surge could be devastating. A mask mandate may be required. 2. Yes. Each county faces different COVID challenges. Let local officials act accordingly. 3. No. Nobody should be forced to wear a mask. It should always be optional. 4. No. A mask mandate isnt any more effective than a strong recoommendation. 5. Unsure. Its hard to say whether a change is in policy is necessary at this point. Vote View Results Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} He added, For anyone to become critically ill and require a ventilator in this day and age is tragic. He described vaccine naysayers as victims of misinformation with the wrong people giving them bad advice. Ward doubts if hospitalizations will soar to 2020 numbers this fall, but Id be less worried if I knew people would start lining up to get the vaccine. Right now, CHI hospitals have plenty of available beds, but staff shortage is a constant concern, and that could worsen if people do not get vaccinated, he said. He said people who opted not to get vaccinated earlier in the year included those who did not want to be told what to do and those who did not trust information circulating about vaccines, but that has changed. Look at real experts. Look at the data. Go talk to your doctor, your internist, nurses, pharmacists, people who look at this information all the time, Ward said. Stay out of the politics. Instead, listen to what doctors have to say. The vaccine is incredibly safe and extremely effective. Now, with 140 million doses, significant side effects are extremely rare, and they are nothing compared to the complications of this disease, he said. Far from a pleasant surprise, the check for more than $850 Erin Dixon found recently in her mailbox started a headache that hasnt gone away. The payment Dixon got July 8 was for an unemployment insurance claim she hadnt filed, an erroneous windfall quickly followed by the delivery of a debit card through which claim payments could be accessed, and then a notification from a bank in Ohio that a new account had been opened in her name. I am very nervous. Ive frozen my credit. Now Im investigating some different ID protection services. In the long run, its going to cost me money, said the 47-year-old Dixon, who works as a technical supervisor for a BK Business Solutions, a Lancaster IT consulting company. The claim filed in Dixons name is of one of a surging number in Lancaster County and across the state that have created extra work for businesses, hassles for employees and worries about hackers having access to personal data. While the sham claims are often quickly discovered, they have been creating genuine puzzlement, along with anxiety about possible longer-term hassles. The whole thing is really weird, Dixon said. Preventing and reporting In mid-July, the state Department of Labor & Industry said it had noticed an uptick in fraudulent claims for unemployment, a report that came in a press release announcing it was extending its partnership with a private company that provides identity verification for all new claims. "We take unemployment benefit fraud very seriously at L&I, and we are committed to working with our partners to prevent fraudulent claims and hold those responsible accountable for their actions," Secretary Jennifer Berrier said in a July 19 press release detailing steps to reduce and report fraud. On Monday, department spokeswoman Sarah Desantis said unemployment compensation fraud is a national issue, pointing to reporting by ProPublica that says fraudsters are buying stolen identities obtained from data leaks outside state governments, then using them to apply for benefits. L&I has not been hacked or breached, she said. Fraud is an unfortunate byproduct of any disaster whether natural or manmade and we have seen the proof of that during the global COVID-19 pandemic. DeSantis said the department did not have a tabulation of fraud reports because of the variety of ways unemployment fraud can be reported. But she added that since the new UC system went online June 8, the department has prevented approximately $1 billion in state and federal dollars from being paid to fraudsters. During that same period, the state has paid out $1.5 billion in benefits, DeSantis said. The department encourages employees to vigilant about guarding their personal information while being on the lookout for payments or correspondence about a claim they havent made. Fraud can be reported by clicking Report Fraud on the UC Benefits website or by calling the fraud hotline at 1-800-692-7469. Victims should also file a police report to include with their report of a fraud. Dixon followed all those steps, voiding the check and punching holes in the debit card before mailing them back to the department via certified letter. She also filed an online report of fraud and a police report. After getting a notice that her certified letter was delivered, Dixon hasnt received any other confirmation that her fraud report was received, let alone that the fraud was corrected. Similarly, Dixons boss said he was also waiting to hear anything back from the department after reporting the notice of claim filed for Dixon was not authentic. He adds that the original email about Dixons claim went to his junk mail folder, where he only looked after Dixon told him about it. While looking in the junk mail folder, Barry Kready said he discovered emails warning about fraudulent claims as well as a report of a new claim for another employee, which that employee hadnt opened. What I havent quite figured out is, What is the scammers play? Kready said. If they were able to get in to Erins account and they basically said Im filing for unemployment, the check and the debit card went to her house. So how does that help a scammer? Time waster, hassle maker For both employees and employers, a new vigilance is required protect against new fraudulent claims, along with the patience to deal with a bureaucracy that can be slow to respond to any kind of inquiries. The manpower behind that is a burden. And the (Unemployment Compensation) system itself has been taxed as well, (affecting) response times. Its just kind of preying on something that is already overburdened, said Leslie Wireback, president of the Lancaster Society for Human Resource Management, who owns her own consulting firm. If money is actually paid out it could potentially boost the premiums employers pay to help cover unemployment claims, although a few claims are unlikely to make much of a difference. When a business starts paying wages, it also begins paying unemployment insurance equal to 3.7% of wages. Premiums can rise to more than 10% based on factors that include an employees risk of losing their job and the companys history of workers going on unemployment. Even if employees dont accept money for a sham claim, the fact that money was sent out could potentially make them liable for paying tax on the money, Wireback said. Getting tax liability rescinded could itself mean frustrations dealing with a large bureaucracy, she said. In Dixons case, the fictitious claim was followed by the opening of a bank account in her name, a troubling escalation. Now that Erins had somebody open up a bank account with her Social Security number, I think it goes beyond just trying to get the direct deposit funds from her account, said Kready, owner of BK Business Solutions where two of the seven employees had fake claims filed in their names. It would be great to uncover what exactly happened. Fraud reports surge While the state Department of Labor & Industry didnt have statistics on fraud reports in Lancaster County, local police departments and businesses have been seeing a spike. The Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Department, which covers East Petersburg and Clay, Penn and Warwick Townships, said Sunday it got 126 reports of fraudulent activity since June 1. And in the first two weeks of July, the Ephrata police department said it received 45 reports of fraud, including 14 on one day. On Friday, the Lancaster Chamber asked its members if they had received fraudulent claims, and by Monday it had heard from 42 firms who said they received some 320 bogus claims, according to chamber Vice President Heather Valudes. The reports to the chamber came from a wide range of companies, including manufacturing, business services, non-profits and senior care, with a trend toward higher-salaried employees being targeted, Valudes said. Last week, the Lancaster Chamber also signed a July 22 letter from two dozen business groups around Pennsylvania asking state officials to take immediate and necessary steps to stop the rampant Unemployment Compensation (UC) fraud being perpetrated against Pennsylvanias citizens. The letter to Berrier, Attorney General Josh Shapiro, Auditor General Tim DeFoor, Secretary of Revenue C. Daniel Hassell and Treasurer Stacy Garrity asked for a multi-agency task force to investigate, new anti-fraud procedures, an audit of the way claims are handled and an accounting of the money that went to false claims. Employers across our Commonwealth are desperate for employees and are offering unprecedented wages. Now is the appropriate time to reinstitute more rigorous checks to ensure these claims are not fraudulent, the letter said. These fraudulent claims are a huge burden, and the new UC system makes it difficult for someone to delete or alter a fraudulent claim. Even more than 150 years after his term, former President James Buchanan continues to do poorly in the polls. Last week C-SPAN released the results of their 2021 Presidential Historians Survey and Buchanan remained in dead last. The survey, which features 142 historians (dozens more historians were added this year to include a wider perspective of race, gender, age, and philosophy) ranking the 44 previous U.S. presidents in a number of categories to determine an average score, is conducted when there is a change in administration. Participating historians ranked the presidents in 10 categories, which are then averaged to determine the rankings. The criteria are: public persuasion, crisis leadership, economic management, moral authority, international relations, administrative skills, relations with Congress, vision/setting an agenda, pursuit of equal justice for all and performance within the context of the times. The top and the bottom of the list has remained unchanged since the C-SPAN started ranking the presidents in 2000 with former President Abraham Lincoln at the No. 1 spot and Lancasters Buchanan bringing up the rear at No. 44. (Two 2018 polls, the Siena Colleges Presidential Expert Poll and the Presidential Greatness Survey, held a slightly more favorable view of the 15th president, ranking him as only the second worst president ever to hold office.) Buchanan, who held the office from 1857-1861, scored best in the international relations category and worst in the crisis leadership category. Buchanan also scored especially low in the moral authority, vision/ setting an agenda and pursuit of equal justice for all categories. Many historians feel Buchanan completely failed to steer the nation away from civil war. Former President Trump came in at No. 41 ahead of former Presidents Franklin Pierce, Andrew Johnson and Buchanan. Trump is ranked immediately behind former President William Henry Harrison, who only served for 31 days. There is some evidence, though, that distance seems to change how recent presidents are viewed: former President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush have both seen their rankings improve over time. The next C-SPAN poll will take place when President Joe Biden leaves the office. The deadline for Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health workers to start the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine regime before the Sept. 1 deadline for all system employees to be vaccinated is Wednesday. LG Health staff who had until July 9 to apply for a COVID-19 vaccine exemption have begun receiving determinations on their exemption filings, according to an attorney advising employees opposed to the new mandate. It is unclear how many LG Health employees have sought a religious or medical exemption. John Lines, an LG Health spokesman, did not respond to multiple requests seeking comment on the number of exemptions employees have sought. But Eric Winter, a Berks County attorney advising LG Health employees, has estimated a couple hundred workers could have sought an exemption based on turnout to meetings discussing the mandate. In Winters opinion, the most likely avenue for workers was a medical exemption as those for religious reasons are fairly uncommon. Employees opposed to the mandate have sought a reversal of the policy announced via staff memo by LGH CEO John J. Herman on May 19. "We're dealing with LGH's policies not law," Winter said. "And they can change their policies." A reversal would not be unprecedented Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology did an about-face on its student vaccination mandate but unlikely. Instead, LG Health officials have continued to defend the policy. As we continue to solicit and verify vaccination compliance among our workforce, it has been our practice not to provide interim updates, an LGH spokesperson wrote in an email to LNP | LancasterOnline Monday. We continue to offer resources to employees with questions about vaccine safety and efficacy and our policy to ensure that everyone has the information they need to take this step to help protect our patients, each other, and the communities we serve. Since Penn Medicine implemented the new vaccine policy across its health system, nearly 50 hospitals, health systems and groups have implemented a similar mandate, according to Beckers Hospital Review, an industry publication that tracks business and legal news. A handful of these staff vaccine mandates, though, are tied to full approval by the U.S. Federal Drug and Administration. And, the American Hospital Association board of trustees last week approved a policy statement that strongly urges the vaccination of all health care personnel. Neither UPMC nor WellSpan Health, which operate hospitals in Lancaster County, have followed suit with policies of their own. Spokespeople from both health systems told LNP | LancasterOnline that they continue to weigh the evidence on efficacy and encourage staff vaccinations. Vaccination is one layer of protection; at UPMC, our multiple infection prevention efforts including mandatory employee, patient and visitor masking are highly effective at preventing transmission of COVID-19 within our facilities, Kelly McCall, a UPMC spokeswoman, said in an email. Because of the time lapse between doses, compliance moving forward will require LG Health employees receive the single dose Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. It appears the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions new mask guidance may have an uneven impact across Lancaster Countys public schools, despite COVID-19 rates climbing here and across the country. Faced with a renewed surge of the virus, particularly among unvaccinated individuals, the CDC on Tuesday announced new recommendations for K-12 schools, stating all students, faculty, staff and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, should wear masks. Although the Pennsylvania Department of Education encouraged schools to follow the recommendation, published reports indicate Gov. Tom Wolfs administration would not make it a mandate. As a result, masking remains a local decision, and reactions among Lancaster County school officials reached by LNP | LancasterOnline Tuesday afternoon were mixed. Many said theyre forging ahead with plans to enter the 2021-22 school year mask-optional, barring a state or federal mask mandate. It doesnt automatically change anything for our plan, Ephrata Area School District Superintendent Brian Troop said. Ephrata Areas draft health and safety plan for the upcoming school year states the district would examine any new guidance and implement it if practicable. Measures such as social distancing, ample air ventilation and increased hand washing and sanitizing practices will be implemented, Troop said, but masks are a different story, he said. Thats a more personal and a more individualized measure, he said. School boards in recent months faced the wrath of some families and conservative groups who have grown frustrated with mask mandates and urged officials to pass mask- and vaccine-optional policies for the upcoming school year. For the most part, they have. The Pennsylvania Department of Education is requiring all school districts to pass a health and safety plan outlining how they will implement COVID-19 mitigation strategies. The CDCs previous guidance, issued July 9, said all unvaccinated individuals should wear masks inside school buildings. All children 11 and under are not eligible for vaccination yet, and only about 16,000 people ages 12 to 19 in Lancaster County are fully vaccinated, according to state Department Health data. The state departments of Education and Health have advised Pennsylvanias 500 school districts to follow the CDCs recommendations, and that they would not be adding separate guidance for the upcoming school year. State Department of Education spokesperson Kendall Alexander reiterated that Tuesday. Schools should refer to the full CDC guidance to plan for the upcoming school year, as the Pennsylvania Departments of Health and Education will not be releasing separate state guidance or recommendations at this time, she said in an email. Lancaster County remains below substantial community transmission. Deaths have remained relatively stagnant since vaccines became widely available, but cases are creeping up slightly. That data, school officials said, must be considered when making local decisions. We understand it to be a local decision, Manheim Central School District Superintendent Peter J. Aiken said. The Manheim Central school board approved its health and safety plan, including optional masks, Monday night. Hempfield School District is also planning to remain mask-optional. In the absence of an existing, valid and legal/binding order, masks are NOT required in our schools and/or at district activities, district spokesperson Kim Reynolds said in an email. School District of Lancaster board President Edith Gallagher said that the school board, which was planning to require masks for unvaccinated individuals in 2021-22, has yet to discuss the new guidance. However, she said that she wouldnt be surprised if the board approved a districtwide mask requirement. I would say that, in general, my colleagues and I have erred on the side of being more cautious with regard to everything thats happened through the COVID-19 pandemic, she said. Brian Barnhart, executive director of the Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13, said going against the CDCs guidance would be like going against your attorney. With the absence of additional guidance from the state, Barnhart said he feels he has no choice other than to adhere to the CDCs recommendations, particularly for the large number of medically fragile students the IU serves. Weve gotta base our decision-making on something, he said. Im not an epidemiologist. An Ephrata man who was seen pepper-spraying police and encouraging violence in video taken Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol was arrested Monday, months after the FBI posted his image and asked for the public's help in identifying him. Samuel Lazar, 35, has been charged with assault and obstruction-related charges, according to court documents filed last week, but just unsealed Tuesday. LNP | LancasterOnline first identified Lazar in April based on comparing his social media posts with widely disseminated video and photos of the violent events that followed a speech that morning by then-President Donald Trump to thousands of his supporters in which he urged them to stop Congress from certifying Joe Bidens election victory. After an initial court appearance Tuesday, Lazar will remain in federal custody in Philadelphia until he can be taken to Washington, where his case will be prosecuted. Lazar was dubbed #FacepaintBlowhard, a hashtag reference to the camouflage paint he wore on Jan. 6, by online vigilantes who have spent the past six months trying to identify the hundreds of people in photos posted to the FBIs website. He is also referred to by the hashtag #FBI275 -- for the number the FBI assigned to a photo taken outside the Capitol in which Lazar is seen shouting into a megaphone. According to federal charging documents, a woman who said she has known Lazar for about 28 years told the FBI on March 2 that she saw pictures of Lazar in tactical gear at the Capitol on his Facebook page. Later in March, the FBI first posted a photo of Lazar taken on Jan. 6 and asked the public for help identifying him. On Tuesday, the agency declined to say why it began soliciting the publics help given the tip received early in the month. The documents make mention of Lazars tactical clothing and gear -- including protective goggles -- that he is seen wearing in a post he made to Facebook on Jan. 5 and in photos taken by himself and others on Jan. 6. A patch on his vest bears words from Psalm 144: Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle. The documents also quote a video taken around 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 6 in which Lazar recounted his actions at the Capitol. He said police sprayed rioters with tear gas, and we maced them right the (expletive) back. They attacked the people, we have the right to defend ourselves. (Expletive) the tyrants. Theres a time for peace, and then theres a time for war, as he pointed to the Psalm patch. In the same video, he can be heard telling someone: I was right at the front, on the tip of the spear, brother. Thats where you gotta be. Early morning raid Lazar previously declined to talk with an LNP reporter. Facebook messages left with Lazars apparent girlfriend, his brother and mother were not returned Tuesday. On Tuesday afternoon, a woman whose home is near the 10-unit apartment building on Washington Avenue in Ephrata where Lazar lives said she did not know him well but that they would exchange greetings. She said she saw about 10 law-enforcement vehicles on the block around 6 a.m. Monday. One man, dressed in a bulletproof vest and carrying a shield, pounded on the apartment buildings front door and announced he was with the FBI. About five minutes later, he and other law enforcement personnel went into the building and brought Lazar out in shackles around 6:30 a.m.. She said Lazar calmly walked to one of the vehicles and got in and was taken away. The resident, who spoke with a reporter only on the condition that her name not be printed, said FBI agents could be seen talking to a woman on Lazars balcony, which is decorated with well-tended hanging flower baskets and flower boxes. No one answered the door at Lazars apartment on Tuesday afternoon. Lazars maroon Dodge Challenger and white Ford van were parked outside the apartment building. A Dont Tread on Me sticker was affixed to the back of the van. Other neighbors either did not want to talk or said they did not see what happened on Monday. Ties to state senator Lazar attended and spoke at least one of the protests outside Pennsylvania House Speaker Bryan Cutlers home last December, organized to press the Legislature to intervene to overturn Bidens victory in the state in favor of Trump. Months after Jan. 6, he was seen at a May 15 political event in Chambersburg organized for state Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Gettysburg, that featured former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. In one photo posted to social media, Lazar is seen posing with Mastriano, a likely 2022 candidate for governor who was a leader of the effort to overturn the results of the presidential race in Pennsylvania. On June 5, Lazar was seen at a rally at the state Capitol in Harrisburg where Mastriano and others celebrated the passage of a constitutional amendment in the May 18 primary to restrict the governors emergency powers. Mastriano did not respond to LNPs request for comment on Lazar on Tuesday, just as he declined comment in May after the Chambersburg event. Other local Capitol cases More than 530 people have been arrested in the Capitol attacks, and to date Pennsylvania is home to the third largest number of them. The government has said in court filings that the Jan. 6 investigation will likely be one of the largest in American history. Michael Lopatic, of Manheim Township, was arrested in February and charged with repeatedly punching one police officer in the head outside the Capitol. In late April, he was released on bail pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. Two other county residents, Tara Coleman, of Strasburg, and Dakoda Westfall, a 2016 Solanco High School graduate, are charged with violating a curfew issued Jan. 6 by the citys mayor. It appears that Westfall paid $25 in February to settle his charge. Coleman, who is accused of being on the Capitol grounds, is scheduled for trial Sept. 13. One man who attended protests outside Pennsylvania House Speaker Bryan Cutlers Quarryville office and Peach Bottom home on Dec. 30 has yet to be identified. He is referred to as #GreenGramps and #FBI54 by online researchers seeking to put names to the faces of individuals sought by the FBI for their actions on Jan. 6. When: Elanco school board meeting, July 19. What happened: Elanco will receive $6.7 million in aid under the states 2021-22 budget, up 4% or $273,000 from 2020-21. Background: Gov. Tom Wolf signed a $39.8 billion budget into law June 30 that gives a $416 million boost in financial support for public education. This historic investment, according to Wolf, marks the largest single-year education funding increase in state history. Why it's important: As of next school year, the district will receive $1.7 million in state aid for special education, up 1% from 2020-21, and $5 million in aid for basic education, up 5%. These additional funds will be stored in district reserves to help balance next years budget, Keith Ramsey, chief of finance and operations, said. Whats next: The district will collect its annual education funding from the state in quarterly payments throughout the 2021-22 school year. Vacancies: The district will seek to hire support staff members to fill roughly 25 vacancies across its schools. Because of a shortage of applicants and heightened demand for educators statewide, the district is currently in need of classroom and personal care assistants, lunch monitors and paraeducators in special education. District administration will continue to work with the Lancaster-based Substitute Teacher Service and its community members in an attempt to find suitable candidates. Shared services agreement: In 2019, the board extended an agreement that allows Elanco to share its administrative services with Columbia Borough School District. Under the six-year extension, Columbia receives support from three members of Elancos full-time staff: Keith Ramsey, business manager; Donna Prokay, human resources director; and Lotsie Wooten, IT director. The district also receives its own tech support specialist, alongside various network services and equipment. These amenities are provided to Columbia at an annual cost of $315,000. Office staff: Last year, Elanco also approved Columbias request for business office staff to perform accounts payable and human resource duties over the 2020-21 spring semester, at an added cost of $2,500 per month. Although the initial terms were set to expire last month, Elancos board has voted to extend this service through June 30, 2026. Columbia will pay an additional $30,900 for the extra personnel as of next school year, with costs to increase annually based on the states base Act 1 index. Success! An email has been sent with a link to confirm list signup. THE ISSUE Philadelphia health officials are recommending indoor masking because the highly contagious delta variant has led to a spike in COVID-19 cases among unvaccinated individuals, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported last week. The vaccines are effective against the delta variant, but public health officials are concerned about an increase in hospitalizations among children who are too young to be vaccinated. St. Louis, Missouri; Savannah, Georgia; and Los Angeles County also have reinstituted indoor mask mandates. In Lancaster County, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have begun to rise again in recent days. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday afternoon that it recommends that even fully vaccinated people wear masks in public indoor spaces in areas with substantial and high transmission of the novel coronavirus. Everyone, please consider masking up again. We know thats a message many readers dont want to read. We know this summer was supposed to be a return to some summertime normalcy. But we cant trifle with the delta variant of the novel coronavirus. The delta variant is more aggressive and much more transmissible than previously circulating strains, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Thursday. It is one of the most infectious respiratory viruses we know of and that I have seen in my 20-year career. It is thought to be at least twice as infectious as the original virus. Walensky said it is causing more than 83% of recent cases in the United States. According to the American Society for Microbiology, research has suggested that significantly more viral particles have been found in the airways of patients infected with the delta variant. The COVID-19 vaccines being administered in the United States are highly effective against even the delta variant in preventing hospitalizations and deaths which is the primary purpose of any vaccine. But some breakthrough infections have been reported. And the delta variant represents a nightmare for the unvaccinated. Which is why, again, we implore you to get vaccinated against COVID-19 for your sake and for the sake of your loved ones and your community and for the nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists and other hospital employees who have been battling the pandemic for more than 16 physically and emotionally grueling months. Even if youre vaccinated, you should dig out those masks you put away after the CDC said in May that vaccinated people didnt need to wear them anymore. Thats the advice, too, of Dr. Jerome Adams, who served as U.S. surgeon general during the Trump administration. We need both vaccinated and unvaccinated adults to take this seriously, Adams told NPR last week. And that means, he said, masking up as well as getting vaccinated if local health officials say cases are going up and positivity rates are going up in your location. Like Adams and some other public health experts, we thought it was premature of the CDC to tell vaccinated Americans in May that they could ditch their masks. As a result of that CDC decision, Adams noted that business owners and managers just have thrown up their hands, saying, Hey we dont have a way to figure out whos vaccinated or whos not, so no masks for anybody. Adams told NPR: If I go out around people who Im not sure whether or not theyre vaccinated, Im going to be much more likely to wear a mask. And Im always going to make sure Im careful when I'm bringing my 11-year-old daughter around. Because something else that people need to remember is that when you talk about (the unvaccinated) ... that includes our kids. The timing seems crucial in getting everyone to mask up again. We think its better to make an adjustment early, rather than potentially too late. As the delta variant spreads nationally, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert, told CNN on Sunday that a recommendation that vaccinated people resume wearing masks is under active consideration by government public health officials. We dont think those officials should drag their feet on such a decision. And we share the concern of some health experts over the CDCs continued guidance that vaccinated people dont need to wear masks indoors. For now, as Fauci noted, its left to local leaders to make decisions on masking mandates or guidance. Gov. Tom Wolf indicated during a visit to Lancaster on Monday that the state likely wont bring back mitigation measures. He says the states focus is on vaccination. So who does that leave to guide local decisions should COVID-19 case numbers and hospitalizations continue to rise here? We cannot count on Lancaster County commissioners Chair Josh Parsons to encourage a return to mask-wearing: Parsons is a political partisan who mostly clings to cliches about personal liberty; hes not a public health expert. And we do not have a county public health department to urge a return to mask-wearing. Perhaps Lancaster city needs to urge masking in public indoor spaces. And perhaps the Lancaster Chamber should ask member businesses to encourage indoor masking, so the delta variant doesnt wreak havoc on our still-recovering local economy. Or perhaps we all could take seriously this threat and recognize how minor an inconvenience it would be to mask up again when were in grocery stores or in places of worship or in crowded malls. (Masks continue to be required on public transportation and in health care facilities.) For children under 12 who cannot yet be vaccinated, mask-wearing should again become a habit in public spaces. As for adults who arent vaccinated yet? Please get yourself protected. Health officials have said were now facing a pandemic of the unvaccinated for a reason. And as Alabama Republican Gov. Kay Ivey said Thursday, Folks (are) supposed to have common sense. Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is just common sense. So, too, is wearing a mask in a public space when a highly contagious strain of a lethal virus is threatening to undo all the progress weve made in battling this terrible pandemic. The more we allow the novel coronavirus to spread and replicate, the more opportunities the virus has to mutate and potentially create dangerous strains like delta. By not getting vaccinated, by not taking sensible measures to protect ourselves against the virus, we are giving the virus a huge boost in its quest to keep this pandemic going. In the battle against this lethal and capricious foe, we have to cease being our own worst enemy. Updated Tuesday, July 27, at 3:32 p.m. with new CDC masking announcement. Sherman-Xie Tianjin MeetingBeginning of a Thaw in U.S.-China Relations? July 26, 2021 (EIRNS)The meeting of U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng in Tianjin on June 25 may well be the beginning of what will no doubt be a rather slow, long thaw in U.S.-China relations. Scholars on both sides were relieved that the meeting took place at all, as it indicated that the Biden Administration was not solely interested in competition or rivalry with China, but also cooperation. Minister Xie, as the host this time, began the meeting with the list of issues that China has with the United States, saying quite directly that the stalemate in relations is solely due to the policies of the U.S. government indicating a whole-of-society campaign to bring China down. He pointed to the Hong Kong and other sanctions, the forced labor lie concerning working conditions in Xinjiang, the demands on yet another investigation of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and its playing with fire in regressing on the issue of Taiwan. He said that Americas posing as approaching the relationship from a position of strength is a mistake and demeaning to China. It didnt work in Anchorage, he said, and it wont work in Tianjin. Xie reiterated that China is not intent on replacing the United States, relegating the notion to conspiracy theory. He gave Sherman a list of 16 items where China felt America should correct its policies, and 10 issues of importance to China, including the harassment of Chinese scholars in the United States. At the same time, Xie said that the world most needs now to unite, cooperate and help each other as we are all in the same boat. A healthy and stable Sino-U.S. relationship is not only in the interests of both parties, but also the common expectation of the international community. Sherman, on her part, expressed condolences to the people affected by the floods in Henan. She also, as expected, delivered the usual list of U.S. concerns, doing privately what had been said publicly by the United States, as the State Department readout put it. She praised Chinas great achievements in economic growth and poverty reduction. She said the United States does not seek to contain Chinas development, adheres to the one-China policy and does not support Taiwan independence. She emphasized the United States and Chinas responsibility, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, for maintaining world peace and security. The meeting lasted for more than four hours. And the two sides said they believed that the talks were frank and in-depth and are willing to continue to maintain such open and honest communication. They also discussed issues of mutual interest, such as climate change, the Iranian nuclear issue, the Korean Peninsula, Myanmar, and drug control. Sherman, No. 2 at the State Department, also had a meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Wang Yi underlined three major principles that America must adhere to in order to have a good relationship with China. Firstly, it must not challenge, slander, or even attempt to subvert Socialism with Chinese characteristics. It is the peoples choice and has a bearing on the long-term well-being of the 1.4 billion Chinese people. He also said China has the right to modernize, so that secondly, the United States must not try to obstruct or interrupt Chinas development process. And thirdly, it must not infringe upon Chinas national sovereignty, let alone undermine Chinas territorial integrity, pointing to the issues of Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong as examples of such infringement. He underlined the need for dialogue for a win-win situation for both the United States and China. Sherman told Wang she believes that the U.S.-China relationship is the most important in the world and the United States is willing to continue to have open and honest contacts and dialogues with China. The United States does not want to restrict Chinas development, nor does it want to contain China, and is happy to see China achieve development. Again, the United States adheres to a one-China policy and does not support Taiwan independence. While developing healthy competition, the two countries can cooperate on climate change, drug control and international and regional hotspotsAfghanistan was among the hotspots citedand avoid conflicts. July 27: The U.S. attacked Fort Negro in Florida, killing nearly 300 in an effort to capture Africans that escaped enslavement, 1815 July 27: The U.S. attacked Fort Negro in Florida, killing nearly 300 in an effort to capture Africans that escaped enslavement, 1815 ADVERTISEMENT Brought to you by the Black365 Calendar. Find out more at Black365.com Interested in Latinx History? Check out the worlds only Latinx Facts Calendar at LatinxCalendar.com LeVar Burton-Hosted Episodes of `Jeopardy! to Begin Airing Tonight Actor LeVar Burton said he was more than nervous when guest-hosting five episodes of Jeopardy! that begin airing tonight. I was absolutely petrified, said Burton, best known for his portrayals of the young slave Kunta Kinte on the groundbreaking 1977 ABC miniseries Roots and Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge in the 1987-94 syndicated science fiction series Star Trek: The Next Generation. I dont know that that feeling ever went away. Burton said his wife, Stephanie, and daughter, Mica, kept telling him, Youve got this, breathe, slow down, you know how to do what it is that you do. Burton described himself as a fan of Jeopardy! dating back to its original incarnation, when it aired weekday mornings on NBC and was hosted by Art Fleming. ADVERTISEMENT When this opportunity came by I could not pass it up, Burton said in an interview posted on the shows website. Jeopardy! has turned to guest hosts to fill the role held by the late Alex Trebek since its syndicated revival began in 1984. The show has been matching the amount of money won by the contestants to a charity of each hosts choice. Burton selected Reading is Fundamental, the nations largest childrens literacy nonprofit organization, as the charity to benefit from his stint as guest host. They provide thousands of books to children every year and in most instances these kids are getting their own books for the very first time, Burton said. The amount of money that we raised here on the show is going to make a huge difference in the life of many, many kids, and I cant wait to give them that check. Jeopardy! has donated $2,205,826 to its guest hosts charities of choice, including $164,410 to the bone marrow registry Be The Match from Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts weeklong stint as host, which concluded Friday. ADVERTISEMENT The show also matched the $250,000 grand prize for the 2021Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions and donated that amount to the Hope of the Valley Trebek Center for the Homeless at the former site of the Skateland roller rink in Northridge. The purchase of the rink was financed in part by a $500,000 donation from Trebek and his wife, Jean. Los Angeles County Sees Rising COVID-19 Hospitalizations The latest Los Angeles County COVID-19 numbers show 2,089 new cases, four additional deaths and a continued rise in hospitalizations, though officials said the number of cases and deaths likely reflect reporting delays over the weekend. While new cases and deaths were down from a day earlier, data released Sunday showed the number of coronavirus patients in county hospitals increased to 745 from 716 on Saturday, according to state figures. There were 161 COVID-19 patients in intensive care, up from 154 on Saturday. Sundays figures bring the countys totals to 1,281,760 cases and 24,624 fatalities since the pandemic began, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. On Saturday, L.A. County reported 2,600 new COVID-19 infections the fourth consecutive day above 2,500 cases and 10 additional deaths. ADVERTISEMENT Health officials have repeatedly blamed the recent surge in cases on the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus. The variant was first discovered in India and is blamed for rampant infections in that country, along with outbreaks in the United Kingdom. It is now spreading across the United States, contributing to rising case numbers and hospitalizations. The rate of increase in cases in the county between July 3 and 16 was 135%. Sundays daily test positivity rate was 4.8%, a slight decrease from Saturdays 4.9%. The health department noted last week that unvaccinated people are becoming infected at five times the rate of transmission from just one month ago. Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer released figures Thursday showing that fully vaccinated people are also not immune from contracting the virus representing 20% of all infections during June. But she stressed that thanks to the vaccines, the vast majority of those people are not becoming severely ill or hospitalized. And she said that without the vaccines, the situation would be much worse. If we didnt have 5.3 million people fully vaccinated in L.A. County, we would probably be seeing almost double the number of cases today, Ferrer said Friday. As cases continue to rise, many of us are trying to figure out what steps to take to minimize exposure to the virus. For those eligible and not yet vaccinated, now would be an important time to get your vaccine because our three vaccines all offer a lot of protection to the vaccinated person and also slow down the spread. For everyone, common-sense precautions including masking when indoors, frequent hand-washing and avoiding crowds will reduce your risk while allowing you to continue to enjoy the activities you love. The figures provided by the county Thursday showed that 5.3 million of the countys roughly 10.3 million residents are fully vaccinated, a rate of roughly 52%. About 1.3 million county residents are ineligible for shots because they are under age 12. Ferrer stressed the protection offered by the vaccines, despite the increasing numbers of vaccinated people becoming infected, comparing their effectiveness to a cars seat belt. While seat belts dont prevent every bad thing that can happen during a car accident, they do provide excellent protection, so much so that we all use them routinely, she said. It wouldnt really make sense to not use a seat belt just because it doesnt prevent all injuries from car accidents. Rejecting a COVID vaccine because they dont offer 100% protection really ignores the powerful benefits weve experienced from those people who have gotten vaccinated. Young Black and Latino residents continue to have the lowest rates of vaccination in the county. ADVERTISEMENT Black residents also had the highest rate of new infections over the last month, at 181 per 100,000 residents. Latino/a residents have traditionally had one of the highest infections rates throughout the pandemic, but over the past month, white residents accrued a higher rate, at 83 per 100,000 residents. Latinos had an infection rate of 62 per 100,000 residents. Black residents also had the highest rate of hospitalizations over the month, followed by Latinos and whites. In hopes of encouraging more people to get vaccinated, the county is continuing to offer incentives. Through next Thursday, anyone who gets vaccinated at sites operated by the county, the city of Los Angeles or St. Johns Well Child and Family Center will be entered for a chance to win one of seven three-concert ticket packages at AEG venues, for a variety of acts. The History and Future of Haiti: Revolution, Repression, Resistance and Eventual Victory The history and culture of Haiti is marked by extraordinary expressions of revolutionary struggle and victory, suffering and repression, but always righteous and relentless resistance of the people and their radical refusal to be defeated. The Haitian nation was born in revolutionary struggle, achieving what no enslaved people had done before or after. It defeated its enslavers and other armies and political forces that sought to thwart and negate its national liberation, inspired and assisted liberation struggles in Latin America, and became a beacon of African and human liberation, teaching possibility and achievement against all odds. But the enemies of Haiti, the world African community and human freedom never forgave it and has since its birth worked to divide it, reconquer it, and reverse its instructive and enduring achievement. In a word, their efforts were directed towards rendering it irrelevant, except as a site of imperialist exploitation, name-calling and conversational contempt. The recent assassination of the U.S. chosen and backed president, Jovenel Moise, has gained the attention of the U.S. and world. But who turned toward Haiti with any modicum of care and concern before this? Who was shocked or shaken to ease or help eliminate the deep, enduring and undeserved suffering of the Haitian people who were mercilessly murdered, even massacred, by gangs and thugs in cahoots and with consent and collaboration of this U.S.-supported president and cohorts, as well as those before them? And who stood with Haitian Americans in their struggle to maintain Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for immigrant Haitians, to prevent their return to dangerous and deadly conditions, and to win for them the rightful asylum they sought here? Likewise, who came forth to defend and rescue them and their children from the internment camps at the U.S./Mexican border along with Latinas/os and others? And who has protested the U.S., Frances and Canadas brutal occupation of Haiti and their Core Group of ambassadors commitment to and practice of domination, deprivation and degradation of the Haitian people? So, whether the American people like it or not, or are conscious of it or not, the American government is deeply implicated in the prior and current events of killings and chaos, disruption and suffering imposed on the Haitian people. ADVERTISEMENT Clearly, the Haitian people reject the political violence involved in killing a president and thus call for justice. But they are not demonstrating in the streets for Moise, whose history of killing them was as recent as the day he died and who fostered an environment of corruption, gangster government, drug trafficking, political and civil institution gutting, political killings, office grabbing and vocational corruption. What they want is an inclusive justice, one for all the people, the everyday people, the journalists, community leaders and organizers, the teachers, lawyers, the opponents of a corrupt and gangster government who were killed without mercy and often en masse. It is then a claim and demand of justice for all the anonymous and known victims, adults and children, killed, kidnapped, tortured, raped, infected with cholera, sold and enslaved in houses or on farms and in factories anywhere and everywhere. For there is no real justice in simply seeking justice for the rich, powerful and prominent and disregarding and denying justice to the poor, the disempowered and the vulnerable. The future and hope for Haiti must be in its own hands, must be self-determined by its own people. The Commission to Find A Haitian Solution offers promise for a united practice and struggle necessary for Haitis move forward and upward on the revolutionary, dignity-affirming, life-enhancing paths it marks out for itself. It seeks rightly to build consensus for a shared way forward and upward by all political and civil society groups committed to a free, self-determining, justice-practicing, and people-focused society. The Haitian people have asked the world to cease intervention in their country and the occupiers, the U.S., France and Canada, to end their occupation in the disguise of manipulative puppets, oppressive policies, and elite support and protection. The claimants to Moise crime-corrupted throne have asked the U.S. to intervene, but the people know this is no more than a plea to protect them and the other elites from each other and to thwart the liberation aims and efforts of the people. It is seeking support for their claims to legitimacy and authority that had been there for their patron-turned-problem, Moise. They rightly fear there is no honor among thieves and no security among assassins, and that the wave of killings they orchestrated, sponsored and/or supported will blowback and engulf them. There is a constant call among the Haitians we used to raise in the Sixties: Let the masses decide! Let them decide their future, their destiny and daily lives. And they cannot do that with the presence of foreigners propping up puppets, suppressing the people and robbing the people of their lives, livelihoods, resources and future. Clearly, the U.S. has no moral right or legal ground to return to occupy Haiti and has a sordid and savage history of presence in Haiti. It is disqualified by its invasions and occupations of Haiti, overthrowing its democratically-elected president, undermining its economy, and supporting a series of dictators, as well as its inhumane and unjust treatment of Haitian immigrants. The UN has no more standing than the imperialists who sent it as a surrogate, after the U.S., under Bush, overthrew the democratically-elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004. Indeed, the UN has a horrific history in Haiti marked by sexual predation and assault, causing a cholera epidemic that killed thousands and for which it never accepted real responsibility or made just restitution and also ruthlessly suppressing the people in the interests of the occupiers and the elite. To build a true democracy in Haiti, that democracy must be conceived, constructed and sustained by the Haitian people themselves as self-conscious agents of their own lives and liberation. This is the central objective, concern and commitment of the Commission to Find A Haitian Solution. A reorganized society will determine how others can assist, but the Haitian people must, in the final analysis, wage a second revolution in order to recover, renew and expand the promise and possibilities of the first revolution in 1804. This means ending the regime and reign of criminals and crime in government and in the streets, holding free and fair elections, rebuilding government and civil institutions, establishing a just order and bringing security to the people. Also, such a just and free society will secure justice for the people at every level; provide basic necessities of food, housing, health care and education. It will put an end to capital flight, the billions sent abroad to be hoarded, invested and laundered. And the Haitian people might want to consider reraising the demand for reparations from France and even the U.S. ADVERTISEMENT Haitis rising, reconstruction and recovery will be difficult, dangerous and demanding, but their history and revolution, resistance and resilience is evidence that argues strongly for their eventual and inevitable victory. Drawing on this revolutionary history, let us, as the liberation leader Boukman urged us, Listen to the voice of freedom which speaks in all our hearts and stand in active and unbreakable solidarity with the Haitian people as they struggle mightily and victoriously to reignite and uplift the light of human freedom in their country and the world. Dr. Maulana Karenga, Professor and Chair of Africana Studies, California State University-Long Beach; Executive Director, African American Cultural Center (Us); Creator of Kwanzaa; and author of Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture and Essays on Struggle: Position and Analysis, www.AfricanAmericanCulturalCenter-LA.org; www.OfficialKwanzaaWebsite.org; www.MaulanaKarenga.org. Reports of COVID-19 infection among fully vaccinated people are increasing. Olympic athletes, lawmakers and heads of state are among the vaccinated who have tested positive for the virus. Such infections are called breakthroughs. They appear to be quite rare and usually cause little, if any, sickness. These breakthroughs are causing fear that the vaccines are not working. But most experts disagree. Dr. Anthony Fauci is the top infectious disease official in the United States. He said infections among a very small number of vaccinated people do not mean the treatment is failing. He said the vaccines are working well even against the Delta variant. It is now the leading cause of new infections worldwide. The main reason most experts consider the vaccines successful is that very few breakthrough cases result in hospital treatment or death. Most do not cause any sign of sickness at all. People who are vaccinated but still get sick generally have mild symptoms for a couple of days before the body starts fighting the virus. Only about 5,000 out of nearly 160 million vaccinated people have either died or been hospitalized in the U.S. and also tested positive for COVID-19. Medical experts are following the breakthrough cases. U.S. health agencies are considering whether vaccinated people should get an extra vaccine treatment called a booster. People worry when they hear news like that which came from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He was very sick with COVID-19 last year and is fully vaccinated now. However, he went into quarantine this week after being around a person who tested positive. But health officials in the U.S. want to be sure people are not overreacting to the breakthrough cases. That is because many people say they do not want to get the shots. The doctors worry those people will think getting the shot is not worth it if some people still get sick. Dr. William Schaffner is an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University. He said that is the wrong idea. People need to know the vaccines are doing their job. The vaccines were developed to keep us out of those terrible institutions we call hospitals, he said. We have to keep coming back to that. Im Dan Friedell. Lauran Neergaard wrote this story for the Associated Press. Dan Friedell adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. What would you tell people in the U.S. about the breakthrough infections? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story athlete n. a person who is trained in or good at sports, games, or exercises that require physical skill and strength positive adj. showing the presence of a particular germ, condition, or substance variant n. different in some way from others of the same kind mild adj. not harsh or severe institution n. an established organization Troops surrounded Tunisias parliament building Monday, blocking its speaker from entering. The move came after the president suspended the legislature and dismissed the prime minister following nationwide protests. Protesters were angry over the countrys economic troubles and the governments handling of the coronavirus crisis. Protesters celebrated President Kais Saieds decision on Sunday. They shouted with happiness and waved Tunisian flags. But the presidents critics accused him of seizing too much power. The North African countrys allies expressed concern that its young democracy might fail. In a move sure to increase those worries, police took over the offices of broadcaster Al Jazeera and ordered it to shut down. In 2011, Tunisia began the so-called Arab Spring when protests led to the overthrow of several, longtime Middle Eastern leaders. The country is often considered the only success story of those uprisings. But democracy did not bring economic growth. Tunisias unemployment rate was 18 percent before the pandemic hit. Young people protested, demanding jobs and an end to police violence earlier this year. The government recently announced cuts to food and fuel subsidies. This caused more anger in areas of the country with many poor people. The government is seeking its fourth loan from the International Monetary Fund in the last ten years. The pandemic has only worsened the economic problems. The government recently announced new stay-at-home orders and other virus restrictions. But thousands of protesters ignored virus restrictions in the capital, Tunis, and other cities Sunday. They demanded the suspension of parliament. Mostly young people, the protesters shouted Get out! and fought with police. The president said he had to fire the prime minister and suspend parliament because of concerns over public violence. He said he acted within the law. Parliament speaker Rached Ghannouchi, however, said the president did not discuss the situation with him or the prime minister as required. Ghannouchi heads the Islamic party that controlled the legislature. The three men have been in conflict. We have taken these decisions...until social peace returns to Tunisia and until we save the state, Saied said on television. He said there would be severe reactions to anyone who threatened public peace. On Monday, police tried to prevent fighting outside the parliament building between lawmakers from the Ennahdha Party and protesters supporting the president. Ghannouchi, the speaker, tried to enter parliament overnight, but police and military forces guarding the building stopped him. On Monday morning, he was in a car in front of the building. His next steps are unclear. He called the presidents move a coup against the constitution and the (Arab Spring) revolution, and said parliament would continue to work. Problems between the prime minister and president have been blamed for poor management of the virus, including a vaccination drive so badly executed that the health minister was removed from his job. To date, only seven percent of the population has been fully vaccinated. More than 90 percent of the countrys emergency-care hospital beds are being used, health ministry information says. There are videos on social media showing dead bodies left in hospital beds. And morgues are struggling to deal with the number of deaths. The Ennahdha Party has been a target of protesters, who accuse it of caring more about politics than dealing with the virus. On Monday, security forces took over the Tunis offices of Al Jazeera, the network wrote on its Facebook page. The reason for the move was not clear. Al-Jazeera journalists said 10 heavily armed police officers entered their office without a warrant and asked everyone to leave. The reporters phones and other equipment were confiscated, and they were not allowed back into the building, the organization said. The presidents move has gotten him support in some areas, but also caused concern. A German Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the government is very worried by the events in Tunisia and is in discussion with Tunisian officials. Turkeys government said it was deeply concerned by the suspension of parliament and called for a return to democracy. Im Susan Shand. The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. ________________________________________________ Words in This Story subsidy n. money paid by the government to keep the price of a product or service low or to help a business or organization continue coup (d'etat) n. a sudden attempt by a small group of people to take over the government usually through violence morgue n. a place where the bodies of the dead are kept before burial or cremation confiscate v. to take something away from people especially as punishment or to enforce laws or rules allow v. to permit; to let happen We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, and visit our Facebook page. A top Chinese diplomat has accused the United States of attempting to turn China into an imagined enemy. State media reported the comment Monday after high-level talks between U.S. and Chinese officials in China. The official, Chinas Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng, also accused the administration of President Joe Biden of trying to suppress Chinas development. Xie met Monday with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in the northern city of Tianjin. Sherman is Americas second highest-ranking diplomat. The U.S. State Department described the four-hour meeting as frank and open. Foreign media were not permitted at the site of the talks, but Chinese media reported on the discussions. "The United States wants to reignite the sense of national purpose by establishing China as an 'imaginary enemy, Chinese media reported Xie as saying. The official added that the U.S. was using its government and society to attempt to suppress China. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said China requested during the talks that the U.S. change course and correct its mistakes." The state of U.S.-Chinese relations worsened under the former administration of President Donald Trump. The two sides still have major differences on several issues, including trade, technology, cybersecurity and human rights. U.S. officials said Sherman expressed U.S. concerns over Chinese actions in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet. Sherman also met with Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi. In that meeting, officials said she raised concerns about China's objections to further investigation of the beginnings of COVID-19. Sherman brought up a number of issues that run counter to our values and interests and those of our allies and partners, the State Department said in a statement. Sherman spoke to The Associated Press by phone after her talks. She said that while the U.S. welcomes healthy economic competition with China, it does not want such competition to develop into conflicts. Sherman added that the U.S. expects China to understand that human rights are not just an internal matter, they are a global commitment which they have signed up for. There are some things that rise above specific differences that are the global responsibility of great powers, Sherman said. Sherman described the meetings as another step in a process that seeks to work through important issues with China. She said she sees possibilities for the two countries to work together in several areas. These include climate issues, anti-drug efforts and relations with North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan and Myanmar. Sherman added: We will see whether, in fact, theres follow-up and we are able to move another step. Another U.S. official told Reuters the purpose of the talks was not to reach agreements on specific issues. Instead, the official said, the goal was to discuss major areas of disagreement so that we understand one another's position, and so that we are clear about where each side is coming from. Im Bryan Lynn. The Associated Press and Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson 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 suppress v. to prevent something from happening frank adj. speaking openly and honestly reignite v. to make something, such as a disagreement, grow stronger society n. a large group of people who live in the same country or area and have the same laws, traditions. etc. counter adv. in a way that opposes an opinion or action commitment n. a promise or strong decision to do something specific adj. used to refer to a particular thing and not something general global adj. relating to the whole world Lewiston, ID (83501) Today Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. High 103F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy. Low around 70F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Monthly columnist Joe A. Garcia is a Lompoc resident who founded the Lompoc Valley Cannabis Coalition and works in the county's cannabis industry. He can be reached at FlowerToThePeople805@gmail.com or follow on Facebook @FlowerToThePeople805 The following is taken from the Lompoc Police Department's calls-for-service log and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office daily arrest log. Those appearing as "arrested" are only suspected of the crime indicated but are presumed innocent. Monday, July 12: INCIDENT At 3:50 a.m., Lompoc Police received a report of shots fired/heard in the 1200 block of West Cypress Avenue. Tuesday, July 13: INCIDENT At 6:06 p.m., Lompoc Police received a report of a vehicle collision with a minor injury in the 1400 block of North H Street. INCIDENT At 10:07 p.m., Lompoc Police received a report of an assault with a deadly weapon in the 500 block of North O Street. ARREST At 3:23 p.m., Alan Skinner, 52, was arrested in the 200 block of Antares Avenue and booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on suspicion of domestic violence. Wednesday, July 14: INCIDENT At 12:22 p.m., Lompoc Police received a report of a person with a knife in the 1100 block of West College Avenue that resulted in an officer contacting and counseling the person. INCIDENT At 3:33 p.m., Lompoc Police received a report of a vehicle collision with a minor injury near the intersection of East Airport Avenue and North Fourth Street. Thursday, July 15: INCIDENT At 12:05 a.m., Lompoc Police received a report of shots fired/heard in the 500 block of West College Avenue. INCIDENT At 6:06 p.m., Lompoc Police received a report of a vehicle collision with a minor injury in the 400 block of West Pine Avenue. INCIDENT At 8:51 p.m., Lompoc Police received a report of fireworks near the intersection of West Walnut Avenue and North L Street. INCIDENT At 11:50 p.m., Lompoc Police received a report of arson in the 1100 block of West Oak Avenue. ARREST At 11:51 a.m., Xavier Cruz, 26, was arrested at the Lompoc Jail and booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on suspicion of assault with force, with possible great bodily injury, child cruelty, domestic violence and witness intimidation. Saturday, July 17: INCIDENT At 2:31 a.m., Lompoc Police received a report of a person with a gun in the 600 block of North Third Street. INCIDENT At 11 a.m., Lompoc Police received a report of a vehicle collision with a minor injury in the 1100 block of West Barton Avenue. INCIDENT At 9:01 p.m., Lompoc Police received a report of shots fired/heard in the 100 block of South M Street. INCIDENT At 9:44 p.m., Lompoc Police received a report of a warrant service near the intersection of West North Avenue and Armstrong Street that resulted in an arrest. INCIDENT At 10:01 p.m., Lompoc Police received a report of a warrant service in the 100 block of North B Street that resulted in an arrest. INCIDENT At 10:25 p.m., Lompoc Police received a report of shots fired/heard in the 400 block alley of North G and H streets. INCIDENT At 11:28 p.m., Lompoc Police received a report of shots fired/heard in the 300 block of North M Street. INCIDENT At 11:30 p.m., Lompoc Police received a report of shots fired/heard near the intersection of East Pine Avenue and North F Street. ARREST At 3:02 a.m., Richard Almanza, 26, was arrested in the 1500 block of East Ocean Avenue and booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on suspicion of domestic violence. Sunday, July 18: INCIDENT At 10:47 a.m., Lompoc Police received a report of a shooting at a dwelling in the 1000 block of East Airport Avenue. INCIDENT At 2:12 p.m., Lompoc Police received a report of a warrant service in the 400 block of West North Avenue that resulted in an arrest. INCIDENT At 8:43 p.m., Lompoc Police received a report of a vehicle collision with a major injury in the 300 block of West North Avenue. INCIDENT At 10:56 p.m., Lompoc Police received a report of a shooting at a dwelling in the 300 block alley of North K and L streets. INCIDENT At 11:28 p.m., Lompoc Police received a report of an evasion/failure to yield in the 600 block alley of North Fourth and Fifth streets. ARREST At 5:26 p.m., Jennifer Garbiso, 43, was arrested in the 900 block of West Fir Avenue and booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on suspicion of domestic violence. Santa Barbara County Public Health officials have noted much higher rates of COVID-19 among unvaccinated residents than those who are vaccinated. This graph from the county shows a recent case rate of 5.8 among unvaccinated residents, shown in red, versus 1.1 among vaccinated residents, shown in blue. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Under the proposal, Mortenson would buy the land from the city for $4 million instead of leasing it and change the number of parking spaces it could lease from the city-owned Wilson Street Garage. Because there is no parking for cars on the hotel block, the proposal calls for a lease of up to 200 spots, if demand is available, in the Wilson Street Garage. This is up from 40 spaces under the original agreement with Beitler. On peak demand days, the hotel could use valet parking to store cars in other city-owned garages. The development agreement transfer would involve several approvals from the City Council, including signing off on the purchase agreement and parking lease, among others. For the first time, Madisons Finance Committee heard a presentation on the proposal at its meeting Monday. Alders voted to enter a closed session after hearing a presentation from city staff. Ahead of the meeting, Economic Development Director Matt Mikolajewski said Mortenson Development is a very capable partner and has experience with hotel development. He said the proposal advances a building plan consistent with what the city has previously approved, but also noted that the City Council has largely turned over as the project has evolved. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) Laura Brown wipes tears from her face as she confronts the reality that her 6-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter will never see their father again. Alicia Otero misses her sons smile, his knack for making her laugh, and his insatiable appetite for hot wings and barbecue sauce. Mary Candelaria replays her sons music videos every day, the sound of his voice providing some solace. They are among the families devastated by Albuquerques relentless rash of killings. For many, its a rollercoaster of disbelief, anger, sadness and frustration especially for those wanting answers and justice. The city is having one of its deadliest years in memory. The homicide tally for the first seven months of 2021 is about to eclipse the record of 80 set in 2019. While other cities around the U.S. also are seeing significant increases this year, Albuquerque has a history with violent crime. Concern grew in 2017 after three years of skyrocketing homicides and a record-setting year. Experts warned that the city either had a growing problem or was encountering a new norm. In 2019, that record was broken. With the numbers still rising, officials acknowledge that doing what theyve always done isn't enough. Dane County, which leads the state in vaccinations with 70% of all residents receiving at least one dose, is considered at a moderate level of transmission. From July 19 through Sunday, the county had 33.47 cases per 100,000 residents, according to the CDC. If the county does hit substantial or high levels of transmission, Heinrich didn't count out another mask mandate being issued. "Let's not get there," she said. Local officials continued to stress those eligible to get the vaccine do so. "We know that getting a vaccine is the single most important thing we can do to bring this pandemic to an end," County Executive Joe Parisi said. "Between vaccines and masking up, we have the ability to put an end to this latest surge and get this virus back under control." In early June, Public Health let its coronavirus restrictions and accompanying mask mandate expire after the CDC had said in May that fully vaccinated could largely return to pre-pandemic lives. Health officials have continued to urge unvaccinated people wear facemasks indoors or when physical distancing is not possible outdoors. The CDC cited new information about the delta variant's ability to spread among vaccinated people as a reason to update the masking recommendations. According to the school district, traffic wont be an issue. Students will be picked up at designated stops outside of the neighborhood and transported directly to Capital Highs new location on one of four buses. Less than 10% of the Capital High student body will be traveling to the school by other means. There should be no noticeable change to traffic flow or parking availability beyond what the surrounding community is already accustomed to, district spokesperson Tim LeMonds said. The Madison Plan Commission approved a conditional use permit on July 12 for Hoyt School to be converted to Capital High, which currently serves roughly 180 students across two different locations the third floor of an elementary school and a storefront in a strip mall on the citys West Side. Madison residents overwhelmingly approved the school districts $317 million capital referendum in November, which included $6 million to provide a single central facility for Capital Highs roughly 200 students and staff. But 20% of residents who lived within 200 feet of the Hoyt School property petitioned against and appealed the Plan Commissions decision to move Capital High into the neighborhood. Current District 5 Ald. Regina Vidaver said she is very upset about the appeal. After receiving bipartisan support in the Legislature, Gov. Tony Evers signed the bill into law on July 8, making Wisconsin the 31st state to exempt braiders from licensure. This shows a movement at every level of government to remove barriers, to create opportunities wherever possible, Stubbs said at a press conference Monday celebrating the new law. Because of this bill, braiders across the state can feel free to work from home with their skill, to contribute to their communities, to be entrepreneurs and to be extremely successful, by opening the doors to hair braiders across our state, we are promoting the freedom to succeed. Fellow hair stylists reached out and thanked Allen when she started posting about the deregulation bill. She said the bill was well-needed because she knows many aspiring stylists who cannot afford the hefty price tag that comes with licensure. The year-long program is also a big-time commitment. Allen, who juggles running her business with raising three children, is busy every day. She lived in DeForest for five years and commuted to Madison to attend cosmetology school. She moved back to Madison last April. Her salon, tucked into the corner of her kitchen, is now open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. six days a week she just recently started taking Sundays off. Dane County achieved a pandemic milestone Monday, as 70% of all residents have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Health officials largely agree that herd immunity the threshold where the virus lacks enough hosts to easily spread would require about 80% of people to be immune through recent infection or vaccination. Department of Health Services Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk this spring said Wisconsin could achieve herd immunity if the state reached a 70% vaccination rate. We will not stop now, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said. We will continue to provide equitable access to the vaccine and engage our community on the importance of getting vaccinated. The county continues to have one of the highest vaccination rates in the country, with 382,535 residents having gotten at least one dose, Public Health Madison and Dane County said in a statement. Of the currently eligible population residents who are 12 years old and older 80.8% have received at least one vaccine dose. Authorities were hopeful that improving weather will help them continue to make progress against the nations largest wildfire, the Bootleg Fire in southern Oregon. It was 53% contained after scorching 640 square miles (1,657 square kilometers) of remote land. On Monday, an additional crew of Oregon National Guardsmen were sent to help out the more than 2,200 people battling the blaze. The lightning-caused fire has burned at least 70 homes, mainly cabins, and some 2,000 residences were under evacuation orders. In Montana, four firefighters were released from a hospital and a fifth was being treated at a burn center Monday after a wildfire overran them last week, authorities said. The five were building a defensive line at the Devils Creek Fire in Garfield County when winds shifted suddenly and blew flames back at them. The firefighter still being treated a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee is making good progress and is in good spirits, spokesperson Kari Cobb said. Crews were trying to keep the 10-square-mile (26-square-kilometer) fire from reaching Fort Peck Reservoir along the Missouri River in central Montana. Its one of three major fires in the state. However, Winmill ruled that the project does not appear to qualify for an exclusion and halted logging until it rules on the merits of the case. Specifically, Winmill said that the Forest Service had to meet requirements outlined in the Healthy Forest Restoration Act to designate an area a wildland urban interface and not just cite a county's designation. Winmill cited a previous ruling in a related case involving the logging project where a different judge noted a county could simply designate the entire county a wildland urban interface to avoid environmental laws with the categorical exclusion. The area is home to a dwindling population of endangered Selkirk grizzly bears, said Mike Garrity, executive director of the Alliance for the Wild Rockies. Roads and logging are the greatest threat to this population on these public lands. Yet the Forest Service refuses to follow its own rules and conserve this imperiled grizzly population." The U.S. Department of Justice, which represents federal agencies in court cases, didn't immediately respond to an inquiry sent through its online portal on Monday. Logging on the project had been scheduled to start in early August, but is now suspended until a further order from the court. Now, thats power. And those at the top of the food chain seem to treat IFF memos as something that comes from the Bible. Thats double power but nothing compared to what youd see if Lt. Janice McGeachin wins the governors race and Giddings gets in as lieutenant governor. If that happens, we might as well shut down all the state agencies and turn over the whole operation to Hoffman & Co. For sure, that would mean job security for quite a few editorial writers. And maybe it would be added life to Hoffman, who seems to thrive on media controversy. Not surprisingly, the IFF comes under attack quite a bit from people such as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Winder, former Attorney General Jim Jones and legislators both past and present. Recently the Idaho Capital Sun, an online news outlet, produced a series of articles investigating the IFF and saying, among other things, that the organization is breaking non-profit laws through extensive lobbying. I think of the Idaho Freedom Foundation as a lobbyist for liberty, says Bryan Smith of Idaho Falls, the organizations vice president. The only ones really complaining about the Idaho Freedom Foundation and the Idaho Freedom Index are Republicans who say theyre conservative to get elected but vote like Democrats once in office. Wilson Farm Event Center in Marion, a new wedding venue, was affected by the pandemic not in the way of bookings, but more in the modifications for how weddings were to be held. Fewer guests in attendance, no reception, masks and sanitize stations on the wedding day were some of the changes. For 2020, they had eight weddings, with only one rescheduled and one canceled. Now for 2021, they are increasing in bookings from last year. We are a new venue and feel very blessed to have couples trust us with their big day, said Shannon Brackett, one of the owners. We really try to accommodate each couples desires for their wedding day. We did our best to do this with all of the COVID-19 restrictions, also. The Inn on Mill Creek is a bed-and-breakfast as well as a place where couples go to tie the knot. At the beginning of the pandemic, they closed for almost three months in spring of 2020, from early March until Phase Two of North Carolinas reopening on May 22. They reopened, adding some precautionary adjustments going beyond what the hospitality industry and CDC put in place. For example, they limited occupancy, offered in-room breakfast, and also offered voluntary self-check-in to everyone. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Buck's 2019 arrest marked a turning point for activists who protested outside his apartment and pressured law enforcement to act after Moore died on Buck's floor in 2017. Even after Timothy Dean, 55, died 18 months later, it took another nine months and the near-death of another overdose victim before Buck was arrested in September 2019. This man did some terrible things to human beings, Joann Campbell, one of Dean's sisters, said after the verdict. Family members and activists had pushed for Bucks arrest since Moore died. They said Buck escaped criminal charges for years because of wealth, political ties and race. Ed Buck will never harm anyone else, and I thank God for that, said Joyce Jackson, another of Dean's sisters. Buck is a wealthy white man who was active in gay causes and animal rights issues. He has given more than $500,000 to mostly Democratic politicians and causes since 2000. Prosecutors say he exploited vulnerable men most of them Black by paying them to come to his home to use drugs and engage in sex play to satisfy a fetish. Many were destitute drug users who often worked as prostitutes to support their habit. Credit: CC0 Public Domain A new nationally representative Canadian study published in the Archives of Suicide Research found that 28.4% of respondents with a history of suicide attempts had reached a state of complete mental health. To be considered in complete mental health, participants had to report freedom from mental illness, such as substance dependence psychiatric disorders, and suicidality in the previous year; almost daily happiness or life satisfaction in the past month; and high levels of social and psychological well-being in the past month. "This is a very hopeful finding for individuals struggling with suicidality and their loved ones," said lead author Esme Fuller-Thomson, professor at the University of Toronto's Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and director of the Institute for Life Course and Aging. "Our findings indicate a significant minority of individuals with a history of suicide attempts go on to achieve high levels of happiness and psychological flourishing." The researchers examined a nationally representative sample of 769 Canadians who had attempted suicide at some point in their lives using data drawn from Statistics Canada's Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health. "We found social support to be a key factor in supporting the well-being of individuals with previous suicide attempts," says co-author Philip Baiden, an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, School of Social Work. "Respondents who had someone to confide in were six times more likely to be in a state of complete mental health." Other factors that were associated with complete mental health among those with a history of suicide attempts included being free from chronic pain, and insomnia. "This study also highlights factors that may act as a barrier to positive mental health outcomes following a suicide attempt," says co-author Ian Mahoney, a recent law school graduate from York University, Toronto. "It is essential to address modifiable factors, such as insomnia and chronic pain, to support the well-being of this vulnerable population." Complete mental health was also found to be more prevalent among women, older respondents, and those with higher income. "While remission from suicidality is an important factor in the recovery process, this research draws attention to mental health outcomes beyond the absence of a suicide attempt," says co-author Andie MacNeil, a recent Master of Social Work graduate from the University of Toronto. "This study incorporates measures of social and psychological well-being, encouraging a more holistic approach to recovery from suicidality." Explore further A history of drug dependence is associated with negative mental health outcomes More information: Esme Fuller-Thomson et al, A Bright Light at the End of the Tunnel: Factors Associated With Complete Mental Health After a Suicide Attempt, Archives of Suicide Research (2021). Esme Fuller-Thomson et al, A Bright Light at the End of the Tunnel: Factors Associated With Complete Mental Health After a Suicide Attempt,(2021). DOI: 10.1080/13811118.2021.1950088 Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A West London-based project will investigate how pollutants in indoor spaces impact children with asthma. Researchers have received 9 million funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to better understand how the composition, concentration and exposures of air pollutants affect children with asthma and people living in urban homes. The four-year projects were funded by UKRI through the SPF Clean Air Program. Each project will bring together specialists in environmental, social and medical, engineering, economics sciences, and health communities. Three new research projects will investigate how air pollutants in indoor spaces such as homes, schools and workplaces can adversely affect the health of the people inhabiting in them. In the UK, poor air quality is a severe environmental risk to public health, with air pollution responsible for 40,000 early deaths. It is estimated to cost 20 billion a year to health services and businesses. West London Healthy Home and Environment Study (Wellhome) Children growing up in the UK today represent an 'indoor child generation," with most of their activities taking place primarily in homes and schools, with chemically diverse environments. Despite its importance in human exposure terms, links between indoor air quality and public health is an under-researched area, with greater emphasis placed on outdoor air quality. Working in partnership with local community, the WellHome consortia will focus on the quality of air inside and outside over 100 homes with an asthmatic child selected from across the social spectrum. Their intensive monitoring approach, linking toxicological assessments of chemical and biological pollutants with individual activity and health data, aims to identify triggers for worsening of their condition and thus improve quality of life. Imperial's Professor Frank Kelly, Battcock Chair in Community Health and Policy, within the School of Public Health is leading the study. One multi-disciplinary team will follow 100 households in West London with at least one child with asthma and monitor chemical and biological pollutants within their home. With many children now spending most of their time indoors, whether at home or school, this study will significantly improve understanding of the link between air quality and asthma symptoms. Professor Kelly said: "This is an ambitious and complex program of work which will substantially improve understanding of indoor pollution exposure and its effect on children living in urban environments. The team consists of researchers from Imperial, Queen Mary University of London, Cardiff University and project partners from GLA, NGOs, community groups, and industry. Indoor air pollutants and impacts of pollution on neurological disease The other two projects will be based on air pollutant studies. Professor Nicola Carslaw from University of York will be leading on "Understanding the sources, transformations and fates of indoor air pollutants." The research team will follow communities in Bradford to examine how and why air pollution builds in urban homes. A team made up of scientists from four universities will work with Bradford Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Born In Bradforda research program following communities in the city to unravel the reasons for ill-health. The third project is the "Air Pollution Hazard Identification Platform' led by Professor Gordon McFiggans at the University of Manchester. A platform that enables scientists to rank the toxicity of common air pollutants will be developed, focusing on links between air quality and neurological disease. Using this platform, the team will study the impacts of pollution on neurological disease, providing a hazard ranking of pollutant sources. This can inform policy decisions about the sorts of pollution to avoid to reduce ill health. They hope that the platform will be used in future to study other diseases. The research team consists of those from Imperial, University of Birmingham, University of Dundee, University of Edinburgh and the University of York. Professor Sir Duncan Wingham, Executive Chair of the Natural Environment Research Councils, part of UKRI, said: "Poor air quality affects millions of people in the UK, and this research will help us better understand how indoor spaces interact with pollutants, causing poor health. Air pollution is a key funding priority, and these studies are part of a multi-million-pound investment by UKRI in monitoring, reducing and mitigating the impact of pollutants on the planet and our health." Explore further Systemic inequalities driving exposure to high indoor air pollution in London Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Electronic cigarettes and similar devices are dangerous to health and must be regulated to curb the tobacco industry's "criminal" tactics to get young people hooked on nicotine, the World Health Organization warned Tuesday. "Nicotine is highly addictive. Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) are harmful, and must be better regulated," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2021, which focused on new and emerging products, was published on Tuesday. It said ENDS should be tightly regulated for maximum public health protection. "Where they are not banned, governments should adopt appropriate policies to protect their populations from the harms of ENDS, and to prevent their uptake by children, adolescents and other vulnerable groups," Tedros said. The UN health agency's eighth tobacco report said ENDS manufacturers often target youths with thousands of tantalising flavoursthe document listed 16,000and reassuring statements. Doctor Vinayak Prasad, who heads the WHO's Tobacco Free Initiative, said targeting children "with toxic and poisonous products is a criminal action". "It's the most criminal act. And it's a human rights violation," he told a press conference. "They run the risk of being addicted for the rest of their lives." The report said there were still more than a billion smokers around the world. Tobacco is responsible for the deaths of eight million people a year, including one million from second-hand smoke, it stressed. Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, the WHO's global ambassador for non-communicable diseases, said: "As cigarette sales have fallen, tobacco companies have been aggressively marketing new productslike e-cigarettes and heated-tobacco productsand lobbied governments to limit their regulation. "Their goal is simple: to hook another generation on nicotine. We can't let that happen." Concern for youngsters The UN health agency is particularly concerned by people under 20 using e-cigarettes due to the harmful effects of nicotine on brain development. However, regulating such products is not easy as the product range is very diverse and rapidly evolving, said Ruediger Krech, director of the WHO's health promotion department. "Distinguishing the nicotine-containing products from the non-nicotine, or even from some tobacco-containing products, can be almost impossible. This is just one way the industry subverts and undermines tobacco control measures," he said. The WHO recommends that governments do whatever they can to prevent non-smokers from taking up e-cigarettes, for fear of "renormalising smoking in society". Krech said that while the evidence on e-cigarettes was not yet fully conclusive, there was enough evidence to conclude that they were harmful. "Let us not be naive in thinking that the tobacco industry would be part of the solution right now: they are still a big part of the problem," he added. Prasad said the tobacco industry was "misleading the public and trying to mislead the governments". The report found that 32 countries have banned the sale of ENDS. They include Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Iraq, Mexico, North Korea and Singapore. A further 79 have adopted at least one partial measure to either prohibit the use of such products in public places, prohibit their advertising, promotion and sponsorship or require the display of health warnings on packaging. "This still leaves 84 countries where they are not regulated or restricted in any way," the WHO said. The Geneva-based organisation said efforts to regulate e-cigarettes should not distract from the fight against smoking. Though the proportion of smokers has fallen in many countries, population growth means that the total number of smokers remains "stubbornly high," the WHO said. 2021 AFP Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, left, and Victorian COVID-19 Commander Jeroen Weima speak to the media during a press conference in Melbourne, Australia Tuesday, July 27, 2021. Australia's second-most populous city Melbourne will end its fifth lockdown on Tuesday with the Victoria state government declaring it had beaten an outbreak of the highly contagious COVID-19 delta variant for a second time. Credit: Luis Ascui/AAP Image via AP Australia's second-most populous city Melbourne will end its fifth lockdown on Tuesday with the Victoria state government declaring it had beaten an outbreak of the highly contagious COVID-19 delta variant for a second time. The five-day lockdown across Victoria ends at 11:59 p.m., allowing schools, pubs and restaurants to reopen, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said. But people will not be allowed to have visitors in their homes for another two weeks. "This lockdown ... sends a very clear message that we have seen off two delta outbreaks," Andrews said. "I don't think there's a jurisdiction in the world that has been able to achieve that, and every Victorian should be proud of that." Sydney, Australia's most populous city where the delta outbreak began in mid-June when a limousine driver was infected while transporting a U.S. air crew from the airport, remains in lockdown indefinitely after more than four weeks. The new outbreak has claimed 10 lives. The New South Wales state government on Tuesday reported 172 new infections in the latest 24-hour period, a new daily record. Victoria reported 10 new cases on Tuesday, but all had been in isolation while they were infectious. It was the third consecutive day in which no new cases in Victoria had been in the community while infectious. The South Australia government announced that the state's week-long lockdown will end as planned on Wednesday after no new COVID-19 cases were recorded Tuesday. Australian states are quick to lock down due to relatively small clusters because of the low vaccination coverage of the population. Only 16% of adults are fully vaccinated. Australia's immunization expert body, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, known as ATAGI, recommended on July 13 that adults under the age of 60 take Pfizer because of the increased risk of blood clotting in younger adults caused by the AstraZeneca vaccine. Pfizer and AstraZeneca are the only COVID-19 vaccines registered in Australia. AstraZenca had been recommended for all adults until a 48-year-old died of blood clots in April, then for Australians over 50 until a 52-year-old died in May. But with Sydney's COVID-19 death toll rising, ATAGI on Saturday recommended adults as young as 18 in Sydney "should strongly consider getting vaccinated with any available vaccine" including AstraZeneca. Australia has abundant stocks of locally-manufactured AstraZeneca, but imported Pfizer is in short supply. Most Australians under 40 have no access to Pfizer. Because Australia has been relatively successful in containing COVID-19 outbreaks, many Australians are prepared to wait for months for Pfizer rather than risk AstraZeneca. Explore further Australia offers all adults AstraZeneca to speed up rollout 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. This photograph provided by UNICEF shows monks from Paro's monastic body perform a ritual as 500,000 doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine gifted from the United States arrived at Paro International Airport in Bhutan, July 12, 2021. The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has fully vaccinated 90% of its eligible adult population within just seven days, its health ministry said Tuesday. Credit: UNICEF via AP The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has fully vaccinated 90% of its eligible adult population within just seven days, its health ministry said Tuesday. The tiny country, wedged between India and China and home to nearly 800,000 people, began giving out second doses on July 20 in a mass drive that has been hailed by UNICEF as "arguably the fastest vaccination campaign to be executed during a pandemic." In April, Bhutan grabbed headlines when its government said it had inoculated around the same percentage of eligible adults with the first dose in under two weeks after India donated 550,000 shots of AstraZeneca vaccine. But the country faced a shortage for months after India, a major supplier of the AstraZeneca shot, halted exports as it scrambled to meet a rising demand at home as infections surged. Bhutan was able to restart its drive last week after half a million doses of Moderna vaccine arrived from the United States as a donation under the U.N.-backed COVAX program, an initiative devised to give countries access to coronavirus vaccines regardless of their wealth. Some 5,000 shots of Pfizer were also facilitated through COVAX, which is co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation. This photograph provided by UNICEF shows monks from Paro's monastic body perform prayers as 500,000 doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine gifted from the United States arrived at Paro International Airport in Bhutan, July 12, 2021. The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has fully vaccinated 90% of its eligible adult population within just seven days, its health ministry said Tuesday. Credit: UNICEF via AP It also received more than 400,000 AstraZeneca shots from Denmark, Croatia and Bulgaria in the last two weeks. "Our aim is to achieve herd immunity among our population in the shortest possible time to avert a major public health crisis," Dechen Wangmo, Bhutan's health minister, told The Associated Press. Many Western countries with far more resources are yet to vaccinate such a high rate of eligible adults. Health experts say Bhutan's small population helped, but the country also benefited from strong and effective messaging from top officials and an established cold chain storage system. More than 3,000 health workers participated and 1,200 vaccination centers across the country helped ensure that shots reached every eligible adult. In some cases, health workers trekked for days through landslides and pouring rain to reach extremely remote villages atop steep mountains to administer doses to those unable to get to a center, said Dr. Sonam Wangchuk, a member of Bhutan's vaccination task force. "Vaccination is the pillar of Bhutan's healthcare initiative," he said. This photograph provided by UNICEF shows airport personnel in protective suit handle unloaded consignment as 500,000 doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine gifted from the United States arrived at Paro International Airport in Bhutan, July 12, 2021. The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has fully vaccinated 90% of its eligible adult population within just seven days, its health ministry said Tuesday. Credit: UNICEF via AP Bhutan's government is also led by medical practitioners. The prime minister, the foreign minister and the health minister are all medical professionals. And frequent messaging from the government, which directly answers questions from the public about the coronavirus and vaccinations on Facebook, also helped combat vaccine hesitancy among citizens. "In fact, people are quite eager to come and get themselves vaccinated," Dr. Wangchuk said. Its prime minister, Lotay Tshering, and monarch, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, were also early advocates of the vaccine, which allayed fears surrounding the rollout. The king also toured the country to raise awareness about the vaccination drive. Bhutan is the last remaining Buddhist kingdom in the Himalayas, but it has transitioned from an absolute monarchy to a democratic, constitutional monarchy. Another crucial ingredient in the vaccine drive is the country's extensive network of citizen volunteers called "desuups," said Will Parks, the UNICEF representative for Bhutan. Some 22,000 citizens volunteered over the last year and a half to raise awareness, dispel misinformation, help conduct mass screening and testing and even carry vaccines across the country's difficult terrain, he said. Bhutan's success is an anomaly in South Asia where countries such as India and Bangladesh are struggling to ramp up their vaccination rates. Experts say it underscores the importance of richer countries donating vaccines to the developing world and highlights just how big an impact the government and community outreach can have. "Perhaps this little Himalayan kingdom can be a beacon of hope to a region that is on fire," Parks said. 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday that 70 percent of adults in the bloc have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Overall, 57 percent of over-18s are now fully vaccinated across the 27 nations, she said in a statement. "These figures put Europe among the world leaders," von der Leyen said. "But we need to keep up the effort." The European Commission president sounded a warning over the "very dangerous" Delta variant of the virus that has increasingly taken hold on the continent and seen infection rates begin to tick up again. "I therefore call on everyonewho has the opportunityto be vaccinated. For their own health and to protect others," she said. The European Commissionwhich has been in charge of securing vaccinations for the blochad earlier set the target of getting 70 percent of adults fully vaccinated by the end of summer. Von der Leyen said on July 10 that the EU had delivered enough vaccines to reach that level. The inoculation drive in the bloc has picked up speed dramatically after a bumpy start due to supply shortfalls that saw it lag behind pacesetters like the United States, Britain and Israel. Explore further More than half of European adults fully vaccinated 2021 AFP Bullying remains a threat to American teens, and a new study reveals which kids may be at highest risk. Race-based bullying takes a heavy toll on teens, the research found, but minority kids who are picked on for other reasonswhether gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability or immigration statussuffer a double whammy. Victims' physical and mental health suffer as their exposure to violence rises, according to a survey of high school students in Pennsylvania. They're also more likely to become violent themselves. "Oftentimes, there is a focus on really trying to capture or assess the consequences of identity-based bullying based on a single aspect of someone's identity, and we know that people are multifaceted, right? There are multiple social identities," said researcher Chardee Galan, who studied the issue while at the University of Pittsburgh. She's now an assistant professor of education at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. To evaluate the impact of bullying, her team surveyed nearly 4,000 ninth- through 12th-graders at 13 public high schools in Pittsburgh. Almost 10% of the students reported experiencing race-based bullying, and nearly 6% had bullied someone because of their race, the study found. Young people who were part of several stigmatized groups had even higher rates of bullying. More than one-third of respondents identified as Black; about 53% were assigned female at birth; 32% belonged to a sexual minority; and 10% were gender diverse, meaning they identified other than male or female alone. Many of the victims did not seek medical attention, the study authors noted. "We looked at their engagement with health care systems, which is really important to consider these youth within these larger oppressive systems and practices," Galan said. "They were also more likely to forgo medical care, which is really important for us when we try to consider how do we actually interact with these youth and engage with these youth as doctors, as physicians, as clinical providers." The survey linked bullying with self-harm, suicidal thoughts and greater involvement in violence. That included threatening or injuring someone else with a weapon or surviving such an attack, as well as fighting, sexual assault, intimate-partner abuse or experiencing the slaying of a friend or family member. Galan said those working with students often use a colorblind approach to dealing with problems, but there's a pitfall: It tends to ignore that specific students might have unique experiences that need to be acknowledged and addressed. She said it is important to continue to push for antiracist practices in schools and understanding youth within larger oppressive systems. The next step is attempting to dismantle the forces driving the inequities, Galan said. Gender-diverse Black and Hispanic youth reported the highest rates of being bullied and of bullying, the survey found. "This emphasizes the fact that these experiences of discrimination, including discrimination based on one's gender or sexual orientation, should really be incorporated and considered as parts of programs that address race-based discrimination," Galan said. That's important when thinking about the "school-to-prison pipeline" or the likelihood that some youth might be funneled into the criminal justice system or to respond to discrimination with potentially problematic behaviors, Galan said. The study was published online July 23 in JAMA Network Open. Sandra Graham, a professor of education at the University of California, Los Angeles, wrote an editorial that accompanied the findings. Graham said the rise in hate crimes associated with COVID-19 make this a critical time for taking the study of identity-based bullying in new directions. It's important that students who are being bullied know that they shouldn't blame themselves, she noted. "We need to be working very, very hard to change the social norms in schools," Graham said. "It is not OK to pick on other kids." Graham said schools need to have more racial and ethnic diversity so groups are relatively equal in size. Instruction and activities should be organized so there is less emphasis on who has authority to shape the norms and who doesn't. "You just have to make sure that the activities that are available in your school are available to everybody so that there's more sharing and more equality," she said. Graham added that this could be by race, but also by all of the other dimensions of different kids in school. "Schools have to be really sensitive to that," she said. "The main thing is that kids have to be learning tolerance for people who are different from them because the main determinant is the imbalance of power." More information: Chardee A. Galan et al, Exploration of Experiences and Perpetration of Identity-Based Bullying Among Adolescents by Race/Ethnicity and Other Marginalized Identities, JAMA Network Open (2021). Journal information: JAMA Network Open Chardee A. Galan et al, Exploration of Experiences and Perpetration of Identity-Based Bullying Among Adolescents by Race/Ethnicity and Other Marginalized Identities,(2021). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.16364 Copyright 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Laurie Kramer is a professor of applied psychology in the Bouve College of Health Sciences at Northeastern University. Credit: Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University In the United States, just shy of half of all adults are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and an additional 7.6 percent are at least partially vaccinateda considerable feat, given the relatively short time (about six months) that inoculations have been widely available. However, the figures leave out an important demographic: So far, the federal Food and Drug Administration has not authorized any vaccine for children under 12 years old. Vaccine manufacturers including Pfizer and Moderna are in the process of conducting trials among younger children, but in the meantime, what should parents do? What about families in which some children are eligible for the vaccine and others aren't? "Families are experiencing a lot of turmoil and uncertainty right now," says Laurie Kramer, professor of applied psychology at Northeastern. There's no single answer that will make sense for every family, she says, but across the board, the situation does offer opportunities to open up conversations between parents and children about frustrations, fears, hopes, and accomplishments. According to the CDC, there are several practices that can help protect unvaccinated children. First, ensure that everyone who can get a vaccine, does. Second, make sure that children aged two and over wear masks in public settings. And third, for children under 2, or who can't wear a mask, limit visits with people who are not vaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown. Kramer, who studies family and sibling dynamics in the Bouve College of Health Sciences, has some additional advice for parents and families. Parents of young children are facing tough decisions right now. Do you have any advice for how they might navigate those choices? First, I think it's important to be clear that there is no single answer as every family needs to make decisions about risk tolerance based on what makes sense for them. Families are under a lot of stress right now, and one thing that does seem to help is that it's summer, and there are lots of opportunities to be outside [where the chance of spreading or contracting COVID-19 is significantly lower, according to public health officials]. It also seems that we've been at this for so long that young children are much more amenable than I might have expected to wearing masks in public in general. So that's all good. Otherwise, this is a great learning moment for families. There are opportunities that parents have to talk to their children about how to deal with frustration and disappointmentwe all had hoped that this would be the summer that we'd be free of COVID-19, and of course, that's not quite the case, yet. This situation opens up opportunities for parents to commend their children on how patient they are, and to help them see that despite the emotions they might be feelingdisappointment, frustration, sadnessthey're still managing well. Being able to understand emotions and manage them are transferable skills that kids can use in situations throughout their entire lives. Parents can acknowledge the strengths that children have been developing in building coping skills, which are absolutely critical skills. As a researcher of siblings and sibling dynamics, do you have any suggestions for families in which some children are eligible for a vaccine and others aren't? In general, when you have children of different ages, it's normal to have different expectations of individual children, but a child's understanding of why those differences are occurring is important. In some families, children over 12 who are vaccinated can move about more freely than their younger siblings, who might feel that they're getting the short end of the stick. What's important is for parents to encourage kids how to talk about these times when they feel they're being treated differently and how they feel about that. Teaching kids how to appropriately talk about their emotions is incredibly powerfulthese are skills that will serve them well in all sorts of relationships. And further, helping kids think about what makes a situation fair or not is also very important. In Boston, children will still be wearing masks when they return to school in the fall, and that's probably a little bit of a disappointment for them. I'd encourage family conversations about these issueswhenever parents can talk with kids about the reasons behind these decisions, it helps. Helping kids to think about what makes a situation "fair" or not is also very helpful. My work with adolescents suggests that kids often understand that fairness is about meeting each child's unique needs. They know that equal treatment is not always fair treatment. And in this case, they may understand that their parents are working hard to make sure each of their children (vaccinated or not) are safe and healthy. It's helpful to encourage children to explain their understanding of what's happening, and to talk about what "fairness" means to them. Are there other things parents and families might do to have fun and mitigate risk this summer (given, as you mentioned, that risk tolerance is a highly individual decision)? There's no doubt that parents are in a very difficult situation right now, and it might help to talk to their children's pediatrician or seek out other expert help as they try to navigate these decisions. Of course I would encourage families to seek out testing and follow the CDC guidelines as best they can. There are other ways to connect with friends and family either by Zoom or video chats, or outside where the risk of spread is lower, or perhaps by creating a "pod" with other families in similar situations in which you all agree ahead of time on the boundaries of your individual exposure outside the pod. And children themselves may have some creative ideas about things the family can do together. Good coping and resilience can come from having open conversations about all the dimensions of this experience. If parents can help kids feel that it's OK to talk about these issues, and they're able to listen to their children as they express their concerns, frustrations, and desires, that sets the stage for resilience and good communication moving forward. From a psychological perspective, I believe it's important to think things through in terms of the immediate and long-term risks and benefitsand in the long run, what do parents want their kids to take away from this experience? What memories do parents want their kids to have? Explore further National poll: Parents split on whether to vaccinate younger kids against COVID In this study, a multi-national effort that included researchers at the Institute for Advanced Study of Biology (ASHBi), Kyoto University, Japan, uses a mathematical simulator of the SARS-COV-2 dynamics to demonstrate that the number of days can be reduced for many patients if PCR tests are used. Credit: Kana Ariga / LAIMAN The highly infectious nature of the new coronavirus (SARS-COV-2) has changed social habits throughout the world. Even with vaccinations on the rise, many countries hesitate to allow their residents to return to pre-pandemic activity. Moreover, they continue to demand that infected people isolate themselves for a minimum number of days after the onset of symptoms in a one-size-fits-all manner. In a new study, a multi-national effort that included researchers at the Institute for Advanced Study of Biology (ASHBi), Kyoto University, Japan, uses a mathematical simulator of the SARS-COV-2 dynamics to demonstrate that the number of days can be reduced for many patients if PCR tests are used. Patient isolation is one of the most effective if not most effective means of preventing the spread of SARS-COV-2. Beginning last year, people had to quickly adapt to weeks-long isolation after testing positive or showing symptoms, but these policies are exhausting societies. To maintain public cooperation, policymakers are seeking guidelines that shorten the isolation period while minimizing the risk of releasing infectious patients. Dr. Shingo Iwami, an Associate Investigator at ASHBi and author of the study, explains that countries would be wise to consider more personalized decisions to shorten the isolation period. "Longer isolation periods surely prevent transmission, but also impose substantial burden on isolated patients," he said. "We found that PCR tests can shorten the isolation period without increasing the risk of further infection." PCR tests provide a measure of the viral load in the patient, which is an indicator of infection risk. To demonstrate the benefits of PCR tests for deciding isolation periods, Iwami and his colleagues, including Keisuke Ejima from Indiana University (United States) and Yong Dam Jeong from Pusan University (South Korea), assessed isolation periods with and without PCR tests using the new simulator. On average, they found that using PCR tests reduced the isolation period by 2 days compared with the one-size-fits-all approach. "This is not a big surprise," said Iwami. "The one-size-fits-all approach considers only the symptom onset, but PCR tests provide information on viral load." However, he admits that PCR tests may not be feasible everywhere. Because the tests require health professionals, they are costly and must be conducted at designated locations. Thus, a system dependent on PCR tests is more likely to succeed if patients are isolated in dedicated facilities and will be much harder to implement if patients are isolated at home. With these points in mind, Iwami said that the current guidelines adopted, which depend on clinical and epidemiological data, are overall fairly good. "Considering the resources available when they were made, current guidelines can reasonably control infection risk. Close collaboration between clinicians, epidemiologists and mathematicians is essential to designing guidelines that are both effective and executable". More information: Yong Dam Jeong et al, Revisiting the guidelines for ending isolation for COVID-19 patients, eLife (2021). Journal information: eLife Yong Dam Jeong et al, Revisiting the guidelines for ending isolation for COVID-19 patients,(2021). DOI: 10.7554/eLife.69340 Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A severe skin infection in the orbital area (around the eye) may represent an unusual complication of COVID-19, according to a patient report published in The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery. Doctor Vinicius Almeida Carvalho, and colleagues of State University of Londrina, Parana, Brazil, describe their experience with a 28-year-old, COVID-19-positive man who developed orbital cellulitis. The patient was referred to the authors' craniofacial surgery department with painful, progressive swelling around his left eye. Sinusitis related to COVID-19 may be a source of facial infection A few weeks before, the patient had developed a mild illness, with fatigue and loss of smell and taste. He didn't seek medical care until he developed a headache and swelling around the eye, and loss of smell, which got progressively worse. At his local emergency department, he was diagnosed with COVID-19, as well as sinusitis. However, despite antibiotics and other treatments for sinusitis, the facial pain and swelling worsenedeven as the patient's COVID-19 symptoms improved. By the time Dr. Carvalho's department saw him, the patient's eye was swollen tightly shut. A computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a fluid collection that was putting pressure on the globe (eyeball), which was fortunately not yet damaged. The CT scan found no evidence of pneumonia or other respiratory involvement from COVID-19. The patient was diagnosed with cellulitissevere infection under the skinwhich was thought to have spread from the sinuses to the orbital area. Because of the danger to the eye, Dr. Carvalho and colleagues performed urgent surgery, using a small incision to drain the collection of fluid and pus. The swelling around the eye decreased immediately after the procedure. The patient remained in the hospital for several days, including treatment with intravenous antibiotics. A few weeks later, his pain and swelling had resolved and the eye was functioning normally. Although COVID-19 predominantly affects the lungs and of the skin and underlying tissues, a wide range of other manifestations may also occur, including liver and heart conditions, blood clotting abnormalities, and effects on the immune system. Some reports have described "ocular repercussions," with eye-related symptoms such as congestion and tearing, eye pain, and dry eyes. A previous US paper reported sinus infection and orbital cellulitis as "atypical conditions" associated with COVID-19. Sinusitis is known to be an important cause of infections spreading to the orbital area. "It is not clear whether SARS-CoV-2 itself is a contributing factor to the pathogenesis [development] in these cases," Dr. Carvalho and colleagues write. Their case findings suggest that COVID-19 may contribute to sinus infection with the potential to spread to the area around the eyeeven in an otherwise-healthy young patient with mild COVID-19 symptoms. Whatever the course of the infection, the researchers emphasize the need for early surgery in patients with severe, vision-threatening orbital cellulitis. Explore further Respiratory illnesses on the rise with symptoms similar to COVID-19 More information: Vinicius Almeida Carvalho et al, Coronavirus Disease 2019 as a Possible Cause of Severe Orbital Cellulitis, Journal of Craniofacial Surgery (2021). Vinicius Almeida Carvalho et al, Coronavirus Disease 2019 as a Possible Cause of Severe Orbital Cellulitis,(2021). DOI: 10.1097/SCS.0000000000007826 Model of epithelial wound detection. Destroyed cells at the center of wounds release proteases, cleaving extracellular pro-Gbp into its active form, which diffuses to distal cells to activate a calcium response through the receptor Mthl10. Credit: Vanderbilt University A new study from Vanderbilt University researchers has established a novel way to understand how the body discovers and responds to wounds. The research was led by graduate student James O'Connor and Professor Andrea Page-McCaw in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, and Shane Hutson, chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy and professor of physics and biological sciences. Cells that cover the body and its organs, known as epithelial cells, must be able to heal wounds, as they are uniquely subjected to all kinds of insults and abrasions. "When these cells detect a wound nearby, they change their behaviors," said Page-McCaw. "They transition from stationary, nondividing, noninvasive cells to cells that migrate, divide and invade." This also describes the behaviors of cancer cells, which adopt wound-healing behaviors without any wound. The trans-institutional team of scientists started by looking into the earliest known response of epithelial cells to a nearby wound: an increase in calcium levels. This increase typically occurs within a minute of wounding. "We were able to connect the response of these cells directly to the cellular damage inherent in wounding," Page-McCaw said. "We found that wounds destroy cells, causing them to leak or even burst, and some of their contents gets out. Outside of cells, tissues have a detector molecule ready to sense these cellular contents. When they do, proteases in the cellular contents chop up the detector molecule into smaller pieces, which spread to nearby cells. This activates receptors on the cells' surfaces, giving them the information that a wound is nearby." The multidisciplinary collaboration with Hutson's lab brought the convergence of experimental biology and theoretical mathematical modeling together. "James O'Connor led the experiments," Page-McCaw said, "and we worked collaboratively with the Hutson lab to analyze the data quantitatively. Aaron Stevens, graduate student in the Hutson lab, generated a mathematical model that showed this scenario is plausible if the cells release their contents slowly, rather than all at once. This finding was an interesting aspect that we had not noticed, but we were able to go back and see evidence for such a slow release." Successful and efficient wound healing is an important aspect of bodily recovery from trauma or surgery. This research brings us closer to a full mechanistic understanding of how wounds are recognized by epithelial cells and how this leads to wound healing. A foundational understanding of this behavior is essential to developing therapeutics that can address this health issue. Slow wound healing time can be caused by many factors, leading to infection and declining health. Healogics, the nation's leading provider of advanced wound care, sponsors an annual Wound Care Awareness Week in June that recognizes the "nearly 7 million people in the United States living with a nonhealing wound." Healogics notes that "the prevalence of chronic wounds is growing in tandem with an aging population and increasing rates of diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease." Additionally, by figuring out how to downregulate these wound-healing behaviors in combination with other cancer interventions, this work offers insights that could help combat cancer's adoption of this mechanism. Page-McCaw and Hutson will focus on how cells use the information they receive about the presence of a wound, specifically how the information is encoded in the calcium signal dynamics and then converted into migration, proliferation and changes in cell- and tissue-level mechanics. "Now that we have a solid understanding of how the presence of a wound is first signaled to nearby cells, we can ask a lot of interesting follow-up questions," said Hutson. "How much information is present in those signals? Can cells interpret the signals to know how large the wound is or how far they are from the wound? Do they use the way the dynamic signals change with time to make that measurement? What are the detailed mechanisms by which the signals then get turned into cellular actions?" Through those and other questions, this research will contribute to a stronger foundational understanding of cell behavior that can be translated to impact human health. Explore further A new scoring system for assessing wound healing More information: James T. O'Connor et al, Proteolytic activation of Growth-blocking peptides triggers calcium responses through the GPCR Mthl10 during epithelial wound detection, Developmental Cell (2021). Journal information: Developmental Cell James T. O'Connor et al, Proteolytic activation of Growth-blocking peptides triggers calcium responses through the GPCR Mthl10 during epithelial wound detection,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2021.06.020 Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Ireland will start offering COVID-19 vaccinations to children aged 12 and up, the government said Tuesday, warning the Delta variant still poses "a significant risk" in the country despite a high-tempo jabs rollout. In a statement following a cabinet meeting, the government said it "accepted advice" from Dublin's jabs taskforce that "recommends the extension of the vaccination programme to children aged 12-15". "This will be reviewed from a planning, operational and clinical perspective in the coming days," the statement said. Health minister Stephen Donnelly said children would be offered mRNA vaccines produced by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna which have been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). "We are continuing to see an increase in cases of COVID-19 among our young people," he said in a statement. "Vaccination, along with continued adherence to the public health advice, remains the best protection we can offer." Separately on Tuesday, Irish teenagers aged 16 and 17 were permitted to register to secure appointments for mRNA COVID vaccinations. Those aged 18 plus have been eligible for vaccination since early July. Ireland's vaccine rollout was initially sluggish and tethered to an EU programme that was hobbled by procurement issues. But it has dramatically picked up pace in recent months. Dublin said to date over 5.5 million doses of vaccine have been administered in the Republic, which is home to five million people. Some 69% of Ireland's population are now fully vaccinated while 83% have been partially inoculated, according to the government. Since the pandemic began, there have been 5,026 COVID-19 deaths in Ireland. Although the death toll has remained low, case figures have risen in recent weeks as Ireland dropped pandemic curbs. The daily infection toll now regularly surpasses 1,000 and the Health Services Executive (HSE) has also warned that hospital admissions are on the rise. The government warned "the incidence of the Delta variant in Ireland poses a significant risk, particularly to those who are not yet fully vaccinated". Explore further Jordan to open COVID vaccinations for 12-year-olds 2021 AFP This July 2021 photo provided by Preston Browning shows him at the Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. Browning, 20, of Ridgetop, Tenn., who is recovering from cancer surgery, quit smoking with help from Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center. He says cancer is "the biggest reason I've ever had in my life to quit." Credit: Courtesy Preston Browning via AP When cancer patients stop smoking, they heal faster, experience fewer side effects from treatment and lower their chances of tumors returning. Now, top cancer hospitals are helping patients quit as evidence mounts that it's never too late. The newest research, reported Monday, shows lung cancer patients who stopped smoking gained nearly two years of life compared to those who continued to smoke. "It is a huge effect," said Dr. Mahdi Sheikh, who led the study for the World Health Organization's cancer research agency in Lyon, France. In lung cancer, he said, quitting smoking is "as necessary as the treatments." In the U.S., many cancer centers offer proven quit strategies: phone counseling, nicotine patches and pills that ease the urge to smoke. More cancer doctors are talking to their patients about quitting. For some patients, the shock of a cancer diagnosis can be highly motivating. "It's the biggest reason I've ever had in my life to quit," said Preston Browning, an electrician in Ridgetop, Tennessee, who quit cigarettes last month while recovering from cancer surgery. Browning, now 20 years old, had smoked a pack a day since he was 14. He credits the stop-smoking drug Chantix and support from tobacco treatment specialists at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. Nurse Lesa Abney listened to Browning's reasons for smokinghe described smoking as "me time" and "a little reward"and suggested strategies he could use: Eat breakfast instead of lighting up each morning. Reach for a toothpick after lunch. Treat yourself with dessert. "If it wasn't for Lesa, I think it would have been harder," Browning said. Browning had sarcoma in his leg, a rare cancer of unknown cause. In contrast, lung cancer is largely linked to tobacco use, so smokers may feel shame, despair and hopelessness after diagnosis, experts say. It can be welcome news to hear from doctors that they, too, can benefit from quitting. In Monday's study, researchers followed 517 Russian lung cancer patients who smoked, checking annually to see whether they'd quit. After five years, nearly 60% of those who quit smoking were alive, compared to about 47% of those who continued smoking. The effect held up regardless of tumor stage, how much the patient smoked or how long after diagnosis they quit, researchers reported in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. "Doctors at every visit should encourage their lung cancer patients to quit smoking," Sheikh said. A $27 million National Cancer Institute program is helping 53 cancer centers integrate tobacco treatment into care. It has reached more than 50,000 patients since 2018. "We've already learned a tremendous amount from this," said Director Dr. Ned Sharpless. "With relatively modest supportthese are not huge, expensive programsyou can markedly increase the number of patients you reach." The next step, he said, is spreading the know-how to smaller cancer clinics. In California, the Stanford Cancer Institute phones patients who use tobacco to offer support from specialists and stop-smoking medication "If you've got life-saving treatment it should be provided to all patients," said Judith Prochaska who directs Stanford's tobacco program, which received the federal funds. At Stanford's cancer clinics, about 1 in 4 patients who accept tobacco treatment remain tobacco free after two years, Prochaska said. Mike Fulton, 71, a retired bank president in San Jose, California, smoked a pack a day for decades before he was diagnosed with throat cancer last year. After successful radiation and chemotherapy, he said, he still sneaked occasional cigarettes, thinking, "This is crazy. The cancer's cured, but I know I'm hurting myself because I can feel it." He sought help, and began weekly phone chats with a Stanford counselor. A tip he followed: Make your cigarettes harder to reach. He moved them farther and farther away, starting from a drawer in the bedroom. "Finally, I put them on the roof in a gutter. To reach it, I needed a metal ladder. Which I climbed once, and had a puff from a pack that had seven cigarettes in it." "Now," Fulton said, "they're gone." Nicotine gum and a twice-a-day pill help with cravings. In Houston, more than 1,000 patients a year at the MD Anderson Cancer Center take part in tobacco treatment, receiving counseling alone or with medications. It's not enough to refer someone to a quit line, said program director Diane Beneventi "I wish every person who has cancer who smokes knew they stand to gain a great deal if they quit," Beneventi said. "It's more important now than it's ever been in their life." Browning, the Tennessee patient, had tried to quit smoking twice before. He believes it will stick this time. "Smoking with cancer? I feel like that's tempting fate." Explore further Lung cancer patients who quit smoking live longer 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Formal volunteering in later life is beneficial for both physical and psychological well-being. However, research has shown that older adults with key advantages, such as wealth, are more likely to volunteer and reap its benefits. In a new study appearing in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, investigators found that lower-wealth volunteers may experience even greater health gains than higher-wealth volunteers. In the United States, around 29 million older adults volunteer through organizations each year, contributing three billion hours of service to the community at large. Volunteering is regarded as beneficial for volunteer health, and some studies have even suggested the possibility that volunteering could become a low-cost, sustainable public health intervention. "Earlier studies with two to 20 years of follow-up have reported that regardless of how volunteering was measured (for example, status, intensity, duration, or consistency), the activity was associated with higher self-rated health and fewer depressive symptoms," explained co-investigator Seoyoun Kim, Ph.D., Department of Sociology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, U.S.. "However, research points to potential selection bias, because older adults with key advantages, such as wealth, are more likely to volunteer and reap its benefits." "In this new study, we wanted to challenge the 'single regression coefficient' for the benefits of volunteering on health in the entire population," noted co-investigator Cal Halvorsen, Ph.D., MSW, Department of Social Work, Boston College, Boston, MA, U.S.. "We were interested in whether the effects of formal volunteering on health were different between the wealthiest and the least wealthy individuals (highest 20 percent versus lowest 20 percent). We were also interested in understanding the practical implications, particularly for low-wealth individuals." The investigators analyzed data from nearly 90,000 observations from the Health and Retirement Study, a longitudinal and nationally representative US study funded by the National Institute on Aging and the Social Security Administration that surveys approximately 20,000 older adults every two years. They included observations from 2004 to 2016 using data from a previous wave to predict outcomes in the next wave to alleviate concerns about reverse causality. They also created a quasi-experimental study using statistical analyses to adjust for the fact that wealthier older adults were more likely to volunteer, among other factors, thereby reducing bias in their results. Findings showed that in the full sample, volunteering enhanced self-reported health and reduced depressive symptoms for older adults in general. Significantly, those in the lowest wealth quintile experienced more gains in self-reported health from volunteering compared to their wealthy counterparts. Volunteering was associated with fewer depressive symptoms regardless of wealth status. "This study enhances our understanding of how formal volunteering influences health and well-being in two key ways," commented Dr. Kim. "First, we echo previous research that finds that volunteering is beneficial for older adults' physical and mental health. And second, through our advanced statistical procedures, we show that lower-wealth volunteers may experience even greater gains in self-reported health than higher-wealth volunteers." "It is noteworthy that formal volunteering may operate as a health equalizer," added Dr. Halvorsen. "Policymakers and charitable organizations tend to focus on the middle class to wealthy volunteers, but it's important to eliminate barriers to volunteering among the least wealthy, such as lack of transportation, discrimination, or lack of organizational support." "We already know that volunteering, in general, is good for you. Yet what is notable about this study is that it shows how volunteering's health effect among older adults in the lowest wealth quintilewhose average wealth is negativeis stronger than for the highest wealth quintile of older adults. This is important, as the lowest wealth quintile of older adults began with lower self-rated health," stated the investigators. Volunteering can provide many benefits to individuals, and it is possible that being involved in the work of nonprofit and community organizations increases one's social networks and access to important health promotion programs which, in turn, influence the health of the lowest wealth volunteers the most. Explore further Volunteering may have benefits for memory among older adults More information: Seoyoun Kim et al, Volunteering as an Equalizer: A Quasi-Experimental Study Using Propensity Score Analysis, American Journal of Preventive Medicine (2021). Journal information: American Journal of Preventive Medicine Seoyoun Kim et al, Volunteering as an Equalizer: A Quasi-Experimental Study Using Propensity Score Analysis,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2021.05.004 In this 2017 photo, surgeons work on a patient aboard the U.S. Navy hospital ship Comfort off the shore of Puerto Rico. Credit: U.S. Navy Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Stephanie Belcher If you're mowing the lawn and your spouse asks you to "cut it a little shorter," any discrepancy resulting from your different interpretations of "little" is harmless. In an operating room, however, it can mean the difference, if not between life and death, then between successful healing and injurious failure. That's why a multidisciplinary team of researchers, including a linguist from the University of Kansas, set out to test whether such inexact language in the OR can lead to medical errors. A new paper co-written by Andrew McKenzie, KU associate professor of linguistics, and Drs. Gary Sutkin and Cynthia Liu, professors at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, demonstrates that such fuzzy phrasing can indeed lead surgeons down a path that could end in a serious medical error. The authors conclude "Semantically Ambiguous Language in the Teaching Operating Room," published in the Journal of Surgical Education, by offering suggestions for combating inexactitude in the OR that include dispensing with politesse and emphasizing explicitness. "We make the point in the paper that surgery is too precise to not use precise language," Sutkin said. For his part, McKenzie said he was pleased to be involved in a research project that had such immediate, real-world application. The authors reviewed video recordings made during six separate surgical procedures performed by residents under the supervision of specialist physicians like Sutkin and Liu. They found 131 instances of inexact language that could have led to a medical error. "Sometimes it's cutting 4 centimeters when you should have cut 3 1/2," Sutkin said. "But these are listed as potential near misses, as wellsomething that's headed towards an error. The idea is to see if we can reduce even getting close to a near miss just by tweaking or being more attentive to the things we're saying." As a semanticist, McKenzie introduced such terminology as deixis and anaphora to the conception of the paper. The paper lists 14 such categories of inexact language that can start down the road to a medical error. "Deixis" is defined as "linguistic expression that explicitly refers to the utterance it was made in, the locations of the people participating in it, or the immediate context surrounding it," giving the example of the sentence "Take this over there." The words "this" and "there" are potentially unclear. Likewise, an unclear anaphor is a phrase "for which antecedent is not clearly stated or multiple possible antecedents exist." In the following sentence, for example, whom does the word "he" refer to? "Bill went home. Ted came home later. He went right to sleep." Then there are questions or suggestions that should really be phrased as explicit instructions from the teaching physician to the resident, Sutkin said. "A lot of it is about that polite language," Sutkin said. "I mean, we all use that polite language in our conversation. But believe me, lack of politeness will be forgiven for the sake of the patient's health. Say what you mean. Be explicit." The paper even suggests decking out operating rooms with semaphores, or signs, indicating right and left, top and bottom. "Thousands of patients every year get hurt in the operating room because of surgeon error," Sutkin said. "My passion is preventing those errors. Miscommunication is one of the most common causes of error in the operating room, and although miscommunication is multifactorial, I think a lot of it is the ambiguous language that we use." Explore further Researchers foresee linguistic issues during space travel More information: Cynthia Liu et al, Semantically Ambiguous Language in the Teaching Operating Room, Journal of Surgical Education (2021). Cynthia Liu et al, Semantically Ambiguous Language in the Teaching Operating Room,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2021.03.020 Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Melbourne's coronavirus lockdown will be lifted late Tuesday, as authorities signalled a Delta variant outbreak in Australia's second-biggest city had been contained. Neighbouring South Australia state will also ease stay-at-home rules, but the country's largest city Sydney was facing a likely extension to a lockdown now in its fifth week. After almost two weeks under stay-at-home orders, millions in Melbourne and surrounding Victoria state will exit their fifth lockdown just before midnight Tuesday. The state had now "seen off two Delta outbreaks" in recent months, premier Dan Andrews said. "It's not over, though, and we've got to be vigilant against this virus, the Delta strain, in the days and weeks and months ahead until we get as many people vaccinated as we possibly can," he added. "That is some time away." Schools, restaurants and shops will reopen but restrictions including mask-wearing will remain. For at least two weeks, people cannot invite visitors into their homes and numbers at outdoor gatherings will be limited. Victoria detected 10 new cases Monday, with all in quarantine while infectious. In Sydney, officials announced 172 new cases linked to an outbreak that began in June when a local driver contracted the virus from an international flight crew. Australia was lauded for its early pandemic success, after slamming shut its international borders and moving quickly to quash COVID-19 clusters. But with a largely unvaccinated population, it has struggled to respond to the highly contagious Delta variant, repeatedly sending cities into lockdown. Roughly 13 percent of Australians have been vaccinated, with low supplies of Pfizer-BioNTech shots and scepticism about the AstraZeneca jab. The country has recorded more than 33,000 infections and 920 COVID-related deaths in a population of 25 million. Explore further Two Australian cities eye end of virus lockdowns 2021 AFP Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Researchers at the University of Oxford today launched a Phase 1 trial to test a new vaccine against plague. Based on the ChAdOx1 adenovirus viral vector platform also used in the successful Oxford coronavirus vaccine, forty healthy adults aged 18 to 55 will receive this new vaccine in order to assess side effects and determine how well it induces protective antibody and T cell responses. Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, said: "The coronavirus pandemic has shown the importance of vaccines to defend populations from the threat caused by bacteria and viruses. Plague threatened the world in several horrific waves over past millennia, and, even today, outbreaks continue to disrupt communities. A new vaccine to prevent plague is important for them and for our health security." Probably the most well-known example of plague is the Black Death of the 1300s; this form of the bubonic plague was the biggest global pandemic in history and killed hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Although for much of the world plague has been eliminated, cases do continue to occur annually in rural areas of Africa, Asia and even America. There are three different types of plague: bubonic, pneumonic and septicaemic. If left untreated, the bubonic form has a 30 percent to 60 percent fatality rate and the pneumonic form is almost always fatal. Both bubonic and pneumonic plague can develop into a life-threatening infection of the blood called septicaemia. From 2010 to 2015, there were 3,248 cases reported globally, including 584 deaths. A relatively recent epidemic in Madagascar saw 2,119 suspected cases and 171 deaths from August 2017 to November 2017. Christine Rollier, Associate Professor of Vaccinology at the Oxford Vaccine Group, said: "Although antibiotics can be used to treat plague, many areas experiencing outbreaks are very remote locations. In such areas, an effective vaccine could offer a successful prevention strategy to combat the disease." Volunteers for the trial will receive expert follow up for 12 months, before the researchers begin evaluating the data in order to report their findings. To find out more about the study, or to sign up, please visit: https://trials.ovg.ox.ac.uk/trials/plague Explore further 31 dead in DR Congo plague outbreak Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Portugal has asked other European countries for supplies of coronavirus vaccines to help accelerate its inoculation campaign, Health Minister Marta Temido said on Tuesday. Lisbon "has made a huge effort" to "receive more vaccines", the minister said at the end of a meeting of experts to review the health situation. Around 45 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, with the government aiming for 70 percent by the end of August. Portugal hopes to receive nearly a million doses in the next three weeks, said Henrique Gouveia e Melo, the coordinator of the national vaccination programme. The country has already obtained about 290,000 doses from Norway and is negotiating with Italy to obtain a further 300,000. It received 200,000 AstraZeneca doses from Hungary on Tuesday, intended for Portuguese-speaking African countries and East Timor. The help in sourcing vaccines shows the "spirit of European cooperation", said Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva, accompanied by his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto. In Portugal, the government is waiting for the green light from the health authorities to push ahead with plans to vaccinate 12-17 year olds before the start of the school year. "Vaccination of children is essential. Without it there will be a peak in new cases" in the autumn, epidemiologist Henrique de Barros said at the meeting with the government. Some of the scientific experts consulted on Tuesday said the country should be close to the peak of the latest wave. They argued for a change in restriction measures depending on the vaccination rate. About 6.5 million people in the country of 10 million have already received one vaccine dose and 4.5 million are fully vaccinated. Portugal has been hit for several weeks by an upsurge in new infections due to the Delta variant, which now accounts for more than 98 percent of cases. In an attempt to contain the epidemic, the government has decided to extend the use of a "health pass" restricting access to hotels and restaurants for the unvaccinated and to institute a night-time curfew in the most affected areas. Explore further Over 2,000 new daily cases in Portugal virus surge 2021 AFP Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Researchers from the 12 million Developing Human Connectome Project have used a novel type of medical imaging to show how different areas of a newborn baby's brain communicate with each other. Published today in Brain, the study used magnetic resonance images (MRI) with unprecedented resolution from more than 300 healthy babies to define how healthy babies' brains are connected, then researchers could assess whether particular clinical risks affected brain development. They found that in healthy infants born at the right time, connectivity between the brain areas controlling basic functions like sensation and movement was quite similar to that seen in the adult brain. Also, the visual system develops rapidly, probably related to the sudden richness of visual experience after birth. Communication between parts of the brain linked with more sophisticated functions like decision-making and executive function was relatively reduced compared to adults. One of the senior researchers Dr. Dafnis Batalle said it was found premature birth was associated with a profound reduction in connectivity between many brain regions, and with a reconfiguration of the organization of functional brain networks. "The findings can improve clinical understanding of how a baby's brain develops and may provide a way to identify subtle alterations leading to problems later in life. Early identification of babies at an increased risk is important in order to develop potential therapeutic strategies. In the future we hope to identify infants that may benefit of targeted interventions as early as few weeks after birth in order to improve their quality of life," says Dr. Dafnis Battale. "It is great to see that the combination of advanced image analysis tools and open datasets such as the developing Human Connectome Project can offer a new glimpse into how the brain organizes itself during development," says Professor Daniel Rueckert, Imperial College London. The Developing Human Connectome Project is led by King's College London in collaboration with Oxford University and Imperial College and funded by the European Research Council. It is providing high resolution magnetic resonance brain images from around 1000 unborn and newborn babies to scientists worldwide to support a large number of world-leading research projects into brain development and cerebral or mental health disorders. Explore further 800 newborn brain scans made available to help clarify how some diseases develop More information: Michael Eyre et al, The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity, Brain (2021). Journal information: Brain Michael Eyre et al, The Developing Human Connectome Project: typical and disrupted perinatal functional connectivity,(2021). DOI: 10.1093/brain/awab118 Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Data show racial disparities in type 1 diabetes treatment and outcomes in non-Hispanic Black (NHB) children in the US. NHB children are less likely to be treated with diabetes technology, have poorer glycemic control and higher rates of diabetes complications and diabetes-related mortality than non-Hispanic white children. There is much to be done to ensure equitable care, but as yet, structural racism has not been a focus. In an invited commentary in the journal Pediatrics, a researcher from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) tackles the problem of how structural racism underlies disparities in pediatric type 1 diabetes treatment. Author Terri H. Lipman, Ph.D., CRNP, FAAN, Miriam Stirl Endowed Term Professor of Nutrition, Professor of Nursing of Children, Assistant Dean for Community Engagement, suggests structural racism as the root of inequity. "To meaningfully address health disparities, we need to be unafraid to identify, name, and address structural racism and reflect on the roles that we as individuals and health care teams play in perpetuating the effect of structural racism in health outcomes," says Lipman. Lipman and article coauthor Colin P. Hawkes, MD, Ph.D. of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, call on health care providers to take responsibility for the major public health issue of racial disparities. "We must work together to develop community-based interventions to address systematic racism and be prepared to fight the entrenched systems that are structured to disadvantage populations of color," Lipman says. Explore further Addressing the impact of structural racism on disparities in children with type 1 diabetes More information: Colin P. Hawkes et al, Racial Disparities in Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes: Yet Another Consequence of Structural Racism, Pediatrics (2021). Journal information: Pediatrics Colin P. Hawkes et al, Racial Disparities in Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes: Yet Another Consequence of Structural Racism,(2021). DOI: 10.1542/peds.2021-050333 Vaccinated people are getting infected by the coronavirus. That doesnt mean the vaccines arent working, says Sehyo Yune, MD, director of the COVID-19 Wellness team at Northeastern. They are. Heres what you need to know about the current rise in COVID-19 cases. Credit: Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University COVID-19 cases are rapidly on the rise across the United States. And even fully vaccinated individuals are testing positive. States and counties with low vaccination rates have been hit the hardest by the rise in cases, largely driven by the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus. But the post-vaccination infections, or breakthrough infections, have also generated heightened concern that this variant has found a way to make existing vaccines ineffective. That is not the case, says Sehyo Yune, MD, Assistant Vice Chancellor of COVID-19 Wellness at Northeastern. The vaccine is effective against the variant. How you define whether the vaccine is effective matters, she says. The goal of the vaccine is to prevent severe cases that can lead to hospitalization or death. The CDC-approved COVID-19 vaccines do thateven in the face of the variants. But you might still become mildly infected. Yune sat down with News@Northeastern to break down the rise in cases and dispel the confusion. This interview was edited for clarity. How could I get the coronavirus if I'm fully vaccinated? Being fully vaccinated means that your immune system is trained to recognize the virus and attack it. So if you're exposed to the virus, lots of virus, it will still enter your body. But most likely, [the virus] will be eaten up by your immune system because it is trained to kill it. It's very less likely to cause a disease. But it's not 100 percent. The highest efficacy rate that was reported was about 95 percent. So it's still possible that you would get infected and be sick. If you are fully vaccinated and you tested positive, you have it. You have the virus. But it is definitely milder than in the cases that we saw in the fall and the spring when most cases were not vaccinated. So even if you catch it, [your vaccinated immune system is] going to protect you from being very ill. What does "milder" mean? If I get a breakthrough infection, how would those symptoms be different than if I was unvaccinated? There are definitely people who are fully vaccinated and are pretty ill. But mostly the symptoms last for a shorter amount of time and it's more like a cold or mild flu than, like, you can't breathe, you have to go to the E.R. If you're vaccinated, it is much less likely that you're going to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19 than you would have been if you were not vaccinated. Northeastern recently announced that the university will resume COVID-19 testing at the beginning of the fall semester for everybody on campus. But the university is also requiring all students to be vaccinated. Why do both? We don't have enough data to be comfortable saying that vaccinated people will not be the source of transmission. We have pretty good data that vaccines prevent death and hospitalization and reduce the symptoms' severity. But in the campus and the university setting, nobody has that experience yet. So it is really to protect the community until we have more data to confidently say that testing vaccinated individuals does not have as big an impact in preventing outbreaks as [testing an unvaccinated community did before vaccines were available]. But also, by doing this, we will add to the scientific community the data that everyone needs: What does it mean to have a mostly fully vaccinated community? What do we see? And from there, where do we go? So we're really contributing to the entire scientific community. We need that data, too, as a community. And so instead of waiting for other people to give it to us, we're generating it. What will you be watching for? Within the Northeastern community, what I'm most interested in is the rate of close contacts that are identified as exposed to a positive case that later develop symptoms or test positive. We're still doing contact tracing. We call everyone who is positive. We track down who they've been in contact with. So we're going to have a better idea of the transmission rate and the severity in a mostly fully vaccinated community. If we only look at the number of positive cases, we miss the bigger picture of how [big of an outbreak] it could have been if we were not vaccinated. By following up with vaccinated people after an exposure, we will have a better understanding of the impact of vaccines on transmission. Nothing is 100 percent. There will be someone who is going to be very sick. There will be some transmission from a vaccinated case. There will also be cases that are fully vaccinated and not very symptomatic. But those will be individual anecdotal cases. That's not what we want to look at. We want to look at the trend and the impact on the population's health and safety. Case numbers are rising. Should we be concerned about returning to the pandemic-state of a year ago? It is not as bad as it was last year because even with the same number of people testing positive, we're not going to see the same number of people dying from it. But case numbers are rising because fewer people wear masks and are socializing more than last year. Can I still spread the coronavirus if I'm fully vaccinated? When you are exposed to the virus as a vaccinated person, it enters your body, but it's less likely to infect your cells and survive and replicate inside your bodywhich is a prerequisite for you to spread it to other people. But if it makes you sick enough, it means that there is enough virus inside your body that you can also spread it to other people. We're seeing those cases, too. Fully vaccinated people who tested positive, they became sick, and their close contacts are also testing positive. If I get the sniffles or a scratchy throat, I should get tested, right? Yes. And wear a mask. For our students and other Northeastern community members, report it to our Daily Wellness Check. It's very, very easy, very simple. Report your symptoms, and we're going to tell you what to do. We're going to guide you through. There's going to be a number you can call, and the person is a licensed healthcare provider and they're going to be able to help you through options and testing and all that. What if I'm fully vaccinated, haven't tested positive, and don't have symptoms, should I put my mask back on all the time, just in case? I think it's a great idea to put on a mask when you're going to a place where you will be in the same space with people that you don't know. You don't know if they're sick, if they're unvaccinated. So you're just protecting from the unknown. But, you know, if you're meeting with people and you know they are vaccinated and nobody is sick, it should be fine. The Delta variant has generated a lot of concern around the world. Should I be concerned about future variants? That's what viruses do all the time. They mutate. So it's not surprising or something to be super afraid of. It is something that the scientists and the public health officials are going to worry about. But it doesn't really matter to you as a patient which variant you are infected with. It doesn't matter if it's Alpha or Delta, you have COVID-19. And vaccines work against all kinds of variants. You might have seen on the news that it is not as effective for this variant. Maybe. But it doesn't mean that it doesn't work. It still works. And it still works much better than many of the other vaccines that we have that are not COVID-19 vaccines. Moving forward, how should we be thinking about disease transmission? It's really important to shift the focus just from COVID-19 to, in general, contagious diseases. Even if it's not COVID-19, if you have the flu or the common cold, it's still important not to spread it to other people because you don't know what it's going to do to other people. A flu can kill someone. So after what we experienced in the past year, we really need to re-think about what to do when you're sick. Yeah, you're vaccinated, so maybe it's not COVID-19, maybe it's something else. But is it OK to give that something else to other people? Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain World Trade Organization countries failed anew Tuesday to agree a proposal to suspend intellectual property rights on COVID-19 vaccines in order to boost production and fill a void in poor nations. WTO states held talks at the global body's headquarters in Geneva but could not reach a consensus, WTO spokesman Keith Rockwell told reporters following nine months of discussions on what he called a "very emotional issue." Members will hold an informal meeting in early September to discuss the state of play, followed by a formal meeting on October 13 and 14. "There's no way they're going to stop discussing this. It's too important," Rockwell said, after hours of talks on day one of the two-day WTO General Council meeting. "It's a very emotional issue, and it's not going to stop. India and South Africa brought forward the intellectual property waiver idea in October. Proponents argue the temporary removal of IP rights will boost production in developing countries and address the dramatic inequity in access. That notion has long met with fierce opposition from pharmaceutical giants and their host countries, which insist patents are not the main roadblocks to scaling up production and warn the move could hamper innovation. Getting more jabs The WTO's 164 member states take all decisions by consensus. Rockwell said all countries agreed on the need to ramp up production quickly, but disagreed on how best to achieve the goal. He said there was surplus capacity in Senegal, Bangladesh, India, South Africa, Thailand, Morocco and Egypt, but while they might have untapped expertise, they would need to have technology and know-how on producing COVID-19 vaccines. "They have the capacity to do this. And so the question is, how do you tap into that unused capacity?" said Rockwell. The debate is focused around the WTO's Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of IP Rights (TRIPS) and provisions relating to the medical prevention, containment or treatment tools needed to battle COVID-19. India and South Africa can count on the backing of several dozen countries, including notably the United States and China. Rockwell said the opponents of the idea included European countries, Japan and South Korea. However, a group of countries are also focused on getting "a pragmatic outcome, whatever that may be," he added. The negotiations have hit a few particular sticking points, notably the duration of the waiver, the scope in terms of products covered and the TRIPS provisions. Other tricky areas include implementation, and the protection of undisclosed information, said Rockwell. Some 3.93 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered around the world, according to an AFP count. Just 0.3 percent of them have been injected in the 29 lowest-income countries, home to nine percent of the global population. "Getting production in developing countries to a higher level so that more shots can go into more arms in Africa, Latin America and Asia, is of critical importance to everyone here," Rockwell said. Explore further EU, UK raise doubts about COVID weapons patent waiver 2021 AFP Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V.Makei meets the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan On July 27, 2021 the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Vladimir Makei, met with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, Muhammad Tariq. The sides noted with satisfaction the high level of Belarusian-Pakistani relations in the bilateral format and within international organizations. The parties agreed to maintain positive dynamics of cooperation in political, trade and economic, scientific and technical, educational and cultural spheres. print version Children age 11 and younger especially should wear masks, social distance and frequently sanitize their hands until a vaccine is approved in their age group, he said. Barnett and county COVID-19 incident commander Cindy Farr both said it is especially critical that parents and guardians get children 12 and older vaccinated against COVID-19 before they head back to the classroom next month, as summer camps and other child programs have been attributed to large COVID-19 clusters across the nation. We are at a critical point where those who have been delaying their vaccines, those who have been hesitating, need to step forward and protect themselves and our community," Farr said. "We have come too far to slide back now. The health departments COVID-19 vaccine clinic at the Southgate Mall is open seven days a week and no appointment is necessary. All three FDA-authorized vaccines are available each day. COVID-19 vaccine appointments are free to the insured and uninsured. Clinic staff are always available to sit down and discuss any questions or concerns a patient may have before they decide to get vaccinated. Manny Martinezs case is the only unsolved homicide of 2020 a singular loose end from a year that witnessed a record 22 homicides in Billings, 19 of which were deliberate. Colorado Solicitor General Eric Olson questioned whether Smith should even be allowed to challenge the law since she had not started offering wedding websites yet. But if she did, Olson said, her argument would mean she would refuse to create a website for a hypothetical same-sex couple named Alex and Taylor but agree to make the same one for an opposite-sex couple with the same names. He said that would be discrimination under the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. In the case of Phillips, who owns Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Olson said the Supreme Court could not agree on whether cakes are a form of expression. However, he said a subjective decision about whether a companys service amounted to speech was not a workable way of determining discrimination. Judge Mary Beck Briscoe wrote in Monday's majority opinion that we must also consider the grave harms caused when public accommodations discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. Combatting such discrimination is, like individual autonomy, essential to our democratic ideals. Additional fire restrictions are in place for properties managed by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks in several southwest Montana counties due to high fire danger. Stage 2 fire restrictions are already in place in Silver Bow, Beaverhead and Madison counties. FWP sites in Jefferson County will enter Stage 2 fire restrictions at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, July 31. FWP sites in Broadwater County have entered Stage 1 fire restrictions. Restrictions are as follows: Stage 1 restrictions at FWP sites ban campfires except where specifically exempted and allow smoking only in vehicles and areas 3 feet in diameter that are cleared of flammable materials. Stage 2 restrictions at FWP sites ban campfires and allow smoking only in vehicles and areas 3 feet in diameter that are cleared of flammable materials. Gas or propane stoves that can be turned on and off are still allowed. Driving motorized vehicles off designated roads and trails is prohibited. Fireworks are always prohibited at FWP sites. Affected sites in Silver Bow County include Maidenrock and Powerhouse fishing access sites; and Fleecer Mountain and Mount Haggin wildlife management areas. Butte police reports Bullet hits TV Sometime after 3 a.m. Saturday, someone fired a gun at a residence on Continental Drive. The bullet went through the window, damaging walls and a television in the house. Anyone who knows anything about this crime is urged to call 406-497-1120 or Butte Crime Stoppers at 406-782-7336. Utility pole hit A vehicle driven by Chase Christopher Dolan, 40, of Billings struck a utility pole near the intersection of Iron and Colorado Streets around 4 p.m. Friday. Dolan fled the scene and was found near the Holiday Inn Express Hotel. A probation violator from Billings, Dolan was jailed for failure to identify himself and vehicle when involved in an accident, careless driving, and probation violation. High-speed chase Darrel M. Dubois, 31, of Butte was taken to jail at around 11:30 p.m. Friday following a report that he allegedly assaulted a woman passenger in his vehicle and refused to let her out. NEW YORK (AP) Gov. Andrew Cuomo projected confidence Monday that he'll ultimately be exonerated of allegations of sexual harassment, but he also questioned the neutrality of the lawyers hired to investigate his behavior. Speaking at his first news conference in nearly two weeks, Cuomo said he had concerns as to the independence of the reviewers," hired by state Attorney General Letitia James. Attacking the integrity of the investigation is an approach Cuomo has increasingly turned to in recent weeks to the irritation of some members of his own party who had widely praised the lawyers leading the probe as apolitical and fair. James appointed Joon Kim, the former acting U.S. attorney for Manhattan, and the employment discrimination attorney Anne Clark to conduct the probe. The lawyers have spent months now speaking to women who say Cuomo subjected them to inappropriate kisses and touching or inappropriate sexual remarks. One woman, an aide to Cuomo, has said he groped her breasts. Do a little history. Go to Google, Cuomo told reporters at a press conference at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Google the independent investigators. I wish that he would put more of his attention toward serving the people of the state of Missouri, she said at a news conference, and holding our health and safety paramount instead of filing frivolous lawsuits that waste taxpayer dollars. Schmitt is just one of several Republicans to push back against the mandate. Gov. Mike Parson said in a tweet Monday that requiring everyone to wear masks reduce the incentive of getting the vaccine and undermine its integrity. And St. Louis County Councilman Tim Fitch, meanwhile, said St. Louis County Executive Sam Page was wrong to act without the support of the county commission. Page, a Democrat, was critical of what he described as creating distractions for political gain. As some passionate supporters of the previous president hold on tight to bombast and misinformation, we are laser focused on protecting the health and welfare of people in our communities, he said. He acknowledged at a news conference that the the mandate may feel like a punishment" for those who are vaccinated. But he added: While the vaccination can protect against serious illness, it cant protect you from being infected with COVID-19 and passing it onto someone else, someone who may be more vulnerable. The presentation called "a journey with dementia minds" was made up of eight volunteers. They spoke about their experiences with diagnosis and life afterwards. The group grew into the nonprofit that now includes three groups of speakers, all diagnosed with dementia, that span over 11 states. At first, when Erickson stepped up to be president of the new organization, Abell was worried the extra stress would make the disease progress more quickly. But the advocacy work has only increased her energy. In nearly every job Erickson has had, shes started at the bottom and worked her way to the top, Abell said. She always advocated for herself, but she also advocated for her team members, Abell said. Shes always been an amazing lady. Her passion for the nonprofit only grows as she's seen that through sharing stories about the challenges and the triumphs of living with dementia, NCDM has succeeded in influencing its audiences. "In wilderness, nature is supposed to call the shots, we dont modify it to provide more of something we want," he said. "We accept it on its own terms and let natural processes dictate the presence or absents of species. The alternative is another human-dominated landscape, where we force nature to yield to our demands, rather than showing a little restraint to allow nature to be." The groups contend the priorities of the Forest Service under the Wilderness Act to maintain the areas natural processes and the priority of FWP to establish new populations of native fish may not mesh. The North Fork of the Blackfoot includes a waterfall that acts as a natural barrier to fish migrating upstream. Stocking dating back to the 1920s has established a rainbow trout population above the waterfall while mostly westslope cutthroat occupy the river below. The groups note that the stretch above the waterfall is believed to have been historically free of fish, but project alternatives did not include a fish-free consideration. They also challenge another aspect of the plan to prevent upstream rainbows from going over the falls and causing further hybridization with cutthroat, pointing out that nothing stops rainbows from coming upstream from the Blackfoot River. The Federal Trade Commission voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve a policy statement about its intention to pursue enforcement action against illegal restrictions on repair. Thats great news for Sarah Rachor and the owners of 2 million other farms across the United States. Fifteen years after moving away from Sidney, Montana, Rachor returned home to take the reins from her father and keep the family farm in the family. She and her father grow soybeans, sugarbeets, spring wheat and corn on 600 acres. Other than hiring a few truck drivers during beet harvest, they do all of the work themselves. They rely on a new John Deere tractor and combine, which both have computerized precision agriculture tools designed to give farmers more control of everything from soil moisture to fertilizer levels, increasing their yields. But if either machine goes down, Rachor and her dad have to stop everything and wait for a manufacturer-branded technician, who may take days, weeks, or even a month to fix the problem. Such delays can impact a harvest. Soybeans, for example, can dry out, causing the shells to crack and the beans to drop on the ground, where they become scrap. SEOUL, South Korea South Korea is reporting a new daily high for coronavirus cases a day after authorities enforced stringent restrictions in areas outside the Seoul capital region seeking to slow a nationwide spread of infections. Healthcare personnel work in a coronavirus disease intensive care unit where they are dealing with a surge in cases of the Delta variant at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah in this handout photo provided July 23, 2021. Red Lobster has closed as seen Monday in the Tumon Sands Plaza in Tumon, Guam, becoming another casualty in the ongoing tourism slump caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Spotify has launched a Whats New feature that gives users a personalized feed of new or trending song releases based on their listening preferences. The feed will work with real-time updates, much like the standard feed on social media apps like Instagram and Facebook. Whats New also includes filters that allow you to sort for new music releases or new podcast and show episodes, helping you find what youre looking for more quickly, the company said in its announcement today. They added that over 50,000 hours are uploaded to Spotify every day (over 18 million a year) and that the Whats New feature is intended to help users gain easier access to the content they enjoy. Spotify is already renowned for its specialised recommendation algorithm based on a users listening patterns. The Whats New feature will build on the companys algorithm. Every users Whats New feed will primarily be populated by new releases from artists they already follow, and your feed can be expanded by following new artists on the app. The new feature is already available to some Android and iOS users, and Spotify said it would be rolling out globally over the next few weeks. Whats New will be available from a newly added bell icon on the home screen of the Spotify mobile app, which will display a blue dot when a new release is available. Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) has declared a force majeure following a cyber-attack, security intrusion and sabotage on Transnet. On 22 July 2021, Transnet confirmed it was experiencing a disruption in some of its IT applications. It added that the source of the disruption was identified. The company would not say it was a victim of a cyber-attack, but many Transnet stakeholders confirmed the attack. Transnet employees were asked to shut down their laptops, desktops, and tablets connected to the companys domain. They were also warned not to access emails on their smartphones until further notice. Transnet systems have been hacked and compromised. Please disconnect from the Transnet network immediately until advised otherwise, a follow-on message stated. The security breach impacted remote access via APN/VPN and direct access to the system via the office LAN. Transnets Engineering division in Pretoria confirmed all their systems were offline, and everyone who wasnt working from home had left the offices. Information shared by industry players showed that Transnets websites, IT and NAVIS systems were impacted by the security breach. Jayson OReilly, the head of Atvance Intellects cybersecurity division, warned that unless Transnet was adequately prepared for a cyberattack, it could take weeks or months to recover its systems. He noted that the attack on Virgin Active in May 2021 caused severe disruptions, and it took six to eight weeks to fully recover. On Tuesday morning, the Transnet and Transnet Port Terminals websites were still down. The Daily Maverick reported that the movement in and out of South Africas ports remains at a near standstill and that many employees were forced to stop working. There is also the risk that most of Transnets 55,000 employees will not be paid salaries due today, it said. Transnet emailed staff on Monday, informing them of an unprecedented attack that disrupted operations. It asked all non-operational employees to take leave from Monday to Thursday. MyBroadband tried to contact the National Ports Authority, Port Terminals, Freight Rail, and Pipelines but could not reach anybody for comment. Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) has now declared a force majeure. This is a common clause on contracts that frees all parties from liability when an extraordinary event occurs. TPT said the force majeure event occurred on 22 July 2021 and continues to persist when Transnet, including TPT, experienced an act of cyber-attack, security intrusion, and sabotage. This attack resulted in the disruption of TPT normal processes and functions or the destruction or damage of equipment or information. Investigators are currently determining the exact source of the cause of compromise and extent of the ICT data security breach/sabotage, TPT said. It said it had put mitigation measures in place to ensure operations at the container terminals are still running, albeit slower than expected. One such measure is to ensure that a manual system has been put into place to load and discharge containers. Further, in the event that any damage occurs during operations, customers will be notified using a manual process which will be confirmed via email as soon as TPT systems are up and running again, it said. Now read: New details about Transnet cyberattack Transnet, South Africas state-owned ports and freight-rail company, declared force majeure at the countrys key container terminals due to disruptions caused by a July 22 cyberattack. The measure covers the Durban, Ngqura, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town harbours, according to a notice Transnet sent to customers and seen by Bloomberg News. Transnet, including Transnet Port Terminals, experienced an act of cyberattack, security intrusion and sabotage, it said. Investigators are currently determining the exact source of the cause of compromise and extent of the ICT data security breach or sabotage. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the company said it has made significant progress in restoring its computer systems, most of which were up and running by Monday, and that the force majeure will be lifted soon. It is expected that some applications may continue to run slowly over the next few days, while monitoring continues. All operating systems will be brought back in a staggered manner to minimize further risks and interruptions, the company said. The terminals are berthing vessels as planned and facilitating loading and discharge operations with the shipping lines. Force majeure is an unanticipated or uncontrollable event that releases a company from fulfilling contractual obligations. With Transnets Durban port handling 60% of the nations shipments, a prolonged disruption will deal a further blow to an economy that was already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic and deadly protests that shuttered businesses in two provinces earlier this month. The ports are also key to shippers from landlocked African countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The knock-on effect of the port closures and unrest are already evident, with manganese producer Assmang Pty. Ltd. declaring a force majeure of its own because it was unable to access raw materials and ship finished alloys. We have some orders in place, in the queue, to be exported but we expect two to three weeks of delays, Rorie Wilson, an alternate director at the company, said by phone. Something that must go this week will probably go in three weeks. Our force majeure is still in place off the back of the unrest and will remain in place until the one declared by Transnet is lifted, he said. The auto industry has also been affected and some component manufacturers are battling to move their products, Renai Moothilal, executive director of the National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers and the chairman of the Automotive Industry Export Council, said last week. The countrys long-term attractiveness as an investment destination could also be adversely impacted, he said. Mike Schussler, chief economist at Economists.co.za, said Transnets problems are unlikely to affect most commodity exports, but importers and exporters of manufactured and agricultural goods will be hard hit, with a domino effect on the rest of the economy. The impact over the whole region will shave quite a few percentage points off the gross domestic product now, he said in a text message We can make most of it up but in another week or so that becomes more difficult. Today's global movement for change - networked, with many voices, democratic - demands an equivalent type of engagement from observers. Paul Kingsnorth has travelled from Mexico to Italy, from Bolivia to South Africa and from Brazil to West Papua to track the ways that diverse social, political and environmental struggles combine in the search for a world of fairness and freedom. His interview with Caspar Henderson of openDemocracy starts in Chiapas, Mexico. openDemocracy: How would you describe the new global movement which you encountered on your travels? Paul Kingsnorth: Some people call it the anti-globalisation movement. Some call it the anti-capitalist movement. Some call it the global justice movement. Whatever you call it, is the gathering a mass of people around the world who are increasingly dissatisfied with the way the current system works, but crucially they are trying to find new answers. The comfortable assumptions of the Old Left appear to have collapsed. It's not enough any more to talk about state socialism. It's not enough just to talk about revolutions and vanguards and masses and all this kind of traditional stuff, that even if it's desirable it doesn't seem to work any more, so what are we going to do? Most importantly, how are we going to work out democratic answers to the challenges of globalisation? openDemocracy: Where did the movement start and why is it new? Paul Kingsnorth: Many people say it started with the Zapatista uprising in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas in 1994 - sometimes called the first 'postmodern revolution'. What does that mean? The Zapatistas are an indigenous Indian peasant-based guerilla organisation. They staged an uprising against the Mexican state. At first glance that doesn't seem terribly unusual when you look at the last few decades in Latin America. But the way that they did it, and what they actually wanted, was stunningly different from a lot of what had happened before. The Zapatistas didn't aim to seize the state. They didn't aim to create a vanguard which other people could follow. They didn't aim to seize power from the existing elite and hand it to themselves. What they wanted to do was devolve power downwards. They talked about democracy rather that the dictatorship of the proletariat. Through all of this, they were, and they still are, an indigenous peasant movement, which has suffered enormously at the hands of the Mexican elites. The Zapatistas didn't aim to seize the state... What they wanted to do was devolve power downwards. openDemocracy: What did you want to find out on your visit? Paul Kingsnorth: There are two parts to what is going on. There are the guerillas who actually staged the uprising, who are hiding in the mountains, and refusing to negotiate with government, because they feel the government has betrayed them. And then there are an estimated quarter of a million people living in the various indigenous villages across Chiapas. These are the Zapatista communities. They've declared autonomy from the government. They run their own affairs, and they are going to keep doing that, they say, until the government gives them what they want in terms of new indigenous rights laws. The communities are very remote. They're still extremely traditional. They speak many different languages and have different traditions. Since 1994, when they declared autonomy from the government and threw out all the local government officials, they have been running things by themselves. They run their community through village meetings, and determine their own laws and punishments. What they're trying to fuse what we in the rich industrial countries would think of as 'modern' notions of democracy and rights with indigenous notions. So for example, they have a women's revolutionary law, which decrees that women are equal in everything. A Zapatista mural on a Chiapas school - and a church in the background It's a fascinating place to live, precisely because the communities really are in control of their own affairs. At the same time, there is a lot of poverty - partly because of the exclusion people there have suffered for decades and indeed centuries, and partly because they refuse to accept any money from the government. Since they declared autonomy they won't accept money for schools, transport and other services normally provided from the centre. So there is an enormous amount of hope because they are controlling their own lives. At the same time there is frustration because they don't feel that they are getting what they want from the government, and they are still suffering from the terrible poverty which made them rise up in the first place. Next: From Genoa to Cochabamba Landlords of an American Canyon rental home are contesting a $5,000 civil fine imposed after police found 1,916 cannabis plants being grown indoors. Nim Cho and Wendy Wu, owners of the house on Pelleria Drive, appealed the fine to the city in a letter. The El Sobrante residents said they bought the American Canyon house in November 2020 and rented it to a tenant recommended by a friend. Now their American Canyon house has no income, they have to pay the big loan to buy it and they are trying to borrow money to hire a contractor to fix the house, they wrote. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Special offer: 1 year for $26 Please understand our terrible situation, they wrote, calling themselves a pair of pitiful seniors who had nothing to do with what was happening inside the house. The appeal went to the Planning Commission on Thursday. But the commission holds Zoom-only meetings because of the pandemic. The couple could be seen on the screen as they tried to talk, but not heard. City officials called them, but holding the phone against a computer didnt work well. I had a very hard time hearing, Planning Commissioner Eric Altman said after listening to them. Im not sure I heard it all. We all know variances become a bit of a hot-button topic in virtually every application where it is proposed, Monteverdi said. The area where the home and barn were located before the Nuns fire makes sense for a building site on a property with slopes, he said. The Planning Commission approved the project 3-0. Commissioners Dameron, Dave Whitmer and Andrew Mazotti voted yes, with Commissioners Anne Cottrell and Joelle Gallagher absent. You are the type of folks we ought to be lifting up in this community, Whitmer told the Potts. You are a small family wishing to do something miraculous here. It is out of touch and out of reach for many. Some people question how the Planning Commission can approve a winery during a drought and in an area that has burned in wildfires, Mazotti said. You can find a million reasons to say no to things and poke holes, he said. But Im always trying and we as a county and a commission are trying to find a way to say yes and help people live out their dream. You can reach Barry Eberling at 256-2253 or beberling@napanews.com. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A painting by iconic artist Margaret Keane that was stolen from a Honolulu dental clinic nearly 50 years ago was turned over today to a representative of the original owners, one of whom is a woman depicted in the painting when she was a child. Officials of Heritage Auctions, the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the U.S., turned over the artwork, "Eyes Upon You, " to family representative Robert Wittman during a news conference held at the auction house's headquarters in Dallas. The painting was stolen from the dental clinic in November 1972. The oil painting sold for $35, 000 at a December 2020 auction. According to Heritage, the work was consigned to the auction house by a family who purchased it from a New Jersey gallery in the 1980s. It's unclear how the painting made its way to New Jersey from Hawaii, Wittman, former FBI agent and founder of the agency's Art Crime Team, said in a news release issued by Heritage Auctions today. "There is no way Heritage could have known it was stolen and has no criminal culpability whatsoever, " he said. "Because of Heritage's reputation as a good company that does the right thing, I contacted executives there, sent all the evidence we'd gathered, and they did what I thought they would do, which is the right thing." Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Special offer: 1 year for $26 But cleaning up water to meet stringent standards for perfluorinated chemicals would be expensive. At military sites alone, the US Government Accountability Office estimates that investigating and cleaning up the contamination will cost far beyond the $3.2 billion that the Department of Defense spent in 2020 and expects to pay in 2021. These chemicals are everywhere, in everyone Nationwide, the drinking water of up to 80 million people is estimated to contain at least 10 nanograms per liter of the two chemicals combined, according to a study by the Environmental Working Group, an environmental group that focuses on toxic substances. The chemicals are everywhere, in virtually everyone, in samples taken from pole to pole -- they have accumulated not just in water, but also in soil and in human and animal bodies, beginning in the late 1940s, when 3M Co. developed a process to make them. "They've shown toxicity in animals and in humans," said Elaine Khan, chief of the Water Toxicology Section at the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. "It's definitely something that we need to address in terms of protecting public health." Strong winds from the south may blow in some thunderstorms Monday and Tuesday, sparking a higher risk of wildfires in the greater Bay Area, according to the National Weather Service. Even though the chance of thunderstorms is considered slight, it is enough for the service to issue an alert due to the dry conditions. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Special offer: 1 year for $26 The forecast calls for monsoon moisture with gusty, erratic winds beginning Monday morning in Southern California, before moving up the state into the Bay Area by Monday night. This mid-level moisture will potentially produce scattered rain showers and/or thunderstorms. While some precipitation may reach the ground, there remains the potential for dry lightning. For the latest forecast updates, visit www.weather.gov/BayArea. When cancer patients stop smoking, they heal faster, experience fewer side effects from treatment and lower their chances of tumors returning. Now, top cancer hospitals are helping patients quit as evidence mounts that its never too late. The newest research, reported Monday, shows lung cancer patients who stopped smoking gained nearly two years of life compared to those who continued to smoke. It is a huge effect, said Dr. Mahdi Sheikh, who led the study for the World Health Organizations cancer research agency in Lyon, France. In lung cancer, he said, quitting smoking is as necessary as the treatments. In the U.S., many cancer centers offer proven quit strategies: phone counseling, nicotine patches and pills that ease the urge to smoke. More cancer doctors are talking to their patients about quitting. For some patients, the shock of a cancer diagnosis can be highly motivating. Its the biggest reason Ive ever had in my life to quit, said Preston Browning, an electrician in Ridgetop, Tennessee, who quit cigarettes last month while recovering from cancer surgery. Monday's announcement allows Newsom to take a clear step aimed at boosting the vaccination rate while avoiding imposing broader mandates and restrictions that could further frustrate voters. His political comments appeared aimed at motivating his Democratic base by linking the recall to what he calls extremist Republicans. In California, Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly 2-to-1 and one of Newsom's strategies has been to nationalize the race. Anything he can do to emphasize whos behind this and whos attacking him is all for his own political good, said Garry South, a Democratic strategist who worked for former Gov. Gray Davis, who got recalled in 2003. Rob Stutzman, a Republican strategist who worked opposite South in the 2003 recall, agreed that such sparring only benefits Newsom in the heavily Democratic state. Newsom needs to inject some intensity into his base, he noted on Twitter. Under the new rules, employees who do not provide verification of vaccination must submit to testing once or twice a week and wear a mask while working. Vaccine verification also will be required in jails, homeless shelters and other places where people congregate, Newsom said. Its not clear who will pay for the tests. Prosecutors said Barrack boasted to contacts in the Emirates that he could help them gain influence with the then-new administration, even as he was seeking a post as ambassador to the UAE or as special envoy to the Middle East. Federal authorities say Barrack broke the law by failing to disclose his UAE ties to the U.S. government. On Friday, a Los Angeles magistrate judge approved a $250 million bail deal negotiated between Barrack's lawyers and federal prosecutors. The arrangement required Barrack to give up passports and submit to electronic monitoring. It also imposed a curfew. Barrack is charged with conspiracy, obstruction of justice and making false statements during a June 2019 interview with federal agents. Barrack, who has an electronic ankle bracelet to comply with monitoring requirements, plans to live in Aspen, Colorado, while he awaits trial, his lawyers said. He also pledged to only fly on commercial flights. He is subject to a curfew and various other restrictions, including limits on financial transactions and bans on communications with officials from the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The US Department of Homeland Security announced the resumption of the procedure for accelerated deportation of families of illegal immigrants from Monday, the department said in a statement . According to the department, expedited deportation is a legal procedure for the expulsion of those families who have no legal basis to stay in the United States. American authorities also warned against attempted illegal entry into the United States. These actions are dangerous and can have long-term immigration consequences for those who try to do so, the text says. According to the department, the US administration is working to create a safe, orderly and humane immigration system. The current administration of US President Joe Biden has recently been heavily criticized in light of the growing influx of people who illegally try to infiltrate the United States from Mexico. Political opponents, in particular, argue that what is happening was the result of the too soft approach of the new head of the White House to illegal immigration. In addition, the American authorities have criticized the fact that underage illegal immigrants are often kept in conditions that are not suitable for children. Armenia opens case on damaging army vehicle amid Azerbaijani shelling Azerbaijani Parliament to convene for emergency meeting Oil prices are going down Newspaper: Armenian authorities deployed troops near parliament building Armenia's Journalists Union condemns actions of National Security Service against journalist Nairi Hokhikyan US orders 24 Russian diplomats to leave country by Sep. 3 Armenia ruling party MP on his future activities in parliament Armenia justice minister recalled from leave Officials from 73 countries to attend inauguration of Iran's President-elect France Ambassador to relatives of Armenian POWs: Captives shouldn't be used to exert pressure on Armenia Aurora Prize Laureate Kyaw Hla Aung passes away Bus transporting tourists overturns in Turkey, leaving 3 dead Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani army opens fire at Yeraskh and Kut villages with firearms of various calibers Relatives of Armenian POWs from Armenia's Shirak Province submit documents to France Ambassador 'Armenia' bloc MP: We will apply to Constitutional Court to demand restoration of deputies' parliamentary immunity Armenia PM congratulates Alen Simonyan on being elected parliamentary speaker Russia's Putin congratulates Nikol Pashinyan Armenia MP Hakob Simidyan appointed Advisor to PM Armenia Armed Forces Combat Readiness Department chief dismissed Digest: Armenia MPs discuss parliament speaker's candidacy, Armenian soldier found dead in Artsakh His Holiness Karekin II sends congratulatory message to Nikol Pashinyan Armenia's ruling Civil Contract faction elects Alen Simonyan parliamentary speaker in the absence of opposition blocs Lilit Makunts appointed Armenia's Ambassador to the United States of America Armenia Gegharkunik Province ex-governor appointed territorial administration and infrastructure minister Armenian ruling party MP: Security comes first, and Armenia will always be a sovereign state Opposition MP: Even if there is pause in the current situation, it can't help ensure long-term peace for Armenia Dollar and euro continue to go up in Armenia Karabakh: Remains of another 4 Armenian servicemen found in and removed from Varanda Armenia's new parliament convenes special session today Kazakhstan President congratulates Armenia's Pashinyan Second secret ballot for election of Speaker of 8th convocation of Armenia National Assembly being held Karabakh President congratulates Nikol Pashinyan on being appointed Armenia's premier Argentina President congratulates Armenia PM Relatives of Armenian POWs gather near parliament building, demand inclusion of captives' issue in agenda Armenia Gegharkunik Province governor sacked Armenia President signs decisions on appointing Deputy Prime Minister and 3 ministers Armenia Investigative Committee: Soldier who left military unit dies from explosion of illegally kept grenade Armenia Prosecutor General receives Russia Ambassador, Armenian POWs' issue discussed Opposition 'Armenia' bloc MP: Government has forgotten about motion that ex-PM had filed for Nikol Pashinyan Coronavirus in Armenia: 2 new deaths Armenia first deputy minister of labor and social affairs sacked Armenian PM recommends that President appoint Suren Papikyan Deputy PM and Arshak Karapetyan defense minister Armenia PM dismisses first deputy defense minister Arshak Karapetyan Nikol Pashinyan appointed Prime Minister of Armenia Body of 22-year-old soldier found in Artsakh President: For preserving statehood in Armenia, it is necessary to overcome the existing split Young Liberals of Australian Capital Territory recognizes Armenian, Greek, Assyrian Genocides Azerbaijan refutes information about opening of air corridor over Armenia Armenia's new parliament discusses candidates running for speaker Azerbaijani authorities sentence 2 captured Armenians to 20 years in prison Deputies of newly elected Armenian parliament take oath Safoian-founded SADA named Google Cloud Partner of the Year for third year in a row Oil is getting cheaper Newly elected parliament session kicks off in Armenia Hackers paralyze vaccination record in Italy California: 4 people die in a helicopter crash YouTube suspends Sky News Australia channel amid COVID-19 disinformation New surge in COVID-19 incidence expected in Canada No COVID-19 new cases reported in Artsakh Armenian president sends congratulatory message to his Swiss counterpart Trump to return $ 1 million for taxes on skyscraper in Chicago Iran rejects allegations of involvement in attack on tanker in Arabian Sea Israeli FM discusses attack on chemical tanker with US Secretary of State Magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Greece Over 200,000 people held 3rd series of protests in France Prohibition on eviction of insolvent persons expires in US 229 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Armenia per day U.S. Senate debates $ 1 trillion infrastructure bill Azerbaijanis open fire in direction of Yeraskh at car with food UN urges countries to redouble their efforts to protect planet US military assists damage Israeli tanker with oil products US approves deal to supply Israel with 18 attack helicopters Armenia acting Deputy PM dismisses advisor Iran FM addresses UN Secretary-General about West's breach of JCPOA Premier of Kurdistan Region of Iraq condemns attack on Kurdish family in Turkey Karabakh reports 2 cases of coronavirus Russian peacekeepers say they have ensured movement of over 2,000 cars in Karabakh Putin confirms provision of assistance to Turkey to put out forest fires Armenian soldier Aram Atasyan who was severely wounded on July 23 transferred to hospital room Armenia Supreme Judicial Council acting chairman tours general jurisdiction courts in provinces Adam Schiff attaches importance to increasing the role of OSCE Minsk Group and development of US-Armenia relations US Congresswoman calls on Azerbaijan to withdraw from Armenia territory immediately and stop violence Armenian political scientist on Iran's nuclear program, Meghri road and Armenia's future actions Greece releases terrorist who killed a politician Condor launches flights to and from Frankfurt and Yerevan Meteorite falls in western Turkey 243 new cases of coronavirus reported in Armenia Turkish and Afghan defense ministers discuss security of Kabul International Airport Republican Party of Armenia spokesperson on country's interests and demarcation/delimitation of border with Azerbaijan Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani army's units open fire at Armenian military posts located in Yeraskh sector of border Banak.info releases photo of Azerbaijani UAV downed by Armenia's air defense forces Armenia Ombudsman shows picture of house under direct target of Azerbaijanis in Verin Shorzha village Ombudsman presents violations of rights of Armenia's borderline residents to international organizations Russia and Turkey are considering conclusion of a long-term agreement on natural gas transit Armenia acting PM considers Azerbaijan's practice inadmissible during talk with ICRC President Karabakh emergency situations service: Remains of another Armenian serviceman found in Varanda Opposition 'Armenia' and 'I Have Honor' blocs agree on which member will be nominated as deputy parliamentary speaker Armenia acting PM signs decision on setting up commission for burial of poet and journalist Armen Shekoyan Armenia MFA comments on statement by Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Digest: Azerbaijani UAV shot down in Armenia, MEPs condemn Azerbaijani claims on Armenian territory Speaking about the implementation of the trilateral statements of November 9, 2020 and January 11, 2021 - clear facts should be guided and not arbitrary interpretation of these statements, Armenian Foreign Ministry told in response to the inquiry of Armenpress. Question. During a joint press conference with the Foreign Minister of Serbia, the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan accused Armenia of obstructing the implementation of the November 9 trilateral statement. How would you comment on this statement? Answer. When referring to the implementation of trilateral statements of November 9, 2020 and January 21, 2021 one should be guided by clear facts and not arbitrary interpretations of those statements. And the facts are as follows: A month after signing the Statement, the Azerbaijani armed forces violated its first provision, according to which the sides should remain in their positions, and launched an attack on the villages of Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd in the region of Hadrut, as a result of which these settlements were occupied, the Armenian soldiers were killed and captured. Unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan did not fulfill the 8th provision of the November 9 statement, which enshrines the exchange of prisoners of war, hostages and other detainees. Moreover, Armenian prisoners of war are being prosecuted, which is also a gross violation of international humanitarian law. Since May 12, the armed forces of Azerbaijan have infiltrated and continue to stay in the sovereign territory Republic of Armenia. It is noteworthy that Azerbaijani troops infiltrated into the Republic of Armenia from the territories over which Azerbaijan established control following the implementation of the Statement of November 9. In other words, the constructive approach of the Armenian side to implement the Statement was opposed by Azerbaijan`s policy of disrupting regional security and peace by the encroachment on the territorial integrity of Armenia The fact that the Azerbaijani military units are in the territory of Armenia was accepted by the President of Azerbaijan, noting that Zangezur is the land of our ancestors. Recently, Azerbaijan has been making statements denying Nagorno-Karabakh as a territorial entity, which in turn violates Provision 7 of the Statement, where the parties, including Azerbaijan, agreed on the term "Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent areas." Armenia has been the most constructive in implementing the November 9 and January 11 statements regarding the unblocking. Unfortunately, the Azerbaijani side has actively manipulated Armenias constructive approach and has attempted to circulate the official idea of "opening the corridor" with official public statements, which is unacceptable and completely distorts the content of the trilateral statements. It is noteworthy that along with these speculations, Azerbaijan, on one hand, made false territorial-historical claims to Armenia, and on the other hand, the Azerbaijani military units penetrated into the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. As for the accusations that Armenia does not help Azerbaijan to demine the territories of the conflict zone, it should be emphasized that the November 9 statement does not contain any provision for cooperation between the parties in the field of demining. It is worth mentioning that the possibility of cooperation with Armenia and Artsakh in this direction was usually denied by Azerbaijan. Moreover, in 2017 due to Azerbaijan's efforts, the OSCE Office in Yerevan was closed under the pretext that the OSCE was engaged in a humanitarian demining program. Not having any obligation to cooperate in the field of demining, the Armenian side nevertheless provided information to Azerbaijan through third parties as an expression of goodwill. The complete implementation of the process of repatriation of prisoners of war, hostages and other detainees held in Azerbaijan may create a constructive environment for the implementation of the November 9 Statement. There is arguably no place outside Haiti and Cuba more riveted by the ongoing turmoil engulfing both Caribbean nations than South Florida, the epicenter of the long and painful Cuban and Haitian diasporas. But as Cuban authorities punish protesters who took part in anti-government demonstrations that swept the island just days after Haitian President Jovenel Moises shocking assassination, the University of Miami can offer unparalleled resources for understanding the ongoing crises in our backyardand our hearts. Although the situations are different in each country, these events are having a profound impact on South Floridas Cuban American and Haitian American communities, including many members of the University of Miami Libraries faculty and staff, Charles Eckman, dean and University Librarian, stated in a recent message to his team. This is also an important moment for fostering a deeper understanding of the forces shaping these unfolding struggles, Eckman continued. The UM Libraries have significant resources for learning more about the Cuban and Haitian diaspora communities as well as the history and cultures in Cuba and Haiti. Among the resources is the Cuban Heritage Collection (CHC), the largest archive of materials about Cuba outside of the island and the largest collection in the world documenting the Cuban diaspora from colonial times to the presentincluding the real-time present. The CHC announced via social media that it is collecting digital materials, including tweets by both dissidents on the island and exiles in South Florida, posted during the historic and spontaneous protests, and the ongoing Cuban crackdown they precipitated. During the demonstrations that erupted on July 11, Cubans took to the streets chanting libertad and holding signs that read, Down with the dictatorshipextraordinary acts against a repressive regime that some view as a watershed moment for reform. CHCs archival team is also creating an oral collection of personal stories and lived experiences of many of the Cuban activists calling for social change to document the present and help contextualize the past. The CHC is located on the Coral Gables Campus, in the Otto G. Richter Librarys Roberto C. Goizueta Pavilion, but many of its assets are digitized and easily accessible to the public online. This includes the Luis J. Botifoll Oral History Project, which contains interviews primarily with the first generation of Cubans to leave the island after the revolution. And StoryCorps Historias includes all interviews with self-identified Cubans or people of Cuban descent who shared their stories with the national StoryCorps project, now archived in the Library of Congress American Folklore Center. Several research guides on Cuba-related topics also are available online, but those who wish to visit the CHC in person may do so by appointment. The Universitys younger but ever-growing Haitian heritage collection in Special Collections at Kislak Center at the University of Miami also holds materials related to Haiti and its diaspora. These include the Haitian Diaspora Oral Histories, the Caribbean Diaspora Oral Histories, and many other relevant materials. Special Collections guide to its 2019 exhibition, Ansanm, Ensemble, Together, also offers a glimpse at the ongoing effort to document the Haitian experience through rare books, manuscripts, oral histories, and archival collections. Many of the latter were donated by Haitian Americans who fled the worlds first Black republic during prior upheavals and founded grassroots, service, and cultural organizations across South Florida. And it is those stories that archivist Beatrice Colastin Skokan is most committed to collecting as Haitis newly installed prime minister, Ariel Henry, tries to quell civil unrest and lead his beleaguered nation to elections in the wake of Moises July 7 assassination. What were interested in is the complex and whole story, not just the discourse of those who have the privilege of being in positions of authority, said Skokan, the curator of the Caribbean Collections and head of manuscripts and archives. The current interim government does not necessarily reflect the aspirations and hopes of the entirety of Haitian civil society, especially those who are marginalized, and were going to continue to document Haitis evolving story by working with the organizations and individuals in the diaspora who are capturing those stories and are interested in preserving them. Like many of the materials in the CHC, many of the materials in the Haiti collection are accessible online, but visitors may make an appointment to visit the Kislak Center. Indonesia reports over 2,000 Covid deaths in 24 hours Workers handle free charging oxygen cylinders for residents exposed to Covid-19. Photo: AFP Indonesia reported a record 2,069 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours on Tuesday as it faces its deadliest Covid-19 surge since the pandemic began. The grim tally was nearly 600 deaths higher than the previous day and topped last week's daily record of 1,566 deaths, the health ministry said. New infections also shot up to just over 45,000, from about 28,000 on Monday. The eye-watering data comes after the Southeast Asian nation this week loosened virus curbs by allowing small shops, streetside restaurants and some shopping malls to reopen after a three-week partial lockdown. Health experts had warned that could trigger a fresh wave of cases, as the highly infectious Delta variant rips across the vast archipelago, which has overtaken India and Brazil to become the global pandemic epicentre. Shopping malls and mosques in less affected parts of the Muslim-majority nation also got the green light to open their doors from Monday, to limited crowds and with shorter hours. Offices were still under shutdown orders. Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous nation where tens of millions live hand to mouth, has avoided strict lockdowns seen in some other countries. But the government has been widely criticised for its handling of the pandemic and policies that critics say prioritised Southeast Asia's largest economy over public health. President Joko Widodo has pointed to falling daily infection and hospital occupancy rates, including in the hard-hit capital Jakarta, as justification for the easing. But the Delta variant has been detected in about a dozen regions outside Jakarta, densely populated Java and Bali, where infections have also soared in recent weeks. Nearly 19,000 foreign nationals have left Indonesia through Jakarta's main international airport since early July, an exodus led by Japanese and Chinese expatriates, with 2,962 and 2,219 departures respectively, the immigration department said Tuesday. Indonesia is a major market for Japanese firms, and hosts many business projects backed by companies in China, its biggest trading partner. Indonesia's vaccination levels remain well below the government's one-million-a-day target for July. Less than seven percent of its 270 million people have been fully inoculated with two jabs. The country has reported a total of more than 3.2 million cases and 86,835 virus deaths, but those official figures are widely believed to be a severe undercount, due to low testing and tracing rates. (AFP) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced in May that the state would end its participation in the FPUC program early. Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Ten Florida residents sued the state for stopping federal unemployment benefits early. They claim the state, and Gov. Ron DeSantis, ended benefits for "political purposes." Florida is among 26 states ending federal unemployment programs early. See more stories on Insider's business page. Ten Florida residents have sued Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis for ending the $300 supplemental unemployment benefits more than two months early. The plaintiffs demanded that DeSantis reinstate the benefits, which he stopped in June, and send retroactive payments for the benefits they missed. Without the benefits, they couldn't afford housing, utilities, food, healthcare, and childcare, they said. The lawsuit, filed Sunday in Broward County, Florida, also named the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) and its director Dane Eagle as defendants. They filed the lawsuit "on behalf of themselves and all unemployed Floridians." So far, 26 states - almost all with GOP governors - have said they're ending at least one of three pandemic unemployment insurance programs early. The programs were introduced through the CARES Act in March 2020 and are set to expire on September 5. Some lawmakers and business owners have blamed the benefits for the current labor shortage, but JPMorgan said earlier this month there was "little sign" that ending unemployment benefits early had pushed people back to work. The lawsuit said that the defendants "have taken actions against these Broward County residents to deprive them of real and personal property rights" by cutting off access to Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) early. Read more: I'm a millionaire businessman who was arrested for protesting with restaurant workers. We demand better wages for the employees running our economy. DeSantis, Eagle, and the DEO announced in May that Florida would end its participation in the FPUC program from June 26. The lawsuit claimed that this was "for purely partisan and political purposes." Story continues "Each of the plaintiffs have suffered economic hardships because of COVID, have had difficulty finding work and now, with the discontinuation of the FPUC, face even more pressing financial hardships," Sunday's lawsuit said. It added that the plaintiffs "have suffered and will continue to suffer substantial and irreparable harms" and couldn't afford basic living expenses. Florida's unemployment compensation program pays a maximum of $275 per week for 12 weeks. This makes it one of the shortest and lowest-paying unemployment compensation programs in the country, the lawsuit claims. "Defendants have a clear statutory duty to secure for Floridians all available federal unemployment benefits including those under FPUC," the lawsuit said. The lawsuit sought a mandatory injunction to make the state take all federal unemployment insurance benefits available from the US Department of Labor, and to prevent Florida from refusing any in the future. The DEO told Insider that it would contest the alleged violation of law. It said that it withdrew from these benefits because of "positive, record-breaking economic factors," such as its unemployment rate, which it said had remained below the national rate for the past 11 months. Florida isn't the first state facing legal action over its decision to end benefits early. Indiana resumed paying pandemic unemployment benefits, including back payments, in mid-July after the state Court of Appeals denied its attempt to continue halting the benefit. Maryland was ordered to continue its federal unemployment supplemental payments, too. The bipartisan Joint Economic Committee said in June that the states ending FPUC payments early could lose a collective $12 billion because residents have less disposable income to spend. Texas alone would miss out on $3.51 billion in less than four months, it said. Read the original article on Business Insider Roughly 50,000 migrants had reportedly been released into the United States without court dates, and few have reported to Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities. In the unprecedented routine, which began after President Joe Biden took office, migrants are told to visit an ICE station rather than be ordered to appear before a judge. Only 6,700 individuals who were suspected of crossing the border illegally between March and July have shown up at ICE field offices, while 16,000 people have skirted the 60-day window to appear before the government agency, a source briefed on the data from the Department of Homeland Security told Axios. Another 27,000 migrants have yet to visit ICE facilities, though they are still within the roughly two-month window to do so. BIDEN ADMINISTRATION BEGINS EXPEDITING RETURN OF SOME MIGRANT FAMILIES TO MEXICO The unnamed DHS official said 70% of the 50,000 have either shown up to an ICE office or are within the legal window, though that figure could quickly decline if migrants opt not to make contact of their own accord. If they do not report, ICE reserves the right to remove them from the country. "While individuals have 60 days to check in with ICE, many are proactively reaching out to ICE to begin their official immigration processing, including by receiving a Notice to Appear," a DHS spokesperson told the Washington Examiner in an email. "Those who do not report, like anyone who is in our country without legal status, are subject to removal by ICE. Officials have banked on the migrants appearing in ICE offices to obtain work permits after they reach their chosen destination in the U.S., though the volume of releases may serve to be a challenge for border authorities. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat, told the news outlet that more than 7,300 migrants in the area of the Rio Grande Valley were released over the last week without court dates. Approximately 190,000 people attempted to cross the southern border illegally from Mexico into the U.S. in June, the most seen in more than 21 years, Customs and Border Protection said this month. Story continues On Sunday, Rio Grande Valley Chief Patrol Agent Brian Hastings reported that law enforcement nabbed more than 20,000 migrants in the last week alone. Despite what many consider to be a crisis at the southern border due largely to Biden's loose stance on the immigration issue, the White House on Tuesday railed against former President Donald Trump's "cruel and reckless" hard-line immigration policies. "In the six months since, the Administration has made considerable progress to build a fair, orderly, and humane immigration system while continuing to call on Congress to make long overdue reforms to U.S. immigration laws," a statement read. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER "The Biden-Harris Administration has accomplished this and more while reckoning with the prior Administrations cruel and reckless immigration policies, which exacerbated long-standing challenges and failed to securely manage our border," the statement added. ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner. Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Law, Biden Administration, Immigration, Border Crisis, Border Security, ICE, Homeland Security, Foreign Policy, Law Enforcement Original Author: Jake Dima Original Location: 50,000 migrants released into US without court date San Francisco Mayor London Breed (Getty Images) A coalition of more than 500 bars in San Francisco will require patrons to produce proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test. The San Francisco Bar Owner Alliance decided to act after becoming extremely concerned by increases in Covid-19 cases among its bar staff, especially those who are fully vaccinated. The rule will come into effect on Thursday. The bar groups founder Ben Bleiman said they came to the decision after a surge in cases among vaccinated bar staff three weeks ago. You could see the writing on the wall. It was happening left and right, he told The Washington Post . Mr Bleiman said he had to close one of his bars, Soda Popinskis, last week after a vaccinated employee contracted the virus. Members of the ownership group were polled and agreed to the requirement. Individual bars will decide how to enforce the rules, with unvaccinated customers likely to be allowed to sit outside. It was welcomed by San Francisco Mayor London Breed for helping to protect employees and customers. We need everyone to get vaccinated, especially as the Delta variant continues to spread. Its how we can keep our city and our residents safe, she said. The decision comes amid a tightening of mask and vaccine requirements in several parts of the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to reverse its previous position and recommend vaccinated people in some parts of the country wear masks when indoors, according to reports. In response to a spike in cases almost entirely among the unvaccinated, local officials in several US states have been tightening vaccine and mask rules. In New York City and California, state employees will be required to get vaccinated against Covid-19 or undergo regular tests for the virus. Los Angeles County has reinstituted an indoor mask mandate. The Department of Veterans Affairs became the first federal agency to require its frontline health care workers to be vaccinated, in a move confirmed by President Joe Biden. Story continues On Sunday, aaDr Anthony Fauci said the United States is in an unnecessary predicament of soaring Covid-19 cases fuelled by unvaccinated Americans and the virulent delta variant. Were going in the wrong direction, Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN. Covid testing data was being reviewed as they consider whether to recommend that vaccinated individuals get booster shots. He suggested that some of the most vulnerable, such as organ transplant and cancer patients, are likely to be recommended for booster shots. Read More CDC to reintroduce indoor mask mandate for vaccinated Americans amid rise in Delta cases, reports say Newsom casts political blame in new California vaccine push That time has passed: Arkansas doctor shares anguish of telling dying Covid patients its too late for vaccine Employees at Activision Blizzard planned a work stoppage on Wednesday to protest sexism at the US video game company, according to a rallying cry echoing on social media. The Activision Blizzard Walkout for Equality is to last through the work day, with a live event during lunch hours at the firm's campus in the Southern California city of Irvine. Organizers expected about 50 people to take part in the campus protest, with others joining virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a civil complaint last week claiming the maker of "Call of Duty" and "World of Warcraft" violated state laws by allowing a "pervasive frat boy workplace culture." In the latest case highlighting claims of sexism in the video game industry, the lawsuit said the company "fostered a sexist culture and paid women less than men." "It is the responsibility of leadership to stamp out toxicity and harassment in any form," Activision Blizzard chief and co-founder Mike Morhaime said in a post over the weekend. "To the Blizzard women who experienced any of these things, I am extremely sorry that I failed you." Morhaime acknowledged in the post that harassment and discrimination are prevalent in the video game industry. The call for a walkout came as workers blasted Activision Blizzard's response to a slew of sexism and harassment complaints in a letter calling its reaction "abhorrent." Employees at the company demanded that executives "recognize the seriousness of these allegations and demonstrate compassion for victims," according to the letter posted online. The letter had been signed by more than 2,000 employees by Tuesday, according to media reports. Activision Blizzard pushed back on the allegations, saying that the lawsuit "includes distorted, and in many cases false, descriptions of Blizzard's past." Story continues "In cases related to misconduct, action was taken to address the issue," it said. The game company said the state agency "rushed to file an inaccurate complaint, as we will demonstrate in court." Law firm Scott and Scott this week said it is exploring whether stockholders have grounds to sue Activision's top managers or board of directors for breach of fiduciary duties in their handling of sexual harassment. "If you are an Activision shareholder, you may have legal claims against Activisions directors and officers," the litigation firm said in a release. gc/bgs Tong Ying-kit, the first person to be charged and tried under Hong Kong's national security law was found guilty of terrorism and inciting secession by three judges Tuesday, per Bloomberg. The 24-year-old had pleaded not guilty to the charges. Why it matters: The law passed by the ruling Chinese Communist Party last year carries the maximum sentence of life imprisonment. In a departure from the Asian financial hub's common law traditions, Tong was denied a jury trial. Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free. Instead, security law judges are selected by Hong Kong CEO Carrie Lam. Details: The charges stem from allegations that he drove his motorcycle into police officers while carrying a protest flag stating "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times" on July 1 last year which prosecutors labeled "secessionist," Reuters notes. The incident was alleged to have taken place one day after Beijing imposed the security law on Hong Kong after the former British colony saw months of massive pro-democracy protests. Go deeper: Beijing's national security law takes a toll in Hong Kong Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout. Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free. Mohammad Sadeq returned to his home on the outskirts of Kandahar city this week to discover it had new occupants -- the Taliban. "They didn't even allow me to enter," he told AFP Tuesday at a camp for displaced people inside Afghanistan's second-biggest city. Sadeq is one of tens of thousands of Afghans recently uprooted by fighting between the Taliban and government forces that has intensified as the last foreign troops complete their withdrawal after a 20-year occupation. This week thousands have made their way by car, bus, truck and on foot to Kandahar -- preferring an uncertain future in a basic city camp to braving the fighting. Local officials said more than 150,000 had arrived just this month. "I lost two sons in an explosion just in front of my house," said Bibi Aisha, another internal refugee now living in the grounds of a government centre for hajj pilgrims near Kandahar airport. "The streets in my neighbourhood were full of human flesh," she added. Humanitarian organisations warn of a major crisis in coming months as the Taliban continue a sweeping offensive that has so far gobbled up a vast swath of the north. Government forces have abandoned some rural districts without a fight, but are digging in to defend provincial capitals -- including Kandahar -- even as the insurgents tighten a noose around the cities. Kandahar is the birthplace of the Taliban, from where the hardline Islamic group rose to power in 1996 -- before controlling most of the country by 2001, when the US-led forces invaded. The fall of the city would be a disaster for the government, splitting the country into two before winter, when retaking lost territory is particularly difficult. The fight for Kandahar is also a microcosm of the battle for the rest of the country. - Brutal clashes - Where the Taliban take over without a fight -- particularly in deeply conservative rural areas -- life continues much as before. Story continues But in more developed parts defended by government troops, civilians are being forced to flee to escape often brutal clashes. At the camp near Kandahar airport on Tuesday, scores of children were playing in the dust as women boiled water for tea on makeshift stoves. A young boy washed clothes in a plastic tub as a group of wizened old men sipped green tea from tiny glasses, waving away a constant assault of flies. The UN refugee agency says hundreds of thousands of Afghans have been displaced internally this year alone, and warns that unless the fighting stops, the crisis could spill over to Afghanistan's neighbours. Pakistan and Iran, in particular, were home to millions of Afghan refugees who fled the decade-long Soviet occupation and the Taliban regime in the 1990s. The overcrowding and rudimentary conditions at newly sprouted camps in Kandahar are already causing health problems. "We are treating between 250 and 300 patients every day," doctor Mohammad Aref Shekib told AFP. "A lot of them are children suffering from diarrhoea, flu and skin diseases. We are overwhelmed." Many in the camp expressed bewilderment at their predicament -- particularly since the Taliban's sworn enemy, the US-led forces that overthrew them, have all but gone. "Who are they fighting against?" asked a woman named Feroza. "There is no America any more, no infidels. All the people they evicted from their homes are Muslim." "The civilians are suffering most," said Sayed Mohammad, his family alongside him. "We are facing many challenges. Our children and women left home with just a few clothes." Sadeq, whose house was occupied by the insurgents, fled his home in the middle of a battle. He said he was left with nothing. "Bullets and rockets were hitting our house," he said. "We had to flee." str-jds/fox/ds/leg SELMA, Ala. (AP) An Alabama police officer on break at the apartment complex where he lived was shot to death early Tuesday and a woman was wounded in what a prosecutor described as an ambush. Selma Police Officer Marquis Moorer was on duty and went home to get a bite to eat when he was fatally shot, Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson said. A woman believed to be his wife or girlfriend was wounded, he said. The officer was ambushed," according to Jackson. Moorer was on a lunch break when shots were fired from outside, Attorney General Steve Marshall said. The officer was killed and another person inside the residence at Selma Square Apartments was wounded, Marshall said in a statement. Moorer was an upstanding officer who took his job seriously, Jackson said. He was credited with making the city's first heroin arrest in a decade in 2019, shortly after he joined the police force as a patrol officer. The Selma Police Department is devastated," Chief Kenta Fulford told a news conference. Were asking the community for your prayers." Authorities did not release the name of the woman who was shot. She was hospitalized but no additional information was available. No arrests were made immediately, but state police were investigating at the request of local authorities, along with members of a drug task force. The city of roughly 17,000 is located about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of the capital of Montgomery. Photograph: Ink Drop/Alamy Stock Photo A 36-year-old Alabama woman is facing felony charges for filling a doctors prescription. Kim Blalock, a mother of six, suffers from severe back pain caused by degeneration of her spinal discs. There are days that I cant get up, Blalock has said. Her condition worsened over the years following surgeries and car accidents. An orthopedist prescribed hydrocodone, an opiate pain killer, and she started using it occasionally when the pain became too much to handle. She stopped taking her prescription during her most recent pregnancy, but as her bump grew, the weight added pressure on her back, and the pain worsened. Midway through her third trimester, she couldnt take it any more, and refilled her prescription. She gave birth to a healthy baby boy soon after, this past September. Out of caution, she told her doctor about medications she had taken during pregnancy including the hydrocodone. Thats where the trouble started. After her son tested positive for hydrocodone, an investigation was launched. The state child services agency found no wrongdoing, but the local police and district attorney pressed on. Two months after she gave birth, seven armed officers raided her house, terrifying her children. Related: Like millions of Americans, I can never leave my spouse. Ill lose my healthcare | Jessa Crispin Blalock is charged with prescription fraud; prosecutors allege that she committed a crime when she failed to inform her prescribing doctor that she was pregnant before refilling her hydrocodone. Its a novel charge for such a case, but Alabama has a long history of prosecuting pregnant women under a strict reading of a statute against chemical endangerment of a child, which classifies substance use during pregnancy as a form of child abuse. Since 2006, when meth labs were appearing across rural communities, Alabama has made it a felony to expose a child to a chemically toxic environment. The law was meant to enforce heavier penalties on people who make drugs around children, exposing them to the vapors that are emitted in the creation of crack and meth. But prosecutors quickly began deploying the law against pregnant women, interpreting a chemically toxic environment to mean the pregnant body itself. Story continues And so, in Alabama, womens bodies became one of the most hotly contested fronts in the war on drugs. But drug laws are being used to criminalize pregnant people throughout the US. Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have such laws, known as chemical endangerment of a child statutes, on the books. Whatever their intent, such laws in practice often enable prosecutors to charge drug use by pregnant women as a felony. Enforcement is not merely a matter of increasing charges and punishments against defendants who happen to be pregnant: at least 18 states legally require that doctors who know about substance use during pregnancy like Blalocks obstetrician turn their patients in. A woman carrying a healthy pregnancy could be turned into the police just for being honest with her own doctor. Nationwide, the results of such laws have been chilling: California prosecutors charged a woman with murder via chemical endangerment after she gave birth to a stillborn infant, claiming that her use of methamphetamine while pregnant was tantamount to homicide. A judge dismissed the charges in May, but did not rule that Californias homicide statutes cant be used against pregnant women who consume drugs. But illegal drugs are not the only ones women are being arrested for taking. A shocking number of cases have been brought, both in Alabama and around the country, against women who merely took their medication as prescribed while they happened to be pregnant. After a 2016 investigation found that more than 500 Alabama women had been prosecuted under the states chemical endangerment law for filling their prescriptions while pregnant, the state legislature clarified that the law was meant to apply only to recreational drugs, not prescription drugs. Yet Blalock, who merely filled her own prescription, is still being charged for taking her meds. Her prosecution suggests that Alabama authorities are looking for creative ways to limit the rights of pregnant women, regardless of the clearly expressed intent of their own legislature. For many women, this will be the takeaway: dont trust the doctor The case raises troubling questions. Since Blalock is being charged with a felony for not disclosing her pregnancy, does that mean that pregnant people in Alabama have an obligation to share such sensitive information even when they havent been asked? Since prosecutors claim that it was illegal for Blalock to take her meds while pregnant, but was not illegal for her to take them when she wasnt pregnant, does that suggest that pregnancy negates a patients right to medical treatment? Are some conditions worth treating in patients who arent pregnant, but somehow not worth treating in patients who are? And what about the mandatory reporting elements that are included in so many of these statutes how will this hollowing-out of doctor-patient confidentiality impact health outcomes? Its hard not to dwell on the realization that if Blalock hadnt been frank with her doctor, she would have been spared this entire ordeal. For many women, this will be the takeaway: dont trust the doctor. When laws incentivize women to be dishonest with their medical providers, or forgo medical care entirely while pregnant, its not clear how those laws can be said to ensure the safety of a fetus. If anything, they seem to be discouraging the practices that lead to good pregnancy outcomes. In the meantime, Blalock is still suffering. It really has taken its toll, she said of her felony charge. I didnt get to bond with my baby. Ive had severe postpartum depression with this baby. If theres any so-called child endangerment in this case, its not coming from her. (Bloomberg) -- Raw sugar futures slid and coffee dropped on easing concerns of frost damage to crops in top shipper Brazil. Brazils key growing regions for sugar, coffee and oranges are expected to see freezing temperatures on Friday and Saturday. However, current forecasts show the cold front will be preceded by a cloud cover, steering it toward the ocean, according to Michael McDougall, managing director at Paragon Global Markets. This, at the present time, will mean the front will be less damaging than the last frost event on July 20, he said. Of course, another frost event after two already just wont help coffee crops. The lowest readings are expected in the southernmost regions of south Minas Gerais state, which may be as low as -3 Celsius, according to World Weather Inc. The event can produce spotty damage and reach one quarter of sugar and coffee areas, said David Streit, a senior forecaster at Commodity Weather Group. Meanwhile, industry group Unica said sweetener production slipped 2.8% in the first half of July in Brazils main producing region. The latest data on productivity and quality of sugar cane doesnt include the expected effects of the recent frosts, according to Antonio de Padua Rodrigues, technical director at Unica in Sao Paulo. The influence of this event should be more evident in the second half of July and in the month of August, he said, adding that low temperatures early this month forced changes in harvesting schedules in some regions, impacting yields. Arabica coffee futures for September delivery dropped 2.9% To $2.0175 pound, retreating from the multiyear highs reached on Monday. Raw sugar for October fell 0.4% to settle at 18.35 cents a pound, after earlier hitting 18.73 cents a pound in its highest price since March 2017. Orange juice for September delivery advanced 4.1% to $1.425 a pound, the highest since December 2018, after the prior frost proved a disaster for groves. A Bloomberg gauge tracking the sweetener, coffee beans and cotton jumped 15% in July and is heading for the biggest monthly increase since 2014, when drought hit the South American country. Story continues Coffee trees, cane crops and oranges were already battered after a month of extreme cold, and a severe drought late last year. Recent dryness added to the stress, and there are expectations that La Nina weather conditions may return in the next few months, which is characterized for delaying the arrival of rainfall in South America. Sao Paulo is the worlds biggest growing region of cane and oranges and Minas Gerais ranks first in arabica supplies. Better-than-expected weather could pressure prices after the recent surge. Traders also said that a recent increase to margin requirements for coffee futures will make it harder for new bullish positions to enter the market. It feels to me as though we are in a very precarious market environment here, Alex Boughton a coffee and cocoa broker at Sucden Financial Ltd., said in a note. Another powerful frost could easily add 15-to-20 cents to prices overnight, he said. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2021 Bloomberg L.P. The Republican-led Arizona Senate served a new subpoena to Maricopa County officials seeking routers for its audit of the 2020 election. Bill Gates, a Republican member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, revealed the development during an appearance Monday night on CNN. "Right before I came on here, the board of supervisors received another subpoena from the state Senate ordering us to turn over the routers, in addition to some other information. And they threaten us in these papers that if we do not turn those over by Aug. 2 so thats next Monday then we could be held in contempt," he said. Images of the subpoena, which includes a demand for the routers or "virtual images of the same" as well as the public IP of each router as part of a broader demand for election-related materials, were later shared on social media by local reporters. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Members of the audit team testified before the Arizona Senate earlier this month about information and materials they said they need to complete their review. CyFIR founder Ben Cotton stated it is "critically important" to obtain routers owned by the county, insisting they would help clarify specific vulnerabilities he claimed existed in Maricopa's digital election system. Cotton also said the county hasn't updated the antivirus software on the election management system since "August of 2019." ARIZONA SENATE AUDIT LIAISON THREATENS TO QUIT AFTER BEING DENIED ACCESS TO BALLOT COUNT Maricopa County officials, who have resisted complying with all the demands of the Arizona Senate and auditors, have fought back against the push for router access, including a prior subpoena demanding "access or control" of them earlier this year. Maricopa County officials, who opposed the Arizona Senate's audit in court until a judge ruled its subpoenas were "legal and enforceable," previously authorized two election machine audits that found no irregularities in the county's 2020 election. There was also a recount of a sample of ballots that did not turn up any problems. Story continues Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel argued providing the county's routers "could jeopardize the security of law enforcement data," echoing claims by Democratic Sheriff Paul Penzone. County officials have said other types of data, including health data and Social Security numbers, would also be placed at risk. Arizona Senate President Karen Fann. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File) The state Senate previously considered holding members of the county's board of supervisors in contempt in February over election-related materials, but the effort was defeated by one vote when Sen. Paul Boyer, a Republican from the Phoenix suburbs, broke ranks and joined Democrats in opposing it. The move could have landed county officials behind bars. Boyer, who once claimed the audit "makes us look like idiots," was recently singled out by former President Donald Trump, who gave a boost to his 2022 primary challenger. "Boyer has been nothing but trouble, and nobody knows why," Trump said on July 22. "All we demand is Voter Integrity!" Republican state senator Michelle Ugenti-Rita called the Senate's audit "botched" while speaking at a rally headlined by Trump in Phoenix on Saturday, receiving boos and condemnation from the audience. Ugenti-Rita describes herself as an advocate for election integrity and is running for secretary of state in Arizona. Gates told CNN that Ugenti-Rita becoming the second Republican state senator to criticize the audit shows that the fresh threat of holding Maricopa County officials in contempt is a sign of the GOP caucus getting "desperate." "The reality is the good people of Arizona know that this audit is a sham audit and that its time to move on," he said. The Washington Examiner reached out to the Arizona Senate for comment on the latest subpoena. President Joe Biden won Arizona and its 11 electoral votes by more than 10,000 votes out of the 3.3 million across the state. His lead of roughly 2 percentage points was due partly to his advantage in Maricopa County, where the Democrat scored nearly 45,000 more votes than Trump among roughly 2.1 million ballots cast. Biden was the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the Southwestern state since President Bill Clinton captured it in 1996. After courts rejected several lawsuits challenging the 2020 results in Arizona and other states Trump lost, the former president and his allies have turned their attention to the GOP-led Arizona Senate audit in Maricopa County, touting it as an inspection that could support their claims of widespread fraud or irregularities. Maricopa County officials announced last month voting machines subpoenaed for the audit would be removed from service after Arizona's Democratic secretary of state, Katie Hobbs, threatened to decertify the equipment, citing concerns with the methods of Cyber Ninjas, a Florida-based firm hired to lead the review. The U.S. Justice Department has also signaled it may take action against the audit. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Arizona Senate President Karen Fann says the audit is not about overturning the election but rather finding problems that could be addressed in election-focused legislation. Still, some in her caucus, including state Sen. Wendy Rogers, have called for recalling the state's electors even before the audit is completed and its final findings are released. State Senate Majority Whip Sonny Borrelli floated the possibility of introducing a resolution to reclaim electors if the audit's findings put Bidens 2020 election victory in doubt. Although audit officials predicted the audit would conclude by the end of the summer, testimony last week before the Arizona Senate indicated it could be drawn out if their request for more materials and information leads to subpoenas. Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Arizona, 2020 Elections, Election Fraud Original Author: Daniel Chaitin, Kaelan Deese Original Location: Arizona Senate issues audit subpoena for Maricopa County routers WASHINGTON Masks are back. Seventy-five days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared that vaccinated people no longer needed to wear face coverings, the agency has reversed course, announcing that the rise of the Delta variant necessitates a return to masking. In areas with substantial and high transmission, CDC recommends fully vaccinated people wear masks in public indoor settings to help prevent the spread of the Delta variant and protect others, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said on Tuesday in a press briefing. New CDC guidance published alongside Walenskys remarks said that until vaccination coverage is high and community transmission is low, masking should remain in effect. High transmission is defined by the CDC as more than 100 cases per 100,000 people. Between 50 and 99 cases per 100,000 is defined as substantial transmission. (Community transmission can also be calculated by the share of coronavirus diagnostic tests returning positive results.) Masking has been politicized from the start of the pandemic, a trend that, predictably enough, continued on Tuesday. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, greeted the new guidance with two words: Hell no. Elected and institutional leaders will now be faced with the complex task of potentially returning to precautions that were dispensed with weeks ago, as the nation appeared to be emerging from the pandemic. A poster at McCarran Airport in Las Vegas last Friday. (Star Max/IPx via AP) Schooling is sure to be an especially acute area of concern, with parents already dreading the return of remote instruction. Walensky, who has been an advocate of in-person schooling since beginning her tenure at the CDC, said masking should be universal in K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. The guidance could serve to reassure educators nervous about coming back into the classroom. Some conservative governors, however, have enacted measures preventing school districts from requiring masks. The guidance for unvaccinated people remains what it has always been: to wear masks. As she has done in the past, Walensky put pressure on holdouts to get their shots, especially since they are vastly more susceptible to the coronavirus than are fully vaccinated individuals. She and other public health officials have increasingly described the current situation as a pandemic of the unvaccinated. Story continues Walensky revealed earlier this month that of all COVID-19 fatalities in June, 99.5 percent were among unvaccinated individuals. Although the Delta variant appears to be far more transmissible, it is not more deadly. We continue to strongly encourage everyone to get vaccinated, Walensky said. Getting vaccinated continues to prevent severe illness, hospitalization and death even with Delta. As of July 23, 48.9 percent of the American population was vaccinated, according to the CDC. That is not nearly high enough to stop community transmission, most epidemiologists believe, but a flurry of incentives and public campaigns have failed to prod vaccine-hesitant Americans to change their minds. In Brooklyn, N.Y., shown here on Monday, stores still require masks. Only about 54 percent of New Yorkers are vaccinated. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) The numbers of people being vaccinated have fallen sharply since early April, when 3 million people were being inoculated daily. The daily figure is now fewer than 500,000 people, giving the Delta variant ample opportunity to spread, particularly in low-vaccination states. Last week, three states Florida, Missouri and Texas accounted for 40 percent of new cases. Walensky acknowledged emerging research indicating that people infected with the Delta variant tend to carry, and shed, more viral particles than do people infected with other variants. Even if vaccinated people do not themselves become sick, they can still transmit the Delta variant to others. In areas of low vaccination, that could pose a substantial danger, even if such transmission from vaccinated to unvaccinated people remains fundamentally unlikely. This new science is worrisome and unfortunately warrants an update to our recommendations, Walensky said at Tuesdays briefing. This weighs heavily on me, she added later in the briefing, acknowledging that people are tired and frustrated. The new guidance represents a setback for a nation that had been on course to return to normal. That normal now seems more distant than it did in May, when the masks came off and the coronavirus appeared to be in retreat. ____ Read more from Yahoo News: The man accused of killing eight people at a string of Atlanta-area spas pleaded guilty on Tuesday to four murder charges, ensuring he will spend the rest of his life in prison, US court documents showed. A judge in Cherokee County, Georgia, where one of the spas was located, sentenced Robert Aaron Long to four life sentences without parole, plus 35 years, based on a plea deal that spared the 22-year-old from the death penalty, the sentencing document read. However, Long could still face capital punishment for the killing of four other victims in Fulton County, where Atlanta is located, with the district attorney saying she will seek the death penalty as well as an enhanced sentence for hate crimes. Defense lawyer Daran Burns had urged the Cherokee County judge to accept the plea deal, saying Long understands "the gravity of his actions," local daily the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Long was arrested hours after opening fire in three Asian massage parlors on March 16 in Atlanta and its surroundings, later admitting to the crime. Six of the eight victims were women of Asian origin, with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis saying in a court filing that Long selected his victims because of their "actual or perceived race, national origin, sex and gender." However, during his interrogation, Long, who is white, denied he had been motivated by racial hatred, claiming instead he had a sexual addiction and wanted to "eliminate" a temptation that put him in conflict with his strict religious beliefs. - Out of 'shame' - He reiterated this before Judge Ellen McElyea on Tuesday, saying he had bought a gun on March 16 to kill himself out of "shame," the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Parked outside Young's Asian Massage, which he used to frequent, he downed bourbon, hoping he would "hate myself enough at that point... to end my own life," the daily cited him as saying. Story continues He told the judge it was at this moment he started to think about killing others, to "stop the places (spas) and basically punish the people inside," he added. The four victims of the attack on Young's Asian Massage in the Atlanta suburb of Acworth included Xiaojie Tan, the spa's 49-year-old owner and Delaina Yaun, 33 -- a mother of two who was at the spa for a couple's massage with her husband. The shooting also claimed the lives of 44-year-old employee Daoyou Feng and Paul Andre Michels, 54, who was on site doing maintenance. Long has been charged with killing four other women at two neighboring spas in Atlanta, The targeting of women of Asian origin stoked fears in an Asian-American population already alarmed by a surge in hate crimes during the coronavirus pandemic. The crime sparked rallies of thousands of people in major cities in the United States and Canada days after the shooting to denounce anti-Asian racism. sw/bgs (Corrects spelling of reporter's name) DOUALA (Reuters) -Unidentified attackers killed five Cameroonian soldiers and one civilian during a raid on a military outpost in the far north of the country, local authorities said on Tuesday, the second deadly raid in the area in the past week. An army post in the village of Zigue was attacked at around 9 p.m. (2000 GMT) on Monday, according to two officials who asked not to be identified. The attack follows a raid that took place around 50 km (30 miles) north of Zigue on Saturday, which was claimed by Islamic State. Eight soldiers were killed in that raid, according to the defence ministry. Cameroon, alongside neighbouring Nigeria and Chad, has been battling the Boko Haram militant group for years, but more recently has clashed with fighters who identify themselves as Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP). In the aftermath of the death of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau in May, ISWAP has sought to absorb Boko Haram fighters and unify the groups which had hitherto fought one another for control of territory. (Reporting by Josiane Kouagheu, Writing by Hereward Holland; Editing by Tomasz Janowski) Jul. 26The driver of an all-terrain vehicle accused of fleeing a traffic stop along the border of Indiana and Westmoreland counties is facing DUI and other charges after police say he crashed into a patrol car. An unidentified female passenger on the ATV driven by Jason E. Rittenour, 38, of Clarksburg, was injured in the 6:45 p.m. crash Sunday in Conemaugh Township, Indiana County, and taken by ambulance to an undisclosed area hospital for treatment of a head laceration. According to court documents, the pursuit began in Westmoreland County near the intersection of Tunnelton Road and Route 981 in Loyalhanna Township, where the trooper noticed the 2008 Polaris driving "in an unsafe manner" and crossing into the opposite lane of traffic. Trooper Thomas Dohey said Rittenour ignored the patrol vehicle's siren and emergency lights and continued to accelerate on Tunnelton Road and head into Indiana County. The trooper eventually pulled beside the ATV in an attempt to signal Rittenour to pull over. As both vehicles approached a narrow, concrete bridge abutment, Dohey said the ATV unsuccessfully "attempted to squeeze past" the patrol car and the abutment on the right side, hitting the patrol car before overturning. Rittenour was arrested at the scene and spent the night in the Westmoreland County Prison until he was arraigned Monday. In addition to DUI, Rittenour is charged with careless and reckless driving, fleeing and eluding police, illegal operation on a highway, unlawful operation of an ATV, disregarding traffic lanes and ignoring stop signs. He was released Monday on $20,000 unsecured bond pending a preliminary hearing Aug. 2. Paul Peirce is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Paul at 724-850-2860, ppeirce@triblive.com or via Twitter . LONDON (Reuters) - Australia's vaccine rollout has been "a colossal failure" because the government failed to buy enough vaccines so its borders are therefore likely to remain closed until at least early 2022, former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told the BBC. Under fire for a slow vaccine rollout, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said more vaccine supply was not going to ensure New South Wales gets out of a five-week lockdown, but what was needed was an effective, properly enforced lockdown. Turnbull said the Australian government had failed to buy enough vaccines, only securing a plentiful supply of AstraZeneca shots though there was considerable vaccine hesitancy over that vaccine and not enough other shots had been bought. "It's the biggest failure of public administration I can recall," Turnbull, who served as prime minister from 2015-2018 before being ousted by Morrison in a party room coup. "It was a colossal failure and the problem is you can't wind the clock back and fix what should have been done last year." "The very reason we are locked down - which is so frustrating when so many other parts of the world are opening up - is simply because our government failed to buy enough vaccines," he told the BBC. With only about 16% of Australians aged over 16 years so far fully vaccinated, the country's main drug regulator on the weekend changed its recommendation to encourage wider takeup of the AstraZeneca vaccine. (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Lincoln Feast.) One man was killed and another injured in shootings in Baltimore City on Monday night, police say. At about 8 p.m., police responded to the 1000 block of Mulberry St. in West Baltimores Harlem Park neighborhood, close to the Poe Homes public housing complex, for a ShotSpotter alert. They found an unresponsive man suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to the Shock Trauma, where he was pronounced dead. Police are asking anyone with information about the shooting to call detectives at 410-396-2100, or dial 1-866-7LOCKUP to report anonymous information to Metro Crime Stoppers. About a half-hour later, police responded to a hospital, where a 28-year-old man walked in suffering from gunshot wounds. At this time, the victim is refusing to give detectives details about where ... and how he was shot, police said in a news release. Police are asking anyone with information about the shooting to call Eastern District detectives at 410-396-2433, or dial 1-866-7LOCKUP to report anonymous information to Metro Crime Stoppers. At approximately 10:40 p.m., officers responded to a hospital where a shooting victim walked in seeking treatment, police said in a news release early Tuesday morning. Officers said a 26-year-old man had been shot in the buttocks and had non-life-threatening injuries. Northeast District shooting detectives are investigating this shooting and have yet to determine the location where the victim was shot. Anyone with information regarding this shooting is asked to call detectives at 410-396-2444 or call Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7lockup. As second grade teacher Aaron Phillips prepares to return to his classroom in Amarillo, Texas, in a few weeks, he is increasingly concerned that he and his students will be at risk in an alarming surge in coronavirus cases driven by the highly contagious delta variant. Phillips is vaccinated and will be wearing a mask when school starts Aug. 17, but it is unclear how many of his students or the other adults in the building will also be wearing them after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott banned public school districts from requiring face coverings. "It's coming down to personal choice and personal responsibility and really letting people decide if they believe in the science or not," said Phillips, who teaches at Coronado Elementary School in the Amarillo Independent School District. "That is extremely irresponsible and really, to me, poor leadership from the governor to allow folks to decide whether or not they will endanger the lives of others. It's just extremely disappointing." To offset the lack of masks, Phillips plans to teach part of his classes outdoors while weather permits, encourage hand-washing and hygiene routines, leave the small window in his classroom open and turn on a fan. But with 16 to 20 students in his classroom, social distancing will not be possible, and the children are too young to be vaccinated. Covid-19 vaccines have been authorized only for people ages 12 and up in the U.S. Image: Schoolchildren walking (Francois Picard / AFP via Getty Images file) "More bodies in the room increases the likelihood that somebody might be sick with something, and so that's just a potential risk while this deadly contagion is still spreading in our community," he said. "It's worrisome, especially when some families might be telling their kids, 'Oh it's just a cold.' "If one person is sick and refuses to mask, then they can spread that contagion to as many people as they come in contact with, and it will be their choice to do that or not," he said. Story continues Texas is one of several states that have banned schools from mandating masks. "Kids will not be forced by government or by schools to wear masks in school," Abbott told NBC affiliate KPRC of Houston last week. "They can by parental choice wear a mask, but there will be no government mandate requiring masks." What's more, Texas lawmakers did not pass legislation that would have funded remote learning in schools, and many districts canceled plans to offer virtual learning. That means classrooms will be more full this year, limiting the ability to practice social distancing. "It just seems like our schools, our students and our educators are nowhere near the radar for the state having a plan to keep us safe. There's no consideration for safety in our lives," said Ovidia Molina, president of the Texas State Teachers Association. With masks off the table and other prevention measures that had been in place last year also sidelined, some Texas public school teachers feel the onus is on them to find ways to prevent the virus from spreading through classrooms as cases surge. "We would like the governor to take back his decree and allow local districts to have the control to mandate masks, especially for young students," Molina said. "It just blows our minds that we are not being as safe with our children as we could be. And it's all because he's tying our hands." Adrian Reyna, who teaches high school history to eighth graders in San Antonio, said he will be wearing KN95 masks to school, wiping down desks and cleaning his classroom between classes, keeping his windows open throughout the semester and trying to space out desks as much as possible with full classes. If cases increase to a certain percentage in the community, he will wear the plastic pod he used last year during the height of the pandemic. "There are just so many issues when you consider how contagious the delta variant is and when you consider how schools operate. The numbers that we have in classrooms and how tight hallways are during passing periods, there's only so much we can do to change the operations of the schools to make them safe if we're not doing some simple things like wearing masks," said Reyna, who teaches at Longfellow Middle School in the San Antonio Independent School District, where school starts Aug. 9. Reyna, who is vaccinated, said he will also educate his students about the benefits of getting vaccinated, because they are eligible. He said that he feared contracting the coronavirus when he returned to work last year and giving it to his vulnerable parents and that he has similar concerns about the highly contagious delta variant. "We're prepared to die for our students," Reyna said, referring to how teachers train during lockdown drills to protect their students in worst-case scenarios, such as active-shooter situations. "We're prepared to do the things that we need to do to protect them. But what you're asking me to do now is take that bullet home to my family," said Reyna, who is vice president of organizing for the San Antonio Alliance teachers' union. More than 4 million children have been diagnosed with Covid-19, about 14.2 percent of all cases, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Serious complications are rare, but nearly 340 children have died from the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sarah Spurrier, who teaches advanced placement human geography at a high school in the Arlington Independent School District, said her concern is that Abbott's policy is making "blanket statements for the whole state" that removed school districts' authority to make critical public health choices based on their own needs. "I have relatives who have died of Covid, and I have friends who have died of Covid," she said. "I have kids who have experienced death this past year with family members. I have had kids cry on Zoom." She said that given the wide range of people's underlying conditions, vaccination eligibility and other factors in the home, wearing masks is an efficient way to keep others safe. She will send her son, who is in the second grade, to school in a mask. "Even though I'm vaccinated, I'm still concerned, because I am high-risk, and my parents are very high-risk," said Spurrier, who is president of the Arlington chapter of the Texas State Teachers Association. "My son's too young to be vaccinated, and not all of my students will be vaccinated." Spurrier said she has about 30 students in her classroom and back-to-back classes this semester, limiting her ability to socially distance. The windows in her classroom also do not open, and she relies on the school to provide cleaning supplies. The Amarillo, San Antonio and Arlington school districts did not immediately respond to requests for comment about Covid-19 safety protocols in light of the ban on requiring masks. A group of Texas legislators has sent a petition asking Abbott to change his stance and reverse the ban. It was posted to Twitter on Saturday by state Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin. "Parents are anxious about Delta variant," Goodwin wrote on Twitter. "They want schools to take precautions - mask mandates & virtual learning options. These options aren't available due to Gov. Abbott's orders. I sent this letter asking for reconsideration. It was signed by 31 of my colleagues." Meanwhile, Phillips said he hopes wearing a mask will send his second grade students a "message of kindness." "If I have a way that I can potentially help others that is a slight inconvenience to me but that in the grand scheme of things really causes no harm to me, I'm going to take that action to help others in my community, out of kindness and respect," he said. KYIV, Ukraine (AP) A court in Belarus on Tuesday declared a Polish-funded television channel that extensively covered last year's anti-government protests in the country extremist, the latest move in a sweeping crackdown on independent media and civil society activists. The court in the city of Gomel labeled the Belsat channel extremist, and the authorities said they blocked its website and all social media accounts in Belarus. The ruling was based on an inquiry by Belarus' Interior Ministry, according to ministry spokeswoman Olga Chemodanova. It wasn't immediately clear which of Belsat's content was deemed extremist, but Chemodanova noted that sharing or posting content of an outlet that has been labeled extremist carries a fine or arrest of up to 15 days. Belarusian authorities have ramped up action against nongovernmental organizations and independent media, with more than 200 raids of offices and apartments of activists and journalists so far this month, according to the Viasna human rights center. President Alexander Lukashenko has vowed to continue what he called a mopping-up operation against civil society activists whom the authoritarian leader denounced as bandits and foreign agents. More than 50 NGOs in total are facing closure. They include the Belarusian Association of Journalists, the biggest and the most respected media organization in the country, and the Belarusian PEN Center, an association of writers led by Svetlana Alexievich, the winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in literature. Belarusian authorities have also shut down the biggest independent media outlets in the country, including the widely popular Tut.by news site and the renowned Nasha Niva newspaper. A total of 27 journalists in Belarus are currently behind bars, either awaiting trial or serving their sentences. The Belarusian-language Belsat TV channel, which is funded by Poland's government, has remained a source of news for hundreds of thousands of Belarusians since it started broadcasting in 2007. Belsats YouTube channel has 471,000 subscribers. Story continues Belsat extensively covered mass protests against Lukashenko in 2020 and 2021, and two of its reporters, Katsiaryna Andreyeva and Daria Chultsova, were sentenced to two years in prison in February. The channel's deputy director, Aleksy Dzikawicki, told The Associated Press that when laws don't work, the ruling declaring Belsat extremist can hardly be called legitimate," but there is no point in trying to contest it. The people in power in Belarus label those as extremists who stand up against violence and terror, against stolen elections, Dzikawicki told the AP from Warsaw, Poland. Lukashenko, who faced months of protests triggered by his election to a sixth term in an August 2020 vote that the opposition and the West saw as rigged, responded to demonstrations with a massive crackdown that saw more than 35,000 people arrested and thousands beaten by police. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenkos main election challenger, who was forced to leave Belarus under official pressure after the election, traveled to the United States last week for meetings with officials of President Joe Bidens administration and members of Congress to rally support for the Belarusian opposition. In a video statement on Tuesday, Tsikhanouskaya expressed support for Belsat. The journalists know that they're doing the right thing and are fighting for the freedom of our country," she said. GAUHATI, India (AP) The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has fully vaccinated 90% of its eligible adult population within just seven days, its health ministry said Tuesday. The tiny country, wedged between India and China and home to nearly 800,000 people, began giving out second doses on July 20 in a mass drive that has been hailed by UNICEF as arguably the fastest vaccination campaign to be executed during a pandemic. In April, Bhutan grabbed headlines when its government said it had inoculated around the same percentage of eligible adults with the first dose in under two weeks after India donated 550,000 shots of AstraZeneca vaccine. But the country faced a shortage for months after India, a major supplier of the AstraZeneca shot, halted exports as it scrambled to meet a rising demand at home as infections surged. Bhutan was able to restart its drive last week after half a million doses of Moderna vaccine arrived from the United States as a donation under the U.N.-backed COVAX program, an initiative devised to give countries access to coronavirus vaccines regardless of their wealth. Some 5,000 shots of Pfizer were also facilitated through COVAX, which is co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation. It also received more than 400,000 AstraZeneca shots from Denmark, Croatia and Bulgaria in the last two weeks. Our aim is to achieve herd immunity among our population in the shortest possible time to avert a major public health crisis, Dechen Wangmo, Bhutans health minister, told The Associated Press. Many Western countries with far more resources are yet to vaccinate such a high rate of eligible adults. Health experts say Bhutan's small population helped, but the country also benefited from strong and effective messaging from top officials and an established cold chain storage system. More than 3,000 health workers participated and 1,200 vaccination centers across the country helped ensure that shots reached every eligible adult. In some cases, health workers trekked for days through landslides and pouring rain to reach extremely remote villages atop steep mountains to administer doses to those unable to get to a center, said Dr. Sonam Wangchuk, a member of Bhutans vaccination task force. Story continues Vaccination is the pillar of Bhutans healthcare initiative, he said. Bhutans government is also led by medical practitioners. The prime minister, the foreign minister and the health minister are all medical professionals. And frequent messaging from the government, which directly answers questions from the public about the coronavirus and vaccinations on Facebook, also helped combat vaccine hesitancy among citizens. In fact, people are quite eager to come and get themselves vaccinated, Dr. Wangchuk said. Its prime minister, Lotay Tshering, and monarch, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, were also early advocates of the vaccine, which allayed fears surrounding the rollout. The king also toured the country to raise awareness about the vaccination drive. Bhutan is the last remaining Buddhist kingdom in the Himalayas, but it has transitioned from an absolute monarchy to a democratic, constitutional monarchy. Another crucial ingredient in the vaccine drive is the countrys extensive network of citizen volunteers called desuups, said Will Parks, the UNICEF representative for Bhutan. Some 22,000 citizens volunteered over the last year and a half to raise awareness, dispel misinformation, help conduct mass screening and testing and even carry vaccines across the country's difficult terrain, he said. Bhutan's success is an anomaly in South Asia where countries such as India and Bangladesh are struggling to ramp up their vaccination rates. Experts say it underscores the importance of richer countries donating vaccines to the developing world and highlights just how big an impact the government and community outreach can have. Perhaps this little Himalayan kingdom can be a beacon of hope to a region that is on fire, Parks said. ___ Lekhi reported from New Delhi. The Biden administration will reportedly impose a vaccine mandate for the federal workforce on Thursday. All federal employees and contractors will be required to be vaccinated against COVID, or be required to present regular testing results, a source with direct knowledge of the decision told CNN. Addressing reporters on Tuesday after visiting the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in Virginia, President Biden suggested the administration has been deliberating the move as vaccination rates have tapered off nationwide. Thats under consideration right now, but if youre not vaccinated youre not nearly as smart as I thought you were, Biden said in response to a reporter who asked whether the administration is weighing a federal employee vaccine requirement. Biden made the statement after the CDC released its updated mask guidance Tuesday, recommending that some vaccinated people living in areas of high or substantial level of transmission resume mask-wearing in indoor settings as a new COVID wave triggered by the delta variant spreads across the country. Bloomberg first reported the news of Bidens comments. The Department of Veterans Affairs became the first federal agency to require its 115,000 patient-facing employees to receive the COVID vaccine, following an order by Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough on Monday. The mandate applied to Title 38 VA front-line healthcare personnel, including doctors, registered nurses, dentists, and others, who have a deadline to get the shot in the next eight weeks, the department specified in a press release. Were mandating vaccines for Title 38 employees because its the best way to keep veterans safe, especially as the delta variant spreads across the country, McDonough said. Whenever a Veteran or VA employee sets foot in a VA facility, they deserve to know that we have done everything in our power to protect them from COVID-19. With this mandate, we can once again make and keep that fundamental promise. Story continues The spread of the highly-infectious Delta variant of the virus led to the CDCs mask reversal and some municipalities and states decisions to require proof of vaccination from staff. California became the first state on Monday to require state employees and health care workers to be inoculated or be forced to submit for COVID testing on a weekly basis, California governor Gavin Newsom announced Monday. Similarly, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said all municipal workers, including teachers, police officers, and public health care workers, must be vaccinated against COVID-19 before schools reopen in the fall. More from National Review President Joe Biden Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images The Biden administration is expected to announce a vaccine mandate for federal employees on Thursday. CNN first reported that the announcement was coming on Thursday. The move would affect an estimated 2.1 million people. See more stories on Insider's business page. CNN reported that the Biden administration will announce a vaccine mandate or regular testing requirement for federal workers as early as Thursday. President Joe Biden initially said on Tuesday that the federal government is weighing whether to implement a vaccine mandate for the entire federal workforce as the US grapples with a rise in COVID-19 cases. "That's under consideration right now," Biden said in response to a reporter's question. An estimated 2.1 million people work for the federal government, according to the Office of Personnel Management. Only Walmart has more employees. The move would follow recent decisions to require vaccines for state workers in California by Gov. Gavin Newsom and a similar plan for city workers announced by New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio. Earlier this week, the US Department of Veterans Affairs mandated that 115,000 healthcare workers be vaccinated. Many private businesses around the US are following suit. The White House did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider By Krisztian Sandor and John O'Donnell FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Binance founder Changpeng Zhao said he was willing to step down whenever he finds a successor who can do a "better job", as one of the world's biggest cryptocurrency exchanges, under pressure from regulators around the world, sought to reinvent itself. Governments and financial watchdogs are paying closer attention to the cryptocurrency industry, often putting in place rules that pose a challenge for exchanges like Binance that have thrived in a mostly unregulated environment. Zhao made the remarks after Binance came under concerted scrutiny from regulators worried that its cryptocurrency exchanges could be used for money laundering or that investors fall victim to scams and runaway bets. Financial authorities in Britain, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Lithuania and Thailand have all recently raised concerns about Binance. Speaking to journalists, Zhao gave a frank assessment of the challenges, saying that he wanted to improve relations with regulators. He said Binance would seek their approval and establish regional headquarters, breaking with its decentralised structure. While emphasising that he did not intend to leave immediately, Zhao also said he was open to handing over the reigns to a successor. "This is not a situation where I am forced to step down," Zhao told journalists, adding that he was willing to pass control to someone who could do a "better job". "I'm a technology entrepreneur. We are doing this pivot to be a regulated financial institution and I would be very open to look for a leader with strong regulatory background." Separately, he said Binance would seek approval by regulators. "We want to be licensed everywhere ... From now on, we're going to be a financial institution," Zhao said, adding this would mark a maturation from its startup origins. Binance offers a wide range of services to users across the globe, including crypto spot and derivatives trading. Story continues It also runs an exchange that allows users to trade directly with each other. Its own cryptocurrency, Binance Coin, is the fourth-biggest in the world. Responding to regulatory pressure, Binance curbed some services on cryptocurrency bets, highly leveraged positions and trading with tokens linked to shares. Binance has grown its trading volumes almost tenfold in the last year to $668 billion last month, data from UK researcher CryptoCompare shows. It is growing in popularity in Britain, for example, where its app has been downloaded 1.8 million times in 2021, and 2.2 million times in total, according to mobile data firm Sensor Tower. Recently, however, Britain's financial watchdog barred Binance from carrying out regulated activities. (Additional reporting by Alun John in Hong Kong; Writing by John O'Donnell Editing by Alison Williams, Mark Potter and Catherine Evans) DC Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone (left) is followed by reporters as he heads to a meeting with Sen Susan Collins. (Getty Images) Capitol Police officer Michael Fanone used part of his testimony before the House select panel investigating the 6 January attack on the Capitol to sharply criticise some Republican lawmakers who have made misleading or outright false statements about the siege. During his remarks before the committee on Tuesday, Mr Fanone said that those lawmakers who have made false statements about the events of that day have betrayed their oath of office. The remarks were particularly scathing given that Mr Fanone is assigned to protect the very lawmakers he tore into during the hearing. Other Capitol Police officers around the complex were glued to TV screens showing the hearing on Tuesday as it unfolded, social media posts have shown. The indifference shown to my colleagues is disgraceful, said Mr Fanone. Nothing, truly nothing, has prepared me to address those elected members of our government who continue to deny the events of that day, and in doing so, betray their oath of office. What makes the struggle harder and more painful is to know so many of my fellow citizens, including so many of the people I put my life at risk to defend, are downplaying or outright denying what happened, the officer continued. Other officers echoed Mr Fanones disgust with Republican lawmakers. Sgt Aquilino Gonell was asked by Rep Liz Cheney, herself a Republican, about former President Donald Trumps own lies about the riotous mob that swarmed the Capitol, which he claimed were zero threat and hugging and kissing the police and guards in March. Its upsetting, its a pathetic excuse for his behaviour, for something that he himself helped to create, said Sgt Gonell, who added: Im still recovering from those hugs and kisses that day. To me, it's insulting, it's demoralizing, Sgt Gonell continued, because everything that we did was to prevent everyone in the Capitol from getting hurt. What he was doing, instead of sending the military, instead of sending the support or telling his people, his supporters to stop this nonsense, he egged them to continue fighting. Story continues Some Republicans in the House and Senate have sought to downplay the violence that occurred when rioters stormed the Capitol. Congressman Andrew Clyde claimed that videos of the 6 January attack looked like footage of tourists in the Capitol. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy pulled his picks for the 6 January panel after Reps Jim Banks and Jim Jordans nominations were rejected by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and as a result just two Republicans nominated by the speaker chose to serve on the commission. Republicans have denounced the hearings as a political operation despite declining to support legislation earlier this year that would have given GOP leadership far more control over membership of the committee. On Saturday, Scott Feltman, captain of Hound Dawg Charters in Islamorada, was fishing with clients about 21 miles offshore when they encountered a small boat with five men on board. The men were Cuban migrants. Feltman, a longtime waterman, estimates they must have been floating in the Gulfstream for four to five days, based on the small size of their vessel and given the distance between the Upper Keys and Cuba. Ive seen a lot of rafts out in my 26 years of fishing out there, the 49-year-old said. The men who chartered the Hound Dawg spoke fluent Spanish. The clients talked with the men, who gave them phone numbers of family members in South Florida so they could call and tell them they were safe. Feltman, his crew and the charter clients also gave the men food and water before sending them on their way. Feltman videoed the encounter and posted the footage on his Facebook page. The fishing captain decided against towing the men to shore because he didnt want to break the law. He said he would have had any of them been injured or the weather was rough. It was flat-calm waters the other day, said Feltman. He also did not report the migrant vessel because he hoped they would make it to land undetected. He said with all the turmoil and government oppression in Cuba happening now, he was rooting for the men. Listen to today's top stories from the Miami Herald: Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Alexa | Google Assistant | More options I think they deserve to stay in the country if they make it, Feltman said in an interview Monday. That ended up not happening, according to U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Nicole Groll. She didnt have many details Monday, but she said the men were stopped by a Coast Guard patrol at sea over the weekend and will be sent back to Cuba. Up until 2017, those from Cuba who made it to shore and set foot on land above the high-water mark were allowed to stay in the country and apply for permanent residency after a year. Those stopped at sea were sent back to Cuba. Story continues The policy, wet-foot, dry-foot, was ended by the Obama administration in January of that year in one of its final foreign policy decisions due to its efforts to strengthen ties with the communist Cuban government. Since the policy ended, the Coast Guard and other federal agencies that enforce migration saw a precipitous drop in those attempting to make the dangerous journey across the Florida Straits. That trend reversed this year, however. In fiscal year 2021, which runs from October to October, the Coast Guard stopped almost 560 people from Cuba trying to reach South Florida. That is compared to just 49 people the prior fiscal year, according to the Coast Guard. But, as the mass anti-government protests in Cuba got underway on July 11, maritime migration between the island nation and South Florida came to an abrupt halt. The people Feltman encountered were the first known to have attempted the trip from Cuba since early July. Experts watching the developments of the protests said that could be because security forces are keeping a closer watch on peoples activities, making it difficult to leave. The Guardian US viewers have been able to see everything at any given moment while understanding fundamentally nothing about whats going on The womens 100m final was a brilliant spectacle but you might have had to wait to watch it. Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters If theres one message the Olympics unfailingly conveys, its that elite competition is all about making the right choices. At a certain point every athlete needs to make the decision not to do certain things: the fencer lunging for the head ra By Yew Lun Tian BEIJING (Reuters) -China's yet-to-be-announced new ambassador to the United States Qin Gang headed to Washington on Tuesday, according to people familiar with the matter, amid worsening relations between the world's two largest economies. Qin left a day after rare high-level talks in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin between U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and senior Chinese diplomats ended with both sides reiterating existing positions and no specific outcomes reached. Relations between Beijing and Washington deteriorated sharply under former U.S. President Donald Trump, and the Biden administration has maintained pressure on China in a stance that enjoys bipartisan support but threatens to deepen mistrust. Qin, 55, is replacing Cui Tiankai, who at 68 has passed the retirement age for senior Chinese ambassadors, the sources familiar with the matter said. When Cui ended his eight years at Washington last month, he was China's longest serving ambassador to the United States and is considered a seasoned and well-respected figure in Beijing and Washington. Qin, who is one of China's vice foreign minister and whose recent past portfolios have included European affairs and protocol, has no prior U.S.-related experience, according to his biography on the foreign ministry website. "It will take some time for Qin build up his network of contacts in the political, security and diplomacy circles in the United States," said Li Mingjiang, an associate professor of international relations at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. Qin has done two stints as foreign ministry spokesman between 2006 and 2014, and stood out among his peers for being one of the earliest Chinese diplomats to make sharp comments in defence of China. In 2008, he fired back at Californian rockers Guns N' Roses, whose album title "Chinese Democracy" offended some Chinese, by saying "many people dont like this kind of music and that it is "too noisy and clamorous." Story continues "Qin is likely to appear tougher than Cui when engaging with the Americans," Li said. "But given how China-U.S. ties are now largely constrained by structural factors, such as domestic pressure and strategic competition, there is a limit to how much an ambassador can actually do to influence ties." Qin is expected to start work on getting U.S. buy in on a list of requests that China gave Sherman on Monday, which include removing sanctions on officials, visa restriction on students and curbs on Chinese media and diplomats in the United States. The post of the U.S. ambassador to China has been vacant since Republican Terry Branstad stepped down to help with Trump's reelection campaign. U.S. President Joe Biden has plans to appoint former ambassador to NATO Nicholas Burns to China, the New York Times reported in May. (Reporting by Yew Lun Tian; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Christian Schmollinger) Jul. 27A Cobb Schools counselor and outspoken critic of the district's handling of racial issues has resigned in what she said is a protest of the school board's ban on the teaching of critical race theory. Jennifer Susko, formerly a counselor at Mableton Elementary School, turned in a letter of resignation Monday, according to District spokeswoman Nan Kiel. "As is the case with all contracted employees, HR is completing the formal process and she is expected to continue her job responsibilities until a highly qualified replacement can be hired," Kiel said in an emailed statement. "Cobb teachers are back in classrooms this week and we are focused on teaching and learning as students return on August 2nd." In her resignation letter, Susko took aim at the school board adoption of a resolution banning the teachings of critical race theory last month. Critical race theory is an academic concept that asserts racism is not just an individual prejudice but also systemic in America's legal systems and institutions. The Cobb school board adopted its resolution along party lines. The four Cobb school board Republicans Chair Randy Scamihorn, Vice Chair David Banks and members David Chastain and Brad Wheeler voted to pass the resolution, while the three Democrats Charisse Davis, Dr. Jaha Howard and Leroy "Tre" Hutchins abstained. Susko organized a rally supporting the basic teachings of critical race theory during that meeting. The June event was described as being one for "antiracism and for teachers being permitted to teach accurate U.S. history." In her resignation, Susko said the ban means the district can now penalize her for "examining and addressing issues that directly harm my students." She said before the ban, she'd received "only excellent evaluations," including national awards and recognition, which have left the district "unable to penalize me professionally to date." Story continues "It has been made very clear that I will be watched closely and disciplined for adhering to my ethical obligations and for implementing an anti-racist framework," Susko wrote. "Such intimidation and threats against my vocation and livelihood are toxic. I cannot spend the entire school year justifying my integrity and performance at the expense of serving my students." Since the district's ban, she also said she'd been the target of "bullying, harassment and defamation of character." Susko said her personal information had been posted online, prompting recommendations from community and colleagues that she install a security system at her home. "Fear and political allegiance have created this dangerous environment," she said. "It threatens my safety and my ability to provide my students with what they are due." Susko also noted that her beliefs and aforementioned ethical obligations were not hers alone. She pointed to guidance from the American School Counselor Association, which includes a summary of the organization's position on topics of race: "School counselors work toward cultural competence and engage in anti-racist actions by advocating to change racist policies, procedures, practices, guidelines and laws contributing to inequities in students' academic, career and social/emotional development." The ASCA's guidance says racism "remains a part of society in the United States and exists throughout all of our institutions," leading to inequities in the education system. "To actively dismantle racist policies, procedures and practices within education, school counselors must embrace their ethical responsibilities within roles as social justice advocates, leaders and change agents to ensure all students, specifically students from racially diverse backgrounds, develop in healthy and successful ways in their academic, career and social/emotional development." Susko closed her letter saying she would continue her advocacy although she could "no longer remain in my job under present leadership without either compromising my values to use a harmful and dishonest approach or being fired swiftly for doing what's right." "Therefore, as a post 6 resident (and taxpayer!) who is no longer constrained by the suppression and censorship inflicted on employees, I will speak out even more candidly against racism in schools, campaign to flip folks out of school board seats who do not deserve to be there, and organize with Black and brown families as long as they ask me to in their efforts to be heard." Susko's letter also accuses Cobb Schools Superintendent Chris Ragsdale, as well as Scamihorn and Banks, of failing to address racial issues and inequities in the district. Both Ragsdale and Scamihorn told the MDJ they could not discuss personnel matters. Follow Thomas Hartwell on Twitter at twitter.com/MDJThomas. Public health officials and other leaders are urging Kansas Citians to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as the number of hospitalizations and deaths continue to rise amid the latest surge of the delta variant through Missouri and into Kansas. In Kansas City, leaders are looking for ways to address vaccine hesitancy including by putting a clinic out for the tens of thousands of fans expected to be at a Garth Brooks concert this month. At Truman Medical Centers/University Health, hospital officials want to lead by example by requiring employees to become vaccinated as a workplace condition. And summer camps, including one in Johnson County, have lately become hotbeds for COVID-19, area health officials say, as outbreaks of the virus have occurred among children too young to get the vaccine. Here are some of the latest headlines about COVID-19: Beer, country, vaccines The Kansas City Chiefs are working with city officials on a plan to have a COVID-19 vaccination site at Arrowhead Stadium when country music star Garth Brooks appears there for an Aug. 7 concert. Arrowhead previously served as a vaccination site in the spring when the vaccines were first rolling out. The concert sold out within 24 hours of ticket sales going live online. The stadium seats 76,000. Some tickets were posted for on-field seats priced at $9,200. Speaking to the vaccination clinic during a Monday press conference at the Chiefs training camp in St. Joseph, team president Mark Donovan said: Were going to continue to take every single opportunity we can to create vaccination opportunities. Asked about the possibility of using the venue for vaccines on Sundays during Chiefs season, Donovan said. Not sure were going to be able to do it game days. Were trying to work through that as well. Childrens Mercy hits capacity Childrens Mercy has reached capacity Monday following a wave of patients with COVID-19 and childhood diseases. Dr. Barbara Pahud, research director of infectious diseases, said Monday there are more COVID cases among younger children still ineligible to receive the vaccine. But thats not the only driver of new admissions, she said. Story continues When we decided to lift the mask policies because we have now vaccines available, in addition to COVID being able to spread, all these other childhood diseases can start spreading as well, she said during The University of Kansas Health Systems daily briefing. Pahud also said summer camps have been super spreader events, and said as schools reopen next month, it will be important to vaccinate those eligible, wear masks and practice social distancing. If proper measures are not taken, she said, We are going to see problems. Were going to see children land in the hospital and thats the last thing we want to do. Summer camp ends early An outbreak of COVID-19 at a Johnson County summer camp prompted its early end this week after eight positive cases were reported. The camp is hosted by the Johnson County Park and Recreation District at Clear Creek Elementary School in Shawnee. Masks were recommended by camp-goers but not required and many children went without face-coverings, according to the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment. Meantime, the health department is working with the camp to isolate or quarantine those who are affected, said Sanmi Areola, Johnson Countys top public health official. Earlier this month, Johnson County health department officials issued a recommendation that children who have not been fully vaccinated wear masks when the fall semester starts. Only the Kansas City, Kansas school district has said students will face such a mandatory requirement among Kansas Citys suburbs on the Kansas side of State Line Road. Johnson County has added more than 1,580 new cases this month, more than May and June combined, according to data from the health department. Truman library opens, closes Less than a month after its reopening, the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum has closed again amid concerns about rising COVID-19 cases in Jackson County. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) made the decision based on the local positivity rate of COVID-19 and the seven-day average of new cases in the Jackson County area. They said these exceed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definition of high transmission. It is very disappointing to close our doors so soon after our reopening, but this is an unfortunate precaution based on public safety, Truman Library Director Kurt Graham said in a news release Monday. Were hopeful that this setback is temporary. The news comes a couple of weeks after the library reopened to visitors on July 2 after two years of being closed for extensive renovations and because of the pandemic. Mandatory vaccines Some health care employees in Kansas City will be required to show proof of vaccination under new policies announced Monday. Truman Medical Centers says its employees would have to take that step on Monday, becoming one of the first regional employers to do so. The mandate is consistent with its long-standing practices of requiring health care workers to be vaccinated against serious infectious diseases for the safety of patients and staff. Approximately 70% of its staff have already been vaccinated against the coronavirus and its variants. Meanwhile, the Department of Veterans Affairs, which has facilities in Kansas City, is requiring its health care workers to get vaccinated becoming the first major federal agency to make that move. The Stars Bill Lukitsch, Katie Moore, Sam McDowell, Robert A. Cronkleton and Angela Cordoba Perez contributed to this report. Rapper DaBaby, seen in 201`9, sparked a backlash for his offensive comments at a music festival over the weekend. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times) After a tumultuous set at the Rolling Loud hip-hop music festival in Miami over the weekend, rapper DaBaby is now under fire for his offensive behavior onstage. On Sunday, he performed immediately after fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion and then invited Tory Lanez onstage, less than a year after Lanez was charged with shooting her in the foot. Many interpreted that as a sign of deep disrespect to the Grammy-winning rap artist, and one audience member even hurled an Adidas shoe at DaBaby, which he dodged. This wasn't the first fracture in the two rap stars' relationship. Megan, who featured DaBaby on her songs "Cash Sh" and "Cry Baby," previously called him out online for retweeting a post that made light of the shooting, according to Vulture. To make matters worse, during Sunday's performance DaBaby, 29, instructed attendees to put their cellphone lights up "if you didn't show up today with HIV/AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases that'll make you die in 2-3 weeks" He named other profane qualifiers and made a remark addressed to the "fellas" in the audience about oral sex between men, which prompted an online backlash and accusations of homophobia. Rather than apologizing, DaBaby took to his Instagram story on Monday to say that the internet "twisted" his words and the people who didn't pay to see him "wasn't supposed to see that sh anyway" and, therefore, shouldn't comment. The now-deleted Instagram story, available in part on TMZ, contains explicit language. On Twitter, users did not hold back in calling him out. "So DaBaby delivered a side of homophobia with his misogyny?" wrote one user. "I cant believe Dababy went to clarify his comments and made it 100 x worse. Stupid guy," someone else commented. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. On his Instagram story, the rapper said that his declaration wasn't a rant but "a call to action," proclaiming that his fans "ain't no nasty gay n" or "junkies." Story continues Coming to his defense was rapper T.I., who has his own history with problematic jokes about bodily autonomy. The 40-year-old rapper shared his unsolicited thoughts on IGTV and attempted to make comparisons to out musician Lil Nas X. On Tuesday, pop musician Dua Lipa, who featured DaBaby on her hit "Levitating," condemned her former collaborator on her Instagram story. "I am surprised and horrified at DaBaby's comments. I really don't recognise this as the person I worked with," she wrote in a statement. "I know my fans know where my heart lies and that I stand `100% with the LGBTQ community. We need to come together to fight the stigma and ignorance around HIV/AIDS." While Rolling Loud has yet to publicly comment on DaBaby's speech or surprise cameo by Lanez, its official Twitter account did craft a witty tweet comparing DaBaby's sneaker-dodging to that of former President George W. Bush. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Washington Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone testifies during the House select committee hearing on the Jan. 6 attack on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., July 27, 2021. Andrew Harnik/Reuters DC police officer Michael Fanone detailed his assault by rioters during his congressional testimony. Fanone described being dragged and beaten unconscious by Trump loyalists. He called the "indifference shown to his colleagues," largely by Republicans, "disgraceful." See more stories on Insider's business page. DC police officer Michael Fanone, who defended the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, described in detailed and emotional congressional testimony on Tuesday how he was beaten unconscious and nearly killed by Trump loyalists. Fanone was one of four law enforcement officers to testify about their experiences defending the Capitol during the first day of congressional hearings before the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attacks. He described how he was dragged down the Capitol steps, "grabbed, beaten, tased, all while being called a traitor to my country" as rioters stripped him of his badge and equipment and threatened to murder him. "'Kill him with his own gun,'" he recalled rioters shouting. "I still hear those words in my head today." He added, "I remember thinking there was a very good chance of being torn apart or shot to death with my own weapon." At one point during his nearly 15 minutes of testimony, Fanone directed his frustration at the many Republican lawmakers and others who've downplayed the events of Jan. 6 and ignored pleas from law enforcement to investigate the attack. "The indifference shown to my colleagues is disgraceful," Fanone said, slamming his hand on the table. Fanone said he was knocked unconscious for four minutes and doctors later told him he suffered a heart attack, a concussion, and a traumatic brain injury. He says he's now suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Fanone, who has four daughters, said he decided against defending himself with his firearm because he feared shooting at his attackers would provoke the crowd further and cause them to overwhelm him. Instead, he said he pleaded with the rioters to stop assaulting him and told them he had kids. That plea apparently prompted some of the rioters to shield him, but he was still knocked unconscious. Story continues Pro-Trump protesters surround and assault D.C. police officer Michael Fanone during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Fanone's body camera footage shows how he was carried out of the crowd by fellow law enforcement officers. Fanone said that the riot, which he's compared to a "medieval battle scene," was the most shocking event he'd ever dealt with during his nearly two decades in law enforcement. "I've dealt with some dicey situations. I thought I had seen it all, many times over," he said. "Yet what I witnessed on January 6th, 2021 was unlike anything I had ever seen, anything I had ever experienced or could've imagined in my country." Fanone, 40, became an officer following the 9/11 terror attacks and he volunteered to protect the Capitol on January 6 when he and his partner received a call for imminent assistance. He's been an outspoken advocate for law enforcement and pushed for an investigation into the Jan. 6 riots. He's called GOP leaders' opposition to such an investigation "absolutely sickening" and accused conservatives of "whitewashing" and "downplaying" the events of Jan. 6. Read the original article on Business Insider In light of a statewide spike in coronavirus cases, an organization of defense lawyers is urging Florida courts to return to virtual hearings. The Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers issued a news release Tuesday saying the group is extremely concerned about the uptick in positive coronavirus cases throughout the state and that courts should rely on Zoom for hearings that dont constitutionally require in-person attendance. The association is concerned that if proactive steps are not taken now, more severe measures will be required in the future and will result in further significant adverse due process implications, said Miami lawyer and association president Jude Faccidomo, according to the news release. Courts were largely shut down last year as the virus spread through Florida but began returning to normal operations in the spring, when vaccines became widely available to those who wanted one. Most recently, at the beginning of June, the Florida Supreme Court lifted rules requiring masks and social distancing within courthouses. Since then, the states case numbers and positivity rate began creeping higher. Cases hit a trough the week of June 11, with about 10,500 new cases. Last week, that weekly total had jumped to 73,199 new cases, according to state Department of Health data. The new case positivity rate was 15 percent, well above the World Health Organizations recommendation of 5 percent or below. The associations release also notes the groups concerns about infection rates in county jails, which experience high turnover and hold people who are facing charges but have not yet gone to trial. Those pre-trial detainees are sometimes brought over to courthouses from county jails to attend pre-trial hearings in their cases. The state doesnt track infection rates in county jails. Tampa Bay Times coronavirus coverage CORONAVIRUS IN FLORIDA: Find the latest numbers for your county, city or zip code. Story continues NEED A VACCINE? Here's how to find one in the Tampa Bay area and Florida. VACCINES Q&A: Have coronavirus vaccine questions? We have answers, Florida. GET THE DAYSTARTER MORNING UPDATE: Sign up to receive the most up-to-date information. A TRIBUTE TO FLORIDIANS TAKEN BY THE CORONAVIRUS: They were parents and retirees, police officer and doctors, imperfect but loved deeply. HAVE A TIP?: Send us confidential news tips Were working hard to bring you the latest news on the coronavirus in Florida. This effort takes a lot of resources to gather and update. If you havent already subscribed, please consider buying a print or digital subscription. Zach Moore knows what its like to discover undersea treasure. But he recently landed a prized piece while searching the wreck of the Nuestra Senora de Atocha, which went down in a hurricane 35 miles off Key West in 1622. Moore a diver and engineer at Mel Fishers Treasures in Key West and son of two of the original treasure hunters more than three decades ago found a rare Atocha gold coin in 30 feet of water on July 16 while working on the J.B. Magruder salvage boat. Theres nothing like finding treasure first of all, but theres nothing like finding gold, said Moore, 28. Gold shines forever. It looks and feels exactly the same as the day it went down 400 years ago. The coin is worth at least $98,000, the company said. Its quite an incredible find, said Kim Fisher, 65, president and CEO of Mel Fishers Treasures, of the Atocha gold coin Moore found. Its the first gold coin in 20 years. Zach Moore, a diver and engineer for Mel Fishers Treasures in Key West, shows off the rare gold coin he found July 16, 2021, while searching the wreck of a Spanish galleon that sank in 1622. Weve only found 120 gold coins, said Fisher, who was 12 when his father started searching for the Atocha treasure. We have found some gold on jewelry and gold bars. Moores coin raises the gold coin tally to 121. The newest coin will be on display at Mel Fishers Treasures store, 613 Duval St., until at least May 2022, Fisher said. Moore found the Atocha gold coin at a time when the treasure-hunting outfit was already planning to celebrate the 36th anniversary of the spectacular discovery off Key West. Mel Fisher and his crew struck gold and silver, emeralds and more on July 20, 1985, after 16 years of searching for the fortune held by the Spanish galleon. Known as the golden crew, Fishers divers found $400 million worth of sunken treasure held by the Atocha. Fishers motto was, Todays the day! For Mel Fishers Treasures, searching the wreck site is full-time work, especially in the summer months. Whenever its calm enough, Fisher said. Ive got two 90-foot boats. This is the best time. Theres calm water almost all summer. Story continues The diving crews will often go out for a week to 10 days at a time. We just come in and get fuel and groceries and head back out, Fisher said. On July 16, Moore was underwater searching with a metal detector when he heard a ping. He had hit on something special. Out flips a silver coin and Im just ecstatic about it, he said. Moore continued. But he kept moving. About three feet away from where he recovered the silver coin, he spotted gold. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. It was wedged into a hole in the bedrock that was just big enough to hold it, he said. When Moore got closer, he realized it was also a coin. It has a cross on one side. Theres this beautiful golden coin with a cross on it staring right back at me, Moore said. Picture like an angelic choir with sunbeams shining down kind of a feeling. It was a little glint and a splash of this yellow gold. Moore called over some of the other divers to share in the excitement. They had a five-minute underwater celebration with hugs and high-fives. This silver coin and gold coin were discovered by divers with Mel Fishers Treasures on July 16, 2021, at a historic shipwreck off Key West. It was the first gold coin pulled from the shipwreck in 20 years. Then it was back to hunting for more. OK, Ive got to get back to work, Moore said was his next thought. Ive got a lot of area to cover with the metal detector. I just went right back to work. Moore, who is originally from Vero Beach, is a second-generation treasure diver. His parents, Bill and Julie, were both part of that golden crew that found the Atocha treasure 36 years ago. Thats how they met. Scuba diving for gold, Moore said. It runs in the blood. Ive just got to get back out there so I can find more. Bill Moore, who worked for Mel Fisher for five years, said its hard to explain what it was like to help find the Atocha treasure. We brought up 165 pounds of gold, he said. To know youre a part of that, 30 some years later. His son Zach called him as soon as he could after finding his first gold. He was on the way in aboard the Magruder. Asked what he told his son, Bill Moore laughed and said, Dont beat my record. 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. Among people infected by the Delta variant of the coronavirus, fully vaccinated people with "breakthrough" infections may be just as likely as unvaccinated people to spread the virus to others, new research suggests. In one Wisconsin county, after Delta became predominant, researchers analyzed viral loads on nose-and-throat swab samples obtained when patients were first diagnosed. Spain's coast guard rescued 54 migrants off the Canary Islands on Monday (July 26) night and transported them to a port in Gran Canaria. Three of them were transferred to different hospitals for medical attention, with one in a critical condition, emergency services said. The canoe-shaped open vessel was located less than two miles away from Maspalomas beach in Gran Canaria, local media reported. Spanish coast guard provided masks to those rescued before helping them disembark. Authorities on the Canary Islands are struggling to accommodate a sharp rise in the number of undocumented migrants arriving on these shores. Between January and mid-July, 7,260 people landed on the islands in the Atlantic after making the perilous journey, compared to 2,800 in the same period last year. That's according to the Spanish Interior Ministry. Authorities attribute this increase to the impact of COVID-19 on tourism and other industries in north and sub-Saharan Africa, pushing many to leave home in search of a better life in Europe. Jul. 26NEW ALBANY Owners of a Southern Indiana yoga studio used the pandemic slowdown to grow the offerings at the business, and, on Saturday they're hosting an open house to celebrate their rebranding and thank the community for continued support. Element Yoga & Ayurvedic Wellness, formerly Inner Spring Yoga, will host the event Saturday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Kula Center on Spring Street in New Albany. It will feature food by Fistful of Tacos, live music from Bluegrass artist Steve Cooley and Friends, children's activities, a henna artist and membership specials. Owners Carrie and Rob Klaus, who own the 9,000-foot center, renting out portions to other wellness-based businesses, say the party Saturday is meant to both acquaint the community with the additional service and to show thanks for staying with them throughout the pandemic, even as classes were taken online for a time last year. "We are just glad that our community stuck with us and it's to thank some of them for that," Rob said. When things slowed last year, Carrie found the opportunity to study and become an Ayurvedic yoga specialist, something she said blends well with the yoga practice she was already teaching. "Ayurveda is considered yoga's sister science, it's basically the indigenous health care system from India or Southeast Asia, so it developed around the same time as yoga from some of the same text as yoga," Carrie said. "Both of them have the same sort of underlying philosophy that everything is made up of the five great elements air, ether, fire, water and earth. "And that's what we're trying to do with our yoga and with the Ayurvedic lifestyle is to balance those elements." This involves a lot of routine daily rituals and habits, with a lot revolving around digestion and how a person eats. "So if someone were to come for an Ayurvedic consultation, we would talk a lot about what you eat, when you eat, do you eat three meals a day," Carrie said. "And Ayurvedic would typically say here are the times of day based on the elements that are present in the environment at that time that you should be eating, here are the types of foods that you should be eating based on your constitution or your own elemental makeup, here are the things that you should be eating at that time. Story continues "But it also includes a lot of lifestyle practices including yoga, meditation and self-care practices like self-massage. "It's really a lifestyle that you incorporate into every aspect of the day rather than just 60 minutes on your yoga mat and you're done," she said. "It's a way to weave what you learn in yoga and that mindfulness throughout the day." Carrie said that especially during the start, the pandemic seemed to open up a greater need for people to destress and think differently about health and well-being. The regular customer base pretty much stayed with them throughout, and since things have reopened, they've started to see new faces. "I think a lot of people [are] interested in taking a more natural or holistic approach to health and well-being, and, I think because of COVID, people are just in general thinking about their health and their well-being a little bit more." When the couple made the choice to add the new practice, Carrie at first just did separate consultations until they saw that it would work well with the yoga practice. "So we gave ourselves a fresh new look and a new name," she said. "It seemed like the timing was right people are really used to change right now because everything is changing all the time." Next week on Emmerdale (ITV) A hospital dash for Gabby, an urgent phone call from the doctor for Faith and a shock collapse for Sarah... Read on for all the drama on Emmerdale for the week of the 2-6 August, 2021. Jamie leaves but will Gabby go back home? Jamie is moving away, but before he goes, he decides to break into Home Farm and swipe all the cash from the safe. But hes caught out by Gabby, whos angry that Jamies leaving and rages at him over his betrayal. Jamie Tate [ALEXANDER LINCOLN], Gabby Thomas [ROSIE BENTHAM] (ITV) But just as Gabby is letting rip, shes left doubled up in agony thanks to a pain in her stomach. Its then that Will arrives on the scene and decides to take her to hospital. But Jamies parting shot before he leaves is to tell Gabby that he never wanted their baby. Read more: Next week on Coronation Street Read more: Next week on EastEnders Later on, Bernice will be seen visiting Gabby and admitting that shes been a poor excuse for a mother. Determined to make amends, she asks her daughter to move in, but can Bernice and Gabby really play happy families under the same roof? Faith receives her results A stressed Sarah needs a boost, so Faith suggests that she start living life on the edge. Hence the Dingle matriarch booking some events at the HOP for them to enjoy. Cain Dingle [JEFF HORDLEY], Faith Dingle [SALLY DEXTER] (ITV) But Faith is secretly fearing her test results and when she gets a call from the doctor to go in urgently, she steels herself for bad news. Following the trip, she decides to keep the diagnosis hidden from the family as she doesnt want to ruin the fun at the HOP. But Cain ends up wheedling the truth out of his mum and, aghast that shes lied to them once again, he ends up casting Faith out of the family. Sarah is in big danger The latest Dingle showdown leaves Sarah feeling panicky, and her stress levels rise further when she bumps into Liam at the graveyard. Hes talking about how fate decides when its your turn to go and, with his words playing on her mind, Sarah rushes home, only to then collapse onto the floor. Sarah Sugden [KATIE HILL] (ITV) Thankfully, the fall isnt fatal and when Sarah recovers, she decides to open up to Cain and Belle about the mixed feelings she still has over her donor. In the belief that hes acting for the best, Cain hands Sarah her donor information. But has he done the right thing? And what will Sarah end up doing with these details? Story continues Mandy v Nicola I personally cant abide soap catfights and much prefer a verbal putdown to a cliched physical smackdown. But I guess things had to come to a head between Nicola and Mandy at some point and the scene for their set-to will be Angels birthday party. Mandy Dingle [LISA RILEY], Nicola King [NICOLA WHEELER] (ITV) At the celebration, Mandy will overhear Nicola badmouthing her and Vinny, so thwacks her with a huge inflatable. Soon the two women are slugging it out, with the birthday food sent flying in the process. But once tempers subside, theres more bad news for Jimmy when Juliette turns up with some bombshell news. Watch the latest Emmerdale spoilers FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. Tinessa Hogan, who faces two counts of premeditated murder in the deaths of her daughters Destiny, 9, and Daysha, 7, has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Hogan, 36, didnt appear in court Tuesday. Her attorney, Erin Veit, entered the plea on her behalf. Veit had no comment after the brief hearing. Hogan was placed under psychiatric care after her daughters were found dead in a Lauderhill canal on June 22. When Lauderhill police arrived at the sprawling working-class neighborhood off Sunrise Boulevard that day, on a call about a childs body floating in the canal, the usual signs of a tragic, accidental drowning just werent there. The little girl, later identified as Destiny, wore her hair in braids. She had denim shorts and a gray T-shirt. When police pulled her from the water and placed her on the grassy bank, they saw multiple scratches around the childs mouth. There was a small laceration near the left side of the childs lip, according to the police report. And then across the canal in another Lauderhill neighborhood on that day in June, police saw a woman shrouded in a white blanket. She belted out Bible scriptures. One minute she was claiming to be the Devil and the next to be God, neighbors told the Sun Sentinel. It would take many hours before police learned the woman was the girls mother and by then the body of the second child, Daysha, had surfaced in the canal. It would take weeks before Hogan was arrested on July 14 and transferred to jail. According to police, a search of the Hogan family home in the 2000 block of NW 59th Terrace in Lauderhill showed few signs of children living there. There were no photos anywhere in the house. Only childlike drawings hinted at their existence. A woman told police that the night before the bodies of Destiny and Daysha surfaced in the canal, she saw Hogan swimming in the canal while holding a Bible. The woman said Hogan swam over to her and offered to baptize her children. The offer was declined. Story continues The idea that Hogan is a religious zealot seemed palpable as more people shared observations. People said Hogan was the type to seemingly pop up out of nowhere to discuss the Bible. Perhaps the most ominous was the report that a woman believed to be Hogan but possibly disguised in a black shiny wig with long curls was spotted a week before her girls died holding a sign saying, Death is the only answer. The arrest warrant, Hogans arrest paperwork and the probable cause affidavit were sealed for 90 days by Broward Judge Tabitha Blackmon on July 14 while police continue their investigation. Sealing such documents after an arrest is rare. Anyone who may have information about Destiny, Daysha and Tinessa Hogan is asked to call the Lauderhill Police Department at 954-497-4700. To remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477. A Florida woman was arrested Wednesday after deputies learned two dogs died under her care when she left them in the back of a 15-foot U-Haul truck for multiple days and then paid someone to hide the bodies, according to the Brevard County Sheriffs Office. Eugena Marie Blake, 56, of Palm Bay faces two felony charges of animal cruelty and an additional charge with violation of probation, according to BCSO records. Deputies learned the U-Haul incident took place after Blake was evicted from her apartment and used the truck to move her possession to a friends bedroom, said Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey. Blake told authorities that the friend did not allow dogs at the residence. Blake left her dogs, Baby and Lucky, in the truck for four days while temperatures averaged about 87 degrees outside and at times reached 91. Deputies then learned Blake and her daughter drove the truck to an establishment, where they picked up garbage bags for the dogs. Blake then paid an acquaintance $20 to clean the truck and dispose of the bodies, Ivey said. Days later, a homeless citizen reported finding the dead dogs still in cages, Ivey said. Blake confessed to deputies about the conditions she kept her dogs, Ivey said. She was taken to Brevard County Jail and had a total bond of $4,000, according to BCSO records. This case absolutely disgusts me as there was no need for these two dogs to suffer and die at the hands of someone they trusted to take care of them, Ivey said. Thankfully, there was No Bond on the Violation of Probation charge, so Blake will be sitting in our Jail which is exactly where she belongs. Jpedersen@orlandosentinel.com Jul. 26The First Judicial District Attorney's Office has obtained an arrest warrant for a former Espanola Middle School security guard accused of having criminal sexual contact with a student over the course of several years, beginning in 2019 when the girl was in the eighth grade. The former guard, Chantell Gallegos, 24, is a member of the Army National Guard and is currently on deployment in Kuwait, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed July 23 by the District Attorney's Office. The affidavit accuses Gallegos of three counts of criminal sexual penetration, four counts of child solicitation by electronic device or contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The incidents including physical contact and sexually explicit text messages are alleged to have taken place between August 2018 and October 2020. District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said a concerned citizen alerted her office to the alleged crime. The student's mother told an investigator in April her daughter told her she and Gallegos were "in a relationship" and had been seeing one another since at least February 2019, when the student was 14 and Gallegos was 22. The girl, now 16, told investigators in June she and Gallegos had sexual encounters at "the fields" during a baseball game in 2019 and at each of their families' homes during and after Gallegos employment at the school, which lasted from August 2018 through October 2019, according to the affidavit. Three staff members at the school told investigators Gallegos frequently pulled the student out of class during the 2018-19 school year. Attempts to reach Espanola Middle School officials were unsuccessful Monday. The student and guard exchanged at least 4,605 pages of text messages between June 2020 and their last exchange in April 2021, according to the affidavit. At least 20 of which were sexually explicit, the affidavit stated. The National Guard was advised of the accusations in June, according to the affidavit. Story continues Assistant District Attorney Haley Murphy said Monday that to her knowledge Gallegos has not been arrested on the warrant, adding it was her understanding Gallegos was set to return to the U.S. next month. New Mexico National Guard spokesman Joe Vigil said Monday the agency was aware of the warrant and has notified the U.S. Army, which is working with local authorities "to facilitate the process of returning her to New Mexico. "It becomes the local authorities jurisdiction and responsibility when she gets here," Vigil said. Vigil said Gallegos is a mechanic assigned to a transportation unit. The electrocution was severe and has led to many health issues. Frito-Lay worker Brandon Ingram is speaking out about the pain, trauma, and harassment he suffered after allegedly being severely electrocuted on the job, leaving him disabled and denied medical care. (Photo: More Perfect Union) Brandon and his wife Melissa claim they and their four young children are being stalked and secretly filmed by agents of the company. Melissa has launched a GoFundMe to raise money for her beauty business, which she describes as our last hope of having a future. In a lengthy statement shared on the campaign page and video from More Perfect Union, Melissa unpacks the day her husband nearly lost his life on the job when he was allegedly electrocuted. Watch her share the story via the clip below. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The fundraiser, in part, reads: The electrocution was severe and has led to many health issues. He has had two spinal surgeries so far and we know for sure there will be another next year. We are not sure how many surgeries he will need in all. Its a scary situation and has been made even worse by Frito-Lay and PepsiCos treatment of our family. Its been over 4 years and we are still fighting for my husbands life, with zero support from the company. They are denying responsibility for the accident even though the incident happened on the job. We have done everything they and their insurance company have asked of us but it is still not enough. Melissa goes on to accuse Frito-Lay of treating its workers like slaves that they discard like garbage when they are no longer able to work their inhumane hours She recalls how her husband joined the Frito-Lay team in St. Louis, Missouri, after returning home from serving in the Navy. He was ultimately put in charge of four different positions and literally broke his back working 84 hours a week. We want justice for our pain and suffering as well as all the medical bills we have had to pay ourselves, the campaign states. Story continues The family claims Frito-Lay and PepsiCos have refused to help with disability or workers comp, and that the couple have drained all our savings and pensions, even our kids college funds. We have had to change our goals and replan our entire lives around this devastating injury. I never expected to be in this position, Melissa writes. My husband and I have four young children and we worked hard to make sure we could give them a good future. Those plans all came crashing down when he was hurt on the job. Brandon Ingram The family intends to use the funds raised in the campaign to lease a retail space, build it out to suit our business needs, purchase equipment for making products in higher quantities, pay for labor, fund a payroll account to create jobs in my community, and market our products. This business is our last hope, she writes. When theGrio reached out to the campaign organizer for comment about the publics reaction since the couple shared their story, we received the following response: Thank you so much for your support We are extremely grateful for the support we have received so far. We ask that everyone please continue to share our story. Currently, there has been no reply from Frito-Lay or PepsiCo. I didnt expect there to be. One Facebook user responded to the familys plight by noting, Big Corporations dont give a rats ass about you after you get hurt on the job, making them more money than youll ever have in your lifetime X10! I hope you have a Good Lawyer who will FIGHT FOR YOUR rights as an EMPLOYEE WHO GOT HURT AT WORK. Our prayers are up for just this for you. Stay Strong. Dont back down. STAND YOUR GROUND. Another commented, So very sorry. Big corporations are pure evil. They do not care. Nothing but a number. Prayers. A third added, Please stop stocking PepsiCo Frito Lay products until they start treating their workers humanely. This is deplorable. Have you subscribed to theGrios Dear Culture podcast? Download our newest episodes now! TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku. Download theGrio.com today! The post Frito-Lay employee speaks out against company after being electrocuted, denied care appeared first on TheGrio. Shes a puppet with a purpose. Little Amal, a nearly 12-foot-tall puppet of the theater project, The Walk, started her roughly 5,000-mile journey Tuesday in Gaziantep, Turkey, near the Syrian border, German outlet Deutsche Welle reports. The Walk is set to cross eight European countries over its months-long trek, ending in Manchester, England, which the British Good Chance theater company hopes will highlight displaced children, many of whom have been overlooked by the coronavirus pandemic, according to the outlet. Its precisely because the world is now looking at other issues that its so important to bring the refugee crisis back into focus, Amir Nizar Zuabi, artistic director of the initiative, told the outlet, adding that the project wants to shine a light on the potential of refugees not just their dire circumstances. Amal, which means hope in Arabic, will next go to Izmir, Turkey before the puppet built by the lauded South African Handspring Puppet Company, whose work was seen in War Horse heads to Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, and the U.K., DW reports. Local artists will put on cultural programs when the puppet passes through their communities, according to the outlet. Four puppeteers are required to animate Amal, one for each arm, one for her back, and an actor inside, walking on stilts, who also operates facial expressions through a system of strings known as the harp, DW reports. Handspring founders Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones came out of retirement to work on The Walk, according to the website for the project. The story of refugees is so important for the whole world, Kohler said in a statement on the site. Many countries are on the move because of conflict, climate change, farmers that cant work anymore through lack of rain. Its the big story of our time. Because its an outdoor event, The Walk has the potential of bringing people together again. At a moment when theaters are struggling to re-open this is something everyone can be a part of. AKRON, Ohio A vandal has defaced a large "Space Jam" inspired LeBron James mural in his hometown. Early Monday, a red clown nose was spray painted on James' face, along with the words "LA FLOP," a reference to James' sometimes dramatic reactions to fouls on the court. With his new movie "Space Jam: A New Legacy" hitting theaters and HBO Max, artist Chardae Slater said she wanted to not only celebrate his basketball legacy but also have a little fun and mix in the Looney Tunes characters from the movie. The mural is located not far from his alma mater, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School and the I Promise School he helped found for at-risk Akron school children. The now-damaged mural stands as a symbol of the love/hate relationship the NBA star has in his hometown. He is revered by many, but some Northeast Ohioans still hold grudges over his leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for Miami, only to return and then leave again for the Lakers. 'Space Jam: A New Legacy' burning questions: Is that LeBron James' mansion? And his real family? The LeBron James Space Jam mural on West Market and North Valley Street was defaced by vandal who painted a red nose on the face of LeBron and the words La Flop across the mural. The new incarnation of the "Space Jam" movie makes reference to these career moves as the film's villain Don Cheadle talks about James breaking the heart of Cleveland not once but twice. But it was a love of James and his contributions to Akron and its school kids that led on Slater to paint the mural in the first place. She said she created the mural because there wasn't one for him already in the city. Slater said things like this vandalism are born in hate and she's trying to stay "positive." Akron Police have been alerted to the vandalism and Slater said she's hopeful businesses near the mural will be willing to share any security camera footage they may have that captured the culprit or culprits. 'Space Jam': The sequel starring LeBron James is now streaminghere's how to watch it Chardae Slater, 24, a Kent State University art student, talks about painting the LeBron James "Space Jam" mural on West Market and North Valley Street on Wednesday July 21, 2021. She started work in early June on the colorful mural. She first created the mural on paper then set up a grid on the side of the building. She then painstakingly painted each block of the grid, one at a time. Story continues It was an arduous task, and she often battled the heat and dodged raindrops, sometimes even working until 2 a.m. It didn't take long for folks and fans even James himself to take notice. Slater said James' mom, Gloria, visited the mural, and the social media accounts for James' camp shared it. James' representatives did not return a request for comment Monday about the recent vandalism. Mike Plybon of Norton takes a photo of his son Austin, 14, with the LeBron James "Space Jam" mural on West Market and North Valley Street on Wednesday July 21, 2021. Because the vandal used spray paint, it cannot be removed and will need to be painted over, she said. She estimated it might take up to two weeks to fix the mural. "It's fixable," she said. "It's just, 'oh my God.' I'm trying to keep positive." This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: LeBron James 'Space Jam' mural vandalized in NBA star's hometown Akron LONDON (Reuters) -Global securities markets regulators said on Tuesday they have begun monitoring special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, due to potential regulatory concerns. SPACs are shell companies that list themselves on the stock market and use the proceeds to buy other companies. It is a form of investment that soared last year on Wall Street, gathered steam in Europe this year and is now spreading into emerging markets. "While SPACs may offer alternative sources of funding and provide opportunities for investors, they may also raise regulatory concerns," the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) said in a statement. IOSCO, whose members include the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), the Financial Conduct Authority in Britain and regulators in the European Union, Asia, Latin America and Africa, said its new SPAC network met for the first time on Monday to share information. "I am pleased that so many members of IOSCO have joined the SPACs network to exchange experiences on non-traditional IPOs via SPACs and discuss emerging issues related to investor protection and fair, orderly and efficient markets," said Jean-Paul Servais, chairman of Belgium's markets watchdog and Vice-Chair of IOSCO's board. The markets watchdogs which are members of IOSCO have the power to take action to protect investors in their jurisdictions. (Reporting by Huw Jones;Editing by Alison Williams and Sonali Paul) Jul. 27The number of daily new coronavirus cases continued in the triple digits for the 12th day in a row Monday, with 163 new confirmed and probable cases reported by the state Department of Health. Although it came down from the, the seven-day average of daily new cases statewide jumped to 185, and the positivity rate to 4.6 %, on Monday. In Honolulu the average positivity rate was higher, at 4.9 %, and it was even higher in Hawaii County, at 7 %. The number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized also jumped from 74 on Friday to 90 on Monday, with 20 in intensive care and 12 on ventilators. Hawaii's vaccination rate inched up over the weekend, with 1, 744, 704 doses administered, according to DOH, 4, 800 more than on Friday, bringing the state's completed-vaccination rate to 59.8 %. With daily case counts rising due to the delta variant and vaccination rates lagging, the conversation nationwide has turned to whether it is necessary to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for certain workers. On Monday the. New York City on Monday announced it will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for all of its municipal workers, including teachers and police officers by mid-September, or require weekly testing. California said it will require the same from its health care workers and state employees next month. Gov. David Ige said he was considering, but made no commitments, to such mandates for Hawaii. Ige told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser's Spotlight Hawaii livestream show Monday that he was "thinking about what would be the best public health program to implement for our state employees." The cost of testing has dropped significantly, Ige said, and fast and accurate antigen tests for COVID-19 are available for less than $10. "As you know, we've had outbreaks in correctional facilities and jails, and we are looking at whether we should mandate vaccinations within those job classifications, " Ige said. "We also are testing more regularly those in those congregate settings because we know that we want to get ahead of the variant and want to make sure we keep those in congregate settings healthy and safe." Story continues Ige also said the state may have to consider a mandate ahead of full U.S. Food and Drug Admi nistration approvals of the COVID-19 vaccines because there has been no clear timeline. The University of Hawaii, meanwhile, has informed unvaccinated students that they will be required to undergo mandatory, weekly COVID-19 testing to be on any of its 10 campuses this fall. In an update shared with UH faculty, staff and students over the weekend, UH President David Lassner said unvaccinated students should also be aware "that they may be ineligible for some employment opportunities and may be prohibited from participation in certain face-to-face educational activities, " such as clinical work and fieldwork, and may therefore "be prevented from completing educational requirements." "Unfortunately, it should be obvious to all that COVID-19 conditions have worsened in Hawaii, across the nation and globally, " Lassner said in the Friday update. "A new variant is exploding, and we have now seen more than a week of triple-digit numbers of new cases daily across the islands. And key COVID-19 metrics have doubled in the wrong direction over the past two weeks." Earlier this month UH said it would not enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement this fall, as earlier anticipated, because none of the vaccines offered in Hawaii have yet received full approval from the FDA. Also, UH said, surveys found more than 90 % of students and employees have already been or plan to be vaccinated. Lassner said unvaccinated students will not be dis-enrolled from face-to-face or hybrid classes. Vaccinations will, however, be required for students living in on-campus housing, with religious and medical exemptions available. Additionally, telework will once again be an option for UH employees, said Lassner, who previously announced that all were to return in person Aug. 3. That has now been rescinded, he said, but is at the discretion of supervisors, with the expectation that full, in-person support and services will be available. Lassner said UH will also begin discussions with its unions about an employee vaccination mandate. "Getting vaccinated is unquestionably the most important step you can take to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues, your campus and your community, " said Lassner in his letter. "Vaccination is free and readily available across our islands. If you are not already vaccinated, please, please, please do so now." Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the landmark ruling that legalized abortion nationwide a decision that would allow Missouri to enforce one of the nations most restrictive abortion laws. Hawley, along with GOP Sens. Mike Lee and Ted Cruz, filed a brief with the court on Monday arguing the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, in which the justices said the U.S. Constitution protects the right to an abortion, should be discarded, with individual states left to set abortion policy. The senators brief is likely to be just one of many seeking to sway the justices, who are set to rule next year in a major case in which the courts conservative majority could severely weaken or overturn Roe. Hawleys stance on abortion is already well known and he has previously promised to support only Supreme Court nominees if they agree Roe was wrongly decided. But Hawleys signature on the document comes as Missouri fights to implement a 2019 law that would ban abortion after the 8th week of pregnancy. The law, which has temporarily been blocked from going into effect, also includes triggers that ban abortion at 14, 18 and 20-weeks if the 8-week ban is overturned. Attorney General Eric Schmitt earlier this summer asked the Supreme Court to review the law, which has suffered defeats in lower courts. The Missouri law is more restrictive than the 15-week ban in Mississippi the court will rule on in 2022, raising the possibility Missouris law could still ultimately be found unconstitutional even if the justices uphold the Mississippi law. A sweeping decision that overturns Roe, as Hawley wants, would likely eliminate that scenario. Much of the senators brief focuses on the undue burden standard set by the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision that said restrictions must not place an undue burden on women seeking abortions. The senators wrote that the status quo is untenable. After nearly 30 years, the undue burden test has proved so murky and led to conflicting positions, they wrote. Story continues Roe and Casey should be overruled, and the question of abortion legislation should be returned to the states, they wrote. In a statement, Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri said Hawley will do anything to pander to extremists. Hawley wants the Supreme Court to overrule 50 years of precedent and allow states to ban abortions and deny essential health care primarily to people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and people with low incomes, MEvie Mead, the organizations director, said. Capitol Breach Investigation (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy laid out his complaints about the select committee on the capitol riot in a press conference ahead of the first hearing of its first hearing. Mr McCarthy said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was to blame for the structural failures during the riot, which was started by supporters of former president Donald Trump trying to overturn the presidential election results. He said there were questions within the structure of the speakers office and whether they were denied the authority to bring the National Guard. The Republican leader reiterated his questions about why the Capitol was ill-prepared and what can be done to prevent it again. But unfortunately, Speaker Pelosi will only pick on people onto the committee that will ask the questions she wants asked, McCarthy said. That becomes a failed committee and a failed report. Mr McCarthy had previously pulled his choices for the select committee after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to seat Reps Jim Jordan of Ohio and Jim Banks of Indiana, both of whom are vociferous defenders of former president Donald Trump. Republican Whip Steve Scalise said Mrs Pelosi was trying to cover up facts she didnt want the public to know and Mr Jordan and Mr Banks were raising important questions. Now maybe because they were raising those questions, they got canceled by this new cancel culture that we see moving throughout the country led by Speaker Pelosi and a lot of her socialist allies, he said. Mr Jordan accused Democrats of not being willing to have a strong security presence after they endorsed Black Lives Matter protests, which is a repeat of what he has said in the past of Democrats normalising violence. When you spend a year talking about defunding the police and actually defunding the police, its kind of hard to have more police here, Mr Jordan said. After McCarthys removal of his members, Mrs Pelosi also appointed Illinois Rep Adam Kinzinger, a Republican who voted to create the select committee and to impeach Mr Trump. Story continues One of Mrs Pelosis initial choices was fellow Republican Rep Liz Cheney, who voted to impeach Trump. She was subsequently replaced as Republican conference chairwoman by Rep Elise Stefanik, who criticized Pelosi. Shes an authoritarian who has broken the peoples House, Mrs Stefanik said of Mrs Pelosi. She is a lame duck speaker and everyone knows it. Mr McCarthys other selections included Troy Nehls of Texas, Rodney Davis of Illinois and Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota, whom Pelosi did not pull from the committee. But they also opted not to participate. This is the only situation in the history of a select committee by a speaker to try to pre-determine what can be asked and what the results can take place, he said. Mr Nehls laid into Mr Kinzinger and Mrs Cheney for being on the committee and their frequent criticisms of Mr Trump. The only so-called Republicans on the committee are on the committee to grandstand and attack the former president because of their own personal vendettas, he said. Those Pelosi Republicans are not interested in the truth. Theyre interested in getting even. Read More Capitol riot hearing live: Calls for Ivanka Trump to be subpoenaed as McCarthy calls committee a sham McCarthy threatens to pull Republican picks from Capitol riot committee after Pelosi refuses two members By Stanley Widianto JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia, which uses the Sinovac vaccine as its main COVID-19 inoculation, is considering providing a booster shot, as a study showed antibodies provided by the two-dose shot fade over time, a senior health ministry official said on Tuesday. Indonesia, which has become Asia's COVID-19 epicentre with record infections and deaths this month, relies heavily on the Sinovac vaccine that accounts for more than fourth-fifths of 173 million doses of vaccine supplies it has received so far. Concerns about the vaccine's effectiveness have mounted in recent weeks as hundreds of medical workers, most of whom were fully vaccinated with the Sinovac shot, have died of COVID-19 since June. A study published this week showed that antibodies triggered by the Sinovac vaccine declined below a key threshold from around six months after a second dose for most recipients, although a third shot had a strong booster effect. While researchers said it was unclear how the decrease in antibodies would affect the shot's effectiveness, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, a senior health ministry official, told Reuters that the reduced antibody level is still enough to provide protection, based on clinical data from Indonesia. "Right now, the immunization advisory board recommends a booster vaccination 12 months after the second dose," she said, adding that the government is still considering whether the booster shots should be one or two-dose schedule. She did not say which vaccines would be used as a booster shot, but Kusnandi Rusmil, who heads the clinical trials of the Sinovac vaccine in Indonesia at Padjadjaran University, said any approved COVID-19 vaccine can be used as a booster. He said the clinical trial is set to conclude next month and its data so far has also shown a drop in antibody levels over time, leading him to recommend to the government that medical workers should get a third booster shot. "Lots of medical workers have died, so they need to be given further immunity," Kusnandi said. Story continues Indonesia has started giving booster shots produced by Moderna to medical workers this month, as 1,569 healthcare workers have died of COVID-19, including nearly 400 between June and July, according to data from the independent data group Lapor COVID-19. The World Health Organization said earlier this month that it was not clear whether boosters would be needed to maintain protection, until further data is collected. But several countries have already begun making plans for a booster campaign, while Pfizer and its partner BioNTech prepare to ask U.S. and European regulators to approve a booster dose. (Reporting by Stanley Widianto; Editing by Miyoung Kim, William Maclean) U.S. Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell said Tuesday that he was subjected to racist and xenophobic insults as he fought to protect the Capitol from a violent mob of Trump supporters on Jan. 6. "Apparently even through my mask they saw my skin color and said, 'You're not even an American," Gonell told members of the House select committee investigating the attack. Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell during Tuesday's House committee hearing on the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool via AP) Gonell, who immigrated to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic as a child, is a naturalized citizen and an Iraq War veteran. In his opening statement to the committee, he said hed decided to enlist in the U.S. military nearly three decades ago because this country gave me an opportunity to become anything that I wanted. Since then, he said, I have always taken my oath seriously. But Gonells military background didnt seem to matter to the rioters who sought to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6 in an effort to stop Joe Biden from being certified as the winner of the 2020 presidential election. "I know I'm an American soldier, former soldier, and a police officer, Gonell said. "They don't know that. Rioters attempt to enter the Capitol on Jan. 6. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images) It wasnt until later, after the riot, he said, that he was able to process what the insurrectionists words had meant. "When I heard that, I wasn't even thinking about any racial stuff," Gonell told lawmakers. I didn't take that into account when I was defending all of you guys. From left, Officers Aquilino Gonell, Michael Fanone and Daniel Hodges listen to Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunns testimony. (Brendan Smialowski-Pool/Getty Images) Gonells account was in line with the testimony provided by other law enforcement officers at Tuesdays hearing. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn testified that he and other Black officers had been subjected to racist slurs by the rioters. D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges described the Jan. 6 attack as a white nationalist insurrection. ____ Read more from Yahoo News: Revs. Jesse Jackson and William Barber were released from police custody on Monday after being arrested at a sit-in outside Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's office in Arizona. The demonstration, held in Phoenix, was held to demand an end to the filibuster, a move opposed by Sinema that would remove the 60-vote threshold for passing most pieces of legislation. Jackson and Barber, who were among 39 people arrested, face misdemeanor criminal trespassing charges, the Phoenix Police Department told local news outlets. The organization that hosted the sit-in, Repairers of the Breach, said Jackson and Barber were among the group facing charges. ARIZONA SENATE AUDIT LIAISON THREATENS TO QUIT AFTER BEING DENIED ACCESS TO BALLOT COUNT This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Protesters outside the senator's office favor the Democratic-backed For the People Act, which passed the House but was blocked last month by Senate Republicans, employing the filibuster. Democrats say the legislation would expand voting access and reduce the influence of money in elections, while Republicans warn it amounts to a federal takeover of the election system that will create opportunities for fraud. Sinema's office released a statement noting she supports the voting rights legislation but repeated her stance against ending the filibuster. "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 Senate minority?" a spokesperson for Sinema asked. "That is one example of how the filibuster helps protect the country from wild swings between opposing policy poles," the spokesperson added. The demonstration on Monday was the second protest in July at Sinema's district office for her support of the filibuster, a local KPNX TV journalist reported. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Story continues The Washington Examiner contacted PPD, Sinema's office, and the Repairers of the Breach but did not immediately receive a response. Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Arizona, Phoenix, Kyrsten Sinema, Jesse Jackson, Democrat, Congress Original Author: Kaelan Deese Original Location: Jesse Jackson and William Barber arrested at anti-filibuster sit-in outside Kyrsten Sinema's office in Phoenix A civil court jury awarded $1 million Monday to the family of a man shot and killed by a Virginia Beach police officer during a 2019 backyard standoff. The family of Jeffrey Tyree sued the officer who fatally shot him, Detective Bradley Colas, and Officer Nigel Tuft-Williams, who tackled Tyree just before he was struck. Colas, however, was the only one found liable. Virginia Beach Circuit Judge Kevin Duffan ruled there wasnt enough evidence against Tuft-Williams and released him from liability before the jury began deliberations. The case is the second over the past three years in which a jury held Virginia Beach police officers responsible for a fatal shooting. In August 2018, a jury awarded $800,000 to the family of India Kager, who was killed during a SWAT incident. Tim Tyree, one of Jeffreys brothers, said he and his family were grateful for the decision, which came at the end of a week-long trial in Virginia Beach Circuit Court. The primary goal of their lawsuit was to get answers about what happened that day, which he said Virginia Beach police had repeatedly refused to provide. We feel like the truth finally came out and we finally got justice for Jeff, Tim Tyree said. It feels great. Deputy City Attorney Christopher Boynton said the city, which is liable for the jury award, will file motions challenging the verdict and appeal if necessary. Tuft-Williams now works as an agent for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Colas is still employed as a Virginia Beach police officer and has the departments full support, Boynton said. Separate investigations by Virginia Beach police and prosecutors determined the shooting was justified. The department supports him 100% and the City of Virginia Beach supports him 100%, Boynton said. His job with us is safe. At the time of the Feb. 9, 2019 shooting, Jeffrey Tyree, 57, was in a mental health crisis, according to his family. He had been arguing with his siblings for days about the care of their dying mother and was threatening one of his brothers when the brother called police to their mothers house in the Arrowhead community. Story continues Tyree was in the backyard, holding a large knife and threatening to kill himself, when officers arrived. The yard is surrounded by a waist-high, chain-link fence; officers positioned themselves around it. After more than two hours of negotiating, Tyree agreed to put the knife down so he could get some cigarettes from an officer standing just outside the fence. He was reaching down to retrieve the knife when Tuft-Williams ran up from behind and tackled him. Colas fired one shot as the men were on the ground, striking Tyree in the shoulder. He died while being treated in a waiting ambulance. The two police supervisors at the scene that day testified the plan had been to fire a nonlethal projectile at Tyree to distract him and get the knife from him. Tuft-Williams testified Colas called him on his cell phone and told him to jump the fence and tackle Tyree. He said he also saw Colas signal that plan with hand motions after the call. The officer said he took that to mean he should act at that moment. But Colas said he didnt intend for Tuft-Williams to jump the fence until after the projectile had been fired. He said he shot Tyree because he saw him raise the knife toward Tuft-Williams and feared he would stab the officer. Lawyers for the family and the city repeatedly played scenes from police bodycam footage for the jury. While the city argued it showed Tyree raising the knife in a threatening manner, the familys lawyers said it showed he was lying on his back with his knees up and posing no threat. Tyree was an Army veteran and had been severely injured in a truck crash years before. He used a cane and a walker to get around and had his cane with him the day he was shot. This was a disabled man lying flat on his back with his knees up, said Kevin Martingayle, one of the familys attorneys. He did nothing that could reasonably be considered a threatening move. Jane Harper, 757-222-5097, jane.harper@pilotonline.com Jul. 26LEBANON Town officials are working to remedy an environmental violation with the local department of public works' salt shed. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection issued a violation to the town's salt shed June 24 following an inspection of the Lebanon Department of Public Works facility on 937 Trumbull Highway. The violation was given because salt was found to be leaching out from the shed, according to Lebanon First Selectman Kevin Cwikla. Currently, there is a temporary salt storage structure, which is a 26-foot-by-26-foot, plastic- covered hoop house. " They want some remediation done, so we're looking at that," Cwikla said. The DEEP inspection included pictures of the current structure containing salt covered by a tarp, which was weighed down by an abundance of tires. Cwikla said if a remedy to the solution is not found, DEEP will be looking at monetary fines. A letter from the DEEP to the town LEBANON, Page 4 ------ Lebanon told to fix shed issues Continued from Page 1 noted if the situation was not addressed, there's a potential of a $ 25,000- per- day fine. " They don't want us to keep kicking the can down the road. They want remediation, so that's what we're doing, Cwikla said. " The DEEP has been more than patient." Cwikla explained the town has been aware of the issue for a few years now. The plan, however, was to update the salt shed with the entire DPW facility, which is also in dire need of a replacement. Combined proposals for a new DPW facility and salt shed have been shot down time after time by voters, which Cwikla attributes to a $ 4 million- plus price tag. "Lebanon really needs a better DPW. That's on the board of selectmen's radar. We're trying to look at different options," Cwikla said. To remedy the salt shed problem, the town is planning to erect a temporary metal- framed tarped structure, which would be built on pinned concrete blocks and have a paved floor, according to Lebanon Town Engineer Brandon Handifield. Story continues According to Handifield, the new proposed temporary structure would be about a foot taller than the current structure and would include paving and sealed blocks to satisfy state requirements. This temporary solution is estimated to cost between $ 30,000 to $ 40,000 and the Lebanon Board of Finance budgeted about $ 80,000 for the project, according to Cwikla. Cwikla confirmed DEEP agreed to this proposal. " We gave them the plan, now we need to get the planning and zoning commission on board. This is obviously a temporary fix, but the DEEP is willing to work with us on that endeavor," Cwikla said. Follow Lisa Massicotte on Twitter @LMassicotteTC. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued a warning toward China this week regarding aggression in the Pacific. Austin, who spoke at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Singapore on Tuesday, said the United States "will not flinch when our interests are threatened," specifically referencing supporting Taiwan, but added that the U.S. is not seeking a "confrontation" with China. BIDEN AND IRAQ PM ANNOUNCE END TO US'S COMBAT MISSION "Unfortunately, Beijings unwillingness to resolve disputes peacefully and respect the rule of law isnt just occurring on the water," he said. "We have also seen aggression against India destabilizing military activity and other forms of coercion against the people of Taiwan and genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang." The secretary of defense added that the U.S. will "stay focused on helping Taiwan to defend itself or having the capabilities to defend itself going forward," adding, "The way you manage [disputes] counts." Austin's trip to the Pacific comes as the Biden administration is changing the military's operations in both Afghanistan and Iraq. The U.S. will have all of its troops out of Afghanistan by Aug. 31, which was moved up from the originally scheduled Sept. 11 end date, while President Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al Kadhimi announced on Monday that the U.S.s combat mission will cease at the end of the year. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Despite the warning, Austin affirmed that the U.S. is "committed to pursuing a constructive, stable relationship with China" and said the country isn't "asking countries in the region to choose between the U.S. and China." Former U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. Phil Davidson warned that China's "ambitions to supplant the United States" makes Taiwan a focal point during testimony in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee in March, according to Defense One. He predicted a "threat" to Taiwan to "manifest during this decade, in fact in the next six years." Story continues Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Lloyd Austin, China, Taiwan, Biden Administration, Military Original Author: Mike Brest Original Location: Lloyd Austin issues warning to China over Taiwan Manchester United have agreed a deal with Real Madrid to sign France centre-back Raphael Varane, the Premier League giants announced Tuesday. "Manchester United is delighted to announce the club has reached agreement with Real Madrid for the transfer of French international defender and World Cup winner, Raphael Varane, subject to a medical and to player terms being finalised," said a club statement. It is not expected, however, that Varane will be able to undergo a medical until next week because of current UK coronavirus restrictions. No fee has been disclosed but British media reported value the deal at 34 million ($47 million) rising to 48 million with add-ons. The 28-year-old Varane, a 2018 World Cup winner, has one season left on his contact at the Santiago Bernabeu. He moved from French club Lens to Madrid in 2011 and has since made 360 appearances across all competitions for Madrid, winning 18 major honours -- including four Champions League titles. In a statement, Madrid -- confirming they had agreed a fee with United -- acknowledged Varane's time in the Spanish capital by saying: "Our club thanks the player for his professionalism and exemplary conduct throughout his ten seasons representing our colours, during which time he has won 18 titles: 4 Champions Leagues, 4 Club World Cups, 3 European Super Cups, 3 La Liga titles, 1 Copa del Rey and 3 Spanish Super Cups. "Real Madrid would like to express their gratitude to Raphael Varane and his family and wish him the best of luck in this new stage of his career." Should his move to Old Trafford be completed, Varane would find himself vying for a place in the centre of United's defence with club captain Harry Maguire, Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof. United finished second in last season's Premier League but were a huge 12 points adrift of title-winners and local rivals Manchester City in the race to be crowned champions of England. The Red Devils have not won a major trophy since the 2017 Europa League, with United's last Premier League title success coming in celebrated manager Alex Ferguson's final season before retirement eight years ago. Story continues It was Ferguson who first tried to bring Varane to United, with Jose Mourinho also interested in signing the defender during his time in charge. Varane emerged out of Lens' academy before breaking into the north French club's first team as a 17-year-old. Although unable to prevent Lens from suffering relegation his form had attracted the attention of several leading European clubs and the teenager joined Real in 2011, going on to make 15 appearances in all competitions during his first season in Spain as Mourinho's men regained the La Liga title. jdg/iwd Fiame Naomi Mata'afa entered parliament as Samoa's first female prime minister Tuesday, ending a bitter impasse that left the Pacific island without an effective government for 109 days after her election victory. Following several abortive legal challenges, outgoing leader Tuilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi finally conceded defeat on Monday, allowing Mata'afa and her fledgling cabinet to move into their parliamentary offices. "I am pleased and thankful," Mata'afa said, listing an interim budget as her immediate priority to keep the government running and give her cabinet time to review Samoa's financial and economic circumstances. But she told Radio New Zealand the preparations had not been smooth going. "We had approached key ministries... in terms of preparing briefs for an incoming government. They weren't very responsive," she said. "I would presume now that the issue has been settled about the validity of our government, they will come on board." A key issue will be Samoa's future relationship with China, with Mata'afa opposed to a Beijing-bankrolled major port project approved by her predecessor. The 76-year-old Malielegaoi, who had ruled almost unopposed for more than two decades with his Human Rights Protection Party in power for nearly 40 years, strongly rejected his defeat in the April 9 election. In bizarre scenes, Mata'afa had to be sworn in as the new leader in a tent in May after he locked the doors of parliament. The constitutional crisis came to an end four days ago when the Appeal Court, Samoa's top judicial body, ruled that Malielegaoi's actions were unlawful. Mata'afa believed the three-month impasse had damaged Samoa's reputation as a democracy. "Some of the illegal actions taken by the last government, which the courts have said were unlawful, is a demonstration of the government moving away from the rule of law," she said. Story continues "So I think the overall view that we have to restore the foundation of the rule of law for the government is a very important thing." Her FAST Party was formed just last year. Only Mata'afa, a former cabinet minister and deputy prime minister under Malielegaoi, and La'auli Leuatea Schmidt who was once briefly agriculture minister have previous cabinet experience. cf/arb/qan Rep. Matt Gaetzs future sister-in-law appears to have had more than enough of the Florida congressman, posting three TikTok videos in the last two days slamming him as weird and creepy and a literal pedophile. Roxanne Luckeythe sister of Gaetzs fiancee, Ginger Luckeywas sharply critical of the congressman and his treatment of young women, saying she unfortunately was not surprised to have learned Gaetz was under federal investigation for alleged sex crimes. Daily Beast/TikTok In one video Monday night, Roxanne Luckey told a story about Gaetz pressuring an older man to court her when she was 19. She called the move weird and creepyand claims Gaetz yelled at her and her mother and went full lawyer when she confronted him. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. I saw the character and type of person he is, and when everything came out about him, I honestly, unfortunately, was not surprised, Luckey said in one video. As someone who has personally experienced a ton of creepy old politician men hitting on me when I was underage, and experiencing sexual assault at that age by people of power, its very disheartening and I have zero tolerance of people like [Gaetz], said Roxanne, who in 2020 worked briefly as a White House intern. She added that she is tired of them getting away with this type of stuff. After the videos were posted, Ginger Luckey hit back at her sister, telling The Daily Beast she had a history of destructive behavior. Roxanne, who is 20 now, said she was sharing her experiences in part because of her interactions with powerful men and her belief that it is important to hold people accountable to whatever extent we can. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. There is so much more to the story and about what I know about Matt Gaetz, she added. It is definitely a serious situation. The first of the videos, posted on Sunday, features Luckey dancing and lip-synching to Lana Del Rays Jealous Girl with a New York Times headline in the background, reading Matt Gaetz Is Said to Face Justice Dept. Inquiry Over Sex With an Underage Girl. She added her own text, writing, When a creepy old man tries to hit on you at the bar but your sisters engaged to a literal pedophile. Story continues Rep. Matt Gaetz and Ginger Luckey at a rally in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Michael Ciaglo/Getty In a follow-up video Monday night, Luckey apologized for using the term pedophile and shifted to ephebophilesomeone primarily attracted to mid- to late-adolescentswhich she reasoned felt more appropriate for Gaetz. While The Daily Beast couldnt reach Roxanne Luckey, the woman in the TikTok video appears to be the same person seen in a family photo on Ginger Luckeys Facebook page, and the two women have multiple overlapping social media contacts. Ginger Luckeys mother also appears to like posts on Roxannes Facebook. The TikTok account also shares two videos showing the person working in the White House as an intern. The Daily Beast was able to verify with a former Trump official that Roxanne Luckey did work as an intern during the summer of 2020, as the TikTok account claims. Reached for comment Monday evening, Ginger Luckey claimed she and Roxanne were estranged. (A video posted by Roxanne Luckey suggests she was close with her sister and Gaetz as recently as November.) Matt and I are enjoying our engagement and are deeply in love. My estranged sister is mentally unwell, Ginger Luckey said in a text message. She has been in therapy for years and our family hopes that after receiving in-patient mental health treatment, she will overcome the tendency she has repeatedly shown to engage in destructive behavior. How Joel Greenbergs Plea Deal Spells Trouble for Matt Gaetz Roxanne Luckey did not respond to The Daily Beasts request for comment. A spokesperson for Gaetzwho has denied any criminal wrongdoingsaid the congressman supports his fiancee and her statement. In one video, Roxanne Luckey described an episode last summer in which Gaetz, shortly after he began dating her sister, tried to set her up with a friend of his. She said she was a 19-year-old intern at the Trump White House when Gaetz tried to connect her with a peer of his, who was divorced with a child. According to Luckeys account, the older man was creepy and repeatedly made her feel uncomfortable, even after she rejected his advances and told him she had a boyfriend. She noted that when the man later apologized, he passed the blame for his aggressive overtures onto Gaetz. Sorry about what I said, I just wanted to get Matt off my back, Luckey claimed the unnamed man said. Luckey said when she confronted Gaetz about the incident at a family gathering that Thanksgiving, the 39-year-old attorney and third-term congressman tried to gaslight her. He just immediately got so defensive and started yelling at me and my mom, Roxanne Luckey said. He called me a narcissist, just was a thousand percent gaslighting mewent full lawyer, I dont have to listen to you, I dont have to answer your questions. Whatever, Luckey added. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. She said Gaetzs anger and quick temper over the matter led her to believe that he knew he bore responsibility. Someone who is innocent shouldnt be getting so defensive, and literally being a grown man and yelling at a 20-year-old girl is just beyond me, she said. Luckey posted a TikTok video at the time about the encounter, captioned, Its the sisters congressman boyfriend calling me a narcissist for calling him out for me Luckey emphasized that the experiences informing her opinion wasnt just this encounter with Matt. When she was interning in D.C. at the White House, she said she heard through the grapevine that Gaetz had a reputation of prowling after college girls when hes a grown man, and to me thats just kind of weird. She did add the caveat to this claim that, Everything is hearsay. Theres two sides to every story and I acknowledge that, she said. But this is what I experienced. Luckey seems to have sided quickly against Gaetz. After news of the investigation broke, she liked numerous tweets blasting him as a perverteven as her older sister joined him for an event at Trump National Doral where he called himself a champion of women. She also posted a mash-up TikTok video in early April of young women, possibly friends, alleging the congressman was guilty and should be thrown out of Congress. She added the hashtags #mattgaetzhumantrafficking and #mattgaetzisatool. Gaetz and Ginger Luckey got engaged on New Years Eve at Mar-a-Lago after dating for less than a year. Ginger and Roxanne are sisters of tech entrepreneur Palmer Luckey, who in 2014 sold his virtual reality company Oculus Rift to Facebook for $2.3 billion. The couple tried to buy a $155,000 yacht in Florida in late May, but the owner pulled the sale, citing as his reason the fact that they painted over the boats name before the deal closed, without his permission. On Monday, Roxanne Luckey replied to a TikTok user who posted a comment to one of the videos imploring her to get your sister out of the relationship. Hes a narcissist and a master manipulator, Luckey replied. She believes everything he tells her. Meanwhile, prosecutors have been interviewing a number of Gaetz associates in the wake of his former wingman Joel Greenbergs May 14 guilty plea. Last week, Politico reported that a defense attorney representing a person in the case had seen evidence that Gaetz had sex with an underage girl. with additional reporting from William Bredderman Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Jul. 27Nathaniel Jason Roybal, fatally shot by Santa Fe County deputies late the night of June 23, had been armed with an air gun, a New Mexico State Police investigator says in a new report. Videos from the deputies' dashboard cameras, first obtained by KRQE-TV three weeks after the incident, show Roybal, 32, waving a gun out the window of a black Ford Ranger after leading deputies on a pursuit to Siler Road. He appears to fire a shot, prompting deputies to fire on the vehicle. When the gunshots stop, Roybal gets out of the bullet-ridden truck, drops his gun and begins running. The deputies identified by state police as Leonardo Guzman, Jacob Martinez and Cpl. Chris Zook fire again, this time killing him, the videos show. A state police investigator wrote in the newly released report he found a Sig Sauer P226 air pistol, built to fire pellets, lying on the ground next to the pickup Roybal had been driving. The report was one of several that state police released late last week in response to a public records request. Investigators found 40 9 mm shell casings at the scene, according to the reports. The black Ranger, which state police have said was reported stolen, had bullet holes in the windshield, back windows, tailgate and cab. A "loaded syringe with possible heroin" also was lying on the ground. Jay Winton, a former U.S. Border Patrol agent and salesman at the Outdoorsman in Santa Fe, said air guns often resemble firearms but are functionally incompatible. "They use compressed gas to fire nonlethal projectiles, often for training purposes," Winton said. "Most of them are made out of relatively light metal that couldn't even contain the power of a bullet." While they look similar to firearms, Winton added, air guns often make a different popping sound. Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Monday the threat law enforcement officers perceive at a scene determines whether they decide to respond with force. Story continues "Why would anyone point a firearm, lethal or not, at armed officers instead of simply complying?" he asked. The incident was Roybal's second encounter with deputies that day. On the morning of June 23, a woman reported to emergency dispatchers he was waiting outside her home in a black Ford truck and that he had pointed a handgun at her. She accused Roybal of often stalking her at her home. A sheriff's office report said deputies responding to the woman's call followed Roybal, who led them on a reckless, high-speed chase and tried to strike a patrol vehicle with the truck. A commander with the agency called off the chase, the report said. The sheriff's office put out an alert for Roybal and the black truck, and Guzman encountered him hours later on West Alameda Street, leading to the deadly shooting. Nathaniel Jason Roybal has an identical twin brother, Nathan Roybal, who shared the same birthday and features, the state police reports say. This delayed the agency's identification of the man killed by deputies; officials had to confirm his identity by his tattoos. "Based on the investigation, it was noted that Nathan and Nathaniel both used each other's names during their contacts with law enforcement," one report says. When a state police agent went to inform Nathan Roybal of his brother's death, the report says, he said he already knew his brother had been killed and told the investigator to leave. As a doctor and a physician in Miami, Im distressed to see hospitals in Florida are starting to fill up with COVID-19 cases, again. One in Jacksonville reported the most COVID-19 patients ever, and more children are being hospitalized. So far, nearly 39,000 Floridians have died in 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. And yet Gov. Ron DeSantis is throwing a ticker tape parade for himself while COVID-19 cases are spiking, again. Specifically, DeSantis has declared victory against a deadly pathogen at least three times: In May 2020, when he bucked masks and social distancing as a winning strategy; again in March 2021, when he hailed his fact-free, unscientific response as superior to ones based on facts and science, and now, when hes selling merchandise poking fun at medical and public health experts for spending the past year telling people to take COVID-19 seriously. DeSantis needs to stop patting himself on the back and tell every Floridian to get real about COVID-19. Until he does that, hes making my job as a physician more difficult. Reopened Florida too soon DeSantis self-serving spin doesnt hide the fact that he has bungled the COVID-19 response from Day One, when he snubbed scientific advice to wear masks and socially distance. Since then, he has made things worse by pretending COVID-19 didnt exist and reopening Florida prematurely. Tellingly, each time DeSantis took a bow for kicking COVID-19 in the teeth, cases in Florida spiked, more people got sick and more people died. As a physician who has been on the frontlines of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, I urge DeSantis to focus on three things that can bring cases down week over week in a sustained manner, protect people and save lives, and ultimately help Florida truly turn the corner in this pandemic. One: Denounce disinformation and tell the truth. DeSantis should denounce fringe ideas like the one he entertained at his roundtable in March with disgraced Trump administration COVID-19 czar Scott Atlas. Instead of hosting them, DeSantis should push back against individuals who endorse the idea that people should be infected naturally with COVID-19 to achieve community immunity, without acknowledging that natural infections to a disease thats far deadlier than the flu would result in millions of deaths which could be avoided with vaccinations. Story continues DeSantis friends also dismissed the need for children to wear masks, even though public health experts encourage the opposite and recommend kids wear masks whenever theyre around unvaccinated people. DeSantis embrace of flat-out disinformation was so egregious, YouTube had to remove the video for, in a nutshell, peddling lies. DeSantis must not just break from radical naysayers like Atlas, but push back. Masks and vaccines work Two: Get real about masks and vaccines. Masks are demonstrably effective at preventing people from spreading and getting COVID-19. Vaccines are demonstrably effective at protecting people from getting infected with COVID-19. The science behind these two facts is real and quantifiable, and DeSantis should spend every waking moment of his governorship making sure every Floridian hears them. When hes ensured that every Floridian has been communicated to and informed about the science, effectiveness and safety of masks and vaccines, he should do it again. In small neighborhoods, in multiple languages, from Calle Ocho to Overtown, DeSantis should flood every demographic in Florida with factual information about masks and vaccines. Yet DeSantis belittles scientists and health experts. He divides Floridians over masks. Floridas vaccination rate is below the national average. DeSantis must hit the road and tell Floridians to take COVID-19 seriously. If Fox News Sean Hannity can do a U-turn after more than a year of COVID-19 denialism and now use his massive platform to beg his viewers to get real about COVID because enough people have died, DeSantis can mobilize the powerful machinery of the governors office to encourage Floridians to wear a mask, socially distance and get vaccinated. Vaccines for cruises And third: Do no harm. As a physician, I took the oath to protect people by not causing injury. DeSantis should do the same. He can start by supporting businesses that want to reduce infections and protect people, something a company like Norwegian Cruise Lines hopes to do by requiring people on board to show theyve been vaccinated. Instead, DeSantis is continuing his lawsuit against Norwegian Cruise Lines. At the same time hes still banning Florida businesses, local communities and other places from doing what they need to do to keep their employees, customers, constituents, students, teachers and staff safer and more protected against COVID-19, such as wearing a mask and showing theyve been vaccinated. Floridians can choose to wear a mask or get vaccinated. They should, to protect themselves and their loved ones. What DeSantis should not be allowed to do is force Floridians to be exposed to people who could sicken and potentially kill them. Even Fox News parent company gets this concept. The hospital where I work is filling up, again. My community is getting sick, again. And Im asking DeSantis, again: Help us save lives, and get real about COVID-19. Bernard Ashby is a cardiologist in Miami and Florida state lead for the Committee to Protect Health Care. Microsoft's business continues to thrive thanks to its leadership in cloud computing and productivity apps. In its Q4 earnings report today, the company reported a 21 percent increase in revenues compared to last year, reaching $46.2 billion. But even more impressive, its profits jumped by 47 percent to reach $16.5 billion. Microsoft's success is practically a broken record by this point last quarter it saw a 44 percent increase in profit, and before that it grew by 33 percent but it's still managing to beat the expectations of Wall Street analysts. The key to Microsoft's growth is the same as it has been for the past several years. Its Intelligent Cloud business is seemingly unstoppable, growing by 30 percent compared to last year. And it's still seeing plenty of growth with Office, Linkedin and its other business apps, which together have increased revenues by 25 percent. Even its More Personal Computing group, which includes Windows and Xbox, saw its business improve by 9 percent. (Thatcategory saw a few dips in the quarter though: Surface business fell by 20 percent, and Xbox content and services saw a 4 percent drop.) Microsoft's Q4 earnings aren't really telling us anything new, as the company's entire 2021 fiscal year has been strong. The company reported an overall revenue increase of 18 percent for 2021 ($168.1 billion), as well as a 38 percent jump in profit for the year ($61.3 billion). Microsoft's previous earnings report proved that it made out well during the pandemic, but now it seems like those gains aren't stopping anytime soon. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Tuesday that fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors in areas with high transmission as COVID-19 cases continue to rise and vaccination rates wane. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said new data shows the delta variant, which accounts for more than 80% of the new infections in the U.S., behaves "uniquely differently'' from its predecessors and could make vaccinated people infectious. "Information on the delta variant from several states and other countries indicates that in rare occasions some vaccinated people infected with the delta variant after vaccination may be contagious and spread the virus to others,'' Walensky said in announcing the new guidance, a reversal of what the CDC recommended in May. "This new science is worrisome and unfortunately warrants an update to our recommendation.'' Parts of the U.S. with at least 50 new cases per 100,000 people in the last week, which includes 60 percent of the nation's counties, are subject to the guidance. New case rates are particularly high in the South and Southwest. Walensky emphasized the importance of getting vaccinated, saying so-called breakthrough infections of inoculated people are rare and typically don't lead to serious illness. She also said the new guidance will apply to schools in the upcoming fall term, noting that students should return to in-person learning full-time. "CDC recommends that everyone in K-12 schools wear a mask indoors, including teachers, staff, students and visitors, regardless of vaccination status,'' Walensky said. Top infectious disease doctors have been calling for such a measure. Earlier in the day, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the CDC, which in May said vaccinated Americans no longer needed to mask up in public, has been forced to reassess because of the emergence of the highly infectious delta variant. Story continues The reality is you're dealing with a much different strain of this virus than we were even earlier in the spring back in May, Psaki said, adding that the CDC's task is to "look at evolving information, evolving data and an evolving historic pandemic and provide guidance to the American public.'' The delta variant has ripped through unvaccinated communities in the U.S., accounting for almost all recent hospitalizations and deaths. Public health officials have said vaccines largely protect vaccinated individuals from severe disease and death, but breakthrough cases are possible. Also in the news: The Washington Post, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, will require employees to provide proof of COVID vaccination when its offices reopen in September, the New York Times reported. The U.S. is again reporting more than 50,000 new cases daily on a rolling seven-day average. The country last hit that mark April 30, when cases were falling as vaccines took hold of the pandemic. Two days before Thursday's start of the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago, the city added nine more states to its travel advisory list. Chicago is now advising unvaccinated people traveling from 14 states to get a negative COVID-19 test result no more than 72 hours prior to arrival or to quarantine for 10 days upon arrival. Tokyo on Tuesday reported its highest number of new COVID-19 cases at 2,848, exceeding the earlier record of 2,520 cases on Jan. 7. Tokyo is under its fourth state of emergency, which is to continue through the Olympics until just before the Paralympics start in late August. At least 70% of adults in the European Union have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, keeping the 27-nation bloc on course to reach full vaccination in 70% of adults by the end of summer, the European Commission said Tuesday. Around 57% of adults in the EU are currently fully vaccinated. Today's numbers: The U.S. has had more than 34.5 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and 611,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: Nearly 195 million cases and 4.17 million deaths. More than 163.3 million Americans 49.2% of the population have been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. What we're reading: The CDC says masks for the vaccinated are optional. As COVID cases climb, some feel differently. Keep refreshing this page for the latest news. Want more? Sign up for USA TODAY's Coronavirus Watch newsletter to receive updates directly to your inbox and join our Facebook group. Los Angeles mandates vaccination or weekly tests for city workers Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the country, announced a new policy Tuesday mandating that city employees either offer proof of vaccination or submit to weekly COVID-19 tests. The requirement makes Los Angeles the latest jurisdiction to issue such an order, following similar mandates for California employees, New York City employees and medical workers for the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. President Joe Biden noted earlier Tuesday that his administration was examining a similar requirement for the millions of federal government workers. L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Council President Nury Martinez said the new requirement was largely due to the more infectious delta variant and characterized the announcement as the first step in a plan to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for all employees once the FDA grants full approval. The fourth wave is here, and the choice for Angelenos couldnt be clearer get vaccinated or get COVID-19, Garcetti said in a statement, urging employers to impose similar vaccination requirements. -- Christal Hayes Biden ponders vaccine mandate for federal workers President Joe Biden said Tuesday his administration is weighing the possibility of requiring all federal workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as infections surge across the nation with the widespread transmission of the delta variant. Thats under consideration right now, Biden told reporters. But if youre not vaccinated, youre not nearly as smart as I thought you were. Also Tuesday, the White House reinstated a policy requiring all its employees to wear masks regardless of their vaccination status. -- Michael Collins Want to go shopping? Better bring a mask Mask requirements at stores, the source of complaints and some confrontations -- including one involving actor Ricky Schroder -- may be back soon. Several of the nation's largest retailers, among them Costco, Home Depot and Walmart, dropped those requirements after the CDC said in May that fully vaccinated Americans no longer needed to wear masks to protect them and others from COVID in public indoor spaces. Now that the agency has revised its guideline amid the rapid spread of the delta variant, retailers may follow suit. The main issue with this will be one of compliance, said Neil Saunders, managing director of consultancy GlobalData Retail. There was already strong resistance to masks the first time around and this will likely be stronger as re-masking will be seen as a retrograde step. -- Kelly Tyko Massive Cal State University system mandates vaccines The California State University system announced Tuesday it would mandate COVID-19 vaccines for students, faculty and staff who come to campus, citing the spread of the delta variant. The university system had already planned to require COVID-19 shots, but the mandate was contingent on the Food and Drug Administration fully approving one of the available vaccines. Now, members of the Cal State community have until Sept. 30 to prove their vaccination status. The California State University system is one of the largest in the country, with 23 campuses and 486,000 students. On July 15, the University of California system -- which has 285,000 students -- said it would not wait for FDA approval and require the vaccine for the fall term. Most colleges have been encouraging their students to get vaccinated, and about 600 campuses have mandated vaccines, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. -- Chris Quintana Louisiana congresswoman whose husband died of COVID pleads for holdouts to get vaccinated Congresswoman Julia Letlow of Louisiana, whose state and district barely reach the 40% vaccination rate, is making a passionate appeal for those who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 to get the shots. Letlow, who has two children under age 4, became a widow in late December when her husband, Representative-elect Luke Letlow, died of COVID-19 at age 41 just days before he was supposed to be sworn in to Congress. At the time, he wasn't eligible for the then-scarce COVID vaccines. Julia Letlow won a special election to replace him in March. "It's horrific to watch the person who you love the most gasp for breath and suffocate," said Letlow, R-Start, her voice breaking. "My prayer is that not one more person would have to lose a life. "The miraculous news is we have a tool scientists have produced to fight back in this war in the form of safe and effective vaccines." -- Greg Hilburn, Lafayette Daily Advertiser Tennessee pastor: Wear a mask, get kicked out A church pastor in Tennessee is taking a decidedly defiant and partisan approach to masks worn to protect against coronavirus transmission. Pastor Greg Locke told members of the Global Vision Bible Church in Mount Julie, Tennessee, that he will kick out those wearing a mask in church. With the delta variant spreading across the country, the CDC announced Tuesday new guidelines encouraging even vaccinated people to wear a mask indoors when in public in high-transmission areas. If they go through round two and you start showing up (with) all these masks and all this nonsense, I will ask you to leave," Locke said during a Sunday service. I will ask you to leave. I am not playing these Democrat games up in this church. -- Gabriela Miranda Missouri attorney general sues over St. Louis mask mandate Missouris attorney general has filed suit seeking to halt a mask mandate that took effect Monday in the St. Louis area amid a rise in COVD-19 cases that are burdening a growing number of hospitals around the state. The lawsuit by Attorney General Eric Schmitt argues the mandates are arbitrary and capricious because they require vaccinated individuals to wear masks, despite the CDC guidance that this is not necessary. It also questions mandating children to wear masks in school, noting they are less likely to become seriously ill. The lawsuit came before the announcement Tuesday of the CDC's revised guidelines for masking indoors. The rise in infections around the U.S. is prompting other communities to require masking, including Los Angeles County and Savannah, Georgia. The end of state eviction moratoriums likely led to thousands of COVID deaths, study says The termination of eviction moratoriums in different states and municipalities likely led to hundreds of thousands of additional COVID cases and deaths, according to a study published Monday. The study, published by UCLA researchers, compared COVID cases across 43 states -- some of which kept eviction moratoriums and others that did away with them in spring or summer of 2020. States that removed moratoriums saw an average of twice as many COVID cases and five times as many deaths, and ending eviction protections led to 433,000 COVID-19 cases and 10,000 additional deaths by September 2020, the study concluded. The federal eviction moratorium, preventing tenants who are behind on rent from being removed from housing on public health grounds amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, will end this Saturday. Report: Pfizer and Moderna widen age range of trials down to 5-year-olds Pfizer and Moderna are expanding their vaccine trials for children ages 5 to 11, according to a new report. The New York Times reported that the decision came from the Food and Drug Administrations push to investigate rare side effects, including heart inflammation, that have come up in vaccinated people below age 30. The FDA asked the two companies to incorporate 3,000 additional children between 5 and 11 into the group, the Times reported. Regulators will have to balance the potential side effects of the vaccines against the risk of COVID-19. Members of a CDC advisory committee believe the protection the vaccine offers for people older than 12 outweighs the risks of side effects. US intends to keep restrictions on travel from UK, other European countries The United States has no plans to lift travel restrictions at this point given the rise of the delta variant, according to the White House. The decision means the countrys current travel restrictions which deny entry for people from the European Schengen area, United Kingdom and other countries will remain in place. Given where we are today with the delta variant, we will maintain existing travel restrictions at this point for a few reasons," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a news briefing Monday. "The more transmissible delta variant is spreading both here and around the world. Driven by the delta variant, cases are rising here at home, particularly among those who are unvaccinated, and appear likely to continue in the weeks ahead. Read more here. -- Bailey Schulz Vanderbilt Medical Center mandates COVID-19 vaccines for leadership Vanderbilt University Medical Center will require employees with leadership roles to receive the coronavirus vaccine. Employees were alerted to the mandate via an employee newsletter on July 15, VUMC spokesman John Howser confirmed in an email to The Tennessean. All VUMC leaders are required to get the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine or provide a medical or religious exemption by Aug. 15. They must be fully vaccinated or have an approved exemption by Sept. 15. "The deadline for requiring all VUMC employees to be vaccinated or have an approved exemption is under consideration and will be communicated at a later date," Howser said. The university is requiring all students, faculty, staff and postdoctoral fellows it employs to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 for the upcoming school year. -- Rachel Wegner, Nashville Tennessean Contributing: Joseph Garrison, Grace Hauck, USA TODAY; The Associated Press. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CDC mask guidelines: Vaccinated people advised to wear indoors again Prince, Welcome 2 America (Legacy Recordings) Anyone who feared that Prince's vault was filled with nothing but Billy Joel covers, as the satirical website The Onion joked shortly after his death, need not worry. Welcome 2 America is the first complete, previously unreleased record to come out since Prince died in 2016. And it's a stunner. Incredibly, Welcome 2 America manages to be as relevant, or maybe even more relevant, today than when it was recorded, and promptly shelved, in 2010. Most of the songs have been unheard until now. Confronting themes of racial justice, equality, big tech and just what it means to be human, Welcome 2 America feels like the soundtrack for the years since Prince's untimely death. It's almost as if Prince knew Welcome 2 America would mean more in 2021 than it might have when first recorded. From the first song and title track, which starts off with Prince bemoaning the power of the iPhone and Google, the tone of Welcome 2 America is made clear. Land of the free/home of the slave, Prince determines, and were off. Oh, and it rocks too, in the genre-defying way that defined Princes career. Just try not to get up and dance during Hot Summer or 1000 Light Years From Here. There is one cover on the record, but it's not from Billy Joel. Instead, Prince taps fellow Minneapolis musicians Soul Asylum, making their song Stand Up and B Strong sound like a Prince original. But Welcome 2 America is also tinged with melancholy. As alive, relevant and fresh as Prince sounds, there's no escaping the fact that he's gone and the only reason we're hearing this now is because of that. PHILADELPHIA (AP) Stephen Strasburg will have season-ending neck surgery, Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Tuesday, ending another frustrating year for Washington's 2019 World Series hero. The three-time All-Star right-hander felt discomfort after a 27-pitch bullpen session last week and saw a specialist on Monday. Strasburg, who is 1-2 with a 4.57 ERA in five starts this season, was diagnosed with neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome and will be operated on by Dr. Greg Pearl in Dallas on Wednesday, Martinez said. Hes down, hes frustrated, Martinez said. Hopefully after this procedure is done, its the next hurdle, recovering and then starting to rehab as soon as he possibly can. Injuries have limited Strasburg to seven starts since he was named MVP of Washington's World Series win over Houston two years ago. He last pitched on June 1. Martinez said he expects Strasburg to be ready for the start of spring training next year. I know what kind of workhorse he is when healthy, Martinez said. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports BGR Anyone whos despondent over the way it can sometimes feel like were all stuck these days in a coronavirus time loop reliving the same insanity about masks and vaccines over and over again allow us to remind you of one perfectly acceptable means of sanity preservation. Theres always the siren song of a The post Everyones talking about this suspenseful Netflix drama that just rocketed to #1 appeared first on BGR. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in stroll together at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea on April 27, 2018 amid a period of diplomatic engagement that would end abruptly two years later. Korea Summit Press Pool via AP North and South Korea reopened hotlines on Tuesday for direct communication between the two countries. The lines were severed last summer, when the North also destroyed a joint liaison office. North and South Korean leaders have been exchanging letters and have agreed to pursue reconciliation. See more stories on Insider's business page. North and South Korea restored cross-border hotlines on Tuesday after all communication between the two countries ended last summer. In June 2020, after a period of engagement between the two Koreas, the North announced that it was shutting down all inter-Korean communication lines. A week later, North Korea destroyed the joint liaison office in Kaesong. That same month, North Korea said that hopes for peace and prosperity on the Korean peninsula had "faded away into a dark nightmare." But North Korea appears to be again ready for some form of engagement. The decision to restore communication was made by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un following the exchange of multiple letters since April. Moon's office said that he and Kim had decided to "restore mutual confidence and develop their relationships again as soon as possible." North Korean state media said the two leaders had agreed to "make a big stride in recovering the mutual trust and promoting reconciliation," the AP reported. A military line, as well as cross-border phone lines in the border truce village of Panmunjom, were restored Tuesday, Reuters reported. After the phone lines were reopened, there was a three-minute exchange in which the South Korean side opened with the friendly greeting: "We are happy to connect after more than a year," according to The Wall Street Journal. The restoration of the communication lines between the two Koreas comes on the 68th anniversary of the signing of the armistice agreement that brought an end to Korean War hostilities, though not the war itself. Story continues The big question in this development is why North Korea, which has repeatedly rebuffed South Korean attempts to engage it, is now open to some degree of communication. The exact impact of the coronavirus pandemic on North Korea is unclear, but there is evidence that the country's economy has taken a hit. There are also reports of food shortages. In recent speeches, Kim has made references to an unspecified great crisis linked to the pandemic. It is unclear if these are motivations for efforts toward engagement. In their discussions, Moon and Kim have reportedly talked about working together to combat the negative effects of the current global health situation. Reopening the communication lines is a step toward peaceful engagement between the two Koreas, but it remains to be seen if this will lead to diplomatic engagement between North Korea and the US, which continues to seek the North's denuclearization. Read the original article on Business Insider WASHINGTON (AP) In their search for a new approach to arms control, Moscow and Washington are likely to soon encounter an old bugaboo: Russia's demand that the U.S. stop resisting limits on its missile defenses, which the Russians view as a long-term threat and the Americans see as a deterrent to war. It is likely to arise when U.S. and Russian officials open a strategic stability dialogue Wednesday in Geneva talks meant to lay the groundwork for future arms control and to reduce the risk of nuclear war. The talks are an area of modest promise in a relationship otherwise marred by disputes over ransomware attacks, Russian military intervention in Ukraine and other issues. The Geneva session is not expected to yield a major breakthrough, but it likely will lead to additional talks. Russia's point man on arms control negotiations, Sergei Ryabkov, told reporters in Moscow on Tuesday that the Russian delegation had submitted proposals in writing, although he offered no details. He said the purpose of Wednesday's session will be to analyze in detail where we have differences, and try to find directions for joint work where there is a certain opportunity, according to a Tass news agency report. The missile defense dispute has shot down past efforts to broaden the scope of arms control negotiations to include more than the traditional category of strategic, or long-range, nuclear missiles. Now it is among several disagreements magnified by mutual distrust that are likely to determine whether the world's two biggest nuclear powers can avoid a new arms race. At stake are what President Joe Biden has called "new and dangerous and sophisticated weapons that are coming on the scene now that reduce the times of response, that raise the prospects of accidental war. Biden appeared to be referring to emerging technologies such as hypersonic weapons, artificial intelligence and space weapons, which are being pursued not just by the United States and Russia but also China, whose rapid military advances have complicated the international arms control picture. Story continues Biden may also have had in mind Russia's pursuit of exotic nuclear weapons, including a nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed cruise missile, as well as a nuclear-powered underwater drone. The Russians have said U.S. missile defenses compelled them to seek new weapons that could evade those defenses, and they recently offered to include these in future arms control negotiations. That gesture is seen by some as an opening for Washington to drop its opposition to negotiating limits on missile defenses. When they met in Geneva on June 16, Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to begin mapping a new road to arms control by reopening the strategic stability talks that had faltered in the final months of the Trump administration. The idea is to explore possibilities for negotiating arms deals to succeed the New START treaty, which covers only long-range nuclear-armed weapons and is set to expire in 2026. The Russians have long insisted there can be no strategic stability without limits on defensive as well as offensive weapons. Ryabkov, the deputy foreign minister, has left no doubt that Moscow will insist that missile defense be part of a future arms control arrangement. Addressing the issue of missile defense has no alternative for us, he told an international conference June 22. He said Russia cannot accept U.S. assurances that its missile defenses are meant only to shoot down rockets fired by North Korea or potentially by Iran. Sooner or later, Ryabkov said, the U.S. will increase its defensive capabilities to the point where they will undermine the viability of Russian missiles. Therein lies the Russian concern about instability. For its part, the Biden administration wants Moscow to agree to limit its so-called nonstrategic nuclear weapons, which are not covered by the New START treaty. Some arms control experts think this presents the possibility of a tradeoff negotiations covering missile defenses as well as non-strategic weapons. Before the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, marking an end to the Cold War, the conventional wisdom was that nationwide missile defenses would make the world less safe. The thinking was that by limiting such defenses, each side was kept vulnerable and thus less likely to strike first. President Ronald Reagan upset that convention in 1983 with his star wars vision of an impenetrable shield, based partly in outer space, to render ballistic missiles obsolete. The plan was abandoned after he left office but gave rise to new Russian fears about missile defense. Russian concerns escalated in 2002 when President George W. Bush pulled the United States out the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which had imposed missile defense limits on both countries. Bush called the treaty a relic and said U.S. security demanded better protection of the homeland against limited missile attacks. Thus was born the current U.S. missile defense system, based mainly at Fort Greely, Alaska, starting in 2004. Its stated purpose is to protect U.S. territory from a potential North Korean missile attack. A smaller system based in Germany and intended to defend NATO territory against potential missile attack from Iran also is a source of tension with Moscow, which sees it as threatening Russia. Proponents of U.S. missile defense point out that Russia has its own nuclear-armed missile defense of Moscow. Prior to entering the White House, Biden was a critic of missile defense. In 2006 he derided the Bush administration's homeland missile defense system as a modern-day Maginot line a defense that is confidently relied upon despite being unreliable. In 2001 he said the Bush administration had a theological allegiance to a missile defense system that he predicted would spark a new arms race. Robert Soofer, a top nuclear and missile defense policy official throughout Donald Trump's presidency, acknowledges that the Russians will want to include missile defense in any future arms negotiations. We should offer no concessions, but rather hear them out and explore ways to reassure the Russian side through transparency, technical cooperation where practical, and other confidence-building measures that U.S. missile defenses pose no threat to Russia's formidable nuclear forces, Soofer said in congressional testimony June 9. Those who religiously attend their local comic conventions now have the chance to go the biggest one of them all thanks to a new Omaze giveaway. The company's latest sweepstakes gives you the chance to win 4-day badges to San Diego Comic-Con 2022, with access to a special preview night. In addition to the badges, you're also getting reserved seating in Hall H for the entire convention, a personal concierge, a private tour of the Comic-Con Museum, dinner in Balboa Park and tickets to the "Night at the Comic-Con Museum" special event. The winner will also have travel to the convention and lodgings covered. Enter to win at Omaze The 2022 Comic-Con will mark the return of the in-person event in San Diego as the 2021 convention was postponed. Instead, the organization held the online Comic-Con Home from July 23-25 this year, and its hoping to have a smaller, supplemental "Comic-Con Special Edition" event in November, if conditions allow. You have until December 8 to enter this giveaway and the winner will be announced before the end of 2021. Like other Omaze giveaways, you don't have to spend money to enter and anyone can use the code AFF20 at checkout to get 20 bonus entries. But if you do buy entries, you'll increase your chances of winning. All funds raised in sweepstakes like this go to charity, and this one in particular benefits the San Diego Comic Convention, which is a nonprofit public benefit corporation devoted to increasing public awareness and appreciation for comics and similar art forms. If you're unfamiliar with Omaze, it's a site that raises money for charities through giveaways and experiences. You can read more about how the allocation of funds works by reading the "Fundraising Transparency" section at the bottom of the giveaway page. Pricing and availability is subject to change. No donation or payment necessary to enter or win this sweepstakes. See official rules on Omaze. A gunman who opened fire at a party early Monday in Texas, fatally shooting one person, died after attendees struck him with bricks, authorities said. The incident began around 1 a.m. in the backyard of a Fort Worth home when an attendee became angry and left, the police department said in a statement. The person, identified by a Fort Worth police spokesperson only as a man, returned with a second person and got into an argument with other partygoers. The man opened fire, striking one person and causing a non-life-threatening injury, the statement said. When people at the party began chasing him, he opened fire and they threw landscaping bricks at him, the statement said. Two people were struck by gunfire, one of them fatally, police said. The second person was taken to a hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. The gunman was struck multiple times with at least one brick and pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. The department said the shooter's identity will be released by the medical examiner's office. The NHS COVID-19 app alerts the user to isolate when they come in contact with someone who's tested positive. Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images With case numbers rising sharply in England as restrictions are lifted, the country is experiencing what has been dubbed a pingdemic. Record numbers of people are being pinged by the NHS Test and Trace app, with more than 600,000 people told to self-isolate in the seven days up to 14 July. However, the increasing number of people being contacted has sparked food shortages and train cancellations as workers are told to stay at home. Some fully-vaccinated workers are exempt from self-isolation if they are pinged, such as those working in food production and supply. However, some employers of non-critical workers are asking staff to turn off the Test and Trace app so they dont get told to self-isolate. But is this legal - and what should you do if your employer asks you to stop using the app? Mark Alaszewski, solicitor at the legal firm Didlaw, says that employers are not allowed to ask their employees to turn off their Test and Trace app. Employers have a legal duty to provide a safe working environment and to take reasonable steps to protect the health and safety of their staff, he says. By asking you to turn off your app your employer is asking you to put yourself in a position of ignorance as to whether you have recently been exposed to a potentially lethal virus. This could endanger you, your colleagues, and even your family and friends. The instruction would almost certainly be in breach of your employment contract, says Alaszewski. It is also likely to be discriminatory towards any colleagues who are at a higher risk due to their age or conditions such as diabetes or asthma and could give rise to a personal injury claim were any colleague to contract COVID-19 and become seriously unwell. If your boss asks you to pause the contact tracing app, Alaszewski says you should politely refuse. Your employers ability to force you to do something is ultimately based upon the law and in this case the law is not on their side, he says. Story continues There is legal protection for employees who are treated negatively because they raise a legitimate health and safety concern. If your employer attempted to discipline or dismiss you because of your refusal to turn off the test and trace app you would almost certainly have an employment tribunal claim. As with many workplace disputes, Alaszewski adds, it is also worth exploring if there is a sensible middle ground which could be reached, such as taking a PCR test. If you are contacted by NHS Test and Trace and told to self-isolate, it is a legal requirement that you must do so. However, this is not the case if you are pinged by the NHS app and told to isolate. The app is only advisory, and while it is strongly recommended you self-isolate when you are told to, there is no legal requirement for you to do so. If you have been in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, you will be alerted by NHS Test and Trace by text, email or phone call. You will be told to self-isolate for 10 days from your last contact with the person who tested positive. Read more: Will the pandemic put a stop to the London brain drain? You are legally required to self-isolate if you are told to do so by NHS Test and Trace. If you don't or if your manager prevents you from doing so, you or your employer could get a fine of 1,000 or more. But if you are told to self-isolate via the NHS Covid-19 app as you have been in close contact with someone, you should self-isolate and get a test, but this is not a legal requirement. The government advice is that you should self-isolate for the full period, even if you have no symptoms and even if you test negative. There is actually no legal requirement to self-isolate in the event of being pinged, there is only a government recommendation that it is the right thing to do, says Alaszewski. A pragmatic solution may therefore be for your employer to arrange for you to have a PCR test in the event of your being pinged, he says. This could provide certainty that you do not have COVID and enable you to return to work without any risk to your colleagues. Watch: Industry seeks clarification on 'pingdemic' exemption confusion Former Planned Parenthood President Dr. Leana Wen said she was told to say abortion at every interview. The pressure clashed with her vision to promote the organization's non-abortion healthcare services. Wen describes the tension between progressive politics and mainstream healthcare in her new book. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. On her first full day on the job as Planned Parenthood's president, Dr. Leana Wen appeared on ABC's "The View" to talk about her vision for the organization. As the first physician at Planned Parenthood's helm, Wen was dedicated to centering the organization in Americans' psyche as a nonpartisan healthcare service provider. She talked about how women's healthcare is healthcare, and how receiving screenings and medications doesn't need to be political. When the segment wrapped, Wen, who'd left her role as Baltimore's health commissioner for the gig, was elated that it had resonated with the live, cheering audience. But her new colleagues at Planned Parenthood's headquarters were not: Wen had failed to say the word "abortion." In her new book, "Lifelines: A Doctor's Journey in the Fight for Public Health," out July 27, Wen details how the tension between her mission and Planned Parenthood's advocacy smoldered from that first day until she left her post just eight months later. 'You need to talk about abortion at every media interview' After the ABC segment, a board member texted Wen: "Next time, make sure you talk about abortion," Wen wrote in the book. "You need to talk about abortion at every media interview," a national staffer told her too. "You're the president of Planned Parenthood. People expect that from you." "Not saying 'abortion' sounds as if you're ashamed of it," another told her later. Wen, who is pro-choice, took the stance that she and the organization should advocate for all reproductive health services, like birth control and sex ed, which could reach more people and help reduce the need for abortions. Story continues She believed using "pro-abortion" language alienated people whose decision to get one was painful. And, she said, most Americans have complicated, nuanced views on abortion. She believed Planned Parenthood should meet them where they are, she thought. But Wen said her colleagues viewed that position as trying to "cover up" abortion. They said acknowledging some patients' difficulty with seeking the procedure was "dramatic" since it's common, usually simple, and generally safe. "If we don't talk about abortion openly, loudly, and proudly, as a positive moral good, then we are further stigmatizing it and the people who need it," Wen said one colleague told her. Planned Parenthood's local affiliates across the country, whom Wen visited, seemed to better align with her view, she implied - they were the ones providing pap smears and prescriptions, not just abortions. But Wen had to answer to Planned Parenthood's board. Wen said she had to choose between being a leader of progressive politics or mainstream healthcare Wen said, ultimately, the tension between her and those around her wasn't just about abortion but about politics. Planned Parenthood sees itself as a liberal advocacy organization, outspoken on issues loosely related to healthcare, like net neutrality, defunding the police, and DC's statehood, she wrote. As the 2020 election loomed and abortion access came under intensified threat, the organization wanted to double down on its pro-abortion messaging. "I was given a choice: change, or leave," Wen wrote. Before her lawyers could come to a mutually agreed upon departure statement, the board voted her out. She learned about it through a New York Times news alert on her phone. And yet, Wen wrote she has "deep empathy" and "profound appreciation" for Planned Parenthood staffers. "That Planned Parenthood is still in existence, over one hundred years after its founding, is a testament to the courage, ingenuity, and resilience of those who put themselves on the line for its mission," she wrote. Read the original article on Insider MCSO Aviation located the vehicle and the two stranded sitting on the roof after deputies received a call to come to the aid of a truck that tried to cross through the waters. The pilot was able to bring the Fox 1 helicopter down to the vehicle roof, where the pair were rescued. There were no injuries reported. The Sheriff's Office reminded the public not to attempt to enter flooded areas. SEOUL (Reuters) - South and North Korea have restored hotlines that were severed last year and the two countries' leaders have agreed to rebuild trust and improve ties, the South's presidential Blue House said on Tuesday. Following are comments from experts and statements by the two Koreas. YANG MOO-JIN, PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH KOREAN STUDIES, SEOUL "Hotlines form the basis of inter-Korean ties, and their reopening can be seen as a sign of recovery in the relations." "It wouldn't probably bring an immediate turnaround in relations, but could allow them to begin restoring communications such as by sending flood warnings when typhoons hit in August, or exchanging information on COVID-19 and border issues. Ultimately, any progress between the two Koreas would have an impact on North Korea-U.S. relations, giving a boost for them to continue efforts to restart nuclear negotiations." MOON SEONG-MOOK, RETIRED SOUTH KOREAN BRIGADIER GENERAL WHO TOOK PART IN PAST MILITARY TALKS WITH NORTH, NOW HEAD OF THE UNIFICATION STRATEGY CENTER IN SEOUL "North Korea still thinks, 'what is the point in having dialogue with South Korea?' As long as sanctions against the North are in place, the North wants substantive easing of sanctions, and there's nothing we can help on that." "The North might say now that we restored the hotlines, it's the South's turn to show sincerity and demand the August joint exercises by South Korea and the United States are halted." "It won't be easy for this to lead to dialogue and exchange. There needs to be progress on the North Korea nuclear issue in order to have substantive progress (in inter-Korea ties)." SOO KIM, FORMER CIA NORTH KOREA ANALYST, NOW AN ANALYST AT THE RAND CORPORATION "We know North Korea has been reeling from the pandemic over the past year. That, combined with sanctions, natural disasters, and an overall decrepit economy, likely put Kim Jong Un in dire straits. So perhaps Kim is looking to Seoul to help bail him out of this 'tense' food situation and other baggage resulting from the pandemic." Story continues "For Seoul, the hotline and resumption of communication are likely motivated by Moons desire to reap political if not symbolic progress in inter-Korean relations. Pyongyang, on the other hand, probably isnt so much interested in improving relations with the South." SOUTH KOREA'S PRESIDENTIAL BLUE HOUSE "The restoration of the South-North communication lines will have a positive impact on the improvement and development of South-North relations." NORTH KOREA'S OFFICIAL KCNA NEWS AGENCY "The top leaders of the north and the south agreed to make a big stride in recovering the mutual trust and promoting reconciliation by restoring the cutoff inter-Korean communication liaison lines through the recent several exchanges of personal letters." "According to the agreement made between the top leaders, the north and the south took a measure to re-operate all inter-Korean communication liaison lines from 10:00 on July 27." "The restoration of the communication liaison lines will have positive effects on the improvement and development of the north-south relations." (Reporting by Hyonhee Shin, Sangmi Cha and Jack Kim. Editing by Gerry Doyle) The report was commissioned after nine men were jailed over the sexual exploitation of girls who had been in council care in Bradford. (PA Images) A victim of childhood sexual abuse in Bradford was raped by multiple men, physically abused and forced into an illegal Islamic marriage while she was still a child. The horrifying story came to light in a new independent report looking into abuse in the city over the last two decades after nine men were jailed in 2019 over the sexual exploitation of girls who had been in council care. In May, 29 men were also charged with child sex exploitation crimes against a girl when she was 13 years old. The independent report, commissioned by the former chair of the local child safeguarding authority that has since been replaced by the Bradford Partnership, found some children remain unprotected from sex exploitation. Read: NHS bosses warn Boris Johnson this winter could be 'one of worst ever' The report included testimony from a survivor referred to as "Anna". Her real identity cannot be revealed for legal reasons. Anna's full testimony can be read at the bottom of this article. The report found that social care and a specialist voluntary sector provider not only failed to keep Anna safe, but that they colluded in situations which led to further abuse. I was failed for more than two decades, Anna said. Watch: Virginity tests linked to child marriage According to the report, Anna suffered from severe abuse and neglect from a very young age as family relationships broke down. From around 12-years-old, it was apparent to social services I was absconding from home and was being trafficked all over West Yorkshire. I was at great harm however they allowed me to continually be subject to sexual, physical, and emotional abuse and psychological abuse and harm," she added. In 2002, when Anna was 14, her mother raised concerns about child sexual exploitation and she was referred to a specialist project Streets and Lanes (SALS) a service for children abused through prostitution. She was placed in a residential childrens home but soon started going missing on a regular basis, with the report saying it amounted to more than 70 occasions. Story continues During this time, child services recorded she had an Asian boyfriend somewhere between the ages of 18 and 27, and that she had begun following the Islamic religion. The report said that the residential homes staff were aware that she was getting into cars with men, including this "boyfriend". All the while, Anna was frequently telling SALS workers that she was suffering from incidents of rapes, assaults and coercion during the periods that she went missing. In June 2003, Anna aged just 15 said she had married her "boyfriend" in an Islamic ceremony. The report said that her social care worker colluded in the marriage and even allegedly attending the ceremony, adding: The willingness of some professionals to legitimise this wedding is clear from agency records." Anna's situation then continued to worsen when she fell pregnant and was placed as a foster child with her "husband's" family. I was 15, but the authorities thought it was in the best interest and to minimise the severity of my absconding and placed me in a foster care placement while being fully aware with the parents of my abuser, she said. We had no similarities in race, religion or culture and I continued to be subject to domestic violence and was subject to a coercive controlling sexual relationship with a known perpetrator. Anna said she was also frightened to leave because she feared an honour-based killing. By December 2004, when she was still a looked-after child, Anna was taken into a refuge following an assault. During this time in care, Anna said she was sexually abused and exploited by dozens of adult males, some of whom were known to her husband. She said: I'm left with my adult years to educate and work on my mental health state of mind and coming to terms with the realisation I will always be in recovery. I'm not in control of my anxiety and only feel at ease with my nerves, when I'm in another county living a life that nobody knows who I am or what Ive been subject too, she added. Anna said she found courage to come forward, adding: I sincerely hope other victims will speak out about their child sexual abuse. More than 20 arrests have been made connected to the investigation of Annas abuse and investigations continue. The Bradford Partnership have been approached for comment. Watch: Rape survivor calls for public awareness campaign to make face covering exemptions clearer Annas full testimony: Numerous social services assessments were carried out throughout my very early years from the authorities with a being at risk noted but nothing ever acted on, and I was failed for more than two decades. My needs as a child were not met my education was nonexistent throughout my teenage years. From around 12 years old it was apparent to social services I was absconding from home and was being trafficked all over west Yorkshire. I was at great harm however they allowed me to continually be subject to sexual, physical, and emotional abuse and psychological abuse and harm. Safeguarding risk assessments were carried out and acknowledged that I was being sexually abused by grooming on a large scale. Recommendations were put forward at various strategy meetings to remove myself as I was at escalated risk from sexual perpetrators and to be place into a secure unit or foster carers away from the area, but recommendations were ignored time and time again. I was regularly missing for numerous weeks at a time with no sightings, and no contact from myself. Social services and the police did nothing to locate me this could have ended in a homicide case as I was suffering from severe domestic violence. I was codependent from being 13 I was psychologically suffering throughout my teenage years, but no intervention was offered. I was a minor, unstable as well as unable, as any child is to make the correct choices which were life changing decisions these have had a major impact on my life. I was 15, but the authorities thought it was in the best interest and to minimise the severity of my absconding and placed me in a foster care placement while being fully aware with the parents of my abuser. We had no similarities in race, religion or culture and I continued be subject to domestic violence and was subject to a coercive controlling sexual relationship with a known perpetrator. I was frightened to leave, in fear of an honour-based killing. At 14 years old I was engaged to be married, taking on the role of an Islamic wife fulfilling the needs of my husband and the extended family somewhat like a maid. I was identified as a vulnerable and naive child converting to Islam wasnt a case of wanting to embrace Islam for my own individual choices. I was manipulated and controlled while I was on a local authority care order the authorities should have protected me however they allowed abuse to occur for numerous years. Resulting in living a life of dual identity despite only being 15. The local authorities allowed and witnessed a sharia law Nikah wedding to take place allowing a man to carry out sexual activity on a child to occur on a daily basis which is illegal. If only the authorities had done what was recommend for me, the secure unit or accommodation. I wouldnt have been subject to sexually and physical abuse for many years. And because I wasnt looked after as a child should have been under a local authority care order. Contact arrangements with parents was minimal bonds were damaged with close family which can now never be rectified. I'm left with my adult years to educate and work on my mental health state of mind and coming to terms with the realisation I will always be in recovery. I'm not in control of my anxiety and only feel at ease with my nerves, when I'm in another county living a life that nobody knows who I am or what Ive been subject too. Throughout my late adult years, Ive had a significant number of disturbing dysfunctional relationships as Ive not healed as a victim of child sexual exploitation and physical abuse. I've found courage and been courageous in coming forward and I sincerely hope other victims will speak out about their child sexual abuse. After being convicted of murdering former University of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson, Nathaniel Rowland will spend at life in prison. Since prosecutors did not seek the death penalty, a separate hearing to determine sentencing is not necessary. Judge Clifton Newman passed down the sentence after hearing from prosecutors, defense attorneys and the families of both Rowland and Josephson. Josephson was killed in March 2019 after getting into a car in Columbias Five Points neighborhood that she mistakenly believed was her Uber. Her death was my death. I close my eyes and feel what she endured at his hands, Josephsons mother Marci read from a prepared statement. I used to have dreams for her. Now all I have are nightmares. 120 times. Her bare feet kicking the windows. I visualize the blood flowing from her body, her beautiful body. 120 times. For what? Marci Josephson was referencing the roughly 120 times Rowland stabbed Josephson. Josephsons mother, sister and father all asked Rowland receive the most severe possible sentence. I have visions of her taking her last breath. I have such hatred running through me. I still to this day cannot believe she is gone, said Seymour Josephson, Samanthas father. Marci Josephson, the mother of Samantha Josephson, asked the judge to impose the strictest sentence after a jury finds Nathaniel Rowland guilty of Samanthas murder. In his comments, Seymour Josephson said his daughters murder had been so devastating that he cannot bear to look at photos nor videos of his daughter. Multiple times since her murder, he has considered suicide, he said. In the end you have taken my baby away, Seymour Josephson said to Rowland. I will never see her graduate from college, law school, walk her down the aisle and get married all the milestones one would experience. What did you get from Sam? $10? $20? Seymour Josephson held up a book of 90 impact statements from Samantha Josephsons friends, family friends and more about what her death meant to them. Seymour Josephson asked Newman to read the book and Newman said he would like to. Rowlands mother Loretta Rowland also spoke, saying her son was a good person. Story continues Lorretta Rowland insists that her son, Nathaniel, is not guilty of murdering Samantha Josephson, despite conviction. A mother knows her child, and I know my son didnt do this, Rowland said. After families spoke, Newman looked Rowland in the eyes and described him as cold-blooded. During my time on the bench I have presided over many murder trials and they typically involve shootings, Newman said. This is the first time, however, that I presided over a case where a victim was stabbed 120 times. When Newman gave Rowland a chance to speak at the end of the trial, Rowland spoke in a voice that was hard to hear. Rowland said he wished investigators had looked into other suspects. I know Im innocent, but I guess what I know or I think really doesnt matter, Rowland said. I just wish the state would have done more in finding out who the actual person was instead of being satisfied with detaining me and proving my guilt. Newman wasnt having it. Judge Clifton Newman calls Nathaniel Rowland heartless after Rowland was convicted of murdering Samantha Josephson. As Newman had indicated earlier in the trial, the evidence against Rowland was overwhelming. Even when Rowlands family members asked the judge for mercy, saying Rowland was innocent, Newman cut them off, saying the jury had made its ruling. When Rowland faced the judge for sentencing, Newman was stern, saying it was not difficult to decide on his sentence. There were 1,000 roads, each led to you. There were 1,000 trails, each trail led to you. All the evidence, every speck of evidence, not simply beyond a reasonable doubt, but as high a standard of guilt the law presents at all levels points to you, Newman said to Rowland. Saks Off 5th is signaling more plans for its e-commerce business. The company is naming former Amazon operations executive Shivi Shankaran as the new chief operating officer of its e-commerce business. He is set to take on the role Aug. 16. More from WWD Shankaran, who the company said had already been serving in an advisory capacity to Saks Off 5th for some time now, will also be a member of the companys executive committee in the new role. News of the appointment comes after Saks Off 5ths parent, Hudsons Bay Co., joined Insight Partners last month to help split off the Saks Off 5th e-commerce business. As chief operating officer, Shankaran will oversee the companys e-commerce operations, as well as other areas including product management, digital experience, engineering and analytics, fulfillment and transportation, and enterprise systems, the company said Tuesday. As a stand-alone entity, we have a clear line of sight to supercharge the growth of saksoff5th.com, Paige Thomas, president and chief executive officer of the retailer, said in a statement. We are investing in key areas, such as customer experience, infrastructure and digital capabilities, as well as identifying top talent to join our team, Thomas added. Shivi has a proven track record of delivering a best-in-class experience through each step of the complete customer journey. Im confident he is the right leader to guide our digital product, technology and operations teams as we enhance our offerings and introduce new services. Shankarans tenure at Amazon for more than a decade included roles as director of global device, digital and Alexa Support, and as director of global reverse logistics, addressing the e-commerce retailers global operations, the company said. The move also marks Saks Off 5ths efforts to expand its digital product, technology and operations teams, bringing on several new senior leaders, according to the company. At Saks Off 5th we have the opportunity to think through the entirety of the customer journey and make strategic investments to enhance their experience, Shankaran said. I believe this brand has a tremendous value proposition, and Im excited to join the team as we work together to drive growth and unlock value. How much would you spend for a no-compromise mini-LED gaming monitor? Samsung thinks it has an answer. The company will start taking pre-orders for its long-teased Odyssey Neo G9 display on July 29th for $2,500. Yes, you could buy a nice PC for less than the cost of this curved, 49-inch beast although you might have good reasons to buy this over smaller, flatter Odyssey screens. As you might have guessed, the use of mini-LED delivers very high contrast ratios for an LCD monitor. Samsung claims a black level of just 0.0004. However, you're also getting extremely bright HDR thanks to a peak brightness of 2,000 nits that makes many TVs seem dim by comparison. Customizable lighting effects help add to the flash. You should also see the same 5,120 x 1,440 resolution, 240Hz refresh rate and 1ms pixel response time from last year's Odyssey G9, not to mention connectivity that includes two HDMI ports, DisplayPort and a pair of USB 3.0 connections. You're clearly getting features that are hard to match. However, it's also apparent that Samsung is targeting a fairly narrow audience The Neo G9 is meant for well-heeled gamers who want the most immersive non-VR experience possible. It could easily hit the sweet spot if you're in that demographic, but creative pros (and anyone on a budget) will probably want to look elsewhere. Snopes, one of the oldest fact-checking websites in the country, has raised over $1.7 million from over 44,400 supporters to help the company fight a series of lawsuits from a former tech vendor. Why it matters: It's a massive legal battle for a site that employs 20 people. Snopes founder and CEO David Mikkelson says the legal fees account for roughly 20-30% of Snopes' revenues each year. Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free "Its been a tremendous strain on everyone," Mikkelson says. "Encumbering a small organization to have to fork over $1 million a year for something that does not help us not at all it means we are continually short-staffed and short of resources." By the numbers: Mikkelson says that the site has been hit with over $4 million in lawsuits in four years, all from one former tech vendor. "Even though we've won virtually every major issue the court has ruled on in the last four years, they keep refiling the same claims, appealing every judgement against them," he notes. Details: Proper Media have been filing civil lawsuits against Snopes since 2017. The main lawsuit is being pursued in Superior Court of California. It is owned by Sovrn Holdings, Inc Sovrn sells publishing technology, including advertising, data and affiliate marketing services. It lists companies like ESPN, Bustle and Minneapolis Star Tribune on its website as clients. The legal fight a complex dispute over ownership of Snopes' parent company, rooted in a fight for control of shares formerly owned by Mikkelson's ex-wife came to a head in mid-2017, when Snopes says Proper Media blocked its access to its own website and email accounts. A court order gave Snopes access to its site and emails. Mikkelson says the lawsuit is a form of corporate bullying, and that no legal outcome will give Proper Media what they want. Sovrn Holdings, Inc did not provide comment. Driving the news: Snopes is now launching its latest fundraising campaign, Save Our Snopes, to raise funds for its next major trial that will begin later this year. Story continues In the first three days of the campaign, the company has raised over $250,000. Snopes has done most of its fundraising campaigns through the online platform GoFundMe. Mikkelson says most of the campaign is being run through Snopes owned and operated channels, urging people to donate when they sign up for memberships, visit the website, etc. Catch up quick: Snopes is an independent publication launched in 1994 to help fact-check claims made on the web, making money mostly from advertising and memberships. Like many news sites, Snopes saw massive traffic bumps during the election and COVID as users turned to fact-checking sites to debunk misinformation. What to watch: Mikkelson says that while Snopes is getting sympathetic support from its peers, it hasn't gotten much material support from industry. "I don't know if I've talked to anyone who's been through something similar," he says. "Usually news organizations are sued for defamation or something related to their function." Editor's note: This post has been updated to reflect that Proper Media filed these lawsuits, not its parent Sovrn. More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free House Select Committee Investigating January 6 Attack On US Capitol Holds First Hearing (L-R) U.S. Capitol Police officer Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, DC Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone, DC Metropolitan Police Department officer Daniel Hodges and U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn are sworn-in before testifying before the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on July 27, 2021. Credit - Chip SomodevillaGetty Images When police officers put their lives on the line to protect the U.S. Capitol from a violent mob on Jan. 6, most congressional Republicans scrambled to hide from the invaders. When some of those same officers testified Tuesday in front of a House select committee charged with investigating the Capitol attack, most of those Republicans spent the day attempting to downplay the incident, discredit the probe or spin false narratives that Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was somehow responsible for the insurrection. The committees first public hearing was a clear illustration of why the investigation is necessaryand why it may fail to achieve the unifying consensus it seeks. While Republicans deflected, four officers who defended the Capitol during the riot painted a gripping portrait of an all-out physical attack on the seat of American democracy, intended to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power that has defined the republic for more than two centuries. Metropolitan police officer Michael Fanone recounted pleading with a mob that threatened to kill him with his own weapon, yelling that I have kids. Metropolitan police officer Daniel Hodges said one of the terrorists had attempted to gouge out his eye. Capitol police officer Harry Dunn said the crowd had chanted the n-word at him, while his colleague Aquilino Gonell said the fighting was worse than anything hed seen in Iraq. U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn speaks during the Select Committee investigation of the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, in Washington, D.C. on July 27, 2021. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDSAFP/Getty Images Throughout the testimony, both the officers and the members of the committee sought to describe their response to the riot as a patriotic duty outside the realm of partisan politics. At no point that day did I ever think about the politics of that crowd, said Fanone. But what did resonate was the fact that thousands of Americans were attacking police officers who were simply there doing their job. Story continues But throughout the hearings, it was impossible to ignore that a number of Republicans were not in the hearing room doing theirs. After Pelosi nixed House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthys selection of two Trump loyalists to the committee, McCarthy pulled the rest and decided to boycott the panel, which the GOP has sought to undermine nearly from the start. Just two Republicans are sitting on the committee, Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger. Both were tapped by Pelosi. Both Cheney and Kinzinger gave strong opening statements about the importance of the committees work. Will we preserve the peaceful transition of power, or will be so blinded by partisanship that we throw away the miracle of America? asked Cheney, a Wyoming conservative who has emerged as one of the few Republicans willing to acknowledge Trumps lies about the electionand who lost her position in GOP House leadership as a result. Do we hate our political adversaries more than we love and our country and revere our Constitution? Kinzinger echoed those themes. Many in my party have treated this as just another partisan fight. Its toxic and its a disservice to the officers and their families, he said, growing emotional. Im here to investigate Jan. 6 not in spite of my membership in the Republican Party, but because of it. Not to win a political fight, but to learn the facts and defend our democracy. The insurrection was an act of political violence that grew from the conspiracy theories and lies promoted by the Trump campaign about the election outcome. Its not a secret that it was political. They literally were there to stop the steal, said Officer Dunn. When people say it shouldnt be political, it was, and it is. Theres no getting around that. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger are being lauded as courageous heroes, Dunn said. Why, because they told the truth? Why is telling the truth hard? I guess in this America it is. Outside the room, the GOP was proving Dunns point. In a press conference organized by GOP House leadership, Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, who replaced Cheney in that role thanks to her embrace of Trumps election fictions, promoted a bizarre claim that Nancy Pelosi bears responsibility, as Speaker of the House, for the tragedy that occurred on January 6. This is false: the Speaker does not control Capitol security, and it was Trump, not Pelosi, who exhorted the mob to march on the building. Other Republicans spun different delusions. As the officers testified in Congress, GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Louie Gohmert and Paul Gosar held a competing press conference outside the Justice Department, demanding updates on so-called political prisoners arrested in the aftermath of the Capitol siege. Its all part of a broader Republican lie that the attack was more like a peaceful protest. One House Republican attempted to whitewash the violent insurrection as a normal tourist visit, while Trump himself told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that the violent insurrectionists were zero threat, and were hugging and kissing the police and the guards, you know? Which was news to the officers who held the line to protect the lives of these members. If that was hugs and kisses, then we should all go to his house and do the same to him, said Gonell. Instead of sending the military, instead of sending the support or telling his supporters to stop this nonsense, he egged them on to continue fighting, he said. All of them were telling us, Trump sent us.' But Gonell was speaking to a committee with just two Republicans, both of whom have been ostracized by their peers for acknowledging these facts. And without bipartisan buy-in, its hard to image that the committees hearings, no matter how powerful, will result in a sense of shared accountability and national catharsis. Telling the truth shouldnt be hard, Officer Dunn said. Everything is different, but nothing has changed. Simone Biles walks alone after the women's team final at the Tokyo Olympics. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times) Simone Biles wrote Monday on Instagram, "I truly do feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times" and "the olympics is no joke!" The next day, the U.S. gymnastics superstar pulled herself out of the team competition at the Tokyo Olympics, citing her mental health and saying she did not want to hurt herself or put her teammates' medal dreams at risk by continuing to compete. Biles later told reporters she made the decision after a vault during which I had no idea where I was in the air. We want to walk out of here, not be dragged out of here on a stretcher or anything, she said. After that vault I was, Im not in the right headspace. Im not going to lose a medal for this country and these girls because they worked way too hard for me to go out there and have them lose a medal." Teammates Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles and Grace McCallum finished the competition and helped the U.S. claim the silver medal. The Russian Olympic Committee took the gold, and Britain earned bronze. Biles returned to Instagram to post a photo of herself and her teammates posing with their silver medals. "Im SO proud of these girls right here," Biles wrote. "You girls are incredibly brave & talented! Ill forever be inspired by your determination to not give up and to fight through adversity! They stepped up when I couldnt. thanks for being there for me and having my back! forever love yall." Many others from the gymnastics world and beyond took to social media to express their support for Biles and the U.S. team. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. 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This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Los Angeles Times staff writers Helene Elliott, Thuc Nhi Nguyen and Chuck Schilken contributed to this report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Officials have identified the final missing victim from last month's Miami condo collapse in Florida. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said officials identified 54-year-old Estelle Hedaya, the final missing victim of the 98 killed in the June 24 building collapse in Surfside. "Nothing we can say or do will bring back these 98 angels who left behind grieving families, beloved friends, loved ones across this community and across the world," Levine Cava said at a news conference on Monday. "But we have done everything possible to bring closure to the families." JUDGE AWARDS INITIAL $150 MILLION FOR VICTIMS OF FLORIDA CONDO COLLAPSE Her announcement comes days after authorities ended the search for bodies at the site, which concluded on Friday. Crews have spent weeks excavating the disaster site for missing victims and have cleared millions of pounds of debris from the location where the large building section once stood before the June 24 collapse. The search for survivors shifted to a recovery mission on July 7, and 242 people have been accounted for. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Levine Cava said teams are now searching through victims' personal items. "They are doing this with tremendous care and real hope that they can bring things to the family members," the mayor added. Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Miami, Miami Condo Collapse, Florida Original Author: Kaelan Deese Original Location: Surfside condo collapse death toll reaches 98 after final victim identified HELSINKI (AP) Swedish public prosecutors said Tuesday they have charged an Iranian citizen with committing grave war crimes during the final phase of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. The Swedish Prosecution Authority said the suspect worked in July-August 1988 as an assistant to the deputy prosecutor in the Gohardasht prison outside the Iranian city of Karaj and allegedly took part in severe atrocities there. During the eight-year Iran-Iraq conflict, Iran was subjected to attacks by the Peoples Mujahedin of Iran, a political-militant organization, which advocated overthrowing the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran and installing its own government. The Swedish prosecutors said Irans then supreme leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, issued an order for the execution of all prisoners in Iranian prisons who sympathized and remained loyal with the Mujahedin organization. Due to that order, a large number of prisoners were executed in the Gohardasht prison between July 30 and August 16, 1988, the prosecutors said. According to a Swedish indictment, the suspect along with other perpetrators in the prison, participated in mass executions and is suspected of having intentionally deprived the lives of a very large number of prisoners who sympathized with the Mujahedin. Swedish prosecutors didnt name the suspect but he has widely been identified as Hamid Nouri, a 60-year-old former Iranian prosecutor. Swedish public broadcaster SVT said the man was arrested in November 2019 when he arrived to the Swedish capital, Stockholm, and has been held in custody since. Prosecutors accuse the suspect of subjecting prisoners to severe suffering that amounts to torture and inhumane treatment, the indictment said. War crimes are one of the most serious crimes both internationally and under Swedish law. Because Sweden has universal jurisdiction for violations of international law, we have both an opportunity but also a certain obligation to prosecute these crimes, prosecutor Kristina Lindhoff Carleson said in a statement. Story continues Trial is set to start Aug. 10 and is expected to last for several months. Amnesty International has noted previously that no Iranian official has faced charges over the mass 1988 executions. This is such an incredibly important event for us: all the mothers, fathers, families and other relatives of people who have fallen victim to the Iranian regime, Iraj Mesdaghi, a key witness in the trial, told the Swedish news agency TT. These crimes have never been tried before, I'm very grateful that it is finally happening. Mesdaghi, one of the plaintiffs in the court case, was a political prisoner in Iran in 1988, TT said. Iranian state and semiofficial media didn't acknowledge the charges on Tuesday. ___ Jon Gambrell contributed to this report from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Tencents WeChat said on Tuesday it is temporarily suspending registration of new users in China as it works to comply with "relevant laws and regulations," the latest Chinese firm to face regulatory scrutiny in the worlds largest internet market. In a social media post, Tencent said it is "upgrading" its security technology to align with all relevant laws and regulations and while this process in underway "registration of new Weixin (WeChat's Chinese app) personal and official accounts has been temporarily suspended." "Registration services will be restored after the upgrade is complete, which is expected in early August," said WeChat, which has amassed over 1.2 billion monthly active users in China as of earlier this year. It's not immediately clear which law WeChat is citing in its announcement but the move comes amid a broad crackdown on tech firms by Chinese regulators. The crackdown has wiped billions of dollars in market cap for Chinese firms in recent weeks and many high-profile global investors including SoftBank are impacted by it. This is the first time WeChat, which operates as a super app in China, has had to take a step of this kind in more than a decade. In addition to offering a messaging service, Weixin also allows users to make online payments and access a range of financial services. (In other markets, it's a different story. Donald Trump had signed an order to ban transactions with TikTok and WeChat in the U.S. last year. President Joe Biden revoked and replaced those actions last month.) Some analysts believe that the Chinese government is concerned about the growing influence of tech firms in the country and also the privacy of its citizens' data. Earlier this month, China's cybersecurity regulator ordered ride-hailing giant app Didi to stop signing up new users. That move had come days after Didi's $4.4 billion initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange. Didi's app, which has been pulled from the app stores in China, illegally collected personal data of its customers, the regulator accused. An admitted murderer from Texas has pleaded guilty to the cold case murder of a mother in California who was attacked while she was jogging on a trail 26 years ago, authorities said Monday. James Earl Watkins pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and admitted to 3 special allegations for kidnapping, robbery and lying in wait in connection to the killing of 37-year-old Christine Munro, the Shasta County District Attorneys Office said in a statement. GEORGIA MAN CHARGED IN 33-YEAR-OLD COLD CASE MURDER OF YOUNG BOY AFTER HIS UBER DRIVER GETS PULLED OVER Munro, a nurse and mother of four children, was jogging along the south side of the Sacramento River Trail on June 24, 1995, when she was killed in an attack that shocked the community, police have said. Despite working hundreds of hours collecting evidence and interviewing dozens of witnesses and suspects, police said that investigators could not find any solid leads. A convicted rapist falsely confessed to the killing in 1997, and over the subsequent years, the case went cold. Detectives began reviewing the case in 2019 with the help of modern DNA technology. They submitted fingernail scrapings from Munro for DNA analysis and came up with a match. The match belonged to Watkins, then 42-years-old, who was serving a 14-year sentence in a Texas state prison for robbery, police said. Over the course of the investigation, detectives learned of Watkins extensive criminal history and got a search warrant for his DNA. Watkins DNA matched the DNA found under Munros fingernails and officials issued a warrant for his arrest. Watkins will receive three life sentences without the possibility of parole, the district attorneys office said. Munros three surviving children were notified and were pleased with the cases resolution. Watkins was scheduled to be sentenced on August 25. The largest migrant assistance organization in south Texas is shutting its doors to newcomers, unable to take in more migrants because of the record-high number of people coming over the border and being subsequently released into the United States. This past week, Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley encountered more than 20,000 noncitizens illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Unable to deal with the influx of people being released into downtown McAllen, Texas, Catholic Charities closed its humanitarian respite center. Migrants released from federal custody are normally allowed to wait in the respite center as they make travel plans to their final destinations across the country. "The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many challenges across the country. The border communities face particular challenges because of the influx of migrants arriving every single day," Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat, announced in a statement late Monday. Rather than testing migrants after they are released from Border Patrol facilities, the Border Patrol is now taking people directly from the border to a testing site in McAllen. Agents are finding high positive rates among some demographics, including children who arrive without a parent or guardian. BORDER AUTHORITIES ENCOUNTERED 190,000 PEOPLE ILLEGALLY CROSSING BORDER IN JUNE, HIGHEST IN 21 YEARS "[Twenty-seven percent] of the unaccompanied children deported this week tested positive for COVID-19 with Brownsville experiencing a 15% positivity rate," Cuellar said. The top Border Patrol agent in south Texas, Brian Hastings, said more people are arriving at the border in mid-July than since the government's fiscal year began in October 2020, as temperatures peak in the triple digits. A total of 330,000 migrants have been encountered in the Rio Grande Valley alone over the past 10 months, up 478% from the same time last year. As a result of the influx of migrants coming over the border, Border Patrol agents are getting sick. Eighty-seven Border Patrol agents who work in the Rio Grande Valley and neighboring Laredo region have tested positive for the coronavirus as the U.S. faces a new wave of the virus following the introduction of the delta variant from India. Story continues CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER "The DHS Secretary must prioritize the health and safety of border agents and border communities to help them through this public health emergency," Cuellar said. "Our border patrol agents have been thanklessly serving our southern border and processing immigrants, despite the dangers from the virus." Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Border Crisis, Mexico, Immigration, Texas, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Coronavirus Original Author: Anna Giaritelli Original Location: Texas migrant shelter shuts its doors, unable to keep up with influx of migrants and rising COVID-19 cases Ukraine's Russia-backed Orthodox Church gathered thousands of its followers on Tuesday in a show of force ahead of a historic visit by its rival and leader of the Orthodox world, Patriarch Bartholomew I. More than 55,000 believers marched through Kiev despite coronavirus restrictions to mark the 1033th anniversary of the Christianisation of Rus, a term referring to eastern Slavic lands in the Middle Ages. The march -- held amid tight security -- ended peacefully with no violations, the police said in a statement. Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I recognised an independent Ukrainian Orthodox church in 2018, after Kiev sought to break religious ties with Russia following a conflict in the country's east. The move was condemned by Moscow. The leading authority in Orthodox Christianity is due in Ukraine next month to mark the country's 30th anniversary of independence. Analysts said the mass gathering was meant to be a demonstration of force by the Moscow-loyal branch of the church, which was severely weakened by the creation of the new church. Kiev-based analyst Volodymyr Fesenko told AFP that the Moscow-backed church wanted to show "that they are the most powerful church in Ukraine". He said the church is "struggling for survival" and wanted to send "a signal to Moscow: don't forget us." Moscow controlled part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church for more than 300 years, but Bartholomew I's decision created an independent unified Ukrainian church. Ukraine's Russia-aligned church -- which still has a large number of parishes in the country -- severed its ties with Constantinople, saying it would not take part in establishing a new church. This move marked a new episode in the political, cultural and social divorce between Kiev and Moscow since Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in 2014. bur-osh/acl/ach A top Wisconsin Republican pushed back on a colleagues promise for a cyberforensic examination of voting equipment used during the 2020 election, setting the stage for another rift between the GOP official and former President Donald Trump. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos cast doubt on whether an inquiry pledged on Monday by state Rep. Janel Brandtjen, who chairs the chambers elections committee, would yield anything of value beyond the two separate investigations already looking into the 2020 election in Wisconsin. Certainly, if she wants to add extra resources from her two staff people in the office to be able to assist the investigators that we have ... we welcome everybody to offer whatever evidence that they have, Vos said Tuesday. But as far as her launching her own investigation, I dont know what that would prove. LAWSUIT CHALLENGES WISCONSIN'S USE OF BALLOT DROP BOXES Brandtjen asserted on Monday that voters want a closer look at the 2020 election, similar to the controversial forensic audit underway in Arizona and the one being sought by a Pennsylvania state lawmaker. Voters have made it clear that they want a thorough, cyberforensic examination of tabulators, ballot marking devices, and other election equipment, which I will be helping facilitate, Brandtjen said. IP addresses, chain of custody on ballots, and audit trail logs must be thoroughly inspected by cyber audit technicians in order to provide confidence for voters in our elections, both completed and upcoming. The investigators Vos referred to are part of two teams already looking into the 2020 election in Wisconsin. Republicans in February ordered the states nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau to review whether the states elections commission and municipal clerks followed Wisconsin election laws in 2020 and to examine whether electronic voting machines were used properly. Vos also hired a group of three retired police officers, along with a former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, to conduct a separate investigation into the election. Story continues Vos's role in those inquiries has not satisfied Trump, who strongly supports the Arizona audit and has advocated the initiation of others. Trump lashed out at Vos and other Republican leaders in June, accusing them of standing in the way of an in-depth look at the election in Wisconsin, which Trump lost to President Joe Biden by more than 20,000 votes after having won the state in 2016. They are actively trying to prevent a Forensic Audit of the election results, especially those which took place in Milwaukee, one of the most corrupt election locales in the country, Trump said in a June 25 statement. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Vos's comments Tuesday addressed Brandtjen's pledge for a new forensic audit and took on Trump's criticism. Were already doing the forensic audit, Vos said. So just like, perhaps, President Trump was misinformed about what were actually doing in Wisconsin, I feel like my colleague Rep. Brandtjen is misinformed about what were doing in Wisconsin because were already doing a forensic audit." Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Wisconsin, 2020 Elections, State Legislatures, Republicans, Donald Trump, Election Fraud Original Author: Jeremy Beaman Original Location: Top Wisconsin Republican doubts value of another election audit By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) -Tunisia's leading Islamist party moved on Tuesday to ease the country's political crisis, calling for dialogue and urging supporters not to protest after accusing President Kais Saied of launching a coup. Tunisia faced its worst political crisis in a decade of democracy after Saied, backed by the army, sacked the prime minister and froze parliament on Sunday, sparking concern in Western capitals that have praised its transition from autocracy since the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011. Influential civil society groups, including the powerful labour union, warned Saied not to extend extraordinary measures he announced on Sunday beyond a month and called on him to lay out "a participatory roadmap" out of the crisis. There was no sign of tension in the capital where supporters and opponents of Saied's moves had scuffled on Monday. The streets were calm, with no significant protests or heightened security presence. Saied's actions followed months of deadlock and disputes pitting him against Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi - also a political independent - and a fragmented parliament as Tunisia suffered an economic crisis exacerbated by one of Africa's worst COVID-19 outbreaks. Many Tunisians, tired of political paralysis and a moribund economy, took to the streets in a show of support for Saied on Sunday. But the moderately Islamist Ennahda movement, the biggest party in parliament, and the next three largest parties have all denounced the moves as a coup. Reversing a call on its supporters on Monday to take to the streets against Saied, Ennahda urged dialogue and efforts to avoid civil strife. "The movement ... calls on all Tunisians to increase solidarity, synergy and unity and to confront all calls for sedition and civil strife," it said in a statement. PROTECTING THE REVOLUTION'S GAINS Ennhahda had already told supporters through party branches not to resume a sit-in outside parliament and to avoid protests. Story continues Though some senior party members wanted to retain a street presence, its leaders decided to avoid any further escalation and allow a period of calm, two Ennahda officials said. The area outside the parliament building, the site on Monday of confrontations between hundreds of supporters of Ennahda and Saied, was empty on Tuesday morning. Ennahda's supporters left on Monday evening and have not returned. Saied said his move was in line with a constitutional clause allowing extraordinary measures during an emergency. He said his move aimed to save Tunisia, saying public institutions were falling apart and warning of plans to ignite civil strife. He did not say who was behind the plans. The White House said on Monday it had not yet determined whether Saied's actions constituted a coup. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Saied late on Monday and said he had urged him "to adhere to the principles of democracy and human rights". The Tunisian civil society groups declared "the necessity of protecting all the gains of the Tunisian revolution, which were expressed as a revolution of freedom and dignity". The signatories included the labour union which, with one million members, is one of Tunisia's most powerful forces. A Tunisian political source said neighbouring Algeria had pushed both Saied and his opponents to step back from any confrontation to avoid further destabilisation or the intervention of any external forces. Though it has failed to deliver prosperity or good governance, Tunisia's democratic experiment since 2011 has stood in stark contrast to the fate of other countries where Arab Spring revolts ended in bloody crackdowns and civil war. Saied has yet to announce an interim prime minister and has said he will replace the defence and justice ministers. He has not said whether the other cabinet ministers will remain in place. He has not spelt out how he will handle the 30-day period during which he said parliament will be frozen. The assembly remains legally in session but not able to meet according to Saied's decree, with soldiers surrounding the building, government office and the television station. (Reporting by Tarek Amara, writing by Angus McDowall/Tom Perry; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise) Twitter has permanently suspended eight accounts that spread former president Donald Trumps lies about the 2020 election and pushed for partisan audits to find evidence to support those falsehoods, the platform's latest suspensions directed at the audits. Among those suspended was the official Twitter account for the ongoing, Republican-led audit in Arizona, which is being overseen by a contractor who has spread false conspiracy theories, including in a recent pro-Trump movie. The Arizona audit has been a popular tourist destination for conservative lawmakers from across the country hoping to emulate it in their home states, including several who were in Washington, DC, on Jan. 6. The official audit account had spread misinformation about the 2020 election. Additionally, a trolly account known as @AuditWarRoom, which had also spread misinformation and attacked officials who were critical of the Arizona audit and reporters covering it, was suspended. The owner of that account, who is unknown, had recently set up five other War Room accounts pushing for audits in Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, Georgia, and Pennsylvania as well as a separate Arizona-specific account, all of which were also suspended by the social media platform. In a statement to BuzzFeed News, Twitter said the accounts were permanently suspended for violating the Twitter rules on platform manipulation and spam. The company did not say when the suspensions took effect, but it appears that it happened on Tuesday afternoon. The Audit War Rooms Instagram account, which was still live at the time of publication, posted about the suspension at 1:30 p.m. and then directed followers to its accounts on Telegram and Gettr, two social media sites favored by the far right. Instagram did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the Audit War Room account, which screenshots its own tweets, violates its rules. Twitter had previously suspended the account of Voices and Votes, a dark-money organization founded by OAN reporters Christina Bobb and Chanel Rion to raise money for the Arizona audit, even as Bobb reported on the audit for the network. Twitter confirmed Tuesday that the account's suspension is also permanent and resulted from violating its rules on platform manipulation and spam. Story continues Voices and Votes website says it is continuing to raise money to support the Arizona audit as well as efforts to start similar audits in other Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, Georgia, and Pennsylvania. Bobb did not respond to a request for comment on when the Voices and Votes account was suspended. Voices and Votes Instagram account and Bobbs personal Twitter account, where she has also spread false information about the election, are still live. Instagram did not immediately respond to a request about the Voices and Votes account either. The audit accounts are just one way that pro-Trump figures have continued to push the lie that the election was stolen from him. The audit in Arizona and efforts to recreate it in other states are central storylines on OAN and in other far-right media, including Gateway Pundit and former Trump strategist Steve Bannons podcast. The former president frequently praises the audit efforts in statements emailed to the media, and it was a central focus of his rally in Arizona last weekend. Meanwhile, elections officials across the country are forced to combat a deluge of misinformation and blame social media, including Twitter, for its spread and making their jobs harder, according to a Brennan Center survey of elections officials published last month. Arizonas Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, whose office was targeted by the audits official account, faced death threats to the extent that Republican Gov. Doug Ducey ordered protective services for her in May and, according to the Brennan Center survey, she is hardly the only election official being threatened. UPDATE Jul. 27, 2021, at 22:16 PM More on this (State Department corrects Eritrean forces to refugees in paragraph 5 quote) By Doyinsola Oladipo (Reuters) -The United States is deeply concerned about reported attacks against Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia's Tigray region, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman said on Tuesday, calling for the intimidation and attacks to stop. "We are deeply concerned about credible reports of attacks by military forces affiliated with the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Tigrayan militias against Eritrean refugees in the Tigray region," State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter told reporters. In a fresh sign of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ethiopia as violence spirals, the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said on Tuesday it was concerned about 24,000 Eritrean refugees in two camps in the Tigray region, saying they were cut off from aid and could run out of food and drinking water. Fighting between armed groups has escalated in and around the Mai Aini and Adi Harush camps, and two refugees have been killed this month, UNHCR said. "We call on all armed actors in Tigray to stop attacks and intimidation against Eritrean refugees and all refugees, asylum seekers and people displaced by the ongoing violence, as well as against the aid workers attempting to respond to the humanitarian disaster," Porter said. Fighting first broke out in Tigray in November when the government accused the TPLF of attacking military bases across the region - an accusation the group denied. The government declared victory three weeks later when it took the regional capital Mekelle, but the TPLF kept fighting and has since retaken most of Tigray. Ethiopian troops withdrew from most of Tigray in late June when the TPLF retook Mekelle. The central government declared a unilateral ceasefire on what it said were humanitarian grounds. Thousands of people have died in the fighting, around 2 million have been displaced and more than 5 million rely on emergency food aid. (Reporting by Doyinsola Oladipo, Daphne Psaledakis, and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Dan Grebler) MILAN Now we are a family, said Remo Ruffini. The chairman and chief executive officer of Moncler SpA on Tuesday expressed his excitement at introducing a conference call with analysts as the first time we include Stone Island. The Italian brand, which Moncler took over in December, was consolidated in April, and Ruffini said he was happy with the things done to set the pillars to grow Stone Island, commenting on the groups performance in the first six months of the year. More from WWD In the period ended June 30, net profit amounted to 58.7 million euros, which compares with a net loss of 31.6 million euros in the first half of 2020. In the first half of 2019, the company reported a net profit of 70 million euros. In the first half of 2021, revenues rose 54 percent to 621.8 million euros, compared with 403.3 million euros in the first half of 2020, and the figure was a 9 percent gain on the first half of 2019. Ruffini acknowledged a still very challenging environment but noted that July started very well, after a further acceleration in the second quarter of the year. The entrepreneur touted a solid cash position, and we look into the future and the uncertain sanitary reality we have to coexist with, but we are ready, relying on two brands, product, ideas, flexibility and people to make it happen. He admitted building a strong brand has always been my obsession and trumpeted his belief in a stronger, even deeper consumer-centric organization, set and ready for the future, redefining luxury. The call was also the first to include Gino Fisanotti, who joined the group in June in the newly created role of chief brand officer and touted its incredible potential. As a Nike veteran, he was asked about the footwear category for both Moncler and Stone Island, which has worked with Nike in the past. Both have a healthy sneaker business, but we will unleash opportunities engaging with consumers to unlock a critical market, Fisanotti said. Story continues In the first half, sales of the Moncler brand rose 40 percent to 565.5 million euros compared with the first half of 2020. They were up 1 percent compared to the same period in 2019 at constant exchange rates. The brand reported an acceleration in the second quarter, increasing 118 percent to 200.1 million euros, compared with the second quarter last year and up 5 percent at constant exchange rates compared with the second quarter of 2019, despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the second quarter, especially in Japan and the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. Local shopping helped the performance, as did strong double-digit growth in the U.S., China, South Korea and online. Ruffini and Roberto Eggs, chief business strategy and global market officer, emphasized the success of internalizing Monclers e-commerce, which was previously managed by the Yoox Net-a-porter Group. After taking the U.S. site in-house last September, Eggs admitted the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, internalized in May, was more complex comprising 33 countries and 22 different payment methods, but he touted the double-digit growth of the channel. Fisanotti also underscored the investments that will be made to leverage a bigger, more effective and more efficient digital platform. The Stone Island brand posted sales of 56.2 million euros in the second quarter of 2021, showing a solid performance in all markets and channels. The company said that, if Stone Island had been consolidated since Jan. 1 this year, revenues in the first half would have been 709.9 million euros. In the second quarter of 2021, Stone Island showed growth in Italy, which accounted for about 20 percent of total revenues, and in other European countries. Growth was very strong in the wholesale channel, which made up 72 percent of the brands total revenues for the period. The increase of online revenues as well as new store openings in China and the U.S. lifted direct-to-consumer sales. Chief corporate and supply officer Luciano Santel said based on its performance, it was fair to believe the brand would grow by 30 percent by the end of the year. As of June 30, the network of monobrand Stone Island stores comprised 30 retail and 56 monobrand wholesale stores. A retail roll out for the brand is planned for 2022, with five to 10 openings year-on-year, Eggs said. In the first half, the groups operating profit amounted to 92.8 million euros, or 15 percent of revenues, compared with an operating loss of 35.5 million euros in the first half of 2020. In the Asia region, which includes the Asia Pacific, Japan and South Korea, revenues climbed 56 percent to 282.5 million euros, accounting for half of the companys revenues. Compared to the same period of 2019, sales in that area were up 15 percent. In the second quarter, revenues in the APAC region recorded double-digit growth compared with the same period in 2019, mainly driven by mainland Chinese, where revenue almost doubled compared with the second quarter of 2019. Eggs also touted the performance of South Korea, with strong double-digit growth compared to the same period in 2019. Conversely, due to the tightening of pandemic-related restrictions, revenue in Japan slowed in the second quarter and was negative with respect to the second quarter of 2019. In the EMEA area, sales in the first half grew 9 percent to 187.7 million euros, representing 33.2 percent of the total, while they were down 20 percent at constant exchange rates compared with the first half of 2019, with an improvement in the second quarter also thanks to the loosening of restrictions put in place to contain the pandemic. Specifically, in the second quarter, the U.K. and Germany significantly outperformed the regional average. Revenues in the Americas climbed 91 percent to 95.2 million euros, representing 16.8 percent of the total. They increased 17 percent compared with the first half of 2019, accelerating in the second quarter (up 40 percent compared with the second quarter of 2019). In the first half, the directly operated distribution channel produced revenues of 418.4 million euros, up 39 percent and representing 74 percent of the total. The e-commerce channel continued to grow strongly, showing triple-digit growth on 2019. Like-for-like sales were up 41 percent compared with the first half of 2020. The wholesale channel grew 43 percent to 147.1 million euros, driven by strong reorders, especially in the American market, and by e-tailers. As of June 30, there were 224 directly operated Moncler stores, and 63 wholesale shops-in-shop. Eggs said price adjustments could be made next year, without providing details. Brands are facing increasing costs across the supply chain, from raw materials to shipping costs. In the first half, capital expenditure totaled 49.8 million euros, compared with 36.7 million euros in the same period last year, and mainly channeled into the development of the distribution and IT, as well as the expansion of the production sites. Santel said he expected capex to amount to around 130 million euros in 2021. Free cash flow in the first half of 2021 was positive and equal to 51.0 million euros, compared to the negative cash generation of 74.2 million euros in the same period of 2020. The net financial position stood at 233.9 million euros in cash, compared with 855.3 million euros at the end of December last year and 595.1 million euros at the end of June last year, including 551.2 million euros cash out for the acquisition of Stone Island and 118.3 million euros for dividend payments. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. consumer confidence hovered at a 17-month high in July, suggesting the economy maintained its strong growth clip at the start of the third quarter. The Conference Board said on Tuesday its consumer confidence index was little changed at a reading of 129.1 this month, the highest level since February 2020. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the index falling to 123.9. The survey places more emphasis on the labor market. "Consumers' appraisal of present-day conditions held steady, suggesting economic growth in third quarter is off to a strong start," said Lynn Franco, senior director of economic indicators at The Conference Board. "Consumers' optimism about the short-term outlook didnt waver, and they continued to expect that business conditions, jobs, and personal financial prospects will improve." (Reporting by Lucia Mutikani, Editing by William Maclean) By Idrees Ali SINGAPORE (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday he was committed to having a constructive relationship with China and working on common challenges as he laid out his vision for ties with Beijing, which have sunk to their lowest point in decades. The United States has put countering China at the heart of its national security policy for years and President Joe Biden's administration has called rivalry with Beijing "the biggest geopolitical test" of this century. While Austin's speech in Singapore will touch on the usual list of behavior Washington describes as destabilizing, from Taiwan to the South China Sea, his comments about seeking a stable relationship could provide an opening for the two countries to start to reduce tension. "We will not flinch when our interests are threatened. Yet we do not seek confrontation," Austin said, according to excerpts of his speech. "I am committed to pursuing a constructive, stable relationship with China, including stronger crisis communications with the People's Liberation Army." Austin has been unable to speak with any senior Chinese official despite repeated attempts since starting as defense secretary in January. Even with the tension and heated rhetoric, U.S. military officials have long sought to keep open lines of communication with their Chinese counterparts, to be able to mitigate potential flare-ups or tackle any accidents. A top Chinese diplomat took a confrontational tone on Monday in rare high-level talks with the United States, accusing it of creating an "imaginary enemy" to divert attention from domestic problems and suppress China. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, the second-ranked U.S. diplomat, had arrived on Sunday for the face-to-face meetings in China's northern city of Tianjin. "Big powers need to model transparency and communication," Austin said. Austin's speech, which was postponed by a month because of Singapore's COVID-19 outbreak, is being closely watched by regional nations concerned about China's increasingly assertive behavior but heavily reliant on access to its large markets. He is set to visit Vietnam and the Philippines later this week to emphasize the importance of alliances. (Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said Tuesday that Beijing's expansive claims in the South China Sea have "no basis in international law", taking aim at China's growing assertiveness in the hotly contested waters. Austin's broadside came at the start of his first trip to Southeast Asia as US defence secretary, as he seeks to rally allies in the region as a bulwark to China. President Joe Biden's administration wants to reset relations with Asian countries and build alliances to face Beijing, after the turbulence and unpredictability of the Donald Trump era. Speaking in Singapore, Austin criticised China's actions in the disputed sea, where Beijing has overlapping territorial claims with several Southeast Asian states. "Beijing's claim to the vast majority of the South China Sea has no basis in international law," he said in a speech hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank. "That assertion treads on the sovereignty of the states in the region," he said, adding that the US would support countries in defending their rights. China claims almost all of the resource-rich sea, through which trillions of dollars in shipping trade passes annually, with competing claims from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Beijing has been accused of deploying a range of military hardware including anti-ship missiles and surface-to-air missiles there, and ignored a 2016 international tribunal decision that declared its historical claim over most of the waters to be without basis. Tensions have escalated in recent months between Beijing and rival claimants. Manila was angered after hundreds of Chinese boats were spotted inside the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone, while Malaysia scrambled fighter jets to intercept Chinese military aircraft that appeared off its coast. - 'Will not flinch' - Austin said Tuesday that the US "will not flinch when our interests are threatened" -- but he insisted Washington does "not seek confrontation" with China. Story continues "I am committed to pursuing a constructive, stable relationship with China, including stronger crisis communications with the People's Liberation Army." The US-China relationship has deteriorated over a range of issues from cybersecurity and tech supremacy to human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. Biden has largely kept the hawkish stance on China of Donald Trump, describing the Asian power as the pre-eminent challenge to the United States, but has lowered the temperature and instead emphasised working with allies and working at home to compete better. After Singapore, Austin will visit Vietnam and the Philippines, and will seek to underline that the US is a "stabilising force" in Southeast Asia, said a senior defence official. A booming region home to more than 650 million people, Southeast Asia has become a key battleground for influence between the US and China. And as the region faces its most serious coronavirus outbreak yet, Washington and Beijing have been competing to donate vaccines. Austin played up the US contribution, saying Washington was "rushing life-saving vaccine doses to the region", and listed several Southeast Asian countries that had received jabs. "They are free. No conditions, no small print -- and no strings attached." China has also been donating its homegrown jabs to hard-hit Southeast Asian countries -- although analysts have suggested Beijing is hoping to use its "vaccine diplomacy" to extend its clout. Austin's visit is the latest by a senior US official to Asia. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is arriving in India Tuesday, where he will speak about supporting Afghanistan as worries grow in New Delhi about Taliban gains as US-led foreign forces withdraw. And Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman visited China this week, holding talks with top officials as Washington seeks to find some common ground with the Asian giant. mba-sr/leg GUATEMALA CITY (AP) The U.S. government has suspended cooperation with Guatemalas Attorney Generals Office in response to the firing of its top anti-corruption prosecutor, saying Tuesday that it has lost confidence in the Central American countrys willingness to fight corruption. U.S. State Department deputy spokeswoman Jalina Porter told reporters in Washington that the decision by Guatemala Attorney General Consuelo Porras to fire Juan Francisco Sandoval, the special prosecutor against impunity, fits a pattern of behavior that indicates a lack of commitment to the rule of law and independent, judicial, and prosecutorial processes. As a result, we have lost confidence in the attorney general and the intention to cooperate with the U.S. government and fight corruption in good faith, Porter said. She said the suspension would remain in effect while the U.S. reviews its assistance to the Attorney Generals Office. A strong U.S. response was expected after Sandovals dismissal Friday. He fled the country the same day. Protests in Guatemala have called for Porras' resignation. The firing came less than two months after Vice President Kamala Harris visited Guatemala and spoke with President Alejandro Giammattei about the importance of the countrys anti-corruption efforts. Harris has targeted corruption in the region as one of the key factors in pushing outward migration. Porter noted that U.S. officials had repeatedly made it clear to the highest levels of government of Guatemala our view that the fight against corruption is essential to our shared goals of strengthening the rule of law, increasing economic opportunity, and addressing the root causes of irregular migration. She said the U.S. government recognized that Porras had the authority to dismiss Sandoval, but our concern is what the implications with this decision for the rule of law and regional stability. A day before Sandovals firing, Porras had reassigned another prosecutor from Sandovals office. Story continues Porras has defended Sandovals firing, accusing him of ideological bias in his prosecutions. Porras was appointed by the previous president, Jimmy Morales, but Giammattei has spoken of his friendship with her as well. Sandoval said Porras had repeatedly worked to block his investigations, especially those with proximity to Giammattei. Sandoval applauded the U.S. move. He told The Associated Press that the U.S. governments decision was consistent with the United States policy of respecting the culture of law. The Attorney General's Office said in a statement that it had not been officially notified of the suspension in cooperation. We have always worked in a coordinated manner in the interests of both countries, it said. In this case we respect the decisions of the U.S.; the Attorney General's Office is an independent and autonomous institution so we will continue working like normal to the benefit of the Guatemalan people. La oficina de prensa de la fiscalia dijo que no habian sido notificados oficialmente. Siempre se ha trabajado de manera coordinada en favor de los intereses de ambos paises. En este caso respetamos las decisiones de EE.UU; el Ministerio Publico es una institucion independiente y autonoma por lo que seguiremos trabajando con normalidad en beneficio de la poblacion guatemalteca. On Sunday, lawyer Marco Aurelio Alveno Hernandez said he had told Sandovals office that one of his clients, a former Guatemalan central banker, had paid a bribe through Alveno to an adviser of Porras so his corruption case was moved from Sandovals office to another prosecutor. Alveno fled the country Sunday with his family fearing potential retribution for his cooperation with Sandovals office. Guatemalas government has been criticized over the past year for driving out judges known for taking a hard line on corruption. The moves are a continuation of the effort that ended the 12-year run of the United Nations anti-corruption mission in Guatemala in 2019 during Morales' presidency. ___ Associated Press writer Sonia Perez D. reported this story in Guatemala City and AP writer Matthew Lee reported from Washington. The Biden administration has asked lawmakers for $1 billion in emergency funding to help cover the costs associated with evacuating Afghan translators and other personnel who have worked with the United States. That money would be divided between the Defense Department and the State Department, with $25 million going to the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement, according to Bloomberg. The White House made the request for funding last Friday, though it did not provide a detailed plan with it. A senior administration official told CNN that the White House is "working closely with both sides of the aisle on how we can further support those brave Afghans who have supported our work in Afghanistan," though the official did not weigh in on specifics. BIDEN AND IRAQ PM ANNOUNCE END TO US'S COMBAT MISSION The request comes as the U.S. is nearing its final withdrawal of all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan. The anticipated end date for troops in Afghanistan is Aug. 31, which was moved up from the originally scheduled Sept. 11 end date. With the U.S. largely out of the country, there are fears that locals who worked with the U.S. could be targeted. The State Department said about 20,000 Afghans have applied for special visas to come with their families to the U.S., though only about half have gotten past the initial application process as of last week. Tracey Jacobson, the director of the Afghanistan task force, said about 4,000 applicants have received chief of mission approval but have not been fully vetted. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Approximately 750 Afghan applicants and their immediate families have completed a majority of the visa process, including a thorough security background check, and they will begin arriving at the Fort Lee Army base this week. Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Biden Administration, Afghanistan, War in Afghanistan Original Author: Mike Brest Original Location: White House officials seek $1 billion in emergency funding for Afghan visa efforts There is an immense need in Central Virginia for residential housing, Cyrus said, and Cottontown Manor seeks to meet that need. The development proposal was met with opposition from some nearby residents in the initial Bedford County Planning Commission public hearing for the application June 15. Residents primary concerns were for increased traffic congestion, noise, growing lack of privacy, and problems with stormwater runoff and sediment control from the construction site. Nancy Kartowski, a resident of Hunters Creek Road adjoining the construction site, shared photographs of brown sediment water flooding her drainage ditch caused by heavy rains and runoff from the construction area. This overflowed water, she said, stands for days and soaked the roots of her mature trees. The softening of roots resulted in one tree falling into her neighbors yard, narrowly missing the neighbors house. In the interest of safety, Kartowski had her remaining three trees cut down. We have lived here since 1997 and have experienced numerous historical rainstorms without any overflow of my drainage easement until Cottontown Manor was built. The water was always clear, and now it consistently overflows with brown sediment water, Kartowski said. A former Richmond lawyer pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to obstructing an official proceeding in connection to his wrongfully obtaining $4 million, primarily from the bankruptcy of the LandAmerica Financial Group. The most maverick Republicans are Lee Ware of Powhatan (tending to be more socially liberal) and John Avioli of Staunton and Terry Kilgore of Scott (tending to be more conservative). In the Senate, the most maverick Democrats are Lionell Spruill of Portsmouth (tending to be more liberal) and Petersen and Creigh Deeds of Bath (tending to be more conservative). The most maverick Republicans are Emmett Hanger of Augusta (tending to be more liberal) and Vogel and Dunnavant (tending to be more conservative). Whats the opposite of being a maverick? The chart also allows us to measure who is the most conventional. In the House, two legislators almost zero maverick votes Democrat Jeffrey Bourne of Richmond and Republican Kirk Cox of Colonial Heights sit squarely on that left-right scale (just in very different places) and rarely deviate up or down. In the Senate, the least maverick legislator is Todd Pillion, R-Washington, followed by John Bell, D-Loudoun. FUKUOKA (TR) A 59-year-old man in custody for allegedly leaving the corpses of his parents inside a refrigerator in their residence in Fukuoka City last month has admitting to killing them, police have revealed, reports the Asahi Shimbun According to police, Junji Matsumoto, of no known occupation, used unspecified means to kill both of his parents 88-year-old Hirokazu and 87-year-old Makie around the night of June 21. The suspect said he carried out the crime due to stress caused by serving as a nurse. It became troublesome when caring for my parents always interrupted my anime viewing. I couldnt stand it so I killed them, he said. On June 28, officers working off a tip entered the residence in Fukuoka Citys Nishi Ward and found the bodies inside the glass-door industrial refrigerator. Police later confirmed that the bodies are those of the suspects parents. The results of autopsies did not reveal the causes of death. Matsumoto shared the residence with his parents. A witness told police that they saw him out shopping at a department store in Tenjin with Makie on June 20. Earlier on June 28, a relative contacted police after the occupants of the residence had dropped out of contact for an extended period. Upon the arrival of police, the refrigerator was taped shut. An examination of the bodes showed no signs of external wounds. Matsumoto fled the residence by bicycle on the night of June 23. He then traveled by train across the country, including to Yamaguchi, Shizuoka, Akita and Yamagata prefectures. Strangled his father with an electrical cord At around 9:00 a.m. on July 5, police apprehended Matsumoto in a hotel parking lot in Kyoto City. Upon his arrest on suspicion of abandoning a corpse, Matsumoto admitted to the allegations. During the subsequent investigation, it was learned that Matsumoto decided to kill his parents after his father, Hirokazu, asked him for help in using the bathroom. He told police that he strangled his father with an electrical cord. TOKYO -- Japan's largest hydrogen plant powered by offshore wind energy is set to open on the northern island of Hokkaido as part of a national effort to slash carbon dioxide emissions. Scheduled to begin operation as early as the year ending March 2024, the plant will produce up to roughly 550 tons of hydrogen a year -- enough to fuel more than 10,000 hydrogen vehicles, according to plans. The effort represents a step toward creating a homegrown supply of hydrogen that is "green," or made using renewable energy. Green hydrogen produced with offshore wind power remains rare worldwide -- particularly in Japan, which lags European nations in building such wind farms. The 110-megawatt wind farm and the hydrogen facility will be built in the coastal city of Ishikari, the site of other planned green hydrogen projects. The new, larger plant is expected to lift local hydrogen production to 2,500 tons. Participating in the project are Hokkaido Electric Power, renewable energy developer Green Power Investment, Nippon Steel Engineering and industrial gas supplier Air Water. The hydrogen plant and wind farm will be built in the Hokkaido coastal city of Ishikari. Plans call for selling the hydrogen in Hokkaido and shipping it to other parts of the country in a transport network that could include ports in Kobe, on the Sea of Japan coast and other areas. The hydrogen will be used to generate electricity to power such infrastructure as data centers, cargo equipment in ports and refrigerated warehouses. The Japanese government aims to attain net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by the middle of the century. Hydrogen is to play a big part of that goal. Japan on Tuesday successfully tested a rocket engine that was propelled by new technology using shock waves produced by burning a mixture of methane and oxygen gasses, with the aim of applying the propulsion method to deep space exploration in the future, the countrys space agency said. The No. 31 vehicle of the S-520 sounding rocket series, measuring 8 meters in length and 52 centimeters in diameter and carrying the engine, lifted off from the Uchinoura Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture at around 5:30 a.m., according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. It reached an altitude of 235 kilometers four minutes and four seconds after the launch and landed in the sea southeast of Uchinoura about eight minutes later, with JAXA retrieving a capsule containing test data in nearby waters. JAXA is currently developing technology that will allow it to utilize a rocket engine just one-10th of the current size that can also stay in space for extended periods. - Japan Times New Delhi: Swooping down on the Rohingya racket involved in human trafficking, the Uttar Pradesh police on Tuesday nabbed 3 men from Ghaziabad. Two women, apparently being trafficked abroad, were also recovered from their custody. UP ATS, blowing the lid off the conspiracy, revealed that these women were being trafficked to Malaysia on illegal passport. The arrested human trafficking gang involved 3 men namely Noor Mohammed, Rahmat Ullah and Shabeer-Ullah. Forged documents to ship Rohingyas Addressing media persons, UP ADG law and order Prashant Kumar said that the UP police has also unearthed a couple of syndicates, who were engaged in shipping Rohingyas illegally to India. He said that an international gang was involved in bringing Bangladeshi and Myanmar nationals to India via forged papers. After sneaking them in, they were positioned in Delhi-NCR to carry out such illegal activities. The main accused Mohd Noor's used to illegally bring Rohingys & Bangladeshi women on the pretext of marriage & men & children on the pretext of jobs in factories. He then used to sell them off. They were exploited financially, physically & mentally: ADG Law & Order Prashant Kumar ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 27, 2021 2 women saved from Rohingyas custody Prashant Kumar told media persons that young women were lured and enticed and brought to these places in guise of work. These women were beaten, harassed and tormented in their custody, revealed one of the accused. ADG said that UP STF saved 2 young women from their custody. New Delhi: In the recent years, the Government has taken a number of measures to bring back the black money stashed abroad The Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015. This was stated in a written reply by Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary to a question in Lok Sabha today. The Minister stated that as a result of systematic actions by the Government, the following results have been achieved as on 31.05.2021: -As on 31.05.2021, assessment orders under section 10(3)/10(4) of the Black Money Act, 2015 have been passed in 166 cases, wherein demand of Rs. 8,216 crore has been raised. -Undisclosed income of Rs. 8,465 crore (approx.) has been brought to tax and penalty of Rs. 1,294 crore has been levied in HSBC cases. -Undisclosed income of Rs. 11,010 crore (approx.) has been detected in ICIJ (International Consortium of Investigative Journalists) cases. -In the Panama Papers Leaks cases, undisclosed credits of Rs. 20,078 crore (approx.) have been detected. -In the Paradise Papers Leaks cases, undisclosed credits of Rs. 246 crore (approx.) have been detected. The Minister stated that Income Tax Department takes appropriate action under relevant laws against the tax evaders. Such action under direct tax laws includes searches, surveys, enquiries, assessment of income, levy of tax, interest, penalties, etc. and filing of prosecution complaints in criminal courts, wherever applicable. Giving details of the number of people arrested/chargesheeted, the Minister tabled details of prosecution complaints filed during last 5 years by the Income Tax Department under Income Tax Act, 1961 are as under: Further, more than 107 prosecution complaints have been filed under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015, the Minister stated. Giving more details of the steps taken by the Government to bring back black money from outside the country to India, the Minister stated that the following number of measures have been taken: Paul Curry spent four years as a floor nurse at Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital before becoming a nurse navigator in Radiation Oncology, where he has been for the last year. One of the reasons I love working at Jennie is the community outreach and programs that are readily available to our patients. The programs provide a chain of survival that helps get them through their long and hard cancer journeys, Curry said. One of the programs, Spirit of Courage, raises money to help Methodist Jennie Edmundson patients buy groceries, pay for utilities, cover the cost of extremely important skin care products that are an incremental part of the patients care through their radiation treatments and ensure transportation is available to and from doctors appointments and treatment. Spirit of Courage in an important resource to providing patient-centered care, which is at the heart of what Curry does as a nurse. Curry lives in Glenwood with his wife and two energetic boys Philip, 3, and Isaac, 1. As a family, they enjoy camping in their RV, hiking and spending time with family and friends. During the summer you will find them in the pool and during the winter you will find them playing in the snow. Im happy about it being better for the climate and the environment, but when I put the carbon in the soil, its better for my yields, he said. Ninety-five percent of raising corn is water, sunlight and CO2, and we all worry about the other 5%. There are financial benefits Garrett is noticing. Companies are offering him carbon credits to continue his existing practices, and some are paying him to try new, environmentally friendly practices. Working through Nori, a carbon marketplace, he said he received nearly $340,000 for more than 22,000 credits. Their system was saying I was sequestering one ton per acre per year, Garrett said. We put in 60 hours worth of work to validate the practices, and when you are talking $340,000, I dont think thats much to ask for. He said adding a microbial, Rhizolizer Duo, helped him get additional sequestration, and allowed him to be eligible for new contracts that required the adoption of a new practice. Grant Aldridge, with Locus Agricultural Solutions, said his organization has been working to connect growers like Garrett with companies in the carbon marketplace as it has become a hot topic. The program, CarbonNOW, started last year, and he expects it to grow. In their latest research, scientists share how fields performed in the last 16 years compared to the prior 15 years. In particular, they focused on the effect of different degrees of drainage. Tile drains can be placed at different distances across a field. The closer they are, the faster they can drain water away from fields. At the study fields in Indiana, drains were spaced either 5, 10 or 20 meters apart. As Kladivkos group expected, the closer the pipes were, the more water flowed through them every year. The concentration of nitrate in the water was the same regardless of drain spacing. But because closer drains led to more water flow, the total amount of nitrogen that left fields was higher when drains were closer together. The bottom line is that when the drains are closer together, theyre put there for the reason of draining more water faster, says Kladivko. So if we drain more water faster, we also drain more nitrate. The researchers also saw that most of the nitrate that left farm fields did so during the off season, when no big crops were around to use the nutrients. The Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Candidate Academy for potential candidates for local and other offices. Each session will run from 9:30 to noon and there is no cost to participate. The chamber said the academy aims to help candidates learn about various aspects of running for office. There are two sessions left. On Friday, the focus is communications strategy. The session will include: 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. Preparing for a Candidate Forum and Crafting a Stump Speech Kelly Winfrey, Iowa State University 10:15 to 11 a.m. Panel Discussion Tom Hanafan, former mayor of Council Bluffs Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Pete Festersen, Omaha City Council Jennifer Konfrst, Iowa House Minority Leader 11 to 11:10 a.m. Break 11:10 to noon Media Interview Panel Mike Brownlee, the Daily Nonpareil Jessika Eidson, KMTV 3 News Kate Payne, Iowa Public Radio As the Legislature approaches its politically charged redistricting assignment, current population estimates suggest that the Omaha-Lincoln-Sarpy County metropolitan complex may be entitled to up to two additional legislative seats. And early figures point the way to congressional redistricting that will once again increase the geographic size of Nebraska's vast 3rd Congressional District, which currently spreads across three-fourths of the state, encompasses two time zones and is larger than three states. The Legislature is preparing to meet in special session in mid-September to tackle its once-every-decade task after it receives and is able to process final data from the U.S. Census Bureau, whose 2020 census was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. The challenge of drawing new legislative and congressional districts typically strips away the nonpartisan fabric of Nebraska's unique one-house Legislature as political parties actively participate in the process, with the state's majority Republican Party clearly holding the upper hand. Thirty-two of the 49 members of the Legislature are Republicans. Enough to pass any redistricting plan, but one count shy of the 33 needed to avoid an opposition filibuster. In the heat of the summer when the fish may not be biting and there are no open hunting seasons, we get creative in how we enjoy the outdoors. Theres something we like to do here in the Midwest called floating and its pretty simple. You find a tube or a tank and the nearest river, hop in a 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. I love Lincoln County, Bruns said in a press release announcing his candidacy. This is, always has been, and always will be home, and I cant think of a better place for us to raise our family. There is something to be said about the strong sense of community, the wholesome values that people live by in west-central Nebraska, and what this place has to offer for future generations. Its a community Im honored to serve and a way of life worth protecting. As our state senator, Ill represent our shared values and work hard for the people of Lincoln County every day. Two teens and one man are in custody following a fatal shooting in Valley, Ala., on July 17, according to a release from the Valley Police Department. Police received warrants for the arrests of Robyn Yvonne Jones, 18, of LaGrange, Ga.; Vincent Ray Tiller, 21, of Grantville, Ga.; and Jacob Christian Moedl, 19, of Notasulga, Ala., following the murder of Antavious Lawenton Sharpe, police said. Police responded to calls of a shooting at 228 Huguley Road in Valley at about 3:30 p.m. on July 17 where they found Sharpes body and pronounced him deceased. Investigators with the Valley Police Department and the Chambers County Coroner examined Sharpes body and discovered a gunshot wound, police said. Moedl is facing murder charges after his arrest in Notasulga Monday and is currently being held in the Chambers County Detention Facility, while Jones and Tiller were arrested Saturday in Lafayette Parish, La., and are awaiting extradition back to Alabama, according to Valley police. Police said witnesses were able to identify Jones as the driver of the vehicle involved in the fatal shooting of Sharpe as well as the presence of a white or light-skinned man in the front passenger seat and a black man in the rear seat. A man inside a makeshift bubble floating along the Atlantic Ocean washed ashore in Florida Saturday. It was the latest attempt by runner Reza Baluchi to run across the sea inside a cylindrical contraption he calls a hydropod. This time, he was headed from Florida to New York to raise money for first responders, sick children and people who are homeless, he said. The Flagler County, Fla., Sheriffs Office reported that Baluchi, 49, left St. Augustine Friday in his hydropod with the goal of reaching New York. He had to turn back after discovering some of his safety and navigation equipment had been stolen. His belongings were eventually recovered, but theyre essential for his maritime journeys, he said. It wasnt Baluchis first time trying to set sail in Atlantic waters in a flotation device. In 2014, the Coast Guard rescued him while he tried to reach Bermuda from Florida in a homemade hydro pod. He has also run from Los Angeles to New York twice and once circled the U.S. perimeter in an 11,720-mile trek. Maldonado said studies have shown that for men between 50 and 64 years of age, COVID-19 vaccinations prevent almost 2,000 hospitalizations, 500 ICU admissions and nearly 150 deaths per million doses. Maldonado said the most common response he gets when he asks someone why theyre not vaccinated is this: I am not done with my research. The research has been done and the verdict is out, Maldonado writes. There is no need to wait and there is no time to wait. If you trust us with your lives when you are ill, then I am asking you to trust us beforehand, and listen when we say that the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and will save your life. Dr. Scott Harris, who serves as Alabamas state health officer, said he is extremely concerned about the rise in cases. Its the perfect storm of large numbers of unvaccinated people and the delta variant which is highly infectious and much more transmissible than anything we saw before, Harris said. Localnews featured Veterinarians impacted by pandemic, labor shortage katherinemansfield / Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter Veterinarian Tegan Fuller reaches for scissors while nurse tech Barb Lile adjusts the lighting before cat surgery begins as part of a recent Washington Area Humane Societys cat spay day. katherinemansfield / Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter Curtis, a 4-year-old mixed breed, enjoys the fresh air last week at the Washington Area Humane Society. Kkennel manager Kara Hoffman said that while puppy adoptions skyrocketed during the pandemic, there hasn't been as much interest in older dogs like Curtis and his bonded sister, Goldie. katherinemansfield / Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter Barb Lile, a nurse tech, listens to the heartbeat of a cat before surgery as part of a recent humane society cat spay day. katherinemansfield / Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter Vet tech Sam Beere puts a cat under anesthesia in preparation for surgery as part of a cat spay clinic sponsored by the Washington Area Humane Society. katherinemansfield / Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter Kennel manager Kara Hoffman, left, and kennel attendant Anj Hrycko pose with Goldie and Curtis, two strays who have been at the Washington Area Humane Society since April. katherinemansfield / Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter Tegan Fuller, a veterinarian who works with regional nonprofits to provide low-cost spay and neuter services, prepares for surgery at the Washington Area Humane Society. Fuller is assisted by nurse tech Barb Lile of Elizabeth. With more people adopting pets during the pandemic and staffing issues, area veterinarians are being stretched thin and are overwhelmed with clients. The situation has prompted some local veterinary offices to stop taking new clients. Braden Run Animal Hospital in Franklin Township, Greene County, and Blout Veterinary in Hopwood, Fayette County, have done just that. Currently, just for annual checkups, shots, things like that, I am booking into October already, said Dr. Justine Blout, owner of Blout Veterinary. I had to stop taking new clients because I dont think thats fair to the clients I have. Were working through lunch. Were staying late. Even with that, we cant meet the demands of new clients wanting in, said Dr. Anita McMillen, owner of Braden Run Animal Hospital. Meanwhile, All About Pets, on Jefferson Avenue in Washington, only recently started seeing new patients again. I would say about five months ago, we had to stop taking new clients in. We just didnt have enough room to even get our established clients in, said Gina Stafford, a veterinarian technician at All About Pets. She said it can take as long as three or four weeks to get an appointment. With a full schedule, Blout, the Fayette County veterinarian, said she has had issues with people making appointments, finding an earlier appointment elsewhere, and then neglecting to cancel. Its led Blout to implement a no-call, no-show policy, and charging customers who dont keep appointments. Thats the time we have allotted for you. You have to pay for that time because youre taking it from somebody else. I have staff members here. I still have to pay them, Blout said. The veterinarians interviewed agree that the added strain on services is due, in some part, to an increase in pet ownership over the past year. When COVID happened, a lot of people decided to get new animals, Stafford said, adding that new pet owners have had a difficult time getting established with a veterinarian office. Beyond more people getting pets, veterinarians are dealing with another side effect of the pandemic: a labor shortage. I think a lot of the workforce is upside down, said Kelly Proudfit, executive director of the Washington Area Humane Society. People can leave here and make more money doing a job with a lot less stress. Proudfit says the humane society conducts four low-cost vaccination clinics and two cat spay days a month, and that appointments fill up fast. Meanwhile, she has trouble retaining a full-time veterinarian. Ive really struggled to keep our vet team together. If I lose my vet techs, we cant care for the animals, and thats a problem, Proudfit said, adding that she has added health benefits for employees to stay competitive. Blout has had to deal with veterinary technicians leaving for higher-paying positions in less stressful environments, and finding new people and getting them to stick around is equally challenging. We advertise and advertise for more help and more staff. Its the problem I think every small business is having, Blout said. The problem with vet medicine is we need people who are a little more skilled ... it takes months to get them trained to do the job. Braden Run is down to two people McMillen and one veterinarian technician. She said she lost three people in January, and has had to have her groundskeeper act as a technicians assistant. Not only are there issues with employees leaving the industry, McMillen said larger veterinarian hospitals in the Pittsburgh area are attracting technicians from smaller practices to deal with their own shortages. She said her sole employee has received letters offering sign-on bonuses. It has made everyone feel so much more isolated. Veterinarians are so competitive with each other, McMillen said. It has become dog eat dog, literally. With a lack of help, Blout says veterinarians have been pushed into making tough decisions as a profession. For McMillen, that means not being able to answer the phone. We dont answer the phone, because its just the two of us. We check messages when we get a chance, McMillen said, adding that they are too busy to even give price estimates. Both Blout and McMillen say all of these issues have combined to create some frustrated clients, and they have had to deal with angry and abusive customers. This is a high-stress field, Blout said. When it comes to peoples emotional attachment to pets, it heightens everyones sensitivities. We deal with a lot of people every day very mad at us that we cant fit more people in. When the schedule is full, the schedule is full. These poor individuals are getting yelled at on a daily basis. People in the veterinary field youre in it because you love animals and you want to help, but were still human. McMillen has had to put a zero tolerance policy in place, and has no issue showing particularly abusive customers the door. I just ask them where theyd like their records sent, she said. Blout and McMillen pointed out that veterinarians have a higher rate of suicide than the rest of the population. According to a 2019 study published in the Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association, male veterinarians are about twice as likely to die by suicide compared to the general population, and female veterinarians are 3.5 times more likely. With that in mind, Blout hopes that angry clients will remember the human. Veterinarians are selected for a very certain personality ... When we fail, it hits us hard, she said. When Im preaching please be kind, I mean it. McMillen emphasized that the vast majority of her clients are kind and empathetic to the problems her practice is facing. Its that few that can really drag you down. Were just not letting that happen anymore, McMillen said. Washington, PA (15301) Today Mostly sunny skies during the morning hours will become overcast in the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 80F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. Washington, PA (15301) Today Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 80F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms during the evening, then partly cloudy overnight. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. U.S. Department of Labor Cites Dredging Manufacturer after Investigation into Workers Death OSHA investigation finds that safety procedures could have prevented the tragedy. On January 27, 2021 a preventable death took place in Mobile, AL. A 22-year-old, who was new on the job, died from a crane bridge accident 30 feet in the air. He was caught in the crane trolleys drive shaft. Federal inspectors say this tragedy could have been prevented. A part of the five-man team employed by SPI/Mobile Pulley Works Inc. to repair a 50-ton hoist, the Alabama resident was guiding a heavy steel cable to ensure workers were removed from the structure of the crane or out of its path when it was operating. According to a press release, OSHAs inspection led to 11 serious and two other-than-serious violations for the Mobile-based dredging manufacturer. Inspectors found the company failed to provide a workplace free from hazards and exposed employees to caught-in and crushed-by hazards that would most likely cause death or serious harm. The press release states, OSHA identified the following violations: Allowed employees to work near unguarded equipment, which exposed them to struck-by and caught-in hazards Failed to conduct periodic inspections of the crane Exposed workers to respiratory hazards by requiring employees to wear half-mask negative pressure respirators without proper fit tests and did not provide training on respirator use to minimize the number of employees exposed to respirable crystalline silica Failed to provide proper training on fall protection systems, exposing workers to fall hazards Failed to inspect alloy steel chain slings used for rigging OSHA proposed $89,141 in penalties. Heavy industrial work can be hazardous and employers must follow workplace safety standards to avoid serious injuries and, in this case, tragedy, said OSHA Area Director Jose A. Gonzalez in Mobile, Alabama. The terrible loss for this young mans family and friends is deepened by the knowledge that this incident could have been prevented. Learn more about crane, derrick and hoist safety, fall and respiratory protection. Safety Leadership, Rules, and Engagement - How Leaders Drive Safety Culture Success Its undeniable that workplace safety is a crucial component for a business to function. However, 54% of respondents to an EHS Daily Advisor survey primarily view it as someone elses job. This climate of unclear accountability is part of the reason millions of workplace incidents occur every year. With a demand for increased transparency from the market and higher penalties from regulating bodies, its not enough to assume employees or contractors will adhere to your expected safety outcomes. Safety is built through strong culture, which is created through strong leadership. This webinar will highlight notable findings from Safety Leadership and Engagement, How are You Driving Safety Culture Success? a survey of more than 550 safety and health professionals. Youll learn: The current trends in culture The top five ways employees participate in safety programs The difference between a proactive safety culture and a reactive safety culture Qualities of an effective safety leader Register below for this free webinar! DATE: September 2, 2021 TIME: 2:00PM ET - 1:00PM CT - 11:00AM PT Speakers: Edwin G. Foulke, Jr. is a partner in the Atlanta office of Fisher & Phillips LLP. Ed also serves as President of Fisher Phillips Safety Solutions LLC. Prior to joining Fisher & Phillips, Ed was the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health. Named by President George W. Bush to head OSHA, Ed served in that capacity from April 2006 to November 2008. During his tenure at OSHA, workplace injury, illness, and fatality rates dropped to their lowest levels in recorded history. For more than 30 years, Ed has worked in the labor and employment area, focusing on occupational safety and health issues. He also served on the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission in Washington, DC, chairing the Commission from March 1990 to February 1994. Ed has been named one of the 50 Most Influential EHS Leaders by EHS Today magazine for several years and named one of the 50 Most Influential EHS Leaders in the United States by Occupational Hazards magazine. He is recognized as one of the nations leading authorities on occupational safety and health issues. Tom Cecich is president of TFC & Associates a safety, health and environmental management consulting firm. He also serves as a strategic advisor for Avetta, LLC. He was previously vice president of EHS Global Business Support at the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline also held safety management positions at IBM and Allied Chemical Corporations. He served as the 102nd president of the American Society of Safety Engineers and is an ASSE Fellow, the Societys highest honor. He was also the past president of the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP). Mr. Cecich earned his BS degree from the University of Miami and a MS from North Carolina State University, both in Industrial Engineering. He is a certified safety professional (CSP) and a certified industrial hygienist (CIH). Time: 2:00 PM ET Duration: 1 Hour While the COVID-19 pandemic and 2020s oil price collapse hit Argentinas hydrocarbon sector hard, leading to some analysts to claim that it may never fully recover, there is evidence of a healthy rebound is underway. This is especially positive news for the national government in Buenos Aires which for nearly a decade has pinned its hopes on fueling an economic revival by exploiting the massive hydrocarbon wealth of the Vaca Muerta shale play. The massive shale play, located in the oil-rich Neuquen province, is thought to hold recoverable hydrocarbon resources consisting of 16 billion barrels of oil and 308 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Those numbers make the Vaca Muerta the worlds second-largest shale gas deposit. The shale formation is often compared to the prolific U.S. Eagle Ford shale, although unlike the U.S: shale play the Vaca Muertas dry gas window has proven to be commercially viable. For those reasons it is easy to understand why Buenos Aires views the hydrocarbon-rich geological formation as a silver bullet for Argentinas economic woes, especially after May 2020 when Buenos Aires defaulted on its sovereign debt for the second time in 20 years. The Vaca Muerta shale play along with Argentinas overall oil industry was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since hydrocarbon production (Spanish) bottomed during May 2020 it has been steadily climbing with oil output reaching a 12-month high of 504,119 barrels per day, a 13% increase over the same period a year ago. Natural gas production, however, declined by 2.6% to be 762,672 barrels of oil equivalent daily. As a result, Argentinas overall hydrocarbon production of 1.27 million barrels of oil equivalent per day was only 3% higher year over year. Source: Argentina Ministry of Economy and U.S. EIA. It is Argentinas national oil company Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales SA known as YPF, which has become the driving force behind developing the Vaca Muerta. For that reason, there were fears that a liquidity crisis caused by a large portion of YPFs debt falling due in March 2021 would derail the state-controlled oil companys planned investment to develop the shale play. YPF was eventually able to resolve that worrying development through a debt swap, which has had no lasting material impact on its planned development of the Vaca Muerta. Activity in the shale formation is ramping up at a solid clip. Even the April 2021 protests, where healthcare workers blockaded roads to the Vaca Muerta, have had little material impact. YPF earmarked an investment of $1.5 billion to develop its assets in Neuquen province where the Vaca Muerta shale play is located. Argentinas national oil company intends to use that investment to boost provincial oil production by 56% and natural gas output by 70% during 2021. French energy supermajor Total Energies announced in April 2021 that it had approved the development of the Aguada Pichana Este license, located in the Vaca Muerta, and increased its stake in the operation from just over 27% to 41%. Anglo-Dutch supermajor Shell continues to make significant investments in the shale formation. The integrated energy supermajor is pressing ahead (Spanish) with an $80 million investment to build a 120,000 barrel per day 105-kilometer-long pipeline in the Vaca Muerta. Data from Baker Hughes showing that drilling activity is steadily increasing. By the end of June 2021, there were 45 active rigs, according to Baker Hughes, which was the same as a month prior but is notably significantly higher than the six active rigs at the end of the same period in 2020. Source: Baker Hughes and U.S. EIA. An Argus Media article shows that during June 2021 985 fracking stages were completed in the Vaca Muerta, which while being 9% lower than May when a record 1,079 stages were completed, was still an impressive five times greater than a year earlier. It was YPF which is leading investment in the shale formation completing 532 fracking stages or 54% of those conducted during June. Those solid numbers for both the rig count and fracking operations indicate that the tempo of operations in the Vaca Muerta is growing at a solid clip boding well for further oil and natural gas production to keep expanding. Related: Climate Friendly Banks: The Key To A Sustainable Energy Transformation? International energy companies are committed to making substantial investments in the Vaca Muerta despite Argentinas high breakeven price per barrel. Analysts and industry insiders estimate that on average oilfields across Latin Americas fifth-largest oil producer have a breakeven price of $45 per barrel. New projects in the Vaca Muerta are projected to have a breakeven price of over $50 per barrel which during periods of sharply weaker oil prices has deterred investment. Those breakeven prices are significantly higher than other regional producers including Brazil, Guyana, Colombia, and Ecuador. YPF is, however, focused on reducing drilling costs with Pablo Iuliano, YPF's vice president of unconventional upstream telling S&P Global Platts at the end of 2020 that the company is driving efficiencies to push the breakeven price below $30 per barrel. There are signs that such a significant decrease can be achieved, particularly as further infrastructure is developed in the Vaca Muerta. Impressively, YPF reported for the last twelve months combined lifting and development costs of $14.60 per barrel which is 8% lower than for the full year 2020, boding well for lower breakeven prices. If breakeven prices fall below $30 per barrel YPFs shale hydrocarbon production will be highly profitable and resilient to weaker oil prices. Such a breakeven price would be among the lowest in South America, enhancing the attractiveness of the Vaca Muerta as a destination for investment by foreign energy companies. The appeal of investing in Argentinas energy patch is enhanced by the primary crude oil grade produced, Escalante, being particularly sweet with a sulfur content of 0.19% and an API gravity of 24.1 degrees. This is important because the demand for low sulfur content medium and light crude oil grades is steadily expanding because of every stricter sulfur emission regulation for fuels. There are even reports of Escalante cargoes being exported to the Middle East during 2020, while Chinas thirst for sweet medium and light crude oil grades continues to grow. A key deterrent for many foreign energy companies when it comes to investing in Argentina is a long history of the government meddling with the petroleum industry. This has included punitive regulatory and tax environments, artificial pricing and even the nationalization of privately owned assets. For those reasons, the leftist government of President Alberto Fernandez must convince foreign oil companies that it can establish a stable, transparent regulatory framework with market-based pricing where profits can be easily repatriated without punitive taxes being applied. The latest developments indicate that Buenos Aires may be finally on the path to realizing the vast hydrocarbon potential held by the Vaca Muerta, which will give Argentinas beaten-down economy a solid boost. By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Iraq wants another U.S. company to replace Exxon as a shareholder in the West Qurna 1 field, one of the country's largest after the supermajor leaves the country. "Exxon Mobil is considering exiting Iraq for reasons that are to do with its internal management practices, decisions, and not because of the particular situation in Iraq," Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi told media after a meeting with President Joe Biden, as quoted by Reuters. Exxon, which holds a $32.7-percent interest in West Qurna 1, has been looking for a buyer with plans to exit the country entirely. The stake was valued last year at up to $500 million. At the time, reports said two Chinese companies were interested in acquiring it, state-owned CNPC and CNOOC. The plans for the stake sale appear to have been prompted by the impact the pandemic had on Exxon's finances as it sought to keep its dividend intact and reduce debt. Later reports said that Iraq could end up buying the West Qurna 1 stake itself. There could be other reasons for Exxon leaving Iraq, too. As Gerald Jansen wrote for Oilprice earlier this month, these have to do with the souring relationship between the company and Baghdad after Exxon ventured into Kurdistan oil, and with the continued political and financial instability in Iraq. This, according to Jansen, may have compromised the profitability of whatever plans Exxon may have had for its Iraqi business earlier. Just two years ago, Exxon was all set to take part in a $53-billion plan to boost Iraq's oil production, but it seems the pandemic and the Iraqi situation changed many things, including this ambitious plan. "When Exxon Mobil departs, we will not accept its replacement to be other than another American company," Prime Minister Kadhimi told media this week, but an American company has yet to express interest in acquiring Exxon's holdings in Iraq. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Libya could boost its oil production to 1.6 million barrels per day (bpd) by the middle of 2022 if the industry has the necessary funding, Libyas Oil Minister Mohamed Oun told Italian news agency Agenzia Nova in an interview published this week. Currently, the North African producer exempted from the OPEC+ cuts pumps around 1.2 million bpd. According to secondary sources in OPECs latest Monthly Oil Market Report, Libyas crude oil production averaged 1.163 million bpd in June, up from 1.157 million bpd in May. Since getting a unity government in March and a petroleum minister for the first time in five years, Libya has vowed it would raise its oil production, provided that the National Oil Corporation (NOC) receives the necessary funds. Libya plans to raise its oil production to 1.45 million bpd by the end of this year, Mustafa Sanalla, the chairman of NOC, told Bloomberg Television in an interview earlier this year. Libya will be able to increase its current production by years end, provided that the state oil firm is not compromised again, according to Sanalla. The targets for the next few years are for Libya to increase production to 1.6 million bpd in two years and to 2.1 million bpd in four years, NOCs chairman told Bloomberg in March. Libya surprised many oil market observers, and probably the OPEC+ group itself, after managing in just a few months to restore its oil production back to 1.25 million bpd from less than 100,000 in September 2020. The 1.25 million bpd level was the volume Libya was pumping before the eighth-month-long oil port blockade began in January 2020. Even after the lifting of the blockade in mid-September and the ceasefire from October, Libyas oil production has not been entirely stable so far this year due to strikes from the Petroleum Facilities Guard over unpaid salaries and the lack of funds for restoration and maintenance of oil infrastructure. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The global refining industry has not recovered yet from the impact of the pandemic, but it is already facing longer-term challenges with the energy transition. Over the next decade and a half, global fuel demand will likely decline, leading to an overcapacity in the refining market, lower margins, and lower utilization. The outlook varies across regions. Generally speaking, however, some less efficient refineries will have to close because of downward pressure on profits amid lower demand and unnecessary high global capacity, McKinsey & Company said in its report Global downstream outlook to 2035 published this month. The outlook examines global liquids demand in three different policy scenarios and the impact that demand would have on refiners globally and in various regions. The refining industry is likely to shrink in some regions, but it will still remain a large sector that would likely keep in the 2030s as much as 90 percent of its 2019 operating capacity, McKinsey & Company noted. Just as with the recovery from COVID-19, the long-term prospects of the downstream sector will vary across scenarios and regions. There will be winners and losers. Reference Case 5 Million Bpd Refinery Closures, 35% Shrinking Value McKinseys reference case, Energy Transition, in which future policies will follow current patterns, finds that Europe and the U.S. may need to shut down permanently as much as 5 million barrels per day (bpd) of capacity by 2035. Roughly half of those closures have already been announced, the company said. In McKinseys Energy Transition scenario, global liquids demand peaks in 2029 at 104 million bpd, with road transport fuels peaking in 2023. Refining margins are set to recover once refinery rationalization occurs, but U.S. and European margins will be around $2 a barrel lower in 20312035 than in recent history. If energy and climate policies follow current patterns, the value of global refining is set to drop by 36 percent from 201519 levels by the 2030s, with the 203135 global average at $100 billion. During the 2030s, only Asia and the Middle East will see its refining industry grow in value, according to McKinsey. This assessment is generally in line with previous estimates from other energy experts and consultants who say that Asia and the Middle East, especially the newer integrated refining complexes, will beat older refineries in countries where fuel demand is expected to be less resilient in the energy transition. If the global refinery industry doesnt see extensive further rationalization, the sector may never return to 80 percent capacity utilization, Wood MacKenzie said earlier this month. The current crisis is an existential threat to smaller and less efficient refineries in Europe and Asia that were struggling to turn profits even before the pandemic. Even oil majors acknowledge that some sites have become permanently uneconomical amid depressed refining margins, fierce regional competition, and expectations of declining road fuel demand in the long term. For example, ExxonMobil and BP announced in the span of just a few months closures of their respective refineries in Australia. They now plan to convert them into fuel import terminals. According to McKinsey, while Europe and the U.S. could recover faster from the pandemic impact in the short term, Asias refiners will be more resilient in the long term. As a whole, the reference case found that the industry will remain a large one, but it will become less profitable. Delayed Transition To Grow Refinery Value To $181 Billion If economic recovery from COVID takes precedence over emissions reduction and the energy transition slows down, global liquids demand will continue to grow through 2035, with light product demand peaking in 2029, McKinsey says. Related: Could This Be The Most Promising Oil Play Of The Decade? Utilization will remain strong, and Asia and the Middle East will even add 1.3 million bpd of capacity. Asia and the Middle East will also drive a 16 percent rise in value in the refining industry to a global average of $181 billion in 20312035. Accelerated Transition To Lead To 16 Million Bpd Refinery Closures If the transition accelerates, it would bring about peak global liquids demand in 2024 at 101 million bpd, while light product demand will never recover to 2019 levels, McKinseys analysis shows. In this case, all markets, especially Europe and the United States, would require as much as 16 million bpd of unannounced closures by 2035. In this case, the value of the refining industry would plunge in the 2030s to 74 percent compared with 20152019 levels, at $40 billion global average in 20312035. The actual scenario that will unfold could be close to the reference case or a combination of two or three of those examined by McKinsey. At any rate, some things are certainrefiners will take time to overcome the COVID-19 shock. At the same time, they will be bracing for the long-term impact of the energy transition. Refiners should be ready to adapt to lower long-term refining margins, industry rationalization with millions of bpd of capacity closures, and a long-term decline in profits. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Venezuela is ignoring U.S. sanctions with its plan to boost production to 1.5 million bpd by the end of the year, around three times the current output. A document has been released showing that Venezuela has received delivery of condensate from the Rene supertanker in its Jose port. After national production broke down, Venezuela came to rely on condensate imports to thin its extra-heavy crude grades for processing. Due to U.S. sanctions on the country, introduced in 2019 in response to the dictatorship, Venezuela has not been able to produce and export its normal quantities of oil, also finding it difficult to access oil-related products such as condensate, vital for production. New condensate imports reflect Venezuelas eagerness to reinvigorate its oil industry. With nearly 300 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, Venezuela holds the most oil in the world, and pre-sanction production stood at around 2.4 million bpd, with room to grow. The country now needs to resume production if it hopes to stabilize the national economy and improve employment opportunities. The country has already managed to get around many restrictions with the help of intermediaries, through its strong partnership with China. China Concord Petroleum Co., Limited, CCPC, has long been tied to Iranian oil, much to the disdain of the USA. However, it seems that it is now also getting involved with Venezuelan oil. Despite threats from the U.S. that it will impose sanctions on any entity aiding the oil industries of sanctioned countries, such as Iran and Venezuela, CCPC started working with Venezuelan oil firms alongside independent Chinese refiners earlier in 2021, bringing 14 tankers within the last year to ship crude oil out of both Venezuela and Iran. China has long opposed U.S. sanctions on oil. "China strongly opposes unilateral sanctions and urges the United States to remove the 'long-arm jurisdiction' on companies and individuals," stated a spokesman for China's foreign ministry. In June, exports of oil from Venezuela rose significantly ahead of a new import tax imposed by China, which raised import costs by around 40 percent, according to state-run oil firm PDVSA. Related: Could This Be The Most Promising Oil Play Of The Decade? PDVSA and partners exported an average of 631,900 bpd of crude and refined products, up 6.5 percent in May and 66 percent from the same month last year. Most of these products were bound for Asia, with around 238,000 going to Malaysia for trans-shipping and mixing before reaching their final destination of China. Other export destinations included the UAE and Cuba. The question is whether the U.S. will continue to overlook Venezuelas work with intermediaries to bolster its oil industry. Particularly after U.S. officials threatened new oil trade links between Iran and China with more sanctions, just last week. The leniency seen from the U.S. could come to an end at any moment should it decide to impose stricter sanctions on Venezuela and its partners. But exceptions to sanctions have already been made this year, with the U.S. agreeing to allow imports of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) into Venezuela earlier this month. Such imports were not permitted under the Trump administration. President Biden acknowledged the need for LPG in the country, used as cooking fuel and currently in limited supply, driving people to burn wood. So, just how far can Venezuela push the U.S. before more sanctions are imposed? Over the next few months, it will become clearer as to whether the huge oil nation will reach its goal of tripling production as it strives to reinvigorate its mammoth oil industry. By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: In an attempt to increase pressure on Iran in order to push through a nuclear deal with Iran, the U.S. is considering cracking down on Iranian oil exports to China. Chart of the Week - The government of the United States is mulling a ban on Chinese imports of Iranian crude as it becomes increasingly clear that reaching a deal with Iran before the inauguration of its new government is unlikely. - The oil markets see the U.S. somewhat unlikely to antagonize China further, yet Washington would be inclined to highlight that it has other options to opt for should the talks fail altogether. - Verifiable Chinese imports of Iranian crude amounted to some 250kbpd over the course of H1-2021 according to vessel-tracking firm Kpler, a 130% increase year-on-year, largely coming on the back of Biden-era softening of rhetoric towards China. - A significant volume of Iranian exports, however, is routinely trans-shipped in the region of the Malacca Straits, rendering the deciphering of their final destination all but impossible. Market Movers - Brazil is expected to double its oil production between now and 2030, promoting its image as a safe-haven investment for oil and gas projects amidst shrinking international opportunities, buoying market sentiment for Petrobras (NYSE:PBR). - The Italian oil major Eni (NYSE:E) has signed an agreement with Azora Capital to buy 1.2GW of solar and wind capacity in Spain, boosting its renewables footprint in the Mediterranean. 230MW worth of solar assets are already in operation, the rest comes from solar projects already being developed. - ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) shut down its 120kbpd Slagen Refinery in Norway last month, becoming the fifth European refinery to see its operations halted for good because of pandemics-triggered ramifications. Tuesday, July 27, 2021 France Bans Short-Haul Flights. Sapping jet prospects in one of Europes largest markets, France banned short-haul flights if a direct train route of under 2h 30 min is available. In addition, it would be obligatory for all airlines to compensate for all carbon emissions during domestic flights by 2024. No G20 Consensus on Phasing Out Coal. Officials meeting at the G20 Environment Ministers Meeting in Naples failed to strike a deal on the worldwide future of coal, despite intense lobbying from the U.S. and the UK, Reuters reports. China, India, and Russia are seen to be most adamantly maintaining a future place for coal. Glencore Trader Pledges Guilty to Bribery. A former Glencore trader pleaded guilty in a U.S. federal court to funneling millions of dollars via intermediaries to bribe officials that would subsequently grant NNPC-allocated oil cargoes at favorable terms. Russia to Build LNG-Powered Icebreakers for the Arctic. Russia intends to build up a fleet of LNG-fuelled icebreakers to be used across the Northern Sea Route. Russias nuclear giant Rosatom, the supervisor of Arctic navigation, says it is mulling the construction of 2-4 medium-sized icebreakers, presumably going for LNG synergies with NOVATEKs (MCX:NVTK) LNG projects in the Arctic. Asia Pacific LNG Prices Hit $14.5/mmBtu Threshold. Buoyed by buying tenders by Turkeys BOTAS and Kuwaits KPC, spot LNG prices have surged to multi-year highs, surpassing the threshold of $14.5 per mmBtu this week. Pakistan Ramps Up HSFO Imports. Against the background of exorbitantly high LNG prices in Asia, some major buyers, prime amongst them Pakistan, have started to buy up HSFO cargoes. Seeing its prices depressed throughout the year, HSFO is an almost ideal replacement for expensive gas, just as peak summer demand has hit the region. Related: The Net-Zero Narrative Is Riddled With Holes China Starts Anti-Dumping Probe Against Japan, SK. Chinas Ministry of Commerce started an anti-dumping investigation into flat-rolled electrical steel imported from Japan, South Korea, and the European Union, reinstating tariffs vis-a-vis those states following the expiry of tariffs in place for the last 5 years, Reuters reports. ExxonMobil Sues Iraqi National Oil Company. US oil major ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) filed an arbitration case against Basrah Oil Company, Iraqs main state-owned oil-producing entity, over what it perceives to be a stalling of its divestment drive on West Qurna-1. ExxonMobils 32.7% share in the field (that it operates) was assumed to be sold to a third party - market rumors presume a Chinese company however, BOC has blocked the transaction and now claims to be intent on taking over the stake itself, Argus reports. Vitol Hands Out 2.9 Billion to Traders. The worlds largest oil trading company has paid out a record $2.9 billion to its trading executives and staff, writes Bloomberg. With most of the profits stemming from Q2 2020 trading profits, this buyback comes on top of $2 billion of share buybacks in 2020 that were already accounted for last year. Copper Prices Surge Again on China Floods. Copper prospects have brightened again as benchmark LME futures continued their five-day bullish streak beyond $9800 per metric ton, amidst news of China floods, creating a double whammy of supply concerns and increasing demand to be utilized for infrastructure reconstruction. Greenpeace Seeks to Derail Latest North Sea Project. Greenpeace is seeking to take the UK government in court over the forthcoming 150 MMbbls Cambo project, as Britain prepares to host the COP26 Glasgow conference in November. Cambo, backed by Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) and located in harsh seas amidst complex geology, wields heavy oil of some 23-25 API and is expected to come onstream by 2025 the government approval is expected to take place within several weeks. Coffee Rises Further on Brazil Cold. Another polar air mass is moving towards Brazil this week, risking to adversely impact the Latin American countrys coffee harvest, already frost-bitten several times this year and further exacerbated by the worst drought in the last 100 years. Arabica coffee futures rose 10% on Monday alone, flying above the $200 per pound level, having already gained 20% last week. By Josh Owens for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The Caspian Sea is one of the worlds largest and oldest oil and gas producing regions. During the Cold War, the hydrocarbon-rich area was Soviet-controlled as the vast majority of the reserves were located in the Soviet Union. Since the breakup of the communist state, international companies have flocked to the newly independent countries such as Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. Of the littoral states, Turkmenistan has by far the largest reserves when it comes to natural gas. Geographic isolation and animosity with Azerbaijan long prevented the export of gas to customers in Europe. Recently, however, relations between Ashgabat (Turkmenistan) and Baku (Azerbaijan) have improved as the countries signed an agreement to jointly develop a shared natural gas field. While the size of the field isnt a game-changer, the renewed cooperation between the countries could be. Turkmenistan has the worlds fourth-largest gas reserves at 19.5 trillion cubic meters and 10 percent of the global total. It includes Galkynysh with 2.8 trillion cubic meters which is one of the world's largest gas fields. The geographic isolation of Turkmenistan as a landlocked nation is the most important impediment to large-scale exports. That changed somewhat with the ascendance of the Chinese economy and the massive demand for raw materials and energy. Chinese companies imported 43 bcm in 2019 from Turkmenistan which is 80 percent of the total exports that year. While the contracts are kept secret, analysts assume that Ashgabat is still heavily indebted to China for the construction of the Central Asia-China Gas pipeline (CACG). Therefore, Turkmenistan is adamant about diversifying towards Europe. Related: U.S. LNG Exports Jump To Record In H1 2021 The recent conclusion of the $40 billion Southern Gas Corridor, which consists of the pipelines TANAP and TAP, from Azerbaijan to southern Europe also underlines the opportunity for Turkmenistan. For the first time in decades, the export of natural gas from Central Asia to Europe directly is a viable option if the involved states play their cards well. The TANAP and TAP pipelines are designed to transport 10 bcm to Europe and 6 bcm to the Turkish market from Azerbaijans Shah Deniz field. Currently, the pipelines operate only at half of their capacity and could also be upgraded. Only a trans-Caspian pipeline needs to be constructed for gas to flow from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan. Therefore, modest exports are possible relatively quickly from a technical point of view. The first step towards a major deal could be announced in August after the summit in Turkmenistan's Awaza seaside resort that will be attended by Turkey and Azerbaijan. The presence of Turkish President Erdogan can be a sign of a breakthrough on the production side. The problem, however, is more likely to be found on the demand side. The European market is already well connected to producers through pipelines and LNG import facilities. Furthermore, gas from Turkmenistan will head to southeastern Europe where Russia has aggressively built new pipelines to discourage competitors. It could be too little too late for the export of Central Asian gas to the European market. Although there is some capacity in the TANAP and TAP pipelines to include gas from Turkmenistan, a multi-billion investment in a trans-Caspian subsea pipeline is required. The European Investment Bank wont finance fossil fuel projects from the end of 2021 anymore. Therefore, funding needs to come from an alternative source which could prove to be a challenge. Also, the Central Asian gas is intended for a market that is rapidly transforming due to the energy transition. The EU is decarbonizing and focussing on sustainability which will eventually reduce demand for natural gas in the long-term. This affects the profitability of new large scale energy projects and reduces the likelihood of exports from Turkmenistan to Europe. Nevertheless, expect the leaders from Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan to use invigorating language in August to underline their intentions to become a major exporter to Europe. The coming two years will see whether such a deal can be struck for Central Asian gas to flow to an already saturated market. By Vanand Meliksetian for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The International Court of Arbitration in the Netherlands has ruled that Angolas state oil firm Sonangol is the sole owner of an indirect stake in Portuguese energy company Galp, which Sonangols former boss Isabel Dos Santos had funneled to a company she controlled. Isabel dos Santos was made head of Sonangol in 2016 by her father, the former president of Angola, Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who had been president for nearly 40 years before stepping down in 2017. Back then, the new president, Joao Lourenco, sacked Isabel dos Santos from her post at Sonangol. Angolas authorities then started to investigate Isabel dos Santos, who is said to have a fortune of around $2.1 billion and was believed to be Africas richest woman. Prosecutors charged Isabel dos Santos in early 2020 with money laundering and embezzlement while she was chair of the state oil firm Sonangol. In the latest case against dos Santos, the Dutch court has ruled that an indirect 6-percent stake in Portugals Galpestimated to be worth $500 millionshould be returned to Angola, lawyers for Sonangol told Reuters on Tuesday. The transfer of the indirect stake in Galp to a company held by Isabel dos Santos was tainted by illegality, enabling Ms. Isabel dos Santos ... to reap an extraordinary financial gain to the detriment of Sonangol and, consequently, of the State of Angola, the Dutch tribunal said, as carried by Reuters. After the courts decision, Sonangol will become the sole owner of the vehicle, Esperaza Holdings B.V., which was used by Sonangol to buy shares in Galp back in 2006, the Angolan state oil firm said in a statement on Monday. Sonangol considered buying the shares in Galp a large and successful investment. The 40-percent in Esperaza Holdings, which was at the center of the legal dispute between dos Santos and Sonangol, has a market value of around $700 million, according to the Angolan oil firm. Dos Santos denies wrongdoing and says the current Angolan authorities are on a witch-hunt against her. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Govt-and-politics topical Omaha's Blackstone District proposes wider sidewalks, new lights The Blackstone District has revealed plans for a streetscape makeover expected to boost pedestrian safety and commerce by widening sidewalks and narrowing driving lanes along the trendy midtown Omaha strip. A burst of sparkle in the form of light strands across a stretch of Farnam Street also is part of the $4.4 million package. The plan comes on the heels of a Blackstone apartment dweller getting struck and seriously injured by a hit-and-run driver in June as she crossed Farnam between 39th and 40th Streets. Blackstone leaders say proposed changes have been in the making a few years, though, dating back to a merchants search for signature lighting for the area. They describe the streetscape proposal as the next major infrastructure upgrade since car flow through the district turned from one way to two way in 2014. TSP INC. The Blackstone District has revealed plans for a streetscape makeover. Strands of lights would be strung across Farnam Street from 39th to 40th Streets, creating a postcard moment. That earlier reversal of a half-century pattern opened access to the area and was pivotal, the Blackstone leaders said, in ushering more than $250 million of investment and $20 million in annual revenue to the revived Blackstone retail and residential corridor. Right now its functional, its just not usable for the volume of people wanting to come and enjoy the district, said Jim Farho, president of Blackstones business improvement district. Our goal is to make sure residents and the community-at-large can enjoy the district and know theyre in a safe place. What improvements would you like to see made to Blackstone? Farho foresees economic development accelerating once the additional changes are in place. Funds have yet to be raised, but leaders from three Blackstone groups supporting the plan are optimistic the district can be sporting its new look in 2023. The focus of the redesign is Farnam Street, the spine of the business district thats also been buoyed by growth of its bookends: the University of Nebraska Medical Center to the west; Mutual of Omahas Midtown Crossing and downtown to the east. CHRIS MACHIAN, THE WORLD-HERALD Looking east in the Blackstone District on Farnam Street toward 39th Street on Monday. Blackstone District has revealed plans for a streetscape makeover that will include widening sidewalks. Highlights: Lighting: Strands of lights would be strung across Farnam Street from 39th to 40th, creating that postcard moment, Farho said. He said signature lighting not only should promote attention and business for the district and city overall, it should slow down traffic. Farho expects drivers will see the sparkle and get the message: Oh, this is a place, its not just a street. Sidewalks: Pedestrian walkways would be widened to 6 feet from 42nd Street to 36th Street. Current width ranges from 3 feet to 5 feet, depending on the spot. (An additional foot will remain along the sidewalk for infrastructure and utility poles.) The extra space should enhance pedestrian safety, said Matt Oberst, manager of the business improvement district. He noted, for example, how lines of people often snake outside storefronts like Coneflower Creamery, posing a hazard if someone drifts off a crowded sidewalk and into the street. FELSBURG HOLT & ULLEVIG The Blackstone District has revealed plans for a streetscape makeover expected to boost pedestrian safety by widening sidewalks and narrowing driving lanes. FELSBURG HOLT & ULLEVIG The Blackstone District has revealed plans for a streetscape makeover expected to boost pedestrian safety by widening sidewalks and narrowing driving lanes. Drive lanes: Each driving lane would shrink from 12 feet wide to 11 feet wide; parking lanes also would narrow a foot, to 8 feet. Cars tend to slow down along narrower roads, Oberst said. Currently, the commercial corridor has three driving lanes: two westbound and one eastbound. The center lane would be converted to a turning lane, leaving eastbound and westbound traffic with one lane each. CHRIS MACHIAN, THE WORLD-HERALD Two people walk westbound on Farnam Street toward 40th Street on Monday. Blackstone District has revealed plans for a streetscape makeover that will include widening sidewalks. Parking would not change as a result of the streetscape proposal, Blackstone leaders said, but a nine-story mixed-use structure planned for the corridor between 38th and 37th Streets is poised to add a few hundred parking spots to the area. Farho said the district also is working with the city to add metered parking for handicapped visitors on the corridors west end. Blackstone leaders are set to discuss the streetscape plan and fundraising efforts with area residents Tuesday night. TSP INC. The Blackstone District has revealed plans for a streetscape makeover. Part of the plan includes strands of lights to be strung across Farnam Street from 39th to 40th Streets. They said the plan has received the green light from Mayor Jean Stotherts administration. However, they said, its unknown whether or how much of the $4.4 million might come from city coffers. Planning essentially started, Oberst said, when a Blackstone merchant raised the idea of a destination lighting project akin to places like the Kansas City Power & Light District, Denvers Larimer Square or Michigans Port Huron. It wasnt as simple as anchoring lights to businesses, he said, as some older structures were ill-equipped. The current plan calls for poles to be installed as anchors for the lights. A specific style has yet to be determined. Jay Lund of GreenSlate Development, which has been behind the bulk of Blackstone development projects, says safety enhancements cant come soon enough. He cited the Blackstone apartment-dweller who was hospitalized after the vehicle hit her in June. Also recently, Lund said, a man was clipped by a car during the evening as he moved from behind his Uber ride. These are just examples of the exposure this area has with narrow sidewalks and fast traffic, Oberst said. Were trying to address that public safety exposure. And the district is only growing beyond what Lund said is more than 30 locally owned businesses that opened in the past decade. CHRIS MACHIAN, THE WORLD-HERALD Two people walk east on Farnam Street toward 39th Street on Monday. Leaders from three Blackstone groups supporting the streetscape plan are optimistic the district can be sporting its new look in 2023. Drivers today navigate through several construction sites. A hole in the ground at 3863 Farnam, the former site of century-old apartments, signals a future two-story commercial building to be occupied by restaurants with outdoor patios on both Farnam and Harney. The nine-story, $43.5 million building with apartments, retail and parking is scheduled to open in 2023. The Cottonwood Hotel and its restaurants are up and running after a three-year, $75 million rehab project. Across the street is the relatively new Switch Beer and Food Hall. To the east, at 36th and Farnam Streets, the Lund Co. is renovating the former Kiewit headquarters into an office building for multiple users. Most new infections, as well as some 97% of hospitalizations, continue to occur among unvaccinated people. But breakthrough infections can occur in vaccinated people, although they generally cause milder illness. Some local experts already had begun recommending masks for vaccinated people in indoor settings, particularly if they have young children at home or live with an immune-compromised person. Dr. James Lawler, a co-executive director of the University of Nebraska Medical Centers Global Center for Health Security, said the new recommendation is overdue. People really dont comprehend how bad this delta variant is, and what a rude awakening were going to get unless were able to change course quickly, he said. Previously, the CDC recommended that only unvaccinated people needed to mask in indoor, public places. But without some kind of verification system, Lawler said, no one can determine whether those they encounter in stores or workplaces are vaccinated. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDCs director, said during a media briefing that new scientific data indicates that delta behaves uniquely differently than past strains of the virus. On rare occasions, some vaccinated people infected with delta may be contagious and spread the virus to others. Pierce eventually stepped down from the Fight Back Foundation to avoid any appearance of conflict after his firm was accused of defaulting on millions in obligations to the firms financiers. In one lawsuit filed in the New York Supreme Court, Reuters reported, Pierce admitted that he owes $3.75 million plus legal fees and interest to the funder. The lawsuit holds Kleine responsible for allowing Franklin to reveal information from the grand jury proceedings which were designed to destroy Jacobs image and prejudice the community against him. Defendant Franklin made these statements despite noting that he could not share evidence presented to the grand jury. The suit alleges Franklin, at his Sept. 15 press conference, described the case against Gardner as almost (a) slam dunk. Gardner received more than 1,600 death threats, according to the lawsuit, and his family left Nebraska out of fear for their own safety. According to the resolution, The complaints also alleged that Strigenz is engaged in an abuse of power and that his conduct opens the county for a sexual harassment lawsuit. After the meeting, Strigenz rejected the complaints. I deny the allegations, Strigenz said. The (boards) objection is noted. This matter is now resolved. I can move on. Ive always encouraged my employees to report harassment and discrimination. I urge and strongly urge all employees of Sarpy County to report any harassment discrimination, anything to HR, where they feel unwelcome. Because going to work is not good when youre not feeling welcome. After receiving the anonymous complaints, the board hired an outside law firm to investigate Strigenz and his office. According to the resolution, the board alleged that Strigenz committed the following misconduct: Dishonesty. Strigenz told Human Resources that there was no truth to the allegation that he was having a sexual relationship with a subordinate employee. However, the investigation concluded it was more likely than not that Strigenz was dishonest about this relationship. The Omaha metro area is in for an extra dose of muggy, oppressive summer heat. The good news: Its slated to abate by the weekend. Temperatures in the mid- to upper 90s and a heat index above 100 degrees are forecast for the next three days in Omaha. The worst of the heat is expected on Wednesday, when a heat index of 108 is forecast. Much hotter conditions are forecast elsewhere in the region, including a heat index of 114 in Niobrara, Nebraska, so the National Weather Service has issued an heat advisory cautioning people to take care. A cool-down is expected to arrive by the weekend, said Brett Albright, a meteorologist at the weather service office in Valley. From Friday through Sunday, both the temperature and heat index are forecast to peak in the 80s, according to the weather service. (After) the super oppressive stuff ... were back to regular summer heat, Albright said of the weekend cooldown. Well get through it. With the cooler weather may come some much needed moisture. Rain chances make an appearance in the forecast Thursday night and continue intermittently into the weekend. None of the storms will be a soaker, Albright said, but the area likely will see some rain. CHICAGO (AP) The city of Chicago and its police union on Monday announced they have reached a tentative contract agreement after four years of negotiations. The tentative contract is aligned with the consent decree entered into in 2019 that calls for reforms to how the Chicago Police Department operates, according to officials. The 236-page plan negotiated between Illinois and Chicago officials calls for more community policing, more data collection on how officers work and expanded training on the use of force. One provision will require officers to file paperwork each time they point a gun at someone, even if they dont fire. The reforms in the contract includes the end to a ban on investigation of anonymous complaints and the changing of officer testimony after viewing video. In addition, officers can now be rewarded for reporting misconduct of other officers. FOP negotiator Paul Vallas said what he calls core accountability issues, are dealt with in the tentative contract, more controversial disciplinary changes must still be negotiated. The tentative contract calls for rank-and-file police officers to receive a 10.5% retroactive pay raise and 9.5% more through January 2025. The proposal represents an average annual increase of 2.5%. Justice Department lawyers representing the Bureau of Land Management told Du during a hearing last week the company can't begin construction of the mine until it completes a historic properties treatment plan in conjunction with the agency and obtains several outstanding permits from the state of Nevada. Du said in her ruling that the plans for excavations and collection of data at 21 historic properties calls for two to 25 holes to be dug by hand at each site along with seven mechanical trenches at some sites up to a few meters deep and 40 meters (130 feet) long. She said the harm described by opponents is more speculative than specific and not specifically tied to any of the actual sites that may be excavated in conjunction with the historic properties treatment plan. They assume the digging will involve destruction of sagebrush, but that is not necessarily true, Du wrote, especially because they don't know the specific location of the planned trenches because the sites have been kept confidential. She also noted that Lithium Nevada has committed to provide 60 days advance notice before it commences any significant ground disturbance at the mine site. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Minnesota health officials warned Monday that the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus now accounts for more than 75% of the state's new COVID-19 cases and that it's a serious threat to people who still have not gotten vaccinated. There definitely is a mindset that we're done with COVID, Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said during a briefing for reporters. But it's more accurate to say that that we're in a critical transition phase. The commissioner said the state has made important progress and now has much better tools for fighting the pandemic. But she warned that the state has not reached herd immunity, and that vaccination rates in some parts of Minnesota are far below average. The variant will find unprotected people and infect them at much higher rates, she said. The delta variant has gone from causing less than 1% of Minnesota cases to over three-quarters in just a few weeks, said Kris Ehresmann, the state's infectious disease director. And Walz paid a heavy political price for defying them. Laura Bishop resigned as commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency earlier this month when it became apparent that the GOP-controlled state Senate was about to vote to reject her confirmation over her agency's leading role in the process. It puts California bureaucrats in charge of our industry here in Minnesota, Scott Lambert, president of the Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association, said in an interview. The state has no ability to modify or amend these rules. Lambert added that the changes will swamp Minnesota dealers with more electric vehicles than customers want to buy, and force up car prices for everyone. Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, of East Gull Lake, who has said he expects the rules to be a campaign issue in 2022. called them another example of Walz one-man rule, in line with his reliance on emergency powers to manage the pandemic. Im not surprised Governor Walz continues to issue mandates after the last 18 months," Gazelka said in a statement. His emergency powers may be over but his ego trip is not, and it looks like One Minnesota is just Walzs Minnesota, he added, echoing the governor's 2018 campaign theme. MCALLEN, Texas (AP) South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noems whirlwind tour of the U.S. border with Mexico on Monday was filled with climbing into military vehicles, visiting with troops and positioning herself as tough on an issue that's sure to loom large in 2024 presidential debates. The Republican governor flew to McAllen, Texas, to check in on the roughly 50 National Guard members who volunteered for a 30-day deployment. She heard how troops have encountered many children crossing and are eager to be stationed where even more people cross the border each night. The reality of it is astonishing, Noem told The Associated Press after meeting with the troops. What our soldiers are seeing is a porous border. The ambitious governor s first visit to the border gives her a chance to pick up where former President Donald Trump left off in making hard-line immigration measures a driving force of the Republican Party. Noem eagerly joined the political fight with President Joe Biden after a surge in border crossings, sending the South Dakota Guard members to aid Texas push to arrest people crossing the border illegally and charge them with state crimes. An Omaha man has been indicted on a bank fraud charge in connection with a loan application to the Paycheck Protection Program for COVID-19 relief. M.A. Yahs case is believed to be the first of its kind in Nebraska. According to the indictment, Yah was the director of The Heartland News, a nonprofit newspaper focused on work with the homeless that dissolved in 2019. The business was reinstated in March 2020, after paying its biennial fee to the secretary of state. In court records, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Lynch said that in April 2020, Yah requested a PPP loan of $100,800 to support the newspapers payroll and submitted a fraudulent application overstating the number of employees and payroll for the previous year. On May 6, 2020, $100,800 in PPP money was deposited in the newspapers account at an Omaha bank. In a press release, Acting U.S. Attorney Jan Sharp said Yah, who is set for court next month, could get up to 30 years of imprisonment, a $1 million fine and five years of supervised release. LINCOLN Gov. Pete Ricketts sharply criticized the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday for its new recommendations that even vaccinated people should wear masks indoors. The governor, who has fought mask mandates throughout the coronavirus pandemic, said the state of Nebraska will not be adopting the CDC guidance. He also said he expects schools and universities in the state to reopen this fall without mask or vaccine mandates. Its time for the CDC and the government to get out of the way and to stop trying to tell people how to live their lives, Ricketts said in a statement. The governor argued that the new guidance flies in the face of the public health goals that should guide the agencys decision-making, and it would increase public distrust of the CDC. Some local health experts, however, already had begun recommending masks for vaccinated people in indoor settings, particularly if they have young children at home or live with an immune-compromised person. Dr. James Lawler, a co-executive director of the University of Nebraska Medical Centers Global Center for Health Security, said the changed recommendation is overdue. Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster no longer has a running mate. On Tuesday, Theresa Thibodeau announced she will step aside as a candidate for lieutenant governor due to potential opportunities that would conflict with the campaign. Thibodeau, a former state senator and former chair of the Douglas County Republican Party, deferred to her press release Tuesday in an email to The World-Herald rather than offering further comment. At this time, I do not feel I will be able to devote the needed time to the campaign, she said in the press release. In fairness to Charles and his wonderful team, I want to thank them for their support, and wish them the best for a successful election. I look forward to the continuation of conservative leadership in Nebraska. A replacement for Thibodeau had not yet been chosen, according to Ellen Keast, deputy campaign manager for Herbster. The Falls City agribusinessman will embark on a tour starting Wednesday without a running mate, she said. As of Tuesday afternoon, Thibodeaus biography still appeared on Herbsters campaign website. Were not stopping the campaign by any means, Keast said. Weve got the potential to have near-record to record yields if we can get a few precipitation events, particularly in east-central and southeast Nebraska, before the fall harvest, he said. Dutcher estimated that corn yields could result in an average of 180 to 190 bushels per acre. Its a bit murkier outlook for soybeans because of the crop being in the middle of a key developmental stage. Soybeans are the crop that, in two weeks time, youre going to have an idea of how (the heat) is impacting what will be the harvest later on, Svoboda said. Nebraska Farm Bureau President Mark McHargue echoed that sentiment. Its very dependent on what the weather is in August on soybean yields, he said. I think its decent on where its at now. But we sure dont have the crop made by any stretch in Nebraska yet. If the heat wave breaks later this week as forecast, Dutcher indicated that the soybean crop likely will hold up, particularly if a similar heat wave doesnt follow the cool-down in temperatures. Precipitation certainly would help foster a strong soybean harvest. Unfortunately, falsehoods are being spread throughout the state about this new proposal, some calling it a land grab, or federal takeover of conservation efforts. Nothing could be further from the truth. Among the core principles of this 30-by-30 plan is to support locally led and locally designed conservation efforts. That seems pretty clear to me. The idea is to combat three major problems identified in the proposal that threaten the lands, waters and wildlife of this country.: 1) The disappearance of nature. In the U.S. according to the federal report, 12,000 wildlife species need conservation assistance to avoid the threat of extinction. The disappearance of bees and other pollinators is reducing crop yields and threatens food security. There are 3 billion fewer birds in North America than there were 50 years ago. 2) Climate change is contributing to historic droughts and floods, more frequent and intense wildfires and natural disasters, and the spread of invasive species. 3) Inequitable access to the outdoors. In too many neighborhoods and communities across America, families are finding too few close-to-home opportunities to safely enjoy the outdoors. Safeguarding our election process is definitely important enough to protect that requiring those who wish to vote to endure the very small inconvenience of obtaining an ID is not unreasonable. Excepting, of course, those not legally allowed to vote in U.S. elections. Jeff Miller, Omaha Troubling proposals Many of your readers have taken the position that voter ID is OK. Thats fine, but they ignore the fact that the 350-plus voter suppression laws Republican lawmakers have proposed are about a lot more than ID. Democrats have agreed with many ID laws. The real problem is the closing of polling sites, the end of the tradition of souls to the polls where Southern blacks would vote after church. This was started to supply transportation, safety and encourage voting during a time when you also could be physically harmed. Why would Texas eliminate polling places in the largest county in the state? Why give officials the power to change elections if there are fraud allegations? No proof, just allegations. Whats wrong with sending a mail application to someone who hasnt requested one? Many people in this state have the chance to vote by mail but choose to vote in person. The Richmond District hosted the Army in 1898 by Woody LaBounty (Originally published in WNP member newsletter, Summer 2006) On February 15, 1898, the battleship USS Maine mysteriously exploded in the harbor of Havana, Cuba. Cuban revolutionaries and William Randolph Hearst's media empire accused Spain's oppressive colonial regime for the disaster and the loss of 266 U.S. sailors. After an American court of inquiry concluded an external mine had destroyed the ship, and amid calls to "Remember the Maine," the United States of America declared war on Spain in April 1898. 1 In the first battle of what became known as the Spanish-American War, Commodore George Dewey's naval squadron destroyed seven Spanish ships in Manila Bay on May 1, 1898. The War Department had expected the conflict with Spain to be fought primarily on the seas, and Dewey's win boded well for American success. President McKinley quickly used Dewey's triumph to shift the focus of the war away from Cuba and instead onto Spain's rich colonies in the Pacific. Naval war or not, McKinley called for the Army to recruit a total of 125,000 men, and directed forces to be marshaled in San Francisco for deployment to the Philippine archipelago. By early May 1898, trains began arriving in Oakland with young men from Pennsylvania and Colorado, Oregon and Kansas---all coming to form a 20,000-man expeditionary force headed by General Wesley Merritt. Welcoming parties of the Red Cross Society met the units at the San Francisco Ferry Building with food and flowers. The mostly-volunteer infantries, feted and cheered along the way, would then march up Market Street to their campsites. Early arrivers, such as the 6th California Infantry and 1st Washington Infantry, bivouacked on the eastern boundary of the Presidio of San Francisco army base. While the Presidio had ample open space, it had a limited water supply. The Army worried about sanitation issues with thousands more men on the way, and other encampment sites were sought for the troops due to arrive from eastern states. The Crocker Estate Company offered the government use of the defunct Bay District Race Track land, situated between the Presidio and Golden Gate Park. The site had enough space for 10,000 troops, with nearby city water mains available. The Army gratefully accepted, and starting on May 18, 1898 rows of white tents lined the sandy lots between today's Geary Boulevard, Fulton Street, Arguello Street and Sixth Avenue. An eventful summer for the Richmond district was about to begin. Initially called "Camp Richmond" or "Bay District Camp" the growing encampment received the official name "Camp Merritt". Despite this honor, the eponymous commanding officer was rarely seen in the area. General Merritt roomed downtown at the Palace Hotel, and when he left his suite it was usually for soirees, parties, and balls in the city or down the peninsula at the estates of the wealthy. With all of San Francisco abuzz over the war preparations and the city's role as jumping-off point, General Merritt and other officers found themselves with full social schedules attending the multitude of celebratory send-offs. The enlisted men and volunteers also received their share of attention in the Richmond district. The "Boys in Blue", as the newspapers generally called them, were popular with admiring neighborhood children, eager Richmond merchants, and visiting parties of women bringing picnic lunches. The Richmond Banner warned mothers of "the impropriety of allowing their daughters to visit the soldiers' camp without chaperones" while acknowledging the "camping of the volunteer troops in Richmond has made a vast amount of difference to the business houses in the district. [...] Richmond is now the liveliest part of the city." 2 Adding to the liveliness was an explosion of bars, saloons, and "officers' clubs" around the camp. Already situated along "Beer Town"---an area of drinking establishments near Golden Gate Park---the camp was soon serviced by thirteen new "groggeries" before the neighborhood improvement group got the city to stop issuing liquor licenses. A soldier could remember the Maine at "The Maine" on First Avenue. Volunteers could toast the regular soldiers at "The Regulars' Home" on Fifth Avenue, or exchange pleasantries at the "US Army Exchange" down the block. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that women owned some of the bars, while others just used females as bartenders, and that there were "reports that soldiers, accompanied by women, have been served with liquor in back rooms." Music was also used as a way to get the soldiers inside, but it was "not of the symphony concert order." 3 As the number of soldiers in the Richmond approached 7,000, a camp extension had to be created on James Clark Jordan's adjacent land, today's Jordan Park neighborhood. On May 28, 1898 the division hospital moved to this section, and eventually troops from Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Iowa would camp on these blocks between today's Geary Boulevard, California street, Palm and Commonwealth avenues. The division hospital sadly received a lot of use. Poor sanitation and crowded conditions created a lot of illness and not a few deaths among the men in Camp Merritt. Over 150 soldiers crowded the field hospital on July 11, 1898 a number with pneumonia. 4 With the sand, fog, and sickness, soldiers remembered Camp Merritt as "an unhealthy, ill-drained, wind-swept locality". Joseph I. Markey of the 51st Iowa Infantry vowed that for all the hospitality of the locals and the delights of nearby Golden Gate Park, "We have hopes that at some time the truth will come out as to who is responsible for Camp Merritt's existence and that the guilty will not go unpunished." 5 Ten men died over the summer, from measles, typhoid and other diseases. Poor sanitation and close living was the chief reason for the sickness, but the Army didn't hesitate to blame the Richmond district location "to which hucksters and immoral and depraved persons within the city had access." 6 The Richmond Banner felt criticism of Camp Merritt (and the Richmond climate) as unhealthy was a conspiracy by downtown interests to hide the poor preparations of the U.S. Army and the city: "If there had not been so many personal axes to grind, Camp Merritt would not have been considered such an awful place. The agitators would then have hunted for the real cause of most of the sickness. The fact that men were brought here from warmer places with little clothing and that of a poor quality, would be shown. The bedding would be examined and it would be seen that but little comfort could be had sleeping under a pair of thin cotton blankets after a hard day's drilling. No one should wonder that there has been sickness; in fact it is a surprise that the death rate has not been greater." 7 As units began shipping out, the Army decided to close Camp Richmond and move remaining troops back into the Presidio. By August 1898 Camp Merritt had returned to being sandy open land, although some of the Richmond merchants couldn't quite say goodbye to the easy profits. "A. Rehfeld of the Richmond Shaving Parlors has made many friends among the soldier boys and now that they are going to the Presidio he has decided to go partway with them. He has put up a building on Lyon street near Greenwich street where he has established a liquor store." 8 Spain gave up the fight after only seven months, and sold the Philippines to the United States for twenty million dollars. Unconsulted in this deal were the Filipino resistance forces, which had fought against Spain for two years and had declared national independence on June 12, 1898. To Filipinos, American colonial rule didn't look any better than Spanish colonial rule had. The Spanish-American War soon became the Philippine-American War, which dragged on for over a decade after the big victory parades that marched through U.S. cities in 1899. 9 Developer Fernando Nelson began filling in the Bay District Race Track site with homes in 1902. The sand that once blew into the coffee of irritated soldiers was buried under concrete, blacktop, and row housing. On May 22, 1952, seven veterans returned to the Richmond district to remember old times and observe the installation of a commemorative plaque on the side of a building at 695 Second Avenue (at Cabrillo Street). The inscription on the California Historical Society plate recognized the camp location of the 13th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. One of the veterans, Charles H. Craigie, actually wore his 54-year-old uniform and danced for reporters. "None of us feels as if we are exactly fading away. We don't look so faded, do we?" 10 Fifty-four years later, the plaque has disappeared from the building. Camp Merritt, and the Richmond district's small role in a long war, is now commemorated by a faint rectangle and four bolt holes. Update: The plaque was found and remounted to the building in late 2008. Thanks to the owners of 695 Second Avenue for finding it! More on Camp Merritt: Read diary entries from a soldier of the time on this very nicely-done site by John Asendorf. Contribute your own stories about western neighborhoods places! InvestCorp Asset Management Limited (InvestCorp), the premier investment banking and asset management firm, has out doored its new electronic services platform dubbed InvestCorp e-Hub aimed at enabling clients interact with the company conveniently. Key features of the InvestCorp e-Hub include an upgraded website to keep stakeholders abreast with relevant investment and firm information; a new online self-service portal to allow clients to gain remote access to their accounts 24/7; a mobile application to enable smart phone users (android and iOS) gain real-time access to their accounts; mobile money USSD short codes (in partnership with Emergent & Zeepay) to allow clients without internet service to access their accounts; and Controller and Accountant Generals Department (CAGD) source debits to enable public sector employees invest directly through their payroll accounts with the CAGD. Through the InvestCorp e-Hub, clients will now be able to top-up their investment accounts, set up recurring investment debits, open accounts, access and amend key account information, request for redemptions, request official statements, monitor all their investments, and access relevant research material. Commenting on the InvestCorp e-Hub, the Managing Director of InvestCorp, Henry Sunkwa-Mills, said his outfit is committed to prioritizing client convenience, hence, the launch of the platform. These additions to our services illustrate our commitment to providing a holistic all-in-one experience for our clients from onboarding to investment account management. We believe that these platforms will provide convenience, ensure consistency in investment and increase transparency. Our seamless processes have consistently provided convenience to our clients and we aim to add more value to their finances by transforming the conventional way of investing through the use of Information Technology (IT) with interactive user interfaces. In light of this, today, I launch the InvestCorp e-Hub. The InvestCorp e-Hub is an amalgamation of our various electronic investing platforms that will enable clients interact with the firm and conduct their transactions digitally on safe and secure platforms, he said. Deputy Director General (Finance) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Paul Ababio, commended InvestCorp Ltd for introducing an innovation that will promote financial inclusion and digitization. Overall, we encourage financial inclusion and part of our mandate of protecting investors is to ensure that investors are well educated. Part of the education is increasing the channels through which they can access information so a platform that allows investors to access information easily in terms of their investment balances, retrieving statements, and contacting the market operators are critical to the growth of the market. Hence, we are excited and congratulate InvestCorp for this initiative. The interface is friendly to use, there is a web option, an app option and a USSD option, so a range of users can access it, he said. Deputy Managing Director of InvestCorp, Mr. Kwabena Apeagyei, assured clients of continuous innovation that will churn out products and services to meet their changing needs. He further stated that the InvestCorp e-Hub will expand the clientele base of the company by attracting Ghanaians in the diaspora who seek a financial base at home. The InvestCorp mobile app is available on android from August 1, 2021 whereas, iOS users will be able to have access to the app in September 2021. Source: thebftonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, Minister of Education, has urged world leaders to consider adopting prudent measures to improve access and quality of education in their countries. He said the current situation across the world, called for all nations to make access to education for all a topmost priority to improve socio-economic development. Dr Adutwum was delivering a keynote address via zoom at the official opening of a meeting of a UN High-Level Advisory Group for Mission 4.7, a new global initiative to put into practice the bold vision articulated by the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) target 4.7 on education. The meeting brought together education experts from across the globe to share ideas on how best to support the development of global education. The Minister described the ongoing transformation of the nation's education as very crucial to catch up with the rest of the world. He explained that after undertaking several reforms as a nation, there was the need to look at what was needed critically by the nation so that the right resources could be provided to strengthen the system. Dr Adutwum assured the world of Ghanas readiness to cooperate with agencies and institutions to discuss issues relating to the development of education in the world. He indicated that Ghana was currently embarking on mapping Junior High Schools towards a review to support the planning of a new JHS schools' construction to meet the demands of the 21st Century. Some of the members of the Advisory Board took turns to talk about a mapping project being taken by the group to gather data on the location, the number of schools, facilities in them and what needs they had. The data collection exercise is to help in proper planning and how to seek support for their improvement. Several targets under SDG 4 are concerned with access to various levels of education, especially for vulnerable populations. Timely data on school locations is essential for the assessment of students and student's needs, planning for resources allocation and access to other services such as health facilities, and policy planning that can improve the quality of education for students. Professor Jeffery Sachs, President, United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, pledged to support Ghanas education transformation effort after praising the governments economic transformation agenda through the introduction of the Free Secondary Education. He said the Network was providing accessible products using open-source data to share national population counts within various travel distances and time from recorded educational facilities The goal is to engage local students, communities and other actors in the ongoing development of this dataset and learn how to work with education ministers and statistical offices to complement official data sources. Dr Jason Sawle, a United Kingdom based Education Consultant, charged the global education actors to take the issue of mapping of schools as crucial since it was needed to promote the development of nations through education. He pledged to work diligently to bring out the best in the usage of mapping of schools across the globe since it could expedite action on the development of the world. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Ghana Association of Urological Surgeons (GAUS) has called on the government to retool all hospitals with modern urological equipment for effective healthcare delivery. It said apart from the main referral hospitals such as Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, 37 Military Hospital and the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, which were equipped, the smaller regional hospitals had nothing, a situation that was not the best for patients requiring that service. We think that if all regional hospitals and some of the big teaching hospitals are given the needed equipment, it would go a long way to improve the care we give to these patients and also improve training as well, the President of the GAUS, Prof. J.E. Mensah, said in an interview with the Daily Graphic. Urological diseases Urologic diseases describe a wide variety of conditions, all related to the filtering and carrying of urine out of the body. These diseases can affect men, women, and children of all ages. These diseases affect very specific parts of the body. In females, they involve the urinary tract. In males, they affect the urinary tract or the reproductive organs. Symptoms may include frequent urination, trouble starting to urinate, weak stream, inability to urinate or loss of bladder control. Complications can include urinary tract infections, bladder stones and chronic kidney problems. Communique This was to throw more light on the communique issued by the GAUS at the end of its Annual General Meeting in Accra recently. The communique was issued after the GAUS AGM and Scientific Session, held on July 17, 2021 in collaboration with the academic staff from Melbourne University, Australia, and a urologist from South Africa, as well as its sponsors. The days event held sessions attended by urologists and urologists in training from teaching, regional and district hospitals across the country. Pharmacists and other urology industry players were also present. The scientific session, which was chaired by Prof. G. O. Klufio, the outgoing president of GAUS, was aimed at improving the care of patients with Congenital Genitourinary Disorders. Rising cases of urological diseases The communique said from discussions, it was observed that Hypospadias (a birth defect in boys where the opening of the urethra is not located at the tip of the penis) was the most common congenital abnormality seen in Ghana, followed by undescended testis and posterior urethral valves (small leaflets of tissue in the urethra). Such conditions, according to the communique, result in the valves partly blocking urine flow because not enough urine get through them to leave the body. This causes a reverse flow of urine. This can harm the urethra, bladder, ureters and kidneys. Adequate treatment requires a thorough neonatal assessment of the baby but there are not many urologists to handle these rising cases. As a matter of urgency, therefore, the GAUS is advocating the expansion of a Urology residency training to include paediatric and plastic surgery rotations to increase residents' exposure to these conditions and their management, the communique said. National data The communique further called for the compilation of a comprehensive national data set on those disorders, including follow-ups and outcome information to give a clearer picture of the situation. Participants recommended that at birth, all children's genitalia must be carefully examined to detect and document any congenital anomalies. Before consulting with a urologist, parents of babies with abnormal genitalia should be counselled against circumcision. Lack of tools According to Prof. Mensah, who is also the Head of Department of Surgery of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, retooling the hospitals with the requisite equipment was critical for adequate care to persons in need of urological services as it also served as an avenue for training. One of the biggest challenges of urologists, he said, had to do with the lack of the equipment to work with. They come for training and you post them to the regional hospitals and they cannot function well. The retooling will definitely help and it is not only in urology; a lot of specialities have the same challenges- the equipment, he said. To manage the congenital anomalies very well you would need equipment. The big hospitals like Korle Bu and 37 have some of these equipment but the small regional hospitals dont. We dont want patients to always be referred maybe from Tamale to Korle Bu, he said. Prof. Mensah further noted that though some hospitals might have bits and pieces of equipment, even those might be old and thus not effectively fit the purpose, thus the need to replace them. If you train a urologist and post him to a regional hospital, you must necessarily provide him with the equipment he needs to work with. So, that is what we are saying, Prof. Mensah said. Resolved challenge The issue of inadequate urologists and working tools have been a recurring challenge in the country. In early 2000, there was a handful of them, a situation that saw specialists from particularly, the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, frequently travelling to the other regions to deliver specialists consultation. In 2005, three of them met their untimely death as they returned from an official duty. The victims, Professor John Kwateboi Marmon Quartey, First Consultant Urologist and Founder of the Anatomy and Urology Departments of the University of Ghana Medical School; Dr Isaac Kofi Bentsi, Consultant Urologist, and Dr Benjamin Osei-Wiafe, Specialist Urologist, died in a fatal accident on the Bunso-Apedwa stretch of the Accra-Kumasi road on August 27, as they were returning to Accra after undertaking an outreach programme at the Sunyani Regional Hospital. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Tunisia's main political parties have accused the president of staging a coup after he sacked the prime minister and suspended parliament. Kais Saied, who also dismissed the defence minister, says he acted in accordance with the constitution. The move followed Sunday's violent mass protests over the government's handling of the coronavirus outbreak and the economic and social turmoil. Calls are now growing from the international community for restraint. The UN said "all disputes... should be resolved through dialogue", while the EU urged all sides involved to respect the rule of law and avoid violence. There were similar appeals from the Arab League, Russia and Qatar. The US expressed its concern about the latest developments. Clashes among Mr Saied's supporters and opponents continued on Monday in the capital Tunis. They threw stones at each other outside the legislature, which has been barricaded by troops. Mr Saied, an independent who was elected in 2019, has had a long-standing feud with the man he has removed, Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi. Mr Mechichi has the backing of the largest party in parliament, Ennahda, who are moderate Islamists. Tunisia's revolution in 2011 is often held up as the sole success of the Arab Spring revolts across the region - but it has not led to stability economically or politically. The recent spike in Covid cases has fuelled long-standing public frustration. The health minister was sacked last week after a bungled vaccination drive. 'Until social peace returns' On Sunday, thousands of people across Tunisia demonstrated against the PM and Ennahda. The party's local headquarters in the south-western city of Touzeur were set on fire. In a televised address, Mr Saied said: "We have taken these decisions... until social peace returns to Tunisia and until we save the state." He vowed to respond to further violence with military force. In the early hours of Monday, the speaker of parliament, Rached Ghannouchi, who leads Ennahda, tried to get into the legislature. When he was blocked by Mr Saied's supporters, he and his own loyalists staged a sit-down protest. Later on Monday, Al-Jazeera TV, which has been viewed as sympathetic to Ennahda, said security forces had raided its offices in Tunis, unplugging all equipment and telling staff to leave. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Tunisia's parliamentary speaker has been denied access into parliament after the president suspended the house. Rached Ghannouchi has staged a sit-in outside parliament's gate as soldiers manned it and declined to open. President Kais Saied was on Sunday evening accused of staging a coup. This was after he announced he was taking over and sacked the prime minister. Protesters had been calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi. The public is angered by the government's handling of the Covid pandemic, especially a recent surge in cases which has strained health resources and resulted in a higher rate of fatalities. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Member of Parliament for Mpraeso Constituency, Davis Ansah Opoku, has called on National Service personnel in the Kwahu South Municipality to grab opportunities under the Ghana COVID-19 Alleviation and Revitalization of Enterprise Support (Ghana CARES) program to establish businesses to employ others. Speaking at the launch of the National Service Week celebration in the Mpraeso Constituency, Mr Ansah advised the youth to see themselves as job creators and not job seekers. He noted that the Ghana CARES (Obaatampa) program aims at supporting commercial farming and attracting educated youth into agriculture. He said, other areas of the program will be building Ghanas light manufacturing sector, developing machine tools and a digital economy, areas you already have the skills and knowledge in. The young legislator urged the youth to form partnerships and register enterprises around the program's focus areas. The government intends to invest GHS100 billion into the programme and other initiatives through Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) and Private-Public Partnerships. President Nana Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday, July 20, during his Eid message, announced that in the mid-year budget review, Government would unveil plans for the creation of one million more jobs under the Ghana CARES Obaatampa project for the next three years. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Buduburam Camp, which for over two decades served as home for refugees, is to be demolished to pave the way for the redevelopment of the area. The place will be developed to have a senior high school, a residential community and a modern market. The camp, which was decommissioned as a refugee base by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in June 2010, has become a settlement and now bears the infamous credential as a hideout for social deviants, including alleged robbery gangs. The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Gomoa East, Mr Solomon Darko-Quarm, told the Daily Graphic that the demolition of the camp was in response to a request by the Gomoa Fetteh chiefs over the increasing criminal acts in the Gomoa area, with the camp being turned into an abode for suspected criminals. The Buduburam Camp has become an albatross around the neck of the nation as it has become a den for many suspected criminals engaged in many criminal activities across the country, he noted. He indicated, however, that the exercise would be undertaken after the completion of the ongoing tarring of new roads at Buduburam meant to ease the traffic congestion on that stretch of the Accra-Cape Coast highway. Buduburam camp The camp is sited in the Gomoa East District and shares a boundary with Kasoa. It was set up by the UNHCR in 1990 to serve as a safe abode for more than 12,000 refugees from Liberia who fled the country during the two Liberian civil wars (19891996 and 19992003). It also housed refugees from Sierra Leone who escaped from their countrys civil war between 19912002. Although the camp was decommissioned following the return of peace to the two countries, most of the refugees resettled in the neighbourhood. On May 18, 2021, the chiefs of Gomoa Fetteh, at a news conference, expressed concern about the increasing crime rate at the Buduburam Camp and issued a three-month ultimatum to the government to pull down all makeshift structures said to be the abode of those suspected criminals in the area. Redevelopment Mr Darko-Quarm said the demolition would also pave the way to redevelop the area to befit the districts status as the gateway to the Central Region. It has become a fast-growing community which needs social and economic amenities to befit its status. Among the amenities to be put up in the area will be the construction of a public SHS which will complement the St Gregory SHS which was recently adopted by the government but lacks the capacity to accommodate junior high school graduates in the area, the DCE said. Easing traffic Meanwhile, the district assembly has commenced the expansion and tarring of roads on the Buduburam stretch of the Accra Cape-Coast road to ease the traffic congestion on that stretch. It forms part of the first phase of the Buduburam redevelopment plan. This timely project, when completed, will be a huge relief for many road users, especially motorists plying the Accra-Cape Coast highway, Mr Darko-Quarm told the Daily Graphic after inspecting the progress of work last Sunday. He said it was totally unacceptable for road users to spend long hours in traffic on that stretch of the road. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The UK Minister for Africa, Mr James Duddridge, has called on developing countries to prioritise education spending in their own national budgets. At a virtual press conference, he also urged developing countries to work towards spending more public money on education. Summit Mr Duddridge was addressing selected journalists from the UK and Africa ahead of this years Global Education Summit to be co-hosted by the UK Government and Kenya in London, which begins today. The two-day conference seeks to raise funds for the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) to give 175 million children from developing countries the opportunity to learn. The conference seeks to drum home the fact that getting girls educated is one of the smartest, most sensible investments that will lift the population out of poverty, grow economies and create safer communities. Game-changer Girls education is a game-changer, Mr Duddridge said, stressing that the issue was not just tackling the scourge of gender inequality; it was about empowering girls and giving them the opportunity to be in the classroom. If we can get all girls to have quality secondary education, child marriage which is a violation of children's rights and exposes them to gender-based violence and early pregnancy could fall by two-thirds, the minister told journalists. He said ensuring that every girl had access to 12 years of quality education was a UK Government priority. The minister said conversely, girls with little education or no education were six times more likely to marry before the age of 18 compared with their counterparts with secondary education. If we look at economic growth, $28 trillion could be added to global GDP if women had the same role in the labour market as men. So getting an education is a vital enabler to economic development, Mr Duddridge stated. He observed that educated women earned more across sub-Saharan Africa as one year of additional schooling could increase a womans lifetime earnings by around 12 per cent, describing the benefits as intergenerational. A child whose mother can read is 50 per cent more likely to live beyond the age of five, twice as likely to attend school herself and 50 per cent more likely to be immunised. This has a real catalytic effect, the minister told the journalists. Ambitious goals Mr Duddridge recalled that the foreign secretary set ambitious goals of getting 40 million more girls in school and 20 million more girls reading by age 10 or at the end of primary school in lower and middle-income countries by 2026. He said the UK Government had rallied the G7 leaders to adopt and implement the vital agenda which they indeed did when the UK hosted the Leaders Summit. Last month, the UK made our biggest-ever pledge to GPE, 430m additional money, to get the worlds most vulnerable children, particularly girls, into school. This is the second largest pledge ever made to GPE an increase of 15 per cent on our (previous) annual pledge and the largest bilateral pledge so far, Mr Duddridge said, adding that it was a strong testament to the UKs commitment to getting vulnerable children, particularly the girl-child, to be educated. He urged other donor countries to do more than ever before for the summit, saying, Multilateral partners like the World Bank and UNESCO must also play their part. Philanthropic foundations and the private sector will also need to rise to the challenge. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Member of Parliament for Bantama and Minister for Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye on Sunday, July 25, 2021, joined the Bantama Ebenezer Methodist Church for the 60th Anniversary celebration of its Boys and Girls Brigade. Speaking to the media after the event, the Minister said as a former Brigade boy, the occasion did not only provide the opportunity to reconnect with my childhood friends, seniors, and teachers but also reminded me of how the Methodist teachings and beliefs have shaped my life over the years. Mr. Asenso-Boakye advised the kids to stay true to the objective of the brigade, which is to see to the advancement of the Christian faith, help promote habits of obedience, reverence, instill discipline and self-control for the benefit of their families, church, and society in future. The Boys' and Girls Brigade is an international interdenominational Christian youth organisation, conceived by a Scottish businessman, Sir William Alexander Smith to combine drill and fun activities with Christian values. The Boys Brigade is an international uniformed Youth Organization that deals with the nurture, character development, and disciples of boys. It provides the opportunity for young people to learn, grow and discover their talents in a safe, fun, and caring environment that is rooted in the Christian doctrine. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A woman, Diana Nasimiyu Kibisi has been arrested for allegedly strangling her two children to death in Jerusalem-Waithaka, Dagorreti sub-county, Nairobi. Dagoretti sub-county Commander Francis Wahome said the suspect killed the children on Sunday evening, July 25, and went to Waithaka Police Station to surrender herself. She told police officers that the remains of her children Sydney Miheso, 4, and Miracle Miheso, 2, were lying on the sofa of her house. Police officers on duty swung into action and visited the crime scene where the remains of the two children were found. Diana was thereafter arrested and is in police custody pending further investigations and arraignment. Police said they were unable to process her for a court appearance on Monday since the incident happened at night and they had therefore not concluded preliminary investigations. She is scheduled for a court appearance on Tuesday, July 27, where detectives will ask for more time to finish investigations. Meanwhile, the remains of the two children were taken to the City Mortuary awaiting autopsy. Police say preliminary investigations are yet to establish why the woman killed her two children, however, it was gathered that she committed the crime after domestic disagreement with her husband. Sources close to the family narrated to Citizen Digital that Dianas mother in-law had traveled from Lugari to Nairobi to help her and her husband Alex Miheso sort out their domestic differences. It is however alleged that things did not go as well as expected since there only arose new disagreements. Diana and Alex later saw off her mother-in-law, after which Diana went back home and grabbed the two childrens necks, strangling them to death. Alex said they had indeed been facing some challenges in their marriage, but that he did not expect things to turn out the way they did, with his wife killing their children. "She called in the evening and asked me to come home, that she has killed the children. She has always threatened to kill our kids, she has always sent me messages threatening to kill the kids, he claimed. 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 National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Madina, Mr Francis-Xavier Sosu, has called for a review of aspects of the draft Private Members Bill on lesbians, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQI+) to make the bill an improved one. He also encouraged lawyers to be courageous to point out the issues of concern in the bill. It is my position that there are matters of concern in the Bill that need to be reviewed and reconsidered to make the Bill an improved one which is reflective and consistent with our current views on sanctions which must be more reformative than retributive, he said. Following the introduction of the Private Members Bill titled: The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021, from eight MPs, there has been varied opinions on the matter. According to Mr Sosu, who is the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Madina, some media reports sought to create misleading headlines attributed to him to suggest that the posture of the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Bagbin, was not the view of Parliament. I support bill In a statement issued last Sunday to clarify his position, Mr Sosu said he was in full support of the Bill. It is a great and bold attempt to bring sanity and finality to a practice we consider alien to our culture, he said. He said although leaders of the country had all taken a position on LGBTQI+, there had not been a clearer position on the matter until the introduction of the draft Bill. This is why I believe the Bill is a bold attempt to bring sanity in that space and bring finality to the debate, he added. Nevertheless, the MP believes that the bill has some issues and concerns which need to be reconsidered. Concerns In the opinion of the human rights lawyer, misdemeanours associated with LGBTQI+ activities must go with non-custodial sentences such as community service or fines. I have also advocated in the alternative that we re-look at removing the minimum imprisonment terms and only set a maximum term of imprisonments to allow judges an opportunity to impose perhaps a discretionary number of days or weeks for some of such misdemeanours as well as possibly reduce the penalty units. The Bill does not also provide for mandatory treatment of such persons thrown into prison. This is in spite of our knowledge of the fact that homosexuality is higher in such confined prison facilities than open ones. The time has come where we must as a people ensure that our prisons are reformative and not retributive, the MP said. Wrongly judged Mr Sosu said some people had wrongly judged him on statements he had made on television regarding the Bill, adding, I have seen and read how many have taken the issues out of context to imply that I am not in support of the bill and that I am even against the Right Hon. Speaker on this Bill. Bringing clarity to his position he said: For the avoidance of doubt, I am not against the promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021 and I am not and will never be an advocate for gay rights although I have been a leading human rights advocate for over 10 years and counting. Mr Sosu said his position was that there was no human rights in LGBTQI+. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Warrant Officer Class One (WOI) Esther Saan allegedly seduced a civilian employee, Mr Samuel Kotei, when he was serving her water as instructed. Major General Nicholas Peter Andoh, second prosecution witness in the ongoing treason trial told the High Court. He said when the civilian driver brought the water, the door of the guardroom where WOI Saan was kept was left opened and accused who was coming out asked him to send it to the room. Major General Andoh was disclosing the content of the report of the alleged seduction as investigated by the military police. The key to where the female accused person was kept and at all material times were in the control of the soldiers on duty and that the civilian employee had no access to the place, the lawyer asked. Major General Andoh said the report on the alleged attempt by the accused person to jump bail would be made available to the Court. In a cross-examination by Mr Apanga Lamtiig, lawyer for WOI Esther, the witness said when the driver entered, the accused held him from the back, came to the front, raised her dress without panties and asked him to do something. "In the process a corporal came in and raised the alarm." Mr Lamtiig put it to the witness that none of the accused persons had shot a gun or taken a violent action against the President of the Republic or any member of the executive. Major General Andoh rebutted that the preparation, acquisition and planning were towards the end (coup plot) and the security did not have to wait till they fired before taking appropriate action. Mr Bede Tuuku, counsel for Lance Corporal (LAC) Ali Solomon, asked whether the witness knew his client and that the case he had against him was the fact that he attended a meeting at the Next Door Beach Resort. However, the witness said it was not only that but the fact that LAC Ali also visited Dr Mac Palm at his residence. Dr Frederick Mac Palm, Donya Kafui, Bright Alan Debrah, Johannes Zipki, Colonel Kojo Gameli, WOI Esther Saan, Corporal Seidu Abubakar, LAC Ali, LAC Sylvester Akanpewon and Assistant Commissioner of Police Benjamin Korsi Agordzo are standing trial for conspiracy to commit high treason, high treason, abetment among others. They have all denied their respective charges and have been granted bail. The ten are being tried at the High Court by a three member panel: Justices Hafsa Amaleboba and Stephen Oppong, presided over by Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Former President John Dramani Mahama is lacing his boots to contest the 2024 presidential election, barring any hitch. He has, therefore, tasked Muslims in his hometown Bole in the Savannah Region, to pray for him, as he prepares to return into the contest once again after losing the 2016 and 2020 elections respectively to the NPPs candidate Nana Akufo-Addo. Radio Announcement The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Bole-Bamboi, Alhaji Yussif Sulemana, relayed the former Presidents intentions on Bole-based Nkilgi FM during the 2021 Eid-ul-Adha celebration on Tuesday. Former President John Dramani Mahama who is from Bole here (sic) has asked me to tell the good people of Bole-Bamboi Constituency that he has not forgotten of the good things they have done for him over the years and that Inshah Allah (God willing) he is likely to come back to contest elections in his party and so they should use this special Eid-ul-Adha day to thank God and to ask for good health, success and victory for him, the MP said. He then said that Prophet Ibrahim was commanded by God to sacrifice his only son Ismael to Him and that Ibrahim made an attempt; which is the highest form of obedience to God and situated it to the political dispensation saying, so former President Mahama entreats his Bole-Bamboi constituents to continue to be obedient to their creator, their parents, elders and also respect and love each other. Official Statement Mr. Mahama, in his 2021 Eid-ul-Adha message, said there is the need for Ghanaians to be reminded of the value of obedience and sacrifice as Muslims celebrated Eid-ul-Adha across the world. He had said Ghanaians should use Eid-ul-Adha to inspire people to give back to humanity, something that is bigger and then sent specific message to Muslims in Bole-Bamboi saying he has always cherished their support over the years and that they should continue to pray for him in all his endeavours. Long Process Before he becomes the NDC flagbearer once again, he has to cross the partys hurdle at the primaries, which political pundits believe is a mere formality. In 2012, Mr. Mahama, then Vice President, was seconded by the party to contest then impending December presidential election following the sudden passing of then President John Evans Atta Mills whose death occurred on July 24, 2012 and was buried on August 10, 2012. Mr. Mahama won the controversial election which culminated in the landmark Presidential Election Petition of 2013 which verdict (5-4) narrowly went in his favour on August 29, 2019, after about eight months of trial. The 2012 petition had been filed by then candidate Nana Akufo-Addo, his running mate Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and then NPP Chairman Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, now deceased. Then candidate Akufo-Addo after the courts verdict announced that even though he did not agree with the judges, he was letting things die for the sake of the peace and development of the country. He then went back to the drawing board planning how to win the 2016 contest, and by dint of hard work, the NPP overpowered the NDC subsequently. 2016 Drama In 2016, whilst seeking a second term in office, Mr. Mahama was defeated heavily by then opposition candidate Nana Akufo-Addo, 72, by over one million votes, making him the first incumbent to lose an election to an opposition leader in the Fourth Republic. While Nana Akufo-Addos votes appreciated significantly and NDCs John Mahama dropped votes with then president-elect widening the gaps with 1,002,749 votes, when there was four more constituencies outstanding. In the final analysis, candidate Akufo-Addo had polled some 5,755,758 representing 53.7% over Mr. Mahamas 4,771,188, representing some 44.4%, to clinch one touch victory in 2016. 2020 Test In 2020, there was another showdown between the two leaders but Mr. Mahama was fighting to become President from opposition with the same Nana Akufo-Addo as incumbent. He was once again defeated by the incumbent President Akufo-Addo who polled 6,730,587, representing 51.303%, to beat the former President, John Mahama, who garnered 6,213,182, representing 47.359% in the eighth election of the Fourth Republic. The votes gap by the president-elect over the former president, who was staging a comeback, was around 517,405 and Mr. Mahamas 44% in 2016 appreciated to 47% in 2020. Legal Tussle Mr. Mahama subsequently launched a legal challenge, claiming he won the election but was denied victory, after he and his party had amassed their supporters to hit the streets to cause mayhem. However, by the time the case was being heard, the NDCs stance that Mr. Mahama was denied victory had shifted to whether or not none of the 12 candidates that participated in the 2020 Presidential Election got the constitutionally mandatory 50 per cent plus one of the total valid votes. The NDC also pushed that the Supreme Court should determine whether the Electoral Commission (EC) had to organise a run-off election between Mr. Mahama as petitioner and President Akufo-Addo who was declared winner by the EC on December 9, 2020 after the crucial December 7, 2020 general election. No Concession A few hours after the petition was unanimously dismissed by the Supreme Court, Mr. Mahama refused to concede defeat, and rather launched blistering attacks on the judges, the President and some state institutions. What was meant to be a criticism of the final judgment of his petition, spilled over to other issues that even had no bearing on the proceedings of the court. He accused the Akufo-Addo-led government of discriminating against some tribes in the country, saying certain tribes have been sidelined, attacked and discriminated against for quite too long and even said the discrimination has been extended to Mr. Daniel Y. Domelevo, the Auditor General who retired from public service. He said Mr. Domelevo was compelled to retire because he was from a certain tribe that he said had suffered great injustice and abuse under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, and conveniently refused to explain the circumstances that made the presidency to ask Mr. Domelevo to retire because he had attained the retirement age of 60. Interestingly, Mr. Domelevo was asked to retire because it had been found out that he tampered with his records at SSNIT in order to remain in government employment, but Mr. Mahama glossed over the facts and just attacked the government for political convenience. Others were falsely branded as foreigners and their citizenship called into question unjustly, an abhorrent nation-wrecking prejudice which had been directed against certain ethnic groups of this country and had continued till date, and had even recently visited cruelly on the Auditor General, Daniel Yaw Domelevo, he had said in the no-concession speech. Volta Propaganda He also alleged that President Akufo-Addos government strategically used the military to create fear and panic in some targeted ethnic groups to discourage them from participating in the 2020 polls. Mr. Mahama said the selective deployment of military personnel in some parts of the country was used as a tool to instill fear in citizens in those areas and prevent them from taking part in the voter registration and other electoral processes. Mr. Mahama also alleged that the NPP government spent huge amount of state resources to launch unprovoked attacks on some people, leading to avoidable deaths of some innocent NDC members. In the last election, unprecedented levels of state funds were doled out by the ruling party and provoked deadly violence during and after the 2020 general elections, Mr. Mahama said, adding, in the process, eight of our compatriots were murdered in cold blood and several others maimed during the process of the elections. We have designated these compatriots whose bloods were shed just because they sought to participate in what was a purely civil exercise as Martyrs of Democracy, to whom we shall dedicate an appropriate monument when the time comes. Interestingly, the police administration in their post-election press conference said their preliminary reports indicated that almost all the incidents that resulted in deaths in particular constituencies were started by Mr. Mahamas own NDC supporters. Source: Daily 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. Featured Video The Chamber for Local Governance (ChaLoG) has expressed concern about the delay in the nomination of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) for the 260 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) across the country. It said the delay had had and continued to have intended and unintended consequences on the smooth administration of the various MMDAs. A statement issued in Accra and signed by its President, Dr Richard Fiadomor, recalled that soon after he was sworn into office, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo caused the Chief of Staff to direct all MMDCEs to continue to remain at post but were expressly warned not to take any major financial decision nor award any contracts until new MMDCEs were nominated and subsequently confirmed by two-thirds majority of assembly members present during voting. As a result of this directive, all the MMDAs across the country have not undertaken any new projects. They continue to collect property rates, business operating permits, markets and lorry tolls from rate payers, yet no capital projects are being undertaken by the Assemblies seven months into the year 2021, it said. DACF It said the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), which is meant to support the MMDAs to undertake development projects, had also not been released to the MMDAs this year. It said ChaLoG found the delay in nominating the MMDCEs as sign of the non prioritisation and the seeming lack of interest in the proper functionality of the Local Governance Structures in this country. The statement, therefore, called on the President to urgently come to terms with the negative impact the delay in nominating MMDCEs was having on the smooth administration of the MMDAs. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress and CEO of the Atta Mills Institute Mr. Koku Anyidoho has been expelled from the party, Peacefmonline.com can confirm. He was blacklisted on grounds of indiscipline. A statement signed by the NDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, explained that the Functional Executive Committee (FEC) of the party considered the report of the National Disciplinary Committee on the "complaint of misconduct" brought against Mr. Anyidoho pursuant to article 48(1)(9)(a)of the NDC constitution. "The FEC, acting in compliance of article 48(1) of the NDC constitution unanimously adopted the report and accepts full responsibility for your expulsion from the party." "You, are, therefore by the decision of FEC expelled from the National Democratic congress and for that matter, you are no more recognized as a member of the party and cannot carry yourself as such," portions of the statement read. The statement further directed Mr. Koku Anyidoho pursuant to article 48(10) of the NDC's constitution to "return any party property that may be in your custody and you shall also forfeit any monies, dues or subscription fees that you may have made to the party". Background The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the NDC was petitioned to expel its former Deputy General Secretary under the Atta Mills administration from the party. The petition filed by a Deputy Bono Regional Communications Officer for the party sought for disciplinary action against Koku Anyidoho on grounds of gross misconduct. In a statement, the petitioner, Eric Adjei said the petition is grounded on many instances, ill-will speeches accentuated by malice and calculated to subject the party to public ridicule. Your browser does not support iframes. Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline/[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. Featured Video Phuket The Phuket Real Estate Association (P-REA) held its 2021 Annual General Meeting on Friday, July 23, 2021, and elected a new set of Executive Directors. The meeting took place in the White House Room of the Boat Lagoon Resort Hotel around 4 p.m. Mr Piyapong Chuwong, the Deputy Governor of Phuket attended the event and delivered a special lecture on the topic How excellent are properties based on rights in order to raise awareness of new types of property that may be used in real estate company operations. Public Works and Town and Country Planning also provided an update on the real estate scenario in Phuket in 2021. Mr Phattanan Phisutvimol, President of the Phuket Real Estate Association, presents the member with the results and activities of the previous year (2020). There was also a new executive committee election. Mr Phattanan Phisutvimol, Phuket Golden Ville Project Manager, and Caps Property Company Limited were overwhelmingly voted as the associations new president for the years 2021-2023, its Mr Phattanans two terms as president. Mr Phattanan expressed gratitude for the members trust and support. He also stated that he believes the Phuket real estate market will undoubtedly recover from the Covid-19 problem. The squad will continue to put in its best effort for the benefit of its fellow members. Credit: CC0 Public Domain When was the last time you watched a DVD? If you're like most people, your DVD collection has been gathering dust as you stream movies and TV from a variety of on-demand services. But have you ever considered the impact of streaming video on the environment? School for the Contemporary Arts professor Laura Marks and engineering professor Stephen Makonin, with engineering student Alejandro Rodriguez-Silva and media scholar Radek Przedpeski, worked together for over a year to investigate the carbon footprint of streaming media supported by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. "Stephen and Alejandro were there to give us a reality check and to increase our engineering literacy, and Radek and I brought the critical reading to it," says Marks. "It was really a beautiful meeting of critical media studies and engineering." After combing through studies on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and making their own calculations, they confirmed that streaming media (including video on demand, YouTube, video embedded in social media and websites, video conferences, video calls and games) is responsible for more than one per cent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. And this number is only projected to rise as video conferencing and streaming proliferate. "One per cent doesn't sound like a lot, but it's significant if you think that the airline industry is estimated to be 1.9 per cent," says Marks. "ICT's carbon footprint is growing fast, and I'm concerned that because we're all turning our energy to other obvious carbon polluters, like fossil fuels, cars, the airline industry, people are not going to pay attention to this silent, invisible carbon polluter." One thing that Marks found surprising during their research is how politicized this topic is. Their full report includes a section detailing the International Energy Association's attack on French think tank The Shift Project after they published a report on streaming media's carbon footprint in 2019. They found that some ICT engineers state that the carbon footprint of streaming is not a concern because data centers and networks are very efficient, while others say the fast-rising footprint is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. Their report includes comparisons of the divergent figures in engineering studies in order to get a better understanding of the scope of this problem. The top thing Marks and Makonin recommend to reduce streaming's carbon footprint is to ensure that our electricity comes from renewable sources. At an individual level, they offer a list of recommendations to reduce energy consumption and demand for new ICT infrastructure including: stream less, watch physical media including DVDs, decrease video resolution, use audio-only mode when possible, and keep your devices longersince production of devices is very carbon-intensive. Promoting small files and low resolution, Marks founded the Small File Media Festival, which will present its second annual program of 5-megabyte films Aug. 10 - 20. As the organizers say, movies don't have to be big to be binge-worthy. Explore further German study highlights carbon footprint of video streaming Flowers were laid in front of a subway station in in Zhengzhou, China in memory of flood victims. The death toll from floods in central China's Henan province rose to 71 on Tuesday as a tribute at a subway where 14 people died was sealed off in a sign of sensitivity to public criticism of the government's handling of the disaster. Torrential downpours dumped a year's rain in just three days last week on the hardest-hit city of Zhengzhou, flooding subway cars and trapping more than 500 commuters during rush hour last Tuesday. Images of passengers inundated by shoulder-height water went viral on Chinese social media. The city government announced on Tuesday the names of those who perished in the subway, a rare attempt at transparency after people started leaving flowers at the entrance to the station. "Extreme rains caused severe water logging in parts of subway line 5, and the retaining walls that protected the subway lines crumbled," the government statement said. Subway guards eventually blocked access to the floral tribute, but a video published by state-run West China Metropolis Daily Tuesday showed a group of people pushing aside the yellow barricades on Monday night chanting "let the spirits of those who died come back home!" One of the victims, identified in the official list by his last name Sha, was days short of his 34th birthday. "Who would have thought that you were only one stop away from home, but you will never come back again," his wife wrote on China's twitter-like Weibo. Sha's wife, who declined to give her name, told Jimu news that she was suing the metro operator for negligence. Foreign journalists covering the floods have been harassed online and on the ground, as sensitivity towards any negative portrayal of China mounts. Reporters from AFP were forced to delete footage by hostile residents and surrounded by dozens of men while reporting on a submerged traffic tunnel in Zhengzhou. Heavy downpours that began July 17 have affected almost 13 million people, damaged nearly 9,000 homes and caused economic losses in Henan estimated at 13.9 billion yuan ($2 billion). Forecasters said Tuesday more heavy rain is expected as the remnants of Typhoon In Fa pass through the area. Cities still reeling from the last week's floods, including Xinxiang, Hebi and Anyang, are likely to see the heaviest downpours from July 27 to 29, Henan's meteorological observatory said in a statement. Explore further Villagers flee fresh floods in central China as typhoon approaches 2021 AFP (A) Specimen of the fossil horseshoe crab Euproops danae from Mazon Creek, Illinois, USA, preserved with its brain intact. (B) Close-up of brain, as indicated by box in image (A). (C) Reconstruction of Euproops danae, including the position and anatomy of the brain. Credit: Russell Bicknell Unlike bones and shells, which can endure for millions of years, soft tissues are rarely preserved as fossils. Indeed, the fossil record of animal soft tissues, such as brains and other internal organs, is so limited that there are significant gaps in our understanding of the evolution and fossilization processes of these important anatomical features. A new study published today in the prestigious journal Geology has now closed some of these knowledge gaps. The studyby an international team of scientists, including UNE palaeontologists Dr. Russell Bicknell and Professor John Patersondescribes the delicate brain of an ancient aquatic arthropod and how it was preserved in such remarkable detail. Lead author, Dr. Bicknell, explains what makes the discovery of a 310-million-year-old horseshoe crab with its brain intact so special. "Most of our limited knowledge on prehistoric arthropod brains is derived from amber inclusions or Cambrian Burgess Shale-type fossil deposits." "Amber, or fossilized tree resin, often contains a variety of trapped organisms such as insects, preserving the most intricate details. Using sophisticated imaging technology, scientists are able to study these entombed creatures, including their tiny brains. (A) The fossil and (B and C) interpretive drawings of the Euproops danae brain, and (D) the brain of a modern juvenile horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus. Credit: Russell Bicknell, (D) and Steffen Harzsch. "However, we are somewhat limited when studying these particular fossils, as the oldest arthropods in amber only date back to the Triassic Period, around 230 million years ago." Burgess Shale-type deposits from the Cambrian Periodtypically around 500 to 520 million years in ageare much older than the amber and also preserve spectacular brain structures as carbon films in mudstone. "These Burgess Shale-type fossils are very important as they represent some of the oldest animals on Earth, and can inform us on their origins and earliest evolutionary history," Dr. Bicknell said. The team's new fossil effectively demonstrates that arthropod brains can be preserved in an entirely different way. Their specimen of the horseshoe crab, Euproops danae, comes from the world-famous Mazon Creek deposit of Illinois in the U.S.. Fossils from this deposit are preserved within concretions made of an iron carbonate mineral called siderite. A centipede and a neighbouring ant suspended in roughly 23 million-year-old Mexican amber. Credit: Greg Edgecombe "We have shown, for the first time, that the Mazon Creek animals were not only molded by the rapid formation of siderite that entombed their entire bodies, but also that the siderite quickly encased their internal soft tissues before they could decompose," co-author Professor Paterson said. "In our fossil, the brain of Euproops is replicated by a white-colored clay mineral called kaolinite. This mineral cast would have formed later within the void left by the brain, long after it had decayed. Without this conspicuous white mineral, we may have never spotted the brain." The study also reveals that the brain anatomy of horseshoe crabs has remained essentially unchanged throughout most of their evolutionary history. "The fossil's central nervous system is closely comparable to that of living horseshoe crabs and match up in their arrangement of nerves to the eyes and appendages. It also shows the same central opening for the esophagus to pass through. This is quite remarkable, given the substantial morphological and ecological diversification that has taken place in the group over the intervening 310 million years," Prof. Paterson said. The Cambrian arthropod Chengjiangocaris kunmingensis from China. See the bead-like ventral nerve cord preserved in the fossil (A) and its central position in the reconstruction (B). Credit: Javier Ortega-Hernandez. "We have been given a rare glimpse into the prehistoric past, allowing us to further our understanding of the biology and evolution of these long-extinct animals." The research "Central nervous system of a 310-m.y.-old horseshoe crab: Expanding the taphonomic window for nervous system preservation" was published in Geology today. More information: Russell D.C. Bicknell et al, Central nervous system of a 310-m.y.-old horseshoe crab: Expanding the taphonomic window for nervous system preservation, Geology (2021). Journal information: Geology Russell D.C. Bicknell et al, Central nervous system of a 310-m.y.-old horseshoe crab: Expanding the taphonomic window for nervous system preservation,(2021). DOI: 10.1130/G49193.1 The model used in the study simulates past and future wildfires in Californias drought-prone Sierra Nevada region, using the actual landscape of the Big Creek watershed outside Fresno, California. The model simulates soil moisture, plant growth and wildfires for past conditions and in 60-year projections of future climate, with the dial at the upper left showing rising temperatures. Results show a decade-long burst of severe wildfires, followed by recurring wildfires that gradually get smaller. Credit: Ethan Turpin & David Gordon/UC Santa Barbara In recent years, wildfires on the West Coast have become larger and more damaging. A combination of almost a century of fire suppression and hotter and drier conditions has created a tinderbox ready to ignite, destroying homes and polluting the air over large areas. New research led by the University of Washington and the University of California, Santa Barbara, looks at the longer-term future of wildfires under scenarios of increased temperature and drought, using a model that focuses on the eastern California forests of the Sierra Nevada. The study, published July 26 in the journal Ecosphere, finds that there will be an initial roughly decade-long burst of wildfire activity, followed by recurring fires of decreasing area. "That first burst of wildfire is consistent with what we're seeing right now in the West. The buildup of fuels, in conjunction with the increasingly hot and dry conditions, leads to these very large, catastrophic fire events," said lead author Maureen Kennedy, assistant professor at the University of Washington Tacoma. "But our simulations show that if you allow fire to continue in an area, then the fire could become self-limiting, where each subsequent fire is smaller than the previous one." How climate change, tree growth and wildfires will interact over coming decades is only beginning to be explored, Kennedy said, through experiments and simulations. Existing models of vegetation often assume wildfires will strike at set intervals, like every 10 years, or based on past patterns of wildfire risk for that ecosystem. But those previous patterns may not be the best guide to the future. "The big question is: What's going to happen with climate change? The relationships that we've seen between climate and wildfire over the past 30 years, is that going to continue? Or is there going to be a feedback? Because if we keep burning up these fuels, and with extreme drought that limits new growth, there will eventually be less fuel for wildfires," Kennedy said. The new study used a model that includes those feedbacks among climate, vegetation growth, water flows and wildfire risk to simulate the Big Creek watershed outside Fresno, California, near the site of the September 2020 Creek Fire. Climate models suggest that here, as in other parts of the West, conditions will likely continue to get hotter and drier. Results of the 60-year simulations show that under increased drought and rising temperatures, the large wildfires will continue for about a decade, followed by recurring wildfires that occur in warm and dry conditions, but are smaller over time. Even without wildfire the trees in the forest declined in number and size over time because they were less productive and more stressed in the hot and dry conditions. These findings would likely apply to other forests that experience drought, said Kennedy, who's now using the model on other regions. What happens with wildfires over the longer term matters now for planning. Current understanding is that communities will have to coexist with wildfire rather than exclude it entirely, Kennedy said. A combination of prescribed burns and forest thinning will likely be the future of managing forests as they contend with both wildfires and climate change. "With such high density in the forest, the trees are pulling a lot of water out of the soil," Kennedy said. "There is growing evidence that you can relieve drought stress and make more drought-resilient forests if you thin the forests, which should also help with, for example, reducing the impact of that initial pulse of wildfire." After thinning out smaller trees, managers could then do controlled burns to remove kindling and smaller material on the forest floor. But knowing how to manage forests in this way requires understanding how local weather conditions, plant growth and wildfire risk will play out in future decades. "It's important to include climate change so we have an idea of the range of variability of potential outcomes in the future," Kennedy said. "For example, how often do you need to repeat the fuels treatment? Is that going to be different under climate change?" Kennedy was also a co-author of another recent study that uses the same model to tease apart how much climate change and fire suppression increase wildfire risk in different parts of Idaho. "Our 'new normal' is not static," said Christina (Naomi) Tague, a professor at UC Santa Barbara who is a co-author on both studies and developed the RHESSys-FIRE model that was used in the research. "Not only is our climate continuing to change, but vegetationthe fuel of fireis responding to changing conditions. Our work helps understand what these trajectories of fire, forest productivity and growth may look like." More information: Maureen C. Kennedy et al, Does hot and dry equal more wildfire? Contrasting short and longterm climate effects on fire in the Sierra Nevada, CA, Ecosphere (2021). Journal information: Ecosphere Maureen C. Kennedy et al, Does hot and dry equal more wildfire? Contrasting short and longterm climate effects on fire in the Sierra Nevada, CA,(2021). DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3657 Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Can an inheritance law lead to taller children? The answer is a qualified yes, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York. Md Shahadath Hossain, a fifth-year doctoral candidate, and Assistant Professor of Economics Plamen Nikolov recently published "Entitled to Property: Inheritance Laws, Female Bargaining, and Child Health in India," with the IZA Institute of Labor Economics. "The question is important because it shows the critical importance of how better parental care and parental investments can have an enormous influence on child height," Nikolov said. "And we know from extensive economic research that height in early childhood is strongly predictive of cognitive ability, educational attainment, labor market outcomes and occupational choice in later life." Indian children are extremely short, and not as a result of typical human height variation. They experience a phenomenon known as stunting, in which they don't grow as much as they otherwise would, due to factors such as malnutrition. Stunting affects 31 percent of Indian children under the age of five, surpassing their counterparts in sub-Saharan Africa and accounting for parental wealth and education. While biology and genetics drive many health outcomes, individual behaviors also play an important role, particularly with such characteristics as height. At a population level, better nutrition and parental care can contribute to taller children, Nikolov pointed out. In the case of patrilineal Hindu communities in India, a pregnant woman is likely to receive more family resourcessuch as nutritious foods, iron supplements, tetanus shots and prenatal checkupsif there is a possibility that she is carrying the family's firstborn son. Also at play is the non-unitary economic model of the household, in which partners tend to have unequal weight in decision-making due to power dynamics. The partner with more bargaining powerfor example, from having more financial resources at their disposalhas more of a say in household decisions. Men and women in a household also typically exhibit different economic preferences when it comes to extra resources. When women get an income boost, they often spend a higher portion on healthcare, better nutrition and education-related expenditures than men do, studies show. Except for matrilineal tribal communities, Hindu populations in India traditionally pass ancestral property down the male line; this type of property, which goes back for up to four generations, is distinct from personal property, which can be allocated through wills and gifts to whomever the giver chooses. In 1956, the Hindu Succession Act Amendment (HSAA) enabled unmarried daughters to inherit ancestral property for the first time. This policy has led to a cascade of changes; women in states with the HSAA also tend to marry later and have fewer children, for example. It also made an impact on child health and heightbut only the health of some children. Human capital When you factor the HSAA into the non-unitary model of household economics, you find that womennewly empowered with their inheritancehave more of a voice in decision-making, the researchers found. Combined with the gender disparity in economic choices, that means more resources may end up spent on child health and parental care, from clinic visits to better nutrition and vaccinations. That, in turn, can and does make children tallerif they're first-born sons. "The difference may be due to religious as well as cultural norms," Nikolov explained. "Hinduism prescribes a patrilineal kinship system, meaning that aging parents live with their son, typically the eldest, and bequeath property. Also, Hindu religious texts stipulate that only a male heir performs certain post-death rituals, such as lighting the funeral pyre, taking the ashes to the Ganges River and organizing death anniversary ceremonies." Because of this, Indian society has a marked preference for the eldest son, which leads families to reduce the resources that they could otherwise spend on later-born children and daughters. Unless policies are put into place to counteract the social and economic forces behind son preference, Indian daughters may continue to receive less than their fair share, he said. Despite this caveat, their research demonstrates that improving the economic status of women in a developing country can generate additional benefits in improving child health, which is an important marker for both better health and economic well-being later in life. "In sum, policies that empower women can pay big dividends in terms of a country's human capital and economic development," Nikolov said. "Investing in women is not just the right thing to do; it's also smart economics." Explore further Can gender inequality kill? Paper looks at impact among older Indian women In a new study of water access and affordability in Detroit, University of Michigan researchers determined that about 10% of the citys population is triple burdened, meaning those residents face higher than average rates of poverty, housing cost burden, and incomplete plumbing. The researchers analyzed census tracts and mapped the overlap between various factors that affect water affordability. Credit: University of Michigan Poverty Solutions In a new study of access to clean and affordable water in Detroit, University of Michigan researchers found that about 10% of the city's population is 'triple burdened', meaning those residents face higher than average rates of poverty, housing cost burden and incomplete plumbing. And in some Detroit neighborhoods, up to 10% of homes lack complete access to water, meaning they lack either hot and cold running water, a bathtub or shower, or a sink with a faucet, according to the study funded by U-M's Poverty Solutions initiative. "Ensuring water access and affordability for Detroit residents is critical," said Sara Hughes, an environmental policy analyst at the School for Environment and Sustainability and lead author of the study. "Solving the water access and affordability challenge in Detroit requires engaging with the interactive consequences of an aging system, high levels of poverty and persistent housing challenges." Hughes and other researchers at SEAS and U-M's Erb Institute analyzed census tracts and mapped the overlap between various factors that affect water affordability. They assessed ways current actions, while effective, fail to meet the scale needed for the city to link residents with clean, affordable water. In their Poverty Solutions policy brief, the authors also propose strategies to address water security concerns in Detroit: Expand funding for residential plumbing repairs. As the federal government considers additional drinking water investments, resources should be available for repairs as well as direct bill assistance. Use city water data to identify target investments, reach customers with the greatest need and reduce barriers to access. Strengthen coordination between city departments. Greater coordination between the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, Detroit Health Department, Detroit Housing and Revitalization Department and the city's Office of Sustainability could help to identify synergistic and innovative strategies to prevent future systems from disrepair. According to Hughes and her colleagues, Detroit's median household income ($30,894) is just over half the median for statewide households ($57,144), and more than one-third of the city's residents live below the poverty line. At the same time, 41% of the city's residents face high housing costsdefined as exceeding 30% of household incomeand this number is even higher for renters (53%). On top of that, nearly half of the city's residents pay more than 3% of their income for water, a common benchmark for water affordability. Water consumption per capita is much lower than the national average, yet Detroit residents still have higher water costs. "The pandemic highlighted how important it is from a public health perspective that people have reliable access to clean water, for hand washing and other measures that are not possible if you don't have running water or can't afford your water bill," Hughes said. "People were also losing wages, making it even tougher to keep up with water bills." The majority of Detroit residents' homes were built before 1950, and some low-income households are in some of the city's oldest homes, according to the Poverty Solutions policy brief. These aging homes are more likely to need costly repairs that heighten the burden of high housing costs. The report notes that although state and federal programs exist to assist with energy concerns for households, like the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, similar programs do not exist for water concerns. Funds for water and sewage assistance for Michigan residents are reserved only for emergencies and have gone widely underused by the state. For Detroit, programs like the Great Lakes Water Authority's Water Residential Assistance Program assist customers in low-income areas with water bills and reduction of water consumption. WRAP offers conservation audits to households exceeding 120% of the city's average water consumption, with a cap of $1,500 in repairs and maintenance costs. However, insufficient funds have limited the number of homes WRAP has been able to assist, as well as the degree they are able to repair. The report found "nearly all (97%) of participating households needed additional plumbing repairs beyond those provided during the audit." The total number of homes WRAP assisted in 2019 was 2,047, which is about half of the total number of households that lacked complete plumbing. The policy brief shows that existing programs, while they provide improvements, fail to meet the amount of Detroit households in need of aid to make substantial repairs. Although plumbing repairs will not eliminate the water affordability crisis in Detroit, they are an essential step toward providing clean and accessible water, according to the report's authors. Explore further Study shows over 1.1 million urban people in US live in homes without proper indoor plumbing More information: Addressing the Links Between Poverty, Housing and Water Access and Affordability in Detroit: Addressing the Links Between Poverty, Housing and Water Access and Affordability in Detroit: poverty.umich.edu/publications dability-in-detroit/ Credit: Pavel Chagochkin/Shutterstock Military planning is a complicated endeavor, calling upon experts in logistics and infrastructure to predict resource availability and technological advancements. Long-range military planning, deciding what to invest in now to prepare armed forces for the world in thirty years' time, is even more difficult. One of the most interesting tools for thinking about future defense technology isn't big data forecasting and the use of synthetic training environments, but narrative and imagination. And we get this from science fiction. That might sound fanciful, but many militaries are already engaging with the genre. The U.S. military and the French army use science fiction writers to generate future threat scenarios. The Australian Defense College advocates for the reading of science fiction and, in Germany, Project Cassandra uses novels to predict the world's next conflict. The Sigma Forum, a science fiction think tank, has been offering forecasting services to U.S. officials for years. But while science fiction provides military planners with a tantalizing glimpse of future weaponry, from exoskeletons to mind-machine interfaces, the genre is always about more than flashy new gadgets. It's about anticipating the unforeseen ways in which these technologies could affect humans and societyand this extra context is often overlooked by the officials deciding which technologies to invest in for future conflicts. Imagined worlds Like my colleague David Seed, who has studied how fiction impacts on real-life threat assumptions about nuclear terrorism, I'm interested in how science fiction informs our sense of the future. This has given me the opportunity to work with members of the armed forces, using science fiction to query assumptions and generate novel visions of the future. But the relationship between military planners and science fiction is a troubled one. Despite increasing calls for "cognitive diversity" and new ways of thinking in government and the armed forces, the genre faces a significant image problem. People tend to associate science fiction solely with aliens and space travelits more fantastic elementswhich is seemingly removed from the supposedly proper business of planning and strategy. As a result, even open-minded planners who identify science fiction as a source of inspiration, especially for novel technologies, invariably keep it at arm's length. So when I read a recent report on the strategic implications of "human augmentation", published by defense planners from the UK and German militaries, I was intrigued. Human augmentationlike enhanced sensory perception and personalized medicineis a big thing in defense circles, which see the technologisation of the human body as a key arms race this century. If you think this all sounds like science fiction, you'd be right. The subgenre of cyberpunk (think William Gibson and Pat Cadigan, as well as games such as the Deus Ex series) is perhaps the acme of human augmentation fiction: cyborgs with enhanced vision; warriors with bionic arms and razor claws; "console cowboys" infiltrating the data fortresses of big businesses in cyberspace. For super-soldiers striding on the battlefield in powered armor, look no further than Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers, Joe Haldeman's The Forever War, or John Scalzi's Old Man's War. The genetic hybridisation of enhanced soldiers features extensively in texts such as James Cameron's serial Dark Angel and, more recently, in Adrian Tchaikovsky's Dogs of War. Fiction to fact Yet these texts don't really make it into the military planning report. There's a reference to "science fiction inspired suits" and technologies that "make possible what used to be science fiction," but otherwise the genre is absent. Like many military planners, the report's authors seem to want to define these technologies against science fiction, emphasizing that the genre is fiction, while human augmentation technologies are fact. But in sidelining science fiction, something is lost. In contrast to readers who might bemoan any mention of science fiction in military reports, I would assert that such reports aren't nearly science fictional enough. The genre might be commonly associated with technology, but even then it's not about technology per se, but about the contexts, uses and effects of new technologies on humans. Science fiction author Frederick Pohl said it well: "A good science fiction story should be able to predict not the automobile but the traffic jam." Science fiction is always about the second- and third-order effects of a technologyeffects military planners may not anticipate. That's the true value of science fiction for those concerned with the future. Technologies aren't neutral, but operate within a discourse set by the stories that are told about them. This affects their development and possible applications (and mis-applications). When military reports speak of perceiving the human as a platform to optimize with new technologies, alarm bells go off for science fiction scholars. When augmentation has been imagined in fictional worlds, it's often associated with profound new inequalities and conflicts. Facing change creatively According to military planners, augmentation is no longer just about "supersoldiers," but also "supercivilians." If augmentations might need to protect an entire population from biotechnological threats, how are we to explore the ethics of this? How are societies to navigate the emergence of "bring your own enhancement" technologies in the workplace? What black markets might come about to perform such augmentations on the cheap? Science fiction doesn't have all of the answers to these questions, but it does provide us with a space to examine theman imaginative experiment where audiences can consider dramatic situations that expose the dangers and benefits of technological interventions. Military planners are right to foreground these issues now. But they should also consider science fiction as more than just a fictional background to "real-life" debates. Science fiction can help in what the planning report calls "making sense of these potential changes to human capabilities," pointing not only to the automobile, but to the traffic, the fumes and the crashes too. Explore further Study finds boys' dislike for reading fiction is actually fiction This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Credit: Flinders University While agricultural production around the world struggles with declining soil health, Australian researchers are investigating production of a sustainable organic nitrogen fertilizer made from aquatic cyanobacterial biomassideally suited for badly degraded areas reliant on chemical fertilizers. "Many soils are degraded and becoming less fertile. This challenges agriculture to produce sufficient high-quality food to feed the continuously growing population, which is further exacerbated by climatic instability threatening crop production," says Flinders University researcher Associate Professor Kirsten Heimann. Scientists in Australia, US and Europe are testing a new biofertiliser made from a fast-growing freshwater cyanobacterium Tolypothrix, which can fix nitrogen from the atmosphere without the need for additional nitrogen fertilization, making the biomass inexpensive to produce compared to alternative microalgal and macroalgal biofertilisers. This form of non-toxic blue-green algae can be cultivated in freshwater, and even slightly saline or industrial wastewater such as from coal-fired power stations, the research team has found. Capturing biofuel may also be used to offset production costs. Energy inputs for the production of Tolypothrix biomass can be offset by producing biogas, essentially a methane-rich gas for either drying the biomass to extract high-value health supplement phycocyanin or to produce carbon and nitrogen-rich liquid and solid biofertilisers to remediate soil infertility. In a recent paper in Chemosphere, Dr. Heimann and colleagues in Australia, the US and Spain investigate Tolypothrix production as a sustainable solution for biological soil improvement, which when combined with biogas or the spirulina-like nutritional powder promises "strong economic returns for regional and remote farming communities." "Australian soils, in particular in the marginal wheat belt in Western Australia, are structurally degraded, which cannot be overcome by applications of synthetic fertilizers," says Associate Professor Heimann, from the Flinders University Centre for Marine Bioproducts Development in South Australia. "To improve soil structure, organic carbon applications are required to return the soils' capacity to sustain a healthy soil microbiome and to improve the soils' cation exchange of nutrients and water-holding capacity." Researchers say conversion of pond-produced cyanobacterial biomass produced on farming land would provide a major in-situ source of renewable nitrogen-rich fertilizer, also helping to reduce carbon emissions from chemical fertilizer production and transport. Higher energy and food demands are forecast as a consequence of expected global population growth, predicted by the UN to reach 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion by 2050 and 10.9 billion in 2100. These projections encourage research into biofertilizer and biogas production through sustainable energy generation using waste organic material of controlled production of biomass such as microalgae and multicellular cyanobacteria. Researchers have previously reported photosynthetic fixation of CO2by cyanobacteria of 100 to >200 tons CO2ha1y1under outdoor cultivation conditions in open ponds, raceway ponds, photobioreactors and attached growthbioreactors. Unlike many cyanobacterial species,Tolypothrixsp., a freshwater cyanobacterium, is filamentous and forms aggregates that self-flocculate, making it very easy to harvest from suspension cultures, reducing dewatering costs by up to 90%, studies suggest. The article, "Biomass pre-treatments of the N2-fixing cyanobacterium Tolypothrix for co-production of methane," by C Velu, OP Karthikeyan, DL Brinkman, S Cires and K Heimann, has been published in Chemosphere Explore further Peatland fires reduce future methane production in peat soils More information: Chinnathambi Velu et al, Biomass pre-treatments of the N2-fixing cyanobacterium Tolypothrix for co-production of methane, Chemosphere (2021). Journal information: Chemosphere Chinnathambi Velu et al, Biomass pre-treatments of the N2-fixing cyanobacterium Tolypothrix for co-production of methane,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131246 Credit: CC0 Public Domain As COVID-19 restrictions begin to ease and people return to the workplace this fall, many young children will return to child care centers, preschools and family child care homes. The University of Illinois Chicago's College of Education is reminding caregivers that they have available free online resources for both early math and early science education. The Early Math Counts website, which began in 2012 with grants from the CME Group Foundation, is a suite of free-access online resources focusing on early math for child care teachers. The site is frequented by thousands of monthly users. Most recently, the College of Education launched a second website, Early Science Matters, which began in 2019 with a grant from the Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood and a gift from philanthropist Marjorie Pelino. The aim is to replicate the success of the Early Math Counts website, which has been used by early childhood teachers and parents across the world. "We focus on providing online free-access professional development for early child care teachers. It is often difficult for early childhood teachers to access professional development because they are often constrained by geography, time and affordability," said Kathleen Sheridan, project director, associate professor and chair of the educational psychology department. "By providing any time free access to professional development resources, the constraints many early childhood teachers face can be overcome." The Early Math Counts professional development website is at www.earlymathcounts.org and has four core objectives: To give early childhood educators the knowledge and skills they need to teach early math To help early childhood educators set up environments that promote math literacy To provide math activities and lessons that foster the development of early math skills To help create a world of math-literate children The website consists of early math lessons, videos to help early childhood teachers increase their knowledge and set up math-rich environments, a twice-monthly blog, as well as access to eight online early math professional development courses that focus on early math content and applications in child care and educational settings for young children. Each professional development course takes about one hour to complete and includes content as well as interviews with educational experts, videos and assessments. Among the professional development course topics are: number sense, geometry, data analysis, patterns, shapes and spaces, measurement and math processes. "Our Early Math Counts professional development website and resources get over 10,000 users a month and people in over 90 different countries have accessed the sitefrom Australia to Zimbabwe," Sheridan said. Research completed on the effectiveness of the early math professional development indicated that after engaging in the professional development courses, participants increased their attitudes, confidence, beliefs and knowledge in teaching early math. Participants also reported positive changes in their classroom practices in teaching early math. After the success of the Early Math Counts site, Sheridan and her UIC colleague Catherine Main and doctoral students David Banzer and Anne Pradzinski decided to create Early Science Matters, a similar professional development resource focusing on science. Since children naturally engage in science exploration and discovery early in life, the aim of the Early Science Matters professional development site is to harness this innate curiosity in children by helping early childhood teachers gain access to early science lessons, content and professional development so that they are able to provide high-quality early science education to support the young child's growth and development, Sheridan said. The Early Science Matters professional development website has four core objectives: To give early childhood educators the knowledge and skills they need to teach early science To help early childhood educators set up environments that promote science literacy To provide engaging activities and lessons that foster the development of early science skills To help create a world of science-literate citizens. The Early Science Matters professional development suite of resources includes lesson plans centered on early science, content to help early childhood teachers increase their knowledge and set up science-rich spaces for children, a blog and access to a series of nine one-hour professional development courses. The nine online free-access early science professional development courses cover topics such as: early science concepts; processes such as earth, water and air; force and motion; weather and seasons; and growth and change. "Early Science Matters professional development course participants also learn how to engage young children in scientific activities such as observing, making predictions and drawing conclusions," Sheridan said. "Our science site is already getting over 3,000 users since the first few months of launching." Explore further Preschool teachers need better training in science More information: Early Math Counts: Early Math Counts: www.earlymathcounts.org/ Early Science Counts: www.earlysciencematters.org/ Credit: CC0 Public Domain A new study found more U.S. high school students felt respected in a political discussion designed as a deliberationwhere the goal was to reach consensusthan in a group debate, and their views also moved closer toward agreement. Students engaged in group debate were generally more polarized after the activity. Published in the Peabody Journal of Education, the study's findings could help teachers to structure political discussions in social studies classrooms, depending on the skills they want students to learn. In classrooms with high political diversity, deliberation could help reduce division. "In our highly polarized climate, do we want kids to become more entrenched in their views, or more open to learning about the issues?" said the study's first author Paula McAvoy, associate professor of teacher education at NC State. "The value of deliberation is it can promote an openness to changing your mind and being persuaded. The debate model promotes taking a position and fighting for it. These findings can help teachers decide which skills they want students to learn, depending on how they structure classroom discussions." In the study, researchers surveyed and observed 165 high school students who participated in political discussions in the fall of 2019 as part of the civic education program Close Up Washington. The program brings around 20,000 middle and high school students from public and private schools around the country to Washington D.C. for a week-long study of the federal government. "This program offered us a chance to study a lab-like experience of high school students in political discussions," said study co-author Gregory McAvoy, professor of political science at UNC-Greensboro. For political discussions held through the program, students were provided with background materials on issues and encouraged to discuss, with civility, issues including criminal justice reform, climate change, gun regulation, health care and immigration. In deliberations, students first read about different policy proposals. Then students discussed the proposals in small groups in order to try to come to consensus about a policy they all endorse, and presented their findings to the larger group. In debates, students formed two opposing teams, and then each student prepared persuasive arguments to try to win over a panel of their peers. Ninety percent of participants they surveyed reported they felt respected in the deliberation that focused on consensus, and 91 percent reported they felt good about their comments. In comparison, 76 percent of students who engaged in debate felt respected during the activity, and 70 percent felt good about their comments. "In terms of what made students feel more comfortable, we think the tone of the deliberation led more students to report feeling comfortable because it's collaborative, and not adversarial," Paula McAvoy said. "The debate was challenging because everyone had to stand up and make a 30-second comment to the group. A lot of students got nervous about that." Young women were significantly more likely to report hearing something offensive during either type of discussion, to report they were more hesitant to speak, and were less likely to say they felt good about the comments they made. They did not find any statistically significant differences by race or ethnicity. Students who responded to the survey were 79 percent white, 24 percent Latinx, 5 percent Black, and 2 percent Asian, with some students selecting more than one category. They were 54 percent female and 44 percent male. Two percent declined to answer. The sample was politically diverse, with an approximately even distribution of students identifying as conservative, liberal, moderate and unsure. However, the researchers said the respondents tended to more white, more conservative and wealthy compared to the demographics of Gen Z across the United States. They plotted student's attitudes on specific issues before and after the deliberations and debates. For students who participated in consensus deliberations, they saw attitudes on the assigned issues start out dispersedeither with a wider distribution of views or two divided peaks. After the deliberation, researchers saw a trend across groups of views moving toward agreement. They saw more polarizationa move toward two opposing positionsafter debates. "In the debates, most of the talk that happens involves students talking to others who agree with them, and figuring out why the other team is wrong," Paula McAvoy said. "A lot of teachers use debate as a critical thinking activity, but you might actually be causing students to become more divided on issues." The findings could help social studies teachers to structure discussions at a time when political culture is highly polarized. Previous studies have shown that students are increasingly arriving at schools with partisan animosity and anxiety related to politics, making teachers hesitant to bring politics into the classroom. "What we're finding is that with appropriate structure and design, students are able to have student-centered, civil, informed discussions about highly controversial issues," Paula McAvoy said. "Even though there was a lot of political disagreement in the room, students were able to talk across their differences." To see if their conclusions hold, researchers want to repeat the study with a larger sample size. They also want to find out if deliberation and debates look different with groups of different beliefs, ethnicities and other demographic factors. The study, "Can Debate and Deliberation Reduce Partisan Divisions? Evidence from a Study of High School Students" was published online in the Peabody Journal of Education on July 14, 2021. Explore further More bullying of LGBTQ+ students in politically conservative districts More information: Paula McAvoy et al, Can Debate and Deliberation Reduce Partisan Divisions? Evidence from a Study of High School Students, Peabody Journal of Education (2021). Paula McAvoy et al, Can Debate and Deliberation Reduce Partisan Divisions? Evidence from a Study of High School Students,(2021). DOI: 10.1080/0161956X.2021.1942706 Credit: CC0 Public Domain Nostalgia, defined as a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, has become a growing focus of research in personality and social psychology. Though it may seem counterintuitive, nostalgia has been proven to be a great motivator of future behavior. Take for example, fans of former President Barack Obama. When the 2016 election of President Donald Trump left over half of the United States' electorate reeling, it contributed to nostalgia for the days of President Obama (and his administration), even among some conservatives. "Obama nostalgia emerged as an independent predictor of political attitudes, political engagement intentions, voting intentions, and political engagement," reports Adam Fetterman, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Houston. Fetterman conducted an aptly named set of studies: "Bring back my Barry to me: Nostalgia for Barack Obama and political outcomes," and is reporting his findings in the journal Personality and Individual Differences. "Our findings extend the literature on individual differences in nostalgia proneness and reinforce the motivational potency of nostalgia in the political domain," said Fetterman. To provide support for his hypothesis that individual differences in nostalgia for Barack Obama would predict outcomes in the political arena, Fetterman conducted studies among 904 undergrad students and U.S. adults, measuring their nostalgia for President Obama, attitudes toward the Trump presidency, political engagement intentions, political ideology and party identification. "Obama nostalgia predicted negative attitudes toward the Trump presidency, stronger political engagement intentions and voting intentions, and actual political engagement, above and beyond competing predictors including political ideology, prior support for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election and voting behavior in 2016," reports Fetterman. Nostalgia for a particular politician or administration may also play a key role in political campaigns. Fetterman's studies suggest that political ads or speeches that invoked Obama in a nostalgic manner may have been effective for swing voters in 2020. "Undoubtedly, there are other predictors of political engagement but as hypothesized, Obama nostalgia predicted negative attitudes toward the Trump presidency, stronger political engagement intentions, and stronger voting intentions," said Fetterman. Fetterman was joined in his research by Tim Wildschut and Constantine Sedikides, both from the University of Southampton, United Kingdom. Explore further Nostalgia ain't what it used to be Joao Sabino in the lab. Credit: Vienna University of Technology At first glance, heat and cold do not have much to do with quantum physics. A single atom is neither hot nor cold. Temperature can traditionally only be defined for objects that consist of many particles. But at TU Wien, in collaboration with FU Berlin, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and the University of Lisbon, it has now been possible to show what possibilities arise when thermodynamics and quantum physics are combined: One can specifically use quantum effects to cool a cloud of ultracold atoms even further. No matter what sophisticated cooling methods have been used beforewith this technique, which has now been presented in the scientific journal Physical Review X-Quantum, it is possible to come a little closer to absolute zero. A lot of work is still needed before this new cooling concept can be turned into an actual quantum refrigerator, but initial experiments already show that the necessary steps are possible in principle. A new field of research: quantum thermodynamics "For a long time, thermodynamics has played an important role for classical mechanical machinesthink of steam engines or combustion engines, for example. Today, quantum machines are being developed on a tiny scale. And there, thermodynamics has hardly played a role there so far" says Prof. Eisert from the Free University of Berlin. "If you want to build a quantum heat machine, you have to fulfill two requirements that are fundamentally contradictory," says Prof. Marcus Huber from TU Wien. "It has to be a system that consists of many particles and in which you cannot control every detail exactly. Otherwise you cannot speak of heat. And at the same time, the system must be simple enough and sufficiently precisely controllable not to destroy quantum effects. Otherwise, you can't talk about a quantum machine." "Back in 2018, we came up with the idea of transferring the basic principles of thermal machines to quantum systems by using quantum field descriptions of many-body quantum systems," says Prof. Jorg Schmiedmayer (TU Wien). Now the research team from TU Wien and FU Berlin examined in detail how such quantum heat machines can be designed. They were guided by the operating principle of an ordinary refrigerator: initially, everything has the same temperaturethe interior of the refrigerator, the environment and the coolant. But when you evaporate the coolant inside the refrigerator, heat is extracted there. The heat is then released outside when the coolant is liquefied again. So by raising and lowering the pressure it is possible to cool the inside and transfer the heat to the environment. The question was whether there could also be a quantum version of such a process. "Our idea was to use a Bose-Einstein condensate for this, an extremely cold state of matter," says Prof. Jorg Schmiedmayer. "In recent years, we have gained a lot of experience in controlling and manipulating such condensates very precisely with the help of electromagnetic fields and laser beams, investigating some of the fundamental phenomena at the borderline between quantum physics and thermodynamics. The logical next step was the quantum heat machine." Credit: Vienna University of Technology Energy redistribution at the atomic level A Bose-Einstein condensate is divided into three parts, which initially have the same temperature. "If you couple these subsystems in exactly the right way and separate them from each other again, you can achieve that the part in the middle acts as a piston, so to speak, and allows heat energy to be transferred from one side to the other," explains Marcus Huber. "As a result, one of the three subsystems is cooled down." Even at the beginning, the Bose-Einstein condensate is in a state of very low energybut not quite in the lowest possible energy state. Some quanta of energy are still present and can change from one subsystem to anotherthese are known as "excitations of the quantum field." "These excitations take on the role of the coolant in our case," says Marcus Huber. "However, there are fundamental differences between our system and a classical refrigerator: In a classical refrigerator, heat flow can only occur in one directionfrom warm to cold. In a quantum system, it is more complicated; the energy can also change from one subsystem to another and then return again. So you have to control very precisely when which subsystems should be connected and when they should be decoupled." So far, this quantum refrigerator is only a theoretical conceptbut experiments have already shown that the necessary steps are feasible. "Now that we know that the idea basically works, we will try to implement it in the lab," says Joao Sabino (TU Wien). "We hope to succeed in the near future." That would be a spectacular step forward in cryogenic physicsbecause no matter what other methods you use to reach extremely low temperatures, you could always add the novel 'quantum refrigerator' at the end as a final additional cooling stage to make one part of the ultracold system even colder. "If it works with cold atoms, then our ideas can be implemented in many other quantum systems and lead to new quantum technology applications," says Jorg Schmiedmayer. Explore further New boost in quantum technologies More information: Marek Gluza et al, Quantum Field Thermal Machines, PRX Quantum (2021). Marek Gluza et al, Quantum Field Thermal Machines,(2021). DOI: 10.1103/PRXQuantum.2.030310 Credit: University of Oregon A toddler who was found dead in Oregon 58 years ago has finally been identified, thanks to a concerted effort involving local, state and national law enforcement, genetic genealogists and a University of Oregon scientist. Jeanne McLaughlin, an osteologist and forensic anthropologist at the Museum of Natural and Cultural History, was called to assist with the case beginning in 2008, after the Jackson County Sheriff's Office exhumed the body in order to obtain a DNA sample. Osteology is the study of the skeleton and bones. First discovered in 1963 by a fisherman at Keene Creek Reservoir in Southern Oregon, the child's body was found wrapped in blankets and wire and weighted down with iron molds. Despite efforts by generations of investigators, the Baby Doe's identity remained unknown for decades, becoming the oldest unidentified person case in the state. All that all changed in June, when the Jackson County Sheriff's Office announced its conclusion that Baby Doe was 2-year-old Steven Crawford, a missing child who had been born in New Mexico in 1960. "Advances in DNA science were central to solving the case," McLaughlin said. Following exhumation, McLaughlin helped the investigative team develop a more precise biological profile. Beginning with a round of X-rays, she looked for signs of trauma and other clues about the child's life and death, but she and the team soon determined that they needed more information than X-rays could reveal. So she processed the remains down to a skeleton, which enabled closer examination, extraction of a DNA sample and development of a digital facial reproduction. Her analysis of the skeleton led McLaughlin to expand the initially assigned age range from 2 years to between 18 months and 2 1/2 years. Her examination also revealed that the child had some distinct features, including two fused teeth and a unique skull shape, which suggested he may have lived with a genetic syndrome. "Down syndrome was at the top of the list, though we couldn't entirely rule out others without further genetic testing," McLaughlin said. The DNA was compared across national databases of missing and unidentified persons, but the lead went cold when no matches were found. "Cold cases typically go in spurts and stalls. You get some new tip or some new technology comes along that breathes life into the case and then you go into a waiting period again," said McLaughlin, who has worked on investigations around the state and the country. The Baby Doe case finally got its big break in 2020, when the Jackson County Sheriff's Office received a tip through one of its social media accounts and reopened the investigation. The investigative team soon submitted another biological sample, this time in hopes of generating new leads through DNA. "This time it paid off," McLaughlin said. "The genealogy was the ticket." CeCe Moore, a genetic genealogist at Parabon NanoLabs, searched an open-source DNA repository and located two potential siblings of the unidentified toddler. A subsequent interview with a half-brother in Ohio revealed that he had a younger brother with Down syndrome who'd gone missing decades prior. Soon after, investigators located Stevie Crawford's birth certificate. "Since then, many more family members have been located, and the family has been very involved since the identification was made," McLaughlin said. She noted that families often experience relief when a missing person case finally resolves. "They have an answer," she said. "Not knowing has to be the worst kind of torture. I can't imagine hearing, after 58 years, "Here's your loved one. We know where he is, we know a little bit about what happened.'" McLaughlin commended the efforts of the many people involved in the case over the years, noting the longevity of the investigation and the ongoing energy put into the case. "It had been through multiple teams of investigators spanning three generations, but cases like these stick with you," she said. "Investigators stay invested. And this case in particular showcases what can happen when everyone comes together for a common cause." Explore further New 3-D technology raises hopes for the coldest of cold cases Credit: CC0 Public Domain A new study finds that adults in five Southern cities hold similar views regarding school assignments and the importance of diversity in K-12 schoolsdespite those cities having very different policies in place to support socioeconomic diversity in their school systems. Specifically, the study looked at public sentiment in Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina; Louisville, Kentucky; Nashville, Tennessee; and Rock Hill, South Carolina. "We wanted to know whether the dynamics surrounding diversity and school assignment vary across municipalities," says Toby Parcel, first author of the paper and a professor of sociology at North Carolina State University. "The way existing studies had been done made it difficult, if not impossible, to make meaningful comparisons." Discussions regarding diversity and school assignments are often intertwined because school assignments in some school districts are designed to ensure that there is socioeconomic diversity across the district, rather than concentrating affluent students in schools located in affluent neighborhoods or students from low-income households in schools located in poorer neighborhoods. However, in other districts, housing choice drives public school assignments. This effectively ties school expenditures to housing prices, contributing to school segregation by social class. The researchers chose to focus on the upper South because there are many diverse municipalities, but there is significant variability in the diversity of school systems: some are desegregated, while others are at least partly resegregated. For the study, researchers surveyed 5,302 adults (not just parents) across the five metropolitan areas. Specifically, the survey aimed to capture how people felt about school assignments and diversity in K-12 schools, and why they felt that way. Questions also explored what other concerns people had about school desegregation in their districts, as well as questions that could help researchers determine which social characteristics may be able to predict those concerns. The surveys were conducted in 2015. "Broadly speaking, adults across all five areas supported diversity in schools," Parcel says. "But they were concerned about uncertainty when school reassignment policies were in flux, and worried that reassignments could disrupt children's learning and friendships. Adults also thought that navigating school assignments created challenges for families when there was uncertainty about school assignment policies." There were also a host of more specific findings related to the demographics of study participants. For example, people who identified as being politically conservative were more likely to favor neighborhood schools than their more liberal counterparts. And women were more concerned than men about uncertainties regarding possible school reassignment. "Honestly, the results were surprising," Parcel says. "We thought we'd find more differences in public sentiment, because schools in Charlotte and Nashville are more segregated than schools in Raleigh and Louisville. But we didn'tpeople's values and concerns were pretty consistent across locations." The recent study was inspired by a desire to replicate and expand on a 2011 study in Raleigh that explored the same issues. And they found that sentiments in Raleigh hadn't changed much between 2011 and 2015though people in 2015 were less likely to view diversity and school reassignment as being at odds with each other than they were in 2011. "Surveys and other means of collecting quantitative data are less expensive than they used to be," Parcel says. "So we should be doing more of these quantitative, observational studies aimed at replicating earlier work. We wanted to highlight how this can be done, and the fact that replicating studies can provide real depth and insight into our work as social scientists." The paper, "Using Opinion Polling Data to Replicate Non-Experimental Quantitative Results Across Time and Space: An Exploration of Attitudes Surrounding School Desegregation and Resegregation Policies," appears in the journal American Behavioral Scientist. Explore further Moms more likely than dads to favor both school diversity and neighborhood schools More information: Toby L. Parcel et al, Using Opinion Polling Data to Replicate Non-Experimental Quantitative Results Across Time and Space: An Exploration of Attitudes Surrounding School Desegregation and Resegregation Policies, American Behavioral Scientist (2021). Journal information: American Behavioral Scientist Toby L. Parcel et al, Using Opinion Polling Data to Replicate Non-Experimental Quantitative Results Across Time and Space: An Exploration of Attitudes Surrounding School Desegregation and Resegregation Policies,(2021). DOI: 10.1177/00027642211033285 An interactive map from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows the smoke from the wildfires in the Western US and Canada being carried across the country. Credit: NOAA On Monday, the air quality in Boston and the greater New England area was so bad that it was only rivaled by the areas in Northern California and Oregon currently on fire. An interactive map from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed how smoke from the wildfires out west were being carried across the continental US by winds and the jet stream. In response to the blanket of smoke engulfing the commonwealth's skies, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection issued an air quality alert. Around Boston, people reported not only seeing a film of smoke in the skies, but also smelling the scent of wood burning. Firefighters across the state fielded calls from concerned residents who worried that a fire was burning nearby. This is the second time in the last two weeks that smoke from the western forest fires has been carried to New Englandbut the smoke was markedly thicker and more pungent this time around. With scientists predicting that our climate will continue to get hotter and drier, exacerbating normal patterns of forest fires, The Brink reached out to Boston University environmental earth scientist Mark Friedl for help understanding what these changes mean for our planet and for human health. Friedl, an expert in using NASA satellite imaging to interpret large-scale environmental trends, recently published new research findings indicating that forest fires in Earth's northernmost forests could accelerate climate changepotentially locking the planet in a feedback loop where drier climate causes more fires and those fires, in turn, speed up global warming. "Fires are intensifying, and when forests burn, carbon is released into the atmosphere," Friedl says about those findings. Friedl, a BU College of Arts & Sciences professor of earth and environment and interim director of BU's Center for Remote Sensing, answers four questions posed by The Brink about the effects of western wildfire smoke over New England and the US. The Brink: Based on your research and expertise in remote global sensing and monitoring, what do these current wildfires tell us about where Earth's climate is going? Friedl: These fires are further evidence of how climate change is impacting ecosystems and forests. Fire is normal in forested ecosystems, especially in western forests that tend to be drier, and hence more fire-prone, relative to forests in the eastern US. That said, the increased frequency, intensity, and scale of fires we've seen in recent years is a clear by-product of climate change. They are the proverbial canary in the coal mine, telling us that the climate is changing, and it's going to increasingly impact our lives on a day-to-day basis. Does this much smoke, spreading across the country, impact vegetation elsewhere besides the forests that are burning? Smoke like we experienced today tends to be pretty short-lived and doesn't have much impact on vegetation across the country. Indeed, it's not entirely unheard of for smoke to travel long distances in the atmosphere, and it's not unprecedented for smoke from fires in the western US to make it all the way to the eastern US. What about the effects on human health? Most of the time, the smoke is diffuse and concentrated in the upper atmosphere, and so we just experience it as haze. What we experienced [Monday], with very poor air quality, is qualitatively different, and is pretty severe from a public health perspective. Hopefully, this is not a harbinger of things to come. It's also worth noting that at least some of the smoke we see right now is coming from fires in western and central Canada, and not just from the western US. With wildfires becoming more common as the climate gets hotter and drier, what will happen if fires burn faster than forests can replenish themselves? Can you predict what the future dynamics look like in the West and Pacific Northwest forests? If the climate continues to warm and becomes drier in the west, at some point some forests will not be able to recover. If there's a silver lining in these fires, it's that hopefully they provide a wake-up call for society to change and start to meaningfully address the climate crisis. Explore further Fire tornadoes explained QUEENSBURY The state-run mass vaccination clinic at Aviation Mall shut down operations on Monday. County officials thanked the state for operating the clinic for the last four months. Thousands of doses were administered at the site. We are very grateful for all of the efforts that were made to open and maintain our Queensbury vaccination center since it began operations on March 19, which coincided with the one-year anniversary of our first COVID case in Warren County, said Warren County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Rachel Seeber in a news release. We repeatedly heard from residents that accessibility to the vaccine was a priority for our community, and we appreciate that our partners with New York state helped us to answer this call to action, she said. Seeber added that the clinic was a collaborative effort between the county, state and the private sector. The board is planning a formal presentation to thank the state partners next month. The site in the old Sears store was busy earlier in the spring and summer, but traffic had slowed to a trickle. On Sunday at about 11 a.m., the site was almost empty, with three people showing up for shots over the course of about half an hour. A member of the diversity, equity and inclusion committee, Cramer has been leading the effort to spread the welcoming posters across the city and beyond. She has handed out 54 so far, and has temporarily run out while more are printed. At the hospital, the goal is for everyone to take for granted they will get good health care when they walk in, she said. Her efforts aim to spread the welcoming message throughout the larger community. The support of the hospitals leadership has been the key to the efforts success, Cramer said. The first meeting, Dianne Shugrue came in and said, Never hesitate to tell me what you need, Cramer said. Shugrue also handed out a book, The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias, by Dolly Chugh, about ways to counteract implicit biases. That sparked some really good discussions, Cramer said. At Spot Coffee, general manager Bill Dingman stood next to the poster on the shops front door and said it has been a positive thing to see them in various doorways. The appearance of the posters has accompanied the reopening of shops and restaurants as the pandemic has eased and added to the good buzz downtown, he said. Were getting back this summer to where we were the summer before last, he said. Will Doolittle is projects editor at The Post-Star. He may be reached at will@poststar.com and followed on his blog, I think not, and on Twitter at @trafficstatic. Love 67 Funny 9 Wow 0 Sad 2 Angry 7 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Warren County is in the Adirondacks region, which had moderate air quality. Smoke from wildfires in the western United States is also having an effect on air quality. There was also an alert issued last week. On July 20, the entire state was under an air quality health advisory because of the impact of the wildfires. DEC said it is not rare for smoke from the West to travel this far east, but most of the time it stays in the atmosphere and has little effect on the surface. It was not hazy on Tuesday. Vogt has viewed the satellite images and found that the smoky air mass has shifted to the east and northeast. It might be impacting eastern Massachusetts and portions of Maine. It looks like its out of New York, she said. On Tuesday, the state issued an air quality advisory for the New York City metro area from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. because of a concern of fine particulate matter in the air. For more information about air quality, visit www.dec.ny.gov or call the Air Quality Hotline at 1-800-535-1345. People can also sign up for notifications about air quality by visiting www.enviroflash.info. Michael Goot covers politics, crime and courts, Warren County, education and business. Reach him at 518-742-3320 or mgoot@poststar.com. Love 0 Funny 2 Wow 4 Sad 8 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Veneto knows that struggle all too well. The attacks fueled his addiction to the opioids he had been prescribed for a back problem while he continued to work. But the 10th anniversary of the attacks sent him into a tailspin, and he retired. It took him five more years to beat his drug habit. He has been training for the roughly 220-mile (350-kilometer) walk since October, pushing the cart around his hometown of Braintree and Quincy, up to 16 miles (26 kilometers) per day. His journey begins Aug. 21. He's lost 30 pounds and has quit smoking. He's been getting training advice from Boston Marathon race director Dave McGillivray, two-time Stanley Cup champion Kevin Stevens, and Becca Pizzi, a Massachusetts woman who five years ago completed seven marathons in seven days on seven continents. It's been a struggle, but pushing a beverage cart around has been easy compared to what the flight crews experienced on 9/11. Its nothing to push this to New York compared to what they did, Veneto said. That thing will end up in New York if I have to carry it on my back. I know they would have done the same for me. For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, The (Quincy, Mass.) Patriot Ledger. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 New York City is a union town and that cannot be ignored, he said in a statement. Asked about Garrido's statement, de Blasio said the city has a right to require that its workforce gets vaccinated or tested. When it comes to the health and safety of our workers in the midst of a global pandemic, we have the right, as employers, to take urgent action to protect peoples health, to protect their lives, he said. The number of vaccine doses being given out daily in the city has dropped to less than 18,000, down from a peak of more than 100,000 in early April. About 65% of adults in the city are fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, caseloads have been rising for weeks, and health officials say the variant makes up about seven in 10 new cases. De Blasio has said that he does not plan to reimpose a broad indoor mask mandate, as Los Angeles County has done. Masks are required in some settings such as public transportation. De Blasio said unvaccinated city employees will be required to wear masks indoors at all times. NEW YORK (AP) R. Kelly's lawyers said Monday they would fight prosecutors' bid to tell jurors about allegations beyond the actual charges at his upcoming federal sex trafficking trial. This is nothing more than a veiled effort to pile on to further shape the publics perception in this case, ignoring that Mr. Kelly is presumed innocent until proven otherwise, Kelly lawyer Nicole Blank Becker said by email, adding that his attorneys would vigorously oppose the government's request. As the trial nears we are looking forward to the truth prevailing, she wrote. Jury selection is due to start Aug. 9 in a New York federal court for the Grammy Award-winning R&B star. He's charged with leading what prosecutors call a criminal enterprise of managers, bodyguards and other employees. Prosecutors say the staffers helped Kelly to recruit women and girls for sex and pornography and to exercise a lot of control over them. The charges involve six different women and girls. Prosecutors said Barrack boasted to contacts in the Emirates that he could help them gain influence with the then-new administration, even as he was seeking a post as ambassador to the UAE or as special envoy to the Middle East. Federal authorities say Barrack broke the law by failing to disclose his UAE ties to the U.S. government. On Friday, a Los Angeles magistrate judge approved a $250 million bail deal negotiated between Barrack's lawyers and federal prosecutors. The arrangement required Barrack to give up passports and submit to electronic monitoring. It also imposed a curfew. Barrack is charged with conspiracy, obstruction of justice and making false statements during a June 2019 interview with federal agents. Matthew Grimes, 27, an Aspen, Colorado-based former executive at Barracks company, and Rashid al Malik, 43, an Emirati businessman who prosecutors said acted as a conduit to that nations rulers, were also charged in the seven-count indictment returned in Brooklyn federal court. Grimes also appeared Monday in the same court, where his lawyer entered a not guilty plea for him. ATLANTIC CITY When The Seed: A Living Beer Project owners Amanda Cardinali and Sean Towers aimed to open their first brewery in April 2020, they did not foresee the ensuing pandemic coming and the government-imposed closure of restaurants, breweries and bars across the country. We had no product in production at that point which at the time was a frustration, said Towers. In hindsight, it was nice for us to be able to look back and be grateful that we werent in production yet when everything shut down, so we were able to just kind of ride it out and open when we did. They began brewing in August last year, had their first can release available for curbside pickup over Halloween weekend, and finally opened its tasting room to the public in February of this year. Cardinali and Towers, who are married, have leased their space on Baltic Avenue since 2018. Originally, the couple was not considering Atlantic City as a location for the business, but that changed after a conversation with Little Water Distillery owner Mark Ganter. We had no intention initially of looking at Atlantic City, but once Mark pushed us to talk to the landlord about this space, it all snowballed in a positive sense, Towers said. PLEASE BE ADVISED: Soon we will no longer integrate with Facebook for story comments. The commenting option is not going away, however, readers will need to register for a FREE site account to continue sharing their thoughts and feedback on stories. If you already have an account (i.e. current subscribers, posting in obituary guestbooks, for submitting community events), you may use that login, otherwise, you will be prompted to create a new account. CAMDEN A former Atlantic City substitute teacher and state Department of Children and Families caseworker was sentenced to 20 years and one month in federal prison and supervised release for the remainder of his life Tuesday after pleading guilty earlier this year to the exploitation of a young boy who was in his care. Kayan Frazier, 29, told Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez in U.S. District Court that he accepted responsibility for his actions and apologized to those he hurt. I plan for myself to get treatment and continue to help the community Im now a part of in the prison system, and also do better with my life, Frazier said. I apologize to anyone Ive hurt, and I do stand here remorseful. Frazier pleaded guilty in February to one count of child exploitation involving sexual abuse and child pornography. He was first set to be sentenced June 8. That sentencing was delayed until July 7, which was then delayed until Tuesday. Fraziers attorney, Lisa Evans Lewis, assistant federal public defender, asked the judge for leniency given he had been in prison for two years, the last of which was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and has sought treatment while in prison. She said he also has supported others in their treatment. Atlantic City Board of Education subpoenaed in child porn case ATLANTIC CITY Board of Education member John Devlin said Wednesday the board has received The Chairman of the House committee on the Jan. 6 insurrection wrapped up Tuesday's testimony by asking the four testifying officers what action they wanted to see come out of the investigation. Bucks County District Attorney Matthew D. Weintraub on Monday confirmed that Clifford Horn, 54, of Chalfont, who was listed as one of the four men, is a corporal with the Central Bucks Regional Police Department. Our office has assigned personnel to assist New Jersey authorities in any capacity, and to investigate and prosecute any criminal activity that may have occurred in Bucks County, Weintraub said in a statement. Our office will begin the process of evaluating all Bucks County criminal cases in which Cpl. Horn was involved. Chief Karl Knott, head of the Central Bucks Regional Police Department, said administrative action against Horn would be announced soon. In a brief statement Sunday posted on Facebook, the Atlantic City Police Department announced the arrests and said each man was charged with luring/enticing a child by various means and said they were arrested with assistance from concerned citizens. Atlantic City police say citizens aid in arrest of 4 men for child luring Atlantic City police said Sunday they have arrested four men since Thursday, including one f The concerned citizens were engaged in posing as underage children on various social media sites. They would confront the individual and notify local law enforcement. The citizens provided the responding officers with (screenshots) of conversations and detailed information that was shared between the citizens and the suspects, the department said. VINELAND A Pennsylvania man was arrested July 15, nearly a month after shooting another drivers pickup truck during a road rage incident on Route 55, State Police said Tuesday. On June 20, troopers responded to milepost 35 on the highway for a report of shooting, State Police said. Upon arrival, they saw a victims Ford F-150 stricken with gunfire as it approached Exit 35. It was revealed that the driver of a white sport utility vehicle shot at the pickup and fled south. The victim provided a description of the suspect. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The SUV was identified as an Acura MDX owned by 29-year-old Cary Speaks, of Birdsboro, Pennsylvania, State Police said. On July 15, troopers found the Acura in Reading, Pennsylvania, State Police said. Speaks was arrested shortly after. After obtaining a search warrant for Speaks SUV, detectives found an empty magazine, State Police said. An additional warrant for his residence resulted in the recovery of a .380-caliber handgun. The SUV showed evidence of gunfire inside the glove compartment. Speaks was charged with criminal attempt homicide, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. He was taken to Pennsylvanias Berks County Jail pending extradition to New Jersey. Contact Ahmad Austin: 609-272-7404 aaustin@pressofac.com Twitter @ACPressAustin Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Soldano's fundraising was more than triple the GOP contender with the second-highest amount, Oakland County pastor Ralph Rebandt II. We're humbled by the vast support we've received from so many Michiganders, Soldano said in a statement previewing his numbers last week. It was issued the same day former Detroit Police Chief James Craig formed a candidate committee allowing him to raise and spend money and said he likely would formally enter the race after Labor Day. His initial campaign-finance report is due in the fall. The party bosses think they get to decide who the next Republican nominee for governor will be, but they're wrong that's up to we the people," Soldano said. Rebandt raised $170,000 since forming his committee in March, including $61,000 he gave his campaign, and had a balance of $20,000. Tudor Dixon of Norton Shores, the co-host of a conservative online news show, raised $132,000 since May and had $87,000 on hand. Ryan Kelley, an Ottawa County real estate broker who organized protests against the governors COVID-19 orders, raised $35,000 since January and had $17,000. Thus a mandate isnt justified merely because health authorities say so. And true to his word, rather than blindly defer, the judge engaged in his own detailed march through the evidence before concluding that unless vaccinations were required, the university would not be able to return to normal functioning. Here its worth noting the narrowness of the mandate. It applied only to the Indiana University, not to the state as a whole. Moreover, the rules were adopted locally quite close to the people who would be most affected by them another favorite libertarian idea. Perhaps most important, other institutions in the state, schools or businesses or anything else, were left free to come up with their own rules, depending on their own circumstances. What should also warm libertarian hearts is Leichtys ringing rejection of the proposition that rights should be read more narrowly because of the pandemic. I quote his response in full because his words deserve wide dissemination in these fractious times: [T]he Constitution isnt put on the shelf. Indeed, in times of crisis, perhaps constitutional adherence proves the very anchor we all need against irrational and overweening government intrusion that would otherwise scuttle the ship. The lawsuit states DeTaeye and McDermont told the custodian they couldn't do anything about the situation and his options were to report to work at Roosevelt Elementary or be out of a job, but the district denies this allegation. The custodian took 12 weeks of paternity leave and returned to work in April 2019, but after the first day, he realized he couldn't emotionally handle working in the same building as the accused teacher. He called in sick two days in a row and then missed a day of work after staying up late into the night writing an email to each of the Moline School Board members. He reportedly pleaded his case again at a meeting arranged by the school board, according to the lawsuit, and was subsequently fired. "At all times relevant, the administration and school board were fully aware of plaintiff's disabilities and the effect forcing him to work at the same school as the teacher accused of molesting his own daughter was having on him, yet kept plaintiff in that position and fired him because of the direct effect it was having on plaintiff, refusing a multitude of potential accommodations that could have reasonably been accorded," the lawsuit states. The custodian filed the suit last year, claiming one count of disability discrimination and one count of failure to accommodate disability. He asked for at least $50,000 in damages for loss of enjoyment of life and emotional pain and suffering. At its meeting Monday, the school board voted to settle for an undisclosed sum. Love 2 Funny 1 Wow 4 Sad 1 Angry 3 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. CAMBRIDGE, Ill. A Henry County Circuit Court judge found probable cause for a Kewanee man charged with child endangered/death after a 17-year-old boy died from an overdose. Judge Terry Patton ruled in the case of Jacob A. Metscaviz, 40, one of four co-defendants charged with the Class 3 felony. Kewanee Police Detective Andrew Kingdon testified in Monday's preliminary hearing that police responded to a possible opiod overdose March 28 and on arriving, found a 17-year-old, identified as A.M.H., who was ultimately pronounced dead. The coroner's investigation discovered the juvenile had lethal amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl in his system. Based on statements to police, Kingdon said the incident happened between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. The boy, who lived at the residence with three adults, came into the living room from his basement bedroom. He was sluggish and fell in the hallway. The adults splashed water on his face, gave him a dose of Narcan to prevent or delay an overdose and put him on a couch, where he remained. He never fully regained consciousness and never spoke, and there was no record of a 911 call. According to the report, Pennachio was wearing her seat belt and was not texting at the time. Her body-worn camera and squad camera were both active and functioning. She was traveling 54 or 55 mph, about 15 mph over the posted speed limit of 40, and she did not have her lights and sirens activated. The video shows Hubbard riding on the right side of the street as Pennachio approached. He turned left near 11th street and crossed in front of the squad car. Pennachio had about 1.5 seconds to react between the time Hubbard crossed into her lane and the time of the collision. She swerved into the northbound lane but was not able to miss the bicycle. The report outlines Illinois laws regarding when police officers are given exemptions from general traffic regulations. According to Illinois law, officers can exceed the maximum speed limits when responding to an emergency, and police vehicles are not required to have their lights and sirens on when speeding, as long as they are acting with caution. "I'm not going to lie to you, because of the past history, I don't expect it to go well," Matson said, adding should the city condemn the buildings, tenants would likely be given until the middle of the month to relocate. "There will be a movement to take these apartments (off the market) so people can't live in them, because they're unhealthy, they're unsafe. I agree with you 100%. And our job is to try to push (owners to make repairs) and inspect them to do that, because we don't own them. ... We are trying to work through this with (the owner)." "We wanted to create a place where everyone can create," Strandin said. There are a variety of other programs they want to work on as well, such as putting on shows in parks and doing school and library tours. Kira Rangel said the idea of her directing "The Mountaintop" came during a discussion with Strandin about how a director's race would effect the show. Rangel encouraged Strandin to bring on a non-white director, and she asked Rangel if she'd take it. "There is so much diversity in the Quad-Cities but I don't feel like it's represented on stage a lot, and I was really excited to be a part of that," Rangel said. Letting people bring in their passion projects will give a voice to those who feel marginalized in the theater scene, Rangel said, and their emphasis on everyone being welcome will draw in an untapped demographic. She hopes Tapscott and Strandin's methods inspire other theaters to do the same. At many theaters there's a sort of staircase people have to climb before they can reach positions like director or do what they want to, Tapscott said, and at The Mockingbird on Main they're trading the staircase for a door of opportunity. That means all the people that work in that immediate area and you think of how many restaurants are there and coffee shops and, really, businesses, and you have people at all income levels at these businesses this is a really great place for them to live and walk out their front door and get to work, he said. Another branch of the incentive program calls for properties that set aside 15% to 35% of units at affordable rates and that invest in upgrades to see their assessed value, after the upgrades, reduced by one-quarter. Properties that set aside more affordable units and include more upgrades would have their property value reduced by 35%. The program lasts at least 10 years, with the option to extend up to 30. The incentive could help small developers keep up with maintenance on buildings that naturally rent at lower rates, said Steve Thomas, who handles development and acquisitions for 5T management, and has dozens of buildings on the South Side. That, in turn, helps improve neighborhoods, he said. Each year, our taxes are going up, the waters going up, and were capped (by the market) at what we can really charge, he said. So each year it makes it more difficult for us to invest in that building. SPRINGFIELD Illinois residents will soon have greater access to mental health services under measures Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law Friday. Starting Jan. 1, most insurance companies doing business in Illinois will be required to provide their beneficiaries with timely and proximate access to treatment for mental, emotional, nervous or substance abuse disorders. That means beneficiaries will not have to wait more than 10 business days to see a provider after requesting an initial appointment or 20 business days after requesting a repeat or follow-up appointment. In addition, insurers will be required to maintain an adequate network of mental health care providers so that beneficiaries in Cook County and the surrounding collar counties will not have to travel more than 30 miles or 30 minutes from their home to see a provider. That limit expands to 60 miles or 60 minutes in other areas of Illinois. Insurers will also have to make exceptions to out-of-network copay requirements if no in-network providers are available within those time and distance limits. CEDAR RAPIDS After saying last week they were appalled that Gov. Kim Reynolds has not appointed people to vacant seats on the state Board of Health, Iowa Democrats expressed outrage at her failed leadership Monday. Her inaction, which makes it impossible for the board to meet because of a lack of a quorum, is unacceptable, especially in a pandemic, Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Rep. Ross Wilburn of Ames and House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, said on a conference call with reporters. Echoing other speakers, Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, called it another example of Reynolds failed leadership. The Democrats criticism stems from the boards July 14 meeting being canceled because the 11-member board does not have the quorum required to make decisions. There are seven vacant positions on the 11-member board. However, a spokesman for the governor said Reynolds makes appointments to boards and commissions as terms expire or when individuals leave their positions. WHAT WE KNOW: at the July 12 meeting, the council put off a decision on whether to expel a camper from Colona's Scott Family Park. WHAT'S NEW: Mayor Rich Holman announced a tentative agreement with the camper, Aaron Lindquist. The council agreed to the mayor's call for waiting two weeks to see if the agreement would be abided by. In the meantime, another camper, Dean Hamilton, told aldermen during public comments that Lindquist had been warned, but still thinks he's doing no wrong. He noted Lindquist's using an electrician who was not licensed or bonded and his excessive use of power with two outdoor fans, a large outdoor refrigerator, a large TV, a bar and other appliances and seating for 15. Hamilton said years ago he himself had been a campground host. "It's not an easy job," he said. "We had a few people that didn't like following the rules; they were asked to leave." A Rock Island man has been arrested on weapons and obstruction charges as Silvis police continue the investigation into the shooting death of 18-year-old Malik Horne on Friday. Xavior M. Chandler, 18, is charged in Rock Island County Circuit Court with possession of a stolen firearm. The charge is a Class 2 felony under Illinois law that carries a prison sentence of three to seven years. Chandler also is charged with obstructing justice-destroying evidence, a Class 4 felony that carries a prison sentence of one to three years, and possession of a firearm without a valid Firearm Owners Identification, or FOID, card, a Class A misdemeanor that carries a sentence of up to one year in the county jail. Chandler was arrested Saturday and made a first appearance in Rock Island County Circuit Court. He was being held Tuesday night in the Rock Island County Jail on a bond of $100,000. A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for Tuesday in Circuit Court. Silvis Police Chief Mark VanKlaveren said officers, along with East Moline Police, were sent to the area of the Loma Linda Apartments, 1800 10th Ave. A Court, to investigate a report of shots fired around 1 p.m. Friday. Those problems were detrimental to the district's communication and policy implementation buildings were acting independently on initiatives rather than moving forward as a unit, according to the state. Barney has 23 years of experience as an educator, including as superintendent of the Meskwaki Settlement School, according to a news release issued by the school district. He has also held a number of positions in the Waterloo Community School District, including in central office leadership and as principal of East High School. Barney has also been a principal or assistant principal in Iowa City at the high school and junior high school level and a school counselor at Malcolm Price Laboratory School in Cedar Falls and Logan Middle School in Waterloo. Two other cabinet members were introduced earlier this month: Lisa Stevenson, director of learning and results; and Ben Driscoll, the director of instructional leadership at Davenport West High School. The district also announced at that time that Kimberly Hofmann, the director of special education at the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency, would be the interim director of equity and student supports. "We're here because we feel like there is a partnership opportunity to further explore a water and wastewater partnership with a regulated utility that may help stem this tide and reverse the trajectory, and do so in a way that's in the best interest of the city as well as the residents. We know the need is dire." Eric Larson, senior manager of the Western Division for Illinois American Water, said all employees will keep their jobs and union contracts will be honored if the utility is privatized. "Our team is our backbone in a partnership," Larson said. During public comment, former 6th Ward Alderman Joshua Schipp spoke out against selling the water and sewer system. "American Water is an impressively successful company," Schipp said. "Their stock started trading in 2008 at $21-something a share; today it closed around $166 (per share.) That's almost 700% growth since 2008. Regular quarterly dividends since 2013 to the tune of over $2 billion (were) returned to shareholders. A United States federal courthouse is returning to downtown Rock Island. The General Services Administration (GSA) awarded a $49.8 million contract July 12 to Rock Island Investors LLC for the construction of a new building on the site of the former Bituminous Insurance Co., 320 18th St. Notice of the contract was published July 19. According to the Security and Exchange Commission filing, Rock Island Investors formed in March 2017 and is registered in Overland Park, Kan. There are no members named in the listing. Tanya Schusler, regional public affairs officer for the GSA, said more information would be available about the contract in a few days. "This is very exciting news to have a new, $20 million-plus brand new building in downtown Rock Island," said Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms. "The private developer will be paying property taxes and it will be new income for the city. It's what we've been looking for for the past several years." Whether Moline-Coal Valley students will return to classrooms with masks next month is still undetermined after a heated meeting Monday in which board members heard from 17 people who weighed in on the topic. Ultimately, board members agreed to schedule a special meeting for 6 p.m. Aug. 5 to further consider whether masks should be part of the districts 2021-2022 school year health and safety guidelines. Board members hope to issue guidance to parents in advance of the first day of school on Aug. 17. The meeting came a day before the Centers for Disease Control updated its guidelines, saying everyone in schools should wear a mask. Previously, it recommended masks for everyone in schools ages 2 or older, regardless of vaccination status. Children younger than 12 are not yet eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. The majority of those who addressed the board Monday spoke fervently against the district continuing to require masks for students. Before opening public comment, board president Erin Waldron-Smith urged speakers to follow the board of educations norm of disagreeing with respect. She said the board had always been able to work together, even when handling disagreements, in order to work for the common good. CANTON, Ga. (AP) A man accused of killing eight people, most of them women of Asian descent, at Atlanta-area massage businesses pleaded guilty Tuesday to four of the murders and was handed four sentences of life without parole. Robert Aaron Long, 22, still faces the death penalty in the four other deaths, which are being prosecuted in a different county. His shooting spree at three different businesses in March ignited outrage and fueled fear among Asian Americans, who were already facing increased hostility at the time linked to the coronavirus pandemic. Many were particularly upset when authorities suggested that Long's crimes were not racially motivated but were instead born of a "sex addiction," which is not recognized as an official disorder. In comments sure to further frustrate those outraged over Long's apparent targeting of Asian women, a prosecutor reiterated Tuesday that Cherokee County investigators saw no evidence of racial bias. That's at odds with the hate crime enhancement that Long, who is white, faces just miles away in the four deaths in Atlanta. "This was not any kind of hate crime," District Attorney Shannon Wallace said. A Joliet-area husband and wife were arrested Monday on federal charges alleging they breached the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection and took photos inside the buildings historic rotunda. John Schubert, 71, and his wife, Amy, 61, of Crest Hill, were charged in a criminal complaint filed in Washington with unlawful entry of a government building and disorderly conduct. Both charges are misdemeanors. They appeared separately Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Chicago, where U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel Fuentes ordered them released on their own recognizance. According to the complaint, the couple were identified in part by a Joliet plumbers and pipefitters local union jacket that Amy Schubert was seen wearing in a lengthy video posted to YouTube by an unidentified person. Investigators were able to determine that a phone linked to Amy Schubert was one of only six devices with a Joliet area code being used inside the Capitol at the time, according to the complaint. Photos on Schuberts publicly available Facebook profile were then matched to the images of the woman in the video, according to the charges. Peters noted that the law in Illinois did not require that a person actually transmit HIV to be convicted of the crime, only that they engaged in activity that could have exposed another person to the virus. Too often, when faced with a challenge in society, we seek the hammer of criminalization, Peters said. When we faced the challenge of HIV, our country reacted out of fear, prejudice and hate, and with that brought down a violent and horrendous hammer. In turn, this caused more fear, pain and trauma for people living with HIV. It did nothing to bring safety or treatment or public health to our world. The bill decriminalizing HIV was one of four bills Pritzker signed Tuesday that were supported by advocates for LGBTQ rights. Pritzker also signed two bills making it easier for transgender individuals to change their names and gender identity on marriage certificates. Senate Bill 139 establishes a process for individuals to change the gender language on their marriage certificates while House Bill 2590 establishes a uniform standard that county clerks must adhere to for name changes on marriage certificates. Those bills were sponsored by Sen. Sara Feigenholtz and Rep. Ann Williams, both Chicago Democrats. Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she isnt having any second thoughts about allowing Lollapalooza to go forward, even as COVID-19 cases spike and the safety standard for admittance to unvaccinated guests has been lowered from what was originally announced. In the weeks before the city welcomes hundreds of thousands of spectators to Grant Park for the four-day festival starting Thursday, the festival quietly loosened the safety standard for unvaccinated guests. In May, Lightfoot first announced the festival would require attendees who arent fully vaccinated to get a negative COVID-19 test result within 24 hours of attending Lollapalooza each day. Its unclear when the testing window change occurred but it appears it was between June 18 and July 8, according to a review of the festivals public communications. Now the city and Lollapalooza are allowing the festival to go forward with negative tests up to 72 hours before the guest enters, according to the festivals website. For her part, Lightfoot said she doesnt have concerns about Lollapalooza happening. Its outdoors. Weve been having large-scale events all over the city since June without major problems or issues, Lightfoot said. The Lolla team has been phenomenal. The Rapid City Area Schools Education Center was standing-room only as four new members of the Rapid City Area Schools' Board of Education were sworn in Monday night during the Board's annual meeting. The new members -- Deb Baker in Area 1, Breanna Funke in Area 2, Gabe Doney in Area 3 and incumbent Kate Thomas in Area 7 -- will each serve three-year terms, with the exception of Doney. Doney's term will last one year. Before the new members took office, an observer, James Biolata, rushed to the front of the board room twice and yelled at the outgoing members that their continued presence was illegal. Biolata said he filed charges with the Pennington County State's Attorney Office. Biolata said in South Dakota Codified Law 13-8-2, school board members are only allowed a three-year term and that the outgoing members were overstaying their term. He maintained that the transfer of power should have occurred at the Board's July 12 meeting. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} A Rapid City Police officer had to escort Biolata out of the room as his remarks were made outside of the designated public comment portion. Biolata eventually re-entered the room and observed the rest of the meeting without incident. NEW YORK (AP) NBC has chosen not to engage in debate following complaints from China over the weekend about how the network depicted the country's map when its athletes marched during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. Relations between the network and China are worth watching, however, since NBC Universal is set to broadcast and stream the 2022 Winter Games from the host city of Beijing. Onscreen graphics during the ceremony depicted maps of each country as the athletes marched, yet some in China expressed anger that the map did not include the island of Taiwan or several islands in the South China Sea where there are disputes over territorial control. NBC's use of an "incomplete map" of China had a "very bad influence and harmed the dignity and emotions of the Chinese people, China's consulate general's office in New York said in a statement. The People's Daily, the ruling Communist Party's mouthpiece in China, released a similar statement and showed its own map with the disputed territories included. The fate of Taiwan, which China considers a breakaway province while the country views itself as a sovereign nation, has been an issue for decades. NBC declined to comment about the Chinese statements. Time is running short for anyone wanting choice and convenience in getting a COVID-19 vaccination in Ravalli County. Starting next week, some of the countys supply of COVID vaccine will hit its expiration date and have to be discarded. Ravalli County Office of Emergency Management director Eric Hoover said most of the countys stockpile of over 2,000 doses is set to expire by the end of September. After those doses are gone, people will still be able to get vaccinated for COVID at the countys public health office and other providers, but it may take more time to set up an appointment and they probably wont be able to choose the type of vaccine, Hoover said. Were always going to have it available, but it could become more limited, he said. We will always have it here through public health as long as its provided through the state program Its not going to be impossible to get, but if people want to choose which vaccine and when they get it, now is a good time. As of about 10 days ago, vaccine providers in the county reported they had a little over 2,000 first and second doses of Pfizer, about 140 first and second doses of Moderna and about 100 doses of Johnson and Johnson, Hoover said. "I will work diligently to ensure we get to the truth and hold those responsible for the attack fully accountable," he said. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy has said the GOP will not participate after Pelosi, D-Calif., refused to accept two of the members he picked. McCarthy, R-Calif., has said the committee was a "sham process" and withdrew his five members when Pelosi rejected two of them, Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio. Both voted on Jan. 6 against certifying Biden's election victory over Trump and both are outspoken allies of the former president. In a statement Sunday, McCarthy said Pelosi's decision to reject his picks and appoint members "who share her preconceived narrative will not yield a serious investigation" and is intended "to satisfy her political objectives." Kinzinger and Cheney have faulted Trump as a factor in spurring the insurrection with his persistently false claims that the 2020 election was "stolen" due to voting fraud. In recent weeks, Kinzinger has suggested he would be open to serving on the committee, despite threats from McCarthy that Republicans who accept a spot could be stripped of their regular committee assignments as retaliation for participating. Last week, he did say that were not saying there is no benefit to the vaccine. ... We never encouraged anyone to take or not to take the vaccine. Obviously, were not doctors. The fly fishing store where the confrontation occurred said workers treat every customer equally and respectfully." Our staff was professional and cordial to Mr. Carlson, as we are with all of our customers, Dan Baileys Outdoor Company said on its Facebook page. While they share a name, the man who posted the video that's been viewed millions of times has no affiliation with our business, other than share the same name as our founder, who passed away in 1982, the shop said. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. The Harris Mountain fire more than doubled in size in 24 hours and grew to 11,890 acres Monday, as the Cascade County Sheriffs Office ordered mandatory evacuations and the American Red Cross set up a shelter as multiple blazes continued to rip through the state. On Sunday night, Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter issued a mandatory evacuation order for all those living on Adel Road, south of mile marker 7. Evacuation orders were issued near Sheep Creek Road as well, officials posted online Monday. Residents are asked to avoid the area as much as possible to allow fire response efforts to travel unheeded into the area. "There is a mandatory evacuation order for all residents on Adel Road and Whitmore," Cascade County Disaster and Emergency Services posted from the sheriff's office. "You are in imminent danger of the fire. Grab your essential items and house pets and leave immediately. First responders will not come rescue you." The fire, 10 miles southeast of Cascade, was reportedly sparked by lightning on Friday afternoon. As of Monday afternoon it was 0% contained. Officials said it burned more than 3,000 acres within the first burn period. This is a golden opportunity, not just for the South Side and 8th District, but for the city as a whole, she said. Give my people, all of us, a chance. The City Council unanimously approved the terms of the agreement with the casino developer after six of eight people who spoke during a public hearing on Monday expressed support for it. Many of them were local business and nonprofit leaders. For me, its about the community impact around things Im excited about, like education and affordable housing, said Dr. Pamela Royal, a physician and lifelong city resident who serves on the board of directors for Venture Richmond. Some Richmond residents, however, are undecided or do not think a casino will benefit the city. Quinton Robbins, of the social justice advocacy group Richmond for All, said the organization is opposed to the project. While Trammell said nearly everyone in her district supports it, Robbins said the organization recently surveyed people in the area near the project site and found that 45% of the people the group spoke with oppose it, with an additional 25% saying theyre undecided. The inmates drug overdose death comes as Leabough and the Riverside board are working to improve operations and address serious allegations raised by a state jail review committee, which in April recommended that Riverside be decertified and closed. An investigation found that jail staff may have directly or indirectly been responsible for three prisoner deaths in 2019 and 2020 by failing to comply with minimum state correctional standards. The jail review committee, which is the investigative arm of the Virginia Board of Local and Regional Jails, said conditions in the jail represent a clear and present danger to the health and safety of the inmates, according to a letter sent to Leabough. The Riverside Jail Authority immediately took issue with the committees findings, calling them unwarranted and particularly shocking, given that over the past year the jail passed its unannounced Department of Corrections audits related to health care and mental health screening and services, as well as three comprehensive federal agency audits. The authority also noted that since it hired Leabough, a retired DOC administrator, as superintendent in June 2020, great strides have been made to improve all facets of the facility, from inmate health care and mental health services to inmate safety and programming. That growing divide, said Hanover NAACP President Pat Jordan, is what prompted the forum. So many people dont understand what CRT is and we want this clarification for everybody, she said. This is nothing that is taught in schools in Virginia, said Jordan, referring to CRT. No matter how often you say this is not taught in schools, it continues to be the mantra for people who are opposed to it and you cannot be quiet when people misunderstand things. The forum will be led by Faye Belgrave, a former Hanover resident and the director of Virginia Commonwealth Universitys Center for Cultural Experiences in Prevention. Belgraves presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session. Jordan said the forum is meant to dispel myths ... to push the truth out to the public. According to the Brookings Institution, eight states Arizona, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas have passed legislation that bans the discussion, training and/or orientation that the U.S. is inherently racist, as well as discussions about conscious and unconscious bias, privilege, discrimination and oppression. Both Richmond and Chesterfield schools are paying teachers $40 per hour this summer. According to Sidney Gunter, academic response to intervention coordinator for RPS, the school system of about 28,000 invited about 4,000 students to attend its summer school program, and about 800 students are on the waiting list. She said around 3,500 students are currently enrolled. Gunter attributes the influx of students to the past year of online learning and the desire of parents to get their kids back to in-person instruction as soon as possible because they fell behind during virtual learning. She said RPS is using a combination of funding, including federal CARES grants, to increase the pay rate for educators, which was $22.18 for the summer of 2019. We wanted to make sure we were able to bring back our best and our brightest teachers for summer school, because we knew this was going to be a challenging effort, Gunter said. You know, teachers havent been in schools in a year and a half either. We wanted people who really were excited to come back to work with the students in person. And we know we have to incentivize our teachers for being willing to come back in person. Theres still so many uncertainties with COVID and stuff, so we wanted to make sure we recognize that we appreciated their effort. I dont know why homicides are trending up in Richmond and other cities, but its an agonizing trend, particularly for the communities most affected by the killing. The surges and dips in homicides over the decades are not easily explained by experts, much less laypersons. Everyone has a theory, from the dissolution of the Black family to the spike in gun sales. One thing is for sure: The stress and isolation of the pandemic, coupled with the puerile and corrosive quality of our politics, is hazardous to anyones mental or physical health. Our decay did not begin with the pandemic in a nation whose structural inequality race-based, gender-based and economic has left our temple of democracy in a precarious state. When blue-collar jobs left Americas cities decades ago, so went upward mobility and a modicum of hope. Mass incarceration surged. Wealth inequality skyrocketed. Nothing embodies current-day America more than billionaires playing astronaut for no discernable benefit to anyone except wealthy people in search of an exclusive, expensive experience. But at least the nascent space tourism industry is a nod toward science in a nation that too often rejects it. The statues continue to be property of the city and in storage. While in storage, we can provide the public additional time to show interest while staff works with council on how best to obtain proposals from interested organizations, Boyles wrote in an email to The Daily Progress. Proposals of acquisition may be considered by the City Council to assist them in their determination for final disposition. Some councilors have voiced their opinions on where the statues should and should not be displayed. Councilor Heather Hill told The Daily Progress in June that she is open to relocating the statues but does not think they should go to a battlefield. The story of why they are no longer in our parks is really important and should be part of any contextualization if that were the direction that we would go, Hill said. Councilor Michael Payne also said its important to consider whether it is possible to relocate the statues without them continuing to celebrate the Confederacy. But without access to broadband, rural Virginians are unable to access these services from their homes, and providers are limited to locating in areas with connectivity. Most importantly, the COVID-19 pandemic caused many rural students to rely almost entirely on an internet connection to access education. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia estimates that 200,000 K-12 students and 60,000 college students in the commonwealth lack access to broadband at home. Without internet, these students are forced to drive to areas, or businesses, with a connection or risk falling behind in school. This inequity between those with and those without internet deepens the consequences of the digital divide. Rural Virginia has been in this position before. In the early 1900s, urban centers like Norfolk and Richmond built their economies around the new opportunities presented by electricity, while the vast majority of rural Virginia remained in the dark. It wasnt until President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced the Rural Electrification Act in 1936 that we saw electricity reaching many parts of rural Virginia that had yet to be connected. By the start of World War II, roughly 90% of Virginias farms had access to electricity, which allowed farmers to utilize new technology and improved economic output. Honestly, I am amazed at the lack of accountability for you and the administration for the cascade of decisions and actions that led to this point, Barber said to Carey. Now, Carey replaced Barber three years ago which is why Barber would have been briefing his replacement. That commissioner, Dr. Hughes Melton, died in August 2019 from injuries received in a car crash in Augusta County. Carey then appointed Land to the position. But the General Assembly also bears some responsibility. Were already on fire and the fire is going to get hotter, Barber told lawmakers four years ago, per The Times-Dispatch. Barber then proposed to restructure the states system of financing public mental health care. His plan would have shifted more funds from institutions to community-based care something that has been a long-term goal for Virginia and that politicians, advocates and many in the public have said they support. Despite this, funding for community mental health never has been able to match the need, and Barbers proposal stalled. Still, it absolutely still needs to be done, said state Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath another of the legislators heavily involved in mental health policy. Perhaps intellectually honest political race? Editor, Times-Dispatch: As a lifelong Republican who voted for former President Donald Trump twice, Im truly dismayed by our partys reliance on false narrative and grievance-driven politics. Virginians deserve a gubernatorial contest thats an intellectually honest contest of ideas between GOP candidate Glenn Youngkin and Democratic contender former Gov. Terry McAuliffe. Im obviously speaking of the big lie. I wish Trump had won, but he simply didnt. Who says? He lost the Nov. 4 election. He lost multiple recounts in battleground states. He lost an effort to prevent the U.S. Congress from certifying the election. He lost no fewer than 86 election fraud lawsuits covering Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, including rulings by 38 Republican judges, some appointed by him. In what universe of realty is this record not dispositive? Just the other day I heard Trump talk about untold thousands of dead people voting, so I checked. Georgia has two confirmed illegal votes in 2020. Pennsylvania confirms only one attempt to cast a ballot on behalf of a dead person. Michigan reports no confirmed cases. You get the idea. State needs to pass qualified immunity bill Editor, Times-Dispatch: More than a year after the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, Virginia has seen a number of police reforms across the state. An end to qualified immunity for police officers, however, is not among them. Banning no-knock search warrants, mandating de-escalation and racial bias training for officers, and banning officers from having sex with arrestees are all policies that have recently passed in the Virginia House of Delegates. While these are steps in the right direction, one has to wonder why these policies didnt already exist. Real change in the attitudes and behaviors of our police departments wont happen until there is accountability. Small steps toward accountability are being made. Recent legislation granted the state attorney general the ability to investigate local police departments. But the attorney general cannot investigate every individual officer accused of misconduct. It is not enough. They also maintained policy was violated when the board allowed a second item about granting an easement for a broadband cell tower at Callaway Elementary School on the agenda, as the meeting was originally intended to only address mask policy. Board Chair Julie Nix said the board was trying to hold a vote on the tower in a timely fashion after receiving a request for consideration from Franklin County Administrator Chris Whitlow. The mood of the meeting remained tense as Jason Guilliams, the school systems director of operations, presented a recommendation from staff that mask wearing for students on school grounds be a matter of parents choice, but mandatory on school buses. When Union Hall Representative P.D. Hambrick expressed concern that having unmasked teachers instructing unmasked students will turn a classroom into a Petri dish, that drew laughs of disbelief from some members of the audience. When Atchue tried to make a case for mask wearing, angry shouts drowned him out. Nix had to pound her gavel to call the meeting back to order before Atchue could finish. Roanoke and Botetourt counties both will continue to require students, whether vaccinated or not, to wear masks while riding on school buses, in order to comply with meet federal transportation requirements. Franklin County did not take that step. The Botetourt school system will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and will make necessary or required adjustments to its health plan during the 2021-22 school year, according to its announcement. Roanoke County said in a news release that it would consider additional mitigation strategies and requirements should in-person learning become significantly impacted for large numbers of students. School boards across Virginia continue to discuss and make decisions about health plans including masks as COVID-19 again surges in areas across the country, particularly among the unvaccinated. Montgomery Countys school board is scheduled to discuss its policy next week. Salem City Schools and Roanoke City Public Schools also are considering their policies. Roanoke County has the highest vaccination rate against COVID-19 in the Roanoke and New River valleys, with 58.4% of the population with at least one dose. In Botetourt, the same measure stands at 52.7%; in Franklin County it is 41.8%. Delaney was born in Lexington in 1943. He planned to attend Morehouse College in Atlanta, but his mother didnt want to him to go there because of safety concerns with the citys ongoing civil rights movement. He worked at Washington and Lee as a custodian, took classes and graduated in 1985, and then pursued a doctorate at the College of William and Mary University. When he returned to Washington and Lee University, he pressured the school to think about its legacy, getting the school to add courses on slavery and civil rights. Ted was known to people across the W&L community as a wise, thoughtful, and generous teacher whose passion for justice and inclusion was evident both in the classroom and in his scholarship, Washington and Lee President William Dudley said in a statement. Teds work provided keen insights into the history of the university and the local community. His personal history and the example that he set for all of us represent the best of the universitys core values. The center that bears Teds name will be a model for the work that was so important to him and remains so critical to the understanding and advancement of our society in the future. Do you recall your critiques of council during your victorious 2019 election campaign? Sometimes such statements come back at you. Most children learn this lesson early in life, as illustrated by a catchy rhyme: Im rubber and youre glue. Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you. Were deeply sorry if you never learned that lesson, or if youve forgotten it. Perhaps the General Assembly should enshrine it in the K-12 Standards of Learning. You might want to discuss that with your pal Marie March, who appears headed to Richmond in January. Yes, were aware you took more votes than any other candidate in the last election. Congratulations! You should definitely feel proud about that. However, were sorry to say that getting the most votes does not necessarily mean that you get to run town council. Especially when the most amounts to less than 25% of the total in a five-way race for three seats. Were also sorry that more than 75% of the votes cast went to candidates other than you. Were truly sorry it wasnt more like 81%. Connaughton, in his letter, answered that the states true desire is to require acute care private hospitals to handle patients in a setting that is not appropriate for their needs. Practically speaking, placing patients in need of long-term care in acute care hospitals is generally not feasible and not clinically appropriate, he said. Deeds said hes glad for any help the private hospitals can give, but questioned why they wont accept patients with complex medical conditions that state mental hospitals are not equipped to treat. They dont want to take any of the cases we need them to take, he said. Halted admissionsLand halted admissions at the five hospitals on July 9 because they had too few employees to care for patients safely. The affected facilities are Central State Hospital near Petersburg, Eastern State Hospital near Williamsburg, Western State Hospital in Staunton, Piedmont Geriatric Hospital in Nottoway County and Catawba Hospital near Roanoke. The state hospitals that remain open to admission also face a crisis. Three of them were entirely full on Monday, with 44 people waiting in private hospital emergency departments for a bed in a state facility, according to spokesperson Lauren Cunningham. The area near the CSX Transportation coal piers in Newport News was once home to English and Irish settlers. Nearly 400 years ago, in November 1621, Daniel Gookin settled on the north shore of Hampton Roads with 55 people from County Cork in southwest Ireland. When they arrived, they established a plantation in the area Gookin named Maries Mount. In our region, the story of this plantation isnt particularly well known mostly because that interest in the period of early settlement in Virginia tends to focus on Jamestown, but not the outlying settlements like the settlements of Newport News and Hampton, said Luke J. Pecoraro, director of curatorial services at Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. This is history thats kind of hidden in plain sight that a lot of folks dont know about. Pecoraro will be offering a free seminar about the settlement at 6 p.m. Thursday at Coastal Fermentory as part of a series of events planned by Sister Cities of Newport News, Inc. to commemorate the anniversary. He wrote his doctoral dissertation about Gookins plantation Maries Mount and another plantation operated by Gookins son in what is now Suffolk. When the man Tammy Hamrin met through a dating website told her he was in trouble and needed money, the title company owner was eager to help. Hamrin met Leo in January 2018 through OurTime.com, an online dating site for people over 50, according to court records. She quickly fell in love with him and thought he loved her, too. Initially Hamrin, now 58, sent Leo money from her personal funds. But when he said he needed substantially more, she started dipping into real estate escrow accounts she controlled through her longtime business, Preferred Escrow & Title, in Virginia Beach. The accounts contained funds set aside for dozens of real estate closings in which Hamrin was involved. While she knew it was wrong to withdraw from the accounts, Hamrin was sure Leo would pay it back and she wanted to help him come to the United States, according to documents filed by her attorney, Andrew Page of Suffolk. In all, she wired him $715,000 in escrow money. By Feb. 5, 2018 just weeks after Hamrin met Leo she realized shed been scammed. Her world quickly began to fall apart, Page wrote. The 48 real estate closings she was involved in were left with insufficient funds and thrown into disarray. In the past, no such meetings were held, and no such opportunities for citizens to engage were permitted. Decisions were made between politicians via handshake deals behind closed doors. There was no constitutional mandate for transparency, public input, or bipartisan cooperation. Nor was there an archive of all of the commissions meetings, data and correspondence. Those days are mercifully behind us. While democracy is messy and no commission structure is perfect, it is impossible to ignore the fact that the work of Virginia Redistricting Commission is leaps and bounds more transparent, responsive, and accountable than it has ever been. But it will only be successful if the commission hears from you. No group of 16 individuals can know about every community in every region of Virginia no matter where they are from. We as Virginians have the responsibility to take advantage of the unprecedented opportunities for public engagement in the coming months. Perhaps the only way to know for sure is if Youngkin wins and we find out then what gun laws he wants changed if any. 2. Mississippi isnt doing Youngkin any favors. The states attorney general has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide. That was inevitable, but you can imagine Youngkin advisers asking: Did they have to do that now? Youngkin, by his own admission, is trying to avoid talking about abortion for fear of alienating swing voters. He was infamously captured on video telling supporters in Loudoun County why hes not talking about abortion: Im going to be really honest with you. The short answer is in this campaign, I cant. When Im governor and I have a majority in the House, we can start going on offense. But as a campaign topic, sadly, that in fact wont win my independent votes that I have to get. Now Mississippi has thrust the issue front and center and there will likely be developments on this case sometime during the fall campaign. As with guns, we dont know Youngkins true views. Maybe he was telling supporters the truth when he said he would take it to the abortionists. Or maybe he was just telling them what they wanted to hear. Real history vs. faux history Re: The letter accusing The Roanoke Times of blowing smoke about John C. Underwood (July 6, Naming school after Underwood would be an abomination), it reveals the authors understanding of history to be about a half-century outdated. When I entered graduate school at the University of Virginia in 1970, historical research had already begun to belie the interpretation of Reconstruction this author is wedded to. Rapacious carpetbaggers, poor white scalawags, illiterate freedmen, corrupt politicians, and the imperious Northern government put the South to the torch. So says followers of what might be called the Lost Cause cult. It is shocking to find citizens today so uninformed about our national history. The 14 African Americans elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, Congressman John Mercer Langston, U.S. House of Representatives, and U.S. Sen. Blanch K. Bruce, all elected under the Underwood Constitution, were men of distinction who helped the nation reunite. Frederick Douglass was not illiterate but a figure of national significance who advised President Lincoln. 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 " " Australian Keith Francisco holds two pieces of wire to demonstrate the practice of water divining at his property Tindarey in Cobar, Australia. The octogenarian is a water diviner using ancient methods particularly successful in dry environments. Mark Evans/Getty Images Water witches have been around and by around, we mean around the world, from Australia and India to Europe and the Americas to many, many other places for at least five centuries. So just in terms of simple longevity, you have to give it up to the witches. As a profession, that's been around for so long, they have to be doing something right. When it comes to water witches also known as dowsers, diviners, doodlebuggers and various other names in our so-called enlightened times, though, we're faced with two distinct possibilities. One, they're either really good, and have been for a long time, at pulling a fast one on desperate landowners looking for groundwater. Or, two, they actually know what they're doing and they're not pulling a fast one at all. "There's been at least some research testing the dowsers' skill," over the years, says Todd Jarvis, the director of the Institute for Water & Watersheds at Oregon State University, a one-time dowser and member of the American Society of Dowsers, and a practicing hydrogeologist. "And for every study that says there's nothing to it, there's a study that says there's something to it." Believe it. Or not. " " Many water witches back in the day used nothing more than a forked stick to search for groundwater because they believed that these were simply channels for their power. U.S. Geological Survey Advertisement What's a Water Witch? You may have seen the water witch in popular culture. Forked stick in front, wandering arid land until, somewhat magically and often with the hint of help from some otherworldly power, the witch and the wand divine a spot in the dirt where life-giving water, at some depth underground, waits to be liberated. It may sound like some rather hokey hocus-pocus, or something from, say, 500 years ago. But by one estimate, some 60,000 water dowsers are practicing in America today. That's more than 10 times the number of hydrologists, who provide many of the same services as witches, substituting science for the forked sticks. Not all water witches use the forked branch of a tree these days, of course. Most locate the water based on movement of diving rods. Copper rods and pendulums are popular tools of the trade. A smartly contorted wire coat hanger might do the trick. Shovels. Pitchforks. Glass beads. A crowbar. These simply channels for the power. And not all dowsers go about their groundwater search the same way. Some actually incorporate science into their divining; they look at the topography of the land, the geology. They use maps. They may even have an understanding of local aquifers. They make drawings. Do tests. All rely on some kind of unseen, perhaps divine, intervention to suss out the water. It's an innate ability, a "sense" or "intuition." Sometimes it's simple and quiet. Sometimes it's more theatrical. "You can see some of these folks performing on YouTube," Jarvis says. "Their bodies go into all sorts of contortions." The thing is, water witches are often right. Or close enough to right. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has long had to field questions about the viability of dowsers and their claims. Yet even the USGS admits that dowsers water witches, whatever can find water. How? From the USGS: The natural explanation of "successful" water dowsing is that in many areas water would be hard to miss. The dowser commonly implies that the spot indicated by the rod is the only one where water could be found, but this is not necessarily true. In a region of adequate rainfall and favorable geology, it is difficult not to drill and find water! " " Water witches are using ancient techniques to find groundwater that is part of the water table. Designua/Shutterstock Advertisement Science vs. Water Witching All this pointing and "feeling" has led to real tension between scientists and dowsers. Some of it, undoubtedly, flows from the fact that the witches indeed have a measure of success in locating underground water, which has led many landowners in search of water to call on dowsers in place of, or in addition to, scientists. The scientists push back. "To locate ground water accurately ... as to depth, quantity and quality, a number of techniques must be used. Hydrologic, geologic, and geophysical knowledge is needed to determine the depths and extent of the different water-bearing strata and the quantity and quality of water found in each. The area must be thoroughly tested and studied to determine these facts," the USGS says. "Compared to dowsing," Timothy Parker, a California groundwater management consultant and hydrogeologist, told The New York Times, "which is a person with a stick." The USGS and others suggest that the added expense of calling in water witches, though reportedly less than a certified scientist, is simply not worth it. For his part, Jarvis maintains that geologists and other scientists (including hydrologists) are more adept at finding the water. But witches, he says, are more trusted by farmers and other landowners. Jarvis regularly lectures on water witching (a recent webinar conducted for the American Water Resources Association was entitled, "Finding Water the Ol' Timey Way") and has some firsthand knowledge of it. Early on in his more than 30-year career, he regularly encountered dowsers he still does and, after joining the American Society of Dowsers (ASD), someone found his name on a list of dowsers and, much to his surprise, asked him to come witch a well. So he did. After getting the lay of the land, he picked a spot. It turned out OK. Still, "it didn't make any sense to me as a geologist," he says. Despite the head-butting between Old World and new science, Jarvis now is rather neutral about the idea of dowsing and water witching. He's never surprised when someone finds underground water through non-scientific methods again, there's a lot of groundwater out there but he says that the act of striking water, of bringing it to the surface, remains "magical." "I look at it this way," Jarvis says. "They have a 400-year jump on us [dowsers versus hydrologists and hydrogeologists]. To me, it's part of the folklore. It's easy to dismiss it. But if you do, you dismiss that folklore. You dismiss a part of your history." NOW THAT'S INTERESTING Often drought-stricken California has the largest assemblage of dowsers, according to the ASD, making up at least a half-dozen chapters in the state. Overall, the organization boasts 2,000 active members. The 39,034 population estimate would mean the city has grown by 14.6% since 2000, or 0.73% per year. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} However, population estimates indicate that the state of South Carolinas population has grown by 31.7% since 2000. Mitchell added that the citys population is slightly older that the states population at a median age of 39.9 years compared to 39.5 years in the state and 38.5 in the country. Whats really behind those numbers is that Florence has a higher than typical share of 65-plus population and 18 and below, Mitchell said. There arent as many people in between. In a lot of cities your size, theyre trying to retain the kids that grew up here. ... Mitchell also said that the city had a higher percentage of renters than the state and national average. The numbers he showed the council indicate that 41.5% of the housing units in the city are rented, compared to 35.9% nationally and 29.9% in the state. He also said that two-thirds of the citys homes were built before 1990. Keep the holy water within easy reach, filmgoers, as The Exorcist is getting a revival. The New York Times on Monday reported that Ellen Burstyn had signed on to reprise her iconic role as Chris MacNeil in whats been described as a continuation of the 1973 horror classic that will comprise three feature films. The new trilogy is said to follow a concerned father (played by Leslie Odom Jr.) who seeks out Chris advice upon learning his child may be possessed by a demon. Universal Pictures and the NBC streaming service Peacock acquired the three movies for a reported $400 million. The trilogy will be directed by David Gordon Green, who in 2018 revived the Halloween franchise with Jamie Lee Curtis. The first of the films is currently aiming for a 2023 release. Linda Blair (left) and Ellen Burstyn in 1973's Reaction to the news on social media was nothing short of head-spinning, if a bit divided. Some argued in defense of The Exorcist III, one of two sequels to the original film thats become a cult favorite. Others lobbied for Linda Blair, who starred alongside Burstyn as demon-possessed teen Regan MacNeil in the original, to land a role. Based on William Peter Blattys 1971 novel, The Exorcist is widely regarded as one of the scariest movies of all time, and received two Academy Awards. Burstyn, who won an Oscar in 1975 for Alice Doesnt Live Here Anymore, has been enjoying a career renaissance as of late thanks to an acclaimed performance in 2020s Pieces of a Woman. In February, the actor told AARP Magazine that shed rewatched The Exorcist to commemorate the films 45th anniversary in 2018. No, it doesnt scare me, she explained. You know whats funny? I passed a group of people the other day and a man said, Ellen Burstyn? I said, How can you recognize me with this mask on? He said, Ive seen The Exorcist over 40 times. Your eyes are very familiar. This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. Related... By Giulia Paravicini and Maggie Fick SHEWEATE HUGUM, Ethiopia (Reuters) - Burned-out military vehicles, boxes of ammunition and the bodies of scores of federal troops were still scattered along the dirt road that runs through the Ethiopian village of Sheweate Hugum three weeks after the fighting subsided. Beside them lay the leftovers of lives cut short: family photographs, school diplomas, Ethiopian flags. (for Photo Essay please click on: https://reut.rs/3kWbsOp) What happened here in mid-June was just one battle in an eight-month war between Ethiopia's military and rebellious forces in the northern region of Tigray. But, in a conflict largely waged far from the world's cameras, it sheds light on a key turning point. Nine days later, Tigrayan fighters regained the regional capital Mekelle, three hours' drive to the east, in a major setback for the central government. On the same day the city was retaken, Addis Ababa declared a unilateral ceasefire. Reuters spoke to two captured Ethiopian army officers, two leaders of the rebellious Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and three residents of Sheweate Hugum to get a picture of what happened in the village between June 17-19. Fighting broke out as federal troops were making advances in the area, according to Debretsion Gebremichael, head of the TPLF. Tigrayan forces counter-attacked, he said. On the other side, Colonel Hussein Mohamed said he commanded 3,700 soldiers from the army's 11th division at Sheweate Hugum. He said at least 100 government soldiers died and 900 were captured over three days of fighting in the village. Reuters interviewed Hussein at a jail in Mekelle, where a journalist saw hundreds of captured soldiers being held by the TPLF. "There were a lot of dead people on both sides," said Hussein, his gold tooth glinting as he chain smoked. Another Ethiopian officer in the cell, who asked not to be named, said heavy losses among government troops around Sheweate Hugum helped pave the way for Tigrayan forces to retake Mekelle. Story continues Reuters could not independently verify the accounts of the fighting at Sheweate Hugum. Both officers were interviewed without the presence of guards, and the men said they were speaking voluntarily. Spokespeople for the Ethiopian military, the prime minister's office and a government taskforce on Tigray did not return calls or messages seeking comment on what happened in Sheweate Hugum in mid-June and on the fate of any prisoners. Debretsion, speaking via satellite phone, declined to comment on TPLF casualties beyond saying some were killed but that they did not number in the "thousands". Reuters did not see the bodies of TPLF fighters in and around the village. LAST STAND Sheweate Hugum was largely abandoned when Reuters visited on July 10. Only a few residents remained, holding shawls to their faces to keep out the stench from the bodies. Two residents said some Tigrayan fighters had been buried in local churches, but were unclear about numbers. The bishop of Mekelle had no information on casualties. Tiebei Negash, 60, wept as she recalled how she and some neighbours had buried her husband, who she said was a resident not involved in the conflict, and five Ethiopian army soldiers. She said she didn't see the fighters who shot through her front door the night of June 17, killing her husband in his sleep before setting fire to their house, but added that they spoke the national Amharic language, not Tigrinya spoken by Tigrayans. She expressed anger at the soldiers who deployed to Tigray in support of Prime Minister Ahmed Abiy's government, but understood they were following orders. "I feel sorry for them because they died in this land that is not their home," she said. "They are human beings." Fighting first broke out in Tigray in November when the government accused the TPLF of attacking military bases across the region - an accusation the group denied. The government declared victory three weeks later when it took control of Mekelle, but the TPLF kept fighting and has since taken back most of the region, including its capital on June 28. Ethiopian troops withdrew from most of Tigray in late June and declared a unilateral ceasefire on what the government said were humanitarian grounds when the TPLF retook Mekelle. Leaders of the TPLF derided the truce and said it was intended to cover up federal army losses. Tesfay Gebregziabher, logistics coordinator for around 6,000 Tigrayan fighters who he said fought at Sheweate Hugum, said he saw around 350 Ethiopian soldiers retreat into the village school during the fighting. His troops surrounded the building and killed those who didn't surrender, he said during an interview in Mekelle. Reuters could not independently confirm his version of events. In the two-room schoolhouse in Sheweate Hugum, Reuters saw more than two dozen bodies in Ethiopian military uniforms, including women, lying among upturned desks and charred books. They were illuminated by rays of sunlight through bullet holes in the roof and door. Open tins of food lay next to most of the bodies. (Maggie Fick reported from Nairobi; Editing by Katharine Houreld and Mike Collett-White) Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Newcastle consolidated with the larger Hartington district beginning with the 2014-15 school year. Five seniors graduated from the last Newcastle High School class in 2014. At the time, Hartington administrators guaranteed that students from pre-K through fourth grade would remain at Newcastle, at least for one year, but beyond that, the future of the school was uncertain. "What we had found is that, some of the older students, some of those families decided to send their kids to Hartington a little bit earlier, so that's why this last year was a Pre-K through 1 school," Johnson said. One of the two teachers at Newcastle retired at the end of the last year, Johnson said, and the other was departing for another job opportunity. The district is trying to find new roles for a small handful of other staffers at the Newcastle building. District officials, Johnson said, will have to figure out what they're going to do with the empty Newcastle school, which includes an older structure and a newer addition. "We're looking into our options there. There's certainly -- especially the newer part of the building -- there's some very good space there. So we'll do our best to work with the community to see what kind of arrangements we could work out," he said. HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) A Pennsylvania man who boasted of macing police at the breach of the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection is facing federal charges. Agents detained Samuel Lazar, 37, in Ephrata on Monday, on charges of assaulting police and obstruction of law enforcement, according to court filings unsealed Tuesday. Court records do not list a lawyer for Lazar. In April, LNP/LancasterOnline reported that it had identified Lazar as Suspect 275 from photos issued by the FBI of its most wanted insurrectionists. Online sleuths nicknamed him Face Paint Blowhard for his distinctive Jan. 6 outfit, including a tactical vest and goggles and his face painted in camouflage appearing in photos and videos circulated on social media from the attack. HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) The lawyer for a Republican candidate for Pennsylvania governor said Monday his client apparently did not hit the motorcyclist who was killed on the Pennsylvania Turnpike last week, but rather hit the downed motorcycle in the road. The candidate, Charlie Gerow, was not driving impaired and voluntarily gave a blood sample, attorney Joseph P. Green Jr. said. An attendee at the political fundraiser Gerow had been attending in suburban Philadelphia last Wednesday evening said she never saw him drinking and that he seemed sober when he left. Gerow apparently drove for several miles with the motorcycle stuck on the front of his car before pulling over, according to a construction worker who saw the car speed by. State police have said little about what they have found in their investigation into the crash, which shut down the turnpike overnight and left motorcyclist Logan Carl Abbott dead. They have not identified Gerow as the driver of the Mercedes 300 involved in the crash, described how it happened or disclosed whether another vehicle was involved. BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (AP) A man accused of killing two women in Pennsylvania was charged with murder in the death of a pregnant Michigan woman who disappeared in 2005, authorities said Tuesday. Calhoun County investigators got a tip months ago when police in Pennsylvania interviewed Harold Haulman III. Haulman lived in the area when Ashley Parlier, 21, of Battle Creek, was reported missing in 2005, Sheriff Steve Hinkley said. Haulman admitted to killing Parlier during interviews with detectives, Hinkley said. He indicated that he had assaulted her and knocked her unconscious after an argument at a house, the sheriff said. He then drove her to a remote area in Newton Township, where he struck her in the head several times with a piece of wood until she was dead. Investigators haven't found Parlier's remains despite searches in a wooded area. Haulman, 43, is in custody in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. It wasn't immediately known if he has a lawyer in Michigan who could comment on the new case. INDIAN FALLS, Calif. (AP) Cooler weather on Tuesday helped calm two gigantic wildfires in the U.S. West, but a tally of property losses mounted as authorities got better access to a tiny California community savaged by flames last weekend and to a remote area of southern Oregon where the nation's largest blaze is burning. CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa After saying last week they were appalled that Gov. Kim Reynolds has not appointed people to vacant seats on the state Board of Health, Iowa Democrats expressed outrage at her failed leadership Monday. Her inaction, which makes it impossible for the board to meet because of a lack of a quorum, is unacceptable, especially in a pandemic, Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Rep. Ross Wilburn of Ames and House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, said on a conference call with reporters. Echoing other speakers, Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, called it another example of Reynolds failed leadership. The Democrats criticism stems from the boards July 14 meeting being canceled because the 11-member board does not have the quorum required to make decisions. There are seven vacant positions on the 11-member board. However, a spokesman for the governor said Reynolds makes appointments to boards and commissions as terms expire or when individuals leave their positions. Bahena Rivera, who illegally entered the U.S. from Mexico as a teenager, said he didn't tell investigators about the two men earlier because they had threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend and young daughter. He was to be sentenced to life in prison earlier this month. But at the end of his trial, two new witnesses came forward independently of one another and told police that a local 21-year-old man, Gavin Jones, told them he had killed Tibbetts. Defense lawyers requested a new trial based on that and other newly discovered information, and Yates agreed to postpone sentencing while he considered their request. One of those witnesses, inmate Arne Maki, testified Tuesday that Jones told him of his involvement last year when they were both held at the Keokuk County Jail. Jones said he and another man stabbed Tibbetts after she was held at a sex trafficking trap house where they were staying and framed Bahena Rivera for the death, Maki testified. An older man in charge of the house had ordered her killed, Maki said. BUCHAREST (AP) Ancient Roman mining galleries in a mountainous Romanian region that has been at the center of a long, fierce battle between a Canadian mining company and environmentalists were added to UNESCOs World Heritage list Tuesday. One of the many lessons America should have learned from the catastrophic presidency of Donald Trump is that the nations political norms are no longer sufficient to ensure a baseline of ethical behavior in Washington. Time and again, Trump trampled those norms, shamelessly using his office to enrich his businesses, coddle his friends and punish his foes. President Joe Biden has restored respect for those norms with the mere act of behaving like a normal president. And he has used executive orders to shore up ethical standards throughout his administration. The fact that Bidens critics are grasping at a silly non-scandal over his son Hunter Bidens art sales just dramatizes how much better the ethics situation has gotten. But all that will last only as long as this presidency does. Biden promised during the campaign to push a sweeping ethics package through Congress. Six months in, he still hasnt pursued it. He should, while the urgency of the topic is still fresh. Climate change and tornadoes: Any connection? Posted on 28 July 2021 by Guest Author This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob Henson Climate change may be the existential threat of our lives, yet when it comes to in-your-face weather, tornadoes are in a class of their own. Fortunately, human-warmed climate isnt making violent U.S. tornadoes any more frequent. However, climate change may be involved in some noteworthy recent shifts in the location and seasonal timing of the tornado threat. The United States is the global epicenter of tornado formation. An average of about 1,200 U.S. twisters are observed each year, with some years bringing as few as 900 and others as many as 1,600-plus. Its all the result of a unique geography that allows hot, dry air from the Southwest to flow atop moist, warm, unstable surface air east of the Rockies, with cold air at the jet-stream level overtopping it all. This layer cake of winds and air masses, varying with height, supports development of rotating supercell thunderstorms, the kind that produce the most long-lived and intense tornadoes. Even weaker non-supercell storms can collectively spawn hundreds of twisters each year. The total number of U.S. tornadoes observed each year roughly doubled from the 1950s to the 1990s with the advent of more storm spotters and chasers (think Twister). Most of these extra tornadoes were on the weak side, though, as the more intense ones were already hard to miss. The boost provided by more eyes and cameras largely disappears when the count turns to only the 300 to 600 tornadoes per year rated at least EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale (or F1 on the original scale) with top wind gusts of at least 86 mph, ignoring the forgettable EF zeroes (EF0s). Each tornado is a localized creature, which makes it difficult to link to global climate trends. Climate change typically plays out in local fashion by way of broad regional shifts, such as depleted sea ice, warmer oceans, and drier landscapes. Sometimes these shifts are distinct enough from natural variation to signal clearly that human-caused climate change is likely involved. In contrast, tornadoes and their parent thunderstorms are brief and episodic, and they normally vary a great deal over time and space, so its tougher to distill long-term trends in their behavior and distinguish those from normal ups and downs. Nevertheless, a few signals have shown up in tornado seasons over recent decades. Some may be the result of year-to-year or decade-to-decade variability; others could be related to longer-term, human-caused climate change. Heres what scientists have been noticing. From the 1950s into the 2010s (and continuing into the 2020s), no significant trend has emerged in the annual number of U.S. tornadoes rated EF1 or stronger. (Image credit: NOAA/NCEI) Tornado seasons are getting more variable Although the total yearly count of significant, EF1-or-stronger tornadoes (EF1+) hasnt risen or fallen substantially or over a sustained period, how these tornadoes are distributed across time is another matter. The monthly variability of EF1+ tornadoes has increased since the 1970s, with a growing occurrence of both record-busy and record-calm months, according to a 2014 study. To cite a recent example, the count of 510 tornadoes of all strengths in May 2019 was more than 100 above any other May on record. Just two years later, May 2021 became the first May on record without a single EF3-or-stronger tornado (EF3+) anywhere in the United States. Whats causing the increased variability? No single culprit has been identified, but the researchers of that same study found that variability is growing on the annual scale also. One example: The most active and destructive tornado year in modern records, 2011, was followed by one of the quietest, 2012. More recently, the year 2018 had a record-low death toll, with only 10 tornado-related fatalities, and it was the first year with no EF3+ tornadoes reported. Tornado outbreaks are getting larger and more frequent Increased variability extends to the daily scale too. A 2016 study found that an increasing number of each years tornadoes are occurring in outbreaks (periods of one to several days with at least six closely spaced EF1+ tornadoes). The study also found that outbreaks themselves are becoming more frequent. Historically, close to 80% of all U.S. tornado deaths are associated with outbreaks. On the flip side, this clumping of an annual tornado crop thats not significantly growing or shrinking has left an increasing number of days free of any tornadoes of EF1+ strength. As with monthly and annual variability, no scientific studies have shown a link between the increase in daily-scale variability and climate change, and there is no certainty it will continue into future decades. The concept does bear some similarity to the observed trend strongly connected to climate change, and expected to continue of a larger share of U.S. rainfall falling in more intense episodes, though the two phenomena have not been explicitly studied together. If nothing else, the increasingly mercurial timetable of twisters suggests we ought not be too shocked if we happen to get a hyperactive tornado month or season, or an ultra-sleepy one. This powerful tornado, rated F5, struck near Elie, Manitoba (just west of Winnipeg) on June 22, 2007. It is the only Canadian tornado on record rated F5 or EF5. (Photo credit: Justin Hobson/Wikimedia Commons/CC-SA 3.0) Is tornado season starting earlier? Events such as a massive warm wave in March 2012 that sent temperatures of 90F as far north as Michigan raise questions of whether tornado activity might shift earlier in the year as U.S. (and for that matter global) warming continues. Theres scant research addressing this topic. Another study published in 2014 examined the belt traditionally known as Tornado Alley, from northern Texas to southeast Nebraska, and it found that the regions yearly springtime peak of tornado activity had shifted from around May 25 to May 14. However, a follow-up study found no such trend toward an earlier peak across a patch of the southeastern U.S. from Arkansas to northern Alabama where overall tornado activity has been increasing (see below). Its important to keep in mind that tornadoes can develop anywhere, at any time of year including Wisconsin in January as long as the proper ingredients are in place. Tornado Alley is shifting eastward Perhaps the most concerning trend in recent decades is geographic. A 2018 study found that over the past 40 years, EF1+ tornadoes have increased in frequency from roughly Louisiana to Missouri eastward, especially south of the Ohio River, east of the Mississippi, and west of the Appalachians. Many of the deadliest and most destructive tornadoes of the 21st century have occurred in that particular region, including those in the catastrophic Super Outbreak of 2011 as well as more recent disasters such as the Tennessee tornadoes of 2020 that caused billions in damage and killed 28. Looking at weather conditions that support tornadoes, rather than tornadoes themselves, the same study found a similar eastward shift. The number of annual days on which weather conditions were favorable for tornadoes decreased across southern parts of traditional Tornado Alley from 1979 to 2020, while increasing from the Mississippi Valley across much of the Southeast. (Image: Courtesy of Victor Gensini, Northern Illinois University.) At the same time, EF1+ tornadoes and tornado-favorable conditions have become less frequent over most of the traditional Tornado Alley states from Texas to Nebraska. (But the annual average tornado count remains higher in those states than further east.) Tornado activity hit unprecedented lows across large parts of Oklahoma and Kansas from 2020 into 2021. A USA TODAY analysis in June 2021 vividly brought home the location shift. Like the other trends outlined above, the eastward shift in tornadoes has not yet been conclusively linked to any particular aspect of climate change, and its uncertain whether this geographic shift will continue into future decades. One factor that could be involved is strong multidecadal warming observed across the U.S. Southwest. The increased heat may be generating air just above the surface thats hot enough to more reliably suppress tornadic thunderstorm development as the air flows eastward above traditional Tornado Alley. Meanwhile, sea surface temperatures across the Gulf of Mexico are increasing, which helps to generate warm, humid surface air feeding into severe thunderstorms across the central and eastern U.S. How these factors and others may be influencing the eastward shift in tornado prevalence remains to be determined. The Super Outbreak of 2011, which peaked on April 27, ravaged much of the southeastern U.S. with a record armada of 360 confirmed tornadoes. At least 324 people were killed, and damages hit a record $10.2 billion (2011 USD). (Photo credit: Thilo Parg / CC BY-SA 3.0) Tornado vulnerability is on the rise The eastward shift is especially ominous because of the Southeasts vulnerability on multiple counts. More people live in tornado-vulnerable manufactured homes in the Southeast than anywhere else, and many of these are on small acreages where safe shelter can be miles away. Southeastern tornadoes are also more likely than those elsewhere to strike at night, when many people are asleep and approaching tornadoes are less visible. Increasing population will add to the nations tornado vulnerability going forward, even without considering any climate-related changes to tornado behavior. A 2017 analysis found that average yearly tornado impacts and vulnerability could be 6 to 36 times higher by 2100 compared to 1940, depending on location. The biggest projected increase is in the Mid-South region from eastern Arkansas to the Appalachians. Even locations such as New York City are at a surprisingly high tornado risk when considering the extreme impacts that a low-probability strike could inflict on a dense, vulnerable urban population, as documented in the National Risk Index released by FEMA in 2021. The tornado outlook for later this century Only a few studies have attempted to simulate how tornadic thunderstorms might behave in the expected warmer climate of the late 21st century. One approach is to examine tornado environments the weather configurations that support tornadic thunderstorms because these are more readily simulated in a climate model than tornadoes themselves. Initial work in this area found that the instability fueling severe thunderstorms will likely increase over the century, but the vertical wind shear needed for tornadic supercells will more likely decrease. The projected result would be an increase in overall severe weather (including heavy rain and gusty wind), but a potential drop in tornado frequency. Subsequent research, looking at how the juxtaposition of instability and wind shear might itself change, came up with different results. In a nutshell, the springtime days with enhanced instability tended to also have tornado-supportive wind shear, implying there could be an increase in tornadoes after all. Some model configurations can now go a step further, downscaling the global model output to see how actual thunderstorms might evolve in the projected future climate. So far, the results tend to confirm earlier research that severe weather overall will become more frequent, perhaps with a longer storm season. At least one study suggests that variability in peak-season behavior will increase, in line with recent trends. Even in these high-resolution models, tornadoes themselves are far too small to be directly simulated, so that reality remains a major caveat. One other persistent challenge is simulating and analyzing the weather features that can inhibit tornadic storms on even favorable-looking days, such as the caps of warm, dry air one to two miles above the surface. Some of the 21st-century modeling suggests that summertime capping may intensify later in the century. References: Harold E. Brooks, Gregory W. Carbin, and Patrick T. Marsh, 2014: Increased variability of tornado occurrence in the United States. Science, 346, 349352. John A. Long and Paul C. Stoy, 2014: Peak tornado activity is occurring earlier in the heart of Tornado Alley. Geophysical Research Letters, 41, 62596264. John A. Long, Paul C. Stoy, and Tobias Gerken, 2018: Tornado seasonality in the southeastern United States. Weather and Climate Extremes, 20, 8191. Vittorio A. Gensini and Harold E. Brooks, 2018: Spatial trends in United States tornado frequency. Climate and Atmospheric Science, Volume 1, page 38. Michael K. Tippett, Chiara Lepore, and Joel E. Cohen, 2016: More tornadoes in the most extreme U.S. tornado outbreaks. Science, 354, 14191423. Stephen M. Strader, et al., 2017: Observed and Projected Changes in United States Tornado Exposure. Weather, Climate, and Society, 9, 109123. Robert J. Trapp, et al., 2007: Changes in severe thunderstorm environment frequency during the 21st century caused by anthropogenically enhanced global radiative forcing, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 50, 1971919723. Noah S. Diffenbaugh, Martin Scherer, and Robert J. Trapp, 2013: Robust increases in severe thunderstorm environments in response to greenhouse forcing. PNAS, 110, 1636116366. Kimberly A. Hoogewind, Michael E. Baldwin, and Robert J. Trapp, 2017: The Impact of Climate Change on Hazardous Convective Weather in the United States: Insight from High-Resolution Dynamical Downscaling. Journal of Climate, 30, 1008110100. Over the course of the pandemic, Washington allotted a lot of money to help tenants who couldnt keep up with the rent: $46.6 billion. Thats almost twice as much as, and on top of, what the government usually spends each year helping low-income renters through the Housing Choice Voucher Program, better known as Section 8. The number was at least in the right ballpark to cover the payments missed by the countrys roughly 43 million renter households, many of whom lost jobs when the economy contracted last year. Advertisement But a safety net only works if you can get it set up where it needs to be, and all these months into the crisis, local jurisdictions are still not doing a very good job. As Annie Lowrey puts it, writing about government benefits more broadly, little attention is being paid to making things work, rather than making them exist. Of the $25 billion the U.S. Treasury doled out this February for rent relief, local partners had delivered just $3 billion by June 30. Advertisement Advertisement Thats particularly important this week because the eviction moratorium enacted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last September expires on Saturday, July 31. That public health order has not given tenants ironclad protection, but it does appear to have kept evictions below pre-pandemic rates in jurisdictions without their own moratoriums, including cities like Cincinnati and Dallas and states like Indiana and Missouri, according to data from Princeton Universitys Eviction Lab. Advertisement In other words, beginning next week, millions of families may face evictions that should have been avoided. Certain cities and states have done an especially disgraceful job. Los Angeles has spent $23 million out of $236 million, with more than 100,000 applications filed for more than $530 million in aid. Georgia has $552 million to spend and as of June 15 had disbursed just $7 million. New York state set aside $2.7 billion and, as of a couple of weeks ago, had given out just $117,000. What makes this all the more discouraging is that its a replay of last year, when cities and states struggled to allot $2.6 billion in CARES Act money for rent help. Pennsylvania, for example, failed to give out $108 million of $175 million in federal rent relief money before the deadlineso most of the cash got redistributed to the states Department of Corrections. All in all, according to an investigation by the Center for Public Integrity, $1 of every $6 earmarked for rent assistance last year went toward some other public expense. Advertisement Advertisement How did we let this happen? There are a few different explanations. First, software problems. Nearly a decade on from the healthcare.gov debacle, most institutions of government remain unacceptably behind the times in all matters related to computers. Tenants and social workers have described challenges navigating cumbersome, glitchy online portals. Second, application design. Long and complicated applications for rent assistance apparently discouraged many tenants in need, especially immigrants without documents. In a January survey of 2020 rent relief programs, the National Low Income Housing Coalition identified this as a problemnearly half of surveyed programs required Social Security numbers, for example.* Eighty percent of programs said incomplete applications made it hard to hand out cash. Third, landlords. Specifically, the money is supposed to go to landlordsoften in exchange for some kind of assurance they will not evict the tenant for the delay for a certain period of time. Getting landlords and tenants to work together, even for a common goal, hasnt always been easy. Advertisement Fourth, outreach. Unlike homeowners, who have regular contact with banks that can tell them about federal mortgage forbearance, more than half of the nations tenants dont even know there is a federal relief program. Thats according to a survey conducted in May and published by the Urban Institute last month, which notes that less than 6 percent of landlords and 11 percent of tenants had applied for federal reliefa fraction of those who say theyre behind.* Advertisement Fifth, local incompetence. How else to explain why New York statefacing one of the worst renter-household crises in the countryhas waited so long to get money to people who need it? Sixth, existing disinvestment. Washington turned on a fire hose of cash, but just like state unemployment systems, local housing agencies and nonprofits that help low-income tenants apply for help got swamped. A high-functioning social welfare program takes practice, and even 18 months in, many organizations are having trouble scaling up to get the job done. Advertisement Its worth adding that not every place has been so slow to act. The Treasury Department singled out a regional partnership in Houston and Harris County, Texas, which has helped more than 36,000 households, and the state of Virginia, which has also worked quickly. Philadelphia has sent out more than $122 million in rent and utility aid since the beginning of the pandemic (though even it has a backlog of thousands of applications). Chicago has successfully delegated some of its citywide allocation to various local nonprofits to make sure vulnerable communities dont get left out. The situation is getting marginally better. In January, Moodys estimated U.S. renters owed $52.6 billion; that figure has fallen to $24 billion. But the decline may be more thanks to unemployment insurance and stimulus checks than it is to rent relief. According to the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, more than half of low-income households spent their stimulus checks on rent. Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, urban rental markets are heating up again, with Zillow reporting a 5.1 percent jump since Marchits largest quarterly rent increase on record. Its true that pandemic-era shutdowns brought a bit of a reprieve to big-city tenants who saw rents decline, but not all of them: Vacancy rates fell in more cities than they rose, especially in Sun Belt cities where renters tend to be proportionately less well-off. While vacancy rates leapt for the highest-quality apartments during the pandemic, they did not budge at the lower end of the market. Restoring the renter-landlord relationship to its pre-pandemic status quoevictions, homelessness, millions of rent-burdened householdsis not good enough. President Joe Biden promised to boost aid to low-income tenants across the board. The slow rollout of federal rent relief should be a warning: You wont get very far helping people in normal times if you cant find a way to help them in a crisis. If youve spent any time on Netflix this week, you may have noticed a movie called Blood Red Sky sitting comfortably in the No. 1 slot of the streaming services Top 10. What is that? you may have asked yourself. I have never heard of this movie before, and yet its the most popular movie on Netflix? And is that a vampire in the thumbnail, or a zombie? To help demystify things, we watched the movie for you, and have put together the answers to every question you may have about the German horror thriller that has taken Netflix by (blood red) storm. Advertisement Sign up for the Slate Culture Newsletter The best of movies, TV, books, music, and more, delivered to your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. OK, so what is Blood Red Sky? As simply as possible: Vampires on a plane. Whats the non-simple answer? A woman named Nadja (Peri Baumeister) and her young son Elias (Carl Anton Koch) board a plane from Germany to New York. Nadja is suffering from vampirism, as one does, and is traveling in the hopes that a doctor in New York will be able to treat her. However, the flight is hijacked by a group of terrorists, and Nadja and her vampire strength become the passengers prime asset against them. Advertisement Advertisement So what this movie presupposes is what if vampires were good? Sort of! As it turns out, vampirism is pretty hard to control, and one of the more sadistic hijackers, once he realizes whats going on, turns himself into a vampire, too, so there are then good vamps and bad vamps. Advertisement Wait, how does he turn himself into a vampire? He manages to get some of her blood, and injects it into his own bloodstream. It isnt that Nadja is turning people into vampires willy-nilly. And the passengers are cool with all of this? Well, not really. Theyre all afraid of Nadja and initially attempt to kill her. Plus, theres the added complication that the hijackers have framed a couple of Muslim passengers as terrorists, meaning that the government believes something entirely different is going on. How does the government figure into this if theyre on a plane the whole time? The movie starts in media resthe plane has landed, and the government officials refuse to believe that theres something supernatural going on. There are a lot of flashbacks. Advertisement What about, you know, the sun? Wont light be coming in through the plane windows? Advertisement Well, the flight is at night, and then, to get to and from the flight, when it might be light out, Nadja conveniently also has some vampire suppressant medication she stole from the vampire family who originally turned her. Vampire family? So there are just vampires everywhere? This is unclear, but they are not out in the world, True Blood-stylenobody believes that they exist until they actually confront them. How scary is it? I like those Scaredy Scale things you guys do, because there are some horror movies I just cant take. Medium scary. Theres a lot of blood, but not too much gore, and so much of the action either takes place in the dark or is so choppily edited that its not hard to watch. Advertisement Is it fun? It sounds pretty fun. The premise is great, but I would say that the execution is only so-so. The flashbacks to why Nadja became a vampire throw off the pacing. But if youre looking for something to zone out to on Netflix that has at least a few twists and turns, this isnt a bad option. Last question. Has anything like this ever reached the top of Netflixs charts before? Yes! As weve noted before, Netflix has had some major successes with genre imports like the French series Lupin (which also hit No. 1) and the Spanish series Money Heist (which is one of Netflixs most popular series ever), not to mention Below Zero, the Spanish action movie that is similarly about a sort of hijackingalthough in that case its a carjacking instead of a planejacking, plus there are no vampires. Put that together with the fact that nearly half of Netflixs Top 10 right now is vampire movies, thanks to Twilight (not to mention that No. 3 is the supernatural airplane thriller Manifest), and maybe it shouldnt a surprise to see Blood Red Sky on top after all. On May 11, the night before the House GOP would vote to remove Rep. Liz Cheney as its No. 3 leader following her persistently critical comments against former President Donald Trump, Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger was having a moment on Twitter. First, he called House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy an employee of Donald Trump and tweeted that he would be embarrassed if he were McCarthy or the No. 2 Republican, Rep. Steve Scalise. Then he tangled with his GOP colleague Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, dropping a reference to the federal investigation into Gaetz over possible sex trafficking. Advertisement He was still feisty the next morning when I asked him, immediately after the conference vote to remove Cheney, if he was expecting similar consequences for anything hed said. Over the previous few months, hed gone from expressing occasional unease about Trumps statements to becoming one of the most outspoken anti-Trump Republicans. He was one of 10 Republicans to vote to impeach Trump (the second time) and had been the first to call for the invoking of the 25th Amendment. Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest Newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Well, I mean, they havent given any [punishment] to Marjorie Taylor Greene or Gaetz, he told me. So well see. A couple of months later, after McCarthy had warned Republicans that theyd risk losing the rest of their committee assignments if they accepted an offer from Speaker Nancy Pelosi to serve on the Jan. 6 select committee, Kinzingers response was more terse. Advertisement Who gives a shit? Kinzinger told reporters. Kinzinger and McCarthy havent spoken lately. Kinzinger did, however, speak with Pelosi on Sunday, when she offered him a seat on the Jan. 6 committee, which holds its first hearing Tuesday. Kinzinger, in a statement, said that he humbly accepted the invitation and will work diligently to ensure we get to the truth and hold those responsible for the attack fully accountable. Such a party-bucking decision at such a partisan time is, to put it mildly, unusual these days. So unusual that its hard to imagine why Kinzinger is doing it when so many other Republicans who were once critical of the former president have fallen in line. So unusual that its quite natural to prompt the following question: What is Kinzingers political calculation here? Advertisement Advertisement In speaking out the way he has against Trump, McCarthy, and other members of the House GOP conference, Kinzingera straightforward conservative and reliable vote for the House GOP under Trumphas made himself a target. Members of his conference want to see him punished. McCarthy referred to Kinzinger and Cheney, who also accepted an appointment to the Jan. 6 committee, as Pelosi Republicans. And several eager contenders have jumped into the Republican primary to challenge Kinzinger, including a former Trump administration official with whom the president has met. Trump obviously wants Kinzinger gone. Still, Kinzinger does have a couple of reasons not to give up altogether. The first is that if Republican candidates challenging him dont coordinate well, they could divvy up all of the Republican opposition to Kinzinger and he could survive. His turn against Trump has been lucrative for fundraising, too. By the end of June, his campaign had a little over $3 million cash on hand, while his most high-profile opponentformer Trump administration official Catalina Laufhad a little over $140,000. Advertisement Where Kinzinger does not have a say over his own fate, however, is whether Illinois Democrats chop up his district and use it for parts in redistricting. In fact, even as Democrats welcome him to the committee and Pelosi lauds him as an Air Force veteran and Lieutenant Colonel in the Air National Guard who brings great patriotism to the Committees mission, the biggest threat Kinzinger faces to his career is probably from the Democrats. Advertisement Its not just that Illinois is required to cut one district due to population loss. The national party is relying on Illinois and New York, specifically, to gerrymander aggressively to serve as bulwarks for Democrats House majority. And Kinzingers northern Illinois district is well suited, geographically, for slicing. Its more liberal parts could be used to shore up Democratic incumbents or even take out a Republican next door, while its rural, conservative parts could be packed into those districts of the Republicans they spare. Advertisement Kinzinger has said he plans on running for House reelection. Hes also left the door open to running for other office, though, saying if he ends up getting drawn out of a district and you have no opportunity to run again for the House and you want to stay involved, yeah, it makes, it makes frankly looking at the Senate or the governor a little more attractive, I guess. The most cynical read, then, for why Kinzinger has come out as strongly against Trump as he has (after voting for him in 2020) is that, well, his district has a good shot of being eliminated, so why not vocally distance himself from the national GOPs devotion to Trump as he prepares for a statewide run in a blue state? Advertisement I think thats a little too cynical, though. Even in such a blue state, thats a lot of antagonism to take on from your party, support from which youd still need in a general electionif you can get through the primary. And Kinzinger doesnt have a golden parachute the way some other anti-Trump (or at least will regularly call out Trump) Republicans in Congress do. Utah Sen. Mitt Romney is a rich man in his 70s who has been a presidential nominee. If he never gets to be a two-term senator, he can live with that. Fred Upton and Peter Meijer, both from Michigan and who both voted for impeachment, are scions of wealthy families, and Upton has already served as a committee chairman. They will not be left starving on the street if they lose congressional primaries. Liz Cheneys father was the vice president. Advertisement Kinzinger doesnt get to fall back onto any such royal privileges if hes stripped of committees, his conference membership, a GOP congressional nomination, or a congressional district. What he does have, however, is his freedom, and I dont mean that in a chest-thumping, patriotic way. Ever since Trumps efforts to overturn the presidential election, Kinzinger has gotten to say what he honestly thinks about it, and now he has an even more prominent position from which to do so. So whats his angle? Whats his political calculation? To quote him, Id have to say, who gives a shit? On Saturday, Donald Trump made the third public appearance of his post-presidency at a rally in Phoenix, repeating the lie that the 2020 election was stolen from him and playing hype man for the transparently kooky Arizona election audit that appears poised to claim the same. Trumps visit, though, came as the audit itself was beginning to unravel in spectacular fashion. It started before Trumps remarks, when on Friday the Arizona Senate point person for the audit, former Republican Secretary of State Ken Bennett, was barred from his own audit site. It continued through the weekend, as previous supporters of the audit came out against it and Bennett himself considered whether to quit. Advertisement Nominally, the audit of Maricopa CountyArizonas largest county and one that contributed heavily to Joe Bidens slim margin of victory in the stateis happening on behalf of Senate President Karen Fann, who initiated the process in the spring and pushed for it to continue for months over the objections of local Republican officials and even some of the members of her own legislative conference. (This after the results in the state had been certified by the states Republican governor and previous partial audits had matched the original count precisely.) The audit itself, though, is being conducted by an unaccredited outside group called Cyber Ninjas, run by a Florida man who had espoused 2020 election conspiracies named Doug Logan, and funded by other Stop the Steal conspiracy theorists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest Newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Fann selected Bennett to oversee this operation for the Senate. On Friday, though, he was not even allowed into the building by the audit team. By Monday, he was spilling tea about the many areas of the audit that had been kept secret from him by Logan and Cyber Ninjas, threatening to quit his job, and all but confirming that Logans audit had cooked up a fake result. (On Monday, it was reported that assistant audit liaison Randy Pullen was continuing to ban him from the facility.) Its best to start on Friday, when the Arizona Republic published an article titled Senate liaison Ken Bennett blocked from entering Arizona election audit as tension with contractors boils over. The Republic reported that Bennett was not allowed into the building at the state fairgrounds where the audit is taking place, a day after he shared data with outside critics from an ongoing ballot count. Those critics were a pair of outside data analysts. Advertisement As the Republic reported: The data Bennett provided to the outside analysts, Larry Moore and Benny White, showed the results of the ongoing machine count of the ballots tracks very closely with the countys tally. If that trend continues, it may call into question the results of Cyber Ninjas count, because Fann has said that the Cyber Ninjas count did not match the countys. Advertisement During an appearance with local conservative talk show host James T. Harris on Monday, Bennett confirmed that he had given the data to Moore and White, that he had been banned from the site, that it wasnt the first time he had been blocked from information about the audit, and that he had been ready to tender his resignation to Fann before she talked him into staying on the job. Advertisement The reason that I am that close to stepping down as the liaison is that I cannot be a part of a process that I am kept out of critical aspects along the way that make the audit legitimate and have integrity when we produce the final report, Bennett said, and unfortunately there have been too many of those situations. The tip of the iceberg, he continued, came out last Friday when I was denied access to the audit itself. Bennett went on to say that, though nominally in charge, he had been excluded from the actual adding up of the numbers and had been denied information about how the audit was planning to validate its findings, if at all. Advertisement Im the liaison, and I think when people hear that word, they think, OK, hes in charge of it, Bennett said. But that has not been the case and let me just share some examples of why Im standing here on the precipice. Advertisement Bennett went on to give detailed descriptions of times he was kept out of the loop on critical audit procedures, whichgiven the convoluted, bizarre, and unprecedented nature of the audit practicesrequire some explanation. In one such instance, Cyber Ninjas refused to give Bennett information about its ability to reconcile ballots that had to be duplicatedsuch as spoiled ballots or ballots from overseas military votersand the duplicates themselves. I asked the auditors, when were done with the duplicates, please give me a comprehensive reconciliation of were we able to identify one of these for every one of those, and that has not been forthcoming now for two months, Bennett said. Advertisement In another case, the audits complex process for tallying voteswhich involved three counters speed-reading ballots from a Lazy Susan, marking their totals, and sending them across the room to be reconciled and entered on a spreadsheetled to confusion for Bennett. There were serious issues in the aggregation spreadsheet when the tally sheets would be carried over to the end of the room and entered into the spreadsheet, Bennett said. For the first several weeks of the audit, huge issues with that. Bennett said he was told that the unnamed problems with the Lazy Susan/spreadsheet dance had been resolved and he apparently took Cyber Ninjas word for it for a time, but told the auditors he wanted it explained to him eventually. I said, well, when we get to the point where you can show me, I want to look into that spreadsheet and make sure that we can show the public that every one of these tally sheets is correctly reflected somewhere else where it can be added up and come up with our totals, Bennett continued. And a week or two later Im told that those folks were told by auditors, Dont share anything with Secretary Bennett. Advertisement Advertisement Typically, Bennett has not been allowed to see the audits final tallywhich Fann confirmed earlier this month would differ from the official counteven though the audit was completed weeks ago. And apparently, as I predicted in May, those numbers are going to prove way off. That count must have been significantly different than the Maricopa County count because all of a sudden the Senate started talking about a third count, Bennett said. This count would be to just verify the number of ballots that are here. If a third count were to be commissioned, Bennett said that he insisted an independent third party conduct it, but instead Cyber Ninjas has insisted on doing it themselves and blocking Bennett from access to the process. This led Bennett to conclude that Cyber Ninjas might cook the numbers of its tally to match those of the new one. Advertisement We have to make sure that we are not force balancing to their number or giving them something too early that would allow them to force balance back to our number, Bennett said. I even asked Mr. Pullen what are the procedures for us to do this third count so that we can make sure that we are independent from the second, and he refused to tell me. And I just was shocked that I became very concerned that there would be this force balancing going on. (Force balancing is an accounting term that basically means cooking the books.) Advertisement Advertisement Local Republican election officials, who have been debunking the audits lies about the count for weeks, celebrated Bennetts break from the audit. Advertisement The ONE person in the audit with ANY previous high-level involvement with election administration has now been kicked out, Republican Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer tweeted on Friday. The adult has left the room. Bennetts turnaround is indeed noteworthy given that he was one of the drivers of the clown car of lies that is the Arizona audit, falsely denying to me the existence of various procedures that were being undertaken on the audit floor and sitting by Doug Logans side as he spread misinformation during multiple Senate briefings. Hes willing to lie to promote the conspiracy and what disappoints me is that hes a mild-mannered enough, this sort of doughy salesman, that people doze off into believing him, because hes so polite about it, Adrian Fontes, the former Democratic Maricopa County recorder and a current candidate for secretary of state, told me in May when discussing Bennett. But hes lying. Its a flat-out lie. Advertisement Indeed, just two weeks ago, Bennett sat by as Logan falsely claimed that 74,000 mail-in votes had inexplicably never been mailed to voters. Fact-checkers immediately debunked this claimthe missing votes were actually almost certainly votes from early voting centersbut that didnt stop Trump from repeating it multiple times, including during Saturdays rally, to claim victory in Arizona. And while Bennett and even Logan himself have backed down from the lie about the 74,000 ballots that is still being repeated by Trump, just last week in a conversation with Harris, Bennett denied that there was any confusion and inaccuracy in the audit and blamed media misinformation. All you hear from the secretary of states office and the mainstream media is that there is confusion and inaccuracy, Bennett said at the time. Nothing could be further from the truth. Advertisement Now, exactly one week later, Bennett is saying he is very concerned there will be inaccuracy in the count and that throughout the audit he has been very confused as to what procedures were being used to validate the numbers. On Monday, the Republics Jen Fifield reported that Bennett had been permanently banned from the audit site by Pullenallegedly at the Arizona Senates behestbut that he would somehow be remaining on to manage the audit without having access to the building. (Bennett did not comment to Fifield.) As Maricopa Countys Republican supervisors realized weeks ago, its long past time to shut down this sham, which Bennett is now forbidden from even attending. Perhaps he should take a hint? On Tuesday, the House select committee investigating the insurrection of Jan. 6 held its first hearing. Four police officers who came under assault that day acted as opening witnesses, delivering testimony so powerful that even Republican opponents of the committee had to admit it was compelling and gut-wrenching. The committee heard extraordinary details of what it was like for the Capitol Police and D.C. Metropolitan Police Department officers on the front lines of that assault, accompanied by first-person camera footage of the near-murderous violence these officers endured. As Metro Police Officer Michael Fanone described in his extraordinary opening statement, he was overwhelmed by the Jan. 6 rioters and repeatedly electrocuted with Tasers. He believed he might be killed with his own gun after hearing chants of kill him with his own gun. He described begging for his life before suffering a heart attack and losing consciousness: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fanone: "I thought about using my firearm ... But I knew if I did, I'd be quickly overwhelmed & in their minds that would provide them w/the justification for killing me. So instead I decided to appeal to any humanity they might have. I said as loud as I could, 'I've got kids'" pic.twitter.com/8xpq6cfOWB Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 27, 2021 The committee also heard from Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, testifying about his own near-death experience: Advertisement Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell tears up while testifying about being attacked by rioters on January 6, sustaining injuries he still suffers from today "I could feel myself losing oxygen and recall thinking to myself, 'This is how I'm going to die, defending this entrance'" pic.twitter.com/INLg6sgj8p CBS News (@CBSNews) July 27, 2021 It heard from Metro Police Officer Daniel Hodges, who described being crushed by terrorists while trying to hold an entryway to the Capitol on Jan. 6: Advertisement Officer Hodges reads U.S. Code definition of domestic terrorism to explain why he calls Capitol rioters "terrorists" His response to Republicans comparing them to tourists: "If that's what American tourists are like, I can see why foreign countries don't like American tourists" pic.twitter.com/uBkQTK7c3k CBS News (@CBSNews) July 27, 2021 And it heard from Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, testifying about the racist abuse he experienced during the attack, the first time anyone had used the N-word toward him while he was in uniform: Advertisement Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn testifies that rioters used the N-word against him and other Black officers during the January 6 attack He says "no one had ever, ever" called him that "while wearing the uniform of a Capitol Police officer" (WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE) pic.twitter.com/Kk7CFT7eUH CBS News (@CBSNews) July 27, 2021 Advertisement The testimony was punctuated by sober and at times incisive questioning from members of the committee, including from Republican Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, who are the only GOP members on the panel. (House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy declined to seat others after two of his selections, Jim Jordan and Jim Banks, were rejected by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi due to their past statements undermining the significance of the attack.) During the hearing, one couldnt help but wonder what those rejected committee members might have said in response to the brutal testimony from the officers. At the same time, because they were not there, it was actually possible for everyone assembled to focus on the horrific stories that Dunn, Hodges, Gonell, and Fanone were sharing. There was no deranged counternarrative being interjected every five minutes. Advertisement Indeed, after 3 years of covering Democratic oversight efforts since Democrats took back control of the House majority at the start of 2019, I can honestly say that this is the first and only time I can remember witnessing a hearing into misconduct perpetrated by Trump and his minions that maintained its presence in objective reality the whole time. (While the House Intelligence Committees hearings during Donald Trumps first impeachment were illuminating and powerful, they were consistently derailed by partisan nonsense.) Subscribe to the Slatest Newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Instead of the usual circus, Tuesdays hearing was four consecutive hours of clean fact-finding and emotionally constructive first-person witnessing to the horrors of Jan. 6. This was possible only because Jordan (and to a lesser extent Banks) was kept off of the panel. Jordan has previously found enormous success as an oversight arsonist on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Oversight Committee, and on the House Intelligence Committee during impeachment. I know Jordan would have derailed any fact-finding effort into Jan. 6 because he already announced how he would have done it had he been allowed to participate during a press conference with Republican House leadership on the Capitol steps on Tuesday. Advertisement At that press conference, Jordan declared that he was uninterested in who perpetrated the attacks, who organized the events that led to the insurrection, and whether the former president actually abetted the violence that he had incited by failing to order a timely National Guard response. Instead, for Jordan, the fundamental question of Jan. 6 that needs answering was whether or not Democratic leadership had failed to prepare enough for that days unprecedented assault on the Capitol because it was all driven by what happened last summer where Democrats normalized anarchy, normalized political violence, raised bail money for the very rioters and looters who destroyed small businesses, attacked innocent civilians, and maybe most importantly attacked police officers. With that, Jordan told us what he would have done had he been on the committee: make a false equivalence between the violent attempted overthrow of the U.S. government on Jan. 6 and some of the violence that occurred during last summers Black Lives Matter protests, and distract from the entire endeavor by blaming Democrats. This is precisely the line he has taken at previous attempted oversight hearings surrounding the events of Jan. 6. There are many, many examples of this: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During a Feb. 24 hearing of the House Judiciary Committee on The Rise of Domestic Terrorism in America, Jordan invited conservative journalist Andy Ngo to testify about Black Lives Matter protests and spent his entire questioning blaming Democrats for failing to condemn the violence going on in Portland and other big cities. During a March 11 hearing on House member conduct related in part to House member actions surrounding Jan. 6, Jordan said the hearing should be about cancel culture and the border crisis instead. Its time that the Judiciary Committee did its job and focus on the issues that matter to the American people like the border crisis and like the cancel culture attack on the First Amendment, he said. Advertisement Most blatantly, during a June 15 House Oversight Committee hearing to interview FBI Director Christopher Wray specifically about the Jan 6. attack, Jordan complained that the hearing was even taking place and demanded a border crisis hearing instead. As for the panels revelations that Trump White House aides had tried to pressure the Department of Justice to take action to reverse the electionanother potential topic of inquiry for the Jan. 6 commissionJordan was downright disgusted. Wow. The taxpayers are going to love the work that were going to do with this, he said in characteristically melodramatic fashion. Tuesdays hearing was much different from these previous efforts to examine Jan. 6 because, rather than being constantly interrupted and misdirected, the victims of the Jan. 6 attack were able to talk about their desperation to see some accountability for the perpetrators of the attack and for those who, in the words of Gonell, egged them on. Fanone pounded on the table in fury at the members of our government who continue to deny the events of that day and in doing so betray their oath of office. Advertisement Fanone pounds the table as he says, "the indifference shown to my colleagues is disgraceful!" "Nothing has prepared me to address those elected members of our government who continue to deny the events of that day and in doing so betray their oath of office," he adds pic.twitter.com/LrJOxT0ueh Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 27, 2021 Dunn, meanwhile, came up with an incredibly powerful metaphor that demonstrated the need for accountability not just for the perpetrators of Jan. 6, but for those who aimed them at the Capitol that day: Advertisement Advertisement "If a hitman is hired, and he kills somebody, the hitman goes to the jail. But not only does the hitman go to jail, but the person who hired him does," Officer Dunn says. "There was an attack carried out on Jan. 6th and a hitman sent them." pic.twitter.com/LHE8N7w4Gl MSNBC (@MSNBC) July 27, 2021 McCarthy didnt have to surrender his seats on the commission after Jordan was rejected. He did it because he wanted to portray the select committee as a partisan endeavoreven though Republicans voted down a nonpartisan committee and even though there are two Republicans on this paneland the result is that House Democrats have their first chance at an actual fact-finding operation to uncover the truth about one of the worst high crimes of the Trump presidency. Advertisement After the hearing, it was reported that the select committee appeared poised to take full advantage of this opportunity. Chairman Bennie Thompson promised he would not request testimony from potentially combative witnesses, but instead go straight to subpoenaing them, which the Department of Justice conveniently on Tuesday cleared the way for Congress to do. If Democrats actually go through with subpoenas for figures at the center of the White House storm on Jan. 6, as Republican Liz Cheney has requested, it will be the first time Democrats are actually able to pry loose new testimony on Trumps abuses from recalcitrant members of his own administration. They have Kevin McCarthy to thank for this gift. Amidst the spread of the Delta variant and ongoing vaccine hesitancy in large swaths of the country, some companies and state governments have changed their approach from vaccination persuasion to vaccine mandates. The Biden administration has so far been reluctant to broadly require vaccination, even among the federal workforce, despite less than half (49 percent) of eligible Americans being fully vaccinated. On Monday, the Department of Veterans Affairs took steps on its own, announcing it would require vaccination for its frontline health workers, making it the first federal agency to do so. Advertisement The VAs vaccination rate is roughly 70 percent, placing it well above the national average, but officials say still well short of the level needed to snuff out the virus and keep patients safe. Under the new requirements, most patient-facing health care workersincluding doctors, dentists, registered nurses, physician assistants, and some specialistswill have eight weeks from Wednesday to get fully inoculated or face penalties that include possible removal from their positions, VA Secretary Denis McDonough said Monday. Employees will also be able to have medical or religious exemptions considered. Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. The VAs move comes as New York City and and the state of California issued vaccine mandates for more generalized government employees. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday that municipal employees, some 340,000 city workers, including police officers and teachers, would be required to be vaccinated by the time school reopens in September or submit to weekly testing. California Governor Gavin Newsome announced a similar measure would go into effect requiring all state employeesin addition to on-site public and private health care workersto be vaccinated by August 23. Advertisement The new mandate at the VA reflects a growing consensus among private sector employers, health care centers, and state and local governments to test the legal waters on vaccine requirements as cases rise sharply around the nation, the New York Times notes. Scores of hospitals and health care systems have compelled their employees to get vaccines, and recent court decisions have upheld employers rights to require vaccinations. In June, a federal judge in Texas dismissed a lawsuit brought by employees of Houston Methodist Hospital who challenged the hospitals coronavirus vaccination requirement. Last week, a federal judge ruled that Indiana University could require students to be vaccinated as well. Public health officials are blaming the new, breakthrough cases of COVID on the emerging delta variant. Theres early evidence that people infected with the delta strain carry about a thousand times the amount of virus that those infected a year and a half ago carried. And now, many people have stories related to the variant. A little more than a week ago, one of my colleagues posted his own cautionary tale in our companywide Slack. He went to Florida to visit family, everyone fully vaccinatedand one by one, most of them were testing positive. It raises some worrying questions: Do we really know whats going on with delta right now? If youre vaccinated, are you able to just carry on? Or is the U.S. in the midst of a COVID backslide? To try to work through these dilemmas, I spoke with Slate news director Susan Matthews, whos been reporting throughout the pandemic, on Tuesdays episode of What Next. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mary Harris: What do we know about the delta variant at this point? Susan Matthews: So, I think we know that delta is very contagious, more than other variants or the original virus. What Ive heard doctors suggest is that that when you get infected with delta, it is able to replicate more quickly before your body can mount an immune response. So even if youre vaccinated, and even if your body is trained at mounting that immune response, which is what you want, the variant is going to be able to replicate faster. So its going to make you a little bit sicker than you would be if you were just infected with the original coronavirus strain, which your bolstered immune response would probably take care of before you got sick. Advertisement A couple things: There just isnt very good data about how many breakthrough cases were expected and how many were seeing right now. One of the very first things I looked into was what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is doing about this. And the CDC is only tracking breakthrough cases that result in hospitalization or death. I feel like what we dont know is more than what we actually know. Advertisement So you dont have the data, but you do have these anecdoteslike the story of what happened in Provincetown, Massachusetts, when a whole bunch of people who were out on July 4 got infectedthat seem to imply something. Yeah. I think what we all heard when we were learning about the vaccines early on is that theyre pretty effective. So you may think, Maybe one person in my group of 10 would get infected if we were exposed to the coronavirus. But thats not really how it works, particularly if youre living your life as you did before: One person gets infected and then it replicates in that person and then, if youre still all spending time together indoors and unmasked, its going to spread again. Advertisement The main collective action thing that you still have to do is get vaccinated. But whats your responsibility in terms of not getting sick at all? I think that whether or not you get sick and what your risk tolerance isthats a lot more individual than it is about the population. Youve noted something else that I think is really important, which is this disconnect in what an average person might think of as severe disease and what an infectious disease doctor might think of a severe disease. Advertisement Our colleague was extremely convinced that he had severe diseasehe said he was fully knocked out for about 36 hours. When I talked to Jeremy Faust, a doctor who has written for us, he was like, Thats mild. And the thing is, mild COVID is not like a mild cold. It can feel really bad, at a level most of us have never weathered at home. But its like how even with the flu shot, you could get flu and have a totally have a horrible experience. Even if youre not hospitalized, it can feel bad. But its still mild COVID. With a mild case, Im not going to get a fever, Im not going to get any of these other problems. Vaccination still protects you much more from risk of actual severe COVID and death than not. Advertisement The takeaway I had from my reporting is that we need to start to get to a place where we understand theres going to be some COVID that we live with. That doesnt mean that we failedI feel like we have gotten so used to making these calculations that are based on these really catastrophic outcomes if things go wrong. And with the vaccines, were limiting the major thing that can go wrong, and we just have to kind of start inching back. Advertisement After months of telling Americans that if you get a vaccine, youll be able to take off your mask, blue state politicians and others are starting to bring out mandates. The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that public-facing health care workers would be required to get the vaccine. California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that state workers and health care employees would need to get the shot or face weekly COVID testing. The city of New York announced a similar program, which will cover police and teachers. Of course, that risks pushback because youve seen political backlash like, Dont come to my door and ask me about vaccines. Advertisement This is a long-standing theory I have a as a health reporter, that I think polls show some outlandish numbers about how Republicans respond to vaccines. Before there was a pandemic, one of the numbers that I thought was the most fascinating was that for childhood vaccinations, like measles, the numbers have actually been consistent for about the past 20 years: 93 percent of people get shots. If you look at the 7 percent and the reasons for why they dont get the shot, its about half and half between people who are actually anti-vax and people who just dont have access to health care. And there are groups of people who have really good reasons to distrust the medical establishment in America. Subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts Get more news from Mary Harris every weekday. This article is part of the Free Speech Project, a collaboration between Future Tense and the Tech, Law, & Security Program at American University Washington College of Law that examines the ways technology is influencing how we think about speech. As a general rule, when a country shuts off some or all of its connections to the global internet, it doesnt need to announce the news. People in that country notice when they cant access online services, and people outside that country can quickly figure out that somethings going on when they stop receiving traffic from that country or being able to route traffic to servers and service providers in that country. So it was pretty strange when Russia decided to announce last week that it had successfully run tests between June 15 and July 15 to show it could disconnect itself from the internet. Advertisement The tests seem to have gone largely unnoticed both in and outside of Russia, indicating that whatever they entailed they did not involve Russia actually disconnecting from the global internet. Indeed, its a little difficult to guess at what exactly the tests did involve given the vagueness of a report in the RBC Daily. The Russian newspaper published an article on July 21 reporting that the month of tests had been a success, citing documents from an information security working group that indicated all of the major telecom providers in Russia had participated in the tests. The exercises are supposed to be held annually but were canceled last year due to the pandemic, and whatever went on this year definitely did not include Russia disconnecting from the global internet for any prolonged period of time since that would be impossible to hide. Instead, the testsand, most of all, the announcement about their successseem to be intended as some kind of signal that Russia is no longer dependent on the rest of the world for its internet access. But its not at all clear what that would even mean since Russia is clearly still dependent on people and companies in other countries for access to the online content and services they create and hostjust as we all are. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the past two years, ever since implementing its sovereign internet law in 2019, Russia has been talking about establishing its own domestic internet that does not rely on any infrastructure or resources located outside the country. Presumably, the tests completed this summer are related to that goal of being able to operate a local internet within Russia that does not rely on the global Domain Name System to map websites to specific IP addresses. This is not actually a particularly ambitious goalany country could operate its own domestic internet with its own local addressing system if it wanted to do so instead of connecting to the larger global internet (the one I would call the Internet if I were still permitted by style guides to use a capital I in that wordand, this is exactly why Internet is grammatically important: to distinguish between smaller, local internetworks, or internets, like Russias and the global, public Internet you are using to read this article). Advertisement The confusing thing about Russias plans is it seems to want to be able to use its isolated Russian internet to access the global internet. So, by design, the tests of Russias sovereign internet did not cause any interruption to its connection to the global internetbut its completely unclear what they actually did. One source apparently told the Russian newspaper RBC Daily that the capability of physically disconnecting the Russian part of the internet was tested. But theres simply no way that Russia could have physically disconnected its infrastructure from the rest of the world for any extended period of time without anyone noticing. Advertisement The Center for Applied Internet Data Analysis at the University of California San Diego maintains an Internet Outage Detection and Analysis tool that combines three data sets to identify internet outages around the world. It monitors the Border Gateway Protocol that is used by internet service providers to exchange routing information, as well as what IP addresses it is receiving traffic from, and which addresses it is able to probe, to figure out when parts of the internet become unreachable or go offline. When there is an actual internet outage, typically one or more of these indicators drops significantly because the region stops exchanging routing information with outside providers, stops sending outbound traffic, or stops receiving inbound traffic. The data sets for Russia from June 15 through July 15, the period of the supposed disconnection tests, shows few indications of any actual disconnection other than a period around July 5 when unsolicited traffic from Russia appears to have dropped off. Advertisement Whatever Russia did this summer, it did not physically disconnect from the global internet. It doesnt even appear to have virtually disconnected from the global internet in any meaningful sense. Perhaps it shifted some of its critical infrastructure systems to rely more on domestic service providers and resources. Perhaps it created more local copies of the addressing system used to navigate the internet and tested its ability to rely on those. Perhaps it tested its ability to route online traffic within the country through certain chokepoints for purposes of better surveillance and monitoring. None of those are activities that would be immediately visible from outside the country and all of them would be in line with Russias stated goals of relying less on internet infrastructure outside its borders and strengthening its ability to monitor online activity. Advertisement Advertisement But the goal of being completely independent of the rest of the worlds internet infrastructure while still being able to access the global internet is a nonsensical and impossible one. Russia cannot both disconnect from the internet and still be able to use all of the online services and access all of the websites hosted and maintained by people in other parts of the world, as appears to have been the case during the monthlong period of testing. So its a little hard to know what to make of last weeks reports about the successful tests of the Russian domestic internet. If the announcement is meant as public posturing, its not clear what message, exactly, its intended to send. Being able to disconnect your country from the internet is not all that difficultand certainly nothing to brag about. But announcing that youve successfully disconnected from the internet when its patently clear that you havent suggests both profound technical incompetence and a deep-seated uncertainty about what a domestic Russian internet would actually mean. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. This story was originally published by Wired and has been republished here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. There is no agent of ecological imperialism more ferocious than the wild pig. Wherever Europeans invaded, from the Americas to Australia, so did their pigs, many of which escaped into the countryside to wreak havoc. The beasts tear through native plants and animals, they spread disease, they destroy crops, and they reconstruct whole ecosystems in their wake. Theyre not so much pests as they are chaos embodied. Advertisement Now add climate change to the wild pigs resume of destruction. In their never-ending search for food, the pigs root through soils, churning the dirt like a farmer tills fields. Scientists already knew, to some extent, that this releases the carbon thats locked in the soil, but researchers in Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S. have now calculated how much soil wild pigs may be disturbing worldwide. The carbon dioxide emissions that they produce annually, the authors concluded, equal that of more than a million cars. Advertisement Advertisement Its yet another piece of an increasingly worrisome puzzle, showing how modification of the land hasin this case, inadvertentlyexacerbated climate change. Anytime you disturb soil, youre causing emissions, says University of Queensland ecologist Christopher OBryan, lead author on a new paper describing the research in the journal Global Change Biology. When you till soil for agriculture, for example, or you have widespread land use changeurbanization, forest loss. Advertisement Given their domination of whole landscapes, pigs had to be making things worse, the researchers knew, but no one had modeled it worldwide. We started to realize theres a big gap at the global scale looking at this question, OBryan adds. Given their domination of whole landscapes, pigs had to be making things worse. The researchers landed on their emissions estimate by aggregating several previous models and sources of data. For instance, one author had a model that mapped the populations of wild pigs around the world. Another had studied wild pigs in Australia and had data on how much the species disturbs soils. The researchers then pulled in estimates done in Switzerland and China of the carbon emissions created by wild pigs rooting around there. This patchwork creates inherent uncertainties. No model can pin down exactly how many pigs are in a given place at a given moment, for example. Also, different kinds of soils emit more carbon when theyre disturbed. A material like peatmade up of dead plant matter that hasnt entirely decomposedis essentially concentrated carbon, so it has more to give up than other soils. The amount of carbon loss also depends on the microbiome of the soilthe bacteria and fungi that feed on that plant material. Advertisement Advertisement Given this wide range of variables, the researchers simulated 10,000 maps of potential global wild pig densities, excluding the animals native ranges across parts of Europe and Asia. (In other words, they only modeled the places where the pigs are an invasive species.) For each of these simulations, they randomly assigned values of pig-induced soil carbon emissions based on data from those previous studies. This allowed them to combine the variables in thousands of ways: Heres how many pigs might be in a given area, heres how much land theyd disturb, and here are the resulting emissions. From these thousands of attempts, they were able to generate average emissions estimates. Their model showed that, worldwide, invasive wild pigs are rooting through somewhere between 14,000 and 48,000 square miles of land. But theyre not spread out evenly around the globe. While Oceania accounts for a tiny fraction of the worlds land surface, it has a huge number of pigs. At the same time, the tropics are home to much of the worlds peat. In certain parts of Oceanialike tropical northern Queensland, for exampletheres this substantial amount of carbon stores, says OBryan. The combination of the two means that, according to the teams model, Oceania accounts for 60 percent of total global emissions driven by rooting wild pigs. Advertisement Advertisement This estimate, they think, is actually pretty conservative. Thats because they didnt model emissions from agricultural lands, which are vast and which wild pigs are known to plunder for free food. They figured that, technically, this land is already disturbed and emitting carbon dioxide, so they didnt want to count it twice. Additionally, the researchers only estimated where the wild pigs may be now, not where they could be soon. This pest is expanding, and they could be potentially expanding into areas with high carbon stocks, says OBryan. The research helps further quantify the rapidly changing carbon cycle on Earth, as humans (and their invasive species) dramatically transform the land itself. What this paper brings to the fore is something that soil scientists have known for a whilethat bioturbation can play this really key role in soil emissions and soil respiration, says University of Florida computational biogeochemist Kathe Todd-Brown, who wasnt involved in the research. You also see similar effects with earthworm movementany kind of burrowing animal that churns up the soil structure. Advertisement But theres a key distinction: Native animals are contributing to an ancient carbon cycle in which they play a long-standing role. Invasive menaces like wild pigs are tearing through carbon-rich soil outside their historical habitats. Disturbance is an integral part of ecosystem function and carbon balance, but Id never before considered the damage that feral hogs could do, writes biogeochemist Rich Conant, who studies the carbon cycle but wasnt involved in the research, in an email to Wired. Advertisement The question now is what to do about the wild pigs (of which there are way more than 3050). They are hardy as hell, they breed like crazy, and theyre as greedy as, well, pigs. Eradicating them can be extraordinarily difficult. In 2005, to get rid of swine on Santa Cruz Island off the coast of California, sharpshooters in helicopters had to pick 5,000 of them off one by one. It took 14 months and cost $5 million (and this was an island, where the pigs were surrounded by water). Elsewhere, people have found success trapping the animals, but to be truly effective, this requires collaboration among local agencies: If I take care of my wild pigs and you dont, your problem will become my problem. Plus, most kinds of eradication efforts also produce carbon. If we get in a helicopter and we go shoot pigs, or we set traps, we build fences, that causes emissions, says OBryan. So we have to account for these trade-offs. At the moment, theres no cheap and easy solution. And that means the animals will keep roaming, digging up what was once buried carbon. Thatll not do, pig. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Please enable scripts and reload this page. Spain Covid update July 26: 61,000 cases and 47 deaths over the weekend The rate of infection in Spain is close to matching the third wave peak in late January Optimism that the fifth wave of Covid infection in Spain might be nearing its peak was tempered on Monday evening by the publication of the latest update from the Ministry of Health, in which a further 61,625 cases are confirmed over the weekend, taking the total since early 2020 to over 4.34 million. The 14-day incidence rate now stands at 700.1 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, an increase of 3.4 per cent since Friday, and were it to continue rising in this way the third wave peak of 899 on January 28 would be matched in a little over another week. In late June the figure had fallen to only just over 100, but the decision to make facemasks optional rather than obligatory outdoors, the lifting of other restrictions and the spread of the Delta variant have led to a steady increase over the last two months. All of the countrys 17 regions remain well above the extreme risk threshold of 250, with the highest figures being reported in Catalunya (1,145), Navarra (1,002), Castilla y Leon (825) and Aragon (830), while at the other end of the scale are Castilla-La Mancha (344) and Murcia (419). Nonetheless there are again signs that the rate is reaching a peak in certain regions, as the 7-day rate is under half the 14-day figure in Andalucia, Aragon, Catalunya, the Balearics, Asturias, Castilla y Leon, Castilla-La Mancha, Navarra and the Comunidad Valenciana. The majority of the newly reported cases continue to be in teenagers and young adults who have not been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, and the latest breakdown of incidence rates by age groups per 100,000 of population is as follows: Age 0-11: 515.5 Age 12-19: 1,639 (maximum 2,685 in Navarra) Age 20-29: 1,876 (maximum 3,445 in Navarra) Age 30-39: 908 (maximum 1,617 in Catalunya) Age 40-49: 457 Age 50-59: 322 Age 60-69: 317 Age 70-79: 174 Age 80+: 238 Hospital patients and fatalities While the latest surge in new Covid cases has had less effect on the burden faced by health services than previous waves, the rise in contagion is now bringing about a marked increase in the strain on hospital staff and resources due to the general rise in cases. At present there are 9,384 Covid patients receiving hospital treatment in Spain as opposed to 7,955 a week ago, an increase of 18 per cent in just three days, and in consequence 7.85 per cent of hospital beds are occupied by patients with positive test results. Similarly, the number of intensive care Covid patients rose by 15.3 per cent over the weekend to 1,490, accounting for 16.2 per cent of available beds, while in Catalunya that proportion has reached a very worrying 44.1 per cent. At the same time the Covid-related death toll in Spain rose by 47, taking the official Ministry total related to the virus to 81,268. Vaccination data Following the administration of another 810,000 doses over the weekend the number of people in Spain who are fully vaccinated against coronavirus has reached 25,944,318, equivalent to 54.7 per cent of the population. 30,827,932 people have received at least one vaccine dose, equivalent to 65 per cent of the population. Encouragingly, progress is now being made in the age group with most cases being reported those between 20 and 29. In this group the equivalent proportions are up to 14.9 per cent fully vaccinated and 37.5 per cent with at least one dose. US government advises against travel to Spain and Portugal Spiralling Covid infection rates lead to Spain joining the UK on Level 4 warning status It is rapidly becoming apparent that the summer of 2021 will not see the revitalization of international tourism sector in Spain to anything like the extent that had been hoped, and another setback was dealt to the industry on Monday when the USA announced that Spain and Portugal were to be re-included on the list of countries to which travel is not recommended. The main reason cited is the recent rise in coronavirus incidence rates throughout the Iberian Peninsula, and the latest decision made by the Departament of State on the recommendation of the Centres of Disease Control and Prevention also affects Cyprus and Kyrgyzstan, which join the UK, Syria, Tunisia, Panama, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Venezuela and others on Level 4 warning status (on a scale of 1 to 5). This follows the news over the weekend that Germany has added Spain to its red list for international travel, further damaging hopes for a revival in beach tourism during August. At the same time, the prospect of visiting Spain is made even less attractive to US nationals by the recommendation that caution be exercised in this country due to the possibility of terrorism and civil unrest. In a longstanding warning, the Department of State advises that Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Spain. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, local government facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, parks, major sporting and cultural events, educational institutions, airports, and other public areas. On June 8 the USAs travel recommendations were made more flexible for the majority of EU countries as Covid incidence rates fell, but since then the situation has worsened considerably in Spain and the latest 14-day incidence rate stands at 700 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. This compares extremely unfavourably with figures of 24.5 in Germany, 76.4 in Italy and even the 270.5 in France, although it is still below the rate of 866 reported in the UK. From a shot director to meeting the Queen: The British Council celebrates 75 years in Slovakia The organisations mission had not changed over the decades, says current head. Queen Elizabeth II, President Ivan Gasparovic and some participants from the British Council project Dreams and Teams, October 2008. (Source: Courtesy of the British Council) Opened, forced to close, re-opened, a shot director, two regime changes, and visits from top politicians as well as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II over the years the Bratislava office of the British Council has seen a lot. But as the institution celebrates 75 years since it first opened its doors in Bratislava, its current director says that through its eventful history the British Councils mission to spread awareness of British culture and education, and teach the English language has always remained the same, and will continue to do so in the future. Many of the things we did when the British Council first opened in Bratislava, were still doing now: promoting British education, teaching the English language, providing examinations in Slovakia, promoting the UKs culture, Alastair Bassett, director of the British Council in Slovakia, told The Slovak Spectator. Our mission has really stayed more or less the same since then. Meeting Her Majesty The British Council started operating in post-war Czechoslovakia in 1946. It opened its Bratislava office on June 20, 1946, just one week after its office opened in Prague. 27. Jul 2021 at 7:00 | Radka Minarechova War among the police? Big corruption cases complicate relations between institutions The police inspectorate has accused important witnesses in major corruption cases in Slovakia. Font size: A - | A + When the current coalition leaders want to illustrate how they are delivering on their anti-corruption promises, they are usually quick to point to the work of the police and the arrests of former high-profile public officials. But the reports about fights between different branches of the security forces investigating major corruption scandals show that it is not a straightforward process. One year after the Slovak polices elite unit The National Criminal Agency (NAKA) launched a series of raids against top representatives of the Police Corps, the Financial Administration and the Slovak Information Service (SIS), the institutions involved are prosecuting each other's people and fighting over the release of files. There have even been armed interventions. It is clear from the statements of NAKA and the Inspectorate of the Interior Ministry that there is tension between the two institutions, although their superiors deny the allegations about a war among the police. Such allegations are mostly voiced by the opposition Smer and Hlas parties, and by the coalition's Sme Rodina. The National Security Bureau (NBU), the general prosecutor and the Police Corps president have warned about conspiracy theories and insist that both NAKA and the inspectorate are only doing their job. Read more Read more Secret meeting of top state officials hints at a problem in the police Read more The inspectorate, or the Bureau of the Inspection Service, is an independent body running under the Interior Ministry. Its task is to investigate all types of crimes committed either by police officers or by prison guards. Former investigator Peter Vacok refutes the notion of a war between the inspectorate, the SIS and NAKA investigators. If the inspectorate receives a criminal complaint or harbours suspicions, it is obliged to act, Vacok told The Slovak Spectator. Its their job, not a war. How the conflict started 27. Jul 2021 at 11:53 | Roman Cuprik It was the music that formed the core of church plays and concerts for the children, according to the exhibit. For her, it was intuitive. All along, she applied her talents as a master seamstress, and was widely respected and sought after for her dressmaking skills. She was regionally famous for making wedding gowns for rich, white clientele. Dade never used a pattern, but would look at photos and recreate them from memory. Dade also created new baptism robes for children at church to wear as they went down to the local river to be baptized. She also played a part in bringing dozens of local children into the world as a state-sanctioned midwife, according to the museum exhibit. Dade rests in West View Cemetery in Orange. Her legacy continued through her oldest child, Lorraine, who, after living with her aunt in Philadelphia during, returned home for high school and was in the first graduating class in 1949 at Carver. Returning to Philadelphia, Lorraine married her dear friend William Trumpler, and they had two children. The couple served in the ministry at Jones Temple Church of God in Christ. The exhibit notes, as a married woman, Lorraine found her power. It was quiet power. It was effective power. It was empathy. One of the main things I focused on ... was to coincide the exhibit with our annual Farmers Day event, he said. With thousands of visitors in town for that festival, Nolting said he thought it a good way to increase the attendance of the Smithsonian exhibit. He said the exhibit should be a good opportunity to bring tourism to the area, too. I believe that Kimball County is on the verge of some great things around the corner, Nolting said. Crossroads itself will be hosted in Kimballs Fraternal Hall, or the Plains Historical Museum. Nolting said it is the oldest building in town. It is located in downtown Kimball. A special kick-off event on Sept. 11 will feature congressman Adrian Smith. The exhibit will open to the public two days later. There will be a local flair to the exhibit when it arrives. Davis said there are five identical Crossroads exhibits touring the country, but each town usually adds something unique. Of course, you want to highlight the history of the area, Nolting said. We hope to get a lot of local input from Kimballites as well. DECATUR, Illinois DeeAndre J. Woodland, the Decatur man who shot a would-be robber to death after being shot and wounded himself, was sent to prison for four years. Woodland, 40, took a plea deal and entered a guilty plea to an amended charge of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon when he appeared in Macon County Circuit Court July 16. Further charges alleging the aggravated discharge of a firearm and being a felon who possessed and used a firearm were then dismissed by Presiding Judge Thomas Griffith. The plea deal was negotiated by defense lawyer Douglas B. Johnson, the second lawyer to work the case. Woodland had been represented by D. Peter Wise, but he withdrew in April after Woodland rejected an earlier plea deal he had negotiated. The case dates back to Sept. 7, 2019, when Woodland fatally shot 20-year-old Dontrez Williams in the 1200 block of North Edward Street. Reports from detectives with the Decatur Police Department had identified Williams, who had alcohol and a high level of methamphetamine in his blood, as being the aggressor. The statements, which the lawsuit contends impacted Gardners right to a fair trial, "caused Mr. Gardner to lose all faith in the justice system and become paranoid and afraid for his life," the lawsuit states. "As a result of this extreme emotional distress, Mr. Gardner committed suicide on September 20, 2020." Kleine said Tuesday that he had not yet seen the lawsuit. A call to Franklin's office was not immediately returned. The lawsuit was filed by Los Angeles attorney John Pierce, who partnered last year with an Atlanta attorney and Donald Trump supporter, Lin Wood, to form the Fight Back Foundation, a foundation designed to stop the lies and smears of the radical left. Pierce once represented Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old who is accused of killing two men and injuring a third after he showed up carrying a semiautomatic rifle to protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He appeared on right-wing cable channels, including Fox News, to promote the teens cause. Pierce also has represented former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Trump campaign aide Carter Page. A hearing for the El Paso shooting suspect was scheduled on the two-year anniversary of the tragedy. It got postponed. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Customers buy cream horns by the dozens, Kaitlyn said. Theyve even shipped an order roughly 150 miles to Yakima, according to Martins daughter Angie Meyers. The demand is understandable, she said. You cant get them anywhere else, Angie said. Family help Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} With the shops maple bars, German chocolate brownies and sugar cookies flying off the shelves, family members have dusted off their aprons and jumped back behind the pastry case. Castle Rock officials update zoning to allow for larger mixed-use developments CASTLE ROCK City officials here have temporarily reduced red tape faced by developers seeking to build large, mixed-use properties and put i Martins children Angie Meyers, Holly Terry and Greg Parkison have worked in the shop throughout the years. Like his mother, Parkison started working at the bakery at age 14. By 17, he persuaded his girlfriend Erin to join the team, before he married her years later. Martins grandkids followed after. Kaitlyn Meyers decorates cookies, her 16-year-old brother Kasen already has a year under his belt. Everyone in the family pitches in, Angie said. Technically, Lukas did too, he just wasnt born yet, she said about Terrys newborn, who was behind the counter while still in the womb. The shop Burglary 3300 block of Washington Way, Longview. Friday. A hole was cut in the fence and a catalytic converter was stolen. Loss of $1,350. Stolen vehicles 200 block of Madrona Avenue, Woodland. Friday. Gray 1999 Ford F250. Washington C60009X. Truck has a black bumper rack and a piece of wood for a tailgate. 300 block of 18th Avenue, Longview. Sunday. Flatbed utility trailer taken over the past two days. Thefts 100 block of Kingsley Drive, Castle Rock. Friday. Package damaged and empty. 100 block of First Street, Kalama. Friday. Bluetooth headphones taken from purse. 500 block of Marty Loop, Woodland. Friday. Catalytic converter taken. 4000 block of Dike Road, Woodland. Saturday. Heart and anxiety medication missing from bag. Owner walked away and returned and the medications were gone, unknown what happened to them. 3000 block of Maryland Street, Longview. Saturday. Package taken from porch. Vandalism/malicious mischief Last week, Durkan and other city officials said they plan to create an additional response unit for 911 calls that dont require typical, armed police officers. She and Interim Seattle police Chief Adrian Diaz also have announced $10.4 million toward resources for violence prevention and $2 million for a King County pilot program that approaches gun violence from a public health perspective. The police chief on Monday said officers are struggling to handle the increase in gun violence because the Seattle Police Department has 115 fewer patrol officers and 38 fewer detectives than a year ago. About 270 officers had left the department over the past 18 months as of June in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and social unrest. That has resulted in officers multiple times a week only able to respond to calls that take top priority, he said. I need more officers, Diaz said at the news conference, adding, however, that police can't do everything. He urged legal gun owners to make sure their weapons cant be stolen and asked everyone to encourage friends and family to put down their weapons and find other ways to address concerns and resolve their issues. Make no mistake, this is a gun violence crisis, he said. "This is something we all need to do together. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. The higher standard is designed to keep police from using force against the wrong person something that happens too often, especially in communities of color, Johnson said. But it also means police might sometimes have to let the bad guy go, at least temporarily. If officers show up at a burglary scene, for example, and they see someone partially matching the description of the suspect but don't have confirmation it's the same person they can ask that person to stop voluntarily. If the person leaves, officers can't use force to detain them while figuring out if they have the right suspect, they say. An arrest would have to come later, once probable cause is established. The Criminal Justice Training Commission, which operates the state's police academy, already emphasizes de-escalation tactics and began training on the duty to intervene last year even before the law was adopted. But it has had to modify its teaching to cover the probable cause requirement for using force. During a recent training scenario, instructor Ken Westphal encouraged recruits taking statements from a convenience store owner who had been threatened by a customer to ask, How did that make you feel? Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz will travel to France this week to discuss spyware sold by Israeli cyber firm NSO that was allegedly used to target French President Emmanuel Macron. Macron's phone was on a list of targets that were possibly under surveillance by Morocco, which used NSO Group's Pegasus software, according to France's Le Monde newspaper. The French leader has called for an investigation. Gantz will meet French Defence Minister Florence Parly on Wednesday, an official Israeli statement said. "Gantz will discuss the crisis in Lebanon and the developing agreement with Iran. He will also update the minister on the topic of NSO," it said. Israel's Defence Ministry oversees commercial exports of spyware and cyber-surveillance technologies like Pegasus. A global investigation published last week by 17 media organisations, led by the Paris-based non-profit journalism group Forbidden Stories, said Pegasus had been used in attempted and successful hacks of smartphones belonging to journalists, government officials, and human rights activists. Israel has since set up a senior inter-ministerial team to assess any possible misuse of the spyware. NSO rejected the reports, saying it was "full of wrong assumptions and uncorroborated theories". Pegasus is intended for use only by government intelligence and law enforcement agencies to fight terrorism and crime, the company said. Gantz's trip was planned before the NSO affair and was meant to focus on the growing economic crisis in Lebanon, which shares a border with Israel, and on world powers' efforts to resume a nuclear deal with Iran, Israeli media said. Israel is concerned a revival of the deal may eventually allow its arch-foe Tehran to acquire atomic weapons. Iran denies seeking the bomb. Attempts to revive the 2015 accord, after then-President Donald Trump abandoned it in 2018, have been slow to make progress. France's foreign ministry said on Monday that Iran was endangering the chance of concluding an accord with world powers over reviving the deal if it did not return to the negotiating table soon. Microsoft Windows and Linux users are under immediate threat from LemonDuck malware. This specific threat shows that malware has evolved over the years from infecting devices so that they do not function properly to stealing private and personal data and demanding ransom and now, attackers have even started earning money in the form of cryptocurrency from their victims. Microsoft has now warned users that a well-known cross-platform malware that runs cryptocurrency mining software on victims computers is now escalating its operations. Rise in threat perception: Microsoft recently detailed the LemonDuck malware and its nefarious designs in a post on its Microsoft Security blog by the Microsoft 365 Defender Threat Intelligence team. The malware is capable of infecting and spreading via both Windows and Linux systems and can spread very rapidly across any network to propagate itself on other computers. It can also allow for further attacks that steal users credentials or even the installation of ransomware and other threats. Also read: Looking for a smartphone? Check Mobile Finder here. Malware vs Malware: The malware has been active since the past two years, and has evolved and grown even more resilient since then, according to Microsoft. In fact, the malware can even destroy other malware on the system. Microsoft says that the malware also prevents any new infections by patching the same vulnerabilities it used to gain access. A cryptocurrency miner is a software used to earn decentralised digital currency (like Bitcoin) by solving a computational problem, using the software on millions of computers could be quite profitable for hackers. Microsoft illustrates the attack chain from the LemonDuck and LemonCat infrastructures. (Microsoft Security Blog) What LemonDuck malware does and things users must be aware of: "Today, beyond using resources for its traditional bot and mining activities, LemonDuck steals credentials, removes security controls, spreads via emails, moves laterally, and ultimately drops more tools for human-operated activity," Microsoft explained in the blog, adding that countries like the United States, Russia, China, Germany, the United Kingdom, India, Korea, Canada, France, and Vietnam have seen the most infections so far. New malware rising: Microsoft also details a second malware variant that it has termed the LemonCat malware that can be used for more dangerous purposes. The LemonCat could have emerged at the start of this year, which means it is a relatively new attack infrastructure. However, Microsoft says that it could have been used to target its Microsoft Exchange Server, which could have led to the installation of backdoors, credential theft and even the delivery of malware. What users can do to protect themselves from LemonDuck malware: In order for users to stay safe and be protected from this malware, they must make sure their antivirus software (usually Microsoft Defender) is always up-to-date. They must also be wary of installing software from sources outside of the Microsoft Store or opening attachments from unknown senders, as these are common sources of infection by malware like the LemonDuck malware. An American Airlines Boeing 737 Max taxis at Tulsa International Airport to fly to Dallas, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, in Tulsa, Okla. American Airlines says it's running into fuel shortages at some smaller and mid-size airports, and in some cases the airline will add refueling stops or fly fuel into locations where the supply is tight. American said fuel supplies are being squeezed at "several" airports, which it didn't name, mostly because of a shortage of tanker trucks or drivers. Credit: Mike Simons/Tulsa World via AP, File The fuel needle is moving closer to "empty" at some U.S. airports. American Airlines says it's running into fuel shortages at some smaller and mid-size airports, and in some cases the airline will add refueling stops or fly fuel into locations where the supply is tight. The airline said that the shortages showed up first in the West, where they could affect efforts to fight wildfires. They are now being reported in other parts of the country and will last through mid-August, according to a company memo to pilots on Monday. It asked pilots to conserve fuel by, for example, leaving one engine off while taxiing. American said fuel supplies are being squeezed at "several" airports, which it didn't name, mostly because of a shortage of tanker trucks or drivers. Delta Air Lines, meanwhile, said Reno, Nevada, is the most affected location. Delta said pipelines have been devoting more space to gasoline and diesel and less to jet fuel during the pandemic. Nevada politicians worry that the situation could limit the flow of tourism dollars. Southwest said the fuel situation hasn't affected its flights, but it has added more fuel on some planes to limit the amount needed at airports with shortages. Trade group Airlines for America said it is talking to federal authorities and pipeline operators about the situation, which it said mostly affects smaller airports in the West. The jet fuel supply is being taxed by a strong recovery in travel, which means more planes in the air. U.S. air travel has reached about 80% of its pre-pandemic levels, with about 2 million people a day are flying in the U.S., double the number in early March. The American Airlines memo to pilots was reported earlier by CNBC. Explore further Lifting off? Sudden travel surge tests US airlines 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Credit: Oregon State University Cassie the robot, invented at Oregon State University and produced by OSU spinout company Agility Robotics, has made history by traversing 5 kilometers, completing the route in just over 53 minutes. Cassie was developed under the direction of robotics professor Jonathan Hurst with a 16-month, $1 million grant from the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the U.S. Department of Defense. Since Cassie's introduction in 2017, OSU students funded by the National Science Foundation have been exploring machine learning options for the robot. Cassie, the first bipedal robot to use machine learning to control a running gait on outdoor terrain, completed the 5K on Oregon State's campus untethered and on a single battery charge. "The Dynamic Robotics Laboratory students in the OSU College of Engineering combined expertise from biomechanics and existing robot control approaches with new machine learning tools," said Hurst, who co-founded Agility in 2017. "This type of holistic approach will enable animal-like levels of performance. It's incredibly exciting." Cassie, with knees that bend like an ostrich's, taught itself to run with what's known as a deep reinforcement learning algorithm. Running requires dynamic balancingthe ability to maintain balance while switching positions or otherwise being in motionand Cassie has learned to make infinite subtle adjustments to stay upright while moving. "Cassie is a very efficient robot because of how it has been designed and built, and we were really able to reach the limits of the hardware and show what it can do," said Jeremy Dao, a Ph.D. student in the Dynamic Robotics Laboratory. "Deep reinforcement learning is a powerful method in AI that opens up skills like running, skipping and walking up and down stairs," added Yesh Godse, an undergraduate in the lab. Hurst said walking robots will one day be a common sightmuch like the automobile, and with a similar impact. The limiting factor has been the science and understanding of legged locomotion, but research at Oregon State has enabled multiple breakthroughs. ATRIAS, developed in the Dynamic Robotics Laboratory, was the first robot to reproduce human walking gait dynamics. Following ATRIAS was Cassie, then came Agility's humanoid robot Digit. "In the not very distant future, everyone will see and interact with robots in many places in their everyday lives, robots that work alongside us and improve our quality of life," Hurst said. In addition to logistics work like package delivery, bipedal robots eventually will have the intelligence and safety capabilities to help people in their own homes, Hurst said. During the 5K, Cassie's total time of 53 minutes, three seconds, included about six and a half minutes of resets following two falls: one because of an overheated computer, the other because the robot was asked to execute a turn at too high a speed. In a related project, Cassie has become adept at walking up and down stairs. Hurst and colleagues were tapped to present a paper on that at the Robotics: Science and Systems conference July 1216. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Army researchers developed a new machine learning-based framework to enhance the security of computer networks inside vehicles without undermining performance. With the widespread prevalence of modern automobiles that entrust control to onboard computers, this research looks toward to a larger Army effort to invest in greater cybersecurity protection measures for its aerial and land platforms, especially heavy vehicles. In collaboration with an international team of experts from Virginia Tech, the University of Queensland and Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, researchers at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, known as DEVCOM, Army Research Laboratory devised a technique called DESOLATOR to help optimize a well-known cybersecurity strategy known as the moving target defense. "The idea is that it's hard to hit a moving target," said Dr. Terrence Moore, Army mathematician. "If everything is static, the adversary can take their time looking at everything and choosing their targets. But if you shuffle the IP addresses fast enough, then the information assigned to the IP quickly becomes lost, and the adversary has to look for it again." DESOLATOR, which stands for deep reinforcement learning-based resource allocation and moving target defense deployment framework, helps the in-vehicle network identify the optimal IP shuffling frequency and bandwidth allocation to deliver effective, long-term moving target defense. According to Army computer scientist and program lead Dr. Frederica Free-Nelson, achievement of the former keeps uncertainty high enough to thwart potential attackers without it becoming too costly to maintain, while attainment of the latter prevents slowdowns in critical areas of the network with high priority. "This level of fortification of prioritized assets on a network is an integral component for any kind of network protection," Nelson said. "The technology facilitates a lightweight protection whereby fewer resources are used for maximized protection. The utility of fewer resources to protect mission systems and connected devices in vehicles while maintaining the same quality of service is an added benefit." The research team used deep reinforcement learning to gradually shape the behavior of the algorithm based on various reward functions, such as exposure time and the number of dropped packets, to ensure that DESOLATOR took both security and efficiency into equal consideration. "Existing legacy in-vehicle networks are very efficient, but they weren't really designed with security in mind," Moore said. "Nowadays, there's a lot of research out there that looks solely at either enhancing performance or enhancing security. Looking at both performance and security is in itself a little rare, especially for in-vehicle networks." In addition, DESOLATOR is not limited to identifying the optimal IP shuffling frequency and bandwidth allocation. Since this approach exists as a machine learning-based framework, other researchers can modify the technique to pursue different goals within the problem space. "This ability to retool the technology is very valuable not only for extending the research but also marrying the capability to other cyber capabilities for optimal cybersecurity protection," Nelson said. Researchers detail information about their approach in the research paper, "DESOLATER: Deep Reinforcement Learning-Based Resource Allocation and Moving Target Defense Deployment Framework," in the peer-reviewed journal IEEE Access. More information: Seunghyun Yoon et al, DESOLATER: Deep Reinforcement Learning-Based Resource Allocation and Moving Target Defense Deployment Framework, IEEE Access (2021). Seunghyun Yoon et al, DESOLATER: Deep Reinforcement Learning-Based Resource Allocation and Moving Target Defense Deployment Framework,(2021). DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3076599 Local_news Health officials optimistic as more people get vaccinated COVID-19 cases remain on the rise across Georgia and much of the nation, but local health officials say there may be cause for optimism. The good news is that the number of people getting vaccinated is, in fact, increasing, said Michael D. Scherneck, president and CEO of Southeast Georgia Health System. Just last week the health system was reporting a sudden uptick in cases at its hospitals in Brunswick and St. Marys. The rise in cases even prompted it to postpone the health fair it had planned for this past Saturday at Brunswick High School. A new date will be announced. Scherneck described the increase in calls for vaccination as only gradual at this time. (But) demand for first dose vaccines is high enough that we are extending our Brunswick and Camden vaccine clinic hours, he said. We certainly hope this trend continues, especially given the fact that schools will soon reopen and students will be congregating in close quarters hopefully with the benefit of face masks as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. As of now, the Glynn County School System is not requiring students or teachers to wear masks while on campus during the upcoming school year, which begins Aug. 10. Scherneck said several of the health systems physician practices are now able to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to patients when they show up for scheduled appointments. Due to the vaccines stringent storage requirements, we cannot store the vaccine at every practice, but this should help increase vaccine accessibility for some of our high-risk patients, he said. Scherneck advises people to pay attention to the Centers for Disease Control and whats going on in the district and elsewhere where the virus is concerned. As reported every day by the CDC, coronavirus has become stronger and more contagious with the delta variant, he said. Older adults arent the only age group who are being affected; its every age group 20, 30, 40 year olds, and even children. The 5-year-old son of a deputy in Georgia succumbed to COVID-19 last week. It doesnt matter how healthy a person is, he said. The fact is that everyone is at risk of contracting COVID-19. The vaccine is the best weapon we have against the virus, and I strongly urge everyone age 12 and older to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Scherneck acknowledges the vaccine is not an absolute guarantee against contracting the virus, though its still a benefit to those who get COVID-19. While its true that some vaccinated individuals have tested positive for the virus, those individuals generally have much milder symptoms, he said. Less than 10% of our hospitalized COVID-19 patients have been vaccinated. There are far more seriously ill patients in our hospitals who have not gotten the vaccine and who now wish they had. Ending this pandemic is up to all of us. Even if you believe you can survive the virus, get the vaccine to protect the ones you love. Especially for those who for one reason or another, such as age or health conditions, cannot get the vaccine. And especially now, with the start of school soon upon us and more people gathering together. This is your opportunity to help your community, help our doctors and nurses, and help your loved ones. Ginger Heidel, risk communicator for the eight-county Coastal Health District, which includes Glynn, Camden and McIntosh counties, said the health department is continuing its call for people to get vaccinated. As for vaccine access, we have worked to make it easy for anyone 12 and older to get the vaccine and remove obstacles to vaccination, she said. You can get an appointment online, through our phone bank, or just walk in without an appointment. There is no cost for the vaccine. She said the department is working to bring vaccine out into the community through mobile vaccine clinics. Meanwhile, Anyone who has a transportation concern can get a free ride to a vaccine appointment, she said. Now we need the community to do its part and take advantage of this vaccination program... If youve been taking a wait and see attitude, we really encourage you to come on in and get this done so you can be protected, and we can get back to a more normal life. As of Monday, there were 27 cases of COVID-19 in Brunswick and 14 in Camden County, according to Southeast Georgia Health System. The vaccination rate in Glynn County stood at 39.7 percent and in Camden at 28.3 percent. The CDC says a 75% vaccination rate is needed to achieve herd immunity. The vaccine is available at the health systems hospital in St. Marys from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday in Conference Room A and at the hospital in Brunswick in Room 3 of the Pinson Conference Center from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday. Schedule a vaccine appointment online at sghs.org/covid19-vaccine. Looking for in-depth reporting on labor issues? You're in the right place. Subscribe to The Chief and get stories that cover every side of civil service in New York City and beyond. You can sign up in minutes for immediate access. According to the DSHS, Leon County reported 1,317 cases on Tuesday, an increase of one from the day before. Officials said 39 cases are active; 43 deaths have been attributed to the virus in the county. Madison County reported 1,753 cases on Tuesday, the same number as the day before. Of those, 24 cases were active and 31 virus-related deaths have been reported, according to DSHS figures. Milam County reported 1,546 cases, an increase of nine from Monday, with 27 of those active. Fifty-three Milam County residents have died from the virus, according to the state. In Robertson County, there were 1,883 cases, the same number as Monday, with 66 cases that were active. There have been 47 deaths attributed to the virus, state officials reported. Washington County was reporting 3,619 cases on Monday, six more than the number reported Monday. Of those, 100 were active. Ninety-six Washington County residents have died. Statewide On Tuesay, 6,571 new cases of COVID-19 and 37 virus-related deaths were reported in Texas. The states seven-day average of new cases has been rising since July 7 and is at a level not seen since March, according to state figures. Celebrating 60 Years, through January at the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History, 3232 Briarcrest Drive in Bryan. A celebration of 60 years of service to the Brazos Valley through vintage photographs, artifacts and specimens. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults. Refrigerator Art, through Aug. 14 at the Arts Council of Brazos Valley, 4180 Texas 6 in College Station. The exhibit includes art created during the organizations summer art camps. The gallery is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday. Professional Artists of Central Texas, through Sept. 2 at Degallery, 930 N. Rosemary Drive in Bryan. Featuring works for sale from artists around the region. Birds: Masters of Adaptation, through Oct. 23 at the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History in Bryan. The exhibit includes specimens, artifacts and photos exploring the diversity of birds. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults. 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. While attending Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, he became a Rhodes Scholar and was deeply influenced by the work of French philosopher Albert Camus and his ideas of rationality and moral purity for social change. Moses then took part in a Quaker-sponsored trip to Europe and solidified his beliefs that change came from the bottom up before earning a master's in philosophy at Harvard University. Moses didn't spend much time in the Deep South until he went on a recruiting trip in 1960 to "see the movement for myself." He sought out the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Atlanta but found little activity in the office and soon turned his attention to SNCC. "I was taught about the denial of the right to vote behind the Iron Curtain in Europe," Moses later said. "I never knew that there was (the) denial of the right to vote behind a Cotton Curtain here in the United States." The young civil rights advocate tried to register Blacks to vote in Mississippi's rural Amite County where he was beaten and arrested. When he tried to file charges against a white assailant, an all-white jury acquitted the man and a judge provided protection to Moses to the county line so he could leave. Yvonne Mintz is editor and publisher of The Facts. Contact her at 979-237-0100 or yvonne.mintz@thefacts.com. When Atchue tried to make a case for mask wearing, angry shouts drowned him out. Nix had to pound her gavel to call the meeting back to order before Atchue could finish. Even though its unpleasant to face the facts, I think we have to look at the reality of the whole situation, even outside Franklin County, Atchue said. Cases around the country are climbing. Unvaccinated people are getting sick and dying, and most of our population is unvaccinated. Franklin County is one of the many rural communities in Virginia and across the country where vaccination rates against COVID-19 are low. Only 49.7% of the adult population has received at least one dose of vaccine, compared with 71.6% statewide, according to the Virginia Department of Health. The overall vaccination rate for Franklin County is far lower, at only 41.8% with at least one dose, compared with 59.7% statewide. The county has had 4,158 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 202 hospitalizations and 83 deaths. The majority of the board ultimately concluded that enforcing mandatory mask wearing on buses would be too difficult, especially if wearing a mask isnt mandatory on school grounds, which led to the modification of the staff proposal before the board voted. The crowd applauded the result. In our society we are plagued by intolerance of opposing viewpoints, Lubeck said. While people do have strong opinions regarding monuments, I think what the board hopes to achieve through whatever course of action it chooses is to do its best to achieve unity. The court will not take further formal action on the statue until Jan. 2, 2022, according to the order. But in an attached letter that Dorsey penned to Peters dated June 23, he urged hasty removal of the stonework, for the sake of judicial optics. There is a legal, intellectual, and moral imperative to move this statue with all deliberate speed, Dorsey wrote. In his letter to Peters, Dorsey said no one would suggest a Confederate flag or monument has any place in a courtroom. The meaning conveyed by this statue due to its proximity to the Roanoke County Courthouse and being on Roanoke County property is, likewise, completely antithetical to the proper administration of justice, Dorsey wrote. It matters not who is offended; it only matters that this monuments message, in its present location, is offensive to the appearance of judicial fairness and neutrality, without a hint of prejudice. Grand Island Police Department Capt. Jim Duering said GIPD is no exception. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Weve always tried to recruit in all areas, all segments of our community, but sometimes that message is hard to get out especially when your police department doesnt look as much like the community as it needs to, Duering said. We think this opportunity will help with that. Recent CCC criminal justice graduate Francisco Ortega said having scholarships like MSI available is important to students, and will help break barriers. Sometimes (students) dont even think they could get one, Ortega said. I had to search high and low to find scholarships. The majority 75% of the $100,000 awarded will go toward scholarships. David said MSIs focus on community colleges is fitting. Community colleges get a lot of students who need help, he said. This will allow them not to have to worry as much about paying for books and tuition. The remaining 25% will be used for teaching tools, David said, including forensic investigation kits, field trips and creating a speakers bureau. The costs for such an upgrade are not known yet, but it is something that will be required in the future, Brown said. In order to carry cyber insurance, we have to have this in place, he said. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The city is considering using Duo, an online security platform that provides two-factor authentication services. Council member Justin Scott called dual authentication imperative to combat spear-phishing and phishing, which are targeted attempts to steal sensitive information such as financial or customer information from a victim. Scott is the IT director for Hornady Manufacturing. Its a trillion-dollar industry, an industry that opens their own help desk to help you install the virus back on your own machine, to help them get paid, he said. (North) Korea is funding their industry inside their country with ransomware. Its an industry now and its amazing, but its going to be something that is present ... and those costs will always be there, I think, from here on out. The city also is considering a switch from Outlook to Office 365, which is cloud-based and would not require the city to have servers. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The results of that test, announced in 1988, found the cloth to date from 1260 to 1390 A.D. While this test result was used by some to declare the Shroud fake, several problems pertaining to the accuracy and validity of this test have led many to discredit it completely, a panel says. The vast majority of Shroud scientists and scholars reject the validity of the test. The exhibit provides scientific, medical and historical evidence to support the belief the shroud is real. While the carbon dating suggested a French origin around 1325 A.D., pollen grains found on the shroud trace back to Jerusalem and Constantinople. Modern alternative dating methods support the shroud as likely being from the first century A.D., the exhibit says. A panel points out that dirt found on the nose, knees and soles of the feet of the shroud is unique to Jerusalem and only a handful of other places on earth. The weave used to create the linen was used in first-century Palestine. In addition, Art existing prior to 1260 A.D. shows remarkable evidence the Shroud was used for inspiration, the exhibit says. YORK -- On August 12, York Public Schools anticipate approximately 1,524 students from pre-school to high school to join their school system for the 2021-2022 academic year. One plan that will be consistent through the elementary, middle and high schools is the COVID procedures. A parent letter was sent out to inform families about any updates. So far, the district is still in the mask-optional phase. We are going to keep some of the hygiene procedures we have going, York Public Schools Superintendent Mitch Bartholomew said. Weve put some bipolar ionization machines in the HVAC systems which help kill viruses as they enter the air. These have been in place since last fall. The schools maintenance crews will also be cleaning high-touch areas to help reduce the spread of any illnesses. Vaccines arent mandatory, but the district encourages families to educate themselves on what they feel is best for their student. The current COVID procedures will work in tiers and they can be adjusted as situations change. Were going to have to work with our families, Bartholomew said. If their student is having symptoms, parents need to keep them at home. We want to try to minimize the spread. Last fall, a new animal management class was started at the school. They have a pen of cattle behind the school where the students can see the animals. The school hopes to expand the pens this year. The program makes our beef booster program self-sufficient, Herzberg said. Well have our animals back there, and then we will process those same animals to provide beef to our students. The school is adding a new English Language Arts curriculum for its K-8 students as well. Staff said they are excited to start their new lessons. One other new method that is being added to the school is Apptegy, which will allow the school to rebrand their website. The new technology will create an app where parents and families can access everything from the school in one location. We are very excited about this opportunity and how it will increase communication between the school and our families, Herzberg said. So far, the district has not run into as many challenges setting up for the school year. Herzberg said she hasnt heard as many concerns. I hope that anxiety isnt as high when we come back this year, Herzberg said. I want to keep kids healthy and make sure they have a positive learning experience. HAMPTON -- Hampton Lutheran is hoping to welcome 12 students back to school for the 2021-2022 year on August 12. Jean Carnoali is the principal and the head teacher for the school. Carnoali said the school board has decided to start the year with no mask requirements, but they will keep their protocol from last year ready in case they need it. The school currently doesnt have plans for social distancing since they have a small population, and they dont have temperature checks. However, Carnoali said it would be something that wouldnt be hard to implement if needed. There are some things we learned last year that we will keep in place as far as hand washing, Carnoali said. The three staff members are the same as last year. They are already getting ready to welcome their students back. Carnoali will be teaching fourth through sixth grade. Ashley Stutzman will teach pre-K and kindergarten. Lisa Montoya will teach first, second, and third grade. KEARNEY - Neighborhoods throughout Kearney are invited to join forces with the thousands of communities nationwide for the National Night Out crime and drug prevention event. This will be the 38th annual National Night Out, and its set for Aug. 3. The event is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch and co-sponsored locally by the Kearney Police Department. Nationally, more than 16,790 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases around the world will be involved. In all, more than 38.6 million people are expected to participate in whats been called Americas Night out against Crime, said KPD Lt. Kevin Thompson. National Night Out is designed to: - Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; - Generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime efforts; - Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and, - Send a message to criminals letting them know neighborhoods are organized and fighting back. YORK -- St. Joseph plans to welcome around 85-90 K-8 students on August 12 to start their 2021-2022 academic school year. Last year, the school remained in-person all year, and the school is hoping to follow in the same steps this year. Last school year, the seventh grade students were the winners of the penny war. The first grade students celebrated their script sales with ice cream, and the preschoolers had a spring program with their family and friends. Every year, the seventh and eighth grade science classes hatch and raise baby rainbow trout as part of the Trout in the Classroom program with the help of Nebraska Game and Parks. Due to COVID cutting last year short, the students are finally able to participate this year. Principal Mary Jo Leininger said the school intends to go mask- free for students this year. Leininger said the school will work together to see if adjustments need to be made over time. Im most excited to get our families back, Leininger said. Our theme this year is family reunion. We are going to be taking family pictures for our directory at open house. We want to get all of our parents and children connected together again because we were so segregated last year. You may have heard that on July 21, the U.S. Senate held a vote to begin debate on a bipartisan infrastructure bill. But you may not have heard that the vote was held before the bill had actually been written. In effect, we were asked to vote to bring up a bill that could end up looking vastly different than we expected. In moments like this, I understand the frustration many Americans feel with Congress, so I would like to reach out to you to explain a bit about how big legislation happens. Things can change quickly, but here is how things stand as of when I wrote this column on Monday, July 26. Making major policy changes takes time. When I drafted the Build Nebraska Act in 2010 and introduced it in the 2011 Nebraska Legislature, it took time. I worked with stakeholders, with the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee counsel, the Legislatures Fiscal Office, and the Nebraska Department of Roads for many months. It also took time to socialize the legislation with my colleagues and build consensus and support. Taking that time was worth it to Nebraskans we passed overwhelmingly major legislation that has stood the test of time and proven to be successful. Schools are soon to start back in session just as Covid-19 cases are rising in the Red River Valley. The rise is due to the delta variant, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says is as contagious as chickenpox and four to nine times more infectious than previous Covid-19 strains. The majority of cases are being seen in unvaccinated people, a group that includes school-age children. The back to school guidance from local and national medical groups includes having mask requirements in place, however, Gov. Greg Abbott has prohibited schools from taking such action. Should schools be allowed to require masks? You voted: The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option. Nearman was seen on security video opening a door to protesters on Dec. 21 as lawmakers met in emergency session to deal with economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Protesters barged into the building, which was closed to the public because of coronavirus safety protocols, got into shoving matches with police and sprayed officers with bear spray. Some of the protesters had guns. In court, Nearman acknowledged letting protesters into the Capitol, but said he didnt intend to cause harm. Nearman said he did so because he believed they had a right to be in the building. I think that the citizens were allowed to be in the Capitol, so I was letting them in, Nearman told the judge. In the scuffle Dec. 21 with Salem and Oregon State police officers, six officers were injured and the building incurred thousands of dollars in damages. I dont support what they did when they entered, Nearman said. This story has been updated to correct that Nearman received 18 months probation, not parole. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Employees who don't meet such criteria may need to go on leave or seek different opportunities, she added. The U.S. Justice Department addressed the rights of employers and workers in a legal opinion this week. It tackled an argument raised by some vaccine skeptics that the federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act prohibits employers from requiring vaccination with shots that are only approved for emergency use, as coronavirus vaccines currently are. Department lawyers wrote that the law in question requires individuals be informed of their option to accept or refuse administration of an emergency use vaccine or drug. But that requirement does not prohibit employers from mandating vaccination as a condition of employment." The same reasoning applies to universities, school districts, or other entities potentially requiring COVID-19 vaccines, the lawyers added. Available evidence overwhelmingly shows the vaccines are safe and effective. The Justice Department opinion followed earlier guidance from the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that federal laws prohibiting discrimination in the workplace do not prevent an employer from requiring all employees physically entering the workplace to be vaccinated for COVID-19. The 169 intensive care unit beds in use by COVID-19 patients as of Monday night were the most since June 13. From Monday to Sunday, there were 136 ICU beds in use on average, an increase of about 36 percent from the week prior. But Pritzker said Tuesday the vaccines have been widely effective in guarding against the most severe cases of COVID-19 for individuals who have had the shot. It remains the most effective way to combat the virus, he said, repeating a claim that 99 percent of those dying from COVID-19 in Illinois in recent weeks were unvaccinated. We know that if you're vaccinated, you're protected, he said, noting that experiences for individuals might differ, but for the most part, if vaccinated and contracting the disease, many people spend a few days in bed feeling bad, don't need to go to the hospital and then are able to recover. While Pritzker said those numbers are encouraging now, further, more dangerous variants of the virus could emerge if the vaccine is not more widely adopted. It is not over, Pritzker said of the pandemic. We would like it to be over, but it is not yet over and we know that if people remain unvaccinated there is a greater and greater possibility that you'll have a variant that ultimately will break through the vaccines that have already been developed. We still dont know exactly what happened. Why? Because many in my party have treated this as just another partisan fight, he said. Its toxic and its a disservice to the officers and their families, to the staff and the employees of the Capitol complex, to the American people who deserve the truth. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, like Kinzinger one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump over his role in promoting the insurrection, is the other GOP member of the select panel. McCarthy has called them Pelosi Republicans, and the House Republican caucus is considering moves to strip them of their committee assignments. Cheney was already removed from the House GOP leadership team. I think that reflects more on people than it does on the situation at hand, Kinzinger said of McCarthys threatened moves against him and Cheney. This is a historic moment and this is a democracy-defining moment, and no matter the consequences, me, and I know, Liz, will stand and defend democracy, Kinzinger said. Im here to investigate Jan. 6 not in spite of my membership in the Republican Party, but because of it. Not to win a political fight but to learn the facts and defend our democracy, he said. Clark Atlanta University students and recent graduates will get a break on their bills as the Atlanta institution joined some other schools across the nation in forgiving student debt. Clark Atlanta on Friday announced that it's clearing all student account balances for the 2020 semesters and the spring and summer 2021 semesters, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The school's president, George French Jr., delivered the news in a letter, saying it's a way of thanking students for continuing their education during the pandemic. "The past two academic years have been emotionally and financially challenging for you and your families due to the COVID-19 pandemic," French wrote. "I understand. That is why I am personally thankful for your resilience, perseverance, and 'find a way or make one' attitudes." A few other historically Black colleges and universities, such as Delaware State, South Carolina State and Wilberforce universities, have taken similar actions to clear student debt or accounts in recent months. At Southern University at Shreveport, Louisiana, Chancellor Rodney Ellis this month announced that the school will "eliminate the balances of every student who has attended SUSLA from spring 2020 to spring 2021." School leaders circumvented state purchasing laws by dividing that sidewalk paving contract into two smaller ones, bypassing rules for more expensive jobs. Officials failed to follow other basic procurement rules designed to prevent fraud, and that the school should train all of its employees on how to properly purchase and requisition items. The report also recommended the school contact the state Ethics Commission and request ethics training for all staff. In response, Tim Keown, the schools president, wrote Lamkin that he had made several changes. You gave me an exuberant amount of leadership suggestions that I am incorporating. We will learn from this, move on, and continue to make South Carolina proud of our agency/school, Keown wrote in a letter. The school has scheduled an ethics workshop, said Hayley Belton, director of public relations and marketing. The inspector generals report echoed The Post and Couriers findings about two top school officials, Ken Durham, director of facilities, and his top deputy, Scott Mims. Hired to rehab the schools sprawling campus, both also serve on Edgefield City Council. This extra expense, no more than an individual spends on average on coffee, however, is wiped out by the fact Americans earn an average of $20,000 more than their counterparts in other OECD nations. These statistics mean that the relative cost of broadband is much lower in the United States than in other OECD nations, a fact recognized by the Economists Intelligence Unit who placed the U.S. 3rd globally for broadband affordability. Coinciding with this significant decline in price has also been significant improvements in speed. The recently released USTelecom report shows that while prices fell, speeds increased. In 2015, the average download speed was just 22.3 megabits per second (Mbps). By 2021, that had increased to 58.4 Mbps, a 94.2% increase. The consumer benefits of increased speeds are significant. Not only is service more reliable, but consumers are able to do more with the internet. With faster internet, its possible to receive virtual healthcare, work remotely, stream TV and movies, and go to school online. Job Title: Project Management Specialist (Nutrition & Child Health) Organisation: United States US Embassy, US Mission in Uganda Duty Station: USAID / Uganda, Uganda Salary Range: UGX 157,828,400 232,334,711 per annum, equivalent to FSN-11 About US: The United States Embassy in Kampala, Uganda has enjoyed diplomatic relations with Uganda for over 30 years. Ambassador Natalie E. Brown currently heads the U.S Mission to Uganda. The Mission is composed of several offices and organizations all working under the auspices of the Embassy and at the direction of the Ambassador. Among the offices operating under the U.S Mission to Uganda are: United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Peace Corps Job Summary: USAID/Uganda is seeking for qualified individuals to fill the Project Management Specialist (Nutrition & Child Health) position. The position is located in the USAID/Uganda Office of Health and HIV/AIDS (OHH). The OHH is responsible for one of USAIDs largest and most complex bilateral assistance health programs. Currently, there are six technical units: 1: Health System Strengthening Unit (HSS), 2: Presidents Malaria Initiative Unit (PMI), 3: the HIV & TB Unit (HIV/TB) and its PEPFAR sponsored activities, 4: Family Health Unit (FHU), 5: Strategic Information Unit (SI) which provides support to the Office and other technical teams, and 6: Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) and Emerging Pandemic Threats Unit. The OHH Team is headed by a U.S. Foreign Service Officer who reports directly to the Mission Director. The Project Management Specialist (Nutrition and Child Health) is a member of the FHU which is responsible for providing technical and program expertise to the Health and HIV/AIDS units under OHH. The primary responsibility is to provide project management and technical advice on child health and nutrition to members of the OHH Team. The portfolio includes nutrition (all aspects), child health (including immunization and childhood illnesses), and water and sanitation. The PMS serves as A/COR of a variety of programs related to child health, nutrition, and WASH, including Child Survival and Health Grants and Field Support Nutrition projects. In addition, the PMS provides significant technical assistance on bilateral projects related to all aspects of child health. In order to advise the Mission on issues related to child health and nutrition, the specialist keeps abreast of current publications and information on international child health and nutrition, and its programming in developing countries. The PMS leads in designing relevant programs, contributing to design of other programs, and evaluation of child health and nutrition activities. The PMS works on integrating nutrition and child health with other initiatives within the OHH portfolio, such as working with the HIV/AIDS Team to strengthen their nutrition and child survival programming, particularly as it relates to orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC), prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) programs, and nutritional rehabilitation of, malnourished people living with HIV. Develops guidelines, assists, and advises on integrating child health and nutrition into other areas within the Mission, including health, education, and economic growth. Key Duties and Responsibilities: Technical advice and advocacy 55% Serves as Mission point of contact for all matters related to child health and nutrition Works to ensure technical and programmatic synergy within USAID/Uganda-supported child health, WASH, and nutrition activities, and those of GoU and other development partners by facilitating the exchange of technical information and identifying and fostering opportunities for partnership on technical and programmatic activities. Participates as USAID representative in national-level technical, programmatic, and policy meetings, and in consultations with other donors, government officials, and IPs. Develops policies and guidelines to integrate child health, nutrition, and WASH activities into other areas of health, particularly HIV/AIDS education and social protection. Works closely with the HIV/AIDS Team on nutrition, including participating in working groups related to OVC, PMTCT, care and treatment, providing technical advice and guidance, advising on projects related to OVC, people living with HIV/AIDS, and PMTCT programs offering nutritional support. Advises on school health, nutrition and WASH programs, and emergency nutrition programs as they occur in country. Advocates for child health and nutrition programs, and for funding in the OHH portfolio in order to achieve targets within the OHH performance monitoring plan. Ensures that USAID programs contribute to relevant National Development Plans and Sustainable Development Goals ( SDG) . Provides technical and programmatic support, including developing PowerPoint presentations and talking points, and serving as site officer for high level delegations, other visitors, and overall USG and USAID Mission needs. Supports the OHH Team and the Mission in developing operational plans, such as the PEPFAR Country Operational Plan, the Malaria Operational Plan, and the Agency Operational Plan. Responds to reporting requirements and requests from the Mission, USAID headquarters, and others, as needed. Program/Project Management 45 % Manages a diverse portfolio including immunization, child health, water and sanitation, and nutrition. As the primary nutrition Specialist, the incumbent is responsible for child health nutrition activities, and providing support to HIV/AIDS nutrition activities in addition to the aspects of nutrition within the Feed the Future initiative and HATO. Nutrition activities include micronutrients, breastfeeding, infant and young child feeding, maternal nutrition, and nutrition and HIV/AIDS. Serves as A/COR and program/project/activity manager. Provides review and approval of work plans, budgets, performance monitoring plans, quarterly and annual reports, and other key documents for managed activities. Provides guidance on new program initiatives, drafts program documents to secure funding and implement activities, and manages the relationships between USAID and implementing partners (IPs) implementing child health nutrition and WASH activities. Provides technical assistance in capacity building, planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation to key USAID governmental and non-governmental partners, to ensure that they develop measurable plans and objectives for implementation of innovative child health, nutrition, and WASH projects. Based on skills and knowledge in financial and program management, provides oversight to ensure that USAID-supported child health, nutrition and WASH programs achieve anticipated results, are linked to and enhance attainment of OHH Strategic Objectives, are aligned with GoU priorities, and are implemented within the framework of USG foreign assistance policies. Conducts regular site visits to monitor activity progress, and to provide technical and programmatic recommendations. The contractor is eligible for temporary duty (TDY) travel to the U.S., or to other Missions abroad, to participate in the Foreign Service National Fellowship Program, in accordance with USAID policy. Qualifications, Skills and Experience: NOTE: All applicants must address each selection criterion detailed below with specific and comprehensive information supporting each item. The applicants for the United States US Embassy Project Management Specialist (Nutrition & Child Health) job opportunity should a Bachelors degree in nutrition, public health, international health development, or a closely related degree. A Masters degree is highly desired. At least five to seven years of progressively responsible professional experience working in the health or development field in Uganda. Three years of this experience should be in direct management of non-governmental activities in health or development; including designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating activities. This experience should have provided experience in the delivery of child health and nutrition programs, and relevant experience working or collaborating with other donors, governments, international organizations, etc. In-depth professional-level knowledge of technical and programmatic approaches, concepts, and practices, especially as they relate to child health, nutrition, WASH integration of nutrition into HIV in Uganda and the region, is required. Significant knowledge of project design, planning, implementation, and monitoring is required. A thorough knowledge of the concepts, principles, techniques, and practices of Ugandas child health and nutrition policies and programs is required. A thorough knowledge and understanding of the economic, political, social, and cultural characteristics of Uganda, and the economic development, resources, in particular as it relates to child health and nutrition programs in Uganda, including current trends and directions, is expected. Must be able to work effectively with mid- and senior-level public and civil service officials from the GoU and development partners. Must be able to work effectively in a team environment, and to coordinate well with others. Must be able to develop effective and collaborative managerial relationships with IPs. Excellent writing and computer skills, to prepare project documentation, presentations, regular and adhoc reports, etc., are required. Diplomacy, tact, cultural sensitivity, and team participation skills are required, in order to establish and maintain effective working relationships within USAID, and with the public and private sectors. Excellent organizational skills are required in order to multi-task and stay organized in a complex, frequently changing environment. Demonstrated advanced analytical skills and problem solving, as well as the ability to effectively manage stress and conflict, is required. Language Proficiency: Level IV (fluent) English language proficiency, speaking and writing, is required. How to Apply: Offers must be presented as detailed in Section IV of the solicitation document and shall include: A typed and hand signed (around Section 6 Declaration) DS-174 Employment Application for Locally Employed Staff or Family Member (https://eforms.state.gov/Forms/ds174.pdf; Version Exp. 06/2022). Cover letter (addressed to the USAID Supervisory Executive Officer) clearly indicating the position for which you are applying and describing how you meet the minimum requirements. Completed curriculum vitae/resume as detailed in the solicitation document. Supplemental [separate] document specifically addressing each QRF as outlined in the solicitation. Copies of Academic Transcripts. NB: Offers must be in a standard file type such as Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). All should be in one document which should not exceed 10MB. All offers must be e-mailed to: KampalaHR@state.gov Deadline: 20th August 2021 by 4:45 PM local time. For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline This subscription will allow existing subscribers of The World to access all of our online content, including the E-Editions area. NOTE: To claim your access to the site, you will need to enter the Last Name and First Name that is tied to your subscription in this format: SMITH, JOHN If you need help with exactly how your specific name needs be entered, please email us at admin@countrymedia.net or call us at 1-541 266 6047. Today Intervals of clouds and sunshine. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 84F. Winds light and variable. Tonight Partly cloudy. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Tomorrow Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 82F. Winds light and variable. For the fuel to be considered blue, the vast majority of carbon emissions must be captured and sequestered. Otherwise, its classified as gray a category that encompasses virtually all of the hydrogen produced on an industrial scale today. Hydrogen can be combined with carbon dioxide to create synthetic natural gas, which some clean energy advocates view more favorably than drilled gas. I think what blue hydrogen, and other things like it, represents is a way for Wyoming to continue to be marketable in the gas space, because of what consumers, particularly in high-populated areas, are demanding, Pete Obermueller, president of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming, said in an interview last week. The projects funded through the Energy Authority program include a mix of blue and green hydrogen proposals. Williams Companies will receive close to $1 million for a proposed $1.2 million analysis of green hydrogen potential in southwestern Wyoming, which it hopes will lead to construction of a future billion-dollar hydrogen and synthetic natural gas hub in the state. Godfrey and Idris-Hosch said Newnan officials had not reached out to leaders in the Black community to get its feedback. Black people make up about a third of the roughly 40,000 residents in Newnan, which lies about 40 miles (64km) southwest of Atlanta. Godfrey and Idris-Hosch marched with about a dozen other people later to the historic Coweta County Courthouse, where they rallied with signs that read, Don't Dump on Our Ancestors and This Disrespect Would Never Happen in Oak Hill. The nearby Oak Hill Cemetery contains the graves of Confederate soldiers and is well-manicured and marked. We cannot allow our legacy to be forgotten, to be dumped on and to be disrespected, Idris-Hosch, president of Newnan's African American Alliance, said at the rally. The city has made improvements to a museum next to the African American burial site and planted flowers on the property, spokesperson Ashley Copeland said in an email. She said no one from the city was available for a phone interview. Lillie Smith, another member of the African American Alliance, said the city has invested much more money in other historic sites. She wants it to beautify and clearly designate the Black cemetery. Were not here to blame anybody for anything. Were not looking for apologies, she said. "We want the cemetery to be a place where people drive by and say, 'Thats an enslaved African American cemetery. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Authorities were hopeful that improving weather will help them continue to make progress against the nations largest wildfire, the Bootleg Fire in southern Oregon. It was 53% contained after scorching 640 square miles of remote land. On Monday, an additional crew of Oregon National Guardsmen were sent to help out the more than 2,200 people battling the blaze. The lightning-caused fire has burned at least 70 homes, mainly cabins, and some 2,000 residences were under evacuation orders. In Montana, four firefighters were released from a hospital and a fifth was being treated at a burn center Monday after a wildfire overran them last week, authorities said. The five were building a defensive line at the Devils Creek Fire in Garfield County when winds shifted suddenly and blew flames back at them. The firefighter still being treated a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee is making good progress and is in good spirits, spokesperson Kari Cobb said. Crews were trying to keep the 10-square-mile fire from reaching Fort Peck Reservoir along the Missouri River in central Montana. Its one of three major fires in the state. A small number of COVID-19 cases have been detected at Wyoming prisons in the last couple of weeks, according to recent reports from the Department of Corrections. After several weeks with zero total reported positive results, nine cases of COVID-19 were detected last week across three facilities in the state. Department spokesperson Paul Martin said 64% of people incarcerated in Wyoming state prisons are fully vaccinated as of Money, with another 20% having received just one shot. Vaccinations are available to those who would like it, Martin said in an email Monday. However, they have a shelf life and expire...In that case we obtain new dosages from the local health (department). Last week, an undisclosed amount of doses, which Martin said were likely Moderna, had to be discarded at the Wyoming Honor Farm in Riverton after they expired. It was only a couple days until the facility received more, Martin said Monday. Martin said staff vaccinations are not tracked because WDOC employees may be vaccinated outside of the facilities. Former Sen. Mike Enzi remained hospitalized Monday in Colorado after suffering serious injuries in a bike crash last week. The longtime Wyoming politician was flown for treatment Friday following the crash, according to a tweet from his son, Brad Enzi. One of the best basketball fans in the country needs giant prayers tonight after a bike wreck and life flight last night. Also happens to be my GOAT [greatest of all time] Dad, the tweet began. Enzi was biking near his home in Gillette shortly before 8:30 p.m. Friday, when the incident occurred. There was no one else involved in the crash, according to Max Donofrio, a spokesperson for the family. At 8:18 p.m. Friday, the Gillette Police Department got an Apple Watch distress call that someone took a hard fall and was not responding, according to the Gillette News Record. Before police arrived, someone also called 911 after finding Enzi unconscious. It is with great sorrow that I learned of the passing of my friend and mentor, former US Senator and former Mayor of Gillette, Mike Enzi. My heart goes out to his wife, Diana, and his entire family. As deeply as I feel his loss, it pales in comparison to what they must be feeling today. He was a close friend of my family and his loss creates a void that will not be filled, the statement read. Even though we are saddened by his loss, we need only look around us to see the positive impact he had on Gillette. It was during his tenure as Mayor that Gillette began to thrive. MASSY Group president Gervase Warner says the issue of whether Caribbean countries should have a fixed or floating exchange rate is a bit of a red herring. But he told a conference organised by the Central Bank of Barbados last week that one of the reasons the group has applied to cross-list its shares on the Jamaica Stock Exchange is because of T&Ts foreign exchange regime. Warner was one of the panellists at the keynote discussion of the Central Bank of Barbados 41st Annual Review Seminar last Tuesday on Rebuilding Economies for the Future: Opportunities for Resilience through Diversification. The other panellists were Ian Durant, director of economics department of the Caribbean Development Bank; and Michelle Doyle, adviser to the Governor, Central Bank of Barbados. Responding to a question on whether resilient and competitive economies can be built in the Caribbean with fixed exchange rate regimes, I think yes, we can build resilient economies. Fixed or floating foreign exchange; thats a bit of a red herring. It very much depends on the structure of each economy. We should be much more focused on the things that can make us more efficient and more competitive. Unfortunately, some of those things are often not popular. Earlier in his response to the question, Warner said: I dont know that fixing a foreign exchange rate or floating an exchange rate is really the determinant to the economic success and growth of our economies; whether it makes us more or less resilient. It is the fundamental, underlying performance of our economies is really what matters. If you are going to be an export earner and are blessed with some natural resourcewhether it is sunny beaches and beautiful waters or petroleum or other mineralsyou are going to have to work for it. You are going to have to find a way to make yourself efficient. Trying to get efficiencies just by adjusting a foreign exchange rate, you are always going to be in a race to the bottom, as opposed to building strong institutions and strong enterprises. I am much more in favour of having greater competitiveness by developing economies of scale in operations. He said that involves looking beyond individual island markets and treating the entire Caricom region as a domestic market. Warner advocated making the entire Caricom region accessible as a domestic market to any and every one of us individually. He said the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) is not delivering on the promise and vision of 20 or 40 years ago. Why Massy is cross-listing On the question of whether the Massy Groups proposed listing on the Jamaica Stock Exchange would improve its competitiveness and resilience, Warner said: We have found, partly driven by the foreign exchange regime in Trinidad and Tobago, that the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange is not as attractive as it has been in the past for international investors. Warner added: You are very familiar with international investors being unable to repatriate the proceeds of a sale of locally listed shares in Trinidad and Tobago. This is a great nuisance to any sophisticated financial institution that is moving money back and forth. Warner said the inability of international investors to repatriate the proceeds from share sales is a good example of a breakdown that makes Trinidad and Tobago less competitive. In a notice to shareholders on May 9, 2021, Massy advised that its board took a decision to apply to cross-list the companys shares on the Jamaica Stock Exchange. The group said: The board considered the market sophistication and growth opportunities evident in the Jamaican securities market, which has become increasingly more dynamic over the past few years. The Massy Group president said the Jamaica Stock Exchange is attractive to international investors like the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange once was. He said the Massy Group sees the Jamaica Stock Exchange as a place that we see we can invite more shareholders, more institutional investors, more traders to participate in the Massy Holdings share. For us, it represents another step in this integration of the Caribbean in the mindset of what we created in Caricom. The Massy Group president said all publicly traded entities that operate in multiple jurisdictions across the region would prefer to have one stock exchange where the shares of these companies could all be traded with economies of scale on a platform that is more robust than the multiple, small stock exchanges across the region. If you were to ask any of us would we like to have one financial services regulator for banks and insurance companies, (the answer would be) absolutely. It is a great nuisance to deal with 14 different regulators, particularly with all of the new regulations that are coming out that are internationally driven and affect us as small entities. Warner said: Small entities having to manage relationships with multiple regulators is a cost, which then makes us uncompetitive. And we do not understand that there is a reason that we make ourselves uncompetitive. Thats why the Canadian banks are withdrawing from the Caribbean because it is just not worth it to operate in all of these small, little islands with different regulators. It just does not make a lot of sense. Massy in Jamaica In its 2020 annual report, Massy Holdings Ltd stated that it received seven per cent of its profit before tax and four per cent of its revenue from its Jamaican operations. The group indicated it operates two businesses in Jamaica: Massy Gas Products (Jamaica) and Massy Distribution (Jamaica). Massy Gas Products (Jamaica) is the market leader of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) distribution in Jamaica which is used as a fuel source for cooking, heating, power generation and manufacturing. MGPJ imports and markets its product under the brand name Gas Pro and supplies LPG to both the commercial (bulk) and domestic (packed) markets, according to the annual report. As part of a strategy to focus on three main portfolios of businessintegrated retail, motors and machines and gas productsMassy Holdings divested Massy Technologies to a Jamaican company last year for about US$50 million. The combined businesses will have over US$250 million of annual revenue, operate in 19 countries, and have over 2,100 information technology professionals, according to the annual report. The 2020 annual report indicates that Massy received about US$50 million for the sale of the companies. Groups shareholders Massys single largest shareholder is the National Insurance Board of T&T, according to the groups 2020 annual report. NIBTT owned 19,801,051 million of the 98,342,382 shares issued by Massy, accounting for 20.13 per cent of the company, as at September 30, 2020. Other significant shareholders of Massy Holdings include: RBC/RBTT Nominee Services Ltd 10,246,075; RBC/RBTT Trust Ltd 9,410,305 Republic Financial Holdings Ltd 7,198,348 Barbados Central Securities Depositary5,909,175 Of the directors and senior officers of the company, Massy Holdings chairman Robert Bermudez holds the largest block. As at September 30, 2020, Bermudez owned 14,820 shares in his name and 1,901,393 shares in what is described in the annual report as associates shareholdings. This suggests that a shareholder associated with Bermudez acquired 1,111,489 Massy Holdings shares between October 1, 2019, and September 30, 2020. The Massy share price closed at $80.50 a share on Friday, putting its market capitalisation at $7.91 billion. On the day after the Massy board decided to cross-list the companys shares on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, May 7, Massy traded at $65 a share. Do you have a news tip? Want to share good news story, or do you have information that should see the light of day? Then we want to hear from you. More here CHIEF Fire Officer Arnold Bristo has confirmed that a full report on the cause of the deadly fire that claimed the lives of three children at Rookery Nook, Maraval, last will be completed later this week. Master artist LeRoy Clarke was on November 11 visited by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts Randall Mitchell at his Cascade home, museum and art gallery, Legacy House. Clarke celebrated his 82nd birthday on November 7. On that day Minister Mitchell called Clarke to wish him happy birthday and promised to visit. Since 2015, Bosnian Serbs have challenge the authority of Bosnias Constitutional Court, but Inzko fought off their repeated attempts to expel three foreign judges, elected by the European Court of Human Rights, who serve on its bench under the terms of the peace agreement. Bosnian Serbs, in particular, have used the international step-back to call into question the countrys continued existence and to stoke ethnic tensions by downplaying or denying the crimes committed by their ethnic kin during the war. But political elites of all ethnic stripes have gladly taken control of all levers of government for the benefit of their partisan loyalists. Half a million people have left (Bosnia) in the last 15 years, many of them are the brightest, and we do not want to have this country to be an empty country where just politicians live and pensioners, retired people, Inzko said. We cannot afford to do nothing. With the time of his tenure running out, Inzko last week used the full authority of his office to outlaw genocide denial and the glorification of war criminals in Bosnia. He imposed changes to the criminal code that call for prison sentences of up to five years for individuals convicted of those crimes. It was the first time in 12 years he had gotten to use the high representative's so-called Bonn powers. The violence began around 1 p.m., and included a 911 call that had an open line into the home, Youngblood said. The activity heard on the call led deputies to believe at least one person was still alive inside the home. We felt obligated to go in and try and rescue that victim, the sheriff said. Two women and two girls were able to escape the home safely, Youngblood said. Their relationship to the shooter and the other victims was not immediately clear, but Swanson said they were believed to be acquaintances of the woman and her sons. The victims inside the home only described as the gunman's 17- and 24-year-old sons and their 42-year-old mother also have not been named publicly. The first deputies to arrive at the home, following multiple 911 calls, were met by one of the women who had escaped. She told them there was a gunman inside the house and two to three people had been shot. Within minutes, Youngblood said, the gunman started firing at the deputies from inside the house. A SWAT team, including Campas and Guerrero, approached the front door and encountered gunfire from a rifle. The deputies fired back at the shooter. NEW YORK (AP) A New York lawyer who fought Chevron over oil pollution in Ecuador is guilty of criminal contempt of court for repeatedly and willfully defying a judges orders, a judge ruled Monday. U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska in Manhattan wrote in a lengthy opinion that Steven Donzigers conviction does not question the sincerity of his devotion to the cause of Ecuadorians who went to court decades ago over damage pollution caused to their land. And she said she did not question that he felt Chevron treated him unfairly. "But a lawyer, of all people, should know that in the face of a perceived injustice, one may not take the law into his own hands, Preska said of an attorney who has spent most of the last two years in home confinement in Manhattan. A sentencing date was not immediately set. Martin Garbus, an attorney for Donziger, predicted in a statement that Preska's ruling will be reversed on appeal. We will file that appeal on the day of sentencing. Her decision is an attempt to cover up an unconstitutional prosecution funded by Chevron, he said. In a statement, Donziger called the ruling an obvious travesty of justice. Five years ago: President Barack Obama, addressing cheering delegates at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia, implored Americans to elect Hillary Clinton to the White House, casting her as a candidate who believed in the optimism that drove the nations democracy and warning against the deeply pessimistic vision of Republican Donald Trump. More than a year after Freddie Gray, a Black man, suffered a broken neck in a Baltimore police van, the effort to hold six officers criminally responsible for his death collapsed when the city abruptly dropped all charges in the case. One year ago: Congressional leaders from both parties praised the late civil rights icon and Democratic Rep. John Lewis as a moral force for the nation in a memorial service in the Capitol Rotunda. The worlds biggest COVID-19 vaccine study began with the first of 30,000 planned volunteers helping to test shots created by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc. The White House said President Donald Trumps national security adviser, Robert OBrien, was self-isolating after becoming the highest-ranking official to test positive for the coronavirus. More than a dozen Miami Marlins players and staff tested positive for COVID-19 in an outbreak that stranded the team in Philadelphia, disrupting the major league baseball schedule on the fifth day of the pandemic-delayed season. Todays Birthdays: TV producer Norman Lear is 99. Actor John Pleshette is 79. Actor-director Betty Thomas is 74. Olympic gold medal figure skater Peggy Fleming is 73. Singer Maureen McGovern is 72. Rock musician Tris Imboden (formerly with Chicago) is 70. Actor Roxanne Hart is 67. Comedian-actor-writer Carol Leifer is 65. Comedian Bill Engvall is 64. Jazz singer Karrin Allyson is 59. Country singer Stacy Dean Campbell is 54. Rock singer Juliana Hatfield is 54. Actor Julian McMahon is 53. Actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (NIH-koh-lye KAH-stur WAHL-dah) is 51. Comedian Maya Rudolph is 49. Rock musician Abe Cunningham is 48. Singer-songwriter Pete Yorn is 47. Former MLB All-Star Alex Rodriguez is 46. Actor Seamus Dever is 45. Actor Martha Madison is 44. Actor Jonathan Rhys (rees) Meyers is 44. Actor/comedian Heidi Gardner is 38. Actor Blair Redford is 38. Actor Taylor Schilling is 37. MLB All-Star pitcher Max Scherzer is 37. Singer Cheyenne Kimball is 31. Golfer Jordan Spieth (speeth) is 28. Actor Alyvia Alyn Lind is 14. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Aishan, a 34-year-old computer engineer and father of three, has been based in Turkey since 2012, where he worked as a web designer and activist and has residency papers, according to friend and colleague Yanmaymiz Ayup. Aishan worked on a Uyghur diaspora online newspaper and assisted other activists in media outreach and collecting testimonies of abuse in Chinas Xinjiang province. After repeated arrests in Turkey, Aishan left Istanbul for Casablanca on the evening of July 19, Ayup said. Aishan called his wife on Saturday and said he was being deported, according to Ayup, who is in touch with Aishans family. Interpol and the Chinese Embassy in Morocco didn't immediately respond to requests for comment on the arrest. The exact charges against him are unclear. China has described its sweeping lockup of a million or more Uyghurs and members of other minority groups as a war against terror, after knifings and bombings by a small number of extremist Uyghurs native to Xinjiang. Researchers say many innocent people have been detained for things like going abroad or attending religious gatherings. KYIV, Ukraine (AP) A court in Belarus on Tuesday declared a Polish-funded television channel that extensively covered last year's anti-government protests in the country extremist, the latest move in a sweeping crackdown on independent media and civil society activists. The court in the city of Gomel labeled the Belsat channel extremist, and the authorities said they blocked its website and all social media accounts in Belarus. The ruling was based on an inquiry by Belarus' Interior Ministry, according to ministry spokeswoman Olga Chemodanova. It wasn't immediately clear which of Belsat's content was deemed extremist, but Chemodanova noted that sharing or posting content of an outlet that has been labeled extremist carries a fine or arrest of up to 15 days. Belarusian authorities have ramped up action against nongovernmental organizations and independent media, with more than 200 raids of offices and apartments of activists and journalists so far this month, according to the Viasna human rights center. President Alexander Lukashenko has vowed to continue what he called a mopping-up operation against civil society activists whom the authoritarian leader denounced as bandits and foreign agents. ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara met on Tuesday with longtime rival Laurent Gbagbo, who returned last month to the country after the International Criminal Court upheld his acquittal on war crimes charges. The highly anticipated meeting was an attempt to ease political tensions that have been present since their last meeting more than a decade ago, when Ouattara defeated Gbagbo in presidential elections. Gbagbos refusal to concede led to months of clashes between their supporters that left more than 3,000 people dead. Ouattara ultimately prevailed and has been the president of Ivory Coast ever since I am very happy to see you again after all these years, said Ouattara, smiling next to Gbagbo after the two hugged upon his arrival at the Presidential Palace in Abidjan. After the meeting, Ouattara said he was delighted at the meeting and hoped to urge reconciliation in the West African nation. We can congratulate ourselves on having had this meeting which was cordial and fraternal because Laurent is my young brother and my friend, he said. Of course, there was this crisis, there were differences, but that is behind us. What matters is Ivory Coast and peace in our country. We have to move forward for the next generations. Swedish prosecutors didnt name the suspect but he has widely been identified as Hamid Nouri, a 60-year-old former Iranian prosecutor. Swedish public broadcaster SVT said the man was arrested in November 2019 when he arrived to the Swedish capital, Stockholm, and has been held in custody since. Prosecutors accuse the suspect of subjecting prisoners to severe suffering that amounts to torture and inhumane treatment, the indictment said. War crimes are one of the most serious crimes both internationally and under Swedish law. Because Sweden has universal jurisdiction for violations of international law, we have both an opportunity but also a certain obligation to prosecute these crimes, prosecutor Kristina Lindhoff Carleson said in a statement. Trial is set to start Aug. 10 and is expected to last for several months. Amnesty International has noted previously that no Iranian official has faced charges over the mass 1988 executions. This is such an incredibly important event for us: all the mothers, fathers, families and other relatives of people who have fallen victim to the Iranian regime, Iraj Mesdaghi, a key witness in the trial, told the Swedish news agency TT. These crimes have never been tried before, I'm very grateful that it is finally happening. Opinion: Many opinions about those choosing to go unvaccinated, City Council endorsements and the proposed I-11 are the topics of the day. Join the discussion by submitting a letter at tucson.com/opinion. PHOENIX (AP) The daily number of new COVID-19 cases and current hospitalizations in Arizona continues to creep upward, according to the stat OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Gov. Kevin Stitt on Monday chose a Tulsa woman to fill an Oklahoma Supreme Court vacancy, marking for the first time in decades that most of the nine court members were Republican appointees. In a statement, Stitt said Judge Dana Kuehn of the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals would fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by retiring Justice Tom Colbert. Kuehn has been serving on the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals since her 2017 appointment by former Republican Gov. Mary Fallin. She previously served as an associate district judge in Tulsa County and was a prosecutor before that for nearly a decade. Colbert was appointed by former Gov. Brad Henry, a Democrat, and was the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court. Kuehn is the Republican governors third Supreme Court appointment in as many years. He previously appointed Justices M. John Kane IV and Dustin Rowe. Five members of the court have been appointed by Republicans, while Democrats appointed four. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. What I appreciate most about these individuals is not that we walked in lockstep on the issues. The fact is, we disagreed from time to time. What I appreciate most is that we always worked together to find common ground, to make progress on behalf of those who elected us. We treated each other with respect and in that way showed respect to the citizens who put us in office. Having served on the Council myself, I know firsthand that it is a place where its members can make a positive impact on their constituents in a way that seems lost in Washington, D.C., or in state capitols. In federal and state politics, the goal too often is for one party to tear down the other for short-term political gain, often leaving our governing institutions dysfunctional. From time to time we see the dysfunction of D.C.-style politics creep into Cherokee Nation. Thankfully, this type of cynical us versus them politics has been rejected by nearly all of our elected officials and by Cherokee voters. The Cherokee Council is a fine institution from which many in Washington, D.C., could learn a great deal about service and cooperation. A strong and effective Cherokee Council means a strong and effective Cherokee democracy. At its best, the Council is a place for ideas to take shape. At its best, the Council is a place where citizen legislators can gather to debate the issues, advocate for their constituents and reach a consensus on how best to move the Cherokee Nation forward. At its best, the Council is a place where its members can disagree with each other even with the Chief and still maintain a focus on service and gadugi, the Cherokee word for working together. My hope is that those who succeed our five departing council members in office on Inauguration Day, August 14, share this view so that we can continue to have a Council worthy of the Cherokee people. Tulsa police are investigating a homicide in which over 100 shots were fired and a man was found fatally wounded in a north Tulsa street. Officers responding to a call of shots fired about 11:20 p.m. Saturday found Daquan Ratliff, 27, injured in the road near 28th Street North and Boston Place, according to a Tulsa Police Department news release. Ratliff was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead of gunshot wounds. Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin tweeted Monday evening that over 100 shots were fired in the homicide. Homicide Lt. Brandon Watkins said detectives dont think it was a gunfight but instead that only one side was shooting. He said they are not yet sure whether multiple people or just one person fired the shots. Common sense would say yes (to multiple shooters), based on the sheer number of rounds fired, Watkins said. But were just missing too many of the puzzle pieces to say for sure. Ratliff is Tulsas 30th homicide victim this year. Its unfortunate that we know what is going to happen, we know how to prevent it, and yet we dont have the ability for people to say anything and do anything about it right now. Clarke was referring to Senate Bill 658, which was signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt in late May. It prohibits schools, colleges and universities from requiring vaccination against COVID-19 and limits their ability to mandate mask-wearing except when under a state of emergency declared by the governor and after consultation with the local health department. Any such mask mandate would have to be reconsidered at every regularly scheduled school board or higher education regents meeting. Because of SB 658, Hofmeister is encouraging local school leaders to take advantage of $100 million in new grants for schools available through the Oklahoma State Department of Health to pay for COVID testing and school nurses. Weve lost local control with the new law. But it means we need to lean more heavily on the other mitigation strategies, she said. In the meantime, school district administrators across the state are beginning to update their plans for another pandemic school year. The intention for that tweet was to do exactly what has taken place, and that is to bring attention to what is taking place in Tulsa with our violent crime, Chief Wendell Franklin said Tuesday. I did not feel that the media release that we made earlier was strong enough. For several years, Ashley Ramsey witnessed firsthand the toll PTSD continues to take on service members returning from overseas. Ramseys close friend Megan Widner Johnson, an Army veteran, served as a combat medic during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Johnson, who was awarded two Bronze Stars, developed post-traumatic stress disorder after each of the several convoys she was a part of came under fire. After Johnson died in 2019, Ramsey began to use her certification as a trauma-informed yoga instructor to honor Johnsons life and ensure that Tulsa veterans have more resources to help cope with PTSD triggers. Every week, Ramsey hosts a free yoga class for veterans with PTSD. This is (Johnsons) in-memoriam, Ramsey said. She dealt with PTSD on a daily basis. It actually got to the point where she was unable to drive a vehicle. When someone experiences trauma, they can lose their understanding of proprioception, or where their body is in a physical space. Yoga is a great way to reconnect. Trauma-sensitive yoga differs from standard classes in its use of exercises intended to ground participants in their bodies and the environment, Ramsey said. A Wagoner woman was arrested Monday on accusations that she fatally shot her father and fled with her two young children. Sabrina Spurlock, 29, is suspected of shooting Tommy Spurlock Jr., 59, said Jeff Halfacre, a Wagoner County Sheriffs Office spokesman. An Amber Alert was issued Monday evening for her 8-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter, who Halfacre said were later found safe and probably would be released to family. Sabrina Spurlock was arrested about 8:45 p.m. by the Caddo Police Department in Bryan County, in southeastern Oklahoma, Halfacre said. She had been spotted in Atoka earlier in the day, he said. Spurlock is alleged to have taken the children from the scene of the homicide, Halfacre said. He said they were with her when she was found. The shooting was reported about 3:50 p.m. Monday in the 31300 block of East 682 Road outside of Wagoner, the Wagoner County Sheriffs Office said in a Facebook post Monday. Spurlock and the children were not there when deputies arrived. The victim died a short time after being taken away in an ambulance. Durbin said in excess of 450 licensed businesses could be affected by these investigations, based on a review of public OMMA business logs. He notes that the same email address associated with a law firm with no apparent connection to Windler is listed as OMMAs point of contact for several hundred medical marijuana business operations. He called that pattern a red flag and encouraged businesses to look into whether their legal counsel or industry consultant is listed as the point of contact for other OMMA licensees. Durbin, who represents OMMA-licensed businesses, said the standard is for the client to retain control of OMMA communications by providing the agency a direct email rather than the legal representations contact. The OMMA remains part of the Oklahoma State Department of Health. Asked about Durbins post on Friday, OSDH spokeswoman Rachel Klein said, We are aware of, and continue to monitor, the situation and will take appropriate steps when necessary. Stringent travel restrictions as part of Ho Chi Minh Citys pandemic response efforts have troubled delivery services for online grocery shopping, which has reported surging demand from people in the southern metropolis. Staff of many supermarket and food store chains in Ho Chi Minh City on Monday had significant issues finding delivery workers to transport packed orders to customers. City chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong has requested companies to reduce the number of their active delivery workers to a minimum level and by at least ten percent compared to July 22, when more extensive social distancing rules started to be enforced in the city. With the number of delivery workers already thin, active employees could not make it through checkpoints between different wards due to inconsistent judgment on whether the delivered goods were essential, according to retailers. As a result, many points of sale had no choice but to announce the suspension of their online sale services. Now we only focus on delivering old orders placed by phone, text message, and our app, said a representative of Japanese supermarket chain AEON. At the same time, we have stopped accepting new orders by phone and through Grab and Now applications." The number of grocery stalls on multi-service apps Grab and Now announcing their suspension on Monday also skyrocketed compared to Sunday. We focus on serving customers in our ward, limiting deliveries to other wards, said the representative of food store S., which decided to turn off its operation on on-demand grocery service GrabMart from 10:00 am on Monday. Meanwhile, a representative of MM Mega Market said that the supermarkets essential goods delivery activities were still stable as it was focusing on orders for vegetables, tubers, meat, and fish. But to avoid a backlog, the supermarkets online ordering system has accepted only a limited number of orders. Retailers have reported the delivery problems to the municipal Department of Industry and Trade for support. Ho Chi Minh City authorities began implementing escalated social distancing regulations in line with the prime ministers Directive No. 16 from July 22. Accordingly, people are requested to stay home unless they go out for food, medicine, duties at essential businesses, or other emergencies. All non-essential businesses as well as public transport, including buses, taxis, and ride-hailing vehicles, are suspended. Tech-based and package delivery services are only allowed to transport essential goods, with their workers required to exhibit relevant documents at checkpoints. The measures are Ho Chi Minh Citys response to the adverse development of the fourth wave of coronavirus infections, which emerged in late April and has infected 68,271 city dwellers so far. Vietnam had documented 109,111 COVID-19 cases by Tuesday afternoon, with 18,570 recoveries and 524 deaths, according to the Ministry of Healths statistics. In the fourth bout, the country has recorded 105,338 local infections in 62 out of its 63 provinces and cities. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Climate campaigners voiced frustration a meeting of ministers from the world's richest countries failed to deliver a deal to phase out coal, but said pledges in the final communique gave hope for a breakthrough in time for U.N. talks later this year. The communique was only released at nearly midnight on Friday, hours after the energy and environment ministers finished tense talks, and the full documents were not available until Sunday. In his closing news conference, Italian Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani, who chaired the gathering, said negotiations had been exhausting and it had been impossible to agree on all issues. The sticking points were a target date of 2025 for the complete phase out of fossil fuel subsidies, which some developed countries had sought, and fixing dates to end the international financing of coal projects and to phase out coal power. After major emitters China and India refused to sign up to both points, Cingolani issued a separate statement asking G20 leaders to seek an accord on them at a summit in October. Some think tanks said the meeting had improved the chances of significant progress in October, and more importantly at United Nations climate talks, known as COP 26, which take place in Glasgow in November. They pointed to a commitment by so-far non-compliant nations to present before the COP 26 "ambitious" medium- and long-term plans for cutting emissions, and to a common aim to limit the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7F) above pre-industrial levels. India, South Africa, and South Korea are among countries who have yet to submit their emission-cutting plans. A person holds inflatable Earth as climate activists including Extinction Rebellion and Fridays for Future stage a protest demanding more action whilst G20 climate and environment ministers hold a meeting in Naples, Italy, July 22, 2021. Photo: Reuters Stage is set "There was real progress from major G20 economies over committing medium and long-term plans and on the acceptance of the 1.5 degree goal," said Luca Bergamaschi, co-founder of Italian energy and climate think-tank ECCO and an adviser to the Italian government on G20 issues. "The stage is set for big decisions on coal at the October summit," he added. Environmental group Climate Action Network-UK said the G20 communique "crucially acknowledges 1.5 degrees and the need for urgent action this decade, and sets up COP 26 as the moment for delivering on that by setting an intention to communicate ambitious medium term goals by then." Oscar Soria, of the U.S.-based online activist network Avaaz, was more downbeat, saying the commitment to aim to cap the temperature rise at 1.5 degrees was positive, "but without new financial commitments that statement is meaningless". Similarly, the absence of a date to phase out fossil fuel subsidies hollowed out the apparent progress made in committing to the goal of net zero emissions, he said. The Italian arm of the World Wildlife Fund acknowledged "some progress" on climate targets but added it "would have liked to see much more courage in decisions on clean technology, renewable energy, the end of fossil fuels". With attention focused on COP 26, Alok Sharma, the British minister who will chair the meeting, expressed disappointment that the G20 had failed to agree on phasing out coal power and overseas coal financing. "It is frustrating that despite the progress made by some countries, there was no consensus in Naples to confine coal to history," he said, adding that he hoped for progress on that front at the G20 leaders summit in October. Here are todays leading news stories: Politics -- Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh presented a proposed list of 27 government members for the 15th tenure to the National Assembly during its first session in Hanoi on Monday, the Vietnam News Agency reported. COVID-19 Updates -- The Ministry of Health documented 2,764 domestic COVID-19 cases, including 1,849 in Ho Chi Minh City, on Tuesday morning, raising the countrys tally to 109,111, with 21,344 recoveries and 524 deaths. -- Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City administered more than 170,000 COVID-19 vaccine shots to local residents from July 22 to 26, the first five days of the citys fifth inoculation campaign, vice-chairman of the municipal Peoples Committee Duong Anh Duc said on Monday. -- Police and relevant agencies in Hanoi have imposed fines worth approximately VND1.5 billion (US$65,290) on violators of pandemic prevention and control regulations since the capital began reinstating social distancing measures last Saturday. -- Authorities in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang have required local residents to go to the market only twice a week after 50 more COVID-19 cases were recently detected. Society -- From 0:00 on Tuesday, the Binh Khanh Ferry, which connects Nha Be and Can Gio Districts in Ho Chi Minh City, and Cat Lai Ferry, which links Ho Chi Minh City with Dong Nai Province, will only operate from 5:00 am to 10:00 pm daily, according to the municipal Department of Transport. -- Such apps as Grab, Be, and Gojek have announced the suspension of delivery services from 5:00 pm to 6:00 am every day in Ho Chi Minh City following the implementation of new outdoor travel restrictions as part of the citys pandemic response efforts. -- Police in the northern province of Hai Duong confirmed on Monday they had raided a local karaoke parlor and caught 43 people using drugs despite an ongoing gathering ban due to the COVID-19 pandemic. -- Officers in the northern city of Hai Phong have initiated an investigation into the death of a married couple after their bodies were found with abnormal signs following a house fire on Monday. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The COVID-19 Resuscitation Hospital in Thu Duc City of Ho Chi Minh City has recently discharged 17 patients following their recoveries from severe conditions. On Monday, the patients were sent home after a discharge ceremony held by the infirmary and the Ministry of Health. The patients are between 30 and 68 years old, including one British citizen, one married couple, and one pregnant woman. Staffers of the COVID-19 Resuscitation Hospital in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City inform a patients family about the discharge through online messaging, July 26, 2021. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre A recovered COVID-19 patient says goodbye to a nurse before leaving the COVID-19 Resuscitation Hospital in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, July 26, 2021. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre Nguyen Thi Tieng, a recovered COVID-19 patient, packs her bag before leaving the COVID-19 Resuscitation Hospital in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, July 26, 2021. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre Speaking at the ceremony, Nguyen Thi Tieng, 64, from Ho Chi Minh Citys Cu Chi District, said she was delighted to receive the discharge certificate together with her husband, as they had had to undergo COVID-19 treatment in various facilities for over two weeks. I want to say thank you to all the practitioners in the hospital who took care of us diligently, brought us food, and treated our conditions, Tieng exclaimed. Nguyen Truong Son, Deputy Minister of Health, congratulated the patients on their triumph over the coronavirus, a success that should also be attributed to the work of doctors and practitioners in the hospital. With the experience from their treatment and recovery, the patients would prove to be a great help in spreading information on the epidemic, including symptoms, treatment, and prevention measures, the deputy minister said. He also took the opportunity to thank the volunteers and staffers of the COVID-19 Resuscitation Hospital for their cooperation and commitment to fighting the coronavirus disease in the past months. A British patient (front) cheers after he was discharged from the COVID-19 Resuscitation Hospital in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, July 26, 2021. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre Nguyen Truong Son, Deputy Minister of Health, hands over the certificate of discharge to a British patient at the COVID-19 Resuscitation Hospital in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, July 26, 2021. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre Tran Thanh Linh, deputy director of the COVID-19 Resuscitation Hospital, said the facility has admitted 410 patients since its launch two weeks ago. Out of the said group, a total of 88 patients made great improvement and were transferred to lower-level facilities, from which 17 had fully recovered and been discharged on Monday. Most of the patients arriving at our hospital are in grave conditions. Seeing any of them gone is a great pain to us, Linh said. However, many patients were pulled out of danger and have shown positive signs of recovery. We strive to save as many patients as possible. Recovered patients clap during their discharge ceremony in the COVID-19 Resuscitation Hospital in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, July 26, 2021. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre A patient waves after being discharged from the COVID-19 Resuscitation Hospital in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, July 26, 2021. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre. In mid-July, Ho Chi Minh City established a new resuscitation hospital with 1,000 ICU beds in Thu Duc City, which was erected on the basis of the inpatient treatment area of an oncology hospital. It is one of the citys urgent responses to the fourth and worst outbreak that it has ever witnessed, which started in late April and has so far infected 68,271 patients in the locale. In June and early July, Ho Chi Minh City emerged as the countrys gravest outbreak site, with its caseload rising by the thousands per day. The situation prompted authorities to put the city under a tightened social distancing mandate that forbids public gatherings of over two, bans non-essential businesses and services, and requires people to stay home. Nationwide, the total number of patients has reached 109,111 cases, including 21,344 recoveries and 524 deaths, according to the Health Ministrys data. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Approximately VND1 billion (US$65,300) worth of fines was imposed on violators of pandemic prevention and control regulations on the first three days of an extensive social distancing period in Hanoi, the capitals Department of Public Security said on Friday. Functional forces fined 250 cases a total of VND499.5 million ($21,740) for failure to wear face masks in public. Eleven service businesses subject to suspension were fined a combined VND54 million ($2,350) for continuing their operations. As many as 135 cases had to pay over VND268 million ($11,650) worth of fines for failure to take isolation measures, leaving houses unnecessarily, and wearing face masks improperly. Hanoi authorities began implementing stricter social distancing regulations under the prime ministers Directive No.16 for 15 days from 6:00 am on Saturday. The directive forbids public gatherings of over two, bans non-essential businesses and services, and requires people to stay home unless they go out for food, medicine, COVID-19 vaccination, duties at essential businesses, or other emergencies. Public transport, including buses, taxis, and ride-hailing vehicles, is suspended. Administrative fines for such violations range between VND1 million ($43) and VND20 million ($869). This is the second time that Hanoi has resorted to the stringent Directive No. 16, with the first being in April 2020, which lasted for nearly a month. The aforesaid measures are the citys response to the adverse development of the fourth wave of coronavirus infections, which emerged in late April and has infected 988 city dwellers so far. Vietnam had documented 109,111 COVID-19 cases by Tuesday afternoon, with 18,570 recoveries and 524 deaths, according to the Ministry of Healths statistics. In the fourth bout, the country has recorded 105,338 local infections in 62 out of its 63 provinces and cities, including 68,271 cases in Ho Chi Minh City. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Vietnam registered 2,762 domestic COVID-19 infections, including 1,849 cases in Ho Chi Minh City, from 6:30 pm on Monday to 6:00 am on Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Health. A total of 149 cases were recorded in Dong Thap, 144 in Tay Ninh, 119 in Dong Nai, 87 in Binh Duong, and 73 in Vinh Long. The remaining patients were logged in 15 other provinces and cities. Among the new infections in the country, 538 were detected in the community while the rest were in quarantine centers and isolated areas. Two imported cases were also documented in the past 12 hours. As of Tuesday morning, Vietnam had detected 109,111 COVID-19 cases, with 21,344 recoveries and 524 deaths. The Southeast Asian country has recorded 105,338 cases in 62 out of its 63 provinces and cities since the fourth wave began on April 27. Ho Chi Minh City leads the table with 68,271 patients, followed by Binh Duong with 8,830, Bac Giang with 5,735, and Long An with 3,856. 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. One hundred and twenty-six patients are being treated at intensive care units, while 15 others have been given ECMO, an outside-body life support system. Eight provinces and cities have not recorded any local infections over the past 14 days. Vietnam has administered 4,746,642 COVID-19 vaccine shots since it rolled out inoculation on March 8, with 423,071 people having completed the two-dose regimen. The country set a target of immunizing two-thirds of a population of nearly 98 million people against COVID-19 by the first quarter of next year. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Ministry of Health documented almost 8,000 domestic COVID-19 cases in Vietnam on Tuesday, with more than 6,000 recorded in Ho Chi Minh City. Thirty-eight provinces and cities registered 7,911 locally-infected patients while two separate infections were imported from abroad, the health ministry said. One thousand and sixty-three cases were detected in the community whereas the remainder were found in isolated areas or centralized quarantine facilities. Ho Chi Minh City reported 6,318 of the latest domestic infections, Dong Thap Province 303, Dong Nai Province 239, Binh Duong Province 166, and Tay Ninh Province 144. The daily count is the second-largest so far, after a record was set at 9,225 patients on Saturday. Since the fourth COVID-19 wave began in Vietnam on April 27, the country has logged 110,487 community transmissions in 62 out of its 63 provinces and cities. Ho Chi Minh City stays on top with 72,740 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 8,909, Bac Giang Province with 5,735, Long An Province with 3,931, Dong Nai Province with 2,714, Dong Thap Province with 2,397, and Tien Giang Province with 1,825. 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. The health ministry confirmed 1,602 recoveries on Tuesday, bringing the total to 22,946 recovered patients. The death toll remains at 524. The Southeast Asian nation has overall announced 112,057 domestic and 2,203 imported cases since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit it on January 23, 2020. Health workers gave 109,234 vaccine doses today. More than 4.7 million jabs have been administered to medical workers, teachers, factory workers, and other frontline staff since Vietnam rolled out inoculation on March 8. About 423,000 people have been fully vaccinated. The Vietnamese government expects to obtain 175 million shots of various vaccines, including 51 million Pfizer-BioNTech jabs, by early 2022. It set a target of immunizing two-thirds of a population of nearly 98 million people against COVID-19 by the first quarter of next year. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Canadian crime drama Coroner will have its Free to Air debut on 9GEM this Sunday. Three seasons have previously aired in Australia on the Universal channel. It centres around a newly appointed coroner, played by Serinda Swan, who investigates suspicious, unnatural and sudden deaths in Toronto. It also features Roger Cross as Det. Donovan Mac McAvoy. Everybody has a story. Inspired by the best-selling series of books by M.R. Hall and created by Morwyn Brebner (Saving Hope, Rookie Blue), Coroner is a character-driven, close-ended episodic drama about Dr. Jenny Cooper-a recently widowed, new coroner who investigates suspicious, unnatural or sudden deaths in Toronto. Reflecting the rich diversity of the city, each death brings Jenny into a new arena and sparks on buzzworthy themes. Jenny taps into her intuition as much as her intellect and heart as she solves cases with the help of homicide detective Donovan McAvoy, a man who isnt afraid of challenging the status quo; pathologist Dr. Dwayne Allen and his assistant River Baitz; and Alison Trent, Jennys assistant who keeps it real. And while Jenny solves mysterious deaths, she also deals with clinical anxiety and her teenage son, Ross, who is still grieving the death of his father, and the prospect of starting a new relationship with the enigmatic Liam. Everybody has a story-and Jenny must figure out the story her own body is telling. 8:40pm Sunday August 1 on 9GEM. Tyler, TX (75702) Today Intervals of clouds and sunshine. High 89F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. Low 71F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." By Shubham Kalia and Joyce Lee SEOUL (Reuters) -Starbucks Corp is exiting its $2 billion worth joint venture in South Korea by selling stakes to local partner E-Mart Inc and Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC, as it looks to invest more in fast-growing international markets. E-Mart, one of the largest retailers in South Korea with over 160 stores and the owner of half of the JV, will buy an additional 17.5% stake in Starbucks Coffee Korea for $411 million, it said in a filing on Tuesday. It will continue to operate the Starbucks stores. GIC will own the remaining 32.5%. This suggests a $2.35 billion valuation for the entire business, and that GIC will pay more than $700 million for its stake, according to Reuters calculations. GIC declined to comment on the deal value. South Korea is Starbucks' fifth-largest market with more than 1,500 stores across 78 cities, but analysts said that the country offers little growth opportunity for the world's largest coffee chain due to its mature and saturated market. "South Korea ... would not be a market for major growth in the coming years. It's better for them to sell their stake use the capital and proceeds to invest in faster growth markets like China," China Market Research Group analyst Shaun Rein said. The U.S. company has in recent years been expanding globally especially in China as its largest market - the United States - saturates and grapples with stiff competition. Sales from China in its latest second-quarter report nearly doubled. "Using the sale of its South Korean operations will equip it with more cash that it can deploy to China," Rein said. With Starbucks Coffee Korea's operating profit surging nearly three-quarters to 45.4 billion won ($39.5 million) in January-March, the company said the region would continue to be an important market for Starbucks. "Part of our success in South Korea - and in many of our international markets - is due to our expertise and judgment in knowing when to rely on local partners to continue to build the business," Michael Conway, Starbucks' group president for international and channel development, said in a statement. Story continues E-Mart and its parent Shinsegae Group have leveraged a pandemic-led disruption in the Asian e-commerce industry to buy up some businesses, including eBay's South Korean unit for $3 billion. A Shinsegae spokesperson said Starbucks Coffee Korea will continue to be in a licensing agreement with Starbucks, as it has been when it was a joint venture between Starbucks and Shinsegae Group. Starbucks, which will report its third-quarter results later on Tuesday, said the deal is expected to be completed over the next 90 days. ($1 = 1,150.4500 won) (Reporting by Shubham Kalia and Aishwarya Venugopal in Bengaluru and Joyce Lee in Seoul; Additional reporting by Anshuman Daga in Singapore; Editing by Sayantani Ghosh, Susan Fenton and Aditya Soni) An unusually large meteor lit up the skies over Norway on Sunday. Spectators were treated to a natural sound and light display as the space rock headed through the night sky near Oslo, the Norwegian capital. The Norwegian Meteor Network (NMN) said it had analysed several videos of the event to determine that the meteor first appeared about 55 miles north of Oslo, and continued its trail in a southwest direction before fragmenting in several flashes of light. The meteor appeared at 1:08am on the night of July 25 and was visible for approximately for 5 seconds, NMN said. The network, which has a number of cameras continuously monitoring the sky, said many observers reported hearing a roaring sound afterwards. Preliminary data suggested a meteorite the name for debris from meteors after it hits earth may have landed in a large wooded area, called Finnemarka, some 40 miles west of the Norwegian capital, NMN said. Some eyewitnesses also said they felt a stronger wind blow with the event also causing a pressure wave, Morten Bilet from NMN, told Reuters. That was crazy, he said. What we had last night was a large rock travelling likely from between Mars and Jupiter, which is our asteroid belt. And when that whizzes in, it creates a rumble, light and great excitement among us (experts) and maybe some fear among others, he said. There were no reports of damage or people being particularly frightened, Bilet said, adding that for those nearest it was likely more of a spooky event. A meteor that exploded over the central Russia near the city of Chelyabinsk in 2013 rained fireballs over a vast area and caused a shock wave that smashed windows, damaged buildings and injured 1,200 people. Additional reporting by agencies Read More Revealed: Britains oldest stained glass windows hiding in plain sight for 900 years Confused messaging around Oxford vaccine helping fuel Covid spread, says scientist behind jab Rise of the super siblings: How important are genes in sporting success? After several successive and well-publicized victories over numerous battlefields last year, Turkeys locally-built Bayraktar TB2 armed drones have gained several new export customers in 2021, with Ankara even exporting its drones to Europe for the first time, author Paul Iddon writes for Forbes. Poland has become the first NATO member country to place an order for Turkish drones. It has ordered 24 TB2s armed with anti-tank missiles. Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said that these drones have proven themselves in war. Ukraine has also bought TB2s for its navy to patrol the Black Sea. The TB2 is the only major new warplane that Kyiv has acquired in 30 years, a fact that underscores the significance of the sale for both countries. Other European countries are expressing their interest in potentially buying the drone or other upcoming drones built in Turkey. Shortly after Polands purchase Latvia, another member of NATO, suggested that it too may be interested in procuring Turkish drones. Albania has also set aside about $9.7 million to purchase Turkish drones. This growing interest in Turkish drones comes after their publicized successes over three active war zones in 2020. In February of that year, Turkish military TB2s devastated Syrian military and militia ground forces in the northwestern province of Idlib during clashes using its precision-guided smart micro-munitions. Turkish military TB2s deployed in Libya also played a key role in enabling Turkeys ally, the Government of National Accord (GNA) in the capital Tripoli, to repel a siege by the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) and launch a counteroffensive. Those drones also successfully destroyed Russian-built Pantsir-S1 air defense systems in the LNAs possession. Then, in the Nagorno-Karabakh war, fought from Sep. 27 to Nov. 10, TB2s in the Azerbaijani military devastated Armenian ground forces. While TB2s suffered losses in all three war zones, their operators could afford significant rates of attrition given the relatively cheap cost of the drones compared to others on the market. That critical point was raised by Britains Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace. The TB2 and its accompanying munitions combine technical abilities with an affordability that means their commanders can tolerate some attrition while presenting real challenges to the enemy, he said. Cost is undoubtedly a significant factor that will likely attract more customers for Turkish drones. Ismail Demir, head of Turkeys Defence Industry Presidency (SSB), emphasized the TB2s low cost. If a system from any other country had the same capability as ours, its (price) would be double, he said. Demir may not have been exaggerating. As the Guardian newspaper pointed out in December, a TB2 costs on average between $1-2 million per unit, which is far less than the near $20m per drone paid by the British military for a fleet of 16 high-end, next-generation Protector drones manufactured by U.S. specialist General Atomics. While Turkey hopes that the high profile successes of its drones in combat and their low cost will make it a premier exporter of such weapons, it still has a way to go to achieve that designation, given the tough competition. According to Bloomberg, Ankara remains a minor player in the international market for these unmanned combat aerial vehicles compared to the U.S., China, and Israel, the latter of which is presently the number one exporter of drones in the world and builds more sophisticated drones than Turkey. Until recently, the U.S. didnt sell its armed drones to most countries, aside from some close allies. That has begun to change. Under the Trump administration, Washington reinterpreted the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), which seeks to limit the proliferation of armed drones. It did so partially out of frustration that rival arms exporters, such as China, managed to carve out a sizable export market for its armed drones, even selling to U.S. allies such as the United Arab Emirates. The incumbent Biden administration hasnt reversed this decision. The U.S. has already signed a lucrative deal to sell the UAE 18 MQ-9 Reaper drones as part of a larger multi-billion dollar arms package. In the near future, Washington could also sell its sophisticated armed drones to an increasing number of countries. Nevertheless, Turkey will likely prove capable of carving out a sizable export market for its drones by continually promoting their affordability and combat successes, especially to countrys that cannot afford more high-end drones but recognize the growing importance of these weapons systems in modern wars. After years of closely cooperating on everything from Iran to oil, the Arab Gulf is entering a new era of wariness, Foreign Policy writes. The once closely coordinated and tightly knit Saudi-Emirati relationship is fraying. A cascade of policy divergences has emerged between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi over the past year, and more acutely over the past weeks. The long list of differences includes attitudes toward the war in Yemen, the pace of reconciliation with Qatar after a three-and-a-half-year rift, normalization with Israel and the Abraham Accords, managing ties with Turkey, OPEC production quotas, Iran strategy, and cross-border trade. In truth, the tensions between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are nothing new. They were an on-again, off-again feature of GCC politics decades before the 2011 Arab uprisings. These differences were often papered over because of shared concerns stemming from Iranian regional expansion and the threat from political Islam. That these challenges are resurfacing reminds that intra-Gulf competition has long underpinned the GCC. Its not a coincidence that the bumpy new political dynamics coincided with a generational change in leadership, with the passing of Saudi Arabias King Abdullah (in 2015), Omans Sultan Qaboos (in 2020), and Kuwaits Sheikh Sabah (in 2020) and the emergence of younger leaders on the political scene including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, Omans Sultan Haitham, and Qatars Emir Tamim bin Hamad. (The UAEs Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayeds arrival also belongs to the new generation, though he emerged a decade earlier in 2005.) But it was the 2011 Arab uprisings that marked a turning point in GCC relations. The domino effect of regional protests, which took hold in Bahrain, led Gulf Arab states to cooperate more closely on tackling what they perceived to be shared threats to the regional order. Sending tanks to quell protests in Bahrain in March 2011 gave a clear indication that neither Saudi Arabia nor the UAE would allow uprisings in its own neighborhood. Though badged as a GCC initiative, the move served as an early marker for closer Emirati-Saudi collaboration, which became manifest in Syria and Yemen and turned towards Qatar in 2017. But through this period, despite supporting the GCC position in Bahrain, Doha (which did not see political Islam as equally destabilizing) charted its own course that ran counter to Saudi-Emirati activism. The rift that has come to define, and effectively end, the GCC is the blockade of Qatar, imposed in 2017 by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain. The three states imposed 13 demands on Dohaincluding ending diplomatic ties with Iran, closing down Al Jazeera, and removing Turkish troops from Qatari soiland closed their borders and cut diplomatic ties for three and a half years in an unsuccessful effort to bring Qatar to heel. The dispute was only resolved in January 2021 following Kuwaiti mediation. During the Qatar crisis, it became fashionable to talk once again about the demise of the GCC as an institution, and its seeming replacement by the burgeoning bilateral relationship between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. But, not long thereafter, relations between Saudi Arabia and the UAE began to reveal some strain. Abu Dhabis 2020 military withdrawal from the war in Yemen and its support for local proxy groups such as the Southern Transitional Council, which is believed to have longer term secessionist ambitions, put it at odds with Riyadh, which is seeking a ceasefire and unified peacebuilding effort. And in 2019, during Tehrans summer of escalation designed to push back against maximum pressure sanctions, Abu Dhabi tactically reversed course and began a backchannel outreach with Iran; meanwhile, Riyadh not only suffered from brazen Iran-backed attacks on its oil facilities Abqaiq and Khurais but also continued to intercept Houthis drones and missiles from Yemen, as well. The September 2020 Abraham Accords also revealed glaring differences in the states strategies towards Israel. The UAE, in seeking to benefit from the commercial and strategic opportunities alongside closer cooperation with Washington, has tethered itself tightly and openly to the agreement. While Riyadh has long maintained quiet behind the scenes ties with Israel, it has taken a more cautious approach recommitting to the Palestine cause, as the only pathway to normalization. The UAE continues to tread lightly toward Ankara, while again Riyadh has charted a course of de-escalation. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has sought to position itself as the new hub for the Gulf region in direct competition with its neighbors, demanding that international companies maintain offices in the Kingdom. Riyadh has also amended its tariff rules targeting items produced in free trade zones as well as goods manufactured in Israel. The drama over OPEC+ production quotas, in which Abu Dhabi took a proactive approach to increase its production baseline as a condition of extending the current deal, is yet another example of the growing competition. Lack of coordination can also be seen in the states varying environmental policies. Such differences are increasingly evident throughout the GCC. Although Qatar has reconciled with Saudi Arabia and its efforts to do so with the UAE and Bahrain are advancing (albeit slowly), it will likely remain an outlier and fiercely independent, continuing to march to its own drum. Kuwait remains faithful to its Gulf Arab partners and the overall GCC project, but has been left at the altar contemplating its next moves. Meanwhile, Muscat is being wooed by and is drawing closer to Riyadh (seen through Sultan Haithams recent visit there); and Bahrain is getting ever nearer to Abu Dhabi. The fundamental problem for the GCC is that the security narrative which was the glue that once stuck together the collective interests and political narratives of all six states has come undone, even though the threat from Iran remains. National interests which include economic diversification and domestic security are superseding GCC ones leading countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia to chart their own path. With strong familial, tribal, and commercial ties binding the GCC states and citizenries together, the edifice of coordination among the six states will no doubt continue. But the trend towards transactionalism that has taken root this year will drive the GCC states political, commercial, and regional policy decisions for many years to come, and affect their national political, financial, business, and energy trajectories. Most likely, each will remain committed to the concept and basic functioning of the GCCbut at the same time, they will want to go their own way. This will not only have a significant impact on the GCC, but also on bilateral relations between member states, especially as they themselves strike up new partnerships with other regional and global players. Indeed, recent bilateral moves to strengthen ties with China, Russia, and India prove as much. The new era of relations within the GCC will also affect Washingtons ability to nurture consensus among the blocwhich is to say, there may be much less consensus than the world had recently gotten used to. Japan's Meteorological Agency forecasted that Tropical Storm Nepartak could make landfall on Tuesday in the area that includes Tokyo, Gizmodo reports. Against all odds, and a one-year delay, the Tokyo Olympics are currently taking place, squaring off against a global pandemic and sweltering heat. Its probably safe to say that these Olympics are cursed, especially considering that after all that, organizers now have to worry about a tropical storm. Japans Meteorological Agency on Sunday forecasted that Tropical Storm Nepartak could make landfall on Tuesday in the Kanto area located on countrys main Honshu island, which includes Tokyo, according to the Japan Times. However, there was also a chance that Nepartak could instead head north to the Tohoku region, also on Honshu. The outlet reported that a warning for heavy rain, strong winds, and high waves has been issued. If Nepartak makes landfall on Tuesday, it could cause gusts of up to 78 mph (126 kph) and deposit up to 5.9 inches (15 centimeters) of rain in the Kanto-Koshin region. On Sunday, the storm was 1,118 miles (1,800 kilometers) from Tokyo with gusts of up to 67 mph (108 kph). While that may sound bad, it could have been worse. Experts have said they does not expect Nepartak to turn into a typhoon, which is the equivalent of a hurricane. (The only difference between the two is the location where the storm occurs). As noted by the Times, typhoons are common in Japan, although Tokyo tends to see storms in late summer and early fall. Nonetheless, Nepartak raised alarm among Olympic officials, who moved to reschedule planned rowing competitions. Rowing isnt the only sport at risk though. Pretty much all of the ones that are held outside are. Takaya Masa, spokesperson for the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, told ESPN on Saturday that the body was looking closely at the storms path and making decisions as preventative measures. She added that the committee would act responsibly if the storm made landfall in Tokyo and caused damage. Unlike an earthquake, were able to predict the path of a typhoon so we can make plans, Masa said, referring to an earlier prediction that warned the storm could be a typhoon. Changing the schedule is not a rare event, and we understand the burden itll have on athletes. As mentioned above, its not certain that Nepartak will hit the Tokyo area. Perhaps well have a clearer forecast on Monday, but we should be prepared. The Tokyo Olympics have so far been a magnet for bad luck and unfortunately, a tropical storm wouldnt be surprising. Heres to wishing for the best and hoping everyone stays safe in Japan. The dynamism seen in Turkeys domestic tourism during the Islamic holiday Qurban Bayram, also known as Eid al-Adha, gave hope to the industry that had a troubled season last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The demand for the countrys touristic places was so high that the related figures surpassed that of 2019, which was dubbed the industrys best year, Daily Sabah reports. Turkey Hoteliers Federation (TUROFED) head, Sururi Corabatr, said that they were particularly pleased with the momentum gained in the domestic market during the holiday. "In the domestic market, the figures of 2019, which was our best year in tourism, have been exceeded. We are at least 30% above the figures we had reached in the domestic market in the period that includes the 2019 Eid al-Adha holiday period, he informed. The number of foreigners visiting Turkey was also high and the country has hosted vacationers from more than 50 countries. Russian vacationers made up the majority of the countrys foreign tourists as always, according to the tourism professional, while many tourists from countries including Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Bulgaria and Slovakia also preferred Turkey. Tourism activity makes everyone smile, not just tourism professionals, Corabatr noted, who added that they expect the activity in the industry to continue like this through the summer season. He said that one of the reasons why demand is so high is that people all stayed at home last year due to the measures taken to prevent the spread of the virus and that now they yearn to travel more or arrange holidays. Every region in Turkey, from the coastline to the central parts, attracts domestic and international tourists, Corabatr said. Emphasizing that a significant density has been reached especially in the coastal regions, Corabatr continued, "The occupancy rates were particularly high in the Aegean and Mediterranean regions with domestic and foreign guests." Coastal regions, from northwestern Canakkale province to southern Mersin, which are not as popular destinations as, for example, Antalya, were more popular than expected, he added. For the central parts of the country, the famed Cappadocia was leading tourism demand as the region was full during the holiday. The picturesque region is a charming touristic hub in the central Nevsehir province, famed for its distinctive fairy chimneys, underground cities, cave hotels and hot-air balloon rides. The decreasing number of new coronavirus cases along with the rapid vaccination campaign has driven demand for the tourism industry. Such a high number of tourists also fuel investments in the sector. Being one of the investors, ORKA Hotels Group put into service the largest theme park investment of the southwestern Turkish province of Mugla, which is realized with its British partner J&S Leisures in the popular touristic district of Fethiye. Orka World Theme Park, which is a first in the province, includes a Mayan temple, palaces, restaurants, many activities and shops. The first phase of the project, which has been put into service, includes villas, hotels and shopping malls. Stating that they continued their investments during the pandemic period, Ercan Torunogullar, general manager of ORKA Hotels, told Turkish Sabah daily that they have a total investment of 140 million euros (TL 1.4 billion), including the theme park built for the Mugla region and four hotels to be built in the coming period. We have full confidence in our country and we will continue our investments, he said, stating that this project will also contribute greatly to the promotion of the region. Reiterating that the COVID-19 pandemic did not interrupt their investment plans, Torunogullar said: On the contrary, we invested more and attracted foreign investors. We attracted a lot of investors, especially from European regions or countries such as Russia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan." The company is also in the construction business in the Mugla region, mainly building villas. We make 90% of our sales to foreigners. Even during the coronavirus period, the tourism sector somehow continues on its way, and this attracts the attention of foreign investors, he said. Confidence in Turkey has not been shaken, we can clearly see this. Seventy percent of adults in the European Union have received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccines, Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday. "The EU has kept its word and delivered. Our target was to protect 70% of adults in the European Union with at least one vaccination in July. Today we have achieved this target," von der Leyen said in a statement. The proportion of people aged 18 and over having been fully inoculated in the bloc now stands at 57%, she added. "These figures put Europe among the world leaders. The catch-up process has been very successful but we need to keep up the effort," she went on, warning that "the Delta variant is very dangerous." Currently, 60% of American adults have been fully vaccinated with 69% having been administered at least one dose. In the UK, these figures stand at 70.5% and 88.1%, Euronews reported. Georgia has exported 19 tonnes of peaches and nectarines worth $17 million from May 1 to July 25, which is 6.3 tonnes more than in the same period of last year, the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia announced. The ministry says the value of export has increased by $5.9 million compared to the same period of 2020. Georgian peaches and nectarines were mainly exported to: Russia 11,935 tonnes, Armenia 5,872 tonnes, Azerbaijan 269 tonnes, Ukraine 493 tonnes, Belarus 99 tonnes, Kazakhstan 95 tonnes, Moldova 116 tonnes, Slovenia 38 tonnes, Agenda.ge reported. Head of Georgias National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Amiran Gamkrelidze has stated that the epidemiological situation is getting worse in Georgia. According to him, 5,000 patients are undergoing treatment in hospitals, while the country has the resources to ensure 7,000-8,000 beds. He noted that planned services were temporarily suspended in hospitals and they were shifted to urgent services. Gamkrelidze urged people to vaccinate rather than attend weddings and other ceremonies. Deputy head of NCDC Paata Imnadze said that the people who differentiate vaccines from one another and refuse to vaccinate because of the absence of a particular vaccine may be more dangerous than anti-vaccine individuals. He also urged companies to encourage vaccination amongst personnel and observe coronavirus guidelines otherwise they will find themselves in a very poor condition (due to new restrictions or the refusal of tourists to arrive). Georgia has reported two cases of Delta plus variant of coronavirus earlier today, while 40-50% of the 3,666 patients who tested positive for Covid-19 in the past 24 hours had contracted the Delta variant, Agenda.ge reported. Leaving "footprints" in the Middle East, Washington is looking for new "threats" from Beijing and Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, commenting on U.S. Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. John Hyten's statement. You've seen it in Afghanistan and you're seeing it play out now in Iraq. Hyten said. We have to not ignore the threats in the Middle East, but deal with the threat to the Middle East in a different way, with a smaller footprint, so we can divert more of our body on threats in China and Russia," Hyten said on Monday. "Perhaps, before diverting the body to new 'threats', Washington should have removed its 'small footprints' in Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Syria?" the Russian diplomat suggested ironically, commenting on the U.S. commander's statement. A plane carrying Turkeys defense minister and other top military officials was forced to make an emergency landing on Monday after it hit a bird, the state-run news agency reported. Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, the chief of military staff, Gen. Yasar Guler and Gen. Umit Dundar, the land forces commander, were returning to the capital Ankara from an airbase in Gaziantep, near the border with Syria, after inspecting troops in the region, Anadolu Agency reported. The Turkish Air Force plane came into contact with a bird shortly after taking off, forcing it to land at another air base near the city of Adana. Anadolu said the plane ended with a crack on its windshield. No one was hurt during the emergency landing. Russia has given the green light for clinical trials combining a British shot from AstraZeneca Plc (AZN.L) and Oxford University with Russia's Sputnik V vaccine to go ahead, according to Russia's state drug register. According to the state drug register, five Russian clinics will hold trials that are set to finish in early March, 2022. Both the AstraZeneca/Oxford and Sputnik V vaccines involve two doses - an initial shot and a booster - but Sputnik V uses different viral vectors for its two shots. Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which promotes the use of the Sputnik V vaccine, has welcomed the decision to go ahead with the trials. "Currently, RDIF is conducting joint clinical trials to combine the first component of Sputnik V - the Sputnik Light vaccine - with vaccines from other foreign manufacturers," it said in a statement. "In particular, the Sputnik Light vaccine can be used in combination with other vaccine to increase their effectiveness including against new variants appearing as a result of the mutation of the virus." Human trials of a COVID-19 vaccine combining the AstraZeneca/Oxford shot with Sputnik V had already been approved in Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Belarus and Argentina. Turkey's new coronavirus cases jumped to 16,809 on Monday, the highest since early May, from 14,230 a day earlier, according to health ministry data that also showed a daily death toll of 63 people. The ministry added that 5,585 more patients recovered. Daily COVID-19 infections have more than tripled from a low of 4,418 on July 4 after all restrictions were lifted. Turkey has administered nearly 67.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it launched a mass vaccination campaign in January, according to figures released on Monday. According to Health Ministry data, nearly 39.75 million people have gotten their first dose, while over 23.5 million have received their second jabs as well. Meanwhile, over 1.32 million vaccine doses have been administered in the last 24 hours, the figures showed. To date, 64% of the adult population has received at least one vaccine dose, Anadolu agency reported. The Biden administration is planning to speed up deportations for some migrant families who cross the U.S.-Mexico border, the Department of Homeland Security said Monday. Certain families will now be subject to the fast-track deportation procedure known as "expedited removal," which allows immigration authorities to remove an individual without a hearing before an immigration judge. The procedure will apply to families who are not swiftly expelled under a pandemic-related border policy, CNN reported. "Attempting to cross into the United States between ports of entry, or circumventing inspection at ports of entry, is the wrong way to come to the United States," DHS said in a statement Monday. "These acts are dangerous and can carry long-term immigration consequences for individuals who attempt to do so. The Biden-Harris Administration is working to build a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system, and the Department of Homeland Security continues to take several steps to improve lawful processing at ports of entry and reforms to strengthen the asylum system," the department added. How to organize social distancing while still ensuring uninterrupted production and goods circulation is uppermost in agencies' thoughts. National Assembly Deputy Nguyen Thi Thuy from Bac Kan Province Pham Thi Ngoc Thuy and co-workers at the Office of the Private Economic Development Research Board, or Committee IV, late last week received many calls and messages from enterprise associations, businesspeople and drivers who had to queue up on highways in the north, waiting for the nod for their trucks to go through checkpoints. The Lang Son province Association of Vietnam-ASEAN Transit Goods Traders called to seek help from Thuy as its trucks could not go through Hanoi because of the municipal authorities new regulations in applying Directive 16. They tried to contact the two hotlines provided by the Hanoi Transport Department, but failed. They also failed to register for green passage to get priority in transportation. The situation is occurring in many cities and provinces because the localities apply different regulations to fight the pandemic. The danger of production chain disruption is visible, Thuy warned. This was a hot topic of discussion at the NA on July 25. Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung said the hottest regulation is the one set by Hai Phong authorities. All the people returning to Hai Phong from Hanoi or going through Hanoi have to show negative PCR testing results and spend 14-day concentrated quarantine. The regulation has put all the transportation activities between Hanoi and Hai Phong into an extremely tense situation, Dung said. The imposition of social distancing in many cities/provinces throughout the country has seriously affected enterprises operation, he said. Nguyen Thi Thuy, a NA Deputy from Bac Kan, said an enterprise complained that its farm produce trucks were not allowed to enter a locality, though the drivers showed the certificate on safety. Other enterprises said their trucks could go through the checkpoints in many provinces, but could not enter the last province where they needed to deliver goods and had to return to the departure point. The country is a living organism which cannot be cut apart because of the disease. We need to impose quarantine but this must not lead to the disruption of production and business chains in the economy, Thuy said. She said some deputies highly appreciate the Governments prompt actions to solve this problem. The PMs Telegram on June 5 pointed out that some localities had applied rigid and extreme measures, causing a disruption of large-scale supply and production chains. The PM has assigned tasks to every Minister to check and settle the problem immediately. How to organize social distancing while still ensuring uninterrupted production and goods circulation is uppermost in agencies' thoughts. Since the PMs Directives 15 and 16 were adopted last year, the ways of fighting the pandemic have been shown in detail, which has gained peoples confidence. However, many people still raise a lot of questions why they cannot go home while traffic on highways is blocked, why they cannot go out to buy essential goods, and why they have to be put under quarantine. All the questions cannot be solved by one directive. Legal framework Nguyen Minh Tam, a NA Deputy from Quang Binh, emphasised the need to perfect the legal framework that serves the fight against the pandemic and ensures citizens rights. He said some legal documents need amendment because they have become out of date. These include the ones on infectious diseases which comprise regulations which cannot be applied during Covid-19. The Government has proposed measures to prevent and fight the Covid-19 pandemic, giving more power to make timely decisions on applying flexible measures to satisfy the needs of the fight against the pandemic. It needs power to apply anti-epidemic measures in a state of emergency (if the state of emergency is declared, there will be negative impact on national defence, economy, social order and security, foreign affairs and peoples life), and the measures which have not been legalized. The Government has asked the NA to put the content on Covid-19 prevention and control I the resolution of the first session of the 15th NA to lay down a firm legal basis in fighting Covid-19. The proposal has been advocated by many NA Deputies. I believe that giving the Government and PM the power to take initiative in making decisions and organizing the implementation of necessary measures to fight the pandemic, an unprecedented one, is a necessity which needs to be implemented in this ongoing session, said Nguyen Truong Giang, a NA from Dak Nong. To Van Tam from Kon Tum said he supports the idea of allowing the Government to apply special measures, but it is necessary to define the limitations, sphere and time. Agreeing to the proposal, Tran Van Lam from Bac Giang said the NA should give the Government, now the general in the battlefield, a sword of power. Deputy PM Le Van Thanhs instructions: Not to examine vehicles carrying essential goods, food and foodstuff products serving peoples daily life on highways, provincial roads, inter-district roads, and urban traffic nationwide. The examination can only be carried out at goods delivery/receipt points with full compliance with epidemic prevention and control requirements. Tu Giang - Lan Anh Vietnam records 7,859 domestic COVID-19 cases on July 26 Vietnam logged an additional 5,174 new COVID-19 infections, including 5,155 domestic and 19 imported cases, from 6am to 6:30 pm on July 26, the Ministry of Health reported. Colonel Tran Ngoc Duong - Deputy Director of the Hanoi City Agency has denied that the capital city has set up 3,000 Covid-19 epidemic checkpoints. The fake news on social networks. On July 26, many forums on social networks shared the message: "Tomorrow morning, Hanoi will have about 3,000 checkpoints, with about 10 checkpoints in each ward. You must prepare your personal identification and documents proving that you go out for good reasons. Let's share the information!" Colonel Tran Ngoc Duong confirmed that this information was untrue and completely fabricated. The police are searching for the account that posted the false news. Since July 14, the Hanoi Police Agency has coordinated with other forces to set up 22 epidemic checkpoints at the capital city's gateways to control the entire flow of transport vehicles and those who enter and leave the city. On July 25, the agency deployed an additional checkpoint number 23 on National Highway 18. These checkpoints work 24/7, divided into 4 shifts. Their tasks are controlling the means of transport and personal cars entering the city, ensuring security and order, and guiding and dividing traffic. According to Directive 17/CT-UBND on social distancing, Hanoi authorities asked local people to stay at home and comply with regulations on disease prevention. Citizens are allowed to go to the street only in case of necessity, including: buying food, medicine; emergency, medical examination and treatment; vaccination; going on official duty; and working at agencies and offices in case of combat duty, agency duty, supply of essential goods, handling of confidential documents. Violators will be fined up to VND3 million. Huong Quynh HCM City Vice Chairman Duong Anh Duc has said that in the 5th phase of Covid-19 vaccination campaign, the city has administered 170,177 vaccine doses. According to Duc, the Ministry of Health has decided to allocate 612,600 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines, 235,200 doses of Moderna vaccines, and 54,990 doses of Pfizer vaccines to the city. The HCM City Center for Disease Control has received a total of 902,790 doses, including 610,000 doses of AstraZeneca, 108,000 doses of Moderna and 25,740 doses of Pfizer vaccine. The city has allocated 432,718 vaccine doses to districts, medical facilities, and hospitals to vaccinate the targeted groups of people. Since July 22, a total of 170,177 doses of vaccine have been administered at 606 vaccination sites across the city. The Vice Chairman said that 189 cases of post-injection reactions were reported, without serious cases. Most of the cases with post-injection reactions were people over 65 years old with underlying diseases. Duc said that the city can administer 100,000 vaccine doses per day. The vaccination pace could be faster but vaccination must be organized safely to prevent mass gatherings during the time of social distance. Duc also said that HCM City is speeding up the purchase of vaccines with 100% capital mobilized from the society, not using the budget. Previously, Ho Chi Minh City Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong said that the city targets vaccinating two-thirds of the city's population to achieve the goal of herd immunity by the end of 2021. Vaccination is now the top priority in the city's epidemic prevention and control strategy. Ho Van/Duy Linh The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed many inequalities between countries, including the anxious gap in vaccination against COVID-19 that could threaten peace-building efforts and development achievements, Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations, has said. A health worker administers a shot of COVID-19 vaccine to a local resident in Jakarta, Indonesia on July 23. (Photo: XINHUA/VNA) Quy made the remarks on July 27 (Hanoi time) while attending the UN Security Councils first consultation on the implementation of Resolution 2565 which was adopted on February 26 on the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. He emphasised the need to ensure that everyone is vaccinated, has access to COVID-19 testing and treatment services, and called on countries to provide financial support and vaccine supplies for the COVAX Facility. The Ambassador also highlighted the importance of long-term measures such as preventing and ending conflicts, boosting economic development, enhancing people's livelihoods, providing finance for development and responding to economic, climate, and epidemic challenges. At the meeting, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support Oscar Fernandez-Taranco and Acting Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Ramesh Rajasingham delivered reports on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the humanitarian and socio-economic situation in conflict zones and efforts by the UN system to support vaccine distribution to these areas. UNSC members called for increased cooperation among countries as well as international organisations and mechanisms to distribute vaccines fairly and at low prices to countries in crisis. They agreed that the global pandemic has caused many serious socio-economic consequences for countries in conflict, and at the same time increased political tensions in many places. The UNSC members urged the international community to continue to support efforts to cope with the increasing number of infections and also the indirect consequences of the pandemic in the context that many people are not ready for vaccination. Since the adoption of Resolution 2565, the vaccination in lower- and middle-income countries has been slow. However, with large supplies of the vaccines expected to become available later this year and in early 2022, the UNSC is making timely preparations for medical human resources as well as a coordination mechanism to distribute this vaccine sources most effectively and fairly, through COVAX, a global initiative aimed at working with vaccine manufacturers to provide countries worldwide equitable access to safe and effective vaccines, once they are licensed and approved. It is expected that the COVAX Facility will deliver 2 billion doses of vaccines worldwide in 2021 and 1.8 billion doses to 92 poorer economies by early 2022. However, as of July 23, the programme has only distributed 136 million doses./. Source: VNA Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh attended the virtual pre-summit of the United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021 on July 27, highlighting Vietnams wish to become a food innovation hub of Asia. Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh addresses the virtual pre-summit of the UN Food Systems Summit 2021 on July 27 (Photo: VNA) In his remarks, Deputy PM Minh emphasised the need to promote international cooperation for the connectivity of domestic and trans-boundary innovation networks and to align research and application activities with the demand of businesses, food systems, and the whole economy. He affirmed that Vietnam's strategy for socio-economic development in 2021-2030 aims for restructuring agriculture, developing large-scale commodity production of agricultural products and hi-tech agriculture, enhancing the agricultural sector's resilience and adaptability to climate change, and connecting agriculture with processing, markets, export and global value chains. The Deputy PM stressed that the Vietnamese Government has issued policies to attract more investment in modernising agriculture based on innovation and achievements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (FIR). Vietnam, as a food providing country in a transparent, responsible and sustainable manner, will actively join in efforts to promote the transformation of the global food system. Senior officials of participating countries and the worlds leading enterprises discussed, shared experience, and put forth proposals with a view to stepping up scientific - technological application and innovation during the transformation and building of sustainable food systems to secure food and nutrition security, helping to realise the Sustainable Development Goals. Also at the event, Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan proposed widely applying initiatives created by farmers organisations and small- and medium-sized enterprises at the grassroots level in connecting value chains, ensuring transparent and fair sale of farm produce, protecting consumers rights and health, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and applying new technological achievements of the FIR to maximise agricultural products values in terms of the economy, culture, landscape, and environment. He held that reality-based creative models are prerequisites for all factors in food systems to share the value, responsibility, action, and benefits in all the economic, social, and environmental aspects. The pre-summit, held in Rome of Italy from July 26 - 28, is an important step preparing for the UN Food Systems Summit 2021, scheduled to take place at the UN headquarters in New York, the US, in September. It is organised by the UN in coordination with the Government of Italy, which is holding the Presidency of the G20./. Source: VNA On Monday, the daily report indicated 43 new cases and an estimated 421 active cases. The variant itself is much more contagious than the original version of COVID we saw last year, Craine said. To stop the spread, Craine urges vaccination. According to state data, only 41% of people in McLennan County ages 12 and older have been vaccinated. The vaccine is the main tool we have to stop this and slow the spread, Craine said, adding that COVID-19 is now being seen as a preventable disease. Now it is a preventable disease, last year it wasnt, Craine said. The vaccines are what is making the difference. That is why we were able to have that dip in cases. To help slow the spread, the health district is recommending that everyone wear a mask in public, including the fully vaccinated. Craine said there is a chance a fully vaccinated person can get COVID-19 and pass it along to someone who has not been vaccinated. Vaccines are available at multiple locations across the county, including Walgreens, CVS and Walmart. Armchair speed demons have a new series. Michelle Rodriguez hosts Getaway Driver (8 p.m., Discovery, TV-14). Over the course of eight episodes, drivers of various abilities will compete at an obstacle course created at a special 60-acre compound. YouTube amateurs will take on accomplished drivers and street champions in a race with few rules. Drivers will simply race to avoid capture by pursuers over a track inspired by action movies and video games. What could go wrong? A veteran of independent movies, ABCs Lost and Girlfight, Michelle Rodriguez has appeared in seven of the Fast & Furious films. Amazon Prime has just greatly expanded viewers options for classic sitcoms. Last week, the streaming giant acquired the rights to the Norman Lear collection. Every season and episode of All in the Family, Good Times, Maude and One Day at a Time are now streaming on IMDbTV, the ad-supported free service owned by Amazon. The sitcoms 227 and Diffrent Strokes are now streaming on Prime itself, and available without commercials. The Jeffersons, Sanford & Son and Sanford will stream on Prime later in the year. COMPANIES The one hiccup in Raytheon's hefty defense business Both domestic and global recoveries in commercial air travel are one half of the story of Raytheon Technologies, which continues to see a return of air traffic to pre-pandemic levels as coming in 2024. For the record: Raytheons outlook on that front is getting more optimistic. The company also remains pleased regarding its defense and government businesses, though with one slight headwind. During Raytheons second quarter earnings call Tuesday, CEO Greg Hayes told investors the international defense business has seen a little bit of an impact this year with the pandemic and the havoc that's wreaked on budgets. Include travel restrictions as among those impacts too. Though the defense and government backlog was at around $66 billion as of the second quarters end. Hayes told analysts that helps boon Raytheons ambition to grow that business between 3 and 5 percent through 2025. He stopped looking beyond 2025 because who knows beyond that, and because that growth ambition is how Raytheon laid out the four-year blueprint at its May investor day. But the road map to 2025 and beyond that is clear to him. It's all about having the right technology for the next conflict, not the last conflict, Hayes said. That means having space-based technologies, it means hypersonic weapons, it means cyber weapons. All of those things are going to enable us to help the war fighter in whatever that next conflict might be. Hayes view of what the next conflict will look like, and how that feeds into Raytheons thinking, also came across pretty clearly during the call. You aren't going to see land wars in Asia or tank battles across Europe. What you are going to see is cyberattacks, he said. You're going to see attacks against strategic assets in space to compromise communications and sensing systems. Being able to defend those assets, being able to project and to replenish those assets is really what we're focused on across the RTX portfolio. During my conversation with Raytheons Roy Azevedo for our Project 38 podcast, the intelligence and space segments president touted how the companys technology synergy goals are pretty much one and the same as the overall business strategy. Azevedo broke down that segments technology focus areas as sensing and effects; command/control and communications; and cybersecurity, training and other services. But he also explained how Raytheons effort also emphasizes ways those can be shared with the other segments to create more integrated offerings for customers. Integrated may also be an apt word to describe what the future defense technology posture looks like in Raytheons eyes. Its complex battlefield as we think about it. There's no one single answer. It's not like we're going to replace all of the missiles we have with high-powered microwaves or high-powered lasers, Hayes said. It's going to be a layered defense, where you're still going to see SM3s and SM6s, and you're still going to need AMRAAM missiles as well as some things to deal with the emerging threat of hypersonics, which we think is primarily going to be high-powered microwave. Meanwhile, Raytheon raised the low end of its expected revenue range for this year by $500 million to $64.4 billion with the top end left at $65.4 billion. The company also lifted its post-merger gross cost synergy target by $200 million to $1.5 billion for the first four years following that deal. Hayes said Raytheon is eyeing another $5 billion in total cost savings through 2025 by adopting a new core operating system, along with investments in digital technology and other strategic projects. Second quarter revenue was $15.9 billion, which Raytheon said was up 10 percent on an organic basis compared to the same period last year. Raytheons intelligence and space segment recorded $3.8 billion in sales for the quarter, which the company said showed organic growth of 5 percent year-over-year. Raytheon expects the business it calls RIS to show low-to-mid single digit sales growth this year and profit of between $150 million and $175 million. Accenture (finally) touts big Army ERP win It has been nearly two years since Accenture first was awarded a nearly $729 million contract to consolidate several Army enterprise resource planning systems. The Army Unified Enterprise Planning Capability Support Services contract was highly contested by IBM, which filed multiple protests before exhausting its appeals at the Government Accountability Office. Accenture first one the contract in late 2019. But now Accenture is now free to announce and tout the win with the Army Shared Services Center, which wants to consolidate several ERP systems into a single management contract and a single operating model. Accenture and IBM were incumbents on several of the predecessor contracts. Accenture will provide change management, agile development, quality assurance and other support functions. This is an important opportunity to help the Army sustain its legacy systems yet enhance modernization through advanced technologies such as automated enterprise services, Vince Vlasho, senior managing director of Accenture Federal Services defense portfolio. Accenture already supports a cloud-based payroll and accounting project for the Army known as the Army Morale, Welfare and Recreation Non-Appropriated Fund Integrated Financial Management System. The company will apply commercial technologies to meet the Armys needs during the contracts six-year run, said retired Army Lt. Gen. Susan Lawrence, deputy director of Accentures defense portfolio. TOP 100: Smartronix using deals, awards to build on cloud expertise Smartronix continues to solidify its position on the Top 100 through strategic acquisitions and important contract wins. With the backing of private equity firm OceanSound Partners since late 2019, Smartronix is pursuing a strategy to be a leading provider of cloud migration and solutions around data and digital transformation. The strategy accelerated when OceanSound brought in Peter LaMontagne as CEO a year ago. Smartronix has since closed two acquisitions in Datastrong and C2S Consulting Group, made several strategic hires, and built out a series of cloud accreditations and certifications. Smartronix is ranked No. 58 on the 2021 Washington Technology Top 100 with $471.3 million in prime contracts. LaMontagne said the companys strategy has crystallized over the last year as Smartronix has moved its solutions further up the technology stack. The company has also sought to better define its solutions and how they drive managed services offerings. Weve also invested in how we go to market and we are better defining our markets, LaMontagne said. This includes how the company supports combatant commands and how it is embraces commercial markets that are highly regulated. The best affirmation of our strategy is the acquisition of C2S and Datastrong." Smartronix's acquisition of Datastrong added more capabilities around enterprise analytics, data science, and data engineering and data management. Datastrong also brought new customers at the Justice and State departments. Datastrong's commercial customers are from the pharmaceutical, financial services and education sectors. Those are some of the highly-regulated commercial markets LaMontange mentioned earlier. Also with Datastrong, there are a couple of initiatives that were pursuing with our current DOD client set that almost instantly accelerated because of the capabilities that Datastrong brought to the table, he said. Smartronix saw similar benefits from C2S, which was an immediate help on some bids that Smartronix wasnt in a position to pursue on its own. The opportunity was on our radar screen and it is a client we very much want to help, LaMontagne said. We had the qualifications but not the affinity. C2S filled that gap and allowed Smartronix to match its contract vehicles and large-scale qualifications with the acquired company's customer experience and relationships. That makes the opportunity a real possibility, he said. Making that cliched one-plus-one-equals-three goal work takes a lot of effort in marketing externally with the customer as well as communicating across the company, LaMontagne said. He credited C2S founder Brandee Daly for playing a critical role in the early days of the integration effort. She joined Smartronix as the executive vice president for strategic cloud initiatives, but has recently left the company. She instantly opened up the business and allowed great connectivity as did the team from Datastrong, LaMontagne said. Our team was hungry for more capability and understanding what they were doing. LaMontagne likened it to when someone joins a family through marriage. When someone marries into the family and its like, wow, we have this cool new relative. Lets get to know everything about them, he said. CEDAR RAPIDS Democratic state Sen. Liz Mathis is running for the U.S. House in Iowas 1st District, setting up a race between former co-workers both well-known across the district from their time as television news anchors. Mathis will challenge first-term Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson, who is seeking re-election in what now is the 20-county 1st District. Redistricting, set to take place later this year, will result in new congressional election boundaries but its likely Hinson and Mathis, who live less than 10 miles apart, will continue to be in the same district. Mathis, 63, said she will draw on her experience not only as a television reporter and anchor for 27 years at KWWL-TV and KCRG-TV both of which cover the 1st District market but from what she has learned as a childrens advocate, wife, mother, caregiver and legislator since 2011. Ive spent decades listening and telling stories as a journalist, and Ive helped fix problems in our communities as a state senator and nonprofit leader, Mathis said. She praised the councils creation of the rebranding committee and said some of the alternate logos looked awesome, but lamented both sides seemed entrenched in their opposition to one another. Some of them felt like we were trying to erase their culture or their history, she said of removing the griffin logo. However, there have been many instances in Black history where we have been erased, and there was only so much of a fight we could put up about it. Wilder said she doesnt want to be put on council to create a divide, but to try to understand and, ultimately, look at the bigger picture, like encouraging officers to step out of their cars and talk with people. Rather than it just being, I see you, Im threatened, now we have a problem, I want it to be like, I see you, I know that kid, hes a good kid, wait a minute let me talk to him and see whats going on, Wilder said. Wilder says if elected, she wants to build relationships, bring resources to under-served areas and push Waterloo forward. It was two steps forward and one back for Iowa farmers worried about ongoing drought conditions in northern parts of the state. A favorable period of precipitation has given way to a warmer, drier weather pattern in much of Iowa this week, raising concerns as corn and soybean fields reach the part of the growing season that requires more moisture for optimum crop development, said State Climatologist Justin Glisan. We did see improvement, Glisan noted, but added, were obviously getting into a dry stretch of days so we wont see any improvement this week in the drought depiction map. We could see some degradation if this warm and dry pattern takes hold for several weeks. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig said hes getting reports of moisture-stressed crops, especially in the drought region of northern and central Iowa that has had a prolonged period of precipitation deficits. According to the weekly crop report issued Monday, topsoil moisture levels are rated 53% short to very short and subsoil moisture levels at 60% short to very short with the highest deficits in northwest Iowa. Iowas corn condition currently is rated 65% good to excellent while soybeans are 61% good to excellent. Save Schoitz Schoitz Hospital has been a landmark in Waterloo for many years. It was given to Waterloo in memory of Otto Schoitzs wife, Charlotte, and could still be a landmark if it was restored instead of demolished. What a great location for senior housing. There is ample parking, it is close to restaurants, pharmacies, churches and a hospital. The building has elevators, the rooms are good sizes, and there is required plumbing and electrical in each room. Parts of the building have already been redecorated. The main floor would be excellent to house a small indoor mall. It has lots of windows for displays. A coffee shop or bistro could serve shoppers. The first floor already has public restrooms. There are many reasons to keep this landmark rather than to tear it down. Why tear down a landmark that could be an asset for the city? There are several properties in Waterloo that should be demolished, just not this one. Louis Starkey, Waterloo Food for thought I have noticed some meaningful quotes that have recently been posted. Here are some of them: Despite being more competitive than the three other vacant House districts, we know for sure that a Republican will win Tuesday's special election in Texas' 6th congressional district. The seat has been open since Republican Rep. Ron Wright died in February. No candidate received a majority of the vote in the May 1 all-party primary, necessitating Tuesday's runoff. This wasn't a surprise in a huge field of 23 candidates. What was a bit unexpected was that Republicans secured both slots on the ballot. Susan Wright, widow of Ron Wright, led the primary field with about 19% of the vote. State Rep. Jake Ellzey took the second spot, with just under 14%. Ellzey narrowly edged out Democrat Jana Sanchez, setting up Tuesday's intraparty election. There has been no public polling and turnout is expected to be low. While we know a Republican will continue to represent this suburban Dallas district, it is very much up in the air which one it will be. Polls close at 8:00 PM Eastern Time. Endorsements and Fundraising Donald Trump has repeatedly backed Wright, including a statement released on the eve of the election. As a result, Tuesday's outcome will undoubtedly be seen as another data point on the former president's ongoing level of control over the GOP. On the other hand, Trump's involvement might help Ellzey with Democratic and independent voters. Tomorrow is the runoff in #TX06. I saw where Wright's internal poll has her up by 10% but I do not believe it. She has been touting the endorsement by Trump but a lot of dedicated Democrat and Independent voters will not vote for her due to Trump. We will see tomorrow. https://t.co/t6VYqqbUE7 Stephen Daniel (@stephendaniel) July 27, 2021 Daniel was the 6th district Democratic nominee in 2020; he lost to Ron Wright by about 9%. Susan Wright has also been endorsed by Sen. Ted Cruz, several members of the Texas congressional delegation, and the third-ranking House Republican, Rep. Elise Stefanik (NY-21). Ellzey has the support of former Gov. Rick Perry, Rep. Dan Crenshaw and former TX-6 Rep. Joe Barton. He also has been endorsed by the two major local newspapers: The Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Ellzey has also notably outraised Wright. In the latest FEC filing period, Ellzey raised $1.2 million to $450,000 for Wright. Other House Vacancies There are currently 220 Democrats and 211 Republicans in the House. In addition to TX-6, there are three other vacancies: Date District 2020 Information November 2 OH-11 D+60% Marcia Fudge (D) resigned in March to become Secretary of HUD. Primaries will be held August 3. November 2 OH-15 R+27% Steve Stivers (R) to resign May 16 to become CEO of Ohio Chamber of Commerce. Primaries will be held August 3. Jan. 11, 2022 FL-20 D+57% Alcee Hastings (D) died in April. Primaries will be held November 2. The two Ohio vacancies will have party primaries this upcoming Tuesday. Candidates Nina Turner and Shontel Brown, representing the progressive and more moderate wings of the Democratic party, are battling for the nomination in the Cleveland-area 11th District. Meanwhile, the Republican primary in the Columbus-area 15th district will test the strength of a Trump endorsement at odds with that of the former incumbent. The winners in these two primaries will be heavy favorites in the general election. Gorno Innovation Receives EU Booster Funding and Support Perth, July 27, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Alta Zinc Limited ( ASX:AZI ) ( FRA:8EE ) is pleased to announce it has successfully received funding support for an innovative remote sensing and laser project at Gorno through the EIT RawMaterials program, established by the European Raw Materials Alliance (ERMA) under the EU's intiative to secure sustainable access to vital raw materials as key enablers for a globally competitive, green, and digital Europe.Alta became a member of the ERMA in January 2021, aligning with the EU aim of providing reliable access to key raw materials and recognising the benefit of being part of a unique network of organisations across the raw materials value chain. Alta is aiming to provide a European source of very high-grade, clean, low-impurity zinc and lead concentrates from Gorno by 2024.The EU Commission recognises that sustainable access to minerals and metals is fundamental for industry and the green and digital transformation of the EU economy, and the key to a more sustainable future. The ERMA was established in September 2020, as part of the EU Commission's Action Plan on Critical Raw Materials.The Action Plan looks at the current and future challenges and proposes actions to reduce Europe's raw materials' dependency on third countries, diversifying supply from both primary and secondary sources and improving resource efficiency and circularity while promoting responsible sourcing worldwide.ERMA's purpose is contribute to ensuring reliable, secure and sustainable access to raw materials as key enablers for a globally competitive, green and digital Europe.EIT RawMaterials coordinates ERMA to unlock multi-country, public and private investment potentials and supports strategic developments with potential for innovation and high-value job creation in the raw materials sector to secure access to critical and strategic raw materials, advanced materials, and processing know-how for EU industrial ecosystems.REMOTE SENSING AND LASER PROJECTAlta is trialling the innovative use of high intensity laser scanning for geologic assessment of the mineralisation remaining in previously mined stopes at Gorno and also volume assessment of the underground voids. This will enable potential new Mineral Resources to be identified for extraction once the open void has had the roof supported by cemented backfill made from new mine tailings.This enables detailed geological survey and calculations to be achieved with a high level of precision and accuracy, delivered by a safe, cheap and time effective technique, even in tight enclosed spaces that otherwise could be too difficult to access.In assessing the Booster application, EITI RawMaterials recognised the highly favourable environmental benefits from the enhanced efficiency of the extraction of valuable raw resources at Gorno:- Accurate survey will allow geologic assessment of the mineral content and tonnes remaining in pillars, which may then be included in mineral resources.- A key feature of re-development plans for Gorno is that plant tailings will be permanently stored in the mined stopes as cemented paste backfill. This means tailings do not need to be stored above ground, significantly reducing the surface environmental impact.- The cemented backfill can provide sufficient roof support so that mineralised pillars can be extracted, thus releasing the 'locked-up' zinc,lead and silver metal.- Extraction efficiency of the valuable existing mineral resources is therefore increased, reducing the potential waste of available raw materials.- Mined waste can displace commercially quarried limestone aggregate products, reducing the environmental footprint and carbon emissions of this raw material supply.INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITYSustainability is a key consideration for the EU in sourcing to raw materials supply. At its core, EU policies seek to improve the management and reduction of energy and resources used in extracting materials, to minimise and mitigate any side-effects to the surrounding natural and social environments both short-term and long-term. The use of innovation and technology to reduce impacts on the planet is therefore paramount.Testwork has shown that the Gorno mineralisation is highly amenable to XRT sorting technology which reliably separates the valuable metal ores from the host rock (limestone). This has been shown to reduce the amount of ore fed to the processing plant by half, with minimal loss of contained metal. This significantly cuts the size of the processing plant required with savings to the initial capital cost and ongoing maintenance costs and it is estimated that energy consumption can effectively be halved compared to traditional methods. All of these savings will be measured to calculate the reduced CO2 footprint of the operations.The mass of tailings generated are also cut significantly, resulting in further savings in relation to energy usage, emissions and cost and allowing all tailings to be stored safely underground.Once the host rock is separated from the metallic minerals by the XRT technology it can potentially be re-used as a saleable limestone by-product which will offset aggregate produced from quarries for use in the circular and low-carbon economy. This is the now the subject of ongoing testwork.CLEAN ZINC FOR EUROPEAN SMELTERSThe European smelter industry produces ~2.2 Mtpa of zinc metal of which more than 55% is imported from the Rest of World. Many of these imported concentrates are shipped over significant distances and are increasingly 'dirty', i.e. contain high levels of deleterious elements which makes it difficult for the smelters to dispose of the smelter waste within environmental guidelines. Treating 'clean' concentrates low in deleterious elements will reduce the environmental impacts of Europe's smelter waste disposal and metallurgical testwork shows Gorno can produce amongst the cleanest zinc and lead concentrates available globally. Reduced freight distance for concentrates sourced from Italy compared to concentrates sourced from the Rest of World will also significantly reduce the carbon emissions from transportation and will strengthen domestic sourcing of raw materials in the EU and assist in diversifying sourcing from third countries.The Booster program provides targeted investment support specifically for innovative start-up and SME projects and is awarded annually to applicable projects, it forms the first level of the EIT RawMaterials funding strategy. The award was made following assessment of Gorno's financial metrics, investment case and strategic relevance to the raw materials value chain for Europe; it therefore positions the Company to potentially attract further support through ERMA's unique network of organisations. The Gorno project received Booster funding of EUR40,000 (A$64,400) and Alta will be pursuing additional opportunities to partner with EU organisations to attract further and more substantial non-dilutive funding.Pier Luigi Franceschini - Innovation Hub Director of EIT RawMaterials CLC South S.r.l. (Rome, Italy) said:"We are very happy that EIT RawMaterials is able to support this innovation program at Gorno, and we recognise the project's unique environmental qualities.The Booster program support for Gorno is evidence that EIT RawMaterials has an agile process to bring suitable raw materials projects into an investment channel. We look forward to engaging the team at Gorno further with our networks towards achieving our shared vision of a green and resilient Europe, where raw materials are a major strength of the EU economy."About Alta Zinc Limited Alta Zinc Limited (ASX:AZI) (FRA:8EE) is an emerging ASX-listed exploration and development company focused on unlocking dormant value at the Gorno Project. Gorno is an historic high-grade zinc mine in industrialised Northern Italy, proximal to smelters and key infrastructure and with a track record of producing high quality clean concentrates to European Smelters. Drilling of known brownfields high-grade targets is underway and aims to strengthen the current Resource inventory. Subsequent project development will leverage off the existing underground infrastructure, simple metallurgy and advanced technical studies to de-risk a future feasibility study. The Company also has a portfolio of other mineral exploration projects in northern Italy and Australia. Investment in Metal Tiger plc (ASX:MTC) Sydney, July 27, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Cobre Limited ( ASX:CBE ) is pleased to announce that it has agreed to invest A$1.0m into the capital raising announced yesterday by Cobre's largest shareholder, ASX and AIM listed, Metal Tiger plc ( ASX:MTR ) ( LON:MTR ), who are undertaking a two tranche conditional capital raising of A$5.0m (before costs), at a placement price of A$0.37 per CHESS Depositary Interest (CDI) (Placement) (refer Metal Tiger ASX announcement 26 July 2021).Commenting on the investment into Metal Tiger, Cobre's Executive Chairman and Managing Director, Martin Holland, said:"The Cobre Board believes this investment shows commercial alignment and gives Cobre shareholders additional interest to the Kalahari project and royalties MTR owns over the district. Cobre has a high level of confidence in the Metal Tiger Board and management team and believes this investment is one which will prove to be one of significant value for Cobre's shareholders. I look forward to continuing our relationship under the Joint venture agreement - with the aim to discover a new Cu deposit in Botswana and seeing the MTR team execute on their strategy of making further strategic investments in the global resources sector."Metal Tiger is undertaking the Placement to facilitate additional liquidity to their ASX quotation and assist to establish an increased presence in the Australian market, with the net Placement proceeds to be applied across Metal Tiger's global resources investments.Pursuant to the ASX Listing Rules, Cobre, a company in which Metal Tiger holds a 16.6% interest, is a related party of Metal Tiger's Chief Executive Officer, Michael McNeilly, who is also a director of Cobre. Cobre has therefore conditionally subscribed for a total of 2,702,703 new CDIs (for A$1.0m) under the second tranche of the Placement, subject to MTR shareholder approval which is expected to be sought at a duly convened shareholder meeting of MTR to be held in early September.Cobre notes the commentary from Metal Tiger's Chief Executive Officer, Michael McNeilly, in MTR's announcement of the Placement, as follows:"Metal Tiger is very pleased to welcome a number of new sophisticated and institutional investors to the register and recognises the continued strong support from our existing shareholders.""The Placement enables Metal Tiger to make further strategic investments in the global resources sector in line with our various investment strategies. In addition, the Placement is expected to facilitate additional liquidity to the ASX quotation and assist Metal Tiger establish an increased presence in Australia."Metal Tiger currently holds 26,006,963 Cobre shares, representing approximately 16.6% of Cobre's issued share capital. As announced to the ASX on 15 April 2021, Metal Tiger has also agreed to subscribe for an additional 8,311,765 Cobre shares for payment of A$1.4m, subject to shareholder approval at the Company's AGM to be held later this year. MTR also expects to be issued a further 445,368 new Cobre shares subject to certain conditions being met in relation to the change in control occurring in respect of Kalahari Metals Limited and its subsidiaries, as announced on 16 December 2020. Assuming all of these further issuances of shares in Cobre occur, Metal Tiger would be interested in approximately 21% of Cobre.About Cobre Limited Cobre Limited (ASX:CBE) is a copper and base-metals explorer with projects in Western Australia and Botswana. The Company recently discovered a new high-grade VMS deposit enriched in Copper, Gold, Zinc and Silver in Western Australia, and is currently exploring approximately 8,100 km2 of tenements within the Kalahari Copper Belt (KCB) in Botswana. About Metal Tiger plcMetal Tiger plc (LON:MTR) focuses on Project Investments with the scope to generate a significant value uplift or a substantial new discovery. In addition to project exposure, the company also makes active and passive Equity Investments with a larger weighting to active investments. High Grade Drill Results From Kalpini Gold Project Perth, July 27, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Horizon Minerals Limited ( ASX:HRZ ) is pleased to announce new high-grade drilling results from the 100% owned Kalpini gold project areas located 50km northeast of the Boorara gold project and comprises the Gambia, Camelia and Atlas deposits covering 585 hectares on granted mining lease M27/485 (Figures 1 and 2*).HIGHLIGHTS- Reverse Circulation (RC) and diamond drilling (DD) completed at 100% owned Kalpini gold project area, 50km northeast of Boorara in the Western Australian goldfields- Kalpini acquired in November 2020 for A$2.75 million in cash with an historic JORC 2004 Mineral Resource (before depletion) of 4.6Mt grading 1.7g/t Au for 255,000oz- Stage 1 of the Gambia open pit was completed in 2019 producing approximately 39,000oz with a mill reconciled grade of 2.62g/t Au and calculated gold recovery of 95.1%- Drilling completed in 2021 totalled 49 RC holes for 5,677m and 3 DD holes for 346m to a maximum depth of 240m infilling for improved confidence and testing extensions- Significant results including composite assays include:o 12m @ 5.57g/t Au from 203m including 2m @ 12.92g/t Au from 211m (KPRC21049)o 5m @ 10.21g/t Au from 70m including 1m @ 28.83g/t Au from 72m (KPRC21030)o 7m @ 6.01g/t Au from 91m including 1m @ 22.04g/t Au from 93m (KPRC21034)o 1m @ 41.53g/t Au from 195m (KPRC21047)o 6m @ 4.45g/t Au from 90m including 1m @ 10.24g/t Au from 92m (KPRC21021)o 1.5m @ 20.74g/t Au from 99.5m including 0.5m @ 54.25g/t Au from 99.5m (KPDD21033)o 5m @ 3.97g/t Au from 3m including 1m @ 11.04g/t Au from 6m (KPRC21023)- Results demonstrate significant open pit and underground potential with excellent width and grade continuity and mineralisation open along strike and at depth- All drilling data now being compiled to generate an updated (JORC 2012) Mineral Resource estimate with completion expected early in the December Quarter 2021- Kalpini joins Boorara, Binduli, Cannon, Rose Hill and Teal as core projects under assessment as part of the consolidated Feasibility StudyCommenting on the drilling results, Horizon Managing Director Mr Jon Price said:"The first drilling program we have completed has delivered excellent results confirming the potential for further open pit stages and significant upside at depth for potential underground development. We now look forward to completing the updated MRE and advancing the project as part of the consolidated Feasibility Study."Kalpini was acquired in November 2020 for A$2.75 million in line with the Company's strategy of consolidating additional development ready assets in close proximity to the proposed Boorara mill for inclusion in the initial 5-7year production profile under assessment as part of the consolidated Feasibility Study.The drilling forms part of the 50,000m CY21 program testing high priority resource definition and new discovery targets across the 1,100km2 portfolio. The aim of the Kalpini 2021 program was to validate and infill/extend the historical drilling enabling the previous JORC 2004 resource to be upgraded to JORC 2012 standard whilst improving the resource classification for generation of Ore Reserves.*To view tables and figures, please visit:About Horizon Minerals Limited Horizon Minerals Limited (ASX:HRZ) is a gold exploration and mining company focussed on the Kalgoorlie and Menzies areas of Western Australia which are host to some of Australia's richest gold deposits. The Company is developing a mining pipeline of projects to generate cash and self-fund aggressive exploration, mine developments and further acquisitions. The Teal gold mine has been recently completed. Horizon is aiming to significantly grow its JORC-Compliant Mineral Resources, complete definitive feasibility studies on core high grade open cut and underground projects and build a sustainable development pipeline. Horizon has a number of joint ventures in place across multiple commodities and regions of Australia providing exposure to Vanadium, Copper, PGE's, Gold and Nickel/Cobalt. Our quality joint venture partners are earning in to our project areas by spending over $20 million over 5 years enabling focus on the gold business while maintaining upside leverage. Quarterly Activities Report Adelaide, July 27, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Resolution Minerals Ltd ( ASX:RML ) ( FRA:NC3 ) flagship 64North Project is in the Tintina Gold Province, home of giant size gold deposits such as Donlin Creek 39M oz Au, Fort Knox 13M oz gold and the world-class high-grade Pogo Gold Mine with total endowment of 11M oz Au. The Tintina Province stretches 2,000km across from the Yukon (Canada) to the Alaskan coast, hosting over 100M oz Au.Highlights- Drilling (RC) completed at the East Pogo Prospect (Alaska), results expected shortlyo Seven quartz veins up to 4.6m thick were intersected in five (5) of 12 holes- Positive assay results from RAB drilling at the Sunrise Prospect (Alaska)o 280m wide gold mineralised corridor of Fort Knox style at West Pogo demonstrated- A VTEM geophysical survey identified 40 conductors at the Wollogorang Project (NT, Australia) highlighting the sedimentary hosted copper potential of the project- Exploration expenditure met to earn a 42% interest in the 64North Project, Alaska- The Company reports $1.75m cash at bank on 30 June 2021Resolution completed drilling on the East Pogo Gold Prospect in late June 2021. The compelling shallow drill targets are the culmination of 20 months' preparation of field work, desktop review, CSAMT and ZTEM geophysics surveys and logistics planning. East Pogo is on the Pogo Trend positioned between the 11M oz Au Pogo Gold Mine and the Tibbs Discovery ( CVE:TECT ). Early in the quarter results from the Sunrise Prospect (West Pogo Block) RAB drilling program demonstrated the Fort Knox style was gold mineralised over a 280m wide corridor open to the north and south.Prospect pipeline assessmentProspects adjacent to Sunrise (Tourmaline Ridge) were investigated and field reconnaissance undertaken in June. Re-ranking of the prospect pipeline to prioritise plans for the remainder of the summer field season with small scale rock chipping and reconnaissance was undertaken on the North Pogo and South Pogo Blocks. Planned activities will be finalised for the remainder of the summer season and announced to investors shortly.Managing Director, Duncan Chessell comments"We are encouraged to see seven zones of likely Pogo-style flat lying quartz veining up to 4.6m thick, amongst intensely altered host rock in RC drill chips at the East Pogo Prospect, however assay results will be the real test and are expected shortly.The 40 conductors defined by a VTEM geophysics survey at the Wollogorang Project in the Northern Territory has done three things; firstly, highlighted the sedimentary hosted copper potential of the project; two, triggered interest from multiple parties; and thirdly illustrates that Resolution holds two potential flagship projects prospective for indemand gold and copper. "To view the full quarterly report, please visit:About Resolution Minerals Ltd Resolution Minerals Ltd (ASX:RML) is a mining company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of precious and battery metals - such as gold, copper, cobalt, and vanadium. The company is led by Managing Director Duncan Chessell and an experienced team with proven success in corporate finance, marketing, metallurgy and geoscience. This equips Resolution Minerals with the tools to meet the changing demands of the mining markets. Resolution Minerals Ltd Listed on the ASX in 2017 with a focus on the exploration of the Wollogorang Copper Cobalt Project. It has since aquired the Snettisham Vanadium Project and more entered into a binding agreement witth Millrock Resources to earn up to 80% of the highly prospective 64North Gold Project. Appoints New CFO Sydney, July 27, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Clean lithium developer Lake Resources NL ( ASX:LKE ) ( FRA:LK1 ) ( OTCMKTS:LLKKF ) has appointed Peter Neilsen as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The Company is ramping up its international project funding and development activities.A key focus of the new CFO will be to guide a panel of international project financiers to successfully secure funding for Lake's lithium production.His other key role will be to develop and assist Lake's team in Argentina to organise development activities and lithium production. He will also serve as joint Company Secretary.Peter replaces Garry Gill, who will step down from the CFO role. Garry will continue to assist with the handover to Peter on a transitional basis. The Board thanks Garry for his services over the last 18 months during a transformational period for Lake.Mr Neilsen is a chartered accountant with more than 20 years' experience in all facets of financial management, asset management and leadership. He has served in a range of positions including as CFO, company secretary, finance manager and other senior executive positions for a number of listed and unlisted companies in the energy and natural resources sector. These have included Barrick, Xstrata and Round Oak.Mr Neilsen has been involved in reducing operation expenses up to $100M through cost analysis, performance improvements and contract negotiations, acquisitions of up to $80M and managed revenues in excess of $5Bn.Welcoming the appointment, Lake's Managing Director, Steve Promnitz commented: "Peter has experience with both large and small organisations in the energy and natural resources sector which will be critical to support Lake's major growth through development into production. Developing the finance support team in Argentina and Australia and securing project finance will be critical to the Company's success and delivering increased value for shareholders."The new appointment follows Lake's moves to progress project finance for Kachi, with preliminary interest received from more than half a dozen major international banks to participate in export credit agency-led project debt finance (refer ASX release 4 June 2021). The positive funding environment follows the acceleration of the world's decarbonisation drive towards 'net zero' emissions, with lithium a key ingredient in the EV and battery storage revolution.About Lake Resources NL Lake Resources NL (ASX:LKE) (OTCMKTS:LLKKF) is a clean lithium developer utilising clean, direct extraction technology for the development of sustainable, high purity lithium from its flagship Kachi Project, as well as three other lithium brine projects in Argentina. The projects are in a prime location within the Lithium Triangle, where 40% of the world's lithium is produced at the lowest cost. This method will enable Lake Resources to be an efficient, responsibly-sourced, environmentally friendly and cost competitive supplier of high-purity lithium, which is readily scalable, and in demand from Tier 1 electric vehicle makers and battery makers. AMEC Investor Briefing Presentation Perth, July 27, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Wiluna Mining Corporation Ltd ( ASX:WMC ) ( FRA:NZ3 ) ( OTCMKTS:WMXCF ) is located in the middle of the prolific Western Australia gold district and among the most attractive mining investment jurisdictions in the world.With over 400 million ounces discovered to date, it is one of the most richly gold-endowed districts globally, owning a vast 1600 km2 of this blue-chip real estate.The operation is the 8th largest in Australia by Mineral Resources under single ownership (and it remains relatively unexplored), surrounded by multiple million-ounce mines and excellent infrastructure.To view the presentation, please visit:About Wiluna Mining Corporation Ltd Wiluna Mining Corporation (ASX:WMC) (OTCMKTS:WMXCF) is a Perth based, ASX listed gold mining company that controls over 1,600 square kilometres of the Yilgarn Craton in the Northern Goldfields of WA. The Yilgarn Craton has a historic and current gold endowment of over 380 million ounces, making it one of most prolific gold regions in the world. The Company owns 100% of the Wiluna Gold Operation which has a defined resource of 8.04M oz at 1.67 g/t au. In May 2019, a new highly skilled management team took control of the Company with a clear plan to leverage the Wiluna Gold Operation's multi-million-ounce potential. Mandates IPO Lead Managers and Makes Strategic Board Appointment Sydney, July 27, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Armada Metals Limited (ACN 649 292 080) (Armada, AMM, or Company) is pleased to announce that it has engaged Canaccord Genuity Group Inc, and PAC Partners to act as joint lead managers for the Company's initial public offering (IPO), to raise up to A$10 million through the issue of new shares.Highlights:- Canaccord and PAC Partners mandated to joint-lead manage Armada's upcoming IPO where Armada will raise up to A$10 million- Armada is well-funded with >US$1.5m USD in existing cash reserves as at Q1 2021, and on track for the planned ASX-listing- Strategic appointment of experienced industry executive and general counsel to Orocobre Limited ( ASX:ORE ), Rick Anthon, to the Board of Armada as Non-Executive DirectorPrior to the commencement of the IPO, and subject to receipt of required government approvals, the Company will undertake a restructure to optimise the group holdings.In anticipation of the IPO, the Company has appointed experienced resource executive, Rick Anthon as a non-executive director. Rick is a practising lawyer with over 30 years' experience in both corporate and commercial law and has extensive experience in the resource sector. He is currently the Chairman of Bass Metals Ltd, a non- executive director of Laneway Resources Ltd and general counsel and joint company secretary at Orocobre Limited.Additional information in relation to the IPO, including the offer terms and conditions, will be provided in due course. Potential investors should read the prospectus in its entirety before making a decision on investing.Armada's Managing Director Dr Ross McGowan commented:"We are delighted to welcome Rick Anthon to the Board of Armada. Rick brings a wealth of industry knowledge and experience to the team, and we look forward to his contribution to the growth and governance of the Company. The Board is excited to be working with Canaccord and PAC Partners to raise funds for the Company's upcoming IPO that will secure the next phase of exploration and drilling at the Nyanga Magmatic Ni-Cu Project in Gabon".About Armada Metals Ltd Armada Metals Limited was established to define new belt-scale discovery opportunities for key commodities (principally nickel and copper) in under-explored regions of Africa. With >US$10m spent targeting an area of >16,000km2, Armada is preparing to drill a multi-target project opportunity for magmatic Ni-Cu sulphides in the Nyanga area, southern Gabon. Armada is supported by a Board and Africa-based technical team both with a track record of successful African projects. Key members of the Armada targeting team were part of the team awarded the 2015 PDAC Thayer Lindsley Award for an International Mineral Discovery (as members of the Kamoa/DRC discovery team with Ivanhoe Mines). .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE The head of New Mexicos chief regulatory agency said she fears a lack of access to bank loans and other financing will keep local residents from entering the new cannabis industry and competing with out-of-state companies. Linda Trujillo, superintendent of the state Regulation and Licensing Department, told legislators Monday that her agency is working behind the scenes to examine how the state can help ensure startup money is available to New Mexicans who want to launch a marijuana business. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ But legislative action might be necessary next year, she said. Trujillo said she fears New Mexicans will cash out their retirement savings to come up with the $50,000 to $75,000 she estimated it would take to start a business with a micro-producers license. The biggest challenge producers are going to face is that startup cost, Trujillo said. The access to capital is almost not available. Commercial sales to adults 21 and over are set to begin by April 1. The states medical marijuana program was established in 2007. Ensuring the new industry isnt dominated by out-of-state interests is among the challenges New Mexico legislators are wrestling with as they prepare for sales to begin. Members of the Economic Development and Policy Committee heard from Trujillo and others during a hearing Monday at the Capitol. Sen. Cliff Pirtle, a Roswell Republican and farmer, asked Trujillo about reports that out-of-state companies are already snapping up New Mexico farmland. Trujillo said she didnt have hard data, but that shes heard anecdotally about a tremendous amount of people looking for warehouses, land and water rights. Matt Munoz, chief innovation and finance officer at Carver Family Farm and a board member of the New Mexico Independent Cannabis Association, said the regulatory structure in New Mexico doesnt make it easy on micro-businesses, which must meet all the same requirements as corporate cannabis, he said. Munoz projected start-up costs would run into the hundreds of thousands, well beyond Trujillos estimate. Its a huge upfront cost, he told legislators. Trujillo on Monday also outlined the work her agency is doing to prepare for the launch of cannabis sales by April, including the establishment of new rules and an advisory committee. The Regulation and Licensing Department, she said, may need another 55 to 60 employees to help staff its cannabis division. Trujillo projected about $300 million in annual sales for the industry, 11,000 new jobs and $50 million in new revenue for the state budget. New Mexico legalized recreational cannabis for adults in late June, allowing for possession of up to 2 ounces of cannabis or an equivalent amount of extract. Personal production of up to six mature plants per adult is also now permitted. But commercial sales arent yet allowed, and the state is set to begin accepting applications for production licenses later this summer. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal Things are really hopping at the Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque Agri-Nature Center. Not far from the lavender plants, vineyard and orchard is an acre plot of hops. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ The flowers of the Humulus lupulus plant are a bittering and preserving agent in beer. The center is growing seven hops varieties this year, including two experimental types from North Carolina State University and the University of Florida. Joshua OHalloran, Los Ranchos agriculture program manager, said hops thrive in such northern states as Washington because of the long summer days. The new varieties just now springing up will help show how a specially bred crop grows in southern climates. Next year, well probably get some harvest on those and start to see how they do, OHalloran said. It does affect the taste. Hops seem to be more mild down here. As he pulls a green cone from the leafy, climbing vines and opens it up, he said, You see the lupulin, that yellow powder on the inside there, that gives the beer the flavor. Pick one and smell it, and it smells just like an IPA in there. Agri-Nature Center employees and volunteers trellis the perennial hops vines, or bines, on to tall ropes as they grow upward. A mechanical harvester borrowed from the New Mexico State University Agricultural Science Center at Farmington separates cones from vines in minutes. NMSU has conducted hops trials for more than a decade. Other Albuquerque-area growers can also use the harvester. Cones dry out for several days before hop flowers are vacuum-sealed or turned into pellets. The hops yard, in its second growing season, is part of a Los Ranchos and NMSU initiative to support local urban agriculture. The crop has been flood-irrigated only once a month this summer because of the drought. I think if we had given them more water, we wouldve gotten more height on some of the vines, OHalloran said. But theyre doing pretty well. Harvest time pays off for Hops Brewery in Los Ranchos, which uses the centers Chinook and Nugget variety hops for two beers at its Fourth Street taproom. Ken Wimmer, head brewer at Hops, hosted a brewing demonstration on Thursday and a beertasting of the beverage made from last years Los Ranchos hops crop. The plant is mixed with malted grain, yeast and water to make the locally grown brew. Hops rot really fast if you keep them moist, thats why they go straight to drying, Wimmer said. But, basically, if you know how to cook, you can make beer. Theresa Davis is a Report for America corps member covering water and the environment for the Albuquerque Journal. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE The Public Defenders Office in New Mexico agreed to pay $345,000 this month as part of two settlements to resolve claims that one of its investigators harassed two staff members. The two lawsuits, filed a few months apart in 2019, accused then-investigator Javier Diaz of inappropriate behavior such as standing to put his crotch in front of the face of a female secretary and rubbing his genitals on the back of male investigator. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Attorneys for Diaz and the Law Offices of the Public Defender denied the allegations in their own legal filings. The settlements dont constitute an admission of fault. Laura Schauer Ives, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said Monday her clients hope the settlements lead to a new culture in the public defenders office. They were struggling with a very serious problem with repeat sexual harassment that went unaddressed, Schauer Ives said in an interview. Our clients really, really dont want this to happen to anyone else. In a written statement, Chief Public Defender Bennett Baur said his agency works to respond quickly and appropriately when an allegation comes to our attention. The employee accused of these actions in our Las Cruces office was promptly removed from the workplace during the investigation, Baur said, and he is no longer with the department. We are always looking to learn lessons so we can ensure professional and supportive working conditions in our offices. Diaz, for his part, released a statement through his attorney maintaining that he denies the allegations of the suits. LOPD decided to settle the cases. The two settlements this month come after the Law Offices of the Public Defender agreed in November to pay $750,000 to settle a third lawsuit, alleging sexual harassment, violations of the Fair Pay for Women Act and other claims. Altogether, the public defenders office has paid nearly $1.1 million as part of the three settlements. Hypersexualized conduct In the larger of this months settlements, the state agreed to pay $215,000 to resolve claims by Kathy Genao, who had worked as a senior secretary in the public defenders office in Las Cruces. She accused Diaz of hypersexualized workplace conduct and said his behavior was reported multiple times to a supervisor, according to her lawsuit. His harassment of Genao, she alleged, included inviting her into his office, closing the door and then standing up while she was seated so that his crotch was directly in front of her face with an obvious erection that was visible through his pants to her. Diaz made inappropriate comments almost daily, the lawsuit says, including telling her that she looked delicious and if you know whats best for you, you will give me what I want. Genao also alleges that she was retaliated against after speaking to a human resources representative and later resigned because conditions were so intolerable. Her suit asserted violations of the New Mexico Human Rights Act and Whistleblower Protection Act. Diaz, a former police officer, denied Genaos allegations in his reply to the lawsuit. As part of the settlement, the public defenders office agreed to certain procedures for interviewing employees in future investigations and to conduct follow-up checks after sexual harassment complaints to see if the work environment has improved. Schauer Ives said the policy requirements were a key part of the settlement for Genao. Ensuring this never happens again was important to her, Schauer Ives said. Harassment acknowledged Diaz and the Law Offices of the Public Defender also faced allegations in a second lawsuit, filed by a fellow investigator, Raymond Hernandez a complaint settled for $130,000 this month. Hernandez accused Diaz of harassment that included body shaming, badgering and name calling, according to the lawsuit. In one incident, the lawsuit said, Diaz began rubbing his genitals against Hernandezs back and requesting oral sex allegations Diaz and the public defenders office specifically deny. Hernandez said he reported the misconduct and later faced retaliation. His lawsuit alleges battery for offensive contact and violations of the Human Rights Act and Whistleblower Protection Act. In their reply to the lawsuit, Diaz and the public defenders office acknowledged that Diaz harassed Hernandez but denied the other allegations. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... LAS CRUCES Forty-five students from Las Cruces Public Schools were invited to the Unity 22 mission to space to witness the launch July 11, giving them a life-changing moment. The mission successfully launched and returned to Earth with six crew members aboard, including Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson. At first, it seemed almost like a normal plane launch, said Holly Norsworthy, a student at Mayfield High School going into her sophomore year this fall. Then they kept going higher, and then they just disappeared. They had the livestream going, and (we) watched them as they were in space. It was really, really cool. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Holly said she and fellow LCPS students loaded onto the buses bound for Spaceport America at 3 a.m. for the hourlong drive north to Sierra County. Holly and her younger brother, Eli Norsworthy, found out they would be going to see the launch up close just days before. Holly said it was a bit of a whirlwind and then meeting Branson was equally so. Eli, who will start seventh grade at Picacho Middle School in the fall, said he and the other students didnt get much time to talk to Branson in the brief moments that they interacted before the launch. The students were able to form a tunnel and fist bump Branson and his five fellow crew members on their way to board the space plane. He seemed like a really nice guy, Eli said about Branson. Some richer people are kind of snooty and big about themselves, but he was really down-to-earth and happy that everyone was there. A collaboration in the works Rachel Knight, career readiness team member for LCPS, chaperoned a group of students to the event. She, along with another career readiness team member and a third-grade teacher from Monte Vista Elementary, were the chaperones. Knight said her team at LCPS has been communicating with Virgin Galactic for about a year, discussing internship opportunities and ways to collaborate. However, Knight said she only found out they would be invited to the launch on July 11 three days before. We would love to take in more students, of course, too, but we were limited to that small group, Knight said. (We were) just so thankful that, we were given that opportunity to be able to take those because it really was a life-changing moment. She said the students that attended were a mix of high school, middle school and elementary school students. Knight added that she had expected all the students to be wiped out and sleeping on the bus ride home after meeting up at 3 in the morning, but they were all excitedly chatting about the launch the entire time. There was just super excitement from all the kids, Knight said. It didnt matter if they were a third grader or all the way up to our high school seniors, they were just all super pumped and kind of on a high, I think, from experiencing that. Knight said she hopes LCPSs relationship with Virgin Galactic can continue. She foresees student internship opportunities in the future, virtual opportunities as early as this fall. Its an incredible opportunity for us to have this partnership to basically grow our own here in this area, Knight said. We have students that are already interested in aerospace and things. If they can be able to have these opportunities, while theyre in high school, doing internships, they can continue their education, even at New Mexico State University. That is so important to capture these kids and have these opportunities for them here because so many of our students, theyve got big dreams and big goals. The impact on Las Cruces Holly and Eli both said they expect Spaceport America and Virgin Galactic will have a big impact on New Mexico and the Las Cruces community as a whole. Its going to really make people more aware of Las Cruces, and theyll know us, and well have something really big thats always associated with our city, Holly said. Its really cool that (Branson is) just really trying to get kids involved. Maybe in the future, there will be more chances for school kids to get more involved with space. Eli said seeing the Unity 22 made him want to pursue space travel. He added that he had wanted to ask Branson what made him want to go into space in the first place. The siblings said theyd always thought space and space travel were cool, but it had always seemed very far away from reality. It wasnt really one of those graspable things like not something you can achieve, but now its (becoming) commercial, Holly said. It really is something that could be available to more people. So thats really cool. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico Olga de Leon is all smiles as she begins to show her home a house made from wood pallets to guests on a recent afternoon. But when she points out bags of trash and clothing stuffed into crevices near the ceiling, de Leons expression changes to grave concern. The extra insulation was meant to curb the rain and wind from the night before, but it did little to help. Instead, its making the home significantly hotter as the midday sun beats down. Theres no air conditioner, but there are buckets filled with rain water placed along the concrete floor. When asked where she and her six family members sleep, de Leon, 62, gestures to the two beds against one wall and a mattress tipped up over more trash that had been moved to make room to walk around. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ We are women of struggle, of work, she says in Spanish. I am infinitely grateful for the rest of my life, even with no (secure) living place. Help on the way De Leons situation is not unique in the colonias outside of Ciudad Juarez. Thousands of families live in wood pallet homes making $40 a week even with overtime, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported. But de Leon and others see a light at the end of the tunnel in Jane Fuller and her El Paso-based nonprofit Siguiendo los Pasos de Jesus. Our mission is to help a total familys basic needs, said Fuller, 65. Thats a pretty broad mission. So we educate you, we help you find a job. We support the community as far as food and clothing and housing and education and medical all together. Since 2000, Fuller has been assisting the 4,000 or so families who live in colonias on the outskirts of Juarez between kilometer 30 and 33 of the highway Carretera a Casas Grandes about a 40-minute drive from the Santa Teresa port of entry in southern New Mexico. De Leon said Fuller and SPJ have helped her in many ways especially food and medical services and she hopes one day to move her family into a home custom built by her neighbors and with funding from the nonprofit. Building a community Fuller has been helping the colonias residents for 20-plus years through her nonprofit, which routinely brings food, hygiene products, clothing and other basic necessities to the neighborhood. In 2006, Fuller founded the SPJ nonprofit and began to build homes and infrastructure. SPJ has built 566 safe and stable homes, as well as a market, two parks, a library, a church and a health clinic thats open once a month with volunteer medical professionals. These are people that want to make it there where they live, Fuller said, not those dying to come to America. To that end, Fuller had construction workers from Texas teach some of the men in the area how to build houses, so they are the ones getting paid to work. SPJ also gets all its building materials from Juarez. Now, SPJ contracts with business owners based in the colonias who can do work such as window and door framing and glass cutting. Because the idea is BSC building sustainable communities, Fuller said. SPJ will custom build homes for each family, some who have 15-plus members. The cost to build each home is about $7,500. The money goes to supplies and labor. Before SPJ builds a house, the resident must own the land on which it is built. SPJ does have limited housing available for families awaiting a home to be built. Fuller said de Leon and her family will move into that housing in September after another family moves out and into their permanent house. Fuller said this will be a long-term temporary solution until de Leon can pay off her land, which could be years. De Leon says shes been able to save about $2,400 over the last year much of that thanks to other services SPJ provides. To buy the land would be about $7,224, minimum. Every day I pray to Christ for (Fuller), for Nuri (the mercado manager), for Mr. Martin (the foreman), for all of you who gather in your help and work that you give others, that He blesses you and guards you forever de Leon said. How it began Fuller and her family relocated to El Paso in 2000. Her husband, Jack, worked for Philips Electronics and his office was in Mexico. One day, Jacks secretary invited the Fullers to her house in Juarez and showed them around the city. I was not used to poverty that was generational, Fuller said. I was used to homeless people, whether its from psychiatric problems or a paycheck away from the street or addictions, but to see people that were born into the cycle of poverty was very humbling. In the beginning, Fuller, her husband, and her six children would cross the border weekly to bring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to families. Fuller jokes that SPJ also means special peanut butter and jelly. Later, Fuller began asking neighbors and family friends for food and donations to give to the families she saw in the colonias and the mission grew from there. Fullers faith is a huge part of her work, hence the English meaning behind the programs name: Following the Footsteps of Jesus. My faith plays 100%, Fuller said. Ive had a lot of medical issues along the way. People that have had the same things have not made it, and Ive made it in at this point. Fuller survived breast cancer twice, years before starting the foundation. She said after she was fully healed, she wanted to do something to give back in the name of her faith. Cyr is a corps member for the Report for America initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues. Follow Cyr on Twitter. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... SEOUL, South Korea North and South Korea have exchanged messages in communication channels dormant for more than a year and agreed to improve ties positive steps that still leave any resumption of stalled negotiations to rid the North of its nuclear weapons a long way off. Liaison officials from the Koreas had several phone conversations Tuesday including one on a military hotline and agreed to resume speaking regularly, Seoul officials said. The rivals use the channels to lay out their positions on issues and even propose broader dialogue, and the links are also critical to preventing any accidental clashes along their disputed sea boundary. While the renewed communication could help ease tensions across the worlds most heavily fortified border, its only a small first step. Pyongyang is unlikely to revive vigorous cooperation programs with Seoul or get back to the nuclear talks led by the United States anytime soon. Some experts say North Korea is instead aiming to improve ties with South Korea in the hopes it will persuade the U.S. to make concessions when nuclear diplomacy with Washington eventually does resume. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Those efforts have been stalled for more than two years amid wrangling over punishing U.S.-led sanctions on the North. During the diplomatic impasse, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has threatened to enlarge his nuclear arsenal if the U.S. doesnt abandon its hostile policy, an apparent reference to the sanctions. On Tuesday, the two Koreas announced their leaders Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in have traded personal letters several times since April and decided in those exchanges to resume communication in the channels. Moons office said the two leaders agreed to restore mutual confidence and develop their relationships again as soon as possible. The Norths state media, for its part, said Kim and Moon agreed to make a big stride in recovering the mutual trust and promoting reconciliation by restoring the cutoff inter-Korean communication liaison lines. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the announcement of the reopening of communication channels and fully supports the continued efforts of the parties towards the improvement of their relationship, sustainable peace and complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said. Tuesdays resumption of communication comes on the 68th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, which pitted South Korea and U.S.-led U.N. forces against North Korea and China. That armistice has yet to be replaced with a peace treaty, leaving the Korean Peninsula in a technical state of war, with about 28,500 U.S. troops still stationed in South Korea. In a speech marking the anniversary that North Korea calls V-Day, Kim vowed to overcome pandemic-related hardships and brace for any changes in the outside political environment. His speech published by state media on Wednesday made no mention of his nuclear program and didnt contain any harsh rhetoric against Washington and Seoul. During times of tensions with Seoul and Washington, North Korea occasionally cuts off communication in the channels by not replying to South Korean phone calls or faxes. The most recent cutoff came in June of last year after North Korea accused the South of failing to stop activists from floating anti-Pyongyang leaflets across their border. An angry North Korea later blew up an empty, South Korean-built liaison office just north of the countries border. Many experts said the provocative action signaled the North was frustrated that Seoul failed to revive lucrative joint-Korean projects that gave the North badly needed foreign currency and to persuade the U.S. to ease the sanctions. Those sanctions, together with storms last summer and border shutdowns during the coronavirus pandemic, are battering the isolated Norths economy, creating what Kim has called its worst-ever crisis. Still, outside monitoring groups havent seen signs of mass starvation or social chaos in the country of 26 million people. Nam Sung-wook, a professor at Korea University, said the resumed communication likely wont lead to a dramatic improvement in ties in the near term but could pave the way for something down the road. North Korea knows it has to sit down for talks with the Biden administration one day. It thinks South Korea still has an effective value to make Biden move in a direction that it favors, said Nam. North Korea can also build up an (international image) that its willing to continue dialogue with the outside world. Moon, who espouses greater reconciliation with North Korea, earlier shuttled between Pyongyang and Washington to facilitate a 2018 summit between Kim and then-U.S. President Donald Trump the first such meeting between the countries leaders. But North Korea abruptly gave Moon the cold shoulder after a second proposed Kim-Trump summit fell apart in early 2019 after Trump rebuffed Kims push to win extensive sanctions relief in return for dismantling his main nuclear complex. Since taking office in January, the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has called on North Korea to return to a negotiating table. But last month senior North Korean officials, including Kims powerful sister, dismissed prospects for an early resumption of the talks. Some experts think North Korea may be compelled to reach out to the U.S. or South Korea if its economic difficulties worsen. By taking steps to improve relations with Seoul now, the North may be preparing for that moment. Park Won Gon, a professor of North Korea studies at Seouls Ewha Womans University, cautioned against reading too much into what the communication channels restoration means about the Norths economic difficulties. He cited reports that North Korea is still refusing to receive aid even from China, its major ally, due to worries that aid deliveries could spread the virus. He said North Korea may be hoping that warming ties will help South Korean liberals who support better ties with the North win next Marchs presidential elections. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... With more than 1,500 homeless people living on the streets of Albuquerque, eight occupants of a $5 million Tiny Homes Village certainly is not enough. Six months after opening its colorful doors on the grounds of the Albuquerque Indian Center, the results are disappointing. The village, largely funded by Bernalillo County taxpayers, has 30 small, stand-alone homes and communal buildings with an occupancy capacity of 40 people. It was expected to be fully occupied by July, but few are making it through the countys vetting process, leaving the village at 105 Texas SE with a mere eight residents as of July 19. Village Resource Manager Ilse Biel says the screening process was intended to be restrictive; it has also eliminated most of the 150-plus applicants. Two residents who made it through the vetting were removed for being disruptive. The application process includes drug screenings, medical evaluations and the requirement residents stay clean and sober for at least 10 days. Once accepted, residents must agree to participate in governing the village, helping to screen new applicants, doing communal chores, and working with case managers and others. Those are all commendable goals that can prevent the $5 million investment from turning into another Coronado Park. The village must first be a safe place to live and not become a flop house, as County Commissioner Debbie OMalley told the Journal. But finding people who fit this housing niche is proving difficult. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ The county needs to do a much better job of recruiting applicants for the village, given the crushing need. Officials also need to see what has worked in other Tiny Villages across the United States and replicate that success. Expecting taxpayers to shell out $5 million to house eight people is a cost-prohibitive monument to poor use of public money. And officials need to do that homework and make Tiny Homes work before signing taxpayers up for more of the same in the form of a tent or container village. If the Tiny Homes Village has proved nothing else, its that if you build it, they dont necessarily come. 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. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... CANTON, Ga. A man accused of killing eight people, mostly women of Asian descent, at Atlanta-area massage businesses pleaded guilty to murder Tuesday in four of the killings and was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. Robert Aaron Long, 22, still faces the death penalty in the other deaths, which are being prosecuted in another county. The string of shootings at three businesses in March ignited outrage and fueled fear among Asian Americans, who already faced increased hostility linked to the coronavirus pandemic. Many were particularly upset when authorities suggested Longs crimes werent racially motivated but born of a sex addiction, which isnt recognized as an official disorder. Cherokee County prosecutors had planned to seek the death penalty but decided a plea deal would bring swift justice and avoid any lengthy appeals. Thats what the victims and their families who they were able to contact wanted, District Attorney Shannon Wallace said. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Bonnie Michels husband of 24 years, Paul, was the first person killed. A part of me died with him that day, she told the judge. I am shattered. Elcias Hernandez Ortiz, who was shot in the face, also addressed the court, saying its been very hard for his family. Honestly, this man, why didnt he think before killing so many people? I only want justice, he said through a Spanish translator. On March 16, Long shot and killed four people, three of them women and two of Asian descent, at Youngs Asian Massage in Cherokee County. A fifth person was wounded. Long then drove to Atlanta, where he shot and killed three women at Gold Spa before crossing the street to Aromatherapy Spa and killing another woman, police said. All of the Atlanta victims were of Asian descent. In Atlanta, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has said she intends to seek the death penalty. There, Long faces charges of aggravated assault and domestic terrorism in addition to murder. Wallace reiterated Tuesday that Cherokee County investigators saw no evidence of racial bias. Long walked through the first spa shooting anyone and everyone he saw and told detectives he was motivated by a sex addiction. Investigators interviewed people who knew Long for years, including three of Asian descent, who said theyd never heard him make racist comments, she said. Her team also considered the diversity of the people shot in Cherokee County. They included a Hispanic man and a white man and woman. Asian American community leaders said Tuesday they were concerned that the shootings continue to be blamed on a sex addiction. Longs crimes were intended to target Asian people, specifically Asian women, said state Rep. Bee Nguyen, the first Vietnamese American to serve in the Georgia House and a frequent advocate for women and communities of color. Wallace said she would have argued at trial that Long was motivated by gender bias, though that wouldnt have extended his sentence. Prosecutors in Fulton County, where all the victims were women of Asian descent, have said they believe Long was motivated by race and gender. They plan to seek a hate crime sentencing enhancement. Georgias new hate crimes law doesnt provide for a stand-alone hate crime. After a conviction on an underlying crime, a jury determines whether it was motivated by bias, which carries an additional penalty. The American Psychiatric Association doesnt recognize sex addiction in its main reference guide for mental disorders. While some people struggle to control sexual behaviors, its often linked to recognized disorders or moral views, said David Ley, clinical psychologist and author of The Myth of Sex Addiction. Long previously underwent inpatient and outpatient treatment for sex addiction, Wallace said. In fact, it was another patient who gave him the idea to seek sexual services at massage businesses, she said. Long signed a plea agreement admitting to all charges in Cherokee County, including malice murder, felony murder, attempt to commit murder and aggravated assault. Cherokee County Superior Court Chief Judge Ellen McElyea then handed him four sentences of life without parole plus an additional 35 years. Those killed in Cherokee County: Michels, 54; Xiaojie Emily Tan, 49; Daoyou Feng, 44; and Delaina Yaun, 33. The Atlanta victims were: Suncha Kim, 69; Soon Chung Park, 74; Hyun Jung Grant, 51; and Yong Ae Yue, 63. Long said he planned to kill himself that day and went to the massage businesses thinking that paying for sex which he considered shameful would push him to do it. But while sitting in his car outside the first spa, he decided to kill the people inside. After he was caught in south Georgia, Long told detectives he struggled with pornography and sex. He believed he was an addict and felt tremendous guilt when he viewed porn or engaged in sexual acts at massage businesses, Wallace said. Long blamed the victims for his inability to control his impulses, Wallace said. Long is scheduled for arraignment next month in Fulton County. His Cherokee County lawyers said in a statement they hope prosecutors there will follow Wallaces example and reach a similar plea agreement. Wallace said that after the shootings at the two Atlanta spas, Long intended to carry out similar crimes in Florida. By then, his parents had called authorities after recognizing their son in images from security video that authorities posted online. His parents were already tracking his movements through an application on his phone so they would know if he visited massage businesses, the prosecutor said, and that enabled officers to find him. ___ Associated Press writers Jeff Martin in Savannah and Sudhin Thanawala in Atlanta contributed to this report. ___ This story has been updated to correct that the shooting happened in March 2021, not 2020. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. New Mexicos Job Training Incentive Program board has approved around $1.3 million in funding to support 190 trainees at seven New Mexico companies in July, according to the state Economic Development Department. Companies approved to receive at least $100,000 in funding include: Systems Integration Inc., which plans to train 100 employees at an average wage of $17 per hour, using $545,750 in state funding. Cyber Security Works, which plans to train 13 employees in Albuquerque at an average hourly wage of $56.88, using $411,390 in state funding. nQ Zebraworks Inc., which plans to train 15 employees in Sandia Park at an average hourly salary of $34.45, using $281,522.70 in state funding. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Lancs Industries, which plans to train 49 employees with an average hourly wage of $15.82, using $165,804 in state funding. UbiQD Inc., which plans to train six employees in Los Alamos at an average salary of $40.47 per hour, using $138,654.28 in state funding. The program supports economic development in New Mexico by reimbursing qualified companies for a significant portion of training costs associated with newly created, full-time, year-round jobs, the release said. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... RIO RANCHO Crazy Bomb Cups owner Cindy Lopez eyed the chance to give Rio Rancho a new kind of dessert option with a zesty kick, expanding her establishment to the City of Vision earlier this month. Crazy Bomb Cups features over 60 toppings for its ice cream and sorbet, including Mexican candies like Mazapan, which is made of sugar or honey with almond meal, and tamarind, a sweet-sour fruit, as well as chamoy sauce, a spicy-sweet-sour Mexican condiment, to drizzle over fruit. The shop also features 15 milkshake flavors that can be ordered in mason jars and breakfast items like bubble waffles and miniature pancakes. Theres not that many options as far as ice cream and anything like that, so thats why we decided to take it to the city of Rio Rancho, Lopez said. Crazy Bomb Cups first opened in 2019 at its main location in east Albuquerque. The Rio Rancho shop held a ribbon-cutting ceremony July 17. Aside from Rio Ranchos customer base, Lopez said the new location will also appeal to northwest Albuquerque customers because they can simply drive up Coors Bypass and onto NM 528. She also said she plans to expand her business to a third section of the Albuquerque Metro area sometime next year. Lopez said the Rio Rancho locations already seeing more bubble waffle and mini-pancake sales than the Albuquerque location. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ It just seems like everybody (in Rio Rancho) loves those, she said. Citing Rio Ranchos growth in recent years, Lopez said she wanted to provide the city with something new and be a part of that continued growth. She also said she liked the surroundings of the Rio Rancho location, which will be in the Hilltop Plaza shopping center on the south side of town. Its a lot of traffic, its a lot of people, so we said, Oh, this will be the right spot for us,' Lopez said. Its very accessible for everybody. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... TEMPE, Ariz. NortonLifeLock Inc. (NLOK) on Tuesday reported fiscal first-quarter net income of $181 million. On a per-share basis, the Tempe, Arizona-based company said it had net income of 31 cents. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, were 42 cents per share. The security software maker posted revenue of $686 million in the period. Its adjusted revenue was $691 million. For the current quarter ending in October, NortonLifeLock expects its per-share earnings to range from 41 cents to 43 cents. The company said it expects revenue in the range of $690 million to $700 million for the fiscal second quarter. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ NortonLifeLock expects full-year earnings in the range of $1.65 to $1.75 per share. NortonLifeLock shares have risen 23% since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Tuesday, shares hit $25.48, an increase of 22% in the last 12 months. _____ This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on NLOK at https://www.zacks.com/ap/NLOK .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in New Mexico spiked on Tuesday, increasing 35% from the day before, according to state officials. The Department of Health on Tuesday announced that 121 people were hospitalized with COVID statewide. On Monday, the state had reported 89 hospitalizations. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ The rise in hospitalizations happened on the same day the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its guidance to recommend that fully vaccinated individuals wear masks in public, indoor settings in parts of the country where there are substantial or high levels of transmission. CDC maps showed that 14 New Mexico counties, including Bernalillo, were seeing substantial or high levels of transmission. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham referred to the new guidance on Twitter. We recommend that all New Mexicans wear a mask indoors out of an abundance of caution as we work to suppress the Delta variant, the governor wrote. Unvaccinated New Mexicans are urged to schedule their vaccination appointments immediately. Dr. David Scrase, leader of the state Health and Human Services Department, is scheduled to provide a public COVID-19 briefing Wednesday afternoon. State health officials on Tuesday also reported two additional COVID deaths and 242 new confirmed cases. The deaths included a Bernalillo County man in his 40s with underlying health conditions and a Lea County man in his 60s. A total of 4,402 New Mexicans have died of COVID since the start of the pandemic. Of the new cases reported Tuesday, Bernalillo County had the most with 69. Eddy County reported 33 new cases and there were 24 new cases in Lea County, according to the health department. Two southern New Mexico ZIP codes 88220 in Carlsbad and 88240 around Hobbs had the most new cases in the state on Tuesday, according to the health department. So far, 64.5% of New Mexicans who are 18 and older are fully vaccinated and 72.5% have had at least one shot. WENN Music The 'Follow God' hitmaker's bash at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia nearly doubled the last Apple Music Global Livestream record set by Gucci Mane and Jeezy's 2020 Verzuz battle. Jul 27, 2021 AceShowbiz - Kanye West's listening party for his new album "Donda" shattered previous Apple livestream records, racking up 3.3 million views. The rapper's bash last week (ends July 23) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia nearly doubled the last Apple Music Global Livestream record, which was set by Gucci Mane and Young Jeezy's Verzuz battle last year. That drew a reported 1.8 million viewers. The "Donda" livestream was a one-off and is no longer available to stream, however, reports suggest the event will be posted to Apple for fans to watch again after the album actual drops on its new release date, August 6. West is still working on the album, which is named after his late mother. It was originally set for a July 23 release. He's reportedly moved into the Mercedes-Benz Stadium as he puts the finishing touches on it. One of the songs from West's album features a collaboration with Jay-Z. "Donda, I'm wit your baby when I touch back road/ Told him stop all that red cap, we goin' home/ Cannot be with all of these sins casting stones/ This might be the return of The Throne/ Hova and Yeezy like Moses and Jesus," the latter's rap part was unveiled at the listening party. The addition of Jay's rap was uncovered to be completed hours before the listening party. Producer Young Guru tweeted on Thursday, July 22 that the husband of Beyonce Knowles "did the verse today!!!! At 4pm." It is their first collaboration since 2016. WENN Celebrity The official royal website has been updated with Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor being eighth in line to the British royal throne, bumping her father's uncle Prince Andrew down to number nine. Jul 27, 2021 AceShowbiz - Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry's second child, daughter Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, has officially been added to the royal line of succession almost two months after her birth. The official royal website was updated Monday, July 26, days after the family faced backlash at the weekend (July 24-25) when it was noticed by royal watchers that Lilibet had not been added to the succession line following her birth in June of 2021, reported Fox News. According to editors at The Daily Mail, who first pointed out the omission, Lilibet's brother Archie, two, was added to the list two weeks after his birth. Lilibet, whose name is a tribute to both Queen Elizabeth II and Harry's late mother, Princess Diana, is eighth in line to the British royal throne, according to the official succession list on the Royal Family's website, bumping Harry's uncle Prince Andrew down to number nine. By comparison, when Prince William and Kate Middleton's third child, Louis, was born, his name was reportedly added to the list after 12 days. And the name of minor royals Zara and Mike Tindall's son Lucas, who was born in March was added immediately, wrote the Mail. The delay comes months after Meghan and Harry alleged in a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in March that they were mistreated by other members of the royal family before they made the decision to step back from their duties and move to California. Meghan, who is biracial, also claimed that prior to Archie's birth, there were concerns among unnamed royal family members about how dark her child's skin would be. WENN/Mario Mitsis/Euan Cherry Celebrity 'I didn't think I was probably worthy to go to their wedding,' the ex-wife of Prince Andrew says in an interview while discussing about not being invited to the 2011 royal wedding. Jul 27, 2021 AceShowbiz - Sarah Ferguson was hurt when she found out that she wasn't invited to Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding back in April 2011. In a new interview, the Duchess of York revealed that she felt a roller-coaster of emotions over the snub. "I didn't think I was probably worthy to go to their wedding," the ex-wife of Prince Andrew told Town & Country in an interview on Monday, July 26. Sarah then shared that she treated herself to a healing vacation to heal the wound, saying, "I took myself to Thailand, actually, to be far away from it so that I could try and heal." While she wasn't among the guest list at the Cambridges' wedding, Sarah was invited to the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May 2018. She attended the nuptials alongside daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. Of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the "Her Heart for a Compass" author said, "It was very kind of them. She recalled that it was "quite extraordinary" to hear crowds of supporters cheering as she arrived at the ceremony. "I can't thank them enough for doing that because it was nerve-wracking. ... I sort of looked around like, 'Are they doing that for me?' Then someone went, 'Fergie,' and it was the old Fergie back." she added. The "Finding Sarah" star then shared how it felt being compared to Princess Diana during her time as a royal family member. "It was always that Diana was portrayed as the saint and I was portrayed as the sinner," Sarah said. "I believe that Diana would be so proud of her boys ... and she'd be so proud of her grandchildren." The experience allowed her to relate to Harry and Meghan's hardships. Back in 2019, Sarah showed support for Meghan, who has been facing scrutiny from public. "I know what Meghan is going through," she divulged at the time. "It must be hard for Meghan, and I can relate to her. I believe she is modern and fabulous. She was famous before. She is great. Why can't Meghan be great? Why can't she be celebrated? I have been in Meghan's shoes, and I still am. There's always a twist of negativity and it just gets so sad and tiring; it's hard and mean." WENN Movie Helmed by Andrew Levitas, the movie highlights the tragic real-life story of deadly mercury poisoning in Japan when Chisso Corporation chiefs pumped lethal chemicals into local waters. Jul 27, 2021 AceShowbiz - The director of Johnny Depp's film "Minamata" has slammed Hollywood studio bosses, alleging they dumped the project due to the star's messy legal battles. Andrew Levitas has written to MGM chiefs, accusing them of failing to release and promote the film, which highlights the tragic real-life story of deadly mercury poisoning in Japan when Chisso Corporation chiefs pumped lethal chemicals into local waters. "Minamata" features Depp as W. Eugene Smith, a real-life former photojournalist, who was preparing to retire when he decided to accept one last assignment from an editor at America's Life magazine, played by Brit Bill Nighy. Smith ultimately photographed and exposed the catastrophic environmental and human disaster, caused by decades of illegal acts. MGM officials snapped up the film last autumn (2020) and announced they planned to release it internationally in February 2021 but the date came and went and the venture remains unreleased. Now, Andrew has had enough. He writes in the letter, obtained by Deadline on Monday, July 26, that MGM's head of acquisitions, Sam Wollman, told him they had decided to "bury the film". "Roughly a year ago MGM purchased the North American rights to the film 'Minamata' after viewing it at the Berlinale [Berlin Film Festival]," Levitas writes. "MGM was intent on bringing to light the suffering of the thousands of victims of one of the most heinous industrial pollution incidents the world has ever seen. In re-exposing their pain in the sharing of their story, this long marginalized community hoped for only one thing - to lift history from the shadows so that other innocents would never be afflicted as they have... and it seemed in that moment, with MGM's partnership, a decades-long wish was finally coming true. "Now, imagine the devastation when they learned this past week, that despite an already successful global roll out, MGM had decided to 'bury the film' because MGM was concerned about the possibility that the personal issues of an actor in the film could reflect negatively upon them and that from MGM's perspective the victims and their families were secondary to this." An MGM spokesperson tells the outlet, "The film was acquired for release via American International Pictures (AIP), a division of MGM which handles day-and-date releases. Minamata continues to be among future AIP releases and at this time, the film's U.S. release date is TBA." Last year (2020), Depp lost a high-profile London High Court libel case against publishers of The Sun newspaper following the publication of an article, in which he was described as a "wife-beater". The actor, who unsuccessfully appealed the decision, subsequently lost his role as Gellert Grindelwald in the third "Fantastic Beasts" film, after High Court judge Mr. Justice Nicol ruled the newspaper piece was "substantially true". He is also suing his ex-wife, Amber Heard, for defamation in the U.S. Instagram Celebrity Denying the speculation that he was sensually grabbing the woman in the video, the 'Drip Too Hard' MC claims he was simply telling her to 'get girls out our section.' Jul 27, 2021 AceShowbiz - Lil Baby may have realized the consequence of being put in the limelight since entering the industry, but he never signed up for getting his privacy invaded. The rapper has called out a fan or a fellow clubgoer who captured his seemingly intimate moment with a woman. In the clip which has gone viral, the 26-year-old was seen putting his hand on the woman's shoulders while partying in a club. The sighting prompted people to speculate that he was cozying up to the woman in the video. "he stay cheating nothing new," one person commented on the video, accusing Lil Baby of cheating on his on-again/off-again girlfriend Jayda Cheaves. Another suggested, "Jayda need to gone ahead and pop out with her new man cause Chile this is embarrassing." A third one remarked, "Lol, Wayda NOTHA minute! Lol. Ayesha is the least of your worries! Boom!" Catching wind of this, Lil Baby has set record straight on his action in the clip. "Let me life !! I was telling her to get girls out our section !!" so the "We Paid" MC explained, before calling out the haters and the one who filmed him, "Y'all be creeps fr !! Tf is you recording me." Some people have also come to Lil Baby's defense, with one writing, "Why they recording him that's so lame." Another opined, "He's a single young man I don't see anything wrong," while someone else told the Internet trolls to "stay out that man business he grown." Meanwhile, Jayda has made a cryptic comment in light of Lil Baby's video with the woman in the club. While it's unclear if she and Lil Baby are currently back together or not, she seemingly threw a shade at him as she could relate to a quote about a toxic relationship. "I was in a relationship so toxic that when we broke up people started congratulating me," read the quote posted by Justin LaBoy with a caption, "So glad I made it out that relationship alive." Agreeing, Jayda then commented on the post, "Lol this the one." Instagram Celebrity The 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' alum and the Blink-182 drummer reportedly spend time with Tommy Lee and his wife during their time at the Rosewood Miramar Beach resort in Montecito, California. Jul 27, 2021 AceShowbiz - Nothing is filtered between Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker. The "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" alum and the Blink-182 drummer, who are no stranger to showing PDA on their outings, were spotted making out at a stranger's wedding party in Montecito, California. On Saturday, July 24, the twosome took a romantic stroll at the Rosewood Miramar Beach resort. An eyewitness told E! News that the pair then made their way near the main courtyard where wedding guests started gathering, but they seemed unbothered with the group of people. "Several wedding guests wanted a chance to talk to the couple, but the lovebirds looked happy and started to make out," the eyewitness further spilled to the outlet. "They exited the patio area they were in and held hands while walking toward the beach." Meanwhile, a second source told the publication, "On Saturday, Kourtney and Travis did a morning workout and walked out arm-in-arm." Noting that the couple was later seen at the pool, the insider added, "They were just talking with Tommy Lee and his wife. When they exited the pool, Travis held the door for Kourtney." This was not the first time Kourtney and Travis stole people's attention with their PDA. When watching a match between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor at UFC 264 earlier this month, the Poosh founder and her musician boyfriend French kissed on camera. Since their trip to Las Vegas, the duo, who confirmed their romance in February, were rumored to have engaged. However, a source told HollywoodLife.com that the ex-husband of Shanna Moakler has yet to pop the big question to the reality star. "Kourtney and Travis are not engaged. There are no plans for an engagement anytime soon," the source claimed. "Kourtney still has no interest in getting married or engaged to anyone. Marriage is just not her thing," the insider continued. "She doesn't like that kind of a commitment to anyone. She's happy, more in love than ever and Travis is fine with not being married to her. Friends don't see her changing her mind but thats just who she is." Instagram Celebrity Jamie Watson is captured looking at the 'Oops!... I Did It Again' songstress' social media account in an image shared by his wife featuring them half undressed. Jul 27, 2021 AceShowbiz - Britney Spears has been attracting social media users with her Instagram contents amid her conservatorship battle and Jamie Lynn Spears' husband is apparently one of them. Jamie Watson has been caught checking out the Princess of Pop's account in an intimate photo shared by his wife. On Monday, July 26, Jamie Lynn shared pictures from her family vacation with her husband and her two children at The Ritz. In one of the snaps, the "Zoey 101" alum was half undressed while taking a mirror selfie that also captured her husband sitting on a desk in front two laptops. Jamie, who was shirtless in the image, seemed to be occupied with his cellphone though. Upon a close examination, eagle-eyed fans noticed that he was looking at a page from a book that was recently posted by his sister-in-law. "Kindness. Do you know what really turns me on? What I find incredibly sexy? Kindness," so read a quote from the page. Jamie Lynn, however, was apparently unaware of her husband's activity as she posted the particular snap on her Story with the caption that read, "he's always working." Meanwhile, on her Instagram feed, she captioned the post with, "Thankful to get this time with my family in between our busy work and practice schedules with the kids lol." Britney's fans couldn't help poking fun at the shocking discovery. "Not Jamie Lynn's husband checking out the book post in between Britney's t**ties, how embarrassing," one person tweeted. Another claimed, "Jamie Lynn and her husband are obsessed with Britney," adding the crying, laughing face emoji and "#FreeBritney." This arrives after Jamie cleared up speculation that Britney paid for her beachside condominium in Florida. Fired back at the rumors, she posted on Instagram on Monday, "I don't own a condo, and I can assure you that no one has ever bought me a place at the beach, because I prefer my beach vacations's at the Ritz anyway Simple FACTS. Y'all need to stop reachin'." Instagram TV 'Her Heart for A Compass' won't hit the shelves until August 3, bt the Duchess of York is already working on a television pitch for the Victorian era novel based on the life of her great-great-aunt. Jul 27, 2021 AceShowbiz - Sarah Ferguson hopes her debut novel, "Her Heart for A Compass", will make it to the small screen as a period drama like "Bridgerton". And the Duchess of York is already working on a television pitch for her historical novel, which will be published on August 3. "I'm really hopeful that 'Her Heart for a Compass' will come to life on screen: I see it as a TV series rather than a film," Ferguson told Variety. "Things are at a very early stage but we're already in talks with some program makers about the potential to make it into a historical drama." "Everyone involved is looking at the success of [Netflix series] 'Bridgerton' as a demonstration of the immense appeal of period drama on streaming services," a source told Variety. According to the insider, Fergie's representatives are already talking to Amazon and Netflix bosses. The Victorian era novel is based on the life of Fergie's great-great-aunt, Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott, with action taking place in England, Scotland, Ireland, and New York City in the 1870s. Sarah's previous showbusiness credentials include producing the 2009 film "Young Victoria", which starred Emily Blunt as Queen Victoria, and "Budgie the Little Helicopter", the British animated show based on her popular children's book series. The Duchess herself is a big fan of "Bridgerton". In an interview with Us Weekly, she admitted, "I adored 'Bridgerton' so much that I watched it twice, deliberately. I'm obsessed with it. I think Daphne is a terrific character, as we see her learning about life. I love the way she learns to use her strong voice. It chimed with me because now is the time for women to speak up." CHICO, Calif. The community in Chico is reacting after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced new COVID-19 requirements on Monday. Starting in August, all California state employees and health care workers must show proof of their COVID-19 vaccination or get tested regularly. Action News Now spoke with a local dentist who said since it's all new and just announced, his office will review the policy, have a meeting about it and go from there. Dr. Christopher Lim, with Yellowstone Family Dentistry, said his office is still requiring employees and patients to wear masks and doing everything they can do to stay safe. He understands why the state is upping precautions in the medical field but thinks getting the vaccine should be a choice for everyone. However, he said his office will continue following all state guidance just as they have been since the beginning. "Protecting our patients and staff is the number one priority of what we do. Nothing there will change and honestly, nothing we do has changed since the beginning with all the precautions we take to protect our patients and staff anyways, it's just one more thing we'll have to regulate with our staff," said Dr. Lim. The new changes from the state will take effect in August and there are around 10 employees at Yellowstone Family Dentistry that this will impact. Action News Now also spoke with representatives with Ampla Health who said they are ready to comply and do their part to keep everyone safe. At Ampla Health its important for us to keep our staff and patients as safe as possible," said Rocio Valdez, Director of Communications. "Getting vaccinated will be key in doing so and we are hoping that everyone watching can make that choice and get vaccinated for the well-being of everyone and hopefully we can get out of this pandemic sooner rather than later." Valdez said all Ampla Health care centers are offering free COVID-19 vaccines. People just need to call to make an appointment. According to state data, about 62% of all eligible Californians are fully vaccinated. However, the state has struggled to make significant progress in recent weeks. For continuing coronavirus coverage, click here. CANTON, Ga. (AP) A Georgia man accused of killing eight people at three Asian massage businesses has been sentenced to life without parole. Robert Aaron Long pleaded guilty to all charges in the first four shooting deaths. He said he wanted to punish the people who enabled his sex acts. A prosecutor described his crimes and said Cherokee County investigators saw no evidence of racial bias. That's at odds with the hate crime enhancement he faces in Atlanta, and is sure to frustrate observers outraged over his apparent targeting of Asian women in the shootings. SHASTA COUNTY, Calif. - A man pleaded guilty to a 1995 cold case murder of Christine Munro and faces three life sentences without parole, according to the Shasta County District Attorneys Office. James Earl Watkins pleaded guilty on Monday to first-degree murder and admitted to three allegations for kidnapping, robbery and lying in wait, the DA office said. RELATED: Suspect to face trial for 1995 murder of Christine Munro Watkins will be sentenced on Aug. 25 at 1:30 p.m. at the Shasta County Superior Court. Munro, a nurse and mother of four, was attacked while jogging on the south side of the Sacramento River on June 24, 1995. Watkins was 17 years old at the time. Watkins was serving a 14-year sentence in a Texas state prison for a robbery. In January 2020, Major Crimes Detective Rusty Bishop resubmitted fingernails scrapings, which later matched the DNA profile of Watkins. Redding Police Department and the Senior Deputy DA obtained a search warrant for DNA from Watkins. A test confirmed that the DNA of Watkins was under Munro's fingernails at the time of the murder, the police department said. Watkins was then transferred from Texas to Redding on Nov. 13, 2020. On Oct. 22, 2020, the DA filed criminal charges including murder and three special allegations. Good morning, North State. Here's what you need to know to start your day on July 27. Dixie Fire has burned 208,206 acres, containment reaches 23% The Dixie Fire continues to burn in Plumas and Butte counties. It has now grown to more than 208,000 acres with containment still at 23%. Fire personnel said easier terrain and cooler temperatures are now helping them slow the fire's growth. We are still tracking evacuation orders for this fire. Chico City Council interviewed 21 applicants to fill two vacancies The Chico City Council will formally choose two candidates to fill two vacant council seats. Its down to 6 candidates nominated by the council. In order for someone to be appointed for the seat they will need at least three votes from the current city council. That person will be sworn in a week from now. California to require proof of vaccination for state workers California state employees and health care workers will soon need to show proof they've gotten a COVID-19 vaccine. It takes effect next month. The mandate comes with the option of wearing a mask and receiving testing at least once a week if a worker does not want to be vaccinated. At least 238,000 state employees and 2 million health care workers across public and private sectors will be subject to the new mandate. Plane crashes near Truckee-Tahoe airport, fire contained Investigators are working to determine how many people were killed in a plane crash near the Truckee-Tahoe Airport. Search crews say there were no survivors in Monday's crash. It started a fire in the treeline but firefighters were able to quickly get the flames under control. Local investigators are now working with the national transportation safety board and the federal aviation administration to find out what happened. Jan. 6 hearing opens as police detail violence, injuries A select committee will hear testimony from four police officers who fought off rioters on Jan. 6. Representative Bennie Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi, will serve as chairman of the select committee, along with eight committee members. The hearing is set to start at 9:30 a.m. with opening statements from Thompson and Cheney. Final victim found at site of collapsed building in Florida The final victim of the Surfside, Florida building collapse has been identified more than a month after the building fell. That brings the death toll to 98. Just days ago, crews concluded their efforts removing more than 14,000 tons of broken concrete and rebar before declaring the mission 'complete.' Simone Biles exits team final after vault This morning world champion gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from the women's team gymnastics event at the Tokyo Olympics. In a statement, USA Gymnastics said Biles withdrew due to a medical issue. That statement says Biles will be assessed daily to determine her joining future competitions. The superstar gymnast brought home four gold medals in the 2016 Olympics. BYJUS, the worlds leading edtech company, with 100 million registered students on its flagship learning app today acquired Singapore headquartered Great Learning, a leading global player in the professional and higher education segment in a transaction valued at USD 600 million comprising cash, stock and earnout. It has earmarked a further $400 million of investment into this segment towards accelerating Great Learnings growth. The acquisition marks BYJUS strong push into the professional upskilling and life-long learning space globally with a total commitment of $1 billion, expanding its offerings beyond the K12 and test prep segments, and further accelerating the companys growth plans. This partnership brings together BYJUS technology and content expertise with Great Learnings sought-after professional courses at a significant time when the COVID-19 pandemic and evolving industry dynamics have encouraged professionals in India and globally to upskill themselves. Great Learning will continue to operate as an independent unit under the BYJUS group under the leadership of its Founder and CEO, Mohan Lakhamraju and co-founders, Hari Nair and Arjun Nair. With this substantial investment, Great Learning will accelerate its organic and inorganic growth in India and across global markets and expand its high-quality, transformational offerings to learners everywhere. Byju Raveendran, Founder, and CEO, BYJUS said, Empowering learners with the right futuristic skills forms a fundamental part of our vision. Great Learning is a globally recognized and reputed professional education company and this partnership expands our reach into this new segment. We are united in our mission to provide professionals with high-quality and industry-relevant learning programs in this competitive global economy. With our combined strength, we aim to become a global market leader in this segment. Mohan Lakhamraju, Founder and CEO of Great Learning, said At Great Learning, we have been working towards our mission of making high-quality, transformational education accessible to learners everywhere. Together with BYJUS, we will be able to accelerate our progress towards this goal and meet the growing need for upskilling both in India and around the world. Further, as higher education moves online, we will leverage our joint strengths in technology, content, pedagogy and instructors to create unparalleled learning opportunities at affordable prices for everyone. Founded in 2013, Great learning, a boot-strapped company, has delivered over 60 million hours of impactful learning to 1.5 million learners from over 170 countries. It leverages a carefully curated network of 2800+ industry expert mentors to deliver high quality learning outcomes and works with more than 500 corporate partners for their upskilling and talent needs. With best in class completion rates and learner satisfaction, Great Learnings approach is differentiated by its mentored learning model and its deep and proven commitment to quality. Great Learning collaborates with the best universities in the world including Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), McCombs School of Business - University of Texas at Austin, Northwestern University, National University of Singapore (NUS), Deakin University, IIT Madras, IIT Roorkee, IIIT Hyderabad, IIIT Delhi, Shiv Nadar University, Great Lakes Institute of Management and others to offer Degree, Diploma and Certificate programs. The company also offers over 500 free courses through its Great Learning Academy to help college students and working professionals start their learning journeys. Great Learning is a global company and its teams are based out of Singapore, the USA and all the metro cities in India. For BYJUS, this acquisition reiterates the companys focus on creating impactful learning products for students by adding more verticals, subjects, and languages to the same platform. Launched in 2015, BYJUS is the leader in offering personalized learning programs for school students in India. With over 100 million students cumulatively learning from the app, 6.5 million annual paid subscriptions, and an annual renewal rate of 86%, the app creates personalized learning programs for individual students based on their proficiency levels and capabilities which help them learn at their own pace and style. In just 6 months during the lockdown, BYJUS has added 45 million new students to its platform. Raymond Consumer Care has appointed Pooja Sahgal, the former Marketing and Ecommerce Head at Kaya Ltd as Head of Marketing, according to the sources. Sahgal is an accomplished marketer, in the consumer goods industry with strong strategic experience in emerging and developed markets. She is also a result oriented brand management professional who has delivered success on global and local brands across foods, personal and home care. Sahgal has been associated with the industry for two decades and has served her stints at well-known brands like LOreal, Kellogg UK, Marico Ltd, JWT and Unilever. The COVID-19 pandemic has been ruthless in many ways. Apart from the psychological scars that most families have gone through, market research company Ipsos has probed about the long-lasting impacts. Urban Indians named top 3 concerns of Higher Unemployment Rates and Lost Earnings (41%), Children being unable to make up for the missed formal education and making it worse (38%), and Worse mental health and wellbeing (35%), as the most long-lasting outcomes of the pandemic. The pandemic has led to job losses, job cuts and salary cuts. Financially, it has hit the families the most, because of medical cost due to the pandemic, and then with lowering of earnings for families, due to the shutdown and trimming of the workforce. This impact will last longer as recovery is slow and impeded, unless every citizen is vaccinated and the pandemic is behind us, said Amit Adarkar, CEO, Ipsos India. Ipsos global survey seeks to measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education, wellbeing and life opportunities of children and young people. Issues affecting wellbeing of children as they return to school Urban Indians believe it may not be a cakewalk for kids to adapt as they return to school after a long hiatus. And Urban Indians believe, different age groups of children might need to brace up for their own sets of challenges. For kids aged up to 11 years, the biggest roadblocks perceived by Urban Indians were: Adjusting to changes in the school environment (43%), maintaining focus and concentration on school work (42%) and coping with worries about the COVID-19 virus (38%). Further, Urban Indians believe, for older kids (aged 12-15 years) top issues they could confront could be: maintaining focus and concentration on school work (46%); maintaining good behaviour and discipline (35%); and coping with worries about the COVID-19 virus (32%). Kids in the 16-18 age group were concerned about facing issues like: Maintaining focus and concentration in school work (43%), maintaining good behaviour and discipline (35%) and coping with worries about the COVID-19 virus (35%). Children are likely to be out of sync with the strict school discipline and controlled behaviour. They have gotten accustomed to a different lifestyle during the pandemic and coming up to speed to a more disciplined school regimen and behaviour and maintaining the COVID-19 protocols will need tighter controls in schools and a lot of adaptation by children. I foresee some initial teething troubles until everything falls into place, added Adarkar. School Closures At least 7 in 10 Urban Indians (70%) polled believe school closures are/ were the acceptable price to pay for reducing COVID-19 transmissions. Top countries backing this view were: Mexico (81%), Peru (81%), Columbia (80%), Chile (79%) and Saudi Arabia (76%). And the markets agreeing least and at the bottom of the heap were: South Korea (38%) and Japan (31%). Children are and will continue to be a highly vulnerable cohort, until vaccines for them are launched. And unless they are vaccinated, they will need to tread with utmost discretion, cautioned Adarkar. Post COVID Roadmap how access to education can be improved Urban Indians believe access to education can be improved with funding: 53% believe school uniforms, books, transport and education expenses should be funded; 35% believe direct investment in schools to cover maintenance and staff costs and 34% support funding for IT Training Programs to improve digital skills. Public Spending after COVID19 Public Healthcare tops in the Urban Indians priorities (50%), social security and financial support of people (43%) and government training programs to improve peoples skills and employability (29%) are the areas the government should focus on believe urban Indians. Methodology These are the results of a 29-market survey conducted by Ipsos on its Global Advisor online platform. Ipsos interviewed a total of 20,010 adults, aged 18-74 in the United States, Canada, Malaysia, South Africa, and Turkey, aged 21-74 in Singapore, and age 16-74 in 23 other markets between Friday, May 21 and Friday, June 4, 2021. Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland Bern, 27.07.2021 - On 21.07.2021 the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) closed the criminal proceedings being conducted against persons unknown on suspicion of money laundering committed in Switzerland between 2008 and 2010. The case related to fraud committed in Russia against Russian tax authorities at the end of 2007. The forfeiture of a sum equivalent to more than CHF 4 million has, however, been ordered. Investigations in Switzerland Based on areport alleging criminal activity filed by Hermitage Capital Management Ltd ("Hermitage"), a company based in London founded by William Browder, and a report of suspicions of money laundering, the OAG opened a criminal investigation on 3 March 2011 against persons unknown on suspicion of money laundering (Art. 305bis Swiss Criminal Code [SCC]). More specifically, the OAG's suspicions related to acts of money laundering alleged to have been committed in Switzerland between 2008 and 2010, following a fraud committed in Russia to the prejudice of Russian tax authorities at the end of 2007, which led to undue tax refunds totalling an equivalent of USD 230 million being made. These funds were alleged to have been laundered first in Russia and then in several other countries, and partly in Switzerland. In response, the OAG ordered the seizure of assets equivalent to around CHF 18 million. During the investigation, the OAG's enquiries concentrated on clarifying the suspicions relating to the laundering of the sums diverted from Russia through bank accounts in Switzerland. The OAG's investigations have in particular necessitated the disclosure of information on a large number of bank accounts in Switzerland, the filing of several requests and supplementary requests for mutual assistance abroad, i.e. in Moldova, Lithuania, Russia (the country in which the predicate offence was committed), Cyprus and the USA, and the interview of a substantial number of persons in Switzerland and abroad. The evidence thus obtained enabled the OAG, with the assistance of its financial specialists, to conduct an analysis of the financial transfers. Several reports have been prepared in this connection, the last dating from May 2021. The circumstances surrounding the death of Sergei Magnitsky in Russia, and its political repercussions, including the "Magnitsky lists", are not therefore the object of the present proceedings, as the investigation of these matters falls outside the OAG's jurisdiction. Closure of the case and forfeiture of more than CHF 4 million Based on its extensive enquiries, the OAG can now confirm that the investigation has not revealed any evidence that would justify charges being bought against anyone in Switzerland; the decision has therefore been taken to close the proceedings in accordance with Article 319 paragraph 1 letter a of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrimPC). Nevertheless, in view of the fact that a link has been established between some of the assets under seizure in Switzerland and the predicate offence committed in Russia, the OAG has ordered the forfeiture of assets and recognised a compensatory claim in favour of the Confederation. The total sum involved is equivalent to more than CHF 4 million. As an independent prosecution authority, the OAG has a legal responsibility to seek the truth, regardless of whether the evidence is incriminatory or exculpatory. In money laundering cases, a link between the sums suspected of being laundered in Switzerland and a predicate offence, a felony, generally committed abroad, must be established with a sufficient degree of certainty. Review of Hermitage's status as a complainant As part of the proceedings, Hermitage was recognised as a complainant in 2011. However, in the course of the investigation other parties to the proceedings cast doubt on Hermitage's status as a complainant. In reaching its decision to close proceedings, the OAG therefore re-examined the question of Hermitage's status as a complainant. It concluded that despite extensive enquiries, it had not been possible to demonstrate that the funds under investigation in Switzerland originated from an offence committed to Hermitage's detriment. The OAG has therefore decided to revoke Hermitage's status as a complainant. Appeal deadlines The OAG has indicated that the parties have ten days if they wish file an appeal against its order of 21.07.2021 with the Federal Criminal Court. As the appeal deadline has not yet expired, the order has yet to take effect and is therefore not available for consultation. Address for enquiries Communication Service, Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland, info@ba.admin.ch Publisher Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland http://www.ba.admin.ch/ STARBUCK, Minn. Paul Freeman purchased some Farmall Red paint and made four tractors look new again. He painted a Farmall M, Farmall 400, Farmall 560, and a Farmall 856 in mid-July. That was a fun project, he said. I figured as long as Im doing a couple of them, I might as well do four of them. The Farmall M was a tractor Paul got years ago. He gave it to his brother for nothing, but by the time he got it working, Paul figured his brother had paid too much for it. Painting up the M was something Paul wanted to do for him. The Farmall 400 runs an auger at one of Pauls bin sites, and the Farmall 560 is the first tractor that he ever purchased. The Farmall 856 is a tractor he bought, fixed up, and has for sale. The main driver for painting was getting that 856 ready to sell, but as long as I was spraying, I figured Id do the others, he said. The tractors look good, and the Farmall 856 that is for sale will work well for putting up hay. The crop situation turned serious with little to no rain for the month of July. The drought conditions remind him of 1988, Paul said, although there was more heat associated with 1988. For corn, July is make or break and the forecast isnt good, but you have to live off of what we actually get off the ground, he said. Crop insurance is becoming an important topic. I know I can grow half a crop, so when I look at crop insurance, Im insuring that 50-75 percent range, he said. There have been a few times Ive had prevent plant, and Ive had hail through the years. All in all, I have paid out more than Ive gotten back in, probably, but youre glad youve got that insurance in that year where you dont have much to sell. The start of July marks the end of the window to spray dicamba, according to the federal label in effect for 2021. As farmers and applicators navigated this updated label, early reports are that there werent as many issues in the Midwest regarding the herbicide. We didnt hear quite that much of an uproar, said Aaron Hager, University of Illinois Extension weed specialist. This season has not been terribly bad for us in terms of the number of complaints in Illinois, based on observation. The final spraying date for dicamba was June 30, according to the federal label, with Illinois moving its cutoff date up to June 20. Hager said some of the restrictions, such as temperature, should help limit drift damage in Illinois. He said when additional measures were put on in 2019, the label complaints dropped dramatically. Delays in the label process affected the 2020 growing season, and complaints jumped to over 700. With no delay this year, and with spraying limited to days under 85 degrees, he expects another lower year. I think that has contributed to helping reduce the number of complaints of off-target movement on the soybeans, Hager said. He also said some producers who use commercial applicators are opting to use gluphosinate instead of dicamba. After a fairly hot June, Iowa State University Extension weed specialist Prashant Jha said there may have been difficulties spraying dicamba due to the 85-degree restriction. And if there was product in the field, it could have adverse effects. Lainie Kringen-Scholtz Tri-State Neighbor Columnist Dr. Lainie Kringen-Scholtz is Associate Veterinarian at Twin Lakes Animal Clinic in Madison, South Dakota. Follow Lainie Kringen-Scholtz 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 The National High School Finals Rodeo was held in Lincoln, Nebraska this year at the Lancaster Event Center. We were honored to be the attending veterinarians at this rodeo, in partnership with Dr. Ashley Anderson (owner of Triple A Equine) of Big Lake, Minnesota. Heres a look into our week. Check-in Check-ins started on July 15. Horses from all over the U.S., Mexico, and Canada came over 72 hours. All in all, there were around 2,140 horses on site by the time check-ins were over. With check-in came checking paperwork. Horses were required to have a negative Coggins test (equine infectious anemia) within 12 months of the event. They were also required to have a health paper that was written within 30 days of the event. Performance The performances were July 18-24. Over the course of six days, there were 13 rodeo performances. Sunday the performance was at 7 p.m. and Monday through Saturday performances were at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. There was a first go, second go, and then the short-go to decide the world champion and reserve world champion in each event. In the timed event arena, they had barrel racing, tie-down roping, breakaway roping, steer wrestling and team roping. In the rough stock arena, they had bareback riding, goat tying, saddle bronc riding, pole bending, and bull riding. In the cutting arena, they had boys and girls cutting. And in the reined cow horse arena, they had reined cow horse and portions of the queen contest. We were on call for all the rodeo stock as well, but because rodeo has such a high standard of care in animal welfare, we saw zero cases of injuries to rodeo stock a great testament to the stock contractors and all they do for their animals. Lake Charles, Louisiana (70615) Today Rain showers in the morning with scattered thunderstorms arriving in the afternoon. High 86F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. If youre average, congratulations! Most of us are mediocre in most of our endeavors, somewhere in the large dome region of the Bell Curve, a graph of a normal distribution of values for a given variable. We might be relieved by this essential equality since happiness and satisfaction are more elusive towards the narrower, right end of the Bell Curve where the exceptional loiter. At the left end, government mollycoddles the underachievers, providing an ever-expanding safety net. At various venues, Ive seen giant billboards touting equality. Indeed, when it comes to such unalienable rights as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, then equality is self-evident. In fact, Americans make generous sacrifices in the pursuit of equity itself, which allocates resources to help underachievers bridge the gap -- often to the detriment of those with purported privilege. Equally evident is that we are endowed with different levels of skill and talent. Therefore, its downright disgraceful to mock billionaires as policy mistakes, after all, entrepreneurship inherently leads to inequality. Despite American Privilege, despite affirmative action, despite a multitude of DEI programs, despite massive assistance to help the needy, there remains an achievement gap. Unfortunately, pandering politicians pay no mind for fear of offending constituents sensibilities; when underperformance is addressed, it is usually in the context of inequality, rather than complacency. So many minorities succeed under a meritocracy, without the necessity to be superhuman, that it undermines the progressive mantra of systemic racism. Hopefully, those who accept personal responsibility will achieve equality in Americas middle class. Shunning the perverse perspective of 1619 Project Creator Nikole Hannah-Jones, who asserted that Cuba, of all places, has less inequality than the U.S., is a requisite mindset. Socialism is the greatest path to poverty, so Ill take a little inequality if theres potential for betterment, if my lot improves in absolute terms, even if I lag the wealthy. Interestingly, even they often claim a spot in the middle class, for it symbolizes American ideals of equality. Instead of demonizing successful entrepreneurs and CEOs, we might be grateful we dont suffer their burdens. Naturally, there is a deserved income gap, but the law of diminishing returns kicks in quickly. There is also a wealth creation gap: they create more societal wealth than they consume as they create more products, markets, and jobs that enhance our lives. Speaking of gaps, another one to mind is the happiness gap, and high achievers are often on the short end of that one. According to this study, only 1 in 10 high achievers are authentically happy. They are often trapped in a cycle of never-ending demands wherein the satisfaction of an accomplishment is fleeting before anxiety about whats next? sets in. Richard Branson probably repeated that question many times as he guided 17 years of development at Virgin Galactic and invested over a billion dollars to achieve the dream of commercial spaceflight. Maybe Branson, Jeff Bezos (Blue Origin), and Elon Musk (SpaceX) are furthering humankinds reach into the solar system. At a minimum, they are earning their inequality by forging the market for space tourism, and the potential mining of celestial resources that will potentially benefit us all. As with the early days of commercial flight, the well-heeled will enjoy first, but free markets will turn todays unequal luxuries into tomorrows commonplace stuff. Still, there is a gap to mind -- these visionaries are not really content. Bezos, for example, is already imagining the New Glenn rocket; instead of a few minutes above the Karman Line which delineates the edge of space, it will enable orbit. Despite his resented riches, Bezos is not the picture of perfect happiness. If you need more evidence of his dissatisfaction, just look at the left-wing nuts hes giving his money to. As for the Brilliant Elon Musk, he seems to be constantly on the cusp of madness, proof, perhaps, that theres a fine line between being a genius and being bonkers. So, if youre not a high achiever, be grateful you are not entrapped in the tyranny of excellence, but thankful towards those who dare embrace the pressures of perfectionism. They have earned the right to enjoy the fruits of their labor considering their rewards arent commensurate with their contributions to society. Indeed, instead of relaxing in opulence, they usually pursue further wealth creation for society. If you wisely invested in their companies, theyve disproportionately helped your 401K, but retirement for them may be an alien concept. Whats next? As for those blessed with comfortable mediocrity, we can achieve the American Dream, firmly embedded in the all-American middle class if we can prevent Biden from squeezing us too hard with more taxes, that is. Incessantly chasing an unreachable goal can be futile; furthermore, the burdensome bromide if at first you dont succeed, try, try again, sounds perilously close to the definition of madness. Maybe recalibrating goals would be more productive, for few people are going to remember in a couple of years who won that award you coveted but missed. Ricky Gervais captured this humility while hosting the Golden Globes: Were all going to die soon, and theres no sequel. So, most of us might as well appreciate our mediocrity, if that is our fortunate circumstance, rather than succumb to the liberal politics of envy. Memento Mori. Paradoxically, enjoying something without the demands of being great at it enhances productivity, because while one may try, one doesnt feel compelled into a Sisyphean effort to become something we arent. Dont let the demands of excellence curb your freedom to try, but not to try, try, again. As G.K. Chesterton put it, If a thing is worth doing, its worth doing badly. Thats a great antidote to procrastination, just remember: if it turns out youre not a prodigy or savant, then dont mind the gap. Image: Pixabay To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. The predatory, tyrannical Left typically seeks to establish its moral authority by portraying its quest for power as a defense of disadvantaged constituencies. Unfortunately for the leftist, the constituencies they claim to defend often include members who resist and disavow the Left's claim to represent them, thus deflating the Left's irrationally aggrandized sense of political entitlement. Like any intolerant bigot, the moralizing leftist demands unstinting loyalty and uncompromised obedience from those he or she claims to represent, and when this is not forthcoming, ugliness ensues. As is well known, Marx exhorted the workers of the world to unite. They never did. Taken as a theoretical abstraction, the world's workers were supposed to act as a single mass constituency marching behind the Left, but the actual workers proved to be more complex than Marx had allowed. They exhibited diverse interests and aspirations such that no single political movement could wholly capture or adequately represent them. This both explains and justifies the emergence of diverse political parties, but such diversity is anathema to the Left. In line with Marx's totalitarian vision, Lenin proclaimed his tiny sect to be the sole rightful representative of the working class. Those workers who proved unresponsive to this claim were either denounced as sellouts to the exploiters or dismissed as the deluded victims of false consciousness. When a group is championed by the Left, all its members are expected to acknowledge their avowed champion as such. The critical race theorists that presently infest our schools, universities, and media proclaim themselves to be the champions of all manner of "oppressed" minorities, but when individuals identified with these minorities resist this leadership, the critical racists accuse them of being untrue to their identity or dismiss them as suffering from false consciousness, even of buying into a "white" mentality. To have been identified as "oppressed" obligates one to resist one's "oppressors" under the unquestioned direction of the radical Left, and this obligation is as inalienable (it would seem) as natural rights were once held to be. Racial duties are irrescindable: those racially mobilized are expected to recognize their true leaders -- and to hate their designated enemies. But one's outward appearance doesn't determine one's political loyalties, and one's assigned identity isn't always as compelling as its political promoters demand. The leftists' claim to represent the interests of their chosen constituencies is always based on an unrealistic (and ultimately demeaning) abstraction. The Left seeks to ride to power on the backs of people who are supposed to see their own lives as amounting to little more than belonging to a group the Left claims to champion. But individuals, in all their diversity, are not so easily pigeonholed. All racial minorities in the United States are supposed to see themselves as ill-fated. Yet Americans of Asian descent tend to maintain intact families, excel in academics, and contribute very little to the nation's appalling social problems, despite having suffered past discrimination. Of course, the critical racist has an answer for this: Asian-Americans are "white adjacent." They've been contaminated -- oppressorized, one might say. Contamination with "whiteness," it seems, prompts affected individuals to lead successful lives rather than stewing in hateful resentment, and no leftist can encourage a disposition like that; it might leave them with too few angry pawns to cynically incite. Even the Left's most heavily lobbied constituencies are prone to exhibit annoying diversity. When embarrassing defections happen, the Left's first impulse is to define the defector out of the constituent group altogether. Thus a person of color who objects to critical racism on principle may well be smeared as a "white supremacist" by an (often white) leftist who postures as the guardian of the unwittingly oppressed's true interest. "If only it were possible" (the leftist might reflect) "to identify a constituency that could never call my leadership into question ...!" Enter Mother Earth. When the earth is "championed" (that is to say, cynically exploited) it never complains. How can it? It's an insentient rock with a surface teeming with water and a physical mass sufficient to hold onto an atmosphere. The earth can't object when it's used as a platform for phony moral posturing on the part of political operatives seeking to empower themselves. The earth is an ideal, docile constituent on whose behalf the Left may advance its own demands without risk of embarrassing disavowals. The Left's constituencies are most useful when they are seen as fundamentally helpless. Any victim the Left chooses to embrace is treated as highly deserving of protection and this holds for the entire planet just as for any other lavishly pampered and infantilized constituency. Any resistance to the Left's demands can then be condemned as heartlessness itself. Climate change hysteria strikes us as -- at best -- a kind of absurdist theater, though in the final analysis, it must be said, it's just a bore. Its promoters work to gin up a moral panic to which the public -- to its credit - has proven largely unreceptive up to now. The whole tedious crusade is hard to see as anything other than the boutique obsession of a pampered, sneering, badly educated, rote-credentialed pseudo-elite. We strongly suspect the "climate science" that presently legitimates this hyped-up "crisis" will someday take its rightful place alongside other historical embarrassments like phrenology, racist eugenics, and Lysenko's gene-free biology. Concern for our shared environment should be uncontroversial, but much of what is sold as "environmentalism" is best understood in the context of the longstanding predatory practices of the tyrannical Left, with its ongoing effort to eradicate political diversity through moral intimidation. Of course, the Left harbors within itself its own sometimes unappreciated diversity -- it represents a coalition of predatory idealists and cynical profiteers. With these latter in view, we note that boldly championing the salvation of the planet from the evils of carbon is all the more attractive to a certain kind of especially well-healed and high-placed leftist when doing so might skew the market in a manner beneficial to certain "green" companies in which they themselves are heavily invested. Few things so swell the heart of posturing career leftists like turning a quick buck. The media's genuflection to the "climate change" fraud is galling, as is the constant recourse to it as the ultimate explanation for practically anything that goes wrong. It would be nice to see this smarmy, smirking, pseudo-intellectual con job beaten back. But don't expect the current generation of scientists to step in and tamp down the hysteria. Despite their undeniable expertise and highly specialized training, one must recognize that the scientist -- being first and foremost a human being, and hence subject to human foibles -- is likely more preoccupied with securing grant money (or winning political celebrity) than with protecting the integrity of whatever field awarded his or her credentials. Raining on the parade of a politically "settled" science is not likely to advance one's career; pandering to moneyed charlatans with friends in high places is always a lucrative pursuit. Exposing charlatans is a risky, and often thankless, task. Which is a shame, since if this charlatanism were effectively countered, this might silence the environmental Left, rendering our surroundings somewhat less absurd. Image: Ted Eytan To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. At least two decades ago, when I still listened to NPR, I got an "All Things Considered" story telling me that math was too white and masculine because it dealt in absolutes, which was off-putting to women and minorities. I was introduced to the concept of fuzzy numbers. This held that if you taught kids how to do things, you shouldn't stress them out by making sure they get the right answers. Even then, when I was still leftist(ish), I thought, "I wouldn't want to drive across a fuzzy math bridge." That academic theory has now become a central part of the leftist push for cultural dominance, with the latest victims being the schoolchildren of Louisville, Kentucky, who will soon learn "anti-racist" math. Here's the gist of the story from The College Fix: Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky will host a year-long professional training program on anti-racist mathematics. The program's goal is to "eliminate curricular violence and innovate mathematics education" through "anti-bias, anti-racist, and racially equitable practices." Educators will engage in monthly sessions with Lateefah Id-Deen, assistant professor of mathematics education at Kennesaw State University, which focus on topics like white supremacy in mathematics, racial trauma in mathematics, and creating anti-racist lesson plans. @jcpsky staff is invited to join our upcoming PD Cohort titled Anti-Racist Mathematics, facilitated by Dr. Lateefah ID-Deen. Register by visiting: https://t.co/4APD3rLuqO @AvenCook @Prof_IdDeenL #jcpsdep pic.twitter.com/gErkuOkWYn JCPS Diversity, Equity, and Poverty Department (@JCPSDEP1) May 3, 2021 [snip] Teachers accepted into the program are required to teach four social justice math lessons during the Spring 2022 semester. They are also expected to plan for wider dissemination of their learning within their schools and the district. Read more here. The curriculum gives you some insight into the madness that is about to enter Louisville's public schools: August 12, 2021: Anti-Racist Mathematics, Biases, and White Supremacy in Mathematics September 9, 2021: Classroom Environment, Racial Trauma in Mathematics, The Learner October 14, 2021: Anti-Racist Mathematics Lesson Planning Frameworks November 11, 2021: Facilitate Difficult Conversations and Lesson Plan Analysis December 9, 2021: Let's Plan Together January 13, 2022: Lesson Planning with Critical Friends Group February 16-18, 2022 (Tentative): Site Visits March 10, 2022: Leading from the Classroom (Part 1) April 14, 2022: Leading from the Classroom (Part 2) May 12, 2022: Reflections and Action Items Moving Forward I would call math racist if the word problems said, "Two Blacks and two Jews are walking through the street. They meet a gang of three Hitler Youth and three KKK members. If the Blacks and Jews are armed with six sticks weighing three ounces each, and the Hitler Youth and KKK are armed with six bats weighing eight ounces each, how long will it take the Hitler Youth and the KKK members to drive the Blacks and Jews out of town?" That's math wrapped in a layer of racism and White supremacy. Otherwise, no matter your color, religion, sex, or anything else, 2+2 will always equal 4. That is, it will always equal four unless we've truly entered Orwell's world, in which case it equals whatever Big Brother says it equals. I always wonder if people like Lateefah Id-Deen believe the garbage they're getting paid to disseminate, or if they're just con artists with a good gig. When it comes to the White teachers, they're all hypocrites because they still have jobs. If they believed the Critical Race Theory garbage they voice, they'd give their jobs, their homes, and their savings accounts to Black people or other politically correct minorities. What these teachers do like is an excuse for the fact that they're lousy teachers. If they were good teachers, they wouldn't be punishing the children in their care (many of whom are Black, since Louisville's population is 23.6% Black, which is almost double the average Black population across America) by informing them that math is inherently racist and that it is offensive to them to have to learn a White person's way of thinking. There is nothing inherent in Blacks that prevents them from learning math provided that math is taught intelligently. If it were up to me, I'd teach math using the techniques Maria Montessori developed more than 100 years ago in the slums of Rome. Unlike modern pedagogues, Montessori didn't go into those classrooms with socioeconomic theories and foist them on innocent, defenseless children. Instead, she looked at how children learn and came up with approaches that make math understandable and accessible. We can do at least that much for American children, regardless of their color. We would also do well to remember that, in China, they're not concerned about math's "race." They're concerned about churning out endless numbers of highly accomplished STEM students. Image: Math by rawpixel. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Representative Adam Kinzinger, Republican from Illinois, was one of ten Republicans voting to impeach Donald Trump, January 13, 2021. That impeachment consisted of just one article: "Incitement to Insurrection," an article that could only reflect the twisted partisanship of Nancy Pelosi and her puppets. Now, Pelosi told George Stephanopoulos, July 25, on his This Week program, that she wants to name Kinzinger to her January 6 committee In voting for Trump Impeachment II, Kinzinger has already shown that he is vulnerable to the most maliciously false attacks on a Republican president of which a Democrat is capable. It is to be expected that the false, incendiary language of Impeachment II will be released against Republicans throughout the life of the January 6 committee and going into the 2022 election cycle and beyond. Adam Kinzinger (photo credit: Hudson Institute, CC BY 2.0 license). In barring proud Republican conservatives from the committee, Democrats have signaled that they refuse even to sit on the same panel with members of the opposition party. What does that say about Democrat fidelity to the spirit of free debate in America? Furthermore, by January 25, 2021, five days after President Trump left office, the Senate received the text of the infamous Impeachment II. Kinzinger had to know that he was voting, in effect, to remove from office a former president. He had to know that if the Democrat ploy succeeded, Congress would be nullifying the Constitution's ban on bills of attainder legislative prosecution of private citizens. Even Kinzinger's family denounced his support for an impeachment falsely accusing Mr. Trump of inciting "insurrection" and, among other evils, threatening our democracy and national security. Will Kinzinger help Pelosi and her puppets put Impeachment II's lying, malicious accusations against a Republican president (soon to leave office) to further anti-GOP propaganda use? Make no mistake about this: Pelosi's puppets, namely the lying Schiff and radical Raskin, are going to have a field day dredging up the baseless, incendiary language of Impeachment II in their desperation, falsely to cast the GOP into ill repute, thereby seeking to impose one-party rule upon the people of the United States. The House Republicans should expel any member of the GOP caucus who supports Democrat schemes to convey an image to the American people that the Republican Party support insurrection against the government and would undermine our democracy and imperil national security. That action should have been taken against Kinzinger when he voted to impeach in the infamous text of Impeachment II. The House Republican leadership should expel any member from its caucus who takes part, starting Tuesday, July 27, in Pelosi's hearings. If Republicans in Congress have scant self-respect, how can they expect the American people to respect them? To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Notwithstanding the media's efforts to sell Biden as an avuncular type, he's a mean man and always has been. What's been occurring with increasing frequency is Biden's snapping at reporters who ask questions he can't or won't answer. It happened again on Monday, when he snapped at NBC's Kelly O'Donnell for asking about the Department of Veterans' Affairs' vaccine mandate. And typically for a leftist, O'Donnell forgave him the slight. Trump, who was never so blatantly rude, wouldn't have gotten the same pass. Biden was a famously nasty man before he entered the Oval House. During his first run at the White House at the end of the 1980s, he started his longstanding pattern of insulting voters who dared challenge him. He's made racist comments; insulted Blacks to their face; and, in the ultimate nastiness, allegedly assaulted Tara Reade in 1993, an incident confirmed by the contemporaneous evidence of her own mother's phone call to the Larry King Show. And if you want nasty, there's all his pawing of little girls and grown women. But if the reporters are leftists, they'll forgive anything a Democrat president does. Back in 1998, Nina Burleigh expressed the general attitude reporters had to Democrat presidents when she said of Bill Clinton, "I'd be happy to give him [oral 'sex'] just to thank him for keeping abortion legal." The media are not honest brokers. If they like your politics, you can do no wrong; if they disagree with your politics, they will destroy you. Biden's rudeness started in November, after the election, when he insulted a reporter for doing his job and asking questions: Asked Biden if he will encourage teacher unions to cooperate to get kids back in school because the COVID task force said it is safe to be in the classroom. He didn't answer. Why are you the only guy that always shouts out questions? he said. pic.twitter.com/x2DsG5Fmgo Bo Erickson CBS (@BoKnowsNews) November 20, 2020 On his very first day in the Oval Office, as his flacks tried desperately to herd away the reporters, Biden snapped at a reporter who asked about vaccinations: In May, Biden got nasty with a reporter who asked about masks: As his administration continues to be criticized for sending mixed messages to Americans on face mask use, President Biden snapped at a reporter Friday who asked why he wore one to a sparsely attended indoor event. The reporter asked Biden why he chooses "to wear a mask so often when you're vaccinated and you're around other people who are vaccinated." "Because I'm worried about you," Biden shot back in a serious tone. After a dramatic pause, Biden quickly backtracked, insisting, "No, that's a joke. It's a joke." In mid-June, in the lead-up to the Geneva summit, a CNN reporter asked Biden, who was boasting about his productive talks with Putin, why he thought Putin would "change his behavior." Biden started to yell at her; pulled back; gave a stupid answer; and, when she pushed again, told her, "You're in the wrong business." WATCH: President Biden fires back at reporter after asking if he is "confident" Russia will adjust behavior. Biden: I said what will change their behavior is if the rest of the world reacts to them and it diminishes their standing in the world. Im not confident of anything. pic.twitter.com/52c61tuCD7 Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) June 16, 2021 On Monday, the pattern repeated itself: Biden SNAPS at female reporter: "You are such a pain in the neck," then confirms VA medical staff will need to provide proof of vaccination pic.twitter.com/ClPbPffZjZ Benny (@bennyjohnson) July 26, 2021 That insult, followed by an "I'm joking" statement, is a classic passive-aggressive way of insulting someone. Among my parents' generation (and Biden is closer to them generationally than he is to me), all the women complained that their husbands did just that: they'd insult the women to their faces and then say, "I'm joking" or "You have no sense of humor." O'Donnell, true to her leftist philosophy, refused to take offense: "I take that as a compliment, Mr. President," @KellyO says, as the president joshes the veteran newswoman, calling her a "pain in the neck." https://t.co/EyYQdCqqdY Steven Portnoy (@stevenportnoy) July 26, 2021 Trump may have railed about fake news, but he was never so rude to individual members of the media. Nothing, though, blunted their hatred and contempt for the man. Tonight, while watching Mark Steyn hosting the Tucker Carlson show, I remarked that I understand those, like my sister, who never watch the news: it's really depressing. And then I caught myself and said, "It was never depressing during Trump's presidency." The media may have been unhappy, but the news was good. Now the news is horrible, and the guy in the White House is a nasty, pervy old man, but the media are in hog heaven. What awful people they all are. Image: Biden being nasty. Twitter screen grab. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. The Chinese are not nice these days, according to news reports: A senior Chinese diplomat on Monday bluntly warned the visiting American deputy secretary of state, Wendy R. Sherman, that the Biden administration's strategy of pursuing both confrontation and cooperation with Beijing was sure to fail. China's vice foreign minister, Xie Feng, told Ms. Sherman that the United States' "competitive, collaborative and adversarial rhetoric" was a "thinly veiled attempt to contain and suppress China," according to a summary of Mr. Xie's comments that the Chinese foreign ministry sent to reporters. Ms. Sherman's meetings offered the latest gauge of the Biden administration's strategy of stepping up pressure against the Chinese government on several fronts, including human rights and internet hacking, while seeking to work together on global problems like climate change and international health threats. Mr. Xie's remarks underscored the anger that has been building in China toward the United States, undermining the chances that the approach will work. In your face, Wendy, or something like that. The Chinese must feel that this kind of language does not cost them anything. Maybe they watched that CNN town hall meeting. Or maybe they saw the incoherent withdrawal from Afghanistan. Or maybe they expect the Biden administration to focus on climate change rather than growing the U.S. economy. China has decided that it can take shots at the U.S. without consequence. Why not? They allegedly hatched a virus that destroyed the world's economy and killed three million people. Wonder what they're thinking in Taiwan about all of this? I don't know, but I'd be worried if I lived on that island. PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk). Image: Max Pixel. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Last week, Nikole Hannah-Jones, a leader of the Marxist Democrat left and the architect of the poisonous lies of the N.Y. Times' "1619 Project," said, "The most equal multiracial country in our hemisphere is Cuba. This is largely due to socialism something most do not want to hear." This highly paid American woman, who has been blessed with the luck to be born in America and reached the highest level of prestige in journalism with all the gifts it has provided her, goes on to trash her country and laud the communist police-state dictatorship of Cuba. She cheers on the iron-fisted thugs and barbarians of Cuba who have enslaved and impoverished eleven million three hundred thousand people for over sixty years, murdered tens of thousands of innocents, and jailed hundreds of thousands for their political beliefs. This ingrate of a woman (sorry, is it now birthing person?) who spews the lies that America was born in slavery and continues to enslave blacks with structural racism, goes on to laud true slavery 90 miles from our shores. Here is a woman void of an ounce of wisdom, completely ignorant of history, yet earning hundreds of thousands of dollars each year spewing her Marxist poison. She again misses the profound irony that the cushy lifestyle she would never give up is provided by the capitalism and freedom she trashes. The socialism she lauds is the enslaving economic system that hands the average Cuban $25 a month. Right on, baby...burn it all down...you foolish woman, afflicted by the intellectual parasite of Marxism. As Mark Levin says in his book American Marxism, this destructive ideology is here. It is hard, pervasive, relentless, vicious, and destroying America from within. It has infected every vital institution of America from the Democrat party to the universities, schools, Hollywood, non-orthodox Jewish and Christian synagogues and churches, corporate America, sports, and journalism. Ms. Hannah-Jones could not have said it better than Marx himself we will burn down this putrid, oppressive, White, male, cisgendered, family-oriented, Christian American Western civilization with its foolish Bible; we will march through every institution. We will build our Marxist utopia by command of the new enlightened American Fidels of the Democrat party, N.Y. Times, Google, Twitter, Facebook, Yale's gender studies department, our new emasculated woke generals, and the hate-mongers of the Southern Poverty Law Center. The pandemic we suffer from is not COVID. It is Marxist Democrat leftism. Image: Elvert Barnes. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. There was an amazing confluence of events in Oakland, California, when uber-leftist Barbara "Call Me Senator" Boxer, the former senator from California whose departure paved the way for Kamala Harris, was mugged in a city that has led the way in defunding the police. Had the elderly Boxer been injured, I'd like to think I'm a decent enough person that I would have been shocked by what happened and felt for her. However, as she was not injured, I can only say that karma came a-knockin' on her door and that literally being mugged by reality is, perhaps, a useful experience for a leftist. According to SFGATE, a San Franciscobased online news outlet, Boxer got shoved and lost her phone: Boxer, 80, was assaulted by an assailant who "pushed her in the back, stole her cell phone and jumped in a waiting car," the tweet said. The former senator was not seriously injured in the confrontation, according to the tweet. In other words, she was a victim of the same smash-and-grab crime that's been sweeping America in the past year, whether the smashing is a window, a showcase, or a person. She's lucky that she didn't suffer the fate of the man in Brooklyn, who was bludgeoned into unconsciousness and literally rolled across the sidewalk for his wallet. To understand the schadenfreude I feel about what happened to Boxer, you first need to know her politics. Boxer was a leftist although, in her defense, she wasn't a bat-fecal-matter crazy leftist because she left Congress at the same time Trump entered, an event that drove the Democrat party completely insane. Indeed, looking at what a pre-2017 uber-leftist stood for, it's amazing to see how far left the party shifted just during Trump's presidency. (It's shifted even farther left in the six months of Biden's White House occupancy.) Boxer stood for the usual leftist stuff (abortion, environmentalism, anti-gun, hate crimes, anti-war, etc.), but she also had moments of sanity. Although she despised Netanyahu, she generally supported Israel (something that's now anathema among Democrats). She wanted election integrity laws but did show incipient signs of Trump Derangement Syndrome when she wanted to end the Electoral College after Trump's 2016 win. And she took useful stands on issues such as autism and health insurance (saying Americans should be able to get the same quality insurance policies as members of Congress). Those positions would get Boxer shamed out of the party nowadays. However, we all know that, had she stayed in the Senate, she would have gone as hard left as the rest of the Democrats. If you look at Boxer's voting record, she was always among the most progressive voters in Congress, earning 100% scores from every leftist group in America and single-digit scores from conservative groups. In other words, she always voted to the far left on whatever issue was before the Senate. That almost certainly means that she would have been a cheerleader for Black Lives Matter madness, including the push to defund the police. And defunding the police is exactly what Oakland, a crime-ridden American city did. In 2020, the Oakland City Council cut $14 million from the police budget, even as homicides increased by 47%. At the end of June 2021, the same council cut the budget by another $18 million, even though homicides were up 87% in 2021. Many on the council would have cut the budget by 50%, but some sanity prevailed. This self-destructive madness is the logical terminus of Boxer's politics. Here's the beauty of Boxer's brush with reality: normally, these crazy leftist policies, everything from defunding the police to opening the borders, leave the rich White and Black leftists who espouse them untouched. They live in quiet, safe, often gated communities, from which illegal aliens and other criminals are barred by good police forces, security systems, and private guards. It's very rare indeed, I'm hard-pressed to think of another example to see one of the rich leftists who enacted these horrible policies come a cropper because of them. And that's why I'm feeling nothing but schadenfreude over Boxer's truly minimal brush with the kind of crime her party is visiting on ordinary people across America's Democrat-run cities. That's true even though, to the extent these cities are Democrat-run, the ordinary people now victimized by crime are the same ones who put maniacs on the city councils and into their mayors' offices. Eventually, they're going to have to get mugged by reality, too, and start voting Democrats out of office, if anything is going to change. Image: Barbara Boxer by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. The Pentagon's wokester generals, such as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, have touted Critical Race Theory as the military's focus and a great success story. The guy under him, though, didn't have such good news. According to DefenseOne (hat tip: Mickey Kaus): A brutal loss in a wargaming exercise last October convinced the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. John Hyten to scrap the joint warfighting concept that had guided U.S. military operations for decades. "Without overstating the issue, it failed miserably. An aggressive red team that had been studying the United States for the last 20 years just ran rings around us. They knew exactly what we're going to do before we did it," Hyten told an audience Monday at the launch of the Emerging Technologies Institute, an effort by the National Defense Industrial Association industry group to speed military modernization. The Pentagon would not provide the name of the wargame, which was classified, but a defense official said one of the scenarios revolved around a battle for Taiwan. One key lesson: gathering ships, aircraft, and other forces to concentrate and reinforce each other's combat power also made them sitting ducks. "We always aggregate to fight, and aggregate to survive. But in today's world, with hypersonic missiles, with significant long-range fires coming at us from all domains, if you're aggregated and everybody knows where you are, you're vulnerable," Hyten said. Even more critically, the blue team lost access to its networks almost immediately. This is ugly stuff. The military's top strategic and tactical maneuvers such as the massing of force (remember "shock and awe"?) and information dominance from Big Tech, fell into enemy hands like a captured weapon. Long-range missiles made amassed force a liability, as such targets are easy to spot in a big group, while cyber-hacks (notice how those are stepping up?) took care of the rest, leaving the ships virtually useless with no information to go on. Both things have served the U.S. well in the last wars, from the Persian Gulf War of 1991 to the Iraq and Afghanistan endless wars that followed. Apparently, the long endless wars that never ended until apparently now on Joe Biden's watch served as a study point for our enemies to observe our strategies and tactics. Leaving the show on for a long time permitted authentic enemies with big firepower, such as Russia and China, all the study time they needed to get a sense of how our military operates. The fact that the Pentagon didn't seem to know that, or if it did, didn't know what to do about it, highlights just why a long, endless war against a hardly-worth-the-bother enemy, such as the stone-age Taliban, shouldn't be done making President Trump right again. Now the U.S. is being caught flat-footed in the real prospect of another war, something that can only embolden our enemies as they see how easy this is to do. They've prepared, while the Pentagon went wokester. If we had a real president in office, these people would be fired as a hazard to national security. They are hidebound, bureaucrat-bound, law-bound, and fighting the last wars. They all should be fired before something awful happens. If it really did happen, it sure would shake up the likeliest enemies of the U.S., who'd no longer have the easy blueprint they seem to have now. Image: Picryl, U.S. National Archives, public domain, CC0. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. I got an email from my congressperson's office today. It was a cute, chatty missive to constituents, boasting about said congressperson's work helping Britney Spears and others in conservatorships, telling people to get vaccines, and then talking about getting peaches from some agricultural group, and other banal and meaningless stuff. I snapped. I had spent my day reading about the January 6 political prisoners and leftist vaccine hysteria coupled with leftist support for an open border, and I just had it. I'll share with you what I wrote, but the important point is that more of us conservatives need to snap as I did: no threats (of course), but letting our politicians and corporations know what matters to us. I don't know much about game theory, but I do know this: if you're playing nice, and your opponent starts playing mean (violence, cheating, etc.), you cannot continue to be nice, because you will lose, and lose badly. The only thing to do is to mirror those tactics and, because you're better and smarter, escalate them to victory, at which point you can give your opponent the option to return to civility or to continue in a feral environment in which you will beat him. (And if I'm wrong about classic game theory, let's just say that this is my game theory, which reflects how human nature works.) For the past many decades, conservatives have been playing a polite game while Democrats have been fighting a vicious war. That is why they've taken over every institution, and it's questionable whether we can wrest them back. I can assure you, though, that we cannot wrest them back doing what we're doing now. When Democrats are offended by something, they create Twitter mobs, they deluge their elected leaders or corporations with letters and phone calls, and they take to the street in large numbers. For at least two decades, barring the Tea Party Movement that the Vichy Republicans shut down, conservatives have been polite. We just suck it up. We don't march, we don't form Twitter mobs (doxing is mean), and we seem peculiarly reticent or passive about contacting either our congresscritters or those woke corporations. Part of this passivity is because we conservatives tend to gripe to each other. If we're a minority in a mostly leftist community, we get together with those fellow conservatives we've been able to locate and complain about how awful it all is. In fortunate red communities, we shrug our shoulders at the crazy news from D.C. or other states and then get on with business. Those of us who are hyper-verbal write on the internet. The problem is that we're not convincing our elected officials; we're just reinforcing fellow conservatives' feelings about things. Let me hasten to add that I've done so for decades, first at my own blog and now at American Thinker. I like to think that, in doing so, other conservative writers and I have performed a useful function by bringing things to people's attention and, we hope, providing useful intellectual ammunition. But really, we need to start contacting those in power instead of talking to each other, which gets me to what I wrote my congresscritter. It was short, angry, and careful not to stray into threatening territory. My congresscritter is Republican, young, female, attractive, and came from a career that suggested a certain useful aggression. Her office's cutesy email reflected none of this, so this is what I fired off: Why aren't you a prominent part of pushing back against the inhumane and unconstitutional imprisonment under dire conditions of those arrested in connection with January 6? This treatment is especially egregious considering the fact that protesters for leftist and other Democrat causes are routinely allowed to walk free, not only without bail, but without charges. If you're not pushing back against this, you are failing in your sworn duty to defend the Constitution. And don't push the vaccine on me or any of your constituents. As long as Biden has an open border, no Republican should ever ask or tell an American citizen or legal resident to get vaccinated. You are again failing in your constitutional obligation when you let his behavior pass and then have the temerity to tell Americans to take a vaccine that they have good reason to distrust, given the administration's endless lies. I would have thought that you would have had some backbone. You're just going along to get along so far. You had the opportunity to be the conservative equivalent of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. You failed. There are congresspeople who, when it comes to January 6, have decided that maybe they should show a little courage. Today, at 1 P.M., Representatives Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Louie Gohmert (Texas), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), and Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) are going to hold a press conference outside the DOJ demanding that Merrick Garland answer questions about the status of the political prisoners from January 6 and about the related investigations. It's not much, but it's a start and my congresscritter apparently won't be there. If you're happy with your congressperson but still want your voice to be heard, sign up for the 75M and Rising email list of our own Sally Zelikovsky. As an example of what Sally does, I've embedded below the text of her latest missive. As for corporations, every single one of them has a department dedicated to handling complaints from the public. We're the public, and we need to start complaining. Lord knows we've heard often enough that some horrible corporate policy went into effect because of only a single leftist complaint. We can do better. So, ladies and gentlemen, pick up your pens or sit down in front of your keyboards, and start making some noise. Image: Letter. Pxhere. ********************** The Latest 75M & Rising Email Blast This will be a busy week. Sorry, but we've had some pretty light weeks and this one demands some attention. Today we will address the brouhaha over the Jan. 6th Joke-of-a-Commission. We will hit Cheney and Kinzinger with one email; and separate emails for Pelosi and McCarthy. This looks much more involved than it is. It's actually simple: constituents of the four congresspersons can simply copy and paste into the provided links. The rest of us will have to snail mail, fax, or call--I indicate my preferences for contact under each of their names. You can modify my emails but because it is critical we speak with one voice, I'd prefer if you'd just copy and paste what I have composed for each congressperson. This will also streamline and simplify the action you need to take. Tips to make this easier: (1) Copy and Paste each letter into separate Word documents for each congressperson--remember to address one to Cheney and one to Kinzinger so you should have a total of 4. (2) Format as you wish. Don't forget to include a salutation to each one such as Dear Congresswoman Cheney, Dear Congressman Kinzinger, Dear House Speaker Pelosi, Dear Minority Speaker McCarthy. And...sign your name. (3) Print out each document. (4) Fax to Cheney, Kinzinger, and McCarthy. (5) Put Pelosi's in an envelope, stamp and mail to her at the USPS. CHENEY AND KINZINGER Cheney Contact Info: -- If you are a constituent, you can contact her with the italicized message below by clicking here: https://cheneyforms.house.gov/contact/ -- The rest of us should fax or snail mail her the italicized message below and I recommend FAX: Congresswoman Liz Cheney 416 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 PHONE: 202-225-2311 FAX: 202-225-3057 Kinzinger Contact Info: -- If you are a constituent, you can contact him with the italicized message below by clicking here: https://kinzinger.house.gov/contact/ -- The rest of us should fax or snail mail him with the italicized message below and I recommend FAX: Congressman Adam Kinzinger 2245 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-3635 Fax: (202) 225-3521 Message to Cheney and Kinzinger: You can simply send a message demanding they resign from the Jan 6th Commission. But I think this situation at this point in time warrants some explanation and answers to the questions below: If you truly stood for conservative principles and objectively represented the conservatives in your district and in this country, you would recuse yourself from serving on Nancy Pelosi's Jan. 6th Joke-of-a-Commission. While no one condones any criminal actions that took place that day, to regain any trust in the system, the public must have answers to the following questions: Who killed Ashli Babbitt? What were the facts surrounding the shooting? Why has this been kept from the public? Why didn't Pelosi take adequate security measures to protect the Capitol when she had been duly apprised about the likelihood for mayhem? Why won't the DOJ release the thousands of hours of video footage from the Jan. 6th protest? Why are people under arrest for the Jan. 6th protest, being treated differently, that is, more harshly than their alleged crimes would warrant (in violation of the Eighth Amendment's proscription against cruel and unusual punishment) and than Antifa and BLM rioters who unleashed more violence, property damage, destruction, and death than happened at the Capitol (in violation of the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses)? They are being held in prison for excessive periods of time, denied access to the court, their attorneys, and bail, and subject to 23 hours of solitary confinement. This sounds more like a persecution than justice; it must be addressed! If the public had confidence you would investigate these matters while serving on the Joke-of-a-Commission, we might tolerate such an appointment. But this is a Kangaroo Commission and you have been acting and talking like a full-blown Democrat--siding with, of all people, the nefarious intentions of Nancy Pelosi. You do NOT represent the Republican Party or the conservatives in your district and have no place sitting on such a Joke-of-a-Commission. To re-instill confidence in our government and the people we elect to serve us, YOU MUST RESIGN FROM THE COMMISSION NOW! PELOSI Pelosi Contact Info: -- If you are a constituent, you can email her with the italicized message below by clicking here: https://pelosi.house.gov/contact-me/email-me -- The rest of us must either snail mail or call her with the italicized message below and I recommend SNAIL MAIL: Speaker Pelosi 1236 Longworth H.O.B. Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-4965 Message to Pelosi: For the public to have any trust in the system, you must allow the appointment to your Jan. 6th Commission of Republicans who are supported by the GOP and are not your Republican lackeys. The appointment of Reps. Kinzinger and Cheney do not instill in the public, the kind of trust and confidence that would result in a report that would be taken seriously by the public. Meanwhile, while no one condones any criminal activity that might have taken place on Jan. 6th, the public is waiting for you to investigate and answer the following questions and unless these are adequately addressed, the public will not have any trust in any report your Commission might issue: Who killed Ashli Babbitt? What were the facts surrounding the shooting? Why has this been kept from the public? Why didn't you take adequate security measures to protect the Capitol when you had been duly apprised about the likelihood for mayhem? Why won't the DOJ release the thousands of hours of video footage from the Jan. 6th protest? Why do Democrats continue to claim that the so-called Insurrection resulted in death when it has been confirmed that Officer Sicknick died from a stroke the day after, unrelated to the protests, two officers committed suicide after the event, again, unrelated to the protests, the deaths of several attendees were of natural causes, and the only shooting death was of an unarmed demonstrator named Ashli Babbitt? Why do Democrats continue to claim this was an "armed insurrection" when there is no evidence of that and the elements of insurrection cannot be established? Why are people under arrest for the Jan. 6th protest, being treated differently, that is, more harshly than their alleged crimes would warrant (in violation of the Eighth Amendment's proscription against cruel and unusual punishment) and than Antifa and BLM rioters who unleashed more violence, property damage, destruction, and death than happened at the Capitol (in violation of the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses)? They are being held in prison for excessive periods of time, denied access to the court, their attorneys, and bail, and subject to 23 hours of solitary confinement for crimes like criminal trespass. This sounds more like a persecution than justice; it must be addressed! MCCARTHY Contact information for Kevin McCarthy: -- If you are a constituent, you can email him the italicized message below by clicking here: https://kevinmccarthy.house.gov/contact/email-me -- The rest of us must either snail mail, call, or fax him with the italicized message below and I recommend FAX: Minority Speaker Kevin McCarthy 2468 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-2915 Fax: (202) 225-2908 Message to Kevin McCarthy: Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger are undermining the already fragile GOP minority in the House by acting like Democrats and failing to represent their Republican constituencies. For the public to regain any confidence in the House GOP, they must be removed immediately from the Republican Caucus and any and all committee assignments they still maintain. Moreover, they should be asked to leave the party given their overt bias against President Trump--who is supported by an overwhelming majority of Republicans. They aren't just RINOs, they are full-blown Democrats. You must send a message to Republicans like Cheney and Kinzinger that they will not find a home in the GOP or the House Republican Caucus. If we are going to beat the Democrats, we have to fight like they do. Nancy Pelosi wouldn't tolerate this kind of disobedience and betrayal from any of her members. Nor should you. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Yesterday, I wrote about the fact that a group called Dallas Justice NOW (DJN) sent to Democrats in Dallas's wealthy Highland Park neighborhood, asking them to take a pledge to keep their kids out of America's top colleges and universities, including the Ivy League. The group further threatened that those Democrats who failed to do so would be named and shamed or, in today's parlance, doxed. In my post, I couldn't praise the plan enough, and other conservatives seem to agree. To appreciate why DJN's approach is being applauded from the right, you need to understand Critical Race Theory (CRT). CRT asserts that America was created to perpetuate racism, that Whites are inherently racist, that there is systemic racism, and that all White success is due to White privilege. It is an ideology so toxic that it will destroy this country. America is a nation predicated upon the belief that all of us are equal before the law and under God. If Democrats succeed in enforcing CRT across America, we will be a more racist country than we were at the height of slavery for then, only half the country had slavery, and the other half was willing to die to defeat that institution. Currently, CRT is the official platform of the Democrat party. Biden continuously mouths its platitudes; our military is slowly being destroyed as the Pentagon imposes CRT upon it; and academia, the teachers' unions, and the media, a toxic trio that is the backbone of the Democrat party, trumpet it relentlessly and seek to indoctrinate all Americans in its precepts. Every Democrat who does not publicly denounce CRT is complicit in this scourge. In other words, the Democrat party's embrace of CRT is so dangerous that it requires full-throttle opposition. Normally, I deplore doxing. But when I deplore doxing, I'm thinking of the leftists who successfully destroyed a small pizza parlor because the owner dared to say she didn't see her little ship catering a gay "wedding." And of course, the entire Democrat establishment tried to ruin Nicholas Sandmann for smiling nervously when an activist banged a drum in his face on the Washington Mall. Doxing happens to ordinary people who inadvertently violate the left's ever constantly shifting list of shibboleths. It's like getting the death penalty for littering. Embracing CRT is not mere "littering." First, as I noticed, it's dangerous. Second, as DNJ emphasizes, all Whites who espouse it are hypocrites because none will actually sacrifice his own alleged "White privilege." There's a whole industry of White people, from Robin DiAngelo down, making massive sums of money going to schools and workplaces telling Blacks they're inferior and Whites they're evil. The White academics are doing the same, telling White students they're complicit in White privilege while refusing to give their own prestigious jobs to Blacks or other preferred minorities. And there are tens of thousands of smug White people living in comfortable neighborhoods, sending their children to excellent public or private schools preparatory to a trip to the Ivy Leagues, and sporting "Black Lives Matter" signs on their lawns. They virtue-signal CRT but wouldn't dream of aligning their money, homes, jobs, and children's comfortable upbringings with that vapid virtue-signaling. Their mindless platitudes are destroying America, and they need to be made to put up or shut up. At least, that's what I think. Steven Hayward seems to agree. [T]here's actually much to recommend this if you think about it for a moment: what Dallas Justice Now is doing is calling out the smug virtue-signaling of liberal "white allies" and demanding that they put their money (and their children's futures) where their mouth is. He adds, which I had not thought of: The benefit of this letter is that it makes explicit what the CRT advocates try to obfuscate, which is that their ultimate aim is radical redistributionism, if not some kind of retribution (but call it "reparations"). In which case I think we should encourage more of this kind of direct, tangible challenge to smug white liberals. It will be fun to watch wealthy white liberal elites squirm as they struggle to say "no" to these demands while maintaining their fierce loyalty to supporting "diversity, equity, and inclusion." I'd like to see "Marin Justice Now" demand that liberal, white, and super-rich Marin County expand their housing opportunities to "underrepresented" groups. Paul Mirengoff also sees the virtue in what DJN did: I suppose we can also give DJN back-handed credit for something else. The group has given Dallas-area liberals a feel for the absurdity of the BLM movement. That movement is not just about defunding the police (thereby making people of all races less safe). Nor is it about mildly redistributionist programs of the type that liberals comfortably can get behind. BLM thinks all successful Whites owe their success to racism. And BLM wants its pound of flesh not just from all successful Whites, but also from their children. [snip] Let's hope that DJN's letter causes left-liberals to reconsider whether they really want to be allies with this extremist and racist movement. Finally, you've got to love Mark Steyn's take on it: Mark Steyn: Virtue-signaling liberals receive a letter | https://t.co/mc6ddnEeG1 Bookwormroom (@Bookwormroom) July 27, 2021 Image: Dallas Justice Now Facebook page screen grab. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Have any questions? Please give us a call at 907-561-7737 In a pre-event blog post published on Monday, Samsungs TM Roh set some expectations ahead of Unpacked next month. And one of those expectations is that there wont be a Galaxy Note smartphone announced at the event. In the blog post, Roh wrote instead of unveiling a new Galaxy Note this time around, we will further broaden beloved Note features to more Samsung Galaxy devices. This is something that many of us had figured was going to happen, after its Foldables gained a lot of attention and traction over the past year. Not to mention, the Galaxy S21 Ultra gained S-Pen support this year. The first non-Note smartphone to support the S-Pen. Advertisement Roh talks about enhanced durability for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 & Flip 3 Another theme that Roh talks about a lot in his blog post, is about enhanced durability on both foldable devices. Stating that it will have an even more refined style, and with more durable, stronger materials. With each new foldable, Samsung has improved the screen durability. And even introduced UTG or Ultra Thin Glass last year. Which turned out to be a lot more durable than many had expected. But this year, it looks like IPX8 will be part of that durability. As we have seen that mentioned in a few different leaks so far. While there wont be a Galaxy Note coming this year, the S-Pen isnt going away. Roh mentions that Samsung will announce the first-ever S-Pen designed specifically for foldable phones. And according to recent case leaks, itll slot in the hinge of the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Advertisement Finally, Roh talks about collaborations with trusted industry leaders like Google and Microsoft. Which hints that there could be better multi-tasking support on these new foldables. Theres also a tad bit about new wearables. Including the Wear OS 3-powered Galaxy Watch 4 that many are expecting to be announced at Unpacked on August 11 too. Unpacked takes place on August 11 at 10AM ET/7AM PT. Anniston's political picture became considerably blurred on this date in 1920 with the announcement that a candidate who had been virtually assured of election instead had to withdraw from the contest due to health reasons. Because no one had signed up to oppose him, the field was wide open because it was empty. This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shows the structure of coronaviruses. The spikes around the surface of the virus are often described as looking like a crown, or "corona" when viewed with an electron microscope. A new form of coronavirus was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China, in 2019. The illness caused by this virus has been named coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19. 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Please note *Your Subscription will Automatically Renew unless you contact Customer Service To Cancel* 'I was just in misbelief' Springvilles Cassidy Jacks looks back on journey to becoming Miss Arizona PARMA - The Magnani-Rocca Foundation has organised a focus exhibition titled "Pier Paolo Pasolini: Photograms of Painting", which will open just a few months ahead of the centenary of the poet and director's birth (5 March 1922). The exhibition will run from 11 September to 12 December at the Villa di Mamiano in Traversetolo (Parma). The show intends to highlight Pasolini's full opening to the dialogue between literature, cinema and the figurative arts in search of those "correspondences" that were also at the heart of the intellectual interests of Luigi Magnani, founder of the Magnani-Rocca Foundation. Particular emphasis will be given to the artistic and aesthetic references in Pasolini's films. Sumptuous costumes made for the films and worn by famous actresses such as Silvana Mangano will be on display, loaned by the University of Parma Communication Archive (CSAC). There will also be original posters from the films that at the time were often considered scandalous and almost always forbidden to minors under 18. Rare vintage photos and the photographic gallery of the works of art that Pasolini had as a reference will be on display in combination with scenes from films including 'Mamma Roma', 'La Ricotta' (episode from RoGoPaG), 'The Gospel According to St. Matthew', 'Teorema', 'The Decameron', and 'Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom'. The plan of the exhibition originates from the fact that Pasolini, a painter himself all his life, always indicated models of painting as references for his own cinematographic language, more for style than for iconography, often building his shots much like painted scenes. The artistic citation is expressed through the arrangement of poses, the long close-ups that underline the solemnity of the faces (of actors taken most often from the street) and the reconstruction of true tableaux vivants. Particularly in his first film 'Accattone' (1961), the influence of the scholar and art critic Roberto Longhi emerges. Pasolini was Longhi's student at the University of Bologna, and sat in his lectures on the Romanesque, on Masaccio and Caravaggio. The extreme tableau vivant in the exhibition is the director's Caravaggio-esque death in Ostia on 2 November 1975. PISA - Starting in 1850, the rate of sea level rise of the Mediterranean has more than doubled compared to the last 4,000 years, according to a study published in Nature Communications and conducted by an international team coordinated by Matteo Vacchi, researcher at the University of Pisa, who returned to Italy in 2019 after working abroad. In particular, in the last century and a half the Mediterranean has risen by about 1.25 millimeters per year. In addition to Pisa University, the study includes Rutgers University (USA), Cnrs-l'Universite de Franche-Comte and Cnrs-Universite Toulouse Jean Jaures (France), and the University of Bremen (Germany). The study concerned the overall trend in the rates of sea level rise in the central and western Mediterranean over the last 10,000 years, with data obtained from about 400 indicators of paleo levels of the sea determined by radiocarbon dating and derived for the most part from underwater coring and sampling carried out between the current sea level and about 45 meters underwater. It emerged that between 10,000 and 7,000 years ago, during the first phase of melting of the ice caps, sea level rise rates settled at an average of about 8.5 mm per year. Since that time and for the last 4,000 years, with the stabilization of the ice sheets, average rates have fallen and have remained around 0.45 to 0.55 mm per year. Since 1850, however, a new and rapid surge has been seen, with average rates between 1.1 and 1.3 mm per year. This has also been demonstrated at the oldest tidal stations in the Mediterranean, located in Genoa, Marseille and Trieste. "This work has allowed us to quantify in detail the impacts that greenhouse gas emissions linked to the Industrial Revolution have had on the rise of the Mediterranean Sea," Vacchi said. "This will allow us to better calibrate future scenarios. The models currently available are released on a global scale, and therefore must be calibrated on a smaller scale, in particular for a semi-closed basin such as the Mediterranean, where the consequences of climate change are significantly different from those of global oceans," he said. 'Photograms of Painting' exhibition on Pasolini in Parma Focus show at Magnani-Rocca for opening of Pasolini's 100th (ANSAmed) - PARMA, 27 LUG - The Magnani-Rocca Foundation has organised a focus exhibition titled "Pier Paolo Pasolini: Photograms of Painting", which will open just a few months ahead of the centenary of the poet and director's birth (5 March 1922). The exhibition will run from 11 September to 12 December at the Villa di Mamiano in Traversetolo (Parma). The show intends to highlight Pasolini's full opening to the dialogue between literature, cinema and the figurative arts in search of those "correspondences" that were also at the heart of the intellectual interests of Luigi Magnani, founder of the Magnani-Rocca Foundation. Particular emphasis will be given to the artistic and aesthetic references in Pasolini's films. Sumptuous costumes made for the films and worn by famous actresses such as Silvana Mangano will be on display, loaned by the University of Parma Communication Archive (CSAC). There will also be original posters from the films that at the time were often considered scandalous and almost always forbidden to minors under 18. Rare vintage photos and the photographic gallery of the works of art that Pasolini had as a reference will be on display in combination with scenes from films including 'Mamma Roma', 'La Ricotta' (episode from RoGoPaG), 'The Gospel According to St. Matthew', 'Teorema', 'The Decameron', and 'Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom'. The plan of the exhibition originates from the fact that Pasolini, a painter himself all his life, always indicated models of painting as references for his own cinematographic language, more for style than for iconography, often building his shots much like painted scenes. The artistic citation is expressed through the arrangement of poses, the long close-ups that underline the solemnity of the faces (of actors taken most often from the street) and the reconstruction of true tableaux vivants. Particularly in his first film 'Accattone' (1961), the influence of the scholar and art critic Roberto Longhi emerges. Pasolini was Longhi's student at the University of Bologna, and sat in his lectures on the Romanesque, on Masaccio and Caravaggio. The extreme tableau vivant in the exhibition is the director's Caravaggio-esque death in Ostia on 2 November 1975. (ANSAmed). Covid: In France, mask mandate returns in Bordeaux area State of emergency declared in French West Indies (ANSAmed) - PARIS, 27 LUG - Faced with a "brutal worsening" of the health situation linked to the coronavirus, the face mask mandate is going back into effect in Bordeaux, one of France's major cities, and in several tourist areas of the surrounding region, the Gironde. This is a measure that now affects numerous tourist resorts on the Atlantic coast, from the Sables-d'Olonne to the Spanish border. Similar decisions have already been taken by the prefectures of Vendee, Charente-Maritime, Landes and Pyrenees-Atlantiques. In Gironde, there is also a ban on outdoor alcohol consumption. The new anti-Covid restrictions will be in effect from 28 July to 31 August in tourist towns such as Lacanau, Cap-Ferret and Arcachon. The situation is also worsening in the French West Indies, with high infection rates. On Monday night the prefect in charge of Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthelemy, two tourist jewels of the area, decreed the return of the state of health emergency and announced the closure of discos until 30 September. (ANSAmed). Covid: Spain high court rejects curfew on Tenerife Island on high alert due to increase in infections (ANSAmed) - MADRID, 27 LUG - The Spanish Supreme Court rejected an appeal from the government of the Canary Islands to implement a curfew on the island of Tenerife to slow Covid infections, said a press release from the Spanish General Council of the Judiciary, which announced the Supreme Court's decision on Tuesday. The Supreme Court rejected the appeal presented by the government of the Canary Islands against a resolution that had already been adopted by the regional court. The high court said the request to apply the curfew was not sufficiently justified in the case of Tenerife, currently declared in an epidemiological situation of maximum alert. The curfew is, however, in force in dozens of municipalities in other Spanish regions, for example in Catalonia and in the Valencian Community. According to the Supreme Court, in those cases the administrations presented the courts with sufficient arguments to be able to authorise this restriction of individual freedom. (ANSAmed). BRUSSELS - A statement from EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell on Tuesday said the European Union is "monitoring the developments in Tunisia with great attention". "The country's democratic roots, the respect for the rule of law, the Constitution and the legislative framework must be preserved, remaining attentive to the desires and the aspirations of the Tunisian people," Borrell said. "We call for the restoration of institutional stability as soon as possible, and in particular for the resumption of parliamentary activity, respect for fundamental rights and an abstention from all forms of violence," he said. "The safeguarding of democracy and the stability of the country are the priorities". TUNIS - After the dramatic turning point of the last few hours, with the torpedoing of the prime minister and the suspension of Parliament for 30 days, Tunisian President Kais Saied on Tuesday said, "I reassure Tunisians that the State exists, and it is not about violating rights and freedoms". He reiterated that the exceptional measures he has taken respect the Constitution. Kais had a series of meetings, a sign of a certain willingness to dialogue, with leaders of the powerful UGTT union; the Tunisian League of Human Rights; industrial employers' group Utica, which played a fundamental role in resolving the crisis in 2013; Mohamed Yassine Jelassi of the National Union of Journalists (SNJT); and the Tunisian Forum of Economic and Social Rights (FTDES). "The situation had reached an unacceptable stage in all state institutions," Saied said to justify his decisions on Sunday evening, referring to "corruption". After these meetings, the Carthage presidency published a statement in which the president assured "his unwavering commitment to respect for rights, freedoms, the rule of law and democracy in Tunisia". According to International Crisis Group analyst Michael Ayari, in Saied's action "there is the objective of restoring the efficiency of the State, but it will be necessary to involve a large number of actors: we are in the unknown, with the risk of it even turning bloody". Bottom line: The hard seltzer boom is over. Shares of Boston Beer crashed 20% in pre-market trading on Friday as the maker of Truly hard seltzer and Sam Adams badly whiffed on its earnings expectations and slashed full-year guidance. The culprit: Execs overestimated the potential of the hard seltzer market, which continues to slow amid rising competition and people returning to bars coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic as Yahoo Finance has reported. "We overestimated the growth of the hard seltzer category in the second quarter and the demand for Truly, which negatively impacted our volume and earnings for the quarter and our estimates for the remainder of the year," Boston Beer founder Jim Koch told analysts on a conference call. "We increased our production of Truly to meet our summer peak and have had lower than anticipated demand for certain Truly brand styles, which has resulted in higher than planned inventory levels at our breweries and increased supply chain costs and complexity." NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 13: A view of Truly: Hard Seltzer products during the Grand Tasting presented by ShopRite featuring Culinary Demonstrations at The IKEA Kitchen presented by Capital One at Pier 94 on October 13, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images for NYCWFF) The company now sees adjusted full-year earnings of $18 to $22 a share, down from $22 to $26 previously. "Id say, just the proliferation of brands in this category [hard seltzer] has occurred, there's a herd like mentality in this business broadly. And I think people try to bring new brands into the marketplace and there's a sameness to these brands. There's a lack of originality. And I think what's happened a little bit, little bit of a luster to the specialistic segment for some consumers has been lost," added Boston Beer CEO David Burwick on the call. Boston Beer's dreadful earnings day comes a few weeks removed from Molson Coors discontinuing Coors Light Seltzer due to a tepid response in a cooling market. Here is how Boston Beer performed compared to Wall Street profit forecasts. Net Sales: up 25% year-over-year to $602.8 million vs. $652.3 million Diluted EPS: $4.75 vs. $6.61 Boston Beer shares were promptly downgraded by Goldman Sachs on Friday in light of the miss. Others on Wall Street voiced concern about the company's near-term outlook, too. "Management reduced its guidance metrics for the year that will disappoint investors and likely put the shares in the penalty box through the back half of the year without any other obvious catalysts, in our view barring any major new innovations," said Guggenheim analyst Laurent Grandet in a new research note to clients. But unlike his peers on the Street, Grandet is staying positive on Boston Beer shares and reiterated a Buy rating. "While 2Q results were significantly below our projections and the U.S. hard seltzer category slowed more quickly than expected, we think its important to keep in perspective that its still a segment that is growing faster than any other across beer. Furthermore, the Truly brand is taking market share from the category leader, White Claw, with a share gap that is now less than 10% compared to more than 20% last year thanks to strong, impactful bolder flavors innovations that are helping reach new Black and Hispanic consumers to expand household penetration," Grandet explained. "Boston Beer will continue to be at the forefront of innovations in the spirit-based FMB category facilitated by the new partnership agreement with Beam Suntory to launch, in the first instance, a vodka-based Truly drink through wine and spirit distributors (the economics or financial mechanics are unknown) and malt-based Beam brands like Sauza through beer wholesalers." Brian Sozzi is an editor-at-large and anchor at Yahoo Finance. Follow Sozzi on Twitter @BrianSozzi and on LinkedIn. Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, YouTube, and reddit Bipartisan infrastructure negotiations have hit another roadblock, as Senate Democrats continue to work on a backup plan for President Bidens biggest legislative priority. CNN, Bloomberg and Politico were among the outlets reporting that a number of sticking points were outstanding, after Republicans rejected a compromise proposal from the White House and Democratic negotiators. The two sides remain at an impasse on a number of different issues, including funding for highways versus public transit, questions over broadband internet access and how the bill would be financed. Earlier this month, negotiators from both parties had said they expected this week to deliver the text of the legislation with its final details hammered out. That deadline now seems in peril ahead of the scheduled Aug. 9 recess, when lawmakers are due to return home. President Biden meets union and business leaders at the White House on July 22. (Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images) Democrats are continuing to attempt a two-track process to appease the ideological breadth of their party. The bipartisan bill that members of both parties have been negotiating for weeks in order to get moderates on board now appears to be in question. That bill would require 60 votes to move forward in the Senate, meaning that at least 10 Republicans would have to support it. The second part of the process would deliver on many of President Bidens campaign promises and White House priorities, while appeasing the partys progressives. A $3.5 trillion bill that included a number of climate measures would then be passed in the Senate through reconciliation, which would require 50 Democratic votes. With just 50 members of the caucus, any single Democratic senator or independent who decided not to align with the Democrats could sink the bill, meaning that it must win the approval both of progressives like Senate Budget Chairman Bernie Sanders of Vermont and of moderates like Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. In an interview with ABC News on Sunday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed her position that she would not take up the bipartisan bill until the reconciliation bill had also passed. She said she was rooting for the infrastructure bill to pass and congratulated Biden and the negotiators on their work, but laid out why the second bill was necessary. We say build back better with women, Pelosi said. That's why we need childcare. Thats why we need home health care funding. Thats why we need family and medical leave. So, building the human infrastructure is really a part of building the physical infrastructure. So thats why we will have something further to add. The deal is not as green as I would like it to be, the infrastructure bill but nonetheless, I hope it will pass. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., holds her weekly press conference on Capitol Hill on July 22. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images) If the bipartisan deal were to fall apart, Democrats would still have the option of folding everything into one reconciliation bill, passed with just their 50 votes along partisan lines, as they did with the COVID-19 relief package in March. While Manchin has repeatedly stated he wants a bipartisan bill, hes also said he supports adding additional pieces through reconciliation. The West Virginia Democrat made similar calls for a bipartisan deal prior to the pandemic relief plan, but went along with his Democratic colleagues in passing it. Last week, Sanders projected confidence that Democrats would be unified on the two-step infrastructure approach. I cant give you an exact timeline, but I think that we are going to have every Democratic senator on board, Sanders told Politico. At the end of the day ... the $600 billion in physical infrastructure, you can do it in the bipartisan bill, or you can combine it with one bill. One way or another, its going to happen. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a member of the budget committee, added, If for some reason the bipartisan version doesnt work out, then we ought to be looking at a reconciliation bill thats at $4.1 trillion. Despite those statements, its not certain all 50 moderate senators would be involved with folding everything into one package. Given the thin margin in the House, a small group Democrats of any ideological perspective could also unite to block the bill. The U.S. Capitol Building on Monday. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) Progressives have urged the White House to move forward without Republicans, arguing that the GOP is trying to run out the clock. The current bipartisan negotiations are the second version to take place this year, after the White House called off talks with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., in June, because the two sides were too far apart. Capitos offer was hundreds of billions lower than Bidens initial $2.3 trillion proposal, and after weeks of attempting to find common ground, the White House scuttled further discussion. [Biden] offered his gratitude to her for her efforts and good faith conversations, but expressed his disappointment that, while he was willing to reduce his plan by more than $1 trillion, the Republican group had increased their proposed new investments by only $150 billion, press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement. After negotiating in good faith and making significant progress to move closer to what the president wanted, I am disappointed by his decision, Capito, who had been empowered to negotiate on behalf of the Republican caucus by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, said in her own statement. In another potential wrench, former President Donald Trump weighed in on the negotiations Monday, saying that Senate Republicans are being absolutely savaged by Democrats and accusing McConnell of agreeing to almost anything. In May, McConnell said his focus was on stopping the Biden agenda. During the 202 presidential campaign, Biden pitched his ability to work across the aisle. As president-elect, Biden told grassroots activists in December that they were going to be surprised by how Republicans would come around once Trump was out of office. ____ Read more from Yahoo News: NEW YORK (Reuters) -Former U.S. President Donald Trump's billionaire ally Thomas Barrack pleaded not guilty to charges of illegal lobbying for the United Arab Emirates on Monday, putting the case on course for trial. The plea was entered in federal court in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. U.S. Magistrate Judge Sanket Bulsara accepted Barrack's plea on seven counts, including secretly lobbying the Trump administration for the UAE between 2016 and 2018. Barrack, 74, also pleaded not guilty to lying to investigators about his dealings with the Middle Eastern country. (Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York; editing by Jonathan Oatis) No junk food passes these lips Candy bars Donuts Pie Ice cream (yogurt) Any sort of chocolate will do It's summer, so: snow cones (and the like) Cookies Other Vote View Results Online Access for Print Subscribers. Do you have a print subscription with the Argus-Press? If yes, then click here to enjoy complimentary access to our Online Content! We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Submit YEREVAN, JULY 22, ARMENPRESS. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has published another judgment against Azerbaijan, recording that Azerbaijan has tortured and illegally deprived of liberty citizen of Armenia Artur Badalyan, who got lost and found himself in the territory of Azerbaijan, ARMENAPRESS reports citing the ECHR website. The Court obliged Azerbaijan to pay Artur Badalyan 30,000 euros in nonpecuniary damage. The Court said that on 9 May 2009 the applicant disappeared and was captured by the Azerbaijani forces. His relatives contacted the Armenian authorities, after which he was registered as a missing person in Armenia and a search for him was undertaken. However, his whereabouts remained unknown to his family and the Armenian authorities until 5 November 2010 when he was registered by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as an Armenian captive held in Azerbaijan. Thereafter the applicant was regularly visited by the ICRC in detention until 17 March 2011 when he was released to the Armenian authorities through the mediation of the ICRC as part of an exchange of captives. Following his arrest by the Azerbaijani forces, Artur Badalyan was held captive for 22 months in different military facilities. He claims that he was not given enough food and was often not allowed to go to the toilet, thus having to care for his needs in the cell. Moreover, he was subjected to harsh torture and mental anguish, as he was deemed to be a military prisoner, and was regularly harassed to divulge information. He was often beaten on his legs, so that he could not feel or move them. Electric wires were frequently attached to his fingers and the power switched on, causing severe pains. His cell door was hit with metallic objects, as a result of which he now suffers from a hearing disorder. Thus, he applied to the ECHR, in accordance with Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The Court unanimously accepted the appeal. The Court held by six votes to one, that there has been a violation of Article 3 of the Convention (prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment); that there has been a violation of Article 5 of the Convention (right to liberty and security). The Court obliged Azerbaijan to pay the applicant, within three months from the date on which the judgment becomes final in accordance with Article 44 2 of the Convention, EUR 30,000, plus any tax that may be chargeable, in respect of nonpecuniary damage. YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. Minister of State of Artsakh Artak Beglaryan visited the Center for Maternal and Child Healthcare in Stepanakert, accompanied by minister of health Mikayel Hayriyan, advisor to the Artsakh president Lilit Hakobjanyan and advisor to the state minister Davit Hakobyan, the Office of the State Minister told Armenpress. During the tour the state minister congratulated the women on giving birth to their babies, was interested in the medical service course and wished them good health. The new maternity hospital will soon be put into operation. Although the new building has been seriously damaged during the recent war, it hasnt changed the governments approaches. We are going to have new maternity hospital with latest equipment and infrastructure thanks to state and charitable investments, the State Minister said, adding: We will spare no effort for creating attractive environment and necessary conditions for having an effective healthcare system. We are sure that any fundamental decision will be made as a result of inclusive and professional processes. In his turn minister of health Mikayel Hayriyan highlighted constantly raising the quality of the services provided, introducing electronic medicine system, stating that they are going to make serious program reforms soon. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. The Military Insurance Fund of Armenia has released a report on the number of its beneficiaries as of July 27, the Fund told Armenpress. The Fund said that the number of its beneficiaries has changed, and accordingly families of 43 other fallen servicemen have received compensations. The total number of the beneficiaries of the Fund has reached 4220, 416 of whom became beneficiaries before the 2020 Artsakh war. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan Richard E Grant didn't want to catch COVID-19 from Prince Charles. The 64-year-old actor raised eyebrows when he wore protective rubber gloves to meet the 72-year-old royal at the Prince's Trust And TK Maxx & Homesense Awards at London Palladium on March 11 last year but he has revealed he did so because he had been advised by a medical professional to protect himself from the potentially deadly virus that has swept the globe over the last year and a half. Speaking to the Radio Times magazine, he said: 'Ive been vigilant about it. [COVID] Im not a hypochondriac, by any means, Ive just been careful. Another (New York party) guest, who was in the medical profession, said, 'Get face masks and gloves.' "So I got a whole box and when I came back to England wore them wherever I went." Detailing the reaction he got from onlookers when he met Prince Charles, Richard added: "Someone said, 'What the hell are you doing [shaking his hand with gloves on]?' But I didnt want to catch it." Prince Charles later revealed that he had caught Coronavirus - just days after he had appeared at the event - but was only experiencing "mild symptoms." A statement said at the time: "The Prince of Wales has tested positive for coronavirus. He has been displaying mild symptoms but otherwise remains in good health and has been working from home throughout the last few days as usual. "The Duchess of Cornwall has also been tested but does not have the virus. In accordance with government and medical advice, the Prince and the Duchess are now self-isolating at home in Scotland. "The tests were carried out by the NHS in Aberdeenshire where they met the criteria required for testing. It is not possible to ascertain from whom the Prince caught the virus owing to the high number of engagements he carried out in his public role during recent weeks." Prince Charles made a full recovery. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. The government had been counting on deliveries of 60 million to 70 million Covaxin doses monthly from July or August India's drug regulator controversially approved Bharat Biotech's Covaxin for emergency use in early January without efficacy data. (Representational Image: AFP) New Delhi: India will miss a target to administer over a half billion COVID-19 vaccine doses by the end of the month as Bharat Biotech - maker of its only approved homegrown shot - struggles to boost output, an analysis of government data showed on Monday. India has undertaken one of the world's largest vaccination drives and has so far distributed some 430 million doses - more than any country except China, but less than many countries relative to its population. The government said in May it would make 516 million shots available by the end of July. It wants to inoculate all its estimated 944 million adults by December. read more To meet the July-end target, however, authorities will have to more than triple average daily vaccinations to 14 million doses. But that will not be possible, based on the latest supply projections for Bharat Biotech's Covaxin vaccine. The government had been counting on deliveries of 60 million to 70 million Covaxin doses monthly from July or August. But Bharat Biotech will only supply 25 million doses this month and 35 million in August as a new production line in the southern city of Bengaluru takes time to come online, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told parliament last week. Mandaviya added that the supply shortfall "would not affect our immunisation programme". The health ministry did no immediately respond to a request for comment. Bharat Biotech declined to comment on its production. The government is counting on 500 million doses of another vaccine from the Serum Institute of India (SII) and 400 million doses from Bharat Biotech between August and December for its vaccination campaign. India's drug regulator controversially approved Bharat Biotech's Covaxin for emergency use in early January without efficacy data. But it has missed nearly all supply commitments to the government. Immunisation efforts have also been hobbled by a delayed rollout of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine. And legal obstacles have prevented India from receiving U.S. donations of Moderna (MRNA.O) or Pfizer (PFE.N) vaccines. After halting exports in mid-April to meet domestic demand, SII meanwhile has nearly doubled output in the past three months. Nearly 88% of all vaccine doses administered in India to date have been SII's Covishield shot, a version of the AstraZeneca (AZN.L) vaccine. The government expects the company to raise supplies of its Covishield vaccine to about 120 million doses in August from 100 million doses in June. The move comes in the wake of BS Yediyurappa tendering his resignation as Karnataka Chief Minister yesterday New Delhi: After the resignation of BS Yediyurappa from the post of Karnataka Chief Minister, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has deputed Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and G Kishan Reddy to the state as central observers to finalise the name of the new Chief Minister. Sources stated that BJP MLAs will meet at the Capital Hotel at 7:30 pm today. Union Minister and Observer for Karnataka G Kishan Reddy said, "I will go to Bengaluru, a meeting will be held with all MLAs, things will be decided there." When asked if there is any expected name for Karnataka CM, Reddy said, "I don't know. The MLAs will decide." Sources said the two senior leaders will interact with state BJP legislators and senior party leadership for finalising the new chief minister of Karnataka. The move comes in the wake of BS Yediyurappa tendering his resignation as Karnataka Chief Minister yesterday. The central observers are also likely to interact with Yediyurappa who has strong clout in the state. The party leadership is keen to go get Yediyurappa's full support for his successor. Yediyurappa was the first chief minister of BJP in South India. The majority of Lingayat seers had thrown their weight behind Yeddiyurappa which led to the delay in the change of Chief Minister in the state. The state is scheduled to go for assembly polls in 2023. It has now been approved that women can take COVID-19 vaccines even during pregnancy It also said that an overall health check-up post-Covid recovery must be carried out in pregnant women. Representational Image. (ANI) New Delhi : COVID-19 positive mothers can continue to breastfeed their babies but are advised to keep them at a distance of six feet from themselves, according to a new advisory issued by the Union Health Ministry. It also said that an overall health check-up post-Covid recovery must be carried out in pregnant women to ensure that the mother and the foetus are doing fine. An interview of Dr Manju Puri, Head of the Department Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Lady Hardinge Medical College, released by the ministry said that during the second wave, many women contracted COVID-19 during pregnancy compared to the first wave. "COVID if severe can lead to serious complications during pregnancy, especially during the last trimester as the uterus is enlarged and presses on the diaphragm, compromising a woman's ability to cope with a fall in oxygen saturation. This may lead to a sudden fall in blood oxygen saturation and risk the lives of both the mother and the child. Vaccines will help prevent severe diseases in pregnant women," Dr Puri said. It has now been approved that women can take COVID-19 vaccines even during pregnancy. "Vaccines help the body develop immunity against a specific pathogen, it does not affect any other body tissue. We recommend an overall health check-up post-Covid recovery to ensure that the mother and the foetus are doing fine," Dr Puri said. "Also, vaccinating a mother is likely to give some degree of protection to the newborn as the antibodies developed in the mother's body post-vaccination will pass on to the developing foetus through her blood. In the case of lactating mothers, an infant gets these antibodies through the mother's breast milk," the expert pointed out. Breaking the rumours about vaccines causing infertility among women, she said, "These are rumours that get circulated on ubiquitous social media. Misinformation is far more dangerous than the virus itself. Though the Covid-19 vaccines are relatively new, these have been developed using time tested techniques. Vaccines help the body develop immunity against a specific pathogen, it does not affect any other body tissue. In fact, we give some vaccines such as hepatitis B, Influenza, pertussis vaccine to women even during pregnancy to protect them and their unborn child from various diseases." Besides, regulators have approved the administration of the vaccines during pregnancy only after they were confident of their safety. There is no scientific data or studies that show that vaccines can cause infertility. These vaccines do not affect the reproductive organs in any way. Talking about precautions a pregnant woman should take to protect herself from COVID, she suggested an expectant mother wear a mask and maintain physical distance following all the Covid-Appropriate precautions among family members. On getting early symptoms of COVID, she suggested getting themselves tested. The management of COVID is almost the same during the pregnancy as it is for others, but it should be done only under the strict supervision of a doctor. A woman should isolate herself, drink plenty of fluids. Should check her temperature and oxygen saturation every four to six hours. Besides, women who have associated illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, obesity needs to be more careful as they may need hospitalisation. "A mother should continue to breastfeed the baby but is advised to keep the baby at a distance of six feet from her when she is not breastfeeding. A caregiver who is tested negative can also help in taking care of the newborn. Before breastfeeding the newborn, she should wash her hands, wear protective gear such as a mask or a face shield. She should also sanitize her surroundings frequently," said Dr Puri while talking about the precautions a COVID positive mother should take to protect her newborn. "If there is no one else to take care of the child, a mother should wear a mask all the time, and maintain physical distance from the child as much as possible. The mother and the child should stay in a well-ventilated room. And she should regularly wash her hands and sanitise the surroundings," she further added. Dr Puri while talking about postpartum depression and anxiety, she said that there is an increase in mental health problems among women during pregnancy and post-childbirth. These are times when a woman undergoes a lot of hormonal and physiological changes. She has poor coping skills and needs social support. In the absence of this social support, she can feel lonely, helpless, and depressed. Isolation for 15-days is difficult for everyone, but more so for pregnant women and postnatal mothers. During this time, the additional anxiety about her child's health can severely affect her mental status. So, it is important to provide constant support and assurance to women during this time. The family should stay in touch through video calls, and observe any change in her mood and seek medical help if she looks and feels depressed. Talking about having symptoms suggestive of COVID such as fever, sore throat, loss of taste or smell or exposure to a COVID positive person, it is suggested that they need to seek medical help immediately and should not delay the diagnosis and should not self-treat. Dr Puri counselled all pregnant women about various contraceptive methods during pregnancy and offer them postpartum Intra-Uterine Device (IUD), which can be inserted immediately after childbirth or caesarean delivery. It saves them of an unnecessary visit to the hospital after childbirth and reduces the risk of an unplanned pregnancy. The Delhi Traffic Police took to Twitter to inform commuters about waterlogging and the areas where traffic movement had been affected Vehicles ply on the waterlogged Ring Road during monsoon rains, in New Delhi, Tuesday, July, 27, 2021. (PTI/Atul Yadav) New Delhi: Heavy rains on Tuesday morning led to extensive waterlogging at several road stretches across Delhi, including near Pragati Maidan in the central part of the city and Dhaula Kuan in the southern part, affecting traffic movement. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said 100 mm of rainfall was recorded at the Safdarjung observatory, which provides representative data for the city, in the last 24 hours. Waterlogging was also seen at Mathura Road, Moti Bagh, Vikas Marg, Ring Road, Rohtak Road, Sangam Vihar and Kirari, among other places. Due to the waterlogging, traffic crawled at ITO, underneath Moti Bagh metro station, Dhaula Kuan underpass, near Pragati Maidan, Mathura Road, Vikas Marg, Ring Road near IP Flyover, Rohtak Road. Public Works Department (PWD) officials said waterlogging complaints were being dealt with on priority. "Morning rain was of high intensity so a few areas of the city witnessed waterlogging. Our field staff is on the ground and we are closely observing the situation," a PWD official said. The Delhi Traffic Police took to Twitter to inform commuters about waterlogging and the areas where traffic movement had been affected. "Traffic is affected near Qutab Minar Metro Station towards 100 Foota carriageway due to waterlogging. "Traffic coming from Badarpur towards Mehrauli has been diverted towards Mathura Road due to waterlogging near Pul Prahladpur," the traffic police said. In further tweets, they said traffic is affected near Okhla Mandi, from Tamil Sangam Marg towards R K Puram and from Hyatt Regency to R K Puram Sector-12 near CNG pump. A senior police officer said traffic has also been affected in Dhaula Kuan. After the rains, the weather turned pleasant in Delhi. The minimum temperature recorded at the Safdarjung observatory was 25 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal, the IMD said. The relative humidity recorded at 8.30 am in the city was 100 per cent, it said. The weatherman has predicted generally cloudy skies with moderate rain and the possibility of thundershowers accompanied by gusty winds with a speed of 30-40 kmph later in the day. The IMD said the maximum temperature in the national capital is likely to hover around 30 degrees Celsius. According to the IMD, the southwest monsoon had reached Delhi on July 13 -- 16 days behind the usual date of onset. Normally, the monsoon reaches the city by June 27 and covers the entire country by July 8. Last year, the wind system had reached Delhi on June 25 and covered the entire country by June 29. Karnataka strongman and BJP leader B.S. Yediyurappa stepped down on Monday evening as the states chief minister after much melodrama The claim of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 1990s that it was a party with a difference had long ago been thrown into the political dustbin. It was inevitable that as the party grew in size, it could not be kept in the creche as it were though the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Singh had tried very hard to keep it that way. Then for the last seven years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his chief lieutenant, Union home minister Amit Shah, also the BJP president from 2014 to 2019, have maintained an iron grip over the party and its organisation. But at some time or the other and in some place or the other the grip has to loosen. This has come into the open in the case of Karnataka strongman and BJP leader B.S. Yediyurappa, who had stepped down on Monday evening as the states chief minister after much melodrama. Last week, a large number of the religious heads of the Lingayat community and Mr Yediyurappa belongs to this dominant community in Karnataka had come out in open support of the chief minister, who was under considerable pressure to step down. The BJP leaders and Mr Yediyurappa played the usual political charade, with Mr Yediyurappa saying that he was under no pressure to step down even as he met Prime Minister Modi and Mr Shah, as well as BJP president J.P.Nadda. Mr Nadda declared with a straight face just a day before the CM stepped down that there was no leadership crisis in Karnataka. He might well point to the resignation of Mr Yediyurappa and claim that he had been proved right. But the tension beneath the surface is too palpable to accept Mr Naddas statement at its face value. First, Mr Yediyurappa should not have been made the chief minister in 2019 after the defection game because he was past the BJPs official retirement of 75. He was 76 when he became the chief minister this time round. So, it would be quite sheepish of the BJP leaders to claim that Mr Yediyurappa had to go because he has reached the age of superannuation. Mr Modi and Mr Shah and the non-existent central leadership of the party would have preferred to choose someone other than Mr Yediyurappa as chief minister. But he was very much in the way, and they could not push him aside. They had to concede the importance of the local strongman. Mr Modi and Mr Shah were forced to take the difficult decision of asking him to go because the controversial legacy of Mr Yediyurappa is that of a popular leader tinged with allegations of corruption. He became the chief minister after the leading the party to a majority on its own in 2008, but he had to quit because the Lokayukta found him guilty of corruption in 2011. He was, however, acquitted in 2016. In the intervening period he left the party in a huff and formed his own party, Karnataka Janata Paksha. In the 2013 election, Mr Yeddyurappa did fare well. In 2014, he disbanded his party and rejoined the BJP. Mr Yediyurappa is not a gentle and obedient member of the BJP like Mr D.Y. Sadananda Gowda. He has clashed several times with the central leadership of the party. In his own way, he is a stormy petrel. When the BJP wrested power in 2019 after losing the 2018 election quite narrowly, the BJPs central leadership had no choice but to accept Mr Yediyurappa as the chief minister. If they had their way, they would have loved to choose someone else. And even at this stage, it was no easy thing to ease him out. Mr Yediyurappa held out and the central leaders could not take the rash decision of replacing him. It would not have worked and there would have been a split in the party. The religious heads of the Lingayat community came out openly in his support. The BJP had to contend with both casteism and religious intervention. The BJP has always pretended that its Hindutva ideology has done away with the evil of casteism. But quite clearly, it has not. Second, the intervention of the pontiffs is a sign that it is indeed dangerous for the party to have flirted with religious identity. Much to the chagrin and discomfort of the BJP, religion is haunting the party like a nightmare because it has made a comeback as a sectarian force. Religion and caste remain the bugbears as they have always been. The BJP thought that it could use religion to its own advantage and shed casteism in the name of religion. The two have come to haunt the BJP in Karnataka politics. Mr Yediyurappa is not a man to go gently away. He will continue to be a major problem if his successor is not acceptable to him. The troubles of Mr Modi and Mr Shah have not ended with Mr Yediyurappas departure as chief minister. There was a time when the BJPs central leaders were happy that Mr Yediyurappa had brought the Lingayats into the BJP fold. But years later, it has turned into a burden, a liability. The Lingayat religious pontiffs made the assertive statement through their presence in the political storm that they have a say in the matter. The BJP has been dreaming of moulding India in the shape of Hindutva. It is discovering that Hindutva is clashing with sectarian Hinduism, and that sectarian Hinduism is sometimes co-terminous with casteism, as in the present instance of Lingayat politics. It might appear that two national parties, the Congress and the BJP, face the same challenge of internal feuds. There is, however, a difference. The Congress internal turmoil is rooted in power-hungry politicians and their followers. In the case of BJP, it takes on the more serious and the more sinister ideological turn, with religion and caste thrown into the witches brew. It is unlikely that the RSS and the BJP would learn any lesson from this ugly turn of events. They will not abandon religion as a political weapon even as they indulge in micro-management of caste equations in every state. They will have to deal with strong local leaders like Mr Yediyurappa with greater honesty. The writer is a Delhi-based commentator and analyst. You are the owner of this article. HP As the headline implies, the aftermarket part is focused on looks rather than functionality. The eight heat-extracting vents arranged in two quartets could fool a non-car person into a V8 swap, which isnt exactly impossible either.The Ford Motor Company ruled out an eight-cylinder option due to CO2 implications while the aftermarket is much obliged to tread on this path because theres a market for V8-engined Broncos. Hennessey Performance Engineering stands out with their VelociRaptor package, which revolves around a 5.0-liter Coyote augmented by a supercharged to 750As if that wasnt enough, the peeps at PaxPower are developing a V8-engined manual swap as well. Whichever way you look at it, both Ford and aftermarket outfits will profit like crazy from customization.The Advanced Fiberglass Concepts hood still doesnt have a price tag, but that doesnt mean we cant guesstimate how much itll cost based on the hoods they sell for other Ford trucks. More to the point, a 2010 to 2016 Raptor hood in semi-gloss white currently costs $675 excluding shipping.Based on a video posted by Advanced Fiberglass Concepts a few days ago on their Instagram, the hood will be joined by front fenders and high-clearance fender flares made from the fiber-reinforced composite material.In related news, have you heard that Ford Motor Company may expand the Bronco sub-brand with a pickup truck in calendar year 2024 for the 2025 model year? Although no confirmation has been offered in this regard by the automaker, a small bed would open the body-on-frame Bronco to a wider audience, just like the Wrangler-inspired Gladiator did to the Jeep brand. Thats when the Hilux grew into a mid-size workhorse, and believe it or not, Toyota waited until 2015 for a ground-up redesign. Facelifted in 2020, the eighth gen is expected to soldier on through 2024 as per recent reports.Regardless of what rumors may suggest, we know one thing for certain. Just like the LC300 and third-gen Tundra, the brand-new model will feature a thoroughly modern body-on-frame architecture known as the TNGA-F . Alternately referred to as F1, this platform will be shared with the Prado as well as the Lexus GX and Tacoma pickup for the North American market.Pixel wizard Kleber Silva took the liberty of imagining the 2024 model year Hilux with front-end styling from the Land Cruiser 300, and at first glance, its a fitting mashup. The rear could use cooler taillights, but dont forget that nobody except Toyota knows how the mid-size pickup actually looks.The concept artist has also rendered the interior with a similar touchscreen, instrument cluster, shift knob, center console, and dashboard as the LC300. Be that as it may, the Hilux is likely to share more interior bits and pieces with the gen-three Tundra rather than the V6-powered sport utility vehicle.Speaking of which, the Hilux and Tacoma are getting four-cylinder engines for the lowest specifications available and V6 options for the sake of capability. The range-topping powerplant could be similar to the iForce Max of the 2022 Toyota Tundra , namely a hybrid-assisted V6 with a couple of boosty snails for superior low-down torque and work-related capability. And naturally, the outgoing transmission will be swapped out in favor of a 10-speed auto.If were lucky, the Japanese automaker will sweeten the deal with the GR Hilux, a go-faster variant inspired by the Dakar Rally-winning race truck. Furthermore, Alpina carried out a customer survey regarding hybrids and electric vehicles in mid-2020. Andreas Bovensiepen, the boss of Alpina, told Bimmer Today that there is no demand for battery-electric models. For example, German customers of Alpina cars enjoy strong acceleration and high speeds (we think they are not alone here), but they also drive for extended periods in a session, which would inevitably lead to an issue with range.Andreas Bovensiepen also added that many Alpina owners drive their cars every day, and many of them drive between 30.000 and 50.000 kilometers (18,600-31,000 miles) each year. According to Bovensiepen's estimates, if Alpina made an electric vehicle with the performance of one of its V8 models , it would have a maximum range of only 200 kilometers (124 miles).While Andreas Bovensiepen did not elaborate on what driving style that range would be achieved, we note that one of those customers would have to drive between 82 and 136 kilometers per day, every day of the year, to achieve the 30.000 to 50.000 kilometers per year mentioned above.Naturally, most people tend to drive more on some days and less in others, and not all driving is done in a spirited manner, but a range of 124 miles (200 km) would discourage the driver from enjoying the performance of their car. modern electric vehicle can cover 82 to 136 kilometers (50-84 miles) without depleting a full charge, but not in the spirited manner that owners of Alpina V8-engined models expect from their cars. Sure, electric vehicles can provide impressive acceleration, but highway driving at high speeds, as allowed in some portions of the German Autobahn, would dramatically reduce their available range.The calculations above would only work if a customer drove their car every day of the year on the same route, otherwise they would have to stop and charge their vehicles, which currently takes more time than refilling the vehicle's fuel tank. Naturally, people do not work like that, so many would refrain from purchasing a performance-oriented electric vehicle that has a maximum range of just 124 miles (200 km).So how does Alpina plan to delay its inevitable electric vehicles of 2035? According to the CEO, the company has negotiated special CO2 emission limits with the European Commission. The Germans might have to negotiate similar agreements with governments from other regions if they intend to keep up with this plan.However, if the XB7 continues to sell well across the EU market, the German company might struggle to meet its negotiated emissions cap. If that happens, Alpina might have to offer a hybrid, a plug-in hybrid, or even an electric vehicle in the medium term. That is why Alpina is already monitoring BMW i4 and iX3 sales, which might be the first candidates as a base for the company's first electric vehicle. The BMW iX is not yet on Alpina's radar, as the CEO explained. There are presently two private companies competing for NASAs attention, namely SpaceX and Blue Origin. Of course, there are others involved in this, like say Boeing, but these other ones are used to working with the American space agency for decades, so nothing exciting is happening with them.When it comes to SpaceX and Blue Origin though, its a continuous rollercoaster. Musks space company, having arrived first on the scene, is already one of NASAs favorite children, leaving Blue Origin, although it too important for the current space exploration programs, to sulk in a corner.And sulked he did, Jeff Bezos, in a very long, open letter released on Monday. The man is not unhappy with the fact hes not getting his astronaut wings , or the fact NASA said nothing about his marginal flight to space, but about NASA awarding a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar head start to SpaceX.That decision broke the mold of NASAs successful commercial space programs by putting an end to meaningful competition for years to come, the billionaire said.It also eliminated the benefits of utilizing the broad and capable supply base of the National Team (as opposed to funding the vertically-integrated SpaceX approach) and locks every trip to the Moon into 10+ Super Heavy/Starship launches just to get a single lander to the surface.Bezos is referring to the fact that NASA awarded back in April a contract to SpaceX for the development of a lunar lander. That was a deal he already had something to say about ever since then, but now came back to it, with no fewer than three promises.As per NASA, the firm-fixed price, milestone-based contract awarded to SpaceX for the lander has a total value of $2.89 billion, and because of this Blue Origin filed a 175-page protest filed with Government Accountability Office (GAO).We dont know yet how thats going, but in another bid to secure access for his company to NASAs Moon exploration program and the benefits that will come with that, Bezos in essence gives up on some money.First of all, the man said hes going to wave all payments in the current and next two government fiscal years up to $2 billion. "This offer is not a deferral, but is an outright and permanent waiver of those payments," he says.He also promised Blue Origin would develop and launch at its own cost "a pathfinder mission to low-Earth orbit of the lunar descent element to further retire development and schedule risks.And, lastly, Blue Origin said it would accept a firm, fixed-priced contract for this work, cover any system development cost overruns, and shield NASA from partner cost escalation concerns."All NASA needs to do is take advantage of this offer and amend the Appendix H contract we hold today," the billionaire ends his letter.As you all know, Bezos is no fool. So, seeing all these promises being made, and the bitter fight that's just starting between the companies involved, we are really beginning to get a sense of how profitable space exploration will be, provided one is in on it from the get-go.Jeff Bezos' open letter to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson is attached in the press release section below. Take your time going through it and become convinced we're already living through the future described so many times in science-fiction books and movies. Back in April, NASA has awarded SpaceX , owned by his rival Elon Musk, a $2.9 billion contract to build a spacecraft, part of the agency's Human Landing System program, that will get astronauts back on the Moon. At the time, NASA rejected proposals from other contractors, which included Bezos' Blue Origin and defense contractor Dynetics.In the past, NASA has always picked more than one contractor for its major programs. The goal was to encourage competition and allow for considerably faster mission development. But because the funding for the Human Landing System program had fallen short, NASA awarded only one contractor: SpaceX.Shortly after, Blue Origin filed a protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office, and the contract was suspended until the congressional watchdog rules the facts of the case. Blue Origin has been rigorously trying to get the decision changed since losing the award.In his letter to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, Bezos considers the decision a "mistake," but not necessarily something "too late to remedy." He went on to add that his offer comes to "bridge the budgetary funding shortfall by waiving all payments in the current and next two government fiscal years up to $2 billion to get the program back on track right".Bezos' offer represents Blue Origin's latest attempt to convince NASA to pick his company. The billionaire also stated that Blue Origin's lunar lander, the Blue Moon spacecraft, will use liquid hydrogen for fuel, which could be mined on the Moon. This will come to support the agency's mining program that will help astronauts return to the Moon under the Artemis program."We stand ready to help NASA moderate its technical risks and solve its budgetary constraints and put the Artemis Program back on a more competitive, credible, and sustainable path," he wrote.It's uncertain whether Bezos' attempt will have any influence on the U.S. Government Accountability Office's final decision. NHTSA AWD kW kWh Significant moves such as this one usually require a quarantine period. Thats what happened with Luca de Meo when he left Seat to lead Renault . He left Seat on January 7, 2020, and was announced as the new Renault CEO on January 29, 2020. Despite that, he only took over his new role on July 1, 2020.In Lohschellers case, Stellantis only said that the executive had decided to pursue a new challenge outside the company but did not say Opel would get had an interim CEO nor if Lohscheller had stepped down when the announcement was made on July 13. Even if that were the case, he would not be away from Opel for as long as De Meo was from Seat.With a corporate quarantine or not, Lohscheller already has a mission: help VinFast expand its presence in Europe and the U.S. In the companys statement about hiring the German executive, VinFast says it is already present in Vietnam, the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.Lohscheller will move to Vietnam to help the local car company become a global smart electric car company. Apart from assisting Opel finally make a profit after years in the red, the executive also implemented Stellantis electrification there when he presented the Corsa-e at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show.In Vietnam, VinFast already presented an electric crossover: the VF e34, which the company also calls VF31. With a range of 300 km (186.4 miles), it is 4.30 meters (14.1 ft) long, 1.79 m (5.9 ft) wide, 1.61 m (5.28 ft) tall, has a wheelbase of 2.61 m (8.56 ft), and weighs 1,490 kg (3,284.8 lbs). VinFast opened orders for it in May 2021 in its home country and will start delivering it in November 2021. But that was just the beginning. The company also announced the VF32 and VF33. Respectively a mid-size and a full-size SUVs, they all promise top scores both atand Euro NCAP tests. The VF32 is 4.75 m (15.58 ft) long and has a 2.95 m (9.67 ft) wheelbase. Two permanent magnet motors (one for each axle) give itand 300(402 hp) of power.The interior follows the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y recipe with a single screen in the middle of the dashboard doing the instrument panels and infotainment screens roles. Although it will have a 90battery pack, VinFast did not say how far it will travel.The Vietnamese company will have a larger version of the VF32 with 5,12 m (16.79 ft) in length and 3.15 m (10.33 ft) of wheelbase. For this derivative, VinFast said that the 106 kWh battery pack would help it drive 550 km (341.7 miles), but the company did not say under which measuring method.That means the VF33 will be even bigger, but VinFast did not release any technical specs about its electric flagship. At this point, Lorschellers mission is more about making these vehicles attractive to their international audience than about helping the company create a new electric lineup. That bit will have to wait a lot longer than September 1. Lets Ride is a sweepstake of sorts that kicked off July 23 and will end on September 30. Its only meant for the Harley-Davidson riders in the United States and Canada, and all it requires from people is that they ride their two-wheelers for as much as possible during that time.More to the point, those willing to take part will first have to register either online or by using the H-D App, and start racking up miles. That is because, at various thresholds, Harley will be throwing prizes at them, including $2,500 gift cards, $5,000 cash rewards, or a riding trip. Instant games with prizes are also on the table.But the cherry on the cake is an unspecified touring motorcycle that is up for grabs for a certain someone who will reach a certain miles threshold.As said, Harley is trying big to win more riders to its side of the fence. To that end, it event dived into the certified pre-owned game in April, and moved to set up a dedicated marketplace for these bikes and others on its online home.Earlier this month, the new sport custom motorcycle named Sportster S was introduced. Priced at $14,999, it will be available from fall as a tool to deliver a thrilling riding experience and ushers in a new era of Sportster performance.Back to the Lets Ride Challenge, you can find more information on that by accessing this link or by having a look at the app on your smartphone. Rules can be found in the PDF attached below. In other words, Tesla presented $788 million in profits that did not require carbon credits to help. Compared to Q2 2020, it was a 998% improvement. The company attributes these good results to volume growth and cost reduction and says that it could have done even better if it was not for growth in operating expenses including increased SBC, Model S/X ramp (negative margin in Q2), additional supply chain costs, lower regulatory credit revenue, Bitcoin-related impairment of $23M and other items.Curiously, Elon Musk recently said Tesla would accept bitcoins again if it decided it was clean enough. Among these SBC (stock-based compensation) expenses, Tesla had to pay the 2018 CEO award of $176M in Q2. If Musk did not make almost $200 million, the company would have made even more money.Thats very positive news for Tesla, which broke its record by delivering 201,304 units and producing 206,421 of its EVs. In these cases, the better numbers respectively represented increases of 121% and 151%. All that led to an operating margin of 11% and to the first time its GAAP net income was over $1 billion.Giga Shanghai and the Model Y produced there have proven to be instrumental for that. According to Tesla, its Chinese factory has become its primary vehicle export hub because of strong U.S. demand and global average cost optimization. Summing up, its vehicles are cheaper to make and ensure beefier profit margins that Tesla is finally disclosing without the need for credits of any sort. Stockholders and fans (they are generally the same) must be proud. Sea-Air-Space 2021 is the U.S. Navy Leagues Global Maritime Exposition, which will take place at the Gaylord National Harbor, between August 1 and August 4. A major player in the aerospace industry, Collins will be presenting some of its latest military aircraft technology.With virtual reality playing an increasingly important role in combat readiness, training systems based on a train like you fight concept are becoming an essential asset for U.S. troops. Collins TCTS II (Tactical Combat Training System Increment) is the only air-combat training system with security certification for highly secure training, including 5th-gen and 4th-gen fighters With the TCTS II, military aircraft can train in real-world environments, while operating at full potential. Its also flexible enough for small squadron to large-force exercises and its able to connect the entire fleet, from fighter jets to maritime assets and ground-based assets.According to Collins , its MS-110 and MS-177 family of systems (FoS) is capable of delivering better image resolution and improved coverage area per hour than any other Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) sensor currently used by the U.S. military. Another new addition in the companys portfolio is the ACES 5 ejection seat, which complies to MIL-HDBK-516C safety standards and provides a drogue parachute that can deploy faster than standard ones.The aerospace company will also be showcasing various components, from sonar windows and composite components for submarines , to a Collins Goodrich helicopter rescue hoist that makes rescue missions easier and more effective.Last but not least, Collins will also be presenting Health and Usage Management System (HUMS), an important asset for tracking and analyzing flight data, based on information from the engine, rotor and drive train. The result is a comprehensive database that helps with logistics and planning for the entire fleet. Earlier this year, UK adopted essential regulations that enable the construction of spaceports in Cornwall, Wales and Scotland, which is the first step for future commercial space launches, including satellites and rockets. This was a historical milestone that enables these types of launches to take place from UK soil, for the first time ever.Highlands and Islands Enterprise are currently developing what could become the countrys first satellite launch site Space Hub Sutherland. The project recently made an important step, by adding Jacobs as a support partner for the Space Hub. Dallas-based Jacobs will offer its expertise as the largest service provider for NASA, to take this project to the next level.On behalf of the Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership, Jacobs will research and develop strategic planning for creating an entire space cluster in northern Scotland. An adequate supply chain, infrastructure and local skills are required in order to support the Space Hub Sutherland. The nuclear sector in nearby Dounreay and defense sector in Moray will also be considered as providers for potential assets that could be transferred to the space industry.As the first vertical launch site that obtained planning permission in the U.K, the Space Hub Sutherland will be the one to host Orbex Prime, the Scottish-manufactured low-carbon fuel rocket. The engineers at Orbex have created an innovative rocket , with main structures made of carbon fiber/graphene composites and a 3D-printed engine. Its also built with an innovative architecture that makes it more efficient by 20%, reducing 30% of inert mass.Until a possible launch of the Orbex Prime, the Space Hub Sutherland could begin launching satellites as soon as next year, from the platform on Mhoine Peninsula. SUV Take the WASP, for instance, which is short for Women Airforce Service Pilots. Set up in 1943, the organization comprised over 1,000 civilian women who wanted to lend a hand to the war effort by getting airplanes to their place of combat, testing them, and even training others.The organization was not around for long, being dissolved in late 1944, but in the time it was active it saw its pilots flying pretty much all types of aircraft in the U.S. Air Forces portfolio, covering a total of around 60 million miles (97 million km).As said, not many people know about this group, and America as a nation didnt recognize WASP as active military personnel until 1977. That means that a tribute to them is long overdue, and Ford is more than happy to step in.As it has 12 times before , the Blue Oval has a special vehicle prepared for this years Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture air show taking place later this week in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Were talking about a one-of-a-kind 2021 Mustang Mach-E dedicated to WASP, which will be sold during an auction there to benefit EAAs programs.Theis in no way mechanically modified from stock, but does come with a custom paint scheme and military badges inspired by the war planes flown by volunteers. They include the U.S. Army Airforce Star on the sides, and wings logos on hood and fender. The number No. 38 is inscribed on the front fascia, rear bumper, and on the seats, and it represents the number of WASP volunteers killed in action. State governments, private businesses and even part of the federal government are suddenly embracing mandatory coronavirus vaccinations for their employees. Why it matters: Vaccine mandates have been relatively uncommon in the U.S. But with vaccination rates stagnating and the Delta variant driving yet another wave of cases, there's been a new groundswell of support for such requirements. Driving the news: Monday was a turning point. The VA became the first federal agency to require its employees to be vaccinated. More than 50 medical groups including the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association called for mandatory vaccinations of all health care workers, WaPo first reported. California announced that state employees and health care workers must show proof of vaccination or get tested regularly. New York City brought all municipal workers including teachers and police officers under a vaccine requirement that had previously only applied to health workers. Even the SF Bar Owner Alliance hopped onboard, announcing that the 500 San Francisco bars it represents will require indoor customers to show proof of vaccination or a negative test. The big picture: Vaccine requirements are also gaining steam internationally. French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this month required health workers to get vaccinated. Members of the public must also have a vaccinate or a negative test to enter most indoor venues. Although the measure has sparked protests, it's also encouraged millions of people to get vaccinated, per the NYT. Italy has followed France's lead. Yes, but: Many Republican-led states have preemptively prohibited vaccine requirements, at least in some settings. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki declined to say whether President Biden supports restrictions on unvaccinated people, per CNN's Kaitlan Collins. What they're saying: "Talk about hitting a tipping point," tweeted Bob Wachter, chair of the UCSF Department of Medicine. "As each organization and industry finds the courage to mandate or strongly incentivize vaccination, it makes it that much easier for the next one to do so. Until all the pressure is on leaders who have NOT done it." The bottom line: Vaccine mandates have been unpopular in part because they'll inevitably create a backlash. But the vaccination effort seems to have run out of carrots to incentivize more people to get a shot, and with rates remaining as low as they are in light of a worsening domestic situation, resorting to sticks has clearly become a more attractive option. Go deeper: Nursing homes have startlingly low COVID vaccination rates According to Central Bank data, local commercial banks processed a total of $748.4 million in cash transfers from Armenians working abroad, up from $546.2 million in January-May 2020. Money sent back to family members by migrants living in the United States generated half of this increase, doubling to $212 million in absolute terms. Armenian families received another $290 million from Russia, which remains the largest source of remittances. Remittance inflows to the country fell by 6 percent to $1.84 billion last year amid the global health crisis that caused the Armenian economy to shrink by 7.6 percent. The economy began growing again this spring. The rising remittances, which were equivalent to 14 percent of Armenias GDP in 2020, are contributing to its ongoing recovery by boosting consumer spending. Preliminary data from the Armenian governments Statistical Committee shows the overall volume of wholesale and retail sales in the country rising by 8 percent year on year in January-May 2021. The sharp increase in remittances appears to have also helped to reverse a 6 percent depreciation in November-December 2020 of the Armenian currency, the dram. The autumn war in Nagorno-Karabakh is thought to have been a major factor behind its weakening. The dram strengthened against the U.S. dollar by 5.3 percent in the in the first half of this year and by another 3 percent in July. Mane Tandilian, the Karabakh minister of labor, social and migration affairs, dismissed Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevs recent claim that only 25,000 ethnic Armenians remain in the territory. More than 120,000 citizens reside in Artsakh (Karabakh) at the moment, Tandilian told RFE/RLs Armenian Service. She said her estimate is accurate because it is based on the number of beneficiaries of socioeconomic and educational programs implemented by the Karabakh authorities. Karabakh had an estimated 150,000 residents, virtually all of them ethnic Armenians, before the six-week war with Azerbaijan that broke out in September 2020. According to Karabakh officials, at least 90,000 local civilians fled their homes and took refuge in Armenia during the fierce fighting stopped by a Russian-brokered ceasefire in November. Most of them reportedly returned home after the ceasefire. Russian peacekeeping forces claimed to have escorted more than 50,000 refugees back to Karabakh in convoys of buses. In Tandilians words, tens of thousands of others returned home in private cars. According to the Armenian Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, more than 30,000 Karabakh Armenian refugees remained in Armenia as of February. Most of them used to live in Karabakhs southern Hadrut district and the town of Shushi (Shusha) captured by Azerbaijani forces as well as districts around the Soviet-era Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast retaken by Baku during and after the hostilities. Thousands of other former Hadrut and Shushi residents have moved to other parts of Karabakh despite a lack of adequate housing there. Tandilian said that the Karabakh authorities have already launched large-scale housing construction for them. The government plans to provide the displaced people with new homes over the next three years, added the official. Aliyev made the population claim last week as he again said that Azerbaijans victory in the war put an end to the Karabakh conflict. He said Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks on Karabakhs status make no sense also because only 25,000 people live in the territory at present. Armenian leaders dismissed Aliyevs remarks, insisting that the conflict remains unresolved. In a joint statement released in April, the U.S., Russian and French mediators co-heading the OSCE Minsk Group called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume negotiations on a comprehensive and sustainable settlement based on their pre-war peace proposals. A relevant bill that will be debated by the council later this week would more than double the wages of Marutian and his deputies. It calls for much smaller pay rises for nearly 2,000 other persons working in the mayors office and Yerevans ten district administrations. Armen Galjian, one of the two council members who drafted the bill, defended the disparity, saying that the mayors and the vice-mayors current wages are considerably lower than the responsibility which they bear while performing their duties. Galjian also said that the across-the-board pay rises are long overdue because municipal wages have remained unchanged since 2011. He insisted that they do not require extra funding from the municipal budget because their beneficiaries would simply have regular bonuses paid to them added to their monthly salaries on a permanent basis. Marutian backed the proposed salary increases, saying that the municipal administration would be in a better position to attract skilled specialists. But he stressed that his own salary must not be raised. A person who took up a public position as a result of the [2018] revolution must not seek to have their salary raised, he wrote on Facebook. I am therefore categorically against having my salary increase and will therefore not take part in the [council] vote. But if the Council of Elders votes for the measure I will refuse that extra sum and will continue to receive the salary that I have received for the last two and a half years: namely 415,000 drams ($860). The extra sum will be channeled not benevolence, added the well-to-do former TV comedian, who reportedly owns expensive real estate in Europe. Marutian himself tried to push through a similar bill in May 2019. He had to withdraw it amid strong objections voiced by council members representing not only the Armenian opposition but also the ruling My Step bloc, which has a comfortable majority in the municipal legislature. Ernest Avanesov, a councilor who left My Step last December, questioned on Tuesday the wisdom of reviving the idea. He said there has been no serious analysis of its practical impact on good governance in the Armenian capital. WASHINGTON (CNN) -- To prevent further spread of the Delta variant, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its mask guidance on Tuesday to recommend that fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors when in areas with "substantial" and "high" transmission of Covid-19, which includes nearly two-thirds of all US counties. Most Arizona counties, including Maricopa and Pinal counties, fall in these categories described by the CDC. Check all counties in Arizona here. Some cities in Arizona have already started updating their mask policies as well. The City of Peoria will require all city employees and visitors to wear masks inside city buildings beginning Thursday, July 29. This will apply to both vaccinated and unvaccinated people. New unpublished data showing that vaccinated people infected with the Delta coronavirus variant can have as much virus as those who are unvaccinated is the primary driver for the CDC's latest mask guidance change, a source involved with the decision process told CNN. Overall, vaccinated people still play a small role in transmission and breakthrough infections are rare. "The pandemic is ever-changing. It's not static. Sometimes it's 2 steps forward and one step back," said Dr. Shad Marvasti with U. Arizona's College if Medicine. In addition, the source noted two other factors that led to this decision: the prevalence of the Delta variant and low vaccine uptake. When the CDC previously revised its guidance on May 13 for vaccinated people to unmask, Delta only represented 1% of reported infections. Now, according to the CDC, it represents at least 83% of cases. "Before the Delta variant existed it was very clear that vaccinated individuals posed no threat to spread, and they didn't really take on any risk for themselves or for their unvaccinated children," Marvasti said. "That's no longer the case with Delta based on the data we're seeing." The source also noted that the country's overall level of vaccination is lower than what was initially expected and that most transmission is happening in areas with vaccination levels below 40% of the population. "When you get information about risks and how to mitigate risks, there's a public health obligation to let people know about it," a senior administration official said. The White House is hoping that the new guidance will give local officials "a lot of cover" to implement new mask mandates where appropriate. Pediatrician Dr. Anne Maiden-Hope says there's no way to tell how long we'll need to wear masks this go-around. "Unfortunately, it's clear as mud," she said. "We don't have a crystal ball and we're just going to have to adjust to the situation in a real-time basis given the new information that we have. We just have to do our best and keep everyone as safe as possible. It's not just about you; it's about everyone in this together." Meanwhile, the guidance for unvaccinated people remains the same: continue masking until they are fully vaccinated. Nearly half -- 46% -- of US counties currently have high transmission and 17% have "substantial" transmission, according to data from the CDC, as of Tuesday morning. In two states, Arkansas and Louisiana, every county is currently listed as having "high" levels of community transmission of Covid-19, according to CDC data. Several other states -- including Missouri, Mississippi and Alabama -- also have "high" transmission in nearly every county. In Florida, every county was listed with high transmission on Monday; as of Tuesday morning, one -- Glades County -- has substantial transmission. The CDC's latest guidance also recommends for community leaders to encourage vaccination and mask-wearing to prevent further outbreaks in areas of substantial and high transmission. The agency recommends that local jurisdictions encourage universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to schools, regardless of vaccination status. Earlier this month, the CDC's Covid-19 school guidance noted that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks, and then about a week later the American Academy of Pediatrics issued stricter guidance recommending that everyone older than 2 wear a mask in schools, regardless of vaccination their status. Now the updated CDC guidance recommends everyone in schools wear a mask. The updated CDC guidance makes "excellent sense," Dr. David Weber, professor at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill and board member of the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology, told CNN on Tuesday. "Breakthrough disease clearly occurs, and for those cases, we know they're much more mild in vaccinated people, but we don't know how infectious vaccinated people are," he said. "But clearly, if you want to protect your children under 12 or grandchildren, or protect immunocompromised people, as well as protect your own health -- from even mild disease -- then you should be wearing a mask, particularly in areas of high transmission when indoors." Guidance has been in talks for days The last time the CDC updated its mask guidance was two months ago, to say most people who are fully vaccinated could go without masks indoors. That guidance moved so quickly that administration officials were informed less than a day before -- and many public health experts were taken by surprise. This time, the CDC's updated guidance has been expected for some days now. As the highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant continues to circulate across the United States, top federal health officials debated whether to issue new guidance on masks, huddling on Sunday night to go over the new data and evidence regarding the transmissibility of the variant and breakthrough cases among vaccinated people, according to a person familiar with the talks. The CDC emphasized on Tuesday that while some breakthrough cases have occurred, getting vaccinated still prevents severe illness, hospitalization and death. The CDC also noted that the highest spread of Covid-19 cases and severe outcomes is happening in areas with low vaccination rates and among unvaccinated people. "There are many reasons for getting vaccinated -- keeping you from dying, keeping you from being hospitalized, protecting loved ones, as well as not ending up with permanent symptoms, potentially like loss of sense of smell and taste and confusion that may last for a prolonged period of time," Weber said. "There are many reasons still to get vaccinated. Even if under certain circumstances, it's recommended you wear your mask," he said. "The CDC and others will be flexible and if we can achieve higher percentages of vaccination and drive the rate of infections back down again, then the recommendation will go back to saying if you're vaccinated, you don't need a mask -- but I don't see that for a substantial period of time." The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. GLENDALE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - Nearly a month ago, two Glendale families had to be rescued when their apartment stairs collapsed. They were stuck in their apartment waiting 16 hours before rescuers got them out. Now, those families are still waiting to get their lives back to normal. Those collapsed stairs should have been repaired by now, but instead, there's now no timeline of when these families can get back to their homes due to a repair mistake. Arizonas Family was told originally it would take 3 to 14 days to repair the stairs. Meanwhile the Trombetta family can hardly afford to keep living in hotels. We just want to go home. We just want a home. Thats all we want, said Cameron Trombetta. It's been an emotional month for him and his family of four. The stairs collapsed at their Cactus Flats apartment, and they had to be rescued by first responders to get out. They thought they'd be back home by now. But they're not. Three quarters of our belongings are still trapped up there. We cant get up there so all our food, diapers, all our clothes - we only had a weeks worth of clothes on us, he said. Weve spent like over $2,000 of our own money and we basically have nothing left. So, what went wrong? According to the City of Glendale, the permit to fix the stairs required new material to be used, but the city told Arizonas Family the owner and contractors used portions of the old, damaged stairs instead, and that was deemed not safe by the City's inspectors, and was a violation of the permit. The contracting company told Arizona's Family they're now waiting on the structural engineer to assess what's called stair stringers, and they'll proceed with the work as directed by the City after. Until the engineer's report is made available to all parties, the repair project is at a standstill. Trombetta said they've tried to find new apartments, but the current market is making things extremely tough. Most of these places that were in our price range - which we were finding them - were like, Well we dont have openings until September, October, November, he said. Now, Trombetta said they're close to having to live in their car or find a homeless shelter, which terrifies their family. I hope there is somebody out there that can help us right now until this thing can get fixed. I pray that someone out there will hear this story and help us because were not here to get money or here to get anything, were just here to have a home, Trombetta said. The City told Arizonas Family under law, the property owner is financially responsible for helping displaced families. This situation is complicated because these units are all owned by different people. We called Trombettas specific property management owner, but did not hear back. If you'd like to help out the Trombetta family with finances right now, heres a link to their GoFundMe page. Utility will replace poles, other parts of line between Baker City and John Day Who will take care of the disabled and elderly? California faces 'unprecedented' labor shortage How to help Kern Law Enforcement Association said it has set up a fundraising campaign for the Campas family. Hosted by the Peace Officers Research Association of California's Fund-a-Hero portal, the campaign can be reached online at https://porac.org/fundraiser/deputy-phillip-campas-memorial-fund/. The Kern County 999 Foundation, which takes its name from a law enforcement code for an officer down, said it, too, is accepting donations that will go to deputies involved or their families. It referred donors to its website, Kerncounty999foundation.org, and said it also accepts financial contributions by check, mailed to its address at 4208 Rosedale Highway, Suite 302-101, Bakersfield, CA 93308. Iowans want to know what their local governmentscounty supervisors, city councils, school boardsare up to. They always have. The very first newspapers in many of the states counties regularly published local public notices, paid for by local governments. Its an American tradition that go Stay up to date on COVID-19 Get Breaking News Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. Curiosities, Ancient Surprises Near Cannon Beach, N. Oregon Coast Published 07/22/21 at 6:25 PM PST By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff (Cannon Beach, Oregon) Scenic pleasures and wild to mild means of repose abound at Hug Point, just south of Cannon Beach, with that waterfall, a cave or three, and the old road carved out of the rock. Crusty creatures emerge with regularity inside the tidepools here, which change locations on occasion. Calming to slightly crazed conditions create a fun tideline experience, while winter can bring enormous storms that fill the cove area with insane oceanic chaos, creating an astounding spectacle. This would seem enough for any Oregon coast hotspot. Yet there's not only more than meets the eye here, there's quite literally more beneath the surface than you'd imagine. Hug Point in a very real sense works on a lot of levels, both in time and space. That means to really get to know this north Oregon coast favorite you have look closer, a bit beneath the surface perhaps, and check it out at various points in time. Hug Point's story goes back well over 100 years, to when all the beaches were the only roads up and down the length of the Oregon coast. That meant, however, much of it was only passable at lower to even low tides, causing mail trucks or delivery vehicles to get stuck for days. No overnight packages here. This state park was one of the worst spots for this with the pointy, well, point jutting out into the sea. So early Oregon officials decided to blast a road around the point, creating that unique feature you see today. You can still see the ruts dug into the old rock by those ancient vehicles. It is an awesome feature, unlike anything on the entire Oregon coast. But right next to it is the enormous, shudder-inducing sea cave that is also unforgettable. Inside, the colors get wild and strange, and you see giant chunks of driftwood crammed into spaces in odd ways, displaying the power of the ocean that put them there. Two curiosities lurk on that road: one is the occasional chunk of wood bolted into the face, closer to the northern side; and the other is a tiny brass knob embedded in the edge of the road. The board of wood appears then disappears every few years. While no one is sure exactly why it's there, it's believed either park rangers or locals put it there and attach a rope to it, in case anyone gets into distress because of the tides. Exactly what the knob is or why it's there is also a bit of a puzzle. It has an elevation marking, but also the inscription of Pacific Power and Light. The company could not find any documentation on it, but they theorized it was originally used by the power company in the '20s as a survey marker. When sand levels get super high, as in most summers, Hug Point becomes much larger. The tide is kept at bay, and you can even walk beneath that road in complete safety. But in winters, if the tide gets low enough, you can see wildly colored rock slabs just beneath the waves next to the road, often covered in tide pool life. Winters are when Hug Point can really come alive. In the 2000's, the Oregon coast had a run of winters where ten feet or more of sand was taken off many beaches. At these extraordinary times, incredible objects came to light. Beneath these sands lie the remnants of a forest more than 4,000 years old commonly called ghost forests. These, plus other stunning geologic wonders called red towers (surreal chunks of reddish clay-like material) showed up as well. Not to mention, agates are prime at this spot when sand levels drop. This whole section of Oregon coast is a gold mine of dreamlike exploration. Some details at Hug Point are staring you in the face but you don't notice them. And they're almost shocking. One is the ancient carvings in the face of the rock surrounding the road. If you look closely at the slab that covers part of the old roadway, you'll notice a series of indentations. Some of this is just tidal melee, but some are the remnants of ancient handholds carved into it by native tribes. Pictures from the 1930's shows these as still more pronounced, but now they're whittled down a ways. Before this rock was blasted out, a whole series of these went up the rockface to the top, basically a crude ladder. They could be hundreds of years old or older. The real shocker is the ancient petrified forests embedded in parts of Hug Point, millions of years old. Local geologist Tom Horning explains the sandstone here was formed about that time when this area was an estuary of the Columbia River. The petrified wood was long story short made by creatures making tiny holes, and then those holes were slowly filled up with sand, becoming sandstone. Hotels in Cannon Beach - Where to eat - Cannon Beach Maps and Virtual Tours MORE PHOTOS BELOW More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted Remember lighthearted throwback adventure movies? The Mummy? Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade? Pirates of the Caribbean? The first one, at least? How about the classic romantic banter of a handsome but wholly mismatched pair in Romancing the Stone or The African Queen? Jungle Cruise certainly does and isnt about to let you forget it, either. This is a film whose sole purpose is to remind you of at least a dozen other movies that you remember fondly and coast from there. And it almost gets away with it thanks entirely to its charismatic and entirely game stars Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson, who mostly make you forget that youre watching a movie based on a theme park ride that seems to have been made-to-order at the nostalgia factory. Wearing inspirations on your sleeve isnt a cinematic crime, but Jungle Cruise, directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and written by Glenn Ficarra, John Requa and Michael Green, often does so at its own detriment. The set-up is forgivably contrived involving Spanish conquistadors, a maniacal German prince (a brilliantly over-the-top Jesse Plemons) and an earnest English woman, Blunts Lily Houghton, who have all devoted their lives to finding a mythical cure-all called Tears of the Moon. After a truly terrific introduction to Lily involving a solitary heist in a museums archives, she and her dandy brother MacGregor (a scene-stealing Jack Whitehall) travel to the Amazon jungle where they enlist a struggling riverboat captain, Frank (Johnson), to lead them down the river in search of this flower. Jungle Cruise is knowingly and enjoyably cartoonish from its production design to its costumes (although some of the CGI animals are distractingly artificial for a production of this size). But it gets bogged down its own overexplained mythology when it could have simply sailed on the simple quest for a magical MacGuffin. Johnsons Frank is fun, though. The screenwriters have given him a boatload of cheesy puns as a nod to the theme park ride, and Johnson sells it like he always does. He continues to be very watchable and light, and he and Blunt are clearly having a blast together. Their energy is infectious. Blunt, meanwhile, is wholly wonderful and operating on another level. She is completely and effortlessly at home as Lily, and it would be delightful to see this character again on the big screen. But theres also a big problem: Jungle Cruise does not work as the romance that it wants to be. Blunt and Johnson have terrific chemistry and banter, just not the romantic kind. Its more of a platonic buddy cop partnership, which is perfectly fine, but the script tries to force it to be something else and it just feels false, especially as more and more of the plot hinges on Lily and Franks relationship. Also, despite herculean efforts, Blunt and Johnson can only do so much with a script that too often falls back on milquetoast zingers about Lilys pants, Franks guitar and MacGregors material obsessions. Theres also some curious choices when it comes to how they frame the sexism and misogyny of the time: Is it believable that a group of male scientists who very recently lived under Queen Victoria would find it laughable to suggest that a woman could lead an Amazonian tribe? Perhaps my expectations got a little too high over the course of the past year and all of my summer movie hopes started to rest on Jungle Cruise. It is a fine adventure with two genuine movie stars that may very well become a rewatchable staple like the films it references. But on first watch, it mostly comes across as an earnest and safe homage. Jungle Cruise, a Walt Disney Pictures release in theaters and available to rent on Disney+ on Friday, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for adventure violence. Running time: 127 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four. - MPAA Definition of PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. - Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr WASHINGTON - The phrase "all is fair in love and war" took on a new meaning Friday, when a Texas man was arrested after boasting to a match in a dating app about participating in the Jan. 6 riot "from the very beginning." Andrew Taake of Houston was charged with assaulting police and storming the Capitol building. His arrest follows a months-long investigation spurred by a tip and a FedEx delivery driver who confirmed his identity to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to the government. ONLY IN HOUSTON: Happy 713 Day, Houston! Here's why we're the best Taake made his initial court appearance Friday in the Southern District of Texas, according to a Department of Justice news release. His public defender did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Similarly to another arrested rioter, it all started with a conversation on Bumble, a dating app, according to court documents. The unnamed Bumble user asked if he had been "near all the action." Taake claimed he was pepper-sprayed by police after gathering to protest the presidential election results, according to a July 21 criminal complaint. Washington Post photo by Ricky Carioti. "About 30 minutes after being sprayed," he said of a selfie showing him wearing a gray beanie and a dark gaiter. "Safe to say, I was the very first person to be sprayed that day . . . all while just standing there." The two never got to meet face to face. Three days after the events, the match sent the conversation to officials, along with screenshots of Taake's location on Jan. 6 - shown as Alexandria, Va., just outside Washington, D.C. - according to the complaint. After the tip, officials reviewed flight records, security footage and photos and videos posted across social media. What they found was far more than a participant "peacefully standing there," as Taake claimed on Bumble, according to the complaint. A federal agent said images show the Texas man "using what appears to be a metal whip and pepper spray to attack law enforcement officers." Body-camera footage provided by D.C. police allegedly reveals Taake emerging from the crowd of rioters on the other side of a bike rack barricade crafted by the authorities. He pepper-sprayed the officers, retreated and is then seen "striking officers with a weapon that appears to be a whip," the federal agent wrote. MORE LIFESTYLE: Avoid killing your plants with these 5 care hacks Once the crowd managed to break into the building, the U.S. Senate's security cameras caught Taake - with his whip still in hand - walking down the aisles, the complaint says. But how did officials conclude it was him? After gathering images, FBI agents showed them to a FedEx driver who had delivered a package "minutes before" at Taake's address, according to court documents. The driver then identified Taake as the man in the photos, the goverment said. An interview between the federal agent and Taake led to his identity confirmation after the official reviewed the amassed evidence, court documents said. Authorities also said they found a link between Taake's phone number and the Jan. 5 Spirit Airlines ticket to Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport that he bought from George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. Identified in the document as the co-owner of a home-cleaning and pressure-washing service - officials matched the phone number listed on the company's Facebook page with the cellphone Taake used to book his flight. According to the complaint, it was connected to cellphone sites that would be utilized from inside the Capitol building. Taake faces charges including attempting to obstruct the work of law enforcement, causing a disturbance during a session of Congress and entering a restricted building that contained the vice president. He is one of the more than 535 individuals to be arrested in breaching the Capitol and one of the more than 165 people charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. TEXAN PRIDE: Your guide to shopping for cowboy boots in Houston: from $ to $$$ Taake is also the second to have been charged after a Bumble encounter - though others have been flagged by the dating app. "Bumble prohibits content that promotes racism or encourages any illegal activity including terrorism and the incitement of violence," a spokesperson for the company said in a statement to The Washington Post. "Additionally, the spreading of misinformation, such as disputing the certified results of the U.S. Election, is prohibited." Express-News file photo A Twitter bio for a Texas-focused bot says not to take the account seriously, but that proves hard to do given the hot takes that it spews out on the daily. More for you News The funniest face masks on the Internet Twitter account @texastakesbot is exactly that a bot that shares hot takes that only Texans will have a certain feeling about. Most of the tweets seem to mix and match statements on a list of topics, ranging from politics and Texas cities to food and Buc-ees (the signature beaver icon is the accounts avi on the platform, after all). INDIAN FALLS, Calif. (AP) California's largest wildfire merged with a smaller blaze and destroyed homes in remote areas with limited access for firefighters, as numerous other fires gained strength and threatened property across the U.S. West. The massive Dixie Fire, which started July 14, had already leveled over a dozen houses and other structures when it combined with the Fly Fire and tore through the tiny Northern California community of Indian Falls after dark Saturday. An updated damage estimate was not available Sunday, though fire officials said the blaze had charred nearly 298 square miles acres (772 square kilometers) of timber and brush in Plumas and Butte counties. It was 21% contained. Firefighters carrying hand tools were forced to hike through rugged terrain where engines can't go, said Rick Carhart, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It has been burning in extremely steep canyons, some places where it is almost impossible for human beings to set foot on the ground to get in there, he said. "Its going to be a long haul. Still, crews made progress Saturday by proactively setting fires to rob the main blaze of fuels, Carhart said. The fire prompted evacuation orders in several small mountain communities and along the west shore of Lake Almanor, a popular resort area. About 10,000 homes remained under threat, officials said. Firefighters also reported progress against the nations largest wildfire, the Bootleg Fire in southern Oregon, containing 46% of the blaze that had consumed nearly 640 square miles (1,657 square kilometers). More than 2,200 firefighters battled the blaze, focusing Sunday on constructing containment lines at the north and eastern edges in dense timber. Crews could get a break from rain and higher humidity predicted for this week, said Marcus Kauffman, spokesman for the Oregon Department of Forestry. The lightning-caused fire has burned 67 homes, mainly cabins, and at least 2,000 houses were under evacuation orders. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown told CNNs State of the Union that its imperative federal and state authorities invest in mitigation such as tree thinning and preventive burns to limit the number of similar massive blazes. But she conceded that the harsh reality is that were going to see more of these wildfires. Theyre hotter, theyre more fierce, and obviously much more challenging to tackle. And they are a sign of the changing climate impacts, Brown said Sunday. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for four northern counties because of wildfires that he said were causing conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property. The proclamation opened the way for more state support. Such conditions are often from a combination of unusual random, short-term and natural weather patterns heightened by long-term, human-caused climate change. Global warming has made the West much warmer and drier in the past 30 years. In southwest Montana, officials were focusing on structure protection for three fires amid weather forecasts of rising temperatures, low humidity and westerly winds this week, factors that could produce explosive growth. Crews were trying to protect about 200 homes and cabins and prevent the 44-square-mile (144-square-kilometer) Trail Creek blaze from reaching the Big Hole National Battlefield in Beaverhead County, fire spokesman Jason Nedlo said. The battlefield site, operated by the National Park Service, has been closed because of the fire threat. Five federal firefighters were in stable condition Sunday after being burned when swirling winds blew a lightning-caused wildfire back on them in eastern Montana on Thursday. The five were building a defensive line at the Devils Creek Fire in Garfield County when the weather shifted suddenly. Elsewhere in California, the 104-square-mile (269-square-kilometer) Tamarack fire south of Lake Tahoe continued to burn through timber and chaparral and threatened communities on both sides of the California-Nevada state line. The fire, sparked by lightning July 4 in Alpine County, California has destroyed at least 23 buildings, including more than a dozen in Nevada. It was 27% contained Sunday, and officials were able to lift evacuation orders. Heavy smoke from that blaze and the Dixie Fire lowered visibility and may at times ground aircraft providing support for fire crews. The air quality south of Lake Tahoe and across the state line into Nevada deteriorated to very unhealthy levels. In north-central Washington, firefighters battled two blazes in Okanogan County that threatened hundreds of homes and again caused hazardous air quality conditions Saturday. And in northern Idaho, east of Spokane, Washington, a small fire near the Silverwood Theme Park prompted evacuations Friday evening at the park and in the surrounding area. The theme park was back open Saturday with the fire half contained. Although hot weather with afternoon winds posed a continued threat of spreading blazes, weekend forecasts also called for a chance of scattered thunderstorms in California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and other states. However, forecasters said some could be dry thunderstorms that produce little rain but a lot of lightning, which can spark new blazes. More than 85 large wildfires were burning around the country, most of them in Western states. They had burned over 1.4 million acres (2,135 square miles, or more than 553,000 hectares). The city of Beaumont has recorded another 44 new COVID-19 infections just three weeks before public schools are set to reopen and vaccinations continue to lag behind the rest of the state. While a state executive order prohibits schools from requiring masks and it doesnt appear Texas Gov. Greg Abbott will change statewide mask requirements, a couple local government offices already have closed as a result of the virus. "We are seeing increasing cases and hospitalizations," said Chris Van Deusen, director of media relations for the Texas Department of State Health Services. "Vaccinations have been picking up in the last couple of weeks with tens of thousands of doses per day," he said. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, just 40% of Jefferson County residents, ages 12 and up, are fully vaccinated. Hardin County reports 30% and Orange County reports 29%. But as of Friday, 52% of the states residents as fully vaccinated, according to state data. High-traffic public areas are a particular concern, especially for the Jefferson County Tax Assessor-Collector's offices, two of which are now closed, said Assessor-Collector Allison Nathan Getz. Tax office employees who work in the Port Arthur and Mid-County locations will test today for COVID-19 infections after several employees, including one who had been vaccinated, tested positive for the virus, leading Getz to close both offices to the public last week. The Jefferson County courthouse office remains open. The tax office is one of the countys busiest because it's where people renew vehicle registrations and get new license plates. Homeowners and other property owners also will begin to pay property taxes after Oct. 31 through Jan. 31, 2022. Getz said if enough of the employees from the Mid-County office test negative on Tuesday, that office can reopen on Wednesday. The Port Arthur office had been closed to the public for renovations, but the virus is circulating among some of its employees. She had brought those employees to the Mid-County office to work. She said she plans to urge employees to quarantine if they have not been vaccinated and for all people in her offices to get tested on again Friday. Other affected Jefferson County departments also will be tested on Friday, as well as any other employees who wants to be tested. Getz also has encouraged her employees to wear a mask while at work. Residents who cant make it to the Jefferson County office or prefer to avoid the high-traffic area can take advantage of most of the offices services online or by mail, Getz said. While the number of positive cases of COVID-19 have been increasing across Jefferson County, Beaumont Public Health Department Director Kenneth Coleman said no cases of the Delta variant have been reported yet. Orange County last week confirmed one positive case of the highly-contagious Delta variant. Whitney Cooper, epidemiology manager for the Hardin County Health Department said the Alpha variant still is the most prevelant in her county. Both Cooper and Coleman recommended eligible residents get vaccinated to stop the virus spread. Appointments for the COVID vaccine in Beaumont is available by calling the Beaumont Health Department or by visiting the city's website at vaccine.beaumonttexas.gov. People also may call (409) 550-2536 for help in finding where vaccines are being offered. This applies to all people in Jefferson, Hardin, Orange, Jasper and Newton counties. Dan Wallach is a freelance writer. TERNATE, Indonesia (AP) An Indonesian man with the coronavirus has boarded a domestic flight disguised as his wife, wearing a niqab covering his face and carrying fake IDs and a negative PCR test result. But the cover didn't last long. Police say a flight attendant aboard a Citilink plane traveling from Jakarta to Ternate in North Maluku province on Sunday noticed the man change the clothes in the lavatory. He bought the plane ticket with his wifes name and brought the identity card, the PCR test result and the vaccination card with his wifes name. All documents are under his wifes name, Ternate police chief Aditya Laksimada said after arresting the man upon landing. He was only identified by his initials. Police took him for a COVID-19 test, which came back positive. The man is currently self-isolating at home and police said the investigation will continue. Indonesia is in the grip of the worse coronavirus surge in Asia with 33,772 new confirmed cases and 1,383 deaths in the last 24 hours. The total number of reported cases is 2.9 million with 77,583 fatalities. Restrictions on nonessential travel, including a mandatory negative coronavirus test, and public gatherings have been toughened over the Eid al-Adha holiday this week. Beaumont City Council member Mike Getz wants his city to become the new home of the battleship Texas, and he deserves points for creative thinking. Getz believes it would be a great attraction in a new berth on the Neches River just upstream from Riverfront Park, and in theory we agree. The state government is trying to move the iconic ship from its awkward home near the San Jacinto battlefield (where it was never a good historic fit) to someplace else in the Lone Star State. The ship is 556 feet long and 92 feet wide and would occupy an area owned by the Port of Beaumont. Beaumont is located on Interstate 10, which tens of thousands of Texans and travelers use every day, so accessibility would not be a problem. On the other hand, some key numbers dont add up. The battleship was only attracting 80,000 visitors per year of the 250,000 ticket-buyers it needs annually to cover costs. If it couldnt do that near the states largest city and also near I-10 its chances of doing that in Beaumont seem slim. The proposal also has eerie echoes of Oranges attempts to make the USS Orleck a tourist attraction. The City Council paid a lot of money to have the vessel towed from Turkey in 2000 and provided additional support as a small band of backers tried to refurbish the ship. But repairs could never catch up with the deterioration of a World War II vessel, and the project never attracted more than a small number of visitors. The ship was damaged by Hurricane Rita in 2005 and eventually transferred to a site in Lake Charles, La., in 2009. In retrospect, that project never even came close to becoming financially viable. Still, if Getz thinks Beaumont has a chance to berth the Texas, he should find other supporters and go for it. Its a long shot, but sometimes efforts like this succeed. But its hard to ignore the irony of Getz proposing something facing significant odds for the Beaumont riverfront while opposing something that has at least a decent chance of succeeding. We refer, of course, to tentative plans by the City Council to buy the old AT&T building, level the site and lease it to one or two restaurants similar to the Wheelhouse in Port Neches. Getz is the only council member who opposes that plan. Apparently he believes that the building, vacant for nearly a decade, could be restored and that tenants could then be found for it in a city with lots of office space. If the current owner, Tom Flanagan, wanted to do that, we would of course wish him the best of luck. But Flanagan is ready to sell the building he bought two years ago with no work having been done on it since then. The larger lesson here is that cities should never hesitate to dream big but they should never depart from reality either. Not every proposal is equal; some have better chances of success than others. A riverfront restaurant or two falls squarely in the realm of the possible. There are no guarantees in life, but the public-private partnership for this concept does work in other places like a few miles downstream in Port Neches. The Beaumont council should remain focused on the restaurant proposal whatever Getz does regarding the Texas. If the ship ever finds a home in Beaumont, we hope its visitors have some nice places nearby to grab a meal and enjoy the view of the Neches River. Bedford, PA (15522) Today A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 79F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Some clouds. Low 57F. Winds light and variable. You likely recognize him as the youngest sibling of the Baldwin brothers who accepted Jesus in the aftermath of 9/11. But what many dont know about the actor turned born-again Christian is how he found God, and the story is quite incredible. Stephen turned to Jesus Christ after the September 11th terrorist attacks, but the real transformation came after his childs Brazilian nanny was singing about Jesus in Portuguese to the Stephens baby in front of his Brazilian wife Kennya. In an interview with CBN, Stephen talked the encounter that changed his life and his wifes life forever. So we hired this lady from Brazil named Augusta, and the whole first week shes working for us shes singing in Portuguese, which she only spoke that language with my wife, Stephen told CBN. Shes singing about Jesus, and my wife comes to me in a few days and asks me, Do you hear what shes singing about? Shes singing about Jesus. After a few days, his wife approaches her about it. I noticed your singing, and Im wondering why every song is about Jesus?, Kennya said. What she didnt expect was her nannys reaction. She didnt expect for her to burst out laughing. Kennya asked her what was so funny. Quite frankly, I think its a little bit funny that you think Im here to clean your house." Quite frankly, I think its a little bit funny that you think Im here to clean your house, Augusta said. Augusta goes on to tell Kennya that before she accepted the job, she prayed with her pastor and some church members in Brazil. She was told through a prophetic word that if she went to live with the Baldwins, then one day Kennya and Stephen would come to faith in Jesus Christ and be involved in ministry. But it didnt stop there. Augusta also told her that she had a dream and saw their family it. In the beginning, Stephen was not impressed or fazed by his nannys words. He was raised Roman Catholic and was in the church up until age 12 and religion didnt stick. [I] went out into the world and did my own thing, Stephen said. And that he did. Stephen went on to appear in a number of films, becoming an award-winning actor, producer and author. While all of this was happening, Kennya was spending more time around Augusta and talking about Jesus. After some time, Kennya attended a Brazilian church in New York City and started learning more about Jesus. She was the first in the family to receive him. Kennya was open with Stephen about her experience. She said, Honey, sit down. Ive got to talk to you. Ive accepted Jesus Christ tonight as my Lord and Savior. Ive been baptized in water. I need you to know that, from now on, what I need to do each day to the best of my ability is to become the most obedient servant to Jesus Christ that I can. Now, I need that to be clear, and I need you to understand. I dont know what youre going to do, but thats what Im going to do Then I watched her go through this radically beautiful metamorphosis. It was amazing, Baldwin said. Kennya didnt try to force Jesus on him, but also remained very open with him. She went into prayer and Bible study regiment unlike anything Id ever seen before. Up in the morning, on her knees face on the ground for an hour, without flinching, up off her knees into the bed with the Bible at least 30 to 45 minutes, every morning, every night for one year. Around the same time, Stephen also became curious and started asking questions. Then 9/11 happened and things really changed. September 11th kind of freaked me out. I said, Hey, whats this all about? My wifes a Jesus freak. Maybe its time I begin thinking about this faith thing, Pursued it, became born again, accepted the Lord, baptized in water, Stephen said. But Stephens outspokenness and unconventional behavior left some skeptical and critical of Stephens shift. He has been vocal about losing roles since turning his life over to Jesus. When asked about being outspoken on his faith, Stephen told Hollywood Reporter, Well, if you Google Stephen Baldwin, the fourth thing that comes back is that Im the Jesus freak of Hollywood. When asked about whether the term Jesus freak bothers him, he was candid about his experience of persecution in Hollywood. Yes and no. Its unfortunate that because I have believe in Jesus for 15 years that there are many in Hollywood who are unwilling to work with me. Thats not a guess. Casting people and produced have told me that theyve brought up my name in a room and the response was, No way, were not bringing that guy and his Bible over here.' While he is open about the fact that his faith has cost him roles in Hollywood, this hasnt stopped him from sharing his faith story and the Gospel of Jesus with others. He just goes about sharing his faith a little differently now. I just think that probably when somebody calls themselves born again and kind of goes out there in a pretty radical zealous way, professes their glee about that, it can creep people out, Bald told Fox News. I have no regret about that, but I have chilled out a lot more because Im a little more seasoned as a Christian believer. Stephen has starred in a number of faith films, television shows and movie projects since he turned his life to Christ. He has also turned down several roles that he thought didnt mesh well with his faith. Stephen is also unafraid to share his faith on social media. His twitter bio reads Love AllServe God!! He uses the platform mostly to promote his faith, politics and prayer. A Rohingya man carries a woman out of the flooded Balukhali refugee camp in Ukhia, a sub-district of Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh, July 27, 2021. At least six Rohingya, including two children, were killed Tuesday when a landslide caused by torrential rains swept away several makeshift shelters at a crowded refugee camp in southeastern Bangladesh, officials said. Such deaths have become a regular occurrence in the hilly Coxs Bazar camps which house about 1 million refugees from neighboring Myanmar during the heavy, seasonal monsoons from April through September. One of the Rohingya killed on Tuesday, a child, drowned when the landslide occurred, said Mohammad Shamsud Douza, an additional refugee relief and repatriation commissioner. Landslide in the hills killed five Rohingya and another Rohingya died drowning, Douza, an additional refugee relief and repatriation commissioner, told BenarNews, adding that two children were injured. We have recovered the dead bodies of the six victims. The heavy downpour during the past two days flooded camp number 10 in the Balukhali settlement in Coxs Bazar, causing the landslide, Shah Rezwan Hayat, the refugee relief and repatriation commissioner, told BenarNews. The same settlement was the site of a fire that killed 11 Rohingya in March. Hayat said it was possible that many shelters were destroyed at other camps as well. To save them from probable disasters, we have relocated some 1,500 families from the vulnerable camps to safer places, he told BenarNews. We have been working to relocate more families facing risks of landslides and flooding. Hayat said the affected Rohingya families had taken shelter at the settlements learning and community centers, mosques and madrassas. Sultan Ahmed, a Rohingya leader at the camp hit by the landslide, said there had been floods in the past. The residents of this camp had been in fear as casualties previously occurred at this same camp, Sultan told BenarNews. Due to rain, many families have lost their houses in the last two days. We have been trying to give them shelter at the houses of their relatives. Last month, two separate landslides in Coxs Bazar led to the death of two Rohingya refugees. Camps set on hilly areas Human Rights Watch in August 2018 urged the government to build permanent infrastructure at the camps to replace the shanties made of plastic sheeting and bamboo, but the Bangladesh government has not done so. The rights watchdog said at the time that Bangladesh has not allowed for other infrastructure that would suggest longer-term stay, as it wanted to maintain pressure on Myanmar to take back the persecuted Muslim minority. Enamur Rahman, the state minister for disaster management and relief, did not immediately respond on Tuesday to requests for comment on HRWs assessment. The refugee population in and around Coxs Bazar includes more than 740,000 who fled violent attacks against Rohingya by Burmese military and security forces in Myanmars Rakhine state in August 2017. Md. Edris Alam, chief executive of the Disaster and Development Organization NGO, said the sudden influx of refugees post-August 2017 led to the governments creation of an unplanned settlement. Most of the Rohingya camps in Ukhia and Teknaf are set on hilly areas, Alam told BenarNews. To build settlements there, the hills should not be cut at more than a 30 degree angle. Many of the Rohingya camps were built cutting hills at a 90 degree angle. This makes the camps vulnerable to landslides. Alam, a geography professor at Chittagong University, said several researchers already identified the camps as being vulnerable to landslides during the monsoons. If the residents are not evacuated from the vulnerable spots now, then we might see more casualties by landslides in the future, he said. The unplanned building of the refugee camps also damaged the areas natural drainage system because of overcrowding, he said. The government has often touted a remote Bay of Bengal island as a safer location for the refugees, despite some initial international criticism about its livability. Since December 2020, about 19,000 Rohingya have relocated to Bhashan Char, a low-lying island where the government has constructed a housing complex to accommodate as many as 100,000 refugees. Authorities have insisted moves by Rohingya to Bhashan Char will be voluntary. One official at the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief on Tuesday brought up the island as an alternative to the crowded camps, but said he did not want to be named because he wasnt allowed to talk to the media. Considering the vulnerability of the refugees and the [lack of] environmental sustainability of the camps in Ukhia and Teknaf, the government built a permanent settlement in Bhashan Char in Noakhali for the forcefully displaced Myanmar nationals, he said. U.S. Army personnel arrive at the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport in Palembang, Indonesia, ahead of the two-week Garuda Shield 15 joint exercise, July 24, 2021. Indonesia and the United States are set to hold the largest-ever joint-training between their armies, as more than 4,500 soldiers converge on Indonesian islands for the first live Garuda Shield exercise since 2019, officials said. Nearly 2,250 U.S. Army troops have arrived in Indonesia to take part in the exercise, which will unfold from Aug. 1 to 14 in South Sumatra, East Kalimantan and North Sulawesi provinces, Indonesian Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Tatang Subarna said. The American soldiers will join a similar number of Indonesian Army personnel for field training, live fire, medical and flight exercises. This will be the first time for us to have so many U.S. women and men in uniform in Indonesia, Army chief Gen. Andika Perkasa said during a video call with Gen. Charles Flynn, commanding general of the U.S. Army Pacific. We look forward to giving our men and women in the army some exposure with your soldiers, Andika told Flynn. Flynn said he was excited about Garuda Shield 15. This exposure to your team, your leaders and your soldiers I think will be really good, he told Andika. The coronavirus outbreak disrupted the live iteration of Garuda Shield in 2020, but the 2021 edition will take place live although Southeast Asias largest and most populous country is reeling from a new wave of COVID-19 cases driven by the highly contagious Delta variant. The Indonesian Army said the U.S. soldiers have been subjected to strict health protocols to prevent the spread of the virus, including a five-day quarantine upon arrival. The previous live-training iteration of Garuda Shield, in 2019, involved nearly 1,400 soldiers, half of whom were from the United States. Last years sessions, which were held virtually because of the global pandemic, emphasized military decision-making exercises, the Indonesian military said. Garuda Shield focuses on strengthening bilateral relationships and demonstrating U.S. resolve to support the security interests of friends and allies in the region, the Pentagon said. Meanwhile on Tuesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who traveled to neighboring Singapore, reaffirmed U.S. commitments to the region. Austin is the first cabinet-level official from the Biden administration to visit Southeast Asia, where rival superpowers are vying for influence. Ive come to Southeast Asia to deepen Americas bonds with the allies and partners on whom our common security depends. Our network of alliances and friendships is an unparalleled strategic asset. And I never take an ally for granted, Austin said in prepared remarks delivered at the 40th International Institute for Strategic Studies Fullerton Lecture. [E]ven in times of competition, our enduring ties in Southeast Asia are bigger than just geopolitics, he said. [W]e are not asking countries in the region to choose between the United States and China. In fact, many of our partnerships in the region are older than the Peoples Republic of China itself. From Singapore, the American defense chief will go to Hanoi before concluding his first tour of the region in Manila on Friday. Important Indo-Pacific partner Analysts said the involvement of the U.S. soldiers in the exercise showed that Washington was serious about its engagement with Indonesia as a strategic partner in the region, amid growing concerns about China. In recent years the United States has often conducted various exercises with countries in the region including Japan, Australia, and Indonesia, Al Araf, a senior researcher at Jakarta-based human rights watchdog Imparsial, told BenarNews. This cant be separated from the issue of the South China Sea, where Chinas aggressiveness has become a concern and prompted the United States to prepare for the worst possibility a war in the region, he said. Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, while the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam ASEAN members and Taiwan have their own territorial claims. Indonesia does not regard itself as a party to territorial disputes over the waterway, but Beijing claims historic rights to parts of the maritime region that overlap Indonesias exclusive economic zone. Natalie Sambhi, executive director of Verve Research, an independent think-tank in Australia, said the United States and Indonesia were determined to keep relations close despite the ongoing pandemic. Washington sees Jakarta as an important Indo-Pacific partner as strategic competition with China becomes increasingly intense. Jakarta sees Washington as a critical source of military training, education and equipment, particularly for the army, she told BenarNews. After a year of subdued international engagement due to COVID-19, the U.S. appears keen to secure cooperation with Indonesia and to signal its ongoing commitment to the region, she said. The Indonesian Army, for its part, needs to be prepared for potential future warfare, which could be more amphibious or involve joint operations with foreign partners, Sambhi said. This means not just learning what it can from exercises, but developing a truly joint force, working closely and more effectively with the Indonesian Navy and Air Force, she said. In June, Indonesian and U.S. Air Force personnel conducted a two-week joint combat exercise involving F-16 fighter jets in Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau province on Sumatra Island. An Indonesian health worker performs a COVID-19 test on a U.S. soldier in Palembang, South Sumatra, July 24, 2021. [Courtesy of the Indonesian Army Information Center] Training centers The upcoming exercise in South Sumatra province will be held at the new Combat Training Center in Baturaja, which was launched in December 2020. The army said the center, covering an area of nearly 3,000 acres, is equipped with combat training facilities meeting international standards. The two nations also are building a U.S. $3.5 million (50.7 billion rupiahs) Coast Guard training center on Batam, an industrial and transport hub at the south end of the South China Sea. Officials said it was designed to boost Jakartas capacity to fight domestic and transnational crime. The training center is a collaborative effort between Indonesian Coast Guard (Bakamla), which was established in 2014; the U.S. Coast Guard; the U.S. State Departments International Narcotics and Law Enforcement office and the U.S. Department of Defense. No U.S. troops will be stationed there, Bakamla said. In 2018, the U.S. helped Indonesia build a maritime training center at the Ambon Navy Base in the eastern province of Maluku. I think what you are trying to build is something that is equivalent to the combat training centers we have in Europe, the states and also the ones we will build later in the Pacific region, said Flynn, the U.S. Army commander in the Pacific. Beni Sukadis, a senior military researcher at Marapi Consulting and Advisory, said the joint exercise was important for building trust between the two countries. This is good for wider bilateral relations. We also hope that this exercise will improve the capacity of Indonesian soldiers, he told BenarNews. Heidy Quah Gaik Li (center), the founder of Refuge for the Refugees, speaks to reporters outside the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex, July 27, 2021. A local activist was charged Tuesday for writing an allegedly offensive Facebook post claiming that refugees in Malaysia lived in poor conditions and were mistreated at an immigration detention center. Meanwhile in a joint statement, Amnesty International and scores of other non-governmental organization protested the court action against activist Heidy Quah Gaik Li and said the government must stop all forms of intimidation and threats against human rights defenders. Quah, the founder of Refugee for Refugees, an NGO, pleaded not guilty and was granted bail by the Kuala Lumpur Special Cyber Crime Sessions Court. She wrote the post last year when the authorities also questioned journalists about their critical reports on the governments crackdown on undocumented migrants during the countrys first coronavirus wave. Quah was charged with knowingly making and initiating the transmission of offensive communication with intent to hurt other peoples feelings via her Facebook account, according to the charge sheet seen by BenarNews. In her Facebook post on June 5, 2020, Quah described her visit to an immigration detention center. She said that a female refugee being held there told her about poor living conditions and ill-treatment that detainees faced daily. According to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, under which Quah was charged, if convicted she could face a year in prison or a fine of up to 50,000 ringgit (U.S. $11,814) or both. Quah said she would keep speaking out for what she believes is right. I think its important in such a time as this, instead of clamping down on activists who try to speak out, we push for transparency within the system, she told reporters outside the courthouse in Kuala Lumpur. The countrys Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) had addressed the same issues that she had raised about immigration detention centers, Quah said via Facebook on Monday. Suhakams annual reports have talked about poor hygiene standards at the depot, abuse, mistreatment, neglect, and poor sanitation, Quah said. Such conditions could increase the risks of infections from COVID-19 and other communicable diseases, she said. Stop threats against human rights defenders Also on Tuesday, some 80 NGOs and civil rights groups jointly demanded that the government drop the criminal charges against Quah for exercising her constitutional right to freedom of expression. [C]redible and accountable action by the government would have been to initiate an independent investigation on potential mismanagement, ill-treatment or abuse of power within and in relation to immigration detention centers, said the statement signed by Amnesty International Malaysia, Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network, Asylum Access Malaysia and others. In the months after the pandemic broke out last year, police and immigration officials frequently carried out raids to detain undocumented migrants, claiming the crackdowns were meant to contain the spread of the coronavirus. In a case similar to Quahs, in May 2020 police summoned a reporter for the South China Morning Post for sharing offensive and menacing content online, among other alleged offenses. Then in July last year, police summoned journalists from TV network Al Jazeeras Kuala Lumpur office as part of an investigation into its documentary on the plight of migrant workers amid coronavirus lockdowns. And a month later, police seized computers and other equipment from the Qatar-based broadcasters KL office. Before the raid, police dismissed the TV news documentary as baseless and biased. The Philippines Hidilyn Diaz reacts after placing first in the womens 55 kg weightlifting competition during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, July 26, 2021. Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, the first athlete to win a gold medal for the Philippines at the Olympics, will return home to a heros welcome this week although the Duterte administration had tagged her in 2019 as an alleged government destabilizer. The sports-crazy Southeast Asian country had never struck gold in nearly a century of competition at the Olympic level until Diaz, 30, clinched victory in the womens 55-kilogram weightlifting event at the Tokyo games on Monday. When the air force reservist won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Diaz promised Filipinos she would bring home their countrys first gold medal since the Philippines began competing in the quadrennial games in 1924. In an interview with the Filipino press contingent in Tokyo on Monday after she won the gold medal, Diaz thanked all the people back home who had prayed for her and believed in her. But, Diaz also said, a lack of financial help and controversies at home had affected her after she won the silver medal in Rio. I went through a lot after the Olympics. It was difficult. And then the matrix happened, Diaz said in the pooled interview, which aired on Philippine television. My life became very messy at that time. In 2019, then presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo presented a so-called matrix of personalities and organizations who were alleged to be plotting to destabilize or oust the Duterte administration. Diaz, who hails from the southern Zamboanga city, was on this blacklist. Panelo had said at the time that the matrix was based on intelligence information compiled by the government. The political opposition dismissed the claim, but the spokesman never apologized for it, nor did Panelo provide proof to back up the allegations. The matrix a graphic that names those allegedly in on the plot included several news organizations who were critical of Dutertes war on drugs, his administrations cornerstone policy. One of those on the blacklist was online news site Rappler, whose chief editor, Maria Ressa, was later convicted of cyber libel in what was widely seen as a move by Duterte to go after his critics in the press. Duterte later replaced Panelo as his spokesman but retained him as his chief legal adviser. On Tuesday, however, Panelo appeared to have a change of heart and congratulated Diaz. Her feat makes us Filipinos proud. Her getting the gold is a testament to the Filipino races talent and indefatigable spirit, Panelo said in a statement. It serves as an inspiration to all Filipino athletes that getting gold in the Olympics is no longer a dream but a reality, he said. Still, he did not apologize for blacklisting Diaz two years ago. A portrait of weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, the first athlete from the Philippines to win an Olympic gold medal, is seen at a gym where her junior team members train in Zamboanga City, southern Philippines, July 27, 2021. [AFP] Harry Roque, the current presidential spokesman, also praised the Olympian, saying her victory was one for the entire country. But he distanced himself from the original accusation leveled against Diaz by his predecessor. I do not know what this matrix that they are talking about. And the government has just one official spokesperson me, Roque said. Duterte, he said, had promised an award of millions to any athlete who would bring home gold medals, on top of the financial awards committed by the private sector. Roque conceded there was a lack of government financial support to its athletes in training, and that they were only given minimum wage for their allowance. Whatever shortcomings we had in training, Im sure that the government and the private sector will make up for it because she truly made us proud, Roque said. Money could never make up for it, but let us show our love for her by not only congratulating her, but giving her a reward as well, he said. A law signed by the Benigno Aquino III, the former president who died last month, mandates that any Filipino who wins gold in the Olympics is assured to be rewarded at least 10 million Philippine pesos (about U.S. $200,000). I think this victory is also a game changer for Philippine sports, Roque said, adding it would force policy makers to really push for bigger support for athletes. A BenarNews correspondent contributed to this report from Zamboanga City, Philippines. The body of Abdullah Esomuso, a suspected insurgent who died after falling unconscious while in military custody, is carried to a cemetery in the southern Thai province of Pattani, Aug. 25, 2019. Relatives of a suspected rebel who fell unconscious and died while in military custody in Thailands Deep South expressed disappointment Monday after the national human rights commission notified them it had ended its investigation without finding clear medical evidence on the cause of his death. Abdullah Esomuso, 34, was found unconscious at 3 a.m. July 21, 2019, in an interrogation center at an army camp in Pattani province, where he had been held for 10 hours, prompting his family to question if military interrogators had tortured him. After falling into a coma, he died in a hospital on Aug. 25, 2019, while still in military custody. Muhammad Nomud Mamud, Abdullahs cousin, who petitioned the office of the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRC) two years ago to investigate, said he received a notification letter and a report from the agency on Sunday. We relatives are very disappointed, desperate and have no faith left in this commission, Abdullahs cousin told BenarNews on Monday. What right does it have to end the investigation when the relatives have not received justice yet? Abdullah had been taken into custody after a suspected insurgent cell leader implicated him in a series of attacks by rebels, officials had said. The NHRC report said officials visited the interrogation center at least three times before ending the probe. There was no clear medical evidence to show what had caused his death and there was no evidence to confirm who had injured or sickened him either, the commission said in an 11-page document seen by BenarNews. Also, hearings about the cause of death have been going on in a court therefore the NHRC no longer has the duty to investigate this according to the Human Rights Act. An official at an NGO in the Deep South said the commission did not need to end the probe. In fact, the Songkhla hearing on the cause of death is a matter of investigating a possible crime, but the NHRC has a duty to investigate human rights violations, Pornpen Kongkachonkiet, director of the Cross-Cultural Foundation, told BenarNews. The commissions document showed a narrow interpretation and its members are not performing their duty. On Oct. 1, 2019, the family filed a complaint with police in Pattani leading to hearings on the autopsy at a criminal court in Songkhla province that began in November 2020, according to the lawyer. The next hearing is scheduled in August. The Thai military has been in charge of security for 15 years in the mainly Muslim and Malay-speaking Deep South after a separatist insurgent uprising re-ignited in 2004. About 7,000 people have been killed since then in violence across the southern border region. During that time, rights groups have accused the military of using excessive force in the Deep South, including systematic torture and extrajudicial killings against insurgents. Muhammad Nomud Mamud (right), the cousin of Abdullah Esomuso, chats with Pannika Wanich (left), a former spokeswoman for the now-defunct Future Forward Party, and an unidentified woman in Pattani, Thailand, June 29, 2020. [Courtesy of Muhammad Nomud Mamud] Autopsy findings Soon after Abdullahs death, Maj. Gen. Pramote Prom-in, who was serving as spokesman of ISOC-4, the regional military command, said the military assigned the Committee to Protect Human Rights in the Deep South to investigate to determine the facts of the case. The committee is a military-backed body that is made up of clerics, civilians and officials. It also set up a disciplinary committee to investigate officials who could have been responsible. In late August 2019, Abdul-asib Tadae-ing, who sits on the committee, said doctors who conducted the autopsy reported finding no signs of torture. According to the doctors, the cause of death was severe pneumonia and septic shock, which happened after he had suffered from hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy [oxygen deprivation to the brain], Abdul-asib said in a statement in August 2019. The oxygen deprivation could mean torture such as suffocation with a bag, water boarding as some people claimed, or simply [that] he fainted without receiving CPR. The doctors said torture would show traces such as hemorrhaging in the eyes, swollen gums and a darkened face, which were not found in the case of Abdullah. After Abdul-asibs statement, MARA Patani spokesman Abu Hafiz Al-Hakim had said the brain swelling could have been caused by torture by suffocation or water intoxication. MARA Patani at the time was an umbrella organization of Deep South insurgents groups and factions involved in regional peace talks. A lawyer with the Muslim Attorney Center (MAC) who has assisted Abdullahs family, alleged that the rebel suspect had been tortured. Prosecutors witnesses, including doctors testified that the death was not caused by a human, while we presented that Abdullah was deprived of oxygen due to the acts of humans, Abdulqahhar told BenarNews, referring to earlier hearings. A freshwater Siamese crocodile, a critically endangered species native to Southeast Asia, is seen at Thailands Kaeng Krachan National Park in this undated photo. Updated at 5:35 p.m. ET on 2021-07-27 UNESCO added a Thai national park to its World Heritage List although United Nations human rights experts urged the agency to hold off on the designation, citing concerns about indigenous Karen people being subjected to alleged rights violations and killings. On Monday, the World Heritage Committee voted 12-9 to approve the listing of Thailands Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex during the 44th Meeting of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The vote took place three days after experts from a different United Nations agency, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, urged UNESCO to defer on making a decision. There has not been good faith consultations with the community allowing them to participate in the UNESCO nomination process. Should the nomination as heritage status be approved it would perpetuate the denial of the Karens right to remain on their traditional lands and carry out their traditional livelihood activities based on rotational farming, the U.N. human rights agency (OHCHR) said in a statement released Friday. It would also undermine their important role in safeguarding biodiversity in the forest. The Thai government needs to stop the harassment of environmental defenders and establish a genuine dialogue with the Karen, recognize their valuable role as guardians for protecting nature, and work in partnership with the Karen rather than treating them with hostility as if they are a threat, OHCHR said. This is an important precedent-setting case, and may influence policies on how indigenous peoples rights are respected in protected areas across Asia, the U.N. human rights experts added, saying they had been raising their concerns about the parks potential designation with the World Heritage Committee since 2019. The indigenous Karen in the national park continue to be forcibly evicted and their houses burnt. A key leader was killed after being detained by national park officers. A UNESCO spokesman, meanwhile, said the committee made the decision to include Kaeng Krachan on the World Heritage List. These concerns were indeed addressed and shared with the members of the World Heritage Committee and were an integral part of UNESCO's recommendation for deferral i.e. to not inscribe the site this year, as clearly stated in the draft decision," the spokesman said. The World Heritage Committee is a sovereign body and took a different approach." On Tuesday, Thai government officials cheered the committees decision. From now on, the government will ... restore the forest together and promote the livelihood development and human rights of locals, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha said in a Facebook post. Everyone will be part of co-management so they will feel a sense of ownership. Varawut Silpa-archa, Thailands minister of natural resources and the environment, described the World Heritage Site designation for the park as a big gift. UNESCO said Kaeng Krachan was so designated for its natural attributes, and noted that the park is home to endangered plants and animals, including the critically endangered Siamese crocodile. Located at the cross-roads between the Himalayan, Indochina, and Sumatran faunal and floral realms, the property is home to rich biodiversity. It is dominated by semi-evergreen/dry evergreen and moist evergreen forest with some mixed deciduous forest, montane forest, and deciduous dipterocarp forest, the U.N. agency said. Thailand previously tried to include the park on the World Heritage list in 2015, 2016 and 2019. And the fourth time we have succeeded, the minister said in the press release. Meanwhile, OHCHR said that harassment of Karen had escalated in 2021. [O]ver 80 community members were arrested and 28 of them, including seven women and one child, were criminally charged for encroachment on their traditional lands in the national park, OHCHR said in its statement. Karen activist killed Tensions between park officers and villagers rose after Karen rights activist Porlajee Billy Rakchongcharoen went missing in 2014. Billy disappeared a day before he was to testify in a court case filed by his fellow Karen farmers against Chaiwat Limlikhit-aksorn, the chief officer at Kaeng Krachan National Park in Phetchaburi province at the time, and others. The farmers alleged that Chaiwat and the others ransacked and burned their homes and properties in Pongluek-Bangkloy, a village near the national park, in 2011. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation offered plots of farm land in exchange for relocating outside a reserved forest but the villagers refused to move from their ancestral land. About 600 Bangkloy villagers whose families lived within the reserved forest for generations were forced to move, leading to prosecutions against dozens who refused to leave. In 2016, a court ruled that officers did not break the law even as it ordered the government to compensate those who lost their homes. After Billy disappeared, Chaiwat was acquitted over insufficient evidence later that year. Five years later, divers recovered a portion of Billys burned skull from a reservoir near his home. Billys family sued Chaiwat over his disappearance, but the case was dismissed after a judge ruled that there was not enough evidence to proceed. A rubber stamp While Minister Varawut praised UNESCOs announcement, villagers and Thai human rights activists criticized the World Heritage Committee for lacking understanding of the Karens concerns. Panompon Vanasirikhun, one of Bangkloy villagers who were prosecuted for encroachment of the national park said the UNESCO decision was bad news for villagers. I am concerned that the situation will get much worst under the Thai authorities management after Kaeng Krachan is listed. They made the decision without giving us a chance to talk about the real situation, Panompon told BenarNews. Phatchara Kamchamnarn of Save Bangkloy Network, a rights advocacy group working with villagers affected by government policy, said the decision was the result of international political lobbying. The World Heritage Committee has become a rubber stamp, bowed to the powerful countries that are backing the decision. They ignored the rights of indigenous people stated in the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, he told BenarNews. The Bwa GNaw people, otherwise known as Karen, Kariang or Yang, are members of a hill tribe scattered across Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. The Australian Karen Foundation estimates there are more than 10 million Karen with most of them concentrated in Myanmar. About 1 million are in Thailand. If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom. A man accused of killing eight people, most of them women of Asian descent, at massage businesses in Georgia has pleaded guilty to four of the murders Two Democratic state senators are calling on Gov. Charlie Baker to end the relationship his administration has with the consulting firm McKinsey & Company Health care officials agree that the best way to vaccinate children, once a COVID-19 vaccine is available, is by offering it at places where children and teens already receive care, including at the pediatricians' office. But, vaccine makers are now facing the challenge of creating small enough doses that can be easily stored at private practices. Amanda Burke covers Pittsfield City Hall for The Berkshire Eagle. An Ithaca, New York native, she previously worked at The Herald News of Fall River and the Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise. Investigations editor Larry Parnass joined The Eagle in 2016 from the Daily Hampshire Gazette, where he was editor in chief. His freelance work has appeared in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Hartford Courant, CommonWealth Magazine and with the Reuters news service. Scott Stafford has been a reporter, photographer, and editor at a variety of publications, including the Dallas Morning News and The Berkshire Eagle. Two state senators have sent a letter asking Gov. Charlie Baker to end Massachusetts' "continued relationship" with McKinsey & Co., which helped to increase Purdue Pharma's profits from the opioid crisis. Doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are pictured inside of the Community Health Programs Mobile Health Unit in Great Barrington in April. During a hearing of the Massachusetts Legislative Manufacturing Caucus on Tuesday, representatives from Moderna and Pfizer told the caucus that their companies were not immune to the labor crunch the country is experiencing. Pop Smokes second posthumous album Faith has debuted the Billboard 200 chart at No.1. Releasing on July 16, the late Brooklyn rappers project is filled with more than 20 features on the 20-track album. Artists like Kanye West, Rick Ross, Pharrell, Quavo, Kid Cudi and more all made special vocal appearances. According to MRC Data via Billboard, Faith started with 88,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. for the week ending on July 22. Furthermore, during the tracking week of Faith out of the 88,000 album units, SEA units equal 113.34 million on-demand streams of the projects songs, Billboard reports. A deluxe version of Faith was released on July 21 with at least two bonus tracks. RELATED: Pop Smokes Murder Defendant Family Wants To Speak To His Parents In 2020, Pop Smokes first posthumous album Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon also debuted at No.1 on the Billboard charts and held the No.1 position for two nonconsecutive weeks. Pop Smoke was shot and killed during a home-invasion robbery in the Hollywood Hills on Feb. 19, 2020. According to the New York Daily News, the relatives of Corey Walker, one of the four defendants facing charges and the sole defendant facing trial for the murder of the rapper, requested in early June to speak to the late rappers parents. The Walker family has asked me to contact the victims family so they might speak privately. I hope to reach out to the family soon, Walkers defense lawyer, Christopher Darden, confirmed with the outlet. Four men have been arrested after a drive-by shooting that killed a 13-year-old girl in Monroe, N.C. Saturday evening (July 24), who was simply sitting with her family at a picnic table. According to WBTV, Javon Demontre Robinson, 20, Darius Roland, 19, Jamari Crowder, 22 and Jamari McClain, 18, were charged with first-degree murder and denied bond. Robinson was asked by the news station if he had anything to say over the killing of the teen, identified as Loyalti Allah. Im sorry for her loss. It didnt mean to go down that way, Robinson said while being transported to the jail. RELATED: Chicago Teen Charged In Death Of 7-Year-Old Girl Killed At McDonalds Drive-Thru Police say the 13-year-old was killed Saturday evening while having a picnic with friends outside of an apartment complex. Her family told WBTV that Allah was waiting for a DoorDash delivery when gunshots rang out. Investigators believe a black Ford Freestyle drove by and someone in the vehicle began shooting in the childrens direction before speeding away. Our officers have done an amazing job in leaving no stone unturned to ensure the individuals who committed this crime are not only identified, but also apprehended and brought to justice, Monroe Police Chief Bryan Gilliard said, according to the news station. This is such a devastating act that has far-reaching implications that was entirely uncalled for. These individuals took an innocent life for absolutely no reason and now a family and community has to live with this forever. Allah was found with a gunshot wound and taken to a hospital where she later died. Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of the victim and we need the community to help identify and hold the shooter accountable for what they have done, said Gilliard. Someone knows who did this. This was an innocent child and we need people to be brave and step up so we can catch those responsible for this senseless act of violence. South Carolina State and Clark Atlanta University have both announced that they are canceling student account balances during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Thursday (July 22), South Carolina State stated that "settling past due account balances allows students facing financial challenges to continue their education " According to a press release, the move is the first major executive decision by SCSUs acting president Alexander Conyers and will affect more than 2,500 continuing students. We are committed to providing these students with a clear path forward so they can continue their college education and graduate without the burden of financial debt caused by circumstances beyond their control, Conyers said in the release. Our university was founded on the tenet of providing students with access to a quality affordable education. Thats exactly what we intend to do. No student should have to sit home because they cant afford to pay their past due debt after having experienced the financial devastation caused by a global pandemic. A day later, on Friday, Clark Atlanta announced it will cancel and clear student account balances during the COVID-19 pandemic, from spring 2020 to summer 2021. This initiative will have no impact on the students' future financial aid eligibility because of this one-time outstanding balance cancellation, a statement from the HBCU said. CAU was able to provide this financial relief through a substantial amount of support from the federal government under the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund. Call ahead to confirm events. Due to COVID-19, many events have been canceled but hosting organizations might not have updated their entries. Email Blast Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Daily News Headlines & Events Email Blast Would you like to receive a digest of each day's headlines & events from The Daily News by email? Signup today! The Amplifier Headlines & Events Email Blast Would you like to receive a weekly digest of headlines & events from The Amplifier by email? Signup today! Daily News Hosted Events The Daily News is a proud host of community enrichment events. Join our Daily News Events mailing list to learn about the next event we are planning. Sign up now. Manage your lists 21 moments that move us forward: We can look ahead. We've identified 21 moments during 2020-21 that moved us forward. Moment No. 20 we can look ahead. 21 moments that move us forward: We can Go Far. We've identified 21 moments during 2020-21 that moved us forward. Moment No. 19 we can go far. 21 moments that move us forward: We can create a community of care. We've identified 21 moments during 2020-21 that moved us forward. Moment No. 20 we can create a community of care. 21 moments that move us forward: We can Stand Out. We've identified 21 moments during 2020-21 that moved us forward. Moment No. 18 we can stand out. 21 moments that move us forward: We can experience BGSU. We've identified 21 moments during 2020-21 that moved us forward. Moment No. 17 we can experience BGSU. 21 moments that move us forward: We can support our Falcon families. We've identified 21 moments during 2020-21 that moved us forward. Moment No. 16 we can support our Falcon families. 21 moments that move us forward: We can perform. We've identified 21 moments during 2020-21 that moved us forward. Moment No. 15 we can perform. 21 moments that move us forward: We can build. We've identified 21 moments during 2020-21 that moved us forward. Moment No. 14 we can build. 21 moments that move us forward: We can manage the health of our campuses. We've identified 21 moments during 2020-21 that moved us forward. Moment No. 13 we can manage the health of our campuses. 21 moments that move us forward: We can compete. We've identified 21 moments during 2020-21 that moved us forward. Moment No. 12 we can compete. 21 moments that move us forward: We can have fun. We've identified 21 moments during 2020-21 that moved us forward. Moment No. 11 we can have fun. 21 moments that move us forward: We can graduate. We've identified 21 moments during 2020-21 that moved us forward. Moment number ten we can graduate. 21 moments that move us forward: We can leverage technology. We've identified 21 moments during 2020-21 that moved us forward. Moment number nineWe can leverage technology. 21 moments that move us forward: We Can Belong We've identified 21 moments during 2020-21 that moved us forward. Moment number seven we can work with our community. 21 moments that move us forward: We can work with our community We've identified 21 moments during 2020-21 that moved us forward. Moment number seven we can work with our community. 21 moments that move us forward: We can be flexible. We've identified 21 moments during 2020-21 that moved us forward. Moment number six we could be flexible. 21 moments that move us forward: We can research. We've identified 21 moments during 2020-21 that moved us forward. Moment number fiveWe can research. 21 moments that move us forward: We can deliver. We've identified 21 moments during 2020-21 that moved us forward. Moment number fourWe can deliver. 21 moments that move us forward: We can continue to partner. We've identified 21 moments during 2020-21 that moved us forward. Moment number threeWe can continue to partner. 21 moments that move us forward: We innovate in a global pandemic We've identified 21 moments during 2020-21 that moved us forward. Moment number onewe fundraised to increase scholarships. Zipporah may be one of the most intriguing figures in the early books of the Bible. Daughter to a priest, wife of the emancipator of the Israelites from captivity and bondage in Egypt, her unique status invites many questions. Who was she? How did she fit in with Moses life after God called him to lead the Hebrew people? What can her life and her decisions tell believers today about the human condition? There are many lessons to learn from the marriage of Moses and Zipporah about leadership, communication, and how there can be unintended consequences to zealous obedience. Who Was Zipporah in the Bible? Zipporah first appeared in the Book of Exodus after Moses fled Egypt. After being taken in by the family of the Pharaoh, Moses grew up among the upper class in the culture, but he did become aware of his Hebrew lineage. Pharaohs daughter, who raised him, was aware of his heritage when she found him the basket, but raised him anyway. At the age of forty, Moses killed an Egyptian he saw abusing a Hebrew. Moses fled to Midian, which is in modern-day Saudi Arabia. There, Moses stood up for seven young women who were drawing water who were being driven away from the well by shepherds. In thanks, Jethro--known as the Priest of Midian--invited him to stay in his camp, and gave him Zipporah to marry. The Bible records, She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, I have been a sojourner in a foreign land (Exodus 2:22). The details of the quality of their marriage over time are difficult to discern, as she spent time with Moses in Egypt, came into conflict with him and his family, and did eventually take their son back to Midian. What Did Zipporah Do? There are several interesting passages about interactions between Zipporah, her husband, and her in-laws. In each one, she seems to come into conflict with the culture of her husband, as well as being stuck between Moses the man, and Moses the prophet. Much of the tension in their marriage is documented only after Moses began to step into his role as the liberator of the Hebrews. The first sign of trouble came when Moses set off to Egypt after forty years of exile. And the Lord said to Moses, When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. Then you shall say to Pharaoh, Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, Let my son go that he may serve me. If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son. At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death. Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses' feet with it and said, Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me! So he let him alone. It was then that she said, A bridegroom of blood, because of the circumcision. Exodus 4:21-26 This passage can be difficult to understand, and different thinkers and theologians have various interpretations of what happened here. What can be understood is that Moses had not had his son circumcised eight days after his birth, neglecting his covenant responsibility as a descendent of Abraham. He knew God wanted his son circumcised, and Zipporah felt forced to take action. The next documented moment in Zipporahs life came after the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt. Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. And they said, Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also? And the Lord heard it... When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. And Aaron said to Moses, Oh, my lord, do not punish us because we have d15one foolishly and have sinned. Let her not be as one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother's womb. And Moses cried to the Lord, O God, please heal herplease. But the Lord said to Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again. So Miriam was shut outside the camp seven days, and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again. Exodus 12:1-3, Exodus 12:10-15 Moses siblings, Aaron and Miriam turned against their brother because he married someone who was not from the race or culture. They believed Zipporahs ethnicity disqualified him from being Gods sole mouthpiece. God did not agree, punishing Miriam with leprosy to make an example of their bigotry and pride. The last mention of Zipporah came while the Hebrews were camped in the wilderness near Mount Sinai. Now Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her home, along with her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom (for he said, I have been a sojourner in a foreign land), and the name of the other, Eliezer (for he said, The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh). Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God. Exodus 18:2-5 This passage reveals that sometime after the exit from Egypt, Zipporah gave birth to another son named Eliezer, and was either sent back, or returned to Midian to be with her father. Once the Israelites were closer to his own land, he came to visit and brought Zipporah and the two boys with him. This passage mostly focuses on Jethro aiding Moses in getting help judging the conflicts among the tribes. It is unclear whether she remained with Moses or returned to Midian. What Can We Learn from Zipporah's Life? Zipporah lived a fascinating life, getting to travel great distances, and being in an inter-cultural relationship. Because of the lack of context surrounding her actions, it can be easy to ignore the lessons her life provides, but there is quite a bit to be gleaned. Marriage takes hard work and clear communication from both sides: Zipporah and Moses did not always understand one another, and sometimes Moses got so caught up dealing with his responsibilities to the Hebrew people he forgot about his duties at home. Zipporah did not seem to always let Moses know what she needed. God hates divorce, and wants strong marriages, and communication is part of that. Parents share responsibility for raising their children: The incident at the inn where Zipporah circumcised their son is difficult to understand, especially in a modern context. It does show that both parents bore responsibility for raising their child up in alignment with Gods ordinances. Regardless of which parent failed to have their son circumcised, both had to confront this choice later in life, and Gershom paid a price for that. In-laws have an impact in a relationship: Moses siblings did not like Zipporah and spoke badly about their brother because of it. Jethro helped his son-in-law by encouraging him to delegate some of his responsibilities. In a marriage, spouses should support one another and help navigate the relationship with their respective relations. Part of why God cursed Miriam with leprosy was because Moses would not stand up to her. Intercultural/interracial marriages can work and are Biblical: Zipporah and Moses came from different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. Zipporah was called a Cushite, meaning at least part if not all of her heritage was from Africa. Despite the difficulties in their relationship, Moses and Zipporah did have two children and were married for decades before he went back to Egypt. God blessed them with children. Being married to a person with a passion or calling can be hard: Zipporahs husband confronted the most powerful ruler in the world at the time, saw God so much he was physically changed, and led people through the wilderness for forty years. They had several rough patches in their marriage in part because of Moses devotion to his responsibilities. While this devotion is not a bad thing, it requires extra work to make the relationship work. There are some people in the Bible whose lives we only see in bits and pieces, and Zipporah is one of those figures. Her mysterious life leaves us with more questions than answers, but it does not mean her life was not worth studying. God used her to be a mother, a partner, and preserved her memory in His Word. Sources Lockyer, Herbert. All the Women of the Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Corporation, 1967. Lutzer, Erwin. Getting Closer to God Lessons from the Life of Moses. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2011. Patterson, Dorothy. Touched by Greatness Women in the Life of Moses. Fearn: Christian Focus Publications, 2011. Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/kieferpix Bethany Verrett is a freelance writer and editor. She maintains a faith and lifestyle blog graceandgrowing.com, where she muses about the Lord, life, culture, and ministry. BOISE - Not a routine traffic stop. But a quick response to save a teen from human trafficking. Two members of the Idaho State Police were recently honored with the Distinguished Achievement Award when their training and expertise led them to suspect and then identify a young human trafficking victim. It started during a traffic stop when ISP Trooper Willerford arrested the driver for an outstanding arrest warrant. A teenage boy was in the car and the driver initially claimed to be the boys father. But the story given about the boy was inconsistent and suspicious. Trooper Willerford then contacted ISP Detective Lake, who agreed the inconsistent stories from several people claiming to be family were enough to cause concern for the boys safety. After further investigation, it was learned the boy was being forced to work, not allowed to go to school, and never left alone in public. Based on the information they collected, Trooper Willerford and Detective Lake recognized the boy was involved in human trafficking for labor. He was declared in imminent danger and transferred to the custody of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. This investigation remains ongoing, and although several ISP Troopers and Detectives have assisted with the case, it was the initial teamwork and tenacity of Trooper Willerford and Detective Lake that removed this boy from a dangerous situation and offered what may be his best hope for a healthy, safe future. Trooper Willerford and Detective Lake, this Distinguished Achievement Award is well deserved. Thank you for the work you do every day on behalf of all the people in Idaho. The United States Postal Service is proposing to implement many changes over the next 10 years in an attempt to solve its financial deficit. For Idahoans, the changes could mean a longer delay than most areas of the country would see in the delivery of many of the mail items they receive. An analysis of the 10-year plan from the Washington Post published June 24 concluded that Idaho residents would have to wait an additional .6-.8 of a day to receive their mail on average. That is a longer delay than most of the country will face but is consistent with the western region of the U.S. seeing longer mail delivery times. Im all for service, said John Paige, a former Chubbuck letter carrier. Everyone should get the same service whether they live in a rural area in Idaho or in a big city like Los Angeles. According to the analysis, 44% of first-class mail would have a longer delivery time than the current standard for mail recipients in southeastern Idaho under the proposed plan. First-class mail in the U.S. currently has a delivery standard of two days if traveling up to 280 miles, and three days if traveling more. With a new four- and five-day delivery standard under the new plan, 32% of mail delivered to the southeastern Idaho region would arrive in four days and 12% would arrive in five days. The new plan allows two days for items traveling as far as 139 miles, three days for 930 miles, four days for 1,907 miles and five days for anything beyond. With those adjustments, the plan estimates an on-time delivery rate of 95%. The Postal Service said in a Thursday news release that the plan is a strategic effort to shift to more ground deliveries and decrease reliance on limited cargo capacities of third-party air carriers. Recent service improvements in July, including a near 2% increase in f{span}irst-class mail delivered on time against the USPS service standard to reach an overall on time mark of 89.3%, were a result of the new strategy, the agency said in the release. Paige said this is a cutback in service, and he doesnt believe it is the right way for the Postal Service to respond to its projected $160 billion deficit over the next decade. Much of that the Postal Services financial troubles stem from a 2006 Congressional requirement that the Postal Service prefund employee retirement benefits 50 years into the future, the Billings Gazette reported. The prefund mandate has cost USPS $153 billion since fiscal year 2007 according to USPS. Theyre looking for ways to cut back in service any way they can, and it just irks me a little bit because I was out there for (43) years, and I wanted to take care of my customers. I really cared about them, and I think they should get what they paid for, Paige said. On June 21, attorney generals from 21 states wrote a letter to the Postal Regulatory Commission to oppose the changes, arguing they would discriminate against mail recipients based on geography. Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, recognizes the need for Postal Service reform, but he said any reform must be customer-focused. The U.S. Postal Service provides a necessary service to millions of Americans, particularly those in rural communities, Risch said in a statement to the Post Register. The Postal Service needs reforms to make it viable in the long run, but any reforms to the agency must be customer-focused, ensuring Idahoans receive the efficient, reliable and timely service they deserve. Lemhi County Commissioner Rick Snyder said recent USPS changes to cut costs have negatively impacted people living in rural areas, particularly people who depend on the mail for medical shipments and prescriptions. In 2014, more than 13,000 post offices in the country saw a reduction in hours of operation and postmasters displaced including the post office in Tendoy. It really affects us out here, Synder said. Anyone who is dependent on prescriptions are not served by any reductions in delivery time. Approximately 206 million prescriptions are mailed to customers annually in the U.S., which is nearly 5% of total prescriptions, according to an August 2020 study about medicine spending and affordability from The IQVIA Institute, an independent data firm specializing in the health care system. The National Rural Letter Carriers Association released a statement in March about the proposed 10-year plan and agreed that significant changes are needed for the Postal Service, which the plan properly targets. It is true that the Postal Service has struggled with air transportation issues and we understand that the management of the network and the network itself needs improvement, the statement said. Adjusting delivery standards are part of those improvements and we expect that those changes will help with controlling some of the late-night deliveries many carriers have had to endure. At the same time, we cant afford to let service slip; indeed, we need to do better. Ernie Swanson, USPS spokesman for Idaho, said the plan is still in its discussion and review state. No final decisions have been made regarding possible changes in service. To raise awareness and create new educational programs The Australian Government is providing $3.3 million to support the approximate two million Australians living with a rare disease, providing them with support, raise awareness and create new educational programs. The new funding will drive the development and delivery of awareness and education resources, and care and support services, for people living with a rare disease, their families and carers, health professionals and the wider population. Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said the funding would help to provide new supports to those living with rare diseases. The hovernment took the first nationally coordinated step to address rare diseases with the release of the National Strategic Action Plan for Rare Diseases in February 2020 and this funding helps to build on these key foundational steps. The University of New South Wales has received $1.9 million to deliver the Rare Disease Awareness, Education, Support and Training Project (RArEST). This project will develop and deliver rare disease resources, education and training which will include a focus on mental health, and social and emotional wellbeing. Rare Voices Australia has received $1 million for its Rare Awareness Rare Education Project (RARE Project). Further, the Australian National University has received $198,000 over 2 years for work to enhance healthcare provider awareness to improve the timely and accurate diagnosis of rare diseases. The National Strategic Action Plan for Rare Diseases was developed by Rare Voices Australia in consultation with stakeholders, including people living with a rare disease, their families and carers. PAT for the quarter is up by 57 per cent at Rs 30.47 crores Morepen Laboratories has registered a growth of 97 per cent in its consolidated profits (before tax) at Rs 38.53 crore during the quarter ending June 30, 2021. Profit after tax (PAT) for the quarter is up by 57 per cent at Rs 30.47 crores. The quarterly revenues of the company at Rs 388.31 crores have recorded an incredible growth of 50 per cent during the current quarter which highest ever growth in a quarter. In the Q1 FY21, the company recorded quarterly revenues of Rs 258.97 crore. The company continued to control the operating costs resulting in an increase in Q1 FY22 EBIDTA by 63 per cent at Rs. 45.43 crore whereas Cash Profit at Rs. 45.22 crore is up by 64 per cent. Sushil Suri, MD and Chairman stated, Our partnership with RDIF to manufacture Sputnik vaccine in India is a big milestone for the company. We can manufacture up to 250 million doses per annum that can be ramped up to 500 million doses per annum. We remain committed to fighting the battle of Covid and gear ourselves for the fast vaccination of the nation. Morepens commitment towards this project is a step forward towards entry into biosimilars and other biologicals. Domestic business of the company recorded a spectacular growth of 95 per cent in its Q1 FY22 revenues at Rs 275.84 crore on the strength of huge growth contributed by domestic revenues of Diagnostics Devices and API business of the company. API business registered a handsome revenue growth of 17 per cent in the Q1 FY22 on strength of the increase in Sales revenues of Loratadine and Montelukast. Loratadine exports for the quarter grew by 26 per cent while Montelukast has doubled its sales in the domestic market. The point of Care (POC) Medical Devices business has registered a growth of 189 per cent growth which is the highest ever in the quarter. The share of medical devices business on standalone basis has gone up from 26.1 to 36.9 per cent for this quarter as compared to last year same quarter. Blood glucose meters had a growth of 234 per cent growth at Rs 84.90 crores. BP Monitors Sales have jumped 183 per cent at Rs 20.76 crores. The finished dosage business has shown a significant recovery as compared to the same quarter last year and grew at Rs 39.90 crores registering a revenue growth of 30 per cent. Taking inspiration from the peppered moth, here's how to stand out in the proverbial internet crowd... Image source: Keila Hotzel on Unsplash What analysing 10 billion emails shows business leaders According to the Everlytic 2020 Email Marketing Benchmarks report, email subscribers who have been opening their messages have been more engaged with the content than ever... The senders name: Do they know you or expect messages from you? Use brand recall and equity, or personalise the email using the name of an account manager. Do they know you or expect messages from you? Use brand recall and equity, or personalise the email using the name of an account manager. The senders address: Make sure it is legitimate and trustworthy. Make sure it is legitimate and trustworthy. Subject line: Emojis work well; and also inserting a persons name in the subject line text draws attention. Emojis work well; and also inserting a persons name in the subject line text draws attention. Call to action: Are you informing; offering a discount; providing a personalised offer? Make sure there is a distinct and value-adding reason for sending your mail. With leaders and marketing teams starting to prepare for the annual Black Friday and Cyber Monday online shopping bonanza, now is the time to consider how you will differentiate your messaging amidst the inevitable barrage of email marketing traffic. When it comes to standing out, consider the peppered moth for a moment (an indulgence, but stay tuned!): during the Industrial Revolution, as the trees and environment turned a darker hue as a result of the soot in the air, the peppered moth underwent a remarkable evolutionary colour mutation. To survive, the species took on a darker hue so that it became more inconspicuous and was harder to be seen and picked out by birds amongst the darkened, sooty trees. In the business context, a similar mutation or evolution of email communication needs to be pursued when Black Friday rolls around but instead of blending in, this evolution must ensure that your emails pop out in inboxes and get your business noticed.Given the increasing amount of email and internet traffic over the Black Friday period, devising a successful strategy to get noticed has become vital. In 2020, for instance, in the week running up to Black Friday, Everlytics email servers processed an average of 1.7 terabytes of data per day (the equivalent to 10,000 hours of HD video streaming!). Moreover, data volumes peaked on Black Friday and the day before at 3.2 terabytes and 3.1 terabytes respectively (and lets keep in mind that a terabyte is a million megabytes!).With this gargantuan amount of information and messaging flowing through cyberspace, the primary challenge is to employ simple but actional strategies that line up consumers attention curves with their messaging loads. These strategies have to be able to focus his or her attention on the particular, rather than the general using a combination of savvy timing, personalisation and the right technology.Lets take a closer lookAs with evolution and savvy moths, getting your emails noticed requires adapting to the current environment and, in our case, email engagement rates. Now, when comparing November 2019 and November 2020, it is clear that last year saw a change in pattern. Whilst 2019 was flat both in terms of the work weeks of the month, it was also flat in terms of the pattern of sending across the work week. However, 2020 saw dramatic sending peaks on the three Thursdays in the run-up to Black Friday.With these patterns in mind, we must consider that there is a theoretical attention curve that represents key factors: the frequency by which a consumer pays attention to their inboxes and what the level of competition is for a message in the inbox at the time. Finally, there is a practical message load on a consumer, which consists of all messages sent at any time.Having analysed engagement rates, we know that whilst work email is read more during the week, messages to personal mailboxes are still consumed over the weekend. Engagement rates support this because people receive 70% fewer emails on these weekend days than during the week, the probability of your message being seen during the weekend is relatively higher than having someone pay attention to the mails during the week (even considering that people interact with email less over the weekend).In addition, consider the inbox order for Monday morning workers. Do people read from the bottom or the top? If you believe they read from the bottom up, you need to ensure your messages reach the recipient after they have read the last message on the Friday, so it waits patiently at the bottom of the unread stack for Monday morning.The next peppered moth strategy to consider is the users actual email address. Learn to differentiate between personal email addresses and working ones (tip: @gmail, etc. are generally personal). Then, for instance, send that last late creeper workweek message to the work addresses (the law allows direct marketing between 8am and 8pm on weekdays), while sending to personal addresses on weekends (keeping in mind that the Consumer Protection Act stipulates that you can only send direct marketing communication on Saturdays between 9am and 1pm).Remember, this is all about boosting your relative share of attention. So, to recap: Sending more tactically to personal addresses over weekends might allow you to match your message load to the theoretical attention curve of the consumer/reader.Now, once your email has arrived at the right inbox, at the right time will it actually get opened?Again, there are various peppered moth approaches that will boost the odds of your email actually being read, and these include:Finally, we also think there is value in harnessing Gmails promotional metadata tool. This function allows you to present your logo, discount details, end dates, and promotional images with your email and is a fantastic way of standing out in the inbox (go peppered moth!), while also avoiding the junk folder in Gmail.As with our highly intelligent peppered moth, getting noticed and ultimately ensuring success over Black Friday and Cyber Monday will require that you continually monitor your environment (i.e. reader engagement rates and responses) and tweak and change your strategy when required. Complacency is never an evolutionary option Warc has announced the four jury panels for the Warc Awards for Media 2021. The Warc Awards for Media is an international awards scheme which awards communication planning that has made a positive impact on business results. Jury chairs for the Warc Awards for Media 2021. Rajoielle Register, Ron Amram, Siew Ting Foo and Sarita Rao. Jury chairs of Warc Awards for Media named Warc has launched the Warc Awards for Media 2021, a global awards scheme rewarding communications planning and aiming to make a positive impact on business results... The judging panels Effective Channel Integration Ron Amram (Jury chair), senior director, Global Media, Mars - UK Hani AlAita, head of marketing, Leona, Abbott Nutrition International - UAE Helen Brooks, head of media, Kimberly Clark EMEA - UK Doris Danner, vice president, TBWA\Worldwide - Central Eastern Europe, Russia, Caucasus, Israel Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships Sarita Rao (Jury chair), president, Integrated & Partner Solutions, AT&T Business - US Faisal Alani, head of partnerships, Ebay - UK Sonia Bouadma, vice president, Rights Clearance and Licensing for Advertising, Greenlight - UK Rahul Chawra, founder, Decode Strategy Labs - Singapore Effective Use of Tech Rajoielle Register (Jury chair), head of global brand experiences, Ford Motor Company - US Patrick Affleck, CEO, Havas Media Group - UK Khaled AlSehhi, marketing director, Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives - UAE Laurel Boyd, chief creative media officer, MediaHub - US Best Use of Data Siew Ting Foo (Jury chair), chief marketing officer, Greater Asia, HP - Singapore Emily Alcorn, head of insight, Talon - UK Ben Allison, vice president, Global Media, VaynerMedia - UK Jay Altschuler, vice president, Media Transformation, Petco - US Now in its sixth year, the competition examines the insight, strategy and analytics that power effective media investment.Paul Coxhill, managing director of Warc, said, "We are delighted to welcome such an outstanding international line-up of industry professionals, representing a wide range of brands, agencies and markets, to judge this year's Warc Awards for Media. Drawing on their expertise, the diverse panels will judge rigorously and debate at length as they bring to the forefront the most inspirational solutions of communications planning that drive success."This category looks at how sophisticated communications architecture helped boost campaign effectiveness. Judges include:To see the full panel, go here This category looks at how collaborations with third parties, including native advertising and sponsorships, have helped brands meet business goals. Judges include:To see the full panel, go here This category awards communications that have effectively used or combined emerging platforms or technology in the media mix. Judges include:To see the full panel, go here This category recognises the role of data in an effective communications strategy. Judges include:To see the full panel, go here The Warc Awards for Media are free to enter and are discipline-neutral and channel-agnostic. Papers are submitted as effectiveness case studies and can be entered by media agencies, creative agencies, media owners, digital agencies and data specialists from all over the world.Each jury will award a Grand Prix, Gold, Silver and Bronze accolades, as well as three Special Awards recognising specific areas of excellence. The deadline for entries is 22 September 2021.For more information on Warc Media Awards 2021, go here Search match: All Words Any Words Exact Phrase Custom Date posted: All Last day Last 3 days Last 7 days Last 14 days Last 30 days Last 60 days Highest qualification: All Not Applicable Matric Diploma Degree Honours Masters Doctorate Experience level: All Student Junior Junior/Mid Mid Mid/Senior Senior Management (Jnr - Mid, 1-4 yrs) Management (Snr - Executive, 5+ yrs) Remuneration: All salaries GreaterThan5000 GreaterThan10000 GreaterThan15000 GreaterThan20000 GreaterThan30000 GreaterThan40000 GreaterThan50000 Position type: All Permanent Contract Temp BEE policy: N/A BEE Salary specified jobs only: Sen. Ron Johnson and several of his GOP colleagues are demanding answers from President Joe Biden regarding the White House's admission that the administration is collaborating with social media companies to "flag" Americans' posts for disinformation. "Big Tech has now become Big Brother," Johnson, R-Wis., told FOX Business exclusively. "Its the Big Brother arm of big government and it should concern and frighten every American." White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during a press briefing earlier this month that Biden administration officials are coordinating with Big Tech firms and that the surgeon general's office had upped its research and tracking of disinformation. "We're flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation," Psaki said at the time. The admission drew criticism from First Amendment advocates. "It is outrageous the Biden administration is coordinating with Big Tech to infringe on American citizens First Amendment freedoms," Johnson told FOX Business. "This is a dangerous assault on freedom of speech and Big Tech, the mainstream media and the administration have no credibility in determining what is and isnt misinformation." Our ruling oligarchs are one hundred percent committed to labeling all their political opposition as "domestic terrorists," deplatforming them en masse, closing their bank accounts and putting them on various "terrorism watch lists" and the "no fly list" to strip them of their rights with no due process. This is the greatest assault on our civil liberties in the history of America but our bought and paid for GOP "leaders" are focused on punishing Ben and Jerry's for slighting Israel, "Free Britney" and "Free Cuba." JUST IN - Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, YouTube, and other Big Tech companies will now add content to a shared counterterrorism "key database," aiming to crack down on material from "white supremacists and far-right militias" (Reuters) Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) July 26, 2021 From Reuters, "Facebook and tech giants to target attacker manifestos, far-right militias in database": A counterterrorism organization formed by some of the biggest U.S. tech companies including Facebook (FB.O) and Microsoft (MSFT.O) is significantly expanding the types of extremist content shared between firms in a key database, aiming to crack down on material from white supremacists and far-right militias, the group told Reuters. Until now, the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism's (GIFCT) database has focused on videos and images from terrorist groups on a United Nations list and so has largely consisted of content from Islamist extremist organizations such as Islamic State, al Qaeda and the Taliban. Over the next few months, the group will add attacker manifestos - often shared by sympathizers after white supremacist violence - and other publications and links flagged by U.N. initiative Tech Against Terrorism. It will use lists from intelligence-sharing group Five Eyes, adding URLs and PDFs from more groups, including the Proud Boys, the Three Percenters and neo-Nazis. Translation: the system we built for use against terrorists is now going to be used against the American people. This is what Big Tech is spending the money they got from the GOP's multi-trillion dollar tax cuts on. The firms, which include Twitter (TWTR.N) and Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) YouTube, share "hashes," unique numerical representations of original pieces of content that have been removed from their services. Other platforms use these to identify the same content on their own sites in order to review or remove it. While the project reduces the amount of extremist content on mainstream platforms, groups can still post violent images and rhetoric on many other sites and parts of the internet. The tech group wants to combat a wider range of threats, said GIFCT's Executive Director Nicholas Rasmussen in an interview with Reuters. "Anyone looking at the terrorism or extremism landscape has to appreciate that there are other parts... that are demanding attention right now," Rasmussen said, citing the threats of far-right or racially motivated violent extremism. The tech platforms have long been criticized for failing to police violent extremist content, though they also face concerns over censorship. The issue of domestic extremism, including white supremacy and militia groups, took on renewed urgency following the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Fourteen companies can access the GIFCT database, including Reddit, Snapchat-owner Snap (SNAP.N), Facebook-owned Instagram, Verizon (VZ.N) Media, Microsoft's LinkedIn and file-sharing service Dropbox (DBX.O). GIFCT, which is now an independent organization, was created in 2017 under pressure from U.S. and European governments after a series of deadly attacks in Paris and Brussels. Its database mostly contains digital fingerprints of videos and images related to groups on the U.N. Security Council's consolidated sanctions list and a few specific live-streamed attacks, such as the 2019 mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand. GIFCT has faced criticism and concerns from some human and digital rights groups over centralized or over-broad censorship. "Over-achievement in this takes you in the direction of violating someone's rights on the internet to engage in free expression," said Rasmussen. This is going to go hand and hand with the Microsoft/Big Tech-backed "Content Authenticity Initiative" that aims to track down the origin of all internet memes and other content to "counter the rise of misinformation," aka track down and punish people for resisting the regime. Emma Llanso, director of Free Expression at the Center for Democracy & Technology, said in a statement: "This expansion of the GIFCT hash database only intensifies the need for GIFCT to improve the transparency and accountability of these content-blocking resources." "As the database expands, the risks of mistaken takedown only increase," she added. The group wants to continue to broaden its database to include hashes of audio files or certain symbols and grow its membership. It recently added home-rental giant Airbnb (ABNB.O) and email marketing company Mailchimp as members. They want to be able to censor content they don't like in unison across the entire "normie" internet. The White House let the cat out of the bag earlier this month when Biden press secretary Jen Psaki said people banned from one platform should be banned from all platforms. Happening Now: Biden Press Sec calls for users banned on one social platform to be banned from ALL social platforms. "You shouldn't be banned from one platform and not others if you providing misinformation out there." pic.twitter.com/TeOEHdqJmW Reclaim The Net (@RecIaimTheNet) July 16, 2021 That's clearly the plan. This is all being coordinated with the regime. Were excited to announce a new partnership with @PayPal to fight extremism and hate. Weve launched a research effort to understand how extremists leverage financial platforms to fund criminal activity. To read more: https://t.co/1iQVHVWBpV pic.twitter.com/1LgISDPsos ADL (@ADL) July 26, 2021 From Fox Business, "PayPal, ADL team up to ferret out 'extremist' groups": PayPal Holdings Inc. and the Anti-Defamation League on Monday announced a partnership aimed at fighting extremism and hate in the financial system and across at-risk communities. The initiative, which will be led through ADL's Center on Extremism, will cut off the financial networks for those that support extremist and hate movements. The partnership will also focus on those who spread and profit from all forms of hate and bigotry. That means they're going to ban everyone they disagree with in addition to everyone who could threaten their hold on power. "All of us, including in the private sector, have a critical role to play in fighting the spread of extremism and hate," said Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League. "With this new initiative, we're setting a new standard for companies to bring their expertise to critical social issues," he added. "We have a unique opportunity to further understand how hate spreads and develop key insights that will inform the efforts of the financial industry, law enforcement, and our communities in mitigating extremist threats." They clearly want to spy on everyone's financial transactions for doxing purposes in addition to debanking. Neither PayPal nor ADL responded to FOX Business' request for comment in regards to how a person, business or group is determined to be a supporter of extremist and hate movements. PayPal and fellow payments company Stripe earlier this year banned former President Donald Trump's campaign from processing transactions, suggesting that he encouraged his supporters to storm the Capitol Building on January 6. A FOX Business inquiry about whether Black Lives Matter would be among the organizations impacted by the restrictions went unanswered. Black Lives Matter held protests across America, a number of which turned violent, following the death of George Floyd. We are living under occupation. Our ruling oligarchs are sick, twisted people who hate this country with a burning passion and want to see every "deplorable" locked up in prison. Whereas Trump never locked anyone up, they're packing the jails in DC to the brim with political prisoners and subjecting them to racial abuse, solitary confinement and physical torture. They're manufacturing fake terror plots where there are none to illegally influence our elections and justify their crackdown. They're telling Americans to rat out their friends and family members for "extremism." They're spying on our troops and purging the military of "extremists." Welcome to life under neo-Bolshevism! Any politician who is not speaking out against this tyrannical regime their every waking hour should be considered controlled opposition! A serious government would stop this immediately. Take note of the Republicans who are silent on this issue, same cowards who said nothing about the election or J6 narrative. We will end this in 22. The left knows this, thats why they are moving so fast & w/so much force. https://t.co/REDqK49nfy Joe Kent for WA-3 (@joekent16jan19) July 26, 2021 You should be supporting the American people by fighting against big techs targeting of conservatives & the un just treatment of the January 6th prisoners & the assault on our elections. Instead you chose this act of neocon virtue signaling. Support our people 1st. https://t.co/wO7IMqFE3e Joe Kent for WA-3 (@joekent16jan19) July 26, 2021 Follow InformationLiberation on Twitter, Facebook, Gab, Minds, Parler and Telegram. What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 814-368-3173 or email nfinnerty@oleantimesherald.com. Help Our Community Please help local businesses by taking an online survey to help us navigate through these unprecedented times. None of the responses will be shared or used for any other purpose except to better serve our community. The survey is at: www.pulsepoll.com $1,000 is being awarded. Everyone completing the survey will be able to enter a contest to Win as our way of saying, "Thank You" for your time. Thank You! Take The Survey GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) Authorities have announced the arrest of a new suspect in a rape and murder more than three decades ago for which another man served 16 years in prison before he was exonerated by DNA evidence. State police and Adams County prosecutors said Tuesday that Chris Speelman, 58, of New Oxford is charged with criminal homicide, rape, robbery and burglary in the August 1987 slaying of 85-year-old Edna Laughman. Lt. Mark Magyar said the arrest was made possible by advances in genetic genealogy and the hard work of investigators. District Attorney Brian Sinnett said a company analyzing the DNA profile provided by investigators came up with a list of surnames, including Speelman's, and other information including hair and eye color. Sinnett said Speelman had lived next-door to the victim within the same structure" about a decade before her murder. A DNA sample provided by him a few months ago was an absolute match" to the suspect's DNA, he said. Sinnett said investigators believe Speelman went to the home to rob the victim, and finding her home, he attacked, suffocated and sexually assaulted her. He had not been a suspect previously and had not been interviewed before 2018 in the case, Magyar said. Another man, Barry Laughman, a distant relative of the victim, was convicted in 1988 and served 16 years before he was cleared. Police said Laughman confessed several weeks after the crime and provided information that only the killer could have known. Doctors said Laughman had an IQ of 70 at the time, meaning he was functioning at the level of a 10-year-old. He was ordered freed in November 2003 and the charges were dropped the following year after DNA samples feared lost were located and were found to belong to someone else. The evidence exonerated, ultimately, Barry Laughman. The evidence brought justice to Chris Speelman and for Edna," Sinnett said. Speelman was taken into custody and would be denied bail, prosecutors said. Sinnett declined to say whether he would seek the death penalty but said several aggravating factors would support that decision. Court documents did not list a defense attorney, and a working phone number for the defendant could not be found Tuesday. The district attorney said the case was proof that killers and rapists will never avoid capture." 'Whodunits' are a thing of the past, frankly," Sinnett said. There is going to be DNA recovered from crime scenes, and that DNA is going to be preserved, analyzed it may be 10, 15, 30 years down the line, but you will have justice." It may be a year late, but the City of Brandon has plans for a big celebration of the provinces birthday. Advertisement Advertise With Us It may be a year late, but the City of Brandon has plans for a big celebration of the provinces birthday. Most of 2020s plans for the celebration of Manitobas 150 birthday were thwarted by the COVID-19 pandemic. To make up for that, Brandon is holding a weeklong celebration of the occasion as well as artistic events throughout the summer. From July through September, pop-up performances by artists from Brandon and Westman will be held in parks, green spaces and corners throughout the city. Details on those performances have yet to be released, but residents can sign up to get notifications when specifics are released. To sign up, visit bit.ly/3y6kITG. Then theres a week of events from Sept. 19-25. First up is a free drive-thru pancake breakfast from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. (or until supplies last) at a to-be-determined location on Sept. 19. At the end of the week, the Keystone Centres parking lot will once again be transformed into a drive-in movie theatre for a showing of the Manitoba-set and -filmed movie "The Journey Home" from 2014. The Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba held two screenings of "Wonder Woman 84" at the Keystone Centre last weekend as part of their latest fundraiser. Throughout that week, there will also be scavenger hunts across town for residents to participate in. Details for the scavenger hunts have yet to be released. For Manitobans across the province, there will be another way to celebrate Manitoba 150. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers from the Manitoba 150 Host Committee released a smartphone app that encouraged people to check in from landmarks and points of interest as they travel across the province. As of July 30, that app will be available to the public once again. Even better, checking in enters participants into draws for monthly Manitoba-inspired prizes and a grand prize draw for either a Barkman Outdoor Kitchen DIY package worth $10,000 or a trip for four to Churchill from Lazy Bear Expeditions and Calm Air. The app will be available for both iOS and Android devices. cslark@brandonsun.com Twitter: @ColinSlark A man who beat his partner beyond recognition was sentenced to more than a year time served in jail on Monday morning. Advertisement Advertise With Us A man who beat his partner "beyond recognition" was sentenced to more than a year time served in jail on Monday morning. The man pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm in a Nov. 7, 2020 incident. The Sun is not naming the 24-year-old man to protect the identity of the victim. On Nov. 7, the RCMP on a Westman First Nation received a call about an assault with a weapon in which the victim "was beat beyond recognition by her domestic partner," Crown attorney Brett Rach told the court. She feared for her life, he said, and the man was intoxicated. There were also small children in the home at the time. When police arrived, they told the accused over the police cruisers loudspeaker to leave the house, Rach said. He left the house with his hands up as police took cover behind their cruisers with guns drawn. He obeyed commands and was then arrested, Rach said. When officers saw the victim, she had a swollen black eye and cuts to her face. She also had a gash on her leg and cuts on her hand. Rach said the accused threw a lawn chair at the victim before hitting her with it several times. He also hit her, pulled her hair and kicked her, along with smashing a rifle into her leg. In a victim impact statement, the woman said she was severely traumatized by the incident and now has panic attacks. The wound to her leg also became infected and left a permanent scar, which reminds her of the assault. She said she fears for her safety and struggles to heal every day, Rach told the court. The children were also affected and now fear their father, she said in the victim impact statement. Her son has PTSD, and they all have mental health issues. The accused also pleaded guilty to an assault charge from August 2020. Rach recommended a sentence of approximately 13 months time served and two years of supervised probation. Defence lawyer Bob Harrison said the man accepts responsibility for his actions. The woman threw a paint can at him in the incident, Harrison said, but his reaction was certainly too much. The man has Gladue factors and grew up with alcohol and violence in the home. He has been sober since going to jail in November but plans to get counselling and addictions treatment for his alcohol use. Harrison jointly recommended the sentence with Rach. Speaking to the court, the man said he is willing to change his life and his time spent in jail has made him think about his freedom and his life. He said he wants to better himself once released. Judge Patrick Sullivan said the mans children were likely severely affected by witnessing the violence. He said the man has a lot of work to acknowledge the harm done, but hopefully, he can harness his love for them to address his own issues. "Long story short, what happened there in front of your kids was horrific," Sullivan said to the man. "Its impacted them, but all is not lost. Theres lots of time going forward for your to address your issues and perhaps repair your relationship with your kids." Sullivan sentenced the man to the equivalent of 392 days time served in jail for the incident and two years of supervised probation. He also banned the man from having contact with his former domestic partner. dmay@brandonsun.com Twitter: @DrewMay_ Dramatic footage has emerged of Bill Papass business partner at Forum Finance crashing a $500,000 race car as it emerges high net worth investors unknowingly funded the alleged fraudsters purchase of a $50 million property portfolio using Westpacs money. Sydney-based financial services company AltX, which specialises in arranging debt investments for high net worth investors, distanced itself from Mr Papas after being approached for comment over its dealings with Forum Finance and its directors up until June 3 - just days after Westpac first identified the alleged fraud. Westpac has accused Forum Finance, Mr Papas and his business partner and fellow race-car enthusiast Vince Tesoriero of orchestrating a $400 million fraud against the bank by impersonating major customers such as Coles, Woolworths and WesTrac. The bank has commenced civil proceedings to recover the funds it alleges were lost through fraud. Mr Tesorieros lawyer has previously told the Federal Court his client had tendered his resignation from the company in April last year. Westpac also suspects the pair used their alleged ill-gotten gains to fund their amateur car racing jaunts. Footage of the Phillip Island 100 in 2018 obtained by The Age and The Herald shows Mr Tesoriero spectacularly failing to handle a corner during the race before driving through course signage and then spearing across the track and crashing hard into a tyre wall. Moments later the Forum Finance car is then mounted by a rival driver in an Aston Martin Vantage GT4. BHP has trumped a bid by mining magnate Andrew Forrest to buy Canadas Noront Resources while Rio Tinto announced plans to build a lithium mine in Serbia as the worlds biggest miners accelerate their push into metals poised to benefit from the green-energy transition. BHPs cash offer values the company at C$325 million ($351 million), or C$0.55 cents a share, and would trump a planned rival offer from Forrests Wyloo Metals. Noronts board agreed to support the BHP bid, which is a 69 per cent premium to Noronts closing price on Monday and 129 per cent higher than where the shares traded before Wyloo announced plans for its unsolicited bid. BHPs deal comes after last week announcing a nickel supply agreement with Tesla. Credit:Arsineh Houspian BHP is increasingly gearing its portfolio toward so-called commodities of the future, as investors put greater weight on resource companies environmental credentials. The company is in the process of exiting thermal coal and is considering getting out of oil and gas. At the same time, its putting greater emphasis on metals like copper and nickel, needed to support the green revolution. Last week it sealed a nickel supply agreement with Tesla and is expected to sanction a giant potash project later this year. Silicon Valley, still the world headquarters for tech startups, has never seen so much loot. More Valley companies went public in 2020 than in 2019, and they raised twice as much money when they did. Forbes calculates there are now 365 billionaires whose fortunes derive from tech, up from 241 before the virus. Loading Silicon Valley made the tools that allowed Americans and the US economy to survive the pandemic. People got their jigsaw puzzles, air purifiers and digital thermometers delivered by Amazon instead of picking them up two blocks or 2 miles away. The consumer economy swerved from local to national. Tech is triumphant in a way that even its most evangelical leaders could not have predicted. No single industry has ever had such power over American life, dominating how we communicate, shop, learn about the world and seek distraction and joy. What will Silicon Valley do with this power? Who, if anyone, might restrain tech, and how much support will they have? Wealth and the ability to command and control tend to produce hubris more than modesty. As algorithms and artificial intelligence rearrange people into marketing groups, it is uncertain to put it politely how aware the tech industry is of the potential for abuse, especially when it generates profits. With the House Judiciary Committees recent vote to advance a series of bills that aim to reduce the power of the most dominant tech companies and with President Joe Biden appointing regulators who have sharp views of Big Tech, these issues are finally set for a wider debate. It has been a tumultuous 18 months, and even the tech companies are having trouble absorbing what happened. PayPal, the digital payments company, had 325 million active accounts before the pandemic. It reported 392 million in the first quarter. The winds were blowing in our direction, but we had to set the sails, said Dan Schulman, the chief executive. The wind was so strong, it blew tech into another universe of wealth and influence. The pandemic as a whole, it became clear, was a tailwind for tech in very basic ways. When tens of millions of people were urged and sometimes ordered to stay put in their homes, naturally companies whose very existence involves facilitating virtual lives benefited. The rise of the teleconferencing company Zoom as both a verb and stock market winner was perhaps the easiest call of the year. Zoom meetings become a new normal during the coronavirus pandemic. Credit:iStock Call it half luck being in the right place at the right time and half strategic tactics by companies recognising this was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, said Dan Ives, a managing director at Wedbush Securities. What for most industries were hurricanelike headwinds was a pot of gold for tech. Pushing back The biggest and perhaps the only threat to tech now is from government. Tech antitrust reformers say the government response to the pandemic, including the national eviction moratorium, repudiated decades of entrenched belief in a hands-off economic approach. Now, the activists say, they will have their moment. When the government moved in a robust way to keep everybody afloat, free-market ideologies died, said Stacy Mitchell, co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, a research and advocacy organisation that fights corporate control. People now appreciate that the government can either make choices that centralise power and wealth or it can structure markets and industries in ways that deliver benefits more broadly. There are signs of pushback against tech that would have been unimaginable a few years ago, beyond the House bills. Ohio sued Google, saying it should be regulated like a public utility. The Teamsters, one of the biggest labor unions, passed a resolution to supply all resources necessary to help organise workers at Amazon. Lina Khan, who made her reputation as a critic of Amazon, was appointed Federal Trade Commission chair. On Tuesday, the White House said it would nominate Jonathan Kanter, a tech critic, to be the Justice Departments top antitrust official. But there are signs of movement in the other direction, too. The FTC and a coalition of state attorneys general saw their antitrust lawsuits against Facebook dismissed by a Washington judge last month. The FTC can refile an improved suit by the end of this month. Any measures restricting tech will ultimately need public sentiment behind them to succeed. Even some of techs biggest supporters see the potential for worry here. We went from being pirates to being the Navy, Marc Andreessen, a central figure in Silicon Valley for a quarter-century, told Substack writer Noah Smith in a recent interview. People may love pirates when theyre young and small and scrappy, but nobody likes a Navy that acts like a pirate. And todays technology industry can come across a lot like a Navy that acts like a pirate. Loading Beyond the threat of misuse of tech lurks an even darker possibility: a misplaced confidence in the ability of one loosely regulated sector to run so much of the world. Weeks before the pandemic, the Rand Corp published a study on systemic risk and how a problem with one company can imperil others in its network. Systemic risk was a big issue in the 2008 financial collapse, when the government propped up some companies because their downfall might imperil the whole system. They were too big to fail. The research group investigated whether tech companies had supplanted financial firms as a key node in the economy and if the economy was growing too dependent on them. Amazon, whose AWS cloud division has millions of customers, was highlighted. In December, Rands point was made when SolarWinds, which makes software that allows other companies to manage their networks, was revealed to have been infiltrated by Russian hackers. Since SolarWinds had so many clients, including Fortune 500 companies and federal agencies, the breach became one of the worst on record. Pushing forward The pandemic gave tech companies the power and the cash to make aggressive bets on their individual destinies. Buying another company was one way to do this. Global deal values in tech soared 47.3 per cent in 2020 from a year ago. Zillow, a digital real estate company in Seattle, spent $US500 million in February to buy ShowingTime, a scheduling platform for home showings. A few weeks later, Zillow said it would hire 2000 people, increasing its workforce by 40 per cent. But its biggest bet will take longer to play out. Before the pandemic, Zillow discouraged working from home, like most companies. Then last summer, it said 90 per cent of its employees could work remotely forever if they chose. At the time, Zillow was in the vanguard of a movement. Now the idea of the nonvirtual office is re-exerting its pull with managers. Richard Rich Barton, co-founder and chairman of Zillow. The company has changed its mind on staff working from home. Credit:Bloomberg Amazon says its plan is to return to an office-centric culture as our baseline. Google asserted the same thing, although it backed off after workers rebelled. IBM says 80 per cent of its employees will be in the office at least three days a week. When people are remote, I worry about what their career trajectory is going to be, IBM chief executive Arvind Krishna told the BBC. Zillow is something of an outlier. Even after a year of working from home, 59 per cent of its employees told the company they planned to go into the office once a month or less. Letters to Camondo, a meditation on memory, is a companion volume to the best-selling The Hare with Amber Eyes. The latter is the story of potter and writer Edmund de Waals relative Charles Ephrussi, a grain merchant, transplanted from Odessa via Vienna to Paris in the late 1860s who built a mansion at 81 Rue de Monceau. Arriving at the same time from Constantinople, Moise de Camondo would build an equally extraordinary monument at number 63. The Rothschilds lived on the same street, as did Theodore Herzl. At the heart of Edmund de Waals short book is the collecting impulse. Credit: Letters to Camondo is an aesthetes homage to a collector and connoisseur. In 58 letters de Waal journeys through Camondos temple to good taste. He finds rooms entirely devoted to porcelain, a collection of 55 tiepins, a garden planted with 2400 different coloured pansies, superb furniture, Renoirs, Manets, 33 Chardin engravings, shelves full of red morocco-leather-bound books, ledgers detailing correspondence with wine merchants, florists, bookbinders, memberships of myriad associations. Camondo was not a man of small imagination. He appointed the architect of Londons Claridges hotel to create a home modelled on the Petit Trianon of Versailles. Marriages between the Camondo, Ephrussi and Reinach families increased their influence both within the Jewish community and in Parisian society at large. Camondo shared his neighbours conviction that secular, tolerant France would welcome Jews as equals. The Israelites at the fin de siecle were patriots despite the widespread belief that they were profiteering parvenus. Anti-Semites such as the journalist Edouard Drumont railed against these faux Frenchmen who dared imagine they might be full citizens in their adopted homeland. When Camondos children were seen hunting in the forests, Drumont roared the Jew on horseback who hunts, who should be hunted. Director Cassandra Fumi was keen to adapt The Little Mermaid, a story about a female character who is saved by a prince. It was always told by adults and I wondered how it would look when we threw it at teenagers. The show is coming-of-age story written and performed by teenagers, staged at La Mama this week (it opened just before lockdown 5 hit). Eshays and TikTok, TV shows, pop stars, politics and climate change are all referenced in the script, which replaces the old damsel in distress trope with a queer, feminist tragedy. But does that mean you need to adapt in response? Like the Little Mermaid in the old Danish folk tale, is the pain of change a necessary part of fitting in and finding love? Teenage girls are reviewed all the time, says 17-year-old Casper Plum, a performer in The Mermaid at La Mama. Young women today are constantly defined and judged by their appearence, their likes on social media. Also inspired by a documentary about mermaiding where people get dressed up as a mermaid she saw potential in using the old fairy tale as a metaphor. In a world where we feel so powerless, theres something so powerful about being this mythical figure you are able to feel this strength, says Fumi. Even though our character of the mermaid does get obliterated, theres something about the ocean and the grandness and the fantasy. I think at the moment, we do need to feel powerful. Cast member An Dang says because there are so many versions of the Little Mermaid story, and people all round the world have grown up with it, it works as a universal starting point. But she questions its relevance to kids today. Especially the Disney version, is this really what we should be growing up with? We all had this show as our coming-of-age story. In the Disney version, the Little Mermaid is a damsel in distress, and she is saved by the prince. [The play] recognises that stereotypical role and starts to change that view. Loading For Ella Simons, the Disney story is fundamentally flawed it suggests you are nothing unless you are with someone. What we wanted is to create something more fluid and more grey and the spaces in between. [The Mermaid] sits with her sisters and wants to know about the world, she says. The Mermaid, the adapted play, references pop culture such as Australian fantasy TV drama H2O, as well as character types. My character is kind of like an eshay eshays are known as these ratty guys who dont respect boundaries, says Plum, who says hes had a lot of messages from people saying they can relate to it. More than 50 Australian emergency service personnel will be deployed to Canada to provide support for the country as it faces one of its worst bushfire seasons on record. Extended drought and heatwaves across North America are causing dangerous conditions, with hundreds of fires destroying thousands of hectares of land and displacing thousands of people. A wildfire burns in the mountains of British Columbia earlier this month. Credit:The Canadian Press The 55-person contingent will head to Canada on Tuesday evening and consists of personnel from the NSW Rural Fire Service, Fire and Rescue NSW, NSW State Emergency Service and Western Australia. The contingent will include incident management, fire behaviour analysts and aviation management who will be based in Ontario and British Columbia. Canadian fire authorities made a formal request to the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council last week. Infectious disease experts are concerned about worrying signs that younger people appear to be at more risk of becoming seriously ill and hospitalised if they are infected with the Delta variant. However, uncertainty remains among the science community about whether the COVID-19 variant is causing more severe disease in the young or simply infecting all unvaccinated age groups at a faster rate than its predecessors. Professor Tony Cunningham, an infectious diseases physician with the Westmead Institute for Medical Research, is concerned by the growing number of people under 40 becoming very ill with the Delta strain. Credit:Kate Geraghty Professor Tony Cunningham, an infectious diseases physician with the Westmead Institute for Medical Research in Sydney, is growing increasingly worried by the number of people under 55 becoming very ill with the Delta strain and being admitted to intensive care wards in NSW. People have been reluctant to call this out, but I think its now very clear that Delta is different to anything we have seen so far, Professor Cunningham said. The family of an Aboriginal man who was last seen by police entering a river near the northern NSW town of Moree has demanded that his disappearance be classified as a pursuit, so it will be investigated as a death in custody if he isnt found alive. The mystery surrounding the disappearance of Gomeroi man Gordon Copeland more than two weeks ago has led his family to hold a protest march through the streets of Moree on Wednesday morning. Gordon Copeland is missing from Moree after Police followed him to the river. Credit:Sam Mooy, Supplied NSW Police said the 22-year-old was last seen entering the Gwydir River outside Moree in the early hours of Saturday, July 10. Police said they saw a car driving at high speed on the Newell Highway that morning before later finding it bogged near Yarraman Bridge on the Carnarvon Highway. Australias competition watchdog has warned the Port of Newcastle could have no use within years if it cant freely transition away from a declining coal industry, as the regulator appeals a recent court decision over the NSW governments controversial ports privatisation. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on Tuesday lodged an appeal against a Federal Court decision last month to throw out its case aimed at increasing competition between container ports in NSW. The Port of Newcastles plans to build a competing container terminal to Port Botany was last month dismissed as fanciful by a Federal Court judge. Credit:Max Mason-Hubers ACCC chairman Rod Sims said the outcome of the appeal would likely have far-reaching implications for future privatisations by Australian governments. Governments are always tempted to exclude competition to maximise the proceeds of sale, he said, referring to the NSW governments move to impose allegedly anti-competitive terms on the industry when it privatised ports at Botany and Kembla in 2013 for $5.1 billion. NSW reported 172 new local coronavirus cases on Tuesday, its highest daily case total since the start of Sydneys outbreak, as the states health ministry announced any adult would soon be able to be vaccinated at its mass hubs. From Friday, people aged 18 to 39 will become eligible to book in for the AstraZeneca vaccine at the states mass vaccination clinic. Selected pharmacies in western and south-west Sydney will also start to offer the vaccine to all adults this week. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Tuesday. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer Premier Gladys Berejiklian said both of the deaths reported on Monday were people who acquired the virus as a household contact and were not vaccinated. My message to everybody is please come forward and get the vaccine, she said. Not only are you protecting yourself, but youre protecting those closest to you. Cracks have already appeared over Brisbanes 2032 Olympic Games, with the bipartisanship on show in Tokyo making way for squabbling between the Queensland Labor government and the LNP city council over the site of the International Broadcast Centre. With Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Brisbane lord mayor Adrian Schrinner two days into 14 days of quarantine after returning from Tokyo, Treasurer Cameron Dick hit out at the councils announcement that West End land would be acquired for the centre, then turned into parkland after the 2032 Games. Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick has concerns about possible blue-collar job losses under Brisbane lord mayor Adrian Schrinners proposal. Mr Dick questioned possible job losses from the South Brisbane factories that sat on the Montague Road site Cr Schrinner touted for the broadcasting hub. Under the plan, the factories would likely be relocated in five years. The Amora Hotel in Brisbanes CBD is being investigated for a breach of hotel quarantine, after a recent community transmission case was linked to a man who stayed there. The vaccinated man returned from China, completed a full 14-day quarantine, and was discharged on July 12, but fell ill on July 15. He eventually went to see a GP on July 23, and further testing confirmed he had a new case of COVID-19. Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said genomic testing confirmed the man had the same strain as a man who returned from South Africa via Doha. That man arrived with a family group, several of whom also got sick while in hotel quarantine. A man who sexually assaulted four women in public places has been spared jail despite the profound impact his despicable crimes had on his victims. Muhammad Khan ejaculated on three women from behind and indecently assaulted a fourth, by grabbing her backside, at street festivals in St Kilda and Brunswick, on a Melbourne tram and in a city nightclub between February 2015 and October 2019. Muhammad Khan pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting four women over four years. Melbourne Magistrates Court heard on Tuesday one of the women attempted suicide as she struggled to cope in the years afterwards, while another victim said anyone who threatened the safety of others belonged in jail. Any person who does not make other people feel safe is not someone who should be on our streets, she said in a victim impact statement read by a police prosecutor. Two young sisters who were last seen more than 24 hours ago in a town west of Melbourne have been found. On Tuesday police appealed to the public to help find sisters Aruba, 12, and Bushra, 14 who were last seen in the early hours of Monday morning in Little River, about 49 kilometres south west of Melbourne. Missing sisters Bushra, 14, on the right, and Aruba, 12, were last seen at an address in Little River. Missing sisters Bushra and Aruba have been located safe and well, police said. We would like to thank everyone for their assistance. Police had previously released an image of the pair. A teenager who was raped in state care after West Australian authorities knowingly forced her to live with an abuser could be entitled to millions of dollars in compensation claims for her ordeal. Macie* was forced to live with her abuser when the Department of Communities Child Protection placed them together in a residential care home in Perths east, despite knowing the boy had a history of sexual abuse. Macie has been in government care since she was three, the age when she was first sexually assaulted. That boy, now 19 years old, was this month sentenced to three years and six months in jail over six charges of sexually penetrating a child, animal cruelty offences and damaging property. The rape charges related to four girls, two of whom were in government care. Macie is now 17 and due to leave government care next month but has no idea of her legal rights or the court process, and says she feels she has been forgotten throughout. Perth is waking up to a commuter headache after stormy weather overnight uprooted trees, caused flash flooding and cut power to thousands of households, mainly in the southern suburbs. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services attended almost 180 calls for help since midday on Monday, with more damaging winds and localised flooding expected to continue on Tuesday morning. Winds brought trees down in Wundowie. Credit:WA Police Most of the calls were made from the southern suburbs including Rockingham, Mandurah, Byford, Success, Spearwood and Gosnells but also parts of the South West. Most requests were to assist with flooding, water and roof damage. Some intrastate flights have been cancelled due to the strong wind gusts which reached 100km/h in some places and train services are affected by debris on the tracks. Hong Kong: The first person to be tried under Hong Kongs sweeping national security law was found guilty of secessionism and terrorism on Tuesday. The Hong Kong High Court handed down the verdict in the case of waiter Tong Ying-kit, age 24, whose trial ended July 20, with the verdict being closely watched for indications as to how similar cases will be dealt with in future. More than 100 people have been arrested under the security legislation. In this July 6, 2020, file photo, Tong Ying-kit arrives at a court in a police van in Hong Kong. Credit:AP Tong is accused of driving his motorcycle into a group of police officers while carrying a flag bearing the protest slogan Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times on July 1 last year, a day after Beijing imposed sweeping national security legislation on Hong Kong following months of anti-government protests in 2019. Singapore: United States Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has slammed China over its aggression in the South China Sea and towards Taiwan, but says his focus is on enhancing ties in the Indo-Pacific and military capability in a bid to deter anyone that would make the mistake of taking us on. In his first major speech on security in south-east Asia and and the rise of China, the Pentagon chief said the US was committed to ensuring a free, open and rules-based region and took aim at Beijing for conduct that did not adhere to those principles. United States Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin is on his first trip to south-east Asia. Credit:AP Beijings claim to the vast majority of the South China Sea has no basis in international law, the retired Army general said at Singapores Fullerton Hotel on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, Beijings unwillingness to resolve disputes peacefully, and respect the rule of law, isnt just occurring on the water. Youve also seen aggression against India, destabilising military activity and other forms of coercion against the people of Taiwan, and genocide and crimes against humanity against Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang. London: Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott has told a British audience that there is no way he would sign a trade deal with China today. Speaking alongside his new boss, the UK Secretary for Trade Liz Truss, the former prime minister said Australia had indulged in wishful thinking to believe that the Chinese would become more like us as a result of more global economic integration. Former Australian PM Tony Abbott, now a trade representative for the British government, speaking at UK think tank Policy Exchange. Credit:Facebook As prime minister, Abbott struck the China-Australia free trade deal in 2014 and lauded it as one of his governments biggest achievements in office. The agreement was announced with much fanfare when Xi Jinping visited Canberra in 2014 to address a joint sitting of Parliament and was hailed as far more ambitious than insiders had expected. London: Less than half of young people in Britain are wearing face masks in public, a poll by YouGov suggests, but eight in 10 over-65s are continuing to use them. The survey suggests use of masks among 18 to 24-year-olds has slumped since July 19, with around 46 per cent saying they have worn a face mask in a public place in the past two weeks, compared with 58 per cent on July 16 and 64 per cent on June 2. People walk over London Bridge on Freedom Day, marking the end of coronavirus restrictions. Credit:AP It is the lowest level of compliance since July 2020, when 42 per cent of that age group said they were wearing them. Meanwhile, roughly 69 per cent of other age groups were still wearing face coverings when they went out, compared with 71 per cent on July 16 and 73 per cent on June 2. The findings come from a survey taken of 1742 British adults between July 21 and 22. DOYLESTOWN >> The pace of COVID vaccinations in Bucks County, which had steadily declined for several weeks, appears to be picking up again. Any duty rate cut by the government on imported electric vehicles would be very beneficial as it would help automakers generate much-needed volumes and reach some viable scale, South Korean auto major said on Tuesday. The automaker, which inaugurated its new corporate headquarters here, supported the demand of the American electric car major Tesla which has sought lowering of duties on imported EVs. noted that support from the government in terms of taxation and creation of country-wide charging infrastructure were the two most critical factors to grow EV segment in India. "We have heard that Tesla is seeking some duty cut on imports of CBUs. So that would be very helpful for the OEMs to reach some economy of scale in this very price competitive segment," Motor India MD and CEO SS Kim told reporters here. Till the time companies are able to localise EV components and other infrastructure, EV imports could help generate some market in the country, he added. "It will take OEMs time to localise EVs by 100 pc. We are developing made in India affordable mass market EV but at the same time if the government allows some reduction in the duty on imported CBUs that would be very helpful for all of us to create some market demand and reach some scale," Kim noted. At present, cars imported as completely built units (CBUs) attract customs duty ranging from 60 per cent to 100 per cent, depending on engine size and cost, insurance and freight (CIF) value less or above USD 40,000. Last week Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk had said that the company may set up a manufacturing unit in India if it first succeeds with imported vehicles in the country. He, however, said at present in India are "the highest in the world" and is hoping for "at least a temporary tariff relief for electric vehicles". Interacting on Twitter with followers who asked him to launch Tesla cars in India Musk said, "We want to do so, but are the highest in the world by far of any large country!" Musk further said, "Clean energy vehicles are treated the same as diesel or petrol, which does not seem entirely consistent with the climate goals of India." He, however, said, "We are hopeful that there will be at least a temporary tariff relief for electric vehicles. That would be much appreciated." Asked by a follower if Tesla could start with local assembly in India, Musk said, "If Tesla is able to succeed with imported vehicles, then a factory in India is quite likely." Kim noted that the domestic market is ready for electric two- and three-wheelers but it may take some time time before four wheelers to gain foothold. "We need some more support from the government in terms of tax and some incentives. From our experience in various global markets, such as South Korea, China and some European countries, we know that in India there still remains the anxiety related to charging infrastructure and the pricing of EVs," he stated. Range anxiety is very serious matter from a customer viewpoint, he said. Kim noted that in order to make EVs affordable, the government can offer subsidies under FAME scheme to private customers as well. He added that with government support the industry can reach some level of scale in two years. "If we have some meaningful support, even for the private customer, that would be be very helpful. Also the tax reduction will be great for the customer. If the demand is there and market is starting to grow I think that in two years we can reach the meaningful point in terms of scale and from that point we can manage," Kim noted. "Until we reach that point we need support from the government and that would be very critical for the segment," he added. He said that the company can look at two options for rolling out EVs in India. "Either we can find some local partner here or we can bring some global partner here. When we entered India 25 years ago we brought 50 tier 1 vendors with us. Now they operating on a global basis from here. We want to set up this kind of ecosystem here. So we are studying various options," Kim said. On developing charging infrastructure in the country, he noted that the company could take some measures but it would be very limited in scale. "Not only reduction in duties but more investment on charging infrastructure from the government would be critical for the future of EV market in the country. The customer is most concerned about the range and charging options. In this regard we need some very strong support from the government," he added. On introducing EV model Ioniq in the country, Kim said, "Ioniq is a great looking and performance vehicle. We are studying the feasibility of the model. If the market and the customer want that vehicle we can try to bring it." The company currently sells only Kona Electric SUV in the country. It is said to be working to locally develop its second EV model which would be on the affordable side. On new corporate headquarters, Kim said the company has invested over Rs 1,000 crore on the project till date. "This new building stands as a symbol of the company's journey of togetherness with the people of India," he noted. When asked if the company would also consider Haryana to set up its next factory in the country, Kim said: "In the coming two years we have no issues in meeting the demand (from Chennai plant) so after that if we need some more capacity we will work out some strategy at that time. Any place could be good candidate but it would be based on things like procurement, supplier chain and availability ot labour force etc." The new corporate office, with built up area of over 28,000 square meters, was inaugurated by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal. Speaking at the occasion, the chief minister said the state government is providing all kind is support to corporates willing to invest in the state. Since its entry into Indian market in 1998, Hyundai has invested over Rs USD 4 billion in the country. From selling one model in 1998, it now sells 12 models in the country with a market share of 17 per cent in the passenger vehicle segment. (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.) Czech automaker is planning to enhance its presence across 100 cities in India by next month as it looks to cater to more customers with the launch of its mid-sized SUV Kushaq less than a month ago. As per the automaker, the expansion of the sales network is an important part of the Kushaq launch strategy. The brand will be present in more than 100 cities across India by August 2021, and this will be its largest coverage in the country since it entered the Indian market, Auto India said in a statement. With this the automaker, which also sells models like Octavia and Rapid, would have more than 170 customer touchpoints, including sales and after-sales facilities, in the country, it added. The brand aims to take the figure to 225 outlets by next year. Its presence is currently limited to around 85 cities across the nation. The launch of Kushaq stands testament to a new era for the company in India. On the back of this world-class SUV, we had a clear vision of taking the brand to new and emerging markets across the country. I am delighted to share that we will be present in more than 100 cities from the coming month, Skoda Auto India Brand Director Zac Hollis noted. Enhancing the ownership experience is a key pillar of the company's growth strategy and increasing the network presence is one of the important pillars to meet this objective, he added. Some of the new cities where the brand is making a foray include Sangli, Bhilwara, Faridabad, Panchkula, Navsari, Vapi and Hardoi, among others. The automaker noted that the rollout of the network expansion strategy is a result of tremendous efforts over the last year in identifying the right partners. The increased network reach will support the brand's three-pronged strategy of launching new products, introducing new services and building on its promise of customer centricity, it added. The launch of the Kushaq has infused tremendous confidence and excitement across the dealer fraternity and there have been more than 200 dealership applications by potential partners who want to be part of the growth of the brand in India, the automaker said. This includes a mix of new dealers, and also existing dealers who want to build on the brand association and open additional facilities, it added. The automaker has also recently announced the launch of its 'Peace of Mind' campaign to provide additional benefits and an enhanced experience to customers in India. The initiative is built on four pillars cost of ownership, customer reach, convenience and transparency. Through this initiative, the company plans to build its after-sales offerings in the country where the market is dominated by Japanese and Korean (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a few years from now, the sight of a delivery guy from Amazon, Flipkart, Zomato, Swiggy or any other e-commerce firm, astride a petrol-run motorbike or a scooter will become a rarity. Instead most of them will be seen riding a modest, low-speed, battery operated e-bike wearing a Yulu badge. Thats the plan Amit Gupta, founder is stitching up as he seeks to offer an affordable ride to close to a million plus gig workers employed by the e-commerce firms for home delivery services, over the next few years. According to Gupta, close to 80 percent of people in India dont have a driving license and not many can afford a bike or a scooter as they dont have the requisite credit history. This is the white space Yulu is targetting. Yulu has been very instrumental in creating a livelihood for the marginalized in this country, says Gupta pointing out that the company has been able to offer a mobility solution that plugs the last mile at an affordable way in a sustainable manner. The user has to download the Yulu app, locate its e-bike, scan the QR code and start the ride. The rider pays as per time used but it averages to Rs10 per kilometer for people mobility. . The whole model which allows users the flexibility to pay as you use basis leaving aside the headache related to ownership including maintenance, EMI, etc fits very well with the complex delivery and supply chain mechanism of e-commerce firms. The tech-based mobility service provider has seen the number of monthly active users increase to 170,000 from 100,000 in February 2020 and business grow 2.6 times in the same period. The three year old start-up which began operations with a view to offer sustainable affordable last mile mobility solutions through its e-bicycle now boasts of a 10,000 strong fleet of e-bikes and plans to increase it to 50,000 by end of this year. In addition to those using the e-bikes for short commutes from one point to another during the pandemic, the demand from the gig workers has been very encouraging. The company, in which Bajaj Auto has an 18 per cent stake, is now looking to deploy a model Yulu DEX designed specifically to suit the needs of the gig workers. Bajaj is also developing a new low speed e-bike ground up for personal users looking for a mobility solution for the last mile. It is expected to be launched some time in FY22. Since it entered the market in 2017, Yulu has been importing kits for the bike from China and Bajaj has been assembling them at its factory. Till date, Yulu has invested $22.5 million dollars. Bajaj is expected to participate in the next round of fundraising. They (Bajaj) will see the advantage of this partnership only next year after the launch of the 3rd generation model, said Gupta. The central and state governments have been doling out incentives and tax exemptions for battery operated vehicles. It is a part of the larger objective laid by the government to reduce dependence on fossil fuel and reduce carbon emissions. But Yulu is not a beneficiary of these incentives owing to the low speed e-bikes in its fleet. Only those e-two wheelers which have a top speed of more than 25 kilometer per hour are eligible for the incentives under the FAME II scheme. Gupta and his team have been lobbying with the government to get subsidies on batteries. He insists the policymakers have to look at a company like Yulu, which has covered 60 crore kilometers since its inception four years ago, from a different lens. The market for two-wheel EVs (E2Ws) and three-wheel EVs (E3Ws) was valued at around $97 billion or 4 percent of global auto sales in 2019, according to McKinsey. The sector comprising small format vehicles that includes e- two wheelers and three wheelers are increasing by more than 14 percent annually. This excludes sales in China, which was an early adopter of small-format EVs and is thus experiencing slower growth. By 2022, McKinsey expects sales of small format vehicles to reach $150 billion. BENGALURU (Reuters) - com Inc's India arm is in talks with several domestic players in film and media distribution including cinema chain Leisure Ltd for a potential stake, the Indian Express newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing sources. Inox, however, said the report was "factually incorrect" and there were no discussions between the company and India. (https://bit.ly/3zziJrk) Shares of the Mumbai-headquartered company jumped as much as 14.3% to 346.20 rupees after the report, but pared some gains to last trade 6% up. India is planning to expand its content streaming platform Prime Video and is evaluating three to four deals, according to the report. (https://bit.ly/3iUpqgS) India has been a hotbed of competition for like Amazon, Netflix Inc and Walt Disney Inc, all of which have been investing significantly to ramp up original streaming content in regional languages. The e-commerce giant in January had launched a lower priced mobile-only subscription plan for its video streaming service in India, undercutting a similar plan by Netflix to woo price-sensitive subscribers. Prime Video had marked its foray into Indian film production in March https://www.reuters.com/article/amazon-com-india-idUSKBN2B91DG and counts the south Asian nation as one of its fastest growing markets. Inox, India's second-largest multiplex chain, has reported a net loss for at least five consecutive quarters since March 2020, when a nationwide coronavirus lockdown was imposed. Amazon India did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Shivani Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Ramakrishnan M.) (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.) Bandhoo, a platform that aims to transform the digital landscape of the Indian construction sector, has raised $1.1 million from Unitus Ventures. By working closely with real estate, infrastructure and construction companies, building-material suppliers, and construction workers, Bandhoo said it is set to make the labor market more transparent and efficient. With this, Unitus Ventures completes its twelfth investment in the job-tech category. Bharat Innovation Fund and other angel investors participated in this round. Founded by Prashant Gupta, CEO, and Sridhar Sundaram, CTO, in 2020, Bandhoo helps builders and infrastructure save costs and time in their project and procurement process. The platform brings the ease of e-commerce to construction by enabling the entire value chain using cutting-edge technology. Bandhoo is a 15-member team based out of Gurugram and Bengaluru. The funds will primarily be used to expand the engineering team, invest in building new features and functionality, and scale up operations, said Prashant Gupta, CEO, Bandhoo. We aim to onboard several large real estate and infrastructure companies, about 25,000 SME construction contractors and more than 150,000 construction workers by 202223. With such dramatically increased scale of supply, getting workers and labor contractors to any project site anywhere in India will be far easier and cost and time effective. A CMIE report highlights how the real estate and construction industry took the biggest hit in employment during AprilMay 2021. It saw employment shrink by 8.8 million on a base of about 64 million in March 2021. Most of the employment in this industry is informal. Manufacturing industries took a hit of 4.2 million jobs on a base of 30 million. It is possible that most of these were in the medium- and small-scale industries. Construction workers form the backbone of the Indian economy, said Surya Mantha, senior partner, Unitus Ventures. He said Bandhoo delivers impact at scale for this segment of workers and enhances the productivity and business results of SMEs by connecting them with workers and large builders and contractors alike. This will put India back on the global map in the coming decades as Bandhoo formalises a labor-intensive market like India, said Mantha. Born during the pandemic, the is distinct in its identity as a part of the construction tech segment. Since February 2020, Bandhoo has about 6,500 SME construction contractors and more than 35,000 construction workers on board. The company serviced more than 10,000 jobs and more than 500 tenders for SME contractors across more than a dozen cities in India. The construction industry in India is the second-largest employer with 6070 million workers, said Rahil Rangwala, Director, Michael and Susan Dell Foundation He said bringing these workers and business owners under a formalised, tech-first set up is crucial to create sustained impact in their lives and the economy eventually. Ventures like Bandhoo are a catalyst to this new growth, engaging migrant workers, contractors, and semi-skilled workers, said Rangwala. We are pleased to see this emerge from our jobtech focused partnership with Unitus Ventures. Construction is a $200 billion market in India and so far hasnt adopted much technology in its operations. It is also a growing sector due to investments in real estate and infrastructure. The is the second-largest employer in India (after agriculture) with about 6070 million construction workers and 57 million micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) contractors. Bandhoo has seized on the opportunity to build a tech-centric business that smoothes out the discovery and interaction among all participants in the construction ecosystem. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Walmart-owned has appealed to the against a state court's decision that allowed an antitrust probe into the e-commerce firm and its rival Amazon to continue, according to multiple sources. The Karnataka High Court last week upheld a single-judge order dismissing the pleas filed by Amazon and The e-commerce firms had challenged a probe initiated by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for alleged competition law violations. In its appeal to the Supreme Court, has said there is no finding in the order, the High Courts order and the order passed by the Ld.Single Judge that prima facie there appears to be a violation of Section 3(4) of the Act, according to the industry sources and legal experts. Flipkart submitted that Section 26 (1) of the Act categorically requires to form an opinion that there is a prima facie violation of the Act. It argued that this Honble Court has itself stated in a catena of cases that the formation of a prima facie opinion of a violation of the Act is threshold requirement under Section 26 (1) of the Act. The company argued that in the present case that there is no prima facie finding of violation of any provisions of the Act. Flipkart has submitted that in passing the impugned order the High Court has failed to appreciate that the main issue before it as to whether had complied with the threshold requirements prescribed by the Act prior for passing an order under Section 26 (1) of the Act. This includes the existence of an agreement which allegedly violates the provisions of Section 3 of the Act. The existence of prima facie finding of a violation of the provisions of the Act. A prima facie finding of an appreciable adverse effects on competition (AAEC) in the relevant market, in a case under Section 3(4) of the Act. The company contended that in the present case none of these conditions have been complied. Flipkart didnt comment on this development. Last week, a division bench of Justices Satish Chandra Sharma and Natraj Rangaswamy passed the order in a batch of appeals moved by the e-commerce firms against a June 11 order of a Single Judge of the High Court. While dismissing the plea, the Bench held, By no stretch of imagination can inquiry be quashed at this stage...Appellants should not be afraid of investigation of CCI...In the considered opinion of the Court, appeals filed by appellants are devoid of merit and deserved to be dismissed. Amazon had approached the Karnataka High Court against a CCI order which had called for a Director General (DG) investigation into allegations of anti-competitive conduct in the online sale of smartphones on its platform. The informant before the CCI, Delhi Vyapar Mahasangh (DVM), the traders body, was justifying the CCI decision for a probe. DVM had alleged that these players were giving deep discounts on online sales of smartphones, and cherry-picking sellers. Other allegations included predatory pricing and exclusive partnerships. DVM is an affiliate of the trade body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT). CAIT had welcomed the Court order. CAIT had said that CCI found a prima facie case for investigation against Amazon and Flipkart for violating competition law and distorting the level playing field in January 2020. Amazon and Flipkart approached the Karnataka High Court in Feb 2020 and obtained a stay on the probe. The CCI approached the and the directed the Karnataka High Court to hear the matter. Torrent Gas, Torrent Groups city (CGD) arm, said that the company is awaiting clearance from the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) for the completion of Sanwariya Gas, which holds the licence to retail to automobiles and piped gas to households for cooking purposes in Mathura. The company is planning to invest around Rs 10,000 crore across the country in the next five years for creating infrastructure in 16 geographical zones that it won, spread across 33 districts and seven states. On Tuesday, the company launched compressed natural gas (CNG) in and Tiruvallur districts by inaugurating 25 stations and one City Gate Station of Torrent Gas. In a span of two years, Torrent had acquired three CGD players including Mahesh Gas in Pune, Siti Energy in Moradabad and Dholpur CGD from Essel Group. "We would certainly keep evaluating inorganic opportunities. We have already signed a share purchase agreement for Sanwariya Gas and now we are awaiting PNGRB approval," said Jinal Mehta, Director, Torrent Gas. Torrent Gas had acquired a 5 per cent stake in the Indian Gas Exchange (IGX), an arm of the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) for reportedly around Rs 4 crore. With the addition of 25 stations in and Tiruvallur, Torrent now has around 214 operational CNG stations across the country and is planning to increase the number of operational CNG stations to 350 by March 2022 and 500 by March 2023. In January 2021. In and Tiruvallur, our target is to commission 50 CNG stations by September 2021 and 100 CNG stations by June 2022. Torrent Gas intends to make a total investment of Rs 5,000 crores in Tamil Nadu over the next five years towards the creation of CGD infrastructure including laying pipelines to provide piped natural gas to domestic, industrial and commercial customers and setting up CNG stations. The project shall generate direct and indirect employment for approximately 5000 people in the state," Mehta said. At a national level, Torrent Gas has so far invested around Rs. 1,900 crores. Interestingly, Torrent Gas has announced an aggressive price of Rs 51.35 per kilo gram for CNG, in Chennai and Tiruvallur, which is the second lowest CNG price in the country after the national capital region. At this price, adoption of CNG as a fuel will help customers in Chennai save up to 66 per cent compared to petrol, 61 per cent versus diesel and 42 per cent versus Auto LPG. CNG prices are also much more stable as compared to those of petrol and diesel, which undergo frequent changes. Till now, there were only 12 CNG stations in the entire state of Tamil Nadu. VC firm announced the first close of its late-stage fund - Trifecta Leaders Fund I, with commitments of over Rs. 1,000 crore (approximately $130 million). The fund was launched three months ago and has a target corpus of Rs 1,500 crores (approximately $200 million). The First Close saw participation from domestic investors including large corporates, insurance companies, marquee family offices, UHNIs, and entrepreneurs. Existing investors of Trifecta Capitals venture debt funds have also made significant investments in this fund. For the balance Rs 500 crore (Rs $70 million), the VC firm is in discussions with several domestic and global institutional investors. Rahul Khanna, managing partner, Trifecta Capital, said, Through this new Fund, we aim to provide investors access to the value creation opportunity in the last leg of private to public journey of tech With strong institutional investor interest in India internet, we expect listings of several large well known startups, and creation of liquidity for existing investors as these tap the public markets for their longer term financing needs. Trifecta Leaders Fund I will invest in a targeted set of category leaders, selected predominantly from Trifecta Capitals portfolio across its venture debt funds where the firm has proprietary knowledge of the businesses as well as deep relationships with founders and investors. The fund will invest Rs 100-200 crore ($1530 million) each in around 10-12 for minority stakes, through a combination of primary and secondary positions. In addition to primary infusions, the VC firm will cater to the needs of late-stage companies by providing off-cycle liquidity to early investors, angels, current and former employees including consolidation of equity cap tables. The fund leadership team comprising Rahul Khanna, Nilesh Kothari and Lavanya Ashok has extensive lifecycle investing, operating and entrepreneurial experience across global institutions like Canaan Partners, Accenture and Goldman Sachs. The firm is building a team with strong capabilities for the execution of this late stage equity investing strategy. It has already onboarded Lavanya Ashok as partner (ex-MD Goldman Sachs, Principal Investment Area) and Surbhi Garg as a VP (previously at Reliance Jio Strategic Investments), and is in the process of augmenting the team with strong private and public markets investing expertise. The fund has also set-up an advisory board comprising global tech experts who will support portfolio companies as they navigate their path to liquidity. With a term of only five years, believes this fund provides a unique investment opportunity for investors, both domestic and offshore, to partner with Indias new economy category leaders that are already executing at scale, and will continue to grow significantly over this decade. Trifecta Capital, across its two venture debt funds, has invested in over 75 companies and its portfolio now comprises of 20 unicorns and soonicorns including Big Basket, Pharmeasy, Cars24, Vedantu, Infra.Market, ShareChat, DailyHunt, UrbanCompany, CarDekho, Blackbuck, Ninjacart, NoBroker, Kreditbee, Dehaat, Turtlemint, Livspace, Mobikwik, Ixigo and BharatPe amongst several others. These companies, cumulatively valued at $22 billion, have raised over $8 billion in equity from marquee, global VC funds and have created substantial value in the digital economy. With the launch of Trifecta Leaders Fund-I, the firm is extending its platform capabilities as a lifecycle capital provider to the startup ecosystem.There are over 50 unicorns in India, up from five in 2014 and expected to grow to 100 by 2025. Nilesh Kothari, managing partner at Tridecta Capital, said, With the addition of this fund, is truly a lifecycle partner to startups, starting with venture debt at the early growth/ growth stage and then with equity financing at the late stage. On Tue, Jul 27, 2021 at 11:13 AM Shivani Shinde wrote: Trifecta Capital announces the First Close of its late-stage VC Fund BS REPORTER Mumbai, July 29 VC firm Trifecta Capital announced the first close of its late-stage Fund - Trifecta Leaders Fund I, with commitments of over Rs. 1,000 crore (~$130 million). The Fund was launched 3 months ago and has a target corpus of Rs 1,500 Crores (~US$ 200 million). The First Close had participation from domestic investors including large corporates, insurance companies, marquee family offices, UHNIs, and entrepreneurs. Existing investors of Trifecta Capitals Venture Debt Funds have also made significant investments in this Fund. For the balance Rs. 500 crore (~US$ 70 million), the VC firm is in discussions with several domestic and global institutional investors. Rahul Khanna, Managing Partner said, Through this new Fund, we aim to provide investors access to the value creation opportunity in the last leg of private to public journey of tech companies. With strong institutional investor interest in India internet, we expect listings of several large well known startups, and creation of liquidity for existing investors as these companies tap the public markets for their longer term financing needs. Trifecta Leaders Fund I will invest in a targeted set of category leaders, selected predominantly from Trifecta Capitals portfolio across its Venture Debt Funds where the Firm has proprietary knowledge of the businesses as well as deep relationships with founders and investors. The Fund will invest INR 100-200 Crores (US$ 1530 million) each in around 10-12 companies for minority stakes, through a combination of primary and secondary positions. In addition to primary infusions, VC firm will cater to the needs of late-stage companies by providing off-cycle liquidity to early investors, angels, current and former employees including consolidation of equity cap tables. The Fund Leadership Team comprising Rahul Khanna, Nilesh Kothari and Lavanya Ashok has extensive lifecycle investing, operating and entrepreneurial experience across global institutions like Canaan Partners, Accenture and Goldman Sachs. The Firm is building a team with strong capabilities for the execution of this late stage equity investing strategy. It has already onboarded Lavanya Ashok as Partner (ex-MD Goldman Sachs, Principal Investment Area) and Surbhi Garg as a VP (previously at Reliance Jio Strategic Investments), and is in the process of augmenting the team with strong private and public markets investing expertise. The Fund has also set-up an advisory board comprising global tech experts who will support portfolio companies as they navigate their path to liquidity.With a term of only five years, Trifecta Capital believes this Fund provides a unique investment opportunity for investors, both domestic and offshore, to partner with Indias new economy category leaders that are already executing at scale, and will continue to grow significantly over this decade. Trifecta Capital, across its two Venture Debt Funds, has invested in over 75 companies and its portfolio now comprises of 20 unicorns and soonicorns including Big Basket, Pharmeasy, Cars24, Vedantu, Infra.Market, ShareChat, DailyHunt, UrbanCompany, CarDekho, Blackbuck, Ninjacart, NoBroker, Kreditbee, Dehaat, Turtlemint, Livspace, Mobikwik, Ixigo and BharatPe amongst several others. These companies cumulatively valued at $22 billion have raised over $8 billion in equity from marquee, global VC funds and have created substantial value in the digital economy. With the launch of Trifecta Leaders Fund-I, the Firm is extending its platform capabilities as a lifecycle capital provider to the startup ecosystem.There are over 50 unicorns in India, up from 5 in 2014 and expected to grow to 100 by 2025. Nilesh Kothari, Managing Partner said, With the addition of this Fund, Trifecta Capital is truly a lifecycle partner to startups, starting with Venture Debt at the early growth/ growth stage and then with Equity financing at the late stage. State-owned on Tuesday posted over four-fold jump in its net profit to Rs 101.81 crore for the first quarter ended June 30, as bad loans fell significantly. The bank had reported a net profit of Rs 21.46 crore in the same quarter of the previous fiscal. Sequentially, the net profit rose 27 per cent from Rs 80.03 crore in the March 2021 quarter. The total income during Q1 FY22 increased to Rs 4,539.08 crore, against Rs 4,436.57 crore in Q1 FY21, said in a regulatory filing. However, it was down from Rs 4,936.75 crore in the preceding March quarter. Interest income during the quarter fell 2.5 per cent to Rs 3,569.57 crore, while income from other sources rose 25.3 per cent to Rs 969.51 crore. The Kolkata-headquartered lender trimmed its gross non-performing assets (NPAs or bad loans) significantly to 9.37 per cent of the gross advances as of June 30, 2021, as against 14.38 per cent at June-end 2020. In value terms, the gross NPAs fell to Rs 11,321.76 crore from Rs 16,576.43 crore. Net NPAs were down at 3.85 per cent (Rs 4,387.25 crore) from 4.95 per cent (Rs 5,138.18 crore). The bank's provisions for bad loans and contingencies were, however, up at Rs 1,127.11 crore in the reported quarter from Rs 931.67 crore in the year-ago period. Of this, the provisions for NPAs stood at Rs 844.76 crore, up from Rs 564.78 crore. Further, said it has kept the account of Delhi Airport Metro Express Pvt Ltd (DAMEPL) as standard, as per the Supreme Court order and RBI guidelines. The bank said it has not treated an amount of Rs 194.14 crore towards DAMEPL as NPA. As required, the provision held against this outstanding is Rs 100.95 crore, it noted. Also, for accounts covered under the provisions of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), the bank is holding a 100 per cent provision (including technical write-off) against a total outstanding of Rs 4,730.28 crore as of June 30, 2021, it added. Besides, outstanding worth Rs 278.17 crore stands as restructured advances as of June 30, 2021, relating to a total of 1,724 MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) sector accounts. Among others, the bank said it has exposure with two borrower's accounts belonging to the same group, and as per the NCLT Kolkata order, it has not declared these accounts as NPAs. "Bank has filed an appeal against the order of NCLT, Kolkata Bench," it added. On the COVID-19 induced moratorium related refund of interest on interest (or compound interest), UCO Bank said it has created a provision of Rs 35.35 crore as of March 31, 2021, towards interest relief. The same is yet to be refunded or adjusted, it added. The total COVID-19 related provisions held by the lender is Rs 500 crore. UCO Bank also reported nine borrowal accounts as fraud during the quarter, involving a total amount of Rs 429.21 crore. "During the current quarter, the bank has appropriated its entire accumulated losses of Rs 12,657.03 crore as of March 31, 2021, by utilising the balance standing to the credit of share premium account of the bank," it said. UCO Bank stock traded 1.48 per cent up at Rs 13.75 apiece on BSE. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Oil and gas and metals company plans major expansion at Bharat Aluminium Company's (Balco) smelter capacity which will involve an investment of Rs 6,611 crore over the next 18-24 months. This would be first major investment after a long gap by Vendanta in the entity it acquired by purchasing majority government shareholding nearly two decades back. As part of the expansion, Balco's smelter capacity will increase by 414 KTPA, taking its total capacity to close to 1 million tonnes. With this fresh investment, Balco's value-added products portfolio will increase to 92 per cent. In addition, the carbon plant adequacy business at Jharsuguda (Odisha) will set up a new carbon facility at a cost of Rs 635 crore. "Balco's expansion is a very important project for us. We hope to ramp up the smelter capacity over the next 18-24 months. Post this expansion, Vedanta's aluminium capacity will increase to 2.8 million tonnes," Vedanta's Group CEO Sunil Duggal said. In February this year, Vedanta's Board of Directors had approved the expansion of Lanjigarh Alumina Refinery (Odisha) to 5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) from the present level of 2 mtpa at a cost of Rs 3,780 crore. Completion of this project will place the refinery as one of the world's largest single-location alumina refinery complex. Vedanta's aluminium business posted a strong momentum during the first quarter of FY2021-22 with highest-ever production of 549 KT, and margin of 36 per cent. The company has recently been awarded the Kuraloi (A) North coal block in Jharsuguda, which will be an optimal fit for its smelter unit. Duggal also said that the company is focused on reducing its cost of production by nearly $300 per tonne to around $1,200 in the next two years. This will help improve the realisation and profitability from the aluminium business significantly, he added. on Monday announced a 79 per cent increase in its consolidated revenues to Rs 28,105 crore in Q1 FY2022. The company clocked its highest ever quarterly EBITDA of Rs 10,032 crore, which is 150 per cent higher year-on-year. Attributable PAT (before exceptional items) was 314 per cent higher at Rs 4,280 crore. During the first quarter, the company reduced its debt by Rs 6,989 crore, while Net Debt/EBITDA ratio at 0.6x is the lowest in the past four years. The company has a strong liquidity position with cash and cash equivalents at Rs 31,318 crore. --IANS sn/vd (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.) Yondr group, a developer and operator of data centres, said today it has formed a joint venture with group for data centres. The JV will have a initial capital of $1 billion. Operating under the brand name EverYondr, the first facility to be located in Metropolitan Region, for which land and power have already been acquired, will deliver 30 Mw by 2023 and 60 Mw of IT capacity when fully developed, it said. The joint venture will support hyperscale clients and service the rapidly growing Indian market, the size of which is projected to exceed $4.5 billion by 2025. The investment will be used to fund the development and operation of multi-locational hyperscale businesses across important geographies in India, including, but not limited to the metros of Metropolitan Region, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and the National Capital Region (Delhi), it said. Sameer Sain, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Group, adds, To meet the accelerated pace of cloud adoption, hyperscale are increasingly looking to credible partners to help realise their expansion needs. Yondrs global experience and Everstones strong execution capabilities in India will provide clients with a credible and consistent choice. Dave Newitt, CEO, Yondr Group, said, Unlike other mature hyperscale markets, data centres in India require a proactive approach to development and a streamlined delivery process. As a business, our mission is to help clients meet their data center capacity and technical real estate needs, faster and with better performance outcomes than anyone else." He added: "Collaborating with a specialised and trusted partner like will enable us to continue to deliver on that promise in the Indian market that is critically under-served today. Bringing together Everstones deep knowledge of the Indian market and Yondrs technical expertise and track record in developing capacity at scale, this joint venture will deliver unrivalled value to our hyperscale clients. US Secretary of State will arrive in New Delhi on Tuesday, to discuss bilateral relations, regional issues including Afghanistan, Pakistan sponsored terrorism, Indo-pacific among other issues with Indian officials. On Wednesday, the US top diplomat will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar. This will be Blinken's first visit to India after assuming the office. In the defence domain, both sides are expected to explore ways and means to deepen their collaboration. This will cover policy exchanges, exercises, and defence transfers and technologies. These would be covered in greater detail during the fourth 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue due in the US later this year. Among the subjects on the agenda will be "focus on expanding our security, defense cyber and counterterrorism cooperation," said the Department of State Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Acting Assistant Secretary Dean Thompson. Thompson also said that Secretary Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lyod Austin look forward to hosting their Indian counterparts in the annual US India 2+2 ministerial dialogue, later this year. Indian ambassador to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu will also return to Delhi to participate in the high-level meetings where Afghanistan will remain one of the top focus, with Thompson underscoring India's shared commitment to peace and supporting economic development in Afghanistan. "We expect that all the countries in the region have a shared interest in a stable and secure Afghanistan going forward" and so "we will certainly be looking at talking with our Indian partners about how we can work together to realize that goal, to find ways to bring the parties together, and continue to pursue a negotiated settlement to end the longstanding war." "On vaccines, India will continue to push for ensuring open and consistent supply chains for materials and items required for vaccine production, as India ramps up both for domestic vaccination and as for global supplies thereafter," sources added. Discussions on deepening Quad engagement are also expected to be a key focus area of talks, with the possibility of a Foreign Ministerial Quad meeting later this year. India and the US will also take forward the Quad vaccine initiative to enable the supply of vaccines produced in India from early 2022 to countries in the Indo-Pacific region, said a source.Afghanistan witnessing massive violence will be the central issue, implications of the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, and the need for sustained pressure on Pakistan on terror financing and terror havens will be part of the agenda. Two sides will also exchange assessments about the Indo-Pacific region, with focus on Covid assistance, economic slowdown and security scenario. Latest developments pertaining to West Asia and Central Asia are also likely to be covered, sources said. Blinken's trip will follow a visit by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to China and coincide with one to Southeast Asia by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President on Tuesday said that is the most critical challenge before humanity and is making its impact everywhere. Addressing the 19th convocation of the Kashmir University here, he also hoped that the centres for glaciology and Himalayan biodiversity at the varsity will show the way to the world in fighting "Climate change, as you are aware, is the most critical challenge before humanity in this century. is making its impact everywhere, but nowhere is it more felt than in the fragile eco-system of the Himalayas," the president said. He said the University of Kashmir has added another feather to its cap with the setting up of two centres that are of high importance. "One is devoted to glaciology and the other to Himalayan biodiversity documentation, bio-prospection and conservation. There is also the National Himalayan Ice-Core Laboratory. I am confident that these two 'Centres of Excellence' and the laboratory will help Kashmir and also show the way to the world in combating climate challenges and nurturing nature," Kovind said. The president's stress on came in the wake of recent natural disasters in Himalayan states, including Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. While nine persons were killed in landslides in Himachal Pradesh on Sunday, more than 70 persons died in the glacier burst in Uttarakhand in February. Referring to the COVID-19 pandemic, the president said he was glad to know that the university had responded to the pandemic in a most praiseworthy manner. "The entire world has been facing a difficult time. The coronavirus has impacted all walks of life and education is no exception. Fortunately, technology provided a solution. Schools, colleges and universities across India have continued to provide education in the on-line mode," Kovind said. After the outbreak last year, the University of Kashmir shifted to online modules and made e-resources available to its students, the president noted. Moreover, it also supported the administration by providing quarantine at its main, north and south campuses. It shows how universities' contribution to society can go far beyond imparting education, he said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dr Reddys Laboratories (DRL) is expecting to hear from Russia on Sputnik V supplies by the end of this month while the company awaits the India-made vaccine by September. Meanwhile, the trials on adolescents for Sputnik V are expected to end in Russia by October, DRL said. Speaking to reporters from Hyderabad, the DRL top management indicated the third wave and rising cases in Russia had shot up demand for vaccines there. We expect to hear from the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) by the end of July (on supplies). By August the supplies of Sputnik V should be better, said M V Ramana, chief executive officer (CEO), branded markets (India and emerging markets). Demand for vaccination, on the other hand, has gone down in India by around 20 per cent, he added. Around three million doses of the first dose component (which use vector Ad26) and around 300,000 second-dose components (which use a different vector, Ad5) have come from Russia. DRL has said it is awaiting the remaining 2.7 million doses of the second-dose component so that it can start distributing the remaining first doses too. The Gamaleya Research Institute made Sputnik V using two different human adenovirus vectors (Ad26 and Ad5) in its two doses. Deepak Sapra, CEO (API and pharmaceutical services), DRL, said by September-October, the firm expected supplies from the Indian sites as well. There are six contract manufacturers of Sputnik V in India. Around 250,000 people have received Sputnik V doses in India, the company said. DRL had launched a nationwide pilot on May 14, which has been scaled up to 80 cities now. DRL is the sole distributor of the first 250 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine in India. The initial doses are expected to be imported from Russia to ensure a faster roll-out in India. India on Tuesday reported a net reduction of 13,089 in active cases to take its count to 398,100. Indias share of global active cases now stands at 2.85 per cent (one in 35). The country is seventh among the most affected countries by active cases. On Monday, it added 29,689 cases to take its total caseload to 31,440,951 from 31,411,262 an increase of 0.1%. And, with 415 new fatalities, its Covid-19 reached 421,382, or 1.34 per cent of total confirmed infections. With 6,603,112 more Covid-19 vaccine doses being administered on Monday, Indias total count of vaccine shots so far reached 441,912,395. The count of recovered cases across India, meanwhile, reached 30,621,469 or 97.39 per cent of total caseload with 42,363 new cured cases being reported on Tuesday. Now the seventh-most-affected country by active cases, third by deaths, second by total cases, and first by recoveries, India has added 266,629 cases in the past 7 days. India now accounts for 2.85% of all active cases globally (one in every 35 active cases), and 10.07% of all deaths (one in every 10 deaths). India has so far administered 441,912,395 vaccine doses. That is 1405.53 per cent of its total caseload, and 31.69 per cent of its population. Among Indian states, the top 5 in terms of number of vaccine shots administered are Uttar Pradesh (50086993), Maharashtra (46464614), Gujarat (35766929), Rajasthan (35364262), and West Bengal (32190484). Among states with more than 10 million population, the top 5 in number of vaccine shots per one million population are Kerala (599643), Delhi (575902), Gujarat (559975), Uttarakhand (545910), and J&K (483586). Backwards from here, the last 1 million cases for India have come in 26 days. The count of active cases across India on Tuesday saw a net reduction of 13,089, compared to net addition of 2,977 on Monday. States and UTs hat have seen the biggest daily net increase in active cases are Meghalaya (77), Arunachal Pradesh (53), Tripura (21), Himachal Pradesh (17), and Lakshadweep (6). With 42,363 new daily recoveries, Indias recovery rate stands at 97.39%, while fatality rate remained unchanged at 1.34%. The Indian states and UTs with the worst case fatality rates at present are Punjab (2.72%), Uttarakhand (2.15%), and Maharashtra (2.1%). The rate in as many as 14 is higher than the national average. Indias new daily closed cases stand at 42,778 415 deaths and 42,363 recoveries. The share of deaths in total closed cases stands at 0.97%. Indias 5-day moving average of daily rate of addition to total cases stands at 0.1%. Indias doubling time for total cases stands at 733.7 days, and for deaths at 703.5 days. Overall, five states with the biggest 24-hour jump in total cases are Kerala (11586), Maharashtra (4877), Tamil Nadu (1785), Odisha (1637), and Andhra Pradesh (1627). Among states with more than 100,000 cases, the five with worst recovery rates at present are Kerala (95.32%). India on Sunday conducted 1,720,110 to take the total count of tests conducted so far in the country to 459,164,121. The test positivity rate recorded was 1.7%. 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 (16.49%), Dadra & Nagar Haveli-Daman & Diu (14.69%), Maharashtra (13.33%), Sikkim (12.97%), and Kerala (12.49%). Five states with the highest TPR by daily numbers for tests and cases added are, Manipur (20.23%), Meghalaya (15.04%), Sikkim (12.54%), Kerala (10.59%), and Arunachal Pradesh (7.45%). 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 (1245715), J&K (839654), Kerala (736403), Karnataka (561933), and Uttarakhand (547967). The five most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra (6269799), Kerala (3283116), Karnataka (2896163), Tamil Nadu (2550282), and Andhra Pradesh (1956392). Maharashtra, the most affected state overall, has reported 4877 new cases to take its tally to 6269799. Kerala, the second-most-affected state by total tally, has added 11586 cases to take its tally to 3283116. Karnataka, the third-most-affected state, has reported 1606 cases to take its tally to 2896163. Tamil Nadu has added 1785 cases to take its tally to 2550282. Andhra Pradesh has seen its tally going up by 1627 to 1956392. Uttar Pradesh has added 53 cases to take its tally to 1708208. Delhi has added 39 cases to take its tally to 1435949. A former aide of gangster was nabbed from by the Maharashtra Housing Board (MHB) police in connection with an on two in suburban Dahisar over a property dispute case, an official said on Tuesday. The accused Mandar Borkar has multiple cases, including extortion, cheating, attempt to murder, pending against him. Prime facie, the lawyer was attacked on the directions of Borkar, he said. The case has already been transferred to the crime branch's unit 11. All the 13 accused, including Borkar and a woman, are in the custody of the crime branch, the official said. The lawyers, Satyadev Joshi and Ankit Tandon were attacked in Kandharpada locality in Dahisar (west) by some men with swords, knives, and bamboo sticks on July 19. The video of the incident had gone viral. On the day of the incident, Joshi and Tandon had gone to survey a land with their client when they were attacked by a mob of 30 people, police had said. In the statement, the complainant had said the accused people first misbehaved with them, kicked the notice board placed on the land and claimed the land belonged to someone else. The accused had also threatened to kill Joshi and Tandon if they continue to pursue the property dispute case. Maharashtra Housing Board police had registered a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) under charges of attempt to murder, voluntarily causing hurt, criminal intimidation, criminal conspiracy and rioting, along with sections of the Arms Act. With the crime branch probing the case, the accused may be slapped with stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), the official said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An expert panel of India's Central Drug Authority on Tuesday recommended granting permission to (SII) for conducting phase 2/3 trials of Covid vaccine Covovax on children aged 2 to 17 years with certain conditions, official sources said. The trials would cover 920 children, 460 each in the age-group of 12-17 and 2-11 across 10 sites. "The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) on COVID-19 of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) deliberated on the revised study protocol application given by SII on Tuesday and recommended granting permission to the firm for conducting phase 2/3 trial of Covovax on children aged 2 to 17 years," a source said. The Pune-based pharmaceutical company had submitted a revised protocol for inclusion of pediatric cohort in the ongoing Covovax phase 2 and 3 observer-blind, randomised, controlled study in Indian adults aged 18 years and above to determine the safety and immunogenicity of the jab. In the revised application submitted last week, SII director (government and regulatory affairs) Prakash Kumar Singh and director Dr Prasad Kulkarni stated that globally, all adults aged 18 and above are being vaccinated and after this population is protected against COVID-l9, children will remain the most susceptible group. "There have been reports of severe disease, including deaths in vulnerable children. It has also been predicted that the third wave of the pandemic may affect children in the country. "Moreover, until all age groups, including children are covered under vaccination. the SARS-CoV-2 virus may remain in circulation, thus keeping everyone at risk of severe disease," they said in the letter. Considering all these factors, several companies have already started evaluating the safety and immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines in the pediatric population, the SII has stated. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday told BJP MPs that Covid vaccination for children is likely to start soon, sources said. During the BJP parliamentary party meeting, he said that the Covid vaccination drive is going on in full swing in the country. Currently, only those who are 18 or above are eligible for vaccination against the coronavirus. Very soon a vaccine is expected for children and inoculation for them will start, the sources quoted the minister as telling the MPs. The SII is learnt to have informed that their collaborator, Novavax, Inc., US has already generated a large amount of data in adults in different countries and that the safety, efficacy and immunogenicity data on the Novavax COVID-I9 vaccine are very robust which includes a safety database of more than 50000 adults with data from Australia, South Africa, UK and USA and preliminary safety data in 2248 children. "Further in the ongoing Phase 2/3 study in India, more than 1400 participants have received at least first dose of the vaccine with no safety concerns reported so far," the application stated. "This will ensure that a life saving vaccine can be brought at the earliest for our pediatric population also in addition to the adult population immediately after grant of Emergency Use Authorisation. "This approval will ensure an early availability of COVID-19 vaccine for children of our country in line with our prime minister's clarion call Atmanirbhar Bharat and will help in faster elimination of the COVID-19 pandemic," Singh mentioned in the application. The SEC on June 30 had recommended against granting permission to SII for conducting phase 2 and 3 trial of Covovax on children aged 2 to 17 years following which the company had submitted a revised study protocol last week. In August 2020, US-based vaccine maker Novavax, Inc had announced a licence agreement with SII for the development and commercialisation of NVX-CoV2373, its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, in low and middle-income countries and India. (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.) Total antibody levels start to wane six weeks after complete immunisation with and vaccines, and can reduce by more than 50 per cent over 10 weeks, according to study published in The Lancet journal. The researchers from University College London (UCL) in the UK noted that if the antibody levels carry on dropping at this rate, there are concerns that the protective effects of the vaccines may also begin to wear off, particularly against new variants. However, they said, how soon that might happen cannot be predicted yet. The UCL Virus Watch study also found that antibody levels are substantially higher following two doses of the vaccine than after two shots of the preventive, known as Covishield in India. Antibody levels were also much higher in vaccinated people than those with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, they said. "The levels of antibody following both doses of either the or vaccine were initially very high, which is likely to be an important part of why they are so protective against severe COVID-19," said Madhumita Shrotri from UCL Institute of Health Informatics. "However, we found these levels dropped substantially over the course of two to three months," Shrotri said in a statement. The findings based on data from over 600 people aged 18 and above were consistent across all groups of people regardless of age, chronic illnesses or sex, according to the researchers. The authors highlight that although the clinical implications of waning antibody levels are not yet clear, some decline was expected and current research shows that vaccines remain effective against severe disease. For Pfizer, antibody levels reduced from a median of 7506 Units per millilitre (U/mL) at 2141 days, to 3320 U/mL at 70 or more days. For AstraZeneca vaccine, antibody levels reduced from a median of 1201 U/mL at 020 days to 190 U/mL at 70 or more days, over five-fold reduction. "When we are thinking about who should be prioritised for booster doses our data suggests that those vaccinated earliest, particularly with the AstraZeneca vaccine, are likely to now have the lowest antibody levels," said Professor Rob Aldridge from UCL Institute of Health Informatics. The findings support recommendations that adults who are clinically vulnerable, those aged 70 years or over, and all residents of care homes for older adults should be prioritised for booster doses, the researchers said. In addition, those who were vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine are likely to have much lower antibody levels than those vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine, they noted. "This may also need to be considered when deciding who should be prioritised when boosters are rolled out," Aldridge said in the statement. The team acknowledged certain limitations in the data, including a small sample size for some groups. The researchers noted that that each individual only contributed one sample, so they cannot yet confirm how quickly antibody levels drop for each individual, or whether these would continue to drop or reach a stable level over the next few months. They also noted that different people will have different levels of immunity depending on the virus neutralising ability of their antibodies as well as their T-cell responses. "Even when measurable antibody levels are low, there is likely to be continuing immune memory that could offer long-term protection," the authors of the study noted. They said further research will be important to establish if there is an antibody level threshold needed for protection against severe disease. (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.) Veteran N Ram and Sashi Kumar have moved the seeking an independent probe by its sitting or retired judge into the reports of alleged snooping by government agencies on eminent citizens, politicians and scribes by using Israeli spyware Pegasus. The petition, likely to come up for hearing within next few days, sought to investigate if the illegal hacking into the phones using the Pegasus spyware represented an attempt by agencies and organisations to muzzle and chill the exercise of free speech and expression of dissent in India. It also sought a direction to the Centre to disclose if the government or any of its agencies obtained license for Pegasus spyware and used it, either directly or indirectly, to conduct surveillance in any manner. The petitioners claimed that investigation involving several leading publications around the world has revealed that more than 142 Indians, including journalists, lawyers, government ministers, opposition politicians, constitutional functionaries and civil society activists, have been identified as potential targets for surveillance using Pegasus software. It climaxed that the forensic analysis of several mobile phones belonging to persons targeted for surveillance by the Security Lab of Amnesty International have confirmed Pegasus-induced security breaches. The targeted surveillance using military-grade spyware is an unacceptable violation of the right to privacy which has been held to be a fundamental right under Articles 14 (equality before the law), 19 (freedom of speech and expression) and 21 (protection of life and personal liberty) by the Supreme Court, it added. It said the targeted hacking of phones belonging to journalists, doctors, lawyers, civil society activists, government ministers and opposition politicians seriously compromises the effective exercise of the fundamental right to free speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. It has an obvious chilling effect on expression by threatening invasion into the most core and private aspects of a person's life, it claimed. It claimed that the hack occasioned by the Pegasus spyware constituted a criminal offence punishable under interalia Section 66 (computer related offences), 66B (punishment for dishonestly receiving stolen computer resource or communication device), 66E (punishment for violation of privacy) and 66F (punishment for cyberterrorism) of the IT Act, punishable with imprisonment and/or fine. The attack prima facie constitutes an act of cyber-terrorism that has several grave political and security ramifications, especially considering that the devices of government ministers, senior political figures and constitutional functionaries which may contain sensitive information have been targeted, it added. Earlier, a petition was filed by a lawyer before the apex court seeking a court-monitored probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the snooping row. (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.) Almost a decade has passed since Ratan Tata retired from the Cyrus Mistry's ouster has also completed almost 5 years. However, the group's consolidated net loss, if TCS earnings are excluded, shows us Indias largest business conglomerate in the private sector continues to be bogged down with legacy issues. Read more on this and other top headlines for the day. Gradual tweaks to LIC surplus payouts likely; FinMin exploring a glide path The government is considering gradual tweaks to surplus distribution of of India (LIC) to policyholders and shareholders as the insurer looks to list on the stock exchanges. The finance ministry is exploring the adoption of a glide path for changing the existing surplus distribution from 95:5, so that policyholders do not immediately feel the pinch. The gradual change will aim to move towards the regulator-mandated distribution of surplus. Read more Sebi's new skin-in-the-game framework for MFs likely to stretch AMCs The Rs 33-trillion domestic mutual fund (MF) industry will be required to make thousands of crores of investments in its own schemes to meet the Securities and Exchange Board of India's (Sebis) new skin-in-the-game framework approved by its board last month. Sebis expert group had proposed an investment between 0.03 per cent and 0.25 per cent. However, this would have entailed an investment of around Rs 3,953 crore - 5x the total existing investment. Read more All ministries, departments to review central schemes by July end The finance ministry has directed all government departments and ministries to re-evaluate and redesign the ongoing centrally sponsored schemes (CSS) and central sector schemes for the next five years, and submit their proposals by July 31. The move includes evaluating the budgetary allocation for each scheme and phasing out various elements of schemes that may have become redundant. Read more continues to battle legacy issues; TCS remains prime cash cow Nearly a decade after the retirement of Ratan Tata from the group and almost five years after the ouster of Cyrus Mistry from Tata Sons, Indias largest business conglomerate in the private sector continues to be bogged down with legacy issues. If the earnings of Tata Consultancy Services are excluded, the groups listed companies reported a net loss on a consolidated basis for the third consecutive year in FY21. Ex-TCS, the group listed companies, reported a combined net loss of Rs 3,405 crore in FY21, up from a combined loss of Rs 2,996 crore a year before. Including TCS, the groups listed companies reported combined net profits of Rs 29,025 crore last financial year, marginally down from the Rs 29,344 crore a year before. Read more Govt should take control of Vodafone Idea, says Deutsche Bank report The government should convert Vodafone Ideas (Vi) debt into equity to avoid a duopoly in the telecom sector, Deutsche Bank Research said in its report on Monday. This, the bank suggested, would be the only viable solution in the backdrop of the Supreme Court dismissing the telecom companys application for recomputation of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues. Read more Yediyurappa quits as Karnataka CM on day of govt's 2nd anniversary BS Yediyurappa stepped down as chief minister of Karnataka on Monday, along with his entire council of ministers, but till late in the evening there was no word on who his successor would be. Usually, when a chief minister changes, his council of ministers stays in place. That the party high command asked all ministers to step down as well indicated the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wanted no collateral damage from Yediyurappas resignation, and wanted to give his successor a chance to create his own team. Read more The US on Tuesday said it supports India's emergence as a leading global power and a vital partner in efforts to ensure that the strategic Indo-Pacific is a region of peace, stability, and growing prosperity and economic inclusion, as America's top diplomat arrived in New Delhi on his first visit. In a fact sheet, the State Department said the defence cooperation between the US and India was reaching new heights, including through information sharing, liaison officers, and increasingly complex exercises like Malabar. The United States supports India's emergence as a leading global power and vital partner in efforts to ensure that the Indo-Pacific is a region of peace, stability, and growing prosperity and economic inclusion, it said after Secretary of State landed in New Delhi on a two-day visit. During his maiden visit to India as the top American diplomat, Blinken will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to discuss a wide range of issues, including continued cooperation on COVID-19 response efforts, Indo-Pacific engagement, shared regional security interests, shared democratic values, and addressing the climate crisis. US-India defense cooperation is reaching new heights, including through information sharing, liaison officers, increasingly complex exercises like Malabar, and defense enabling agreements, such as the secure communications agreement COMCASA. As of 2020, the United States has authorized over USD 20 billion in defense sales to India, the State Department said. Through the US-India Defense Technology and Trade Initiative, the United States and India work together on co-production and co-development of defence equipment. The United States and India are also closely coordinating on regional security issues, such as Afghanistan, it said. According to the fact sheet, the two countries cooperate on a wide range of diplomatic, economic and security issues, including defence, non-proliferation, regional cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, shared democratic values, counterterrorism, climate change, health, energy, trade and investment, peacekeeping, the environment, education, science and technology, agriculture, space, and oceans. India, the US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China's rising military manoeuvring in the region. The Chinese military is also actively eying the strategic Indian Ocean region to step up Beijing's influence. China claims nearly all of the disputed South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam all claim parts of it. Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea. In 2017, India, Australia, Japan, and the US gave shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the 'Quad' or the Quadrilateral coalition to counter China's aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region. In 2008, the United States and India signed an agreement, making India a full partner in the governance and funding of the Fulbright Programme. An increase in exchanges under the agreement has allowed for the development of new and innovative programmes, and India now has the largest Fulbright Scholar (faculty) programme in the world. In FY 2019, this funding provided opportunities for 61 US Scholars, 66 Indian Scholars, 80 US students, including 29 English Teaching Assistants, and 55 Indian students, including 13 Foreign Language Teaching Assistants. The United States and India are working to expand cooperation in international organisations. America welcomed India joining the UN Security Council in January 2021 for a two-year term. In October 2020, India hosted the third 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, and the United States looks forward to the next 2+2 later this year, the fact sheet said. Asserting that India is a leading global power and a key US partner in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, the State Department said at the inaugural Quad Leaders' Summit in March, President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Modi joined their Japanese and Australian counterparts in pledging to respond to the economic and health impacts of COVID-19. The four leaders also agreed to combat the climate crisis, and address shared challenges, including in cyber-space, critical technologies, counterterrorism, quality infrastructure investment, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and maritime security. Noting that the US stands with the people of India as they continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, it said the US has contributed more than USD 200 million for India's COVID-19 relief and response efforts since the pandemic began, including more than USD 50 million in emergency supplies and training for more than 218,000 frontline health workers on infection prevention and control, benefitting more than 43 million Indians. Earlier this year, the US and India initiated renewal of a memorandum of understanding to collaborate through an International Center of Excellence in Research focused on infectious diseases, including COVID-19 and other emerging threats. The United States and India are partnering to strengthen the global response to COVID-19, on issues ranging from addressing infectious disease outbreaks to strengthening health systems to securing global supply chains, said the fact sheet. US pharmaceutical companies have coordinated with Indian companies since the beginning of the pandemic. This cooperation includes voluntary licensing and technology transfer agreements to increase global manufacturing capacity for COVID-19 vaccines, therapies, and conducting clinical trials, it said. The State Department said that it looks forward to furthering cooperation with India on tackling the climate crisis and raising global ambition ahead of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, United Kingdom, in November. (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.) Vice President M on Tuesday paid tributes to former president on his death anniversary and said his stellar contribution strengthened India's defence and space capabilities. The former president was a nuclear scientist, writer, poet and educationist, who had excelled in different fields and served the nation till his demise on this day in 2015 at the age of 83. Kalam was conferred with the Bharat Ratna for his contribution to nuclear science and came to be known as the people's president. "My humble tributes to former President, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam on his Punya Tithi today. He was a distinguished scientist, a visionary statesman & above all a great human being," Naidu said on his official Twitter handle. "His stellar contribution strengthened our defence & space capabilities," the vice president said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As we try to control COVID-19, many people are keen to know what proportion of the population will need to be vaccinated in order to reach It's a reasonable question. People are asking because they want to know when we'll see an end to lockdowns; when they'll be able to reunite with loved ones overseas; when their businesses will have more security; when headlines will no longer be dominated by COVID-19. Right now expert modellers are plugging in numbers and looking at various scenarios to estimate the scope of protection different levels of coverage will give us. We're expecting to see the results of this modelling from the Doherty Institute as early as this week. But it's important to acknowledge it's difficult to pin down a single magic number for What is again? To understand why experts often avoid pinpointing a single figure needed to reach herd immunity for COVID-19, let's first recap the concept. Herd immunity is when immunity in a population is high enough to block the pathway for the ongoing transmission of the disease. While provides each of us with direct protection against disease, with herd immunity, even people who are unvaccinated benefit from that blocked transmission pathway. Different diseases have different thresholds for herd immunity. For measles, for example, the herd immunity threshold is 92%-94%. Estimates for COVID-19 have varied, with some putting it at 85% or higher. However, many hesitate to give a single number. Here are three reasons why. 1. Variations in the vaccines, and the disease itself A single herd immunity figure is difficult to estimate when the infectiousness of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) remains so variable. We understand the infectiousness of a disease by looking at the R0, or reproduction number the average number of people infected by one case where no control measures are in place. The ancestral strains of SARS-CoV-2 have an R0 of 2-3, but Delta is estimated to be twice as infectious, with an R0 around 4-6. The type of vaccine, doses given (whether one or both), and how well the vaccines cover the different variants all factor in. Estimates from the United Kingdom show two doses of the Pfizer vaccine are between 85% and 95% effective against symptomatic disease with the Alpha variant, while two doses of AstraZeneca are 70% to 85% effective. Overall vaccine effectiveness appears to drop about ten percentage points with the Delta variant. The lower the vaccine effectiveness, the higher the level of coverage we'll need to control COVID well. 2. We cannot cover the entire population yet The Pfizer vaccine has now been provisionally approved for 12-15-year-olds in Australia. If it becomes routinely recommended for this age group, it will still take time to vaccinate them. Even once that occurs, there will remain a gap in our population protection among younger children. Children should benefit somewhat from adult vaccination. In England, where overall vaccine uptake is 48.5% for two doses, there was initially a decline in infections for children aged under ten years. This is partly due to indirect protection offered by adults being vaccinated. 3. Population protection will vary in time and space There is rarely a neat threshold after which everything changes for good. Vaccine protection in individuals is likely to wane over time. With that and new variants appearing, we will almost certainly need boosters to sustain population protection against COVID-19. With influenza vaccination, we rarely even talk about herd immunity, because the duration of protection is so short. By the next flu season, immunity from the current season's vaccine will be much less effective against the newest viral strain. Spatially, protection can vary across localities and demographics. Even in a country that has reached a herd immunity threshold for vaccination coverage against measles, you can see small outbreaks in pockets of lower coverage in kids, or where a cohort of teens and adults weren't adequately vaccinated as children. The capacity to achieve herd immunity is also affected by population density and how much people in a population mix with a variety of others what's called heterogeneity of mixing. Life will gradually change as more people are vaccinated Given these factors, it's understandable experts often avoid giving a single figure for herd immunity. With the infectiousness of Delta, we will need very high vaccination rates. Then, life will look different, particularly once this happens globally. Australia will be able to relax its border restrictions. We will likely see modified forms of quarantine, such as home quarantine, for those who are fully vaccinated. COVID outbreaks will happen, but they will be less risky, with fewer people susceptible to serious illness. City or state-wide outbreaks will be replaced by more localised ones. We will still require good public health measures like rapid contact tracing and isolation. Rapid tests may be used more often. New treatments may be found. All the while, we need to be as concerned about global vaccine coverage as we are about national coverage. Because all people, regardless of means, have a right to the freedoms and security that come from COVID-19 protection. And as we've heard from global leaders, None of us will be safe until everyone is safe. Julie Leask is Professor, University of Sydney; and James Wood is public health academic, UNSW Sydney The government on Tuesday confirmed that a French court has ordered the freezing of certain Indian assets in Paris on a petition by Britain's Cairn Energy, which is seeking to recover USD 1.72 billion from New Delhi after winning an against retro tax. Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha said the government has filed an appeal against an international tribunal overturning levy of Rs 10,247 crore in back taxes on "Yes sir, an order has been passed by a French Court freezing certain Indian government properties in the case pertaining to Cairn Energy," he said. While the minister did not identify the properties, PTI had earlier this month reported that the 20-odd centrally located properties mostly comprise flats, valued at more than EUR 20 million. The French court, Tribunal Judiciaire de Paris, on June 11 agreed to Cairn's application to freeze (through judicial mortgages) residential real estate owned by the Government of India in central Paris. The legal formalities for the same were completed earlier this month. A three-member international tribunal that consisted of one judge appointed by India, had in December last year unanimously overturned the levy of taxes on Cairn retrospectively and ordered refund of shares sold, dividend confiscated and tax refunds withheld to recover such demand. "Arbitral tribunal (which had its seat in The Hague) pronounced its award on 21st December 2020 in favour of Plc and Cairn UK Holdings Ltd (CUHL)," Chaudhary said. The government has not accepted the award and has filed a 'setting aside' petition in a court in the Netherlands - the seat of the arbitration. "Appeal against the said award has been filed in the Hague Court of Appeal on March 22, 2021," he said. On action initiated to protect the interest of the country, he said an international law firm, with relevant experience, has been engaged for handling enforcement proceedings. "In consultation with its counsel team, the Government is taking all appropriate legal steps to protect its interest," he said without giving details. With its shareholders - who include the biggies of the global financial world - egging it to get the money back, Cairn has got the arbitration award registered in countries such as the US, the UK, Canada, Singapore, Mauritius, France and the Netherlands. It has since started seeking enforcement action. It has identified USD 70 billion of Indian assets overseas for the potential seizure to collect the award, which now totals to USD 1.72 billion after including interest and penalty. Last month, Cairn brought a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York pleading that Air India is controlled by the Indian government so much that they are 'alter egos' and the airline should be held liable for the arbitration award. Similar lawsuits are likely to be brought in other countries, primarily with high-value assets. The Scottish firm invested in the oil and gas sector in India in 1994 and a decade later it made a huge oil discovery in Rajasthan. In 2006 it listed its Indian assets on the BSE. Five years after that the government passed retroactive tax law and billed Cairn Rs 10,247 crore plus interest and penalty for the reorganisation tied to the flotation. The government then expropriated and liquidated Cairn's remaining shares in the Indian entity, seized dividends and withheld tax refunds to recover a part of the demand. Cairn challenged the move before an arbitration tribunal in The Hague, which in December awarded it USD 1.2 billion (over Rs 8,800 crore) plus costs and interest, which totals USD 1.725 million (Rs 12,600 crore) as of December 2020. (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.) (PSBs) are in discussion to set up a corporation for creating a common infrastructure platform as a joint initiative, the Parliament was informed. The Banking Infrastructure Corporation (DBIC) would be set up to enable enhanced access to customers and businesses for credit offerings. This is in line with a number of steps initiated by the government to facilitate banking and promote digital lending. Minister of State for Bhagwat Karad, in response to a query in Rajya Sabha, also said that retail loan disbursements amounting to Rs 40,819 crore have been made by seven large through digital channels in the financial year 2020-21. About 72 per cent of financial transactions of are now done through digital channels with active customers doubling from 3.4 crore in FY20 to 7.6 crore in FY21, the Parliament was informed. The share of financial transactions through doorstep banking initiative of public sector banks, and through mobile channels has increased from 29 per cent in FY19 to 76 per cent in FY21. Presently, public sector lenders provide doorstep services that include cash withdrawal or deposit, pick up of cheque or demand draft, pick up of cheque book requisition slips, among others, to all customers in 100 cities across the country. India and the US will on Wednesday hold bilateral discussions and focus on wide-ranging issues including security, and investment, Indo-Pacific engagement as well as health care. US Secretary of State will meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. The meeting will be followed by another one with Prime Minister at the latters residence in New Delhi. Blinken is on a two-day visit to India and arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday. This is his first visit to the country as secretary of state. On Tuesday, the US State Department issued a fact sheet, India, US : Deepening our Strategic Partnership, that focused on five broad areas deepening India-US partnership, the Indo-Pacific front and center, deterring adversaries and defending interests, combating the Covid-19 pandemic, and tackling the climate crisis. Secretary Blinken will meet with Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar to discuss a wide range of issues, including continued cooperation on Covid-19 response efforts, Indo-Pacific engagement, shared regional security interests, shared democratic values, and addressing the climate crisis, an official statement released by the office of the spokesperson. According to a PTI report, the implications of the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan and the need for sustained pressure on Pakistan on terror financing and safe havens will be discussed. There will be a focus on deepening engagement under the framework of the Quad with the possibility of a foreign ministerial meeting of the grouping expected to take place later this year. India is expected to press for gradually resuming international travel while maintaining health protocols, especially for easing the mobility of students, professionals, and business travellers, besides humanitarian cases, the agency said. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, discussions will focus on regional and global issues of mutual interest, including recovery from the pandemic, the Indo-Pacific region, Afghanistan, and cooperation in the UN. Visit is an opportunity to continue the bilateral dialogue and bolster the India-US global strategic partnership. Both sides will review the robust and multifaceted bilateral relations, the MEA had said last week. As far as vaccines are concerned, India is expected to push for consistent supply of raw material required to manufacture vaccines. Apart from that, the status of the USs intent to send shipments of vaccine could be discussed. Unemployment rate for fell to 4.2 per cent in 2019-20 from 5.1 per cent in 2018-19, according to Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by National Statistical Office (NSO). The is a wing of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. "Unemployment rate for has come down from 5.1 per cent in 2018-19 to 4.2 per cent in 2019-20," a labour ministry statement said. As per the PLFS for 2019-20, of the total employment generated (in person days) in the 2020-21 under MGNREGS, women's share has increased to around 207 crore person days. The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for has increased from 24.5 per cent in 2018-19 to 30.0 per cent in 2019-20. According to the statement, the findings of the survey were informed by Minister of State for Labour and Employment Rameshwar Teli in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The government has taken several initiatives to improve women's participation in the labour force. In order to encourage employment of women, a number of protective provisions have been incorporated in the labour laws for creating congenial work environment for women workers. These include enhancement in paid maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks, provision for mandatory crche facility in the establishments having 50 or more employees, permitting women workers in the night shifts with adequate safety measures, etc. The government has taken a decision to allow the employment of women in the aboveground mines including opencast workings between 7 pm and 6 am and in below ground working between 6 am and 7 pm in technical, supervisory and managerial work where continuous presence may not be required. Further, in order to enhance the employability of female workers, the Government is providing training to them through a network of Women Industrial Training institutes, National Vocational Training Institutes and Regional Vocational Training Institutes. Government has taken various steps for generating employment in the country like encouraging various projects involving substantial investment and increasing public expenditure on schemes like Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Pt. DeenDayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) and Deendayal Antodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM). Aatmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojna (ABRY) Scheme has been launched with effect from 1st October 2020 to incentivize creation of new employment along with social security benefits and restoration of loss of employment. This scheme reduces the financial burden of the employers and encourages them to hire more workers. Under ABRY, Government of India is providing for a period of two years both the employees' share (12% of wages) and employer's share (12% of wages) of contribution payable or only the employees' share, depending on employment strength of the EPFO registered establishments. The new employees under the scheme include those who lost their jobs during Covid-19 and didn't join in any EPF covered establishment upto September 30, 2020. The terminal date for registration of beneficiary under the scheme has been extended from 30th June, 2021 to 31st March, 2022. As on 12th July 2021, total benefit of around Rs.993 crores has been given through 84,390 establishments covering more than 22 lakh beneficiaries including 5.88 lakh women beneficiaries. Government is incentivizing employers for creation of new employment with social security benefits. Under the scheme, Government of India is paying Employer's full contribution i.e. 12 per cent towards EPF and EPS both (as admissible from time to time) for a period of three years to the new employees through EPFO. The terminal date for registration of beneficiary through establishment was 31st March 2019. The beneficiaries registered upto 31st March, 2019 will continue to receive the benefits for 3 years from the date of registration under the scheme. Under PMRPY, as of June 14, 2021, benefits have been given to 1.21 crores beneficiaries including 26.05 lakhs women beneficiaries. Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) has been initiated by Government inter alia, for facilitating self-employment. Under PMMY collateral free loans upto Rs. 10 lakh, are extended to micro/small business enterprises and to individuals to enable them to setup or expand their business activities. About 70 per cent of the loans have been given to women entrepreneurs. The government has increased MGNREGA wage to Rs. 202 a day from Rs. 182 to benefit nearly 13.62 crore families. Out of total employment generated (in person days) under MGNREGS, women share has increased from around 145.35 crore person days in FY 2019-20 to around 207 crore person days in the FY 2020-21. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister reviewed the issue of OBC and EWS reservation in all-India quota of medical and directed the ministries concerned to resolve it on priority, according to sources. In a meeting on Monday attended by Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, secretaries of education, health and family welfare, law and justice, and social welfare as well as other senior officials, the issue about the two quotas were discussed, the sources said. It has been a long-standing demand from medical aspirants to give OBC reservation in all-India quota of medical Several litigations have also been made in various courts of the country but the issue has been pending for a long time. In the review meeting, the PM desired that the issue of OBC reservation in the all-India quota (AIQ) of medical education may be resolved by the ministries concerned on priority, a source said. The AIQ seats in medicine were created on the directions of the Supreme Court in 1984. All states were required to surrender 15 per cent undergraduate and 50 per cent postgraduate medical and dental seats in state-run colleges to a "central pool" with the rest going to a "state pool". The "central pool" is the All India Quota (AIQ) and students across the country are eligible to apply for admission to this. The apex court had earlier ruled that the state reservation policy will apply to state seats and the AIQ seats as well. In total 15 per cent of undergraduate and 50 per cent of postgraduate seats of state government medical colleges are earmarked as all India quota. For admission, SC and ST aspirants have reservation in this quota, but there is no reservation for OBCs. According to sources, the PM also asked the Health Ministry to review the position of implementation of EWS reservation by various states for medical education. In 2019, the central government had announced 10 per cent reservation in government jobs and higher education for economically weaker sections in the general category. According to the reply to a written question in Parliament, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had increased the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) reservation quota in medical colleges to 5,200 MBBS seats. "These seats have been increased in State Government's Colleges, State Government aided Society run Colleges, Municipal Corporation's Colleges and Colleges set up on Private Public Mode (PPP mode) for the academic session 2019-20," former Minister of State for Health Ashwinin Kumar Choubey had said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indias biggest-ever initial public offering cant be chalked up solely to the zeitgeist. Like most markets, irrational exuberance and easy money will no doubt play a part in Paytms upcoming $2.2 billion share sale. But above all, investors will be placing bets on what a 12-year-old, unprofitable firm backed by SoftBank Group Corp. and Ant Group Co. could yet become. As for what that might be, look toward There, KakaoBank Corp., an affiliate of Ant-backed Kakao Pay Corp., is going public at the top of its indicated price range after institutions bid $2.25 trillion, more than 1,700 times the shares offered to them. Retail participation ends Tuesday. Internet-based businesses are raising funds at a record pace, making use of the boost given by the pandemic to all things digital. Additionally, exposure to a Korean new-age virtual bank or an Indian gives yield-starved global investors a hiding place from Beijings unpredictable regulatory action against Chinas tech titans, including Ant. But theres more going on at KakaoBank, something that might also be relevant to The tempo is being set by customers in their 20s and 30s who dont care much about banks as brick-and-mortar institutions but want to consume online like any other service, customized to their spending patterns and investment priorities. When younger tenants approach the internet-only KakaoBank for loans to lease apartments known in Korea as jeonse they dont have to show up at a branch, which doesnt exist anyway. Face-to-face contact offers little additional information to the lender, given that 90% of the population is on KakaoTalk. From within the popular, 11-year-old messaging service parent Kakao Corp.s first big success users can access the Kakao Pay wallet for cashless person-to-person and in-store payments. Thats a big advantage over traditional lenders that lack a platform to attract customers and collect data from nonfinancial services, as well as incur higher costs to maintain physical branches, according to Moodys Investors Service. KakaoBank, which currently competes in 14% of the countrys won-denominated debt market, will in 12 to 18 months start attacking 65% of the market, Moodys says. No wonder, then, that KakaoBanks post-IPO market value wont rank too far behind that of the largest retail lenders, KB Financial Group Inc. and Shinhan Financial Group Co. In India, shorthand for pay through mobile has come some distance from its roots as a tool for people to recharge their pre-paid phone accounts and pay for Uber rides. The platform handled 4 trillion rupees ($54 billion) worth of payments to merchants last year, similar to Kakao Pays 67 trillion won ($58 billion). Its KakaoBanks $20 billion deposits that make the difference. Paytms unit doesnt even have $1 billion yet. Thats because only operates a so-called payments bank, which is barred from making loans, issuing credit cards or keeping more than 200,000 rupees in deposits per customer. (Until recently, the limit was half that amount.) Even then, Indians clearly see some value in their Paytm Payments Bank accounts. When you look at where digital money goes in India after its transferred online, Paytms bank is at the top of the heap in receiving funds. It had a higher market share last month than the State Bank of India, the countrys largest lender. As the No. 1 issuer of tags for vehicles to pay tolls electronically, Paytm isnt doing too badly in originating transactions, either. Now, if Paytm had an unrestricted license, it could in theory challenge traditional lenders the same way as KakaoBank in Korea. Indias online payment system has modernized at a remarkable speed, thanks partly to crashing data prices and growing smartphone usage. The digital wallet business has become much more competitive than five years ago, when Paytm ruled. Walmart Inc.s PhonePe and Alphabet Inc.s Google Pay wallets handled $35 billion and $28 billion in transactions last month, respectively. The Paytm app, which was used to transfer $6 billion, was a distant third. But its accepted by small shopkeepers, even in minor cities and towns. That makes it nine-times bigger than Amazon Pay, and this at a time that Amazon.com Inc. runs one of Indias two largest e-commerce marketplaces. Everywhere, millennial and Generation Z customers have figured out banking for what it is: a big, fat wedding. Finding and screening borrowers, deciding credit limits, keeping customers engaged with easy online payments from movie tickets to bus rides and making them come back for buy-now-pay-later, insurance, and investments in mutual funds, gold and shares, are all things that can be done by a firm the wedding planner. A banking license is needed is when vows are exchanged. To make a loan, lesser lenders must raise funding or find a partner bank to officiate. But a licensed bank simply makes a loan and an equivalent deposit shows up on the liability side of its books in the customers favor. As bank clients make payments to others, this liability circulates, greasing the wheels of commerce, and converting seamlessly back and forth into official money: cash. To unlock the value that comes from being an unfettered, deposit-taking bank, Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma doesnt need physical branches, a costly endeavor in a large country. He only has to lobby for a change in the license of the payments bank in which the IPO-bound firm has a 49% stake.Becoming whats known in India as a small- bank should be good enough for everything except big-ticket corporate loans. Eventually, Sharma could amalgamate all of Paytms financial business with the bank after taking it public separately. India has allowed a couple of firms that went on to set up banks to carry out similar reverse mergers. Jack Mas Ant ran into regulatory troubles in China for creating credit without the requisite licenses. It remains to be seen if Ant-inspired lenders in Korea and India can execute Mas vision of using big data as a substitute for collateral, but without falling afoul of the state. Thats what investors in KakaoBank are counting on. Soon, theyll be hoping the same from Paytm. has eased rules for so-called special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) to attract more listings to London, just as global regulators have put a watch on SPACs, which may already be peaking in popularity. After a surge in activity in SPACs or "blank check" companies on Wall Street and more recently in the and emerging markets, is keen that London is not left behind. SPACs list on an exchange and must use the proceeds to buy an existing or target company within a set timeframe. This process provides a quicker route to a stock market listing as it sidesteps the lengthy process that leads to an initial public offering. Under previous UK rules, shares in SPACs were suspended when a target company was identified, effectively trapping investors and putting them off participating in the UK market. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Brijesh Patel (Reuters) - China's net via jumped nearly 42% in June after a slump in May, Census and Statistics Department data showed on Monday. Net via to China, the world's top consumer of the metal, stood at 30.887 tonnes in June compared with 21.781 tonnes in May, the data showed. China's net via Hong Kong fell more than 50% in May after touching their highest since June 2018 in April. Total gold imports via Hong Kong in June rose to 37.226 tonnes from 26.684 tonnes. "Gold was trading as low as $50 discount in early June, There was good buying interest in In addition, we saw bargain hunters buying more below $1,800/oz in spot," said Bernard Sin, regional director for Greater at MKS. "However, we would expect imports to drop in July, based on lack of demand," he added. A combination of resurgent COVID-19 cases and new regulations on precious metal trading pushed Chinese gold prices to a discount of as much as $20-$50 an ounce in early June over spot prices. Spot gold prices fell more than 7% last month to register their biggest monthly decline since November 2016, following a hawkish tilt from the U.S. central bank. "A fall in gold prices in June made gold attractive. Chinese traders were reluctant in the beginning of the year, so seem to have built up some positions in June," said Commerzbank analyst Daniel Briesemann. Meanwhile, Swiss exports of gold to mainland fell in June, Swiss customs data showed last week. Earlier this month, Postal Savings Bank of China said it suspended new openings for accounts to trade the spot precious metals market, citing price fluctuations and elevated trading risks. The Hong Kong data do not provide a complete picture of Chinese purchasing as gold is also imported via Shanghai and Beijing. (Reporting by Brijesh Patel in Bengaluru; Editing by David Holmes) (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi sealed an agreement on Monday formally ending the US combat mission in by the end of 2021, but US forces will still operate there in an advisory role. The agreement comes at a politically delicate time for the Iraqi government and could be a boost for Baghdad. Kadhimi has faced increasing pressure from Iran-aligned parties and paramilitary groups who oppose the US military role in the country. Biden and Kadhimi met in the Oval Office for their first face-to-face talks as part of a strategic dialogue between the and "Our role in will be ... to be available, to continue to train, to assist, to help and to deal with ISIS as it arises, but weare not going to be, by the end of the year, in a combat mission," Biden told reporters as he and Kadhimi met. There are currently 2,500 US troops in Iraq focusing on countering the remnants of Islamic State. The US role in Iraq will shift entirely to training and advising the Iraqi military to defend itself. The shift is not expected to have a major operational impact since the has already moved toward focusing on training Iraqi forces. Still, for Biden, the deal to end the combat mission in Iraq follows decisions to carry out an unconditional withdrawal from Afghanistan and wrap up the US military mission there by the end of August. Together with his agreement on Iraq, the Democratic president is moving to formally complete US combat missions in the two wars that then-President George W. Bush began under his watch nearly two decades ago. A US-led coalition invaded Iraq in March 2003 based on charges that then-Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's government possessed weapons of mass destruction. Saddam was ousted from power, but such weapons were never found. In recent years, the US mission was focused on helping defeat Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria. "Nobody is going to declare mission accomplished. The goal is the enduring defeat of ISIS," a senior administration official told reporters ahead of Kadhimi's visit. The reference was reminiscent of the large "Mission Accomplished" banner on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier above where Bush gave a speech declaring major combat operations over in Iraq on May 1, 2003. "If you look to where we were, where we had Apache helicopters in combat, when we had US special forces doing regular operations, it's a significant evolution. So by the end of the year we think we'll be in a good place to really formally move into an advisory and capacity-building role," the official said. US diplomats and troops in Iraq and Syria were targeted in three rocket and drone attacks earlier this month. Analysts believed the attacks were part of a campaign by Iranian-backed militias. The senior administration official would not say how many US troops would remain on the ground in Iraq for advising and training. Kadhimi also declined to speculate about a future US drawdown, saying troop levels would be determined by technical reviews. Kadhimi, who is seen as friendly to the United States, has tried to check the power of Iran-aligned militias. But his government condemned US air strikes against Iran-aligned fighters along its border with Syria in late June, calling it a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. In remarks to a small group of reporters after the talks, Kadhimi stressed that his government was responsible for responding to such attacks. He acknowledged that he had reached out to Tehran to address them. "We speak to Iranians and others in an attempt to put a limit to these attacks, which are undermining Iraq and its role," he said. The plans to provide Iraq with 500,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine under the global COVAX vaccine-sharing program. Biden said the doses should arrive in a couple of weeks. The United States will also provide $5.2 million to help fund a U.N. mission to monitor October elections in Iraq. "We're looking forward to seeing an election in October," said Biden. E-Mart is reportedly speeding up its acquisition of an additional stake in Korea. According to the distribution industry on Monday, Shinsegae Group is planning to purchase an additional 50 per cent stake of Korea from International, its US headquarters. It is reported that 30 per cent of shares are likely to be acquired by the Singaporean sovereign wealth fund (GIC). "E-Mart is negotiating to acquire a stake held by Starbucks International," a Shinsegae Group's official said. "The details or schedule have not been confirmed." Currently, Starbucks and E-Mart each hold 50 per cent of Starbucks Korea's shares. Shinsegae Group has been negotiated since last year to acquire a 50 per cent stake held by Starbucks If Shinsegae Group successes to acquire the additional stake held by Starbucks International, E-Mart becomes the largest single shareholder of Starbucks Korea and will have exclusive rights to business in Korea. Starbucks Korea surpassed 1 trillion won in sales in 2016 in 20 years since it first entered Korea in 1997. Its sales revenue increased by 4.1 per cent year-on-year to 1.9284 trillion won last year despite the spread of COVID-19. However, operating profit decreased 6.1 per cent to 164.4 billion won. "We have considered acquiring additional shares in Starbucks Korea, but nothing has been confirmed," E-Mart said in a clarification announcement. "We will announce within a month or at a time when the details are confirmed. (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.) Despite Japan's opposition, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin visited the disputed island of Iturup, known as Etorofu in Japanese, triggering a new round of tensions between Moscow and Tokyo. On Monday, Mishustin inspected a hospital and talked with representatives from a fish processing plant on Iturup, one of the four Pacific islands claimed by both countries, called the Southern Kurils in and the Northern Territories in Japan, reports Xinhua news ageny. The Prime Minister said that he had discussed with President Vladimir Putin possible measures that can be taken on these islands, which are now under Russia's control, to boost investment and economic activities. He said that Russian authorities are considering to set up a free trade zone on the contested islands to create opportunities for imports, which would be "a good decision for many investors". The four islands used to belong to Japan, which were seized by the Soviet Union after World War II and were later incorporated into following the collapse of the latter. Tokyo maintains that Moscow illegally occupied the islands. The Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday that Mishustin's visit to Iturup island was "extremely regrettable" and urged the Russian side to "take constructive measures" to advance Tokyo-Moscow ties. The Ministry summoned Russian Ambassador Mikhail Galuzin and issued a strong protest. In response, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Japanese Ambassador Toyohisa Kozuki in a retaliatory move. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Mishustin has every right to visit Russian territories, while at the same time Moscow has the strong political will to develop relations with --IANS ksk/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Korea's bio pharmaceutical exports rose from 9th to 7th in the world last year. As it is important to establish a stable supply chain of essential medicines during the COVID-19 pandemic in major countries such as the US and the European Union, it is analyzed that global supply chain reorganization opportunities should be actively utilized. According to a report released by the Korea Trade Research Institute (KITRI) of Korea Trade Association (KITA) on Monday, Korea's bio pharmaceutical exports increased by 139.1 per cent year-on-year and recorded 5.1 billion dollars despite the spread of the COVID-19. The export ranking also jumped two notches from 9th to 7th. In particular, it is analyzed that the index of export competitiveness improved significantly since the COVID-19 outbreak, and surpassed major competitors such as the US, EU, China, and Japan. According to a supply chain research conducted by the US White House last month, 73 per cent of raw drug manufacturing facilities in the US are located overseas, so essential drug supply chain highly dependent on overseas chain and vulnerable to risk. As a result, the US government is promoting to reorganize the drug supply chain by expanding domestic production of essential medicines, and securing inventory and strengthening cooperation with allies. The report analyzed that this trend is likely to act as a new opportunity for Korea, which has sufficient capacity to manufacture biopharmaceuticals. The report explained that the trend of global pharmaceutical market is shifting from synthetic drugs to biopharmaceuticals, and Korea, a pioneer in the biosimilar business, is leading the global market and has higher export competitiveness than major competitors, such as the US, China, and Japan. It is also analyzed that Korea will have advantages of achieving global capabilities of domestic companies, securing large new markets, and stopping China's pursuit by strengthening cooperation with allies such as the US. (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.) Inc posted a bigger second-quarter profit than expected on Tuesday thanks to higher sales of its less-expensive electric vehicles, as it raised vehicle prices and cut costs. CEO Elon Musk, however, said a global chip shortage that led to temporary factory shutdowns for the automaker, remains serious, and offered no details on the timing of its Cybertruck and next-generation batteries. For the first time since late 2019, profits did not rely on sales of environmental credits to other automakers, a sign of increasing financial health for the manufacturing operation. Shares of the world's most valuable automaker rose nearly 1% in extended trade. In a call with investors and analysts, Tesla executives said that volume production growth for this year will depend on parts availability, as it aims to grow deliveries by more than 50%. Musk said Tesla has "many calls at midnight, 1 a.m., just with suppliers about resolving a lot of the shortages." While some people had suggested Tesla build its own chip fab, he pointed to the long leadtime. "That would take us, even moving like lightning, 12 to 18 months," he said. Still, Musk said Tesla expects to start limited production this year of the Model Y SUV at factories under construction in Texas and Germany. Tesla said it has delayed the launch of its Semi truck program to 2022 to focus on starting factories and due to limited availability of battery cells and other parts this year. Musk did not give a timeframe for when Tesla will start mass production of its new-generation batteries and its much-anticipated Cybertruck. "It is difficult to say when the last of the technical challenges will be solved," he said, referring to its 4680 battery cells. He said Tesla has a backup plan of using its existing 2170 batteries, adding that its battery cell suppliers would double production next year. The carmaker, led by the billionaire entrepreneur, said revenue jumped to $11.96 billion from $6.04 billion a year earlier, when its California factory was shut down for more than six weeks due to local lockdown orders to fight the pandemic. Analysts had expected revenue of about $11.3 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. Excluding items, Tesla posted a profit of $1.45 per share, easily topping analyst expectations for a profit of 98 cents per share. Tesla said operating income rose with volume growth and cost reduction, which offset higher supply chain costs, lower regulatory credit revenue and other items including $23 million in losses on investment in cryptocurrency bitcoin. Tesla's profitability has often relied on selling regulatory credits to other automakers, but in the second quarter, Tesla was profitable without these credits for the first time since the end of 2019. Its GAAP net income was $1.14 billion in the second quarter. Revenue from the credits only totaled $354 million. "Tesla impressed with its numbers, as most of its revenue came from vehicle sales," Jesse Cohen, senior analyst at Investing.com, said. Carmaker Stellantis expects to achieve its European carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions targets this year without environmental credits bought from Tesla. In an aside, Musk said he "most likely will not be on earnings calls" going forward to discuss financial results with investors and analysts. These calls have been a colorful quarterly ritual Musk has used for discourses on Tesla technology, or to fire back at rivals or critics. (Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin in Berkeley, Calif and Akanksha Rana in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Noel Randewich in San Francisco; Editing by Maju Samuel, David Gregorio and Richard Pullin) (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.) PRI GEN INT .LONDON FGN8 AFGHAN- The Taliban: what could its return to power mean for By Kaweh Kerami, PhD candidate in Development Studies, SOAS, University of London London, Jul 27 (The Conversation) The is typically portrayed as a group of men with beards and turbans, driven by Islamic fundamentalist ideology and responsible for widespread violence. But to understand the group that is poised to return to power in Afghanistan, and what we might expect from its rule, we need a much more nuanced picture. To start with, it's important to understand the Taliban's origins in the 1980s during the cold war. Afghan guerrillas called the Mujahedeen waged war against Soviet occupation for around a decade. They were funded and equipped by an array of external powers, including the US. In 1989, the Soviets pulled out and that marked the beginning of the collapse of the Afghan government that had relied heavily on them. By 1992, a Mujahedeen government was formed but suffered from bloody infighting in the capital. The unfavourable conditions on the ground created fertile ground for the emergence of the An Islamic fundamentalist group dominated by those of Pashtun ethnicity, the Taliban is believed to have first appeared in Saudi Arabia-funded hard-line religious madrassas in northern Pakistan in the early 1990s. Some of them were Mujahedeen fighters against the Soviets. In 1994, the Taliban started a military campaign from the south of By 1996, the group had captured the Afghan capital, Kabul, without much resistance. Life under the Taliban For the war-weary people of Afghanistan, the Taliban's promise of bringing security and order on the one hand and curbing corruption on the other was appealing. But that was coupled with a high and sometimes unbearable cost: introduction of harsh punishments such as public executions, closing girls' schools (for those aged ten and above), banning television and blowing up historical Buddha statues, to name a few. The group's justification stemmed from the blending of a fundamentalist understanding of Islam with Afghan traditions. During the peak of the Taliban rule (1999), not a single girl was enrolled in a secondary school and merely 4% of those eligible (9,000) were at primary schools. Now around 3.5 million girls are in school. After the US-led invasion of the country following the Taliban's refusal to hand over those behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, many of the Taliban's senior figures evaded capture and reportedly took refuge in Quetta in Pakistan. Later, this led to the formation of the Quetta Shura the Taliban leadership council that guides the insurgency in The short-lived euphoria after the invasion came to an end when the Taliban remobilised in 2004 and started a bloody insurgency against the new Afghan government and supporting foreign troops, costing the lives of at least 170,000 people, including 51,613 civilians to date. In 2021, the insurgent group has an estimated 75,000 fighters and its insurgency machinery runs on foreign funding (from governments and private donors) as well as local level taxation, extortion and illicit drug economy. There are multiple possible explanations for the Taliban's resurgence, including the lack of a post-intervention strategy, the adverse effects of the foreign military campaign, a corrupt and incompetent government in Kabul, and a growing dependency on foreign financial and military assistance and regional rivalries. Now the US has made a deal with the Taliban and is withdrawing from the country. This poses an existential threat to the fragile post-2001 political order, which has been largely shaped, funded and defended by the foreign money and boots on the ground. What lies ahead? The US-Taliban deal created some optimism about a likelihood of a political settlement that could end the prolonged war and reduce the likelihood of Afghanistan becoming a safe haven for terrorists once again. But the peace efforts seem to have lost their momentum after the unconditional US troop withdrawal. Now the Taliban is beating the drum of victory and seems to have rolled up its sleeves to reimpose its regime forced into exile in late 2001. Estimates say the group controls more than half of Afghanistan's 400 districts, in contrast to their own claim of controlling 85%. However, the US has warned that it won't recognise a Taliban regime in Kabul as a result of military takeover. But this alone seems unlikely to deter the Taliban from attempting to capture the capital, regardless of its likelihood. If the group succeeds in it, it remains unknown how it will fund its exclusive, theocratic regime. Interestingly, the Taliban has improved its ties with the nearby countries, such as Iran, Russia and some central Asian states, that once opposed the regime in 1990s. The group is probably aiming to find a regional alternative to the aid of the US and its allies, as well as preventing the resurgence of the anti-Taliban resistance force the Northern Alliance that would otherwise enjoy financial and military support of those countries. When it comes to women's rights, press freedom, elections and other liberties guaranteed in 2004 constitution (at least, in written form), the Taliban have often said it wants a genuine Islamic system that aligns with the Afghan tradition, but it is unclear what exactly that means, and how different it would be from their previous rule (1996-2001). In a statement, the Taliban has recently said it would provide facilities for women to work and be educated, despite its actions in the late 1990s. In spite of this apparent shift, the Taliban appears to be still creating a society based on its strict interpretations of Islam, something that the young, urban Afghans fear. They worry that they could no longer share a school or workplace due to segregation by gender/sex, go out to dine with their friends of the opposite sex or wear whatever they want. A military takeover by the Taliban may also not mark the end of war in Afghanistan. Peace and stability in multi-ethnic and diverse societies can only be ensured through coexistence, consensus and inclusion not dominance and zero-sum The diverging interests of the region's countries could fuel the growing local discontent against the Taliban (as experienced in late 1990s), which, in turn, would perpetuate the bloody and destructive war. (The Conversation) SCY SCY 07271041 NNNN (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US Secretary of State arrived in India on Tuesday on a two-day visit aimed at further boosting bilateral ties and deliberate on the rapidly evolving security situation in Afghanistan as well as to expand cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region under the framework of On Wednesday, Blinken will hold extensive talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and meet National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. He is also scheduled to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi before leaving for Kuwait as part of his two-nation tour. Just before leaving for India, Blinken said he was looking forward to consultations with partners of the US for further cooperation in support of its shared interests in the Indo-Pacific and Middle East. "Wheels up for my trip to New Delhi and Kuwait City. I look forward to consultations with our partners to further cooperation in support of our shared interests in the Indo-Pacific and Middle East," he tweeted. This is Blinken's first visit to India after assuming charge as the US Secretary of State and the third by a high-ranking Biden administration official after it came to power in January. US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin visited India in March while US Special Envoy on Climate Change John Kerry travelled to New Delhi in April. "Secretary Blinken's visit is an opportunity to continue the high-level bilateral dialogue and bolster the India-US global strategic partnership," the Ministry of External Affairs said last week while announcing the visit. "Both sides will review the robust and multifaceted India-US bilateral relations, and potential for consolidating them further," it said. Acting Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Dean Thompson said on Friday that the discussions will focus on expanding ties in areas of security, defence, cyber, and counterterrorism cooperation. "We collaborate across the government on these issues, including through regular US-India working group meetings, and we look forward to further strengthening our ties with India to ensure a safer and more secure world," he said. People familiar with the agenda of the visit said both sides will extensively deliberate on the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan with the Taliban increasing its hostilities in an attempt to seize control of new areas in the country. Afghanistan witnessed a series of terror attacks in the last few weeks as the US withdrew the majority of its troops and is looking at completing the drawdown by August 31, ending nearly two-decade of its military presence in the country. The two sides are also expected to explore ways to deepen defence collaboration, including exercises, defence transfers and technologies ahead of the next edition of the 2+2 defence and foreign ministerial dialogue to be held in the US later this year, those familiar with the development said. Both sides will also discuss ways to deepening engagement in the Indo-Pacific region as well as in enhancing Covid response efforts. The two sides are also expected to look at implementing the vaccine initiative. They are also expected to focus on ways to augment trade and investment ties besides looking at opportunities in healthcare, education, digital domains, the people cited above said. In the talks, India will continue to push for ensuring open and consistent supply chains for materials and items required for vaccine production, the people cited above said. Boosting defence and strategic ties is expected to also figure in the talks. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President said on Monday that American forces in will end the combat mission by the end of the year while continuing to train and assist Iraqi forces. "Our role in will be... continue to train, to assist, to help and to deal with ISIS (Islamic State) as it rises, but we're not going to be, by the end of the year, in a combat mission," Biden said at the beginning of a meeting in the Oval Office with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Xinhua reported. "Our counter-terrorism cooperation will continue even as we shift to this new phase," he said. Al-Kadhimi told a leading media outlet ahead of the visit that there is no need for any foreign combat forces staying in "What we want from the US presence in Iraq is to support our forces in training and developing their efficiency and capabilities, and in security cooperation," he said. There are now around 2,500 US troops in Iraq. White House Press Secretary on Monday declined to provide the number of troops staying in Iraq at the end of the year. US media said the move may not lead to a significant reduction of US military presence in Iraq, given most of the American troops in the country have already been taking training and advising roles for the Iraqi forces. The two countries agreed to shift US troops' mission back in April, but no timeline for the transition had been set at the time. Analysts noted that the Iraqi leader faced mounting pressures at home from hardline Shia factions who demand all US troops to leave the country. This shift in the mission of US troops could be seen as a political gain for al-Kadhimi ahead of parliamentary elections in October. The US troops withdrew from Iraq in 2011, eight years after the US-led invasion. US troops returned to the country in 2014 to support the Iraqi forces in the fight against the Islamic State militants. Immediately after the deaths of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a US airstrike at Baghdad airport in Jan. 2020, the Iraqi parliament passed a resolution requiring the government to end the presence of foreign forces in Iraq. Iraqi military bases housing US troops across the country and the US embassy in the Green Zone in central Baghdad have been frequently targeted by rocket and drone attacks from Iran-backed Shia militias. The US military launched retaliatory airstrikes against Shia militants in Syria and Iraq this February and June, only leading to a cycle of more attacks and reprisals. Earlier this month, up to 14 rockets hit Al-Assad Air Base housing US-led coalition forces in Iraq's western province of Anbar, causing two minor injuries. --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.) Chinese President visiting last week is a threat to India, an influential US lawmaker has said, accusing the Joe Biden-led administration of not doing enough to stop the Chinese "march". Xi on Wednesday last made an unannounced three-day trip to Nyingchi in Tibet, close to the border with Arunachal Pradesh. Xi, who is also General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, met top officials of the Military Command and reviewed development projects in the region. In an interview to Fox News, Republican Congressman Devin Nunes said: "Just last week, you had Xi Jinping, the Chinese dictator, on the border with India, in Tibet, claiming victory. This was the first time in 30 years, I believe, that a Chinese dictator had been to Tibet, and also threatening India, over a billion people also a nuclear power; threatening India that he's going to build a big water project, possibly cut off water to India." During his visit to Nyingchi, Xi visited the Nyang River Bridge to inspect the ecological preservation in the basin of the Brahmaputra river, which is called Yarlung Zangbo in Tibetan language. China this year approved plans to build a huge dam over the Brahmaputra river during the current 14th Five-Year Plan, which raised concerns in the riparian states of India and Bangladesh. So, no matter what you plug into the propaganda machine, you can build all the narratives you want here in Washington, D.C., but then there's reality. The reality is that the Chinese are on the march, and the (President Joe) Biden administration is letting them do whatever they want," Nunes said. A senior Republican in the House of Representatives representing the 42nd Congressional district of California, Nunes was the chairman of the powerful House Intelligence Committee from 2015 to 2019. Xi's visit to took place amidst the current India-China military tensions in eastern Ladakh. India and China have been locked in a military standoff at multiple friction points in eastern Ladakh since early May last year. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet, which is firmly rejected by India. The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km Line of Actual Control (LAC). China is accused of suppressing cultural and religious freedom in Tibet. China has rejected the accusations. Since becoming President in 2013, Xi has pursued a firm policy of stepping up security control of Tibet. Beijing has been cracking down on Buddhist monks and followers of the Dalai Lama, who despite his exile remains a widely admired spiritual leader in the remote Himalayan region. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Shares of dipped 8 per cent to Rs 840 on the BSE in intra-day trade on Tuesday after the company reported disappointing numbers for the quarter ended June 2021 (Q1FY22), with consolidated profit after tax (PAT) declining 45.4 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 164.50 crore on weak performance of US business. The pharmaceutical company had posted a PAT of Rs 301 crore in Q1FY21. Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) margins declined 1,258 basis points (bps) YoY to 17.8 per cent due to higher other expenditure. The companys revenues declined 1.1 per cent YoY to Rs 1,326 crore with strong growth in domestic formulations being offset by a 38.1 per cent YoY decline in US sales to Rs 369 crore. Domestic formulations grew 57.2 per cent YoY to Rs 481 crore. The acute and specialty segments grew faster than the represented pharmaceutical market, the company said. "India business grew exceptionally well and outpaced the industry and we hope to see this momentum continuing due to the initiatives undertaken recently," the management said. The US business faced price erosion due to increased competition, however, the long term view of the US market remains intact, it added. "The topline performance was below expectation, impacted by a decline in US sales. Profitability was also lower than expected due to higher than expected raw material, employee and other expenditure (ex-R&D). Owing to pricing pressure across the Sartan portfolio, increasing competition and delay in inspection, the management expects US quarterly sales to remain subdued in the near term, which may impact near term margins," ICICI Securities said in a note. Analysts at Motilal Oswal Financial Services have lowered their FY22E/FY23E EPS estimates by 23 per cent/10 per cent to factor in considerable price erosion in the US base business, delay in successful compliance at Injectable sites due to the ongoing pandemic, and increased operational cost. The benefits of meaningful investment in product development, as well as R&D towards injectables, are getting prolonged due to ongoing Covid-related travel restrictions on inspections, the brokerage said in a results update. It maintained its Neutral rating on the stock on the limited upside from current levels. Shares of RattanIndia Enterprises hit a record high of Rs 70.50, up 5 per cent on the BSE in intra-day trade on Tuesday on the back of heavy volumes. The stock of the electric utility company was quoting higher for the eleventh straight trading day, having surged 68 per cent during the period. In the past four months, the stock has zoomed 1,258 per cent from level of Rs 5.19 as compared to an 8 per cent rise in the S&P BSE Sensex. At 10:41 am, it was trading 4 per cent higher at Rs 69.90, against a 0.22 per cent gain in the benchmark index. A combined 2.15 million equity shares had changed hands on the counter on the NSE and BSE so far. In April 2021, RattanIndia Enterprises ventured into the electric vehicle (EV) space by acquiring substantial strategic stake in Revolt Intellicorp Pvt Ltd. As part of the deal, RattanIndia Enterprises will have a 50 per cent board presence in Revolt Intellicorp and Rajiv Rattan will be chairman of the board of Revolt. On July 22, 2021, RattanIndia Enterprises announced that Dominos has joined hands with the companys Revolt Motors, Indias market leader in electric motorbikes to transform its current petrol bike fleet to electric bikes. As part of the partnership, Dominos will procure the entire existing inventory of Revolts RV300 bike model and will progressively procure customised Revolt model to transform its fleet. Dominos had been piloting Revolt bikes for its deliveries for quite some time now and with a successful pilot has now partnered with Revolt to make its deliveries environmentally sustainable, the company said in a press release. With regard to the Press Release titled Dominos joins hand with RattanIndias Revolt to electrify its delivery fleet dated July 22, 2021 issued by RIEL, Jubilant FoodWorks today said, the Company is expanding the use of within its delivery ecosystem which will further reduce the carbon footprint arising from vehicular emissions. The aforesaid press release by RIEL has been made without the consent of the Company and do not convey the complete factual arrangement between the Company and Revolt Intellicorp Private Limited (Revolt), with whom the Company has made a supply agreement for procuringThe Company works with multiple business partners/vendors and therefore Revolt, is one of the business partner for the Company and its current share of business on is less than 10 per cent, Jubilant FoodWorks said. CLICK HERE FOR FULL RELEASE. Given the falling prices of electric bikes due to lower production costs and a slew of incentives being announced by the central and various state governments, these bikes not only save the environment but also make economic sense due to lower maintenance and running costs as compared to traditional petrol engine bikes. Revolt Intellicorp is the next-gen mobility company, has introduced Indias first AI-enabled motorcycle without compromising on the performance or aesthetics of a regular ride. Revolt Intellicorp commenced operations in 2019. The company offers two EV models in India currently, in addition to a full range of genuine parts and accessories available through its authorized dealerships. Successfully prices USD 750 million senior unsecured USD notes of 20 years and 10.5 years tenure Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone successfully priced a USD 750 million senior unsecured USD notes issuance with 20 years and 10.5 years tranches at a fixed coupon of 5.0% and 3.8% respectively. The issuances were closed on 26 July 2021 and was oversubscribed by over 3 times. APSEZ has continued to receive exceedingly strong participation (for its successive bond offerings) from its high-quality real money investors across all geographies. This issuance establishes the Adani Group as India's leading issuer with the ability to access international capital markets across all market cycles. APSEZ is the only infrastructure company in India to successfully raise 20 years money from international markets, an achievement that underscores the strength of the company's unique business model and strong fundamentals as well as APSEZ's commitment to ESG and the UN Sustainability Development Goals. Within the Adani portfolio, APSEZ is the third issuer of long tenor bonds after energy utilities Adani Green Energy ('AGEL') and Adani Transmission ('ATL'). Having issued the long tenor bond in developed markets, APSEZ has elongated the debt maturity to over 7 years from 6 years. APSEZ's natural hedge through its foreign currency earnings allows the company to manage its foreign currency exposure. This issuance has also reconfigured the ratio of APSEZ's debt from overseas investors from 69% to 73%. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The benchmark indices hit an intraday low during afternoon trade. The Nifty index held its 15,750 level. European markets opened lower on the back of extreme weather and the spread of COVID-19 across the continent. At 13:20 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, dropped 254.39 points or 0.48% at 52,597.88. The Nifty 50 index lost 71.30 points or 0.45% at 15,753.15. Reliance Industries (down 1.39%), Dr Reddy's Laboratories (down 7.60%) and Axis Bank (down 2.86%) dragged the market. Broader markets suffered minor losses. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index slipped 0.49%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index skid 0.14%. Sellers outnumbered the buyers. On the BSE, 1,499 shares rose and 1,681 shares fell. A total of 125 shares were unchanged. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 2,376.79 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs), were net buyers to the tune of Rs 1,551.27 crore in the Indian equity market on 26 July 2021, provisional data showed. COVID-19 Update: Total COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide stood at 19,47,23,719 with 41,67,658 deaths. India reported 3,98,100 active cases of COVID-19 infection and 4,21,382 deaths while 3,06,21,469 patients have been discharged, according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. India on Tuesday reported 29,689 new cases, the number falling under 30,000 for the first time since 17 March 2021. The country's active caseload too has dropped, and now stands under 4 lakh. Even as the mass vaccination programme progresses, there are concerns about the private sector not administering enough doses. Despite being allotted 25% vaccines, private firms have vaccinated only 7% people so far. Economy: The second wave of COVID-19 may have a more lasting damage on the Indian economy and exports will once again be the foundation for recovery, Moody's Analytics said on Monday. The Delta variant of COVID-19 is among factors now adversely affecting economies of the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, but the economic hit from the current round of movement restrictions in the region will not be as severe as the recessions in the second quarter of last year. In India, where exports make up relatively small shares of the economy, high commodity prices have boosted the value of exports. This is one factor that helped reinvigorate India after its first devastating wave of COVID-19. Gainers & Losers: Hindalco Industries (up 3.69%), Bajaj Finserv (up 1.92%), Nestle India (up 1.85%), SBI Life Insurance Company (up 1.54%) and Tata Steel (up 1.39%) were major gainers in Nifty 50 index. Dr Reddy's Laboratories (down 7.60%), Cipla (up 2.94%), Axis Bank (down 2.86%), Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (down 2.52%) and Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) (down 2.50%) were major losers in Nifty 50 index. Nifty Result Today: IndusInd Bank (down 0.38%) will announce its quarterly result today. Earnings Impact: Tata Motors skid 0.96%. The auto major's consolidated net loss contracted to Rs 4,450.92 crore in Q1 June 2021 as compared to a net loss of Rs 8,437.99 crore in Q1 June 2020. Total revenue from operations soared 107.63% to Rs 66,406.45 crore in Q1 FY22 from Rs 31,983.06 crore in Q1 FY21. EBITDA margins improved by 570 bps to 8.3% in Q1 FY22 over Q1 FY21. The company reported a pre-tax loss of Rs 2,578.64 crore in Q1 FY22 as against a pre-tax loss of Rs 6,183.73 crore in Q1 FY21. Finance costs increased by Rs 326 crore to Rs 2,203 crore during Q1 FY22 as compared to the prior year due to higher gross borrowings as compared to Q1 FY21. Free cash flow (automotive) in the quarter was negative Rs 18,200 crore (as compared with negative Rs 19,400 crore in Q1 FY21) of which Rs 16,500 crore was due to working capital unwind. GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals declined 3.17%. The pharmaceutical major's consolidated net profit grew 9.2% to Rs 121.08 crore on a 21.8% jump in net sales to Rs 789.99 crore in Q1 June 2021 (Q1 FY22) over Q1 June 2020 (Q1 FY21). Consolidated profit before tax surged 10.6% to Rs 164.90 crore in Q1 FY22 as against Rs 149.14 crore in Q1 FY21. Global Markets: European markets tumbled across the board on Tuesday, 27 July 2021 as investors continued to monitor corporate earnings, along with extreme weather and the spread of COVID-19 across the continent. Asian stocks traded mixed even as several major Chinese tech stocks in Hong Kong remained under pressure following a Monday tumble. Investors continued to assess the steep losses incurred in Chinese stocks sparked by Beijing's sweeping regulatory overhaul. All three major US stock indexes eked out record closing highs for a second straight session on Monday as investors were optimistic heading into a slew of earnings from heavyweight technology and internet names this week, while caution ahead of a Federal Reserve policy meeting kept the market in check. Investors will be watching the Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting, beginning Tuesday. The Federal Open Market Committee and the Board of Governors are expected to issue a statement on the stance of monetary policy Wednesday. On Thursday, the Commerce Department will report second-quarter gross domestic product data. Meanwhile, on the data front, sales of new U.S. single-family homes dropped unexpectedly in June, falling 6.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6,76,000 units, the Commerce Department said on Monday. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Infosys Ltd is quoting at Rs 1604.8, up 0.06% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The stock is up 66.67% in last one year as compared to a 39.66% jump in NIFTY and a 65.27% jump in the Nifty IT. Infosys Ltd is up for a fifth straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 1604.8, up 0.06% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is down around 0.27% on the day, quoting at 15782.05. The Sensex is at 52682.02, down 0.32%. Infosys Ltd has gained around 2.1% in last one month. Meanwhile, Nifty IT index of which Infosys Ltd is a constituent, has gained around 2.58% in last one month and is currently quoting at 29940.4, down 0.4% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 27.56 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 52.52 lakh shares in last one month. The benchmark July futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 1602.5, up 0.01% on the day. Infosys Ltd is up 66.67% in last one year as compared to a 39.66% jump in NIFTY and a 65.27% jump in the Nifty IT index. The PE of the stock is 36.41 based on TTM earnings ending June 21. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Japan stock market finished higher for third consecutive session on Tuesday, 27 July 2021, as investors continued hunting stocks tied with economic growth on tracking positive lead from Wall Street overnight. However, market gains capped on concern about a rapid surge in COVID-19 cases in Japan and ahead of earnings reports in the upcoming days by major Japanese companies. At closing bell, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average advanced 136.93 points, or 0.49%, to 27,970.22. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange added 12.42 points, or 0.64%, to 1,938.04. Trading volume turnover in the 1st section decreased to 938 million shares from 966 million shares in previous session. Trading value turnover decreased to 1,997.15 billion yen from 2,249.27 billion yen in previous session. Total 30 of 33 sectors sub-indexes on the Tokyo exchange ended higher, with top performing sectors were Air Transportation (up 3.3%), Nonferrous Metals (up 2.1%), Iron & Steel (up 1.7%), Fishery, Agriculture & Forestry (up 1.7%), Land Transportation (up 1.7%), Mining (up 1.6%), Real Estate (up 1.5%), Insurance (up 1.3%), Banks (up 1.3%), and Oil & Coal Products (up 1.3%). Shares of air transportations advanced on expectations of travel demand recovery following Japanese municipalities began accepting applications Monday for vaccine passports for people who have been fully inoculated against COVID-19. Meanwhile, positive earnings at U. S. airlines also supported the increase of this industry. ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines both increased 3.3%. Shares of iron & steel makers and nonferrous metal producers climbed up on rise in commodity prices in the previous day due to the expectations of economic recovery from the pandemic. Nippon Steel closed 1.8% higher, Kobe Steel finished up 1.3%, and JFE Holdings gained 2.3%. CURRENCY NEWS: The Japanese yen traded at 110.12 per dollar, stronger than levels around 110.5 seen against the greenback yesterday. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SGX Nifty: Trading of Nifty 50 index futures on the Singapore stock exchange indicates that the Nifty could rise 12 points at the opening bell. Global markets: Overseas, Asian stocks are trading higher on Tuesday even as several major Chinese tech stocks in Hong Kong remained under pressure following a Monday tumble. All three major US stock indexes eked out record closing highs for a second straight session on Monday as investors were optimistic heading into a slew of earnings from heavyweight technology and internet names this week, while caution ahead of a Federal Reserve policy meeting kept the market in check. Investors will be watching the Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting, beginning Tuesday. The Federal Open Market Committee and the Board of Governors are expected to issue a statement on the stance of monetary policy Wednesday. On Thursday, the Commerce Department will report second-quarter gross domestic product data. Meanwhile, on the data front, sales of new U.S. single-family homes dropped unexpectedly in June, falling 6.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 676,000 units, the Commerce Department said on Monday. Domestic markets: Back home, the domestic equity barometers ended a volatile session with modest losses on Monday. The barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, fell 123.53 points or 0.23% to 52,852.27. The Nifty 50 index lost 31.60 points or 0.20% to 15,824.45. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 2,376.79 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs), were net buyers to the tune of Rs 1,551.27 crore in the Indian equity market on 26 July, provisional data showed. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Morepen Laboratories advanced 3.75% to Rs 69.20 after the company reported 57% in consolidated net profit to Rs 30.47 crore on a 50% rise in net revenue to Rs 388.31 crore in Q1 FY22 over Q1 FY21. As compared to Q4 FY21, the company's net profit and net revenue have increased by 13.9% and 33.6%, respectively. Domestic business of the company recorded a growth of 95% in its Q1 FY22 revenues at Rs 275.84 crore, on the strength of huge growth contributed by domestic revenues of diagnostics devices and API business of the company. API business registered a revenue growth of 17% in the Q1 FY'22, owing to an increase in sales revenue of Loratadine and Montelukast. Point of Care (POC) medical devices business registered growth of 189% during the period under review as compared to last year same quarter. Finished dosage business has also shown a very significant recovery as compared to same quarter last year and grew at Rs 39.90 crore, registering a revenue growth of 30%. EBIDTA improved by 63% to Rs 45.43 crore in Q1 FY22 from Rs 27.90 crore in Q1 FY21. Profit before tax in Q1 FY22 stood at Rs 38.53 crore, up by 97% from Rs 19.55 crore in Q1 FY21. Provision for taxes has increased by 42.42 times to Rs 8.06 crore during the first quarter as compared with the same period last year. Earlier this month, The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund) and Morepen Laboratories announced the production of the test batch of the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in an exclusive facility in state of Himachal Pradesh (HP). The first six batches are being shipped to the Gamaleya Center, Moscow for the quality approval. The company is all set to start the commercial production within 4-6 weeks, subject to product approvals and regulatory permissions. Sushil Suri, managing director and chairman stated, Our partnership with RDIF to manufacture Sputnik vaccine in India is a big milestone for the company. We have a capacity to manufacture up to 250 million dose per annum that can be ramped up to 500 million doses per annum. Morepen Laboratories is a pharmaceutical and healthcare products company. Morepen is a leading manufacturer of high-quality APIs, home diagnostics, formulations and OTC products in north India. All the manufacturing facilities of the company are in the state of Himachal Pradesh and meet the latest international standards. In the past six months, the stock has zoomed 146.81% while the benchmark Sensex has added 11.20% during the same period. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With effect from 26 July 2021 Piramal Enterprises announced the resignation of Deepak Satwalekar as an Independent Director from the Board of the Company from 26 July 2021. Satwalekar, in his resignation letter, has indicated that the only reason for his resignation is to avoid potential conflict of interest arising from the entity resulting post the integration of Dewan Housing Finance Corporation with Piramal Capital & Housing Finance, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, being in the same sector as the affordable housing finance company of which he is the existing Chairman. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tata Communications announced the launch of 'IZO Financial Cloud', a purpose-built community cloud platform, enabling next-gen digital transformation, customised to meet the stringent data privacy and protection compliance and security guidelines defined by India's regulators for the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) sector. Developed on Tata Communications IZO Private Cloud, this platform aids in building an open banking ecosystem that offers BFSI and FinTechs, the foundation to enable advanced digital services. It also allows international banks to expand their footprint in India by meeting the country's data residency requirements. With IZO Financial Cloud, the financial service providers are able to strengthen their customers trust by operating on a platform that is secure, compliant and supported by a transparent cloud model. It also enriches the end-user experience by enabling BFSIs to launch advanced services with agility. This purpose-built cloud platform will assist financial organisations to modernise their legacy systems to support the next-gen banking services and accelerate their digital transformation. It will embed security for data, application, and perimeter to manage industry specific cyber risks. It will also fuel future growth in the industry by serving as the execution venue for new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and Blockchain. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Basavaraj Somappa Bommai was on Tuesday chosen as the new Chief Minister of Karnataka, succeeding B.S. Yediyurappa. A strong Lingayat leader from north Karnataka, he was elected to the post at the legislature party meeting held at a private hotel, and chaired by Central observers, Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and G. Kishan Reddy. Yediyurappa proposed Bommai's name and it was agreed upon by the BJP legislators. Bommai said Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has invited him to form the government and he will take oath as Chief Minister at 11 am on July 28. "I have informed the Governor about my election as the leader of the legislature party. He has invited me to form the government. We have discussed and decided that I will take oath tomorrow at 11 AM," Bommai said. According to the Governor's office, the oath taking ceremony will be at the Glass House in the Raj Bhavan. The 61-year-old leader also said that he alone will take the oath of office on Wednesday. Born on January 28, 1960, Bommai held the portfolio of Home, Law, and Parliamentary Affairs in the Yediyurapa government. He has also served as Water Resources and Cooperation Minister. Bommai's decision to stay with the party when Yediyurappa left and launched his KJP and his ability to gain Yediyurappa's confidence after his return to the BJP are said to have worked for him. The son of former Chief Minister and Janata Dal leader S.R. Bommai, he had joined the BJP from the Janata Parivar in 2008, and though being a blue-eyed boy of Yediyurappa, his ability to defend the party is appreciated by all. A graduate in Mechanical Engineering and agriculturist and industrialist by profession, he started his political career with the Janata Parivar. He was elected a member of the Legislative Council in 1998 and 2004 from Dharwad local authorities' constituency. The son of former CM and Janata Dal leader S R Bommai, he had joined the BJP from the Janata Parivar in 2008. After joining the BJP in February 2008, when Yediyurappa became the Chief Minister, he was elected to the Assembly from Shiggaon constituency in Haveri district. "It is a big responsibility in the given situation. I will strive to work for the welfare of the poor. It will be pro-people and pro-poor people governance," said the CM elect. Widely acclaimed for his knowledge of irrigation matters in the state and contributions to innumerable irrigation schemes, Bommai is also credited with implementing India's first 100 per cent piped irrigation project at Shiggaon in Haveri. "We have unanimously elected Basavaraj S Bommai as leader of the BJP Legislative Party. I thank PM Modi for his support. Under PM's leadership, he (Bommai) will work hard," said Karnataka's caretaker CM "Congratulations to B S Bommai for being selected as the next chief minister of Karnataka. Congress party and the state hopes that the focus will be back on governance now," said Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar. (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.) was adjourned till noon on Tuesday, second time since the House convened for the day, after continuous protest by Opposition members over the Pegasus snooping controversy and farm laws. After the House convened for the day at 11 am, the Opposition members trooped into the Well, shouting slogans and raising banners. The Congress, CPI, CPI(M), TMC members were protesting over the Pegasus snooping issue, while the BSP, SP and Shiromani Akali Dal were protesting against three farm laws of the Centre. Speaker Om Birla repeatedly urged them to go back to their seats. "Do not compete with each other in sloganeering. Compete with each other to raise people's issues," he said. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar took a swipe at the protesting Opposition members and said if they are concerned about farmers, they should allow the proceedings of the House to continue. He made the remarks while replying to a supplementary query related to an insurance scheme for farmers during the Question Hour as the Opposition members continued with their sloganeering on various issues, including the Pegasus spying issue and the agriculture laws. "There are around 15 questions related to farmers. If the Opposition members are really concerned about farmers, they should listen to what the government has to say," Tomar said. "Disruptions are lowering the decorum of the House," he said. As the protest continued, the House was adjourned till 11.45 am. The protest continued even after the House resumed and the proceedings were adjourned again till 12 noon. Since the start of the Monsoon Session of on July 19, both Houses have been rocked by Opposition protests over various issues. (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.) West Bengal Chief Minister on Tuesday met senior leaders and Anand Sharma here. This is the first of her series of meetings with senior political leaders in the capital after her assembly poll victory in Bengal. Nath, after meeting the Trinamool (TMC) supremo, said he had come to congratulate Banerjee for her victory in the recent assembly elections. "We have not discussed any strategy. That will be discussed by the leader of our party. We just discussed the current situation and the issue of rising prices," the leader told reporters. Nath said Banerjee's victory in the assembly polls has sent a message across the country. Later, Banerjee met Sharma. During the meeting, Sharma is reported to have told her that there cannot be a non-BJP front without the Congress as it is a political party with a pan-India presence. Banerjee will be meeting another Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Abhishek Singhvi in the evening. Sources said the Banerjee's visit, is part of her efforts to cobble up a front against the BJP. She will also be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Banerjee is slated to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday evening. (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.) West Bengal chief minister on Tuesday called on Prime Minister for what she called a courtesy meeting. This is the first official meeting between Prime Minister and Banerjee in the capital after she became chief minister of West Bengal for the third time after stunning victory in assembly polls. The meeting, held at Prime Minister's residence, lasted for around 45 minutes. It is learnt that during the meeting, Banerjee discussed Covid situation in the state and demanded more vaccines and medicines for the state. After meeting with the Prime Minister, Banerjee said, "It was a courtesy meeting. I told the Prime Minister about need of more vaccines and medicines in the West Bengal. I also raised the pending issue of change of the name of the state on which the Prime Minister said he will see." In July, 2018, West Bengal assembly passed a resolution to change the name of the state to Bangla. Banerjee also discussed several different projects of the state and tax issues. On issue of her meeting with the opposition leaders, Banerjee said, "Many parties and their leaders are old friends. I am meeting them." Banerjee also said that she will be meeting Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday. "On Wednesday, I am meeting Sonia Gandhi. She has invited me for tea," she said. On her plan to bringing all opposition parties on one platform, She said, "Though the Lok Sabha polls are far away, we must have to start planning in advance. Assembly elections will be held in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Tripura. Our people were arrested in Tripura." Earlier she met Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath. Banerjee's meeting with opposition leaders is being seen as an attempt to bring all the opposition parties together before 2024 Lok Sabha polls. She is also likely to meet NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday. is in Delhi on a five-day visit. --IANS ssb/skp/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP) president Mukesh Sahani has slammed Chief Minister for not allowing him to enter Varanasi. "Our party members can also provide the same treatment to leaders of who are coming here for political campaign in Bihar. But we will not do it as it would give wrong impression of our Nitish Kumar government," Sahani said. "What kind of government is running in He is scared of one person. He is worried that one person could disturb the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh," Sahani said. "I went there to establish 18 statues of Phulan Devi in 18 divisions of Uttar Pradesh. After the preventive act of Yogi government, the Nisadh society people will become more united," he said. Sahani said that Uttar Pradesh government had banned statues be establish at public places in 2008. "I went there to establish statues of Phulan Devi in private places. If government is afraid of my activities. I have requested local authorities to allow me to go at schedule place to offer flowers to respect her. Unfortunately, the local administration did not allowed me," Sahani said. Sahani said that Nishad society people have 16 per cent vote share in Uttar Pradesh. Beside, he is also looking for votes of other backward class people. Sahani's party is not more than three years old in the political history of Bihar. He is ambitiously looking to spread wings in Uttar Pradesh. --IANS ajk/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.) As the global mood soured and investors booked profits in bulk in pharma names amid regulatory concerns at Dr Reddy's Labs, benchmark indices reversed early gains and retreated for the second day on Tuesday. Regulatory overhaul by the Chinese government drove MSCIs broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan to its lowest level since December. Hong Kong benchmark fell 2.84 per cent and Chinese blue-chip shares cracked 2.9 per cent. Although Japan and Aussie showed resilience. The European and US futures were also subdued amid risk-off sentiment amid investors ahead of the US Fed meet later today. Amid this backdrop, the BSE barometer Sensex declined 274 points or 0.52 per cent to 52,579 while the Nifty50 closed shop at 15,746, down 79 points or 0.49 per cent. DRL, Axis Bank, Kotak Bank and Sun Pharma were the top index losers while Tata Steel, Bajaj twins and SBI were the top gainers. Broader market outperformance continued as Nifty Smallcap declined 0.02 per cent and Nifty Midcap 0.43 per cent. Meanwhile, in sectoral space, the Nifty Pharma index clocked its biggest intra-day crash in the seventh month as it declined over 5 per cent. Weak Q1 show by select names and a probable action against pharma major DRL on a whistleblower complaint were key overhangs. It finally settled 4.3 per cent down. Metal index with a gain of nearly 1.5 per cent outperformed. In stock-specific action, DRL shares tanked 10 per cent to Rs 4844.35 after the company in in its Q1 filing said it has commenced a detailed investigation into an anonymous complaint that alleges healthcare professionals in Ukraine and potentially in other countries were provided with improper payments by or on behalf of the company in violation of US anti-corruption laws. DRL has disclosed the matter to the US Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission and Securities Exchange Board of India. Further, the company posted a 1 per cent YoY decline in its consolidated net profit at Rs 570.8 crore in the June quarter (Q1FY22). Inox Leisure shares rallied nearly 6 per cent to Rs 320.65 on the BSE even as the company refuted media reports claiming that Amazon is looking to pick a stake in the firm. HUDCO stock tanked nearly 4 per cent to Rs 45.40 as the two-day offer for sale by the government to sell up to 8 per cent stake opened for instititional investors. The issue was oversubscribed on Day 1 of bidding. APL Apollo Tubes hit a 52-week high of Rs 1819.3 after the company said board would consider bonus issue of shares at their meeting on August 6. The scrip finally ended the day 8 per cent up at Rs 1735.70 on the BSE. Even as the pharma stocks bled, the IPO by Glenmark Life Sciences received strong investor response on Day 1 of the bidding process. The IPO sailed through on Day 1 itself with nearly 3 timed bids. Now, going into trade on Wednesday, the focus would remain on earnings season with over 60 companies slated to post their Q1 earnings, including Maruti Suzuki, Nestle India, Birlasoft, Happiest Minds, Icra and UBL. Besides, focus will be on the Fed's policy meeting. Lastly, FII flow and global cues will continue to sway market moves. United Kingdoms Ministry of Justice partners with cleantech integrator, Ameresco, to install rooftop solar PV that will provide annual energy savings equivalent to a carbon savings of 106.2 tonnes. New online resources published by the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) provide science-based information about the technology behind water-soluble films, which are used to contain compact, convenient, pre-measured doses of detergent. Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Awarded More Than $84 Million in Grants in First Half of 2021 Deargen, an AI-powered drug discovery and development company, signed an agreement with Sookmyung Womens University Research & Business Development Foundation for licensing biomarker technologies for determining the progression stage of NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis) patients. The licensed technologies are outcomes of Collaborative Genome Program for Fostering New Post-Genome Industry where transcriptomes in samples from patients were analyzed using machine learning. Based on the agreement, Deargen obtains three patent rights for biomarkers of NASH. After conducting verification of licensed biomarkers, Deargen will accelerate the development of new drugs for NASH that has no available treatments yet. Governor Jay Inslee, Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin, and Helion Energy CEO David Kirtley and CTO Chris Pihl join Everett, Snohomish County and Washington elected officials at the groundbreaking ceremony. Electric car on display at an industry event in Shanghai in April 2019. In todays Caixin energy news wrap: Chinese electric vehicle maker Li Auto clears a Hong Kong listing hearing; Shandong Xuguo obtains first carbon emission quota-backed loan; crude steel output reductions to cap price rises for steel scrap; China may include traditional industries and transport sector in national carbon market; and China to issue timetable and road map for carbon neutrality. Chinas green energy capacity to outstrip coal for the first time by year-end Chinas installed nonfossil fuel power capacity is expected to surpass that of coal-fired electricity generation for the first time by the end of 2021, according to a report published Friday by the China Electricity Council (CEC). The council estimated that China will have installed generating capacity of 2,370 gigawatts (GW) by year-end, up 7.7% from a year earlier. Capacity based on nonfossil fuels such as hydropower, wind and solar power will reach 1,120 GW, accounting for 47.3% of total generating capacity, while coal-fired power capacity will total 1,100 GW. Coal will retain a significant role in guaranteeing stable electricity supply in China, especially during the peak consumption season. The CEC forecast that Chinas electricity consumption in the second half will rise 6% from a year ago, making the increase in full-year usage 10%11% from 2020. New-energy storage industry receives policy support China set a goal of adding more than 30 gigawatts of new-energy storage capacity by 2025, according to guidelines issued July 23 by the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration. China had total energy storage capacity of 35 gigawatts as of 2020, of which 3.3 gigawatts was new-energy storage, according to the China Energy Storage Alliance. Li Auto passes HKEX listing hearing Chinese electric vehicle maker Li Auto Inc. cleared a Hong Kong Stock Exchange listing hearing and is set to become the second Chinese electric vehicle startup to be traded on the exchange. Goldman Sachs and CICC are Li Autos Hong Kong listing joint sponsors and UBS is financial consultant. Li Auto will adopt a weighted voting rights structure for its Hong Kong shares. Shandong Xuguo obtains first carbon emission quota-backed loan Shandong Xuguo Energy Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of China Power Conservation & Environment Protection Co. Ltd., obtained a 30 million yuan ($4.6 million) loan backed by carbon emission quotas from Bank of Rizhao July 21. The loan with 610,000 tons of carbon quotas as collateral was the first such credit issued in Shandong province. GAC Toyota starts up first phase of NEV capacity expansion GAC Toyota Motor Co. Ltd., a Guangzhou-based joint venture between Guangzhou Automobile Group and Toyota Motor Corp., put the first phase of its new-energy vehicle (NEV) capacity expansion into operation in Nansha District in the southern Chinese megacity of Guangzhou. The plant will have capacity to produce 200,000 NEVs a year. LB Group to invest $7.87 million in battery material joint venture A subsidiary of LB Group Co. Ltd. (002601.SZ) plans to invest 51 million yuan ($7.87 million) in a 100 million yuan joint venture that will make lithium iron phosphate cathode materials. Hubei Wanrun New Energy Technology Development Co. Ltd. will invest the remaining 49 million yuan. The project will have a production capacity of 100,000 tons. Crude steel output reductions to limit rising prices of steel scrap The upward momentum in China's steel scrap prices will be capped in coming months as more steelmakers start cutting production in compliance with government orders. China pledged to limit crude steel output in 2021 to last years 1.065 billion tons. Chinas crude steel output in the second half will have to decline by 11% from a year earlier to 502 million tons to hit the target. China may include traditional industries and transport in carbon market An official of the China Securities Regulatory Commission said China will gradually expand industries in the national carbon market to include traditional industries and the transport sector. China to release timetable and road map for carbon neutrality China is formulating a timetable and road map for carbon neutrality that will be published soon, Xie Zhenhua, China's special envoy for climate change, said Saturday at a Global Asset Management Forum. China mulls unified five-year plan for renewable energy Chinese planners will abandon their previous practice of issuing separate five-year plans for different forms of new energy in favor of a joint renewables package with a stronger emphasis on solar power, an energy official said Thursday. The draft plan will also focus on competition with a view to weaning the industry off government subsidies. Download our app to receive breaking news alerts and read the news on the go. Get our weekly free Must-Read newsletter. Nearly a third of some 100,000 respondents in a yet-to-be-published survey 30.7% said they deferred having children because theyre worried about the financial pressures of raising them Become A Subscriber A subscription opens up access to all our online content, including: our interactive E-Edition, a full archive of modern stories, exclusive and expanded online offerings, photo galleries from Caledonian-Record journalists, video reports from our media partners, extensive international, national and regional reporting by the Associated Press, and a wide variety of feature content. St. Johnsbury, VT (05819) Today Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. High 79F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Considerable clouds early. Some decrease in clouds late. Low 53F. Winds light and variable. Prepared food tax is not new Oregon, other communities have passed similar measures Published On Jul 27, 2021 07:21 PM By Sonny The new office building has a lot of modern touches including 14 EV charging stations Hyundai has been operating in India for 25 years and celebrating its success, it has inaugurated its new corporate headquarters in Gurugram. The structure is pleasantly simple and understated but it's the modern details that make it truly stand out. The new building is dubbed the Centre for Transformation of a Better Tomorrow by Hyundai. Its design and workspace layouts are meant to invoke three elements of a living entity: body (collaborative efforts), mind (collective intelligence) and soul (progress for mankind). The new corporate headquarter is equipped with 50kW solar rooftop panels to utilise the renewable energy offered by the hot summers of this region. It is divided into five floors, with the ground level split into a massive hallway that can host events and a multi-purpose hall with a seating capacity of 144 people. The highlight of the entry hall is the 400 square metre green wall which is a treat for the eyes and has an environmentally positive impact as well. Related: Hyundai Rolls Out 10 Million Cars Over 23 Years In India For employee safety in light of the pandemic, Hyundais newest office is fitted with thermal scanners to monitor body temperatures of all who enter. It also has employee lockers equipped with UV light for sanitisation. The cafeteria tables are fitted with perspex dividers that define individual spaces and offer protection while face masks are taken off to eat. The atrium lounge on the second floor has an open space in the middle all the way to the top floor. Electric mobility is slowly but surely picking pace in India and Hyundai is already part of it with the Kona Electric. By fitting its new headquarters with 14 charging units, Hyundai has reaffirmed its commitment to EVs in India. Three of these units will offer 50kW DC fast charging and for the inauguration, Hyundai even brought along two units of the Ioniq 5, its latest EV, for display. Its based on their e-GMP platform with the latest EV tech but is not due to arrive in India anytime soon. Hyundai is also one of the few carmakers who is looking beyond EVs for alternatives to petrol/diesel powered cars. The hydrogen-powered Nexo was also on display alongside the Ioniq 5. Other stars of the new Hyundai Corporate Headquarters car park were two cars from its luxury brand Genesis: the GV80 SUV and G80 sedan. Also read: Facelifted Hyundai Creta Spied Testing; Gets New Tucson-Like Face President Joe Biden, right, speaks as Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, left, listens during their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, July 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) School supplies like these, collected during last years Stuff the Bus school supply drive, are needed once again for a distribution that will take place in August. (Cheryl Burke photo) Glen, NH (03838) Today Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 79F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Overcast. Low near 60F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and consider subscribing for only $7 per month to get access to more articles and news as it happens. Re: Forests 'waiting to go off' BC forests are bonfires waiting to go off are more fires the solution? The short answer is most likely YES, and the good news are that the BC government has the talent needed to design and implement the policies to accommodate that. An unanticipated super hot heat bubble surprised everybody, including the BC government. There is little doubt the Forest Ministry has been tardy in getting involved with developing and implementing controlled burn programs that will protect our precious forest as we face a more challenging climate. The Ministry should also be reminded that whenever it is looking outside the Ministry for expertise, it has a statutory obligation to consult all British Columbians, not just a select 4% of the population. The UNDRIP protocol does not exclude the other 96% from being consulted on any of the issues being entertained by the BC government. Looking at all those fires raging all over the province, it is obvious there has been very little fire mitigation anywhere, including reserve lands, despite claims to possess such expertise. A big part of the program should also include a comprehensive long-term plan to selectively harvest our forests to help mitigate those wildfires. Andy Thomsen, Kelowna I would like to thank every fire fighting professional for doing a great job with what they have to work with. It seems this is going to be another record breaking year and I'm sure this is going to keep getting worst. What can we do to get ahead of these wild fires? Can the crews jump on the little fires quickly before they get out of hand? Who makes these decisions? I doubt the fire fighters themselves can do whatever they want. There must be government minister that makes the call. A government personnel that pays the bill probably make the decisions. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I think if things were run differently, we wouldn't be loosing our forests. If the industry is staving for workers, then how come I have not seen a single ad for recruitment? This summer heat did not pop up unexpectedly, we can see from past seasons what can happen. Not one ad for recruitment. Maybe it's about budgets and money. The government can find money to fund struggling business due to covid, so why is the firefighting effort look so lame? Yes, the ground crew are doing a great job with what they have to work with, I just wish they had more. Mick Bell, Kelowna Photo: The Canadian Press Environment Canada has issued heat warnings and special weather statements as unseasonable temperatures return to parts of British Columbia and the Prairies. Heat warnings call for temperatures in the low to mid-30s for southern Alberta and southwestern Manitoba and nudging to 40 C in areas of southern Saskatchewan, before easing slightly later in the week. Special weather statements are posted across most of southern B.C. and Vancouver Island, but Environment Canada says they could be upgraded to warnings as conditions peak between Wednesday and Saturday. Heat in the mid- to high-30s is expected with the highest temperatures slated for Thompson-Okanagan, the southern Kootenays and Fraser Canyon all areas where aggressive wildfires continue to burn. Forecasters say conditions will not be as hot as late June, when temperature records shattered across Western Canada and the B.C. coroner determined sweltering conditions caused hundreds of deaths. Wildfire smoke has also led to air quality advisories for most of southern B.C., southwestern Alberta and a large part of Manitoba, prompting a warning for seniors, young children and anyone with heart or lung conditions to avoid exposure. Photo: Contributed The campaign for political insider Mark Marissen's Vancouver mayoral bid got a little more interesting this weekend, as former B.C. premier Christy Clark (who is also Marissen's ex-wife) showed up to support him at his first in-person campaign event. The private event was held in the West End on Saturday and included roughly 50 supporters from across the political spectrum. Former Vancouver Greens board member Fernando Garci-Crespo Santalo, and former COPE Council Committee member Paulina Schwartz were among those in attendance. Clark says she's supporting Marissen's bid to become mayor because she believes that city hall is currently lacking someone who has the ability to "get along with other people." At this time in our citys history, we need a mayor whos really able to pull together people of different views, she said. "Mark is exceptional at getting along with people from all political backgrounds. He is very good at negotiating with federal and provincial governments." On policy, Clark says that while she and Marissen don't agree on everything, she's excited about his stated goal of "making room for the middle class" in the housing market. When asked if she thinks the support of a divisive former premier might actually hurt Marissen's chances of garnering votes with a fickle electorate like Vancouver's, Clark notes that Mark is a lot less partisan than I am... and I think thats what City Hall needs. She goes on to say that Mark and me dont agree on everything to do with politics, but I believe in good, smart people who want to make a difference. Marissen agrees. When presented with the same question he tells Glacier Media that "While many of our views are different, I am happy that she is supporting me. Voters can judge me on my platform and policies." The municipal election is still one year and three months out (Oct. 25, 2022). Photo: Contributed "So very grateful and happy to be alive after being in a float plane crash yesterday off Tofino. Scary experience," Judith Sayers said in a Twitter post Tuesday morning. Nuu-Chah-Nulth Tribal Council president Judith Sayers was one of four passengers in a float plane that flipped during takeoff in Tofino Harbour Monday morning. So very grateful and happy to be alive after being in a float plane crash yesterday off Tofino. Scary experience, Sayers said in a Twitter post Tuesday morning. She said she is grateful that her son Cole Sayers and the three others in the plane are safe. Life is so precious. In the post, Sayers thanked everyone who helped, including the Canadian Coast Guard, the provincial ambulance service, the local hospital and doctors and nurses. Sayers is a chancellor at Vancouver Island University and past chief and key negotiator with the Hupacasath First Nation. She serves on the board of directors for B.C. Ferries and became a member of the Order of Canada in 2019. The Cessna float plane was carrying a pilot and four passengers when it flipped at 11:40 a.m. during takeoff. A spokesperson for Atleo River Air Services said the plane hit a large boat wake, went into the air prematurely and then tipped over on its nose. Everyone managed to get out of the plane and was checked over by medical personnel. The Transportation Safety Board is investigating. Kazakhstan lifts import restrictions ICR Newsroom By 27 July 2021 Kazakhstan has lifted the restriction on cement imports from third countries, Trend reports. As a result, cement clinkers, Portland cement, alumina and hydraulic cements are allowed to be imported into the country. The lifting is expected to benefit the demand in the western regions and reduce the price of cement in Kazakhstan. The ban was introduced on 30 April 2021 by the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructural Development to support local cement producers. However, cement prices increased as shortages arose. Published under Nigeria to build new 5Mta cement plant in Gombe State 27 July 2021 Madugu Cement is set to establish a 5Mta cement factory in Kembu and Kwali districts of Akko and Yalmatu Deba, Gombe State, Nigeria. The plant will be built by Sinoma International Engineering Company Ltd in partnership. Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, said: "Your coming here is very apt and we welcome you most profoundly because we benefitted from the existence of the one and only cement company in the sub-region, in fact in the whole of the north we have only four cement plants; those of Obajana, Sokoto, then Gboko and that of Ashaka, so any one added to the already existing ones will only improve on our economic activities, and improve on our infrastructure to the people of the sub-region." Madugu Cement Factory Chairman, Mohammed Ibrahim Madugu, informed Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya that the 5Mta cement factory will be executed in two phases of 2.5Mta each. Published under This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact The Chanute Tribune office at 620-431-4100 if you have any questions A South Boston woman convicted of manslaughter gets the maximum sentence; A convicted Pittsylvania County killer will be sentenced later this week; Lawmakers debate how Virginia will spend COVID relief money; A unique piece of Danville's history gets a historic marker. An Ooltewah man has been charged with aggravated rape after he allegedly picked up a prostitute in downtown Chattanooga, then took her to his home and told her she was going to be his "sex slave." Tyler Michael Benson, 32, is also charged with aggravated kidnapping, two counts of rape, aggravated assault, patronizing prostitution and possession of legend drugs without a prescription. The woman said he held her captive for an 18-hour period in the incident on Torbett Lane last Tuesday. She claimed that he drugged her and violently raped her repeatedly until she was finally able to get away. A mail carrier spotted her leaving the residence, and he took her to a nearby church where she called the Sheriff's Office. The woman was taken to a hospital and was found to have suffered numerous physical injuries, an affidavit says. Detectives said they were able to corroborate details of the women's version of the events after getting a search warrant and entering the Benson residence. In 2012, Benson was arrested for beating a known prostitute in the head with a hammer. At the time, police said Benson told them he had been reading about serial killer Ted Bundy and "wanted to be like him." In that case, he was charged with especially aggravated robbery, aggravated assault and patronizing prostitution. A known prostitute said she had been picked up by a white male and taken near the Bojangles on E. 23rd Street. She said the man attacked her there. Police said she had cuts on her arms, face and head. Benson said he had been picking up prostitutes and trying to trick them into giving him free sex. He said he had picked up the woman and tried to rob her, but she began to fight back. He said he "did not like that she was fighting back and wanted her to be afraid and to do what he said." He said she "was putting up a good fight" so he pulled out a hammer and began to hit her in the head. He said at one point they were fighting over a knife. Benson also confessed "to attacking a number of unidentified prostitutes in the same manner." He said he "enjoyed the power he felt" while beating the prostitutes. In 2014, he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and got a four-year sentence. Hamilton Place and Northgate Mall are celebrating the Back-to-School Season with the annual Tax-Free Weekend, from Friday through Sunday. Our retailers cant wait to welcome the community back to school with shopping for the entire family, said Jan Wills, general manager for Hamilton Place and Northgate Mall. This season, youll find all kinds of great new styles as well as special promotions offered on top of tax-free deals so you enjoy additional savings. Additionally, Tennessee will be offering a tax-free week for food. From Friday, July 30 Thursday, Aug. 5, food, food ingredients, and prepared foods are exempt from sales tax. That means the public can enjoy a meal at one of the many restaurants and food court eateries all week long, without the taxes. As we continue our journey through the Bible chronologically, stopping to examine the questions that God has asked of individuals and groups, we see that these questions must be rhetorical because God already knows the answers. We also, with painful frequency, see ourselves in the passages. Thus, there is much for us to learn from these questions. We have made our way to Isaiah. The jumbled chronology and the mixing of narrative passages with prophetic passages make Isaiah an enigmatic book. Isaiah 57 begins with a simple, straightforward, and sober declaration, The righteous man perishes, and no man takes it to heart; And devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from evil, He enters into peace; They rest in their beds, Each one who walked in his upright way. (NASU, Isaiah 57:1-2) Israels society was in a terrible state. Plainly, the righteous were chewed up and spat out by society. They were abused and no one even paid attention. They had to go to the grave to obtain rest. God is about to draw a painful contrast between the aforementioned righteous and those who are the targets of His questions. The unrighteous will not be able to answer the questions God poses in verses three through five, "But come here, you sons of a sorceress, Offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute. "Against whom do you jest? Against whom do you open wide your mouth And stick out your tongue? Are you not children of rebellion, Offspring of deceit, Who inflame yourselves among the oaks, Under every luxuriant tree, Who slaughter the children in the ravines, Under the clefts of the crags? (NASU) God wasted no time in identifying these wicked people. They were steeped in sin, even generational sin. They were rebellious, deceitful mockers of God. They murdered their own children in vain attempts to convince idols to bless their materialistic endeavors. These wicked people wanted convenience, comfort, and wealth. God rightly points out that their sin is against Him. They intend to live as if they are masters of their own fates, as if they are lords over their own lives, as if they can live by their own rules. God gets right to the point in asking whom they are mocking and rebelling against. It is YHWH, the God of the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In verse six God asks an even more probing question, Among the smooth stones of the ravine Is your portion, they are your lot; Even to them you have poured out a drink offering, You have made a grain offering. Shall I relent concerning these things? (NASU) What an arresting and sobering message God has for them and us. At some point in our rebellion and mocking, God gives us over to our own stubbornness of heart, lusts, degrading passions, and depraved minds (Psalm 81, Romans 1). That is a most terrifying punishment, when the Spirit of God ceases to deal with us, when God begins to turn away from us, leaving us to our own desires. No man can withstand that awful judgment. The passage concludes with the rhetorical question, Shall I relent concerning these things? Of course, He will not relent. He is faithful and true and a keeper of all His promises. 2 Timothy 2:12-13 makes it clear, If we deny Him, He also will deny us; If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.(NASU) It amazes me that men seem to believe that they can live lives that mock God and that He will ignore this and break His own word by relenting of His clear promise. The federal government has decided not to further prosecute Mark Hazelwood, the former president of Pilot Travel Centers, as well as two co-defendants. After a trial that concluded three years ago, Hazelwood got 12 1/2 years and a $750,000 fine, while Scott Wombold received six years and a $75,000 fine and Heather Jones got 2 1/2 years for defrauding trucking firms of promised fuel rebates. However, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals threw the convictions out, saying Judge Curtis Collier should not have allowed explosive testimony of racist comments made at a Pilot sales party in 2012. The appeals court concluded that a recording played to the jury was so inflammatory that a fair trial was voided. The tape was made by a cooperating Pilot employee. The government earlier announced it planned to retry the case. The defense then asked that Judge Collier go off the case. Prosecutors said on Tuesday, "The government makes this motion based on a combination of factors that include 1) the personal circumstances of certain government cooperators; 2) the decade-old age of the circumstances upon which the case is based combined with the challenge of presenting those facts and circumstances through cooperators who have completed their sentences, some of whom, it has been proffered to the government by defense counsel, have made statements since sentencing that would negatively affect the credibility of their testimony in a retrial and also suggest an inclination to withhold further assistance to the government; and 3) limited government resources." The lengthy trial was held in Chattanooga with numerous witnesses appearing over months of testimony. The name of Pilot board chairman Jimmy Haslam came up several times in the trial, but he was never charged. A defense attorney had indicated there would be more Haslam references in a retrial. The dismissal motion also says, "The Sixth Circuit reversed Defendants Hazelwoods, Wombolds, and Joness convictions due to the erroneous admission of Government Exhibits 529, 530, and 531. United States v. Hazelwood, 979 F.3d 398, 415 (6th Cir. 2020). Contrary to the governments position, the court of appeals declined to find harmless error, finding that the governments case was not ironclad and the evidence was not overwhelming due to various defenses that, according to the panel, likely prompted the jurys split verdict that included numerous acquittals. Id. (There is also the split verdict as to all three defendants [that] shows that the evidence was not overwhelming. Wombold was convicted on only one count of seven charged. Jones was acquitted of four counts of wire fraud yet convicted on the conspiracy count.) "The government has determined that a retrial in this case will require the testimony of a cooperator whose personal circumstances cause the government to conclude that it would be inappropriate to compel her testimony and, in any event, prevent the government from being confident in the reliability of that witness recollection of significant facts and circumstances. That situation in conjunction with the fact that the governments case concerns facts and circumstances that occurred nearly a decade or more ago that can only be presented by overcoming the challenges posed by obtaining continued assistance from cooperators who have completed their sentences, some of whom reportedly have made statements since sentencing that would negatively impact the credibility of their testimony in a retrial, combined with the governments experience with the challenges of the first trial, further combined with the governments resource constraints, force the governments conclusion that it now faces significant obstacles in proving its case against these defendants beyond a reasonable doubt in a retrial." Of the witness mentioned, the motion says, "Information related to the personal circumstances of this cooperating witness is available to the Court under seal. See Doc. 965 (sealed). The government also notes that another significant cooperator has personal circumstances that cause the government concern in planning for that witness availability at retrial as well." The motion concludes, "Thus, the government seeks leave of Court, pursuant to Rule 48(a), to dismiss the remaining charges against defendants Hazelwood, Wombold, and Jones in the Amended Superseding Indictment. The government seeks this leave in good faith, that is with no intention of engaging in a prosecutorial harassment scheme through a pattern of dismissal and recharging. In that vein, the government consents to dismissal with prejudice. "Accordingly, the Court should grant the leave requested by the government pursuant to Rule 48(a) and dismiss the remaining charges against Defendants Hazelwood, Wombold, and Jones in the Amended Superseding Indictment. It is the governments understanding that counsel for all defendants consent to the dismissal of the remaining charges in the indictment." Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly has ordered the closure of all community centers at the conclusion of summer camp on Friday. While community centers are always closed for a week of deep cleaning following summer camp, Mayor Kelly ordered that they remain closed indefinitely due to spiking COVID-19 infections among unvaccinated Chattanoogans. All community centers will remain closed following their Summer Camp cleaning protocols until the citys vaccination rate reaches 70 percent, or until the outbreak reverses trend and declines. Mayor Kelly said, "The resurgence of COVID in our community is affecting young and old, rich and poor, and people of every color. It does not discriminate, except in one respect - this is an outbreak among the unvaccinated. "While we have seen a small handful of breakthrough infections in vaccinated residents, their symptoms are brief and mild whereas infections in unvaccinated individuals can result in severe illness, hospitalization, long-term symptoms, and even death. The only way to prevent harm to yourself is to get vaccinated. "It is for this reason that I am in the unfortunate position of having to order all of our community centers to remain closed following Summer Camp. They will remain so until our community vaccination rate reaches 70 percent, or until this current outbreak reverses trend and begins to decline. Mayor Kellys announcement followed the closures of the Carver, East Chattanooga, Washington Hills and Frances B. Wyatt community centers over a four-day period, which were all closed due to confirmed COVID-19 cases. Summer camps will continue through Friday at community centers that remain open. Parks, pools and outdoor spaces will remain open for the present, though they could be subject to closure if the current outbreak continues to worsen. The decision on when to reopen the closed community centers will be made in consultation with Dr. Mary Lambert, the citys director of community health. The exception to this closure is for vaccination events held in community centers. The community centers will be opened only for the vaccination event and then closed again afterward. Tyner, Brainerd and Shepherd Hills will open temporarily on Tuesday, Aug. 3, because of the District 29 election, but will be immediately closed thereafter. New variants of the COVID-19 virus are making younger people sicker, up to and including serious critical illness, long-term health problems, and death, as well as spreading more quickly than before, said Dr. Lambert. We have now closed four community centers due to outbreaks of this virus, and the only way to prevent the situation from growing worse is to get vaccinated and protect yourself. Please dont gamble with your health. Residents may find the most convenient location to get vaccinated at vaccines.gov. There are a number of opportunities for Chattanooga residents to get vaccinated: The citys incentive program for employees remains in effect, and all city employees are being offered $100 to get vaccinated, with a smaller incentive available for each vaccinated family member covered by City health insurance. Vaccines are available through Hamilton County - Simply visit vaccine.hamiltontn.gov and click on Vaccine Calendar of Events to see the most up-to-date COVID-19 vaccine calendar. To accelerate the vaccination process, print and complete the vaccine encounter form available on the website. The COVID-19 Hotline is available to assist with COVID-19 vaccine inquiries Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 423-209-8383. Free Covid-19 vaccines will be available on a walk-in basis in the Downtown Library Auditorium every Monday from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. until Monday, August 30, 2021. Though the centers will be closed for all other activities, the city will continue to offer free walk-in COVID-19 vaccinations for all residents at its Community Centers [see list below] Neighborhood residents can conveniently access free, walk-in vaccine clinics (while supplies last) at the Citys community centers on the following dates: A man being chased by law enforcement on Monday afternoon wrecked at the intersection of Highway 41 and Shugart Road. Kaleb Marshall Brown, 26, of Tunnel Hill, Ga., died along with his passenger, Christy Leigh Lawing, 27, of Crandall, Ga. Whitfield County Sheriff Scott Chitwood said around 3 p.m. the Whitfield County narcotics unit asked for help from the Tunnel Hill Police Department on a traffic stop. He said the narcotics unit had information that Brown was distributing drugs, was a felon in possession of a handgun and had an active felony warrant for aggravated assault out of Tennessee. Brown took off when a stop was attempted. A Whitfield County deputy assisted in the chase. A Pit Maneuver was attempted, but was unsuccessful and Brown continued on to the intersection when he lost control of the vehicle. His vehicle made contact with several other vehicles, including a tractor-trailer. He and Ms. Lawing were dead at the scene. Brown had a number of prior arrests in Hamilton County. He was arrested in Hamilton County on April 29 as a fugitive from another state. BTS has had an unbelievable journey. The group debuted in 2013 in South Korea and, a few years later, became one of the biggest musical acts in the world. While many artists dream of having success like BTS, the groups youngest member, Jungkook, admits this level of fame also feels like a burden. BTS Jungkook | THE FACT/Imazins via Getty Images BTS has been extremely successful recently BTS found popularity in South Korea in 2015 before getting international recognition in 2017 with a win at the Billboard Music Awards. Since then, BTS has been breaking records left and right as well as achieving things most people thought were impossible for K-pop artists. In 2020, BTS got their first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 with the song Dynamite. The group also received their first Grammy nomination a few months later. Not long ago, BTS achieved their second number-one single with the track Butter. It topped the chart for six consecutive weeks. Most recently, BTS released the song Permission to Dance, which has charted at number one as well. Jungkook admits BTSs success feels like a burden to him RELATED: BTSs Jungkook Reportedly Had a Sweet Response When an Airport Employee Called Him By the Wrong Name Many people are amazed at BTSs success. However, Jungkook also feels a lot of pressure from all the attention and recognition the group has been receiving. I was never attached to rankings, but as good as it is and as happy as I am since weve kept setting records since Dynamite, it also feels like a burden, he said in a new interview with Weverse Magazine. Jungkook also added, A huge number of people have given me recognition, so Ive been going along thinking I have to work harder, but we did even better with Butter than with Dynamite, so I think I ended up feeling weighed down. Thats what Im like. BTS is an amazing team, but maybe my problem is that Im not able to keep up with BTS. Jungkook constantly wants to improve himself RELATED: BTSs Jungkook Has an Unusual Skincare Routine That Involves 1 Cooking Ingredient Instead of feeling stagnated, Jungkook constantly strives to improve himself. Jungkook has a reputation for being good at everything he does, but those talents dont come easily. He told Weverse that he imagines life is like a treadmill, which means he is always looking ahead and trying to see what he can do better. I can express myself better if I think while I talk, and I can organize my thoughts while reflecting back on what I said. I try to think about everything in that way, he explained. I think I need to improve, whether its at singing or my hobbiesmore than now, better than now. He also told Rolling Stone a few months ago of his reputation for excellence, saying, Of course I excel in some areas, but I dont think it necessarily helps to bask in those talents and gifts. You can only improve in a certain area when you really practice, when you really try, when you deep-dive into it. He added, So I really dont want to think myself as an all-rounder. I just want to keep trying and working hard. And of course I do feel pressure, but those pressures can also drag me to work hard and do best at what I do. The final episode of Good Witch aired July 25 on Hallmark Channel. Though the episode, titled The Wedding, wasnt originally intended as a series finale, it still managed to neatly tie up several storylines involving Cassie (Catherine Bell), Joy (Katherine Barrell), Abigail (Sarah Power), Stephanie (Kylee Evans), and other residents of Middleton. [Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Good Witch series finale.] The Merriwick cousins defeat the red-haloed moon Katherine Barrell and Sarah Power in Good Witch | 2021 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Peter Stranks RELATED: Good Witch: Why Did Hallmark Channel Cancel the Show? Throughout Good Witch Season 7, Cassie, Joy, and Abigail have been trying to unravel a mystery involving some mysterious bags of dirt, strange old amulets, and the red-haloed moon. It all goes back to the origins of the Merriwick family powers several centuries earlier. In the series finale, the trio finally figures out how to defeat the mysterious force thats sapping their powers and putting their legacy at risk. One of Joys prophetic dreams reveals what they need to do to recreate the missing second amulet. Soon after, the Merriwick cousins discover pieces of the lost amulet when a storm blows over an old tree. With the missing pieces in hand, they can put old and new together and defeat the power of the red-haloed moon (and retain their witchy powers). Stephanie and Adam say I do Congratulations to Stephanie @KyleeEvansItsMe and Adam @scottcavalheiro! The song #FallingLikeTheStars by @JamesArthur23 fits the moment perfectly. #Goodies RT if you are adding this song to your playlist! pic.twitter.com/EGjxOabnI9 Hallmark Channel (@hallmarkchannel) July 26, 2021 The first half of the Good Witch series finale mostly focused on the Merriwicks solving their magical dilemma. The second half was all about romance, with various Middleton couples making decisions about the future. For Stephanie and Adam (Scott Cavalheiro), that means saying I do. After Stephanies flight to Paris is canceled, she returns to Middleton, and she and Adam decide to elope. At the reception, Adam announces that he plans to follow Stephanie to France so they wont have to spend any time apart. Adams declaration of love inspires Sam (James Denton) to rethink his own marriage to Cassie. His workaholic ways have been causing tension between them, but after the reception, he gets down on one knee and asks Cassie to accompany him on an around-the-world trip. I dont want to look back on our life together and have any regrets, he says. And the biggest one would be if I didnt spend enough time with you. Abigail and Donovan call it quits, Joy and Zoey share a kiss Joy and Zoey have found their happily ever after! #Goodies, how overjoyed are you to see them happy? #GoodWitch pic.twitter.com/dSB9IAoGIJ Hallmark Channel (@hallmarkchannel) July 26, 2021 RELATED: Good Witch: Kyana Teresa Talks About Bringing Authentic Representation to the Hallmark Channel Series At Stephanie and Adams wedding, almost every couple in town takes to the dance floor. Abigail and Donovan (Marc Bendavid) are the notable exception. Previously, he surprised her with tickets to Tuscany, revealing that hed arranged for them to get married there. But witnessing the other couples ceremony causes them to have a realization about their own relationship. Were never going to put our marriage first, Donovan says. I think weve both known it for a long time. At the end of the episode, Abigail decides to go to Tuscany on her own, possibly for good. Fan-favorite couple Joy and Zoey (Kyana Teresa) got a happier ending. Earlier in the episode, Joys ex-girlfriend Charlotte (Jessica Huras) showed up in Middleton and announced she wanted to get back together. Joy isnt sure what to do, and Zoey tells her her she needs to make a decision. But Zoey also decides to show Joy how she truly feels by getting some salsa dance lessons from Sam. After the wedding, the two dance and share their first kiss. (Its also the first-ever kiss for an LGBTQ couple on a Hallmark Channel original series.) Cassie and Sam say goodbye Elsewhere in this episode, Martha (Catherine Disher) stresses about Toms (Paul Miller) heart surgery. Fortunately, it all turns out well in the end. Cassies foster brother Vincent (Gianpaolo Venuta) also arrives and reveals hes decided to move to Middleton. In the final moments of The Wedding, we see several Good Witch characters looking to the future and going their separate ways. Stephanie and Adam decide they want three kids, and Abigail heads off on her Tuscan adventure. Sam and Cassie leave the B&B in Joy and Georges (Peter MacNeill) capable hands as they leave for their trip. Theres nothing I want to do more than wander the world with you, Sam tells Cassie as they get in the car and say goodbye to Grey House and Middleton for one last time. Check out Showbiz Cheat Sheet on Facebook! Jungle Cruise is a fun Disney adventure film. It has the right balance of homage to the ride and something new. Theres plenty of action for both Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt and it doesnt overstay its welcome at a solid two hours, though it does go overboard by the end. Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt | Frank Masi/Disney Take a Jungle Cruise with Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt Jungle Cruise first introduces Lily Houghton (Blunt) not being taken seriously by the all male scientific community in 1916 London. Shes mistaken for a secretary by the villain Joachim (Jesse Plemons). So Lily and her brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall) travel to Brazil to locate the Tears of the Moon for their legendary healing powers. Jack Whitehall and Emily Blunt | Frank Masi/Disney RELATED: From Jungle Cruise to The Sandlot Heres What Movies to Watch on Disney+ in July 2021 Frank Wolff (Johnson) leads tourist cruises down the Amazon on his rickety boat. He has to kick the engine to make it work like The African Queen, but The Rock only needs one kick to make it go. Frank also makes dad jokes a la the schtick of the Disney Jungle Cruise captains. Lily and MacGregor charter Franks boat for their quest. Jungle Cruise action is better than most of Dwayne Johnsons action movies Considering Johnsons success as an action hero, few of his action movies are memorable. He gets some bombastic moves in the Fast and the Furious movies, and Skyscraper had elaborate set pieces. But his G.I. Joe, Rampage and Hercules movies are overshadowed by his family comedies. Even Jumanji emphasizes the comedy. In Jungle Cruise, Lily still gets the more fun action scenes. She playfully slides under tables and uses the environment in fight scenes, with some Rube Goldberg-like chain reactions to extend the danger. Frank gamely is the butt of slapstick jokes while he receives as much of a beating as he dishes out. Frank himself wrestles a jaguar and commands the boat in derring maneuvers. Emily Blunt | Disney RELATED: How Much Money Was Emily Blunt Paid for Jungle Cruise? Jungle Cruise ends with a lot of CGI and gets hyper with Frank punching a lot of visual effets. There may be some real performance under the creatures so Johnson is at least interacting with something, but it gets video gamey and you go numb to it. A feminist, inclusive adventure If Jungle Cruise were truly historically accurate, Lilys treatment by men would undoubtably be worse. They really harp on her wearing pants in this movie. Frank even nicknames her Pants. Thats what passes for feminism, but Lily does her with no regard to such diminishing remarks. L-R: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt and Jack Whitehall | Disney RELATED: How Much Money Was Dwayne The Rock Johnson Paid for Jungle Cruise? MacGregor is a progressive character for a mainstream studio family movie in that hes gay in a very unaccepting society. They dont use the G word but he refers to who I love as a reason his family abandoned him except for Lily. Hes still the sidekick who shows that Frank is evolved enough to be compassionate towards him in 1916, but maybe one day we can have a badass gay action hero. Jungle Cruise is not the movie people are turning to to solve societys woes. So its baby steps of inclusion, and as long as its going there it could do more, but were getting there with big Disney movies even paying attention to it. In the meantime, watch Johnson and Blunt traverse ancient chambers and solve puzzles for fun. Though Karl Urban has been acting in major productions and projects for years, with his lead role in the new series The Boys on Amazon Prime, interest in him has reached a new peak. Hes developed a new fandom of younger viewers who may not have seen him in his earlier roles, and therefore, those introduced to him through The Boys might not recognize him in some other roles hes had. These roles are quite diverse, and span epic fantasy, major science fiction franchises, and TV dramas. What are Karl Urbans major roles? And what are some roles that even people who have followed his career might not recognize? Karl Urban started acting at a very young age Karl Urban attends the opening day of Tokyo Comic Con | Jun Sato/WireImage Though Karl Urban wasnt exactly a celebrity until a bit later, his first acting role came when he was only eight years old. He gave one line on an episode of a TV series, then returned to acting years later, with recurring roles on various New Zealand television shows. One of these roles was on the soap opera Shortland Street in which he played paramedic Jamie Forrest. This role was pretty groundbreaking: it was an early portrayal of an openly gay character in a relationship with a man, who advocates for gay rights on the show. Throughout the 90s, Urban had some film roles, though he seems to have focused more on TV. After Shortland Street, he had a role on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, which took him to Xena: Warrior Princess in a few different recurring roles: Cupid and Julius Caesar, as well as Mael and Kor. These roles in the 90s established him as a major actor in the industry. Youve probably seen a film or show with Karl Urban, though you may not always recognize him Especially since the 2000s, Urban has had some huge film roles. The first of these roles was as Eomer, the leader of the Riders of Rohan who makes his first appearance in the second installment in The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers. He had some other major roles afterwards, before moving to another major franchise: the Star Trek reboot movies, in which he played Dr. Leonard Bones McCoy. Shortly after the first of these Alternate Original Series (AOS) roles, Urban would go on to star as Judge Dredd himself in Dredd, a role fans might not recognize due to the fact that Urban wears a helmet throughout the entire film. There are a few other roles in which Urban isnt as recognizable. He played Skurge in Thor: Ragnarok, which became a fan favorite, and in 2019 he had a cameo role as a Stormtrooper in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. And, of course, there is his role as Billy Butcher on The Boys, where hes the leader of the eponymous Boys. Karl Urban has big things coming Though Urban is most certainly going to appear in the third series of The Boys when it airs, it isnt the only project Urban will be involved in. Hes going to star in a crime movie called Cold Providence that is currently in pre-production but may be released in 2021, as well as in a voice-acting role on Ark: The Animated Series, a series based on the popular open world survival dinosaur taming game. Finally, there are also rumors that we may get to see Urban as Bones in a third Star Trek: AOS movie, though there isnt much known about this film yet. Hopefully, well get to see him return to this role for this new Star Trek film! RELATED: Karl Urban on The Boys, Season 2 Finale: The Most IntenseExperience Stars aligned when Stephen King and the Ramones linked up in the 80s. Pet Sematary was already one of Kings bestsellers, and he helped bring the story to life on the big screen. Amid all the resurrected dead people and animals and bloody deaths, the film managed to land its own theme song courtesy of the New Jersey-bred punk band, the Ramones. But it was Dee Dee Ramone who composed the tune in the most genius and genuine way. And he did it in Kings home. The Ramones: Joey Ramone, Dee Dee Ramone at the Pukkelpop Festival in Belgium, 1988 | Gie Knaeps/Getty Images Visit to Stephen Kings house sparked the Ramones Pet Sematary song The Ramones didnt seek out an opportunity to work with horror author Stephen King, but it happened that way. They learned he was a huge fan, and the admiration was mutual. During one of the bands stints in the New England region, he invited them to his home in Maine. Marky Ramone wrote about it in his memoir, Punk Rock Blitzkrieg: My Life As A Ramone. He was really friendly and happy to meet us. He served us a big dinner in the basement, but the real treat down there was all the props and memorabilia, mostly from sci-fi and horror movies, and not just the ones based on his books, he wrote. As they talked about movies, music, and books, King handed a copy of Pet Sematary to Dee Dee. He left the room while everyone else chatted, which to Marky, usually meant trouble. That wasnt the case. But in less than an hour, he came down the stairs, book in hand. In the other hand was a piece of paper with some words scribbled on it. Dee Dee had written a song called Pet Sematary. He had condensed the book into a concise, hooky, three-minute song in which he pleaded that he didnt want to live his life again, recalled Marky. Dee Dee Ramone meant what he said in Pet Sematary lyrics Marky remembered Dee Dee humming the melody for the band and King, who wanted to use it for the film. Pet Sematary was to begin production in a few weeks, and he enlisted the Ramones to create the title track. It was a win for the band because at the time, Dee Dee felt ready to leave the group. The topic often came up. Marky noted that Dee Dees life had gotten hard, and the lyrics reflected that. He took a moment to speak to him about it on Kings front porch. He wanted to be Dee Dee King the rap artist, not Dee Dee Ramone, wrote Marky. He felt John and Joey viewed him as a liability. He wanted a life free of control by the Ramones, by Vera, by his doctors, and the medications they prescribed. Rather than talking to Dee Dee about getting off drugs and sticking with the band, Marky lifted him in up in that moment. I explained to Dee Dee that he was among maybe a handful of people who could pick up a book, skim it, and write a catchy song about it in under an hour. I told him he had done for punk what Stephen King had done for fiction create, from scratch, images, themes, and stories that drew people in because they could relate, he recounted. He reminded him of his gift and called him the Stephen King of punk rock. Dee Dee wound up sticking around to work on the next Ramones album. The Pet Sematary music video was shot in Sleepy Hollow Upping the spook factor for the Pet Sematary music video proved to be easy. The Ramones traveled to upstate New York to film it in a Sleepy Hollow graveyard. Every bit of fog and chill fans see coming through the screen is real, as Marky said it was cold as ice. The temperature was twenty degrees and falling, and Joey, Dee Dee, John, and yours truly were all freezing our ases off. They shot the video in the cold, dark night with the wind beating their faces, and had a harrowing ride when they finally left the empty cemetery. The song Pet Semetary would later hit #4 on the Billboard charts. RELATED: Stephen King Reveals the Worst Horror Movie He Ever Saw Need dessert in a hurry? Turn to none other than Ree Drummond. The Pioneer Woman host has used shortcuts to make cake and now she has a quick version of a classic crisp. Make it when a crisp craving strikes, for a last-minute dinner party, or just because. Ree Drummonds Crisp in a Pinch is ready in 16 minutes The Pioneer Woman host Ree Drummond | Tyler Essary/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images Dont have time to wait for a traditional crisp to bake in the oven? Thats where the Pioneer Womans Crisp in a Pinch comes in. According to the Food Network, it takes 16 minutes (yes, 16 minutes) to make from start to finish. Drummond demonstrated how she makes the dessert on a Pioneer Woman episode titled 16-Minute Meals: Cowboy Favorites. The trick? She skips the oven and makes the crumbly granola topping (and the fruit mixture) on the stovetop. Serve it with the Food Network stars 16-minute Chicken Taco Salad for a quick dinner. The Pioneer Woman deconstructs a classic crisp RELATED: The Pioneer Woman: Ree Drummond Once Called Her Cinnamon Rolls the Best in the World Making her Crisp in a Pinch on The Pioneer Woman, Drummond explained that she breaks down each element in the dessert and makes a quicker version on the stovetop. She got the fruit mixture a combination of blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries heating up in a pot with some sugar. In another pot, she toasted oats and nuts being sure to stir them constantly so they didnt burn. Once the granola mixture was golden brown she turned them out onto a sheet pan before making a syrup. You see where Im going with this, guys? she asked her kids while filming The Pioneer Woman at the Drummond ranch in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Im making sort of a deconstructed fruit crisp. Its what Im doing if I play my cards rights. Her trick to making the berries thick, without actually putting baking them, was to add cornstarch. Soon they became, as Drummond said, very very thick as if theyve been baking in the oven. The Food Network star has other crisp recipes The Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond | Donna Svennevik/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images RELATED: The Pioneer Womans Easy Strawberry Ice Cream Disappears Like That at the Drummond Ranch Not in the mood for Drummonds Crisp in a Pinch? Or simply have the time to make a traditional one? The Pioneer Woman has a number of other crisp recipes. Her classic Apple Crisp is ready in just under 90 minutes. Its one of her more popular crisp recipes, averaging five stars at the time of publication. Drummonds other crisp recipes include a Blueberry Nectarine Crisp, Skillet Apple Crisp, A Little Fruit with my Crisp, Peach Crisp with Maple Cream Sauce, and Cherry Almond Crisp. Each one is a different take on the classic dessert but her Crisp in a Pinch is by far the quickest to make. I really wish Id known about this when Ladd and I first got married, she said on The Pioneer Woman. It wouldve saved me 25 years of baking crisps in the oven. Luke and June were finally reunited in The Handmaids Tale Season 4. But that was one of the only glimmers of joy all season. Gilead doesnt let anyone catch a break. Following the intense final scene of The Handmaids Tale Season 4 finale, O-T Fagbenle commented on the shows future. And while he dreams of a happy ending for Luke, June, and Hannah, he knows theyre not going to get one. In fact, he said he foresees more blood and torture on the horizon in a recent interview. Great! [Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for The Handmaids Tale Season 4.] O-T Fagbenle as Luke Bankole in The Handmaids Tale Season 4 Episode 10, The Wilderness | Sophie Giraud/Hulu How does The Handmaids Tale end? Margaret Atwoods Handmaids Tale novel ends where The Handmaids Tale Season 1 ends. So everything youve seen from season 2 through season 4 has been the shows creative vision guided by Atwood. That leaves room for lots of creative liberties, but not too much. Atwoods The Testaments is being developed into a spin-off series for Hulu. So the team has to start building to that in The Handmaids Tale. That started in season 4, mostly with Aunt Lydia. But Hannah remaining in Gilead unfortunately aligns with the book as well. In The Testaments, Hannah never gets out. But after growing up in Gilead and going on a wild adventure to get out of it, she is reunited with her biological parents. Nichole is reunited with June and Nick as well. And get this: Aunt Lydia helps Mayday. We wont share more, but showrunner Bruce Miller did say season 4 started setting up Aunt Lydias Testaments plot in her scenes with Commander Lawrence. How The Handmaids Tale will end depends on how loyal they want to be to The Testaments. Saving Hannah would make it hard to have her a main character in The Testaments, unless they find a way to get her back into Gilead. But spending so much time focusing on saving Hannah just to return her to Gilead seems like an unwise and unliekly choice. So many emotions encapsulated into one moment, and @OTFagbenle didn't hold back. pic.twitter.com/xx0qqBZEzj The Handmaid's Tale (@HandmaidsOnHulu) July 9, 2021 RELATED: The Handmaids Tale Season 4: June Was 100 Percent Giving up Luke in That Finale Scene, Elisabeth Moss Says O-T Fagbenle doesnt think June and Luke will have a happy ending Fagbenle told TVInsider he thinks Hannah could be saved in The Handmaids Tale, but that it would mark the series end. He said: Ill say this: I feel like thats the end of the show. I feel like to want for that is to want for the end of the drama, and I think as long as that reunion is unresolved, well have more episodes of Handmaids. But I could be wrong. Ive been wrong many times before. The Black Widow star clearly thinks getting Hannah out is the shows endgame. But if theyre adhering to her plot in The Testaments, he could be wrong. Fagbenle also knows what kind of show hes been starring in. Its not one to give fans what they want. (Except for Fred Waterfords death, which was *chefs kiss*.) He said: But also, those creatively sadistic creatives we have making the show, I dont think theyre going to give us a happy ending where Luke and Hannah and June walk off into the sunset and build a new house in the Maldives. I think theres probably more blood and torture on the horizon. RELATED: The Handmaids Tale: Are Luke and Hannah Ever Reunited? The Testaments Has Answers The Handmaids Tale Season 4 sped up the plot Fagbenle and his co-workers had some juicy material to work with this season. The shortened season was a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. But it resulted in the shows most action-packed season to date. Unfortunately, some scenes couldnt be made due to safety restrictions. And others were cut from the final product. For example, Fagbenle, Alexis Bledel, Samira Wiley, Elisabeth Moss, and Amanda Brugel filmed a scene where they all were confronted by a group of Gilead supporters in Canada. The women dressed as Handmaids, and photos of the cast posing with the red-clad women were shared online by Fagbenle and the show. The scene was meant for The Handmaids Tale Season 4 finale, but it didnt make the final cut. The script for the scene is available online. And in it, the women urged June to go back to being the Waterfords Handmaid. In Gilead, they would cut out your tongue for that. Stay the f*ck away from my family, June was meant to reply, according to the script. Despite the cut scenes and shortened season, Fagbenle is proud of the work the team put out. He said: The makers of Handmaids took a big risk this year and moved some of the fundamentals of the show. The audience has really responded so well to their bravery and the excellence. Really my hats are off to the writers and producers of the show who managed to find a way to keep the heart of the show but reinvent the husk of it. The risk surely paid off. Almost all of the main Handmaids Tale cast were nominated for Emmys for their performances. The show was also nominated for Outstanding Drama Series. In total, it collected 21 nominations. Praise be. Yellowstone features breathtaking cinematography and some of the most picturesque locations that the small screen has ever seen. But the scenery will look a bit different when the Paramount Network neo-western returns this fall. Creator Taylor Sheridan and his crew decided to switch up filming locations for season 4. Heres why they made the change. Kevin Costner and Luke Grimes in a scene from season 3 of Yellowstone | Paramount Network Yellowstone spent the majority of the first three seasons in Utah Yellowstone is set in Montana, but they filmed the majority of the first three seasons in and around Park City, Utah. According to The Salt Lake City Tribune, approximately 75 percent of production during seasons 1 through 3 took place in the Beehive State. Only 25 percent took place in Montana. While filming in Utah, Yellowstone spent about $80 million and took advantage of tax rebates while they were there. But after filming for season 3 wrapped, rumors started swirling that the series was looking to make a change. Weve been hearing that they were canceling all their vendors here in Utah and pulling up stakes and moving completely to Montana, vice president of operations at Utah Film Studios, Marshal Moore, said in June 2020. Taylor Sheridans western is super expensive to make With Yellowstone spending $80 million over three seasons for just 75 percent of the production, that implies that the total cost was over $105 million. That means one season of Yellowstone costs about $35 million to make, plus cast salaries. They were able to get about $7 million per season in tax rebates from the state of Utah. However, the Utah Film Commissions available funding for fiscal 2021 was limited. That meant that Yellowstone had to compete with a number of other productions for the $8.29 million the state allocated. At the same time, Montana passed a new tax incentive for TV and film productions. Yellowstone switched locations to Montana in season 4 The rumors of Yellowstone pulling up stakes in Utah and moving completely to Montana turned out to be true. But according to Moore, the cast and crew of Yellowstone didnt want to leave. They feel like theyre forced to because of Montanas shiny new $10 million incentive that they just passed last year. That and the fact that our film commission and the Governors Office of Economic Development cant offer them really anything at the moment, Moore explained. According to Cinema Blend, Yellowstone filmed season 4 in and around Missoula, Montana. They employed a ton of local workers as extras. And, due to COVID protocols, the cast and crew lived in the ranch area inside a production bubble. The Dutton familys log cabin is located on a real-life Montana ranch One thing that wont change in season 4 is the Dutton familys gorgeous log cabin. That filming location is actually a 5,000 square foot mansion on the real-life Chief Joseph Ranch near Darby, Montana. On the ranch, were actually filming where its actually set. Its almost like the most central character, star Kevin Costner told Vanity Fair. You step outside and you see running horses and men working and the weather dictates what you do. Yellowstone fans can visit the Dutton Ranch According to The Pioneer Womans blog, fans can actually visit the 2,500-acre Chief Joseph Ranch and rent cabins on the property when Yellowstone isnt filming. Unfortunately, the actual Dutton home from Yellowstone isnt open. But the cabins have both appeared on the show. Each cabin sleeps eight people and features a full kitchen. Guests can enjoy the gorgeous scenery, hike through the mountains, go fishing, and ride horses. Yellowstone season 4 is expected to premiere in November on the Paramount Network. Season 1 through 3 are available on Peacock. RELATED: Yellowstone: Cole Hauser Says Fans Will Be Happily Surprised With Season 4 Despite the Delay A new research project that aims to produce green hydrogen more efficiently brings together a multidisciplinary team comprising professors Hong Yang and Nicola Perry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Professor Andreas Klein at the Technical University of Darmstadt. Through a new award program, the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation, DFG) have joined forces to award the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Technical University of Darmstadt a three-year $720,000 research grant ($500,000 from NSF) to explore opportunities to more efficiently produce green hydrogen, a clean and renewable source of energy. This project is among the first supported by the NSF-DFG Lead Agency Activity in Electrosynthesis and Electrocatalysis (NSF-DFG EChem), an international effort to support collaborative work between U.S. researchers and their German counterparts on engineering science projects for novel and fundamental electrochemical reactions and studies. The new project assembles a multidisciplinary team, comprising Professors Hong Yang and Nicola Perry at UIUC and Professor Andreas Klein at TU Darmstadt. "Our society is making great strides toward a future powered by renewable sources," said the project's principal investigator Hong Yang, Alkire Chair professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and affiliate professor of chemistry at UIUC. "Green hydrogen can fuel cars and semi-trucks or used as commodity chemicals for industrial manufacturing--but there is work to be done to ensure that green hydrogen production is viable and scalable." Green hydrogen is made from splitting water molecules with a device called an electrolyzer that uses electric energy from renewable sources--but this process currently requires a lot of energy, and it is still not cost-effective. This newly funded research project aims to increase the efficiency and stability of electrolysis for water splitting via understanding the engineering science of new classes of electrocatalysts such as pyrochlores. Catalysts speed up chemical reactions. The research team will use cutting-edge techniques to reveal their complex surface and bulk structures, which influence catalyst performance and reaction rates. Their goal is to identify the specific chemistry--down to the atomic level--that creates the most reactive and stable electrocatalysts for water splitting. Ultimately, better catalysts are needed to reduce electricity usage and meet the stability requirement to produce green hydrogen at a reduced cost. "Our team brings together diverse methods and disciplinary lenses that, when combined, have potential to provide unique insights for the development of practical green hydrogen catalysts," said the project's co-principal investigator Nicola Perry, a materials science and engineering professor at UIUC. "This interdisciplinary and internationally collaborative environment will also provide a rich, formative context for student researcher training." Perry will lead the growth of thin-film catalysts, as a model platform enabling fundamental insights. She will also oversee the analysis of defect chemistry, which is the study of populations of active atomic-scale anomalies under dynamic operating conditions and their impact on catalyst performance. Perry and Yang are also members of the Materials Research Lab, where some of this work will take place. Andreas Klein, a professor of materials and earth sciences at TU Darmstadt, will develop a new framework to study the surface structures using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in realistic conditions. "Hydrogen is expected to play an important role for carbon-neutral technology," Yang said. "I am excited to help develop the sustainable technologies to make green hydrogen to fuel cars, and one day, our society at large." Priests and parishioners in the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) are expressing grief and anger over sexual abuse allegations against a lay leader in the Diocese of the Upper Midwest and the revelation that its bishop waited two years to notify churches in the diocese about the reports. Church leaders and advocates in Illinois and beyond see this case as a chance for the 12-year-old denomination to establish better practices for preventing abuse and to care well for survivors. After admitting he made regrettable errors in the process, Bishop Stewart Ruch III requested a leave of absence this month as the diocese investigates whether he and other diocesan leaders mishandled abuse allegations against Mark Rivera, a former lay leader at Christ Our Light Anglican in Big Rock, Illinois, and longtime member and volunteer at Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton, Illinois. Until his leave, Ruch was a pastor at Church of the Resurrection, the diocesan headquarters. On July 1, more than 30 female clergy in the ACNA published an open letter expressing support for the survivors and pledging to help the denomination create better processes for responding to abuse allegations with urgency, compassion, accountability, and transparency. The ACNA formed in 2009 when conservative churches broke with the Episcopal Church over disagreements on human sexuality. The denomination has about 1,000 churches and 127,000 members. Because it is still relatively young and small, it has the opportunity to make decisions in these early years to set a precedent for how it will handle cases of abuse. The incidents in the Diocese of the Upper Midwest are the most recent in a string of abuse cases to emerge in the ACNA within the past two years. I feel like its the Lords kindness that this early in our life together were having this conversation and have an opportunity to reform our church before this abuse becomes more entrenched and endemic, said Heather Ghormley, rector at Tree of Life Anglican Church in South Bend, Indiana. The diocese has hired Grand River Solutions, a California firm that specializes in helping schools deal with Title IX compliance, to conduct a third-party review of abuse allegations. In a letter to the denomination, ACNA Archbishop Foley Beach, the denominations highest-ranking leader, said a Provincial Response Team of ACNA leaders would oversee the third-party investigation going forward. Rivera has been charged with felony child sexual abuse and faces a trial this fall. At least 10 survivors have alleged abuse by Rivera, with victims as young as nine years old. Ghormley helped organized the open letter signed by the female clergy to ensure that the public scandal received a public response. As someone who has counseled many abuse survivors in her ministry work, Ghormley wanted female victims to know they were seen and heard. We wanted them to know theres a large group of women who have a voice in the denomination saying, We hear you, we care deeply, and were not going to ignore whats just happened, she said. Sandy Oyler is a clinical social worker and a deacon at Church of the Savior in Wheaton. Though Church of the Savior is in a different diocese than Christ Our Light and Church of the Resurrection, Oyler said many of her parishioners have close relationships with people at Resurrection. News that horrendous abuse happened nearby has rattled members. In their sermons, ACNA pastors in the area have also expressed grief and sorrow alongside their parishioners. I have no doubt that the leaders at [Church of the Resurrection] did not intend for this to happen. I do not question their good intentions or sincerity, Emily McGowin said in a July 10 sermon at Church of the Savior, which is part of the Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others (C4SO). But the truth is good intentions and sincerity count for nothing when women and children are being abused and proper actions are not taken to protect them and help them. Sincerity is not a substitute for competency. McGowin was also among the female clergy who signed the letter of solidarity. Esau McCaulley, preaching at All Souls Anglican in Wheaton, which belongs to the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh, spoke up to acknowledge those hurting in their community and apologize to survivors, asking to keep them in prayer. In Ruchs letter to the diocese sharing the news of the investigation, he had written, I desire to own where we have not served [victims] as well as we should have and to care for any potential victims who may still come forward and We desire to help spur truth, justice and healing throughout our diocese. Though this is not the first case of abuse allegations and cover-up to emerge among American Anglicans, it has drawn attention and spurred momentum toward the issue nationwide. Earlier this month a group of abuse survivors and advocates from inside and outside the ACNA launched #ACNAtoo. The group wants to raise awareness about the pain abuse survivors have experienced and ensure that churches have rigorous policies for reporting and investigating abuse allegations. The group has issued an open letter to the ACNA archbishop, asking that Ruch be permanently removed from office if an investigation confirms his complicity in covering up allegations. #ACNAtoo has also asked Beach to make public the names of the members of the Provincial Response Team that he said would oversee the investigation and give the #ACNAtoo group an active role in the investigation. In counseling abuse survivors, Ghormley has heard them express the hope that the ACNA will not simply put in stronger policies about abuse prevention and reporting but provide long-term care for survivors. Advocates wonder, if allegations of abuse come from a child under 10, will the ACNA still care for her when she is 30? Ghormley also hopes the ACNA will listen to survivors and demonstrate greater transparency when injustice comes to light. Patterns of abuse and harassment have come up in the church before, but this time seems different to her because pastors and leaders are acknowledging the pain of the survivors. For Oyler the situation has highlighted the urgency of ensuring abuse and cover-up do not take place in her own diocese. She said C4SO is in the process of strengthening its existing abuse prevention and reporting policies. Bringing these conversations into the open is huge and important, she said. It results in not turning a blind eye to the fact that these things happen and need to be taken seriously. The ACNA provides a 57-page sample policy on responding to abuse. It covers the biblical foundation for protecting children; guidelines for screening, training, interacting, monitoring, and reporting; and suggestions on caring for the congregation after allegations of abuse by clergy, staff, or volunteers. The sample policy does not offer specific guidance around when a bishop should notify his diocese of abuse allegations. Many ACNA dioceses provide child protection and safety plans on their websites. No such plan is publicly available on the Diocese of the Upper Midwest website, though as of this month, the diocese does link to a list of resources around child abuse prevention on its homepage. Like the sample policy, plans tend to include training for screening volunteers and clergy and recognizing and reporting abuse, guidelines on interactions between children and volunteers, and ways the church should communicate in the event that abuse takes place. Some dioceses have whistleblower policies to protect anyone who observes or experiences sexual harassment in a church setting. C4SO has a 40-page safety plan with policies for screening, training, interacting with children, monitoring church events, and responding to and reporting abuse, as well as a 24-page manual for child protection. Ruch wrote in an update to the diocese this spring that he takes responsibilities for oversights in the response process. He said: When the original allegation came out against Mark in 2019, I mistakenly assumed that the necessary criminal investigation was a sufficient next step. I thought it best to let the county district attorneys office lead a thorough investigation resulting in a clear ruling. I anticipated that after this process we would inform the diocese of the courts ruling. I naively expected the trial to occur much sooner than it has. I have since learned otherwise, in part through conversations with one of the victims. I now understand that when an accusation of this gravity occurs, and when an arrest is made, a safe opportunity for other possible victims to come forward must be created. I apologize for this, dear family of God. We would have cared better for the victims had we hired a firm earlier. My mistake accounts for the significant gap in time between Mark being accused of an offense and this communication to you. In the past few years alone, there have been several incidents involving sexual misconduct and abuse cover-up among the ACNA. In 2020, Bishop James Hobby of Pittsburgh resigned for mishandling abuse allegations in his diocese. Bishop Ron Jackson of the Great Lakes Diocese, Ghormleys diocese, was defrocked in 2020 after pleading guilty to sexual immorality, admitting to years of viewing pornography. In 2019, GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in a Christian Environment) found that Eric Dudley, the founder of St. Peters Anglican Church in Tallahassee, Florida, engaged in sexual misconduct and harassment toward young men entering the ministry. That same year, a former priest in the Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin was arrested for sexual misconduct. Bishop Eric Menees had suspended the priest from ministry and hired an independent third party to investigate as soon as Menees received the accusations in 2017. Ghormley said these incidents, though devastating, are bringing conversations about abuse, transparency, and accountability into the open so that the denomination can develop a strategy of responding well and not letting institutional protectionism take hold. Christian web designer opposed to creating same-sex wedding websites loses at 10th Circuit Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit has ruled that a Christian web designer must create websites that conflict with her religious views. In a 2-1 decision released Monday, the circuit panel ruled against Lorie Smith and her web design company, 303 Creative, stating that they must provide services for same-sex marriages if they offer said services for traditional weddings. Smith filed a pre-enforcement legal challenge in 2016 to the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act, arguing that the law would compel her to provide services that go against her religious beliefs and is unconstitutional. At issue was a plan to start building websites for weddings, but with the desire to not provide those services for same-sex weddings due to religious objections to the unions. In 2017, a district court ruled that Smith couldn't challenge the law and upheld that decision in a subsequent ruling. Circuit Judge Mary Beck Briscoe, a Clinton appointee, authored the majority opinion. The appeals court acknowledged that 303 Creative could face prosecution under CADA if they refused to build websites celebrating same-sex weddings while offering such services for opposite-sex weddings. Nevertheless, Briscoe concluded in part that CADA is a neutral law of general applicability, and that it is not unconstitutionally vague or overbroad. Colorado has a compelling interest in protecting both the dignity interests of members of marginalized groups and their material interests in accessing the commercial marketplace, wrote Briscoe. When regulating commercial entities, like Appellants, public accommodations laws help ensure a free and open economy. Thus, although the commercial nature of Appellants business does not diminish their speech interest, it does provide Colorado with a state interest absent when regulating noncommercial activity. Regarding the intentions of 303 Creative to put a statement on its website explaining its refusal to create websites for same-sex weddings, the majority opinion concluded that Colorado may prohibit speech that promotes unlawful activity, including unlawful discrimination. Lawyers for Smith say that the state has placed a "gag" rule that prohibits designers and artists from expressing religious views in the online marketplace about marriage that indicate someone is unwelcome, objectionable, unacceptable, or undesirable." Having concluded that the First Amendment does not protect Appellants proposed denial of services, we also conclude that the First Amendment does not protect the Proposed Statement, continued the majority opinion. Parts of the Proposed Statement might not violate the Accommodation Clause, such as those parts expressing Appellants commitment to their clients or Ms. Smiths religious convictions. Yet, the Proposed Statement also expresses an intent to deny service based on sexual orientation an activity that the Accommodation Clause forbids and that the First Amendment does not protect. Tenth Circuit Chief Judge Timothy M. Tymkovich, a George W. Bush appointee, authored a dissenting opinion. He argued that the Constitution protects Ms. Smith from the government telling her what to say or do. But the majority takes the remarkable and novel stance that the government may force Ms. Smith to produce messages that violate her conscience, wrote Tymkovich. In doing so, the majority concludes not only that Colorado has a compelling interest in forcing Ms. Smith to speak a government-approved message against her religious beliefs, but also that its public-accommodation law is the least restrictive means of accomplishing this goal. No case has ever gone so far. Tymkovich contends that while Colorado is rightfully interested in protecting certain classes of persons from arbitrary and discriminatory treatment, the state should not turn the tables on Ms. Smith and single out her speech and religious beliefs for discriminatory treatment under the aegis of anti-discrimination laws. CADA forces Ms. Smith to violate her faith on pain of sanction both by prohibiting religious-based business practices and by penalizing her if she does speak out on these matters in ways Colorado finds unwelcome or undesirable, he continued. Attorney John Bursch of the nonprofit legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, representing Smith, denounced the panel decision and declared plans to appeal the ruling. The government should never force creative professionals to promote a message or cause with which they disagree. That is quintessential free speech and artistic freedom, Bursch said in a statement. Lorie is happy to design websites for all people; she simply objects to being forced to pour her heart, imagination, and talents into messages that violate her conscience. Critics of 303 Creatives efforts include Americans United for Separation of Church & State. The progressive advocacy group joined several other groups in filing amicus briefs in 2020. The sweeping exemption for religiously motivated discrimination that 303 seeks so that it may deny equal service to same-sex couples would necessarily also permit businesses to deny service to people of the wrong religion (or race, or sex, or any other characteristic protected by the Act), the Americans United brief argues. A ruling in 303s favor would therefore undermine, not strengthen, religious freedom by impairing the ability of the people of Colorado to live as equal members of the community regardless of faith or belief. In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Colorado's treatment of a Christian baker punished for refusing to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding in defiance of the state's discrimination laws. However, the Supreme Court this month refused to hear the case of a Washington florist who was punished for refusing to provide floral arrangements for a same-sex wedding. Ninth Circuit revives church's lawsuit against law requiring healthcare plans cover abortion Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A federal appeals court has concluded that a church in Washington state has the right to sue over a state law requiring health insurers to cover abortions, partially overturning a lower court decision dismissing the case. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a unanimous decision last Thursday reviving the Cedar Park Assembly of God of Kirkland's lawsuit against Gov. Jay Inslee and Washington Insurance Commissioner Myron Kreidler over a healthcare law known as Senate Bill 6219. All three judges were appointed by former President George W. Bush. The panel opinion concluded that Cedar Park plausibly alleged that the law forced the church's health insurer to stop "offering a plan with abortion coverage restrictions." The ruling argued that "Cedar Park could not procure comparable replacement coverage. The states argument that Cedar Park did not suffer an injury because SB 6219 did not prevent Kaiser Permanente from continuing to offer a plan that restricted abortion coverage fails because Kaiser Permanente reasonably understood the plain language of SB 6219 as precluding such restrictions, and it acted accordingly when it removed the restrictions from Cedar Parks health plan, the panel ruled. Although the state argues that Cedar Park did not suffer an injury caused by SB 6219 because other health insurers offered plans that would meet Cedar Parks requirements, this argument also fails given that Kaiser Permanente dropped Cedar Parks abortion coverage restrictions due to SB 6219, and there is no evidence in the record clearly demonstrating that Cedar Park could obtain acceptable coverage at the time it filed its complaint. The panel did not fully overturn the lower court decision, agreeing with the district court by rejecting the churchs equal protection claim for lack of standing." The judges ruled that the complaint does not plausibly allege that Cedar Park suffered a denial of equal treatment due to SB 6219s interaction with Washingtons conscience objection statute. such differential treatment does not constitute discrimination because the providers are not similarly situated to religious organizations, continued the judges. This is because the providers are in the business of providing health services, while religious organizations merely purchase health coverage. The Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal nonprofit helping to represent the church, celebrated the ruling. The group noted that the litigation will continue at the district court level. No church should be forced to cover abortions, and certainly not a church like Cedar Park that dedicates its ministry to protecting and celebrating life, said ADF Legal Counsel Elissa Graves in a statement. We are pleased the 9th Circuit rightly recognized the harm that Washington state has inflicted on Cedar Park Church in subjecting it to this unprecedented mandate. In March 2018, Inslee signed SB 6219 into law requiring healthcare plans covering maternity care to cover abortions. Also called the Reproductive Parity Act, the law stated that if a health plan issued or renewed on or after Jan. 1, 2019, provides coverage for maternity care or services, the health plan must also provide a covered person with substantially equivalent coverage to permit the abortion of a pregnancy. "Neither a woman's income level nor her type of insurance should prevent her from having access to a full range of reproductive health care, including contraception and abortion services," the law reads. "Restrictions on abortion coverage interfere with a woman's personal, private pregnancy decision making, with his or her health and well-being, and with his or her constitutionally protected right to safe and legal medical abortion care." The church filed its complaint in federal court in March 2019. This May, Judge Benjamin Settle, a George W. Bush appointee, dismissed the church's lawsuit. He ruled that "Cedar Park has chosen to maintain a business relationship with a company that fails to provide a service meeting Cedar Parks preference despite the potential availability of suitable alternatives." Billy Graham's grandson shares Gospel with hospital staff while battling COVID in ICU Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Grandson of the late evangelist Billy Graham Jonathan Lotz is currently in critical condition battling COVID-19, but he continues to share the good news of Jesus Christ while in the hospital. Anne Graham Lotz, Billy Graham's daughter, took to social media to ask for prayer for her son over the weekend. "Fifty years ago I could hold my son in my arms. Now I have placed him in the arms of Jesus," her post read. She explained that he is in the intensive care unit and communicating with her via text message. The 73-year-old mother and evangelist shared that her son was "physically exhausted yet spiritually overflowing." I am continually pouring over the Psalms of Ascent (120-134) in ICU. I have had the privilege of sharing Jesus with the ER & ICU staff! What a Savior! God is so good! Jonathan testified to his mother in his update. Jonathan Lotz, one of three Lotz siblings, worked with his grandfather from 1994 through 2002, The Winston-Salem Journal reported in 2018. He has continued to honor his grandfathers legacy as he operates his own ministry. Through Jonathan Lotz Ministries, he preaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ worldwide. Jonathan is in ICU, his mother shared in her latest health update. Graham Lotz said her sons strong faith amid his condition reminded her of Genesis 41:52. He is being fruitful in the land of his affliction, she declared. He is not on a ventilator at this time, Graham Lotz added. She again asked her followers to pray for her son's full recovery. Please be encouraged that God is hearing and answering your prayers just please dont let up," she concluded. "Pray he will not have to go on a ventilator, that his oxygen levels would increase, that his lungs will be strengthened, healed and that his health will be fully restored with no long term complications. My heart is filled with gratitude for your prayers. Jonathan is not the only Graham grandchild battling health issues. As reported earlier this month, the original home of Billy Graham and his wife, Ruth, was listed for sale by their daughter Ruth to help raise funds to pay for her daughters medical treatments. The younger Ruth Graham told The Ashville Citizen-Times she is selling the home to help pay for her daughters medical costs as she suffers from Lymphangioleiomyomatosis. The multisystem disorder affects different areas of the body, such as lungs, kidneys and the lymphatic system. My youngest daughter was diagnosed with a very rare disease that attacks women of childbearing age and there will be some significant medical bills in her future," Ruth Graham said, according to WCNC Charolette. I am so grateful that I have this provision that I can make like any mother who would move Heaven and earth when your child needs you. The third of the reverend's five children revealed that her daughter had the diagnosis for about three or four years." Thousands of people have committed to pray for the Graham grandchildren. Chile: Parents win right to make education decisions for their children Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The constitutional court of Chile has ruled in favor of the rights of parents to choose the kind of education their children receive, preventing the government from imposing a secular worldview in sex education and other topics. The victory at the Chilean Constitutional Tribunal comes in a challenge to three key provisions of a comprehensive childrens rights bill, which was originally submitted by former President Michelle Bachelet but was passed six years later, says human rights group ADF International, which worked with local allies in Chile who represented lawmakers in their fight against the proposal. The provisions would have undermined the fundamental and prior right of parents to choose the kind of education that their children shall receive, the group said in a statement. By a 6-4 ruling vote, the judges struck down provisions that would have infringed upon parental rights. And seven of the 10 judges decided that compulsory comprehensive sexuality education that is secular and non-sexist is unconstitutional, as it conflicts with parents' rights. The state should not interfere with parent-child relationships, the groups Director of Advocacy in Latin America, Tomas Henriquez, said, adding that the ruling sets a strong precedent for the protection of parental rights in Latin America. Henriquez continued, A majority of judges confirmed that the government cannot impose a worldview on religious and moral issues, nor interfere without grave reasons in the decision-making of parents when it comes to directing their childrens upbringing and the exercise of their rights. Parental rights are particularly protected by Chilean and international law. The case focused on provisions prioritizing childrens progressive autonomy over parental oversight and the demand that sexual education be secular and non-sexist, which would exclude the possibility of teaching the subject matter from different religious and moral perspectives, ADF India explained. This constitutional court has affirmed Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states, Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children. The court has also affirmed the specific protection of the right of parents to have their children educated in accordance with their moral, philosophical and religious convictions, under the International Covenants on Human Rights, the American Convention on Human Rights, and the First Additional Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights, the group pointed out. Ohio megachurch apologizes after speaker criticizes cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment An Ohio megachurch has apologized after a guest speaker from a socially conservative advocacy organization drew backlash and protests from the LGBT community and its supporters. Demonstrators gathered on Sunday for a protest at the Crossroads Church campus in the Oakley neighborhood of Cincinatti following a speech made by David Mahan, the director of policy with Center for Christian Virtue, Ohio's largest Christian public policy organization, on Sunday, July 18. With several campuses, the church is the largest church in the tristate area. Mahan was invited as part of a series of guest speakers and spoke to the audience about gender identity and gender transitioning. During his speech, Mahan touched on the effects of puberty blockers on trans-identified children and families. According to The Enquirer, Mahan argued that trans individuals should be viewed similar to anorexic individuals who are suicidal because they think they are fat. Mahan reportedly asked the congregation what they would do if an anorexic teen came before them saying she was suicidal because she was fat. "What is your response? Affirmation, or do you try to get her distorted mentality of herself to line up with her biological reality? What do we do? And if we do the latter, why wouldn't we do it with the same dysphoric condition of transgender?" Mahan said. The church's auditorium was reportedly filled with applause. Mahan concluded the talk by citing data from a study attributed to the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. Mahan reportedly called it the "best science we have on this topic to date." We are hosting a demonstration as a response to the Crossroads sermon from last Sunday, which was primarily talking towards transgender people and transgender youth in which they made a lot of hurtful comments about transgender youth and transgender people, co-organizer of the protest Jack Crofts told Fox Now 19. We came out here to show our support for the LGBTQ community and also to hold Crossroads to account to what theyve said and get them to solidify their viewpoints. In response to the backlash last week, Crossroads Church released a statement to WCPO offering an apology. "This past weekend, Crossroads hosted a guest speaker who broached the subject of children seeking to transition to a different gender. Unfortunately, there are many who have been hurt and are looking for clarity," the statement reads. "Regardless of a persons sexual or gender identity, we love them and welcome them, as does God. What was shared this weekend was never meant to hurt anyone, and we deeply regret that it did. This is a topic that warrants increased care and empathy and were sorry that didnt happen this weekend. Crossroads also does not financially or otherwise support any political organizations and their platforms including the Center for Christian Virtue, where this weekends speaker is employed. We have no intention of being activistic in this or any other political space. Our main goal has and will always be to bring people to Christ." Center for Christian Virtue President Aaron Baer said in a statement shared with The Christian Post that the invitation for Mahan came after Crossroads staff saw a video of him preaching at Columbus Christian Center in May on the "medical and political movement to put children on dangerous cross-sex hormones and sterilizing puberty blockers." "I was blessed to attend all three services, and was deeply moved by the response of the congregation there were standing ovations for Davids message and his conversation with Senior Pastor Brian Tome at the end of every service," Baer explained. "However, as with all conversations around sensitive topics such as the effects of puberty blockers being forced on families and children, there were some in attendance and online that were offended by David, and condemned Crossroads for giving his message a platform." "In the wake of the backlash, Crossroads released this statement, apologizing for causing harm to people. They also removed any mention of David, CCV, or his message from their website and social media," Baer added. Baer argued that it is "essential churches continue to press into this very urgent issue." "In todays culture, any discussion of gender identity is going to spark harsh backlash. Yet few speakers in the country understand the real-life impact of the transgender movement like David Mahan," Baer stressed. "Hes personally witnessed the pressure children are under today, and has sat with parents who have been bullied and intimidated by doctors to put their children on dangerous experimental procedures for the purpose of 'gender transitioning.' Baer stated that at least five "gender clinics" in Ohio are "pushing cross-sex hormones and puberty-blocking drugs on children." "Cincinnati Childrens Hospital attested under oath that for 100% of the children that enter their clinic, they recommend cross-sex hormone therapy," Baer said. "These treatments have not been approved by the FDA, and cause permanent bodily damage." In response to the many who took to social media to express distaste for the guest speaker, Mahan told WCPO Cinncanati that he loved the congregation and that he wanted to help steer kids suffering from gender dysphoria away from suicide. A shocked and devastated congregant, Ashli Kurzhals, who attended the service, told The Enquirer that it felt like the rug was being ripped out from underneath her because she once thought the church was affirming and accepting. "It felt like the rug was being ripped out from underneath me. I came here thinking it truly was an affirming, accepting church," Kurzhals was quoted as saying. "And sitting inside that service last week, I was appalled, disgusted, and then devastated to see how many people stood up in ovation to the message." Brian Webb, a former worship leader at Crossroads, talked to news outlets to address his concerns about Mahan's comments. "I was shocked," Webb was quoted as saying. "He was saying we need to keep transgender people and activists out of the church. That causes so much pain to a group that's already very vulnerable and marginalized." Fox Now 19 reported that Lead Pastor Brian Tome addressed the controversy during this past Sunday's service. This past week we have heard from a wide range of people who are hurt. Those from the LGBTQIA+ community, those who have friends in the LGBTQIA+ community, teachers who didnt feel supported, and last but not least, those who are upset that we seem to be apologizing for everything that was said and being weak and afraid of cancel culture,'" Tome said. "As you know, our communitys unique, and that we go to the scriptures for how life is best lived. We do this in a transparent and respectful way. Of all the mistakes I made last week, the biggest was I didnt say this, We love people in the LGBTQIA community, and that wasnt clear last week. Im sorry. Please forgive me. That is on me. God loves all people. Christian group cautiously optimistic after Sudanese govt allows building of Orthodox Church Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment In a country where churches are often destroyed, the Orthodox Church in Sudan was finally granted permission to build a church on its own land in a residential area after previously being denied that right by the government. Permission was given to the church to start building on July 16 after the government asked Khartoum state Governor Ayman Khalid Nim to review the case, sources told Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a human rights organization working on behalf of persecuted Christians. Even though the Orthodox Church owns the land, the government has the authority to deny planning permission for the building of churches. It also has the right to demolish a church a year after it has been built if the Urban Planning Department denies its permit. The church project was initially denied by the Urban Planning Department, which said a church couldn't be built on a residential property. At the time, a representative of the department, Hassan Isa, told the Orthodox Church that in order for the church to be able to use their land as a place of worship they must change their registration from residential to commercial use and must seek the permission of all neighboring properties." Another hurdle for the Orthodox Church was that if any two residents in the area opposed the building of a church, the plans would be denied. While mosques are allowed to be built in residential areas and Muslims are allowed to use their homes as places of worship, Christians are not allowed those same rights. Mervyn Thomas, founder president of CSW, released a statement celebrating the Orthodox Churchs ability to build a place of worship on its own land. CSW welcomes the reversal of the legally questionable and discriminatory decision to deny the Orthodox Church the right to build on its own land; however, we remain concerned by the lack of a clear process for the registration and construction of churches, Thomas said of Sudan, which has a history of church buildings being attacked or destroyed. Thomas also commended the dismissal of Nagi Abdalla, the former executive director of the Khartoum Bahri locality, who reportedly was responsible for violations against the Sudanese Evangelical Presbyterian Church where a church was demolished and authorities arrested 37 people during a prayer service. We also welcome the dismissal of Nagi Abdalla, and now call for an urgent review of the contracts he signed which led to the destruction of church properties in Khartoum Bahri, Thomas said. Abdalla reportedly signed numerous contracts with illegitimate committees, which led to the destruction of properties belonging to the church, according to CSW. While we welcome the positive steps taken in this case, we remain concerned by the way the Sudanese government appears to resolve these cases on an ad-hoc basis, Thomas continued. This decision-making process was adopted by the previous regime and it fundamentally undermines rule of law and good governance. Thomas called for the equal treatment of all religious groups, starting with a better process for registering places of worship. We call for the formulation and implementation of clear and transparent processes for the construction and registration of places of worship, in order to ensure that all religious groups are treated equally, Thomas said. In an emailed statement to The Chrisitan Post, CSW said the procedure to register churches on unregistered land in Sudan is complicated and unclear, which has resulted in many being destroyed. CSW said the granting of permission to the Orthodox Church came from external pressure. Even after the governors decision, the Urban Planning Department tried to oppose the permission. CSW said the land needs to be permanently defined as a service purpose rather than residential since the land is still vulnerable while listed as residential property since the Urban Planning Department could refuse to renew the buildings property within a year. Even if the church is built, it will still be at risk, theoretically, as it will be built in residential land and the Urban Planning Department retains the right to demolish it, CSW told CP in an email. Sudan is ranked No. 13 on Open Doors World Watch List of countries where Christians face the worst persecution due to a very high level of Islamic oppression though it has made strides toward religious freedom recently due to a transition in government after its dictator was ousted in 2019 and a new constitutional declaration was issued. Sudan was also one of the countries no longer recommended for the U.S. International Religious Freedom Commission's Special Watch List designation since its conditions had improved and it no longer met the requirements for that second-tier State Department classification. Sudans population of around 43.5 million is home to nearly 2 million Christians. Catholic university under fire for hosting CNN Town Hall with 'most pro-abortion president' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A Catholic university is under fire for hosting a CNN-sponsored town hall last week with President Joe Biden, who has been referred to as the most pro-abortion president in modern U.S. history. CNN hosted its invite-only town hall moderated by opinion host Don Lemon at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Wednesday. Biden, the only other Catholic besides the-late John F. Kennedy to serve as president, is known for attending mass regularly. Jen Psaki, his press secretary, frequently refers to him as a "devout Catholic" in response to reporters' questions about his stance on abortion policies. He and other pro-abortion Catholic Democrats have been the subject of much debate in the Catholic Church over whether they should be allowed to receive Communion since their political support for abortion organizations and policies goes against Catholic doctrine. Catholics and pro-life groups were critical of the Catholic university for hosting the president due to his pro-abortion stance. Right to Life of Cincinnati, a pro-life organization located near the university, encouraged people to call Mount Saint Joseph ahead of the event and to tell them it's unacceptable for the university to host a president who is [responsible] for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of unborn lives. The group noted that Bidens record on abortion contradicts with the universitys founding values described as rooted in our Mission, in the Gospel values of service, compassion, and charity, and in the legacy and vision of our founders, the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. What compassion and charity is shown the unborn when the university hosts a president who claims to be a Catholic, yet has the most pro-abortion administration in the history of our country? Right to Life Cincinnati asked. The group also asked people to demand that the archbishop prevent the event from happening. We need [the archbishop's] leadership and his voice to stand up for the most innocent among us, and to make it clear that President Biden is not a Catholic in good standing until he does all in his power to put an end to abortion, Right to Life Cincinnati said. In this time of evil and confusion, we need the leadership and voices of good and faithful Catholic men. The Archdiocese of Cincinnati released a statement on July 20 reiterating that the archbishop wouldn't have granted the approval of the event featuring Biden at the Catholic university had he been asked. It emphasized the university operates under the Sisters of Charity and not the oversight of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr has not been contacted by any involved party about the upcoming visit of President Joseph R. Biden to Cincinnati to participate in a CNN town hall meeting at Mount St. Joseph University, the statement read. Archbishop Schnurr has therefore not been asked for, nor would he have granted, his approval for any such event to occur on Catholic premises. The Archdiocese of Cincinnati is made up of nearly half a million Catholics living in the 19 counties of western and southwestern Ohio. Dusty Rhodes, a Catholic and auditor in an Ohio county, tweeted about the event, It's official. The Sisters of Charity are a disgrace. Lisa Bloomfield, a Delhi resident and 2006 alumna of Mount St. Joseph University, said she was disappointed in her alma mater and Sisters of Charity for hosting the pro-abortion president. The fact that he is called a devout Catholic because he attends Sunday mass does not negate that his behavior is considered gravely sinful by Catholic Church teaching and is therefore opposed to any such status, Bloomfield said in a statement. It is not in the interest of the Sisters or any Catholic institution to play host to a man who promotes the killing of unborn innocent children, she said. Mount Saint Joseph University defended hosting the town hall in response to the backlash from the Catholic community. "The university has always been and will continue to be a diverse and inclusive place where people from different races, ethnicities, social backgrounds, beliefs, and religions can come together to discuss and share their unique perspectives," the universitys statement said. "We look forward to introducing the Mount to a nationally televised prime time audience." The university, however, did clarify the president's event was not prompted by the Catholic university but was chosen by CNN. All decisions about the event are being made by CNN and Mount Saint Joseph and do not involve the Sisters of Charity. CNN is utilizing the Mounts facility and will make the decisions on attendance at the event, whose questions will be asked of the President, etc., according to a statement from the university published by the Cincinnati Enquirer. Mount Saint Joseph University is a private, Catholic college in Ohio founded in 1920 by the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. At the town hall, Biden claimed there is a pandemic among the unvaccinated, despite evidence that there have been thousands of deaths and hospitalizations among the vaccinated, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Biden also said the push for COVID-19 vaccinations for children younger than 12 years old would be happening "soon." More than 40% of black churchgoers want to keep hybrid church model in wake of pandemic: study Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Black churchgoers have adapted so well to online church amid the pandemic some 41% of them now favor a hybrid model of in-person and online services, even after COVID-19 is no longer deemed a threat, and 7% say they would rather their church services remain digital going forward, a new study has revealed. The study, Trends in the Black Church conducted in partnership with the Rev. Brianna K. Parker of Black Millennial Cafe, Gloo, Urban Ministries, Inc., LEAD.NYC, American Bible Society and Compassion, examined how the pandemic affected black faith communities. The data was gathered through follow-up with a group of 1,083 U.S. black adults and 822 black churchgoers who had participated in an online survey conducted April 22May 6, 2020, according to Barna Research. Data show that the pandemic pushed black church pastors to innovate and challenged their ability to disciple people digitally during the pandemic. Even now, as churches emerge from COVID-era regulations, pastors and their people wonder if or how these shifts will continue to shape the trajectory of their ministry strategy, Barna Research noted. The follow-up data showed that as of September 2020, three in five black adults had watched services online during the pandemic. Some 47% of black adults who participated in church during the pandemic said the experience made them more open to digital church, while an equal percentage who attended church online in the past six months said they favored in-person gatherings going forward. At the height of the pandemic, many black and Hispanic churches were more likely to close due to the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on their communities. Data released by New York City showed how the coronavirus killed black and Latino people at twice the rate that it killed whites and nationwide data also reflect a similar trend. The situation forced many congregations of color to adapt quickly as a result out of necessity and congregants felt they adjusted well. The vast majority of black church congregants, (64% strongly agree) feels their church responded well to the pandemic. Across the board, larger churches were more likely to be ready and resourced to embrace the digital and hybrid space, compared to smaller churches, Barna Research noted. The Rev. A.R. Bernard, leader of New York City's 40,000-member Christian Cultural Center, which caters to a strong African American audience, told The Christian Post in a recent interview that coupled with the age of convenience he has seen a strong appreciation for online church in his own congregation. The culture right now, were in a culture of convenience when it comes to church. Thats real. We surveyed our people (congregation) and the larger percentage of our people are enjoying service at home, he said. Carey Nieuwhof, a former lawyer and founding pastor of Connexus Church, suggested in an op-ed earlier this year that its likely the hybrid church will stick around even after the pandemic because a post-modern cultural shift has taken place. Perhaps the deepest threat to in-person attendance comes from a cultural possibility , that we might be entering into a relatively selfish me-centered behavior that might relegate churches even farther to the sidelines than they were pre-pandemic, he wrote. Among the many characteristics of post-Christian, postmodern spirituality, three stand out when it comes to future attendance trends. Postmodern spirituality is: self-directed, anti-institutional, selective, he wrote. In other words, people will pick and choose what they want to do. That goes from choosing a favorite preacher to listen to, to deciding to watch from home or on the go, and even (youve already seen this) tenets of the faith they are inclined to embrace and tenets theyre inclined not to, he added. The incredible incoherence of Ben & Jerrys capitulation to the BDS movement Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The iconic, famously woke ice cream company, Ben & Jerrys, announced on Monday that it will no longer sell its product in Occupied Palestinian Territory. As the company explained, We believe it is inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerrys ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). However, they added, Although Ben & Jerrys will no longer be sold in the OPT, we will stay in Israel through a different arrangement. Put another way (and to read between the lines), We will continue to sell our ice cream to the evil oppressors in their own apartheid state, one that was founded on genocide and ethnic cleansing and one that exists to this day on stolen Palestinian land. But we will not sell our ice cream to these evil oppressors who live in illegal settlements in other portions of equally stolen land. How righteous. How consistent. How just. Had I not given up eating Ben & Jerrys ice cream 7 years ago (for health reasons, along with lots of other foods I dropped), I would be losing my taste about now. The responses to Ben & Jerrys announcement have been as predictable as they have been telling. From the Israeli side, the new prime minister Naftali Bennett said, There are many ice cream brands, but only one Jewish state. Israelis can do without the ice cream but not without their state. Former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted, Now we Israelis know which ice cream NOT to buy. Well said, sir. From the anti-Israel side, the BDS movement tweeted, Following years of #BDS campaigns @benandjerrys has announced it will end sales of its ice cream in Israel's illegal settlements on stolen Palestinian land. We warmly welcome their decision but call on Ben & Jerry's to end all operations in apartheid Israel. #BDSsuccess In other words, This is a good step in the right direction, but if you really want to do the right thing and be assured we will keep pressuring you until you you must stop doing any business with evil Israel. A fuller statement from the BDS movement (which stands for boycott, divestment, and sanctions) said this: After years of pressure from activists, Ben & Jerrys announced it will not renew its licensing agreement with its Israeli licensee, who is involved in selling the ice cream in illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The BDS movement welcomes Ben & Jerrys decision as a decisive step towards ending the companys complicity in Israels occupation and violations of Palestinian rights. Ben & Jerrys, a leading socially responsible international company, is finally bringing its policy on Israels regime of oppression against Palestinians in line with its progressive positions on Black Lives Matter and other justice struggles. We hope Ben & Jerrys has understood that, in harmony with its social justice commitments, there can be no business as usual with apartheid Israel. All clear, BDS. The Jewish people in Israel have created an apartheid state on stolen land. No business as usual with them. Not until they remove the protective barrier designed to keep out murderous terrorists. Not until they retreat to pre-1967 (= suicidal, indefensible borders). And not until they allow all Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland. In other words, BDS will exist until Israel is no more, since the demands of the movement, if fully implemented, would result in the end of the Jewish state. Why then is Ben & Jerrys only pulling its ice cream from the illegal settlements rather than from the nation as a whole? Why allow those evil Israelis, those apartheid genocidal monsters, to enjoy these sumptuous treats in the luxury of their homes in West Jerusalem or their restaurants in Tel Aviv? And if the ice cream will not be sold in the OPT, does that mean that the Palestinians living nearby will not be able to buy it either? Or that those of them whose jobs involve the distribution of the ice cream will be hurt economically by the boycott? As for these last two questions, Im simply putting them up for discussion, since the official announcement is lacking in details. But one thing is sure: a good case can be made for the fact that the BDS movement actually hurts the Palestinians more than it helps them. (For a strong, anti-BDS statement from Palestinian activist Bassam Eid, see here.) Of course, there are other reasons not to be impressed with Ben & Jerrys righteous stand, not the least of which is the companys contractual agreement with Unilever. As explained in the Washington Free Beacon, The most common expression of anti-Semitism on the left is the application of double standards to Jews and the Jewish state. Look no further than Ben & Jerry's partnership with Unilever, which acquired the ice cream company in 2000. There is no comparison between Israeli policy in the West Bank and the practices of the world's greatest human rights abusers. Unilever happily does business everywhere from occupied Northern Cyprus to occupied Tibet and Xinjiang, home to Uyghur concentration camps. We won't hold our breath for the ice cream boycott of China or Russia. But hey, there are no Jews in Xinjiang. Exactly. As a lover of God and a lover of justice, I, too, want to see the fair and equal treatment of the Palestinians along with the safety and thriving of the Jewish state of Israel. Thats why I so reject the incoherent and hypocritical policy decision of Ben & Jerrys. Bioethics panel: Why ignoring ethics yields horrors, abuses; media deceives about human costs Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment WASHINGTON A group of prominent bioethicists are warning about the grave human harms that result when sound ethics in the practice of science are either ignored or manipulated in pursuit of innovation. In a panel discussion last week at the Heritage Foundation about why bioethics matters, particularly as it relates to what it means to be human, speakers Tara Sander Lee, Jennifer Lahl and Melissa Moschella opined on the dangers of an ends justifying the means approach to science. The women all professionals with backgrounds in bioethics, medical science and philosophy spoke of the harms inherent in such things as three-parent embryos, surrogacy, reproductive technology, gene editing, and embryonic stem cell research, and highlighted the deception that routinely frames these issues in major news outlets. Lee, senior fellow and director of Life Sciences at the Charlotte Lozier Institute, said during Q&A in response to a question from The Christian Post about why the harms are not more visible to the average American that a significant issue is transparency within the scientific community. "A lot of times people see how cool the science is but they're failing to educate the public and explain to them what was actually done in the process to get to that [scientific discovery], what materials were used in that process. That's a key part of information that's missing, not only to the public but to the scientists themselves." During her presentation Lee highlighted the world's first ever human-monkey hybrid that was grown in a laboratory in China, CRISPR gene editing technology, and the research done on "humanized mice," which utilizes tissue obtained from aborted human fetuses. "There are a lot of scientists, especially in training that are often pressured to use materials or because there is a lack of transparency, they don't even really know what they're using," Lee said. Media coverage of new-fangled reproductive technologies often hides the harmful impact on actual people, noted Lahl, a documentary filmmaker and founder of the Center for Bioethics and Culture Network. To counter their celebratory narrative, Lahl makes films to tell the stories of women who have been damaged by the fertility industry. "We can't get the media, overwhelmingly, especially the mainstream media, to present the negative, the downsides," she said. "You see Kim Kardashian on the cover of People magazine because they just had their next baby through commercial surrogacy. You don't ever see a picture of the surrogate mother and hear how she was treated. Most of these surrogates who serve for these very high-profile, wealthy couples don't even know who they're carrying a baby for. They're bound to anonymity, they're carrying a baby for someone who doesn't want you to know who they are." Thus, bioethicists and others who care about exposing the harms have to rely on alternative means to get the public up to speed, she noted. "Most people, left-right, religious-nonreligious, they just think this is all great, it's progress, it's scientific advancement, it's developing cures, it's helping somebody have a child. And that's all that they're hearing," Lahl lamented. Melissa Moschella, professor of philosophy at The Catholic University of America concurred. "Accurate information and accurate reporting is extremely helpful," she said, commenting on how for years the coverage on embryonic stem cells now largely a debate of the past due to the development of induced pluripotent stem cells was inflated, presented as though such scientific research was the key to important medical breakthroughs. "In the heat of the debate about the use of embryos for stem cell research, there was all this hype about all the diseases that were going to be cured as a result of it. And what has been found is that by and large, the actual clinical trials, the actual cures have come not from embryonic stem cells but from adult stems cells or from induced pluripotent stem cells," Moschella elaborated. She added, noting that scientists engage in this hype in order to get funding for their projects: "Good science and progress in science, even in terms of the consequences in the outcomes went along with the ethical science and there was just a lot to false promise in the use of embryos for research." "It's helpful to put a human face on these things. It can seem just very abstract to say, 'oh you know, the dignity of the person' but when you put somebody face to face with somebody who was exploited by this process, or a now 20-something-year-old who was conceived with the sperm of an anonymous donor and who just feels really confused about identity, robbed of half of their biological heritage, robbed of important medical information that they ought to be able to know about themselves ... when you give these people faces that then really helps to bring it home, that there are real human harms and human costs." Clergy, feminists blast New Yorks commercial surrogacy bill as 'dangerous,' gravely immoral Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Following an unsuccessful attempt to legalize commercial surrogacy last year, New York state has reintroduced legislation that would allow the practice, which is drawing criticism from religious leaders and feminist groups. New York state Assembly Bill 1071 and its companion in the state Senate, Bill 2071, would lift prohibitions on surrogacy and allow for embryos created in a lab via in vitro fertilization using sperm and eggs that might or might not be from the couple procuring surrogacy services to be transferred to the womb of a surrogate. The surrogate mother would then, per legal contract, give up all rights to the child after it's born. Some religious leaders say the bill poses a danger to women and benefits those who are financially well-off. The surrogacy legislation is designed mainly to benefit wealthy men who can afford tens of thousands of dollars to pay baby brokers, at the expense of low-income women, said Kathleen M. Gallagher, director of pro-life activities for the New York State Catholic Conference, according to Catholic News Agency. The Catholic Church has decried surrogacy and artificial reproductive technologies that involve the "dissociation of husband and wife, by the intrusion of a person other than the couple (donation of sperm or ovum, surrogate uterus)," describing the practices as "gravely immoral" in its Catechism. The Catholic Church is not alone in its opposition to the New York bill. "No New Yorker should regard putting womens bodies up for sale as a civil rights advance, no matter whom it allegedly benefits. Women arent property," Natasha Chart, board chair of the radical feminist group Women's Liberation Front, told The Christian Post in an email on Friday. "The draconian contracts commonly used by the commercial surrogacy industry, the infliction of emotional trauma on birth mothers by controlling or dissatisfied clients, and the routine abandonment of children who arent what the clients were expecting, are all reasons why a growing number developing nations have forbidden this type of commercial exploitation of their female citizens." She added: "When countries like India have banned this after many years of trouble and hard experience with wealthy surrogacy tourists, we should be extremely suspicious of the motives of alleged progressives trying to introduce it as a civil rights advance in New York. Whose rights are they concerned with, I wonder? Because it doesnt sound like they were thinking about the women and children involved at all." The renewed push in New York comes after a failed attempt to scrap existing laws on surrogacy in 2019. The legislation passed in the state Senate but was never brought up for a vote in the Assembly. Surrogacy is increasingly being seen as falling under the LGBT rights umbrella, but the money factor has troubled some progressive lawmakers who might otherwise be supportive. It is pregnancy for a fee, Deborah Glick, a New York Democratic assemblywoman and the first openly gay member of the state Legislature, told The New York Times in June. And I find that commodification of women troubling. The debate has pitted some feminists against progressives and LGBT activists in the state. A letter sent to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, which was signed by feminist icon Gloria Steinem and a coalition of other women's rights advocates, asserted that women would be harmed by the legislation. "Our opposition to this bill emerges from our conviction that the legalization of commercial surrogacy contracts in New York state will undermine womens control over their bodies, thwart womens reproductive rights, render women vulnerable to reproductive trafficking and exploitation, and further subordinate and harm women, especially those who are economically disadvantaged, in our state," the letter sent last June states. Hartford Seminary gets $5M to study impact of pandemic on churches Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Thanks to a $5.3 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., Hartford Seminary in Connecticut is set to conduct new research into how congregations are adapting amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the school announced Monday. The Hartford Institute for Religion Research, which will lead the project, will examine how churches have changed in response to the pandemic and seminary President Joel N. Lohr said he could not be more proud of the investment in the work of HIRR. Not only is the grant award substantial, but the research it will support is incredibly important, building upon the outstanding 40-year history of the HIRR, Lohr said in a statement. Since the novel coronavirus pandemic first led to lockdowns in March 2020, the Church, like many other sectors of society, has had to make many changes, including a significant shift to digital worship, and recent studies show that many of those changes are likely to endure. One study, Trends in the Black Church, showed that black churchgoers have adapted so well to online church amid the pandemic some 41% of them now favor a hybrid model of in-person and online services, even after COVID-19 is no longer deemed as severe of a threat. Some 7% say they would rather their church services remain digital going forward, a new study has revealed. No longer able to pass the collection plate around because they were not able to gather physically, many churches also increasingly shifted to online giving platforms. In March 2020, as the seriousness of COVID-19 began to dawn on the world, denominational executives had warned pastors to protect their mental health as well as prepare for a longterm shift in the way the church worships. All of us are going to be stretched in ways we havent been stretched before, Doug Clay, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God, had warned church leaders. The Hartford study, titled Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations: Innovation Amidst and Beyond COVID-19, which previously received $300,000 to help with its design in 2020 from the Lilly Endowment, will track how churches evolved and adapted. Researchers like Scott Thumma, principal investigator of the project and director of HIRR, will now collaborate with a network of scholars and organizations around the nation who are researching the health and vitality of congregations. This moment is such a critical time for congregations. If churches can leverage the creative adaptations in response to the pandemic, the struggles of the last 18 months might lead to the revitalization of spiritual and worship practices, Thumma said. Our team is thrilled to be given this opportunity to take an active role in tracking that unfolding reality across the United States. We deeply appreciate Lilly Endowments faith in our project and our teams ability to undertake this vital exploration. Clare R. Feldman, chair of Hartford Seminarys Board of Trustees, said the benefits of the grant are numerous. Most noteworthy is that it will enable Hartford Seminary to study the impact of Covid-19 on congregational life and to make those findings available to religious leaders as they go forward, she said. Hartford Seminary is a nondenominational graduate school for religious and theological studies with a focus on interfaith dialogue. NC church to sell 1.9-acre property; proceeds will address homelessness, social needs Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment After more than two years of discussion, Biltmore United Methodist Church in Asheville, North Carolina, has voted to sell its 1.9-acre property so that the congregation can devote more resources to helping those in need within the community. The proceeds from the sale will fund an endowment to address homelessness, food access, health care, childrens needs and other priorities in partnership with local nonprofits in the city, according to The Transylvania Times. Asheville, the city with the highest cost of living in the Tarheel State, has a total of 527 homeless people, according to The City of Asheville's 2021 Point-in-Time count conducted on Jan 27, 2021. Imagining a new model for what a faith community can look like, Biltmore UMC Council Chair Mike Moyer told The Transylvania Times the endowment could "provide seed money for nonprofit partners to launch new initiatives." He added that "church leaders envision an ongoing ministry of presence for whichever projects they take on." The church is the people not the building, Moyer was quoted as saying. We are a smaller community now, and we want to be free to be the hands and feet of Christ. At one point, the Biltmore United Methodist Church, which has been servicing Methodists since World War II, had roughly 250 congregants attending services in 1990. But over the years, membership reportedly declined due to the opening of Interstate 40 next to the campus and the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the church reopened in April 2021, according to the church's Facebook page, the closure took its toll on the church. The Transylvania Times reports that the church was separated from central Asheville over the years and surrounded by medical offices and commercial buildings. The newspaper added that the population shifted in the area toward the towns of Skyland, Arden and Fletcher, which has made it more difficult for the church to attract congregants. With all these changes, the church faced increasing expenses. The churchs leadership considered changes that needed to be made. The Wesley Community Development Corporation, a United Methodist-affiliated nonprofit real estate firm, will help the church with the re-purposing and selling process. Church leaders reportedly drew inspiration from their experience in Seeds of Change, a series of workshops led by Wesley CDC for churches to learn how to better use their properties for more effective ministry. Theres no shortage of things we could plug into, Moyer stated. And we dont want to just give out money. We want to be invested. If it means turning dirt, painting a wall well still be Christs disciples. Despite repurposing the church building, Biltmore United Methodist Church will still exist as a church. However, they will need a new place for their services. As the sale is being finalized, the church offers live virtual church services on its Facebook page. The church has held some in-person services in various locations. The Christian Post reached out to Rev. Lucy Robbins for comment. But no response was received by press time. Various congregants have shared their love for the church over the last several years on the church's Facebook page. This church is in the word ... peppy and spirit-led, posted church member Rebecca Austin. The most wonderful, warm group of people you can imagine. ... We were amazed. They seemed like a real family of hundreds of loving people, said another visitor, Sharon Bollum. Another congregant, Joey Bailey, wrote on Facebook that he found the church very welcoming whenever he visited during previous Easter seasons. It was how I would expect from a church in welcoming visitors and engaging in a worship service focused on God, he wrote. Whether you are traveling and in Asheville on a Sunday to attend or living there in Asheville, take the opportunity to fellowship with these believers. I know we will be attending again. Puredi Hillary who co-founded Puredi Hillary Ministries arrested for child sex abuse Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Puredi Hillary, the well balanced man of God that everyone finds enjoyable to be around, who co-founded Puredi Hillary Ministries, INC., also known as Shiloh Tabernacle Church in Rancho Cucamonga, California, has been arrested for child sex abuse, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department announced. In a statement released last Thursday, authorities said the Specialized Investigations Division, Crimes Against Children Detail at the sheriffs office was contacted by a 14-year-old female who alleged that she was sexually abused between the ages of 9 and 12. An investigation was conducted and Hillary, 67, was identified as the suspect. Hillary was arrested and charged with continuous sexual abuse of a minor and lewd and lascivious acts with a child younger than 14. He was booked into West Valley Detention Center and is being held with a bail of $350,000. Anyone with information regarding the investigation is urged to contact Detective Rachel Young at the Crimes Against Children Detail. Calls made by The Christian Post to Puredi Hillary Ministries, INC went unanswered Tuesday. The ministry also disabled its website. Information from cached pages of the website show that the ministry was started by Hillary and his wife, Ruth, in January 2001. The church said three years before Hillary was born, God told his parents, a military American man and [a] Japanese nurse that God would use him mightily. God also told them to name him Puredi, which means Pure in the eyes of God. Hillary would go on to get saved at the age of 6, but lost his way while studying at UCLA. During one of his times of partying at the fraternity parties, a big electric blue hand came through the ceiling and pointed at him. One person who was with him asked him if he had seen it, to which he responded yes. That person continued to say that it seemed like God was telling him to stop using drugs, the church said. He would later become sick, but no one could diagnose him. It wasnt until he repented that God healed him and restored him spiritually and physically. After that episode in his life, he started attending a Filipino church in Los Angeles where he met his wife. They would go on to get pastoral training and receive ordination at a well-known denomination that was not named. He started attending a Filipino church in LA and taught Sunday school there, the same place where he met Ruth. Both Puredi and Ruth received pastoral training and ordination in a well-known denomination. Both Apostle Puredi and Apostle Ruth have a burning desire for more intimacy with God and to see people get saved, delivered and experience the ABUNDANT life here on earth that Jesus promised. God continues graciously to give the apostles fresh manna as they diligently seek Him. God's GLORY is continuously seen in their lives and is ever increasing. Those around them are being touched by that glory as well, the church said. Apostle Puredi's funny sense of humor, yet deep seriousness in regards to God and His word, makes him a well-balanced man of God that everyone finds enjoyable to be around. He is also considered a father by many and walks in the apostolic prophetic mantle that has a cutting edge," the church added. Sen. Rand Paul pushes for criminal investigation into Anthony Fauci: He 'lied to Congress' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has called for a criminal investigation into Dr. Anthony Fauci, who the senator accused of lying to Congress about the funding of gain-of-function research that many believe led to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Tuesday, Paul asked the U.S. Department of Justice to open a criminal investigation into Fauci, who, as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has positioned himself as the face of the government's COVID-19 response and denied that the National Institutes of Health had funded gain-of-function research at a lab in Wuhan, China. Paul announced his intention to request that Attorney General Merrick Garland pursue charges against Fauci during an appearance on Fox News Hannity Tuesday night: I will be sending a letter to the Department of Justice asking for a criminal referral because he has lied to Congress. The Washington Examiner obtained a copy of the letter that Paul wrote to Garland and shared excerpts from it on Saturday. I write to urge the United States Department of Justice to open an investigation into testimony made to the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions by Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on May 11, 2021, it reads in part. Pauls call for a criminal investigation into Fauci followed a testy exchange between the two during a July 20 Senate hearing on COVID-19 response where Fauci was asked about the NIH's funding of research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origins of the novel coronavirus. Faucis appearance before the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, came more than a year after he first claimed that the virus occurred in nature, despite increasing evidence that supports the hypothesis that it was a manufactured virus that escaped from the lab in China that was being funded by American taxpayers. The allegation that Fauci committed a federal crime results from comments he made during a May 11 hearing before the committee where he had a separate contentious exchange with the senator. After Paul characterized gain-of-function research as juicing up naturally occurring animal viruses to infect humans, he explained that Dr. Ralph Baric, a virologist in the U.S., has been collaborating with Dr. Shi Zengli of the Wuhan Virology Institute, sharing his discoveries about how to create superviruses using a grant provided by the NIH. This gain-of-function research has been funded by the NIH. The collaboration between the U.S. and the Wuhan Virology Institute continues, the senator added. When Paul asked Fauci if he still supported the NIH funding gain-of-function research at the WIV, the epidemiologist repeatedly denied that the NIH ever awarded such funding. The NIH has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology, asserted Fauci, who's also the highest-paid employee in the federal government and medical advisor to President Joe Biden. As Paul continued to press Fauci on the matter, Fauci thrice denied that the NIH, which oversees the NIAID, provided the Wuhan lab with funding to conduct gain-of-function research. More than two months later, during the July 20 hearing, Paul cited testimony from Dr. Richard Ebright, a molecular biologist at Rutgers University, who concluded that research conducted in Wuhan matches, indeed epitomizes, the definition of gain-of-function research. Ebright told National Review that the Wuhan lab used NIH funding to construct novel chimeric SARS-related coronaviruses able to infect human cells and laboratory animals. According to Ebright, This is high-risk research that creates new potential pandemic pathogens (i.e., potential pandemic pathogens that only exist in a lab, not in nature). The scientist noted that federal funding for this research was paused between 2014 and 2017. Paul cited Ebrights analysis, which was featured in a National Review article published just two days after Faucis May 11 testimony, in addition to mentioning that lying to Congress constitutes a crime when questioning Fauci on Tuesday. He then asked Fauci if he wanted to retract his statement claiming that the NIH never funded gain-of-research in Wuhan. I have never lied before the Congress and I do not retract that statement, Fauci responded. This paper that you are referring to was judged by qualified staff up and down the chain as not being gain-of-function. Exasperated, Fauci responded by raising his voice in response to the senator, saying, you do not know what you are talking about regarding the definition of gain-of-function research. The two sparred about the semantics of the definition before Paul vowed that There will be responsibility for those who funded the lab, including yourself. According to Section 1001 of the U.S. Criminal Code, any government official who makes materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements could face up to five years in prison. Paul brought up this statute in his letter to Garland. As The Christian Post previously reported, the Department of Health and Human Services has opened an investigation into the NIHs grant program for international research as the debate about the origins of the coronavirus continues. Earlier this year, Paul sponsored an amendment to the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act of 2021 that would prohibit the National Institutes of Health and any other Federal agency from funding gain-of-function research conducted in China. The amendment passed by voice vote. The Wall Street Journal's editorial board noted in June that the NIH gave nearly $600,000 to the WIV through a nonprofit called EcoHealth Alliance to study bat coronaviruses and how they infect human cells. After many raised concerns that the virus wasn't natural and suspected that its origins came from the Wuhan lab, Fauci and other scientists touted a letter published in The Lancet that claimed the lab leak hypothesis was nothing more than a "conspiracy." That letter, however, was "organized by Peter Daszak, president of the EcoHealth Alliance, which had funneled the NIH money to the WIV," the Journal's editorial board said, adding that Fauci and "his allies have obvious conflicts of interest" given their close ties to Daszak. "Mr. Daszak, Dr. Fauci and all researchers involved in gain-of-function research would suffer significant reputational damage and perhaps lose funding if scientific research they supported caused a pandemic," the editorial board added. As of Monday afternoon, the coronavirus pandemic is estimated to have killed more than 4 million people worldwide, including more than 600,000 Americans. Tony Evans suggests biblical response to critical race theory as tensions mount Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment As tensions continue to mount nationally over critical race theory, prominent Dallas Pastor Tony Evans of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship has suggested a biblical response to the controversial social construct called Kingdom race theology. I define 'Kingdom race theology' as the reconciled recognition, affirmation and celebration of the divinely created ethnic differences through which God displays His multifaceted glory, as His people justly, righteously and responsibly function personally and corporately in unity under the Lordship of Jesus Christ," Evans said during a comprehensive presentation on critical race theory with his church on Wednesday, July 14. The session was followed by part two on Wednesday, July 21. "My concern is that we as Christians will spend so much time fighting off a CRT, we dont get around to KRT." Evans presentation on CRT comes as the subject continues to explode in religious and secular spheres, fueling tribal divisions. Several states have sought to limit CRT teaching in classrooms. During a speech to conservatives in Phoenix, Arizona, former President Donald Trump called CRT a poisonous left-wing doctrine and flagrant racism that is being forced in every facet of our society. "Earlier this year, Biden signed an executive order pushing toxic, critical race theory into our childrens schools and into our military," Trump said on Saturday, Fox News reported. "This poisonous left-wing doctrine is flagrant racism, plain and simple, and it has no place in our schools, no place in our military and no place in our country." In Evans' presentation earlier this month, the pastor sought to give a measured explanation of the theory. He defined CRT as "a post-Civil Rights, social construct that seeks to demonstrate how unjust laws have served as the embedded foundation and filter through which racist attitudes, behavior, policies and structures have been rooted throughout the fabric of America, American life and systems even after those laws were changed. So the fruit, like Adams sin carries fruit, the fruit of unrighteous laws still express themselves in the structures of society, whether theyre educational, whether theyre political, whether they are social, whether they deal with criminal justice issues, whether theyre economic," he said. "Because the laws [previously] affected all of society, it, therefore, infiltrated all of society the argument of CRT goes so that even today, many people have to struggle with the issue of racism, not because its a law, but because its an environment that was affected by laws." Evans, who leads a predominantly black congregation, went on to define other terms, including "racism" and "systemic racism." He defined "racism" as the "conscious or subconscious or unconscious belief in the superiority of one race over another race or ethnicities, which manifests itself in a variety of dismissive, oppressive, exploitive ways." The author defined "systemic racism" as the "presence of secular resultant effects of racist practices and processes embedded in and shaping the social, political, economic, legal, educational, infrastructural, medical systems and policies of a society initially established and perpetuated by the government." "These then overlap and interconnect in such a way as to give an unjust advantage of resources, rights, mindsets and privilege for a majority number of one race while denying or limiting it to a majority number of another race or ethnicities," he said, adding: "This is often called white privilege." The Dallas pastor explained how the conversation on CRT became conflated with other issues, such as The 1619 Project developed by Nikole Hannah-Jones for The New York Times and the Black Lives Matter organization. Many Christians oppose BLM due to its support for unbiblical values concerning the family and transgenderism. CRT was concerned about racist laws. CRT was not concerned with 1619; 1619 came after CRT, but it got plugged into it. So now the issue is, is CRT saying that America was established to be a racist nation? So now, CRT has gotten pregnant with a bigger issue about the definition of America, Evans said. Since CRT has been conflated with different issues that people cant seem to agree on, Evans suggested his "Kingdom race theology" as a solution inspired by Ephesians 2. Now, let me defend my new thing. Go to Ephesians 2 ... and Ill highlight, Ill walk through this and hit the high points. Therefore remember that formally you [are] the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by the so-called circumcision, okay? Thats the way the Jews, the circumcision, called the Gentiles. They called them names. They called them the N-word," Evans explained. "The Jews, circumcision, would look at a Gentile and call them uncircumcision. Or, and sometimes they call them uncircumcised dogs. So it was demeaning." "This is Paul writing the Christians at Ephesus," he added. "These are Jews and Gentiles in the same church. And Paul says yall used to call each other names. You know why they did, [because] that was their history, their background, it was their reality. Evans noted that despite the history between the Jews and the Gentiles in the Church at the time, the Apostle Paul encouraged them in Scripture to find common ground as Christians. Paul has to make this point: Yall are now Christians, youre going to the same Church. So its time for new rules,'" he stated. "I know there was racial division, and theres a lot of racial issues in the Bible. I know all of that. But let me tell you how we [are going to] move forward from here. He says, call the uncircumcision by the so-called circumcision." The pastor stressed that if people are "spending more time discussing CRT" than they are discussing "KRT," then they have been "tricked by the world." "You should know about it. You should understand it. Ive tried to give you a brief overview. But no, no, no, [Paul] says, No. We got to start now," Evans stressed. "We got the history. He even says we were name-calling. But now, in Christ, there are new rules. And if you will abide by the new rules of Christ, we will create something new." Evans assured that while the world fights, Christians "have peace in [the Church] because were operating on one new man." "When I drink my coffee, I got black coffee, but I got white cream. ... Well, what I do is, I put white cream in black coffee. When I put white cream in black coffee, I got something new [because] what I started with is not how it looks right now. What was white and black is now brown because I have put something new together, which makes it drinkable for me." Evans told the audience that God cant drink what were offering Him." "Because black people are offering him black. White people are offering Him white," Evans said. "And God said you better put some cream up in this coffee. Unmasking the Horrors of Rent-a-Womb Inc.: A Review of '#Big Fertility: It's All About the Money' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment If you know of any woman considering becoming a surrogate mom, I implore you, please move heaven and earth to convince her not to proceed. Really, I mean it, pull out all the stops and tell her in no uncertain terms to steer completely clear of surrogacy, especially if she is being enticed by the sums of money offered in fertility agency ads. Might I also suggest that you send her a copy of "Big Fertility: It's All About the Money," a recently released documentary by the Center for Bioethics and Culture, which I just watched over the weekend. Before I go any further, I must say that I am a huge fan of the work of the filmmakers, the CBC's Jennifer Lahl and Matthew Eppinette, as I have engaged them both a few times in the past couple of years while reporting on bioethics issues here at The Christian Post. I can always count on them for insightful comments on the most morally complex and sensitive of topics that far too few Christians consider. And last year I interviewed Jennifer about this very film just before she traveled to South Dakota to shoot it. (Full disclosure: I am also a contributor to this project via their Kickstarter campaign). Regrettably, like so many other large industries, "Big Fertility" effectively explains what the fertility industry is ultimately concerned about no matter how many lives it wrecks: money. And that wreckage is plentiful and gut-wrenching. Yet all too often, the harms inherent in this industry go unseen because commercial surrogacy is almost always portrayed in U.S. media as a sweet, wonderful thing. Key to this portrayal is the cunning way in which it is marketed, appealing to women who want to "help" someone who for whatever reason cannot have a child on her own, without disclosing any of the serious health risks. The film recounts in riveting detail the journey of three-time surrogate Kelly Martinez and her husband Jay, a couple originally from Iowa who thought that third party reproduction could be a good option for them. They were economically disadvantaged and wanted to get ahead financially. Kelly had always had relatively easy pregnancies with her own children and because of that did not believe it would be a particularly burdensome venture. But as Lahl often points out, you'll never hear of a Hollywood celebrity offering to be a surrogate for her low-income housekeeper. It's the rich who can buy; it is poor women who are the ones selling their eggs and renting out their wombs. Kelly would soon find out there is much more to it than what the fertility agencies say in their glossy brochures and sophisticated presentations. In a compelling 45 minutes, Kelly bravely shares her vulnerabilities and hesitations she had as she faced hurdles she didn't see coming when she signed up to be a surrogate. From firsthand experience she authoritatively exposes the bullying and other abusive dynamics that were set in motion when artificial reproductive operators and their clients became the overseers of her life in such intimate fashion. Because of all the costs and fees associated with these arrangements as the desired baby is essentially being bought, the intended parents the "buyers," if you will get to stipulate their many demands and preferences in the surrogacy contracts. And often their requirements are appallingly slavish. The surrogate mothers have no choice but to obey them if they want to be compensated. Kelly's first surrogate pregnancy was for two men using a donor egg from an unnamed woman from France who gave the impression they were legally married when they were not and who asked her to be deceptive in the mountains of legal paperwork in order for them to take the child back to Europe. Although it was a difficult ordeal, Kelly opted to become a surrogate a second time, this time using the intended mother's egg and intended father's sperm. She thought it would be better than the first go round because the couple was from the same state and the paperwork and politics that come with transactions across international borders would not be an issue, and the additional money was a needed bonus. But while the second surrogate pregnancy was relatively normal, the intended mother fell gravely ill as a result of the egg extraction process and almost died, causing Kelly great psychological distress. That couple is now divorced, compounding the trauma. But the third surrogacy was by far the most horrifying and the film spends considerable time explaining how it went in detail. A couple from Spain that liked Kelly's online profile hired her to be their surrogate and they paid the fertility agency for twins, a boy and a girl. Kelly was never informed of this and after the embryos were implanted, the female embryo split off and the male embryo divided. She was pregnant with twin boys, and although it was not Kelly's fault the Spanish couple became furious with her. Then they put her through pure hell. I really don't want to give too much away here, but the things they said and did were staggeringly awful. Once the babies were born the couple took them home to Spain, and Kelly almost died as a result of the medical complications that happened with this pregnancy and ended up being saddled with thousands of dollars in medical debt. Creditors began harassing her for the money because although the fertility agency said they would pay for it all, they did not, and the charges were in her name. The agency only paid the bill when the Martinezes threatened to come to Spain along with Lahl, whom I'm sure they fear and loathe. Lahl is to be commended for her tireless work on behalf of Kelly and others. Interspersed between Kelly and Jay's accounts of the events, she supplies expert commentary explaining how these systems often work, drawing upon her background as a pediatric critical care nurse, hospital administrator and bioethcist. The bottom line is that the fertility industry profits handsomely off the bodies of women, and there is much money to be made with every procured pregnancy. Monetizing the womb, Lahl stresses in the movie, is not an ethical nor healthy approach to real fertility medicine. And Kelly's story is not particularly unique, she explains. Aspects of her ordeal mirrors those of many women who have been similarly exploited. These women reach out to Lahl in desperation because they have nowhere else to turn. "Big Fertility" concludes by forcefully asserting why surrogacy is not only unwise but is an injustice, a gross human rights violation. I concur completely. Surrogacy is indeed a form of child trafficking that enslaves women, treating them as though they are livestock to be bred for the desires of the wealthy. No matter how cutting edge the medical technology and carefully worded the legal contracts, there is simply no ethically right or noble way to do it. Additionally, it represents the very worst of predatory capitalism, exploiting the economically disadvantaged who are often racial minorities. Human beings are not commodities to be rented, bought and sold. Every Christian should vigorously oppose it, and I must add here that it distresses me greatly to encounter so many sincere believers who have never thought through this issue and its implications. Our society rightfully forbids a pregnant woman from selling her baby to would-be parents after the child is born, yet somehow has no objection if cash-seeking lawyers and businessmen book a woman's uterus for a baby pre-pregnancy. This is scandalous. When testifying earlier this year in Washington state against a bill legalizing commercial surrogacy (which passed and was signed into law, unfortunately), Lahl recounted her interactions with the many women she knows who have been gravely damaged in these arrangements. She inquired of legislators (see video below), urging them to reconsider the legislation: "How many? How many children must be harmed? How many women must be harmed?" We should all be asking ourselves such questions. Judge blocks Arkansas law banning puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and gender surgery for kids Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A federal judge has temporarily blocked an Arkansas law banning the use of experimental drugs and gender-transition surgeries on minors, which was set to take effect next week in the state. The law, called the Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act, was adopted earlier this year in the southern state after lawmakers overrode Gov. Asa Hutchinson's veto of the bill. Hutchinson, a Republican, said in April that the measure was extreme and overbroad and that it could not be defended on limited government grounds. The law was scheduled to be enacted on July 28. Led by Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, he and Republican attorneys general of 17 states Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas filed an amicus brief in federal court last Tuesday in support of the Arkansas law. Wednesday's judicial injunction against the law comes as four trans-identifying young people, two doctors, and the American Civil Liberties Union came together to file a lawsuit against the state, arguing that the statute violates their constitutional rights. The judge said that their motions could indeed be successful at trial. To pull this care midstream from these patients, or minors, would cause irreparable harm, U.S. District Judge Jay Moody, who issued the ruling, said in a statement. Praising the decision, Holly Dickson, the executive director of the Arkansas chapter of the ACLU, said the ruling sends a message to other states that her organization will not allow the medicalized gender transitioning of children to be taken away from youth. Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, a Republican, intends to appeal the ruling, promising to defend the law. I will not sit idly by while radical groups such as the ACLU use our children as pawns for their own social agenda, she said. Likewise, family advocates in favor of the law said they believe the truth about the nature of these contested medical practices and procedures will eventually win out. "We are disappointed but not surprised that a judge has placed a temporary hold on the Arkansas law that protects children from unscientific, experimental, and destructive gender transition procedures. However, we are confident that ultimately state lawmakers will remain free to protect the health and safety of children, said Tony Perkins, president of the Washington-based Family Research Council, in a statement emailed to The Christian Post. "The legal challenge to this law is being mounted by a political movement that advocates for using off-label drugs and experimental procedures on minors. Yet a growing number of individuals are coming forward to share their stories of being permanently disfigured and/or sterilized from procedures such as puberty-blocking drugs, cross-sex hormones, and irreversible surgeries. The truth about the dangers of these life-altering procedures cannot be ignored," he said. The intensifying legal disputes in the United States regarding the medicalization of gender, especially as it pertains to minors, comes as European nations are moving away from the experimental practices. Late last year, the High Court of Justice in the United Kingdom ruled in a judicial review that children younger than 16 are unlikely to be mature enough to consent to taking irreversible chemical puberty-blocking drugs given the significant risks and repercussions to their health. The ruling is presently being appealed, and a subsequent decision in March held that parents could give consent on behalf of their minor children. Earlier this year in Sweden, the prominent Karolinska Hospital said that as of April 1, puberty blockers would no longer be given to youth younger than 16, and their statement referenced the U.K. ruling as part of their rationale. In June of last year, health authorities in Finland revised their professional guidelines by prioritizing psychological help and support over experimental medicine, especially for young people whose gender dysphoria came about after puberty. Pro-Life Democrats praise Manchins support for Hyde; urge Democrat gov. to run for president in 2024 Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A group of pro-life Democrats has praised Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., for working to preserve a longstanding ban on the use of taxpayer dollars to pay for abortions and is calling on another pro-life Democrat to seek the White House in 2024. Manchin co-wrote a letter calling on the influential Senate Appropriations Committee to include the Hyde Amendment in the Department of Health and Human Services funding bill for fiscal year 2022, slated to begin Oct. 1. The letter, dated Wednesday, was co-authored by Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and addressed to Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., as well as the committees ranking member, Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala. We write to express our support for the Hyde Amendment, which has been included in annual appropriations bills on a bipartisan basis since 1976, they began. The senators explained that this amendment prohibits federal funding for elective abortion coverage, except in the case of rape, incest, or if the mothers life is in danger, through any program funded through the Labor, Health, and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act. The letter concluded with a warning that repealing this provision would eliminate over 40 years of bipartisan precedent. In an interview with The Christian Post, Dan Green, the national communications director for the pro-life group Democrats for Life of America, praised Manchins letter as awesome, adding, Joe Manchin has personally promised to us that hell do everything he can to save the Hyde Amendment. According to Green, We fully expect that he will maintain Hyde in the Senate and that it ultimately will be in the final bill. Manchins vow to support the preservation of the Hyde Amendment is significant because of the Democrats narrow majority in the Senate. Democrats hold 50 of the 100 seats, with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the tie-breaking vote. Based on the math, if Manchin and all Republicans oppose the passage of a spending bill without the Hyde Amendment, such a bill would lack the votes necessary to pass in the chamber. Manchin and Wickers plea to save the Hyde Amendment comes as Democrats in the House of Representatives have already taken the first steps to repeal the provision. Early last week, a House subcommittee approved a spending bill for the Department of Health and Human Services that did not include the Hyde Amendment. Later in the week, House Democrats on the powerful House Appropriations Committee blocked an effort by Republicans to restore the Hyde Amendment in the spending bill. As the full chamber has yet to approve the spending bill omitting Hyde, Democrats for Life of America has worked to put pressure on Democratic lawmakers who have previously supported Hyde or have identified themselves as Democrats. The advocacy organization partnered with the pro-life group Students for Life of America to hold two Mobilize for Hyde rallies outside the offices of Reps. Brendan Boyle in Philadelphia and Tim Ryan in Akron, Ohio. Additionally, the group had people drop off #SaveHyde pledges at the offices of 10 additional congressional Democrats asking them not to support a spending bill that did not include the longstanding provision. Green estimated that about 25 people turned out at each of the two rallies, with an even mix of Students for Life members and DFLA activists. He told CP that his organization planned on holding similar rallies outside the offices of Democratic senators who have supported Hyde in the past, specifically mentioning Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Tim Kaine, D-Va. Green contended that it was not necessary to hold a rally outside Manchins office because he has expressed his support for keeping Hyde. While a date has not been set for such rallies, Green predicted that they will take place sometime in August. After stressing that DFLA has grown a ton in the past year, Green expressed disappointment with how the Biden administration has handled the issue of abortion so far: Everything that has been done has been very damaging, especially not including the Hyde Amendment [in the administrations budget request]. In addition to criticizing the Biden administrations abortion policies, Green indicated that DFLA was working to recruit Gov. John Bel Edwards, D-La., to run for president in 2024: Were trying to start a draft to get John Bel Edwards to run for president in 2024. We want John Bel Edwards to run for president, we want a pro-life Democrat running for president and we think he would be an incredible one. I think that despite the challenges right now, I think the pro-life movement is growing, I think its becoming more diverse, I see that with our work at DFLA, he maintained. In this kind of post-Trump era, Im seeing a lot of more liberal pro-lifers rise up, some more diverse pro-lifers who come from different backgrounds like atheists, nontraditional backgrounds, and I think were starting to build a more bipartisan movement that isnt just conservatives who are pro-life but are just people from all different backgrounds. In addition to Democrats for Life of America, the Susan B. Anthony List also reacted favorably to the fact that a Senate Democrat would speak out in favor of the Hyde Amendment, especially given the Democrats narrow margin of control in the chamber and the House Democrats efforts to eliminate it. In a statement, Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the pro-life group, thanked Manchin and Wicker for reaffirming strong bipartisan support for the Hyde Amendment after pro-abortion House Democrats stripped Hyde and other key pro-life policies from their spending bills. Forcing taxpayers to be complicit in the destruction of innocent life by funding abortion on demand through birth is abhorrent, she added. House Democrats bill is too extreme to pass the Senate and they push a radical political agenda at their own political peril. Green agreed that embracing a spending bill without the Hyde Amendment and continuing to embrace far-left policies on abortion would cost Democrats politically. If the Democrats dont moderate on this issue, especially in the 2022 midterms, I would expect them to lose a lot of seats because they are doing things that are highly unpopular with the American people in terms of abortion. As Manchin and Wicker noted in their letter, Recent public polls show almost 60 percent of Americans oppose or strongly oppose using taxpayer dollars to support abortion. Both Democrat and Republican presidents have signed the law. It has passed through both Democrat and Republican controlled Congresses. Since both the Senate and the House have to agree on the contents of the budget bill, Manchins opposition to a spending bill without the Hyde Amendment could pave the way for a stalemate between the two chambers. If the House and the Senate fail to reach an agreement by midnight on Oct. 1, the government will shut down unless lawmakers agree to support a continuing resolution that will fund most of the federal government at existing levels of spending for a limited period of time. New York bans child marriage, turns planned protest into celebration Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A planned protest in New York City against child marriage will now be a celebration next month after Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation Thursday raising the age of consent to be married in New York State to 18. "This administration fought hard to successfully end child marriage in New York and I'm proud to sign this legislation to strengthen our laws and further protect vulnerable children from exploitation," Cuomo said in a statement. "Children should be allowed to live their childhood and I thank the many legislators and advocates who worked diligently to advance this measure and further prevent forced marriages in this state." Cuomo signed legislation in 2017 that raised the age to marry from 14 to 18. But the 2017 bill allowed 17 year olds to get married with parental and judicial consent. The new legislation is named Nalias Law after a survivor forced into child marriage and is expected to take effect within the next month. The law makes New York only the sixth U.S. state to end all marriage before 18 with no exceptions, according to Unchained at Last, the only nonprofit in the U.S. dedicated to helping women and girls leave or avoid arranged, forced or child marriages. Fraidy Reiss, Unchained at Lasts executive director, who survived a forced marriage in Brooklyn, had pledged Tuesday to "Chain-In" outside Cuomos Manhattan office every Wednesday starting Aug. 4 in bridal gown and chains until he signed the bill. Cuomo took action on the legislation, however. So now, instead of a protest, the group is planning to celebrate. We have been pushing to end child marriage in New York since 2015. Along with our allies in the New York Coalition to End Child Marriage, we met with or called every state legislator multiple times," a statement from the organization reads. "We submitted memos of support. We Chained-In in Manhattan and Albany to demand an end to child marriage." Unchained at Last called it "a good day for girls in New York." "Now lets do the same for girls in another 44 states. #18NoExceptions," the statement added. In a study published in April, the organization found that nearly 300,000 minors under age 18 were legally married in the U.S. between 2000 and 2018. Some of these minors were as young as 10. But a majority were 16 or 17. Most of the minor girls were married to adult men who were an average of four years older. In a statement Thursday, State Sen. Julia Salazar, who pushed for the legislation, praised the work of Unchained At Last to make the law a reality. "Regardless of maturity level, minors lack sufficient legal rights and autonomy that they need to protect them if they enter a marriage contract before becoming adults," Salazar said. "The vast majority of minors who enter a marriage are teenage girls, and getting married before adulthood often has devastating consequences for them. I thank Governor Cuomo for signing this bill to finally prohibit child marriage without exceptions in New York, and commend the continued work of Unchained At Last in advocating to prohibit child marriage nationwide." Democratic Assemblyman Phil Ramos also praised the new legislation as protection for vulnerable young girls. "The cruel and callous practice of child marriage has traumatized too many children to count," he said. "Nalia's Law, which will raise the age of consent for marriage to 18 and prohibit marriage if either person is underage, is named after one brave survivor of forced child marriage who I was lucky enough to meet. With the passage of this crucial legislation, minors in New York will be further protected from this predatory practice, and we can prevent stories like Nalia's from repeating themselves." The signing of the New York bill comes over a month after Gov. Daniel McKee of Rhode Island signed a bill to ban marriage before the age of 18. Other states that have enacted similar laws include Delaware, Minnesota, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Republicans have more confidence in church, military, police than Democrats: Gallup poll Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Americans' confidence in most major societal institutions has decreased since 2020 amid a tumultuous year impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, a heated presidential election and increased tension, Gallup's annual "Confidence in Institutions" poll shows. The poll compared the levels of confidence Republicans and Democrats have in 16 of the leading American societal institutions. The poll is based on telephone interviews conducted June 1 through July 5 with a random sample of 1,381 adults living in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The sampling error has a margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The results indicated Republicans have more confidence than Democrats in the church or organized religion, military, police and small business. Democrats, however, showed higher levels of confidence in public schools, newspapers, large technology companies, Congress and the medical system. In 2021, 37% of respondents said they have a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in the church or organized religion. About 51% of Republicans or those who lean Republican and 26% of Democrats or those who lean Democrats said the same. Majorities of respondents from both parties (78% of Republicans and 62% of Democrats) said they have a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in the military. The largest partisan gap in confidence for any of the institutions listed was the presidency, where 62% of Democrats or Democrat leaners reported having a "great deal" or "quite a lot" confidence. In comparison, 13% of Republicans or Republican leaners said the same. The second-largest partisan gap between the two leading parties was confidence in the police, with 45 percentage points separating the two parties. About 76% of Republicans reported having a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in the police, while only 31% of Democrats said the same. Both political parties showed little confidence in the media. But the poll suggests that Republicans are far more skeptical of both television news and newspapers. Americans overall have the most confidence in small business, with 70% of all respondents saying they have a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence. Meanwhile, 69% said they have the same confidence levels in the military and 51% reported having similar confidence levels in the police. Forty-four percent of respondents said they have "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in the medical system. The institutions that scored the lowest percentages of Americans with a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence were Congress, television news, big business and the criminal justice system. Confidence in the police was the only institution of the 16 measured with increased confidence from 2020 to 2021, a 3-percentage-point increase. Of the 16 institutions measured, confidence in public schools saw the greatest overall drop of 9 percentage points from a 41% confidence in 2020 to a 32% confidence in 2021. The survey comes as public school education has been a source of contention lately due to clashes over transgender policies, mask mandates, online learning and components of critical race theory slipping into curriculums across the country. Congress or big business has reportedly ranked at the bottom of the list since 2007. Megan Brenan, a research consultant at Gallup, wrote in her analysis that confidence levels seem to have leveled out to more typical levels from before the pandemic. In 2020, confidence in several specific institutions increased as the nation dealt with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, Brenan wrote. These include some of the business and societal sectors most affected by the public health and financial effects of the coronavirus situation, including the medical system, public schools, small business, organized religion and banks." This year, these same five institutions show the greatest decreases in confidence, she continued. However, they all are perceived at least slightly better than they were in 2019 before the pandemic. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment More than 22,000 firefighters fought extreme fire behavior across the West Sunday as homes burned and thousands of residents fled fast-spreading flames. The largest fire in the US was still growing on Sunday, one of 88 large wildfires crews are battling throughout the country. Six new large fires were reported Saturday. California has seen a 257 percent increase in acres burned so far compared to 2020. A fire behavior analyst blames the critically dry weather for good reason: scientists say the current drought is setting a 122-year record. Almost 90 percent of the Western US is now considered to be in drought. The drought currently extends from the West Coast eastward into Minnesota and Wisconsin. Is this the judgment of God? "Heaven is shut up and there is no rain There is no question that God sometimes uses drought as judgment on sin. He sent a drought against Israel in the days of Elijah (1 Kings 17:1) and called for a drought on the land and the hills in the days of Haggai (Haggai 1:11). Solomon foresaw a day when heaven is shut up and there is no rain because of the peoples sin (1 Kings 8:35). Jeremiah 14 depicts such judgment in stark terms: The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought: Judah mourns, and her gates languish; her people lament on the ground, and the cry of Jerusalem goes up' (vv. 12). The drought affected rich as well as poor (v. 3) and was so severe that the farmers are ashamed; they cover their heads (v. 4) and wildlife were suffering as well (vv. 56). Jeremiah responded by confessing the sins of his people and praying for divine mercy: Though our iniquities testify against us, act, O Lord, for your names sake; for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against you (v. 7). He acknowledged that the Lord is the one true God and thus the only one who could save them: Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are you not he, O Lord our God? We set our hope on you, for you do all these things (v. 23). Defeating the gods of Egypt The Bible clearly teaches that God sometimes uses natural disasters to judge sin and call sinners to repentance. In such cases, however, he warns the people first through his prophets and other representatives, as with Moses before Pharaoh (Exodus 512). If they will not repent, he responds directly to their sins. For example, each of the plagues against Egypt was a direct defeat of one of Egypts pagan gods (cf. Exodus 12:12). It would be easy for me as a conservative Christian to blame the West Coast drought on the sins of some who live there. The immorality championed by some in Hollywood and the irreligiosity of many in Washington and Oregon are well known, for example. But the drought includes Idaho, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsinstates not known for immorality or irreligiosity. Unlike the plagues of Egypt, the current drought is not the consequence of specific sins. Nor am I aware of prophetic warnings issued by the Lord before the drought began. As a result, I do not view the current drought as Gods active judgment against the western US, but as a consequence of living in a fallen and broken world (Romans 8:22). We see such tragedies daily, as with the sandstorm yesterday in Utah that caused a series of car crashes, killing at least seven people, and the heavy rains that flooded subways in New York early this month. However, I am convinced that God wants to use the drought and wildfires to teach us a vitally important lesson. Night is coming, when no man can work Early Christians lived with urgency born out of reality. Life expectancy in the Roman world was half of rates today. Christians were especially in perilmore than a million died for Jesus in the first three centuries of the Christian era. But their urgency was not just a product of their circumstances. They knew that salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed (Romans 13:11), remembering Jesus admonition, Night is coming, when no man can work (John 9:4). Their Master warned them, Stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming (Matthew 24:42). The disasters we have discussed today should remind us that our lives are no more certain than theirs. With all our scientific advances, we cannot stop droughts or prevent wildfires. With all our medical expertise, we cannot yet end the present pandemic or forecast the next one. We may live longer on average, but none of us are guaranteed another day. However, I do not sense true urgency among many Christians in America. We may believe theologically that Jesus could return tomorrow or we could die today, but we need to translate this belief into practice. The more urgent our faith, the more earnestly we will share the Gospel, stand courageously for our Lord, and live ready to stand before him one day. Sharing Jesus in ICU Well close today with a crucial example. Please join me in praying today for Jonathan Lotz, the son of Anne Graham Lotz and grandson of Billy Graham. Jonathan is in ICU with COVID-19; Anne asks us to pray that he will not have to go on a ventilator and that he will be fully healed. Fifty years ago, I could hold my son in my arms, she said in a post Saturday. Now I have placed him in the arms of Jesus. Last night, she updated her Facebook page with her sons condition, noting that he sent this text earlier Sunday: I am physically exhausted yet spiritually overflowing! He added, I have had the privilege of sharing Jesus with the ER & ICU staff! What a Savior! God is so good. With whom will you share Jesus today? Originally published in the Denison Forum. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment If you need a reminder of the tyranny and oppression that happens when government replaces God, take a look at Cuba. Over the last couple of weeks, widespread protests have broken out across the island, with citizens rallying in opposition to the communist regime thats held power for over 6 decades. While some explained the demonstrations were primarily due to rising COVID cases and lack of vaccines, it seems theres something deeper driving Cubans to the streetsevident by the fact that many of them are clearly heard shouting Libertad! (liberty) and waving the American flag to symbolize their search for freedom. For Americans, theres an important lesson we must learn from the situation unfolding just 90 miles south of our shores. That is a sobering reminder that communist regimes such as the one in Cuba all begin in a similar way: By crushing and stripping away the religious liberty of its citizens. Because once a dictatorial ruling elite succeeds at destroying religious freedom and subjugating houses of worship to its power, its only a matter of time before other fundamental freedomseconomic, political and socialare ripped away as well. Make no mistake; the unrest we see in Cuba today is the result of religious suppression and a denial of fundamental human freedoms. Its the outcome of what happens when our freedoms are decided by the government and not by the the eternal truths that come from God. Under communist dictatorships, religious freedom is the first to be attacked To better understand why authoritarians always seek to destroy religious freedom, lets hear from Pastor Mario Lleonart Barroso, a Cuban religious leader who became a vocal critic of the Castro regime, and experienced tyranny first-hand. Pastor Mario served in Cuba as a Baptist minister where he and his family felt the weight of religious freedom violations simply because they were Christians. In 2016, Pastor Mario was violently arrested and imprisoned for 3 days, ironically during the time when then-President Barack Obama visited the island. After his arrest, Pastor Mario feared for his life and emigrated to the U.S. with his family. In the video below, you can hear Pastor Mario tell his story in more detail: In an exclusive conversation with First Liberty, Pastor Mario explained why Cubas communist regime oppresses religious people and houses of worship: Destroying the foundations of any society and guaranteeing the oppression of a population whos been stripped of its rights requires these regimes to also destroy the certainty of imago dei, the idea that we have equal dignity because we are created by God, that our rights come from Him and not from government. To consolidate power and exert total control, communist dictators make religious freedom and religious institutions their first targets. They do so to remove the most effective challenge to government tyranny. Its the reason why Cuba's communist party leader Fidel Castro clearly stated that religious believers would not be allowed to enter into the partys ranks, and why he also ripped away the liberty of parents to choose a religious education for their children when the party began absorbing religious schools into the nationalized education system. Its not surprising that Cubas communist government has responded with an iron fist against religious groups in the face of recent protests: Father Castor Alvarez was beaten and jailed while defending young protestors. Young Catholics were imprisoned for protesting the government. Authorities detained Reverend Yusniel Montejo of the Eastern Baptist Convention, Yeremi Blanco, and Yarian Sierra of the Barean Baptist Mission Tyrants recognize that houses of worship and people of faith are the ultimate check on authoritarian power because their allegiance isnt first and foremost to the government. A free people know that their ultimate loyalty is to God, the true provider and source of our freedoms. Our blessed nation should heed the warning signs From state officials threatening to shut down churches, to the censorship of religious voices in the media, the pervasive cancel culture, restrictions of peoples right worship freely, and government elites wanting to destroy the judiciarys power to protect constitutional rights, one would think we are describing tyranny in a nation like Cuba. However, attacks on religious freedom are happening right here, right now, all across America. Much like the brazen power-grabs seen in other nations, our nation faces a rising soft totalitarianism, a radical and intolerant ideology that silences and punishes those who live and act in accordance with their deeply-held religious beliefs. As our Cuban neighbors yearn for freedom, Americans can no longer turn a blind eye to the fact that no nation is immune to tyrannyand we must be ever vigilant and step up to stop the threats to liberty on our home soil. Originally published at First Liberty. Justice prevailed: Christian street preacher wins case after being fined, prosecuted for evangelizing Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A court in London has ruled that a Christian street preacher who was fined and prosecuted by the police for evangelizing during lockdown did not break regulations or do anything illegal. The London Magistrates Court ruled that Joshua Sutcliffe, 31, is not guilty as he was outside and that he had a reasonable excuse as he was traveling to his place of work, as a worship leader, said Christian Legal Centre, which supported the preacher, in a statement released Friday. Sutcliffe was detained and surrounded by four police officers as he was preaching and handing out leaflets in North Londons Camden area on Good Friday last April. He was told he was in breach of COVID-19 lockdown regulations by being outdoors without a reasonable excuse. Sutcliffe explained to the officers that he was a pastor and worship leader and was outdoors to provide charitable services. However, he was cautioned and received a fixed penalty notice of $80 (60), according to Premier Christian News. Whilst he was in a gathering and therefore in breach of regulation 7, however, the parties were together and were allowed to rely on articles 9, 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights, the magistrates said in the ruling. Their gathering was limited in duration, and they were entitled to gather for street evangelizing. They treated me like a second-class citizen, Sutcliffe was quoted in the statement as saying. I am a Christian minister of the Gospel, which not so long ago was a treasured and respected vocation in the U.K. He added, During times of need, people need the hope of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is what I do on a regular basis, I go to the streets and proclaim the hope and truth of the resurrection of Christ. I was doing this on Good Friday, one of the most important days in the Christian calendar to do this. The preacher said he was very glad the magistrates threw the case out and that reason and justice prevailed. Christians in the U.K. have been easy targets for the police during the pandemic while other groups gathering in significant numbers have been favored by the police, said Andrea Williams, the chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre. After being cautioned on Good Friday, Joshua continued to preach, even giving his own shoes to a homeless man and walking home barefoot, Williams added. This is what Christian witness should have looked like during this time of crisis ministering to peoples physical and spiritual needs. Instead, we have seen Christian preachers and pastors, like Joshua, who have a heart for reaching those in great need in their communities fined, arrested and prosecuted for doing so. Last month, another Christian street preacher, David McConnell, who was arrested while preaching the Gospel, won his case against a police department that admitted liability in a lawsuit, agreeing to pay $4,500 (3,250) in damages in addition to his legal costs for wrongful arrest, false imprisonment and violating his human rights. West Yorkshire Police arrested McConnell in December 2019 for a hate-related public order offense and for preaching on gay rights and abortion. Pastor in India forced to flee his home after enduring merciless torture by police Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A pastor in northern India was forced to flee his village after police detained him, his wife and three children, one of whom is 2 years old, and tortured him for sharing the Gospel. Pastor Sanjay Kumar Bharati and his family moved more than 600 miles away from his village in Shyampur area of Uttarakhand states Haridwar district, Morning Star News reported, adding that police had unofficially ordered him to leave the village. Bharati and his family were detained on June 13 on a complaint of violating COVID-19 restrictions. But as they tortured him, police only interrogated him about his conversion to Christianity and his preaching of the Gospel. As soon as I was taken inside the police station, a policeman slapped me three or four times on my face and punched me in my stomach, the pastor was quoted as saying. He hurled curses and accused me of alluring people and converting them. Bharati recalled that he was then taken to an inner room where he was ordered to lie face down on a bed. An officer then beat him on his legs and feet with his belt. Hell broke open on me as they mercilessly tortured me for 30 to 40 minutes. I begged them to spare me; repeatedly I asked them, What was my fault? The officer asked the pastor, How much money do you give to allure people to change their religion? Tell us, from where do you receive funds? Who funds you? Bharati responded that he was economically poor. I have not changed anybodys religion. People invite me to their homes to pray for them, and I do. These are all false allegations and rumors about me, he told the officer. A policeman told the pastor, Haridwar is an important Hindu pilgrimage site, how could you dare to live here and propagate Christianity? Rohit Singh, an attorney who visited the pastor two days after the incident, was quoted as saying, I and my wife were shocked to see Sanjays financial condition. There was not a grain of rice in his house to feed the children. After the pastor was released, Christian leaders suggested he and his family leave the village to safeguard their lives. Bharati, his wife and three children, ages 11, 7 and 2, had been facing opposition in the village for some time. While as many as 150 people once attended worship services at his church, the number dropped to 50 after members started receiving threats. The villagers called for a meeting and threatened all those who were attending the fellowship to desist, or else they would be ostracized, the pastor said. Christians make up about 2.5% of Indias population, while Hindus comprise 79.5%. Attacks on Christians and other religious minorities have been on the rise since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party won the 2014 national elections. India ranks as the 10th worst country globally when it comes to Christian persecution, according to Open Doors USA's 2021 World Watch List. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has urged the U.S. State Department to label India as a country of particular concern for engaging in or tolerating severe religious freedom violations. Christies is pleased to announce that we will relocate our Asia Pacific headquarters in 2024 to The Henderson , a striking new urban landmark on Murray Road in Central, Hong Kong designed by Zaha Hadid Architects . With 50,000 square feet of art-inspired space anchoring four storeys within new tower, Christies will be able to provide exceptional service to clients with our first year-round saleroom and state-of-the-art gallery presence in Asia. Christies iconic new home in the luxury centre of the city is poised to become a worldwide destination for collectors, with a signature profile on the Hong Kong skyline. This investment affirms Christies leadership in Asia and commitment to the region, further strengthening our capability to connect and better serve the rapidly growing number of Asian collectors through an unrivaled global network of salerooms and specialists. The decision not only underscores Christies confidence in Hong Kong as the preeminent art and culture hub in Asia, but also testifies to the strong resilience of the art market in the region and beyond. The establishment of our first year-round saleroom and gallery space in Hong Kong will provide Christies with the long-needed flexibility to transform our sales and events schedule from two main seasons a year, to year-round programming, and to embrace opportunities for greater creativity and innovation. Designed to meet the unique business needs of an international auction house, the new galleries at The Henderson are ideal for our exhibitions of large-scale artworks, live auctions, private sales, and educational programs. The Hendersons unique and forward-looking design is itself a work of art, perfectly complementing the exquisite masterpieces that Christies offers across the globe. Both Christies and Henderson Land Group share a common vision for the environment and a long-term commitment to sustainability. Christies is the first international auction house dedicated to a global sustainability initiative with a commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030. The state-of-the-art sustainable design of the Henderson, which has received LEED Platinum and WELL Platinum pre-certification together with the highest 3-star rating of Chinas Green Building Rating Program, supports Christies leadership in conducting business responsibly for the environment. We look forward to beginning this momentous new chapter in Christies history with all of you, and engaging collectors together in Asia and beyond at The Henderson in 2024. (Bloomberg) -- New York City and California will require their government workers to get the Covid-19 vaccine or submit to weekly coronavirus tests and wear masks indoors, as cases linked to the delta variant climb across the U.S. In New York, city workers have until Sept. 13 to be vaccinated. Those who resist the new rules risk dismissal without pay. The delta variant has thrown us a curve ball, Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a briefing on Monday. If someone is unvaccinated, unfortunately they pose a greater risk. While stopping short of full mandates, the moves are aimed at nudging vaccine-hesitant residents off the fence at a time when cases are rising. So far, most of the mandates that have been enacted in the U.S. have taken place at hospitals and other health-care settings. San Francisco said in June that it would mandate its 35,000 employees to get the shots once the vaccine receives full authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, but asked workers in high-risk settings like nursing homes and homeless shelters to be vaccinated by Sept. 15. Currently, Covid vaccines are being administered in the U.S. under emergency authorizations. While several U.S. states have banned vaccine mandates, European politicians are moving closer to imposing restrictions. In France, for example, vaccines are compulsory for health workers and proof of vaccination is required for certain indoor events. New York Citys broad vaccine rule expands a policy announced last week that requires health care workers in public hospitals and clinics to be vaccinated by Aug. 2 or submit to weekly tests. Foster care, senior center and shelter staff will be required to be vaccinated by Aug. 16, with the mandate applying to the whole city workforce of 300,000 employees by the first day of public school in mid-September. Unvaccinated city schoolteachers, police officers, fire officials, front-line and office workers who dont comply with testing and mask requirements wont be able to come to work and will lose their pay. This means everybody, de Blasio said. If someone is not wearing their mask, they will be removed from the workplace. Aggressive Strain Only 54% of residents are fully vaccinated in New York City, which missed its goal of fully vaccinating 5 million New Yorkers by the end of June. Just over 4.5 million New Yorkers are fully vaccinated. About 60% of the citys more than 42,000 public hospital employees have been vaccinated, according to Mitchell Katz, president and chief executive officer of the system. Dont wait: The virus is here now and its transmitting quickly due to the delta variant, a particularly aggressive strain of the virus, with cases rising rapidly particularly among unvaccinated, Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi said on Monday. The city said it has started discussions with municipal unions and consequences for non-compliant workers will vary by agency. Henry Garrido, executive director of District Council 37 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said the city must engage in discussions with the unions before establishing such rules. If City Hall intends to test our members weekly, they must first meet us at the table to bargain, said Garrido, who represents the largest municipal employees union in the city. The United Federation of Teachers, the citys largest teachers union, released a statement supporting vaccination and testing, saying the practices helped keep schools among the safest places in the city. Call on Private Sector City officials also urged private employers to start requiring the shots and said the rise in cases was largely among unvaccinated residents. The seven-day average of new cases in New York City rose to 837 on July 24, more than double the level at the beginning of the month. The positivity rate rose to 2.35%, up from below 1% earlier this month, although hospitalization and death counts remain low. Read more: Can I Be Required to Get Vaccinated Against Covid-19?: QuickTake Despite having legal wherewithal to do so, few companies have implemented outright vaccine mandates. Morgan Stanley advised unvaccinated workers they would be barred from its New York offices, while JPMorgan Chase & Co. warned employees last month that it may require vaccines. Around 600 colleges and universities have mandated the vaccine for students returning for the fall semester, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. My message to the private sector is go as far as you can go right now, de Blasio said. I would strongly urge a vaccination mandate. Although more than 70% of eligible California residents have received at least one shot, the state now has about 3,000 people hospitalized with Covid-19, up from 900 on May 15. The delta variant now accounts for more than 80% of samples sequenced in the state, according to public health officials. In addition to the requirement for state employees, California will require workers in all health care facilities -- public and private -- to provide proof of vaccination or wear a mask and submit to twice-weekly tests. The move comes at a politically difficult moment for Governor Gavin Newsom, who faces a recall election in September fueled by anger at the states coronavirus restrictions. Too many people have chosen to live with this virus, Newsom said at a press conference in Oakland. We are at a point in this pandemic where individuals choice not to get vaccinated is now impacting the rest of us, in a profound, devastating and deadly way. 2021 Bloomberg L.P. The Government of Mexico City presented its Economic Reactivation Plan , strategy that seeks to reactivate the economic and tourism activity of the capital as the Historic Center . Luz Elena Gonzalez, Secretary of Administration and Finance presented the Economic Reactivation Plan, pointed out that with the cases of COVID-19 contagion on the rise again, it is important to take care of people, but the economy cannot be ignored. This strategy is supported by the advancement of vaccination, since it is expected that by October the majority of people over 18 years of age will already be immunized with the full schedule. That is why the campaign will have the slogan activate without risking. Close is not an option In a press conference, the head of the capital's government Claudia Sheinbaum mentioned that the reduction or closure of economic activities is no longer an option, so it is necessary to learn to operate with the virus safely. Today we agreed with businessmen from various sectors on the Plan for Economic Reactivation. It is time to start the City and resurface with more force, to prioritize the collective interest, reducing inequalities and expanding rights. I share a fragment of my intervention pic.twitter.com/k04W93SwuC - Claudia Sheinbaum (@Claudiashein) July 26, 2021 The City's Economic Reactivation Plan includes axes, with which it will regain its dynamism and guarantee great rights and protect the health of all. With this in mind, they presented 10 points of the new Economic Reactivation Plan: 1. Guarantee vaccination for everyone: "We hope that by the end of this week we can reach a coverage of 83.8% of the adult population with at least one dose," said Luz Elena Gonzalez. 2. Support for the income of families and MSMEs: Through social programs and credits. 3. Public investment in mobility, water and social infrastructure: With equal opportunities, improves living conditions and helps provide the physical infrastructure on which private investment is deployed. 4. Emerging actions for the reactivation of construction: There will be extensions in procedures for real estate developers and the closings of work in housing, hospital and school buildings will be suspended until December. 5. Promotion of strategic projects with private companies: such as the construction of the Aztlan urban park, in what was the Chapultepec Fair, and the Ignacio Zaragoza elevated viaduct. 6. Tourist and cultural reactivation: Campaign to promote capital tourism in commercial airplanes with more than 20 destinations, in buses throughout the country, billboards and billboards, as well as in digital media. 7. Impulso Vallejo I: An investment of 234 million pesos will be allocated for the improvement of this industrial zone of Azcapotzalco by the Water System of Mexico City and the Ministry of Works and Services. 8. Reactivation of the Historic Center: Injection of 4,980 million pesos for private real estate developments for housing, museums, hotels and commercial spaces. 9. Circular economy and clean energies: Investment of 400.8 million pesos for the photovoltaic plant, the expansion of the biodiesel plant and the construction of two plants for the use of construction waste at the Central de Abastos. 10. Safe city: Reinforcement of the police presence in commercial areas, department stores and public transport stops. The City's Economic Reactivation Plan includes axes, with which it will regain its dynamism and guarantee great rights and protect the health of all. pic.twitter.com/lvKZC2gI4j - CDMX Government (@GobCDMX) July 26, 2021 Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved - Cal Fire: See incident reports from Cal Fire's website. - Maps: View maps from the U.S. Forest Service. - Road closures: Get updates from Caltrans District 2's Twitter feed. - Evacuations: Find the latest information from Cal Fire. - Dixie Fire information line: (530) 538-7826. California's Dixie Fire, burning about 250 miles northeast of San Francisco, exploded on Saturday, tearing across a parched landscape at an alarming rate, closing down roadways and torching homes. The fire straddling Butte and Plumas counties pumped out a massive smoke plume and Dennis Burns, a fire behavior analyst with Cal Fire, said the small community of Greenville was directly under that sooty air mass. "When I was there at 4 oclock, it looked like it was midnight," said Burns at a Saturday night briefing posted on Facebook. "A lot of ash fall." With its historic main street, Greenville is a town of about 800 people nestled in the Indian Valley nine miles from Lake Almanor in the shadow of Mount Lassen. Its residents were evacuated over the weekend, and fire Captain Mitch Matlow said flames have encroached on the communities, but it's unknown whether structures burned. "We know Greenville has been impacted by the fire," Matlow said. "That could mean the forest around there has burned and that the town is safe. What I can say is we have crews doing structure protection. As unfortunate as it is, I can't comment on whether three or four houses or more have burned." Wildfire photographer Josh Edelson shared a photo on Twitter taken in downtown Greenville late afternoon Saturday showing an eerily dark blood red sky waning into darkness overhead. "(iPhone pic) Darkest fire Ive ever seen," Edelson wrote. "Hearing this is directly under a 15k foot smoke column. Its also 93 degrees." National Weather Service meteorologist Corey Mueller explained the fire activity was "very intense" on Saturday and compared the dark orange sky over Greenville to the conditions that unfolded last August when San Francisco's sky turned a similar color. "When you get that really thick smoke those are the conditions you get," Mueller said. "I remember in San Francisco last August there was that one dark day and it was really orange. We've been pretty fortunate this year in San Francisco and Sacramento. Weve had the onshore winds that have pushed the smoke east." Though more evacuations were issued Sunday, the overall day was a relief after Saturday, when the fire merged with the smaller Fly Fire and devouring multiple homes in Indian Falls. Some structures in this Plumas County neighborhood about 13 miles north of Quincy burned, but many were also saved. On Sunday, the fire's growth slowed as the thick smoke over the area is shading the fire and pushing down temperatures, the U.S. Forest Service said. Similar conditions are expected Monday, but if the smoke clears out the fire could once again turn into a raging monster. "We don't have stable air over the fire," Matlow said. "If the fire generates enough energy, it can punch through that inversion layer and carry heated gases and smoke high into the atmosphere creating pyrocumulus clouds. If that happens the probability of creating lightning is high. Lightning can create new ignitions. As that column of gas and smoke goes up, something has to replace it at the ground level. We can get erratic fast winds moving in that spread the fire." There's also concern over a monsoonal surge expected to trigger thunderstorms over the Sierra Nevada Monday night into Tuesday with a 20% to 30% chance of thunderstorms, the Forest Service said. Cal Fire pinned the total acreage burned by the blaze at 197,000 acres with 22% containment Monday morning. As the Dixie Fire merged with the smaller Fly Fire, and the two are being reported as one blaze. The Dixie Fire, which started on July 14, is the 15th largest fire to ever burn in California, according to Cal Fire data. As of Monday, there were 16 structures and six minor structures destroyed. This number is expected to grow as crews on the ground assess damage, including properties in Indian Falls. There are 10,721 structures still threatened. More than 5,400 personnel are fighting the blaze and containment lines are being built around Taylorsville, Cresent Mills, Quincy, Bucks Lake and Greenville, "prepping for structure protection in the event the fire reached the area as it continues moving northeast," officials said. Evacuation orders are changing frequently. See evacuation information from Cal Fire, Plumas County Sheriff's Office and the Butte County Sheriff's Office. The fire has been most active on its eastern edge and Burns gave an update on its status on Monday morning. You can watch the video from the U.S. Forest Service here. Burns reported that the blaze didn't pose a threat of pushing south toward Quincy at this time: "This fire is pulling itself over into Taylorsville. It went over the top of Mount Hough this afternoon. Were seeing long-range spotting. The fire has also come down to Highway 89 to Indian Falls." On the first day of the House select committee investigation into the January 6th insurrection, officers from the U.S. Capitol Police and D.C.s Metropolitan Police Department who responded that day gave harrowing testimony about the abuse they endured at the hands of an angry mob of Trump supporters. That day continues to be a constant trauma for us, literally every day, Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gonell, who suffered severe injuries and has been on leave for most of the months following the insurrection, told the committee on Tuesday. D.C. police officer Daniel Hodges recalled a tense moment when an insurrectionist told him, You will die on your knees. Hodges also testified to his bewilderment at seeing insurrectionists carrying flags with symbols indicating support of police officers. My perpetual confusion, I saw the thin blue line flag, a symbol of support for law enforcement more than once being carried by the terrorists as they ignored our commands and continued to assault us, Hodges said. Another witness, Officer Harry Dunn with the Capitol Police, testified that rioters called him a n***** after he told them he voted for Biden. I do my best to keep politics out of my job, but in this circumstance, I responded: Well I voted for Joe Biden. Does my vote not count? Am I nobody?' Dunn said. He then said that a woman in a pink MAGA shirt yelled back, You hear that guys? This n***** voted for Joe Biden. No one had ever, ever called me a n***** while wearing the uniform of a Capitol Police officer, Dunn said. Until January 6th, no one had ever, ever called me ni**er while wearing the uniform of a Capitol Police Officer. Officer Harry Dunn#January6thCommission pic.twitter.com/B9I0ERSETM Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) July 27, 2021 Dunn testified that officers were not forewarned by leadership about the levels of violence that would be present that day. We were expecting civil disobedience as we do at the Capitol. At least that was what was relayed to us, Dunn said, adding that they were told to expect a couple arrests, name-calling, unfriendly people. But nowhere near the level of violence or even close to it that we experienced, he said. Dunn went on to explain that he only heard about the violent plans through a friend who had texted him about it. When I received the text message, it made the hairs on my neck rise, since our chain of command had not told us to prepare for these levels of violence, Dunn told the committee. Nine Democrats and two Republicans sit on the select committee. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected two of Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthys appointments to the committee, Reps. Jim Jordan and Jim Banks, both of whom have continued to endorse Trumps lie that the election was stolen and have opposed a full investigation of the Capitol attack. The representatives made statements and took actions that just made it ridiculous to put them on such a committee seeking the truth, Pelosi said when justifying her decision. D.C. police officer Michael Fanone, who has been an outspoken critic of Republican politicians attempting to minimize the attack, was the fourth witness to appear at Tuesdays hearing. Fanone suffered multiple injuries that day at the hands of the insurrectionists, including a heart attack and traumatic brain injury. Rioters dragged him into the crowd, stole a munition off his body, and beat him with their fists and hard metal objects while also attacking him with a Taser. It was only when he yelled that he had children, he said, that the beatings stopped and other police officers managed to drag him out of the mob. I was electrocuted again and again and again, he said. Im sure I was screaming, but I dont think I could even hear my own voice. But many Republicans are trying to deny the truth and painting the riots as a peaceful protest. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) has said that the rioters were people that love this country. And Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) described the rioters behavior at the Capitol as a normal tourist visit. The officers testimony, however, proves those Republicans are very clearly wrong. I feel like I went to hell and back to protect them, and too many in this room are now telling me that hell doesnt exist or hell actually wasnt that bad, Fanone said, pounding his fist on the table. The indifference shown to my colleagues is disgraceful. Fanone continued, Nothing, truly nothing, has prepared me to address those elected members of our government who continue to deny the events of that day. And in doing so, betray their oath of office. Sergeant Gonnell also criticized Republicans, saying they have tried to whitewash the facts into something other than what they unmistakably reveal: an attack on our democracy by violent domestic extremists, he said. What law enforcement officers are seeking, however, is accountability and justice. Throughout his testimony, Officer Hodges of the D.C. police referred to the insurrection as an act of terrorism and the people who carried it out terrorists. Asked why he chose those words by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Hodges told the committee he had come prepared for the question. He then read, verbatim, the legal definitions of domestic terrorism from the U.S. code. Finally, near the end of the hearing, Hodges spoke directly to the 11 members of the select committee. He and his colleagues had done their jobs on January 6th to great physical and mental harm. But it was now time, he said, for members of Congress to hold accountable those in power who might have aided or enabled the insurrection. I need you guys to address if anyone in power had a role in this terrorist attack, he said. Click here to read the full article. The January family calls their house the Ponderosa, after the home at the heart of the 1960s TV western Bonanza. But while that Ponderosa was a sprawling ranch in the pine-covered mountains near Lake Tahoe, Nevada, the Januarys is a simple one-story brick house with a spacious porch in low-lying Lake Charles, Louisiana. The house earned its nickname because its been the meeting ground for the Januarys entire extended family for going on six decades. Its where they crowd in for birthdays and holidays, where relatives stay when visiting Lake Charles, and where elders come to convalesce and sometimes to die. Thats why this house is so sacred, says Van January, 56, standing in his living room. Its why were really trying to maintain the structure, to keep something here. Its a refuge. On a stormy day in June, volunteers in hard-hats are flitting around, gutting walls and hauling detritus to a heap on the lawn. Nine months after Hurricane Laura battered the Ponderosa (and most of the Lake Charles region), the house is still in shambles, with a mold problem and a hole-riddled roof. Its raining in the kitchen. Having inherited the home from deceased parents without the proper paperwork, January and his sister Donna Lamb have struggled to get relief assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Serious repairs only began when All Hands and Hearts, a national disaster-relief non-profit, took on the house as a project. FEMA partially reimbursed Lamb for what she paid to have her own homes roof repaired after Hurricane Laura, but just two weeks later, a second hurricane, Delta, hit Lake Charles and damaged it again. FEMA rejected Lambs second claim. Rain was now falling in her kitchen, too. Sam Van Pykeren Sam Van Pykeren Several relatives had similar problems, or worse. Its like youre begging for something, says Lamb, two young granddaughters playing at her feet as volunteers tear up the Ponderosas waterlogged floor. I worked 21 years in the refinery, paid my debt, paid taxes. Man, come on. You deny me for Delta? The Januarys situation is far from unique. Laura was the strongest hurricane to hit Louisiana in 164 years, costing the U.S. $19 billion in damages and claiming at least 42 lives. Roughly half the homes in the Lake Charles region were damaged or destroyed, and weeks later, over 11,000 Louisianans were still being sheltered by the state. According to a New York Times analysis, Lake Charles, where nearly half of residents are black and one in five live below the poverty line, lost 6.7 percent of its population by the end of 2020, more than any other U.S. metro area. The city then faced a brutal winter storm in February and a biblical flood in May. Homeowners are still haggling with insurance companies and stumbling through FEMAs labyrinthine bureaucracy, a process that is more likely to fail black families like the Januarys. As of June 1st, 2,500 Lake Charles households were living in or awaiting FEMA trailers and 3,000 residents were still displaced. Its the climate refugee crisis in Americas own backyard and this is only the beginning. Climate trauma is now routine across the Gulf Coast, with many locals having lived through multiple disasters. In 2020, Laura and Delta were just two of the record-setting 30 named storms to make landfall in the Atlantic, exhausting the alphabetic naming system and forcing the use of Greek letters (all the way to the ninth one, Iota). Natural disasters cost the U.S. about $95 billion last year twice as much as 2019. As government relief aid fails those who most need it, the Gulf Coast ethic of neighbors helping neighbors is rapidly becoming exhausted. In May, President Biden chose a 70-year-old bridge in Lake Charles as the backdrop for his speech promoting the American Jobs Plan, his proposal to invest $2.3 trillion in infrastructure, much of it focused on climate, which is now working its way through Congress. He extolled locals resilience and the need to hire thousands, or even millions of people to modernize the countrys energy grid, improve bridges and roadways, and weatherize buildings and homes. Yet he hardly mentioned restoring habitats, building sustainable food systems, or other aspects of a holistic transition away from fossil fuels. Such transformations could be achieved in part through a far-reaching initiative tucked into Bidens plan: the Civilian Climate Corps. Modeled after the New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Corps, the new CCC would put people to work restoring and bettering natural environments, such as by clearing brush in fire-prone forests or restoring coastal wetlands. Biden proposed to fund it with just a tiny sliver of his infrastructure budget, $10 billion, which environmental economist Mark Paul told Wired could only pay about 200,000 workers. In contrast, FDRs Civilian Conservation Corps employed 3 million over its nine-year lifespan. (The Works Progress Administration, another New Deal program, employed 8.5 million more). That capacity allowed the CCC to make huge strides in forest management, flood control, and historic preservation. They built trails and roads on public lands that many of us still enjoy. Given the growth of the U.S. population and the challenges it faces, Paul said todays CCC should ultimately employ about 9 million workers 45 times more than Bidens plan allows. The Biden administration has released few details on what a modern CCC would look like, only that it would be administered by the Departments of Interior and Agriculture. For models of the work that is needed, they need look no further than the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast, whose economy depends heavily on the fossil fuel industry. Living on the front lines of climate change, in under-resourced communities at or below sea level, thousands of people in states like Louisiana are already busy doing underpaid work to recover from and prevent the disasters threatening their homes year after year. In May, the Sunrise Movement, a youth-led network that advocates for massive federal investment in jobs and climate, chose this stretch of the Gulf Coast as one of two areas they highlighted for its CCC potential (the other being mega-fire scarred Northern California). Sunrise activists spent six weeks walking 400 miles from New Orleans to Houston, visiting Lake Charles, other vulnerable towns, and communities in Cancer Alley ruinously polluted by a glut of oil refineries and petrochemical plants. Echoing advocacy groups like Evergreen Action and the Gulf Coast Center for Law and Policy, Sunrise is calling on Biden to expand his CCC vision by budgeting to employ millions of people at $15/hour or more, with benefits and training to find stable jobs in a future green economy. The oil and gas industry supports as much as 10 percent of jobs in Louisiana and even more in the Lake Charles region, which is crowded with petrochemical plants and refineries like the one where Lamb worked. If, as Biden intends, the U.S. is to generate 100 percent of its power from renewables by 2035, these workers will need alternative jobs and training to find their place in the new economy. Sam Van Pykeren Sam Van Pykeren While marching with Sunrise, Jenna Hanes, 24, found the message of good jobs resonated with more Louisianans than the idea of fighting climate change, which many feel they cannot afford to consider. People feel forced to choose between putting food on their table and getting rid of the petrochemical plants, she says, but with CCC jobs as an alternative, workers can gain skills for the future, that arent in an industry thats going to eventually die. That could brighten the outlook of locals like Lambs 20-year-old son Jalen, a semi-professional basketball player who loves his hometown but struggles to imagine a future there: The best thing to do, coming from Lake Charles is to get out of Lake Charles, he says. I see the CCC as a way to provide income for all of us who are doing this work already, says Rogelio Rojo Meixuro, a 24-year-old undergrad from Houston who decided to march with Sunrise after working 20-hour days doing unpaid mutual-aid work during Februarys winter storm, which knocked out the electric grid across Texas and killed at least 57 people. They need to start paying us for the work weve been doing just to survive. For too long weve seen environmentalism be about conservation. That mindset is over. We can no longer conserve what we have completely damaged. We need to innovate. ON A BALMY YET BREEZY summer day, 12 AmeriCorps members ride out on boats into the coastal wetlands of Louisianas St. Bernard Parish. They are assisting state employees and a partner organization, Common Ground Relief, with restoring a sliver of the states nearly 8,000-mile coastline. After a quick training, they are dropped at different parts of the Hopedale Canal, working in knee-high water to plant smooth cord grass. Sticky muck grabs at their shoes, and many find it easier to move on their knees. Small fishing boats speed through the canal, their wakes reaching the submerged workers shoulders before smacking into the land. Watching from behind mirrored sunglasses, Jeremy Rodriguez shakes his head. Those waves are one of many causes behind the erosion that theyre here to fix. Small boats are nothing compared to the commercial barges that share these canals, or the growing storms eating the coastline away, or the flood-control systems and agricultural water diversions that have also allowed Louisianas wetlands to erode into the sea. From 1932 to 2016, the state lost an area of land larger than Rhode Island, at rates as high as a football fields worth every hour. Aiming to increase the amount of healthy wetlands, the states agriculture department has a Coastal Wetland Re-vegetation Project, which Rodriguez co-manages. Those wetlands provide important wildlife habitat, and can serve as buffer zones that absorb storm surges during hurricanes, lowering the waves that inundate cities and towns. The protection is difficult to quantify, but one University of California, San Diego study found that annual storm damages are reduced by an average of $1.8 million for every square kilometer of wetlands. A simulation by Mississippi State University researchers suggested that in some areas, Hurricane Katrinas storm surge was actually reduced by 1 foot for every 1.5 miles of wetlands it traversed. Half of Louisianas 4.6 million residents live in coastal communities, and 30 percent of U.S. seafood comes from the region. As Louisianas land disappears, so too do its livelihoods and lives. 2020 was insane, as far as hurricane season goes, [and] its supposed to just continue to get worse, says Rodriguez, a 33-year old New Orleans native who became a conservation specialist after watching Hurricane Katrina devastate his hometown in 2005. During Katrina, much of the death and damage was caused by the massive storm surges that breached 53 levees and flooded 80 percent of New Orleans. Afterwards, the Louisiana legislature voted to create a coastal Master Plan that is spending $50 billion over 50 years to build or maintain 800 square miles of land. Much of the plan focuses on industrial-scale projects that create landmass through controversial processes like dredging (which has a huge carbon footprint) and sediment diversion (which could destroy shellfish habitat); only 2 percent of its budget involves planting grasses and trees. While Rodriguez knows that building up the land is essential, he believes in pursuing more re-vegetation as a cost-effective means of stabilizing land before it needs intervention. His agency restores 37 to 40 miles of coastline per year at a cost of $1 per linear foot, a tiny fraction of what it takes to shore up the coast with rocks or artificial materials. The scale of the project is only possible thanks to volunteers coordinated by Common Ground Relief, a New Orleans-based nonprofit founded one week after Katrina made landfall. After seeing the carnage up close homes consumed by toxic black mold; corpses floating on flooded city streets the group decided to focus on coastline restoration, which they saw as crucial to preventing future floods. Sam Van Pykeren* Sam Van Pykeren* During the June workday, CGR director Charlotte Clarke pilots one of the boats, wearing tarnished copper earrings and a camo hat embroidered with the words Vanishing Paradise. While Clarke was grateful for AmeriCorps help, she thinks CGR would be more sustainable with long-term, local volunteers. Everyone Ive talked to wants to be able to do this sort of work, she says, to protect shrimp and oyster beds [and] places for fishing, the literal land they grew up on. If Louisianans had a choice to work in conservation as opposed to oil and gas, I think everybody would be on board, she says. Clarke sees the proposed CCC as a superior alternative to AmeriCorps, which pays some of its 75,000 volunteers just $4,000 a year and sends them all over the country. Her dream CCC would pay living wages to people restoring wetlands in their own communities, who are committed to seeing the change through. Rodriguez wants more full-time employees, since Louisianas unpredictable weather means workdays are often called off and volunteer labor gets lost. With an annual budget of just $400,000, the re-vegetation project has four paid staff working on 8,000 miles of coast. Im stressed out, says Rodriguez. It feels like were putting a Band-Aid on a shotgun blast. But the work is scalable, he says: With money to hire more people at competitive wages, plantings could easily double. The CCC could be one way to do that. By lunchtime, the AmeriCorps team has planted 7,000 stems of grass. Rodriguez commends their efforts, then describes visiting wetlands hed previously planted to find grasses taking root, multiplying, and growing to six or seven feet tall, providing wave reduction and habitat. We are making a difference, he says, but given that Gulf storm surges are getting worse Lauras peaked at 17 feet, one of the highest ever recorded in Louisiana more resources are needed: The sooner the better, for sure. AMONG THE STATED AIMS of Bidens CCC are reforestation and increasing carbon sequestration in farming. While agriculture is currently one of the countrys largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, certain farming practices can actually capture and store (or sequester) atmospheric carbon dioxide in the soil, thus mitigating climate change. As with coastal restoration, there are already Gulf South groups doing this work. Ndn Bayou Food Forest (the Ndn is shorthand for Indian) sits in a small town called Rayne, between Lake Charles and New Orleans. The 11-acre property was purchased in 2017 by a non-profit called Louisiana Rise, which is governed by a council of Indigenous women. It originally served as home base for activists resisting the construction of a nearby oil pipeline, but since the pipeline was completed in 2019, weve been working toward positive visions of what wed like to see instead, says Hadley, age 32, one of the lands caretakers (who uses a pseudonym to avoid being identified by enemies theyve made fighting oil projects). Ndn Bayou looks nothing like a traditional farm. A colorful oasis amid hot, swampy grasslands, the one acre currently being cultivated is abundant with diverse plants and trees, many bursting with leaves and fruits that Hadley in a sunhat, camo overalls, and galoshes plucks and invites visitors to try. What makes Ndn Bayou a food forest is its focus on tree crops and perennial plants such as sunchokes and sweet potatoes, which can establish ecosystems that sustain themselves far more easily than monoculture farms. As the trees grow, the space underneath becomes ripe habitat for other plants; Hadleys ideal is to have seven layers, ranging from underground tubers to climbing vines, and shrubs in the shade. The trees might one day feed pigs and other animals with fallen chestnuts and pecans. Ndn Bayou grows native trees such as cypress and tupelo, but they also practice assisted migration, which is planting species outside their historic range to help ecosystems adapt to changing weather. If climate change were happening on a natural time-scale, avocado trees would be migrating north from Mexico, says Hadley. But with human impacts massively accelerating changes, most species dont have a choice. Rather than allowing species to go extinct in climates they can no longer endure, assisted migration helps them find new areas in which to thrive. Banana trees, for instance, can grow in more and more places across the Gulf South as temperatures warm. While some conservationists worry assisted migration could disrupt ecosystems, the way invasive species do, researchers are calling for international guidelines to improve the practice. Experiments are already underway in state and national parks, where CCC workers might one day help plant tree seedlings or relocate fish. Sam Van Pykeren Sam Van Pykeren With climate change increasing global food precarity, many communities are exploring ways to grow food locally and sustainably. Small-scale farms like Ndn Bayou demonstrate an alternative to industrial agriculture, which often involves land-intensive, soil-damaging practices and relies on laborers doing back-breaking work to reap a single type of crop. As a result, U.S. soil is being depleted 10 times faster than it is renewed, and the Corn Belt has lost more than one-third of its topsoil. But while corn farms destroy their own artificial ecosystems to start fresh each year, layered food forests can grow from year to year in ways that actually restore soil, allowing it to sequester carbon. Though requiring less labor, Ndn Bayou yields plentiful sweet potatoes, squash, okra, and turnips, most of which is sent to mutual-aid groups in New Orleans and nearby Lafayette. Distributing food in the region where its produced also reduces the need for carbon-intensive trucking and refrigeration. Several other small Gulf Coast farms are exploring regenerative agriculture, and it is also being promoted regionally by groups like Southern SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education), which offers grants to farms that experiment with practices like cover crops and rotational grazing. The All You Need Institute teaches farmers Indigenous-inspired principles through hands-on retreats at its 111-acre property in Mississippi. Through the CCC, sustainable ag could spread nationwide, with workers being paid to teach small farmers techniques that restore soil and mitigate carbon emissions. Ndn Bayou is building relationships with its rice- and crawfish-farming neighbors, sharing tips about sustainable practices like no-till farming, which helps prevent soil erosion. Ndn also distributes seeds, saplings, and young trees that can grow in urban and suburban backyards. In the past year, theyve provided between 300 and 400 banana and fig trees and taught people how to care for and propagate them. For Ndn Bayou, the motivation is partly practical their land might be underwater within decades, and a large hurricane could wipe out the farm even sooner but its also in line with their larger goals. It becomes more of a way of life, where everyone is somewhat connected to their food, says Hadley, as opposed to this thing where were so alienated from our food, and the people who actually are connected [are] having their bodies destroyed by the work. The idea of having a relationship with food and land is rooted in Indigenous principles, which many advocates say should be centered in national climate initiatives. The collective governing Ndn Bayou is majority people of color, most of them Indigenous; it prioritizes practices that honor and revive traditional Indigenous knowledge, such as what Hadley, who is white, calls the sense that we are in community with all the plants and animals around us. While remarkably light on agricultural policy, Bidens infrastructure plan does contain proposals for investing in tribal communities, yet its unclear how much his CCC would collaborate with them. Regardless, projects like Ndn Bayou could receive federal funding through a separate proposal to spend up to $30 billion paying farms that sequester carbon. For now, Ndn Bayou is a small operation primarily funded by donations from the water-protector movement, which arose from the Standing Rock protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline. With more resources, Hadley envisions farming all 11 acres with machinery and an expanded corps of workers who would live for free on the land, creating rural housing for people who climate change may force to migrate. ON THEIR LAST DAY in Lake Charles, the Sunrise marchers rallied in front of the same bridge where Biden spoke a month prior. Their chants highlighted the gulf between his campaign promises and the compromise hes now hashing out with Republicans in Congress. A young Sunrise activist named Chante Davis took the megaphone. Her family was displaced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and later had to abandon their new home in Houston when Hurricane Harvey flooded it in waist-deep water in 2017. We have become powerful masters of survival, she tells the crowd, but rebuilding a society is not the work of young, frightened children, or parents who work hard every day for little pay It should be the job of a robust Civilian Climate Corps, a promise President Joe Biden can deliver on. Bidens American Jobs Plan has been split in two: a $1.2 trillion bill with some bipartisan support, which would primarily fund roads, bridges, power, water, and broadband infrastructure; and a $3.5 trillion climate-focused plan the Democrats announced in mid-July, which, if passed through a process called budget reconciliation, only needs 50 Democratic votes (plus Vice President Harris tie-breaker) to pass. Specifics on the latter are still being negotiated, but it aims to cut U.S. emissions in half and achieve 80 percent clean power by 2030 through a variety of policies, including the CCC. Last week, 80 Congressional Democrats signed a letter laying out a vision for a robust CCC that would focus on natural climate solutions, clean energy, and environmental justice, investing in locally-led adaptation projects that train workers in front-line communities for long-term, sustainable careers. It would also pay a living wage and possibly offer student loan forgiveness. They havent yet agreed on which of several proposed CCC bills to include in the package, but perhaps the strongest is that of Sen. Ed Markey (D-M.A.), one of the Corps earliest proponents, who wants to give the program $133 billion over 5 years, enough to pay all participants $15/hour with health and educational benefits. The bill would also elevate AmeriCorps wages and benefits to the same level. Sam Van Pykeren Sam Van Pykeren Whether this transformative vision becomes reality will hinge on Democratic moderates like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), a noteworthy recipient of oil and gas industry money, who recently said he was very, very disturbed by proposals to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Yet something like the CCC might actually be popular with his rural, conservative-leaning constituents in West Virginia. For one, $133 billion over the next five years is nothing compared to the $630 billion the country has spent on disasters in the past five. And in April, the left-wing think tank Data For Progress polled 1,210 likely U.S. voters and found that 65 percent were in support of a CCC that employs 1.5 million workers over five years with a living wage and benefits. More Republicans were in support than opposed, and the idea was particularly popular with rural voters. Half of voters under 45 said theyd consider joining the Corps themselves. For the residents of the Louisiana coast, the program cant come too soon. Hurricane season is here again, and there were five named storms by July 1st a faster start than last years historic season. Researchers predict this year will see 20 named storms, including four major hurricanes; elsewhere, unprecedented heat waves, fires, and floods have claimed hundreds of lives in the last month alone. With record-breaking hurricanes and rising seas, people like Sunrises Chante Davis and the January family face impossible choices over and over again: Do they pack up and leave their generational homes? Or do they stay, and risk losing everything? Standing on the porch of the Ponderosa, once his grandparents home, Jalen Lamb fails to suppress a smile reflecting on all the memories hes made there. You think about one, another one pop up. But when he first saw it after Hurricane Laura, he had to go sit in the car. It was too much, he says. It hurt, looking at a place where you grew up basically in shambles. All Hands and Hearts hard-hatted volunteers clear out before sunset, trading hugs with the Januarys. Without a shred of government money, theyve removed most of the mold and stripped everything inside the walls so rebuilding can begin. Donna, Jalens mom, is bouncing with excitement. She has no plans to move. Disaster after disaster has set us so far back, she says, but here in Lake Charles, we have a good life. I see a light at the end of the tunnel, she says. But we still got a long way to go. Sam Van Pykeren contributed reporting to this story. VALLEY, Ala. (AP) Two Georgia residents were arrested in Louisiana and a third person in Alabama in a killing earlier this month that police said was linked to a marijuana deal. Jacob Christian Moedl, 19, of Notasulga was jailed Monday in the slaying of Antavious Lawenton Sharpe, 23, news outlets reported. On Saturday, Vincent Ray Tiller, 21, of Grantville, Georgia, and Robyn Yvonne Jones, 18, of LaGrange, Georgia, were arrested in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana. MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) Four police officers have been relieved of duty following the arrest of a man who said he was filming the arrest of another man inside the lobby of a Miami Beach hotel. Khalid Vaughn, 28, told WPLG he was in the lobby with his friend early Monday when officers were arresting the other man. They turned their attention to him when he started recording the arrest with his cellphone, he said. I started recording it. They already got him in handcuffs. They beat him, turned around, charged me down, beat me, Vaughn told the TV station after he was released from jail later Monday. Punched me, elbowed me in the face. In a statement released Monday night, Miami Beach police Chief Richard Clements said he had serious concerns about the force utilized" during the arrest of Vaughn, who told WPLG that officers left him with cuts on his face and a busted lip. The officers went into the hotel lobby to arrest Dalonta Crudup, 24, who they said struck a bicycle patrol officer while driving a scooter recklessly. That officer was taken to a hospital for treatment of leg injuries. Officers saw the scooter illegally parked outside the hotel and went in, arresting Crudup on charges including aggravated battery on a law officer. Crudup remained in jail early Tuesday, and an attorney who could speak on his behalf wasn't listed on jail records. Vaughn was charged with resisting arrest with violence and impeding a police investigation. The police chief said he asked the state attorney's office to label the charges against Vaughn as no action. Clements said he's "firmly committed to ensuring that this investigation follows the appropriate process. The police chief said he's launched an internal affairs investigation and the officers will remain on leave with pay until it is completed. This is not indicative of the hard-working men and women of the Miami Beach Police Department and will not be tolerated, Clements said. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) An Alabama man accused of holding a woman against her will for three days is in custody. Jefferson County deputies were called to a home in Adger, an unincorporated community southwest of Birmingham, at about 2:35 p.m. on Sunday to investigate reports of a person being held against their will, WBRC-TV reported. Upon arrival, deputies made contact with Joseph Ryan Byram, 37, who gave them permission to search his residence. Dallas County District Attorney's Office/AP SELMA, Ala. (AP) An Alabama police officer on break at the apartment complex where he lived was shot to death early Tuesday and a woman was wounded in what a prosecutor described as an ambush. Selma Police Officer Marquis Moorer was on duty and went home to get a bite to eat when he was fatally shot, Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson said. A woman believed to be his wife or girlfriend was wounded, he said. JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) A fully vaccinated passenger on an Alaska cruise tested positive for COVID-19 and received private air transportation home, according to Celebrity Cruises. A passenger on Sunday reported cold-like symptoms to the ship's medical personnel and subsequently tested positive for COVID-19, the cruise line said in a statement Tuesday. The person was isolated in the ship's medical facility for monitoring. The company said it did contact tracing and tested the person's close contacts, who were all negative for the virus. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) Laura Brown wipes tears from her face as she confronts the reality that her 6-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter will never see their father again. Alicia Otero misses her sons smile, his knack for making her laugh, and his insatiable appetite for hot wings and barbecue sauce. Mary Candelaria replays her sons music videos every day, the sound of his voice providing some solace. They are among the families devastated by Albuquerques relentless rash of killings. For many, its a rollercoaster of disbelief, anger, sadness and frustration especially for those wanting answers and justice. The city is having one of its deadliest years in memory. The homicide tally for the first seven months of 2021 is about to eclipse the record of 80 set in 2019. While other cities around the U.S. also are seeing significant increases this year, Albuquerque has a history with violent crime. Concern grew in 2017 after three years of skyrocketing homicides and a record-setting year. Experts warned that the city either had a growing problem or was encountering a new norm. In 2019, that record was broken. With the numbers still rising, officials acknowledge that doing what theyve always done isn't enough. The criminal justice system is broken, Police Chief Harold Medina said in a recent statement. Our officers make arrests every day, but system-wide, we dont have the answers to break the cycles. If we are truly going to have an impact on violent crime, we have to come together and take responsibility for changes we can all make to more effectively fight crime." Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, a Democrat running for reelection, has been criticized for his handling of the citys crime problems. He ousted the previous police chief last fall and recently announced an initiative to bring together leaders in the criminal justice system to come up with ideas that can be acted on quickly. We know that things have to be better, he said after the group's first meeting. But many families feel unsupported. They see few consequences for those repeatedly committing violent crimes. Some have escaped to the suburbs searching for a greater sense of security while others wish they could. Mark Solano was among the first people killed in Albuquerque in 2021. Just a week after his 37th birthday, he was driving down historic Route 66 when he was fatally shot by another motorist. No arrests have been made. Brown, the mother of his children, said Solano worked in food delivery, sometimes long hours. Yet, he never missed a chance to come over for dinner and visit with his son, Markus. When she got the call the morning after Solano was killed, she screamed and cried. It woke up our son and I really didnt even know what to say for days," she said. His mother, Yolanda Solano, said she feels like her heart was ripped out and she's still in a fog. It seems like every day I turn on the news and theres another homicide, and its not fair for the families who are suffering through it, she said. Her grandkids will grow up without their father, and she misses him, too. There will be no more salsa-making competitions and no more calls to rehash the Denver Broncos game. Candelaria's son, Adrian Anaya, has been dead almost five years, with no arrests. The 28-year-old rap artist and father of three had just finished filming his latest video when he and a friend were gunned down that evening in Albuquerques South Valley. The suspect identified by police as Eric Ferrer was soon added to New Mexicos most wanted list of violent fugitives. The guy had so much on his record. He should have been in jail a long time ago, Candelaria said, adding that Ferrer was out on bond in an unrelated case at the time of the shooting. Candelaria knows what the other families are in for. Part of the frustration, she said, is not enough detectives and overwhelming caseloads. She has been calling detectives and talking to prosecutors regularly in hopes of keeping her sons case from slipping to the bottom of the growing pile. When Anaya was about 11, Candelaria remembers coming home to hear singing. He had stolen his sisters karaoke machine. It was the beginning of his musical aspirations. Even though he was grown and out of the house, Candelaria said she would text him nightly: Good night. I love you. He would always message back. Now, shes left with his videos, music recordings and the stories his friends tell about him helping others. All the time, people will just be like, He was amazing, he would give you the shirt off his back," she said. "Lots of things like that. He just wanted to take care of people. Even me. Its been five months since Alicia Otero's son, 24-year-old Elias Otero, was fatally shot outside his home. We cried there on the street corner, my whole family, all day, Otero said. Just watching my son in the street in the sun all day under that sheet. It was just hard. The moments replay themselves and there are tears every day. She said her son was just beginning his life he had his own house and was planning to get married. Thinking about what kind of man her son was, Otero began to smile, then laughed before telling a story that ended with more laughter. She said her son always made people laugh on purpose or otherwise from the time he missed the chair and fell at his graduation ceremony to when he stumbled into a hole while hunting and scared away the elk. Her tearful message to other parents: Tell them you love them every day and take lots of pictures because you just never know. Thats all youre going to have left in the end. Love them. And protect them. TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) The leader of Tunisias Islamist party and speaker of parliament said Tuesday that his party is working to form a national front to counter President Kais Saieds decision to suspend the legislature, fire top government officials and take control of the fragile democracy amid the countrys multi-layered crisis. Ennahdha party head Rachid Ghannouchi told The Associated Press in a video call that the goal is to pressure the president to demand the return to a democratic system. Ghannouchi claimed that groups that attacked his party's offices in several cities during nationwide demonstrations leading up to the president's actions Sunday night organized online and were the same that later celebrated the president's actions in the streets of Tunis, the capital. The groups are closer to anarchist groups, and attribute themselves to the president, he alleged, rejecting the suggestion that they may be citizens expressing discontent with the nation's largest party. Widespread concern in Tunisia and abroad has been voiced since the series of decisions by Saied to halt political life and most government action with the sudden firing of the prime minister, the defense and justice ministers and the freezing of parliament. Ghannouchi and others were locked out of parliament on Monday. More than a half-dozen civil organizations, including the powerful Tunisian General Labor Union, issued a joint statement Tuesday asking Saied for a road map of fixes to the country's problems. They also warned against any illegitimate and unjustified extension of the suspension of the activities of state institutions, and said a one-month deadline in the Tunisian Constitution must be respected. The president invoked a constitutional article that allows him to assume executive power in cases of imminent danger threatening the institutions of the nation and the independence of the country and hindering the regular functioning of the public powers. Saied was formerly a constitutional law professor and has stressed that he wasn't acting outside the constitution. Ghannouchi reiterated his statement that the moves amount to a coup, "and we have called on the president to reverse these announcements and return to the constitutional democratic order of the state. In a pressure tactic, the Ennahdha leader said his party and other parliamentary blocs are organizing. We are moving toward escalating pressure on the president, of course peacefully to demand the return to a democratic system and respecting the will of the Tunisian people, he said. Among pressure tactics, he cited plans for protests and sit-ins. "We are seeking to work, not as separate parties, but as a national front building the broadest possible front in order to eventually convince the president to submit to the will of the people and return to the democratic order, Ghannouchi said. He added that parliamentary work would continue despite the presidential freeze via digital methods, a means formally approved earlier because of the pandemic. Saied's decisions to at least temporarily centralize decision-making and most state functions comes amid a crescendo of crises in Tunisia, battling coronavirus infections that are ravaging the nation and growing social and economic woes. Tunisia, which ignited the Arab Spring in 2011 when protests led to the overthrow of its longtime autocratic leader, is often regarded as the only success story of those uprisings. But democracy didnt bring prosperity. Tunisias economy was already flailing before the pandemic hit, with 18% unemployment, and young people demanding jobs and an end to police brutality protested in large numbers earlier this year. These crises need to be addressed, rather than seek to create other problems or to create ideological conflicts, Ghannouchi said, adding that everyone must work to prevent Tunisia "from being dragged into violence. He conceded that Ennahdha, which has been accused of focusing on its internal concerns instead of managing the coronavirus, needs to review itself, as do other parties." Ennahdha, with its high political profile, is a perfect target to blame for Tunisia's economic and other problems, Ghannouchi maintained. And they succeeded at some of their objectives in inciting hatred against Ennahda," he said. The Islamist leader hastened to add, However, it is through elections the popularity of parties is measured, and Ennahdha remains the largest. But all parties must come together to save Tunisia and not this or that party, Ghannouchi said. The 80-year-old Ghannouchi, a co-founder of Ennahdha, also said that he wouldn't seek a new term as its president at a party congress later this year. ___ Elaine Ganley reported from Paris. BANGKOK (AP) They travel to the forgotten around the capital's outlying neighborhoods, taking care of desperate people who can't find a place in Thailand's overburdened health care system or who are living in the streets. They are ordinary Thais like Ekapob Laungprasert, who said he suddenly realized that overworked nurses and hospitals needed as much help as those sick from COVID-19 did. The businessman helped set up one of the volunteer groups helping those in need. Saimai Will Survive is named after the Bangkok neighborhood where he lives. PHOENIX (AP) Two top Republicans in the Arizona Senate issued two new subpoenas late Monday for materials from the 2020 election as they look to continue their unprecedented review of former President Donald Trump's loss in Maricopa County. The subpoenas issued by Senate President Karen Fann and Judiciary Committee Chairman Warren Petersen set up a new confrontation with the Republican leaders of Maricopa County, who have vowed to stop producing materials for the Senate's review. They say the review is being run by incompetent grifters, and they've already provided everything needed to review the 2020 vote count. Fann and Petersen also, for the first time, sent a subpoena to Dominion Voting Systems Inc., which manufactured Maricopa County's voting machines and has been the target of false conspiracy theories suggesting its machines were tainted by foreign interference. The new demands come days after Trump spoke to thousands of supporters in downtown Phoenix, using the Senate's review to make a number of debunked claims to bolster his false narrative that President Joe Biden's victory was illegitimate. Fann first issued a subpoena late last year as Trump and his allies were looking for materials to support their false claims of election irregularities before President Joe Bidens victory was formally certified on Jan. 6. The subpoena was reissued early this year, and after a judge ruled it was valid, Maricopa County turned over 2.1 million ballots, hundreds of counting machines and terabytes worth of data. The materials were given to contractors hired by Fann for a sweeping audit of the election, which Trump narrowly lost. Fann says her goal is not to overturn the 2020 election but to see whether changes to state law are needed going forward. But the audit is being led by an inexperienced firm, Cyber Ninjas, led by a Trump supporter who has promoted conspiracy theories about the election. It's become an obsession for many Trump supporters who hope it will turn up evidence supporting claims of fraud. The latest subpoena demands that the county turn over the envelopes from all mail-in ballots or images of them, network routers and traffic logs, detailed voter registration records with change histories, and records related security breaches of election systems. Fann and Petersen are also demanding that Dominion give their contractors administrator-level access to all tabulators used in Maricopa County. The auditors have fought for months to get ahold of security tokens needed to access internal configurations of precinct-based tabulators. Dominion has refused to provide that access, saying it will only cooperate with companies certified by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Releasing Dominions intellectual property to an unaccredited, biased, and plainly unreliable actor such as Cyber Ninjas would be reckless, causing irreparable damage to the commercial interests of the company and the election security interests of the country, said a statement from the company issued in May. No company should be compelled to participate in such an irresponsible act. Dominion did cooperate with two accredited firms hired by the county earlier this year, both of which found no problems with the election. Fields Moseley, a spokesman for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, said the board will review the supboena with its lawyers and respond in the coming days. He said the county has already provided everything competent auditors would need to confirm the accuracy and security of the 2020 election. The new subpoenas are not likely to resolve the impasse, and the Senate may struggle to enforce them. Fann does not have the power on her own to hold county officials in contempt if they ignore the demand for documents. The Senate is not in session, and Fann lacks the 16 votes she'd need to hold officials in contempt, which would open the door for their arrest. Republican Sen. Paul Boyer, who along with all Democrats voted against holding county officials in contempt earlier this year, has not backed down. He's called the Senate's contractors inexperienced and partisan, and he said the audit has become an embarrassment for the Republican Party. And Republican Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita on Saturday said she can no-longer support the Trump audit. I wanted to review our election processes and see what, if anything, could be improved, Ugenti-Rita wrote on Twitter. Sadly, it's now become clear that the audit has been botched. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) Arkansas reported more than 2,000 new coronavirus cases Tuesday and its hospitalizations surpassed 1,000 as Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he was considering calling lawmakers back to the Capitol to revisit the state's ban on schools requiring face masks. The state Department of Health reported virus cases rose by 2,052 to 378,023 total since the pandemic began, and the number of people in the hospital due to COVID-19 grew by 45 to 1,025. The state reported 10 new COVID-19 deaths. The hospitalizations were the state's highest since Jan. 27. The state reported 387 COVID-19 patients in intensive care and 205 on ventilators. Only 3% of the state's intensive care unit beds and 20% of its hospital beds are available. The state's cases and hospitalizations have skyrocketed in recent weeks, fueled by the delta variant and Arkansas' low vaccination rate. Arkansas ranks second in the country for new cases per capita, according to Johns Hopkins University research data. Hutchinson, a Republican, met with the GOP leaders of the state House and Senate to discuss the possibility of calling a special session over the ban on school mask mandates. Hutchinson in April signed a state law banning mask requirements by local and state government entities, including public schools. Hutchinson is facing growing calls to lift that ban, at least for schools, as cases and hospitalizations surge. A special session remains an option as we look for specific ways to assist our schools as we prepare for the next school year," Hutchinson said in a statement after the meeting. In the coming days, I will be evaluating options for legislative changes to Act 1002 that will give our schools more local control on meeting the health needs of the students as we enter a new school year in the face of the delta variant." Earlier Tuesday, Hutchinson indicated support for giving school districts the ability to decide whether to require masks but said lawmakers needed to hear from superintendents. Obviously, there's a good argument that that's the essence of local control, let a local school district decide," he said at a town hall in Dumas on vaccinations. Senate President Jimmy Hickey said he told colleagues a session was a possibility and was contacting them to see what actions they would support. Personally, I'm concerned about where we are with this new delta variant," Hickey said. House Speaker Matthew Shepherd said the special session discussion is focusing on schools, not revisiting the mask mandate ban beyond that. Its going to be a discussion of what if anything needs to be done, what potential legislation would look like and all of that factors in to, what do the votes look like? he said. The state's surge was overwhelming hospitals. Baxter Regional Medical Center described its situation as critical, reaching a new peak of 43 COVID-19 patients. Our ICU is full, with both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients," the hospital said in a statement. Our staff is weary, concerned for our community and desperate for this pandemic to end, but we continue to serve in extraordinary ways. Arkansas Children's Hospital said 24 children were hospitalized with COVID-19, the highest it has seen since the pandemic began. None of the hospitalized patients have been fully immunized, even though more than half were eligible, the hospital said in a statement. Arkansas Childrens appeals to families and the public to please vaccinate children who are eligible immediately," Dr. Rick Barr, Arkansas Children's executive vice president and its chief clinical officer, said in a statement. We will continue to see more kids get sick quickly and the best ways to reduce the spread of COVID-19 are by taking the vaccine, masking and social distancing." University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Chancellor Dr. Cam Patterson tweeted that the hospital reached another new record for COVID-19 patients, with 75 in its care. Hutchinson said he planned to meet with his COVID-19 task force to discuss ways to increase hospital capacity in the state. The Arkansas Hospital Association said it strongly supports hospitals requiring all employees to be vaccinated against the virus. Hospital employee vaccination against COVID-19 will maintain the long-term ability of our health care system to respond to the pandemic and to safely care for patients by protecting them from infection," the association said. SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) Another Massachusetts hospital system has announced that it will require employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. Springfield-based Baystate Health said Monday that the policy that takes effect Oct. 1 also applies to those working remotely, clinical staff, contractors, volunteers, students, and those conducting business within our health system. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) California prisoners are entitled to a lawyer when they challenge their murder convictions for killings that others committed, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday. The court's ruling means that hundreds of inmates who want to use a 2-year-old law to fight their convictions have the right to court-appointed attorneys to argue their cases, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. SB1437, which took effect in 2019, narrowed a California law that permitted murder convictions for anyone involved in a robbery, burglary or other serious felony where someone died regardless of whether they actually committed the killing. SB1437 permitted a murder conviction only for someone who intended the killing and directed and aided in it or acted with reckless indifference to human life. Hundreds of prisoners challenged their convictions and qualified for legal representation. However, most state appellate courts refused to require court-appointed lawyers before a lower court decided whether the challenge should be allowed to proceed. More than 300 challenges that were dismissed are now before the California Supreme Court, the Chronicle said. Monday's ruling said that an inmate who hadn't killed anyone and was fighting a murder conviction was entitled to an attorney to help them argue in the initial hearing that their case meets the basic requirements of the law. The case was filed on behalf of Vince E. Lewis, who was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the 2012 gang shooting of a woman by another gang member while Lewis waited in a car. The Legislature designed this law to give it as broad application as possible, to identify people who should be serving sentences for lesser crimes that they actually committed and not for murders that someone else committed, said his attorney, Robert Bacon. Too many courts made it unreasonably hard for them to even get in the courthouse door. The author of the law, State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, argued in a court filing that many inmates weren't capable of handling the complexities of legal issues on their own. Many people in our prisons cannot read. Many people in our prison system have a limited education. Many people in our prisons have limited English comprehension. Many people in our prisons have intellectual disabilities or have been diagnosed with a mental disorder, Skinner said in the filing. The state attorney general's office, which argued for upholding Lewis' conviction, declined to comment on the ruling, the Chronicle said. VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) Authorities in Virginia Beach say a Black man fatally shot by police had pointed a gun at the officer who shot him. The city's version of events appears in a court filing in response to a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit filed by the mans family earlier this year, The Virginian-Pilot reported Monday. Donovon Lynch was shot by a Virginia Beach police officer in late March along the citys oceanfront during a chaotic night in which 10 people were shot during separate incidents in a short period of time. Police initially said a uniformed officer encountered an armed citizen and fatally shot him. The city's legal filing on July 21 says the officer feared for his life and the lives of other officers and citizens in the vicinity." The officer was identified in the filing as Solomon D. Simmons III, who is also Black. The city's filing says Simmons heard what sounded to him like the slide of a handgun placing a bullet in the chamber. It says Lynch then rose from some shrubs and pointed a gun in Simmons' direction before the officer fatally shot him. Police said the officer's body camera was not activated for unknown reasons. The citys version of events contradicts what a witness told The Virginian-Pilot earlier this year. Darrion Marsh, a friend of Lynch's who said he witnessed the shooting, told the newspaper that the officer shot Lynch without any verbal warning. Lynchs family has said that he had a concealed-carry permit and had a gun on him the night of the shooting. Marsh said Lynch never took the gun out of his cargo shorts. Lynch was a cousin of Virginia Beach native and Grammy-winning musician Pharrell Williams. LOS ANGELES (AP) Parking restrictions imposed by the city of Los Angeles violate the civil rights of people who live in recreational vehicles because they have no other place to live, according to a class-action lawsuit filed in federal court. The Los Angeles Times reports the lawsuit filed Monday seeks $1 million in punitive damages each against Mayor Eric Garcetti, City Council members and other city officials, but does not ask for monetary compensation. DENVER (AP) A U.S. appeals court has ruled against a web designer who didnt want to create wedding websites for same-sex couples and sued to challenge Colorados anti-discrimination law, another twist in a series of court rulings nationwide about whether businesses denying services to LGBTQ people amounts to bias or freedom of speech. A three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver on Monday denied Lorie Smith's attempt to overturn a lower court ruling throwing out her legal challenge. The Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents Smith, argued that the law forced her to violate her Christian beliefs. In the 2-1 ruling, the panel said Colorado had a compelling interest in protecting the dignity interests of members of marginalized groups through its law. The anti-discrimination law is the same one at issue in the case of Colorado baker Jack Phillips that was decided in 2018 by the U.S. Supreme Court. The high court decided the Colorado Civil Rights Commission had acted with anti-religious bias against Phillips after he refused to bake a cake for two men who were getting married. But it did not rule on the larger issue of whether a business can invoke religious objections to refuse service to LGBTQ people. The Scottsdale, Arizona-based Alliance Defending Freedom also represented Phillips. Founded in 1994 by Christian leaders concerned about religious freedom, the group said it would appeal Monday's ruling. The government should never force creative professionals to promote a message or cause with which they disagree. That is quintessential free speech and artistic freedom, the groups senior counsel, John Bursch, said in a statement. Lambda Legal, a group that fights for the civil rights of LGBTQ people, had submitted a brief supporting the Colorado law. This really isnt about cake or websites or flowers, Lambda Legal senior counsel Jennifer C. Pizer said in a statement. Its about protecting LGBTQ people and their families from being subjected to slammed doors, service refusals and public humiliation in countless places from fertility clinics to funeral homes and everywhere in between. In arguments before the three-judge panel in November, Chief Judge Timothy Tymkovich asked what Smith would do if she was approached by a straight wedding planner asking her to create four heterosexual wedding sites and one for a same-sex wedding. Kristen Waggoner, a lawyer for the alliance, said Smith would not take that job. Colorado Solicitor General Eric Olson questioned whether Smith should even be allowed to challenge the law since she had not started offering wedding websites yet. But if she did, Olson said, her argument would mean she would refuse to create a website for a hypothetical same-sex couple named Alex and Taylor but agree to make the same one for an opposite-sex couple with the same names. He said that would be discrimination under the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. In the case of Phillips, who owns Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Olson said the Supreme Court could not agree on whether cakes are a form of expression. However, he said a subjective decision about whether a companys service amounted to speech was not a workable way of determining discrimination. Judge Mary Beck Briscoe wrote in Monday's majority opinion that we must also consider the grave harms caused when public accommodations discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. Combatting such discrimination is, like individual autonomy, essential to our democratic ideals. In his dissent, Tymkovich wrote that this case illustrates exactly why we have a First Amendment. Properly applied, the Constitution protects Ms. Smith from the government telling her what to say or do. In 2019, a divided three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found in favor of two Christian filmmakers who said they should not have to make videos celebrating same-sex marriage under Minnesotas anti-discrimination law because the videos are a form of speech protected by the First Amendment. The court reinstated a lawsuit brought by Carl and Angel Larsen of Telescope Media Group in St. Cloud. They also are being represented by Alliance Defending Freedom. ___ This story was first published on July 27, 2021. It was updated on July 28, 2021, to correct the name of a judge. She is Mary Beck Briscoe, not Mark Beck Briscoe. DETROIT (AP) The Michigan Supreme Court threw out out the conviction of a man who was accused of failing to register under an old version of the state's sex offender registry. The court became the latest to declare that the 2011 law was unconstitutional when applied retroactively to certain offenders. The Legislature last year revised the law after two federal courts said the 2011 version was unconstitutional, though critics contend the new edition isn't much better. It still requires registration of virtually everybody who was on the registry, said attorney Miriam Aukerman of the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, which has called for registry reform. There's a lack of individual consideration. The Supreme Court said the 2011 law was unconstitutional because it increased the punishment for a crime that was already committed. The Muskegon County prosecutor accused Paul Betts of failing to report his change of residence, email address and the purchase of a vehicle in a timely manner. Betts was convicted of second-degree criminal sexual conduct in 1993, before the registry was created. The 2011 law bears significant resemblance to the traditional punishments of banishment, shaming and parole because of its limitations on residency and employment, publication of information and encouragement of social ostracism, and imposition of significant state supervision, Justice Elizabeth Clement wrote Tuesday. Betts' attorney, Jessica Zimbelman, said the court's view that the law was illegal punishment was significant. It will matter moving forward as people continue to challenge the 2020 (law), which contains many of the same features, she said. The new law lifted restrictions on living near schools and attending school events. But it still requires offenders to report personal information for years. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the law despite opposition from the ACLU and others. ___ Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwritez CURRITUCK, N.C. (AP) The Currituck-Knotts Island ferry service is being suspended to alleviate a staffing shortage at the Hatteras terminal, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation's Ferry Division. In a news release, the division said the Currituck-Knotts Island route will resume its scheduled service on July 31. OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) Two years ago, Washington became the first state in the nation to establish a defined benefit to help offset the costs of long-term care. Now, workers have just a few months to decide whether they want to buy a private plan and opt out of the state-managed program before a payroll deduction hits their paychecks starting in January. Under the program, called WA Cares Fund, workers will pay a premium of .58% of total pay per paycheck, meaning an employee with a salary of $50,000 will pay $290 a year. Starting Jan. 1, 2025, people who need assistance with at least three activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing or administration of medication, can tap into the fund to pay for things like in-home care, home modifications like a wheelchair ramp and rides to the doctor. The benefit also covers home-delivered meals, and reimbursement to unpaid family caregivers. The lifetime maximum of the benefit is $36,500, with annual increases to be determined based on inflation. Under an update to the law, passed by the Legislature this year, people who want to opt out of the state-managed program must have a private long-term care insurance plan in place before Nov. 1, and then apply for an exemption to avoid having the automatic deduction from their paychecks starting in January 2022. Even though a private policy must be purchased before Nov. 1 to opt out, people have until Dec. 31, 2022 to apply for an exemption which means they may pay a year of the premium unless they opt out before the payroll deduction starts. No rebates are offered for any premiums already paid, and once a person receives an exemption, they are not able to opt back into the state program, even if they change jobs. Only an estimated 7 million to 8 million Americans have private long-term care insurance, which can be costly and generally requires applicants to pass a health screening. Many assume that Medicare covers long-term care, but thats not the case except for limited care for skilled nursing or rehabilitation. Qualifying for public coverage under Medicaid, which covers low-income people, involves spending down lifetime savings. The state program is meant to be a bridge to help people avoid the Medicaid route, said Democratic Rep. Nicole Macri, a member of the Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Commission that is charged with monitoring and advising the program. It is really structured in a way that is intended to ensure that people can retain their independence and remain in their own homes as long as possible, she said. It will provide low-income and middle-income people access to long-term care that they otherwise would not have or would have to spend their money down into poverty in order to become eligible for Medicaid. Ben Veghte, the director of the WA Cares Fund, said that with a growing aging population, the states Medicaid program was at risk of being overwhelmed by long-term care costs. The state-managed plan is projected to save the state $1.9 billion in Medicaid savings by 2052. This program is a solution to a problem, he said. According to AARP of Washington, 70% of residents 65 and older will require some type of assistance to live independently. To be eligible, workers will have had to have paid the premium working at least 500 hours per year for three of the previous six years in which theyre seeking the benefit or for a total of 10 years, with at least five of those paid without interruption. The benefit is not portable, so people who pay into the program but later move out of state will not be able to access it, and it only covers the taxpayer, not a spouse or dependent. The benefit also isn't available to those who work in Washington and will pay the deduction but live in neighboring states, like Oregon. Macri said the commission is looking at addressing the issue of allowing the benefit across state lines. The program had a setback after voters last November rejected a constitutional amendment that would have allowed the state investment board to invest the programs dollars in private stocks same as public pensions and workers compensation funds are instead of lower-return government bonds and CDs. A recent analysis of the program written by the Office of the State Actuary found that under current projections, the programs expenditures will exceed what it is collecting, starting in in 2052. Citing modeling by the consulting firm Milliman, if all things remain the same including the .58% payroll deduction the actuary office says the program will be able to pay 100% of the benefits through 2075, but would drop to 71% of full benefits the following year. Republican Sen. Curtis King, a member of the Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Commission, said too many questions remain about the viability of the program, and the potential of a premium increase for workers. Unfortunately, I think the people were supposed to be helping are the ones who are going to get the shaft here in the long run, he said. I think the tax rate is going to have to go up, and whos that going to hurt the most? Lower-income people and those at the poverty level. Approximately 42 insurance companies are currently selling either stand-alone long-term care insurance policies or long-term care riders on life insurance policies, through the majority are offering the rider option, according to the state insurance office. Modeling by the consulting firm showed various scenarios of opt-out structures, with the baseline one finding that 3% of wage earners responsible for about 10% of wages in 2022 would opt out at the start of the program. Under that scenario, a premium assessment of .66% would be required to keep the program solvent through 2096. Whether they decide to re-attempt a constitutional amendment on their investment options or to tweak the premium or benefit, Actuary Matt Smith said lawmakers shouldnt hold off too long to ensure the financial health of the program. This is important, but not urgent, Smith said. It doesnt require immediate action but that also means dont defer these decisions forever. Your solutions become more expensive, or your options become a little more limited. DETROIT (AP) An investigation by a sexual assault kit task force has led to the arrest of a 41-year-old Detroit man in the 2014 rape of a 17-year-old girl. Lionel Wells was arraigned Tuesday in 36th District Court on two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping and armed robbery, the Wayne County prosecutors office said. ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) A former Air Force intelligence analyst who once helped find targets for deadly U.S. drone strikes was sentenced to 45 months in prison for leaking top-secret details about the program. Daniel Hale, 33, told a federal judge he felt compelled to leak information to a journalist out of guilt over his own participation in a program that he believed was indiscriminately killing civilians in Afghanistan far from the battlefield. It is wrong to kill, Hale said in a defiant statement in which he accepted responsibility for his actions, but also pleaded for mercy. It is especially wrong to kill the defenseless. But U.S. District Judge Liam O'Grady told Hale he had other avenues for airing his concerns besides leaking to a journalist. Citing the need to deter others from illegal disclosures, he imposed a punishment that was harsher than the 12- to 18-month term sought by Hales attorneys but significantly more lenient than the longer sentence sought by prosecutors. You could have resigned from the military, or told your commanders you weren't going to do this anymore, O'Grady told Hale. The prosecution is one in a series of cases the Justice Department has brought in recent years against current and former government officials who have disclosed classified secrets to journalists. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced new guidelines this month to bar prosecutors from subpoenaing journalists' records in leak probes, but the department has shown no signs of scaling back efforts to charge officials whom they identify as having leaked national security information. Prosecutors have argued that Hale, who deployed to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan in 2012 and was honorably discharged the following year, abused the governments trust and knew the documents he was sharing risked causing serious, and in some cases exceptionally grave, damage to the national security but leaked them anyway. They say that documents leaked by Hale were found in an internet compilation of material designed to help Islamic State fighters avoid detection. Hale's stated rationale that he was attempting to expose injustices surrounding the military's drone program has earned him support among whistleblower advocates and among critics of the government's war efforts, some of whom held supportive signs outside the courthouse and attended Tuesday's sentencing hearing. But prosecutors painted a different portrait. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon Kromberg said the impact of Hale's actions was not to contribute to a public debate over war but rather to endanger the people doing the fighting. He said that even if it was not Hale's intent to aid a terror organization, that was what he did. The Justice Department said Hale began communicating with a journalist in April 2013 while still in the Air Force. The following February, while working as a defense contractor at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Hale printed six classified documents that were each later published. He provided additional documents to the reporter that were published in whole or in part, including 11 that were marked as top secret or secret, prosecutors said. He pleaded guilty earlier this year. While court papers never specified the recipient of the leak, details about the case make it clear that the documents were given to Jeremy Scahill, a reporter at The Intercept, who used the documents as part of a series of critical reports on how the military conducted drone strikes on foreign targets. The arguments Tuesday were less about whether Hale leaked the records he openly acknowledges doing so and more about his rationale for his actions and what role that should play in the sentence calculation. Defense lawyers argued that he was motivated by his own conscience and that his leaks didn't jeopardize national security. He committed the offense to bring attention to what he believed to be immoral government conduct committed under the cloak of secrecy and contrary to public statements of then-President Obama regarding the alleged precision of the United States militarys drone program, defense lawyers wrote in a filing last week. Prosecutors painted Hale as eager to ingratiate himself with journalists, but Hale described himself as racked with angst over the role his actions may have played in the taking of innocent lives. He had served as a signals intelligence analyst, helping locate targets for drone strikes by tracking down cellphone signals. He said in court Tuesday that he had wanted to dispel the idea that drone warfare keeps us safe," and the documents he leaked showed among other things that the drone program was not as precise as the government claimed in terms of avoiding civilian deaths. Reading aloud from a prepared statement, his voice occasionally cracking with emotion, Hale repeatedly took responsibility for his actions but expressed more regret over wartime actions than the taking of papers. He said he was pained by the possibility that his actions in the drone program could have emboldened terrorists in the United States, referring to the case of Omar Mateen, the gunman who massacred nightclub patrons in Orlando, Florida, in 2016 and had explicitly demanded during the shooting that air strikes needed to stop. ____ Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP WASHINGTON (AP) The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The state of California. New York City. Hospitals and nursing homes. Colleges and universities. Employers are putting COVID-19 vaccine mandates into place and it's getting attention. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden said a requirement is under consideration for all federal employees. But what happens if workers refuse? Federal legal guidance out this week suggests the law is on the side of employers. Vaccination can be considered a condition of employment, akin to a job qualification. That said, employment lawyers believe many businesses will want to meet hesitant workers half-way. CAN EMPLOYERS REQUIRE A CORONAVIRUS VACCINE? Yes. Private companies and government agencies can require their employees to get vaccinated as a condition of working there. Individuals retain the right to refuse, but they have no ironclad right to legal protection. Those who have a disability or a sincerely held religious belief may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation under civil rights laws, so long as providing that accommodation does not constitute an undue hardship for the employer, said Sharon Perley Masling, an employment lawyer who leads the COVID-19 task force at Morgan Lewis. Employees who don't meet such criteria may need to go on leave or seek different opportunities, she added. The U.S. Justice Department addressed the rights of employers and workers in a legal opinion this week. It tackled an argument raised by some vaccine skeptics that the federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act prohibits employers from requiring vaccination with shots that are only approved for emergency use, as coronavirus vaccines currently are. Department lawyers wrote that the law in question requires individuals be informed of their option to accept or refuse administration of an emergency use vaccine or drug. But that requirement does not prohibit employers from mandating vaccination as a condition of employment." The same reasoning applies to universities, school districts, or other entities potentially requiring COVID-19 vaccines, the lawyers added. Available evidence overwhelmingly shows the vaccines are safe and effective. The Justice Department opinion followed earlier guidance from the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that federal laws prohibiting discrimination in the workplace do not prevent an employer from requiring all employees physically entering the workplace to be vaccinated for COVID-19. The EEOC listed some cases in which employers must offer exemptions. People who have a medical or religious reason can be accommodated through alternative measures. Those can include getting tested weekly, wearing masks while in the office, or working remotely. WHO IS REQUIRING THE VACCINE? The Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday became the first major federal agency to require health care workers to get COVID-19 vaccine. Also on Monday, the state of California said it will require millions of health care workers and state employees to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or get tested weekly. And New York City will require all of its municipal workers including teachers and police officers to get coronavirus vaccines by mid-September or face weekly testing. Raising expectations, Biden said Tuesday that a vaccine requirement for all federal workers is under consideration right now." He promised to lay out next steps for his administration's stalled vaccination campaign later this week. The more we learn about this virus and the delta variation, the more we have to be worried and concerned, the president said, adding that if another 100 million Americans were vaccinated we'd be in a very different world. The push for vaccines has been piecemeal in the corporate world. Delta and United airlines are requiring new employees to show proof of vaccination. Goldman Sachs is requiring its employees to disclose their vaccination status, but is not requiring staffers to be vaccinated. Michelle S. Strowhiro, an employment adviser and lawyer at McDermott Will & Emery, said there are costs for employers requiring vaccines. Theres the administrative burden of tracking compliance and managing exemption requests. Claims of discrimination could also arise. But ultimately, the rise in the delta variant and breakthrough cases in fully vaccinated people has served as extra motivation for employers to take a stronger stand on vaccination generally, she said. Employers are going to be looking toward vaccine mandates more and more. IS THERE ANY OTHER ALTERNATIVE TO MANDATES? Instead of requiring vaccines, some companies are trying to entice workers by offering cash bonuses, paid time off and other rewards. Walmart, for example, is offering a $75 bonus for employees who provide proof they were vaccinated. Amazon is giving workers an $80 bonus if they show proof of vaccination and new hires get $100 if theyre vaccinated. WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS FOR EMPLOYEES IF THEY DONT WANT TO TAKE THE VACCINE? Most employers are likely to give workers some options if they dont want to take the vaccine. For example, New York City and California have imposed what's being called a soft mandate workers who dont want to get vaccinated can get tested weekly instead. If an employer does set a hard requirement, employees can ask for an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Then, under EEOC civil rights rules, the employer must provide reasonable accommodation that does not pose an undue hardship on the operation of the employers business. Some alternatives could include wearing a face mask at work, social distancing, working a modified shift, COVID-19 testing or the option to work remotely, or even offering a reassignment. WILL WORKPLACE MANDATES TURN THE TIDE ON VACCINE HESITANCY? It's too early to tell. Every employer that decides to mandate vaccination paves the way for other employers to feel safer doing so, said Masling. A recent legal decision may help move the needle. In June, a federal district court in Texas rejected an attempt by medical workers to challenge the legality of Houston Methodist Hospital's vaccine mandate. The court found such a requirement in line with public policy. Dorit Reiss, a law professor who specializes in vaccine policies at the University of California Hastings College of the Law, said more businesses will have confidence they can mandate the vaccine. She believes most companies will go the route of a soft mandate, with alternatives for employees who remain reluctant. I think its a reasonable option, she said. ___ Anderson reported from Nashville, Tennessee. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Ilona Babenko, Arizona State University (THE CONVERSATION) The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Keeping nonprofit chief executive officers out of meetings when members of their boards discuss or vote on compensation can lead to these CEOs making less money and working harder. This is a key finding from a study of nonprofit payI recently completed with two fellow finance scholars, Benjamin Bennett and Rik Sen. We reached this conclusion after reviewing data for more than 14,700 nonprofits across the country from paperwork most nonprofits must file with the Internal Revenue Service every year, known as Form 990, and the associated Schedule J, which includes compensation. We zeroed in on 1,698 nonprofits located in New York to see if their CEO pay changed after new regulations took effect in 2013. Since then, New York has prohibited nonprofit officers from being present at meetings where their pay is being discussed. We found that compensation was an average of 2%-3% lower than expected by comparing pay for nonprofit CEOs in New York with pay in other states. We also compared the change in CEO pay with compensation changes for other executives pay at the same nonprofits since they werent affected by this legislation. We also found that many nonprofits changed how they handled executive compensation. That is, they were more likely to set up compensation committees, perform an independent compensation review or adjust pay to be in line with similar organizations. Nonprofit CEO bonuses also became more correlated with the growth of an organizations budget a strong indicator of overall performance. And we found that, despite earning less than they might have expected, nonprofit CEOs spent about 2% more time working without any additional turnover. Interestingly, we also determined that by some measures, the nonprofits became better-run after the legislation took effect. For example, 2% more people chose to volunteer, and funding from donations and grants grew by 4%. Why it matters High CEO pay is a hotly debated topic. Nonprofit CEOs make considerably less money than corporate CEOs and have experienced a slower wage growth over the last decade. Based on our estimates, corporate executives saw their annual pay grow by 54% from 2009 to 2017 to an average value of US$3.2 million, while nonprofit executives experienced a 15% increase in pay, reaching an average value of $396,000 in 2017 the most recent year for which we obtained IRS data. Nevertheless, because mosty nonprofits are exempt from income tax and many accept donations, its only natural that the government and funders would not want to waste their money on excessive compensation. For example, food bank donors might prefer to see nonprofits spend more of their dollars on feeding the hungry as opposed to perks and big pay packages. In recent years, some alarming accounts of exorbitant CEO pay and self-dealing practices at nonprofits have come to light. These include the scandals that have rocked the Wounded Warrior Project and the National Rifle Association. Whats next One possible reason why nonprofit CEO pay is growing much more slowly than for-profit CEO compensation is that nonprofit leaders are committed to specific causes and have more motives aside from money to excel at their work than their corporate counterparts. Other possibilities could be that nonprofits face pressure from donors to avoid high executive pay or that nonprofit CEOs have little leverage. We hope that our future research will answer this question. [Over 109,000 readers rely on The Conversations newsletter to understand the world. Sign up today.] This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/keeping-nonprofit-ceos-out-of-the-room-when-boards-decide-what-to-pay-them-yields-good-results-162981. PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) Some of the survivors of a deadly bus crash in Croatia flew home to Kosovo on Tuesday to a welcoming crowd at the country's international airport at the capital, Pristina. A plane flew in from Osijek, Croatia, bringing 21 ethnic Albanian Kosovars to Adem Jashari airport two days after the bus crash that killed 10 people and injured 43. One of the arriving survivors was taken by an ambulance minivan to the hospital due to health concerns. The others left in cars with relatives or with vehicles offered from the government. Fifteen others are still in Croatian hospitals, one in grave condition, Health Minister Arben Vitia said. The coffins with eight dead from the crash were expected to arrive Wednesday, according to Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla. The bus carrying 67 passengers and two drivers swerved off a highway while traveling from Frankfurt, Germany, to Kosovo early Sunday. Croatian authorities said the driver behind the wheel at the time had dozed off and lost control. The driver is under a 30-day detention in Croatia. More than 100 people waited with flowers at the airport to meet arriving family members. President Vjosa Osmani, Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Parliament Speaker Glauk Konjufca also were at the airport. Kosovo observed a day of mourning with flags at half-staff and parliament postponed its session Monday in memory of the 10 dead Kosovars. Kosovo has a huge diaspora in Germany whose remittances are a major resource for their families and the countrys economy. We lost part of our spirit, part of that which is the backbone and our permanent pain: the exiled persons, the president said in a joint statement with the speaker and the prime minister. ___ Associated Press writer Llazar Semini in Tirana, Albania, contributed to this report. BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (AP) A man accused of killing two women in Pennsylvania was charged with murder in the death of a pregnant Michigan woman who disappeared in 2005, authorities said Tuesday. Calhoun County investigators got a tip months ago when police in Pennsylvania interviewed Harold Haulman III. Haulman lived in the area when Ashley Parlier, 21, of Battle Creek, was reported missing in 2005, Sheriff Steve Hinkley said. Haulman admitted to killing Parlier during interviews with detectives, Hinkley said. He indicated that he had assaulted her and knocked her unconscious after an argument at a house, the sheriff said. He then drove her to a remote area in Newton Township, where he struck her in the head several times with a piece of wood until she was dead. Investigators haven't found Parlier's remains despite searches in a wooded area. Haulman, 43, is in custody in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. It wasn't immediately known if he has a lawyer in Michigan who could comment on the new case. In Pennsylvania, Haulman is charged with killing Tianna Phillips, 25, of Berwick, and Erica Shultz, 26, of Bloomsburg. Phillips disappeared in 2018. Shultz was killed in December. Michigan authorities for months had publicly identified Haulman as the chief suspect in Parlier's death. I am excited for the closure but upset it was not two or three or 10 or 15 years ago when my parents were alive," Parlier's sister, Nicole Campen, told the Battle Creek Enquirer in May. TROY, Mo. (AP) An eastern Missouri woman already serving a life sentence for murder pleaded not guilty Tuesday in the stabbing death of her friend a decade ago. Pamela Hupp is charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of Elizabeth Betsy Faria, in 2011. Prosecutors contend Hupp killed Faria four days after persuading her to switch a $150,000 life insurance policy to Hupp. She then allegedly tried to stage the scene to make it appear that Faria's husband killed her. CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) Connie Bennett had a birthday gift to deliver to her granddaughter for her upcoming 8th birthday, so, at the end of a busy weekend nearly 40 years ago, she stopped by to drop off the organ and had an impromptu early celebration with cake and ice cream with her son Bruce's family. The next day she went back to the home after her son and his wife failed to turn up at work and found his bloody body inside next to the kitchen where some dishes from the party had been left. I fell on my knees and I asked him Bruce, what happened?' and he couldnt respond, Connie Bennett, now 87, testified Tuesday at the start of the murder trial of Alex Ewing, a former Nevada prison inmate linked through DNA evidence in 2018 to the 1984 killings of Bruce and Debra Bennett and their 7-year-old daughter Melissa in Aurora. The couple's younger daughter, 3-year-old Vanessa, was also beaten in the head with a hammer like her parents and sister, according to prosecutors, but she was still alive after firefighters responded to Connie Bennetts 911 call and survived. The DNA profile that was eventually developed as science improved was from semen left behind on the comforter that was found covering Melissa and a piece of carpet cut from underneath where her body was found in the bedroom she shared with her sister. She had been violently raped and murdered, District Attorney John Kellner told jurors during opening statements. Later, photos of some of her injuries were passed silently from juror to juror rather than displayed on video screens as other evidence photos had been, as Connie and Vanessa Bennett sat in the front row of the gallery. Ewing, who sat next to his lawyers and sometimes took notes during proceedings, was identified as the suspect in the killings of the Bennetts as well as the death of another person in suburban Denver about a week before Patricia Smith, who was also beaten with a hammer and sexually assaulted after DNA profiles were taken from both scenes was matched with Ewings in a national database. Ewing was required to give a sample while in prison under a 2013 Nevada law requiring one from anyone arrested in the state on a felony charge that was applied retroactively to inmates starting in 2016. He was convicted there of attacking a couple with an ax handle in their bedroom in Henderson in August 1984, eight months after the Bennetts and Smith was killed. One of Ewings public defenders, Stephen McCrohan, told jurors that other evidence recovered at the Bennett home points to more than one person being involved in the killings and to people other than Ewing being responsible. He also faulted investigators for working without gloves and not securing the home after the killings. Simple. Simple is the story the government wants you to believe about what happened here, McCrohan said. No semen was found on the carpet when experts examined it in 1984 and evidence taken from Melissas body was destroyed so it cannot be tested to see if it contains DNA matching Ewings, he said. A blood imprint left on Melissas pajamas was determined by an expert to say RICHAR, he said. Fingerprints left on the upstairs bathroom sink, which had been turned off because of a leak, did not belong to any of the Bennetts or Ewing, said McCrohan, who said police often roamed around the house, using the bathroom and watching television, during their investigation. Investigators were so determined to solve such a heinous crime after initially investigating the possibility of a Satanic cult being involved or possibly one of Bruce Bennetts brothers that, McCrohan said, they did not do much detective work after finding a DNA profile matching Ewing on the carpet and comforter, other than confirming he lived in the Denver area in 1984. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Catesby Holmes, The Conversation (THE CONVERSATION) A 51-year-old farmer and teacher who wears a traditional Andean palm-straw hat took office as Perus president on July 28, 2021, after a bitterly contested election. Pedro Castillo was virtually unknown in national politics when he eked out surprise victories in both the first and second rounds of the 2021 Peruvian presidential election. His right-wing opponent, Keiko Fujimori daughter of former Peruvian dictator Alberto Fujimori disputed the result of the June 7 runoff, alleging fraud. It took six weeks to confirm Castillos win. Castillo has never held national office, and his leftist party does not have a majority in Congress. Peru faces many struggles: Castillo will be its fifth president in as many years, and Peru has among the worlds highest COVID-19 death rates. In an interview with The Conversation, the Peruvian historian Cecilia Mendez Gastelumendi suggests Castillos unconventional background could work to his benefit but says he has enemies, too and they are already gunning for him. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Who is Pedro Castillo? Castillo has four identities. Together, they make him a very unusual president. Castillo is a peasant farmer from a northern region of Peru called Cajamarca. There are very important gold mines there, but the people are impoverished. One of Castillos campaign slogans is, There shouldnt be poor people in a wealthy country. As a candidate, he stuck to his rural identity. He did not start dressing like a city person. He likes to be portrayed with his hat and sandals, working the land. Castillos second identity is as a primary school teacher. That is an important role in poor parts of Peru, because they dont have enough schools or teachers. He is also a union organizer. In 2017, he led a major national teachers strike. Finally, Castillo is associated with the ronderos peasant patrollers. Peasant patrols, or rondas, were established in Cajamarca in the 1970s to defend against cattle-rustling and by the 1980s most rural areas of Peru had them to protect communities from the Shining Paths Marxist insurgency. This background makes Castillo very representative of certain sectors of Peru that have not been recognized in its political system. Is he a political outsider? Thats just the view from Lima. He is not an outsider where he comes from. Castillo was a longtime, hardcore member of a center-right political party called Peru Posible. To run for president, Castillo left Peru Posible because it dissolved after becoming associated with the corruption of former president Alejandro Toledo. He registered to run with a Marxist-Leninist party called Peru Libre, though he has no real relationship with the party or its radical history. It was a strategic alliance. What issues did Castillo campaign on? In the first stage of the race, when Castillo seemed to have no chance at all to win the presidency, he campaigned as both a leftist and a conservative. For example, his campaign slogan No poor people in a wealthy country targeted inequality, and he promised to push for a new Constitution to replace Perus Fujimori dictatorship-era Constitution. That is a leftist priority. He talked a lot about el pueblo the people and how education and health care should be a right in Peru, not a business. You know COVID-19 hit Peru terribly. But Castillo was revealed on video saying anti-LGBTQ things, and he openly opposed gay marriage and abortion. He mentioned foreigners coming to steal from Peruvians presumably referring to Venezuelans. There are 1 million Venezuelan migrants in Peru, and its very popular to appeal to anti-Venezuelan feelings. He is also a religious person. He is Catholic, married to an evangelical. So Castillo is not a liberal hes a leftist with a social agenda. But his agenda excludes some people, like those who are gay or trans? Early in the presidential race, that was the case. And many people on the left didnt vote for Castillo in the first round of the election, because of his conservative side. There is a liberal left in Peru, which supports gay rights and abortion. Castillo moderated before the second-round election. He had to, if he wanted to win. When he made it to the presidential runoff, the mainstream left had to choose between Castillo and Keiko Fujimori, who has been accused of money laundering. The liberal left got behind Castillo with some conditions. He had to adapt, and of late he has shown himself to be more open on gender issues. Which Pedro Castillo will be president? Castillo cannot impose a radical program. His party does not have the majority in Congress. So he has had to make alliances. He has just assembled a coalition of parties from the center and the liberal left, plus the radical left of his party. Even so, he doesnt have a majority of votes in Congress. Still, he is feared in Lima. Castillo is the first president in Perus modern history without any connection with professional elites, military elites or economic elites. These groups are used to having influence over politics to making phone calls to convince the president of this or that. They fear they cant do that with Castillo. And right now, he has a 53% approval rate. So he has that going for him. Can Castillo implement his social agenda? That depends on many factors, but perhaps two are most important. First, internal tensions. Castillos partys discourse is far more radical than his. Its leaders are inspired by Cuba and revolutionary regimes some of them authoritarian, not democratic. They will push Castillo toward more rigid positions. He has to reconcile this with the more centrist legislators who have become his congressional allies now. The other problem is Castillos enemies on the right. As the campaign showed, they are dead set against him. Right-wing media outlets portrayed him as a communist who would steal peoples business and savings, like what happened in Cuba or Venezuela, and implied that he will bring Peru into chaos and poverty. He won anyway. He won narrowly, by 44,000 votes, but he won. Now the right will almost surely try to remove him from office. There is a vague 19th-century clause in the Peruvian Constitution that says the presidency can be vacated for moral and physical incapacity. In recent years, politicians like Keiko Fujimori and her allies have been using this clause to impeach any president they dont like. Thats why Peru had four presidents in five years even before Castillo. The past five years have shown that the reason for vacating the office doesnt matter. To remove a president in Peru, you just need the votes in Congress. Editors note: Because this story was mistakenly published prematurely, it has been updated to more accurately convey Castillos changing stance on LGBTQ rights, the ideology of his party and the criminal investigation into Keiko Fujimori. The headline was also changed. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/peru-has-a-new-president-its-fifth-in-five-years-who-is-pedro-castillo-165157. WASHINGTON (AP) This is how I'm going to die, defending this entrance," Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gonell recalled thinking, testifying Tuesday at the emotional opening hearing of the congressional panel investigating the violent Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Gonell told House investigators he could feel himself losing oxygen as he was crushed by rioters supporters of then-President Donald Trump as he tried to hold them back and protect the Capitol and lawmakers. He and three other officers gave their accounts of the attack, sometimes wiping away tears, sometimes angrily rebuking Republicans who have resisted the probe and embraced Trump's downplaying of the day's violence. Six months after the insurrection, with no action yet taken to bolster Capitol security or provide a full accounting of what went wrong, the new panel launched its investigation by starting with the law enforcement officers who protected them. Along with graphic video of the hand-to-hand fighting, the officers described being beaten as they held off the mob that broke through windows and doors and interrupted the certification of Democrat Joe Bidens presidential win. Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone, who rushed to the scene, told the committee and millions watching news coverage that he was grabbed, beaten, tased, all while being called a traitor to my country. That assault on him, which stopped only when he said he had children, caused him to have a heart attack. Daniel Hodges, also a D.C. police officer, said he remembered foaming at the mouth and screaming for help as rioters crushed him between two doors and bashed him in the head with his own weapon. He said there was no doubt in my mind that the rioters were there to kill members of Congress. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn said one group of rioters, perhaps 20 people, screamed the n-word at him as he was trying to keep them from breaching the House chamber racial insults he said he had never experienced while in uniform. At the end of that day, he sat down in the Capitol Rotunda and sobbed. I became very emotional and began yelling, 'How the (expletive) can something like this happen? Dunn testified. "Is this America? My blood is red, he said. "Im an American citizen. Im a police officer. Im a peace officer. Tensions on Capitol Hill have only worsened since the insurrection, with many Republicans playing down, or outright denying, the violence that occurred and denouncing the Democratic-led investigation as politically motivated. Democrats are reminding that officers sworn to protect the Capitol suffered serious injuries at the hands of the rioters. All of the officers expressed feelings of betrayal at the Republicans who have dismissed the violence. I feel like I went to hell and back to protect them and the people in this room," Fanone testified, pounding his fist on the table in front of him. Too many are now telling me that hell doesnt exist or that hell actually wasnt that bad. The indifference shown to my colleagues is disgraceful. The witnesses detailed the horror of their assaults and the lasting trauma in the six months since, both mental and physical. At the hearings end, the witnesses all pleaded with the lawmakers to dig deeper into how it happened. The lawmakers on the committee, too, grew emotional as they played videos of the violence and repeatedly thanked the police for protecting them. Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Florida told them she was hiding near an entrance they were defending that day and said the main reason rioters didnt harm any members of Congress was because they didnt encounter any members of Congress. Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, one of two Republicans on the panel, shed tears during his questioning. He said he hadnt expected to become so emotional. You guys all talk about the effects you have to deal with, and you talk about the impact of that day," Kinzinger told the officers. But you guys won. You guys held. Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the panel's other Republican, expressed deep gratitude for what you did to save us and defended her decision to accept an appointment by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The question for every one of us who serves in Congress, for every elected official across this great nation, indeed, for every American is this: Will we adhere to the rule of law, respect the rulings of our courts, and preserve the peaceful transition of power? Or will we be so blinded by partisanship that we throw away the miracle of America? The House Republican leader, Kevin McCarthy, withdrew the participation of the Republicans he had appointed last week after Pelosi rejected two of them. She said their antics in support of Trump, and his lies that he won the election, werent appropriate for the serious investigation. McCarthy has stayed close to Trump since the insurrection and has threatened to pull committee assignments from any Republican who participates on the Jan. 6 panel. He has called Cheney and Kinzinger Pelosi Republicans." On Tuesday, McCarthy again called the process a sham." He told reporters that Pelosi should be investigated for her role in the security failures of the day but ignored questions about Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who had identical authority over the Capitol Police and Capitol security officials. After the hearing, Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said the probe could move forward urgently, with subpoenas soon. The investigation is expected to examine not only Trumps role in the insurrection but the groups involved in coordinating it, white supremacists among them. The probe will also look at security failures that allowed hundreds of people to breach the Capitol and send lawmakers running for their lives. Some of those who broke in were calling for the deaths of Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence, who was hiding just feet away from the mob. Capitol Police have repeatedly said they are hamstrung by a lack of funding. Senate leaders said Tuesday they had reached a deal on a $2.1 billion emergency spending bill that could provide more resources. Shortly after the insurrection, most Republicans denounced the violent mob and many criticized Trump himself, who told his supporters to fight like hell to overturn his defeat. But many have softened their tone in recent months and weeks. And some have gone further, with Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde saying video of the rioters looked like a normal tourist visit, and Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar repeatedly saying that a woman who was shot and killed by police as she was trying to break into the House chamber was executed. ___ Associated Press writers Nomaan Merchant, Brian Slodysko, Eric Tucker, Kevin Freking and Padmananda Rama contributed to this report from Washington. Associated Press writer Aaron Morrison contributed from New York. MEREDITH, N.H. (AP) A pontoon boat that was trying to dock in Lake Winnipesaukee struck a woman who was on a paddleboard, the New Hampshire State Police's Marine Patrol said. People aboard the pontoon boat helped the paddleboarder out of the water and to the shoreline on Monday afternoon. The woman, who was from Chappaqua, New York, was taken to a hospital for evaluation, the patrol said. SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) New Mexico voters may be asked whether to have the State Ethics Commission review and set salaries for state legislators. State Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto on Monday presented a proposed constitutional amendment to a legislative committee in advance of next year's 30-day legislative session, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) Jefferson City police officers who shot and killed a man during a traffic stop last month will not be charged with a crime, Cole County prosecutor Locke Thompson said Tuesday. Clay Willingham, 32, of Sturgeon, was shot June 7 after officers stopped him for expired registration in Jefferson City. Police said Willingham had a rifle and did not listen to officers' orders to drop the weapon before he was shot, Thompson said Tuesday. Jefferson City police do not have body-worn cameras, KMIZ-TV reported. Thompson said officers acted in self-defense and in defense of others when they shot Willingham after he turned toward them with the gun raised in a shooting position. A veterans service group based in Virginia said they were working with Willingham, who had expressed plans to hurt himself because he had several issues related to his service in the U.S. Marines, The Jefferson City News-Tribune reported. Thompson said that report was considered and he believes Willingham's death was a suicide by officer situation. On Jan. 3, Jefferson City officers shot and killed a man after they say he ran at them with a knife at a shopping complex. No charges were filed against the officers involved. COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) A South Carolina man was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday for the 2019 abduction and murder of a 21-year-old college student who mistook his car for her Uber ride. The jury took a little more than an hour to find Nathaniel Rowland guilty of killing Samantha Josephson, a University of South Carolina student who disappeared from Columbias Five Points entertainment district in March 2019. Her dreams were my dreams, and her death was my death. I close my eyes, and I feel what she endured at his hands, the victims mother, Marci Josephson, said during the sentencing phase of Rowlands trial Tuesday. The student from Robbinsville, New Jersey, got into Rowlands car thinking it was an Uber ride that would take her back to her apartment, prosecutors said. Instead, she found herself trapped because Rowland had the childproof locks on, investigators said. She was never seen alive again. Covered in roughly 120 stab wounds, her body was later found in remote woods about 65 miles (105 kilometers) from Columbia. The death cast a national spotlight on ride-hailing safety and led to some changes, including more prominent displays of drivers license plates. Rowland maintained his innocence before being sentenced, but Circuit Judge Clifton Newman noted that all the evidence pointed to Rowland. She obviously put up an amazing fight against you and left a sufficient trail for the jury to see what you did, Newman said after sentencing Rowland to life in prison. A person convicted of murder is not eligible for parole in South Carolina. Wearing a mask, Rowland showed little emotion as Josephson's relatives reflected on the pain of their loss and how Josephsons future the college senior was slated to attend law school on a full scholarship was cut short. The prosecution spent about a week presenting voluminous evidence and called nearly three dozen witnesses. Experts linked Josephsons blood to the interior of Rowlands Chevrolet Impala and to the suspected murder weapon, a knife with two blades. Her blood was also found on cleaning supplies in the trash behind the home of the mans girlfriend at the time and on a sock and bandana owned by Rowland, the experts testified. Other evidence included cellphone tracking data pinpointing Rowlands location the night of the crime. One forensic scientist testified that DNA collected from Rowlands fingernails matched the victims genetic material, and DNA belonging to both suspect and victim were found on gloves also located in the trash. Rowlands defense attorneys pointed out that scientists werent absolutely certain Rowlands DNA was on the knife. His attorneys also argued that although Josephson appeared to fight her attacker, none of Rowlands DNA was found on her body and he had no visible marks of such a fight after his arrest. The defense called no witnesses, and Rowland did not testify. Before resting the defenses case, Rowlands lawyer asked the charges be thrown out because prosecutors had a circumstantial case never showing that Rowland actually killed Josephson nor that he was driving the vehicle when she disappeared. Newman rejected the request, saying there was an avalanche of direct and circumstantial evidence that a jury should consider. ___ Jeffrey Collins contributed to this report. ___ Liu 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. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Federal prosecutors indicated Tuesday that they won't pursue a new trial against the former president of Pilot Flying J and two of his former employees in connection to a rebate scheme aimed at cheating trucking companies out of millions of dollars. The motion made in U.S. District Court in Knoxville asks a judge to sign off on a request to drop the remaining charges against former Pilot President Mark Hazelwood, former Vice President Scott Scooter Wombold and former account representative Heather Jones. Prosecutors cited several reasons for not retrying the three after their 2018 convictions were overturned by a federal appeals court panel. The trial would require testimony from a cooperator, whom the government does not name, whose personal circumstances (1) cause the government to conclude that it would be inappropriate to compel her testimony and (2), in any event, prevent the government from being confident in the reliability of that witness recollection of significant facts and circumstances, the motion by Acting U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III states. Additionally, prosecutors say the case concerns facts from about a decade ago that would require help from people who already finished their sentences related to the case, including some who reportedly have made statements since sentencing that would negatively impact the credibility of their testimony in a retrial" and whose statements suggest an inclination to withhold further assistance to the government. Finally, prosecutors cited limited government resources and their experiences with challenges in the first trial. Those reasons combined, prosecutors wrote, force the governments conclusion that it now faces significant obstacles in proving its case against these defendants beyond a reasonable doubt in a retrial. Hazelwood was convicted in 2018 of conspiracy, wire fraud and witness tampering and was sentenced to 12 1/2 years in prison. Wombold was convicted of wire fraud and sentenced to six years, and Jones was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and sentenced to more than 2 1/2 years. In October, a federal appeals court panel vacated the three convictions in a split decision, finding that the judge should not have allowed the jury to hear a recording of Hazelwood making racist remarks during a work retreat for Pilot executives. The panel sent the cases back for a retrial. Hazelwood has apologized for his language. His legal team declared Tuesday that "Mark Hazelwoods nightmare is now over." We are gratified that the Department of Justice agreed that dismissal was the only appropriate remedy," the team said in a statement. "We look forward to seeing the next chapter of Marks life, surrounded by his wife Joanne and his loving family, and are honored to have been able to tell his whole story in full truth. Mark is innocent. Wombold's attorney, John Kelly, praised prosecutors for moving to drop charges, saying Wombold has always maintained his innocence. "Now, Mr. Wombold and his family can move forward in peace, rebuild their lives, and put this challenging time behind them," Kelly said in a statement. Jones' attorney, Ben Vernia, said his client is "deeply gratified" by the motion to dismiss and has maintained her innocence. Fourteen former Pilot employees pleaded guilty before Hazelwood, Wombold and Jones were tried. Also prior to the trial, the company had agreed to pay an $85 million settlement to defrauded customers and a $92 million penalty to the government. The company is controlled by the family of Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam. The Haslams have not been charged with any wrongdoing. The former governor had not been involved with Pilot Flying J in recent years, though the company in July 2020 announced that he would serve on its board. Jimmy Haslam is chairman of the board after serving as chief executive officer for 25 years up until early this year. Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffetts company, in 2017 announced plans to initially buy 38.6% of Pilot, a share that in 2023 will increase to 80%. The Haslams will maintain a 20% share in 2023 and plan to stay involved in the company. Based in Knoxville, Tennessee, Pilot is currently ranked No. 10 on Forbes list of America's largest private companies, with more than 750 locations in 44 states and six Canadian provinces. Early last year, Pilot Flying J rebranded to a new corporate name, Pilot Company. ___ This story has been edited to correct the pronoun for Jones' attorney. OXFORD, Miss. (AP) A white former police officer in Mississippi will accept a life sentence in the 2019 shooting death of a Black woman with whom he was allegedly having a romantic relationship, a newspaper report said Monday. Assistant district attorney Mickey Mallette in Lafayette County and attorney Carlos Moore, representing the family of Dominique Clayton, confirmed the plea agreement with former Oxford police officer Matthew Kinne, the Oxford Eagle reported. Kinne is set to be sentenced Friday at the Union County Courthouse in New Albany, the newspaper said. It said that a circuit court clerk also confirmed the plea deal but Kinney's attorney, Tony Farse, couldn't be immediately reached. Kinne was indicted in Augus 2019 on a capital murder charge, which has only two possible penalties: death or life without parole. Authorities said Kinne broke into Claytons home and shot the 32-year-old woman in the back of the head as she slept. Her 8-year-old son found her body on May 19, 2019. Kinne was arrested the day after the body was found, and fired three days later. Clayton's family has sued the city of Oxford and the Oxford Police Department for $5 million. Family members said the woman and Kinne were in a relationship. Moore said at the time that Clayton had told her family she was afraid Kinne might harm her because she had told him she might be pregnant. Oxford police caused the family undue stress by first saying that she might have killed herself even though no gun was found, the attorney said. ZHENGZHOU, China (AP) Residents on Tuesday laid bouquet after bouquet, the neatly tied yellow and white flowers standing on end, outside an entrance to a subway station in central China where 14 people died last week after a record-breaking downpour flooded large swaths of Henan province. Torrents of water rushed into a subway line in the provincial capital, Zhengzhou, trapping a train with hundreds of passengers between two stations. The deluge drowned some and left others gasping for breath in chest-high water until emergency crews could reach them. Im filled with grief, said Zhengzhou resident Zhang Shuai, 35, who bowed three times in front of the entrance after laying a bouquet of chrysanthemums. I hope that their relatives can recover from this tragedy as soon as possible. At least 71 people perished in the floods, according to an updated death toll Tuesday. Zhengzhou authorities said 14 had died in the subway station, up from 12 reported earlier. A crowd of about 50 people stood outside under a partly cloudy sky as streams of mourners and delivery drivers left bouquets wrapped in black paper in a rectangular area extending from the shuttered station entrance. Some tucked in notes, with one reading: I hope there are no floods in heaven. Rest in peace. Questions have swirled about the design and safety of the Zhengzhou subway line 5, which opened just two years ago. Some relatives of those who died have criticized the Zhengzhou subway authority, accusing it of continuing to operate the trains even when it became clear it would be dangerous to do so. They said subway officials had obstructed the search for missing relatives. I no longer have a husband; my daughter no longer has a father, the wife of Sha Tao, a Zhengzhou resident who drowned in the subway, wrote on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform. If they had prepared contingency plans ahead of time, the number of deaths could have been minimized. The Zhengzhou subway must take the blame and responsibility! A video conference held by the central government Monday said subway systems nationwide should enhance their emergency response capabilities, implement flood-control measures and respond quickly to early warnings, the official Xinhua News Agency said. On Monday, photos on social media showed yellow plastic barricades set up around the bouquets, blocking them from view and prompting criticism. A video published by a local newspaper, Dahe Daily, showed the barricades being taken down later. The barricades around one entrance were gone Tuesday, and journalists could take photos and conduct interviews. The procession proceeded peacefully. Still, the atmosphere was tense at times. Uniformed and plainclothes police monitored the scene. AP journalists were asked to show identification but allowed to stay after being told to do neutral reporting. At one point, a woman who came with a child sparred with plainclothes officers after she was told to hustle along. Im not leaving! I dont think driving people away is going to work! she snapped. The officers fell silent. The woman stood with the child, pointing to the messages tucked into the bouquets. She snapped a photo with her phone, took one last look, then walked away. ___ Associated Press news assistant Caroline Chen contributed to this report. WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) More than three months after winning an election which sparked a constitutional crisis, Samoa's first female prime minister was finally able to take office on Tuesday. A smiling Fiame Naomi Mataafa sat in the chair her predecessor had been reluctant to relinquish after 22 years in power. She held her first Cabinet meeting, with members of her FAST Party dressed in the distinctive red clothes that party members and supporters often wear. Fiame, 64, said they were ready to begin their work. That could include a reset of the island nation's relationship with China. On the campaign trail, Fiame had pledged to stop a $100 million port development backed by Beijing, calling the project excessive for a nation thats already heavily in debt to China. After a knife-edge election result in April, Fiame's predecessor Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi refused to concede defeat, despite several court rulings that went against him. Tuilaepa had two powerful allies in the nation's head of state and the speaker, who were able to stall the transfer of power. A bizarre scene played out in May when Fiame and her party were locked out of the Parliament, with Tuilaepa claiming he was still in charge. Both sides accused each other of trying to stage a coup. Fiame and her party members took oaths and appointed ministers in a ceremony held under a tent in front of the locked Parliament. In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Fiame said that day was charged with emotion. It could have gone pear-shaped, but we were able to keep calm, she said. We could have stormed the building and knocked down the doors, like in Washington, D.C. But we just sat and sang a few hymns, sang a prayer. Last week, the nation's top court ruled the unusual swearing-in ceremony that day had been constitutional, and Tuilaepa finally conceded. Fiame had previously served as Tuilaepa's deputy. She said in the interview that she resigned after becoming concerned that Tuilaepa and fellow lawmakers had gone off the rails by trying to politically intervene in the nation's court system and judiciary. It was a classic case of power and corruption, Fiame said. We were slipping away from the rule of law, and I didnt like that. But most of party were happy to go along with it. She said Tuilaepa never thought he could lose the election, particularly given his huge parliamentary majority leading up to it. He was in shock and deep denial, she said. Fiames election win is seen as a milestone not only for Samoa, which is conservative and Christian, but also for the South Pacific, which has had few female leaders. Fiame said she didn't think her gender was a big issue in the election, and that her role in the traditional chiefly system was perhaps more important to voters. But she hoped that she might be a positive role model for Pacific women in other fields, showing what they could achieve. GOBLES, Mich. (AP) A man who stabbed a police dog has been shot to death by a sheriffs deputy in southwestern Michigan. Deputies were called to a home in Gobles about 7:30 p.m. Monday for a reported assault, the Van Buren County sheriff's office said. LANSING, Mich. (AP) Kalamazoo chiropractor Garrett Soldano raised nearly $625,000 since launching his run for governor, topping the field of Republican candidates vying to face Democrat Gretchen Whitmer next year. Soldano, who launched his campaign in April after helping to lead a ballot drive to repeal a law she used to issue coronavirus restrictions, on Monday reported spending $250,000 as of last week, leaving him with $375,000 on hand with just over a year until the primary. Whitmer had $10.7 million in the bank after collecting $8.6 million since the start of 2021, a record for a gubernatorial candidate in a non-election year. She was able to raise millions more than normal including $250,000 each from billionaire Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and two billionaire members of the Stryker family because of longshot attempts to recall her from office. A decades-old state ruling lets officeholders raise unlimited amounts to defend against a recall. Her campaign spokesman, Mark Fisk, said if funds exceeding the $7,150 per-person limit are not used to fight a recall, they can legally be transferred to another account. He mentioned the Michigan Democratic Party as an example. Soldano's fundraising was more than triple the GOP contender with the second-highest amount, Oakland County pastor Ralph Rebandt II. We're humbled by the vast support we've received from so many Michiganders, Soldano said in a statement previewing his numbers last week. It was issued the same day former Detroit Police Chief James Craig formed a candidate committee allowing him to raise and spend money and said he likely would formally enter the race after Labor Day. His initial campaign-finance report is due in the fall. The party bosses think they get to decide who the next Republican nominee for governor will be, but they're wrong that's up to we the people," Soldano said. Rebandt raised $170,000 since forming his committee in March, including $61,000 he gave his campaign, and had a balance of $20,000. Tudor Dixon of Norton Shores, the co-host of a conservative online news show, raised $132,000 since May and had $87,000 on hand. Ryan Kelley, an Ottawa County real estate broker who organized protests against the governors COVID-19 orders, raised $35,000 since January and had $17,000. Other candidates raised nominal amounts or did not file reports, which is allowed if they receive or spend no more than $1,000. Additional contenders could join the field. An adviser to businessman Kevin Rinke, who has run Detroit-area car dealerships, a post-acute brain injury rehabilitation group and most recently has been a private investor, said he is doing due diligence. Its become abundantly clear that no other candidate can put together the campaign and resources necessary to defeat Gov. Whitmer, Chris Grant said. "Thats why hes prepared to initially invest $10 million to stop Gretchen Whitmers misguided administration. Fisk said Whitmer's reelection campaign is in a heathy position. This unprecedented fundraising achievement is even more remarkable given the early and unprecedented attacks from national groups, special interests and other extremists spending over $1 million on ads trying to distort the governors record and lie to the people of Michigan," he said. ___ Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00 JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) Thousands of foreigners have left Indonesia in recent weeks, airport records released Tuesday showed, apparently spurred by a brutal pandemic wave and a general shortage of vaccines, which have gone to high-priority groups first. Indonesia now has the most confirmed daily cases in Asia, as infections and deaths have surged over the past month and Indias massive outbreak has waned. Infections peaked in mid-July, with the highest daily average reported at more than 50,000 new cases each day. Until mid-June, daily cases had been running at about 8,000. Since early this month, nearly 19,000 foreign nationals have left through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in the capital, Jakarta. The exodus increased significantly in the past three days alone, accounting for nearly half of all individual departures this month, said Sam Fernando, who heads the immigration authority at the airport. Japan's ambassador to Indonesia, Kenji Kanasugi, said the difficulty of getting vaccines for foreign nationals has prompted some Japanese citizens to get vaccinated in their home country. Amid a pandemic situation that is very difficult for all of us, some Japanese citizens in Indonesia will temporarily return to Japan, Kanasugi said on Instagram earlier this month. Japanese and Chinese nationals made up the largest share of departures, with 2,962 and 2,219 individuals respectively, followed by 1,616 South Korean citizens. Airport figures also showed departures by 1,425 Americans, as well as 842 French, 705 Russian, 700 British, 615 German and 546 Saudi Arabian citizens. Initially, only representatives of foreign countries and international nonprofit organizations were eligible for the government's free vaccine program. The program was expanded last month to include those aged 60 and older, as well as teachers and education staff. Still, television reports showed foreigners complaining about the difficulties they've faced getting vaccinated. Wiku Adisasmito, a spokesman for the National COVID-19 Task Force, said Tuesday that limited vaccine supply remains a challenge. He expressed hope that 45 million more doses set to arrive in August would improve the situation. Indonesia, home to 270 million people, had secured at least 151.8 million vaccine doses by late July. The vast majority of doses 126.5 million are from the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac. Indonesia's confirmed daily death toll surpassed 2,000 for the first time on Tuesday, hitting 2,069. The Health Ministry reported 45,203 new confirmed cases as the health system struggles to cope, and even patients fortunate enough to get a hospital bed are not guaranteed oxygen. Several countries have announced new bans or restrictions on travelers from Indonesia, including neighboring Singapore and the Philippines. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Taiwan and Hong Kong are among the nations and territories that have placed Indonesia on their travel ban list. Overall, Indonesia has reported more than 3.2 million cases and 86,835 fatalities. Those figures are widely believed to be a vast undercount due to low testing and poor tracing measures. PINEVILLE, Mo. (AP) Three inmates who escaped from the McDonald County Sheriff's Office during the weekend have been recaptured, authorities said. The men were captured late Monday in Noel, which is about 8 miles (12.87 kilometers) from Pineville, where the jail is located. The sheriff's office did not provide details about the capture but said no one was injured. Kentucky hopes to stay on course to overhaul its outdated technology for processing jobless claims in two to three years, despite renewing its search for a company to handle the job, the state's new labor secretary told lawmakers on Tuesday. Labor Secretary Jamie Link fielded questions regarding the recent decision to go through a rebidding process in search of a vendor to modernize the pandemic-stressed unemployment insurance system. Link said his hope is to still adhere as closely as possible to the projects initial timeframe. We intend to stick with that original two-to-three-year period, he told the legislative panel. Before the rebidding, state officials signaled that replacing the antiquated computer system was projected to cost around $40 million. That amount remains the target number," Link said Tuesday. In June, Link's predecessor said the state was in the latter stages of selecting a contractor to overhaul the claims-processing system. Weeks later, cybersecurity concerns led to the decision to rebid the work, Gov. Andy Beshears administration said. In doing so, it said, the state will request enhanced security measures to protect the personal and financial information of jobless claimants. State officials hope to complete the new request for bids soon, followed by a compressed timeframe for companies to submit offers, Link said Tuesday. The veteran state official took over as labor secretary at the start of July, inheriting the task of improving the embattled unemployment system. Its got to be efficient and easy to use," Link told lawmakers. "It has to be secure to minimize or eliminate fraud. And it has to meet the claimants needs to get them the funding they need, the services they need. Lawmakers say they continue to hear complaints from constituents about the unemployment insurance system. Beshear's administration previously said at least one bidder to revamp the system withdrew because of the additional costs the company claimed would be needed to meet enhanced security. The withdrawal came out of the blue for state officials, Link said Tuesday. Republican state Rep. Russell Webber questioned why the security concerns surfaced so late in the search for a contractor. Weve been hearing for months about security issues related to the system," he said. "So I really have a difficult time believing that this was new, that this was something that somebody just discovered one day ... It seems to me that should have been part of the process that started in January 2020. In April, Kentucky temporarily shut down its unemployment system for a few days to bolster security protections. State officials said they suspected that individuals or criminal enterprises had attempted to hack into the systems customer data. Problems with the antiquated system have become a recurring political headache for Beshear. Like other states, Kentucky was overwhelmed by record waves of claims for jobless assistance caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Tens of thousands of Kentuckians found themselves in limbo for months as they waited for their jobless claims to be processed. Republicans have criticized the Democratic governor for the unemployment systems problems. Beshear points to budget and staffing cuts that hobbled the system well before he took office. Beshears administration hired an outside company to help work through the claims backlog. Even as the state looks for a partner to do the technology upgrades, the administration is tapping into federal pandemic aid to "strengthen and support the existing system, Link said. BRISBANE, Australia (AP) Two-time Olympic silver medal-winning kayaker Nathan Baggaley and his younger brother have been jailed for more than 20 years each for trying to smuggle up to 200 million Australian dollars ($147 million) worth of cocaine into Australia. The pair was found guilty by a Brisbane Supreme Court jury in April of attempting to import a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug in July 2018. During their trial in Brisbane, the court heard Dru Baggaley, 39, and another man travelled hundreds of miles offshore from northern New South Wales state and picked up 650 kilograms (1,430 pounds) of the drug from a foreign ship. It also heard the men began throwing the drugs overboard on their way back to the mainland, when they spotted an Australian Navy patrol boat chasing them. The two men were arrested by Queensland Water Police shortly after the pursuit. Nathan Baggaley, who won silver medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics in the K-1 and K-2 over 500 meters and is a three-time world champion over the K-1 500 distance, was charged almost a year later after it was determined he purchased and fitted out the boat which was used during the failed plot. Lawyers for the men argued Dru Baggaley had believed the dozens of packages contained tobacco, while Nathan Baggaley knew nothing about a plan to import any illicit substance. Judge Justice Ann Lyons rejected the brothers claims and sentenced them Tuesday on the basis that Dru Baggaley was a principal organizer of the operation and his brother Nathan was actively involved on the day the two men went to sea, and was set to be rewarded substantially for his role. Nathan Baggaley, 45, will have to serve 12 years in custody before he is eligible to apply for parole, while Dru Baggaley will be eligible to apply for parole after 16 years. Nathan Baggaley was banned for taking steroids in 2005 while still competing as a kayaker. The brothers were jailed in 2009 for manufacturing and supplying large numbers of ecstasy tablets, and again in 2015 for producing party pills and conspiring to make methamphetamine. ___ More AP Sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports HONG KONG (AP) The first person to be tried under Hong Kongs sweeping national security law was found guilty of secessionism and terrorism on Tuesday in a ruling closely watched for indications of how the law will be applied as China tightens its grip on the city long known for its freedoms. Tong Ying-kit was charged with inciting secession and terrorism for driving his motorcycle into a group of police officers last year while carrying a flag bearing the banned protest slogan Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times. Rights groups condemned his conviction, and many are bracing for further such trials since more than 100 people have been arrested under the legislation part of Beijing's increasing crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong following months of anti-government protests in 2019. Tong, a 24-year-old restaurant worker, pleaded not guilty to the charges, arguing the slogan itself does not call for secession. He now faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, but his lawyers are expected to argue for a lighter punishment at his sentencing hearing Thursday. The new national security legislation not only resulted in the charges against Tong, but it also spelled out how the trial would be conducted. The proceedings, which ended July 20, were held in the Hong Kong High Court with no jury, under rules allowing the exception from Hong Kongs common law system if state secrets need to be protected, foreign forces are involved or if the personal safety of jurors needs to be protected. Trials are presided over by judges handpicked by Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam. Reading the verdict, Justice Esther Toh said Tong committed terrorist activities causing or intended to cause grave harm to the society in pursuit of a political agenda. His behavior was an act of violence aimed at coercing the central and Hong Kong governments and intimidating the public and carrying the flag constituted an act of incitement to secession, she said. Tong did not speak during the reading of the verdict. He waved to his parents and others in the gallery as he was escorted from the chamber. Tongs defense lawyer has said its impossible to prove that Tong was inciting secession merely by having used the slogan. The defense also said there is no evidence that Tong committed the act deliberately, that he tried to avoid crashing into officers and that his actions couldnt be considered terrorism since there was no serious violence or harm to society. The verdict was immediately condemned by Amnesty International, which called it the beginning of the end for freedom of expression in Hong Kong." People should be free to use political slogans during protests, and Tong Ying-kit should not be punished for exercising his right to free speech," Asia-Pacific Regional Director Yamini Mishra said in an emailed statement. It is particularly clear that he should never have been charged with a national security offense carrying a possible life sentence. Beijing has dismissed criticisms, saying it is merely restoring order to the city and instituting they same type of national security protections found in other countries. Hong Kong has long enjoyed freedoms not seen on the Chinese mainland, and Beijing committed to protecting those rights and the city's democratic system for at least 50 years after the territory was handed back to China from British colonial rule in 1997. But in recent years, Beijing has sought to exert more influence on the city, and when demonstrations broke out in 2019 to protest those moves, China tightened the screws even more. While Hong Kong has its own Legislative Council, Beijing's ceremonial legislature imposed the national security law on the city after it determined the council couldn't pass the legislation itself because of political opposition. China's legislature also mandated changes to the makeup of the council to ensure an overwhelming pro-Beijing majority, and required that only those it determines to be patriots" can hold office. Hong Kong's last remaining pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily, was forced out of business last month, and several of its journalists and executives have been arrested as part of the widening crackdown. Library books and school curricula have also been investigated for alleged secessionist messages. All the city's major pro-democracy figures have either been jailed, sought asylum abroad or been intimidated into silence. ___ Associated Press journalists Matthew Cheng and Janice Lo contributed to this report. MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) Vermont is continuing to lead the country with the highest percentage of its eligible population vaccinated against COVID-19 and a number of other categories, but the state is still urging people to get vaccinated, officials said Tuesday. Speaking at the regular weekly COVID-19 briefing, Republican Gov. Phil Scott said almost 84% of Vermonters 12 and over have received at least one dose of the vaccine and about 75% of that population is fully vaccinated. "We are not letting up," Scott said. What we are seeing across the country shows exactly why we cant. While the number of COVID-19 cases in Vermont is still low, they are going up, largely driven by the so-called delta variant of the virus, which is significantly more transmissible than earlier versions of the virus. In recent weeks places across the country with low vaccination rates have seen dramatic increases in the number of new cases of COVID-19, largely fueled by the delta variant. The vaccines are proving effective against the delta variant and other versions of the virus, so Vermont is continuing its efforts to make it easy for people to get vaccinated. Walk-in vaccination clinics are continuing to be offered at numerous locations across the state every day. While a small percentage of the population has a strong philosophical objection to the vaccine, a larger group of the unvaccinated are those who havent given much thought to getting vaccinated a category sometimes called vaccine apathetic, Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine said during the briefing. The reality is we've brought the vaccine to places where I don't think other states have even dreamed you could do that, Levine said. Now we are finding that some of them are trying to mirror what we've done here. The barnstorming approach that enlists help from local officials and emergency medical services officials has been effective in rural Vermont. Vaccines are sometimes offered at employers' places of business. ___ NUMBERS On Tuesday the Vermont Department of Health reported 11 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19, bringing the statewide total since the pandemic began to more than 24,750. There were six patients hospitalized, none in intensive care. The number of deaths remains at 259. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Vermont has risen over the past two weeks from 10 new cases per day on July 11 to 24.14 new cases per day on July 25. The Associated Press is using data collected by Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering to measure outbreak caseloads and deaths across the United States. RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Another major North Carolina hospital system is preparing to require workers to get a COVID-19 vaccine. WakeMed Health & Hospitals informed its staff last week of its decision and confirmed the plan to The Associated Press on Tuesday. The Raleigh-area system with 946 beds across three acute care hospitals and one physical rehabilitation hospital has not yet decided when the expected requirement will take effect but said it would apply to all employees, providers and volunteers in the near future. WakeMed has strong confidence in the science, safety and efficacy of the vaccines, and the available data continues to reinforce these beliefs, WakeMed spokesperson Kristin Kelly said in a statement. Throughout this pandemic, our number one priority has been to protect the health and well-being of our staff, patients, family members and the broader community and to reduce the risk for those most vulnerable to COVID-19. Science has demonstrated that the best way that we as an organization and as individuals can do this is through vaccination. The hospital system is the leading provider of health services in Wake County, which is the second largest county in the state and home to more than 1 million residents. Several other hospital networks, including Durham-based Duke University Health System, Chapel Hill-based UNC Health, Charlotte-based Atrium Health, Greensboro-based Cone Health, Wake Forest Baptist Health and Winston-Salem based Novant Health, announced last week that they would soon compel workers to get a COVID-19 shot. Dr. Mandy Cohen, North Carolina's top public health official, praised the move to mandate vaccinations. The announcements from WakeMed and the North Carolina Healthcare Association come in response to growing concern of the more contagious delta variant and heightened confidence in the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines. The decisions also come on the heels of an announcement from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper that he'd let the statewide mask mandate expire Friday and ease masking requirements in schools. His move to ease restrictions implemented to combat the virus are being made at a time when nearly all available metrics show COVID-19 transmission skyrocketing to their worst levels in months. For the first time since early May, data released Tuesday by North Carolina's Department of Health and Human Services shows more than 1,000 residents currently hospitalized because of COVID-19. The 1,031 reported hospitalizations represent a nearly 112% increase from two weeks ago, when fewer than 500 people were in the hospital. Over the past two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases has risen by 944, an increase of 134%. The state health department also reported Tuesday that more than 10% its most recent daily COVID-19 tests performed came back positive, a mark not seen since Feb. 1, when vaccines were not widely available. One month ago, the positivity rate was above 2%. Cooper has traversed the state pleading for unvaccinated residents to come in for a shot, but his office declined to say whether the governor believes state workers should be required to get vaccinated. Kelly said WakeMed's executive board, vaccine planning team and others have discussed the idea of mandating the shots for months. As of Tuesday, 54% of residents eligible for a shot because they are at least 12 years old are fully vaccinated. ___ Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak. ___ Follow Anderson on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BryanRAnderson. ___ Anderson 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. RICHMOND, Va. (AP) The two leading candidates in the closely watched race for Virginia governor say they will voluntarily disclose at least some information from recent tax returns before the November election. In response to questions from The Associated Press, the campaigns of both Republican Glenn Youngkin and Democrat Terry McAuliffe made vague pledges to release unspecified details from their tax returns, but neither said they would make the documents available in full. Glenn Youngkin will release information from his tax returns in recent years when his latest filings are complete, before November," said spokeswoman Macaulay Porter. Christina Freundlich, a spokeswoman for McAuliffe, said he would share a summary of recent years' returns before the election. While it is not required for Virginia gubernatorial candidates to disclose their returns, there is some limited precedent for doing so. The complete documents could give a more nuanced look at a candidate's income, tax deductions and philanthropy than the state's mandatory disclosures do. In 2013, then-Attorney General and GOP gubernatorial nominee Ken Cuccinelli, who went on to lose to McAuliffe, allowed reporters to examine eight years' worth of complete federal and state income tax returns, including itemized sources of income and deductions. After more than a week of public pressure, McAuliffe released summaries of three years of federal returns to reporters, withholding all information about the sources of his income and the deductions and exemptions he enjoyed, the AP reported at the time. Cuccinelli's disclosure came at a time when he was facing increasing news media scrutiny about his stock in Star Scientific, a Virginia-based maker of nutritional supplements, and thousands of dollars in gifts he received from its chief executive officer. Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell was later convicted on federal corruption charges in connection to gifts and loans from the companys CEO, though his conviction was eventually overturned. In the 2017 election between Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam and Republican nominee Ed Gillespie, both men refused a request by the Richmond Times-Dispatch to disclose their income tax returns or provide a detailed summary of them, the newspaper reported. Princess Blanding, an educator and activist making a bid for governor this year as an independent, did not respond to a question from the AP about her plans. Virginia and New Jersey are the only two states with regularly scheduled races for governor this year, and Virginia's is seen as more competitive. It's drawing outsize national attention as Youngkin, a political newcomer, seeks to break a more than decadelong losing streak by Republicans in statewide races and block McAuliffe from a second term in office. State law prohibits Northam from seeking a second consecutive term. Mandatory financial disclosure forms filed by Youngkin and McAuliffe earlier this year provide a broad look at each candidate's personal liabilities, investments and income from business interests. The filings show the two men are wealthy, and Youngkin, a former co-CEO of private equity firm The Carlyle Group, is far more so. But the forms don't give a complete picture, in part because candidates report only a range, not a specific amount, for an investment's value. Youngkin, who has loaned his campaign more than $12 million, pledged in April that he would not accept a salary as governor and would instead donate his paycheck to charity. Youngkin's campaign said at the time that the candidate and his wife, Suzanne, had donated millions of dollars to Christian charities and organizations over the years. The candidates have already gone to bat over one issue related to finances. While McAuliffe has criticized Youngkin as a job killer for his role at Carlyle, where deals sometimes triggered layoffs and outsourced jobs, records also show McAuliffe also invested at least $690,000 in Carlyle funds between December 2007 and the end of 2016. Freundlich has said McAuliffe currently has less than $5,000 invested in Carlyle funds. WASHINGTON (AP) This is how I'm going to die, defending this entrance," Capitol Police Officer Aquilino Gonell recalled thinking, testifying at the emotional opening hearing of the congressional panel investigating the violent Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Officer Gonell told House investigators he could feel himself losing oxygen as he was crushed by rioters supporters of then-President Donald Trump as he tried to hold them back and protect the Capitol and lawmakers. EARLIER: Jan. 6 hearing opens as police detail violence, injuries He and three other officers gave their accounts of the attack Tuesday, sometimes wiping away tears, sometimes angrily rebuking Republicans who have resisted the probe and embraced Trump's downplaying the day's violence by supporters who were challenging his election defeat. Along with graphic video of hand-to-hand fighting, the officers described being beaten as they held off the mob that broke through windows and doors and interrupted the certification of Democrat Joe Bidens presidential win. The new committee is launching its probe with a focus on the law enforcement officers who protected them putting a human face on the violence of the day. Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone, who rushed to the scene, told the committee and millions watching news coverage that he was grabbed, beaten, tased, all while being called a traitor to my country. Doctors later told him he'd had a heart attack. Daniel Hodges, also a D.C. police officer, said he remembered foaming at the mouth and screaming for help as rioters crushed him between two doors and bashed him in the head with his own weapon, injuring his skull. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn said one group of rioters, perhaps 20 people, screamed the n-word at him as he was trying to keep them from breaching the House chamber. Tensions on Capitol Hill have only worsened since the insurrection, with many Republicans playing down, or outright denying, the violence that occurred and denouncing the Democratic-led investigation as politically motivated. Democrats are reminding people how brutal it was, and how the law enforcement officers who were sworn to protect the Capitol suffered serious injuries at the hands of the rioters. The officers detailed the horror of their experiences, their injuries and the lasting trauma as they begged the lawmakers to investigate the attack. RELATED: Pelosi blocks Trump allies from riot panel, GOP may boycott I feel like I went to hell and back to protect them and the people in this room," Fanone testified. Pounding his fist on the table in front of him, he said, Too many are now telling me that hell doesnt exist or that hell actually wasnt that bad. The indifference shown to my colleagues is disgraceful. The lawmakers on the committee, too, grew emotional as they played videos of the violence and repeatedly thanked the police for protecting them. Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Florida told them she was hiding near an entrance they were defending that day and I shudder to think what would have happened had you not held that line." Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, one of two Republicans on the panel, shed tears during his questioning. He said he hadn't expected to become so emotional. I think its important to tell you right now that you guys may individually feel a little broken," Kinzinger told the officers. "You guys all talk about the effects you have to deal with and you talk about the impact of that day. But you guys won. You guys held. Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the panel's other Republican appointed by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, expressed deep gratitude for what you did to save us and raised broader, larger issues. The question for every one of us who serves in Congress, for every elected official across this great nation, indeed, for every American is this: Will we adhere to the rule of law, respect the rulings of our courts, and preserve the peaceful transition of power? Or will we be so blinded by partisanship that we throw away the miracle of America? The House Republican leader, Kevin McCarthy, withdrew the participation of the Republicans he had appointed last week after Pelosi rejected two of them, saying their antics in support of Trump, and his lies that he won the election, werent appropriate for the serious investigation. Monday evening, the House voted against a resolution offered by the GOP leader to force his chosen members onto the panel. McCarthy has stayed close to Trump since the insurrection and has threatened to pull committee assignments from any Republican who participates on the Jan. 6 panel. He has called Cheney and Kinzinger Pelosi Republicans, which Cheney has dismissed as childish. Ahead of the hearing on Tuesday, McCarthy again called the process a sham and said Pelosi only wanted the questions asked that she wants asked. READ MORE: As Jan. 6 probe begins, Dem vows: 'We have to get it right' McCarthy told reporters that Pelosi should be investigated for her role in the security failures of the day but ignored questions about Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who had identical authority over the Capitol Police and Capitol security officials. Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said the hearing would set the tone of the probe, which will examine not only Trumps role in the insurrection but the groups involved in coordinating it, white supremacists among them. It will also look at security failures that allowed hundreds of people to breach the Capitol and send lawmakers running for their lives. Some of those who broke in were calling for the deaths of Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence, who was hiding just feet away from the mob. Outside of a committee preparation session for the hearing on Monday, Kinzinger told reporters that for too long, weve been pretending that Jan. 6 didnt happen" and that "when you have lies and misinformation that continue to thrive, its essential for us as members of Congress to get to the answers. Shortly after the insurrection, almost every Republican denounced the violent mob and some criticized Trump himself, who told his supporters to fight like hell to overturn his defeat. But many have softened their tone in recent months and weeks. And some have gone further, with Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde saying a video of the rioters looked like a normal tourist visit and Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar repeatedly saying that a woman who was shot and killed by police as she was trying to break into the House chamber was executed. Others have falsely claimed that Democrats or liberal groups were responsible for the attack. The officers testifying have become increasingly politically active in recent months, and went from office to office in May to lobby Senate Republicans to support an outside commission to investigate the insurrection. The Senate GOP ultimately rejected that effort, though that panel would have been evenly split between the parties. ___ Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Kevin Freking and Padmananda Rama contributed to this report. We take hurricane predictions for granted nowadays. Everything you need in your emergency supply kit for... Five-day forecasts. Daily updates on the smallest of disturbances. The cone of uncertainty. OLYMPIC FALLOUT: What Simone Biles posted on Instagram after withdrawing in final But in the 1940s, predicting when, where and how intensely storms would make landfall wasn't as exact of a science as it is in 2021. Satellites and radar technology were still years away, as meteorologists Lew Fincher and Bill Read point out in their retelling of a "surprise hurricane" that slammed Houston early in the decade. And Germany's Nazis made predicting this one even harder. By July 1943, German forces were known to be in the Gulf during the height of World War II. MAKE IT STOP: Quit driving like this, Houston, I beg you German U-boats were participating in the infamous Operation Drumbeat, which saw Axis forces attacking civilian ships near the United States. Just a year earlier, the forces were hostile. In one instance, Germany's U-166 destroyed a passenger ship, killing 25 people, before the U.S. Navy found and sank the vessel off the coast of Louisiana. The threat from Germany's naval fleet in the Gulf of Mexico meant normal radio communications from ships in the Gulf fell silent including crucial weather reports relied upon by meteorologists, according to Fincher and Read. That meant that a roaring hurricane brewing in the Gulf went unnoticed by coastal communities until a mere 24 hours before it slammed Bolivar Peninsula on July 27, 1943. Nearly two dozen people died and millions of dollars in damages were reported after the hurricane made landfall. Mentions of the storm were published in a number of Houston newspapers on July 26, including the Houston Post and Galveston Daily News, according to the meteorologists. But those warnings only claimed there was a relatively weak storm heading inland, with winds no greater than 40 mph. The reality was much more severe. On Bolivar, homes were leveled as the storm blew in that Tuesday morning. A total of 20 people died in the region, including 10 crew members aboard a hopper dredge ship in Galveston Bay. News of the damage traveled slowly from Bolivar to Galveston and then printing presses in Houston, just in time for afternoon newspapers. By Tuesday afternoon, sustained winds reached 90 mph in Texas City with gusts in the triple digits. The storm didn't produce much flooding in the Houston area, but it did inundate Galveston and communities east of the city. By midnight, the eye of the "surprise hurricane" was over downtown Houston. Readings at the municipal airportnow William P. Hobby Airportshowed gusts up to 135 mph. MAYBE NEXT YEAR: Pride Houston's parade, festival canceled for 2021 East of Houston, several refineries that were producing fuel for the United States military during its efforts in World War II were damaged and taken offline for repairs. The FBI reportedly silenced news of the damage to not tip off Axis power, which meant news of the hurricane didn't make it outside Texas and Louisiana. In hindsight, the lack of a warning was understandable it seems as if meteorologists had their hands tied because of the federal government's clamping of information in wartime. Regardless of intentions, the Surprise Hurricane of 1943 is a piece of Houston history often overlooked because of efforts to suppress news of the storm. In any similar circumstance, I'd rather stress about a cone of uncertainty for a few days than have a hurricane sneak up for a surprise landing. Florida, FL (34429) Today Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. High around 80F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely. Low 74F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Florida, FL (34429) Today Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. High 81F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely. Low 74F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Employers have a positive attitude towards immigrants, but face difficulties when hiring because of a lack of applicants. Atlantic Canada employers need more applicants, study finds Employers have a positive attitude towards immigrants, but face difficulties when hiring because of a lack of applicants. Atlantic Canada employers need more applicants, study finds Employers have a positive attitude towards immigrants, but face difficulties when hiring because of a lack of applicants. Atlantic Canada employers need more applicants, study finds Employers have a positive attitude towards immigrants, but face difficulties when hiring because of a lack of applicants. Mohanad Moetaz Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A Many employers across Atlantic Canada find it difficult to hire because there are not enough applicants with the necessary experience or skills. This is according to a report by The Harris Centre at Memorial University in Newfoundland titled Employer Attitudes Towards Hiring Newcomers and International Students in the Atlantic Provinces. The report investigated employers attitudes and perceptions, to better understand the difficulties associated with newcomer integration in Atlantic Canadas labour market. Atlantic Canada refers to the four easternmost provinces in Canada: New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. More than half of Atlantic Canada employers who received applications from immigrants and international students ended up hiring an immigrant or international student. In addition, a whopping 88 per cent of employers surveyed said they had positive experiences with immigrant workers. They had a positive impression on immigrants because they found that international workers who they previously hired were hard-working, skilled, and reliable. This positive impression shows that employers in Atlantic Canada are keen to hire immigrants. However, the provinces find it difficult to retain immigrants in the region. Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration Low immigration rates in Atlantic Canada There is a population crisis in Atlantic Canada. The region is facing declining fertility rates and an aging population. In addition, many international students who come to study in the region end up leaving in search for more job opportunities that match their aspirations. In fact, the main reason why immigrants leave the region is because of employment. As a result, governments, employers and learning institutions have been developing strategies to attract and retain more immigrants, international students and temporary workers to the region. In 2010, the region welcomed about 3 per cent of newcomers to Canada, even though its population is 6.5 per cent of Canadas. In 2016, this increased to 5 per cent. The Canadian federal government launched the Atlantic Immigration Pilot (AIP) in 2017 as an additional tool for immigration. Since then, immigration to the region has been increasing considerably. There was a 22 per cent increase in immigration in 2018, and a 26 per cent increase in 2019. Despite this, Atlantic Canada has the lowest immigration and retention rates in Canada. Many immigrants tend to choose larger cities such as Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal over Atlantic Canada. What should Atlantic Canada do to retain immigrants? The study highlighted a few recommendations to make it easier for immigrants and international students to integrate into the regions labour markets. One is to introduce immigration policies that meet the needs of employers across the region. Employers need to hire, but there is a lack of applicants. A straightforward solution to this is to align immigration policies to fill these labour needs. Another recommendation is to introduce intercultural training for immigrants and employers to make it easier to communicate at work. This is particularly important because the main concerns that employers have are about language proficiency, cultural and workplace differences, as well as retention. This leads us to another one of the studys recommendations: change workplace practices to help immigrants and improve retention. There are signs of improvement. Earlier this year, Canadas immigration department found that immigrant retention rates are improving in the region. Surveyed employers also suggested that the governments, settlement agencies and non-governmental organizations should do more to support things like spousal employment, childrens education, affordable housing, accessible healthcare as well as improve social connection activities. Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options. Senior IT manager Purna Jandyala leads a team of professional developers at Medtronic, a medical technology, services, and solutions company with more than 90,000 employees worldwide. His team maintains five separate service portals and more than 25 business-critical processes and applications, serving more than 90,000 employees. Increasingly, his team is struggling to keep up with the growing demand for new software features and automation for cross-departmental workflows. Getty Images By cultivating citizen developers, your skilled developers can spend their time on pro-level coding. Working in IT, we need a lot of on-demand developer resources for every new project, he says. Amid a worldwide shortage of skilled coders, he cant hire enough professional developers to handle the workload. The solution? With the support of our leadership, we implemented a citizen developer model, Jandyala says. A citizen developer (CD) is someone who uses low-code development tools, such as ServiceNows App Engine, to create new software applications. Thats important given the severe shortage of developers with enterprise-level coding skills. Demand for business-related apps currently outstrips IT capacity by a factor of five, according to Gartner research. And IDC predicts 30% of high-demand IT jobs that involve working with emerging technologies will remain unfilled through 2022. Jandyala and his colleagues created a formal program called Citizen Developer 101 (CD 101) to train employees on the Now Platform. Aspiring citizen developers learn the basics of creating and modifying digital workflows. They must also demonstrate that they understand the companys standards and best practices for software development. Just getting started Despite all the hype and investment surrounding digital transformation, the reality is that the digitization of work is still in its very early stages at most companies. Speaking at a recent low-code/no-code symposium, ServiceNow CIO Chris Bedi estimated that more than 90% of business processes are managed offline. There arent enough pro developers to automate all those manual processes, Bedi said. Citizen developer programs can help fill the gap by teaching line employees to build their own apps and workflows using low-code tools. Medtronics CD 101 program onboards and trains new CDs, making sure they understand the guidelines and best practices set forth by ServiceNow and Medtronic throughout the app development process. In order to get access to Now Platform capabilities, each CD needs to get certified at one of three levels. Each level gives CDs access to specific capabilities on the Now Platform. The Medtronic ServiceNow Center of Excellence team has put safeguards in place, including an automated code review tool, to ensure low-quality code doesnt accidentally find its way onto Medtronics global instances. Their motto: Teach others to drive but dont forget the guardrails, according to a recent presentation by Lori Breitbarth, senior IT program manager at Medtronic. The security operations team, for example, faces a constantly changing threat environment. As a result, they often need to modify the forms they use to collect data. They also use a variety of security tools that feed data into ServiceNow via integrations, which often require light coding work. They cant wait two months to onboard a developer, Jandyala says. With their own CDs, however, they can handle most of their easy-to-make updates themselves without much assistance from the ServiceNow delivery team. These CDs have become quite proficient at managing their own updates, Jandyala says. When they need help, they know they can always reach out to the COE team for any help and support they might need from pro developers. Growing pains The program faced challenges along the way. Training costs money, and some Medtronic business leaders were initially reluctant to invest in citizen developer training for their teams. Jandyalas team also had to persuade leaders around the company to join his program rather than simply hiring outside consultants to do the work. The Medtronic citizen developer program launched in 2018. Today, more than 25 citizen developers are at work across the company. That might not sound like a big number until you consider that citizen developers now account for 44% of all changes across the three ServiceNow production instances that Medtronic maintains. By putting business partners in charge of their own software development roadmap and priorities, the team has increased development throughput by 56%, according to Breitbarth. So what does it take to be a citizen developer? According to ServiceNows Bedi, good candidates are usually tech-savvy, familiar with spreadsheets, and interested in building new tools. Crucially, they need the domain expertise to understand which software changes make the most sense for their business. Jandyala concurs. Its not just about development skills, he says. You also need to understand business dynamics. Getty Images Citizen developers need to be steeped in the business. The citizen developer movement is still in its infancy. Based on Medtronics experience, however, we can envision a division of labor in the enterprise where citizen developers take on much of the work of modifying and augmenting service catalogs, freeing pro developers to focus on more complex, system-level work. With the right training and guardrails in place, citizen developers could help spread automation and boost productivity in organizations worldwide. In Bedis words: The sooner you get a citizen developer program in place, the sooner you can start to scale. With the right training and guardrails in place, citizen developers could help spread automation and boost productivity in organizations worldwide. In Bedis words: The sooner you get a citizen developer program in place, the sooner you can start to scale. Explore the new world of work. Visit servicenow.com. In the words of UNICEF, COVID-19 has exacerbated the learning crisis. In fact, one in seven children globally have missed more than three quarters of their in-person education. The ramifications are significant for young peoples' personal development, for their ability to acquire skills, and for the impact this will have on the global workforce and, by extension, the economy. So, it is little wonder that many are warning of a generation lost to the pandemic and how this disruption might impact their ability to support the economic recovery. As the UN notes on World Youth Skills Day, In post-COVID-19 societies, as young people are called upon to contribute to the recovery effort, they will need to be equipped with the skills to successfully manage evolving challenges and the resilience to adapt to future disruptions. This underpins why we must consider what skills young people require and where the responsibility lies in ensuring they have the opportunity to develop them. A New Set of Skills For everyone else, the events of the last year have been a steep learning curve. In particular, businesses have needed to make faster decisions to adapt accordingly. A crucial facet of this, from CEO down to entry-level graduate, has been the ability to read and understand data. This trend is here to stay as organizations respond to longer-term changes in working practices and consumer behavior. As the next generation of talent enters the workplace, they will be expected to respond to these changes by quickly interpreting information and making decisions. However, Qlik and Accentures Human Impact of Data Literacy report revealed that only 16% of employees below the junior manager level felt fully prepared to use data effectively when entering their current role. This shows that what employers need, and what new joiners can offer, are often quite far apart when it comes to data literacy. Ultimately, businesses can provide their young employees with all the data in the world, but it is only valuable when they know how to use it to inform decisions and take action. If workforce preparedness is closely linked to the ability of the business world to recover and build resilience to future disruptions, do we need to look back in employees development pathway to empower them with the necessary data skills? Everyone Has Responsibility Despite the natural focus on education to do this, upskilling the workers of tomorrow is a joint responsibility taken on by educational institutions, businesses and governments. Here are three considerations to ensure young people have the skills to thrive in the future workplace: 1. Increase the focus on vocational training: There has long been a stigma when it comes to vocational training. However, more universities, colleges and schools are realizing they have a role to fill in preparing students for the world of work. Part of this means formalizing approaches to remote or hybrid models of studying, which will be applicable to the professional environment should students join companies where they will be working both in the office and at home. 2. Building digital and data skills into the curriculum:Just like many international business schools that teach their curricula in English, allowing students an opportunity to learn a key global language before graduating, embedding data skills into existing curricula will ready graduates for when they enter the workplace. Some institutions have made this a priority, such as Radford University, where its Center for Innovation and Analytics provides studentsacross a variety of disciplines with a grounding in the use of data not just those pursuing technical degrees. 3. Continuous education for graduates:That said, the onus is not exclusively on the education system. Businesses must also look at how they upskill young workers in data and other digital skills, whether they be graduates or other junior hires that dont have a relevant grounding in these areas. This could be through workplace training designed and developed in-house; it could also be a best-of-both model that integrates the excellence of academic learning with applied real-life situations. A combination of theoretical understanding and practical applications can ensure that young people become accustomed to the types of information they will encounter in the professional environment. Equipping Future Generations Every young person should have the right to a rewarding, enriching career. In an increasingly data-centric world, they need to be taught the relevant skills to enjoy that right something that has been prevented by the pandemic learning crisis. This means ensuring that the education they receive, whether from formal institutions or on the job, evolves alongside technological advances and the speed of business decision-making. To fuel recovery, the world needs people who can quickly understand information, adapt to changing situations and take advantage of opportunities as they arise. For more on this and for the latest trends, visit Qliks Executive Insights Center qlik.com/executiveinsights. Support local journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. In June, the World Health Organization recommended continued mask-wearing as a defense against the spread of COVID-19, even among people who are fully vaccinatedadvice that differed from that of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which said in May that fully vaccinated people could ditch their masks in most settings. In the US, the clashing guidance caused some confusion that rippled through media coverage; on the whole, though, the WHO story got lost in the broader COVID news cycle, which alternated between tentative optimism about the end of the pandemic and tentative concern about the Delta variant, often emphasizing sharp distinctions between those who were already vaccinated (Nothing to worry about!) and those who werent (Get vaccinated!). As I wrote at the time, the tenor of this coverage (as reflected in a slew of Independence Day analogies) was often introspective and distinctively Americana reflection of relatively low case rates and high vaccine availability in the US, as coverage in countries lacking one or both of those benefits, like the United Kingdom, continued to focus on collective risk and protections, including masks. The US still has a lot of vaccine, but cases are now rising nationally again. Its perhaps no surprise, then, that the mask debate is back. The CDCs guidance hasnt changed, but many experts think it should, and some areas have reimposed mandates. Much COVID coverage has continued to underscore the divide between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated. The focus on vaccine hesitancy has only grown in urgency. Its almost like we need two kinds of newscasts, or two versions of the weather report, Brian Stelter, CNNs chief media correspondent, said on Sunday. The forecast is pretty sunny for the vaccinated, but its quite bleak in some states for the unvaccinated. As Stelter also noted, however, the pandemic is still a story of risk calculations, and those nuances dont always come through in the media coverage. The vaccinated are inevitably affected by such calculations, especially when, as with mask mandates, they are collective. And, in recent weeks, there has increasingly been media chatter about breakthrough infections that have occurred in fully vaccinated people, especially when those people have been famous. A COVID outbreak among vaccinated New York Yankees players generated a welter of news stories, as did a case at the White House. Reporters peppered Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, with questions about the latter, and asked if she would commit to full transparency should there be more such cases in the future. ICYMI: The absurd coverage of the January 6 committee As coverage of breakthrough infections has increased, some commentators have argued, with ample justification, that it ought to decrease again. Such infections are neither common nor unexpected, and they almost always involve mild or asymptomatic illness; by hyping isolated cases, the argument goes, the press risks inducing undue worry among the vaccinated and undue skepticism among the unvaccinated. A big part of the problem here is that data on breakthroughs is lacking, making it harder for reporters to properly contextualize anecdotal examples. The CDC once tracked all such infections, but in May, it narrowed its focus to breakthroughs that precede hospitalization or deatha move that the agency said would help maximize the quality of the data collected on cases of greatest clinical and public health importance, but which has also, undoubtedly, exacerbated uncertainty as to the scope of the problem, depriving the public of a centralized data source and leaving reporters and experts to instead pick over leaked CDC estimates and local tallies that arent standardized. As Apoorva Mandavilli, a science reporter at the New York Times, pointed out yesterday on the papers Daily podcast, while most breakthrough infections are not individually serious, they can play a role in overall viral spread. Which brings the story right back round to the unvaccinated. Breakthrough infections arent our only data blind spot at the moment. Recently, a number of states, including Nebraska and Florida, stopped reporting daily tallies of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, and moved to weekly reporting instead. (As the APs Josh Funk writes, Nebraska briefly stopped all of its data reporting after the governor declared an end to the states health emergency, only to backtrack.) Doing this weekly report just leaves you completely in the dark about whats going on, Cindy Prins, an epidemiologist at the University of Florida, told the Tampa Bay Times. And then on Friday, all of a sudden, like, boom, you get this surprise number. Nationally, daily COVID testing rateswhich were arguably never high enough to provide a truly accurate picture of the state of the pandemic in the UShave declined substantially from their peak. Data collection and reporting can be labor-intensive, and its legitimate, of course, to debate where stretched health bureaucracies should direct their resources for maximum benefit in this new phase of the pandemicbut as Ive written before, from a journalists point of view, the more data we have, the more reliable the picture of the world that we can build. Meanwhile, theres still a lot we dont fully understand about the science of the virus, with new variants, in particular, proving confounding. Its a bit maddening, because it felt like we got to a point where we got to know this virus a little bit, Mandavilli said yesterday on The Daily. Delta has really changed that entire calculation. There are just so many more questions than I think we expected to have at this point. And it feels a little bit like an inflection pointanother onewhere the country could go in either direction. I agree. In fact, Id make the case that this stage of the pandemic is the most complicated and uncertain that America has yet facednot the worst, by any means, but perhaps the hardest for people, and the media, to get their heads around. The problems that bedeviled our early coverage of the pandemica lack of scientific certainty and consensus; inadequate data flowsare still problems, in ways new and infuriatingly unchanged. And the mitigation measures we had to cover back thenwhile never the beneficiaries of political consensuswere relatively blunt compared to the more subjective and situational risk calculations of this moment, which still very much apply, even as cases rise again. The vaccines are magnificent, but we still dont know everything about them. The situation differs substantially by place, and it can be hard to easily compare them. And its arguably more urgent than ever that Americans look out on the world, large swathes of which are desperately struggling right now. Sign up for CJR 's daily email Again, the state of the pandemic in the US right now is not uniformly bleak; it is, rather, a mishmash of good news, bad news, and uncertainty. The situation is better than many imaginable alternatives. But that doesnt make it any easier for the press to cover. Perhaps more than at any other point in the pandemic, reporters are having to strike an increasingly fine tonal balance between the good and the bad, and communicate an increasingly nuanced and diverse set of truthsexploring uncertainties around the vaccines, for example, without blunting the central, basic truth of their effectiveness and desirabilityin an informational climate that is both murky and infested with bad actors. COVID hasnt stopped challenging us yet. Below, more on the pandemic: A different type of mandate: As cases have risen among unvaccinated people, experts and commentators have increasingly debated the appropriateness of imposing vaccine mandates in certain settings. Yesterday proved to be something of a watershed in that regard: New York City announced that select municipal workers must be vaccinated by September or else face weekly testing, California announced similar rules for all state employees and public and private healthcare workers, and the Department of Veterans Affairs demanded vaccination of over a hundred thousand frontline healthcare staff. The Biden administration has, up to now, resisted the notion of federal mandates; Psaki said yesterday that the administration hasnt yet decided whether to issue further situation-specific vaccine mandates, and acknowledged that Biden recognizes that he is not always the right voice to every community about the benefits of getting vaccinated. As cases have risen among unvaccinated people, experts and commentators have increasingly debated the appropriateness of imposing vaccine mandates in certain settings. Yesterday proved to be something of a watershed in that regard: New York City announced that select municipal workers must be vaccinated by September or else face weekly testing, California announced similar rules for all state employees and public and private healthcare workers, and the Department of Veterans Affairs demanded vaccination of over a hundred thousand frontline healthcare staff. The Biden administration has, up to now, resisted the notion of federal mandates; Psaki said yesterday that the administration hasnt yet decided whether to issue further situation-specific vaccine mandates, and acknowledged that Biden recognizes that he is not always the right voice to every community about the benefits of getting vaccinated. More Psaki: The White House press secretary also spoke yesterday with Peter Hamby, on Snapchat. At one point, Hamby asked Psaki about the Biden administrations attitude toward Fox News. (The president has publicly called out Facebook for helping spread vaccine misinformation, but has not similarly castigated Fox for its role, which some commentators see as a mistake.) Our view at this moment is we dont have to approve everything they do editorially or everything their personalities say and do, but it is still a platform for us to communicate with the public, Psaki said. The other piece of it is getting in a fight with Fox News at this point in time for the administration isnt particularly constructive coming off of an administration that completely destroyed trust in media. The White House press secretary also spoke yesterday with Peter Hamby, on Snapchat. At one point, Hamby asked Psaki about the Biden administrations attitude toward Fox News. (The president has publicly called out Facebook for helping spread vaccine misinformation, but has not similarly castigated Fox for its role, which some commentators see as a mistake.) Our view at this moment is we dont have to approve everything they do editorially or everything their personalities say and do, but it is still a platform for us to communicate with the public, Psaki said. The other piece of it is getting in a fight with Fox News at this point in time for the administration isnt particularly constructive coming off of an administration that completely destroyed trust in media. A change of perspective: In December, Phil Valentine, a sixty-one-year-old conservative radio host in Tennessee, said that while he wasnt an anti-vaxxer, he had concerns about getting the shot: he described his odds of getting COVID as pretty low, and his odds of dying from it at way less than one percent. Valentine is now critically ill with COVID pneumonia. Last week, he put out a statement, through his station, urging his listeners to get vaccinated. Phil would like for his listeners to know that while he has never been an anti-vaxer he regrets not being more vehemently pro-vaccine, the statement said, adding that Valentine looks forward to being able to more vigorously advocate that position as soon as he is back on the air, which we all hope will be soon. In December, Phil Valentine, a sixty-one-year-old conservative radio host in Tennessee, said that while he wasnt an anti-vaxxer, he had concerns about getting the shot: he described his odds of getting COVID as pretty low, and his odds of dying from it at way less than one percent. Valentine is now critically ill with COVID pneumonia. Last week, he put out a statement, through his station, urging his listeners to get vaccinated. Phil would like for his listeners to know that while he has never been an anti-vaxer he regrets not being more vehemently pro-vaccine, the statement said, adding that Valentine looks forward to being able to more vigorously advocate that position as soon as he is back on the air, which we all hope will be soon. Long COVID: The Biden administration also announced that it is working to ensure that sufferers of long COVID have appropriate access to rights and resources under the Americans with Disabilities Act, which became law thirty one years ago yesterday. Morgan Stephens, a production assistant at CNN, is among the many people to have suffered from the condition. More than eight months after she was diagnosed with COVID, the breakdown of my own physical and mental health has given me front-row access to the long COVID-19 crisis in a way I never imagined, Stephens writes. The waves of illness have not let up. Im not alone. Other notable stories: ICYMI: The Local Live(s) project humanizes reporters by putting them onstage 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. CLINTON, Minn. (AP) Firefighters from multiple agencies battled a large fire at a grain elevator in small western Minnesota city where some residents were evacuated. According to Big Stone County Sheriff Mark Brown, crews were called shortly before 11 a.m. Sunday to the grain elevator, which had become fully engulfed in towering flames. Officials in Clinton, with its population of about 500 people near the South Dakota border, declared a civil emergency by midday. Residents were advised not to use water, roads were closed and those living within three blocks were told to evacuate. Resident Janine Torgerson Teske posted a live video of the blaze on social media, asking for prayers for the firefighters on the scene. Our community could use your prayers right now, our elevators on fire, she said. The whole community pitched in to fight the flames at the Wheaton Dumont Co-Op elevator. Local farmers brought semitrailer trucks of water to help, and a local bar was providing food and water to the firefighters working in the heat, Teske said. The elevator was the heart of the community, Teske said. Its been part of the skyline for years and were a farming community, she said. It brings people to town, it brings business to town. Officials say no injuries have been reported and theres no word yet on what may have caused the fire. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A federal appellate court ruling that dismissed a dental practices COVID-19 business interruption claim might be the beginning of the end for policyholder arguments that income lost because of government shutdowns should be recovered through commercial property insurance policies. The US 8th Circuit Court of Appeals July 2 decision in Oral Surgeons v. Cincinnati Insurance Co. echoed dozens of district court rulings that granted dismissal and summary judgment motions by insurers that argued SARS-CoV-2 did not cause a direct physical loss to property. Insurers have won more than 90% of the federal court decisions issued so far, according to a litigation tracker maintained by the University of Pennsylvania. Insurers have won 70% of the time in state court if dismissals without prejudice count as an insurer win. Robert Hartwig, a University of South Carolina economics professor and former head of the Insurance Information Institute, told the Claims Journal during an interview Monday that the Oral Surgeons decision wont resolve the COVID business-interruption issue in all courts, but will almost certainly stem the flow of litigation. The appellate court decision is a very bright line that is going to seen by all of the plaintiffs attorneys who are thinking about filing lawsuits, he said, adding later: The number of new cases is going to be close to zero fairly quickly. Hartwig said the insurer experience with COVID-19 business interruption claims parallels plaintiff efforts to persuade the courts that damages caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 were caused by wind instead of flooding. He said it took about two years for insurers to win appellate court judgments that Katrina flood damage was excluded from standard homeowners policies. The industry had to contend with unprecedented political pressure from plaintiffs attorneys in the meantime. Back then, Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi fought a well-publicized court battle with State Farm after the insurer denied his claim for hurricane damage to his home in Pascagoula. The suit was settled before trial. In 2020, President Donald Trump after speaking with celebrity chefs and their attorneys said during a press conference that businesses that purchased insurance policies with no virus exclusions should be paid for business income lost because of government-ordered shutdowns. Hartwig said both US courts appear to be coalescing around the opinion that the coronavirus does not cause direct physical damage even more quickly than they collectively accepted the insurer argument that most Katrina damages were not covered because of the flood exclusion. He noted that when he testified about pandemic risks during a Senate subcommittee hearing on July 22, none of the members asserted that business income lost because of virus-related shutdowns should be covered. Hartwig said there may a few court opinions to the contrary, but the direction of the courts is clearly favoring insurers. The path to judicial clarity is not a linear path, Hartwig said. In the case of business interruption in COVID, we make take 10 steps forward and one step back. There have been numerous outlier court decisions, most from state courts. The most recent came on July 12, when a Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania judge rejected Cincinnatis Insurance Co.s motion to dismiss a business-interruption lawsuit filed by Browns Gym. But Hartwig said the investment that insurers made defending against COVID-19 business interruption claims is paying off. In fact, he predicted that property and casualty insurers will likely be releasing reserves because their losses were less than expected at the pandemics onset last year. The industry was necessarily going to have to go to the mat on this issue to defend the integrity of the contract, Hartwig said. To not defend the integrity of the contract would have set a horrible precedent. The 8th Circuits ruling in Oral Surgeons certainly wont resolve the business-interruption issue. Appeals are pending in 10 other federal circuit courts and 26 state appellate courts, according to the litigation tracker. Hartwig said plaintiffs attorneys are very adept at finding jurisdictions that will grant favorable rulings. Insurance defense attorney Roy A. Mura in Buffalo, New York said the impact of the Oral Surgeons decision will be limited. For one thing, he said the appellate panel did not address plaintiff attorney pleadings that state SARS-Cov-2 was physically present on properties; the court ruled that shutdown orders issued because of the pandemic did not create a recoverable loss. Mura said in an email that a footnote in the decision notes that it the panel was not rendering any opinion about whether a policyholder can recover if the virus was physically present. Whats more, he said the circuit court decision was based on Iowa law and stated that Minnesota law was very similar. The loss of use in and of itself equals direct physical loss argument has always been one of the weakest arguments of policyholders in COVID-19 business interruption coverage lawsuits one made necessary when the policy under which coverage is sought includes a virus exclusion, Mura said. On the other hand, Mura said that some of the appellate panels statements in its decision will have persuasive value in other jurisdictions. The opinion noted that the policy Cincinnati issued to Browns Gym provided coverage for business income lost only until the building is repaired, rebuilt, replaced or the business is relocated. He said insurers have been arguing from the start that business interruption insurance coverage is intended only for the period of restoration. We now have a federal appellate court agreeing with numerous federal and state trial-level courts that have concluded the same, Mura said. I expect insurers will be quoting those sentences in their motion papers going forward, regardless of the venue and jurisdiction. Policyholder attorneys say they are worried that the 8th Circuit and other courts are overlooking the strength of their arguments. K. James Sullivan, a partner with the Calfee Law Firm in Cleveland, said in an email that a federal appellate court decision, because of its high-profile status, can take a life of its own that is outsized in relationship to the actual content of the opinion itself. He said the insurance industry surely will trumpet the decisions in legal articles, presentations and lobbying efforts. But Sullivan said if other courts avoid making knee-jerk reactions, they will see that the facts in Oral Surgeons are distinguishable on the allegations and facts from many of the cases around the country. Moreover, there are credible ways for policyholders to argue the 8th Circuit got it wrong even based on the allegations and facts presented in that specific case, and thus argue that whatever court they are before should wholly disregard Oral Surgeons, he said. If policyholders can effectively convey these things to courts, then indeed this ruling may ultimately have limited real-world impact on cases around the country. Sullivan said policyholders have strong linguistic and common sense arguments that business interruptions caused by COVID-19 should be covered. The phrase direct physical loss of or damage to property is a two-part clause such that physical loss of [property] and damage to [property] necessarily have different meanings given that courts typically dont read two clauses in insurance policies as wholly redundant, he said. Here, even if a given physical location does not have the virus present on its surfaces or in its air, nevertheless there was a physical loss by virtue of the property being functionally unusable or materially less usable during a significant portion of the pandemic. Law professors Erik Knusten of Queens University and Jeff Stempel at the University of Nevada argued in a blog post last week that much of the insurer success is attributable to a public relations campaign by the industry, which many judges appear to have subconsciously accepted, that forcing insurers to cover COVID losses would financially ruin the industry. Knutsen and Stempel first expressed that opinion in an article published in late 2020 titled Infected Judgment. The problem we identified in 2020 has only gotten worse in 2021 as federal courts in the most recent decisions largely have eschewed fresh analysis in favor of treating the issue as determined by what one might term the first wave of trial court decisions, the law professors said. At least in federal court, a cascade effect appears to have taken hold, with attendant reflexive resistance to COVID coverage rather than the closer and more sophisticated analysis the matter deserves. ATLANTA A North Georgia chicken plant and its associated companies face $1 million in fines and scores of citations from the Biden administration over the deaths of six workers and injuries of a dozen in a nitrogen accident in January. The U.S. Labor Department and its Occupational Safety and Health Administration agency announced 59 citations and the fines against Foundation Food Group, which runs the Gainesville plant, along with two other associated companies: Messer LLC a nitrogen gas company, and FS Group Inc, a food processing equipment maker. Make no mistake, this was an entirely preventable tragedy, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh told reporters in an Atlanta news conference on Friday. OSHAs investigation found that the companies failed to implement needed safety protocols to prevent the leak, the workers were not taught about the dangers of nitrogen, and they lacked the training and equipment to save lives. Officials with Foundation Food Group, which also runs three other plants in north Georgia, did not immediately respond to inquiries from Reuters seeking comment on Saturday. The company posted on its website, As our community continues to heal, we extend our continued sympathies and prayers to the families and friends of those lost. Neither Messer nor FS Group Inc responded to requests for comment. A Messer spokesman told the Washington Post that it intends to fight the citations and fines. Our employees were not on site and were in no way involved with this tragic incident, the company told the newspaper on Friday. The accident occurred on Jan. 28 when a freezer using nitrogen as a coolant failed, Labor Department officials said at the news conference. Supercooled nitrogen was used at the plant to quick-freeze chicken patties, tenders and individual cuts which were sold to restaurants and food service operations. Several employees were trying to troubleshoot the leaking freezer and were overcome by the gas as were others when the gas spread, officials said. Nitrogen, typically an inert gas that becomes a liquid when supercooled, is widely used in frozen-food processing plants. However, liquid nitrogen gas released in a confined space can rapidly displace oxygen in the air and lungs, leading to unconsciousness and lethal asphyxiation. News accounts at the time reported some of the dead and injured also suffered severe freeze burns. In December, two workers at a Golden West Group plant in Southern California lost consciousness and died following an apparent nitrogen leak there, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Is it possible for a country to be the locus of widespread antipathy toward Jews while simultaneously maintaining relatively low levels of antisemitic hate crime? A newly published report by the Jewish community in Hungary demonstrates that it is. Reading the report published by Maszihisz, which represents the 100,000-strong Jewish community in Hungary, I was struck by how it echoed an observation of George Orwells regarding antisemitism in Britain in the immediate aftermath of World War II. Jew-hatred there, Orwell wrote, did not take violent forms (English people are almost invariably gentle and law-abiding), but it is ill-natured enough, and in favorable circumstances it could have political results. I will not make any similar comment about the general disposition of Hungarians, if one is even possible, but it is true that even though one in three Hungarians dislikes Jews to some degree, they do not engage in violent assaults, verbal abuse or anti-Semitic vandalism at any level that is comparable with western Europe. But that doesnt mean, following Orwell, that we shouldnt be concerned about the political effects of this prejudice. Data gathered by Maszihisz recorded 53 antisemitic incidents in 2019 and 70 in 2020. Only one of these incidents involved a physical assault. Now, while it is a precious truth that one hate crime is one too many, Hungarys nationalist government cant be faulted for making hay out of the fact that theirs is one of the few countries in Europe with a significant Jewish population that is disturbed by anti-Semitic violence only rarely. Compare Hungary with Germany, which has a slightly larger Jewish population of 120,000. In 2019, the German authorities recorded 1,839 anti-Semitic attacks a record number at that point in time, including 72 violent crimes. If it was difficult in 2019 not to reflect on the bitter irony of postwar Germany becoming the location of at least five antisemitic offenses on a daily basis that was even more the case in 2020, when the record of anti-Semitic outrages peaked again. During a year defined by the coronavirus lockdowns, Germany still recorded 2,275 anti-Semitic crimes. Due to people sheltered at home, the number of violent assaults was down 55 in 2020 but that still amounted to at least one physical attack on a Jew every week at the hands of either Muslim extremists or neo-Nazis or the occasional leftist. Given the situation in Germany and a similar one in France, along with the presence of a vocal anti-Zionist campaign on the far-left and the increasing boldness of the far-right in nations across Western Europe, why worry about Hungary? There are those, foremost among them the Hungarian government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who say that we shouldnt. Why would we, they ask, when Jews can walk safely to synagogue in Budapest, instead of peering anxiously over their shoulders when doing the same in Paris or Vienna? Why would Hungary a country with a consistent record of support for the State of Israel to boot be regarded as a land unfriendly to Jews? These are good questions, and it is certainly the case that of all the manifestations that antisemitism can take, violence is the most serious threat of all. But there is another layer to the problem that is composed of historical memory and ingrained prejudices absorbed across centuries. Antisemitism is present across the whole of Hungarian society, and we have to combat this phenomenon, Andras Heisler, the head of Maszihisz, told the Budapest Times last week. This is the sort of antisemitism that one catches at the end of a remark, the kind that discreetly ostracizes those Jews who identify as Jews from social interactions. To illustrate how these attitudes can affect Hungarian Jews, Heisler explained that the first bat mitzvah ceremony at the recently renovated Rumbach Street Synagogue in Budapest, involving a group of 12 girls, was held recently. The parents of the girls turned down a request for the occasion to be captured on video out of fear of what would happen if their colleagues, neighbors and acquaintances found out they are Jews, Heisler said. The data in the Maszihisz report bears these concerns out. Conspiracy theories abound in Hungary, and fabrications on social media about wealthy Jews particularly, the liberal Hungarian Jewish billionaire George Soros, who is public enemy for Viktor Orban are eagerly lapped up. In the local media, the journalist and commentator Zsolt Bayer is a loudly anti-Semitic voice with a large audience and excellent political connections. A founder with Orban of the ruling Fidesz Party, Bayer received one of Hungarys highest awards, the Order of Merit of the Knights Cross, at the prime ministers behest in 2016. In one episode of Bayers radio show last year, the coronavirus pandemic was depicted as a global Jewish conspiracy through the obscene language he has is known for (Bayer has previously said that Roma Gypsies are unfit to live among people and referred to Black people in a 2020 magazine article using the N word.) The Jews are the source of our troubles, Bayer said on the show, echoing the infamous Nazi slogan that the Jews are our misfortune. He elaborated on this point by claiming that the coronavirus was engineered by Jews as a pretext to impose martial law on the entire globe. Polling that accompanied the Maszihisz report revealed that 20% of Hungarians held views that were strongly antisemitic, while a further 16% were described as moderately antisemitic. These figures were consistent with previous years, the pollster observed, while the remaining 64% of the population show no antisemitic attitudes at all. Additionally, the analysis accompanying the poll emphasized that Hungarians tend not to make antisemitic comments unprompted, but will nonetheless agree with a range of antisemitic statements that are put to them. The legacy of World War II is also important. In common with other countries in Eastern Europe, Hungary is actively revising its account of World War II to minimize the extent of local collaboration with the Nazis in the extermination of Hungarys 500,000 Jews, who were deported en masse late in 1944. The Maszihisz report observed that a large proportion of Hungarians were fed up with Holocaust remembrance, noting with worry the increasing prevalence of Holocaust denial and relativization (the former is common to roughly one in 10 respondents, the latter to about one in five respondents). Whether the discourse will eventually turn to violence remains an open question. Its worth remembering that antisemitism in the United States was primarily rhetorical and attitudinal until quite recently; only since the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh in 2018 has the threat of violence become a central part of the problem. But the warning signs are always there. Ben Cohen is a New York City-based journalist and author who writes a weekly column on Jewish and international affairs for JNS. Top read more of Cohens columns, visit cjn.org/cohen. Our little village is known for its neighborliness and community spirit. For over 180 years, residents have found Gates Mills to be a unique blend of Western Reserve architecture, civic engagement and convenient location. Nestled along the Chagrin River, it is minutes from office, retail, me Martha Koch, 63 of Clinton, passed away Tuesday, July 27th at her home. Cremation rites have been accorded. A celebration of life will take place at a later date. The Pape Funeral Home is assisting the family. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 26) In his last State of the Nation Address, President Rodrigo Duterte pushed for Congress to pass changes in the pension system of uniformed personnel to allow government "fiscal flexibility" in providing benefits to state forces. "I am asking Congress to pass a unified system of separation, retirement, and pension of military and uniformed personnel to maintain government fiscal flexibility and provide adequate benefits and renumeration to our men and women in uniform," said Duterte during his speech on Monday at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City. The President said his proposal only covers new entrants to the military. Duterte has been pushing for military pension reform since 2017 as the cost of paying the pension of retired soldiers had been poised to exceed the cost of compensation for those in active service. Senate National Defense Committee Chair Panfilo Lacson earlier said 9.6 trillion would be needed to finance the pension system of uniformed forces in the next 20 years - according to a study by the Government Service Insurance System - stirring apprehension that the fund will not be sustainable in the long-run. Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda filed a related bill in February, identifying other flaws in the pension system such as: the pension being indexed to the salary of active personnel, personnel are entitled to pension starting 20 years of service before reaching retirement age and the pension being non-contributory in nature. His proposal addressed all these concerns. Senator Chrisopher Bong Go also filed a similar measure in March last year. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 26) While the country cannot afford more lockdowns, it may go back to the early days if the threat of the Delta variant persists, President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday. "We cannot afford more lockdowns, lest our economy bleeds to the point of irreversible damage," Duterte said in his final State of the Nation Address. "Delta, if ever it will spread, we have it here now, I hope it will not go any further, but if something wrong happens, I'll have to be strict...There will be (lockdowns) just like what happened in the early days," he added. Early last year, Duterte placed Luzon under enhanced community quarantine for two months to help stem the spread of the coronavirus. Duterte admitted he does not know how to handle the Delta variant, adding that he is awaiting the recommendation of local health experts on what measures to take. "I really do not know what to do. I have to listen to the task force. This is a group of people...[who] would give you advice collectively," he said. The Philippines so far has recorded 119 Delta variant cases. The Department of Health earlier confirmed there is already a local transmission of the highly contagious Delta variant. Healthcare workers warned the Philippines may not be able to handle its severe impact, similar to what Indonesia is experiencing. The government, however, said it has been increasing the capacity of local hospitals as it prepares for a "worst-case scenario. Center for disease control Duterte also appealed to Congress to pass a law creating the countrys own center for disease control and a virology institute. We have to pursue the creation of public entities dedicated to managing emerging and re-emerging diseases, he said. Several bills establishing the countrys CDC have been filed in Congress. Senator Richard Gordon, one of the proponents of the measure, said the creation of a CDC and a virology institute should have been done decades ago. That is a step in the right direction, but should have been done 20 years ago, he told CNN Philippines. It is time to have a machinery na talagang titignan [that will look] 20 years from now, where are we headed and we fine tune as we go along. For now, the President urged Filipinos to get vaccinated, as well as complete the recommended doses as scheduled. He also asked for understanding from those who are next in line to receive the COVID-19 shots as he assured them that more vaccines will arrive in the country. The government is expecting the arrival of a total of 36 million vaccine doses this month, he said. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27) President Rodrigo Duterte still needs to make up for what he admitted were his shortcomings in his remaining year in office, Senator Ping Lacson said Tuesday. Speaking to CNN Philippines' The Source, a day after Duterte's sixth and final State of the Nation Address, Lacson said the public has no choice but to hope that the President will still make a "catch-up effort" to at least act on the campaign promises he has fallen short of. "Theres no other choice kung hindi umasa tayo, magkaroon tayo ng hope na sana magkaroon pa ng catch-up effort para tugunan ang mga pagkukulang noong mga nakaraang taon," Lacson said. [Translation: There's no other choice for us but to hope that he would still make a catch-up effort to address whatt he lacked in the previous years.] "One year is too long to make amends and to catch up on whatever shortcomings na meron (that he had) for the past five years," said Lacson. Lacson acknowledged that Duterte "fell short" of his promises on Marawi rehabilitation, his fight against illegal drugs and corruption. He also said that he admires the President's "candor and honesty" but said that these were simply not enough. READ: Duterte on fight vs. illegal drugs: We still have a long way to go "As a leader of the country, you should do something for the remaining year of your administration...hindi yung ang tono kasi, ang dating sa atin parang may resignation (it shouldn't be like, you are saying it with a hint of resignation)." Lacson also hoped that the President said more about the government's pandemic response and how the health crisis can be addressed in the future to assist the next administration. He also urged Duterte to make true his expression of gratitude for health workers and frontliners braving the pandemic by distributing their special risk allowance. Duterte's speech on Monday lasted two hours and 45 minutes the longest address recorded after the 1986 EDSA Revolution. He admitted that there is still "a long way to go" in the battle against illegal drugs and corruption "is endemic in government." The President nonetheless lauded some gains like the passage of the Universal Healthcare, Freedom of Information and other priority measures. He also noted successful infrastructure projects under his term. Duterte also vowed to push for the enactment of more policies to help the country recover from the pandemic. RELATED: Govt. gains, limitations, and detours: What Duterte said during his final SONA Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27) Sen. Ping Lacson on Tuesday called on the government to address the unspent 63 billion under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or the Bayanihan 2, part of which was intended as aid for frontliners. Speaking to CNN Philippines' The Source, Lacson said that after "doing some research," he found out there was "indeed a huge underspending" from the 205 billion allotted under the stimulus package. Lacson previously said that President Rodrigo Duterte wrongly accused him of criticizing the administration for the unobligated funds for Bayanihan 2 that lapsed last month. READ: Lacson: I didn't claim Bayanihan underspending "Out of the 205 billion na naallocate para sa Bayanihan 2, 63 billion pa yung 'di nadidisburse or naoobligate," he said. [Translation: Out of the 205 billion that was allocated under the Bayanihan 2, 63 billion has not yet been disbursed or obligated.] "As long as it hasnt reached the palms of our countrymen who are supposed to benefit from those funds or yung allocations na pinasa ng Kongreso (that Congress passed), it is still a disservice," the senator added. Lacson cited the example of health workers who have been in the frontlines but have not yet received their special risk allowance. The Department of Budget and Management earlier said private and public health workers, especially those attending to COVID-19 patients, may get SRA not exceeding 5,000 per month from September 15, 2020 to June 30, 2021. On Saturday, Duterte mentioned Lacson in his televised address as among those who accused the government of underspending Bayanihan 2 funds and sought clarification among Cabinet officials on the status of the said allocation. In that same address, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the government has already released 660 billion in total for its COVID-19 response. He said that only 6 billion remains unobligated from Bayanihan 2 as of last month. Duterte signed Bayanihan 2 in September 2020. It expired on June 30 after it was originally set to end on December 19, 2020. Lacson said Senate may exercise its oversight functions to look into the government's spending for its COVID-19 response. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July27) The OCTA Research Group said the National Capital Region is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases, with the reproduction rate at 1.33 and an average of 1,000 cases recorded per day. "Right now, it's official, we are in a surge dito sa National Capital Region. Hindi po pwedeng balewalain ito; hindi pwedeng hindi pansinin itong pagtaas," said Prof. Ranjit Rye, an OCTA research fellow, at the Laging Handa briefing on Tuesday. [Translation: Right now, it's official, we are in a surge here in the National Capital Region. We can't ignore this; we can't turn a blind eye to the rise in cases.] He noted that just a month ago, NCR had a reproduction rate of 0.6. "Nasa isang libo (kada raw) ang kaso natin. Pag humampas tayo sa mga dalawang libo, mararamdaman na po talaga ng ating mga ospital," he added. [Translation: Cases are at 1,000 per day. When this hits 2,000 our hospitals will feel the effect.] READ: PH can't handle Indonesia-like surge driven by Delta variant health workers group At the same briefing, OCTA's Dr. Guido David said: "We're averaging 1,000 per day. Pag hindi pa ito napigilan, we will need to have a discussion kung ano pa yung pwede nating madagdag (na) mga restrictions or interventions para mapabagal yung pagdami ng mga cases." [Translation: We're averaging 1,000 per day. If we don't put a stop to it, we will need to have a discussion on what other restrictions or interventions we can add to slow down the increase in cases.] David said they don't know what caused cases to rise but added it's possible the Delta variant could have affected it. Rye said the public should take more care and suggested the government "go early and go hard." "Ang ayaw mo po namin ay mangyari yung nangyari sa Indonesia, sa India, yung nangyayari sa Thailand na sumabog yung mga kaso...too little, too late ang response," he said. [Translation: What we don't want to happen is what happened in Indonesia, India and what is happening now in Thailand that when cases exploded...the response was too little, too late.] He noted that in his State of the Nation Address, President Rodrigo Duterte said the country could go back to lockdowns should the Delta variant spread. The question now is when these might take effect, he added. "'Yung lockdown ba ay later, pag limang libong kaso na? O ngayon habang isang libo pa lang ang kaso, maagap at maingat na tayo," he said. [Translation: Will the lockdowns happen later, when there are 5,000 cases? Or will it happen now when we have only 1.000, and we can be more careful and act faster.] OCTA said it would support whatever decision the government would make. However, the Department of Health said there is still "no definitive evidence" of a surge in NCR, maintaining it is still at moderate risk based on its two-week growth rate - which increased by 19% - and average daily attack rate of six infections per a population of 100,000. "The DOH noted the observations of independent groups but maintains that such observations should be carefully verified," the department said in a statement. During the briefing, Health Secretary Franciso Duque III agreed with OCTA's suggestion to "go early and go hard." "Sinasang-ayunin natin itong rekomendasyon ng OCTA kaya walang tigil ang ating pakikipag-ugnayan sa mga pamahalaang lokal," he said. [Translation: We agree with OCTA's recommendation that's why we continue to talk with local governments.] Duque said local government units are the ones who enforce protocol and make sure all guidelines on safety and health were followed. Despite the rise in NCR's reproduction rate, OCTA said Cebu was the "hot spot" when it comes to COVID-19. "Right now, ang pinaka hot spot sa Pilipinas ay hindi NCR kung hindi it's the Cebu area; Cebu City, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu," said David. "Mataas na yung reproduction number nila, it's around 1.9... In terms of average daily cases, pinakamataas na yung Cebu City sa buong bansa." [Translation: Right now, the real hot spot isn't NCR but the Cebu area: Cebu City, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu... Their reproduction numbers are high, it's around 1.9... In terms of average daily cases, Cebu City is highest nationwide.] David added Cagayan de Oro was another hot spot because of the high ICU utilization and reproduction number along with Laoag City. He also identified Mariveles as a high-risk area. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27) Over 300,000 more Pfizer vaccines arrived in the country on Monday, further boosting government supplies. According to the National Task Force against COVID-19, the 375,570 doses procured by the government arrived earlier this evening. "Of these vaccine doses, 51,480 shots were delivered to Cebu City early tonight at around 6:35 p.m., while 51,480 doses will be shipped to Davao City on Tuesday, July 27," it said. Last week, the country received 562,770 doses of the vaccine, which were part of the 40 million shots the country bought from the American pharmaceutical firm after the signing of a supply agreement last month. On July 24, vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr. said over 5.5 million Filipinos have been vaccinated against COVID-19, as the government administers nearly 500,000 vaccine shots per day. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, Juy 27) Amid challenges in the government's COVID-19 fight, the OCTA Research Group said the country's vaccine response has been a "bright light" during the pandemic. "Ang isang bright light sa ating COVID response yung vaccination. Wala na po kaming masabi. Ang konti ng supply natin, pero whatever we get we efficiently distribute," OCTA Research fellow Prof. Ranjit Rye said at a televised briefing on Tuesday. [Translation: One bright light in our COVID response is vaccination. We can't say anything more. We may be in short supply, but whatever we get we efficiently distribute.] Rye noted that in the National Capital Region around 20% are fully vaccinated. "Konting panahon na lang [Give it time], we might get our 30%. We might be a little more resilient sa [against] Delta," he said. Rye added the country needed to work fast to make sure cases stop spreading. OCTA suggested "going hard and going fast" to stem the virus. Meanwhile, OCTA Research fellow Dr. Guido David said that "it's a race against the Delta variant." He said while the 40% to 50% target to achieve population protection may not be reached within the next month, it could likely be met by September or October. "Based on history, yung nangyari ng February to March, in one month baka andun na tayo sa point na maooverwhelm tayo kung patuloy na tumaas yung cases," said David. "Ibig sabihin may one month window tayo bago tayo andun sa critical situation. Mukhang mauuna yung Delta variant pero hindi naman ibig sabihin mananalo yung Delta variant against us," he added. [Based on history, from what happened in February to March, in one month we might reach the point where we are overwhelmed if cases continue to climb. This means we have a one-month window before we reach the critical situation. The Delta variant may come earlier, but this doesn't mean the Delta variant will win.] Referring to another recent bright spot, David likened current efforts to sports. "We must have to try to have that victory, parang sa [like the] Olympics," he said. OCTA said they would release a report on Wednesday to show their projections for the next two weeks. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27) Ending contractualization remains among the promises President Rodrigo Duterte intends to keep, despite not talking about it during his last State of the Nation Address, his spokesman assured. "Hindi na po na-mention 'yan dahil [It wasn't measured anymore because] it continues to be a promise," said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque during his briefing on Tuesday. Eliminating the highly contested labor practice was among Duterte's campaign promises in 2016. He would however veto the Security of Tenure and End of Endo Act passed during the 17th Congress, emphasizing the need for a "healthy balance" between laborers' and employers' conflicting interests. RELATED: Sotto questions anti-endo bill proposal: We passed it, Duterte vetoed it Roque added that the administration will "continue to work with Congress" in coming up with an anti-endo bill that would be "acceptable" for all stakeholders. Earlier this month, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said they would ask the chief executive to certify the bill as urgent. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27) Vice President Leni Robredo on Tuesday thanked volunteers who helped healthcare workers during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in her State of the Nation Address, which she said aims to fill the gaps in President Rodrigo Duterte's nearly three-hour SONA. In a 14-minute video entitled "Ulat sa Bayan," Robredo said the truth needs to be told. "Humaharap ako ngayon sa inyo para punan ang isang puwang... Ang totoo: Pilipino ang tumulong sa kapwa Pilipino. Nakaraos lang tayo sa nakaraang isa't kalahating taon dahil sa lakas na ibinigay natin sa isa't isa," she said. [Translation: I come before you today to fill in the gaps... The truth: Filipinos helped their fellow countrymen. We were able to survive a year and a half into the pandemic because of the strength we gave each other.] Robredo also acknowledged the local dressmakers who manufactured affordable personal protective equipment, private partners who offered free rides and transportation services, educators, and other workers who gave their services for free when the Office of the Vice President sought for help in March 2020. "Walang malaking budget ang OVP; wala kaming malaking makinarya tulad ng ibang ahensya. Ang budget namin, tiwala. Ang makinarya namin, taong nagkakawang-gawa," she said. [Translation: The OVP does not have a big budget; we don't have the machineries of other agencies. Our budget works around trust. Our workforce is the people who are willing to help.] The Vice President said she remains focused on finding better ways to respond to the health crisis, despite the nearing 2022 national elections. She also urged politicians to do the same. 'Yung magkakabit ng billboard at tarp, sana tungkol sa kung paanong makakaiwas sa sakit. Kung may ipapagawa sa isang batalyong graphic artists, sana ang layunin, para dumami pa ang magpapabakuna," she said. [Translation: Those who will install billboards and tarpaulins, I hope it's about how to avoid getting COVID-19. If you're going to use your battalion of graphic artists, I hope it's to raise vaccine confidence.] The OVP will release policy recommendations for a strengthened COVID-19 response, Robredo said. Health reform advocate and former Inter-Agency Task Force adviser Dr. Tony Leachon criticized Duterte's speech on Monday, saying a comprehensive pandemic report and roadmap was not discussed halfway through the longest post-EDSA SONA. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27) - An inter-agency task force pushing for constitutional reforms is urging the Senate to tackle before October a resolution of both houses of Congress that proposes economic amendments to the country's charter. Resolution of Both Houses No. 2, also known as RBH2, proposes amendments to the economic provisions of the Philippine Constitution, particularly to lift current restrictions on foreign investors. The Inter-Agency Task Force on Federalism and Constitutional Reform led by the Interior Department is hoping the Senate can tackle the resolution before the October filing of certificates of candidacy for the 2022 elections. "Itong pong third regular session alam naman po natin ay masikipang panahon dahil sa Oktubre po ay filing na ng mga Certificates of Candidacy, Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said Tuesday in an online press conference. [Translation: We know that the third regular session is a hectic period since the filing of certificates of candidacy is in October.] The inter-agency has submitted a resolution asking the Senate to immediately take up RBH2. The House of Representatives last June passed the resolution on final reading, voting 251-20. It passed the ball to the Senate whether to adopt or reject the measure. Sana hindi masayang yung ating pinagumpisahan dito [Hopefully, what we started won't go to waste], House Committee on Constitutional Amendments chair Alfredo Garbin Jr. said. Senate President Tito Sotto, however, earlier said there was no need to rush charter change. As long as its addressing economic issues, we have enough time to tackle it, really. We should not be rushing it, we should discuss it well, Sotto told CNN Philippines The Source. He explained three key economic bills that seek amendments to the Foreign Investment Act, Public Service Act, and Retail Liberalization Act are expected to be enacted soon. Sotto added these economic measures would essentially achieve the objectives of RBH2. But Malaya said these proposed bills will only address short term issues. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27) Coronavirus vaccines stored in facilities in Marikina City remain safe despite the rainy weather, according to the country's top health official. In Tuesday's Laging Handa briefing, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said the doses were stored in areas safe from floods. "Ang mga bakuna naman ay nakapaloob sa isang mataas na lugar doon sa...storage location or areas para ligtas ang ating mga bakuna." [Translation: The vaccines are kept in an elevated area in the storage location or areas, so they are safe.] He added that before contracts were signed with the storage facilities, situations and issues like flooding and bad weather were addressed. "Sinisigurado naman nito na bago makipagkontrata diyan sa mga logistics, third party logistics providers na talagang itong mga contingencies na ito ay natutugunan," Duque said. [Translation: We made sure before we signed the contracts with the third-party logistics providers that these contingencies were met.] Duque also said transporting the vaccines could also be done as the logistics providers have large trucks that could go through floods, as long as these were not very deep. In the same briefing, Duque said almost 17 million COVID-19 shots have already been administered, including around six million second doses. The Coastal Point is a local newspaper published each Friday and distributed in the Bethany Beach, South Bethany, Fenwick Island, Ocean View, Millville, Dagsboro, Frankford, Selbyville, Millsboro, Long Neck and Georgetown, Delaware areas. Columbia, SC (29201) Today Thunderstorms, some with heavy rain during the morning followed by occasional showers this afternoon. High near 75F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected.. Tonight Showers early, then cloudy overnight. Low 68F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. There will be travel restrictions on Stuart Avenue between Old Boalsburg Road and Pearson Alley from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. starting July 29 to Aug. 5, according to a release from State College Borough Public Works. The restriction is due to storm sewer repairs, causing the roadway and sidewalk to be closed. Motorists and pedestrians are advised to use caution in travel near the areas, the release said. MORE BOROUGH COVERAGE Penn State University Police received a report of indecent assault on July 27, according to a timely warning issued by the university. The incident allegedly occurred in a residence hall room in East Halls at approximately 4 p.m. July 21, according to the report. This is the first forcible sex offense reported by University Police during the summer semester. MORE CAMPUS COVERAGE For incoming freshmen looking toward creating a normal college experience for themselves, the majority of Penn States classes will resume in person starting this fall after offering largely virtual instruction amid the pandemic. After experiencing various high school mitigation policies, freshmen will get their first chance to be out-and-about by living on campus and for those who are vaccinated learning unmasked in classrooms. Virtual learning resulted in a lot of Zoom fatigue for high school students, which is why incoming freshman James Biser said he is looking forward to in-person classes this fall. Online learning, especially when it came to subjects like math, for example, that was a real struggle for me to grasp without being in person, Biser (freshman-computer science) said. He said there was only so much teachers could do to help when classes were virtual. When you have to ask a question, you cant like privately talk and go up to them You have to ask in front of the whole entire class, Biser said. Another incoming freshman, Paula Szymanowicz, said she believes the different environments during in-person and virtual settings can affect learning outcomes. From my past experiences, personally, I definitely thrive better in in-person classes, Szymanowicz (freshman-food science) said. The content that the teacher or professor is telling you is so much different than learning from a textbook or learning from an article online. Zharia Hill said she had a better learning experience in high school when she had in-person classes versus during virtual classes amid the pandemic. Though Hill (freshman-meteorology) ended up in person during most of her senior year, she said she believes in-person learning will be different for her in college because theres a lot of people coming [to campus]. Szymanowicz said in-person learning can be different because youre interacting with other people. You get to see more people, talk to more people, Biser said. I feel like everyones mood would just go up. Hill said she believes switching from high school in-person learning to college in-person learning will be an adjustment. [With] in-person college learning, you have to go to office hours to get extra help, Hill said. You have to take the extra steps to meet with professors in person instead of setting up a Zoom link. And, she expressed concern over coronavirus mitigation policies heading into the fall semester and said she believes it would be good for people to keep their masks on. Im a little concerned [because] theres a lot more people than my high school, Hill said. [Im] not that concerned about it, but Im still scared [because] theres a lot of people on campus. Yet, Szymanowicz is still anticipating the beginning of a new chapter and with lessened coronavirus restrictions. Im looking forward to thriving in a new in-person experience. MORE CAMPUS COVERAGE Are you a current print subscriber to Columbia Gorge News? If so, you qualify for free access to all content on columbiagorgenews.com. Simply verify with your subscriber id to receive free access. Your subscriber id may be found on your bill or mailing label. 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! Washington voters have recently received ballots to submit for the Aug. 3 primary election. The primary election will decide the top-two candidates to continue on to the Nov. 2 general election. Washington State conducts elections primarily through mail-in ballots; an Accesible Voting Unit is available at the Klickitat County Auditors Office in Goldendale. The deadline for ballots to be sent to voters was July 16 if you have not received your ballot, contact the Klickitat County Auditors Office. The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form A version of this editorial was crafted by the Herald Bulletin of Anderson, Ind., and first appeared in Indiana newspapers. It has adapted for use in the Commercial-News. I recently noticed this piece on Forbes about a suggested change for all iOS Wi-Fi settings and it prompted a potentially controversial question. Why don't all IT/security admins issue a list of setting/configuration changes related to iOS and Android devices for all enterprise users? (If your people are still using BlackBerry and I just received an email from a U.S. Department of Homeland Security worker who is, which is quite frightening we need to talk ASAP.) Some companies, of course, have these configuration settings written down and released. But why do many CIOs/CISOs not bother? And while I am diving deeper into troublesome waters, let me plunge ahead: Why not make such lists mandatory a requirement for any company allowing personal devices to access sensitive data and sensitive systems? Almost all mandate the use of a downloadable company-approved VPN, so why not also dictate all manner of other settings that pose cybersecurity risks? The requirements would vary from enterprise to enterprise and most likely from user to user. But surely the basics can be set, such as turning off Wi-Fi when away from the home office (which, today, might literally be a home) or keeping Bluetooth disabled until its needed. Dont be surprised if these suggestions get a lot of pushback, as remote workers have gotten used to conveniences that are fine at home but ultra-dangerous while walking around an airport, train station, or hotel lobby. For that matter, they can be dangerous when strolling down the streets of Manhattan or San Francisco. Consider Bluetooth. It's a very convenient means of attack, as long as the bad guy can get very close to the intended user victim. Depending on security software installed, a Bluetooth attack can bypass many traditional defenses. So why not keep it off at all times, except when it's necessary? Users are likely today to be using Bluetooth mechanisms in their ears while talking in that airport, so they can answer a hear a phone call at any time. Would such a rule force everyone to keep their Bluetooth headphones/earbuds at home and only travel with wired ones? That wouldn't be such a bad idea. But will wired earbuds be around much longer? The Forbes story that got me started on this issue suggests that users be prevented from connecting to unknown networks by default a very sensible precaution. It further argued that if a user thinks an unknown network absolutely must be used, turn on a reliable mobile VPN first. Let's start there. How many IT shops even specify an approved mobile VPN, let alone mandate one? Its important to remember that a VPN doesnt provide the protection many users think it does. If the user interacts with a sensitive email or logs into a bank account, an attacker watching via Bluetooth might still see quite a bit. What if they downloaded a keystroke-capture? In that case, the bad actors likely have your credentials. Admins could (and should) do the same thing with rules around Wi-Fi, or passwords, or app installations anything that can help lock down mobile devices and keep corporate data safe. And then, of course, the onus becomes making sure every single person in the organization knows what to do and does so. And if not, there would need to be consequences for leaving corporate vulnerable to attack or theft. In a BYOD environment, IT and security have obligations to protect all enterprise assets. Given that the percentage of those assets that travel through mobile devices is soaring, isn't it time to set some strict rules? None of these rules would meaningfully hurt employees and they won't prevent workers from engaging with consumer apps and data. The worst-case scenario is mild inconvenience. If a user wants to pull back from BYOD and insist that the company provide them a mobile device, they certainly have the right to make that request. (Whether it's approved is a very different matter.) But if it were approved, those users can feel free to treat their personal devices as recklessly as they want. As long as they are using those devices to access and create employer-owned data assets, rules about settings seems perfectly reasonable. It might not make IT and Security especially popular with users (but be candid: they never were popular and thats not likely to change). But it's the right thing, the smart thing, to do. US Vice-President Kamala Harris may visit Singapore, Vietnam in August: Sources United States' Indian-origin Vice President Kamala Harris could travel to Vietnam and Singapore in August, even though details of the trip are not final yet, a source said yesterday. Harris visited a border patrol facility near the US-Mexico border and urged a focus on children and practical solutions to migration. Photo courtesy: White House The coronavirus pandemic is likely to be on Harris' agenda, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Harris recently visited Mexico and Guatemala with the aim of lowering migration from the region. During her trip, she focused on issues such as economic development, food insecurity and women's issues. Earlier, Harris visited a border patrol facility near the US-Mexico border and urged a focus on children and practical solutions to migration, in a trip meant to blunt Republican criticism of White House immigration policies. The visit, her first since becoming vice president five months ago, came amid a rise in migrants caught crossing the border, which has sparked outrage from Republicans, who favour the stricter immigration policies implemented by former president Donald Trump. 100% Website hawaiianairlines.com uses latest and advanced technologies. It is very popular on the web, it's within the 1 million most visited websites of the world at position 29092 by Alexa. It supports HTTPS and GZIP compression. The main html page has a size of 172284 bytes (168.25 kb uncompressed) and 37260 bytes (36.39 kb compressed). This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-07-27, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. Doris Nell Gipson Lucky, 86, who passed away Tuesday, July 27, 2021 in Houston. Viewing will be held on Friday, July 30, 2021 at Emanuel Funeral Home of Palestine from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Funeral will be held on Saturday, July 31, 2021 at Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church in Oakwood at 11 a.m. with a Israeli-based startup ONYX Radiance has launched its AntiViral Defense Mask, which is reported to 'destroy COVID-19 and influenza viruses with 99.99% efficiency.' Furthermore, the mask is said to filter out > 99.5% of 3-micron particles, providing a barrier against airborne droplets for up to 50 home launderings. These anti-viral results have been verified by a qualified independent laboratory in accordance with the ISO18184 test protocol. In addition, the company reports the mask has been shown to effectively combat microorganisms that accumulate in textiles, including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Corynebacterium ammoniagenes and the toxic molds Aspergillus niger and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. The AntiViral Defense Mask is made of 100% cotton and is infused with a silver ion formula including ONYX's delivery system, designed to ensure continuous release for long-term biocidal efficacy. Silver ions also have shown clinical efficacy to promote smoother, softer, more even-toned and youthful-looking skin with repeated use, the company reports. Users also have stated it can alleviate severe acne conditions and improve sleep quality. The company notes it plans to execute clinical trials in 2022. This launch follows previous launches including a skin-rejuvenating pillowcase and an acne-combating pillowcase. From the archives: Water-soluble Phosphate Polymers in Bar Soap for Controlled Release of Antimicrobial Silver Bee Shapiro, founder of Ellis Brooklyn and beauty columnist for the New York Times, will join a panel discussion focused on the fundamentals of mindful growth. Laura M. Beres of Ulta Beauty will join Annie Jackson of Credo to discuss how the retailers' unique partnership helps brands deliver clean, sustainable beauty at scale. Sharon Chuter, founder of UOMA Beauty, will take part in Beauty Accelerate. Registration is now open for Beauty Accelerate Virtual 2021, which will take place October 18-21, 2021, offering four days of thought leader discussions, market data briefings, cosmetic technology presentations and small interactive roundtables for face-to-face conversations. This year's event, centered on the theme of "Beauty Resurgent," will focus on where beauty trends, technology, marketing, ethics and values will take the industry next. Sessions will highlight expertise from top brands, retailers and data firms, including: The Honest Company Deciem Macy's UOMA Beauty Ulta Beauty Olaplex Euromonitor Brown Girl Jane Beekman 1802 BFA Industries/Ipsy Nielsen IQ Johnson & Johnson Grove Collaborative Ellis Brooklyn and many, many more. All sessions will feature live Q&A's, allowing attendees to pose questions to a wide array of beauty thought leaders. Monday, October 18, 2021 Data Briefing: Beauty 2022 and Beyond The consumer and market trends reshaping the industry. Day one will focus on data-backed trend presentations and beauty technology talks, offering insights into where beauty will head next. The day will conclude with a special fireside chat with Macy's chief merchandising officer. Talks include: The Road to Normality: Beauty Re-emerges with an Omnichannel Focus | Tara James Taylor, NielsenIQ | Tara James Taylor, NielsenIQ Roaring 20s: Shifts in Consumer Beauty Behaviors for 2022 | Yarden Horwitz & Olivier Zimmer, Spate | Yarden Horwitz & Olivier Zimmer, Spate Waterless Beauty: Making Products Better | Jim Perry, TaikiUSA | Jim Perry, TaikiUSA Personalization of Wellness and Beauty | Irene Chang, Euromonitor International | Irene Chang, Euromonitor International Next-Gen Hair Shine Active from Green Chemistry + In Silico Modeling | Cristiane Pacheco, Chemyunion Inc. | Cristiane Pacheco, Chemyunion Inc. Beauty Beyond COVID | Lauren Goodsitt, Mintel | Lauren Goodsitt, Mintel Beauty in the Next Normal | Jennifer Famiano, The NPD Group | Jennifer Famiano, The NPD Group Fireside Chat: Macy's the Future of Beauty Retail | Nata Dvir, Macy's & Jeb Gleason-Allured, Global Cosmetic Industry Tuesday, October 19, 2021 Beauty Tech Briefing: On-trend Beauty R&D Connecting the dots between innovation and the market. Day two will focus on the latest technical know-how driving and responding to today's market demands. Formulating Clinically Effective Products | Ruandro Knapik | Ruandro Knapik Clean ScienceClean Skin Care | Paul Lawrence, Biocogent, LLC | Paul Lawrence, Biocogent, LLC Ethical Beauty: Waterless Bars, Upcycled Ingredients and Circular Product Strategies | Jo Chidley, Beauty Kitchen | Jo Chidley, Beauty Kitchen Inclusive Design for Universal Beauty | Iain McKinnon, Global Disability Innovation Hub; Trishna Daswaney, Kohl Kreatives; Gabriela Daniels, London College of Fashion; and Kaho Oishi, International Caremake Association | Iain McKinnon, Global Disability Innovation Hub; Trishna Daswaney, Kohl Kreatives; Gabriela Daniels, London College of Fashion; and Kaho Oishi, International Caremake Association Embracing Diversity with Innovative Hair Care Solutions | Farahdia Edouard, Croda | Farahdia Edouard, Croda Customizing Skin Care | Dianne Rossetti, Johnson & Johnson | Dianne Rossetti, Johnson & Johnson Wellness and Care Through Cholesterols | Frank Schmidtmann. Evonik Corporation | Frank Schmidtmann. Evonik Corporation Product Design for Stronger, Healthier, More Resilient Skin | Simon Craw, Sytheon | Simon Craw, Sytheon Digitalization in Modern R&D Labs | Will Tashman, Uncountable | Will Tashman, Uncountable Psychodermatology and Skin Aging: The Mind-Skin Connection | John Koo, University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine | John Koo, University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine Tales From Plants and Mushrooms | Alissa Frontauria and Melissa Padua, RAHN USA Corp. Wednesday, October 20, 2021 Values-led Beauty Discussion Sessions How principles drive growth. Innovation, sustainability, diversity and inclusion are at the core of the most innovative, high-growth companies in beauty. On day three we will hear from cutting-edge, mission-first, newsmaker brands, retailers and incubators to learn how the intersection of ethics and transformational practices is reshaping the future of beauty. Driving Growth in Complex Times | JuE Wong, Olaplex; Nicola Kilner, Deciem; Malaika Jones, Brown Girl Jane | JuE Wong, Olaplex; Nicola Kilner, Deciem; Malaika Jones, Brown Girl Jane Inclusive Beauty: Sharon Chuter x IPSY/BFA | Jenna Habayeb, BFA; Sharon Chuter, UOMA Beauty | Jenna Habayeb, BFA; Sharon Chuter, UOMA Beauty Mindful Growth | Tina Hedges, Loli; Bee Shapiro, Ellis Brooklyn; Don Frey, The Honest Co. | Tina Hedges, Loli; Bee Shapiro, Ellis Brooklyn; Don Frey, The Honest Co. Next Gen Beauty | Luana Bumachar, Grove Collaborative; Julian Reis, SuperOrdinary | Luana Bumachar, Grove Collaborative; Julian Reis, SuperOrdinary Conscious Beauty Upstarts | Cary Lin and Angela Ubias, Common Heir; Brad Farrell, Beekman 1802 | Cary Lin and Angela Ubias, Common Heir; Brad Farrell, Beekman 1802 How Conscious Beauty Embraces Brands on Clean, Sustainable Journeys | Annie Jackson, Credo Beauty; Laura M. Beres, Ulta Beauty Thursday, October 21, 2021 Beauty Educational Roundtables The closing day of Beauty Accelerate Virtual will feature opt-in face-to-face sessions hosted by industry experts on an array of topics, including marketing strategies, psychodermatology, clinically effective products and more. To offer a well-rounded conversation each roundtable is limited to 10 virtual attendees. Registration is first come, first served. Psychodermatology and Skin Aging: The Mind-Skin Connection | John Koo, University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine | John Koo, University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine Formulating Clinically Effective Products | Ruandro Knapik | Ruandro Knapik Inclusive Design for Universal Beauty | Gabriela Daniels, London College of Fashion | Gabriela Daniels, London College of Fashion Roaring 20s: Shifts in Consumer Beauty Behaviors for 2022 | Yarden Horwitz, Spate "While 2019's debut event was all about speed to market and 2020 was focused on the impacts of the pandemic, Beauty Accelerate Virtual 2021 is all about where the resurgent beauty industry is heading next in 2022 and beyond," said Jeb Gleason-Allured, content director of Global Cosmetic Industry. "This incredible collection of founders, executives, technical experts, forecasters and retailers will provide us with a wide-angled view of beauty's next phase, led by key values of inclusion and accessibility, sustainability, safety, ethical practices, and performance and efficacy. Truly, there has never been a more exciting time to be in this industry." Register now to get the best rates for this can't miss event. Registrants will receive access to live and on-demand access to all sessions (roundtables excluded). See you in October! Register Now In May 2021, BFA Industries (Beauty For All) announced that it had appointed Sharon Chuter, Uoma Beauty founder and CEO and founder of the #PullUpforChange initiative, as a BFA adviser to provide guidance, inspiration and accountability towards its inclusivity programs progress. As part of Beauty Accelerate Virtual 2021, Chuter and BFA chief brand officer Jenna Habayeb will discuss their partnership, BFA Impact, as well as the broader movement toward a more inclusive beauty industry. The executives will review what the industry is getting right, where more progress is needed, as well as initiatives such as investments in Black-owned brands and expanded representation fromand improved internal hiring/career development amongfocus communities. Registration is now open. See the whole program here. About the Experts After bringing Revlon to Nigeria, Sharon Chuter held roles at LOreal, LVMH and even Pepsi. Her experiences inspired her to found the first Afropolitan makeup brand, UOMA. Chuter has also helped hold organizations accountable for representation and practices via the @pullupforchange direct action movement, which fights for economic opportunities for Black communities. Jenna Habayeb is the Chief Brand Officer of BFA (Beauty For All) Industries, home to subscription brands IPSY and BoxyCharm, brand incubator Madeby Collective, and personal care brand, Refreshments. She has led marketing for brands such as bareMinerals, bebe, Burger King, TABASCO, 7 for all Mankind, Splendid, Tween Brands and more. P&G Ventures, the internal business incubator of Procter & Gamble, has named NanoSpun Technologies winner of its Virtual Innovation Challenge. The Israeli-based startup develops reportedly "first-of-its-kind" live, active biological tissues for medical, industrial and skin care applications based on a bioprinting technology. According to a report by VentureBeat, for P&G Ventures's Virtual Innovation Challenge, the company applied this technology in a face mask to protect the microbiome. NanoSpun Technologies will receive $10,000 and the opportunity to continue their product development and brand under P&G Ventures guidance. See related: 3D Printed Natural Bioinks Promote Wound Healing "NanoSpun is honored to be selected as the winner of P&G Ventures' Innovation Challenge," said Ohad Bendror (Bendas), founder and CEO of NanoSpun. "I'm grateful for the opportunity to present our innovation alongside other passionate and inspiring entrepreneurs, and to receive support from P&Ga company that has played a key role in the development of so many successful brands. Recognition from P&G and the support and opportunity to work with P&G Ventures is invaluable, and we are excited to build a relationship with them." Additional finalists include: One Skin, based in San Francisco, CA, with a topical supplement designed to extend the skin's lifespan on a molecular level; Ready, Set, Food!, based in Los Angeles, CA, providing an innovative solution to early allergen introduction to make it easier for families to follow new food allergy prevention medical guidelines; and Wellesley Pharmaceuticals, based in Yardley, PA, creator of Nocturola pill designed to provide 8 hr of protection for those who suffer from frequent overnight bathroom trips. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Submit Community News Northwest-Shoals Community College was selected from a competitive field of community colleges across the country to receive $100,000 to transform the future of students in the community. The Metallica Scholars Initiative is funded by Metallicas All Within My Hands (AWMH) and led by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), It was designed to directly support students while also elevating the importance of career and technical education. This work is highlighted at a global level by leveraging the influence of Metallica who continue to speak out on the dignity of professional trades and community colleges that prepare students. Crypto scammers are everywhere these days. With crypto being such a trendy market, but with few people understanding how it works, there are plenty of scumbags trying to make a quick buck off the uninformed public. Back in the earlier days of crypto, though, there was one true OG of scamming. Her name is Ruja Ignatova, the Cryptoqueen, and she was responsible for one of the biggest scams of the 2010s: OneCoin. This cryptocurrency launched in either 2014 or 2015 -- information on its founding is as shady as the business itself. What matters is that it was founded by Ruja Ignatova, who would become the charismatic personality that drove OneCoin. While she's been unveiled as a fraudster now, she was trusted when she started. She held a Ph.D. and very effectively presented herself as a financial genius. Ignatova's followers dubbed her the Cryptoqueen for her perceived knowledge of the market. Now, it may seem like crypto bros throwing around buzzwords are all part of some cyber money-worshipping cult, but with OneCoin that comparison is not just for laughs. At the center of the cult was Ignatova herself, who spread awareness of OneCoin through sold-out seminars. Continue Reading Below Advertisement During these seminars, she would build up the idea that the banks had too much power, and that the only way to fight back was to invest in a decentralized currency, OneCoin. Implanting this battle between OneCoin and the financial establishment in the heads of potential investors helped create a following of OneCoin and Ignatova. Investors felt like they were part of a revolution, and they became fiercely loyal as a result. Ignatovas speeches were effective. OneCoin seminars were held across Europe, in the United States, China, even in Uganda. At its peak in 2017, OneCoin had three million investors, and it is estimated that they invested $15 billion into the cryptocurrency. However, in that same year, with obvious cracks in the OneCoin foundation, Ignatova vanished, and she has not been seen since. Behind the scenes, the U.S. federal government had charged her with fraud. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Outside of being a series of the worlds worst seminars, OneCoin was just a Ponzi scheme. Instead of buying cryptocurrency as one may expect, what OneCoin investors were really buying was educational material. This could cost them thousands of dollars, and some people lost everything buying it. Investors were told that the material would allow them to mine OneCoin and ultimately make a profit. Instead, in true multi-level marketing fashion, those at the top made money, while everyone else lost whatever they invested. Those who owned OneCoin could not do anything with it. James Roy Young was born on Aug. 31, 1940, and passed away on July 21, 2021, in Crossville. James loved horses. He was of the Baptist faith and attended Calvary Missionary Baptist Church. He also worked at the bakery for 24 years. He was an amazing husband and awesome Papa to all of his gran Years ago, in the middle of what felt like a crisis, God challenged me to consider how deep my loyalties lay. Really, to consider who He truly was to me. Would I treat Him as a Genie or a motivational guru who offered plithy words of affirmation when I needed an emotional boost, or would I live as if He truly was my Lord? This was about thirteen years ago, during what I term my Louisiana experience when Gods healing work within me intensified in a way that left me reeling. I felt as if I was reliving some key, devastating moments and was free-falling into some of my greatest fears. I wanted Him to fix my circumstancesimmediately. To save our house, save our finances and really, our way of life. But Christ wanted to fix my soul, and so, in the middle of my desperate prayers, He asked, Do you love Me now. In other words, If I dont answer your prayers as you hope, will you still choose Me? He was challenging me to evaluate my expectations, and to toss them if need be. Some 2,000 years ago, the men and women of Nazareth faced a similar choice. Would they accept that Jesus, the One from whom, perhaps theyd purchased furniture from, was the long-promised Messiah? They mustve heard about all the miracles Hed performed. How Hed healed people of their diseases, cast out demons, and even raised a dead girl to life. The people were amazed by all He did and said, until He made it clear, He wasnt just a prophet or well-spoken teacher. He wasnt just Someone out to better their day. He was Gods anointed Savior, His Son, with the full authority that entailed. Reading from Isaiah 61:1-3, He said, The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lords favor (Luke 4:18-19, NIV). 20 Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing (Luke 4:21b, NIV). The Jews wanted a Savior, just not the One standing before them. No. They wanted a much more regal, more prestigious, and more political, less rustic Messiah. And so they scoffed, rejecting the freedom Christ offered because it didnt come packaged as theyd expected. And while Ive accepted Gods free gift of salvation, thereve been times when Ive resisted His Spirit. Ive learned, after stumbling down numerous exhausting dead ends, however, His is the only path that leads to freedom. He truly did come to bring good news to the poor, freedom for the oppressed and the enslaved. These words, which Jesus read to the people in that Nazarene synagogue some 2,000 years ago, were originally spoken by the prophet Isaiah during a dark time in Israels history. After a short period of revival, the people had once again slipped into idolatry. God warned them, again and again, if they didnt repent, judgment would come. But even then, God wouldnt abandon them forever. Life wouldnt always be hard and painful; eventually, jubilee, a day of joy and freedom, would come. God makes that same promise to us. Whether were suffering the consequences of our sin or perhaps sin thats been done to us, we can trust good will come. His heart is for us always. When we remember that He truly did come to set the captive free, well find it easier to surrender to His lead, even when His plans or methods dont match our temporary expectations. Jennifer Slattery is a writer and speaker who hosts the Faith Over Fear podcast. Shes addressed womens groups, Bible studies, and writers across the nation. Shes the author of Building a Family and numerous other titles and maintains a devotional blog at JenniferSlatteryLivesOutLoud.com. As the founder of Wholly Loved Ministries, shes passionate about helping women experience Christs freedom in all areas of their lives. Visit her online to learn more about her speaking or to book her for your next womens event and sign up for her free quarterly newsletter HERE and make sure to connect with her on Facebook and Instagram. Yes, employees have the option to work remotely. Employees have to work remotely because there isn't an office. Employees must physically be in the office. Employees have to be in the office certain days but can work remotely others. Vote View Results WASHINGTON - House Democrats on Tuesday will attempt to move past the partisan rancor that has engulfed their effort to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by highlighting what they expect to be emotional testimony from police officers on the scene that day and giving prominent roles to two panel Republicans during the special committee's inaugural hearing. Members on the panel have been preparing for weeks to move swiftly with an investigation examining key unanswered questions surrounding the breaching of the Capitol by a mob of President Donald Trump's supporters who echoed his false claims about the 2020 election while seeking to stop Congress's efforts to certify its results and declare Joe Biden the next president. Those questions include to what degree the attack was coordinated, what led to the massive security lapses, and how Trump and his administration responded as lawmakers scrambled to safety while the insurrectionists marched through the halls of Congress. "I think it's going to be quite informative and emotionally powerful," Democratic Rep. Adam B. Schiff of California told reporters on Monday. House Republican leaders have for months resisted efforts to investigate the most serious attack on the Capitol since the War of 1812, first arguing any probe should include racial justice demonstrations in several cities last summer and then that Democrats' only goal is to highlight Trump's role to score political points with voters ahead of the midterm elections. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., pulled his five nominees for the special committee last week after Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., rejected Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Jim Banks, R-Ind., as too politically motivated to take the investigation seriously. Banks would have served as the panel's ranking Republican had he been seated. Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," Banks blamed Pelosi for the "breakdown" in security at the Capitol and said she "already predetermined a narrative about Donald Trump, about Republicans." To counter GOP complaints of partisanship, Democrats are elevating the role of Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., on the panel by allowing her to deliver an opening statement at the hearing along with Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the panel's chairman. Cheney was booted from her House Republican leadership position this year because she frequently criticized Trump for his role in the attack, saying his false claim that the election was stolen inspired the mob. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, another Trump critic, is the other Republican on the panel. During a closed-door meeting last week, Schiff proposed to Pelosi and Cheney that having the Wyoming congresswoman speak after Thompson would present a "strong visual" for the committee's goals and intentions as it embarks on a months-long process to investigate the insurrection, according to a person familiar with the conversation, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private deliberations. "Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger are not only demonstrating their constitutional patriotism by serving on the committee to investigate in an objective way, but they're also helping us to model, like what, what government should really be like, how, how it should work," said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., a member of the panel. As the only committee on Capitol Hill tasked with solely investigating the security failures and political motivations that inspired the mob to break into the Capitol, the seven Democrats and two Republicans are seeking to project a somber and serious attitude amid Republican attacks on the panel. Tuesday's hearing will feature four police officers - two from the Capitol's protection squad and two from D.C. police - who are expected to testify about their experiences of both physical and verbal abuse on Jan. 6 as they tried to protect the Capitol. Thompson said he is prepared to lead a vigorous investigation in the months ahead. "I live in the rural South where in the [1960s] churches in my communities were burned, crosses were burned, by individuals who said they were Christians," Thompson said. "But they were the white knights of the Ku Klux Klan, so anytime I see individuals who for whatever reason want to deny democracy - participatory democracy - from going forward, I want to resist that with every fiber of my body." Members of the committee said they believe McCarthy's decision not to have his conference participate in the investigation could work to their advantage by allowing them to present the hearings as serious efforts to dig up new details and combat the misinformation about the attack, which several Republicans have downplayed, rather than a partisan back-and-forth. "Right now, when you have these conspiracies that continue to thrive, when you have lies and misinformation that continue to thrive, it is essential for us, as members of Congress, to get to this answer," Kinzinger said. "It's an honor to do this, and it's not something I was looking forward to or expecting or anything, but there are also moments when you have to do the right thing, and this is it." McCarthy has evaded questions about whether he will strip Cheney and Kinzinger of their other committee assignments, a threat he initially made to all Republicans considering accepting an offer from Pelosi last month to join the Jan. 6 committee. But he is facing increasing pressure from rank-and-file members to take action. "We'll see," McCarthy said at the White House on Monday before characterizing Cheney and Kinzinger as "Pelosi Republicans." Kinzinger called McCarthy's threats to punish GOP lawmakers participating in the investigation "childish" and said if House Republicans decide to "punish Liz Cheney and I for getting to the bottom and telling the truth, I think that probably says more about them than it does about us." Members and staff on the committee met behind closed doors on Monday for three hours to review visual and audio footage as well as streamline questions for witnesses. With only two Republicans on the dais, the traditional order to giving time to one Democrat followed by a Republican is being ironed out with discussions of potentially allowing Cheney and Kinzinger more time to ask questions. It remains unclear what other witnesses will be called to provide testimony after Tuesday's hearing with the police officers, but the first round of subpoenas are expected to be issued by the end of August or first week of September, according to Thompson, who said he is prepared to subpoena members of Congress - and Trump. "We'll follow the facts," Thompson said. "I would say we need to have as much factual data from any and all individuals implicated. And so that goes from the top down - it could be leadership in the House, it could be members of Congress, it could be financiers of the people who came to Washington on that day. It could be people who paid for the printing of material, people who paid for robo- calls to go out, inviting people to come to Washington to help 'stop the steal.' All of that is a part of the review." Thompson said that no final decisions on scheduling have been made but that members of the committee should be prepared to potentially cut their August recess short to conduct their investigation back in Washington. Committee appointees have been eying evidentiary gaps that include outstanding document requests from various agencies and departments, along with subpoenas that have not been complied with. As for brewing concerns about the committee's ability to enforce congressional subpoenas, Schiff told reporters that the Biden administration could help where the Trump administration did not during recent congressional inquiries. "In theory, when Congress issues a subpoena and someone ignores that subpoena, and is in contempt of that subpoena, it can be pursued by the Justice Department," Schiff explained to reporters during a briefing on Monday. "Over the last four years, the department obviously was not willing to enforce any congressional subpoenas - that was the result of having one of the president's chief enablers as the attorney general under Bill Barr." The committee is expected to work closely with the Justice Department to obtain information that has already been collected about coordination between various extremist groups that participated in the attack. Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., has been preparing for the start of the investigation by reviewing reports previously published by various committees detailing the Jan. 6 attack, along with the indictments of the people charged with participating in the riot. The third-term Democrat, who started her career working at the Pentagon after 9/11 in special operations and counterterrorism under President George W. Bush, listed a number of other objectives for the investigation, including gathering a better understanding of the ideology driving the violent extremism demonstrated by the mob - what Murphy referred to as a "kind of new American radicalism." "You might not be able to apply your typical countering-violent-extremism approaches to these people," said Murphy. "The people who showed up on January - how were they motivated? How did they pay for their travel and their equipment? How are they organized? Are they still driven to trying to change political outcomes through political violence? You know, I think that we have to better understand this." Murphy said her experience as a Vietnamese refugee who escaped an authoritarian government as an infant has shaped her perspective on Jan. 6. Her family was among those persecuted by the new communist regime in the wake of the end of the Vietnam War and fled the country for a Malaysian refugee camp before ultimately landing in Virginia. "A lot of authoritarian countries were democracies before the autocrat took over," Murphy said in an interview, stressing the need to strengthen the resilience of U.S. institutions against bad actors. "When you work on these issues overseas, one commonality between successful coups is that there was inevitably an unsuccessful coup first." - - - The Washington Post's Karoun Demirjian contributed to this report. What do Metro-North and the Merritt Parkway have in common, I mean, aside from often crawling at a snails pace? Both seem to be hotbeds of unenforced safety rules. Anybody who has driven the parkway knows that its 1930s design cannot accommodate trucks, but they are there all the time. Tom Lombardo, a fellow Board member on the Merritt Parkway Conservancy, recently conducted an unscientific survey to quantify the problem. In a single hour one weekday morning, he logged 212 trucks, buses and commercial vehicles traveling in both directions on the highway. Thats more than three per minute. Now compare that number with the fact that state police issued only 581 tickets to trucks on the Parkway in all of 2020 and you get a sense of how unenforced this rule is. Mind you, trucks on the Merritt Parkway are only facing a $90 fine, if caught, which they arent often, until they strike a bridge. The King Street Bridge in Greenwich was struck 24 times in one year. State Police are understaffed and spread too thin. Enforcing the no trucks rule appears not to be high on their priorities list. But on Metro-North, rules enforcement should not be the problem it has become, given the staffing of conductors on all trains. Yet, in the middle of the COVID pandemic, the railroad is not enforcing a simple rule designed to keep conductors and passengers safe: wear a face mask. Theyre still wasting money and manpower disinfecting car interiors, wiping down surfaces and spraying the seats. Never mind that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been telling us for months theres only a one in 10,000 chance of getting COVID by surface contact. Oh, the railroad does a great PR job explaining how to wear a mask, but they dont enforce what is now a Federal Transportation Safety Administration regulation: wear a face mask or face a fine. A recent Freedom of Information request of the MTA Police showed that since last September they have not issued a single ticket to mask rule violators in Connecticut. Not even one. Yet I see social media complaints every day, often with pictures, of people on trains riding maskless and not being challenged, let alone ticketed, by Metro-North staff. In some cases passengers say even the conductors arent fully masked. These reports are duly logged by MTAs social media watchers, complete with date, time and location information and reported to supervisors. Then, like with so many complaints to the railroad, nothing changes. Are these conductors disciplined? Retrained? Does anyone do anything to stop this potentially life threatening non-enforcement of a Federal public health rule? Apparently not, given the growing number of reports we see. The MTA has seen 136 of their own employees die of COVID since the pandemic began. Theyve even built them a memorial. And sure, theyve passed out thousands of masks to subway, bus and train riders. But what good are free masks if the rules to wear them arent enforced? The TSA and Federal Aviation Administration have issued tens of thousands of dollars in fines in 1,300 cases of non-mask wearing on airplanes. But on Metro-North not a single ticket. Not one. If trucks arent ticketed on the Merritt Parkway and maskless riders arent penalized on the train, people notice the laws arent being enforced and that scofflaws rule the roads and rails. Jim Cameron is a longtime commuter advocate based in Fairfield County. Contact him at CommuterActionGroup@gmail.com. When school buildings were shuttered last year, Torlecia Bates had not given much thought to home schooling her two school-aged children. Like a lot of parents, Bates, who lives outside of Richmond, Va., viewed remote schooling as a temporary inconvenience, and had plans of sending them back as soon as schools reopened. Then something in her shifted. Following the murder of George Floyd, Bates, who is Black, had a panic attack. She worried about the safety of her family. And she began to question whether the school her children attended was equipped to talk about racism with young students. Bates, who has a master's degree in theology and is now a manager in the banking industry, did not learn about systemic racism until she was in college. Would her children have to wait that long, too, to understand the roots of injustice? For Bates's children, 10-year-old Kayden, 8-year-old Kaylee and 3-year-old Kayson, these lessons could not be more critical: The children are descendants of Sally Hemings, the enslaved woman whose six children were fathered by Thomas Jefferson, and they live not far from Monticello, the former president's plantation. "Dealing with everything that we're dealing with - with the social climate, with the political climate, I could not see putting my kids back in school. I just could not," Bates said. So last summer she did something she had scarcely considered before: She decided to take her two older children out of school and teach them herself, all while caring for their younger sister. As the new school year approaches, millions of parents are eager to deliver their children back to teachers and put remote schooling - which wrought anger, frustration and financial turmoil for parents who needed to return to work - behind them. But for other parents, particularly parents of color, the pandemic and last summer's national reckoning over race prompted them to pull their children from traditional schools entirely, moves that helped fuel an explosion in popularity of home schooling. The percentage of schoolchildren in home-school has nearly tripled since mid-2019. By May of this year, the U.S. Census Bureau found more than one out of every 12 students were being home-schooled. Even more remarkable are where those gains came from: Even though home schooling has often been considered the domain of religious White families, the most significant increases were seen among Black, Latino and Asian households. Between 2019 and May 2021, home schooling rates jumped from about 1% to 8% for Black students - a more than sixfold increase. Among Hispanic students, rates jumped from 2% to 9%. The increase was less dramatic for White families, where home schooling doubled from 4% to 8% over the same time period. Between 2016, the year of the most recently available data for Asian American families, and May, home-school rates went from 1% 5%. As coronavirus vaccination rates rise and infection rates fall, educators hope Black, Latino and Asian parents - who had expressed the greatest reluctance to return to classrooms - will feel confident enough to put their children back in school buildings. But many have concerns that extend far beyond coronavirus safety issues, meaning the upswing could become permanent. What is driving the shift is difficult to parse, because of the dearth of research that focuses on Black, Latino and Asian families. But previous studies of Black home schooling families found they were often pushed out of traditional school systems when their children encountered racist treatment in the classroom. In interviews, Latino families expressed similar concerns. And Asian families sought to influence their children's cultural education. In many cases, the migration from mainstream education shows the rising fears among parents of color that schools are failing their children, and the growing awareness of racial disparities in the treatment and outcomes for children of color. Despite aspiring to be "the great equalizer," inequality is still deeply embedded in the nation's public schools system, with yawning achievement gaps marking the performance between White and Asian students and Black and Latino ones. For parents already frustrated with their child's education, the pandemic provided another reason to give home schooling a try. "I feel like the school system is setting these kids up for failure, and I don't want my child being a part of it," said Jennifer Johnson, a former Baltimore city schoolteacher who is now raising - and home schooling - her seven-year-old cousin Donovan Bien. The underfunded city schools - where three-quarters of students are Black and at least 58% hail from low-income households - are emblematic of the kinds of schools Black children attend across the nation. "Baltimore city schools, ever since they have been established, have been advocating for adequate resources - buildings, materials. But we don't have those things." Bernita Bradley, an education activist in Detroit who works with the National Parents Union, said the pandemic lay in stark relief the disparities between the city and more affluent suburbs. After schools closed last March, suburban districts swung into action and started remote schooling while Detroit was still trying to get laptops to students. "Our kids here were at a stalemate and all we kept being told was 'give us time," said Bradley, who home-schooled her daughter for her senior year after a dismal start to virtual learning last spring. "Seriously, it was devastating." Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman, a scholar who is now working on a book about Black home schooling, said many Black parents fear that some traditional public schools will exact a mental and psychological toll on their children. "When we talk about being in spaces where our histories are continuously distorted or ignored, where a child cannot see themselves or their ancestors in the retellings of stories on how things have been created or develop, that is an assault on your mental state," Ali-Coleman said. "Home schooling becomes a safe space." Before the pandemic, research showed that Black home-school parents sought to escape a system that they believed treated their children unfairly. It was something Mahala Dyer Stewart, a sociologist and visiting professor at Hamilton College in New York, discovered when she interviewed Black and White home schooling families within an unnamed northeast metropolitan region as part of a study conducted from 2014 to 2016. "I had many stories of Black boys being framed by teachers in particular as violent or hostile when the mother didn't see where that was coming from," Stewart said in an interview. By contrast, White mothers were primarily concerned about catering to their child's academic needs, and never expressed anxiety that their children were being targeted. "It was totally different." The fear expressed by Black mothers is hardly unique to that community. Tanya Sotelo is Latina and raising her family in a community east of Los Angeles. She and her husband began home schooling their autistic son Fox, 8, this year in part because they began worrying about what would happen when the boy shed his "cuteness and smallness." When Fox grew to be taller, would administrators perceive him as a threat when he is in the midst of a breakdown? Her fears are rooted in data: Black and Latino children and special education students are overrepresented in suspensions, expulsions and school arrests for reasons some attribute to racial bias. "There was a lot of discussion about how disabled children are disproportionately given detention, suspended, disciplined, and how even in some states, you know, like school resource officers will actually handcuff or even take children, you know, put them in the squad car or whatnot," Sotelo said. Cheryl Fields-Smith, an education professor at University of Georgia who has conducted the most significant research on Black home schooling families, said she worries about what traditional schooling - including the dearth of Black history - does to the psyche of a Black child. She said the recent efforts to tamp down on how teachers talk about race - including passing laws that ban the teaching of "critical race theory" - concerns her. "Cultivating a positive self identity for children of all races . . . means that we have to tell the truth about our history. It worries me that somebody is worried about that and they want to stop that," Fields-Smith said. "Right now, we have to home-school because the way schools are, most of them - it's tearing our children apart." Tracie Yorke was working at and sending her son Tyce to an independent school in Virginia when the pandemic struck and forced the school to go remote. Then, as she processed her own anguish and fear after George Floyd's killing, she decided she wanted her son to get an education that would give her him an understanding of and deep sense of pride in his roots, and teach him why he would have to carry himself differently than White peers. "I really wanted something really focused strongly with social justice and a focus on African and African-American culture and really addressing sort of the needs of students of color," said Yorke, who now works as an educational consultant from her home in Hyattsville, Md. So in the last year, Tyce has taken a hodgepodge of online courses that covered African creation myths, the intersection of science and race, and the history of Grandmaster Flash and turntablism. Instead of Spanish, he is learning Yoruba. She teaches him to challenge Eurocentric historical narratives - like the idea that Christopher Columbus "discovered" the Americas, a sprawling land mass that had been populated for at least 20,000 years before his arrival. The nation's racial reckoning prompted soul-searching for Christynn Morris, a mother of two whose own parents immigrated from the Philippines. And that soul-searching led her decide to pull her daughters from the New Jersey private school where Morris had worked as a music teacher. She was "just thinking about the kind of education the kids are receiving," she said, and wondered "Is their story even going to be a part of it?" Come this fall, her daughters will take Tagalog and Filipino folk dancing lessons. And she enrolled them in the Black Apple Academy, a social justice-oriented virtual school. For Bates, the mother from Virginia, home schooling has also brought a sense of freedom. Her children have a flexible schedule, allowing them to take breaks when needed. Her children can work on their own timelines instead of being tied to a classroom curriculums, taking breaks or spending more time on subjects that trips them up. She is intent on centering Black history in their education. She had been worried that home schooling would overwhelm her and her husband. Instead, it seemed to have the opposite effect. "For the first time in a long time," Bates said, "I felt extremely liberated." San Antonio comedian Cleto Rodriguez has been hospitalized with COVID-19 and April Ancira, vice president of Ancira Auto Group, is rallying the city to help. The San Antonio comedian first shared his diagnosis on July 22. March marked the end of Rodriguez's daytime "Where's Cleto" gig at WOAI-TV and KABB. The Alamo City native has been performing stand-up routines around the city since the mid-1990s and currently has two comedy specials available on streaming services. He's often part of an array of local events, making appearances or emceeing. Ancira says for the most part, he's volunteering his time. "He doesn't have the heart to charge them," she adds. She recognizes Rodriguez is woven into the "fabric of San Antonio," and is a beloved local personality, but it's not enough to pay the medical bills. "I can't claim to know what his insurance situation is, but no matter how you slice it, (his family) will need help," she tells MySA. "If Cleto is not working or canceling gigs, money is not coming in." Rodriguez's wife, Lynette, and three youngest children of six are in quarantine at home, according to Ancira. Ancira says she looked for online donation sites for Rodriguez when she heard the news, but didn't find any. She realizes there may have been some hesitation in creating an online fundraiser for someone who has notoriety in the city. "People assume fame and popularity means fortune, not at all the case," she says, adding that she will help Rodriguez by donating funds. The GoFundMe was launched on Monday. So far 203 donors have raised $14,500 of the $25,000 goal. "San Antonio has not disappointed me, prayers and funds are coming in like crazy," Ancira says. "People are seeing the man I have seen all these years. He is part of the fabric of San Antonio and has given selflessly to make this world a better place." Ancira says as of her last update, Rodriguez was still in the ICU, but is showing signs of improvement. "Hoping he keeps on climbing up and out," she says. Rodriguez appeared with Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias during his run at the Tobin Center in San Antonio. Just before Iglesias wrapped up his 27-show stint, he revealed he had contracted COVID-19 on July 15. Rodriguez posted that same day on Twitter that he had tested negative for COVID-19, per the San Antonio Express-News. Iglesias says he made a full recovery. It's unclear if Rodriguez received the COVID-19 vaccine. Sam Namdarian, DMD receives LANAP Regenerative Specialist Certification Dr. Sam Namdarian, one of the top cosmetic dentists in California, is the first LANAP trained dentist in Fresno, CA. Patients suffering from gum disease in Fresno and the surrounding areas now have access to the minimally invasive LANAP and LAPIP protocols with the PerioLase MVP-7 dental laser. The LANAP protocol is the only FDA-cleared laser treatment with scientific research demonstrating the ability to regenerate bone lost to gum disease without cutting or stitching of the gums. The LAPIP protocol can save dental implants that are at risk due to infections. At Fresno Smile Makeovers, our motto is A better smile, a better you. When you smile, you simply feel more confident. Were excited about adding the LANAP and LAPIP protocols because they offer a way to treat periodontal disease and keep everything you love about your smile, states Sam Namdarian, DMD of Fresno Smile Makeovers located in Fresno, CA. By treating gum disease with the LANAP protocol, we can offer patients a comfortable, laser-based surgery that saves your teeth and beautiful smile line without the pain or fear of traditional treatment. Gum disease is as an infection of the tissues that support the teeth, and impacts up to 85% of adult Americans. In the beginning states, gums may be red, swollen, and bleed easily. If the condition worsens, gums and bone that support the teeth can become seriously damaged and the teeth can become loose, fall out, or have to be removed. Gum disease has been linked to serious systemic diseases including stroke, heart disease, Alzheimers and certain cancers. Recent research has shown that every tooth lost to gum disease increases the risk of cognitive decline. Gum disease around dental implants may cause many of the same issues as gum disease around natural teeth. Patients may see red gums at first. Puss and loose dental implants are a sign of more serious infection called peri-implantitis. If a patient has an infection around the dental implant, LAPIP treatment can help save the implant, states Dr. Namdarian. Similar to LANAP treatment around natural teeth, LAPIP treatment uses the PerioLase dental laser to kill the bacteria causing the infection without pain. The LAPIP protocol can be performed the same day as diagnosis, saving patients from lengthy invasive surgeries. Schedule an appointment to discuss your options for treating gum disease around teeth or dental implants at Fresno Smile Makeovers by calling (559) 431-1772. ### ABOUT SAM NAMDARIAN, DMD Dr. Namdarian attended University of California, Santa Cruz where he received his B.S. degree in Molecular Cellular Developmental Biology. Dr. Namdarian attended Boston University Goldman School of Dental medicine and graduated with a D.M.D. degree in 2005. After graduation he completed a two year post-doctoral residency program at University Medical Center, Fresno where he served as Chief Resident. Dr. Namdarian, is a member of the Frontier Institute (formerly California Center for Advanced Dental Studies) where he now serves as clinical instructor to Dentists attending their cosmetic courses. Dr. Namdarian achieved post-graduate certification from UCLA Dental School and he is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD), American Academy of Clear Aligners (AACA), Academy of General Dentistry, American Dental Association, California Dental Association and the Fresno Madera Dental Society. ### For the original version on PRWeb visit: https://www.prweb.com/releases/fresno_smile_makeovers_now_offers_minimally_invasive_laser_treatment_for_gum_disease_and_for_ailing_dental_implants/prweb18095124.htm Many families in the greater Bridgeport area seemed to welcome the recommendation released Tuesday that K-12 students and staff wear masks, regardless of their vaccination status, though a small but vocal group dismissed the changes. The new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a reversal on the recommendation released early this month on school masking, a change state and local officials said they are now reviewing. The CDC just weeks ago released guidance that gave fully vaccinated students and educators the option to unmask this fall, with caveats for state and local mask mandates, and transportation. CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky cited the highly transmissible delta variant as the reason for the reversal. She said that when the CDC released its guidelines, there were fewer cases of the delta variant in the country, and the agency was more hopeful about the trajectory of youth vaccination rates. The guidance comes as groups of parents throughout the region have demanded that school districts remove mask mandates this fall. Others, however, were warm to the new recommendation. Im glad, said Robin Bucci, whos about to start an internship in social work at a high school. Its impossible to keep track of who is or isnt vaccinated in a school setting. Wearing a mask is a small sacrifice to keep in-person education safe for everyone, she said. Bucci also has family that works in a school setting her mom is a speech pathologist in a Fairfield middle school. Nicole Strauss Valentine, a Trumbull resident and 6th grade teacher in Fairfield County, will have some students who are age-eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine this year, and others who are not. I support the indoor mask mandate until everyone is eligible for the vaccine and the spread of the virus is almost nonexistent, she said. With the delta variant, the only safe way to get some sort of normalcy for this school year is to wear the masks. If we dont wear masks, it will be back to quarantines, hybrid and remote teaching, she said. That could be a particular problem in school districts where most eligible students are unvaccinated, and under current guidance, they would have to stay home from school if they come in contact with the virus. Others expressed disappointment with the CDC recommendation. Melissa Steeves, a parent of two children below the age of vaccine eligibility in Trumbull, denounced the news. I think these masks are doing much more harm to our kids, my kids especially, she said. Steeves was concerned masks send a message that could impact kids psychologically. Theyre scared. Theyre being told theyre carriers (of COVID-19), theyre spreaders, she said. When the CDC released its previous guidance earlier this month, the state Department of Public Health and the state Department of Education responded with a joint statement, saying they are reviewing the recommendations and will be assessing Connecticuts current and future guidance for schools. For now, the states school mask mandate remains in effect. CDC recommendations are just that recommendations. But the late-July guidance will likely help state and district leaders make key decisions about policy in the final few weeks leading up to this fall. Gov. Ned Lamont hinted on Tuesday that he is likely to follow the agencys guidelines. The updated guidance falls more in line with recent recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which called for universal masking regardless of vaccination status. In light of the confusion and conflicting recommendations, most local school districts have been waiting for updated guidance from Connecticut state departments before releasing rules of their own. Shelton superintendent Kenneth Saranich said the district is still awaiting word from the state before making any decisions. Stratfords school reopening plan for this fall reads that in accordance with state guidance, all students and staff, unless medically exempt, will wear masks indoors. In Westport, superintendent Thomas Scarice sent an email to parents last week that he expects to receive state COVID-19 guidance sometime in August. Scarice wrote Westport officials anticipate that we will soon have more information to share regarding specifics of our mitigating measures in the fall, which could include masks. Bridgeport superintendent Michael Testani said schools will follow any state mandate, but if given leeway the vaccinated teachers could have the option to unmask. For teachers, if they provide proof of being fully vaccinated, then they should have the option of wearing a mask or not wearing a mask. Thats my belief, he said. Staff would have to submit pictures of their vaccine status to their supervisors to be exempt. I think its just really about being sensible, and what we know at this current stage of the pandemic is that fully vaccinated folks are not at risk of becoming severely sick, he said. Students, the large majority of which are unvaccinated, Testani said, will still have to wear masks for now. 3 1 of 3 Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 3 of 3 BRIDGEPORT Mayor Joe Ganim said the city will pull $30 million worth of accounts it has with Peoples United Bank in response to a decision by Buffalo, N.Y.-based M&T Bank to layoff 747 people, including 661 in the Park City, when the two financial institutions merge. We are taking our money because we dont trust them and they have not shown themselves to be responsible, Ganim said of the two banks during an interview with Hearst Connecticut Media. We met with them when the merger was first announced and they did not leave us with the impression that anything like this would happen. This is going to have a huge impact on our community and it makes no sense. TRUMBULL - The Trumbull Democratic Party is banking on First Selectman Vicki Tesoros four-year record in office to carry the party to victory in November. The party will field a full slate of 31 candidates, the majority being incumbents, including town treasurer Anthony Musto and town clerk Mary Markham. Tesoro said the mood at the July 22 local convention was upbeat. Our convention was one of tremendous unity and wonderful enthusiasm, Tesoro said. Other candidates such as Ashley Gaudiano, who represents District Four on the town council, also staked their campaigns on Tesoros record. Im thrilled to run for town council for a third term, and honored to be a part of First Selectman Tesoros team, Gaudiano said. While both parties have stressed that the campaign will be positive, recent actions have already belied those assertions. A recent school board presentation on equity in education had to be halted when the speakers were repeatedly interrupted and drowned out by parents. And social media backlash to comments made the the chairman of the councils Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Task Force resulted in half the members resigning. Block had previously said that the task forces situation is what compelled him to run. Tom Kelly, the chair of the Democratic Party in Trumbull, said that while the party would respect differences in opinion, they would not tolerate any attacks on their candidates or volunteers. They are volunteers who are stepping up to do a difficult job and our party will stand up and support our slate, Kelly said. While the Democratic Party candidates are beginning to campaign, Gaudiano finds herself in a unique situation campaigning alongside her husband, Joe Gaudiano who is running for a seat on the finance board. Joe Gaudiano said his wife set the example. I have watched my wife, Ashley, serve the town tirelessly since 2017 and she inspired me to toss my name in the ring for an elected seat, Joe Gaudiano said. NEW ORLEANS (AP) Louisiana's health department on Tuesday reported its second-highest total of new COVID-19 cases since early January as well as the highest number of hospitalizations from the virus since early February, when vaccines were not yet widely available. Hospitalizations caused by COVID-19 had been consistently under 300 since mid-May but began a steep climb in early July and have now reached 1,390. Health officials attribute the rise to the highly contagious delta variant and low vaccination rates. The state, an early Southern hot spot for the disease in 2020, is experiencing its fourth surge of the pandemic, stretching hospital staffs thin and prompting increasingly urgent calls for people to get vaccinated. About 36% of the state's population is fully vaccinated. The state reported 6,797 new COVID-19 cases and 20 more deaths Tuesday. Some Republican members of Louisianas congressional delegation have become more outspoken in promoting the vaccines following months of misinformation in which many conservative lawmakers and pundits have actively stoked vaccine hesitancy. U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, whose husband died of complications related to COVID-19, posted Tuesday on Twitter: My story is only one of thousands across our state and our county. I encourage you to talk to your friends and neighbors who have been impacted by COVID and listen to their stories. My prayer is that not one more person will have to lose their life to this horrific virus. Sen. Bill Cassidy encouraged vaccination during a weekly conference call with reporters. Weve seen for a year the vaccine is very safe, with an occasional side effect, but all manageable. And then we see the problems associated with coronavirus ... Its just a risk/benefit ratio. Look at the safety, talk to your loved ones, talk to your doctor," Cassidy said. In the New Orleans suburb of Jefferson Parish, officials held a morning news conference to again urge people to get vaccinated. Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng said new cases are evident in areas of the parish where vaccination rates are low. Our health care system is busting at the seams, Jefferson Parish Coroner Gerry Cvitanovich said. At a weekly news briefing in New Orleans, Mayor LaToya Cantrell spokesman Beau Tidwell noted that local hospitals have begun suspending nonemergency surgeries that would require hospital admission and said people should again be donning masks indoors to stall the spread. Cantrell issued an indoor mask advisory last week. If you have not yet received the vaccine and this shocks you into doing it, that's great, that helps us, Tidwell said. But, he added that it can be weeks before someone who gets a first shot will be fully vaccinated. So right now, the message: Of course, get your shot if you haven't, and for God's sake wear a mask. Also Tuesday, the Ruston Daily Leader reported that Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker was hospitalized with pneumonia related to COVID-19. Walker and his wife recently were diagnosed with so-called breakthrough cases both had been fully vaccinated. Walker was hospitalized after their doctor recommended precautionary X-rays and he was found to have pneumonia in his right lung. If we had not had the vaccine, Im not sure what would have happened, Walker said. I sure as heck would not have wanted to go through this without the vaccine. Medical officials have repeatedly said that vaccinated people with breakthrough infections usually have less severe cases. The surge prompted Louisiana's Department of Corrections on Tuesday to suspend visitation and volunteer programs at its eight state-run prisons until at least Aug. 16. In lieu of visitation, the Department will continue to offer two free phone calls per week to ensure inmates have continued connection to family and friends during this event, the department news release said. In addition, video calling remains available for a fee. ___ Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic. ___ Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge contributed to this report. We cant imagine how the Cuomo administration is still sitting on more than $2 billion in federal rent relief even as tenants and landlords desperately need the money. Now, after the state dragged its feet for months, two deadlines loom. At the end of August, a moratorium on evictions runs out. And at the end of September, if the state hasnt spent the money, the federal government could claw much of it back and distribute it to other states that actually have their act together. Who is minding the store? Were not the only ones asking that question. On Sunday, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer prodded his home state, one of only a handful to handle the relief program this badly, to get moving on the aid. That seems to have finally gotten Gov. Andrew Cuomos attention. He announced Monday that the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance and a vendor will ramp up processing of applications, and that at least 350 state workers from other agencies will be assigned to help. Even with Mondays announcement, this has all the feel of an effort still getting underway. If the states estimate of 170,000 to 200,000 households in need of the assistance is correct, its woefully behind. In the next week, the state expects to process just 5,000 pending cases leaving only four weeks to handle the rest before the moratorium ends. Were reminded of a similar mess in April 2020, when the state Labor Department was overwhelmed by unemployment claims as the pandemic took hold and the number of jobless people in New York skyrocketed from 374,000 to more than 1.4 million in a month. People spent hours on phones and computers only to have calls dropped, messages never returned, and the states website fail to save their information. The Cuomo administration finally addressed that situation, redirecting staff from across state government to handle unemployment applications and simplifying the process. The governors announcement Monday seems to be a step toward giving rent relief similarly urgent attention. Whether it will be too little, too late isnt clear. The state faces a compressed time frame to get the word out sufficiently to tenants and landlords so they even know to apply for the aid, which covers up to 12 months worth of back rent and electric or gas utility arrears. (People can find details at tinyurl.com/yj5xnntp.) In some cases, tenants have moved and may be hard to find, leaving landlords to prove they qualify for assistance. And in its self-inflicted rush to move billions of dollars out the door, the state is relaxing documentation standards, opening it to the sorts of fraud that plagued the unemployment program. As we did a month ago, we urge state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to help get this done, using their ample mailing privileges, political operations and community networks to put out the word on how to apply. We frankly cant fathom how it got to this point. We can only hope that a month from now, we wont be wondering how tens of thousands of people face homelessness while more than $2 billion sat waiting to be claimed. Johnson Development / Johnson Development Always dreamed of living on a farm? It might not be so hard here in Houston. A Houston-area community with a garden, greenhouse and more was just named Best Overall Community More than 600 Acres by the Texas Association of Builders. In the past couple of weeks, affordable housing advocates gathered at City Hall to urge Mayor Ron Nirenberg to consider whose voices are shaping what is built and where. They pressed him not to make former City Councilwoman Shirley Gonzales head of the Housing Commission, which oversees the citys housing policies, because of concerns she had been eager to subsidize developments the citys poorest households cant afford. We know Shirley Gonzales is not the affordable housing champion we need, Sofia Lopez, a housing researcher and former San Antonio Housing Authority board member, said at a July 14 protest. At a demonstration the next week, activists again protested Gonzales appointment and emphasized the need for affordable housing. Organizer Kayla Miranda asked Nirenberg to appoint regular people such as renters, hourly workers, low-income residents, affordable housing advocates and public housing tenants to city boards and advisory panels. In other words, many of those most affected by decisions made not just by the Housing Commission, but the Zoning Commission, Planning Commission, Building Standards Board and San Antonio Housing Trust Public Facility Corp., a nonprofit overseen by five council members. The Public Facility Corp. which Gonzales sat on until leaving office has faced increasing criticism from affordable housing advocates for approving deals that provide major tax breaks in exchange for housing thats out of reach of the citys neediest households. On ExpressNews.com: Housing advocates dont want this former councilwoman to lead key housing group We need to hit the demographics that are truly in need, not the individuals who they wish to bring to the city, said Miranda, who lives in public housing. The people that are here now cant afford it. Added Jessica Guerrero, outgoing chair of the Housing Commission: It is an ongoing struggle for people who are impacted by displacement, evictions and all kinds of housing insecurity to be at the table. The few of us that were appointed on these boards had to fight every step of the way to make more space for our colleagues, for our neighbors, for all the people who we know are living the realities of the housing crisis, she said. Billy Calzada / Staff Photographer The public pressure may have worked a little. Nirenberg announced July 23 he is tapping Gonzales to lead the Housing Commission because of her strong track record of tireless advocacy for the equitable distribution of resources and for championing initiatives for home rehabilitation and preserving shotgun houses. But he also said hes appointing a pair of newly elected council members both critics of city housing policy to the Housing Trust Public Facility Corp. Gonzales said that when she was elected to City Council in 2013, San Antonio was in the midst of former Mayor Julian Castros Decade of Downtown initiative, which included incentive programs for developments in the area. The priority then was more on economic development than affordability, she said, but that shifted when Nirenberg took office. The city changed its downtown incentive policy amid criticism for providing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of incentives in exchange for building housing many locals could not afford. The policy expired last year. The housing trust recently has also been requiring more housing at lower income levels. I definitely think that we can do the deep affordability projects, but it was not always the focus, Gonzales said. The protests surprised her, she said, because she has worked closely with many of the organizers on projects. As Housing Commission chair, she said, she will make sure Im communicating what is the priority of the city, of council and the mayor. Nirenberg is also appointing Kristin Davila, who leads affordable housing developer Merced Housing Texas, and Amanda Keammerer, who founded consulting and event firm Javilud, to the commission. Miranda and Lopez were frustrated by Gonzales appointment. It prompts all kinds of questions about what the mayors motivations are, Lopez said. I dont really see it as a deep commitment or focus on solving our affordability crisis. He wouldnt have appointed Shirley Gonzales if that was what he deeply cared about and deeply wanted to solve. But two new council members critical of the citys approach to housing and developers influence will join the board of the Housing Trust Public Facility Corp. Nirenberg said he will appoint Councilwoman Teri Castillo, who represents the West Side, and Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, who represents the East Side. Were very happy about it, Miranda said of the move. Developers who partner with the Public Facility Corp. receive a full property tax exemption in exchange for building mixed-income apartments. Activists have accused the trust of green-lighting deals that take developments worth tens of millions off the tax rolls in return for too few affordable housing units. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio wants an affordable housing agency to actually build low-income housing. Can it be done? With development rippling outward from the downtown area, residents of the districts Castillo and McKee-Rodriguez represent are increasingly concerned about rising property taxes and gentrification. The Public Facility Corp. came under fire in June for approving a controversial proposal to demolish most of the Friedrich complex and build apartments. The vote came the day before McKee-Rodriguez was sworn in and could have formally weighed in. Proponents said the development had been in the works for years and could be shelved if financing fell through because of a denial or delay. Council members approved an array of changes in June to oversight of the trust, which has multiple arms. Before, five council members appointed by the mayor sat on two of the trusts four boards, including the Public Facility Corp. Now, they will sit on all four. The boards will also have a variety of housing experts and community advocates to weigh in on developments, though they will not be able to vote. Lopez was not expecting the mayor to appoint McKee-Rodriguez and Castillo to the trust boards and said she was pleased theyll be able to relay their communities concerns. But she wants to see bigger changes in the citys approach to affordability. Something like the housing trust is a tool that we need to think more strategically about how we want to use, Lopez said. What would it look like if we prioritized permanent affordability? What would it look like if we prioritized working with partners who wanted residents to have a more democratic role in governing the places that they live? Weve suffered from a lack of imagination, and in the space of that vacuum we have people who have steep profit motives filling the void and dictating what kind of housing we get, not the kind of housing we could have and need, she added. madison.iszler@express-news.net Everything you need to remember about your cultures role in protecting and sustaining your organization can be learned from how viruses spread and grow. Admittedly, there is a risk in using this analogy. It can be too soon, too political, or too much COVID depending on your experience. Please hang in with me for a few moments because those binge-watched videos from the early days of the pandemic have an important lesson for your success in the future. Our education and experience have trained us to view organizations and institutions from a hierarchical and often linear perspective that values predictability and certainty. The biological world operates differently. Not everyone becomes ill when exposed to the SARS CoV-2 virus, and those who do can experience wildly different symptoms. There are many factors to be considered, and their relationships and interactions influence the outcome. It is the same with your organization. Your culture works its magic in the white space between the established, predictable lines of authority and communication. Here are three lessons to take with us as we exit from the pandemic. Ideas spread like a virus. Viruses spread the same way. Those grotesque protein spikes are basically a key in search of a lock. The virus enters the body in search of a healthy cell with a lock that fits its key. Once the lock is open, the virus enters the receptive cell, copies itself millions of times, and releases the copies into the body to infect other healthy cells. Viruses are everywhere. The debilitating and deadly ones make the news, but biologists project that there are 380 trillion viruses living on or in our bodies right now. Some simply coexist with us, and others (like the virus being researched to kill cancer cells) can help us. Its the same for you and your team. Ideas are everywhere. They can be bad, neutral, or good. Some are intentionally introduced, and others creep in undetected. And just like a biological virus, they reproduce and spread throughout your organization. You want to keep harmful ideas from taking hold and causing damage while allowing the good ones to grow. Your culture protects your health except when it doesnt. Dr. Michael Watkins wrote, Culture is the organizations immune system. A strong immune system is the bodys first line of defense against an invading virus. It constantly searches for and attacks viruses and bacteria that dont belong. That is wonderful when the immune system is working correctly. Unfortunately, there are more than 100 autoimmune and immune deficiency disorders. Autoimmune disorders cause the immune system to become overactive, mistake healthy cells for intruders, and attack. Immune deficiency disorders, on the other hand, make us more susceptible to outside attacks by not doing enough to protect the body. A strong, positive culture is your first line of defense against destructive idea viruses seeking to destroy your teams health. Likewise, a toxic or dysfunctional culture can keep positive ideas from spreading, attack the healthy parts of your operation, and open the door for harmful ideas to take residence. You can never underestimate your cultures power to attack a perceived threat, kill good ideas before they can flourish, or fail to do its job because it is weak. Your job is to build and sustain a healthy culture that supports your vision for organizational health. Dr. William Schaffner, professor in the division of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine explained why some people seem to never catch a cold or the flu while others suffer every year: Some people are simply healthier than others. There are people who lead healthier lifestyles they are less likely to become ill, and it is a milder illness [when they do]. One reason is genetics. Some people won the biological lotto just like some jobs and industries have inherent advantages when creating a positive culture. Likewise, we cant ignore the impact of proactive action. Good habits create healthier bodies and organizations. Your culture is basically your habits cultivated, reinforced, and displayed over time. Here are three actions to take now: Be more intentional and aware. Individuals are both more focused on their own health and aware of even the smallest cues regarding the health of others since the pandemic. It is time to bring that level of intention and awareness to protecting your organizations health. The state of your culture should be part of every leadership team meeting. Every sign that the culture isnt exactly where you need it to be to carry you forward should be recognized. Individuals are both more focused on their own health and aware of even the smallest cues regarding the health of others since the pandemic. It is time to bring that level of intention and awareness to protecting your organizations health. The state of your culture should be part of every leadership team meeting. Every sign that the culture isnt exactly where you need it to be to carry you forward should be recognized. Use all the tools at your disposal. The primary tools for maintaining public health havent changed much in over 100 years. Neither have the tools for protecting and sustaining your culture. Develop and use them all to ensure that your culture is optimized for success. The primary tools for maintaining public health havent changed much in over 100 years. Neither have the tools for protecting and sustaining your culture. Develop and use them all to ensure that your culture is optimized for success. Get help when needed. There are times when outside vaccines and interventions are necessary to supplement your immune system, prevent a destructive virus from spreading, and ensure healthy viruses are flourishing. Seeking internal or external assistance to ensure your culture is doing its job can be necessary and responsible. Your culture always wins. Every effort to transform your credit union to flourish in the face of uncertainty, change, and opportunity exists within the context of your culture. Make sure yours keeps the bad ideas out and allows the good ones in. Send us your pets! If chosen, your pet will be featured in the Wednesday Life section and you will be mailed a Daily Journal T-shirt. Submit your pet Local Voter group praises Pasquotank's redistricting plan jeure / Paul Nielsen/The Daily Advance Jennifer Bremer of the N.C. League of Women Voters (left) talks with Superior Court Judge Eula Reid before a discussion on redistricting, at Museum of the Albemarle, Saturday. Pasquotank County is drawing praise from a statewide voter advocacy group for becoming the first county in North Carolina to adopt a resolution supporting a fair redistricting process. Jennifer Bremer of the N.C. League of Women Voters praised county officials Saturday for agreeing to conduct an open, transparent and nonpartisan redistricting process for the countys board of commissioner districts. The countys process, adopted on July 12, calls for Pasquotank residents to have three opportunities this fall to weigh in on a new redistricting plan for four of the seven seats on the county Board of Commissioners. Commissioners voted unanimously to conduct three public meetings on the redistricting plan: Sept. 13, Oct. 18 and Nov. 15. Its signed and sealed and they have committed themselves to an open process, Bremer said. Bremer made her remarks at a meeting of the Northeastern North Carolina chapter of the League of Women Voters about the upcoming redistricting of local and statewide districts. Over two dozen people attended the event, including county commissioners Cecil Perry and Bill Sterritt, Superior Court Judge Eula Reid and Elizabeth City Mayor Bettie Parker. Before the county hearings are held, however, Pasquotank first has to receive the 2020 Census data needed to redraw the countys Northern Outside, Northern Inside, Southern Outside and Southern Inside districts. The census data has no impact on the three at-large commissioner seats on the board. Pasquotank expects to receive the 2020 Census numbers on Aug. 16 and the county must have a redistricting plan in place by Nov. 17, which is the deadline set by the state for counties to redistrict. Districts must be redrawn every 10 years. Each of the four county districts have to have about the same number of registered voters. If the census data shows a 5 percent or more difference in any of the four districts then Pasquotank must draw new districts. The city is also waiting on the census data to redraw the four wards in the city. Each of the wards is represented by two City Council members. The city has not yet announced a redistricting plan that must be in place by December. They will have to be redrawn if any district is more than 5 percent out of line, up or down, Bremer said, referring to the city wards. Bremer said fair districts are just as important at the local level as they are for seats in the General Assembly and the U.S. Congress. There are many things that county commissioners decide, Bremer said. They have control of the budget for the sheriff. The sheriff is independently elected but they get money from the county commissioners. They decide which schools get repaired and which schools dont get repaired. Pasquotank NAACP President Keith Rivers said the organization will be watching the redistricting process very closely. We are going to dissect the maps, Rivers said. They will post the maps before those meetings but we need those maps posted way ahead of time. We need time to review them before we show up at the meetings. Perry is one of two Blacks on the Board of Commissioners; At-large Commissioner Charles Jordan is the other. Perry represents the Southern Inside, which is the only minority-majority district in the county. Perry has long advocated drawing districts that would increase minority representation on the board, and he encouraged citizens to get involved in redistricting. Perry noted that there have only been five Black county commissioners to have served on the Board of Commissioners a number he described as pathetic. Right now, we are approximately 40 percent of this population, Perry said, referring to Pasquotank. About 4 percent are non-white. That 3 or 4 percent could be hiding because nobody wants to be Black with the way we are treated. Bremer said the General Assembly will again have sole power of redistricting at the state level but urged citizens to lobby for an independent nonpartisan commission be put in charge of redistricting in the future. When politicians draw their own lines, voters lose, Bremer said. Both sides have done it. The new districts will be used for the March Republican and Democratic primaries and the November general election. Five of the seven board seats will be on the 2022 ballot. City voters will go to the polls in the March primary to vote for mayor and the eight council seats. Elizabeth City, NC (27909) Today Showers early, becoming a steady rain later in the day. High 77F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a half an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Cloudy with periods of rain. Low near 70F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Elizabeth City, NC (27909) Today Rain likely. High near 75F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Showers and thundershowers likely. Low 69F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Ashland, KY (41101) Today A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 80F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. So the Government is looking at how to remove China from future UK nuclear power projects well, better late than never! Beijing via state-owned China General Nuclear should never have been involved in such a sensitive industry. Indeed, I fear this sorry saga is just an extreme example of the incredible naivety of some of our leading politicians towards the Peoples Republic. From the outset it was apparent that allowing China a role in our nuclear new build raised a terrifying spectre: that of a totalitarian state being able to close down a large chunk of the UKs energy supply. RUTH SUNDERLAND: Beijing via state-owned China General Nuclear should never have been involved in such a sensitive industry (Chinese President Xi Jinping pictured) The UKs laissez-faire attitude to overseas takeovers and foreign control has also made other key industries vulnerable to Chinese control, potentially imperilling our national security and economys stability. The slow-dawning realisation of the folly of opening our nuclear energy programme to China is mirrored in the rollout of the 5G network which after a good deal of prevarication, Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei is being removed from. That company, whose founder has ties with the Peoples Liberation Army and the Communist Party, should never have been allowed to embed itself so deeply into our telecoms infrastructure. Elsewhere, Britains biggest microchip maker, Newport Wafer Fab, will be sold to Chinese company Wingtech unless the Government blocks the 63million deal. Newport Wafer Fab has more than a dozen UK Government research contracts including one to develop chip technology for a radar system for fighter jets. Boris Johnson has asked national security adviser Sir Stephen Lovegrove to look at the sale but that is hopelessly tardy as the Chinese have held a big stake for more than two years. Why, then, do we take such a supine and short-sighted view of Chinas desire to buy up our businesses? Its a mixture of expediency, greed and gullibility. Ministers may buy a stake in the Sizewell C nuclear power plant (artists design pictured) amid concerns about the involvement of China 's nuclear energy company in key British infrastructure projects When the Government sold British Steel to Jingye of China, it handily avoided heavy redundancies in red wall constituencies in the midst of the 2019 election. The Chinese regime has brutally clamped down on protests in Hong Kong and is accused of crimes against humanity in its treatment of Uighurs. Its secrecy and obstructive behaviour over the origins of Covid-19 has also provoked deep unease. Yet the Government shows little desire to intervene until pushed by its own backbenchers or media campaigns. This attitude stems from a wrong-headed notion that free-market capitalism is the same as giving free rein to predators, chancers and communists. Other countries do not behave so recklessly, and neither should we. A vet has branded Britain's recent 'puppy boom' 'extremely worrying', claiming the high demand for dogs during the pandemic is encouraging dangerous and damaging breeding methods. The cost of a puppy rocketed during lockdown last year, with Dogs Trust reporting that buyers were being charged 'extortionate' record prices. Birmingham-based vet Fabian Rivers presents a new BBC Three documentary - Britain's Puppy Boom: Counting the Cost - which sends an undercover reporter to a canine fertility course in Manchester. Shocking footage from the course, which is offered on behalf of a business called SmartBreeder - which disputes the claims made by the programme-maker - shows a dog trainer called Dave Holt - whom the documentary says is not a registered vet or veterinary nurse - teaching amateur participants how to take blood from a dog. This, the documentary claims, is despite the fact that everyone taking part in the course is required to sign the company's terms and conditions which acknowledges in writing that this should only ever be done by a vet or veterinary nurse. Shocking footage from the course, which is offered on behalf of a business called SmartBreeder, shows a dog trainer called Dave Holt - who the documentary claims is not a registered vet or veterinary nurse - teaching amateur participants how to take blood from a dog (pictured with the syringe in his mouth) In the footage he insisted you 'can't do any damage' with the needle he used, unless you 'push air into the vein' - but admitted he's 'not supposed to do it'. During the course Mr Holt also recommended giving dogs human contraceptive pills to boost their chances of having bigger litters, and at one point broke good hygiene practice by putting the sterile syringe in his mouth. Fabian showed the footage to show Mike Jessop, a fellow at the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and a dog breeding expert, who said taking blood samples is 'crossing the line'. 'It's completely wrong to say you can't cause any damage with that. Needles are dangerous items and they will cause damage. 'Running close to that vein down the leg is an associated nerve and an associated artery. If it hit that nerve and damaged it, it could have led to paralysis of that dog's leg. A vet points out that should Mr Holt hit a nerve and damage it with the needle, it could paralyse the dog's leg (left). Right: Mr Holt demonstrating artificial insemination During the course Mr Holt also recommended giving dogs human contraceptive pills to boost their chances of having bigger litters, according to the documentary Birmingham-based vet Fabian Rivers presents a new BBC Three documentary - Britain's Puppy Boom: Counting the Cost 'Taking blood samples is crossing the line. People have paid money to come along to this course, in the belief that this is some sort of accredited respected course, and are being taught illegal practice, and he's making plenty of reference to the fact he shouldn't be doing this, and yet here he is training a whole group of people on exactly what he tells them they shouldn't be doing.' Speaking about Mr Holt's advice to give dogs the women's mini pill - which he also acknowledges during the course 'isn't legal' before laughing - Mike added: 'This is a real concern. Absolutely illegal, that's breaking all sorts of laws. 'Here we have someone advocating the use of unlicensed products, human products for use on a dog when no one knows what the long-term consequences of that would be. 'He shouldn't be playing around as though medicines and these potent drugs are some sort of sweeties that he can drop in and alter nature as he wants to.' Fabian showed the footage to show Mike Jessop, a fellow at the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and a dog breeding expert, who said taking blood samples is 'crossing the line' A study from Pets4Homes, one of the UKs largest online pet marketplaces, found the cost of popular puppy breeds has trebled. Small breeds such as French Bulldogs, Cavapoos and Cockapoos have become exceedingly favourable with people now feeling they finally have time to care for new dogs while working from home. The documentary discovered breeds including dachshunds and bulldogs have become so in-demand that some puppies go for as much as 30,000. The inflated prices has led to more people breeding dogs, driving the relatively new industry of canine fertility, with a proliferation of clinics offering artificial insemination services for dogs and new training courses, teaching people how to do AI. The documentary discovered breeds including dachshunds and bulldogs have become so in-demand that some puppies go for as much as 30,000 Fabian believes the fact that canine fertility courses don't have an official regulatory body is problematic, providing a 'grey area' that is 'allowing for these procedures'. He added that the soaring value of dogs - which has in turn led to a rise in dog thefts and pet insurance premiums - has made them into 'commodities'. 'It takes away that level of humanity that we apply to animals as family members... It's a real cause for concern. It's extremely worrying for the future,' he said. In the documentary Fabian also speaks to the RSPCA about the growing problem of dogs having their ears cropped, which has become popular with bulldog breeds - partly fuelled by social media trends - and highlights how barbaric and damaging this practice is. In the documentary Fabian also speaks to the RSPCA about the growing problem of dogs having their ears cropped, which has become popular with bulldog breeds The RSCPA said it has seen complaints about cropping jump by more than 600 per cent in the last six years. SmartBreeder disputed the evidence in the documentary but did not give a statement. They claimed Dave Holt provides the canine fertility course through his own business. Dave Holt did not respond to a request for comment. The material from the documentary is being reported to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Trading Standards and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate for further investigation. A boatshed moored in the middle of the most scenic stretch of the Great Barrier Reef's has been hailed the 'best in the world'. The shed is the private Heart Island pontoon and helipad at Heart Reef, a spectacular composition of coral that has naturally formed into the shape of a heart in the iconic Whitsunday Islands off the coast of Queensland. Passengers travel there on a 30-minute helicopter flight from the mainland and disembark to board a boat which takes them to explore the lagoon. Travellers have been marvelling at the shed floating in the ocean since it was featured in a video uploaded to TikTok by Sydney photographer, Adam Rikys. A boatshed (left) moored in the middle of the most scenic stretch of the Great Barrier Reef's has been hailed the 'best in the world' Heart Reef, off the Whitsunday Coast in Queensland The clip, which has racked up 33,000 'likes' since it was posted on July 18, swiftly sparked stunned responses. 'Take me here oh my god,' one person wrote. Another tagged her friend and said: 'Can we please go here?' And it's not the first of Mr Rikys' videos to capture the imaginations of travel-starved Australians deprived of overseas holidays since the country shuttered its international borders at the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020. Passengers travel to the boatshed on a 30-minute helicopter flight from the mainland and disembark to board a boat which takes them to explore the lagoon Travellers have been marvelling at the shed floating in the ocean since it was featured in a video uploaded to TikTok by Sydney photographer, Adam Rikys Earlier this month, footage of a remote beach on the northern tip of Western Australia sent hundreds to put it top of their bucket lists. Turquoise Bay has been enthralling travellers since it was featured in a TikTok video by the photographer and blogger who regularly spotlights off the beaten track destinations on his social media accounts. The beach, 1,310 kilometres north of Perth, was in February ranked the world's sixth most beautiful beach as part of TripAdvisor's Traveller's Choice Awards - and it's not hard to see why. The bay's sparkling water offers world-class snorkelling, with coral, fish, turtles, and other intriguing sea creatures clearly visible just metres from the white sand shore. Turquoise Bay (pictured) has been enthralling travellers since it was featured in a TikTok video by Sydney photographer, Adam Rikys The beach served as the backdrop for a recent Ark Swimwear campaign that featured top Aussie models including Natalie Roser (right) The beach served as the backdrop for a recent Ark Swimwear campaign that featured top Aussie models including Natalie Roser. However the bay is often plagued by strong currents, so anyone wanting to dip into the sea is advised to be cautious. Mr Rikys' video of the beach, which has been viewed 15,200 times since it was uploaded online on July 17, quickly drew widespread praise. 'Aw that it just beautiful,' one woman replied. A second said: 'We go here every year and it never gets old.' Another called it 'the best beach I have ever been to'. Frances Loch, the daughter of former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, has shared a sweet picture with her newborn son just two weeks after she welcomed him into the world. The 30-year-old new mum and her husband Sam Loch named their baby boy Ernest, a traditional moniker of German origin meaning 'warrior', 'serious' and 'vigour'. The fitness instructor - who now lives in the US with Sam, a former Olympic rower - said the couple are 'so in love' with their little boy after he was born on July 11. She shared an adorable snap of her cradling Ernest as she planted a kiss on his face. Frances Loch, the daughter of Tony Abbott, has shared a sweet picture with her newborn son Ernest just two weeks after she welcomed him into the world (pictured together) Following an 'intense' and 'incredible' birth, Frances detailed how she felt when she gave birth to her first child. 'Every part that was difficult and uncomfortable was forgotten in the next moment and 100 times worth it because it was bringing him closer to us,' she wrote on Instagram. 'I used my breath and all my strength. I trusted my body, my baby and my team (My ride or die Sam and our amazing doula Kim). Not only was this beautiful nine pounder born, but also a mother, father and family. 'Ernest Loch, we are so in love with you. Here's to the rest of our lives together bubba.' The 30-year-old gave birth to little Ernest Loch on July 11 (pictured in hospital following birth) After returning home from hospital, the yoga instructor shared a sweet picture of her son sleeping in a baby capsule with the caption: 'Welcome home Ernie' Frances and her husband Sam Loch have been living in the US after they tied the knot on Valentine's Day 2018 in a secret wedding ceremony (pictured together on their wedding day) Her post comes just weeks after her husband Sam announced the exciting news about the birth of their first child Ernest. 'Tipping the scales at an even 9lb [4kg]. Brought into existence by his mum with nothing but breathing, coconut water and heart,' Sam wrote on Instagram. The accompanying picture showed Frances smiling as she cradled their newborn son in her hospital bed. After returning home from hospital, the yoga instructor shared a sweet picture of her son sleeping in a baby capsule with the caption: 'Welcome home Ernie.' The exciting baby news comes just months after the yoga instructor revealed the couple were keeping the sex of their baby a 'surprise'. Ernest, often shortened to Ernie, was a popular boys name early in the 20th century, ranking in the top 50 in Australia up until the 1930s. Frances (pictured) shared a rare picture of her blossoming baby bump at 33 weeks Earlier this year, Frances shared a candid picture of herself cradling her burgeoning bump Earlier this year, Frances announced her pregnancy on Instagram, saying: 'Big little baby Loch. Joining the party Summer '21.' The pair have been enjoying living a quiet life after moving from Sydney to the US. The couple tied the knot in a surprise wedding ceremony on Valentine's Day 2018 just three months after she met the bodybuilder in November 2017 - and got engaged two weeks later. 'Two weeks was all it took to know that forever with you was a mighty fine idea,' she wrote in an Instagram post at the time of their shock engagement. Frances said the proposal happened in the kitchen when Sam, a former Olympic rower, popped the question as she was putting peas in the freezer. Frances tied the knot in a surprise wedding with Sam on Valentine's Day 2018 - three months after they met (pictured showing off their wedding bands after getting married) Frances with her dad, former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott During the proposal, Sam had a bottle of champagne in his hands and cleverly convinced her to ask him why. When she obliged, he replied that he brought it to drink after he asked her to marry him. That was two weeks after they first met, and the couple waited another two weeks before telling the world about their whirlwind romance. Former PM Tony Abbott also congratulated the couple at the time, tweeting: 'Really thrilled at the news of Francie and Sam's engagement. We are very proud of her and the Abbotts are looking forward to welcoming Sam into the family.' Despite concerns the couple were moving too fast, Frances previously revealed her family, including her dad, were very supportive of their engagement. 'I think meeting Tones [Tony] can be quite intimidating for anyone, but that's what I love about Sam,' Frances said. 'He's so grounded, and so settled in his own skin, it felt totally natural. There was no change in voice, no sitting upright. Dad liked him.' Frances met Sam, an ex-Olympic rower, in November 2017 - and got engaged two weeks later Frances said Sam asked her to marry him as she was putting peas into the freezer As for her mother Margie, she was just as surprised as everyone when her middle daughter told her of Sam's proposal. 'Mum was like, 'Frances, you are quite impulsive',' Frances recalled. The pair were legally married at a registry in February 2018 - but waited to celebrate with their nearest and dearest at Sydney's exclusive Palm Beach in April. 'The celebratory component isn't for a couple of months, but we made it official in the eyes of the law,' Sam wrote on Instagram, alongside a picture of the pair showing off their wedding bands. 'We're the motherf***ing Mighty Morphin Power Rangers of love.' A professional cleaner has revealed a fact about cleaning with the bleach few may be aware of. In a TikTok video, Kacie from The Big Clean Co in Melbourne cautioned to always take note of the 'use by' date as listed on the bottle, because bleach usually expires after 12 to 18 months. Kacie said once the bleach has expired it turns into sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), which is a strong 'nasty' chemical commonly used to clean drain pipes. 'And while it's still active, make sure you read the label, bleach needs five to 15 minutes on a surface to work effectively,' she said in the video. Scroll down for video Kacie from The Big Clean Co in Melbourne (pictured) cautioned to always take note of the expiry date as listed on the bottle, because bleach usually expires after 12 to 18 months Kacie said once the bleach has expired it turns into sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), which is a strong 'nasty' chemical commonly used to clean drain pipes In the video, Kacie shared an example using a 2.5L bottle of White King premium bleach, which had a 'use by' date of November 30, 2022. The bottle also states that the bleach contains the active ingredient sodium hypochlorite, which turns to sodium hydroxide over time. Bleach should never be mixed with any other chemical and can be used to disinfect your shower, toilet, kitchen bench tops, fridges, stoves, floors, walls and drains. 'And while it's still active, make sure you read the label, bleach needs five to 15 minutes on a surface to work effectively,' she said in the video The helpful information informed thousands of TikTok users who weren't aware of dilutions, contact time and shelf life. 'I had no idea, thanks a bunch,' one person wrote in the comments. 'As a cleaner myself, I can't stand bleach. I don't know how people think they actually need this stuff,' another added. 'I find that it's almost never really needed for a domestic clean,' a third said, which Kacie agreed with. A successful swimwear designer who is preparing to marry her partner of seven years has won praise for revealing why they don't plan to have children. Businesswoman Karina Irby, 31, matched with her partner Ryan Jones, 34, on Tinder on May 25, 2014, 10 minutes after downloading the app for the first time ever. In the seven years since, the couple have become business partners, managing Karina's brand Moana Bikini together, got engaged and brought two adorable dogs into their luxurious Gold Coast home. Theirs is a modern-day fairytale, but Karina recently surprised fans with a lengthy Instagram post explaining why they are 'genuinely not interested in having kids' together. Scroll down for video Swimwear designer Karina Irby (right) matched with her partner Ryan Jones (left) on May 25, 2014, 10 minutes after downloading Tinder for the first time ever Theirs is a modern day love story, but Karina (pictured) recently surprised fans with a lengthy Instagram post explaining why they are 'genuinely not interested in having kids' together She said there are many contributing factors, including being too 'selfish' to relinquish the freedom to do whatever they want and being 'busy and obsessed' with their business. Karina also admitted she is scared by the thought of bringing a child into the world at a time of unprecedented chaos due to the pandemic, conflict and climate change. 'The truth is that Ryan and I love kids! But as for having our own, we are genuinely not interested,' she began. 'First things first. We're selfish. We LOVE our lives together and having the freedom to do whatever we want, when we want. Our love and the company of one another is enough for us.' Ryan finally got down on one knee in 2019 with a spectacular emerald engagement ring (pictured), inlaid in a diamond setting The Gold Coast swimwear designer (pictured) there are many contributing factors, including being too 'selfish' to relinquish the freedom to do whatever they want Karina went on to say that her successful brand is almost like having a child already. 'We are busy and obsessed with our work. Running a company is like having a child. You never rest, you're always on and your love for it continues to grow every day,' she wrote. She also aired her fears about the state of the world in 2021, saying: 'The thought of putting another human on this planet scares me right now. 'Humanity is single-handedly destroying the planet. Climate change. War. Sickness. Divisive politics. Some days I feel the world is coming to an end, and sooner than we think.' Karina asked followers why she should want to put another person on the planet to clean up the mess created by previous generations. She said while she was raised to believe that having children was 'the right thing to do', her mindset has changed as she's grown older. Karina (left and right with Ryan) aired her fears about the state of the world in 2021, saying: 'The thought of putting another human on this planet scares me right now.' Karina ended her post by urging fans to be compassionate towards anyone who doesn't want to start a family. 'If you don't want children, please know that it is fine! But if you do, that's fine too!' she wrote. 'Remember that your life is yours and yours alone. You need to live each day for you and not for others or their expectations of you.' Her candid post won widespread praise, racking up 106,946 'likes' and dozens of comments since it was uploaded online less than 24 hours ago. Karina (pictured with Ryan) urged fans to be compassionate towards anyone who doesn't want to start a family 'You don't need to explain why you don't want kids to anyone, it's none of their business,' one woman wrote. She added: 'People should be able to hear "I don't want kids" and leave it at that.' A second said Karina explained a difficult subject 'perfectly'. Others thanked her for addressing an issue that is so little discussed. 'We need to hear this more, thank you so much for sharing this. I really relate and am grateful to know Im not alone in this way of thinking,' one woman wrote. Thousands of women have crowned the top makeup, skincare and fragrance products for 2021 in Mecca's beloved 'Best in Beauty' awards. Every year, Australia's biggest beauty retailer Mecca asks its customers to vote for the best mascara, lipstick, moisturiser and more, in order to reveal the products shoppers just cannot live without. This year, over 24,000 beauty lovers cast over 220,000 votes for the items they can't get enough of. The highest-grossing category was skincare, with 41,000 votes, and this was closely followed by makeup, which received 26,000 nominations. Thousands of women have crowned the top makeup, skincare and fragrance products for 2021 in Mecca's 'Best in Beauty' awards (NARS' Sheer Glow pictured in use, which won 'Best Base' Winners included Tatcha's The Dewy Skin Cream ($103), which was named as the best moisturiser; The Braziliam Bum Bum Cream by Sol de Janeiro was named the best body product (both pictured) One of the biggest winners for this year was Tatcha's Dewy Skin Cream ($103), which was named the 'Best Moisturiser' and received an incredible 11,000 nominations. Shoppers praised the rich, luxurious cream for instantly hydrating their skin and giving it a 'dewy, plump boost'. Many said they love the addition of Japanese superfoods, including green tea, rice and algae, which simultaneously work to deliver essential nutrients for optimal skin health and youthful radiance. Another category that was hotly-contested was the 'Best Hair Hero', which was won by Briogeo and their Don't Despair Repair Deep Conditioning Hair Mask ($55). This won the hair category by just 500 votes. Within the realm of makeup, the biggest winners were Too Faced's Better Than Sex Mascara ($39), which sells a tube every seven seconds around the world (pictured in use) 'Best in Beauty' award winners * BEST HAIR HERO: Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Hair Mask. * BEST PERFUME: Maison Margiela By The Fireplace eau de toilette. * BEST BODY: Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream. * BEST BASE: NARS Sheer Glow. * BEST LIPSTICK: MAC Lipstick. * BEST MASCARA: Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara. * BEST DEVICE: Dr Dennis Gross Spectralite Faceware. * BEST SERUM: Drunk Elephant TLC Framboos Glycolic Night Serum. * BEST MOISTURISER: Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream. * BEST SERVICE: MECCA Glam. * BEST NEWCOMER: Glow Recipe Watermelon Dew Drops. * BEST MULTI-USE PRODUCT: RMS Lips2Cheek. Advertisement 'Best in Beauty' award winners continued * BEST CLEANSER: Tatcha The Rice Wash. * BEST MAKEUP EXTENDER: Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray. * BEST EYE CARE: Chantecaille Stress Repair Concentrate +. * BEST CHEEK POP: Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks. * BEST BROW PRODUCT: Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil. * BEST BLEMISH FIXER: Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel. * BEST TANNING PRODUCT: Isle of Paradise Self-Tanning Drops. * BEST HOME FRAGRANCE: La Labo Santal 26 Candle. * BEST INVESTMENT: Cosmetics27 Baume27. * BEST HALL OF FAME: MECCA Cosmetica To Save Face SPF50+. Source: Mecca Advertisement MAC took out the award for 'Best Lipstick' with their affordable $30 bullets (pictured); MAC lipsticks boast an impressive 4.7 star rating on the Mecca website Within the realm of makeup, the biggest winners were Too Faced's Better Than Sex Mascara ($39), which sells a tube every seven seconds around the world and promises dramatically-improved lashes in seconds. MAC took out the award for 'Best Lipstick' with their affordable $30 bullets. MAC lipsticks boast an impressive 4.7 star rating on the Mecca website, and they have been described as 'beautiful', a 'must have' and the 'perfect everyday colour'. Meanwhile, the best newcomer came from the world of skincare, and was Glow Recipe's Watermelon Dew Drops ($52; pictured in use) The 'Best Brow Product' was revealed to be Hourglass's Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil ($52), which promises an instantly-defined eyebrow shape and colour. Meanwhile, the best newcomer came from the world of skincare, and was Glow Recipe's Watermelon Dew Drops ($52). Many have said this is the ultimate multi-use highlighting face serum that gives skin the a dewy glow without the use of glitter, pearls or mica. Glow Recipe and NARS were among the winners in a skincare and makeup category (both pictured) Of the brands that won in the 'Best in Beauty' awards, only Dr Dennis Gross and Tatcha won two categories each. Dr Dennis Gross won both 'piBest Device' with the Spectralite Faceware Pro ($661) LED light mask and the 'Best Blemish Fixer' with the Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel ($134) exfoliating pads. Tatcha, meanwhile, won 'Best Moisturiser' with the Dewy Skin Cream ($103), as well as 'Best Cleanser' with the Rice Wash ($53). Like the moisturiser, the Rice Wash is made with Japanese superfoods and natural ingredients. It helps to soften, smooth and hydrate the face while clearing away impurities. To find out more about the 'Best in Beauty' awards, you can visit the Mecca website here. The grieving mothers of two teenagers who died as a result of an allergic reaction to food have branded the provision of care for sufferers in the UK 'woefully inadequate'. Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, 54, from South West London, and Emma Turay are calling on the government to introduce a specially appointed 'Allergy Tsar' to act as a champion for people with allergies to ensure they receive appropriate support and joined-up healthcare to prevent more avoidable deaths and ill health. Tanya's daughter Natasha was just 15 when she died on a British Airways flight to Nice in 2016 after having an allergic reaction to a Pret sandwich. The artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette did not include a label saying it contained sesame, as restaurants currently do not have to do so for products that are made fresh in store. Emma, 48, of Enfield, north London, said she still does not know the cause of her 18-year-old daughter Shante's death in September 2018, but believes it was most likely cross contamination with hazelnuts. In both cases, their deaths could have been avoided. Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, 54, from South West London, and Emma Turay are calling on the government to introduce a specially appointed 'Allergy Tsar' to act as a champion for people with allergies Tanya's daughter Natasha, right, was just 15 when she died on a British Airways flight to Nice in 2016 after having an allergic reaction to a Pret sandwich. Emma, 48, of Enfield, north London, said she still does not know the cause of her 18-year-old daughter Shante's (left) death in September 2018, but believes it was most likely cross contamination with hazelnuts Both appeared united on Good Morning Britain today, where host Ben Shephard revealed that hospital admissions for severe allergies have gone up more than 600 per cent in the last two decades. Emma said: 'I think there's more of an understanding now that allergies is not just about hay fever... the provision of allergy care within the UK is woefully inadequate, there's been little change in the last two decades, despite warnings by GPs and coroners and MPs, that we are at an epidemic level at the moment.' Tanya added: 'It's so important now for the public to understand that we now have a situation where more and more people are becoming allergic - it's actually one in three now that will have either an allergy to food or medicine, eczema or asthma. 'We're seeing children in every school in the country with anaphylaxis symptoms, possibly, food allergies, there's just no provision between doctors and hospitals where it's joined up, where you actually have a situation where they're giving the same kind of diagnoses out. The artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette Natasha bought did not include a label saying it contained sesame, as restaurants do not have to do so for products that are made fresh in store. Pictured: Tanya and Natasha together Both women appeared united on Good Morning Britain today, where host Ben Shephard revealed that hospital admissions for severe allergies have gone up more than 600 per cent in the last two decades 'It's very, very disparate and it's really urgent that we get somebody to join up and to really make sure that where all the errors are occurring - and that's what happening - that it doesn't happen anymore.' Speaking about her daughter's death, Tanya told how Natasha carefully looked through the ingredients on the sandwich she bought - but it was unlisted sesame oil which triggered the fatal reaction. Tanya has been campaigning for new legislation that requires food packed on the same site from which it's sold to be labelled with full ingredients. Branded 'Natasha's Law', the new rules will come into force from October. 'The smallest, tiniest amount of a food that you're allergic to has the potential to kill you,' Tanya explained. 'So many families live with that fear every single day and it's extremely difficult. 'You can rely on labels, you go supermarket shopping, you read the label, so many have got "may contain" on them, people don't know whether that means they can or they can't, they usually take a bet they probably can't, and it excludes them from so much food and just being able to go and eat normal foods. Emma added that her daughter Shante (right) was also 'incredibly careful' when it came to checking food labels, as are all people with allergies 'We taught Natasha to trust labels from a young age and she learned how to read labels. Unfortunately what happened to her was when she picked up the baguette in Pret and looked at the label in the airport, she thought it was safe for her to eat, and that's where the accident happened. 'It's very difficult for people with allergies not being able to trust what they see, so if they see a menu that states, "These are the allergens, these are the foods," they speak to somebody and then it goes wrong - and we know people, teenagers have died in the last few years doing just that, saying they're allergic - and it doesn't seem to be understood enough in society yet, and too many accidents are just waiting to happen.' Emma added that her daughter was also 'incredibly careful' when it came to checking food labels, as are all people with allergies. 'They do know what they can and can't eat and they wouldn't knowingly eat something that they're allergic to,' she said. Emma previously told how Shante's death 'left a hole in our family that we will never be able to fill' Co-host Susanna Reid acknowledged: 'We need more action on it, and it's not a simple, straightforward process.' Emma previously told how Shante's death 'left a hole in our family that we will never be able to fill'. 'We are devastated that we will not be able to see her grow from the amazing girl that she was into the accomplished adult that she was becoming,' she said in 2019. Meanwhile Natasha's father Nadim, who was with her on the flight when she died, told how he has 'such a terrible guilt she died with me, not her mummy'. Emma and Tanya first met in the summer of 2019 and bonded over their shared grief. It was when the coroner investigating Shante's death highlighted the absence of a named person responsible for allergies in the NHS that the two women knew they had to take action to spare others similar tragedies. Tanya has been campaigning for new legislation that requires food packed on the same site from which it's sold to be labelled with full ingredients. Branded 'Natasha's Law', the new rules will come into force from October (pictured: Natasha) They have launched a campaign to demand the Government appoints an Allergy Tsar to help improve NHS services and awareness of allergies. Allergy is a major health problem in the UK, with rising numbers affected: more than two million people have a diagnosed food allergy (the main allergens are milk, eggs and nuts), 5.2 million have asthma (mainly allergic asthma) and 16 million have allergic rhinitis (pollen and dust mite allergies). Hospital admissions for anaphylaxis increased by 615 per cent between 1992 and 2012, while a study by Imperial College London, published in The BMJ earlier this year, found that prescriptions for adrenaline auto-injectors or Epipens, to counter the allergic reaction, increased by 336 per cent over the decade. Professor Sir Stephen Holgate, one of the world's leading allergy researchers and a clinical professor of immunopharmacology at the Medical Research Council, is backing the call for an allergy tsar. To sign Emma and Tanya's petition, click here. Long Lost Family viewers were left in tears after a woman discovered the astonishing truth about her birth father. Paula Stillie, 51, from Buckie in Scotland, appeared on the ITV programme last night and described how she struggled growing up with a different skin colour from her adoptive white family. She recalled how she covered her skin in talcum powder as a child to be like her white adoptive mother and experienced racism that made it all the more difficult growing up. But Paula was left gobsmacked after being told her birth father was Native American before meeting her paternal aunts and uncles on the show - which left viewers in tears following the heartwarming introductions. Scroll down for video Long Lost Family viewers were left in tears after a woman (pictured) discovered the astonishing truth about her birth father Paula Stillie, 51, from Buckie in Scotland, appeared on the ITV programme last night and met her biological father's Native American relatives (pictured) Speaking about her search to find her biological family, Paula explained: 'I don't know where I come from. What are my roots? Who do I look like? 'I don't feel as if I've got an anchor in life, I could come from anywhere in the world. I just don't know.' Despite having a happy childhood with her adoptive parents Joyce and Jim Stillie, she confessed that she was always questioning why she looked different to her family. 'Being adopted you're different, but also of mixed race as well makes you even more different,' she explained. 'Why did I have a different skin colour to my mum and dad?' She continued: 'I can remember covering myself in talcum powder from head-to-toe and Mum came in and I said, "I'm the same colour as you mum, I'm white". I think that broke her heart.' Paula was left gobsmacked after being told her birth father (pictured) was Native American before meeting her paternal aunts and uncles on the show - which left viewers in tears following the heartwarming introductions Paula (pictured with her adoptive mother as a baby) described how she struggled growing up with a different skin colour from her adoptive white family Paula (pictured as a baby, left, and as a child, right) recalled how she covered her skin in talcum powder as a child to be like her white adoptive mother and experienced racism that made it all the more difficult growing up Paula, who is now happily married to husband Euan and the owner of a bed and breakfast in Scotland, told her son Kyle, 26, that she experienced racism as a child. She was desperate to try and find where her roots were from, leading her to get in touch with the Long Lost Family team. Researchers were soon able to find Paula's white British mother in England, but she refused any contact with her daughter - instead only offering some information about Paula's father - an American man called Larry Smith. 'It's a real longing within me to find my birth father. There's a whole other world out there that I don't know about that involves me,' Paula said. Her father had travelled to England with the navy for a short period of time, but he was difficult to track down so the Long Lost Family team turned to DNA testing. Paula (pictured as a youngster with her adoptive father), who is now happily married to husband Euan and the owner of a bed and breakfast in Scotland, told her son Kyle, 26, that she experienced racism as a child Speaking about her search to find her biological family, Paula (pictured) explained: 'I don't know where I come from. What are my roots? Who do I look like?' They discovered a distant match with a man named Joe, whose family tree, which was registered online, revealed Paula's paternal relatives were Native American. The tree also included a man called Lawrence - known to his family as John - who was Paula's father. However, he tragically passed away in 1982. Thankfully, researchers were able to discover Lawrence's younger brother Joe, who lives in Montana with the rest of the family. Joe revealed to co-presenter Nicky Campbell that his sibling, who had no other children, never knew he had a daughter, but would have tried to find her had he have known. Reaction: The relatives met for the first time via video call, with viewers left emotional by the introduction Paula's uncle Joe also explained that his grandfather George was part of the Comanche tribe in Oklahoma. Paula's aunts and uncles Joe, Mary Louise, Nancy and Richard were keen to meet their new niece and welcome her, with Joe saying she was 'bringing John back to the family'. The relatives met for the first time via video call, with viewers left emotional by the introduction, with one writing: 'Tonight with the sisters and the Montana aunts and uncles. I'm not crying, you're crying.' Another said: 'Paula's new found relatives are such beautiful people. I feel so happy for Paula and that she knows that she is loved.' A third added: 'Long Lost Family was excellent tonight. Especially the Native American one. Truly heartwarming.' At the end of the episode, a beaming Paula said: 'I can't describe how happy I am. I belong somewhere. It's the start of a new chapter and it's going to be incredible.' A lorry driver has revealed why he 'loves to get Botox' because it's 'made him so much more confident' despite 'banter' about getting cosmetic work done from his colleagues. Billie Figuerias -Murphy, 46, from Surrey, told This Morning's Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford that he was 'really insecure' about his forehead lines and had work done which has made him feel 'so much better'. 'I drive alone, but there's guys in the yard of different ages there was a bit of banter but I've got big enough strong shoulders to see past that,' he said. Billie Figuerias -Murphy, 46, from Surrey, told This Morning's Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford that he was 'really insecure' about his forehead lines and had work done which has made him feel 'so much better'. He is pictured left before and right after his Botox Billie added that his partner thinks he looks great, and that before his procedure he just did 'a bit of research' and 'booked it up'. He is pictured on This Morning 'I did use to be a sales executive for many years, which is part of the reason I wanted it done'. Billie added that his partner thinks he looks great, and that before his procedure he just did 'a bit of research' and 'booked it up'. 'It does work, i'm very pleased,' he explained. 'When it's time to get my eyes done I will be looking at it,' 'As times change, it's going to become more common and people are going to talk about it. I feel much more confident about myself,' Billie is one of the thousands of men who have turned to tweakments since coming out of lockdown. Harley Street plastic surgeon Dr Aoife Turner told This Morning she's seen her number of male patients quadruple in recent years. Harley Street plastic surgeon Dr Aoife Turner told This Morning she's seen her number of male patients quadruple in recent years. 'It's a trend I've been noticing in the last few years, but I've seen much more men in the last few months by about a third,' 'In the last few years it's gone from one in ten to four in ten patients being male - it's an interesting trend'. She explained that men she tends to see are in their late thirties on wards. Dr Aoife went on that she performs treatment under local anaesthetic which makes the cost much lower and has led to an increase in popularity As well as Botox, she added she's seeing men having eyelid lifts too. 'I'm getting men coming in to get their eyelids done, they say they look tired, these tend to be men are from late forties on wards. Dr Aoife added that she performs treatment under local anaesthetic which makes the cost much lower and has led to an increase in popularity. 'An upper eyelid lift takes about an hour and is 2800, and for both upper and lower it's about twice that,' she added. 'The key is that the patient feels fantastic - not what other people think,' she went on. The ex-mistress of Spain's former king Juan Carlos I is suing him for 'tens of millions of euros' in London's High Court, having accused him of 'unlawful covert and overt surveillance'. German-born Danish entrepreneur Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, 57, had an affair with the 83-year-old monarch - who is married to Queen Sofia, 82 - between 2004 and 2009. Their relationship was catapulted into the limelight in 2012 after he broke his hip during a safari trip to Botswana, on which she had accompanied him. Afterwards Corinna claimed Juan Carlos 'gifted' her 65 million (59 million) out of guilt for the 'intense pressure' she came under and as an expression of his love. It's believed the payment came out of funds that originated with a $100million gift to Juan Carlos when he was king from the late King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in 2008. German-born Danish entrepreneur Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, 57, is suing ex-lover Juan Carlos I, former king of Spain, for 'tens of millions of euros' in London's High Court, having accused him of 'unlawful covert and overt surveillance' Swiss prosecutors then opened an investigation into bank accounts Juan Carlos allegedly held in tax havens, leading to the royal, who abdicated the throne in 2014, fleeing to Abu Dhabi last year. Corinna, who lives in London, filed a claim in December accusing Juan Carlos of harassment 'from 2012 until the present time', including threats and defamation, as well as 'unlawful covert and overt surveillance' by agents of the former monarch and the Spanish intelligence service. The claim was only made available by the court on Monday, reports the Financial Times. Corinna is reportedly seeking substantial damages and a restraining order. Juan Carlos has denied any wrongdoing, but his legal team is yet to file a defence. The case will likely face a jurisdiction battle due to the ex-king not living in Britain and being a former head of state of another nation. Corinna states in her claim that her former flame told her he 'wanted to ensure that she and her children would be provided for' but he was 'concerned that his family would challenge anything he left to her in his will, after his death'. Corinna and Juan Carlos' relationship was catapulted into the limelight in 2012 after he broke his hip during a safari trip to Botswana, on which she had accompanied him. Afterwards Corinna claimed Juan Carlos 'gifted' her 65 million (59 million) out of guilt for the 'intense pressure' she came under and as an expression of his love She added that Juan Carlos asked her to return the sum of money or make it 'available for his use', which she declined. She then alleges that he falsely accused her of stealing the cash and defamed her to her family and business partners, as well as to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, which resulted in a loss of income for her job working as a strategic consultant for 'high-net-worth individuals and with leading companies around the world'. As a result, she is now making a request for damages which are not specifically stipulated in the claim, but are believed to be in the region of tens of millions of euros. Corinna is also seeking an injunction that would prevent Juan Carlos and his agents from coming within 150m of her home, communicating with her, making defamatory statements about her or tracking and harassing her. She says the former head of the Spanish National Intelligence Agency (CNI) Felix Sanz Roldan, or people working for it or the ex-king, put her 'under physical surveillance which included vehicle and personal surveillance, trespassing on to her property at which she was residing and hacking into her/their telephones and computers'. Corinna is also seeking an injunction that would prevent Juan Carlos (pictured together in 2006) and his agents from coming within 150m of her home, communicating with her, making defamatory statements about her or tracking and harassing her Corinna previously alleged that the CNI has spent millions on a campaign of harassment in the apparent belief that she possesses state secrets. She has also claimed that a sustained attempt has been made to brainwash her children into believing she was corrupt, she has suffered a campaign of libellous 'fake news' coverage on the internet, all of which began following the public exposure of her five-year relationship with Juan Carlos. Last year Corinna's lawyers, Kobre & Kim, wrote to Home Secretary Priti Patel and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to warn them of a potential diplomatic row. 'Discretion has been a watchword throughout my life with my family and my business,' Corinna told The Mail on Sunday. 'After eight years of abuse, which has also targeted my children, and given there is no end in sight, I reluctantly find myself with no other option but to pursue legal action.' Twice-divorced Corinna became a princess through her second marriage, to German aristocrat Prince Casimir zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn. Corinna had an affair with the 83-year-old monarch - who is married to Queen Sofia, 82, pictured together in May 2004 - between 2004 and 2009 She is a long-time friend of Lord Snowdon, Princess Margarets son, has been a regular at Prince Charless philanthropic occasions and was honoured at Buckingham Palace for her efforts in supporting the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Foundation. In the world of international finance, Corinna is known for brokering deals between major corporations and is said to include several heads of state in her contacts book. Prince Albert of Monaco was the guest of honour at Harrys Bar in London for her 40th birthday dinner other guests that night included members of the Astor, Spencer-Churchill, Goldsmith, Versace and Swarovski families. But this glamorous way of life came to a halt after it emerged she had conducted a five-year relationship with the married King of Spain, Juan Carlos. And from that moment on, she says, the Spanish secret service trained its sights on her. Soon after the affair was revealed she found herself trailed by a team of Spanish-speaking men while on business in Brazil. Later that same year she said her Monaco apartment was occupied for more than a month by French and Polish mercenaries. She was informed by the Spanish intelligence services that the mercenaries employed through a Monagesque security company were there for her protection, but she believes the real objective was to occupy her flat and remove documents. 'I was in constant danger,' she said. 'At first, I thought these men were going to throw me over the balcony.' Corinna says she was threatened by Juan Carlos who allegedly told her 'the consequences for her "will not be good" if she failed to do what he wanted'. She also alleges that the Sultan of Oman bought a 50million flat in London's Knightsbridge for Juan Carlos' use, and that her ex-lover asked her to pay a 200,000 deposit for service charges, which she refused. Corinna has previously compared herself to Wallis Simpson, the American socialite who stirred controversy by marrying the Duke of Windsor, the former British king Edward VIII, arguing she was blamed for the scandal-hit king's downfall. She questioned why 'hostility is always channeled towards the woman' in an interview with The Telegraph. 'There is a tendency that when people cannot control a powerful man, they destroy the object of his affection,' she told the newspaper. 'This narrative still survives to this day. You can even see it with Meghan and Harry. 'The hostility always goes to the woman and the poor man is this helpless creature who has been horribly manipulated and it is the woman who has plunged the country into a huge crisis.' Juan Carlos has not been charged with any offence, but is facing three separate criminal probes in Spain. One is related to the use of credit cards linked to foreign accounts after his June 2014 abdication when he lost his constitutional protection against prosecution as a serving monarch. Prosecutors are trying to establish if the monarch accessed funds deposited in accounts held by a Mexican businessman and a Spanish Air Force official. Spain has also launched its own investigation based in part on information shared by Switzerland about cash Juan Carlos allegedly received as part of his involvement in a high-speed Saudi Arabia rail contract. In December, the ex-monarch's lawyer announced he had paid more than 600,000 in back-taxes with interest and surcharges for the years since his abdication. Spanish authorities responded by saying they were analysing the tax payments to see if they were 'spontaneous, truthful and complete.' Juan Carlos' shock departure from Spain at the start of August led to an intense questioning of the country's monarchy led by left-wing vice-president Pablo Iglesias. Spain's current king, Juan Carlos' son Felipe VI, made a veiled dig at his exiled father and the scandals surrounding his family in his Christmas speech. He said in a televised address that 'ethics are above family ties'. After growing up out of the public eye, Boris Johnson's daughter Lara is poised to step into the spotlight. The Prime Minister's oldest child, 28, appears in the September issue of Tatler magazine modelling a selection of shapewear designed to emphasise women's curves. It is the clearest sign yet that journalist Lara, whose mother is Johnson's second wife Marina Wheeler QC, is ready to emerge from her father's shadow and become a public figure in her own right. Over the last 18 months she has published a handful of articles that offer a glimpse into her private life, from her 20-minute daily face mask ritual to her love of Himalayan Pink bath salts and penchants for designer headbands. However she has kept schtum on her father, his new wife Carrie, their son Wilfred, and how she feels about having a stepmother who is just five years her senior. Indeed Lara prefers not to comment on her family at all, although she did reveal that she and a boyfriend (who was not named) spent lockdown with her mother at the family's 1million Oxfordshire home. Cover girl: Lara Johnson-Wheeler appears in the September issue of Tatler magazine modelling a selection of shapewear designed to emphasise women's curves Colourful family: Lara Lettice Johnson-Wheeler is the first of Boris and Marina's four children and older sister to Milo, 26, Cassia, 24 and Theodore, 22. Pictured with her parents in 2012 Party girl: Lara Johnson-Wheeler, pictured in May 2019, offered a snapshot of her predictably eccentric upbringing in an online interview in which she recounted how she was given a Henry VIII themed sixth birthday party after asking for a princess bash It appears she has learnt her lesson since she was once reportedly overheard describing her father as a 'selfish b*****d' in the heat of her parents' divorce. Lara Lettice Johnson-Wheeler is the first of Boris and Marina's four children and older sister to Milo, 26, Cassia, 24 and Theodore, 22. She offered a snapshot of her predictably eccentric upbringing in an online interview in which she recounted how she was given a Henry VIII themed sixth birthday party after asking for a princess bash. 'My parents got the neighbour's nanny to dress up as an executioner,' she said. 'To be honest, I was kind of used to it, but most of the children were horrified, particularly when Anne Boleyn lost her head (a balloon and ketchup were involved).' Like her mother, Lara attended independent co-ed school Bedales, which counts Lilly Allen, Kirstie Allsop, and Princess Margaret's children David Linley and Sarah Chatto among its high-achieving network of former students, dubbed 'Old Bedalians'. Family time: Boris Johnson with his father Stanley, wife Marina and children Lara and Milo in at a film screening at the Soho Hotel in London in 2006 Mummy's girl: Lara Johnson-Wheeler with her mother Marina in an Instagram snap. Lara appears ready to emerge from her father's shadow and become a public figure in her own right Strained: Lara was once reportedly overheard describing her father as a 'selfish b*****d' in the heat of her parents' divorce. Pictured, with her parents at the polling station in 2012 Set in 120 acres of South Downs National Park, in Hampshire, the 30,000-a-year school is famous for its excellence in the arts and boasts clubs ranging from 'rustic furniture making' to a 'make your own language' society. In a school blog highlighting the work of notable alumni, Lara credits Bedales with helping her in a 'multitude of ways' including teaching her to 'think critically, creatively and above all, with kindness'. She also admits it afforded her an 'incredible breadth of friends and contacts'. After finishing her A Levels in 2011, Lara went on to study Latin and Comparative Literature at St Andrews University, graduating with a 2:1. Unashamedly fun-loving Lara has previously shared she enjoys a 'very, very, very dirty vodka martini' and confessed to throwing up a 'whole oyster outside The Globe' theatre. Bright: After finishing her A Levels in 2011, Lara went on to study Latin and Comparative Literature at St Andrews University, graduating with a 2:1. Pictured, at a 2018 party Forging a career: Among her first jobs was as Features Editor at SHOWstudio, a fashion website founded by British fashion photographer Nick Knight, which provided a launchpad to the world of arts and fashion journalism. Pictured, at a 2016 party Among her first jobs was as Features Editor at SHOWstudio, a fashion website founded by British fashion photographer Nick Knight, which provided a launchpad to the world of arts and fashion journalism. According to her website, Lara left the publication after two years to go freelance and 'pursue the multitude of avenues that opened up', including opportunities at industry favourite LOVE, as well as magazine heavyweights British Vogue and Tatler, where she works as a contributing editor. In an April 2020 Vogue article, Lara revealed how she was concerned about her 'financial prospects' while staying with her mother at the family home in Thame, Oxfordshire, in the first few weeks of lockdown - but still found the cash to splurge on designer accessories. Mr Johnson and Ms Wheeler, who announced their separation in 2018 and finalised their divorce in February 2020, also owned an Islington townhouse thought to be worth at least 4million. Lara wrote: 'Im trying my best not to buy more clothes right now, uncertain about future financial prospects and conscious it isn't the time to splurge. But, I must confess, I did buy two headbands one black and fluffy, from Shrimps, and one pink and from Prada that Ive been drooling over for months.' Strike a pose: Her most recent appearance in Tatler is her most revealing public appearance yet In September, Lara shared her stress-relieving hacks in an article for Tatler. She revealed does a 20 minute face mask each morning and follows online yoga tutorials as part of her daily routine, adding: 'For me, after missing yet another end of play deadline, theres nothing quite like plunging into a hot bath to wash away the stresses of the day.' The journalist confessed working-from-home had brought her 'shoulder-knot inducing anxieties' and said one of her cures was using a rose quartz roller to massage her skin and 'give life emotionally and cosmetically.' Meanwhile Lara also revealed how she also found walks through the city perfect o 'clear the head and reconnect with the body'. She added that people should wear a face mask, saying: 'Keep your worries at bay and protect those around you by ensuring to keep covered, as well as comfortable.' Lara also confessed to following yoga tutorials on YouTube, calling an online 30 minute stress management class a 'crucial part' of her schedule. Her most recent appearance in Tatler is her most revealing public appearance yet. In one black and white picture, she is shown with wind-blown hair and dark shapewear beneath a sheer white dress. She admitted: 'I'm not a total stranger to shapewear I've panic-bought the odd piece to go with an outfit but it's clear I have much to learn.' Lara's photoshoot appears in the September edition of Tatler magazine (pictured) Lara said 'looking like an hourglass is back in vogue' because of the influence of US reality star Kim Kardashian and other celebrities. She added that 'an unreasonably small middle' is 'highly covetable'. However, she warned: 'These garments are not going to fix what you might not like about your body. When they are designed well they are designed to enhance what you already have or to emulate today's favoured body shape.' Lara admitted to feeling apprehensive about the photoshoot, saying: 'I realise this is the most compromising position I've ever conducted an interview in. 'I am naked from the waist up ... as we chat about breast tissue and waist cinching.' She added: 'As we emerge from multiple lockdowns, hedonism is combining with the desire to look our best our most sculpted, our most cinched.' London-based Lara posed for the magazine in a 48 black bra and 55 knickers from Heist, a 150 Spanx corset, a Roland Mouret skirt and Miu Miu cardigan. See the full feature in the September issue of Tatler available via digital download and newsstands on Thursday 29th July. Amid reports that Prince Harry's upcoming memoir will cause 'mayhem' in the royal family, a royal expert has predicted that it's future king Prince William who will suffer worst from the fallout. Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, said that Princess Diana's youngest son could say 'inappropriate things' about the Firm, with terrible consequences for Prince William, 39, the Express reported. It was announced last week that Harry, who resides in California with his wife Meghan Markle, 39 and their two children, Archie, two and Lilibet, born in June, would be publishing his memoirs next year. Seward claimed that a potential attack of the Monarchy could jeopardise Prince William's future as second-in-line to the throne. Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, says that Princess Diana's youngest son could say 'inappropriate things' about the Firm, with terrible consequences for Prince William, 39. Pictured: Prince Harry reading Thomas and the Royal Engine in January 2020 'William is probably the one that will come out of this worst of all because there is a row between William and Harry and basically if Harry says things that are inappropriate about the monarchy, that is Williams future,' she said. 'Its not Harrys future, he is out of it now, but it is Williams future,' she added. She added the book would also be 'hurtful' for the Duke of Sussex's father Prince Charles, as well, who has remained silent since Harry's March bombshell interview with US broadcaster Oprah Winfrey. She said it would be impossible for Charles not to feel wounded if Harry repeats accusations that he 'hasn't been a great father'. Ingrid Seward claimed that criticising the monarchy could be damaging to Prince William's future. Pictured: The two brothers at the unveilling of the new Diana statue at Kensington Palace on July 1 Prince Harry has been vocal about what he called the 'total neglect' of the royal family since his exit from royal life in March 2020. Following several TV appearances, including the Winfrey Interview and his talking heads in The Me You Can;t See for Apple TV, his memoirs will offer an in-depth look at his life in the public life, from his childhood to now. He promised to give an 'accurate and wholly truthful' account of his life, writing as 'the man he has become.' Home life during the break-up of the Prince and Princess of Wales's marriage, the period of Diana's death and its aftermath, Harry's relationship with Camilla and past girlfriends are likely to form part of the book, which will be eagerly anticipated by readers. His upcoming memoirs will not be the only blow administered to The Firm, with an updated version of the controversial biography Finding Freedom in the works. It was announced yesterday that the book, penned by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand which caused a stir when it was first published in August 2020, would be re-edited to include an epilogue retracing new chapters of the couple's LA life. Set to be released on August 31, it will detail the couple's explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey,, their move to California and is also expected to discuss their multi-million pound deals with Netflix and Spotify. HarperCollins said the epilogue in the paperback edition will share: 'Behind the scenes of Harry and Meghan's ground breaking interview with Oprah, details behind the couple's move to California (and) the various philanthropic and business endeavours the Sussexes have been involved with since their move and what's to come with Archewell Productions.' It was announced the explosive biography of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex Finding Freedom would be updated with an epilogue discussing their move to American and their bombshell interview with US broadcaster Oprah Winfrey on March 7 It will also feature: 'The continuous challenges the couple face regarding privacy and the British press (and) the heartbreak the couple felt over Prince Philip's death.' The updated book, which goes on sale on August 31 - the date Diana, Princess of Wales was killed in a car crash in 1997 - is said to have been written with the participation of those closest to the Sussexes. The reasons behind Meghan and Harry's decision to step down as working royals and move to California last year were revealed for the first time, seven months after the book's publication, in the couple's interview with Oprah Winfrey. Meghan and Harry laid bare their brief life as a working royal couple, alleging a member of the family - not the Queen or Philip - made a racist comment about their son, and how the duchess had suicidal thoughts but her approaches to the monarchy for help were turned down. Winfrey was left open-mouthed when the duchess said a fellow royal was worried about how dark their son Archie's skin tone might be. Finding Freedom's new chapter will be 'extremely telling' about the state of the royal rift between Harry and his family and could blow any chance of a reconciliation, a royal expert previously claimed. Duncan Larcombe, author of Prince Harry: The Inside Story, warned there will be 'no chance' of a reconciliation if the book divulges more negative information about the royals or in-depth details of any personal conversations between Harry and his family after Prince Philip's funeral. 'That really will be the final straw,' he told Closer magazine in May. 'That'll be it - there will be no chance of a reconciliation ever and all trust will be broken. 'How could anyone from the Royal Family trust them again if the intimate details of conversations were leaked. Why would they want anything more to do with them? Those chapters will be extremely telling as to the state of the royal rift as it stands now, and to where it'll head in the future.' Finding Freedom, which was spotted on sale for 99p in January just five months after its release at 20, raised eyebrows for its gushing praise and intimate knowledge of Harry and Meghan, but the couple claimed they were not interviewed and did not contribute to the book. It was declared a bestseller, with 31,000 copies sold in the UK in the first five days of its release, according to figures from data provider Nielsen Book. Mena Suvari was a rising star in the late '90s, but behind her success, she was quietly struggling with years of repeated sexual abuse, toxic relationships, and an addiction to meth. The 42-year-old actress candidly wrote about her tumultuous adolescence and the loss of her childhood in her new memoir, The Great Peace, recalling how she was raped when she was 12 years old and then turned to drugs to cope. 'I took drugs to numb myself from the pain,' she wrote, according to USA Today. 'Alcohol. Pot. Coke. Crystal meth. Acid. Ecstasy. Mushrooms. Mescaline. It was my way of detaching from the hell of my existence and surviving.' Candid: Mena Suvari, 42, has opened up about her addiction to meth as a teen actress in her new memoir, The Great Peace, which was published on Tuesday Trauma: Suvari (pictured in 1999) said she was raped by her brother's friend at age 12 and was repeatedly sexually abused. She turned to drugs to help cope with the pain Suvari explained that after her family moved to Charleston, South Carolina, her middle brother's friend, KJ, started taking an interest in her, despite being him being three years older and in high school. 'No one stopped him from being alone with me in my bedroom. No one cautioned me. No one inquired when he became more my friend than my brother's. No one asked what we talked about or what we did together all day,' she wrote. 'I was always left to my own devices.' The America Beauty star said KJ wrote her love letters, called her daily, and would often come to her house to see her, giving her the attention she desperately craved. She detailed how KJ first coerced her to kiss him, making her doubt her hesitation and insisting she was ready. This became a pattern as he further pushed her sexual boundaries. Suvari said that one month before her 13th birthday, she and KJ were making out in his living room when he pulled out a condom. She was adamant that she didn't want to lose her virginity, and he put it away, saying: 'Okay.' After, he convinced her to follow him up to the secluded guest room above the garage. He brought out the condom again, but this time he ignored her pleas to stop. 'I saw him put on the condom and felt my heart sink into a dark abyss. And just like at the dining table back home, my voice disappeared,' she wrote. 'No matter how many times I said, "No, I don't want to do that," and implored him not to do it, he didn't hear me. Looking back: The actress (pictured in 1998) recalled snorting lines in the school bathroom during breaks and how her 'entire back broke out in acne' because of the meth Secret: Despite her addiction, Mena (pictured in 2000) said she managed to keep her grades up and pursue her acting career without anyone the wiser 'I shut my eyes, and when I opened them again, KJ was climbing off me and walking into the bathroom to take off the condom. I turned onto my side, face away from him, and cried. So deeply. So full of shame and fear. So broken.' Suvari said she convinced herself that KJ loved her and everything was 'normal.' 'I never was all right again, because in that moment I became what I believed I had allowed to happen to me,' she wrote. KJ continued to take her up to the guest room for sex, which likely triggered her first bladder infection. Looking back, she wondered how her life might have been different if the doctor asked her if she was having sex and if she was okay with it. Instead, she was given a prescription to treat the infection and birth control pills without talking to her about what taking them meant. Suvari expected KJ to do something special for her 13th birthday, but he didn't even attempt to see her. When she saw him the next day on Valentine's Day, he gave her a CD and then broke up with her. She said KJ bragged about having sex with her, claiming he dumped her because he was 'bored.' He also shamed her, calling her a 'whore.' While she was at an all-girls school at the time, her brother knew what KJ telling people and didn't know what to think. Abuse: Suvari said the entire time she was filming American Beauty (pictured with Kevin Spacey) she was submitting to her abusive boyfriend Tyler's 'demands for kinky threesomes' Hard to handle: Suvari (pictured in 2002) said she was 'ready every single day to be rescued,' but 'it never happened' After she was raped, she got drunk for the first time and then turned to drugs to cope with the shame and worthlessness she felt. Suvari was still a teen when she moved to Hollywood, where she said she was taken advantage of again by a predatory manager in his mid-30s who had sex with her when she was 16. As a student in Burbank, California, she was addicted to meth and spent her days getting high. 'The hours I was at school were spent thinking about getting out of school and doing some lines,' she wrote in a book excerpt published by Cosmopolitan. 'I stayed up until late at night, slept a couple hours, then repeated the day. Before long I was pulling out my small gold lacquered butterfly embossed compact mirror and snorting a line in the school bathroom during a break.' Suvari said the meth made her 'hyper-aware' but also paranoid. The drug abuse eventually started to take a physical toll on her. 'My entire back broke out in acne. Id always had perfect skin. I knew it was the meth,' she wrote. 'And just like before with the birth control offered in exchange for no questions asked, I was given antibiotics to make it '"away."' Family: Suvari married her third husband, Michael Hope, in October 2018. She found out she was pregnant with her son, Christopher, after she finished writing her memoir Love: Suvari welcomed her son, Christopher, in April. She told ABC News that she is glad she didn't commit suicide and 'held on for him' Despite her addiction, she said she managed to keep her grades up and pursue her acting career without anyone the wiser. 'I stayed out as much as I could. And stayed high as much as I could,' she wrote. 'I still did everything asked of me. Schoolwork. Auditions. Sex. Only I had to know how f**ked up I was getting every day. 'I thought I could, and should, suffer in silence. This was obviously my fate. I prayed someone would throw me a lifeline. I was ready every single day to be rescued. It never happened.' At 17, she entered an abusive relationship with a man named Tyler, a 26-year-old lighting engineer she met at a rave. She recalled how she moved in with him, saying he verbally abused her and coerced her to have threesomes with women he brought home. Memories: Suvari said she felt compelled to write her memoir after going through an old bin and finding a suicide note she didn't remember writing It was Tyler who convinced her to stop abusing meth, so she smoked marijuana instead, another attempt to dull her suffering. To the outside world, Suvari was the picture of success. She became a breakout star after her breakout roles in the raunchy teen comedy American Pie and the Oscar-winning film American Beauty, which both came out in 1999. 'The whole time I worked on "American Beauty" I was grinding on empty: working to perfect my part, submitting to Tylers demands for kinky threesomes at least three or four times a week, and pretending in both cases that everything was okay. Except it wasn't,' she wrote. It would take years for her to leave Tyler, and she would continue to struggle with painful memories, drugs, financial hardships, and failed marriages. She credited acting with giving her a purpose and saving her life. Suvari married her third husband, Michael Hope, in October 2018. She found out she was pregnant with her son, Christopher, after she finished writing her memoir. Her baby boy was born in April of this year. She explained in her author's note that she felt compelled to write about her life after going through an old bin filled with her teenage keepsakes and finding a suicide note she didn't remember writing. 'If I had done that [committed suicide] I wouldn't be where I'm at and [Christopher] wouldn't be here,' she told ABC News. 'So I'm glad I held on. I held on for him.' For years, fast food fans have enjoyed the odd flavour combination of dipping hot salty French fries into sickly sweet ice-cold milkshakes at the likes of Five Guys and McDonald's. And now those who love mixing savoury chips with their drinkable dessert can do it all in one - as an east London cafe has launched a milkshake with the potato blended in. Made from vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, cream, a dash of salt and potatoes, and chocolate-coated French fries for dipping, the shake will be unveiled this weekend by the E20 stall at London's East Village's Urban Food Fest. Made from vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, cream, a dash of salt and potatoes, and chocolate-coated French fries for dipping, the shake will be unveiled this weekend at London's East Village's Urban Food Fest - a model is pictured with the shake Eoin Thomas, Community and Events Lead at residential building Get Living's East Village, who is putting on the festival, told FEMAIL: 'At Get Living we pride ourselves in putting on incredible events for our residents and neighbours, and we're thrilled to be back, in-person, hosting such a great event for the food lovers of East London. 'If the legendary French fry milkshake doesn't tickle your tastebuds, we guarantee you'll find something tasty to fill your plate.' The salty-sweet concoction will be available at from 12pm to 6pm and 250 free milkshakes will be given out throughout the day. The creation will first be available at the E20 Street Food Market from 12pm 6pm, and will stay in store if popular with guest. The salty-sweet concoction will be available at from 12pm to 6pm and 250 free milkshakes will be given out throughout the day For those not brave enough to try the milkshake, more than a dozen other food stands and trucks offer everything from Sri Lankan, Italian, Lebanese and Thai cuisine to pulled meat wraps, pizza, burgers, bagels and cinnamon buns. There's also a bar for those who want to wash down the milkshake with a refreshing beverage. In 2016, McDonald's advertised on social media asking what their favourite milkshake to dip their chips in was - which saw hundreds writing of their relief at realising they are not the only ones to dip their salty chips into a creamy vanilla, chocolate, strawberry or banana milkshake. Meanwhile in 2015, Mister Eaters chip shop in Preston, Lancashire created a deep-fried milkshake Last summer, Ash Subramanian, a consultant breast cancer surgeon, found himself contemplating ending things. Other medics also report struggling. And a survey in The BMJ revealed that the number of doctors seeking psychiatric help had doubled in ten months. Here, Ash, 48, the father of two teenagers, who lives with his wife, Jenny, 40, a hair salon owner, and his stepchildren, aged 11 and eight, in East Sussex, talks with extraordinary candour about his spiral into depression and subsequent recovery. The call from my 13-year-old daughter was about something routine she needed money put on her debit card yet had she not rung at that moment, I might not be here today. On August 4 last year, I left work and as I walked across a flyover, with cars rushing underneath, I felt drawn to the barrier. I cant go on, I said. This is so painful, there has to be a way of stopping it. It was at that moment, by pure chance, that my daughter rang. We talked only for a few minutes but it brought me back. I stepped down from the railing, gathered my thoughts and in a daze went to collect my car. Without that call, things could have ended very differently. As soon as I got home, I called my GP to request an emergency appointment. On August 4 last year, I left work and as I walked across a flyover, with cars rushing underneath, I felt drawn to the barrier. I cant go on, I said. This is so painful, there has to be a way of stopping it. It was at that moment, by pure chance, that my daughter rang', says Ash Subramanian The man on that flyover was so unlike the man Ive always been always upbeat. Yes, I had experienced depression briefly about nine years ago, when, as a newly qualified consultant, I moved to a new area as winter was starting and I was desperately lonely. But those feelings left as I started to make connections and had never returned, and I didnt have any treatment for it. Im usually the life and soul of the hospital: Im the type who has patients laughing and joking with me. But one morning in June last year, I woke up feeling as if all the colour had drained from the world. It was literally that sudden. I couldnt even raise a smile. Rewind to February 2020 and I was happy with my life, operating on breast cancer patients and performing reconstructions. I had a thriving private practice and was also the lead on surgical training and pastoral care for my NHS hospital trust, looking after around 90 trainees. Then the pandemic struck. Things at work became stressful. Everyone was in PPE. But Im someone who prides myself on interacting with my patients: shaking peoples hands and chatting to put them at ease. This was no longer possible. People on my team were getting ill with Covid or shielding. We were 30 per cent down of staff at one point. Im middle-aged, male, Asian and a bit overweight. Most patients in our intensive care unit (ICU) fitted that profile. Actually, I had a relaxed attitude to the virus Im not, by nature, a worrier. But other stresses were starting to get on top of me. My operating caseload was down a bit but everything took twice as long because of stringent cleaning. And, like many other medical staff, I struggled with the strange divide between my work and home lives. Im middle-aged, male, Asian and a bit overweight. Most patients in our intensive care unit (ICU) fitted that profile. Actually, I had a relaxed attitude to the virus Im not, by nature, a worrier. But other stresses were starting to get on top of me At the hospital, we were in it together and physically close. But this created animosity at home because Jenny was isolated (shed had to close her business) and was home-schooling the children. She was annoyed that while her life had changed, my life was carrying on as usual. She was also a lot more nervous of Covid than I was. Go and have a shower was the first thing she would say when I walked in at night, and I had to leave my clothes in a different wash basket to the rest of the family. To guard against infecting her or the children, I slept in a different room, had a separate bathroom, even sat on a different sofa. She and the kids would be cuddling up in front of the TV, and I felt envious cross, even. Actually, things were probably harder for those at home because work offered me a degree of normality but I didnt see it then. On top of that, whereas usually I would make a three-hour round trip to Surrey, four times a week, to see my own two children, when lockdown started I was suddenly only able to see them for two hours a week. My ex-wife restricted my visits because she was worried that I might be carrying Covid. This filtered through to our daughter, who said she couldnt cuddle me because of the virus. My son was more interested in his friends and playing computer games than spending time with me. Yes, this is normal teenage behaviour, but at the time it was devastating. And I couldnt see my mum, who was unwell in a care home, because of lockdown rules. It all became too much. I tried just to get on with things my ability as a surgeon was never affected. But between seeing patients, Id have my head in my hands, in tears. One morning in July, I was in the middle of a clinic when I asked the nurses to give me five minutes; I was crying. I wandered down the corridor and saw Silin, head of nursing for outpatients, with whom I had connected over some practical jokes. She could see my distress and suggested I contact a private counsellor for a Zoom consultation, which I did. Silin was to keep me going by calling me daily and sometimes hourly, taking me for walks and bringing me lattes (which she called a hug in a mug). Yet by mid-July it was increasingly obvious that I wasnt on form. Between surgeries and appointments, I was not myself. Im normally playful between operations but there was none of that. I confided that I was having a hard time to a few surgeon colleagues. Surgery is male-dominated and most men have the emotional intelligence of a jellyfish. Most glazed over, although a few were sympathetic and supportive. Yet a lot of other medical staff ended up in a similar way to me. Its not just doctors and nurses who felt the strain. Porters, cooks and cleaners have been affected. They face just as much of a threat to their own health when they go into hospitals, and are barely recognised for their contributions. Despite weekly sessions with the counsellor (I had four or five in all), my depression was getting worse. For several weeks I struggled on, until that terrible moment on the flyover. It was a low point, but it was also a turning point. I had a telephone consultation with my GP the same day and was prescribed the antidepressant sertraline. I decided against taking time off work Im defined by my job and thought if I stopped that would only make me feel worse. I continued with the counselling and, after about six weeks, the pills helped me off the bottom. I felt lighter, more in control, and started to break the day down into little goals that made me feel better when I achieved them. Almost a year later, I am feeling well better than well, in fact. The antidepressants gave me the get up and go. Most days, I take hourly walks and I recently started running. Earlier this year, I came off the antidepressants and my health has remained good. My relationship with Jenny and my children is stronger than ever and, as I lost my mum to Covid on January 15, 2021, I appreciate their support even more. Losing Mum was devastating, but I managed to cope. If this had happened six months earlier, Im not sure what my state of mind would have been. A few months ago, I started working on a project, Covid Reflections, a 150-page book, and a website, about peoples experiences of the pandemic, from children to the elderly. The idea is to raise millions of pounds for charities. I am getting so much joy out of this project. My mental health difficulties have been incredibly humbling, but I have learned that while what doesnt kill you makes you stronger may be a cliche, its also true. covidreflections.org Contact the Samaritans FREE on 116 123 or email: jo@samaritans.org As told to Miranda Levy Lung cancer patients who quit smoking upon diagnoses live two years longer on average than those who continue smoking, according to a study. Researchers are hoping that patients realize that it is not too late to potentially extend their lives. In the U.S., many cancer centers offer proven quit strategies: phone counseling, nicotine patches and pills that ease the urge to smoke. More cancer doctors are talking to their patients about quitting. Researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization performed the study is Moscow, Russia. WHO researchers found that lung cancer patients who quit smoking can live up to two years longer than those who continue smoking They recruited 517 adults in early stages of a lung cancer diagnoses. For an average of seven years each, participants were routinely interviewed by the research team to determine how often they smoked, and other medical and lifestyle changes that may have occurred. Researchers found that 45 percent of people who were diagnosed with lung cancer quit smoking cigarettes, and those who did lived longer, lived longer with out lung cancer and had a longer time until death by nearly two years. The effect held up regardless of tumor stage, how much the patient smoked or how long after diagnosis they quit, researchers reported in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. 'It is a huge effect,' said Dr Mahdi Sheikh, who led the study for the World Health Organizations cancer research agency in Lyon, France. In lung cancer, he said, quitting smoking is 'as necessary as the treatments.' 'Doctors at every visit should encourage their lung cancer patients to quit smoking,' Sheikh said. For some patients, the shock of a cancer diagnosis can be highly motivating. 'Its the biggest reason Ive ever had in my life to quit,' said Preston Browning, an electrician in Ridgetop, Tennessee, who quit cigarettes last month while recovering from cancer surgery. Browning, now 20 years old, had smoked a pack a day since he was 14. He credits the stop-smoking drug Chantix and support from tobacco treatment specialists at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. Nurse Lesa Abney listened to Brownings reasons for smoking - he described smoking as 'me time' and 'a little reward' - and suggested strategies he could use: Eat breakfast instead of lighting up each morning. Reach for a toothpick after lunch. Treat yourself with dessert. 'If it wasnt for Lesa, I think it would have been harder,' Browning said. Browning had sarcoma in his leg, a rare cancer of unknown cause. Preston Browning (pictured), 20, of Ridgetop, Tennessee who is recovering from cancer surgery, quit smoking with help from Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center. He says cancer is 'the biggest reason I've ever had in my life to quit.' In contrast, lung cancer is largely linked to tobacco use, so smokers may feel shame, despair and hopelessness after diagnosis, experts say. It can be welcome news to hear from doctors that they, too, can benefit from quitting. A $27 million National Cancer Institute program is helping 53 cancer centers integrate tobacco treatment into care. It has reached more than 50,000 patients since 2018. 'Weve already learned a tremendous amount from this,' said Director Dr. Ned Sharpless. 'With relatively modest support - these are not huge, expensive programs - you can markedly increase the number of patients you reach.' The next step, he said, is spreading the know-how to smaller cancer clinics. In California, the Stanford Cancer Institute phones patients who use tobacco to offer support from specialists and stop-smoking medication 'If youve got life-saving treatment it should be provided to all patients,' said Judith Prochaska who directs Stanford's tobacco program, which received the federal funds. At Stanfords cancer clinics, about 1 in 4 patients who accept tobacco treatment remain tobacco free after two years, Prochaska said. Mike Fulton, 71, a retired bank president in San Jose, California, smoked a pack a day for decades before he was diagnosed with throat cancer last year. After successful radiation and chemotherapy, he said, he still sneaked occasional cigarettes, thinking, 'This is crazy. The cancers cured, but I know Im hurting myself because I can feel it.' He sought help, and began weekly phone chats with a Stanford counselor. A tip he followed: Make your cigarettes harder to reach. Quitting cigarettes can be hard for many, even though they know it is bad for them. Doctors are working to provide smokers with better therapy options to battle nicotine addiction He moved them farther and farther away, starting from a drawer in the bedroom. 'Finally, I put them on the roof in a gutter. To reach it, I needed a metal ladder. Which I climbed once, and had a puff from a pack that had seven cigarettes in it.' 'Now,' Fulton said, 'theyre gone.' Nicotine gum and a twice-a-day pill help with cravings. In Houston, more than 1,000 patients a year at the MD Anderson Cancer Center take part in tobacco treatment, receiving counseling alone or with medications. It's not enough to refer someone to a quit line, said program director Diane Beneventi 'I wish every person who has cancer who smokes knew they stand to gain a great deal if they quit,' Beneventi said. 'Its more important now than its ever been in their life.' Browning, the Tennessee patient, had tried to quit smoking twice before. He believes it will stick this time. 'Smoking with cancer? I feel like thats tempting fate.' The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will recommend on Tuesday that vaccinated Americans should wear masks indoors in COVID-19 hotspots. It is a reversal of the decision the CDC made on May 13, which state fully vaccinated people were safe to unmask indoors in a majority of situations. Americans who live areas with high virus transmission rates will be expected to mask up indoors, sources told CNBC. Masks will be required at K-12 schools as well, for all students, teachers and staff - but whether that applies to all areas or just areas of high transmission is unclear. A DailyMail.com analysis of Johns Hopkins data shows that cases of the virus are increasing rapidly in states such as Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri and Texas The CDC's recommendations are not binding - and no states are required to listen to the agency - but guidance often informs policy decisions made across the country at the state and local levels. The new guidance comes as cases across the United States are growing once again due to the highly contagious Indian 'Delta' variant. Over the past month, the average new daily cases across the country have increased by 376 percent, from 11,887 on June 26 to 56,635 on July 26. 'This is not a decision CDC has made lightly...this is something that weighs heavily on me and all of America,' said Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, at a news conference Tuesday. She also warned that with unmitigated spread, it could only take a few mutations for the virus to be able to bypass the vaccines entirely. CDC will recommend on Tuesday that fully vaccinated Americans put masks back on indoors in COVID-19 hotspots. Pictured: People wear face coverings as they pass through Union Station in Los Angeles, California, July 2021 Data show that virus transmission (dark red) is increasing rapidly in states such as Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri and Texas Cases in the U.S. have increased by 376% in the past month, largely because of the Delta variant 'The public health leaders in our administration have made the determination based on data, that [this] is a way to make sure [Americans] are protected, their loved ones are protected, and that's an extra step, given the transmissibility of the virus,' Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary said during a news conference Tuesday. In March 2020, at the start of the pandemic, the CDC recommended that Americans not wear masks. Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, says during an appearance on CBS's 60 Minutes on March 8: 'There's no reason to be walking around with a mask The agency later admitted it feared the public civilians would horde existing supply of masks, exacerbating a PPE shortage in hospitals. On April 3, the CDC reversed the decision and recommended Americans wear masks in public areas due to increased understanding about the spread of the virus via airborne droplets. THE CDC'S EVOLVING GUIDANCE ON MASKS FOR AMERICANS (AND THEIR U-TURNS) March 2020: The CDC recommends that Americans do not wear masks - the agency feared civilians would horde existing supply of masks, exacerbating a PPE shortage March 8, 2020: Dr Anthony Fauci says during an appearance on CBS's 60 Minutes: 'There's no reason to be walking around with a mask. When you're in the middle of an outbreak, wearing a mask might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet, but it's not providing the perfect protection that people think that it is.' April 3, 2020: CDC reverses decision, recommending Americans wear masks in public areas July 14, 2020: CDC reaffirms support for masks, publishes data showing masks prevent the spread of COVID December 11, 2020: Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine becomes first for COVID to receive FDA emergency use authorization April 27, 2021: CDC says fully vaccinated Americans do not have to wear masks outdoors May 13, 2021: CDC says those who are fully vaccinated do not have to wear masks indoors in most situations July 27, 2021: Agency reverses previous mask decision, recommending vaccinated people put masks back in hot spots amid surge of Delta variant Advertisement It wasn't until one year later, in April 2021, the the CDC said fully vaccinated Americans did not have to wear masks outdoors due to risk of outdoor transmission being less than 0.1 percent. Just two months ago, the CDC said those who are fully vaccinated do not have to wear masks indoors in most situations. However, the spread of the Delta variant appears to have played a role in the partial reversal of this recommendation. The CDC's initial decision to lift the mask mandate in May was met with some pushback from health experts. Some, like Dr Fauci, said that it was confusing guidance that may make some believe the pandemic is over. Others feared that unvaccinated Americans would unmask despite not being protected from the virus. Dr Walensky defended the decision, though, pointing to data that serious cases among fully vaccinated people were rare at the time. Currently, around 56 percent of Americans have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, and half of the country is fully vaccinated. That means that more than 40 percent of Americans, and 30 percent of adults, are not vaccinated at all. America's vaccine rollout has slowed as well in recent months. In early April, almost 3.5 millions shots were being distributed every day. In the time since, vaccine distribution has slowly declined, grinding to a near halt at this point. Under a half-million shots are being distributed every day at this point, with the country still far away from herd immunity. President Joe Biden set a target of getting at least 70 percent of Americans vaccinated by July 4, which the country failed to hit. 'More vaccinations and mask wearing in the areas most impacted by the Delta variant will enable us to avoid the kind of lockdowns, shutdowns, school closures, and disruptions we faced in 2020,' President Biden said in a statement. 'Unlike 2020, we have both the scientific knowledge and the tools to prevent the spread of this disease. We are not going back to that.' Since, the federal government has launched a wider effort to get people vaccinated, eve supporting door-to-door vaccination outreach in some states. A large portion of unvaccinated people are congregated in a few areas in the U.S. south and the northwestern plains. States with low vaccination rates, like Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas are getting hammered by the variant. Some pockets of Florida, a state with a comparatively higher vaccination rate of over 50 percent, is getting slammed as well. An analysis from last week found that just Missouri, Florida and Texas alone account for 40 percent of active cases. In Missouri, cases have increased by 77 percent in the past two weeks, from 1,371 average daily cases on July 12 to 2,427 on July 26. Southwest Missouri was also among the first regions in the nation to get slammed by the Delta variant in late June. Only 48 percent of Missourians have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. Florida has experienced a 208 percent increase over the past two weeks, from 10,452 cases on July 23 to 3,392 cases on July 9. While Florida's 57 percent vaccination rate is just below the nationwide pace, it is a high mark among states experiencing COVID surges. In Texas, a 179 percent increase in new cases has caused the new daily average to jump from 1,975 on July 12, to 5,521 on July 26. Just over 50 percent of Texans have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. Louisiana, which has the second lowest vaccination rate in the nation at only 41 percent, has seen a 128 percent increase in cases over 14 days. In Arkansas, which is also among the least vaccinated states at only 46 percent of residents receiving at least one shot, cases have increased by 91 percent over the past two weeks. Those who live in those pockets will be expected to wear masks indoors again, per the CDC guidance. There have also been some doubts over how protected some people who are vaccinated are from the Delta variant. Data from Israel, where a majority of people have received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, shows the variant could regularly cause 'breakthrough' cases among the fully vaccinated. There has also been a rise in Delta breakthrough cases in the United States. The variant accounts for around 70 percent of active cases in the country. Despite the increase in breakthrough cases, though, the amount of fully vaccinated people suffering from serious cases of the virus is still low. In Los Angeles, where the county actually brought back a mask mandate after rolling it back over the summer, officials said last week that all hospitalizations were among unvaccinated people. In Maryland, every single one of the 92 COVID deaths recorded in the state in June were among unvaccinated people. Also, 93 percent of hospitalizations were among the unvaccinated. Nationwide, 99 percent of COVID-19 deaths from the month of May were among unvaccinated people. Some Americans who got Johnson & Johnson's one-dose COVID-19 vaccine are seeking out booster shots of other vaccines despite the practice not recommended by U.S. health officials. Those seeking extra doses want more protection as the Indian 'Delta' variant spreads across the U.S. cases with studies showing that J&J is less effective against it than the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Other studies have suggested that boosters may be necessary for cancer patients, organ transplant recipients, and others with weakened immune systems. Countries including France, Israel, and South Korea are allowing boosters and mix-and-match shots for certain patients - including those who are immunocompromised. But in the U.S., although the practice is legal, health officials are still looking into safety concerns. Americans who received the J&J vaccine are seeking out additional doses from other manufacturers. Pictured: A Los Angeles resident gets vaccinated at a mobile clinic on July 9 One reason for boosters is the Delta variant, which now accounts for the vast majority of cases in the U.S. after an exponential rise this spring and summer Several studies have shown that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are more effective against the Delta variant the J&J vaccine Covid booster shots - or mix-and-match regimens - aren't recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) but some Americans are seeking out additional vaccine doses anyway. The strategy may be a way to protect against the Delta variant, scientists say. This variant is now dominating cases in the U.S. It's causing at least 83 percent of cases nationwide as of mid-July. People infected with the Delta variant are super-contagious, with about 1,000 times as many copies of the virus in their respiratory tracts compared to people infected with the original strain of Covid. As a result, those patients who received the JJ&J or AstraZeneca vaccines - which are less effective than Pfizer and Moderna - may want a boost to their immune systems. One such patient is Dr Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Georgetown University who described her choice in an interview with CNBC. Rasmussen originally opted for a J&J shot in April. She was planning to move from Seattle to Canada, and was concerned that she'd be unable to complete a two-dose regimen due to supply concerns in Canada during the spring. But once Delta started making headlines, she sought additional protection against the variant. 'Once the supply issues were addressed here in Canada and there really wasn't a supply shortage of the mRNA vaccines, I decided to go get a Pfizer shot just because I thought that at the very worst, it couldn't hurt,' Rasmussen told CNBC. The J&J vaccine is about 70 percent effective against illness from Delta, while Pfizer and Moderna are closer to 90 percent effective. Pictured: A health worker gives a J&J shot at a homeless shelter in Bogota, Columbia on July 2 Studies have shown that the J&J vaccine is about 70 percent effective at protecting recipients against illness from the Delta variant. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, meanwhile, are closer to 90 percent effective against this variant, though different studies have shown values between 64 and 96 percent. Still, all three vaccines are very good at protecting patients against severe disease and death from Covid - which public health officials say is the most important reason to get vaccinated. 'Even though we are seeing infections after vaccination the effectiveness against severe disease is still substantial, which is, yet again, another argument which all of us say continually: "Get vaccinated. It offers good protection against disease,"' Dr Anthony Fauci said at a press briefing last week. The situation is more complicated, however, for patients with weakened immune systems due to cancer treatments, organ transplants, and other conditions. While some studies have shown that Covid vaccines successfully produce an antibody response in these patients, others show that certain groups of patients - such as those who received organ transplants - are not well-protected after vaccination, especially after a single dose. As a result, the CDC is considering a recommendation of booster shots for these patients. An advisory committee to the agency met last week to evaluate evidence for this recommendation, though a formal decision can't be made until the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves a third shot. In other countries, however, booster shots and mix-and-match regimens are available for patients with weakened immune systems and other specific populations. France and Israel are both offering third doses to immunocompromised patients. A mix-and-match regimen is the norm in Italy - where adults under age 60 are no longer eligible for the AstraZeneca vaccine due to cases of blood clotting. Those who got a first dose of this vaccine may receive a different shot for their second dose. Meanwhile, in South Korea, about 760,000 people have received a first dose of AstraZeneca and a second dose of Pfizer due to shipping delays. Studies on these mix-and-match regimens - including a paper published Monday in Nature - have suggested that patients receiving doses of two separate vaccines may have stronger immune responses than those who receive two doses of the same vaccine. This is especially true for those who receive doses of vaccines that protect against Covid through different mechanisms, such as one AstraZeneca dose and one Pfizer dose. 'If you're using a vectored vaccine, like the J&J or AstraZeneca, which use adenovirus, you generate antibodies against the vector so that your second shot with the same vector makes it less likely to induce a robust immune response,' Yale immunologist Dr Akiko Iwasaki told CNBC. In fact, it's common to mix and match vaccines to protect against HIV and other diseases. Still, there may be some safety concerns - an issue the National Institutes Health is currently examining with a mix-and-match vaccine trial that began in June. The World Health Organization, like the CDC, is not recommending mix-and-match vaccine regimens at this time. Dr Soumya Swaminathan, the organization's chief scientist, recently said the practice is a 'data-free zone' and called for more safety investigations. Once more data are available, however, it seems likely that additional shots may be recommended for immunocompromised patients, those who received J&J shots, and other populations. Mandating that New York City employees either get COVID-19 vaccinations or undergo weekly testing should give vaccine-hesitant people a strong incentive to get inoculated, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. De Blasio announced the new rule, which goes into effect on September 13, during a press conference on Monday, affecting 400,000 workers. In an appearance on MSNBC's Morning Joe, the Democratic mayor said he hopes the rule encourages workers to get their shot to avoid the hassle of weekly tests. 'I want to emphasize that that either/or really creates a positive pressure for vaccination because it will be the responsibility of the employee to get tested on a regular basis, and that comes with its own challenges,' he said. The new vaccine-or-test rules come as the highly contagious Indian 'Delta' variant of the coronavirus is pushing caseloads up in New York from an average of 245 earlier this month to 922 as of Sunday. Health officials say the variant makes up about seven in 10 new cases in New York City. Meanwhile, the number of vaccine doses being administered daily in the city has dropped to less than 18,000, down from more than 100,000 in early April. All New York City employees will be required to either get a COVID vaccine or take a COVID test every week starting on September 13 The 'Indian 'Delta' variant is pushing caseloads up in New York from an average of 245 earlier this month to 922 as of Sunday Deaths have continued to remain low, however, likely due to the high rates of vaccination De Blasio also said he supports businesses issuing COVID-19 vaccine mandates in the private sector. 'I've said to the private sector in New York City, any private sector entity, go ahead and do a full mandate, if that's something you feel you can do and works for you do it now. 'Everyone's in a different situation but go as far as you can go right now because we have to stop the Delta variant.' He also lashed out at state and local leaders that have banned stores and restaurants from allowing only vaccinated customers. 'If people say they believe in American values of liberty, and then they tell someone, a mom-and-pop business, you know, we're going to cancel you because you want to keep safe or you want to protect your community, I would put that right squarely in the un-American category. 'If you say, hey, everyone has a right to run their business and people are trying to deal with a global pandemic. This isn't an everyday problem.' De Blasio made the announcement during a press conference on Monday and includes those who work for the Department of Education and the New York Police Department. Those who work for New York Health and Hospitals or the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene have until August 2 to get the vaccine and employees in congregate or residential settings have until August 16. 'September is the pivot point of the recovery,' he said. 'September is when it will all happen.' Those who remain unvaccinated will be required to wear masks at all times, he said, adding: 'There unfortunately will have to be consequences.' Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday that all New York City employees will be required to get a COVID test starting on September 13 if they are not vaccinated against the virus The mayor also announced that those who do not get a COVID vaccine will be required to wear a mask at all times, and will launch an 'NYC COVID Safe' app to allow people to display either their vaccination records or their negative COVID tests 'We unfortunately have to be very tough if a city government employee does not wear masks indoors if they're unvaccinated,' de Blasio said, with health officials later announcing that those who do not wear masks may be put on leave. He added that the city may impose more 'mandates and measures whenever needed to fight the Delta variant.' 'This is about our recovery, this is about what we need to do to bring back New York City, this is about keeping people safe, this is about making sure our families get through COVID OK, this is about bringing back jobs, you name it,' he said. To help with these efforts, de Blasio said the city will launch an 'NYC COVID Safe' application on August 2 that will allow people to display their vaccination records or their negative COVID tests. The COVID tests will expire after seven days to meet the mayor's requirement that city employees must be tested every week. The move comes just one week after the mayor announced that employees at the city's public hospitals and in Health Department community clinics would be required to get their vaccinations by next Monday, or begin submitting to weekly COVID tests. And those in publicly-run residential or congregate care facilities, like nursing homes, would be required to present a proof of vaccination by August 16 or submit to weekly tests. As of Tuesday, 70.7 percent of adults have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine and 65.4 percent are fully vaccinated, according to the Health Department. That amounts to more than 9.8 million people vaccinated in the city, the mayor said. But just last week, the New York Police Department announced that it had only vaccinated about 43 percent of its force, The Hill reports. Nasal swab testing, like that seen here, will be required for all city employees who are not vaccinated beginning on September 13 'Since vaccines became available we have encouraged our employees, especially those who have contact with the public, to get vaccinated,' the NYPD said in a statement at the time. When asked about this low vaccination rate in the police force, de Blasio said the NYPD and 'every other agency [has] gotta do better. We gotta go farther.' To help with these efforts, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday that the state is allocating $15 million to community vaccination organizations . 'These orgs have the expertise to move the needle in areas with high positivity and low vax rates,' the governor tweeted, adding: 'We've made incredible progress against COVID - but there's more work to do.' As of Sunday, the city's COVID positivity rate was above onw percent, with a daily average of 591 confirmed cases and 233 probable cases, according to Health Department data. There were at least 28 hospitalizations as of Sunday, and at least three confirmed deaths. Testing, however, has increased past 2 percent, according to the New York Post, more than doubling the below 1 percent rate in early July. Governor Andrew Cuomo also tweeted on Monday that the state is allocating $15 million to community organizations to help improve the vaccination rates Speaking to WNYC on Friday, the mayor reiterated that more needed to be done as the Delta variant continues to spread. 'We tried purely voluntary for over half a year,' he told WNYC on Friday, according to the New York Post. 'We tried every form of incentives. But now we've got to go further, we've reached the limits of a purely voluntary system. 'It's time for more mandates.' 'We've tried everything else and we got results, but we need more' people to get vaccinated. 'If people want freedom, if people want jobs, if people want to be able to live again, we have to get more people vaccinated,' the mayor said Friday. He added that: 'The Delta variant is like a freight train coming on, we've got to take it seriously.' The United States recorded 15,711 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday with a seven-day rolling average of 52,116, which is a 291 percent increase from the 13,305 average recorded three weeks ago. Deaths have continued to remain relatively flat with 56 recorded on Sunday and a seven-day rolling average of 281, 17 percent up from the average of 239 recorded three weeks prior. The mayor also called out people who spread 'misinformation' about the vaccines on social media, discouraging people from getting the jab. He said the city Health Department is planning to write a letter to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, calling on them to crack down on those who spread the false information. 'There are people spreading disinformation purposely for their own profit, for their own fame for their own political gains,' he said. 'Let's be clear, the folks who are out there lying about vaccinations lying about COVID are doing it for their own greedy reasons - not for your health and well-being but for their own aspirations.' 'That's what's going on and it has to end,' he said. 'And those who are enabling the disinformation have to stop. It has cost many people their lives. 'Those who spread disinformation are literally killing people,' he said, noting that 65 percent of the 'disinformation' is coming from social media, linking back to just 12 accounts. 'These people are still at large,' he said and are 'literally depriving people of their lives.' He asked Zuckerberg and Dorsey to 'kick them off your sites immediately,' saying: 'If you don't stop the lies, then you are complicit in the rise of COVID.' White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Friday said the Biden administration would continue fighting COVID-19 'misinformation' despite the president's recent gaffes illustrating the pitfalls The mayor said he agreed with President Joe Biden's move to police what is posted on social media, a policy the White House announced last week. The Biden administration is reviewing Section 230 - a 1990s era regulations that protects tech companies from being held liable for their content, in the way that newspaper and magazine publishers are. Democratic senators this week introduced legislation that would require internet platforms such as Facebook and Alphabet's Google to take down health and vaccine-related misinformation during public health emergencies or be held liable for its impacts. It would set up the Department of Health and Human Services to issue guidelines on what is and what is not misinformation. The announcement came after the administration admitted it had been flagging dangerous 'misinformation' to Facebook - such as claims that vaccines could cause infertility - for removal. Republicans have since accused Biden of acting like a 'Cuban dictator' in the way it was pressuring private companies to censor speech. 'What the Biden White House is doingnamely, ordering big tech companies to ban Americans that do not regurgitate government approved messagingis what authoritarian regimes do,' said Sen. Marsha Blackburn in a letter sent to the White House. 'The American people deserve to know the extent of the White House's coordination with big tech. President Biden should waive executive privilege and release the emails.' Free speech advocates have also raised bipartisan concerns. 'No matter which party is in power, the government cannot be trusted to label 'truth' or 'fiction' any more than Facebook or Twitter can,' said the American Civil Liberties Union, reminding viewers of how at the start of the pandemic President Trump claimed that COVID-19 would just disappear. The White House did not respond to a request for comment about its strategy. Missouri residents are allegedly wearing disguises and getting COVID-19 vaccines in secret in fear of blowback from members of their communities. Dr Priscilla Frase, who works at Ozarks Healthcare, a hospital in West Plains - 200 miles southwest of St Louis - told ABC News that many patients do not want their family and friends to know they got the shots. The medical center is now offering to give the vaccines in a private setting to patients who request it. It comes as Missouri struggles to handle the Indian 'Delta' variant, which is responsible for a recent surge. Cases have increased in The Show-Me State by 77 percent in the past two weeks, from 1,371 average daily cases on July 12 to 2,427 on July 26. Dr Priscilla Frase (pictured) told ABC that some Missourians are coming in disguise or in secret to receive COVID-19 vaccines Only 48 percent of residents have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine so far, state health department data show. Frase, who works in the Internal Medicine department at Ozarks, told ABC News that she has seen multiple people in disguise. 'I've had several people come in to get vaccinated who have sort of tried to disguise their appearance and even went so far as to say: "Please, please, please don't let anybody know that I got this vaccine. I don't want my friends to know,"' she said. In Howell County, where Ozarks is located, the COVID situation is getting worse as the vaccine rate remains low. Cases in the county - which has a population of around 40,000 - have grown by 500 percent over the past month, from six per day on June 26 to 36 per day on July 26. Cases in Howell, Missouri, where Ozarks is located, have increased by 500% over the past month The county also set a new record on Monday, recording 78 new COVID cases, the most ever on a single day. The county has had trouble getting its residents jabbed as well, with only 10,000 residents - or 25 percent - having received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. Howell lies in a region that was among the first to experience a large case surge due to the Delta variant - a highly contagious strain of the virus that originated in India. Currently, an estimated 90 percent of active cases in Missouri are of the Delta variant. Hospitals in southwest Missouri were running at near capacity at the start of July, and some even faced a ventilator shortage. The federal government deployed a special response team to the region to assist local hospitals in dealing with the surge. St Louis, the second largest city in the state, even reinstated a mask mandate for all people - no matter vaccination status - to prevent spread of the virus. Eric Schmitt, Missouri's attorney general, filed a lawsuit against St Louis, hoping to repeal the mask mandate. Schmitt, who is running for U.S. Senate, previously filed a failed lawsuit against the government of China because of the pandemic. 'This continued government overreach is unacceptable and unconstitutional, especially in the face of a widely available vaccine,' he said in a release. Missouri's vaccine rollout has slowed down since reaching its peak in April. It hit one of its lowest points earlier this month Getting vaccine, which is widely available in Missouri, into the arms of residents has been a challenge, though. Only around 15,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines are being distributed every day in Missouri, a far fall from early April where 50,000 a day were used. The state also hit a 2021 low of only 7,500 vaccines distributed in the first week of the month, though the figure has doubled since then. Missouri's vaccine rollout follows a nationwide trend. After peaking in early April, demand for vaccines in the United States began to plummet. With cases surging across the nation, the average new daily cases have increased by 376 percent, from 11,887 on June 26 to 56,635 on July 26, health officials are bringing back some COVID-19 mandates. On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revised its mask guidance, now recommending that all people - no matter vaccine status - wear a mask in indoor public spaces in areas of 'substantial or high transmission.' All but one county in Missouri are currently considered to be of 'substantial or 'high' transmission. Almost every county in Missouri is of 'substantial' or 'high' Guidelines from the CDC are not binding, though, meaning it is still up to county and state level leaders to set mask mandates. With the Attorney General's opposition to mask mandates, it is unlikely any will be set at the state level. Counties who choose to do so may also face backlash from the state government, like St Louis. Children, students and staff across the state will also be recommended to wear masks when they return to in-person learning this fall. People buying dogs and cats to keep them company was a lockdown phenomenon, but now furry friends who got used to their human companions working from home may be in for a shock. Pets in the habit of resting on their owner's feet, lounging on chairs, or wandering across tables, as people typed away at keyboards and attended Zoom meetings may miss their owners when they return to the office. Lockdown restrictions have been dropped - including the compulsion to work from home where possible - but employers are advised to only bring people back to offices gradually and many will do so part-time with hybrid working becoming increasingly popular. Nonetheless, experts say dogs particularly may struggle to adjust swiftly to their owners' absence even if only a few days a week and behave anxiously, while many animal-lovers will also worry about their pets at home. This has led to a call for pet owners and employers to acknowledge the potential issues and work together to address them. Will your dog cope with being alone in the house while you're off at work? If not, there are things you can do about it According to the Pet Food Manufacturers' Association, 3.2million UK households have welcomed a dog or cat since the pandemic emerged last year, shelling out a whopping 7.9million on their welfare and needs. It's likely that among both new and existing pet owners there will be some concern over how their much-loved animals will cope with newfound absence. Ashley Goldsmith, chief people officer at HR and finance platform Workday, said: 'As organisations plan for the future of work, HR teams need to remember that emotional wellbeing isn't just for humans. 'Many employees will also be considering their pet's wellbeing, and how they will re-adjust to a partial or full-time return to the workplace. 'The pandemic has blurred the line between personal and professional routines and our ways of working have changed. With that, many employees have begun to rethink how their family including pets are being affected as they prepare for a new working normal. 'With so much change, it's imperative that companies offer flexibility and empathy as part of a 'return to office' transition.' If you're unsure about how to head back into the office while at the same time taking care of your dog and cat's needs, Workday, pet specialists and owners share their tips and solutions on how to make it easy for all. 1. Understand your pet Pet owner Paula Stewart, who works as a casting agent at The Animal Talent, says she gets a pet sitter to look after her Spanish mastiff, Timmy Your pet has got used to you being around the house and your absence and lack of noise may make them feel anxious. Workday and Berkeley Humane's 'Pet Parent: Return to Office Support Guide' points out that separation anxiety can manifest as barking, chewing, meowing loudly, or destroying items. If you're going to keep them at home, give your pet lots of time to get used to your absence. The guide recommends working on ending separation anxiety several months ahead, as the training process works best when done slowly. Recommended tools to help with this include ThunderShirts, puzzles, and crates all of which can help to calm your animal while you're gone. If you have a nervous dog that you think will really struggle, Nanci Creedon, from Creedon's College of Canine Studies, adds: 'I recommend that you section off a zone which is pet safe and make it a spa zone. 'I would download an audio book and have it on the background. It is scientifically proven to calm dogs, so maybe download a bedtime story audio book.' 2. Invest in a calming product Some owners may need to use tactics that sound similar to helping anxious children or youngsters who can't sleep. Creedon recommends getting a calming product such as Pet Remedy, which is a plug-in essential oil diffuser which helps to calm anxious dogs, cats and humans. Creedon says: 'Put a super comfy bed into the zone, bring your dog in and sit with your dog whilst they listen to your audiobook, take in the essential oils, and provide them with a chewy object that they love chewing. 'This releases dopamine, which calms dogs. Stay with your dog until they fall asleep. Next time, wait for the dog to go in alone, and stay with the door open until your dog falls asleep. Repeat this process until your dog is comfortable with the door being closed.' Journalist Suzanne Baum makes sure she goes to dog-friendly hotels, so she can take her cockapoo with while she's working 3. Gradually spend less time at home Don't leave your pet to fend for themselves for an entire day in one long burst, if they are not used to it. Workday and Berkely Humane recommend leaving the room your pet is in for small increments of time, gradually working up to leaving for a few hours at a time. They say: 'Remember, it is super important to come back before your pet gets too worried (it'll take time before that's hours). And try not to make a big deal about goodbyes or reunions as you come and go.' 4. Set up a video call to check if there may be problems Obviously, setting up a Zoom, Skype or Teams call with your dog or cat while they are at home alone all day is a fairly tricky thing to do - pets are not renowned for their computer skills. However, using Zoom or another service to monitor how your dog is when you are not there in preparation for your days out at work can help. Creedon explains: 'All dog owners should know how their dog responds to being alone, so one thing you can do is to set a Zoom call with your dog. 'Angle the camera so that you can see what is going on, leave the house like you would go it work, and then watch how your dog responds. 'If your dog appears anxious but settles down in 20-30 minutes, then there is nothing to worry about and you should monitor their behaviour for the rest of the day.' Jennifer Bailey, CEO of Calla Ltd, took her dog Billy the French Bulldog to her work photoshoot 5. Take them to work More companies have pet-friendly policies these days. Big names that welcome pets in the UK include Workday, Purina, Nestle and Amazon. Other smaller companies may also choose to do so, although it is worth bearing in mind that colleagues may not want pets in the office and may suffer from allergies. Jennifer Bailey CEO of Calla Ltd, which sells shoes online, takes her dog to work. Billy the French Bulldog even attended a photoshoot. Jennifer says: 'We have waited a long time to get a dog as a family but lockdown and the fact that I am able to work from home and take my dog in to the office helped seal the deal. I use co-working spaces in Manchester and fortunately they accept well-behaved dogs!' Meanwhile, journalist Suzanne Baum adopts a mixed strategy when it comes to the care of her cockapoo, Coco. She explains: 'As a celebrity interviewer I either go to a celeb's house to interview them or dog-friendly hotels and everyone seems to be accepting of dogs. 'Even yesterday when I interviewed Lorraine Kelly, for example, she was totally dog-friendly. So, my plan is, to work more from dog-friendly cafes and hotels, use my dog-walker once a week to keep up their relationship and then on the odd few hours leave Coco home alone.' 6. Get a dog behaviour specialist There's a chance that you may need to hire an expert to help with the transition to an empty home during the week. There are plenty of animal behaviour counsellors, and veterinary behaviourists that can all help to work on your pet's behaviour. To find the right one for you get recommendations from veterinarians or friends with animals. 7. Get someone to care for them If your dog still can't cope, then consider hiring a dog walker, pet sitter or checking them into doggy day care. Rates for dog walkers, sitters and day cares can vary depending on where you live. A dog sitter can be ideal if your pet is comfortable in the home. However, if your dog is sociable you may prefer to hire a dog walker, or get them to interact with other dogs at doggy day care facilities. Paula Stewart, a casting agent at The Animal Talent, says she makes use of a pet sitter. She says: 'I use a pet sitter that visits my home and even does overnight stays. I have prepared a care booklet for my pet sitter which informs her of each animal's preferences, characteristics and needs Dog-owner Paula Stewart 'I have prepared a care booklet for my pet sitter which informs her of each animal's preferences, characteristics and needs. She sends me picture updates whilst I'm away so I can see that my animals are safe. 'It's expensive - 80 for an overnight stay of 24 hours - but it's worth it. I didn't adopt my animals to then have them face abandonment again. I wanted them to enjoy their lives in a happy, secure home.' If you can't afford this type of care, consider the Borrow My Doggy app, which connects you with people who want to borrow dogs but who don't necessarily want to own a dog. You don't get charged if someone borrows your dog, you just pay a membership fee. At the time of writing, premium membership costs 44.99 a year and 12.99 for dog borrowers. A Borrow My Doggy spokesperson says: 'The membership fee helps to cover our safety checks, accident and third party liability insurance and access to a 24/7 vet line.' The alternative is to ask any neighbours who work from home to check in on your dog or to keep the pet at theirs until you get home. What if things aren't working? There's no specific step-by-step guideline on what to do if you think something's not working. It's best to try as many options as you feel comfortable with before settling on a solution that's right for you and your pet. Don't be overly enthusiastic about saying hello and goodbye. This could result in your pet thinking it's an unusual situation. Remember you want them to think that you leaving the house for a couple of hours is a natural set of events. Investors who had hoped to boost their returns by buying into China-focused funds were left smarting yesterday. Souring relations between Beijing and London, combined with brutal new restrictions on profits for education companies operating in China, have knocked swathes of stocks. And the 18 investment trusts listed in London which focus on China or the wider Asia-Pacific region were a sea of red, as savers pulled their money out. Shares in Fidelity China Special Situations, a titan of the sector at 1.8billion, slid 3.6 per cent, or 13.5p, to 357.5p. Its next-largest rival JP Morgan Emerging Markets fell by 1.2 per cent, or 1.6p, to 130.2p, and Schroder Asia Pacific edged down 1.3 per cent, or 8p, to 593p. Trouble: Souring relations between Beijing and London, combined with brutal new restrictions on profits for education companies operating in China, have knocked swathes of stocks JP Morgan China Growth & Income was one of the worst affected, falling 5.1 per cent, or 31p, to 580p. China's regulators are cracking down, imposing restrictions on businesses which are seen to be becoming Westernised. The latest move was to ban education firms from making a profit, in the hope this would encourage families to have children by making it cheaper to raise them. And reports that the UK is looking to remove Chinese energy company CGN from its nuclear power projects, hinting at a widening divide between the two countries, have done little to buoy sentiment. It was a dull day for Britain's FTSE 100, which remained near-flat at 7025.43 points. Miners gave a boost to the index, lifted by strong metals prices Antofagasta climbed 4.1 per cent, or 58.5p, to 1495.5p, Glencore was up 3.3 per cent, or 10.5p, to 326.2 points, Anglo American edged up 3.2 per cent, or 94.5p, to 3058.5p and Rio Tinto rose 3.1 per cent, or 184p, to 6110p. But those gains were countered by the stronger pound, which weighs on the performance of companies which sell a lot of their products overseas. Dove-to-Hellmann's owner Unilever, for example, slipped 2.7 per cent, or 113p, to 4031p. The more domestically-focused FTSE 250 edged up 0.2 per cent, or 49.8 points, to 22,933.2 points, helped by the news that UK Covid cases had fallen for the sixth day in a row. This boosted leisure and travel stocks Cineworld was up 5.4 per cent, or 3.44p, to 66.84p, Trainline climbed 5.2 per cent, or 16p, to 322.6p, and Easyjet rose 3.9 per cent, or 32p, to 845.8p. Meat producer Cranswick was buoyed by booming exports to Asia and the rising value of UK pigs. Far East export sales in the three months to the end of June were 'well ahead' of the same period of last year when China was in lockdown. And it increased the capacity at its poultry site in Eye, Suffolk, from 1.1m to 1.4m birds per week. Shares rose 2.5 per cent or 98p, to 4100p. Elsewhere, newly listed private equity firm Bridgepoint celebrated its first day of full trading with further gains. The firm, famous for building Pret a Manger into one of the country's biggest cafe chains, floated last week but could only be traded by institutions until yesterday. Its shares lifted 3.2 per cent, or 15.6p, to 499.6p, up 43 per cent from their float price of 350p. ITV, which is trying to haul its business into the digital age amid competition from the likes of Amazon Prime and Disney Plus, announced it had spent 2.5m buying a minority stake in Live Tech Games. The company creates mobile games allowing users to play against each other live. ITV's shares nudged up 0.2 per cent, or 0.25p, to 121.25p. Three of America's biggest tech firms raked in 1.5billion per day between April and June as the pandemic pushed consumers online. Google owner Alphabet, iPhone maker Apple and Microsoft pulled in total revenues of 136.5billion over the three month period, they revealed in results released late last night. Sales of Apple's phones totted up to 28.5billion, surging almost 50 per cent, as the iPhone 12 with its ability to connect to the latest speedy 5G networks proved popular with customers. Cashing in: Google owner Alphabet, iPhone maker Apple and Microsoft pulled in total revenues of 136.5billion over the three month period from April to June And revenues at its services business, which includes the App Store and Apple Music, jumped 33 per cent to 12.6billion. In total, Apple pulled in profits of 15.6billion, up 92 per cent on the same time last year. Chief executive Tim Cook said: 'This quarter, our teams built on a period of unmatched innovation by sharing powerful new products with our users, at a time when using technology to connect people everywhere has never been more important.' Over at Google and Youtube parent Alphabet, revenues hit 44.6billion, up 62 per cent, as profits climbed 164 per cent to 13.3billion. Advertising revenues at Google climbed 69 per cent to 36.3billion though last year's numbers reflected a period when Google was stricken by the pandemic, as companies pulled back on their advertising. Youtube, which saw usage surge while people were stuck at home during the pandemic, generated 5billion in advertising revenue, and the 'other bets' made 138m up slightly on the same time last year. The company's cloud computing branch, which competes with the likes of Amazon Web Services offering analytics and IT services, saw revenues rise to 3.3billion. Though still loss-making, the division's operating losses of 426m were more than half those of a year ago. Chief executive Sundar Pichai said: 'There was a rising tide of online activity in many parts of the world, and we're proud that our services helped so many consumers and businesses. Our long-term investments in artificial intelligence and Google Cloud are helping us drive significant improvements in everyone's digital experience.' At Microsoft, which makes the Windows operating system used on many computers, revenues climbed 21 per cent to 33.3billion. Its own cloud business, which has been the key to its performance in recent years, accounted for 12.5billion of that up 30 per cent. But the revenue it makes from licensing Windows to computer-makers fell 3 per cent. The results come after a tricky few months for Microsoft. The US Department of Defense announced it was pulling a lucrative 10-year contract with the tech giant, designed to modernise the Pentagon's communications capabilities. But it was ditched amid accusations that pressure from then-President Trump, who was waging a feud with Amazon's boss Jeff Bezos, meant Microsoft was given preferential treatment. Profits during the quarter still climbed 47 per cent to 11.9billion. Pictured: Carly Soderstrom A failed Victorian business owner who received more than $61,000 from generous Australians before being exposed as going belly-up before the pandemic even hit has lashed out at the kindly Australian who organised the fundraiser. Carly Soderstrom's cry for help in a lockdown video that went viral garnered national attention and saw a GoFundMe page erected by a kindly Victorian quickly earn her $61,119 before it was abruptly stopped. Daily Mail Australia later revealed that Soderstrom's business had failed long before Victoria was hit with a single stay-at-home order, prompting a backlash from large swaths of the community who handed over their cash. The 35-year old, who was caught telling lies to A Current Affair's Alexis Daish, has hit Instagram to divert blame onto fellow Victorian Michael Smith, who set up the fundraiser to help her. 'Carlz has put her heart and soul into being the voice in this crazy mess of lockdowns,' he wrote on the GoFundMe page before it was halted. 'She is completely destroyed and defeated like a lot of us.' Daily Mail Australia has been told Ms Soderstrom blocked Mr Smith - whom she has never met - on social media soon after collecting the money and Daily Mail Australia's revelations that her business, 21, 15, Nine, had been placed into external administration on January 16 last year - well before a single lockdown. Taking to Instagram, Ms Soderstrom urged Ms Smith to 'do the right thing' after claiming to have returned what was left of the cash to him. On Friday, a former friend of Ms Soderstrom, Brittany Hayes, told ACA she had loaned her $10,000 out of her house mortgage to help start clothing label 'Kobey', which sold $180 hoodies. When questioned by Daish - an experienced Melbourne crime reporter who covered the Black Lives Matter riots in the United States last year - Ms Soderstrom was forced to admit she had dipped into the GoFundMe cash to repay her former friend. Her admission came just moments after claiming she 'hadn't touched' the money and 'didn't want it'. Ms Soderstrom, who operated a photography business in Torquay, 60km from Melbourne, now claims she has been the victim of a cruel bullying campaign. Carly Soderstrom's cry for help last week garnered national attention and saw a GoFundMe page quickly earn $61,119 A GoFundMe page set up for Carly Soderstrom by a well wisher earned her more than $61,000 'I had nothing to do with setting up the Go Fun Me Page, which was set up in my name,' she moaned on social media. In a series of claims, she stated Mr Smith refused to take down the fundraiser when asked before she reluctantly agreed to accept the money on the basis she could share it with 'struggling and deserving businesses'. 'Michael Smith agreed to this,' she wrote. Ms Soderstrom told her 45,000 Instagram followers she would forward 'all' of the donations back to the mysterious Mr Smith. 'Michael Smith, I have never wanted the responsibility for this amount of money. You wouldn't stop the campaign when I asked you to. Now it's up to you to take responsibility for this money and show the world that it is going to the people you said it would go to,' she stated. 'I encourage Michael Smith to do the right thing with the money he got through his Go Fund Me campaign. And I look forward to the "good news stories" about small businesses receiving much needed help from Michael.' Sources familiar with GoFundMe campaigns have told Daily Mail Australia it is impossible to start-up fundraisers on the platform without permission from the intended recipient. 'It's literally impossible for him to give her the money without her permission,' the source said. It can further be revealed GoFundMe has been in direct contact with Ms Soderstrom in an effort to ensure the funds are used 'legally and as intended'. Ms Soderstrom had earlier claimed the statewide shutdown was responsible for her business failing. Her online rant was quickly picked-up by national news teams, who ran with her tale of woe before Daily Mail Australia exposed her past. As the sole director of the company, Ms Soderstrom was left with about $3000 in stock, a Jeep Wrangler and debts totalling $406,152. Carly Soderstrom's business was doomed before Covid hit Carly Soderstrom's photography business was doomed before the pandemic struck Australia Of the debts she piled up, $386,542 was owed to unsecured creditors, including ordinary Victorians who had provided either goods, services or cash to Ms Soderstrom. One man was left $220,000 out of pocket by her failed business. When liquidators came in last year, Ms Soderstrom owed the Australian Tax Office a whopping $64,603 - a little under the amount she has just received from struggling Australians. Ms Soderstrom hung up the phone when contacted by Daily Mail Australia on Friday. Founder of the Just Be Nice Project, Josh Reid Jones, exposed Ms Soderstrom in a video that is now going viral in its own right. The charity leader accessed Ms Soderstrom's business records from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission upon watching the kindness of Australians directed to the struggling business owner. But in her three page statement posted to Instagram, the charity recipient continued to defend her past failures. 'Please understand that despite what you've seen on TV, or online, the people who lost money are not 'my debtors'. Yes they lost money. We all did.' She insisted that liquidation existed so people can 'cut their losses and start to rebuild'. 'With liquidation when the business disappears, so does the debt,' Ms Soderstrom stated. 'Mainstream media and sections of social media have been trying to define me in ways I can't begin to understand. 'Seriously, I watch the stories and read the posts and think 'Wow, that girl must be a real b***t. Then I remember that they're talking about me.' Ms Soderstrom posts a lengthy statement to Instagram telling her followers she's has no intention of paying back previous investors Dog Act: Carly Soderstrom has come under fire for claiming Covid was behind her failed business Mr Jones claimed as the sole director of a failed business, Ms Soderstrom ought not have been trading throughout the pandemic at all. He further suggested her company had been guilty of the cardinal sin of failed business in trading while insolvent. 'Trading while insolvent is illegal. You're not allowed to do it, but the books and accounting don't appear to have been passed over during the process of the liquidation proceeding. So it's unclear,' he said. However a preliminary view offered by the administrator stated: 'given the quantum of creditors' claims and there being minimal realisable assets, the company was likely trading while insolvent'. While Mr Jones accepted legitimate companies were struggling under lockdown, Ms Soderstrom's business was already well and truly cooked before the pandemic hit, he claimed. A selfless mother has turned down a life-saving kidney donation from her husband so it can be given to their two-year-old daughter as she battles the same rare genetic disease. Bec Vallee, 31, from Ipswich, Queensland, was diagnosed with kidney disease at the age of 12 before her mother saved her life by donating one of her organs five years later. But the nurse's body has started to reject the gifted organ, which has left her on renal dialysis three days a week for six hours at a time. Husband Ryan had planned to donate one of his kidneys until the couple discovered their daughter Ambrosia, two, suffered from the same condition as her mother and will one day need a transplant. Ms Vallee is now back on a transplant waiting list, hoping a kidney will become available soon. Bec Vallee, 31, has turned down her husband Ryan's kidney donation so it can instead be given to their daughter Ambrosia as she fights the same rare genetic disease (pictured together) 'I am very lucky in many ways, but life with kidney failure is far from normal,' Ms Vallee told Daily Mail Australia. 'My kidney function is under five per cent, and being on dialysis means a daily battle with fatigue, nausea, bone and heart issues. The list goes on.' Kidney disease occurs when the vital organ - which works to filter out waste from the body - stops functioning, leading to waste build-up. Sufferers can experience a host of serious health implications as a result, including fatigue, muscle cramps, nausea, weak bones, anaemia, and nerve damage. After receiving the transplant at 17, Ms Vallee - who had spent years in and out of hospital and on dialysis - felt as 'close to normal' as she had ever experienced, enabling her to travel and finish university. 'It was a sense of wellness and energy - no longer having to take medication and be monitored. It was freedom, it was the greatest gift I could have asked for,' she said. Ms Vallee, a nurse educator for West Moreton Health, became inspired to launch a career in health care to help others after her own hospital experiences as a teenager. The Ipswich nurse was diagnosed with kidney disease when she was 12, leaving her in and out of hospital as a teenager Ms Vallee said she did not realise just how debilitating her kidney disease was until she received a transplant at 17 and was able to function 'normally' But a few years later as the Vallees prepared to start a family of their own, the couple were dealt the devastating blow that their child would one day face the same health challenges as her mother. A prenatal scan revealed their daughter had abnormal kidney development. It was later confirmed to be the caused by the same rare genetic condition. 'We were completely shocked and overwhelmed. We were unsure how to positively proceed, it felt like a daunting diagnosis,' Ms Vallee said. 'It was a life-changing moment. We were determined that she would live a full and meaningful life knowing that every day is a gift.' The couple made the decision the donation would be held for their little girl, who will one day need a transplant. Ms Vallee said it was instantaneous. 'Every parent would sacrifice and lay down their life and everything needed for their child,' Ms Vallee said. 'As a parent, you want your child to have a good and happy life. 'My life has been filled with lots of positive things, and we knew hers would be too. We just have to keep looking at the positives and keep looking forward.' Ms Vallee is now on a waiting list as the couple hope Ryan will one day be able to donate one of his kidneys to their daughter It is hoped when the time comes Ryan will be a suitable match and Ambrosia can receive the donation early to avoid the health impacts associated with the disease progressing into its later stages. In the meantime, Ms Vallee has been on sick leave for a month as she fights constant exhaustion while undergoing treatment. Despite fighting the illness for most of her life, the mother-of-one says she is extremely lucky she can still complete everyday tasks and be an active parent. 'Kidney failure is a really complex problem - it is life threatening. There are many who suffer impacts that I don't,' she said. 'I am very lucky in many senses that I don't have worse problems that I am facing every day.' Ms Vallee is sharing her story for DonateLife week to raise awareness about the life-changing gift of organ donation. Around 1800 Australians are on the waiting list for an organ transplant, with a further 12,000 on dialysis - some of whom would greatly benefit from a kidney. While seven million Australians are signed up to become organ donors, only a handful will be given the chance, with only two per cent of people who die in hospital able to donate. Ms Vallee has taken time off work as she endures renal dialysis three times a week, but says she is 'very lucky' her disease is not yet as severe as what other sufferers are going through This year, the campaign aims to bust myths about organ donation - such as people believing they will not qualify due to their age or lifestyle factors like drinking and smoking - to encourage Australians to register. Organs that can be donated include the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas, and pancreas, while other body tissues, such as skin, can be given to burns patients, or corneas can be offered to restore sight. With donations exceedingly rare, Ms Vallee said having as many people registered as possible increases the chances that those in need will be able to receive a life-changing transplants. 'It is an opportunity that does not come around very often. When someone is able to donation, they have to die in a way their organs are preserved so there is a select few, only 2 per cent, that can donate,' she said. 'And transplants are not a cure. Although they offer years of a wonderful life, they do decline, or you will need dialysis or another transplant to stay alive. 'So it is very important people sign up and register to give families the gift of life.' Dramatic video from Sydney's anti-lockdown protest shows the moment a group of men save a policeman from an angry mob. The solo officer appears to become isolated from colleagues near Town Hall at the height of the protest that attracted about 3,500 people to the CBD. Caught against a shopfront as a rush of people closed in, some in the crowd began to form a human shield around him and waved their hands to ward others away. Eventually a mounted policeman surged into the crowd, pulling people out of the way as the tried to reach his stricken officer. The NSW Police officer found himself isolated at a shopfront near Sydney Town Hall during the anti-lockdown protest in the CBD last Saturday One man seen in the video defending the cop, however, is now sought by police over the assault of two other police officers during the protest. The role of the bearded man, wearing a red and navy hooded jacket, sunglasses and a black hat, is the subject of debate on social media with people posting other videos of his actions on the day. So-called 'freedom' marches took place in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane on Saturday, attracting thousands in what were largely peaceful protests. Nevertheless, NSW Police had arrested 57 people and issued 107 personal infringement notices since the protest, with police expected to make further arrests after viewing more video from the event. A number of men appeared to form a barricade around the officer as other protestors rushed in, some waving their arms to indicate they should back away A mounted policeman surged into the mob to try and get to his separated colleague 'We have received 10,000 Crime Stoppers reports since Saturday in terms of criminal behaviour and breaches of the health order at the protest which is an amazing outcry by the community,' NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said. Commissioner Fuller said police would be ready if a further protest, rumoured to be taking place next Saturday, went ahead. 'We will take the ground very early. You will be arrested and prosecuted,' he warned. 'The community has spoken about that behaviour. The premier has spoken about that behaviour and it won't be tolerated again.' This is the moment a birdwatcher on an e-scooter chased a suspected bike thief through residential streets. Point-of-view footage captured in Eugene, Oregon, by the birdwatcher called Nick, shows a man acting 'suspiciously' by the side of the street before taking off on a BMX. Nick chases the man on his 40mph e-scooter along the sidewalk and road for nearly two minutes before managing to retrieve the bike. During the clip, which is believed to have been filmed on July 20, Nick is looking around after hearing what he believes could be a family of crows. Birdwatcher Nick chases the suspected bike thief through the streets of Eugene in Oregon for nearly two minutes on July 20 The man, who is wearing an orange and white T-shirt and shorts, looks over his shoulder as he is chased After driving into a parking lot he notices a man standing near a BMX bike by the side of the street and watches him intently. Just seconds later, Nick spots the man taking off with the bike and shouts: 'I knew it!' before setting off in pursuit. The BMX rider soon realises he is being chased and continues to look over his shoulder as Nick shouts: 'Stop!' However the man claims that he is stealing the bike back and that it was his originally, telling the birdwatcher: 'It was my bike to begin with.' The birdwatcher shouts: 'You stole that bike, stop' but the man refuses to stop and instead replies: 'Yes, I did that yes.' As the chase continues, Nick warns the man: 'Just stop! You stole the bike. I got a full battery, you ain't going nowhere. You are also being filmed.' Within seconds, the man crashes onto the ground and pushes the birdwatcher away before shouting: 'Get the f*** away from me.' He then walks away from the scene as the birdwatcher retrieves the bike and shouts: 'It's not yours.' Nick, who runs the website oregoncrow.com, later told viewers he had been watching the crows in the area when he noticed the unknown man acting 'super suspicious.' The man refuses to stop as Nick, who is chasing him on his e-scooter, shouts: 'Stop dude! You stole that bike, stop!' Just seconds later, the man crashes onto the ground and pushes as the birdwatcher tries to retrieve the bike he claims has been stolen The man then walks away from the scene as the birdwatcher grabs hold of the bike and tells him: 'It's not yours' He said: 'So super crazy video here I am about to share. I come into this parking lot because there's normally crows here. 'I'm into birdwatching especially with birds and ravens. They weren't here in this parking lot so I circled into it and I hear what could be a family of crows across the street. 'The reason I know it's them is because there's three adults and one baby crow and after a while of you get a pretty good ear for it. 'I just watch them for a little bit and then I realise some dude being super suspicious. Don't be suspicious. 'So I just hang out and I'm watching the crows and I start watching this guy and the next thing I know he does something I was kind of predicting. ' Following the scenes, social media users applauded the birdwatcher for his quick reaction. Social media users applauded the birdwatcher for managing to track down the bike One user wrote: 'Great job. Risky. Lucky he didn't take yours. It's great to see a thief lose one. Be careful out there.' While another commented: 'Nicely done!' Another person added: 'Great work there!' California Governor Gavin Newsom compared unvaccinated people to drunk drivers as he announced that all state and health care workers would have to submit to regular COVID-19 testing if they haven't gotten the shot. 'You don't have a choice to go out and drink and drive and put everybody else's lives at risk. Thats the equivalent of this moment with the deadliness & efficiency of the Delta variant,' Newsom told a news conference on Monday. Under the governor's new mandate, state employees will have to submit a proof of vaccination by August 2 and health care workers would have to submit proof of vaccinations by August 23. Any state employee that does not provide a proof of vaccination will have to get tested once a week, and any health care worker who does not get vaccinated would have to submit to testing twice a week. They would also be required to wear masks at all times. The new mandate will affect at least 238,000 state employees. California Governor Gavin Newsom, pictured at a news conference on May 10, announced on Monday that all state and health care employees in the state would have to either get a COVID vaccination or submit to regular testing starting next month More than 43,500,000 Californians have already been vaccinated against the virus, according to California health data, but still the Delta variant is continuing to spread throughout the state. It now accounts for more than 80 percent of the infections in California. On Monday, there were 21,940 new COVID cases reported in the state, with 65 deaths, the health department reports. Hospitalizations are also on the rise, with 3,331 people hospitalized as of Monday - 200 more than the day before, although the number of people hospitalized with the virus remains lower than those hospitalized during the peak of the pandemic over the winter. The number of infections across the country are rising as the Delta variant continues to spread The U.S. recorded 15,711 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday with a seven-day rolling average of 52,116, which is a 291% increase from the 13,305 average recorded three weeks ago Deaths have continued to remain relatively flat with 56 recorded on Sunday and a seven-day rolling average of 281, 17% up from the average of 239 recorded three weeks prior California's new regulation would impact at least 238,000 state employees as the Delta variant continues to spread through the state. Here, a man received a Pfizer vaccine at a mobile vaccine clinic in Los Angeles earlier this month But the problem is not unique to California. On Sunday, the country recorded 15,711 new cases with a seven-day rolling average of 52,116, which is a 291 percent increase from the 13,305 average recorded three weeks ago. Additionally, 56 COVID-19 deaths were recorded on Sunday with a seven-day rolling average of 281. Fatalities, which are a lagging indicator, have not dramatically risen but instead have slightly increased by 17 percent from the average of 239 recorded three weeks prior. Health officials say this is because people now are protected by vaccines, though in states that have less vaccine uptake hospitals are starting to fill up as the highly contagious Delta variant spreads. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday that all New York City employees will be required to get a COVID test starting on September 13 if they are not vaccinated against the virus To combat this, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday that he, too, would be requiring all 314,000 city employees - including those that work for the Department of Education and the New York Police Department - to either get vaccinated by September 13 or submit to weekly COVID testing. Those who remain unvaccinated will be required to wear masks at all times, he said, adding: 'There unfortunately will have to be consequences.' 'We unfortunately have to be very tough if a city government employee does not wear masks indoors if they're unvaccinated,' de Blasio said, with health officials later announcing that those who do not wear masks may be put on leave. New York State is also allocating $15million to community vaccination organizations, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Monday. 'These orgs have the expertise to move the needle in areas with high positivity and low vax rates,' the governor tweeted, adding: 'We've made incredible progress against COVID - but there's more work to do.' President Joe Biden said that 'all docs' working at Veterans Affairs Department facilities would be required to get vaccinated Also on Monday, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) become the first federal agency to require its frontline health care workers to be vaccinated. President Joe Biden confirmed the move in a brief statement to reporters Monday afternoon. 'Yes. Veteran Affairs is going to in fact require that all docs working in facilities are going to have to be vaccinated,' Biden said, following a report quoting his Veterans Affairs secretary regarding health care workers at the VA. Following the action, 115,000 staffers will have two months to get inoculated against the coronavirus, and face being fired if they do not oblige. Heat-related deaths in the UK could triple in the next 30 years, to around 7,000 annually, according to a report. The British Red Cross warns there is a dangerous perception gap in the UK when it comes to awareness of the risks posed by heat. The charity has published a report called Feeling The Heat, which looks at how prepared the UK is for rising temperatures and how aware people are of the risks of heatwaves. The report comes after a period of hot weather in the UK that prompted unprecedented extreme heat warnings. It says heatwaves and spells of hot weather have increased in the UK and will continue to do so, in intensity and length. 'The average length of warm spells have more than doubled in length in the last few decades, and by 2050 the UK will be 50 per cent more likely to experience hot summers, while heat-related deaths could more than triple, to around 7,000 per year,' the report said. Pictured: People enjoying the summer weather on the beach in Bournemouth, Dorset Heat-related deaths in the UK could triple in the next 30 years, to around 7,000 annually, according to a report. Pictured, people enjoying the heatwave in Bournemouth The charity's research found that the risks heatwaves can cause are not matched by the level of public concern. The public can be seen to have a positive perception of the word heatwave, seen as bringing good weather, with a survey suggesting that more than a quarter (26 per cent) of people see heatwaves as a good thing. The poll suggested more than a third (37 per cent) believe heatwaves will be a problem in the future, but not now. The report said the August 2020 heatwaves caused a record 2,556 excess deaths in England, as well as significant disruption across the UK. A severe water shortage led to more than 300 households in West Sussex having no water for five days, and there were an estimated five million staff days lost, at a cost of approximately 770 million to the UK economy. Despite being a high-risk group, more than half (57 per cent) of those aged 75 and over said they do not consider themselves as vulnerable to the impact of heatwaves, the research found. The survey involved 2,000 UK adults in June 2021. People on the beach at Saltburn-by-the-Sea in North Yorkshire People by the beach at Saltburn-by-the-Sea in North Yorkshire Its results suggest that the majority (60 per cent) of UK adults have experienced at least one adverse effect of hot weather in the UK, most commonly headaches (33 per cent), dizziness or feeling faint (22 per cent), or heat rash (21 per cent). The poll found that 40 per cent of adults have never seen information on how to protect themselves during a heatwave, and 9 per cent said they have never had advanced warning that a UK heatwave is expected. Former TV weather presenter Sian Lloyd has joined the British Red Cross in calling for greater awareness and understanding of the risks associated with rising temperatures. She said: 'The UK is getting hotter. As a result of climate change, heatwaves are becoming longer and more extreme, and many people's health and wellbeing will continue to suffer as a result. 'We already know that certain groups are more at risk from extreme heat, including people aged over 75, adults with underlying health conditions, children and babies, as well as people living in top floor flats and in built-up urban areas where temperatures are higher.' Matthew Killick, director of crisis response and community resilience at British Red Cross, said: 'Despite what many think, UK heatwaves can impact us all. 'Every year people struggle with their health and wellbeing as a result, health and care services see an increase in demand, transport is interrupted, employers experience reduced productivity, and they can even be life threatening. 'But heatwaves don't need to be deadly. From checking on your neighbours to providing first aid, simple early actions can keep you, your family and friends safe and well during hot weather. 'We are calling on all UK governments to ensure people most vulnerable to heat risk are able to access the targeted information, advice and support they need to take action and stay safe and healthy.' Police departments in cities around the country are facing calls to stop using ShotSpotter - an artificial intelligence-powered hidden-microphone system that detects gunshots - amid claims that cops are using it to fabricate evidence. Prosecutors in Chicago have withdrawn the technology's findings in a number of cases due to tampered evidence by police and reports have shown that its sensors are disproportionately placed in minority communities. Several police departments nationwide and overseas have relied on the technology to increase their response times, as was the case in the March 29th shooting of 13-year old Adam Toledo in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago. Following Toledo's killing, police and prosecutors said ShotSpotter recorded a shot fired by 21-year-old Ruben Roman at about 2.30am on March 29, just minutes before police engaged in the deadly chase with Toledo. The recorded gunfire led police to the area under the impression it could have come from Toledo. Activists in Chicago are demand the city's police department end its contract with ShotSpotter, an AI-powered hidden-microphone system used to detect gunshots Police departments in cities across the country and some oversees have relied on the technology to increase their response times Jonathan Manes, an attorney with the MacArthur Justice Center, told Vice's Motherboard, 'The system is telling police that every time they go out in response to a ShotSpotter alert they should assume that anybody in the vicinity is armed and they've just fired a weapon. Adam Toledo was shot dead by a Chicago cop during a foot chase on March 29 'The system is telling police officers that anybody in the area is a mortal threat. Following up on those alerts is creating a dangerous situation, and it's happening 61 times a day in the city of Chicago.' In May, the MacArthur Justice Center released an analysis of ShotSpotter data over a 21-month period in Chicago, finding that 89percent of the technology's alerts in that time led to no evidence of a gun crime and 86percent of the alerts led to no evidence a crime at all. In a statement sent to the Daily Mail, ShotSpotter contested the MJC report and said that it 'draws erroneous conclusions from researchers interpretation of police report categorizations, falsely equating them with no shots fired.' The statement added that ShotSpotter 'has earned trust and high renewal rates from many police departments because the system is effective in helping save lives, reducing gun violence, and making communities safer. 911 call center data alone provides an incomplete and misleading picture of ShotSpotters accuracy and effectiveness.' Civil rights groups in Chicago have launched an online petition asking that the CPD end its contract with ShotSpotter, which expires on August 19, 2021. The petition, which has garnered 1,038 of its 1,600-signature goal, argues that ShotSpotter should be ousted in favor of more transparent crime-prevention measures like community-orientated policing. It reads: 'There is no scientific evidence that ShotSpotter can reliably tell the difference between the sound of actual gunshots and other loud noises like firecrackers, tires blowing out, construction noise, and other urban sounds. 'ShotSpotter has never done a scientific study of its "false alert" rate, and ShotSpotter's technology is not independently validated. ShotSpotter also actively fights in court to keep how its system works a secret.' Video shows the pursuing officer ordering Toledo to stop and show his hands, which the teen is seen doing in the screenshot above Civil rights groups in Chicago have launched an online petition asking that the CPD end its contract with ShotSpotter, which expires on August 19, 2021 The petition, which has garnered 1,038 of its 1,600-signature goal, argues that ShotSpotter should be ousted in favor of more transparent crime-prevention measures like community-orientated policing Above, protestors were in the streets of Chicago following Toledo's killing Freddy Martinez, director of the nonprofit the Lucy Parsons Lab, told WTTW, a PBS affiliate: 'ShotSpotter is not found in any majority-white neighborhoods, obviously we know that it's not the case that there's no gun violence in those neighborhoods. So what happens is that you have police officers thinking there's gunfire, racing to the scene where black and brown people are hanging out, and really just thinking that everyone is an armed suspect. It's quite dangerous and leads to very harmful interactions, which is one of the things we saw with the Adam Toledo case. If it wasn't for ShotSpotter, if it wasn't for the high-risk foot chase, then maybe that child would still be alive today.' In some cases, prosecutors have been forced to completely throw out criminal cases when the only evidence is from a ShotSpotter alert. One of them included the killing of 25-year-old Safarain Herring, who was shot in the head last May 31 and dropped off at St. Bernard Hospital in Chicago by 64-year old Michael Williams. Police charged Williams in his death because ShotSpotter generated an alert for the location where Herring was allegedly shot and Williams care was stopped before he picked Herring up and drove him to the hospital. According to Vice's Motherboard, however, 19 ShotSpotter sensors detected a percussive sound at the time and sent an alert for a mile away from the site of Herring's murder. The technology initially recorded the sound as being a firework, but after the alert came in, a ShotSpotter analyst manually overrode the algorithms and recorded the sound as a gunshot. A month later, when the case was being seen, another analyst changed the alerts coordinates to be the exact point of the Herring shooting. 'Through this human-involved method, the ShotSpotter output in this case was dramatically transformed from data that did not support criminal charges of any kind to data that now forms the centerpiece of the prosecution's murder case against Mr. Williams,' wrote Williams's public defender in a Fryre motion, which is used to request a judge re-examine a given forensic method used as evidence. Instead of defending ShotSpotter, however, prosecutors in the case threw out the evidence. According to Motherboard, court documents from the Williams case and other trials in Chicago and New York State reveal that analysts with the company often override and change alerts to support a different narrative. Manes, from the MacArthur Justice Center, said to Motherboard, 'Rather than defend the evidence, [prosecutors] just ran away from it. Right now, nobody outside of ShotSpotter has ever been able to look under the hood and audit this technology. We wouldn't let forensic crime labs use a DNA test that hadn't been vetted and audited.' Sam Klepper, senior vice president for marketing and product strategy at ShotSpotter, defended the use of ShotSpotter and said it is up to the prosecutors to determine if it is accurate evidence. 'Whether ShotSpotter evidence is relevant to a case is a matter left to the discretion of a prosecutor and counsel for a defendant ShotSpotter has no reason to believe that these decisions are based on a judgment about the ShotSpotter technology,' he said. The company has not allowed any independent testing of its algorithms, and there's evidence that the claims it makes in marketing materials about accuracy may not be entirely scientific, Motherboard reported. He also disputed Motherboard's findings about ShotSpotter's inaccuracies, saying that 'the data source used to draw their conclusions, on its own, results in an incomplete picture of an incident' because a gun may have been fired even if there is no documented police evidence that it was. Another case muddled by ShotSpotter involved the police shooting of Silvon Simmons in 2016 in Rochester, New York. Police claimed Simmons shot at them before they fired three shots in his back. However, the only evidence to verify such claims came from ShotSpotter. The technology at first detected helicopter rotors, but Rochester police contacted ShotSpotter shortly before an analyst ruled that there was another shot fired, according to Motherboard. Paul Greene, an employee of ShotSpotter and its expert witness, testified at Simmons' trial that the Rochester Police Department asked him to search and see if there were other shots fired at the time, according to a civil lawsuit Simmons has filed against the city and the company. Greene found another shot shot, despite there being no physical evidence at the scene that Simmons had fired. Rochester police also refused multiple requests to test Simmons's hands and clothing for gunshot residue. What's more is that the ShotSpotter audio files, which were the only evidence of the additional shot, have since been deleted. According to Simmons' civil suit, both the company and the Rochester Police Department 'lost, deleted and/or destroyed the spool and/or other information containing sounds pertaining to the officer-involved shooting. Greene acknowledged at plaintiff's criminal trial that employees of ShotSpotter and law enforcement customers with an audio editor can alter any audio file that's not been locked or encrypted.' In a number of cases, prosecutors have withdrawn its findings due to inaccuracy claims where it appears police have had the information altered. Above, Chicago officers were patrolling during a protest on April 16 A jury ultimately acquitted Simmons of attempted murder and a judge overturned his conviction for possession of a gun, citing ShotSpotter's unreliability. Greene has testified as a government witness in dozens of criminal trials and was involved in another allegedly altered report in Chicago, in 2018, when Ernesto Godinez, then 27, was charged with shooting a federal agent in the city, Motherboard reported. ShotSpotter evidence alleged that that seven shots had been fired at the scene, including five near a doorway where surveillance footage showed Godinez standing and near where shell casings were later found. But the video did not show any muzzle flashes from the doorway, and the shell casings could not be matched to the bullets that hit the agent, according to court records. 'An hour or so after the incident occurred, we were contacted by Chicago PD and asked to search foressentially, search for additional audio clips. And this does happen on a semi-regular basis with all of our customers,' Greene told the court, according to a transcript of the trial. He later ruled that there were five additional gunshots that the company's algorithms did not pick up. Greene also said at trial that 'we freely admit that anything and everything in the environment can affect location and detection accuracy.' Godinzes's attorney Gal Pissetky told Motherboard, 'The reliability of their technology has never been challenged in court and nobody is doing anything about it. Chicago is paying millions of dollars for their technology and then, in a way, preventing anybody from challenging it.' In response to the alleged altering of data, a ShotSpotter representative said to the Daily Mail, 'We categorically deny any allegations that ShotSpotter manipulates any details of an incident at the request of the police. We respond to requests to further investigate an incident but only to provide the facts that we can determine and not to fit a predetermined narrative.' It added, 'Our trained forensic analysts spend an average of 8 hours per incident to put together a court admissible document that is exact on rounds fired, timing and sequence of shots fired something they can testify to in court. This is about being diligent and providing the appropriate evidence and insights in the evidentiary chain of custody and nothing more.' In May, the MacArthur Justice Center found that 86percent of ShotSpotter alerts led to no evidence a crime at all. Above, protestors were denouncing the killing of Adam Toledo after the CPD released bodycam footage Motherboard reported that it recently obtained data showing the racial disparity in Chicago's deployment of ShotSpotter technology, as sensors have been placed almost exclusively in predominantly black and brown communities. However, white neighborhoods have no sensors at all, despite Chicago police data that shows gun crime is spread throughout the city. Asiaha Butler, president of the Resident Association of Greater Englewood, told Motherboard, 'If you had relationships with any of the people on the block, you wouldn't need the technology, 'cause we could tell you.' When shots ring out in the neighborhood, police may respond faster, but it's an 'over-militarized police presence. You see a lot of them. It's not a friendly interaction,' she said. Klepper told Motherboard, no the company's behalf, 'In general, police department customers determine coverage areas with assistance from ShotSpotter by analyzing historical gunfire and homicide data to assess areas most in need of gunshot detection. He continued, 'We believe all residents that live in communities experiencing persistent gunfire deserve a rapid police response that gunshot detection enables, regardless of race or geographic location. While gun violence can unfortunately happen anywhere at any time, cities lack sufficient funds to cover an entire city with gunshot detection technology, so they most commonly deploy sensors in neighborhoods with the highest levels of gun violence to make the greatest impact.' A 75-year-old Colorado man has filed a lawsuit after a police officer used a taser on him in his own home without warning and knelt on his neck, causing months of injury which required surgery. Michael Clark was at home when Nicholas Hanning, an officer with Idaho Springs police department, arrived on May 30. Clark, thinking it was his neighbor, with whom he argued, opened the door holding an ornamental Hawaiian sword, and was tasered in less than a minute. He says he lost consciousness and struck a chair as he fell. His lawsuit asserts that Hanning then put pressure on his neck that deprived him of oxygen, prolonged his loss of consciousness and increased his risk of death. Hanning has been charged with third-degree assault and fired. Sarah Schielke, Clark's attorney, of The Life & Liberty Law Office, says Clark spent the day of May 30 putting American flags on the graves of fallen soldiers buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery. 'He would end the day tased, tackled, kicked, and choked by Idaho Springs Police officers while he was unarmed and unclothed, inside his own apartment,' Schielke said. Michael Clark opened the door at 10:50pm on May 30 holding an ornamental sword, which he dropped when the police asked him to. One of the officers then used his taser on Clark Clark had been involved in a dispute with his neighbor, so grabbed the sword to open the door Police body camera footage shows the May 30 encounter in Idaho Springs, Colorado Nicholas Hanning, a police officer in Colorado, used a Taser on a 75-year-old man less than a minute after he answered his door with a 'Hawaiian sword' Body camera footage released last week appears to show Hanning's knee on Clark's neck as the handcuffed man laid on the ground after being stunned and dragged out of his apartment. The officer's knee is not always in view, so it's not clear how long that lasted. Within about 15 seconds, Hanning's knee can be seen again but on Clark's back just below the neck. Police initially said Clark and an officer got into an altercation before the Taser was used but later said Hanning initiated the altercation and that Clark put down a sword-like weapon when asked. Police Chief Nathan Buseck, who asked prosecutors to investigate, declined to comment on pending litigation. Colorado lawmakers passed a sweeping police reform law during nationwide protests over George Floyd's killing last year by a Minneapolis officer who pressed a knee into his neck. Clark is seen on the ground, having been Tasered by the officer A female officer can be seen dragging Clark's wrist, while Hanning grabbed his feet Hanning can be seen kneeling on Clark's neck during the arrest Clark was then sat up and placed in handcuffs, asking what he had done wrong It banned officers from using chokeholds, defined as any pressure that could make breathing difficult or impossible or pressure to the carotid arteries to stop the flow of blood to the brain. Clark's body began sending blood cells to the injured carotid artery within 24 hours and he had a stroke the next day, according to the lawsuit. Clark is suing Hanning, another officer with him at Clark's apartment, their supervisor and the city. According to the footage and court documents, Hanning and his partner knocked on the door to Clark's apartment without announcing they were police. A 30-year-old woman who had just moved in next door had accused Clark of punching her in the face, which Clark later denied. The lawsuit alleges the woman was intoxicated, offered authorities varying accounts of what happened and had no injuries. Clark had yelled through the wall at his new neighbors about making loud noise as he was trying to sleep, according to the lawsuit. He answered the door with a collectible sawfish snout sword, thinking it might be the neighbors coming to confront him, but only realized it was the police once he opened the door, it said. Clark was left seriously injured after the May 30 encounter and is yet to return home, his lawyer has said The officers' body camera footage shows Hanning going into Clark's apartment and telling him to put down the sword, which Clark does immediately. The lawsuit says Hanning also kicked Clark in the knee and punched him in the head. Clark then refused the officers' conflicting commands to get on the ground and get out of the apartment, forcefully saying: 'No,' the video shows. Then, as Clark was talking about his neighbors being noisy, Hanning used his Taser on him, less than a minute after Clark opened his door. Clark fell immediately and his his head on a chair. He was visibly bleeding from a cut above his right eye and Hanning told him: 'You're under arrest right now.' Clark asked: 'What's going on? I've done nothing wrong. What did I do?' 'You punched that girl then you answered the door with a freaking machete,' Hanning answered. 'I attacked nobody I was just laying in bed,' Clark said. Eight weeks after Clark was wheeled out of his apartment building with his arms and ankles tied to a stretcher, he has not been able to return home and is in a nursing home in need of surgery on his heart and to remove a burst appendix, according to the lawsuit. Doctors do not think his heart is strong enough to undergo surgery on his appendix and they do not want to operate on his heart and risk infection caused by the ruptured appendix, it said. An Afghan villager giving evidence against Ben Roberts-Smith says he called Australian soldiers 'infidels' and the insurgents they killed 'martyrs'. Mohammed Hanifa is the first of four witnesses from the Taliban stronghold of Darwan to give evidence on behalf of Nine newspapers in the Federal Court. Mr Hanifa has supported Nine's claims that Mr Roberts-Smith kicked an unarmed prisoner called Ali Jan off a cliff at Darwan and then ordered him to be executed. Mr Roberts-Smith is suing the publisher for accusing him of war crimes including involvement in six murders during his service with the Special Air Service in Afghanistan. Mohammed Hanifa is the first of four Afghan witnesses to give evidence for Nine newspapers in the defamation action brought by war hero Ben Roberts-Smith. He has said he considered Australian soldiers 'infidels' and the Taliban fighters they killed 'martyrs' Mr Roberts-Smith, 42, is suing Nine newspapers at the Federal Court trial in Sydney over media reports alleging he was involved in war crimes including murdering prisoners in Afghanistan. He is pictured arriving at court on Monday The alleged murder of a man called Ali Jan is the centrepiece claim in a series of stories Nine newspapers published in 2018 accusing Mr Roberts-Smith of war crimes. Mr Roberts-Smith is pictured in Aghanistan after the June 2010 battle in which he earned the Victoria Cross Bruce McClintock SC, for Mr Roberts-Smith, asked Mr Hanifa on Tuesday if he called foreign soldiers who had come to his country 'infidels'. 'It is true,' he said. 'It is true, yes. We call them infidels.' Mr McClintock then asked Mr Hanifa if that was how he regarded foreign soldiers - as infidels, unfaithful to his Islamic religion. 'Yes, brother, it is like that,' he said. 'That is how people say.' Mr McClintock: 'You hate the soldiers don't you because they are infidels?' Mr Hanifa: 'If they are coming to our houses, go inside to our women of course that is what we call them - infidels.' Mr McClintock: 'You hate them dont you?' Mr Hanifa: 'No, I don't like them.' Mr McClintock then asked Mr Hanifa if he called the fighters killed by the infidels 'martyrs'. 'Yes, that is it, yes,' he said. Mr McClintock: 'That is how you see it, isn't it?' Mr Hanifa: 'Yes, yes.' The villagers giving evidence against Mr Roberts-Smith are all from Darwan (pictured) in the Taliban stronghold of Uruzgan province and three have been described as members of the same extended family Mr McClintock also asked Mr Hanifa if he agreed with the Taliban goal of ridding Afghanistan of the infidels. 'We are not concerned with the Taliban,' he said. 'We are not concerned with the government. We are the public.' Mr Hanifa has given evidence about an Australian raid on Darwan on September 11, 2012 in which was allegedly killed. That day SAS troopers came to the village looking for a rogue Afghan soldier called Hekmatullah, who had shot dead three Australian soldiers a fortnight earlier. Mr McClintock put to Mr Hanifa that Darwan had been raided seven months, four months and one month before the SAS returned to hunt for Hekmatullah. 'You knew Darwan was being raided because it was a Taliban stronghold,' Mr McClintock told the witness. 'There were raids there, there were raids, I don't now about Darwan being the centre of the Taliban,' he replied. 'Maybe there were Taliban.' Mr McClintock has repeatedly accused Mr Hanifa of lying about details of the Darwan raid. Repeatedly Mr Hanifa has responded with versions of the same phrase: 'I have seen it with my own eyes. Whether you call it a lie, that is up to you.' Mr Hanifa has given evidence about an Australian raid on Darwan (pictured) in which Ali Jan was allegedly killed. That day SAS troopers came to the village looking for a rogue Afghan soldier called Hekmatullah, who had shot dead three Australian soldiers a fortnight earlier Mr Hanifa is giving evidence before the Federal Court from Kabul through a Pashto interpreter in Canada. He had spent all his life in Darwan until recently moving to Afghanistan's capital. One of his father's two wives is Ali Jan's sister. The 38-year-old was living with his father Shahzad Aka and some of his 18 siblings in the village on the day the SAS came for Hekmatullah and Ali Jan was allegedly killed. Mr Hanifa said he did not know Hekmatullah but had known Ali Jan since childhood, although he lived in another village three hours' walk from Darwan. He knew Hekmatullah was a Taliban fighter who used the radio call sign 'Abid'. 'He has a wireless,' Mr Hanifa told the court. 'And he has a gun.' Mr Hanifa said the Taliban was 'everywhere' in Uruzgan province. One of his brothers had once been taken to Tarin Kowt for interrogation, he told the court. He denied another brother had died while fighting with the insurgents. 'My maternal cousin, he had a fight with him, and hit him with a stone on the head.' Asked by Mr McClintock if he had known Hekmatullah was in Darwan before the September 11 raid he said, 'No, I was not aware.' 'We were aware that Hekmatullah had killed Australian soldiers but we were not aware he killed three soldiers or that he was there.' Ali Jan, Mr Hanifa said, was a married father-of-three engaged in irrigation, grazing cattle and selling wood. Australian troops aboard helicopters are pictured searching for Hekmatullah in the Gizab region of Uruzgan province after he murdered three of their comrades in August 2012 Mr Hanifa denied Ali Jan was connected to the Taliban 'no, nothing like that' or any sort of fighter. 'No, he was providing for his children and he was protecting his family and his property,' he said. The alleged murder of Ali Jan is the centrepiece claim in a series of stories Nine newspapers published in 2018 accusing Mr Roberts-Smith of war crimes. Nine newspapers including The Sydney Morning Herald allege Mr Roberts-Smith pushed Ali Jan off a cliff and ordered his execution. Mr Roberts-Smith has told the Federal Court he did not mistreat any prisoner, there was no unlawful killing and there was not even a cliff at Darwan. Mr Hanifa said Ali Jan had come to Darwan to mill wheat and was planning to collect woods from the mountains. He had two donkeys with him. The day Ali Jan was allegedly killed Mr Hanifa was at the house of his neighbour Man Gul when he saw helicopters carrying soldiers arrive on the outskirts of the village. 'I told him there was a raid,' he said. Ali Jan was beside a creek with two donkeys heading towards the house and Mr Hanifa quickly hatched a plan. Australian troops, including the Special Air Service, were based at Tarin Kowt during the war in Afghanistan. Four Afghans from Darwan will give evidence from Kabul about the alleged unlawful killing of a man called Ali Jan in their village on September 11, 2012 'I took one of the donkey from him thinking that we will look like nomads and the foreign forces will think that we are nomads,' Mr Hanifa told the court. 'Two shots were fired at us so we returned back. We had the donkeys with us and we stopped at the guest house.' Man Gul brought Mr Hanifa and Ali tea. Soldiers came into the village and one confronted Mr Hanifa. 'He told me to get up or stand up. I told Ali Jan not do to that because in these types of situations the soldier shoots you.' The soldier grabbed Mr Hanifa by the neck and hit his against a wall, he told the court. Mr Hanifa said he and Man Gul were detained and he was accused by an interpreter of being a member of the Taliban. 'He took out a pistol and he put it on my throat. He put it there and he said, "You are a Talib. I shot your father".' 'Then he pointed the pistol to my head and he hit me with the pistol and he said, "Show me Hekmatullah, otherwise I will shoot you in your head".' Mr Roberts-Smith is pictured with his barrister Bruce McClintock SC outside court on Monday. The war hero is 202cm - or 6'6' - tall Mr Hanifa said he was ordered to stare into the eyes of a 'big soldier' while he was being interrogated and when he looked away that soldier punched him 'many, many times'. Nine will suggest the 'big soldier' is Mr Roberts-Smith, who is 202cm (6'6") tall. Mr Hanifa said the big soldier also kicked him twice in the abdomen before the interrogators turned their attention to Ali Jan. 'I told Ali Jan, "Don't laugh or don't smile because they do not like when you smile or when you laugh,' he told the court. Mr Hanifa said when the big soldier said something to Ali Jan, whose hands were tied, he smiled. The big soldier then kicked him 'really hard' and Ali Jan fell on his back. 'He was rolling down, rolling down, until he reached the river,' Mr Hanifa said. 'At that time, the big soldier, he shouted. Also a shot was fired.' Mr Hanifa said he saw two other soldiers drag Ali Jan to a berry tree and heard more shots. He did not see the big soldier again and did not see Ali Jan being killed. Mr Hanifa later followed a trail of blood and found what he said was the body of Ali Jan. He had one arm behind his back and his hands were not tied. Ali Jan had been shot in the face, the left side of the head and the belly, he claimed. He was then shown a photograph taken that day of a dead man with a radio and bag near his body. 'This was Ali Jan,' he said. 'They put those things with his body.' Under cross-examination Mr Hanifa said he had not seen any shots fired at Ali Jan by anyone, including the big soldier. Mr Roberts-Smith is pictured receiving his Victoria Cross for gallantry from then Governor-General Dame Quentin Bryce in 2011. He also holds the Medal for Gallantry The Afghans giving evidence against Mr Roberts-Smith have previously given statements to the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force. Australian Special Operations Task Group troops are pictured in Uruzgan province in 2012 'I don't know if he fired the shots or someone else,' he told barrister Bruce McClintock SC for Mr Roberts Smith. 'I told you that I saw Ali Jan being dragged to this tree, after that I didn't see him,' he told the court. 'Shots were fired, whether you consider this a lie or a truth is up to you.' Mr Hanifa is the first of four Afghan witnesses set to give evidence for Nine from their war-torn homeland this week. Afghan National Army sergeant Hekmatullah (pictured) shot dead three Australian soldiers near Tarik Kowt in August 2012 The others are Man Gul, Shahzad Aka and a woman known as Bora. They are all from Darwan in the Taliban-controlled Uruzgan province and the three men have been described as members of the same extended family. The witnesses are giving their testimony through a Pashto interpreter based in Ontario, Canada. Mr Roberts-Smith's lawyers have their own translator in Sydney. Mr Roberts-Smith, who Nine newspapers accused of involvement in six murders during his service in Afghanistan, has denied taking part in any unlawful killings. He says that the day Nine claims Ali Jan was murdered the only Afghans killed were Taliban insurgents. Early in the mission Mr Roberts-Smith had swum the Helmand River and shot dead a an insurgent called Mullah Ghafur who was armed with an AK-47-style assault rifle. Nine alleges that near the end of the mission Mr Roberts-Smith and members of his patrol detained, handcuffed and questioned Mohammed Hanifa, Man Gul and Ali Jan. The newspapers claim Mr Roberts-Smith forced Ali Jan to kneel at the edge of a cliff while still handcuffed and then took a number of steps back before kicking him hard in the midriff. The former SAS corporal's legal team argues their client is a victim of a lying campaign by journalists and failed soldiers jealous of his stellar military career and Victoria Cross Mr Roberts-Smith is suing newspapers including the Sydney Morning Herald which ran this front page investigation into allegations of war crimes committed in Afghanistan on the weekend of June 9 and 10, 2018 According to Nine, Ali Jan fell over the cliff and landed in a dry creek bed below. The impact of the fall was so great it knocked Ali Jan's teeth out of his mouth. Nicholas Owens SC for Nine asked Mr Hanifa if there had been an embankment or slope up from the creek bed. 'No, nothing like that, no slope, anything like that,' he said. Nine alleges Ali Jan was moved by two soldiers to the other side of the creek bed where he was shot by Mr Roberts-Smith or another SAS member called Person 11, or both. Mr Roberts-Smith has given evidence that no such incident ever took place and disputed there was even a drop he would consider a cliff at Darwan. Instead of having executed a prisoner, Mr Roberts-Smith said he was nearby when Person 11 engaged and killed a Taliban 'spotter' in a cornfield. The trial was suspended on June 29 after a month of hearing because of Sydney's Covid-19 lockdown and the inability of interstate witnesses to give evidence. Lawyers for Nine and Mr Roberts-Smith have been required to be in court to hear the Afghans' evidence, despite the lockdowns. Inner-city residents deafened by the construction of an underground highway were given noise-cancelling headphones by contractors to keep quiet about the noise. Neighbours in Rozelle in Sydney's inner-west were given the $600 Bose headphones after complaining about the noise disruption from the motorway interchange being built beneath their homes. Waterloo Street resident David Anderson described the noise from the works, which is part of the city's $3.9billion WestConnex project, as a 'roaring, rolling thunder'. But when he and his neighbours complained to contractor John Holland CPB about the issue, Mr Anderson received only two pairs headphones for him and his son and a letter asking him not to seek compensation from the company. Pictured: The Westconnex Rozelle interchange construction site. Residents living above the highway project claim they were given noise-cancelling headphones by contractors to keep quiet about the noise coming from the works The confidentiality agreement also asked residents not to discuss receiving the headphones publicly. The letter said the headphones were not 'an admission or agreement of any kind by JHCPB that the resident is entitled to any compensation for the inconvenience caused by the project'. 'It's appalling,' Mr Anderson told the Sydney Morning Herald. 'For a couple of pairs of headphones, it's incredible overreach.' 'I bet they're highly embarrassed by it because I'm sure they didn't think a confidentiality agreement like that would be made public,' resident Mark Wallis told 9News. 'They've chosen the wrong street to do that in,' another neighbour said. Mr Anderson's home is only 16 metres above a set of road tunnels being dug into the ground as part of the Rozelle interchange, which will link Sydney's M4 and M5 tunnels. Resident David Anderson received only two pairs of headphones for him and his son from the project's contractor and a letter asking him not to seek compensation from the company He said the noise from the project was so strong he could hear it at all hours of the night. 'You hear it at 2am, and 4am. When it gets going it's like this really guttural, rolling thunder and then it stops, and 10 minutes later it starts again,' he said. He said he would keep the headphones but would not agree to the contractor's terms. Next week, residents on the street will face further disruption when their road is dug up so cables can be laid for the Metro West rail project. Work is pictured on the WestConnex M4 tunnel at Concord in Sydney's inner-west. Mr Anderson's home is only 16 metres above a set of road tunnels being dug into the ground as part of the Rozelle interchange Transport for NSW executive director Paul McCormick said the issue was 'not communicated to the best that we could'. 'Our teams go and speak to the residents every day on these projects and all I ask is the residents speak to my community team and we will work with them to come up with solutions,' he said. Daily Mail Australia has contacted John Holland CPB for comment. Recently retired US Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming has died aged 77 just days after suffering major injuries in a bicycle accident. Enzi died peacefully Monday surrounded by family and friends, his former spokesman Max D'Onofrio said. The former congressman was admitted to UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, Colorado, with a broken neck and ribs after a bicycle accident near Gillette, Wyoming, on Friday, according a statement posted on his Twitter account Monday. Recently retired US Senator Mike Enzi of Wyoming has died days after a bike accident A statement posted to his Twitter account Tuesday asks for 'privacy and continued prayers' Enzi was stabilized before being flown to the hospital. He remained unconscious and was unable to recover from his injuries, D'Onofrio said. Enzi crashed near his home about 8.30pm Friday, Daly said, around the time Gillette police received a report of a man lying unresponsive in a road near a bike. Enzi, third from the right, was part of the bipartisan Gang of Six focused on healthcare reform in 2009. He told a Wyoming town hall that his goal was to prevent 'national health care' Enzi, left, meets with senators in Washington to discuss health reform in November 2008 Police have seen no indication that anybody else was nearby or involved in the accident, Lt. Brent Wasson told the newspaper. Enzi, a Republican, retired in January after four terms as senator. He was first elected to a six-year term in 1996 after a close primary. He represented Wyoming, the country's least populated state with 578,759 residents. Often ranked as one of the most conservative members of Congress, he won re-elections handily in 2002, 2008 and 2014 with more than 70 percent of the vote each time. His '80-20 rule' called on colleagues to focus on the 80 percent of an issue where legislators tended to agree and discard the 20 percent where they didn't. 'Nothing gets done when we're just telling each other how wrong we are,' Enzi said in his farewell address to the Senate in 2020. 'Just ask yourself: Has anyone ever really changed your opinion by getting in your face and yelling at you or saying to you how wrong you are? Usually that doesn't change hearts or minds.' Enzi and his wife, Diana, visit a children's playground in Tangalle, Sri Lanka in April 2006 after the US agreed to help restore 100 playgrounds affected by the deadly 2004 tsunami Enzi was ranked favorably by the National Rifle Association and a group with strong stances against illegal immigration. He opposed abortion and voted against President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, though he became a member of the bipartisan Gang of Six that focused on negotiating health care reform in 2009. 'It's not where I get them to compromise, it's what I get them to leave out,' Enzi said during a town hall in Wyoming at the time. 'If I hadn't been involved in this process as long as I have and to the depth as I have, you would already have national health care.' He supported the Iraq War at first, later voting against funding that increased domestic spending, and was one of 22 senators who asked then-President Donald Trump to leave the climate change Paris Agreement, which Trump withdrew the US from in 2017. Enzi, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, makes an opening statement on the 2020 budget resolution in Washington in March 2019 His more recent accomplishments included advancing legislation to enable sales taxes to be collected on internet sales crossing state lines. He played a major role in reforming the No Child Left Behind law that set performance standards for elementary, middle and high school students. He fought for Wyoming as the top coal-mining state to receive payments through the federal Abandoned Mine Land program, which taxes coal operations to help reclaim abandoned mining properties. Enzi was born Feb. 1, 1944, in Bremerton, Washington. His family moved to Thermopolis soon after. He graduated from Sheridan High School in 1962 and from George Washington University with a degree in accounting in 1966. He received a master's in retail marketing from the University of Denver in 1968. His political career began in the coal mining town of Gillette, where he moved after marrying Diana Buckley in 1969 to expand his father's shoe business, NZ Shoes. He opened more stores in Sheridan and Miles City, Montana, before being elected mayor of Gillette in 1974 after an 'impromptu decision to run.' From 1985 to 1997, Enzi worked for Dunbar Well Service in Gillette, where he was an accounting manager, computer programmer and safety trainer. He served in the Wyoming House of Representatives from 1987 to 1991 and in the Wyoming Senate from 1991 to 1997 before departing for Washington. Cynthia Lummis, a Republican former congresswoman and state treasurer, was elected in November to succeed Enzi in the Senate. His family expressed appreciation for prayers and support they've received but asked for privacy, D'Onofrio said. The family is planning 'a celebration of a life well-lived,' he said in a statement, and plans to share details later. Enzi is survived by his wife; two daughters, Amy and Emily; a son, Brad; and several grandchildren. Australia needs to double its blood donation effort for the rest of the year to ensure a healthy supply, the Red Cross says. COVID-19 restrictions, including lockdowns, have hit donor rates, and the Australian Red Cross's Lifeblood division is appealing for people to come forward. Australia needs nearly 7000 donations in the next fortnight and to double appointments through until Christmas, donor services director Cath Stone said. COVID-19 lockdowns have led to many Aussies cancelling regular blood donations with the country needing to double its blood donation by the end of the year to ensure healthy supply "Unfortunately COVID lockdowns, a change in people's movements and lifestyles, and general social anxiety has led to many of our wonderful donors cancelling their regular donations, or simply failing to show up," she said on Tuesday. "Our message today is 'please come back'." Australians are still getting the blood supplies they need, but ongoing reluctance to donate could lead to shortages. The Australian Red Cross urges people with O-positive and O-negative blood types to book donation appointments as ongoing reluctance could lead to shortages "We'd especially love to see people with O-positive and O-negative blood types book their donation soon," Ms Stone said. Information, including eligibility to donate blood, can be found at www.lifeblood.com.au A decrepit fibro home in Sydney's west has sold for an astonishing fee well above what its owner expected after frenzied bidding in an online auction. The 1150sqm property on Derwent street, in Mount Druitt, sold for $1.92million on July 24, a record $520,000 over the owner's reserve. Gentrification projects and the train lines linking western Sydney to the incoming Badgerys Creek airport contributed to the sale price, but the block was also a prime candidate for developers. A home (pictured) on Derwent street in Mount Druitt has sold for $1.92million in an online auction on July 24 Thirty-two bidders took part in the auction, which was said to be at a frantic pace as people are finding better value in Sydney's west than other areas 'It was on a corner block with R2 zoning and developers know anything they build on the site will resell for a good price at the moment,' Agent Sid Elias told realestate.com.au. R2 zoning is land comprised mainly of low density housing, which allows for housing and a variety of community facilities or services such as child care centres, dwelling houses and seniors housing. LJ Hooker Colyton/St Clair had expected a similar result to the previous Mt Druitt R2 property record set in May, but this sale smashed it by about $600,000 as 32 bidders fought it out for the hot property. 'A lot of people think of Mount Druitt as Struggle Street but it has actually become one of the most sought after areas in Sydney because of the better value,' Auctioneer Jerome Smith said. The sky-high price was said to be due to gentrification projects and also the new train line linking the Badgerys Creek airport to Sydney's west The fibro home received an opening bid of $1.17million and reached $520,000 over the owner's reserve price Mr Elias said that buyers are often coming from out of area, especially from Parramatta and Canterbury-Bankstown due to being priced out of their own area, with more being on offer in Mt Druitt. The auction was held by Above the Reserve Auction Services and bidding was said to be incredibly fast, with an opening bid of $1.17 million. 'Online auctions have a lot of benefits, you don't have to leave home and no one knows who you are. We had some relatives bidding against each other, without knowing,' Mr Elias said. Australia's first domestic violence shelter for men has opened in Queensland after a $100,000 funding boost. Homeless refuge Sheltered By Grace, based in the south Brisbane suburb of Logan, has added a 12-bedroom wing to house male victims of family violence. The facility already had 24 rooms for men and women who were experiencing homelessness as a result of domestic violence, drug and alcohol dependence, and mental or physical health issues. The space for male domestic violence victims was funded by a $97,000 grant from the Gambling Community Benefit Fund. Homeless refuge Sheltered By Grace, based is in the south Brisbane suburb of Logan, has added a 12-bedroom wing to house male victims of family violence Sheltered By Grace founder Jason Loakes (above) told the ABC he believed the shelter was one of the first of its kind in Australia for men who need housing after escaping family violence Sheltered By Grace founder Jason Loakes told the ABC he believed the shelter was one of the first of its kind in Australia for men who need housing after escaping family violence. The charity offers 'supported' accommodation and case management for single men over 25 who are aiming to re-establish their independence. Up to 50 people leave the refuge annually to restart their lives in the community. 'Our programs are person centred (designed for the individual), trauma informed (acknowledges the impact of trauma) and designed to really help people get their lives back on track rather than just band aid problems,' the refuge's website claims. Another charity, Jeremiah House in Bundaberg on Queensland's central coast, was also planning a shelter for men. Sheltered By Grace operates without government funding, relying on private donations and fundraising. It charges a rental fee for its housing, depending on a person's income - the first four weeks is a flat rate of 85% of a client's pay. 'We are not government funded and our focus is on the provision of supported accommodation and dedicated programs for men and women over the age of 25 suffering from trauma that has led to homelessness.' Mr Loakes told local paper The Jimboomba Times that a friend's experience of homelessness inspired him and his wife Lisa (above) to start the refuge in 2010 In 2019 Mr Loakes told local paper The Jimboomba Times that a friend's experience of homelessness inspired him and his wife Lisa to start the refuge in 2010. The friend had to flee a domestic violence situation with his daughters and he then struggled to find work, but found that support for men in his situation was non-existent. 'A landlord got jack of him for being behind in rent and he was homeless with two daughters,' Mr Loakes said. 'There were no agencies to help homeless men with daughters at that time.' Daily Mail Australia recently told the stories of a number of men who had experienced domestic violence at the hands of female partners, including one man who was homeless and living in the roof at his place of work. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures from 2017 reported one in 16 men had been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence by a current or previous partner after the age of 15. Savannah on Monday reintroduced a mask mandate, following a trail blazed by Los Angeles County and St Louis in a bid to stop soaring COVID-19 case numbers. The mayor of the Georgia city, Van Johnson, said that the number of new cases was at a high not seen since March. He said the latest seven-day rolling average of newly reported cases was 62.6 - up from 7.3 on June 28. 'Given our current situation, based on the advice of these esteemed medical professionals behind me, I have ordered the reinstatement of Savannah's mask mandate effective immediately,' he said. Van Johnson, the mayor of Savannah, Georgia, on Monday announced that his city is bringing in a new mask mandate to stop the spread of COVID-19 The mayor tweeted a message informing Savannah's citizens about the new rules Savannah sits in Chatham County, where the number of infections is soaring A sign is posted inside Grand Central Market in Los Angeles on July 19. A new mask mandate went into effect on July 17 'How we handle this place where we are now will determine how our rest of our year returns. 'We've come too far and we've done so well. Our businesses are booming and things are looking up for us to go back here. 'But as far as I'm concerned, our first priority is to keep our citizens safe, to keep our employees safe. To keep our employees that are working in hospitality and tourism industry safe. And certainly keep our visitors safe. 'So it's for me, the short and long-term health effects associated COVID-19 are too high.' He pleaded with people in his city to get vaccinated, as a matter of urgency, and pointed out that children cannot be currently vaccinated, and so are vulnerable. 'Anyone who has been hesitant about getting the vaccine,' he said. 'The wait and see what happens. Time is over.' Savannah had a mask mandate until June, when the case load went down and the rule was shelved. Chatham County is pictured on the Georgia coast (right side of the map), the sixth most southerly coastal county. It is colored a deep red, showing the worrying state of affairs People wear face coverings as they pass through Union Station in Los Angeles on July 19 Johnson's announcement comes as Georgia is concerned about a rise in the Delta variant. Case numbers have risen 203 percent over the past two weeks, and the state currently has only 48 percent of its population above 18 fully vaccinated. Savannah's decision came on the day that the St. Louis area became one of the first in the United States to reinstate mask requirements.. Despite pushback from some elected officials, face coverings became mandatory Monday in indoor public places and on public transportation in St. Louis city and St. Louis County for everyone age five or older - even for those who are vaccinated. As in Savannah, wearing masks outdoors is strongly encouraged, especially in group settings. The decision comes as both of Missouri's urban areas see a big uptick in coronavirus hospitalizations that began in rural areas of the state, especially in southwestern Missouri. Missouri ranks fourth nationally in the most new cases per capita in the past 14 days, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering to measure outbreak caseloads and deaths across the United States. In Nevada, workers in Las Vegas and other parts of Clark County will have to resume wearing masks indoors. Customers will not be forced to, under new rules. People shop in Hollywood, California, on July 19 - two days in to the new mask mandate In Alabama - the state with the lowest vaccination level - the number of COVID-19 patients in hospital has climbed to more than 900 - a number the state has not seen since February. The Alabama Hospital Association says there were 947 COVID-19 patients in state hospitals on Monday, up from 204 at the beginning of July. The latest number is about a third of where the state was at the peak of the pandemic when there were 3,000 virus patients in state hospitals in January. The head of the hospital association says the concern is not the number itself, but the steep upward trajectory in numbers. Dr Don Williamson said the state has the solution in the form of the vaccine, but 'there is not a long line of people wanting to be vaccinated.' Last week the governor of Alabama, Kay Ivey, a Republican, expressed her frustration at the low interest in vaccination among her state's residents. 'Folks are supposed to have common sense. But it's time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks, not the regular folks,' she said on Thursday. 'It's the unvaccinated folks that are letting us down.' Ivey's state and others across the South are hammered by new infections - with three states in the region now accounting for 40 percent of active cases nationwide. 'Almost 100 percent of the new hospitalizations are with unvaccinated folks,' she said on Thursday. 'And the deaths are certainly occurring with the unvaccinated folks. These folks are choosing a horrible lifestyle of self-inflicted pain.' She told reporters that she's done her best to fight the virus but 'can't make you take care of yourself.' Kay Ivey's state of Alabama has only seen a third of residents get vaccinated - well below the national average. As a result, cases are surging and deaths will follow Louisiana, another state with a low vaccination rate, on Monday saw hospitals cancel non-emergency surgery, to prepare for an expected surge in admissions. Yet some struggling states are refusing to reinstate mask mandates. The mayor of the county that hosts Orlando, Florida's theme park mecca, said on Monday that 'we are in crisis mode' when it comes to dealing with soaring numbers of COVID-19 infections. Florida accounted for a fifth of the nation's new infections last week, more than any other state, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Orange County Mayor Jerry Deming said Monday that the home to Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort is seeing about 1,000 new cases a day. The state health department says more than 73,000 new coronavirus cases were reported in Florida over the previous week, nearly seven times the 12,000 reported a month ago. Florida had 341 cases per 100,000 people over the past week - second only to Louisiana, according to CDC data. Despite this latest surge, Governor Ron DeSantis said Florida will not return to government mandates. Advertisement Sue Gross, the ex-wife of billionaire bond king Bill Gross (pictured together in 2012), is selling her Beverly Hills estate for $38million three years after purchasing it from Ellen DeGeneres The ex-wife of billionaire bond king Bill Gross is selling her 'resort-like' Beverly Hills estate just three years after purchasing it from Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, Portia di Rossi. Sue Gross listed the 5,286-square-foot Midcentury Modern home, which sits behind large double gates on North Alpine Drive, for $38million. She purchased the home for $35million in 2018 and has since made several renovations. Gross describes the luxurious Los Angeles County home as a place to 'escape without having to leave the city,' the Wall Street Journal reports. She is selling the property because she has another house nearby that is almost done with construction. The four bedroom home was customized to her personal tastes with the help of her interior designer Sheldon Harte and her property manager and general contractor Justin Krzyston. Krzyston and Harte helped Gross make several updates to the property. She reportedly added custom hand-raked limestone fireplace surround in the living room and had two additional bathrooms built. Gross also added a smart home systems to the property. Gross's ex-husband Bill made his fortune running PIMCO Investment management and has made headlines in the past for juvenile tactics involving his properties. Gross's 5,286-square-foot Midcentury Modern home (pictured) sits behind large double gates on North Alpine Drive Gross purchased the home for $35million in 2018 and has since made several renovations Gross purchased the home from comedian Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia di Rossi for $35million in 2015 after DeGeneres had flipped the property The Beverly Hills estate, housed on .72 acres of land, features teak and Ipe wood detailing, a walnut kitchen with a skylight, a covered patio and an outdoor pool Gross describes the luxurious Los Angeles County home as a place to 'escape without having to leave the city' The home, housed on .72 acres of land, features teak and Ipe wood detailing, a walnut kitchen with a skylight, a covered patio and an outdoor pool. Listing Agent Josh Altman told the newspaper said the fact that the property once belonged to DeGeneres highlights its quality. Gross (pictured) filed to divorce bond king Bill Gross in 2016 after 31 years of marriage 'If Ellen is buying it, lived there or owns it, it's a great piece of property,' he said. According to House Beautiful, DeGeneres had purchased the home in 2015 for $15.995million and flipped it before selling to Gross. The comedian has developed quite the reputation for flipping high-end homes. Gross, who has an extensive property portfolio, filed for divorce from Bill Gross in 2016 after 31 years of marriage. In 2018, Bill was accused of spraying his $20million marital home with fart spray after he was forced to hand over the keys to the mansion to Gross as part of a divorce settlement. Gross claimed that Bill sprayed noxious scents around the home and even crammed dead fish into air vents, making her life 'an unmitigated nightmare' for several months. She noted when she finally gained access to the property it had been left in a 'state of utter chaos and disrepair'. Aerial view of Gross' North Alpine rive property located in Beverly Hills, California While owning the property, Gross made several renovations. She added custom hand-raked limestone fireplace surround in the living room and had two additional bathrooms built The four bedroom home was customized to her personal tastes with the help of her interior designer Sheldon Harte and her property manager and general contractor Justin Krzyston The pregnant fiancee of a fly-in-fly-out worker tragically killed in a forklift accident has said she still wakes up and checks her phone for his 'good morning' texts. Brisbane man and father-to-be Joe Williams, 35, died when the forklift he was driving rolled and trapped his foot off Black Butt Court in Middleton, Central Queensland. Paramedics were called to the worksite about 2.40am on Saturday to treat a man in critical condition. Two hours later in Brisbane, Casey Watters received a knock on the door from police and her world collapsed. Joe Williams, 35, was on a shift as a FIFO worker when a forklift rolled on Saturday and trapped him underneath (pictured with partner Casey Watters) Mr Williams, a V8 Supercars fanatic, met Ms Watters four years ago after a Brisbane Broncos game (pictured together) Ms Watters, at nine-and-a-half months pregnant, was surrounded by family and friends at her Mansfield home on Monday as she struggled to understand what happened. 'I have gone from having the most loving, wonderful partner, expecting our first child, and preparing to get married, and now that's all gone,' she told The Courier Mail. Mr Williams, a V8 Supercars fanatic who would host Bathurst 1000 parties each year, was doing seven-day shifts as a FIFO worker for a fire suppression company and had been on a job north-west of Rockhampton. 'He would send me a good morning text every day that he was away working, and I am still getting up in the morning checking my phone,' Ms Watters said. 'I think it is very unfair that a dad doesn't get to meet his daughter ... He was just so excited about our baby.' Photographs of the couple, who met four years ago at a city pub after a Brisbane Broncos NRL game, show them playing with their two dogs, dressed up for a day at the horse races, and on holiday in Fiji. Joe Williams leaves behind his partner (pictured together) who is pregnant with their baby girl. A fundraiser has been started to help the grieving family Friends and family have banded together and begun two fundraising campaigns to raise money to support Ms Watters and the couple's soon-to-born baby girl. Close friend Tye Stephenson described Joe as a 'brother, partner in crime and a joker'. 'Tragically taken from us all too soon,' he wrote. 'I promise mate that I will always be here looking out for your beautiful partner Casey and beautiful baby girl, even though I know that you are looking down on them.' One GoFundMe page has currently raised nearly $5000 for the heartbroken family while another has raised even more. Mr Williams will be laid to rest next to his older brother Mark. Breakfast radio star Ben Fordham has hit back at his nemesis Amanda Keller who accused him of 'whipping up' anti-lockdown riots across Australia by criticising the restrictions. Keller, who significantly trails Fordham in the ratings, suggested her 2GB rival had caused 3,500 protesters to storm Sydney's city centre on Saturday. 'There are a lot of people who are frustrated with this lockdown, of course they are, but there's a lot of people also responsible for whipping up this up: people on other radio stations,' she told her WSFM listeners on Monday. Keller's co-host Brendan Jones asked: 'Which other radio stations?' Keller replied: 'I think Ben Fordham's been saying, "This lockdown's ridiculous".' Fordham has returned fire 24 hours after that baseless accusation, without mentioning Keller by name. 'Yesterday, someone complained that I described the month-long, great Sydney, never-ending lockdown as "ridiculous",' he said on Tuesday. 'Apparently, that kind of language is unhelpful at a time like this and it just whips people up. 'Well, my experience is people don't need any whipping up at the moment, they're already angry and anxious.' Scroll down for audio and video Breakfast radio star Ben Fordham (pictured) has hit back at his breakfast nemesis Amanda Keller who accused him of 'whipping up' anti-lockdown riots across Australia Unlike Fordham, many of the people who gathered in downtown Sydney to protest were anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theorists who deny the existence of coronavirus. The 2GB broadcaster on Tuesday reiterated his belief Sydney's eastern suburbs should have been locked down harder in mid-June when an unvaccinated limo driver, not wearing a face mask, caught the virus from returned international travellers and sparked a Bondi cluster. Fordham is also a critic of the delayed Covid disaster payments to affected businesses forced to shut down, in the absence of a federal JobKeeper scheme, as outdoor construction and lawn-mowing workers are made to stay home. The former A Current Affair reporter also criticised how anyone travelling more than 10km from their home is liable for a $1,000 fine, even in areas with zero active Covid cases, pointing out this was bad for the mental health of single people. 'I'll tell you what else is also ridiculous: treating people who live on their own like second class citizens,' Fordham said. Riot control horses were required on Saturday to control the crowds and 5,500 reports were made to police, with 63 people so far arrested for defying a public health order. Keller on Monday also had a go at Alan Jones, Fordham's breakfast predecessor at 2GB who is now on Sky News. 'The Sky presenters, Alan Jones, etcetera, "Why are we having this lockdown?",' she said. 'It's counterproductive. It whips all this up.' The former TV reporter also criticised how anyone travelling more than 10km from their home is liable for a $1,000 fine, even in areas with zero active Covid cases, pointing out this was bad for the mental health of single people Keller, who also hosts The Living Room on Network Ten, likened Sydney's anti-lockdown protestors with Americans who rioted for Donald Trump in January 2021 at the Capitol building in Washington DC in a bid to stop the Electoral College from certifying Joe Biden as the winner of the November presidential election. 'It's like looking at Trump rallies,' she said. Brendan Jones then brought up Alan Jones's controversial comments ahead of the December 2005 Cronulla riots in Sydney's south. 'It's not like Alan Jones to whip up a riot of sorts, not like Cronulla 2005,' he said. The Australian Communications and Media Authority in 2007 found Alan Jones had vilified people of Middle Eastern ethnicity and had encouraged violence. Amanda Keller (pictured), who significantly trails Fordham in the ratings, suggested her 2GB rival had caused 3,500 protesters to storm Sydney's city centre on Saturday The spat before Fordham and Keller highlights the divide between conservatives who are skeptical of the zero-Covid strategy and others who back the elimination strategy, regardless of the economic and social cost. Last week, two days before the Saturday riots, Fordham slammed the lockdowns as an 'easy option' for bureaucrats. 'And bloody hard work for everyone else,' he said on July 22. 'Sydney's a tough town. It's Australia's version of New York: if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere but that doesn't mean we are going to be treated like sheep forever and hypnotised by the mythical health advice. 'We want to know the facts: what justified each decision? What are the goals for getting out of this? Fordham has returned fire 24 hours after that baseless accusation, without mentioning Keller by name suggesting people were already angry (pictured is a performing protester in Sydney's city centre on Saturday) 'If Plan A fails, what is Plan B? We need to get to a point of learning to live with the virus because it's not going anywhere. 'That doesn't mean we let it rip through the community. It means slowly increasing freedoms where it's safe to do so.' In the GfK breakfast radio ratings for early July, Fordham came second behind Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson with a 13.3 per cent share of listeners, with Keller and Brendan Jones on 8 per cent. On his Sky News program, Jones has been much more critical of New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian's stricter lockdowns. On his Sky News program, Alan Jones (pictured) has been much more critical of New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian's stricter lockdowns 'The anger out there is white hot. Perhaps we can have a compendium of some of the nonsense that's been trotted out to us because they obviously think that workers, business, families and teenage children are all stupid,' he said. 'Remember Gladys Berejiklian in May - "I fear for Victoria and I worry about what their government may do. We have demonstrated to other states it is possible to manage an outbreak and not shut down a city". 'Not one word of apology from Berejiklian for being hopelessly wrong.' During the 13-minute segment on July 22, Alan Jones criticised the lockdown and the mask rules but he didn't suggest people should demonstrate on the streets in defiance of a public health order. Rami Ykmour, the co-founder of the Rashays restaurant chain, said the lockdowns had caused revenue at his 21 Sydney outlets to fall by 70 per cent, with 11 of those in the worst-affected areas of south-west and western Sydney. Rashays restaurant co-founder Rami Ykmour (pictured with his wife and business partner Shannon) said the lockdowns had caused revenue at his 21 Sydney outlets to fall by 70 per cent, with 11 of those in the worst-affected areas of south-west and western Sydney The entrepreneur, who works out of Chester Hill with his wife Shannon, said he was against people rioting during a pandemic but understood why many were frustrated with the lockdown. 'I'm definitely against the riots, that's 100 per cent,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Monday. 'I could understand the frustration of people: people are desperate when their back is against a wall, they tend to do things that they probably would not do in normal circumstances. 'That's what I'm afraid is happening out there.' Mr Ykmour is calling for a revival of JobKeeper wage subsidies instead of an immediate end to lockdowns, as the restrictions stop service sector workers in western Sydney from being able to afford takeaway restaurant meals. This is the astonishing moment two rival gangs of wild monkeys fought each other in front of shocked drivers in Thailand. The monkeys are normally well fed by visitors but a Covid-19 third wave lockdown has led to a renewed food shortage for the animals in Lopburi, a city in central Thailand. They were seen squaring off in front of the ruins of an ancient Buddhist temple before one group were chased away onto a nearby road. Footage shows how the two rival troops then faced-off at the busy junction while terrified motorists waited in their cars for more than four minutes. Footage shows how the two rival troops then faced-off at the busy junction while terrified motorists waited in their cars for more than four minutes The troops are normally well fed by visitors but a Covid-19 third wave lockdown has lead to a renewed food shortage for the animals in Lopburi, central Thailand There was a clear gap between the two groups but a few brave monkeys jumped in to the middle to assert their authority and provoke their opponents before they began wrestling each other. Onlooker Khun Itiphat said: 'I was in a building near the temple when I heard the monkeys squealing. There were so many of them all stood together. 'I could see they were having an argument. Then they all ran onto the road and began wrestling. There were so many of them.' One of the troops is believed to roam the grounds of the ancient temple - a popular tourist attraction where locals feed them - while the other is from an abandoned cinema. The two rival gangs blocked the road for around four minutes as people were forced to wait in their cars for minutes A similar mass monkey brawl erupted in March last year when two gangs from opposite sides of a railway track began squabbling over pieces of food. The town - around 100 miles north of the capital Bangkok - was visited regularly by tourists before the pandemic who would feed the infamous population of monkeys endless sugary treats. Despite domestic tourists and locals feeding the monkeys, a stricter lockdown which started earlier this month with travel bans and more people staying in their homes has caused the monkeys to go hungry again. Officials have also tried to control the number of monkeys by rolling out mass sterilisation programs. Supakarn Kaewchot, a government veterinarian, said: 'The monkeys are so used to having tourists feed them and the city provides no space for them to fend for themselves. 'With the tourists gone, they've been more aggressive, fighting humans for food to survive. They're invading buildings and forcing locals to flee their homes.' Lopburi, around 95 miles north of the capital Bangkok, has a large population of wild monkeys that roam the streets and buildings. Locals believe they are lucky and pay respect to them with a festival every year. However, the monkeys have often gone hungry since the pandemic started and tourists were unable to visit the country to feed the animals. Ministers may buy a stake in the Sizewell C nuclear power plant amid concerns about the involvement of China's nuclear energy company in key British infrastructure projects, it emerged last night. The Government is deciding whether to buy equity in the project or invite outside investment. The discussions have been prompted by security fears over the involvement of China General Nuclear (CGN) in plans to build the 20billion power plant. Concerns are also growing about China's approach to human rights following a major clampdown in Hong Kong and treatment of Uighur minorities in Xinjiang province, along with the country's handling of Covid-19. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said last year the UK could no longer conduct 'business as usual' with Beijing. It follows the decision to force Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei out of Britain's 5G network. But any move to limit China's role in nuclear energy is likely to provoke further tension. Ministers may buy a stake in the Sizewell C nuclear power plant amid concerns about the involvement of China's nuclear energy company in key British infrastructure projects. Pictured: How the Sizewell C plant will look Funding talks for the Sizewell plant in Suffolk are said to be ongoing with EDF, the main company involved in the plans, but sources said all options remain on the table. Whitehall sources yesterday confirmed reports that the Government is exploring ways of removing CGN from future nuclear infrastructure projects. It is understood that ministers are considering whether to buy an equity stake in Sizewell C, or find alternative investors. Ministers could also block the involvement of CGN in future projects such as plans for a nuclear power plant at Bradwell-on-Sea in Essex, according to the Financial Times. China's involvement in UK atomic energy dates back to an agreement between then prime minister David Cameron and Chinese president Xi Jinping in 2015. The deal envisaged that CGN would become a 20 per cent partner in the development of Sizewell C, with an option to participate in its construction. It also agreed Chinese investment in the Hinkley Point C nuclear power facility, which is being built in Somerset. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said last year the UK could no longer conduct 'business as usual' with Beijing CGN also became the lead developer of the proposed Bradwell B plant in Essex, in which it plans to install its own reactor technology. This design has not yet been approved, but sources told the FT that the Chinese plans to build the plant on the coast just 30 miles from London were now a non-starter. 'There isn't a chance in hell that CGN builds Bradwell,' a source said, adding: 'Given the approach we've seen to Huawei, [Downing Street] aren't going to be letting a Chinese company build a new nuclear power station.' It comes as many of the UK's key allies in the US and Europe look to minimise the involvement of Chinese state-owned companies in their infrastructure. The US put CGN on an export blacklist in 2019, alleging it had stolen US technology for military purposes, while the Trump administration warned the UK against Chinese involvement in nuclear power. As prime minister, Theresa May came within a 'whisker' of forcing CGN out of Hinkley Point C, according to the FT. She ordered a review, which allowed the project to go ahead with stringent conditions attached, it reported. A spokesman for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: 'All nuclear projects in the UK are conducted under robust and independent regulation to meet the UK's rigorous legal, regulatory and national security requirements, ensuring our interests are protected.' RUTH SUNDERLAND: Sense at last on terrifying spectre of Beijing role in UK atomic energy So the Government is looking at how to remove China from future UK nuclear power projects well, better late than never! Beijing via state-owned China General Nuclear should never have been involved in such a sensitive industry. Indeed, I fear this sorry saga is just an extreme example of the incredible naivety of some of our leading politicians towards the Peoples Republic. From the outset it was apparent that allowing China a role in our nuclear new build raised a terrifying spectre: that of a totalitarian state being able to close down a large chunk of the UKs energy supply. RUTH SUNDERLAND: From the outset it was apparent that allowing China a role in our nuclear new build raised a terrifying spectre The UKs laissez-faire attitude to overseas takeovers and foreign control has also made other key industries vulnerable to Chinese control, potentially imperilling our national security and economys stability. The slow-dawning realisation of the folly of opening our nuclear energy programme to China is mirrored in the rollout of the 5G network which after a good deal of prevarication, Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei is being removed from. That company, whose founder has ties with the Peoples Liberation Army and the Communist Party, should never have been allowed to embed itself so deeply into our telecoms infrastructure. Elsewhere, Britains biggest microchip maker, Newport Wafer Fab, will be sold to Chinese company Wingtech unless the Government blocks the 63million deal. Newport Wafer Fab has more than a dozen UK Government research contracts including one to develop chip technology for a radar system for fighter jets. Boris Johnson has asked national security adviser Sir Stephen Lovegrove to look at the sale but that is hopelessly tardy as the Chinese have held a big stake for more than two years. RUTH SUNDERLAND: The slow-dawning realisation of the folly of opening our nuclear energy programme to China is mirrored in the rollout of the 5G network which after a good deal of prevarication, Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei is being removed from Why, then, do we take such a supine and short-sighted view of Chinas desire to buy up our businesses? Its a mixture of expediency, greed and gullibility. When the Government sold British Steel to Jingye of China, it handily avoided heavy redundancies in red wall constituencies in the midst of the 2019 election. The Chinese regime has brutally clamped down on protests in Hong Kong and is accused of crimes against humanity in its treatment of Uighurs. Its secrecy and obstructive behaviour over the origins of Covid-19 has also provoked deep unease. Yet the Government shows little desire to intervene until pushed by its own backbenchers or media campaigns. This attitude stems from a wrong-headed notion that free-market capitalism is the same as giving free rein to predators, chancers and communists. Other countries do not behave so recklessly, and neither should we. A white former police officer in Mississippi will accept a life sentence without parole in the 2019 shooting death of a black woman with whom he was allegedly having a romantic relationship, after she reportedly told him she was pregnant. Assistant district attorney Mickey Mallette in Lafayette County and attorney Carlos Moore, representing the family of Dominique Clayton, confirmed the plea agreement with former Oxford police officer Matthew Kinne, to the Oxford Eagle on Monday. Kinne is set to be sentenced Friday at the Union County Courthouse in New Albany, the newspaper said, adding that a circuit court clerk also confirmed the plea deal but Kinney's attorney, Tony Farse, couldn't be immediately reached for comment. Kinne was indicted in August 2019 on a capital murder charge, which has only two possible penalties: death or life without parole. He pleaded not guilty at the time, and has been awaiting trial ever since. Oxford Police Officer Matthew Kinne was charged in August 2019 with murder of Dominic Clayton, who family members said he had been romantically involved with Clayton, 32, was a mother of four. Her body was reportedly found by her 8-year-old son Kinne was married at the time he was allegedly having an affair with Clayton Authorities said Kinne broke into Claytons home and shot the 32-year-old woman, a mother of four, in the back of the head as she slept. Her 8-year-old son found her body on May 19, 2019. Kinne was arrested the day after the body was found, and fired three days later. Two other police officers also resigned in the next month, the Eagle reports. Kinne had been with the department for four years, and just a few months before the shooting, in January, the Oxford Police Department named Kinne its mounted patrol officer of the year. Shortly after his arrest, the Eagle reports, Kinne was transferred to a county jail, after a photo surfaced of him eating a meal at a guard desk unsupervised and unrestrained. And in September of that year, his attorneys tried to claim he was unfit to stand trial, and ordered a psychological evaluation for him. Kinne had been with the Oxford Police Department for four years at the time of his arrest, and was named the department's Mounted Police Officer of the Year a few months prior Clayton was found on May 19, 2019 dead with a gun shot to the back of her head Her sister, Shyjuan Clayton, claimed Kinne bought her a car and was about to buy her a house Family members have claimed that Clayton and Kinne were in a relationship, despite his marriage to another woman. 'He bought my sister a car, he had it in his name,' the victim's sister, Shyjuan Clayton, told WHBQ-TV, 'he was about to get her a house, he basically just didn't want his wife to find out.' Moore said at the time that Clayton had told her family she was afraid Kinne might harm her because she had told him she might be pregnant. Clayton's family has since sued the city of Oxford and the Oxford Police Department for $5 million, saying officials failed to supervise Kinne. Their attorney claims Kinne was on duty when he entered the home. Oxford police caused the family undue stress by first saying that she might have killed herself even though no gun was found, Moore said. The Scottish Government wants its 8,000 civil servants to add pronouns to their email signatures despite nearly 60 per cent saying they are against the move. Employees would be encouraged to include terms that reflect their gender identity such as she/her, he/him, they/them or 'non standard' terms such as zie or zir. Many have praised the move and said it would 'foster an open culture that is supportive of the LGBTI+ community', The Telegraph said. But it said an internal survey orchestrated to gauge reaction sparked a fierce debate with 60 per cent arguing that they did not back the proposal. It is thought that some, including director of the For Women Scotland campaign group Trina Budge (right), wrote to express their concerns but were dismissed by Scotland's top civil servant Leslie Evans (left) It is thought that some workers wrote to express their concerns but were dismissed by Scotland's top civil servant Leslie Evans. Director of the For Women Scotland campaign group Trina Budge has since hit out at Ms Evans as well as the government's handling of the potential policy. According to the publication, she said: 'A recent poll showed the majority of civil servants were against this move and it is sad, but not surprising, to see Ms Evans disregard this. 'In forging ahead with this or any associated coerced signing of a pledge, the Scottish Government would, potentially, be discriminating against a protected belief and also inviting sex discrimination.' It is not yet clear when the policy would begin, should it go ahead. A spokesman for the Scottish Government told MailOnline: 'It is an individual's choice whether to include their pronouns in introductions and email signatures. 'The Scottish Government is making progress towards our ambition to be a world leading, diverse employer where people can be themselves at work, with a workforce that reflects the diversity of the people of Scotland. 'As an employer we are committed to a progressive approach to advancing LGBTI equality. We encourage any action that makes people feel included and respected in our organisation.' But it is not the first organisation to embrace the use of gender pronouns. Last year the BBC began encouraging its employees to include their gender pronouns in their email sign offs (stock image) Last year, the BBC began encouraging its employees to include their gender pronouns in their email sign offs. The broadcaster, who announced their new guidance on their official intranet, hoped the move would be a 'small, proactive step that we can all take to help create a more inclusive workplace'. Recent BBC data suggests that around 400 members of staff at the corporation currently identify as transgender, according to The Times. However, in line with the new proposal, all 22,000 staff at the organisation will be encouraged to update their email signatures to include their pronouns. The guidance, seen by The Times, reads: 'It lets colleagues knows your pronouns and shows that you respect other people's too. It's really simple.' Virgin also previously announced that it would be adding an optional field for employees to write the pronouns they best identify with in their email signatures. Virgin also previously announced that it would be adding an optional field for employees to write the pronouns they best identify with in their email signatures (stock image) In a statement the company's owner Sir Richard Branson wrote: 'Virgin has been an ally of the LGBT+ community since we started the brand. 'In June, I was in New York with Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays, who made history with the world's first ever Pride flight, and Virgin Voyages, who launched our LGBTQ+ Charter voyage. 'It made me reflect on everything we've done over the years to support the LGBT+ community and how the Virgin brand and family wouldn't be what it is today without them. 'One thing we've learnt is that standing up for LGBT+ rights involves moving with the times and constantly adjusting what we say and do to make sure we're acting as inclusively as possible.' He continued: 'At Virgin Management we've chosen to add an optional field for our employees to write the pronouns they best identify with in their email signatures. 'After speaking to LGBT+ charities Switchboard - LGBT+ Helpline and Gendered Intelligence, as well as to trans and non-binary people themselves, we learned how important asking someone's pronouns can be.' Three hostages, a gunman and a California sheriff's deputy have died after a stand-off a home in Wasco, California, on Sunday. Police were called to reports that a 41-year-old man, with a long history of arrests for domestic violence, had taken hostages. Two women and two girls, believed to be family friends, managed to run from the house. Inside remained the gunman's two sons, aged 24 and 17, and their 42-year-old mother. All three were killed by the gunman in Sunday's siege. Campas was a father to two young girls and served Kern County on Patrol, SWAT and Honor Guard Kern County Deputy Phillip Campas lost his life during an hours-long standoff on Sunday The SWAT team was on scene for at least four hours as the situation unfolded He then went on to the roof of the house, and was shot dead by sheriffs. During the siege, Kern County Deputy Phillip Campas was shot and killed. Campas was a father to two young girls and served Kern County on Patrol, SWAT and Honor Guard. He had been a soldier in United States Marine Corps prior to his law enforcement career. The situation began when sheriffs were called on Sunday around 1pm. 'As deputies were en route there was additional phone calls with subjects shooting in the background and possibly subjects down inside the residence,' said Joel Swanson, Kern County sheriff's office lieutenant. Campas had been a soldier in United States Marine Corps prior to his law enforcement career Two Kern County Sheriff's deputies have been shot and a third has been killed in an ongoing standoff in Wasco, near Bakersfield, California Deputies were responding to a 'shots fired' call on Sunday evening and encountered a shooting was happened inside a nearby home Officials knew there were people inside, but they were unsure initially how many When officers arrived on the scene, a suspect began shooting at deputies who were forced to take cover and lock down the entire neighborhood. A SWAT team was then called alongside crisis negotiators. Almost two hours into the standoff, at 2.50pm, the SWAT team were fired upon by the suspect as the officers attempted to get into his home. Two deputies were struck including Campas. Both were taken to a local hospital with 'moderate' and 'major' injuries. Campas did not survive. Paramedics were on scene quickly to assist with the situation including injured officers Law enforcement was later seen gathering outside Kern Medical following a standoff in Wasco An honor guard could be seen outside Kern Medical as fellow officers stood and paid tribute to their fallen comrade, with many clearly upset Members of the emergency services stood to attention and saluted their fallen comrade (2/2) This video shows the procession as the coroner slowly drives the body out of the hospital. pic.twitter.com/DjzosNlett Eytan Wallace (@EytanWallace) July 26, 2021 First responders are lining up outside @KernMedical to salute the flag-draped body of a fallen @KernCoSheriff deputy who was killed in the line of duty today. pic.twitter.com/oiDIKoF2Zj Eytan Wallace (@EytanWallace) July 26, 2021 Hours later at about 6.28pm, officers had a clear shot of the suspect, who was killed. A third officer was also shot and injured during the operation. The suspect was then transported to a local hospital while an honor guard could be seen outside Kern Medical as fellow officers stood and paid tribute to their fallen comrade. Wasco Mayor Alex Garcia released a statement, calling the incident a tragedy The mayor also tweeted a message regarding the fallen Sheriff's Deputy Slain Kern County Sheriff's Deputy Phillip Campas is pictured in December 2019 as he received his award for Deputy of the Month Deputy of the month in December 2019 was Phillip Campas who said to be 'a shining example of a Kern County Sheriff's Deputy' Campas was also part of Kern County's Honor Guard, who stood in line for him on Sunday as his body left hospital A flag-draped body was seen being placed in a hearse. Wasco Mayor Alex Garcia released a statement, calling the incident a tragedy. 'While reporting to a standoff here in Wasco, one of our brave Kern County Sheriff Deputies was killed-in-action and another was shot and wounded,' he said. 'Although this remains an ongoing situation, at this time I would like share that my heart goes out to the families of both the deputies.' An honor guard could be seen leading a procession away from the hospital where the fallen officer died Members from all sections of the emergency services stood by to watch and pay respects Members of the fallen officers family could be seen walking away from the hospital Former US Senator Barbara Boxer was assaulted and robbed of her cellphone on Monday in Oakland, California. The assailant, who fled the scene in a waiting vehicle, pushed 80-year-old Boxer in the back and stole her phone, her son, attorney Douglas Boxer, confirmed. A tweet published on Boxer's verified account said 'she is thankful that she was not seriously injured'. Oakland police said a robbery occurred around 1.15pm local time in the Jack London Square neighborhood near the 300 block of 3rd Street. Former US Senator Barbara Boxer (pictured in 2018) was assaulted and robbed of her cell phone on Monday in Oakland, California Police said the assault took place in Oakland's Jack London Square neighborhood near the 300 block of 3rd Street (pictured) Her son, Douglas Boxer, an attorney, confirmed the incident which was outlined on Barbara's Twitter account (above). She says the incident happened very quickly and she's still trying to make sense of what happened Boxer, who spoke to KPIX, reportedly walked from the crime scene to a Verizon store two blocks away where she called police. She said the incident happened very quickly and she's still trying to make sense of it. 'Well, he pushed me very hard,' Boxer told the TV station. 'It's hard for me to describe what happened because it was so fast, but, when I started to move away from him, he came behind me, pushed me hard, and then before I could fall it was like he grabbed my phone in front, so it's just hard to put all together.' Boxer said both her attacker and the getaway driver as appeared to be under the age of 18. She notes that she even addressed the pair directly before they fled. 'I said: "Why would you do this to a grandma?" I was yelling at the kid as he was running with my phone,' she told KPIX. 'I said: "I want to call my grandkids, why are you doing this?" He could care less. He got in the car. But I hope he has some guilt.' Boxer, who walked to a nearby Verizon store (pictured above) to report call authorities, said both her attacker and the getaway driver appeared to be under the age of 18 Officials are offering a reward of $2,000 for information leading to an arrest in Boxer's case In a statement obtained by ABC 7, a spokesperson for Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said the mayor was 'deeply troubled' to learn of Boxer's assault and robbery. The statement reads in part: 'The Mayor was deeply troubled to learn of the assault and robbery of Sen. Boxer today. She spoke with the Senator's family to extend her well wishes for a speedy recovery and was relieved to learn she was not seriously injured...' At this time, Oakland police are working to collect surveillance footage from the area. No arrests have been made and the robbery remains under investigation. According to Fox News, the police department has announced a $2,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. The news of Boxer's attack comes as authorities across California have seen a 'troubling' increase in burglaries compared to last year. According to data released earlier this month, auto thefts and aggravated assaults have seen small increases in the Oakland area. Officials say the only crimes that haven't risen thus far this year are rapes, larcenies and robberies. On the contrary, robberies have skyrocketed in the San Francisco Bay Area. Some experts attribute the increase to the passing of Proposition 47 in 2014, a ballot referendum known as the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act that downgraded the theft of property less than $950 in value from a felony charge to a misdemeanor. Boxer represented California in the US Senate from 1993 until 2017. The Democrat did not seek reelection in 2016 and was succeeded by then-California Attorney General Kamala Harris. Prior to serving in the Senate, Boxer served in the House of Representatives for a decade. Sir Keir Starmer risked starting a row with his union backers last night after he declared that they were wrong to oppose quarantine exemptions for critical workers. The Labour leader said that encouraging pinged staff members to stay home even if they were eligible for an exemption wasnt the right way and instead urged them to take part in daily testing. Ministers have announced that critical workers will be able to avoid self-isolation if they take lateral flow tests every day before going to work. The Labour leader said that encouraging pinged staff members to stay home even if they were eligible for an exemption wasnt the right way But the leaders of the UKs largest unions are encouraging key workers to ignore the exemption and stay at home to protect those at work. Yesterday, Sir Keir warned unions against taking strike action over the issue. He told LBC: If it is possible to show that with a double-vaccination and a negative test, critical workers can go back to work, I would support that. But Mick Lynch, of rail union RMT, told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: If youre working on board a train or working in a control room, and you are supposed to be isolating, you are enhancing the risk to the other people working around you, whether theyre passengers or colleagues. Only one in 20 dedicated Covid test sites have been opened under plans to allow food distribution workers to avoid isolation, amid warnings that the pingdemic will worsen shortages in supermarkets. About 25 of 500 testing units being established at depots and distribution centres to maintain the supply of food to shops were due to be set up by yesterday. The full 500 are expected to be open within a week. A further 200 will be set up for other sectors. Critical workers will be able to avoid self-isolating on contact with a positive case if they take daily tests. Yesterday, Sir Keir warned unions against taking strike action over the issue Richard Burnett, the head of the Road Haulage Association, has said the supermarket supply chain could face collapse in early August without urgent government action to address staff shortages. He accused ministers of burying their heads in the sand over the problems, which have been exacerbated by a shortage of HGV drivers. Kit Malthouse, a Home Office minister, confirmed the August 16 deadline for relaxing isolation requirements was unlikely to be brought forward. He told Times Radio that the change, which allows fully vaccinated people to avoid isolation after contact with positive cases, could not be accelerated because more people needed to be jabbed. CAA claims Twitter is not 'interested in addressing antisemitism on its platform' The charity also accused Twitter of cancelling meetings after they had raised concerns about the implementation of their policies The Campaign Against Antisemitism has accused Twitter of ignoring hundreds of abusive tweets it had flagged including calls to 'gas the Jews' A charity fighting anti-Semitism has accused Twitter of not taking the abuse on its platform seriously after the social media company ruled that tweets including 'Hitler was right' and 'Jews control the world' did not breach its guidelines. The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) slammed the company for ignoring hundreds of abusive tweets it had flagged including calls to 'gas the Jews'. The charity also accused Twitter of cancelling meetings after they had raised concerns about the implementation of their policies - despite the tech giant being the one to suggest monthly meetings with the CAA over how to tackle anti-Semitism. The actions - or lack of them - by Twitter, has led to the CAA to accuse the company of not being 'interested in addressing antisemitism on its platform'. A charity fighting anti-Semitism has accused Twitter of not taking the abuse on its platform seriously after the social media company ruled that tweets including 'Hitler was right' and 'Jews control the world' did not breach its guidelines The charity said it had been selected by the tech giant as a 'Twitter partner' to help tackle antisemitism on its platform after Twitter faced criticism for being slow to remove abusive tweets by British rapper Wiley. Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at CAA, said: 'We do not have confidence in Twitter's capacity to address the rampant antisemitism on its platform. 'As Twitter's partner in trying to combat anti-Jewish hate, we have not come to this conclusion lightly.' He added: 'If Twitter brought us on as a partner as some sort of fig leaf for its inaction, we are now laying bare the true picture of the company. 'Having cut off contact with us after we provided clear evidence that Twitter's policies on hateful material are failing, it is clear that the company is neither capable nor interested in tackling antisemitism, and it must now fall to an independent regulator to assume that role instead.' The CAA submitted 1,000 tweets incorporating anti-Semitic tropes such as the hashtag Hitler Was Right and the phrase 'Holohoax' as well as references to 'fake Jewish Holocaust' The anti-Semitic tweets that Twitter deemed acceptable for its platform The following is a sample of tweets from just one day 4th December 2020 all of which Twitter deemed acceptable for its platform. 'Wow. Biden's now over 81 million votes? It's like the Holohoax: you can just keep making up numbers' 'G-d forbid anyone running for office condemn Israel for what they did and are currently doing to the Palestinians. They wouldn't get elected considering Jews control our government, MSM [mainstream media], social media, Hollywood, financial institutions' 'Except Hitler was right' 'It's probably the same useless junk that is in any other vaccines. All vaccines were created by Jews to control the population of the goyim. (((Jonas Salk)))' 'What the f*** is this joke man???? What year are we living? THIS F***IN['] PROVES ZIONIST JEWS R PART OF THIS. WHY? VERY SIMPLE. THEY CONTROLLING THE WORLD. THEY CONTROL MEDIA. YET NOTHING IS GOING ON. THEY ENJOYING JUST LIKE THEY ENJOYED 1915 ARMENIAN GENOCIDE. SO F*** U ALL! [sic]' '3 baby Jew rats. 1 will grow up and Rob empires. 1 will go up committing sex act. 1 will grow up and become a Rabbi and will commit Jewish Talmudic Hebaric Terrrorism [sic]' Advertisement The charity said Twitter had invited them to become a 'Twitter partner' which allowed volunteers at the CAA to report problematic material directly through the company's 'partner portal' to Twitter staff - rather than machines - for review. The CAA submitted 1,000 tweets incorporating anti-Semitic tropes such as the hashtag Hitler Was Right and the phrase 'Holohoax' as well as references to 'fake Jewish Holocaust'. On just one day, December 4 2020, the charity flagged a series of anti-Semitic tweets which they claim Twitter deemed acceptable. This included tweets stating that: 'Except Hitler was right', while another user wrote: 'Wow. Biden's now over 81 million votes? It's like the Holohoax: you can just keep making up numbers.' Others said: '3 baby Jew rats. 1 will grow up and Rob empires. 1 will go up committing sex act. 1 will grow up and become a Rabbi and will commit Jewish Talmudic Hebaric Terrrorism'. Another said: 'Jews control our government, mainstream media, social media, Hollywood [and] financial institutions' But these tweets, and hundreds of others, were 'expressly deemed by the company to be acceptable on its platform'. 'What was remarkable, however, was that all of these tweets and hundreds of others like them were brought to Twitter's attention over the course of several months by Campaign Against Antisemitism but were expressly deemed by the company to be acceptable on its platform,' the charity said. Around 60 per cent of the tweets that CAA submitted were not found to have breached Twitter's policies on hate, but the charity claims the material in the permitted and banned tweets was often the same. The CAA claims that they were led to believe the staff were trained to identify anti-Semism, but this was not the case in practice. The charity also claimed Twitter has failed to adequately explain the parameters for removing or permitting tweets or who is reviewing hateful material or how they have been trained. The CAA said that offers of training for Twitter staff have been ignored. The CAA also said that that while Twitter had agreed to meet with them every month to discuss their progress, the tech giant had cancelled meetings after an initial meeting in December. The charity claims this happened after they had flagged issues with the platform's policies on anti-Semitism. 'In short, Twitter cut off contact with us after we provided clear evidence that their policies on hateful material were failing,' the CAA said in a statement. 'Remarkably, it was Twitter that invited Campaign Against Antisemitism to become its partner on tackling antisemitism on its platform, and it was Twitter that suggested monthly meetings to progress matters,' the charity added. 'But when its own partner alerted the social media giant to the scale of anti-Jewish hatred and the inconsistency of the implementation of its own rules, Twitter decided not to proceed at all. 'These are not the actions of a company interested in addressing antisemitism on its platform.' Mr Silverman added: The opacity of Twitter's parameters, its inconsistent implementation of its own policies, its lack of interest in our offers of training for its personnel, and its decision ultimately to stop engaging with us at all, are not the actions of a company that takes antisemitism seriously. 'We continue to urge the Government to take action now to stem the tide of antisemitic hate online.' Twitter declined to comment on the allegations made by the CAA but told The Times 'all online abuse including antisemitic abuse has no place on Twitter [and] is prohibited by our rules'. The company said 'attempts to deny or diminish' violent events such as the Holocaust are prohibited under Twitter's hateful conduct policy. Queensland has been put on alert after a patient visited a busy GP practice while unknowingly infected with Covid-19. The infected case visited a clinic on the Gold Coast for a different medical reason before their GP noticed they had cold-like symptoms. The patient was told to get tested for coronavirus and later returned a positive result for the highly-contagious Delta strain of the virus. Queensland has been put on alert for Covid-19 transmission after a patient visited a busy medical practice while unknowingly infected with the virus Health authorities praised the GP for noticing the patient was showing signs they had the virus even if they didn't have obvious respiratory symptoms, The Gold Coast Bulletin reported 'What I do know is that the person who tested positive did not attend with respiratory symptoms, he was there on unrelated matters,' Gold Coast Primary Health Network board chairman Dr Roger Halliwell said. 'And kudos to the GP who said 'I think you should have a Covid test because you look like you've got a cold' or something to that effect.' He said the state's public health unit was now scrambling to contain the spread of the virus at the clinic, which he said was a significant Gold Coast medical practice. 'But the Delta virus is now already circulating in the Gold Coast,' he said. 'This could end very badly like it has in Sydney - this is why we have to jump hard and fast to reduce the risk.' Dr Halliwell said anyone showing symptoms of Covid-19 should go to a respiratory clinic and not book in with their GP. Queensland has recorded two straight days of zero community transmission but overnight it emerged a Covid-infected man illegally fled Sydney's lockdown, travelled to Queensland, infected a Qantas flight attendant and roamed the state for seven days before he was caught. Queensland has recorded two straight days of zero Covid-19 community transmission. Pictured are pedestrians at Burleigh Heads on Saturday Dr Halliwell said the state's public health unit was now scrambling to contain the spread of the virus after the clinic was exposed to the virus. Pictured is a pop-up drive-through coronavirus testing facility is seen at the Centrepoint Church in Taigum in north Brisbane The Sydneysider reportedly ignored stay-at-home orders after he was told that he was a close contact of a positive case on July 10 and should not leave home for 14 days. He was incorrectly informed that he tested negative to Covid-19 two days later, but close contacts of positive cases in New South Wales are directed to isolate for two weeks regardless of their test results. Instead of following health orders, he flew to Ballina in northern New South Wales on July 14 where he was picked up by a female flight attendant, before he drove to the Sunshine State. A Channel Seven reporter confronted by protesters during anti-lockdown protests in Sydney has hit back at the 'cretin' who attacked him. In a video live streamed on social media, veteran television reporter Robert Ovadia was approached by a man as he covered the protests at Victoria Park at Chippendale in Sydney's inner-west on Saturday. The man begins by asking Ovadia whether he's a member of the media and who he works for, as the reporter focuses on his phone. 'Are you one of us, brother? You're not with the media are you?' Mr Ovadia initially attempted to ignore the attention of the protestors by looking at his phone A man picks up what is believed to be Mr Ovadia's phone as the reporter has an altercation with a man in the background Mr Ovadia then confirmed he's a journalist covering the protest for Channel Seven. 'Channels Seven's here, boys!' the man shouts, as more protesters approach Mr Ovadia. 'Youse are f***ing liars, youse are cheats, you are lying to Australia,' the man behind the camera tells Mr Ovadia. 'Report the right news, buddy!' another yells. The man then repeatedly tells Mr Ovadia to 'f**k off'. The reporter appears to advance on the man before a second person steps in and a brief altercation takes place. Another man then appears to run off with Mr Ovadia's phone after he drops it during the confrontation. Mr Ovadia took to Facebook after the incident to issue a scathing message to his abusers. 'At least dogs have enough courage of conviction to return to their own vomit,' he wrote. 'Some, like the cretin who took this video, run the other way enslaved by their own cowardice.' Mr Ovadia begins to advance on the man filming him as he is repeatedly abused for covering the event He also called the man who filmed him 'a p**sant' and 'a little, little man'. Mr Ovadia confirmed that he was okay 'having stared down much fiercer confrontations'. 'I'm just mightily p***ed that my phone was stolen - again, by someone running away whose only reason for wearing a mask was not to protect others, but to protect himself with anonymity. 'It's okay, police will find him and they will also find the Mensa president who shot the video.' Sydney man Guerino Scevola was charged with six offences over the confrontation including assault, affray, theft, possessing a prohibited drug and not complying with a noticed direction. He appeared in Newtown Local Court on Tuesday and was refused bail. The state's Police Minister David Elliott commented on the incident in a press conference, calling it an 'outrageous attack'. 'Our freedom of movement may be restricted but our freedom of speech cannot be restricted,' he said. 'It has never been more important for us to have free access for the media, so that the thousands at home can have reliable, up-to-date, credible information.' Former NSW Minister for Police, Labor MP Michael Daley, also posted: 'Spare a thought for Robert Ovadia from Channel 7 Sydney. A respected veteran. Just bringing us the news. 'This is what he endured today, not in a war zone but in Sydney's CBD. People mimicking things they see overseas. 'Australia is better than this.' A high-flying tech executive who ejaculated on young women during a spate of public masturbation offences spanning years has walked free with a slap on the wrist after blaming his offending on his struggles to adapt to the Australian way of life . In a shock sentence that Victoria Police has already flagged for appeal, Magistrate Tara Hartnett on Tuesday not only released Muhammad Khan, but refused to register him as a sex offender. Khan, 40, had pleaded guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates Court to three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault against total strangers. Muhammad Khan, 40, pleaded guilty in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Thursday to three counts of sexual touching and one count of indecent assault One of his young victims had been at Melbourne's Brunswick Music Festival in 2017 when she thought 'lemon sorbet' and been accidentally split on her. She had been watching a busker playing the violin with a baby strapped to her back when the father of two - including a five-year-old daughter - ejaculated over her. In a chilling victim impact statement, the brave young woman told Ms Hartnett how the sickening attack took place in broad daylight at a family event. 'It was while watching this mother and child perform that I felt something wet on my backside,' she said. 'My first reaction was to assume someone around me had tripped over and spilt their lemon sorbet. The horrified looks from my friend and others around me was enough to help me realise it was not.' Khan, who moved to Australia from Pakistan in 2009, had been free in the community to carry out his twisted desires on random females unabated. Years earlier, at the St Kilda Festival in 2015, he ejaculated over another young woman. She had been enjoying a band at the front of stage when Khan ruined her life with his uncontrollable urges. The first accusation against Khan came from a young woman who attended the St Kilda Festival on February 8, 2015 (pictured) The woman told Ms Harnett the devastating impact the attack had had on her life, which had led to drug abuse, isolation and suicide attempts. 'The situation in itself was so abnormal and as though there wasn't another person on the planet that could relate to me,' she told the magistrate. 'I began to feel increasingly isolated and uncomfortable in my own skin, as though I would never be clean again.' WHAT IS THE SEX OFFENDERS REGISTER? The register contains information about people registered sex offenders who have committed certain sex offences. The purpose of the register is to: MAKE offenders keep police informed of their whereabouts and their personal details for a specified period of time. REDUCE the chances of a person re-offending. HELP police investigate any future offences. STOP registered sex offenders from volunteering or working in child-related areas. Advertisement In 2017, Khan struck again on an innocent woman who had boarded a city tram to the Royal Melbourne Hospital. In that attack, the brazen offender touched his victim before ejaculating on her too. It was behaviour that would ultimately lead to Khan's arrest in May last year - some five years after his reign of terror began. Khan had been nabbed by security at the Carlton Club in Melbourne's CBD on October 18, 2019 after another sordid attack on a female stranger. In that attack, which was captured on CCTV, Khan could be seen touching his victim's buttocks and dragging his finger up her legs. The IT executive, who up until he was fired last week had worked for insurance and financial services company AB Phillips on $120,000 a year, agreed to hand over his DNA to police despite denying the attack. His grubby calling card was linked to his previous attacks thanks to the brave women who had all reported his offending to police and handed over their soiled clothes for forensic testing. It was the only thing that helped nab Khan after a public call-out to police provided no new leads. In sentencing Khan to a two-year community corrections order with 250 hours of community work, the magistrate declared the community interest had been well served. Police released this sketch of Khan after the 2015 sexual assault. He remained free in the community to offend in vile ways for years to come. It was his grubby calling card that would bring him down 'The community expects that the court will denounce this conduct,' Ms Hartnett said. She paid particular note to the sentencing principal of 'general deterrence'. 'That is: sending a message to the community that if a person engages in this type of conduct there will be significant consequences,' she said. Khan had provided no reason for his 'despicable' behaviour. He told a forensic psychiatrist he had felt such intense arousal he just had to 'act on it' there and then where he stood. He claimed he had struggled to adapt to Australian social mores since arriving from Pakistan, particularly the 'fraternisation between men and women'. The doctor would later judge Khan to be a low-to-moderate risk of offending again. 'This offending was bold and it was brazen. You were not known to anyone of them and you ejaculated on three of them,' Ms Hartnett told Khan, who tuned in with his wife via videolink. 'It was despicable conduct by you and purely for your own gratification ... there is no excuse for your behaviour nor has one been put by your counsel. The community expects the court will denounce this conduct.' Khan's barrister Amelia Beech explained her client had come to Australia with his family from Pakistan in 2009. A brother to four older sisters, he had been 'pampered and indulged' as a child. Magistrate Tara Hartnett came to the Bar in 2003 and was appointed a magistrate in 2018 with more than 20 years experience specialising in criminal law Khan barrister's Amelia Beech told court he had come to Australia with his family from Pakistan in 2009 Despite his offending, his wife - whom he met and married in Pakistan - had stood by him, describing him as 'a proud man of high moral standards and decency'. The court heard Khan had no prior criminal history and had pleaded guilty to the crimes, thus expressing some degree of remorse. They were all mitigating factors Ms Hartnett took into account in delivering her sentence. Ms Hartnett told the court she had the discretion to keep Khan off the sex offenders registry. 'Your offending triggers consideration of registration under that Act ... This court is not mandated to make a registration order in this case. That is, the court has discretion,' Ms Hartnett said. 'I am satisfied that the lengthy period of the community corrections order, the engagement in treatment while on that order addresses risk appropriately combined with your lack of prior history.' Police had asked Ms Hartnett to jail Khan immediately and indicated it would seek to appeal her decision. The Cuban Embassy in Paris was attacked with Molotov cocktails on Monday night and Cuba's Foreign Minister says the US government is to blame. The Foreign Ministry's International Press Center said that around midnight, three Molotov cocktails were thrown and two hit the embassy before catching fire. Cuban diplomats extinguished the blaze as French firefighters and police arrived at the scene. Following the attack, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez put the blame on Washington and wrote in a tweet: 'I hold the U.S. Government responsible for its continuous campaigns against our country that encourage these behaviors and for calls for violence, with impunity, from its territory.' The Cuban Embassy in Paris was attacked with Molotov cocktails on Monday night and Cuba's Foreign Minister says the U.S. government is to blame. Pictured: The damage is seen on Tuesday The Foreign Ministry's International Press Center said that around midnight, three Molotov cocktails were thrown and two hit the embassy before catching fire. Pictured: The damage is seen on Tuesday Cuban diplomats extinguished the blaze as French firefighters and police arrived at the scene. Pictured: The damage is seen on Tuesday The attack came amid unprecedented mass protests in the Communist-run Caribbean island Three Molotov cocktail were thrown and two hit the embassy on Paris' Rue de Presles There have been protests outside Cuban embassies in several countries in support of demonstrators in Cuba It is unclear who initiated the attack as of Monday night Following the attack, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez put the blame on Washington and wrote in the above tweet, 'I hold the U.S. Government responsible for its continuous campaigns against our country that encourage these behaviors and for calls for violence, with impunity, from its territory' Cuba's Foreign Ministry posted photos from the attack and wrote, 'We denounce the terrorist attack with Molotov cocktails against our Embassy in Paris. Those directly responsible for these acts are those who incite violence and hatred against our country' Cuba has accused the U.S. government of fomenting a social media campaign aimed at destabilizing the Caribbean nation. Above is a Google street view image of the Paris embassy Cuba's Foreign Ministry posted photos from the attack and wrote: 'We denounce the terrorist attack with Molotov cocktails against our Embassy in Paris. Those directly responsible for these acts are those who incite violence and hatred against our country.' Cuba has accused the US government of fomenting a social media campaign aimed at destabilizing the Caribbean nation, which is going through a severe economic crisis exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic and US sanctions. Cuban embassies in many cities around the world have been the scene of demonstrations both against and for Cuba's government in response to 'unprecedented,' bloody protests that shook the island on July 11 and 12. The protests rippled across the water last weekend in Washington, DC, when thousands of anti-Cuban regime protesters gathered outside the White House Sunday and stayed overnight into Monday to pressure Joe Biden to do more to address socialist Miguel Diaz-Canel's actions against the people of Cuba. While the majority of protesters came up from Miami, and other parts of Florida, there were also travelers from Texas and New Jersey. Florida, due to its proximity to the island, has north of 1.5 million Cubans residing there, making it by far the state with the largest Cuban population. The group held a candlelight vigil at midnight to mark the 26th of July Movement, a Cuban national holiday commemorating the 1953 attack when Fidel Castro led his first attempt to overthrow then-Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. 'I'm 27 and I never thought I would live to see something like this,' Alex Perez, a Florida resident who came to the United States from Cuba seven years ago, told the Miami Herald as he joined the protest in Washington, DC. 'We need to make sure there's pressure for people who didn't have to go through what I went through to know what's going on in Cuba,' he added. Thousands of Cuban-Americans marched to the White House on Monday to demand the Biden administration intervene in the brutal crackdown of the communist regime Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (pictured center) joined the protests on Sunday at a candlelight vigil at midnight to mark the 26th of July Movement, a Cuban national holiday commemorating the 1953 attack when Fidel Castro led his first attempt to overthrow then-Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista The protests come as Cuban-Americans claim Biden isn't doing enough to push back against the island's socialist regime violently retaliating to demonstrators earlier this month who marched in the streets in the midst of food, vaccine and medicine shortages in the pandemic. Cuban authorities have arrested hundreds of demonstrators, activists and journalists after protests erupted on July 11 across the country amid an economic crisis, scarcity of basic goods, lack of freedoms all happening around the COVID-19 pandemic. On the Communist-run island, mass protests are rare as public dissent is usually restricted and demonstrators risk ending up in prison. But in the past year or so, Cuba has seen a growing number of protests - although nothing on this scale or simultaneously in so many cities. And on July 12, police allegedly opened fire on a peaceful demonstration in a suburb of Havana and killed Diubis Laurencio Tejeda, 36, the Interior Ministry said. Tejeda was the only person confirmed dead in the protests, but dissident group Cuban Decide estimates five were killed in the clashes. Hundreds of others reported injuries. The ministry said Tejeda was part of a group of protesters that had attacked a government facility in the La Guinera neighbourhood of Havana and did not say what caused his death. But witnesses said security forces had responded with gunfire after some demonstrators had thrown rocks at them. Meanwhile, social media activist Dina Stars was arrested live on television by Cuban security forces while speaking with Spain TV host Marta Flich on Tuesday about the protests. The protests continued on July 12 in the southern Havana suburb of La Guinera, where Tejeda died and several others, including members of the security forces, were hospitalized with injuries, according to state-run media. The Biden administration last week issued new sanctions on Cuba after outcry following the government's violent response to island-wide protests regarding the regime's handling of the reemerging COVID-19 crisis. Last Thursday, the Treasury Department blacklisted Defense Minister Alvaro Lopez Miera and the Black Berets, a Interior Ministry special police unit, following their role in the crackdown on protesters. The move, however, does basically nothing considering in January the Trump administration already sanctioned Cuba's entire Interior Ministry, including the Black Berets. Cuba is also already under a trade embargo. Experts have said the new sanctions will have little to no impact on assets held by Cuban security forces. Cuban authorities have arrested hundreds of demonstrators, activists and journalists after protests erupted on July 11 across the country A man was arrested during a demonstration against the government of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Havana on July 11 Riot police who were clad in black body armor and helmets while carrying batons and shields were seen arresting dozens of demonstrators on July 12 In a statement last week, Biden said the new sanctions are just the start of his administration's action on Cuba. A report revealed the administration is looking at other responses to the unrest, like bolstering US presence at the embassy in Havana and making internet more accessible to citizens. 'At President Biden's direction, the United States is actively pursuing measures that will both support the Cuban people and hold the Cuban regime accountable,' a senior administration official told the Miami Herald last week. As violent confrontations broke out between the people of Cuba and their government, Diaz-Canel's regime swiftly cut off citizens' internet access to stop images from being widely shared online. Lawmakers have been urging Biden to give dissidents free satellite internet access to stop the government from preventing activists who attempt to share their posts on social media. Biden is also weighing measures to help ensure money Cuban Americans send home makes it there in full. A State Department working group will look at the feasibility of staffing increases at the US embassy and forming a 'Remittance Working Group' to get money to the island. Air New Zealand have issued an apology after workers asked a passenger to cover up before boarding a flight because her clothing was too revealing. Courtney Newbold was boarding a flight from Rarotonga in the Cook Islands to Auckland on Friday when two different flight attendants said her outfit showed 'too much skin'. Ms Newbold was dressed in full-length, high-waisted gym pants and two crop tops when her clothing drew the comments at the boarding gate. Courtney Newbold was wearing two crop tops and high-waisted gym pants (pictured) when Air New Zealand staff said her outfit was showing 'too much skin' 'A worker had commented on my outfit at the boarding gate so I asked my friend if I could borrow their jacket,' Ms Newbold told Daily Mail Australia. Ms Newbold had planned to put on the jacket once she was on the plane but after reaching the stairs she was met by a second flight attendant who commented on her outfit again. 'I hadn't got around to putting it on yet so it was when we reached the stairs that another worker said "You're showing too much skin",' she recalled. 'Rarotonga is quite a conservative area so I have a suspicion it's a cultural thing.' Ms Newbold said she was already stressed out as it was a boiling hot day outside with temperatures even higher in the airport. 'Most of my clothes were in the stowaway, so I wondered where they expected me to get more clothes from,' she said. 'I was lucky I had my friend's jacket, otherwise I probably would have been stopped from boarding the flight.' Newbold believes the remarks are an example of people policing women's bodies, saying: 'I've had major body issues, people have no right to comment.' Air New Zealand issued an apology to Ms Newbold and said the airline was investigating the issue (stock image) 'There were definitely men on the flight wearing less than me, in T-shirts and shorts.' On Monday evening Ms Newbold received a phone call from Air New Zealand's General Manager Customer Leeanne Langridge, after posting a complaint to the airline's Facebook page on Friday. 'They did reach out and apologise, the outcome in the end was satisfactory,' Ms Newbold said. She claimed Langridge said the clothing rule was not airline policy and the incident will be investigated. Ms Newbold was also offered her 100 Air New Zealand flight points. Air New Zealand confirmed Langridge had apologised for the way the situation was handled. 'It's always our intention to put customers first and ensure those who travel with us feel welcome and have a comfortable journey,' Langridge said in a statement to Stuff. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for the abolition of the 'carceral system' in the US during a campaign event in Ohio over the weekend. The Democratic Squad member was campaigning for congressional candidate Nina Turner on Saturday when she said: 'I want to abolish our carceral system that's designed to trap black and brown men.' 'I want justice. I want peace, and I want prosperity. That's what I want,' Ocasio-Cortez added during her speech in Cleveland for the co-chair of Bernie Sander's 2020 presidential campaign. The country's carceral system refers to its approach to criminal justice and punishment of criminals. Ocasio-Cortez has long fought for drastic changes to the system that she says unfairly targets black and brown people. A statement on her official government website reads that she 'is committed to dismantling our system of mass incarceration and ending the school-to-prison pipeline.' According to the website, her criminal justice reform goals include federally legalizing marijuana, ending for-profit prisons, releasing all individuals incarcerated for nonviolent drug offenses, ending cash bail, and launching independent investigations for every case in which someone is killed by law enforcement. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for the abolition of the 'carceral system' in the US during a campaign event in Ohio over the weekend Ocasio-Cortez has long fought for drastic changes to the system that she says unfairly targets black and brown people The country's carceral system refers to its approach to criminal justice and punishment of criminals Ocasio-Cortez shares similar views as Turner, who is running to represent Ohio's 11th congressional district. The seat was vacated in March by Marcia Fudge, who became President Biden's Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Turner's campaign is supporting policies like AOC's Green New Deal, Medicare for all, the cancellation of student debt and a $15 per hour minimum wage. There are 15 candidates - 13 Democrats and two Republicans - vying for the seat. The 11th district often sways left, so the winner of the Democratic primary may likely determine the winner of the general election. The Democratic and Republican primaries will be held on August 3, though early voting started two weeks ago. 'This isn't about Nina vs any opponent; this is about the people versus big money,' she said at the event according to WJW. The congresswoman continued, 'This is a deep blue seat. It's a deep blue seat. Districts like Ohio's 11th should be leading the country on issues. They are opportunities, they are very rare opportunities, very rare districts like this one that can take and be visionary.' A statement on Ocasio-Cortez's official government website reads that she 'is committed to dismantling our system of mass incarceration and ending the school-to-prison pipeline' The Democratic Squad member was campaigning for progressive congressional candidate Nina Turner on Saturday. Above, she discussed critical race theory in schools with Don Lemon on CNN on July 19 She added, 'If there is anywhere where you can afford to have somebody be bold. If there is any district where you can afford to have somebody who is going to bespeak not only a certain truth to power but stand up and help create a vision that provides provision. If there is any district where it can be done in the great state of Ohio, it's Ohio 11th district.' Turner's canvas launch included four different events in Cleveland and Cleveland Heights to help rally volunteers for the last week and a half until the primary. 'Canvasses are where the fight gets won. Right here is where the work happens and I love being where the work happens. Where we actually get our hands dirty in the work of knocking on our doors and having conversations with our neighbors and building actual community. There's no replacement for that,' said Ocasio-Cortez. One of Turner's opponent's, Cuyahoga County Councilwoman Shontel Brown, a moderate, told WJW in response to Ocasio-Cortez's rally, 'The contrast in this race could not be clearer. Shontel Brown is the only candidate who from day one can work with the Biden administration and our house majority to deliver good-paying jobs, affordable healthcare, and affordable prescription drugs to northeast Ohio.' Brown, who has been endorsed by Hillary Clinton and House Majority leader Jim Clyburn, also canvassed on Saturday in the west side of Cleveland and held a community cookout in Cleveland Heights Sunday afternoon. She told WJW, 'I couldn't be more excited that we have an administration that's talking about things through a lens of equity, equality and inclusion so when you're talking about trillions of dollars in infrastructure, that is going to create many job opportunities so we need someone who can be at the table who can make sure we get those resources back into the 11th Congressional District.' Sydney could be in for at least another month of lockdown with some parts of the city whacked with tougher restrictions than others. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said during her Tuesday update that a strategy of restrictions and vaccination would be the state's 'recipe for freedom'. The state reported 172 new Covid cases, the highest of the outbreak so far, with at least 79 circulating in the community for all or part of their infectious period. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Tuesday Covid cases numbers were increasing in the city's west (pictured: Auburn residents in lockdown) While Victoria will lift a snap lockdown this week, Sydneysiders look to be in for at least another month of restrictions Victorian Premier Dan Andrews said on Tuesday his snap lockdown would be winding up after cases from the outbreak which began in Sydney's east leaked across the border. South Australia, which dealt with a smaller outbreak from a returned Australian who was still infectious when he left hotel quarantine, is also getting out of lockdown. Ms Berejiklian said the same would be the case for Orange in regional NSW but case numbers in Sydney prevented any significant easing of restrictions. 'We have our own course here in NSW. We have a mission to keep our community safe and also ensure we can live more freely - but clearly we are not at that stage yet,' she said. 'There is no doubt the NSW government does need to consider some difficult decisions. We don't want people infectious in the community when we open up. 'We've seen around the world when you have too many people who are infectious in the community and you open up to early, countries that have claimed to have done well with Covid, that have much higher vaccination rates than ours have failed with delta because they opened up too early. 'We don't want to waste the great work that we've done.' The city's south-west has been where the bulk of cases were being found in the outbreak, but Ms Berejiklian said the community efforts had contributed to a drop in recent days - adding that the area of concern had moved towards the city's west. Of the 172 locally acquired cases reported to 8pm last night, 65 are from South Western Sydney Local Health District - down from 72 the previous day. However, 54 are from Western Sydney Local Health District - up from 32 the previous day. The NSW Premier thanked the south-western Sydney community for the efforts to bring down case numbers (pictured: shoppers in Campsie on Tuesday) Additionally on Tuesday, 27 of the cases are from Sydney, 12 are from Northern Sydney, 11 are from South Eastern Sydney, and there is one case from each of Nepean Blue Mountains, Illawarra Shoalhaven and Southern NSW. 'Are the numbers in certain parts of Sydney where we want? They're not, and that's why the government will consider the health advice [on restrictions] beyond July 31,' Ms Berejiklian said. 'We're seeing the virus become more prominent in western Sydney, though of course we need the south-west to stay vigilant.' Ms Berejiklian specifically mentioned an increase in case numbers in the Canterbury-Bankstown, Liverpool, Cumberland, and Parramatta local councils and urged residents to get tested and follow stay-at-home orders. Ms Berejiklian said vaccines being administered in the next month were key to easing restrictions with the AstraZeneca jab now available to anyone over 18 at pharmacies However, when asked directly if those areas were in line for harder restrictions, the premier remained tight-lipped. 'The health experts give us good data on how the virus is transmitting. Workplaces and households we need to focus on,' she said. 'But it's also clear we need to intensify our strategy to ensure the population gets vaccinated.' About 100 people in a five-storey apartment building in Blacktown in the city's west are already in strict isolation and being urgently tested after six Covid cases were found in across three units. The building is under police guard with residents unable to leave and food being delivered. Ms Berejiklian hinted that residents across Sydney would have to wait for at least another month to see any easing of lockdown. 'We know that a strategy of restrictions and vaccines will be our recipe for freedom. And if we make sure August is a month where we all get vaccinated we will be able to live life more freely moving forward,' she said. An apartment building in Blacktown (pictured) has been plunged into isolation after six residents tested positive to Covid The apartment building is under police guard and residents are getting tested (pictured) Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews called for harsher lockdown in Sydney as he announced travel from NSW towns near the Victorian border would no longer be allowed into the state. From Wednesday, residents of Wagga Wagga, Hay and Lockhart and Murrumbidgee councils will need a permit to enter Victoria. 'If you want to travel to Victoria from those four local government areas, you would need a permit,' Mr Andrews told reporters on Tuesday, adding that only essential workers would get the permits. 'I take no pleasure in having to essentially lock out those four communities from Victoria, but there's a refusal to lock people in Sydney into Sydney,' he said. Ms Berejiklian said she was 'looking forward' to reveal what restrictions will look like beyond July 31 as early as Wednesday. NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian is in talks with the federal government about extra financial support as Sydney's Covid outbreak worsens. The city recorded 172 new cases on Tuesday, the highest number since 205 infections on April 15, 2020. With no hope of lockdown ending on Friday as planned, NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet has asked Prime Minister Scott Morrison to reinstate JobKeeper, the wage subsidy scheme which paid struggling companies $1,500 per worker per fortnight in 2020. Gladys Berejiklian is in talks with the federal government about extra financial support as Sydney's Covid outbreak worsens Members of the public line up at a pop up vaccination clinic in the western suburb of Merrylands in Sydney Ms Berejiklian on Tuesday said conversations with the Commonwealth were ongoing. Asked if she wanted JobKeeper back, Ms Berejiklian refused to comment, saying: 'I'll leave it at that'. Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the Commonwealth is open to considering extra support. 'Our policies are never set and forget. You never know what is around the corner, you need to be flexible, you need to respond to changing circumstances,' he said. 'We continue to assess all our payments, both business and income support, and determine the right payments for the right circumstances.' But Mr Frydenberg said the federal government's $600 per week pandemic disaster payment was faster than JobKeeper and better targeted to people who need it. Cafe workers have been left without work due to the lockdown which has closed restaurants Josh Frydenberg has slapped down calls to bring back JobKeeper as Sydney faces another lockdown extension. Pictured: A Coles worker 'The payments are being made in about 40 minutes,' he said. 'They are also targeted because they are based on the number of hours lost rather than the turnover reduction of the business that you work for. 'Also, the net has been cast wider with all casuals being eligible for these payments,' he said. The payments of $600 a week for people who lose more than 20 hours and $375 for people who lose 8-20 hours will continue as long as lockdowns last, the government has said. Mr Fyrdenberg said JobKeeper was a national scheme set up in early 2020 when the unemployment rate was expected to skyrocket to 15 per cent. It required companies to take out loans from banks, pay their workers and then get re-reimbursed by the government weeks later. By contrast, the pandemic disaster payment goes straight into the workers' bank accounts. On top of that payment, there is business financial support worth up to 40 per cent of a company's wage bill that requires companies to maintain headcount. Mr Perrottet wants JobKeeper back because it keeps employees tied to their companies. 'As case numbers escalate or remain stubborn, there will need to be extra financial support from the federal government,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday. 'We believe that Jobkeeper was instrumental in keeping the nexus between workers and businesses. This won't be forever, but we do need it now because when NSW goes well, the country goes well.' NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet wants JobKeeper back because it keeps employees tied to their companies. Pictured: A Sydney barista during lockdown Mr Morrison said he was open to considering further support if the situation gets worse. The government is 'very open to consider how we deal with the situation as it further evolves,' he said. Australia's biggest union, the ACTU, wants immediate cash grants for small businesses and says current assistance measures are 'confusing, inadequate and often administratively burdensome'. It dismissed the disaster payments dismissed as 'grossly inadequate' ACTU Secretary Sally McManus said the government should add casuals to JobKeeper, a 'tried and tested system'. 'The current disaster payment is less than the minimum wage and less than what workers received during lockdowns in 2020,' she said. Fed-up Australian nurses have shared some of the rudest insults they've ever received on the job - including one horrible slur delivered by a jailbird as he was being tackled by five prison officers. The health care workers described the many names and expletives they have been called by patients in a video released by YouTube channel The Archive in collaboration with The Nurse Break on July 26. Lesley, who is a critical care nurse, recalled one particularly awful insult that was thrown at her. 'C***-sucking, motherf***** c*** w****. And this was while a guy was being taken down by prison officers and sprayed and he managed to just roll that out straight off the tongue,' she said. 'I was so impressed with that. It was a beauty.' Critical care nurse, Lesley (pictured), stated that she was impressed with some of the insults patients yelled at her 'It doesn't bother me, people can call me whatever they like,' Lesley said. 'A 90-year-old German lady called me a satanic Nazi,' mused a male nurse in the footage. Registered nurse Jackson said that he had been called words he didn't event know existed. 'I've been called everything you could imagine that makes no sense at all,' he said. 'Often the swearing comes with something being thrown at you. I've had (expletives said to me) and a poo being thrown at me. I'm pretty good at dodging things now,' he laughed. He mentioned that there are a number of reasons why people abuse and insult nurses including dementia, delirium, and drug and alcohol abuse. Registered nurse Jackson (pictured) stated that it was normal for patients to swear and throw things at them Paediatric nurse Michael stated most nurses have already heard all of these insults. 'They might like to think that they're quite inventive with their insults but no matter what they could come up with, we've all heard it a million times before.' Helen, a clinical nurse specialist, laughed that she thought about changing her name to one of the insults because she was called it so often. 'I remember thinking to myself I'm going to change my name. I think I'm literally going to change my name to fat c***. Everyone seems to call me that, so that's what it may be'. Most of the nurses were able to see the humour in their work, with many laughing about how absurd the insults were. Many of the nurses (pictured) were able to see the humor in their job, laughing about the absurd insults they had to cop and the odd things that patients said to them 'You've just got to make the most of it, find the positive in it I guess,' said Nicky, an emergency associate nurse manager. 'It's just a part of my everyday work,' shrugged paediatric nurse Michael. Data shows that violence against nurses is on the rise, with the South Australia branch of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation stating that an average of 36 Code Blacks (personal threats) were called every day. In NSW the Bureau of Crime statistics show assaults against healthcare workers are up 55 per cent since 2016. In Queensland, violent assaults are up 50 per cent over the same period, with incidents soaring to 12,419, according to The Brisbane Times. In Victoria, the number of assaults jumped by 34 per cent, and assaults against police and emergency services more than doubled, said The Australian. The Archive is a Melbourne based business started by Daniel Delaway to give parents and grandparents the opportunity to share their life stories through cinematic video interviews. This video and more can be seen on The Archive YouTube channel. For more information and to organise an interview, visit their website. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has again demanded a 'ring of steel' around Sydney, while vowing to ban NSW residents from his state. Mr Andrews on Tuesday announced Victoria would be ending its lockdown at 11:59pm wit just 10 Covid cases, as Sydney's jumped by 172. The premier strengthened the hard border with NSW and declared it would stay that way until Sydney's outbreak was over, or it was locked down to his satisfaction. He boasted he didn't think there was a 'jurisdiction in the world' that fought off two outbreaks of the Delta strain and offered NSW some frank advice. 'My views on border arrangements are well-known, I made the case and made the comments at national cabinet on Friday,' he said. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has again demanded a 'ring of steel' around Sydney, while vowing to do everything he can to keep NSW out of his state 'I can't control what happens there, all I can do is wish NSW well.' The premier said in time there would be a possibility of Victoria providing some support to Sydney to lighten the load on contact tracers. Mr Andrews also said the local councils of Wagga Wagga, Hay, Lockhart and Murrumbidgee will not be included in Victoria's travel bubble for at least two weeks. 'I take no pleasure in having to essentially lock out those four communities from Victoria, but there's a refusal to lock people in Sydney into Sydney, so I have no choice but to make these changes,' Mr Andrews said. The mood quickly became tense when a reporter asked why the premier hadn't personally notified NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian of his decision. 'I've had a busy morning, so has she. My views on these matters are well known. I've been too busy to pick up the phone today,' a cranky Mr Andrews replied. The terse premier said he wasn't there to apologise for not reaching out to Ms Berejiklian and said 'frankly it wasn't my top priority'. Mr Andrews on Tuesday announced Victoria would be ending the lockdown period at 11:59pm that evening, as Sydney's Covid-19 cases hit a record high of 172 Daniel Andrews has proudly boasted he didn't think there was a 'jurisdiction in the world' that had fought off two Delta outbreaks and offered NSW some frank advice When asked if there was any positive reception to the idea of a 'ring of steel' around Sydney at national cabinet, Mr Andrews shrugged and replied 'clearly not'. 'Well, not from the person that actually matters,' he said, in reference to Ms Berejiklian. The Victorian leader said that while there were discussions of city-wide restrictions across Sydney and his infamous 'ring of steel', he was simply giving advice on what worked in his state. 'It's through painful, tragic and bitter experience that we are able to advise others of what has actually worked,' Mr Andrews lamented. 'Victorians can speak with authority and tragedy and that's why we're making these respectful recommendations to others. 'It worked here and there's every chance it could work there. They've got a different view and that's fine. 'They'll be locked out of our state for as long as they have that view or they get their cases down - whichever is sooner.' Mr Andrews said there was clearly no positive reception to his suggestion of a 'ring of steel' around Sydney at national cabinet on Friday, in reference to the NSW Premier The Victorian premier said his state's permit system and border bubble with NSW had been tightened today, after the virus was detected 120km from Sydney's CBD He was quick to point out he wasn't the only premier with advice for NSW, citing Mark McGowan in WA also demanding the state enforce similar restrictions. Mr Andrews reassured Victorians he would continue to make tough calls despite how they might 'offend' other Australian states. The premier said his state's permit system and border bubble with NSW was tightened today, after the virus was detected 120km from Sydney's CBD. Mr Andrews again used the example of his state's strict 'ring of steel' protecting not only regional Victoria but the whole country in July of last year. 'It is from a place of wisdom that comes from that tragedy that we have called for those things,' he said, insisting he wasn't being triumphant nor boastful. 'A ring of steel will work. It will. And that's why I've called for it. The NSW Government have a different view. 'I would respectfully say to the NSW Government you're not just making decisions for NSW. You're making decisions for the whole country.' When asked if vaccinations rather than a ring of steel would be more efficient in ending the outbreak, Mr Andrews again referred to his request for modelling. The Victorian premier continues to ask the NSW government to pitch a potential strategy for vaccinating Sydney's Covid-ravaged west in return for a donation of vaccine doses The premier continues to ask the NSW Government to pitch a strategy for vaccinating Sydney's Covid-ravaged west in return for vaccine doses. On Monday, Mr Andrews said he would be happy to discuss sharing any or all resources with Sydney, but wanted evidence a vaccine donation would make a 'material difference'. 'We simply don't have vaccine supplies to be able to vaccinate our way out of this. Sorry, not for many months anyway,' he added on Tuesday. He said he had supported Prime Minister Scott Morrison's decision to reject the request for all GP appointments across Sydney to be cancelled to divert more Pfizer doses to mass vaccination hubs. When asked what evidence he had to prove the effectiveness of his controversial 'ring of steel', Mr Andrews said a decrease in cases from thousands to hundreds. 'Anyway I'm not here to talk about Sydney,' the premier said, adding that Victorians should feel grateful for the ending of the state-wide lockdown. This was after well over 10 minutes of talking about Sydney non-stop. It comes as Sydney recorded 172 new local Covid-19 cases and two deaths on Tuesday, with 60 of the cases out in the community while infectious In an alarming sign Sydney's outbreak has spread to regional NSW, five of the cases were recorded on the Central Coast - more than 120km away from the Harbour City Sydney recorded 172 new local Covid-19 cases and two deaths on Tuesday, with 60 of the cases out in the community while infectious. In an alarming sign Sydney's outbreak has spread to regional NSW, five of the cases were recorded on the Central Coast - more than 120km away from the Harbour City. NSW Health also confirmed the deaths of two residents from Covid-19 - both of which were announced on Monday. Neither were vaccinated against the virus. The deaths bring the number of Covid-related fatalities during Sydney's Delta outbreak to 10. Meanwhile Victoria recorded another 10 local cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday morning, all of which were in isolation during their infectious period. The sister of Matt Gaetz's fiancee has described the Florida congressman as 'weird and creepy' and said she was 'unfortunately not surprised' at his being investigated for sex crimes. Roxanne Luckey, 20, posted a string of TikTok videos criticizing him Sunday and Monday. Her sister Ginger, a 26-year-old food analyst, got engaged to Gaetz this New Year's Eve at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort after eight months of dating. Roxanne said that she spent the summer of 2020 in Washington DC working as a White House intern, and was uncomfortable with Gaetz, 39, from the start. 'As someone who has personally experienced a ton of creepy old politician men hitting on me when I was underage, and experiencing sexual assault at that age by people of power, it's very disheartening,' she said. 'And I have zero tolerance of people like him.' Matt Gaetz, 39, is engaged to Ginger Luckey, 26. Ginger's sister Roxanne on Sunday and Monday posted a series of TikTok videos attacking the Florida congressman Roxanne titled her videos: 'Story time' and said she was speaking out to 'hold him accountable' She added that she is 'tired of them getting away with this type of stuff.' Roxanne, who according to her LinkedIn profile is a sales associate at a Rip Curl store in Huntington Beach, California, began her story on Sunday. She posted a TikTok clip showing her dancing and lip-synching to Lana Del Ray's Jealous Girl. 'Baby I'm a gangster too, and it takes two to tango,' Del Ray sings. Behind Roxanne was a New York Times headline reading 'Matt Gaetz Is Said to Face Justice Dept. Inquiry Over Sex With an Underage Girl.' She added her own text, writing, 'When a creepy old man tries to hit on you at the bar but your sisters engaged to a literal pedophile.' Roxanne's first video saw her dancing and lip synching to a Lana Del Ray song On Monday, Roxanne returned to TikTok. 'While that other video was just a humorous little thing, there is so much more,' she said. 'I just wanted to come on here and clarify some things because it is definitely a serious situation. 'I now realize I used the incorrect terminology. It's not "pedophilia", it should be "ephebophilia", which is someone attracted to post-pubescent girls in the age range of 15 to 19.' She claimed that, last summer, Gaetz was encouraging a friend of his - 'around Matt's age, had a kid, had been divorced' - to ask her out on a date. She said: 'I just made jokes like, ha ha, I'm 19, that's weird.' She said he told her 'when you break up with your boyfriend, let me know so you can have a real man.' Gaetz and Ginger Luckey are pictured in Doral, Florida in April - shortly after it emerged that he was being investigated for sex trafficking Gaetz and Ginger Luckey at a Donald Trump rally in Orlando on October 12 Roxanne said that she found it 'creepy' and inappropriate and so, at Thanksgiving, she asked Gaetz why he tried to set his much-older friend up with her. 'He immediately got so defensive, started yelling at me and my Mom. 'He called me a narcissist, and was just 1,000 per cent gaslighting me. 'He went full lawyer on me, was like: 'I don't have to listen to you. I don't have to answer your questions.' 'As far as I am concerned, someone who is innocent shouldn't be getting so defensive. Literally, a grown man yelling at a 20 year old girl. It's beyond me.' She said she 'saw his character and the type of person he is'. Roxanne Luckey said that she was unsurprised when it emerged that he was being investigated When the headlines came out about his investigation for sex crimes, she said it was not a shock to her. On March 30, when the news broke, Roxanne tweeted: 'Family gatherings with my future brother in law r about to get a lot more interesting.' She said, while she was in DC, she heard 'through the grapevine' that Gaetz was known for 'prowling after college girls when he's a grown man - and to me that's just kind of weird.' She said she hoped Gaetz was 'held accountable'. Ginger Luckey hit back at her sister, telling The Daily Beast she had a history of 'destructive behavior'. She said they were estranged, although social media photos showed them close as recently as November. 'Matt and I are enjoying our engagement and are deeply in love,' said Ginger. 'My estranged sister is mentally unwell. 'She has been in therapy for years and our family hopes that after receiving in-patient mental health treatment, she will overcome the tendency she has repeatedly shown to engage in destructive behavior.' Gaetz has not responded to DailyMail.com's request for comment. Gaetz has been implicated in the scandal surrounding his friend and 'wing man' Joel Greenberg. Matt Gaetz associate Joel Greenberg, seen above with Roger Stone (left) and Gaetz (center), pleaded guilty in May to multiple charges and is cooperating with prosecutors Greenberg pleaded guilty in May to sex trafficking of a minor and five other charges, among the nearly three dozen he faced. His plea agreement with prosecutors requires continued cooperation with the ongoing probe. The 36-year-old former Seminole County tax collector currently faces an estimated 12 years in prison, his lawyer said. Greenberg also pleaded guilty to identity theft, wire fraud and conspiracy. Gaetz, a Republican who represents much of the Florida Panhandle, was not mentioned in Greenberg's plea agreement. But Greenberg's cooperation could play a role in an ongoing investigation into Gaetz's supposed pay-for-sex relationship with a 17-year-old girl. While not mentioning Gaetz by name, in his plea deal Greenberg said he 'introduced the minor to other adult men, who engaged in commercial sex acts.' Gaetz, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, has denied any allegations of wrongdoing and has said repeatedly he will not resign from Congress. No charges have been brought against Gaetz. Greenberg has been linked to a number of other Florida politicians and their associates. So far, none of them have been implicated by name in the sex trafficking probe. The Greenberg plea agreement says that he admitted being 'involved in what are sometimes referred to as 'sugar daddy' relationships where he paid women for sex, but attempted to disguise the payments as 'school-related' expenses or other living expenses.' Greenberg's sentencing was delayed earlier this month until November 18, so he can keep cooperating in a broader sex trafficking investigation. Gaetz's his latest campaign finance report, published in the middle of July, showed the financial toll of the scandal. His campaign spent thousands of dollars on lawyers, publicists and consultants as he deals with the fallout from his sex scandal - including $25,000 on defense attorney Marc Fernich, whose past clients include Jeffrey Epstein, convicted drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, and the recently convicted head of the NXIVM sex cult, Keith Raniere. Gaetz's campaign paid $25,000 to defense attorney Marc Fernich, left, whose past clients include the late Jeffrey Epstein, right, convicted drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman and the recently convicted head of the NXIVM sex cult, Keith Raniere Gaetz also spent over $825,000 on the public affairs firm Logan Circle Group, which has handled his media strategy since The New York Times reported he was under federal investigation as to whether he paid an underage girl for sex. Finally there was a payment of $20,000 in four installments to Roger Stone for 'strategic consulting.' Stone, a longtime Trump ally who was pardoned by the former president, is a Florida resident and was convicted of lying to Congress. Gaetz is spending more than he raised. He brought in $1.44million in the second fundraising quarter but burned through $1.95 million between April 1 and June 30. 'Our FEC filings speak for themselves,' a Gaetz spokesperson told CNBC. 'Despite an endless stream of lies from the media, Congressman Gaetz continues to be among the most prodigious fundraisers in Congress and is the only Republican who doesn't accept donations from federal lobbyists or PACs. He thanks his tens of thousands of donors and promises to always fight for them.' A 'big family' in western Sydney has sparked a Covid superspreader event by holding a wake for a young man who committed suicide, with dozens of people catching the virus as they gathered at a cramped three-bedroom house in the city's outbreak epicentre. An estimated 50 people - extended family and friends - visited the small Pendle Hill property on July 19 to mourn a 27-year-old man who had died by suicide earlier that week, despite public health orders banning such large gatherings. The family's need to grieve together became a superspreader event, with some 28 attendees testing positive to Covid-19 in the eight days since and a grandmother, 85, died there on Monday afternoon after testing positive to the virus, authorities confirmed. The wake has now been linked to six cases at a unit block in Blacktown, where residents are under police guard, as all have been deemed close contacts. A close relative told Daily Mail Australia that there was no formal planning for a wake. 'It wasn't a gathering, no. We are a big family, that's all,' they said. A wake was held at this Pendle Hill home on July 19, two days after the tragic death of a 27-year-old man. It became a superspreader event with 28 of 50 attendees testing positive to the virus Emergency personnel in Hazmat suits are seen outside the property where the 85-year-old died of Covid on Monday afternoon. The woman had reportedly declined to be taken to hospital Boxes of what appeared to be medical supplies were strewn out the front of the property Neighbours said a 'good' large family lived at the western Sydney property Neighbour Daryl Sadler told the Parramatta Advertiser he had seen the family grieving out the front following the young man's death 10 days ago. 'They were out here praying on the ground, one of them was kicking the guy's car in,' Mr Sadler was quoted telling the Advertiser. 'I heard the father wailing and I saw the young guy taking his clothes off.' NSW authorities have pointed to the superspreader incident as an example of why it had proved so difficult to quash an outbreak of Covid's Delta variant, with households mixing in the city's west and south-west being one of the main drivers. On Saturday, deputy chief health officer Dr Jeremy McNulty said authorities were 'concerned' about the spread at the wake. 'It's an example of how families coming together, even in tragic times when you're naturally grieving, can be a risk. 'Covid can easily take hold and spread out to their households and then further afield.' A block of apartments in nearby Blacktown where six people tested positive has been linked to the superspreader wake in Pendle Hill Cleaners in Hazmat suits arrive at the locked down apartment complex on Devitt St on Tuesday morning FIND THE LATEST EXPOSURE SITES NEAR YOU NSW reported 172 new cases on Tuesday - the highest of this outbreak so far - with 60 of the cases out in the community while infectious. At the state government's daily press updates this week, reporters have been told the spread is largely being seen between workplaces and households. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she hoped to announce as early of Wednesday the next steps in greater Sydney's five week lockdown. Ms Berejiklian called on Sydneysiders to get vaccinated against the virus as she rolled out a new pilot program to make the jabs available at the state's chemists and pharmacies. From this week, chemists can administer the AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab to all NSW residents over the age of 40 as part of a pilot program to boost vaccination rates across the state. Tuesday's increase in cases is the largest in Sydney's latest outbreak and the highest daily rise since April 2020 Sydneysiders walking through the city on Monday as the Delta Covid-19 outbreak continues to grow 'My message to everybody is please come forward and get the vaccine,' Ms Berejiklian said. 'Not only are you protecting yourself but youre protecting those closest to you.' The announcement came after it emerged authorities could split Sydney in half to contain the outbreak by tightening lockdowns in the virus-ravaged south-west and west while easing restrictions elsewhere to allow businesses to reopen. The NSW government held a five-hour crisis cabinet meeting on Monday to decide whether to strengthen restrictions only in areas hit hardest by the virus - such as Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown and Liverpool. There were also conversations about whether to ease public health orders for the Northern Beaches, Wollongong and Shellharbour - all of which have not seen any new cases in about a month. Teenagers have been expelled from an elite Jewish school after appearing to 'use illicit substances' during online classes in full view of teachers and students. The acts were caught on camera during the Zoom lesson in mid-July at Moriah College, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, and widely shared among students. One showed a Year 12 student crushing a white powder - believed to be flour - with a bank card, while another showed a student who was previously expelled lighting up a bong during Jewish studies class. In a third video, a teenager could be seen showing other students how to handle drugs, before a fourth student changed their name to 'Hitler' on the video app. Pictured: A teenager cutting an unidentified white powder on a Bart Simpson dish during online classes It is understood that some pupils invited non-Moriah students attend the school's online classes, who were allegedly involved in the antics. In a letter to parents on Friday, Moriah principal Rabbi Yehoshua Smukler said the college 'identified the individuals in the videos, those who recorded them, as well as the trespassers into our lessons'. 'This has resulted in serious disciplinary sanctions and terminations of enrolment. All actions taken have been consistent, and in line with our core values,' he said. He also told the Australian Jewish News that 'trespassers' who joined the online classes would be investigated by police. NSW Police told Daily Mail Australia: 'Following inquiries by officers... the matter is being dealt with by the school and no further police action is anticipated.' The school's systems have now been updated with stronger security measures. One video showed a teenager cutting a white substance with a credit card (left), while another showed someone allegedly smoking a bong Students have been expelled from Moriah College (pictured) after a series of incidents on Zoom After the former student lit a bong, the teacher could be heard threatening to 'stop my lesson immediately, immediately... so if you know who the person is, you'd better get them out'. According to Sky News, the prestigious Jewish school sent an email to parents immediately following the incidents warning that some pupils invited non-students into online lessons. 'Some of these non-Moriah participants engaged in smoking what appears to be an illicit substance whilst visible in our online classes,' the email read. Moriah College refused to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia. Millions of parents are bracing for at least three more months of homeschooling as Sydney faces being stuck in lockdown until at least mid-September. NSW Education Mininster Sarah Mitchell urged teachers to get the AstraZeneca jab to protect staff and students from the virus, and help end interruptions to schooling. But authorities believe further disruption is inevitable, with the government unlikely to reopen schools for the rest of the term as Sydney's Delta Covid outbreak worsens. Parents are set to expect further months of home-learning with their children as schools show no clear sign of reopening for the remainder of the term 'The situation is not where we want it to be...' NSW P&C president Tim Spencer told The Daily Telegraph. He said parents were most likely to endure a full term of home learning 'lasting considerably longer' than last year's lockdown. 'They will have 10 weeks being at home with their kids with an extra two weeks before that on school holidays when they aren't able to go anywhere,' he told the publication. 'That is three months of being locked up in the house and it is a stress on everybody, it is going to put great stress on households.' Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the government was working towards alleviating the pressures of homeschooling and was working on a solution for parents. 'We are considering all those issues this week and as soon as we have a response to what life will look like beyond July 31, we will make that clear,' she said. The NSW Education Minister said she'd continue advocating for priority vaccination for teachers, and encouraged staff to receive the widely-available AstraZeneca dose in the meantime. NSW Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell has urged for teachers to get the AstraZeneca jab to avoid further disruptions to schooling Gladys Berejiklian is considering alleviating pressures of homeschooling after July 31 On Tuesday Sydney recorded another 172 cases of Covid-19 as NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian ramped-up the rollout of coronavirus vaccines in pharmacies across the state. Ms Berejiklian said 60 of the cases - recorded from 84,468 tests in the 24 hours to 8pm on Monday night - were out in the community while infectious. The Premier said she hoped to announce as early as Wednesday whether or not she would extend Greater Sydney's five-week stay-at-home lockdown beyond July 30. During Tuesday's Covid press conference Ms Berejiklian called on Sydneysiders to get vaccinated against the virus as she rolled out a new pilot program to make the jabs available at chemists and pharmacies. From this week, chemists can administer the AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab to all NSW residents over the age of 18 as part of a pilot program to boost vaccination rates across the state. 'My message to everybody is please come forward and get the vaccine,' Ms Berejiklian said. 'Not only are you protecting yourself but youre protecting those closest to you.' A Sydney man in hotel quarantine has been charged with possessing vile child abuse material that was said to be smuggled from the US. The man was stopped at Sydney Airport and was searched, with his laptop confiscated before beginning mandatory quarantine for 14 days. A forensic examination of the laptop allegedly uncovered child abuse material, and Australian Border Force and NSW police officers executed a search warrant on the man's hotel room, seizing other electronics. The man was arrested and is in custody after being charged. A man returning to Sydney from the USA has been charged and is in custody after a search of his laptop and hotel room allegedly uncovered child abuse material In total 15 alleged child sex offenders have been deported and had their visas cancelled by border patrol who have uncovered over 240 pieces of abuse material. The Australian Border Force has also found 13 further incidents of child abuse material, seizing the imports of child-like sex dolls. These seizures were reported to the Commonwealth Department of Public Prosecution. The Australian Border Force has deported 15 child abuse offenders and a further 13 incidents of child abuse were seized, including child like sex dolls 'Child abusers take advantage of silence. Talking about the important work this Government is doing to end child abuse helps to pull abusers out of the shadows and into jail cells,' Home Affairs minister Karen Andrews said. A small group of Australian Border Force officers were given extra police powers last year, allowing them to execute search warrants. 'As the results show, this work has not stopped during the pandemic,' Ms Andrews said. Australian Hillsong pastors that are based in Sydney have preached at a service in Mexico after earlier being granted travel exemptions to fly to the US while millions back home are in the midst of a lengthy lockdown. While the Australian border remains shut due to Covid-19, Brian Houston and his wife Bobbie attended the service at the Hillsong Monterrey church in Mexico on Monday. Photos shared by the Monterrey church and Ms Houston, who is a Co-Global Senior Pastor of Hillsong along with her husband, show the pair on stage as thousands of followers cheer and applaud from the crowd. 'We had a very special service worshipping together under the same roof and having our senior pastors @brianchouston and @bobbiehouston with us!' Hillsong Monterrey posted on Instagram. Despite the Australian border being shut due to Covid-19, Sydney-based Hillsong pastors Brian Houston and his wife Bobbie attended a service at the Hillsong Monterrey church in Mexico on Monday 'Thank you for being part of what God is doing in our house.' Ms Houston also shared a series of snaps from the day and said the experience was an 'absolute joy'. Earlier she'd posted a photo of her and her husband wearing masks on a flight. A spokesperson for Hillsong confirmed both Brian and Bobbie Houston had been in the United States for the 'past three months and will remain there for some time'. 'As global senior pastors of a church with locations across the world, Pastors Brian and Bobbie spend several months each year based in the USA which is the location of Hillsong's global office and Hillsong Channel,' they said. 'As well as speaking at our US churches they do work connected with our leadership college and Hillsong music. 'They applied for travel as per standard government guidelines and adhere to all government directives. 'Their application was done online in the usual manner and (like many other people) they were granted an exemption as they were required in the US and were staying longer than three months.' Australians have been unable to travel outside of the country without an exemption since March last year when the pandemic first began. Travellers can receive exemptions for three main reasons including if they plan to be away for more than three months, are required elsewhere for compassionate reasons and for critical work. Both Brian and Bobbie Houston have been in the US for three months and will remain there for 'some time', a Hillsong spokesperson confirmed They can also leave the country for urgent medical treatment, for national interest and unavoidable personal business. Meanwhile there are still more than 30,000 Australians stranded overseas unable to return home due to a lack of free spots in hotel quarantine facilities, expensive flights and caps on returning travellers. In Sydney, where the Houston couple are based, the city is five weeks into a lockdown with no end in sight. Another 172 Covid cases were recorded on Tuesday with 60 out in the community while infectious. NSW Health confirmed the deaths of two residents from the virus - both of which were announced on Monday. Neither of them were vaccinated against Covid-19. The deaths bring the number of Covid-related fatalities during Sydney's Indian delta outbreak to 10. Thirty-two of the cases are mystery infections which have not been linked to known outbreaks and are still under investigation. Tuesday's increase in cases is the highest daily rise in NSW since April 2020. There are now 2,397 infections linked to the cluster of cases that began on June 16 when an airport limousine worker tested positive to Covid-19 in Sydney's eastern suburbs. A man who allegedly punched a police horse at Sydney's anti-lockdown protest has failed to appear in court - as his lawyer claimed he was unable to speak to the accused in custody before the hearing. Kristian Pulkownik, 33, allegedly struck NSW Police horse Tobruk in the nose as his rider was managing thousands of protesters who marched in the city's CBD on Saturday as part of the 'Rally 4 Freedom march'. His lawyer Tony Nikolic said he had been unable to contact his client before his scheduled Sydney court appearance on Tuesday. Mr Nikolic said his client's mother, who has a heart condition, was 'worried sick' about her son's well-being. NSW Police posted a photo of Kristian Pulkownik, 33, allegedly punching police horse Tobruk during Saturday's protest. He faces four charges for affray, animal cruelty, joining an unlawful assembly and failing to comply with a Covid-19 direction A court officer confirmed Pulkownik's case had been set down for the day and that he was 'unavailable' for his court appearance via video link. 'We've made a number of attempts with corrective (services), we knew he was at Surry Hills cells,' Mr Nikolic said outside court. 'What was most unfortunate was they were giving us absolutely no information, actually hung up on us. We found that quite astounding given the gravity of the alleged offending. 'The fact that a lawyer can't get access to a client at the behest of his mother's request, his mother is worried sick - she has a heart condition... that's not only a concern for justice in Australia but also human rights.' The rally on Saturday moved from Sydney's Victoria Park to Town Hall where an unmasked crowd broke through a police barrier and continued down George St. Pulkownik faces four charges for affray, animal cruelty, joining an unlawful assembly and failing to comply with a Covid-19 direction. The accused approached the mounted policeman during the chaos and allegedly struck the 13-year-old thoroughbred, which emerged uninjured Troop Horse Tobruk and his trooper Senior Constable Patrick Condon on Monday. Kristian Pulkownik, 33, allegedly struck NSW Police horse Tobruk in the nose Tobruk pictured recovering in his stable on Saturday evening. The accused allegedly used unlawful violence against the horse and faces four separate charges Some protesters at Saturday's rally violently clashed with police, sparking ugly scenes that shocked the nation Court documents allege the 33-year-old used unlawful violence against Tobruk 'by conduct such that a person of reasonable firmness if present at the scene would have feared for their safety'. Greater Sydney has been locked down for the past four weeks, with residents only able to leave home with a reasonable excuse. The lawyer sought orders allowing for immediate telephone contact with Pulkownik before his next appearance on Thursday where he is expected to apply for bail. A male model turned bikie boss has been refused bail while he fights allegations he tried to extort a pawn broker in Sydney's northwest. Lawyers for Eamon Mulgrew, 25, in the Supreme Court on Tuesday argued the president of the local chapter of the Finks outlaw motorcycle gang should be released because the case against him was weak. Mulgrew is charged with demanding money with menaces in company, intimidating a person as part of a criminal group and breaching a non-association order. The male model turned Finks bikie boss was arrested on June 2 and has been refused bail over allegations of extortion against a pawnbroker in Sydney's north-west Mulgrew's lawyer contended the Crown's case is weak as it relies on the pawn broker's testimony who has made conflicting statements and admitted to criminal behaviour himself The Crown alleges a man - who the defence called a 'wayward member' - had been loaned $11,500 cash by the pawn broker in exchange for jewellery, a motorcycle and a boat earlier this year. Mulgrew is accused of demanding the items be handed over, then - with two other bikies - threatening the man when he refused. He was arrested on June 2 while on bail for other offences. However, Mulgrew's lawyer contended the Crown's case is weak, because it relies on the testimony of the pawn broker who has made conflicting statements and had admitted criminal behaviour himself. He also submitted than any bail concerns could be addressed through strict bail conditions including a curfew. The Crown alleges a man had been loaned $11,500 earlier this year by the pawn broker in exchange for jewellery, a motorcycle and a boat The judge said she was not convinced the case against Mulgrew was weak, saying the pawn broker's statements detailed stand-over tactics and a willingness from the bikies to use force against him. 'Whilst generally speaking, inconsistent statements are an indication that somebody is not a credible or reliable witness, this is not necessarily the case in that witnesses who may be themselves guilty of committing crimes may be reluctant... for fear, understandably, of incriminating themselves,' she said. 'It would appear that the applicant... is prepared to threaten violence to get what he wants.' The judge said she was not convinced the case against Mulgrew was weak, saying the pawn broker's statements detailed stand-over tactics and a willingness from the bikies to use force against him. While acknowledging prison was difficult for Mulgrew, who is segregated from other inmates, she deemed bail posed too high a risk. She said the crown case depends on the pawn broker's evidence. 'If there is any interference with his evidence, then it is likely that the crown case cannot proceed.' The odds of Mulgrew committing another serious offence, posing a danger to the pawn broker, or interfering with witnesses was substantial, she said. An Olympic competitor's ex-girlfriend confessed she made a mistake in breaking up with him in a light-hearted television interview in New Zealand. Kiwi triathlete Hayden Wilde took bronze in the men's individual triathlon event in Tokyo yesterday, notching New Zealand's first medal at this Games. While interviewing fans in Wilde's home town of Whakatane in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty region, Kiwi broadcaster 1News came across a woman who was an old flame of the new bronze medallist. 'I regret breaking up with you!' she responded when asked what message she would send to Wilde. 'I regret breaking up with you!' an ex-girlfriend of New Zealand bronze medallist Hayden Wilde told Kiwi news channel 1News after the event Wilde's bronze medal in the men's individual triathlon was New Zealand's first medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games The unidentified woman and her friends then burst into laughter. She then waved away the awkward comment, and said she was just 'so proud' of Wilde. 'Just all the work he's obviously done to get there is amazing. 'I went to primary school with him and he's grown so much and I'm real proud.' Asked on New Zealand TV what he would be doing after his medal-winning performance, 23-year-old Wilde revealed he would be speaking with his current girlfriend. 'I think I'll just be calling my girlfriend who's actually in Spain at the moment,' he said. 'She was up in the early hours of the morning watching the race.' Hayden Wilde (centre) as he approached the finish of the men's triathlon with eventual winner Kristian Blummenfelt behind him (right) and silver medallist Alex Yee from Great Britain (right) New Zealander Wilde (right) helps Norway's Kristian Blummenfelt (centre), the men's individual triathlon gold medallist, after he'd collapsed in exhaustion at the finish line Wilde was seen in pictures around the world at the end of the men's triathlon, when he helped gold medallist, Norway's Kristian Blummenfelt, to his feet after he'd collapsed in exhaustion at the finish line. Blummenfelt had made headlines in the event not only for his momentous victory, but for the see-through white suit he wore in the final leg of the event. An Atheist MP has called for the reciting of the Lord's Prayer before every sitting of parliament to be scrapped and replaced with a 'moment of reflection'. Fiona Patten, member of the Victorian Legislative Council for the Northern Metropolitan Region, is leading the charge to remove the 'sombre recitation'. The MP said the prayer does not reflect Victoria's diverse community, and argued parliament should not privilege one religion over another. Fiona Patten, member of the Victorian Legislative Council for the Northern Metropolitan Region, has said the reciting of the Lord's Prayer does not reflect Victoria's diverse community Ms Patten suggested those gathered in the Upper House of Parliament should instead spend the time in silence or reflecting on their responsibilities to the state Ms Patten suggested those gathered in the Upper House of Parliament should instead spend the time in silence or reflecting on their responsibilities to the state. She said more than half her colleagues chose to take a secular affirmation rather than a religious oath when they were sworn in. 'That's because we all come from diverse backgrounds, with a diverse range of beliefs just like the Victorian community we represent,' she said. Ms Patten said because she is not religious, she chooses to stand outside the chamber and wait until the prayer is over as a sign of respect. 'Im not the only one who does this. A growing number of MPs do the same and its hard for us not to feel like the naughty children who have to wait outside,' she said. The MP said the move would extend the right to other religious groups to have a moment of silence with their faith, or simply have some time to reflect THE LORD'S PRAYER Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen. Advertisement The Reason Party MP said the move would extend the right to other religious groups to have a moment of silence with their faith, or simply have some time to reflect. 'So - rather than the parliament being divided into two groups, those who are Christian and those who arent - we can have a moment of mutual respect for one another,' Ms Patten said. 'Before the yelling, pointing and mud-slinging starts, we can all just shut up for a bit.' The founder and leader of the Reason Party provided a link to a petition on her website where individuals could support her motion by emailing their local MP. The motion, dubbed 'A Parliament for All', stated the reciting of the Lord's Prayer did not represent the range of beliefs in the nation's 'most diverse state'. 'Victoria is home to hundreds of religions, one third of us are not religious, and one in ten follow a faith other than Christianity,' the statement reads. 'People of any faith can pray, and those who are not religious can contemplate the importance of their responsibilities to the people of Victoria.' Sydney radio broadcaster Ray Hadley has savaged his former 2GB colleague Alan Jones after he defended a man charged with hitting a police horse and questioned the cause of death of a Brazilian woman who was named as a Covid victim. Hadley, who had worked with Jones for more than three decades at both 2GB and 2UE, said he had observed 'strange behaviour' over many years being at the same radio stations. On Sky News on Monday night, Jones spoke up for Kristian Pulkownik, one of 63 people charged for protesting on Saturday against Sydney's lockdowns in defiance of a public health order. Pulkownik, who failed to appear in court on Tuesday, was charged with affray, animal cruelty, joining in an illegal assembly and not complying with a Covid-19 health directive, after he was filmed putting a fist into the face of a police horse. Jones argued the man he was simply trying to hold back the horse which was being ridden toward him. 'In the video, you can see the horse turn around and all this 33-year-old tried to do was to stop the horse from turning on him so he put his hand up as any of us would,' he said. 'For that, and what you see, he's been charged with animal cruelty.' Scroll down for video Sydney radio broadcaster Ray Hadley (pictured) has accused his former 2GB colleague Alan Jones of supporting violent anti-lockdowns protests after he defended a man charged with hitting a police horse Jones spoke up for Kristian Pulkownik (pictured), who was charged with affray, animal cruelty, joining in an illegal assembly and not complying with a Covid-19 health directive, after he was filmed touching the face of Tobruk, a police horse Jones also mocked Premier Gladys Berejiklian for promising the full force of the law would be brought against the rioters who defied a public health order. 'This is what you get as part of disproportionate responses to the coronavirus issue,' he said. 'I feel sorry for the police and the horses: they've been sooled on to the people by the Berejiklian Government.' Hadley cited Monday night's Sky News broadcast to accuse Jones of supporting the violent protests in Sydney's city centre. 'He needs to be called out for last night's program,' he said. 'He supported the violence and the protest on Saturday citing the New South Wales lockdown laws and the Berejiklian Government as to blame for what happened.' Hadley said Jones' defence of the man who allegedly attacked the police horse 'was beyond belief'. 'On Sky News, every night Alan Jones is an apologist for these thugs,' he said. Alan Jones (pictured) argued the man he was simply trying to stop the animal running into him and accused Premier Gladys Berejikian of 'sooling' police horses on to people On his program, Jones also asked Pulkownik's defence lawyer, Tony Nikolic, if a healthy 38-year-old Brazilian woman Adriana Midori Takara's death on Sunday morning was really from Covid. The Sky News presenter said he had been contacted by doctors who said she was unlikely to have died from Covid but that for statistical purposes, people are counted as victims of the pandemic if the virus 'caused or contributed' to death. 'All the stories say dead from coronavirus at 38. Are you aware, as a lawyer, that the national Covid guidelines and the ABS suggest that no autopsy has to be performed before declaring a Covid death?,' Jones said. 'I've been contacted by many doctors - as have others - who've rung me to say it's highly unlikely to be a Covid death but you'd have to wait for an autopsy. 'The patient may have had a stroke or a heart attack but you can't have an autopsy. Can you believe that?' On his program, Jones bizarrely asked a defence lawyer if a healthy 38-year-old Brazilian woman Adriana Midori Takara's (pictured) death was really from Covid, considering no autopsy had to be conducted at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, citing Australian Bureau of Statistics guidelines on coronavirus fatalities This angered Hadley. 'This is very, very insulting for the family,' he said. Hadley worked alongside Jones at 2GB from 2002 to 2020, after previously being broadcasters at 2UE since the mid-1980s. He accused him of giving a platform to anti-vaxxers like Pete Evans, a TV celebrity chef with fringe views. 'As you know, I've observed Mr Jones very closely for 35 years,' he said. 'I've seen some of his strange behaviour and I do mean strange behaviour in the past.' WSFM breakfast presenter Amanda Keller also accused Jones of 'whipping up' Sydney's anti-lockdown riots, along with Hadley's 2GB colleague Ben Fordham, who replaced Jones in breakfast last year. An Afghan witness giving evidence against Ben Roberts-Smith has been paid for months by the media company he is suing over allegations he is a war criminal. Mohammed Hanifa, who has lived most of his life in the tiny village of Darwan, told the Federal Court on Tuesday a Dr Sharif was paying for his accommodation, food and transport. The court heard Dr Sharif had been 'looking after' Mr Hanifa on behalf of representatives for Nine newspapers 'for the last couple of years'. Dr Sharif had been covering Mr Hanifa and his family's living expenses since they moved to the cities of Kandahar then Kabul so he could give his testimony. Mr Hanifa is one of four Afghans set to give evidence about the alleged death of a man called Ali Jan who Nine claims Mr Roberts-Smith ordered to be executed after kicking him off a cliff. An Afghan witness giving evidence against Ben Roberts-Smith has been paid for months by the media company he is suing over allegations he is a war criminal. Mr Roberts-Smith is pictured in Afghanistan with children in 2006 Mohammed Hanifa, who has lived most of his life in the tiny village of Darwan, told the Federal Court on Tuesday a Dr Sharif had been paying for his accommodation, food and transport since earlier this year. Dr Sharif works for representatives of Nine newspapers Mr Hanifa has given evidence about an Australian raid on Darwan (pictured) in which a man called Ali Jan was allegedly killed. That day SAS troopers came to the village looking for a rogue Afghan soldier who had shot dead three Australian soldiers a fortnight earlier The 38-year-old said he met Dr Sharif two years ago when he was still living at Darwan, where Nine alleges Ali Jan was murdered while in the custody of the SAS. 'Dr Sharif had sent a man, a person, and he said, "Do you want to testify about this?" I said, "Yes, I want to come and testify about it".' 'He had found people from my region, from my area, and then these people they came and found me.' Barrister Bruce McClintock, for Mr Roberts-Smith, asked Mr Hanifa who was paying his expenses while he stayed in Kabul, from where he is giving his evidence by audio/visual link. 'Dr Sharif is paying for the expenses,' he said. 'Rent for the house, the transportation fares for the vehicle, he's paying for that.' Pressed, Mr Hanifa said Dr Sharif was also paying for food. 'Yes, he is paying for the food. If he doesn't pay we don't have property here, we don't have a business here.' Mr McClintock asked if Dr Sharif had been paying for Mr Hanifa's accommodation for 'many months' but he could not answer accurately. 'Since we have come here he is paying for the expenses,' he said. Mr Roberts-Smith, 42, is suing Nine newspapers at the Federal Court trial in Sydney over media reports alleging he was involved in war crimes including murdering prisoners in Afghanistan. He is pictured arriving at court on Monday The villagers giving evidence against Mr Roberts-Smith are all from Darwan (pictured) in the Taliban stronghold of Uruzgan province and three have been described as members of the same extended family Mr Hanifa was staying with his wife and four daughters and Dr Sharif was also paying for them. 'They are my family - if he doesn't pay for them how can I pay for them?' Mr Hanifa said. He did not accept Dr Sharif was paying him an allowance. 'What allowances? It's the rent and the food,' he said. While Dr Sharif would reimburse him for a watermelon, there was no 'additional money he had given me and I have put in my pocket - nothing like that.' 'Dr Sharif pays the hotel rent and the fare for the bus and the transport. Other than that he has not paid me any money,' he said. Asked what he intended to do after stepping out of the witness box Mr Hanifa said: 'After this is done I will review the conditions and circumstances.' If the roads back to Darwan were open he would return there, if not he would stay in Kabul. Mr Hanifa is the oldest of 19 siblings and lives a primitive existence in his home village. One brother was killed when a cousin struck him with a stone in the head. The alleged murder of a man called Ali Jan is the centrepiece claim in a series of stories Nine newspapers published in 2018 accusing Mr Roberts-Smith of war crimes. Mr Roberts-Smith is pictured in Aghanistan after the June 2010 battle in which he earned the Victoria Cross Back in Darwan he farmed wheat, corn, kidney beans and tomatoes with his father and did not own his own fields. Mr Hanifa, who claims to have been viciously assaulted while in the custody of Australian soldiers, said he had not made a compensation claim with the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. 'I haven't been at that office; I havent presented any application,' he said. Mr Roberts-Smith is suing Nine for accusing him of war crimes including involvement in six murders while on deployment in Afghanistan with the SAS. Mr Hanifa has supported Nine's claims that Mr Roberts-Smith kicked an unarmed prisoner called Ali Jan off a cliff at Darwan and then ordered him to be executed. Mr McClintock asked Mr Hanifa on Tuesday if he called foreign soldiers who had come to his country 'infidels'. 'It is true,' he said. 'It is true, yes. We call them infidels.' Mr McClintock then asked Mr Hanifa if that was how he regarded foreign soldiers - as infidels, unfaithful to his Islamic religion. 'Yes, brother, it is like that,' he said. 'That is how people say.' Mr McClintock: 'You hate the soldiers don't you because they are infidels?' Mr Hanifa is the oldest of 19 siblings and lives a primitive existence in his home village. One brother was killed when a cousin struck him with a rock in the head. In Darwan (pictured) he farmed wheat, corn, kidney beans and tomatoes with his father and did not own his own fields. Mr Hanifa: 'If they are coming to our houses, go inside to our women of course that is what we call them - infidels.' Mr McClintock: 'You hate them dont you?' Mr Hanifa: 'No, I don't like them.' Mr McClintock then asked Mr Hanifa if he called the fighters killed by the infidels 'martyrs'. 'Yes, that is it, yes,' he said. Mr McClintock: 'That is how you see it, isn't it?' Mr Hanifa: 'Yes, yes.' Mr McClintock also asked Mr Hanifa if he agreed with the Taliban goal of ridding Afghanistan of the infidels. 'We are not concerned with the Taliban,' he said. 'We are not concerned with the government. We are the public.' Mr Hanifa has given evidence about an Australian raid on Darwan on September 11, 2012 in which was allegedly killed. Barrister Bruce McClintock for Mr Roberts-Smith has accused Mr Hanifa of lying about details of the Darwan raid. Mr Hanifa has responded with versions of the same phrase: 'I have seen it with my own eyes. Whether you call it a lie, that is up to you.' Mr Roberts-Smith is pictured That day SAS troopers came to the village looking for a rogue Afghan soldier called Hekmatullah, who had shot dead three Australian soldiers a fortnight earlier. Mr McClintock put to Mr Hanifa that Darwan had been raided seven months, four months and one month before the SAS returned to hunt for Hekmatullah. 'You knew Darwan was being raided because it was a Taliban stronghold,' Mr McClintock told the witness. 'There were raids there, there were raids, I don't now about Darwan being the centre of the Taliban,' he replied. 'Maybe there were Taliban.' Mr McClintock has repeatedly accused Mr Hanifa of lying about details of the Darwan raid. Repeatedly Mr Hanifa has responded with versions of the same phrase: 'I have seen it with my own eyes. Whether you call it a lie, that is up to you.' Mr Hanifa is giving evidence before the Federal Court from Kabul through a Pashto interpreter in Canada. Mr Roberts-Smith is pictured receiving his Victoria Cross for gallantry from then Governor-General Dame Quentin Bryce in 2011. He also holds the Medal for Gallantry He had spent all his life in Darwan until recently moving to Afghanistan's capital. One of his father's two wives is Ali Jan's sister. The 38-year-old was living with his father Shahzad Aka and some of his 18 siblings in the village on the day the SAS came for Hekmatullah and Ali Jan was allegedly killed. Mr Hanifa said he did not know Hekmatullah but had known Ali Jan since childhood, although he lived in another village three hours' walk from Darwan. He knew Hekmatullah was a Taliban fighter who used the radio call sign 'Abid'. 'He has a wireless,' Mr Hanifa told the court. 'And he has a gun.' Mr Hanifa said the Taliban was 'everywhere' in Uruzgan province. One of his brothers had once been taken to Tarin Kowt for interrogation, he told the court. He denied another brother had died while fighting with the insurgents. 'My maternal cousin, he had a fight with him, and hit him with a stone on the head.' Asked by Mr McClintock if he had known Hekmatullah was in Darwan before the September 11 raid he said, 'No, I was not aware.' 'We were aware that Hekmatullah had killed Australian soldiers but we were not aware he killed three soldiers or that he was there.' Ali Jan, Mr Hanifa said, was a married father-of-three engaged in irrigation, grazing cattle and selling wood. Australian troops aboard helicopters are pictured searching for Hekmatullah in the Gizab region of Uruzgan province after he murdered three of their comrades in August 2012 Mr Hanifa denied Ali Jan was connected to the Taliban 'no, nothing like that' or any sort of fighter. 'No, he was providing for his children and he was protecting his family and his property,' he said. The alleged murder of Ali Jan is the centrepiece claim in a series of stories Nine newspapers published in 2018 accusing Mr Roberts-Smith of war crimes. Nine newspapers including The Sydney Morning Herald allege Mr Roberts-Smith pushed Ali Jan off a cliff and ordered his execution. Mr Roberts-Smith has told the Federal Court he did not mistreat any prisoner, there was no unlawful killing and there was not even a cliff at Darwan. Mr Hanifa said Ali Jan had come to Darwan to mill wheat and was planning to collect woods from the mountains. He had two donkeys with him. The day Ali Jan was allegedly killed Mr Hanifa was at the house of his neighbour Man Gul when he saw helicopters carrying soldiers arrive on the outskirts of the village. 'I told him there was a raid,' he said. Ali Jan was beside a creek with two donkeys heading towards the house and Mr Hanifa quickly hatched a plan. Australian troops, including the Special Air Service, were based at Tarin Kowt during the war in Afghanistan. Four Afghans from Darwan will give evidence from Kabul about the alleged unlawful killing of a man called Ali Jan in their village on September 11, 2012 'I took one of the donkey from him thinking that we will look like nomads and the foreign forces will think that we are nomads,' Mr Hanifa told the court. 'Two shots were fired at us so we returned back. We had the donkeys with us and we stopped at the guest house.' Man Gul brought Mr Hanifa and Ali tea. Soldiers came into the village and one confronted Mr Hanifa. 'He told me to get up or stand up. I told Ali Jan not do to that because in these types of situations the soldier shoots you.' The soldier grabbed Mr Hanifa by the neck and hit his against a wall, he told the court. Mr Hanifa said he and Man Gul were detained and he was accused by an interpreter of being a member of the Taliban. 'He took out a pistol and he put it on my throat. He put it there and he said, "You are a Talib. I shot your father".' 'Then he pointed the pistol to my head and he hit me with the pistol and he said, "Show me Hekmatullah, otherwise I will shoot you in your head".' Mr Roberts-Smith is pictured with his barrister Bruce McClintock SC outside court on Monday. The war hero is 202cm - or 6'6' - tall Mr Hanifa said he was ordered to stare into the eyes of a 'big soldier' while he was being interrogated and when he looked away that soldier punched him 'many, many times'. Nine will suggest the 'big soldier' is Mr Roberts-Smith, who is 202cm (6'6") tall. Mr Hanifa said the big soldier also kicked him twice in the abdomen before the interrogators turned their attention to Ali Jan. 'I told Ali Jan, "Don't laugh or don't smile because they do not like when you smile or when you laugh,' he told the court. Mr Hanifa said when the big soldier said something to Ali Jan, whose hands were tied, he smiled. The big soldier then kicked him 'really hard' and Ali Jan fell on his back. 'He was rolling down, rolling down, until he reached the river,' Mr Hanifa said. 'At that time, the big soldier, he shouted. Also a shot was fired.' Mr Hanifa said he saw two other soldiers drag Ali Jan to a berry tree and heard more shots. He did not see the big soldier again and did not see Ali Jan being killed. Mr Hanifa later followed a trail of blood and found what he said was the body of Ali Jan. He had one arm behind his back and his hands were not tied. Ali Jan had been shot in the face, the left side of the head and the belly, he claimed. He was then shown a photograph taken that day of a dead man with a radio and bag near his body. 'This was Ali Jan,' he said. 'They put those things with his body.' Under cross-examination Mr Hanifa said he had not seen any shots fired at Ali Jan by anyone, including the big soldier. The Afghans giving evidence against Mr Roberts-Smith have previously given statements to the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force. Australian Special Operations Task Group troops are pictured in Uruzgan province in 2012 'I don't know if he fired the shots or someone else,' he told barrister Bruce McClintock SC for Mr Roberts Smith. 'I told you that I saw Ali Jan being dragged to this tree, after that I didn't see him,' he told the court. 'Shots were fired, whether you consider this a lie or a truth is up to you.' Mr Hanifa is the first of four Afghan witnesses set to give evidence for Nine from their war-torn homeland this week. Afghan National Army sergeant Hekmatullah (pictured) shot dead three Australian soldiers near Tarik Kowt in August 2012 The others are Man Gul, Shahzad Aka and a woman known as Bora. They are all from Darwan in the Taliban-controlled Uruzgan province and the three men have been described as members of the same extended family. The witnesses are giving their testimony through a Pashto interpreter based in Ontario, Canada. Mr Roberts-Smith's lawyers have their own translator in Sydney. Mr Roberts-Smith, who Nine newspapers accused of involvement in six murders during his service in Afghanistan, has denied taking part in any unlawful killings. He says that the day Nine claims Ali Jan was murdered the only Afghans killed were Taliban insurgents. Early in the mission Mr Roberts-Smith had swum the Helmand River and shot dead a an insurgent called Mullah Ghafur who was armed with an AK-47-style assault rifle. Nine alleges that near the end of the mission Mr Roberts-Smith and members of his patrol detained, handcuffed and questioned Mohammed Hanifa, Man Gul and Ali Jan. The newspapers claim Mr Roberts-Smith forced Ali Jan to kneel at the edge of a cliff while still handcuffed and then took a number of steps back before kicking him hard in the midriff. The former SAS corporal's legal team argues their client is a victim of a lying campaign by journalists and failed soldiers jealous of his stellar military career and Victoria Cross Mr Roberts-Smith is suing newspapers including the Sydney Morning Herald which ran this front page investigation into allegations of war crimes committed in Afghanistan on the weekend of June 9 and 10, 2018 According to Nine, Ali Jan fell over the cliff and landed in a dry creek bed below. The impact of the fall was so great it knocked Ali Jan's teeth out of his mouth. Nicholas Owens SC for Nine asked Mr Hanifa if there had been an embankment or slope up from the creek bed. 'No, nothing like that, no slope, anything like that,' he said. Nine alleges Ali Jan was moved by two soldiers to the other side of the creek bed where he was shot by Mr Roberts-Smith or another SAS member called Person 11, or both. Mr Roberts-Smith has given evidence that no such incident ever took place and disputed there was even a drop he would consider a cliff at Darwan. Instead of having executed a prisoner, Mr Roberts-Smith said he was nearby when Person 11 engaged and killed a Taliban 'spotter' in a cornfield. The trial was suspended on June 29 after a month of hearing because of Sydney's Covid-19 lockdown and the inability of interstate witnesses to give evidence. Lawyers for Nine and Mr Roberts-Smith have been required to be in court to hear the Afghans' evidence, despite the lockdowns. More than half of people labelled as a Covid hospital patient in England only tested positive after being admitted for a different reason, leaked figures show. The NHS England data suggests the pressure of the third wave on hospitals may be even less severe than the daily numbers let on. There were 827 patients admitted for Covid in England last Thursday, according to the Government's coronavirus dashboard. But 56 per cent of these were only diagnosed with the virus after being in hospital for a different illness, with some patients only testing positive weeks later, according to data seen by The Telegraph. Experts slammed the finding as 'misleading' and said officials must do more to differentiate between actual Covid admissions and 'incidental' cases. Increased testing - officials are doing more now than ever before - and high levels of transmission in the community will have played a role, they said. It comes after MailOnline's analysis earlier this month found 40 per cent of Covid 'admissions' were in hospital for other reasons. Tory MPs are now demanding new figures be published every day to paint a clearer picture of pressures on the NHS. But health service bosses claimed today that trusts are just as busy as they were in the second wave of the pandemic, when there were more than 4,000 Covid admissions per day. They said medics were juggling frantic efforts to chop down the 5.3million backlog of patients before winter as well as record numbers in A&E admissions. It comes as Covid infections fell for the sixth day in a row in the UK for the first time since November. Latest hospital admission data shows there were 922 on July 22, up a quarter on the previous week. The red bars show the number of patients being admitted to hospitals in England every day up July 20, while the blue bars show hospital admissions during the second wave, which peaked in January when 4,134 went to hospital with Covid in a single day Figures for hospitalisations in England show that just 44 per cent of the 827 people categorised as being hospitalised with Covid last Thursday tested positive in the two weeks before going to hospital. An additional 43 per cent tested positive for the virus within two days of being admitted, while the remaining 13 per cent were found to have the virus after two days in hospital Figures for hospitalisations in England show that just 44 per cent of the 827 people categorised as being hospitalised with Covid last Thursday tested positive in the two weeks before going to hospital. An additional 43 per cent tested positive for the virus shortly after admission, while the remaining 13 per cent were found to have the virus after two days in hospital. Covid testing is mandatory in all hospitals and patients are regularly checked for the virus, no matter what they are in hospital for. It means patients giving birth or getting routine operations may be being added to the daily numbers. How long is the NHS waiting list? More than 5million people in England are now waiting for NHS hospital treatment the highest number ever recorded. Official data released in June showed the number now stands at 5.12million, and has risen consistently since the Covid pandemic began. Statistics released for the first time also revealed the true extent of the NHS backlog, with almost 65,000 patients waiting at least 18 months for routine operations, such as hip and knee replacements. Around 2,700 patients haven't been treated within two years. Critics slammed the 'grim milestone', calling on ministers to make tackling the 'gigantic' backlog their top priority. The Royal College of Surgeons called the data on patients waiting at least one year 'particularly troubling'. Hospitals turned their attention to treating coronavirus patients during the first and second waves, cancelling thousands of non-urgent procedures. Health chiefs fear non-Covid care could be threatened again if the Indian variant's rapid spread which has left hopes of 'Freedom Day' going ahead on a knife-edge causes hospital admissions to spike. Vaccines have broken the link between cases and serious illness, but SAGE advisers still fear the mutant strain could trigger a 'substantial' third wave. Millions of over-50s have yet to be fully vaccinated and data shows a single dose is slightly less effective against the Delta variant, which has bolstered calls for No10 to delay June 21 to give the NHS more time to dish out top-up jabs. Advertisement Hospitalisations are also significantly lower now than in the previous waves. At the peak of the first wave last April, the number of people seeking hospital care hit 3,099. Daily figures jumped to 4,134 at the peak of the second wave in January. Professor Carl Heneghan, director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine at the University of Oxford, told The Telegraph: 'This data is incredibly important, and it should be published on an ongoing basis. 'When people hear about hospitalisations with Covid, they will assume that Covid is the likely cause, but this data shows something quite different this is about Covid being detected after tests were looking for it.' He said the Government should publish clearer figures to outline whether the virus was the primary cause of admission, as the numbers could be exaggerating NHS pressure. Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 committee of Tory MPs, told the paper: 'Nearly 18 months into the Covid crisis, it is absurd that data breaking down hospital admissions still isn't publicly available on a regular basis. 'Counting all patients who test positive as Covid hospitalisations is inevitably misleading and gives a false picture of the continuing health impact of the virus.' Greg Clark, the chairman of Commons science and technology select committee said he would ask Health Secretary Sajid Javid to regularly release a breakdown of numbers actually in hospital due to the virus. An NHS spokesman said: 'Many patients are admitted to hospital because of their Covid symptoms and complications, which are then confirmed with a post-admission Covid test, and for others they may initially be presymptomatic or asymptomatic.' A NHS data expert told the Telegraph: 'It creates an impression that all these people are going into hospital with Covid, and that simply is not the case. 'People are worried and scared and not really understanding the true picture that is what I find despicable.' NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson warned the NHS 'feels as busy as it did' in January during the peak of the second wave Cambridge University epidemiologist Dr Raghib Ali and Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at Reading University, told MailOnline that 'incidental' hospital Covid cases will become more common as the outbreak grows. There are still some patients who fall gravely ill with the virus and do not get tested until they arrive at hospital, Dr Raghib said, but this is happening less often now that testing is so widespread. Fewer people are becoming severely ill thanks to the vaccines. Professor Paul Hunter, an expert in medicine at the University of East Anglia, said that by next winter 'most cases admitted with a positive test will not be admitted because of Covid'. But Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, told Times Radio this morning the health service is facing as much pressure as it did in January, despite treating less Covid patients. Hospitals are still required to separate any patient who tests positive, no matter what condition they were primarily admitted for, which puts extra pressure on the NHS. Stringent infection control measures and repeated lockdowns during the pandemic have led to a record waiting list of 5.3million in England. He said: 'What's particularly striking is how much over the last few weeks our trust chief executives have said the pressure and the shape of the pressure is very different in terms of the Covid caseload is much lower. 'But if you add all of the things we've got going on, full pelt on the backlog recovery, we've got record demand for urgent care. 'We have got growing numbers of Covid cases, we've then lost about 10,000 to 15,000 beds of the normal 100,000 beds to ensure we've got infection control in place, we've got large numbers of staff self-isolating, we do have growing numbers of staff off with stress and we're now at peak summer leave. 'What trust chief executives are saying to us is that if you add all of that together and you have a 'pressureometer' where you measure the total pressure, what they're saying to us is in many cases this now feels as busy as it did and as pressured as it did in January. 'The shape of the pressure just looks very different.' Up to 40% of 'Covid hospital patients' infected with Delta variant may have been admitted for a different illness, official figures suggest Four out of 10 patients hospitalised with the Indian Covid variant in England may have been admitted for something else, MailOnline analysis of official data suggests. Public Health England's fortnightly report on the 'Delta' strain showed a total of 1,904 people had spent at least one night in hospital with the mutant virus by June 21. But the agency admits 739 (39 per cent) of these patients may have gone to hospital for a different condition or injury and tested positive through routine NHS testing. Experts said the findings show that a significant number of the Covid admissions reported by the Government every day will be 'incidental cases'. Cambridge University epidemiologist Dr Raghib Ali and Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at Reading University, told MailOnline that this will become more common as the outbreak grows. Officials expect there to be at least 100,000 Covid infections per day by next month. There are still some patients who fall gravely ill with the virus and do not get tested until they arrive at hospital, Dr Raghib said, but this is happening less often now that testing is so widespread. Fewer people are becoming severely ill thanks to the vaccines. Professor Paul Hunter, an expert in medicine at the University of East Anglia, said that by next winter 'most cases admitted with a positive test will not be admitted because of Covid'. PHE's figures also show that of the Indian variant patients who presented at A&E by June 21, just over three in 10 spent the night in hospital, with the rest sent home on the same day. The promising stats come amid growing anecdotal reports of hospital Covid patients having milder symptoms than in previous waves, due to vaccines and the fact younger people now make up a greater proportion of cases. Public Health England's fortnightly report on the 'Delta' strain showed a total of 1,904 people had spent at least one night in hospital with the mutant virus by June 21. But the agency admits 739 (39 per cent) of these patients may have gone to hospital for a different condition or injury and tested positive through routine NHS testing PHE's figures also show that of the Indian variant patients who presented at A&E by June 21, just over three in 10 spent the night in hospital, with the rest sent home on the same day Professor Clarke said MailOnline's analysis highlighted the need to be wary of using general hospital admission figures as an indicator of how much severe disease is being caused by Covid. 'It's detecting the proportion of Covid in society, but what it's doing is meaning the total number of admissions is not a good indicator of the disease burden. 'And that is reflected in the low number of people who are going into intensive care [compared to general admissions].' Dr Ali said the PHE data provided 'some evidence that there are a higher proportion of patients now that have Covid as an incidental finding' than in previous waves. The fact there is far more testing now than ever before roughly a million swabs are deployed daily now compared to 400,000 in winter means it's a 'reasonable assumption' that more incidental cases will be picked up in the NHS. Professor Hunter said this will become more of an issue if community transmission continues to increase. He told MailOnline: 'There is no doubt that the overall figures on hospitalisation will include cases who just happen to be positive and are picked up by routine screening when they are admitted for something else. 'This will become more of an issue as more people have mild or asymptomatic infections as a result of vaccination or prior infection.' Like Dr Ali, Professor Hunter warned that disentangling the primary cause of admission among Covid hospital patients was difficult. 'It's difficult to know for sure, sometimes even in an individual patient. For example, take someone who has been admitted following a car crash and tests positive. Did they crash because the were driving when not well? 'This is more likely to be an issue in younger people and children where a higher proportion of admissions with a positive test may not be admitted because of the disease. It's also more likely in the vaccinated. 'I suspect in a year or so most cases admitted with a positive test will not be admitted because of Covid.' Hospitals are still required to separate any patient who tests positive, no matter what condition they were primarily admitted for, which puts extra pressure on the NHS. Stringent infection control measures and repeated lockdowns during the pandemic have led to a record waiting list of 5.3million in England. PHE said that of the 1,904 Indian variant patients, it was confident 1,165 were admitted primarily for Covid. The other 739 patients tested positive for the virus for the first time on the same day they were admitted. The agency said it separated these patients in its reporting to 'help remove cases picked up via routine testing in healthcare settings whose primary cause of attendance is not COVID-19'. It added: 'Some of the cases detected on the day of admission may have attended for a diagnosis unrelated to Covid.' A mother who lost an eye when she fell into a bush and speared it on a twig on the way home from a party is now suing for 150,000 compensation. Terrie Scales, 53, says she tripped on large stones which were strewn around the driveway leading to her Croydon home in July 2015. She fell forward, landing in the bushes, with a sharp branch penetrating her left eye, which then had to be removed. Mrs Scales, a bureau de change cashier, is now suing landlord Hillcrest Homes (UK) Ltd for six-figure compensation at Central London County Court. She said that the drive was uneven and 'unsafe' and that she had complained eight or nine times, but nothing was done. However, the housing association denies any blame and says the fall was just an unfortunate accident. It also claimed that medical records suggested she might have been drinking - though Mrs Scales vehemently denied having any alcohol that night. Terrie Scales, 53 (left before the accident and right after), lost her eye after she tripped on large stones which were strewn around the driveway leading to her Croydon home in July 2015 and landed on a twig Outlining her claim, Mrs Scales' barrister Colin Mendoza told the court she had been chaperoning a teenage party at a neighbour's house before the accident happened. On her way back to her home in The Glade, she tripped on a large stone and fell into bushes on the side of the drive, which ran past a neighbour's house to her own. Giving evidence, Mrs Scales said the path was dangerous. 'Obviously it is dangerous, because I have lost an eye for it,' she told Judge Heather Baucher, breaking down in the witness box. 'You can't say it's not unsafe. I have lost my eye. It should have never been like that.' Mrs Scales, who was with her ten-year-old daughter at the time, said she had been left in agony and was sick due to the shock of the incident. She was rushed to hospital for treatment but despite several operations, the contents of her left eye had to be removed. 'The claimant has therefore been left only with her right eye, which was uninjured in the accident,' Mr Mendoza told the judge. He said Mrs Scales now struggles with making food and drinks, and with seeing steps and other obstacles. In the months after the fall, she relied heavily on her mother for help at home, he added. Mrs Scales is suing under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, claiming the housing association breached its duty to ensure the driveway was in a reasonable condition. She had complained numerous times about the poor surface and the lack of lighting, Mr Mendoza said. Mrs Scales is suing under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, claiming the housing association breached its duty to ensure the driveway was in a reasonable condition She fell forward, landing in the bushes, with a sharp branch penetrating her left eye, which then had to be removed 'She referred to how the uneven driveway can be difficult to even drive down without causing damage to vehicles, let alone physical injury,' he continued. He added: 'Here the defendant ought in the circumstances to have known of the relevant defects. 'The very uneven path was well known...The condition in the past had been notified. 'Works had recently been undertaken on the driveway. It is not right to say the drive had been left sound...and was simply awaiting a top dressing of gravel. 'If it had been left sound, the tripping accident would not on the balance of probabilities have happened. 'Instead, it remained very uneven with tripping hazards on it in the form of large stones and potholes.' For Hillcrest, barrister Lee Evans denied that the path was defective and in need of repair, arguing that 'reasonable care' had been taken to make it safe. Mrs Scales had contributed to her accident herself in that she had failed to step over any stones which were on the ground, he claimed. Cross-examining her, he suggested that the path was not unsafe and that she had just been unlucky to fall. 'Accidents can happen, someone can fall and have a very unfortunate injury for something that is not unsafe,' he said. She had also contributed to the fall by failing to step over any stones which were on the ground, he continued. He also questioned whether she had really complained about the driveway in the past, pointing out the lack of evidence of messages having been sent. He put to her: 'You did not before your accident make any complaints about the condition of your driveway.' Mrs Scales replied: 'Yes, I did.' Evidence of her complaints was missing because it was lost when she changed her mobile phone, she said. The hearing continues. A trial has opened in Vatican City into a financial scandal involving an opaque, loss-making Vatican property deal paid for with charity funds after a two-year probe that has implicated a once-powerful cardinal. Vatican prosecutors allege that ten defendants, including high-rolling London financiers and church employees, engaged in various crimes such as embezzlement, fraud and corruption. The former right-hand man to Pope Francis Angelo Becciu, who says he is the innocent victim of a plot, is the highest-profile defendant embroiled in the Church's ruinous purchase of a 17,000-sq metre London property in the upmarket neighbourhood of Chelsea under his watch. A 487-page indictment released earlier this month sheds light on hefty bank transfers, text messages between collaborators from seized cellphones - even bags of money changing hands and secret meetings in luxury hotels. The former cardinal Angelo Becciu, who says he is the innocent victim of a plot, is the highest-profile defendant embroiled in the Church's ruinous purchase of a 17,000-sq metre London property in the upmarket neighbourhood of Chelsea under his watch It is unclear whether former cardinal Becciu, then number two at the powerful Secretariat of State, will appear in the makeshift courtroom held within the Vatican Museums on the trial's opening day. The case against Becciu, which carries charges of embezzlement, abuse of office and witness tampering, also includes separate allegations over hundreds of thousands of euros of church funds paid to his brother's charity. The trial ensnaring the former cardinal - who was fired by the pontiff in September and stripped of his privileges as cardinal - represents the first time a cardinal has been indicted by Vatican criminal prosecutors in modern history. The complex case alleged by prosecutors paints a picture of dubious, risky investments involving millions of dollars of Vatican money, little or no oversight, and double-dealing by outside consultants and insiders trusted with the financial interests of the Secretariat of State, the Vatican's most important department charged with general affairs and diplomacy. The primary defendants are 'actors in a rotten predatory and lucrative system, sometimes made possible thanks to limited, but very incisive, complicity and internal connivance,' wrote prosecutors. The case against Becciu, the former right-hand man to Pope Francis (pictured), which carries charges of embezzlement, abuse of office and witness tampering, also includes separate allegations over hundreds of thousands of euros of church funds paid to his brother's charity Since becoming pope in 2013, Francis has vowed to clean up the Church's finances, dogged for decades by scandal. After a 2019 raid on the Secretariat's offices by Vatican police, Francis stripped the body of oversight of its own funds, handing that responsibility to others. The scandal is particularly embarrassing because funds used for risky ventures, including the disastrous 350-million-euro (300million) investment in Chelsea, came from the Peter's Pence, an annual fund for the pope's charities. The current case dates from 2013, when the Secretariat borrowed more than $200 million (145million), mainly from Credit Suisse, to invest in a Luxembourg fund managed by an Italian-Swiss businessman, Raffaele Mincione. Half was intended for stock market purchases and the rest for part of the London building. Mincione, prosecutors allege, used the money to invest in high-risk ventures over which the Church had no control. By 2018, the Secretariat had already lost millions and tried to pull out of the deal. But another London-based financier, Gianluigi Torzi, brought in to broker the purchase of the rest of the building and cut ties with Mincione, instead joining forces with him, say prosecutors. Vatican prosecutors allege that ten defendants, including high-rolling London financiers and church employees, engaged in various crimes such as embezzlement, fraud and corruption By November 2018, the original investment had lost 18 million euros, prosecutors say, prompting the Vatican to seek an exit strategy while retaining its stake in the building in London's swank Chelsea neighbourhood Torzi arranged for the Holy See to give Mincione 40million to buy out the financier's share of the London property, but allegedly inserted a clause into the deal that gave himself control of the building through voting rights. Torzi is accused of demanding 15 million euros to relinquish control. Mincione and Torzi were helped, prosecutors claim, by Enrico Crasso, a former financial consultant to the Secretariat, and employee Fabrizio Tirabassi, both of whom face charges including fraud. Also implicated are two former top officials within the Vatican's financial regulator, including its ex-president, Swiss lawyer Rene Bruelhart, whom prosecutors say did not do enough to protect the Secretariat's interests. In another twist, Becciu is accused of paying defendant Cecilia Marogna 575,000 euros (491,500) in Vatican funds earmarked for freeing captive priests and nuns abroad that Marogna - dubbed 'the Cardinal's lady' by the Italian press - spent on luxury goods and hotels. Prosecutors claim the Vatican's top hierarchy, including Becciu's boss and pope ally Cardinal Pietro Parolin, were in favour of the London venture, but unaware of its financial details. Parolin, Pena Parra and Perlasca were not charged. Tirabassi is charged with corruption, extortion, ebezzlement, fraud and abuse of office; he denies wrongdoing. Lake Powell, America's second largest reservoir, has hit its lowest level since it was first filled fifty years ago amid a climate-fueled drought and increasing demand for water. As of Sunday, the Utah reservoir had fallen to around 33 percent capacity at roughly 3,554 feet in elevation, according to CNN citing the US Bureau of Reclamation. The previous all-time-low was set in 2005. The rate at which both Lake Powell and the nearby Lake Mead in Nevada - America's largest reservoir - have drained this year has alarmed scientists and officials. Warnings over the water levels at the key reservoirs come as over 95 percent of the Western US is experiencing drought conditions. Lake Powell (pictured on June 24), America's second largest reservoir, has hit its lowest level since it was first filled fifty years ago amid a climate-fueled drought Lake Powell and Lake Mead, both fed by the Colorado River watershed, are critical sources of drinking water and irrigation for many inhabitants across the region, including farms, ranches and native communities. The water that flows down the Colorado River fills the two reservoirs, which are found along a river system that supplies water to over 40 million people living across seven western states and Mexico. US Geological Survey scientists published a study in 2020 that found on average, the river's flow has declined by about 20 percent over the last century. Over half of that decline can be attributed to warming temperatures across the basin, the study concluded. While Lake Powell may not the the largest of the two key reservoirs, John Fleck of the Water Resources Program at the University of New Mexico told CNN that it still plays a significant role in the West's growing water crisis. 'The bottom dropping out on Lake Powell may be the more serious challenge, because a buffer in Lake Powell allows you to move water down to Lake Mead to make up for the shortcomings,' Fleck told the network. As of Sunday, the Utah reservoir (pictured on June 24) had fallen to around 33 percent capacity at roughly 3,554 feet in elevation. The previous all-time-low was set in 2005 The rate at which both Lake Powell (pictured on June 24) and the nearby Lake Mead in Nevada - America's largest reservoir - have drained this year has alarmed scientists and officials More than 95 percent of the Western US is currently experiencing drought conditions, the largest area since the US Drought Monitor was created, with more than 28 percent of the area experiencing exceptional drought, the most severe level. The drought is drying up lakes across the West and worsening massive wildfires affecting California and Oregon. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, has begged people to cut back on lawn watering and 'pray for rain.' Extreme conditions like these are often from a combination of unusual random, short-term and natural weather patterns heightened by long-term, human-caused climate change. Scientists have long warned that the weather will get wilder as the world warms, and climate change has made the West much warmer and drier in the past 30 years. If Lake Powell is projected to drop below 3,525 feet (just 29 feet lower than its current level), the Bureau of Reclamation can release more water to the lake from upstream reservoirs under the 2019 Colorado River Drought-Contingency Plan. Pictured: A map showing the route of the Colorado River and the locations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead, as well as the Blue Mesa Reservoir which could be used to top-up Lake Powell Such emergency releases are set to begin in August, with the Blue Mesa Reservoir in southwest Colorado expected to be one of the others used. Water is not the only resource that could be in short supply as a result of the declining water levels. As with Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam, the lower levels also threaten Glen Canyon Dam's hydropower production for many states including Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and Nebraska. To add to the problems, if the next major Bureau of Reclamation study in August finds even worse water level decline in Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the first-ever shortage declaration on the Colorado River could be declared. This would mean many communities would have their water supply cut next year. 'Over time, cities are going to need to conserve more and more water,' Fleck said, 'and that doesn't get any easier with climate change.' Meanwhile, authorities said they have recovered the body of a third person who died during flooding and mudslides in an area of northern Colorado that was burned by a massive wildfire. One person is still missing. The Larimer County Sheriff's Office was notified Monday that a man's body was found in the Poudre River, a day after another man was found dead in the waterway. Lake Powell (pictured) and Lake Mead, both fed by the Colorado River watershed, are critical sources of drinking water and irrigation for many inhabitants across the region, including farms, ranches and native communities Pictured: In this aerial view, The tall bleached 'bathtub ring' is visible on the rocky banks of Lake Powell on June 24, 2021 On Tuesday, a woman's body was found near the small community of Rustic, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) northwest of Denver, shortly after a mudslide sent a wave of debris into scenic, winding Poudre Canyon. 'Our deepest sympathies go out to the family who tragically lost four members in last week's flood,' Sheriff Justin Smith said. Six homes were destroyed and another was damaged, all on the same road, the sheriff's office said. The flooding and slides happened in area that was burned last year by the 326-square-mile (844-square-kilometer) Cameron Peak Fire, the largest in Colorado's history. Fires torch vegetation that usually helps absorb rain and keeps the ground stable, making those areas more vulnerable to flooding, especially in steep sections. The soil in burned areas can also repel rain. Extreme temperatures, low humidity, gusty winds and rough terrain contributed to the rapid growth of the fire, the first to spread to about 313 square miles (811 square kilometers) in the state, according to federal fire managers. A large amount of trees killed by beetles and stricken by the drought also fueled the growth of the fire, according to their final summary. Scientists say climate change is responsible for more intense and frequent extreme weather like flooding and droughts and events like wildfires. But more research is needed to determine how much global warming is to blame, if at all, for a single event. Advertisement Another ten countries including Italy, Germany, Canada and Austria could be added to the green travel list from next week in a boost to summer holiday hopes, a leading travel expert predicted today. Paul Charles, CEO of the PC Agency, a travel consultancy, screens destinations for quarantine-free travel based on current infection and vaccination rates, as well as information from 'official sources from various governments'. He gave Austria, Bosnia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia and Slovenia as likely greens in the next government review, expected next Wednesday. On the green watch list, he placed Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Finland, Egypt, Estonia, French Polynesia, Jamaica, Japan, North Macedonia, Norway, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Sweden. Mr Charles said: 'Our analysis shows at least 10 countries will be added to the UK Government green list next week - of course it should be many more. But usual government caution will prevail.' Current amber and red list destinations. A review of the UK travel list is expected on Wednesday or Thursday next week The current traffic light system has very few recognised holiday destinations on the 'green list' for Britons to visit, while others like Australia are not allowing anyone to enter. Highlighted in orange are destinations at risk of moving to amber Other reports last night suggested as many as 77 countries could be rated green, with government scientists said to be reviewing the countries before ministers decide on which to move when changes are announced next week. What are the rules on returning to England from an amber list country? For arrivals returning from an amber list country, before arriving in England, you must take a private PCR or lateral flow test in the three days before the service on which you will arrive in England departs. For example, if you travel to England on Friday, you can take the test on or after Tuesday and will need to have the negative result available before boarding on Friday. Before you arrive in England, you must also book and pay for day two and day eight Covid-19 tests, to be taken after your arrival in England. But under the Test to Release scheme you can choose to pay for a private Covid-19 test on day five. If the result is negative (and the result of your day two test result was negative or inconclusive), you can end your quarantine. From 4am on July 19, you will not need to quarantine on arrival in England or take a day eight Covid-19 test, as long as you are fully vaccinated. This means that you have had your final dose of an approved vaccine at least 14 days before the date you arrive in England. If you are not fully vaccinated under the UK vaccination programme, you will have to quarantine on arrival and take both the day 2 and day 8 tests. If you arrive in England before 4am on July 19, you must follow the current rules, even if you have been fully vaccinated. *Though France is on the amber list, those arriving in the UK from France will still have to self-isolate for 10 days from Monday - as per Friday's announcement Advertisement Government sources told the Telegraph the number of countries added to the green list may narrow considerably from the 77, but the list offers insight into countries considered 'possibles'. Meanwhile, the newspaper also reported that ministers are preparing to ease travel rules for expats returning to the UK from Sunday. The government will formally recognise jabs administered overseas from August 1. That means that Brits living abroad who are fully vaccinated will be able to avoid a 10 day stay in self-isolation when returning from an amber list country. Meanwhile, ministers are also considering plans which would allow double-jabbed foreign nationals to be allowed into the UK without having to quarantine. The government is hoping to strike reciprocal deals with dozens of nations to recognise each other's vaccinations and vaccine apps. That could pave the way for the return of much easier travel to and from many popular holiday destinations. It will also inevitably spark optimism of a deal being done between the US and the UK as the two sides continue talks on setting up a travel corridor. The government currently only recognises NHS administered vaccinations when it comes to international travel rules. As a result, British expats who live in amber list nations have faced the barrier of quarantine even when they have had both doses. Ministers are now reportedly planning to change the rules to allow Brits to register a foreign jab with their GP. CZECH REPUBLIC AND ITALY: Paul Charles, CEO of the PC Agency, a travel consultancy, screens destinations for quarantine-free travel based on current infection and vaccination rates, as well as information from 'official sources from various governments'. Pictured: Prague and the Amalfi Coast GERMANY AND AUSTRIA: Mr Charles also forecast that Germany and Austria could soon open up for quarantine free travel. Pictured: Berlin's Brandenburg Gate and a scene from Vienna Heathrow plunges to a 2.9bn Covid loss with passenger numbers falling behind EU rivals Heathrow Airport today plunged to a 2.9billion pandemic loss as Britain's largest airport fell further behind European rivals - while its CEO urged ministers to open up travel to vaccinated tourists. The London hub, which before the pandemic had Europe's busiest runway, said Britain's travel restrictions were suppressing trade volumes and customer demand, and government action was needed quickly or jobs would be lost. Passenger levels were about 20-25% of their pre-pandemic levels, while European airports are already back to about 50%, according to Heathrow Chief Executive John Holland-Kaye. 'Without the passenger planes going to global markets like the U.S., UK exports aren't getting out of the country, and the UK will fall behind and that will cost jobs, unless we open up,' he said today. Heathrow wants Britain to allow fully vaccinated people from the United States and the European Union to be able to come into the country without needing to quarantine for 10 days, and says that level of opening up would help fuel a stronger recovery. Advertisement That should pave the way for double-jabbed people to be able to visit the country without having to self-isolate. It is also thought that quarantine-free travel to the UK for double-jabbed foreign nationals could be opened up 'very soon' as the government continues to seek reciprocal deals with countries which agree to recognise the NHS vaccine app. The deals are likely to be based on a mutual recognition of the vaccines used in each country which means the UK is only likely to strike agreements with nations using jabs already approved for use in Britain. That could present a stumbling block for a reciprocal deal with the US because the AstraZeneca vaccine, the workhorse of the UK rollout, has not yet been approved for use by Washington. Meanwhile, in a sign that a breakthrough on US-UK travel may still be some way off, a White House official last night said the Biden Administration does not intend to lift any existing travel restrictions 'at this point'. The official cited concerns over the Delta variant and the rising number of US coronavirus cases. 'Given where we are today with the Delta variant, the United States will maintain existing travel restrictions at this point,' the official told Reuters. Policing minister Kit Malthouse today said it was 'disappointing' after the White House said curbs will not be loosened, citing concerns about the Delta variant. The current amber list travel rules state that Brits who are 'fully vaccinated under the UK vaccination programme' do not have to self-isolate when they return. However, people who are not 'fully UK vaccinated' do still have to quarantine for 10 days. Formally recognising foreign jabs will make it much easier for British expats to return to the UK, with hundreds of thousands based in major EU countries alone. It came amid reports that restrictions on travel from France will likely be dropped next week as the government's traffic light system is reviewed. It is thought the country will be taken off the 'amber-plus' list as government officials believe the Beta coronavirus variant threat is being contained. Sources claim the Delta variant prevalent in Britain is spreading faster than the Beta variant in Europe, and would 'out-compete' it in the coming weeks, according to The Times. At present double-jabbed holidaymakers returning from France must quarantine for up to ten days because it is on the amber-plus list. 'It's obviously disappointing': Ministers voice frustration at US refusing to ease restrictions on travel from the UK - but double-jabbed Americans are set to be exempted from British quarantine rules By James Tapsfield for MailOnline A minister today voiced frustration after the US said it will not be easing restrictions on travel from the UK quickly. Policing minister Kit Malthouse admitted it was 'disappointing' after the White House said curbs will not be loosened, citing concerns about the Delta variant. In contrast, the UK is expected to announce that double-jabbed Americans will be able to visit without the need to quarantine. Most Britons are banned from entering the US if they have been in the UK within the past 14 days. Pictured, Joe Biden yesterday Transatlantic travel has been highly restricted since the pandemic erupted, and the US is currently on the 'amber list' - meaning that passengers must isolate for up to 10 days on arrival. However, fully vaccinated Americans are set to be let off the rules from next month as long as they can show the cards they were issued when they received jabs. The government has made the concession despite concerns that there is no central US system for proving vaccination status, with individual states making their own - typically paper-based - arrangements. Most Britons are banned from entering the US if they have been in the UK within the past 14 days. The US announced yesterday that it would not lift any of its present travel restrictions 'at this point' because of the Delta variant. Fully vaccinated Americans are expected to be let off quarantine rules from next month as long as they can show the cards they were issued when they received jabs Asked about the decision, Mr Malthouse told Sky News: 'Obviously that is for them to assess and we are assessing the likelihood of variants coming in from other countries as well. 'So, it doesn't surprise me that they are doing similar. It is obviously disappointing.' He added: 'We want to get back to international travel as soon as possible. I have got lots of family overseas who I would love to go and visit, particularly in Canada. 'I am afraid that the tail-end of this virus, and lets hope it is the tail-end, we are still coping with some of that uncertainty across the world and people will have to bear that in mind as they decide their travel plans or otherwise.' Before the G7 summit in Cornwall last month Boris Johnson and Joe Biden launched a task force to find ways of restarting travel links. The first person to be tried under Hong Kong's national security law has been found guilty of terrorism. Activist Tong Ying-kit, 24, faces life in prison after he was convicted for waving a flag bearing a protest slogan. He drove a motorbike into a group of police officers while holding the flag, which read 'Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times', on July 1, 2020. The apparent stunt came a day after Beijing imposed sweeping national security legislation on Hong Kong following months of anti-government protests in 2019. Ying-kit pleaded not guilty to charges of inciting secession, terrorism and an alternative charge of dangerous driving. Activist Tong Ying-kit (pictured arriving in court on July 6, 2020), who is the first person to be tried under Hong Kong's national security law, has been found guilty of terrorism Activist Tong Ying-kit, 24, faces life in prison after he was convicted for driving a motorbike into a group of police officers while waving a flag bearing a protest slogan 'Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times', on July 1, 2020 Ying-kit (pictured, the prison van carrying Ying-kit arrives at court on July 27) pleaded not guilty to charges of inciting secession, terrorism and an alternative charge of dangerous driving His lawyers argued it was impossible to prove he was inciting secession by merely using the slogan. The defence added there was no evidence Ying-kit committed the act deliberately, that he avoided crashing into officers and that his actions couldn't be considered terrorism since there was no serious violence or harm to society. They are expected to ask for leniency at sentencing on Thursday. The verdict was closely watched for indications as to how similar cases will be dealt with in future as more than 100 people have been arrested under the security legislation. The trial, which ended on July 20, was held without a jury in Hong Kong High Court and presided over by a judge handpicked by Chief Executive Carrie Lam. Yong-kit's apparent stunt came a day after Beijing imposed sweeping national security legislation on Hong Kong following months of anti-government protests in 2019 The trial, which ended on July 20, was closely watched for indications as to how similar cases will be dealt with in future as over 100 people have been arrested under the security legislation Trials can be held without jurors under Hong Kong's common law system in cases involving state secrets or foreign forces, or for the personal safety of the jury. While Hong Kong has its own Legislative Council, Beijing's ceremonial legislature imposed the national security law on the semiautonomous city after it determined the body was unable to pass the legislation itself because of political opposition. It followed the increasingly violent 2019 protests against China's growing influence over the city's affairs, despite commitments to allow the city to maintain its own system for 50 years after the 1997 handover from British rule. China's legislature has mandated changes to the makeup of the city's Legislative Council to ensure an overwhelming pro-Beijing majority, and required that only those it determines 'patriots' can hold office. The national security law was mandated by the Chinese legislature following increasingly violent protests against China's growing influence in Hong Kong The trial, which ended on July 20, was held without a jury in Hong Kong High Court and presided over by a judge handpicked by Chief Executive Carrie Lam (pictured) Authorities have banned the protest slogan 'Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,' stating that it has secessionist connotations. Library books and school curricula have also been investigated for alleged secessionist messages. Hong Kong's last remaining pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily, was forced out of business last month and a court denied bail for four editors and journalists held on charges of endangering national security as part of the widening crackdown. Beijing has dismissed criticisms, saying it is merely restoring order to the city and instituting they same type of national security protections found in other countries. A teacher at one of Australia's most prestigious private schools has been suspended after he reportedly boasted about his attendance at an anti-lockdown protest on social media. The King's School at North Parramatta in western Sydney has also reported the teacher to NSW Police, which has set up a strike force to track down everyone involved in Saturday's illegal event. Police have vowed to issue public infringement notices to every one of the 3,500 protesters who stormed the Sydney CBD demanding an end to lockdown. The school confirmed its swift response in a letter sent to parents, Sydney Morning Herald reported. A teacher at The King's School's has been suspended and reported to police after he reportedly boasted about his attendance at Saturday's anti-lockdown protest in Sydney 'While I appreciate that people are free to hold their own views and beliefs, this does not extend to their behaviour and conduct,' headmaster Tony George wrote. 'It is the mark of civil society that we should be able to engage in healthy debate and respect each other's views, but this must be in a safe, lawful and respectful manner, at all times. 'Consequently, the matter has been reported to police by the school, and the staff member has been suspended from duties.' It's understood students also saw the teacher's social media post about the 'freedom protest' which he described as 'overwhelming [sic] positive, peaceful and inspiring.' The post has since been deleted. The King's School teacher reportedly bragged on social media about his attendance at the protest in the Sydney CBD. Pictured are attendees at the protest 'As usual, the media has focused on a handful of non-representative grubs to create a narrative,' the teacher reportedly wrote. 'This is me standing up for what I believe in rather than being a keyboard warrior, a pacifist, or worse, a coward in my own mind. I live with me in the mirror. 'I do not believe in living in fear. I do not believe the propaganda. I do not believe in unjust house arrest I stand for all students. I stand for all those families who are stranded, isolated and suffering . I stand for freedom. I love you.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted The King's School for comment. NSW Police have vowed to track down and fine every protester who attended the illegal event on Saturday. Pictured is a protester being arrested by police on Saturday Founded in 1831, The King's School is Australia's oldest independent school and the country's largest boarding school. Fees start from $22,983 a year for kindergarten and go up to $38,284 for a year 12 student. St Ives High School on Sydney's upper north shore has also taken action after it became aware that a staff member also attended the protest. 'The matter has been reported to the appropriate divisions within the Department of Education and to Crime Stoppers for investigation and action,' principal Mark Watson wrote in an email to parents. At least 20 mayors from cities that have called to defund the police enjoy the perks of private security at a cost to taxpayers of millions of dollars a year. In February, San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced plans to redirect $120 million from the police department to a combination of new and existing programs. Meanwhile, the city spent $2.6 million to protect her in 2020, a number that will likely increase this year. San Francisco Mayor London Breed (left) and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot benefit from taxpayer-funded private security as they cut funding from their cities' police departments Cities where taxpayers' money funds police details or private security for officials San Francisco - $2.6 million in 2020 for Mayor London Breed Chicago - $3.4 million in 2020 for 'unnamed city officials' Baltimore - $3.6 million in 2020 for Mayor Brandon Scott and two others New York City - $358,000 in 2020 for Mayor Bill de Blasio's failed presidential run San Diego - $2.6 million in 2021 for Mayor Todd Gloria, city council meetings and for building security Denver - $746,743 in 2020 for Mayor Michael Hancock Advertisement The dichotomous combination of public officials calling to defund the police while spending millions to protect themselves only appears in cities with Democratic mayors. San Francisco spent $12.4 million to protect Breed between 2015 and 2020, with the bill rising from $1.7 million in 2015 to $2.6 million last year, according to information obtained by public transparency website Openthebooks.com and compiled by Forbes. Part of the redirected funds will go toward a guaranteed income program, community outreach, youth development and arts and culture programs, according to KQED. 'I want to change the outcome of African Americans in the city who are disproportionately impacted in the criminal justice system, disproportionately impacted by homelessness and a number of other disparities, even in our public school system,' Breed said when announcing the budget changes in February. 'And I wanted to make sure that these investments were going to make a difference.' The movement to defund the police picked up steam during last year's protests following the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. On his Fox News show Sunday night, former US Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina slammed freshman Democratic Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri for openly calling to defund the police while spending $69,120 in campaign funds on personal 'security services' from April 15 to June 28. Democratic Rep. Cori Bush was criticized by former Rep. Trey Gowdy for calling to defund the police while spending $69,120 on personal 'security services' from April 15 to June 28 Protesters hung sings calling to defund the police at City Hall Park in New York in June 2020 'She wants to defund your police, but not her police,' the host said. Some members of the Democratic Party, including party stalwarts like former President Barack Obama and House Majority Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina, have cautioned against using the divisive slogan 'defund the police,' arguing that it drives voters away. Other officials whose positions seem at odds with their practices include Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Lightfoot does not support defunding the police, though she eliminated three percent of the department's budget largely by getting rid of vacant positions, according to the Chicago Tribune. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio's (left) presidential bid left taxpayers with a $358K bill, while San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria's $4.3M cut to police overtime didn't include his $2.6M in security She poured $626.5 million into extra pay for police and firefighters last year amid Black Lives Matter protests, but payroll data shows the number of police officers in the city dropped by nearly 400. Meanwhile, the city spent $17.3 million between 2015 and 2020 to guard 'unnamed city officials,' including $3.4 million for 22 security officers last year. The city has seen a double-digit increase in homicide since. In New York City, the city council slashed $1 billion from the police department even though Mayor Bill de Blasio, along with his wife and son, travel with a New York Police Department security detail. Denver Mayor Michael Hancock (left) was protected with $746,743 in private security in 2020, while Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, who called a $22M police cut 'just the beginning,' got $3.6M in security coverage along with two other colleagues His failed 2020 presidential run also cost taxpayer $358,000. The NYPD did not respond to Forbes' requests for a more detailed breakdown of costs. Last year, the Baltimore City Council voted to eliminate $22 million from the police budget, according to the Baltimore Sun. 'This is just the beginning, and I intend to continue leading this process to redirect our public dollars and reimagine public safety in Baltimore,' said then-City Council President Brandon Scott, now the city's mayor. At the same time, the city spent $3.6 million on 14 police to cover the Scott, State Attorney Marilyn Mosby and Police Commissioner Michael Harrison. In San Diego, Mayor Todd Gloria's increased police budget has frustrated activists who thought a Democratic mayor would be on their side to defund the police. His latest budget calls for a $4.3 million cut to overtime and $1 million for a new police oversight body, according to Voice of San Diego. It also budgeted $2.6 million for 12 full-time officers to protect him. A grandmother has been handed a restraining order after calling her neighbours 'Fred and Rose West' in a poison pen letter campaign after they rowed over a disabled parking spot. Helen Dodgson, 55, also accused neighbour Gordon Mears of making unwanted advances towards her and sent his wife Gillian Baines, who suffers from cancer, a series of vile messages through the post. One branded Mr Mears a 'perverted t**t' who wants 'money for sexual favours' whilst another to Mrs Baines read: 'Hope you are okay because, you see, you are going to need a new rape kit.' Police later arrested neighbour Dodgson over the offensive messages but as a result of her unfounded allegations Mr Mears had to move out of the couple's home in Stockport, Greater Manchester. In a statement to police, grandmother Mrs Baines said: 'She has been targeting me since June 2020 and I cannot take it anymore. Grandmother Helen Dodgson was handed a restraining order after harassing her neighbours by sending them vicious letters which compared them to killers Fred and Rosemary West 'Every time I leave my address, she will shout abuse at me. I suffer from cancer, so the last thing I need is to be targeted at my home address. I'm trying to make the most of my life that could end any day. 'The abuse is affecting my mental health and I feel I can't walk down my own street. Her behaviour leaves me feeling suicidal. 'Gordon has a heart stent and suffers from PTSD. He doesn't need the unnecessary stress of this woman's behaviour. I feel unsafe in my own home and neighbourhood because of her.' At Tameside Magistrates Court, Dodgson, a former bingo hall worker from Stockport, admitted harassment and was handed a 12-month restraining order. The order bans Dodgson from contacting the couple and another neighbour and she was made subject of a 12 month community order requiring her to complete 100 hours of unpaid work. The court heard the two women who lived opposite each other for six years had previously been friends but fell out in February 2020. Gillian Baines was repeatedly called Rose West in a campaign of harassment by her neighbour Helen Dodgson after the former friends fell out over a disabled parking spot outside her home The court heard Gordon Mears (pictured with Gillian) had to move away from their home because of the harassment carried out by neighbour and former friend Helen Dodgson Initially they argued over over a disabled parking bay being made outside Mrs Baines' home but their relationship deteriorated when Dodgson accused Mr Mears of making 'inappropriate comments' towards her and a female friend during a trip to Manchester. 'That caused some anger with the complainant.' said Richard Blackburn prosecuting. 'She went round to the defendant's address and said: "You have taken the p*** out of me for the last time. I will not be doing anything more for you. You were out of order!" 'But that started the campaign of targeted harassment. The complainant received a number of notes through the door from the defendant calling her Rosemary West and telling her to watch her back and talking about previous shootings in the area. 'In July 2020, she received a Facebook message referring to Mr Mears, calling him a "perverted t**t" who wanted "money for sexual favours". 'Later she received another note from the defendant saying she "knew people high up in the police who would sort things out for her". Dodgson, pictured at Tameside Magistrates Court, was handed as 12-month restraining order which bans her from contacting her neighbours and must carry out 100 hours of unpaid work 'She was at her home at 8am, when more notes were posted through the letterbox addressed to her husband, calling them Fred and Rosemary West. Another note said: "You leave me no choice. I tried to reason with you. I will do whatever I can to protect myself". 'Gillian Baines saw the threats about shooting to be genuine and sincere and police arrested the defendant in December. 'At her home, police found an unfinished letter addressed to 'Fred and Rosemary West' in her living room. 'All of this has been corrosive for Miss Baines' wellbeing. The complainant's husband had to leave the address and live elsewhere all because of the issue with the defendant.' Dodgson was interviewed and bailed but earlier this year renewed her campaign when she spotted Mr Mears dropping a friend off in the street. The court was told that during another rant she called him a 'paedophile' and added: 'You and Rose are going to get done for wasting police resources and time. The CCTV is great, and I've got you on camera.' JPs at Tameside Magistrates Court also ordered Dodgson to pay 595 in costs and surcharges A further Facebook message to Mrs Baines read: 'To Gillian Baines, you are a beautiful woman, but your boyfriend is a perverted t**t. I would never disrespect you. We are still reeling.' In mitigation defence lawyer James Riley said: 'The defendant will say that the complainant's husband made sexual advances and inappropriate comments to her and a friend and she was quite shocked when the complainant came round and stating having a go at her. 'Basically, it was a 'neighbours at war' situation and the defendant feels bullied. 'She regrets her actions, and ultimately, demonstrates remorse. She is trying to leave and get out of this situation and move to an area to be close to her daughter.' Dodgson was also ordered to pay 595 in costs and surcharges. The chair of the bench told her: 'This was particularly nasty. If we had received those letters, we would have been very, very upset, and I am sure you realise that now - at least we hope you do.' Fans of steam engines are being urged to enjoy them from a safe distance when they travel across the country this summer. Network Rail has issued a stark warning after cameras captured 'dangerous and illegal behaviour' by trainspotters attempting to get a close-up picture of fan-favourite the Flying Scotsman. Photos taken by the train's onboard camera earlier this year showed several people trespassing on the railway to get better views of the passing train at Parlour Gates level crossing in Oakely, Hants and Odd Lane crossing in Stratfield Mortimer, Berkshire. Network Rail has issued the warning ahead of a series of tours by much-loved steam trains, including the iconic Flying Scotsman and the White Rose, this summer. Network Rail have urged steam train fans to stay safe this summer after the Flying Scotsman's onboard camera caught fans getting too close to the tracks in a bid to get a better view. Pictured: Trainspotters were caught both sides of the track at Odd Lane crossing in Berkshire The Flying Scotsman (pictured) is one of a series of historic trains touring the UK this summer The nostalgic journeys will see passengers pass through places such as Winchester, Portsmouth, Chertsey, Hounslow, Reading and Guildford. Trespassing causes significant disruption across the rail network resulting in delays for thousands of passengers and can result in catastrophic injury, Network Rail has warned. The latest figures show that over the past two months, there have been 179 incidents causing trains to be delayed by almost 97 hours. Trespass on the railway is a criminal offence with up to a 1,000 fine while train obstruction is punishable by up to two years in prison. Pictured: a crowd gathered at Parlour Gates level crossing in Oakely, Hants, to see the train Mark Killick, Network Rail Wessex route director, said: 'It's great that so many people have an interest in the railway and that they want to see historic trains such as the Flying Scotsman, but it's vital for them to stay safe. 'Those acting irresponsibly not only put their own lives in jeopardy, but the safety of trains, their drivers and passengers too. 'The railway is extremely dangerous if people misuse it. It's full of both obvious and hidden dangers, which carry risks of catastrophic injuries or even death. 'It is never acceptable to go onto the track for any reason. Come and enjoy the spectacle of these iconic trains, but please do so from a safe place.' Earlier this month, rail bosses blasted parents who put a toddler on train tracks so they could take a picture as the pandemic has seen a spike in the number of people taking similar pictures It comes after rail officials have now warned against 'extremely dangerous' trackside selfies after a number of people had been caught on CCTV. Earlier this month, Network Rail said there had been a boom in walkers posing for selfies on the rails - with photos and videos getting over 1million views on TikTok and Instagram. Weeks ago, pictures showed a family place a toddler on a level crossing at Harlech in Gwynedd, North Wales, where trains pass at 55mph so they could take a picture. Network Rail said there had been 433 serious incidents reported across the country since the start of the pandemic. During the whole of 2019, there were only four recorded incidents, with three recorded near misses. It has joined with British Transport Police and Transport for Wales to launch a new campaign highlighting the dangers. It is a tale that seems to be plucked from the pages of a crime thriller: A president gunned down in his bedroom in the dead of night by a highly-trained hit squad on the orders of an unidentified mastermind. But as investigators try to uncover the truth of what happened in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince on the morning of July 7, the story that emerges is stranger than even the best-written whodunnit. Judges and their clerks say they have been receiving highly-specific death threats - calls and texts delivered while they are at crime scenes telling them to 'get ready for a bullet in your head' and 'I know your every move'. They add that key evidence has either disappeared, been destroyed, or they have been blocked from accessing it as fears grow that the probe is being hampered from within - though nobody is willing to say by whom. Meanwhile key questions about the raid that killed President Jovenel Moise and badly wounded his wife Martine remain unanswered, almost three weeks on - most pressingly: Who wanted him dead, and why? Carl Henry Destin, an investigating judge who was first to arrive at the scene of Moise's shooting after police, has bee in hiding for more than two weeks after getting death threats Disturbing new details about the investigation have been revealed by CNN and contained within a trove of documents put together by judges who - under Haiti's legal system - are charged with investigating crimes and gathering evidence. The documents detail death threats that have been sent to the judges and their clerks, warning them to stop their investigations, change testimony, or insert names into reports that form the official body of evidence. In one incident, clerk Marcelin Valentin reported getting a threatening phone call on July 9 while on a crime scene inspecting the corpses of two prime suspects. According to CNN, the caller demanded information about the investigation and threatened Valentin with death if he refused to add certain names to his report or to modify witness statements. A week later, Valentin received a text message saying 'I see your every move' while again threatening him, this time to remove names from his reports. Carl Henry Destin, an investigating judge who was first at the scene of Moise's murder after the police had arrived, said he is in hiding because similar threats have been sent to him and his clerks. Destin also spoke of barriers to his investigation that go beyond death threats - evidence that he claims he has been blocked from seeing, witnesses he has not been allowed to interview, and crime scenes that have been tampered with. He recalled being summoned to Moise's home on the night of the shooting around 1am, but was told to wait outside for almost nine hours before finally being allowed in to gather evidence and start his investigation. Investigating judges say police have blocked them from viewing CCTV from Moise's presidential palace and from interviewing suspects (pictured, police chief Leon Charles) Investigators say bodies had been moved and suspects' vehicle burned at once crime scene they were called to (file image, police forced to flee a demonstration by Moise's supporters) Once inside, Destin said that anybody who might have actually witnessed the shooting - such as Moise's presidential guards - were long gone. To this day, he claims, he has only been allowed to interview people with second-hand knowledge of the events, including the head of presidential security who was outside the property at the time. Meanwhile other sources close to the investigation said police have refused to give them access to CCTV footage captured by cameras around Moise's home. Judges and clerks also say they have been blocked from interviewing more than two dozen suspects - including police officers - who have now been detained for two weeks, or collecting the testimony of local officers. State prosecutor Bedford Claude, who has worked closely with police, told CNN that officers have taken that testimony and - while he hasn't seen it - is satisfied the interviewing officers have done their job. He also claimed to have received death threats himself, though did not show CNN evidence of that. Documents also reveal that judicial officials called to inspect the scene where two prime suspects in the killing were shot dead found their bodies had been moved. Several cars in the area which are thought to have belonged to the suspects were also burned, potentially destroying key evidence - something that police blamed on 'angry locals'. While incompetence and problems inherent in Haiti's under-funded justice system cannot be ruled out as causes, analysts told CNN, taken together the incidents also point towards deliberate evidence-tampering. Martine Moise, the wife of slain president Jovenel, weeps over his casket during his funeral - before saying his killer 'are still running the streets' Moise had been embroiled in clashes rivals before he was shot dead, amid disagreements about when his term should end and who should succeed him Police were called to Moise's private home near Port-au-Prince around 1am July 7 to reports of gunfire and found him dead inside However, none of those interviewed by the news channel were willing to say whether they thought the incidents were deliberate or point fingers at any suspects. Moise was killed amid a power-struggle with his political rivals over when exactly his presidential term should end and who would succeed him when it did. The 53-year-old had already claimed to have survived one assassination attempt at the beginning of the year, which he described at the time as a 'coup'. Investigators say heavily-armed raiders broke into Moise's home around 1am before shooting him dead in his bedroom and badly wounding wife Martine before fleeing in vehicles and on foot. What followed were a series of gun battles and chases around Port-au-Prince that ended with several suspects being shot dead and the arrest of 20 more - 18 Colombians and two Haitian-Americans, who claim to have acted as translators. Also under arrest are 24 Haitian police officers and some high-ranking security officials, accused of taking part in the plot - though their exact role has not been made clear. Prime Minister Ariel Henry - Moise's appointed successor who has been sworn in as the country's new Prime Minister following his death - has promised swift retribution for the President's killers. On Monday, authorities announced that Jean Laguel Civil - former head of Moise's security - had also been arrested, though it is not clear if he has been charged. Meanwhile authorities issued a warrant for Wendelle Coq Thelot, a judge for the country's highest court who had been fired by Moise. Police are still looking for various other suspects, including a former rebel leader and an ex-Haitian senator. Police chief Leon Charles has said that investigations into who financed the operation are ongoing, saying the FBI and Interpol are helping track down American citizens who he believes are responsible. Chicago's top officer once again took aim at the city's court system by saying judges released violent offenders into the street amid a wave of gun violence in the city during a press conference on Monday. Police Superintendent David Brown said the city could not risk having violent criminals in the streets after last week's mayhem, which left at least 12 people dead and 70 injured across the Windy City. 'What we can do different is challenge the courts to render Chicago safe,' Brown said in the televised conference. 'Holding offenders in jail longer, not releasing murderers back into our community. That's what we can do different.' Police Superintendent David Brown held a press conference on Monday and again blamed the city's courts for the recent wave in deadly shootings Chicago police responded to two shootings within five minutes of each other last week that left 12 people dead, including a 14-year-old boy Police said at least 70 people were injured in last weeks incident Brown said he was referring to the fact that 90 people who have been charged with murder have been released on electronic monitoring by the city's courts. He has made similar claims throughout the month. He has offered little details about his claims. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has also pushed Brown's allegation, adding that the coronavirus shutdowns have impacted courtrooms. The office of Chicago Chief Judge Timothy Evans said last month that the cases Brown was referring to all involved first-time offenders or cases of self-defense. 'Speculation based on isolated cases is not the same as reality based on a complete picture,' Evans said in a statement. Evans also cited a 2020 Loyola University study which found an increase in the number of people released pretrial 'was not associated with any significant change in new criminal activity, violent or otherwise, and was not associated with any change in the amount of crime in Chicago after 2017.' WBEZ Chicago reported in May that Lightfoot's office was struggling to find examples of cases that highlighted the mayor and Brown's point in a series of hacked emails. The arguments come after a series of shootings continue to plague Chicago. Last week, a boy, 14, was killed and nine others were injured in two separate shootings in the North Lawndale section of the city. So far in 2021, there have been 1,802 shootings, that's a nine percent jump from this time last year and a 60percent spike from 2019, according to the latest crime statistics from Chicago police. During the July 4 weekend alone, 92 people were shot in the city and 16 were killed. This past weekend, 56 people were shot and 11 died. In an effort to curtail the record number of shootings, Brown announced the launch of the city's Gun Investigations Team on Monday. According to Brown, a team of 50 officers was put together Sunday with the explicit mission to conduct investigations into the gun traffickers and purchasers. They will also be tasked with tracing recovered guns and infiltrating the illegal pipeline of firearms. Brown says that Chicago police is on track to recover more than 12,000 illegal guns this year. Authorities have already recovered 6,600 guns to date. The new team was launched just days after Lightfoot announced a $1 million reward fund for information that leads to the seizure of illegal firearms. The fund was created to incentivizes citizens to report the presence of illegal guns in their community. Payouts will be provided to those who have tips that lead to arrests and convictions. Advertisement An architect has been suspended for his 'serious failings' after a 450,000 home cinema he designed for a multi-millionaire banker ended up 'wonky'. Daniel Marcal was hired by the former head of operations at Barclays Capital, Philip Freeborn, to create a bespoke home cinema with a 'high-end wow factor' for his 7million mansion in Totteridge, Barnet, north London, in 2014. But Mr Freeborn and his wife Christina Goldie were instead left with an 'ugly duckling' glass box. The couple has now successfully sued Mr Marcal at the High Court for 500,000 over the 'expensive white elephant', arguing that tearing it down and starting again was the only option. Slide me Former head of operations at Barclays Capital, Philip Freeborn, hired architect Daniel Marcal to create a home cinema with a 'high-end wow factor' but was left with a 'wonky ugly duckling' glass box. Pictured: The elegant design for how the home cinema should have looked and what Mr Freeborn was left with Mr Freeborn and his wife Christina Goldie have now successfully sued Mr Marcal (pictured outside the High Court) at the High Court for 500,000 over the 'expensive white elephant' Now, following a hearing held by the Architects Registration Board, Mr Marcal has been found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and handed a 12-month suspension for his 'serious failings'. A disciplinary hearing was told that a series of revisions were made to the couple's plans for a home cinema in 2014 and 2015. It was intended to be a 'sleek modern design' that 'floated' in the roof space of the couple's leisure room at their home. The couple, who had sought almost 1million in damages, told the High Court in 2019 that the project had gone 'badly wrong', with the addition of two extra steel columns not in the plans. The judge agreed that they had been left with a home cinema that had a 'wonky, industrial look'. Mr Marcal, who ran his own practice and recently declared bankruptcy, argued that he only had a limited role and claimed the couple had approved all stages of the project and that any perceived defects were within acceptable levels. The couple (left, Christina Goldie and right, Philip Freeborn, both outside the High Court), who had sought almost 1million in damages, told the High Court in 2019 that the project had gone 'badly wrong', with the addition of two extra steel columns not in the plans The architect also claimed he had felt 'intimidated' by Mr Freeborn while he worked on the design. Giving his decision at the High Court, judge Martin Bowdery QC, said: 'During the course of the trial, some time was taken up with disputes as to whether the [couple] were promised an architectural jewel or a cinema with a wow factor. 'I make no findings as to what precisely was said because I consider that any architect authorised to spend sums in excess of 460,000 on a glass box would be expected to produce a design not only in accordance with his clients' expectations but also something 'bespoke' and 'high end'. 'That is not what the [couple] reasonably thought had been provided. What was provided had not been discussed with them and had not been approved by them.' He added: 'They were entitled to be outraged by what they saw had been produced at great cost, which was not what they were expecting. Pictured: The exterior of Mr Freeborn and Ms Goldie's 7million mansion in Barnet, north London '[They] have decided to demolish the cinema room. I consider such a decision to be a reasonable decision... I do not consider that this particular ugly duckling can be turned into a swan.' The judge ruled that the cost of demolishing the cinema, along with any wasted money spent on the job, should be borne by the architect. After hearing details of the case, the misconduct tribunal concluded: 'The Committee notes that the matters found proved are serious to the extent that [Marcal's] failings diminish both his reputation, and that of the profession generally. 'The Committee therefore concluded that [his] conduct was sufficiently serious for it to require the imposition of a sanction.' Mr Marcal was spared being struck off the register, and was handed a 12 month suspension. Advertisement An explosion at an industrial park for chemical companies in Germany has killed at least one person, with 16 injured and four still missing. The blast shook the western German city of Leverkusen on Tuesday and sent a large black cloud rising into the sky. It happened at around 9:40a.m. local time in a tank containing solvents at a part of the site where waste is incinerated, a statement from the operators of the Chempark site said. One employee was found dead and four are still missing, Currenta said. Sixteen other employees were injured in the blast, at least four of them seriously. It is not yet clear what caused the explosion or subsequent fire, which took firefighters almost four hours to extinguish. 'We are deeply concerned about this tragic accident and the death of our employee,' the head of Chempark, Lars Friedrich, said in a written statement. 'We hope that we can rescue the missing people alive,' Friedrich, then told a news conference on Tuesday. Chempark's landfill and waste incineration area in Leverkusen's Buerrig district is separate from the main industrial park that houses numerous chemical companies including Bayer, Lanxess and Evonik Industries. Fire officials who tested the air said there did not appear to be a danger to nearby residents after authorities initially urged people to shelter inside. Germany's Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance had classified the explosion as 'an extreme threat' and asked residents to stay inside and keep windows and doors closed. Later on Tuesday, however, the Cologne fire department tweeted that measurements of the air's pollution 'do not show any kind of abnormality.' They said the smoke had gone down but that they would continue to measure the air for toxins. An explosion at a chemical park shook the German city of Leverkusen on Tuesday, sending a large black cloud rising into the air The explosion happened at around 9:40a.m. local time on Tuesday in a part of the site where waste is incinerated, a statement from the operators of the Chempark site said A federal government alert app warned residents to stay inside with the doors and windows closed Several employees were injured in the blast, at least two of them seriously, and five employees are currently missing, the statement from Currenta said Germany's NINA warning app had sent an 'extreme danger' alert to residents, urging them to close all doors and windows and keep the emergency numbers free as much as possible. Firefighters and pollution detection vans were deployed to the site and the injured have been taken to hospital following the blast, Currenta said in a statement. Police said that it was not yet clear how much damage was caused and that a large number of emergency staff were on site. Several nearby motorways have also been closed. All administrative staff have been asked to leave the site as a precaution, Currenta said. Videos and images shared on social media showed an enormous plume of smoke towering above the plant. Residents said the blast could be heard from some distance, with some reporting that the force of the explosion had rattled their windows. Police in the nearby city of Cologne tweeted that they were closing several motorways in the Leverkusen area because of 'major damage'. They urged drivers to steer clear of the area and told residents to move indoors 'and close all windows and doors as a precaution'. 'We are at the scene with many police officers to clarify the situation. There are several injured,' police said. Videos and images shared on social media showed an enormous plume of smoke towering above the plant Firefighters and pollution detection vans have been deployed to the site, where more than 30 companies operate Police said that it was not yet clear how much damage was caused and that a large number of emergency staff were on site. Several nearby motorways have also been closed More than 30 companies operate at the Chempark site in Leverkusen, including Covestro, Bayer, Lanxess and Arlanxeo, according to its website. The site lies about 20 kilometers (13 miles) north of Cologne on the Rhine river. Leverkusn has about 163,000 residents and borders Cologne, which is Germany's fourth biggest city and has around 1million inhabitants. Many residents work at Bayer, which is one of the biggest employers in the region. 'This is a tragic moment for the city of Leverkusen,' said Uwe Richrath, mayor of the city, said. The scene of the explosion, the chemical park, is located very close to the banks of the Rhine river. Currenta said a hotline has been set up for local residents: Leverkusen 0214-2605 99333. A doctor who ran an unlicensed online gender identity clinic which offered sex-change treatments to children as young as 12 has appeared at a medical tribunal accused of failing to provide good clinical care to three patients. Dr Helen Webberley, who founded online clinic GenderGP, with her husband Dr Michael Webberley, is also accused of inappropriately prescribing to two other patients. The 52-year-old, who is currently barred from practising, appeared today via videolink at a Medical Practitioners Service (MPTS) fitness-to-practise hearing in Manchester. She faces a total of 29 charges, most of which she denies, relating to the period March 2016 to November 2016 which include a failure to provide good clinical care to three child patients who received hormone treatment. Dr Webberley is also accused of failing to obtain adequate medical histories and failing to arrange adequate examinations, including physical examinations and psychological assessments. Those assessments were needed to confirm a diagnosis of gender dysphoria before prescribing testosterone treatment to two patients - known only as Patient A and B. Dr Helen Webberley was accused of failing to provide good clinical care to three child patients and inappropriately prescribing to two other patients She was also charged with failing to follow professional guidelines. Patient A is said to have been given testosterone when it was 'not appropriate for use' in children of their age while a third patient - Patient C - was prescribed testosterone and GnRHA - or puberty blockers - when Dr Webberley lacked the 'adequate training, qualifications or experience in the field of paediatric endocrinology' and failed to discuss the risks of treatment. With all three patients, Dr Webberley is accused of failing to adhere to international guidelines set out by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and the Endocrine Society. As such, she 'knew or ought to have known' she was acting outside the limits of her competence as a GP with special interest in gender dysphoria. Pictured: Dr Helen Webberley ran a private transgender clinic from her home until 2018 when she was convicted of running it illegally Other allegations concern two other patients - Patient D and Patient E - following a CQC inspection of Dr Matt Limited where Dr Webberley was the safeguarding lead. She's charged with inappropriately prescribing medication and being unaware of and never seeing the safeguarding policy. Dr Webberley also faces several charges in relation to her former role as director of Gender GP which states on its website that 'all medical advice and prescriptions are provided by doctors working outside the UK'. Its operation method is allegedly 'motivated by efforts to avoid the regulatory framework of the UK including the CQC (Care Quality Commission), HIW (Health Inspectorate Wales) and the GMC (General Medical Council).' Dr Webberley admits several charges relating to her conviction in October 2018 for illegally running an unregistered clinic - Online GP Services Ltd - while treating 1,600 transgender patients and gender dysphoric children from her home in Wales. Mid Wales Magistrates court heard she gave gave hormones to children as young as 12 after the youngsters were denied treatment on the NHS. A judge said there was a 'clear refusal to follow the law' while regulator Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) said she posed a risk to patient safety. Dr Webberley was later fined 12,000. She also admits providing inaccurate information to an interim orders tribunal in May 2017 that she was a member of Royal College of Practitioners (RCGP). But she denies that she 'repeatedly frustrated' a 2017 review by the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board into her online practices. Dr Webberley and her husband, who was suspended in May 2019, moved online GenderGP to Malaga in Spain in May 2019. But it's now owned by Hong-Kong based Harland International Ltd and she works only in non-medical advocacy role. The treatment of young transgender patients, which also includes the use of puberty blockers, has proved controversial. The Tavistock and Portman NHS trust, which runs NHS England's only gender identity development service for children, is challenging a landmark High Court court ruling last year that children under the age of 16 considering gender reassignment are unlikely to be mature enough to give informed consent to be prescribed puberty-blocking drugs. Dr Webberley (pictured at court in 2018) moved Gender GP to Malaga in Spain in May 2019 The case was brought by Keira Bell, a 24-year-old woman who began taking puberty blockers when she was 16 before detransitioning. As a result of the decision, the Tavistock suspended new referrals for puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for the under-16s. But lawyers for the trust told the Court Appeal in June that the ruling meant that children with gender dysphoria were 'treated differently from others in their age group seeking medical treatment'. A decision on the trust's appeal has yet to be made. Tavistock began its appeal against the ruling in June and Fenella Morris QC, for the trust, said the decision 'reset almost half a century of established law' and caused 'serious distress to many young people and their families'. In written arguments, she said: 'The effect of the court's judgment is to deny trans children and young people access to treatment which they desperately want and need. It is unclear what 'benefit' there is to be gained from this.' She continued: 'It undermined the entitlement of children under the age of 16 to make decisions for themselves when they have been assessed individually as competent to do so by their treating clinicians. 'It intruded into the realm of decisions agreed upon by doctors, patients and their parents where the court had not previously gone.' Ms Bell's lawyers previously argued there is 'a very high likelihood' that children who start taking hormone blockers will later begin taking cross-sex hormones, which they say cause 'irreversible changes'. In a separate High Court case in March, a judge ruled that parents of transgender children can consent to treatment with puberty blockers on their child's behalf without a court's approval. Advertisement Prime Minister's crime blitz: The key proposals revealed today League table 101 and 999 call-answering times; Online platform to allow the public to contact police, with a named officer in each local area; Permanent relaxing of conditions on the use of section 60 stop and search powers; New 'victims' law' to codify their rights; Backing of Greater Manchester Police scheme for an officer to attend every burglary; More officers to deal with 'the tiny minority of truant kids'; 'Action plan' to tackle fraud - now the biggest crime in the country; Initiatives to reduce court wait times after cases piled up over the pandemic; Crack down on county lines drug gangs to be intensified and more testing of suspects after arrest; 17m to persuade stab victims to stay away from violence; 45m for specialist teams in schools in violence hotspots; More money for targeted patrols, increased street lighting and CCTV. Advertisement Boris Johnson today vowed to force yobs to work in 'fluorescent-jacketed chain gangs' as part of his Beating Crime plan, prompting an immediate backlash from human rights groups, Labour MPs and business leaders. The Prime Minister, enjoying his first day out of self-isolation, revealed the raft of proposals alongside Priti Patel this morning, with the Home Secretary arguing that more outdoor community service would allow people to see 'justice done' in public. Unpacking the idea, Mr Johnson said: 'If you are guilty of anti-social behaviour and you are sentenced to unpaid work, as many people are, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't be out there in one of those fluorescent-jacketed chain gangs visibly paying your debt to society.' Chain gangs traditionally saw prisoners shackled together to carry out menial tasks in public, and are commonly associated with the 19th-century American Deep South - although the Home Office today confirmed the PM's comments were a 'figure of speech'. The intervention provoked anger, with human rights group Liberty tweeting: 'Talk of chain gangs shows this plan has nothing to do with making communities safer. It's designed to create more stigma and division. A short-term stunt that will cause long-term generational harm.' Sam Tarry, a Labour MP, said: 'Spin about bringing back ''chain gangs'' is a clear diversion from the Govt's abject failure to deal with crime and the causes of crime.' Former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said: 'This is a policy driven by the desire for favourable headlines. It has nothing to do with tackling crime or making people safer.' James Timpson, the chief executive of the Timpson Group, also expressed concerns, tweeting: 'Instead of making offenders wear high viz jackets in chain gangs, how about helping them get a real job instead? In my shops we employ lots of ex offenders and they wear a shirt and tie. Same people, different approach, a much better outcome.' Outdoor community service is already widely used across Britain, with Mr Johnson introducing his own 'payback London' scheme in 2008 while Mayor, but the Government wants to make it more visible to the public. Other policies announced today include relaxing restrictions on stop and search to tackle knife crime, fitting burglars with 24-hour GPS tags, providing a named police officer for each local area, and releasing a 'league table' of police forces for how quickly they answer 999 calls. Labour slammed the document as a mere 'gimmick' that 'rehashed' previous policies and would do nothing to make the streets safer. The party pointed out that the Tories cut the number of police by more than 20,000 after taking office in 2010 and recently froze their pay, causing the National Police Federation to declare it had 'no confidence' in Miss Patel. Scroll down for videos. Boris Johnson today announced a plan to boost outdoor community service, referring to 'fluorescent-jacketed chain gangs'. He is seen in 2008 launching the 'payback London' scheme while he was mayor, which involved low-level offenders doing menial tasks like cleaning up graffiti Mr Johnson's comments provoked anger today, with critics including human rights group Liberty and Labour MP Sam Tarry Mr Johnson, with Home Secretary Priti Patel, speaks to a police dog handler today during a visit to Surrey Police headquarters in Guildford, Surrey, to coincide with the publication of the government's Beating Crime Plan Liberty said easing the restrictions on Stop and Search would 'compound discrimination' in the UK, while Ms Abbott called the proposal 'alarming and counter-productive'. John Apter, the chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, today slammed the plans as a 'gimmick' as he lambasted a pay freeze that saw the group declare it had 'no confidence' in Miss Patel. A letter delivered to No10 today read: 'We don't need old ideas presented as new; we need genuine investment for the whole of the criminal justice system and genuine consultation over new ideas. Without that, this is just another ill-thought-out initiative. 'Police officers are sick of gimmicks. Sick of underfunding. Sick of mixed messaging putting police at risk. Sick of Government contempt for police. It's time for a total reset.' Mr Johnson defended the resources being put into the police, telling reporters during a visit to Surrey Police HQ: 'What we are doing is investing massively in the police. 'When I stood on the steps of Downing Street two years ago I said I wanted another 20,000 officers on the streets of our country. Chain gangs: Origins in the 19th-century Deep South By Harry Howard, History Correspondent for MailOnline The chain gang has its origins in the late 19th century, in the southern states of the US. The system was used to keep convicts together when they were working outside prison walls. Chain gangs were brought in when the brutal system of forced penal labour, which was known as convict leasing, began to be phased out. That system saw inmates, who were overwhelmingly African-American, 'leased' long-term to plantation owners to work on their land Following Georgia's example, the chain gang 'reform' method spread to other American states and saw mostly black convicts build roads, dig ditches and carry out farm labour. The chain gang has its origins in the late 19th century, in the southern states of the US. Above: Black labourers chain gang labourers working in Georgia in the late 19th century Chain gang prisoners were often worked fiercely by men armed with whips and guns, and living conditions were horrendous. By the late 1940s, most chain gangs had disappeared and the practice had been eliminated entirely by the early 1960s. Historian Douglas A Blackmon previously told CBS: 'The chain gang initially began as a reform of the terrible abuses that had been going on in the prison system. But immediately the chain gang became as terrible, infamous and notorious institution in the south as convict leasing had been. 'Men sent to the chain gang and a much smaller number of women sent to chain gangs were being held by the Government rather than by private contractors. But they experienced many of the same abuses that happened with convict labourers before. 'They were chained together, oftentimes day and night, they were subject to the most brutal kinds of punishment; rarely fed enough; rarely provided even the most minimally acceptable housing or medical care; lives of terrible abuse.' Advertisement 'We are now almost half the way there. We are putting 15.8 billion into supporting our police. But of course it's been a tough time financially for the whole country.' But Nick Thomas-Symonds, Labour's shadow home secretary, described the Beating Crime Plan as a set of 'rehashed policies' that 'won't make our streets safer'. 'The Conservatives are all talk and no action when it comes to tackling crime,' he said. 'On their watch, police numbers are down and community policing has been decimated. Coupled with an insulting pay freeze, it is no wonder frontline police have declared no confidence in the Home Secretary. 'There are already targets for emergency response times and having named officers in wards is not enough to make up for the devastating scale of Conservative cuts to community policing. Little wonder that, on their watch, anti-social behaviour is rocketing, there are record low convictions for rape and violent crime is devastating communities.' From 'chain gangs' and 999 league tables to a named police officer for every local area... MailOnline unpacks the Beating Crime Plan High-vis 'chain gangs' of offenders cleaning up public places As part of the plan, Mr Johnson wants to make community service more visible by getting offenders to clean up public places rather than working inside. Many work in charity shops or in warehouses sorting clothes from charity collection bins. A number will be employed clearing waterways and canal paths as well as sprucing up woods and beaches. The offenders will wear hi-vis jackets. Mr Johnson today said he wanted hi-vis 'chain gangs' to act as a deterrent to people getting involved in anti-social behaviour. He told reporters at Surrey Police HQ: 'I do think that the lockdown has driven some anti-social behaviour and we need to deal with it. That's why we are backing the police in the way that we are. 'But I also want to see those who are guilty of anti-social behaviour properly paying their debt to society. Somebody's anti-social behaviour may be treated as a minor crime but it could be deeply distressing to those who are victims. 'If you are guilty of anti-social behaviour and you are sentenced to unpaid work, as many people are, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't be out there in one of those fluorescent-jacketed chain gangs visibly paying your debt to society. 'So you are going to be seeing more of that as well.' Writing in the Daily Mail today, Miss Patel says: 'The public want to see justice done and criminals pay the price for their crimes. They want to see yobs pay back to the communities they've blighted by their thoughtless actions. 'That's why we are relaunching unpaid work so it is more visible, to ensure offenders are publicly making reparations for their crimes by undertaking work that is valuable to their local areas, such as cleaning the streets, estates, alleyways and open spaces of litter and other visible signs of disorder in local neighbourhoods.' Relaxing Theresa May's restrictions on stop and search Stop and search powers for police are set to be permanently enhanced under Mr Johnson's new strategy to tackle crime. The plan will include a permanent relaxing of conditions on the use of Section 60 stop and search powers, under which officers can search someone without reasonable grounds in an area where serious violence is expected. An authorisation for stop and search no longer needs to be referred up to a senior officer. Inspectors can also search someone if they are concerned an incident involving serious violence 'may' rather than 'will' occur. It lifts conditions imposed under the Tories in 2014 when Theresa May was Home Secretary. Stop and search is the most controversial element of Mr Johnson's crime plan, and today prompted a backlash from civil rights campaigners. Mr Johnson speaks to Sergeant Dog Handler Mike Barnes as he throws a ball for six year old cocker spaniel Rebel, a proactive drugs dog, during a visit to Surrey Police's headquarters this morning 1,500 more burglars, thieves and robbers to be given 24-hour tags Hundreds more burglars, robbers and thieves will be electronically tagged in a bid to cut down on reoffending, Boris Johnson's new plan states. Ministers expect that over the next year 1,500 more offenders will have their whereabouts monitored 24 hours a day for up to a year by GPS tags upon release from prison. All burglars who have served a sentence of a year or more will be tagged. At present this only occurs in six police forces in the country, but the scheme will be expanded to 13 more, ensuring it covers half of the country. The Government will trial the use of monitoring tags that detect alcohol in the sweat of offenders guilty of drink-fuelled crime. The test, which will take place on prison leavers in Wales, is to address the fact that alcohol is a significant driver of crime, playing a part in 39 per cent of all violent offences. On release offenders may be required to wear a tag and either not drink at all or not consume more than a certain amount. Advertisement Today, Boris Johnson defended the wider use of Stop and Search powers, insisting it was not a 'strong-arm' tactic but a 'kind and loving' way to get dangerous weapons off the streets. 'I disagree with the opponents of Stop and Search. Section 60 Stop and Search orders, I think, can play an important part in fighting crime,' he told reporters at Surrey Police HQ. 'They are not the only tool that we have got to use. They are part of a range of things we have got to do to fight street crime. 'I think that giving the police the backing that they need in law to stop someone, to search them, to relieve them of a dangerous weapon - I don't think that's strong-arm tactics, I think that's a kind and a loving thing to do. 'The people who often support stop and search most passionately are the parents of the kids who are likely themselves to be the victims of knife crime.' Policing minister Kit Malthouse also hit back at criticism, and asked: 'What else can we do?' when questioned whether Stop and Search is discriminatory. He told Sky News: 'I am afraid I just don't agree with that, and when people charge me on Stop and Search, I often say: 'OK, if we can't do Stop and Search, what else can we do?' But it has to be something we can do tonight. 'We know that those people with knives in their pockets going out to injure and kill are out there tonight, and if I were a parent of one of these young men, and it is often young men, sadly, I would want to know that the killers might have been stopped and searched on the way to perpetrating that awful act.' Mr Malthouse added: 'To those people who are critics of the tactics, I would say: look at the numbers, particularly somewhere like London, and tell us what the tactic should be instead. There's long-term work, I agree, it is not the long-term solution. But in the short term it can have a big impact on suppressing knife crime.' Emmanuelle Andrews, policy and campaigns officer at Liberty, said: 'We all want to feel safe in our communities, but expanding what have proven to be discriminatory police powers isn't how we get there. A thousand ex-cons to join the civil service The government wants to boost job opportunities for former prisoners to reduce the risk of reoffending. A summit will be held later in the year to boost opportunities for prison leavers to get jobs, and the Government will aim to recruit 1,000 ex-offenders into the Civil Service by 2023. Advertisement 'Many communities, particularly communities of colour, experience overbearing and oppressive policing and the package the government has put forward will only worsen this. It will subject more young people to further coercion, punishment and control.' Meanwhile, former Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott called the proposal 'alarming and counter-productive'. Other proposals to tackle street crime include more money for targeted patrols, street lighting and CCTV. Rebel, a proactive drugs dog looked after by Sergeant Mike Barnes, leaps to catch a ball during the PM's visit to the Surrey Police HQ today League tables for police forces on their speed of answering 999 and 101 calls Police forces will be ranked in league tables according to how quickly they answer 999 and 101 calls to respond to the public's pleas for help. PM backs GMP pilot to send an officer to every burglary Today the government backed an initiative from the new chief constable of Greater Manchester Police to send an officer to investigate every burglary. Stephen Watson became the first police chief in the country to commit publicly to sending an officer in person to every domestic break-in, which he acknowledged were usually a 'very big deal' for the victims. He said after being sworn in this May: 'I'm 48 hours into the job, but in the future you will not have the situation where people's homes are burgled and the police don't come - that's not happening. 'We will investigate all burglaries and that will involve physical attendance of premises'. The Beating Crime Plan said ministers would 'evaluate' the results of the scheme. Advertisement The government will work with the HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services to draw up the rankings. It comes as some victims are waiting up to ten minutes for their 999 call to be answered due to the 'pingdemic' causing staff shortages. Emergency calls made in the West Midlands area during the early hours of Sunday were taking an average of four minutes to speak to an operator. Some call waiting times reportedly stretched to nearly ten minutes. Labour West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster said of the 999 league tables: 'This is an extra layer of bureaucracy and a gimmick that will just add to the police's workload and slow things down.' The Police Federation the officers' union said the return to targets would be a damaging and retrograde step. But the government said it was important for the public to understand how responsive their local force was to enquiries. National online platform to allow the public to contact police with a named officer for each local area The Beating Crime Plan vows to ensure that that every single person living in England and Wales will have access to the police digitally through a national online platform. This will 'allow them to access a range of interactive police services in one coordinated place', including details about their neighbourhood police officers and their contact details so that they can get in touch with them to raise concerns. Mr Johnson put policing at the heart of his campaigning before the last general election, pledging to recruit 20,000 police officers following criticism that cuts to numbers under previous Tory governments had damaged community policing. Today's move follows long-held concerns about the severing of ties between police and local communities resulting from a reduction in regular patrols. Mr Johnson said the Government was setting out 'plans to back the police but also to back the public'. Action to reduce court waiting times amid Covid backlog The document vowed to speed up court waiting times to ensure speedier justice, but did not give any detail about how ministers planned to do this. Around one in five (18 per cent) of cases had been outstanding for a year or more in the three months to December last year, the Ministry of Justice revealed in March. This is three times as high as for the same period at the end of 2019 (6 per cent) before the coronavirus outbreak. Out of 55,725 cases at the end of 2020, 9,421 had been waiting one to two years to be dealt with - the highest figure in records dating to 2014. The 'outstanding duration' for cases over two years, 866, is also a record for the series. Out of 37,374 cases for the same period in 2019, there were 1,779 waiting one to two years and 433 waiting more than two years. Advertisement That would mean 'if you are the victim of a crime you have a named police officer that you can go to, wherever you live'. He added: 'What you need is somebody who understands what's going on in your neighbourhood, who understands who the likely miscreants are, who understands whether the thing you are reporting - the crime that you are experiencing - is a one-off or part of a trend.' 17million to encourage youths to stay away from knife crime, crack down on 'truant kids' and 45m for schools in violence hotspots The plans also include a 17 million package to persuade young people who go to an emergency department with a stab wound or have contact with police to stay away from violence. But Iryna Pona, policy manager at the Children's Society charity, said intervention should take place long before young people end up in hospital. She added: 'Prevention is better than cure. We need to be helping young people well before they end up being rushed into A&E fighting for their lives. 'We want to see a long-term plan for investment in early help for children at the first signs that they are vulnerable to being groomed.' The government also pledged 45m for specialist teams in schools located in violence hotspots. Today's document said these would 'support young people at risk of involvement in violence to re-engage in education'. Ministers also vowed to direct officers to deal with 'the tiny minority of truant kids'. More testing for drugs offenders There were a raft of promises to tackling the drugs trade. A scheme to support addicts piloted in Blackpool will be expanded to eight other areas, and police use of drug testing on arrest will rise with the aim of cracking down on recreational drug use. New 'victims' law' to codify their rights One eye-catching proposal is for a 'victims' law' to codify their rights in legislation and hold criminal justice agencies to account for delivering them. However, no more information was given about this proposal so it is difficult to understand what it could entail. Advertisement A cross-Government summit will also be held with the aim of reducing demand for drugs, and an annual homicide summit attended by officers from the forces with the highest rates of violent deaths will also take place. The report also vowed to continue work 'dismantling' county lines drug gangs. Countering fraud - the UK's 'most widespread crime' - and online hate-mongerers Fraud offences have boomed during the pandemic, and is now Britain's most widespread crime, the government said today. It vowed to unveil a new 'action plan' to tackle offenders, which will involved 25m of funding for Action Fraud, the main UK police unit tasked with countering fraud and financially-motivated cyber crime. The Beating Crime Plan also touched on abuse on social media, vowing that this area would be included in a new hate crime strategy published this autumn. PRITI PATEL: Public want to see justice done... and offenders pay for crimes Crime destroys lives and ruins neighbourhoods. It leaves people afraid, bereft and bereaved. It must be confronted. Our Beating Crime Plan contains a range of measures to reduce crime and level up the country so that everyone has the security and confidence that comes from having a safe street and a safe home. From day one as Home Secretary, I've made it clear that I will back the police. We have already recruited nearly 9,000 extra police officers as part of our unprecedented recruitment drive to bring in 20,000. We'll make sure that every community in the country has a named police contact someone who knows your neighbourhood and can act on the challenges your community faces. PRITI PATEL: Crime destroys lives and ruins neighbourhoods. It leaves people afraid, bereft and bereaved The significance of this cannot be underestimated I know that Mail readers want to know who their local bobby on the beat is and who they can turn to when affected by crime. Ministers pledge to make officers feel 'more valued' despite pay freeze The Government has defended a decision not to offer an across-the-board pay rise to police officers this year because of economic 'difficulties' caused by the pandemic. Policing minister Kit Malthouse pledged that the Government would do 'other things' to make police officers feel 'valued and supported'. Officers who earn more than 24,000 are subject to a pay freeze this year, compared with NHS staff who will receive 3%, and firefighters and local government workers who will get 1.5%. Mr Malthouse told Sky News: 'We want to make sure that officers feel valued and rewarded and are supported in doing their job. And while obviously a decision was taken last week around pay which is tough, there are lots of other things about policing which have been good over the last couple of years.' Mr Malthouse added: 'It has been tough this year. I hope we can return to some kind of normality in the future, but our economy is in some difficulties. Obviously the private sector has taken a big hit and it is the private sector that pays for the public sector, and we have to balance all those things.' Last week, the Police Federation of England and Wales, representing more than 130,000 officers from the rank of constable to chief inspector, passed a motion of no confidence in Home Secretary Priti Patel in a row over pay. Mr Malthouse, who answers to the Home Secretary, said he had recently met officers on a visit to South Wales who were 'focused on their mission' and had not shared concerns expressed by the Police Federation. He later told LBC that the Government will bring forward plans to offer police officers support with their mental and physical health later this year. He said: 'Later in legislation this year we have got the Police Covenant coming, which is looking at wellness, safety, family support to make sure that police officers feel we are looking after them physically and mentally as they do their challenging job.' Advertisement The public also want to see justice done and criminals pay the price for their crimes. They want to see yobs pay back to the communities they've blighted by their thoughtless actions. That's why we are relaunching unpaid work so it is more visible, to ensure offenders are publicly making reparations for their crimes by undertaking work that is valuable to their local areas, such as cleaning the streets, estates, alleyways and open spaces of litter and other visible signs of disorder in local neighbourhoods. We will step up our efforts to go after drug gangs that exploit the young and vulnerable. We have already closed more than 1,100 county lines, there have been more than 6,300 arrests and millions of pounds and lots of drugs have been seized. More than 1,900 vulnerable people have been rescued from exploitation by drug dealers. Our plan represents our comprehensive, far-reaching strategy for driving down all types of crime. It will give the law-abiding majority confidence in the police to deal with crime and it will ensure that criminals know they will face the consequences of their vile actions. The plan sets out our approach to hidden harms, which can leave people feeling vulnerable in their own homes. Women and girls are affected by certain violent crimes in particular ways and to a greater degree than men and boys, requiring a specific response and a distinct strategy, which we recently published. We are increasing investment in the Safer Streets Fund. Meanwhile, violence reduction units will receive an additional 17million to deliver targeted interventions to young people including at moments of crisis, such as when they go to A&E with a knife wound. GPS tagging is a highly effective way of keeping track of offenders and it will be rolled out to a further thirteen areas. We will launch alcohol monitoring on licence in Wales later this year, to explore how alcohol tags can change behaviour and reduce alcohol-fuelled crime, including on release from prison. One of the biggest drivers of crime is drugs. There will be more drug testing when people are arrested. Project Adder is an intensive approach that addresses addiction, diversion, disruption, enforcement and recovery. It has worked very well so far, so we are going to expand these schemes to an additional eight local authorities. The first duty of any Government is to do all it can to keep people safe. We will not shirk that responsibility. We are going to drive down crime. A group of activists at London School of Economics have released a radical manifesto calling for the university to ban all private school students. LSE Class War demanded the institution becomes 'gradually' free from anyone educated at an independent school. The students, which a source at the university said was just a handful, released a list of demands on Sunday. They said bosses must eradicate a student society to the free market economist Friedrich Hayek because it is 'oppressive to the working class'. LSE Class War backed no platforming speakers it claims 'are harmful to marginalised students'. And it said the university has to bring in minority quotas for staff, saying there is only one full time black professor there. But their claims were met with an immediate backlash, with Richard Holden MP - an LSE alumni - among those hitting out at the group. LSE Class War demanded the institution becomes 'gradually' free from anyone educated at an independent school The students, which a source at the university said was just a handful, released a list of demands on Sunday Nobel Prize-winning British economist: Who was Friedrich Hayek? Friedrich Hayek was an Austrian-born British economist who is one of the most notable of all time. He fought in the First World War before studying law in Vienna before taking a trip to the LSE in Britain. He gave four lectures on monetary economics in 1931 and was invited to teach there. The next year he was the Tooke Professor of Economic Science and Statistics and remained in the post until 1950. Friedrich Hayek was an Austrian-born British economist who is one of the most notable of all time He often clashed with the Cambridge academic John Maynard Keynes over their theories about the role and effect of money in a developed economy. They critiqued each others' books and were also attacked by other economists. In 1950 Hayek left LSE to take up a post at the University of Chicago in the US, where he remained for 12 years. He returned to Europe in 1962 to work at University of Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, until he retired in 1968. The top economist then received an honorary professorship at the University of Salzburg in Austria. His Nobel Prize in economics was was received in 1974. He died in 1992. Advertisement LSE Class War's manifesto is made up of eight demands and was released on Sunday, nearly a month after its Instagram was created. It says: '1. Install a David Graeber lecture series, to celebrate the life of the revered professor.' Mr Graeber was a left-wing academic and anarchist activist who died last September aged 59. It continues: '2. Decolonise LSE. We support the decolonisation of LSE, and wish to see BAME quotas for the hiring of academics. There is currently only one full time black professor at LSE. '3. A private school free LSE. We wish to see LSE to gradually become a private school free institution. 1 in 3 (home) students come from fee paying schools. '4. The dissolution of HayekSoc and all other societies that call for the oppression of working class people from the LSESU. 'We believe in a no platforming policy for those who discuss ideas which promote ideologies that are harmful to marginalised students. 'LSESU HayekSoc promotes free market fundamentalist views which outwardly call for the oppression of working class people. 'These kind of views have no place on campus. We also want other societies that promote these views, to also be dissolved from the LSESU. '5. Financial integrity at LSE. We wish for more financial transparency at LSE. We want a look into investments that LSE holds. 'We also want a review into the LSE Directors salary, which is currently at 434,000 per year.' '6. Pay all workers a fair wage and not to be on zero hour contracts. We want all workers at LSE to be on London Living Wages and for the abolition of all zero hour contracts that LSE currently employs. '7. More financial and pastoral support for young carers. Students, who are also carers, have a double work burden. 'We want LSE to offer bursaries to these students, alongside 1 to 1 and other pastoral support. '8. Remove social mobility from the LSESU working class and social mobility officer title. LSE Class War is opposed to the concept of ''social mobility''. 'As we have noted before, social mobility means that only a few of the working class can transcend their class position. We want all working class people to rise together.' The statement on its Instagram, which has just 150 followers, was roundly condemned online. Tory MP Mr Holden tweeted: 'Oh dear I fear ''LSE Class War'' will not be best pleased then by the presence of an @LSEnews graduate on the @HouseofCommons Bill Committee for the: Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill Diddums' The statement on its Instagram, which has just 150 followers, was roundly condemned online Meanwhile HayekSoc blasted the comments, saying it 'strongly condemned' the posts and branded the movement 'illegitimate'. It said in a statement: 'It is the view of the society, as of the thinkers inspiring the society, that economic, political and cultural liberties drive individuals to lead better lives regardless of class. 'We are further alarmed by the crude assumption of the movement to suggest that working class individuals cannot excel without help, implying that working class citizens are somehow dumber and less capable. 'We would like to take this opportunity to dispel the inaccurate myths put out by the movement and encourage them to attend their classes to understand how free markets work. 'Our rational role in economics and society played a key role in alleviating poverty in the late part of the 20th century and was responsible for driving historic economic growth coupled with greater extension of individual liberties and cultural freedom. Meanwhile HayekSoc blasted the comments, saying it 'strongly condemned' the posts and branded the movement 'illegitimate' 'It's a shame we were not contacted before these claims were published online, which further show the lack of integrity and smear campaigns used by this illegitimate movement, rather than pursuing arguments driven by reason and rationality.' HayekSoc said it wanted to reassure followers LSE Class War was not an official university entity despite it using the institution's logos. Toby Young, General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, told MailOnline: 'The statements of LSE Class War read like the work of a satirist. 'Do a group of upper-middle class students at one of Britain's most exclusive universities really want to wage war against posh people? 'Or is this a prank designed to take the Mickey out of privately-educated student activists? 'Unfortunately, we know from experience that student demands that should be treated as a joke are taken deadly seriously by those in authority, so the Free Speech Union stands ready to defend the Hayek Society if there's any move to ban it. 'Universities should be places where students are exposed to a broad range of different ideas, not a woke echo chamber.' A spokesman for LSE said: 'Academic freedom and freedom of expression underpin everything we do at LSE. 'Students and staff are strongly encouraged to discuss and debate the most pressing issues around the world in a mutually respectful manner. 'This is formalised in our Code of Practice on Free Speech. 'The LSESU Hayek Society is one of over 200 societies at LSE open to students who wish to come together to explore and share common interests.' An 18-year-old woman was enjoying a night swim over the weekend near the Marriott resort in Puerto Vallerta, Mexico, when a 12ft. crocodile suddenly attacked her and dragged her underwater twice. Kiana Hummel, who lives in California's Bay Area, said she and a friend decided to go for a late-night swim when the croc jumped out of the water and grabbed her right leg. As Hummel fought against the crocodile, hitting it as hard she could, she was almost able to break free from its bite. But the crocodile then clamped down on her left again and pulled her back underwater. 'I didn't think I was getting out that second time,' Hummel told ABC 30. Kiana Hummel, 18, was transported to a California hospital after surviving a crocodile attack Hummel suffered extensive muscle and tissue damage during the attack Hummel was enjoying vacation at the Marriott resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico A GoFundMe page was started to help Hummel, above, pay for her surgery and recovery She continued to fight against the crocodile when a group of people came to her aid and freed her from the reptile's grip. 'Honestly, I will never forget it when the crocodile's head came above water,' said Sarah Laney, who is from St. Louis and witnessed the attack. 'It was most definitely one of the craziest, scariest things I've ever experienced.' Hummel's mother, Ariana Martinez, learned of the attack over Facetime from her home in Marin County. She got on the next flight from San Francisco to Puerto Vallarta. "I'm on the phone with her, she's yelling, 'get me an ambulance, get me an ambulance to the hospital,'" Martinez recalled of her daughter. "It took them forever." An ambulance arrived about 45 minutes after the incident, according to Laney. Martinez told ABC 30 that the hospital demanded she pay thousands of dollars before administering treatment. Doctors say Hummel will undergo surgery this week in California to repair extensive muscle and tissue damage. Hummel, her mother and Laney think not enough was done by the hotel to warn guests that a crocodile could be in the ocean. They said they were not given a verbal warning and they only learned about a warning sign after the attack. They say it is small, mostly in Spanish and not lit up at night. But Marriott spokesperson Kerstin Sachl confirmed the crocodile attack and said, 'The safety and security of our guests and associates are our top priority, and we can confirm that appropriate signage, as well as night patrolling and red flags were and are properly in place.' She added that the resort will review its safety procedures and encouraged guests to remain vigilant of warning signs at the beach. We spoke to both Kiana and a bystander who witnessed the attack. Both say nobody at the @Marriott warned them crocodiles were in the ocean. They say they only learned later that there is one small warning sign, but it's mostly in Spanish and not lit up at night. pic.twitter.com/I0wlypqdmC Liz Kreutz (@ABCLiz) July 27, 2021 Here is how a bystander described the crocodile attack at the Marriott Puerto Vallarta: pic.twitter.com/StTjAh4KS1 Liz Kreutz (@ABCLiz) July 27, 2021 Hummel's friend wrote a review on Trip Advisor slamming the hotel for its lack of warnings. ''I understand you don't want to 'scare' guests, but the following day there should've been big YELLOW signs to warn of the attack...my group is TRAUMATIZED by this experience,' she wrote. Eliam Estrada, a friend of Hummel's, started a GoFundMe page looking to raise $10,000 to help her pay for her hospital bills and recovery. 'This amazing and powerful woman managed to fight for her life and fight off this wild animal as it was attached to her lower legs, and also being dragged into the ocean!!,' Estrada wrote. Downing Street has dismissed proposals put forward by the European Union to smooth the rollout of the Northern Ireland Protocol. Brussels has published plans to simplify parts of the protocol and to remedy some of the issues associated with post-Brexit border checks. But Number 10 said the suggested measures, which focus on the movement of medicines and livestock, were the same as ones floated previously. It comes after Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, rejected Boris Johnson's demands to renegotiate major parts of the protocol. Downing Street has rejected the EU's latest proposals to resolve some of the issues arising from the Northern Ireland Protocol. Ursula von der Leyen last week rejected calls from Boris Johnson to renegotiate The protocol was put in place to ensure there would be no hard border with Ireland, but it has instead effectively placed a trade barrier in the Irish Sea, causing disruption to the movement of goods and inflaming community tensions In its latest proposals the EU suggested that UK authorities could conduct checks on over-the-counter medicines heading to Northern Ireland. But the UK would have to make sure that all the medicines comply with standards set by the EU's regulator, the European Medicines Agency. All of the products would also have to be clearly labelled as being EMA compliant, according to The Telegraph. The protocol currently means that Northern Ireland must stick to the EU's pharmaceutical rules while the rest of the UK is free to do what it wants. There is currently a grace period on checks on medicines crossing the border, lasting until the end of they year. The UK wants medicines to be removed from the scope of the protocol amid fears that having to stick to EMA rules could stop Northern Ireland from being able to access new drugs approved in Britain which are yet to be approved by the EU regulator. The EU has also set out proposals to make it easier to move livestock between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. The UK has argued that EU red tape on the issue puts Northern Ireland farmers at a commercial disadvantage. Downing Street said the medicines proposal was identical to the one set out in June and it does not solve outstanding issues. A UK Government spokesman said: 'The EU's proposal was a welcome start but it would be complex to operate, onerous and would not deal at all with those medicines, such as new cancer drugs, which under current arrangements must be licensed by the European Medicines Agency in Northern Ireland. 'That is why we have proposed in our Command Paper that the simplest way forward in order to avoid these problems in future is to remove medicines from the scope of the protocol altogether.' The EU has insisted that it has 'spared no effort in trying to mitigate some of the challenges' caused by the protocol. Mrs von der Leyen last week rebuffed calls from Mr Johnson to renegotiate parts of the protocol which was agreed as part of the Brexit divorce deal. She said the EU was willing to be 'creative and flexible' over the protocol 'but we will not renegotiate'. Brexit Minister Lord Frost had already demanded that significant changes be made to the terms of the deal he negotiated as he said 'we cannot go on as we are'. The protocol was put in place to ensure there would be no hard border with Ireland, but it has instead effectively placed a trade barrier in the Irish Sea, causing disruption to the movement of goods and inflaming community tensions. A minister today voiced frustration after the US said it will not be easing restrictions on travel from the UK quickly. Policing minister Kit Malthouse admitted it was 'disappointing' after the White House said curbs will not be loosened, citing concerns about the Delta variant. In contrast, the UK is expected to announce that double-jabbed Americans will be able to visit without the need to quarantine. Transatlantic travel has been highly restricted since the pandemic erupted, and the US is currently on the 'amber list' - meaning that passengers must isolate for up to 10 days on arrival. However, fully vaccinated Americans are set to be let off the rules from next month as long as they can show the cards they were issued when they received jabs. Ministers are set to sign off on the concession at a 'Covid O' meeting tomorrow despite concerns that there is no central US system for proving vaccination status, with individual states making their own - typically paper-based - arrangements. Most Britons are banned from entering the US if they have been in the UK within the past 14 days. Pictured, Joe Biden yesterday Fully vaccinated Americans are expected to be let off quarantine rules from next month as long as they can show the cards they were issued when they received jabs Policing minister Kit Malthouse admitted it was 'disappointing' after the White House said curbs will not be loosened, citing concerns about the Delta variant The UK has significantly higher case levels than the US at the moment, but the figures are getting worse on the other side of the Atlantic Most Britons are banned from entering the US if they have been in the UK within the past 14 days. The US announced yesterday that it would not lift any of its present travel restrictions 'at this point' because of the Delta variant. Asked about the decision, Mr Malthouse told Sky News: 'Obviously that is for them to assess and we are assessing the likelihood of variants coming in from other countries as well. 'So, it doesn't surprise me that they are doing similar. It is obviously disappointing.' He added: 'We want to get back to international travel as soon as possible. I have got lots of family overseas who I would love to go and visit, particularly in Canada. 'I am afraid that the tail-end of this virus, and lets hope it is the tail-end, we are still coping with some of that uncertainty across the world and people will have to bear that in mind as they decide their travel plans or otherwise.' Before the G7 summit in Cornwall last month Boris Johnson and Joe Biden launched a task force to find ways of restarting travel links. Tory MPs and travel chiefs have been pushing for urgent measure to save the stricken industry, with huge numbers of jobs on the line. Heathrow announced yesterday that its cumulative losses from the Covid-19 pandemic have hit 2.9billion. Fewer than four million passengers travelled through the west London airport in the first half of the year. It took just 18 days to reach that total in 2019. The airport warned that its passenger numbers could be lower this year than in 2020. Some 22.1 million passengers used the airport in 2020, with more than half of those travelling in January and February, before the virus crisis led to a collapse in demand. Heathrow described recent changes to the quarantine and testing requirements for people arriving in the UK as 'encouraging', but warned that the rules are 'holding back the UK's economic recovery'. The airport's chief executive, John Holland-Kaye, said: 'The UK is emerging from the worst effects of the health pandemic, but is falling behind its EU rivals in international trade by being slow to remove restrictions. 'Replacing PCR tests with lateral flow tests and opening up to EU and US vaccinated travellers at the end of July will start to get Britain's economic recovery off the ground.' In an interview on Times Radio, he asked: 'Where is the vaccine dividend?' He noted that EU countries have opened up for travel between each other and from the US. The Department for Transport has committed to holding a formal review of the traffic light system 'no later' than Saturday. Asked about some arriving passengers facing two-hour queues over the weekend, Mr Holland-Kaye said they were 'caught out by a combination of Border Force officers being pinged and some of the e-gates not working'. He went on: 'Most people going through the border at Heathrow are having a very good experience, they're getting through in a few minutes. That is the norm. 'I'd just apologise to those passengers who were caught up on Saturday.' Italy, Germany, Canada and Austria could be among 10 countries added to the green list next week in boost to hopes of summer holidays abroad Another ten countries including Italy, Germany, Canada and Austria could be added to the green travel list from next week in a boost to summer holiday hopes, a leading travel expert predicted today. Paul Charles, CEO of the PC Agency, a travel consultancy, screens destinations for quarantine-free travel based on current infection and vaccination rates, as well as information from 'official sources from various governments'. He gave Austria, Bosnia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia and Slovenia as likely greens in the next government review, expected next Wednesday. On the green watch list, he placed Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Finland, Egypt, Estonia, French Polynesia, Jamaica, Japan, North Macedonia, Norway, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Sweden. Mr Charles said: 'Our analysis shows at least 10 countries will be added to the UK Government green list next week - of course it should be many more. But usual government caution will prevail.' Current amber and red list destinations. A review of the UK travel list is expected on Wednesday or Thursday next week The current traffic light system has very few recognised holiday destinations on the 'green list' for Britons to visit, while others like Australia are not allowing anyone to enter. Highlighted in orange are destinations at risk of moving to amber What are the rules on returning to England from an amber list country? For arrivals returning from an amber list country, before arriving in England, you must take a private PCR or lateral flow test in the three days before the service on which you will arrive in England departs. For example, if you travel to England on Friday, you can take the test on or after Tuesday and will need to have the negative result available before boarding on Friday. Before you arrive in England, you must also book and pay for day two and day eight Covid-19 tests, to be taken after your arrival in England. But under the Test to Release scheme you can choose to pay for a private Covid-19 test on day five. If the result is negative (and the result of your day two test result was negative or inconclusive), you can end your quarantine. From 4am on July 19, you will not need to quarantine on arrival in England or take a day eight Covid-19 test, as long as you are fully vaccinated. This means that you have had your final dose of an approved vaccine at least 14 days before the date you arrive in England. If you are not fully vaccinated under the UK vaccination programme, you will have to quarantine on arrival and take both the day 2 and day 8 tests. If you arrive in England before 4am on July 19, you must follow the current rules, even if you have been fully vaccinated. *Though France is on the amber list, those arriving in the UK from France will still have to self-isolate for 10 days from Monday - as per Friday's announcement Advertisement Other reports last night suggested as many as 77 countries could be rated green, with government scientists said to be reviewing the countries before ministers decide on which to move when changes are announced next week. Government sources told the Telegraph the number of countries added to the green list may narrow considerably from the 77, but the list offers insight into countries considered 'possibles'. Meanwhile, the newspaper also reported that ministers are preparing to ease travel rules for expats returning to the UK from Sunday. The government will formally recognise jabs administered overseas from August 1. That means that Brits living abroad who are fully vaccinated will be able to avoid a 10 day stay in self-isolation when returning from an amber list country. Meanwhile, ministers are also considering plans which would allow double-jabbed foreign nationals to be allowed into the UK without having to quarantine. The government is hoping to strike reciprocal deals with dozens of nations to recognise each other's vaccinations and vaccine apps. That could pave the way for the return of much easier travel to and from many popular holiday destinations. It will also inevitably spark optimism of a deal being done between the US and the UK as the two sides continue talks on setting up a travel corridor. The government currently only recognises NHS administered vaccinations when it comes to international travel rules. As a result, British expats who live in amber list nations have faced the barrier of quarantine even when they have had both doses. Ministers are now reportedly planning to change the rules to allow Brits to register a foreign jab with their GP. That should pave the way for double-jabbed people to be able to visit the country without having to self-isolate. It is also thought that quarantine-free travel to the UK for double-jabbed foreign nationals could be opened up 'very soon' as the government continues to seek reciprocal deals with countries which agree to recognise the NHS vaccine app. The deals are likely to be based on a mutual recognition of the vaccines used in each country which means the UK is only likely to strike agreements with nations using jabs already approved for use in Britain. The current amber list travel rules state that Brits who are 'fully vaccinated under the UK vaccination programme' do not have to self-isolate when they return. However, people who are not 'fully UK vaccinated' do still have to quarantine for 10 days. Formally recognising foreign jabs will make it much easier for British expats to return to the UK, with hundreds of thousands based in major EU countries alone. It came amid reports that restrictions on travel from France will likely be dropped next week as the government's traffic light system is reviewed. It is thought the country will be taken off the 'amber-plus' list as government officials believe the Beta coronavirus variant threat is being contained. Sources claim the Delta variant prevalent in Britain is spreading faster than the Beta variant in Europe, and would 'out-compete' it in the coming weeks, according to The Times. At present double-jabbed holidaymakers returning from France must quarantine for up to ten days because it is on the amber-plus list. CZECH REPUBLIC AND ITALY: Paul Charles, CEO of the PC Agency, a travel consultancy, screens destinations for quarantine-free travel based on current infection and vaccination rates, as well as information from 'official sources from various governments'. Pictured: Prague and the Amalfi Coast Advertisement Hundreds of vessels used by migrants to make the perilous trip across the English Channel are lying in storage in a factory in Dover, it has emerged. Drone pictures show more than 100 small boats piled up in rows in a fenced-off compound - evidence of thousands of people's journeys to the UK in 2021. The collection of vessels seems to be significantly higher than another set pictured in storage in Dover in 2020. It comes amid a record-breaking year for migrants crossing to the UK - despite vows from the Home Office to make the route 'unviable'. More than 9,000 people have crossed the Channel so far this year on board small boats, despite the dangerous journey claiming lives in the past. In July so far, more than 3,300 have arrived in the UK in a new record for a single month. The Border Force can keep the seized boats for 12 months before 'disposing' of them - though it is unclear if they are destroyed or re-used. They can also hold onto the boats for longer if they are part of an active investigation - such as any potential action against people smugglers. Slide me Picture one: Vessels stacked up at the warehouse facility in Dover in 2020. Picture two: 2021, a significant increase in vessels seized after a record year for crossings Slide me Picture one: 2020, a small section of a facility for migrant boats. Picture two: 2021, the huge growth in vessels amid a record-breaking year for migrant crossings Slide me Picture one: 2020, a neatly organised storage center in Kent for migrant boats. Picture two: Taken in 2021, a large increase in the number of seized boats The Border Force were active in the Dover Strait again on Tuesday, but higher winds were set to make crossings difficult. Government officials fear that high numbers of crossings will continue as summer goes on, with small boat arrivals this year having already passed the total for the whole of 2020. Border officers are being pulled out of airports and relocated to the English Channel to help deal with record numbers in migrants arriving in Britain, it has been reported. Airport border staff are 'redeployed to the Channel' to tackle migrant crisis Border officers are being pulled out of airports and relocated to the English Channel to help deal with record numbers in migrants arriving in Britain, it has been reported. Agents from Border Force are having to leave positions at some of the busiest border gates in the UK for Kent, where more staff are needed to process and detain migrants arriving by small boats. However, the move by the Home Office will likely worsen queues at airports, where queues for passport control have already been stretched to hours in length. The Sunday Telegraph reported officers were being redeployed to Dover from airports including Heathrow and Gatwick as well as the ports of Southampton, Portsmouth and Newhaven. Lucy Moreton, of the Union for Borders, Immigration and Customs, told the publication that this could lead to greater delays for passengers, especially during peak times of the day when the passengers from multiple flights arrive at the same time. Advertisement Agents from Border Force are having to leave positions at some of the busiest border gates in the UK for Kent, where more staff are needed to process and detain migrants arriving by small boats. Despite this, the UK continues to see fewer boat arrivals and asylum claims than many of its European counterparts. At least 44,230 people have arrived in Europe via the Mediterranean by land and sea so far this year, according to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In recent months, law enforcement agencies have noticed the organised gangs behind the English Channel crossings becoming increasingly sophisticated, launching boats from a wider area of the northern French coast. They will also send out vessels in waves - smaller boats sent out first to tie up the French authorities, while more craft carrying larger numbers of migrants make the crossing later in the day. Officials have been alarmed by the overcrowding in the vessels - one boat last week had 83 people on board - and the safety conditions. They have come across inflatable boats held together with duct tape and migrants with rubber rings or bike tyre inner tubes rather than life jackets. Last week Home Secretary Priti Patel announced an agreement to more than double the number of police patrolling French beaches, with the Government to give France 54 million. But, while efforts to address the problem have been stepped up by Emmanuel Macron's government - with around 2,700 people taken back to France so far this year after being intercepted at sea - there is still some frustration in the Home Office about French policies. The boats are stored after being intercepted in The Channel by Border Force as attempts to make the crossing continue This year has seen record numbers of migrants crossing to the UK despite vows from the Home Office to make the route 'unviable' Government officials fear that high numbers of crossings will continue as summer goes on, with small boat arrivals this year having already passed the total for the whole of 2020 Officials have been alarmed by the overcrowding in the vessels - one boat last week had 83 people on board - and the safety conditions Priti Patel's plan to pay France 55m to handle migrants trying to cross the Channel: Explained Priti Patel has agreed to give France another 54million to stop the growing number of migrants crossing the Channel. The Home Secretary's controversial agreement with French interior minister Gerald Darmanin will see policing numbers along the French coast more than double to 200 to cover a wider area. There will also be an increased use of aerial surveillance, including drones. The two countries agreed to draw up a long-term plan for a 'smart border' using technology to identify where crossings are being attempted. But the deal failed to impress critics, who accuse the French authorities of not doing enough to stop small boats leaving their territorial waters. With UK support last year, France doubled the number of officers deployed daily on French beaches, improved intelligence sharing and purchased more cutting-edge technology. This resulted in France preventing twice as many crossings so far this year than in the same period in 2020. However, as French interceptions increased, the Home Office said that organised criminal gangs have changed their tactics, moving further up the French coast, and forcing migrants to take even longer, riskier journeys. Charities branded the measures inhumane, while refugee rights campaigner Lord Dubs said Miss Patel's plans were a 'disservice to this country's history'. Advertisement The French authorities will not intercept migrants who offer resistance to being rescued, but the UK has a different interpretation of the law. British offers to help board vessels in French waters have so far been rebuffed by Paris, it is believed. The Home Secretary told MPs last week that she had made her views on the situation 'abundantly clear' to her French counterpart. The UK is also helping to fund aerial surveillance along the French coast but legal difficulties in France have meant that the drones are not being used as much as had been hoped. Officials acknowledge there is no silver bullet to tackle the situation, but they have been in contact with counterparts in Australia and Greece to discuss how those countries cope with situations off their coastlines. Previously, it emerged that Albanian criminals are charging up to 20,000 to smuggle migrants to the UK through TikTok and other social media sites. A Mail investigation found popular sites awash with adverts from human traffickers, sometimes mocking attempts by the British authorities to stop them and posting slickly produced step-by-step tutorials to help illegal migrants sneak into the UK. They illustrate the scale of the problem facing Home Secretary Priti Patel, who recently visited Albania to sign a deal speeding up deportations of criminals and failed asylum seekers. One people smuggler, whose TikTok account has been viewed by tens of thousands of people, boasts in his profile: 'All interested who'd like to get to England contact my inbox. Journey secure 100 per cent.' His videos feature pictures of the Union Jack and Big Ben with the comment: 'Secure journey from Albania to the UK. 23K Euro.' Priti Patel previously agreed to give France another 54million to stop the growing number of migrants crossing the Channel. The Home Secretary's controversial agreement with French interior minister Gerald Darmanin will see policing numbers along the French coast more than double to 200 to cover a wider area. There will also be an increased use of aerial surveillance, including drones. The two countries agreed to draw up a long-term plan for a 'smart border' using technology to identify where crossings are being attempted. But the deal failed to impress critics, who accuse the French authorities of not doing enough to stop small boats leaving their territorial waters. With UK support last year, France doubled the number of officers deployed daily on French beaches, improved intelligence sharing and purchased more cutting-edge technology. This resulted in France preventing twice as many crossings so far this year than in the same period in 2020. Officials have come across inflatable boats held together with duct tape and migrants with rubber rings or bike tyre inner tubes rather than life jackets The collection of vessels seems to be significantly higher than the ones pictured in storage in Dover in 2020 Border Force vessels worked through downpours of rain to bring 378 migrants into the Port of Dover on Sunday, one of the busiest days of 2021. Pictured: One man flashes a 'V for victory' sign as they arrive in port A group of migrants using oars to cross the English Channel were intercepted by a French Navy ship on Monday July 26 A woman wearing a Charlie Hebdo T-shirt who was stabbed at Speakers' Corner has been identified as a Christian preacher as counter-terrorism officers investigate. Hatun Tash, 39, was treated in hospital after being slashed across the face with a knife at Hyde Park in London in the pouring rain on Sunday afternoon. She is from a group called DCCI (Defend Christ Critique Islam) Ministries which says it 'seeks to preach the Gospel to Muslims using apologetics and polemics'. A distressing recording of the incident at 3.34pm was posted on YouTube showing an unknown person dressed in a black hoodie attacking Ms Tash, then running away. She fell to the ground and was seen bleeding as crowds gathered around her. Ms Tash later got up and proclaimed: 'Cutting people's arms is not going to help you'. Hatun Tash (in Charlie Hebdo T-shirt) was treated in hospital after being slashed across the face with a knife at Hyde Park in London in the pouring rain on Sunday afternoon Hatun Tash is a Christian preacher from a group called DCCI (Defend Christ Critique Islam) Ministries which 'seeks to preach the Gospel to Muslims using apologetics and polemics' The preacher added that it is 'not about the blood on my hands' and continued: 'It is unacceptable that you are running away from Jesus Christ.' Her Charlie Hebdo T-shirt had a cartoon showing a man kissing a cartoonist with the slogan 'L'amour plus fort que la haine' (love is stronger than hate). Who is Hatun Tash? The ex-Muslim from Turkey who is now a regular at Speakers' Corner Hatun Tash is a Christian preacher from a group called DCCI (Defend Christ Critique Islam) Ministries who is a regular at Speakers' Corner. The 39-year-old is a former Muslim from Turkey who is now a prominent critic of Islam and believes Muslims should be encouraged to convert to Christianity. She has had many heated discussions with Islamic preachers and others, and has previously been attacked for piercing holes through the Koran and waving a cartoon image of the Prophet Mohammed depicted as a crying baby. DCCI Ministries 'seeks to preach the Gospel to Muslims using apologetics and polemics', adding: 'Our motivation is a love for Muslims to bring them to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ in order to attain eternal life.' In October 2020, Sadiq Khan was asked about Ms Tash at Mayor's Question Time and said police had escorted her out of Hyde Park 'for her own safety' after a large and hostile crowd had gathered around her. He added that 'freedom of speech is a principle that I hold dear', adding: 'One of the best things about London is the fierce way in which we protect this right and people's ability to exercise it.' Advertisement Ms Tash has since been discharged from a hospital in London and Scotland Yard's SO15 Counter Terrorism Command are now leading the investigation. But the force insisted the incident in 'is not being treated as terrorism-related at this time' and that they were keeping an open mind about possible motives. Detective Superintendent Alex Bingley, of the Central West Command Unit which covers policing in Westminster, said: 'This was clearly a very distressing incident for the woman involved and officers have spent time with her, whilst she was being treated for her injury, to get an account of what happened. 'We know that this assault was witnessed by a number of people, many of whom captured it on their phones. I would ask them, if they have not already done so, to contact police. 'We remain in the early stages of our investigation and are working hard to trace the person responsible.' DS Bingley also asked people not to 'speculate on the motive for the attack until we have established the full facts'. Footage shared on social media showed someone dressed in black approaching Ms Tash who was wearing a Charlie Hebdo T-shirt. Ms Tash was later seen clutching her right hand close to her body and with what appeared to be blood at her temple as she was helped into a police van by officers who were nearby. No arrests have been made and a knife was found near the scene of the attack. Twelve members of staff at the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo were gunned down in January 2015 by two brothers who vowed allegiance to Al Qaeda. The gunmen said they were taking revenge for the magazine's publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that many Muslims find offensive. Ms Tash has previously been attacked for piercing holes through the Quran and waving a cartoon image of the Prophet Mohammed depicted as a crying baby. Video footage showed a large group of people standing outside in torrential rain at Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park before the attacker lunged at Ms Tash and stabbed her Ms Tash suffered a stab wound and was seen with blood pouring down her face on Sunday The man who carried out the attack sprinted away as he was chased by members of the public DCCI Ministries states on its website: 'Our motivation is a love for Muslims to bring them to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ in order to attain eternal life.' Speakers' Corner is a historic place for open-air debate, where people have gathered at Speakers' Corner since the 1860s to exercise their right to free speech. Historic figures such as Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin and George Orwell are all known to have visited to discuss the issues of the day. In recent years, topics such as Islamic fundamentalism have often featured in the debates which normally take place on Sundays. Anyone with information about Sunday's incident is asked to contact Scotland Yard via 101 or @MetCC quoting reference Cad 4376/25Jul. Alternatively, to remain anonymous, witnesses can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Sarah Whitehead, 64, was previously jailed for six years in 2010 for her role in a relentless strategy of 'violence and terror' against companies and people linked to research firm Huntingdon Life Sciences A notorious animal rights activist has been banned from going near a greyhound racing stadium for five years following a series of protests. Sarah Whitehead, 64, was previously jailed for six years in 2010 for her role in a relentless strategy of 'violence and terror' against companies and people linked to research firm Huntingdon Life Sciences. Now Whitehead - known to other activists as 'Mumsy' - has been banned from an area near the Coral Greyhound Stadium in Hove, East Sussex, after breaching the conditions of a Community Protection Notice. Whitehead, of Uckfield, East Sussex, was slapped with a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) by Brighton Magistrates' Court last Tuesday. It comes after she attended an animal rights protest outside the stadium in December 2019 where she was issued with a Community Protection Warning. Whitehead breached that order and was then given a Community Protection Notice, which she also breached a week later, resulting in her arrest. Now Whitehead - known to other activists as 'Mumsy' - has been banned from an area near the Coral Greyhound Stadium in Hove, East Sussex (pictured), after breaching the conditions of a Community Protection Notice The conditions of the CBO, which was imposed on July 20, and lasts for five years, ban her from entering at any time a defined area around the dog track. Whitehead was one of five leading members of notorious animal rights group Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (Shac) jailed in 2010. Their campaign involved posting hoax bombs to homes and offices, making threats of violence, daubing abusive graffiti and sending used tampons in the post. Sentencing the activists in October 2010, the Recorder of Winchester, Judge Keith Cutler, said the campaign had been 'synonymous with intimidation, violence and terror'. He told them: 'The action was taken in order to distress and terrify, and in that you were successful.' The court heard they targeted firms which supplied Cambrige-based Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) with the aim of closing the firm's animal testing lab. Some company directors had leaflets distributed near their homes falsely telling neighbours they were convicted paedophiles while others received tampons in the post with messages claiming the blood was HIV positive. Whitehead admitted conspiracy to blackmail companies and suppliers linked to HLS between 2001 and 2008. Jailing Whitehead, Judge Cutler said she led the younger members on and corrupted them. She had carried out up to five direct attacks in a night. A 'long-term campaigner and trusted insider' within the conspiracy, he said she had not shown remorse and would be likely to offend again. A spokesman for Sussex Police said: 'A woman has been banned from an area of Hove near Coral Greyhound Stadium after breaching the conditions of a Community Protection Notice. 'Sarah Whitehead, of Westmoreland Court, Uckfield, West Sussex was handed a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) at Brighton Magistrates' Court. 'It comes after she was issued with a Community Protection Warning for anti-social and abusive behaviour at an animal rights protest outside the stadium in December 2019. 'She breached this by displaying similar behaviour at further protests and was then given a Community Protection Notice, which she also breached a week later resulting in her arrest. 'In December 2020, she was convicted of using threatening or abusive words or behaviour or disorderly behaviour within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress. The CBO came into place on Tuesday and lasts for five years.' Advertisement Visitors to the ridiculed 2m 'Sh*t Hill' Marble Arch Mound which offers 360-degree views of scaffolding, crash barriers and an empty Oxford Street have been offered refunds. It comes as organisers were mocked for charging people '6p a step' to climb the barren eyesore next to one of the city's biggest parks. The monument, designed by world-renowned Dutch architect MVRDV, and built by construction firms NRP and FM Conway, has been savaged by tourists for looking little like the original plans. There have also been questions about why something so artificial-looking has been built next to the great natural expanse of green land that is Hyde Park. The Marble Arch Mound was roundly ridiculed and likened it to a level from Nintendo game Super Mario 64, the Teletubbies' home, or worse still 'seven minutes of work on Minecraft'. MVRDV have built a series of high-profile structures, including the futuristic 'Market Hall' in Rotterdam, which has become one of the city's main attractions. It also designed an infamous pair of apartment towers in South Korea that were unbelievably reminiscent of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York, with a pair of towers joined by a 'pixelated' cloud. The project prompted an outcry and was eventually cancelled. Amy Anne, 36, a foster carer from East London, told MailOnline: 'It's a bit disappointing really, because there's not much too look at and you've just got all these big buildings on top of you. 'On the website it shows the mound in full bloom, and obviously it's early doors, but we didn't see any flowers. 'Also there aren't any facilities which means people can't go to the toilet. Thankfully they did immediately offer us a refund. We didn't even take any pictures because honestly, it wasn't worth it.' Ros Cryer, 45, a PR manager from Colchester, Essex, said: 'I like seeing a different perspective on a place I thought I knew and it's important to get people back to this area. 'We are being offered another round of tickets so we can come back and get the full experience.' Slide me Reality and fantasy: The council admitted this afternoon the mound was not ready and refunds would be given all week Ugly metal fencing and barriers are still in place around the mound as well as traffic cones, which detract from the greenery A view from the structure - which people have compared unfavourably to vistas seen from hills in other parts of London Greenery planted along the side of the structure has not yet grown out into the expected floral display Inside the mound, which visitors see as they exit the attraction, features a complicated scaffold structure The Marble Arch mound installation opens to the public who have paid between 4.50 and 8 depending on the time of day One of the less than impressive views from the mound, showing a metal staircase, metal containers and road traffic Twitter users have been critical of the new installation which doesn't entirely match the CGI plans which were submitted pre-installation to show how the attraction would look A view over Marble Arch - a famous landmark which is now completely overshadowed by the controversial new attraction The attraction is almost entirely surrounded by traffic, meaning the view for visitors leaves something to be desired The mound offers only very limited views across the park because of a blanket of trees surrounding the attraction Visitors were offered a 360-degree view of scaffolding, building sites and cranes carrying out construction on buildings Much of the view visitors have from the top of the attraction is of traffic on the surrounding roads in the busy central London location Policemen join members of the public at the top of the mound, which is fenced off - for safety reasons Visitors reach the top of the mound via a long metal walkway. The turf on the mound is only in the early stages of growth Two twitter users likened it to a Mario computer game and the home of the Teletubbies How Marble Arch was originally built to be the grand entrance to Buckingham Palace Designed to be a grand celebration of British victories in the Napoleonic Wars, Marble Arch was designed by John Nash the architect to King George IV in 1827. It was intended to be the state entrance to Buckingham Palace and initially stood near where there the central part of the building complete with the famous balcony is today. Whilst most of its grand panels and statues had been completed by 1830, the death that year of the King led to the sacking of Nash by the Duke of Wellington - the then Prime Minister for overspending. Designed to be a grand celebration of British victories in the Napoleonic Wars, Marble Arch was designed by John Nash the architect to King George IV in 1827. It was intended to be the state entrance to Buckingham Palace and initially stood near where there the central part of the building complete with the famous balcony is today Instead, fellow architect Edward Blore was commissioned to complete the Arch in a less ostentatious fashion. The Arch itself was completed in 1833, whilst the central gates were added in 1837 just in time for Queen Victoria's accession to the throne. When the Arch became overshadowed by Blore's enlarged Buckingham Palace, the decision was taken in 1850 to move the structure to its current location at Cumberland Gate, where it formed a grand entrance to Hyde Park in time for the Great Exhibition of 1851. It was de-constructed stone by stone and then put back together after making the short journey. However, in 1908, a new road scheme cut through the park, leaving the Arch separated from Hyde Park. In 1960s, the roads were widened once more, leaving the Arch in its present isolated position. In 1970, the Arch gained Grade-1 listed status. Advertisement While the designs for the artificial hill had shown a magical space of lush greenery and stunning views, the reality provided very little. Neighbouring Hyde Park is almost entirely obscured by trees, making it difficult to spot anything on the grasses. Then to the right a wasteground being developed boast a number of shipping containers and rubble. The walk-up to the attraction is little better, with a parade of dumper bins lining one corner of the manmade structure. Its big reveal prompted a barrage of criticism from the public over its cost and execution. Bassano wrote: 'Having just learned of the Marble Arch Mound, I'm not sure what's worse. 'Charging 8 to ascend some scaffolding covered in rolls of B&Q turf or the views of the building site from the top' Marketing expert Dan Barker said: 'I'd joked before that it cost 6p per step to climb it, as the 'fast track' price was 8. 'That seems to have dropped to 6.50, meaning it is a more affordable 5p per step to climb the 130ish steps.' David Heslop opined: 'I've just seen that Marble Arch mound thing, and can anyone explain why it looks like it was built using the terrain editor from the first Roller Coaster Tycoon?' Jon quipped: 'They needed to either make more effort to make Marble Arch Mound look like a hill, or less effort. 'As it is, it looks like a screenshot from seven minutes of work in Minecraft.' Rachel said: 'TBF the Teletubby land hill, looks better than the 2 million pound utter monstrosity that is the Marble Arch mound.' Joshua added: 'You cannot tell me the Marble Arch mound doesn't look like the first level in Mario 64.' Another asked: 'I don't live in London. Is this a joke or have the Tories really built a 2million slag heap by Marble Arch?' July Aylott, 60, a fashion adviser from Hitchin, Herts, said: 'I like the idea of what they did but the views weren't what we expected. 'It was nice to get up high, but you can't see up Oxford street, which they say you can on the website. 'You can see the shard and cranes in the distance, but that's about it really. 'I don't think it would be worth the eight pounds if you went up there with a family.' Merryl Robersom, 65, a retired head teacher from Hampton, south west London, said: 'Seeing London from a different angle and over into Hyde Park is lovely, although the trees are quite high at the minute. 'It attracted me because it's Marble Arch and I've never been above Marble Arch - did you know there are windows at the top of it? 'But we were expecting to see more and we were desperate for a coffee, but it's not open yet. I think they should have delayed the opening, because it all seems to rushed.' Slide me Design versus reality: The plans for the hill on the left looked impressive compared to how it had actually been built Here's what you could have won! Plans promised sweeping views for six months between summer and Christmas The plans for the mound look very different in terms of quality to the finished product, with many left very unimpressed The plans, pictured here showed a hill bustling with flora and fauna but the reality is much more bare and lacks greenery Members of the public going up Marble Arch Mound today. Much of the vegetation appears to need time to grow What a view! Marketing expert Dan Barker posted this obscured vision from the Marble Arch Mound tip yesterday Slight Return left no doubt of their opinion on the Marble Arch Mound with this meme showing dinosaur dung in Jurassic Park Social media was flooded with disdain for the 2million project and its appearance, noting the cost of just going up there Back in February the stage had been set for a spectacular inner-city display. Winy Maas, founding partner at MVRDV, had helped stoke the anticipation. He told Architect's Journal: 'It's a location full of contradictions, and our design highlights that. By adding this landscape element, we make a comment on the urban layout of the Marble Arch, and by looking to the site's history, we make a comment on the area's future. 'Marble Arch Hill strengthens the connection between Oxford Street and the park via the Marble Arch. Can this temporary addition help inspire the city to undo the mistakes of the 1960s, and repair that connection?' Westminster Council was similarly enthused by the design and seemed eager to see the results. Council leader Rachael Robathan said at the time: 'Our proposed Hyde Park Hill temporary visitor attraction at Marble Arch signifies our ambitious approach to the Oxford Street district. 'It will be important for bringing in visitors to support the local economy. However, it will offer so much more. 'We hope it will give people an opportunity to look afresh and with wonder at this well-known, but sadly increasingly overlooked, area to recognise its beauty and importance.' In the days leading up to the opening Mr Maas seemed to accept that the real hill was not quite up to the standards of the designs. He told the Guardian: 'It's not enough, we are all fully aware that it needs more substance. The initial calculation was for a stair, and then there are all the extras. 'But I think it still opens people's eyes and prompts an intense discussion. It's OK for it to be vulnerable. Imagine if you lifted up Hyde Park at each of its corners. Speaker's Corner could be transformed into a kind of tribune, with a perfect view across an endless landscape.' The temporary installation in central London includes a viewing platform which allows visitors the opportunity to look out The Marble March Mound as it was taking shape back in June this year next to the famous landmark it now looms over In the days leading up to the opening architect Mr Maas seemed to accept that the real hill was not quite up to scratch Designed to be a grand celebration of British victories in the Napoleonic Wars, Marble Arch was designed by John Nash The Marble Arch Mound installation is intended to be in place for the rest of the year. It will be taken down and dismantled at the start of January 2022. The council said: 'We are aware that elements of the Marble Arch Mound are not yet ready for visitors. 'We are working hard to resolve this over the next few days. 'In light of the delay, we are offering anybody who has booked a visit during the first week a return ticket free of charge so that they can enjoy the full experience including the Lightfield art installation, M&S Food, and the landscape once it has had time to bed in and grow. 'People who visited the Mound today, and people who are booked for the rest of the week (including the weekend), will be contacted and offered a refund and a free return ticket so they can see the Mound at its best. 'Anyone who has booked a visit this week can go up the Mound as planned and then still take advantage of the free return ticket. The Mound is a living building by design. 'We'll continue to adapt and improve London's newest outdoor attraction and resolve any teething problems as they emerge. 'We're sorry for the delay and look forward to welcoming visitors when they're ready to enjoy all the Mound has to offer. 'See Tickets will shortly be in touch with everyone who booked a ticket for this week.' A 16-year-old schoolboy carried a disabled girl to a park before stabbing her up to 60 times, a court has heard. The teenage girl, also 16, was found in a field off Highsted Road in Sittingbourne, Kent, just after 8am last Thursday before paramedics rushed her to a London hospital where she remains. A 16-year-old boy, who was known to the victim, was charged with attempted murder yesterday. The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Medway Magistrates' Court yesterday. A 16-year-old boy, who was known to the victim, was charged with attempted murder yesterday. Pictured: Police at the scene The teenage girl, also 16, was found in a field off Highsted Road (pictured) in Sittingbourne, Kent, just after 8am last Thursday before paramedics rushed her to a London hospital where she remains Prosecutor Andrew Jones told the court the victim is in a critical condition after being stabbed 'around 50 to 60 times'. He told the court that the victim, who struggles with walking long distances due to a physical disability, remains in hospital in a 'critical' condition. Mr Jones added that the teenage boy was in 'some sort of relationship' with the victim and had lured her on a walk with him after picking her up from her home. When the victim, who struggles to walk long distances, began to fall behind the boy allegedly carried her to a secluded park known as The Orchards. Mr Jones said it is unclear whether the victim will survive the deep stab wounds from the attack which is believed to have happened late at night on Wednesday, July 21, and into the early hours of Thursday. Prosecutor Andrew Jones told the court the victim is in a critical condition after being stabbed 'around 50 to 60 times'. Pictured: Police at the scene Officers are keen to hear from anyone who could have information, especially those who were walking in the area between 11pm on July 21 and 3am on July 22. Pictured: Police at the scene The boy did not enter a plea as his solicitor said they are waiting for a full psychiatric assessment. He was remanded in custody to appear at Maidstone Crown Court on August 23. Officers are keen to hear from anyone who could have information, especially those who were walking in the area between 11pm on July 21 and 3am on July 22. In particular, the force were keen to hear from anyone who owns CCTV, or dash camera footage, recorded in the vicinity. Detective Chief Inspector Neil Kimber said: 'We are still appealing for the public to come forward with any information they may have which can assist in this investigation. 'We are keen to piece together the victims last known movements and would urge anyone who has any information to make contact.' A cutting-edge test for Covid sufferers that predicts how severe their illness will be can now be sold in the UK. The Israeli-made test, thought to be the first of its kind in the world to get approval, works using a blood sample and gives a prognosis in 15 minutes. It was today given a CE mark in Europe, which allows it to be sold to hospitals in the European Union. The mark shows the product meets EU regulatory standards. A CE stamp means it can also be sold in Britain until at least early 2022, when Brexit transition arrangements are due to kick in. The 'MedMed Covid-19 Severity Test' will be available for both private and NHS hospitals. It works by scanning the blood of Covid-infected patients for three key biomarkers of the severity of a Covid infection - including inflammation. Using machine learning, it then allocates patients a score out of 100, with those receiving higher numbers deemed most at risk from the virus. Developer MeMed said the test could save lives by prioritising patients most likely to fall critically ill. It's not clear how much the test costs. The machine works by scanning the blood of Covid-infected patients for three biomarkers of severity of disease. Its developer, MeMed, has not revealed how much the test costs There are currently almost 800 people admitted to UK hospitals suffering from Covid every day, figures show (above). And 5,000 Covid patients are in hospital beds The test works by taking a blood sample from a Covid infected patient. This is then placed into a machine which analyses levels of three proteins that indicate whether a patient could end up in intensive care. Two of these proteins are linked to Covid-fighting T-cells in the immune system, and a third reveals levels of inflammation in the body. Blood test to spot long Covid could be ready within SIX MONTHS A blood test to diagnose long Covid patients could be ready within just six months, scientists said earlier this month. Researchers have found survivors left with lingering symptoms have an unusual pattern of antibodies in their blood. It raises the prospect that sufferers of the poorly-understood condition could soon be spotted through a simple test. No diagnostic test or cure currently exists. Researchers say patients can find it hard to convince GPs they are really suffering from long-Covid symptoms, such as fatigue and headaches. Little is known about long-Covid an umbrella term for symptoms that last for more than 12 weeks after being infected. Imperial College London researchers compared the blood of dozens of patients for the study, which was published two weeks ago. They found long-Covid sufferers had certain auto-antibodies not present in patients who recovered quickly from the virus or never had it. Auto-antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system that cause the body to attack its own organs. They differ to standard antibodies, which are made to fight off infections such as Covid. The researchers will now carry out more detailed studies, with the hope of getting a test to market. Advertisement Higher levels of inflammation and lower levels of T-cell activity have been linked to more severe Covid infections. An algorithm then allocates the patients with a score from 0 to 100, with those getting above 40 thought to be most at risk. Studies of the kits published at the start of this month involved 394 patients who had tested positive for the virus in Israel, Germany and the US. Of these, 113 were admitted to hospital following infection and 30 died from the disease. The researchers behind the test said their results showed that patients who got higher scores were more likely to be hospitalised. Of the 203 Covid patients identified as low risk, only 13 (six per cent) went on to develop severe disease and were admitted to hospital. Results also showed 91 of 191 Covid patients (47 per cent) the test said were likely to suffer severe disease went on to experience a mild illness. But this may be down to the patients getting better treatment early on following the warning from the test kit, the makers say. It comes after British start-up Oxford Biodynamics launched its own Covid severity test in the US earlier this year and studies are ongoing. There are currently almost 800 people being admitted to hospital suffering from the virus every day across the UK, on average. And there are 5,000 Covid patients in hospital beds in the country. Separately, a blood test developed by Imperial College London that could identify long Covid could be ready in six months. Researchers have found survivors left with lingering symptoms have an unusual pattern of antibodies in their blood. It raises the prospect that sufferers of the poorly-understood condition could soon be spotted through a simple test. No diagnostic test or cure currently exists. Researchers say patients can find it hard to convince GPs they are really suffering from long-Covid symptoms, such as fatigue and headaches. Little is known about long-Covid an umbrella term for symptoms that last for more than 12 weeks after being infected. But official estimates say there could be more than 1million people living with long Covid in England alone by this time. Advertisement Survivors of Lambeth Council children's homes have revealed the horrific abuse they were subjected to as a report today exposed how predators 'infiltrated' the system to abuse 705 victims. Sandra Fearon said she was driven to the point of being 'seconds away from suicide' after a doctor launched a campaign of violent sexual abuse against her from the age of 12. Elizabeth McCourt, who was sexually abused at Angell Road care home, told BBC News she was later kidnapped by a pimp and forced into prostitution because of the council's 'negligence'. Philip Wells told Sky News he was 10 when, over the course of seven months at Shirley Oaks, he was sexually abused two or three times a week by a teacher. He said he reported his injuries at the time but was ignored by staff and it went on to become 'a dark secret'. He went 60 years without revealing what had happened to him. Employees in the South London borough of Lambeth 'treated children in care as if they were worthless' and appeared to demonstrate 'a callous disregard for the vulnerable children they were paid to look after', today's report said. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) heard evidence of children being raped, indecently assaulted and sexually abused while investigating what happened over several decades since the 1960s. But the report said that of the 705 former residents across three such facilities who complained, only one member of senior staff was ever disciplined as it estimated the number of those abused was likely much higher. And it recommended the Metropolitan Police should consider whether there are grounds for a criminal probe into a boy who died in a care home in 1977 having previously complained of being abused by a senior member of staff. One of the facilities examined was Angell Road in Lambeth which was a children's home from January 1981 until March 1995 The report highlighted the case of Michael John Carroll (pictured in 2014), a member of staff at the Angell Road home who had failed to disclose in the 1970s a previous conviction for child sexual abuse but was retained when this was found out. He was subsequently convicted in 1999 of 34 counts of child sexual abuse, including of two boys in the care of Lambeth Council Another of the facilities examined was the Shirley Oaks complex, where 2,400 children were placed between 1965 and 1983 Philip Wells (pictured) told Sky News he was 10 when, over the course of seven months at Shirley Oaks, he was sexually abused two or three times a week by a teacher Mr Wells, who moved to Shirley Oaks in the 1950s after his mother became unwell, said he thought a 'corrupt viper's nest of paedophiles' had targeted children at the home. Pictured, Mr Wells as a child Victims have spoken out about their experiences following today's report. Ms Fearon, who was at Shirley Oaks between 1964 and 1969 with her siblings, said she was abused every week for two years until she told a school nurse what was happening. 'I got to the point where I was probably seconds away from suicide. That's how bad my health was and the state I was in,' she said, adding that the abuse 'absolutely destroyed me'. Ms McCourt, 56, told the BBC she 'felt ashamed' after the abuse and hasn't been able to hold a job down because of her subsequent criminal record. Mr Wells thought the abuse was 'the way things are done in schools' until he realised the way he had been treated was not okay. He said what happened to him has been 'constantly on his mind' since a teacher assaulted him regularly after swimming lessons. One girl claimed she was raped 500 times by older boys at Shirley Oaks during the 1950s. And Mr Wells, who moved to Shirley Oaks in the 1950s after his mother became unwell, said he thought a 'corrupt viper's nest of paedophiles' had targeted children at the home. In its summary, the IICSA report said: 'With some exceptions, they (Lambeth Council staff) treated children in care as if they were worthless. As a consequence, individuals who posed a risk to children were able to infiltrate children's homes and foster care, with devastating, life-long consequences for their victims. Elizabeth McCourt (pictured), 56, told the BBC she 'felt ashamed' after the abuse and hasn't been able to hold a job down because of her subsequent criminal record 'For several decades, senior staff and councillors at Lambeth Council failed to effect change, despite overwhelming evidence that children in its care did not have the quality of life and protection to which they were entitled, and were being put at serious risk of sexual abuse. The six men convicted of child sexual abuse Despite the scale of reported abuse and suspected abuse in Lambeth, only six perpetrators have been convicted of child sexual abuse. They are as follows: William Hook: In 2001 pleaded guilty to 26 offences, including indecent assault, gross indecency and buggery, in respect of six children in the care of Lambeth Council and one he abused after leaving the Council. Sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment. Philip Temple: In 2016 pleaded guilty to 29 counts of child sexual abuse related to 13 victims, four of whom had been at Shirley Oaks. Sentenced to 12 years in jail, which was increased to 18 years upon the Attorney General referring the case to the Court of Appeal. Leslie Paul: Convicted on three separate occasions in 1994, 2002 and 2016 of a range of sexual offences against several children in Lambeth Council's care, including from South Vale. In 1994, he was sentenced to 30 months' imprisonment, in 2002 to 18 months' imprisonment and in 2016 to 13 years' imprisonment. Michael Carroll: In 1999 was convicted of the sexual abuse of two boys in the care of Lambeth Council, as well as nine boys from a children's home in Liverpool. The indictment before the court in 1999 contained 76 counts relating to child sexual abuse. Carroll pleaded guilty to 34 charges and was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment. Patrick Grant: Convicted in 2019 of eight counts of indecent assault on a boy under the age of 16, two of which concerned a child in Lambeth Council's care. Sentenced to eight years' imprisonment. Geoffrey Clarke: In 1998 was convicted of the sexual abuse of three children not connected to Lambeth, where he had worked in children's homes. Sentenced to three years in jail. Later charged with various offences of indecent assault and possession of indecent images, but took his own life on the day the trial was to start. Advertisement 'When systemic failures were identified, time and again they were minimised and levels of risk ignored.' The inquiry into Lambeth Council, held in the summer of 2020, examined five facilities - Angell Road, South Vale Assessment Centre, the Shirley Oaks complex, Ivy House and Monkton Street - dating back to the 1960s. The report highlighted the case of Michael John Carroll, a member of staff at the Angell Road children's home who had failed to disclose in the 1970s a previous conviction for child sexual abuse but was retained when this was eventually found out. He was subsequently convicted in 1999 of 34 counts of child sexual abuse, including of two boys in the care of Lambeth Council between 1980 and 1983. The report found 'clear evidence' that sexual offenders and those suspected of sexual abuse were co-workers in Lambeth Council's children's homes at the same time. Carroll also had a role in recruiting staff and investigations at Angell Road. The report said: 'Through such poor practice and its failure to respond to concerns and allegations, Lambeth Council put vulnerable children in the path of adults known or suspected to be perpetrators of child sexual abuse.' It described sex offenders as likely feeling 'untouchable', while children were left feeling 'isolated and ignored'. The report identified a 'culture of cover-up' and a 'lack of concern for the day-to-day lives of children in its care'. It said Lambeth Council was dominated by 'politicised behaviour and turmoil' during the 1980s, when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister, and that the council sought to 'take on the Government' to the detriment of local services. The report said: 'During that time, children in care became pawns in a toxic power game within Lambeth Council and between the council and central government. 'This turmoil and failure to act to improve children's social care continued into the 1990s and beyond.' It said 'bullying, intimidation, racism and sexism thrived within Lambeth Council', all of which was set within a context of corruption and financial mismanagement which permeated much of Lambeth Council's operations. The report acknowledged there were 'much-improved systems in Lambeth', but said there was still evidence of a more recent case, from 2016, in which an allegation of rape did not result in a strategy meeting taking place to consider the claim. The report added: 'For several decades, senior staff and councillors at Lambeth Council failed to effect change, despite overwhelming evidence that children in its care did not have the quality of life and protection to which they were entitled, and were being put at serious risk of sexual abuse. 'When systemic failures were identified, time and again they were minimised and levels of risk ignored.' The report made a number of recommendations, including that the council publish an action plan to deal with the issues raised in the report, and for a review of recruitment and vetting checks of current foster carers and children's home staff. It also said Scotland Yard should consider whether there were grounds for criminal investigations into the council's actions when providing information to the coroner about the circumstances of a child's death - known during the inquiry as LA-A2 - who died in the bathroom at Shirley Oaks in 1977 having previously alleged his house father, Donald Hosegood, abused him. A child died in the bathroom at Shirley Oaks in 1977 having previously alleged his house father, Donald Hosegood, abused him The London Borough of Lambeth and the children's homes considered in the report - including Ivy House, which in 1987 was moved from the Shirley Oaks site to Warham Road, Croydon The inquiry heard Lambeth Council did not inform the coroner of the boy's allegations. 'Repeatedly abused' woman says she won't stop campaigning until all the perpetrators' names are made public Husna-Banoo Talukdar, who said she was repeatedly abused while in Lambeth care homes between 1976 and 1979, said she would not stop campaigning for justice until all the perpetrators' names were made public. Husna-Banoo Talukdar said she was repeatedly abused while in Lambeth care homes between 1976 and 1979 Ms Taludkar, who waived her right to anonymity, said: 'The inquiry missed that opportunity to get those names out there, to get it known who did what - the abusers, the council, the police who covered it up.' The 57-year-old said she sought to banish the memories of her childhood growing up, but began getting nightmares and flashbacks in her 40s. She said she tried to kill herself three years ago, and detailed her ordeal in a 91-page letter before taking an overdose, but survived after more than a week in a coma. She said: 'Every day counts now, I know that. I will not stop trying to get justice.' Advertisement Other areas of investigation during the long-running inquiry have included Westminster, the church and the internet. The final report of overarching findings from all 15 sections of the investigation is being laid before Parliament at a later date. Husna-Banoo Talukdar, who said she was repeatedly abused while in Lambeth care homes between 1976 and 1979, said she would not stop campaigning for justice until all the perpetrators' names were made public. Ms Taludkar, who waived her right to anonymity, said: 'The inquiry missed that opportunity to get those names out there, to get it known who did what - the abusers, the council, the police who covered it up.' The 57-year-old said she sought to banish the memories of her childhood growing up, but began getting nightmares and flashbacks in her 40s. She said she tried to kill herself three years ago, and detailed her ordeal in a 91-page letter before taking an overdose, but survived after more than a week in a coma. She said: 'Every day counts now, I know that. I will not stop trying to get justice.' Richard Scorer, specialist abuse lawyer at Slater and Gordon, who is representing the sister of a teenage boy who killed himself in a care home after making allegations of abuse against staff member Donald Hosegood, said: 'It is clear from today's report that Lambeth Council deliberately withheld information from the coroner in order to give the impression that our client's brother was happy in care. 'IICSA have now recommended that Lambeth Council's cover-up in this case is investigated by the police. 'We urge the Metropolitan Police to act on that recommendation without delay and urgently establish a full investigation - anything less would be a betrayal of our client, of her deceased brother who took his own life in 1977, and of the generations of children who were let down by the litany of council and police failings set out in this report.' One former leader of Lambeth Council has said she wishes she 'should have known' about abuse that happened at council-owned homes. Linda Bellos, who led the council from 1986 to 1988, was not called to give evidence by the IICSA. She told the BBC: 'It is so shocking to hear ... the hurt that has been done to children. I am actually shocked. I responded to the questions and I wasn't asked to say any more, but now listening to what has happened I am shocked. I am disgusted in fact.' Employees in Lambeth 'treated children in care as if they were worthless', the report found. Lambeth Town Hall is pictured She added: 'I should have known, there should have been transparency for the services that we were supposed to be giving to vulnerable children. Former council leader says she 'should have known' about child abuse Former Lambeth Council leader Linda Bellos A former leader of Lambeth Council has said she wishes she 'should have known' about abuse that happened at council-owned homes. Linda Bellos, who led the council from 1986 to 1988, was not called to give evidence by the IICSA. She told the BBC: 'It is so shocking to hear ... the hurt that has been done to children. 'I am actually shocked. I responded to the questions and I wasn't asked to say any more, but now listening to what has happened I am shocked. I am disgusted in fact.' She added: 'I should have known, there should have been transparency for the services that we were supposed to be giving to vulnerable children. 'On the other hand, to ask any questions of any officers, the media, and I can think of a number of national newspapers who were accusing me of interfering. I didn't wish to micromanage senior officers. We were paying them thousands of pounds to do their work.' Advertisement 'On the other hand, to ask any questions of any officers, the media, and I can think of a number of national newspapers who were accusing me of interfering. I didn't wish to micromanage senior officers. We were paying them thousands of pounds to do their work.' Claire Holland, Lambeth council leader, said: 'The council was responsible for their care and protection but failed, with profound consequences. The council is deeply sorry for their experiences. 'The extent and scale of the horrendous abuse, which took place over many decades, remains deeply shocking. 'The council failed to acknowledge concerns when they arose, often failed to believe children when they disclosed abuse and then failed to take effective action. 'That so many children and adults were not believed compounded their experiences and caused further pain and distress with lifelong impacts.' Ms Holland added: 'Lambeth Council fully accepts the recommendations from this inquiry and will continue to strive to improve the care we provide to children and young people. 'The council recognises that there is much more to be done as part of its improvement journey and that we can never be complacent. 'We believe children and young people are better listened to and better protected in the Lambeth of today. 'Lambeth Council - and our partners - welcomes all the recommendations from IICSA that will assist the council to continue to keep children safe now and in the future.' John O'Brien, secretary to the IICSA, described the Lambeth Council report as 'the most difficult to read' of the inquiry's 15 completed investigations so far. He said: 'It's a fairly difficult read. I've been involved in every report we've ever issued and this is genuinely the most difficult read of all. 'If you look at all the elements in our other reports, many contain common areas - this contains everything we found in other areas, all happening in one place. 'The only way I can describe it is a generally toxic environment.' The findings of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse were published today. John O'Brien, secretary to the IICSA, described the Lambeth Council report as 'the most difficult to read' of the inquiry's 15 completed investigations so far Mr O'Brien added that childhood for a young person placed in care in Lambeth at the time would have likely been 'bewildering, frightening and soul-destroying'. What happened to the victims of child abuse? A series of horrifying accounts described by victims in residential settings and foster care were given in the report. Here are four of them: LAA307 was taken to Shirley Oaks at the age of nine. He described hearing other children screaming at night and he himself routinely experienced violence and sexual assault, including being photographed whilst being raped. LAA147 was in the care of Lambeth Council in the 1990s and 2000s, from the age of three. Over ten years, she was placed in nine children's homes and with four sets of foster carers. She described being raped by a foster carer's teenage son at the age of nine, and was also frequently sexually abused by older men she met whilst in care. By the age of 13, she had developed a drug addiction and was 'selling herself' to fund it. LAA2 was found dead in a bathroom at Shirley Oaks in 1977. Lambeth Council did not inform the coroner that he had alleged being sexually abused by Donald Hosegood, his 'house father'. In the course of Hosegood's employment at Shirley Oaks, six out of eight children looked after by him and his wife alleged sexual abuse by him. LAA7 described sexual abuse by three male members of staff, including two from South Vale. Two of them separately photographed him at their private homes when he was either naked or wearing only his underwear. One of them, Leslie Paul, was convicted of indecent assaults against him. Advertisement He said: 'It didn't matter which corner you look in here, you found a failure or a number of failures. 'It's the only report where, reading through it, I've had to put it down at regular intervals because what it's describing is just unrelenting. 'Everything you read just made you think: I know when I turn the next page I am just going to read another story of something not happening.' He added: 'People were in here and saw no way the environment they existed in was ever going to change.' Asked if there were any people who emerged from the report with any credit, Mr O'Brien replied: 'No, I don't think so.' He said: 'Officers named in the report, largely speaking, failed to do their job properly - if at all. 'Councillors weren't focused on what they needed to do, there's not one element of this where you think they did their job properly. 'There was nobody doing the job in the way they should have done, and when things were brought to their attention they deliberately didn't do very much about them.' He added: 'More people involved in this need to put their hands up and commit to making sure this doesn't happen again.' Speaking on BBC Radio 4's the World at One, Mr O'Brien also warned there might still be the danger of abuse without the recommendations of the inquiry being acted on. He said: 'We have certainly got an environment where without those recommendations being acted upon it would be easier for people to do things like not fully declare their background, which is a real concern.' Mr O'Brien had earlier said the failures by Lambeth Council could not be 'disentangled' from the 'political argument that was going on between Lambeth and central government at the time'. He had earlier said: 'This was truly a failure of the whole authority to protect the children in its care over an extended period of time and when abuse was reported or when it came to light it wasn't investigated properly, and in many instances people that had been accused of abuse were simply allowed to carry on with their jobs as if nothing had happened.' Revel Transit, the moped sharing startup that has spurred controversy in New York City, is preparing to launch a ride-hailing service to compete with Uber and Lyft after overcoming regulatory hurdles. Revel said on Monday that it will launch the service on August 2 with an initial fleet of 50 Tesla Y-model SUVs, serving Manhattan south of 42nd Street. The startup had planned to use an exemption for electric vehicles to skirt Mayor Bill de Blasio's 2018 cap on the number of cabs and ride-hailing cars that are allowed in the city. But last month, the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission abruptly revoked the exemption for electric vehicles, throwing the project into doubt. The TLC has now reversed the ruling and approved Revel's fleet, according the the New York Daily News. Revel has said its ride share rates will be comparable with Lyft and Uber. Revel said on Monday that it will launch the service on August 2 with an initial fleet of 50 Tesla Y SUVs, serving Manhattan south of 42nd Street The startup gained approval from the TLC, which had sparred over whether Revel would be able to use an exemption for electric cars to skirt a cap on ride-hailing licenses. In the cars, the front passenger seat will be removed so passengers can stretch out. Starting off with just 50 cars, Revel will face stiff competition from Uber and Lyft, which together have nearly 80,000 vehicles authorized to drive in New York. In total there are some 120,000 TLC licensed vehicles in the city, including traditional yellow cabs and other ride-hailing services. The company has said it plans to expand into the other boroughs and neighborhoods based on data and popularity of the service. Revel purchased its fleet of Model Ys, which retail from $39,990 for the base model, and has no known financial ties to Tesla. In fact the startup is partially backed by Toyota, through the Japanese carmaker's early-stage venture capital fund Toyota Ventures. Starting off with just 50 cars, Revel will face stiff competition from Uber and Lyft, which together have nearly 80,000 vehicles authorized to drive in New York Revel purchased its fleet of Model Ys, which retail from $39,990 for the base model, and has no known financial ties to Tesla Last week, Revel announced an electric vehicle fast-charging 'Superstation' in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, where anyone with an electric car can pay for a charge. Revel CEO Frank Reig said that the company is working with electric utility ConEd to identify other potential locations to build charging stations, a lengthy process. 'There's 2.5 million vehicles in this city, a lot are buses or sanitation trucks, and supposedly over the next 10 to 15 years they'll all be electric,' Reig told the Daily News. 'The grid is already maxed out and on the verge of blackout in weather events. Where are these vehicles going to charge?' A mock-up shows Revel's plans to build a charging station to repower vehicles offering enough power for 100 miles in under 20 minutes Unlike Uber and Lyft, whose drivers are independent contractors, Revel says that its drivers will be full employees with access to employer-provided healthcare and other benefits. Customers can order the vehicles 24 hours, 7 days a week through the Revel app. The rides will charge on a per-mile basis with with state- and city-mandated taxes and fees, like the Black Car Fund surcharges, and a booking fee added to the fare. In Revel's cars, the front passenger seat will be removed so passengers can stretch out. The ride-hailing initiative comes after Revel suspended it moped rental service for 60 days last summer after the deaths of three different riders. Ubiquitous in many parts of Queens and Brooklyn, the blue mopeds temporarily disappeared after the deaths of Nina Kapur, 26, Jeremy Malave, 32, and Francis Nunez, 30, who crashed their mopeds in July and August. Revel suspended it moped service for 60 days last summer after the deaths of three different riders Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered the suspension of the service for 30 days following the deaths. A fourth person was killed after she was hit by a person using the electric scooter after the suspension was lifted. The company has seen a dozen lawsuits over alleged safety lapses involving the scooters. CBS New York reporter Nina Kapur, 26, (pictured) was the first person to die on a Revel moped last July This has led to Revel making changes including the photo verification of users wearing helmets and answering a 21-question test to utilize the service. Kapur, 26, a CBS reporter from Newton, Pennsylvania, was the first person to die in a Revel moped crash. She was riding as a passenger when she was killed in Brooklyn in July. Kapur was being driven by a 26-year-old man who claimed he swerved to avoid a car that was pulling out, according to unnamed police sources. Both Kapur and the driver were thrown on to the roadway but it is thought that neither were wearing helmets. They were taken to Bellevue Hospital where Kapur was pronounced dead. The driver suffered only minor injuries. Revel currently operates a fleet of 3,000 mopeds across the five boroughs. The company's growth has been fueled by a round of funding led by Ibex Investors in October 2019. The investment group included Blue Collective, Launch Capital, Maniv Mobility and Toya Ventures. The NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission has also clashed with Lyft and Uber over limiting the number of for-hire licenses they hand out. Uber skirted TLC rules when they launched in New York City in 2012. A young black Carphone Warehouse worker has won a race discrimination claim after his boss told him not to speak to customers in Kensington as if they were from Brixton. Daniel Foster was sacked after working just three shifts with his new manager who suggested the way staff should speak to customers was different in the two areas of London. Alyanora Abdalla told Daniel he needed to take account of 'more affluent' shoppers, saying: 'The way you speak is very abrupt and not suited to our clientele.' An employment tribunal ruled that she had directly discriminated against Mr Foster on grounds of race on three occasions, including being 'aggressive' towards him on their first shift together. Mr Foster worked in a sales post at Carphone Warehouse on Kensington High Street, London. He was 22 years old and was the only black employee at the branch. The tribunal heard Ms Abdalla and Mr Foster first worked together in September 2019. A young black worker at Carphone Warehouse has won a race discrimination claim after boss Alyanora Abdalla (pictured) told Daniel he needed to take account of 'more affluent' shoppers Mr Foster arrived and clocked in at noon, when his shift started but had cycled in and was out of breath and sweaty, and so not immediately ready to start. The panel heard Ms Abdalla greeted him on the floor, saying 'why are you late?' in a hostile tone, and required him to complete a late form. Employment Judge Tamara Lewis said: 'Ms Abdalla jumped on him in an aggressive manner regarding his lateness at the very start of their first shift working together. 'This is more than an ill-advised way to start an employment relationship, it is very surprising.' Shortly before the end of the shift, after Mr Foster had mentioned he had had no break, Ms Abdalla told him to go home early. Mr Foster said there were 15 minutes left, but his break should be an hour. The tribunal heard Ms Abdalla, who was with a customer about two metres away, shouted across to him aggressively: 'You do realise I am the one that is paying you?' She then pointed to the bins and told him to take them out, after which he could clock out and go home. Daniel Foster was the only black worker at Carphone Warehouse in Kensington high street (pictured) and was told not to speak to 'affluent clientele' as though they were from Brixton Employment Judge Lewis added: 'The words "You do realise" in that context sound hostile. 'She was negative towards him throughout the first day they worked together, repeatedly sighing and saying he was not helping her.' Ms Abdalla conducted a 'final review meeting' with Mr Foster about a week later, at which he was dismissed. She told Mr Foster how he spoke was 'not suited to our clientele'. She said: 'As people we have to flex according to the people you meet. 'For example if I'm in the Brixton store, it'd be different to here where we have more affluent customers and international customers.' The only example Ms Abdalla gave Mr Foster was when he would say 'bank card' and 'name' instead of 'can I have a look at your bank card?'. Ms Abdalla wrote to Mr Foster on September 16, 2019, confirming his dismissal, saying it was based on 'failure to meet the required levels of performance' and 'failure to demonstrate the correct attitude and behaviour throughout your probation'. Mr Foster wrote to HR complaining about his dismissal the following month and said his newly appointed manager had discriminated against him on a personal level, mocked him and 'treated him like scum'. Employment Judge Lewis said it was 'not clear' why customers should be treated differently in Brixton and Kensington. He said: 'We find that a reasonable tribunal could infer, in the absence of an explanation, that the comment about the way Mr Foster spoke to customers was direct race discrimination. 'We feel there is an implication that Mr Foster's way of speaking is more suited to Brixton customers, and that it is acceptable to be abrupt to Brixton customers. Brixton is of course an area with a large black population.' The judge added that the 'unwanted conduct related to race' had violated Mr Foster's 'dignity and created a humiliating and offensive environment for him'. The tribunal ruled Ms Abdalla directly discriminated against Mr Foster in her attitude and conduct towards him during their working together, during the review meeting and by dismissing him. Mr Foster is now set to receive compensation from Carphone Warehouse, which will be decided at a later hearing. A Dixons Carphone spokesperson said: 'We are disappointed in the court's judgment. At Dixons Carphone, we take our responsibility as an inclusive employer extremely seriously. 'We'll continue to work with our colleagues, customers, partners and shareholders to ensure everyone feels included, can be themselves, and be at their best.' Two Syrians and an Iraqi accused of beating and then gang-raping an 18-year-old in Germany have been granted bail, sparking an outcry. The men, aged 18-21, were granted their freedom after a judge ruled there was no risk they would escape. The men must report to police frequently, continue to live with their parents, and not approach the alleged victim, Bild reported. The trio, who are not related by birth or marriage, all came to Germany with their families in 2015. The alleged rape took place on Saturday on a housing estate in Leer, where several refugee families settled after being granted leave to remain in Germany. Police said the suspects lured the woman to an apartment building on the estate where they beat and raped her several times. The alleged rape took place on Saturday on a housing estate in Leer, Lower Saxony. Police said the suspects lured the woman to an apartment building on the estate where they beat and raped her several times (stock) Investigators described the the alleged rape as a 'spontaneous act' and said the victim did not know her attackers. The attack has been classed as 'serious' and, if convicted, the suspects face between two and 15 years in prison. Police have declined to provide further details at this time, citing the need to protect the victim who is said to be struggling both mentally and physically. Last year, a group of refugees were jailed for gang-raping an 18-year-old girl after spiking her drink in an attack that sparked far-right protests against foreigners in Germany. Ten men were handed down sentences at the district court in Freiburg, following the assault on the teenager outside a nightclub in 2018. The main suspect, named only as Majd H, was jailed for five and a half years, while seven others received between three and four years in prison. Two others received suspended sentences and one man was acquitted. Eight of the men are refugees from Syria, while the others come from Iraq, Afghanistan and Germany. The court heard how the victim, who was 18 at the time, had her drink spiked at a nightclub and was then led to some nearby bushes where she was gang-raped in an ordeal that lasted more than two hours. The case, one in a series of high-profile sexual crimes by immigrants in Germany, triggered huge debate about the government's liberal refugee policies. Eight of the men are refugees from Syria, while the others come from Iraq, Afghanistan and Germany Two Atlanta cops have been put on leave after being filmed kicking a woman said to have mental health problems in the head as she lay on the ground handcuffed during an arrest. The incident took place Monday afternoon when police were called to an apartment in Summerhill, Atlanta, for a domestic incident, according to Atlanta Uncensored, which posted the footage online. The Instagram account said the woman was kicked in the face by one of the cops after she spat on his boots and pants while lying with her hands cuffed behind her back. The footage has sparked outrage online while the witness who filmed it said it only captures one of several times the woman was kicked by the officers. Scroll down for video Two Atlanta cops have been put on leave after being filmed kicking a woman said to have mental health problems in the head as she lay on the ground handcuffed during an arrest The seven-second video shows the woman lying face down on the ground next to some parked cars with two cops - one male and one female - standing over her. The woman, who is partially undressed, raises her head in the direction of the male cop who then kicks her in the head with his right foot. A gasp is heard in the footage as his boot strikes the woman's face. The female officer does not appear to react or make any attempt to stop the incident. A third officer is then seen coming around the side of the patrol car to the scene when the footage ends. 'Do you think excessive force was used in this situation?' reads the caption on the social media video. Both the woman and the officer who kicked her are black. The identities of the officers have not been released while the woman has been named by her family as 'Ashley.' Ashley's neighbor, who shot the footage and did not want to be identified, told CBS46 she actually saw the cops kick her more than once. The incident took place Monday afternoon when police were called to an apartment in Summerhill, Atlanta, for a domestic incident, according to Atlanta Uncensored. The woman was kicked in the face by the male cop after she allegedly spat on his boots and pants The female officer does not appear to react or make any attempt to stop the incident. A third officer is then seen coming around the side of the patrol car to the scene (above) 'They actually kicked her down the hill and she went rolling,' she said. 'She was spitting at the officer and then she had already spit on him once before but it didn't get on him, so she spit on him again and it got on his boots and that's when he decided to kick her in the face,' she said. The neighbor said she confronted the officer about the incident. 'We was like why did you kick her, he was like I didn't kick her, he didn't even know that somebody was recording,' she said. Atlanta Police Department released a statement Monday confirming Police Chief Rodney Bryant had been made aware of the video 'showing an Atlanta Police sergeant kicking a woman in her head'. Ashley's aunt Nell Gibson told CBS46 she was 'horrified' over the treatment of her niece who she said suffers from mental health problems and usually takes medication Police said the incident unfolded when officers were called to 35 Haygood Avenue at around 12.30pm to reports of a woman walking around and pointing a gun at several people. Officers arrived on scene and detained the woman, police said. 'Officers became concerned with the female's mental health and requested Grady EMS transport her to the hospital for evaluation. The female was not charged,' the statement read. Atlanta Police Department released a statement Monday confirming Police Chief Rodney Bryant (above) had been made aware of the video Atlanta PD slammed the actions of the cops and said both cops involved had been suspended pending the outcome of an investigation. The actions of the sergeant who kicked the woman were 'unacceptable' while the department said it is 'also concerned with the apparent lack of reaction from another officer present during the incident.' The sergeant was placed on unpaid suspension while the officer was placed on administrative assignment. Ashley's aunt Nell Gibson told CBS46 she was 'horrified' over the treatment of her niece who she said suffers from mental health problems and usually takes medication. 'It was a woman down on the ground in handcuffs, oh man I am totally horrified, I'm speechless, not only that it's a police officer,' she said. 'Ashley does have some mental health problems we thought she was off her meds because she's been acting kind of off.' The Atlanta Police Department's Office of Professional Standards is leading the investigation which will be expedited, before the police chief determines the right course of action to take against the officers. The incident comes at a time when police brutality is under the spotlight. Atlanta Police Officer Garrett Rolfe (left) shot dead black man Rayshard Brooks (right) at a Wendy's on June 12 2020 Bodycam footage (above) showed the moments leading up to Brooks death. Brooks ran away and was shot twice by Rolfe when he turned to fire the Taser in Rolfe's direction The incident comes at a time when police brutality is under the spotlight following the 2020 murder of George Floyd at the hands of white cop Derek Chauvin and a series of cop killings of black men and women across America. Less than one month after Floyd's murder, Atlanta Police Officer Garrett Rolfe shot dead black man Rayshard Brooks at a Wendy's. Rolfe, 27, shot Brooks, also 27, twice in the back as he ran from officers outside the fast food joint in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 12 2020. The white cop and fellow Officer Devin Brosnan, 26, had been called to the drive-thru by customers who said a man was asleep at the wheel. A scuffle broke out when the officers tried to arrest him, with Brooks taking Brosnan's taser and pointing it behind him in the direction of the cops. Black Lives Matter protesters descended on City Hall in Atlanta in May after the local police department reinstated Officer Garrett Rolfe Rolfe, a six-year police veteran, was charged with 11 counts over Brooks' death including felony murder. He was also fired by the Atlanta Police Department one day after the fatal shooting. In May, Atlanta police reinstated Rolfe to the department, saying the fired officer was 'not afforded his right to due process'. He is now on administrative leave because the terms of his bond mean he is banned from possessing a firearm or being around other police officers. His reinstatement sparked renewed protests in the Atlanta community demanding justice for Brooks and his family. This is the moment a sex shop worker chases a thief out of the store with a long double-ended dildo. CCTV footage from a sex store in the city of Novokuznetsk in the Russian region of Kemerovo Oblast on July 24 shows the saleswoman hitting the 'robber' with a dildo. The saleswoman, whose name has not been disclosed, was working late when the masked thief reportedly entered the store and brandished a small knife. The footage is unconfirmed to be real and police have yet to confirm whether they are investigating an incident at the sex shop. In CCTV footage from a sex store in Novokuznetsk in Kemerovo Oblast on July 24, a saleswoman can be seen working late when a 'masked thief' entered the store and brandished a small knife The suspect allegedly demanded money from the shop's till but the plucky saleswoman can be seen chasing him off with a large double-ended dildo. The large sex toy is designed to be used by two women or by somebody that wants to use it solo. The footage is going viral with 135,000 views on the social network VK where the woman can be seen working behind the counter when the masked man enters. The saleswoman pretends to bend down to get something with her right hand while slyly sliding her left towards a rubber dildo on the counter, which she uses to whack the thief over the head She chases him out of the store with the 18in sex toy. The footage is unconfirmed to be real and police have yet to confirm whether they are investigating an incident at the sex shop He approaches the saleswoman and apparently brandishes a small blade at her. The worker pretends to bend down to get something with her right hand while slyly sliding her left towards a rubber dildo on the counter. She suddenly seizes the long sex toy and whacks the thief over the head with it before chasing him out of the store. Despite the dangerous situation, the woman seems calm after the 'robber' disappears and apparently does not lock the door behind her Despite the dangerous situation, the woman seems calm after the 'robber' disappears and apparently does not lock the door behind her. The news site Life said no money was taken and no one was hurt in the attempted robbery. One VK user said: 'Don't get caught, dude, otherwise next time the rubber toy will be a leather one.' A Florida woman who is accused of child abuse says she was 'at the end of her rope' when she allegedly locked a young non-verbal, 'severely' autistic girl inside a cage at her home, which was filthy and littered with garbage. Palm Bay resident Melissa Doss, 43, was arrested and charged with three felony counts of child neglect without bodily harm and one count of aggravated child abuse as aggravated assault after police arrived at the property on Saturday, the Brevard County Sheriff's Office reports. As of Tuesday morning, authorities have yet to respond to MailOnline's request for the nature of the relationship between Doss and the child, as well as the child's age. Palm Bay Police say they have responded to Doss' Fillmore Avenue home several times in the past, however the exact details and results of those investigations remain unclear. According to the Orlando Sentinel, officers were once again dispatched to Doss' home on Saturday after a neighbor noticed a child inside of their screened-in porch. Responding officers quickly determined that the young girl, who cannot speak, had a disability, before discovering she lived at the residence next door. Melissa Doss, 43, was arrested and charged with three counts of child neglect and one count of child abuse When police went over to Doss' home, she refused them entry at the front door, instead climbing over the backyard fence to greet them. Doss told authorities she had been sleeping and was unaware that the child had left the house, again refusing to allow officers to have a look about the home before authorities ultimately returned the child to Doss and left the scene. Just hours later, cops were called again to her home after that same neighbor saw the child was in their yard. Once again, Doss refused them entry, this time telling the officers that she 'was at the end of her rope.' 'If you saw the inside of my residence, (the Department of Children and Families) would be called!' Doss could be heard yelling from behind the front door. WESH 2 reports that an investigator with the DCF was alerted a day later. Doss says she was 'at the end of her rope,' when responding officers arrived at her home Pictured: Doss' Fillmore Avenue home in Palm Bay, Florida, where police say they discovered a homemade cage that was used to confine a young autistic girl When authorities finally gained entry into Doss' home, they says they were hit with 'the immediate smell of feces and urine (which) was strongly present.' Officers noted mold and bags of trash strewn about the place, bugs, spiders and flies throughout the home, while adding that no part of the floor was visible. The home, described by police as 'uninhabitable,' also did not have working bathrooms or running water, according to WESH 2, instead 'they use the restroom in a bucket and throw the waste in the backyard.' Child protective services eventually learned that Doss and a child share a bed, while another child was forced to sleep in a homemade metal and wood cage, which was kept next to the bed. Police on scene say there was a blanket and a pillow inside the cage, where Doss told them she keeps the child at night, only letting her out after the little girl screams to awaken Doss in the morning, according to authorities. Doss is being held on a $22,500 bond following her arrest, according to Brevard records. Immigration officers now have the power to turn migrant families away after just a quick initial screening if they don't meet qualifications for asylum at the southwest border, the Biden administration quietly announced Monday evening. The policy, expedited removal, is the 'legal authority given to even low-level immigration officers' to deport non-US citizens 'without any of the due-process protections granted to most other people,' according to the American Immigration Council. First passed under Bill Clinton in 1996 the policy has since been used by Democrats and Republicans to stem the flow of illegal immigration. It comes after data released by Customs and Border Protection revealed 188,829 migrants were stopped at the southwest border in June, the sixth monthly increase since the start of 2021 and roughly 8,000 more since May. Under the newly-reinstated policy, border officials will be able to swiftly deport migrant families who do not meet requirements for asylum (pictured: Over 100 migrants surrendered to Border Patrol agents on July 8 afternoon near Sasabe, AZ) DHS called expedited removal a 'lawful, more accelerated procedure' to remove migrant family units in a Monday evening statement (pictured: Rio Grande Valley Sector (RGV) Border Patrol agents arrest 53 migrants in three stash houses on July 13) These statistics just account for the apprehensions, and doesn't include the migrants who cross undetected - according to reports that is up to 1,500 people every day. The Department of Homeland Security said family units who can't be expelled under Title 42 will face screenings for possible expedited removal. 'Expedited removal provides a lawful, more accelerated procedure to remove those family units who do not have a basis under U.S. law to be in the United States,' the DHS statement read. 'The Biden-Harris Administration is working to build a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system, and the Department of Homeland Security continues to take several steps to improve lawful processing at ports of entry and reforms to strengthen the asylum system.' The department did not elaborate on what the screenings will entail. Title 42 was enacted during the coronavirus pandemic and effectively allows the US to send migrants back across the border even if they wanted to make a legal asylum claim. The Trump administration cited the need to slow the spread of COVID cases in the country. Requirements for expedited removal were not immediately clear, but the New York Times reports it could possible apply to certain families depending on where they come from, what part of the border they cross or how old the children are. Human smugglers trafficking migrants across the border have recently targeted specific areas in Texas, Arizona and California because some Mexican border states have refused to accept some families, including those with young children, from countries outside of Central America. Immigration advocates who have already been pleading with the Biden White House to repeal Title 42 have criticized the administration's move. The head of the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project called the administration's decision 'appalling' The head of a faith-based group helping migrants at the border said the US 'cannot enshrine Trump policy as new normal' - but expedited removal was first enacted under Bill Clinton The executive director of a legal-focused immigrant advocates' group criticized the move as lacking due process 'This is an appalling announcement. Increasing the use of expedited removalparticularly for familiesis the opposite of what the government should be doing,' wrote Director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project Omar C. Jadwat wrote on Twitter. Head of the Hope Border Institute Dylan Corbett warned it would 'enshrine Trump policy as the new normal.' 'This is not due process,' Director of Immigration Arc Camille J. Mackler, a group of legal advocates focused on assisting immigrants in New York wrote. 'The expedited removal procedure involves sitting across a desk from a government agent signing a deportation order. There is no ability to see a judge, consult with a legal advocate (much less an attorney), or otherwise understand the process.' However, the Biden administration has struggled to stem the flow of illegal immigration to the US, a record surge that has been complicated by the rapidly-spreading COVID Delta variant. Customs and Border Protection revealed that 188,829 migrants were stopped at the southwest border in June Figures released Friday show 188,829 migrants were encountered at the southern border in June, even more than Customs and Border Patrol saw in May The 2021 numbers are way higher than previous years' figures of southwest land border encounters provided by Customs and Border Protection CBP data indicates that almost 1.2 million migrants could have already entered the US since the beginning of the year and more than 2.3 million people could cross into the US by the end of 2021, if the pace of apprehensions and those who avoid detection remain the same. From January to May, 711,784 migrants were encountered by Customs and Border Protection at the southern border five times the amount during the same period in 2020 under Trump. The number of crossers already reported by CBP since the start of 2021 surpasses the population of several large U.S. cities, like Boston and Nashville. Despite the surging number of migrants coming from outside the US and number of COVID cases rising within, just 14 percent of families encountered by Border Patrol were expelled under Title 42 in June. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is set to testify in front of the Senate this morning, where he could be asked about his department's Monday night move. Amber McDaniel, 31, turned herself in to police on July 8 on charges of endangering the welfare of a child and tampering with evidence The mother of a two-year-old boy has been charged in connection with his death after she allowed her son to stay with her boyfriend, despite him telling her he wanted to 'cull' the boy, and had beaten the child in the past. Little Jason Wilder McDaniel, 2, was found dead on October 11 of 2018 laying on the floor beside his crib at the Texas home of boyfriend James Staley III with blood smeared around his mouth, on the floor and on an adult-sized pillow inside the crib. Staley is charged with murdering the toddler and is currently on bail. Now Amber McDaniel, 31, has been charged with child endangerment and evidence tampering, after prosecutors found a series of disturbing text messages between the couple, according to an indictment filed on July 22. Staley wrote that the two-year-old should be 'culled,' called him racial slurs, expressed a desire to strike the child and admitted to beating him on numerous occasions, according to the indictment. In one message, Staley said that he 'pushed [Wilder's] face in a dirty diaper and then... pushed his face in the commode.' In another, Staley expressed that he 'wanted to and/or had placed Wilder in a tinderbox,' the indictment states. Yet, McDaniel continued to bring her son to Staley's home, where his body was ultimately found, despite noticing bruising on the toddler's face after he had been in Staley's care. While the ultimate cause of Wilder's death was inconclusive, a Dallas County medical examiner reported injuries to the child in his autopsy report that she wrote were consistent with smothering by a pillow, while other injuries 'may have occurred during a struggle.' The Wichita County District Attorney's office is currently determining whether Staley should receive the death penalty for the murder of the toddler. Staley, who is currently free from jail on $1.2 million in bail bonds, pled 'not guilty.' McDaniel turned herself in to police on July 8, and was booked at Wichita County Jail, the same facility where Staley had been booked for Wilder's murder. Incredibly, Wilder's biological father, Robert 'Bubba' McDaniel - who is still married to McDaniel - says he doesn't blame his wife and said that Staley was a master manipulator. He told KFDX-TV that he'd seen some of the disturbing messages that Staley had sent about their son, but that McDaniel had laughed them off as her boyfriend making a joke. '[Staley] tried to manipulate her into thinking that it was all just jokes... a lot of the things that Ive read have an "lol" on them... I can see how the manipulation would make her think its something different.' 'There were times that I was shocked that she kind of laughed about [the messages].' Bubba explained that at the time of his son's murder, he and McDaniel were separated but said that his wife had been trying to leave Staley. But every time she tried, she was manipulated into staying. 'There were times that I was shocked that she kind of laughed about [the messages],' Wilder's biological father and Amber's current husband Bubba McDaniel told KDFX of the offending text messages '[Staley] tried to manipulate her into thinking that it was all just jokes... a lot of the things that Ive read have an "lol" on them,' Bubba McDaniel told KDFX-TV. 'I can see how the manipulation would make her think its something different.' Staley wrote that the two-year-old should be 'culled,' called him racial slurs, expressed a desire to strike the child and admitted to beating him on numerous occasions. 'She did leave a couple of times,' he said. 'There was a time where she blocked his number and blocked him on Facebook he still found a way to get back to her, found ways to get in contact with her again 'Hes a master manipulator and a coward, thats how they work.' Bubba added that he 'stand[s] beside his wife' and that there is 'only one person who killed [Wilder].' He also refuted allegations that Amber had intentionally obscured the text messages from investigators. 'Eleven days after they put out those new warrants to search the house, it was us that offered the phones we straight offered phones knowing that theyd be cracked open, that any message on there is going to be looked at,' he said. 'Every time shes been talked to after that she goes in without a lawyer, she tells them to ask her anything - she'll tell them the truth. Its not like shes trying to hide things. I think this is one of those things where they need to pin something on her.' Bubba said he and even McDaniel feared tragedy could happen if Staley kept coming round. While the ultimate cause of Wilder's death was inconclusive, a Dallas County medical examiner reported injuries to the child in his autopsy report that she wrote were consistent with smothering by a pillow, while other injuries 'may have occurred during a struggle.' Staley was indicted on capital murder charges in October of 2020. The text messages surfaced in a probe by the Wichita County District Attorney's office, which is determining whether Staley should face life in prison or the death penalty. Currently, James Staley is free on $1.2 million dollars in bail bonds, according to the Times Record News, and a pretrial hearing is scheduled for August 6. Staley has reportedly pled 'not guilty,' and evidence submitted thus far includes 911 calls, autopsy photos, a forensics experts report, Facebook files, surveillance footage, cell phone data, and two polygraph interviews with McDaniel. According to the indictment, Staley wrote that the 2-year-old should be 'culled,' called him racial epithets, expressed a desire to strike the child and admitted to striking the child after the fact on numerous occasions. Labour MP Wes Streeting has announced he is returning to Keir Starmer's front bench after being declared cancer-free by doctors. The Ilford North MP said he is 'counting his lucky stars' following successful treatment for kidney cancer. Mr Streeting announced he was stepping back from duties in May, less than a week after he was promoted to the shadow cabinet in the child poverty brief. The 38-year-old confirmed that an operation to remove his kidney was successful and he is now feeling well enough to return to work. Ilford North MP Wes Streeting said he is 'counting his lucky stars' following successful treatment for kidney cancer In a video posted on social media, Mr Streeting thanked NHS staff at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, north London, for supporting him through his treatment In a video posted on social media, Mr Streeting thanked NHS staff at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, north London, for supporting him through his treatment, along with Ilford's King George and Queen's Hospitals for detecting the 'cancer really early'. He said: 'Without that early action the conversation we would be having might be a very different one. 'So, I just count my lucky stars really. I've lost a kidney but I've also got rid of the cancer. No chemotherapy, no radiotherapy. I'm just really lucky. 'So, I'm back, back in action here in Ilford North working for my constituents and back in action in Labour's shadow cabinet too. 'You'll be hearing lots more from me in the coming days, weeks and months and I can't wait to get cracking.' Mr Streeting, a former president of the National Union of Students, is regarded as one of Labour's rising stars. He was an outspoken critic of former leader Jeremy Corbyn over his failure to tackle antisemitism in the party and was one of the shadow ministers who toured the broadcast studios to defend Sir Keir following Labour's poor showing during the 'Super Thursday' local elections in May. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday slammed the committee investigating the January 6th riot at the Capitol as 'a sham that no one can believe.' His comments came as lawmakers prepared for their first hearing on what happened that day with four police officers caught in the melee testifying about their experience. 'Speaker Pelosi will only pick on people on the committee that will ask the questions she wants asked - that becomes a failed committee and a failed report, a sham that no one can believe. If you want to do answers, do not be afraid of the questions that will get asked,' McCarthy said a press conference with Republican leaders. Republicans sought to place the blame for the storming of Donald Trump's supporters on the Capitol on Pelosi, arguing without proof she was responsible for security that day. 'We now have a committee that all of America wants to know the answers to why were we ill prepared for that day, and how can we make sure that that will never happen again,' McCarthy argued. House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik said: 'The American people deserve to know the truth. That Nancy Pelosi bears responsibility, as speaker of the House, for the tragedy that occurred on Jan. 6.' Pelosi's office fired back. 'McCarthy and House Republicans have desperately tried to undermine and prevent a real investigation into the events of January 6th from the start. Now that the bipartisan Select Committee is beginning its work, the only tools left in House Republicans arsenal are deflection, distortion, and disinformation,' the speaker's office said in a statement. Pelosi doesn't direct the DC National Guard, which is actually under the purview of the White House. She does not oversee day-to-day operations in the Capitol and is not in charge of its security. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy slammed the committee investigating the January 6th riot at the Capitol as 'a sham that no one can believe' Republicans are trying to make the focus on Speaker Pelosi's role on the day of the riot and ignored questions about Donald Trump's role Republicans left out that Mitch McConnell, the Senate GOP Leader, was also in leadership on that day as they repeatedly tried to tie the lack of proper security preparation back to decisions made by Pelosi in the run up to January 6. McCarthy dismissed questions about Trump's role on that day, a question the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol will examine as part of its probe. THE CAPITOL RIOT SELECT COMMITTEE: SEVEN DEMOCRATS, TWO REPUBLICANS Chair Bennie Thompson: Chair of Homeland Security Committee Chair Zoe Lofgren: Chair of Committee on House Administration Chair Adam Schiff: Chair of House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Rep. Pete Aguilar, House Administration and Appropriations Committees Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, Armed Services Committee Rep. Stephanie Murphy, Armed Services Committee Rep. Jamie Raskin, Oversight and Judiciary Committees Rep. Elaine Luria, Navy veteran, Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, Iraqi veteran, Energy and Commerce and Foreign Affairs Committees Advertisement Instead, the Republicans, who were trying to set the stage before the committee gaveled its hearing to order later Tuesday morning, tried to keep the focus on the speaker and berated her for removing Republican Reps. Jim Jordan and Jim Banks from the panel. Rep. Steve Scalise, the Number 2 in House GOP Leadership, charged Pelosi with 'canceling' the two lawmakers. 'They got canceled by this new cancel culture that we see moving throughout the country led by Speaker Pelosi and a lot of our socialist allies here in Congress, where they want to shut out voices that raise tough questions that they don't want to be asked or answered,' he said. The GOP leadership also complained they would have none of their people asking questions at the hearing. But Pelosi, who said she vetoed Banks and Jordan to protect the 'integrity' of the investigation, accepted McCarthy's other three picks. He pulled them in response to her veto of his other two lawmakers. Two Republicans - Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger - will be part of the investigation and take part in questioning the four police officers about their experiences the day of the MAGA riot. 'This is absolutely not a game. This is deadly serious,' Cheney told ABC's Good Morning America on Tuesday. But the two are there at the invitation of Pelosi. The two Republicans - both of whom voted for Trump's second impeachment and who have been vocal critics of the former president's - give the panel the veneer of bipartisanship. McCarthy has combined his attacks on Pelosi with hits on his two wayward GOP lawmakers. 'She's broken Congress. Then it just makes the whole committee sham and the outcome predetermined,' McCarthy told reporters at the White House on Monday of Pelosi. He also slammed Cheney and Kinzinger as 'Pelosi Republicans.' McCarthy, facing pressure from some conservatives in his GOP conference to punish the two lawmakers, merely told DailyMail.com 'we'll see' about any possible consequences. The select committee investigating the January 6th riot at the Capitol holds its first hearing under a cloud of controversy Tuesday after Speaker Nancy Pelosi nixed two of House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy's choices The hearing room in the Cannon House Office Building where the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the US Capitol will hold its first hearing Two Republicans - Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger - will be part of the investigation of the January 6th riot Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6 to try and stop certification of Joe Biden's win in the presidential election In response, Cheney and Kinzinger called McCarthy 'childish' as they met with the seven Democrats serving on the committee in the Capitol Monday as part of their prep session. 'We've got very serious business here. We have important work to do,' Cheney said to reporters on Capitol Hill. She was booted off the House GOP leadership team earlier this year for her criticism of Trump. Kinzinger said that McCarthy 'can call me whatever names he wants,' before reassuring, 'I'm a Republican.' 'If the conference decided, or if Kevin decides, they want to punish Liz Cheney and I for getting to the bottom and telling the truth, I think that probably says more about them than it does for us,' he continued. McCarthy offered a privileged resolution on the House floor on Monday night to seat all five of his original picks. But Democrats easily voted it down - with Kinzinger and Cheney joining them to kill McCarthy's attempt to get his people back on the panel. At Tuesday's hearing, the lawmakers will hear from four police officers who were at the Capitol on January 6th, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the building, leaving five people dead and a trail of destruction. The officers are: Harry Dunn, Private First Class, U.S. Capitol Police Aquilino Gonell, Sergeant, U.S. Capitol Police Michael Fanone, Officer, Metropolitan Police Department Daniel Hodges, Officer, Metropolitan Police Department The hearing will include footage from the day of the riot never seen before, according to Rep. Adam Schiff, one of the panel members. 'I hope they'll get a much better sense of what it was like to be on the front lines that day, what these officers endured, the fact that many of them thought it was going to be their last day of life that they were going to die defending the Capitol, and sustain grievous injuries,' he told CNN of Tuesday's hearing. 'They'll see some footage that they've never seen before,' he added. The four cops testifying on January 6th MAGA riot At Tuesday's hearing of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, the lawmakers on the panel will hear from four police officers who were at the Capitol on that day, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the building, leaving five people dead and a trail of destruction. The officers are: Harry Dunn, Private First Class, U.S. Capitol Police Aquilino Gonell, Sergeant, U.S. Capitol Police Michael Fanone, Officer, Metropolitan Police Department Daniel Hodges, Officer, Metropolitan Police Department HARRY DUNN Dunn is the only black officer scheduled to appear before the committee and he has been outspoken about how he and his fellow black cops were treated that day. 'I was directly called the n-word,' Dunn told The Washington Post. 'At the time, my mind didn't process it, that I was being attacked because of my race.' Private First Class Harry Dunn, U.S. Capitol Police Dunn has come under attack from some on the right, including Fox News host Tucker Carlson who claimed, without evidence, that Dunn 'is an angry, left-wing political activist.' 'Dunn will pretend to speak for the country's law enforcement community, but it turns out Dunn has very little in common with your average cop,' Carlson said on his show last week. Dunn's lawyers fired back. 'Fox News allowed its host Tucker Carlson, who has not served a day in uniform, whether military or law enforcement, to criticize the heroism and service of African-American US Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn,' attorneys David Laufman and Mark Zaid said. 'Our client has served 13 years in law enforcement and on January 6, 2021, fought against an insurrectionist violent crowd -- no doubt many of them Carlson's supporters -- to protect the lives of our elected officials, including Vice President Pence,' they wrote. AQUILINO GONELL Officer Aquilino Gonell was attacked with a flag pole and chemical spray the day of the riot. He also had his hand sliced open. He told CNN he thought he was going to die. Sergeant Aquilino Gonell of U.S. Capitol Police 'They called us traitors. They beat us. They dragged us,' he said. 'And I could hear them, 'We're going to shoot you. We're going to kill you. You're choosing your paycheck over the country. You're a disgrace. You're a traitor.'' He has watched footage from that day to try and help the FBI to identify rioters. He told The Post he is seeing a therapist to help with post-traumatic stress disorder. Gonell emigrated from the Dominican Republic to the United States at the age of 12, eventually enlisted in the Army Reserve and was deployed to Iraq in 2003. He joined the Capitol Police in 2008. Michael Fanone Michael Fanone had become the most out-spoken police officer from that day. He was beaten with a flagpole and repeatedly tased with his own Taser. Rioters stole his badge and grabbed at his gun. When they said they should 'kill him with his own gun,' Fanone told them, 'I have kids,' according to footage from that day. Officer Michael Fanone of DC Metro Police He suffered a mild heart attack because of the attack. In the days after the riot, he sought a meeting with House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy and expressed his disappointment in the leader after it was over, saying McCarthy declined his request to publicly chastise Republican lawmakers who down played what happened on January 6. 'I asked him specifically for a commitment to denounce that publicly. And he said that he would address it at a personal level, with some of those members. But again, I think that as a leader of the House Republican, or I'm sorry, as the leader of the House Republican Party, it's important to hear those denouncements publicly,' he said. 'This experience for me is not something that I enjoy,' he said of meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. 'I don't want to be up here on Capitol Hill I want to be with my daughters. But I see this as an extension of my service on Jan. 6.' Daniel Hodges Daniel Hodges was crushed in a doorway between a massive press of rioters and the police line on January 6th, writhing and screaming in pain. Officer Daniel Hodges of DC Metro Police on the day of the riot The video of his struggle shows one of the rioters grabbing at Hodges' helmet and trying to rip it off. He didn't suffer any broken bones or internal bleeding, but said he walked like a 90-year-old man for a week. 'I had conspiracy theorists and everyone you could think of yelling at me, saying, 'Why are you doing this, you're the traitor,'' he said of that day. 'We're not the traitors. We're the ones who saved Congress that day, and we'll do it as many times as necessary.' Advertisement The House committee also won't hesitate to subpoena Trump or anyone who had conversations with him that day, which could include McCarthy. 'Anybody who had a conversation with the White House and officials in the White House while the invasion of the Capitol was going on is directly in the investigative sights of the committee,' Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chair of the panel, told The Wall Street Journal on Monday. 'I don't want to name him, but what I will say is that in the conversations we've had as a committee, there's been no reluctance whatsoever to go where the facts lead us,' he said when asked specifically about Trump. He also noted the panel won't hesitate to subpoena any necessary records or phone records as part of their investigation. Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chair of the panel, didn't rule subpoenaing Donald Trump to testify - above Trump speaks to his supporters outside the White House on the morning of January 6th Pro-Trump protesters clash with D.C. police officer Michael Fanone on January 6th Thousands of Donald Trump supporters swarmed the Capitol on January 6th Trump has denied any wrong doing. He spoke to his supporters at a rally outside the White House on January 6th and spent the weeks after the November election falsely claiming he won and was the victim of voter fraud. He was impeached a second time on charges of he incited an insurrection at the Capitol. He was acquitted by the Senate. McCarthy said Republicans will launch their own investigation of January 6th. Republicans opposed Pelosi's original call for a 9/11-style bipartisan commission. McCarthy opposed it in the House where it passed with Democratic support. But the bill died in the Senate once Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced he would not support it. Republicans wanted the commission to have a larger scope - and not just study what happened on January 6, but other acts of so-called 'political violence' including last summer's Black Lives Matter protests. Boris Johnson today revealed that he struggles to control the 'romantic urges' of his dog Dilyn. The PM complained that his and Carrie's pet is 'endlessly' up 'on people's legs' in Downing Street. The plaintive appeal came as Mr Johnson chatted to police dog handlers after witnessing a display by the Surrey force's canine officers. The premier was admiring the behaviour of German Shepherd Zorro at the police base in Guidford when he asked: 'Do you have to worry about his romantic urges?' Boris Johnson today pleaded for advice on how to control the 'romantic urges' of his dog Dilyn The premier was admiring the behaviour of German Shepherd Zorro at the police base in Guidford when he asked: 'Do you have to worry about his romantic urges?' The PM complained that his and Carrie's pet is 'endlessly' up 'on people's legs' in Downing Street After being told there were no such concerns with Zorro, Mr Johnson shook his head and said 'my dog is endless. on people's legs'. Home Secretary Priti Patel, accompanying the Prime Minister on his visit, laughed as Mr Johnson explained the situation. The Prime Minister also chuckled as he recalled the activities of his pet. Jack Russell-cross Dilyn was brought into Downing Street as a puppy by Mr Johnson and his wife Carrie in 2019. Mr Johnson is regularly seen out running with his pet on a lead. At times he has seemed to be struggling to control the animal as it showed an interest in ducks or passers by. A man has been trampled to death by an elephant after it charged into a crowd outside an Indian village. The incident happened in the Morongi tea garden in the Golaghat district of India's north eastern Assam state on Tuesday. Authorities named the deceased as Pachkal Mura, 45, telling The Assam Tribune that he was killed at around 5:30pm. Shocking video shows the moment an elephant breaks off from its herd and charges towards a crowd of people who run screaming. The bystanders had been waiting on either side of the herd, attempting to hurry it across a street. The huge Indian elephant runs towards a man who has tripped and fallen after being pushed to the ground by another person trying to flee the chaos. He rolls into a ditch but is followed by the elephant who tramples the man, repeatedly stomping on his body and dragging it along the ground. Moments earlier, locals were seen beating the ground with shoes and shirts and shouting in an attempt to move the large herd from the road. A man (circled) has been trampled to death by an elephant after it charged into a crowd in India The man (circled) was killed in the Morongi tea garden in the Golaghat district of India's north eastern Assam state on Tuesday Moments earlier, locals were seen beating the ground with shoes and shirts and shouting in an attempt to move the large herd from the road A car horn is heard beeping to encourage the at least 28 elephants, including calves, across, before the rogue elephant breaks away from the herd. After the trampling, it rejoins the other elephants on the opposite side of the road. Around 100 people in India are killed each year by elephants, though the number can be as high as 300, according to the WWF. Most areas of elephant habitat in Asia are close to or adjoining human settlements, creating the potential for conflict between local people and animals migrating or foraging for food. Authorities named the deceased as Pachkal Mura, 45, telling The Assam Tribune that he was killed at around 5:30pm Shocking video shows the moment an elephant breaks off from the herd and charges towards the crowd of screaming people After the trampling, the elephant rejoins the other elephants on the opposite side of the road as the crowd looks on In June, a wild elephant trampled a 10-year-old boy in Golaghat district. The boy had been collecting firewood with some friends when they were attacked, pratidintime.com reported, adding that the friends had managed to escape. Earlier this month, a domesticated elephant in the same part of Assam killed a 14-year-old boy. The elephant and its calf were seized by police, according to Hindustan Times. Indian elephants can grow to up to 3.5m at the shoulder, and weigh up to 5,000kg. Boris Johnson left viewers unimpressed today after appearing drenched in a TV interview - despite holding an umbrella. The Prime Minister braved the rain as he visited Surrey Police headquarters in Guildford this afternoon to launch the government's new Beating Crime Plan. He promised to extend the use of 'chain gangs' and also relax all restrictions on controversial Stop and Search powers. However, despite speaking to the media about his crime bill, it was Mr Johnson's sodden appearance that triggered the most chatter. The PM was holding an umbrella above his head as he spoke but it appeared to have no effect, with his shoulders and the top of his suit soaked through. His hair also appeared to fall victim to the elements, sweeping across his forehead as he spoke. The sight was mocked on social media, with one viewer remarking: 'Boris Johnson seems to be the only person alive who gets even wetter when holding an umbrella in the rain.' Boris Johnson braved the rain as he visited Surrey Police headquarters in Guildford this afternoon However, despite his umbrella, the Prime Minister appeared drenched during his visit Another said: 'Most Boris Johnson thing ever - gets interviewed outdoors in heavy rain and doesn't even know how to use an umbrella to keep rain off.' While a third wondered: 'Just seen Boris on @BBCNews in the pouring rain, holding his own umbrella & getting soaked. 'Is there nowhere for the poor sod to stand in the dry?' And a third asked: 'Is there a hole in his umbrella?' It was a frosty reception for the PM at Surrey Police headquarters also, with Surrey Police Federation criticising the visit, just days after most officers were hit with a pay freeze. 'Our colleagues should not be used as public relations pawns by politicians,' said chairwoman Mel Warnes. 'I very much doubt any of our colleagues will be smiling at the thought of meeting two people who have decided against giving them any sort of pay rise despite everything police officers across the country have done these past 18 months. 'Police officers have given everything. The Government has given us nothing. 'Frankly, their visit is not welcomed by, I am sure, the majority of hard-working police officers.' But Mr Johnson defended the resources being put into policing despite the spending restraint needed due to the coronavirus crisis. 'When I stood on the steps of Downing Street two years ago I said I wanted another 20,000 officers on the streets of our country,' he told reporters. 'We are now almost half the way there. We are putting 15.8 billion into supporting our police. 'But of course it's been a tough time financially for the whole country.' The PM was mocked on social media, with one viewer remarking: 'Boris Johnson seems to be the only person alive who gets even wetter when holding an umbrella in the rain' It was a frosty reception for the PM at Surrey Police headquarters also, with Surrey Police Federation criticising the visit, just days after most officers were hit with a pay freeze In his speech, the PM promised the wider use of public 'chain gangs' to tackle yobs as he defended his approach to law and order in the face of police anger over a pay freeze. The Prime Minister said he is keen to tackle problems with low level disorder, which he acknowledged could have a major impact on victims. He said the coronavirus lockdown 'has driven some anti-social behaviour' and promised to tackle it. 'Somebody's anti-social behaviour may be treated as a minor crime but it could be deeply distressing to those who are victims,' he said. 'If you are guilty of anti-social behaviour and you are sentenced to unpaid work, as many people are, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't be out there in one of those fluorescent-jacketed chain gangs, visibly paying your debt to society.' Prime Minister's crime blitz: The key proposals revealed today League table 101 and 999 call-answering times; Online platform to allow the public to contact police, with a named officer in each local area; Permanent relaxing of conditions on the use of section 60 stop and search powers; New 'victims' law' to codify their rights; Backing of Greater Manchester Police scheme for an officer to attend every burglary; More officers to deal with 'the tiny minority of truant kids'; 'Action plan' to tackle fraud - now the biggest crime in the country; Initiatives to reduce court wait times after cases piled up over the pandemic; Crack down on county lines drug gangs to be intensified and more testing of suspects after arrest; 17m to persuade stab victims to stay away from violence; 45m for specialist teams in schools in violence hotspots; More money for targeted patrols, increased street lighting and CCTV. Advertisement The wider use of Stop and Search is controversial because of concerns that it disproportionately affects black and minority ethnic communities. But Mr Johnson insisted it is not a 'strong-arm' tactic and it has the backing of parents. Section 60 powers give officers the right to search people in a defined area during a specific time period when they expect serious violence, and officers can look for weapons before they can be used, or those used in a recent attack. The Prime Minister said: 'I think that giving the police the backing that they need in law to stop someone, to search them, to relieve them of a dangerous weapon - I don't think that's strong-arm tactics, I think that's a kind and a loving thing to do. 'The people who often support Stop and Search most passionately are the parents of the kids who are likely themselves to be the victims of knife crime.' Campaign groups have criticised the Government's plans for not doing enough to tackle the root causes of crime. Human rights organisation Liberty had said easing the restrictions on Stop and Search would 'compound discrimination' in the UK. The strategy includes plans for league tables for forces' 101 and 999 call-answering times, a national online platform to allow the public to contact police, and efforts against county lines drug gangs to be intensified. It also includes a 17 million package to persuade young people who go to an emergency department with a stab wound or have contact with police to stay away from violence. But Iryna Pona, policy manager at the Children's Society charity, said intervention should take place long before young people end up in hospital. She added: 'We want to see a long-term plan for investment in early help for children at the first signs that they are vulnerable to being groomed.' Mr Johnson's reforms for England and Wales will also see the extension of a pilot announced earlier this year which involves burglars and thieves being made to wear GPS tags on release from prison. The strategy will also trial the use of alcohol tags - which detect alcohol in the sweat of the wearer - on prison leavers in Wales in a bid to reduce alcohol-related crime. A firebrand Tennessee pastor said he would ban churchgoers who insist on wearing masks, as he denied the existence of the Delta COVID variant and called COVID mandates 'Democrat games.' Speaking from a red-and-white striped circus tent in Mt. Juliet, about 20 miles east of downtown Nashville, Pastor Greg Locke told his congregation: 'Don't believe this Delta variant nonsense. Stop it! Stop it! 'If they go through round two and you start showing up with all these masks and nonsense, I will ask you to leave,' he said in his sermon on Sunday, which was streamed live to YouTube. 'I am not playing these Democrat games up in this church,' Locke continued, chastising other pastors who have followed COVID protocols, calling them: 'A bunch of pastors talking about how much they want to see people heal, and they're afraid to baptize people because of a Delta variant - I'm sick of it. 'I don't need to be a jerk for Jesus, but I'm not going to kowtow down to a wicked godless culture. Scroll down for video In a sermon on Sunday, Pastor Greg Locke told his congregation at the Global Vision Baptist Church not to believe 'this Delta variant nonsense' He told the crowd that anyone who shows up to his church with a mask will be asked to leave 'Here's what the left has told us: "If you comply, you compromise, if you comply, eventually you'll get in our good graces." But no, you'll never be able to comply enough.' He then claimed the Democrats shut down the country during the pandemic for their own personal gain. 'I ain't playing their games, shut the nation down for a second time,' Locke told the Global Vision Bible Church, 'It didn't hurt the economy bad enough. 'You know what happens when they shut down private businesses?' he asked. 'They open government businesses. The government isn't hurting one bit. 'Yes, I'm narrow minded,' he continued, 'doesn't matter to me what The View says, what Oprah says, what Whoopi says, what Joel Osteen says. 'If you want to social distance, go to First Baptist Church, but don't come to this one,' Locke said. 'I'm done with it, I said I'm done with it. 'They're talking about shutting down this nation for round two, talking about masking everybody back up, shutting down churches, hey, my hind leg if they think they're going to shut this church down.' Locke added: 'They will be serving Frostys in Hell before we shut this place down, just because a buck-wild, demon-possessed government tells us to.' The Biden administration is now reportedly considering recommending that all states and municipalities with low vaccination rates reinstate their mask mandates. He is pictured here with First Lady Jill Biden wearing face masks after arriving at the Nashville International Airport last year Locke has gained fame among the far-right for his controversial claims about the COVID pandemic, as he also spread conspiracy theories about top U.S. officials engaging in a child sex trafficking ring He was seen with Franklin Graham, the son of Rev. Billy Graham, while visiting the White House in August 2020 Locke has traveled around the country to give sermons and speeches Locke has gained fame among the far-right for his controversial statements about COVID and his claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, traveling around the country to give sermons and speeches. He has promoted the QAnon conspiracy, which states that high-ranking officials and Hollywood elites are engaged in a child sex trafficking ring that Trump was elected to stop. In a sermon last month, he said: 'I don't care what you think about fraudulent Sleepy Joe, He's a sex-trafficking, demon-possessed mongrel. He ain't no better than the Pope and Oprah Winfrey and Tom Hanks and the rest of that wicked crowd. 'God is going to bring the whole house down,' he said. 'He's going to expose all these bunch of pedophiles.' He later asked himself: 'Do you honestly believe, Pastor Locke, that the military uncovered tunnels beneath the Capitol building and beneath the White House. Do you really believe they found kids. 'Yes,' he replied. 'Both live ones and dead ones.' Locke has also repeatedly called the pandemic a hoax and has refused to comply with guidance from public health officials, according to the Washington Post. In July 2020, he posted on Facebook that the church was remaining open and people didn't have to wear masks or social distance, claiming: 'I don't care if they sent the military, they roll up in there with tanks ... ladies and gentleman, we are staying open.' At the time, though, the Charlotte Observer reports, Tennessee health officials recommended faith groups hold their services remotely. People were seen continuing to wear masks in nearby Nashville as cases rise in the state Meanwhile, COVID cases are rising in the state, with 883 new cases reported on Tuesday, with 11 new deaths and 47 new hospitalizations. The state is facing a 12.6 percent COVID positivity rate, according to Tennessee Department of Health data, with just 43.7 percent of the total population receiving at least one dose of the COVID vaccine and 38.9 percent fully vaccinated. About 98 percent of those who have died of COVID recently and 97 percent of the recent hospitalizations are among those who have not been vaccinated, state officials announced earlier this month. But the state's top immunization official, Michelle Fiscus, was fired on July 12 as she tried to encourage teenagers to get vaccinated, according to the Post. She said in an interview that Tennessee Governor Bill Lee consistently resisted the state's promotion of the COVID vaccine, saying: 'I feel like the [health] department was gagged.' The number of infections across the country are rising as the Delta variant continues to spread The U.S. recorded 15,711 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday with a seven-day rolling average of 52,116, which is a 291% increase from the 13,305 average recorded three weeks ago Deaths have continued to remain relatively flat with 56 recorded on Sunday and a seven-day rolling average of 281, 17% up from the average of 239 recorded three weeks prior The United States, meanwhile, recorded 15,711 new COVID cases on Sunday, with a seven-day rolling average of 52,116 - a 291 percent increase from the average three weeks ago, as the Delta variant continues to spread. Deaths, though, have continued to stay flat with 56 recorded throughout the country on Sunday, and a seven-day rolling average of 281, up 17 percent from the average recorded three weeks prior. Now, several municipalities throughout the country have reinstated their mask policies, as officials in the Biden administration consider recommending that masks be worn in states and communities with low vaccination rates, Politico reports. Los Angeles became the first major metropolitan area to reinstate a mask mandate last week, about two months after the Centers for Disease Control updated its guidance to recommend that people who are vaccinated no longer have to wear a mask, and officials in Provincetown, Massachusetts announced on Sunday they would reinstate the mandate amid an outbreak linked to the July 4 holiday. On Monday, Savannah, Georgia became the first city in the state to reimpose the mask mandate indoors, as new cases tripled in two weeks, and in St. Louis, Missouri, officials said it will once again require residents to mask up indoors, regardless of their vaccination status, starting on July 26, as the state is being hammered by the Delta variant. Missouri's Republican-controlled state government, however, has opposed the mask mandates, according to New York Magazine, and the state attorney general announced over the weekend he would challenge St. Louis' mandate in court. Other municipalities have sought to increase their vaccination rates amid the Delta variant outbreak, with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announcing on Monday that he would requiring all 314,000 city employees - including those that work for the Department of Education and the New York Police Department - to either get vaccinated by September 13 or submit to weekly COVID testing. Those who remain unvaccinated will be required to wear masks at all times, he said, adding: 'There unfortunately will have to be consequences.' 'We unfortunately have to be very tough if a city government employee does not wear masks indoors if they're unvaccinated,' de Blasio said at a news conference Monday, with health officials later announcing that those who do not wear masks may be put on leave. Just a few hours later, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the state would be taking a similar approach - saying state employees will have to submit a proof of vaccination by August 2 and health care workers would have to submit proof of vaccinations by August 23 or get tested regularly for the virus. Any state employee that does not provide a proof of vaccination will have to get tested once a week, and any health care worker who does not get vaccinated would have to submit to testing twice a week. They would also be required to wear masks at all times. Also on Monday, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) become the first federal agency to require its frontline health care workers to be vaccinated. President Joe Biden confirmed the move in a brief statement to reporters Monday afternoon. 'Yes. Veteran Affairs is going to in fact require that all docs working in facilities are going to have to be vaccinated,' Biden said, following a report quoting his Veterans Affairs secretary regarding health care workers at the VA. Following the action, 115,000 staffers will have two months to get inoculated against the coronavirus, and face being fired if they do not oblige. Advertisement Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger choked up when he spoke to the officers who testified about what happened that day Republican Reps. Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney took center stage during Tuesday's hearing on the January 6th MAGA riot, with Kinzinger tearing up as he thanked the police officers for their service and Cheney warning America could face a riot every four years if those behind that day are not held accountable for their actions. 'I never expected today to be quite as emotional for me as it has been,' Kinzinger said, sniffling as he choked back tears. He noted how he got to know many of the officers in the aftermath of the riot. Both he and Cheney hugged a few of the officers at the beginning of the hearing. 'I think it's important to tell you right now though,' Kinzinger continued. 'You guys may like individually feel a little broken.' But, he added: 'You guys won.' The emotional day got to almost everyone - lawmakers and witnesses alike. Several times the officers wiped away tears, particularly when footage from January 6th shown. The lawmakers got shook up talking about their gratitude for the officers' work. 'You saved the day. You saved the Constitution,' Rep. Zoe Lofgren told them. Some of the most dramatic words came early on when Cheney, in her opening statement offered cautionary words about what could happen in the wake of future presidential elections. She called January 6th a 'cancer' on the Constitution. 'If those responsible are not held accountable and if Congress does not act responsibly, this will remain a cancer on our constitutional republic, undermining the peaceful transfer of power at the heart of our democratic system. We will face the threat of more violence in the months to come and another January 6 every four years,' she said. Six months after the riot, where Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol to try and stop the certification of Joe Biden's presidential victory, 590 people have been charged. More than 300 suspects are still wanted by law enforcement. In the aftermath of that day, five people died while staff and officers on Capitol Hill remained traumatized over what happened. The committee began its first hearing into January 6th with dramatic new footage from that day, showing Trump's supporters over running the building and attacking police officers. It also contained harrowing testimony from four offices at the Capitol that day, who recounted being physical beaten by the rioters, being called obscenities, and fearing for their lives. 'We are not asking for medals and recognition, we just want justice and accountability,' said Sgt. Aquilino Gonell of US Capitol Police. And Officer Daniel Hodges of the DC Metropolitan Police told the seven Democrats and two Republicans on the panel what he wanted of them was to find out 'if anyone in power had a role in this, anyone in power coordinated or aided or abetted or tried to downplay or tried to prevent the investigation of this terrorist attack, because we can't.' The committee showed new video footage from the day of the riot. The graphic video was filled with rioters shouting obscenities. It showed the rioters throwing objects and gas canisters at police officers, screaming and shouting as they broke the Capitol's windows to breach the building. Police officers are heard on the radio, begging for help as the rioters overwhelmed them. And the rioters are heard making their own threats. 'Can I speak to Pelosi? We're coming b***h,' one rioter is seen saying of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 'Hang Mike Pence,' the crowd is heard shouting about the then-vice president. TOUGH WORDS FROM CHENEY AND KINZINGER In her opening statement, Cheney called on those officials who served in Trump's White House with knowledge of the day to step forward and testify. 'We must know what happened here at the Capitol. We must also know what happened every minute of that day in the White House - every phone call every conversation every meeting, leading up to during an after the attack. Honorable men and women have an obligation to step forward,' she said. Cheney and Kinzinger are the only two Republicans on the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. Both serve at the invitation of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Kinzinger, a GOP lawmaker from Illinois, slammed his fellow Republicans who dismissed what happened on January 6th. 'Like most Americans, I'm frustrated that six months after a deadly insurrection breach the United States Capitol for several hours on live television,' he said. 'We still don't know exactly what happened. Why? Because many in my party have treated this as just a another partisan fight. It's toxic and it's a disservice to the officers families.' He added: 'I'm here to investigate January 6 not in spite of my membership in the Republican Party, but because of it, not to win a political fight, but to learn the facts and defend our democracy. Here's what we know. Congress was not prepared. On January 6 we weren't prepared because we never imagined that this could happen.' Cheney said the committee's investigation will be nonpartisan, countering charges from Republican leadership that the hearing is a 'sham' with its outcome pre-determined. 'When a threat to our constitutional order arises as it has here, we are obligated to rise above politics. This investigation must be nonpartisan,' Cheney, a Republican lawmaker from Wyoming, said. The video footage was shown to emphasize Democrats' point that the rioters were trying over throw the government. 'A peaceful transfer of power did not happen this year. It did not happen. Let that sink in. Think about it. A violent mob was pointed at the Capitol and told to win a trial by combat,' Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chair of the panel, said in his opening statement. 'These rioters were organized, they were ready for fight, and they came close to succeeding. It's frightening to think about how close,' he added. Rep. Liz Cheney warned America could face a riot every four years if those behind the January 6th MAGA riot are not held accountable for their actions Sgt. Aquilino Gonell of the US Capitol Police, Officer Michael Fanone of the DC Metropolitan Police, Officer Daniel Hodges of the DC Metropolitan Police and Private First Class Harry Dunn of the US Capitol Police are sworn in before the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on US Capitol Rep. Adam Kinzinger hugs U.S. Capitol Police officer Aquilino Gonell Rep. Liz Cheney hugs Michael Fanone, officer for the Metropolitan Police Department U.S. Capitol Police sergeant Aquilino Gonell wipes tears as he watches footage from Jan 6 Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., greets Washington Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone Washington Metropolitan Police Department officer Daniel Hodges reacts as he watches video from his own body worn camera being shown during the hearing US Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn hugs Representative Liz Cheney after the hearing The hearing played new footage and audio from police officers on the day of the riot At Tuesday's hearing, the lawmakers heard from four police officers who were at the Capitol on January 6th, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the building, leaving five people dead and a trail of destruction. Harry Dunn, Private First Class, U.S. Capitol Police Aquilino Gonell, Sergeant, U.S. Capitol Police Michael Fanone, Officer, Metropolitan Police Department Daniel Hodges, Officer, Metropolitan Police Department REP. MURPHY REVEALS HOW COPS SAVED HER DURING RIOT Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy told the officers that she and fellow Rep. Kathleen Rice were hiding in a room 40 feet away from the tunnel where Hodges, Fanone and other officers pushed rioters back. 'You were our last line of defense,' she said. 'I shudder to think what would have happened had you not held that line.' She recalled hearing the officers' coughing, helping one another, and then going back out to fight. Murphy said the two women took refuge in that room because they thought they would be safe in the Capitol basement. 'It turned out we ended up at the center of the storm,' she said. 'Imagine if they had caught the two members of Congress that were just 40 feet from where you all were.' She told the officers their actions gave her and Rice time to escape with a group of US Capitol Police officers sent to extract them. She noted she has two young children: a 10-year-old son and a seven-year-old daughter. 'And the reason I was able to hug them again, was because of the courage that you and your fellow officers showed that day. And so just to really heartfelt thank you,' she said. She noted not a single lawmaker was captured or hurt during the riot. 'I think it's important for everybody though to remember that the main reason rioters didn't harm any members of Congress was because they didn't encounter any members of Congress, and they didn't encounter any members of Congress because law enforcement officers did your jobs that day, and you did it well. I think without you, what would have been a terrible and what was a terrible and tragic day would have been even more terrible and more tragic. So just very grateful for all of you,' she added. Hodges told her he had no doubt that the rioters wanted to kidnap or kill a lawmaker. GONELL SLAMS TRUMP FOR SAYING RIOTERS HUGGED AND KISSED COPS OFFICERS' WORDS Below are some quotes from the four officers testimony: U.S. CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER AQUILINO GONELL 'The rioters called me a 'traitor,' a 'disgrace,' and shouted that I (an Army veteran and police officer) should be 'executed.' .'.. What we were subjected to that day was like something from a medieval battlefield. We fought hand-to-hand and inch-by-inch to prevent an invasion of the Capitol by a violent mob intent on subverting our democratic process. .'.. After order finally had been restored at the Capitol and after many exhausting hours, I arrived home at nearly 4 a.m. on January 7. I had to push away my wife from hugging me because of all the chemicals that covered my body,' Gonell said, fighting back tears. 'I couldn't sleep because the chemicals reactivated after I took a shower, and my skin was still burning.' .'.. As an immigrant to the United States, I am especially proud to have defended the U.S. Constitution and our democracy on Jan. 6...' METROPOLITAN POLICE OFFICER MICHAEL FANONE 'I was grabbed, beaten, tased, all while being called a traitor to my country. I was at risk of being stripped of and killed with my own firearm. .'.. I was electrocuted again and again and again with a taser. I'm sure I was screaming but I don't think I could hear even my own voice. .'.. The indifference shown to my colleagues is disgraceful,' Fanone said, raising his voice and pounding the table. CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER HARRY DUNN 'One woman in a pink 'MAGA' shirt yelled, 'You hear that, guys, this nigger voted for Joe Biden!' Then the crowd, perhaps around twenty people, joined in, screaming 'Boo! Fucking n*****!' No one had ever - ever - called me a 'n*****' while wearing the uniform of a Capitol Police officer...' 'Thankfully, at the moment, it didn't hinder me from doing my job. But once I was able to process it, it hurt.' METROPOLITAN POLICE OFFICER DANIEL HODGES 'Terrorists pushed through the line and engaged us in hand-to-hand combat. Several attempted to knock me over and steal my baton. One latched onto my face and got his thumb in my right eye, attempting to gouge it out. I cried out in pain and managed to shake him off before any permanent damage was done.' 'I couldn't engage anyone fully for the moment I do is when another twenty terrorists move in to attack while I am occupied. It's all we could do to keep ourselves on our feet and continue to fall back. I'm sprayed with a fire extinguisher and a red smoke grenade burned at our feet.' Advertisement In his testimony, Gonell slammed Trump for his false claim that the rioters were 'hugging and kissing' the rioters that day. 'I'm still recovering from those hugs and kisses that day,' said Gonell, who was attacked by rioters with a flag pole. Under the questioning from Cheney, Gonell had more strong words against the former president, saying 'we should all go to his house and do the same thing to him. To me, it's insulting, it's demoralizing.' 'All of them were telling us, Trump sent us,' he said. 'It was not Antifa. It was not Black Lives Matters.' He later apologized and said he was not suggesting anyone go to Trump's home. In his testimony, Gonell recounted how the 'rioters call me traitor.' 'The rioters were vicious and relentless. We found ourselves in a violent battle,' he said of that day. He described his experience 'like something from a medieval battle. We fought hand to hand, inch by inch, to prevent an invasion of the Capitol by the mob intend on subverting our democracy.' Most of the officers grew emotional watching the footage from January 6th. At one point, Fanone got up to offer comfort to Gonell. FANONE DESCRIBE BEING TASERED AND ELECTROCUTED Fanone, who suffered a heart attack from his injuries on January 6th, recounted how he was repeatedly tasered and threatened with his own gun by the rioters. 'I was aware enough to recognize I was at risk of being stripped of and killed with my own firearm. I was electrocuted, again and again and again with a taser,' he said. The committee showed footage from Fanone's body camera, where his fellow officer and friend, Jimmy Albright had come to support US Capitol Police. The feed from his camera showed the ceiling, as Fanone laid on the ground after suffering his heart attack. 'Mike it's Jimmy. I'm here,' Albright is heard saying. 'Mike stay in there buddy.' Fanone said he was unconscious for about four minutes. He described how he and his fellow officers held the line in one of the underground tunnels that lead from the Capitol to the lawmakers' personal office buildings, holding back the mob so they could not break through. 'The narrowness of the hallway provided what was probably the only chance of holding back the crowd from entering your personal offices, the House and Senate chambers,' he said. He became visibly emotional, saying 'what makes the struggle harder and more painful' is seeing lawmakers 'downplaying or outright denying what happened,' even after he 'went to hell and back' for them. 'Being an officer, you know your life is a risk whenever you walk out the door. Even if you don't expect otherwise law abiding citizens take up arms against you. But nothing - truly nothing - prepared me to address those elected members of our government, who continue to deny the events of that day. And in doing so, betray their oath of office,' Fanone said. 'The indifference, shown to my colleagues is disgraceful,' he said, banging on the table. Fanone recounted how some in the crowd helped him, when he worried he would die and told them about his daughters. 'I thought about using my firearm on my attackers, but I knew that if I did, I would be quickly overwhelmed in that in their minds would provide them with the justification for killing me,' he said. 'So I instead decided to appeal to the any humanity they might have. I said as loud as I could manage: I've got kids. Thankfully, some in the crowd stepped in and assisted me. Those few individuals protected me from a crowd and injure me toward the Capitol, until my fellow officers could rescue me,' he said. HODGES CALLS RIOTERS 'TERRORISTS' AND 'WHITE SUPREMACISTS' In his testimony, Hodges repeatedly called the rioters 'terrorists.' 'It was clear the terrorists perceive themselves to be Christians. I saw the Christian flag directly to my front. Another read Jesus as my Savior, Trump is my president, another Jesus is King,' he recalled. He also said the attack was conducted by white supremacists. 'They would - some of them - would try to try to recruit me,' Hodges testified. 'One of them came up to me and said: are you my brother?' He said the rioters were three percenters and Oath Keepers, group with known ties to white supremacists. He was also asked about Republican Rep. Andrew Cline comparing the rioters to tourists. 'If that's what American tourists are like I can see why foreign countries don't like American tourists,' Hodges deadpanned. Footage from January 6 shows Hodges with his head caught between a door and being beaten with his own gas mask by rioters. 'A man seized the opportunity of my vulnerability to grab the front of my gas mask and used it beat my head against the door,' he said. He also noted some of them carried the blue flag that symbolizes support for the police. 'To my perpetual confusion, I saw the thin blue line flag, symbol of support for law enforcement, more than once, being carried by the terrorists as they ignored our commands and continued to assault us,' he said. DUNN SAYS RIOTERS CALLED HIM A 'N*****' Dunn described how the rioters called him a 'n******.' 'No one had ever called me a 'n*****' while wearing the uniform as a Capitol Police officer,' said Dunn, the only black officer testifying. He said other black officers told him they were called the same. Dunn described putting on a 20 lb. steel chest plate and carrying his rifle to the West Front of the Capitol, where the stage for Joe Biden's inauguration was being built. 'I had a broad view of what was going on. I was stunned by what I saw and what seemed like a sea of people, Capitol police officers and metropolitan police officers were engaged in desperate hand to hand fighting with the rioters across the West lawn,' he said. 'I witnessed the rioters using all kinds of weapons against officers, including flagpoles, metal bike racks that they had torn apart, and various kinds of projectiles. Officers were being bloodied in the fighting. Many were screaming, and many were blinded and coughing from chemical irritants being sprayed in their faces,' he said. He said he made his way to the Speaker's Lobby in the Capitol, which is outside the House chamber. He said the rioters wore MAGA hats and Trump 2020 t-shirts. 'I told him to just leave the Capitol. And their response they yelled, no man. This is our house. President Trump invited us here. We're here to stop the steal. Joe Biden is not the president. Nobody voted for Joe Biden,' he said. He ended his testimony with a message to the rioters: 'To the rioters, insurrectionists and terrorists of that day, democracy went on that night. It still continues to exist today. Democracy is bigger than any one person or any one party. You all tried to disrupt democracy that day, you all failed.' The committee showed footage from officer Michael Fanone's body camera, where his fellow officer and friend, Jimmy Albright had come to support US Capitol Police. The feed from his camera showed the ceiling, as Fanone laid on the ground after suffering his heart attack. 'Mike it's Jimmy. I'm here,' Albright is heard saying. 'Mike stay in there buddy.' DC police officer Michael Fanone, who suffered a heart attack from his injuries on January 6th, recounted how he was repeatedly tasered and threatened with his own gun by the rioters U.S. Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell wipes his eye as he watches a video from Jan 6 Metropolitan Police Department Officer Daniel Hodges testifies during the hearing US Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn testified that the rioters called him and other black officers 'n******' during the riot Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy told the officers that she and fellow Rep. Kathleen Rice were hiding in a room 40 feet away from the tunnel where Hodges, Fanone and other officers pushed rioters back Metropolitan Police Department Officer Michael Fanone is embraced by U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn following their testimony Michael Fanone, officer for the Metropolitan Police Department, embraces Aquilino Gonell, sergeant of the U.S. Capitol Police Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., wipes his eyes during the officers' testimony Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff also teared up and told Rep. Kinzinger that it must be an 'Adam thing' Rep. Liz Cheney greets Sgt. Aquilino Gonell as Rep. Adam Kinzinger embraces DC officer Michael Fanone before their testimony US Capitol Police sergeant Aquilino Gonell; Metropolitan Police Department Officer Michael Fanone; US Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn and Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges after their testimony Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) arrive for the House Select Committee hearing on Jan 6 THE CAPITOL RIOT SELECT COMMITTEE: SEVEN DEMOCRATS, TWO REPUBLICANS Chair Bennie Thompson: Chair of Homeland Security Committee Chair Zoe Lofgren: Chair of Committee on House Administration Chair Adam Schiff: Chair of House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Rep. Pete Aguilar, House Administration and Appropriations Committees Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, Armed Services Committee Rep. Stephanie Murphy, Armed Services Committee Rep. Jamie Raskin, Oversight and Judiciary Committees Rep. Elaine Luria, Navy veteran, Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, Iraqi veteran, Energy and Commerce and Foreign Affairs Committees Advertisement REPUBLICANS GO ON ATTACK Meanwhile, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday slammed the committee as 'a sham that no one can believe.' His comments ahead of the hearing as Republicans tried to get their talking points in before the officers testified. 'Speaker Pelosi will only pick on people on the committee that will ask the questions she wants asked - that becomes a failed committee and a failed report, a sham that no one can believe. If you want to do answers, do not be afraid of the questions that will get asked,' McCarthy said a press conference with Republican leaders. Pelosi's office fired back. 'McCarthy and House Republicans have desperately tried to undermine and prevent a real investigation into the events of January 6th from the start. Now that the bipartisan Select Committee is beginning its work, the only tools left in House Republicans' arsenal are deflection, distortion, and disinformation,' the speaker's office said in a statement. Pelosi doesn't direct the DC National Guard, which is actually under the purview of the White House. She does not oversee day-to-day operations in the Capitol and is not in charge of its security. Republicans left out that Mitch McConnell, the Senate GOP Leader, was also in leadership on that day as they repeatedly tried to tie the lack of proper security preparation back to decisions made by Pelosi in the run up to January 6. McCarthy dismissed questions about Trump's role on that day, a question the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol will examine as part of its probe. Instead, the Republicans, who were trying to set the stage before the committee gaveled its hearing to order later Tuesday morning, tried to keep the focus on the speaker and berated her for removing Republican Reps. Jim Jordan and Jim Banks from the panel. Rep. Steve Scalise, the Number 2 in House GOP Leadership, charged Pelosi with 'canceling' the two lawmakers. 'They got canceled by this new cancel culture that we see moving throughout the country led by Speaker Pelosi and a lot of our socialist allies here in Congress, where they want to shut out voices that raise tough questions that they don't want to be asked or answered,' he said. The GOP leadership also complained they would have none of their people asking questions at the hearing. But Pelosi, who said she vetoed Banks and Jordan to protect the 'integrity' of the investigation, accepted McCarthy's other three picks. He pulled them in response to her veto of his other two lawmakers. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy slammed the committee investigating the January 6th riot at the Capitol as 'a sham that no one can believe' Republican Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger during the hearing on the January 6 riot Cheney and Kinzinger - both of whom voted for Trump's second impeachment and who have been vocal critics of the former president's - give the panel the veneer of bipartisanship. McCarthy has combined his attacks on Pelosi with hits on his two wayward GOP lawmakers. 'She's broken Congress. Then it just makes the whole committee sham and the outcome predetermined,' McCarthy told reporters at the White House on Monday of Pelosi. He also slammed Cheney and Kinzinger as 'Pelosi Republicans.' McCarthy, facing pressure from some conservatives in his GOP conference to punish the two lawmakers, merely told DailyMail.com 'we'll see' about any possible consequences. In response, Cheney and Kinzinger called McCarthy 'childish' as they met with the seven Democrats serving on the committee in the Capitol Monday as part of their prep session. The four cops testifying on January 6th MAGA riot At Tuesday's hearing of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, the lawmakers on the panel will hear from four police officers who were at the Capitol on that day, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the building, leaving five people dead and a trail of destruction. The officers are: Harry Dunn, Private First Class, U.S. Capitol Police Aquilino Gonell, Sergeant, U.S. Capitol Police Michael Fanone, Officer, Metropolitan Police Department Daniel Hodges, Officer, Metropolitan Police Department HARRY DUNN Dunn is the only black officer scheduled to appear before the committee and he has been outspoken about how he and his fellow black cops were treated that day. 'I was directly called the n-word,' Dunn told The Washington Post. 'At the time, my mind didn't process it, that I was being attacked because of my race.' Private First Class Harry Dunn, U.S. Capitol Police Dunn has come under attack from some on the right, including Fox News host Tucker Carlson who claimed, without evidence, that Dunn 'is an angry, left-wing political activist.' 'Dunn will pretend to speak for the country's law enforcement community, but it turns out Dunn has very little in common with your average cop,' Carlson said on his show last week. Dunn's lawyers fired back. 'Fox News allowed its host Tucker Carlson, who has not served a day in uniform, whether military or law enforcement, to criticize the heroism and service of African-American US Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn,' attorneys David Laufman and Mark Zaid said. 'Our client has served 13 years in law enforcement and on January 6, 2021, fought against an insurrectionist violent crowd -- no doubt many of them Carlson's supporters -- to protect the lives of our elected officials, including Vice President Pence,' they wrote. AQUILINO GONELL Officer Aquilino Gonell was attacked with a flag pole and chemical spray the day of the riot. He also had his hand sliced open. He told CNN he thought he was going to die. Sergeant Aquilino Gonell of U.S. Capitol Police 'They called us traitors. They beat us. They dragged us,' he said. 'And I could hear them, 'We're going to shoot you. We're going to kill you. You're choosing your paycheck over the country. You're a disgrace. You're a traitor.'' He has watched footage from that day to try and help the FBI to identify rioters. He told The Post he is seeing a therapist to help with post-traumatic stress disorder. Gonell emigrated from the Dominican Republic to the United States at the age of 12, eventually enlisted in the Army Reserve and was deployed to Iraq in 2003. He joined the Capitol Police in 2008. Michael Fanone Michael Fanone had become the most out-spoken police officer from that day. He was beaten with a flagpole and repeatedly tased with his own Taser. Rioters stole his badge and grabbed at his gun. When they said they should 'kill him with his own gun,' Fanone told them, 'I have kids,' according to footage from that day. Officer Michael Fanone of DC Metro Police He suffered a mild heart attack because of the attack. In the days after the riot, he sought a meeting with House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy and expressed his disappointment in the leader after it was over, saying McCarthy declined his request to publicly chastise Republican lawmakers who down played what happened on January 6. 'I asked him specifically for a commitment to denounce that publicly. And he said that he would address it at a personal level, with some of those members. But again, I think that as a leader of the House Republican, or I'm sorry, as the leader of the House Republican Party, it's important to hear those denouncements publicly,' he said. 'This experience for me is not something that I enjoy,' he said of meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. 'I don't want to be up here on Capitol Hill I want to be with my daughters. But I see this as an extension of my service on Jan. 6.' Daniel Hodges Daniel Hodges was crushed in a doorway between a massive press of rioters and the police line on January 6th, writhing and screaming in pain. Officer Daniel Hodges of DC Metro Police on the day of the riot The video of his struggle shows one of the rioters grabbing at Hodges' helmet and trying to rip it off. He didn't suffer any broken bones or internal bleeding, but said he walked like a 90-year-old man for a week. 'I had conspiracy theorists and everyone you could think of yelling at me, saying, 'Why are you doing this, you're the traitor,'' he said of that day. 'We're not the traitors. We're the ones who saved Congress that day, and we'll do it as many times as necessary.' Advertisement The House committee also won't hesitate to subpoena Trump or anyone who had conversations with him that day, which could include McCarthy. 'Anybody who had a conversation with the White House and officials in the White House while the invasion of the Capitol was going on is directly in the investigative sights of the committee,' Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chair of the panel, told The Wall Street Journal on Monday. 'I don't want to name him, but what I will say is that in the conversations we've had as a committee, there's been no reluctance whatsoever to go where the facts lead us,' he said when asked specifically about Trump. He also noted the panel would subpoena any necessary records or phone records as part of their investigation. The Justice Department notified former Trump administration officials this week that they could testify to the various committees investigating the riot, according to a letter obtained by The New York Times. Cheney said on GMA on Tuesday morning that Trump and McCarthy could be subpoenaed. 'It could,' she said of the possibility. 'The committee will go wherever we need to go to get to the facts.' Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chair of the panel, didn't rule subpoenaing Donald Trump to testify - above Trump speaks to his supporters outside the White House on the morning of January 6th Pro-Trump protesters clash with D.C. police officer Michael Fanone on January 6th Thousands of Donald Trump supporters swarmed the Capitol on January 6th Trump has denied any wrong doing. He spoke to his supporters at a rally outside the White House on January 6th and spent the weeks after the November election falsely claiming he won and was the victim of voter fraud. He was impeached a second time on charges of he incited an insurrection at the Capitol. He was acquitted by the Senate. McCarthy said Republicans will launch their own investigation of January 6th. Republicans opposed Pelosi's original call for a 9/11-style bipartisan commission. McCarthy opposed it in the House where it passed with Democratic support. But the bill died in the Senate once Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced he would not support it. Republicans wanted the commission to have a larger scope - and not just study what happened on January 6, but other acts of so-called 'political violence' including last summer's Black Lives Matter protests. Advertisement A UK charity is campaigning for the release of a blind bear it claims has been kept in a cage in Armenia for 30 years. Nelson the brown bear has lived in a small filthy cage ever since it was a cub, according to International Animal Rescue (IAR). Animal campaigners claim he is given very little food and water and, according to locals, sometimes goes for days without being fed, they said. IAR is calling on the bear's 'captors' at Salvation Park in Armavir town to surrender the animal to a local wildlife group. Nelson the brown bear has lived in a small filthy cage ever since it was a cub, according to International Animal Rescue (IAR), with campaigners claiming he is given very little food and water and has nothing to amuse or distract him Shocking footage shows the animal staring out at the camera from behind bars and barbed wire fencing in his cage. Alan Knight, chief executive of IAR, said: 'This poor bear has served a 30-year life sentence behind bars. 'He has suffered the mental and physical torture of a lifetime locked up in a small, barren cage with nothing to amuse or distract him. 'He has paced round and round for so long that he has worn a track on the floor. His teeth are broken from gnawing on the bars of the cage. 'And about two years ago, the poor animal went blind. He is in pain from arthritis and now also lives in darkness. 'The bear's life sentence must not be allowed to become a death sentence. IAR is calling on the bear's 'captors' at Salvation Park in Armavir town to surrender the animal to a local wildlife group, saying that he has 'suffered the mental and physical torture of a lifetime locked up in a small, barren cage' Alan Knight, chief executive of IAR, said that Nelson's 'life sentence must not be allowed to become a death sentence', adding that there is still 'time for him to know kindness and compassion' 'There is still time for him to know kindness and compassion. 'We're calling on the Armenian government to show clemency to this bear by allowing us to rescue him while there is still time. 'His "owner" claims to love the bear but loving an animal means taking proper care of it and feeding it, not letting it live in squalor and neglect.' It is understood the bear ended up in the cage after being 'rescued' from neglect. IAR is urging the sanctuary to release the animal to the care of Armenian organisation Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife & Cultural Assets (FPWC). So far, a coalition between the two organisations, which has been dubbed 'The Great Bear Rescue' - has removed 30 bears from private holdings. Robert Aaron Long, 22, pleaded guilty Tuesday to four of the eight murders The gunman accused of killing eight people across three metro Atlanta spas has claimed he bought a gun to kill himself because of his sex obsession before deciding to 'punish' the people he blamed for his 'addiction'. Robert Aaron Long, 22, appeared in court in Cherokee County on Tuesday morning where he said he had originally planned to commit suicide on the day of the mass shooting back on March 16. He said he loathed himself over his obsession with porn and sex - which he claimed to believe should only be between a married couple - and bought a gun to end his life. Long told the court he was sitting in his car outside the first spa, drinking bourbon and trying to build up the 'self-loathing' to kill himself. While he sat there, he said he decided to 'punish' the people who he blamed for his not having the 'self-control' to stop seeking sexual gratification. The 22-year-old recounted his version of events as he pleaded guilty to four of the murders, sparing him the death penalty and landing him with life without parole for those slayings. His statements in court were notable because the slayings, which targeted mostly Asian women, had been attributed to anti-Asian hate crimes in the aftermath of the horrific murders; the prosecution said Long was not motivated by anti-Asian bias. Under the plea deal, he has admitted to all charges of malice murder, felony murder, attempt to commit murder and aggravated assault in Cherokee County. These charges relate to the first four murders at Young's Asian Massage near Acworth, a city about 32 miles northwest of Atlanta. Long still faces the death penalty over the other four murders across the Gold Massage Spa and the Aromatherapy Spa in Atlanta, which are being prosecuted in Fulton County. He was indicted in Fulton County last month where he faces charges of domestic terrorism with a hate crime enhancement in addition to murder. The white suspect is accused of going on a mass shooting rampage at two Asian massage parlors in Atlanta and one in Cherokee County back on March 16. Eight people were killed in the attacks, six of them women of Asian descent. They are: Hyun Jung Grant, 51; Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33; Paul Andre Michels, 54; Xiaojie Tan, 49; Daoyou Feng, 44; Soon C. Park, 44; Suncha Kim, 69, and 63-year-old Yong Yue. A ninth victim - Elcias R Hernandez-Ortiz, 30 - was shot in the throat, forehead, lungs and stomach, but survived. Long appeared in court in Cherokee County on Tuesday morning where he said he had originally planned to commit suicide on the day of the mass shooting back on March 16 Long told the judge Tuesday he had struggled with his 'obsessions' with pornography and sex Long cut a different figure from his mugshot as he appeared in court Tuesday clean-shaven, in glasses and in a white button-down shirt - with his miskempt beard gone. He told the judge Tuesday he was living with a friend at the time of the shooting after being kicked out of his parents' house a week earlier for paying for sex at a massage parlor. He said his parents had learned about the incident because they were tracking his location with a tracking app on his phone. Long said he had struggled with his 'obsessions' with pornography and sex and was feeling suicidal when he carried out the attacks. 'I never felt like I had a lot of control over these urges and it became obsessive to the point it would preoccupy a lot of thought space and it's hurt a lot of relationships in my life,' he said in the hearing, streamed by 11Alive. The 22-year-old said he had sought treatment but it did not seem to work. On the day of the attacks he said he watched porn 'most of the morning'. He said his roommate 'heard everything and asked if I wanted to talk about it.' Long said he felt 'embarrassed and ashamed' and got in his car and drove away. 'That's when I decided I wanted to kill himself due to a lot of feelings of hopelessness and my sexual struggles,' he said. Young's Asian Massage, near Acworth, a city about 32 miles northwest of Atlanta in Cherokee County. Long pleaded guilty to the four murders at this spa Law enforcement officials confer outside Gold Spa in Atlanta following the shooting on March 16. After killing four at Young's Asian Massage he allegedly drove here, shooting and killing three Officials with the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office remove a body from the Gold Spa massage parlor When asked why he felt so ashamed of watching porn and what he called his 'sexual struggles', he said he believed it is 'making sport' out of something he believes should only be between a married couple. 'It's taking something that I believe is meant for a monogamous relationship, making sport of it without any relationship efforts in it,' he said. 'And essentially taking sex out of its context that I believe to be only correct in a marriage relationship.' Long told the judge he went to a store and purchased a gun to commit suicide but 'was scared of killing myself.' He said he then went to a liquor store and bought some bourbon, before driving to Young's Asian Massage with the aim of building up his 'self-loathing' in order to kill himself. 'I decided to try and go there to act out the sexually received sexual favors and my hope was that I would hate myself enough at that point and possess enough self-loathing to end my own life,' he said. Long said he sat in front of the parlor drinking alcohol for about an hour and that it was then that he came up with a plan to kill other people who he blamed for his sexual habits. '[I was] deciding if I wanted to go in or end it then and there and I started feeling drunk and in that time period while I was sitting in the car was when I began thinking about killing other people inside there,' he said. 'The train of thought was - it was not remotely logical - nonetheless what was running through my mind was if I want to stop the places and basically punish the people, I could find the self control to stop seeing [them] for the purposes of sexual gratification,' he said. Shooting victim Hyun Jung Grant (left with her two sons) worked at the Gold Spa in Atlanta Delaina Yaun, 34, (left) was a married mom-of-two who had arranged a spa day with her husband to relax from taking care of their new baby. She was killed but her husband escaped alive. Paul Michels, 54, (right) was an Army veteran who was installing a security system at Young's Asian Massage Parlor in Cherokee County when he was shot dead Yong Yue, 63, who is pictured with her two sons, was killed during the shootings in Atlanta Xiaojie Tan, 49 (right), was the owner of Young's Asian Massage spa; she is survived by her daughter Jami Webb (left), a recent University of Georgia graduate Xiaojie Tan, 49 (right) and Daoyou Feng, 44 (left) were also killed in the March 16 mass shooting Suncha Kim is pictured on left. She was one of the four victims killed in the shootings in Atlanta Soon Chung Park (left) was also one of the Atlanta victims after Long traveled from Cherokee County to the two other spas A ninth victim - Elcias R Hernandez-Ortiz, 30 - was shot in the throat, forehead, lungs and stomach, but survived When asked by the judge why he felt the spa workers should be punished, he said: 'I don't know if punishing was the right word. In essence, I was blame shifting from myself onto... the women I was receiving the sexual favors from.' Long said he went inside the parlor and paid for mutual masturbation. Afterward, he went to the bathroom. When he came out of the bathroom, he opened fire on the people inside. Michels, a 54-year-old Army veteran who was installing a security system at Young's, was the first person Long said he shot as he saw him leaning over a counter. He said it 'didn't feel like more than five minutes' from when he started shooting and when he left the spa, as he said his mind 'was blank from the moment he opened fire. He told the court he had visited the parlor many times prior to the day but did not recognize or know any of the people inside. The 22-year-old said he had not been officially been diagnosed but had been prescribed medication for mental health issues before the March 16 shootings. He said he had stopped taking the drugs in the weeks prior to the attacks. The American Psychiatric Association does not recognize sex addiction in its main reference guide for mental disorders. Cherokee County District Attorney Shannon Wallace told the court Tuesday Long was motivated by a 'sex addiction' and his desire to eliminate sources of his temptation, but said there was no evidence he was motivated by hate or prejudice against Asian people. Paul Michels' wife Bonnie Michels (left) read out a victim impact statement telling how she had wanted to grow old with her husband of 24 years. Survivor Elcias Hernandez-Ortiz (right) said he was grateful to be alive but the incident had taken its toll on him and his family Long finalizes his plea deal in court Tuesday admitting to murdering four of eight victims The gunman claimed in court that he bought a gun to kill himself because of his sex obsession before deciding to 'punish' the people he blamed for his 'addiction' Cherokee County Judge Ellen McElyea (pictured) sentenced Long to serve four lifetimes in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 35 years 'All of the evidence that was gathered with regard to Cherokee County, your honor, came to the same conclusion, that this crime was not motivated by a bias or hate against Asian Americans,' she said. 'This was not any kind of hate crime,' she said. She said authorities had investigated the killings as a possible hate crime but believed, if the case had gone to trial, prosecutors would not have been able to prove beyond reasonable doubt that there was any motive based on race, ethnicity or gender. People who knew him who were interviewed as part of the investigation said they never heard him make 'racist statements about any other race not just Asian Americans,' she said. Long walked through the massage business in Woodstock 'shooting anyone and everyone he saw,' she added. Wallace said prosecutors had planned to seek the death penalty if Long didn't plead guilty. However, all the relatives of the victims they had been able to contact are supportive of the plea deal, she added. Michels' wife Bonnie Michels read out a victim impact statement telling how she had wanted to grow old with her husband of 24 years. Survivor Hernandez-Ortiz said through a translator he was grateful to be alive but the incident had taken its toll on him and his family. 'I used to sing and now I won't be able to do it anymore,' he said. Cherokee County Judge Ellen McElyea sentenced Long to serve four lifetimes in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 35 years. In the March 16 mass shooting, police said Long first opened fire at Young's Asian Massage just before 5pm, killing four people - Xiaojie 'Emily' Tan, Daoyou Feng, Delaina Yaun, and Paul Michels - there. Three of the victims were women and two of Asian descent. Long then drove south to Atlanta, where he shot and killed three women at Gold Massage Spa, police said. He then allegedly crossed the street to the Aromatherapy Spa, shooting another victim dead there. The four Atlanta victims are: Suncha Kim, Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, and Yong Ae Yue. Long then went on the run and was driving to Florida to target porn-industry locations when he was arrested 150 miles south of Atlanta. Officers rammed his Hyundai off the road to take him into custody where he confessed to the killings. Police said Long's parents had called authorities after recognizing their son in still images from security video the Cherokee County Sheriffs Office posted on social media. His parents were already tracking his movements through an app on his phone, which enabled authorities to track him down Interstate 75, authorities said. Long is seen in surveillance video from Gabby's Boutique next to Young Asian's Spa arriving and entering the spa Long is later seen leaving the spa. He got in his car and then drove to the other two spas in Atlanta Within minutes a few survivors exit the spa, followed by the arrival of cops and paramedics as one victim is seen on the sidewalk with blood flowing from a bullet wound to the head One man who'd been getting a massage with his wife sat outside in handcuffs, as his wife lay dying inside. Police still hadn't identified a suspect, so restrained him as a precaution. Long is scheduled to appear again next month in Fulton County, where District Attorney Fani Willis filed notice in May that she intends to seek a hate crime sentence enhancement along with the death penalty. The 19-count Fulton County indictment includes charges of murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and domestic terrorism. All of the Atlanta victims were women of Asian descent. Georgia's new hate crimes law does not provide for a stand-alone hate crime. After a person is convicted of an underlying crime, a jury must determine whether i's motivated by bias, which carries an additional penalty. Long told police following his arrest that the shootings were not racially motivated. Cherokee County Sheriff's Office spokesman Capt. Jay Baker drew criticism for saying Long had 'a really bad day' and 'this is what he did' in the days after the attack. 'He apparently has an issue, what he considers a sex addiction, and sees these locations as something that allows him to go to these places, and its a temptation for him that he wanted to eliminate,' he said. This sparked outrage at a time when the Asian American community has increasingly been targeted in hate crimes amid the coronavirus pandemic. Three nephews of Tajikistan's president have severely beaten the country's health minister after their mother reportedly died from Covid-19. Health Minister Jamoliddin Abdullozoda was among several officials attacked on July 20, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported on Monday, citing 'sources close to the government'. The sources, who spoke to the outlet on the condition of anonymity, said Kholmuhammad Rahimzoda, the chief of the presidential medical centre, and a number of health officials and physicians were also attacked. The sources said Rahmizoda and the others were also 'severely injured' in the assault. Tajik President Emomali Rahmon's sister Qurbonbi Rahmonova, 64, last Tuesday, 10 days after being admitted to an elite hospital. Her cause of death was not made public but physicians at a hospital in the country's capital, Dushanbe, told RFE/RL that she had died of coronavirus. Medical experts from Germany, Russian and Uzbekistan had been invited to treat Rahmonova, the anonymous sources who told the outlet of the alleged attack also said. They added that a preliminary investigation into the alleged assault has been launched. Health Minister Jamoliddin Abdullozoda (pictured) was among several officials attacked on July 20, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported on Monday, citing 'sources close to the government' RFE/RL reported that no one from the government, presidency or other authorities would comment publicly on the allegations. At a press conference on Tuesday, Deputy Health Minister Shodikhon Jamshed dismissed questions on the assault, the outlet reported. Abdullozoda was not present at the press conference in the capital and no reason was provided for his absence. The event followed a decision by the United States to provide Tajikistan with coronavirus vaccines. On Monday, the Central Asian country received 1.5million doses of the Moderna vaccine donated by Washington via Covax, the World Health Organization's international distribution programme. The reported assault and arrival of the vaccines have highlighted the presence of the virus in Tajikistan, where authorities previously denied any infections, The Washington Post reported. They came weeks after Rahmon's mother-in-law died, Uzbekbi Asadulloeva, 88, also reportedly from Covid-19 on July 5. At least 10 members of the president's family have reportedly tested positive for the virus, according to local media. The Washington Post reported that a prominent imam had last week called for prayers for the president's son-in-law, who had reportedly contracted Covid-19. Rahmon's brother-in-law was also reported by local media to have coronavirus and to be in a serious condition. The reports coincide with a recent spike in cases among the country's elite. Prior to these high-profile reported cases, the government frequently played down the effects of the virus. Last month, a health ministry told spokesman Radio Ozodi, the Tajik branch of RFE/RL, that, while people were testing negative for Covid-19 despite having symptoms. 'Many of these people, during the heat of early June, drank excessively cold, and even ice-cold water, and swam in cold waters. People who are going to the doctor are typically running high temperatures. But they do not have coronavirus,' he claimed. At least 10 members of President Emomali Rahmon's family have reportedly tested positive for the virus, according to local media When cases began being reported across Central Asia early in 2020, Tajik authorities claimed for months that the virus had not crossed into the country. In recent months, the government has claimed to have defeated the disease, even as clinics continue to report dozens of daily cases and frustrated Tajiks have taken to posting photos of their positive tests on social media to counter the government's claims, Eurasianet reported. Tajikistan reported 81 new infections on Monday, adding to the total of 14,673 recorded since the pandemic began. The country has counted 118 deaths from the virus, including one reported yesterday. Official figures, which saw no infections recorded between January 3 and June 22, are expected to be vast undercounts. No Covid-19 deaths were recorded between December 27, 2020 and July 2 this year. Authorities say 460,000 of the country's 9.3 million people have been vaccinated. A Health Ministry official said this week that all countries had problems counting coronavirus cases and blamed the new wave of cases on the Delta variant. Three days earlier, health authorities said no cases of the Delta variant had been registered in Tajikistan. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called out China's claim to the South China Sea in Tuesday morning remarks, declaring it has 'no basis in international law' as the US continues to grapple with increasingly fragile relations with the world's second-largest economy. 'That assertion treads on the sovereignty of states in the region. We continue to support the region's coastal states in upholding their rights under international law,' Austin said at a lecture series bringing together major figures in Asia-Pacific and international affairs in Singapore. Under current international law Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Indoesia, China and Taiwan all claim a portion of the South China Sea. A Congressional report from earlier in July found China 'gaining effective control' of the region in recent years, which is rich in oil and natural gas deposits, by increasing their military presence and building up artificial islands. Austin said China's territorial advances in the South China Sea threaten the sovereignty of other countries in the region The Pentagon chief lobbed accusations at China but stressed that the US is not looking for a 'confrontation' with the world's second-largest economy 'China's actions in the SCS in recent years have heightened concerns among U.S. observers that China is gaining effective control of the SCS, an area of strategic, political, and economic importance to the United States and its allies and partners,' the report read. Lloyd promised the US would 'not flinch when our interests are threatened,' but maintained 'we do not seek confrontation' with China, reflecting the strained peace between the two superpowers. However he criticized China further, stating that 'Unfortunately, Beijing's unwillingness to resolve disputes peacefully and respect the rule of law isn't just occurring on the water.' He pointed to China's 'destabilizing military activity and other forms of coercion against the people of Taiwan' - though he said earlier the US's pledge to stand with the small island to 'enhance its own capabilities' was in line with longstanding US policy recognizing the island as part of China. China has inflamed tensions in the South China Sea in recent years by expanding its claimed territory, to the objection of its neighbors in the Asia-Pacific A Congressional report from earlier in July found China 'gaining effective control' of the region in recent years, concerning national security experts who see it as a threat to US interests (pictured: Chinese vessels moored in a disputed South China Sea territory on March 7) The Pentagon chief accused China of committing 'genocide and crimes against humanity' against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. Since 2017 more than a million Uyghurs have been accused of 'ideological viruses' and 'terrorist thoughts' by the Chinese government, and many have been shipped to concentration camps where they are tortured and brainwashed, according to Geoffrey Cain in his book 'The Perfect Police State.' China has denied the claims and said the camps are necessary to fight extremism. The Biden administration sanctioned China in March over its abuses along with the European Union, UK and Canada. China retaliated by restrictions European officials and charities from entering and doing business there. China fired back at the US that same month over its own alleged human rights abuses including the government's poor response to the coronavirus pandemic and racism, in a report that began with the words 'I can't breathe.' Austin echoed other US officials when he called China's abuses against Uyghur Muslims 'genocide' (pictured: The entrance of the Urumqi No. 3 Detention Center in western China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on April 23, 2021) The authoritarian country imposed counter-sanctions on the US recently, including on former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, in response to US sanctions on Chinese officials involved in the crackdown on Hong Kong's democratic status. Tensions between the two superpowers also flared when the Biden administration determined China was behind a global hack of Microsoft Exchange servers in April. The White House led a worldwide condemnation of state-sponsored ransomware attacks, accusing Beijing of a 'pattern of malicious cyber activities' that poses a 'major threat to U.S. and allies' economic and national security.' China recently sanctioned several US officials and organizations including former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross (pictured: Xi Jinping arriving in Tibet on July 21) And when Biden expanded a blacklist of companies off-limits to US investors including Chinese businesses, Beijing accused Washington of 'abusing national power and generalizing the concept of national security to suppress Chinese enterprises for no reason.' However Austin went on to highlight where the two countries can work together, like climate efforts. 'We hope that we can work together with Beijing on common challenges, especially the threat of climate change,' he said. Austin pledged as Defense Secretary to pursue a 'constructive, stable relationship' with China that included stronger crisis communications with the Chinese armed forces. 'Big powers need to model transparency and communication,' he said. New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu has signed a bill into law saying residents can't be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to access public facilities, benefits or services. Supporters say the bill signed this week establishes 'medical freedom' by specifying that all residents have the 'natural, essential and inherent right to bodily integrity, free from any threat or compulsion by government to accept an immunization.' The law does not, however, supersede the state law regarding vaccinations as a prerequisite for admission to school. That law lists seven required vaccinations but does not currently include the COVID-19 vaccine. The new law also does not apply to county nursing homes, the state psychiatric hospital or other medical facilities operated by the state or other governmental bodies. New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu has signed a bill into law saying residents can't be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to access public facilities As well, it allows mandatory immunizations in prisons and jails when there is a significant health threat. New Hampshire currently far exceeds the national average vaccination rate, with 58 percent of the total state population fully vaccinated, versus 49 percent nationwide. However, vaccinations have been slowing in New Hampshire, with just 1,000 shots per week. Sununu, a Republican, has encouraged residents to get vaccinated, but says that the role of individual choice is important. 'Right now, it's folks' individual responsibility. If someone hasnt been vaccinated at this point, theyve made that conscious decision not to,' he said last week. 'The government's job is to provide that open door. If you want the vaccine, here it is, nice and easy. If you need more information, here it is. So you have every tool in the toolbox available to you and your family to make that decision,' he added. New Hampshire's new law comes as the debate heats up over how far the government should go in mandating vaccines or adopting coercive measures. New Hampshire residents demonstrate during the 'World Wide Rally for Freedom', an anti-mask and anti-vaccine rally, at the State House in Concord, New Hampshire, May 15, 2021 Spurred by fears of the Delta variant first identified in India, which is driving a surge in cases in many parts of the country and reports of hospitals nearing capacity, governments are weighing how strongly they should try to force vaccinations. The Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday became the first major federal agency to require health care workers to get COVID-19 vaccines. The VA's move came on a day when nearly 60 leading medical and health care organizations issued a call for health care facilities to require their workers to get vaccinated. No federal law stands in the way of employers requiring vaccinations, but like mask mandates, the issue has been politicized in a society that's divided on matters of public health. 'With more than 300 million doses administered in the United States and nearly 4 billion doses administered worldwide, we know the vaccines are safe and highly effective at preventing severe illness and death from COVID-19,' Dr. Susan Bailey, immediate past president of the American Medical Association, said in a statement. 'Increased vaccinations among health care personnel will not only reduce the spread of COVID-19 but also reduce the harmful toll this virus is taking within the health care workforce and those we are striving to serve.' Although vaccination among physicians is nearly universal - 96% according to an AMA survey - that's not the case for many other people working at health care facilities. In nursing homes, only about 60 percent of staffers are vaccinated, compared with about 80 percent of residents, according to recent numbers from Medicare. And COVID-19 cases are rising. At the VA, vaccines will now be mandatory for certain medical personnel - including physicians, dentists, podiatrists, optometrists, registered nurses, physician assistants and others who work in departmental facilities or provide direct care to veterans, said VA Secretary Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough. VA employees will have eight weeks to be fully vaccinated. A family was wiped out after a mudslide feared to have been caused by wildfires swept through their Colorado cabin. David Brown, 61, and his sister Patricia Brown, 59, are both confirmed to have died after last Tuesday's mudslide in Poudre Canyon near Rustic in Colorado. David's wife Diana, 57, remains missing. David and Patricia's father Richard is also listed as missing, although a body discovered in the debris on Monday is feared to belong to him. Patricia's remains were found first, last Tuesday, with an autopsy later determining that she had drowned. David's remains were found in a driveway on Sunday, with a cause of death yet to be determined. Results of an autopsy on the second man found dead in the Poudre River have also yet to be shared. David Brown, 61, is one of three people known to have died after a mudslide swept through his family's cabin in Rustic, Colorado, last Tuesday David's sister Pat, 59, is also confirmed to have been killed. Her body was recovered last Wednesday David's wife Diana, pictured, and his father Richard are still missing The third body found, identified as male was discovered on Monday, although an identity has not been shared it is believed to be Richard Brown David and Patricia were staying at their cabin was at the cabin with David's wife Diana, and their father, Richard, who owned the property. David and Diana's son, Colorado, 27, said he fears that his mom and grandpa are almost certainly dead after last week's flash floods triggered a mudslide which swept through Poudre Canyon, destroying five other cabins. Trees and vegetation roots normally help soak up rain water, sparking speculation that plants destroyed by wildfires could have helped prevent last week's tragedy. According to friends, David, or 'DB' as he was known, and his wife Diana traveled to the cabin from their San Antonio home each July for the last 30 years. Patricia was visiting from her home in Madison, Wisconsin, when the tragedy struck. Colorado remembers his beloved family members telling the Mail Online, 'Mom liked to keep to herself. She was very close to the people around her and didn't let in a lot of people but loved intensely. She was creative, bright, and joyful.' 'Dad was a man of few words but chose them carefully and with impact. He was easily the funniest man I've ever known. He terrified most people upon meeting them but once you got to know him you got to see how much heart he had.' 'My aunt was quiet and soft-spoken but loved what she did [orchestral French horn player] dearly and loved her family.' Patricia enjoyed cooking, traveling by car, jigsaw and word puzzles of all kinds, genealogy, and spending time with her cats, according to her Orchestra Iowa profile. 'Grandpa was a pillar of his community. He was strong-willed and outspoken and had been living in Colorado full time for a several years now.' Richard was a retired Airforce pilot and had begun preaching in his retirement. The 27-year-old remembers peaceful visits walking the trails and watching wildlife visiting the cabin every year until he graduated. Thinking back on his family trips he recalls the cabin 'wasn't a place where we had strong eventful memories it was where we went to not have them to be in peace for a couple weeks.' Hilary Keahey, longtime friend of the couple, told Texas Public Radio she remembers David and his family traveling to the Colorado cabin every year. 'It was definitely his happy place, he talked about it like a refuge,' she recalls. David worked for Southwest Airlines for more than two decades. Diana was known as a skilled jewelry craftsman by her friends, according to Keahey. Both were well-known members of the theater community. DB was a founding member of the Oxymorons, an improv theater troupe founded in San Antonio in 1989 and extremely active in the '90s. Brown (left) with the improv troupe he started in the '90s, the Oxymorons 'He was one of the funniest people I ever knew,' said Keahey, who joined the troupe in 1994. Keahey reminisced about DB's generosity on stage as a collaborator. She spoke of Diana's support of DB, she was active in the San Antonio Theater Coalition, her active participation in her church theater and her devotion to their son. She has maintained the friendship with the couple despite the troupe ending its run. Another Oxymoron alumnus, Manny Pelaz, remembered DB as an enormous man Brown was around 6'5' who was very gentle and soft spoken calling the beloved man his 'comedic mentor.' 'The guy did not have a mean bone in his body. He was generous onstage. He was generous offstage. It is hard to find someone who is 100% devoted to others,' he said. Search and rescue teams have continued to search Larimer County for the missing people David and Diana's love of theater was shared with Colorado who studied Performing Arts at Savannah College of Arts and Design. Pat also joined in the family's love of performing as a French Hornist. Before any deaths had been confirmed Keahey already accepted the deaths of her friends and their family. While obsessively refreshing the news over the weekend trying to learn the fate of the Brown's she saw a picture that confirmed her worst fears. A maroon 2016 Honda Odyssey minivan was mangled in the wreckage. 'It was broken and scratched and twisted. I knew they were gone. Because I sold them that car,' Keahey said. 'When you see something like that and you know it's probably parked right next to the cabin. And it looks that way. And the reports are saying the cabin has been swept away,' she said 'it's hard not to come to terms with the fact that their souls are elsewhere now.' The sheriff's department has continued to explore the area for several days with dozens of search and rescue personnel searching the debris but were often hindered by weather, as additional flash flood warnings delay efforts. Six homes including the Brown's were destroyed and another was damaged, all on the same road, the sheriff's office said. Mudslides and flash floods swept through the area where the Brown family had owned a cabin for several decades The deadly extreme weather occurred in the same area where Colorado experienced their largest fire in recorded history last year The flooding and slides happened in area that was burned last year by the 326-square-mile (844-square-kilometer) Cameron Peak Fire, the largest in Colorado's history. Fires torch vegetation that usually helps absorb rain and keeps the ground stable, making those areas more vulnerable to flooding, especially in steep sections. The soil in burned areas can also repel rain. Extreme temperatures, low humidity, gusty winds and rough terrain contributed to the rapid growth of the fire, the first to spread to about 313 square miles (811 square kilometers) in the state, according to federal fire managers. A large amount of trees killed by beetles and stricken by the drought also fueled the growth of the fire, according to their final summary. Scientists say climate change is responsible for more intense and frequent extreme weather like flooding and droughts and events like wildfires. But more research is needed to determine how much global warming is to blame, if at all, for a single event. The father of a 5-year-old Tennessee girl who disappeared last month said his three sons have now been taken away by child protective services - but he says that's probably for the best, according to a report. Donald Wells, whose daughter Summer Wells went missing from from her family home in June said 'it's probably better for them' that his sons were removed after he says he was driven to drink over rumors that continued to swirl over his daughter's disappearance. 'Right now, with everybody attacking us and all this stuff going on, it's probably better for them,' Wells said in an interview with the Jay is 4 Justice podcast over the weekend. Summer was reported missing from her Rogersville home on June 15 around 5.30pm after her parents Donald and mother Candus Bly said she went into the basement alone and then vanished. Summer Moon-Utah Wells was reported missing from her home in Rogersville, Tennessee, on June 15. Now, her father says his three sons have been taken away by child protective services Donald Wells (pictured with his wife Candus) says rumors swirling around his daughter's disappearance had led him to drink, which had in turn led children's services to remove his sons Wells said his three sons (pictured) had been taken away earlier this month. The Tennessee Department of Children's said child removals were confidential, but said it has been involved in the case of Summer's disappearance Her disappearance had sparked a 13-day search in the area around the home with few leads, and Wells told podcast host Jennifer Youngblood that his daughter's disappearance has fueled rumors and theories, which had begun to affect him, WJHL reported. 'They come at me and said either posing said they had the inside scoop with TBI [Tennessee Bureau of Investigation] and that they knew I sold my daughter for drugs, and I flipped out. I flipped out,' Wells told Youngblood. 'I believed that stuff. Like an idiot, I believed it and I flipped out, started drinking and everything else. And that's why they took our kids.' Youngblood told the station: 'He did tell me regarding the boys being taken away that it was due to him having an episode of drinking and there's other things swirling around the internet that it could be the home life or what's going on right now in Summer's case.' The Tennessee Department of Children's services told DailyMail.com that children's removals are confidential, however, the department told Fox News that it has been involved in the investigation into Summer's disappearance. Donald Wells (pictured with his family) says amateur detectives and psychics have been turning up at his home in recent weeks, sometimes in the middle of the night Wells said he had little hope his daughter would return home alive earlier this month. 'Statistically speaking, there's a good chance she's already dead,' Donald Wells (left) told the Kingsport Times-News. 'I hate to think that. I love her with all my heart' In a separate interview with the Kingsport-Times News Monday, Wells also said his sons had been taken away but declined to give a reason. 'Right now it's not safe at my house,' he said. 'There's too much going on and people are crazier than hell, and right now it's just not safe at my house. There's too much going on. Too many crazy people coming around trying to start stuff.' He said a number of amateur detectives and psychics had shown up at his home, sometimes in the middle of the night. 'All this speculation is getting worse, and worse and worse,' Wells said. 'People are threatening us, and it's not safe at my house. We're hoping if something happens things will start to get safer, but the way things are going it's just getting worse and worse.' Meanwhile the investigation into Summer's disappearance continues, Hawkins County Sheriff Ronnie Lawson told the outlet. He said misinformation about the case had been circulating on social media, which has at points hurt the investigation, the Times News reported. Wells had confirmed his sons had been taken away by children's services in a podcast interview over the weekend with Jay is 4 Justice host Jennifer Youngblood (pictured) Summer's disapperance sparked a 1e-day search in the area around her home 'Social media is still causing problems with information and rumors that is not correct,' he said. 'Theres a lot of incorrect information, and a lot of advice coming from social media thats hampering the investigation with stuff weve already done many times.' Earlier this month Wells said he was doubtful his daughter would be found alive 'I'll see her in the resurrection,' he said. 'Statistically speaking, there's a good chance she's already dead,' Donald told the Times-News in an earlier interview. 'I hate to think that. I love her with all my heart.' 'If nothing else,' he continued, 'I'll see her in the resurrection. As long as I keep the commandments and do what I'm supposed to do, I'll see her.' He and Candus have maintained that Summer was lured away from the home by a stranger - but authorities have not labeled the case an abduction and say they are still exploring 'all possibilities'. Summer had been outside planting flowers with her mother, Candus Bly, and her grandmother, Donald previously told WVLT, and went inside on her own. She was reportedly wearing a pink shirt and grey shorts, and may have been barefoot. In his newspaper interview, Donald suggested that someone may have been 'hiding in the weeds there waiting for her to go into the basement'. He said his belief was confirmed when police dogs picked up her scent in the backyard and followed it through the woods, eventually reaching the end of their road. Summer was last seen wearing a pink shirt and grey shorts, and may have been barefoot She is described as being about three-feet tall and weighing approximately 40 pounds, with close-cropped blonde hair and blue eyes 'We've had several people sneaking around there, but we've had them sneaking around at night,' he said. 'We've never had somebody up there at 5.30 in the afternoon that we know of. They didn't come up the driveway. 'They came up a dog trail from the woods,' he said. 'The dog that they used, that's where the scent took them - down through the woods, not the driveway.' 'It's really discouraging,' Donald added. 'Only God can turn this around at this point.' 'The police can't come up with anything,' he said. 'All these people on Facebook all over the world can't come up with anything. Nobody can. Only God can.' Donald also said he would 'do anything to have my baby back,' and has to put his faith in God. Summer was reportedly last seen entering the basement of the Rogersville home, seen here 'I've made up my mind not to let Satan win,' he said. 'I've still got to move forward. I've still got to go to work. I've still got to try, even though I miss her. 'We live in an evil world,' he added. 'I'm not the first one to lose a family member. All sorts of tragedies have happened since the beginning of creation. There's been all kin ds of bad stuff going on.' Despite these 'tragedies,' though, he said at that point, he had not gone back to drinking. 'I'm not going to let Satan convince me to go drinking,' Donald said in the phone interview with the outlet. 'I'm not going down that road. I choose life. I choose God.' Both he and Candus have previous criminal records, according to FOX News. Donald was arrested on domestic assault charges in 2020, leading Candus to file for an order of protection against him, writing: 'I am afraid for my children and myself.' She later asked for the order to be dismissed and the charges against Donald were dropped on April 21, two months before Summer's disappearance. Donald said police dogs picked up Summer's scent in the backyard and followed it through the woods, ultimately leading to the end of their road Both parents were ordered to take a lie-detector test as part of the investigation into Summer's disappearance, FOX reports, and reportedly passed. Tennessee investigators have since received nearly 1,000 tips in connection with her disappearance, but the Hawkins County Sheriff's Office said none of the leads have panned out. Investigators are still looking for a red pickup truck that may have been nearby when Summer went missing and are asking neighbors to check their home security and trail cameras for any evidence that might help locate Summer. The circumstances surrounding her disappearance have yet to be determined, authorities said, and have not yet announced a person of interest of a suspect in the case. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation assistant special agent in charge Shelly Smitherman sad the case has been 'frustrating' for law enforcement. Initial searches were marred by poor cellular service and challenging terrain in the woods near the home, and they have still not received a credible lead. 'Typically on an AMBER alert ... within a couple of days, we have a tip or lead, or have an idea if they've been abducted, if they maybe left into the woods,' she said in another video posted to Twitter on Tuesday. The investigators had to trek through tough terrain in the woods as part of their investigation 'Somebody saw something that leads us hopefully to get an answer where the child went or if they were taken. We're going to have some tip or lead,' she said, adding that the fact that they have not received such information in this case 'is the frustrating part for law enforcement.' But, they said, they are continuing to look into 'all possibilities,' and pushed back investigators claims that the massive search placed a 'burden' on the sheriff's office or budget reserves. 'I wouldn't support ending a search with credible leads,' Hawkins County Commissioner Jason Roach told FOX. 'But that's not part of the conversation at all.' He said the county always overestimates its expenditures and underestimates its tax revenue, giving it flexibility to shift funds in case of emergency situations, like Summer's disappearance. Summer is described as being about three-feet tall and weighing approximately 40 pounds, with close-cropped blonde hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to call the Hawkins County Sheriff's Office at (423) 272- 7121 or the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND. An 18-year-old from California who traveled from San Diego to Mexico was killed while trying to defend his best friend from a gang after they left a house party. Jonathan Valenzuela, 18, was stabbed to death on July 4 after he and his friend, Kevin Hernandez, were attacked and beaten in the middle a street near a military in Tecate, Baja California. Cellphone video, filmed at the scene, shows a young man slamming Valenzuela to the ground and repeatedly punching him. Another man, identified as Junior Ortiz by local media, stepped forward moments later and stabbed Valenzuela at least four times. Jonathan Valenzuela's July 3 trip to Tecate, Mexico, ended in tragedy when he was beaten and stabbed dead after leaving a party. His California parents have provided the identities of the six male suspects who allegedly attacked their 13-year-old son, including the individual who stabbed him at least four times, but no arrests have been made Still image from a cellphone video shows one of the six alleged suspects beating a defenseless Jonathan Valenzuela 'The moment my son defended Kevin, they separated him and began to beat Kevin on a separate side from Jonathan and Jonathan was surrounded by many more people,' Valenzuela's stepmother mother Aide Ramos told DailyMail.com in a phone interview Tuesday. 'They were at least nine to 11 people who were helping the aggressor so that other youngsters didn't approach.' Ramos said that she received a call from Valenzuela's older sister, Jeslyn Valenzuela, after he had been stabbed and said that they were waiting for an ambulance to arrive. She received a second call from Jeslyn Valenzuela approximately five minutes telling her Jonathan Valenzuela had died. Jonathan Valenzuela, of San Diego, was killed July 3 in Tecate, Mexico The family of U.S. born 13-year-old Jonathan Valenzuela has provided the Baja California Attorney General's Office the photos of the six male suspects who are allegedly responsible for the deadly beating. The family provided the Baja California Attorney General's Office the video of the deadly beating and photos of each of the six male suspects who are allegedly responsible. However, Ramos is skeptical of police, prosecutors and judges in a country where homicides of foreigners, including Americans, and Mexican nationals regularly go unsolved. According to government's crime data system, 168 people have been murdered in the Baja California city of Tecate through the first six months of 2021 in comparison to the same period last year when only 58 homicides were reported. Jonathan Valenzuela was killed in front of a military station in Tecate, Mexico 'None of them have been solved and none of the murderers have been found. So that tells me that the death of my son is going to be one more for Tecate,' Ramos said. 'The agents' investigations don't give me any good answers because apparently they are not doing their jobs or maybe they are bought by the same aggressors, the same murderers. So I don't see that they want to do their job in Tecate.' 'Right now I tell my wife that I cannot return my son's life, but we can put pressure on (authorities) because I believe that all the children of Mexico have the right to leave and return home alive,' Ramos added. Baja California prosecutor Enrique Sanchez told the Univision that while they are relying on many of the witnesses who were present when Valenzuela was murdered, the suspects 'may have tried to divert the investigation.' DailyMail.com reached out to the Baja California Attorney General's Office for comment. Noiah, 13, was left with serious injuries (pictured) after being attacked by his neighbor's dog in Rolla, Missouri A 13-year-old teenager was savaged by a neighbor's dog who pounced on him twice, tearing his face and neck open as he delivered cupcakes to his friend after his mother's gender reveal party in March. The violent attack happened as Noah was outside his neighbor's house in Rolla, Missouri, when - having delivered the cupcakes - the pit bull broke loose from its chain and pounced on him in the front yard, and in front on Noah's 12-year-old sister. Noah's pregnant mother Julia Poland (33), stepdad Beau Logan (43), and the dog's owner were able to pull the dog away from Noah, but within seconds it managed to break loose again and launched a second savage attack. Noah was carried inside the house, and paramedics soon arrived to airlift Noah to a children's hospital in Saint Louis - 90 minutes away. Tara Stone (34), who was hosting the gender reveal party, drove her sister Julia to the hospital where they saw Noah - his head wrapped in a bandage and blood covering the floor - before he was taken in for emergency surgery. Scared about what was happening, Noah asked 'Am I going to die?' but was comforted by Tara and his mum who assured him that everything would be ok. Doctors revealed that Noah's throat, arteries, and voice box were exposed during the attack and tissue, skin, and muscle were pulled from his face. The dog also ripped out Noah's spit gland and fractured his jaw. 'My sister was at my house for a small gender reveal party. We grilled, enjoyed some cupcakes, and celebrated my sister and her future baby boy joining our family,' Tara said. 'When Julia got home, she was unloading the car with my nephew Noah who wanted to give the neighbor's daughter a cupcake. Pictured: Noah, 13, lies on a hospital bed while being intubated after the life-threatening dog attack left severely injured. Noah's throat, arteries, and voice box were exposed during the attack and tissue, skin, and muscle were pulled from his face Left: Noah (center) pictured with his mother Julia (rught) and sister Haley (left). Right: Noah (left) with his aunt Tara Stone (right). Tara was hosting a gender reveal party for her sister Julia when the neighbor's pit bull broke free and attacked Noah 'He came back to grab a few more for her parents but when he returned to the neighbor's house, their dog broke loose from his chain outside and attacked Noah. 'The neighbor, my sister Julia and Noah's stepdad all ran and attempted to pull the dog off. They did but the dog got loose a second time. 'After they removed the dog a second time, Noah was carried inside the house where my sister and a neighbor administered first aid until the EMT arrived to take him to the ER before Noah was later airlifted to hospital. 'No one knew the full extent of Noah's injuries. We just knew there was a lot of blood and his face was mauled to the point of being unrecognisable. We didn't know if he was going to live or die. My sister described his face to me as a 'hamburger.' Since the attack, Noah has undergone four surgeries to clean and stabilise the area, to re-map the nerves and arteries, and to begin reconstructing his face using a skin graft and muscle tissue from his thigh, and nerves from his leg. The reconstruction isn't yet complete and doctors are uncertain whether Noah will ever regain feeling in the right side of his face or mouth. It will take Noah approximately six to eight months to recover from his initial treatment before he's ready to undergo the further necessary operations. Pictured: Noah before the dog attack. According to Tara, Noah is kind and enjoyed helping out elderly neighbors - such as mowing their laws - before being attacked Whilst he recovers, fluid must be drained from his face every two hours and his calorie intake must also be monitored. Noah's house must be kept above 73.4 degrees Fahrenheit (23 degrees Celsius) to help maintain his blood flow and whilst he's able to walk, plenty of rest is needed to aid his healing. 'He spent two-and-a-half weeks in the children's ICU,' Tara said. 'The early surgeries focused on cleaning and stabilising the areas impacted by the attack, and mapping the nerves and arteries in his face. 'Reconstruction will require extensive additional surgeries. Noah lost so much muscle from the right side of his face that doctors had to graft skin and tissue from his thigh, and nerves from his leg. 'It's certainly taken prayers, family, and community support to stay strong. We've always been a family that's been able to come together and find ways to support and love each other during the difficult times. As there was no vaccination record for the dog, Noah was also treated for rabies but after tests were carried out, mercifully it was discovered that the dog tested negative for the disease. Noah's 12-year-old sister Haley witnessed the attack, and has been staying the their aunt Tara while Noah recovers. 'Haley (12), Noah's sister, witnessed the attack and has stayed with us whilst Noah undergoes his treatment. That's hard for a twelve-year-old and she and Noah are very close,' Tara said. 'I've personally had days where I've sat and cried. As a mum myself, I can't help but squeeze my own boys tighter and let them know how much I love them. Since the attack, Noah has undergone four surgeries to clean and stabilise the area, to re-map the nerves and arteries, and to begin reconstructing his face using a skin graft and muscle tissue from his thigh, and nerves from his leg. Left: Noah in hospital. Right: before the attack Due to Covid-19, Tara said that only her sister Julia and her partner had been able to visit Noah during his two-and-a-half weeks in Children's ICU. After undergoing the initial four surgeries, Noah is now healing at home before he returns to hospital for further treatment later this year. Thankfully, the family have had the support of their local community which has been invaluable, but they've also found an outpouring of support online. Wanting to do everything she could to help her sister and nephew, Tara set up a GoFundMe campaign which has so far raised over $40,000 to aid Noah's recovery. 'The way the community has responded with love, gratitude and encouragement has been a beautiful thing,' Tara said. 'It doesn't replace the heartache but it really has brought some level of comfort during this extremely difficult time. 'No family expects tragedy to strike until it happens to them but my sister has been one of the strongest people I know throughout this. Noah photographed with his sister Haley who witnessed the attack in March this year 'For now, Noah is home and trying to find his new normal. He's doing virtual school until he can heal better and build up the confidence to return. It won't be this school year or maybe even the next but we take it day by day - celebrating the small wins. 'People cheering him on has been a game changer. Trauma will manifest differently in different people and his mum has been counselled on that and how to prepare. 'I didn't know what to expect from the GoFundMe. I just didn't want the family to stress about the finances of Noah's healing. 'It's exceeded my original goal and people have sent cards, gifts, offered up their homes to stay in near the hospital, and other dog attack survivors have reached out. 'Churches, the school, and community businesses have asked how they can help. We are strong in our faith and Noah has been put on many prayer lists. 'There's been a lot of debate on dog breeds in regards to Noah's story but I don't want to lose sight of what matters. 'Noah is a lovely boy. He helps out his elderly neighbours, and constantly hugs his family. He offers help around the house and always works hard. 'He's kind, sensitive, and loves people. I hope he's able to hold onto that. It's so needed in the world today.' Kyle Chalmers' quest to defend his 100 metre freestyle Olympic title is off to a flying start in Tokyo. The South Australian cruised to victory in his heat on Tuesday night to qualify third fastest for the semi-finals, just a touch behind Italian flyer Thomas Ceccon and US powerhouse Caeleb Dressel. A satisfied Chalmers hopes to book a spot in the final in the first event of Wednesday's program. 'It's a good confidence booster,' the 23-year-old told Channel Seven afterwards. Kyle Chalmers (pictured) hopes to defend his 100 metre freestyle Olympic crown in Tokyo 'Seven months ago I had shoulder surgery, so still kind of coming back and trying to get under the 48-second marks. So to do that in the heat is really nice.' 'I felt really relaxed today. My job was to get through the semi-finals. I've ticked that box. It's good that it's early in the program tonight.' Chalmers will return home with a guaranteed medal after his blistering anchor leg snatched bronze for Australia in the men's 4x 100 freestyle relay on Monday. His semi-final will kick off what's shaping up to be a big day in the pool for Australia on Wednesday. Ariarne Titmus will resume her fierce rivalry with American legend Katie Ledecky in the 200 metre freestyle final. She will be in lane four after qualifying fastest for the final, where the 20-year-old hopes to ramp up her dominance against Ledecky after storming home to steal gold in the 400 metre event on Monday. Fellow Aussie Madi Wilson will also be fighting for a spot on podium in the same race. Ariarne Titmus will swim for the gold medal in the 200m freestyle finals at the Tokyo Olympics after scoring the fastest time in the semis on Tuesday Brianna Throssell will also be in action Wednesday morning after qualifying ninth-fastest for the 200m butterfly semi-finals. In the men's 800m freestyle, Jack McLoughlin - already with a silver medal from the 400m freestyle - was sixth-quickest into the final, finishing a solid third in his heat. Zac Stubblety-Cook evidenced his medal prospects in the men's 200m breaststroke with a standout swim in the heats. Stubblety-Cook clocked 2:07.37 to dead-heat with Arno Kamminga from the Netherlands. Stubblety-Cook, who entered Tokyo with the world-leading time this year in the event, and Kamminga topped the heats with Australia's Matt Wilson 10th quickest and into the semi-finals. Ariarne Titmus (pictured, right) is on track for another showdown with US star Kate Ledecky (left) in Tokyo. The pair are pictured after the 400m final stunningly won by the Aussie Australians will also be cheering on Maddy Gough and Kiah Melverton on the women's 1500m freestyle final. Australia's 4x200m freestyle relay team of Alexander Graham, Mack Horton, Elijah Winnington and Zac Incerti were second-quickest in heats, with Great Britain almost two seconds clear of the field. On the night program, Australian relay gold medalists Emma McKeon and Cate Campbell will contest the 100 metre freestyle womens heats. Australia remains seventh on the medal tally with three gold, one silver and five bronze. All three gold medals were in the pool. A man fleeing from a police 'sting' jumped into a bed of nettles, plunged half-naked into the fast-flowing River Severn. The suspect was one of two people targeted by West Mercia Police who failed to appear in court. The man attempted to escape from police by running into the river. A man wanted by West Mercia police jumped into the River Severn in a bid to avoid arrest The suspect was involved a 90-minute stand off with police in Worcester on Friday afternoon. Police said the man threatened officers with bricks and rocks while refusing to leave the river One eye witness said: 'The man and a young woman he was with were arrested by two undercover police officers along the riverside path. 'He attempted to flee custody by diving topless through the stinging nettle infested river bank and hid in the undergrowth by the river. 'He even attempted to escape through a sewer pipe along the riverside at one point. 'He was using the large stick and a big rock to ward off the police who were trying to arrest him. 'His female associate fled the scene. I saw the whole thing. It was hilarious.' A police spokesman said 'In an attempt to avoid arrest the male ran and jumped into the river. 'The male spent around an hour in the river, refusing to get out, where he threatened to assault officers by throwing bricks and rocks at them. 'With the assistance of Hereford and Worcester Fire Service the male was eventually removed from the river and was arrested. 'He was then presented to the courts.' Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said four crews attended - two from Worcester, one from Evesham, one from Malvern plus the Water First Responder team from Malvern and the service drone from Ledbury. They were called at 11.22am to reports of someone needing rescuing from the River Severn running alongside the A44 in Worcester. A spokesman said 'A man self-extricated from the river, assisted by fire service personnel, and was handed over to the police, who were also in attendance. There were no casualties and the incident was closed at 12.40pm. 'Cold water shock, which can affect you on even the warmest days, is indiscriminate and will affect all age groups. There are also other hazards such as hidden objects beneath the surface of the water, which you would not be able to see. 'Between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2020 there were 355 incidents of rescue or evacuation from water, excluding flooding, in Herefordshire and Worcestershire. 'Sadly, there were 42 fatalities within this time period. Thirty-three people were taken to hospital with injuries appearing to be serious, 49 people were taken to hospital with injuries appearing to be slight, and 15 people were given first aid at the scene. 'Those aged 19 to 24 were most likely to be involved in this type of incident followed by those aged 30 to 39.' MailOnline has approached West Mercia police for an update on the case. The brother of Chasten Buttigieg said he and Pete Buttigieg had 'lost touch with reality' after complaining they could barely afford to live in Washington, D.C., despite earning hundreds of thousands of dollars. The transportion secretary's income has come under intense scrutiny after his husband told the Washington Post the couple could afford only an 800ft, one-bedroom apartment - which the paper said was advertised for about $4500. Ryhan Glezman, a pastor in Michigan, said his brother Chasten Buttigieg's comments would upset Americans surviving on much less money. 'It saddens me to see my brother submitting to the victim mentality that distorts your view of reality,' he said. 'Living a victim mentality will suck the joy out of life and that is what I see happening with these comments. 'When youre making over 200k a year along with book sales and feel like you cannot afford to live then you have lost touch with reality.' Rhyan Glezman, a pastor in Michigan, said he was saddened by comments his brother Chasten Buttigieg made claiming that he and his husband could barely afford to live in Washington, D.C., despite earning hundreds of thousands of dollars. 'When youre making over 200k a year along with book sales and feel like you cannot afford to live then you have lost touch with reality,' he said. U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg's husband Chasten claims the couple can't afford a one-bedroom apartment in Washington D.C and say the city is 'almost unaffordable'. Buttigieg's salary is $221,400 a year and Chasten, a former middle school and drama teacher, is unemployed Federal filings show the Buttigieg earned between $100,000 and $1 million from his memoir 'Shortest Way Home' Hundreds of people on Twitter agreed, pointing out that $4500 would go a long way for a monthly rental. Buttigieg made much of his modest means during the Democratic presidential primaries. In December 2019, during a primary debate, he said: 'You know, according to Forbes magazine, I am literally the only person on this stage who is not a millionaire or a billionaire.' His most recent financial filings suggest he has profited handsomely since then. They show how the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, earned between $800,000 and $1.8 million in the two years before he joined the Biden administration. Trust was published in October. Buttigieg was paid a $311,500 advance last year and reported that he expected two further payments this year Like other high-profile politicians, book royalties and advances provided the bulk of his income. His memoir, 'Shortest Way Home' published in 2019, brought in between $100,000 and $1 million in royalties. In October he published 'Trust,' which came with a $311,500 advance. In a separate ethics filings, he reports that he expects further advance payments in April and October this year, followed by more royalties if it sells well. For hosting a podcast series on iHeart Radio entitled 'The Deciding Decade' he reported a 'minimum guarantee payment' of $150,000. The filings also show a $36,667 salary for a post at Notre Dame University that ran from June last year until he stepped down to become transportation secretary, and his $111,607 mayor's salary that he was paid up to January of 2020. All told, with TV appearances, other book licensing deals and income from investments, it makes for a tidy living. Last month, Forbes estimated Buttigieg's net worth to be $750,000 - modest for many administration officials, and tempered by his student debts - but a big increase on his wealth of $100,000 at the start of the campaign. Chasten added he was still adjusting to Washington and sometimes struggled with the D.C. insider life of being invited to dinners and parties with lobbyists and lawmakers The filing also offers a hint at what his husband was paid for his 2020 memoir, 'I Have Something to Tell You.' The document suggests it could earn the couple $50-100,000. Yet in the recent interview about his life in Washington, D.C., Chasten Buttigieg said the couple found their finances stretched. 'We couldnt afford the one-bedroom-plus-den,' he said of their choice of one-bedroom apartment near Eastern Market. Threats and a break-in at their South Bend home meant they picked a residence for location and security. But that came at a cost in a building where two-bedroom apartments start at $5650, although Chasten said they had negotiated a deal for one bedroom at $3000. 'Were doing fine for ourselves, and [yet] the city is almost unaffordable,' he said. 'Which tells you how extremely unaffordable it is for many people.' The comments provoked an immediate backlash. Conservatives and liberals mocked the idea that living in Washington required such a high price tag. 'Imagine being so far removed from the real world that you complain about your $4,500/mo apartment not having a den,' tweeted Abigail Marone, press secretary for firebrand Republican Sen. Josh Hawley. 'Americans are struggling to afford basic necessities thanks to #bidenflation but poor Pete & Chasten don't get a den in their high-end building. Boo hoo.' Chasten's brother said the couple were mismanaging their money and that he was saddened by their outlook when he and his wife were happy with their modest lives on less than $100,000 a year. 'I think they are doing just fine buying a house on Lake Michigan and remodeling their Lake home with such inflated material cost at this time,' he said. How would the complaints look as they get by on much less money? 'This is a victim mentality,' added Glezman, senior pastor at the Community Church of God in Clio, 'drawing the wrong attention ... especially when they are supposed to be working for the American people, who work so hard for much less money. The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in D.C. is $2,090 a month and $2,936 for a two-bedroom, according to rental site Zumper. The average salary of a capital resident is $77,000 a year, according to Payscale. Buttigieg's office did not respond to a request for comment. Chasten, a former middle school and drama teacher, is unemployed. Chasten told the Post that the couple sold their house in South Bend, Indiana, where Pete was mayor from 2012 to 2020, earlier this year. Chasten also said that the rent was less than $4,500 a month when they signed the lease at the beginning of the year. They secured a lease for the 800-square foot pad for $3,000 with two months of free rent, the Post reported. They still own a home on Lake Michigan in Traverse City where Chasten grew up and his parents live. Chasten now says they play 'Zillow Price Is Right', and 'try to guess the out-of-reach appraisal values of homes they admire and then look up the actual estimate online.' He did admit that he sees the 'charm' in D.C. and understands the 'people who are very in love with this city'. He added that that he sometimes struggled with the D.C. insider life of being invited to dinners and parties with lobbyists and lawmakers. 'Its very hard to make a friend when everybody wants something from your husband, he said. 'Or theyre expecting him to do something. It makes interactions feel inauthentic a lot. You just kind of have to always have your guard up.' Iran claims to have captured Israeli Mossad agents carrying weapons that were to be used during unrest sparked by recent anti-government protests. A 'network of agents' was arrested with 'a large amount of weapons and ammunition' sneaking across Iran's western border, state media reported on Tuesday. Iran did not say how many agents were arrested or when precisely they had 'infiltrated' the country. Iran claims to have detained a 'network' of Israeli Mossad agents that 'infiltrated' its western border carrying weapons that it said were destined for use during protests (file image) Israel, which does not typically comment on covert operations against its regional rivals, offered no response to the claims. Iranian opposition groups claimed the 'arrests' were state propaganda aimed at making protests appear part of a 'foreign plot' and to justify crackdowns. Protests have been ongoing in Iran since June 15 - beginning with demonstrations over water shortages in Khuzestan province and on Monday reaching Tehran after power cuts in the cities. Demonstrators have been involved in clashes with police that have left at least five people dead. Opposition groups put the toll at 12. Tehran claims that protesters have provoked the violence, but activists say police have opened fire on them without warning. Iranian state TV said that a 'limited gathering' of protesters in Tehran had shouted 'political' slogans after power cuts were announced. Video from inside Iran seen by MailOnline shows demonstrators shouting 'death to the dictator' and 'Khamenei, shame on you!' Rolling blackouts began in Tehran and other large cities this month, with officials blaming them on the impact of drought on hydroelectric power generation, as well as surging demand. Cuts in the capital have reduced in frequency since the first week of July when unannounced blackouts lasted for hours, but the energy ministry still notifies people ahead of planned cuts because of an overburdened grid. There have also been protests because over water. The southwestern province of Khuzestan has been gripped by drought since March, with protests about water shortages erupting on July 15. Protests have been ongoing in Iran since June 15 - sparked by water shortages in Khuzestan province and on Monday reached Tehran when it was hit by power cuts (pictured) Iranian media and officials have reported at least three people killed in the province, including a police officer and a protester, with 'opportunists' and 'rioters' accused of shooting at demonstrators and security forces. State television reported a fourth person killed Thursday in the western province of Lorestan where people marched 'on the pretext of water problems in Khuzestan'. Khuzestan is home to a large Arab minority, and its people regularly complain of marginalisation. In 2019, the province was a hotspot of anti-government protests that also shook other areas of Iran. Over the years, blistering summer heatwaves and seasonal sandstorms blowing in from Saudi Arabia and neighbouring Iraq have dried up Khuzestan's once fertile plains. Scientists say climate change amplifies droughts. Earlier this month, President Hassan Rouhani said the drought was 'unprecedented', with average rainfall down 52 percent compared with the previous year. Iran has in recent years been hit by several protests over the economy and living conditions made worse by punishing US sanctions reimposed since 2018. The Islamic republic, also battling the Middle East's worst Covid-19 outbreak, on Monday marked its second daily infection record within a week, with 31,814 new infections reported in 24 hours. A thug has been jailed over a botched road rage attack which saw a mother of two stabbed to death by her sister's ex-boyfriend. Young mother Levi Davis, 25, rallied her boyfriend Jake Swords, 27, and friend Anthony Spring, 31, to hunt down her sister's ex-boyfriend Lucas Barnard, 28, in 2019. Davis had fallen out with her sister Jordan - who was dating Mr Barnard - so the trio went after him in Rushden, Northamptonshire and ploughed into him in a van. The trio then attacked him with a knife during the incident on December 7, 2019. Mr Barnard suffered a broken leg but managed to grab the knife and fatally stab Davis in the chest before escaping to his mother's house nearby. He was initially arrested on suspicion of murder but was released without charge when CCTV proved he acted in self-defence. Swords, who was charged with the attempted murder of Mr Barnard, died in prison last year. His cause of his death has not been confirmed and an investigation is underway. On Friday Spring, of Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, was jailed for four-and-a-half years after he admitted possession of an offensive weapon and for assisting an offender. Anthony Spring (pictured), 31, ploughed a van into Lucas Barnard in Rushden, Northamptonshire, alongside his friends Jake Swords, 27, and Levi Davis, 25. The trio then ran after Mr Barnard and attacked him with a knife during the incident on December 7, 2019. Left: Jake Swords, 27. Right: His girlfriend, Levi Davis, 25 In further twist, Swords (pictured), who was charged with attempting to murder Mr Barnard, died last month in prison before his trial The court heard how Swords took the bloodied knife and gave it to Spring who wiped it on the grass and ran off before police arrived. Her Honour Judge Adrienne Lucking said: 'You assisted an offender by hiding a knife that had just been used to stab someone. 'It was an incident in a public street. You witnessed that incident and saw the extent of the violence. 'The reality is that Mr Barnard was stabbed in the course of that incident. You knew Lucas Barnard was injured and that Levi Davis was seriously injured. 'The concealment of the knife might have meant that the crown may never have known that Jake Swords had a knife.' The court heard Davis, who leaves two daughters aged two and five, went after Mr Barnard with Swords after falling out with her sister Jordan Davis. Anwar Nashashibi, prosecuting, said: 'Jordan was seeing Lucas Barnard. There was a falling out between the sisters that came to a head on December 7. Floral tributes were left at the scene of the attack in Northamptonshire which took place in December 2019 Dozens of officers arrived at the scene following the botched road rage attack which saw the mother of two stabbed to death 'The defendant (Spring) knew of the quarrel that was coming to a head that evening. 'About ten minutes later, Jake Swords and Levi Davis drove to drop off Levi's children at the grandmother's house and went to Washbrook Road where knives were collected. 'They picked up this defendant and drove off looking for Lucas Barnard.' The group spotted Mr Barnard and mowed him down while he ran to his car before attacking him on the ground. Mr Nashasibi added: 'In the course of that fight Levi Davis received that fatal blow, with Mr Barnard taking the knife which injured her, causing her to collapse.' Before he was jailed, Spring told the court: 'Levi was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She had nothing to do with it.' Advertisement A woman who gave birth to a world record nine babies has revealed how they are getting through a staggering 100 nappies per day and six litres of milk - but that she is too tired to look after them and spends most of her days sleeping and watching television. Halima Cisse, 26, had the nonuplets at the Ain Borja clinic in Casablanca, Morocco on 5 May, breaking the current world record set by 'Octomum' Nadya Suleman in 2009, who gave birth to eight babies that survived. Ms Cisse's nine tots, who she insists were conceived naturally, weighed between 500 grammes to 1 kilo when they were born remain in incubators in the clinic's intensive care unit where they are being looked after round the clock by a team of doctors and nurses. In a world exclusive interview from her hospital in Morocco, Ms Cisse said she only found out she was having nine babies minutes before the birth by caesarian. 'It was a total shock when I found out that I was having nine babies because I thought it was going to be seven,' she said. Halima Cisse (right), 26, and her husband Kader Arby, 35, pose together at the Ain Borja clinic in Casablanca, Morocco, with one of their world record-breaking babies, a boy named Mohamed VI Left to right: Baby girls Fatouma, Oumou, Adama Left to right: Baby girls Hawa, Kadidia and a baby boy Mohammed VI Left to right: Baby boys Bah, Oumar and El Hadji Ms Cisse gave birth to a world record nonuplets in Morocco on May 5. Almost three months on and six of the babies are still in incubator being closely monitored by Nurses at the Casablanca hospital A family friend posted this rare photograph of all nine babies laying side by side and pictured together on social media The proud parents stand next to the incubator of one of their extraordinary brood. They have a young daughter, an older sibling for the babies back home in Mali, making them mother and father to ten children in total 'As the babies were coming out, there were so many questions going through my mind. I was very aware of what was going on and it seemed as if there was an endless stream of babies coming out of me.' She added: 'My sister was holding my hand but all I could think about was how would I look after them and who was going to help me?' Speaking as she looked over all nine babies asleep in incubators, she revealed that almost three months after undergoing the arduous birth she is still recovering and only visits her babies twice a day for up to 30 minutes to 'bond' with them because she does not have the energy to keep up with their exhausting care regime. They are fed every two hours, drinking a combined six litres of formula milk per day while getting through 100 nappies, which are changed every two hours. They also undergo health checks every three hours. So far the care bill for treating the babies has cost 1million and been paid for by the Malian government Ms Cisse told MailOnline that the babies are exhausting and that she only sees them twice a day for 30 minutes to bond Ms Cisse revealed that within a month of giving birth she ran out of breast milk. Her babies are expected to remain in hospital for another two months. 'It's a lot of work and I still feel very weak, she said. 'My pregnancy was very difficult, and I need a lot of rest. 'Giving birth to one child is hard enough but having nine is unimaginable. It's astonishing the amount of work that is involved in looking after them. I'm grateful to the medical team that are doing all the hard work and the Government of Mali for funding this.' Ms Cisse is staying in a private room on the clinic's third floor, leaving it only to visit her babies. She almost died from blood loss during the delivery with doctors estimating that her belly alone weighed almost 30 kg, made up of the babies and amniotic fluid. Ms Cisse said: 'Thankfully I don't have to get up in the night if the babies start crying because the nurses deal with all of that, so I manage to get plenty of sleep. I'm lucky to be alive and have all this support.' Ms Cisse gave birth by Caesarean section, accompanied by her sister Aisha while her husband Kader Arby stayed behind at their home in Timbuktu, Mali. He was unable to travel due to COVID travel restrictions. Mr Arby, 35 only arrived in Morocco on July 9, and after spending ten days in quarantine, saw his nine children for the first time on 19 July. He said: 'It was an incredible feeling and I just give thanks to God that they have survived and that their health is improving and that of my wife. When I saw them, I was lost for words, it's been difficult to take it all in.' The couple married in 2017 and already have a daughter, Souda, two and a half who is being looked after by relatives. Mr Arby is a sailor in the Malian navy and admitted that looking after his family would be financially 'challenging.' They live in a modest three-bedroom house which he said they would now have to expand to accommodate their ten children. He added: 'There are a lot of things to work out about the future but for now, we are just focused on looking after our babies and getting them home. We are unable to get involved in their day-to-day care but that's a blessing because my wife needs the rest. 'The big concern for me is not the size of my house, how many rooms we have or money but making sure that my wife and children are OK.' Paediatrician Dr Msayif Khali examines with a stethoscope one of the nine babies protected in an incubator at the maternity unit on May 20 two weeks after Ms Cisse gave birth Baby boy Oumar pictured here today in an incubator is blissfully unaware that he makes up the record-breaking offspring The care bill for the babies' treatment is estimated to be around the 1million mark and they are expected to stay in hospital for at least another two months so they will not be back home in Timbuktu, Mali, until September at the earliest Kadidia is one of five baby girls born to the happy couple who admit that life will be a squeeze at their three bedroom home The couple were originally told that Ms Cisse was carrying seven babies by doctors in Mali, who feared that there was a less than 50% chance that any of them would survive. Ms Cisse spent two weeks in Point G Hospital in Bamako, Mali's capital, before she was transferred to Morocco thanks to the intervention of Mali's President of Transition Bah N'Daw. But minutes before her record-breaking Caesarean section got underway, she was left gobsmacked after being informed that she was carrying nine babies, a discovery which also surprised doctors. It took 20 minutes for all nine babies, five girls and four boys, to be born with nine medical staff in attendance. In total, Ms Cisse's medical team at the Ain Borja clinic is made up of 35 staff. Professor Yousef Aloui is head of Ms Cisse's medical team Mr Arby, a devout Muslim, revealed that as he waited for news at his home in Timbuktu he was praying. He said: 'My wife's sister phoned me after the birth, and it was only then that I discovered that it was nine babies not seven. I just went numb because it was a very shocking discovery. 'I wasn't able to speak to my wife for 72 hours after the birth because she was so exhausted, and her health was not good. It was very difficult for me because I could only see my wife and babies via video calls.' The couple admitted that they cannot be sure of the exact time each of the babies came out and which one is the eldest or the youngest. For now, they can only identify them by their names which are written on their individual incubators. The babies were conceived naturally, with Mr Arby claiming that he remains mystified at the multiple births. He added: 'My wife is an only child while I have eight brothers and sisters. There is nothing in our family history to explain how this happened other than Allah's grace. These children are a gift from him.' In accordance with Islamic custom, the names of the newborns were revealed seven days after their birth. One of the boys, Mohammed has been named in honour of the king of Morocco while another, Bah carries the name of the former president of Mali. This is in gratitude to the help the two countries' authorities have given the family. The two other boys are called El Hadji and Oumar. The names for the five girls are Hawa, Adama, Fatouma, Oumou and Kadidia. The babies were born in the following order: Kadidia, 2kg840, Mohammed VI, 3kg315, Fatouma, 3kg130, Oumar, 2kg400, Hawa, 1kg585, Adama, 2kg720, Bah, 2kg900, Oumou, 2kg795, El Hadji, 1kg870. Doctors revealed that the health of all nine babies has significantly improved with the heaviest now weighing just over 3 kilos and the lightest, Arby, who is constantly being fed intravenously, around 1.5 kilos. Ms Cisse and proud father Mr Arby, a sailor with the Mali navy pose with the masked nurses helping look after their babies Professor Yousef Aloui, head of Ms Cisse's medical team told MailOnline: 'The health of some of the babies has improved significantly and not all nine need to be in intensive care. But we are keeping them there until all of them are stronger and to help them to bond. 'This is the most incredible case that I have been involved in during my career. Our main challenge was to protect the babies and the mother, and I think we have achieved that.' Astonishingly, Ms Cisse said that she and her husband had not ruled out the possibility of having more children. She added: 'We will see what happens, there might be more. But for now, we just want to get our babies back to Timbuktu where we want to raise them.' Mr Arby added: 'Nobody knows what the future holds.' This is the moment a lorry driver crashes into the back of a van and seriously injures three people - after getting distracted by his mobile phone. Derek Holland, 59, was filmed by a camera fitted to the inside of his vehicle's cab as he ploughed into a security van at almost 60mph. Seconds earlier he could be seen staring down at his device with only one hand on top of the wheel. Detectives looking into the footage recorded 42 separate incidents of 'poor driving' during Holland's four-hour journey prior to the collision near Lewes, at about 10.55am on 10 August 2020. This included an 'almost persistent' use of his mobile phone, not wearing a seatbelt, and taking both hands off the wheel to peel a banana and to 'wave at traffic lights'. This is the moment lorry driver Derek Holland looks up from his mobile phone seconds before crashing into the back of a security van on the A27 near Lewes, East Sussex. Three people in the van were injured The crash caused the main road to be closed in both directions with emergency services descending on the scene Sussex Police said that throughout the journey through southern England he used a replica seatbelt buckle in the socket to prevent the alarm from activating, and only put his actual seatbelt on when he pulled up behind a police car at traffic lights. As soon as the police vehicle was out of sight, he removed the belt again. The video ends with Holland distracted and bending forward to send and receive messages before looking up moments before the collision just outside Lewes on the A27. Holland had driven at speed into the back of a prison security van that had broken down on the dual carriageway just outside Lewes. A prison van driver, escort officer, and prisoner all sustained serious injuries in the incident. Holland was arrested and charged with dangerous driving, and three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He pleaded guilty to all four charges at Hove Crown Court and was sentenced to three-and-a-half years' imprisonment Sussex Police detectives looking into the footage recorded 42 separate incidents of 'poor driving' during Holland's four-hour journey prior to the collision near Lewes, about 10.55am on 10 August 2020. Pictured: Holland puts on his seatbelt as a police car is seen up ahead Sussex Police said the footage showed an 'almost persistent' use of his mobile phone, not wearing a seatbelt, and taking both hands off the wheel to peel a banana and to 'wave at traffic lights' Holland was subsequently arrested and charged with dangerous driving, and three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. In interview, he admitted his behaviour was 'atrocious'. Holland pleaded guilty to all four charges and appeared before Hove Crown Court on Tuesday 27 July, where he was sentenced to three-and-a-half years' imprisonment. He was also disqualified from driving for 57 months and must take an extended re-test if he wishes to drive again. His Honour Judge Rennie gave Holland credit for his guilty plea, and said he had showed remorse and was 'clearly ashamed' by his 'appalling' manner of driving. He added: 'You had no consideration for public safety or for the law. Very clearly, there was nobody else to blame other than yourself for causing this collision. His Honour Judge Rennie gave Holland credit for his guilty plea, and said he had showed remorse and was 'clearly ashamed' by his 'appalling' manner of driving 'When someone drives with their hands off the wheel, using a mobile phone, driving while using their elbows and eating at the same time, it is a continuation of dangerous driving, and this case included some 42 incidents.' Detective Sergeant Rob Baldwin, of the Serious Collision Investigations Unit, said: 'It was fortunate that the company had installed cameras on their lorry, which allowed us to examine the driver's actions. The company fully co-operated with our investigation. 'We reviewed the video footage from just the morning of the collision, and found 42 separate incidents of very poor driving. These were mostly where Holland was interacting with his mobile telephone, but also where he had taken his hands off of the steering wheel to eat, and was not in proper control of his vehicle. 'This is the worst case of prolonged distracted driving that I have seen. This was very much aggravated by the fact that Holland had responsibility for driving a large goods vehicle, and he would have been well aware of the risks he was taking. He showed a complete disregard for the safety of other road users. 'We strongly advise drivers not to engage with any activity that distracts them from the driving task this could still lead to an offence of not being in proper control of a vehicle. 'Even if a device is not being held in the hand, distracted driving can lead to devastating consequences and will likely result in a prosecution for dangerous or careless driving, as this case demonstrates.' Aurora police are investigating the tragic death of a two-year-old boy, who 'fell out of his father's arms' while the two rode an escalator at a Colorado mall on Sunday. The tragic incident occurred at the Town Center shopping mall in Aurora at around 4:30pm, when witnesses say the young child and his father were at the top of an second floor escalator. That's when authorities say the boy lunged forward, causing his father to lose his grip and the child to fall out of his arms and off of the moving escalator, according to CBS Denver. Witnesses say they could see the toddler lying unconscious on the ground of the mall as emergency personnel arrived. The boy, identified Tuesday by Arapahoe County Coroner's Office as Jhovany De La Cruz-Perez, was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition, where he died several hours later early Monday morning. The tragic incident occurred at the Town Center shopping mall in Aurora at 4:30pm, when the young child and his father were at the top of an second floor escalator A police officer places a sign atop the escalator that the two-year-old had fallen off from after his dad lost his grip while carrying the boy The boy, identified Tuesday as Jhovany De La Cruz-Perez, was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition, where he died several hours later early Monday morning Those who witnessed the horrifying scene spoke to CBS Denver and relayed the fear and confusion of the moment following little Jhovany's fatal fall. 'I was in one of the shoe stores and I heard a lot of screaming, I heard a lady screaming, then out of nowhere the shop owner ran outside he was on the phone I heard him saying, that something happened, and he couldnt close the store because he had guests,' Cesar Solorzano told the news outlet. 'And then he looked at me, he told me what happened that a little kid fell off the escalator.' Another shopper saw the heartbreaking scene as a reminder to literally hold onto your kids tight. Those who witnessed the horrifying scene spoke to CBS Denver and relayed the fear and confusion of the moment following little Jhovany's fatal fall Aurora police investigating what caused a child to fall from an escalator at the Town Center in Aurora on Sunday afternoon 'Its just a reminder for parents even if youre holding onto your kids going down the escalator, you can never be too safe,' added the shopper, who's name was not provided by CBS Denver. The news outlet reports that several other witnesses expressed their concern for the boy and his family, prior to the announcement of Jhovany's death. The investigation into the boy's fatal fall remains ongoing, however authorities believe it was an accident. Michael Gove today lashed out at 'selfish' vaccine refusers, warning they face being barred from some events. The Cabinet Office minister stepped up his rhetoric as the government mulls enforcing Covid passports at significant events and pubs - having already declared they will be required at nightclubs in England from September. The comments risk fuelling a gathering Tory mutiny over the prospect of demanding proof, with a vote on the cards for September. Keir Starmer appears to have softened his opposition to the measures by suggesting he could get on board if a negative test can be used as evidence as well as vaccination documentation. On a visit to the Lighthouse testing lab in Glasgow, Mr Gove warned those who decline to be jabbed are 'putting other people's lives at risk'. 'Ultimately, if you can be vaccinated and you refuse to, that is a selfish act,' he said. 'You're putting other people's health and lives at risk, you should get vaccinated.' On a visit to the Lighthouse lab in Glasgow today, Michael Gove lashed out at 'selfish' vaccine refusers, warning they face being barred from some events Mr Gove warned those who decline to be jabbed are 'putting other people's lives at risk'. Pictured, a young person getting a vaccine dose in London last month When asked if refusal to be jabbed should prevent attendance at some mass events, the minister said: 'It depends on which part of the United Kingdom you're in and what the nature of the event is. 'But if you deliberately refuse to get vaccinated and there are certain venues and certain events that require a certain level of safety, then, you know, the terms in which you will be able to get into those venues and those events will be barred to you.' Mr Gove pushed for cooperation across the UK on a Covid-19 certification measure, but stressed it would be for the devolved administrations to make their decisions on the matter. 'I think that the more we collaborate on this, the better,' he said. 'The Scottish Government will decide for itself what form of Covid status certification they believe is right. 'We've worked well with the Scottish Government so far, but I think that people would expect there to be, in the same way we've got the same access to NHS services across the United Kingdom, the same access to certification, that would be the ideal, but its for the Scottish Government to decide.' Tory MP Steve Baker said the issue of vaccine passports could cause a devastating rift in the party, but Mr Gove rejected the idea. 'We're going to do what's right for public health and I think that Covid certification in certain limited venues and for certain limited events is a way of making people safer and giving more of us more freedom,' he said. Apsana Begum, 31, claimed she was living in 'overcrowded conditions' with her family when she was really in a four-bedroom house with three other people, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard A Labour MP accused of social housing fraud blamed her hard-drinking ex-husband for making bids for council properties behind her back. Apsana Begum, 31, claimed she was living in 'overcrowded conditions' with her family when she was really in a four-bedroom house with three other people, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard. She did not tell police when she moved in with her partner, Ehtashamul Haque, and later blamed him for making an application in her name, jurors were told. Begum, who won the east London seat of Poplar and Limehouse with a 28,904 majority in the general election in December 2019, denies three counts of fraud dating between 18 January 2013 and 31 March 2016. The London Borough of Tower Hamlets alleges housing Begum cost 63,928 in rent. In the second day of her evidence Begum told jurors that Mr Haque had been a 'controlling' husband, who often kept things from her, including his heavy drinking. She moved in with Mr Haque in June 2013 and no longer needed to apply for social housing but bids continued to be made on her account. 'I think it may have been my ex-husband,' she said. 'He did have access to a lot of my things by that time. 'I had taken a loan out for him. 'He did create an email address for me, and we had a password that was shared. 'He did know that I had had an application for housing before.' Cross-examining Begum, prosecutor James Marsland asked why she thought her ex-husband would make the bids behind her back. 'I don't know what his plans were or what was going on in his mind at the time,' said Begum. Sketch of Apsana Begum, Labour MP for Poplar and Limehouse, appearing at Snaresbrook Crown Court 'He is somebody who from the moment I met him, he is an extroverted character... and as I said before, I got married to him, a lot of things were shared. 'I can't fully explain about the social housing bids behind my back. JOHN MCDONNELL: BEGUM IS A 'VERY GOOD PERSON' Former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell described Labour MP Apsana Begum, on trial for housing fraud, as 'hard working' and 'a very good person'. Mr McDonnell, MP for Hayes and Harlington, said he met Begum while she was seeking selection as the parliamentary candidate for Poplar and Limehouse. 'I thought she was a very straightforward, sincere, committed person, very keen to represent the local community,' said Mr McDonnell. 'She came across as very hard working. 'I've worked with her quite closely in Parliament. 'I think she comes across as always wanting to do the right thing. 'I always describe her as a very good person. 'I was hoping if we were elected, I would like to add her to my ministerial team...as a parliamentary private secretary. Prosecutor James Marsland asked Mr McDonnell if Begum was a 'good political operator'. Mr McDonnell replied: 'I wouldn't call her an operator. 'In some respects that would be derogatory. 'I think she relates to people well and I think she can put a good argument. 'You have to win people with honesty and sincerity, and I think that's what she's done, not just in my own political party, but across the house as well.' Advertisement 'Over the years I've learnt more and more about what he is doing. '[Some of it] is still a revelation to me. 'By 2015 and what happened then, it became apparent to me that I didn't know what he was up to... I only saw glimpses or pockets of behaviour in the earlier time. 'There was a lot of money going to Bangladesh as well...and all the kinds of things I had been lied to about.' Begum told the court that she believed Mr Haque had accessed her bidding details from notebooks she kept at the time. 'We lived together, he would have access to all my things, and I would have had a couple of notebooks, with details in them. 'I can't explain his behaviour.' But the prosecutor said without Begum's involvement, Mr Haque would not have been able to proceed with any housing bids. 'Without you being in the process, Mr Haque couldn't have achieved any [advantage] could he?' said Mr Marsland. 'These are things that were gains in the potential or long-term future for you. 'And you were capable of making those gains. Begum was asked why her aunt and mother described the property at Woodstock Terrace, Poplar as having four bedrooms, in applications for housing and council tax exemption. Mr Marsland said: 'Your aunt made a housing application in 2009. 'In short, she said that at that point in time, the property was being used as four bedrooms. 'Your mother in April 2013 made an application for council tax benefit. 'Is she wrong when she says four bedrooms? 'Can you help us with why two people, years apart, applying for different things, have made the same mistake?' Begum replied: 'I don't know. It was always three bedrooms.' She was also asked about her contact Tower Hamlets Housing Options (THHO) and no record of her calls being present on the system. Begum told the court that she first called the service to inform them of a change of circumstances when she moved in to St Bernard Terrace in June 2013. She later called when she returned to Woodstock Terrace in 2015 but the calls did not appear on the Camino workflow system used by THHO. 'You called up and two things have happened,' said Mr Marsland. Begum denies three counts of fraud and is on trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court (pictured) 'The first one is that no one's made a note of it, no-one's logged it. 'No one has actioned it; no one has taken any action on the basis that you've told them. 'Is the position that twice over two years apart, you have suffered the same problem of calling and, on two different occasions someone has failed to log an action?' Begum replied: 'I can't comment on what another person did or didn't do,' said Begum. 'All I can say is what I remember. 'I called in 2015. 'I spoke to someone and filled in a form as a result. 'I can't say whether they have or haven't [logged] all I can say is that I did call.' Begum denies three counts of fraud dating between 18 January 2013 and 31 March 2016. The trial continues. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is reportedly expected to let lawmakers continue proxy voting through fall as fears over the Delta variant and new COVID cases electrify Congress, halting international trips and even resurfacing debate over a mask mandate in the Capitol. The emergency measure was enacted in May 2020 in response to surging infections both in the US and within the Capitol itself. It allows members of Congress to designate another person to vote in their place. Pelosi leads a thin 220-211 majority in the House and with a median age of 60, members being sidelined or falling dangerously ill to the virus threatens to shift the delicate balance of power. Pelosi is expected to extend the emergency proxy voting measure after already extending it at the beginning of July (pictured July 25) 'Extending the proxy-voting process is the only rational course forward,' Texas Democratic Rep. Filemon Vela told Axios, who first reported Pelosi's potential move. 'Hopefully, the surge will subside sooner than later, and if so, then perhaps life can get back to normal.' The move would also allow lawmakers to focus on events in their home districts ahead of votes on Joe Biden's landmark infrastructure spending and increasing the debt ceiling. A Pelosi aide told the outlet that no decisions have been made and that Pelosi would follow the advice of the Capitol doctor. However, with the Delta variant already wreaking havoc among lawmakers and their staff, it's not the first change to procedure the House would see in recent days. The extension is likely fueled by concerns over the Delta variant and recent reports of vaccinated Pelosi and White House staffers testing positive (pictured: Pelosi followed by a masked staffer on July 22) The recent outbreak of COVID cases at the Capitol has encouraged many lawmakers to return to wearing masks, even if they are already vaccinated (pictured: Senator Tammy Duckworth entering the Capitol ahead of a vote on July 21) A news conference held by the Congressional Black Caucus on July 21 saw every participating member wearing a mask as some lawmakers float the possibility of reinstating the mandate A GOP trip to Israel led by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was postponed last week because of concerns over the variant. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said the body will 'have to talk about whether we're going back to masks' when the recent outbreaks began. Republican Rep. Clay Higgins (pictured May 14) announced over the weekend that he tested positive for COVID after allegedly already having the virus in January 2020 The number of lawmakers seen wearing masks by their own volition has already increased in recent days. One of most recent positive cases in the Capitol was Louisiana Republican Clay Higgins, who announced his diagnosis over the weekend despite saying he already had COVID in January 2020. Higgins has been silent on his vaccination status. His case comes after a vaccinated member of Pelosi's staff and a vaccinated staffer at the White House both tested positive. Both had attended an event with the Speaker and state Democratic lawmakers from Texas, who fled the state to stop a controversial voting security measure from passing. News of Pelosi's potential proxy voting extension comes on the same day as the CDC readies to release new guidance recommending fully vaccinated Americans wear masks indoors if they live in COVID hotspots. It would reverse guidance from May where the medical body said vaccinated people do not need masks, CNBC reports. However COVID cases in the US have surged 376 percent in the past month, with the Delta variant accounting for 83 percent of new infections. US coronavirus cases have exceeded 35.5 million since the pandemic began Over the past month, the average new daily cases across the country have increased by 376 percent, from 11,887 on June 26 to 56,635 on July 26. When the House first enacted the emergency order last year allowing lawmakers to vote by proxy without a special exclusion, 161 Congressional Republicans sued to block the measure. Since then GOP representatives have used voting proxies in order to attend events with then-President Donald Trump and more recently to attend the Conservative Political Action Conference. Data from the Brookings Institute also reveals more lawmakers use proxy voting on days they are scheduled to fly in and out of the capital, extending their weekends at home. Professors at America's top medical schools are being bullied into teaching students that biological sex is a construct and are apologizing for using the terms 'male' and 'female', students say. Reporter Katie Herzog spoke with one student at a med school in the University of California system who says instructors are too scared to acknowledge the existence of two different sexes because it 'can be considered transphobic.' The student - identified only as Lauren - shared her story with Herzog in an article published on Bari Weiss's Substack blog on Tuesday. 'I think there's a small percentage of instructors who are true believers [in woke ideology], but most of them are probably just scared of their students,' Lauren told Herzog. Lauren claims that, in recent months, students have circulated a number of petitions designed to 'name and shame' instructors for 'wrongspeak.' Professors at America's top medical schools are being bullied into teaching students that biological sex is a construct and are apologizing for using the terms 'male' and 'female', one writer claims Lauren says that there are real world implications for trying to erase the differences between biological sex, as medical conditions often affect biological males and females differently In one of Lauren's classes, which was recorded and posted online, a professor profusely apologized for using the term 'pregnant woman'. Lauren says the unnamed professor told their class: 'I said "when a woman is pregnant," which implies that only women can get pregnant and I most sincerely apologize to all of you. 'I don't want you to think that I am in any way trying to imply anything, and if you can summon some generosity to forgive me, I would really appreciate it,' the professor states in the recording, which Herzog obtained access to. 'It was certainly not my intention to offend anyone. The worst thing that I can do as a human being is be offensive.' 'Since recent petitions were sent out, instructors have been far more proactive about 'correcting' their slides in advance or sending out emails to the school listserv if any upcoming material has 'outdated' terminology,' Lauren told Herzog. 'At first, compliance is demanded from outside, and eventually the instructors become trained to police their own language proactively.' In another recording obtained by Herzog, one instructor can be heard stating: 'Biological sex, sexual orientation, and gender are all constructs. These are all constructs that we have created.' Reporter Katie Herzog (pictured) spoke with Lauren for her story, which was published on Bari Weiss's Substack Lauren says her college also uses an 'online forum' which sees students correct teachers who use language they find offensive. Examples she shared with Herzog included professors being told not to use the terms 'male', and 'female,' and warned to use the term 'chestfeeding' instead of breastfeeding, to avoid offending transgender men who have given birth. That forum can see students share their 'suggestions,' in real time, with one professor reportedly driven to tears after being upbraided for using 'male' and 'female' during one of their lectures. Lauren also told of how students circulated petitions to try and pressure professors into complying with their linguistic demands. On one occasion, they were angered by a staff member's decision to use the pronouns 'she' and 'her', as well as the terms 'father' and 'son,' during a lesson on chromosomal disorders, with those words blasted as 'cisnormative.' 'Cis' - short for cisgender - is a term used to describe someone who identifies as the gender they were born as, as opposed to a transgender person. That petition is said to have yielded fast results, with the instructor quickly apologizing for using 'binary' language. The same member of staff was also condemned for describing a transgender person as a 'man changing into a woman'. Students were angry that their teacher was suggesting the person wasn't always a woman. But Lauren was left mystified by the complaint, telling Herzog: 'If trans women were born women, why would they need to transition?' Meanwhile, a recent graduate from the Mount Sinai Medical School in New York also told Herzog that there was a preoccupation with sex and gender at that institution. 'Everything was about pronouns,' the student stated. '[But] it was impossible to push back without worrying about getting expelled.' That graduate said many of their peers introduced themselves to patients with their pronouns, and asked for them in return. Lauren says that there are real world implications for trying to erase the differences between the two sexes, as medical conditions often affect biological males and females differently. The article was published Tuesday on Bari Weiss's Substack page She cites aortic aneurysms - which can be deadly - as one example. Males are four times as likely as females to experience an aortic aneurysm, but Lauren says 'this very significant difference wasn't emphasized' during classes. The trainee highlighted how crucial time is for her and her fellow medics, and said vital seconds could be wasted by trying to establish a patient's sex. Meanwhile, many medical experts similarly say that erasure of biological sex will have an adverse affect on patients. Herzog and Weiss also cited the example of a transgender man 'How male and female members of our species develop, how they differ genetically, anatomically, physiologically, and with respect to diseases and their treatment are foundational to clinical medicine and research,' one anonymous former dean of a top medical school told Herzog. 'Efforts to erase or diminish these foundations should be unacceptable to responsible professional leaders.' Harvard professor Carole Hooven agrees, stating: 'Today's students will go on to hold professional positions that give them a great deal of power over others' bodies and minds. 'These young people are our future doctors, educators, researchers, statisticians, psychologists. To ignore or downplay the reality of sex and sex-based differences is to perversely handicap our understanding and our ability to increase human health and thriving.' Nathaniel Rowland is pictured on court on Thursday, where he was found guilty of abducting and murdering college student Samantha Josephson after she mistook his car for her Uber ride following a night out with friends in 2019 A South Carolina man has been convicted of abducting and murdering college student Samantha Josephson after she mistook his car for her Uber ride following a night out with friends in 2019. Nathaniel Rowland, 25, will now spend the rest of his life behind bars after a jury found him guilty on Thursday on three counts: murder, kidnapping and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Jurors spent less than two hours deliberating on whether he had knifed the student 120 times, with prosecutor Dan Goldberg dramatically brandishing the double-bladed murder weapon in court on Tuesday. Prosecutors did not choose to seek the death penalty. Josephson - who was a 21-year-old senior at the University of South Carolina - had been out partying with friends in the city of Columbia on March 29, 2019 before she called an Uber to take her back to her apartment. However, she accidentally got into Rowland's Chevrolet Impala thinking it was her rideshare. Rowland then trapped Josephson inside his vehicle by activating the childproof locks. Her severely mutilated body was discovered less than 24 hours later in woodland more than 65 miles away. Her death cast a national spotlight on ride-hailing safety and led to some changes, including more prominent displays of driver's license plates. Josephson's mother, Marci Josephson, delivered a powerful victim impact statement ahead of Rowland's sentencing, telling the court: 'Her dreams were my dreams, and her death was my death. I close my eyes, and I feel what she endured at his hands.' Rowland addressed Judge Clifton Newman and insisted he was not guilty, saying: 'I know I'm innocent, but I guess what I know and what I think really doesn't matter.' Newman told the defendant: 'All roads led to you. Every speck of evidence led to you.' 'I have dealt with the heartless and you fall into that category, without any remorse whatsoever,' the judge added. 'A person who is totally emotionless and what the law would call a depraved heart.' Samantha Josephson (left and right) - who was a 21-year-old senior at the University of South Carolina - had been out partying with friends in the city of Columbia on March 29, 2019 before she called an Uber to take her back to her apartment. She was found dead of more than 100 stab wounds 24 hours later in a wooded area more than 60 miles away Experts linked Josephson's blood to the interior of Rowland's Chevrolet Impala and to the suspected murder weapon - a knife with two blades (pictured being presented as evidence on Tuesday) 'Her dreams were my dreams, and her death was my death. I close my eyes, and I feel what she endured at his hands,' the victim's mother, Marci Josephson, said during the sentencing During sentencing on Tuesday, prosecutor Dan Goldberg pointed to surveillance footage showing Nathaniel Rowland's car circling the block as Samantha Josephson waited for an Uber Josephson's mother Marci fought back tears throughout her over six-minute statement, flanked by loved ones. 'I close my eyes and I feel what she endured at his hands, 120 times, over and over and over, fighting for her life locked in his car. I used to have dreams for her and now all I have are nightmares, 120 times,' she said. 'The final moments, her bare feet kicking and fighting for her life, I visualize the blood flowing from her body, her beautiful body, 120 times - for what? The $35 a college student has in her bank account? 'The loss of Sammy is beyond words. There will be no more birthday parties, no more backyard gatherings, holiday celebrations, or activities to share with her 'I was planning my trip to Columbia in 2019 to watch my daughter graduate from college, instead I went to Columbia to gather her belongings. I cannot watch my daughter graduate from law school, get married or have children, all of which were her dreams. 'Her laughter, hugs, guidance, advice, opportunities to tell her I love her are gone. Our family of four is forever broken. All I have are memories of the past and thoughts about what her final moments must have been like. 'He erased my future with Sammy but he cannot touch my memories. The excruciating pain he put her through is unimaginable. I pray that when Sammy closed her eyes she thought about beautiful things. His evil face was not the last thing she saw before she took her last breath. 'In one second our lives changed. I miss her. Everything she touched was better because she made it so. The lessons she taught me as a mom are carried through me forever. She brightened up the day with her smile. 'The pain and loss are beyond words. He changed me forever. The heinous and brutal crime could have happened to anyone. Sammy was a reflection of everyone's child. I walked hand-in-hand with her for 21 years. Her death sliced through my heart. Now I see sadness in ordinary days. 'Why? I spent the last two years asking myself that question. He cut out a piece of me. I'm bleeding silently. 'I despise everything about him. His eyes glaring at my family through the trial told me everything I already knew about him. He is pure evil. 'Samantha fought for her life because her life was worth fighting for. 'He's a monster, he's evil and pathetic. The excruciating pain he put my daughter through is unimaginable. I am shattered, angry and heartbroken. His ruthless, violent act took a bright light out of my universe and changed many lives forever. 'I pray that he feels Samantha's pain. I pray that he get what he deserves under the law. I pray that he never has a chance to hurt anyone else. Everyone has choices. He may not like them now but it was his choice to kidnap and murder Sammy. He will have to face the consequences of his choices. 'I ask the court to impose the strictest sentence upon him so that he may never walk the streets as a free man again for the rest of his life.' The victim's father, Seymour Josephson, also briefly addressed the court, saying: 'I still can't watch videos of Samantha. I hate looking at pictures and have repeated nightmares and visions of him, the monster, stabbing her.' The prosecution spent about a week presenting piles of damning evidence and called nearly three dozen witnesses. Experts linked Josephson's blood to the interior of Rowland's Chevrolet Impala and to the suspected murder weapon - a knife with two blades, which was found in a trashcan outside the home his then-girlfriend. South Carolina Law Enforcement officer Delilah Cirencione testified last week that investigators found a sheet, cleaning wipes, blue gloves, and other items that appeared to be covered in Josephson's blood at the home. Other evidence included cellphone tracking data pinpointing Rowland's location the night of the crime. Rowland's defense attorneys pointed out that scientists weren't absolutely certain his DNA was on the knife. His attorneys also argued that although Josephson appeared to fight her attacker, none of Rowland's DNA was found on her body and he had no visible marks of such a fight after his arrest the following day. The defense called no witnesses, and Rowland did not testify. Josephson's mutilated body was discovered less than 24 hours later in woodland more than 65 miles away Surveillance images released by the Columbia Police Department show Josephson wearing an orange shirt and black pants and talking on the phone seconds before she disappeared Security footage appears to show Josephson getting into Rowland's black Chevy Impala. He is pictured in front of the vehicle in a social media snap 'Her dreams were my dreams, and her death was my death. I close my eyes, and I feel what she endured at his hands,' the victim's mother, Marci Josephson, said during the sentencing. She is pictured with her daughter and husband in a 2018 photo Before resting the defense's case, Rowland's lawyer asked the charges be thrown out because prosecutors had a circumstantial case - never showing that Rowland actually killed Josephson nor that he was driving the vehicle when she disappeared. Circuit Judge Clifton Newman rejected the request, saying there was an avalanche of direct and circumstantial evidence that a jury should consider. No motive for the murder was offered, with Josephson believed to have fallen victim to a horrific crime of opportunity. During the trial, which lasted a little over a week, pathologist Dr. Thomas Beaver testified that Josephson was stabbed more than 100 times. Beaver said almost all the stab wounds were to Josephson's head, arms, chest and back and several of the wounds would have penetrated into her brain or neck and been fatal. Beaver testified he was certain the knife with two blades taken from the trash can of Rowland's girlfriend was used to kill Josephson. When examining Josephson's body after it was found, Beaver found just 20 milliliters of blood remained in her system. An average body usually has at least 4 liters of blood. The court was also shown Josephson's shirt that she was wearing the night she disappeared. The original color of the shirt was no longer recognizable due to the amount of blood staining it. Prosecutor Dan Goldberg shows a weapon he believes was used by defendant Nathaniel Rowland to kill Samantha Josephson during closing arguments in Rowland's trial on Tuesday Beaver testified he was certain the knife with two blades taken from the trash can of Rowland's girlfriend was used to kill Josephson. The knife is pictured The court was shown Josephson's shirt that she was wearing the night she disappeared last week. The original color of the shirt was no longer recognizable due to the amount of blood Rowland was arrested one year before Josephson's murder for allegedly trying to sell items stolen during another woman's kidnapping in Richland County, South Carolina, in 2018. A woman told Columbia police that two men carjacked her while she was at a traffic light in Columbia. They physically assaulted her and forced her to drive to an ATM to withdraw money. Then they made her drive to her home where they stole items and left the scene. Police said that just hours later some of those stolen items - including a Playstation 4 - showed up at a pawn shop. Authorities tracked the stolen items sold at the shop back to Rowland and arrested him. However, there was no indication that Rowland was involved in the carjacking itself. He was charged with obtaining goods under false pretenses valued at $2,000 or less, according to the State Law Enforcement Division. Rowland will now spend the rest of his life behind bars. Prosecutors did not choose to seek the death penalty Josephson - who hailed from Robbinsville, New Jersey - was a senior at the University of South Carolina. She was scheduled to graduate just two months after she was killed by Rowland, and she had planned to pursue further study at Drexel University School of Law. The school had offered her a full scholarship, and Josephson aspired to a career in international law. She is buried at the Perrineville Jewish Cemetery in New Jersey. U.S. Capitol Police Officer Aquilino Gonell blasted former President Donald Trump at Tuesday's blockbuster hearing for his comment referring to January 6th rioters as a 'loving crowd.' Gonell, who was beaten with a flagpole during the melee and had his foot seriously damaged while also sustaining shoulder injuries, was asked at Tuesday's hearing by the select committee investigating the riot about Trump's comment. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming one of two Republicans serving on the panel after a spat between Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, asked the battered police officer about the former president's language. Cheney has become a Trump nemesis since her vote to impeach him after the riot. U.S. Capitol Police Officer Aquilino Gonell was asked at Tuesday's select committee hearing about President Trump referring to those who marched to the Capitol Jan. 6 as a 'loving crowd' 'When you think about that and share with us the vivid memory of the cruelty and the violence of the assault that day and then you hear former President Trump say quote 'It was a loving crowd. There was a lot of love in the crowd,' How does that make you feel?' Cheney asked him. Trump had made the comment in a new book, I Alone Can Fix It. 'It's upsetting. It's a pathetic excuse for his behavior, for something that he himself helped to create this monstrosity. I'm still recovering from those hugs and kisses that day, that he claimed that so many rioters, terrorists who were assullting us that day. 'If that was hugs and kisses, we should all go to his house and do the same thing to him,' he continued. 'To me, it's insulting, it's demoralizing, because everything that we did was to prevent everyone in the Capitol from getting hurt.' Continuing to go at Trump, Gonell, who served in Iraq before joining the Capitol Police, said: 'What he was doing, instead of sending the military, instead of sending the support or telling his people his supporters to stop this nonsense, he egged them to continue fighting.' Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) questioned the officer about Trump's comment. Trump has repeatedly gone after her after she voted for the second Trump impeachment after the riot Trump referred to the 'loving crowd' in comments recorded for the new book, 'I Alone Can Fix It' President Donald Trump shortly before his supporters breached the Capitol on Jan. 6th Gonell, who immigrated from the Dominican Republic, also testified that he received racial slurs from the crowd. He called the rioters 'vicious and relentless.' He also tore into the narrative floated by some Trump backers that the riot was a false flag operation rather than being perpetrated by thousands who adorned themselves in pro-Trump gear. He was on the lower west terrorist. 'All of them told us: Trump sent us,' he said. 'It was not Antifa, it was not Black Lives Matter, it was not the FBI. It was his supporters that he sent over to the Capitol that day,' he said of Trump. 'He could have done a lot of things. One is to tell them to stop.' 'He talks about sacrificing, sacrifices. The only thing he has sacrificed is the institutions of the country and the country only for his ego ... because he wants the job, but he doesn't want to do the job. That's a shame on himself.' During later questioning, he described injuries sustained to his foot and an image of his battered foot was shown as evidence of the violence he sustained after someone in the crowd through a loudspeaker in his direction. A photo of U.S. Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell's foot is displayed as Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., asks questions about injuries sustained by police officers during the riot, during the House select committee hearing on the Jan. 6 attack on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, July 27, 2021 Capitol cops and DC Metropolitan Police officers called rioters 'terrorists', attacked Republicans who have downplayed January 6 and recalled the 'medieval battle' they faced during the first hearing of the select committee on Tuesday. Officers Harry Dunn, Aquilino Gonell, Michael Fanone and Daniel Hodges gave harrowing testimony to the panel of seven Democrats and two Republicans - Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger - describing how they feared the rioters would kill them and criticized the treatment of their colleagues. They also told the panel how they were confronted by people waving MAGA flags, Trump supporters saying President Biden didn't win the election, and others racially abusing them. Dunn said he was called the n-word more than a dozen times and one rioter said: 'This n***er voted for Biden.' Officer Hodges said: 'To my perpetual confusion, I saw the thin blue line flag, the symbol of support for law enforcement, more than once being carried by the terrorists as they ignored our demands and continued to assault us.' In his testimony, Gonell recounted how the 'rioters call me traitor.' (From left to right) Officers Aquilino Gonell, Michael Fanone, Daniel Hodges and Harry Dunn gave emotional testimony to the panel of seven Democrats and two Republicans - Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger - describing how they feared the rioters would kill them and criticized the treatment of their colleagues In his testimony, Gonell recounted how the 'rioters call me traitor.' 'The rioters were vicious and relentless. We found ourselves in a violent battle,' he said of that day. GOP Rep Adam Kinzinger hugs Gonnell before the start of the hearing 'The rioters were vicious and relentless. We found ourselves in a violent battle,' he said of that day. He described his experience 'like something from a medieval battle. We fought hand to hand, inch by inch, to prevent an invasion of the Capitol by the mob intend on subverting our democracy.' Most of the officers grew emotional watching the footage from January 6th. At one point, Fanone got up to offer comfort to Gonell. Fanone, who suffered a heart attack from his injuries on January 6th, recounted how he was repeatedly tasered and threatened with his own gun by the rioters. 'I was aware enough to recognize I was at risk of being stripped of and killed with my own firearm. I was electrocuted, again and again and again with a taser,' he said. He recounted how he and his fellow officers held the line in one of the underground tunnels that lead from the Capitol to the lawmakers' personal office buildings, holding back the mob so they could not break through. Dunn said he was called the n-word more than a dozen times and one rioter said: 'This n***er voted for Biden' 'The narrowness of the hallway provided what was probably the only chance of holding back the crowd from entering your personal offices, the House and Senate chambers,' he said. He became visibly emotional, saying 'what makes the struggle harder and more painful' is seeing lawmakers 'downplaying or outright denying what happened,' even after he 'went to hell and back' for them. Fanone, who suffered a heart attack from his injuries on January 6th, recounted how he was repeatedly tasered and threatened with his own gun by the rioters 'Being an officer, you know your life is a risk whenever you walk out the door. Even if you don't expect otherwise law abiding citizens take up arms against you. But nothing - truly nothing - prepared me to address those elected members of our government, who continue to deny the events of that day. And in doing so, betray their oath of office,' Fanone said. 'The indifference, shown to my colleagues is disgraceful,' he said, banging on the table. Fanone recounted how some in the crowd helped him, when he worried he would die and told them about his daughters. 'I thought about using my firearm on my attackers, but I knew that if I did, I would be quickly overwhelmed in that in their minds would provide them with the justification for killing me,' he said. 'So I instead decided to appeal to the any humanity they might have. I said as loud as I could manage: I've got kids. Thankfully, some in the crowd stepped in and assisted me. Those few individuals protected me from a crowd and injure me toward the Capitol, until my fellow officers could rescue me,' he said. The committee began its hearing with dramatic new footage that day, showing Trump's supporters over running the building and attacking police officers. Officer Hodges (center) said: 'To my perpetual confusion, I saw the thin blue ling flag, the symbol of support for law enforcement, more than once being carried by the terrorists as they ignored our demands and continued to assault us' Kinzinger wipes his face while listening to the testimony from the four cops Filled with shouting obscenities, the video showed the rioters throwing objects and gas canisters at police officers, screaming and shouting as they broke the Capitol's windows to breach the building. On the video, police officers are heard on the radio, begging for help as the rioters overwhelmed them. 'Can I speak to Pelosi? We're coming b***h,' one rioter is seen saying of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 'Hang Mike Pence,' the crowd is heard shouting about the then-vice president. The footage was shown to emphasize Democrats' point that the rioters were trying over throw the government. 'A peaceful transfer of power did not happen this year. It did not happen. Let that sink in. Think about it. A violent mob was pointed at the Capitol and told to win a trial by combat,' Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chair of the panel, said in his opening statement. 'These rioters were organized, they were ready for fight, and they came close to succeeding. It's frightening to think about how close,' he added. An artist whose luxury Martha Vineyard home was turned into a porn set without her consent has reached a settlement with the porn company. Leah Bassett, of Aquinnah, Massachusetts, sued Mile High Distribution Inc. in March 2018 after discovering her $1.2million home had been used for at least 30 gay pornos including Schoolboy Fantasies and Daddy's Big Boy between 2014 and 2015. She also sued her tenant Joshua Spafford, a porn photographer, and porn star Monica Jensen - aka Nica Noelle - who works as an associate at Mile High Distribution Inc. She sought unspecified damages claiming a breach of contract, improper use of the premises, copyright infringement and infliction of emotional distress. The case was scheduled to go to trial on August 5, according to the Martha's Vineyard Times, but was canceled as a result of a July 23 settlement. Details of the settlement have not been released, but it was apparently reached after all parties met for an alternative dispute resolution via video conference, Instinct Magazine reports. The parties are now in a 60-day cooling off period, according to the Boston Globe. DailyMail.com has reached out to both parties' attorneys for more information. Homeowner Leah Bassett sued former tenant Joshua Spafford in 2018 over claims he used the home to film porn, with actors having sex in every room of the house she built with her father in Aquinnah, Massachusetts (pictured) One of the films allegedly shot in the house was 'Schoolboy Fantasies 2' The film featured some of Bassett's original artwork in the background Bassett first sued Jensen, Mile High Media and John Blitt - doing business as Icon Male and Transsensual - in 2018, three years after she rented out her beachside home in the western end of Martha's Vineyard to a Joshua Spafford. They reportedly used her home for more than 30 explicit films between October 4, 2014 and May 15, 2015, the Times reports, with her original artwork in the background of films like 'Forgive Me Father, Volume 2' and 'Daddy's Big Boy.' 'When I returned to my house... it felt empty, cold and dead,' Bassett wrote in an affidavit. 'There were strangers' belongings hanging in the closets, rotting food left in the kitchen and the visions of what I had seen on the internet popping into my mind at every turn.' She said she 'independently made the highly disturbing discovery that her personal residence had been used during the leasehold for the commercial production of graphic pornography.' And, she admitted in court documents, she 'proceeded over the ensuing weeks/months to engage in a periodic - and admittedly somewhat obsessive review of' websites connected to Stafford, Jensen and Mile High Distribution, along with any other porn stars who talked about shooting in Martha's Vineyard. As a result, the lawsuit said, she discovered 'numerous photos' and 'numerous clothed, nude, semi-nude, and/or graphic sex scene photos or video clips that depicted Ms. Bassett's home and its distinctive furnishings and artwork in the background or foreground.' It added that the producers used 'nearly every room of her home for their porn production purposes, including nude, semi-nude and/or male ejaculatory scenes in her bedrooms, her living room and family room sofas, her stairwell, atop her dining room table, her bathrooms, her basement [and] atop her laundry room appliances.' They even used her linens and her hand-sewn pillows for 'male ejaculatory scenes,' the lawsuit claims, noting that Spafford never mentioned to Bassett he was planning to shoot pornography at the home she built with her father. The porn aimed to be creepy, the Globe reports, and Bassett was reportedly 'freaked out' when she saw how her home was being portrayed. Bassett had complained that when the house was returned to her in May 2015, there was extensive damage to the property that totaled in nearly $16,000. Pictured is one of the leftovers of the shoot She said she found clothes and damage to her laundry appliances, where the actors reportedly had sex in some of the films The homeowner says she didn't immediately realize her home had been used for a gay porn shoot but began researching when she noticed the damage (pictured is an unexplained stain on the tiles) She had since allegedly been seeing a therapist, suffering from severe emotional and psychological trouble, and was unable to live in her home for two years. The house, meanwhile, suffered around $16,000 in damage as a result of the tenants' stay there, Bassett alleged in her lawsuit, and claimed that Jensen did not get the proper film permits, and violated city zoning laws. She reportedly gave Jensen and Mile High Distribution the option of settling for $3 million at the time, Instinct Magazine reports. It is unclear if that is how much the two parties agreed to settle for last week. Jensen's attorney, however insisted at the time that the allegations are 'unfounded' and told the Globe that the lawsuit had simply stemmed 'out of a basic landlord-tenant dispute'. A few months later, Roach filed court papers seeking an injunction against Bassett and her lawyer, John Taylor, from making 'disparaging' remarks about the pornography company. In the court documents, Roach claimed they defamed the company by comparing its films to pedophilic acts and the 'sexual abuses in the Catholic Church. It reportedly came after Bassett's attorney told the Vineyard Times that the company had a 'history of "predatory practices.' The suit claimed Taylor said that Mile High's decision to relocate from California to 'a state that was ground zero for the sexual misconduct charges brought against the priests in the Catholic church' as well as the location of the rape and murder of Jeffrey Curley in 1997 added to the 'emotionally disturbing and objectionable nature of some of the predatory-themed "fantasy" porn films that were shot on the property. The lawsuit names Monica Jensen, aka porn star Nica Noelle, an associate at Mile High Distribution Inc. In his response, Roach slammed Taylor for creating 'an international news smear campaign,' writing: 'There exists absolutely no basis or justification for associating Mile High or Jensen with the instances of sexual abuses in the Catholic Church or the attempted sexual assault and murder of 10-year-old Jeffrey Curley. 'Rather, these defamatory remarks which have absolutely no relevance to the claims in this action, are evidence of Attorney Taylor and Plaintiff's clear intent to inflame and prejudice the public against the defendants.' Taylor was also accused of continuing to stir up widespread media attention after he sent a six-page 'open letter' to 'ST8UPGAYPORN' blogger Zachary Sire - who has previously 'waged an online campaign of harassment and threats' against Mile High, according to the suit. In the letter, Taylor allegedly 'threatened and intimidated potential witnesses' to provide favorable statements for him to use against Mile High and Jensen by saying 'anyone who initiates contact with me by email within the next 30 days will be assured of a "a pass" from being named co-defendant [...]' Mile High and Jensen argue the injunction is necessary since 'it is very likely that more false statements will be made by both the Plaintiff and Attorney Taylor in the upcoming months of litigation.' But just last year, Bassett was granted a victory when a judge ruled that Jensen and the pornography company infringed on her copyright by including some of her original artwork in 10 different films, including 'Gay Massage House' and 'Schoolboy Fantasies 2' for at least 30 seconds. A record 1.13 million children in England were out of school due to the Covid-19 'pingdemic' towards the end of term, Government figures show. Around 1,126,000 pupils missed class on Friday July 16, compared with 859,000 on Friday July 9, according to Department for Education (DfE) statistics. The figures include 994,000 children self-isolating due to a possible contact with a Covid-19 case, 48,000 pupils with a confirmed case of coronavirus, and 33,300 with a suspected case. A record 1.13 million children in England were out of school due to the Covid-19 'pingdemic' towards the end of term, Government figures show (stock photo) A further 50,700 pupils were off as a result of school closures due to Covid-related reasons. The DfE survey, which has been recording daily attendance in schools over the past year, closed on July 16 when the number of children absent from class due to Covid-19 reached a record high since all students returned in March. It comes as business chiefs labelled the Government's handing of the 'pingdemic' an 'incoherent mess' as they wanted there could be food shortages due to staff absences as they wait for testing sites to be set up. Ministers today defended their decision not to make hospitality workers exempt from the self-isolation rules. Current rules say that children have to self-isolate for 10 days if another pupil in their bubble which can be an entire year group at secondary school tests positive for coronavirus. But Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has announced that the use of 'bubbles' in schools in England will come to an end as the country eases lockdown restrictions. Mr Williamson said it was up to individual schools and colleges whether they scrapped the bubble system ahead of the summer holidays, following the move to step four of the road map. Current rules say that children have to self-isolate for 10 days if another pupil in their bubble which can be an entire year group at secondary school tests positive for coronavirus (stock photo) From August 16, children in England will only need to self-isolate if they have tested positive. A study released last week found that daily testing of pupils who have been in contact with someone with Covid-19, rather than isolating whole groups, may be just as effective in controlling transmission in secondary schools. Researchers at the University of Oxford estimated that daily Covid-19 testing in schools as an alternative to the 10-day contact isolation policy can reduce coronavirus-related school absences by 39%. The DfE also released a regional breakdown of absences in state schools in England from June 10 to July 15. These have been adjusted to exclude those Year 11-13 students not expected to attend because they are off site. The highest rate of Covid-related absence was more than one in four (26.5%) in the North East on July 15, while London had the lowest (9.6%). The North East also had the highest staff absences on July 15, with 11.1% of teachers and school leaders and 11% teaching assistants or other staff absent for Covid-related reasons. This compares with 6.6% of teachers and school leaders and 6.4% teaching assistants or other staff absent for Covid-reasons nationally on July 15. Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: 'This data shows very starkly that it has been an extremely challenging end to an extremely challenging school year. 'Two things must happen. One, the Government must put a much greater focus on putting an end to educational disruption in the autumn term and provide more support to schools and colleges. Two, it must also provide a much more ambitious and better funded recovery plan to address the learning loss experienced by many pupils during the pandemic. 'The plans it has announced so far are a long way short of what is needed by children and young people.' Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said: 'In the last few weeks of term, schools saw a huge drop in attendance. While much of this was due to pupils isolating, there was, unfortunately, a sharp rise in the number of confirmed and suspected Covid cases in schools too. 'It is clear that this level of disruption cannot continue next year. However, the Government needs to address the root cause of the problem, and not just the symptoms. 'Removing the requirement for close contacts to automatically self-isolate will no doubt reduce absence figures, but it is important the Government does more to actively reduce case numbers amongst children and transmission in schools. 'There is so much more the Government could be doing to give parents and school staff confidence ahead of the new school year and, ultimately, to make schools safer.' Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said: 'The Government must learn from their sorry record this term. 'They must move now to announce what mitigations will be in place for September around mass testing, improvements to ventilation and testing of close contacts of children who have Covid. 'The absence of a Plan A, let alone a Plan B, is rightly alarming to school and college leaders and their staff.' A DfE spokeswoman said: 'Where children needed to isolate last term, schools were required to offer immediate access to high-quality remote education. 'As of step 4, schools no longer need to operate a bubble system, and from August 16 pupils will not need to self-isolate should they come into contact with a positive case, in line with the position for wider society.' It comes as ministers are under pressure to reveal how many of the 2,000 testing sites they have promised for critical workers are now up and running amid a backlash over the Government's handling of the 'pingdemic'. The Government last night announced an additional 1,200 workplace daily contact testing sites for key workers like prison staff, waste collectors and defence personnel. Business chiefs have warned of food shortages because it will take time for testing sites to be set up. Empty shelves are pictured at a supermarket in Cardiff on July 25 SECTORS ELIGIBLE TO TAKE DAILY TESTS AND NOT HAVE TO ISOLATE The Government announced that some fully vaccinated staff in some critical sectors would be exempt from having to self-isolate if they are 'pinged'. People working in those sectors will be subject to daily Covid-19 testing instead, allowing them to keep working. The list of sectors now includes: The food industry Transport workers Border Force staff Frontline police Fire services Prisons Defence Waste collection Energy Pharmaceuticals Telecoms Chemicals Communications Water Space Fish Veterinary medicine HMRC Advertisement That is on top of the 800 sites pledged last week for the food industry, transport workers and the emergency services. However, it remains unclear how many of the facilities are operational after reports yesterday that just 25 of 500 sites for food distribution workers were ready. Downing Street was yesterday unable to say how many of the facilities were live. MailOnline contacted the Department of Health this morning for an update but is yet to receive a response. Meanwhile, it emerged the beleaguered NHS Test and Trace is helping to set up the sites in the hope they will be ready this week. It comes amid mounting concerns over the complexity of the exemption scheme which will see self-isolation rules for staff in certain critical sectors replaced with daily testing so people can continue to go to work. Bar, pub and restaurant workers are still subject to the stay-at-home requirement if they are 'pinged' as a close contact of a positive coronavirus case despite warnings that staff absences are hammering already struggling firms. Policing Minister Kit Malthouse said the Government is having to 'balance' the needs of critical sectors with stopping the spread of the disease. He urged people to wait for August 16 which is when the self-isolation requirement for the double-jabbed is due to be ditched. The Government announced the new additions to the exemptions list last night. More key workers will be eligible for the testing scheme under the plans, with 1,200 new workplace sites introduced in a bid to avoid disruption to crucial services as cases soar. They join those working in the food industry, transport workers, Border Force staff, frontline police and fire services, after several sectors warned of staff shortages caused by the self-isolation rules. One in four adults in the UK have not been hugged since the Covid pandemic began, according to new research. A survey of 1,000 Brits in May when social distancing rules were still in place found a quarter had not had physical human contact since last March. A further 37 per cent had not been hugged in six months. Researchers also found six in 10 people have not made a new friend in the last six months, while 44 per cent had not done so for more than a year. Brits have faced three lockdowns since March last year, ordering them to stay at home and limit contact with others except to shop for essentials. Nearly 4million people in England were also added to the shielders list after they were identified as being at high risk from the virus. And data suggests a quarter are still limiting their contact with others because of confusion over when they can return to normal and fears they could catch the virus. It comes after most remaining Covid restrictions in England were lifted on July 19, bringing an end to social distancing and limits on meeting others. One in four adults in the UK have not been hugged for more than a year, research has found. Pictured: Twins Minnie and Patrick Speed, 92, hug for the first time in more than a year at the Salthouse Haven care home in Hull, Yorkshire, 'Epidemic of loneliness' for under-35s: Young people's feeling of solitude was made worse by Covid pandemic, report shows An epidemic of loneliness among young people has been worsened by Covid, a report reveals today. A fifth of under-35s say they have one or no close friends, three times as many as a decade ago, according to research by think-tank Onward. Millennials, those born from the 1980s to early 1990s, are also far less likely to chat to neighbours or join in group activities than previous generations. But researchers say this is because they lack spare time and security to put down community roots, rather than being anti-social. The report urges the Government to create a national civic service to encourage 18 to 35-year-olds to do voluntary work, with the reward of a partial student loan write-off for doing ten days a year. Will Tanner, Onward director and former Downing Street policy adviser, said: Young people are suffering an epidemic of loneliness that, if left unattended, will erode the glue that holds our society together. After decades of community decline and fifteen months of rolling lockdowns, young people have fewer friends, trust people less and are more alienated from their communities than ever before. 'And it is getting worse with every generation. Former health minister Lord OShaughnessy added: This report reveals that Britains fraying social fabric is not just geographic in nature but generational, with each new cohort of young people less interwoven with, and supported by, wider society than the one before it. The proportion of under-35s who say they have one or no close friends has tripled from 7 per cent to 21 per cent over the past decade. And only 40 per cent said they had at least four close friends in 2021, down from 64 per cent in 2011/12. Advertisement The study, which was conducted by think tank Demos, also found a third of adults think there are less opportunities to make new connections now than there were before the pandemic. A further 13 per cent said they had not been asked how their day was, or talked to a neighbour, in the six months since December. But 23 per cent said they felt there were now more opportunities to meet new people as society began to reopen. Demos warned there was a 'huge risk' the community spirit that arose from the crisis which saw volunteers, friends and family provide food and support to vulnerable members could be lost. The research, sponsored by outsourcing giant Capita, found that seven in 10 Brits want to get to know the people who provide local services, while 64 per cent want to befriend community members who use them. Its report, The Social State, is calling for public services to be delivered in a way that makes it easier for people to form new relationships. This would enable citizens to prevent problems and manage them more successfully, with less reliance on the state, it believes. Demos did not provide a breakdown of attitudes by age groups. Polly Mackenzie, chief executive at Demos, said the pandemic showed that strong community ties are 'vital to our resilience and strength as a society'. She said: 'Our new research out today worryingly shows that these gains we've made in community relationships earlier in the pandemic are in danger of being lost. 'If we're to build back stronger from the pandemic, we need to reimagine our public services for the 21st century as a way of strengthening our communities, relationships and social capital.' Andy Start, executive officer at Capita Government Services, said: 'The report's findings demonstrate the UK public's appetite to shift to a relational model for service delivery. 'This would enable service providers and users to form strong relationships with one another and build trust, in turn helping combat social isolation and build stronger communities.' But despite the eagerness to keep the community spirit, 29 per cent of people who are immunosuppressed or have underlying health conditions were still following shielding guidance at the end of last month. The shielding list applied to nearly 4million people in England who were deemed most at-risk of dying from Covid, including kidney disease and cancer patients. But this was lifted on April 1 when infections were low and shielders had been invited for Covid vaccines. Surveys suggest, however, that many are still following the isolation guidance amid concern over rising Covid cases in the country. At the peak of the second wave, 60 per cent of shielders were following the guidance, meaning half of them continued to stick with it five months later. Shielders said they would feel more comfortable venturing out if people wore masks, regular cleaning and testing was in place at venues and social distancing was in place. Separate data from the Office for National Statistics suggested 2.6million Britons felt lonely 'often or always' from April to May last year amid the lockdown. A Government spokeswoman said: 'We are acutely aware that for many people the issue of loneliness will not simply just go away as restrictions begin to ease and tackling loneliness remains a priority for this Government. 'Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have invested over 34million in charities specifically focused on reducing loneliness. 'We have also recently launched the second round of the 4million Local Connections Fund in partnership with the National Lottery Community Fund, helping to support people to make meaningful and lasting connections in their communities.' Daniel Hale of Nashville, Tennessee, (pictured) was sentenced to 45 months in prison on Tuesday for leaking top secret information about the U.S. government's drone strike in Afghanistan program. A former Air Force intelligence analyst was sentenced to 45 months in prison on Tuesday for leaking top secret information about the U.S. government's drone strike in Afghanistan program. Daniel Hale of Nashville, Tennessee, said he was motivated by guilt when he told an investigative reporter from The Intercept about a military drone program he believed was indiscriminately killing civilians in Afghanistan. 'I believe that it is wrong to kill, but it is especially wrong to kill the defenseless,' Hale said in court Tuesday. He added that what he shared 'was necessary to dispel the lie that drone warfare keeps us safe, that our lives are worth more than theirs.' But Hale was jailed after the material he leaked was found to have fallen into the hands of ISIS fighters. Documents leaked by Hale were discovered in an internet compilation of material designed to help Islamic State fighters avoid detection, according to prosecutors. The prosecution is one in a series of cases the Justice Department has brought in recent years against current and former government officials who have disclosed classified secrets to journalists. Tuesday hearing did not focus on whether Hale had illegally shared secret information - he has openly acknowledged having done so. It centered more on whether the action harmed national security and the extent to which his motives should be taken into consideration Hale said he was motivated by guilt when he told an investigative reporter from The Intercept about a military drone program he believed was indiscriminately killing civilians in Afghanistan As a signals intelligence analyst, Hales job when he deployed to Afghanistan entailed locating targets for drone strikes and tracking down cellphone signals linked to people believed to be enemy combatants (File photo) In an attempt to explain his reasoning behind leaking the information, Hale wrote a poignant handwritten letter to Judge Liam O'Grady ahead of Tuesday's sentencing, highlighting grisly details on U.S drone strikes. 'It is not a secret that I struggle with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. both stem from my childhood experience growing up in a rural mountain community and were compounded by exposure to combat during military service, Hale wrote in the 11-page letter. 'Depression is a constant. Though stress, particularly stress caused by war, can manifest itself at different times and in different ways.' In addition, Hale described the horror he felt as he watched videos of Afghan civilians killed in part because of work he had done to help track them down. 'Not a day goes by that I dont question the justification for my actions,' Hale wrote. Hale was deployed to Afghanistan in August 2012 and was honorably discharged less than a year later. Prosecutors argued he abused the governments trust and knew the documents being shared 'risked causing serious, and in some cases exceptionally grave, damage to the national security' but leaked them anyway. In an attempt to explain his reasoning behind leaking the information, Hale wrote a poignant handwritten letter to Judge Liam O'Grady ahead of Tuesday's sentencing, highlighting grisly details on U.S drone strikes. In addition, Hale described the horror he felt as he watched videos of Afghan civilians killed in part because of work he had done to help track them down. '(A)s a result of Hales actions, the most vicious terrorists in the world obtained documents classified by the United States as 'Secret' and 'Top Secret' - and thought that such documents were valuable enough to disseminate to their own followers in their own manuals,' the prosecutors wrote. As a signals intelligence analyst, Hales job when he deployed to Afghanistan entailed locating targets for drone strikes and tracking down cellphone signals linked to people believed to be enemy combatants. In his letter, Hale wrote about how his experiences differed with former President Barack Obama's public assurances that all steps were being taken to prevent civilian casualties and that drone strikes helped protect the U.S. "I came to believe that the policy of drone assassination was being used to mislead the public that it keep[s] us safe, and when I finally left the military, still processing ... I began to speak out, believing my participation in the drone program to have been deeply wrong," Hale wrote. After leaving the Air Force, that's when Hale decided to share the documents that depict how the drone program was not as precise as the government claimed in terms of avoiding civilian deaths. His lawyers argued in court papers that his altruistic motives, and the fact that the government hasnt shown any actual harm occurred from the leaks, should be taken into account for a light sentence. 'He committed the offense to bring attention to what he believed to be immoral government conduct committed under the cloak of secrecy and contrary to public statements of then-President Obama regarding the alleged precision of the United States militarys drone program,' they wrote. Advertisement Volunteers equipped with buckets are creating human chains to help clear roads and homes of debris and muddy water after their livelihoods were devastated by floods that killed more than 220 people in Germany and Belgium. The helpers, who wore overalls and wellies, were pictured passing buckets of mud along a line as they worked to empty a flooded cellar in the northern state of Rhineland-Palatinate in Altenahr, Germany. Communities in Germany have also rallied to clear clear the roads of debris after the devastating floods destroyed houses and swept cars away. In Belgium, locals are trying to clear up the devastation caused by the deadly floods two weeks ago - but their efforts were scuppered after new floods hit the country and washed away cars on Saturday. At least 180 people in Germany were killed by the devastating floods earlier this month, while 41 people were killed in neighbouring Belgium. Some 70 people are still missing in Germany after torrents of water ripped through entire towns and villages, destroying bridges, roads, railways and swathes of housing. The flooding - some of the worst to hit Europe in decades - was triggered by torrential downpours which dumped three months of rain across western Germany, part of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg two weeks ago. The cleanup has now begun - with homes, businesses and infrastructure destroyed across huge swathes of countryside and Germany's finance minister estimating the final repair bill will be in the 'billions'. The helpers, who wore overalls and wellies, were pictured passing buckets of mud along a line as they worked to empty a flooded cellar in the northern state of Rhineland-Palatinate in Altenahr, Germany, on Tuesday Volunteers equipped with buckets are creating human chains to help clear roads and homes of debris and muddy water in Rhineland-Palatinate A couple of volunteers swap buckets as they transfer muddy water from a cellar in Rhineland-Palatinate on July 27 In Belgium, locals are trying to clear up the devastation caused by the deadly floods two weeks ago - but their efforts were scuppered after new floods hit the country and washed away cars on Saturday A house completely destroyed after the flood disaster stands on the banks of the Ahr in Insul, Germany, is pictured on July 27 The southern Belgian town of Dinant was hit by the heaviest floods in decades at the weekend after a two-hour thunderstorm turned streets into torrential streams. Dinant was spared the deadly floods 10 days ago that killed 37 people in southeast Belgium and many more in Germany, but the violence of Saturday's storm surprised many. 'I have been living in Dinant for 57 years, and I've never seen anything like that,' Richard Fournaux, the former mayor of the town on the Meuse river and birthplace of the 19th century inventor of the saxophone, Adolphe Sax, said on social media. Rainwater gushing down steep streets swept away dozens of cars, piling them in a heap at a crossing, and washed away cobbles stones, pavements and whole sections of tarmac as inhabitants watched in horror from windows. There was no precise estimate of the damage, with town authorities predicting only that it would be 'significant', according to Belgian RTL TV. Locals in Dinant were seen walking across the rubble as they tried to clean up the debris while workers tried to rebuild destroyed streets. People clear the rubble from the street after flooding due to heavy rains on 24 July, in Dinant, Belgium This picture shows a view of damaged houses in the Belgian town of Trooz, a week after heavy rains and floods lashed western Europe Locals in Dinant were seen walking across the rubble as they tried to clean up the debris while workers tried to rebuild destroyed streets A picture taken on July 26, 2021 shows a view of houses which collapsed in the Belgian town of Trooz Cars were damaged in Pepinster, Belgium, after the devastating floods two weeks ago This picture shows a view of houses which collapsed in the Belgian town of Trooz while large trees also fell down after the storms two weeks ago Around 30,000 people remain homeless or without water and electricity in large parts of the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate as a result of the floods. Residents in the devastated areas will be needing support and comfort for a long time yet. 'This flood will leave scars on the people of Schuld - scars that you don't forget, that can't be overcome, because our lives changed from one day to the next,' Mayor Helmut Lussi said, breaking into sobs as he spoke. For Nadia Neqrat, who was trapped on the first floor of her house in Belgium's eastern Trooz district, she still has nightmares about the floods. Now, with the the help of relatives, neighbours and volunteers, she is among the residents trying to rebuild their lives. Broken furniture remains piled up while debris litters the streets and the local school has been badly hit. 'It was really horrible, I don't wish anyone to go through this,' Neqrat, 39, said, as her sister-in-law helps her to clear up her house. 'I have nightmares, but I feel most sorry for the children who have been through this.' Neqrat was at a neighbour's house when the rain came - barely giving them enough time to grab some food and make it to the first floor. They were then stranded there for around 48 hours waiting for someone to come and rescue them. 'But no one came. We had to make do. We felt abandoned,' she said. Piles of tinned foods, pasta and drinks now stand in the nearby church where the pews used to be. Volunteers hand out coffee and croissants on the church square to locals who sometimes cannot hold back their tears. Piles of rubbles can be seen amongst fallen trees in the Belgian town of Trooz, after the devastating floods caused chaos Volunteers collect supplies in the Church on July 26 in the Belgian town of Trooz to help locals who have lost their homes Cars can be seen covered with rubble in the Belgian town of Trooz after the devastating floods two weeks ago A destroyed street is seen in an area affected by floods caused by heavy rainfalls in Bad Muenstereifel, Germany Volunteers and German army personnel help to clear away toxic mud coating the town of Schuld after historic flooding A man helps with cleanup operations in the town of Schuld, Germany, as the country's finance minister estimates that the final repair bill will end up being in the 'billions' A woman helps shovel toxic mud out of a home in Schuld, Germany, which was among the hardest-hit in flooding - though it has emerged the nobody in the town died 'We saw death up close,' said Jocelyne Chacon, 63. She 'lost everything' when the water inside her home rose to a height of 3.6 metres (12 feet). Priscilla Breckpot, a nurse, confides that her 'biggest trauma' was being separated from her children after she went to help her parents. 'My kids were screaming, my neighbours were trying to reassure them. My partner tried to go with a rescue team but the boat overturned,' she recounts. Eventually the children were reached after 24 hours. During her anxious wait, Breckpot says she saw a dead body being carried along by the water. The local authorities are offering psychological counselling to residents. But Breckpot insists she is too busy, what with the insurance claims to file and clean-up to finish. 'We are in an absolute disaster which will last for years. At the same time we are faced with absolute generosity', says local priest Pierre Hannosset. A woman, who has travelled two hours to get there, arrives with a basket full of provisions and leaves it at the church. A group from the Flemish-speaking region of Flanders goes door to door to offer people bread and water. Annick Troch a local municipal worker gave up a week of her summer holiday to come and help the recovery efforts. 'Psychologically it was tough on the first day, but then we see the smiles of people seeing us arrive,' she says. BELGIUM: A woman wades through a flooded street in Liege after heavy rains hit the area and caused widespread flooding BELGIUM: People evacuate their flooded homes in the city of Liege, Belgium, after torrential rains left their street underwater Caravans, cars and mobile homes that were swept away by the flood wave hang together on a bridge over the River Ahr, in Altenahr, western Germany A man pushes a wheelbarrow past a destroyed house on a muddy street full of debris in the small city of Dernau Mayor Fabien Beltran, whose office was destroyed, welcomes any assistance the area can get. 'Among my staff, people are starting to crack. The task is too enormous,' he says. 'We need help from the outside.' To assist the victims, a medical bus parks up every afternoon to help locals requiring medicines or nursing injuries. 'People come to treat their wounds, to renew a prescription, and also to talk,' explains Henri Bournameau, a retired general practitioner manning the temporary facility. 'But I believe that the big psychological problems will come later.' German Chancellor Angela Merkel has visited the worst-hit regions, including the town of Schuld and the Ahrweiler region in which is sits. She struggled to find words to describe the scene that greeted her. Merkel said she came away from Schuld, still partly strewn with rubble and mud in bright sunshine, with 'a real picture of, I must say, the surreal, ghostly situation.' 'It is shocking - I would almost say that the German language barely has words for the devastation that has been wreaked,' she said at a news conference in a nearby town. Merkel said authorities will work to 'set the world right again in this beautiful region, step by step.' Chancellor Angela Merkel visiting the village of Schuld on July 18, situated along the Ahr river, which has been left devastated by extreme flooding Ms Merkel (third from left) and Ms Dreyer (second from right) listen attentively to a local in Schuld as they inspect the damage left by flash flooding A helper makes his way as works through a flood-ravaged street in the centre of Bad Muenstereifel A resident trudges through the disaster left by flash flooding in the German zone of Bad Muenstereifel Homes and businesses have been left destroyed following catastrophic flooding in Germany two weeks ago Finance Minister Olaf Scholz told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper that more than 300 million euros ($354 million) will be needed immediately. And he said officials must set up a longer-term rebuilding program which, from experience with previous flooding, will be in the billions of euros. 'Thankfully, Germany is a country that can manage this financially,' said Merkel, who is stepping down as chancellor following an election in September. 'Germany is a strong country and we will stand up to this force of nature in the short term - but also in the medium and long term, through policy that pays more regard to nature and the climate than we did in recent years. That will be necessary too.' Climate scientists say the link between extreme weather and global warming is unmistakable and the urgency to tackle climate change undeniable. Scientists can't yet say for sure whether climate change caused the flooding, but they insist that it certainly exacerbates the extreme weather disasters on display around the world. 'We must get faster in the battle against climate change,' Merkel said, pointing to policies already set in motion by Germany and the European Union to cut greenhouse gas emissions. 'And nevertheless, the second lesson is that we must pay great attention to adaptation' to climate change. Members of the Bundeswehr work in an area affected by floods caused by heavy rainfalls in Bad Muenstereifel, Germany A member of the German armed forces helps carry away a fridge destroyed during flooding in Bad Muenstereifel A near-destroyed street is pictured in the German town of Euskirchen after flooding caused widespread destruction A view of destroyed houses in Erftstadt-Blessem, Germany, which were destroyed after the ground beneath them collapsed into a nearby gravel pit Three firefighters look at severely damaged ancient houses after the floods caused major damage in Schuld near Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, western Germany Investing in fighting climate change is expensive, she said, but failing to do so is even more costly. 'One flood isn't the example of climate change, but if we look at the loss events of recent years, decades, then they are simply more frequent than they were previously - so we must make a great effort,' Merkel said. Questions have been raised in Germany about whether enough was done to warn the residents of the severe floods ahead of time. In response, the country will now issue mobile phone alerts in the future to inform citizens of impending dangers, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said on Monday after the deadly floods prompted a rethink of the country's warning systems. 'Not everyone has always been enthusiastic about the idea in recent months. But I've decided that we're going to do it... There is no reasonable argument against it,' Seehofer said in parliament. Government spokeswoman Martina Fietz last week said the country's weather warning system and mobile phone app Nina had 'worked' but admitted that 'our experiences with this disaster show that we need to do more and better'. Armin Schuster, president of the German civil protection agency (BBK), called for sirens to be reinstated in more areas. He also said the agency was considering introducing mobile phone alerts, but 'a number of issues' would need to be talked through first, including the costs and data protection concerns. The alerts would be sent using a technology known as cell broadcast, which enables local authorities to send messages to multiple mobile phone users in a particular area at the same time. The alerts are similar to SMS messages, but can be sent and received anonymously and have the advantage of still working when networks are overloaded. The technology is not widely used in Europe, but is common in the US and Japan. Seehofer on Monday called for a mix of analogue and digital warnings. 'The warning app is of no use if you are asleep at night and don't hear it. The siren, in turn, is of no use on its own because it doesn't tell people: What should they do?' Convicted killer Pam Hupp has pleaded not guilty to the 2011 murder of her friend who she is accused of stabbing 55 times, before smearing the woman's blood around her home in a plot to frame the victim's husband. Hupp, who is already serving a life sentence for shooting a disabled man dead in 2016, appeared in court in Lincoln County, Missouri, Tuesday morning for the first time over the murder of Elizabeth 'Betsy' Faria. The 62-year-old is charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action for Faria's slaying back on December 27 2011. Prosecutors say Hupp killed Faria four days after persuading her to switch a $150,000 life insurance policy to Hupp. She then allegedly tried to stage the scene to make it appear that Faria's husband Russell Faria killed her. Russell was initially convicted of his wife's murder in 2013 and sentenced to life in prison. His conviction was overturned in 2015 before he was found not guilty in a retrial where prosecutors argued Hupp was responsible. Hupp was sentenced to life without the possibility for parole in 2019 for luring Louis Gumpenberger, 33, to her home claiming to be a producer for Dateline before shooting him dead in an elaborate plot to divert attention from herself in the Faria case. Speculation has also swirled that she was responsible for her own mother's fatal fall in 2013. Convicted killer Pam Hupp appeared in court in Lincoln County, Missouri, Tuesday morning for the 2011 murder of her friend Elizabeth 'Betsy' Faria Elizabeth 'Betsy' Faria and husband Russell Faria. Russell was wrongly convicted of his wife's murder in 2013 Hupp did not speak during Tuesday's two-minute hearing where Associate Circuit Judge Gregory Allsberry read out the charges against her, reported the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. She was dressed in orange prison garbs, a white face mask and dark-rimmed glasses as she was led into Lincoln County courthouse surrounded by officers. Her hands were cuffed in front of her in pink handcuffs and she wore her silver hair flowing straight over her shoulders. Her attorneys had issued a not guilty plea in a court filing last week and Hupp had requested a waiver from her appearance in court, but this was denied by the judge. In the hearing, Hupp's attorneys said she was waiving her right to a bond hearing because she is already serving life in prison for murder. The judge said he will schedule a preliminary hearing after the prosecution requested the hearing last week instead of taking the case to a grand jury. Hupp declined to respond to reporters' questions as she was led out of the courthouse. Hupp's attorney Stephanie Zipfel told reporters the defense is seeking to have the armed criminal action charge dismissed arguing the charge must be filed within three years of the crime being committed, reported the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Hupp is escorted from the Lincoln County Justice Center to the detention center following Tuesday's hearing. The convicted killer pleaded not guilty to the 2011 murder of Faria Hupp is accused of stabbing Faria 55 times, before smearing her blood around her home in a plot to frame the victim's husband Meanwhile, prosecutor Mike Wood said he would not accept an Alford plea from Hupp in the case saying the victim's family deserve justice. An Alford plea is where the defendant pleads guilty without admitting to the crime. Hupp entered an Alford plea in the murder case of Gumpenberger on the condition the death penalty was waived. Hupp pictured in a mugshot in 2016 Hupp is next expected to appear in court on the charges for a status conference in September. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty if Hupp is convicted. Hupp was finally charged with Faria's murder earlier this month after being suspected of carrying out the high-profile murder for almost a decade. The convicted killer is accused of murdering Faria, her friend and coworker at State Farm, to get her hands on her $150,000 life insurance. Prosecutors said Hupp was the last person to see Faria alive and knew her friend's husband was out with friends at the time of the killing. Faria was suffering from cancer at the time of her murder and was undergoing chemotherapy. Prosecutors say Hupp gave Faria a ride home from her chemotherapy treatments on December 27 2011, knowing she would be weak and lethargic. Prosecutors say Hupp killed Faria (pictured) four days after persuading her to switch a $150,000 life insurance policy to Hupp Hupp dipped the victim's socks in her own blood and spread it around the house to frame her husband Russell (with Betsy above) for killing her in a domestic assault, prosecutors say Russell Faria in mug. He was sentenced to life in prison for his wife's killing in but the conviction was overturned in 2015 She then allegedly stabbed Faria 55 times as she lay on a couch under a blanket. Then, Hupp dipped the victim's socks in her own blood and spread it around the house to frame Russell for killing her her in a domestic assault, prosecutors say. Russell came home to find his wife's body lying in a pool of blood and called 911, telling the dispatcher 'my wife killed herself' after she had spoken of suicide amid her terminal cancer battle. The investigation quickly focused in on Russell despite him having an alibi for her murder. He was charged and, at his murder trial, Hupp became a star witness who helped secure his conviction. Investigators have since been accused of mishandling the initial investigation and the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department last year reached a $2 million settlement with Russell for his wrongful conviction. Hupp (left) is already serving a life sentence for shooting Louis Gumpenberger, 33, (right) dead to divert attention from herself in the Faria case Hupp she shot him in her bedroom at her home in O'Fallon, Missouri, after he tried to kidnap her, claiming Russ Faria had masterminded the attack from behind bars When Russell was acquitted and attention turned back to tracking down Faria's real killer, Hupp shot Gumpenberger dead. Prosecutors have argued Hupp staged a fake kidnapping and murdered Gumpenberger in an elaborate plot to cast suspicion away from herself in Faria's murder and distract investigators from re-opening the case. They claim she cruised St. Charles County, and lured Gumpenberger to her home with claims she was a producer for NBC's Dateline in need of help reenacting a 911 call. Prosecutors say she attempted to lure other people with that same story, and succeeded with Gumpenberger, who had mental and physical disabilities from an accident. Hupp reported his death, claiming she'd shot him in self-defense after he launched an unprovoked attack on her in her driveway. It is suspected that Hupp planned to implicate the recently acquitted Russell in Gumpenberger's death. She initially claimed Gumpenberger tried to kidnap her to get 'Russ money' - referring to Russell - in an attempt to claim Russell had masterminded the attack. Her story quickly unraveled and led to authorities charging her with his death. Hupp is seen in a police interview just hours after her friend Faria's murder Manzoor Qadar, 60, pictured in an undated mugshot A New York City widow has said her uncle can move into her home when he is released from prison for the 1996 murder of her own husband. Rubina Malik, 42, told New York Daily News she has decided to forgive Manzoor Qadar, 60, for executing Shuakat Parvez in a murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by her father. 'I do miss my husband - a lot. But I decided to forgive and forget,' she said. Qadar was convicted in 2002 of gunning down Parvez outside the home he shared with Malik in Astoria, Queens, almost 25 years ago. Prosecutors said Qadar was paid $60,000 by Malik Rahmet Khan - Qadar's brother and Malik's father - to carry out the hit after Malik secretly wed Parvez when her family had set up an arranged marriage with another man, Khurram Khan. Rahmet Khan, an influential Pakistani businessman, had also planned for Qadar to execute both his daughter and Khurram Khan, after he fled with Malik to New York City to help her reunite with Parvez. Malik and Khurram Khan survived while Qadar has long maintained his innocence of Parvez's murder, instead claiming Malik's brother Omar Malik pulled the trigger. 'I decided to forgive him because I know how hard it is raising children without a father,' Malik told the Daily News of her killer uncle. 'I did mine and still I need a father figure in my son's life. It's very, very hard to have lived your life without a husband.' Malik, who had a son with Parvez who is now 23, wrote a letter to a judge last year asking for Qadar's release from prison. The 60-year-old had asked for release in May on compassionate grounds during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the letter signed by Malik and a different brother, the widow said her uncle would be welcome to stay with her as long as he needed. New York City widow Rubina Malik, 42, (seen leaving Brooklyn federal court in a file photo) has said her uncle Manzoor Qadar can move into her home when he is released from prison for the 1996 murder of her husband 'If our uncle is released we would be more than welcome to accommodate him at our home in New York, for as long as he needs,' she wrote. Malik also wrote that her husband's killer had showed 'love and affection' toward her, while making no mention of the 1996 slaying. The widow told the Daily News she has also forgiven her father for arranging her husband's murder and putting out a hit on her too. She said they have 'a good relationship' now and had visited him several times in Pakistan since the 1996 slayings, most recently in 1996. Qadar was denied release by Brooklyn Federal Judge Allyne Ross but he reapplied in October on health grounds, citing pre-diabetes, heart issues and hypertension, and his wife's poor health back home in England. Ross approved his release that time round, pointing to Malik's belief that 'justice has been served.' 'It is well established that Mr. Qadar committed a serious and heinous crime,' Ross wrote in her decision, seen by the Daily News. 'But it is relevant to note that Rubina, the person most closely affected by the murder at the heart of this case, feels justice has been served. 'She supports Mr. Qadar's release and has offered to open her own home to him, despite his responsibility for her husband's death.' It is not clear when Qadar is due for release but he is expected to be deported to Pakistan rather than setting up home with his niece. Malik told the Daily News she has never been certain if her uncle was responsible for her husband's murder. Qadar was convicted in 2002 of gunning down Shuakat Parvez outside the home he shared with Malik in Astoria, Queens, in a murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by Malik's father. Malik (left), Parvez (center) and family members in an undated image 'I didn't know anything, who did it, who planned it or anything. They asked me in the trial did I feel like he [Qadar] did it. I said I don't know if he did it or not,' she said of the trial, where she testified. 'I still don't know now who was responsible. The state never disclosed anything to me. They said it's circumstantial evidence. I don't have any closure of who did it or who's responsible,' Malik said. Qadar was found guilty of murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire in 2002 for the November 1996 murder.' Parvez and Malik had secretly wed against her family's wishes. Malik was then forced to marry Khurram Khan, according to court documents. Sometime after they married, Malik confided in him about Parvez, who was now living in the US. Malik and Khurram Khan fled Malik's family and moved to the US, where Malik reunited with Parvez, the documents show. Malik's father and brother Omar Malik, who was also living in the US, conspired to kill Malik, Parvez and Khurram Khan, prosecutors said. Qadar then flew from Manchester, England, to New York on November 15. One week later, on November 22, Parvez was shot dead near his home in Queens. Witnesses saw Parvez being chased by a white station wagon with the passenger firing shots at him. Prosecutors said Qadar and Omar Malik were the only people inside the car. Omar Malik fled to Pakistan after the murder and Qadar was the only person charged. They also created a house after Hurricane Katrina that looked as if it had been bent double by strong winds But the design gurus have previously caused controversy with their designs, including two 9/11-style towers The 2m eyesore was slammed by the public for not looking like the original designs drawn up by MVRDV Advertisement Marble Arch Mound has come under fire by disappointed tourists for looking little like the initial modern plans, while the 2million barren eyesore has also been called 'Sh*t Hill' and mercilessly mocked in recent weeks. But it is not the first time the design gurus behind the project, Dutch architects MVRDV, have hit headlines for their unique projects, as they have previously been slammed by critics for their controversial building plans. The unusually-named MVRDV created The Market Hall, one of the most famous landmarks of Rotterdam and The Netherlands, but they are also known for designing two contentious 9/11-style towers and a house following Hurricane Katrina that looked as if it was bent double from strong winds. Now one of their latest designs, Marble Arch Mound, has come under fire from tourists for offering 360-degree views of scaffolding, crash barriers and an empty Oxford Street. The monument, built by construction firms NRP and FM Conway, has been savaged for hardly resembling the plans, while there have also been questions about why something so artificial-looking was built next to the great natural expanse of green land that is Hyde Park. World-renowned architects MVRDV, based in Rotterdam, previously caused controversy in 2011 by designing an infamous pair of apartment towers in South Korea that were unbelievably reminiscent of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York. The design gurus behind the ridiculed Marble Arch Mound also caused controversy after designing an infamous pair of towers in South Korea that were unbelievably reminiscent of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York Dutch architects MVRDV also courted controversy after a disaster after Hurricane Katrina. It designed a house for victims in New Orleans, but the design threatened to outrage survivors as it looked like the property was bent double from strong winds The architects also designed a unique block of flats in Madrid, which are used as social housing. The Mirador building (pictured) features a gaping hole in the middle, which is used by residents as a meeting area and playground The firm's completed designs include the Netherlands Pavilion for the World EXPO 2000 in Hannover and the Market Hall (pictured), which is one of the most famous landmarks of Rotterdam and The Netherlands The controversial designs, collectively called The Cloud, featured a pair of neighbouring towers joined by a 'pixelated' cloud, but the project quickly prompted fury from the public and was eventually cancelled. But it was not the first time that MVRDV, which was formed in 1993 and named after the initials of its founders, courted controversy after a disaster. Following Hurricane Katrina, it designed a house for victims in New Orleans in association with Brad Pitt's Make It Right foundation, which threatened to outrage survivors as it looked as if the property had been bent double from strong winds. 'Provocation is good, because it pushes people,' MVRDV head Winy Maas told Metropolis at the time, before referencing the controversial director of Fahrenheit 9/11. 'We need architectural Michael Moores.' In 2005, the architects also designed a unique block of flats in Madrid, which are used as social housing, which features a gaping hole in the middle, which is used by residents as a meeting area and playground. Now one of their latest designs, Marble Arch Mound (pictured), has come under fire from tourists for offering 360-degree views of scaffolding, crash barriers and an empty Oxford Street The monument, built by construction firms NRP and FM Conway, has been savaged for looking little like the original plans (pictured), while there have also been questions about why something so artificial-looking was built next to Hyde Park MVRDV describe themselves as having a global scope and are there to 'provide solutions to contemporary architectural and urban issues in all regions of the world'. WoZoCo, a series of one-bedroom dwellings for seniors in Amsterdam which the firm designed The Mirador building is made up of contrasting blocks of red and grey and is described by MVRDV as a collection of mini neighbourhoods stacked vertically around a semi-public sky-plaza. The budget for the project stood at a staggering 10million and it won first prize for Sanchinarro Mirador in the category best new building for housing in 2005. The firm's other completed designs include the Netherlands Pavilion for the World EXPO 2000 in Hannover and the Market Hall, a combination of housing and retail in Rotterdam. The Market Hall, which is now a popular landmark, was opened in October 2014 and had attracted more than six million visitors by just a year later. The city's mayor, Ahmed Aboutaleb, said that the influence of the new building went beyond just visitor numbers. 'The Markthal contributes immensely to the image and attractiveness of Rotterdam as a city . . . where national and international businesses want to invest,' he said in comments reported by the FT. Baltyk ('Baltic') office block, designed by MVRDV architects and chosen as the best designed building built in Poland in 2017 Matsudai Snow-Land Agrarian Culture Center, Matsudai, Japan, which was one of the architecture firm's many projects MVRDV was dreamt up by Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries and they describe themselves as having a global scope and are there to 'provide solutions to contemporary architectural and urban issues in all regions of the world'. MVRDV also designed WoZoCo, which are one-bedroom dwellings for seniors in Amsterdam. The building is known because of the extreme cantilever of some of the apartments and the variety of materials: wood siding, colored glass balconies, concrete. The company's latest project is the Dutch Pavilion of the 2000 World Expo. MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs said of it: 'It's such an exciting opportunity for us to revisit this early project of ours that we first worked on over twenty years ago' 'The original design was certainly a unique design for a very specific purpose, but despite its outspoken design its core structure is highly reusable and more flexible than originally imagined. 'The differences between the floors will be maintained and converted into a functional office environment that nevertheless retains the unique experimental features of the Expo Pavilion. You will be able to work on the Dunes, or in the forest, or between the treepots.' DC Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges elicited a laugh on Tuesday from an otherwise solemn hearing room when he was asked by Rep. Jamie Raskin about his feelings on Republican lawmakers referring to the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol as 'tourists.' 'Well, if that's what American tourists are like, I can see why foreign countries don't like American tourists,' the police officer deadpanned, earning a chuckle from the Maryland Democrat. Hodges continued on to say he understood why 'someone would take issue with the title of 'terrorist,' but recited the definition of domestic terrorism under US law to defend his claim. He referred to the rioters as 'terrorists' multiples times during the hearing in which he and three other officers recounted their harrowing experiences defending the Capitol and the lawmakers within. 'It was clear the terrorists perceive themselves to be Christians. I saw the Christian flag directly to my front. Another read Jesus as my Savior, Trump is my president, another Jesus is King,' he recalled. A brief moment of levity pierced an otherwise solemn hearing when Officer Daniel Hodges (right) said he could 'see why foreign countries don't like American tourists' in response to a question from Rep. Jamie Raskin about some lawmakers referring to the MAGA rioters that way At one point he seemed to call out Republican obstruction in a plea to the lawmakers present. 'I need you guys to address if anyone in power had a role in this, if anyone in power coordinated or aided and abetted or tried to downplay, tried to prevent the investigation of this terrorist attack. Because we can't do it,' Hodges urged. The officer described the crowd as 'overwhelmingly white males' with white nationalist beliefs. 'They didn't say anything especially xenophobic to me but to my black colleagues and anyone who is not white,' he told lawmakers. 'Many organizations with ties to white supremacy had a presence there - 3 Percenters, Oath Keepers, that kind of thing.' 'People who associate with Donald Trump are - I find - more likely to subscribe to that kind of belief system.' Hodges said white supremacists he claims were present at the MAGA riot tried to 'recruit' him, with one man asking 'Are you my brother?' The four officers present gave graphic, and at times emotional, testimony of their experience defending the Capitol from violent Trump supporters Hodges said he did not experience xenophobia from the rioters, but that his 'black colleagues and anyone who was not white' did By his account some of those people even tried to 'recruit' him, adding that 'one of them came up to me and said 'Are you my brother?'' A graphic video released days after the January 6th riot showed Hodges bleeding from the mouth while crying out for help as a violent mob crushes him against a door and beats him with his own equipment. He began his chilling account of the viral video by telling lawmakers it was his 'turn in the meat grinder.' 'I inserted myself so the frame was at my back in order to give myself something to brace against and provide additional strength when pushing forward. Unfortunately soon after I secured this position the momentum shifted and we lost the ground that got me there,' he said. He described being helplessly pinned with his arms at his sides while a rioter bashed him with a stolen police shield. In a video released shortly after the MAGA riot, Officer Hodges can be seen bleeding from the mouth and crying for help while being crushed against a door by violent Trump supporters Hodges reacts to watching the chilling video of himself being crushed by people he repeatedly called 'terrorists' Then, he said, a man grabbed the front of his gas mask and used it to beat his head against the door, before pulling it off his face altogether. 'I remember him foaming at the mouth,' Hodges said. 'He never uttered any words but instead opted for guttural screams.' Shortly before he was saved Hodges gave lawmakers a chilling account of what he thought could be his final moments. 'At this point I knew I couldn't sustain much more damage and be upright. At best I would collapse and be a liability to my colleagues, at worst be dragged out into the crowd and lynched,' he said. He also noted that some of the rioters carried the blue flag that symbolizes support for the police. 'To my perpetual confusion, I saw the thin blue line flag, symbol of support for law enforcement, more than once, being carried by the terrorists as they ignored our commands and continued to assault us,' he said. Hodges said and his fellow officers were outnumbered '50-something to one.' He told Rep. Pete Aguilar that he and fellow officers would normally attempt to scan the crowd for anyone with weapons, but 'these people, they know how to conceal their weapons.' 'There were over 9,000 of the terrorists out there with an unknown number of firearms and a couple hundred of us, maybe,' Hodges said. 'If that turned into a firefight we would've lost - and this was a fight we couldn't afford to lose.' An infamous statute of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, which helped trigger the violent 'Unite the Right' rally in Charlottesville in 2017 has been being sought by multiple groups and private citizens after its removal. The statue, which was located in Market Street Park in Charlottesville, Virginia, was removed July 10 - and has since attracted interests from individuals, arts groups and museums who wish to preserve it. Newly-shared documents show that least 13 organizations and one municipality have expressed interest in acquiring Lee's statue, according to city documents. Many of those organizations appear keen to display the monument alongside other exhibits explaining the history of racism in southern US states. The city also received at least 18 expressions of interest from private citizens across the country. In addition to Lee's statue, interest has also flooded in regarding Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's statue, which was removed alongside Lee's earlier this month. The infamous statute of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, (pictured) which helped trigger the violent 'Unite the Right' rally in Charlottesville four years ago, is being sought by multiple groups and private citizens. Museums, battlefields and historical sites in Virginia and beyond expressed interest in the statues of Gen. Robert E. Lee and Gen. Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson that were according to the documents acquired by The Daily Progress. The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center is the only Charlottesville-area entity that expressed interest. The city accepted a residents offer to donate land for parks for both statues, in 1918. The Jackson statue was erected in 1921 and the Lee statue was erected in 1924, during the Jim Crow era when black Americans rights were being stripped away. LAXART, an art museum in Los Angeles, also expressed interest and submitted a proposal to include the statues as the centerpiece of an upcoming exhibit featuring decommissioned Confederate monuments alongside contemporary art. The town of Goshen in Rockbridge County asked to acquire the statues for free to place in front of its newly constructed community center to attract tourists. Earlier this month, the Lee statue was removed from its plinth - four years after the city's council first voted to do so in February 2017, following a petition started by black high school student, Zyahna Bryant. Workers remove the monument of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on Saturday, July 10, 2021 in Charlottesville, Va. The removal of the Lee statue follows years of contention, community anguish and legal fights Workers prepare to remove the monument of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on Saturday, July 10, 2021 in Charlottesville, Va. The removal of the Lee statue follows years of contention, community anguish and legal fights It was a decision that sparked the 'Unite the Right' rally -- led by white supremacists and neo-Nazis -- where white supremacist James Alex Fields, 24, intentionally plowed his Dodge Challenger car into a crowd of people on August 12, 2017, killing protester Heather Heyer, 32 and leaving others with life-altering injuries. In June 2019, Fields was sentenced to life in prison on federal hate crime charges. In the aftermath of the rally, Charlottesville residents unleashed a torrent of pain, anger and frustration at city and state officials, laying bare deeper issues about race, economic inequality and what should be done to move forward. In addition to Lee's statue, interest has also flooded in regarding Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's statue, which was removed alongside Lee's earlier this month. The monument of Stonewall Jackson is prepared to be lifted from its pedestal on Saturday, July 10, 2021 in Charlottesville, Va. The removal of the Lee and Jackson statues comes nearly four years after violence erupted at the infamous "Unite the Right" rally The monument of Stonewall Jackson is hauled away on Saturday, July 10, 2021 in Charlottesville, Va. The removal of the Lee and Jackson statues comes nearly four years after violence erupted at the infamous "Unite the Right" rally White supremacists brawled in the streets with anti-racist counterprotesters as police largely stood by and watched. Seen in this picture, anti-racist protestors clash with white supremacists during the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017 More than a dozen people were injured when Fields plowed into the growds Others interested in the monuments include the Jim Crow Museum in Big Rapids, Michigan; the Gettysburg Sculpture Museum in Pennsylvania; the Ogletree Estate in Cornelia, Georgia; Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas; the Confederate Gen. Robert Toombs Camp in Higgston, Georgia; and the Controversial Art Trust in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Charlottesville City Council still has not decided whether ownership of the statues should be transferred to a museum or other entity or whether the statues should be permanently destroyed. On July 13, the city said July 13 that it would continue to accept statements of interest from entities interested in acquiring them. In early September, the mayor will conduct outreach with the interested parties to further evaluate their interest and resources. Under the new law, the city has the final say in the statues' disposition. Both are being stored in a secure location on city property until the City Council makes a final decision. Activists have since pushed the city to address its legacies of racism and slavery, its dearth of affordable housing and policing, among other issues. Kristin Szakos, who was a City Council member at the time of the rally, said in an interview earlier this week that there was a determination to make sure the violence of 2017 was not in vain. 'It really brought up a lot of awareness of white supremacy that is not just from visitors from Idaho, but also from structures in our own culture and in our own institutions that we have to deal with. And that those are more important than just chasing Nazis out of our town,' she said. Szakos, no longer in office, said she thinks the city has made some progress toward that work and that the statue removals will be another step in the right direction. City officials have said they plan to redesign the park spaces where the statues are located 'in a way that promotes healing and that tells a more complete history of Charlottesville.' An 'uncaring' mother who allegedly murdered her three-year-old daughter has told a court she has 'never hurt' her child as she blamed her boyfriend over the death. Kaylee-Jayde Priest was found dead at a flat in Stonebridge Crescent, Kingshurst, West Midlands, where she lived with her mother, Nicola Priest, on August 9 last year. Birmingham Crown Court previously heard the youngster was 'dead before the (999) call was made' after allegedly being killed by her mother and fellow defendant Callum Redfern. Kaylee-Jayde Priest was found dead at the flat where she lived with her mother in Birmingham Her mother Nicola Priest, 22, and 21-year-old Callum Redfern deny murdering the little girl On Tuesday, Priest told jurors she did not make the 999 call straight away because she was 'scared' and 'didn't know how to approach it'. Redfern, 21, and Priest, 22, who prosecutors have alleged were in a 'close sexual relationship', are accused of Kaylee's murder, and a separate charge of manslaughter. Asked who she believed to have been responsible for her daughter's death, the defendant replied: 'Cal.' Kaylee, described in court as a 'happy child', died from serious chest and abdominal injuries. Floral tributes to the young girl were left outside the flat after families learned of her death Priest claimed she heard 'three to five smacks' coming from the bedroom, where the youngster and Redfern had been the night before she was found unresponsive. She told jurors: 'I ran into the bedroom and she was holding her stomach. 'I said "what the f*** happened"?' Questioned by defence QC George Carter-Stephenson why she did not think to immediately call 999 upon discovering her the following day, Priest said: 'I was scared I didn't know how to approach it. 'I thought instantly she was dead. I tried to do CPR. I was scared to leave her. 'I was trying to do what she asked me. I felt sick, upset and heartbroken. 'I had just lost my little girl.' A photo tribute at the scene of her death showed her happy and smiling in poignant scenes Asked what happened when she found her daughter in the morning of August 9, Priest said: 'I just remember dropping to the floor and screaming. 'I could see my daughter had passed and was stiff.' Jurors previously heard claims that Priest would hit Kaylee around the head and refer to her as a 'f****** brat', while the youngster was also heard crying 'in a fearful tone'. Mr Carter-Stephenson asked the defendant if she would have agreed to someone inflicting the injuries on her daughter identified by medical experts, to which she replied: 'No. 'If I had known that punching or kicking had been done I would have taken her straight to the hospital, if I had known.' Priest, of Poplar Avenue, Edgbaston, Birmingham, and Redfern, of Temple Street, Dudley, West Midlands, are also accused of causing or allowing the death of a child and cruelty to a child, between June 12 and August 3 2020. They deny any wrongdoing and the trial continues. Republican congressman Madison Cawthorn has introduced a resolution in a bid to combat the surge in anti-Semitic attacks across the US and condemned Ilhan Omar for equating Israel to Hamas Republican congressman Madison Cawthorn has introduced a resolution in a bid to combat the surge in anti-Semitic attacks across the US and condemned Ilhan Omar for equating Israel to Hamas. In a statement exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com, Cawthorn said: 'I am utterly appalled by the rise of anti-Semitic assaults in our nation following the evil attacks against Israel by Hamas. 'The assaults are unjustified and wrong. There is no place for hate in America, especially not hatred based on one's faith or ethnicity. Religious freedom is a proud founding principle of America and ethnic bigotry is against every American creed. 'I strongly condemn House Democrat's role in inciting such hate and their failure to support Israel's right to defend itself from those who wish to see her destroyed. It is nothing short of shameful that only twelve Democrats had the backbone to oppose the anti-Semitic radicalism of their party's true leadership. 'There is an evident distinction between the democratic nation of Israel and the terrorist organization of Hamas. Rep. Omars remarks were reprehensible and should be censured for her actions. 'It is our duty as Americans to strive for peaceful unity and appreciate our Jewish neighbors and friends. I thank those who joined my resolution and encourage others to follow.' Cawthorn is referring to comments she made in June when she compared terrorist groups like Hamas and the Taliban and said her Jewish colleagues weren't 'equal partners in justice. 'We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban,' Omar wrote in a tweet along with a clip of her questioning Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. In a July interview on CNN, she said she didn't regret the comments - after previously walking them back. Previously, Omar had sparked fury when she talked about how the U.S.-Israel relationship was 'all about the Benjamins.' Cawthorn also called for Omar to be censured for comparing the US and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban in June Omar responded 'I don't' when Tapper asked if she regretted her most recent controversial comments. 'I think it's really important to think back to the point that I was trying to make,' she said. 'Obviously, I was addressing Secretary of State Blinken. The cases are put together in front of the ICC. ICC has been investigating. I know that some of my colleagues don't lend legitimacy to the ICC, but I tend to think that people around the world who have experienced injustice need to be able to have a place where they can go,' she argued. 'And, as a country that helped found the ICC and supported it, I think that it is really important for us to continue to find ways in which people can find justice around the world,' Omar added. More broadly she said she understood why some of the things she said would be interpreted as being anti-Semitic. After serving as an icon for nearly 60 years as the inspiration behind Andy Warhol's famous pop art, the Campbell's soup can is getting a redesign - and is going up for sale as a 'non-fungible token' online. Its 1960s mod style meets the world of bitcoin as the proceeds from the 'NFT,' which allows people to buy virtual shares of a piece of art, goes to a hunger for fighting charity. Through the redesign the company said Tuesday it hopes to evoke, the 'same sense of comfort, goodness and Americana,' as the previous label did, with familiar flourishes such as the slanted 'O' in soup, and the cursive Campbell's font that came from the world's first ready-to-eat soup: Campbell's Beefsteak Tomato, in 1895. That familiarity, as the story goes, was what brought Warhol to recreate the can in 32 paintings he produced from 1961 to 1962. The form came from the artist's roots in the previous decade as a window dresser in New York City, where he designed commercial displays intended to draw shoppers in. Campbell's announced the first redesign of its iconic soup can label in 50 years Tuesday, with the new design (left) appearing to hew fairly closely to the old one (right) Pop artist Andy Warhol famously recreated the can logo in 32 paintings he made from 1961 to 1961. The story goes that he chose the design based off of its familiarity. He is pictured in 1971 with actress Jane Forth The legend goes that New York art dealer Roberta Latow was the person who gave Warhol the idea for his Campbell's soup In the advertising world, the standard was to recreate details from everyday life, as Warhol had done in his window dressings, according to a look into his pop-art beginnings by Smithsonian Magazine. By the beginning of the 1960s Warhol was seeking to break into the high culture art world as opposed to the commercial one he had been making a living in, but was having trouble finding the proper inspiration. His breakthrough would come from a conversation with Muriel Latow, a minor New York art dealer who went to a dinner party at Warhol's house in the fall of 1961, when he was lamenting being surpassed by other pop art pioneers Claes Oldenburg and Roy Lichtenstein. 'I've got to do something that really will have a lot of impact, that will be different enough from Lichtenstein,' he is supposed to have told her, and asked his guests for ideas. As the legend goes, Latow asked Warhol to hand over a check for $50 before telling him hers. 'You've got to find something that's recognizable to almost everybody,' she told him. 'Something you see every day that everybody would recognize. Something like a can of Campbell's Soup.' The next day Warhol, or his mother, as other versions of the story tell it, ran to a supermarket across the street and purchased every variety of the soup it had in stock. The paintings would be Warhol's breakthrough as a pop artist after he spend years designing window dressings When it comes to the newly designed, modern-day can, other details on the redesigned can include the 'C' from founder Joseph Campbell's original signature in the fleur de lis, bordering 'soup' on the bottom. It is meant to pay tribute to the tribute to the lettering from the original red and white label created in 1898. The soup varieties to include the redesign are tomato, cream of chicken, cream of mushroom and chicken noodle To celebrate the launch of its redesigned label, Campbells also announced that it was selling its first-ever non-fungible token (NFT) artwork Tuesday evening based off of the new design, with proceeds going to the nonprofit Feeding America. The company partnered with digital artist Sophia Chang for the sale. The new design remains little changed from the mid-century version Warhol further popularized Based in Queens, Chang is a commercial artist who has worked for brands such as the MLB, Reebok, Microsoft among many others and has 67,000 followers on Instagram. 100 of the art pieces were scheduled to go on sale at 5.30 pm Tuesday on the platform NTWRK for around $112 a piece, and a unique animated version is scheduled to go up for auction on Opensea. It is not clear how much the piece is estimated to sell for, but it will be open to bids until Aug. 6 at 9pm. For comparison, just one of Warhol's soup cans from 1962 was sold in 2010 for more than $9 million, according to Christie's auction house - and almost certainly is worth significantly more now. Campbell's also commissioned an NFT artwork by commercial artist Sophia Chang to celebrate the redesign. 100 copies of her art (pictured above) were scheduled to go on sale Tuesday at 5.30pm while a unique animated version will be up for auction until Aug. 6 at 9pm 'Some of the most famous pop art ever created was inspired by the Campbell's red and white can the design is as much a staple of the grocery aisle as it is American culture,' Chang said. 'As a visual storyteller, I always am looking for new ways to express creativity. I wanted to hero the beloved label with key words that connect to the brand for me, while including a photo-real element of the fresh label to celebrate the new design.' The soup maker had seen a 15 percent quarterly surge in sales in June 2020 as customers stockpiled at the outset of the pandemic but has since seen a downturn in business. By March 2021, however, the company said sales were slowing as the coronavirus waned. By June, the company said that higher material and transportation costs were cutting into its profit margins the New York Post reported. 'We expected this to be a challenging quarter but it was made even tougher by several additional factors,' Campbell Chief Executive Officer Mark Clouse said. The company also expects sale to fall at least 3 percent. Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy revealed on Tuesday how police officers saved her and another member of Congress on the day of the January 6th MAGA riot. During the first hearing of the House panel investigating the insurrection, Murphy told the officers testifying how they saved her and fellow Democratic Rep. Kathleen Rice. The two women were hiding in a room 40 feet away from the tunnel where DC Metro police officers Michael Fanone and Daniel Hodges and other officers pushed rioters back. Fanone and Hodges were two of the officers testifying about their experiences on the day of the riot. Murphy had the footage played of Hodges being crushed in a door as rioters beat him with his own gas mask. 'You were our last line of defense,' Murphy, a Florida Democrat, told him. 'I shudder to think what would have happened had you not held that line.' Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy revealed how police officers saved her and another member of Congress on the day of the January 6th MAGA riot DC Metro police officers Michael Fanone and Daniel Hodges were among the officers about 40 feet away, holding back rioters from the Capitol basement, where Reps. Murphy and Rice were hiding in a room She recalled hearing the officers' coughing, helping one another, and then going back out to fight. Murphy said the two women took refuge in that room because they thought they would be safe in the Capitol basement. 'It turned out we ended up at the center of the storm,' she said. 'Imagine if they had caught the two members of Congress that were just 40 feet from where you all were.' She told the officers their actions gave her and Rice time to escape with a group of US Capitol Police officers sent to extract them. She noted she has two young children: a 10-year-old son and a seven-year-old daughter. 'And the reason I was able to hug them again, was because of the courage that you and your fellow officers showed that day. And so just to really heartfelt thank you,' she said. Murphy's story was one of many shared on Tuesday as members of US Capitol Police and DC Metro talked about their experiences during the January 6th MAGA riot. The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol held its first hearing and kept the focus on the police officers' experience when Donald Trump's supporters swarmed the Capitol, leaving five people dead in the aftermath. The emotional day got to almost everyone - lawmakers and witnesses alike. Several times the officers wiped away tears, particularly when footage from January 6th shown. The lawmakers got shook up talking about their gratitude for the officers' work. Rep. Murphy noted she has a 10-year-old son and a seven-year-old daughter 'And the reason I was able to hug them again, was because of the courage that you and your fellow officers showed that day,' she said Reps. Stephanie Murray and Kathleen Rice - the two women hid together in the basement of the Capitol on the day of January 6 riot; above Rice posted a pic of the two of them on her instagram account Murphy noted not a single lawmaker was captured or hurt during the riot. 'I think it's important for everybody though to remember that the main reason rioters didn't harm any members of Congress was because they didn't encounter any members of Congress, and they didn't encounter any members of Congress because law enforcement officers did your jobs that day, and you did it well,' she said. 'I think without you, what would have been a terrible and what was a terrible and tragic day would have been even more terrible and more tragic. So just very grateful for all of you,' she added. After the hearing, she went up to the officers to thank them personally for their service. A suspected serial killer has been accused of murdering a third woman - a pregnant 21-year-old from Michigan. Harold David Haulman III, has been charged with first degree murder for the death of Ashley Parlier, who went missing from Battle Creek while she was pregnant in 2005. Haulman, a 43-year-old married trucker, is already charged with the murders of his girlfriend Tianna Phillips, 25, and Erica Shultz, 26. His estranged wife turned him in after he sent her a signed confession in a bizarre attempt to save their marriage. He was charged with the third murder after reportedly talking about Parlier's death during police interviews. Harold David Haulman III (right) is accused of killing Ashley Parlier (left) a pregnant 21-year-old who went missing from Battle Creek, Michigan 'He indicated that he had assaulted her and knocked her unconscious' after an argument at a house, Sheriff Steve Hinkley said at a press conference Tuesday. 'He then drove her to a remote area in Newton Township, where he struck her in the head several times with a piece of wood until she was dead.' Parlier's sister, Nicole Campen, revealed that law enforcement had already provided their family with a copy of Haulman's indictment, which gave the family closure after 16 years of uncertainty. 'We got our indictment,' Campen told the Daily Item. 'I was told this was coming and I will be at his (Haulmans) trial and coming to Pennsylvania to attend Haulmans hearings. My family is thrilled the detectives from Michigan and Pennsylvania built such a strong case and they all worked diligently. This was 16 years in the making and I wish my parents could be alive to hear this news,' she added. A former truck driver, Haulman has already been charged in two Pennsylvania murder cases, for Tianna Phillips, 25, who went missing in 2018, and Erica Shultz who went missing last year Erica Shultz, 26,(left) and Tianna Phillips (right) were both murdered and police believe Haulman was their killer Haulman has already been charged in two Pennsylvania murder cases, one for 25-year-old Phillips and Shultz. Phillips, who Haulman was romantically involved with, disappeared in 2018. Shultz was killed in December. According to court documents obtained by WNEP-TV, Haulman used online dating apps to lure the women, where he would then take them to an isolated part of the woods in Butler Township and murder them, according to a Standard-Speaker report. After his May arrest for the suspicion of the Pennsylvania murders, Luzerne County Detective Shawn Williams interviewed Haulman, who began discussing the Parlier murder unprovoked, leading to the most recent charges. Parlier allegedly fell victim to serial killer Harold David Haulman III 'I am pleased that the Calhoun County Sheriffs Department is able to bring homicide charges against Harold David Haulman III regarding their investigation,' Williams told the Daily Item on Monday. 'I hope through our investigation and theirs, that the families of the victims can begin to heal during this difficult time. Unfortunately, these families have commonalities. My hope is that it brings them together.' Much of the evidence that led to Haulman's arrest for the Pennsylvania murders and subsequent Michigan murder stems from a confession letter he had sent his estranged wife, Anne Haulman, while attempting to reconcile the marriage during the time of the killings. 'On June 13th 2018 I drove to Berwick Pa and picked up Tiana Ann Phillips and took her for a drive. We ended up somewhere in the woods east of Berwick Pa. After walking into the woods I pulled a knive (sic) from my pocket and attacked her from behind cutting her throat,' Haulman wrote to Anne, who promptly provided the letter to authorities. 'As she gasped for her last breath of air I stabbed her repeatedly in the side of the neck, back and arms. I then returned to the crime scene months later and retrieved any and all evidence and disposed of it in a dumpster, not sure exactly where. I Harold David Haulman III committed this crime on my own and of my own free will, David Haulman.' Police told the Daily Item that Haulman told his wife in 2018 that he killed Phillips and showed her pictures of a dead woman, but Anne told prosecutors that she didn't believe him. Then he forced her to go to the murder scene with him three months later, and he removed Phillips' skull, clothing and ribcage from the area, she told prosecutors. The couple separated during summer 2020, but Haulman tried to reconcile with her a few months later by sending greeting cards and the above confession letter. Two years later, Haulman's wife would once again help solve another one of her husband's murder cases, when she informed Pennsylvania police that Haulman had been in contact with Erica Shultz, who had gone missing and hadn't been seen since December 2020. Haulman had also been convicted of murder in Germany back in the late 1990s, 'but the charges were reduced and he was released' from his overseas prison, according to the Daily Item. A Colorado police department has secured arrest warrants for two of its officers, after a suspect was pistol-whipped during a trespassing call last week. Aurora Police Officers John Haubert, 39, and Francine Martinez, 40, were the first on the scene for a trespassing call at 2.16 pm Friday near Peoria, where they reportedly encountered three suspects, including Kyle Maurice Vinson, 29. Two of the suspects ran, authorities said, at which point Haubert forced Vinson to the ground and started choking him, eventually hitting him with the butt of his gun until he bled from his head and started crying. Vinson was reportedly struck by the pistol about 13 times, and required six stitches, officials announced Tuesday, and he was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Haubert has now been charged with first-degree attempted murder, second-degree assault, felony menacing, official oppression and official misconduct. He has also been suspended from the police department without pay. Martinez, meanwhile, is charged with failing her duty to intervene and duty to report use of force. She has been suspended from the department with pay. Both Haubert and Martinez are now out on bond, Police Chief Vanessa Wilson said at a news conference on Tuesday. Aurora, Colorado police officers John Haubert, 39, and Francine Martinez, 40, are facing charges after Haubert was seen on body camera footage pistol whipping a suspect as Martinez failed to intervene Police Chief Vanessa Wilson announced the charges at a news conference on Tuesday According to court documents obtained by CBS Denver, upon arriving on the scene Friday, the two officers ordered the three suspects to sit while they tried to run a records check on them. After Martinez reportedly discovered that they had warrants, two of the suspects ran away. At that point, Haubert could be seen pushing Vinson to the ground, and demands that he rolls over on his stomach, as Vinson asks: 'Whoa, what the h*** did I do.' Soon, Haubert is seen grabbing Vinson by the neck with one hand and pressing the muzzle of his gun on the back of Vinson's head with the other, ordering him to put his hands out in front of him, as Vinson insists he does not have a warrant. Haubert could then be seen hitting Vinson with the gun multiple times. With blood streaking down his face, Vinson could be seen beginning to cry, saying: 'You're killing me bro.' Police body camera footage shows the two officers approaching three men as they were investigating a trespassing call on Friday afternoon After two of the men fled, Haubert could be seen pushing Kyle Maurice Vinson to the ground Soon, Haubert is seen grabbing Vinson, 29, by the neck with one hand and pressing the muzzle of his gun on the back of Vinson's head with the other He could be heard ordering Vinson to put his hands out in front of him, before hitting him in the head with the muzzle of his gun as Vinson insists he did not do anything Meanwhile, Haubert once again ordered him to 'Get over on your face,' holding him by his sleeve, at which point Vinson insists he did not have a warrant and says 'I can't go to jail for something I didn't do.' Haubert, though, continued to hold Vinson down, telling him that if he moves, he would shoot him, to which Vinson replies: 'I didn't even run.' He clearly had a large welt on the right side of his head, and as he tried to get up, Haubert grabbed him by the leg and flipped him back onto the ground. Eventually, a third officer arrives on the scene, and proceeds to handcuff Vinson, as he says: 'I was just fighting for my life, guys.' Haubert reportedly held Vinson down and strangled him for a total of 39 seconds before the other officer showed up and struck Vinson with a taser, and he was taken into custody. He was reportedly unarmed at the time, and police do not believe he had an existing warrant at the time of his arrest. Vinson pleaded with Haubert to stop as he forces him back on the ground Haubert reportedly held Vinson down and strangled him for 39 seconds, as Vinson began to lose consciousness The video clearly shows Vinson with a large welt on the right side of his head Eventually, a third officer showed up and handcuffed Vinson, taking him into custody and bringing him to a local hospital for treatment 'This was an anomaly,' Chief Wilson said at the news conference on Tuesday, adding that she is 'grateful that Mr. Vinson is alive.' 'This was not what we trained,' she said. 'This was not police work.' She also said that the department was 'disgusted' and 'angry' by the use of force displayed in the video, but cautioned against painting 'this police department with a broad brush.' 'We are trying to reform,' Wilson told reporters. 'We are trying to make a difference.' In October, Wilson presented the city council with her plan to reform the police department, which included efforts to increase diversity in officer ranks and civilian appointments on critical internal review boards, according to the Colorado Sentinel. Elijah McClain, 23, was killed by three white police officers in Colorado days after he suffered a heart attack and was declared brain dead following a violent arrest. On August 24, 2019, someone called 911, saying he 'looked sketchy' and was wearing a ski mask and waving his arms The city has also approved an independent auditor to scrutinize police practices, and, Wilson announced on Tuesday, the department will begin new de-escalation training. 'This is just the beginning,' she said, with City Manager Jim Twombly adding he has 'no tolerance for this type of behavior.' The department has previously come under fire for its use of force, particularly against people of color, including 23-year-old Elijah McClain who suffered a cardiac arrest after police stopped him while he was walking down a street in a ski mask in August 2019. A 157-page report from an independent commission studying the case concluded in February that the police had no legal basis to stop, frisk or use a hold on McClain. Paramedics who administered ketamine did so 'without conducting anything more than a brief visual observation', the report adds. It was this 'flawed' report from detectives that was used by the Attorney's Office to clear the officers involved in the arrest of wrongdoing. President Biden said on Tuesday he was weighing whether to require all federal workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as the nation faces surging infection rates and hospitalizations caused by the rampant Delta variant. He spoke just after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that fully vaccinated against COVID-19 should go back to wearing masks indoors in regions where infections were on the rise. The moves illustrate how far the nation is from the 'summer of freedom' that Biden promised just last month. Biden was asked about mandatory vaccinations for federal employees during a visit to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. 'That's under consideration right now,' he said, 'but if you're not vaccinated you're not nearly as smart as I thought you were.' He added that masking and vaccination were the best way to avoid a repeat of the lockdowns the country endured last year. President Biden said mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for federal workers were 'under consideration' during a visit to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in McLean, VA He denied that changing official advice was causing confusion and instead said it was the unvaccinated who were to blame for rising levels of infection The Delta variant is blamed for surging numbers of COVID-19 infections in the U.S., triggering a range of new measures to halt its spread President Biden had promised a 'summer of freedom' but the numbers keep going up 'The more we learn about this virus and the Delta variation the more we have to be worried and concerned,' he said. 'And the only thing we know for sure, if those other 100 million people got vaccinated we'd be in a very different world.' In the meantime the White House released a statement in which Biden said he would be laying out the 'next steps' in getting more Americans vaccinated on Thursday. 'By following the science, and by doing our part by getting vaccinated, America can beat COVID,' he said. 'In the meantime, more vaccinations and mask wearing in the areas most impacted by the Delta variant will enable us to avoid the kind of lockdowns, shutdowns, school closures, and disruptions we faced in 2020.' But officials know that vaccine mandates come with a risk. A day earlier, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said: 'The president certainly recognizes that he is not always the right voice to every community about the benefits of getting vaccinated, which is why we have invested as much as we have in local voices and empowering local, trusted voices.' On Tuesday, as the CDC was preparing to issue its guidance, Psaki said vaccinated people should wear masks indoors to protect their loved one. 'We're not saying that wearing a mask is convenient, or people feel like it, but we are telling you that that is the way to protect yourself protect your loved ones and that's why the CDC is issuing this guidance,' she said. The White House is preparing to return to wearing masks again if required by the new federal guidance and rising rates of COVID-19, she added. Within a matter of hours that was the case. The new guidance set a threshold for masking at 50 cases per 100,000 people, based on a seven-day rolling average. In Washington the number was over 63 on Tuesday afternoon. As a result Vice President Kamala Harris's office told reporters to mask up as they arrived to cover her meeting with Native American leaders to discuss voting rights, and signs were going up in the James Brady Briefing Room informing people they would have to use face coverings even if fully vaccinated. Critics have accused infectious disease experts of flip-flopping on their guidance. But Psaki said the Delta variant had upended the scientific thinking since masking requirements were relaxed. 'That is their job,' she said. 'Their job is to look at evolving information, evolving data, an evolving historic pandemic and provide guidance to the American public.' Although the number of cases is on the rise, officials say vaccination protects against developing severe cases of COVID-19 and is saving lives White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the guidance was changing as the position on the ground was changing and scientists understood more about the virus and the pandemi At the White House, that would mean officials preparing to follow the new CDC guidelines and to monitor conditions that may require masking. 'First, we will, of course, be abiding by every aspect of the CDC guidelines on masking that they provide this afternoon,' she said. 'And that does mean, as you conveyed, that we will be looking at the rates in different areas where the president may visit and also the rates as they if they move in Washington, D.C. and we will apply guidance accordingly.' Psaki faced repeated questions during the daily briefing about whether President Biden had been too quick to declare a 'summer of freedom' last month as the country faces setbacks in the fight against COVID-19. She insisted the responsible thing to do was to keep updating guidance as conditions changed. 'We're at war, we continue to be at war with a virus and evolving pandemic,' she said. 'Our responsibility here is to always leave with the science, and always lead with the advice of health and medical experts, and we're going to continue to provide information to all of you about how to protect yourself and save your lives.' Most new infections in the U.S. continue to be among unvaccinated people. But 'breakthrough' infections, which generally cause milder illness, can occur in vaccinated people. Marjorie Taylor Greene slammed the 'vile left' on Tuesday after a group of protesters overran her press conference with Matt Gaetz and other conservative lawmakers who were running counterprogramming to the Capitol riot committee's first hearing. 'Radical communist leftist are hell-bent on silencing free speech in America,' Greene said in a statement. 'Just like in California, BLM/Antifa domestic terrorists followed their Democratic Party marching orders and formed a mob to try to shut down America First voices fighting for the truth,' the Georgia representative added. 'I refuse to back down to the vile left and will continue to demand answers about January 6th.' At the same time as the defunct press conference, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's committee investigating the January 6 riot was convening for the first time on Capitol Hill. Representatives Greene, Gaetz, Louie Gohmer, Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs and Bob Good were 'demanding answers' from Attorney General Merrick Garland about the treatment of those arrested in connection to the attack. They called these pro-Trump detainees 'political prisoners.' Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene (left) and Matt Gaetz (right) were forced to shut down a press conference with four other pro-Trump lawmakers on Tuesday after a group of protesters drowned out the event As the group spoke to a crowd of supporters and protesters, someone repeatedly blew a whistle to drown out what they lawmakers were saying. Finally the protesters got too close for comfort and the press conference ended prematurely From left: Representatives Bob Good, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Andy Biggs, Louie Gohmert, Paul Gosar and Matt Gaetz Greene was rushed by security into a vehicle after the conference abruptly ended and protesters followed the lawmakers off the scene 'These are not unruly or dangerous violent criminals. These are political prisoners, prisoners who are now being persecuted,' Gosar said. Gohmert question of the U.S.: 'Are we housing political prisoners?' Protesters showed up in front of the Justice Department on Tuesday to drown out the press conference. 'Are you a pedophile?!' one protester yelled at Gaetz, who is currently under investigation for sex trafficking after allegedly paying a 17-year-old for sex. Another held up a sign behind the group that read, 'Traitors + Rapists: Sit Down.' 'We're wondering why questions that have been asked by colleagues for many months have gone unanswered,' Gaetz said before they were forced to prematurely end their event. The press conference, however, was doomed from the start. A large paper mache of Trump made an appearance at the conference, along with a sign that read 'Pedophiles for Trump,' in reference to the investigation into claims Gaetz trafficked a minor by allegedly paying for sex with a girl who was 17-years-old at the time 'We need to end it!': Protesters surrounded the group, getting too close for security's comfort Just moments after the group began speaking, someone began repeatedly blowing a whistle through the duration of the spectacle. Then, the sign-holding protesters began closing in on the group from all sides as Greene lamented they weren't even allowed inside the lobby of the Justice Department on Tuesday. 'We need to end it,' one staffer could be heard saying after the demonstrators got a bit too close for comfort to the lawmakers. Texas Representative Gohmert said into the microphone as they left, 'Thank you. For those of you that really care about due process thank you.' The group of six pro-Trump members of Congress decided to hold their press conference at the same time as the committee hearing kicked off following Pelosi's last week rejection of two of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's picks to join the panel. In response, McCarthy ended up pulling all five of his picks. Pelosi brought on two anti-Trump Republicans who voted for his impeachment to the select committee Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois. Cheney gave one of the two opening statements, speaking after committee Chairman Bennie Thompson. The House speaker said over the weekend that Representative Jim Jordan and Jim Banks, whom she vetoed for the committee last week, 'would jeopardize the integrity of the investigation.' Gohmert, who called those arrested in connection to January 6 'political prisoners' speaks with a One America News reporter after the press conference broke up as a sign behind him tells 'Traitors + Rapists: Sit Down' She also claimed she wouldn't put up with their 'antics,' likely a reference to the two lawmakers' claiming they would use the probe to question Pelosi's role in not having adequate security at the Capitol complex on January 6. They also were going to seek answers regarding the rise in political violence in the U.S., especially from far left groups like Black Lives Matter and Antifa. Since Pelosi's rejection, Republicans have just increased their criticism of the committee as a partisan witch hunt to further peg the attack on former President Donald Trump. Greene, Gaetz and the four other lawmakers at the Justice Department on Tuesday want to know what the fate is of those who have been arrested in connection to the Capitol riot. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas insisted that data indicating a record surge in migrants coming to the southern border since Joe Biden took office is 'misleading' during a Tuesday Senate hearing. He said the numbers weren't accurate because many of the migrants are repeat offenders making more than one attempt to cross the border each month, including those who are expelled under the Centers for Disease Control and Protection's Title 42. 'The number of apprehensions, the number of encounters does not equal the number of individuals encountered,' he said, adding that those expelled under Title 42 'often return and are expelled again.' 'Individuals are being expelled more than once.' At one point Mayorkas defended the Biden administration by saying the surge of migrants at the border 'began in April of last year,' under the Trump administration, and called it a 'periodic surge' that reflected a broken immigration system rather than the actions of one White House. Both Senators Mitt Romney (left) and Josh Hawley (right) grilled Mayorkas during the contentious hearing. Romney accused Mayorkas of talking like a 'politician' while Hawley slammed the Biden administration's record on illegal immigration as an 'unmitigated disaster' Data released by Customs and Border Protection revealed 188,829 migrants were stopped at the southwest border in June, the sixth monthly increase since the start of 2021 and roughly 8,000 more since May. These statistics just account for the apprehensions, and doesn't include the migrants who cross undetected - according to reports that is up to 1,500 people every day Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley was quick to blame the unprecedented numbers on the Biden administration. 'Mr. Secretary, with all due respect, this record is an unmitigated disaster,' Hawley said, claiming states like his were 'awash in drugs' from increased illicit activity at the border. When grilled about whether the administration's border policies are working, Mayorkas told the Missouri lawmaker that 'we have a plan, we are executing the plan, the plan takes time to execute - and we are doing so.' Mayorkas said that many people accounted for in Border Patrol's unprecedented numbers have tried to cross the border more than once He added that the coronavirus pandemic further complicated efforts. 'COVID was at its height a year ago, Mr. Secretary, and with all due respect we saw none of these numbers a year ago,' Hawley snapped. 'This crisis has occurred under your tenure.' Another point in the contentious hearing saw Utah Senator Mitt Romney attempt to pressure Mayorkas into revealing whether or not he agreed with the House's measure halting construction on the border wall. 'The decision with regard to the border wall was not a political decision but a substantive one - that the $15 billion that was dedicated to construction of the border wall was ill-advised,' Mayorkas defended. The Homeland Security chief declined to tell senators if he supported budget cuts to border enforcement proposed by House Democrats. 'In certain respects, I think we should increase it, and in other respects, I think we should reduce it,' he said. 'Some of it is not spent wisely to achieve the most important outcomes...I know that by being in the trenches.' Romney laughed, 'I asked a simple question, do you think the budget should be reduced or not, and you responded like a politician.' Customs and Border Protection revealed that 188,829 migrants were stopped at the southwest border in June Immigration officers now have the power to turn migrant families away after just a quick initial screening if they don't meet qualifications for asylum at the southwest border, the Biden administration quietly announced Monday evening. The policy, expedited removal, is the 'legal authority given to even low-level immigration officers' to deport non-US citizens 'without any of the due-process protections granted to most other people,' according to the American Immigration Council. First passed under Bill Clinton in 1996 the policy has since been used by Democrats and Republicans to stem the flow of illegal immigration. Under the newly-reinstated policy, border officials will be able to swiftly deport migrant families who do not meet requirements for asylum (pictured: Over 100 migrants surrendered to Border Patrol agents on July 8 afternoon near Sasabe, AZ) DHS called expedited removal a 'lawful, more accelerated procedure' to remove migrant family units in a Monday evening statement (pictured: Rio Grande Valley Sector (RGV) Border Patrol agents arrest 53 migrants in three stash houses on July 13) The Department of Homeland Security said family units who can't be expelled under Title 42 will face screenings for possible expedited removal. 'Expedited removal provides a lawful, more accelerated procedure to remove those family units who do not have a basis under U.S. law to be in the United States,' the DHS statement read. 'The Biden-Harris Administration is working to build a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system, and the Department of Homeland Security continues to take several steps to improve lawful processing at ports of entry and reforms to strengthen the asylum system.' The department did not elaborate on what the screenings will entail. Title 42 was enacted during the coronavirus pandemic and effectively allows the US to send migrants back across the border even if they wanted to make a legal asylum claim. The Trump administration cited the need to slow the spread of COVID cases in the country. Requirements for expedited removal were not immediately clear, but the New York Times reports it could possible apply to certain families depending on where they come from, what part of the border they cross or how old the children are. Human smugglers trafficking migrants across the border have recently targeted specific areas in Texas, Arizona and California because some Mexican border states have refused to accept some families, including those with young children, from countries outside of Central America. Immigration advocates who have already been pleading with the Biden White House to repeal Title 42 have criticized the administration's move. The head of the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project called the administration's decision 'appalling' The head of a faith-based group helping migrants at the border said the US 'cannot enshrine Trump policy as new normal' - but expedited removal was first enacted under Bill Clinton The executive director of a legal-focused immigrant advocates' group criticized the move as lacking due process 'This is an appalling announcement. Increasing the use of expedited removalparticularly for familiesis the opposite of what the government should be doing,' wrote Director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project Omar C. Jadwat wrote on Twitter. Head of the Hope Border Institute Dylan Corbett warned it would 'enshrine Trump policy as the new normal.' 'This is not due process,' Director of Immigration Arc Camille J. Mackler, a group of legal advocates focused on assisting immigrants in New York wrote. 'The expedited removal 'procedure' involves sitting across a desk from a government agent signing a deportation order. There is no ability to see a judge, consult with a legal advocate (much less an attorney), or otherwise understand the process.' However, the Biden administration has struggled to stem the flow of illegal immigration to the US, a record surge that has been complicated by the rapidly-spreading COVID Delta variant. Figures released Friday show 188,829 migrants were encountered at the southern border in June, even more than Customs and Border Patrol saw in May The 2021 numbers are way higher than previous years' figures of southwest land border encounters provided by Customs and Border Protection CBP data indicates that almost 1.2 million migrants could have already entered the US since the beginning of the year and more than 2.3 million people could cross into the US by the end of 2021, if the pace of apprehensions and those who avoid detection remain the same. From January to May, 711,784 migrants were encountered by Customs and Border Protection at the southern border five times the amount during the same period in 2020 under Trump. The number of crossers already reported by CBP since the start of 2021 surpasses the population of several large U.S. cities, like Boston and Nashville. Despite the surging number of migrants coming from outside the US and number of COVID cases rising within, just 14 percent of families encountered by Border Patrol were expelled under Title 42 in June. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is set to testify in front of the Senate this morning, where he could be asked about his department's Monday night move. Jarvis Wayne Madison, 62, of New Albany, Indiana, in mugshot An abusive husband has been sentenced to life in prison for stalking his estranged wife from Indiana to Florida, shooting her three times in his SUV and burying her body in a shallow grave in Tennessee. Jarvis Wayne Madison, 62, of New Albany, Indiana, was sentenced Monday in Orlando federal court over the 2016 murder of his wife Rachael Madison, 44. Rachael vanished after leaving her aunt's house in Ormond Beach, Florida, to go for a jog back on November 27 2016. She had been staying with her aunt after fleeing Indiana to escape Madison who had previously held her against her will, threatened to kill her and shot at her. Madison quickly became a suspect in her disappearance and was arrested days later in Louisville, Kentucky, before directing law enforcement to his wife's body more than 600 miles away from where she was last seen alive. The couple, who were married but estranged, were in Indiana on November 15 2016 when Madison threatened to kill Rachael and fired a gun at her, according to court documents. The 44-year-old woman managed to escape and, with the help of her aunt, moved in Ormond Beach, just north of Daytona Beach. Between November 15 and November 27, Madison left multiple texts and voicemails for his wife with her aunt to try to get her to speak to him, officials said. He eventually tracked Rachael in Florida and traveled to the area in disguise and armed with a firearm and binoculars, authorities said. Madison then began to carry out surveillance on his wife at her aunt's home. On the day she disappeared, Madison watched Rachael leave the home alone and head out for a jog, authorities said. He confronted her and managed to get her into his SUV, driving them away from the area. Jarvis Wayne Madison was sentenced to life in prison for stalking estranged wife Rachael Madison from Indiana to Florida, shooting her three times in his SUV and burying her body in a shallow grave in Tennessee. Jarvis Wayne and Rachael Madison pictured The area where Rachael's body was found above. Madison confessed to her murder days after she vanished in 2016 and directed cops to her body more than 600 miles away in Tennessee Madison then shot his wife three times, killing her and traveling to the home of friend Belenda Sandy in West Virginia, investigators said. He then bought a shovel and a tarp and drove to a remote area near Knoxville, Tennessee, where he buried Rachael's body in a shallow grave, officials said. When Rachael was reported missing by her family the day she disappeared, local law enforcement said they are concerned for her well-being and described Madison as 'violent' and 'abusive'. Rachael had taken out an emergency protective order against him at least once in the past. Rachael (above) vanished after leaving her aunt's house in Ormond Beach, Florida, to go for a jog back on November 27 2016 Madison was arrested days later on December 2. He confessed to his wife's murder and directed authorities to where he had disposed of her body. Authorities said they recovered the firearm used in the murder and a pair of binoculars in his SUV. Blood stains were also found in the front passenger seat of the car. Despite confessing to her murder under questioning, Madison told reporters after his arrest 'I didn't kill her' and that his wife was 'with Jesus.' Sandy, 60, was previously sentenced to seven years and three months in federal prison after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice. Madison had a history of domestic violence involving at least two other women. In 2005, he was convicted of criminal confinement in Clark County for holding a separate woman in her car. The woman managed to escape but Madison chased her and threatened her and another woman, reported WLKY. He was later convicted of terroristic threatening in Oldham County, Kentucky, in 2013 after holding another woman against her will for hours, driving her around in a car and threatening to shoot her and her children. An urgent recall has been issued for about four million ventilators and sleep apnoea machines that can leech toxic particles into organs and cause cancer. Breathing aids manufactured by Dutch electronics giant Phillips were recalled worldwide on Monday, including 14 devices sold in Australia. Ventilators included in the recall are the Trilogy 100, Trilogy 200, and BiPAP A30/A40. Ventilators included in the recall are the Trilogy 100, Trilogy 200 and BiPAP A30/A40 (pictured) A further ten CPAP machines that treat sleep apnoea have also been recalled for the same reason, including the DreamStation ASV, DreamStation ST, AVAPS, SystemOne ASV4, C-Series ASV, C-Series S/T and AVAPS, OmniLab Advanced+, SystemOne (Q-Series), DreamStation and the DreamStation Go. The recall notice said foam used to dampen the sound of the machine can degrade and enter the airway, which carries a risk of cancer. Potential side effects from the foam degradation include skin, eye, and respiratory tract inflammation, headaches, asthma, and adverse effects to kidneys and the liver, and toxic carcinogenic effects. Phillips will write to affected consumers and attempt to repair the devices, and told them to register their products as soon as possible at the support website. A further ten CPAP machines that treat sleep apnoea have also been recalled for the same reason, including the DreamStation ASV, DreamStation ST, AVAPS (pictured) The company has also urged customers not to stop using ventilators if essential to medical treatment, and suggested making an appointment with a doctor to discuss potential alternatives. Philips chief executive Frans van Houten told Reuters the company was one of the largest makers of sleep apnea machines and ventilators and that 3 million to 4 million were targeted in the worldwide recall. 'We're going to put all our capacity to focus entirely on replacing and repairing these units,' Van Houten said, a process he said would likely take a year. A cardinal said he felt 'tranquil in my conscience' as a fraud and embezzlement trial over alleged mismanagement of the Holy See's investments began today. Vatican prosecutors allege that ten defendants, including high-rolling London financiers and church employees, engaged in various crimes such as embezzlement, fraud and corruption. The former right-hand man to Pope Francis Angelo Becciu, who says he is the innocent victim of a plot, is the highest-profile defendant embroiled in the Church's ruinous purchase of a 17,000-sq metre London property in the upmarket neighbourhood of Chelsea under his watch. Cardinal Angelo Becciu, one of two defendants who attended the largely procedural, seven-hour session today, told reporters he remains 'obedient' to Pope Francis, who stripped his privileges to bring him before the tribunal. 'He wanted me to be on trial, and I'm coming to the trial. I'm serene. I feel tranquil in my conscience,' Cardinal Becciu said. The former cardinal Angelo Becciu, who says he is the innocent victim of a plot, is the highest-profile defendant embroiled in the Church's ruinous purchase of a 17,000-sq metre London property in the upmarket neighbourhood of Chelsea under his watch President Giuseppe Pignatone (C), Professor Venerando Marano (L), Director of the Department of Law at the University of Rome 'Tor Vergata' and Carlo Bonzano, Professor of Criminal Procedural Law at the University of Rome 'Tor Vergata' during the trial for alleged financial wrongdoing of Senior cardinal Angelo Becciu and nine others, in the Vatican on July 27, 2021 Becciu, a former longtime Vatican diplomat, is charged with embezzlement, abusing his office and with pressing a monsignor to recant information he gave to prosecutors about the handling of disastrous real estate deal involving properties in London. The 73-year-old prelate, who was elevated to cardinal by Francis in 2018 but later dismissed by the pope from his later post in charge of the church's saint-making office, has denied any wrongdoing. During the first day of the trial, defense lawyers lamented they hadn't had time to digest about 28,000 pages of documents recently released by Vatican prosecutors. They noted that much of the evidence from the July 3 indictments hadn't been made available to them, apparently due to logistical problems. Chief Judge Giuseppe Pignatone agreed, setting the next hearing for October 5. A former Rome chief prosecutor, Pignatone earlier had spent years investigating the Mafia in Sicily and criminal economic activity. The case against Becciu, the former right-hand man to Pope Francis (pictured), which carries charges of embezzlement, abuse of office and witness tampering, also includes separate allegations over hundreds of thousands of euros of church funds paid to his brother's charity The Vatican, an independent city state, has a tiny courtroom, as well as its own jail. But to accommodate all the defendants, lawyers and journalists for what is the largest trial in the Holy See's modern history, the case was moved to a hall that is part of the Vatican Museums. A 487-page indictment released earlier this month sheds light on hefty bank transfers, text messages between collaborators from seized cellphones - even bags of money changing hands and secret meetings in luxury hotels. The case against Becciu, which carries charges of embezzlement, abuse of office and witness tampering, includes separate allegations over hundreds of thousands of euros of church funds paid to his brother's charity. The trial ensnaring the former cardinal - who was fired by the pontiff in September and stripped of his privileges as cardinal - represents the first time a cardinal has been indicted by Vatican criminal prosecutors in modern history. The complex case alleged by prosecutors paints a picture of dubious, risky investments involving millions of dollars of Vatican money, little or no oversight, and double-dealing by outside consultants and insiders trusted with the financial interests of the Secretariat of State, the Vatican's most important department charged with general affairs and diplomacy. The primary defendants are 'actors in a rotten predatory and lucrative system, sometimes made possible thanks to limited, but very incisive, complicity and internal connivance,' wrote prosecutors. Since becoming pope in 2013, Francis has vowed to clean up the Church's finances, dogged for decades by scandal. After a 2019 raid on the Secretariat's offices by Vatican police, Francis stripped the body of oversight of its own funds, handing that responsibility to others. The scandal is particularly embarrassing because funds used for risky ventures, including the disastrous 350-million-euro (300million) investment in Chelsea, came from the Peter's Pence, an annual fund for the pope's charities. The current case dates from 2013, when the Secretariat borrowed more than $200 million (145million), mainly from Credit Suisse, to invest in a Luxembourg fund managed by an Italian-Swiss businessman, Raffaele Mincione. Half was intended for stock market purchases and the rest for part of the London building. Mincione, prosecutors allege, used the money to invest in high-risk ventures over which the Church had no control. By 2018, the Secretariat had already lost millions and tried to pull out of the deal. But another London-based financier, Gianluigi Torzi, brought in to broker the purchase of the rest of the building and cut ties with Mincione, instead joining forces with him, say prosecutors. Vatican prosecutors allege that ten defendants, including high-rolling London financiers and church employees, engaged in various crimes such as embezzlement, fraud and corruption By November 2018, the original investment had lost 18 million euros, prosecutors say, prompting the Vatican to seek an exit strategy while retaining its stake in the building in London's swank Chelsea neighbourhood Torzi arranged for the Holy See to give Mincione 40million to buy out the financier's share of the London property, but allegedly inserted a clause into the deal that gave himself control of the building through voting rights. Torzi is accused of demanding 15 million euros to relinquish control. Mincione and Torzi were helped, prosecutors claim, by Enrico Crasso, a former financial consultant to the Secretariat, and employee Fabrizio Tirabassi, both of whom face charges including fraud. Also implicated are two former top officials within the Vatican's financial regulator, including its ex-president, Swiss lawyer Rene Bruelhart, whom prosecutors say did not do enough to protect the Secretariat's interests. In another twist, Becciu is accused of paying defendant Cecilia Marogna 575,000 euros (491,500) in Vatican funds earmarked for freeing captive priests and nuns abroad that Marogna - dubbed 'the Cardinal's lady' by the Italian press - spent on luxury goods and hotels. Prosecutors claim the Vatican's top hierarchy, including Becciu's boss and pope ally Cardinal Pietro Parolin, were in favour of the London venture, but unaware of its financial details. Parolin, Pena Parra and Perlasca were not charged. Tirabassi is charged with corruption, extortion, embezzlement, fraud and abuse of office; he denies wrongdoing. Helen Webberley is a British-trained medic who has blonde hair, a large diamond wedding ring, finely manicured pale pink nails and a never-ending list of eager young patients. She is co-founder of a thriving international business called GenderGP, which sells sex hormones from its website for up to 100 a month to British children. But, at 52 and in the prime of her career, Dr Webberley has had to take her expertise overseas because she is currently suspended from practising as a doctor in Britain, after running an unlicensed clinic that treated hundreds of youngsters hoping to change their birth sex. A hearing conducted by doctors' watchdog the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) to assess her work and which opened yesterday promises to be explosive. She faces 29 charges, most of which she denies, include failure to provide good clinical care to three child patients who received powerful hormone treatments. Helen Webberley is co-founder of a thriving international business called GenderGP, which sells sex hormones from its website for up to 100 a month to British children Dr Webberley is accused of not obtaining adequate medical histories or arranging adequate physical or psychological assessments before prescribing the male sex hormone testosterone to two of them. In the third case, she is said to have given testosterone to a child when she lacked 'adequate training, qualifications or experience' to do so. Under scrutiny, too, will be a 2018 court case when a judge fined her 12,000 and found her guilty of being a risk to patient safety by giving hormones to children, including 12-year-olds. There is a degree of mystery about much of what Dr Webberley has done since that court case. From her website, it would appear that her only address in Britain is a London post-office box number. Her once-busy clinic in Wales, where she dispensed transgender drugs, is shut down. She currently works in Spain with devoted husband Mike, 55 who has also been suspended as a GP and calls GenderGP a 'global' enterprise. Dr Webberley can treat patients via the website using a legal loophole that allows drugs prescribed by doctors operating in the European Union area to be dispensed in the UK, even though this allows her young patients, desperate for treatment, to bypass NHS safeguards. The rebel medic (left) has been involved in other controversies. One involves the tragic death of Jayden Lowe (right), a transgender teenager who took his own life in 2018 by stepping in front of a train after being prescribed hormone treatment by GenderGP Last month, Helen Webberley's name was in the spotlight at a high-profile employment tribunal. On one side was the world-famous Gender Identity Development Service at the NHS's Tavistock Centre, in North London. On the other was a respected 62-year-old family psychotherapist, Sonia Appleby, who works at the clinic and takes a very dim view of Mrs Webberley. Ms Appleby, in charge of the safety of the Tavistock's young patients, claimed at the tribunal that she was ostracised by the clinic's bosses after she and other staff blew the whistle about Dr Webberley dispensing puberty-blockers to under-16s privately from her business in Abergavenny, Wales, before she decamped to Spain. Ms Appleby alleged that some children arriving for treatment at the Tavistock were already taking, or planning to take, hormones they had bought from Dr Webberley. Ms Appleby told the hearing that the doctor was 'prescribing puberty-blocking drugs in ethically dubious practices' to children. She had advised the parents of these children coming for treatment at the Tavistock to remove their offspring from GenderGP's care. This tribunal hearing was not the only time questions have been raised about the Tavistock Centre and its role in treating youngsters with gender issues. So what are blockers? Puberty-blockers are drugs that temporarily stop the body developing by suppressing the release of hormones produced in large quantities during puberty. These hormones tell the body to develop adult characteristics such as breasts, periods, facial hair or a deeper voice. The blockers are sometimes used to treat gender dysphoria, which the NHS defines as 'a sense of unease that a person may have because of a mismatch between their biological sex and their gender identity'. The Tavistock's Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) says puberty blockers give a young person 'time to consider their options . . . before making decisions about irreversible forms of treatment'. While the effects are physically reversible if treatment is stopped, the full psychological effects aren't known in young people with gender dysphoria. Nor is it clear whether the treatment affects development of the teenage brain or bones. Supporters of the drugs say children with gender dysphoria who don't take them may be more likely to feel suicidal. Puberty blockers have been in use for decades, but were only developed to prevent 'precocious puberty' when, for instance, girls develop breasts or boys grow beards years earlier than normal. Advertisement Last month, the Appeal Court considered another thorny issue when the Tavistock asked judges to overturn a High Court ruling that under-16s can consent to puberty-blockers only if they understand the consequences of taking the drugs. In a landmark ruling in December 2020, the High Court had warned that it was 'highly unlikely' a child aged 13 or under would be able to consent to the treatment, and that it was 'doubtful' whether a 14 or 15-year-old would understand the consequences of starting what they called 'experimental' treatment. The High Court ruling came at the end of a historic case brought by a brave 24-year-old woman called Keira Bell. She had started taking puberty-blockers, prescribed by the Tavistock, at 16 and the results, she said, were devastating. She had hot flushes, brain fog and other menopausal symptoms, including the disappearance of her sex drive, as the drugs stopped her female body developing. With the Tavistock's help, she went on to take the male hormone testosterone to accelerate her transition from female to male. At 20, she had her breasts removed in a mastectomy on the NHS but she is now 'de-transitioning' back to female after abandoning the hormone treatment. She lives as a woman, although she told the Mail last year, in an exclusive and heart-rending interview, that the effects of the hormone drugs still ravage her body. Every day she has to shave because hair still grows on her chin. And while her periods have returned, she worries that she may now be infertile. She told me: 'I am living in a world where I don't fit in as a male or a female. I am stuck between the two sexes. 'I don't believe children and young people can consent, like I did, to the use of powerful experimental hormone drugs. They, along with surgery, don't work for everyone. The treatment needs to change so it doesn't put young people like me on a tortuous and unnecessary path that is life-changing. I feel I have been lied to.' On the first day of last month's Appeal Court hearing, Fenella Morris, lawyer for the Tavistock, said the consent restriction for under-16s after Keira's case was 'causing serious distress to many young people and their families'. She argued that puberty-blockers were not experimental but had been used at the clinic and other transgender medical establishments worldwide for 20 years. Keira Bell was not treated by Dr Helen Webberley. But the question of whether puberty-blockers are handed out too readily to children, particularly by under-regulated internet clinics, is of great concern to some medical experts, including Sonia Appleby. With long waiting lists for Tavistock transgender treatment, children are turning to the internet to order drugs, sometimes without their parents' knowledge, as the Mail has revealed. But after she was criticised by Sonia Appleby at the employment tribunal, Dr Webberley posted a message to her on the internet. It was clear she will not be backing down. 'Dear Ms Appleby,' it begins. 'I was surprised to see my name appear as such a large part . . . of your tribunal proceedings. It seems you have long had thoughts about my approach to transgender healthcare, but you never thought to discuss these with me directly. 'In 2016, I started an information website to help transgender people . . . before long a drizzle, then a trickle, then a stream of patients came to me and told me of their concerns about a lack of access to safe, caring and effective care on the NHS. From this, GenderGP was formed, a service which has developed into a global organisation.' The Webberley missive goes on: 'I was faced on a daily basis with young people's stories of anxiety, distress, self-harm and suicide. They were saying their needs were not being met and their families were being torn apart. This was a true safeguarding risk I could not ignore.' Dr Webberley insists in her open letter that GenderGP has saved the lives of many young people and allowed hundreds of trans teenagers to have a happy and fulfilling adolescence. She tells Ms Appleby that her internet clinic will continue its work by prescribing hormones or providing a listening ear for youngsters troubled by their birth sex. Yet the rebel medic, who now has a consultancy rather than doctor's role at GenderGP which is perfectly legal has been involved in other controversies. One involves the tragic death of Jayden Lowe, a transgender teenager who took his own life in 2018 by stepping in front of a train after being prescribed hormone treatment by GenderGP. Jayden, 18, who hoped to read art history at Oxford University, paid 30 a month for the drugs out of his wage for part-time work at the local Co-op. His mother Claire said, after an inquest into her son's death, that he had waited two years for the hormone treatment from the Tavistock Clinic because of the backlog of prospective patients. He turned to GenderGP for help with the knowledge of both Claire and his father Neil. But the couple had no idea he was getting the drugs from an 'unregulated' clinic. The coroner at the inquest said the reasons for Jayden's suicide were unclear. He had just split up with his girlfriend and, despite getting help from GenderGP, was worried about the treatment delay at the Tavistock. After his death, an investigation by a British newspaper found GenderGP treating youngsters in violation of NHS guidelines. The current NHS rules state that children who want to transition must have at least three therapy sessions and two appointments with an endocrinologist a doctor specialising in hormones before physical treatment. They can then be prescribed puberty-blockers, which may be followed by sex hormone treatment from the age of 16. An undercover reporter approached GenderGP, posing as the mother of a fictional 12-year-old named Scarlet who wanted to transition. Alarmingly, the 'mother' was told that Scarlet would receive puberty-blockers within three weeks, following a one-hour consultation with a therapist and no follow-up appointment in person. Sonia Appleby, the Tavistock whistleblower, complains that she has been sidelined by the Tavistock for warning her bosses about Dr Webberley, her GenderGP clinic and its treatment of transgender children. Warnings that, she insists, were simply ignored. Meanwhile, Dr Webberley will fight her corner as her 'fitness' to be a doctor and her treatment of child transgender patients are examined during the 55-day hearing. Controversial clinical practices regarding patient safety, which led to Dr Webberley's court case conviction in 2018, will also be scrutinised. As the hearing began this week, she was supported by the pro-trans lobby group Mermaids. It hopes to be allowed to put in statements to support its view that she was a good doctor to many young patients in her care. Online messages of support for her have been put on Twitter, some from patients whom she treated and who say their lives have been saved by it. Dr Webberley herself says in her letter to Sonia Appleby: 'This will be my chance to share my version of events. The question of whether my practice could cause harm to patients, as is alleged, or whether I fulfilled my duties as a doctor, will be determined.' Whatever the outcome, the heated debate over transgender treatments for children with the redoubtable Helen Webberley at its centre shows no signs of going away soon. The clamour to end the 'pingdemic' farce intensified last night as the Government admitted daily testing is 'just as effective' as ten days in isolation. Ministers are stubbornly refusing to relax self-isolation rules for the double-jabbed before August 16, despite the restrictions wreaking havoc on businesses. Yet the Department of Health itself yesterday pointed to research which found daily contact testing was just as good at controlling transmission as the current isolation policy. In a press release, the department said: 'Research carried out by the University of Oxford between April and June 2021 and supported by the Department of Health and Social Care found that in schools, daily contact testing was just as effective at controlling transmission as the current ten-day self-isolation policy.' The clamour to end the 'pingdemic' farce intensified as ministers are stubbornly refusing to relax self-isolation rules for the double-jabbed before August 16 (file photo) The admission prompted demands from business leaders and MPs for ministers to listen to their own research and let people take daily Covid tests if they come into contact with a positive case, rather than isolate. It comes amid a campaign by the Daily Mail to stop vital workers being compelled to isolate unnecessarily. Ministers have agreed a limited number of exemptions from the isolation policy for critical workers such as frontline NHS staff, binmen and border officials. But last night Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said the current guidelines are 'simply not fit for purpose' and are 'wreaking havoc in the hospitality sector'. 'Up to a fifth of staff in the industry are having to self-isolate at any one time, forcing businesses to reduce operating hours or shut completely,' she said. 'This latest research shows that a test to release system would help the sector on its road to recovery and effectively prevents the spread of coronavirus.' Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said the guidelines are 'not fit for purpose' and are 'wreaking havoc in the hospitality sector'. Pictured: Empty shelves in Tesco in March 2020 As the pingdemic continued to cause chaos: Shoppers posted images of empty shelves claimed to have been taken in recent days from Cornwall, Dorset, London and north Wales; Figures showed a record 1.13million children were out of school due to Covid at the end of term; Ministers faced urgent calls to add key sectors such as car manufacturing and steel production to those allowed an exemption to isolation rules; A study warned that families who lose their holidays because one or more member is 'pinged' face losing their cash as well. Chris Weeks, director of the National Body Repair Association representing vehicle repairers warned that failure to include bodyshop workers in the exemptions could hamper the repairing of emergency vehicles. He said: 'It is frankly bizarre that bodyshop workers have not been added to the exemption list considering they were on the list of key workers at the beginning of the pandemic. 'This has the real potential to significantly hamper the repairing of emergency servicing vehicles, including ambulances and police cars.' Senior Conservative MPs also urged the Government to amend the rules. Former Cabinet minister David Jones said: 'If you are double jabbed and are willing to have daily lateral flow tests, it seems to me that there is no danger to anybody else, but you can get on with your everyday life and help the economy.' And former party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: 'I don't understand what they are dragging their feet over. Over 70 per cent have had the jabs now we're way past critical mass.' Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday acknowledged people's frustrations but told the nation to 'stick with the programme' until August 16. Mr Johnson, who made the comments on his first visit since being released from his own period of self-isolation, said: 'We do need to use the tools that we have. Self-isolation is the one that we've got. I urge people to do it.' The Unite union says action is needed to protect manufacturing amid concerns industrial companies will be encouraged to switch production overseas. Steve Turner, Unite's assistant general secretary, said: 'It has been frustrating and baffling in equal measure for manufacturers and our members. We have worked extremely hard and companies have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds across the sector to ensure our plants are Covid-safe. 'Manufacturing simply cannot operate with thousands of workers, sometimes whole shifts, stuck at home as has been the case of late.' How reliable is data for hospitals? Half of hospital patients included in the toll of 'daily Covid admissions' only tested positive after they were admitted, data shows. The NHS England figures suggest a significant number of patients recorded as being in hospital with Covid-19 are actually receiving treatment for a different illness. This means the daily Government figures may exaggerate the impact of coronavirus on hospitals. All patients are offered routine tests when they arrive in hospital. Just 44 per cent of the 827 patients recorded as being admitted to hospital with Covid last Thursday had tested positive in the two weeks prior to their admission, according to data seen by The Daily Telegraph. Another 43 per cent received a positive test result within two days of their admission. The other 13 per cent were found to have the virus after spending at least two days in hospital meaning they could have caught it on the wards. Yesterday the NHS said it has now started collecting data on whether Covid is the 'primary' or 'secondary' reason for a patient's stay in hospital. Advertisement 1.13M OUT OF SCHOOL A record 1.13million children in England were out of school at the end of term due to Covid-related reasons. The last Government absence survey of the school year showed 994,000 pupils were self-isolating due to possible contact with a Covid case, 48,000 had a confirmed case and 33,300 had a suspected case. And 50,700 were off due to Covid-related school closures. The figures from July 16 were a record high since all pupils returned to school in March. A record 1.13million children in England were out of school at the end of term due to Covid-related reasons and 50,700 were off due to Covid-related school closures (file photo) Pupils have had to isolate for ten days if one in their bubble tests positive. But from August 16 they will only need to self-isolate if they test positive. Paul Whiteman, of heads' union NAHT, said: 'It is clear that this level of disruption cannot continue next year.' HOLIDAY COVER BLOW Families who lose their holidays because one or more member is 'pinged' face losing their cash as well. Many travel insurance policies will not cover people who have to cancel after a notification to self-isolate from the NHS Test & Trace app. Nine in 10 policies do pay out if the policyholder tests positive for Covid. But this falls to six in 10 when a trip is cancelled due to a ping, said analysts Defaqto. Amid fears of a hit to bookings, package holiday firm TUI is allowing people pinged to change their dates for free. Anna-Marie Duthie, from Defaqto, said some insurers would be sympathetic, but added: 'Policyholders should read their policies carefully to be sure they fully understand what cover they have, and if in doubt contact their insurers before changing any travel plans.' DRIVER CRISIS WORSENS Supermarkets continue to see gaps on shelves as the pingdemic grips Britain. A longstanding crisis caused by a shortage of delivery drivers is being exacerbated by shop workers having to isolate. Critics say the Government's plans to resolve this by extending the exemptions to self-isolation will do little to help because the driver shortage, put as high as 100,000, is largely caused by both Brexit and coronavirus, which has cut EU workers and stalled the training and testing of new drivers. A longstanding crisis caused by a shortage of delivery drivers is being exacerbated by shop workers having to isolate (file photo) Richard Burnett of the Road Haulage Association, warned: 'In the next two to three weeks we are facing a collapse of the supply chain.' Such is the impact of the driver shortage that Tesco is offering lorry drivers a 1,000 joining bounty to help recruitment. TOP CHEF: I LIVE IN FEAR OF A PING A Michelin-starred chef claims his restaurant is 'at the mercy' of the pingdemic. Shaun Hill said he is 'living in fear' of a worker being pinged and called the NHS Test and Trace app chaos 'yet another piece of dog cr*p that I've got to avoid treading on'. The 74-year-old had to shut his doors after losing two chefs to stress after a jobs crisis left staff working 'more than 12-hour days'. Now he fears plans to reopen the Walnut Tree near Abergavenny, South Wales, may be at risk. 'It is costing the country a fortune in productivity,' he added. 'It's ridiculous.' BUILDERS AREN'T APPY Home improvements are being cancelled under rules causing the UK's pingdemic. A poll of small builders found 47 per cent have had to down tools as workers or householders are told to isolate by the NHS Test & Trace app, even if double jabbed and testing negative for Covid. Damian Walters, of the British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom and Bathroom Installation, which surveyed 5,000, said: 'Installers are taking a hit on their incomes that is as unnecessary as it is unfair. 'They have spent the last year working to incredibly safe procedures. For half of them to have to stop working just seems utterly ridiculous.' He is urging the Government to add home improvement workers to the list of those exempt from the edict. Australia is sending dozens of elite firefighters and emergency workers to battle more than 300 wildfires in Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sent teams of emergency workers to help douse infernos blazing across Australia during the nation's horrific bushfire season in 2020. New South Wales and Western Australia are returning the favour this year by flying 55 of their finest firefighters to battle destructive summer fires in British Columbia, on Canada's west coast. Heatwaves and droughts across North America resulted in dangerous conditions, with thousands of hectares of land destroyed by hundreds of fires (pictured) 'The people of NSW know only too well the sense of devastation and heartbreak being felt by our friends in Canada, where hundreds of fires are being fought,' NSW Emergency Services Minister David Elliott said. 'I know the contribution of our specialist personnel will be invaluable and I know our counterparts in Canada welcome our people, just like we feel supported when they send their teams to help us in our time of bushfire crisis.' Heatwaves and droughts across North America resulted in dangerous conditions, with thousands of hectares of land destroyed by hundreds of fires. Many residents either had their homes burn down, or are unable to go home due to the ongoing blazes. Pictured: Members of the Australian Rural Fire Service in NSW during the 2020 bushfire season Pictured: Firefighters in Bargo in southern NSW in December 2020. Canadian firemen were sent to help battle the blazes The deployment includes 22 experts from the NSW Rural Fire Service, 10 from Fire and Rescue NSW and three from the NSW State Emergency Service. NSW has also sent 'Marie Bashir' - an RFS-owned air tanker - to the US on a 45-day deployment. The contingent from NSW will fly out from Sydney Airport on Tuesday and will remain in Canada for up to five weeks. Upon return to Australia, they will quarantine for two weeks. Spain could replace France on the travel quarantine list next week amid growing concern about cases of the South African variant in the country, as England prepares to welcome tourists from the EU and the US from next week. Whitehall sources are increasingly confident that France will be removed from the 'amber plus' list, which requires people to self-isolate for ten days on return even if fully vaccinated. Germany and Austria also look set to move to the travel green list next week, when ministers decide the latest allocations. But sources played down reports that Italy and Canada would be moved to the safest category. And one source warned Spain could be placed on the 'amber plus' list, potentially leaving hundreds of thousands of British tourists having to quarantine unexpectedly when they return. It comes amid reports that fully vaccinated travellers from the EU and the US could be allowed into England without having to quarantine from next week. Ministers are expected to approve the plans on Wednesday after Boris Johnson became concerned concerned the EU was further ahead in welcoming international travellers than the UK, according to The Times. Reprieve? Travel to France (left) might soon be easier... but holidaymakers in Spain may have to quarantine even if double-jabbed Whitehall sources are increasingly confident that France will be removed from the 'amber plus' list, which requires people to self-isolate for ten days on return even if fully vaccinated. Pictured, Mahon, the capital city of Menorca in Spain The UK economy is losing as munch as 639million every day because of the current limits in place on incoming tourists, economists have estimated. After the EU and US travellers are welcomes, other countries could be added to the quarantine-free travel list at a later date. Since July 19, double jabbed Britons have been able to travel to and from amber list countries without quarantining upon their return, but the same right was not extended to those fully vaccinated abroad. The plans would initially only apply to England but will likely be followed by the other UK nations. Under the proposals, airlines will be expected to approve passengers' vaccine statuses before check-in for England-bound flights, to prevent huge queues at passport control. A trial was carried out by Heathrow, BA and Virgin which found they could overcome 99 per cent of the difficulties in verifying the vaccination status of travellers from the US. Different states have different paper and digital certificates, but airports and airlines are hoping for the new rules to be smoothly adopted. Ministers will also approve plans to allow all double vaccinated expats to travel to the UK from amber list countries without the need to quarantine. Only Britons vaccinated by the NHS are currently exempt from quarantine. Travellers who transit through certain red country hubs such as Dubai, Doha, Istanbul, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi could also avoid hotel quarantine if they remain airside during their connections, according to The Telegraph. The move to change Spain's designation follows concern about the Beta variant, which emerged in South Africa and is thought to be more resistant to the AstraZeneca vaccine given to millions in the UK. A Whitehall source said: 'The situation in Spain is beginning to feel a lot like the build-up to the decision on France. 'The Department of Health are getting very jumpy about the number of Beta cases in parts of the country. We're not talking about the main tourist hotspots, but that might not make any difference it didn't with France.' The shock move to place France in its own category earlier this month wrecked thousands of families' holidays. Pictured, a covid testing site by the Eiffel Tower in France The shock move to place France in its own category earlier this month wrecked thousands of families' holidays as well as the plans of many expats hoping to see loved ones for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Cases of the Delta variant have fallen sharply in France in recent weeks and ministers are confident it will be restored to the same status as other amber list countries, meaning fully vaccinated travellers will no longer have to quarantine when they return. One source said: 'France is going to happen. It should never have been left out in the first place the Department of Health just panicked. But there could be no justification for keeping restrictions in place now.' Any move to put Spain on the 'amber plus' list is likely to provoke a fierce row within Government. Although there is concern about the Beta variant, many experts believe it is being 'crowded out' by the more virulent Delta variant now spreading rapidly across Spain. No curbs for US visitors but America won't let us in By Daniel Martin Policy Editor Ministers are set to rubber-stamp proposals to allow more double-jabbed tourists into the UK amid growing frustration at the US for refusing to do the same. Senior Cabinet members will meet today to discuss the reciprocal deal with the EU to allow residents into Britain without quarantine. They also plan to allow US citizens in quarantine-free, even though there is no sign the US intends to do the same for us. Officials hope it will be seen as a goodwill gesture that will encourage the country to respond in kind. Yesterday, policing minister Kit Malthouse told Sky News it was 'disappointing' that the US still had no plans to loosen travel restrictions across the Atlantic because of the Delta variant. Advertisement Spain has seen a recent uptick in infections that could force the government to add it to the travel quarantine list Apple on Tuesday set a new profit record, with its quarterly earnings nearly doubling to $21.7billion - thanks largely to iPhone sales and digital services. Revenue surged 36 per cent from a year ago to $81.4billion, the best ever for the tech titan's fiscal third quarter. The results, the best in the company's 45-year history, are a triumph for Tim Cook, the chief executive. Apple is on pace for its best fiscal year ever, with a projected profit of $86billion for the 12-month period ending in September, according to an average forecast of analysts surveyed by FactSet. That would be about 51 percent better than last year's record and way above the 11 per cent prediction made by several analysts. 'This quarter, our teams built on a period of unmatched innovation by sharing powerful new products with our users, at a time when using technology to connect people everywhere has never been more important,' he said. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, on Tuesday celebrated the best quarterly results in the company's 45-year history. Apple is on pace for its best fiscal year ever, with a projected profit of $86billion for the 12-month period ending in September An Apple iPhone 12 is seen next to a MacBook Pro. Sales of iPhones were up 50 percent in the three months to June Apple's share price has soared 463 percent in value in the past five years Apple shares were little changed in after-market trading following the results, which were stronger than most forecasts. The California giant said revenue from iPhone sales jumped some 50 percent and posted increases for its increasingly important services such as digital payments and music. Sales from iPhones rose 50 percent to $39.6billion during the April-to-June period compared with a year earlier. The increase was down to the well-received iPhone 12 series, and the 5G connectivity. 'Our record June quarter operating performance included new revenue records in each of our geographic segments, double-digit growth in each of our product categories, and a new all-time high for our installed base of active devices,' said chief financial officer Luca Maestri. The results come with Apple and other tech giants facing heightened pressure from antitrust enforcers around the world for their dominance of key economic sectors, which has increased during the pandemic. A teenage woman was shot dead and a teenage man was injured at a California movie theater on Monday during a showing of the horror film The Forever Purge. The woman, 18, and the man, 19, were inside a theater at the Regal Edwards Corona Crossings when gunshots rang out around 11.45pm, the Corona Police Department said in a news release. Cops said that the woman died at the scene and the man was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. Neither victim has been identified. The Forever Purge, which is the fifth installment in the successful Purge franchise, follows a migrant couple and the wealthy ranchers they work for in a dystopian version of the United States in the year 2048 in which the government allows all crime for a 12-hour period - including murder. A woman, 18, was killed and a man, 19, was injured in a shooting at a movie theater (pictured) at the Regal Edwards Corona Crossings in Corona, California, on Monday afternoon during a showing of the horror film The Forever Purge Gunshots rang out inside the theater at about 11.45pm while the film was being shown Cops said that the woman died at the scene and the man was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries Cpl. Tobias Kouroubacalis told the Press Enterprise that he did not know if cops would be investigating whether the movie's theme could be related to the shooting. An employee found the teens after the movie ended, the outlet reported. Cops have found no witnesses or surveillance camera footage indicating a possible suspect. The relationship between the two teens was not immediately clear, and it was also not known if the teens were shot at by a third person or if the shooting was an attempted-murder suicide. Kouroubacalis told KTLA that the weapon that fired the shots has not been found. The Forever Purge is the fifth installment in the successful Purge franchise It follows a migrant couple in a dystopian version of the United States in the year 2048 in which the government allows all crime for a 12-hour period - including murder This image released by Universal Pictures shows Leven Rambin in a scene from 'The Forever Purge,' directed by Everardo Valerio Gout He added that six tickets had been sold for the movie showing and has asked potential witnesses to come forward. DailyMail.com has reached out to the Corona Police Department for more information and additional comment. Employees told the Press Enterprise that the theater was closed on Tuesday, and gave out free tickets to moviegoers. The city of Corona is about 50 miles southeast of Los Angeles. The shooting came just one week after the ninth anniversary of the 2012 shooting at the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado during a screening of The Dark Knight rises. During that shooting, James Holmes set off tear gas grenades and shot into the crowd of hundreds - killing 12 people and injuring 70 others. President Joe Biden said in a speech to U.S. intelligence community Tuesday cast Russian President Vladimir Putin as a cornered adversary which makes him potentially 'more dangerous.' Speaking at the office of the Director of National Intelligence for his first time as president, Biden remarked on the state of Russia's oil-dependent economy and issued a grave warning about the risks of cyber adventurism. 'He knows hes in trouble and that makes him more dangerous,' Biden said, speaking a few weeks after meeting with Putin in Geneva for a summit. 'He knows hes in trouble,' President Joe Biden said of Russian President Vladimir Putin 'When I was with Mr. Putin, who has a real problem,' he said, speaking in calm and quiet tones. 'He is sitting on top of an economy that has nuclear weapons and oil wealth and nothing else. Nothing else. Their economy is like the eight smallest in the world now - largest in the world. He knows he's in real trouble - which makes him even more dangerous, in my opinion,' he said. Biden spoke after a series of ransomware attacks many of which are believed to originate in Russia, although the administration did not pin the most recent mass attack on the Kremlin itself. 'I can't guarantee this. and you're as informed as I am,' he told intelligence community members. 'But I think it's more likely we're going to end up if we end up in a war - a real shooting war with major power, it's going to be as a consequence of a cyber breach of great consequence,' he said. Biden referenced his recent summit with Putin in his first address to the Intelligence Community as president 'He is sitting on top of an economy that has nuclear weapons and oil wealth and nothing else,' said Biden Biden also talked up U.S. intelligence capabilities. The nation has been unable to prevent ransom hacks, although the Justice Department did say it was able to claw back more than $2 million of ransom paid in crypto currency after the Colonial Pipeline hack. 'He knows that youre better than his team, and it bothers the hell out of him,' Biden said of Putin. Biden's comments on Putin come as Russian chess grandmaster and activist Gary Kasparov called for the U.S. to target more sanctions directly at Putin and Russian oligarchs, telling Politico: 'Its not an extreme measure. Its the only effective one.' He added: 'Putin doesnt care about Russia or Russians. There are no national interests, just his.' Biden also accused Russia of spreading 'disinformation' in the 2022 elections, after U.S. intelligence has assessed Russia interfered in 2016 and 2020. 'Look what Russia is doing already about the 2022 elections and misinformation,' he said. 'Its a pure violation of our sovereignty.' He called on U.S. intelligence to 'take on the rampant disinformation that is making it harder and harder for people to assess the facts, be able to make decisions.' More than 40 military chiefs today urge Boris Johnson to speed up the relocation of interpreters from Afghanistan. In a grim warning to the Prime Minister, they say Britain faces 'dishonour' if those who served with UK troops are left to be murdered by the Taliban. In the open letter they claim the public has been told the Government is doing everything it can when in fact British policy is over-complicated and mean-spirited. More than 500 cases have been rejected under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Programme in the past three months, at least 130 of them involving interpreters. In a grim warning to the Prime Minister, more than 40 military chiefs say Britain faces 'dishonour' if those who served with UK troops are left to be murdered by the Taliban (file photo of British soldiers in Afghanistan) The others did jobs including driving and cooking at British bases in Helmand province. They all face reprisals from the Taliban, who are now said to be in control of up to 80 per cent of the country. Seven former coalition interpreters are thought to have been killed this year. To qualify for relocation, interpreters must fulfil a list of conditions as well as prove they were in an exposed role that now puts them in 'imminent danger'. Meeting all the criteria can be impossible because of missing paperwork. The British embassy in Kabul, which administers the ARAP, is short staffed, leading to delays and clerical errors when dealing with the huge caseload. More than 1,000 interpreters 35 per cent of the total had their service terminated, a fact that generally rules out the chance of a successful application. The officers, including former Army chief Lord Dannatt and former special forces leader Brigadier Ed Butler, argue the criteria should be less onerous. 'Punished for obeying orders' Arif had his application for sanctuary rejected because he was dismissed from his job as a British Army interpreter. He has since been repeatedly threatened and attacked in Afghanistan and now fears he is being abandoned to the Taliban. The 36-year-old father insisted his dismissal was an injustice that followed a change in command. Arif (right) had his application for sanctuary rejected because he was dismissed from his job as a British Army interpreter 'I think they wanted to reduce the numbers of interpreters so I was sacrificed,' he said. 'Now my life and that of my family has been put in danger.' He added: 'I followed orders and was punished for it. That can now be corrected so we can live a safe life but it seems those in UK do not want to. Please show compassion and help.' Advertisement Their letter says: 'Time is of the utmost essence to save the lives of those who served alongside our servicemen and women in Afghanistan and who saved countless British lives. 'It is clear there is insufficient capacity for ARAP to cope with the scale and pace required. 'If any of our former interpreters are murdered by the Taliban in the wake of our withdrawal, the dishonour would lay squarely at our nation's feet. ARAP is not providing the sanctuary that the British public have been led to believe is being granted to our former Afghan interpreters and colleagues. 'Too many of our former interpreters have unnecessarily and unreasonably been rejected from relocation to safety in the UK and we strongly urge that the policy is reviewed again immediately, to ensure more are given sanctuary. 'The current policy discriminates against the 35 per cent of staff dismissed from service for various reasons without any due process or ability to appeal their dismissal. We urge the Government to amend the policy so that all former interpreters are offered the chance to be resettled to the UK unless it is proven that they have committed such an offence that constitutes a threat to national security.' Britain has begun the biggest rescue operation for nearly 50 years with around 3,500 Afghans, including 800 interpreters and their families, expected to be relocated to these shores. 'Freedom Flights' have been arriving in the UK with joyous families celebrating their liberty and safety from attack. The Taliban has launched a sweeping offensive across Afghanistan following the US drawdown ahead of a complete withdrawal by August 31 Left at mercy of the Taliban Wazir, who worked on the front line and in medical units for four years, is desperate to come to Britain with his wife and four children. The 30-year-old says his home has been attacked three times and he has received numerous threats from the Taliban. His brother was murdered because the killers could not find Wazir, his family said. 'We have tried everything to live safely and silently in Afghanistan but it has been impossible,' said Wazir. 'This is only because of my work for the British forces who I risked my life for and now my family pays the penalty. It is hard to bear.' Despite glowing references from British officers, his bid for relocation was refused because he was dismissed for being in a room where an interpreter was smoking drugs. Wazir(right), a former frontline interpreter with UK forces, was refused relocation to UK under ARAP Advertisement This newspaper's award-winning Betrayal of the Brave campaign has repeatedly highlighted the threat to the interpreters and the near insurmountable obstacles placed before those seeking sanctuary. The present version of ARAP, introduced in April, is considered an improvement on earlier schemes but still seems to be too slow and less than generous. The signatories of today's letter have a unique insight into the role of interpreters and other staff while representing every aspect of the veteran community involved in the Afghanistan campaign. They include several former chiefs of defence staff, heads of the Army, Navy and Air Force, four former commanders of Task Force Helmand, one former deputy supreme allied commander Europe, a former chief of defence intelligence and former government minister Johnny Mercer. The Sulha Alliance, which campaigns for the former interpreters, and which has co-ordinated the letter to the Prime Minister, has details of 450 cases refused under ARAP because they were terminated, did not work in an 'exposed' role or were not directly employed by the UK government. The Daily Mail is aware of additional cases. Other factors that count against applicants include that they were sub-contracted rather than directly employed by the UK. In cases where their service was terminated, they must have committed a minor offence, rather than a serious crime. White House officials told guests to wear masks on Tuesday, minutes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended vaccinated Americans use face masks indoors in areas were COVID-19 was spreading rapidly. Reporters covering an event with the Vice President Kamala Harris were handed masks and told to cover up before entering her ceremonial office, according to attendees. The moves illustrate growing alarm among officials at the way the fast-spreading Delta variant is undoing progress in tackling the pandemic. Earlier President Biden said he was 'considering' mandatory vaccines for all federal workers. Harris wore a mask as she met with Native American community leaders and then issued a plea to the public. 'None of us like wearing masks,' she said. 'People need to get vaccinated. People need to get vaccinated. 'It will save their life. This virus is no joke.' Vice President Kamala Harris and Native American community leaders masked up for their meeting in the Vice President's Ceremonial Office at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex after the CDC issued new guidance on face coverings Reporters covering the voting rights event were told to wear a mask before they entered the Vice President's Ceremonial Office. Staff handed out masks to anyone who had arrived without a face covering Fin Gomez, a journalist with CBS News and White House Correspondents Association board member, replaces signs telling reporters only the unvaccinated must wear a mask with ones saying everyone must cover up before entering the James Brady Briefing Room The signs were removed in May when the CDC relaxed its guidance and said fully vaccinated people need no longer wear masks indoors The Delta variant is blamed for surging numbers of COVID-19 infections in the U.S., triggering a range of new measures to halt its spread Afterwards, a White House official explained the policy: 'We follow CDC guidance and this afternoon Washington, D.C. was classified as having a substantial level of community transmission.' Coronavirus cases are on the rise because of the Delta variant, which was first identified in India but now accounts for about 80 percent of U.S. infections. In a reversal of policy, the new C.D.C. guidance recommends that even vaccinated people should wear masks in indoor public spaces in regions of 'substantial' transmission - defined as more than 50 cases per 100,000 people. It said that 63.4 percent of counties now had levels high enough to warrant indoor masking - including Washington, D.C., where the rate is 52 cases per 100,000. The result was swift at the White House. Signs were posted in the briefing room, where they had been taken down in May after the CDC relaxed its rules. 'Mask Required: Per CDC guidance, masks must be worn in crowded indoor spaces un areas with substantial community spread of COVID-19 regardless of vaccination status,' said the White House Correspondents Association sign. Earlier on Capitol Hill, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wore a mask while saying he was awaiting CDC guidance. Biden issued a statement saying that he would be laying out the 'next steps' in getting more Americans vaccinated on Thursday. 'By following the science, and by doing our part by getting vaccinated, America can beat COVID,' he said. 'In the meantime, more vaccinations and mask wearing in the areas most impacted by the Delta variant will enable us to avoid the kind of lockdowns, shutdowns, school closures, and disruptions we faced in 2020.' President Biden had promised a 'summer of freedom' but the numbers keep going up President Biden said on Tuesday that he was considering a vaccine mandate for federal staff and said vaccinations and masks were they way to avoid a return to the lockdowns of last year The White House has come under frequent criticism for the way guidance and recommendations have gone one way then the other. For example, prominent officials such as Dr. Anthony Fauci initially told the public not to wear masks, before backtracking last year. During a visit to the Office of the National Director of Intelligence, Biden was asked whether the changes were causing confusion. He said the problem lay with people who had not been vaccinated. 'The more we learn about this virus and the Delta variation the more we have to be worried and concerned,' he said. 'And the only thing we know for sure, if those other 100 million people got vaccinated we'd be in a very different world.' Officials have repeatedly said the country was in the grip of a 'pandemic of the unvaccinated.' When homeowner Sophie Bichener, 29, bought her flat in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, in 2017 for 230,000, she had no idea about the potentially crippling costs that lay ahead. She moved into the flat just before the fire at Grenfell Tower, in West London, which caused 72 deaths. Like so many other purchasers, Sophie bought moved into her flat believing that it was safe because it complied with building regulations. However, her flat has since deemed to be unsafe in the wake of the Grenfell fire. Since the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, concerns about cladding have become a national issue Like so many other flat owners affected by fire safety issues, she has been left unable to sell her property, as mortgage lenders will no longer offer loans without fresh proof of safety. Her block of flats has been deemed unsafe and fire safety repairs need to be carried out. But the bill for the repairs are eye-watering, almost matching what she originally paid for the flat. This summer she was quoted 202,077 to fix just her flat, which is not far from the 230,000 that she originally paid for her home. She understands that some of the 14million-plus costs to fix her block will be met from the Building Safety Fund, but it is not yet known how much financial assistance - if any - she will get. This leaves her facing the unknown, a situation many flat owners find themselves in through no fault of their own. She says it is likely that she will have to relocate during the works for at least a month. Sophie Bichener, 29, bought her flat in Stevenage, Hertfordshire in 2017 for 230,000, but has since been quoted 202,077 to fix her flat, which has deemed to be unsafe Her block is home to 73 flats spread across 14 storeys. It is above 18 metres and had problems with combustible cladding and missing fire breaks. It is unknown when the fire safety work is expected to begin as the Government has yet to confirm whether it will provide funding for her block. But once the work does start, it is suggested that it could take 52 weeks, meaning Sophie would be effectively living on what would look like a building site for a year. The block has already paid for six months of a waking watch at a cost of 600 a month per flat. Those payments stopped following the installation of new fire alarms. Sophie told MailOnline Property: 'We have a supportive network of leaseholders and so you can take time out from dealing with it. However, being in lockdown and in the flat twenty-four seven means I've spent a lot of time trying to figure this out. 'Knowing that when you go to work that money has already been spent has been disheartening. 'We just have to do what we can. It is easier for me to talk about it now, but there are people I know who are suicidal. While the Government is playing 'who is to pay', leaseholders are struggling to survive.' 'We have had to put our life on hold. I can't spend any money as I know I shall have a bill at the end of all of this, although I don't know how much that will be. 'I'd like to get married and have children, but simply cannot afford to contemplate that at the moment.' Campaigners have called ministers of ignoring cladding victims' screams for help. Stephen McPartland, MP for Stevenage, said: 'Ministers have betrayed leaseholders like Sophie. Ignoring their screams for help, dismissing their dreams and refusing to listen. 'Leaseholders need practical support, not more weasel words and I will continue to fight for people like Sophie. 'Leaseholders are not to blame, but they are facing devastating mental health and financial costs as they are left to pay more in remediating their flats, than they are now worth. It is a tragic market failure and we must step in as a government to support them.' It follows an announcement by Robert Jenrick that neither leaseholders nor taxpayers should pay for dangerous cladding to be removed. He said that the law will be changed retrospectively to give homeowners 15 years to take action against their developers for shoddy workmanship. A MHCLG spokesman responded, saying: Building owners should make buildings safe without passing on costs to leaseholders and we will introduce a new legal requirement for owners of high-rise buildings to prove they have tried all routes to cover the cost of fixing their buildings. We are processing applications to the Building Safety Fund as quickly as possible - and we have been clear that we will fund the removal of dangerous cladding from high rise building where remediation is necessary. Our approach strikes the right balance in our continuing commitment to protecting leaseholders and being fair to taxpayers while reassuring lenders that where cladding remediation is needed, costs will not be a barrier or mean that mortgage payments become unmanageable. Edinburgh has been named 'the UK's outage capital' after its residents suffered 175 hours of downtime on average in the past year. The Scottish capital, which lost nine million hours of broadband combined over the last year, takes the title which is awarded annually by price comparison site Uswitch from Bristol. Uswitch's new survey of 4,000 people found that across the UK, the average home was left offline for more than two days over the course of a year, with 16 million working days lost to outages and a hit of almost 5 billion to the UK economy. Overall, 14.8 million homes suffered a broadband outage lasting three hours or more over the last year more than triple the 4.7 million revealed this time last year. Meanwhile, the number of people in the UK hit by internet disruption was three times higher than the previous 12 months, likely due to the pandemic. Edinburgh (pictured) has taken Uswitch's unfortunate title of the UK's 'outage capital' from Bristol Last year, Uswitch named Bristol the UK's 'outage capital', based on average outage time per resident, placing the city just ahead of Brighton, Belfast, London and Norwich. But Edinburgh has registered even more offline hours over the last year compared with Bristol's total revealed a year ago 175 versus 169. However, Bristol is in second place for the 2020-2021 'season', with 109 hours spent offline per resident on average, followed by Leeds, Sheffield and Brighton. Out of 16 UK cities, Belfast residents reported the shortest amount of downtime for 2020-2021, with only 11 hours of outages reported over the course of the year. AVERAGE HOURS OFFLINE: 2020-2021 1. Edinburgh - 175 2. Bristol - 109 3. Leeds - 97 4. Sheffield - 75 5. Brighton - 70 6. Birmingham - 67 7. Liverpool - 60 8. Southampton - 45 9. London - 45 10. Plymouth - 35 11. Glasgow - 31 12. Manchester - 30 13. Nottingham - 30 14. Newcastle - 25 15. Norwich - 16 16. Belfast - 11 Advertisement AVERAGE HOURS OFFLINE: 2019-2020 1. Bristol - 169 2. Brighton - 89 3. Plymouth - 74 4. Manchester - 30 5. Newcastle - 34 6. Belfast - 34 7. Sheffield - 32 8. London - 28 9. Southampton - 26 10. Birmingham - 25 11. Edinburgh - 25 12. Liverpool - 21 13. Norwich - 19 14. Glasgow - 18 15. Leeds - 13 16. Nottingham - 9 Advertisement The impact of service outages was likely to have been felt far more strongly over the previous 12 months as millions of people worked from home during the pandemic, according to Uswitch. But consumers shouldn't hesitate to contact their provider if they believe they've experienced an outage. 'Outages have affected the country like never before over the past 12 months, with three times as many people complaining of a lost connection than in the previous year,' said Ernest Doku, Uswitch.com broadband expert. 'If your connection goes down for more than two days you could be entitled to compensation of just over 8 a day. 'Most of the UK's big broadband providers are signed up to Ofcom's auto-compensation scheme, so you should be covered. 'These rules were relaxed during the pandemic as providers focused on keeping the country running, but from July the scheme will be up and running again. 'If you're experiencing repeated issues or you're not happy with your suppliers' response, do a comparison online and see what alternatives are available in your area.' People who moved home were forced to wait more than eight days on average for their broadband connection to be up and running According to the Uswitch survey, only one in four customers who experienced an outage complained to their provider about the issue. And 36 per cent of people beset by broadband issues turned to their mobile data to stay online, but 63 per cent said they went through their entire monthly data allowance as a result. Uswitch has encouraged people to make a contingency plan, such as tethering to a mobile, should a broadband outage occur. Although internet users often think they are experiencing a network outage when it is simply a problem with their home broadband kit, including their router. 'The first thing to do if you think you're suffering an outage is to check whether it's a problem with your router, which can often be fixed with a simple reset,' said Doku. 'If it's clear that the issues are beyond your control, contact your provider and they will be able to inform you of any problems in your area and, hopefully, an estimated time for a resolution.' The plague is often thought of as an ancient illness, yet cases actually continue to occur today in rural areas of Africa, Asia and America. Now, researchers from the Oxford Vaccine Group have announced that they are testing a vaccine against the plague, based on the coronavirus vaccine. The trial will see 40 healthy adults receive the vaccine, in order to assess any possible side effects and determine how well it induces protective antibody and T cell responses. Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, said: 'The coronavirus pandemic has shown the importance of vaccines to defend populations from the threat caused by bacteria and viruses. 'Plague threatened the world in several horrific waves over past millennia, and, even today, outbreaks continue to disrupt communities. 'A new vaccine to prevent plague is important for them and for our health security.' Researchers from the Oxford Vaccine Group have announced that they are testing a vaccine against the plague, based on the coronavirus vaccine (stock image) What is the plague? Plague is a disease caused by infection with Yersinia pestis, which is a type of bacteria. In humans, this infection can cause high fevers, swollen lymph nodes, shortness of breath, coughing up blood, a bloodstream infection and, if left untreated, death. It is spread by the bite of an infected flea, handling an animal infected with plague or from inhaling respiratory droplets from an infected person. Advertisement Arguably the most well-known example of the plague is the Black Death, which killed hundreds of millions of people worldwide in the 1300s. The Black Death was a bubonic plague one of the three different types, alongside pneumonic and septicaemic. Worryingly, if left untreated, the bubonic form has a 30-60 per cent fatality rate, while the pneumonic form is almost always fatal. Both the bubonic and pneumonic forms can develop into the third form (septicaemia) a life-threatening condition of the blood. The Oxford Vaccine Group explained: 'Plague is a disease caused by infection with Yersinia pestis, which is a type of bacteria. 'In humans, this infection can cause high fevers, swollen lymph nodes, shortness of breath, coughing up blood, a bloodstream infection and, if left untreated, death. 'It is spread by the bite of an infected flea, handling an animal infected with plague or from inhaling respiratory droplets from an infected person.' Cases occur annually in rural areas of Africa, Asia and America, with 3,248 cases reported globally from 2010 to 2015, including 584 deaths. While plague can be treated effectively with antibiotics if treated early, this is often not possible in rural areas. Instead, the researchers say a vaccine would be much more effective. Plague is a disease caused by infection with Yersinia pestis, which is a type of bacteria (artist's impression pictured) Christine Rollier, Associate Professor of Vaccinology at the Oxford Vaccine Group, explained: 'Athough antibiotics can be used to treat plague, many areas experiencing outbreaks are very remote locations. 'In such areas, an effective vaccine could offer a successful prevention strategy to combat the disease.' The plague vaccine is based on the ChAdOx1 adenovirus viral vector platform used in the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine. It is either given intramuscularly, or can also be given orally under the tongue. The researchers are now recruiting 40 healthy 18-55 year-olds to take part in the Phase 1 trial. 'If you are aged 18 to 55 years old and in good health, then you may be eligible to take part in the study,' they said. 'We will provide reimbursement up to 630 for your time, inconvenience and travel. The total study participation time is up to 1 year.' The Delta Aquariids meteor shower will peak on Wednesday night, providing the UK with a light show of up to 20 'shooting stars' every hour. The recurring shower which takes its name in part from how it appears to come from the constellation of Aquarius can be seen from July 12August 23 each year. The peak of the event typically occurs in the days around July 28 each year. In the northern hemisphere, the Delta Aquariids are easier to observe at lower latitudes. From the UK, the light show is usually be visible from dusk to dawn without the need for a telescope, with the greatest views to be seen after 2am. The best viewing locations are those away from bright light sources. However, the appearance of the Delta Aquariids this year may be impeded by a waxing gibbous moon in the night sky, which may render them too faint to see. The Delta Aquariids meteor shower will peak on Wednesday night providing the UK with a light show of up to 20 'shooting stars' every hour. Pictured: a meteor from the Delta Aquariids shower streaks across the night sky above the Canary Island back in 2014 The recurring shower which takes its name in part from how it appears to come from the constellation of Aquarius (depicted above) can be seen from July 12August 23 each year HOW TO SPOT THE DELTA AQUARIIDS According to NASA, the best way to spot them is to lie on your back and look halfway between the horizon and directly above, and 45 degrees from Aquarius. It advised: ' Find an area well away from city or street lights. Come prepared with a sleeping bag, blanket or lawn chair. Lie flat on your back and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible. 'Looking halfway between the horizon and the zenith, and 45 degrees from the constellation of Aquarius will improve your chances of viewing the Delta Aquariids. 'In less than 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors. Be patientthe show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse.' Advertisement Meteors are fragments of comets, asteroids or other space rocks that produce a streak of light as they burn up in the Earth's atmosphere. Experts believe that the material that produces the Delta Aquariids most likely comes from a debris trail left in the wake of the disintegrating Comet 96P Machholz, which orbits once around the sun every five years. This body was first spotted by the American amateur astronomer Donald Machholz from the peak of Loma Prieta, California, in the May of 1986. Comet 96P Machholz is believed to have a nuclear that is around four miles (6.4 kilometres) in diameter This is about half the size of the asteroid whose impact into the Earth roughly 66 million years ago led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. According to NASA, the comet fragments that produce the Delta Aquariids travel at some 25 miles per second (41 km/s) as they burn through the Earth's atmosphere. The designation Delta is derived from the third brightest star in Aquarius. However, the space rocks do not actually come from this body. Instead, the name is used to distinguish the shower from the Eta Aquariids, which can be seen from 18 Apr27 May each year. According to NASA, the best way to spot them is to lie on your back and look halfway between the horizon and directly above, and 45 degrees from Aquarius. From the UK, the light show is usually be visible from dusk to dawn without the need for a telescope. The best viewing locations are those away from bright light sources. Pictured: a meteor from the Delta Aquariids shower seen streaking across the night sky According to astronomers, the way to spot them is to lie on your back and look halfway between the horizon and directly above, and 45 degrees from Aquarius. Pictured: the location of Delta Aquarii, the third brightest star in Aquarius, relative to the Pegasus constellation It advised: ' Find an area well away from city or street lights. Come prepared with a sleeping bag, blanket or lawn chair. Lie flat on your back and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible. 'Looking halfway between the horizon and the zenith, and 45 degrees from the constellation of Aquarius will improve your chances of viewing the Delta Aquariids. 'In less than 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors. Be patientthe show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse.' For those who miss the Delta Aquariids this year, 2021 still has plenty of other meteor showers in store for amateur astronomers to appreciate. Friday, for example, will see the peak of the Alpha Capricornids, the annual shower that can be seen from 2 July14 August each year. August, meanwhile, will bring the height of the Perseids on around the 1213th of the month, while October will see the peaks of the Draconids and Orionids showers on the 89 and 21, respectively. Letting your cat pick when it wants to be petted may improve your relationship and also save you from getting bitten or scratched a study has concluded. Feline behaviour experts from the Nottingham Trent University have developed a set of set of interaction guidelines to aid pet owners which they have dubbed 'CAT'. These advise to give their cats choice and control (C), pay attention (A) to their pet's behaviour and body language and think about where they are touching (T) their kitty. When these simple rules are followed, the team found, cats are less likely to behave aggressively towards humans and were also more affectionate. Letting your cat pick when it wants to be petted may improve your relationship and also save you from getting bitten or scratched a study has concluded. Pictured: a can bunts a man THE 'CAT' GUIDELINES Based on a study of interactions between humans and 100 felines in the Battersea Cats & Dogs Home cattery, Dr Finka and colleagues came up with the 'CAT' guidelines: C: Give your cats choice and control over whether or not to interact. Give your cats and over whether or not to interact. A: Pay attention to your pet's behaviour and body language. Pay to your pet's behaviour and body language. T: Think about where on your cat's body you are touching . Advertisement According to study leader Lauren Finka a feline behaviour expert from Nottingham Trent University the key to making sure your cat is happy and comfortable when you are together lies in ensuring that it is control of the interactions. A good place to start, she explained, is by offering your hand to your cat and letting it decide if it wants to interact if it is willing, it will most likely rub itself against you. Owners should allow their cat to move away if they want to and resist the temptation to follow the feline or pick it up, as this takes away the cat's sense of control, the researchers explained. Cats are easily over-stimulated by petting. Signs a cat may want you to stop petting it can include it thrashing its tail, turning its head away, rotating or flattening its ears, shaking its head, licking its nose, trying to move away, or rippling the fur on it back. Other behaviours may include if the cat goes still, stops purring, stops rubbing itself back against you, suddenly start to groom itself or rapidly turns its head to face you. Continuing to pet a cat at this point may force it to resort to less subtle messages of its discomfort including scratching, hissing or biting you. As part of their study, Dr Finka and colleagues also looked at where cats most like to be stroked with the base of their ears, around their cheeks and under the chin being prime petting positions. According to the team, avoiding touching the tummy and the base of a cat's tail as well as being careful when stroking their backs is often wise, especially with an unfamiliar feline, although there are some cats which will enjoy being petted here. 'The results demonstrate a clear preference amongst cats for a more "hands off" approach to petting, which ultimately lets them call most of the shots,' said Dr Finka. 'Cats are not necessarily known for being overly expressive when it comes to communicating how they are feeling.' 'This can often cause issues during petting because many cats may feel a little uncomfortable at times, but this isnt something that is always easy for us to pick up on,' she concluded. Cats are easily over-stimulated by petting. Signs a cat may want you to stop petting it can include it thrashing its tail, turning its head away, rotating or flattening its ears, shaking its head, licking its nose, trying to move away, or rippling the fur on it back. Continuing to pet a cat at this point may force it to resort to less subtle messages like scratching (pictured) 'While every cat has a wonderfully unique personality, they do often share fundamental similarities, as this new study shows,' said Battersea Dogs & Cats Home's feline welfare manager, JoAnna Puzzo. 'Cats can be incredibly subtle when expressing their likes and dislikes, and as a result their behaviour can be misunderstood or ignored completely.' 'By using these new simple yet effective "Cat" guidelines, owners will be able to better understand how their cat is feeling and adapt how they interact together to ensure their pet is happy and relaxed.' 'The results demonstrate a clear preference amongst cats for a more "hands off" approach to petting, which ultimately lets them call most of the shots,' said Dr Finka To help them refine the CAT guidelines, the team monitored brief interactions between human participants and 100 felines in Battersea's London cattery. Each participant interacted with six cats three before receiving training on the CAT guidelines and then three after. The researchers found that cats were much less likely to exhibit signs of discomfort or behave aggressively when people followed the guidelines. The same cats were also more likely to show friendly behaviours towards the participants and appeared more comfortable during the interactions that occurred post-training, the team noted. The full findings of the study were published in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science. The US Air Force is investigating 'directed energy' (DE) technologies they hope could turn beams of energy into a force field that could be used to destroy enemy missiles. In a new report, titled 'Directed Energy Futures 2060,' DE is described as 'a focused beam of electro-magnetic energy that is used to enable or create military effects, when used in conjunction with other military systems, including kinetic weapons.' This can include lasers, radio frequency devices, high power microwave, millimeter wave, and particle beams, all of which could create at least five military effects: 'deny, degrade, damage, destroy or deceive.' The report suggests the force field would be created by trucks or satellites equipped with lasers or other systems, which could potentially be used to form a dome-like, invisible barrier over the entire nation. Any enemy missile or aircraft attempting to penetrate that forcefield would be destroyed by coming into contact with those high-energy beams. In a press release sent to The Drive, the Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) Directed Energy Deputy Chief Scientist Jeremy Murray-Krezan adds that current directed energy technology is 'not quite Star Wars,' but adds the AFRL is 'getting close' -the Star Wars films feature glowing energy shields that protect troops, machines and spacecraft. The US Air Force is developing 'directed energy' (DE) technologies to create a force field over military vehicles or even the entire US that would deflect incoming enemy weapons and the innovation could be ready by 2060 'By 2060 we can predict that DE systems will become more effective, and this idea of a force field includes methods to destroy other threats too,' Murray-Krezan shared in the press release. 'Eventually there may be potential to achieve the penultimate goal of a Nuclear or ballistic missile umbrella. 'It's fun to think about what that might be in 2060, but we don't want to speculate too much.' DailyMail.com has contacted AFRL for more information about its DE system. The report suggests the force field would be created by trucks or satellites (concept image) equip with lasers or other systems, which would form a dome-like, invisible barrier over the entire nation The report notes DE systems currently play important military roles worldwide, in that they are already being used in counter-air defense, target identification, tracking, counter intelligence search & reconnaissance (ISR) and electronic warfare (EW). However, for the technology to produce a powerful force field by 2060, particle beams, lasers and other systems 'must propagate militarily relevant distances,' according to the report, suggesting they must be turbocharged to make them effective over longer distances. 'Electron beams are currently considered to be the most likely to find military application, albeit that today, due to technological limitations, propagation can only be achieved poorly in the earth atmosphere,' the report continues. 'Militarily relevant systems are currently limited to less than a few hundred meters of effective range.' Once the technology is capable of reaching farther ranges, AFRL suggests placing the force field at altitudes above 30,000 feet 'where human exposure is less likely.' Once the technology is capable of reaching farther ranges, AFRL suggests placing the force field at altitudes above 30,000 feet 'where human exposure is less likely. Pictured is a Multi-Mission High Energy Laser (MMHEL) prototype aboard a U.S. Army Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle In a press release, the Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) Directed Energy Deputy Chief Scientist Jeremy Murray-Krezan adds that current directed energy technology is 'not quite Star Wars,' but adds the AFRL is 'getting close Not only does the report lay out how AFRL would develop the technology, but it also urges officials to get behind the innovation for the sake of the nation. 'It is not a certainty that U.S. servicemen and women will be members of the most technologically sophisticated military in future conflicts,' the report reads. 'DEWs are currently being rapidly developed and proliferated around the world, and DE is globally considered to be a gamechanging military technology.' 'Moreover, it is anticipated that peer-competitors, rogue nations, terrorist and criminal organizations will continue to possess similar DEWs that can degrade, disrupt, deny, damage, and even destroy equipment. 'Therefore, the U.S. should invest in technologies to at least maintain parity in DE areas, which includes counter measures to shore up known vulnerabilities in case of either a high-end conflict or a 9/11, terrorist style, DE attack.' United States officials are behind in the DE movement, as other nations are already using similar technologies in the battlefield - and Israel is one of them. The country has been using its Iron Dome since 2011, which is an anti-missile defense system that uses radar technology and interceptors (missiles) to track and destroy incoming rockets. Iron Dome is constantly on the lookout for incoming rockets and when one is detected, the information is processed and sent to the missile battery system. Information about the incoming rockets speed and trajectory is used to direct an interceptor towards it. ITs interceptor locks on to the incoming rocket and explodes as it gets very near to it, destroying the rocket in mid-air. The Iron Dome can detect rockets from 2.4 miles to 43.4 miles away. Volcanologists can predict when volcanos are going to erupt if they have a full detail of its eruptions. But for potentially apocalyptic supervolcanoes, such as the one bubbling under Yellowstone National Park, it's nearly impossible, given how varied their known eruptions have been, according to a new study. Researchers at Cardiff University noted there is not a 'single model' that can help scientists understand how eruptions from supervolcanoes happen, making it difficult to understand when they might occur in the future. The researchers looked at geochemical and petrological evidence of 13 supereruptions that have happened over the past 2 million years, including the most recent one, Taupo volcano in New Zealand, which happened more than 24,000 years ago. Experts said there is not a 'single model' that can help them understand how eruptions from supervolcanoes happen There was no 'single, unified mode' that showed how each of the 13 played out, with some starting gradually over a period of weeks to months, while others exploded suddenly and violently. The researchers also found that the eruptions lasted for varying times, some as short as a period of days or weeks, while others lasted decades. For example, the researchers found that the Youngest Toba Tuff, which erupted 74,000 years ago, erupted almost immediately. Conversely, the Oruanui eruption, which happened more than 25,000 years ago, started off slowly before experiencing a Caldera collapse then progressing over a period of several months. They looked at evidence of 13 supereruptions from the past 2 million years. All 13 were vastly different, with some starting mildly, while others happened immediately. The eruptions also lasted for varying times, some as short as a few days, while others lasted decades Yellowstone Caldera and Long Valley Caldera are two of the more prominent supervolcanoes, having last erupted 600,000 and 760,000 years ago, respectively. A previous study found that Yellowstone erupts on average, once every 1.5 million years, indicating there could be another 900,000 years before an eruption would occur. The Yellowstone supervolcano has erupted at least 10 times over the past 16 million years, LiveScience has previously reported. A study from 2017 suggested the Yellowstone supervolcano could erupt faster than experts previously believed, though it would most likely be a smaller eruption. The Yellowstone supervolcano (pictured) last erupted 600,000 years ago. It has erupted at least 10 times over the past 16 million years When supervolcanoes explode, there is a devastating aftereffect, with ash-fall blanketing the ground and clouds of ash that can be hundreds of meters thick. The explosion also leaves a massive hole in the Earth, known as a Caldera, due to the removal of magma. 'Supereruptions can start literally with a bang and collapse of the chamber roof or begin gradually, with hesitancy before escalating into catastrophic activity,' said co-author of the study, Dr George Cooper, from Cardiff University's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, in a statement. 'Overall, the eruption can be rapid, uninterrupted events over a few days or an episodic sequence prolonged over decades. 'The uncertainty associated with these events therefore makes it very challenging to determine when and how these volcanos may potentially erupt in the future.' A supervolcano is defined as a volcano that has had an explosion of at least 8 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index, with an erupted tephra volume of more than 1,000 cubic kilometers, as measured by the US Geological Survey. Supervolcano eruptions are considered 'extremely rare', occurring once every 100,000 years. The researchers said they will try to use more sophisticated software, including machine learning algorithms, to help interpret signals of stored magma and its movement in the hours and days prior to eruption. They also added that there needs to be more education at how frequent supervolcanoes erupt. 'Yellowstone is an example where misinformation has led to the public perception that a catastrophic eruption may be imminent, whereas, in reality, it is extremely unlikely,' continued Dr. Cooper. 'Therefore, we need to improve our understanding and communication as to the difference between normal non-eruptive unrest, versus indicators that an eruption may be about to happen.' The study was published Tuesday in the scientific journal Nature Reviews Earth and Environment. An ancient carving made on a basalt stone 2,550 years ago has been identified as the last Babylonian king, Nabonidus. Discovered in Saudi Arabia, the inscription depicts king Nabonidus holding a scepter and surrounded by four religions symbols: a snake, a crescent moon, the sun and a flower. Although researchers are still deciphering the meaning of the symbols, some suggest they could be linked to deities in the Mesopotamian pantheon, representing the star of Ishtar, the winged disc of the sun god Shamash and the crescent of the moon deity Sin - a god favored by king Nabonidus. Archaeologists also determined that the scene includes 26 lines of cuneiform script, an ancient system of written used in the Middle East, making these the longest inscription ever found in the kingdom of Babylonia, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage shared in a statement. King Nabonidus reigned over Babylonia from 556BC until 539BC, but first took the throne after the assassination of the boy-king Labashi-Marduk. An ancient carving made on a basalt stone 2,550 years ago has been identified as the last Babylonian king, Nabonidus. Discovered in Saudi Arabia, the inscription shows king Nabonidus holding a scepter and surrounded by religions symbols: a snake, a crescent moon, the sun and a flower Legend has it that Labashi-Marduk's mother was a priestess of the moon god Sin, who Nabonidus is known to have greatly favored, and he eventually went mad due to his interest in religious archaeology. There are a number of murals depicting king Nabondius, some of which look very similar to recently discovered carving they show him holding a scepter while surrounded by religious symbols. The inscribed rock was unearthed in the Al-Hadeed Governorate, in the countrys northern Al Hail region. POSSIBLE TO GET A MAP FOR THIS? Al Hait, which was known as Fadak in ancient times, has a great historical significance from the first millennium BC until the early Islamic era, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage shared in the announcement. Archaeologists also determined that the scene includes 26 lines of cuneiform script, an ancient system of written used in the Middle East, making these the longest inscription ever found in the kingdom of Babylonia. Pictured is a different carving of king Nabonidus The area features ancient sites and monuments including castles, fortresses and water installations. Researchers previously working in the area have uncovered other inscriptions mentioning Nabonidus from the time he ruled until the end when the kingdom fell to Cyrus Persia, Arab News reports. Babylonia was a state in ancient Mesopotamia, which was founded more than 4,000 years ago as a small port town on the Euphrates River. However, throughout its existence, the city developed into of of the largest of the ancient world. The inscribed rock was unearthed in the Al-Hadeed Governorate, in the countrys northern Al Hail region. Pictured is a different carving of kin Nabondius that looks very similar to the recent discovery At its height, Babylonia spanned from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea. King Nabondius was part of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, which was the last Mesopotamian empire to be ruled by monarchs native to the area. The Neo-Babylonian Empire became the most powerful state in the world after defeating the Assyrians at Nineveh in 612BC, according to the History Channel. The Neo-Babylonian Empire, like the earlier Babylonia, was short-lived. In 539 BC, less than a century after its founding, Persian king Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon that came under Persian control. Computer maker Dell has been banned from shipping its gaming system, Alienware, to customers in California due to power consumption regulations,' the company's website reads. The Alienware Aurora R12 Gaming Desktop without the 11th Gen Intel Core Processor is the only model that can be shipped to all 50 states, the other three systems with the powerful chip, which range in price for $1,099 to $2,409.99, cannot. According to Dell, its energy intensive Alienware consumes 63 kWH a year when idle, but it can use 563 kWh annually if its CPU is stressed. California law restricts anything made after July 1 to 50, 60 or 70 kWH a year. California is not the only US state stopping the gaming system from breaching its borders, as Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Vermont and Washington have also prohibited it, as first reported on by The Register. The Alienware Aurora R12 Gaming Desktop without the 11th Gen Intel Core Processor is the only model that can be shipped to all 50 states, the other three systems with the powerful chip, which range in price for $1,099 to $2,409.99, cannot California passed new energy restrictions on consumer goods in 2016, but the standards did not take effect until 2019. The restrictions stem from the idea that California is the most populous state in the nation, has the largest economy, and is second only to Texas in total energy consumption. According to the US Energy Information Administration, the state 'is the fourth-largest electricity producer in the nation and accounted for about five percent of US utility-scale (1-megawatt and larger) electricity net generation in 2019.' With these details in mind, California officials began releasing a different list of restrictions every few years with Tier I restrictions rolling out January 2019, which allowed no more than 50, 80 or 100 kWh a year for systems made from then up until July 2021. According to Dell, its energy intensive Alienware consumes 63 kWH a year when idle, but it can use 563 kWh when the CPU is stressed. California law restricts anything made after July 1 to 50, 60 or 70 kWH a year And Tier II launched just this past July 1, which includes Dell's Alienware gaming system. There is now a warning label under the gaming systems on Dells website that reads: This product cannot be shipped to the states of California, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Vermont or Washington due to power consumption regulations adopted by those states. Any orders placed that are bound for those states will be canceled. A California Energy Commission (CEC) spokesperson told The Register that staff was unaware of vendors not shipping to California as a result of the Tier II requirements taking effect. 'This was driven by the CEC Tier 2 implementation that defined a mandatory energy efficiency standard for PCs including desktops, AIOs and mobile gaming systems,' Dell told Motherboard in an email. 'To be sold or offered for sale in California manufacturers must test products at a CEC-approved laboratory and receive third-party certification. 'Once certified, manufacturers are required to submit their documentation and data to the CEC to be uploaded into the agency's online [database].' They soared to fame together last year after entering the Love Island villa together. And twin sisters Jess and Eve Gale, 22, ensured all eyes were on them again on Monday night as they headed out to dinner with a group of friends. The reality star sisters were spotted stepping out in London as they made their way to the STK restaurant to meet their pals. Heading out: Love Island's Jess Gale put on a busty display in a figure-hugging grey dress as she stepped out with her leggy twin Eve for dinner with friends Jess put on a busty display as she walked through the capital in a figure-hugging grey dress. She paired her frock with a pair of heels featuring transparent straps and a leather handbag in a subdued shade of pink. Meanwhile, her sister flashed her midriff and showcased her enviable legs in a white crop top and tiny green skirt. Eve left little to the imagination as she walked to the dinner reservation in a pair of heels similar to her sister's, also featuring a transparent strap. Dresses to impress: The reality star sisters were spotted stepping out in London as they made their way to the STK restaurant to meet their pals Accessories: She paired her frock with a pair of heels featuring transparent straps and a leather handbag in a subdued shade of pink In her hands she held onto a brown patterned leather clutch bag. Their appearance comes after Eve looked incredible as she showcased her jaw-dropping curves in a sizzling Instagram post she shared earlier this week. The reality star displayed her sun-kissed tan as she donned a mulit-coloured bikini while enjoying the UK's heatwave. Letting her blonde locks fall loose down her shoulders, Eve fixed the camera with a sultry stare. The influencer accentuated her natural beauty with a light pallet of makeup for the stunning snap. Fashion statement: Meanwhile, her sister flashed her midriff and showcased her enviable legs in a white crop top and tiny green skirt Eve, who was the first islander dumped from the villa in the 2020 series, captioned the post: 'Heatwave'. Eve and her twin sister Jess were just two of many celebrities who jetted to Dubai throughout the pandemic, as they visited the sun-soaked city in December. They joined many other Love Islanders including Joanna Chimonides, Hayley Hughes and Francesca Allen. Stunning: Eve left little to the imagination as she walked to the dinner reservation in a pair of heels similar to her sister's, also featuring a transparent strap After Dubai joined UK's travel ban list, celebrities then began flocking to Mexico's bars and beaches as it established itself as the next COVID getaway destination. Many stars insisted their trips were for 'work purposes' after criticism from the Home Secretary Priti Patel. Jess and Eve rose to fame on the first ever series of winter Love Island back in 2020. While Eve was booted off after less than a week, Jess made it to the final with Ched Uzor - with the pair going their separate ways shortly afterwards. They've found love again after rekindling their romance almost 20 years after first getting together. But fans are now reminding Jennifer Lopez of one very awkward comment she made about Ben Affleck before they got back in touch. In recently unearthed footage from social media, Jen, 52, is heard trashing the actor's famously garish back tattoos, describing them as 'awful' while appearing on Watch What Happens Live back in 2016. 'It's AWFUL!' Jennifer Lopez SLAMS on-again beau Ben Affleck's garish phoenix back tattoo in a recently-resurfaced WWHL interview from 2016 'It's awful,' Jen shouted when a picture of Ben's inkings were shown by host Andy Cohen. 'I mean, I would tell him that, like what are you doing? It has too many colors. His tattoos always have too many colors! They shouldn't be so colorful, you know what I mean? They should be, like, cooler.' Interestingly, for their current jaunt in Saint-Tropez, Ben, 48, has kept his body art covered while Jen has been showing off her sculpted figure in a bikini. Offending tat: JLo previously slammed her now boyfriend's back tattoo (Ben Affleck pictured in 2018 in Hawaii, above) After flying in to the French Riviera on a luxury private jet, likely a Bombardier Global 7500, at an estimated cost of around $200,000, the couple were quickly whisked away to a luxury $130M mega-yacht, named Valerie, in the Mediterranean, where they were spotted exchanging kisses and tender embraces on the sun deck. 'Fifty two!' declared Lopez in an Instagram video, proudly flaunting her figure in a bikini and elegant flowing beach wrap as she strutted on the deck of the yacht. It is not known who is paying for the trip, but Affleck is said to be worth $150m while JLo is around three times that at $400million. Ouch: Jen told Andy, 'They shouldn't be so colorful, you know what I mean? They should be, like, cooler' Now making no secret of her rekindled romance with Affleck, the triple-threat entertainer also posted an Instagram photo showing her exchanging a passionate smooch with the two-time Oscar winner. The incredible yacht the loved-up couple will be staying on is the Valerie, currently on the market for $130M and being sold by Dynamiq Brokerage. The couple will be able to spend time together with seven bedrooms across six decks on which to enjoy the voyage. IG official: Ben, 48, and Jen, 52, have been packing on the PDA on their super-yacht Affleck and Lopez now appear to have fully rekindled their romance, after going 'official' in a photo from actress Leah Remini's Instagram that showed them sweetly cuddling on July 15. Earlier this week it was claimed by People that she is 'madly in love' with on-again beau Affleck and feels they will be together from now on. The couple have quickly fallen back in love after reuniting just months ago, with a source telling E! News that the celebrity couple is 'fully committed to each other,' although they've both agreed they aren't in a rush to get married again. Paris Hilton has never had Botox or fillers. The 40-year-old socialite hasn't felt the need to turn to the popular cosmetic injections to keep her wrinkle-free because she swears by her non-invasive microcurrent machine - called a Neurotris - to naturally firm her facial muscles. 'I've never done an injection no Botox, no fillers,' she said during an interview for the Telegraph newspaper's Stella magazine. All-natural: Paris Hilton says that she has never had Botox or fillers. Seen in June 2021 She continued, 'Most of my friends have been doing that [Botox or fillers] for years, since they were in their 20s, but I'm so happy that I've not done anything.' Although her skin is showing no signs of aging just yet, the blonde model thinks her fashion choices have naturally matured over time because she no longer wants to look like a 'Barbie-raver' and, instead, come across as more 'elegant.' She explained: 'I used to have more of a Barbie-raver, club-kid vibe and now I'm more elegant and wearing Lanvin, Valentino and Oscar de la Renta.' Fresh faced: The 40-year-old socialite, who recently shared a makeup- free selfie, hasn't felt the need to turn to the popular cosmetic injections to keep her wrinkle-free Style evolution: Although her skin is showing no signs of aging just yet, the blonde model thinks her fashion choices have naturally matured over time because she no longer wants to look like a 'Barbie-raver' and, instead, come across as more 'elegant.' Pictured in May 2021 She may have thrown out the velour tracksuits and Von Dutch hats that were a staple in her wardrobe during the 2000s in favour of little black dresses, but Paris loves that the velvet two-piece is back on the fashion scene. She said: 'Everything I wore back in the day when people thought I was nuts. It was like, 'What is she wearing?' Now everyone is wearing it.' This isn't the first time that Paris has set a trend, as the silver mini-dress she donned for her 21st birthday has since been copied by Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner and Blake Lively. Unforgettable: Paris's iconic silver mini-dress that she donned for her 21st birthday has since been copied by Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner and Blake Lively. Seen in 2002 Eye-catching: Kim, 40, copied Hilton's glitzy dress when she attended a Versace show in 2018 Homage: Kendall recreated the silver mesh dress for her own 21st birthday party in 2016 and Blake Lively rocked a similar look while attending a Versace fashion show in 2018 Twinning: Hilton and Kim Kardashian wore matching dresses that channeled the original frock in the music video for Paris's single Best Friend's Ass The heiress said previously: 'As soon I put that dress on, I knew it was iconic.' 'I'd never seen anything like it before, and it was so me. So to see so many people using it as inspiration is just the best. Even just on Instagram, I've seen so many replicas. And a lot of girls wore it for Halloween last year. 'Imitation is the highest form of flattery. I mean, it's the ultimate birthday dress. Everybody should wear that dress on their birthday.' Her time on the 2021 series of Love Island was short-lived. Yet Shannon Singh has reportedly scooped a Boux Avenue lingerie deal after spending just 48hours in the Majorca villa. The Scottish model, 22, is thought to have signed a major deal with the sexy underwear brand. Stunning: Shannon Singh has reportedly scooped a Boux Avenue lingerie deal after spending just 48hours in the Majorca villa The beauty met the cast when she formed part of the original line-up, however she was asked to pack her bags via text, becoming the first star to leave Love Island. A spokesperson for the lingerie brand told The Daily Star: 'Shannon may have only had a short stint on this year's Love Island, but she certainly made an impact. 'Passionate about using her platform to promote female empowerment and to unapologetically celebrate her body, Shannon's values align perfectly with Boux Avenue's self-love messaging.' A source also revealed: 'Shannon didn't have the easiest time on the show as she was dumped really early, but with deals like this she's getting the last laugh.' MailOnline has contacted Shannon's representatives and Boux Avenue for comment. Pose: The beauty met the cast when she formed part of the original line-up, however she was asked to pack her bags via text, becoming the first star to leave Love Island Shannon previously admitted that the other contestants weren't her 'type of people,' as she commented on her shock exit. Reflecting on her time on the show, she told The Daily Star last week: 'I think I can agree that the people - I love Libby and stuff - but I don't think they were my type of people to be honest, no.' She also confirmed that she doesn't speak to Brad McClelland after he became the second original Love Islander to get booted off the 2021 series. Shannon added: 'If he reaches out maybe I'll speak to him but I'm just getting on with me. I love the show, I'm still watching it and I've been tweeting about it but I don't know. It's a weird one. Candid: Shannon previously admitted that the other contestants weren't her 'type of people,' as she commented on her shock exit Moving on: She also confirmed that she doesn't speak to Brad McClelland after he became the second original Love Islander to get booted off the 2021 series 'They're all lovely and amazing, we'll be friends, obviously I'll see them at the reunion and whatnot but I don't feel the need to reach out to Brad, he's not really my type.' She also admitted she doesn't know 'what was the point' of entering the show to only appear on it for 48 hours. The influencer explained: 'I was in a quarantine villa, they pumped out all this budget, why waste your own time?' Shannon confessed she was 'gutted' her experience was cut short but nevertheless claimed it was 'great'. The cast of the first season of Love Is Blind are back for more in the trailer for the series' spin-off miniseries After The Altar. The video, released on Monday, shows both the single and coupled up cast members reuniting two years after the filmed the hit Netflix reality show. The trailer climaxes with a rooftop party where plenty of old and new grudges emerge. Back for more: The cast of season one of Netflix's Love Is Blind reunite in the trailer for the upcoming follow-up series After The Alter, released Monday The clip opens with Cameron Hamilton and Lauren Speed, who both go married at the end of the original series. 'Dating is not for the faint of heart,' Cameron says to the camera while sitting on a sofa next to his love. 'I can't even imagine being single now.' She interjects, 'You don't need to be thinking about being single now!' Later, they were seen at a family dinner where Cameron says they've had 'such an amazing year,' before Lauren corrects him that it was actually 'two years.' Going strong: The clip opens with Cameron Hamilton and Lauren Speed, who both go married at the end of the original series. They're clearly still in love at a family dinner Happy couple: Matt Barnett also appeared to be happily settled down with Amber Pike after marrying in the finale It's not all perfect: Amber jumped in with a grimace and joked, 'We need adult supervision' Matt Barnett also appeared to be happily settled down with Amber Pike after marrying in the finale, although Amber jumped in with a grimace and joked, 'We need adult supervision.' Carlton Morton and Diamond Jack, who couldn't make things work on the dating series, were also pictured. 'Are you going to bend, or are you going to break?' Carlton asks her in flashback footage. Lauren 'LC' Chamblin introduced herself as 'bad luck LC,' an allusion to when she dumped Mark Cuevas after the series had ended because an anonymous person on Reddit revealed he was dating another woman at the same time as her. Exes: Carlton Morton and Diamond Jack, who couldn't make things work on the dating series, were also pictured Broke: 'Are you going to bend, or are you going to break?' Carlton asks her in flashback footage On her own: Lauren 'LC' Chamblin introduced herself as 'bad luck LC,' an allusion to when she dumped Mark Cuevas after the series had ended because an anonymous person on Reddit revealed he was dating another woman at the same time as her Once the men reunited, there was an awkward moment where Matt ask Cameron if he and Lauren were using condoms, or if they were trying for a child. 'No,' he replied, which earned him a fist bump from Matt. Meanwhile, Amber seemed ready for her own children with Matt. She was seen complaining to her mother that he was waiting too long, though she replied that he was just trying to create the most favorable situation possible Yikes! Once the men reunited, there was an awkward moment where Matt ask Cameron if he and Lauren were using condoms, or if they were trying for a child Speeding it up: Meanwhile, Amber seemed ready for her own children with Matt. She was seen complaining to her mother that he was waiting too long The eventually reunion turns out to be a difficult event for both LC, who dated Mark after the show, and Jessica Batten, who got engaged to him on the series. 'My biggest fear going into the party is seeing Mark's girlfriend,' she said as she started to cry. 'Apparently, he was sleeping with multiple other women.' She added: 'He had been fooling me the entire time.' Too Hot To Handle's Francesca Farago even crashed the reunion to chat with Damian Powers, leading his girlfriend Giannina Gibelli to interject, 'He's mine.' The outburst led to a fight between the two, with Damian angrily telling her, 'You don't control me. You don't tell me what to do. I can handle my own.' Tough time: The eventually reunion turns out to be a difficult event for both LC, who dated Mark after the show, and Jessica Batten (pictured), who got engaged to him on the series Jealous: Too Hot To Handle's Francesca Farago even crashed the reunion to chat with Damian Powers, leading his girlfriend Giannina Gibelli to interject, 'He's mine.' His own man: The outburst led to a fight between the two, with Damian angrily telling her, 'You don't control me. You don't tell me what to do. I can handle my own' The trailer ended with a detail-free argument between Lauren and Diamond. 'You're not f***ing listening to me,' Amber shouted, before Diamond cried out, 'Finish, then!' The three-episode reunion will be available on Netflix starting on Wednesday, July 28. At their throats: The trailer ended with a detail-free argument between Lauren and Diamond. 'You're not f***ing listening to me,' Amber shouted, before Diamond cried out, 'Finish, then!' More than a year and a half after his film Minamata debuted at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2020, director Andrew Levitas is alleging MGM of 'burying' the film amid star Johnny Depp's legal turmoil. MGM acquired the film in October 2020 through its newly-relaunched American International Pictures, initially scheduled for release in February 2021. While a release in the U.K. and Ireland will happen on August 13, there is still no planned North American release, with the director claiming in a letter he sent to MGM and others that he was told the studio is 'burying' the film. Turmoil: More than a year and a half after his film Minamata debuted at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2020, director Andrew Levitas (right) is alleging MGM of 'burying' the film amid star Johnny Depp's (left) legal turmoil Burying: While a release in the U.K. and Ireland will happen on August 13, there is still no planned North American release, with the director claiming in a letter he sent to MGM and others that he was told the studio is 'burying' the film Levitas sent the letter on Monday to MGM along with Minamata's backers, The Eugene Smith Foundation and the Minamata Foundation, where he claims he was told by someone at MGM that Minamata would not be promoted at all by the studio. 'MGM had decided to "bury the film,"' Levitas says in the letter. The film was picked up while Depp was battling libel charges, which he ultimately lost, the latest in a string of legal battles with ex Amber Heard. Letter: Levitas sent the letter on Monday to MGM along with Minamata's backers, The Eugene Smith Foundation and the Minamata Foundation, where he claims he was told by MGM's acquisitions head Sam Wollman told him Minamata would not be promoted at all by the studio Depp had also backed away from his role as Gellert Grindelwald in the Harry Potter spin-off movies Fantastic Beasts, which happened after Minamata was picked up by MGM. Levitas is arguing that MGM should reconsider because the film's subject matter is more important than Depp's legal troubles. Depp plays iconic photographer Eugene Smith, who helps expose Japan's Chisso Corporation, who were responsible for the mercury poisoning of the citizens from Minamata, Kumamoto, Japan in the 1950s. Backed away: Depp had also backed away from his role as Gellert Grindelwald in the Harry Potter spin-off movies Fantastic Beasts, which happened after Minamata was picked up by MGM Photographer: Depp plays iconic photographer Eugene Smith, who helps expose Japan's Chisso Corporation, who were responsible for the mercury poisoning of the citizens from Minamata, Kumamoto, Japan in the 1950s The film also stars Minami as Smith's translator, Bill Nighy as Robert Hayes, Smith's former Life Magazine editor and Hiroyuki Sanada as a villager who helps Smith expose the corruption of the Chisso Corporation. When asked about the letter Levitas sent, an MGM spokesperson said it will still be released by AIP, though there is no date set. 'The film was acquired for release via American International Pictures (AIP), a division of MGM which handles day-and-date releases. Minamata continues to be among future AIP releases and at this time, the films U.S. release date is TBA,' the statement read. No date: When asked about the letter Levitas sent, an MGM spokesperson said it will still be released by AIP, though there is no date set Levitas said that he learned this week that, 'despite an already successful global roll out, MGM had decided to "bury the film" (acquisitions head Mr. Sam Wollmans words) because MGM was concerned about the possibility that the personal issues of an actor in the film could reflect negatively upon them and that from MGMs perspective the victims and their families were secondary to this.' 'In a stark reminder of The Chisso Corporations actions in Minamata and far too many other large corporations unethical tactics, MGM stated that it would live up to its "legal obligation" and nothing more,' Levitas added, meaning it would release the film but not promote it in any way. 'In doing so, MGM is making a conscious decision to hurt these innocents yet again, callously trampling on their lives, their legacy, their dead loved ones, and their bravery,' Levitas continued. Personal issues: Levitas said that he learned this week that, 'despite an already successful global roll out, MGM had decided to "bury the film" (acquisitions head Mr. Sam Wollmans words) because MGM was concerned about the possibility that the personal issues of an actor in the film could reflect negatively upon them and that from MGMs perspective the victims and their families were secondary to this' The director added that while the studio is well within their rights to bury the story, but they also have a, 'moral obligation to do better than that. 'At a minimum we implore you to speak directly to Mr. Uemura (the parent of one of the victims) and the other victims and offer them the dignity of understanding first hand why you think an actors personal life is more important than their dead children, their siblings, their parents, and all victims of industrial pollution and corporate malfeasance,' Levitas added. The director also included some of the images Smith himself took in the 1950s, concluding that, 'We remain steadfast that MGM will land on the right side of these issues.' Kerri-Anne Kennerley has come out swinging against the maskless thugs who attacked police at anti-lockdown rallies across Australia on Saturday. During a guest appearance on Studio 10 on Tuesday, the media veteran, 67, said she understood that many protestors were 'hurting', but couldn't condone violence. 'The minority who were violent, [it's] completely unacceptable,' Kennerley raged. 'Completely unacceptable': Kerri-Anne Kennerley has come out swinging against the maskless thugs who attacked police at anti-lockdown rallies across Australia on Saturday She went on to condemn protester Kristian Pulkownik, who was pictured 'punching' a police horse during a violent clash at the Sydney demonstration. 'The guy that we saw that went viral who punched the horse, I would horse-whip him myself. [I'd] be very happy, I'll stick my hand up for that,' she said. Kennerley also admitted she was concerned to see children in the crowd. 'I would horse-whip him myself': She condemned protester Kristian Pulkownik, who was pictured 'punching' a police horse during a violent clash at the Sydney demonstration 'I saw one woman and kids there with a big sign that [read] "If you think we're defiant, wait 'til you see the kids we're raising",' she said. 'I'm sorry, that is just another reason why people should have a licence to have children.' Kennerley urged viewers to get vaccinated as soon as possible and confirmed she was looking forward to having her second Covid jab on Thursday. Furious: 'I saw one woman and kids there with a big sign that [read] "If you think we're defiant, wait 'til you see the kids we're raising",' Kennerley said. 'I'm sorry, that is just another reason why people should have a licence to have children' 'You want out? Go and get [the vaccine]. Stand in line for it,' she concluded. Tens of thousands of enraged Australians took to city streets to protest against Covid restrictions on Saturday. The demonstrations were held in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to protest the latest lockdowns which have subjected 14 million Aussies to stay-at-home orders. Clashes: Tens of thousands of enraged Australians took to city streets to protest against Covid restrictions on Saturday. The demonstrations were held in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to protest the latest lockdowns which have subjected 14 million Aussies to stay-at-home orders Crowds packed together on the streets shoulder to shoulder - mostly without masks - as they chanted 'freedom' and anti-vaxxer slogans. Experts warn the so-called 'freedom rallies' could end up forcing Victoria's Covid restrictions to be extended and cause Sydney case numbers to explode. Meanwhile, nearly two dozen men between the ages of 18 and 63 are due to appear in court for their involvement in Saturday's anti-lockdown riots in Sydney. Detectives are still investigating thousands more maskless demonstrators who may yet still be fined for breaching public health orders. Whitney Way Thore opened up about feeling 'exhausted' by the comments she receives about her weight on every one of her social media posts. Speaking of the constant scrutiny of her appearance, the 37-year-old My Big Fat Fabulous Life star shared two recent examples of the unsolicited feedback under a recent post of her at an 'impromptu body-pos pool party.' Alongside a bikini photo, the TLC star screenshotted two comments she got this week, which read: 'You still haven't lost any weight, huh?' while the other said, 'Girl u lost weight! Looking good.' Whitney Way Thore opened up about feeling 'exhausted' by the comments she receives about her weight on every one of her social media posts 'This on everything I post, always. So tired of it, exhausted by it, annoyed with it,' the dancer captioned her post. She continued: 'Can we please find something else to talk about? Suggest good topics in the comments.' Her one million followers promptly took her suggestion as they flooded her comment section with messages about how great she looks in orange and if she ever plans on starting her own clothing line. Getting real: Speaking of the constant scrutiny of her appearance, the 37-year-old My Big Fat Fabulous Life star shared two recent examples of the unsolicited feedback under a recent post of her at an 'impromptu body-pos pool party' Others, however, suggested she might want to limit or 'turn comments off' like some other celebrities like Taylor Swift and Hailey Bieber. 'Its not just happening to you,' one commenter assured. 'I see comments like that everywhere. Im sure its hard to ignore when it happens all the time.' Earlier this week, she revealed she had a new French boyfriend, who requested she cover his face for the sake of his 'privacy' on social media. Body positive: Alongside a bikini photo, the TLC star screenshotted two recent comments she gets one saying, 'You still haven't lost any weight, huh?' and another saying, 'Girl u lost weight! Looking good' Moving on: Earlier this week, she revealed she had a new French boyfriend, who requested she cover his face for the sake of his 'privacy' 'Ive always had a sorta love/mostly hate relationship with social media, but after the last year, its grown even more complicated,' she captioned the slideshow. She went on: 'So when your French man says he values his privacy but you still wanna share him, this is what social media gets.' The duo could be seen posing outside The Louvre, sightseeing and at different restaurants. Last year, she ended her engagement to Chase Severino after he confessed to cheating on her and getting another woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, pregnant. 'Ive always had a sorta love/mostly hate relationship with social media, but after the last year, its grown even more complicated,' she captioned the slideshow. 'So when your French man says he values his privacy but you still wanna share him, this is what social media gets' Bella Hadid looked pretty as a rose on Monday when she stepped out in New York City. The 24-year-old model was spotted walking through the city on her way to see her sister and grab some dinne. The catwalk star rocked a casual chic look built around an eye-catching multicolored shirt featuring prominent roses. On the town: Bella Hadid, 24, stood out during a stroll Monday in New York City thanks to her rose-covered shirt before heading to her sister Gigi Hadid's apartment Bella's long-sleeve shirt also featured splashes of brown and royal blue. She contrasted it with more reserved black slacks that hung loosely thanks to their relaxed cut and featured slim pleats running down her legs. The 5ft9in beauty matched her pants to simple black leather loafers while accessorizing with a prominent belt from Supreme X Jean Paul Gaultier. She complemented the roses on her shirt with a crimson Goyard handbag, and she covered up with her trademark slim black sunglasses and a black mask to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Back in black: Bella contrasted her colorful top with black pleated pants and a Supreme X Jean Paul Gaultier belt Luxurious: She matched the red shirt to her crimson Goyard handbag Later, Bella shared a selfie as she ran into WME Vice President Luiz Mattos. Then, she showed herself relaxing on a sofa in a high-rise loft. Bella moved the camera around to give some better views of her impeccably made-up face and her lustrous brunette tresses, before showcasing the space's incredible view of New York City. She may have been in her sister Gigi Hadid's apartment, as Gigi shared an earlier black-and-white photo of Bella holding up her sister's ten-month-old daughter Khai, whom she shares with Zayn Malik. Later, Bella reposted the photo to her Insta Stories and captioned it, 'Me and my mf princess.' Old friend: Later, Bella shared a selfie as she ran into WME Vice President Luiz Mattos Chilling: Then, she showed herself relaxing on a sofa in a high-rise loft Stunning: Bella moved the camera around to give some better views of her impeccably made-up face and her lustrous brunette tresses, before showcasing the space's incredible view of New York City Family time: The apartment appeared to be her sister Gigi's, as the fellow model posted a black-and-white photo of Bella holding her daughter Khai, 10 months, in the same space Seemingly missing from Bella's outing was her new boyfriend Marc Kalman. While visiting the South of France for the Cannes Film Festival, the model went Instagram official with her new beau by posting a photo of them kissing. 'Time of my life. Healthy, Working and Loved,' she wrote of the new relationship in her caption. Speaking to E! News, a source said: '[They] have been trying to keep it super low-key and private. Now that they have become more serious, she has been excited to be seen with him. She is truly so happy right now.' Despite the newness of the romance, sources claimed to Page Six earlier this month that they've actually been dating for a year and simply kept the relationship private throughout the pandemic. Official: Seemingly missing from Bella's outing was her new boyfriend Marc Kalman, whom she went Instagram official with while in Cannes, France 'They hid it well. If they went out, he would come out first, get the car, and then she would get into the car,' the source claimed. 'They would drive to a location, and hed drop her off but not get out and go park the car. 'They were very diligent about not being seen on a public street at the same time.' The insider added that they would try to go out with others, which 'made it difficult to prove that they were dating.' However, observers caught on when they noticed Marc's Porsche was often seen near her apartment. The source also claimed that Marc had been on the guest list for Gigi's birthday party and had gone shopping with Bella for her gift, but he wasn't pictured in photos featuring the sisters. A dramatic new trailer for Home and Away's mid-season return has been released by Channel Seven. The action-packed clip has hinted that one character may not survive a car accident after a red car tumbles down a cliff. Patrick O'Connor's character Dean, Kawakawa Fox-Reo's character Nikau and Anna Samson's character Mia are involved in the crash. Sneak peek: A new Home and Away trailer hinted a beloved Summer Bay resident DIES... as doctors Tori and Christian finally tie the knot One doctor then yells: 'He is crashing, we have got to move.' A helicopter then arrives and takes one Summer Bay resident to hospital. Dean is seen lying in hospital, as Sophie Dillman's character Ziggy Astoni tells him: 'I forgive you for everything'. Will they survive? The action-packed clip has hinted that one character may not survive a car accident after a red car tumbles down a cliff The trailer also revealed Summer Bay doctors Tori, played by Penny McNamee, and Christian, played by Ditch Davey, will finally tie the knot. Romance is also set to sizzle between Sam Frost's character Jasmine and new Senior Constable Cash, played by Nicholas Cartwright. 'You're officially my hero,' Sam tells Nicholas in the trailer. Wedding bells: The trailer also revealed Summer Bay doctors Tori, played by Penny McNamee, and Christian, played by Ditch Davey, will finally tie the knot Home and Away is one of Australia's most popular soaps, starring Ada Nicodemou, Sam Frost, Lynne McGranger and Ray Meagher that has been aired since 1988. The mid-season finale aired on Thursday, 22 July at 7pm on Channel 7 and 7plus. The show is set to return on Monday, 9 August at 7pm. Model Lucciana Beynon stormed the runway at Miami Swim Week earlier this month. And on Monday, the 19-year-old daughter of notorious tobacco tycoon Travers Beynon was showing off her incredible figure once again, this time in skimpy activewear. The Venezuelan-Australian model flaunted her flat stomach in a skimpy bralette top and pert derriere in green shorts. Back to it! Model Lucciana Beynon, 19, flaunted her curves in activewear on Monday after storming the runway at Miami Swim Week Lucciana ran her hands through her brunette tresses and listened to music on her iPod. It comes after the beauty slipped her curves into a snakeskin bikini to take some mirror selfies the day before week. Too hot to handle! The beauty slipped her curves into a snakeskin bikini to take some mirror selfies the day before week She then turned around to showcase her derriere in the G-string bikini bottoms, tugging them high on her hips to highlight her tan lines. The Gold Coast socialite also modelled an emerald green bikini with criss-cross detailing and matching briefs. Lucciana made her debut at Miami Swim Week debut earlier this month. Wowsers! She then turned around to showcase her derriere in the G-string bikini bottoms, tugging them high on her hips to highlight her tan lines The beauty set pulses racing in a perilously high-cut white swimsuit that showed off her statuesque figure to perfection. Her racy one-piece highlighted her toned abs and lean legs, while a pearl necklace drew the eye to her ample cleavage. That wasn't her only runway look, as she also slipped into a one-shoulder black swimsuit with elaborate cut-outs and G-string bottoms. Hot to trot: Lucciana made her debut at Miami Swim Week debut earlier this month. The beauty set pulses racing in a high-cut white swimsuit that showed off her statuesque figure The Kardashian lookalike previously spoke of her plans to relocate to the U.S. after finishing high school to focus on her modelling career. She told The Gold Coast Bulletin 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. Sizzling: That wasn't her only runway look, as she also slipped into a one-shoulder black swimsuit with elaborate cut-outs and G-string bottoms 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. She was recently linked to British social media star Max Wyatt, after they were pictured partying together in Miami. Former Home and Away star Lincoln Younes gained a huge following after portraying Casey Braxton on the series for three years. But on Tuesday, the actor looked basically unrecognisable when he showed his new lockdown look during an interview with the Offbookactors Instagram page. Lincoln looked every inch the lockdown heartthrob with long shoulder length hair and a scruffy beard which framed his handsome face. Lincoln Younes doesn't look like this anymore! Former Home and Away actor, 29, shows off lockdown look amid rumours he will star on Big Brother VIP. Right, this week The former soap star told of how he got his first role on US TV on the Eva Longoria series, Grand Hotel, during the informal chat. 'I was so tired...I didn't want to do a bad job,' he said, admitting he almost cancelled. Lincoln said he managed to sleep on it before giving it a try. It comes amid talk that Lincoln will star on the new season of Big Brother VIP, alongside names like Caitlyn Jenner. Big Brother VIP, a reboot of popular 2002 reality show Celebrity Big Brother, is soon to start filming. Heartthrob: Lincoln looked every inch the lockdown heartthrob with long shoulder length hair and a scruffy beard which framed his handsome face Backstory: 'I was so tired...I didn't want to do a bad job,' he said during the interview, admitting he almost cancelled. Lincoln said he managed to sleep on it before giving it a try Lincoln is back in Australia after spending time in America where he starred on the show Grand Hotel, directed by actress Eva Longoria. The steamy drama was cancelled after the first season, however, Lincoln sang the praises of the former Desperate Housewives star. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph recently, the star said: 'She is the coolest boss you could ever hope for'. Back Down Under: Lincoln is back in Australia after spending time in America where he starred on the show Grand Hotel, directed by actress Eva Longoria He added: '... she had us around for tacos, she had a full-on Taco Tuesday.' The actress is good a cook as she is a boss, the actor told the paper. 'She's ruined Mexican forever. Once you've had Eva's cooking. Everything pales in comparison,' he said. She enjoyed a seaside feast on Long Island over the weekend with Emma Roberts and Naomi Watts. But Nicky Hilton was back home in New York City on Monday when she was seen looking radiant while taking a walk. The 37-year-old heiress beamed while showing off a lovely pale blue and white St. Roche sundress. Blue mood: Nicky Hilton, 37, looked radiant in a pale blue and white sundress while out for a walk in New York City on Monday Nicky's relaxing cotton dress featured swirling blue floral designs and was pleated over her chest. The sleeveless outfit showcased her toned arms and had ruffled shoulders. The 5ft7in beauty paired her knee-length dress with casual white sneakers covered in matching pale blue blotches and baby blue laces. She wore her blond tresses tied back in a thick braid that was swept over her shoulder, and she blocked out the sun with clear-frame sunglasses. The fashion designer also accessorized with a floppy graygreen bag. Textured: Nicky's relaxing dress features swirling blue floral designs and was pleated over her chest. The sleeveless outfit showcased her toned arms and had ruffled shoulders On point: The 5ft7in beauty paired her knee-length dress with white sneakers covered in pale blue blotches and baby blue laces. She wore her blond tresses tied back in a thick braid that was swept over her shoulder, and she blocked out the sun with clear-frame sunglasses Contrasting: The fashion designer also accessorized with a floppy graygreen bag Later on Monday, Nicky shared some snaps from her idyllic weekend in the Hamptons, featuring her husband James Rothschild, 36. He was seen sitting at a table decked out with a gorgeous blue floral table clothing with enormous sunflowers in a vase while one of the couple's daughters sat on his lap while wearing a gold crown. The couple share two young daughters, five-year-old Lily-Grace and three-year-old Teddy. Another selfie showed Nicky sunning herself in a hammock while wearing a black-and-white striped ensemble and wearing angular black sunglasses. Perfect Long Island weekend, she captioned her photos. A weekend in the country: Later on Monday, Nicky shared some snaps from her idyllic weekend in the Hamptons, featuring her husband James Rothschild, 36 Gorgeous: Another selfie showed Nicky sunning herself in a hammock while wearing a black-and-white striped ensemble and wearing angular black sunglasses On Saturday, Nicky revealed that she'd traveled to nearby Amangansett Beach on Long Island for an event hosted by the Australian luxury fashion brand Zimmermann. She was pictured with Emma Roberts, who look stunning in a green ruched halter dress. Nicky channeled '70s style with a golden paisley-covered dress with a plunging laced-up collar. The fancy dinner was lit by tiki torches and strings of lights on the beach just after the sun had dropped below the horizon. The guests sampled their dishes while seated on the ground on cushions. Famous faces: Over the weekend, Nicky traveled to Amangansett Beach on Long Island with Emma Roberts, Naomi Watts and other for a dinner put on by Australian luxury fashion brand Zimmermann He's the Melbourne-based barber who rose to fame after he failed to find love with Mishel Karen on last year's season of Married At First Sight. And on Tuesday, Steve Burley revealed that after almost four years working as a barber, he has decided to put his clippers down and head in a new direction. 'I left the barber business after wanting a new direction, joining a real estate company in Brighton, Victoria,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday. 'It's about getting my teeth into something new': Married At First Sight star Steve Burley, 53, (pictured) has revealed his unlikely new career path after quitting his job as a barber 'It's early days, but I'm excited about the challenge which I will meet head on.' Steve, 53, explained that after years running his own barber salon in Melbourne's CBD while going in and out of lockdown, he felt like it was the right time to see what else was out there. 'I wish them well moving forward, but for me it's about getting my teeth into something new and exciting,' he said. 'I left the barber business after wanting a new direction, joining a real estate company in Brighton, Victoria,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday The outspoken reality star will now put his confidence to good use selling prime real estate for James Paynter. Earlier this year, Steve made headlines after he insisted his friends Bryce Ruthven and Melissa Rawson were madly in love while their relationship was being played out to viewers on the Channel Nine reality show. Speaking on the Dangerous Ideas with Deano podcast, hosted by another former MAFS star, Dean Wells, 43, Steve said the pair are 'connected' and happy. Earlier this year, Steve made headlines after he insisted his friends Bryce Ruthven and Melissa Rawson were madly in love while their relationship was being played out to viewers on the Channel Nine reality show 'I went to Melissa's family's home to watch the screening of the wedding. I was with Melissa, Bryce and Melissa's family. I have never seen anybody, or as a collective, as a family, so well connected, as Bryce and Melissa were. 'They were super emotional with things that they were watching, because in my opinion, they're so in love with each other. 'I can tell you know I have been out with Bryce and Melissa several times since the show went to air, and deadset, they are 100 percent locked in together, trust me.' Sarah Harris has opened up about the recent passing of her beloved Studio 10 co-host Jonathan Coleman. The 40-year-old presenter spoke on The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Tuesday about the tragic loss and how it deeply affected her personally. 'Bless for your loss over there too, with Jono,' Kyle Sandilands, 50, said. 'I couldn't believe that.' Fondly remembered: Studio 10's Sarah Harris, 40, revealed her heartbreak after the recent passing of fellow host and 10 TV presenter Jonathan Coleman (centre) 'That was so sad because he was such a beautiful person,' added Jackie 'O' Henderson, 46. 'He was always so jolly and happy every time you see him, it's very, very sad.' 'Beautiful Jono,' replied Sarah. 'We were really, really close.' The Studio 10 star recalled a moment when Jonathan was the MC at her wedding in 2014, when she married IT Specialist Tom Ward, and how 'hilarious' he was. Good friends: The Studio 10 star recalled a moment when Jonathan was the MC at her wedding in 2014 and how 'hilarious' he was. 'He was so funny and talked so much that we didn't get to hear the band play,' she says, fondly remembering her former colleague. 'It doesn't feel real,' Sarah continued. 'The morning we did the tribute show, all the kids in the office who grew up with him were at their desks, crying and laughing.' Harris explained how the staff were laughing because of the 'amazing laughs he gave us,' but also crying because of his passing. 'It doesn't feel real': Sarah reflected on the morning of the tribute show for Jono's passing and how the staff were 'laughing' because of the 'laughs he gave us', but 'crying' because of his tragic passing 'We were so lucky to have him in our little orbit for the period of time we did,' the Studio 10 presenter added. Sarah had worked with Jono since Studio 10's launch in 2013. Before joining Studio 10, Jono had a long career on television and radio in Australia and the United Kingdom. He died in Sydney in early July, aged 65, after a four-year battle with prostate cancer. Jamie Doran made headlines for taking legal action against production company Warner Brothers for a 'bad edit' during his time on The Bachelorette. And on Tuesday, he confirmed that he will not be making a return to reality TV any time soon. The 40-year-old shared a screen grab from an article that touted him as one of the rumoured celebrities joining the upcoming season of Big Brother VIP. No more TV: Jamie Doran confirmed he will not be making a returned to reality TV any time soon after it was speculated he would be joining the upcoming season of Big Brother VIP The former reality TV star captioned the post: 'I can confirm this isn't happening.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted Jamie for further comment. Caitlyn Jenner is among the international stars joining the celebrity edition of Big Brother. The California Governor hopeful is believed to be earning $500,000 for her two week stint on the Channel Seven reality show. Not happening! The 40-year-old shared a screen grab from an article that touted him as one of the rumoured celebrities joining the upcoming season of Big Brother VIP. The former reality TV star captioned the post: 'I can confirm this isn't happening' Ready for their reality TV close up: Caitlyn Jenner and Meghan Markle's estranged half brother Thomas Markle Jr are among the international stars joining the celebrity edition of Big Brother Meghan Markle's estranged half brother Thomas Markle Jr, is also set to appear on the show. Other rumoured housemates include Married At First Sight's Jessika Power, former athlete Matt Shirvington, TV presenter James Tobin, comedian Josh Thomas, and former Hi-5 star Charli Robinson. In April, a network insider claimed to Woman's Day that producers already have their sights set on several big names, including Home And Away star Lincoln Younes and radio star Ash Pollard. Under construction: Channel Seven is set to introduce a brand-new house for the upcoming season of Big Brother VIP after the producers were evicted from the Manly compound (above) Unlikely location: The show is set to begin filming at Sydney Olympic Park (pictured) at a new Big Brother house in the coming weeks She's back! The show will air on Channel Seven later this year with Sonia Kruger (pictured) is returning as host Big Brother VIP is the second celebrity-themed Big Brother format to air in Australia, after a first season was made back in 2002. The show is set to begin filming at Sydney Olympic Park at a new Big Brother house in the coming weeks. The new set is currently being constructed despite the ban on building works in Sydney, after the producers were granted special permission. The show will air on Channel Seven later this year with Sonia Kruger is returning as host. She made headlines back in 2016 when she had a fling with then-single pop star Justin Bieber. But Sahara Ray provided another eight reasons to not be forgotten on Tuesday, when the 28-year-old bombshell dropped a series of steamy shots to Instagram. The Sahara Ray Swim founder was her own best advert as she modelled several pieces from her Gia 'X Rated' range. Memorable: Sahara Ray (pictured) provided another eight reasons to not be forgotten on Tuesday, when the 28-year-old bombshell dropped a series of steamy shots to Instagram The Australian model and swimwear designer left little to the imagination as she went braless underneath a brightly patterned lime green mini dress. Another look featured a sheer green lace dress through which Sahara's pert derriere was visible. Yet another dress, this one in magenta lace, featured a deep plunging neckline that made the most of Ray's impressive assets. Cheeky! The Sahara Ray Swim founder was her own best advert as she modelled several pieces from her Gia 'X Rated' range. Sahara was famously caught by the paparazzi enjoying a skinny dipping session with Justin, 27, in Hawaii in August 2016. He went on to marry model and socialite Hailey Baldwin, 24, in 2018. Last July, Sahara made headlines when she promised to release a sex tape if she reached enough subscribers on OnlyFans. Legs for days: The Australian model and swimwear designer left little to the imagination as she went braless beneath a brightly patterned lime green mini dress Taking the plunge! Another dress, this one in magenta lace, featured a deep plunging neckline that made the most of Ray's impressive assets OnlyFans is a subscription-based social media platform that allows users to sell adult content for a monthly fee. Sahara charges AUD$20 per month for unlimited access to her OnlyFans account. The blonde bombshell is the daughter of Australian big wave surfer Tony Ray. Claim to fame: Sahara was famously caught by the paparazzi enjoying a skinny dipping session with a then-single Justin Bieber, 27, in Hawaii in August 2016 Like her famous father, Sahara was an avid surfer, but she put down the surfboard at the age of 16 to pursue a career in modelling and fashion. The blonde beauty then moved to the bright lights of Los Angeles, where she enrolled in The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM). Sahara forged a successful career as a swimsuit model and launched her own of swimwear line, Sahara Ray Swim. She is a stunning model and reality star, known for her stylish fashion sense. And Monday was no exception for Kendall Jenner, who was seen out and about running errands in Beverly Hills, California. The brunette beauty, 25, wore a baggy greenish sweatshirt for the outing, paired with light gray sweatpants. Eye contact: Monday was a casual chic day for Kendall Jenner, who was seen out and about running errands in Beverly Hills Jenner chatted on the phone, and was in the midst of adjusting the waistband of her sweatpants on one hip. She walked along in camouflage crocs, with white socks on her feet during the unseasonably cool and rainy Los Angeles weekday. The older sister of Kylie Jenner shouldered a canvas beige tote bag that read 'Im carrying precious cargo'. Stepping out: The brunette beauty, 25, wore a baggy greenish sweatshirt for the outing, paired with light gray sweatpants Kendall wore her straight brown hair down and parted at the middle, with a flesh-colored face covering over her mouth and nose as coronavirus cases continue to spike back up in LA County. She sported what looked to be a peach-colored manicure. Over the weekend, the runway star was seen getting down and dirty with her classic lavender 1960 Cadillac Eldorado while out in Malibu. Chatting: She walked along in camouflage crocs, with white socks on her feet during the unseasonably cool and rainy Los Angeles weekday Kendall was spotted at the gas station, where she opted to pump the gas of her car herself. She is clearly a huge fan of the whip, as she took to her Instagram with several appreciative images of the vintage automobile. Other content on Jenner's feed is of bottles of 818 tequila the brand of alcohol Kendall herself launched this year. Over the weekend: The runway star was seen getting down and dirty with her classic lavender 1960 Cadillac Eldorado while out in Malibu; seen here on Instagram She is clearly a huge fan of the whip: She has taken to her Instagram with several appreciative images of the vintage automobile Hugh Jackman is one of Australia's most famous acting exports, with blockbusters films such as The X-Men series and The Greatest Showman under his belt. But on Monday, the 52-year-old revealed the surprising first movie he ever watched. 'The Wizard of Oz, in Terrigal,' he shared as he recalled annual family holidays to the beachside town on the New South Wales Central Coast as a child. Memories: Hugh Jackman revealed the surprising first movie he ever watched in an Instagram post on Monday 'We went to see the movie and all I remember from it was the monkey scene at the end,' the actor said of the film. 'I was so terrified that I hid in front at my father's feet behind, so I was hiding and crying through the thing and it absolutely, completely tortured me,' he admitted. Hugh added that The Wicked Witch traumatised him so much that was left with nightmares from the movie, joking that he 'didn't sleep for five years' as a result. Classic: 'The Wizard of Oz, in Terrigal,' the 52-year-old shared, as he recalled annual family holidays to the beachside town on the New South Wales Central Coast as a child. Pictured is a still from 1939 film The Wizard of Oz Affected: The actor recalled the monkey scene from the 1939 film left him traumatised as a child. 'I was so terrified that I hid in front at my father's feet behind,' he said. 'I've probably still got PTSD from it,' he added 'It's a miracle I ever went back to be honest. I've probably still got PTSD from it,' he added. It comes after Hugh recently showed off his competitive side with wife Deborra-Lee Furness at their New York home, in a short video shared to his Instagram. The Sydney-born star hid behind a pole in their West Village penthouse after winning a game of Backgammon against a disappointed Deborra-Lee, 65. Competitive: It comes after Hugh recently showed off his competitive side with wife Deborra-Lee Furness at their New York home, in a short video shared to his Instagram In the clip, a casually dressed Hugh couldn't wipe the smile off his face as Deborra-Lee rolled the dice and realised she had lost. 'Babe, I just got lucky. I don't know how I won that one,' The Greatest Showman star said, before hilariously standing up and hiding behind a pole in their luxury abode. Hugh captioned the Instagram post, 'Competitive much?!' alongside the hashtag 'I love you Deb'. Winners are grinners: In the clip, a casually dressed Hugh (pictured) couldn't wipe the smile off his face as Deborra-Lee rolled the dice and realised she had lost in their game of Backgammon In good fun: 'Babe, I just got lucky. I don't know how I won that one,' he said, before hilariously standing up and hiding behind a pole in their West Village abode The post comes nearly two weeks after Hugh returned to the United States after a short stint in his home country. Hugh enjoyed just a week and a half of freedom in Sydney following the mandatory two weeks of hotel quarantine. He is believed to have cut short his visit to his home city after an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta strain of Covid led to another lockdown. Games with an incredible view: Hugh captioned the Instagram post, 'Competitive much?!' alongside the hashtag 'I love you Deb' Quick trip: The post comes weeks after Sydney-born Hugh returned to the United States after a short stint in his home country. Hugh enjoyed just a week and a half of freedom in Sydney following the mandatory two weeks of hotel quarantine Hugh moved to New York with Deborra-Lee and their children in 2008, and they reside in the trendy West Village. Last year, Hugh revealed he was homesick for Australia after a lengthy lockdown in New York due to the coronavirus pandemic. Deborra-Lee and the couple's children had initially been in Melbourne when COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2019. But they returned to the U.S. just four days later in order to keep the family together. Anthony Field has shared condolences for ex-solider Brendan Nikolajew, who has died at age 30, just weeks after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis. In a post shared to Twitter, The Wiggles star, 58, wrote: 'Rest In Peace Brendan' alongside a photo of Brendan with his family. The performer had earlier pledged to donate royalties from The Wiggles new album, Lullabies With Love, to Brendan's family. Loss: Anthony Field has shared condolences for ex-solider Brendan Nikolajew (pictured), who has died at age 30 just weeks after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis The children's entertainer, who is also a former army man himself, told Sense Music Media that he'd removed his name from every track on the album and replaced it with Brendan's, so that all co-writing royalties would flow directly to the Nikolajew clan. '[Brendan is] one of those guys who you talk to and he just brightens up your life, even though he's going through the worst you could be going through,' Field told the publication. '[Lullabies with Love] will give royalties to the kids and the family for a few years. Every so often, they'll get some money, which will be really great,' he added. In a post shared to Twitter, The Wiggles star, 58, wrote: 'Rest In Peace Brendan' alongside a photo of Brendan with his family Generous: The performer had earlier pledged to donate royalties from The Wiggles new album, Lullabies With Love, to Brendan's family. Anthony is pictured 'I never thought that I'd be receiving support and admiration from such a legend. Anthony has given so much and it's too humbling,' Brendan had said at the time. The former soldier and loving father-of-two was told he had just weeks to live after finding a cancerous lump on his testicle. Mr Nikolajew, who lived in Queensland's Moreton Bay, was first diagnosed with cancer after discovering a lump on his testicle three-and-a-half years ago. Help: The entertainer told Sense Music Media that he'd removed his name from every track on the album and replaced it with Brendan's, so that all co-writing royalties would flow directly to the Nikolajew clan. Field recently received a vitamin drip while visiting Nikolajew in hospital Support: 'I never thought that I'd be receiving support and admiration from such a legend. Anthony has given so much and it's too humbling,' Brendan had said at the time Nikolajew fought for Australia as an artilleryman in Afghanistan, and has beaten testicular cancer three times in the space of two years. In November, he received the devastating news that his cancer had spread, with doctors estimating that he had six to 12 months to live. 'People say when you die, you're going to a better place,' Mr Nikolajew said. 'I don't understand how a place without my wife, kids, family and everyone else I love is a better place.' Family: His wife Leah and children Georgie, four, and Roman, one, had stood by him every step of the way. Pictured: Brendan Nikolajew with partner Leah and children Georgie and Roman Army man: Brendan had faced many battles in his life including several tours in war-torn Afghanistan His wife Leah and children Georgie, four, and Roman, one, had stood by him every step of the way. Mr Nikolajew battled through several rounds of chemotherapy, contended with a serious infection that nearly led to sepsis and pulled through a Deep Vein Thrombosis - a blood clot that forms in the vein. Leah shared a heartbreaking post to Instagram on Tuesday, confirming that Brendan had lost his battle. Tragic: Leah shared a heartbreaking post to Instagram on Tuesday, confirming that Brendan had lost his battle. 'To all our beautiful friends and family, it breaks my heart to let you all know that my beautiful husband passed away peacefully yesterday afternoon' she wrote 'To all our beautiful friends and family, it breaks my heart to let you all know that my beautiful husband passed away peacefully yesterday afternoon. I held him close and lay next to him until his last breath. I made sure he knew how loved he was by everyone who knew him,' she wrote. 'The last few days of his life were extremely hard for him as he struggled to breath and was quite confused, he fought right to the end and did not want to leave but eventually made the decision to finally be at peace and watch us from the stars. 'My little family and I are absolutely broken and still can't imagine how we are going to continue on in this life without our sun and moon and our rock. He lived life to the fullest and loved the people around so bloody hard and I am proud to be his wife. 'I hope we can all keep his memory alive by never giving up and living our life with Brendan's ferocity and passion. Thank you all for the beautiful kind messages of love. Love from Leah, Georgie and Roman'. The Vaccines and special guests put on an incredible performance delighting crowds in Kentish Town on Monday night. It comes as bands across England have been able to make their return to the stage after a ban on large public events during lockdown. The English indie rock band was joined by The Snuts from West Lothian, Scotland, for the Radio X presents The Vaccines & special guests The Snuts with Barclaycard gig in London. Good to be back: The Vaccines (pictured) and special guests put on an incredible performance delighting crowds in Kentish Town on Monday night The Vaccines appeared in good spirits and pleased to be playing to crowds once again, performing hits such as I Can't Quit, If You Wanna and Dream Lover. Before the show, the West London band, who recently performed at Latitude Festival in Suffolk, teased fans by taking to their social media pages writing: 'See you tonight London'. And it appeared their attempts to excite the crowd paid off as their cheered and sung the whole way through the show. As the band took to the stage, fans raised their arms and danced around, delighted to be back enjoying gigs for the first time in over a year. Gigs have returned: It comes as bands across England have been able to make their return to the stage after a ban on large public events during lockdown. Pictured: The delighted crowd on Monday night Action packed: The English indie rock band was joined by The Snuts (pictured) from West Lothian, Scotland, for the Radio X presents The Vaccines & special guests The Snuts with Barclaycard gig The band also took the opportunity to play some of their new music they had been working on during lockdown. Band members Justin Young (guitar and vocals), Freddie Cowan (guitar and vocals), Arni Arnason (bass), Timothy Lanhham (keyboards) and Yoann Intonti (drums) were lit up put throughout the whole performance and looked delighted to be back. The show clearly had an impact on the band too, who took to Twitter afterward to write: 'one of my favourite shows EVERRR thank uuu.' Crowd pleasers: The Vaccines appeared in good spirits and pleased to be playing to crowds once again, performing hits such as I Can't Quit, If You Wanna and Dream Lover (pictured) And The Snuts, who took to the stage before The Vaccines, did an excellent job of getting the crowd pumped up. The band, made up of Jack Cochrane (guitar and vocals), Joe McGillveray (guitar), Callum Wilson (bass) and Jordan Mackay (drums), got the energy in the room up in no time as they delivered an incredible performance with the Scottish flag in the background. Radio X has hosted a number of shows through their partnership with Barclaycard virtually, with guests such as Jake Bugg, Tom Grennan and Nothing But Thieves. Jessika Power was bound for Sydney on Monday, as her appearance on Big Brother VIP is all but confirmed. The former Married At First Sight star, 29, dressed down in a pair of loose, black track pants and sneakers as she waited to depart in Brisbane. Jessika looked quite bored as she killed time at the airport, staring at her phone in a dispassionate fashion. Incoming: Jessika Power (pictured) was bound for Sydney on Monday, as her appearance on Big Brother VIP is all but confirmed. Jessika looked quite bored as she killed time at the airport The blonde then had a bite to eat, delivering a very large slice of what looked like a dessert of some sort to her open mouth. Once arriving in Sydney, she showed off a hint of midriff in a cropped sweatshirt, and covered her face with a black mask. The departure comes on the back of rumors that the reality star is fuming after learning she is getting paid peanuts for her upcoming Big Brother VIP gig - far less than her rival Martha Kalifatidis was awarded for Celebrity Apprentice. Checking in: She was spotted staring at her phone in a dispassionate fashion Tasty: The blonde then had a bite to eat, delivering a very large slice of what looked like a dessert of some sort to her open mouth 'Jess will be livid to know Martha took home $30,000 for Celeb Apprentice, while she struggled to get $20,000 out of Channel 7,' New Idea reported on Monday. According to the publication, Jessika jumped at the opportunity to appear on Big Brother after seeing how Martha was able to reinvent herself. 'Jess has had a reality TV opportunity thrown at her every month for the past year, but for one reason or another they've fallen over,' the source added. 'She wants to be the MAFS queen bee!' Casual: The former Married At First Sight star, 29, dressed down in a pair of loose, black track pants and sneakers Casual: She showed off a hint of midriff in a cropped sweatshirt Staying safe: The budding influencer also covered her face with a black mask Fancy: She added a Louis Vuitton crossbody bag to her ensemble Jessica has since denied the magazine's claims, telling Daily Mail Australia: 'Martha and I are friends and I'm proud of how successful she's become.' She continued: 'I would never be envious of people that are succeeding and I don't care for any "crown or title", I'm not the same Jess I was 3 years ago!' Meanwhile, Caitlyn Jenner is believed to be earning $500,000 for her two week stint on the Channel Seven reality show. Anger: Her arrival in Sydney comes on the back of rumors that the reality star is fuming after learning she is getting paid peanuts for her upcoming Big Brother VIP gig Less: She is reportedly getting far less than her rival Martha Kalifatidis was awarded for Celebrity apprentice Big Brother VIP is the second celebrity-themed Big Brother format to air in Australia, after a first season was made back in 2002. The show begins filming at Sydney Olympic Park in the coming weeks and will air on Channel Seven later this year. Sonia Kruger is returning as host. The set is currently being constructed despite the ban on building works in Sydney, after the producers were granted special permission. Richard E. Grant has spoken of the stunned reaction he received when he wore gloves to greet Prince Charles at an event early on in the pandemic. The Withnail And I actor, 64, attended the Prince's Trust And TK Maxx & Homesense Awards at London Palladium on March 11, where he joined a host of stars, including Ant and Dec and Michaela Coel, in meeting the Prince. At the event, he opted to wear black protective gloves after he spoke to a doctor at an NYC event weeks before, who told him to protect himself from the virus with protective wear such as face coverings and latex gloves. Speaking to Radio Times, Richard revealed that while meeting Prince Charles, who contracted the virus shortly after, a fellow guest queried: 'What the hell are you doing?' in a nod to his 'vigilant' early reaction to the virus. Careful: Richard E. Grant has spoken of the stunned reaction he received when he wore gloves to greet Prince Charles at an event early on in the pandemic (pictured at the event) On COVID, Richard explained: 'Ive been vigilant about it. Im not a hypochondriac, by any means, Ive just been careful. Another (New York party) guest, who was in the medical profession, said, "Get face masks and gloves." 'So I got a whole box and when I came back to England wore them wherever I went.' He went on to detail how his last public appearance involved the line-up to meet Prince Charles, where he put on his protective wear. He revealed: 'Someone said, "What the hell are you doing?" But I didnt want to catch it.' He was pictured on the red carpet holding his hands up to show the gloves, while also greeting Michaela on-stage with his elbow so as not to touch hands. Protection: At the event, he opted to wear black protective gloves after he spoke to a doctor at an NYC event weeks before, who told him to protect himself from the virus with protective wear such as face coverings and latex gloves (pictured on the red carpet) Careful: He was pictured on the red carpet holding his hands up to show the gloves, while also greeting Michaela on-stage with his elbow so as not to touch hands The Prince of Wales, 72, tested positive for Covid-19 later in March and revealed he experienced 'relatively mild symptoms' while battling the virus. In June last year, he opened up about his brush with the deadly infection saying: 'I was lucky in my case and got away with it quite lightly. But I've had it, and I can so understand what other people have gone through.' He added: 'I feel particularly for those who have lost their loved ones and have been unable to be with them at the time. That to me is the most ghastly thing.' Speaking out: Speaking to Radio Times , Richard revealed that while meeting Prince Charles, who contracted the virus shortly after, a fellow guest queried: 'What the hell are you doing?' in a nod to his 'vigilant' early reaction to the virus Royal biographer Penny Juror said his battle with the virus meant he is 'able to understand people going through terrible times' and 'show leadership'. 'That he caught the virus is one of the best things that could have happened,' she said. 'It echoes the Queen Mother and King George VI being able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the public during the Second World War after Buckingham Palace was bombed.' She added that more people have 'seen and listened' to Charles during lockdown - and that he has used his platform well throughout the pandemic. Aside from discussing his Royal meet, earlier this month, Richard gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at his costume for the role of Classic Loki in the Disney + series Loki. Look: Aside from discussing his Royal meet, earlier this month, Richard gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at his costume for the role of Classic Loki in the Disney + series Loki He was seen in two pictures during his costume fitting for the show, in a snap he shared via Instagram, and he joked that the outfit would have made his late father 'cackle'. In the first image, Richard was seen wearing the bottom half of his costume, which consisted of green spandex stockings, gold pants and matching boots, with a black tank top. While in the second he had tried on the full Classic Loki costume, adding his green and gold spandex top, gold cape and hood. Amused: Richard joked with fans that his costume would make his late father 'cackle' Role: Richard's character is a Loki variant, an alternate version of Tom Hiddleston's character who managed to escape death at the hands of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War In the caption, Richard joked with fans: 'My late father asked me 4 decades ago "Do you really want to spend your life in tights and make-up?" 'At 64, this get-up for @officialloki for @disneyplus would have made him cackle!!' Richard's character is a Loki variant, an alternate version of Tom's character who managed to escape death at the hands of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War and lived out his life on a distant planet. Altogether: Richard's Loki was discarded in The Void by the Time Variance Authority (TVA), and Tom's Loki bands together with him, Kid Loki, Boastful Loki and Alligator Loki However, when he tried to escape his solitary existence to see his half-brother Thor he was stopped by the Time Variance Authority (TVA) and discarded in The Void. The TVA protect the sacred timeline, which is everything that has, is and will happen in the universe, to stop multiverses appearing and starting a time war. In The Void, he met other variants of himself including Kid Loki (Jack Veal), Boastful Loki (DeObia Oparei) and Alligator Loki, and they banded together to survive against Alioth, a smoke monster that consumes all matter. When Tom's Loki is sent to The Void, he joins the trio and Classic Loki and fellow variant Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) fight against Alioth. During the battle with Alioth, however, Classic Loki gave his life so that Loki and Sylvie would be able to find the being who is truly behind the TVA. Loki streams exclusively on Disney+. Susanna Reid confirmed she's signing off Good Morning Britain for the summer break as she joked with Ben Shephard about 'taking a sabbatical'. The presenter, 50, revealed Tuesday would be her final day on the show for a while as they discussed EastEnders star Adam Woodyatt, who is taking a break from the soap after 35 years. Ben, 46, said: 'He's taking a sabbatical, you can do that if you've been at a place long enough - you can get a bit of a sabbatical.' Time off: Susanna Reid confirmed she's signing off Good Morning Britain for the summer break as she joked with Ben Shephard about 'taking a sabbatical' To which Susanna replied: 'I'll tell you what, I'm taking a sabbatical for the summer - today's my last day!' Laughing away, Ben quipped: 'Ah, happy days!' before adding: 'No, no - we will miss you.' Rolling her eyes, Susanna responded: 'God, that took a while.' Susanna did not confirm when she will be returning to the programme, but is expected to take her usual six-week break, which would mean she returns in September. Time out: Susanna did not confirm when she will be returning to the programme, but is expected to take her usual six-week break, which would mean she returns in September The funny exchange comes after Susanna was recognised for her broadcasting efforts during Thursday night's National Reality TV Awards when she scooped the Celebrity Personality Of The Year 2021 gong. As she didn't attend the ceremony in person to collect the award, Ben handed over the gong during Monday's episode of GMB. Ben explained: 'Just quickly, I feel like it's important we present this fabulous award that Susanna won last week at The National Reality TV Awards. 'She was presented with Celebrity Personality Of The Year,' to which Susanna replied: 'Thank you very much indeed.' As Ben went on: 'So congratulations to you', Susanna continued: 'That's very kind, thank you very much indeed... 'I would like to present to you Ben and the whole team Best Talk Show. Congratulations to everyone who's part of Good Morning Britain.' He's been busy reprising his brooding John Wick persona for the fourth film in the franchise in Berlin in recent months. And Keanu Reeves looked in great spirits as he flashed a beaming smile at a female production assistant while leaving his Berlin hotel on Monday. The Speed star, 56, was delighted as he stepped out with wet hair and clad in a black suit, casually chatting to his blonde friend. Smile: Keanu Reeves looked in great spirits as he flashed a beaming smile at a female production assistant while leaving his Berlin hotel on Monday It appeared Keanu was en-route to run some errands as he carried a bag from Freddy Leck laundromat. The pair enjoyed a quick friendly chat before the screen star headed off. Work on the next installment of the action thriller franchise began shortly after the release of its third film, John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum, in May of 2019. In April of last year, series director Chad Stahelski spoke to Collider and noted that the project's creative team had set their bar much higher for the upcoming film from its inception. Good to see you: The Speed star, 56, was delighted as he stepped out with wet hair and clad in a black suit, casually chatting to his blonde friend 'We submitted an idea or thematic [plan] and it was really big. So, we're talking about doing a little bit more than a [John Wick 4], or something like that, and trying to develop that,' he said. The filmmaker also expressed that the development team had a relatively fleshed-out story in mind for the forthcoming feature and that they were glad to have a roadmap of sorts. Stahelski said, 'I'm in a happy place where we are in development...we're in a place where we know what we want do and where we want to do it.' Production for the fourth entry in the franchise will take place in Berlin and Paris. New York City and Japan will serve as additional filming locations. The crew behind the film originally intended to shoot back-to-back for another John Wick feature, although this idea was later shot down, leaving the possibility of a fifth movie in limbo. The fourth entry in the action franchise was originally scheduled to make its debut sometime this year, although the onset of the global pandemic forced the release date to be pushed back to May 27 2022. The nominations for the 2021 Ivor Novello Awards Rising Star Prize have been announced, ahead of the official ceremony in September. The award, which recognises the acheivements and ambition of young musicians in the industry has seen Allegra, Holly Humberstone, Kamal, Rachel Chinouriri and Willow Kayne nominated. The Ivor Academy announced their nominations as they prepare to unveil the full shortlist on August 10th. Exciting: The nominations for the 2021 Ivor Novello Awards Rising Star Prize have been announced, ahead of the official ceremony in September (Rachel Chinouriri pictured) The Rising Star Award aims to discover, support, and accelerate the careers of the most promising music creators, and is part of Apple Music's continued support of the songwriter and composer community. The winner receives a dedicated Ivor Novello Award and joins a roll call of songwriting greats that includes Adele, Stormzy, Annie Lennox, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Joan Armatrading. Allegra, has been writing and recording music since the age of 13, and has worked with Grammy-award winner Tim Fagan and Grammy nominee Paul O'Duffy. Honoured: The award, which recognises the acheivements and ambition of young musicians in the industry has seen five rising stars recognised (Holly Humberstone is pictured) Music star: Willow Kayne cites pop, hip-hop and punk as key influences on her sound, and her single I Don't Wanna Know comes hot on the heels of her previous track The young musician has also performed on The One Show and Jools Holland, and her debut single Spectacles received airplay on BBC Radio when it was released earlier this year. Holly Humberstone has amassed more than 120 million streams for her debut EP Falling Asleep At The Wheel and came runner up in the BBC Sound of 2021. She has also followed in the footsteps of Billie Eilish after being chosen as Apple's Up Next Artist. This summer Holly will perform her first ever headline shows, with four sold-out nights in London, plus the upcoming festival season. Penning hits: Allegra, has been writing and recording music since the age of 13, and has worked with Grammy-award winner Tim Fagan and Grammy nominee Paul O'Duffy Kamal finished 2020 at number five in GQ's Best New Artists, and he made his feature appearance alongside critically acclaimed star Dave earlier this year on his track Mercury. Rachel Chinouriri attributes her musical influence to her traditional Zimbabwean upbringing, and her music featured in the BBC series I May Destroy You and Netflix's Dare You. Willow Kayne cites pop, hip-hop and punk as key influences on her sound, and her single I Don't Wanna Know comes hot on the heels of her previous single. This year each nominee will aksi receive a year-long mentorship from a well-established Academy member as their individual mentor. Collaboration: Kamal finished 2020 at number five in GQ's Best New Artists, and he made an appearance alongside critically acclaimed star Dave earlier this year on his track Mercury Hitmaker: Rachel Chinouriri attributes her musical influence to her traditional Zimbabwean upbringing, and her music featured in the BBC series I May Destroy You and Netflix's Dare You Nile Rodgers, one of this year's mentors, said: 'As a producer my role is to create an environment where the artist, musicians and songwriters can be confident to give their very best. 'I see my role with the Ivors Academy and my friends at Apple Music similarly. I love mentoring and nurturing the incredible young talent they are accelerating the development of. They are the stars of the future.' Shaznay Lewis, Ivor Novello Award winner and Chair of The Ivors Awards Committee at The Ivors Academy, added: 'I'm delighted that the Rising Star Award with Apple Music returns for a second year. 'Keep an eye on these nominees, they're worth watching. I hope that the right support and recognition helps them blaze new trails and inspire other emerging music makers. 'Opportunities and acknowledgments like this are more important than ever and The Ivors Academy and Apple Music are proud to support the young artists nominated for this year's award.' Nominations for the remaining 2021 Ivor Novello Award categories will be revealed on Tuesday 10th August. Winners across all categories will be announced at The Ivors with Apple Music on Tuesday 21st September 2021. Dr Alex George paid tribute to his late brother Llyr one year on from his suicide during an appearance on Lorraine on Tuesday. The Love Island star, 30, spoke to stand-in host Ranvir Singh about his brother's tragic death aged just 19 and explained that neither he nor his family saw any signs that his brother was struggling prior to his death. During the interview he credited his 'brilliant' girlfriend Ellie for helping him deal with the loss of his brother, as Ranvir grew emotional and broke down in tears during Dr Alex's brave account of his grief. Heartbreaking: Dr Alex George spoke on Lorraine on Tuesday morning a year after his brother Llyr's suicide at the age of 19 'I met Ellie a little while ago, she's brilliant, her alongside my friends and family have been such sources of support for me,' he said. 'There were moments in this last year that I have really struggled and Im happy just to say that - we need the people around us to support us. 'There have been times Ive had to say to my family, "Gosh, Im really finding it tough right now". There is strength to bring people in when you need them.' Lauding the medic, Ranvir said: 'I think you're amazing for what you do, with all the pain you've carried. I feel quite emotional speaking to you, because we all think of our own families. So thank you, for everything you're doing." Sad: The Love Island star, 30, told Ranvir Singh on Lorraine that neither he nor his family saw any signs that his brother was struggling prior to his death (pictured together) Emotional: Ranvir broke down as the duo spoke about the passing He also touched upon how his loved ones coped with the anniversary of Llyr's death, explaining that 'the whole family didn't know how we would get through it'. Taking openly about how he has dealt with his loss, Alex said: 'The hardest part of it is youll never have an absolute understanding of why. 'Every day I think about my brother as does the rest of my family and of course we think a lot about him. We think alot about "What if?" and I wish we could speak to him and have that conversation. 'The hardest thing around losing Llyr was that we feel we didnt have the chance to help him, and yes, I think its very important to look out for change and behaviour in family members and friends who might be acting differently. Love: During the interview, Dr Alex also credited his 'brilliant' girlfriend Ellie for helping him deal with the loss of his brother (pictured together) 'If theres anything youre worried about and to ask them how theyre doing. But we also need people to know that when they are struggling they can talk about it, and what I find very hard is that I dont think Llyr felt that he could say it. 'It was there and I worry that shame was a big part of that.' The reality TV star's family were devastated when his little brother died weeks before he was due to begin medical school last year. Questions unanswered: Taking openly about how he has dealt with his loss, Alex said: 'The hardest part of it is youll never have an absolute understanding of why.' When asked if it may have been exam stress, Dr Alex said: 'His exams were coming up and he was a bit nervous and worried about it but nothing that we thought was a sign of anything happening. 'As I say, I think its the shame. Its so important that we work on that and it's amazing we are talking more about mental health now than we have ever done but we have to realise theres still a lot more to do. 'Particularly around men and young men and changing this feeling that I shouldnt be struggling and I shouldnt ask for help. There is no shame in that. There is always hope.' Speaking a year on from the family's loss, Alex said: 'I just can't believe the year has gone by, we went back to a year ago, the whole family didn't know how we would get through it. How can you? 'Its unbelievable but it's amazing how with your family and your friends, the people around you, colleagues, you can get through anything and I think working in this role [as a youth mental health ambassador] has given me a sense of purpose.' Devastating: The reality TV star's family were devastated when his little brother died weeks before he was due to begin medical school last year (pictured together) Since the death of his brother, Alex has spoken out about mental health and the importance of being open and honest about it, especially with men. He explained: 'I think that is so important. We have to realise that there is still a lot to do around men and young men. 'For family and the people around that person, there is always hope. I always want to be there to help them.' In previous interviews Alex admitted that throwing himself into work helped him to cope with his brother's tragic passing, as he still finds it 'tough' when he actually stops to think about it. Speaking on Tuesday, he said: 'I work on a zero hour contract so essentially what was happening was I was just working, working, working and not taking any kind of annual leave or breaks [from A&E] so I needed that pause. 'And I wanted to get my teeth into this role and work on the projects that we are doing [for mental health] - we had the anti bullying campaign, lots of wellbeing videos going out to schools around the UK, and the tools the young people need to look after themselves.' Finding love: Speaking on Lorraine, Alex gave special credit to was his girlfriend Ellie for helping him through the tough period after his brother's death Touching upon his new mental health projects, he said: 'Im working [with the government] on the early support hubs. We know that young people more than ever need somewhere to go to get support. 'The idea is that anyone under the age of 25 will be able to walk in without an appointment and be able to speak to a key worker who can direct them for either physiological support, career advice and every sexual health support. 'So its almost like a wraparound support service. Prevention is very important. They will have that non-clinical feel. Almost like community centres so they will not be judged and be happy to speak about how they feel.' An emotional Ranvir fought back tears at the end of interview saying: 'I think youre amazing for what you do with all the pain youve carried. I feel quite emotional speaking to you because we all think of our own families. So thank you for everything youre doing.' It comes after Alex took to Instagram on Friday to pay tribute to Llyr exactly a year after he took his own life. Alex shared a picture with his brother and his parents and penned a heartbreaking caption. 'Some days I really cant accept or understand that you are not here': Dr Alex paid tribute to his late brother Llyr on Friday a year after he took his own life He wrote: 'I cant believe its been a year. Some days I really cant accept or understand that you are not here. We miss you so much Llyr. 'You give me so much strength, even when times are tough and it would be easy to give up. 'Mum, Dad and Elliott are doing ok, they miss you so much too. I would do anything to go out for a spin in the car with you again. Love you x' After posting the moving picture and message he took to his Stories to explain he would be staying off social media for the day. Loss: After posting the moving picture and message he took to his Stories to explain he would be staying off social media for the day 'Today is a hard day. Going to switch offline today. Thank you for the kindness x' The television star's celebrity pals took to the comments section to show their support. Vicky Pattison, Lorraine Kelly and Samira Mighty all sent love heart emojis, while Josh Cuthbert typed: 'He would be so so proud of you mate'. She recently wrapped filming Marvel's Thor: Love and Thunder alongside Chris Hemsworth. And according to The Daily Telegraph, it looks like Natalie Portman won't be jetting back to the US anytime soon. The 40-year-old, who jetted Down Under with her husband Benjamin Millepied and their two children last September, will begin shooting the HBO drama Days Of Abandonment in Sydney on Thursday. Here to stay! It looks like Natalie Portman won't be jetting back to the US anytime soon. According to The Daily Telegraph, the actress will begin shooting a new project in Sydney on Thursday The drama is based on the critically acclaimed 2002 Italian novel of the same name penned by author Elena Ferrante. The movie's executive producers Maggie Betts, Celine Rattray, Sophie Mas and Len Amato said they are 'appreciative' to have the opportunity to film in Australia alongside 'talented people who live and work in the country'. 'Everyone has been so welcoming and we look forward to a successful production,' the team said. Meanwhile, New South Wales' Special Minister of State Don Harwin added that there is 'no better place' than Australia to film the movie. Complete: Natalie recently wrapped filming on Thor: Love and Thunder alongside Chris Hemsworth 'NSW is the creative heart of Australia, employing 56 per cent of the people in our screen industry and there is no better place for production of this feature film,' he said. Natalie will play Tess (Olga in the original Italian version of the book), who is a stay-at-home-mom suddenly grappling with her identity when she is abandoned by her husband. In July, Natalie sparked rumours she was staying Down Under longer than expected after Luxe Listings real estate agent Gabin Rubinstein told Woman's Day that he recently showed her a home in Sydney's eastern suburbs. Permanent move? In July, Natalie sparked rumours she was staying Down Under longer than expected after Luxe Listings real estate agent Gabin Rubinstein told Woman's Day that he recently showed her a home in Sydney's eastern suburbs. Pictured in the Blue Mountains with husband Benjamin Millepied 'From what I understand she was looking to buy a proper house. The sort of house she was looking at I wouldn't call is a base home, but maybe she would,' he told the magazine. While Gavin would not disclose the price of the property, he described it as 'beautiful' and by all means 'not cheap'. He added that the Hollywood star was down to earth and lovely during the private viewing. 'She was just lovely,' he cooed. 'To a lot of people it's Natalie Portman, to me it is a potential deal and I treat them all the same.' George Burgess and his wife Joanna are permanently moving back to Australia, after relocating to the UK in 2019. Joanna, 31, is now in hotel quarantine with the couple's daughters in Sydney, but she was forced to travel separately from George and their four-year-old son Boston due to restriction complications. Locked down with their daughters, Birdie, two, and Blainey, one, Joanna has had to make do with a hotel birthday party for Blainey, who is turning two. Apart: George Burgess and his wife Joanna are permanently moving back to Australia. Joanna, 31, is now in quarantine with the couple's daughters in Sydney, but was forced to travel separately from George and their four-year-old son Boston. Pictured with their children To cheer things up, George sent a delivery of balloons to the little one. Joanna shared a photo of the gift to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday, writing: 'When daddy orders balloons for our girl's second birthday tomorrow'. 'George, our three children and I have moved back to Aus,' the mother-of-three confirmed to Daily Mail Australia last week. 'Unfortunately, we are having to quarantine separately. Cute: Locked down with their daughters, Birdie, two, and Blainey, one, Joanna has had to make do with a hotel-room birthday party for Blainey, who is turning two. To cheer things up, George sent a delivery of balloons to the little one Long story short, Singapore changed their travel laws last minute. 'My son [Boston] was required to have a Covid test to enter Singapore for our connecting flight back home, which takes 24-48 hours to get results back. 'My husband stayed in the UK waiting for their results, which meant the girls and I had to travel separately.' On Sunday, the model shared a string of photos from her hotel balcony in Sydney's CBD, amid reports her husband, 29, has signed a two-year contract with the St George Illawarra Dragons. Locked down: 'George, our three children and I have moved back to Aus,' the mother-of-three confirmed to Daily Mail Australia. 'Unfortunately, we are having to quarantine separately' Here to stay: Joanna has revealed she's in hotel quarantine in Australia after quietly jetting over from the UK. Pictured with daughters Birdie, two, and Blainey, one Alongside pictures of herself and the pair's daughters Birdie, two, and Blainey, one, Joanna wrote: 'Day seven hotel quarantine... hasnt been too bad after all... lots of girlie time. Missing our boys.' George and Australian model Joanna married in Noosa in 2016. The family had relocated to the UK in 2019, after George - who formerly played as a prop for the South Sydney Rabbitohs - signed a three-year deal with England's Wigan Warriors. He played eight times in the 2020 season, before leaving the club due to an ongoing hip injury. Twelve new bombshells entered Love Island as Casa Amor week kicked off on Monday with a round of Truth Or Dare at the new villa. The likes of Liam Reardon, Teddy Soares and Tyler Cruickshank all had their heads turned by the new girls, with Welsh bricklayer Liam, 21, sharing a three-way kiss and bagging himself a lap dance while Teddy, 26, locked lips with Mary Bedford. But viewers were left shocked after none of the boys chose to kiss model Salma Naran, 20, despite fans claiming the influencer is 'by far the hottest girl in Casa Amor'. Disbelief: Love Island viewers were left shocked after no boys chose to kiss model Salma Naran, 20, during Monday's episode, despite fans claiming the influencer is 'the hottest girl' Rushing to Twitter to express their disbelief, one wrote: 'Can someone tell me why no one picked her for the truth or dare thing?' Another added: 'The way Salma is getting aired is shocking. She's so f**king stunning,' while a third echoed: 'No one even looked at Salma at all wtf.' 'Salma getting completely overlooked, rattled me,' wrote a fourth with a fifth tweeting: 'Salma being the hottest bad b**ch down there and not one boy pick her, MEN ARE CRAZY.' One social media user even hailed the Dublin-based influencer as being 'the most attractive girl that's ever been on Love Island'. Heads have turned: The likes of Liam Reardon, Teddy Soares and Tyler Cruickshank all had their heads turned by the new girls New arrivals: Twelve bombshells have entered the Love Island villa as Casa Amor week kicked off on Monday with six new girls (pictured) and six new boys stirring things up 'Rewatching last night's episode and bro Salma is way too fine to be on this show. She's probably the most attractive girl that's ever been on Love Island,' they said. A seventh penned: 'The way that Salma isn't getting any dares? What's going on? Like have you seen her??? Omg,' while an eighth asked: 'Sorry how did no one kiss Salma in that challenge?' 'Salma is a fricking goddess. She deserved more,' another social media user tweeted as a tenth added: 'Salma is by far the hottest girl in Casa Amor and all the guys are ignoring her.' Shock: Viewers were left shocked after none of the boys chose to kiss model Salma despite fans claiming the influencer is 'by far the hottest girl in Casa Amor' In a pre-show interview, influencer Salma insisted she had 'never been in love before' and described the villa as being 'the perfect place' to strike up a romance. The raven-haired beauty explained: 'I've never been in love. What better place to have a tunnel vision and really finding your one? 'It's the perfect atmosphere, you don't have the outside world distractions. It looks like time moves fast in there in a good way it's like, do you actually like me or not? In the real world it's so wishy-washy. With this, it's just, you need to know.' Guilty as charged: Teddy, who is currently coupled up with fiery character Faye, felt 'guilty' for sharing a kiss with Mary Love Island 2021 - Meet the contestants Which Love Island couples are still together? Where are the Love Island winners now - and what are they worth? She and her husband Ty Comfort tied the knot in 2019 after being together for almost a decade. And Caprice Bourret has revealed that the secret to her and 55-year-old business man Ty's relationship is that they're at it 'like rabbits' in the bedroom, with the blonde beauty, 49, warning married women 'not to say no' to sex with their husbands in a new interview. 'It's just 10 minutes of your life,' the mother-of-two insisted from her 100-acre estate in Ibiza, adding: 'You can't say ''I'm tired'' or ''I have a headache'' no!' Steamy: Caprice Bourret, 49, has revealed the secret to her and 55-year-old Ty Comfort's relationship is that they're at it 'like rabbits' and warned married women 'not to say no' to sex Speaking to OK!, Caprice who is currently enjoying time with Ty and their eight-year-old sons Jett and Jax in Spain said: 'Girls, my advice - even if you aren't in the mood because it's been a long day it's just ten minute of your life. Or 15!' The blonde beauty had been asked whether or not it's true that her sex life has improved since tying the knot, and the runway star certainly didn't hold back. 'If the sex goes in the relationship, it's done and dusted,' Caprice said frankly, adding: 'You have to keep it alive. And if you can settle down from your day and enjoy it, it's fricking awesome. It's the best stress reliever.' The star also told the outlet that during the UK's first lockdown she had managed to stay active and creative, however found the second 'more stressful'. Candid: 'It's just 10 minutes of your life,' the mother-of-two insisted from her 100-acre estate in Ibiza Since jetting off to Ibiza, however, she insisted that her and Ty are 'like rabbits' in the bedroom. Caprice's candid new interview echoes November reports that she had been 'passing time in lockdown by getting busy between the sheets with her husband'. A source told MailOnline at the time: 'Caprice is passing the time during lockdown by getting busy between the sheets with her husband Ty. 'She loved spending time with her hubby during the last lockdown and they plan to have a date night a minimum three times a week! If they can fit in more they will!' Caprice reportedly told friends last year: 'Thank goodness he had his tubes tied otherwise there would definitely be a bundle of joy on the way by now'. Tom Cruise appeared in good spirits outside the Hilton Doubletree hotel in London on Monday after being greeted by 200 fans as he arrived to resume filming for Mission: Impossible 7. The Hollywood star, 59, who recently enjoyed a lavish getaway on a 32 million yacht in St Ives, was said to be 'in no rush at all' as he happily stood and met the crowd from a safe distance. Filming for Mission Impossible 7 resumed in the capital this week after being paused and delayed multiple times due to the Covid pandemic. Here he is! Tom Cruise was in good spirits after being greeted by 200 fans as he arrived to resume filming for Mission: Impossible 7 at London's Hilton Doubletree hotel on Monday A source told MailOnline that Tom happily met with fans who had been waiting outside the hotel for more than an hour. 'He was really kind, fist bumping children and the like, a source said. When he came out he was keen to interact with everyone, he spent a considerable amount of time and was not in a rush at all. The source added that Tom's team handed out masks to the crowd and advised them to keep their distance from the actor, before a BMW whisked him away from the set. Friendly: The Hollywood star was said to be 'in no rush at all' as he happily stood and met the crowd from a safe distance Screen star: A source told MailOnline that Tom happily met with fans who had been waiting outside the hotel for more than an hour Tom cut a casual figure in a navy blue cable-knit jumper, dark jeans and black boots and a black mask. The actor is said to be enjoying his time in London, and has been spotted at several prestigious events including Wimbledon, the Silverstone Grand Prix and the Euros 2020 final at Wembley. He then reportedly enjoyed some down time in Cornwall on an incredible 32million super yacht. Safety first: The source added that Tom's team handed out masks to the crowd and advised them to keep their distance from the actor, before a BMW whisked him away from the set Relaxed: Tom cut a casual figure in a navy blue cable-knit jumper, dark jeans and black boots and a black mask The stunning vessel - named Triple Seven - was spotted in the harbour of Penzance last week, hours after Cruise, 59, was seen boarding the boat in Mevagissey. Last month, Mission: Impossible 7 filming was reportedly paused again due to a positive Covid test with crew members speculating it could be Cruise. Despite there being 'no proof' to back up the idle talk, it has been claimed that people are gossiping it could be Tom, due to his alleged absence on set. Grand production: Several cranes were erected outside the hotel as part of filming for much-delayed movie, currently set for release in May 2022 Visiting the city: The actor is said to be enjoying his time in London, and has been spotted at several prestigious events including Wimbledon and the Euro 2020 final A source told The Sun: 'Filming on Mission Impossible 7 is on hold again because of coronavirus. And this time, those working on the production have said they think Tom could be the possible cause of the postponement. 'Everyone on the set was told that filming was being stopped again because of a positive test. And since then, Tom hasn't been on set once. 'Now people are speculating that he could have come into contact with the person who tested positive. And in some cases, people are even gossiping and saying it could be him.' Mission: Impossible 7 is set to be released on May 27th, 2022. Rebel Wilson showed off her impressive dance moves in a series of photos posted to Instagram on Tuesday. The 41-year-old funnywoman shared a series of behind-the-scenes photos from her upcoming movie, Senior Year. Rebel looked like she was having a great time filming the scenes, laughing as she danced alongside her co-stars. Dancing queen: Rebel Wilson showed off her impressive dance moves in a series of photos posted to Instagram on Tuesday She showed off her incredible 30kg weight loss in a pink, red and purple striped dress, which she wore under a red cardigan. The Pitch Perfect star rounded out her ensemble with a pair of white sneakers, and her long blonde hair was tied in a high ponytail with a braid. 'Go FULL OUT this week!' she captioned the post, adding the hashtag '#SeniorYear'. Coming soon: The 41-year-old funnywoman shared a series of behind-the-scenes photos from her upcoming movie, Senior Year Working it: Rebel looked like she was having a great time filming the scenes, laughing as she danced alongside her co-stars The photos showed Rebel pulling out a variety of energetic dance moves as she stood in front of the camera with the film's ensemble. Rebel has been updating her fans regularly with behind-the-scenes photos from the movie's set as she films in Atlanta. The upcoming comedy is about a 37-year-old woman who wakes up from a 20-year coma and returns to high school, where she was once a popular cheerleader. Blast from the past: The upcoming comedy is about a 37-year-old woman who wakes up from a 20-year coma and returns to high school, where she was once a popular cheerleader 'I really do get to live out my BRING IT ON dreams in this movie!' Rebel captioned a series of photos of herself in her cheerleading uniform on Instagram earlier this month 'I really do get to live out my BRING IT ON dreams in this movie!' Rebel captioned a series of photos of herself in her cheerleading uniform on Instagram earlier this month. The film also stars fellow Aussie Angourie Rice, Alicia Silverstone, Justin Hartley and Mary Holland. Last month, Rebel shared a selfie with Alicia, 44, and captioned it, 'As if!' - a famous line from Alicia's cult 1995 movie, Clueless. Henry Cavill appeared to have plenty to talk about when he joined a female friend for lunch in London on Tuesday. Dining al-fresco, the actor, 38, looked typically dapper in a grey polo shirt and indulged in a tasty plate of pasta while sipping on a glass of white wine as he enjoyed a day out in the capital. Chatting away to his companion, Henry who teamed his top with jeans and stylish brown shoes raised his muscular arms into the air at one point and was also seen chatting away to a waiter. Animated display: Henry Cavill, 38, appeared to have plenty to talk about when he joined a female friend for lunch in London on Tuesday Dapper: Dining al-fresco, the actor looked typically dapper in a grey polo shirt and indulged in a glass of white wine After mains, the pair tucked into a strawberry-topped dessert, with Henry swapping wine for a glass of fizzy water. Showcasing his tip-top table manners, the Superman star placed a white napkin over his knees and made sure not to speak with is mouth full. After settling the bill, Henry was picked up by a large grey car, and waiting in the back seat was his beloved pet dog Kal. It comes after the actor was seen for the first time as Geralt in season two of Netflix's much-anticipated The Witcher. Tasty: The Superman star tucked into a tasty plate of pasta while enjoying the company of a friend in the capital Manners: Showcasing his tip-top table manners, the Superman star placed a white napkin over his knees and made sure not to speak with is mouth full Kind: At one point, the A-lister struck up a conversation with a waiter Looks good: Henry appeared to enjoy his tasty plate of pasta and made sure to get stuck in Arms up: Chatting away to his companion, Henry who teamed his top with jeans and stylish brown shoes raised his muscular arms into the air The streaming giant dropped a trailer for the show's second season earlier in July, revealing it will return to screens in December. Picking up where the first season left off, Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), a monster hunter for hire who was mutated and trained from an early age to slay deadly beasts, has finally met up with the exiled Princess Ciri (Freya Allan) in the two-minute teaser. Their relationship is expected to be the main focus of the fantasy drama's upcoming season, according to IndieWire. Deep in thought: The star appeared deep in thought while waiting for the next course to arrive Looking good: Henry showed off his chiseled looks while chatting away over pasta and wine Attentive: The actor listening attentively to what his friend had to say Something wrong? Henry looked pensive while resting his head in his palm Season one, which jumped across several timelines, ended with Geralt and Ciri battling an army from the villainous Nilfgaardian Empire. Fast forward to the first teaser for season two, Geralt has a homecoming of sorts, when he heads back to his childhood home of Kaer Morhen, where he begins training sessions with Ciri, the crown princess of Cintra who possesses magical powers, to help her be better suited to 'a world that is changing.' 'Facing your fear is not easy but I am here for you,' he tells his protege, while he hands her a large sword. Plenty to talk about: Henry and his friend barely stopped talking Dessert: After mains, the pair tucked into a tasty-looking, strawberry-topped dessert, with Henry swapping wine for a glass of fizzy water Don't speak with your mouth full! Henry made sure to chew his slice of cake before continuing the conversation Overestimated! On the table in front of the actor were a stylish pair of black sunglasses, suggesting Henry had overestimated the British weather Busy: Henry was surrounded by people as the capital comes back to life with the last few COVID restrictions having been recently lifted 'When I say run, you run. And when I say hide, you hide,' he tells her during their training. But the seemingly more tranquil home life would be short-lived when Geralt warns Ciri to 'run' when real danger arrives. While Yennefer was largely absent for much of the trailer, she did finally make an appearance in the final few moments. In its synopsis, Netflix described season two: 'Convinced Yennefer's life was lost at the Battle of Sodden, Geralt of Rivia brings Princess Cirilla to the safest place he knows, his childhood home of Kaer Morhen.' It adds, 'While the Continent's kings, elves, humans and demons strive for supremacy outside its walls, he must protect the girl from something far more dangerous: the mysterious power she possesses inside.' Phone away: As he stood up, Henry could be seen tucking his phone into the pocket of his jeans Leftovers: The bulked-up star didn't appear to have finished his dessert, with bits of the cake still visible on the plate as he stood up Mask on: The screen star made sure to affix his face mask before hopping into a waiting vehicle Sweet: After settling the bill, Henry was picked up by a large grey car, and waiting in the back seat was his beloved pet dog Kal Advertisement They decided to jet abroad after spending the majority of June in London. And Simon Cowell's girlfriend Lauren Silverman, 44, showcased her sensational figure in an orange swimsuit on Sunday as she joined the Got Talent mogul, 61, and their son Eric, seven, in the Barbados water on holiday. The mother-of-two looked stunning as she made the most of their break in Saint Peter and went paddle boarding, while Simon and their son took a ride on a jet ski. Wow: Simon Cowell's girlfriend Lauren Silverman, 44, stunned in an orange swimsuit on Sunday as she joined the music mogul, 61, and their son Eric, seven, in the Barbados water Like father, like son: Simon took a moment to rest on his jet ski while his mini-me son relaxed on a paddle-board by his side Lauren's form-fitting swimwear featured a high-waist fit, delicate straps and a square neckline. She swept her raven tresses back in a sleek bun and shielded her eyes from the Caribbean sun with angular sunglasses. She was seen clutching a long paddle as she stood on top of a white and blue surf board. Lauren accessorised with delicate gold jewellery which complemented her sun-kissed complexion. Meanwhile Simon was seen wearing Fendi swimming trunks and a buoyancy vest as he showed his adventurous side on the jet ski. Chic: Her form-fitting swimwear featured a high-waist fit, delicate straps and a square neckline Holiday mode: She swept her raven tresses back in a sleek bun and shielded her eyes from the Caribbean sun with angular sunglasses Having fun: Meanwhile Simon was seen wearing Fendi swimming trunks and a buoyancy vest as he showed his adventurous side on the jet ski with his son in tow Eyewear: Simon donned circular shades and styled his salt-and-pepper locks in his signature middle part He also donned circular shades and styled his salt-and-pepper locks in his signature middle part. Eric sported navy and neon green shorts, a matching swimming top and float vest. He stood between his father on the jet ski as Simon steered the vehicle.They ploughed through the waves while the mother-of-two watched intently. Lauren shares youngest son Eric with Simon and she is also mum to Adam, 15, whose father is her ex-husband Andrew Silverman. Coordinated: Eric sported navy and neon green shorts, a matching swimming top and float vest as his mother kept a close eye on him On a ride: He stood between his father on the jet ski as Simon steered the vehicle Take a break: Simon later slowed down and pulled up alongside Lauren as she watched intently Sweet: They chatted briefly and the mother-of-two smiled at her son as the family spent some quality time together Finished: Eric was later seen dismounting from the jet ski Their latest Caribbean holiday comes after Simon vowed to do everything he can to ensure he makes a full recovery after breaking his back. Simon was left bedridden for months after a devastating electric bike accident at his Malibu home in August last year. The record executive now walks for several hours a day and holds business meetings at 9AM so that he no longer lives like a 'vampire'. Of his new fitness regime, a source told MailOnline: 'Simon said how he hasn't worn trainers as much as this in 20 years. Stable: He proceeded to join his mother on the paddleboard as she giggled sweetly behind him Activity: She was seen guiding and encouraging him as he skillfully balanced in front of her Brood: Lauren shares youngest son Eric with Simon and she is also mum to Adam, 15, whose father is her ex-husband Andrew Silverman Recovery: Their latest Caribbean holiday comes after Simon vowed to do everything he can to ensure he makes a full recovery following breaking his back 'He feels fitter than ever before and is keeping to a normal routine rather than being on the phone until into the early hours of the morning.' Simon told Extra in February of the horror bike incident: 'I nearly smashed my spine to pieces!' The X Factor boss also admitted he 'couldn't have got through' it without his girlfriend Lauren and son Eric, who sweetly called him 'iron man' when he first saw his dad with metal rods and screws in his back following surgery. Injured: Simon was left bedridden for months after a devastating electric bike accident at his Malibu home in August last year Change: The record executive now walks for several hours a day and holds business meetings at 9AM so that he no longer lives like a 'vampire' Revealing: Of his new fitness regime, a source told MailOnline: 'Simon said how he hasn't worn trainers as much as this in 20 years' Routine: They added: 'He feels fitter than ever before and is keeping to a normal routine rather than being on the phone until into the early hours of the morning' Disaster: Simon, who is recovering well, told Extra in February of the horror bike incident: 'I nearly smashed my spine to pieces!' Simon met Lauren when she was still married to millionaire property developer Andrew Silverman. Their affair became public and Simon's life changed at the end of July 2013 when news broke of Lauren's pregnancy. In 2015, Simon told Mail on Sunday Event magazine: 'I'm not proud of the circumstances, I can't hold my head up about it.' And of the pregnancy, he admitted: 'This was not something I planned. But I remember going to the first scan with Lauren. 'I called him Tad because he looked like a tadpole. Something just kicked in. I felt unbelievably protective of both of them. I just absolutely wanted him. I just hadn't known that before.' Family time: Lauren held out a stick for Eric to hold onto so he could step onto her board Chic and unique: She wore a pair of chic sunglasses as she showed off her sporty side Across the pond: The mother-of-two is a New York socialite originally from Florida She's done this before Lauren showed off her athletic figure as she travelled across the water with ease Australian TV host Lisa Wilkinson has spoken out after a fan spotted one of her photos on Khloe Kardashian's Instagram Stories on Monday. Lisa, 61, shared a message she'd received, asking her if the photograph, which showed a fruit stand in Positano, Italy, was hers. 'Yes this is definitely my photo,' Lisa replied of the image, which she first posted on June 14. 'Blown up and with no credit?' Not pleased: Australian TV host Lisa Wilkinson (left) has spoken out after a fan spotted one of her photos on Khloe Kardashian's (right) Instagram Stories on Monday It's possible Khloe, 37, came across the photo on the official Instagram for Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop brand. Lisa's vacation photo was posted to the Goop Instagram feed on June 14, with Lisa's permission. In fact, Lisa gushed about being asked 'by Gwyneth Paltrow' if the photo could be used on Goop at the time. Hers: Lisa shared a message she'd received, asking her if the photo, which showed a fruit stand in Positano, Italy, was hers. 'Yes this is definitely my photo,' Lisa replied of the image, which she first posted on June 14. 'Blown up and with no credit?' Same image: Reality star Khloe posted a zoomed-in version to her Instagram Stories 'That moment when Gwyneth Paltrow slides into your DMs and asks if she can post that photo you took of that gorgeous roadside fruit stall in Positano, on the Amalfi Coast in Italy a couple of summers ago on her @goop feed' Lisa bragged. 'And you say sure Gwyneth, no probs, that'd be fine. And she bloody well does!! Thanks @gwynethpaltrow. Loved you in Sliding Doors!' Lisa then added that she had to admit she wasn't sure if it was actually Gwyneth sending her the request. A great view: Lisa first posted the vacation snap, pictured here, on June 14 Goopy issue: It's possible Khloe came across the image on the official Instagram for Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop brand. The vacation photo was posted to the Goop Instagram feed on June 14, with Lisa's permission Chuffed: In fact, Lisa gushed about being asked 'by Gwyneth Paltrow' if the photo could be used on Goop at the time It is more likely the message came from the Oscar-winner's social media team, than directly from Gwyneth, 48, herself. Lisa admitted: 'Sure, it could have been her social media assistant who once saw Gwyneth walk past her in the corridor on the way to the loo at GoopBut hey, that's closer to Gwyneth than I've ever got!' It's unclear if the TV personality has approached Khloe to add a credit for the Positano photo, however she did tag her in the post. Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher only bathe their children when they see dirt on them and avoid using soap on their own bodies. Ashton, 43, and Mila, 37, admitted they only give daughter Wyatt, six, and son Dimitri, four, a scrub when they look physically grubby. And even when the youngsters take a dip in the tub, they hardly ever use soap because they don't want to dry their delicate skin out. The couple also made it clear they don't like to use soap on their skin, with the actor stating he only ever lathers up his 'armpits and crotch' while Mila was a little more bawdy, saying she washes the essentials like her 'slits and t**s.' Candid: Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis admitted they only give daughter Wyatt, six, and son Dimitri, four, a scrub when they look physically grubby; the family are pictured in 2017 They clean up nicely! The Bad Moms actress then explained that she hardly ever had a shower during her childhood because they didn't have hot water at home; they are pictured in 2018 They discussed their family's approach to hygiene on the latest Armchair Expert podcast, which is hosted by Dax Shepard and Monica Padman. The conversation began when Dax told Monica that she should not be excising the natural oil on her skin by using soap every day. In response Monica replied: 'I can't believe I am in the minority here of washing my whole body in the shower. Who taught you to not wash?' The Bad Moms actress then explained that she hardly ever had a shower during her childhood because they didn't have hot water at home. Mila, who was born in Soviet Ukraine, explained: 'I didn't have hot water growing up as a child, so I didn't shower much anyway.' She added: 'But when I had children, I also didn't wash them every day. I wasn't that parent that bathed my newborns - ever.' Ashton added: 'Now, here's the thing: If you can see the dirt on them, clean them. Otherwise, there's no point.' And the same principle applies to his own hygiene habits. He explained: 'I wash my armpits and my crotch daily, and nothing else ever. I got a bar of Lever 2000 that delivers every time. Nothing else.' However, the couple - who tied the knot in 2015 - do like to wash their faces after getting hot and sweaty at the gym. Child star: Mila was just seven when she moved to the States and only a teen when she had her breakout role on That 70s Show. Seen in 1998 above Ashton said: 'I do have a tendency to throw some water on my face after a workout to get all the salts out.' Mila added: 'I do wash my face twice a day.' The Mayo Clinic advises against washing a baby every day, stating: 'There's no need to give your newborn a bath every day. Three times a week might be enough until your baby becomes more mobile. Bathing your baby too much can dry out his or her skin.' The American Academy of Dermatology Association recommends that children ages 6 to 11 bathe at least 'once or twice' a week. They advise a child should be washed when they get 'dirty', 'after being in a pool' or when the child gets 'sweaty' or has 'body odor.' Ashton and Mila first met while working on the series That 70s Show together in 1998, but they wouldn't become romantic until years later following Kutcher's divorce from Demi Moore in 2013. Thing weren't serious for the couple in the beginning, as she explained on the WTF With Marc Maron podcast in July 2018. Friends first: Ashton and Mila first met while working on the series That 70s Show together in 1998 (above,) but they wouldn't become romantic until years later following Kutcher's divorce from Demi Moore in 2013 Casual: Mila explained how their relationship started as a hook-up until they developed feelings for each other, similar to their mirror-image movies Friends With Benefits and No Strings Attached, which both came out in 2011 'I did a movie called Friends With Benefits. He did a movie that was very similar: No Strings Attached,' she recalled. 'We lived our movies out, where we were like, "Lets just hook up. Lets have fun. Were both single. We both trust each other. Everythings great." None of us wanted tension. OK, great. We hooked up for three months. And just like our movies, one of us caught feelings.' Mila was born in Chernivtsi, Ukrainian SSR, in the Soviet Union and moved to the United States with her family when she was seven-years-old. They arrived in Los Angeles with just $250. 'That was all we were allowed to take with us. My parents had given up good jobs and degrees, which were not transferable. 'We arrived in New York on a Wednesday and by Friday morning my brother and I were at school in L.A.' Mila explained in a 2011 interview with The Daily Telegraph. When she was nine, the star began acting classes in Beverly Hills, where she would meet agent Susan Curtis. She was only 14 when she had her star turn on That 70s Show, rocketing her to stardom. A Tom Cruise lookalike greeted a man who paddled out to what is thought to be the star's mega yacht off the coast of Cornwall, to deliver an invite to a Top Gun screening. Acting legend Tom, 59. is reportedly holidaying on an incredible 32million super yacht named Triple Seven, with local Guy Hayler deciding to surf up to the the massive boat to catch a glimpse of the actor himself and get a selfie. Guy said Cruise's arrival was 'perfect' as on July 29 his company Wavelength Media are showing Top Gun on the cliff tops of Watergate bay, near Newquay. Doppelganger: A Tom Cruise lookalike greeted a man who paddled out to what is thought to be the star's mega yacht off the coast of Cornwall, to deliver an invite to a Top Gun screening But sadly, Guy did not meet the Hollywood star himself, but handed the invite to a crew member - who bore a striking resemblance to Mission Impossible actor. Writing online Guy said: 'Earlier in the week, knowing he was in Cornwall, our events team had been in touch with Paramount Studio to invite Tom to the first open air screening of Top Gun. 'They said they'd ask him and let us know. 'With the boat sitting within view of our Drive-in Cinema, only a couple of hundred metres away from our cliff top location overlooking Watergate Bay, this was my moment to think like Maverick. Seeing double: Acting legend Tom, 59. is reportedly holidaying on an incredible 32million super yacht named Triple Seven, with local Guy Hayler deciding to surf up to the massive boat (Tom is pictured at Wimbledon this month right) 'I grabbed my surfboard and paddled out to the boat to make sure Tom Cruise and his crew got their invite to Thursday's open air showing of Top Gun. 'On arrival at the boat, the crew were very pleased to see me. 'Thankfully our message had got through, the crew already knew that Top Gun was showing at the Wavelength Drive-in this Thursday. 'Chatting away at the back of the boat, we all agreed that watching Top Gun underneath the flight path of RAF St Mawgan overlooking Watergate bay, is the best thing to do in Cornwall this summer.' Guy said: 'I grabbed my surfboard and paddled out to the boat to make sure Tom Cruise and his crew got their invite to Thursday's open air showing of Top Gun' How he did it: Guy made the ambitious paddle out to Tom's yacht on a surf board Tom from afar: Guy said: 'Chatting away at the back of the boat, we all agreed that watching Top Gun underneath the flight path of RAF St Mawgan overlooking Watergate bay, is the best thing to do in Cornwall this summer' Tom is currently enjoying some downtime in the UK and has been spotted at several prestigious events including Wimbledon, the Silverstone Grand Prix and the Euros 2020 final at Wembley. And Tom Cruise is certainly taking his time off in style, as he is thought to be holidaying on an incredible 32million super yacht in Cornwall. The stunning vessel - named Triple Seven - was spotted in the harbour of Penzance on Thursday morning, hours after Cruise was seen boarding the boat in Mevagissey on Wednesday. According to Cornwall Live, Cruise was brought to shore by Triple Seven in the early hours of the morning, before being 'whisked away' in a chaffeur-driven black Mercedes. The local publication also reported that a 'silhouetted figure' could be seen on deck at sunrise, however they were unable to confirm whether it was the actor himself. What a beauty! The stunning vessel - named Triple Seven - was spotted in the harbour of Penzance on Thursday morning, hours after Cruise was seen boarding the boat in Mevagissey on Wednesday As well as filming MI:7 in the UK, Cruise's appearance comes after a film crew moved into a quarry in Wiltshire, with many residents spotting A-list celebs in the area. Triple Seven can be chartered for an eye-watering fee of 460,573 per-week, and was last known to be on the market for around 38,000,000 - before being sold recently to an anonymous buyer. Facilities on board include a deck jacuazzi, a gym, a sun deck and swimming platform. The boat also has the capacity to host an inflatable waterslide and carries jet skis, kayaks, wakeboards and jet skis for guests to enjoy. Chartered: Cruise is believed to be currently staying on the boat The 223ft motor yacht boasts sleek and neutral interior, including a plush living space fit for any A-list actor, boasting white sofas and a floor-to-ceiling windows to take in the sea views. In the master suite the stylish and compatary decor - which is believed to have been updated in 2014 - continues, with a huge bed covered in white bed linen and a beige leather chaise longues. The boat sleeps up to 10 guests in five different rooms, including the stunning master suite, three double cabins, one twin cabin and two pullman beds (a bed that pulls down from the ceiling or folds out from the wall). The outside living space is just as enivable, judging by the spacious hot tub which is submerged into the decking on the back of the luxurious yacht. Tom has spent much of the last year in the UK filming the seventh installment of the Mission Impossible franchise and has been pictured filming action-packed scenes in the Yorkshire Moors in recent months. During his downtime, the screen star has also been pictured at several big events including Wimbledon and the Silverstone Grand Prix. He was also seen mingling with David Beckham at Wembley Stadium for the Euro 2020 final. Last month, Mission: Impossible 7 filming has reportedly been paused again due to a positive Covid test with crew members speculating it could be Cruise. Despite there being 'no proof' to back up the idle talk, it has been claimed that people are gossiping it could be Tom, due to his alleged absence on set. A source told The Sun: 'Filming on Mission Impossible 7 is on hold again because of coronavirus. And this time, those working on the production have said they think Tom could be the possible cause of the postponement. 'Everyone on the set was told that filming was being stopped again because of a positive test. And since then, Tom hasn't been on set once. 'Now people are speculating that he could have come into contact with the person who tested positive. And in some cases, people are even gossiping and saying it could be him.' Impossible film representatives for comment. INSIDE TRIPLE SEVEN Built by German shipyard in 2006, Triple Seven underwent a maintenance refit in 2016. Triple Seven can host 10 guests within her five staterooms, cared for by a crew of 17. She is fully kitted-out with a waterslide, jacuzzi, multiple alfresco dining areas and a lavish interior. Triple Seven travels at a maximum speed of 17 knots and cruising at 14 knots thanks to her twin diesel engines. The vessel's last-known asking price was 38,000,000. Advertisement It is not known whether Tom has received the Covid vaccine or not, although despite being proven to dramatically cut the risk of coronavirus, none of the jabs approved in Britain are 100 per cent effective. It means some vaccinated people will inevitably get infected without having any symptoms, leaving them unaware they are infected and contagious unless they get tested. In March, it was reported that Tom had surprised NHS staff to thank them for working though the coronavirus pandemic. The movie star is thought to have secretly visited the ExCel Centre in East London to 'pay personal tribute to frontline health staff'. A source told The Sun at the time: 'He told his team he wanted to pay his personal tribute to frontline health staff who have helped get movies back on track. 'They were really shocked to see such a huge movie star. Tom wanted to keep it a secret and ensure it was a nice surprise for them. 'The world had heard his rant at crew on set and that proved just how seriously he has taken the pandemic.' MailOnline contacted representatives for Tom Cruise and the ExCel Centre for further comment at the time. The ExCel Centre is a major vaccine centre with another part of the site being used for the NHS Nightingale Hospital's patient rehabilitation facility. Elsewhere it was claimed that Tom was reportedly in a rush to finish filming Mission: Impossible 7 in only three weeks. Thanks to several delays to the shooting schedule brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, there was said to be only 21 days left to get the film completed. A source told The Sun: 'Mission: Impossible has been hit by so many delays, there is now a huge pressure to finish on time. 'Tom and the team are tearing their hair out. Some of the crew are agency contractors and are already booked to move on to new projects. 'Without them, Tom will be left scratching around for replacements. And if that wasn't enough, he has his own scheduling conflicts.' The source added that as Top Gun 2 is released in November, Tom will have to begin promotional work for the movie soon. While the majority of the next Mission: Impossible is already filmed, there was said to be one final big scene to do that involved a speeding train being driven over the edge of a cliff. MailOnline contacted a representative for Tom Cruise for comment at the time. She has been soaking up the sun with friends abroad. And Iris Law flaunted her flawless figure in a patterned bikini on Tuesday as she enjoyed some alone time on a walk on the Greek island of Kea. The model and actress, 20, looked stunning as she captured her honed physique to social media in a rural field before uploading sultry snaps to her Instagram grid. Beach ready: Iris Law flaunted her flawless figure on social media in a patterned bikini on Tuesday as she enjoyed some alone time on a walk on the Greek island of Kea Iris wrapped a white sarong around her waist, partially covering her abstract briefs and washboard stomach. The star accessorised with a gold necklace, chunky chain-link earrings and a cream tote which she clutched. As she served up a playful pout to the camera, she displayed her blue-tinted buzz cut and natural make-up look which enhanced her stunning features. In a later upload, Iris revealed her cropped hair which was transformed back to a peroxide blonde hue as she posed in a fluffy white robe. Strike a pose: The model and actress, 20, looked stunning as she captured her honed physique in a rural field before uploading sultry snaps to her Instagram grid Form-fitting: Iris wrapped a white sarong around her waist, partially covering her abstract briefs and washboard stomach She sported a purple smokey eye and slick of lip gloss as she amusingly compared herself to an online meme. In another photo, Iris elegantly placed her hand on the side of her head and debuted a different make-up look. The 20-year-old sported a flush of peach colour on her cheek bone and temple, with a tint of pink eyeshadow beneath her eyebrows. Last week, Iris stripped down to a tiny orange bikini to lap up the sunshine, sharing a sensational collection of snaps of herself enjoying the balmy weather. Finishing touches: The star accessorised with a gold necklace, chunky chain-link earrings and a cream tote which she clutched Meme inspiration: In a later upload, Iris revealed her cropped hair which was transformed back to a peroxide blonde hue as she posed in a fluffy white robe In her first Instagram photo, she worked her best angles while posing in a quaint doorway, and in a second, she frolicked in the crystal clear waters surrounding the island. Making the most of her time abroad with pals, Iris clutched a beer can in her right hand while looking off to the left of the frame. Iris wore a chic unbuttoned blouse over her tiny string two-piece and behind the rising star, a glimpse of her and her friends' luxury accommodation was visible. In another photo, Iris threw her hands up into the air while sitting in the water and kept the beating Greek sunshine at bay with a trendy pair of orange-tinted sunglasses. It comes after the blonde beauty was seen poking fun at her new buzz cut on social media on Thursday. Having a whale of a time: Last week, Iris stripped down to a tiny orange bikini to lap up the sunshine, sharing a sensational collection of snaps of herself enjoying the balmy weather Effortlessly stylish: In her first Instagram photo, she worked her best angles while posing in a quaint doorway Funny: It comes after the blonde beauty was seen poking fun at her new buzz cut on social media on Thursday Iris shared a selfie comparing herself to bizarre snaps of Barbie dolls that had all of their hair chopped off. The daughter of Jude Law and Sadie Frost was seen modelling her edgy new look as she snapped a selfie while wearing green winged liner and lashings of lip gloss. Posing up a storm, she then entertained her followers by sharing three photos of different dolls - all with the same colour hair as her and after their usually long locks had been bluntly cut short. Iris captioned her post: 'Buzzed,' and that was all it took to entertain her followers. The London native debuted her buzz cut in British Vogue at the beginning of July and explained it was for her role in upcoming series Pistol where she plays Soo Catwoman Hilarious: The rising star entertained her followers as she compared herself to bizarre-looking Barbie dolls that had all their hair chopped off Love Island fans - as well as recently dumped contestant AJ Bunker - believe that Jake Cornish may return to the villa with another woman amid his trip to the infamous Casa Amor. The annual bombshell event has seen the boys heading off to the anti-villa for a few days away from their current partners - just as a set of new girls were dropped in with them. Despite Jake asking Liberty Poole to be his girlfriend 48 hours ago, AJ and fans of the show think he'll stray; also betting that Toby and Abi - who came together under underhand circumstances - will also turn their heads. Trouble ahead? Love Island fans - as well as recently dumped contestant AJ Bunker - believe that Jake Cornish may return to the villa with another woman amid his trip to the infamous Casa Amor, leaving Liberty Poole devastated Shady: AJ and fans of the show are also betting that Abi and Toby - who came together amid underhand circumstances - will also turn their heads Meanwhile, other contestants and fans appeared to back Liam Reardon and Millie Court, believing they would both stay loyal to each other. AJ offered up her Casa Amor predictions on Monday night which could prove to be an interesting insight as one of the people who has spent time with the couples currently in the villa. Fans were also quick to provide similar predictions on Twitter. One person penned: 'Liberty will stay loyal but Jake will bring someone else back... she'll be devastated and probably leave!' Another suggested Jake's head may turn before going back to Liberty for the recoupling. They said: Loyal Lib and Jake's head will do a 360 degree turn.' Predictions: AJ offered up her Casa Amor predictions on Monday night which could prove to be an interesting insight as one of the people has spent time with the couples currently in the villa This year's former contestant Danny Bibby also seemed to be questioning Jake's loyalty on his Instagram Stories on Monday night. Last season's Finn Tapp, who coupled up with Paige Turley and won the show, took to Twitter to make his own predictions, backing Welshman Liam and his Essex partner Millie. He also stated that he thinks Tyler Cruickshank, who is currently coupled up with Kaz Kamwi, will return to recouple with her. Potential recoupling? Fans were also quick to provide similar predictions as AJ about Liberty and Jake's fate on Twitter What does the future hold? This year's former contestant Danny Bibby also seemed to be questioning Jake's loyalty on his Instagram Stories on Monday night Finn said he believes Teddy Soares, Toby Aromolaran and Hugo Hammond will come back with a new girl on their arm. Fans appeared to agree with Finn's hopes that Millie and Liam will stay loyal during the testing time. One person tweeted: 'They will stay loyal to one another, such an underrated couple.' 'Millie will just be waiting for Liam to get back,' another said. 'Liam will flirt with the women the whole time but I think he'll go back to Millie.' Stick or twist? Last season's Finn Tapp, who coupled up with Paige Turley, took to Twitter to make his own predictions, backing Welshman Liam and his Essex partner Millie [pictured] Could it be? He also stated that he thinks Tyler Cruickshank, who is currently coupled up with Kaz Kamwi, will return to recouple with her Coming out stronger: Fans appeared to agree with Finn's hopes that Millie and Liam will stay loyal during the testing time Amy Hart, who famously fell victim to the Casa Amor curse during her season, also offered up her predictions. During the 2019 series, fellow Islanders were left confused when Amy's partner Curtis Pritchard revealed he was going to stick in his couple with Amy despite getting close with Jourdan during her time in the villa. Amy was left heartbroken when she found out Curtis had been flirting with Jourdan and told him that she was planning to tell him she loved him. Interesting: Amy Hart, who famously fell victim to the Casa Amor curse during her season, also offered up her predictions Reading the future: Fans of the show have been taking to Twitter in their droves to share their own predictions In her predictions, Amy appeared optimistic that many people would stick in their couples. However, she suggested Kaz would stick while Tyler would recouple. She also believes Toby and Abi Rawlings and Hugo and Chloe Burrows will both recouple. Casa Amor sees the male and females split up for a number of episodes and sent to another villa. Producers bring in a number of new Islanders of the opposite sex into the mix as a test of couples' loyalties. Shock: In 2019, Michael Griffiths decided to couple up with Joanna Chimonides [pictured together] who he met while he was apart from his partner Amber Gill Unexpected: Amber returned to the villa alone to find Michael standing beside Joanna and prepared to couple up. She nevertheless ended up winning the show Upsetting: Fellow 2019 Islanders were left confused when Curtis Pritchard revealed he was going to stick in his couple with Amy Hart despite getting close with Jourdan during her time in the villa Some of Love Island's most shocking moments have come as a result of Casa Amor, such as, in 2019, when Michael Griffiths decided to couple up with Joanna Chimonides who he met while he was apart from his partner Amber Gill. Casa Amor also sent shockwaves through the villa in 2018 when Josh Denzel decided to end his relationship with Georgia Steel, who had waited for him and remained single, and instead chose to pursue Kaz, who he met during the separation. In that same year, Dani Dyer also became emotional when she and the girls were sent a video of the boys. Drama: Casa Amor also sent shockwaves through the villa in 2018 when Josh Denzel decided to end his relationship with Georgia Steel and pursue Kaz Crossley, who he met during the separation Sad: Georgia was left devastated when she stayed loyal to Josh and he came back with Kaz Hard to watch: In that same year, Dani Dyer also became emotional when she and the girls were sent a video of the boys Shock twist: In the video, her partner, Jack Fincham realised his former partner he was seeing before heading to Majorca had just walked through the door Caught in the act: The postcard included a picture of Kem Cetinay kissing another girl while away from Amber Davies and Chris Hughes sleeping in a bed with another woman while coupled up with Olivia Attwood In it, her partner Jack Fincham realised his former partner he was seeing before heading to Majorca had just walked through the door. Another controversial episode in 2017 saw the girls, who remained in the main villa, receive a postcard with pictures of their partners and their antics at Casa Amor. The postcard included a picture of Kem Cetinay kissing another girl while away from Amber Davies and Chris Hughes sleeping in a bed with another woman while coupled up with Olivia Attwood. Busted! Another controversial episode in 2017 saw the girls, who remained in the main villa, receive a postcard with pictures of their partners and their antics at Casa Amor Love Island 2021 - Meet the contestants Which Love Island couples are still together? Where are the Love Island winners now - and what are they worth? She's been keeping her legions of followers entertained with her holiday snaps. And Natalya Wright looked incredible as she shared a series of sizzling bikini photos from her trip to Spain to Instagram on Tuesday. The brunette beauty, 20, showcased her jaw-dropping figure as she posed in a nude two-piece that highlighted her sun-kissed tan. Wow: Natalya Wright looked incredible as she shared a series of sizzling bikini snaps from her trip to Spain to Instagram on Tuesday Natalya, who is the sister of former TOWIE stars Mark and Jess Wright, also wore a white shirt and a tan hat. The model paired the two-piece with some statement gold jewellery, a cream boater hat and a basket styled bag to match. She captioned the image: 'Which arrow would you follow' The social media star also shared a snap of herself alongside her boyfriend Tommy as they wrapped their arms around each other at an outdoor restaurant. Radiant: The brunette beauty, 20, showcased her jaw-dropping figure as she posed in a nude two-piece that highlighted her sun-kissed tan Natalya has been enjoying herself in the sun after recently enjoying a holiday in Portugal back in June. She posed with a glass of wine for an Instagram story while enjoying a dinner in Mallorca, revealing her 21st birthday was next week. The star struck a pout for the camera and captioned the snap: 'I turn 21 next week, does that mean I can start celebrating now?' Couple: The social media star also shared a snap of herself alongside her boyfriend Tommy as they wrapped their arms around each other at an outdoor restaurant Birthday girl: Natalya posed with a glass of wine for an Instagram story while enjoying a dinner in Mallorca, revealing her 21st birthday was next week Natalya was joined on her trip by her boyfriend Tommy who was also by her side during her recent Portuguese excursion. The Instagram model shared a picture of herself and her beau as they posed by the sea Maria's Beach & Restaurant in Almancil on The Algarve during golden hour on a hot evening. She captioned the image of her and Tommy: 'Forever,' while she kissed him on the cheek. The first official trailer for Ghostbusters: Afterlife was shared on Tuesday morning. The clip shows two children that seem irritated when their broke single mother moves them to grandpa's run down farmhouse 'in the middle of nowhere.' But soon the kids unearth the past which leads to their town being turned upside down. At the end of the clip, Bill Murray - who starred in the original 1984 Ghostbusters movie - is heard as he picks up a red telephone when the kids seek help fighting the demons. New: The first official trailer for Ghostbusters: Afterlife was shared on Tuesday morning The movie is scheduled to be released on November 11, 2021 after it was pushed from July 2020 due to COVID-19. During the clip the original stars are seen in a video from what looks to be a YouTube channel. The grab is taken from the 1984 movie. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and the late Harold Ramis, who passed in 2014, are all seen on screen. Bill and Dan have smaller roles in the new movie Afterlife. New life: The clip shows two children that seem irritated when their broke single mother moves them to grandpa's run down farmhouse 'in the middle of nowhere.' But soon the kids unearth the past which leads to their town being turned upside down Hard times: Carrie Coon stars as their desperate mother who hopes to start a new life An ear for her: Paul Rudd is also seen in a supporting role as Mr Grooberson Teen trouble in the country side: The son is played by Finn Wolfhard She has an interest in the spooky past: McKenna Grace plays the daughter who is quirky This new Ghostbusters film focuses mostly on the children who wind up in the dusty old farmhouse that seems to be haunted. The children are played by Finn Wolfhard and McKenna Grace; Carrie Coon stars as their desperate mother who hopes to start a new life. Paul Rudd is also seen in a supporting role as Mr Grooberson. The clip begins when the single mom is on a road trip with her kids. She is seen telling Rudd's Mr Grooberson at an old-fashioned diner that her son is fine but she has problems with her daughter. He knows this is not good: Rudd looks into the small box grandpa left and worries They are back! A ghost is seen terrorizing the small town as the kids try to track them down So much fire: There are bad ghost all over the place, especially in the sky Not a nice looking man: There are zombies in town too that spook the locals Take that you mean ghost! The old car still has its magic as the young girl takes aim Paul assures here they will all be OK. Then the family of three is seen moving into an old weather-beaten farm house in the country. The paint is peeling off the outside of the home and it looks as if nothing works inside. The son is seen telling an older woman that they are broke and all they have is this old house that their grandfather left them. A change at the local supermarket: Rudd's character notices the dough boys are up to trouble Fun on aisle seven! The dough boys were up to their high jinks as they made smores The kids look around the house and they find a box under the floorboards. This leads to trouble. It soon becomes clear the little ones have dug up the past as ghosts start appearing here and there. The old Ghostbusters car is also brought back to life by the son because it was the only car in the garage 'that had an engine.' The old cast was seen on YouTube in the new movie: From left, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd The original team: Here the stars of the 1984 film are seen on set, from left, Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Murray and Aykroyd The station wagon is seen roaring through town with dust and dirt all over it. The towns people then begin to notice there are changes: even though there are no fault lines anywhere near the area, the land keeps shaking. It's clear the ghost want to wreak havoc. Next thing the folks know, the town is being overtaken by ghosts and the living dead. The kids want to get help and track down the old Ghostbusters. But when one of them calls the number listed for the ghost hunters, a man (Murray) picks up the old red phone and says they are 'closed.' The film is written by Jason Reitman & Gil Kenan. The movie is scheduled to be released on November 11, 2021. Abigail Breslin was summertime chic as she was seen in Manhattan early on Tuesday morning. The 25-year-old actress, who shot to fame as a child star in Little Miss Sunshine, accented the look with bubblegum pink heels. The blonde was on her way to Good Morning America to talk about her upcoming movie Stillwater in which she stars alongside Matt Damon. Publicity rounds: Abigail Breslin was summertime chic as she swung by Good Morning America in Manhattan this Tuesday The film also features French actress Camille Cottin of the hit series Dix Pour Cent - known by the English title Call My Agent! on Netflix. During her latest Good Morning America appearance Abigail chatted about premiering the movie at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this month. She reminisced about 'kidding around with' Matt as 'he was like taking all these videos and selfies with the crowd and I was like: "You're being such a tourist. Like, you're being such a dad. Stop." He's like: "It's cool."' Abigail stars in the movie as a college girl studying abroad in Marseille who is accused of murdering one of her female friends and winds up in a French jail. Off she goes: The 25-year-old actress, who shot to fame as a child star in Little Miss Sunshine, accented the look with bubblegum pink heels She insists that she is innocent prompting her father - an Oklahoma roughneck played by Matt - to head to France in order to assist with her exoneration. In order to prepare for the film Abigail visited the Marseillaise prison Baumettes and got a feel for her character's circumstances. 'They were really generous with their time and let us kind of walk through and see what day-to-day life would basically be like for my character,' she said. Looking back: During her latest Good Morning America appearance Abigail chatted about premiering the movie at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this month 'Such a dad': She reminisced about 'kidding around with' Matt as 'he was like taking all these videos and selfies with the crowd and I was like: "You're being such a tourist"' 'And so the guards that you actually see in the film are real guards that work at the prison,' the Zombieland actress revealed. Directed by Tom McCarthy of Spotlight fame the new movie will get a theatrical release in the United States this Friday. Although the premise has echoes of the Amanda Knox case Tom has warned audiences not to get carried away with the comparison. 'I was excited by that case and there was inspiration, but its not accurate if you put too much emphasis on it,' he told the Orange County Register. Dynamic duo: Abigail and Matt are pictured attending a press conference for Stillwater at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this month Socialite turned DJ Paris Hilton, 40, has denied she is pregnant with her first child with fiance Carter Reum after a report from PageSix that she was expecting. The Simple Life star said on her podcast This Is Paris on Tuesday afternoon that she is 'not pregnant, not yet' and does not want to start a family until after she gets married: 'Im waiting until after the wedding,' said the socialite. The DJ also went as far as to say that she does not want a child until 2022. With child? No: Socialite turned DJ Paris Hilton, 40, has denied she is pregnant with her first child with fiance Carter Reum after a report from PageSix that she was expecting; seen July 4 'My dress is being made right now so I want to make sure it looks gorgeous and fits perfectly,' said Paris. 'So definitely waiting for that part.' She added, 'I'm not yet... I will be after the wedding, I can't wait to have children in 2022. But like I said I am just preparing for the wedding right now.' Paris then reminded her fans that the 'rumor is definitely not true' as she noted her cell phone had been blowing up all morning with friends wanting answers. Hilton noted: 'One day I can't wait to have a little girl, I'm going to name her London. I love London and Paris together. And for my boy I want to name him after a city, or a country or a state as well. I have the name but I'm not going to say it yet. I might keep it a surprise, I don't want anyone stealing my baby name for that one. 'One day there will be little mini Paris and mini Carters, but not yet. Stay tuned for 2022.' Paris then said the only thing in her oven was her Sliving Lasagna that she has touted on her cooking show. Nope: The Simple Life star said on her podcast This Is Paris on Tuesday afternoon that she is not pregnant and does not want to start a family until after she gets married. 'I am not pregnant, not yet. Im waiting until after the wedding,' said the socialite. Seen on July 4 On Tuesday morning, her sister Nicky Hilton attempted to dispel the rumors telling the editor of Avenue magazine that the story was 'not true.' Fans have been on high alert at a possible Paris pregnancy as in January the blonde beauty said she was undergoing fertility treatments and hoped to be a mother soon. She also noted that she was hoping to have twins and specifically a boy and a girl. Earlier this year, Hilton shared on The Trend Reporter With Mara podcast that she was already working on becoming a mother. 'We have been doing the IVF, so I can pick twins if I like,' said the Guess model. She added that IVF was the only way she could be sure to have 'twins that are a boy and a girl.' Her friend Kim Kardashian - who has four child with Kanye West - was the one who informed her she could pre-select the gender of her kids. Farther off: The DJ also went as far as to say that she does not want a child until 2022. Seen July 20 at Fia restaurant in Santa Monica, California 'I'm happy that she told me that advice and introduced me to her doctor,' Hilton shared. Before her 40th birthday, Paris went through the egg retrieval procedure: 'It was tough, but I knew it would be worth it. I did it a couple of times,' she said. Kim Kardashian told Paris she could select the gender of her babies; seen in 2006 She also shared that she and her fiance had already discussed the named she would choose for her kids. Paris and Carter became engaged in February on a private tropical island as he presented her with a massive $1M diamond ring designed by Jean Dousset. They had been together for only a year. 'I couldn't be more excited and lucky to have her as my future wife and partner,' he said at the time. This will be a first marriage for both Paris and Carter. Paris is currently preparing for her wedding to Reum while filming a 13-part docu series for Peacock reality TV special about her Big Day which it titled Paris In Love. Hilton has been engaged several times before. In 2018 she accepted a proposal from actor Chris Zylka. Film producer Paris Latsis popped the question in 2005. In 2002 she was engaged to model Jason Shaw. This comes days after Hilton said she is 'over' going to parties. The start: There were rumours in April that she could be with child as she seemed to have a bit of a baby bump The siren is ready for 'the real simple life' with her Reum as these days she would much rather be at home with their dogs than out on the town and she's even got rid of her famous Club Paris home nightclub, which has been converted into a cinema room. She said: 'I'm grown-up now, so now this room is a movie theatre. 'I'm so over going to parties. I never thought I would say that. I used to live for the nightlife. Now I couldn't care less. I love being at home watching Netflix and cooking with my love and our puppies. A woman with a plan: Before her 40th birthday, Paris went through the egg retrieval procedure: 'It was tough, but I knew it would be worth it. I did it a couple of times,' she said. Seen in May Definitely a change here: And in June she seemed to have a rounder mid section 'It's nice to be with someone where you don't even want to go out because it's more fun being at home together. 'I have lived 10 million lifetimes. I'm ready for the real simple life.' And the heiress admitted she's an 'undercover nerd' with surprising hobbies. She told Stella magazine: 'I'm definitely an undercover nerd. I've always been like that. I'm really into video games, crypto, tech and gadgets. I like going to arcades to play race-car games or fighting games like Mortal Kombat. A lot of people don't believe it but I'm very shy.' Paris who opened up about the abuse she experienced at boarding school in her 'This Is Paris' documentary 'invented a persona' before she starred in The Simple Life and she admitted people not realizing who she really was was a great 'shield' against public criticism. She tried to hide her tummy for a while: Seen with a wide belt in June in Los Angeles She said: 'When I got out of the school, at 18, I didn't want to think about [the abuse] so I invented this whole new persona a Barbie doll with a perfect life. '[Because of 'The Simple Life'] the world just saw me like that, so I was like, 'OK'. 'When the media would talk negatively about me, I would just be like, 'That's not even who I am. I'm the smart one because I made up this character and I'm laughing all the way to the bank.' 'Nothing could hurt me. It was like wearing a shield.' They've worked together as Strictly Come Dancing Judges since 2004. But for ITV's latest docuseries, Craig Revel Horwood and Bruno Tonioli have left their score boards at home in favour of exploring Britain by car. Immersing themselves in British culture, in Wednesday night's episode of Craig and Brunos Great British Road Trips, the dancing duo take to North Wales to drive through the country's largest National Park, Snowdonia. Look of fear: Craig Revel Horwood and Bruno Tonioli are given the fright of their lives when driving down the former steepest street in the world in Wednesday's Great British Road Trips On their way to their final destination of Holy Island, the choreographers head down to the Menai strait and cross over to the Isle of Anglesey. All the while, they're hugging the beautiful coastal roads and bringing along a TV crew to share the sights with them. In one nerve-biting clip from the episode, the pair reach what was once the steepest street in the world, now the northern hemisphere, with a 1 in 4 downhill drop. Stunning view: Immersing themselves in British culture, the dancing duo take to North Wales to drive through the country's largest National Park, Snowdonia Dangerous territory: Struggling to pronounce the name of the road, Ffordd Pen Llech, the natives of Australia and Italy soon realise they are in for more than they bargained for Struggling to pronounce the name of the road, Ffordd Pen Llech, the natives of Australia and Italy soon realise they are in for more than they bargained for. Proving to be an adrenaline-pumping experience, Bruno, 65, declares: 'Steeper and stepper,' before breaking into a fit of laughter as the car jolts forward like a rollercoaster cart. They both begin to sing, 'Steeper and steeper and steeper I go,' in between their giggling. 'Steady, steady... Fasten your seat belts!' Bruno adds. Rollercoaster: Proving to be an adrenaline-pumping experience, Bruno declares: 'Steeper and stepper,' before breaking into a fit of laughter as the car jolts forward like a rollercoaster cart Sharp drop: In one scare-filled clip from the episode, the pair reach what was once the steepest street in the world, now the northern hemisphere, with a 1 in 4 downhill drop 'This is like a rollercoaster. Control! Control! It's like a ski slope!' Craig, 56, chimes in: 'That woke me up. I'm going to calm down now because I was a bit like a Raleigh driver.' 'What about going up?' Bruno teased before the segment finishes. Each episode takes the duo to a different part of the country, where they discover local history, enjoy activities such as fishing and swimming, and sample local cuisine, all with the help of passionate local guides. Their travels take them from the mountain roads of the Scottish Highlands, to the Lake District, the Yorkshire Moors, the Cotswolds, and the scenic Cornish coast. Craig and Bruno's Great British Road Trips will air on Wednesday at 8pm on ITV. Stephen Dorff trashed Scarlett Johansson earlier this month for her choice to appear as Black Widow in the Marvel movies. The former teen heartthrob - now 47 - went as far to say he was 'embarrassed' for her move to snap up millions for the films that he said were like 'bad video games' and 'garbage.' But this week the What A Dummy actor is singing a different tune as he revealed he sent the actress an apology note: 'I feel bad for talking sh*t.' Sorry: Stephen Dorff trashed Scarlett Johansson earlier this month for her choice to appear as Black Widow in the Marvel movies and on Monday he apologized; seen in 2019 Backtracking: The Backbeat actor told TMZ that he was wrong to put down one of the top actresses in the world and he regrets it. 'Oh, I love Scarlett, I think that was taken a little bit out of context, but shes a great actress,' he said while on a sidewalk outside a restaurant The Backbeat actor wore a Coors Rodeo T-shirt and green frame sunglasses as he told TMZ that he was wrong to put down one of the top actresses in the world and he regrets it. 'Oh, I love Scarlett, I think that was taken a little bit out of context, but shes a great actress,' he said while on a sidewalk outside a restaurant. Dorff then went back to his old viewpoint by saying he is not a fan of movies like Black Widow. But he added that he really likes Johansson, 36. 'I love Scarlett, though. I heard shes gonna be a mom, so I wish her the best, and shes an old friend of mine so I felt bad about that comment,' he added. It's all love: 'Oh, I love Scarlett, I think that was taken a little bit out of context, but shes a great actress,' he said while on a sidewalk outside a restaurant I take it back: He added that he really likes Johansson, 36. 'I love Scarlett, though. I heard shes gonna be a mom, so I wish her the best\ 'It looks like a bad video game': Dorff has slammed Johannson's latest movie Black Widow He also admitted that he has not seen Black Widow - which came out July 9 - yet because it's just not up his alley. 'I dont really go to those movies. I liked Iron Man, I like when they go a little darker, I love the Joker, Im looking forward to the new Batman, Matt Reeves film,' he shared. 'I think that guy in England got me in a moment where I was just s**t talking a little bit and I felt a little bad by it. It happens sometimes. The 'guy in England' was Adam White of The Independent. Stephen also said that he heard from Scarlett after he put her down and that caused him to send her a 'little note.' On the A list: 'Shes an old friend of mine so I felt bad about that comment,' he added. The looker at the Governors Awards in Los Angeles in 2019 He also told TMZ: 'Im sure shes been in a situation similar.' In his interview with The Independent he said, 'I still hunt out the good s**t because I don't want to be in Black Widow. It looks like garbage to me. It looks like a bad video game. I'm embarrassed for those people. I'm embarrassed for Scarlett!' Stephen went on to claim that despite the hefty paychecks actors like Scarlett are known for pocketing in these movies, it's not something he's tempted by. He went on: 'I'm sure she got paid five, seven million bucks, but I'm embarrassed for her. I don't want to be in those movies. I really don't. I'll find that kid director that's gonna be the next Kubrick and I'll act for him instead.' However, it is worth noting that Dorff has appeared in a Marvel property himself, starring in the 1998 adaptation of the comic character Blade alongside Wesley Snipes. She has class: The star with her husband Johansson Colin Jost at the SAG awards Dorff's unfiltered opinion of Hollywood didn't end there, as he then took aim at this year's Oscars ceremony, which he was not a fan of. 'This year's Oscars were the most embarrassing thing I've ever seen,' he confessed. 'My business is becoming a big game show. You have actors that don't have a clue what they're doing. You have filmmakers that don't have a clue what they're doing. We're all in these little boxes on these streamers. TV, film it's all one big clusterf*** of content now.' Elsewhere in the interview Dorff claims he fired his agents when they tried to talk him out of appearing in Cecil B DeMented by cult indie director John Waters. Role: Stephen alongside Wesley Snipes in the comic book action flick Blade (1998) But he admits he has been lured by big money projects in the past in order to boost his bank balance. 'I don't like playing things too safe,' he explained. 'To me, Hollywood's always too safe. When I've needed money, sure, I've done a couple of weeks on a movie that I didn't wanna do. See, I like money too, because I like to buy things and I like art and real estate.' It was reported last year Scarlett was paid $15 million for her Black Widow solo film, and she is said to have a net worth of around $165 million. She portrayed Mr. Big's second wife, Natasha, on the HBO series Sex and the City. And Bridget Moynahan bumped into Sarah Jessica Parker at a coffee shop in New York while filming And Just Like That.. on Tuesday. The 50-year-old actress was dressed to impress in a crisp white dress while Sarah opted for a classically Carrie Bradshaw ensemble complete with a long dress and a denim shirt. What's the tea? Bridget Moynahan bumped into Sarah Jessica Parker at a coffee shop in New York while filming And Just Like That.. on Tuesday Moynahan looked svelte in a short-sleeved shirt dress with a thick brown belt wrapped around her waist. She carried a matching oversized white canvas tote by her side and wore her dark brown hair freshly blown out. Parker played with patterns wearing a long sheath with ruffled straps and a jean shirt emblazoned with a tiger on the back. Chic in the city: Moynahan looked svelte in a short-sleeved shirt dress with a thick brown belt wrapped around her waist Meeting of the minds: She carried a matching oversized white canvas tote by her side and wore her dark brown hair freshly blown out She's back: Sarah opted for a classically Carrie Bradshaw ensemble complete with a long dress and a denim shirt Moynahan was last seen in the original SATC franchise in season three, where she famously fell down a staircase after finding out about Carrie and Big's affair. It's unclear how Moynahan is returning to the series, but a recently leaked script revealed that Carrie wasn't so sure about her role in her marriage to Big, which could play into a new narrative for the exes. In the scene, Carrie is dining out with a few of her best friends, including Stanford Blatch (Willie Garson), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte York Goldenblatt (Kristin Davis). Funky: Parker played with patterns wearing a long sheath with ruffled straps and a jean shirt emblazoned with a tiger on the back Oh no: Moynahan was last seen in the original SATC franchise in season three, where she famously fell down a staircase after finding out about Carrie and Big's affair Talk about it: It's unclear how Moynahan is returning to the series, but a recently leaked script revealed that Carrie wasn't so sure about her role in her marriage to Big, which could play into a new narrative for the exes Bradshaw, who's now in her 50's and hosts a podcast, seems to say she isn't in a good place: 'I was taping the podcast, I was washing my hair. Yes, I wasn't eating or sleeping, but at least I felt good about my marriage. Now I'm just one of the wives he was taking care of?' Carrie and Big were married at New York City Hall after plans failed for an elaborate wedding at the library in the first Sex and the City movie. Noth admitted he was 'hesitant' to reprise his Mr. Big role for the revival and felt as though he gave the character his all, but was swayed to come back after a little pep talk from producers. Chris played the commitment-phobe financier while SJP portrayed the sex columnist in the series which first debuted in 1998. Advertisement Filming for the upcoming The Flash movie continued in Glasgow on Tuesday, as a Batman body double suited up once more to ride a motorcycle. The film, which also shot in London last month, stars Ezra Miller in the lead role while both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton are reprising their roles as the Caped Crusader. The body double sported the iconic cape and cowl of the Dark Knight as he filmed shots on a motorcycle. The Flash: A body double donned Batman's iconic caped outfit to drive a motorcycle through Glasgow for another day of filming The Flash on Tuesday It seemed the filming was focused on an action sequence, with police cars seen in the background of some shots with their flashing lights on. The front of the motorbike had a unique design in that it appeared to have been designed with two front wheels in mind. The Flash is the latest film to be shot in Glasgow after the city was recently transformed into 1960s New York for filming of Indiana Jones 5 where Harrison Ford's body double was seen earlier this month. All action: The film, which also shot in London last month, stars Ezra Miller in the lead role while both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton are reprising their roles as the Caped Crusader Directing: Members of the cast, in costume, appeared to be animated between takes Michael Keaton has already been spotted filming in London but has yet to be seen sporting his Batman costume, implying he may only be returning as alter ego Bruce Wayne. Ben, who played Batman more recently, has yet to be seen on set. The film sees The Flash travel back in time to prevent the murder of his mother, triggering a string of unexpected consequences in the process, including meeting Batman in a parallel dimension. The Flash was originally scheduled for release in 2018, although it was later pushed back due to its troubled development process. Director Andy Muschietti was brought on to helm the feature. It was rescheduled for a June 2022 debut and was eventually pushed back to November 4th of that year as a response to the onset of the global pandemic. Ready to ride: The stunt double did not wear the full Batman costume for every take, opting for a more slim-lined outfit on occasion Dark Knight: The sequence being filmed appeared to be full of action, with police cars being spotted in the background Earlier in June, Muschietti, shared a photo of Michael's bloody Batman costume to his Instagram account. The actor was announced to be taking up the helm of the Caped Crusader in the much-awaited film this past April, although he was first speculated to have been involved with the project in June of last year. Muschietti's photo showed Batman's iconic insignia that is typically placed on the center of the character's costume. A few drops of what appeared to be blood were notably spattered across its front. The image seemed to signal that Keaton would be returning to his former role in the forthcoming superhero film. Big production: As expected of such a large production, a huge number of crew members were present at the shoot location Between takes: The Batman stunt double had his gloved hands on his hips between takes while he sat on the motorbike The Birdman star's first time portraying the character was in 1989's Batman, which was directed by Tim Burton. The feature was well-received by critics upon its release, with many reviewers pointing to the actor's performance as especially strong. Michael went on to portray the character in the film's sequel, Batman Returns, which was also helmed by Burton and released in 1992. After the Ed Wood director stepped down from a planned third sequel, the Beetlejuice actor also left the series, and the two were replaced by Joel Schumacher and Val Kilmer, respectively. Determined: The stunt double looked every inch the caped crusader as he rode on the motorcycle through Glasgow's streets High speed: Everything around the motorbike seemed to blur as the stunt double rode along Other actors who have taken up the helm of the Dark Knight since then include George Clooney and Christian Bale, among others. Ben went on to portray Batman in the 2016 feature Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice and played the character in several other features. The 48-year-old actor was initially supposed to direct, write and star in the upcoming feature The Batman, although he later left the production and was replaced by Robert Pattinson. Both Ben and Michael are set to portray younger and older versions of Bruce Wayne in The Flash. Delays: The Flash was originally scheduled for release in 2018, although it was later pushed back due to its troubled development process Career: Michael's first time portraying the character was in 1989's Batman, which was directed by Tim Burton and was followed by Batman Returns (pictured in Batman Returns in 1992) Role: Ben went on to portray Batman in the 2016 feature Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice and played the character in several other features A film based on the DC Comics character had been in development for several decades, with several aborted attempts to create a movie about the superhero occurring over a period of roughly thirty years. The feature went through several prospective directors, including Rick Famuyiwa and Seth Grahame-Smith, before Muschietti stepped in to helm the flick. The Barry Allen version of The Flash will be portrayed by Ezra Miller, who first played the speedster in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice. Other performers who will appear in the long-awaited movie include Kiersey Clemons, Sasha Calle and Ron Livingston. The feature will follow the titular character as he travels back in time in order to prevent the untimely death of his mother, which causes consequences to occur in his own timeline. Lead: Ezrea Miller is reprising his role as The Flash which he most recently played in Zack Snyder's Justice League Chrissy Teigen is embracing some major retro 90s vibes. The 35-year-old model transformed into legendary sitcom character Peggy Bundy for a new Married ... With Children inspired social media post with John Legend on Tuesday. Teigen's Instagram comes a day after news broke that she and Legend sold their Beverly Hills mansion for roughly $17million. Love and Marriage: Chrissy Teigen transformed into legendary sitcom character Peggy Bundy for a new Married ... With Children inspired social media post with John Legend on Tuesday Donning a teased and heavily hair sprayed red wig, Chrissy was the spitting image of Peggy Bundy - immortalized by actress Katey Sagal over 30 years ago. Chrissy rocked an outfit that Peggy herself would no doubt find in her suburban Chicago closet: a long sleeve black and stretch-velvet textured catsuit with shoulder pads and a leopard print belt. The Cravings author even sported Peggy's signature red lip and over-the-top expressions for a trio of snaps. 'Go together like a horse and carriage,' she penned in the caption, quoting the sitcom's famous theme song. Perfection: Donning a teased and heavily hair sprayed red wig, Chrissy was the spitting image of Peggy Bundy - immortalized by actress Katey Sagal over 30 years ago Chrissy rocked an outfit that Peggy herself would no doubt find in her suburban Chicago closet: a long sleeve black and stretch-velvet textured catsuit with shoulder pads and a leopard print belt Jimmy Van Heusen's 1955 tune Love and Marriage scored the opening credits of the iconic late 80s/early 90s sitcom. Seated with Chrissy was her husband John Legend who looked decidedly more dapper than Al Bundy [Ed O'Neill] ever did. The EGOT winner rocked a leopard print short-sleeve button up with high waisted black slacks and fury lined Gucci slides. Married ... With Children was a half-hour comedy that aired on Fox for 11 seasons about the poor, classless Bundy family and their various gripes about life. 'Go together like a horse and carriage,' she penned in the caption, quoting the sitcom's famous theme song. Sitcom royalty: Married ... With Children was a half-hour comedy that aired on Fox for 11 seasons about the poor, classless Bundy family and their various gripes about life (L-R Christina Applegate, David Faustino, Katey Sagal, and Ed O'Neill in Married with Children) Ed O'Neill played family patriarch Al who loathed his job at a local shoe store, never made enough money, disliked his family but loved a beer on the couch and the 'nudie bar'. Peggy, a stay-at-home mom, was the antithesis of a homemaker who rocked spandex, big hair, long nails and a sassy attitude. The kids, Kelly [Christina Applegate] and Bud [David Faustino] were delightfully lazy and directionless. The hysterical series was billed as the answer to the hardworking, fun loving Huxtable family on The Cosby Show. Classic characters: Ed O'Neill played family patriarch Al who loathed his job at a local shoe store but loved the 'nudie bar' and Peggy, a stay-at-home mom, was the antithesis of a homemaker who rocked spandex, big hair, long nails and a sassy attitude Unlike the trashy Bundy clan, the Legend household is certainly not strapped for cast these days as Chrissy and John just sold their multi-million dollar Beverly Hills mansion. The couple moved out of the estate last August, according to the New York Post, which went into escrow after only a week on the market in 2020 at a selling price of $24 million. Realtor Marshall Peck of Douglas Elliman, Beverly Hills told the outlet that the aforementioned deal did not go through, creating delays in the process while giving potential purchasers the false impression the property wasn't on the market. Ultimately, Teigen and Legend - who bought the home in 2016 for $14.1 million - ended up selling the space to a private-equity executive for $16.8M, according to the Wall Street Journal. Big money: Unlike the trashy Bundy clan, the Legend household is certainly not strapped for cast these days as Chrissy and John just sold their multi-million dollar Beverly Hills mansion The home, which was built in 1966, was once owned by Rihanna, who later sold it in 2014 for $7.65 million, after litigation over construction. Investors who bought the home made significant renovations prior to Teigen and Legend's purchase two years later, including a personal gym and movie theater. Peck told the Post the home 'is hands down the most beautiful home in Beverly Hills' and that 'it has the finest finishes I have ever seen.' He added: 'It features 33-foot ceilings, a sculptural staircase, floor-to-ceiling windows and sweeping canyon views while bespoke teak ceilings from Thailand, cerused oak floors steel-rolled clay walls exude sensuality.' 90210: Ultimately, Teigen and Legend - who bought the home in 2016 for $14.1 million - ended up selling the space to a private-equity executive for $16.8M, according to the Wall Street Journal The home sits on nearly an acre of land in a private gated area just minutes from The Beverly Hills Hotel and Rodeo Drive. Listing photos show just how luxurious the stylish celebrity couple's home is, with 33-foot high ceilings, a sculptural staircase and floor-to-ceiling windows with sweeping views of the canyon. Teigen, meanwhile, is in the middle of a bullying scandal for past toxic social media behavior, which has led Macy's to cease selling her kitchen line and her exit from the Netflix show Never Have I Ever. The model/cookbook author said she could be 'canceled forever' amid the career crisis. Felicity Jones ensured all eyes were on her on Tuesday night as she attended the premiere of The Last Letter From Your Lover. The 37-year-old actress, who plays Ellie Haworth in the film, put her best foot forward in an oversized black suit as she made her entrance at the London-based event. Wearing a smile on her face, Felicity also stood out thanks to the enormous golden flower brooch which adorned the lapel of her jacket. Stunning: Felicity Jones oozes glamour as she wears an oversized black suit and large golden flower brooch to The Last Letter From Your Lover premiere Gold stitching also provided an extra detail to the opposite lapel, running down the entire outer edge. Felicity's jacket also featured four large gold square buttons across the midriff. She accessorised her ensemble with a selection of gold hoop earrings and a shade of nude lipstick. Elegant: The 37-year-old actress put her best foot forward in an oversized black suit as she made her entrance at the London-based event Fashion statement: Wearing a smile on her face, Felicity also stood out thanks to the enormous golden flower brooch which adorned the lapel of her jacket The movie, which is based on the book by Jojo Moyes - is based on a love affair that lasts over 40 years. Felicity portrays journalist Ellie, who discovers a number of romantic letters about a relationship between Jennifer Stirling (Shailene Woodley) and Anthony OHare (Callum Turner) from the 1960s. Captivated by their relationship, an intrusive Ellie makes it her mission to find the couple to uncover how their lives panned out. Drama: The movie, which is based on the book by Jojo Moyes - is based on a love affair that lasts over 40 years Felicity was joined on the red carpet by a slew of television personalities, including Dancing On Ice's Vanessa Bauer, 25. The figure skater looked radiant as she arrived in the capital wearing a short white minidress and a pair of pink heels. She added a touch of glamour to her ensemble with a large pair of hooped earrings and a single pendant necklace. Best foot forward: Also making an appearance at the event was Dancing On Ice's Vanessa Bauer, 25 Grinning: She looked radiant as she arrived in the capital wearing a short white dress and a pair of pink heels on her feet Radiant: She added a touch of glamour to her ensemble with a large pair of hooped earrings and a single pendant necklace Accessorising: Vanessa also wore a solo bangle on her left wrist as she flashed a smile for the cameras Strike a pose: Vanessa appeared in her element as she posed up a storm for the cameras in the leggy minidress Also making an appearance at the movie premiere was 30-year-old presenter Olivia Cox. She looked stunning as she arrived at the venue in a two-piece summery outfit and heels. Olivia flashed her midriff in a satin yellow crop top, which she coupled with a simple green skirt. She added height to her outfit with a pair of brown leather heels, and she kept her accessories to a minimum with a single necklace. Dressed up: 30-year-old presenter Olivia Cox looked stunning as she arrived at the venue in a two-piece summery outfit and heels Summery: Olivia flashed her midriff in a buttercup frilly cropped top, which she coupled with a simple green skirt Smartly dressed: Strictly's Neil Jones was suited and booted with a silk pocket handkerchief Night out: Jacob Fortune Lloyd also dressed up for the occasion While Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa showcased his fashion pedigree as he arrived in a smart navy blue suit. His suit jacket featured a two-toned colour scheme, with his black lapels contrasting perfectly with his dark blue jacket. He also wore an open-collared white shirt, through which a gold necklace could be seen. Ncuti opted for a pair of black boat shoes to complete his ensemble. Classy: While Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa showcased his fashion pedigree as he arrived in a smart navy blue suit by Emporio Giorgio Smart: He also wore an open-collared white shirt, through which a gold necklace could be seen Another famous face who dressed up to the nines was former Loose Women host Andrea McLean. She looked stunning as she arrived in a flowing shite shirt and black trousers. Andrea had a selection of bracelets adorning her right wrist as she flashed a smile for the cameras. On her feet, she also wore a pair of heels featuring thin straps. Having a good time: Another famous face who dressed up to the nines was former Loose Women host Andrea McLean Night out: Andrea had a selection of bracelets adorning her right wrist as she flashed a smile for the cameras Lingerie look: Pop Idol star Zoe Birkett teased a hint of her pink bra in statement power suit Joaquin Phoenix has unveiled a new look after transforming his body once again for a dramatic film role. The 46-year-old actor - known for going to extreme lengths for his craft - was pictured with grey hair and a pot belly while on set of new movie Disappointment Blvd. in Montreal, Canada on Tuesday. The movie - from horror maestro Ari Astor - centers on 'one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time' played by Phoenix, with a story of the yet unnamed main character spanning decades of his life. New look: Joaquin Phoenix unveils grey hair and pot belly as he transforms his body yet again for new role on set of movie Disappointment Blvd. in Montreal, Canada on Tuesday Sporting grey balding hair, it appeared that Phoenix was playing an older version of the character while filming got underway. Little is known of his role in the movie bar his aged look. The sighting comes three years after the vegan actor developed a 'disorder' after famously dropping 52lbs in weight for playing the Joker that would end up winning him an Oscar. While the project was released in 2019, filming began in late 2018 with the actor having already prepared himself for the role. Phoenix previously revealed how director Todd Phillips thought his character Arthur Fleck in Joker should be 'real thin' which resulted in the actor losing weight under the guidance of a medical professional. Extreme: The sighting comes three years after the Vegan actor developed a 'disorder' after famously dropping 52lbs in weight for playing the Joker in 2019 (pictured right) New role: The movie - from horror maestro Ari Astor - centers on 'one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time' played by Phoenix, with a story that spans decades of his life He told the Associated Press: 'Once you reach the target weight, everything changes. Like so much of what's difficult is waking up every day and being obsessed over like 0.3 pounds. Right? And you really develop like a disorder. I mean, it's wild.' He went on to say the weight loss left him feeling better than expected, saying: 'I think the interesting thing for me is what I had expected and anticipated with the weight loss was these feelings of dissatisfaction, hunger, a certain kind of vulnerability and a weakness. 'But what I didnt anticipate was this feeling of kind of fluidity that I felt physically.' Getting into character: At one point the actor was seen wearing underpants and a white shirt for a scene Commitment: Phoenix is known for going all-in for his movie roles Exciting: Phoenix is seen with horror film director Ari Aster, 34, (left) who wowed critics and movie fans with 2018 horror-drama Hereditary, starring Toni Colette However, he confessed that the extreme weight loss did have a toll on his mental health, saying: 'As it turns out, that impacts your psychology, and you really start to go mad when you lose that much weight in that amount of time.' Meanwhile, there's already been considerable buzz around Phoenix's new project - helmed by American filmmaker Aster, 34, who wowed critics and movie fans with 2018 horror-drama Hereditary, starring Toni Colette. The movie - which dealt with themes of the supernatural - made over $80 million on a $10 million budget to become indie film company A24's highest-grossing film worldwide. Aster's next project was the folk horror film Midsommar that featured a star turn from British actress Florence Pugh, and again saw the filmmaker team up with A24. Taking a break: The Oscar-winning actor is seen talking to crew between takes Break: The Vegan actor was also seen smoking a cigarette as he walked around set Secret: Not much has been revealed about the genre of the new film, but its director is known for his hit horror films Hereditary and Midsommar It made an impressive $48million against a $9million budget and received rapturous praise from critics. Unsurprisingly, Aster is once again teaming up with A24 for Disappointment Blvd., his third film, with Lars Knudsen producing under their Square Peg banner. Meanwhile, Phoenix one of the most respected actor's of his generation, having won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for the psychological thriller You Were Never Really Here (2017), directed by Lynne Ramsay. Change: Phoenix previously revealed how director Todd Phillips thought his character Arthur Fleck in The Joker should be 'real thin' which resulted in the actor losing weight Beauty And The Geek's George Goldfeder made headlines this month after he was accused of pretending to be a geek and dumping his girlfriend for the show. And while the bearded reality star, 27, has failed to respond to the accusations, his on-screen partner Josie Werner, 21, hasn't held back. Speaking to Yahoo Lifestyle on Wednesday, the bombshell insisted that George isn't a 'fake geek' despite his extensive acting resume - which includes two movies. Defending her geek: Beauty and the Geek's Josie Werner, 21, (left) has shut down rumours George Goldfeder, 27, (right) is a 'fake geek' who dumped his long-term girlfriend for the show 'He's actually a geek, he really is. I think I would know, I spent the most time with him,' she said. Josie backed up her claims by listing George's 'geeky' hobbies, which include comics, martial arts and Dungeons and Dragons. 'And I could tell he was geeky too because he did lack some knowledge about talking to girls and sometimes he couldn't read me and I did have to teach him about confidence,' she added. 'He's actually a geek, he really is': Speaking to Yahoo Lifestyle on Wednesday, the bombshell insisted that George isn't a 'fake geek' despite his extensive acting resume - which includes two movies 'That's not true. I really don't think that's true': The blonde also addressed rumours George dumped his long-term girlfriend Chanel just so he could appear on the Channel Nine show The blonde also addressed rumours George dumped his long-term girlfriend Chanel just so he could appear on the Channel Nine show. 'He told me about his girlfriend of three years, but he didn't tell me he broke up with her to go on the show,' she revealed, adding: 'That's not true. I really don't think that's true.' It comes after it was revealed George was in a serious relationship with actress Chanel Rodway that ended just months before filming Beauty And The Geek. Over: It comes after it was revealed George was in a serious relationship with actress Chanel Rodway (left) that ended just months before filming Beauty And The Geek According to Yahoo Lifestyle, George dated Chanel for three years after meeting at Perth-based acting school WAAPA in 2017. The pair were living together in Melbourne before George ended their relationship in 2020. Filming for Beauty and the Geek commenced in Sydney in January this year. Former flame: The pair were living together in Melbourne before George ended their relationship in 2020 Photos of George online show him looking quite different to his shabby appearance on the show. In one picture, the 'geek' is clean-shaven while posing next to Chanel at an event. In another image, the former couple are all smiles as they attend the opening night of the Charlie and The Chocolate Factory musical together. Past: The former couple are all smiles in one photo as they attend the opening night of the Charlie and The Chocolate Factory musical together George was also recently exposed as an experienced actor with two movies under his belt filmed back in 2016 according to IMDB. He starred in two shorts - Consequence in which he played a character called Sam, and Painkiller, a film about a metal rocker in which he played Thrasher. George also had a now-deleted Facebook page for his acting efforts called George Goldfeder Actor. Sydney superstar Lance Franklin has successfully challenged his one-match AFL ban for striking and is free to play against Essendon on Saturday night. Franklin was caught in a Luke Ryan tackle during the Swans' win at Metricon Stadium on Sunday when he flung back his left elbow, making clear contact to the Fremantle defender's head. Match review officer (MRO) Michael Christian assessed the striking action as careless conduct, high contact and medium impact, which drew an automatic one-game ban. Sydney superstar Lance Franklin has successfully challenged his one-match AFL ban for striking and is free to play against Essendon on Saturday night But the Swans were successful on Tuesday in persuading the tribunal jury, who deliberated for 26 minutes, that the impact was low instead of medium. Franklin will instead pay a $3000 fine. The Swans used three examples from this season to back Franklin's case - Richmond's David Astbury against Carlton's Lachie Plowman, Brisbane's Joe Daniher on Sydney's Dane Rampe and West Coast captain Luke Shuey for striking the Swans' Callum Mills. All three of the highlighted incidents resulted in the charged player avoiding suspension and being slapped with a fine instead. Working in Franklin's favour is Ryan was not injured during the incident and did not even leave the field for any sort of medical treatment. AFL legal counsel Jeff Gleeson argued Franklin swung his arm in a vigorous manner. 'This is not a matter where it was a near miss... his elbow did hit the player's head and with some force,' Gleeson said. It is not the first time Franklin has come under MRO scrutiny this season. The 34-year-old star was fined $2,000 for making forceful front-on contact with Port Adelaide's Jarrod Lienert last month. Franklin is closing in on the 1,000-goal milestone, having taken his tally to 983 with two majors against the Dockers. A suspension would have been a major blow to his chances of getting there this season and would also be a hurdle for Sydney as they chase a top-four spot. The Swans and Essendon face off at the Gabba, with both clubs having been based temporarily in Queensland for the past fortnight. Hopes of Melbourne being able to host AFL finals games and the premiership decider remain in limbo after it was announced fans will be barred from attending matches in Victoria for at least two more weeks. Victoria premier Daniel Andrews confirmed the easing of lockdown restrictions in the state will begin at 11:59pm on Tuesday, but large gatherings are still barred. It means round 22 is the earliest that fans can return to matches in Victoria in some capacity. Hopes of Melbourne being able to host AFL finals games and the premiership decider remain in limbo after it was announced fans will be barred from attending matches in Victoria for at least two more weeks. Pictured: Demons vs Hawks at the MCG on July 17 That is just three weeks from the start of the finals and six weeks from the grand final. During the last Victorian lockdown, it took seven weeks for crowd limits to be increased to 40 per cent capacity, which at the MCG equates to 40,000. Perth has emerged as a possible destination to host the entire nine-match finals series this year, with Adelaide and Brisbane also in the mix. The 60,000-seat Optus Stadium earned rave reviews when it hosted the Richmond versus Essendon Dreamtime clash in round 12, with 55,656 fans attending. The spectacular lightshow demonstrated the $1.6 billion venue can provide the glitz and glamour that a grand final would require. Initial reports surfaced that the AFL had told Joondalup Resort in WA to hold off all bookings from the middle of August until late September in preparation for housing AFL teams for the finals series. But the resort has indicated it hasn't been booked out, with reservations remaining open to the public. The Western Bulldogs and St Kilda were housed at the resort in recent weeks under strict quarantine conditions. Andrews knows his decision to ban fans from AFL matches for at least two more weeks won't be popular, but he says it's necessary to keep Victoria safe. 'I know that's not necessarily news people want to hear but we have to be cautious,' he said. 'This has not gone away. It's under control. But it's in our country.' Last year's grand final was moved to the Gabba due to a COVID-19 outbreak in Victoria. A total of 29,707 fans attended the match. The AFL is desperate for the grand final to return to the MCG this year, but the situation is delicate and even a minor setback could ruin those hopes. This week will mark the third consecutive round that fans haven't been able to attend games in Victoria. The situation has resulted in two matches being shifted to Tasmania this weekend. North Melbourne will take on Geelong at Blundstone Arena on Saturday, while Hawthorn hosts Brisbane at the University of Tasmania Stadium on Sunday. Hawthorn are reportedly considering whether to move its round-21 clash with Collingwood to Tasmania as well. Australian model and mother-of-three Nicole Trunfio showed off her incredible figure during an impromptu at-home photo shoot on Tuesday. The 35-year-old flaunted her slender middle in a revealing cut-out yellow dress, which featured a peephole at the chest. The Make Me A Supermodel star accessorised with brown mules by Aussie shoe label Tony Bianco and cat-eye sunglasses by Vada eyewear. Hot mama! Australian model and mother-of-three Nicole Trunfio showed off her incredible figure during an impromptu at-home photo shoot on Tuesday She wore her chocolate locks in messy waves and revealed her natural beauty by wearing barely any makeup. Nicole recently fooled her followers when she flaunted her pregnancy belly while modelling her latest BUMPSUIT. She was quick to point out that the lifelike baby bump wasn't actually real, despite appearances. 'I'm just trying on the new bump suit, and I had to put a belly on, and now I'm like, "Ahhh! I want another baby." This is not real by the way,' she clarified. Cut it out! The 35-year-old flaunted her slender middle in a revealing cut-out yellow dress, which featured a peephole at the chest 'But look how cute! This is one of my favourite styles... It's so cute with the bump! So comfy.' Nicole said she was even planning on using the fake belly to prank her husband of four years, American musician Gary Clark Jr. 'I am totally going to have dinner with my husband like this tonight and freak him out. Mmm-hmm. Wearing it to dinner. I miss the bump!' she added. Bumping along: Nicole recently fooled her followers when she flaunted her pregnancy belly while modelling her latest BUMPSUIT In addition to baby Ella, Nicole and Gary, 36, are also parents to son Zion, five, and daughter Gia, two. The couple welcomed Ella in February this year, with Nicole writing at the time that she was 'so in love' with her little girl. 'All mine, actually... my belief is they are not "mine", I'm just here to raise, nurture and nourish them, to love them and guide them the best way I can,' she captioned a photo of her three kids on Instagram back in June. 'Hopefully they will love and respect me for that, and we will create a forever unbreakable bond that will keep us close, so we can share a million memories and laughs together for our entire lifetimes. 'I respect these little people as equals and I probably learn as much if not more from them as they do from me.' Nacogdoches, TX (75965) Today Intervals of clouds and sunshine. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 88F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Clear skies with a few passing clouds. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Amy Graff Whether you believe in the full-blown "San Francisco exodus" narrative or not, there was plenty of shuffling around that happened in the Bay Area during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even if residents didn't flee the state, plenty sought an escape from the city to places like Lake Tahoe or Palm Springs. With the opportunity to work from wherever a chance which became permanent for many locals finally had a moment to rethink what they want out of where they live. But now, exodus or not, we're hearing stories about people moving back to the Bay Area who left. The city has largely reopened, tech employees are returning to the office, and even live music is starting back up all this with parklets and slow streets still showing off a new approach to city living. The Bay Area is alive again, and many that moved are making their way back, and luckily for them, the rental market is still down 14% since March 2020, according to Apartment List. GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) Retired Sen. Mike Enzi, a Wyoming Republican known as a consensus-builder in an increasingly polarized Washington, has died. He was 77. Enzi died peacefully Monday surrounded by family and friends, former spokesman Max DOnofrio said. Enzi had been hospitalized with a broken neck and ribs three days after a bicycle accident near Gillette on Friday. He was stabilized before being flown to a hospital in Colorado but remained unconscious, DOnofrio said. Enzi fell near his home about 8:30 p.m. Friday, family friend John Daly said, around the time Gillette police received a report of a man lying unresponsive in a road near a bike. Police have seen no indication that anybody else was nearby or involved in the accident, Lt. Brent Wasson told the newspaper. A former shoe salesman first elected to the Senate in 1996, Enzi became known for emphasizing compromise over grandstanding and confrontation to get bills passed. His 80-20 rule called on colleagues to focus on the 80% of an issue where legislators tended to agree and discard the 20% where they didnt. Nothing gets done when were just telling each other how wrong we are, Enzi said in his farewell address to the Senate in 2020. Just ask yourself: Has anyone ever really changed your opinion by getting in your face and yelling at you or saying to you how wrong you are? Usually that doesnt change hearts or minds. Wyoming voters reelected Enzi by wide margins three times before he announced in 2019 that he would not seek a fifth term. Enzi was succeeded in the Senate in 2021 by Republican Cynthia Lummis, a former congresswoman and state treasurer. Enzis political career began at 30 when he was elected mayor of Gillette, a city at the heart of Wyomings then-booming coal mining industry. He was elected to the Wyoming House in 1986 and state Senate in 1991. The retirement of Republican Sen. Alan Simpson opened the way for Enzis election to the Senate. Enzi beat John Barrasso in a nine-way Republican primary and then Democratic former Wyoming Secretary of State Kathy Karpan in the general election; Barrasso would be appointed to the Senate in 2007 after the death of Sen. Craig Thomas. Enzi wielded quiet influence as the Senate slipped into partisan gridlock over the second half of his career there. His more recent accomplishments included advancing legislation to enable sales taxes to be collected on internet sales crossing state lines. He played a major role in reforming the No Child Left Behind law that set performance standards for elementary, middle and high school students. He fought for Wyoming as the top coal-mining state to receive payments through the federal Abandoned Mine Land program, which taxes coal operations to help reclaim abandoned mining properties. Enzi sought to encourage business innovation by hosting an annual inventors conference. He also backed bills involving the U.S. Mint but his proposal to do away with the penny was unsuccessful. Enzi was born Feb. 1, 1944, in Bremerton, Washington. His family moved to Thermopolis soon after. Enzi graduated from Sheridan High School in 1962 and from George Washington University with a degree in accounting in 1966. He received a masters in retail marketing from the University of Denver in 1968. He married Diana Buckley in 1969 and the couple moved to Gillette where they started a shoe store, NZ Shoes. They later opened two more NZ Shoes stores, in Sheridan and Miles City, Montana. From 1985 to 1997, Enzi worked for Dunbar Well Service in Gillette, where he was an accounting manager, computer programmer and safety trainer. Enzi served two, four-year terms as mayor of Gillette. He served on the U.S. Department of Interior Coal Advisory Committee from 1976 to 1979. His family expressed appreciation for prayers and support theyve received but asked for privacy, DOnofrio said. The family is planning a celebration of a life well-lived, he said in a statement, and plans to share details later. Enzi is survived by his wife; two daughters, Amy and Emily; a son, Brad; and several grandchildren. A YouTuber from New York recently arrested in Danbury in connection with what he says was a civil liberties audit returned to Connecticut last week and was apparently detained at Bradley International Airport and later allegedly pushed away by a state police sergeant. In an edited video posted on YouTube Sunday that has garnered nearly 100,000 views, SeanPaul Reyes can be seen interacting with Transportation Safety Administration officials and Connecticut State Police at Bradley International Airport and later at state police headquarters where the footage appears to show the sergeant pushing his camera away while he was filming. In the video, Reyes said he intends to hold public officials accountable, noting he will not give up. The incidents occurred last Friday, according to a copy of a complaint Reyes shared with Hearst Connecticut Media. In a statement Tuesday morning, state police said they were aware of the video and its internal affairs unit is investigating the incidents at the airport and at the agencys Middletown headquarters. Hearst Connecticut Media has filed a request under the states Freedom of Information Act for the body camera footage and personnel records of the officers who responded to both incidents. Reyes first gained attention in Connecticut in June when he posted a video on his YouTube channel, Long Island Audit, with footage of his attempt to film inside the Danbury public library and his interaction with police officers who asked him to leave. Reyes YouTube videos are part of a larger trend where social media users capture the reaction of public officials when they attempt to film inside government or public buildings. The so-called auditing of public officials is intended to capture any infringement on the filmmakers civil liberties. The video posted Sunday begins outside Terminal A at Bradley International Airport with Reyes describing how he intends to film in publicly accessible areas. I do not have much hope for the law enforcement officers inside as this is Connecticut and I havent had much luck here, Reyes said in the video. The footage cuts inside where Reyes films the TSA checkpoint before a TSA officer approaches him to ask why he is taking video. Reyes declines to answer any questions, and the officer tells him to stop recording. TSA officials then call a supervisor who tells Reyes he has the right to film, so long as he doesnt capture the X-ray screens because they contain sensitive information. The video then cuts to Reyes being approached by a bicycle-mounted state police trooper, who asks what he is doing in the airport. The trooper asks him for identification, which Reyes refuses to provide, claiming Connecticut is not a stop-and-ID state. The trooper tells him hes being ordered to show his identification, saying hes causing alarm at the airport, and multiple people have asked what Reyes is doing. After Reyes fails to produce an ID, the trooper orders him to put his hands behind his back. The video then cuts to Reyes point of view walking with two other state police troopers. In a voice-over, Reyes claims he was unlawfully detained by state police, and was put in cuffs by a rogue officer who thought he knew his job. State police then leave him inside the terminal after Reyes declines to say how much longer he intends to stay. The video then shows Reyes filming around the exterior of the building before cutting to Reyes at the Connecticut State Police headquarters in Middletown where the footage shows him informing a state trooper that he wants to speak with a member of the internal affairs unit. The trooper provides Reyes with a form to file a complaint and offers to speak with him outside where he will be allowed to film. The officer also goes back inside to get his camera and returns wearing his body camera. Reyes recounts to the state trooper what happened at the airport. After speaking with the trooper, a state police sergeant meets with Reyes, but refuses to speak with him if hes recording the conversation. The sergeant, who is not wearing a body camera, directs Reyes to file a complaint with internal affairs. Reyes says he intends to go to the internal affairs office in Meriden, but continues to stand outside and film. So youre gonna stand here with your cellphone on? the sergeant asks him. I thought you were a busy man, Reyes tells him. So you should get to work. I should get to work, is that what youre telling me? the sergeant says, leaning forward. If youre busy, Reyes replies. The sergeant appears to reach out and knock the camera aside, telling Reyes, were gonna have a problem. The footage cuts to Reyes speaking directly into the camera, claiming he was assaulted by the sergeant, who broke his phone, but he said he was able to recover the footage from it. Reyes has several pending criminal charges in connection with recent incidents in Connecticut. Reyes was charged with trespassing in Danbury on July 15 after he said he went to City Hall and tried to film himself getting forms to file a Freedom of Information Act request. Reyes said police also seized his phone during the arrest. Waterbury police also charged him with trespassing on May 19, court records show. A June 9 video of a police response to Reyes filming in the Danbury public library also was widely viewed and prompted an internal investigation by the citys police department. Reyes led a demonstration inside Danbury City Hall last week after being charged with trespassing and breach of peace. He said he had been filming inside the building days before and was confronted by a security guard twice before his arrest. Last week, Danbury police released body camera footage from officers who responded to the library and to the incident at City Hall. In the footage, obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media through Freedom of Information Act requests, one officer can be heard saying, 20 years ago, that [expletive] would be dead, referring to Reyes. The Legal Director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut called the officers statement in the footage blood curdling, while a criminal justice expert said it showed the importance for officers to remain professional despite provocation. Skip to main navigation For Release: Tuesday, July 27, 2021 DEC Deploys Second Forest Ranger to Assist in Efforts to Fight Western Wildland Fires First Dispatched Forest Ranger Returns from Fighting Oregon's 400,000-Acre Bootleg Fire New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced that a second DEC Forest Ranger has been deployed to Montana to assist in fighting western wildfires. Yesterday, New York State welcomed home Forest Ranger Timothy Carpenter at the end of his two-week assignment fighting the Bootleg Fire raging in Oregon. DEC Commissioner Seggos said, "Our team of wildland firefighting experts are some of the best in the country. I commend them for their bravery and willingness to support ongoing efforts to contain these devastating wildfires. DEC's Forest Rangers never hesitate to lend a helping hand no matter where they're needed. I thank them for their service and courageous efforts." Ranger Carpenter, from Steuben County, began his assignment July 10, when he joined more than 2,000 federal, state, and local fire agencies battling the Bootleg Fire in Oregon. The Bootleg Fire started on July 6 and has burned more than 400,000 acres. It is now approximately 53 percent contained. Sustained winds and low humidity make this a difficult fire to get under control. The fire has already destroyed more than 200 buildings, forcing the evacuation of about 2,000 people. The second Forest Ranger deployed for a two-week assignment is headed to the Alder Creek Fire in Montana. The Alder Creek Fire has burned nearly 6,000 acres of land. Because of its proximity to hundreds of homes and buildings, it is now considered the nation's highest wildland firefighting priority. Wildland fires in western states are not only devastating to the western U.S., they are also impacting New York's air quality. On July 20, the entire state of New York was under an Air Quality Health Advisory due to fine particulate matter caused by fires in Canada and the western U.S. Today, an Air Quality Health Advisory was issued for the New York City Metro region. Air Quality Health Advisories are issued when DEC meteorologists predict levels of pollution, either ozone or fine particulate matter, are expected to exceed an Air Quality Index (AQI) value of 100. Exposure to fine particulate matter can cause short-term health effects such as irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, and shortness of breath. Exposure to elevated levels of fine particulate matter can also worsen medical conditions such as asthma and heart disease. New York State will continue to issue advisories whenever conditions warrant to help protect public health. In 1979, New York sent its first firefighting crew to assist western states with large wildfires. On average, one or two crews have been sent as needed to assist with wildfires every year since. In addition to helping contain wildfires and minimize damage, these crews gain valuable experience that can be utilized fighting wildfires and managing all-risk incidents in New York. All personnel and travel expenses for the New York crews are either paid directly by the U.S. Forest Service or reimbursed to New York State based on a mutual aid agreement between states and federal land agencies. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription and are still unable to access our content, please link your digital account to your print subscription If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Rana Daggubati recently resumed shooting for the Telugu remake of Malayalam film Ayyappanum Koshiyum. Sagar Chandra is directing the yet-to-be-titled version, that stars Pawan Kalyan. Rana says his role will be intense and different from his earlier characters. I cant talk much about my role, but I can tell you my character is very layered and has an emotional arc. The emotions the character has are different and youll see a completely different Rana in this film, the actor shares. The Baahubali star is sharing the screen with Pawan Kalyan for the first time. When asked to describe his work experience, Rana says, Pawan Kalyan garu comes with a lot of experience; his understanding and wealth of knowledge about cinema are vast. Its truly an honour and a great experience to work with someone like him. Every time he talks to Pawan he gets to learn new and different things about filmmaking, says Rana. Thats because he sees cinema differently; also, his ability to quickly grasp the nuances of the character is impeccable, he adds. Union minister for Jal Shakthi Gajendra Singh Shekawat reiterated the Centres earlier stand that it would bear the cost in the execution of Polavaram project as per cost estimates of April 1, 2014, hinting that it would not bear the additional costs. (PTI) Vijayawada: The Centre evaded a direct reply whether it is going to bear the enhanced cost for execution of Polavaram irrigation project head works due to change in designs to Rs 7,192 crore from Rs 5,535 crore. In a written reply to a query from a YSRCP MP in Rajya Sabha on Monday, the Union minister for Jal Shakthi Gajendra Singh Shekawat said the AP government informed them that due to change in designs in Polavaram project head works, their cost was escalated to Rs 7,192 crore from Rs 5,535 crore and did not give any direct reply whether the Centre was going to bear the escalated cost or not. However, the minister reiterated the Centres earlier stand that it would bear the cost in the execution of Polavaram project as per cost estimates of April 1, 2014, hinting that it would not bear the additional costs. The minister said it was the responsibility of the AP government to execute the Polavaram project by taking into consideration the construction plan and making of designs for various components of the project. He made it clear that the AP government could go ahead with execution in compliance with norms issued on project designs by the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal and Central Water Commission. He also said that based on information given by AP, some changes were made with regard to project designs as per direction from CWC dealing with height in cofferdam in both upstream and downstream, rise in depth for foundation and other works. For another query from the MP on viability for setting up a multi model logistic park in Visakhapatnam, minister for road transport Nitin Gadkari replied that a preliminary estimate was being taken up to set up such a park in Visakhapatnam while ruling out setting up a similar facility in Vijayawada as there was no demand for it based on a preliminary assessment. Insiders reveal the neighbouring state has taken the decision on two lions in their possessiona male and a femalebecause they have same parents. Representational Image. (Twitter) Hyderabad: In what can be construed as good news, Maharashtra principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) G. Sai Prakash has expressed his willingness to exchange two lions from Nagpur Zoo with two lions from zoos in Telangana. Officials of the two states also discussed measures for protecting vultures in the two states. Insiders reveal the neighbouring state has taken the decision on two lions in their possessiona male and a femalebecause they have same parents. This would mean in case they mate, their cubs could be born with defects. Hence the exchange offer, they said. A source in TS Forest Department disclosed that they have accepted the proposal, since the number of lions in zoos of the state is also rising. This is not all. Maharashtra PCCF also said they are taking measures to evacuate human settlements from tiger reserve areas. Sai Prakash went on to appreciate Telangana for increasing its greenery tremendously after taking up the Haritha Haram programme. The commitment of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, cabinet ministers and all departmental heads is behind the success of Haritha Haram, Telangana PCCF R. Shoba told her Maharashtra counterpart. State PCCF (Social Forestry) R. M. Dobriyal made a presentation on Haritha Haram for the Maharashtra PCCF. He explained in detail various steps they took for taking up plantation on a massive scale and ensuring survival of the trees planted. B S Yediyurappa during a programme commemorating two years of the BJP government in Karnataka at Vidhanasoudha in Bengaluru, Monday, July 26, 2021. (PTI Photo) Bengaluru: Initiating the formal process to replace B S Yediyurappa, who resigned as Chief Minister, the BJP central leadership has directed the state unit to convene a meeting of the legislature party here on Tuesday evening. "There is a legislature party meeting today at 7 pm at a private hotel," Basavaraj S Bommai, who served as Home Minister in the dissolved B S Yediyurappa Cabinet, told reporters here. After this, a meeting of the BJP Parliamentary Board will be held where a final decision (on the new Chief Minister) will be taken, he said. Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and G Kishan Reddy, along with BJP general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Arun Singh -- the observers from the BJP central leadership -- are expected to attend the legislature party meeting, a top party functionary told PTI. Yediyurappa on Monday resigned his post exactly on the day he completed his two years in office. Jagan advised the officials to set up Community Hiring Centres on the lines of Rythu Bharosa Kendras to help farmers overcome the shortage of farm labourers and enable them hire farm tools at low cost. Twitter Vijayawada: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has directed officials to introduce management and use of farm tools in the curricula of ITI and polytechnic courses to enable youths help farmers in the cultivation of crops. The CM reviewed progress of various works and projects being taken up in agriculture and its allied sectors with ministers and senior officials at his Camp Office on Monday. Jagan advised the officials to set up Community Hiring Centres on the lines of Rythu Bharosa Kendras to help farmers overcome the shortage of farm labourers and enable them hire farm tools at low cost. He opined that if expertise is made available in villages on how to use farm tools, it would be of immense help to farmers. The CM also advised officials to prominently display the hiring charges for farm tools at RBKs. The officials told the CM that as part of farm mechanisation at assembly constituency level in the state, a total of 3,250 community hiring centres were set up in the first phase. Some 3,250 more such centres would be ready in the second phase, by September. We shall set up 4,250 such centres by December, taking the total number to 10,750, besides setting up 1,035 combined harvesters and 175 hubs at a cost of Rs 2,134 crore, the officials said. They informed the CM that 15 types of basic amenities like dry storage, drying platforms, godowns, primary processing centres, e-marking facilities etc would be provided to farmers at a cost of Rs 2,930 crore. The officials said seed-cum-millet processing units are being set up at 33 places in the state with one unit for each parliamentary constituency. At present, land was being identified for the purpose. This apart, under Jagananna Pala Velluva programme, automatic milk collection units and bulk milk cooling centres would be set up at a cost of Rs 4,190 crore. The Chief Minister said the government would release financial aid under the YSR Asara in September. We want women to be financially self-reliant, he said and advised officials to give cows and sheep to women who need them. The officials estimated that it would cost Rs 3,997 crore to set up fish and shrimp processing units, per-processing units, fishing harbours, fish land centres and aqua hubs in the state. The plan is to set up 10 fish and shrimp processing units, 23 per-processing units and 100 aqua hubs by the end of September, 2022. The CM asked officials to develop requisite infrastructure at fish landing centres. Of the eight fishing harbours, works were in progress at four, officials said and promised the CM that work would be taken up for the remaining four soon. The CM said the government is providing remunerative prices to fruits and tobacco products for the benefit of farmers and added that, so far, Rs 6,200 crore was spent, with an exception for paddy and cotton. Facebook on Monday said it was combining specialists from across its hardware, gaming and virtual reality units to build an immersive digital world known as the "metaverse." The "metaverse," a term coined by sci-fi writer Neal Stephenson, refers to a shared online world in which multiple users can hang out, spend money, consume media and potentially even work. The project is seen as central to Facebook's future by CEO Mark Zuckerberg. "Today we're standing up a Metaverse product group... to bring together the teams focused on responsibly building this ambitious work," Facebook executive Andrew Bosworth said in a post. "The defining quality of the Metaverse will be presence -- the feeling of really being there with people." Facebook hardware such as Portal smart-screens and Oculus virtual reality head gear are already tools for making people feel close together despite being far apart, according to Bosworth. "To achieve our full vision of the Metaverse, we also need to build the connective tissue between these spaces," he said. Vishal Shah from the Instagram team will head a new Metaverse Product Group. Epic Games, the US company behind video game sensation Fortnite, early this year announced it raised $1 billion in new funding, with some of that money to support its vision of the metaverse. Hit video games such as Fortnite have seen use soar during the pandemic, and their creators see potential to expand to virtual parties, get-togethers or work events. Check out DH's latest videos: In a bid to stop statements from being allegedly "misrepresented or quoted out of context" by the media, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has set up a US presidential-style media centre that would enable journalists to directly interact with the Sri Lankan leader, his spokesperson said on Tuesday. Rajapaksa's comments at times have been at the butt of criticism on social media platforms. "We have followed the US presidential media centre style for its background. The designated media representatives would be given the chance to ask direct questions from the president," Rajapaksa's spokesperson Kingsley Ratnayake told reporters here. The media institutions would be asked to name their personnel to attend the briefings at the centre handled by the president. "In the recent past, we have seen that presidential statements had been misrepresented or quoted out of context by the media. This is expected to stop that, Ratnayake said. Rajapaksa, 72, is the first non-career politician and the first former military officer to be elected to the highest office in the island nation. He assumed office in 2019. Meanwhile, the government has announced that it is formulating new laws to tackle the menace of fake news on social media platforms. There will be laws to ban social media accounts, which spread fake news, Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said recently. Opposition leaders on Tuesday targeted Home Minister Amit Shah and the BJP over the violence at the Assam-Mizoram border, claiming that they have "failed" the country by "sowing hatred and distrust" and inviting the "death of democracy". The statements from former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee among others came after at least five Assam Police personnel were killed while defending the "constitutional boundary" of the state with Mizoram and more than 60 people injured, including a Superintendent of Police. "Heartfelt condolences to the families of those who've been killed. I hope the injured recover soon. The Home Minister has failed the country yet again by sowing hatred and distrust into the lives of people. India is now reaping its dreadful consequences," Rahul tweeted tagging a video of the alleged incident. Heartfelt condolences to the families of those whove been killed. I hope the injured recover soon. HM has failed the country yet again by sowing hatred and distrust into the lives of people. India is now reaping its dreadful consequences. #AssamMizoramBorder pic.twitter.com/HJ3n2LHrG8 Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 27, 2021 Also Read | Six Assam police personnel killed in clash on Assam-Mizoram border, Amit Shah steps in Banerjee tweeted, "shocked and stunned to hear about the ruthless violence that has transpired at the #AssamMizoramBorder. My condolences to the bereaved families. Such unremitting incidents under the BJP's watch have invited the death of democracy in our nation. India deserves better." Shocked & Stunned to hear about the ruthless violence that has transpired at the #AssamMizoramBorder. My condolences to the bereaved families. Such unremitting incidents under @BJP4India's watch have invited the death of democracy in our nation. INDIA DESERVES BETTER! Abhishek Banerjee (@abhishekaitc) July 27, 2021 RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary said, "Ek Bharat, Shresht Bharat? Police of two states are clashing, personnel are being killed! The Home Minister has just returned from Assam. What mischief did he play? Does he have any accountability?" The Assam government on Monday claimed in a statement that Mizoram Police opened fire on its officials and civilians from two dominating high features with automatic weapons, including light machine guns (LMGs). Mizoram Home Minister Lalchamliana countered it saying that the state police responded "spontaneously by firing back" at Assam Police after its 200 personnel forcibly crossed a duty post manned by CRPF personnel and indulged in arson and firing and assaulted unarmed people. David R. Scott was not about to pass by an interesting rock without stopping. It was July 31, 1971, and he and James B. Irwin, his fellow Apollo 15 astronaut, were the first people to drive on the moon. After a six-hour inaugural jaunt in the new lunar rover, the two were heading back to their lander, the Falcon, when Scott made an unscheduled pit stop. West of a crater called Rhysling, Scott scrambled out of the rover and quickly picked up a black lava rock, full of holes formed by escaping gas. Scott and Irwin had been trained in geology and knew the specimen, a vesicular rock, would be valuable to scientists on Earth. They also knew that if they asked for permission to stop and get it, clock-watching mission managers would say no. So Scott made up a story that they stopped the rover because he was fidgeting with his seat belt. The sample was discovered when the astronauts returned to Earth, and Seat Belt Rock became one of the most prized geologic finds from Apollo 15. Like many lunar samples returned to Earth by the final Apollo missions, Seat Belt Rock never would have been collected if the astronauts had not brought a car with them. Apollo 11 and Apollo 13 are the NASA lunar missions that tend to be remembered most vividly. But at the 50th anniversary of Apollo 15, which launched on July 26, 1971, some space enthusiasts, historians and authors are giving the lunar rover its due as one of the most enduring symbols of the American moon exploration program. Foldable, durable, battery-powered and built by Boeing and General Motors, the vehicle is seen by some as making the last three missions into the crowning achievement of the Apollo era. Every mission in the crewed space program, dating back to Alan Shepherds first flight, had been laying the groundwork for the last three Apollo missions, said Earl Swift, author of Across the Airless Wilds: The Lunar Rover and the Triumph of the Final Moon Landings. You see NASA take all of that collected wisdom, gleaned over the previous decade in space, and apply it, Swift said. Its a much more swashbuckling kind of science. Once Neil Armstrongs small step satisfied Project Apollos geopolitical goals, NASA emphasised science, said Teasel Muir-Harmony, curator of the Apollo collections at the Smithsonian Institutions National Air and Space Museum. While the first moonwalkers retrieved samples near their landing sites, scientists had hoped for an excursion that promised rare rocks. Plans for a rover were given the green light just two months before Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. Though moon buggies had been imagined for years, driving a car on the moon is more complicated than it sounds. Throughout the 1960s, engineers studied a variety of concepts: tanklike tracked vehicles, flying cars, even a rotund monstrosity shaped, as Swift describes it, like an overgrown Tootsie Pop, with its spherical cabin up top of a single long leg, which in turn was mounted on a caterpillar-tread foot. Ultimately, a carlike buggy came out on top. There were other outlandish ideas, like a pogo stick, or a motorcycle things that I am glad they didnt pursue, Muir-Harmony said. The lunar rover is, in some ways, relatively practical. The moon car was also quintessentially American. The rovers exposed chassis, umbrellalike antenna and wire wheels meant it looked like no car on Earth, yet its connection to the American auto industry and the nations love affair with the automobile captivated public attention like nothing since Apollo 11, Muir-Harmony said. Starting with Project Mercury in the 1960s, a Florida car dealer allowed astronauts to lease Chevrolet cars for $1, which were later sold to the public. The Apollo 15 crew chose red, white and blue Corvettes. A photo spread in Life magazine showed the astronauts posing with their iconic American muscle cars alongside the moon buggy, making the lunar rover look cool by association, Muir-Harmony said. Theres a lot to unpack in that picture, she added. During their missions second day, Irwin and Scott drove to a crater named Spur, where they found a large white crystalline rock, a type of mineral on geologists wish lists because it might provide clues about the moons origins. The astronauts could barely contain their glee: Oh, boy! Scott shouted. Look at the glint! Irwin said. Guess what we just found? Scott radioed to Earth, as Irwin laughed. Guess what we just found! I think we found what we came for. The white rock was later named Genesis Rock, because scientists initially thought it dated to the moons formation. The astronauts excitement, and their car, brought the Apollo missions back down to Earth, Muir-Harmony said. It provided a point of access, even as the exploration of the moon was becoming increasingly complex and complicated to follow. Swift notes that some news reports at the time considered the rover an inevitable, almost comic product of the most automotive people on Earth, although there was nothing inevitable about this vehicle. To travel along with the astronauts instead of using a separate rocket, the rover had to weigh less than 500 pounds, but bear twice that in human and geological cargo. On the moon, it had to operate in temperature swings of more than 500 degrees Fahrenheit between sunlight and shade; withstand abrasive lunar dust and micro-meteoroids travelling faster than bullets; and cover a sharp, rugged surface that contained mountains, craters, loose gravel and powder. GM and Boeing engineers scrambled to finish their design in time for the final Apollo missions under threats that NASA would cancel the rover program before it ever left the ground. If it hadnt been for a couple of engineers at General Motors, there wouldnt have been a rover at all, Swift said. His book also explains that immigrant engineers, including Mieczyslaw Gregory Bekker, raised in Poland, and Ferenc Pavlics, who was born in Hungary, persevered despite large budget overruns, blown deadlines and technical challenges. Though astronauts tend to claim more of the spotlight, engineers played seminal roles in the space program, Swift said, and some like Bekker and Pavlics highlighted the effect that immigrants had on American innovation. Americas race to reach the moon, both within NASA and at the aerospace companies that built the hardware, relied on the minds and talents of immigrants on Americans who happened to start their lives elsewhere, he wrote. Once the rover arrived and astronauts unfolded it on the moon, the experience of driving was also unexpectedly odd. Astronauts compared it to other Earthly conveyances: Irwin said the car rose and fell like a bucking bronco, and Scott said it fishtailed like a speedboat when he tried to turn at the breakneck speed of 6 mph. Mission managers planned for the rover to travel only as far as the astronauts could walk, in case anything happened and they had to hoof it back to their spacecraft. But Apollo crews covered greater distances with every mission as NASAs confidence grew. When the astronauts left the moon, the rovers were left at the landing sites, where they remain, gathering dust and cosmic rays. Spacecraft orbiting the moon occasionally take their pictures, and in some images, rover tracks are visible. Astronauts found more interesting rocks, enabling scientists to ask different types of questions, said Barbara Cohen, a planetary scientist at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, who studies the samples. The rover also allowed astronauts to focus on science more than worrying about running out of oxygen or other consumable resources, she said. She recalled participating in a NASA analogue mission several years ago, where scientists would don spacesuits and carry out experiments in a desert field station as though they were on the moon or Mars. She remembered participants getting ready to collect a sample and being interrupted by mission controllers who wanted to check their vitals. We were like, Come on, she recalled. That drove home to me that the geology is not solely in charge. Thats one thing the rover does for you; it enables different science questions to be posed that can be more answerable at specific sites. Genesis Rock, a mineral dating to the moons earliest days, exemplifies Cohens point. Scientists are still debating how the moon came to be and what conditions were like there, and by extension, here on Earth, for the first billion years. Cohen is one of several scientists preparing to open untouched samples that have been sealed since they were picked up during the Apollo 17 mission. She will study noble gases in the samples to understand how solar radiation affects moon dust. Katherine Burgess, a geologist at the US Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, will study the pristine samples to measure how radiation from the solar wind affects hydrogen and helium levels inside moon dust. Spacecraft can detect helium on the moon from orbit, but scientists still dont know how it varies across lunar terrain. Without those samples to confirm it, its still just an open question, she said. Future missions might use lunar helium, especially a variant called helium-3, as a fuel source for nuclear reactors. So a future generation of lunar rovers may be powered by a material the first generation identified the presence of a half-century ago. Even as scientists study those original samples, many are hoping for a fresh batch, sent home with a new generation of astronauts or collected by rovers descended from the original version. In May, General Motors announced a partnership with Lockheed Martin to build a new rover for NASAs Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the moon this decade. Although they were built decades apart and by different teams, the lunar rover program informed the first generation of Mars rovers, too, especially Sojourner, the first vehicle on another planet. Engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where NASA Mars rovers are built, designed six-wheeled, flexible-framed rovers in a similar vein as early GM designs, Swift said. I do think you find an inspirational lineage in that early GM work, he said. Science drives todays NASA more than geopolitics, but the space agency still promotes and carries out human space travel for reasons that go beyond rock prospecting. Muir-Harmony said the lunar rovers of Apollo, and its modern successors represented that sense of adventure. Science is such an important outcome of Apollo, but it is important to recognize what the public is engaged with, she said. The appeal of the lunar rover is connected to the appeal of human spaceflight, which is being able to witness their joy and a sense of vicarious participation. Plus, the adventure of driving across the moon, the greatest road trip of all time, is hard to resist. Then and now, samples and material from the moon are not getting the focus of public attention, she said. The rover is. Check out DH's latest videos: featured COUNTY GOVERNMENT Last chance to appeal new tax assessments On Sept. 1st, when the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission will dedicate a historical marker at 1-7 Veterans Square in Media Borough, the location of the former FBI office where the documents were taken. SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan has welcomed the appointment of contractor ARUP by SDLP Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon to take forward the All Island Strategic Rail Review in partnership with the Irish Government. Mr Durkan said the announcement from Minister Mallon and Irish Transport Minister Eamon Ryan was an important step in reviving and enhancing rail links across Ireland. The All Island Strategic Rail Review will consider how the rail network on the island of Ireland can improve sustainable connectivity between major cities, enhance regional accessibility including to the North West and support balanced regional development. In addition, the Review will consider the feasibility of high-higher speeds on the network and whether there is a potential to increase use of the network for freight. The Foyle MLA said: Reviving and enhancing rail links across the island of Ireland has been a long-term project for the SDLP and Im delighted Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon has taken a huge step towards making that vision a reality today. Ireland was once covered in rail links, joining our cities, towns and village. A high speed rail link spanning from Derry to Cork will be transformative for people across the island. It would allow people to travel across our island faster and without the need for car or bus journeys. "While this would bring obvious environmental benefits a high-speed rail network would also help attract investment and businesses to areas of the island which are historically neglected. A desire for modern transport links is often cited as a requirement for companies looking to invest across the North. "It would also be a boost to commuters travelling to our technological centres in Belfast and Dublin. The review will also include exploring links with airports and ports which would enhance our islands tourism offering. "Todays announcement is a significant stage in a journey that could see rail reshaped across the island of Ireland. "This project is long overdue and SDLP Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon has not only shown a huge commitment to making this islands transport links modern and accessible to all, shes getting on with the job and proving that while others talk the talk, in government, we in the SDLP are prepared to walk the walk. Madhu Mantena finds rumours of Mahesh Babu turing down Ramayan 'really funny' says, "We will announce the cast by Diwali" Reports suggesting that Tollywood star Mahesh Babu is starring in Nitesh Tiwari helmed mega project Ramayan having been doing the rounds for some time now. While these suggestions set up fan expectations, they were recently followed by reports that the actor has turned down the offer to play Ram in the epic. Producer Madhu Mantena whose Mythoverse Ramayan will be a part of, has now reacted to reports of Mahesh Babus alleged rejection. It's really funny. The thing is that I've already said we will announce the cast by Diwali and Nitesh still needs to find his characters because they are larger here, the producer told Times Of India. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Madhu Mantena (@mantenamadhu) The producer said that he is close friends with Mahesh Babu and though they he has exchanged a lot of work on Ramayan with him, they havent discussed the casting of the film at all. He suggested that his proximity with the Telugu actor could be a reason behind these rumours. If we wanted to make 'Ramayan' with Mahesh, we would wait for him. But we are still in the process; Mahesh is wonderful, but whether to cast him is something for Nitesh to decide, Madhu added. Rumours have also been rife that Deepika Padukone and Hrithik Roshan are also in talks for the film. The producer, however, did not comment on the same. No immediate relief to Raj Kundra, Bombay HC asks Mumbai Police to respond to businessman's petition citing illegal arrest The Bombay High Court on Tuesday said it cannot pass any order granting urgent relief to businessman Raj Kundra, arrested in a case of alleged production and distribution of pornographic films through apps, without first hearing the prosecution. Justice A S Gadkari directed the police to file its affidavit by July 29 in response to a petition submitted by Kundra (45) challenging his arrest in the case. Kundra, the husband of actor Shilpa Shetty, was arrested on July 19 by the Mumbai Police's crime branch in the porn films case filed in February this year. Post-arrest, he was sent in police custody by a city court. On Tuesday, a magistrate's court remanded him in 14-day judicial custody. Kundra moved the magistrate's court for bail and his plea was kept for hearing on Wednesday. Kundra's lawyers Aabad Ponda and Subhash Jadhav argued in the HC on Tuesday that the police failed to follow the procedure laid down in law and ought to have first issued a notice under section 41A of the CrPC instead of arresting him directly. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Varinder Chawla (@varindertchawla) Public prosecutor Aruna Kamat Pai refuted the claim and said a notice was indeed issued to Kundra before he was placed under arrest. The HC directed Pai to file an affidavit in response to the petition. Ponda then sought some interim relief for his client. Justice Gadkari, however, refused and said it cannot grant any relief without giving a chance to the prosecution first to respond to the petition. No ex-parte ad-interim relief, the court said. Kundra, in his petition, has maintained his arrest and the subsequent order passed by the magistrate's court remanding him in police custody were illegal as no notice was issued to him. As per section 41A of the CrPC, the police may, in cases where arrest is not warranted, issue summons to the accused person and record his or her statement. Kundra, in his plea, has also said the material which the police claimed to be pornographic did not depict direct or explicit sexual acts but shows material in the form of short movies "which are lascivious or appeal to the prurient interest of persons at best". After Kundra's arrest, the crime branch had described him as the "key conspirator" of the case. He has been booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 420 (cheating), 34 (common intention), 292 and 293 (related to obscene and indecent advertisements and displays), and relevant sections of the IT Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act. The police have claimed to have found 51 obscene videos during searches at his office. Shershaah actor Kiara Advani expresses her gratitude to the Army and their families At the trailer launch event of her upcoming film Shershaah, Kiara Advani expressed her gratitude to the brave army men and their families for their support and prayers, as she addressed the Indian Army in Kargil. Portraying the character of Dimple Cheema, the love interest of Vikram Batra in Shershaah that chronicles the Kargil War, Kiara steps into the shoes of a headstrong, independent, modern woman who is regarded as the pillar of support for the brave martyr of the Indo-Pakistan war. View this post on Instagram A post shared by KIARA (@kiaraaliaadvani) As the team of Shershaah visited Kargil to launch the trailer of the film amid the Indian Army as a tribute to their valour and courage, Kiara addressed the soldiers expressing her gratitude saying, "Honestly speaking, I'm really nervous today, because it's for the first time that I'm standing in front of the Indian Army and it's a huge honour. I don't think any amount of words would justify the gratitude that we all have in our hearts for each one of you, for all that you do. I would also like to take this moment to thank the families here, salute to you for your support, your prayers and being the true pillars of support for the men and women in the army. There are some films which change you professionally, but then there are films that change you personally, Shershaah is that film for me." View this post on Instagram A post shared by KIARA (@kiaraaliaadvani) Holding her beliefs over the norms of the society, Kiara as Dimple Cheema sets an example of true love as the trailer features her impactful dialogue saying, she won't marry anyone if won't get married to Vikram Batra. One of the most awaited and anticipated on-screen pairings, Sidharth and Kiara share insights into their refreshing and crackling chemistry with the trailer of Shershaah. Earlier, the makers of the film unveiled the poster, featuring Kiara's first look on the film, reflecting simplicity and innocence in the pious bond shared by Sidharth and Kiara as Vikram Batra and Dimple Chadha respectively. Set in the 90s, the film offers an insight into the age of innocent romance, showcasing the chemistry between the leading pair. Khatron Ke Khiladi 11 Promo: Arjun undergoes physical torture; Vishal, Shweta lose their calm during attyachar week The much awaited 11th season of Khatron Ke Khiladi premiered on television on 17th July and the stunts have only gotten tougher by each episode. Hosted by filmmaker and action king Rohit Shetty, the stunt reality show was shot in a bio bubble in Cape Town, South Africa in May this year. We are two weeks into the show and Nikki Tamboli, who emerged as the second runner up of Salman Khans Bigg Boss 14, has already been evicted. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nikki Tamboli (@nikki_tamboli) Well, Nikki dodged a bullet because the upcoming week will be full on attyachar for the contestants. While Arjun Bijlani and Abhinav Shukla will wake up at 4 am to undergo physical torture, many celebrity participants will have to face mental torture. Shweta Tiwari, who reportedly emerged as one of the top 5 contestants of this season, will lose her calm when she is locked into a small box with competitor Sourabh Raaj Jain. In the promo, the actress can be heard screaming: I want to come out! I have phobia! View this post on Instagram A post shared by ColorsTV (@colorstv) Vishal Adiya Singh, another top contestant, will also face mental torture. He will be locked up in a separate box in freezing temperature with contestants Divyanka Tripathi and Mahekk Chahal. Who are you rooting for this year? Nokia C30 was launched in July 2021 & runs on Android 11 OS. The Smartphone is available only in one color i.e. Black & has a built in fingerprint sensor as the primary security feature, along with the host of connectivity options in terms of 3G, 4G, GPS, Wifi, NFC Bluetooth capabilities. The phone is available with 32 GB of internal storage. The Smartphone is powered by 1.6GHz, 1.2GHz Octa core processor. A 2 GB of RAM ensures phone runs smoothly even the most memory intensive applications & still shows no signs of lag. 32 GB of internal storage can not be expanded further. The Phone comes with a powerful 6000 mAh battery to support it's 6.82 inch screen, having a resolution of 1080 x 2400. Nokia C30 boasts of dual primary camera of 13 + 2 megapixel and 5 megapixel front Camera. Amazon Funzone July Carnival is here and brings you lots of exciting prices, Amazon Pay balance rewards, and a chance to win phones, Smart TVs, laptops, and more. The Funzone carnival has a number of games including Amazon Funzone Quiz, Amazon Spin and Win, Amazon Daily Quiz, and more. Amazon India has also brought the Amazon Prime Day sale to India from July 26, 2021 - July 27, 2021. How to play Amazon Funzone Quiz? 1. Download the Amazon mobile app from Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. 2. Open the app and sign in using your existing account or create a new account. 3. Next, Search for Funzone, click on the top result. 4. Next, find the Funzone Jackpot Quiz and tap on it. 5. To enter the contest, simply click on the banner image or the Spin Now button. 6. Tap on the pointer to spin the wheel. 7. Once you answer the qualifying question correctly you will be able to enter the lucky draw and win Amazon Pay balance. Amazon Funzone Jackpot Quiz Simply answer 1 question to participate in the Amazon Funzone Jackpot and win Amazon pay balance. 1. When is the Prime Day 2021 sale being held? Answer- July 26 July 27, 2021. Amazon Daily Quiz July 27th Amazon Daily Quiz on July 27, 2021, offers you a chance to win Rs 20,000 as Amazon Pay balance. Answer the 5 questions to participate in the Amazon Daily Quiz. 1: In June 2021, Naftali Bennett became the new prime minister of which country? Answer: Israel 2: Blue Origins New Shephard reusable rocket system is named after which famous personality? Answer: Alan Shepard 3: In June 2021, who became the third man, after Roy Emerson and Rod Laver, in history to win all four Grand Slams twice? Answer: Novak Djokovic 4: This is a device to operate what? Answer: Drone 5: Identify this legendary creator? Answer: Stan Lee The Amazon Funzone July carnival brings amazing prizes and deals for customers. Amazon India is offering deals on products that are either exclusive to its platform or about to launch in the Prime Day sale. The Amazon Prime Day sale is being held on July 26th and July 27th, 2021. There are a number of quizzes which are running in order to promote the new launches. Redmi Smart TVs Spin and Win Quiz To participate in the Redmi Smart TV Spin and Win quiz, just click on the banner and tap on spin the wheel. You will be asked just 1 question to participate in the quiz. Question: What are the screen sizes that Redmi Smart Tv is available in? Answer: All of the above Amazon Redmi Smart TVs Spin and Win Quiz offers rewards up to Rs 4,000 The Redmi Smart TVs Spin and Win Quiz will give rewards as Amazon Pay balance of up to Rs 4,000. The names of the quiz winners will be announced on the Amazon app on July 30th, 2021. The company has stated that the selected winners will receive their rewards on or before August 30th, 2021. LG OLED TV QUIZ The LG OLED TV quiz allows you to win Amazon Pay balance up to Rs 10,000. Simply tap on the quiz, answer the five questions to participate, and win Amazon Pay balance. Amazon LG OLED TV Quiz 1: LG OLED TV is better than Normal LED TV because Answer: Self-LIT Pixel Technology 2: LG OLED TV uses which processor? Answer: 9 Gen 4 AI Intelligent Processor 3: One of the reasons why LG OLED has superior sound quality Answer: Dolby Atmos 4: LG OLED TV is safe for my eyes because Answer: It has Eye Comfort Display Technology 5: LG OLED TV takes Gaming to the next level because Answer: G-Sync Compatible Amazon Sony Google TV Quiz Amazon Sony Google TV quiz offers you a chance to win an Amazon Pay balance of Rs 15,000. The Amazon Sony Google TV Quiz is promoting the X80AJ series which brings the latest Google TV interface to the Indian market. The new Google Android TV interface is much more streamlined than the older Android TV UI. Answer the 5 questions to participate in the Quiz and win prizes. 1: What is the name of the newly introduced User Interface of X80AJ? Answer: Google TV 2: How many movies & TV episodes are available on X80AJ Google TV? Answer: 700,000+ 3: Does X80AJ have access to Apple TV+ original content? Answer: Yes 4: X80AJ supports which of the following? Answer: Dolby Vision & Atmos 5: X80AJ supports which of the following? Terms and Conditions 1. The lucky draw results for the quiz will be announced at the end of the contest period. 2. The winners will be informed by email or via SMS. 3. The winners must have their mobile number verified with Amazon.in in order to claim the prize. 4. All the information shared in the contest will be treated as per Amazons privacy policy. 5. Amazon can use your image or likeness for promotion if you participate. 6. Amazon reserves the right to change the terms and conditions or cancel the contest at any time. HMD Global has launched a new tough smartphone, the Nokia XR20, that flaunts some appeasing durability credentials without giving up the semblance of being a normal phone. Apart from the XR20, HMD Global also presented Nokia C30, a budget Android Go phone, Nokia 6310 feature phone, and a few earphones. Exactly how tough are we talking? Well, the Nokia XR20 is MIL-STD 810H certified and enjoys 1.8m drop protection. The display is shielded by Gorilla Glass Victus, which Nokia says is twice as scratch-resistant as compared to the Gorilla Glass 6. The handset brandishes IP68 dust and water resistance, which implies that it can withstand submersion in fresh water for up to an hour. The phone is resilient enough to survive exposure to extreme temperatures ranging between -25C and 55C. This hardware durability is bolstered by the assurance of software longevity. XR20 ships with Android 11 out of the box and promises 3 years of version updates and 4 years of monthly security updates. Last but not the least, the phone ships with a 2-year warranty. Also Check: Amazon Prime Day Sale 2021 - Best deals on affordable smartphones Nokia XR20 Price and Availability Nokia XR20 is up for pre-order in the US and UK in Ultra Blue and Granite colour options and will hit retail shelves by the end of August. In the UK, the 6GB RAM/ 128GB storage option will cost 449 (roughly Rs. 39,402) and the 4GB RAM/ 64GB variant will be available for 399 (roughly Rs. 25,220). In the US, only the 6GB RAM/ 128GB variant will be available for $550 (roughly Rs. 40,915). There's no word on the India availability as of yet. Nokia XR20 Specifications and Features Nokia XR20 is pretty manageable for an archetypal tough phone. It measures 10.64mm in thickness and weighs 248 grams - stats no longer as revolting as they would have perhaps been a couple of years ago. The 6.67-inch LCD display has a 20:9 aspect ratio and FHD resolution (1080 x 2400). The handset is powered by Qualcomms 8nm process-based Snapdragon 480 (two Cortex-A76 @ 2.0GHz + six Cortex-A55 @ 1.8GHz) paired with up to 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. Theres also the option for adding secondary storage using the microSD card slot. As for the cameras, the primary sensor is a 48MP Samsung GM1 with an f/1.7 lens on top. The second sensor is a 13MP ultra-wide snapper, and the camera module has Zeiss branding. The 8MP front camera is housed within a centrally aligned punch-hole cutout. The XR20 houses a 4310mAh battery with 18W wired and 15W Qi wireless charging. The Nokia XR20 has stereo speakers, retains a 3.5mm audio jack, has a dedicated Google Assistant button, and clubs the fingerprint sensor with the side power key. Connectivity options include 5G, NFC, USB Type-C port, Bluetooth 5.1, and WiFi 802.11.b/g/n/ac Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is ready to make an appearance at the upcoming Unpacked 2021 event scheduled for August 11, 2021. However, its design renders have leaked online, revealing a ton of features about the Samsung flip phone. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G design renders come courtesy of Winfuture.de and they reveal an almost familiar design with a few key changes. Notably, the Galaxy Z Flip3 renders reveal a dual rear camera with a flash, a matte finish back panel in the dual-tone finish. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G design reveals specifications, colour options As per Galaxy Z Flip3 5G renders, the smartphone features a 6.7-inch 120Hz AMOLED display and a 1.9-inch secondary display placed adjacent to the rear camera modules. The Z Flip3 will most likely feature a dual-lens setup at the back featuring a 12 MP + 12 MP configuration and a 10MP punch-hole camera at the front. Samsung is likely to equip the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G with a stronger hinge and an IPX8 rating, allowing it to remain 1 meter deep underwater for an extended period of time. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G will also have multiple colour options including - dark blue, grey, violet, pink, beige, white etc. In terms of performance, Samsung will pack in the top-spec Snapdragon 888 SoC inside the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G along with 8GB RAM and offer two storage options - 128GB, 256GB. Samsung Z Fli3 5G could feature a 3,300mAh battery along with a 15W fast charging feature. Some reports also suggest that the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G can see a 20% reduction compared to last years models meanwhile others pint towards a $1,000 price tag for the smartphone. In addition to Galaxy Z Flip3 5G, Samsung also plans to launch Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Buds 2, and the much-awaited Galaxy Watch 4 series. NEWS RELEASE Release Number: 2021-77 Date: July 27, 2021 California Labor Commissioner Cites Three El Super Grocery Stores $447,836 for Not Providing COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Los AngelesThe Labor Commissioners Office cited three El Super grocery stores in Southern California for failing to provide or delaying supplemental paid sick leave (SPSL) or other benefits to 95 workers impacted by COVID-19. Some of the workers were forced to work while sick, others were told to apply for unemployment while quarantining or in isolation, while others waited months to be paid. The citations were issued to Bodega Latina Corporation, a Delaware corporation doing business as El Super with 52 stores in California. The following locations in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties were cited: 1100 W Slauson Avenue, Los Angeles 90044 10721 Atlantic Avenue, Lynwood 90262 14590 Bear Valley Road # 28, Victorville 92395 Supplemental paid sick leave is intended to protect workers from being forced to choose between their health and providing for their families, said Labor Commissioner Lilia Garcia-Brower. These violations expose workers, their families and El Supers customers to unnecessary health risks. The Labor Commissioners Office opened an investigation on September 9, 2020 after receiving complaints from workers and a referral from the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union representing grocery store workers. The investigators determined the employer did not consistently inform workers of their rights to SPSL if impacted by COVID-19. In some instances, sick workers were told to come to work until they received their test results even when they had COVID-19 symptoms. To cover isolation time, workers were in some cases told to apply for unemployment or disability. Moreover, many were denied time off to isolate, even though members of their household had tested positive. Some workers were never paid for their time off due to COVID-19. SPSL is a tool to stop the spread of COVID-19. added Garcia-Brower. My office is working to ensure that workers who are impacted by COVID-19 have access to paid time to care for themselves or their relatives. The citations include $114,741.67 in wages, damages and interest for failing to provide leave under 2020 COVID-19 SPSL for food sector workers (Labor Code 248), and $14,894.66 in wages, damages and interest for failing to provide leave under 2021 COVID-19 SPSL for employers with 26 or more employees (Labor Code 248.2). In addition, $318,200 was assessed in penalties for nonpayment or late payment of SPSL (Labor Code 246(n)). The 2021 SPSL, which went into effect on March 29 and is retroactive to January 1, 2021, requires that California workers are provided up to two weeks of supplemental paid sick leave if they are affected by COVID-19. Among the key updates in the legislation, leave time also applies to attending a COVID-19 vaccine appointment and recovering from symptoms related to the vaccine. The law is in effect until September 30, 2021. Small businesses employing 25 or fewer workers are exempt from the law but may offer supplemental paid sick leave and receive a federal tax credit, if eligible. Anyone who currently works or has worked at El Super who believes their employer refused to provide paid sick leave or COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave as required by law is encouraged to call the Labor Commissioners Office confidential Paid Sick Leave Hotline at (855-526-7775) and leave their contact information. All workers can also call the Labor Commissioners Office to ask questions or get more information on how to file a wage claim for paid sick leave at 833-LCO-INFO (833-526-4636). The Department of Industrial Relations Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, or the California Labor Commissioners Office, combats wage theft and unfair competition by investigating allegations of illegal and unfair business practices. The Labor Commissioners Office in 2020 launched an interdisciplinary outreach campaign, Reaching Every Californian. The campaign amplifies basic protections and builds pathways to impacted populations so that workers and employers understand legal protections and obligations, and the Labor Commissioners enforcement procedures. Californians can follow the Labor Commissioner on Facebook and Twitter. Contact: Communications@dir.ca.gov, (510) 286-1161 Subscriber content preview SACRMENTO, Calif. (AP) California will require state employees and all health care workers to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or get tested weekly as officials aim to slow rising coronavirus infections, mostly among the unvaccinated. The new rule will take effect next month, officials announced Monday. There are at least 238,000 state employees, according to the California controller's office. Health officials couldn't immediately provide an estimate on size of the health care workforce in the nation's most populated state. . . . Subscriber content preview ISSAQUAH The nearly 5-acre Eastridge Christian Assembly Church property, at 5025 Issaquah-Pine Lake Road S.E. in Issaquah, sold for $9.2 million, according to King County records. The seller was the church, which acquired the land in 1991 for an unknown amount, then developed it. . . . Parents of schoolchildren in Donegal will be interested to learn that the Minister for Education Norma Foley TD today brought a memo to Cabinet which confirms that plans are in place to support the full reopening of schools in time for the start of the new school year at the end of August/start of September 2021. As has been the case throughout the pandemic, the reopening will be carried out in close consultation with Public Health and the education partners. Schools have been advised that they should continue to operate with the current infection prevention and control measures in place to support their safe operation during Covid-19 when they reopen in the new term schools will continue to be supported in terms of the additional resources necessary to provide for these measures. The aim of all of the Covid-19 infection prevention and control measures that have been put in place for schools is to support schools to operate safely and prevent the introduction of Covid-19 and also the onward of transmission of Covid-19 among the school community. These measures protect pupils, their parents and school staff. School Covid-19 response plans will be updated by the department and will be available for schools in advance of reopening. It is not envisaged that there will be any updates that require schools to take action in advance of normal reopening. These plans are based on the Governments Work Safely Protocol which reflects the most up to date public health advice for the workplace. It sets out the range of measures required to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Minister Foley said: We are in constant communication with public health specialists ahead of the new school year and we can confirm that we are preparing for a full return of schools in late August and early September. Public Health has stated that the new variants of the disease do not change the infection prevention and control measures required in schools. The evidence available from the operation of schools during Covid-19 to date shows that schools are low risk environments due to the infection prevention and control measures in place. The provision of CO2 monitors for every school will be an important tool in keeping our schools safe and in addition to the mitigation measures already in place, our staff and students can be confident of returning to safe environments in our schools, she said. The department will also undertake a communications campaign with parents and students/pupils in advance of school reopening to inform and remind them of the arrangements in place in schools operating during Covid-19. This will include specifically targeted information at new pupils entering primary and post-primary schools to ensure they are familiar with the new arrangements. The department will also continue to engage regularly with key education partners and with the Department of Health and the HSE in respect of the safe operation of schools during Covid-19. ADA [ndash] Bryan Randall Benefield, 64, of Ada, Oklahoma passed away Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, in Ada. Memorial services will be held at 10 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021, at Estes-Phillips Funeral Home Chapel in Ada, Oklahoma. Interment will follow at Holdenville Cemetery in Holdenville, Oklahom New figures show that there are over 1,300 residential buildings under construction across Louth as of June 2021, according to the newest GeoView Residential Buildings Report. The report, issued by GeoDirectory and EY Economic Advisory this morning, shows that there are currently 1,360 residential buildings being built in Louth as of June 2021. This is the fifth-highest level of construction in the country, behind counties like Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Cork. According to the report, over half of the residential buildings under construction across the country are in Leinster, at 58.4%. The bulk of these buildings are being built in Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow, with 35.6% of the entire countrys residential construction taking place in these counties. The report also said that there were an additional 880 residential addresses in Louth added to the GeoDirectory database in the last 12 months since June 2020. The number of apartments in Louth was also featured in the report, with 4.6% of all housing in Louth being apartments. Currently, Louth has the tenth highest number of apartments compared to its housing stock, with Dublin being the highest at 22.6%. The current vacancy rate in Louth is now at 3.1%, which is lower than the national average of 4.5%. According to the report, there are a total of 92,135 vacant residential properties in the state as of June 2021. At a recent Louth County Council meeting, councillors were told that LCC expects that the 2021 voids programme will return the vast majority of vacant properties in Louth back into livable condition. Paddy Donnelly, the Director of Housing and Community Services said that the funding from the 2021 voids programme would bring all but two vacant properties back to be leased by the council. Mr Donnelly also said that the council is currently working to secure funding to bring back the final two properties, which require more funding to restore. The GeoDirectory report also shows that the average price of a house in Louth from May 2020 to 2021 was 234,363. Of all residential property transactions in Louth between that same period, 22.7% of them involved new houses. GOAL is encouraging Louth people to take part in its innovative new public campaign to motivate people to act to achieve a more equal, fairer and sustainable world. The #Connected2 Campaign aims to encourage better awareness and understanding of how people all over the globe are interconnected through Climate Change and Food Systems, and to highlight how events in one part of the world can have an impact, whether positive or negative, on other parts. The #Connected2 campaign comes ahead of the UN Food Systems Summit and the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) due later this year. The high-level conferences will see global leaders discuss how they can work to fight the impacts of food insecurity and climate change, two of the biggest crises facing humanity today. The UN has warned that more than 811 million people approximately one in ten of the worlds population are suffering from malnutrition and hunger, 118 million more people than last year. Climate change is also resulting in more frequent and intense drought, storms, heat waves, rising sea levels, and melting glaciers wreaking havoc on people's livelihoods and communities. The #Connected2 campaign is being launched with promotional videos showcasing people from around the world telling us how they are connected. People are being encouraged to get involved and to post their own videos and statements on Twitter and Instagram, and to start a conversation about how Climate Change and Food Systems connected them to other people and places. The online campaign will feature inputs from young people and leaders from across the world and will include: Photo essays from GOALs Global Youth Programme participantsfrom six different countries, each themed around a statement incorporating Climate Change or Food Systems. A video series connecting activists and leaders across different backgrounds and countries. In each video, two guest speakers will discuss how they and their worlds are #Connected2. According to GOAL Deputy CEO and Director of Public Engagement, Mary Van Lieshout, the aim of #Connected2 is to encourage members of the public to take notice of the connections they see between people, geographical areas, and global issues like Climate Change and Food Systems. These issues are each connected to one another, and so we must be connected in our response. We encourage everyone to get involved in the #Connected2 campaign, to tell us how they are connected to others, places and passions around the world, she said. Climate change poses a considerable threat to global food security, and as it worsens there will be further stress on an already hungry world. World leaders, including Ireland, need to double down on efforts at home and internationally to promote climate-smart agriculture and elevate the issue of climate change and food insecurity. Find all details here. Councillor John Sheridan is seeking clarity from Irish Water on a persistent discolouration issue in Tallanstown. "In recent weeks residents in Tallanstown, particularly in the Glyde View estate, have had water discolouration, this has been ongoing for about two years. "I raised this at the Louth County Council meeting this month and also at a clinic with Irish Water last week. "Since the meeting, I've had numerous contacts from residents that the problem is reoccurring and is worse than ever. "Given how localised this issue is, I have asked Irish Water to clarify the status of a cast iron pipe in Tallanstown and if corrosion of this pipe is the issue. "I have also asked for clarification if the water is officially suitable for consumption. "Following my requests in recent weeks Irish Water have visited Tallanstown to do "flushing" of the network, but the problem appears to be continuing. "Many will remember the Boil Water notice for seven months in late 2019 in Tallanstown. "Near the end of the boil water notice a process called "Ice pegging" was done on one cast iron pipe in Tallanstown. "My concern is around that particular pipe and if it is that pipe causing an issue. "I have also been informed of a local resident who got a sample of water in Tallanstown to be tested at school as part of a science project and it appeared to be showing worrying results when compared with other water samples in the region. "This discolouration is definitely separate from the well publicised issue on the Dundalk supply in recent weeks. I've had reports of discolouration in Dromiskin, Darver and Duffy's Cross ares in recent weeks, but I know Irish Water have given commitments of resolving these issues over coming weeks. "These issues are not connected as Tallanstown, Louth Village and Knockbridge are still being supplied from their own local supply from the Glyde river and not the Dundalk supply from Cavan Hill treatment plant." Readers Survey As our valued readers, we want to hear from you. Please take a moment to fill out the survey below. - Thank you, Eastern Arizona Courier Click Here Claremont, NH (03743) Today Clouds and some sun this morning with more clouds for this afternoon. High 79F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mainly cloudy. Low 54F. Winds light and variable. New Port Richey - Francis W. Lannon, Jr, 88, passed away in Florida on July 24, 2021 after a short illness. He was surrounded by all six of his children. Frank was born in Lawrence the son of Julia and Francis Lannon, Sr .He graduated from Central Catholic High School and Boston College. Aft The U.N.'s deputy humanitarian chief says the COVID-19 pandemic is hitting conflict-ridden and impoverished countries much worse this year than in 2020, with many facing higher caseloads and rising deaths Lawyers working to get Easterday farming and ranching operations through bankruptcy reorganization have racked up nearly $4.7 million in fees and expenses in four months. Cork could be in line to host the world's largest sailing event. It is expected that Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney will, this morning, tell Cabinet that Ireland has been shortlisted as a potential location to hold the America's Cup in 2024. RTE reports that Cork Harbour has been scouted as the location by a team of specialists for a team village, wind speeds and a racing circuit. The event took place in New Zealand on the past three occasions, but is expected to be held elsewhere in 2024. Hosting this event is believed to have been worth between 350 million and almost 600 million to New Zealand's economy. The Americas Cup was first contested in 1851 making it the oldest trophy in international sport. Decode Your Future with an Online Computer Science Degree from Drexel Drexel University's online computer science programs are designed to prepare you for work on the cutting edge of technology. The curriculum is designed for students with any level of experience or previous knowledge. Choose the program that's right for you. Learn More. Important as it is to continually acquire new customers, it's every bit as vital for businesses to nurture existing clientele. The E-Commerce Times talked with several experts in customer engagement to get their thoughts about why it's critical to cultivate current customers -- and how to encourage them to stick around. "Assuming that a firm has a recurring revenue model -- SaaS, maintenance, retainers, or repeat sales -- then customer retention is just as important as new customer acquisition," Candyce Edelen, CEO and founder of PropelGrowth, told the E-Commerce Times. "In fact, the cost of customer retention is a small fraction of the cost of customer acquisition. This is particularly true for any model where the CAC isn't recovered in the first couple months of the customer lifecycle," she offered. Worth the Cost Not focusing on customer engagement and retention can ultimately end up unraveling all the work that goes into acquiring those customers in the first place. "Businesses that don't focus on customer retention and nurturing those relationships are really shooting themselves in the foot," explained Edelen. "Nurturing existing customers can have a huge payoff in reducing churn, improving lifetime customer value, and encouraging referrals, references and positive word-of-mouth." Given the costs associated with acquiring customers, it just makes sense to try to keep them. "The cost to acquire a transaction on platforms such as Amazon continues to go up," Kunal Chopra, CEO of Kaspien, told the E-Commerce Times. "In addition, freight costs have been increasing substantially globally. This has put pressure on profit margins for marketplace businesses, so gaining loyal, repeat customers is a great way to increase a customer's lifetime value relative to the cost to acquire a new customer," he added. The pandemic, as well, has made nurturing existing customers more of a priority than ever. "Covid has pushed more brands to sell online, which has increased competition for sellers," said Chopra. "In addition, Amazon itself has over 5 million sellers, so it's vital for sellers to retain loyal customers and market share." Trust and Rewards Establishing a sense of trust is one of the key components of successful customer engagement. "Eroding trust through a poor customer experience is one of the most surefire ways to lose out on a repeat customer," explained Chopra. "For example, if a customer receives the wrong item after ordering on Amazon and reaches out to you for a solution, be sure to provide them with one. "Depending on the Amazon fulfillment method, they may need to contact Amazon for a solution, but if they have reached out to you as the seller, do all you can to help them. Avoid just deferring them to Amazon because it's 'Amazon's fault they received the wrong item.' "They're still your customer, so treat them as such and you may just gain a loyal customer by providing them with an excellent experience. The same goes for any online marketplace." It's also important for businesses to remember to give some attention not just to new customers, but to existing ones. "I'm always shocked when companies offer discounts or rewards only for new customers," explained Edelen. "They're basically telling existing customers, 'We don't care about you.' "Customer support sometimes falls short when the firm doesn't hire the right talent or give them sufficient training. Outsourcing support is often a customer relationship killer. To change this, make customer retention just as high a priority as customer acquisition. Train teams to be effective in this area; set goals and KPIs, and reward success just like you track and reward sales." Building Community Ultimately, one of the best methods of engaging and retaining existing customers is to create a sense of community that extends beyond products and services. "Brands and businesses should be aiming to build a tribe-like community, which is something I personally cherish when supporting or consuming a brand and its products," Matthew Hayes, managing director of Champions (UK), told the E-Commerce Times. "As much as it's about a brand's product or service, it is just as much about the experience of the entire process, personalization and a human-to-human approach. Whilst we're living in an era of immense digitalization, brands shouldn't forget that they are targeting people, not robots, and to bear this in mind when communicating with consumers," he advised. That community, in turn, helps to create repeat customers -- since the customers' identities are woven in with the brand itself -- and it also helps businesses to understand what kinds of rewards and incentives might work best for particular customers. "Knowing how much and how often a customer spends with a brand provides them with the opportunity to offer rewards, discounts, and other incentives, which will also lead to repurchases," said Hayes. "As well as this," he continued, "sending a valued customer a handwritten note or message can also go a long way -- whether it's a simple 'thank you', giving them early access to a new launch, or offering them a referral incentive." Beyond the Sale Customer engagement involves thinking beyond the initial sale and into the future relationship with each customer. "Brands need to understand that the sale is only halfway through the customer experience, and that they must spend the same amount of effort and attention to the after sales experience as they do to new customer acquisition," stressed Hayes. "This will drive repeat orders and brand advocacy." "It is clear that the future of customer engagement and retention will take place online and in a variety of digital forms," he added. "The future is just that -- digital." A large part of the success of digital engagement is the degree of personalization it allows and facilitates. "The number-one thing is personalization," according to Hayes. "In an increasingly complex and socially distant world, humans need more personalized communication from their digital product providers, not less. It is about using automation, digitalization and data insights to deliver a personalized and tailored service to customers, anticipating and meeting their needs instantaneously and in ways that feel unique to them. "One thing that I urge brands and business to focus on is the needs of consumers. If you constantly provide a product or service that meets the ever-changing needs of consumers, you can't go too far wrong," he concluded. Vivian Wagner has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2008. Her main areas of focus are technology, business, CRM, e-commerce, privacy, security, arts, culture and diversity. She has extensive experience reporting on business and technology for a variety of outlets, including The Atlantic, The Establishment and O, The Oprah Magazine. She holds a PhD in English with a specialty in modern American literature and culture. She received a first-place feature reporting award from the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists, and is the author of Women in Tech: 20 Trailblazers Share Their Journeys, published by ECT News Network in May 2020. Email Vivian. Decode Your Future with an Online Computer Science Degree from Drexel Drexel University's online computer science programs are designed to prepare you for work on the cutting edge of technology. The curriculum is designed for students with any level of experience or previous knowledge. Choose the program that's right for you. Learn More. Cancel culture and politics aside, one of the more brutal threats lurking in the shadows of the internet is the slander industry. All too often, unsuspecting people become victims of websites that promote slanderous, often unverified information about individuals. This false and vilifying information lives on the internet forever and can sully an otherwise spotless reputation. Personal information that is readily available online can be used to blackmail, slander, or steal identities. How do these websites affect someone, and how can victims fight back? The only solution may be hiring a company specializing in scrubbing the digital trail of haplessly slandered victims. "In the age of digital reputation being what matters most, online presence and digital breadcrumbs have become of the utmost importance," according to Laura Hoffner, chief of staff at Concentric Advisors, a security and risk management firm. The intended impression the slander industry presents is that there is not much you can do about it when you fall within its target sites. But that is not true, she cautions. First, victims can utilize a service to identify what is out there already. Then, victims can make conscious decisions about what information to take down and what details to remain available. "The key is, it can be your choice. You can maintain control of your digital footprint and, thus, your online identity," Hoffner told TechNewsWorld. Hoffner's assessment that all is not lost if slandered by a website is not mere marketing hype. She spent 12 years as a naval intelligence officer supporting special operations around the globe. Lt. Commander Hoffner transitioned to the Naval Reserves and joined the Concentric team in the fall of 2020. Growing Slander Network As many victims can attest, an ecosystem of websites exists whose primary purpose is destroying reputations, confirmed Max Anderson, engagement officer for Concentric. But the endgame is more than trashing peoples' digital reputations. Like the seemingly constant episodes of ransomware attacks, the slander purveyors are more about making money. "The owners of these websites do not truly care about anyone's reputation. Their goal is to capitalize off of a victim's self-value and the offender's motivation," he told TechNewsWorld. The security agencies that specialize in slander removal or reputation management services can be legitimate businesses, he admitted. But some so-called clean-up services are no better than the slander doers. "There are legitimate service providers helping with reputation management issues for clients who have been targeted by people with nefarious motives," Anderson offered. To combat this problem effectively, though, is time consuming and quite costly. Any service offering to remove a slanderous website posting your information for a few hundred dollars is likely the same company who posted your information in the first place, he suggested. "If not run by the same people, the website owner and the information removal consultants are working closely together to share profits," said Anderson. Online Reputation Has Serious Consequences We live in a fully digital world today. A person's online profile is always analyzed by prospective employers, friends, family, and partners. One negative post may be easy to explain away. But it becomes much more difficult to defend your reputation when a slanderous article about you has been picked up by multiple sites, noted Anderson. "The damage is in the volume and less about the content," he said. Often, people do not realize the amount of personal information accumulates on social media and online data banks. Peoples' family and business activities are frequently mixed together. Bad doers can post smug remarks and make false statements with little fear of legal or public retribution. Family photos and participation in a variety of activities provide the slander operators a wealth of details to twist into seemingly accurate narratives. It takes a strong commitment and resilience to intimidation to restore a slander victim's digital reputation. A more effective protection plan is to prevent slander before it happens. Do this by safeguarding the flow of information that you yourself plant online. Monitoring and getting out in front of any negative reputational information early is key," Anderson advised. Preparing for Battle Slanderous articles tend to snowball rather quickly, noted Anderson. Concentric takes a proactive strategy for its clients to get ahead of potential attacks. For instance, Concentric conducts regular monitoring of its clients on social media and the open web. The goal is to proactively spot and alert clients on these potentially problematic pieces. "We also have a solution called Concentric360 that removes Personally Identifiable Information (PII) from almost 300 data brokerage sites. This makes it much more difficult for someone to dox (or doxx) you, or steal your identity. We can also identify and remove impostor social media accounts," he explained. Of course, more strategies are needed to proactively protect people's personal information. For example, Concentric's intelligence teams monitor for online conversations about the company's clients. Its digital privacy teams look for and remove potentially compromising information. "If you can find the information and take it down quickly, efforts are quite successful. The problem becomes more difficult to solve when the information has circulated across multiple websites which are then indexed by search engines," said Anderson. Minimize Doxing Risk The term Doxing has its roots in the phrase "dropping documents," and is a real problem that is not going away anytime soon Doxing pertains to the collection of a person's private information across multiple platforms by an unauthorized individual. The "doxer" then publishes the information in an attempt to shame or embarrass the person or company. The information is readily available by researching public databases, hacking, or social engineering. One of the best ways to protect yourself against a doxing attack, according to cybersecurity experts, is to control what you say online. Sure, you have the freedom to express yourself. But you also have the choice to limit your exposure and stop giving potential attackers lots of information about you. It is essential that you be careful about things you post online. Efforts to conceal your true identity behind a username on social media and other online forums are seldom foolproof. Be assured that hackers can peek behind that curtain of so-called anonymity and put you in the negative spotlight. Don't Rely on Digital Security The slander industry may well be considered a subset of fraud on the internet. Cybersecurity threats and many of the strategies for mitigating them are related. One major problem with today's approach to cybersecurity risk is the security measures being implemented are no longer effective at protecting customers from fraud, according to Robert McKay, senior vice president for risk solutions at Neustar. "Most fraud-fighting efforts rely on the idea that peoples' online and offline data is secure, and that is simply not true anymore," he told TechNewsWorld. Virtually every organization that holds personally identifiable information has been hacked at some point, he said. That means that everyone's PII can be purchased by fraudsters on the dark web. The easy availability of this data destroys the effectiveness of any type of authentication system that uses an individual's knowledge of personal information -- such as a social security number or email address -- to determine whether that individual is whom they claim to be. Also, the same is true of the supposedly more obscure knowledge-based authentication (KBA) information typically used in challenge questions. It is not difficult for fraudsters to harvest that information from social media activity (all those online quizzes!) or by interacting with a target directly to obtain it via social engineering. Perhaps a word to the wise is obvious here. Before it is too late, clean up your festering personal information from wherever you find it. Passwords and cyber software offer little to protect your PII online. Jack M. Germain has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His main areas of focus are enterprise IT, Linux and open-source technologies. He is an esteemed reviewer of Linux distros and other open-source software. In addition, Jack extensively covers business technology and privacy issues, as well as developments in e-commerce and consumer electronics. Email Jack. Offer a personal message of sympathy... By sharing a fond memory or writing a kind tribute, you will be providing a comforting keepsake to those in mourning. If you have an existing account with this site, you may log in with that below. Otherwise, you can create an account by clicking on the Log in button below, and then register to create your account. William David "Willie B." Brundidge, 67, was born in May 1954 and died July 29, 2021, after a short battle with cancer. He is preceded in death by his parents, Davis and Johnnie Brundidge. Survived by his wife, Cynthia Brundidge; brother, Rodney Brundidge; five grandchildren; and five great- Employees at Activision Blizzard are calling on the company to issue a new statement in response to the lawsuit its facing from the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) . If youve been following the saga since it broke earlier in the month, you may recall the company brushed off allegations that it had fostered a frat boy workplace culture, claiming the lawsuit included distorted, and in many cases false descriptions of Blizzards past. Now, in a letter obtained by Polygon , a group of more than 800 Activision Blizzard employees say the statement the company issued was abhorrent and insulting, and theyre demanding leadership undertake immediate corrective action. Categorizing the claims that have been made as distorted, and in many cases false creates a company atmosphere that disbelieves victims, the letter states. Our company executives have claimed that actions will be taken to protect us, but in the face of legal action and the troubling official responses that followed we no longer trust that our leaders will place employee safety above their own interests. The group specifically calls out the message Frances Townsend, executive vice president of corporate affairs at the publisher, sent to employees after the news broke. In the leaked email, Townsend claims the lawsuit DFEH filed presents a distorted and untrue picture of our company, including factually incorrect, old and out of context stories some from more than a decade ago. According to Bloombergs Jason Schreier , the response had some workers fuming. The group that signed the letter is calling on Townsend to step down as executive sponsor of the ABK Employee Womens Network. The timing of the letter comes after Activision Blizzard reportedly held an all-hands meeting with 500 employees. The Zoom call was supposed to include the entire studio, but a scheduling error meant not everyone could join the meeting. Activision executive Joshua Taub allegedly told those in attendance he and CEO Bobby Kotick have never seen this, adding that does not mean this behavior does not happen. Taub then reportedly said, we dont publicize all of these claims, we work with the employee and the person who is accused and try to work on a resolution. The company has a second meeting planned for tomorrow, according to Uppercut. Weve reached out to Activision Blizzard for comment. After a hot streak during the pandemic, the biggest streamers are suffering from a domestic pull back. Netflix actually lost 433,000 subscribers in the US and Canada during its second quarter, while Disney is reportedly struggling, too. But, overseas is another story. Thanks to cheap mobile-only plans that cater to local viewing habits, streaming services are making gains in places like Asia. Netflix, which has a low-end tier in India that costs $2.67, nabbed just over a million subscribers in Asia-Pacific in its latest quarter. Now, Disney is looking to build on its mammoth success in India with its own mobile streaming plan that costs $6.70 per year. Having rebranded its local service to Disney+ Hotstar last Spring, the company is introducing three tiers in total. Aside from mobile, which lets you watch on one mobile device in HD, there's Super for $12.08 per year (two devices including mobile, the web and more in HD) and Premium for $20.14 per year (four devices in 4K). The three plans will come into effect on September 1st, Disney announced at a virtual event, according to NDTV. Though it's the opposite of the single monthly and yearly plan Disney+ offers in the US and elsewhere, the shakeup makes sense for India. Going mobile-only sees the company following a tried and tested model aimed at the large chunk of the local population that use mobiles to connect to the internet. The launch also comes just weeks ahead of Disney's latest earnings report on August 12th, where all eyes will be on Disney+ subscriber numbers. Sony has launched its first vlogging-specific mirrorless camera, the ZV-E10, that borrows a number of features from ZV-1 compact vlogging model. At the same time, it's roughly based on the A5000 and A6000-series APS-C mirrorless cameras, with all the good (and bad) that entails. The two biggest advantages of the ZV-E10 over the ZV-1 are the larger 24-megapixel APS-C sensor and interchangeable mirrorless mount. The latter feature opens Sony's range of 60-plus E-mount lenses to vloggers, making the ZV-E10 much more versatile than the fixed-lens ZV-1. The larger sensor, meanwhile, will deliver improved light sensitivity and a shallower depth of field. Sony The ZV-E10 uses the aging 24-megapixel APS-C sensor found in the A6100 and other recent Sony models. While that delivers sharp, downsampled 4K video at up to 30 fps (or 120 fps 1080p), it's likely to have a serious amount of rolling shutter that's not ideal for its intended purpose. On the more positive side, it offers active electronic image stabilization and optical stabilization via supported lenses (though not in-body stabilization). That should smooth out handheld shooting pretty well, though don't expect miracles for walk-and-talk type vlogging especially if rolling sensor wobble proves to be an issue. Size-wise, the ZV-E10 is smaller than any of the A6000-series cameras at 343 grams and isn't much larger and heavier than the ZV-1. It lacks an electronic viewfinder, but it's Sony's first APS-C mirrorless camera with a fully-articulating flip-out screen a basic requirement on any vlogging camera these days. Sony The ZV-E10 comes with Sony's latest phase-detect autofocus system, both for video and still shooting. That means you should get incredibly quick subject tracking, along with reliable eye, face and head detect autofocus. It also has an S&Q (slow & quick) feature that lets you record time-lapse and slow motion footage in-camera without the need for any post processing work. It borrows several vlogging features directly from the ZV-1. The first is called "product showcase," a setting that allows it to instantly focus away from your face and onto an object placed in front of the camera. That's particularly handy for vloggers reviewing products, devices, etc. Sony The other is a bokeh switch that instantly sets the lowest f-stop available for lighting conditions. That way, you can have the background as defocused as possible, allowing your subject to stand out clearly. The ZV-E10 has a built-in, high-quality three-way microphone (left, right and central channels) that's designed to pick out your voice. That means you can vlog without the need to buy a microphone, though it still won't match the quality and voice isolation of a dedicated shotgun or lapel mic. It also comes with a hotshoe-attached muff to help block wind noise, and if that's not enough, a wind noise reduction setting. If you do plan to use your own microphone, it comes with both mic and headphone inputs, and the hotshoe supports Sony's dedicated digital, multi-channel microphones. As for battery life, Sony claims you can shoot for 80 minutes on a charge or 440 photos. With the small body, it has just a single SD card slot and only supports UHS-I speeds not ideal for burst photo shooting, but fine for Sony's relatively low XAVC video data rates. Finally, if you're into live streaming, you can connect the ZV-E10 directly to a smartphone via the USB-C port and stream directly to YouTube or other services much as you can with Panasonic's latest GH5-II. It will also work directly as a webcam, streaming both video and audio (not just video like other cameras) so you can take advantage of its high-quality microphone. The ZV-E10 will be available in either black or white by the end of August and will cost $700 for the body, or $800 in a bundle including Sony's 16-50mm F/3.5-5.6 power zoom lens. The power of deepfake tech to hone digital effects into incredibly realistic video cant be underestimated. Weve seen a top-level Tom Cruise impersonator transformed with a high-level deepfake artist, and now companies and film studios are taking notice. Luke Skywalker's CGI face in The Mandalorian was met with a lot of criticism, and one fans efforts to improve it resulted in a new job. Lucasfilm has hired YouTuber Shamook to ensure future projects wont have wobbly representations of actors that are either much older or perhaps even deceased now. The latter, however, remains an ethical conundrum in itself, as demonstrated by the recent Anthony Bourdain documentary. Mat Smith The user-friendly medical device can be operated at home. We've seen helmets and AI that can spot brain tumors, but a new magnetic hard hat can actually treat them, too. Researchers used a helmet that generates a magnetic field to shrink a deadly tumor by a third. The 53-year-old patient who underwent the treatment ultimately passed away due to an unrelated injury, but an autopsy showed that the procedure had removed 31 percent of the tumor mass from his brain. Continue reading. Accessories for your accessory. Valentina Palladino / Engadget Apples tiny Bluetooth trackers have one critical flaw: no built-in keychain hole. That means anyone who buys AirTags has to buy holders or cases to attach them to their stuff. Its a very Apple way of milking as much money out of a new product as possible since many will simply buy Apples own AirTag holders. But those arent the only options available plenty of accessory companies have already made AirTag cases. We take a look at all the options. Continue reading. And possibly a new color. Tech Rat Microsoft's double-screen Surface Duo landed with outdated specs and a hard-to-swallow price, but the company might be looking for a do-over. A Tech Rat leak suggests a Surface Duo with a new conspicuous rear camera bump with three sensors might be on the way as well as a new black look. Continue reading. They also feature spatial audio. LG Tone Free FP LG has revealed a new family of wireless earbuds, and while germ-killing UV tech is still on board, the coolest part may be backward compatibility. The high-end FP9 model has a charging case that plugs into a headphone jack to work as a Bluetooth dongle. The feature could be handy during flights and when dealing with wired environments of yesteryear, like gym treadmills. The headphones feature active noise cancellation and spatial audio compatibility, too. The LG Tone Free FP series will be available this month, price still TBC. Continue reading. iOS 14.7.1 arrives with fix for Apple Watch unlocking bugIt also fixes a security vulnerability Apple says may have been exploited. Apple has pushed out a new update to iOS 14 for iPhone and iPad owners. While there are no new features, it addresses a bug that broke Apple's Unlock with iPhone integration, preventing Touch ID-equipped phones from unlocking Apple Watch devices. So if you use an older iPhone with your Apple wearable, you'll want to download the update as soon as possible. Continue reading. If you thought the classic pants on a dog problem was tricky, try it with treads. As robots increasingly move into our everyday lives, a new kind of clothing revolution could soon be upon us once again, according to a new research study out of New Yorks Cornell University. We believe that robot clothes present an underutilized opportunity for the field of designing interactive systems, the team argues in What Robots Need From Clothing. Its not simply a matter of tossing human clothing on a robotic chassis. What robot clothes are is integrally tied to what robots need from clothing. Robot clothing should analogously fulfill needs robots have, rather than just being human clothes on a robot, the researchers wrote. What will that entail? Continue reading. But wait, theres more... Intel's revised roadmap looks beyond 1-nanometer chips Blue Origin offers NASA $2 billion in last-ditch attempt at lunar lander contract Samsung's 'The Wall' will be used to form a virtual movie studio Hubble finds evidence of water vapor on Jupiter's largest moon Turtle Beach's first gamepad pairs its audio expertise with great ergonomics Autonomous quadrotor beats two human pilots in a drone race Graveside services for Annie (Thibodeaux) Rowley, 72, Enid, are 10:00 am, Tuesday, August 3, 2021 at Enid Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Ladusau-Evans Funeral Home. Condolences may be made at www.ladusauevans.com. Click for the latest, full-access Enid News & Eagle headlines | Text Alerts | app downloads The News & Eagle Editorial Board meets weekly to form the newspaper's stances on mostly local and state and occasionally national issues. Submit your opinion for publication to editor@enidnews.com. Find out more about submitting letters to the editor at https://www.enidnews.com/opinion/. Have a question about this opinion piece? Do you see something we missed? Do you have an editorial idea for the News & Eagle? Send an email to editor@enidnews.com. 2021-07-26 Maeci The "Pre-Food Systems Summit" (26-28 July) kicked off today at FAO's Rome headquarters. It is a substantive preparatory event that will set the stage in view of the Food Systems Summit that UN Secretary-General Guterres has convened for the Ministerial Week of the 76th General Assembly in September. The event confirms Italy's role as a world leader in food security and nutrition and as a key stakeholder in the preparatory process for the Food Systems Summit, also as host country of the UN Food Security Cluster Agencies. The opening plenary session on 26 July will be televised live by Rai 1 (15:00-17:00) and will include a speech by the Prime Minister, Prof. Mario Draghi, and a video message by the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres. On 27 July (17:30-18:30) there will be a working session dedicated to the G20 Matera Declaration on Food Security approved on 29 June ("From the G20 Matera Declaration to the Food Systems Summit: A Framework for Emerging Coalitions of Action"). After keynote speeches by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, the FAO Director General, Qu Dongyu, and the FAO Chief Economist, Maximo Torero, a round table moderated by the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Marina Sereni, will be held. The concluding session of the Pre-Summit is scheduled on 28 July (15:00-17:00), with speeches by a number of ministers from countries that are ready to formulate commitments regarding the Summit's objectives and by key representatives of the "non-state actors" that took part in the preparatory process. This will be followed by the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed, reading the Closing Statement, while Minister di Maio will deliver a closing address. Before the closing session (14:00), the Foreign Minister and DSG Mohammed will give statements to the press. The full programme of the Pre-Summit is available at the following link: https://www.unfoodsystems.org/programme.php 2021-07-26 Maeci Italy is closely following the developments in Tunisia. The scope and nature of the decisions taken in the last few hours will have to be carefully assessed. Italy also expresses concern about the situation and its potential implications and appeals to the Tunisian institutions to guarantee respect for the Constitution and the rule of law. At a time when the political and economic crisis in the country is exacerbated by the recent deterioration of the epidemiological situation, Italy confirms its support for the political and economic stability of Tunisia and reiterates its genuine closeness to Italys friends, the Tunisian people. GBP/EUR Exchange Rate Rangebound as German IFO Data Undershoots Forecasts The Pound Euro exchange rate held steady this morning following underwhelming German business optimism data. The pairing is currently fluctuating around 1.17. While the latest German IFO business climate gauge hit its highest level since April 2019, the data fell below forecasts. Andrew Kenningham, an economist at Capital Economics, said that the latest business climate index in July could indicate that a rebounding the Eurozones largest economy, in Germany, could be losing steam. Kenningham said: The small decline in the Ifo business climate index in July suggests that the rebound in Germany may be losing some momentum. But Germany will still post very rapid GDP growth in both Q2 and Q3 and, as a result, should regain its pre-pandemic level ahead of any other major euro-zone country. In the absence of any notable Eurozone economic data today, however, Euro investors will monitor Europes Covid-19 developments. If coronavirus variants continue to spread throughout Europe, then we would see the EUR/GBP exchange rate begin to struggle. Pound (GBP) Exchange Rates Steady as UK Covid-19 Cases Fall to Six Day Low The Pound (GBP) held steady against the single currency despite coronavirus cases falling down for their sixth day in a row. However, the impact of the lifting of lockdown measures on July 19 has yet to feed through into the data. Downing Street said that the latest Covid-19 data was encouraging but appeared cautious about forthcoming data revealing a spike in cases and hospitalisations. However, the economic forecaster EY Item Club was optimistic about the outlook for the UK economy, saying that it expects that it could grow at its fastest pace in 80 years. Martin Beck, senior economic advisor to the EY Item Club, commented: Vaccines have played a key role in bringing forward the reopening of the economy and have been a key factor in the upgrades of the forecast throughout this year. The small decline in the Ifo business climate index in July suggests that the rebound in Germany may be losing some momentum. But Germany will still post very rapid GDP growth in both Q2 and Q3 and, as a result, should regain its pre-pandemic level ahead of any other major euro-zone country. GBP/EUR Exchange Rate Forecast: German Consumer Confidence Data in Focus Euro (EUR) traders will be looking ahead to tomorrows release of Augusts German consumer confidence survey. Could an uptick in German consumer morale boost the EUR/GBP exchange rate? EUR investors will also continue to monitor Europes Covid-19 situation. If infection rates head higher in any of the key economies such as France and Germany, then we could see the single currency begin to fall against the major currencies. In absence of any influential UK economic data this week, Pound investors will eye the UKs Covid-19 developments. Any indications of falling case numbers and hospitalisations would translate to positive mood in the UKs economic recovery. As a result, we could see the GBP/EUR exchange rate head higher. Author William S. Bike will do an online presentation through the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Alumni Association Alumni Exchange program on Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021, from noon to 1 p.m. about his book, The Forgotten 1970 Chicago Cubs: Go and Glow. The session is free, but you have to sign up, and you don't have to be connected to UIC to do so. To sign up, go to https://advance.uic.edu/events/the-forgotten-1970-chicago-cubs-go-and-glow/ and click on RSVP. "Many Chicago Cubs fans remember the beloved 1969 team, but I think people will find the 1970 Cubs more interesting if they go to my talk online," Bike said. Bike will walk listeners through his recently published book about the 1970 team, including its interesting characters such as Joe Pepitone and Ron Santo, Ernie Banks's 500th home run, "the basket" in the outfield, and how the manager's radio show caused clubhouse chaos. An avid historian and journalist, Bike was a long-time UIC staff member, is associate editor of Gazette Chicago, and senior vice president of ANB Communications/Central Park Communications. The UIC Alumni Association urges you to bring your questions and share your memories during this hour on August 25 at noon central time focused on the Chicago Cubs. "I'm looking forward to you joining me on Wednesday, Aug. 25," Bike said. For more information, email uicalumni@uic.edu. For more about the book or book purchase information, go to 1970chicagocubs.com. If the heat wave of San Antonios summer has you sweating an ocean, raise those sails and haul wind to the safe harbor of M.K. Davis Restaurant & Bar for an ice-cold schooner of beer. This Five Points mainstay and relaxed, historic haunt (it opened in 1953) is the top spot in town for cheap and enormous adult beverages. King among those is their beer served in a style of glass called a schooner. Technically, in the U.S. that means a rounded, bowl-like glass with a short stem holding anywhere from 18 to 32 ounces. At M.K. Davis, the big schooners hold 32 ounces (a quart!) and are the size of your head. Its a two-handed job to lift these babies for a toast, and the come out ice cold. The glasses are stored at sub-freezing temperatures where they take on a thin exoskeleton of ice. When the suds hit the glass, that frozen water breaks off like tiny icebergs cast adrift in a microscopic diorama of the Arctic Ocean, creating a frothy cap of boozy sea foam. All that for $6.99. The price of admission to simply gaze upon the bars baroque velveteen wallpaper should be higher. There is also a daintier 20-ounce schooner for $4.99. Now, dont walk into this old-school neighborhood eatery expecting an overflowing chalice of trendy craft beer. M.K. Davis is for those times you need to toss back a familiar friend like Dos Equis, Miller Lite, Lone Star or Shiner. And no complaints about that from me. An easy sipper is just the thing to wash down a plate of chicken-fried steak, enchiladas or a burger. Pro tip: go for the filete a la tampiquena ($13.99) if you want to make your tablemates jealous with an oversize plate topped with a half-pound slab of grilled sirloin doused in ranchero sauce and served with an enchilada, rice and beans. On ExpressNews.com: Where to find shrimp ceviche-topped beers in San Antonio restaurants If beer isnt your thing, M.K. Davis serves sangria (they call it homemade wine cooler, $5.99) and an agave wine-based take on a margarita ($6.99) in smaller 20-ounce schooners as well. The former is refreshing and mildly fruity with a hint of lime, while the latter tastes like a light, low-alcohol cousin of San Antonios favorite cocktail. Whatever youre drinking, M.K. Davis will make it a double, and then some. M.K. Davis, 1302 N. Flores St., 210-223-1208, mkdavisrestaurant.com , Facebook: @mkdavisrestaurant . pstephen@express-news.net | Twitter: @pjbites | Instagram: @pjstephen The San Antonio-based online sweets shop Southern Roots Vegan Bakery is now offering same-day delivery in its hometown. The local business, which ships nationwide, drew attention last summer when Twitter threads and media attention on Black-owned businesses created what owners Cara Pitts and her husband Marcus Pitts called an unexpected jaw-dropping influx of orders. Now Southern Roots is giving back some of that love by offering same-day shipping in San Antonio for their vegan baked goods, including favorites like red velvet cake doughnuts, Chocolate Luxury Cupcakes, sugar cookies with rainbow sprinkles and Mary Lees lemon cake. Customers can arrange same-day delivery Monday through Friday by clicking the same-day San Antonio delivery banner at the top of the shops website. Southern Roots Vegan Bakery, 210-570-3413, southernrootsvegan.com. Orders also can be picked up at 6208 S. Flores St. on the South Side or at 8141 Bandera Road on the West Side. On ExpressNews.com: Vegan food truck Project Pollo serves great 'chicken' sandwiches in downtown San Antonio msutter@express-news.net | Twitter: @fedmanwalking | Instagram: @fedmanwalking ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images Although the number of flights out of San Antonio International Airport are still down a quarter from pre-pandemic levels, there are some affordable deals on domestic destinations. Non-stop flights to New York and Boston are now available to book for the fall with JetBlue Airlines, and one-way flights are just under $100. The airlines announced itll start flying out of San Antonio this October. Vaccinated people may be able to spread the coronavirus and should resume wearing masks under certain circumstances, the nation's top public health official said Tuesday in a gloomy acknowledgment that the mutated delta variant has reversed the promising trendlines of spring. Speaking to reporters in an afternoon news briefing, Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, expressed disappointment and dismay that the summer surge in cases, driven by the delta variant's startling transmissibility and low vaccination rates in many areas, had forced her agency's hand. "It is not a welcome piece of news that masking is going to be a part of people's lives who have already been vaccinated," Walensky acknowledged. "This new guidance weighs heavily on me." The agency advised that people who live in high-transmission communities wear masks in indoor public spaces, even if they've been vaccinated. It also recommended that vaccinated people with vulnerable household members, including young children and those who are immunocompromised, wear masks indoors in public spaces. The agency also called for universal masking for teachers, staff members and students in schools, regardless of their vaccination status. The CDC continues to recommend that students return to in-person learning in the fall. The changed guidance comes as confirmed coronavirus infections nationwide have quadrupled in July, from about 13,000 cases per day on average at the start of the month to more than 56,000 now, according to Washington Post tracking. Faced with a resurgent virus thanks to the highly transmissible delta variant, a growing number of public and private employers have also imposed vaccine mandates in recent days. President Joe Biden said Tuesday that making vaccines mandatory for the federal workforce was "under consideration right now." Walensky described the delta variant as, in effect, a different virus, capable of generating outbreaks of infection even among people who are vaccinated. "The delta variant is showing every day its willingness to outsmart us and to be an opportunist in areas where we have not shown a fortified response against it," she said. Although the vaccines remain highly effective at preventing severe disease and death, they do not form an impenetrable shield. New data suggests that people who are vaccinated and have breakthrough infections from the delta variant may have as much viral load as a person who is unvaccinated, which suggests they may be able to spread it to others, Walensky said. Such transmission did not happen in any significant way with earlier versions of the virus. The new recommendations substantially alter the agency's May 13 guidance that vaccinated people did not need to wear masks indoors or outside because of the protection afforded by the coronavirus vaccines. At that time, cases were dropping sharply, and the delta variant, which is thought to be more than twice as transmissible as earlier versions of the virus, had not gained traction in the United States. That earlier guidance angered some people, including parents with young children ineligible for the vaccines, who feared that relaxed rules would put the vulnerable at greater risk. Anthony Fauci, Biden's chief medical adviser, said in an interview that "the situation has clearly changed" since May 13. "Vaccinated people are transmitting it, and the extent is unclear, but there's no doubt they're transmitting it," Fauci said. "People who are vaccinated, even when they're asymptomatic, can transmit the virus, which is the scientific foundation of why this recommendation is being made." Walensky stressed that agency scientists continue to believe that breakthrough infections in vaccinated individuals are rare, adding they "continue to represent a very small amount of transmission in the country." She also emphasized that the guidance applies to people living or working in counties that are reporting "substantial" or "high" transmission of the virus. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 63% of U.S. counties met that definition, including huge swaths of the South and Midwest, up from about 46% of counties one week ago. States like Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana and Missouri are reporting "high" transmission levels across nearly every county. Walensky noted that some states and counties were reporting coronavirus case levels at least three times the threshold that would qualify as "high" transmission. The "extraordinary amount of viral transmission" compelled the agency to act, she said. In addition to the masking changes, the agency also now says that fully vaccinated people should get tested if they have any covid-19 symptoms or if they were recently exposed to someone who had a suspected or confirmed infection. Fully vaccinated Americans also should isolate if they test positive for the coronavirus or are experiencing symptoms, it said. The rapidity of the spread of the delta variant, originally identified in India, took U.S. officials by surprise. The first infection here was identified in February, but for several months, it made little impact. Meanwhile, the alpha variant, first seen in the United Kingdom, became the dominant strain across the country. But in June, the delta variant began to spread at exponential rates, said scientist William Lee of the genomics company Helix. Lee said Tuesday he estimates it now accounts for more than 90% of infections nationally. The alpha variant, by contrast, is seen in only about 3% of positive tests. "It's almost gone," he said. The CDC's changed guidance was mostly welcomed by medical and public health experts, many of whom had sought greater restrictions. "Nobody wants to go backward, but you have to deal with the facts on the ground, and the facts on the ground are that it's a pretty scary time, and there are a lot of vulnerable people," said Robert Wachter, chairman of the department of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco. "I think the biggest thing we got wrong was not anticipating that 30% of the country would choose not to be vaccinated." Luis Schang, a Cornell University virologist, applauded the changes, saying that wearing a mask represents a "small effort," given the suffering caused by the pandemic. "It's not a permanent thing - that's an important thing to highlight," Schang said, adding that the vaccines are still working very well and vaccination rates continue to rise. "This is not something we have to do for years. This is weeks, perhaps a couple of months." But some public health experts warned of loopholes in the agency's reliance on county-level differences to determine who should wear masks. "Basing mask recommendations on level of local transmission is a good idea in theory. In practice, there are no borders between counties, and populations mix," said Walid Gellad, director of the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Pharmaceutical Policy and Prescribing. "A low-risk county in a sea of high-risk counties is not low risk." Several officials and experts said they hoped the CDC guidance would encourage more local officials to reinstate mask mandates who may have been reluctant to do so without backing from the federal government. In mid-July, for instance, when Los Angeles County became the first major county to reimpose masking requirements indoors, it faced angry denunciations from the elected officials of a half-dozen towns that are part of the county. "People don't realize how bad delta is," James Lawler, an infectious-disease doctor at the University of Nebraska, said in an email. "We are looking at transmission dynamics at least as bad as in the fall - with no mitigation measures in place in most states with low [vaccination] rates." Experts and some senior health officials in the Biden administration said they had grown frustrated that the CDC had not moved more quickly to change its guidance. Three people with knowledge of the guidance said that CDC leaders pushed for more data about the benefits of masking and how the hyper-transmissible delta variant has spread, frustrating other administration officials who wanted to move more quickly as coronavirus cases surged. Some administration officials were also concerned that requiring vaccinated people to wear masks would further discourage vaccine-hesitant Americans from getting the shots because they might regard them as less effective. "They waited too long," one Biden official said of the CDC, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential conversations. Some of the CDC's international partners had already moved to reinstate mask mandates or delay plans to loosen them. In Israel, an indoor mask mandate was lifted on June 15, only to be reinstated on June 25 as cases of the delta variant surged. Other nations, including Australia and France, have seen regional rules on mask-wearing return this summer amid new outbreaks caused by the delta variant. In South Korea, one of the first East Asian countries to chart a path out of the pandemic, the government announced in June that partly inoculated residents would soon be allowed to go mask-free outdoors. But before the relaxed rules could go in place, the South Korean government canceled them in Seoul and neighboring regions and ordered even fully vaccinated residents to wear masks inside and outside. San Antonio police have arrested a 30-year-old local man on suspicion of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl. Benjamin Juan Velasquez was charged with sexual assault of a child on Monday. Velasquez is a registered sex offender and was previously charged with indecency with a child. A juvenile runaway told police Velasquez was sexually abusing the 15-year-old, who is also a runaway, according to an arrest affidavit. On ExpressNews.com: 'There's blood everywhere': 3 kids lead SAPD officer to injured mother stabbed in a bathtub When officers found the victim with Velasquez, she said she suspected she may be pregnant, the court documents said. Police are asking anyone with information on Velasquez to contact the SAPD Special Victims Unit at 210-207-2313. Velasquez's bail was set at $100,000. taylor.pettaway@express-news.net Harvard is taking a more systematic approach to finding technology created by aliens. A new initiative, called the Galileo Project, will seek to identify the nature of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena and interstellar objects that dont originate in our solar system. It will use telescopes to collect new data rather than looking at past observations that are often based on anecdotal reports and partial data to help determine if these objects are natural, made by humans or created by other intelligent civilizations. We should not argue philosophically about this, Avi Loeb, a professor at Harvard Universitys Department of Astronomy, said Monday in a news conference. We should collect enough data to tell us the difference between a rock and an artificial object. And thats the aim of the Galileo Project. Without prejudice, well just monitor our sky. PREPARATION: Would humanity have been ready if Comet NEOWISE was hurtling toward Earth? Details on the Galileo Project were unveiled Monday. Loeb is chair of the project and will work with a multi-institutional, international team. It is being funded by private donations and already has received $1.8 million. Its creation was spurred by two recent findings: A June 2021 report delivered to Congress about Unidentified Aerial Phenomena and the October 2017 discovery of 'Oumuamua, the first object seen in our solar system that is known to have originated elsewhere. 'Oumuamua, a Hawaiian-language word that is loosely translated to scout, flew by Earth so fast that it couldnt have been influenced by just the suns gravity. And it didnt look like comets or asteroids that had been previously studied. This prompted speculation that the object had a natural explanation that humanity had not been seen before or that it was an extraterrestrial technological object. The report delivered to Congress was intriguing to the team of researchers because it stated that Unidentified Aerial Phenomena are likely physical objects they were viewed visually and detected by multiple sensors, including radar and infrared but their nature was unclear. Thats quite an unusual admission by the government, the most conservative organization that I know of, saying there are objects in our sky that we dont really understand, Loeb said. Galileo Project wont analyze existing images or speculate on prior Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. Instead, it would use telescopes to search for future Unidentified Aerial Phenomena and 'Oumuamua-like interstellar objects. It could also look for potential extraterrestrial satellites that are exploring the Earth. Artificial intelligence and deep learning would help differentiate atmospheric phenomena from birds, balloons, drones and potential technological objects surveying the planet. The telescopes high-resolution images would allow researchers to distinguish if such items were Made in Country X or Made by Exoplanet Y. Yet these Unidentified Aerial Phenomena would be detected by more than just optical means. Would anybody trust even a high-resolution optical image alone? asked Frank Laukien, a visiting scholar at Harvard who co-founded the Galileo Project with Loeb. Or would we want to have infrared or radar confirmation (or rule out) that something is not just a mirage or an optical illusion? Laukien, who is also the CEO of Bruker Corp., which develops scientific instruments and analytical and diagnostic solutions, identified himself as the resident skeptic. Of all the species on Earth, just one species has built a civilization. And that civilization has only been able to send out signals in the past 100 years or so. EXOPLANETS: Earth-like 'Goldilocks' planets might be less hospitable than scientists think Sure, there is probably life elsewhere in the galaxy. But he said intelligent life and extraterrestrial civilizations are not all that likely. Loeb, on the other hand, recently wrote a book called Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth. In this book, he explored a theory on how 'Oumuamua could have been alien technology from a distant star. We can no longer ignore the possibility that technological civilizations predated us, Loeb said on Monday, and that we are not the smartest kid on our cosmic block. andrea.leinfelder@chron.com twitter.com/a_leinfelder To her coworkers at Boerne High School, Crysta Richardson was full of energy. She was goofy, silly and always said good morning. To her friends in Boerne, she was like a sister, someone who loved to eat and share food. She also loved animals and her family. They are all now mourning her death. In an online message, the high school said the 28-year-old life skills teacher died unexpectedly this week. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio comedian Cleto Rodriguez reportedly in ICU for COVID-19 The details surrounding her death are limited. Neither the school, the Boerne Independent School District nor the colleagues who posted on social media about the loss explained when or how she died. What is clear, as one colleague wrote on Facebook, is that the world is a little darker without her. On Facebook, the high school said it was deeply saddened by the unexpected loss and offered condolences to Richardsons family and her students. Richardson, Boerne High School said, taught at several of the citys district campuses, and her loss is felt at each one. Mrs. Richardson was a special person and a cherished family member of BHS, the school said on Saturday. Her kindness and spirit will forever be a fixture of BHS. We will miss her dearly and will never forget the impact she made on staff and students. According to her Facebook profile, Richardson was from Indiahoma, Oklahoma. She graduated from Angelo State University in Texas and began working in special education in 2015. She had worked for the Boerne school district since 2018. She is married to Thomas Connett Richardson II, according to Facebook. They have a young daughter. Students and faculty took to social media shortly after her death was announced on July 24. On Twitter, Boerne ISD Superintendent Thomas Price said: Crysta Richardson what a wonderfully sweet and beautiful soulwe miss you already. Your Boerne ISD family prays for your family and weeps as we miss our special teacher angel. You changed the lives of our students because you took the time to share your kind heartthank you! Other colleagues noted her fondness for her family and her desire to raise chickens on a farm. Friends said she loved animals and often came to class with scratches or bumps from chickens or dogs. She loved gathering eggs and sharing them with friends. Jesse Kleinpeter, who worked as Richardsons assistant in her life skills class, said on Facebook that she was like a sister. The word that best describes her is PURE Crysta was pure in her thoughts. Pure in her intentions. She was the closest thing to an angel here on Earth you could ever find, Kleinpeter said. Otis McKane, who shot San Antonio police Det. Benjamin Marconi in a chance encounter downtown almost five years ago, was convicted of capital murder Monday and briefly scuffled with officers as he was about to be handcuffed. The jury will next decide if he should get the death penalty. The punishment phase of the trial is to start Tuesday. McKane, who killed Marconi in his patrol vehicle as the officer wrote a traffic citation on Nov. 20, 2016. burst out of his seat after the verdict was read, prompting at least a dozen officers to get him under control. He didnt know Marconi, a veteran San Antonio Police Department officer, but told investigators and news media that he shot him because he was angry that he was unable to see his child after violating a visitation order in a custody case and took out that anger on the first police officer he saw. The only thing that would soothe my soul at that moment was to beat somebody up or shoot somebody, prosecutor Mario Del Prado quoted McKane to the jury during closing arguments Monday. You heard it and saw it with your own eyes, Del Prado said. Its not a whodunit. We know it was him. Robin Jerstad / Defense lawyers told the jury that Marconi had been using social media and text messaging before he was shot, so he was not acting in his official capacity as a police officer and thus his killer did not commit capital murder. The panel didnt accept that argument, deliberating only about 25 minutes after a two-week trial. Prosecutors rested their case Friday after questioning close to 60 witnesses. The defense, conducted by attorneys Raymond Fuchs, Joel Perez and Daniel De La Garza, made no opening statement Monday. They presented only one witness, recalling to the stand SAPD Det. Mark Duke, to question him about personal text messages Marconi received and sent in the minutes before he was killed. Separating Fiesta from a painful history Listen to courts reporter Elizabeth Zavala elaborate on the capital murder trial of Otis McKane for the shooting of Police Det. Benjamin Marconi. Click here for more of EN-Depth Perez attempted to establish that Marconi was not acting in his official duty because he received and answered personal texts on his phone around the time he was killed. In questioning Duke, Perez brought up a series of texts from that morning ranging from 10:05 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Marconi was killed at 11:38 a.m. while he was parked downtown while ticketing a driver for a traffic offense. He had sent a text at 11:30 a.m., pulled over the driver at 11:34 a.m. near police headquarters and did not respond to the last few texts he received, according to testimony. In his closing argument, Perez said that because Marconi was conducting personal business with his phone, he was not officially on duty. He urged the jury to consider finding McKane guilty of the lesser offense of murder, which state District Judge Ron Rangel allowed. Prosecutor Tamara Strauch reminded jurors that not only did they see dozens of videos that placed McKane at the police department in the hours before Marconis death and afterward, they also heard testimony from numerous witnesses - just regular people in San Antonio, who stopped to check on the officer, and make emergency calls. One even followed McKane for a few blocks. They did the right thing at the time because it was the right thing to do, she said. Kin Man Hui /Staff photographer The jury began deliberations at 5:20 p.m., and 25 minutes later had a verdict. After the jury left and bailiffs prepared to handcuff McKane and escort him to the courtrooms back lockup, he rose to his feet and elbowed a bailiff in the face. Numerous bailiffs converged on him inside the lockup. During Dukes testimony Monday, a prosecutor asked him if a police officer conducting a traffic stop was acting within the lawful discharge of his job. Of course he is, Duke replied. The punishment phase is expected to begin Tuesday afternoon in the 379th District Court. The jury has only two choices: the death penalty or life in prison without parole. ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863 Beto ORourke isnt ready to say whether or not hes running for governor. The former El Paso congressman, 2018 U.S. Senate candidate and 2020 Democratic presidential contender is devoting most of his time and energy these days to the issue of voting rights. That means supporting the Texas House Democrats who are trying to block the passage of restrictive election legislation by breaking quorum in Washington D.C. ORourkes voter-engagement organization, Powered by People, already has provided $600,000 to the quorum busters to help them with their expenses. Beto O'Rourke discusses the message that could help Dems challenge Gov. Greg Abbott Click here for Puro Podcast: The Beto O'Rourke Interview It also means joining a social-justice coalition in a Selma-style, 27-mile march this week, which will begin in Georgetown on Wednesday morning and end with a Saturday rally at the Texas State Capitol in Austin. The march is meant to build momentum for federal voting-rights legislation. ORourke visited the Express-Newss Puro Politics podcast this week, and while he didnt offer any news about his own political aspirations, he did signal what kind of message could be effective in 2022 for a Democrat challenging Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. You could do worse than talking about competence, ORourke said, citing the estimated 700 deaths resulting from power-grid failures during a February freeze and the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on this state. The fact that we lost more than 50,000 of our fellow Texans, and it was cities like El Paso the deadliest city, bar none, in the country over the last year for COVID deaths, where we had to have 10 mobile morgues to handle all the dead; or McAllen, which was one of the deadliest; or Laredo, which was one of the deadliest. Its no accident that happened in communities of color and border communities and places where the governor has said this is where the enemy is and were going to have to take matters into our own hands and were going to build walls and were going to try to send thousands of DPS troopers down to do what, I dont know. Hear this and other issues discussed on the latest episode of Puro Politics. ggarcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @gilgamesh470 A retired San Antonio police detective was indicted Monday by a Bexar County grand jury, accused of pulling a gun on a man and striking him during a confrontation over a lost phone. John Edward Schiller, 57, is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Bexar County District Attorneys Office. On Sept. 27, 2020, the incident began when the man who was allegedly assaulted, Christian Torres, 40, found a phone and an ID on a far West Side street, according to a San Antonio police report. Torres, a San Antonio resident, told investigators he intended to take the phone to the address listed on the ID and that he had to stop at a hardware store first. Torres said the phone rang while he had it, and he told a voice on the other end that he would return it, the report states. On ExpressNews.com: 12 years ago a woman beheaded her baby. She said it was to 'prevent an apocalypse' While Torres was driving on Culebra Road, a female pedestrian whose name is redacted in the report knocked on his window while he was at a red light. According to the report, Schiller and the unidentified woman had been tracking the phone and had called the police. And although police advised them to stop following the phone, they followed Torres when they saw him leave the store as the phone they were tracking resumed moving, the report states. At the red light, Torres said he yelled at the woman because he did not know her. He subsequenltly stopped at an unidentified gas station on Culebra, where he said the woman started yelling at him again. He threw the phone to the womans feet and drove sawy, according to the report. When Torres parked at a Home Depot, he said Schiller approached him aggressively, a report states. On ExpressNews.com: One dead in I-10 crash on Northwest Side that is blamed on an unsafe lane change According to the police department, Schiller was hired in July 1987 and retired in February 2019. Schiller told police he identified himself as a retired police detective as he approached Torres with a gun in hand. Thats when Torres began recording the incident. Schiller kept approaching Torres, who backed away until he was against another vehicle in the parking lot, the report states. Torres said Schiller ordered him to the ground at gunpoint and then punched him, causing him to fall to the floor, the report states. And as Torres was on the ground, the two started fighting, according to the report. Schiller told police that Torres hit first, the report states. Police who interviewed Torres at the scene noted that he had a bloody lip. On ExpressNews.com: Closing arguments underway in capital murder trial of accused cop-killer Otis McKane Torres said he told Schiller to put the gun away. Schiller then walked to his vehicle as police arrived. Schiller was arrested Oct. 22 and released the next day from the Bexar County Jail on a $25,000 bond. The case is being prosecuted by the Public Integrity and Cyber Crime Division in the 379th District Court. Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon is a second-degree felony punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, the District Attorneys Office said. The San Antonio area is experiencing another surge in COVID-19, marked by increases in hospitalizations and positive coronavirus test rates, just as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is heightening its guidance for dealing with the risk of infection. Prompted by spikes caused largely by the now-dominant delta variant, the CDC on Tuesday changed its recommendations regarding masks, advising vaccinated Americans to wear them indoors in certain circumstances. That includes people who are immunocompromised and anyone in areas of substantial or high transmission, which includes Bexar County. And it now recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to schools, regardless of vaccination status. New scientific data suggests that vaccinated people "may be contagious and spread the virus to others" even though they are unlikely to become severely ill themselves, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said during a media telebriefing. The revised guidance comes as San Antonio hospitals saw a 20 percent spike in COVID-19 positive patients over the weekend, prompting local health officials to upgrade its public risk level from mild to moderate. On Monday, there were 543 people with COVID-19 admitted to area hospitals, up from 418 on July 23, said Eric Epley, executive director of the South Texas Regional Advisory Council, which coordinates emergency services for Bexar County and 21 surrounding counties. On ExpressNews.com: Ayala: Preacher, bestselling author Max Lucado vaccinated but gets COVID-19 Late Tuesday, the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District reported there are now 585 COVID-19 positive patients in area hospitals, with 182 in intensive care units and 76 relying on ventilators to breathe. Metro Healths new data also show that the coronavirus positivity rate in Bexar County continues to increase, meaning a higher percentage of COVID-19 tests are coming back positive. The positivity rate is now at 17 percent, up from 13.5 percent last week and 11.2 percent the week before. These rates had not been this high since late January, when Bexar County was recovering from a winter surge in COVID-19 infections and vaccines were not widely available to the public. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio comedian Cleto Rodriguez reportedly in ICU for COVID-19 University Hospital announced that it would again restrict hospital visitors starting Wednesday because infections and hospitalizations are climbing at an alarming rate. The surge in hospitalizations is mostly among patients who were unvaccinated. And 99.5 percent of COVID-19-related deaths in Texas since February were among those who had refused or were unable to get the vaccine. Breakthrough infections while rare, can still happen, especially with the new variant. A group of scientists found that people infected with the delta variant have more than 1,260 times the viral load, or the concentration of viral particles in the body, than those with the original strain found in China in 2019. laura.garcia@express-news.net Images of United States military forces withdrawing from Afghan frustrate Army veteran James Pobanz. A construction engineer, Pobanz was deployed twice, from 2007-2008 and 2011-2012, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. His unit improved roads, installed wells for local villages, set concrete pads for homes and built schools near Forward Operating Base Sharana in Eastern Afghanistan. Food was airdropped by plane. Twelve-year-old kids worked as hard as adults. Poverty was as vast as the bare desert region. For us who were there, it means something special, said Pobanz, who founded VetStrong, a San Antonio nonprofit that provides furniture to former homeless veterans and refugees. Those times were probably my most important lifes work professionally. Pobanz is one of the thousands of military veterans grappling with the announcement President Joe Biden made in April that he was bringing U.S. troops home before Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attack by al-Qaida at the World Trade Center. Robin Jerstad /Robin Jerstad Now, Pobanz watches as the Taliban uses American equipment for their purposes. Pobanz, 46, sees the work his unit did more than 7,900 miles from San Antonio being undone. Hes upset about how the withdrawal may affect Afghanistan veterans who have lost friends or been injured in the war. You wonder, Does it cheapen or lessen what youve done, with more than 20 years of work and money spent? Pobanz said. We want the best. We want it to mean something, but it looks like its going the other way, and thats very sad. On ExpressNews.com: After years of helping U.S. military, Afghan refugees turn to community advocate for help in new country The withdrawal deadline has been moved up to Aug. 31. In his remarks, Biden said the U.S. had accomplished the goal it set out to do 20 years ago get justice after 9/11, and he emphasized the military did not go there to build a nation. Since 2001, 2,442 U.S. military have been killed and more than 20,666 have been wounded in the war, according to the Defense Department. Pobanz is one of San Antonios veterans who have found an outlet for their concerns on social media sites, such as The Panjwai Podcast and Facebook pages where veterans share their views about the drawdown. He said a hotline would be another outlet for veterans to voice their concerns and an immediate source to talk about issues. It could have a mental impact if not discussed or openly talked about, Pobanz said. Hes found camaraderie with others who have talked about military life and deployments that changed their lives. They have talked about how there are similarities to the last days of the Vietnam War and the goals of the Afghan war seemed generic and vague. The benchmark was to get through the deployment, Pobanz said about the overall mindset of his units. And the next group of folks could worry about what happens next. Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Mary Jo Burleigh, a nurse anesthetist, was deployed to Kandahar in 2008. She was attached to an Army unit as a trainer for eight months. When she heard about the withdrawal, her first thought was, Its about time. Robin Jerstad /Robin Jerstad We shouldve left 10 years ago, she said. Tomorrow wouldnt be soon enough for me. Im tired of seeing all of the trauma that comes out of there. Burleigh worked with an interpreter who saved her life on several occasions. She did the same for many severely wounded Afghan Army soldiers. One of her lifesaving efforts was featured in the Air Forces Portraits in Courage series that chronicled the time Burleigh set up a walking blood drive for a critically injured interpreter. U.S. service members from a nearby base donated more than 20 bags of blood to save the mans life. Burleigh became numb to the random violence, rocket attacks and lifesaving decisions made in seconds. She never saw the point of why the United States military was there. Theyre going to outlast us, and they sure the hell did, she said. We never had a clear mission, and if you dont have a clear mission, you will fail. Army veteran William Cotter, who volunteers with VetStrong, deployed to Afghanistan in 2001 and 2002. The retired Army lieutenant colonel and registered nurse said it was depressing to see the time, effort and part of many Americans lives give way to Taliban forces. On ExpressNews.com: A band of brothers - San Antonio vets nonprofit serves homeless veterans, refugees Cotter, 53, said seeing the images was like deja vu. His stepfather served in Vietnam when American military troops left the country in March 1975. Robin Jerstad /Robin Jerstad Its like watching the fall of Saigon, Cotter said. Were watching the dominoes fall faster and faster as the deadline comes. I dont think Afghanistan is any better after 20 years of us being there. The 22-year Army veteran said the drawdown is a bittersweet end hes glad its over, but he wonders if it was worth it. I dont blame Biden for this, Cotter said. This was kind of given to him. I wouldnt have blamed Trump or Obama. Its probably overdue. This is just something that should have been done a long time ago. But retired Army Command Sgt. Maj. Brian Meisner doesnt think the Afghan forces are ready for the U.S. military to withdraw. Meisner, 51, was deployed to Afghanistan for nine months in 2014. His units mission was to train the Afghan army. Robin Jerstad /Robin Jerstad He recalled the troops that were injured and the casualties of soldiers, some he knew by name. He wondered if its too early to withdraw from the war he said had gone on so long and cost many Americans their lives. Im glad were coming out, but Im hoping that this wont come back to bite us, Meisner said. I hope we did our homework, and its not just getting out of the region, but a good strategic move, not a political move. vtdavis@express-news.net The past is elusive, a landscape that grows fainter the more we ignore it. It may be gone, but the past should be as dynamic as the present, changing, if only subtly, as our research and scholarship become more vigorous and dynamic. The peril in ignoring our backstory is stark and dramatic: When we dismiss the past, we obstruct our view of the future, for we learn from our previous actions and behavior. They say the winners author the histories, a dynamic confirmed by studies on the treatment of minorities in America; but while all ethnic groups suffer from this dismissive attitude, Latinos are the most underrepresented, according to a report released this month, Place, Story and Culture: An Inclusive approach to Protecting Latino Heritage Sites. Even though for generations Latinos have continued to prove they are essential to the United States, sites that commemorate Latino heritage are disproportionately excluded when it comes to officially designated heritage and conservation sites, Manuel Galaviz, co-author of the report, told the Express-News. The report is about heritage sites and recommends seven, including two in Texas. But we see this neglect as part of a larger trend, one perhaps most poignantly reflected in the decades-long delay to create a national museum of Latino heritage. What makes this staggering delay even more regrettable is the inertia that greeted a landmark report by a Smithsonian task force, issued in 1994, that condemned the institution for a pattern of willful neglect, excluding Latinos in nearly every aspect of its operation. In 2018, UCLA researchers found the institution had failed to ensure Latino representation in its governing and executive ranks since the 1994 study. Advocates remained undeterred, and a bill to create a National Museum of the American Latino at the Smithsonian, as well a museum for women, passed last December. It was part of a massive COVID-relief package, and it called for the Smithsonian to appoint a board of directors to supervise the projects. The museums will be funded through a combination of private donations and public dollars. Unbowed by decades of futility, the Place, Story and Culture report indicates that Latino advocates remain hopeful, their determination bolstered by the movement to create a national museum. The report issued by the Hispanic Access Foundation, a nonprofit headquartered in Washington, D.C. recommended seven sites for Hispanic heritage and conservation, including two in El Paso Castner Range, which surrounds the area, and Duranguito, the oldest neighborhood in the city. There is a need to tell the Latino story, United Farm Workers President Arturo Rodriguez said. An accurate narrative is vital for every American. Latino presence in America stretches more than 500 years, predating the arrival of British settlers. Latinos have participated in almost every facet of society, from farms to battlefields, finding resistance both at home and abroad. Mexican Americans have struggled against bias and sometimes violence, including the abuse they suffered during the farm labor strikes of the mid-1960s in California. What the grape strikers achieved went far beyond themselves, Rodriguez said. They inspired succeeding generations of Americans to social and political activism. The fight is far from over. We see it everywhere, but Hollywood is a particularly instructive example. Latinos represent more than 18 percent of the population, but they make up only 5.3 of the roles on television, according to the 2020 UCLA report on Hollywood Diversity. Big-screen roles are just as rare, with Latinos accounting for only 4.6 percent. These figures indicate how easy it is to marginalize Latinos. A person you do not know or, worse, do not care to know is a convenient target, easy to abuse and mistreat. The broader society must know how Latinos into the fabric of our country. Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday ordered the Texas National Guard to begin arresting migrants who commit crimes when crossing into the state from Mexico, ratcheting up his rogue immigration crackdown. In a letter to the guards top brass, the Republican said he needed additional recruits to help the hundreds of law enforcement officials he and other Republican governors have already sent to the border in recent months. The governor is overseeing an aggressive catch-and-detain program in response to an influx in border crossings in recent months, something he has pinned on the Biden administration. This summer, state officials cleared out a jail in Frio County for what was expected to be a rise in people detained on state infractions, mostly misdemeanor trespassing and criminal mischief charges that can carry up to a year in jail. The first inmates began arriving last week, according to the Texas Tribune and ProPublica. On Tuesday, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said there were 41 inmates at the facility, called the Dolph Briscoe Unit. It has capacity for nearly 1,400 inmates. TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox To respond to this disaster and secure the rule of law at our Southern border, more manpower is needed, Abbott said in the letter, adding, DPS needs help in arresting those who are violating state law. More than 1,200 state troopers and 700 guardsmen have already been deployed as part of the governors campaign, dubbed Operation Lone Star, according to his office. Crossings have increased heavily since President Joe Biden took office early this year. The Democratic administration says many of the arrivals are the result of inaction by the Trump administration, which halted most immigration last year amid the coronavirus pandemic. The move by Abbott sets up a likely confrontation with Biden officials. The federal government traditionally oversees immigration enforcement, and has broad legal authority along the border. PRIMARY POSITIONING: Sen. Rand Paul wades into Texas governors race against Gov. Abbott Abbott acknowledged as much when he announced the program in June. Long term, only Congress and the president can fix our broken border, he said. But in the meantime, Texas is going to do everything possible, including beginning to make arrests. Arizona Republicans tried a similar approach during the Obama administration and were blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court in a landmark ruling that made clear only the federal government can set and enforce immigration laws. The National Government has significant power to regulate immigration, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion. Arizona may have understandable frustrations with the problems caused by illegal immigration while that process continues, but the state may not pursue policies that undermine federal law. In that case, however, the state Legislature passed a sweeping immigration law that, among other things, made it a crime for immigrants to be in the state without federal authorization. Abbott appears to be working around the ruling by sticking with existing laws and arresting migrants on trespassing charges, rather than having the Legislature attempt to set up new state immigration laws. The crackdown is part of a larger focus on the border by the governor as he seeks reelection next year to a third term. Abbott, who is facing multiple serious primary challenges, has vowed to finish building the border wall that the Trump administration failed to complete. The governor has dedicated $250 million in state funds to the effort, and has raised nearly $900,000 in private donations. His office referred questions about how much wall and fencing has been erected so far to the Department for Public Safety. A spokesman for DPS declined to say. Jasper Scherer contributed reporting from Austin; Benjamin Wermund contributed reporting from Washington, D.C. jeremy.blackman@chron.com WASHINGTON A group of uniformed officers on Tuesday implored Republican members of Congress to stop downplaying the Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol as they described in striking detail what one said felt like a medieval battle with insurrectionists. I remember thinking there was a very good chance I would be torn apart, shot to death with my own weapon, Michael Fanone, a D.C. police officer, told a House select committee tasked with investigating the events of that day. What makes the struggle harder and more painful is to know so many of my fellow citizens, including so many of the people I put my life at risk to defend, are downplaying or outright denying what happened, Fanone said. I feel like I went to hell and back to protect them. But too many are now telling me that hell doesnt exist, or that hell wasnt that bad. Their pleas came hours before a group of former President Donald Trumps most ardent supporters in the House, including U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert of Tyler, were set to hold a press conference outside the Justice Department casting insurrectionists now in jail as political prisoners the latest example of Republican lawmakers downplaying the violence that left five people dead. GOP lawmakers have cast the panel as a political device for Democrats to keep the events of that day front and center ahead of the 2022 midterms, even as theyve resisted efforts to form a bipartisan commission and declined to take part. Unfortunately, Speaker Pelosi will only pick people onto the committee that will ask the questions she wants asked, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said before the hearing. That becomes a failed committee and a failed report, a sham that no one can believe. YOU CANT STOP US: FBI timeline depicts roles Texans played in Capitol siege The officers who delivered emotional testimony in the committees first hearing described being dragged to the ground and beaten as they struggled with rioters trying to take their batons, shields and guns. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, who is Black, described the crowd repeatedly shouting a racial slur at him. Others said they were called traitors as rioters shocked them with Tasers and squirted them with pepper spray and other chemical irritants. Six months later they said they are still recovering from injuries and trauma from that day. What we were subjected to that day was like something from a medieval battle, said Aquilino Gonell, a Capitol police sergeant. Gonell, an Army veteran, said it was the first time he was more afraid to work at the Capitol than my entire deployment in Iraq. Gonell said he couldnt sleep that night because irritants sprayed on him that day reactivated after he took a shower and burned his skin. Gonell described injuries on both of his hands, his left shoulder, left calf and right foot. He said he had to have surgery on his foot and was just told he will need surgery on his left shoulder, as well. He expects to need physical therapy for more than a year. Even though there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary, including hours and hours of video and photographic coverage, there is a continuous and shocking attempt to ignore or try to destroy the truth of what truly happened that day, and to whitewash the facts, Gonell said. There are some who express outrage when someone kneels while calling for social justice. Where are those same people expressing the outrage to condemn the violent attack on law enforcement, the Capitol and our American democracy? Im still waiting for that. The officers also said it was clear the rioters were there at Trumps urging. The former president, who was impeached for inciting the insurrection, hosted a rally before the attacks, where he told his supporters to to fight much harder. TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox All of them all of them were telling us Trump sent us, Gonell said. It was nobody else it was not Antifa, it was not Black Lives Matter, it was not the FBI. It was his supporters that he sent over to the Capitol that day. There was an attack on Jan. 6, and a hit man sent them, Dunn said. The testimony came as the events of Jan. 6 and the response to the riots including the select committee have become increasingly partisan. Republicans earlier this year shot down a push by Democrats to establish an independent, 9/11-style commission to investigate the insurrection. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy this month pulled GOP members, including U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls of Fort Bend County, from the committee after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi objected to some of his picks, who had sought to downplay the riots. Two Republicans who have been critical of Trump are on the committee: U.S. Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois. Before Tuesdays hearing, a group of Republicans including Nehls railed against the committee which McCarthy deemed a sham that no one can believe as they sought to lay blame on Pelosi for a slow response to the attacks by thousands of Trump supporters. The American people deserve to know the truth: That Nancy Pelosi bears responsibility as Speaker of the House for the tragedy that occurred on Jan. 6, said U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican who chairs the House Republican Conference. Inside the hearing, Cheney the previous GOP conference chair who was removed after making comments critical of Trump had a message for members of her party. Will we be so blinded by partisanship that we throw away the miracle of America? she said. Do we hate our political adversaries more than we love our country and revere our Constitution? ben.wermund@chron.com Former president Donald Trump on Monday endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton as he seeks his third term, a major boost for the embattled Republican that also stymies one of Paxtons primary opponents, Land Commissioner George P. Bush. Bush, the only prominent member of his family to back Trump in the 2016 election, had sought the former presidents endorsement and even distributed drink koozies at his campaign kickoff that featured a supportive quote from Trump and a photo of the two shaking hands. But he faced a big lift drawing Trumps support over Paxton, who is a close ally of the former president and famously waged an unsuccessful legal challenge to Trumps loss in four battleground states in 2020. Two months ago, Trump announced hed support one of the two, saying: I like them both very much. The endorsement is believed to carry significant weight in most Republican primaries, as the former president remains highly popular among GOP voters. In a statement, Trump said Paxton has been bravely on the front line in the fight for Texas, and America, against the vicious and very dangerous radical left Democrats, and the foolish and unsuspecting RINOs that are destroying our country. He did not mention Bush in the statement. DEFECTING DONORS: Texas AG Ken Paxtons donors are going to his challengers and taking big money with them It is going to take a patriot like Ken Paxton to advance America First policies in order to Make America Great Again, Trump said. Ken has my complete and total endorsement for another term as Attorney General of Texas. He is a true Texan who will keep Texas safeand will never let you down! Paxton posted a screenshot of Trumps statement on Twitter and said he was honored to receive the endorsement. Bush released a statement shortly after Trumps announcement, in which he did not mention the former president. Im running for Attorney General because Texans deserve integrity and honesty from the office of Texas top law enforcement official, Bush said. Texans deserve a candidate without a laundry list of existing and potential criminal indictments. Trumps endorsement came on the six-year anniversary of Paxtons indictment for securities fraud, for which he is out on bond and awaiting trial with no date set. Paxton also faces an FBI investigation into allegations by his former top aides that he accepted bribes and used his office to benefit a friend and campaign donor. Paxton has denied any wrongdoing in both cases. His campaign has called the FBI allegations meritless. Former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman joined the race in mid-June, when both Paxton and Bush were already angling for the nod from Trump. The Democratic primary field has also begun to take shape, including lawyer and former Galveston mayor Joe Jaworski and Dallas-area civil rights lawyer Lee Merritt. The Big One After the 2020 election, Trump and his allies filed dozens of unsuccessful lawsuits in various states challenging results, and demanding recounts. But it was Paxtons lawsuit that Trump appeared to pin his hopes on, referring to the case as the big one. Paxtons lawsuit, filed in the U.S. Supreme Court, sought to invalidate Electoral College votes in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin states all won by Joe Biden, and enough to swing the election if the results were nullified. In the lawsuit, Paxton alleged that pandemic-related election law changes in those states were unconstitutional because they were implemented without approval by the respective state legislatures. The lawsuit also argued that the policies had allowed voter fraud to occur, though none of Trumps legal efforts uncovered evidence of substantial fraud. The court declined to consider the lawsuit, ruling that Texas lacked standing to bring the case. Paxton and Trump have shared a common interest in voter fraud since well before the election lawsuit, both frequently claiming that fraud is rampant enough to swing election results in Texas and elsewhere. While some minor cases have been identified, multiple academic studies, an investigation by the U.S. Justice Department and Paxtons own Election Fraud Unit have yet to discover widespread fraud on the scale alleged by Trump, Paxton and other Republicans. Meanwhile, Bush has notably broken from his family in backing Trump, even after Trump openly mocked his father, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, during the 2016 Republican presidential primaries. Nevertheless, George P. Bush said in an interview with the Texas Tribune that he does not believe there was enough fraud in the 2020 election to validate Trumps claims that the election was stolen. During the last 10 days of June when state elected officials were allowed to resume fundraising after the legislative session Bush raised about $2.3 million, outpacing Paxton and Guzmans hauls of $1.8 million and $1.1 million, respectively. A Hearst Newspapers analysis found that more than two dozen of Paxtons previous donors cut checks for Bush during that span. jasper.scherer@chron.com SWBC SWBC is pleased to announce that Blake Hastings has joined the company as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development. In this role, Hastings will use his extensive experience as a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas senior management, to help SWBC continue to grow successfully in a rapidly changing political, economic, social, and technological environment. He will provide leadership in the areas of corporate development and long-term growth strategies. Hastings will also support our business development goals and activities by leveraging external relationships in both the public and private sectors. Additionally, he will provide direction in the assessment, evaluation, and management of risk throughout the organization. As a Board Member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas San Antonio Branch, I have known Blake for many years and have witnessed his outstanding work, said Charlie Amato, SWBC Chairman and Co-founder. I have no doubt he will use his superlative work ethic and expertise to provide meaningful contributions to our outstanding leadership team and their successful divisions. Prior to joining SWBC, Hastings worked for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas for over 14 years. He served as the Senior Vice President and was instrumental in modernizing and enhancing the banks succession planning efforts, talent-acquisition approaches, leadership and organizational development programs, and much more. He developed and implemented a comprehensive outreach strategy with the business, economic development, and academic communities of CentralSouth Texas. He also established a new leadership program for the bank to enhance the development of future senior management prospects. LOS ANGELES (AP) A federal jury on Tuesday convicted a wealthy California political donor on charges he injected gay men with methamphetamine in exchange for sex, leading to two deaths and other overdoses. Ed Buck, 66, was found guilty of all nine felony counts in federal court, which could lead to a life sentence. The verdict came exactly four years after one of the victims, 26-year-old Gemmel Moore, was found dead of an overdose in Bucks West Hollywood apartment. Today is bittersweet, LaTisha Nixon, Moore's mother, said after the verdict. We got victory today. The jury deliberated for more than four hours after a two-week trial. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. Prosecutors said Buck paid men and provided drugs in return for sex acts. Buck had pleaded not guilty. His defense lawyers said neither fatal overdose victim died from meth and that many of the alleged victims were drug addicts. Bucks attorneys one of whom was a prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson case did not immediately return a request for comment. Buck's 2019 arrest marked a turning point for activists who protested outside his apartment and pressured law enforcement to act after Moore died on Buck's floor in 2017. Even after Timothy Dean, 55, died 18 months later, it took another nine months and the near-death of another overdose victim before Buck was arrested in September 2019. This man did some terrible things to human beings, Joann Campbell, one of Dean's sisters, said after the verdict. Family members and activists had pushed for Bucks arrest since Moore died. They said Buck escaped criminal charges for years because of wealth, political ties and race. Ed Buck will never harm anyone else, and I thank God for that, said Joyce Jackson, another of Dean's sisters. Buck is a wealthy white man who was active in gay causes and animal rights issues. He has given more than $500,000 to mostly Democratic politicians and causes since 2000. Prosecutors say he exploited vulnerable men most of them Black by paying them to come to his home to use drugs and engage in sex play to satisfy a fetish. Many were destitute drug users who often worked as prostitutes to support their habit. The defense contends all the men were at Bucks apartment under their own will and that Moore and Dean did not die from methamphetamine. I know this has been an arduous, lengthy and difficult process, U.S. District Judge Christine A. Snyder told jurors after she read the verdict, according to the Los Angeles Times. One of the prosecutors dropped to her knees and wept in the courthouse hallway after the jury was dismissed, the Times reported. During the trial, Dane Brown testified that he had overdosed in Bucks apartment twice in one week in September 2019. He told investigators he had been living in a hotel on Skid Row when he met Buck on Adam4Adam, a gay dating and escort site, and moved in with him for part of summer 2019. Brown said Buck injected him with meth nearly daily for five weeks, according to court documents. After his second overdose, Brown said Buck refused to call an ambulance and Brown was forced to call 911 at a nearby gas station. I didnt think I was going to believed, Brown said after the verdict. Walking out of that house, I didnt know what was going to happen next. BERLIN (AP) An explosion at an industrial park for chemical companies in Germany killed at least two people on Tuesday, with 31 others injured and several still missing hours later. Fire officials who tested the air said there did not appear to be a danger to nearby residents after authorities initially urged people to shelter inside. The explosion at the waste management facility of the Chempark site in Leverkusen, near Cologne, sent a large black cloud into the air. It took firefighters almost four hours to extinguish the fire that took hold after the explosion. Germanys Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance initially classified the incident as an extreme threat." Later on Tuesday, however, the Cologne fire department tweeted that pollution measurements do not show any kind of abnormality. They said the smoke had diminished but that they would continue to measure the air for toxins. The city of Leverkusen said the explosion occurred in storage tanks for solvents. Later Tuesday, Chempark operator Currenta said that a second fatality had been confirmed. It put the number of injured at 31 and said five employees were missing. Unfortunately hope of finding them alive is fading rapidly, the head of Chempark, Lars Friedrich, said in a statement. City officials asked all residents to stay inside until the late afternoon and warned people from outside Leverkusen to avoid the region. City officials later also warned people not to let children play outside, use outside pools or eat fruit and vegetables from their backyards in the coming days. They said experts would only be able to tell in a few days how toxic the soot from the explosion would be. Currenta said the explosion happened at 9:40 a.m. and then developed into a fire. It said three big tanks were affected by the explosion, but that it was too early to know the cause. Sirens were operated to warn residents and warning alerts were sent, Currenta said. Police shut down several nearby major highways for several hours. Leverkusen is home to Bayer, one of Germanys biggest chemical companies. It has about 163,000 residents and borders Cologne, which is Germany's fourth biggest city and has around 1 million inhabitants. Many residents work at Bayer, which is one of the biggest employers in the region. The chemical park is located close to the banks of the Rhine river. Currenta has three facilities in the region. More than 70 different companies are based at the locations in Leverkusen, Dormagen and Krefeld-Uerdingen. The mayor of Leverkusen, Uwe Richrath, called the blast a tragic moment for Leverkusen." CANTON, Ga. (AP) A man accused of killing eight people, mostly women of Asian descent, at Atlanta-area massage businesses pleaded guilty to murder Tuesday in four of the killings and was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. Robert Aaron Long, 22, still faces the death penalty in the other deaths, which are being prosecuted in another county. The string of shootings at three businesses in March ignited outrage and fueled fear among Asian Americans, who already faced increased hostility linked to the coronavirus pandemic. Many were particularly upset when authorities suggested Longs crimes weren't racially motivated but born of a sex addiction, which isn't recognized as an official disorder. Cherokee County prosecutors had planned to seek the death penalty but decided a plea deal would bring swift justice and avoid any lengthy appeals. Thats what the victims and their families who they were able to contact wanted, District Attorney Shannon Wallace said. Bonnie Michels husband of 24 years, Paul, was the first person killed. A part of me died with him that day, she told the judge. I am shattered. Elcias Hernandez Ortiz, who was shot in the face, also addressed the court, saying its been very hard for his family. Honestly, this man, why didnt he think before killing so many people? I only want justice, he said through a Spanish translator. On March 16, Long shot and killed four people, three of them women and two of Asian descent, at Youngs Asian Massage in Cherokee County. A fifth person was wounded. Long then drove to Atlanta, where he shot and killed three women at Gold Spa before crossing the street to Aromatherapy Spa and killing another woman, police said. All of the Atlanta victims were of Asian descent. In Atlanta, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has said she intends to seek the death penalty. There, Long faces charges of aggravated assault and domestic terrorism in addition to murder. Wallace reiterated Tuesday that Cherokee County investigators saw no evidence of racial bias. Long walked through the first spa shooting anyone and everyone he saw and told detectives he was motivated by a sex addiction. Investigators interviewed people who knew Long for years, including three of Asian descent, who said they'd never heard him make racist comments, she said. Her team also considered the diversity of the people shot in Cherokee County. They included a Hispanic man and a white man and woman. Asian American community leaders said Tuesday they were concerned that the shootings continue to be blamed on a sex addiction. Long's crimes were "intended to target Asian people, specifically Asian women, said state Rep. Bee Nguyen, the first Vietnamese American to serve in the Georgia House and a frequent advocate for women and communities of color. Wallace said she would have argued at trial that Long was motivated by gender bias, though that wouldn't have extended his sentence. Prosecutors in Fulton County, where all the victims were women of Asian descent, have said they believe Long was motivated by race and gender. They plan to seek a hate crime sentencing enhancement. Georgias new hate crimes law doesn't provide for a stand-alone hate crime. After a conviction on an underlying crime, a jury determines whether it was motivated by bias, which carries an additional penalty. The American Psychiatric Association doesn't recognize sex addiction in its main reference guide for mental disorders. While some people struggle to control sexual behaviors, its often linked to recognized disorders or moral views, said David Ley, clinical psychologist and author of The Myth of Sex Addiction. Long previously underwent inpatient and outpatient treatment for sex addiction, Wallace said. In fact, it was another patient who gave him the idea to seek sexual services at massage businesses, she said. Long signed a plea agreement admitting to all charges in Cherokee County, including malice murder, felony murder, attempt to commit murder and aggravated assault. Cherokee County Superior Court Chief Judge Ellen McElyea then handed him four sentences of life without parole plus an additional 35 years. Those killed in Cherokee County: Michels, 54; Xiaojie Emily Tan, 49; Daoyou Feng, 44; and Delaina Yaun, 33. The Atlanta victims were: Suncha Kim, 69; Soon Chung Park, 74; Hyun Jung Grant, 51; and Yong Ae Yue, 63. Long said he planned to kill himself that day and went to the massage businesses thinking that paying for sex which he considered shameful would push him to do it. But while sitting in his car outside the first spa, he decided to kill the people inside. After he was caught in south Georgia, Long told detectives he struggled with pornography and sex. He believed he was an addict and felt tremendous guilt when he viewed porn or engaged in sexual acts at massage businesses, Wallace said. Long blamed the victims for his inability to control his impulses, Wallace said. Long is scheduled for arraignment next month in Fulton County. His Cherokee County lawyers said in a statement they hope prosecutors there will follow Wallace's example and reach a similar plea agreement. Wallace said that after the shootings at the two Atlanta spas, Long intended to carry out similar crimes in Florida. By then, his parents had called authorities after recognizing their son in images from security video that authorities posted online. His parents were already tracking his movements through an application on his phone so they would know if he visited massage businesses, the prosecutor said, and that enabled officers to find him. ___ Associated Press writers Jeff Martin in Savannah and Sudhin Thanawala in Atlanta contributed to this report. ___ This story has been updated to correct that the shooting happened in March 2021, not 2020. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) North and South Korea have exchanged messages in communication channels dormant for more than a year and agreed to improve ties positive steps that still leave any resumption of stalled negotiations to rid the North of its nuclear weapons a long way off. Liaison officials from the Koreas had several phone conversations Tuesday including one on a military hotline and agreed to resume speaking regularly, Seoul officials said. The rivals use the channels to lay out their positions on issues and even propose broader dialogue, and the links are also critical to preventing any accidental clashes along their disputed sea boundary. While the renewed communication could help ease tensions across the worlds most heavily fortified border, its only a small first step. Pyongyang is unlikely to revive vigorous cooperation programs with Seoul or get back to the nuclear talks led by the United States anytime soon. Some experts say North Korea is instead aiming to improve ties with South Korea in the hopes it will persuade the U.S. to make concessions when nuclear diplomacy with Washington eventually does resume. Those efforts have been stalled for more than two years amid wrangling over punishing U.S.-led sanctions on the North. During the diplomatic impasse, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has threatened to enlarge his nuclear arsenal if the U.S. doesnt abandon its hostile policy, an apparent reference to the sanctions. On Tuesday, the two Koreas announced their leaders Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in have traded personal letters several times since April and decided in those exchanges to resume communication in the channels. Moons office said the two leaders agreed to restore mutual confidence and develop their relationships again as soon as possible. The Norths state media, for its part, said Kim and Moon agreed to make a big stride in recovering the mutual trust and promoting reconciliation by restoring the cutoff inter-Korean communication liaison lines. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the announcement of the reopening of communication channels and fully supports the continued efforts of the parties towards the improvement of their relationship, sustainable peace and complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said. Tuesdays resumption of communication comes on the 68th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, which pitted South Korea and U.S.-led U.N. forces against North Korea and China. That armistice has yet to be replaced with a peace treaty, leaving the Korean Peninsula in a technical state of war, with about 28,500 U.S. troops still stationed in South Korea. In a speech marking the anniversary that North Korea calls V-Day, Kim vowed to overcome pandemic-related hardships and brace for any changes in the outside political environment. His speech published by state media on Wednesday made no mention of his nuclear program and didn't contain any harsh rhetoric against Washington and Seoul. During times of tensions with Seoul and Washington, North Korea occasionally cuts off communication in the channels by not replying to South Korean phone calls or faxes. The most recent cutoff came in June of last year after North Korea accused the South of failing to stop activists from floating anti-Pyongyang leaflets across their border. An angry North Korea later blew up an empty, South Korean-built liaison office just north of the countries border. Many experts said the provocative action signaled the North was frustrated that Seoul failed to revive lucrative joint-Korean projects that gave the North badly needed foreign currency and to persuade the U.S. to ease the sanctions. Those sanctions, together with storms last summer and border shutdowns during the coronavirus pandemic, are battering the isolated Norths economy, creating what Kim has called its worst-ever crisis. Still, outside monitoring groups havent seen signs of mass starvation or social chaos in the country of 26 million people. Nam Sung-wook, a professor at Korea University, said the resumed communication likely wont lead to a dramatic improvement in ties in the near term but could pave the way for something down the road. North Korea knows it has to sit down for talks with the Biden administration one day. It thinks South Korea still has an effective value ... to make Biden move in a direction that it favors, said Nam. North Korea can also build up an (international image) that its willing to continue dialogue with the outside world. Moon, who espouses greater reconciliation with North Korea, earlier shuttled between Pyongyang and Washington to facilitate a 2018 summit between Kim and then-U.S. President Donald Trump the first such meeting between the countries leaders. But North Korea abruptly gave Moon the cold shoulder after a second proposed Kim-Trump summit fell apart in early 2019 after Trump rebuffed Kims push to win extensive sanctions relief in return for dismantling his main nuclear complex. Since taking office in January, the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has called on North Korea to return to a negotiating table. But last month senior North Korean officials, including Kims powerful sister, dismissed prospects for an early resumption of the talks. Some experts think North Korea may be compelled to reach out to the U.S. or South Korea if its economic difficulties worsen. By taking steps to improve relations with Seoul now, the North may be preparing for that moment. Park Won Gon, a professor of North Korea studies at Seouls Ewha Womans University, cautioned against reading too much into what the communication channels restoration means about the Norths economic difficulties. He cited reports that North Korea is still refusing to receive aid even from China, its major ally, due to worries that aid deliveries could spread the virus. He said North Korea may be hoping that warming ties will help South Korean liberals who support better ties with the North win next Marchs presidential elections. ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) Minnesota Department of Health officials said Tuesday they are investigating a COVID-19 outbreak at a camp for teenagers in the northwestern part of the state. Communications specialist Erin McHenry said state health officials are investigating a cluster of cases at the Castaway Club Young Life Camp on Pelican Lake, about 45 miles east of Fargo, North Dakota. The facility typically hosts teenagers from about 10 states, camp manager Greg Johnson said. INDIAN FALLS, Calif. (AP) Cooler weather on Tuesday helped calm two gigantic wildfires in the U.S. West, but a tally of property losses mounted as authorities got better access to a tiny California community savaged by flames last weekend and to a remote area of southern Oregon where the nation's largest blaze is burning. Scientists say evidence shows Oregon's Bootleg Fire generated its own fire tornado this month, with winds higher than 111 mph (179 kph). The rare phenomenon is associated with extreme fire behavior spawned by dry, hot conditions, experts said. Meanwhile, teams reviewing damage from the massive Dixie Fire in the mountains of Northern California have so far counted 36 structures destroyed and seven damaged in the remote community of Indian Falls, said Nick Truax, an incident commander for the fire. It's unclear if that figure included homes or smaller buildings. The assessment was about half done, Truax said in an online briefing Monday night, and the work depends on fire activity. The Dixie Fire has scorched more than 325 square miles (842 square kilometers), an area bigger than New York City, and it was partially contained Tuesday. More than 10,000 homes were threatened in the region about 175 miles (282 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco. A historic drought and recent heat waves tied to climate change have made wildfires harder to fight in the American West. Scientists say climate change has made the region much warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. An inversion layer, which is a cap of relatively warmer air over cooler air, trapped smoke over much of the fire Monday, and the shade helped lower temperatures and keep humidity up, incident meteorologist Julia Ruthford said. Similar smoke conditions were expected through Tuesday. Monsoon moisture was streaming in over the region but only light showers were likely near the fire. A return to hotter, drier weather was expected later in the week. The Dixie Fire, burning mostly on federal land, is among dozens of large blazes in the U.S. With so many fires, officials have to prioritize federal resources, said Nickie Johnny, incident commander for the Dixies east section, crediting help from local governments and California's firefighting agency. I just wanted to thank them for that because we are strapped federally with resources all over the nation, she said. Authorities also were hopeful that cool temperatures, increased humidity and isolated showers will help them make more progress against the Bootleg Fire in Oregon. Crews have it more than halfway contained after it scorched 640 square miles (1,657 square kilometers) of remote land. The mild weather will have a short-term calming effect on the fire behavior. But due to the extremely dry conditions and fuels, as the week progresses and temperatures rise, aggressive fire behavior is likely to quickly rebound, a situation report said Tuesday. The lightning-sparked fire has destroyed 161 homes, 247 outbuildings and 342 vehicles in Klamath and Lake counties, the report said, cautioning that the numbers could increase as firefighters work through the inner area of the fire. On July 18, a day of especially extreme fire activity, the blaze spawned a fire tornado in the Fremont-Winema National Forest, scientists say. The phenomenon occurred when smoke rose nearly 6 miles (10 kilometers) into the sky and formed giant clouds, Bruno Rodriguez, a meteorologist assigned to the Bootleg Fire, told the Herald and News of Klamath Falls, Oregon. Those massive clouds, combined with intense heat from the fire, intensified the updraft and pulled rotating hot air from the Earth's surface to the base of the clouds, creating a tornado, Rodriguez said. Neil Lareau, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Nevada, told the newspaper that extensive tree damage, scoured road surfaces and damage to the soil indicate winds speeds between 111 mph (178 kph) and 135 mph (217 kph). Prior to last year, there had only been two well-documented tornado-strength vortices generated by fires, said Lareau, who began studying the phenomenon after fire-generated tornadoes occurred last fall. A decade ago, we could not have even imagined this. But here we are. Scientists told the newspaper that fire-generated tornadoes need to urgent study because it's suspected they can hurl embers far afield and potentially start new blazes. The National Weather Service confirmed the tornado but said the agency wasn't sure how to categorize it. That's because, unlike a normal tornado that could travel for miles, the winds from a fire tornado will stop as soon as it gets too far from the fire's heat. If they dont have the heat from the fire, then they dont have the updraft. Without the updraft, it would weaken very quickly, said Ryan Sandler, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Medford, Oregon. Elsewhere, high heat was expected to return to the northern Rocky Mountains, where thick smoke from many wildfires drove pollution readings to unhealthy levels. Unhealthy air was recorded around most of Montanas larger cities Billings, Butte, Bozeman and Missoula and in portions of northern Wyoming and eastern Idaho, according data from U.S. government air monitoring stations. In California, the 106-square-mile (275-square-kilometer) Tamarack Fire south of Lake Tahoe was chewing through timber and chaparral but was more than halfway contained. Evacuation orders for about 2,000 residents on both sides of the California-Nevada line have been lifted. At least 23 buildings have burned. Former President Donald Trump has backed Attorney General Ken Paxton for reelection, passing over primary challenger George P. Bush in bestowing the highly sought-after endorsement. "It is going to take a PATRIOT like Ken Paxton to advance America First policies in order to Make America Great Again," Trump said in a statement Monday evening. "Ken has my Complete and Total Endorsement for another term as Attorney General of Texas. He is a true Texan who will keep Texas safeand will never let you down!" READ ALSO: George P. Bush outraises Ken Paxton in primary challenge debut, though Paxton has bigger war chest Trump has teased an endorsement in the primary ever since the days before Bush, the land commissioner, announced he was challenging Paxton. Eva Guzman, the former state Supreme Court justice, has since launched a primary bid against Paxton as well. But the hunt for Trump's endorsement had centered intensely on Paxton and Bush, who was the only prominent member of his famous political family to support Trump in the 2016 election. Paxton had expressed confidence that Trump's endorsement would eventually come through for him, while Bush talked multiple times with Trump about the race and met with him earlier this month at his Bedminster club in New Jersey. The endorsement is not entirely surprising given that Paxton has been one of the most pro-Trump attorneys general. He filed the lawsuit late last year that challenged Trump's reelection loss in four battleground states the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear it and he spoke at the pro-Trump rally that preceded the deadly U.S. Capitol riot in January. Still, Trump had raised the prospect he could back Bush in a late May statement that said he "like[s] them both very much" and would make an endorsement "in the not-so-distant future." Bush made little secret that he badly wanted Trump's endorsement. His campaign played up 2019 comments in which Trump said the land commissioner was "the only Bush that got it right." READ MORE: Can Greg Abbott actually build Trump's border wall? Minutes after Trump released his Paxton endorsement, Bush appeared to respond on Twitter by reiterating the incumbent's legal troubles. Paxton has been under securities fraud indictment for most of the time since he took office in 2015, and more recently, the FBI opened an investigation into whether he abused his office to help a wealthy donor. He has denied wrongdoing in both instances. "I'm running for Attorney General because Texans deserve integrity and honesty from the office of Texas' top law enforcement official," Bush said. "Texans deserve a candidate without a laundry list of existing and potential criminal indictments." Join us Sept. 20-25 at the 2021 Texas Tribune Festival. Tickets are on sale now for this multi-day celebration of big, bold ideas about politics, public policy and the days news, curated by The Texas Tribunes award-winning journalists. Learn more. The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans and engages with them about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. Flight attendants' and teachers' unions whose members are on the front lines of disputed covid safety protocols are ardent enforcers of mask mandates for the public but do not require their members to get vaccinated. Such inoculation is widely acknowledged as the most effective measure in stopping the spread of the highly infectious new Delta variant, while masking is viewed as of secondary importance and many are highly skeptical of its effectiveness and critical of its inconvenience. As the Association of Flight Attendants continues to urge federal authorities to allow flight attendants to police passengers for masking a policy that has led to fisticuffs on some flights the union has struck an agreement with at least one airline, United, to allow unvaccinated members to fly. American Airlines and Southwest Air say they also do not require their flight attendants or other employees to vaccinate. Flight attendants for both airlines are unionized. Other airlines did not respond to inquiries. Meanwhile, the American Federation of Teachers has refrained from demanding that its members be vaccinated, but it insists on masks for the nations mostly unvaccinated schoolchildren despite their low vulnerability to infection. The union also pushes for hazard pay and generous sick leave for teachers. Related: Widespread New Moves to Require Worker Vaccines Washington Post With President Randi Weingarten of the AFT, the nations largest teachers union, praising recent Centers for Disease Control guidance requiring unvaccinated students to mask up, some districts are imposing mask requirements for students regardless of vaccine status -- Philadelphia and Detroit public schools among them. The state of California is also imposing the requirement. Meanwhile, the Chicago Teachers Union is demanding that 80 percent of students be vaccinated before teachers return to the classroom. AFT affiliates represent teachers in all of those cities as well as parts of California. The unions have maintained their stances throughout the pandemic. While virus cases in the U.S. have dropped 80 percent since January, the rapid spread of the Delta variant has alarmed public health officials and union leaders. But there appears to be a disconnect between the positions of the two unions and their close allies in the Biden administration, which has always urged vaccination. Administration officials are now reported to increasingly refer to the current outbreak as a pandemic of the unvaccinated, although a new mask policy is said to be also under consideration. In a June 30 letter to federal authorities, President Sara Nelson of the flight attendants union cited the Delta variant as a reason to keep passengers masked. The union did not reply to requests for comment on its vaccination position. Masks not only help to protect more vulnerable passengers from the Delta variant, but they also help to protect passengers and crewmembers who are unable to get vaccinated for valid medical reasons -- but still need to fly, Nelson wrote in the letter to the Centers for Disease Control and the Transportation Security Administration. The letter came days after two Republican Senators introduced a bill in Congress to end mandatory masking on public transportation. On planes, flight attendants conduct safety and mask checks, repeatedly cruising the cabin for violators. The flight attendants union as well as Air Line Pilots Association, International, the pilots union, insist on masking for their members to work safely. Nelson claimed in her letter that while most passengers are compliant with mask mandates on airplanes, the number of in-flight conflicts between passengers and flight attendants was at an all-time high. In response, some flight attendants this month will begin self-defense training to deal physically with passengers who might react violently to orders. Delta and United Airlines now require all new U.S. hires, including flight attendants and pilots, to be vaccinated, but vaccinations are not required for previously hired United flight attendants, per a deal between the union and the airline. Delta, where flight attendants are not unionized, did not respond to an emailed request for comment, nor did other airlines -- JetBlue, Frontier, Alaska, Spirit and Allegiant. Federal law can allow businesses to require the COVID-19 vaccine for employees under certain conditions. American Airlines and United offer staffers extra vacation time off as an incentive to get vaccinated. In public schools, no vaccine requirement has been imposed for students or staffers. Weingarten told NPR recently that [nine] out of 10 of my members have taken the vaccines, while lauding the CDC guideline that keeps children under 12 masked this fall. But she may have misspoken: An AFT spokesman in an email said her statement referred to a poll in March by Democratic pollsters Hart Research Associates that found that 76 percent had been vaccinated. The telephone survey queried 1,700 of the AFTs 1.6 million members. Weingarten, who for months advocated keeping schools closed despite numerous studies that found children were highly unlikely to carry the virus, declined an interview request. With no vaccine requirement, school districts have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on barriers and masks. The Texas State Teachers Association, an affiliate of the National Education Association teachers union, demanded protection for its members when the state forced public schools to resume in-person learning. So the district in the Dallas suburb of Richardson spent $663,000 on plexiglass shields to protect teachers, even as students were masked. The teachers association was pushing hard for this, said Lynn Davenport, a local activist who has pushed back against strict mandates since the outset of the pandemic. They said it was what the teachers wanted. Unions have used the virus to seek extra pay in some cases, citing hazard pay provisions in their contracts. And coronavirus stimulus pay has gone to teachers in some districts. In the Lakeside Union School District in Southern California, the Lakeside Teachers Association negotiated nearly $247,000 in bonus payments to teachers, including monthly stipends between October and June totaling $167,000 for maintaining distance learning attendance records. Richard Berman, executive director of Union Facts, a group that tracks and often criticizes organized labor, says that while the demands of flight attendants are somewhat understandable, much of the pressure coming from the two unions illustrates the political power dynamics at play. In both cases, the parents and the flyers are the most inconvenienced by these sought-after actions, Berman said. In this case, parents and flyers are very unorganized and cant do anything to object in a meaningful way like a company can, Berman said. So even if the demands are unreasonable, it gives the union in both cases more power than they would usually have. Union political donations, including those from the teachers' federation and flight attendants union, overwhelmingly support Democrats and liberal causes. The unions Democratic allies in Congress last year advocated for the most stringent measures to fight the virus, including lockdowns, cancellations, closures and masking. In May the CDC declared that masks were unnecessary for the vaccinated persons, even in indoor settings. Despite that, the two unions have lobbied Congress to continue masking restrictions. The union message has been we want all schools to be open but on our terms, said Nat Malkus, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, who runs the Return to Learn tracker, which follows districts returning to in-person learning. And that turns, a lot of the time, into demands for a list of things to be done before reopening that can be very difficult to accomplish. In contrast, many private schools have reopened quickly for in-person learning. Six states, all led by Democratic governors, say they will require masks in K-12 schools this fall, regardless of vaccination status. The AFT helped shaped school guidance by the CDC last year, emails show, including mask requirements. The United Teachers Los Angeles made mandatory masking of students part of its agreement with the district to return to the classroom. UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz did not respond to an email seeking comment. Seeking to relax the air travel restrictions, Republican Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Mike Lee of Utah introduced a measure in June that would allow airlines to set their own mask policies, but that was shut down by Democrats amid union opposition. The science just does not support keeping the mandate in place, Scott said in introducing the failed measure. His office said the senator would continue to battle the efforts by Democrats to ignore the science. Last year, a move to assure the authority of the Federal Aviation Administration in dictating mask requirements was led by two regular recipients of political donations by the flight attendants' union PAC, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), who chairs the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and committee member Rick Larsen (D-Wash.). The PAC donates almost exclusively to Democrats, which last year gave rise to speculation that Nelson could become Joe Bidens running mate. Nelson did not respond to an interview request. Last week, the United Airlines Master Executive Council of the pilots union, which represents United Airline pilots, met in person for the first time since early 2020. Vaccinated members were not required to mask. A hemp growing co-operative is calling for an end to the crop's licensing regime and for farmers to take direct action to grow it without a licence. Hempen, a producer of industrial hemp, has urged growers to grow hemp 'without regard for the Home Office' as part of a 'campaign of mass civil disobedience against the licensing regime'. The co-op, which is based on the Hardwick Estate in Oxfordshire, said hemp could help fight against climate change and soil depletion, whilst providing a boost in new green jobs for the UK. However, the licenses are granted by the Home Office, which hemp growers say can refuse a license for 'something as trivial as being near a public footpath or road'. Furthermore license applications are often decided too late for farmers to get crops in the field, Hempen added, making it a risky option to pursue for the cash strapped. This means that despite UK consumers being some of the biggest consumers of hemp and CBD in the world, most of the product is imported from Europe, North America or China. Hempen's co-founder Patrick Gillett said the United Kingdom had an 'unfair' licensing regime. "[It] has no obvious public benefit and is stifling this emergent green industry at a time when the UK desperately needs jobs which care for our communities and the planet. If the government wont get out of the way, then its time farmers take direct action to grow this wonder plant without their permission." Mr Gillett said there was more demand for organic UK hemp than the Home Office had licensed. "When it comes to CBD in particular were forced to rely on imports," he added. "Hempen needs a bigger supply of organic hemp than we can currently source from farmers who have managed to jump through all the government hoops." Hempen were forced to destroy their crop two years ago, after the Home Office revoked their license mid season. Northern Irish farmers have been warned that cattle untested for bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) will be prohibited from moving to slaughterhouses from 1 September. Enforcement measures will be taken against producers if untested cattle are moved in breach of the BVD Eradication Scheme Order (Northern Ireland) 2016 (the BVD Order). BVD is a highly contagious disease, one of the most common and costly affecting cattle in Europe. Announcing the measure, NI's Department of Agriculture (DAERA) says it is an offence to move an untested animal or to have possession of one that has been moved in contravention of the order. This applies to herdkeepers, market operators and slaughterhouses. An untested animal may only move under licence issued by DAERA or for disposal as an animal by-product. While there has been good progress in reducing the level of BVD, the infection remains a substantial threat to the Northern Ireland cattle industry. BVD is a highly contagious viral infection, which is spread by persistently infected (PI) and transiently infected (TI) animals. PI animals are the most important as they are infectious for their entire lifetime, continuously shedding very high levels of the virus. Herdkeepers in NI are required to sample calves for BVD within 20 days of birth and send the sample to an approved laboratory within the following 7 days. DAERA's farming minister Edwin Poots explained: "The presence of untested cattle of unknown BVD status poses a risk of disease spread both within herds and to other herds. "There is no reason for herdkeepers to risk the spread of disease by failing to sample their cattle. "This enforcement initiative will encourage herdkeepers to sample their cattle at the earliest opportunity as cattle will be prevented from moving to slaughter. "Enforcement penalties will be applied to those who breach the ban, the minister added. Animal Health NI (AHWNI) welcomed the move, calling it an 'important step' in reducing the level of BVD. Dr Sam Strain, chief executive said: "The ban on moving cattle with an unknown BVD status to abattoirs is a welcome step highlighting the risk these animals pose and underpinning the need to have them tested. "Testing can be carried out using a supplementary tissue tag or by a blood sample taken by a vet, he explained. Cattle moved in breach of the Order will be highlighted on the Animal and Public Health Information System (APHIS) and identified for enforcement action that may lead to prosecution, DAERA said. Any person found guilty of moving, or possessing, an untested animal could face a fine of up to 5,000. Three projects have been awarded funding to help develop new carbon markets for regenerative agriculture, saltmarsh restoration and lowland peatlands. Undertaken by Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), the research aims to lock up substantial amounts of carbon from the atmosphere to tackle climate change. With growing interest from companies seeking to offset their emissions, carbon markets are also set to provide farmers and landowners with substantial new income streams. The first project will gather evidence for interventions to be integrated into a pilot UK Farm Soil Carbon Code, working with pilot farms in Gloucestershire. Farmers in the county will collaborate with the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group South-West (FWAG) and the Sustainable Soils Alliance. It is estimated this could unlock up to 500m in annual revenues by 2030 for farmers and landowners adopting regenerative practices that lock up carbon from the atmosphere in soils. The saltmarsh project, carried out in partnership with the RSPB, will develop the investment case of a pilot saltmarsh site. This project is designed to attract investment from investors seeking financial returns with a social and environmental impact, alongside the strategic development of a new Code. The third project will pilot lowland peat carbon finance via the Peatland Code for the first time, integrating carbon finance with biodiversity net gain. The research will be carried out by SRUCs Thriving Natural Capital Challenge Centre, led by Professor of Rural Entrepreneurship Mark Reed. He said: Many farmers and investors are interested in land-based carbon projects, which it is estimated could generate revenues of up to 500m per year for the farming sector. While several companies are already offering carbon contracts to farmers, there is currently no standard against which claims can be verified and investors cannot make carbon offsetting or insetting claims based on the certificates that are generated. Although standards exist in the international voluntary carbon market, they are not well adapted to the size of farms in the UK and are prohibitively expensive." Researchers at SRUC won a share of 300,000 in funding for the three projects. 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. Image: Shutterstock Most couples undergoing IVF treatment ask this question. Working women can come for ovum pick and return to work the same day or next day itself. Women can continue normal activities and work within one to three days of transfer and keep on working throughout pregnancy. There is no need to treat an IVF pregnancy any different from a natural pregnancy. You dont need to restrict yourself to bed after the embryo transfer. However, that said, a certain amount of care is advised in any normal pregnancy and that needs to be followed. Avoid lifting heavy objects and excessive physical exertion. You can take up pregnancy yoga to strengthen the body and prepare for delivery. Discuss this article with your neighbors or join the community conversation. Click here to get access Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category Last week, during his first hearing, the Bombay High Court rejected his bail plea and extended his custody with the Police till July 27. After the hearing, a search was conducted at his residence in the presence of Shilpa Shetty and a report suggests the actor had an argument with Kundra while the officials were searching the house. A source revealed the details of this and said, Shilpa was very upset after the interrogation. She and Kundra had a huge argument where she shouted and asked him what was the need of doing such a thing and why he did everything. The crime branch team had to intervene between the couple to pacify the actress. SEATTLE (dpa-AFX) - Starbucks Coffee Co. (SBUX) agreed to sell its 50% ownership share of Starbucks Coffee Korea Co., Ltd. Joint venture partner E-Mart Inc. (Shinsegae Group) will acquire an additional 17.5% interest in Starbucks Coffee Korea Co., Ltd., giving E-Mart 67.5% ownership of Starbucks operations in South Korea. E-Mart has been Starbucks joint venture partner in South Korea since 1999, when the brand opened its first store near Ewha Womans University in Seoul. In addition, Starbucks Coffee Company has agreed to sell its remaining ownership share of Starbucks Coffee Korea Co., Ltd. to an affiliate of GIC Private Limited, Singapore's sovereign wealth fund. This will give GIC a 32.5% ownership stake in Starbucks Coffee Korea Co., Ltd. Starbucks noted that founding partner E-Mart will continue operations and growth of Starbucks Coffee Korea. The completion of the business transition is expected over the next 90 days. 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. HUMBERSIDE, United Kingdom, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Humberside Police has chosen NicheRMS365 as the force embarks on an organizational-wide business migration program to deploy the entire breadth of the NicheRMS365 policing platform. NicheRMS365 allows information to be managed, processed and shared, enabling Humberside Police to have greater visibility on Vulnerable Individuals, to prevent and detect crime, bring culprits to justice, and increase community safety. NicheRMS365 covers the entire breadth of police information management in a single platform, giving the 3500 sworn Humberside officers and staff a focused operational view for each critical policing situation to increase citizen safety. NicheRMS365 delivers the operational capability officers need to work from any location, on any device. Humberside Police will be able to have a seamless experience simultaneously using the functionality of both the Microsoft 365 product set and the NicheRMS365 platform. With NicheRMS365, Humberside Police can streamline daily business processes, and experience the benefits of single data entry, with force-wide data sharing to avoid duplication. Additional benefits provided by NicheRMS365 include: Flexibility: NicheRMS365 will give officers and staff immediate access to critical policing information, regardless of their location. NicheRMS365 will give officers and staff immediate access to critical policing information, regardless of their location. Technical/Functional Stability: NicheRMS365 offers a highly robust and secure operational platform that supports all Humberside Police's records management needs: Crime Intelligence, Recording, and Investigation, Custody Management, Property and Forensics Management, Case Management, and Safeguarding and Vulnerability Management. Additionally, NicheRMS365 offers Reporting, Tasking, Briefing and Mobility capabilities to further support frontline police officers. NicheRMS365 offers a highly robust and secure operational platform that supports all Police's records management needs: Crime Intelligence, Recording, and Investigation, Custody Management, Property and Forensics Management, Case Management, and Safeguarding and Vulnerability Management. Additionally, NicheRMS365 offers Reporting, Tasking, Briefing and Mobility capabilities to further support frontline police officers. Operational efficiencies: NicheRMS365 simplifies data entry through our unique Guided Entry capabilities, providing fast, accurate reporting that's easy for officers. Our Guided Entry capability is sensitive to the incident that is being processed and adapts accordingly based on the data capture requirements of different incident classifications. Niche is proud to support the mission of Humberside Police "to create safe and strong communities, where people know how to protect themselves and are able to make informed decisions." About NicheRMS365 At Niche, our focus is on the information demands of frontline officers when seconds count. The responsive NicheRMS365 UI provides a consistent, intuitive user experience on phone, tablet, laptop and desktop devices, so agencies can simply train once and use anywhere - on any device. NicheRMS365 is the mobile-first platform that sets the standard for Police RMS worldwide, serving 162,000 sworn officers in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Australia. It's the most highly configurable, capable and respected RMS platform in the world. Schedule a demonstration to see the potential of NicheRMS365 for your agency at www.NicheRMS.com. For More Information: Mike Gardner +44 1656 661774 Mike.Gardner@NicheRMS.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1041214/Niche_Technology_Logo.jpg Karelian Diamond Resources plc ("Karelian Diamonds" or "the Company") 27 July 2021 BROOKEBOROUGH DIAMOND EXPLORATION COMMENCED Detailed Heavy Mineral Stream Sediment Survey Completed Targeted on the Brookeborough Diamond Discovery Site Ten Samples Collected and Sent for Analysis Karelian Diamond Resources plc (AIM: KDR), is pleased to announce that it has carried out a detailed heavy mineral stream sediment sampling programme focused on the Colebrooke river in County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The Colebrooke River was the reported location of the discovery of the Brookeborough diamond in 1816. No serious exploration for the source of the Brookeborough diamond was conducted until 1996 when a regional heavy mineral stream sediment sampling survey was carried out in Counties Fermanagh and Tyrone. The recovery of some chromites was reported and these could possibly indicate the presence of kimberlitic source rocks in the vicinity of where the Brookeborough diamond was discovered. No follow up work was ever conducted. Following a review of the regional sampling survey results, along with analysis of airborne geophysical data from the TELLUS survey in Northern Ireland and an overall geological assessment, Karelian decided to carry out a detailed heavy mineral stream sediment survey at sample sites on the Colebrooke River around the reported discovery location of the diamond. Ten samples were taken using hand shovels and sieved on site down to a 2mm size fraction to get c.20kg of sample material at each site. The combined total weight for the ten samples is just over 200kg. The samples have been dispatched to Canada for mineral concentrating, picking and analysis for Kimberlite Indicator Minerals (KIMs). Professor Richard Conroy, Chairman, Karelian Diamond Resources plc commented: "The discovery of a diamond in Northern Ireland is intriguing and combined with the 1996 results showing the discovery of potential KIMs and the advances in the understanding of diamond host rocks, Karelian felt it warranted further investigation, particularly in conjunction with the TELLUS airborne geophysical data. Hopefully, the sample results will be positive. However, the main focus for the immediate future will remain the development of the mine in Lahtojki, and exploration in Finland where work has continued despite the covid related restrictions". Further Information: Karelian Diamond Resources plc Professor Richard Conroy, Chairman +353-1-479-6180 Allenby Capital Limited (Nomad) Nick Athanas / Nick Harriss +44-20-3328-5656 First Equity Limited (Broker) Jason Robertson +44-20-7330-1883 Lothbury Financial Services Michael Padley +44-20-3290-0707 Hall Communications Don Hall +353-1-660-9377 http://www.kareliandiamondresources.com MeMed's COVID-19 Severity Test Receives CE Mark forPredicting Severe Outcomes in COVID-19 Patients MeMed COVID-19 Severity reads the immune-system in real time to accurately determine whether SARS-Cov-2 patients are likely to have a severe outcome HAIFA, Israel, July 21st, 2021 - MeMed, a leader in host response-based technologies, today announces that it has received the CE Mark in Europe for its new disease management solution, MeMed COVID-19 Severity. MeMed COVID-19 Severity is a pioneering host response technology that measures multiple proteins from a serum sample and applies machine learning to stratify the risk that a patient with COVID-19 disease is likely to experience severe outcomes. The test runs in 15 minutes on the company's point-of-need platform, MeMed Key, and aims to help physicians identify who may benefit from escalated care and who may be safely discharged from the hospital and instructed to self-isolate at home. Eran Eden, MeMed's co-founder and CEO, said: "I am delighted that we are now able to commercialize a pioneering solution to help identify COVID-19 patients at risk of severe outcomes, empowering physicians to manage what is increasingly likely to become an endemic situation. MeMed COVID-19 Severity is also relevant for authorities contemplating preparedness for future pandemics. It isanother exciting step in the company's long-term visionof harnessing the power of the host-immune response in order to transform the way infections are detectedand managed." MeMed has recently published the results from a multinational derivation study1, demonstrating the signature's ability to accurately predict severe COVID-19 respiratory failure. The company has completed an additional independent multinational validation study; the results will be revealed in coming months. Sergey Motov, MD, Professor of Emergency Medicine, Maimonides Medical Center said:"Highly sensitive and accurate diagnostic and prognostic tests are key tools for clinicians. As an ER doctor myself, I am fascinated by the potential for host immune response technologies to help predict patient outcomes. Tools like MeMed COVID-19 Severity are a win-win solution: doctors can assess the likelihood of patients suffering from severe complications, enabling tailored treatments or discharge if the risk of deteriorating is low." MeMed COVID-19 Severity will be available in Europe directly from MeMed in our priority countries and through our commercial partner channels in others. About MeMed Our mission is to translate the immune system's complex signals into simple insights that transform the way diseases are diagnosed and treated, profoundly benefiting patients and society. For additional information on MeMed, please visit http://www.me-med.com. About MeMed COVID-19 Severity MeMed COVID-19 Severity is a predictive and actionable patient management tool. The test enables physicians to detect early the likelihood of deterioration in patients affected by COVID-19 and provides a leap forward in COVID-19 patient management. MeMed Contacts: Media: Adee Mor, VP Marketing, MeMed pr@me-med.com IR: Kfir Emmer, VP Finance, MeMed kfir.emmer@me-med.com Phone: +972-4-8500302 Media contacts: Consilium Strategic Communications MeMed@consilium-comms.com 1 Samuel Mastboim, Niv S., et al. "An immune-protein signature combining TRAIL, IP-10, and CRP for accurate prediction of severe COVID-19 outcome." MedRxiv(2021). WALLIX, a European software company, is recognized among 10 global players in privileged access management Excellent business execution and recognized expertise and capability for innovation Paris, July 27th, 2021. WALLIX (Euronext ALLIX), a European software company providing cybersecurity solutions and the specialist in identity and access security, has been named "Challenger" in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for PAM (Privileged Access Management) solutions. WALLIX is honored to be recognized among 10 global players present in this Magic Quadrant, positioning the company from "Niche player" to "Challenger" in less than a year. Gartner, Inc. delivers actionable, objective insight to executives and their teams. Each year, Gartner conducts thorough research and recognizes IT companies in a particular market. This snapshot of reference, called Magic Quadrant, classifies companies into 4 categories: Niche Players, Visionaries, Challengers, and Leaders. Excellent business execution and recognized expertise and innovation capability It is with great pride that WALLIX has entered the "Challengers" category this year. We believe this is the result of good business strategy execution: regional strengthening and sector development. To reinforce its regional presence and meet the specific needs of each market, WALLIX has multiplied the number of partnership contracts with major distributors-such as Arrow in the US and Tech Data in the DACH region-as well as with more than forty value-added resellers in MEA. WALLIX's Business Partner Program currently counts 180 partners, with 739 individuals certified on WALLIX solutions, representing a total of more than 1,300 customers. To accelerate its sector development, in addition to integrating partners specialized in OT (Operation Technology) and IT service providers (in particular Managed Security Service Providers) into the Business Partner Program, WALLIX has developed alliances with strategic partners including Fives and Schneider Electric, who share the idea that cybersecurity must be a standard in Industry 4.0 by integrating WALLIX Inside-all WALLIX technologies now available "by design"-into their solutions. This gives WALLIX a leading position in the emerging cybersecurity "by design" market in Industry 4.0. WALLIX has proven how its privileged account management offerings meet the specific needs of each sector-industry, healthcare, MSSPs-in terms of access security and regulatory compliance. Concerning enterprise accounts, WALLIX's price/product positioning has been proven to match that of the other players in the market. "We believe being a "Challenger" in the Gartner Magic Quadrant is a true mark of appreciation for WALLIX regarding our expertise and our ability to remain keenly tuned to the needs of the market. It is also the result of the commitment of WALLIX's teams over the last years to ensure unparalleled quality of service, develop products at the cutting edge of technology, and further support our partners in the mastery and promotion of our solutions." adds Jean-Noel de Galzain, founder & CEO of WALLIX. ABOUT WALLIX A software company providing cybersecurity solutions, WALLIX is the European specialist in Identity and Access Security. WALLIX's unified solutions portfolio enables companies to respond to today's data protection challenges. WALLIX solutions guarantee detection of and resilience to cyberattacks, which enables business continuity. The solutions also ensure compliance with regulatory requirements regarding access to IT infrastructures and critical data. The portfolio of unified solutions is distributed through a network of more than 180 resellers and integrators worldwide. Listed on Euronext (ALLIX), WALLIX supports more than 1,200 organizations in securing their digital transformation. WALLIX is a founding member of the HEXATRUST group and has been included in the Futur40, the first ranking of fast-growing companies on the stock exchange published by Forbes France, and is part of the Tech 40 index. WALLIX affirms its digital responsibility and is committed to contributing to the construction of a trusted European digital space, guaranteeing the security and confidentiality of data for organizations as well as for individuals concerned about the protection of their digital identity and privacy. Digital technology, whether for professional or personal use, must be ethical and responsible in order to pursue a secure societal digital transformation that respects individual freedoms. www.wallix.com | info@wallix.com Gartner, 'Magic Quadrant for Privileged Access Management', Felix Gaehtgens, Abhyuday Data, Michael Kelley, Swati Rakheja, July 19, 2021 Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Gartner and Magic Quadrant are registered trademarks and service marks of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved. PRESS CONTACT LEWIS Maxence GODEFROY / Gregory ALLEAUME 06 48 43 41 27 / 07 77 00 56 52 wallixfrance@teamlewis.com FINANCIAL COMMUNICATION CONTACTS ACTUS Finance & Communication Investor Relations - Olivier LAMBERT 01 53 67 36 33 / wallix@actus.fr Media Relations - Nicolas BOUCHEZ 01 53 67 36 74 / nbouchez@actus.fr ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: mG6elJholZeZlZ6bZ8eYnJaYm5lolWKVlpfJlJJrlpmdaJtgnZdimJmZZnBhmWhr - Check this key: https://www.security-master-key.com. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-70435-wallix_20210727_gartner-challenger-fr.pdf Danish e-bike brand MATE, made famous by record-breaking crowdfunding, secures multi-million euro direct investment from Mirabaud Asset Management through the Mirabaud Lifestyle Impact and Innovation fund (MLII), prompting David Wertheimer, Founding Partner of MLII, to call MATE "by far the most fashionable e-bike brand." Existing investors Marcy Venture Partners doubles down ahead of anticipated next 'drop.' Mirabaud Lifestyle Impact and Innovation (MLII), an investment fund managed by Mirabaud Asset Management, part of the CHF34bn Mirabaud Group, has entered into an agreement with Danish e-bike brand and company MATE.mothership A/S (MATE) for a 3m investment. According to the founders, the funds will help fuel further growth and enable MATE to pursue its targets, integrating a strategic vision under Mirabaud's guidance for further development of MATE's brand, products, distribution, operations and people: "Since our inception, MATE has successfully developed, launched and sold tens of thousands of high end e-bikes that transcend the void between fashion and biking. The confidence shown by our investors is a stamp of approval; not only of our vision to bring more people on bikes and deal with today's challenges such as traffic congestion and climate change by creating cool, fun and sexy electric bicycles, but to turn MATE into a global brand leader fit for today's generation that can fulfil market potential, scale sales and grow above and beyond the +50 markets we're in," says sibling founders Christian Adel Michael and Julie Kronstrm Carton who launched their first MATE e-bike on crowdfunding platform Indiegogo in 2016, managing to raise 5.8m in its first closing. Mirabaud on the board Ever since their first launch, MATE has experienced tremendous success with marketing e-bikes on Indiegogo, securing them a 10m fundraise for their second e-bike MATE X in its first closing, which went on to break the de facto European crowdfunding record with appx. 15m raised when the MATE X campaign ended in 2019. Lately, MATE has succeeded in opening flagship stores in Copenhagen and Tokyo and is currently working with 15 partners worldwide to grow its retail sales. According to David Wertheimer, Founding Partner of MLII, it is MATE's ability to demonstrate strong capacity in rapidly building its brand equity and growing in a large number of geographies that has made MLII co-invest along existing investors such as Marcy Venture Partners (MVP) who earlier in 2021 announced their first investment in MATE. "From a fashion perspective, MATE shows iconic designs which have been recognized by consumers since the beginning. MATE already owns global celebrity clients and has recently launched great collaborations with lifestyle luxury brands, making MATE by far the most fashionable e-bike brand. Simultaneously, MATE has managed to build in this short period a solid and interactive community of users. Those users are loyal to the brand and show tremendous growth potential thanks to its constant innovation drive," says David Wertheimer, who has appointed Gael Ruiz as board member and is looking forward to embarking on new endeavours with the MATE team as well as with current investors MVP, who have used the occasion to double down and increase their investment in MATE. MATE: "Best yet to come" And new endeavours could be in store quite soon with a new model to be launched in 2021, which will be backed by popular demand, vows Christian Adel Michael and Julie Kronstrm Carton. Ever since the release of the MATE X, anticipation for MATE's next release or 'drop', as it is colloquially called online, have been higher than ever before on online fan forums. What the MATE siblings have in store this time remains a secret for now, however, the siblings note that MATE will be aiming "for the moon": "MATE's agility and ability to move fast and captivate consumer audiences with its audacious and unapologetic style is backed by popular demand with Indiegogo's audiences, and with Covid hopefully coming to an end soon and people wanting to get out there and explore the world again, the best could be yet to come with this next drop," concludes Christian Adel Michael and Julie Kronstrm Carton, noting that further information about MATE's next most anticipated product release to date will be launched this year in Q3 2021. Mirabaud Lifestyle Impact and Innovation (MLII) MLII, created in 2020, is a specialised private equity fund that looks to invest globally to support the development of fast-growing upcoming brands and to accompany the development of disruptive B2B players in the fashion, lifestyle and technology ecosystem. Recent investments of MLII include Berlin-based influential media company Highsnobiety and Singapore-headquartered e-commerce service provider Intrepid Group. -END- View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005448/en/ Contacts: MATE.mothership A/S Nic Rossen pr@mate.bike LONDON, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Federal Government of Nigeria today unveiled its VOARS London Declaration Facilities which administer, in London, the Voluntary Offshore Assets Regularization Scheme of Nigeria. Declaration facilities were previously launched in Abuja and Dubai. VOARS is an opportunity for Nigerian relevant persons and their intermediaries to voluntarily and conveniently regularize their offshore assets held anywhere in the world by paying a one-time levy as fine for the years of irregularity. A major benefit for declarants is permanent waiver of prosecution for offences related to the assets voluntarily declared. Declarations may be made by relevant persons or their intermediaries upon presentation of valid power of attorney. Declarations of offshore assets held anywhere in the world may be made at any of the declaration facilities in Abuja, Dubai or London. The Scheme was established pursuant to Presidential Executive Order 008 for Voluntary Offshore Assets Regularization Scheme (VOARS) 2018 Amendment 2019. All proceeds are transparently invested in infrastructure development in Nigeria through the Nigeria Essential Infrastructure Fund (NEIF). The Attorney General and Minister of Justice for Nigeria, Abubakar Malami, SAN, described VOARS as a win-win-win which underscores mutual benefits: first, for those regularizing their undeclared assets who become free to use their regularized residual assets anywhere in the world; second, for banks for whom the scheme presents a welcome opportunity to clean up their books and regularize undeclared assets under their custody or management; and third, for the people of Nigeria who benefit from infrastructure development using the one- time levies collected from declarants. Abubakar Malami, SAN, invited Nigerian relevant persons with undeclared assets anywhere in the world to take advantage of the Scheme while it remains open. He appealed for co-operation from banks, assets managers, trusts and other intermediaries to encourage their clients to embrace the opportunity provided by VOARS to regularize their assets. In drawing attention to relevant sections of the enabling law and Regulations for Special Clearances and Non-Prosecution Agreements, Attorney General Abubakar Malami, SAN, confirmed willingness of the Federal Government of Nigeria to enter into non-prosecution agreements with banks and intermediaries who undertake to support VOARS and encourage their clients to embrace the Scheme. He also stressed Nigeria's resolve to prosecute banks and intermediaries who facilitate Nigeria-relevant persons to conceal undeclared assets and avoid their obligations to Nigeria. In her message, Her Excellency Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance for Nigeria spoke of the originality of the Scheme's structure and confirmed that all funds accruing to Nigeria will be invested in infrastructure development including through the Nigeria Essential Infrastructure Fund (NEIF) which was created as an offshoot of VOARS. She invited declarants and their custodian banks to NEIF where they can invest parts of regularized assets and earn high returns while supporting infrastructure development in Nigeria. Mr. Modibbo R. Hamman Tukur, Director/CEO of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, confirmed his agency's commitment to contributing to the success of VOARS including by leveraging its membership in the FIU Network under Egmont Group to support the VOARS Declaration Facilities in London as they have done in the Abuja Facility. Juliet Ibekaku Nwagwu, a Special Adviser to President of Nigeria and Coordinator of VOARS Nigeria in the Office of Attorney General and Minister of Justice presented a summary of the Scheme, the enabling law and the period to be covered in declarations. She drew attention to a number of important points: declarations may be made through intermediaries so long as they present valid notarized power of attorney; undeclared assets held anywhere in the world can be declared in London or at any of the other facilities; and those with special circumstances may submit applications for Special Clearance at any of the declaration facilities and such applications will be processed expediently in accordance with guidelines that are available at the facilities. Philip Marcovici, Adviser to the sovereign advisory consortium VOARFS, likened Nigeria's VOARS Declaration Facilities in London to UK's Disclosure Facility of the past in Lichtenstein through which the United Kingdom generated over 1.25 billion UK pounds revenue. He discussed the benefits to all stakeholders of Nigeria's Voluntary Offshore Assets Regularization Scheme. From his experience as one of the architects of the United Kingdom's Liechtenstein Disclosure Facility (the "LDF"), where he was involved as a legal advisor to the Liechtenstein government, Philip emphasized the potential of VOARS to provide similar benefits to Nigeria and declarants as well as to intermediaries, such as private banks, asset managers and trust companies otherwise liable for significant penalties associated with their historical and ongoing activities on undeclared assets as enablers. Under VOARS, Philip Marcovici explained, all stakeholders would benefit - the Nigerian government, through the recovery of much-needed revenue; declarants, through a clear and fair way to put the past behind them; and financial and other intermediaries, who could qualify for non-prosecution agreements on offer by the Nigerian government. K2 Integrity Senior Managing Director Joanne Taylor spoke on behalf of the industry leading risk, compliance and investigations firm hosting the VOARS Declaration Facility in Mayfair, London. She described K2 Integrity's role as a compliance services provider and advised that the dedicated VOARS helpline is ready to receive calls from declarants and their intermediaries and that the K2 Integrity team stands ready to answer questions from advisors. She explained that all information provided by Declarants under the Scheme will be treated with utmost confidentiality in accordance with the provisions of the relevant laws, and that upon registration Declarants will be guided through a clear process regarding the provision of information and their declaration. Gary Ashford, a Tax Partner of London law firm Harbottle & Lewis, which hosts VOARS Special Clearance Facility highlighted the global drive against undeclared assets, the benefits to United Kingdom as a jurisdiction for VOARS Declaration Facilities and the similarity between UK's Lichtenstein Disclosure Facility of past years and Nigeria's VOARS London Declaration Facilities. Further information at www.VOARS-Nigeria.Org Contact: VOARS London Declaration Facility at K2 Integrity 1 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4HA United Kingdom Tel: +44 20 4526 6171 Press Contacts: Lindsay Sweeney, Senior Manager, Communications, K2 Integrity o: +1 (917) 243-7395 e: lsweeney@k2integrity.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1581745/VOARS_Logo.jpg New service enables businesses and consumers to send payments in seconds with full transparency and strong security SWIFT Go is a key building block in the co-operative's strategy to enable instant and frictionless cross-border transactions Seven leading global banks already live with the service SWIFT today announces the launch of SWIFT Go, a transformative new service that enables small businesses and consumers to send fast, predictable, highly secure, and competitively priced low-value cross-border payments anywhere in the world, direct from their bank accounts. Seven global banks, which collectively handle 33 million low-value cross-border payments per year, are already live with the service. SWIFT Go enables financial institutions to offer a seamless payments experience for low value transactions often initiated by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to pay suppliers overseas and by consumers sending money to friends and family internationally. Using tighter service level agreements between institutions and pre-validation of data, SWIFT Go enables banks to provide their end customers a fast and predictable payments experience with upfront visibility on processing times and costs. The SWIFT Go service builds on the high-speed rails of SWIFT gpi, which have transformed the speed and predictability of high-value payments. The service marks another milestone in SWIFT's strategy to enable instant and frictionless transactions from one account to another, across SWIFT's network that connects more than 11,000 institutions, and 4 billion accounts across 200 countries worldwide. It will further strengthen the capabilities of banks to serve their customers in the high-growth small business and consumer payments segments. Stephen Gilderdale, Chief Product Officer, atSWIFT said: "SWIFT Go is a further step towards achieving our vision of enabling anybody, anywhere, to send money instantly and securely around the world. The new service is a direct response to the needs of small businesses and consumers for fast, easy, predictable, secure and competitively priced cross-border payments. Our new service will allow banks to compete effectively in one of the fastest growing segments of the payments market, delivering a seamless experience for their customers." SWIFT Go was developed in close collaboration with the global SWIFT community and is underpinned by several key pillars: Speed: Tighter service levels between banks increase speed. A single payment format increases straight-through processing, while services such as pre-validation remove frictions that cause delays. Tighter service levels between banks increase speed. A single payment format increases straight-through processing, while services such as pre-validation remove frictions that cause delays. Predictability: The amount, time, fees and FX rate of a payment are known in advance. The sender and receiver of a payment can track the status in real-time. The amount, time, fees and FX rate of a payment are known in advance. The sender and receiver of a payment can track the status in real-time. Easy to use: The user experience is simple and streamlined, with data requirements known upfront. Strict network validation provides for easy initiation and processing of SWIFT Go payments The user experience is simple and streamlined, with data requirements known upfront. Strict network validation provides for easy initiation and processing of SWIFT Go payments Competitive prices: Processing fees are agreed between financial institutions upfront so they can provide their customers with full transparency; increased straight-through processing further reduces processing costs. Processing fees are agreed between financial institutions upfront so they can provide their customers with full transparency; increased straight-through processing further reduces processing costs. Security: Senders and receivers have peace of mind that payments are underpinned by the strong security of the SWIFT network. Seven leading global banks are now using SWIFT Go live: BBVA; Bank of New York Mellon; DNB; MYBank; Sberbank; Societe Generale, and UniCredit. Raouf Soussi, Head of Enterprise Payments Strategy of Client Solutions, BBVA said: "BBVA is very excited to be one of the first banks to sign up to SWIFT Go and we recognise the potential of this solution to revolutionise the way SMEs and consumers move money around the world. We have listened closely to our customers and we know how much they value a secure service that ensures payments reach their destination quickly and seamlessly." Isabel Schmidt, Head of Direct Clearing and Asset Account Services Products, Bank of New York Mellon said "It's no secret that for many years consumers and small businesses have been running into varying pain points when transacting international payments. These challenges have included opaque costs and lack of certainty on how quickly funds are delivered to the final beneficiary. This is why BNY Mellon is pleased to be the first US bank to go live with SWIFT Go, a new service that overcomes all of these challenges and assists financial institutions in delivering a competitive, seamless, fast and predictable payments experience to their customers." Feng Liang, Deputy CEO, MYBank said: "SWIFT gpi has become the benchmark for high-value cross-border transactions and we are confident that SWIFT Go will be equally as transformative for SME payments. By providing for instant, seamless transactions within one of the highest growth areas of our industry, we expect that adoption of SWIFT Go will be widespread and that it will quickly be established as the industry standard for lower value transactions." Jean-Francois Mazure, Head of Cash Clearing and Correspondent Banking, Societe Generale said: "As customer expectations for faster payments evolve, the correspondent banking industry requires a solution to more competitively process SME and consumer payments. SWIFT Go fits perfectly with it, allowing us to provide an outstanding experience to our customers with predictable, seamless, and frictionless low-value cross-border transactions reaching beneficiaries accounts quicker than ever." Raphael Barisaac, Global Head of Cash Management, Global Co-Head of Trade, UniCredit said: "UniCredit has long been a keen supporter of innovations within payments that deliver excellent outcomes for end-customers, and as such we are very proud of our involvement in SWIFT Go. This is a service that will lead to real benefits for SMEs and consumers, allowing them to enjoy the speed, predictability and transparency that SWIFT gpi has brought to high-value transactions." About SWIFT SWIFT is a global member owned cooperative and the world's leading provider of secure financial messaging services. We provide our community with a platform for messaging and standards for communicating, and we offer products and services to facilitate access and integration, identification, analysis and regulatory compliance. Our messaging platform, products and services connect more than 11,000 banking and securities organisations, market infrastructures and corporate customers in more than 200 countries and territories. While SWIFT does not hold funds or manage accounts on behalf of customers, we enable our global community of users to communicate securely, exchanging standardised financial messages in a reliable way, thereby supporting global and local financial flows, as well as trade and commerce all around the world. As their trusted provider, we relentlessly pursue operational excellence; we support our community in addressing cyber threats; and we continually seek ways to lower costs, reduce risks and eliminate operational inefficiencies. Our products and services support our community's access and integration, business intelligence, reference data and financial crime compliance needs. SWIFT also brings the financial community together at global, regional and local levels to shape market practice, define standards and debate issues of mutual interest or concern. Headquartered in Belgium, SWIFT's international governance and oversight reinforces the neutral, global character of its cooperative structure. SWIFT's global office network ensures an active presence in all the major financial centres. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005461/en/ Contacts: Press: Finsbury Glover Hering Michael Turner +32 (0)2655 3377 SWIFT@Finsbury.com The "UK Mobile Phone Gadget Insurance Market 2021: Consumer Research Report" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This report examines the motivations, experiences and opinions of UK consumers who own mobile phone and/or gadget insurance. It identifies and analyses consumer attitudes towards mobile phone and gadget insurance, looks at the claims experience of policyholders, and investigates why they choose one route to purchase over another. In addition, it explores how price sensitivity is impacting the market. Similar research was run in 2019 for mobile phone customers and the report compares and contrasts findings for mobile phone insurance between 2019 and 2021. For this report, the publisher commissioned research from MIS Group's UK panel. The research was structured so that 2,002 nationally representative consumers aged 18+ were asked if they owned an insurance policy. This generated 457 individuals who stated that they owned a mobile phone insurance policy and 215 who owned gadget insurance. Similar research in 2019 generated responses from 462 individuals who owned mobile phone insurance. The report estimates that in 2021 around 12.1 million adults were covered by mobile phone insurance and 5.7 million by gadget insurance. Between 2012 and 2021, the number of people owning mobile insurance increased by 21%, with the rate of growth slowing in recent years as ownership of mobiles reaches saturation levels. While over eight-in-ten consumers own a mobile phone and over eight-in-ten own electronic gadgets like computers, digital cameras, tablets, games consoles, e-readers and smart watches, only 24% of consumers who own a mobile for personal use own insurance and 11% of gadget owners have gadget insurance. Therefore, there is ample potential to expand the market, although past attempts have clearly not driven penetration to high levels. Most mobile phone and gadget insurance policyholders own a standalone policy, and most policyholders pay for their cover on a monthly basis. However, just under half own insurance cover which is bundled with other financial products (mostly packaged bank accounts for mobile cover and other insurances most likely home insurance for gadget cover). Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary 2. Introduction 3. Profile Of Policyholders One-quarter of consumers have mobile insurance Smartphones dominate the market Young affluent consumers the most likely to be insured Consumers prefer standalone insurance, paid for monthly Younger consumers are the most likely to opt for bundled cover Mobile phone and gadget owners like to minimise their risks 4. The Customer Journey Begins Most policyholders have been on a customer journey before The renewal prompt helps kick start the customer journey Renewing is a strong sign of loyalty Older cover holders the most likely to renew their insurance Policyholders who switch continue to be on the lookout for cheaper deals Many of those renewing only do so after starting on a new journey Over half of those renewing without searching still try and get a better deal 5. Buying a Policy: Finding the Right Deal Price Comparison Websites are the primary research resource PCWs will lead next year's policy search PCWs lead the research but buying direct is the norm 6. Policy Acquisition: Price Negotiation By their nature, policyholders are price sensitive Brands are important if the buyer is uncertain The final price/cover offer is the result of a negotiated settlement Negotiations likely to centre on broad policy features Insurers need to deliver policyholder information in a concise manner 7. Being a Policyholder Getting mobile and gadget cover is easy and satisfying Most policyholders now use online portals to manage their policies Around one-in-ten policyholders have claimed in the past year Claiming is a satisfying and smooth process 8. Market Size and Trends Mobile phones, a near ubiquitous technology Over 12 million own mobile phone insurance A diverse market in terms of brands Select Companies Mentioned American International Group UK Limited AmTrust Europe Limited Assurant General Insurance Limited Astrenska Insurance Limited Aviva Insurance Ltd Axa (Inter Partner Assistance SA) Better Buy Insurance (Square Pound Limited) Captain Cover (Lexelle Ltd) Chubb European Group SE CoverCloud (Acumen Insurance Services Ltd) EE Insurance (BT Group) Gadgetbuddy.com (ROCK Insurance Services Limited) Great Lakes Insurance Helvetic Swiss Insurance Co i-Digital (i-Partners Insurance Management Limited) insurance2go (Loyal Insurance Services Ltd) Leisure Guard (Business Brokers Limited) Liberty Mutual Insurance Europe Limited O2 Insurance (Telefonica UK Limited) Protect Your Bubble (Assurant Direct Limited) Starr International (Europe) Limited TeamKnowHow Insurance (The Carphone Warehouse Limited) Telefonica Insurance S.A Tesco Mobile Three (Hutchison 3G UK Ltd) Tinhat (Bastion Insurance Services Ltd) Virgin Media Vodafone Watford Insurance Company Europe Limited WDP Insurance Limited White Horse Insurance Ireland Ltd. Zenith Insurance Plc (Markerstudy Group) For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/wkaw67 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005463/en/ Contacts: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Cytiva and Pall Corpor., part of the Danaher (DHR) Corp., said that they will expand manufacturing capacity and services across geographies for global life sciences customers. The companies will invest about $1.5 billion over two years to meet growing demand for biotechnology solutions, Cytiva said in a statement. Major investments are expanding manufacturing capacity for life sciences products at 13 Cytiva and Pall Corp. sites helping to meet customer demand. The investment follows five strategic acquisitions made by the companies this year and is in addition to Cytiva's continuing capacity investments estimated at $500 million through 2022. New sites opening in US and UK will realize regional manufacturing models. Overall, the companies plan to hire 2000 full-time associates over the next two years, Cytiva said. 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. Quarterly consolidated sales at 2.7 million euros Operating earnings at the break-even point Positive EBITDA at 0.3 million euros Positive operating cash flow at 0.5 million euros Available liquidities at 4.8 million euros on 30 June 2021 Regulatory News: MEMSCAP (NYSE Euronext: MEMS), the leading provider of innovative solutions based on MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) technology, today announced its earnings for the second quarter ending June 30, 2021. Analysis of the consolidated income statement Consolidated sales for the second quarter of 2021 (unaudited) amounted to 2.7 million euros (3.2 million US dollars) compared to 2.7 million euros for the second quarter of 2020 (3.0 million US dollars) and 2.7 million euros (3.3 million US dollars) for the first quarter of 2021. Consolidated revenue distribution by market segment, over the second quarter of 2021, is as follows: Market segments Revenue (M) Non-audited Q1 2021 Q2 2021 Q2 2020 Var. Q2 21 vs. Q2 20 (M) Var. Q2 21 vs. Q1 21 (M) Aerospace 0.9 1.4 1.2 +0.2 +0.5 Optical communications Adaptive optics 0.5 0.5 0.5 -0.0 +0.0 Medical Biomedical 1.3 0.6 0.9 -0.3 -0.7 Others 0.1 0.2 0.1 +0.1 +0.1 Total 2.7 2.7 2.7 -0.0 -0.1 (Any apparent discrepancies in totals are due to rounding.) Consolidated sales of the avionic business showed a strong growth for the second quarter of 2021 (+0.5 million euros + 61% compared to the first quarter of 2021 and +0.2 million euros + 17% compared to the second quarter of 2020) despite the context of the Covid-19 pandemic deeply affecting this market. This evolution offsets the quarterly fluctuation of sales related to the medical biomedical business (-0.7 million euros -57% compared to the first quarter 2021 and -0.3 million euros -35% compared to the second quarter of 2020), a market segment particularly active during the first quarter of 2021. Despite an increase of the booking, the optical communications business remained stable at a level of 0.5 million euros, still impacted in the second quarter of 2021 by the resolution of the technical incident at the US plant completed at end of quarter. MEMSCAP's consolidated earnings for the second quarter of 2021 are given within the following table: In million euros Non-audited Q1 2021 Q2 2021 Q1 Q2 2021 Q1 2020 Q2 2020 Q1 Q2 2020 Revenue 2.7 2.7 5.4 3.4 2.7 6.1 Standard products* Custom products 2.2 0.6 2.0 0.6 4.2 1.2 2.2 1.2 2.1 0.6 4.3 1.8 Cost of revenue (2.0) (1.9) (3.8) (2.4) (1.9) (4.3) Gross margin 0.8 0.8 1.6 1.0 0.8 1.8 % of revenue 28% 30% 29% 29% 29% 29% Operating expenses (0.9) (0.8) (1.7) (1.0) (0.9) (1.9) Operating profit (loss) (0.1) (0.0) (0.1) (0.0) (0.1) (0.1) Financial profit (loss) (0.0) (0.0) (0.0) 0.0 (0.0) 0.0 Income tax expense (0.0) (0.0) (0.0) (0.0) (0.0) (0.1) Net profit (loss) (0.1) (0.1) (0.2) (0.0) (0.1) (0.2) (Any apparent discrepancies in totals are due to rounding.) * Including the dermo-cosmetic segment. ** Net of research development grants. The Group's gross margin rate stood at 30% of consolidated sales for the second quarter of 2021 compared to 29% for the second quarter of 2020. The Group's US subsidiary benefited from a state subsidy "PPP" (Paycheck Protection Program) of 0.2 million euros in the second quarter of 2021. The amount of operating expenses of 0.8 million euros in the second quarter of 2021 was down 0.1 million euros compared to the second quarter of 2020. The Group therefore reported operating earnings at the break-even point for the second quarter of 2021 compared to an operating loss of 0.1 million euros for the second quarter of 2020. Considering the financial income and the change in deferred tax, the Group's net loss amounted to 0.1 million euros for this quarter, an amount similar to the net loss of the second quarter of 2020. For the second quarter of 2021, the Group posted a positive EBITDA at 0.3 million euros compared to a positive EBITDA at 0.2 million euros for the second quarter of 2020. The positive operating cash flow amounted to 0.5 million euros for the second quarter of 2021. On June 30, 2021, the Group reported available cash at 4.8 million euros (vs. 4.2 million euros at December 31, 2020) including cash investments at 1.4 million euros (Corporate bonds) recorded under non-current financial assets. In addition to this amount, the available unused credit lines amounted to 0.4 million euros at June 30, 2021. Analysis and perspectives In the second quarter of 2021, the Group reported a strong growth in the avionic sales despite the Covid-19 pandemic which deeply affects this business. The avionic business is the Group's leading market representing 44% of consolidated sales in the first half of 2021. In addition, the acceleration of the deliveries related to the medical biomedical business during the first quarter of 2021 enabled MEMSCAP to support the ramp-up of the avionics business expected and materialized during this second quarter. The combination of these two businesses allowed the Norwegian subsidiary of the Group to deal with this crisis without significant impact on its revenue and to post increased profitability. The optical communications business, impacted by the technical incident at the end of the previous year, benefited from an increase in its order book for the coming quarter. Despite an unprecedented health crisis, the Group continued to increase its available liquidity position, i.e. 4.8 million euros at the end of June 2021, in particular due to a positive EBITDA for the first half of 2021. The potential impact of the pandemic remains very uncertain based on the current available information. MEMSCAP will continue to regularly assess the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on its business. MEMSCAP pursues its strategy focused on avionics, medical and optical communications segments as well as increasing the flexibility of its production capabilities. Half-year 2021 revenue and earnings: August 31, 2021. About MEMSCAP MEMSCAP is the leading provider of innovative micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS)-based solutions. MEMSCAP's products and solutions include components, component designs (IP), manufacturing and related services. For more information, visit our website at: www.memscap.com MEMSCAP is listed on Euronext Paris Segment C ISIN: FR0010298620 - MEMS View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005477/en/ Contacts: Yann Cousinet Chief Financial Officer Ph.: +33 (0) 4 76 92 85 00 yann.cousinet@memscap.com Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. NTT DATA UK has announced a new partnership with myGwork as part of its ongoing D&I work. myGwork is a business community for LGBTQ+ professionals, graduates, allies, and organisations to promote diversity in the workplace and beyond. As part of the partnership, the networking platform will feature news, jobs, and contributed articles from NTT DATA UK. The partnership with myGwork is part of NTT DATA UK's work as a company that actively supports the LGBTQ+ community. For the last year, NTT DATA has been a contributor to the myGwork website and events. Tim Bardell, Vice President, Head of Consulting and executive sponsor for the LGBT+ and Allies Network at NTT DATA UK, has appeared in multiple speaking events for the organisation. Most notably, Tim was part of myGwork's Executive Allies webinar, one of the main events at myGwork's WorkPride, its annual 5-day virtual pride conference that attracts over 20,000 attendees each year. Moving forward, NTT DATA UK will continue to be a part of events like these as a commercial partner, adding to myGwork's community of like-minded individuals and organisations. myGwork's goal is to empower the LGBTQ+ community by offering its members a safe space where they can connect with inclusive employers, find jobs, mentors, professional events and news. The company hopes to be a platform that gives its members tailored insights through a professional lens, compared to standard mainstream and LGBT media. NTT DATA UK is joining myGwork's extensive community of over 240 diverse organisations who already use the platform, including the United Nations, Lloyds, eBay, PlayStation and more. Through the partnership, NTT DATA UK hopes to build community and awareness around the benefits of nurturing an inclusive workforce. It will do this through contributed articles, events and more which will open its doors to a wider, more diverse talent pool. Gareth Lewis Jones, Vice President, Head of Business Consulting and Head of LGBT+ and Allies Network at NTT DATA UK, commented: "At NTT DATA, we're always looking for better ways of representing and connecting with the LGBT+ community both internally and externally and myGwork is a great way of doing just that. This partnership will allow us to learn from and grow with individuals and other organisations in the LGBT+ ecosystem through an inclusive and safe platform that encourages diversity. "We're currently in a period of rapid growth; we need brilliant people who not only share our values but are also representatives of the communities in which NTT DATA lives and works. And we hope this partnership will grow the numbers of LGBT+ team members we have here in the UK." Michelle Raymond, Business Development Director at myGwork, commented: "We are thrilled to welcome NTT DATA UK onboard as our new inclusive partner. Since we started working together, we have seen that they completely share our vision. NTT DATA see the value in advocating for and building a diverse team of people, and the benefits that come with that. We look forward to celebrating diversity and inclusion together and hope our partnership helps encourage other organisations to take active steps in building an inclusive environment for everyone." You can visit the NTT DATA myGwork page here: https://www.mygwork.com/en/organisations/ntt-data-uk/detail -- Ends -- About NTT DATA NTT DATA is a leading IT services provider and global innovation partner headquartered in Tokyo, with business operations in over 50 countries. Our emphasis is on long-term commitment combining global reach with local intimacy to provide premier professional services varying from consulting and systems development to outsourcing. For more information, visit www.nttdata.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005123/en/ Contacts: nttdata@resonancecrowd.com or call 0208 819 3170 WALLDORF, Germany, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Krypt is proud to welcome Kai Seela to the team as Vice President of Global Trade. As an international leader in SAP GTS, Kai will head the Global Trade Practice at Krypt. "We are thrilled to have Kai Seela joining us after partnering with him at SAP for many years. His vast experience and expertise in global trade and logistics combined with his thought leadership will no doubt propel Krypt to become the partner of choice for our customers as they transition through their digital supply chain and trade journeys." -Jigish Shah, CEO Krypt Kai comes to Krypt with over 25 years of IT experience working in consulting, project management, business development and solution management positions with a particular focus on foreign trade and economics. He has worked with clients around the world including North and Latin America, EMEA, MENA and Asia-Pacific. His experience includes management of multinational implementation projects, business development for new regions and markets as well as driving development and localization of standardized software solutions to meet industry-specific and regulatory requirements. Kai was a functional executive of one of the biggest SAP User Groups and is a valued speaker at various events globally. He holds a BBA in foreign trade and economics. "Although the world has been trading internationally for many centuries, international trade seldom played a major role inside organizations, not to mention C-level agendas. Trade wars, Brexit, supply chain disruptions during the pandemic have brought it back into everyones' mind. After more than a decade working with Krypt as a valued, trusted and favoured partner, I'm now very excited to join the Krypt team and to work for an agile, highly motivated and inspiring team, providing excellent services and delivering value to customers on a daily basis not only in international trade, but also along the supply chain. Together we will pave the way for next generation international trade." -Kai Seela, VP, Global Trade Krypt has been an SAP partner for Global Trade & Supply Chain since 2008 and has offices located in the United States, Canada, Germany, India, Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Ireland. Krypt has helped hundreds of customers globally leverage their SAP investments to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and gain a competitive edge. To learn more about Krypt solutions, request a DEMO or contact us . Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1579504/Kai_Seela_Orange.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1443210/krypt_logo_transparent_Logo.jpg Deadline extended to August 13 Startups with a vision to improve the insurance industry invited to submit pitches PEARL RIVER, N.Y. and LONDON, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ACORD, the global standards-setting body for the insurance industry, today announced a call for entries for its annual ACORD InsurTech Innovation Challenge (AIIC), the world's premier event for innovation in insurance technology. The AIIC's mission is to seek out, promote, and nurture sustainable technological innovation for the insurance industry, benefitting insurers, distribution channel stakeholders, and/or vendor partners. The deadline for submitting ideas is Friday, August 13. "The ACORD InsurTech Innovation Challenge brings together an exciting group of innovators who share a strong desire to bring positive change to the insurance market," said Bijesh Jacob, SVP, Technology & Standards, ACORD Solutions Group. "The AIIC was the insurance industry's first competition of its kind in 2015, and we are proud to continue this tradition of recognizing and supporting the emerging ideas and technologies that will advance our industry globally." Through an open submission process leading to rounds of virtual competitions in London on September 2 and New York on September 14, the AIIC rewards the most innovative ideas with thousands of dollars' worth of benefits, promotional tools, industry exposure, and networking opportunities. The winners of each Challenge will receive $10,000 cash and other prizes. Startups from anywhere in the world are eligible to enter the AIIC. Applicants must submit and present a well-defined concept for a viable product or service which demonstrates the potential to disrupt traditional approaches to insurance and transform the ways the industry thinks. The AIIC brings together insurance innovators across all lines of business, investors and venture capital partners, technology startups, and industry mentors and experts to shape the future of the insurance industry. The 2020 AIIC winners are Micruity, a central clearinghouse for communicating, verifying, and aggregating annuity-related data in a secure and frictionless manner (New York), and Virtual i Technologies, which helps the insurance industry see and assess risks and losses which are typically hidden from view today (London). For more information, or to submit an application, please visit www.acordchallenge.org. ABOUT ACORD ACORD (Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development) is the global standards-setting body for the insurance and related financial services industries. ACORD facilitates fast, accurate data exchange and efficient workflows through the development of electronic standards, standardized forms, and tools to support their use. ACORD engages thousands of insurance and reinsurance companies, agents and brokers, software providers, financial services organizations and industry associations in more than 100 countries. ACORD maintains offices in New York and London. Learn more at www.acord.org. CONTACT: Beth Jarecki beth@lpendragonus.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/631946/ACORD_Logo.jpg LISBON, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GoParity , a Portuguese fintech that helps finance sustainable projects through crowdlending, partnered up with SolarPipo Group, a one-stop-shop for solar energy projects in Uganda, to raise funds for dairy cooperatives to go solar, raising more than 200.000 for four dairy cooperatives. 20-40% of all milk production in Uganda is wasted due to a lack of timely refrigeration. Solar power technologies provide consistent electricity for cold storage of milk, impacting the milk producers and the surrounding population (explained in this video ). GoParity's community of impact investors has lent 220.000 to install solar panels in four dairy cooperatives in Uganda. The projects, developed by SolarPipo, aim to replace diesel generators for solar power plants and acquisition of battery racks producing more than 375 MWh of clean energy yearly, reducing the cost of cooling milk and supporting the creation of more than 4000 jobs as a result of the increase in the volume and microprocessing of milk. "Our vision at GoParity is of a renewable and decentralized energy system, in which energy is accessible and affordable to all and used in the most efficient manner, involving local communities." says Nuno Brito Jorge, CEO of GoParity. By allowing the cooperatives to run on clean energy, and eliminating the diesel consumption, 64.15 tons of CO2 emissions are being avoided every year. GoParity and SolarPipo have impacted around 10.800 people by funding the Kasolwe Cooperative, the Kyenturegye Cooperative, the Baitambogwe Cooperative and the Buyende Cooperative, and until the end of the year are planning to finance a total of seven cooperatives, reaching a global amount of 400.000 invested in Uganda. A reliable energy system has had a trickle-down impact improving the lives of the population by generating jobs; tackling malnutrition; through bigger access to education and better and safer working conditions. SolarPipo Group, with over eight years of experience in the renewable energy sector is specialized in solar projects for dairy producers. Acting as an installer and investor, easing the process of electrification of dairy cooperatives in Uganda using solar power. GoParity, a crowdlending financing platform that funds social and environmental impact projects using its community of investors, has financed more than 6 million euros for more than 100 sustainability projects, attracting more than 12,500 users. COPENHAGEN (dpa-AFX) - Denmark's retail sales declined in June after rising in the previous month, figures from Statistics Denmark showed on Tuesday. Retail sales fell a seasonally adjusted 0.4 percent month-on-month in June, after a 0.8 percent growth in May. In April, output had decreased 5.8 percent. Sales of clothing and other goods increased 8.5 percent monthly in June and those of sales of food and grocery rose 0.3 percent. Meanwhile, sales of other consumables fell 2.6 percent. On an annual basis, retail sales increased 6.6 percent in June, following a 6.1 percent growth in the previous month. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2021) - Spey Resources Corp. (CSE: SPEY) (OTCQB: SPEYF) (FSE: 2JS) ("Spey" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the lithium brine samples from the Incahuasi Salar, Argentina have been received by the University of Melbourne. There are three grades of brine to be processed. Nader Vatanchi CEO commented, "We are excited that the brines are in Melbourne as we can now process the brines from Incahuasi using the Ekosolve Lithium Solvent Exchange Direct Lithium Extraction process with the aim of producing a battery grade Lithium sample from our brine. Phillip Thomas, Project Director is in discussion with several battery producers and having a sample of lithium carbonate will assist greatly with the objective of attaining an off-take agreement." Qualified Person Phillip Thomas, BSc Geol, MBusM, FAusIMM, MAIG, MAIMVA, (CMV), a Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101 regulations, has reviewed the technical information that forms the basis for portions of this news release, and has approved the disclosure herein. Mr. Thomas is independent of the Company but discloses that he is a shareholder of SPEY. About Spey Resources Corp. Spey Resources is a Canadian mineral exploration company which holds an option to acquire 100% interest in the Candela II lithium brine project located in the Incahuasi Salar, Salta Province, through its wholly owned subsidiary Tech One Lithium Resources Corp and Pocitos Salar lithium project in Argentina. Spey also holds an option to acquire a 100% undivided interest in the Silver Basin Project located in the Revelstoke Mining Division of British Columbia as well as an option to acquire a 100% interest in the Kaslo Silver project, west of Kaslo, British Columbia. For more information, please contact: Nader Vatanchi CEO, Director nader@speyresources.ca 778-881-4631 Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain disclosure in this release may constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. In making the forward-looking statements in this release, the Company has applied certain factors and assumptions that the Company believes are reasonable. However, the forward-looking statements in this release, including without limitation, statements pertaining to the future exercise of the Agreement to acquire an interest in the Property, the Company's exploration programs and the Company's mineral property development plans, are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Such uncertainties and risks include, without limitation, financing risks, delays in obtaining or inability to obtain required regulatory approvals, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political or competitive developments, exploration and operational difficulties, the timing of future business expenditures, the potential of the Company's mineral properties and changes in economic conditions or financial markets. 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. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. 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. The Canadian Securities Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91284 CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Japanese yen climbed against its major counterparts in the Asian session on Tuesday, as China's crackdown on a wider array of companies continued to dampen risk sentiment. China tightened regulations for food delivery platforms, ensuring minimum wages. Beijing also tightened grip on education tech sector, banning tutoring for profit in core school subjects during the academic year. The Federal Reserve will begin its two-day meeting later today, with investors seeking clues on the timing of tapering the stimulus program. Powell may indicate that although a discussion on tapering has begun, it's too early to signal a specific date. The yield on U.S. 10-year treasury note dipped to a record low on Monday, reflecting worries about the spread of the delta coronavirus variant. U.S. corporate earnings also remain on investors' minds, with Google's parent Alphabet, Apple and Microsoft due to report their earnings later today. The yen rose to 120.03 against the franc and a session's high of 129.68 against the euro, off its prior lows of 120.55 and 130.30, respectively. The yen is likely to find resistance around 116 against the franc and 127.00 against the euro. The yen moved up to a 6-day high of 87.43 against the loonie and a 4-day high of 110.10 against the greenback, after falling to 88.02 and 110.39, respectively in early trading. Next key resistance for the currency is seen around 85.5 against the loonie and 108.00 against the greenback. The Japanese currency rebounded from its early lows of 81.51 against the aussie and 77.29 against the kiwi and gained to 80.82 and 76.55, respectively. The yen is seen finding resistance around 78.00 against the aussie and 73 against the kiwi. The yen edged up to 151.78 against the pound, following a session's low of 152.58 seen at 5:45 pm ET. On the upside, 147.00 is possibly seen as its next resistance level. Looking ahead, U.S. durable goods orders for June, Federal Housing finance agency's U.S. house price index and S&P/Case-Shiller home price index for May and consumer confidence index for July will be featured in the New York session. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Volta FinanceLimited (VTA/VTAS) ("the Company") Director Declaration NOT FOR RELEASE, DISTRIBUTION OR PUBLICATION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES Guernsey, 27July2021 In compliance with Listing Rule 9.6.14, Volta Finance Limited announces that Mr Steve Le Page, a Non-Executive Director, has informed the Company that he was appointed as a Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of Amedeo Air Four Plus Limited, effective 27 July 2021. The shares of Amedeo Air Four Plus Limited have been listed on the Specialist Fund Segment of the London Stock Exchange's Main Market since May 2015. For further information, please contact: For the Investment Manager AXA Investment Managers Paris Serge Demay serge.demay@axa-im.com +33 (0) 1 44 45 84 47 Company Secretary and Administrator BNP Paribas Securities Services S.C.A, Guernsey Branch guernsey.bp2s.volta.cosec@bnpparibas.com +44 (0) 1481 750 853 Corporate Broker Cenkos Securities plc Andrew Worne Daniel Balabanoff Will Talkington +44 (0) 20 7397 8900 ***** ABOUT VOLTA FINANCE LIMITED Volta Finance Limited is incorporated in Guernsey under The Companies (Guernsey) Law, 2008 (as amended) and listed on Euronext Amsterdam and the London Stock Exchange's Main Market for listed securities. Volta's home member state for the purposes of the EU Transparency Directive is the Netherlands. As such, Volta is subject to regulation and supervision by the AFM, being the regulator for financial markets in the Netherlands. Volta's investment objectives are to preserve capital across the credit cycle and to provide a stable stream of income to its shareholders through dividends. Volta seeks to attain its investment objectives predominantly through diversified investments in structured finance assets. The assets that the Company may invest in either directly or indirectly include, but are not limited to: corporate credits; sovereign and quasi-sovereign debt; residential mortgage loans; and, automobile loans. The Company's approach to investment is through vehicles and arrangements that essentially provide leveraged exposure to portfolios of such underlying assets. The Company has appointed AXA Investment Managers Paris an investment management company with a division specialised in structured credit, for the investment management of all its assets. ***** ABOUT AXA INVESTMENT MANAGERS AXA Investment Managers (AXA IM) is a multi-expert asset management company within the AXA Group, a global leader in financial protection and wealth management. AXA IM is one of the largest European-based asset managers with 679 investment professionals and 858 billion in assets under management as of the end of December 2020 ***** This press release is published by AXA Investment Managers Paris ("AXA IM"), in its capacity as alternative investment fund manager (within the meaning of Directive 2011/61/EU, the "AIFM Directive") of Volta Finance Limited (the "Volta Finance") whose portfolio is managed by AXA IM. This press release is for information only and does not constitute an invitation or inducement to acquire shares in Volta Finance. Its circulation may be prohibited in certain jurisdictions and no recipient may circulate copies of this document in breach of such limitations or restrictions. This document is not an offer for sale of the securities referred to herein in the United States or to persons who are "U.S. persons" for purposes of Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or otherwise in circumstances where such offer would be restricted by applicable law. Such securities may not be sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration from the Securities Act. Volta Finance does not intend to register any portion of the offer of such securities in the United States or to conduct a public offering of such securities in the United States. ***** This communication is only being distributed to and is only directed at (i) persons who are outside the United Kingdom or (ii) 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 companies, 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"). The securities referred to herein are only 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. Past performance cannot be relied on as a guide to future performance. ***** This press release contains statements that are, or may deemed to be, "forward-looking statements". These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms "believes", "anticipated", "expects", "intends", "is/are expected", "may", "will" or "should". They include the statements regarding the level of the dividend, the current market context and its impact on the long-term return of Volta Finance's investments. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Volta Finance's actual results, portfolio composition and performance may differ materially from the impression created by the forward-looking statements. AXA IM does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements. Any target information is based on certain assumptions as to future events which may not prove to be realised. Due to the uncertainty surrounding these future events, the targets are not intended to be and should not be regarded as profits or earnings or any other type of forecasts. There can be no assurance that any of these targets will be achieved. In addition, no assurance can be given that the investment objective will be achieved. The figures provided that relate to past months or years and past performance cannot be relied on as a guide to future performance or construed as a reliable indicator as to future performance. Throughout this review, the citation of specific trades or strategies is intended to illustrate some of the investment methodologies and philosophies of Volta Finance, as implemented by AXA IM. The historical success or AXA IM's belief in the future success, of any of these trades or strategies is not indicative of, and has no bearing on, future results. The valuation of financial assets can vary significantly from the prices that the AXA IM could obtain if it sought to liquidate the positions on behalf of the Volta Finance due to market conditions and general economic environment. Such valuations do not constitute a fairness or similar opinion and should not be regarded as such. Editor: AXA INVESTMENT MANAGERS PARIS, a company incorporated under the laws of France, having its registered office located at Tour Majunga, 6, Place de la Pyramide - 92800 Puteaux. AXA IMP is authorized by the Autorite des Marches Financiers under registration number GP92008 as an alternative investment fund manager within the meaning of the AIFM Directive. ***** LONDON, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AgDevCo is pleased to announce its latest investment in Mozambique's agribusiness sector. The UK-based social impact investor has closed a USD 3 million debt investment in Quinta da Bela Vista Limitada (QBV), an irrigated banana estate located in the Boane area in Mozambique. QBV was established in 2016 as a joint venture between Silverstreet Capital's Silverlands I Fund and Crookes Brothers Limited (JSE: CKS) and currently comprises 128ha of irrigated bananas. QBV's strategy is to expand the operation to 260ha over the next two years. Crookes Brothers has a proven track record in the banana sector in South Africa providing QBV with expertise and a marketing channel into South Africa. SilverStreet is one of Africa's largest dedicated investors in the agricultural sector with investments in eight countries on the continent. AgDevCo's investment will support QBV's expansion by providing long term capital. QBV currently employs over 240 people, with further growth in jobs expected as a result of the expansion. The banana industry is a key source of employment, improving the livelihoods of local communities. The export of bananas offers Mozambique the opportunity to increase foreign exchange revenue. "AgDevCo's funding of QBV will enable the company to expand and create employment opportunities in an optimal banana growing area in southern Mozambique. They have been an ideal funding partner for QBV, structuring the loan to suit the needs of the company," said Simon Morgan, Director of QBV. "We are delighted to back QBV and partner with Crookes and Silverstreet in developing the banana industry in the Boane area, helping to build sustainable impact and bring in export revenue," said Charlotte Dubois, Investment Director at AgDevCo. ABOUT AGDEVCO AgDevCo is a specialist investor in African agriculture. We invest to grow sustainable and impactful agribusiness. Our vision is a thriving commercial agriculture sector which benefits both people and planet. We contribute to this by investing in and supporting agribusinesses to grow, create jobs, produce and process food and link farmers to markets. We reinvest our capital to reach higher impact which ensures efficiency and change at scale. We support our partners to work towards climate sustainability, and where possible, regenerative solutions. AgDevCo's current portfolio has $149m of committed funds into 46 companies. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/737847/AgDevCo_Logo.jpg BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - French stocks retreated on Tuesday as deeper losses in Chinese and Hong Kong shares weighed on investors' appetite for risk. Asian stocks hit their lowest this year as investors fled Chinese tech stocks, bonds and currencies amid concerns over Beijing's sweeping crackdown on companies ranging from education firms to the technology sector. China's top food delivery company lost nearly 18 percent in Hong Kong, on top of a 14 percent plunge the previous day as the country tightened regulations for food delivery platforms, ensuring minimum wages. The Federal Reserve meeting and U.S. corporate earnings also remained on investors' minds, with Google's parent Alphabet, Apple and Microsoft due to report their earnings later today. The benchmark CAC 40 dropped 34 points, or half a percent, to 6,544 after edging up 0.2 percent in the previous session. Cyclicals were coming under selling pressure, with banks BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole and Societe Generale all falling more than 1 percent. Sodexo Group shares were down 0.8 percent. The catering and food services group said it entered into exclusive negotiations to combine its global childcare services, including Liveli in France, with those of the Grandir group. 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. NANJING, China, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sungrow, the global leading inverter solution supplier for renewables, officially declared its another R&D Center was opened in Nanjing, China'sJiangsu province, on July 16, 2021 -- the opening day of national carbon emission trading market. The center focuses on the R&D in smart technologies, big data, software integration, etc., expected to be the Company's second largest research institute in the next three to five years. About Nanjing R&D Center Sungrow Nanjing R&D Center occupies 2,000 square meters of office area and it plans to employ 200 people by the end of 2021. By 2025, the number of employees will gradually increase to 600. In addition, the R&D and experimentation office area will expand to 10,000 square meters. Many universities and research institutions are located in Nanjing. Many talents and ideas are rooted in Nanjing. With these advantages, the Sungrow Nanjing R&D Center is poised to concentrate on software development and technological integration in diversified, interconnected and multi-faceted energy digitalization, IOT, intelligence, industrial cyber security, and supportive grids. This center will also conduct advanced research on energy internet, energy storage management, wind energy, electric vehicles, future grid, and more. Highlight on R&D Talents Sungrow maintains a large proportion of R&D investment and boasts more than 2100 R&D employees, accounting for over 40% of the total, having applied more than 3,100 worldwide patents. The Company has built a number of R&D Centers in Hefei, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Nanjing. The Company is also establishing R&D facilities overseas. With keen R&D efforts in both domestic and foreign markets, Sungrow is proving a true model of multinational matrix of innovation business. The establishment of Nanjing R&D Center further demonstrates Sungrow's dedication to innovative talent development, sustained by the cooperation with first-class science and research institutions, universities, and other innovation platforms. Upon the opening of the Nanjing R&D Center, Sungrow also initiates its talent development model combining industry, education and research. At the opening ceremony, Jack Gu, Senior Vice President of Sungrow, said, "The establishment of the Nanjing R&D Center marks a significant step for Sungrow to further its technological innovation and enrich its talent pool." Forward Planning Sungrow will continue to innovate and progress via tangible results from its sophisticated R&D team. As the leading player in the renewable energy industry, Sungrow will completely develop the competencies and capabilities in solar-plus-storage business, wind energy, hydrogen energy, and EV charging stations. In the near future, Sungrow will further the impetus in technological innovation through practical decisions and achievements, improve its contributory role in the sophisticated development of the entire industry while building the net zero carbon era with all stakeholders. About Sungrow Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd. ("Sungrow") is the world's most bankable inverter brand with over 182 GW installed worldwide as of June 2021. Founded in 1997 by University Professor Cao Renxian, Sungrow is a leader in the research and development of solar inverters with the largest dedicated R&D team in the industry and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter solutions and energy storage systems for utility-scale, commercial & industrial, and residential applications, as well as internationally recognized floating PV plant solutions. With a strong 24-year track record in the PV space, Sungrow products power installations in over 150 countries. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1582125/Sungrow_Nanjing_R_D_Center.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1344575/Logo.jpg VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2021 / Komo Plant Based Foods Inc. (CSE:YUM)(OTC PINK:KOMOF)(FSE:9HB) ("Komo"), plant-based food company, has started distributing its products through Dean's Dairy and Specialty Foods and has sent its first shipment of products to Dean's for distribution in British Columbia. Established in 1986, Dean's Dairy & Specialty Foods distributes premium all-natural and organic products to grocers, cafes, and eateries in Vancouver, the Lower Mainland, and just recently, Vancouver Island. To this day, Dean personally selects each brand they represent to ensure clients can expect top quality, consistency and freshness. Dean's delivers 6 days a week with refrigerated trucks that are meticulously maintained in order to ensure the freshest delivery. Building its roots in-home delivery, Dean's team from day one continues to bring personal service, family values, commitment to quality, and their desire to delight customers through wholesale distribution. "When we were first introduced to KOMO and met Adya, Fred, and Jeffrey - their passion and mission to share the love of plant based foods through comfort classics truly inspired us. We understand the challenges and obstacles young entrepreneurs in Vancouver go through, and we are here to support them on their journey to success," says Dean Sellars, Founder and CEO at Dean's. With this new relationship established with Dean's Dairy and Specialty Foods, Komo is no longer working with its previous food distributor for British Columbia. Komo works with Cornerstone Sales Ltd. as it's Canadian sales agent to bring Komo Foods to broad distribution in Canada to independent and national health food stores, grocery chain, convenience food stores and food services businesses. About Komo Komo Plant Based Foods Inc. is a premium plant-based food company that develops, manufactures, markets and sells a variety of plant-based frozen meals that are always hearty, satisfying, and made with wholesome ingredients. At Komo, our mission is to help make plant-based meals a staple on every dinner table by sharing our love for feel-good food that connects the people to the planet. We believe plant-based eating is the future and - Change can start with a single biteTM. Our experienced plant-based innovation and development team recreates vegan versions of traditionally cheesy and meaty classics, with 100% plants. Komo's products are sold direct-to-consumer through our eCommerce website and a distribution network of online and brick and mortar grocery, convenience and natural retailer channels. Our operating subsidiary Komo Comfort Foods launched in 2021 with our flagship products: plant-based Lasagna, Shepherd's Pie and Chick'n Pot Pie and has recently launched a new line - Komo Plant-Based Meal HelpersTM - versatile meal starters to allow the creation of many dishes at home. Learn more at: www.komocomfortfoods.com and follow on Instagram: @komocomfortfoods For further information, please contact: William White, President & CEO will@komoeats.com 1-866-969-0882 Renmark Financial Communications Inc. Joshua Lavers: jlavers@renmarkfinancial.com Tel: (416) 644-2020 or (212) 812-7680 www.renmarkfinancial.com The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this news release. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or Komo's future performance. The use of any of the words "could", "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 Komo's current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Actual future results may differ materially. In particular, Komo's product development plans, its ability to retain key personnel, and its expectation as to the acceptance of its products by consumers constitute forward-looking information. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The statements made in this press release are made as of the date hereof. Komo disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be expressly required by applicable securities laws. SOURCE: KOMO Plant Based Foods Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657134/Komo-Plant-Based-Foods-Adds-Deans-Dairy-Specialty-Foods-for-Distribution VC funding hits $2.3B in the first half of 2021, surpassing the 2020 full year total by 28% FinTech sector figures suggest 2021 will easily overtake 2020 in the number of funding rounds, mega-rounds, acquisitions, and IPOs Demand for payment solutions grew to 35% of Israeli FinTech funding due to COVID-19 - making it the high-tech industry's largest subsector TEL AVIV, Israel, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Start-Up Nation Central - the independent not-for-profit organization connecting global corporations, investors, and governments to the Israeli tech innovation ecosystem - today revealed that Israel's FinTech sector experienced a record-breaking first half of 2021 in terms of Venture Capital investments. According to a data gathered from Start-Up Nation Central Finder, Israeli companies raised $2.3B in the first half representing a staggering 260% increase over H1 2020 funding, and even surpassing the 2020 full-year total of $1.8B by 28% Based on Start-Up Nation Finder insights, investments in FinTech made up 19% of the total funding in Israeli innovation technology companies during H1, which amounted to $12.2B. When it comes to international comparisons, data from PitchBook* showed that Israel's 28% increase in FinTech funding over the 2020 total surpassed the 20% increase in US company funding and the negative growth (-30) exhibited by the Asian ecosystem but fell short of Europe's impressive 63% growth during the same period. Investors' interest in Israeli FinTech was also expressed in the number of the sector's funding rounds. With a total of 68 rounds halfway through the year, 2021 is already nearing the 2020 total of 74. A breakdown according to round type, shows an increase in the number of Seed rounds (26 in H1 2021, compared to 18 in all of 2020) and also in the number of C+ rounds (15 in H1 2021, compared to 13 in all of 2020). This indicates that while FinTech is a mature sector, new startups are continuing to emerge. When it comes to mega-rounds (investments of more than $100M) 2021 has already seen seven companies raise nine-figure sums, compared to only five throughout all of 2020. The first half of 2021 also indicated very strong exit momentum in the Israeli FinTech sector, with 7 acquisitions, 1 IPO, and 1 completed SPAC, compared to 8 acquisitions and 1 IPO throughout all of 2020. The rise in exists can be linked to the US Federal Reserve's monetary policies, which promoted cash influx to financial markets, leading to a surge in public capital market activity. Payment solutions are the FinTech sectors' hottest ticket Over the last two years, 70% of Israeli FinTech funding was funneled into three prominent subsectors: Payments, Anti-fraud and Insurtech. This trend has continued in 2021, with Payments retaining the top spot, comprising 35% of FinTech funding in H1. The demand for online payments skyrocketed during restrictions imposed by COVID-19. Companies like multi-currency mobile wallet Rapyd ($300M Series D), eCommerce fraud prevention company Forter ($300M Series F) and supplier payment platform Melio ($110M Series D) were well-positioned to benefit from the shift in habits and are expected to continue to grow going forward. The first half of 2021 also saw investment growth in Enterprise Solutions. This new demand was largely spurred by the pandemic-induced rush for corporate innovation which created an opportunity to modernize legacy processes. Start-Up Nation Central FinTech Analyst Nicole Krieger: "2021 has been encouraging for the Israeli FinTech sector so far, with a record number of large late-stage funding rounds, notable exits, and emerging early-stage companies. COVID-19 drivers aside, Israeli FinTech companies have grown rapidly and globally, building commercial partnerships and contributing significant technology to payments and enterprises. Tech innovation significantly upgraded legacy financial services processes. The sector now stands poised for a new era, we see a digital age emerging and are watching digital currency evolution enter a new digital age, it seems the stage could be set for subsequent FinTech evolution such as the adoption of digital currencies." Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1582147/Start_Up_Nation_Central_Infographic.jpg Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2021) - Skychain Technologies Inc. (TSXV: SCT) (OTCQB: SKTCF) (the "Company") announces that it has received approval from the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") to close the outstanding portion of the financing transaction (the "Offering") with The9 Limited (the "The9"). As previously announced by the Company on April 21, 2021 and May 13, 2021, the Company entered into a financing agreement with The9 pursuant to which The9 agreed to subscribe for $2,000,000 of transferable, convertible debentures and $2,000,000 of units (the "Units"). The Company is using the proceeds from the Offering to develop its cryptocurrency hosting facility located in Birtle, Manitoba. As announced on June 4, 2021, the Company received approval from the Exchange to close on the Offering to the extent that The9 had no more than a 9.9% interest in the Company. The issuance of the remainder of the Units was subject to the Exchange approving The9 Limited as an insider of the Company. The Exchange has completed its review and has granted the Company approval to issue the final tranche of 1,010,628 Units to The9. The Units are subject to a hold period of four months and one day. About Skychain Technologies INC Skychain Technologies is a Vancouver based company providing Blockchain Infrastructure services and power solutions. Our vision is to become a leading player in the crypto/data mining hosting by growing to 100Mw of crypto hosting capacity. To learn more, visit www.skychaintechnologiesinc.com. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Bill Zhang President and CEO Contact: 604-456-0608 info@skychaintechnologiesinc.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of accuracy of this release. Statements in this news release may be viewed as forward-looking statements. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. There are no assurances the company can fulfill such forward-looking statements and the company undertakes no obligation to update such statements. Such forward-looking statements are only predictions; actual events or results may differ materially as a result of risks facing the company, some of which are beyond the company's control. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91254. BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks fell on Tuesday as Beijing widened a clampdown on businesses it blames for exacerbating inequality and increasing financial risk. Asian stocks hit their lowest this year as investors fled Chinese tech stocks, bonds and currencies amid concerns over Beijing's sweeping crackdown on companies ranging from education firms to the technology sector. China's top food delivery company lost nearly 18 percent in Hong Kong, on top of a 14 percent plunge the previous day as the country tightened regulations for food delivery platforms, ensuring minimum wages. The pan European Stoxx 600 dropped 0.6 percent to 458.57 after closing flat with a negative bias on Monday. The German DAX lost 0.7 percent, France's CAC 40 index dipped half a percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 was down 0.6 percent. The British pound held firm, helped by a decline in new daily COVID-19 cases in the U.K. Cyclicals such as banks and automakers were broadly lower. Miners Antofagasta and Glencore dropped around 2 percent after data showed China's industrial profits growth moderated in June. Industrial profits increased notably by 20 percent on a yearly basis in June, but slower than the 36.4 percent growth posted in May as high commodity prices continued to squeeze the profitability of companies. Rio Tinto declined 1.7 percent after saying it planned to cut production at its aluminium smelter in Canada due to union strikes. Reckitt Benckiser shares plummeted 8.5 percent after the Lysol maker swung to pretax loss for the first half of the year on lower revenue and higher costs. Online greeting card publisher Moonpig slumped 6.7 percent after saying it expects a major drop in sales in the coming months. Daily Mirror publisher Reach Plc jumped 7.7 percent. The company said it was trading ahead of expectations and expects that strong momentum to continue. Dutch telecom KPN advanced 1.8 percent. The company announced a share buyback program worth 200 million euros ($235 million) after posting second-quarter earnings above estimates. Sodexo Group shares were down about half a percent. The French catering and food services group said it entered into exclusive negotiations to combine its global childcare services, including Liveli in France, with those of the Grandir group. A two-day policy meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve gets underway later today, with investors waiting to see how the central bank will balance fast-rising prices with the complication of increased coronavirus infections. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Second win in category for Validus platform AUSTIN, Texas and LONDON, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Eventus Systems, Inc., a leading global provider of multi-asset class trade surveillance and market risk solutions, today won the award for Trade Surveillance Product of the Year in the 2021 Risk Technology Awards. The firm won the comparable honor in 2019, also for its Validus platform that now provides not only trade surveillance and risk monitoring but also anti-money laundering and transaction monitoring. The Risk Technology Awards recognize those vendors doing the most to help the industry meet its various challenges in the fields of asset liability management (ALM), credit and operational risk, as well as wider enterprise risk management. Winners are determined by a panel of judges, selected by the editors of Risk.net, including technology users, risk management practitioners and members of the editorial team. Erin Joyce, Manager, Risk Technology Awards, said: "The judges prized Eventus' balance of offerings that span the current state of innovation with impressive and forward-thinking features such as its use of AI and a complete audit trail of all automations." Eventus CEO Travis Schwab said: "It's truly gratifying to earn this recognition from the distinguished panel of judges that Risk.net assembled. We've been on a steep growth trajectory since winning this award last time, broadening our staff, capabilities and geographical presence - but maintaining our laser focus on market expertise, close collaboration with our clients, flexibility, customization and scalability." Eventus last year made hundreds of enhancements to Validus, including new capabilities for anti-money laundering (AML) and transaction monitoring, along with extensive functionality and features for its trade surveillance and risk monitoring capabilities. The firm also introduced new automation tools, enabling clients such as digital asset market centers to far more efficiently self-manage their surveillance models and cast a wide net for alerts, sifting through the noise and better highlighting which alerts require human review. In June, Eventus won Best Market Surveillance Tool in the 2021 WatersTechnology Asia Awards, following its selection in April as Best Sell-Side Market Surveillance Provider in WatersTechnology's 2021 Sell-Side Technology Awards, as well as Best in RegTech in Markets Media's Markets Choice Awards for the second consecutive year. About Eventus Systems Eventus Systems is a leading global provider of multi-asset class trade surveillance and market risk solutions. Its powerful, award-winning Validus platform is easy to deploy, customize and operate across equities, options, futures, foreign exchange (FX), fixed income and digital asset markets. Validus is proven in the most complex, high-volume and real-time environments of tier-1 banks, broker-dealers, futures commission merchants (FCMs), proprietary trading groups, market centers, buy-side institutions, energy and commodity trading firms, and regulators. The company's rapidly growing client base relies on Validus and Eventus' responsive support and product development teams to overcome its most pressing regulatory challenges. For more, visit www.eventussystems.com . Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/635481/Eventus_Systems_Logo.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1581580/Eventus_Systems_award_Logo.jpg - $55.5 million (47M) closing of iAngels Ventures announced by iAngels - a women-led venture capital firm and investment platform - Investment supported by EIF under the Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. TEL AVIV, Israel and LUXEMBOURG, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- iAngels , a women-led, Israel-based venture capital firm and investment platform led by Mor Assia and Shelly Hod Moyal , announced the successful closing of $55.5 million in capital for iAngels Ventures, the firm's first institutional fund, bringing its total AUM to over $300 million. iAngels Ventures invests in Israeli high tech and is anchored by a $25 million investment from the European Investment Fund (EIF). This investment, the largest the EIF has made in Israel to date and after a multiyear vetting process that examined all Israeli VCs, is a direct benefit of Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014-2020). With a focus on supporting its entrepreneurs in scaling global businesses, iAngels has produced 22 profitable exits and is expected to return this year alone more capital to investors than has been raised since the company's inception in 2014. This includes eight recent announced or completed exits representing an expected aggregated enterprise value of $13 billion - among them Arbe, eToro, Applitools and Simplex. "The Israeli startup ecosystem has reached a new level of maturity, moving from ambitious startups to building sustainable billion-dollar tech companies with a global footprint," explains iAngels Founding Partner Mor Assia. "We are well-positioned now to lead rounds and provide significant support to our companies from inception to exit. We are proud that our portfolio companies are driving innovation and firmly believe that Israel is uniquely capable of cultivating technologies that will generate impact around the globe." iAngels Founding Partner, Shelly Hod Moyal adds, "Successful Israeli entrepreneurs often pay it forward by investing time and capital to help the next wave of Israeli entrepreneurs profit from their success. We're honored that some of our most successful entrepreneurs see how iAngels contributed to their success and chose iAngels Ventures Fund as the vehicle for investing in the next wave of Israeli start-up and scale-up companies. We're pleased to become a hub for successful entrepreneurs, who are joining iAngels in sharing their wealth of knowledge and experience to influence the success of the Israeli companies." Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, commented: "We are proud to support a women-led fund active in the Israeli high-tech market. Our investment is reinforcing the links between Israel and the European Union, and will result in strengthened cooperation in the research, development and innovation sphere." President of the EIB, Werner Hoyerexpressed, "Support for innovation and SMEs are key priorities for EIF and the EIB group. With the signature of this new agreement, the EIB Group is demonstrating a commitment to support innovative and dynamic businesses. EU backing for equity funds such as iAngels can play a role in creating an ecosystem for tech growth. Innovation and SMEs are crucial for Israel and the European Union as we work to increase competitiveness in local and global markets." EIF Chief Executive, Alan Godard added: "We are pleased to be supporting one of the first equity agreements between EIF and Israel, which will contribute to bridging EU-Israel start-up and venture capital markets. Through its active role in the European business angel network and the innovation arena, iAngels will be able to create additional ties and synergies between Israeli and European investors, helping businesses to grow and innovate." Additional investors in the fund include 20 iAngels' portfolio company founders including, Talmon Marco, Founder and CEO of H2Pro and former Founder and CEO of Viber and Juno; Eyal Gura, Co-Founder of Zebra Medical Vision; Moran Shohat, Founder of Clear Genetics and Kobi Marenko, Founder and CEO of Arbe Robotics, who are expected to IPO in the coming months. Marenko comments, "iAngels is extraordinary. They're investors of the highest calibre-sharp, smart, connected, and full of energy. In Israel where there is no lack of venture funds, iAngels is one of the best." The General Partners of iAngels Ventures include iAngels founders Hod Moyal and Assia, as well as iAngels Chairman David Assia . David Assia, an experienced entrepreneur and prominent Israeli angel investor articulates, "iAngels Ventures is invested, and will continue to invest, in industries ripe for disruption and growth, where the potential for both impact and returns are high. Whereas previously the adoption of technology took years, if not decades, we are now seeing rapid adoption of technologies, a sign we see as the world readily accepting a tech-dominated future. I'm honored to partner with so many of our LPs who share this vision with us." About iAngels iAngels is a venture capital firm founded in 2014 by Shelly Hod Moyal , Mor Assia and David Assia , that sits in the heart of Tel Aviv. Founded with the same entrepreneurial spirit as the companies it invests in, iAngels offers professional investors worldwide exclusive access to high-tech startups originated in Israel and curated through a streamlined due-diligence process. With more than $300 million AUM, a global network of 20,000 members, iAngels is one of the most active investors in the Israeli-tech ecosystem, helping its portfolio companies scale internationally through a vast global network of serial entrepreneurs, professional investors and industry experts. For more information visit the company's website at www.iAngels.com . About EIF The European Investment Fund (EIF) is part of the European Investment Bank group. Its central mission is to support Europe's micro, small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) by helping them to access finance. EIF designs and develops venture and growth capital, guarantees and microfinance instruments, which specifically target this market segment. In this role, EIF fosters EU objectives in support of innovation, research and development, entrepreneurship, growth, and employment. About InnovFin Equity This investment is supported by InnovFin Equity with the financial backing of the European Union under Horizon 2020, the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014-2020). Through or alongside selected Venture Capital (VC), Business Angels (BA), Technology Transfer funds and funds-of-funds, the EU provides risk capital financing to enterprises, research organisations, universities in their proof-of-concept, pre-seed, seed, start-up and other early-stage phases allowing them to set up or reach their next stage of development. InnovFin Equity investments, deployed by the European Investment Fund (EIF), can represent up to 50% of the total commitment made by the financial intermediary, who shall demonstrate a high policy fit by targeting in its investment strategy sectors covered by Horizon 2020 including ICT, medical technologies, biotechnologies, green technologies, nanotechnologies, etc. In addition, the facility has been designed to support Horizon 2020 objectives addressing societal challenges such as those related to resource efficiency, bio-economy, health and demographics, and climate change. Press contacts: iAngels Ayelet Cohen ayelet@iangels.com IL: +972-58-631-9420 US: +1-646-968-0264 iAngels media relations Gina Shaffer gina.shaffer@si14global.com US: +1(707) 533-1504 IL: +(972) 54-649-3485 EIF David Yormesor + 352 24 85 81 346 d.yormesor@eif.org EU Delegation to Israel Sharon Offenberger +972 544 282 213 sharon.offenberger@eeas.europa.eu Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1582098/iAngels_Logo.jpg Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1582099/iAngels_101.jpg Top Real Estate Companies Rely on HqO to Provide Superior Tenant Experiences BOSTON, July 27, 2021, the only tenant experience operating system for office buildings, has partnered with asset managers to power over 13 million square feet of commercial real estate (CRE) in Europe. This year alone, HqO acquired nearly 8 million square feet of new business in the U.K. and over 2 million square feet in France. HqO is known for its partnerships with major industry players like Columbia Property Trust and Vornado Realty Trust in the United States. In Europe, HqO partners with notable U.K. brands like J.P. Morgan, Land Securities Group, and Grosvenor, as well as Starwood Capital Europe in Norway, Allianz Real Estate in France, and Jamestown in the Netherlands. "HqO is no stranger to the European market. Our technology is a strong value-driver for CRE leaders here," says Samuel Warren, Managing Director of HqO in the U.K. "There are so many trends that tenant experience addresses, and our work with these leading landlords helps our clients develop exceptional strategies. What really delights us is the feedback we receive when landlords make use of our analytics tool, which delivers powerful, immediate insights into the human interaction across assets, programming, and technology." HqO's partnerships with these landlords are significant. Grosvenor is one of the largest privately-owned global landlords with a presence in over 60 cities, and it continually seeks genuinely innovative ways to enhance the tenant experience. Its mixed-use portfolio, coupled with a rich history of over 340 years in property, means the company owns some of the finest office locations in the London area. J.P. Morgan, which has signed over 1.5M square feet of its U.K. and European assets, including the notable Spitalfields Market, has a strong retail focus and a public-facing version of the HqO app. Its custom app sees 10,000 visitors per hour at peak times, and is connected to multiple local food trucks and vendors with plans for further expansion. HqO also partners with investment fund and landlord Legal and General Investment Managers (LGIM), which operates one of the most extensive portfolios of real estate assets in the U.K. LGIM has cited the platform's ability to deploy solutions at scale and manage complexities as a differentiator from other tenant experience providers. Other key European landlords leveraging HqO's leading tenant experience technology include Endurance Land, IPUT Dublin, and FORE Partnership. "FORE Partnership is delighted to be partnering with HqO to deliver the best possible tenant experience for occupiers at our Cadworks scheme in Glasgow," says Giles Edwards, Associate Director at FORE Partnership. "Cadworks will be the most advanced office building in Scotland, and we see HqO's custom app as the perfect tool to introduce and guide our occupiers through the key benefits that these technological advances will deliver. Additionally, at our core, we have a firm belief in the potential that real estate has to positively impact the community, both locally and in a wider sense. HqO's platform will be integral for us to deliver these key elements of our vision for Cadworks, and we look forward to working together on this and future investments." As a part of HqO's continued efforts to scale its platform globally and securely, the company has established data centers in the European Union to improve product performance and add yet another powerful layer of data security and compliance for European customers. Through the HqO platform, these landlords guarantee an advantage in the ever-changing CRE landscape. The HqOS platform can manage all customer-facing technology tools within their buildings and more. By activating real connections between people and properties, it enables data-driven decision making, delivers exceptional tenant experiences, and accelerates innovative asset strategies. About HqO The world's leading commercial real estate firms count on HqO to help them deliver a state-of-the-art tenant experience within their properties. Active in over 150 million square feet in 8 countries, HqO is known for its tenant experience platform comprised of an award-winning tenant app, analytics suite, and partner marketplace. Our solutions put experiences and a sense of community directly into the tenants' hands while helping property owners uncover insights and take intelligent action to differentiate their assets. For more information, visit www.hqo.com , and connect with us on LinkedIn , Twitter , and Instagram . Primary Contact: Kristin Concannon Phone: 833-225-5476 Email: kristin.concannon@hqo.co Soledad Project Highlights Include: Huancarama East - 41m of 1.40 g/t Au, 1.24% Cu, and 79.5 g/t Ag (2.83% Cu-eq) from 112m depth; Paloma West - 48.45m of 1.09 g/t Au, 0.84% Cu, and 39.6 g/t Ag (1.89% Cu-eq) starting at 20.3m depth; Bx1 - 53m of 4.51 g/t Au, 1.22% Cu, and 55.5 g/t Ag (4.64% Cu-eq) starting at 40m depth; and 12m of 0.38 g/t Au, 27.39% Cu, and 967.7 g/t Ag (35.91% Cu-eq) starting at 140m depth; Bx7 - 39m of 1.39 g/t Au, 0.13% Cu, and 50.4 g/t Ag (2.25 g/t Au-eq) starting at 211m depth. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2021) - Chakana Copper Corp. (TSXV: PERU) (OTCQB: CHKKF) (FSE: 1ZX) (the "Company" or "Chakana"), is pleased to provide results from nine resource definition and exploration holes totaling 1,993.15m from the Soledad project, Ancash, Peru (Table 1). Drilling continues as part of a fully funded 26,000m exploration and resource drilling program planned for 2021 (Fig. 1). The Company will complete approximately 16,000m of resource definition drilling. These results will increase confidence in the initial resource estimate, anticipated in Q4 of 2021. "These results are an outstanding continuation of the drill program we started in 2020. We have seen zones of massive sulfide at Soledad before but never to this extent. Even with 55,000 metres drilled to date on multiple mineralized breccia pipes, we are still encountering these types of features, which demonstrates the exceptional upside potential of this project. This is particularly significant when you consider that we have only tested 15 out of 110 targets thus far," stated President and CEO David Kelley. Drill Results Table 1. Mineralized intervals from drilling at: Huancarama (Resource Definition) DDH # From - To (m) Core Length (m) Au g/t Ag g/t Cu % Cu-eq %* Au-eq g/t* SDH21-200 91.00 182.00 91.00 0.34 58.6 0.62 1.34 2.05 SDH21-203 69.00 162.70 93.70 0.43 45.8 0.55 1.22 1.87 SDH21-205 85.00 184.00 99.00 0.71 40.0 0.56 1.37 2.09 including 112.00 153.00 41.00 1.40 79.5 1.24 2.83 4.34 Paloma West (Resource Definition) DDH # From - To (m) Core Length (m) Au g/t Ag g/t Cu % Cu-eq %* Au-eq g/t* SDH21-201 1.20 4.25 3.05 6.27 46.7 6.88 and 20.30 68.75 48.45 1.09 39.6 0.84 1.89 2.89 SDH21-202 28.00 69.00 41.00 0.47 49.9 1.06 1.79 2.74 and 85.00 98.55 13.55 0.65 24.5 1.01 1.64 2.52 SDH21-204 91.50 114.00 22.50 0.15 13.7 1.15 1.37 2.09 Bx 1 (Resource Definition) DDH # From - To (m) Core Length (m) Au g/t Ag g/t Cu % Cu-eq %* Au-eq g/t* SDH21-206 0.00 93.00 93.00 4.76 39.0 0.71 4.16 6.36 including 0.00 40.00 40.00 5.08 17.1 5.30 including 40.00 93.00 53.00 4.51 55.5 1.22 4.64 7.10 and 173.20 182.00 8.80 0.26 100.7 1.99 3.02 4.62 and 196.00 214.00 18.00 0.11 46.3 0.62 1.09 1.66 and 232.00 262.00 30.00 2.26 57.5 1.48 3.45 5.28 and 285.00 308.00 23.00 0.55 52.7 2.08 2.89 4.42 SDH21-208 0.00 93.00 93.00 3.79 42.0 0.66 3.50 5.35 including 0.00 39.00 39.00 3.40 22.2 0.12 3.87 including 39.00 93.00 54.00 4.07 56.3 1.05 4.19 6.41 and 132.40 140.00 7.60 1.86 140.7 1.93 4.35 6.65 and 140.00 152.00 12.00 0.38 967.7 27.39 35.91 and 152.00 296.00 144.00 0.34 32.2 0.77 1.27 1.94 Bx 7 (Exploration) DDH # From - To (m) Core Length (m) Au g/t Ag g/t Cu % Cu-eq %* Au-eq g/t* SDH21-207 155.00 196.00 41.00 0.43 100.6 0.12 1.93 and 211.00 250.00 39.00 1.39 50.4 0.13 2.25 * Cu_eq and Au_eq values were calculated using copper, gold, and silver. Metal prices utilized for the calculations are Cu - US$2.90/lb, Au - US$1,300/oz, and Ag - US$17/oz. No adjustments were made for recovery as the project is an early-stage exploration project and metallurgical data to allow for estimation of recoveries are not yet available. The formulas utilized to calculate equivalent values are Cu-eq (%) = Cu% + (Au g/t * 0.6556) + (Ag g/t * 0.00857) and Au-eq (g/t) = Au g/t + (Cu% * 1.5296) + (Ag g/t * 0.01307). Huancarama East Three holes were drilled through the Huancarama East breccia pipe to the northeast from a platform on the south side of the complex (Figs. 2 and 3). All three holes intersected mineralized breccia, with depths ranging between approximately 70m to 200m below surface. The breccia pipe has approximate lateral dimensions of 100m by 60m and is open at depth. Additional infill holes have been drilled as part of the ongoing drill program. Examples of mineralized drill core from these holes are shown in Figure 5. Paloma West Paloma West is located 300m northwest of Huancarama and is part of the Paloma trend (Fig. 2). Three holes were drilled to further define mineralization from surface to a depth of approximately 100m depth. The breccia pipe demonstrates zoning with stronger gold and silver grades near surface and increasing copper grades with depth. Mineralization is open at depth. Examples of mineralized drill core from these holes are shown in Figure 5. Bx 1 There are two breccia pipes at Bx 1, the Main Zone that crops out at surface, and the North Zone that is 40 metres north of the Main Zone and 125m below surface (Fig. 3). Additional holes were planned to penetrate the north zone to fill in gaps for the resource estimate (see news release dated June 26, 2018). A significant zone of massive sulfide was intersected in hole SDH21-208 (Figs. 4 and 5). Textures indicate sulfide replacement of tourmaline breccia, a common feature documented in several of the breccia pipes. The massive sulfide zone is part of a continuous mineralized interval of 163.6m length, starting at 132.4m depth within the North Zone. Assay composites for the massive sulfide interval were averaged separately from the overlying and underlying intervals given the extreme grade ranges. Additional in-fill holes have been completed at Bx1 to supplement the existing drilling for the resource estimate. Bx 7 One exploration hole was completed in Bx 7, a mineralized breccia pipe located 300 metres northeast of Bx 1. The hole encountered two mineralized intervals with elevated gold and silver grades, and low overall copper grades. Mineralization is open at depth. Additional holes are needed to define the geometry of the breccia pipe and grade characteristics. 2021 Resource and Exploration Drill Program Results reported here are part of the fully funded 2021 drill program of 26,000m. Combined with the drilling in the second half of 2020, approximately 32,000m is anticipated through 2021. Of this, 15,939.35m have been reported in 76 drill holes. The remaining metres will focus on new targets located in the northern half of the project that have not been drilled previously but are strategic to any eventual development at Soledad. Exploration targets have been ranked based on their technical merit, access, and logistics. About Chakana Copper Chakana Copper Corp is a Canadian-based minerals exploration company that is currently advancing the Soledad Project located in the Ancash region of Peru, a highly favorable mining jurisdiction with supportive communities. The Soledad Project consists of high-grade gold-copper-silver mineralization hosted in tourmaline breccia pipes. A total of 55,000 metres of exploration and resource definition drilling has been completed since 2017, testing 15 of 110 total exploration targets, confirming that Soledad is a large, well-endowed mineral system with strong exploration upside. Chakana's investors are uniquely positioned as the Soledad Project provides exposure to several metals including copper, gold, and silver. For more information on the Soledad project, please visit the website at www.chakanacopper.com. Sampling and Analytical Procedures Chakana follows rigorous sampling and analytical protocols that meet or exceed industry standards. Core samples are stored in a secured area until transport in batches to the ALS facility in Callao, Lima, Peru. Sample batches include certified reference materials, blank, and duplicate samples that are then processed under the control of ALS. All samples are analyzed using the ME-MS41 (ICP technique that provides a comprehensive multi-element overview of the rock geochemistry), while gold is analyzed by AA24 and GRA22 when values exceed 10 g/t by AA24. Over limit silver, copper, lead and zinc are analyzed using the OG-46 procedure. Soil samples are analyzed by 4-acid (ME-MS61) and for gold by Fire Assay on a 30g sample (Au-ICP21). Results of previous drilling and additional information concerning the Project, including a technical report prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101, are made available on Chakana's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Qualified Person David Kelley, an officer and a director of Chakana, and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD (signed) "David Kelley" David Kelley President and CEO For further information contact: Joanne Jobin, Investor Relations Officer Phone: 647 964 0292 Email: jjobin@chakanacopper.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-looking Statement Advisory: This release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of Chakana to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements or information relates to, among other things, the interpretation of the nature of the mineralization at the Soledad copper-gold-silver project (the "Project"), the potential to expand the mineralization, and to develop and grow a resource within the Project, the planning for further exploration work, the ability to de-risk the potential exploration targets, and our belief in the potential for mineralization within unexplored parts of the Project. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs but given the uncertainties, assumptions and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward- looking statements or information. The Company disclaims any obligation to update, or to publicly announce, any such statements, events or developments except as required by law. Figure 1 - View looking north showing outcropping breccia pipes and occurrences within the northern Soledad cluster. Pipes that have been drilled in previous campaigns are shown in red. Breccia pipes shown in green are new discoveries made in 2020. Other pipes and occurrences remain to be tested by drilling. Additional breccia pipes occur on the south half of the property and are not shown here. To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2172/91293_5a3bd0ad54c3bb75_001full.jpg Figure 2 - Map showing drill holes reported in this release, outcropping tourmaline breccias (darker red shapes), and modeled breccia pipes (light red shapes) based on all drill holes. Light gray contours are 25m interval. Untested outcropping targets are also shown. Blue rectangle in the inset map shows the area of Figure 2 within the overall Chakana property. To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2172/91293_5a3bd0ad54c3bb75_002full.jpg Figure 3 - 3D sectional views of the various breccia pipes reported in this release. Light red 3D shapes show breccia pipe geometry based on all drill holes within each pipe. All breccia pipes are presented at the same scale. To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2172/91293_5a3bd0ad54c3bb75_003full.jpg Figure 4 - Massive sulfide intersected in the North Zone breccia pipe at Bx 1. Core diameter is 6.35cm (HQ). To view an enhanced version of Figure 4, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2172/91293_5a3bd0ad54c3bb75_004full.jpg Figure 5 - Select core photos from Paloma West, Huancarama East, and Bx 1 reported in this release: Paloma West SDH21-202 (34.7m) mosaic tourmaline breccia with chalcopyrite-pyrite cement; Paloma West SDH21-204 (97.3m) mosaic breccia with chalcopyrite filling void space in breccia; Huancarama East SDH21-205 (112.9m) black tourmaline breccia with chalcopyrite filling void spaces; Bx 1 SDH21-206 (47.15m) shingle breccia with selective partial clast replacement by chalcopyrite and pyrite; Bx 1 SDH21-208 (246.9) mosaic breccia cemented with chalcopyrite and pyrite. Core diameter is 6.35cm (HQ) in all instances. To view an enhanced version of Figure 5, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2172/91293_5a3bd0ad54c3bb75_006full.jpg To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91293 Hong Kong and Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2021) - Cassiar Gold Corp. (TSXV: GLDC) (OTCQX: CGLCF) ("Cassiar" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement of flow-through units ("FT Units") and premium flow-through units ("Premium FT Units") for gross proceeds of up to $3 Million (the "Offering"). Proceeds of the Offering will be used to advance the ongoing exploration and drilling programs at the Company's flagship Cassiar Gold Project in northern British Columbia. The Company will issue up to 5,000,000 Units, each at a price of $0.60 per unit. Each FT Unit will consist of one common share issued on a "CEE flow-through" basis pursuant to the Income Tax Act (Canada) ("CEE Share") and one flow-through Warrant ("FT Warrant"). Each FT Warrant will be exercisable by the holder thereof to acquire one CEE Share at a price of C$0.675 for a period of 24 months following the closing date of the Offering. Each Premium FT Unit will consist of one CEE Share and one Warrant ("Warrant"). Each Warrant will be exercisable by the holder thereof to acquire one common share in the capital of the Company at a price of C$0.675 for a period of 24 months following the closing date of the Offering. "Cassiar Gold holds a commanding large land position covering most of the Cassiar high-grade orogenic gold field in northern British Columbia," commented Quinton Hennigh, technical advisor to Crescat Capital. "High-grade gold mineralization occurs in steeply dipping tension structures in between stacked flat shear zones underlying the region. Exploring such targets requires expertise in structural geology, and the Company has one of the best such geologists, David Rhys, on their team along with several other heavyweight explorers. We like putting money behind smart people, and at Cassiar, one has a strong team focused on an exceptional high-grade gold field." "We are very pleased to welcome Crescat Capital as a long-term strategic investor," said Marco Roque, CEO of Cassiar Gold. "The proceeds from this financing will allow us the flexibility to increase our work program this year as well to continue to build the breadth and depth of high-quality institutional investors in our shareholder base," he added. Closing of the Offering is expected to occur on or before August 12, 2021 and is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV"). The securities issued pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a four-month hold period under applicable securities laws. In connection with the Offering, certain finders may receive a cash fee and/or non-transferable finder warrants. The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United states or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About Crescat Capital Crescat is a global macro asset management firm headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Crescat's mission is to grow and protect wealth over the long term by deploying tactical investment themes based on proprietary value-driven equity and macro models. Crescat's goal is industry leading absolute and risk-adjusted returns over complete business cycles with low correlation to common benchmarks. The company's investment process involves a mix of asset classes and strategies to assist with each client's unique needs and objectives and includes Global Macro, Long/Short, Large Cap and Precious Metals funds. About Cassiar Gold Corp. Cassiar Gold Corp. is a Canadian gold exploration company focused on projects in British Columbia and led by a team of highly experienced financial and technical executives. The Company's key asset, the Cassiar Gold Project, is a large, highly prospective, road-accessible gold property that encompasses the entire Cassiar gold mining district. The Company has a NI 43-101-compliant inferred resource estimate of 1M oz at 1.43 g/t Au at the Taurus bulk-tonnage gold deposit and has high potential for further discovery and expansion of bonanza grade orogenic gold veins in the past-producing Cassiar South area. Historical underground mining in the Cassiar south area yielded over 300,000 oz of Au at grades of between 10 and 25 g/t Au, underscoring the high-grade potential of the district. The Property hosts numerous gold showings, historical workings, and exploration prospects over a >15 km long and up to 10 km wide trend. It also has a fully permitted 300 tpd mill and tailings facility which could provide the potential for near term production if new and expanded high grade resources are defined in the areas of active mining leases that cover some of the most prospective parts of the South Cassiar area. Cassiar Gold acknowledges, respects, and supports the rights of Traditional First Nations in the lands and communities where we operate. Forward Looking Statements This press release may contain forward looking statements including those describing Cassiar's future plans and the expectations of management that a stated result or condition will occur. Any statement addressing future events or conditions necessarily involves inherent risk and uncertainty. Actual results can differ materially from those anticipated by management at the time of writing due to many factors, the majority of which are beyond the control of Cassiar and its management. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking statements pertaining, directly or indirectly, to the following: Cassiar's exploration plans and work commitments, market conditions and the Company's reasonable commercial efforts regarding financing activities, the ability to close the Offering in the amount anticipated or at all, the use of proceeds of the Offering and economic factors, business and operations strategies. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive. These statements speak only as of the date of this release or as of the date specified in the documents accompanying this release, as the case may be. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements except as expressly required by applicable securities laws. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES CONTACT INFORMATION Cassiar Gold Corp. Marco Roque CEO and a Director +852 6691 6295 Marco@cassiargold.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91294 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2021 / Canagold Resources Ltd. (TSX:CCM, OTCQB:CRCUF, Frankfurt:CANA) announces high-grade gold assay results for three additional drill holes from the ongoing, fully-funded 24,000 meter (m), 47-hole drill program at its 100% owned New Polaris Gold project in northwestern British Columbia. The property is located 100 kilometers (km) south of Atlin, BC and 60 km northeast of Juneau, Alaska. The focus of the 2021 drill program is the C West Main vein system which hosts a major part of the gold resources at New Polaris. Highlights: 30.8 grams per tonne (gpt) Au over 3.9m from 433.6m in hole 21-1783E5 including 48.9 gpt Au over 1.8m 16.0 gpt Au over 1.5m from 411.3m in hole 21-1873E6 11.6 gpt Au over 5.1m from 464.9m in hole 21-1829E2 including 35.2 gpt Au over 1.1m Scott Eldridge, CEO and Director, said, "Our infill drilling continues to yield impressive high-grade gold intercepts with very good continuity of mineralization. The first 8 holes of the 2021 drill program have each returned high grade gold intercepts, the most notable being 24.2 grams per tonne gold over 6.6 metres and 15.8 grams per tonne gold over 13.0 metres. All 2021 drill holes to date fall within our PEA mine plan and support our goal of converting the inferred resources to the indicated category. We plan to collar our first deeper step-out exploration hole in early August". The infill drill holes continue to deliver gold grades and mineralized widths that support the current resource at downhole depths as predicted by the geological model. The consistency of the C West Main mineralization is highlighted when the infill results are plotted amongst the previous drilling in Long Section in terms of gram-meter (g-m) intercepts, in that every pierce point above 7.5 g-m falls within the resource definition parameters of the PEA at a cut-off grade of 4.0 gpt and a minimum mining width of 2 m. Out of the planned 47-hole, 24,000 m program, 17 holes have now been drilled, of which assay results have been reported for 8 holes. All the samples collected from the mineralized zone in these holes have been submitted to the ALS Geochemistry lab in Whitehorse, YT for gold analysis. Detailed information for the two drill holes and the sample assay results and mineralized intercepts are provided in Table 1 and Table 2 below. The collar locations of the two holes in relation to other drill holes of the infill program are shown on the Drill Hole Location Map and the mineralized intercepts relative to previous drilling on the Long Section. Results from the remaining holes in this program will be released every few weeks as they become available throughout the summer and fall. Infill Holes to Upgrade Inferred Resources to Indicated Resources The program is designed to primarily in-fill drill the Inferred category areas of the C West Main vein system and to explore the down-plunge potential 200 to 250 m below the 600 m depth of the currently defined resources. The infill drill holes range in depth from 300 to 650 m and are designed to provide greater density of drill intercepts (20 - 25 m spacing) in areas of Inferred resources between 150 and 600 m below surface. The improved drill density will be used to upgrade parts of the resource categorized as Inferred in the 2019 Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA")* to the Indicated Resource category for inclusion in a future feasibility study. Exploration Holes to Test Down Plunge Potential and Expand Mineralized Zone Two deeper exploration holes of approximately 1,000 m in length will be drilled as part of the program to test between 200 to 250 m down plunge of the modeled extent to the gold mineralization. These will be the deepest holes drilled on the project to date and the results will serve to guide the design of future drill programs. Typically, mesothermal gold systems continue for depths far exceeding the current 600 m depth of New Polaris (similar high grade gold mineralization at Red Lake, ON for example has been mined to depths of more than 2,200 m.). *The New Polaris resource is contained within a preliminary economic assessment ("PEA") report which was prepared by Moose Mountain Technical Services in the format prescribed by NI43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and filed on Sedar April 18, 2019. New Polaris Overview Canagold's flagship asset is the 100% owned New Polaris Gold Mine project located in northwestern British Columbia about 100 kilometers south of Atlin, BC and 60 kilometers northeast of Juneau, Alaska. New Polaris lies within the Taku River Tlingit First Nations traditional territory. Canagold is committed to providing employment and business opportunities that help support the local economies in the vicinity of its exploration projects. The New Polaris gold deposit is an early Tertiary, mesothermal gold-bearing vein system occupying shear zones cross-cutting late Paleozoic andesitic volcanic rocks. It was mined by underground methods from 1938 to 1942, and from 1946 to early 1951, producing approximately 245,000 oz gold from 740,000 tonnes of ore at an average grade of 10.3 gpt gold. Three main veins ("AB, C and Y") were mined to a maximum depth of 150 m and have been traced by drilling for up to 1,000 m along strike and up to 800 m down dip, still open for expansion. The gold occurs dominantly in finely disseminated arsenopyrite within the quartz-carbonate stock-work veins and altered wall-rocks. Individual mineralized zones extend for up to 250 meters in length and up to 14 meters in width, though mineralized widths more commonly range from 2 to 5 meters. Qualified Person Garry Biles, P.Eng, President & COO for Canagold Resources Ltd, is the Qualified Person who reviewed and approved the contents of this news release. Drill Core Sampling and Quality Assurance - Quality Control Program Drill core is geologically logged to identify the gold mineralized zones that are allocated unique sample number tickets and marked for cutting using a purpose-built diamond blade rock saw. Half core samples are collected in labelled bags and the other half remains in the original core box stored on site. Quality control (QC) samples including certified reference material standards, blanks and duplicates are inserted into the sample sequence at intervals of one in ten on a rotating basis to monitor laboratory performance and provide quality assurance (QA) of the assay results. Several sample bags are transported together in rice bags with unique numbered security tags attached and labelled with Company and lab contact information to ensure sample security and chain of custody during shipment to the lab. The samples are submitted to the ALS Geochemistry lab in Whitehorse, YT for preparation and assaying. The entire sample is crushed to 70% passing -2 millimeters and a 250 gram aliquot is split and pulverized to 85% passing -75 microns. Analysis for gold is by 30 gram fire assay and gravimetric finish. A suite of 30 other elements including arsenic, antimony, sulfur and iron are analyzed by aqua-regia digestion Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES). ALS Canada Ltd. is accredited by the Standards Council of Canada and is an ISO/IEC 9001:2015 and 17025:2017 certified analytical laboratory in North America. "Scott Eldridge" ____________________ Scott Eldridge, Chief Executive Officer CANAGOLD RESOURCES LTD. About Canagold - Canagold Resources Ltd. is a growth-oriented gold exploration company focused on generating superior shareholder returns by discovering, exploring and developing strategic gold deposits in North America. Canagold shares trade on the TSX: CCM and the OTCQB: CRCUF. For More Information - Please contact: Scott Eldridge, CEO, at Cell: (604) 722-5381 Email: scott@canagoldresources.com, or Knox Henderson, VP Corporate Development, Toll Free: 1-877-684-9700 Tel: (604) 416-0337 Cell: (604) 551-2360 Email: knox@canagoldresources.com Website: www.canagoldresources.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States private securities litigation reform act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking information that involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the future performance of Canagold, and the Company's plans and exploration programs for its mineral properties, including the timing of such plans and programs. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "has proven", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "potential", "appears", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "at least", "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", "should", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". 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 the forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others risks related to the uncertainties inherent in the estimation of mineral resources; commodity prices; changes in general economic conditions; market sentiment; currency exchange rates; the Company's ability to continue as a going concern; the Company's ability to raise funds through equity financings; risks inherent in mineral exploration; risks related to operations in foreign countries; future prices of metals; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals; government regulation of mining operations; environmental risks; title disputes or claims; limitations on insurance coverage and the timing and possible outcome of litigation. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could affect the Company and may 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 forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, do not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All statements are made as of the date of this news release and the Company is under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable securities laws. Table 1: Drill Hole Collar Information Hole ID Mine East Mine North Elevation Dip Azimuth Final Depth 21-1783E5 1765m 610m 17.6m -70 348 461m 21-1783E6 1764.5m 610m 17.6m -68 342 440m 21-1829E2 1820m 570m 17.6m -72 346 500m Table 2: Drill Core Sample Results Details Hole ID From (m) To (m) Length (m) [True Width] Au (gpt) 21-1783E5 433.6 434.6 1.0 12.2 21-1783E5 434.6 435.6 1.0 16.1 21-1783E5 435.6 437.5 1.9 48.9 21-1783E5 433.6 437.5 3.9 [3.0] 30.8 21-1783E6 411.3 412.3 1.0 14.8 21-1783E6 412.3 412.8 0.5 18.4 21-1783E6 411.3 412.8 1.5 [1.2] 16.0 21-1829E2 464.9 465.9 1.0 4.41 21-1829E2 465.9 466.9 1.0 0.79 21-1829E2 466.9 468.0 1.1 2.61 21-1829E2 468.0 469.0 1.0 35.2 21-1829E2 469.0 470.0 1.0 14.5 21-1829E2 464.9 470.0 5.1 [4.1] 11.6 Composites were calculated from length weighted Au sample interval results. Grade capping and cut-off have not been applied. SOURCE: Canagold Resources Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657149/Canagold-Drills-308-gpt-Gold-Over-39-Meters-at-New-Polaris-Project With over 1,500 employees serving 9,000 customers across 10 states, Reedy is one of the largest commercial HVAC service providers in the US Partners Group's Direct Equity business has extensive experience building services companies, committing approximately USD 4 billion to services-related businesses since the beginning of 2020 This represents the ninth lead direct private equity investment Partners Group has made in 2021 Partners Group, a leading global private markets firm, has agreed on behalf of its clients to acquire Reedy Industries ("Reedy", or "the Company"), one of the largest heating, ventilation and air conditioning ("HVAC") service providers in the US, from Audax Private Equity. As part of the transaction, the Reedy family, management, and Audax, will remain minority investors in the Deerfield, Illinois-headquartered business. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021. Founded in 1930 with a 90-year history, Reedy provides mission-critical maintenance, repair and replacement services for commercial HVAC, chilled water, plumbing, building automation, and controls equipment in the US. The Company has over 1,500 employees who keep thousands of schools, factories, healthcare facilities, workplaces, and government buildings safe and operating. Reedy combines technical expertise and financial resources with a local high-touch delivery model, to act as a strategic partner for servicing complex equipment with high costs of failure or downtime. Partners Group will draw on its extensive experience transforming leading route-based commercial and facility services businesses to support Reedy's customer-centric value creation plan. Key initiatives will include geographic expansion to a multi-regional footprint with well-known hubs and local customer relationships, growing strategic accounts, expanding service capabilities, and partnering with customers on sustainability and energy efficiency solutions. Andrew Oliver, Managing Director, Private Equity Goods & Products, Partners Group, states: "Reedy is a well-established company in an attractive industry, supported by a talented management team who are uniquely positioned to capitalize on multiple tailwinds supporting sector growth. The Company has a tried and tested blueprint for expanding into new geographies by acquiring successful, reputable businesses. We are excited to bring our network, transformational investment strategy, and platform building expertise into partnership with Joe and his team." Joe Kirmser, Chief Executive Officer, Reedy, comments: "We have experienced substantial growth in recent years but now want a long-term partner to help strengthen our competitive advantage, invest in technical resources, and expand into new markets. Partners Group shares our entrepreneurial values and brings decades of experience partnering with businesses to help achieve outsized growth in a responsible way both through organic growth and through acquisition." Mike Sexton, Senior Investment Leader, Private Equity Services, Partners Group, adds: "The maintenance and repair of commercial HVAC equipment has become an increasingly important theme since the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the heightened focus on indoor air quality and the effort to maintain facility environments that are healthy, energy-efficient and cost-effective. By offering reliable, high-quality, consistent service across a customer's facility footprint, Reedy plays an essential role in enabling critical buildings to stay running safely." Partners Group's investment in Reedy will be made through its Partners Group Direct Equity programs, as well as several other products and corresponding bespoke mandates. Since inception, Partners Group's private equity business has deployed USD 75 billion of capital, on behalf of its clients, and directly invested in over 270 businesses. Latham & Watkins LLP represented Partners Group in the transaction. LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2021 / Marijuana Company of America, Inc. (OTC PINK:MCOA) ('the Company'), a diversified holding company with operations and investments throughout the cannabis industry, today announced that its wholly owned subsidiaries hempSmart and cDistro, will be exhibiting at the 2021 Champs Trade Show in Las Vegas being held July 27-30, 2021 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Recently acquired MCOA asset cDistro, distributes CBD brands, along with smoke and vape shop related products to wholesalers, c-stores, specialty retailers, and consumers in North America, and will be featuring the new Marley One product line, the first global functional mushroom consumer brand, licensed and distributed by Silo Wellness Inc. ('Silo Wellness') (CSE:SILO)(OTCQB:SILFF)(FRA:3K70), a leading global psychedelics company. The product offering includes a range of functional mushroom tinctures, including species such as cordyceps, lion's mane, chaga, reishi and turkey tail that offer a range of unique health and wellness benefits, from immunity and gut health to cognitive function and sleep enhancement. "We anticipate large volume sales with this strong brand recognition associated with Bob Marley Family name," said Ron Russo, President of cDistro. hempSmart , MCOA's other wholly owned subsidiary will be at the Champs Trade Show exhibiting its extensive full line of premium CBD organic products that are scientifically driven and double lab tested to ensure purity and potency. "We are thrilled to be part of this premier cannabis trade show and this opportunity could not have come at a better time with the rapid expansion and vertical integration that has recently taken place at MCOA, coupled with the excitement of showcasing together for the first time our premium hempSmart brands alongside the plethora of cannabis product offerings from our recently acquired cDistro distributor," said Jesus Quintero, CEO of Marijuana Company of America, Inc. MCOA also indicated that its Joint Venture Partner, Cannabis Global Inc. (OTC PINK:CBGL) will be exhibiting alongside the Company. Russo added, "This Champs Trade Show will allow MCOA executives and subsidiaries to meet with prominent people, retailers, and other companies in the cannabis space. The event offers us the opportunity to network with retailers, and other leaders in the industry as well afford us the chance to showcase our newest product Marley One, the first global functional mushroom brand, in collaboration with the Bob Marley Family." "hempSmart will be featuring many exciting products and features at the Champs Trade Show, such as a product redesign and our new mental health check text messaging community service called 'we're in this together.' We want our brand to reach beyond our physical product in a new impactful manner never before seen by other CBD companies. We're building a community of support and resources for our customers to take advantage of," said Glen Bonilla, Sales Director and Brand Manager of hempSmart . Bonilla added, "With our recent expansion of our hempSMART branded product lines and marketing channels, we look ahead with great enthusiasm as we showcase our products at the Champs Trade Show, which will be the first time selling directly to retailers. We have continued to receive wonderful responses about our premium CBD products from satisfied consumers sharing their success stories of overall improvement in leading a more positive lifestyle. Hearing this positive feedback from people who buy our products is so fulfilling and there's no better feeling than knowing we are making a difference in the lives of our customers." MCOA also indicated that its Joint Venture Partner, Cannabis Global Inc. (OTC PINK:CBGL) will be exhibiting alongside the Company. To see MCOA, Cdistro , hempSmart , and Cannab is Global Inc. at the 2021 Champs Trade Show, please visit booth #1042. About CHAMPS Trade Show Champs has established itself as the premier counter-culture, business-to-business trade expo serving the smoke shop industry. Since 1999, hundreds of exhibitors meet across the country each year face-to-face with thousands of retail and wholesale buyers from all over the world at CHAMPS Trade Shows. CHAMPS exhibitors include manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, glass artists, inventors, and suppliers who showcase a massive selection of smoking accessories, counter-culture products, clothing, hand-blown glass, and other specialty gifts. About Marijuana Company of America, Inc. (OTC PINK:MCOA) Marijuana Company of America is a diversified holding company with operations and investments throughout the cannabis industry. MCOA focuses on acquisitions, as well as sales and marketing efforts of its wholly owned subsidiaries cDistro Distributor and hempsmart premium brand of hemp-based CBD (legal cannabidiol) products. About hempSMART hempSMART offers an extensive full line of premium CBD organic products that are scientifically driven and double lab tested to ensure purity and potency. The Company will direct the sale of its products to wholesalers, distributors, the medical community, online e-commerce consumer platforms, and a proven network affiliate marketing program. The Company has also launched international sales, production, and marketing expansion. About cDistro cDistro (Retail Service / Wholesale Prices) distributes CBD brands, along with smoke and vape shop related products to wholesalers, c-stores, specialty retailers, and consumers in North America. About Silo Wellness Silo Wellness is a growth-oriented holding company focused on functional mushroom and psychedelic opportunities that benefit from a unified ecosystem and exceptional leadership. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Toronto, Silo Wellness has operations in Jamaica and Oregon. Silo Wellness is a publicly traded company on the Canadian (CSE:SILO) and Frankfurt (FRA:CK70) exchanges and trading on the OTCQB Venture Market (OTCQB:SILFF). Silo Wellness offers a diverse and growing portfolio of functional mushroom products, psychedelic wellness retreats in Jamaica and Oregon, cultivation of psychedelic mushrooms and truffles in Jamaica, development of a brick-and-mortar smart shop in Jamaica, and intellectual property, focused initially on the commercialization of its metered-dosing psilocybin nasal spray. In March 2021, Silo Wellness announced a multi-year licensing agreement with the family of legendary musician Bob Marley for the exclusive worldwide rights to brand, market and sell a distinct product line of functional and psychedelic mushrooms. The Marley One line of functional mushrooms is available at www.marleyone.com. For more information about Silo Wellness, please visit www.silowellness.com. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains 'forward-looking statements,' which are not purely historical and may include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, the development, costs, and results of new business opportunities and words such as 'anticipate,' 'seek,' 'intend,' 'believe,' 'estimate,' 'expect,' 'project,' 'plan,' or similar phrases may be deemed 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with new projects, the future U.S. and global economies, the impact of competition, and the Company's reliance on existing regulations regarding the use and development of cannabis-based products. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume 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. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations, and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-K, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and other periodic reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For more information, please visit www.marijuanacompanyofamerica.com or visit www.sec.gov. CONTACT: info@marijuanacompanyofamerica.com info@mcoainvestments.com 888-777-4362 SOURCE: Marijuana Company of America, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/656896/MCOA-Subsidiaries-to-Exhibit-at-the-Las-Vegas-Champs-Trade-Show New antiviral testing demonstrates SPL7013, the antiviral agent in VIRALEZE nasal spray, has potent virucidal activity against the globally significant Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, reducing infectivity of the virus by >99.99% after 30 seconds of exposure SPL7013, the antiviral agent in VIRALEZE, has now been shown in laboratory studies to be virucidal against all four coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern: Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta These latest data further illustrate the broad-spectrum antiviral activity of SPL7013, which has been demonstrated against multiple respiratory viruses, including influenza and RSV, as well as its consistent and potent activity against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants VIRALEZE antiviral nasal spray is registered for sale in Europe and India , and available in certain markets online. MELBOURNE, Australia, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Starpharma today announced new data demonstrating that SPL7013, the antiviral agent in VIRALEZE nasal spray, is active against the highly transmissible Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, achieving more than 99.99% reduction of infectious virus in laboratory-based virucidal assays. The antiviral testing of SPL7013 was conducted in the laboratory of virologist, Professor Philippe Gallay, at The Scripps Research Institute in the US, where previous studies have also demonstrated potent antiviral and virucidal activity of SPL7013 against multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2, including the globally important Alpha, Beta and Gamma 'Variants of Concern'. Percent reductions of infectious virus achieved with 10 mg/mL SPL7013 (the concentration in VIRALEZE) are shown in the table below. Virus: SPL7013 Incubation Time Percent Reduction of Infectious Virus vs Virus Control^ US Alpha Beta Gamma Delta Kappa 30 seconds >99.9% >99.9% >99% >99% >99.99% >99.9% 1 minute >99.9% >99.9% >99% >99% >99.99% >99.9% 5 minutes >99.9% >99.99% >99.9% >99.9% >99.99% >99.9% 15 minutes >99.99% >99.99% >99.99% >99.99% >99.999% >99.99% 30 minutes >99.99% >99.99% >99.99% >99.99% >99.999% >99.99% 10 mg/mL SPL7013; ^ virus without exposure to SPL7013 In commenting on the significance of these new findings, internationally recognised virologist, Professor Philippe Gallay from the Scripps Research Institute, said: "SARS-CoV-2 variants continue to emerge and dominate new infections worldwide. These variants have changes in several viral proteins, including in the spike protein that is essential for the virus to infect its host cell. "It is remarkable that SPL7013 has demonstrated potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity against the broad-spectrum of Variants of Concern, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and now importantly Delta, and Variant of Interest, Kappa, in vitro. SPL7013 acts as a barrier to viral infection and its broad-spectrum activity demonstrates its resilience against a rapidly changing target. The Delta variant has been reported to be about 60% more transmissible than the already highly infectious Alpha variant[1], and is now the most common variant in India and the UK, where it accounts for more than 90% of new cases.[2] Dr Jackie Fairley, CEO of Starpharma, commented: "We are very pleased to confirm the rapid virucidal activity of SPL7013, with greater than 99.99% reduction of infectious virus in just 30 seconds against the Delta variant." [1] https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01696-3 [2] https://covariants.org/variants/21A.Delta Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2021) - Mobi724 Global Solutions Inc. (TSXV: MOS) ("Mobi724" or the "Company"), a fintech enabler of AI-enhanced payment card-linked solutions, is pleased to announce the appointment of Armando Calvo Chico to the position of Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), effective immediately, subject to applicable regulatory and exchange approvals. As CRO, Mr. Calvo will lead Mobi724's sales strategy and oversee the Company's global sales performance. Mr. Calvo will be based in Mobi724's Mexico City office. "We are excited to add Armando to our management team as we continue to advance our business plans in the Latin American market," said Marcel Vienneau, CEO of Mobi724. "Armando's extensive knowledge of Latin America, as well as his experience across a wide range of business activities, will help support Mobi724's continued growth and strategic direction." Mr. Calvo brings a wealth of strategic and executive level success with nearly 30 years of extensive international experience in North America, Latin America, Asia and Europe, with a strong focus on strategy, M&A, business development, institutional relations and corporate business sales. Mr. Calvo joins Mobi724 from Kushki, an innovative payments platform servicing Latin America, where he was a Vice President, responsible for delivering sales and revenues for the Mexico and Central America regions. During his career, Mr. Calvo has also held senior positions at a number of fintech and telecom companies including Broxel, Telefonica Corporation and AT&T Corporation. During his tenure with AT&T, Mr. Calvo held the position of Chief Strategy Officer, VP Enterprise Business Solutions for Mexico & Latin America and sat as a Board Member on four different subsidiaries owned by DirecTV & AT&T. In addition to his fintech and telecom experience, Mr. Calvo has a background in private banking and trading, having worked for BBVA (Bancomer) and Vector Casa de Bolsa in Mexico. Mr. Calvo is fluent in both English and Spanish, and holds a BA and Finance Degree from Anahuac University in Mexico City, as well as an MBA from the IE Business School in Madrid. "Mobi724's technology helps retailers and credit card issuers address real challenges and I look forward to joining the company at this stage of its growth," said Armando Calvo Chico, CRO of Mobi724. "Latin America represents a large and growing market that is highly fragmented. Through our technology we believe there is an opportunity for us to consolidate this market and create a network of AI-driven card-linked offers and rewards that will benefit all stakeholders." Highlights of the Grant of Stock Options : The Company also announced that on June 26, 2021, its Board of Directors granted 1,000,000 stock options under its Stock Option Plan to Mr. Calvo as part of his remuneration package (the "Options"). The Options shall have an exercise price which is the higher of: i) 0.075 cents; or ii) the market price at the close of business today, shall expire 3 years from the date of the grant and shall vest as follows: one-third 90 days after the commencement of the date of their grant (the "Initial Vesting Date"); one-third 12 months after the Initial Vesting Date; and one-third 24 months after the Initial Vesting Date. Shareholders are welcome to consult the details of the Options Plan available on SEDAR. About Mobi724 Global Solutions Inc. Every Transaction is An Opportunity Mobi724 Global Solutions Inc. (TSXV: MOS) is a fintech company that enables banks and merchants to offer their customers real-time payment card-linked incentives, in a white-label format. Mobi724's objective is to add a layer of AI-driven actionable intelligence to every payment transaction, creating engaging consumer experiences & generating incremental commercial opportunities to its clients. Legal Disclaimer Mobi724 cautions investors that any forward-looking statements or projections made by Mobi724 are subject to risks and uncertainties, that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Such factors include, but are not limited to, those described under Item 'Risk Factors and Uncertainties' in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis, available on SEDAR. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. THIS NEWS RELEASE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION TO BUY OR SELL ANY SECURITIES IN THE UNITED STATES AND IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO US NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES. Investor Relations: For further information, please visit www.MOBI724.com or contact: Marcel Vienneau, CEO Mobi724 Global Solutions Inc. T: 514-394-5200 ir@mobi724.com Nicole Piasentini, Investor Relations NATIONAL Capital Markets T: 647-382-9373 npiasentini@national.ca To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91269 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2021) - OrganiMax Nutrient Corp. (TSXV: KMAX) (FSE: L3U) (OTC Pink: BNRJF) ("OrganiMax" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that it has filed with the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") a notice of name change to "Silver Valley Metals Corp." As part of the name change, effective at the start of trading on or about August 3, 2021, Silver Valley Metals Corp. will commence trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under the new symbol "SILV." The Company's President & CEO and Director, Brandon Rook, commented, "With our recent closing of the transaction for the Ranger-Page Project in Idaho, the name change from OrganiMax Nutrient Corp. to Silver Valley Metals Corp. more accurately reflects the new exploration focus and strategic direction of the Company going forward. As the new flagship exploration project within the Company's portfolio of assets, the Ranger-Page Project in the prolific Silver Valley represents a significant exploration opportunity for the Company's shareholders, as we turn our focus to silver-zinc-lead in one of the world's best mining jurisdictions." No further action is required by existing shareholders with respect to the name change. There is no change in the share capital of the Company. The Company's new CUSIP number is 828330100 and its new ISIN number is CA8283301007. Certificates representing common shares of the Company will not be affected by the name and symbol change and will not need to be exchanged. About OrganiMax Nutrient Corp. The Company is a brownfields exploration company focused on its flagship Ranger-Page Project (the "Project") located in the prolific Silver Valley of Idaho, 60 kilometres east of Coeur d'Alene and 1 kilometre from the I-90 freeway. Idaho was ranked the 9th best mining jurisdiction in the world in 2020 according to the Fraser Institute. The Project is strategically located bordering two large mines, Bunker Hill to the east and Page to the west. Five historic mines are on the Project with underground mining data and surface geological data supporting high grade silver-zinc-lead mineralization present within the shallow, undeveloped mines. These mines remain open at depth, and laterally along strike, with no modern systematic exploration applied to the Project. The Company also has a 100%-owned interest in a lithium and potassium bearing salar complex comprising 4,059 hectares on three mineral concessions (the "Mexican Projects") located on the Central Mexican Plateau in the states of Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosi, Mexico. The inferred resource contains 12.3Mt of Sulfate of Potash (SOP) and 243,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) and remains open in all directions for expansion. The Company is led by an experienced group of mining, financing, and exploration specialists. On behalf of the Board of Directors, "Brandon Rook" Brandon Rook, President & CEO, Director For further information please contact us at: 604-800-4710 info@organimax.com THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91289 WEST MELBOURNE, FL / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2021 / BK Technologies Corporation (NYSE American:BKTI) today announced that the Tennessee Valley Authority ("TVA") has placed an order for its new BKR 5000 portable communications technology. BK President Tim Vitou commented, "We're pleased to begin working with the Tennessee Valley Authority, providing our state-of the-art BKR 5000 portable communications technology to assist their operations. With the TVA's range of responsibility, which includes providing electricity for 153 local power companies serving 10 million people in Tennessee and parts of six states, as well as providing flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system, it is vital that they deploy the most reliable portable communications technology for their employees in the field. In existence for almost nine decades, the TVA has long been an adapter of innovative new solutions to help them address the needs of the communities they service and we're pleased to have been selected to assist their efforts through the deployment of our BKR 5000 communications platform." 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 website 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. 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/657115/Tennessee-Valley-Authority-Selects-BK-Technologies-BKR-5000 LAS VEGAS, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via InvestorWire -- ISW Holdings, Inc. (OTC: ISWH) ("ISW Holdings" or the "Company"), a global brand management holdings company, is excited to announce the signing of a cryptocurrency mining hosting agreement (the "Agreement") with Bitmain Technologies ("Bitmain"), the world's leading producer of cryptocurrency mining hardware and a leading global cryptocurrency mining firm. The Agreement will form the backbone of the Company's Phase One launch of its cryptocurrency hosting and mining operation in Georgia. Further details related to this Agreement will be discussed in the near future. Irene Gao, Antminer BD Director NCSA Region, Bitmain, said, "We are excited to have signed this new pioneering project to begin cooperation with ISW Holdings, a new milestone for the industry for creating hosting facilities overseas. The 200 MW facility is the first phase of our long-term partnership, utilizing renewable energy as its source. We expect to further expand this project into the future to support the development of the industry." "Bitmain is probably the most recognizable name in the mining space, and we are excited that they will be a major piece of our success in Georgia," remarked Alonzo Pierce, ISW Holdings president and chairman. "Once our 200 MW power tranche is fully utilized, we anticipate annualized revenues of over $200 million, but that will only close the first phase of our vision. We look forward to discussing our next phases in due course. If we are able to execute according to our full vision, we have the potential to drive exponential revenue growth ahead." For more details and forward-looking statements, view the entire announcement: https://ibn.fm/ISWBitmainAnnouncement About Bitmain Bitmain Technologies is a multinational semiconductor company with state-of-the-art IC design capabilities. Bitmain offers products, including chips, servers, and cloud solutions for blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) applications. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Haidian District, Beijing, Bitmain has research and development centers in Hong Kong, Singapore, and the United States. According to Frost & Sullivan, Bitmain is among the world's top 10 fabless IC designers and China's second largest. In the blockchain mining area, Bitmain has shipped billions of ASICs, accounting for 75% of the global market. About ISW Holdings ISW Holdings, Inc. (ISWH), based in Nevada, is a diversified portfolio company comprised of essential business lines that serve consumer product demands. Our expertise lies in strategic brand development, early growth facilitation, as well as brand identity through our proprietary procurement process. Together, with our partners, we seek to provide a structure that meets large scalability demands, as well as anticipated marketplace needs. We are able to meet these needs through a variety of strategic innovative processes. ISWH is creating and managing brands across a spectrum of disruptive industries. It maneuvers its proprietary companies through critical stages of market development, which includes conceptualization, go-to-market strategies, engineering, product integration and distribution efficiency. The company has also partnered with a well-known software development and consulting company, Bengala Technologies LLC, which is developing significant enhancements in the supply chain management space; and the partnership has a vitally needed patent now pending. The Company's cryptocurrency mining segment, established in partnership with industry leader, Bit5ive LLC, is driven by a mission to mine cryptocurrency with a zero-carbon footprint. For more information, visit www.iswholdings.com. Company Contact: info@ISWHoldings.com Public Relations EDM Media, LLC https://edm.media Corporate Communications: InvestorBrandNetwork 310.299.1717 Office Editor@InvestorBrandNetwork.com TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2021 / AEX Gold Inc. (AIM:AEXG)(TSXV:AEX), announces that on July 26, 2021 it was informed that Livermore Partners LLC, a company in which David Neuhauser, Non-Executive Director of AEX, is Managing Director, acquired a total of 128,300 common shares of no par value in the Company for an average price of $0.54. DEALING NOTIFICATION FORM FOR USE BY PERSONS DISCHARGING MANAGERIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND THEIR CLOSELY ASSOCIATED PERSONS 1. Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities/person closely associated a) Name: Livermore Partners LLC, David Neuhauser 2. Reason for the notification a) Position/status: Non-Executive Director b) Initial notification/Amendment Initial notification 3. Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor a) Name AEX Gold Inc b) LEI: 213800Q21S5JQ6WKCE70 4. Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i) each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been conducted a) Description of the financial instrument, type of instrument: Identification code: Common shares of no par value in AEX Gold Inc. ISIN: CA00108V1022 b) Nature of the transaction: Purchase of common shares of no par value in AEX Gold Inc c) Price(s) and volume(s): Price(s) Volume(s) 1. 07/22/21- $0.55 2. 07/23/21- $0.55 3. 07/23/21- $0.52 1. 47,800 2. 65,500 3. 15,000 d) Aggregated information: Aggregated volume: Price: 128,300 $0.54 e) Date of the transaction(s): July 22nd, 2021, and July 23rd, 2021 f) Place of the transaction XTSX Enquiries: AEX Gold Inc. Eddie Wyvill, Investors Relations +44 7713 126727 ew@aexgold.com Eldur Olafsson, Director and CEO +354 665 2003 eo@aexgold.com Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited (Nominated Adviser and Broker) +44 (0) 20 7710 7600 Callum Stewart Simon Mensley Ashton Clanfield Camarco (Financial PR) +44 (0) 20 3757 4980 Gordon Poole Nick Hennis Further Information: About AEX AEX's principal business objectives are the identification, acquisition, exploration and development of gold properties in Greenland. The Company's principal asset is a 100% interest in the Nalunaq Project, an advanced exploration stage property with an exploitation license including the previously operating Nalunaq gold mine. The Company has a portfolio of gold assets covering 3870 km2, the largest portfolio of gold assets in Southern Greenland covering the two known gold belts in the region. AEX is incorporated under the Canada Business Corporations Act and wholly owns Nalunaq A/S, incorporated under the Greenland Public Companies Act. Inside Information The information contained within this announcement is considered to be inside information prior to its release, as defined in Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation No. 596/2014, and is disclosed in accordance with the Company's obligations under Article 17 of those Regulations. Upon the publication of this announcement, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain. SOURCE: AEX Gold Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657203/Notification-of-Transactions-of-DirectorsPersons-Discharging-Managerial-Responsibilities-PDMRs Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2021) - Commander Resources Ltd. (TSXV: CMD) ("Commander") is pleased to announce that it has granted Southern Empire Resources Corp. ("Southern Empire") an option to earn a 100% interest in three mineral claims (1,750 ha) in Durango, Mexico. The Pedro property is located 100 Km from Torreon, Mexico in the northeastern part of the State of Durango and approximately 30 km west of the town of Mapimi and covers a large multi-kilometre epithermal-style gold target. The wholly owned property was acquired by Commander in 2016 from Bearing Lithium. Highlights: Option encompasses 1,750 ha, all 100% owned by Commander through its Mexican subsidiary. Total consideration for the option is $700,000 staged over four payments (3 years) and 100,000 shares. Total work expenditures of $1,500,000 including $400,000 in year 1. A 2% NSR royalty with no buydown provision. Deal Terms: Southern Empire has been granted a right to earn a 100% interest in the Pedro project conditional on making staged payments totalling $ CDN 700,000 as follows: $25,000 and 100,000 shares on completion of a definitive agreement, $125,000 on the first agreement anniversary, $250,000 on the second anniversary and $300,000 on the third anniversary. In addition, Southern Empire must complete $ CDN 1,500,000 in exploration expenditures including $400,000 within the first year of the agreement. Southern Empire has the right to substitute share payments of equivalent value for all cash payments due except for the initial payment. The completion date will be triggered by receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, completion of due diligence including title opinions and execution of a definitive agreement. Robert Cameron, President and CEO states: "Commander is pleased to welcome Sothern Empire as a project partner on our Pedro Gold project. Our work since acquisition in 2016 has refined drill ready targets in this large epithermal-style gold target and through this agreement will see them drill tested. Furthermore, David Tupper, VPX for Southern Empire was the initial discoverer of Pedro and brings a wealth of knowledge and local experience to the project." About Pedro The Pedro epithermal-style gold system is outlined at surface by a combined gold (>10 ppb) and arsenic (> 100 ppm) soil anomaly with dimensions of 4000 metres by 1000 metres. Outcrop exposure comprises prominent hematite-stained silica-rich ridges of angular chalcedony fragments and silicified sedimentary rocks within an angular course breccia. The mineralization extends beneath post-mineral volcanic rocks, colluvium (range front fanglomerate) and alluvium to the north and east. The host rock to these breccias is mostly Ahuichila Formation conglomerate. Historical rock sampling of the exposed zones returned gold values in rock from background levels to a maximum of 2.3 ppm (58 greater than 0.25 ppm and 11 greater than 1 ppm). IP geophysics outlined the known zones as elevated chargeability zones and identified discreet deep features below the conglomerate. Results indicate that some surface exposed zones are stratabound along the basal contact of the Ahuichila formation while adjacent zones have a deep vertical expression reflecting possible feeder structures. A newly identified soil anomaly to the northwest is hosted within Aurora Formation limestone. Rock textures and the local presence of sinter suggest the upper levels of an epithermal system is exposed at surface with potential for bulk mineable heap leach targets. Deeper vertical zones beneath some surface exposures are interpreted to be deep feeders within the system and where higher grades may be targeted. QA/QC Current and historical samples mentioned in this release were prepared and analyzed by ALS Chemex at its labs in Chihuahua, Mexico, and Vancouver, Canada. Soils were analyzed as part of a multi-element inductively coupled argon plasma (ICP) package using aqua regia digestion with over-limit results being reanalyzed with assay procedures using ICP-AES. Gold analyses for rocks were performed on a 30-gram sub-sample by fire assay with an ICP-AES finish. Robert Cameron, P. Geo. is a qualified person within the context of National Instrument 43-101 and has read and takes responsibility for the technical aspects of this release. In addition, Mr. Cameron was also the QP for the previous operator. About Commander Resources: Commander Resources is a Canadian focused exploration company that has leveraged its success in exploration through partnerships and sale of properties, while retaining equity and royalty interests. Commander has a portfolio of base and precious metal projects across Canada. Commander also retains royalties from properties that have been partnered, optioned or sold. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Robert Cameron, P. Geo. President and CEO For further information, please call: Robert Cameron, President and CEO Toll Free: 1-800-667-7866 info@commanderresources.com Twitter: @CommanderCMD www.commanderresources.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 may include forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required under the applicable laws. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91296 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2021) - CAVU Mining Corp. (CSE: CAVU) (FSE: 8NQ) ("CAVU" or the "Company") is pleased to report that the Company has completed the drilling of the Franklin Skarn on the Hopper Copper-Gold Project in the Yukon. The Hopper Project is in the traditional territory of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations. To date, 550m has been drilled in the Franklin and LV skarn zones. Three holes were drilled in the Franklin skarn and have been logged, sampled and sent to MS Analytical in Langley for assays. All holes have intersected skarn zones with visible copper-sulphide mineralization consisting of chalcopyrite. Currently, the LV and JG skarn zones are being drilled. After these targets are tested, the program will test the main porphyry target with a 350m deep hole. The porphyry hole will be the second diamond drill hole to ever test the porphyry mineralization on the claim. "We are encouraged by our findings from the skarn drilling so far," stated Jaap Verbaas, CEO of CAVU Mining. "As a result of our thorough assessment of geophysical and historical data, the drilling so far has yielded intersects that have extended the skarn to the south by 250m. This brings the footprint of skarn mineralization based on drilling to approximately 1350 x 650m. Based on all data sets, the Company believes the footprint may be as large as 1700 x 1100m. Now that we are confident in the skarn mineralization and our ability to expand its known footprint, we look forward to the porphyry drilling which will commence in a matter of days." About the Hopper Project The hopper is a road-accessible copper-gold skarn and porphyry project. Skarn mineralization has been intersected in drilling over 1200 x 800m and is open to the west, east and south. The mineralization is truncated in the north by the Hopper intrusion. The Hopper intrusion contains gold, copper and molybdenum mineralization and is 5 x 7 km in size and contains the porphyry target. Skarn mineralization has historically yielded intervals such as 0.63% Cu, 0.46 g/t Au and 4.1 g/t Ag over 10.04m1 and also contains gold-rich layers of up to 12.15 g/t Au over 2.65m2. The porphyry target has been drilled by a grid of short percussion holes which were too shallow and oriented at sub-optimal angles. Despite the unfavorable angle and depth, several holes bottomed in mineralization. CAVU has the option to earn a 70% interest in the Hopper Project from Strategic Metals as per the Company news release dated April 6, 2021. Data Verification The drill samples will be sent to MS Analytical Langley, an ISO 9001:2008 certified laboratory for analysis along with certified blanks, standards and field duplicates inserted by the Company for QAQC. The information presented above is based on recently drilled core which has been mineralogically assessed by geologists on-site. Qualified Person Jeremy Hanson, P. Geo., is the qualified person for the Company as defined in the National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed the technical information presented within the news release. About CAVU Mining Corp. CAVU Mining Corp. is a mining company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral projects containing metals used in green technologies and the renewable energy sector. The Company is currently focused on the exploration of its flagship Hopper Copper-Gold Project in the Yukon and continues to evaluate complimentary mineral projects in mining-friendly jurisdictions. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dr. Jaap Verbaas, P.Geo. CEO and Director CAVU Mining Corp. jverbaas@cavumining.com 604-493-2997 Forward-Looking Statements All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations are disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time with the Canadian Securities Exchange, the British Columbia Securities Commission and the Ontario Securities Commission. 1 HOP-11-04, 57.39 - 67.43m 2 DDH-15-01, 284.29 - 286.94m To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91297 WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - WEC Energy Group (WEC) announced Tuesday that the company has agreed to acquire a 90% ownership interest in the Sapphire Sky Wind Energy Center for an investment $412 million. The transaction is subject to receiving all necessary regulatory approvals. The McLean County, Illinois-based project is being developed by Invenergy, a leading global developer and operator of sustainable energy solutions. The Sapphire Sky site will consist of 64 wind turbines with a combined capacity of 250 megawatts. Commercial operation is expected by the end of 2022. Sapphire Sky will generate renewable energy that will be sold under a long-term power purchase agreement with a Fortune 100 global, high-tech company. With this project, the company's Infrastructure segment has planned investments in eight major wind farms totaling more than 1.5 gigawatts of capacity. 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. Non-Profit assembling world's greatest strategic minds in collaboration with Holy See (Vatican) based impact initiatives VATICAN CITY / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2021 / Humanity 2.0 a Non-Profit (Non-Government Organization) focused on identifying and removing the most significant impediments to human flourishing in collaboration with the Holy See (Vatican), is proud to announce it has appointed Jean Oelwang to its advisory committee which oversees our ethics and strategic direction of Humanity 2.0's impact initiatives. Jean Oelwang, President & Trustee Virgin Unite & B Team, Senior Partner at Virgin Matthew Sanders, CEO of Humanity 2.0 commented; "Jean is a true servant of humanity. Her experience, conviction, and passion are only a few reasons we invited her to be on our board. We are grateful she humbly accepted this position and I look forward to working together to advance Humanity 2.0." Humanity 2.0 Advisory Committee consists of 10 members: Maurice Levy; Chairman of the Supervisory Board; Publicis Groupe Carlo D'Asaro Biondo; President - EMEA Partnerships; Google Jean Oelwang; President & Trustee Virgin Unite & B Team; Senior Partner; Virgin Jim Pitofsky; Managing Director, Strategic Alliances; John Templeton Foundation Hilary Pennington; Executive Vice President for Program; Ford Foundation Dinah McLeod; Director and Cause Lead, Equality in the Workplace; The B Team Bill Hilf; Chief Executive Officer; Vulcan Matt Bird; Chief Executive Officer, CommPro Worldwide Tae Yoo; Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Corporate Social Responsibility; Cisco Fr. Philip Larrey; Chairman; Humanity 2.0 About Jean Oelwang Jean Oelwang is the President and Trustee for Virgin Unite and Senior Partner at the B Team. In 2003, Jean left her post as joint CEO of Virgin Mobile Australia to begin working with Richard Branson and the Virgin staff from around the world to create Virgin Unite. Over the last 12 years, Jean has worked with partners to create new approaches to social and environmental issues, such as the Branson Centres of Entrepreneurship and a global platform to support budding entrepreneurs. She has helped incubate a number of global leadership initiatives such as The Elders, the Carbon War Room, The B Team, and Ocean Unite. In addition, Jean has been instrumental in working with Virgin's businesses and others worldwide to put driving positive change at their core. In her previous life, Jean lived and worked on six continents helping to lead successful mobile phone start-ups in South Africa, Colombia, Bulgaria, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, and the US. Jean has long explored the overlap of the business and social sectors and has been involved in both, having worked for the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife in Australia, and in numerous volunteer roles, including a stint as a VISTA volunteer where she worked with - and learned from - homeless teens in Chicago. She sits on the Advisory Council for The Elders and the Boards of the Carbon War Room, Ocean Unite, Ocean Elders, and Just Capital. She is also a Senior Partner in the B Team. About Humanity 2.0 Humanity 2.0 a Non-Profit (Non-Government Organization) focused on identifying and removing the most significant impediments to human flourishing in collaboration with the Holy See (Vatican). A vehicle for facilitating collaborative ventures between the traditionally siloed public, private, and faith-based sectors. Its mission is to identify impediments to human flourishing and then work collaboratively across sectors to remove them by sourcing and scaling bold and innovative solutions. Developed in collaboration with the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development at the Holy See and a consortium of leaders and luminaries, Humanity 2.0 seeks to unite humanity in the common cause of realizing a better world for our children For more information visit: www.humanity2-0.org | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn CONTACT: Humanity 2.0 Communications: Matt Bird Advisory Council Member P: +1 646.401.4499 E: matt@commpro.com PR & Media Contact: Nicole Liddy Project Manager CommPro Worldwide E: Nicole.liddy@commpro.com C: 848-702-4173 SOURCE: Humanity 2.0 View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657100/Humanity-20-Appoints-Jean-Oelwang-to-Board-of-Advisors-Committee--Rome-Italy Tech industry's most prestigious list of Global Managed Service Providers STERLING HEIGHTS, MI / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2021 / Centaris, formed earlier this year through a merger between the Center for Computer Resources and Business Communication Systems, has been named one of the world's premier managed service providers in the 2021 Channel Futures MSP 501 rankings. This is the 8th time the firm has been honored and the 6th year in a row. The annual ranking is considered one of the technology industry's most prestigious measures, showcasing top-performing providers of managed services by the editors of Channel Futures. The MSP 501 list recognizes providers based on metrics that include recurring revenue, profit margin and other factors based on confidential data collected in March-May of 2021. Centaris, which serves more than 1,500 businesses nationwide and is located in Sterling Heights, Mich., has previously been honored in 2013, 2014 and each year between 2016-2020. The Centaris team recently celebrated its staff members and 8th MSP award during a special outing at Jimmy John's Field in Utica, Michigan. "We are truly humbled to be recognized in the Channel Futures MSP 501 list,' said Curtis R. Hicks II, president and CEO of Centaris. This year the ranking attracted a record number of applicants in one of the most competitive surveys since the list began in 2006. The MSP 501 survey examines organizational performance based on annual sales, recurring revenue, profit margins, revenue mix, growth opportunities, innovation, technology solutions supported, and company and customer demographics. Managed services providers that qualify for the list must pass a rigorous review conducted by the research team and editors of Channel Futures that rank applicants using a unique methodology that weighs financial performance, commitment to recurring revenue and operational efficiency. Since its inception, the MSP 501 has evolved from a competitive ranking into a vibrant group of innovators focused on high levels of customer satisfaction at small, medium, and large organizations in public and private sectors. Today, many of their services and technology offerings focus on growing customer needs in the areas of cloud, security, collaboration, and support of hybrid workforces. "The 2021 Channel Futures MSP 501 winners are the highest-performing and most innovative IT providers in the industry today. They stand head and shoulders above the competition," said Robert DeMarzo, vice president of content for the Channel Futures and Channel Partners Conference & Expo division of Informa Tech Channels. "This year's list was clearly one of the best ever on record." "Vendors that are aligned with the Channel Futures MSP 501 are driving a new wave of innovation in the industry. Through their partnerships they are demonstrating a commitment to moving the MSP and entire channel forward," said Kelly Danziger, general manager of Informa Tech Channels. "We extend our congratulations to the winners and gratitude to the thousands of MSPs that have contributed to the growth and success of the managed services sector." About Centaris: Formed in 2021, by the merger of the Center for Computer Resources (CCR) and Business Communication Systems (BCS), Centaris provides a full suite of computer technology managed IT services, including products like Microsoft Office 365 and Teams, as well as computer systems sales and service, structured cabling, varied voice/phone solutions, telephony, cloud VoIP solutions and internet/voice carrier services. CCR, founded in 1981, served as a national provider of business technology solutions for small and medium-sized companies. BCS, founded in 1975, delivered design and implementation of voice-data-video enterprise and networking solutions nationwide, with certification in servicing IP communications, as well as wired and wireless business telecom and cloud-based systems. BCS is an award-winning NEC authorized distributer and master carrier services agent representing internet and voice technology providers. Today Centaris serves a client set of 1,500-plus businesses nationwide having grown to become the premier IT services company in Michigan dedicated to serving small and medium-sized businesses. For more information, visit www.centaris.com. About Channel Futures: Channel Futures is a media and events platform serving companies in the IT channel industry with insights, industry analysis, peer engagement, business information and in-person events. Its properties include Channel Futures MSP 501, recognizing the most influential and fastest-growing providers of managed services in the technology industry, Channel Futures DEI 101, honoring and celebrating those who have often been under-represented in tech channels; Channel Partners Events, delivering unparalleled in-person events, including Channel Partners Conference & Expo, The MSP Summit, and Channel Evolution Europe; and DEI Community Group, initiatives to educate, support, promote, and sustain diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the IT channel industry. Channel Futures is part of Informa Tech, a market-leading B2B information provider with depth and specialization in the Information and Communications (ICT) Technology sector. Every year, it welcomes 7,400+ subscribers to its research, more than 3.8 million unique visitors a month to digital communities, 18,200+ students to training programs and 225,000 delegates to events. More information is available at channelfutures.com. Media Contact: Sue Voyles sue@logos-communications.com / 734-667-2005 SOURCE: Centaris View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657108/Centaris-Again-Ranked-on-Channel-Futures-MSP-501 COEUR D'ALENE, ID / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2021 / New Jersey Mining Company (OTCQB:NJMC) ("NJMC" or the "Company") is excited to announce additional high-grade gold assay results from its core drilling program in the Joe Dandy shoot at the Golden Chest. These results from the Joe Dandy drill program continue to expand the overall strike-length of the Golden Chest mineralization and may represent the next potential mining area to the south. All intervals are reported in true vein thickness and in grams per tonne (gpt). GC 21-194 intercepted 0.5 meters of 7.8 gpt gold in the upper vein and 0.4 meters of 4.6 gpt gold in the lower vein. GC 21-195 intercepted 0.5 meters of 3.8 gpt gold in the upper vein and 0.4 meters of 2.9 gpt gold in the lower vein. GC 21-196 intercepted 0.6 meters of 8.3 gpt gold in the upper vein and 1.7 meters of 2.7 gpt gold in the lower vein. GC 21-197 intercepted 2.56 meters of 10.98 gpt gold (including 0.94 meters of 28.7 gpt gold) in the upper vein and 0.53 meters of 2.60 gpt gold in the lower vein. The above holes were designed to follow-up on a previous high-grade intercept in GC 21-193, which reported 7.3 meters of 11.5 gpt gold, including 2.3 meters of 19.5 gpt gold. The intercepts in the four reported drill holes, GC 21-194 through GC 21-197, are all located to the west and deeper from the intervals in GC 21-193. The veins encountered in GC 21-194 are at the 615 meter elevation and represent the deepest intercept to date of the Idaho Fault and its associated gold bearing veins. For comparison, the Skookum underground operations are currently at the 824 meter elevation, making these Joe Dandy vein intercepts 209 meters deeper and over 300 meters to the south. With these intercepts NJMC continues to expand each of its gold-bearing shoots ever wider and deeper. NJMC's VP of Exploration, Rob Morgan commented, "The Joe Dandy exploration target has similar characteristics to the Paymaster, with two gold-bearing veins flanking a quartz monzonite sill. Geologically speaking, these gold intercepts are important because they may represent that we are closing in on the source of gold mineralization at the Golden Chest. As we continue drilling we are encountering more igneous rocks which are the engine to our gold mineralization, along with continuing to see higher gold values. We fund drilling and exploration out of cash flow and use our own drill rig to reduce costs by ~50%. This sets up a virtuous cycle that allows for more drilling per dollar with re-investment going back into drilling future resources and our other many exploration projects. Also, our drilling crews began working double shifts on the core rig and we welcomed another full-time geologist to the team to keep ahead of our goals." NJMC is now at the phase where the Paymaster Shoot, previously an exploration target, is in planning stages to determine the most efficient way to access the Paymaster by either connecting to the existing ramp or driving a new ramp. NJMC's exploration efforts in that area will now focus on the Joe Dandy shoot which lies to the south of the Paymaster shoot. The Joe Dandy will require more drilling this winter to upgrade the resource classification; but represents an exceptional target since it is adjacent to mine infrastructure and expected to add significant resources. Qualified person NJMC's Vice President of Exploration, Robert John Morgan, PG, PLS is a qualified person as such term is defined in National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information and data included in this press release. About New Jersey Mining Company Headquartered in North Idaho, New Jersey Mining Company is the rare example of a vertically integrated, operating junior mining company. NJMC produces gold at the Golden Chest Mine and recently consolidated the Murray Gold Belt (MGB) for the first time in over 100-years. The MGB is an overlooked gold producing region within the Coeur d'Alene Mining District, located north of the prolific Silver Valley. In addition to gold, the Company maintains a presence in the Critical Minerals sector and is focused on identifying and exploring for Critical Minerals (Rare Earth Minerals) important to our country's defensive readiness and a low-carbon future. New Jersey Mining Company possesses the in-house skillsets of a much larger company while enjoying the flexibility of a smaller and more entrepreneurial corporate structure. Its production-based strategy, by design, provides the flexibility to advance the Murray Gold Belt and/or its Critical Minerals holdings on its own or with a strategic partner in a manner that is consistent with its existing philosophy and culture. NJMC has established a high-quality, early to advanced-stage asset base in four historic mining districts of Idaho and Montana, which includes the currently producing Golden Chest Mine. Management is stakeholder focused and owns more than 15-percent of NJMC stock. The Company's common stock trades on the OTC-QB under the symbol "NJMC." For more information on New Jersey Mining Company go to www.newjerseymining.com or call: Monique Hayes, Corporate Secretary/Investor Relations Email: monique@newjerseymining.com (208) 699-6097 Forward-Looking Statements This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended that are intended to be covered by the safe harbor created by such sections. Such statements are based on good faith assumptions that New Jersey Mining Company believes are reasonable, but which are subject to a wide range of uncertainties and business risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed, projected or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, that the Joe Dandy drill results will result in an economic resource, an increased risk associated with production activities occurring without completion of a feasibility study of mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability, , environmental hazards, industrial accidents, weather or geologically related conditions), changes in the market prices of gold and silver and the potential impact on revenues from changes in the market price of gold and cash costs, a sustained lower price environment, risks relating to widespread epidemics or pandemic outbreak including the COVID-19 pandemic; the impact of COVID-19 on our workforce, suppliers and other essential resources and what effect those impacts, if they occur, would have on our business, including our ability to access goods and supplies, the ability to transport our products and impacts on employee productivity, the risks in connection with the operations, cash flow and results of the Company relating to the unknown duration and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as other uncertainties and risk factors. Actual results, developments and timetables could vary significantly from the estimates presented. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. NJMC disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. SOURCE: New Jersey Mining Company View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657141/New-Jersey-Mining-Company-Continues-To-Expand-Mineralization-Including-094-Meters-of-287-GPT-Gold-in-Joe-Dandy-Shoot Q$900,000 grant will allow BEN, now an independent 501(c)(3), to continue serving the expanding Colorado entrepreneurial ecosystem DENVER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2021 / The Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network, Colorado (BEN Colorado) is pleased to announce its establishment as a 501(c)(3) Independent Nonprofit entity while also securing an additional grant from their catalyzing funders, the Blackstone Charitable Foundation. The $900,000 grant will allow BEN to continue serving the expanding Colorado entrepreneurial ecosystem and accelerate the next phase of growth, including an enhanced commitment to diversity and inclusion in the network. BEN Colorado is a growth-stage support network for entrepreneurs and the Colorado economy. Highlights: Accomplished and seasoned Advisors work with growth-stage Colorado entrepreneurs to provide give-first support, education, and counsel. 501(c)(3) distinction and a grant from the Blackstone Charitable Foundation allows BEN Colorado to scale and expand our commitment to accelerate growth for BEN CEOs and our long-standing dedication to inclusivity across the entrepreneurial ecosystem. BEN Colorado companies represent $6.2B in revenue, $5.2B in funding, and employ over 16,800 people in Colorado. BEN Colorado champions scaling CEOs in Colorado by engaging an extensive, diverse network of accomplished, well-established Advisors. Through curated and strategic pairings, Advisors and partners collaborate with CEOs to solve key strategic growth challenges. The entrepreneurs that BEN Colorado supports are at a unique stage in the entrepreneurial journey as their companies experience rapid growth in employees, customers, and revenue. "We set out to create an entrepreneurial system focused specifically on supporting scaleup CEOs who are ready to expand and develop their businesses and talent, which was a shared vision with the original founders Brad Feld, Phil Weiser, and Senator Michael Bennet," says Amy Stursberg, Executive Director of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation. "The next phase for BEN is to take the strong network developed over the past few years and open it up to those who have often been left out of entrepreneurship: Women, Veterans, and individuals from underserved communities." BEN has a long history of promoting inclusivity across the Colorado entrepreneurial ecosystem, which will be further supported through the add-on grant from the Blackstone Charitable Foundation. Examples of these programs include: BEN Dens: A direct request from BEN CEOs as they navigated the unprecedented events of 2020, including the Female BEN Den, which creates community, peer-to-peer learning, and support. BEN Advisors Diversity Effort: 51% of all new Advisors who joined the network in 2020 were female, deepening the strength and perspectives of our advisor network for years to come. Community Partnerships: Over the past five years, BEN has partnered with the City and County of Denver to focus on underserved entrepreneurs through the Denver Scaleup Network, giving these CEOs access to the BEN Advisor network. Colorado Inclusive Economy: In 2020, BEN joined as a founding member, helping corporate leaders focus on their DEI efforts. "BEN Colorado has built a reputation and team focused on the future of our strong entrepreneurial ecosystem for CEOs in Colorado," says Kay Henze, CEO & Executive Director of BEN Colorado. "We will continue to evolve while maintaining our mission of accelerating Colorado scaleup companies through curated connections, robust community, and inclusion. We're thrilled to have Blackstone's support for our continued outreach to a more diverse base of entrepreneurs." The active and alumni BEN companies represent $6.2B in revenue, $5.2B in capital raised, and employ over 16,800 people in Colorado. The true impact of BEN is immeasurable, as the connections made between fellow entrepreneurs and members of the community go beyond quantitative statistics. BEN Advisors and CEOs consistently communicate that they will clear their calendars to engage across the network to collaborate with and champion the needs of entrepreneurs. "The Denver/Boulder entrepreneurial ecosystem is built on the principles of collaboration, inclusivity, and education with the growth and support of entrepreneurs at the center of it all," says Brad Feld, Managing Director of Foundry Group. "BEN sits at the heart of this ecosystem and is fueled by a give-first ethos across its dynamic Advisor network that has evolved as the needs of entrepreneurs have become more complex. This has resulted in more scaleup CEOs growing themselves and their companies in Colorado. With the ongoing support from the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, BEN will continue to champion scaleup entrepreneurs to grow their companies, elevate our community, and be a force for good." BEN Colorado exists to serve the CEO, as this role has become more complex over the last seven years. Giving support to a more diverse group of Colorado CEOs is the fastest and most successful way to impact companies, the community, and the entire Colorado ecosystem. Now, as an independent non-profit coupled with the grant provided by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, BEN is positioned to give first, foster inclusivity, and thrive alongside these entrepreneurs. Contact information related to this announcement: Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network Kay Henze, CEO & Executive Director Kay@bencolorado.org Blackstone Charitable Foundation Emilie Stanton, Global Public Affairs Emilie.Stanton@blackstone.com SOURCE: Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network, Colorado View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/656077/Blackstone-Entrepreneurs-Network-Receives-New-Inclusivity-Focused-Grant-From-Blackstone-Charitable-Foundation VERSAILLES, KY / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2021 / Tropical Racing, Inc. (the "Company" or "Tropical Racing") - a Thoroughbred racing and breeding operation - plans to expand its operations through growth of inventory, location, and land. On May 5, 2021, Tropical Racing opened a new financing round under its Regulation A, Tier 2 ("Reg. A") qualified offering, exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, following demand from existing and new investors to purchase shares. This financing round will terminate on the earlier of the initial raise of $20.58 million, on March 10, 2023, or by discretion of the board of directors. The subscription opportunity will be available to qualified U.S. and International Investors. Tropical Racing is currently offering its units of securities (the "Units"), to both accredited and non-accredited investors. Each Unit offered at a purchase price of $3.50 per Unit is comprised of one Class A Share of Common Stock and one Class A Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant" and collectively, the "Warrants") to purchase one additional Class A Share (a "Warrant Share"). One Warrant is required to purchase one additional Warrant Share at an exercise price of $5.00 per Warrant, subject to certain adjustments. The Warrants are exercisable immediately and terminating on the date that is the eighteen (18) month anniversary of the issuance of the Warrant. The minimum investment is 300 Units or $1,050. The Company's offering circular, qualified by the SEC on March 10, 2021, can be viewed at www.tropicalracing.com/investors or by clicking here www.invest.tropicalracing.com. "We are grateful for the contribution our shareholders' investment provides in the growth of Tropical Racing and success in our breeding and racing operations," said Tropical Racing Chief Executive Officer Troy Levy. Investors are encouraged to read the Offering Circular and Exhibits and consult with their tax, legal, or financial professional before investing. Any questions regarding Tropical Racing or the investment process should be directed to the Company via email at info@tropicalracing.com or the investor hotline at +1 859-214-7904. About Regulation A In the United States, under the Securities Act of 1933, any offer to sell securities must either be registered with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or meet certain qualifications to exempt it from such registration. Regulation A (or Reg A) contains rules providing exemptions from the registration requirements, allowing some companies to use public solicitations to offer and sell their securities without having to register the securities with the SEC. Regulation A offerings are intended to make access to capital possible for small and medium-sized companies and to allow non-accredited investors to participate in the offering. The regulation is found under Title 17 of the Code of Federal Regulations, chapter 2, part 230. About Tropical Racing, Inc. Tropical Racing is a thoroughbred horse breeding and racing company that operates its business primarily through three functions: 1) horse ownership syndication; 2) horse training, breeding, and racing; 3) and pinhooking of young thoroughbred livestock. The Company has one active wholly-owned subsidiary - Circle 8 Ranch Corp. - a corporation organized under the State of Florida on or about March 9, 2019. Tropical Racing, Inc. was incorporated on March 31, 2017 in the State of Florida and was authorized to do business in the State of Kentucky on February 19, 2019. The Company's principal office is located at 1740 Grassy Springs Road, Versailles, Kentucky 40383. The Company's telephone number is +1 (561) 513-8767. To the extent statements contained in this news release are not descriptions of historical facts regarding Tropical Racing, Inc. they should be considered "forward-looking statements," as described in the private securities litigation reform act of 1995, that reflect management's current beliefs and expectations. You can identify forward-looking statements by words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "goal," "hope," "hypothesis," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "strategy," "will," "would," or the negative of those terms, and similar expressions that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: (i) the success and timing of our business activities; (ii) our ability to meet our milestones; (iii) our ability to select, purchase and train thoroughbred assets with profit-yielding potential. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown factors, risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. Related Images Related Video SOURCE: Tropical Racing Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657095/Tropical-Racing-Inc-Opened-a-New-Round-of-Financing-Under-Its-Regulation-A-Offering CAMBRIDGE, MA / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2021 / IIOT-OXYS, Inc. (OTC PINK:ITOX) announced its partner, Aingura IIoT, S.L. won an initial contract with ArcelorMittal, the largest steel manufacturer in North America, South America, and Europe. Cliff Emmons, CEO of IIOT-OXYS, Inc., stated, "I'm pleased to extend congratulations to our partner Aingura IIoT, S.L. for winning an initial contract with ArcelorMittal, which manufactures steel in 17 countries." IIOT-OXYS, Inc. and Aingura IIoT, S.L. signed a collaborative agreement in March 2020 to leverage their complementary strengths in industry sectors and geographical reach. Rafael Ibeas, CEO of Aingura IIoT, stated "We are excited to secure this initial contract, which represents the first exploratory phase with an important milestone planned for December of this year that, depending on added value level of the results, could bring the opportunity of a multi-phase engagement". This exploratory phase will be based on a Proof of Concept (PoC) related to efficiency improvement of a particular sub-process in the overall steel manufacturing process. A representative of ArcelorMittal stated "Aingura IIoT, S.L. was chosen for its extensive capabilities and experience in providing sophisticated IT/OT systems architecture and a new generation of Machine Learning analysis algorithms for applications in the steel industry that fit into our well-developed internal IIoT architectures." Mr. Emmons added, "Aingura IIoT S.L.'s experience in the automotive, manufacturing, and steel industries is synergistic with IIOT-OXYS, Inc.'s expertise and accomplishments in time series data and predictive analyses applied to Pharmaceutical Operations and Structural Health Monitoring industry sectors." Mr. Ibeas stated, "IIOT-OXYS, Inc.'s successful pilots in Pharma Operations, and Structural Health Monitoring make them a strong partner, ensuring success in our ArcelorMittal contract, and future business in Europe, Asia, and the U.S." Mr. Emmons concluded, "Winning the ArcelorMittal contract demonstrates the value our successful PoCs, pilots, installations, and foundational case studies can bring to our future customers. Rafael and I expect our marketing collateral, in conjunction with our prospecting efforts, and executing on this new contract, will lead to additional new business in due time." Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements that reflect Management's current views about future events and financial performance. Forward-looking statements often contain words such as 'expects,' 'anticipates,' 'intends,' or 'believes.' Our forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and events to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties that could adversely affect us include, without limitation, the loss of major customers, our failure to obtain new contracts, our inability to patent products or processes, our infringement of patents held by others, our inability to finance our business and the other risks and uncertainties that are discussed in our most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements in this news release are made only as of the date of this news release. We undertake no obligation to update our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. About Us IIOT-OXYS, Inc. is a technology company at the intersection of IIoT, AI & Machine Learning, Edge Computing and Manufacturing Operations. We provide actionable mission-critical insights for the Medical/Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing, Agriculture, Defense, and Structural Health, and other industries. IIOT-OXYS, Inc. edge computing open-source hardware and proprietary ML algorithms employ our Minimally Invasive Load Monitoring (MILM) technology to simply gather data and gain insights to monitor, scope, move from preventive to predictive maintenance, and even optimize development and manufacturing processes. For additional information visit www.oxyscorp.com. CONTACT: Clifford L. Emmons CEO IIOT-OXYS, Inc. contact@oxyscorp.com www.oxyscorp.com SOURCE: IIOT-OXYS, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657206/IIOT-OXYS-Incs-Partner-Aingura-IIoT-SL-Wins-Contract-with-ArcelorMittal Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2021) - David H. Brett, President & CEO, EnGold Mines Ltd. (TSXV: EGM) ("EnGold" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that the Company held its Annual General and Special Meeting (the "Meeting") on July 26, 2021. All of the matters submitted to the Company's shareholders for approval as set out in the Company's Notice of Meeting and Information Circular, both dated June 21, 2021, were approved by shareholders at the Meeting. The Company's shareholders voted to: set the number of directors at five; elect David H. Brett, Dale Reimer, John Brown, Rolf van Dreisum and Anton Novak as directors; re-appoint Davidson & Company LLP as the Company's auditors; approve an ordinary resolution of disinterested shareholders regarding the creation of a Control Person; approve a special resolution regarding the consolidation of the share capital on the basis of ten (10) common shares without par value being consolidated into one common share without par value; and re-approve the Company's stock option plan. The Company excluded the shareholder votes from Anton Novak regarding the resolutions approving the creation of the Control Person. The Company would like to thank its shareholders for their participation in the Meeting and to welcome new director, Anton Novak, to the board of directors of the Company. About EnGold EnGold is a Vancouver-based copper, gold, silver, magnetite exploration company focused solely on its 100% owned Lac La Hache property in the Cariboo region of BC which hosts the Spout Copper Deposit, the Aurizon Gold Deposit and the G1 Copper Deposit and other exploration targets within a large porphyry mineralizing system. With world class infrastructure at its doorstep, Lac La Hache is a great location to be exploring. EnGold Mines Ltd. David Brett President & CEO For further info contact David Brett, 604-682-2421 or david@engold.ca This news release may contain "forward-looking statements". Readers are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual development or results may vary materially from those in these "forward-looking statements." Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91295 Dieppe, New Brunswick--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2021) - Colibri Resource Corporation (TSXV: CBI) ("Colibri" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that its partner Tocvan Ventures Corp. ("Tocvan") has reported assays from 4 additional holes completed on its 20-hole (2,500 metres) Phase II reverse circulation ("RC") drill program at the Pilar Gold and Silver Project ("Pilar"), Sonora, Mexico. Tocvan is in year two of a five-year option agreement with Colibri to earn an initial 51% ownership of the Pilar Gold-Silver Project. For full details of the agreement see Colibri's news release dated September 24th, 2019. "Our partner continues to illustrate the potential at Pilar. Results from Phase II drilling by Tocvan includes extension of the Main Zone and with these current results the confirmation of mineralization along the 4 Trench structure located northeast of the Main Zone. The drilling appears to be defining a footprint of mineralization approximately 500m x 500m with expansion potential to the southeast. We anxiously look forward to our partners continued success and the delineation and expansion of mineralization," states Ron Goguen, President & CEO of Colibri. Highlights and discussion of results as released by Tocvan follow: Drill Result Highlights JES-21-53 (Figure 1) 15.3 meters at 1.1 g/t Au and 2 g/t Ag from 36.6 to 51.9 meters Including 4.6 meters at 2.4 g/t Au and 3 g/t Ag from 41.2 to 45.8 meters Including 1.5 meters at 4.6 g/t Au and 3 g/t Ag from 42.7 to 44.2 meters from 36.6 to 51.9 meters JES-21-52 3.0 meters at 0.63 g/t Au and 47 g/t Ag from 33.6 to 36.6 meters from 33.6 to 36.6 meters And 3.0 meters at 0.49 g/t Au and 31 g/t Ag from 41.2 to 44.2 meters JES-21-55 10.7m at 0.43 g/t Au and 4 g/t Ag from 10.7 to 21.4 meters Including 1 .5 meters at 1.2 g/t Au and 7 g/t Ag from 12.2 to 13.7 meters from 10.7 to 21.4 meters Results Discussion JES-21-52 - The hole was planned to test the 4-Trench Extension target. Drilling intersected a broad low-grade zone from 7.6 to 44.2m of 0.18 g/t Au and 7 g/t Ag, including a two higher grade sections with 3m of 0.63 g/t Au and 47 g/t Ag along with 3m of 0.49 g/t Au and 31 g/t Ag. (see Table 1). JES-21-53 - The hole was planned to test the 4-Trench Extension target 100m on trend with drill hole JES-21-44. The hole intersected 15.3m of 1.1 g/t Au, including 1.5m of 4.6 g/t Au. JES-21-54 - The hole was planned to test the 4-Trench Extension target 100m along trend from JES-21-53. Drilling intersected a broad low-grade zone from 45.8 to 74.2m of 0.11 g/t Au. JES-21-55 - The hole was planned to test 4-Trench Extension target at the northwest extent of the trend. The hole intersected 10.7m of 0.43 g/t Au, including two elevated zones each 1.5m at 1.2 g/t Au. The hole was stopped due to a mechanical issue before reaching final target depth. The hole ended in 0.19 g/t Au and 31 g/t Ag. Figure 1. Planview Map of Phase II Drill Program Update. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4269/91308_11b27e85b463387e_001full.jpg. Table 1. Summary of Drill Results Hole ID From (m) To (m) Width* (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) AuEq (g/t) JES-21-52 7.63 44.23 36.6 0.18 7 0.25 including 33.55 36.6 3.05 0.63 47 1.13 and 41.7 44.23 3.06 0.49 31 0.81 JES-21-53 36.6 51.85 15.25 1.09 2 1.11 including 41.17 45.75 4.58 2.42 3 2.45 including 42.7 44.23 1.53 4.57 3 4.60 JES-21-54 45.75 74.72 28.97 0.11 1 0.13 JES-21-55 10.68 21.35 10.67 0.43 4 0.47 including 12.2 13.72 1.52 1.16 7 1.24 and 19.82 21.35 1.53 1.20 0 1.20 161.65 163.18 1.53 0.19 31 0.52 *Insufficient drilling has been undertaken to determine true widths. All widths reported are core length. Gold equivalent ("AuEq") is calculated using metal prices of $1,700/oz gold and $18/oz silver. About the Pilar Property The Pilar Gold-Silver property is interpreted as a structurally controlled low-sulphidation epithermal project hosted in andesite rocks. Three zones of mineralization have been identified in the north-west part of the property from historic surface work and drilling and are referred to as the Main Zone, North Hill and 4-Trench. Structural features and zones of mineralization within the structures follow an overall NW-SE trend of mineralization. Over 19,200 m of drilling have been completed to date. Significant results are highlighted below: 2020 Phase I RC Drilling Highlights include ( all lengths are drilled thicknesses ): 94.6m @ 1.6 g/t Au, including 9.2m @ 10.8 g/t Au and 38 g/t Ag; 41.2m @ 1.1 g/t Au, including 3.1m @ 6.0g/t Au and 12 g/t Ag ; 24.4m @ 2.5 g/t Au and 73 g/t Ag, including 1.5m @ 33.4 g/t Au and 1,090 g/t Ag 17,700m of Historic Core & RC drilling. Highlights include: 61.0m @ 0.8 g/t Au 16.5m @ 53.5g/t Au and 53 g/t Ag 13.0m @ 9.6 g/t Au 9.0m @ 10.2 g/t Au and 46 g/t Ag Soil and Rock sampling results from undrilled areas indicate mineralization extends towards the southeast from the Main Zone and 4-Trench Zone. Recent Surface exploration has defined three new target areas: Triple Vein Zone, SE Vein Zone and 4 Trench Extension. ABOUT COLIBRI RESOURCE CORPORATION: Colibri is a Canadian-based mineral exploration company listed on the TSXV (CBI) and is focused on acquiring and exploring prospective gold & silver properties in Mexico. The Company has six exploration projects of which five currently have exploration programs being executed or planned for 2021. The flagship Evelyn Gold Project is 100% owned and explored by Colibri. The Company has four additional projects, Pilar Gold & Silver Project (optioned to Tocvan Ventures) (CSE: TOC), El Mezquite Gold & Silver Project , Jackie Gold & Silver Project, and the Diamante Gold & Silver Project (earn-in agreements with Silver Spruce Resources) (TSXV: SSE) are also currently being actively advanced. For more information about all Company projects please visit: www.colibriresource.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. Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains "forward-looking statements." Statements in this press release, which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that they will prove to be accurate. For further information: Ronald J. Goguen, President, Chairperson and Director, Tel: (506) 383-4274, rongoguen@colibriresource.com. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91308. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2021) - SKRR Exploration Inc. (TSXV: SKRR) (OTC Pink: SKKRF) (FSE: B04Q) ("SKRR" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the beginning of the field work at the Company's Manson Bay Gold Project ("Manson Bay"). The Company has received a drill permit for Manson Bay and expects to begin drilling in early September 2021. SKRR also announces that senior management along with a small group of investors/advisors and geologists will be visiting the following projects Wednesday, July 28 and Thursday, July 29 ,2021 as preparations are well underway for the 2021 drilling and exploration season: SKRR Leland Gold Project, SKRR Olson Gold Project and Manson Bay Gold Project. 2021 Manson Bay Drill Program The 2021 Manson Bay drilling targets will be based on a comprehensive compilation and modelling of all available data including historic drilling, which will be augmented with the results from the current fieldwork. Qualified Person The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Ross McElroy P.Geol, a director of the Company and a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. McElroy verified the data disclosed (unless indicated otherwise) which includes a review of the sampling, analytical and test data underlying the information and opinions contained therein. About SKRR Exploration Inc.: SKRR is a Canadian-based precious metal explorer with properties in Saskatchewan - one of the world's highest ranked mining jurisdictions. The primary exploration focus is on the Trans-Hudson Corridor in Saskatchewan in search of world class precious metal deposits. The Trans-Hudson Orogen - although extremely well known in geological terms has been significantly under-explored in Saskatchewan. SKRR is committed to all stakeholders including shareholders, all its partners and the environment in which it operates. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Sherman Dahl President & CEO Tel: 250-558-8340 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Information This news release contains "forward-looking information or statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, which may include, without limitation, statements that address the planned drilling on the Manson Bay Property, receipt of permits, other statements relating to the technical, financial and business prospects of the Company, its projects and other matters. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results 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, that financing will be available if and when needed and on reasonable terms. 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. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include, but are not limited to, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions, adverse weather conditions, decrease in the price of gold and other metals, equipment failures or failure to obtain the necessary equipment, adverse weather conditions, failure to maintain all necessary government permits, approvals and authorizations, the impact of Covid-19 or other viruses and diseases on the Company's ability to operate, failure to maintain community acceptance (including First Nations), increase in costs, litigation, and failure of counterparties to perform their contractual obligations. The Company does not undertake to update forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, except as required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91306 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2021 / Marvel Discovery Corp. (TSX-V:MARV), (Frankfurt:O4T1), (MARVF:OTCQB); ("Marvel" or the "Company") is pleased to report it has completed a heliborne magnetic and TDEM survey over the Duhamel Ni-Cu-Co and Ti-V-Cr property (the 'Property') located 350 kilometres (km) north of Quebec City, QC (Figure 1). The combined heliborne survey was completed in May 2021 by Prospectair Geosurveys of Gatineau, QC over the entire 2,300 hectare land position consisting of 342 line km at 100 metre (m) spacings. Figure 1. Regional location of the Duhamel Property. The Duhamel Property The Duhamel project is located between Chutes-des-Passes and Pipmuacan Reservoir deformation zones (or areas) included in central part of Proterozoic Grenville Geological Province (Figure 2). The Duhamel Property is characterized by the presence of large mafic to ultramafic intrusive rock bodies located in northern margin of the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (SAGLSJ) Anorthosite Suite, one of the largestanorthosite intrusive bodies in the world. The Chute-des-Passes-Pipmuacan reservoir areas contains numerous massive sulfide and iron oxide mineralization occurrences recognized and documented by the Quebec government (Sigeom, Figure 3). Figure 2. Geology of the Northern part of the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean Anorthosite Suite and location of interest area (modified from Hebert et als, 2009). Figure 3. Ni-Cu-Co and Fe-Ti-P-V mineral occurrences on the Chute-des-Passes and Pipmuacan Areas (modified from Hebert et Cadieux, 2002). The Duhamel Property currently contains seven (7) occurrences of Ni-Cu-Co sulphides and one (1) Fe-Ti-V iron oxide occurrence discovered between 1997 to 2001 by previous operators who defined a 13 km long mineralized rock corridor (Figure 4). Drill intercept highlights include 1.27% Ni, 0.33% Cu, and 0.12% Co over 3.0 meters by Virginia Gold Mines in 2000 that contained massive sulfides. Compilation of historic assessment reports to date reveals more than thirty (30) Ni-Cu (Co) and four (4) Fe-Ti (V, Cr) mineral occurrences which confirms this corridor to be highly prospective for new Ni-Cu-Co discoveries, as well as Fe-Ti (Cr, V) discoveries. Further to the compilation of previously filed assessment reports Marvel recovered from historical data a grab sample (from massive Iron-Titanium Oxides), the result assaying 0.28% V2O5 associated with 20.8% TiO2 and 0.13% Cr203. Figure 4. Regional geology, structure, and mineral occurrences of the Duhamel property, included significant mineralized intervals of 2000 and 2001 diamond drilling programs (Ref. SIGEOM-MERNQ). Next Steps Following receiving the final magnetic and TDEM products, Marvel will initiate a full interpretation of the data integrating geology, structure, and mineralization. Targets of high merit will be ground-truthed through prospecting, mapping, and sampling. The result of these endeavors will vector diamond drilling to those targets of high potential to host significant mineralization. Chairman Resignation Effective immediately Gary Musil has tendered his resignation as company Chairman and is stepping down from the board of directors. The resignation is due to personal reasons. The board of Directors thanks Mr. Musil for his dedication, leadership, and service to the company. Mr. Karim Rayani, President and Chief Executive Officer commented, "We are eagerly waiting for the results of the heliborne survey. The Duhamel Property is a fertile host for Ni-Cu-Co massive sulphides and iron Ti-V-Cr mineralization. Upon completing interpretation, we will follow-up with boots on the ground and select our best targets for diamond drilling. Secondly, I would also like to personally thank Gary Musil for 20 plus years of valuable service, and contributions. We wish him well in his future endeavors." Qualified Person The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Jean-Paul Barrette, P.Geo., who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and accumulated numerous years experience in exploration and drilling campaigns on nickel-copper mineralizations hosted in mafic and ultramafic rock bodies within Grenville Province in Quebec. About Marvel Discovery Corp. Marvel, listed on the TSX Venture Exchange for over 25 years, is a Canadian based emerging resource company. The Company is systematically exploring its extensive property positions in: Newfoundland (Slip, Gander South, Gander North, Victoria Lake and Hope Brook - Au Prospects ) ) Atikokan, Ontario (BlackFly - Au prospect ) ) Red Lake, Ontario (Camping Lake - Au prospect) Elliot Lake, Ontario (Serpent River/Pecors - Ni-Cu-PGE discovery) & (Uranium- REE's) Quebec (Duhamel - Ni-Cu-Co prospect & Titanium, Vanadium, and Chromium prospect) Prince George, British Columbia (Wicheeda North - Rare Earth Elements prospect) The Company's website is: https://marveldiscovery.ca/ Marvel Discovery Corp. "Karim Rayani" Karim Rayani President/Chief Executive Officer, Director Tel: 604 716 0551 email: k@r7.capital Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information: Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements which reflect the expectations of management. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions regarding the future. Forward-looking statements in this press release relate to, among other things: completion of the proposed Arrangement. Actual future results may differ materially. 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. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these times. Except as required by law, the Company does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Marvel Discovery Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657168/Marvel-Completes-Heliborne-Survey-on-Duhamel-Nickel-Copper-Cobalt-Property-QC-Musil-Steps-Down PUNE, India, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Medical Imaging Market in terms of revenue was worth of USD 26.52 Billion in 2020 and is expected to reach USD 35.78 Billion in 2027, growing at a CAGR of 3.99% from 2021 to 2027. The global medical imaging market is expected to grow at a substantial growth rate due to several driving factors. Medical Imaging Market Top Companies: GE Healthcare Koninklijke Philips N.V. Siemens Healthineers Canon Medical Systems Corporation Bruker Mediso Ltd. MILabs B.V. MR Solutions TriFoil Imaging PerkinElmer Inc. FUJIFILM VisualSonics Inc. Cubresa Inc. Get Sample of Report@ https://brandessenceresearch.com/requestSample/PostId/1626 Medical imaging states to techniques and procedures used to generate images of several parts of the human body for diagnostic and treatment functions within digital health. The term, medical imaging, comprises several radiological imaging techniques such as X-ray radiography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), fluoroscopy, medical ultrasonography, or ultrasound, elastography, endoscopy, thermography. It is the procedure and method of imaging the interior of a body for clinical analysis and medical intervention, as well as visual representation of the purpose of some organs or tissues (physiology). Medical imaging pursues to reveal internal structures hidden by the skin and bones, as well as to identify and treat disease. It also determines a database of normal anatomy and physiology to get it possible to detect abnormalities. Diagnostic medical imaging depends on the use of 'invisible' waves, such as magnetic fields, electromagnetic radiation, or sound waves. It is used for spotting diagnosis, monitoring disease progression, treatment planning, and evaluating the efficacy of treatment. The idea of medical imaging began in 1895 with the discovery of the x-ray by a German professor of physics, Wilhelm Rontgen. The study provides a crucial view of the global medical imaging market by segmenting the market based on imaging technique, end user and region & country level. Based upon imaging technique, the global medical imaging market is segmented into X-Ray Systems, Ultrasound, Computed Tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and Others. Based upon end user, the market is categorized into hospitals, ambulatory centers, radiology centers, and others. Some of the major factors are driving the growth of the global medical imaging market are increasing prevalence of cancer and cardiac diseases, rising number of favorable government initiatives, rising trends of preventive healthcare and disease screening programs, the surge in technical advancements, and strategic collaboration. Currently, the growing demand for state-of-the-art imaging modalities by teaching hospitals and universities to deliver training for enhanced technology is one of the factors likely to have a substantial influence on the market growth during the upcoming years. This trend, formerly limited to the established countries, is now demonstrating a shift towards emerging countries as well. For instance; Siemens Healthineers' MAGNETOM Terra, the only accepted 7T MRI system, has been installed only in the U.S. Lately, another elevated strength, combined 7T MRI/PET system was installed in Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center's Wohl Institute for Translational Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel. In addition, the surge in investments and strategic collaboration of medical imaging is another factor fostering the market growth. For example; GE Healthcare (General Electric Company) and Affidea (a pan-European leader in advanced clinical imaging) have endorsed an agreement to create digital technologies and imaging in the Affidea network. The deal includes 40 CT scanners, 30 X-ray machines, 60 new MRIs, and 50 ultrasound equipment over the next 3 years in December 2019. Additionally, Philips launched its new Ingenia Elition 3T MRI equipment in March 2018 at the European congress of radiology. However, lack of trained radiologists may hamper the market growth. In spite of that, a large and aging installed base of imaging equipment may present a lucrative opportunity for the further growth of the global medical imaging market. The imaging technique segment of the global medical imaging market is dominated by X-Ray Systems with the largest market share of 33.94% in 2020. The end-user segment of global medical imaging is dominated by Radiology Centers with the largest share of XX% in the year 2020. Get Methodology @https://brandessenceresearch.com/requestMethodology/PostId/1626 Geographically, North America is expected to dominate the global medical imaging market within the forecast period owing to the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, the surge in product launches, increasing investment and strategic collaboration, and the rise in aging population in this region. The presence of many industry players and the high frequency of new product launches within the region are also fostering the market growth. Carstream Health has launched new software named ImageView software in May 2019 which facilitates the digital revolution in its mobile X-ray system with enhanced features of Microsoft Window 10 which improves the collection of detector performance data. The Asia Pacific is the fastest-growing market for the medical imaging due to technological advancements, coupled with supportive reserves and funds by the government, particularly in emerging countries, such as India and China. For instance; Allengers had launched India's first locally manufactured 32 slice CT scanner in January 2020. The system was established in partnership with Canon Medical Systems. Buy Medical imaging Market Research Report: https://brandessenceresearch.com/Checkout?report_id=1626 Medical imaging incorporates diagnostic and therapeutic services. It is an essential component of clinical care for healthcare system. The medical imaging includes different types of modalities such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, medical radiation, angiography and computed tomography (CT) scanners that are used to image the human body for diagnosis and treatment of a variety of diseases and hence it plays a vital role in improving health. Among all, MRI's and CT scans allow the physician to monitor the effectiveness of treatment and adjust procedures as necessary. Medical imaging generates detailed information of patients with better, more comprehensive care. There are various number of medical imaging available, depending on the physical nature of the waves working and the method of image capture. Some of the Major Trends in Global Medical Imaging Market are as follows: Artificial intelligence (AI): The most important factor behind the emergence of AI in medical imaging is that the desire for greater efficacy and efficiency in clinical care. The integration of AI component within the medical imaging workflow can upsurge efficiency and reduce errors. Thus, it can achieve objectives with minimal manual input by providing trained radiologists with pre-screened images and identified features. AI is becoming a major constituent of many applications within health care, including medical diagnostics, drug discovery, remote patient monitoring and medical imaging, risk management, wearables, virtual assistants and hospital management. AI is playing a significant role in medical imaging researches. It has the potential to develop the advanced medical imaging manufacturing. AI-driven analytics can improve the accuracy and speed of decision-making. The medical imaging market will rise with hundreds of AI?technologies in development so, providers will need to prove customer ROI in a competitive setting. For example: Siemens Healthineers & Intel announced the partnership to explore how AI can improve cardiac MRI diagnostics. Currently, cardiologists need to segment many different parts of the heart in their imaging. This AI-enabled instant segmentation technology?allows specialist to see more patients each day. Google's DeepMind can read?3D retinal OCT scans?and diagnose 50 different ophthalmic conditions with 99% accuracy. It can detect indicators of eye disease. Also, it can be used to rank patients by urgency and recommend treatment. These capabilities can be reduce on the delay between scan and treatment. DeepMind aims to build advanced AI to allow patients to get sight-saving treatments in time. iCAD's "ProFound AI" is a innovative cancer detection and therapy solutions. It is mainly used for digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT). It offer clinically proven time-savings benefits to radiologists, improving radiologist sensitivity by 8 percent, and reducing false positives and unnecessary patient recall rates by 7.2 percent. This can reduce radiologists' time spent reading breast scans by more than 50 percent. In 2018, It became the first 3D tomosyntheses is software using artificial intelligence (AI) approved by FDA. Virtual and Augmented Reality & 3D Medical Imaging: Virtual reality and 3D medical imaging technologies have important effects within the healthcare industry. The 3D image is intractable via peripheral pointing devices. Medical professionals can rotate the image and make cross-sections during the diagnostics. This is very convenient for better visualization and planning before a medical procedure. Also, physicians can even print these images with a 3D printer. 3D medical imaging offers improved images of blood vessels and better images of bones. 3D visualization such as cinematic rendering creates photorealistic images of the anatomy which is help in surgery planning. Augmented reality (AR) is similar to VR in that it generates three-dimensional images as combine with the real world. For example; EchoPixel True 3D is a new augmented reality technologies. It is making possible for physicians to create a 3D image of MRIs then physicians can examine the image with 3D glasses or a VR headset. Also, Companies like Proprio is building on recent computer vision advances as using machine learning and AR to help surgeons. Nuclear Imaging: Nuclear imaging is used to study organ and tissue function. A tiny amount of a radioactive substance is used during the procedure to assist in the exam. In nuclear imaging, there is a technique involves the use of radioactive molecules that are called 'tracers'. Before a medical imaging scan, a patient consumes radioactive materials called radiotracers for scanning. A special type of nuclear imaging is positron emission tomography (PET). It can use a radioactive form of glucose. Glucose is preferentially taken up by cells which have a high rate of metabolism, such as cancer cells. Thus, advanced diagnostic nuclear imaging technique can help to identify distant metastases in cancer patients. During a scan, a camera focuses on where the radioactive material concentrates. These types of scans are particularly helpful when diagnosing the various diseases such as gall bladder disease, heart conditions, thyroid disease, cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Get Complete Trends on: https://brandessenceresearch.com/healthcare/medical-imaging-market Have a Look at other Related Reports: Medical Imaging Equipment Market 2021 By Product Type (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Equipment, Compound Tomography Equipment, X-Ray Equipment, Ultrasound Equipment, Molecular Equipment), By Application (Cardiology, Neurology, Orthopedics, Gynecology, Oncology , Others), By End User (Hospitals, Specialty Clinics, Diagnostic Imaging Centers , Others) Forecast To 2027 Gynaecological Devices Market - Widespread prevalence of gynecologic diseases and rising demand for minimal invasive procedures are key drivers for Global Gynaecological Devices Market. Video Streaming Industry Analysis, Statistics 2021 | Brandessence Market U.S Clinical Trial Management System Market Statistics, Grwoth, Trends 2021 | Brandessence Market Global Artificial Intelligence in Radiology Market is valued at USD 21.5 Million in 2018 and expected to reach USD 181.1 Million by 2025 with a CAGR of 35.9% over the forecast period. Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) Imaging Systems Market Small Animal Imaging Market is growing at the CAGR of 6.91% over the forecast period Brandessence Market Research & Consulting Pvt ltd. Brandessence market research publishes market research reports & business insights produced by highly qualified and experienced industry analysts. Our research reports are available in a wide range of industry verticals including aviation, food & beverage, healthcare, ICT, Construction, Chemicals and lot more. Brand Essence Market Research report will be best fit for senior executives, business development managers, marketing managers, consultants, CEOs, CIOs, COOs, and Directors, governments, agencies, organizations and Ph.D. Students. We have a delivery center in Pune, India and our sales office is in London. Website: https://industrywatchnews.com/ Article: https://businessstatsnews.com Contact: Mr. Aniket Patil, aniket@brandessenceresearch.com, Email: sales@brandessenceresearch.com, Corporate Sales: +44-2038074155, Asia Office: +917447409162 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1392316/BEMR_Logo.jpg RAIPUR, India, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Stratview Research announces the launch of a new research report on AFP/ATL Composites Market by Resin Type (Thermoset Composites [High-Temperature Composites, Epoxy Composites, and Others] and Thermoplastic Composites [PPS, PEEK, and Others]), by Fiber Type (Carbon Composites, Glass Composites, and Aramid Composites), by End-Use Industry Type (Aerospace, Automotive, and Others), by Automation Type (AFP Composites and ATL Composites), and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World), Size, Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2021-2026. This strategic assessment report, from Stratview Research, provides a comprehensive analysis that reflects today's AFP/ATL composites market realities and future market possibilities for the forecast period of 2021 to 2026. After continuous interest in our aircraft AFP/ATL composites market report from the industry stakeholders, we tried to further accentuate our research scope to overall AFP/ATL composites to provide the most crystal-clear picture of the market. The report segments and analyzes the market in the most detailed manner to provide a panoramic view of the market. The vital data/information provided in the report can play a crucial role for the market participants as well as investors in the identification of the low-hanging fruits available as well as formulate growth strategies. AFP/ATL Composites Market: Highlights Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) and Automated Tape Layup (ATL) are the processes that use numerically controlled machines to lay a single or multiple layers of composites in the form of fabrics or tows onto a mold to give certain shapes to form a part or structure. These are generally used to manufacture large components in the aircraft industry such as fuselage sections, wings, and nose cone. These automated manufacturing processes come with multiple advantages such as fast speed of material deposition, in terms of fibers or tapes, depending upon the structure as well as the technology opted to produce the components, as these processes are less labor intensive, which means they do not depend much on the operator and are efficient in manufacturing larger components. The incessant growth in the demand for AFP/ATL composites was ceased by the COVID-19 in 2020, causing severe changes in the demand in the near term. In numbers, the AFP/ATL composites market logged a massive decline of -33.9% in 2020, creating a lag of at least five years in the market. However, the long-term market outlook is still optimistic, backed by strong fundamentals, especially huge order backlogs of Boeing and Airbus, assuring continuous production of at least 7 years at the current production rates. Furthermore, there has been a paradigm shift from traditional heavyweight materials to advanced composite materials in the wake of their countless advantages including lightweight, excellent strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, etc. In the near term, the global AFP/ATL composites market is subjected to grow at a promising CAGR of 10.8% to reach US$ 3.1 billion in 2026. Click Here for Running Through the Table of Contents: https://www.stratviewresearch.com/toc/1854/AFP-ATL-composites-market.html Based on the resin type, thermoset composites are expected to remain the most dominant material type in the market during the forecast period, whereas thermoplastic composite is expected to experience faster growth during the same period. All major aircraft AFP/ATL composite applications, such as fuselage and wings, are manufactured using carbon epoxy composites. Also, thermoset composites are widely used in key automotive applications such as roof, bumper, body frame, and enclosures for a battery pack. Based on the automation type, AFP composite is expected to remain the larger and the faster-growing segment of the market during the forecast period. AFP achieves greater precision over ATL and fulfills flexible part design requirements as well as can be an effective technique for shorter course placements. In terms of regions, North America is expected to remain the largest market for AFP/ATL composites during the forecast period. B787, F-35, B737 Max, and A220 are the growth engines of the region's demand for AFP/ATL composites. The upcoming aircraft variant, B777x, is likely to add new revenue pockets to the region's market. Key players in the region are Spirit AeroSystems, The Boeing Company, Northrup Grumman, etc. Europe is expected to remain the second-largest market during the forecast period. The region is the largest AFP/ATL composites market for the automotive category. Presence of many high-end auto OEMs coupled with high penetration of carbon composites is the prime factor, driving the region's market. Register Here for a Free Sample of the Report: https://www.stratviewresearch.com/Request-Sample/1854/AFP-ATL-composites-market.htmlform The market for AFP/ATL composites is gradually consolidating with the leading companies getting engaged in M&A activities. Also, private equity firms are keenly investing in the industry by acquiring mid-to small-sized companies. For instance, Spirit AeroSystems acquired the select assets of Bombardier Aerostructures and aftermarket service businesses in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Casablanca, Morocco, and Dallas, the United States. Along with the acquisition of these three sites, the company also acquired the complete work package for the A220 wing manufacturing process and technology. The supply chain of this market comprises several nodes including raw material suppliers, prepreg manufacturers, AFP/ATL composite part manufacturers, distributors, and OEMs. Following are the key players in the AFP/ATL composites market: Airbus Group SE AVEL robotics SAS The Boeing Company Bombardier Inc. Collins Aerospace Faurecia GKN Aerospace Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. Leonardo S.p. A. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Premium Aerotech GmbH Spirit AeroSystems Development of systems with greater layup rate, expansion in untapped and growing markets, and execution of mergers & acquisitions are the key strategies adopted by the major players to gain a competitive edge in the market. Report Features This report provides market intelligence in the most comprehensive way. The report structure has been kept such that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights on the market dynamics and will enable strategic decision making for the existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market. The following are the key features of the report: Market structure: Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis. Market environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porter's five forces analysis, SWOT analysis. Market trend and forecast analysis. Market segment trend and forecast. Competitive landscape and dynamics: Market share, product portfolio, product launches, etc. Attractive market segments and associated growth opportunities. Emerging trends. Strategic growth opportunities for the existing and new players. Key success factors. This report studies AFP/ATL composites market and has segmented the market in three ways, keeping in mind the interest of all the stakeholders across the value chain. Following are the three ways in which the market is segmented: AFP/ATL Composites Market, by Resin Type Thermoset Composites (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) By Resin Type (High-Temperature Composites, Epoxy Composites, and Others) By Fiber Type (Glass Composites, Carbon Composites, and Aramid Composites) By Application Type (Aircraft, Automotive, and Others) Thermoplastic Composites (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) By Resin Type (PPS, PEEK, and Others) By Fiber Type (Carbon Composites and Glass Composites) By Application Type (Aircraft and Others) AFP/ATL Composites Market, by Automation Type AFP Composites (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) ATL Composites (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) AFP/ATL Composites Market, by Region North America (Country Analysis: The USA , Canada , and Mexico ) Europe (Country Analysis: Germany , France , the UK, Russia , and Rest of Europe ) Asia-Pacific (Country Analysis: Japan , China , Singapore , and Rest of Asia-Pacific ) Rest of the World (Country Analysis: Saudi Arabia , Brazil , and Others) Stratview Research has several high value market reports in the composites and advanced materials industry. Please refer to the following link to browse through our reports: https://www.stratviewresearch.com/market-reports/Advanced-Materials.html About Stratview Research Stratview Research is a global market intelligence firm providing wide range of services including syndicated market reports, custom research and sourcing intelligence across industries, such as Advanced Materials, Aerospace & Defense, Automotive & Mass Transportation, Consumer Goods, Construction & Equipment, Electronics and Semiconductors, Energy & Utility, Healthcare & Life Sciences, and Oil & Gas. We have a strong team of industry veterans and analysts with an extensive experience in executing custom research projects for mid-sized to Fortune 500 companies, in the areas of Market Assessment, Opportunity Screening, Competitive Intelligence, Due Diligence, Target Screening, Market Entry Strategy, Go to Market Strategy, and Voice of Customer studies. Stratview Research is a trusted brand globally, providing high quality research and strategic insights that help companies worldwide in effective decision making. Stratview Research has launched 'Composights', an online portal which offers free thought leadership reports, whitepapers, market report synopsis and much more for Composites and allied industries, worth US$ 20,000 every year. Click here to sign up (No costs involved): https://www.stratviewresearch.com/composights/sign-in For enquiries, please contact: Stratview Research E-mail: sales@stratviewresearch.com Direct: +1-313-307-4176 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660595/Stratview_Research_Logo.jpg New injection of funds from renowned investors comes as the world's biggest financial institutions opt for Fireblocks' enterprise-grade platform to meet new customer demand for digital assets NEW YORK, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Fireblocks ( www.fireblocks.com ), the preeminent platform that empowers the entry of traditional institutions into the digital asset space, announced today it has raised $310 million in Series D funding. The round is co-led by Sequoia Capital , Stripes , Spark Capital , Coatue , DRW VC and SCB 10X , the venture arm of Thailand's oldest bank, Siam Commercial Bank, whose investment marks the third global bank to invest in Fireblocks alongside BNY Mellon and SVB Capital. This extension of capital marks a significant milestone for Fireblocks, boosting the company's valuation to over $2 billion. The Fireblocks platform propagates the expansion of digital asset use cases beyond bitcoin into payments, gaming, NFTs, digital securities and ultimately allows any business to become a digital asset business. Fireblocks' technology can be white labeled for crypto custody solutions, allowing new and established financial institutions to implement direct custody on their own without having to rely on third parties. "Fireblocks is the preferred choice by large and small institutions given that its platform allows them to offer their customers' custom custody solutions instead of outsourcing critical capabilities," said Mukaya (Tai) Panich, Chief Venture and Investment Officer, SCB 10X. "We are an investor, partner and customer of Fireblocks in multiple areas as we believe the Fireblocks Asset Transfer Network and its crypto custody infrastructure are world-class and are unparalleled in the digital asset space. As Thailand's largest bank, we are looking forward to bringing Fireblocks' solutions to future users in Southeast Asia." As the pioneer of MPC technology for digital assets, Fireblocks has created a trusted infrastructure that sits at the core of its platform. Now adopted by over 500 institutions and securing over one trillion dollars in digital assets, Fireblocks infrastructure has been a fundamental driver in the growth and adoption among new and traditional financial institutions. Expanding its services globally, Fireblocks now supports many of the world's biggest banks in addition to leading crypto-native exchanges, lending desks, hedge funds, OTC desks, and market makers like Revolut, BlockFi, Celsius, PrimeTrust, Galaxy Digital, Genesis Trading, crypto.com, eToro and others. "As crypto becomes increasingly important, we are seeing an explosion of companies that handle digital assets, including crypto-native companies, fintech companies, neobanks and traditional financial institutions," said Ravi Gupta, Partner at Sequoia Capital. "The secure storage and transfer of digital assets will be core to all of these businesses, and Fireblocks is positioned to become the infrastructure for companies to secure and move digital assets. The visionary team at Fireblocks is providing critical infrastructure to a new financial world and we're thrilled to be their partner." Since its inception in 2019, Fireblocks has raised a cumulative total of $489 million from the leading global VCs in the fintech, blockchain and cybersecurity space including Cyberstarts, Eight Roads, Tenaya Capital, Swisscom Ventures, Paradigm, Ribbit Capital, and Coatue. "We're thrilled to be able to expand our company and infrastructure through this new injection of funds. The growth we've seen to date is a reflection of all parties involved, at every stage," said Michael Shaulov, CEO of Fireblocks. "As it stands, our technology has stood out in the space since the company was founded and its success rate has been evident. Looking ahead into the growth of the industry, there is massive potential for us to continue stepping in and being a trusted partner to financial institutions and other organizations looking to enter the space safely and seamlessly." Blockchain technologies are being integrated into the financial sector at an incredibly rapid pace, with banking identified as the sector containing the highest distribution of blockchain market value. Recent statistics point to the increase in digital asset users, as the number of registered blockchain wallets in the second quarter of 2021 was more than 70 million, up from 10.98 million in 2016. By 2022, it is projected that more than one billion people will be utilizing blockchain wallets. While continuing its strategic expansion alongside the growth of the digital asset industry, Fireblocks intends to scale all business lines, adding more customers and partners to its ecosystem. About Fireblocks Fireblocks is an enterprise-grade platform delivering a secure infrastructure for moving, storing, and issuing digital assets. Fireblocks enables exchanges, lending desks, custodians, banks, trading desks, and hedge funds to securely scale digital asset operations through the Fireblocks Network and MPC-based Wallet Infrastructure. Fireblocks serves over 500 financial institutions, has secured the transfer of over one trillion in digital assets, and has a unique insurance policy that covers assets in storage & transit. For more information, please visit www.fireblocks.com . Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1582238/20_1.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/970649/Fireblocks_Logo.jpg Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2021) - August 1st to October 31st 2021, Wines of Germany will launch "The Coolest Wines on Earth" campaign as the official wine partner at Toronto's stackt market, Canada's largest shipping container market. As the official wine partner, Wines of Germany will reveal a pop-up wine bar called "Berlin Bar' with an outdoor courtyard lounge. "Berlin Bar' seeks to surprise and delight German wine enthusiasts and newbies alike with a curated discovery menu of more than 30 German sparkling, white, rose, and red wines. In the spirit of Berlin's famous nightclub scene, "Berlin Bar' will also host a live DJ to kick up the vibe the first Friday of each month in the courtyard. The Bar's wine list will change each month to showcase the diversity, new and modern styles of German wines including Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Silvaner, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Noir. For a fun twist, the stackt team will also be creating special summer drinks with German wines like frozen Bellini and sparkling cocktails. Wines will be served across all licensed patio spaces by the glass and bottle, and offered with culinary menus for dine-in or take-out. "We are excited to be working with such a unique partner like stackt, with whom we share the same core values, in order to bring the "Berlin Bar" wine experience to Toronto. We aim to create a cool vibe and offer an exciting assortment of wines that pair with the diversity of cuisine on offer at stackt," enthused Michael Schemmel, Canada Market Manager for the German Wine Institute. Wines on offer at the tasting bar will be available for purchase by the bottle at either LCBO stores, via www.LCBO.com or at the stackt bottle shop. Follow Wines of Germany on Instagram and Facebook @germanwinecanada or on Twitter @germanwineca to stay in the loop and share your Berlin Bar experience with hashtag zumwohl germanwine berlinbar rieslingrocks stacktmarket. For those who have never tried a German wine, "Berlin Bar' is a rare opportunity to find many options all in one place and to find out why German wines really are "The Coolest Wines on Earth." For more information about Wines of Germany visit www.germanwinecanada.com. Media contact: Lisa Ulrich, Andros Communications, T: 905 637 2100, E: lisa@androscom.com About Wines of Germany: Wines of Germany is the local office of the German Wine Institute in Canada. The office provides communications support for all German wines as well as support to the producers and exporters of German wines that operate in Canada. For more information visit www.germanwinecanada.com. About stackt market: In keeping with its core values of sustainability and innovation, stackt has taken unused land located in the heart of Toronto's downtown core at Front and Bathurst and transformed it into 100,000 square feet of retail shops, art studios and curated discoveries. Designed entirely out of shipping containers, stackt is an ever-evolving cultural marketplace that will feed your curiosity by expanding your thinking. For the complete schedule of events and hours of operation visit https://stacktmarket.com/, "Berlin Bar' seeks to surprise and delight German wine enthusiasts and newbies alike. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8190/91304_5f70db952448f93d_003full.jpg Wines of Germany will launch "The Coolest Wines on Earth" campaign as the official wine partner at Canada's largest shipping container market - stackt market. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8190/91304_5f70db952448f93d_004full.jpg stackt has taken 100,000 SQ. FT of land in the heart of downtown Toronto and transformed it into an experience of curated discovery. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8190/91304_image3enhanced.jpg Designed entirely out of shipping containers, stackt is an ever-evolving cultural marketplace that will feed your curiosity by expanding your thinking. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8190/91304_image4enhanced.jpg The eco-system features a mix of local and international retailers, pop-up community events, outdoor art galleries and a mix of restaurants and outdoor patios with innovative culinary adventures. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8190/91304_5f70db952448f93d_005full.jpg To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91304 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2021) - SoLVBL Solutions Inc. (CSE: SOLV) ("SoLVBL" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has settled aggregate indebtedness of $265,800 under debt settlement agreements with six creditors by issuing an aggregate of 4,430,000 units of the Company ("Units"). In addition, the Company also settled indebtedness under a debt settlement agreement with a creditor by issuing an aggregate of 500,000 common shares of the Company ("Common Share"). The Company is also pleased to announce that it has entered into a one (1) year marketing agreement with LDJ Consulting Inc. ("LDJ"), a Toronto, Ontario-based marketing consulting company beginning in July 2021 and ending in July 2022. The Company is prepaying the marketing fees to LDJ and intends to issue 500,000 common share purchase warrants ("Warrants") to LDJ at an exercise price of $0.12 per Common Share exercisable for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance. The Warrants and the securities underlying the Warrants will all be subject to a four month and one day statutory hold period commencing on the date of issuance. Raymond Pomroy, the Company's CEO states, "LDJ has an extensive network throughout North America, particularly among the millennial and the female demographics. SoLVBL is excited to tap into the millennial and female investor groups. We look forward to working with LDJ to bring our story to these new group of investors." The Company also entered into a one year consulting agreement with an arm's length individual for business development services, and the Company agreed to issue 500,000 Warrants at an exercise price of $0.12 per Common Share exercisable for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance. The Warrants and the securities underlying the Warrants will all be subject to a four month and one day statutory hold period commencing on the date of issuance. Debt Settlement For capital conservation purposes, the Company today settled aggregate indebtedness under settlement agreements with six creditors by issuing 4,430,000 Units at a price of $0.06 per Unit. Each Unit is comprised of one Common Share and one Warrant. Each Warrant is exercisable for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance at an exercise price of $0.12 per Common Share. The Company also settled indebtedness under a settlement agreement with one creditor by issuing 500,000 Common Shares at a price of $0.08 per Common Share. All securities issued pursuant to the debt settlement will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable securities legislation. Related Party Transactions As part of the debt settlement, Raymond Pomroy ("Pomroy"), CEO of the Company has agreed to convert all existing indebtedness due to him by the Company. In exchange for settling $30,000 in debt Pomroy will receive 500,000 Units. Khurram Qureshi ("Qureshi"), CFO of the Company has agreed to convert all existing indebtedness due to him by the Company. In exchange for settling $75,000 in debt Qureshi will receive 1,250,000 Units. Alan Rootenberg ("Rootenberg"), a director of the Company has agreed to convert all existing indebtedness due to him by the Company. In exchange for settling $60,000 in debt Rootenberg will receive 1,000,000 Units. Participation of insiders of the Company in the debt settlement is deemed to be a "related party transaction" as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101-Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). Neither the Company, nor to the knowledge of the Company after reasonable inquiry, a related party, has knowledge of any material information concerning the Company or its securities that has not been generally disclosed. The debt settlement is exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 provided for in subsections 5.5(a) and 5.7(a) respectively, as the fair market value of the subject of, and the consideration paid in the debt settlement agreement, in each case, in relation to the interested parties, will not represent more than 25% of the Company's market capitalization, as determined in accordance with MI 61-101. All of the independent directors of the Company, acting in good faith, considered the transactions and have determined that the fair market value of the securities being issued to insiders and the consideration being paid is reasonable. The Company did not file a material change report more than 21 days before the expected closing of the debt settlement because the details of the insider participation, including negotiations between the Company and the creditors were not settled until closer to the closing of the debt settlement and the Company wished to close as soon as practicable for business reasons. The securities described herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities requirements or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any securities in any jurisdiction. SoLVBL Solutions Inc. SoLVBL is an innovative cybersecurity company. The Company's mission is to empower, better, faster decisions by developing a universal standard for establishing digital record authenticity. The lead product Q by SoLVBL, is a proprietary software of the Company, designed to be easy to use and adopt, economically priced and provide digital record authentication at lightning fast speed. Q by SoLVBL allows organizations to establish trust in their data. The Company is currently pursuing the following verticals: chain of custody for digital evidence; including, NG-911, data used in the financial sector, medical applications and critical IoT infrastructures. For Further Information, Contact: SoLVBL Solutions Inc. Raymond Pomroy, CEO 100 King Street West, Suite 5700 Toronto, ON, M5X 1C7 E: Ray.Pomroy@SoLVBL.com T: 905.510.7982 Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Information The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. 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. CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: the ability of the Company to successfully achieve its business objectives, including, the implementation and success of Q by SoLVBLTM, and expectations for other economic, business and/or competitive, factors. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Except as required by law, SoLVBL assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein in the United States. The securities described herein have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities law and may not be offered or sold in the "United States", as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act, unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration requirements is available. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91316 Bradenton, Florida--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2021) - 808 Renewable Energy Corporation (OTC Pink: RNWR ) ("808" or the "Company") today announces the developments of a series of brand-new gyrocopters including a brand-new Side-by-Side Model, an Agro-Gyrocopter model, an amphibian gyrocopter model and a Kevlar-Carbon Fiber model for the international policy & military market. Image 1 To view an enhanced version of image 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7841/91279_a4ebef14c47bf963_002full.jpg According to Mr. Peter Chen, CFO of the company, "We are one of the only two gyrocopter manufacturers in the U.S., and we are working hard to become the industry leader in the global market. An gyrocopter is also known as a gyroplane or autogyro, it is a type of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift. Forward thrust is provided independently by an engine-driven propeller ( push-prop ) located in the rear. While similar to a helicopter rotor in appearance, the gyrocopter's rotor must have air flowing across the rotor disc to generate rotation, and the air flows upwards through the rotor disc rather than down. Gyrocopter looks like a small helicopter but the main difference is there is no engine turning the main rotor. The rotor simply self-propels (autorotate) due to the way the air flows through it. This, together with a very short landing roll ( STOL / Short Distance Take-off & Landing ), means that a gyrocopter is one of the safest machines for flying. The new generation of professionally designed and constructed gyrocopters is inherently safer than fixed wing and helicopter aircraft of similar size. People asked Why? Because a gyrocopter can descend vertically under full control and land in just few feet ( or meters ) of space, without the complexity or cost of a helicopter. So, a Gyrocopter provides more options in case of emergency than a fixed wing and is less likely to experience a technical failure than a helicopter." Image 2 To view an enhanced version of image 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7841/91279_a4ebef14c47bf963_003full.jpg Mr. David Chen, President & CEO of the Company further states, "We are about to revolutionize the entire gyrocopter industry by combing the utilization of carbon fiber materials and our international supply chain resource. With the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350 XWB leading the way, aviation industry manufacturers are progressively making greater use of carbon fiber composites to build aircraft bodies. Because carbon fiber is stronger than steel, lighter than aluminum, and can be molded into virtually any shape; it's no wonder that aerospace engineers design their dream planes with carbon fiber composite structural materials. Add reduced fuel costs, improved aerodynamics, and fewer parts requirements, it's easy to see that carbon fiber is primed to become the preferred aircraft structural material of the future. Nowadays, different composite materials make up around 40% of modern aircraft. It's no secret that in the aviation industry, the lighter the aircraft, the less expensive it is to operate. Lower weight improves fuel efficiency, which significantly decreases the overall cost to operate planes. Since carbon fiber composites are incredibly strong and stiff for their weight, it makes sense that aircraft manufacturers are leaning more and more in that direction. Using carbon fiber composites to build an airplane reduces its weight by up to 20%, versus the weight of a traditional aluminum plane. For each kilogram (kg) of weight reduction, experts estimate a savings of up to $1 million in costs over the life of the plane. That adds up to enormous savings!" Image 3 To view an enhanced version of image 3, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7841/91279_a4ebef14c47bf963_004full.jpg Image 4 To view an enhanced version of image 4, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7841/91279_a4ebef14c47bf963_005full.jpg As per Mr. Abid Farooqui, the Chief Technology Officer of the Company, "Carbon fiber is a material made of carbon atoms that are arranged into long, thin crystals. The arrangement of these crystals makes carbon fiber extremely strong for its thickness, which is less than that of a human hair. Carbon fiber combined with epoxy creates a strong, lightweight composite material that is used widely in many industries." He further adds, "The strength-to-weight ratio of carbon fiber is astounding. It has a high tensile strength, meaning it's incredibly resistant to breakage under tension. In aerospace, carbon fiber components can help improve accident survivability. When certain metals come into contact, they can corrode each other. Carbon fiber doesn't cause corrosion in contact with metals or itself. This means that using carbon fiber in aerospace can improve the longevity of metal parts. Carbon fiber is fairly resistant to chemical exposure as well. It won't weaken, corrode, or fall apart like other materials when exposed to strong chemicals. Most metals expand and contract based on the temperature of the environment they're in. In aerospace, metal parts are subject to extremely drastic temperature changes within a few minutes during take-off and landing. Composites such as carbon fiber don't expand and contract as dramatically when subject to rapid temperature changes, making them more durable than metals." Image 5 To view an enhanced version of image 5, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7841/91279_a4ebef14c47bf963_006full.jpg There is a short and recent video here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YNmVsnnueXg&feature=youtu.be Image 6 To view an enhanced version of image 6, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7841/91279_a4ebef14c47bf963_007full.jpg Characteristics of Gyrocopter : Easy to fly and enjoy the flying experience. Because it is in constant autorotation so it can't stall. It's simpler than a helicopter or plane. Because it's simpler and can't stall, so with the right design, it can be safer than a helicopter or plane. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Rule 175 under the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and are subject to the safe harbor created by those rules. All statements, other than statements of fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements using the words "hope," "anticipate," "may" and statements regarding the potential growth of the Company, and future plans and objectives of the Company and SilverLight, are forward-looking statements that involve 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. Technical complications, which may arise, could prevent the prompt implementation of any strategically significant plan(s) outlined above. The Company undertakes no duty to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release. SilverLight International Group SilverLight Aviation, LLC is one of the only two autogyro ( gyrocopter ) aircraft manufacturers in the U.S. and it is based in Zephyrhills, Florida, specializing in the design and manufacture of gyroplane aircraft in the form of kits or ready to fly aircraft. Its sister company - SilverLight Electric Vehicles Inc. is an electric reverse-trike vehicle and low-speed EV manufacturer ( WMI # 4S9 & NHTSA # 20744 ) based in Lakewood Ranch ( Bradenton ), Florida. Investor Contact : David Chen, President - (631) 397-1111 ( email: davechen.global@gmail.com ) Website: www.silverlightaviation.com The Company's electric vehicle division website is currently under construction at the moment, it will be completed by the end of next month: https://silverlightev.com/ To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91279 According to CBRE research, employees wish to go back to offices to get a healthier work-life balance. However, the role of offices has changed. What does it mean for employees and investors, explains Ofer Kerzner. KIEV, Ukraine, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The investor Ofer Kerzner is certain that soon offices will turn into a place for communication, educational events and career development. He states: "People want a business center to be a comfortable place to spend the whole day in. Clients wish for a children's zone, lounge zone, cafes and restaurants in a building and within walking distance." The hybrid office model can suit these needs. It implies a chain of main offices and of small satellite ones near big apartment complexes. It allows employees to work within walking distance from home and has everything they need to rest from work. For small companies and freelancers, co-workings might be suitable. Such format attracts clients with flexible working hours, negotiable lease periods, various sizes of rented spaces and the ability to quickly change their working format. Co-workings are great places to extend one's network and get help from colleagues. One of the first co-workings in Ukrainian capital Kyiv was opened at "Art-zavod Platforma" for this purpose. Another option for freelancers to work with similar-minded people are co-livings: apartments where a resident has a single private room and a shared common place. Co-livings gather people with similar values, they share household and spend free time together. Globally office rents will rise in the first quarter of 2022 and return to pre-crisis levels in 2025. Ofer Kerzner suggests that 2021 could be the right time to invest in business centers because now investors can find objects at reasonable prices. In Kyiv, the trend for a hybrid office model can kick-start new projects on the Left bank of Dnipro River. There are plenty of former industrial zones there, which can be transformed into up-to-date business centers. Low capital costs for purchase and renovation, shorter project duration and smaller market density will enable investors to offer quality office space at 2/3 of the B-class rental price near the city center. It is important to keep in mind, though, that unlike in stable global markets, where it is typical to sign a 10-year lease contract, in Ukraine 3-5-year rental periods are more common. Co-livings will switch to medium and long-term leases, as it is less risky for landlords. KINGSTON, ON / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2021 / Delta Resources Limited ("Delta" or "the Company") (TSXV:DLTA)(OTCBB:DTARF)(FRANKFURT:6G01) is pleased to provide its assay results from its April 2021 drilling program at the Delta-1 Gold Property, 50 kilometres west of Thunder Bay, Ontario. A total of 1,376 metres were completed in eight drill holes during this program. Some of the best results from this phase of drilling are shown in the table below (reported lengths are believed to be very close to true widths): Andre Tessier, President and CEO commented as follows: "These new results at Delta-1 are absolutely fantastic. We're now seeing wide intercepts of economic-grade gold mineralization reminiscent of Gold Shore's Moss Lake deposit, which is located to the west on the same structure. The grades and style of mineralization we have encountered at Eureka are very similar to those found at other significant gold deposits in the Abitibi such as the Detour, Rainy River and Cote deposits. We believe that these results indicate that we are onto something significant and that we are just getting started. We anxiously await to commence our next drilling program." Drill holes D1-21-07, 09, 10, 11 and 13 all intersected a wide zone of disseminated gold mineralization trending roughly EW and dipping 50 to 55 towards the north. The mineralized zone has now been traced for over 400m of strike length and extends from surface to a vertical depth of 150 metres, with the zone open along strike and to depth (see map and section attached. Current results suggest the mineralization is becoming higher grade and wider towards the west (see vertical section attached). Discussion of Results The gold mineralization is hosted within a sandstone that is intensely altered with ankerite, silica flooding and sericite. The sandstone is crosscut by amphibole-feldspar-phyric intermediate dikes, also altered by similar mineralogy. All units are cut by a network of quartz-ankerite-pyrite veinlets locally with disseminated grains of visible gold. This new phase of drilling strengthened Delta's understanding of the geometry of the deposit, and it is believed now that drill holes D1-21-7, 8, 12 and 14 were drilled down-dip and may have missed additional mineralized zones. Furthermore, considering the depth at which drill holes D1-21-11 and 12, intersected bedrock, it is likely that the source of the high gold-in-till anomaly remains untested. The objective of the drilling was to test a one-kilometer-long gold target believed to coincide with the Shebandowan Shear Zone; a deep seated structure that marks the northern boundary of the Shebandowan greenstone belt. The target is located at the north apex of a gold dispersion trail where till samples returned up to 457 gold grains in a 10kg sample (see press release dated March 11, 2021 and August 12, 2020). Depending on access, up to 14 drill holes were planned but for logistics purposes, Delta elected to remain south of the Trans-Canada Highway. The Delta-1 property is located in the Shebandowan Greenstone Belt and covers a 17km strike extent of the Shebandowan Structural Zone which also hosts the low-grade - high-tonnage Moss Lake gold deposit (Gold Shore GSHR:TSX.V), 50 km to the west. Map of the Delta-1 Eureka area drilling showing the vertical projection of the disseminated-gold mineralized zone. Vertical section looking east (090 azimuth) showing the mineralized zone in drill holes D1-21-10 and 11. The zone remains open in all directions and appears to become higher grade towards the west. Analytical Protocol and QA/QC Chemical analyses reported in this press release were performed at SGS Canada Minerals Laboratories in Burnaby, British Columbia by atomic absorption method. Sampling and analytical procedures are subject to a comprehensive Quality Assurance and Quality Control program that includes duplicate samples, blanks and analytical standards. Core logging and sampling was completed by Delta personnel. NQ-size drill core was sawed in half lengthwise and half of the core was sampled and sealed in clean plastic bags before being shipped for assay. The remaining half of the core was replaced in core boxes and is stored at Delta's core storage facilities in Chibougamau, Quebec. Standards and blanks are inserted in the sequence of samples on site as quality assurance and quality control in addition to the regular insertion of blank, duplicate, and standard samples accredited by SGS Canada Minerals Laboratories during the analytical process. Qualified Person Andre C. Tessier, P.Eng and P.Geo. President and CEO of Delta Resources Limited is a Qualified Persons as defined by NI-43-101 and is responsible for the technical information presented in this press release. Mr. Tessier has reviewed the drill core and the analytical results described herein. About Delta Resources Limited Delta Resources Limited is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on growing shareholder value through the exploration of two very high-potential gold and base-metal projects in Canada. DELTA-1, 45 km 2 located 50km west of Thunder Bay, Ontario where an extremely high gold-in-till anomaly and kilometre-scale gold-bearing alteration halo point to a never-tested regional structure. located 50km west of Thunder Bay, Ontario where an extremely high gold-in-till anomaly and kilometre-scale gold-bearing alteration halo point to a never-tested regional structure. DELTA-2 GOLD and DELTA-2 VMS, 170 km2 in the prolific Chibougamau District of Quebec, with a potential for hydrothermal-gold and gold-rich VMS deposits. Delta has 36M shares outstanding has a fully funded exploration for 2021 and in addition, is set to receive $1 M in scaled payments, starting August 1st 2021, through the sale of its Bellechasse-Timmins gold project in SE Quebec. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DELTA RESOURCES LIMITED. Andre C. Tessier President, CEO and Director www.deltaresources.ca We seek safe harbor. 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. The TSX Venture Exchange has not approved nor disapproved of the information contained herein. For Further Information: Delta Resources Limited Frank Candido, Chairman, VP Corporate Communications Tel: 514-969-5530 fcandido@deltaresources.ca or Andre Tessier, CEO and President Tel: 613-328-1581 atessier@deltaresources.ca Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information Some statements contained in this news release are "forward looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words and phrases (including negative or grammatical variations) or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotation thereof. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking information is inherently uncertain and involves risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual facts to differ materially. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting the Company will be those anticipated by management. The forward-looking information contained in this press release constitutes management's current estimates, as of the date of this press release, with respect to the matters covered thereby. We expect that these estimates will change as new information is received. While we may elect to update these estimates at any time, we do not undertake to update any estimate at any particular time or in response to any particular event. SOURCE: Delta Resources Limited View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657221/Delta-Drills-Disseminated-Gold-Zone-Including-18m-of-125-gt-Gold-at-the-Delta-1-Gold-Property-Thunder-Bay-Ontario Growing Prevalence of Chronic Ailments Such as Cancer and Diabetes and Breakthrough Advances in Drug Delivery Methods are Major Factors Driving Industry Demand VANCOUVER, BC, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The global injectable drug delivery market size is expected to reach USD 1,235.53 billion by 2027 at a CAGR of 11.3%, according to a new report by Emergen Research. Market revenue growth in can be attributed to various factors such as increasing prevalence of autoimmune diseases and severe chronic diseases including diabetes and cancer and introduction of advanced drug delivery methods. Growing use of advanced biologics, technological enhancements in injectable devices, and increasing use of self-injectable devices for several benefits such as convenient use, high-precision drug delivery, and cost-effectiveness are other key factors contributing to the revenue growth of the global market. Click Here to Access Free sample PDF Copy of the Report@ https://www.emergenresearch.com/request-sample/112 Injectable drug delivery is one of the most common and effective drug delivery methods and involves intravenous or subcutaneous administration of drugs using various injectable devices. The method is appropriate for administration of drugs with poor oral bioavailability and offers benefits such as ease of use and lesser pain. Extensive use of injectable drug delivery devices in the treatment of autoimmune diseases, cystic fibrosis, Wilson's disease, hemophilia, hepatitis C, and numerous other conditions is a major factor driving market growth. Market revenue growth is further driven by surging need for minimally invasive drug delivery solutions, increasing usage of self-injectable devices including auto-injectors, pen-injectors, and needle-free injectors, and emergence of new drug delivery methods such as dual-injectables. Some Key Highlights in the Report: Based on type, the formulation segment dominated all other segments in terms of revenue in 2019. Revenue growth of this segment is primarily attributed to increasing use of colloidal dispersions and lyophilized formulations, solutions, and suspensions in injectable drug delivery devices. Rise in pharmaceutical research activities to develop more effective drug formulations is another factor driving revenue growth of this segment. The self-injectable devices segment is expected to register robust revenue growth rate during the forecast period. Revenue growth of this segment is majorly driven by rising demand for self-injectable devices such as auto-injectors, needle-free injectors, and pen injectors due to several advantages such as convenient use and cost-effectiveness. Rising prevalence of diabetes and growing use of pen and needle-free injectors for insulin administration have further driven demand for self-injectable devices. Based on end-use, the global injectable drug delivery market is segmented into hospitals & clinics, home care settings, ambulatory care centers, and others. The hospitals & clinics segment reached the highest revenue share in 2020, owing to factors such as increasing cases of acute and chronic diseases, rising volume of hospital admissions, growing need for minimally invasive drug delivery methods, and introduction of advanced injectable drug delivery systems. Among regional markets, the North America injectable drug delivery market dominated other regional markets in terms of revenue in 2020 on account of increasing incidences of acute and infectious diseases, growing demand for advanced biologics, and increasing adoption of self-injectable drug delivery systems in home care settings. injectable drug delivery market dominated other regional markets in terms of revenue in 2020 on account of increasing incidences of acute and infectious diseases, growing demand for advanced biologics, and increasing adoption of self-injectable drug delivery systems in home care settings. Baxter International, Nova Nordisk A/S, Becton Dickinson , Sanofi, Pfizer, InjexPharma GmbH, Terumo Corporation, Unilife Corporation, Gerresheimer AG, Vetter Pharma-Fertigung GmbH & Co. KG., Schott AG, and Eli Lily & Company are among the top companies operating in the global injectable drug delivery market. Make Payment [Buy your Exclusive copy]@https://www.emergenresearch.com/select-license/112 For the purpose of this report, the global injectable drug delivery market is segmented on the basis of type, application, end-use, and region: Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2017-2027) Formulation Conventional drug delivery (solutions, reconstituted/ lyophilized formulations, suspensions) Novel drug delivery (colloidal dispersions and nanoparticles) Others Devices Self-injectable devices (auto-injectors, needle-free injectors, pen injectors, and others) Conventional injection devices Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2017-2027) Hormonal Disorders Autoimmune Diseases Oncology Disorders Orphan Diseases Diabetes Others End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2017-2027) Hospitals & Clinics Home Care Settings Ambulatory Care Centers Others Have a look at Report Description and Table of Contents of Market Report@https://www.emergenresearch.com/industry-report/injectable-drug-delivery-market Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2017-2027) North America U.S. Canada Mexico Europe Germany U.K. France Italy BENELUX Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China India Japan South Korea Rest of Asia Pacific Latin America Brazil Rest of Latin America Middle East & Africa & Saudi Arabia U.A.E. South Africa Rest of Middle East & Africa Explore more reports offered by Emergen Research: Single Use/Disposable Endoscopy Market By Product (Endoscope, Visualization Systems, Endoscopic Ultrasound, Insufflator), By Application (Bronchoscopy, Urologic Endoscopy, Arthroscopy, GI endoscopy, ENT Endoscopy, Others), By End-use (Hospitals, Healthcare Centers, Clinics), and By Region Forecast to 2028 Oncolytic Virus Therapies Market Size, Share, Trends, By Virus Type (Genetically Engineered Oncolytic Viruses, Oncolytic Wild-Type Viruses), By Application (Solid Tumors, Melanoma), By End-use (Hospitals, Specialty Clinics, Cancer Research Institute), and By Region, Forecast to 2028. 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Our solutions purely focus on your purpose to locate, target, and analyze consumer behavior shifts across demographics, across industries, and help clients make smarter business decisions. We offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across multiple industries, including Healthcare, Touch Points, Chemicals, Types, and Energy. We consistently update our research offerings to ensure our clients are aware of the latest trends existent in the market. Emergen Research has a strong base of experienced analysts from varied areas of expertise. Our industry experience and ability to develop a concrete solution to any research problems provides our clients with the ability to secure an edge over their respective competitors. Contact Us: Eric Lee Corporate Sales Specialist Emergen Research | Web: www.emergenresearch.com Direct Line: +1 (604) 757-9756 E-mail: sales@emergenresearch.com Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | Blogs Read Full Press Release@ https://www.emergenresearch.com/press-release/global-injectable-drug-delivery-market Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1579538/Emergen_Research_Logo.jpg BANGALORE, India, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sodium Silicate Market is Segmented by Form (Crystalline and Anhydrous), Type (Liquid and Solid), Grade (Neutral and Alkaline), Application (Paints, Adhesives, Refractories Tube Winding, Detergent, Catalyst, and Others), and End Use (Pulp & Paper, Construction, Automotive, and Others). The report covers global opportunity analysis and industry forecasts from 2020 to 2027. It is published in Valuates Reports under Chemicals Industry Category. The sodium silicate market size was valued at USD 7.2 billion in 2019 and is anticipated to generate USD 9.2 billion by 2027. The market is projected to experience a growth at a CAGR of 3.7% from 2020 to 2027. Major factors driving the growth of the sodium silicate market are: Sodium silicate is the prime source of reactive silica. The increase in demand for reactive silica from various end-user industries such as food & beverage, detergent, rubber, papers, etc., is expected to drive the sodium silicate market. Increasing demand for other sodium derivatives such as zeolites and precipitated silica as catalysts in bio and chemical processes is expected to drive product demand over the forecast period. Get your sample today: https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/ALLI-Manu-3P49/Sodium_Silicate_Industry TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF SODIUM SILICATE MARKET Increasing use of sodium silicate in detergent is expected to drive the growth of the sodium silicate market. Because of its superior emulsification, wetting, and deflocculation properties, sodium silicate is in high demand as a detergent builder. Sodium silicate in detergents reduces the surface tension, resulting in better dirt and soil removal. Other alkaline salts lack many of the properties that sodium silicates have, which makes them ideal for various end-user industries. This, coupled with their low cost of sodium silicate, leads to their use in a wide variety of applications across various industries. This, in turn, is expected to drive the growth of sodium silicate market size. For example, certain amounts of sodium silicates are applied to concrete floors to harden them and to shield building materials from the effects of moisture. It's also used in the welding electrode and foundry industries. Sodium silicate is used as a deflocculant in the preparation of casting slips in the ceramic industry to hold stable particles suspended and prevent them from settling. In the refractories industry, sodium silicate is used as an air-setting bond in the manufacture of refractory cement and mortars. High investments by manufacturing companies in R&D to improve the chemical and physical properties of the product are expected to drive the prices in the future. Furthermore, manufacturers are likely to focus more on the development of a wide variety of products to expand their application scope in niche segments, including welding, cement, agriculture, and food. This, in turn, is expected to provide lucrative growth opportunities for the market players. Browse the Table of Contents and List of figures at: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/ALLI-Manu-3P49/sodium-silicate-industry SODIUM SILICATE MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS Based on form, the sodium silicate market was dominated by the crystalline segment in 2019. This is due to its use in fireproofing mixtures, as well as in the laundry, dairy, metal, and floor cleaning industries. They're also used in deinking paper, insecticides, fungicides, and antimicrobial agents, as well as in insecticides, fungicides, and the washing of carbonated drink bottles. Based on type, the liquid segment dominated the market share in 2019. This is due to sodium silicate application in a variety of industrial and commercial applications, including detergents/cleaning compounds, pulp and paper, paper board, building products/construction, textiles, ceramics, petroleum refining, and metals, was due to this. Based on application, The detergent segment dominated the market share in 2019, owing to increased cleaning and washing activities. Due to its use in soil stabilization, concrete hardening, and cement refractories, the construction segment dominated the market in 2019, based on end-user. Because of the large number of companies present, Asia-Pacific dominated the market in 2019. However, due to growing activities in the building, detergent, catalyst, tube winding, and paper & pulp application of sodium silicate, North America is expected to rise at a faster CAGR during the forecast era. Inquire for Regional Report: https://reports.valuates.com/request/regional/ALLI-Manu-3P49/Sodium_Silicate_Industry Top Major Players in the Sodium Silicate Market Tokuyama Corporation Evonik Industries AG Merck Millipore Limited Nippon Chemical Industrial Co. Ltd. PQ Group Holdings Inc. Occidental Petroleum Corporation CIECH S.A. Sinchem Silica Gel Co. Ltd. Shijiazhuang Shuanglian Chemical Industry Co. Ltd. Kiran Global Chem Limited Others Buy Now for Single User + Covid-19 Impact: https://reports.valuates.com/api/directpaytoken?rcode=ALLI-Manu-3P49&lic=single-user Buy Now for Enterprise License + Covid-19 Impact : https://reports.valuates.com/api/directpaytoken?rcode=ALLI-Manu-3P49&lic=enterprise-license SUBSCRIPTION We have introduced a tailor-made subscription for our customers. Please leave a note in the Comment Section to know about our subscription plans. SIMILAR REPORTS - Liquid Sodium Silicate (LSS) Market size is projected to reach USD 1516.6 Million by 2027, from USD 984.8 Million in 2020, at a CAGR of 5.9% during 2021-2027. - High Pure Sodium Silicate Market Size, Share, Trends, Growth, Industry Analysis, Forecast 2021 to 2026. The Report contains segmentation By Type (High Pure Sodium Silicate Solution, High Pure Sodium Silicate Solid), By Application (Automotive, Electronic, Other) - Sodium Silicate Densifier Market Size, Share, Trends, Growth, Industry Analysis, Forecast 2021 to 2026. The Report contains segmentation By Type (VOC Compliant, VOC Free), By Application (Residential, Commercial, Industrial) - Anhydrous Sodium Silicate Market Size, Share, Trends, Growth, Industry Analysis, Forecast 2021 to 2026. The Report contains segmentation By Type (Granular, Powder), By Application (Detergent, Refractories, Surface Treatment, Cement Construction, Other) - Solid Sodium Silicate Market Size, Share, Trends, Growth, Industry Analysis, Forecast 2021 to 2026. The Report contains segmentation By Type (Below 95%, 95-97%, 97-99%, Above 99%), By Application (Precipitated Silica, Detergents, Construction, Pulp & Paper, Water Treatment, Metal Casting, Food Preservation, Others) To see the full list of related reports on the Chemicals Industry ABOUT US: Valuates offers in-depth market insights into various industries. Our extensive report repository is constantly updated to meet your changing industry analysis needs. Our team of market analysts can help you select the best report covering your industry. We understand your niche region-specific requirements and that's why we offer customization of reports. With our customization in place, you can request for any particular information from a report that meets your market analysis needs. To achieve a consistent view of the market, data is gathered from various primary and secondary sources, at each step, data triangulation methodologies are applied to reduce deviance and find a consistent view of the market. Each sample we share contains detail research methodology employed to generate the report, Please also reach to our sales team to get the complete list of our data sources CONTACT US: Valuates Reports sales@valuates.com For U.S. Toll-Free Call +1-(315)-215-3225 For IST Call +91-8040957137 WhatsApp: +91 9945648335 Website: https://reports.valuates.com Twitter - https://twitter.com/valuatesreports Linkedin - https://in.linkedin.com/company/valuatesreports Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/valuatesreports Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1082232/Valuates_Reports_Logo.jpg WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Consumer confidence in the U.S. saw a slight improvement from an upwardly revised level in the month of July, according to a report released by the Conference Board on Tuesday. The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index inched up to 129.1 in July from an upwardly revised 128.9 in June. Economists had expected the index to drop to 124.9 from the 127.3 originally reported for the previous month. With the unexpected uptick, the consumer confidence index reached its highest level since hitting 132.6 in February of 2020. 'Spending intentions picked up in July, with a larger percentage of consumers saying they planned to purchase homes, automobiles, and major appliances in the coming months,' said Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. She added, 'Thus, consumer spending should continue to support robust economic growth in the second half of 2021.' The modest increase by the headline index came as the present situation index crept up to 160.3 in July from 159.6 in June. Consumers' appraisal of current business conditions improved slightly, while their assessment of the labor market was relatively flat. Meanwhile, the report showed the expectations index came in at 108.4 in July, virtually unchanged from 108.5 in the previous month. While consumers' optimism about the short-term business conditions outlook eased slightly, they remained upbeat about their short-term financial prospects. On Friday, the University of Michigan is scheduled to release its revised reading on consumer sentiment in the month of July. The consumer sentiment index for July is expected to be unrevised from the preliminary reading of 80.8, which was down from 85.5 in June. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Beijing, China--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2021) - In the context of carbon neutrality, energy saving and emission reduction has become a global trend. Due to its high energy consumption, bitcoin mining has long been criticized by outsiders. It is considered to waste energy while having a large negative impact on climate change. The bitcoin mining industry has further decentralized under policy bans in various countries. Countries such as the United States, Canada, and Kazakhstan have become major destinations for miners to migrate to. At the same time, the profits of overseas mining farms that are still in operation have risen substantially. With the gradual expansion of bitcoin's influence and market, bitcoin mining industry cannot be completely banned. Therefore, in the context of global carbon neutrality, in order to achieve more energy-saving and emission-reducing green mining, improve energy utilization efficiency to realize the whole industrial chain of "clean energy-electric energy-heat energy," and then realize the positive and negative offset of carbon emissions in the industrial chain to achieve "relative zero emissions," it will become the future way out for the mining industry. Based on this, energy saving and emission reduction based on carbon neutral backscatter has become a global trend. SAI Technology has released the first carbon footprint emissions report for the supercomputing and mining industry, which was certified by the UNFCCC secretariat. SAI is known for exploring different ways to recover and utilize waste heat to generate additional revenue and offset the cost of electricity. SAI: Hash rate decentralization, an interpretation of China's mining regulatory policy From May to June of this year, the Chinese government focused on the regulation of the bitcoin mining industry. During this period, a series of policies were introduced regarding a severe crackdown on bitcoin mining projects, including in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Qinghai, Yunnan, and Sichuan. On May 25, the Inner Mongolia Development and Reform Commission issued the "Eight Measures (Draft for Comment) on Resolutely Combating the Punishment of Virtual Currency" "Mining", requiring a comprehensive clean-up and shutdown of the virtual currency "mining" project; On May 21, the Financial Stability Development Committee of the State Council held its 51 ST meeting, saying that it would crack down on bitcoin mining and trading; On June 9, the Qinghai Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology issued the "Notice on Comprehensively Closing the Virtual Currency Mining Project" to clean up and rectify the mining activities related to virtual currency; On June 18, the Sichuan Provincial Development and Reform Commission and the Sichuan Provincial Energy Bureau issued the Notice on Clearing and Closing the Virtual Currency Mining Project. For the virtual currency mining project, the relevant power companies in Sichuan need to complete the screening, cleaning and closing work before June 20. The thunderous regulatory measures, which took about a month from the issuance of the policies to the implementation of the relevant regulations, led to the complete decline of the Chinese mining industry, which once accounted for 75% of the network-wide hash rate, with mining farms migrating overseas en masse. The bitcoin hash rate dropped nearly 50% from its peak. The speed and tight regulation caused great concern in the cryptocurrency field worldwide. Compared with the ban issued by the Chinese government in 2017, the new rules in 2021 are more stringent and greatly expand the scope of prohibited services. The policy focus in 2017 is ICO. This year's policy cuts deeper, focusing on controlling excessive energy consumption (specifically mining here) and over-the-counter transactions of cryptocurrencies. On the one hand, the reason lies in the environmental protection goal under the trend of global carbon neutrality; on the other hand, it aims at controlling the risks of illegal cross-border asset transfer, money laundering and other illegal and criminal activities, promoting stable and controlled growth, so as to better serve the real economy and create a "virtuous circle and healthy development of economy and finance". In March 2021, China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) incorporated blockchain into the national five-year plan for the first time, which indicates that the integrated application of blockchain technology will play an increasingly key role in the process of digital industrialization and industrial digitalization, and will promote the deep integration of digital technology with the real economy, empower the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, promote new industries, new modes of new formats and enhance the new engine of economic development. Against this backdrop, China has voluntarily withdrawn from its dominant market share in mining and trading, in large part to fully focus on the development of the digital economy represented by the digital RMB, and the implementation of the blockchain technology industry applications. The aim is to remove the bad trends caused by early speculation in the industry, and to separate the concept of cryptocurrency from blockchain, advocating a token-free blockchain, reducing the speculative component, and striving for better utilization of blockchain technology at the mechanism level. There is no doubt that the cryptocurrency environment in China has changed greatly in a short time. The most important thing is that it caused a big adjustment of hash rate. On July 4th, the difficulty of mining bitcoin dropped to a new low in nearly one year after three consecutive declines, which was the biggest continuous decline in the history of mining difficulty of bitcoin. Figure 1 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7987/91322_1c042fc3f4985b0f_001full.jpg SAI Technology Matrix, a viable solution for mining transformation Under the trend of moving towards a low-carbon society, the way for Bitcoin to realize clean mining and improve energy utilization efficiency is not only the upgrading of a single industry, but also a thing for the benefit of mankind. Mining enterprises and miners should play a greater role and undertake more responsibilities and missions. Because the goal of carbon neutrality involves various social actors across sectors, levels and organizations, from countries to enterprises, the composition of the carbon accounting system has become a huge network of intertwined complexity - from large countries to small products. On the whole, carbon accounting methods can be divided into top-down and bottom-up. The former refers to macro measurement at the national or government level, while the latter includes self-test and disclosure of enterprises, and local report and summary to the central government. Overall, carbon accounting approaches can be divided into top-down and bottom-up approaches. Top-down measurements are based on the IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories as the dominant international standard, while bottom-up measurements are based on the most widely used GHG Protocol series of standards. These NGO standards and guidelines encourage reporting and communication of accounting results by countries, cities, communities and businesses to ensure consistency in public reporting. With this trend in mind, SAI Technology, the first technology company to integrate clean energy horizontally, has released its first carbon footprint report ahead of the supercomputing and encryption industries, both as a mission and as a corporate responsibility. The carbon footprint measurement methodology within the report was developed in detail by SAI Technology in accordance with the official Greenhouse Gas Protocol product standards and was officially certified by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat. In such a high-standard certification, SAI Technology's carbon footprint report and carbon emission targets have certain demonstration significance for other enterprises or the whole industry. In SAI Technology's carbon footprint report, after precise measurement and exploration, it is found that the carbon footprint emissions of the company have significant seasonality. Seasonal means that carbon emission solutions cannot be generalized, but different methods need to be worked out according to time distribution. During the winter months, SAI Technology collects the heat generated by the chip calculations, sets up SAICAB as a community heating center, and uses it as a heat generator, which is delivered to residential homes, farms, and other public facilities. In the practice of SAI Technology, heat recovery can raise the temperature of a greenhouse with an outdoor temperature of -7 degrees and keep it at 43.4 degrees. The average heat recovery rate of the whole process is over 80%. In summer, due to the existence of SAIHUB and SAIBOX, SAI Technology can realize seasonal migration, and migrate all its data centers and computing chips to areas rich in water resources in a convenient and rapid way. To ensure that 100% of the power consumption of SAI Technology comes from renewable resources, SAI Technology has signed PPA with local hydropower stations. Figure 2 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7987/91322_1c042fc3f4985b0f_002full.jpg SAI Technology carbon footprint report includes an example of heat recovery for a project in Central Asia. The power used by the chips accounts for 90% of the total power consumption of the company's cryptocurrency mining and supercomputing center. Ninety percent of that generated heat is captured and used for central heating in homes, farms and public facilities. "Using renewable energy - the chip converts to hash rate - using the chip's own heat production." This carbon neutral closed-loop matrix not only reduces the hash rate and heat cost for customers by 35%, but also effectively reduces electricity supporting investment and achieves clean computing. SAI Technology plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2022. It focuses on four areas: renewable energy, waste heat utilization, water management, and carbon offsetting. In fact, the above examples are not only examples of SAI Technology itself improving energy efficiency, but also innovations in the thermal industry. Buildings use more than one third of the world's energy. Most of them are used for heating space and water. Most of this heat is generated by burning natural gas, petroleum or propane. The carbon emissions generated in the process can be imagined. Traditional heating equipment involves many constructions and complicated processes. Considering transportation and maintenance, it deviates from the goal of carbon neutrality. Figure 3 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7987/91322_1c042fc3f4985b0f_003full.jpg The electric heat pump was widely used by Europeans in 1970s, which is considered as the best solution to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Heat pumps use compressors and refrigerants to transfer heat from one place to another. Even in winter, it can extract heat from outside air and release heat in the house. It can be understood as an air conditioner operating in reverse. However, heat pump is only suitable for areas where the outside temperature is not very cold, and the equipment cost is relatively high, which is obviously not a conventional and feasible scheme. SAI Technology's chip waste heat heating system shows its advantages. It provides power for chip computing by using clean energy such as hydropower, wind power and photovoltaic power. The heat generated by chip calculation is processed by liquid-cooled heat sink, and the cold/hot water generated can be used for daily and production needs. According to the model estimation of SAI Technology, a heating center with a capacity of 10,000 kilowatts will be built in the area with latitude of 40-45 degrees, which can meet the heating demand of 200,000 square meters throughout the year. Building a 10,000 kW mining center also requires a lot of energy input. Compared with the traditional heating center and mining center, SAI Technology's "energy-electricity-heat" solution can save 59.7% of construction cost, reduce 37.5% of energy consumption and 54.5% of operating expenses. The data shows that the solution can effectively reduce 23,798 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. After several years of operation, SAI Technology has built and well run four major business sections, which are: 1. SAIHEAT, the chip waste heat utilization technology, reuses the waste heat generated in the computing process through the integrated solution of "liquid cooling + waste heat utilization" to significantly reduce the cost of electricity while replacing traditional heat sources with clean energy. 2. SAIWATT, clean power consumption, using more efficient clean power generation, such as hydropower, wind power, waste power and other idle energy for power generation, to achieve idle energy consumption and peaking, providing more and more stable sustainable power supply for the computing industry. 3. SAIBYTE, computing power cloud network system, more cost-effective cloud computing power services, based on cooperation channels on the heat and power side, using energy Internet of Things and other related technologies to further improve overall energy utilization efficiency. 4. SAICHIP, new computing power chip, providing new computing power chips with higher cost performance, based on new technologies and materials to improve heat dissipation performance and stability from within the chip, thus achieving more excellent computing power performance. Relying on its "chip liquid cooling technology + chip waste heat utilization technology + clean power resources", the company launched its core product mobile liquid cooling hosting center-"SAICAB" computing cabinet and "SAIBOX computing container" at the same time. At present, the carbon footprint report of SAI Technology has fully confirmed that carbon neutrality can be achieved in the computing and mining industries. The advanced technology matrix of SAI Technology is a feasible solution for mining transformation of mining enterprises and miners. Report Source: https://sai.tech/?p=3789 Media Contact Contact: Sai Sai Company Name: Beijing SAI Technology Co., Ltd. Website: https://sai.tech/ Email: service@sai.tech To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91322 FAIRFIELD (dpa-AFX) - The European Commission has approved the acquisition of sole control over GE Capital Aviation Services or 'GECAS', of the US, and of joint control over Shannon Engine Support Limited or 'SES', of Ireland, by AerCap Holdings N.V., of The Netherlands. GECAS, owned by General Electric Company (GE) of the US, is active in the commercial aircraft leasing and financial industry, offering a broad array of leasing and financing products and services for commercial aircraft, turboprops, aircraft engines, helicopters and materials. SES is a lessor of aircraft engines jointly controlled by GE and Safran Aircraft Engines of France. AerCap's primary business is the leasing of commercial aircrafts. The transaction entails the acquisition by AerCap of GECAS and GE's interest in SES. As part of the transaction, GE will receive a 46% stake in AerCap. The Commission concluded that the transaction would raise no competition concerns given its limited impact on the markets concerned. In March 2021, Irish aircraft-leasing group AerCap Holdings announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with General Electric (GE), under which AerCap would acquire 100% of GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS), GE's aircraft-leasing business. The deal is reportedly valued at more than $30 billion. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. - Financing to amplify the scale and impact of Genomatica's sustainable materials - Underscores Novo Holdings' commitment to support the development of sustainable and renewable materials COPENHAGEN, Denmark and SAN DIEGO, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Novo Holdings, a leading international life science investor, today announces that it has led the US$ 118M Series C financing in new portfolio company Genomatica, which harnesses biology to remake everyday products and materials with a reduced environmental impact. The funding will be used to accelerate the global commercialization and expansion of Genomatica's sustainable materials, with the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 100 million tons per year. Genomatica will use the investment to scale production for its portfolio of products and continue investing in new technologies to amplify the impact of sustainable materials across a range of industries. Genomatica replaces widely-used chemicals and materials, traditionally derived from petroleum fossil fuels, with plant-based alternatives that are cost-competitive, equivalent in performance and can reduce environmental impact by up to 93% compared to fossil fuel-based production. These molecularly identical replacements can be used in a wide range of products including clothing, cosmetics, packaging and carpets. Anders Bendsen Spohr, Senior Partner at Novo Holdings, said: "Novo Holdings is committed to support the development of sustainable and renewable materials. Sustainability is a must-have for consumers and is a business imperative for brands. We see a massive opportunity for biological manufacturing to help industries meet the demand for sustainable products. Genomatica is creating more sustainable value chains with both a breadth of partnerships and products that it is executing on at commercial scales that can deliver the kinds of impact that today's climate crisis requires." "We are very pleased to welcome Novo Holdings, a world class investor which has long been a champion of the bioeconomy, to Genomatica. Leading a widespread transition to sustainable materials is what drives us at Genomatica," said Christophe Schilling, Chief Executive Officer of Genomatica. "We've grown intentionally by proving the scalability of our products, fostering strategic partnerships with leading brands and manufacturers, and laying the foundation to remake supply chains. We are increasingly powering the shift to more sustainable products that consumers and investors want - and humanity needs." Kartik Dharmadhikari, Partner at Novo Growth, said: "We are very pleased to support Genomatica, which is aiming to transform how materials are sourced and produced, enabling transparent, traceable, and responsible supply chains, that drive both positive social and environmental impact. Genomatica's technologies are being used to build sustainable manufacturing capacity worldwide which will enable the delivery of sustainable and renewable solutions across multiple sectors on a commercial scale." There is increasing consumer demand for sustainable products. A recent survey from Genomatica found that the majority of U.S. consumers (86%) believe sustainability is a good goal, and over half (52%) make choices to be more sustainable. About Novo Holdings A/S Novo Holdings A/S is a private limited liability company wholly owned by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. It is the holding company of the Novo Group, comprising Novo Nordisk A/S and Novozymes A/S, and is responsible for managing the Novo Nordisk Foundation's assets. Novo Holdings is recognized as a leading international life science investor, with a focus on creating long-term value. As a life science investor, Novo Holdings provides seed and venture capital to development-stage companies and takes significant ownership positions in growth and well-established companies. Novo Holdings also manages a broad portfolio of diversified financial assets. Further information: www.novoholdings.dk. About the Novo Nordisk Foundation The Novo Nordisk Foundation is an independent Danish foundation with corporate interests. It has two objectives: 1) to provide a stable basis for the commercial and research activities of the companies in the Novo Group; and 2) to support scientific, humanitarian and social causes. The vision of the Foundation is to contribute significantly to research and development that improves the lives of people and the sustainability of society. Since 2010, the Foundation has donated more than DKK 30 billion (4 billion), primarily for research at public institutions and hospitals in Denmark and the other Nordic countries. Read more at www.novonordiskfonden.dk/en About Genomatica Genomatica is harnessing biology to remake everyday products and materials built by and for the planet. The Company is developing and scaling sustainable materials derived from plant- or waste-based feedstocks instead of fossil fuels to help brands deliver on their climate goals and our planet's needs. Genomatica has already commercialised sustainable materials used in plastics, spandex and cosmetics, and is working on plant-based nylon, household cleaners and more. To learn more, visit www.genomatica.com The "France Data Center Market Investment Analysis Growth Opportunities 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. France data center market is growing at a CAGR of 3.39% during 2021-2026. The data center market in France includes about 43 unique third-party data center service providers operating over 130 facilities. COVID-19 has been a major boost to the French data center market, with increased colocation uptake by existing customers, and increased investments in new data centers and cloud regions. Increasingly data centers are being powered through 100% renewable energy in France. Equinix, Digital Realty, and Colt Data Centre Services are powering their operations through green power across the country. The report considers the present scenario of the France data center market and its market dynamics for the forecast period 2021-2026. It covers a detailed overview of several growth enablers, restraints, and trends in the market. The study includes the demand and supply aspects of the market. FRANCE DATA CENTER MARKET VENDOR LANDSCAPE ICT and Financial service providers are dominating the server adoption in the country. Vendors such as NetApp, Lenovo, IBM, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, have a strong presence in the market. Some of the country's leading big data and IoT companies include BLACKBOXSECU, Actility, CENISIS, Keyrus, and Proxem. Paris is home to significant ICT companies and is a leading startup ecosystem in the country, a pivotal city for data center investments in France. KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORT: Growing investments in start-ups such as FinTech and e-commerce using big data analytics and IoT applications are expected to increase the demand for all-flash storage in the France data center market. The need for DCIM software to monitor facilities will continue to grow among existing facilities, and new datacenter facilities are likely to be part of the investment. DATA4 will expand its Paris-Saclay campus, which can support 105 MW on full-built comprising 24 new facilities. Datacenter facilities developed in other parts of France (locations other than Paris) will add a cumulative power capacity of more than 150 MW between 2021 and 2026. The hyperscale operator AWS plans to build a data center facility in Bretigny-Sur-Orge. Increased connectivity via submarine cable deployments will further boost data center growth in the country. FRANCE DATA CENTER MARKET INSIGHTS The growing demand for smart devices, the increasing demand for analytics cloud adoption, and wireless networking technologies are leading several French organizations to invest in Big Data and IoT technology. Paris is the primary data center hub in France, hosting over 50% of the total number of the facilities. In France, cloud adoption is expected to increase, with IaaS and PaaS segments growing at 20% and 25% YOY, respectively, followed by the SaaS segment, growing at 15% YOY. France is considered one of the largest colocation data center markets in Europe and a part of the FLAP markets. Tax benefits are applicable not only on renewable energy power sources but also for cooling towers, UPS systems, fans, and other hardware that make the data center energy efficient. Mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures are strategies being used by top data center investors to increase their foothold. Adopting cloud-based services by SMEs has increased during the pandemic, which is likely to aid France's data center market growth. IT Infrastructure Providers Arista Networks Atos Broadcom Cisco Systems Dell Technologies Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Huawei Technologies IBM Lenovo NetApp Construction Contractors Sub-Contractors APL Data Center Artelia Arup Bouygues Energies Services CapIngelec Eiffage EYP MCF JERLAURE M+W Group TPF Ingenierie Support Infrastructure Providers 3M ABB Alfa Laval Caterpillar Carrier Climaveneta (Mitsubishi Electric) Cummins D'HONDT THERMAL SOLUTIONS Eaton ebm-papst Grundfos GS Yuasa International Honeywell International KOHLER-SDMO Legrand Riello Elettronica (Riello UPS) Rittal Rolls-Royce Power Systems Schneider Electric Siemens Socomec STULZ Vertiv Group Key Investors Advanced Mediomatrix CyrusOne DATA4 Digital Realty DTiX Euclyde Data Centers Equinix Telehouse Thesee DataCenter Titan Datacenters The segmentation includes: EXISTING VS. UPCOMING DATA CENTERS Existing Facilities in the region (Area and Power Capacity) Paris Marseille Other Cities List of Upcoming Facilities in the region (Area and Power Capacity) FRANCE DATA CENTER INVESTMENT COVERAGE Infrastructure Type IT Infrastructure Electrical Infrastructure Mechanical Infrastructure General Construction IT Infrastructure Server Storage Systems Network Infrastructure Electrical Infrastructure UPS Systems Generators Transfer Switches and Switchgears PDUs Other Electrical Infrastructure Mechanical Infrastructure Cooling Systems Rack Cabinets Other Mechanical Infrastructure Cooling Systems CRAC CRAH Units Chillers Cooling Towers, Condensers, and Dry Coolers Economizers Evaporative Coolers Other Cooling Units General Construction Building Development Installation and Commissioning Services Building Engineering Design Physical Security DCIM Tier Segments Tier I Tier II Tier III Tier IV Geography Paris Marseille Others WHY SHOULD YOU BUY THIS RESEARCH? Market size available in the area, power capacity, investment, and colocation revenue. An assessment of the investment in France by colocation, hyperscale, and enterprise operators. Data center investments in terms of area (square feet) and power capacity (MW) across cities in the country. A detailed study of the existing market landscape, an in-depth industry analysis, and insightful predictions about the France data center market size during the forecast period. Snapshot of existing and upcoming third-party facilities in France Facilities Covered (Existing): 133 Facilities Identified (Upcoming): 9 Coverage: 34 Cities Existing vs. Upcoming (Data Center Area) Existing vs. Upcoming (IT Load Capacity) Datacenter colocation market in France Market Revenue Forecast (2020-2026) Retail Colocation Pricing Wholesale Colocation Pricing Classification of the France data center market investments into multiple segments and sub-segments (IT, power, cooling, and general construction services) with market sizing and forecast. A comprehensive analysis of the latest trends, growth rate, potential opportunities, and growth restraints, and prospects for the industry. Business overview and product offerings of prominent IT infrastructure providers, construction contractors, support infrastructure providers, and investors operating in the industry. A transparent research methodology and the analysis of the demand and supply aspect of the market. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/cokyrt View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005836/en/ Contacts: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 Wafford to Lead Financial Reporting, Strategy and Operations for Next Frontier Brands BOULDER, Colo., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Next Frontier Brands, an international consumer packaged goods company with a focus on beverage and wellness products, today announced the appointment of Bill Wafford as its Chief Financial Officer, effective July 26, 2021. "Bill Wafford is a highly respected financial leader with a long track record of success with Fortune 500 companies," said Joseph C. Magnacca, President and Chief Executive Officer of Next Frontier Brands. "He will be a key part of our global strategy as we scale our business and drive margin expansion while simultaneously investing in strategic initiatives." Previously in his career, Wafford was the Chief Financial Officer of JCPenney, and was the Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Vitamin Shoppe. He also served as a Partner in the Advisory Practice group of KPMG LLP, and was a Vice President of Finance at Walgreens. Wafford will report to Magnacca and will become a member of the company's executive team. Wafford will be responsible for all aspects of the company's financial strategy and operations, including accounting and financial reporting, investor relations, mergers and acquisitions, treasury and capital planning, investments, risk management, tax, budgeting and planning, and procurement. "I am thrilled to be joining Next Frontier Brands and its team of world-class executives," said Wafford. "Given its platform of CPG brands, global distribution footprint and proprietary technology, I believe there is a tremendous opportunity for revenue growth and free cash flow generation for Next Frontier Brands." About Next Frontier Brands Next Frontier Brands is an international consumer packaged goods company with a focus on beverage and wellness products. Next Frontier Brands currently owns 10 beverage and wellness brands, with six additional brand acquisitions pending. Our beverage brands include products in the distilled alcoholic spirits, distilled non-alcoholic spirits, wine, coffee and superfood categories. Our wellness brands include products in the topical and sublingual categories. We are headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, with additional offices in London, England; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; and Auckland, New Zealand. CONTACT: Next Frontier Brands press@nextfrontierbrands.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1312933/Next_Frontier_Brands_Logo.jpg The company plans for Brazil to be its biggest operation by December 2021, through the inauguration of the largest vehicle reconditioning center ever built in Latin America. This commitment to Brazil involves creating +1,000 jobs in 2021, contributing to the economic reactivation of the country and strengthening the automotive sector. Kavak plans to reach 100,000 vehicles purchased and 50,000 vehicles sold in the Brazilian market by the end of 2022. Kavak, the leading company in pre-owned cars in Latin America, announces the start of its operations in Brazil, with the announcement of a US$500 million investment, as part of its ambitious global expansion plan. "Our business model is growing successfully, due to our ability to formalize the pre-owned car market through data and AI technology, which allows us to streamline the car buying and selling process; reduce the time required for reconditioning as well as the evaluation process for offering our different financing options, thereby managing to eradicate risks by eliminating third parties from the process and offering guarantees, in an industry beset by different types of fraud due to informality in its transactions", said Carlos Garcia Ottati, founder and CEO of Kavak. Kavak plans to hire more than 1,000 people in the next six months and will open the largest vehicle reconditioning center for Latin America in Sao Paulo. This will underpin plans to achieve 100,000 vehicles purchased and 50,000 vehicles sold in the Brazilian market by the end of 2022, as well as the purchase of over 200,000 units globally in the next 2 years of operations. Kavak aims to revolutionize the access to automotive financing in Latin America, granting access to financial products to users who had been excluded for their different credit backgrounds, thanks to its data technology and AI. "Having access to a car automatically improves peoples' personal and professional lives. That is why we are putting our best efforts into developing technology that allows financing products to reach as many people as possible so that everyone can buy the car of their dreams", said Garcia Ottati. Global expansion and accelerated growth Under the global leadership of Carlos Garcia Ottati, in August 2020 Kavak began operations in Argentina and, in October of that same year, reached the status of the first Mexican unicorn, obtaining a valuation of US$1,150 billion. However, just four months later, Kavak quadrupled its valuation to US$4 billion. The company has raised more than US$900 million in venture capital since its foundation in 2016, positioning itself as one of the most valuable startups in Latin America. "The expansion in Brazil is the second step of an ambitious international expansion plan that will continue in the next 12 months in various Latin American countries and in other continents. Our vision is to be the largest automotive company in the world, and to achieve this goal we must help formalize a global market that shares similar problems, especially in emerging countries, places where we feel our products can democratize access to a pre-owned vehicle, through security and financial inclusion", said Garcia Ottati. The Latin American startup announced that it will focus all its efforts on continuing to improve its customer experience and accelerate its conquest of more markets worldwide. "We must be able to rapidly scale our business model to its best version; only in this way will we be able to give fair access for more people to own a car, generating strong relationships so that they come back with us over and over", said Garcia Ottati. About Kavak Kavak started the revolution in the automotive market in 2016, by creating a platform based on the use of data and technology that buys, reconditions, and sells used cars over the internet or on company premises (hubs), with all the guarantees of safety and reliability as well as the best financing options. After four years of operation, Kavak became the first unicorn company in Mexico's history and one of the most valuable startups in Latin America. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005845/en/ Contacts: Victor Manuel Reyna Alvarado victor.reyna@kavak.com M: +525567094364 Ameresco expands its U.K. presence with 1.1 million project delivering roof-mounted solar PV to 7 courts and 3 prisons in the Midlands Ameresco, Inc., (NYSE: AMRC), a leading cleantech integrator specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy, today announced the completion of its roof mount solar PV project with the United Kingdom's Ministry of Justice. The centrally funded 1.1 million project saw the delivery of roof-mounted solar to seven courts and three prisons in the U.K.'s Midlands. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005812/en/ United Kingdom's Ministry of Justice partners with cleantech integrator, Ameresco, to install rooftop solar PV that will provide annual energy savings equivalent to a carbon savings of 106.2 tonnes. (Photo: Business Wire) The implemented solar PV will provide an energy savings of 427,602 kWh per year, which is equivalent to a carbon savings of 106.2 tonnes per year. Ameresco worked with Ministry of Justice project managers throughout the installation process to ensure that there was no disruption to the court buildings' day-to-day operations, even given an influx of traffic due to a backlog of cases as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Initial project construction on the Midlands courts began in December of 2020 and was expected to be completed by March 2021. Ameresco will continue to deliver 12 months of operations and maintenance support, as well as ongoing metering of the arrays across all sites. The completed project will advance the Ministry of Justice's long-term goals to decarbonize federal buildings, improve grid resilience and facilitate a return-to-work of the building and renewables sector following the lift of pandemic restrictions and ordinances. "We are pleased to support the Ministry of Justice in their continued efforts to develop a more sustainable future," said Britta MacIntosh, senior vice president, Ameresco. "Utilizing rooftop space for renewable energy generation is a prime example of sustainable leadership from a government entity that works at the heart of the justice system." Construction was completed in March 2021. To learn more about the energy efficiency solutions offered by Ameresco, visit www.ameresco.com/energy-efficiency/. About Ameresco, Inc. Founded in 2000, Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC) is a leading cleantech integrator and renewable energy asset developer, owner and operator. Our comprehensive portfolio includes energy efficiency, infrastructure upgrades, asset sustainability and renewable energy solutions delivered to clients throughout North America and the United Kingdom. Ameresco's sustainability services in support of clients' pursuit of Net Zero include upgrades to a facility's energy infrastructure and the development, construction, and operation of distributed energy resources. Ameresco has successfully completed energy saving, environmentally responsible projects with Federal, state and local governments, healthcare and educational institutions, housing authorities, and commercial and industrial customers. With its corporate headquarters in Framingham, MA, Ameresco has more than 1,000 employees providing local expertise in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.ameresco.com. About U.K. Ministry of Justice The Ministry of Justice is a major UK government department, at the heart of the justice system. We work to protect and advance the principles of justice. Our vision is to deliver a world-class justice system that works for everyone in society. For more information visit www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice. The announcement of completion of a customer's project contract is not necessarily indicative of the timing or amount of revenue from such contract, of the company's overall revenue for any particular period or of trends in the company's overall total project backlog. This project was included in our previously reported contracted backlog as of March 31, 2021. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005812/en/ Contacts: Media Contact: Ameresco: Leila Dillon, 508-661-2264, news@ameresco.com Rio Tinto has committed $2.4 billion to the Jadar lithium-borates project in Serbia, one of the world's largest greenfield lithium projects. The project remains subject to receiving all relevant approvals, permits and licences and ongoing engagement with local communities, the Government of Serbia and civil society. The Jadar project would scale up Rio Tinto's exposure to battery materials, and demonstrate the company's commitment to investing capital in a disciplined manner to further strengthen its portfolio for the global energy transition. Jadar will produce battery-grade lithium carbonate, a critical mineral used in large scale batteries for electric vehicles and storing renewable energy, and position Rio Tinto as the largest source of lithium supply in Europe for at least the next 15 years. In addition, Jadar will produce borates, which are used in solar panels and wind turbines. Jadar will be one of the largest industrial investments in Serbia, contributing 1% directly and 4% indirectly to GDP, with many Serbian suppliers involved in the construction of the mine. Rio Tinto is committed to help develop local businesses so that they can support the operation over the coming decades. It will also be a significant employer, creating 2,100 jobs during construction and 1,000 mining and processing jobs once in production. Rio Tinto Chief Executive Jakob Stausholm said "We have great confidence in the Jadar project and are ready to invest, subject to approvals. Serbia and Rio Tinto will be well-positioned to capture the opportunity offered by rising demand for lithium, driven by the global energy transition and the project will strengthen our offering, particularly to the European market. It could supply enough lithium to power over one million electric vehicles per year1 "The Jadar deposit and its unique mineral, Jadarite, discovered by Rio Tinto geologists in 2004 contains high-grade mineralisation of boron and lithium, supporting a long-life operation in the first quartile of the cost curve for both products." "We are committed to upholding the highest environmental standards and building sustainable futures for the communities where we operate. We recognise that in progressing this project, we must listen to and respect the views of all stakeholders." Rio Tinto continues to work with a wide group of local and global experts across all aspects of the environmental, social and governance impacts and has done so for many years. For example, to date we have finalised 12 environmental studies and more than 23,000 biological, physical and chemical analyses of air and water. This consultation is ongoing and will continue to inform our final submissions for approval. The Jadar development will include an underground mine with associated infrastructure and equipment, including electric haul trucks, as well as a beneficiation chemical processing plant. To minimise the impact to communities, it will be built to the highest environmental standards, including utilising dry stacking of tailings. This innovative method allows the dry tailings to be progressively reclaimed with vegetation and soil with no need for a tailings dam. Water management will be state of the art with a dedicated facility resulting in approximately 70% of raw water coming from recycled sources or treated mine water. First saleable production is expected in 2026 at a time of strong market fundamentals with lithium demand forecast to grow 25-35% per annum over the next decade. Following ramp up to full production in 2029, the mine will produce ~58,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate, 160,000 tonnes of boric acid (B2O3 units) and 255,000 tonnes of sodium sulphate2 annually, making Rio Tinto one of the top ten lithium producers in the world. Based on this annual production of lithium carbonate, Rio Tinto aims to produce 2.3 million tonnes of lithium carbonate over the expected 40-year life of mine. The next steps for the project are seeking an exploitation licence and receipt of regulatory approvals. This includes approval of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) studies, which will shortly be made available to the public for comment. The EIA is required for the commencement of works, with construction targeted to start in 2022. 1 Assuming 60kWh battery size 2 These production targets were previously reported in a release to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) dated 10 December 2020, "Rio Tinto declares maiden Ore Reserve at Jadar" (for battery-grade lithium carbonate it was 55,000 tonnes). All material assumptions underpinning the production targets continue to apply and have not materially changed. This announcement is authorised for release to the market by Steve Allen, Rio Tinto's Group Company Secretary. riotinto.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005910/en/ Contacts: Please direct all enquiries to media.enquiries@riotinto.com Media Relations, UK Illtud Harri M +44 7920 503 600 David Outhwaite M +44 7787 597 493 Media Relations, Americas Matthew Klar T +1 514 608 4429 Media Relations, Australia Jonathan Rose M +61 447 028 913 Matt Chambers M +61 433 525 739 Jesse Riseborough M +61 436 653 412 Investor Relations, UK Menno Sanderse M: +44 7825 195 178 David Ovington M +44 7920 010 978 Clare Peever M +44 7788 967 877 Investor Relations, Australia Natalie Worley M +61 409 210 462 Amar Jambaa M +61 472 865 948 Rio Tinto plc 6 St James's Square London SW1Y 4AD United Kingdom T +44 20 7781 2000 Registered in England No. 719885 Rio Tinto Limited Level 7, 360 Collins Street Melbourne 3000 Australia T +61 3 9283 3333 Registered in Australia ABN 96 004 458 404 Category: Jadar Almere, The Netherlands July 27, 2021, 6 p.m. CET Continued robust market demand fuels strong quarterly performance ASM International N.V. (Euronext Amsterdam: ASM) today reports its second quarter 2021 operating results (unaudited) in accordance with IFRS. FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS EUR million Q2 2020 Q1 2021 Q2 2021 New orders 298.0 410.6 515.7 Revenue 341.8 394.0 411.7 Gross profit margin % 48.3 49.5 48.1 Operating result 87.6 124.5 118.4 Operating result margin % 25.6 31.6 28.7 Result from investments (excluding amortization intangible assets resulting from the sale of ASMPT stake in 2013) 10.7 13.9 19.3 Amortization intangible assets (resulting from the sale of ASMPT stake in 2013) (3.3) (3.0) (3.0) Net earnings 74.1 122.5 108.4 Normalized net earnings (excluding amortization intangible assets resulting from the sale of ASMPT stake in 2013 and result from sale of ASMPT shares) 77.4 125.5 111.4 New orders of 516 million for the second quarter 2021 increased by 73% compared to the same period last year. This is consistent with our announcement on July 1, 2021, that order intake in the second quarter clearly exceeded the previous guidance. Year-on-year revenue growth for the second quarter 2021 was 29% at constant currencies (20% as reported). Gross profit margin of 48.1% was close to last year's margin of 48.3%. Operating result for the second quarter 2021 improved from 88 million last year to 118 million this year mainly driven by strong revenue growth. Normalized net earnings for the second quarter 2021 were 111 million, a significant improvement compared to same quarter last year. COMMENT "Our company delivered again a strong quarter," said Benjamin Loh, President and Chief Executive Officer of ASM International. "Order intake surged to a new quarterly record of 516 million on the back of continued strong logic/foundry demand and our ALD product leadership. As already announced on 1 July, 2021, the order intake exceeded the previous guidance of 420-440 million, mainly driven by customers pulling in orders into Q2 that were previously expected to be received in Q3. Compared to the same period last year, sales in the second quarter increased by 29% at constant currencies and 20% as reported. Revenue, at 412 million, was slightly above the high end of the guidance of 390-410 million. While we benefited from our expanded manufacturing capacity in Singapore, supply chain conditions further tightened during the quarter, also due to new lockdown measures in parts of Southeast Asia. Thanks to great efforts by ASM's team and our supply chain partners, we were still able to meet customer requirements." OUTLOOK For Q3, on a currency comparable level, we expect sales of 400-430 million. Q3 bookings, on a currency comparable level, are expected to be in a range of 510-530 million, and also include orders that are planned to be shipped in 2022. Continued tight supply chain conditions are reflected in our sales guidance for Q3 and, based on the current visibility, are also expected to have some impact in Q4, although we do expect Q4 sales to increase compared to the level in Q3. Based upon the current market developments, the wafer fab equipment (WFE) market is expected to grow by a high twenties to low thirties percentage in 2021. SHARE BUYBACK PROGRAM On April 20, 2021, ASMI announced the authorization of a new share buyback program of up to 100 million within the 2021/2022 time frame. ASMI announces today that this program commences on, July 28, 2021, and will end as soon as the aggregate purchase price of the common shares acquired by ASMI has reached 100 million, but ultimately on November 16, 2022. This repurchase program is part of ASMI's commitment to use excess cash for the benefit of its shareholders. The share buyback program will take place within the limitations of the authority granted by the shareholders during the Annual General Meeting which was held on May 17, 2021. This share buyback program will be executed by a third party. ASMI has the intention to reduce its capital by withdrawing the shares repurchased as part of this new 100 million share buyback program, save for such number of treasury shares as may be necessary to fund ongoing share and option programs for employees and board members. Progress of the share buyback program will be updated on a weekly base, starting on August 2, 2021. This information will be published on the ASMI website (www.asm.com). WITHDRAWAL OF TREASURY SHARES ASMI further announces that the withdrawal of 500,000 treasury shares, as earlier approved by the AGM 2021, has become effective as of July 21, 2021. As of that date, the number of issued shares is 49,297,394. INVESTOR DAY We confirm our plan to host our Investor Day on September 28, 2021. In view of the recent rise in COVID-19 cases in parts of Europe and the rest of the world and the resulting uncertainty we will decide on the format of the event in the first half of September. We will host our Investor Day either in the form of an in-person event, or as a fully virtual event if the situation would still not allow to hold an in-person event. Speakers will include our CEO and CFO and other members of ASM's Senior Management Team. The event will be in the afternoon of September 28, 2021, and will be webcasted. Further details will be announced later. About ASM International ASM International NV, headquartered in Almere, the Netherlands, its subsidiaries and participations design and manufacture equipment and materials used to produce semiconductor devices. ASM International, its subsidiaries and participations provide production solutions for wafer processing (Front-end segment) as well as for assembly & packaging and surface mount technology (Back-end segment) through facilities in the United States, Europe, Japan and Asia. ASM International's common stock trades on the Euronext Amsterdam Stock Exchange (symbol ASM). For more information, visit ASMI's website at www.asm.com . Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: All matters discussed in this press release, except for any historical data, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These include, but are not limited to, economic conditions and trends in the semiconductor industry generally and the timing of the industry cycles specifically, currency fluctuations, corporate transactions, financing and liquidity matters, the success of restructurings, the timing of significant orders, market acceptance of new products, competitive factors, litigation involving intellectual property, shareholders or other issues, commercial and economic disruption due to natural disasters, terrorist activity, armed conflict or political instability, changes in import/export regulations, epidemics and other risks indicated in the Company's reports and financial statements. The Company assumes no obligation nor intends to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect future developments or circumstances. This press release contains inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation. ASM International N.V will host an investor conference call and webcast on Wednesday, July 28, 2021, at 3 p.m. Continental European Time (9 a.m. - US Eastern Time). The teleconference dial-in numbers are as follows: United States: +1 631 5107 495 International: +44 (0) 8445 718 892 The Netherlands: +31 (0) 20 71 435 45 Access Code: 3968920 A simultaneous audio webcast and replay will be accessible at www.asm.com . CONTACT Investor and media contact: Victor Bareno T: +31 88 100 8500 E: victor.bareno@asm.com Attachment In its meeting which took place on July 27, 2021, after the Annual General Meeting (AGM), Wavestone's Management Board decided the immediate implementation of the share buy-back program authorized by the AGM in application of L.22-10-62 and seq. of the French commercial code, articles 241-1 to 241-5 of the general regulations of the Autorite des Marches Financiers ("AMF" - French stock market regulator), and the European Regulation n596/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of April 16, 2014. This share buy-back program is detailed in the 2020/21 universal registration document, published on July 15, 2021 on the company website (www.wavestone.com), on the "Investors" section. About Wavestone In a world where knowing how to drive transformation is the key to success, Wavestone's mission is to inform and guide large companies and organizations in their most critical transformations, with the ambition of a positive outcome for all stakeholders. That's what we call "The Positive Way." Wavestone draws on some 3,000 employees across 8 countries. It is a leading independent player in the European consulting market. Wavestone is listed on Euronext Paris. Wavestone Pascal IMBERT Chief Executive Officer Tel.: +33 (0)1 49 03 20 00 Benjamin CLEMENT Financial communication Tel.: +33 (0)1 49 03 20 00 Actus Financial news Mathieu OMNES Analyst & investor relations Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 92 Nicolas BOUCHEZ Press relations Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 74 ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: nW+aaZ2bamabl5ublslqmmKZaW1lxmCVmGqbyWOeZsnFmHFlmpdobsmdZnBhmWtn - Check this key: https://www.security-master-key.com. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-70461-cp-mise-en-oeuvre-du-pra-approuve-par-l_ag_270721_en.pdf Wavestone's Combined Ordinary and Extraordinary Shareholders' Meeting was held on Tuesday July 27, 2021 under the chairmanship of Michel Dancoisne, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, and in the presence of the Company's Statutory Auditors. The voting results for each resolution submitted to the Shareholders' Meeting for approval will be made available on the Company's website at www.wavestone.com (section Investors, Annual general meetings) within the statutory time frame. Approval of 0.23 per share dividend to be distributed on August 5, 2021 Wavestone shareholders adopted the annual and consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021 and the proposed appropriation of profits. Accordingly, Wavestone will distribute a dividend payout of 0.23 per share for the 2020/21 fiscal year. This dividend exceptionally equates to payout ratio of 18% of the Group's Share of Net Income. As a reminder, Wavestone's usual dividend policy is to apply a payout ratio of 15%. Payment of the dividend, which will be paid as a cash dividend, will take place on August 5, 2021. Approval of the reimbursement of monies received under furlough arrangements Wavestone shareholders adopted the reimbursement of monies received under furlough arrangements. As a reminder, given Wavestone's solid results at the end of the 2020/21 fiscal year, and in line with the corporate social responsibility values the firm promotes, the Management Board, with the agreement of the Supervisory Board, wanted to reimburse monies received under furlough arrangements in France, the UK, Switzerland, and Luxembourg to deal with the Covid-19 health crisis. Appointment of Marlene Ribeiro and Veronique Beaumont as a new members of the Supervisory Board The Combined Ordinary and Extraordinary Shareholders' Meeting approved the appointment of Marlene Ribeiro and Veronique Beaumont as independent members of Wavestone's Supervisory Board. Marlene Ribeiro brings a strong expertise in human resources management and more particularly in recruitment, especially in the technological field. Veronique Beaumont brings a very good knowledge of the consulting business and the IT and digital areas, and of the key success factors in this business and these areas. Approval of resolutions, except for resolutions 26 and 30, in accordance with the proposal of the Management Board Wavestone shareholders voted against resolutions 26 and 30, in accordance with the Management Board proposal. More information on these resolutions is available in the Management Board Report - General Report of the 2020/21 universal registration document. About Wavestone In a world where knowing how to drive transformation is the key to success, Wavestone's mission is to inform and guide large companies and organizations in their most critical transformations, with the ambition of a positive outcome for all stakeholders. That's what we call "The Positive Way." Wavestone draws on some 3,000 employees across 8 countries. It is a leading independent player in the European consulting market. Wavestone is listed on Euronext Paris. Wavestone Pascal IMBERT Chief Executive Officer Tel.: +33 (0)1 49 03 20 00 Benjamin CLEMENT Financial communication Tel.: +33 (0)1 49 03 20 00 Actus Financial news Mathieu OMNES Analyst & investor relations Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 92 Nicolas BOUCHEZ Press relations Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 74 ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: mWmcY8hnkmqamW5tZZxmbWOXbpxlxpWcmmHGmJJrk8yUnJ5mmW1im5iYZnBhmWps - Check this key: https://www.security-master-key.com. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-70456-cp-approbation-des-resolutions-ag-270721_en.pdf Continued sustained growth of 43.2% in second-quarter 2021 French GAAP - million Turnover 2021(1) 2020 2021/2020 change 2021/2019 change(3) Current Like-for-like(2) Current Like-for-like(4) 1st quarter 175.6 132.8 +32.3% +31.4% +14.1% +12.3% 2nd quarter 199.2 139.1 +43.2% +43.9% +16.0% +15.4% TOTAL 374.9 271.8 +37.9% +37.7% +15.1% +13.9% Building Materials Trading 206.2 156.0 +32.2% +32.7% +11.9% +14.0% Concrete Industry 68.6 51.1 +34.2% +31.4% +25.7% +11.2% Industrial Joinery 89.0 58.9 +51.2% +51.2% +19.8% +21.8% Other 25.9 19.1 +35.4% +35.4% -16.3% -9.9% Inter-segment eliminations -14.8 -13.2 - - - - (1) Unaudited figures. (2) Restated for the closures of Brem, Brico St Aignan, La Rochelle, Brico Le Blanc and Brico Mirebeau for Building Materials Trading. Restated for the sites in the Sarthe-Mayenne sector for the Concrete Industry business. (3) In order to take into consideration the impact of the spring-2020 lockdown, the 2021/2019 change will be provided for first-half 2021. (4) Restated for the closures of Brem, Brico St Aignan, La Rochelle, Brico Le Blanc and Brico Mirebeau for Building Materials Trading, sites in the Sarthe?Mayenne and Beton du Poher sectors for the Concrete Industry business, TBM Menuiserie for Industrial Joinery and SACI for Other and Building Materials Trading. Strong improvement in the three businesses HERIGE Group saw continued growth and posted turnover of 199.2 million in the second quarter of 2021, up 43.2% on the same period in 2020 (up 43.9% like-for-like). As was the case at the beginning of the year, in order to avoid the distortion caused by the favorable base effect of the various measures implemented across the three businesses in 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the turnover figures for the second quarter of 2021 have been compared with the same period in 2019, showing growth of 16.0% (15.4% like-for-like). The Group's three businesses continued their strong rebound, thanks to its full range of products and innovative services. Turnover for Building Materials Trading rose 39.4% (39.7% like-for-like), once again boosted by a strong rebound in the public works sector. Compared to second-quarter 2019, turnover was up 18% on a like?for?like basis. Concrete Industry rose 30.7% (32.0% like-for-like) benefiting from a sustained increase in volumes of ready mix concrete and in pre-fabricated concrete products. Compared to second-quarter 2019, Concrete Industry turnover was up 9.8% like-for-like, with a less favorable base effect. Industrial Joinery accelerated its double-digit growth, which came in at 59.9%. The business recorded strong demand across all of its distribution channels, focused on both the new and renovation markets. The Group also benefited from new production capacities at the Saint Sauveur-des-Landes plant, with the AM-X product continuing to deliver an excellent performance. On a like-for-like basis, Concrete Industry turnover rose 20.3% on the same period in 2019. Overall, in first-half 2021, HERIGE posted turnover of 374.9 million, up 37.7% like-for-like and up 13.9% compared to the same period in 2019. Outlook and developments In view of the good performances recorded in the first half of the current financial year across all Group businesses and benefiting from its positioning in energy renovation, HERIGE remains confident for the second half of the year, while remaining cautious about developments in the pandemic. Fully in line with a sustainable performance dynamic, the Group is looking for any opportunity that could serve its profitable growth strategy. Benoit Hennaut, Chairman of the Executive Board of HERIGE Group, said: "Since the beginning of the pandemic, HERIGE Group has demonstrated agility and a capacity to adapt, thanks to the commitment and the professionalism of our teams. Our structure has been strengthened, allowing us to maintain our growth and stay focused on the goal that we set ourselves: to be the reference for our clients, wherever they are based. HERIGE takes all factors into account to continually reinvent itself. Now more than ever, the Group aims to participate in sector-wide change by providing practical and sustainable solutions to construction stakeholders. The implementation of structured roadmaps with strong potential in each business activity is enabling us to bounce back and develop. Implementing an ambitious CSR policy, valuing human capital by ensuring the health and safety of our teams and actively contributing to an effective circular economy are also among our priorities. Innovation remains at the heart of our strategy to develop exclusive products and services that are designed to make a difference to our clients' everyday lives. The long-term sustainability of our projects will also be strengthened and supported by our ongoing digital transformation." Next publication: H1 2021 results on September 7, 2021 (after the close of trading) All our financial communications are available on our website: www.groupe-herige.fr About HERIGE HERIGE Group focuses on three sectors of the building industry: Building Materials Trading, the Concrete Industry and Industrial Joinery. Originally based in the Vendee region, HERIGE currently employs more than 2,300 people and has a strong presence in Western France. HERIGE is listed on Euronext Growth PEA/PME eligible Indices: EURONEXT FAMILY BUSINESS, EURONEXT GROWTH ALL SHARE, ENTERNEXTPEA-PME 150 ISIN FR0000066540, Ticker: ALHRG, Reuters ALHRG.PA HERIGE Benoit Hennaut - Chairman of the Executive Board Caroline Lutinier - Head of Group Communication & CSR Tel.: +33 (0)2 51 08 08 08 E-mail: communication@groupe-herige.fr ACTUS finance & communication Corinne Puissant - Analyst/Investor Relations Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 77 - E-mail: cpuissant@actus.fr Anne-Catherine Bonjour - Press Relations Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 93 - E-mail: acbonjour@actus.fr ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: nWtyY8VqlZeZx3FqlsqZb2hmaWuVk5PFmZPHlpNpaseXcGuTlGdkm8iYZnBhmWpo - Check this key: https://www.security-master-key.com. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-70452-herige-ca-t2-2021-vff_uk.pdf July 27, 2021 SBM Offshore is pleased to announce it has signed contracts with Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) for the 26.25 years lease and operation of FPSO Almirante Tamandare. These contracts follow the signing of the binding Letter of Intent as announced on February 25, 2021. FPSO Almirante Tamandare will be deployed at the Buzios field in the Santos Basin approximately 180 kilometers offshore Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. SBM Offshore is progressing with the design and construction using its industry leading Fast4Ward program. Delivery of the FPSO is expected in the second half of 2024. CorporateProfile The Company's main activities are the design, supply, installation, operation and the life extension of floating production solutions for the offshore energy industry over the full lifecycle. The Company is market leading in leased floating production systems, with multiple units currently in operation. As of December 31, 2020, the Company employs approximately 4,570 people worldwide spread over offices in our key markets, operational shore bases and the offshore fleet of vessels. SBM Offshore N.V. is a listed holding company headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It holds direct and indirect interests in other companies. Where references are made to SBM Offshore N.V. and /or its subsidiaries in general, or where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies "SBM Offshore" or "the Company" are sometimes used for convenience. For further information, please visit our website at www.sbmoffshore.com. The Management Board Amsterdam, the Netherlands, July 27, 2021 Financial Calendar Date Year Half Year 2021 Earnings - Press Release August 5 2021 Trading Update 3Q 2021 - Press Release November 11 2021 Full Year 2021 Earnings - Press Release February 10 2022 Annual General Meeting April 6 2022 Trading Update 1Q 2022 - Press Release May 12 2022 For further information, please contact: Investor Relations Bert-Jaap Dijkstra Group Treasurer and IR Mobile: +31 (0) 6 21 14 10 17 E-mail: bertjaap.dijkstra@sbmoffshore.com Website: www.sbmoffshore.com Media Relations Vincent Kempkes Group Communications Director Mobile: +377 (0) 6 40 62 87 35 E-mail: vincent.kempkes@sbmoffshore.com Website: www.sbmoffshore.com Disclaimer This press release contains inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation. Some of the statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are statements of future expectations and other forward-looking statements based on management's current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance, or events to differ materially from those in such statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results and performance of the Company's business to differ materially and adversely from the forward-looking statements. Certain such forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes", "may", "will", "should", "would be", "expects" or "anticipates" or similar expressions, or the negative thereof, or other variations thereof, or comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy, plans, or intentions. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in this release as anticipated, believed, or expected. SBM Offshore NV does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update any industry information or forward-looking statements set forth in this release to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. Nothing in this press release shall be deemed an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities. Attachment VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2021 / Beretta Ventures Ltd. (the "Company") (TSXV:BRTA.H) announces that Michael Lucas has been appointed as a director of the Company, replacing Mario Miranda, who has resigned as a director of the Company. In addition, 171,334 founder's shares currently held in escrow are being transferred within escrow to Michael Lucas. The Company wishes to thank Mario Miranda for his service to the Company. On behalf of the Board, Scott Ackerman CEO, CFO, Corporate Secretary and Director For further information: Beretta Ventures Ltd. 1600 - 609 Granville Street Vancouver, BC V7Y 1C3 (778) 331-8505 Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may include forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required under the applicable law. SOURCE: Beretta Ventures Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657250/Beretta-Ventures-Announces-New-Director 2021: ACCELERATING TRANSFORMATION IN A YEAR OF TRANSITION I - Full accounting review in North America satisfactorily completed II - First half 2021 results Order entry at 5 , 569 million , Book to bill at 1 03 % (Q2 at 1 09 %) Revenue at 5,424 million -1.0% at constant currency (Q2 at 0.0%) -2.7% organic (Q2 at -1.5%) Digital, Cloud, Security & Decarbonization at 52% of revenue (Q2 at 53%) Operating margin at 302 million, 5. 6 % of revenue Free cash flow at - 3 69 million Normalized net income at 1.48 III - Strategy: Group repositioning on Digital, Cloud, Security & Decarbonization and first achievements German turnaround plan agreed with social partners 3 new bolt-on acquisitions in Digital and Cloud Strategic portfolio review finalized: Decision to look for partners for c. 20% of Group revenue scope IV - 2021 adjusted objectives issued on July 12, 2021 and Mid-Termtargets confirmed Paris, July 27, 2021 - Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, today announced its financial results for the first half of 2021. Elie Girard, CEO, said: "2021 is definitely a year of transition for Atos. Further to the strong Cloud acceleration post-Covid, we have decided to accelerate our transformation and focus significantly more of the Group's resources around our key business areas: Digital, Cloud, Security & Decarbonization. The Spring program, aimed at implementing an Industry-led and customer-centric organization, matching the business needs of our customers, has been completed in the first semester. Hiring, training and certification programs in key areas are being strengthened. Classic Infrastructure activities are being optimized across the Group: in Germany we have reached an agreement with our social partners on a turnaround plan associated with the reduction of circa 1,300 of Infrastructure staff. A deep cultural change program called Leap has also been initiated throughout the Company. This profound and fast transformation also requires a change of scope for the Group. We will continue to intensify our bolt-on acquisition program - 3 more announced today - and we are aiming to augment the Group's capabilities with mid-size assets that will support our mid-term plan and growth agenda. Equally importantly, we have finalized our strategic portfolio review and decided with the Board of Directors to look for partners for several classic Infrastructure activities representing a total scope of c. 20% of Group revenue. Last but not least, the full accounting review we decided to perform in North America has been completed. It did not reveal any material misstatement for the Group consolidated financial statements. Moreover, the statutory auditors have completed their usuallimited review of the half-year condensed consolidated financial statements and an unqualified auditor's report is in process to be issued. With all those ongoing programs, change is on its way at Atos. I am deeply convinced that the relevance of our portfolio of offerings in the key segments, our customer relationships based on mutual trust, combined with the dedication and passion of our 105,000 employees will allow the Company to achieve its mid-term targets for the benefit of our shareholders and all our stakeholders." I - Full accounting review in North America satisfactorily completed The Company, with the support of external advisors, has completed the full accounting review of the two U.S legal entities on which there was a qualified opinion in the report of the auditors for the 2020 consolidated financial statements. The work performed, which has been reviewed by the auditors as part of their half-year procedures, did not reveal any material misstatement for the Group consolidated financial statements. Moreover, the Atos Board of Directors in its meeting held on July 27, 2021, has reviewed the Group half-year consolidated financial statements closed at June 30th, 2021. The Statutory Auditors have completed their usual limited review of the half-year condensed consolidated financial statements and an unqualified Auditors' report is in process to be issued. The remediation and prevention plan was completed and is being rolled-out. The main actions set-up in the plan covered the following topics: preventive controls, guidelines and documentation, HR review, skilling and organization, and awareness and training. The aim of the plan is remediation in North America and prevention in all regions. II - H1 2021 results H1 2021 performance by Industry Revenue in the first semester of 2021 reached 5,424 million, -1.0% compared to the first semester of 2020 at constant currency, -2.7% organically. Revenue during the first half was impacted by Cloud acceleration on Legacy Infrastructure business as well as a stronger decrease in Unified Communications & Collaboration, with associated consequences on operating margin, at 5.6% compared to 7.8% in the first half of 2020. Revenue Operating margin Operating margin % In million H1 2021 H1 2020* Evolution at constant currency H1 2021 H1 2020* H1 2021 H1 2020* Manufacturing 980 1,006 -2.6% 47 13 4.7% 1.3% Financial Services & Insurance 1,095 1,041 +5.2% 94 121 8.6% 11.7% Public Sector & Defense 1,190 1,233 -3.5% 30 115 2.5% 9.4% Telecom, Media & Technology 748 761 -1.7% 34 70 4.6% 9.3% Resources & Services 778 814 -4.5% 32 42 4.1% 5.2% Healthcare & Life Sciences 633 622 +1.9% 65 65 10.3% 10.4% Total 5,424 5,477 -1.0% 302 427 5.6% 7.8% * At constant currency With 18% of the Group revenue, Manufacturing reported a revenue of 980 million, representing a decrease by -2.6%. In the second quarter, the revenue came back to stability. The Industry performance was penalized by the still challenging situation of the sectors that were heavily impacted by Covid-19, particularly in Central Europe, with significant volume reduction including Siemens in several geographies, and some non-repeatable deals realized in the first semester of 2020. Operating margin reached 47 million, representing 4.7% of revenue. The margin increased by +340 basis points, underpinned by a comprehensive cost optimization program. Financial Services & Insurance revenue reached 1,095 million during the first semester of 2021, representing 20% of the Group revenue. The Industry grew by +5.2%. The growth was mainly driven by the ramp-up of some large contracts signed last year. Operating margin reached 94 million, representing 8.6% of revenue, a reduction of -310 basis points. The profitability was impacted by some revenue decrease in Banking and Financial Services, but also some new projects required the use of additional specific subcontractor experts to secure delivery. Public Sector & Defense was the largest Industry of the Group with 1,190 million, representing 22% of the Group revenue. The Industry revenue decreased by -3.5%, mainly coming from volume reduction in North America. The High Performance Computing (HPC) deals slightly grew, led by a project with an Italian research consortium compensating non-repeatable large HPC deliveries in H1 2020 to a research institution in Germany as well as to Indian authorities. Operating margin reached 30 million, representing 2.5% of revenue, -690 basis points at constant currency. The profitability was penalized by lower revenue combined with a less favorable business mix. Telecom, Media & Technology represented 14% of the Group revenue with 748 million revenue, decreasing by -1.7%. During the second quarter, the Industry grew by +1.8% year-on-year. The contribution of a large contract with a technology company could not totally compensate Unified Communications & Collaboration business decrease. Operating margin reached 34 million, representing 4.6% of revenue, a decrease of -470 basis points compared to last year at constant currency impacted by lower revenue in North America and Central Europe as well as a less favorable business mix. Revenue generated by Resources & Services in the first semester of 2021 reached 778 million, representing 14% of the Group revenue. The Industry revenue decreased by -4.5%, with -2.5% in the second quarter. The Industry performance was penalized by volume reduction and the still challenging situation of Retail, Transportation, & Hospitality sectors. Operating margin reached 32 million, representing 4.1% of revenue, -110 basis points at constant currency compared to the first semester of 2020. The reduction was mainly due to the revenue decline while cost saving programs allowed to mitigate partly this effect. Representing 12% of the Group revenue, Healthcare & Life Sciences revenue was 633 million, increasing by +1.9% at constant currency compared to the first semester of 2020 and with a second quarter roughly stable year on year. The Industry grew in most geographies except North America, where the positive contribution of the ramp-up of some new contracts did not offset volume reduction with some customers. Operating margin was 65 million, representing 10.3% of revenue and stable compared to last year. The Industry benefitted from a positive volume impact which was even augmented by strong profitability on new projects. This improvement in the project margin allowed the Industry to invest in additional commercial resources. H1 2021 performance by Regional Business Unit Revenue Operating margin Operating margin % In million H1 2021 H1 2020* Evolution at constant currency H1 2021 H1 2020* H1 2021 H1 2020* North America 1,170 1,240 -5.6% 138 188 11.8% 15.2% Northern Europe 1,402 1,359 +3.1% 91 100 6.5% 7.4% Central Europe 1,240 1,368 -9.4% 21 42 1.7% 3.1% Southern Europe 1,231 1,147 +7.3% 46 94 3.7% 8.2% Growing Markets 382 363 +5.3% 45 43 11.8% 11.9% Global structures - - +0.0% - 39 -41 -0.7% -0.7% Total 5,424 5,477 -1.0% 302 427 5.6% 7.8% * At constant currency A majority of the Regions grew in the first semester of this year benefiting from the economic recovery, except North America and Central Europe. In North America, the positive contribution of the new acquisitions and the recent ramp-up of some large contracts in Digital transformation, Cloud and Cybersecurity spaces could not offset volume reduction in Legacy Infrastructure in Public Sector & Defense and project delays from some customers. Central Europe was affected by Cloud migration acceleration impacting Legacy Infrastructure and by a revenue decrease in the classic Unified Communications & Collaboration business; in addition, Manufacturing did not yet totally recover from the Covid impacts and in Public Sector & Defense some large HPC deals realized in 2020 could not be repeated this year. Operating margin reached 302 million, representing 5.6% of Group revenue, decreasing by -220 basis points compared to the first semester of 2020 impacted by the revenue decline in activities with a low short-term flexibility. This affected the Regional Business Units having the most Legacy Infrastructure and to a lesser extent Unified Communications and Collaboration. Commercial activity During the first semester of 2021, the Group order entry reached 5,569 million, representing a book to bill ratio of 103%, with the second quarter at 109%. Book to Bill ratio was particularly high in Public Sector & Defense at 139% and as Geographies are concerned in Northern Europe at 119% and Growing Markets at 130%. The main new contracts signed over Q2 included notably a large outsourcing contract in Benelux covering service integration, security, and Cloud services with the Flemish Government (Public Sector & Defense), a large contract in Telecom, Media & technology with EY to provide Next Generation Employee Experience Solution for 300,000+ employees, a large contract in Manufacturing in Central Europe with a large European manufacturer to modernize the supply chain management, an important Cloud and Edge contract in Resources & Services with a major international logistics company, and a digital transformation contract with a major hospital chain in the US to enhance the end-user experience in Healthcare & Life Sciences. Contract renewals that took place in Q2 included large signatures with notably the Department for Work and Pensions (Health & Life Sciences) in Northern Europe, with a large European manufacturer (Manufacturing) in Central Europe, and with a leading financial services company in Central Europe (Financial Services & Insurance). In line with the commercial activity, the full backlog at the end of June 2021 amounted to 23.6 billion, stable compared to end of December 2020, representing 2.1 years of revenue. The full qualified pipeline was 7.4 billion, representing 7.9months of revenue, a decrease compared to the beginning of the year due to the evolution of the business. Indeed, there are less large, long cycle outsourcing Infrastructure deals and more short cycle Cloud and Cloud application deals on which Atos has already shown progress. Operating income and net income Operating income for the first half of 2021 year was -118 million, resulting from the following items: Staff reorganization reached -79 million stable compared to last year. Reorganization costs related to the adaptation of the workforce mainly in European countries. A specific plan in Germany was agreed with social partners and starts in July this year (see below). Rationalization and associated costs increased from -22 million last year to -42 million this year and primarily resulted from the closure of office premises and data center consolidation, mainly in North America and France. Integration and acquisition costs reached -22 million (-20 million last year) and mainly related to the integration costs of 2020 acquisitions as well as the cost of the associated retention schemes. In the first half of 2021, amortization of intangible assets recognized through Purchase Price Allocation (PPA) reached -79 million and was stable compared to last year. The equity-based compensation expense amounted to -33 million in the first half of 2021 compared to -35 million in the first half of 2020. In the first half of 2021, other items amounted to a net expense of -164 million compared to a net gain of 147 million in the first half of 2020 (a net expense of -27 million excluding the effect of the Worldline transaction of February 2020), and included the impact from the unprecedented acceleration of the decline of classic Infrastructure business in a context of a much stronger post-Covid demand for Cloud migration. Those exceptional items mainly included write-off of assets of c. -60 million in North America and Northern Europe, loss provisions for c. -40 million in North America, unusual impacts of settlements of c. -30 million mainly in Central Europe and Growing Markets, as well as other long-term employee benefits in Central and Southern Europe. Net financial expenses amounted to -3 million for the period (compared to -1 million for the first half of 2020) and was composed of a net cost of financial debt of -13 million and net gain of non-operational financial items of 10 million. Tax charge reached -6 million for the first half of the year with a loss before tax of -121 million corresponding to Effective Tax Rate (ETR) of 18.6% compared to 18.5% for the first half of 2020 (excluding the tax effects of the Worldline transaction that occurred in 2020) and considering the impacts of the revised guidance announced on July 12, 2021 on the recoverability of the deferred tax assets. The Group reported a net income of -129 million for the half year ended June 30, 2021, compared to 329 million in H1 2020. Both basic EPS Group share and diluted EPS Group share were -1.18 compared to 3.02 for both in H1 2020. The normalized net income was 162 million, representing 3.0% of Group revenue, compared to 319 million for normalized net income in H1 2020. Both normalized basic EPS Group share and normalized diluted EPS Group share were 1.48 compared to 2.93 for both in H1 2020. Free cash flow Group free cash flow during the first half of 2021 was -369 million, compared to -172 million in the first half of 2020. The variation results mainly from c. -141 million less Operating Margin before Depreciation and Amortization (OMDA) and from working capital effects mainly 200 million lower contribution from customers' cash in advance. OMDA was 633 million representing 11.7% of revenue, compared to 13.8% of revenue in June 2020, reflecting the impact on the operating margin. Capital expenditures totaled -154million, representing 2.8% of revenue, 50 bps less than the same period last year, reflecting the actions from the Group to optimize capital expenditures as well as to move to less capital-intensive activities. The negative contribution from change in working capital was -394 million (compared to -407 million in the first half of 2020). The DSO has increased by 8 days (from 46 days at the end of December 2020 to 54 days at the end of June 2021), while the DPO has decreased by 4 days (from 80 days at the end of December 2020 to 76 days at the end of June 2021). The level of trade receivables sold with no recourse to banks with transfer of risks as defined by IFRS 9 has decreased from 878 million at the end of December 2020 to 820 million at the end of June 2021. Cash out related to taxes paid decreased by 9 million. Cost of net debt decreased by 8 million due to the reimbursement in April 2020 of the 600 million bond issued in July 2015. Reorganization, rationalization and associated costs, and integration and acquisition costs amounted to -147 million in the first half of 2021 compared to -96 million in the same period last year, due to the pay-out of programs started in 2020. Finally, Other changes amounted to -66 million compared to -7 million. They included in particular the cash effect of early retirement programs in France and in Germany, settlements with customers as well as foreign exchange impacts. Net debt evolution Net acquisitions/disposals in H1 2021 amounted to -144million mainly originated from the acquisitions closed in the first semester. The impact of share buy-backs was -57 million compared to -45 million in the first half of 2020. These share buy-back programs are related to the delivery of shares under long-term incentive plans and aim at avoiding any dilution for the shareholders. Dividends paid by Atos SE amounted to 98 million while no dividends were paid in 2020 as a consequence of the Covid-19 economic impact. Foreign exchange rate fluctuation determined on debt or cash exposure by country represented a decrease in net debt of 9 million mainly coming from the exchange rates of the US Dollar, Indian Rupee and British Pound against the Euro. As a result, the Group net debt position as of June 30, 2021 was 1,129 million, compared to 467 million as of December 31, 2020. As a reminder, assuming the full conversion of the Optional Exchangeable Bonds, net debt would be 629 million at June 30, 2021. Human resources The total headcount of the Group was 104,808 at the end of June 2021 compared to 104,430 at the end of December 2020. The Group welcomed 1,037 new employees from the acquired companies and 9,391 hired employees, the majority of whom in offshore and nearshore countries. During the first half of the year, 8,665 employees left the Group representing 16.6% attrition rate. III - Strategy: Group repositioning on Digital, Cloud, Security & Decarbonization and first achievements German turnaround plan agreed with social partners The Group signed this month an agreement with social partners in Germany with the objective to turnaround loss making and cash negative areas in Germany on Classic Infrastructure business. The agreement relates to the restructuring of c. 1,300 staff starting this year until the end of 2023. The cost required is c. 180 million. As part of the agreement signed is the freeze of collective salary increases until the end of 2023 for employees in the scope. As a result, the objective of the plan is a significant improvement of the operating margin in Germany representing at Group level +100bps operating margin impact mid-term. 3 new bolt-on acquisitions in Digital and Cloud In line with its mid-term plan and transformation, the Group announces today the signature of 3 bolt-on acquisitions in Digital and Cloud: Nimbix: a US based leading High Performance Computing (HPC) Cloud platform provider. Nimbix offers HPC-as-a-service providing engineers and scientists access to infrastructure and software to build, compute, scale, and roll-out simulation and Artificial Intelligence applications; IDEAL GRP: a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) integrator and partner of Siemens Digital Industry Software, based in Finland. IDEAL GRP offers consulting, integration, and maintenance services in Manufacturing and Energy sectors. It will add highly skilled team of approximately 100 experts to Atos. This transaction follows the PLM specialist Processia acquisition in June 2021; Visual BI: a US based company specialist of Business Intelligence and Analytics in Cloud environment and an Elite Snowflake partner. With this acquisition, Atos will welcome 180 new highly skilled colleagues. Portfolio review finalized: Decision to look for partners for c. 20% of Group revenue scope As announced in April, the Group has been conducting a portfolio review of its assets and the Board of Directors in its meeting on July 27, 2021 decided the following strategic moves to accelerate the reprofiling of the Group towards Digital, Cloud, Security & Decarbonization: first, partnering on Datacenter hosting and associated activities to enhance customer service while improving the utilization of assets; joining forces in a consolidating market will allow these activities to develop further technical expertise and adjacent offerings while conducting required investments in classic infrastructure assets; to enhance customer service while improving the utilization of assets; joining forces in a consolidating market will allow these activities to develop further technical expertise and adjacent offerings while conducting required investments in classic infrastructure assets; second, the transformation of Atos Unified Communications & Collaboration puts us in the position to find the right partner with strong software and / or telecommunications expertise; combining technical and go to market capabilities will bring scale and investment that will allow our clients to accelerate their move to Unified Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS) and Contact Center-as-a-Service (CCaaS), while benefiting from new differentiated services alongside robust private cloud solutions; puts us in the position to find the right partner with strong software and / or telecommunications expertise; combining technical and go to market capabilities will bring scale and investment that will allow our clients to accelerate their move to Unified Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS) and Contact Center-as-a-Service (CCaaS), while benefiting from new differentiated services alongside robust private cloud solutions; third, partnering with best-in-class digital and specialized players on sub-critical activities to allow Atos to focus its efforts on its core markets while enhancing the quality of service to customers of those activities. In total, the Group decided to move forward fast on those tracks, representing a total scope ofc. 20% of Group revenue. IV - 2021adjustedobjectives and Mid-term targets confirmed Adjusted Objectives (July 12, 2021) Initial Objectives (February 18, 2021) Mid-term targets Revenue growth at constant currency Stable +3.5% to +4.0% +5% to +7% % Operating margin to revenue c. 6.0% 9.4% to 9.8% 11% to 12% Free Cash Flow / Cash Conversion Positive 550 to 600 million > 60% Appendix Revenue and operating margin at constant scope and exchange rates reconciliation In million H1 2021 H1 2020 % change Statutory revenue 5,424 5,627 -3.6% Exchange rates effect -150 Revenue at constant exchange rates 5,424 5,477 -1.0% Scope effect 100 Exchange rates effect on acquired/disposed perimeters -4 Revenue at constant scope and exchange rates 5,424 5,574 -2.7% Statutory operating margin 302 450 -32.9% Scope effect 6 Exchange rates effect -23 Operating margin at constant scope and exchange rates 302 433 -30.3% as % of revenue 5.6% 7.8% Scope effects amounted to 97 million for revenue and 6 million for operating margin. They are mainly related to: the acquisitions closed in 2020 and H1 2021 for +118 million for the revenue and +10 million for operating margin; and the disposal of some specific Unified Communications & Collaboration activities and Wivertis GmBH in 2020, amounting for a total of -21 million for revenue and -4 million for operating margin. Currency exchange rates effects negatively contributed to revenue for -150 million and to Operating margin for -22 million. They mostly came from the depreciation of the American dollar against the Euro and, to a lesser extent, the depreciation of both the Hong Kong dollar and the Brazilian real against the Euro over the period. Q2 2021revenue performance by Industry In million Q2 2021 Q2 2020* Evolution at constant currency Manufacturing 493 484 +1.8% Financial Services & Insurance 551 535 +3.1% Public Sector & Defense 610 634 -3.8% Telecom, Media & Technology 375 369 +1.8% Resources & Services 382 393 -2.5% Health & Life Sciences 320 319 +0.3% Total 2,733 2,734 -0.0% * At constant currency Q2 2021 revenue performance by Regional Business Unit In million Q2 2021 Q2 2020* Evolution at constant currency North America 606 618 -1.9% Northern Europe 671 671 -0.0% Central Europe 630 703 -10.3% Southern Europe 624 551 +13.1% Growing Markets 201 191 +5.6% Total 2,733 2,734 -0.0% * At constant currency Conference call The Management of Atos invites you to an international conference call on the Group first half 2021 results, on Wednesday, July 28, 2021 at 08:15 am (CET - Paris). You can join the webcast of the conference: via the following link: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/jvsfrxom (https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/jvsfrxom) by telephone with the dial-in, 10 minutes prior the starting time. Please note that if you want to join the webcast by telephone, you must register in advance of the conference using the following link: http://emea.directeventreg.com/registration/5984116 Upon registration, you will be provided with Participant Dial In Numbers, a Direct Event Passcode and a unique Registrant ID. Call reminders will also be sent via email the day prior to the event. During the 10 minutes prior to the beginning of the call, you will need to use the conference access information provided in the email received upon registration. After the conference, a replay of the webcast will be available on atos.net, in the Investors section. Forthcoming events October 21, 2021 (Before Market Opening) Third quarter 2021 revenue February 28, 2022 (After Market Close) Full Year 2021 results April 27, 2022 (Before Market Opening) First Quarter 2022 revenue May 18, 2022 Annual General Meeting July 27, 2022 (Before Market Opening) First semester 2022 results Contacts Investor Relations: Gilles Arditti +33 6 11 69 81 74 gilles.arditti@atos.net Media: Anette Rey +33 6 69 79 84 88 anette.rey@atos.net About Atos Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with 105,000 employees and annual revenue of over 11 billion. European number one in cybersecurity, cloud and high performance computing, the Group provides tailored end-to-end solutions for all industries in 71 countries. A pioneer in decarbonization services and products, Atos is committed to a secure and decarbonized digital for its clients. Atos operates under the brands Atos and Atos|Syntel. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea), listed on the CAC40 Paris stock index. The purpose of Atosis to help design the future of the information space. Its expertise and services support the development of knowledge, education and research in a multicultural approach and contribute to the development of scientific and technological excellence. Across the world, the Group enables its customers and employees, and members of societies at large to live, work and develop sustainably, in a safe and secure information space. Disclaimer This document contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including references, concerning the Group's expected growth and profitability in the future which may significantly impact the expected performance indicated in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are linked to factors out of the control of the Company and not precisely estimated, such as market conditions or competitors behaviors. Any forward-looking statements made in this document are statements about Atos' beliefs and expectations and should be evaluated as such. Forward-looking statements include statements that may relate to Atos' plans, objectives, strategies, goals, future events, future revenues or synergies, or performance, and other information that is not historical information. Actual events or results may differ from those described in this document due to a number of risks and uncertainties that are described in the 2020 Universal Registration Document filed with the Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF) on April 7, 2021 under the registration number D.21-0269. Atos does not undertake, and specifically disclaims, any obligation or responsibility to update or amend any of the information above except as otherwise required by law. This document does not contain or constitute an offer of Atos' shares for sale or an invitation or inducement to invest in Atos' shares in France, the United States of America or any other jurisdiction. Revenue organic growth is presented at constant scope and exchange rates. Industries include Manufacturing (Aerospace, Automotive, Chemicals, Consumer Packaged Goods (Food & Beverage), Discrete Manufacturing, Process Industries, Services and Siemens), Financial Services & Insurance (Insurance, Banking & Financial Services, and Business Transformation Services), Public Sector & Defense (Defense, Education, Extraterritorial Organizations, Public Administration, Public Community Services and Major Events), Telecom, Media & Technology (High Tech & Engineering, Media, and Telecom), Resources & Services (Energy, Retail, Transportation & Hospitality, and Utilities) and Healthcare & Life Sciences (Healthcare and Pharmaceutical). Regional Business Units include North America (USA, Canada, Guatemala and Mexico), Northern Europe (United Kingdom & Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Belarus, Finland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and Sweden), Central Europe (Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Israel, and Switzerland), Southern Europe (France, Andorra, Spain, Portugal, and Italy) and Growing Markets including Asia-Pacific (Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand), South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, and Peru), Middle East & Africa (Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Qatar, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, Turkey and UAE), Major Events and Global Delivery Centers. Attachment Parisannounced today that it has completed the acquisition of IDEAL GRP, a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system integrator and platinum-level solution partner of Siemens Digital Industries Software, headquartered in Finland. IDEAL GRP offers consulting, integration, software and maintenance services for businesses in the manufacturing sector. The acquisition will add a highly skilled team of approximately 100 experts to Atos with double platinum status. The past few months have exposed the fragility of modern supply chains, leading manufacturing organizations to accelerate their digital transformation in the search for increased resilience and operational excellence. PLM provides a product information backbone by integrating data, processes and business systems. Building on the acquisition of PLM specialist Processia in June 2021 , the operation is aligned with Atos' industry-specific strategy and will reinforce its PLM and Engineering Solutions franchise, while also expanding the Group's footprint in Northern Europe. Atos will provide the resources, experience, and confidence to allow IDEAL GRP to focus entirely on delivering the products and services needed by medium sized and large enterprises to successfully deploy transformational Industry 4.0 initiatives. Founded in 1992, and headquartered in Vantaa, Finland, IDEAL GRP has a strong and longstanding partnership with Siemens, built on around 30 years of cooperation. It is a leading player in the Nordics market with offices in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Estonia. "Manufacturers produce endless quantities of data at all stages of a product's life cycle, which is an invaluable asset but becomes a true challenge when it comes to using all this data to make better products. This is where PLM systems come to the rescue and prove to be a key enabler for Industry 4.0." said Pierre Barnabe, Head of Manufacturing Industry at Atos. "We look forward to working with IDEAL GRP to help our customers in the manufacturing industry on their journey to sustainable digital transformation". "Over the past years IDEAL GRP customers have seen the significant change of PLM becoming more strategic and integrated, touching the whole value-chain of manufacturing. With Atos, we are now fully equipped to provide truly global and scalable services while maintaining the close relationship and local agility with our customers in the Nordics and Baltics. We believe that transformation will only accelerate, and we are excited to have the opportunity to work with Atos to help our customers create a digital advantage at the heart of this dynamic evolution. The long-lasting and strategic partnership between Atos and Siemens combined with the breadth and scale of Atos' portfolio of offerings makes this an exciting opportunity for IDEAL GRP customers and our people." said Jaakko Hartikainen, CEO at IDEAL GRP. "Atos globally is a highly valued partner deploying next generation solutions by using the world's leading portfolio of Siemens Digital Industries Software. Together with IDEAL GRP in the Nordics, their combined expertise will further drive the digital transformation of our customers with deep local expertise and a truly global backbone and investment capability. We are truly excited to see this happening" said Mats Friberg, Vice President & Managing Director, Nordic Operation at Siemens Digital Industries Software. ### About Atos Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with 105,000 employees and annual revenue of over 11 billion. European number one in cybersecurity, cloud and high performance computing, the Group provides tailored end-to-end solutions for all industries in 71 countries. A pioneer in decarbonization services and products, Atos is committed to a secure and decarbonized digital for its clients. Atos operates under the brands Atos and Atos|Syntel. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea), listed on the CAC40 Paris stock index. The purpose of Atos is to help design the future of the information space. Its expertise and services support the development of knowledge, education and research in a multicultural approach and contribute to the development of scientific and technological excellence. Across the world, the Group enables its customers and employees, and members of societies at large to live, work and develop sustainably, in a safe and secure information space. www.atos.net Investor Relations: Gilles Arditti | gilles.arditti@atos.net | +33 1 73 26 00 66 Press contact: Marion Delmas | marion.delmas@atos.net | +33 6 37 63 91 99 Attachment Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2021) - Snowy Owl Gold Corp. (CSE: SNOW) (FSE: 84L) ("Snowy Owl" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the geological team will be returning to the Panache Gold Project (the "Property") in August to complete a second phase of grassroots exploration. The northern 2/3 of the Property contains the most favourable geology and will be the focus of this phase of exploration. Here, greenstone rocks are in contact with an igneous intrusion, and a fault and fold are also mapped in this area. These geological features may represent potential hosts for precious metal mineralization. The Company plans on performing biogeochemical and BHorizon soil sampling as well as a geophysical survey. A new NI 43-101 compliant technical report will be commissioned following the completion of this work program. Snowy Owl is pleased to have retained the services of Leda Ruiz, through 2814498 Ontario Inc. to provide ongoing marketing and other corporate advisory services to the Company in consideration for the issuance of 1,000,000 warrants, exercisable to acquire up to 1,000,000 common shares of the Company, at a price of $0.12, for a period of one year. No other compensation is payable to 2184498 Ontario Inc., and the securities are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from their date of issue. About Snowy Owl Gold Corp. Snowy Owl Gold Corp. is a mineral exploration company focused on acquiring, exploring, and developing gold projects in Quebec, Canada. The Company has 100% interest in the Panache Property, which consists of 12 map designated claims ("CDC") covering a total of 678 hectares, and the Golden Eagle Property, which consists of 161 map designated claims ("CDC") covering a total of 8,887.65 hectares (88.87 km2) within the Abitibi region located in Quebec, Canada. Additional information on Snowy Owl Gold Corp. is available at http://www.snowyowlgold.com/. On Behalf of the Board of Directors, SNOWY OWL GOLD CORP. "Raymond Wladichuk" Chief Executive Officer For further information, please contact: Elyssia Patterson - CFO Tel: +1 (778) 683 4324 Email: info@snowyowlgold.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the CSE policies) accepts responsibility for this release's adequacy or accuracy. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements". Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Snowy Owl Gold's actual results, performance or achievements, or developments in the industry to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "could" or "should" occur. Although Snowy Owl Gold believes the forward-looking information contained in this news release is reasonable based on information available on the date hereof, by their nature, forward-looking statements involve assumptions, known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Examples of such assumptions, risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, assumptions, risks and uncertainties associated with general economic conditions; the COVID-19 pandemic; adverse industry events; future legislative and regulatory developments in the mining sector; the Company's ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, and/or inability to access sufficient capital on favorable terms; mining industry and markets in Canada and generally; the ability of Snowy Owl Gold to implement its business strategies; competition; and other assumptions, risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. While the Company may elect to, it does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91351 WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - After ending the previous session modestly higher, treasuries saw some further upside during trading on Tuesday. Bond prices moved to the upside early in the session and remained firmly positive throughout the day. As a result, the yield on the benchmark ten-year note, which moves opposite of its price, fell by 4.2 basis points to 1.234 percent. The advance by treasuries came as traders looked to the relative safety of bonds amid uncertainty ahead of the Federal Reserve's monetary policy announcement on Wednesday. Traders are likely to pay close attention to the Fed's statement for any clues the central bank is considering scaling back its asset purchase program. Treasuries may also have benefited from a Commerce Department report showing durable goods orders increased by much less than expected in the month of June. The report said durable goods orders climbed by 0.8 percent in June after spiking by an upwardly revised 3.2 percent in May. Economists had been expecting orders to surge up by 2.1 percent compared to the 2.3 percent jump that had been reported for the previous month. Excluding orders for transportation equipment, durable goods orders rose by 0.3 percent in June following a 0.5 percent increase in May. Ex-transportation orders were expected to climb by 0.8 percent. Meanwhile, a separate report from the Conference Board showed consumer confidence in the U.S. saw a slight improvement from an upwardly revised level in the month of July. The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index inched up to 129.1 in July from an upwardly revised 128.9 in June. Economists had expected the index to drop to 124.9 from the 127.3 originally reported for the previous month. With the unexpected uptick, the consumer confidence index reached its highest level since hitting 132.6 in February of 2020. Treasuries remained positive as the Treasury Department revealed that this month's auction of $61 billion worth of five-year notes attracted average demand. The five-year note auction drew a high yield of 0.710 percent and a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.36, while the ten previous five-year note auctions had an average bid-to-cover ratio of 2.37. The bid-to-cover ratio is a measure of demand that indicates the amount of bids for each dollar worth of securities being sold. Trading on Wednesday is likely to be driven by reaction to the Federal Reserve's latest monetary policy announcement. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de SANTA MONICA (dpa-AFX) - Employees of video game holding company Activision Blizzard, Inc. (ATVI) will stage a walkout on Wednesday as a protest against the company's response to a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against it by California state. The employees have decided to gather outside the company's main office at Irvine. The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing had alleged last week that the company promoted a 'frat boy culture' in its premises where in female employees were subject to constant sexual harassment, unequal pay, and retaliation. The state department ran a two-year investigation into the allegations and found them to be true. The company openly discriminated against female employees in various areas like employment conditions like compensation, assignment, promotion, and termination. The company was also known to have done nothing to prevent workplace discrimination and harassment against female employees. With the lawsuit, California State had hoped that the company will ensure compliance with workplace protections, and clear unpaid wages, implement pay adjustments, back pay and lost wages and benefits for female employees. Activision Blizzard has denied the allegations, saying the lawsuit was merely 'irresponsible behavior from unaccountable State bureaucrats that are driving many of the State's best businesses out of California.' Reacting to the company response, the employees said in a statement, 'We believe that our values as employees are not being accurately reflected in the words and actions of our leadership.' Over 2,600 employees have written a letter condemning the company response. In addition, employees have also put four other demands, which include an end to forced arbitration clauses in all employee contracts, a new hiring and promotion process to increase representation across the company, publication of salary and promotion data 'for employees of all genders and ethnicities at the company.' The employees also demanded diversity, equity, and an inclusive task force to hire a third-party to audit the executive staff. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX ACTIVISION BLIZZARD-Aktie komplett kostenlos handeln - auf Smartbroker.de Farfetch Limited (NYSE: FTCH), the leading global platform for the luxury fashion industry, announced that the company's second quarter 2021 financial results will be released after the U.S. market close on Thursday, August 19, 2021. Farfetch will host a conference call to discuss its results at 4:30 p.m. ET the same day. The live webcast of the call, along with the company's earnings press release, can be accessed at the Farfetch Investor Relations website at www.farfetchinvestors.com. Following the call, a replay will be available at the same website. About Farfetch Farfetch Limited is the leading global platform for the luxury fashion industry. Founded in 2007 by Jose Neves for the love of fashion, and launched in 2008, Farfetch began as an e-commerce marketplace for luxury boutiques around the world. Today the Farfetch Marketplace connects customers in over 190 countries and territories with items from more than 50 countries and nearly 1,400 of the world's best brands, boutiques and department stores, delivering a truly unique shopping experience and access to the most extensive selection of luxury on a single platform. Farfetch's additional businesses include Browns and Stadium Goods, which offer luxury products to consumers, and New Guards Group, a platform for the development of global fashion brands. Farfetch offers its broad range of consumer-facing channels and enterprise level solutions to the luxury industry under its Luxury New Retail initiative. The Luxury New Retail initiative also encompasses Farfetch Platform Solutions, which services enterprise clients with e-commerce and technology capabilities and innovations such as Store of the Future, its connected retail solution. For more information, please visit www.farfetchinvestors.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727006121/en/ Contacts: Investor Relations: Alice Ryder VP Investor Relations IR@farfetch.com Media: Susannah Clark VP Communications, Global susannah.clark@farfetch.com +44 7788 405224 Brunswick Group farfetch@brunswickgroup.com US: +1 (212) 333 3810 UK: +44 (0) 207 404 5959 The flavours of Amalfi and Napoli arrive in Barbados BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Antonio Mellino, the Executive chef at Quattro Passi will open QP Bistro the 22, October 2021 and Quattro Passi at The Cliff at the end of November. Quattro Passi in Nerano, Italy, is acclaimed as the best on the Amalfi Coast with two Michelin stars. Bringing the flavours of the Campania region, Napoli and Southern Italy to Barbados, it will offer signature dishes with the finest, fresh ingredients. Antonio and his team, including his son Raffaele aspire to have the finest restaurant in the world. Located on the former renowned Cliff restaurant site, the team has paid great care with the site's huge and amazing refurbishment with the most stunning views of the blue Caribbean Sea. Mellino's food philosophy is innovative but respects tradition and seasonality. This approach to his signature dishes - such as one that combines linguini with zucchini and zucchini flowers with basil and black pepper perfected over 10 years - earned Quattro Passi its Michelin stars. Mellino has cooked for Kings, presidents, elite artists, athletes and farmers all over the world. Mellino is excited to source fresh ingredients in Barbados from local and Caribbean farmers. The team will also be importing the best ingredients, shellfish from Italy, beef from the UK; the champagne will be imported insulated and chilled, so the temperature is always correct. "I absolutely love the energy of Barbados, and I am telling all of my regular clientele to meet me there. I couldn't be more excited to open this unbelievable Quattro Passi in Barbados. We will make this the best restaurant in the world, on the best island, Barbados." To reflect the food philosophy the interior design plans are an exquisite mix of Moroccan and Italian decor. Quattro Passi will feature a cigar bar, a lounge, private dining areas, all with tables overlooking the ocean. Next door to the fine dining of Quattro Passi will be QP Bistro. This will have an all-day, 7:30 am-2:00 am, bistro menu, a large Italian pizza oven, homemade soft-serve ice cream and young, vibrant energy. Quarto Passi and QP Bistro are owned by Michael Kent, a resident of Barbados. He also owns the Tides Restaurant in Barbados. Born on a farm in Cornwall, England, he is relentless in working with the best local people wherever he is. He loves how calm and friendly Barbadians are. He believes for the best restaurant one needs, in order of importance, the best people, the best local produce, the best facilities and the best location, Quattro Passi has it all. Kent has hired Elan Mottley, who recently returned to Barbados from Sydney, Australia as director of all restaurants. An experienced marketer in gourmet products and an attorney by training, Kent says, "Elan has so much energy and an amazing attitude." Quattro Passi is taking reservations for the winter season at 1-246-432-1922 and QP Bistro at 1-246-432-0797 Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1582641/Antonio_Mellino.jpg Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2021) - Altaley Mining Corporation (TSXV: ATLY) (OTC Pink: ATLYF) (FSE: TSGA) ("Altaley" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the following: Launch of New Corporate Website The Company is pleased to announce the launch of its completely redesigned corporate website. The new site features a clean and responsive modern design, simplified usability, functionality, alongside easy access to essential information about Altaley and its projects. The website will be regularly updated to provide the most current information and news related to the Company. Visitors can explore the new site at www.altaleymining.com or by typing Altaley Mining into your browser. ALTALEY TO HOST LIVE INVESTOR WEBINAR ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 10TH AT 11:45AM PST Ralph Shearing, President and CEO, will be presenting at the John Tumazos Very Independent Research Conference where he will discuss and provide updates on the company's two projects, including Campo Morado's 2Q 2021 production update, construction progress at it's Tahuehueto Project, and outline the Company's short- and long-term plans during the webinar. You are welcome register to join the webinar below: Date: Tuesday, August 10th, Time: 11:45am PST Register: Webinar Registration ( https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7325474642498902286) Correction The Company wishes to make a correction to its news release dated March 30, 2021 (the "News Release") with respect to the Company's closing of a non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") of 50,400,000 units at a price of $0.20 per unit. In addition to the $418,590 in cash that the Company paid to certain finders as disclosed in the News Release, the Company has also now issued 300,000 finder's warrants (the "Finder's Warrants") to one finder in connection with the Private Placement. These Finder's Warrants were due upon closing of the Private Placement but were inadvertently not issued. Each Finder's Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.30 until March 29, 2023. About Altaley Mining Corporation Altaley Mining Corporation is a Canadian based mining company with two 100% owned Mexican gold, silver, and base metal mining projects. Altaley's Tahuehueto Gold Mine project is in north-western Durango State, Mexico where construction has been advanced to an estimated 60% of completion. Upon closing of the announced US $25 million funding package, Altaley will have the funding available to finish construction of its 1,000 tonne per day processing facility and related mine infrastructure to initiate production of gold, silver, lead, and zinc in concentrates at Tahuehueto. The Company is targeting initial pre-production by end of 2021 and ramping up to full production capacity during Q1 2022. Campo Morado is an operating polymetallic base metal mine with mining and milling equipment currently producing at an average rate of 2,150 tonnes per day and is currently estimated to be Mexico's 6th largest zinc producer. Visit: www.altaleymining.com On Behalf of the Board of Directors (signed) "Ralph Shearing" Ralph Shearing, P. Geol, President and Director CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING PRODUCTION DECISIONS AND FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "Forward-Looking Information") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward Looking Information includes, but is not limited to, disclosure regarding the planned recommencement of mining operations at Campo Morado; and other possible events, conditions or financial performance that are based on assumptions about future economic conditions and courses of action; the timing and costs of future activities on the Company's properties, such as production rates and increases; success of exploration, development and bulk sample processing activities, and timing for processing at its own mineral processing facility on the Tahuehueto project site. In certain cases, Forward-Looking Information can be identified using words and phrases such as "plans," "expects," "scheduled," "estimates," "forecasts," "intends," "anticipates" or variations of such words and phrases. In preparing the Forward-Looking Information in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, that the current exploration, development, environmental and other objectives concerning the Campo Morado Mine and the Tahuehueto Project can be achieved; that recommencement of operations at Campo Morado will proceed as planned; the continuity of the price of gold and other metals, economic and political conditions, and operations. 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. There can be no assurance that Forward-Looking Information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on Forward-Looking Information. Except as required by law, the Company does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to Forward-Looking Information contained in this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. 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. For further information about Altaley Mining Corporation, please contact: Glen Sandwell Corporate Communications Manager ir@altaleymining.com Tel: +1 (604) 684-8071 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91366 Closed-end funds are traded on the secondary market through one of the stock exchanges. The Fund's investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares may be worth more or less than the original cost. Shares of closed-end funds may trade above (a premium) or below (a discount) the net asset value (NAV) of the fund's portfolio. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Past performance does not guarantee future results. 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. REVENUE STRONG AT $30.8 million Cash of $30.5 Million at June 30, 2021 IMPLEMENTED PROFIT SHARING WITH OUR EMPLOYEES FILTRATION PLANT AND DRY STACK EXPECTED TO BE ON BUDGET AND DELIVERED IN Q3 2021 DENVER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2021 / Gold Resource Corporation (NYSE American:GORO) (the " Company ", " We ", " Our " or " GRC ") earned net income of $1.3 million or earnings of $0.02 per share reflecting the adoption of the new Mexican labor reform, effective June 2021, pursuant to which we onboarded all employees from the outsourced third-party provider to our wholly owned subsidiary, Don David Gold Mexico, resulting in a $1.9 million impact on net income. Revenues were strong at $30.8 million and were greater than both the same period in 2020, which had an interruption in production due to COVID-19 and the same period in 2019, which was a more normal year of mining. Cash flow from operating activities was $9.3 million in the second quarter of 2021 bringing our cash at June 30, 2021 to $30.5 million, an increase of $5.1 million for the first six months. The Company produced and sold 9,685 gold equivalent ounces, comprising 5,697 gold ounces and 270,321 silver ounces at an average price per ounce of $1,822 and $26.88, respectively resulting in a total cash cost of $713 per ounce of gold equivalent and an all-in sustaining cost of $1,280 per ounce of gold equivalent. Allen Palmiere, President and CEO said "Our operations team continues to demonstrate their ability to be nimble and adaptive operators all while focusing on excellent environmental, social and governance practices. Notwithstanding an excellent work culture, there were two lost time incidents at the Don David Gold Mine during Q2 2021, which were investigated, and measures were taken to reinforce adherence to safety protocols. While there were no serious injuries, accidents like these are unacceptable and the Company recognized the need to modify and reinforce the safety program. Accordingly, a series of programs are underway to improve the overall safety culture. Gold production in the second quarter was as expected while silver and base metal production were modestly behind forecast as the team continues to address challenging ground conditions. Accordingly, our all-in sustaining cost per ounce were higher than our guidance at $1280 per ounce of gold equivalent. Notwithstanding this we reinvested $11.2 million into exploration and infrastructure improvements at the Don David Gold Mine and ended the quarter with a cash balance of $30.5 million effective June 30, 2021." Mr. Palmiere went on to say, "Our strong free cash flow per share and dividend yield puts us among the top of our peer group which is not reflected in our share price." SECOND QUARTER 2021 HIGHLIGHTS Additional highlights for the three months ended June 30, 2021, are summarized below: Strategic The Company continues to strengthen our senior leadership team with the addition of Alberto Reyes as the new Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Reyes has more than 20 years of international mining experience. This addition adds to the expertise necessary to focus on unlocking the value of our assets while implementing best in class governance. $1.0 million distributed in shareholder dividends this quarter, totaling $117.8 million since 2010. Operational Construction of the water filtration plant and dry stack tailings facilities progressed with an expected completion in the third quarter. The dry stack facilities will conserve water, accelerate reclamation of certain areas of the open pit mine as well as extend the life of tailings storage facilities. The exploration program progressed with the development of 156 meters of development drifts and 3,421 meters of diamond drilling with 12 drill holes underground at our Arista and Switchback vein systems and 2,069 meters drilled with two surface drill holes at the Aguila project. Additionally, there is a renewed emphasis on satellite areas, including Cerro Colorado and the area surrounding the Aguila project with drilling planned for the second half of 2021. With a focus on unlocking the value of the Don David Gold Mine, a total review of first principles commenced to review the geology, metallurgy, block models, mining methods and other key details of the mineral reserve and mineral resource models. Financial Working capital was $32.6 million at June 30, 2021. Total cash cost for the quarter was $713 per gold ounce equivalent (after co-product credits). [1] Total all-in sustaining cost for the quarter was $1,280 per gold ounce equivalent (after co-product credits). [1] 2021 Capital and Exploration Investment Summary For the six months ended June 30, 2021 full year guidance (in thousands) Capital Investments: Gold Regrind $ 45 $ 1,900 Dry Stack Completion 3,509 6,200 Underground Development 2,505 9,800 Other Sustaining Capital 1,707 4,100 Exploration Investment: Surface Exploration Expense 1,837 3,000 Underground Drilling 740 2,600 Exploration Development 817 1,600 Total $ 11,160 $ 29,200 The Company's investment in Mexico continued in Q2 2021 with year to date investments totaling $11.2 million. One of the current initiatives taking place at DDGM is a full review and analysis of all remaining capital for 2021 to ensure the budgeted projects continue to align with the key priorities of the organization. Based on the analysis performed to date, it is unlikely that the full amount of guided underground development ($9.8 million) will be spent in 2021 as a result of the mine sequence changes made during the first half of the year. Gold Regrind Project: Metallurgical testing, full scale design, and engineering of a tailings regrind circuit were completed, including procuring certain components and equipment for this project. The new circuit is expected to increase gold recovery by 6% to 10% by regrinding sulfide mill tailings followed by a leaching circuit to produce dore bars. Completion and commissioning are expected by the first quarter of 2022 due to the manufacturing lead time for specialized equipment, flotation cells and the regrind mill. As of June 30, 2021, $45,000 has been invested in this project with another $1.8 million expected prior to completion. Dry Stack Project: Significant construction progress was made on the filtration plant and dry stack tailings project which is on track for completion in the third quarter of 2021. The dry stacked tailings will accelerate reclamation of certain areas of the open pit mine, extend the life of current tailings storage facility, and reduce water consumption as approximately 80% of the process water will be available for reuse. As of June 30, 2021, $9.0 million has been invested in this project, $3.5 million in 2021, with another $2.7 million expected prior to completion. In addition, the open pit is undergoing final preparation work to receive dry stack tailings material, including completion of a new access road. Dry stack tailings filtration plant New access road at the open pit Underground and Exploration Development: Mine development during the quarter included ramps and accesses to different areas of the deposit and exploration development drifts. A total of 1,787 meters of underground development and exploration development, at a cost of $3.3 million, was completed during the year, including access to new exploration diamond drilling platforms on level 17. We plan to invest a total of $1.6 million in exploration development during 2021 and the total expected amount for underground mine development is currently being evaluated but expected to be less than the originally guided amount of $9.8 million as discussed above. 2021 Key Statistics 2021 Q2 Conference Call The Company will host a conference call tomorrow, Wednesday, July 28, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The conference call will be recorded and posted to the Company's website later in the day following the conclusion of the call. Following prepared remarks, Allen Palmiere, President and Chief Executive Officer, Kim Perry, Chief Financial Officer and Alberto Reyes, Chief Operating Officer will host a live question and answer (Q&A) session. There are two ways to join the conference call. To join the conference via webcast, please click on the following link: https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/2361/42039 . To join the call via telephone please use one of the following dial-in details: Participant Toll Free: 877-545-0320 Participant International: 973-528-0016 Entry Code: 758194 Please connect to the conference call at least 10 minutes prior to the start time using one of the connection options listed above. About GRC: Gold Resource Corporation is a gold and silver producer, developer, and explorer with operations in Oaxaca, Mexico. Under the direction of a new board and senior leadership, the focus is to unlock the significant upside potential of its existing infrastructure and large land position surrounding the mine. For more information, please visit GRC's website, located at www.goldresourcecorp.com and read the Company's 10-K for an understanding of the risk factors involved. Cautionary Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. When used in this press release, the words "plan", "target", "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "intend" and "expect" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward- looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the statements regarding Gold Resource Corporation's strategy, future plans for production, future expenses and costs, future liquidity and capital resources, and estimates of mineralized material. All forward- looking statements in this press release are based upon information available to Gold Resource Corporation on the date of this press release, and the company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those discussed in this press release. In particular, the scope, duration, and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mining operations, Company employees, and supply chains as well as the scope, duration and impact of government action aimed at mitigating the pandemic may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Also, there can be no assurance that production will continue at any specific rate. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in the Company's 10-Q filed with the SEC. For further information please contact: Ann Wilkinson Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Affairs Ann.Wilkinson@GRC-USA.com www.goldresourcecorp.com [1] Total cash cost after co-product credits and all-in sustaining cost per gold equivalent ounce sold are non-GAAP financial measures. Please see the Non-GAAP Measures section of the Management's Discussion and Analysis and Results of Operations for a complete reconciliation of the non-GAAP measures. SOURCE: Gold Resource Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657305/Gold-Resource-Corporation-Reports-Strong-Year-to-Date-Operating-Cash-Flow-of-161-Million WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Self-storage facilities operator Extra Space Storage Inc. (EXR) on Tuesday reported funds from operations or FFO of $232.3 million or $1.64 per share in the second quarter, up from $166.8 million or $1.21 per share in the same period last year. Adjusted FFO was same in 2021 while last year it stood at $169.9 million or $1.23 per share. The company's profit totaled $167.95 million or $1.25 per share, higher than $102.91 million or $0.80 per share, in last year's second quarter. Analysts had expected the company to earn $1.06 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. The company's revenue for the quarter rose 15.7 percent to $378.63 million from $327.25 million last year. Looking ahead, for full year 2021, the company expects FFO and adjusted FFO between $6.60 and $6.45. 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. Highlights: The Company has received a second tranche of investment from EIT InnoEnergy of 125,000, bringing the EU-backed body's investment to date to 187,500. The aggregate investment from EIT InnoEnergy is intended to be 250,000 and will help accelerate the Chvaletice Manganese Project's successful integration into Europe's electric vehicle (EV) battery value chain. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Euro Manganese Inc. (TSX-V and ASX: EMN; OTCQX: EUMNF) (the "Company" or "EMN") is pleased to announce the receipt of a second investment tranche from EIT InnoEnergy amounting to 125,000 (CAD$185,162). Pursuant to the terms of a Project Support Agreement entered into by the Company and EIT InnoEnergy (the "Agreement"), announced on February 22, 2021, the Company is to receive a three-tranche investment having an aggregate value of 250,000. The funds are being used to support ongoing work on the Chvaletice Manganese Project's (the "Project") definitive feasibility study and on the Chvaletice demonstration plant, which is intended to produce large-scale samples of high-purity manganese for supply chain qualification by prospective customers, including European electric vehicle makers and battery manufacturers. EIT InnoEnergy is a Knowledge and Innovation Community supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. It leads the industrial stream of the European Battery Alliance, an initiative launched by The European Commission in October 2017 with the objective to build a strong and competitive battery industry in Europe. The support of EIT InnoEnergy, which also includes assistance in securing financing and offtake agreements, is intended to help accelerate the Project's successful integration into Europe's electric vehicle (EV) battery value chain. The first EIT InnoEnergy investment tranche of 62,500 (CAD$92,850) was advanced to the Company on March 24, 2021, for which the Company will issue 147,380 common shares ("Shares") at the price of CAD$0.63 per Share (refer to EMN news release dated March 30, 2021). The second investment tranche of 125,000 (CAD$185,162) was advanced to the Company on July 26, 2021. Accordingly, the Company will issue an additional 330,647 Shares to EIT InnoEnergy at the price of CAD$0.56 per Share being the 10-day volume weighted average stock price on the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") prior to receipt of the second investment tranche. This brings EIT InnoEnergy's total investment to date to 187,500 (CAD$278,012). The issuance of the 478,027 Shares is not expected to occur until early January 2022 and remains subject to the approval of the TSXV. In accordance with Canadian securities laws and policies of the TSXV, Shares issued to EIT pursuant to the Agreement will be subject to a four month and one day statutory hold from their date of issuance. For more information about EIT InnoEnergy's support of the Chvaletice Manganese Project, see EMN's news release dated February 22, 2021. About Euro Manganese Inc. 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. 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: 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 Forward Looking Statements Certain statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such statements and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company or the Project to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. Such statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "expect", "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "estimate", "scheduled", "forecast", "predict" and other similar terminology, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Such forward-looking information or statements relate to future events or future performance about the Company and its business and operations, which include, among other things, the use of proceeds of the funds advanced by EIT, receipt of additional funding from EIT, TSXV approval for the issuance of Shares to EIT, the completion and timing of the definitive feasibility study, the timing of the delivery and operation of the demonstration plant, and other statements with respect to the continued development of the Chvaletice Manganese Project. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. Forward-looking statements and information involve significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indicators of whether or not such results will be achieved. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements or information, including, but not limited to, the factors discussed under "Risks Notice" and elsewhere in the Company's MD&A for the year ended September 30, 2020 and its most recent Annual Information Form. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject to applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this news release. THOUSAND OAKS (dpa-AFX) - Amgen Inc. (AMGN) Tuesday said it has agreed to buy Teneobio, a privately acquired company, for $900 million. Teneobio develops Human Heavy-Chain Antibiotics. This technology will help Amgen discover and develop new molecules that will treat a wide range of diseases which fall in Amgen's core therapeutic range. The acquisition is also subject to future contingent milestone payments worth $1.6 billion. Amgen exercised it's right to acquire in June with the process to complete in the second half of 2021. 'Teneobio's antibody platform complements our existing capabilities and could potentially give us a more diverse set of building blocks that can be developed into new multispecific therapeutics. In addition, the availability of Teneobio's CD3 engager technology will allow us to broaden our capabilities in generating bispecifics and with our own technology, enable customization of the T cell engaging domain of the molecules depending on the disease and target,' said David Reese, EVP of Research and Development at Amgen. 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. Agentero, an Oakland, Calif.-based digital insurance network, raised $13.5m in Series A funding. The round was led by Alma Mundi Ventures with participation from existing institutional investors Foundation Capital, Union Square Ventures, Financial Venture Studio, and Two Culture Capital. The company intends to use the funds to continue to expand operations and its business reach. Founded in 2017 and led by Luis Pino, CEO, Agentero leverages smart algorithms to combine agents existing data with third-party information sources to identify new business and cross-sell opportunities. It then connects agents with carriers in real-time to instantly quote, and to provide communication and automation tools so they can efficiently write more new business. Agentero also provides opportunities for carriers looking to integrate into a tech-enabled agent channel. Today, the company works with more than 800 independent agencies. Through its panel of insurance carriers, it provides access to homeowners, auto, renters, umbrella, business owners policies (BOP), general and professional liability, workers compensation, flood, and life insurance. FinSMEs 27/07/2021 At-Bay, a San Francisco, CA-based cyber insurance startup, raised $185M in Series D Funding valued at $1.35 Billion. The round was co-led by Icon Ventures and Lightspeed Venture Partners, with participation from existing investors including Khosla Ventures, M12, Acrew Capital, Qumra Capital, the HSB fund of Munich Re Ventures, entrepreneur Shlomo Kramer, and Glilot Capital. Preeti Rathi, General Partner at Icon Ventures, has joined At-Bays Board of Directors, in conjunction with the financing. The company intends to use the funds to: continue investing in innovation, launch new products, expand into new markets, and grow its team and capabilities. Led by Rotem Iram, Co-Founder and CEO, and Roman Itksovich, Co-Founder and Chief Risk Officer, At-Bay combines technology with insurance expertise to underwrite policies through HSB Specialty Insurance Company, rated A++ by A.M. Best Company and part of Munich Re. The company recently surpassed $160 million in annual recurring revenue on 800% year-over-year premium growth. FinSMEs 27/07/2021 DataRobot, a Boston, MA-based Augmented Intelligence company, raised $300m in Series G funding round. The round, which valued the company at $6.3 billion post-money, was led by return investors Altimeter Capital and Tiger Global and joined by new investors Counterpoint Global (Morgan Stanley), Franklin Templeton, ServiceNow Ventures, and Sutter Hill Ventures. The company intends to use the funds to: bring its Augmented Intelligence solutions to customers around the world, strengthen its Augmented Intelligence platform, and build out the go-to-market team, including hiring across North America, EMEA, and Asia Pacific/Japan. Led by Dan Wright, CEO, DataRobot provides an Augmented Intelligence platform currently used by large and small companies across industries to solve key business challenges, including building better products, improving customer relationships, more accurately forecasting demand, and decreasing costs. In addition to the new round of funding, DataRobot also announced the acquisition of Algorithmia to further its presence as the leader in MLOps and allow customers to rapidly move from experimental to applied AI. The acquisition provides customers with the ability to monitor and manage all models in production while continuously updating those models as data changes to achieve high value with AI. FinSMEs 27/07/2021 IgGenix, Inc., a South San Francisco, CA-based biotechnology company focused on addressing allergic disease, raised $25m in Series A1 financing. Khosla Ventures, which participated in IgGenixs Series A funding in 2020, co-led the round along with Matthias Westman. New investors include Alexandria Venture Investments, ShangBay Capital and AllerFund. The company intends to use the funds to further expand its discovery platform in food and nonfood allergies while accelerating its lead program into preclinical development. Led by Chief Executive Officer Jessica Grossman, M.D., IgGenix is a biotechnology company that directly addresses food and other severe allergies by reengineering key antibodies involved in the allergic cascade. Founded based on research by professors by Stephen Quake, D.Phil.; Kari Nadeau, M.D., Ph.D.; and Derek Croote, Ph.D. of Stanford University, the company isolates allergen-specific IgE antibodies and transforms them into IgG antibodies that alleviate and possibly prevent the allergic cascade. FinSMEs 27/07/2021 Michele Angelo Verna Genoa, July 26, 2021 Kellify, a leading technology company that reveals visual experiences that strike human senses, added Michele Angelo Verna, former top manager at Vodafone, P&G and Salvatore ferragamo, to the Advisory Board of the mother company and to the Advisory Board of Gradient, its ESG-focused spin-off acting as the first AI shining light on visual communication from D&I perspective. Prior to Kellify and Gradient, Michele Angelo, was Chief HR and Strategic Officer at Salvatore Ferragamo, CEO at Vodafone Germany, Senior Vice President Global Human Resources at Walgreens Boots Alliance, Executive Board Member and Group Chief Human Resources at Techint Group and Chief Human Resources and Organization Officer at Salvatore Ferragamo. He was born in Rome in 1968 and holds a Masters Degree with honors in Business Law from Florence University, and an executive Master in Global Business Development at IMD Lausanne. He has also been Professor of Business Creativity and Communication at IULM University of Milan. Michele Angelo raised as D&I-centric senior executive and we are thrilled to have him join our Advisory Boards in this momentum in which being diverse and inclusive is a must said Francesco Magagnini, CEO at Kellify. Being a part of the Kellify and Gradient Advisory Boards has been integral to my career, giving me the opportunity to join such an accomplished and impressive group of scientists and digital enablers, said Michele Angelo. Its brands job to make users close and comfortable with every shared input: Im thrilled to help them achieve this goal by meeting consumers, talents and employees needs. Kellify is a fast-growing scale-up based in Genoa, IT, and Seoul, KR, that, with a blend of Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience, reveals visual experiences that strike human senses. Kellify uncovers the most compelling contents for the eyes from magnetic OOH campaigns or fancy tv series covers, to captivating movies, charming trends of properties, or dizzying works of art. Founded in 2018 by Francesco Magagnini (CEO) and Fabrizio Malfanti (Chief AI Officer), Kellify raised $4.5m+ in two funding rounds, and currently has a 40+ fast-growing team ranging from data scientists to digital enablers. Gradient, led by CEO Giorgia Coltella, is a Kellify company born in 2020 to bring to the market the first AI that unveils visuals D&I balance, telling brands how to make them inclusive and become D&I champions. Lumira Ventures, a Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Boston-based healthcare venture capital firm, closed two funds, totalling $255m. The closings include: Lumira Ventures IV, a US$220m fund with participation from family offices, foundations, funds-of-funds, pension plans, sovereign government funds and strategic corporate investors. Investors in the fund include: Kensington Capital Partners, Fonds de Solidarite FTQ, Northleaf Capital Partners, Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec, the Business Development Bank of Canada, Teralys Capital, the Ontario Capital Growth Corporation, Royal Bank of Canada, Investissement Quebec, Fondaction, Alexandria Venture Investments, Angelini Pharma, China Grand Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Holdings, Vancity, and Amana Global Partners; and a $35m strategic venture fund launched in partnership with and international pharmaceutical company. The vehicles will enable the firm to found and build innovative healthcare companies in Canada and the U.S. Led by Peter van der Velden, co-founder and Managing General Partner, and Gerry Brunk, co-founder and Managing Director, Lumira Ventures is a healthcare focused multi-stage investor building innovative companies in the biotechnology, medical device and digital health sectors. These companies leverage innovations in genomics, cell therapy, gene therapy, bioengineering, robotics and artificial intelligence to develop their products. Since the beginning of 2020, Lumira Ventures has achieved eight realizations and its portfolio companies have received two landmark FDA product approvals and collectively completed over US$800 million in new financings and IPOs. Lumira currently manages a portfolio of over 30 private and public companies. FinSMEs 27/07/2021 NotCo, a New York-based food tech company, raised $235M in Series D funding at at a $1.5 Billion valuation. The round was led by TigerGlobal with participation from DFJ Growth Fund and ZOMA Lab, Bezos Expeditions, EHI, Future Positive, L Catterton and Kaszek Ventures, as well as athletes Lewis Hamilton and Roger Federer and musician and DJ Questlove. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate growth in the U.S., expand into Europe and Asia, and product categories, and scale up its proprietary patented A.I. technology. Led by Founder and CEO Matias Muchnick, NotCo is a food tech company which utilizes proprietary artificial intelligence technology, called Giuseppe, which matches animal proteins to their ideal replacements among thousands of plant-based ingredients. NotCo has launched products including NotMilk, NotBurger, NotMeat, NotIceCream and NotMayo in the U.S., Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia. The company operates in five countries in both retail and foodservice, and already has five U.S. patents for its proprietary A.I. technology. FinSMEs 27/07/2021 Motorists are driving too fast and too recklessly Motorists are driving while drunk Motorists are not stopping for stop signs All of the above Vote View Results Ken Hunt, pictured here in 2010 when he was the city manager in Fontana, has been chosen by San Bernardino County 2nd District Supervisor Janice Rutherford to be her chief of staff. 18+ FOR.kg search news service (news aggregator, media aggregator) Read first Agreement on the use of the FOR.kg search site When using materials from the FOR.kg - reference to the source is required For all questions please contact customer support MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) By nearly every metric, Mobile County and Alabama look like where they were during the last COVID-19 surge before vaccines became widely available, but new mask orders appear unlikely. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has been firm on that issue, even as she has lashed out at residents for refusing to get the shots. On Monday, epidemiologist Rendi Murphree said County Health Officer Dr. Bert Eichold was not likely to impose a mask mandate locally, either. We dont need a mask mandate, she said. We need people to get vaccinated. Officials in southwest Alabama have treaded lightly on the politically charged issue of masks. The Baldwin County school system will not require them for the upcoming school year. The Mobile County school system will not, either, along officials said they will strongly recommend them. Some businesses have instituted new rules, and public officials in some other parts of Alabama have taken a more aggressive approach. The Huntsville city schools, for instance, will require everyone older than 2 to wear masks while inside school buildings. There are other signs everywhere of a pandemic resurgence. Hospitals are restricting visitation. Daily Mobile County Department briefings are back at least for this week. And the states top doctor, Alabama State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris, will address the media Tuesday. The month of July is not even over, and already Mobile County has had more than 3,300 COVID-19 cases. Thats more than the months of April, May and June combined, said Rendi Murphree, the director of the Mobile County Health Departments Bureau of Disease Surveillance and Environmental Services. Its just extraordinary what were seeing. And again, more than half of the cases are recorded in 18- to 49-year-olds. Infections among unvaccinated residents younger than 50 are driving community transmission, Murphree said. Its not just cases. People are going to emergency departments with COVID symptoms in numbers not seen in months. A lot of them are getting admitted to hospitals. On July 12, only 33 COVID-19 patients were in Mobile County hospitals. By Sunday, that had ballooned to 143. The percentage of COVID-19 tests coming back positive nearly hit 12 percent statewide last week. Thats the highest rate since January. Murphree said she is seeing the impact not just in statistical reports but in her own daily interactions with acquaintances. I have close friends who whose entire families have been diagnosed with COVID, she said. And the mother is in the hospital, and they previously had elected not to get vaccinated. And now, everyone in their family has tested positive, and the matriarch of that clan, unfortunately, is hospitalized. Alabama remains dead last in the country, a hair behind Mississippi, with only 34.1 percent of the population fully vaccinated. The state is faring a little better when it comes to share of those receiving at least one dose ahead of Mississippi, Idaho, Louisiana and Wyoming. Murphree blames that rate, along with the Fourth of July holiday and the Delta variant for the current surge. Dr. Karen Landers, the assistant state health officer, said it is all the more reason why people should get the shots if they have not already. Where we are trending at the moment, we really need to take that intervention, regardless of what other measures potentially could be put in place, she told FOX10 News. I mean, today, if were not vaccinated, we can go get vaccinated. Tomorrow, we can go get vaccinated. The state continues to see very few infections among people who are fully vaccinated. The Alabama Department of Public Health recently reported that 96 percent of people who have died of COVID-19 since April 1 have been unvaccinated. Murphree on Monday said that also is the case for 90 percent or more of the people who have been hospitalized. LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -- Two weeks ago, life was great for Jessica DuPreez. She was on vacation in San Diego with her fiance Michael Freedy, (better known as Big Mike at the M Resort where he worked), and their five kids ages 17, 10, 7, 6 and 17 months. Keep the conversation about local news & events going by joining us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Recent updates from The News-Post and also from News-Post staff members are compiled below. FILE In this Oct. 15, 1979, file photo, professor Steven Weinberg, of Cambridge, Mass., poses for a picture. Weinberg, the 1979 winner of the Nobel prize in physics with two other scientists for their work unlocking mysteries of tiny particles, has died at 88. Spokesperson Christine Sinatra at the University of Texas at Austin says Weinberg died Friday, July 23, 2021, at a hospital in Austin. (AP Photo/File) In this image taken from a video footage run by Chinas CCTV via AP Video, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, front left, and her delegation meet her Chinese counterparton Monday in Tianjin, China. China blamed the U.S. for what it called a stalemate in bilateral relations as high-level face-to-face talks began Monday. Have any questions? Please give us a call at 907-352-2250 The world lost a beloved mother. Barbara Offord Zackery passed away on June 15, 2021, in Gainesville, Texas. She was born July 18, 1941 in Valley View, Texas to Bill and Mary Rozella Offord. Barbara was proud of her seven children and several other children she had raised as her own through Free Citing rising cases, UTMB taking more COVID precautions GALVESTON The University of Texas Medical Branch once again is limiting access to its hospitals and taking greater precautions against the COVID-19 virus because of a precipitous rise in COVID-19 cases, officials said. On Monday, the medical branch announced fewer people would be allowed inside its facilities as visitors. People being treated at the medical branch for COVID-19 will not be allowed visitors in most cases, and people in the hospital for other reasons will be allowed only a single visitor. Visitors also will be limited in units for women, infants and children, in emergency rooms and in clinics. We have seen a worrying increase in the number of COVID patients across all of our hospitals, said Dr. Gulshan Sharma, the medical branchs chief medical officer. We as doctors and nurses have seen this before and we know how to best treat our patients, but we need our community to help us as well. The medical branch had similar visitor limits earlier in the pandemic but lifted them as local cases began to drop. Now, the trends are on the reverse again. On Monday, the medical branch announced 396 more local people had been diagnosed with the virus between Friday and Sunday. The number of active cases in the county is at its highest level since May, and the average number of cases being identified daily are at their highest levels since February. The number of active cases and new daily cases is still below the numbers seen in other surges in COVID-19 in the summer of 2020 and early months of 2021. The earliest sign in a local surge of cases was the report of dozens of infections related to a League City church camp. However, the number of cases reported in recent days is because of far more than just the camp, Galveston County Local Health Authority Dr. Philip Keiser said. Its all over the community, Keiser said. Local health officials have blamed the local spread on the highly contagious delta variant of the virus, which is spreading primarily through unvaccinated people. As of Monday, 155,008 people in Galveston County were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. About 54 percent of people eligible to be vaccinated in the county have been fully vaccinated. Another 15,942 people have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The medical branch specifically cited an increase in the number of people being hospitalized by COVID-19 as its reason for implementing renewed precautions. Over the past week, the number of people being treated for COVID-19 in medical branch hospitals has increased from about 50 to more than 90, according to the medical branch. Sharma urged people to get vaccinated, and if theyre feeling sick to be tested for COVID-19. Keiser said he recommended people again begin wearing masks whenever theyre in public, including when theyre outside and around other people. He also urged people to get vaccinated. I want people to get vaccinated, Keiser said People who are being hard-headed about this are going to learn a hard lesson. Its spreading much more rapidly, much more rapidly than the other surges. Whats different about the current surge is the lack of power and interest to stop it using widespread measures, Keiser said. Last summer and earlier this year, when cases surged, Gov. Greg Abbott and local officials took measures to limit public gatherings. Beaches and bars were closed for periods of time, and restaurants were ordered to limit capacity. Over the course of the pandemic, however, Abbott and state lawmakers have placed new limits on who can issue such orders, and theres little indication that the governor or the Legislature is interested in issuing mandates to stop the current surge. The medical branch announced it was reopening a public COVID testing site on Harborside Drive to accommodate people seeking COVID tests. COVID tests also are available at the medical branchs urgent care clinics. The medical branch announced earlier this month it was once again requiring people to wear face masks inside its hospitals and clinics because of the rise in COVID cases. The medical branch is the largest health care provider in Galveston County and operates hospitals in Galveston and League City. The organizers of PAX West have announced that exhibitors and attendees will be required to present proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID test to enter the convention next month. In a statement, Global Gaming Event director Kyle Marsden-Kish said that the move was made after reviewing recommendations from local and state public health authorities. Prior to entry we will now require proof of a completed COVID-19 vaccination series or a negative COVID-19 PCR or antigen test, each to be verified with a valid, government issued ID, he wrote. While we let the community know the health and safety guidelines could evolve, we wanted to get it right and we feel confident that verification of fully vaccination or negative test, along with continued face covering requirements for everyone, will create an environment that promotes the wellbeing of our PAX community. Since the announcement that PAX West would return as an in-person event this year starting on August 30th, developers and media outlets alike have expressed concern over holding the event while the global pandemic continues. Some outlets, like Fanbyte have made it a policy not to send any employees. As of this writing, 70 percent of adults in Washingtons King County (where PAX West is held) are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but the delta variants spread across the United States and the globe has reversed declining infection rates observed as vaccinations increased in 2020. Though PAX Wests vaccination mandate and required face mask policies seem strong on paper, the allowance for a negative test in lieu of proof of vaccination is somewhat eyebrow-raising. Negative tests only verify that the tested individual did not test positive for COVID-19 at the time they were tested. Its entirely possible they could catch the virus in the interim between receiving the test and entering the convention center. Thats to say nothing of the last years exhausting bevy of faked COVID-19 tests and false negatives that some tests offered. Health officials in Los Angeles complained last year as it appeared that negative COVID-19 tests were being used as excuses to gather, despite the outlying risks. Allowing a negative COVID-19 test to guarantee entry into the convention center does allow attendees who cant receive the vaccine due to allergies or other immunocompromising conditions to join the festivities. But with a population of attendees that comes from all over the country (including in areas where residents are actively refusing the COVID-19 vaccine), the risk remains significant for individuals attending PAX West. The Center for Disease Control and other public health organizations do still recommend any of the COVID-19 vaccines as the best defense against the disease thats killed over 600,000 Americans, a number that will only climb into 2022. A number of Activision Blizzard employees have announced their intent to implement a work stoppage on Wednesday July 28, alongside a protest to be held on the Blizzard campus in Irvine, California. Employees sent notice to news outlets (including Polygon) that also included four demands they are making of Activision Blizzard management. The walkout is in response to a lawsuit filed by the California Department of Fair Housing and Employment that accused Activision Blizzard of fostering a workplace culture filled with sexual harassment and discrimination. Activision Blizzard has stated that the lawsuit is built on distorted, and in many cases false descriptions of incidents at the company. The companys leadership has also responded internally with confusing messages to employees, some expressing sympathy with victims of harassment and discrimination, others denying the merits of the lawsuit. Current and former employees have spoken out in support of the lawsuit on Twitter, sharing anecdotes that range from microaggressions in meetings to outright physical harassment in the workplace. The four demands being made of Activision Blizzard by employees include an end to mandatory arbitration in their contracts, adoption of recruiting and hiring policies to improve representation at all levels of the company, publication of salary data, and the creation of a Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion task force to hire a third party to audit Activision Blizzards reporting structure and human resources department. Gamasutra will be visiting the walkout tomorrow morning. If youd like to share your story, you can contact us anonymously by e-mail or reach out to chat on Signal. Developers participating in (or supporting) the walkout can join online, using the hashtag #ActiBlizzWalkout on social media platforms. You can read the full letter that Activision Blizzard employees below. Given last weeks statements from Activision Blizzard, Inc. and their legal counsel regarding the DFEH lawsuit, as well as the subsequent internal statement from Frances Townsend, and the many stories shared by current and former employees of Activision Blizzard since, we believe that our values as employees are not being accurately reflected in the words and actions of our leadership. As current Activision Blizzard employees, we are holding a walkout to call on the executive leadership team to work with us on the following demands, in order to improve conditions for employees at the company, especially women, and in particular women of color and transgender women, nonbinary people, and other marginalized groups. 1. An end to mandatory arbitration clauses in all employee contracts, current and future. Arbitration clauses protect abusers and limit the ability of victims to seek restitution. 2. The adoption of recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and promotion policies designed to improve representation among employees at all levels, agreed upon by employees in a company-wide Diversity, Equity & Inclusion organization. Current practices have led to women, in particular women of color and transgender women, nonbinary people, and other marginalized groups that are vulnerable to gender discrimination not being hired fairly for new roles when compared to men. 3. Publication of data on relative compensation (including equity grants and profit sharing), promotion rates, and salary ranges for employees of all genders and ethnicities at the company. Current practices have led to aforementioned groups not being paid or promoted fairly. 4. Empower a company-wide Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion task force to hire a third party to audit ABKs reporting structure, HR department, and executive staff. It is imperative to identify how current systems have failed to prevent employee harassment, and to propose new solutions to address these issues. Update: Blizzard employees participating in the walkout have encouraged that developers supporting them make contributions to the following charities: Black Girls Code, Futures Without Violence, Girls Who Code, RAINN, Women in Animation, and Women in Games International. [This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press.] SAN DIEGO July 27, 2021 | Developer TripleCh3rry and Publisher Proponent Games released today a massive new prologue for its upcoming metroidvania action-adventure game Betrayer: Curse of the Spine on Steam! PC gamers can now download the free prologue and embark upon the cursed realm of Karaka. Through exploration, crafting, and strategic combat, players will maneuver throughout the land to uncover the truth behind its dark history and strike down its gods. Betrayer: Curse of the Spine is set to launch on Steam for PC this later this Summer. Betrayer: Curse of the Spine is a metroidvania action-adventure game where players take the role of a lone warrior as they rage throughout the vast world of Karaka in vengeance of the gods that have imprisoned them. Featuring intricate storytelling, a robust crafting system, weapon customization and multiple endings to experience, this highly atmospheric game is filled with drama, mystery and dread. Check out all the mayhem in the Betrayer: Curse of the Spine trailer here: https://youtu.be/5fbDoeEmI3s Rise of the Betrayer will feature: An Engaging Narrative Death is meaningless in the Spine of the Cursed. Everything that dies comes back to existence, eventually. Players must navigate this ancient realm of danger in search of answers and powers that will enable them to uncover the dark truth behind this veiled land and the dark truths behind your own past. As The Betrayer, they embark on a story rich action adventure game that combines quick platforming action with an engaging world, crafting, characters, combat, and abilities. Crafting at the Core Part of overcoming the challenges in this world is learning to use all the tools you have at your disposal. One of the most valuable pieces of your toolkit is your ability to craft. Make potions to restore your health or to increase your strength. Make weapons to brutalize your enemies and armor to protect your tender bits. Deadly Platforming and Skilled Combat Not only will your wits be put to the test but your reflexes will as well. It's not all just stabby-stab. Run and jump your way to victory - and likely die trying, many times, before you succeed. # # # About Proponent Games Proponent Games is a video game publishing company focused on supporting independent game developers and showcases their dedication to gaming by building a community around their games and giving them the opportunity to grow in new and exciting creative directions. Committed to the ethos of passion, community, and opportunity, Proponent Games looks for game developers who carry the same passion for gaming and provides support by nurturing that passion with the resources needed to take that drive to create and design and transforming it into a finished creative product. Proponent Games is headquartered in San Diego. For more information, please visit: https://proponentgames.com MEDIA CONTACT Zac Gunnell (on behalf of Proponent Games) [email protected] Editors note: This editorial was written by the editorial board of the New York Daily News. Guest editorials in this space are intended to provide our readers with a sampling of opinion from other publications and do not necessarily represent the views of the Mid-Valley Media editorial board. Peace, Love & Ice Cream is the motto of Ben & Jerrys. All was sweet and good when they stuck to flavors like Phish Food and sponsored Free Cone Day. Happy cows and all that. Even conservatives could still love Chunky Monkey despite Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield having long mixed in their hippy-dippy Vermont lefty politics supporting this or opposing that. After all, even ice cream salesmen have free speech. But now they are acting, having signed on to the anti-Israel boycott, divest and sanction movement, ending all sales in Occupied Palestinian Territory, in which theyre including Jerusalems Jewish Quarter. Gillette, WY (82718) Today Partly cloudy skies in the morning will give way to cloudy skies during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 87F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph.. Tonight Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 60F. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph. Potsdam, NY, July 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ichor Therapeutics, Inc. has expanded to the North Country Incubator at Clarkson University as an anchor tenant to establish a biotechnology cluster in Potsdam, NY. Ichor studies fundamental mechanisms of aging to develop new classes of drugs dedicated to helping people live longer, healthier lives. CEO and Founder Dr. Kelsey Moody, a native of the North Country, said he recognizes the unique opportunities for industry and academic collaborations and entrepreneurial spirit of Clarkson. Ichor aims to build upon obvious synergies between its core competencies in structure-based drug discovery and translational medicine, and Clarksons deep expertise in chemistry, engineering, and health sciences, Dr. Moody said. A special open house will be held to welcome Ichor Therapeutics, Inc. to the North Country Incubator at Clarkson University on Tuesday, July 13 from 3pm to 5pm at Peyton Hall on Clarksons downtown campus. In collaboration with the Lewis School for Health Sciences, Ichor is expanding their protein science division and will occupy offices and wet laboratory space in Peyton Hall. As part of the expansion, Ichor will provide over $2 million in state-of-the-art equipment and 8 full-time staff, offering regional universities and start-up companies access to industrial scale drug development capabilities, including world-class protein engineering. With Clarkson, Ichor will also train high school, undergraduate, and graduate students and university faculty in advanced techniques in biophysics, structural biology, biochemistry, and translational medicine. Ichors presence in Clarksons incubator space marks a major step forward in the biotechnology field for the North Country, said Clarkson University President Anthony G. Collins. Collaborating with the Lewis School of Health Sciences and the School of Arts and Sciences not only helps Ichor expand, but also offers cutting edge educational opportunities to Clarkson students and faculty. Access to new equipment and expertise as a result of Ichors expansion to the North Country will also benefit academic labs, start-ups, and other companies in the field. Dr. Moody is a process-oriented drug developer and executive who has specialized in the study of aging and aging mechanisms for more than a decade. Since 2013, he has raised over $27 million in venture funding and built Ichor from a living room start-up into a premier, vertically integrated research organization. Dr. Moody received a PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology from Miamis Miller School of Medicine, an MBA from Concordia University Wisconsin and a BSc from SUNY Plattsburgh. Chief Science Officer Dr. Aaron Wolfe is an entrepreneur and biophysicist. He co-founded Finger Lakes Bio, a boutique protein engineering company, which was acquired by Ichor. He previously served as biotechnology consultant to RLH, a private investment company. Dr. Wolfe holds a PhD in structural biology, biochemistry, and biophysics from Syracuse University and a certificate in entrepreneurship from the Warton School. Attachment Export Development Canada (EDC) will provide financing and insurance solutions to Nokias global customers to boost export of technologies and products Three-year partnership represents a combined commitment to furthering innovation, driving impact for Canadas economy domestically and internationally, and a shared alignment for inclusion, diversity and equity 26 July 2021 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Nokia and Export Development Canada (EDC) today announced an expanded global partnership aimed at investments in 5G and the next generation network infrastructure for global deployment. EDC, a Crown corporation dedicated to helping Canadian companies of all sizes succeed on the world stage, will deploy a full suite of finance and insurance solutions to help Nokia and Nokia Canada compete and win business, while enabling companies around the world to build out their network infrastructure and enable greater broadband access. The agreement will also focus on introducing innovative Canadian companies to Nokia to help deepen the Canadian supply chain. Under EDCs new Global Corporate Partnership program, the expanded partnership will help Nokia sustain and grow its leading-edge Canadian R&D facility to further develop the ecosystem of suppliers and solution partners. EDC will also assist in advancing Nokias community and social initiatives in Canada. Examples include collaboration on efforts to close the gender gap in tech and working with EDCs inclusive trade group to support indigenous trade. Nokia has a key presence in Canada and is delivering positive impact on Canadian employment, investment, and overall value creation. One of Nokias largest R&D sites globally is in Ottawa, Ontario, and employs more than 2,300 people in high-tech jobs and its university co-op program employs 400 students from across the country. Sven List, SVP Trade Connections of EDC, said: EDC is committed to growing Canadas exports by introducing innovative Canadian companies to Nokia, helping the Canadian supply chain within the company grow while responding to international business opportunities. Were excited to partner with Nokia as they invest in 5G and the next generation network infrastructure, strengthening Canadas position as a leader in high tech resulting in an increase in high value employment and further follow-on benefits within this important sector. We look forward to working closely with Nokia, a company that harnesses strong environment, social and governance principles delivered in Canada and abroad. Canada represents an important market for Nokia. As reported in the June 2021, Government of Canada State of Trade 2021 - A Closer Look at Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) foreign multinationals like Nokia represent an important post-pandemic opportunity in Canadas recovery accounting for 12% of all Canadian employment, 15% of gross domestic product and over 60% of trade in goods and services. Jeffrey Maddox, President of Nokia Canada, said: Nokia and EDC share a commitment to job creation, economic expansion and environmental sustainability in Canada. Nokias R&D facility in Ottawa has developed technologies that have been incorporated into solutions for 5G, network security, fiber optic systems, and broadband access networks. These technologies, developed in Canada, are now being used by major carriers, governments and enterprises in Canada and globally. With the support of EDC, Nokia will help boost export of products and technologies developed in Canada by Canadians. About Nokia At 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 EDC Export Development Canada (EDC) is a financial Crown corporation dedicated to helping Canadian companies of all sizes succeed on the world stage. As international risk experts, we equip Canadian companies with the tools they need the trade knowledge, financing solutions, equity, insurance, and connections to grow their business with confidence. Underlying all our support is a commitment to sustainable and responsible business. To help Canadian businesses facing extreme financial challenges brought on by the global response to COVID-19, the Government of Canada has expanded EDCs domestic capabilities until December 31, 2021. This broader mandate will enable EDC to expand its support to companies focused domestically. For more information and to learn how we can help your company, call us at 1-800-229-0575 or visit www.edc.ca. Media Inquiries: Nokia Communications Phone: +358 10 448 4900 Email: press.services@nokia.com Media Export Development Canada Phone: 1-888-222-4065 Email: media@edc.ca ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., July 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ultra Health, New Mexicos #1 Cannabis Company, received a favorable ruling from the New Mexico Court of Appeals on July 22, 2021, affirming the decision made in the Thirteenth Judicial District in October 2018. Ultra Health filed a petition for alternative writ of mandamus in August 2018 after the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) refused to designate the operators additional dispensary locations. In October 2018, Chief Judge Louis P. McDonald ordered NMDOH to designate two of Ultra Heath's outstanding dispensary locations, issue license amendments to Ultra Health in response to any and all past/future applications for additional distribution locations that meet statutory criteria, and process future license amendments submitted by Ultra Health in a timely and legally compliant manner. The New Mexico Court of Appeals upheld Judge McDonalds decision. The 14-page ruling provides a thoughtful legal analysis written by Judge Briana H. Zamora, who was recently appointed to the New Mexico Supreme Court by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. [DOH] asserts the district court improperly relied solely upon the statutory provision relating to location and did not consider the Act as a whole when it concluded that DOH did not have discretion to deny the applications. In contrast, Ultra Healths position is that the Legislature did not confer DOH discretion, wrote Judge Zamora. We hold that the writ of mandamus was properly issued because (1) Ultra Health complied with the statutory requirements set forth by the Legislature and the Act sets forth only a ministerial duty with respect to distribution locations and, (2) DOH conceded that Ultra Health had no right to an administrative appeal from a denial of an application for an amended license, Judge Zamora continued. Since Judge McDonalds original ruling, Ultra Health has expanded access to thousands of patients statewide by opening 16 dispensaries, a majority of which are in rural locations. Ultra Health is New Mexicos #1 Cannabis Company and the largest minority-owned cannabis company in the United States. The vertically integrated provider currently operates 25 dispensary locations statewide, with another 10 stores slated to open by the third quarter of 2021. Ultra Healths cultivation and production footprint exceeds 15 million square feet in the state of New Mexico. Ultra Health provides unparalleled medical cannabis care by producing accurately dosed, smokeless cannabis products such as sublingual tablets, oils, pastilles, suppositories and more through its partnership with Israeli pharmaceutical group Panaxia. Ultra Health has been at the forefront of patient-rights issues and continues to fight for adequate supply and rural access in the New Mexico cannabis market. NEW YORK, July 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of DiDi Global Inc. (NYSE: DIDI): (1) pursuant and/or traceable to the registration statement and related prospectus (collectively, the Registration Statement) issued in connection with DiDis June 30, 2021 initial public offering (the IPO or Offering); and/or (2) between June 30, 2021 and July 2, 2021, inclusive (the Class Period), of the important September 7, 2021 lead plaintiff deadline. SO WHAT: If you purchased DiDi 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 DiDi class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-2113.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. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than September 7, 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, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Be wise in selecting counsel. 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) DiDi had the problem of collecting personal information in violation of relevant PRC [Peoples Republic of China] laws and regulations; (2) DiDis app, DiDi Chuxing (Travel), would face an imminent cybersecurity review by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC); (3) the CAC suggested DiDi delay its IPO; (4) the CAC would require all Chinese app stores to remove DiDi Chuxing; and (5) as a result, defendants statements about DiDis business, operations, and prospects were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the DiDi class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-2113.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, 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 Partnering with famed Hollywood brand Von Dutch to host a star-studded Summer Fridays Kickoff experience Cave Creek, AZ, July 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire -- In May of 2021, Endexx Corporation (OTC: EDXC), the leading producer and manufacturer of hemp-derived CBD wellness products, and legendary music artist DJ Khaled, officially joined forces to launch BLESSWELL. The clean and natural CBD-infused mens grooming line is designed to be an essential toolkit for a man's complete at-home self-care needs. Taking place in early June, BLESSWELL partnered with iconic fashion brand, Von Dutch, to host a Summer Fridays Kickoff event in Hollywood, CA. Celebrities, influencers, and media such as Terrence J., Sarunas J. Jackson, Rolling Stone, and Hypebeast attended the exclusive summer soiree. Guests enjoyed a walk-through of the mens grooming collection and were treated to shaves & fades with BLESSWELL products, courtesy of L.A.s A-List Celebrity Barber, JC ThaBarber. Adding to their impressive accolades to date, the BLESSWELL product line received coverage in top-tier business and lifestyle publications including Forbes, Oprah Daily, Yahoo. From inception, the brand has received significant media exposure, totaling over 1.2 billion media impressions. The BLESSWELL line is available for purchase exclusively at BLESSWELL.co . For more information, visit BLESSWELL.co . About Endexx Corporation Endexx Corporation, through its operating division CBD Unlimited, develops and distributes all-natural CBD products derived from cannabis sativa plant (Hemp), containing less than 0.01% THC. Its products range from oils, capsules, topicals, and pet products, all with the shared purpose of therapeutic and pain relief for humans and pets. Phyto-Bites are CBD soft chews for animal use that are formulated to promote health and support the reduction of separation anxiety, pain, and inflammation. The science behind these products involves over half a decade of clinical research in the field and lab work to provide accuracy in dosage and delivery of optimal absorption per serving. Media Contacts: BLESSWELL Jessica Meisels Email: jmeisels@impact-brokers.com Endexx Corporation Todd Davis Email: endexx@endexx.com Telephone: 480-595-6900 SOURCE Endexx Corporation Attachment Acumen Research and Consulting, a global provider of market research studies, in a recently published report titled Automotive Electric HVAC Compressor Market By Vehicle Type, By Product Type, By Drive train Type And By Geography - Global Industry Analysis, Market Size, Opportunities and Forecast 2021 - 2028 LOS ANGELES, July 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Automotive Electric HVAC Compressor Market is expected to be above US$ 9,258.3 Mn in 2020, growing at a CAGR of 22% from 2021 to 2028. HVAC systems are mostly used in vehicles, industrial, commercial buildings, residential and institutional buildings. The compressor is the brain behind the cooling, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system is designed to attain the environmental requirements of the comfort of occupants and a process. A built-in motor is included with electric compressors. Even when the vehicle's engine is turned off, the built-in motor can continue to run, providing for higher fuel efficiency and ongoing use of the air conditioner for a suitable cabin temperature. The purpose of an electric compressor in an electric vehicle is much significant than that of a traditional compressor in an ICE vehicle. In an electric vehicle, the compressor is responsible for the cooling of the complete cabin as well as the battery pack. It protects the battery from overheating and subsequently the vehicle from breaking down. DOWNLOAD SAMPLE PAGES OF THIS REPORT@ https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/request-sample/2726 Hence, an electric HVAC compressor serves as a necessary component for the overall functioning of an electric vehicle without which commute will be miserable. There is a growth in the electronic controlled AC compressors, which integrates the operation of the vehicles HVAC systems remotely rather than completely depending on the engine. This lets the passenger remotely operate the HVAC before entering the vehicle and set the preferred temperature. The demand for such HVAC compressors is projected to increase in the near future. Moreover, due to global warming, the normal environmental temperature has gone up significantly during the last 2 decades. This has led to a demand for an efficient HVAC system in the vehicle to maintain a comfortable interior environmental temperature during the commute. However, the design, manufacturing and assembly of such advanced electric compressors need highly automated R&D, precision in machine tools and high investment which can make the end product considerably expensive. VIEW TABLE OF CONTENT OF THIS REPORT@ https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/automotive-electric-hvac-compressor-market The COVID-19 pandemic had bought the entire world business to a shutdown of which the automotive sector has taken a huge blow. The pandemic forced people to stay home due to which automotive sales of OEM and aftermarket were disrupted, along with supply chain loss of automotive parts and overall industry shortfall. It is expected that the industry will be taking as long as four years minimum to fully recover and run as per normal business practices. Such predictions are creating many challenges for stakeholders in the automotive AC compressor market. The automotive heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) compressor market are shattered and the vendors are deploying various growth strategies to compete in the market. DENSO Corp, ESTRA Automotive Systems Co. Ltd is dominating the global market. Browse Upcoming Market Research Reports@ https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/forthcoming-reports Key industry developments: In February 2021, MAHLE GmbH acquired Keihin Corporation's air conditioning business in Japan, Thailand, and the United States. The MAHLE Group has combined four production sites and one development centre. In 2017 December, Hanon Systems signed an investment agreement with the Dalian municipal government in China to expand its automotive compressor operations to boost business extension in the country. In August 2019, Marelli a Calsonic Kansei subsidiary, partnered with Shanghai Highly Group, a Chinese compressor manufacturer. JCH (Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning) and the high group have formed a joint venture, Marelli will be able to have better access to the Chinese market as a result of this, and its business will be strengthened. INQUIRY BEFORE BUYING@ https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/inquiry-before-buying/2726 BUY THIS PREMIUM RESEARCH REPORT - https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/buy-now/0/2726 Would like to place an order or any question, please feel free to contact at sales@acumenresearchandconsulting.com | +1 407 915 4157 For Latest Update Follow Us: https://twitter.com/AcumenRC https://www.facebook.com/acumenresearchandconsulting English French Gecina, Europes leading office real estate company, and Edenred, the world leader in specific-purpose payment solutions, are joining forces to make the lunchtime experience more flexible for YouFirst brand clients, thanks to the Ticket Restaurant experience. Gecina is working to enrich and add value to shared dining spaces in its office buildings, in line with market developments that reflect demand from employees for greater variety, as well as the trend for working from home and, more generally, the need for more flexible dining times and places. Gecinas ambition is to reorganize the foodservices available to its clients by creating shared dining spaces that will benefit its entire network of buildings. Gecina aims to offer its clients access to a far wider selection of dining services that are aligned with their individual tastes and expectations, and accessible throughout the day, even when they are working from home. This virtual canteen project, open to all YouFirst clients, will be one of the brands standout features on the market. Edenreds digital solution enables users to eat lunch when and where they want, from the office to restaurants or at home. They can also make contactless payments using their smartphone in any of the 220,000 Ticket Restaurant member establishments or have their food delivered thanks to Edenreds partnerships with over 70 meal delivery platforms in France. The ultimate goal with this alliance between the two companies is to provide the 100,000 users of Gecinas YouFirst brand living spaces with special access to these digital services. These talks are aligned with the strategy of both groups to offer a range of fluid, digital food and meal services that fit perfectly with new consumer trends and new ways of working. They may be extended in the future to include other Edenred services in the mobility, incentive and corporate payment sectors. Meka Brunel, Gecinas Chief Executive Officer: With its network of buildings in Paris best locations, Gecina can offer a global foodservice solution for its YouFirst brand clients. Tomorrow, what will be important for our clients will not be to have a traditional canteen, but instead a virtual canteen that will radically change the quality of their day-to-day experience in terms of the product selection, flexible eating times and places, and of course, possibilities for delivery and payment. Forming an alliance like this with Edenred, the world leader in the field, is a tremendous opportunity for Gecina. Bertrand Dumazy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Edenred: I am delighted about this partnership with Gecina, which could see YouFirsts 100,000 users offered special access to Edenreds solutions. Alongside Gecina, we are harnessing our expertise and our position as a world leader in earmarked payments to help reinvent employees experience at work whether at the office or from home notably with Ticket Restaurant, the most innovative and digitalized offering for lunch breaks today. About Gecina As a specialist for centrality and uses, Gecina operates innovative and sustainable living spaces. The Group owns, manages and develops Europes leading office portfolio, with nearly 97% located in the Paris Region, and a portfolio of residential assets and student residences, with over 9,000 apartments. These portfolios are valued at 20.0 billion euros at end-June 2021. Gecina has firmly established its focus on innovation and its human approach at the heart of its strategy to create value and deliver on its purpose: Empowering shared human experiences at the heart of our sustainable spaces. For our 100,000 clients, this ambition is supported by our client-centric brand YouFirst. It is also positioned at the heart of UtilesEnsemble, our program setting out our solidarity-based commitments to the environment, to people and to the quality of life in cities. Gecina is a French real estate investment trust (SIIC) listed on Euronext Paris, and is part of the SBF 120, CAC Next 20, CAC Large 60, CAC 40 ESG and Euronext 100 indices. Gecina is also recognized as one of the top-performing companies in its industry by leading sustainability benchmarks and rankings (GRESB, Sustainalytics, MSCI, ISS ESG and CDP). www.gecina.fr About Edenred Edenred is a leading digital services and payments platform and the everyday companion for people at work, connecting over 50 million users and 2 million partner merchants in 46 countries via more than 850,000 corporate clients. Edenred offers specific-purpose payment solutions for food (such as meal benefits), mobility (such as multi-energy, maintenance, toll, parking and commuter solutions), incentives (such as gift cards, employee engagement platforms) and corporate payments (such as virtual cards). True to the Groups purpose, Enrich connections. For good., these solutions enhance users well-being and purchasing power. They improve companies attractiveness and efficiency, and vitalize the employment market and local economy. They also foster access to healthier food, more environmentally friendly products and softer mobility. Edenreds 10,000 employees are committed to making the world of work a connected ecosystem that is safer, more efficient and more responsible every day. In 2020, thanks to its global technology assets, the Group managed close to 30 billion in business volume, primarily carried out via mobile applications, online platforms and cards. Edenred is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange and part of the following indices: CAC Next 20, CAC Large 60, Euronext 100, FTSE4Good and MSCI Europe. The logos and other trademarks mentioned and featured in this press release are registered trademarks of Edenred S.E., its subsidiaries or third parties. They may not be used for commercial purposes without prior written consent from their owners. GECINA CONTACTS Press relations Julien Landfried Tel: +33 (0)1 40 40 65 74 julienlandfried@gecina.fr Armelle Miclo Tel: +33 (0)1 40 40 51 98 armellemiclo@gecina.fr Financial communications Samuel Henry-Diesbach Tel: +33 (0)1 40 40 52 22 samuelhenry-diesbach@gecina.fr Virginie Sterling Tel: +33 (0)1 40 40 62 48 virginiesterling@gecina.fr EDENRED CONTACTS Communications Department Emmanuelle Chatelain +33 (0)1 86 67 24 36 emmanuelle.chatelain@edenred.com Media relations Matthieu Santalucia +33 (0)1 86 67 22 63 matthieu.santalucia@edenred.com Investors Relations Cedric Appert +33 (0)1 86 67 24 99 cedric.appert@edenred.com Loic Da Silva +33 (0)1 86 67 20 67 loic.dasilva@edenred.com Attachment Dublin, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "The US Jewellery Market: Size, Trends & Forecasts with Impact Analysis of COVID-19, 2021-2025 Edition" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The US jewellery market has witnessed negative impact of COVID-19 due to lockdown and trade restrictions. However the market is projected to grow further during the forecast period (2021-2025). The market is expected to be driven by various growth enhancing factors such as rising per capita disposable income, growing number of digital buyers, soaring urban population, increasing female population etc. However, the market is not free from challenges that are hindering its growth. Some of the major challenges faced by the market are reduction in the number of independent jewelers, decline in weddings, etc. This report provides an in-depth analysis of the jewellery market in the US including detailed description of market sizing and growth. The report provides analysis of the US jewellery market by value and by metals and stones. The report also provides detailed analysis of the US gold, diamond, platinum and other gems and jewellery market. The report also assesses the key opportunities in the market and outlines the factors that are and will be driving the growth of the industry. Growth of the overall US jewellery market has also been forecasted for the period 2021-2025, taking into consideration the previous growth patterns, the growth drivers and the current and future trends. The jewellery market has been segmented on the basis of type, assortment, platform, branding, metals and gender. The two main types of jewellery are fine jewellery and costume jewellery. On the basis of assortment, the market has been divided into rings, neckwear, earrings etc. Jewellery market can also be segmented on the basis of branding into branded and unbranded jewellery. Various kinds of metals included in jewellery market are gold, silver, diamond, platinum, gems etc. On the basis of platform, the market has been divided into online and offline jewellery market. The US jewellery market is a highly fragmented one with various players operating at different levels of the jewellery supply chain. Pandora A/S, Signet Jewelers Ltd., LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE and Richemont SA are the players whose company profiling has been done in the report. In this section of the report business overview, financial overview and business strategies of the companies have been provided. Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary 2. Introduction 2.1 Jewellery: An Overview 2.2 Jewellery Segmentation: An Overview 3. The US Market Analysis 3.1 The US Jewellery Market: An Analysis 3.2 The US Jewellery Market: Metals and Stones Analysis 4. COVID-19 4.1 Impact of COVID-19 4.2 Regional Impact of COVID-19 4.3 Response of Industry 5. Market Dynamics 5.1 Growth Drivers 5.1.1 Rising Per Capita Disposable Income 5.1.2 Soaring Urban Population 5.1.3 Growing Number of Digital Buyers 5.1.4 Growing Number of Social Network Users 5.1.5 Rising Female Labor Force 5.1.6 Increasing Female Population 5.1.7 Escalating Retail E-commerce Sales 5.1.8 Increasing Number of Smartphone Users 5.2 Challenges 5.2.1 Decline in Weddings 5.2.2 Reduced Number of Independent Jewellers 5.2.3 Low Influx of Funds from Banks and Financial Institutions 5.3 Market Trends 5.3.1 Increasing Demand for Jewellery by Millennials 5.3.2 Growing Demand for Smart Jewellery 5.3.3 High Demand during Holidays and Special Occasions 6. Competitive Landscape 6.1 The US Jewellery Market Players by Revenue CAGR 6.2 The US Jewellery Market Players by Number of Stores 6.3 The US Diamond Jewellery Market Players by LFL Sales Growth 7. Company Profiles 7.1 Pandora A/S 7.2 Signet Jewelers Ltd. 7.3 LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE 7.4 Richemont SA For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/jukwfs About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Dublin, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Industrial Safety Market Research Report by Industry, by Component, by System, by Region - Global Forecast to 2026 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Global Industrial Safety Market size was estimated at USD 5,545.02 Million in 2020 and expected to reach USD 6,013.29 Million in 2021, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) 8.78% to reach USD 9,189.14 Million by 2026. Market Statistics: The report provides market sizing and forecast across five major currencies - USD, EUR GBP, JPY, and AUD. It helps organization leaders make better decisions when currency exchange data is readily available. In this report, the years 2018 and 2019 are considered historical years, 2020 as the base year, 2021 as the estimated year, and years from 2022 to 2026 are considered the forecast period. Market Segmentation & Coverage: This research report categorizes the Industrial Safety to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets: Based on Industry, the Industrial Safety Market was examined across Aerospace & Defense, Automotive, Chemical, Energy & Power, Food & Beverages, Healthcare & Pharmaceutical, Metal & Mining, Oil & Gas, and Semiconductor. Based on Type, the Industrial Safety Market was examined across Machine Safety and Worker Safety. Based on Component, the Industrial Safety Market was examined across Emergency Stop Controls, Presence Sensing Safety Sensors, Programmable Safety Systems, Safety Controllers/Modules/Relays, Safety Interlock Switches, and Two-Hand Safety Control. Based on System, the Industrial Safety Market was examined across Burner Management Systems, Emergency Shutdown Systems, Fire & Gas Monitoring System, High-Integrity Pressure Protection Systems, and Turbomachinery Control System. Based on Geography, the Industrial Safety Market was examined across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas was further studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific was further studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa was further studied across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom. Competitive Strategic Window: The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies to help the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. It describes the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth during a forecast period. FPNV Positioning Matrix: The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Industrial Safety Market based on Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape. Market Share Analysis: The Market Share Analysis offers the analysis of vendors considering their contribution to the overall market. It provides the idea of its revenue generation into the overall market compared to other vendors in the space. It provides insights into how vendors are performing in terms of revenue generation and customer base compared to others. Knowing market share offers an idea of the size and competitiveness of the vendors for the base year. It reveals the market characteristics in terms of accumulation, fragmentation, dominance, and amalgamation traits. Company Usability Profiles: The report profoundly explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Industrial Safety Market, including ABB Ltd, Balluff GmbH, Banner Engineering India Pvt. Ltd., Emerson Electric Co., Euchner, Fortress Interlocks, General Electric Company, HIMA Paul Hildebrandt GmbH, Honeywell International Inc., IDEC Corporation, Johnson Controls International PLC, Keyence Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Omron Corporation, Paladon Systems Ltd., Pilz India Pvt Ltd, Proserv Ingenious Simplicity, Rockwell Automation, Inc., Schmersal India Pvt Ltd, Schneider Electric SE, SGS Group, Sick AG, Siemens AG, and Yokogawa Electric Corporation. The report provides insights on the following pointers: 1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players 2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyze penetration across mature segments of the markets 3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments 4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, certification, regulatory approvals, patent landscape, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players 5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and breakthrough product developments The report answers questions such as: 1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Industrial Safety Market? 2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Industrial Safety Market during the forecast period? 3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Industrial Safety Market? 4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Industrial Safety Market? 5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Industrial Safety Market? 6. What is the market share of the leading vendors in the Global Industrial Safety Market? 7. What modes and strategic moves are considered suitable for entering the Global Industrial Safety Market? Key Topics Covered: 1. Preface 2. Research Methodology 3. Executive Summary 4. Market Overview 4.1. Introduction 4.2. Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 5. Market Insights 5.1. Market Dynamics 5.1.1. Drivers 5.1.1.1. Rapid rise in automotive manufacturing activities 5.1.1.2. Rising technological advancement producing reliable safety equipment 5.1.1.3. Increasing demand for the safety systems in the oil & gas industry 5.1.2. Restraints 5.1.2.1. Initial investment cost for the installation of industrial safety systems 5.1.2.2. Limited training initiatives and complicated safety standards 5.1.3. Opportunities 5.1.3.1. Rising demand for industrial safety systems in the oil, gas, automotive, and construction sectors 5.1.3.2. Stricter implementation of government protocols for creating a safer work culture Adoption of IIoT 5.1.4. Challenges 5.1.4.1. Minimizing cost and risk by improving workforce efficiency 5.1.4.2. Lack of awareness about the potential benefits of workplace safety programs by numerous businesses 5.2. Porters Five Forces Analysis 5.2.1. Threat of New Entrants 5.2.2. Threat of Substitutes 5.2.3. Bargaining Power of Customers 5.2.4. Bargaining Power of Suppliers 5.2.5. Industry Rivalry 6. Industrial Safety Market, by Industry 6.1. Introduction 6.2. Aerospace & Defense 6.3. Automotive 6.4. Chemical 6.5. Energy & Power 6.6. Food & Beverages 6.7. Healthcare & Pharmaceutical 6.8. Metal & Mining 6.9. Oil & Gas 6.10. Semiconductor 7. Industrial Safety Market, by Type 7.1. Introduction 7.2. Machine Safety 7.3. Worker Safety 8. Industrial Safety Market, by Component 8.1. Introduction 8.2. Emergency Stop Controls 8.3. Presence Sensing Safety Sensors 8.4. Programmable Safety Systems 8.5. Safety Controllers/Modules/Relays 8.6. Safety Interlock Switches 8.7. Two-Hand Safety Control 9. Industrial Safety Market, by System 9.1. Introduction 9.2. Burner Management Systems 9.3. Emergency Shutdown Systems 9.4. Fire & Gas Monitoring System 9.5. High-Integrity Pressure Protection Systems 9.6. Turbomachinery Control System 10. Americas Industrial Safety Market 10.1. Introduction 10.2. Argentina 10.3. Brazil 10.4. Canada 10.5. Mexico 10.6. United States 11. Asia-Pacific Industrial Safety Market 11.1. Introduction 11.2. Australia 11.3. China 11.4. India 11.5. Indonesia 11.6. Japan 11.7. Malaysia 11.8. Philippines 11.9. Singapore 11.10. South Korea 11.11. Thailand 12. Europe, Middle East & Africa Industrial Safety Market 12.1. Introduction 12.2. France 12.3. Germany 12.4. Italy 12.5. Netherlands 12.6. Qatar 12.7. Russia 12.8. Saudi Arabia 12.9. South Africa 12.10. Spain 12.11. United Arab Emirates 12.12. United Kingdom 13. Competitive Landscape 13.1. FPNV Positioning Matrix 13.1.1. Quadrants 13.1.2. Business Strategy 13.1.3. Product Satisfaction 13.2. Market Ranking Analysis 13.3. Market Share Analysis, By Key Player 13.4. Competitive Scenario 13.4.1. Merger & Acquisition 13.4.2. Agreement, Collaboration, & Partnership 13.4.3. New Product Launch & Enhancement 13.4.4. Investment & Funding 13.4.5. Award, Recognition, & Expansion 14. Company Usability Profiles 14.1. ABB Ltd 14.2. Balluff GmbH 14.3. Banner Engineering India Pvt. Ltd. 14.4. Emerson Electric Co. 14.5. Euchner 14.6. Fortress Interlocks 14.7. General Electric Company 14.8. HIMA Paul Hildebrandt GmbH 14.9. Honeywell International Inc. 14.10. IDEC Corporation 14.11. Johnson Controls International PLC 14.12. Keyence Corporation 14.13. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation 14.14. Omron Corporation 14.15. Paladon Systems Ltd. 14.16. Pilz India Pvt Ltd 14.17. Proserv Ingenious Simplicity 14.18. Rockwell Automation, Inc. 14.19. Schmersal India Pvt Ltd 14.20. Schneider Electric SE 14.21. SGS Group 14.22. Sick AG 14.23. Siemens AG 14.24. Yokogawa Electric Corporation 15. Appendix For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/jwqozv Pune, India, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global concentrated solar power market size is projected to reach USD 90.02 billion by the end of 2027. The presence of several large scale companies in this sector will have a huge impact on the growth of the overall market in the coming years. The rising awareness regarding the use of natural energy sources over traditional power sources will emerge in favor of market growth. According to a report published by Fortune Business Insights, titled Concentrated Solar Power Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Technology (Parabolic Trough, Power Tower, Linear Fresnel), By Application (Residential, Non-Residential, Utility) and Regional Forecasts, 2020-2027, the market was worth USD 34.12 billion in 2019 and will exhibit a CAGR of 14.1% during the forecast period, 2020-2027. Request to Sample PDF Brochure: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/concentrated-solar-power-market-100751 Concentrated solar power allows the concentration of solar energy with the help of mirrors that are placed in a particular manner. The ability of this concept to maximize the use of solar energy and avoid wastage, as well as improved efficacy, will fuel the demand for the product across the world. The rising awareness regarding the adverse effects of excessive carbon emission has created a subsequent demand for maximizing the use of solar energy. The increasing environmental pollution and the efforts taken to curb the emission of harmful gases will lead to wider adoption of concentrated solar power in several countries across the world. The presence of several large scale companies in this sector, driven by the massive potential held by the product across the world, will have a massive impact on the growth of the overall CSP market in the foreseeable future. Although Covid-19 Pandemic May Bring Production to a Standstill, Market to Recover Rapidly The recent coronavirus outbreak has created a sense of panic among several business sectors across the world. With the rapid spread of the disease, governments across the world have been compelled to implement strict measures to curb the spread of the disease. Although these measures have been essentially implemented for a better cause, some factors have had a blazing impact on world economy. The strict lockdowns and social distancing practises have halted production units across several industry verticals. As a result, manufacturers have witnessed huge losses in recent months. Although the pandemic will have an initial impact on CSP market, the widespread applications of the concept will help the market recover quickly from the coronavirus traits, unlike a few other industries in this sector. To get to know more about the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this market, Please visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/concentrated-solar-power-market-100751 List of companies profiled in the report: BrightSource Energy (United States) Abengoa Solar (Spain) Siemens (Germany) Acciona (Spain) Solar Reserve (United States) Torresol Energy (Spain) Trivelli Energia (Italy) Abors Green GmbH (Germany) Parvolen CSP Technologies (Greece) Sener (Spain) Rioglass (Belgium) Report Scope & Segmentation Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2020 to 2027 Forecast Period 2020 to 2027 CAGR 14.1% 2027 Value Projection USD 90.02 Billion Base Year 2019 Market Size in 2019 USD 34.12 Billion Historical Data for 2016 to 2018 No. of Pages 140 Segments covered By Technology, Application, and By Geography Growth Drivers Push Towards Advance Solar Energy Technologies Will Attract Investment in Market Steps to Decrease the Cost of Various Equipment in CSP System Will Fuel CSP Capacity Additions Growing Adoption of Renewable Sources for Power Generation Will Boost the Market Higher Efficiency and Low Operating Cost as Compared to Solar PV to Aid Growth Pitfalls & Challenges Heavy Capital Investment and Higher Cost of Electricity Per Unit Poses Threat to Market Growth Ask for Customization: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/customization/concentrated-solar-power-market-100751 Increasing Number of Company Mergers and Collaborations will Provide Impetus to Market Growth The report encompasses several factors that have contributed to the growth of the overall market in recent years. Among all factors, the increasing number of company collaborations taken to implement CSP across the world, has made the highest impact on the growth of the market in recent years. Due to the efforts taken to curb the carbon emissions across the world, companies are engaging in collaborations, which gives them a platform to combine their resources. In March 2019, Rioglass Solar announced that it has bagged a contract from Abengoa Energia and Shanghai Electric. The contract is aimed at the supply of Parabolic Trough Receiver Tubes and Mirrors. The collaboration will help the company develop the largest parabolic trough project in the world. Such large scale initiatives taken to maximize the use of solar energy will have a massive impact on the growth of the overall concentrated solar power market in the foreseeable future. Europe to Account for the Maximum Market Share; Increasing Number of Solar Power Projects to Aid Growth The report analyses the ongoing market trends across five major regions, including North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. Among all regions, the market in Europe is projected to emerge dominant in the coming years. The presence of several large scale companies in several countries across this region will emerge in favor of the growth of the market. The presence of several large scale manufacturers in this region is consequential to the rising awareness regarding the use of solar energy over traditional fuel combustion engines. The rising environmental pollution in countries such as UK, Germany, and France has encouraged the use of CSP harnessing methods in this region. As of 2019, the market in Europe was worth USD 10.85 billion and this value is projected to increase further in the coming years. Quick Buy - Concentrated Solar Power Market: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/checkout-page/100751 Table of Content: Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions Executive Summary Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities Key Insights Key Emerging Trends For Major Countries Key Developments: Merger & Acquisition, Partnership, etc. Latest Technological Advancement Regulatory Landscape Porters Five Forces Analysis Qualitative Analysis Impact of COVID-19 Impact of COVID-19 on the Concentrated Solar Power Market Steps Taken by the Government to Overcome the Impact Key Developments by the Industry Players in Response to COVID-19 Potential Opportunities and Challenges due to COVID-19 Outbreak Global Concentrated Solar Power Market Analysis (GW, USD Billion), Insights and Forecast, 2016-2027 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Technology Parabolic Trough Power Tower Linear Fresnel Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Application Residential Non-Residential Utility Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Region North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa North America Concentrated Solar Power Market Analysis (GW, USD Billion), Insights and Forecast, 2016-2027 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Technology Parabolic Trough Power Tower Linear Fresnel Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Application Residential Non-Residential Utility Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Country U.S. Canada TOC Continued. Industry Developments: January 2020 Abengoa Solar announced that it has bagged a contract from ENCE Energia for operation and maintenance of the 50MW Termollano parabolic trough solar thermal plant. Through this contract, the company would be responsible for the provision of materials, resources, and means necessary for the operation of the solar thermal plant located in Puertollano, Spain. Speak to Our Analyst- https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/concentrated-solar-power-market-100751 Have a Look at Related Research Insights: Solar Tracker Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Type (Photovoltaic (PV), Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)), By Movement (Single-Axis, Dual Axis), By Application (Utility, Non-Utility), and Regional Forecast, 2021-2028 Industrial Gases Market Size, Share and COVID-19 impact Analysis, By Gas Type (Oxygen, Nitrogen, Carbon Dioxide, Hydrogen, Argon, and Others), By Application (Packaging, Coolant, Carbonation, Cryogenic, Cutting & Welding, Laboratory, Air Separation, and Others), By End User (Metallurgy, Healthcare, Chemical, Food and Beverages, Oil & Gas, Power, Pulp and Paper, Electronics, Water Treatment, Mining, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2021-2028 District Cooling Market Size, Share, and COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Technology (Electric Chillers, Absorption Chillers, and Others), By End User (Residential, Industrial, and Commercial), and Regional Forecast, 2021-2028 Solar Power Market Size, Share and COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Technology (Solar Photovoltaic {Mono-Si, Thin Film, Multi-Si, and Others}, and Concentrated Solar Power {Parabolic Trough, Power Tower, and Linear Fresnel}), By Application (Residential, Non-Residential and Utility) and Regional Forecast, 2021-2028 Alkaline Battery Market Size, Share and COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Product (Primary and Secondary), By Size (AA, AAA, 9 Volt, and Others), By Application (Remote Control, Consumer Electronics, Toys & Radios, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2021-2028 About Us: Fortune Business Insights delivers accurate data and innovative corporate analysis, helping organizations of all sizes make appropriate decisions. We tailor novel solutions for our clients, assisting them to address various challenges distinct to their businesses. Our aim is to empower them with holistic market intelligence, providing a granular overview of the market they are operating in. Contact Us: Fortune Business Insights Pvt. Ltd. 308, Supreme Headquarters, Survey No. 36, Baner, Pune-Bangalore Highway, Pune - 411045, Maharashtra, India. Phone: US :+1 424 253 0390 UK : +44 2071 939123 APAC : +91 744 740 1245 Email: sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fortune-business-insights Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FortuneBusinessInsightsPvtLtd Completed DT Midstream spin-off Launched first-of-its-kind Tree Trim Academy Recognized as top corporate citizen in Michigan Retired River Rouge coal plant DETROIT, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DTE Energy (NYSE:DTE) today reported second quarter 2021 earnings of $179 million, or $0.92 per diluted share, compared with $277 million, or $1.44 per diluted share in 2020. Operating earnings for the second quarter 2021 were $329 million, or $1.70 per diluted share, compared with 2020 operating earnings of $295 million, or $1.53 per diluted share. Operating earnings exclude non-recurring items, certain mark-to-market adjustments and discontinued operations. Reconciliations of reported earnings to operating earnings are included at the end of this news release. The first half of 2021 was very positive as our strong team continued to deliver for our customers, communities and investors. We also executed the successful spin-off of our midstream business, now called DT Midstream, said Jerry Norcia, DTE Energy president and CEO. With DTE as a predominantly pure-play utility, we will continue to deliver on our infrastructure and clean energy initiatives for our Michigan utility customers. Norcia noted the following recent company accomplishments: Completed DT Midstream spin-off: DT Midstream, a premier natural gas pipeline, storage and gathering provider, debuted as an independent, publicly traded company after successfully completing its separation from DTE Energy on July 1, 2021. DT Midstream, a premier natural gas pipeline, storage and gathering provider, debuted as an independent, publicly traded company after successfully completing its separation from DTE Energy on July 1, 2021. Launched first-of-its-kind Tree Trim Academy : In partnership with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 17, the City of Detroit, and Focus: HOPE, DTEs Tree Trim Academy will offer new jobs, paid training, and wraparound services like childcare and transportation for a diverse pool of talent. Academy graduates will help to ensure energy reliability by reducing outages due to fallen trees. This innovative initiative combines the needs of the community with the needs of the company. In partnership with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 17, the City of Detroit, and Focus: HOPE, DTEs Tree Trim Academy will offer new jobs, paid training, and wraparound services like childcare and transportation for a diverse pool of talent. Academy graduates will help to ensure energy reliability by reducing outages due to fallen trees. This innovative initiative combines the needs of the community with the needs of the company. Ranked as one of the country's top corporate citizens by Points of Light: One of two Michigan companies named to the Civic 50 the top 50 companies nationwide in corporate citizenship by Points of Light, the world's largest organization dedicated to volunteer service. DTE was also recognized as the leading energy company nationally. One of two Michigan companies named to the Civic 50 the top 50 companies nationwide in corporate citizenship by Points of Light, the world's largest organization dedicated to volunteer service. DTE was also recognized as the leading energy company nationally. Retired River Rouge power plant: The closure of the River Rouge power plant is another milestone in DTEs clean energy transition that includes increased investments in wind and solar and utilizing cleaner natural gas. The closure of the River Rouge power plant is another milestone in DTEs clean energy transition that includes increased investments in wind and solar and utilizing cleaner natural gas. Enhanced MIGreenPower voluntary renewable energy program: The Michigan Public Service Commissions (MPSC) approval of DTEs renewable energy plan will enable the company to add a total of 1,000 megawatts of new voluntary wind and solar by the end of 2023. DTE also received MPSC approval to update this program resulting in making clean energy more accessible and affordable for all customers. The Michigan Public Service Commissions (MPSC) approval of DTEs renewable energy plan will enable the company to add a total of 1,000 megawatts of new voluntary wind and solar by the end of 2023. DTE also received MPSC approval to update this program resulting in making clean energy more accessible and affordable for all customers. Strengthened pledge to net zero goal by collaborating with automakers to optimize EV charging: DTE is collaborating with Electric Vehicle (EV) manufacturers to optimize EV charging through the new DTE Smart Charge program. This program aims to help the company balance energy demand on the grid while moving closer to its environmental goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. DTE is collaborating with Electric Vehicle (EV) manufacturers to optimize EV charging through the new DTE Smart Charge program. This program aims to help the company balance energy demand on the grid while moving closer to its environmental goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Protected more than 24,000 acres of Michigans Upper Peninsula forests: DTE Gas partnered with Bluesource, the nations largest carbon offset developer, on the Greenleaf Improved Forest Management project in Michigans Upper Peninsula. The partnership is part of DTEs Natural Gas Balance, a voluntary customer program to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions through a combination of carbon offsets and renewable natural gas. Outlook for 2021 DTE Energy increases 2021 EPS guidance from $5.36 - $5.66 to $5.62 - $5.92. DTEs solid financial results achieved during the first half of the year gives us confidence in increasing our 2021 earnings guidance, said David Ruud, DTE Energy senior vice president and CFO. The results in the second quarter are driven by strong performance across all of our businesses providing a solid foundation for future success. This earnings announcement and presentation slides are available at dteenergy.com/investors . The company will conduct a conference call to discuss earnings results at 9 a.m. ET. Investors, the news media and the public may listen to a live internet broadcast of the call at dteenergy.com/investors. The telephone dial-in numbers in the U.S. and Canada are toll free: (833) 968-2209 or international: (778) 560-2895. The passcode is 7269806. The webcast will be archived on the DTE website at dteenergy.com/investors. An audio replay of the call will be available from noon today to noon Friday, Aug. 27. To access the replay, dial U.S. and Canada toll free (800) 585-8367 or international toll (416) 621-4642 and enter the passcode 7269806. About DTE Energy DTE Energy (NYSE: DTE ) is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include an electric company serving 2.2 million customers in Southeast Michigan and a natural gas company serving 1.3 million customers in Michigan. The DTE portfolio includes energy businesses focused on power and industrial projects, renewable natural gas, and energy marketing and trading. As an environmental leader, DTE utility operations will reduce carbon dioxide and methane emissions by more than 80% by 2040 to produce cleaner energy while keeping it safe, reliable and affordable. DTE Electric and Gas aspire to achieve net zero carbon and greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. DTE is committed to serving with its energy through volunteerism, education and employment initiatives, philanthropy and economic progress. Information about DTE is available at dteenergy.com , empoweringmichigan.com , twitter.com/dte_energy and facebook.com/dteenergy . Use of Operating Earnings Information - DTE Energy management believes that operating earnings provide a more meaningful representation of the companys earnings from ongoing operations and uses operating earnings as the primary performance measurement for external communications with analysts and investors. Internally, DTE Energy uses operating earnings to measure performance against budget and to report to the Board of Directors. In this release, DTE Energy discusses 2021 operating earnings guidance. It is likely that certain items that impact the company's 2021 reported results will be excluded from operating results. Reconciliations to the comparable 2021 reported earnings guidance are not provided because it is not possible to provide a reliable forecast of specific line items (i.e. future non-recurring items, certain mark-to-market adjustments and discontinued operations). These items may fluctuate significantly from period to period and may have a significant impact on reported earnings. The information contained herein is as of the date of this document. DTE Energy expressly disclaims any current intention to update any forward-looking statements contained in this document as a result of new information or future events or developments. Words such as anticipate, believe, expect, may, could, would, projected, aspiration, plans and goals signify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and conditions but rather are subject to various assumptions, risks and uncertainties. This document contains forward-looking statements about DTE Energys financial results and estimates of future prospects, and actual results may differ materially. Many factors impact forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, the following: risks related to the spin-off of DT Midstream, including that providing DT Midstream with the transition services previously negotiated could adversely affect our business, and that the transaction may not achieve some or all of the anticipated benefits; the duration and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on DTE Energy and customers, impact of regulation by the EPA, the EGLE, the FERC, the MPSC, the NRC, and for DTE Energy, the CFTC and CARB, as well as other applicable governmental proceedings and regulations, including any associated impact on rate structures; the amount and timing of cost recovery allowed as a result of regulatory proceedings, related appeals, or new legislation, including legislative amendments and retail access programs; economic conditions and population changes in our geographic area resulting in changes in demand, customer conservation, and thefts of electricity and, for DTE Energy, natural gas; the operational failure of electric or gas distribution systems or infrastructure; impact of volatility in prices in the international steel markets on DTE Energys power and industrial projects operations; the risk of a major safety incident; environmental issues, laws, regulations, and the increasing costs of remediation and compliance, including actual and potential new federal and state requirements; the cost of protecting assets against, or damage due to, cyber incidents and terrorism; health, safety, financial, environmental, and regulatory risks associated with ownership and operation of nuclear facilities; volatility in commodity markets, deviations in weather, and related risks impacting the results of DTE Energys energy trading operations; changes in the cost and availability of coal and other raw materials, purchased power, and natural gas; advances in technology that produce power, store power or reduce power consumption; changes in the financial condition of significant customers and strategic partners; the potential for losses on investments, including nuclear decommissioning and benefit plan assets and the related increases in future expense and contributions; access to capital markets and the results of other financing efforts which can be affected by credit agency ratings; instability in capital markets which could impact availability of short and long-term financing; the timing and extent of changes in interest rates; the level of borrowings; the potential for increased costs or delays in completion of significant capital projects; changes in, and application of, federal, state, and local tax laws and their interpretations, including the Internal Revenue Code, regulations, rulings, court proceedings, and audits; the effects of weather and other natural phenomena on operations and sales to customers, and purchases from suppliers; unplanned outages; employee relations and the impact of collective bargaining agreements; the availability, cost, coverage, and terms of insurance and stability of insurance providers; cost reduction efforts and the maximization of plant and distribution system performance; the effects of competition; changes in and application of accounting standards and financial reporting regulations; changes in federal or state laws and their interpretation with respect to regulation, energy policy, and other business issues; contract disputes, binding arbitration, litigation, and related appeals; and the risks discussed in DTE Energys public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. New factors emerge from time to time. We cannot predict what factors may arise or how such factors may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which such statements are made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. This document should also be read in conjunction with the Forward-Looking Statements section of the joint DTE Energy and DTE Electric 2020 Form 10-K and 2021 Forms 10-Q (which sections are incorporated by reference herein), and in conjunction with other SEC reports filed by DTE Energy and DTE Electric. For further information, members of the media may call: Pete Ternes, DTE Energy, 313.235.5555 For further information, analysts may call: Barbara Tuckfield, DTE Energy, 313.235.1018 John Dermody, DTE Energy, 313.235.8750 DTE Energy Company Segment Net Income (Unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, 2021 2020 Reported Earnings Pre-tax Adjustments Income Taxes(1) Operating Earnings Reported Earnings Pre-tax Adjustments Income Taxes(1) Operating Earnings (In millions) DTE Electric $ 238 $ $ $ 238 $ 183 $ 35 F $ (9 ) $ 219 13 G (3 ) DTE Gas 7 7 1 11 F (3 ) 11 2 G Non-utility operations Gas Storage and Pipelines 64 9 A (1 ) 86 70 70 19 B (5 ) Power and Industrial Projects 14 27 C (7 ) 34 25 25 Energy Trading (66 ) 116 D (29 ) 21 (1 ) 8 D (2 ) 5 Total Non-utility operations 12 171 (42 ) 141 94 8 (2 ) 100 Corporate and Other (78 ) 15 A (2 ) (57 ) (1 ) (34 ) H (35 ) 8 E Net Income Attributable to DTE Energy Company $ 179 $ 186 $ (36 ) $ 329 $ 277 $ 69 $ (51 ) $ 295 (1) Excluding tax related adjustments, the amount of income taxes was calculated based on a combined federal and state income tax rate, considering the applicable jurisdictions of the respective segments and deductibility of specific operating adjustments. Adjustments key A) Transaction costs relating to the separation of DT Midstream recorded in Operating Expenses Operation and maintenance B) Impairment of notes receivable for an investment in certain assets in the Utica shale region recorded in Operating Expenses Assets (gains) losses and impairments, net C) Impairment of long-lived assets for the anticipated closure of a pulverized coal facility recorded in Operating Expenses Assets (gains) losses and impairments, net D) Certain adjustments resulting from derivatives being marked-to-market without revaluing the underlying non-derivative contracts and assets recorded in Operating Expenses Fuel, purchased power, gas, and other non-utility E) Adjustment to Income Tax Expense due to a tax law change in West Virginia F) MPSC disallowance of capital expenses previously recorded in 2018 and 2019 related to incentive compensation recorded in Operating Expenses Asset (gains) losses and impairments, net G) Shift premiums and other incremental costs associated with the sequestration of employees critical to continued operations due to COVID-19 recorded in Operating Expenses Operation and maintenance H) Reduction to Income Tax Expense resulting from carrying back 2018 net operating losses to 2013 pursuant to the CARES Act DTE Energy Company Segment Diluted Earnings Per Share (Unaudited)(2) Three Months Ended June 30, 2021 2020 Reported Earnings Pre-tax Adjustments Income Taxes(1) Operating Earnings Reported Earnings Pre-tax Adjustments Income Taxes(1) Operating Earnings DTE Electric $ 1.23 $ $ $ 1.23 $ 0.95 $ 0.18 F $ (0.05 ) $ 1.13 0.07 G (0.02 ) DTE Gas 0.04 0.04 0.06 F (0.02 ) 0.05 0.01 G Non-utility operations Gas Storage and Pipelines 0.33 0.05 A (0.01 ) 0.44 0.37 0.37 0.10 B (0.03 ) Power and Industrial Projects 0.07 0.14 C (0.04 ) 0.17 0.13 0.13 Energy Trading (0.35 ) 0.60 D (0.14 ) 0.11 0.05 D (0.02 ) 0.03 Total Non-utility operations 0.05 0.89 (0.22 ) 0.72 0.50 0.05 (0.02 ) 0.53 Corporate and Other (0.40 ) 0.08 A (0.01 ) (0.29 ) (0.01 ) (0.17 ) H (0.18 ) 0.04 E Net Income Attributable to DTE Energy Company $ 0.92 $ 0.97 $ (0.19 ) $ 1.70 $ 1.44 $ 0.37 $ (0.28 ) $ 1.53 (1) Excluding tax related adjustments, the amount of income taxes was calculated based on a combined federal and state income tax rate, considering the applicable jurisdictions of the respective segments and deductibility of specific operating adjustments. (2) Per share amounts are divided by Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding Diluted, as noted on the Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited). Adjustments key see previous page DTE Energy Company Segment Net Income (Unaudited) Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 2020 Reported Earnings Pre-tax Adjustments Income Taxes(1) Operating Earnings Reported Earnings Pre-tax Adjustments Income Taxes(1) Operating Earnings (In millions) DTE Electric $ 446 $ $ $ 446 $ 277 $ 35 F $ (9 ) $ 313 13 G (3 ) DTE Gas 176 176 122 11 F (3 ) 132 2 G Non-utility operations Gas Storage and Pipelines 143 19 A (4 ) 172 142 142 19 B (5 ) Power and Industrial Projects 42 27 C (7 ) 62 55 55 Energy Trading (121 ) 208 D (52 ) 35 33 (18 ) D 4 19 Total Non-utility operations 64 273 (68 ) 269 230 (18 ) 4 216 Corporate and Other (110 ) 15 A (2 ) (89 ) (12 ) (34 ) H (46 ) 8 E Net Income Attributable to DTE Energy Company $ 576 $ 288 $ (62 ) $ 802 $ 617 $ 43 $ (45 ) $ 615 (1) Excluding tax related adjustments, the amount of income taxes was calculated based on a combined federal and state income tax rate, considering the applicable jurisdictions of the respective segments and deductibility of specific operating adjustments. Adjustments key A) Transaction costs relating to the separation of DT Midstream recorded in Operating Expenses Operation and maintenance B) Impairment of notes receivable for an investment in certain assets in the Utica shale region recorded in Operating Expenses Assets (gains) losses and impairments, net C) Impairment of long-lived assets for the anticipated closure of a pulverized coal facility recorded in Operating Expenses Assets (gains) losses and impairments, net D) Certain adjustments resulting from derivatives being marked-to-market without revaluing the underlying non-derivative contracts and assets recorded in Operating Expenses Fuel, purchased power, gas, and other non-utility E) Adjustment to Income Tax Expense due to a tax law change in West Virginia F) MPSC disallowance of capital expenses previously recorded in 2018 and 2019 related to incentive compensation recorded in Operating Expenses Asset (gains) losses and impairments, net G) Shift premiums and other incremental costs associated with the sequestration of employees critical to continued operations due to COVID-19 recorded in Operating Expenses Operation and maintenance H) Reduction to Income Tax Expense resulting from carrying back 2018 net operating losses to 2013 pursuant to the CARES Act TORONTO, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 79North Inc. (CSE: JQ; OTCQB: SVNTF; FRA: 6120) (79North or the Company) is pleased to announce that diamond drilling has commenced at the Carbonara gold zone of the Nassau Gold Project, Suriname (Exhibits 1 and 2). On June 9, 2021 (https://79north.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Carbonara-Grid-New-gold-occurrence-in-mag-anomaly.pdf) 79North announced that the Carbonara gold zone consisted of three new gold occurrences named Brodino, Arrabiata, and Puttanesca which outlined extensive gold mineralization with grades up to 4.52 grams gold per tonne in rock chip samples over a strike length of 1,600 metres, and open along strike. The gold occurrence is hosted in a high silica alteration zone that includes massive, fine grained quartz, quartz vein stockworks, and breccias with disseminated pyrite and locally hematite in fractures. The silica alteration zone appears to be a secondary, hydrothermal replacement of a layered sedimentary rock such as siltstone or argillite which is in contact with a large, northwest-trending magnetic mafic intrusion. The mafic intrusion is not well exposed, but a gabbroic boulder derived from the intrusion was discovered that is also mineralized with gold with grab samples containing up to 2.013 grams gold per tonne. The Carbonara gold zone is a completely new discovery located 20 kilometres from the Merian gold mine of Newmont Corporation. This gold occurrence appears to be the source area of extensive artisanal alluvial mining from which the bedrock source was not known. 79North believes it has now discovered the source. The gold zone has never been evaluated by diamond drilling. This initial drilling program will consist of a minimum of 1,500 metres of diamond drilling. Jon North, Ph.D., P.Geo., and CEO of the Company, commented It was a great pleasure for me to arrive back in Suriname on July 23rd, fully vaccinated, and ready to spot the first drill hole at the Carbonara gold zone of the Nassau gold project, and directly supervise the drill core logging and sampling. We think that the Carbonara gold zone is another gold deposit in a regional goldfield that includes the nearby Merian Mine of Newmont Corporation (www.Newmont.com) and Rosebel Mine of Iamgold Corporation (www.Iamgold.com). About the Nassau gold project The Companys 70%-owned Nassau gold project is located 20 kilometres south of Newmont Corporations Merian gold mine and 60 kilometres east of Iamgold Corporations Rosebel gold mine. The Nassau gold project has similar geological stratigraphy and structures as both the Rosebel and Merian gold mines (see Press Release August 11, 2020 https://79north.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/11-August- commencement-of-exploration-at-Nassau-gold-project-FINAL.pdf). Summary for non-technical readers The Carbonara gold zone is a new gold discovery that is contained in a quartz vein-like body that is at least 1,600 metres long and several metres wide and appears to be the source of extensive artisanal gold mining in the area. The sampling results indicate that the gold zone also consists of a large, northwest-trending magnetic intrusion that is also mineralized with gold. The gold zone is mostly concealed by jungle, but the gold grade of the new zone based on three widely spaced outcrops is up to 4.52 grams gold per tonne. This gold zone has never been evaluated by diamond drilling. About 79North Inc. 79North, is led by a team with extensive mineral exploration expertise and a track record of discoveries and exits in South America and globally. 79North currently holds an indirect interest in mineral concessions in northern Suriname and aims to become the premier junior exploration company in this under explored district of the prolific Guiana Shield. 79Norths growing portfolio of high-quality targets which have not undergone modern exploration or drilling have a long history of artisanal mining and are strategically located near modern gold mines operated by major mining companies. 79North is a mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of properties for the mining of gold and other minerals. 79North has 85,878,941 common shares issued and outstanding and 138,126,826 common shares on a fully diluted basis. Statement of the Qualified Person The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been supervised, reviewed, and approved by Jon North, P.Geo., who is 79Norths Chairman, President, and CEO and a Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101. Please refer to the technical report of 79North entitled NI-43-101 TECHNICAL REPORT NASSAU GOLD EXPLORATION PROJECT, SIPALIWINI DISTRICT, SURINAME SOUTH AMERICA dated effective May 14, 2020 for further details. The technical report is available in 79Norths SEDAR profile at www.SEDAR.com. Further Information For further information please visit www.79North.ca or contact: Jon North, President and Chief Executive Officer Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively, forward-looking statements) within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation, including information with respect to the exploration program at the Nassau gold project. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as expects, or does not expect, is expected, anticipates or does not anticipate, plans, budget, scheduled, forecasts, estimates, believes or intends or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results may or could, would, might or will be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon several estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to general business, economic, competitive, political, and social uncertainties, including related to Covid-19; and the delay or failure to receive board, shareholder, or regulatory approvals. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Except as required by law, 79North assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law. Exhibit 1. Location of exploration targets of the Nassau gold project, Suriname. https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c7a7955f-598f-435e-aef0-019aefb43b54 Exhibit 2. Geology, sampling results, and drilling plan of the Carbonara Grid, Nassau Gold Project, Suriname. https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/eae3036e-fa11-44c5-9e2f-a1364c9a2241 CORNING, N.Y., July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) today announced results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021, and provided an outlook for the third quarter of 2021. GAAP and core sales were $3.5 billion; core sales grew 35% year over year and 17% versus second-quarter 2019. GAAP net income was $449 million and core net income was $459 million. GAAP EPS was ($0.42) and core EPS was $0.53, up 112% year over year and 18% versus second-quarter 2019. The difference between GAAP and core EPS was primarily due to a one-time accounting treatment resulting from the Samsung Display Co., Ltd. preferred share transaction, which reduced fully diluted share count by 35 million. Gross margin expanded 200 basis points sequentially to 37.8%, and operating margin expanded 120 basis points sequentially to 18.3%. Free cash flow of $471 million grew $186 million year over year; first-half free cash flow generation was $843 million. Looking ahead to the third quarter, the company expects core sales to be in the range of $3.5 billion to $3.7 billion and core EPS in the range of $0.54 to $0.59. Corning had an outstanding second quarter. We are growing faster than our underlying markets and achieved a revenue milestone of $3.5 billion, establishing a strong sales run rate. We are performing well as we continue to build a stronger, more agile company thats consistently delivering meaningful and important contributions, said Wendell P. Weeks, chairman and chief executive officer. Cornings deep commitment to life-changing innovation and our peoples unwavering dedication continue to drive us forward. Tony Tripeny, executive vice president and chief financial officer, said, Corning is on track to deliver an outstanding year. In the second quarter we added almost $1 billion in sales year over year and a half billion in sales over pre-pandemic levels; we improved margins year over year and sequentially, contributing to strong EPS; and we generated significant operating and free cash flow. We are confident this momentum will continue. Tripeny continued, Our value creation model is working. We pursue opportunities that utilize capabilities from our focused and cohesive portfolio to drive growth. By repurposing and reapplying capabilities, were increasing our probability of success, lowering our cost of innovation, and becoming more capital efficient. Market-Access Platform Highlights Corning continues to advance important growth initiatives across its Market-Access Platforms. Highlights include: Automotive Corning is addressing a combined $100-per-car content opportunity across emissions, precision glass products, and auto-glass solutions, driven by the companys More Corning growth strategy. During the quarter, the company entered a new product category with its Corning Curved Mirror Solutions. The innovation is being adopted in Hyundai Mobis head-up display system, featured in the Hyundai IONIQ 5, to deliver an enhanced digital user experience. Corning is addressing a combined $100-per-car content opportunity across emissions, precision glass products, and auto-glass solutions, driven by the companys More Corning growth strategy. During the quarter, the company entered a new product category with its Corning Curved Mirror Solutions. The innovation is being adopted in Hyundai Mobis head-up display system, featured in the Hyundai IONIQ 5, to deliver an enhanced digital user experience. Mobile Consumer Electronics Corning advanced its More Corning strategy by entering the mobile device camera optics category. Corning Gorilla Glass with DX and Corning Gorilla Glass with DX+ composites enable high-quality image capture through a unique combination of advanced optical performance, superior scratch resistance, and durability. Samsung is the first adopter. Also, during the quarter, Apple awarded Corning an additional $45 million from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund recognizing the two companies strong history of collaboration. Throughout the quarter, more than 20 devices including smartphones, wearables, and laptops launched featuring Corning Gorilla Glass. Corning advanced its More Corning strategy by entering the mobile device camera optics category. Corning Gorilla Glass with DX and Corning Gorilla Glass with DX+ composites enable high-quality image capture through a unique combination of advanced optical performance, superior scratch resistance, and durability. Samsung is the first adopter. Also, during the quarter, Apple awarded Corning an additional $45 million from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund recognizing the two companies strong history of collaboration. Throughout the quarter, more than 20 devices including smartphones, wearables, and laptops launched featuring Corning Gorilla Glass. Optical Communications Optical Communications has returned to growth as 5G, fiber-to-the-home, and cloud computing drive greater demand for Cornings content. Corning is outperforming the market and addressing its customers toughest challenges. During the quarter, the company introduced Corning SMF-28 Contour fiber, which offers an industry-first combination of superior bendability, compatibility with other fibers, and low signal loss. Corning also launched EDGE TM Rapid Connect solutions that increase fiber density and reduce customer installation time by up to 70%. Optical Communications has returned to growth as 5G, fiber-to-the-home, and cloud computing drive greater demand for Cornings content. Corning is outperforming the market and addressing its customers toughest challenges. During the quarter, the company introduced Corning SMF-28 Contour fiber, which offers an industry-first combination of superior bendability, compatibility with other fibers, and low signal loss. Corning also launched EDGE Rapid Connect solutions that increase fiber density and reduce customer installation time by up to 70%. Life Sciences Life Sciences saw strength across its underlying lab research, bioprocessing, and diagnostics markets. Cell- and gene-based therapies and advances in research are creating opportunities for Corning to capture more value with its innovations. The company is successfully building its Corning Valor Glass franchise. During the quarter, Corning collaborated with Thermo Fisher Scientific and OPTIMA pharma to demonstrate how Valor Glass contributes to a 67% increase in vaccine packaging filling speed. Life Sciences saw strength across its underlying lab research, bioprocessing, and diagnostics markets. Cell- and gene-based therapies and advances in research are creating opportunities for Corning to capture more value with its innovations. The company is successfully building its Corning Valor Glass franchise. During the quarter, Corning collaborated with Thermo Fisher Scientific and OPTIMA pharma to demonstrate how Valor Glass contributes to a 67% increase in vaccine packaging filling speed. Display Corning continues to experience the most favorable pricing environment in more than a decade and during the quarter announced its second increase to display glass substrate prices this year. The company also hosted an official opening of its Gen 10.5 facility in Wuhan, China, co-located with a BOE Technology Group plant. Cornings Wuhan plant further positions the company to capture demand for large-size TVs. Second-Quarter 2021 Results and Comparisons (In millions, except per-share amounts) Q2 2021 Q1 2021 % change Q2 2020 % change GAAP Net Sales $ 3,501 $ 3,290 6% $ 2,561 37% GAAP Net Income (Loss) $ 449 $ 599 (25%) $ (71 ) *** GAAP EPS** $ (0.42 ) $ 0.67 *** $ (0.13 ) *** Core Sales* $ 3,504 $ 3,263 7% $ 2,588 35% Core Net Income* $ 459 $ 402 14% $ 218 111% Core EPS* $ 0.53 $ 0.45 18% $ 0.25 112% *Core performance measures are non-GAAP financial measures. The reconciliation between GAAP and non-GAAP measures is provided in the tables following this news release, as well as on the companys website. **The difference between GAAP and core EPS was primarily due to a one-time accounting treatment resulting from the Samsung Display Co., Ltd. preferred share transaction, which reduced fully diluted share count by 35 million. ***Not Meaningful Second-Quarter 2021 Segment Results Display Technologies Q2 2021 Q1 2021 % change Q2 2020 % change Net Sales $ 939 $ 863 9% $ 753 25% Net Income Before Tax $ 312 $ 269 16% $ 193 62% Net Income $ 248 $ 213 16% $ 152 63% In Display Technologies, second-quarter sales were $939 million, up 9% sequentially and 25% year over year. Corning increased glass substrate prices in the second quarter and implemented an additional moderate price increase for the third quarter. Optical Communications Q2 2021 Q1 2021 % change Q2 2020 % change Net Sales $ 1,075 $ 937 15% $ 887 21% Net Income Before Tax $ 188 $ 142 32% $ 104 81% Net Income $ 148 $ 111 33% $ 81 83% In Optical Communications, second-quarter sales were $1.08 billion, up 21% year over year. Sales increased in both enterprise and carrier networks. 5G, fiber-to-the-home, and cloud computing continue to drive strong growth across this segment. Specialty Materials Q2 2021 Q1 2021 % change Q2 2020 % change Net Sales $ 483 $ 451 7% $ 417 16% Net Income Before Tax $ 103 $ 115 (10%) $ 114 (10%) Net Income $ 81 $ 91 (11%) $ 90 (10%) In Specialty Materials, second-quarter sales of $483 million increased 16% year over year due to strong demand for premium cover materials, strength in the IT market, and greater optical content in semiconductor manufacturing. Net income declined sequentially and year over year, driven by increased investments in innovation programs that are moving toward commercialization. Environmental Technologies Q2 2021 Q1 2021 % change Q2 2020 % change Net Sales $ 407 $ 441 (8%) $ 226 80% Net Income Before Tax $ 102 $ 94 9% $ 0 * Net Income $ 81 $ 74 9% $ 0 * *Not Meaningful In Environmental Technologies, second-quarter sales of $407 million increased 80% year over year, driven by improving markets and More Corning content. Automotive sales were up 68% year over year as vehicle production improved from pandemic lows and gasoline particulate filter adoption continued in Europe and China. Diesel sales grew 101% year over year, driven by adoption of more advanced exhaust aftertreatment systems in preparation for China VI implementation as well as continued strength in the North America heavy-duty truck market. Life Sciences Q2 2021 Q1 2021 % change Q2 2020 % change Net Sales $ 312 $ 300 4% $ 243 28% Net Income Before Tax $ 66 $ 61 8% $ 39 69% Net Income $ 52 $ 48 8% $ 31 68% In Life Sciences, second-quarter sales were $312 million, up 28% year over year. Performance was driven by ongoing recovery in academic and pharmaceutical research labs and continued strong demand for bioproduction products and diagnostic-related consumables. Upcoming Investor Events On Sept. 1, Corning will attend the Jefferies Semiconductor, IT Hardware & Communications Infrastructure Summit. And, on Sept. 14, Corning will attend the Citi 2021 Global Technology Virtual Conference. Second-Quarter Conference Call Information The company will host its second-quarter conference call on Tuesday, July 27, at 8:30 a.m. EDT. To participate, please call toll-free (877) 710-0209 or for international access, call (315) 625-3068 approximately 10 to 15 minutes prior to the start of the call. The access code is 133 0605. To listen to a live audio webcast of the call, go to Cornings website at http://www.corning.com/investor_relations, click Events, and follow the instructions. Presentation of Information in this News Release This news release includes non-GAAP financial measures. Non-GAAP financial measures are not in accordance with, or an alternative to, GAAP. Cornings non-GAAP financial measures exclude the impact of items that are driven by general economic conditions and events that do not reflect the underlying fundamentals and trends in the companys operations. The company believes presenting non-GAAP financial measures assists in analyzing financial performance without the impact of items that may obscure trends in the companys underlying performance. Definitions of these non-GAAP financial measures and reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures can be found on the companys website by going to the Investor Relations page and clicking Quarterly Results under the Financials and Filings tab. These reconciliations also accompany this news release. Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements The statements contained in this release that are not historical facts or information and contain words such as will, believe, anticipate, expect, intend, plan, seek, see, would, and target and similar expressions are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and include estimates and assumptions related to economic, competitive, and legislative developments. Such statements relate to future events that by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. These estimates are subject to change and uncertainty which are, in many instances, beyond our control. There can be no assurance that future developments will be in accordance with managements expectations. Actual results could differ materially from those expected by us, depending on the outcome of various factors. We do not undertake to update forward-looking statements. Although the company believes that these forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions regarding, among other things, current estimates and forecasts, general economic conditions, its knowledge of its business, and key performance indicators that impact the company, actual results could differ materially. The company does not undertake to update forward-looking statements. Some of the risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: the duration and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its impact across our businesses on demand, operations and our global supply chains; the effects of acquisitions, dispositions and other similar transactions; global business, financial, economic and political conditions; tariffs and import duties; currency fluctuations between the U.S. dollar and other currencies, primarily the Japanese yen, new Taiwan dollar, euro, Chinese yuan and South Korean won; product demand and industry capacity; competitive products and pricing; availability and costs of critical components and materials; new product development and commercialization; order activity and demand from major customers; the amount and timing of our cash flows and earnings and other conditions, which may affect our ability to pay our quarterly dividend at the planned level or to repurchase shares at planned levels; possible disruption in commercial activities due to terrorist activity, cyber-attack, armed conflict, political or financial instability, natural disasters, or major health concerns; loss of intellectual property due to theft, cyber-attack, or disruption to our information technology infrastructure; unanticipated disruption to our supply chain, equipment, facilities, IT systems or operations; effect of regulatory and legal developments; ability to pace capital spending to anticipated levels of customer demand; rate of technology change; ability to enforce patents and protect intellectual property and trade secrets; adverse litigation; product and components performance issues; retention of key personnel; customer ability, to maintain profitable operations and obtain financing to fund ongoing operations and manufacturing expansions and pay receivables when due; loss of significant customers; changes in tax laws and regulations; the impacts of audits by taxing authorities; the potential impact of legislation, government regulations, and other government action and investigations; and other risks detailed in Cornings SEC filings. For a complete listing of risks and other factors, please reference the risk factors and forward-looking statements described in our annual reports on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Web Disclosure In accordance with guidance provided by the SEC regarding the use of company websites and social media channels to disclose material information, Corning Incorporated (Corning) wishes to notify investors, media, and other interested parties that it uses its website (https://www.corning.com/worldwide/en/about-us/news-events.html) to publish important information about the company, including information that may be deemed material to investors, or supplemental to information contained in this or other press releases. The list of websites and social media channels that the company uses may be updated on Cornings media and website from time to time. Corning encourages investors, media, and other interested parties to review the information Corning may publish through its website and social media channels as described above, in addition to the companys SEC filings, press releases, conference calls, and webcasts. About Corning Incorporated Corning (www.corning.com) is one of the world's leading innovators in materials science, with a 170-year track record of life-changing inventions. Corning applies its unparalleled expertise in glass science, ceramic science, and optical physics along with its deep manufacturing and engineering capabilities to develop category-defining products that transform industries and enhance people's lives. Corning succeeds through sustained investment in RD&E, a unique combination of material and process innovation, and deep, trust-based relationships with customers who are global leaders in their industries. Corning's capabilities are versatile and synergistic, which allows the company to evolve to meet changing market needs, while also helping our customers capture new opportunities in dynamic industries. Today, Corning's markets include optical communications, mobile consumer electronics, display, automotive, and life sciences. Media Relations Contact: Megan Whittemore (202) 661-4171 whittemom@corning.com Investor Relations Contact: Ann H.S. Nicholson (607) 974-6716 nicholsoas@corning.com Attachments Pune, India, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global downhole tools market size is projected to reach USD 5.30 billion by 2027. The increasing hydrocarbon exploration activities will have a positive impact on the growth of the overall market in the coming years. According to a report published by Fortune Business Insights, titled Downhole Tools Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Tool Type (Drilling Tools, Pressure & Flow Control Tools, Handling Tools, Impurity Control Tools, and Others), By Application (Well Drilling, Well Completion, Well Intervention, Well Production, Formation & Evaluation), By Location (Onshore and Offshore {Shallow Water, Deepwater and Ultra-Deepwater}) and Regional Forecasts, 2020-2027, the market was worth USD 4.06 billion in 2019 and will exhibit a CAGR of 8.6% during the forecast period, 2020-2027. The emergence of COVID-19 has brought the world to a standstill. We understand that this health crisis has brought an unprecedented impact on businesses across industries. However, this too shall pass. Rising support from governments and several companies can help in the fight against this highly contagious disease. There are some industries that are struggling and some are thriving. Overall, almost every sector is anticipated to be impacted by the pandemic. List of companies profiled in the report: National Oilwell Varco (United States) Schoeller-Bleckmann Sales (United States) Weatherford (Switzerland) Core Laboratories (Netherlands) Baker Hughes (United States) Hunting PLC (United Kingdom) Schlumberger (United States) RPC, Inc. (United States) APS Technology Inc. (United States) Flotek Industries, Inc. (United States) TechnipFMC (United Kingdom) United Drilling Tools Ltd (India) Rival Downhole Tools (United States) Request a Sample Copy of Report : https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/downhole-tools-market-102777 Report Scope & Segmentation Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2020 to 2027 Forecast Period 2020 to 2027 CAGR 8.6% 2027 Value Projection USD 5.30 Billion Base Year 2018 Market Size in 2019 USD 4.06 Billion Historical Data for 2016 to 2018 No. of Pages 160 Segments covered Analysis,ool Type,Application Location, Geography Growth Drivers Rising Uptake for Optimization of Exploration and Production Activities Development of Unconventional Hydrocarbon to Provide Impetus to Market Growth Extensive Drilling Activities to Brighten the Market Prospects Pitfalls & Challenges Subdued Economic Activities and Uncertainty in the Market WillHalt Growth We are taking continuous efforts to help your business sustain and grow during COVID-19 pandemics. Based on our experience and expertise, we will offer you an impact analysis of coronavirus outbreak across industries to help you prepare for the future. Click here to get the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this Market. Please visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/downhole-tools-market-102777 Downhole tools are equipment used in oil and gas exploration activities, particularly for drilling. The equipment is also used for well intervention and workover activities. The massive global demand for oil and gas as well as hydrocarbon has led to a wider adoption for the devices across the world. The rising demand for oil and gas has attracted massive investments from large scale companies. The presence of several large scale companies will subsequently contribute to the growth of the overall market in the coming years. The increasing hydrocarbon exploration activities, coupled with the emphasis on the use of sustainable energy will open up a huge potential for the companies operating in the market. The ability of downhole tools to minimize the overall costs associated with oil and gas drilling activities will contribute to the growing adoption for the devices across the world. Despite the Negativities, Few Companies Still Continuing Drilling Activities The report encompasses several factors that have contributed to the growth of the overall market in recent years. Although the coronavirus outbreak has had a negative influence on the overall market, the constant need for resources such as oil and gas will prove beneficial for large scale companies. In March 2020, Maersk Drilling secured a new contract for the offshore project in Egypt. The company announced that it secured a one-well contract for the semi-submersible rig Maersk Discoverer. The contract is said to be worth an estimated USD 3.8 million. The company is hopeful that the coronavirus outbreak will not affect its operations and plans to begin work in the March 2020. Maersks latest contract for offshore drilling in Egypt will not just benefit the company, but will have a direct impact on the growth of the overall market in the coming years. Quick Buy: Downhole Tools Market Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/checkout-page/102777 North America to Witness Significant Growth; Emphasis on Hydrocarbon Exploration Will Aid Growth The report analyzes the ongoing market trends across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. Among these regions, the market in North America is likely to emerge as the dominant region. The increasing emphasis on exploration of hydrocarbon reserves will aid the growth of the market in this region. Due to the high potential that hydrocarbons present, several large scale companies are focused on exploration of hydrocarbon and research activities associated with the same, with a bid to acquiring a wider consumer base. As of 2019, the market in North America was worth USD 1.47 billion and this value is projected to increase further in the coming years. Although the market will witness a slight downfall in 2019, newer opportunities will help the market recover after the coronavirus pandemic is brought under control. The market in Asia Pacific derives growth from the constantly rising population and the subsequently rising demand for oil and gas resources in numerous countries across this region. Industry Developments: April 2020: Maersk Drilling announced that it has received an early contract termination for two rigs. BG International Limited terminated the contract for the semi-submersible Maersk Developer with immediate effect. Major Table of Contents: Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions Executive Summary Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities Key Insights Key Emerging Trends For Major Countries Latest Technological Advancement Regulatory Landscape Industry SWOT Analysis Porters Five Forces Analysis Qualitative Analysis Impact of COVID-19 Impact of COVID-19 on the Oil and Gas Industry Steps Taken by Government to Overcome the Impact Key Developments in the Industry in Response to COVID-19 Potential Opportunity and Challenges due to Outbreak Global Downhole Tools Market Analysis (USD Billion), Insights and Forecast, 2016-2027 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Tool Type Drilling Tools Pressure & Flow Control Tools Handling Tools Impurity Control Tools Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Application Well Drilling Well Completion Well Intervention Well Production Formation & Evaluation Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Location Onshore Offshore Shallow Water Deepwater Ultra-Deepwater Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Region North America Latin America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa North America Downhole Tools Market Analysis (USD Billion), Insights and Forecast, 2016-2027 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Tool Type Drilling Tools Pressure & Flow Control Tools Handling Tools Impurity Control Tools Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Application Well Drilling Well Completion Well Intervention Well Production Formation & Evaluation Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Location Onshore Offshore Shallow Water Deepwater Ultra-Deepwater Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Country U.S. Canada TOC Continued! Speak To Our Analyst: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/downhole-tools-market-102777 Have a Look at Related Research Insights: Fuel Dispenser Market Size , Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Fuel Type (Petrol/Gasoline, Diesel, CNG, and Others), By Dispenser System (Submersible System and Suction System), By Flow Meter (Mechanical and Electronic), and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027 Digital Oilfield Market Size , Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Process (Production Optimization, Reservoir Optimization, Drilling Optimization, and Others), By Solution (Services, Software, and Hardware), By Application (Onshore and Offshore), and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027 Oilfield Integrity Management Market Size , Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Management Type (Monitoring System, Data Management, Corrosion Management, Planning, and Predictive Maintenance & Inspection), By Component Type (Hardware, Software, and Services), By Application (Onshore and Offshore Aerospace) and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027 Pipeline Integrity Management Market Size , Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Location (Onshore, Offshore), By Service (Inspection, Cleaning, Repair, and Refurbishment), and Regional Forecast, 2021-2028 Wireline Services Market Size , Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Well Type (Open Hole and Cased Hole), By Service (Electric Line and Slick Line), By Location (Onshore and Offshore), By Application (Well Completion, Well Intervention, and Well Logging), and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027 About Us: Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. We tailor innovative solutions for our clients, assisting them address challenges distinct to their businesses. Our goal is to empower our clients with holistic market intelligence, giving a granular overview of the market they are operating in. Our reports contain a unique mix of tangible insights and qualitative analysis to help companies achieve sustainable growth. Our team of experienced analysts and consultants use industry-leading research tools and techniques to compile comprehensive market studies, interspersed with relevant data. At Fortune Business Insights, we aim at highlighting the most lucrative growth opportunities for our clients. We therefore offer recommendations, making it easier for them to navigate through technological and market-related changes. Our consulting services are designed to help organizations identify hidden opportunities and understand prevailing competitive challenges. Contact Us: Email: sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com Fortune Business Insights LinkedIn | Twitter | Blogs NEW YORK, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Saturday, June 26th, RoxWind LLC, a Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company-owned project, invited the Town of Roxbury, ME and interested parties in neighboring communities to attend a turbine blade signing and dedication ceremony. Developed by Palmer Capital Corporation, Solaya Energy, and Horseshoe Valley Wind, the RoxWind wind farm is currently under construction on Roxburys North Twin Mountain. With the 220-foot turbine blades newly delivered to the site, local community members were invited to get a closer look and touch a turbine. The event included a dedication of the project to John G. Richardson, Jr., a member of Horseshoe Valley Wind, who passed away unexpectedly a year ago. In 1998, Richardson was elected to the Maine House of Representatives, where he served as the Majority Leader before becoming the 97th Speaker of the House in 2005. Subsequently, John was appointed Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development. After leaving government, John remained committed to service for the State of Maine. He partnered in multiple community development projects, including the RoxWind wind energy project. I cant think of a more appropriate way to commemorate the teamwork thats gone into this endeavor, said Richard Butt, CFO of Greenbacker Capital. The Town of Roxbury, we at Greenbacker, and the teams at Palmer, Horseshoe Valley Wind, and Solaya Energy have worked together to contribute to a renewable energy-powered future and expand Mainers access to clean, affordable energy. On behalf of our team, Palmer Capital, Solaya Energy and Horseshoe Valley Wind, we thank the many parties, especially the Town of Roxbury, for their support, coordination and collaboration to bring this project to this stage, Lindsay Deane-Mayer, project manager for the team, expressed in a joint statement from the development partners. In particular, we appreciate Greenbacker Renewable Energys cooperation in honoring our late business partner, John G. Richardson. John loved Maine, renewable energy and working with communities, so this project is a fitting capstone after his illustrious career in law, government, and community development. Our team looks forward to commissioning this project and we are certain that Greenbacker will continue its work with the local community to ensure its success. Located in Roxbury, Maine, RoxWind (15.3 megawatts) is contracted to sell electricity through long-term offtake agreements with four municipal utilities in New England. The project is expected to reach commercial operation during the third quarter of 2021. About Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC is a publicly reporting, non-traded limited liability energy company that acquires and manages income-generating renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, and other energy-related businesses. The projects in which we invest, such as solar and wind facilities, sell power under long-term contract to high credit worthy counterparties such as utilities, municipalities, and corporations. For more information, please visit www.greenbackercapital.com. This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made. Although Greenbacker believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that the expectations will be attained or that any deviation will not be material. Greenbacker undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement contained herein to conform to actual results or changes in its expectations. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/26005dcd-e25a-4ce5-891e-23639c085824 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2ad44497-5a0b-4d01-94b7-dccf6af2fc50 Media Contacts: Greenbacker: Jonlyn Freeman VP, Marketing (917) 499-2440 j.freeman@greenbackercapital.com Fort Lauderdale, Florida, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Splash Beverage Group , Inc. (NYSE American: SBEV) ("Splash" or the "Company"), a portfolio company of leading beverage brands, today announced that Southern Eagle Distributing , the leading beverage distributor in Floridas Treasure Coast, will market and distribute SALT Tequila to more than 2,000 retailers in its service territory this summer through numerous planned launch activities and events. When we acquired Copa di Vino, the leading producer of premium wine by the glass in the U.S., not only did we get an iconic brand, we got access to a network of retail locations, ecommerce outlets, and 82 Anheuser Busch distributors which are now adding other Splash products to their portfolios. Our investment thesis on Copa di Vino has proven highly effective and is a model for future transactions that we anticipate will drive our growth, stated Robert Nistico, CEO of Splash. SALT, a highly appealing brand serving one of the fastest-growing segments in spirits, will enhance Southern Eagles portfolio of over 700 alcoholic and non-alcoholic SKUs and were pleased to expand our business relationship with them. An Anheuser Busch distributor, Southern Eagle was founded by Peter W. Busch, a descendant of Adolphus Busch, a visionary brewer and founder of Anheuser-Busch. Now led by Peters son, Philip Busch, Southern Eagles 130,000 square foot facility houses its gold chip portfolio of brands including Copa di Vino, Budweiser, Corona, Modelo, and now SALT. A base of over 150 employees serves tens of thousands of retailers throughout Indian River, St Lucie, Martin, and Palm Beach counties along with Belle Glade, Clewiston and Pahokee. SALT Tequila is a naturally flavored 100% Blanco agave tequila with a clean and sweet taste and is grown, distilled, and bottled in the Jalisco, Mexico region. It is believed to be the first agave 80 proof flavored tequila on the market, currently offered in berry, citrus, and salted chocolate flavors. The SALT brand targets sales in one of the fastest-growing alcoholic beverage categories, with annual tequila consumption in the U.S. up by 14% and the growth of flavored spirits reaching 10-times that of unflavored. Follow Splash Beverage Group on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SplashBev About Splash Beverage Group, Inc. Splash Beverage Group specializes in manufacturing, distribution, sales & marketing of various beverages across multiple channels. SBEV operates in both the non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverage segments which they believe leverages efficiencies and dilutes risk. SBEV believes its business model is unique as it ONLY develops/accelerates brands it perceives to have highly visible pre-existing brand awareness or pure category innovation. Forward-Looking Statement This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of U.S. federal securities laws. Words such as expect, estimate, project, budget, forecast, anticipate, intend, plan, may, will, could, should, believes, predicts, potential, continue and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. These forward-looking statements and factors that may cause such differences include, without limitation, the risks disclosed in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 8, 2021, and in the Companys other filings with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any obligation to update or publicly announce any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Contact Information: Splashbeveragegroup.com info@splashbeveragegroup.com 954-745-5815 SOURCE: Splash Beverage Group, Inc. Attachment Aurora, Colo., July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For the tenth year in a row, U.S. News and World Report ranks UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, located on the Anschutz Medical Campus, as the No. 1 hospital in the state. U.S. News ranks UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies as the No. 2 hospital in Colorado and UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital at No. 4. U.S. News also ranks University of Colorado Hospital among the nations best in eight specialties including No. 2 in pulmonology & lung surgery (lung and respiratory care), a distinction it shares with National Jewish Health. Poudre Valley Hospital is nationally ranked by U.S. News in the specialty of orthopedics. The past year has tested every health care worker and hospital, and these rankings are a testament to the dedication and perseverance of UCHealths employees and providers in providing the very best care for our patients, said Elizabeth B. Concordia, UCHealth president and CEO. Quality, safety and an excellent experience for our patients are always UCHealths top priorities. Over the past year, University of Colorado Hospital has participated in 53 clinical trials related to COVID-19, leveraging its strong relationship with the CU School of Medicine to develop new treatments, vaccines and a better understanding of the virus. University of Colorado Hospital has also cared for more hospitalized patients with COVID-19 infections than any other hospital in the state. More than 3,300 patients have recovered and been able to leave University of Colorado Hospital to return to their homes or a post-acute care facility. Our staff members and providers are extremely dedicated, serving on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19. They have saved countless lives while maintaining excellent quality for all of our patients. The U.S. News rankings demonstrate the dedication and excellence of our patient care teams and the groundbreaking research led by CU School of Medicine faculty and UCHealth physicians, said University of Colorado Hospital President and CEO Chris Gessner. University of Colorado Hospitals eight ranked specialties are: Pulmonology and Lung Surgery Rheumatology Diabetes and Endocrinology Gastroenterology and GI Surgery Ear, Nose and Throat Rehabilitation Urology Cancer We are honored to provide the most advanced care for lung and breathing conditions to patients throughout Colorado, the region, and across the nation, said Dr. Robert Meguid, cardiothoracic surgeon at University of Colorado Hospital and associate professor at CU School of Medicine. Having this nationally ranked program with cutting-edge capabilities in Colorado means our patients dont need to travel out of the Rocky Mountain Region to get the outstanding care they deserve. As Colorados only adult academic medical center, University of Colorado Hospital provides clinical trials and innovative treatments through a strong partnership with the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. Faculty from the CU School of Medicine are renowned experts in their fields and drive the quality recognized by the U.S. News rankings. The annual Best Hospitals rankings, now in its 32nd year, are designed to assist patients and their doctors in making informed decisions. For the 2021-22 rankings, U.S. News evaluated more than 4,500 medical centers nationwide in 15 specialties and 17 procedures and conditions. For the full list of Colorado hospital rankings, visit health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings. About UCHealth UCHealth is an innovative, nonprofit health system that delivers the highest quality medical care with an excellent patient experience. UCHealth includes over 26,000 employees, 12 acute-care full-service hospitals and hundreds of physicians across Colorado, southern Wyoming and western Nebraska. With University of Colorado Hospital on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus as its academic anchor and the only adult academic medical center in the region, UCHealth is dedicated to providing unmatched patient care in the Rocky Mountain West. Offering more than 150 clinic locations, UCHealth pushes the boundaries of medicine, providing advanced treatments and clinical trials and improving health through innovation. Attachments Washington D.C., July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Washington, D.C. The International Code Council the leading global source of model codes and standards and building safety solutions launched its Code on a Mission challenge today which aims to have over a third of the U.S. population covered by the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) by the end of 2023. To make this a reality, the Code Council is challenging the building industry and communities alike to update their building energy codes to meet or exceed the requirements of the 2021 IECC. Already industry leaders like Architecture 2030, the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT), Energy Efficient Codes Coalition (EECC), Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP), National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and Responsible Energy Codes Alliance (RECA) have shown their support for the initiative. As communities race to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increase energy efficiency, modern and innovative energy codes are essential. Recognizing the increasing need for impactful tools and resources, the 2021 IECC incorporates significant improvements for both residential and commercial buildings over the 2018 edition including: Increased insulation requirements and reduced fenestration U-factors and solar heat gain coefficients for both residential and commercial provisions. New mechanical ventilation testing and exterior lighting requirements for residential buildings. Lower ERI path values and additional energy reduction requirements in the residential requirements. Updated mechanical equipment efficiency requirements, new provisions for data centers and plant growth lighting, and increased lighting efficacy and decreased lighting power density requirements for commercial buildings. Zero energy appendices for jurisdictions wishing to implement zero energy building requirements today. On July 21, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released its final determination finding that the residential provisions of the 2021 IECC provide a 9.4% improvement in energy use and an 8.7% improvement in carbon emissions over the 2018 IECC, saving homeowners an average of $2,320 over the life of a typical mortgage. Since 2006, the IECC has provided an approximately 40% improvement in energy efficiency, meaning that residents in states and cities on older IECC editions would see far greater savings. The Department has also released data on energy, cost and GHG reductions each state and many cities could achieve by adopting the 2021 IECC, which are available here. With the zero-energy building goals set forth by the U.S. Administration for new construction by 2030 and 2050 for all buildings, it is imperative that national, state and local governments incorporate energy codes to meet their GHG reduction objectives and align with these goals. Additionally, states and localities have set either GHG reduction goals or established zero-energy building targets that will require an alignment with modern energy codes. Currently, per the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 14 states have adopted codes that are at least 20% less efficient than the current IECC while another ten states have no statewide energy code adopted. Reducing societys GHG emissions is no longer a nice-to-do but rather a critical necessity, and governments, communities and the building industry as a whole are increasingly recognizing the contributions of buildings, said Ryan Colker, Vice President of Innovation at the International Code Council. Luckily, modern and innovative model building codes like the IECC have already been developed to significantly curb emissions and help achieve zero-energy buildings. We urge national, state and local governments to accept our challenge and members of the building industry to support code updates. Please visit iccsafe.org/iecc-on-a-mission: For more information on the Code on a Mission campaign. To learn more about the benefits of the adoption and implementation of the 2021. To report an adoption of a code that meets or exceeds the 2021 IECC. To become a mission supporter or to access adoption resources. About the International Code Council The International Code Council is the leading global source of model codes and standards and building safety solutions. Code Council codes, standards and solutions are used to ensure safe, affordable and sustainable communities and buildings worldwide. Attachment New York, NY, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Busie Matsiko-Andan, an award-winning global strategist and entrepreneur, and a Berkeley College alumna, will join the Berkeley College Board of Trustees for a term that extends through 2023. Matsiko-Andan holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Management from Berkeley. We are pleased to welcome Busie to the Berkeley College Board of Trustees, said Kevin L. Luing, Chairman, Berkeley College Board of Trustees. Busie, who was alumna of the year in 2011, understands the mission of Berkeley College and is a standout example of how a degree from Berkeley can lead to an impactful career, said Luing. Busie also brings an international perspective that complements the Colleges global stature. It is an honor to serve Berkeley College students. said Matsiko-Andan. A college education can change the trajectory of your future. Born in South Africa to Ugandan and South African parents, Matsiko-Andan said she was drawn to Berkeley College because the institution provided an environment where students of diverse backgrounds could thrive. At Berkeley, I could be my authentic self. My advice to students is to be authentic. Authenticity, dreaming big, and hard work are key to achieving your goals. Once you practice these you are unstoppable and can be anything you want to be. There are no limits to your dreams. At Berkeley College, Matsiko-Andan was a stellar student. She was a member of the International Honor Society and active in student government and volunteer community service initiatives. She said that throughout her life, her volunteerism has set her apart as a professional and an individual. Soon after earning her degree from Berkeley College in 2004, Matsiko-Andan emerged as a fashion influencer, co-founding one of the first fashion-technology companies, Fashion Indie, which was acquired by Nylon magazine. She has been a leader in diaspora affairs for more than 20 years, and has been recognized by the African Union for her efforts in diversity and inclusion. Most recently, Matsiko-Andan serves as Founder and CEO of Pont Global, a boutique management firm focused on helping women, and Executive Director of the Africa Future Summit. The Africa Future Summit is one of the worlds most iconic summits that brings together an active network of investors, tech entrepreneurs, celebrities, political leaders, and business moguls. Each year, the program gathers 1,000 pioneers from across Africa and around the world to address the challenges that impact Africas future. Matsiko-Andan is also the creator of RESET, a platform for thought leaders to discuss business strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Matsiko-Andan and her initiatives have been featured in Businessweek, Forbes, Fortune, the New York Post, the New York Daily News, Womens Wear Daily, and other national and international publications. She is married with three daughters and lives in Long Island. Berkeley College celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2021. The theme commemorating this milestone is Empowering Lives for 90 Years! Visit the 90th Anniversary webpage for more information. About Berkeley College Berkeley College, founded in 1931, is a career-focused institution accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education that offers students Masters, Bachelors, and Associates degree and Certificate programs in more than 20 career fields. The College also offers continuing education programs to enhance career credentials. Berkeley College has campuses in Midtown Manhattan and White Plains, NY, as well as in Newark, Paramus, Woodbridge, and Woodland Park, NJ, with more than 4,900 students enrolled. In addition, Berkeley College Online serves a global population. U.S. News & World Report has named Berkeley College among the Best Colleges for Online Bachelors Programs and among the Best Online Bachelors Programs for Veterans, for eight consecutive years. The website address is www.BerkeleyCollege.edu. The mission of Berkeley College is to empower students to achieve lifelong success in dynamic careers. - end - To view this release in the Berkeley College News Room, click here: https://berkeleycollege.edu/newsroom/2021/07/berkeley-college-names-global-strategist-and-entrepreneur-busie-matsiko-andan-to-board-of-trustees.html Attachment NEW YORK, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Multiplying Good announced it will host the 49th annual Jefferson Awards, on Thursday, September 30, 2021, at 7:30 PM ET. The event celebrates extraordinary service to others performed by notable public figures and Multiplying Good program participants. All honorees have made a commitment to service that has resulted in positive transformation in their community. Presented online, the Jefferson Awards will bring together supporters, past award recipients, and service champions. The event will be an opportunity to see a collection of inspiring stories that celebrate the power of service to others. Viewers will hear remarks from Multiplying Good CEO Hillary Schafer, Board Member and event host Norah ODonnell, and more. Multiplying Good will also host a virtual red carpet on Instagram at 6:30 PM ET. For nearly 50 years, the Jefferson Awards has elevated the good that is happening all around us, said Hillary Schafer, CEO of Multiplying Good. When we celebrate service on our biggest stage, those stories echo across the nation, reaching thousands of Americans and inspiring them into action. Multiplying Good will present Jefferson Awards in a variety of categories: DeAndre Brown, Executive Director of Lifeline to Success, will be recognized with the Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged. Working with the formerly incarcerated population means working with individuals who have been silenced and in a lot of ways invisible, explained Brown. As much as this award is a celebration of what Ive done, it confirms that more people see the contributions our clients are having in their communities. Joan Ganz Cooney, co-founder of Sesame Workshop, will receive the Jefferson Award for Lifetime Achievement in Public Service. At Sesame Workshop, we have always believed that bringing children lessons of kindness is absolutely as important as teaching them letters and numbers, said Cooney. This award reflects our efforts over more than 50 years to help children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder, helping them to develop the generosity of spirit recognized by Multiplying Good. I am humbled to receive this honor on behalf of Sesame Workshop and the children and families we serve. Dr. Anthony Fauci will receive the US Senator John Heinz Award for Outstanding Public Service by an Elected or Appointed Official for his decades-long career as the Director of NIAID. In his role, Dr. Fauci oversees an extensive research portfolio of basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases such as HIV/AIDS, respiratory infections, diarrheal diseases, tuberculosis, and malaria. Multiplying Good will present the Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service by a Corporation to JUST Goods Inc., the company behind sustainable water brand JUST Water. Co-founded by Drew Fitzgerald and Jaden Smith, JUST empowers people to make the world cleaner and healthier by providing sustainable products, that reduce the impact humans have on the planet. At JUST, we believe everyone deserves a healthy planet, body, and life, said Kara Rubin, Vice President, Brand & Product Strategy at JUST. For us, that begins with responsibly sourced spring water and ends with helping others make a positive impact on the environment. Were honored to be recognized for that and hope to inspire others to pass the goodness along. The Samuel S. Beard Award for Outstanding Public Service by an Individual(s) 35 & Under will be presented to Margot Bellon & Isabel Wang, founders of Bridging Tech, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bridging the digital divide. When we set out to make access to technology more equitable, winning an award was the furthest thing from our minds, Bellon and Wang said. It feels amazing to have our work recognized, and we hope it helps bring more attention to the inequities so many families experiencing homelessness face when accessing technology. Jess Ladd, founder of Callisto, a nonprofit creating technology to combat sexual assault, support survivors, and advance justice, will receive the S. Roger Horchow Award for Outstanding Public Service by a Private Citizen. Multiplying Good will also be present Jefferson Awards to its program participants who have demonstrated a high level of impact through service. Top youth service teams from the Students In Action (SIA) service leadership program will receive the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Jefferson Awards. Multiplying Good will present two Bronze awards for the first time, a decision made after a tie was calculated during the judging of the SIA youth service projects. Throughout the past year and a half, youth have risen to meet the challenges of a global pandemic, increasing racial tensions, and remote learning, explained Sarah Fanslau, Vice President of Youth Programs. Their service projects have facilitated sustainable and measurable solutions for some of the biggest issues facing their communities. Multiplying Good will present the Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service by an Employee to an employee representing one of the companies participating in its Recognition Champion program. Additionally, dozens of local media outlets participating in the Multiplying Good Media Partner program have chosen grassroots unsung heroes to represent their communities during the awards. Five of them will receive the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for Outstanding Public Service Benefiting Local Communities. Our programs help individuals discover just how much they can do to make the country a better place, explained Kelly Woolf, Chief Impact Officer at Multiplying Good. The Jefferson Award gives those participants the opportunity to celebrate the impact theyve had on others and to reflect on the value service brings to their own lives. The Jefferson Awards is the nations largest and longest-running awards ceremony honoring public service. About Multiplying Good Multiplying Good is a national nonprofit that believes in the power of service to others to unleash potential, inspire individuals, and transform lives. Multiplying Good fuels personal growth and leadership development through a continuum that starts with engagement and culminates in recognition. It has offices in 11 communities across the country, delivering on-the-ground impact where it is needed most. Founded in 1972 by Sam Beard, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and Senator Robert Taft, Jr., the organization has recognized the extraordinary public service of thousands with its Jefferson Award. To learn more, visit MultiplyingGood.org or follow Multiplying Good on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Attachment Gloucester, MA (01930) Today A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 74F. W winds shifting to SSE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Cloudy skies. Low 61F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. PAUL BILODEAU/Staff file photo. The City Council will be briefed on the latest developments regarding plans to build a new elementary school on the grounds of the current Veterans Memorial Elementary School and Mattos Field, pictured. An explosion and fire at a Town of Barton residence is still under investigation, but evidence suggests the explosion was related to natural gas. Preliminary damage estimates are believed to exceed $300,000 and the home and its contents appear to be a total loss. 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. Dutch GP organisers are continuing to fend off the doubters and push ahead with preparations for a full house of 105,000 spectators per day in early September. That is despite the fact that government authorities, concerned about rising covid numbers, have now reiterated the widespread ban on multi-day festivals until at least September 1. "The Dutch GP is a sporting event, and therefore does not fall under the regulation of multi-day music festivals," a spokesperson for the Zandvoort race organisers told De Limburger. "As an organiser, we rely on the rules and conditions that the national government sets for us," the official clarified. "But we assume that the current government measures will have the desired effect and that the same measures can be released after August 13 for professionally-organised sporting events." A further government update on the matter is reportedly expected in mid-August. (GMM) Nyck de Vries has emerged as a contender for the Williams race seat in 2022. It is rumoured that Mercedes-powered Williams could be on the lookout for a highly-respected driver to replace George Russell, who is linked with a promotion to the works Mercedes team. Also mentioned in connection with that seat are Valtteri Bottas, Daniil Kvyat and Nico Hulkenberg. But the highly-influential Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, who has placed Dutchman de Vries, 26, alongside Stoffel Vandoorne at Mercedes' Formula E team, has now declared that both of them "deserve" a seat in Formula 1. "I would like to see him (de Vries) in F1," said Kees van de Grint, a former F1 engineer who is well known for working with Michael Schumacher during Ferrari's Bridgestone era. "He is a great talent, but his career took a dip," the Dutchman told RTL GP Slipstream. "But in recent years he has shown once again why people expressed so much hope about him." Indeed, de Vries is currently leading the Formula E standings - but van de Grint takes issue with Wolff's complaint that the big issue is a lack of available F1 seats. "Nyck should be given a chance, but Wolff was the one who was in favour of keeping the $200 million entry fee for new teams," he insisted. "As a result, there are now no extra teams to place drivers like Nyck. But there is hope, because of all the open seats, two of them have a Mercedes engine." (GMM) Bay Area coffee shop Farley's is adding itself to the list of local restaurants that were approved for a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration's Restaurant Revitalization Fund this year only to find the amount rescinded because of a lawsuit over whether the selection process was discriminatory. News agency Reuters has been following Farley's two locations, Farley's SF and Farley's East, since March 2020, when the first COVID-19 shutdowns hit, tracking the ups and downs the cafe has faced over the past year (much like many restaurants and bars have seen during the pandemic). Things seemed to be looking up for the 32-year business when owners Amy and Chris Hillyard learned in May that they were to receive $381,000 from the fund. They had previously received two Paycheck Protection Program loans in the past 16 months, and this latest amount was meant to help the cafe pay back some debt, hire new staff and replace a broken freezer (among other things), just "to get back to normal" by September, Chris Hillyard told Reuters. Instead, after weeks of wondering where the money was, by late June the couple learned they would not be receiving the money because of a recent court ruling. What had happened during that time was that shortly after the Restaurant Revitalization Fund announced that it would be offering grants to businesses impacted by the pandemic in early May, two lawsuits were filed over the selection process for the funds, which prioritized women, people of color, veterans and other socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. The lawsuits alleged the selection process was discriminatory against white business owners and unconstitutional, and by June 11, the SBA was not allowed to distribute money to already approved applicants like Farley's or the famed Buena Vista Cafe. Those two businesses were approved for grants because Farley's is majority-owned by a woman (Amy Hillyard has a larger share in the cafe) and Buena Vista's owner, Bob Freeman, is a veteran. Following the court ruling, an estimated 2,964 restaurants received emails saying their grant was "fully canceled," according to Reuters. More than 278,000 businesses applied for grants from the $28.6 billion secured for restaurants from the pandemic relief packaged passed by the government in March. Approximately 101,000 businesses received grants varying in size from $1,000 to $10 million. To read more about Farley's and the state of the SBA fund, head to Reuters.com. SFGATE reporter Madeline Wells contributed to this report. GREENWICH A Port Chester, N.Y., man is facing a felony charge after he was accused of breaking into a home and stealing a laptop computer. Asbel Isaias Juarez, 27, of Oak Street, was charged Monday with first-degree burglary, larceny and disorderly conduct. According to the arrest report, Juarez used a plastic card to pry open a door at a Harold Avenue residence in the Chickahominy section of town around 2:30 a.m. The report stated the the suspect hid in the residence for a time. Police were contacted later in the morning. The arrestee later confessed to breaking in and entering the victims residence, and later stealing her laptop in a sworn written statement, according to the police report. Bail was set at $10,000, and unable to post it, Juarez was being held in custody Tuesday. Around 50 to 60 residential burglaries are reported to Greenwich police every year. There were 48 reported break-ins documented in 2018 and 65 in 2019, according to the latest statistics provided to the FBI. A major burglary ring that was targeting homes in Greenwich and Long Island, N.Y., was broken up in 2019. In recent weeks, three local pharmacies have been the target of thieves looking to steal pills, according to Greenwich police. GREENWICH Many donors have already rolled up their sleeves to give this summer, but the American Red Cross said it continues to experience a severe blood shortage. Donors are needed to ensure that blood is available for patients in need of lifesaving care this month, the Metro N.Y. North chapter of the Red Cross said in a statement. Donors of all blood types especially type O are urged to make an appointment to give now. The Red Cross said it needs to collect more than 1,000 additional blood donations each day to meet current demand as hospitals respond to an unusually high number of traumas and emergency room visits, organ transplants and elective surgeries. There is an urgent need for blood, in large part due to the pandemic, but also, this time of year is often a time of need because of people going on vacation, said Gary Silberberg of Intriguing Realty of Greenwich, who helps to run a blood drive every other month in town. This drive has become the most productive drive in the State of Connecticut, and we have our many Greenwich donors to thank for that. We must continue to support this life-saving program, he said. The following local blood drives are scheduled: July 28: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Knights of Columbus, 37 W. Putnam Ave., Greenwich. July 30: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Stamford Church of Christ, 1264 High Ridge Road. Aug 2: 3 to 7 p.m. at Temple Sholom, 300 E. Putnam Ave., Greenwich. As a thank-you, all who come to give before the end of July will receive a $10 Amazon.com Gift Card via email as well as automatic entry for a chance to win gas for a year (terms and conditions apply) and for a chance to win a trip for four to Cedar Point or Knotts Berry Farm. In most cases, those who have received a COVID-19 vaccine can donate. However, knowing the name of the manufacturer of the vaccine they received is important in determining donation eligibility. Donors who give now will help stock the shelves for the rest of the summer season. Donors are asked to schedule an appointment prior to arriving at the drive. To make an appointment, use the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS 1-800-733-2767 or enable the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device. To donate blood, individuals must bring a blood donor card or drivers license or two other forms of identification. Individuals who are 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. For more information, visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Monday he planned to meet with House and Senate leaders about growing calls to allow schools to require face masks as the state reported 23 more deaths from COVID-19. The Republican governor said he planned to discuss the issue Tuesday with the GOP leaders of the state House and Senate, following calls from Democratic lawmakers and others to lift a state law banning mask mandates by state and local governments. The Little Rock School Board on Monday night passed a resolution urging a change in the law so districts could decide whether to require students and employees wear masks. I think from a conservative standpoint you certainly could make make the point that local school districts ought to be able to make their own decisions as to what is the best health of their students," Hutchinson told a town hall forum on vaccinations in Mountain Home. Arkansas' virus cases have been surging in recent weeks, fueled by the delta variant and the state's low vaccination rate. The state's deaths rose to 6,077. The number of people hospitalized rose by 61 to 980. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Chancellor Dr. Cam Patterson tweeted that the hospital had 66 COVID-19 patients, surpassing the record it reached in January when it had 63. The state's virus cases increased by 621 to 375,971. The rolling average number of daily new cases in the state has increased by 161% over the past two weeks, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University researchers. Only 36% of the state's population is fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hutchinson, who has been touring the state encouraging people to get the shots, received an at-times hostile reception during his latest town hall Monday. At one point, state epidemiologist Jennifer Dillaha was shouted at when she said there's no evidence the vaccine causes infertility. I think it's important for people to have factual, accurate information," she said. Hutchinson continued urging people to talk with their doctors or other health professionals about the vaccine. Hutchinson in April signed the legislation banning mask mandates by local or state governments, a month after he lifted Arkansas' statewide mask requirement. Senate President Jimmy Hickey said he thinks there's openness among lawmakers to revisiting the issue for schools, but said there's uncertainty of how to do it and whether there are enough votes to enact such a change quickly. Ive heard a lot of interest in probably allowing the local schools just that option," Hickey said. Hickey said one possibility is issue being addressed through the governor's emergency powers under a new state law that expanded the Legislature's say over disaster declarations and directives. Hutchinson allowed the state's emergency declaration because of the pandemic to expire at the end of May. Shepherd said he's still discussing the topic with colleagues, but noted that the ban on mask mandates passed by a large margin. I think it still remains to be seen as to whether theres been a significant change where the membership of the House is on this point," Shepherd said. SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) Western powers should adopt a new approach to promoting reconciliation in politically fragmented Bosnia to prevent nativist leaders from turning the Balkan country into a deserted wasteland, according to the top international overseer of a 1995 peace agreement. Austrian diplomat Valentin Inzko, who is stepping down next week as the U.N.'s high representative in Bosnia, said he thinks a hands-off attitude the international community adopted a little more than a decade ago to promote local autonomy has failed to produce the intended unity, in part because Bosnian political leaders are not sincere. When they speak about European values, this is just sometimes empty talk. For example, in the area of the rule of law. Nobody from the politicians is taking this seriously, the rule of law issue...Most of the politicians do not want to have the rule of law, Inzko said during an interview with The Associated Press on Monday. The new approach should be more prescriptive; it should be more robust, and there must be a sense of urgency, he added. The Office of the High Representative, which Inzko has led since 2009, was charged with shepherding the implementation of the peace agreement that ended Bosnia's devastating 1992-95 interethnic war. The U.S.-brokered Dayton agreement established two separate governing entities in Bosnia one run by Bosnias Serbs and another one dominated by the countrys Bosniaks, who are mostly Muslims, and Croats. The two entities are linked by joint institutions, and all actions taken at a national level have to be reached by consensus of the three ethnic groups. In the immediate post-war years, the international community kept Bosnia on a reform course, pressuring its leaders to accept painful compromises in return for financial and other support. Inzkos predecessors used the broad powers the peace agreement gave the high representative to impose laws or dismiss officials who undermined the fragile post-war ethnic balance, including judges, civil servants, and members of parliament. But by 2009, the international community decided that the presence of the Office of the High Representative has to be scaled down, that there should be less Dayton and more Brussels, Inzko said, using a common phrase for a policy intended to give Bosnian leaders more ownership of the country's future and a task to deliver clearly prescribed reforms to secure the nation's eventual membership in the European Union. Instead, the policy has spectacularly failed, the diplomat said. Throughout his time in Bosnia, Inzko said, the state's joint institutions were under attack constantly. We tried this (for the) last 12 years, to have more local ownershipIt was not so glorious, Inzko said, adding: Actually, it was quite wrong what happened, so I started to defend state institutions, like the state itself, like the state constitutional court and other state institutions. Since 2015, Bosnian Serbs have challenge the authority of Bosnias Constitutional Court, but Inzko fought off their repeated attempts to expel three foreign judges, elected by the European Court of Human Rights, who serve on its bench under the terms of the peace agreement. Bosnian Serbs, in particular, have used the international step-back to call into question the countrys continued existence and to stoke ethnic tensions by downplaying or denying the crimes committed by their ethnic kin during the war. But political elites of all ethnic stripes have gladly taken control of all levers of government for the benefit of their partisan loyalists. Half a million people have left (Bosnia) in the last 15 years, many of them are the brightest, and we do not want to have this country to be an empty country where just politicians live and pensioners, retired people, Inzko said. We cannot afford to do nothing. With the time of his tenure running out, Inzko last week used the full authority of his office to outlaw genocide denial and the glorification of war criminals in Bosnia. He imposed changes to the criminal code that call for prison sentences of up to five years for individuals convicted of those crimes. It was the first time in 12 years he had gotten to use the high representative's so-called Bonn powers. In response, Bosnian Serbs have pledged to block decision-making in the countrys institutions. Warning of the growing influence of China and Russia, which largely support the divisive Bosnian Serb leaders and want to see the Office of the High Representative abolished, Inzko said, There is not much time left. I would really like to beg the European Union to inject a sense of urgency into this issue because people cannot wait forever. (The EU membership) perspective is too far away.The situation on the ground is not improving. Inzko nevertheless expressed confidence in his successor, German diplomat Christian Schmidt, and in Bosnia, where he said ordinary people live together, they cooperate.This is functioning. Schmidt was appointed in May as the next high representative by the Ambassadors of the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council, the international body guiding Bosnias peace process, and is scheduled to take over the position on Aug. 1. PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) Authorities in Haiti arrested a top official who served as general security coordinator when President Jovenel Moise was assassinated, his attorney told The Associated Press on Monday. Jean Laguel Civil joins more than two dozen suspects arrested by Haiti National Police as the investigation continues into the July 7 attack at Moise's private home. Civil's attorney, Reynold Georges, called his client's arrest politically motivated. It wasn't immediately clear if Civil had been charged with anything. The arrest comes as more than 1,000 demonstrators gathered around one of Haiti's most notorious gang leaders to commemorate Moise. The crowd was mostly dressed in white as they cheered on Jimmy Cherizier, a former police officer who now leads G9, a federation of nine gangs that officials have blamed for a spike in violence and kidnappings in recent months. Everyone needs to wait on my order before we respond to the killing of Jovenel Moise, said Cherizier, who goes by the name of Barbecue" and whom police say is behind several recent massacres that targeted civilians living in communities run by other gangs. He was wearing a white suit and black tie as he spoke to the crowd at the seaside slum of La Saline in the capital of Port-au-Prince. A nearby truck played music as Cherizier knelt down before a large portrait of Moise and began to light candles. No justice, no peace! he said. Earlier, the crowd sang as they made a circle around a bonfire and threw salt into it as part of a ceremony to honor Moise. Many had their faces covered so as not to be identified. Moise was shot several times during a July 7 attack in which his wife was seriously injured. At least 26 people have been arrested, including 18 former Colombian soldiers. Police are still looking for various suspects, including a former rebel leader and an ex-Haitian senator. On Monday, they identified another suspect: Haiti Superior Court Judge Windelle Coq Thelot. WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden on Tuesday nominated Julissa Reynoso, the chief of staff to first lady Jill Biden and a former ambassador, to serve as his ambassador to Spain and Andorra. Reynoso has also served as the co-chair of the White House Gender Policy Council, a role that has her advocating on behalf of women and girls in the U.S. and around the globe. She is expected to remain in her current role until she is confirmed by the Senate. A successor has not been named, according to the first lady's spokesman Michael LaRosa. The first lady said when she met Reynoso in 2019 they immediately clicked. We stayed in touch, and I knew if we came to the White House, that I wanted her as my Chief of Staff," Jill Biden said in a statement. "Shes been exceptional and an incredible leader and friend. Given her experience and her heart, I can think of no one better than Julissa to represent us in Spain and Andorra." Reynoso served as an ambassador to Uruguay and a senior State Department official during the Obama-Biden administration. She was already being considered for a top job at the State Department when the first lady recruited her to join her team. During the early going of the administration, Reynoso has been by the first lady's side as she traveled to more than 25 states and made two trips overseas. She's also helped the first lady, who has served a key voice in the administration's public push to urge Americans to get COVID-19 vaccinations, develop her messaging. The West Wing has also leaned on Reynoso. She was tapped by Biden to co-lead the Gender Policy Council. The council was started after Trump disbanded an office created during the Obama administration that was called the White House Council on Women and Girls. Earlier this year, she was dispatched to serve as part of a White House delegation to the U.S.-Mexico border visiting a facility where unaccompanied migrant children were being temporarily housed. The visit came amid criticism over the Biden administration's handling of a surge of young migrants coming to the border. RENSSELAER Republican Mayor Michael Stammel wielded his line-item veto on the $15.55 million city budget approved by the Democratic City Council, setting up a veto override at a council meeting Wednesday night. Stammel delivered on his promise to use his veto power on the budget. The mayor essentially restored his $15.04 million proposed budget for the citys 2021-2022 fiscal year that starts Aug. 1. Stammel cut the $502,500 in additional spending the council had added based on $502,500 in federal American Rescue Funds that were not included in the mayors proposed budget. In his veto messages, Stammel said the amendments were not attached, and then went through the councils adopted budget line by line in vetoing certain funding and spending features. The mayor said he vetoed the federal aid as it should have been place in the capital fund instead of the general fund since the city will have more than a year to spend it. He also said the city will now be receiving $468,394 instead of the original $502,500. Common Council President John DeFrancesco said the council and the mayor disagree on how to spend the money. DeFrancesco said the council will vote Wednesday night to override Stammels veto and restore its budget. The same events unfolded last summer when Stammel vetoed the councils budget and council unanimously reject his veto. The council adopted a $15.5 million budget that increased spending by $1.1 million, or 7.9 percent. The projected tax increase is 1.73 percent raising the tax rate to $54.69 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Stammel's proposed budget increased spending by $636,332 or 4.42 percent over the 2020-2021 budget. Stammel's budget proposed the same tax hike of 1.73 percent. Millions of dollars are in the pipeline for higher education in Southwestern Connecticut for colleges and universities to strengthen their mental health workforce. Congressman Jim Himes (D-Conn.) announced Monday that local colleges and universities will receive more than $4.9 million through federal grants to educate and train behavioral health professionals. The Connecticut schools that applied for the funds include Fairfield, Sacred Heart and University of Bridgeport. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the number of Americans experiencing difficulties with mental health, said Himes. As our communities move past COVID-19, a lot of the trauma remains, which is why ensuring there are enough mental health professionals in our area is more urgent than ever. Himes said he was pleased to see federal dollars come to the district for such a worthy cause. Im committed to increasing federal funding to address the mental health crisis, he said. Housed within the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program aims to increase the quantity and quality of behavioral health professionals and in strengthening the workforce, promote access to mental health services, too. The program prioritizes children and youth who are at risk for behavioral health disorders, according to a press release from the congressmans office. Himes cited data that last year saw a nearly 30 percent increase in drug-overdose deaths, partially from pandemic-induced stress without adequate support. He said a lack of mental health workers contributed to that lack of assistance. Christine Siegel, provost of Fairfield University, said in a statement that the grant will support a diverse student population in our excellent graduate mental health programs and contribute to the well-being of individuals and families in Bridgeport and other local communities. Julie Berrett-Abebe, an assistant professor in Fairfields family therapy and social work program, said the priority for the funding was to train mental health providers so that we can deploy them to the most high-need areas, and also train them in these integrated models of care. Berrett-Abebe, who wrote the grant application, said Fairfield plans to use $1.6 million to train more than 100 pre-professionals over four years. The students come from four programs: social work, marriage and family therapy, psychiatric nurse practitioners and clinical mental health counseling. Were bringing together professionals from different disciplines, Berrett-Abebe said, a skill applicable to the workplace. About 60 percent of the grant will go directly to students as stipends, she said. Much of the rest is earmarked for specialized training on campus, and internships and other work with local partners in Greater Bridgeport. Faculty will benefit from professional development, too, including in emerging areas of the field such as telehealth. At Sacred Heart University, the School of Social Work was awarded $1.8 million over four years. The program, titled Making IMPACTS: Integrating Mental Health into Primary Care: Training for Social Work, will increase access to quality behavioral health services among under-served and high need areas and populations, said Victoria Osborne-Leute, an assistant professor from Sacred Hearts social work school. Osborne-Leute said in the press release Sacred Heart will use the funds to develop and expand field placements and internships, and to build a workforce with local partners in behavioral and primary care. The social work program will also collaborate with Sacred Hearts master of public health, physician assistant, and volunteer and service learning programs. The University of Bridgeports share totaled $1.5 million over the next few years. Allison Buller, the project director at UB, said the university will use the grant to confront the post-pandemic mental health crisis. This grant will enable UBs Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program to supply the region with counselors trained to deliver trauma-informed, evidence-based therapy, said Buller. Students within the program can learn cutting-edge therapies, Buller said, through Radically Prepared! A Project to Develop a Skillful Resilient Professional Counselor Workforce for Southern Connecticut. Training covered includes motivational interviewing, dialectical behavioral therapy skills, and Circle of Security parenting, she said. These skills will also help students focus on their own health and wellness, Buller added. Pre-professionals will also receive $10,000 stipends during their internships from the federal sum. With this sizable funding, UB will be able to become a center for distributing these innovative treatments to the Greater Bridgeport community, said Buller. There are 54 drug recognition experts dispersed across Connecticut, and the number of these specially trained police officers could dramatically increase next year in response to the states legalization of recreational marijuana. There is no chemical-based, roadside test for marijuana as there is with alcohol and no tube through which a driver can blow. So, police officers have to rely on training to determine if a driver is under the influence, and drivers must comply with the officers request. This used to be voluntary, said Kevin Geraci, a South Windsor police officer who is among those training DREs on behalf of the state Department of Transportation. A subject arrested for impaired driving where the officer suspected drugs, they didn't have to do this evaluation, it was strictly voluntary, with no repercussions for them refusing to do it. Now with the new legislation, they're required to take it and there could be penalties for refusing. Current law does not allow the state to suspend the license of drug-impaired drivers who do not have an elevated blood-alcohol level. But the new legislation, which takes effect in April 2022, allows a drivers license to be suspended based on evidence of behavioral impairment, according to an Office of Legislative Research analysis. And if a driver refuses to be evaluated by a DRE, the officers testimony can be used and admitted as evidence in a criminal court. Because there is no chemical-based field test for marijuana, the testimony of those DREs is admissible as evidence in court, as it has been since Connecticut began training DREs in 2011. DRE training is the highest level of drug-related education an officer can receive, according to Geraci. It's a pretty intensive training course, he said. We kind of tout that it's probably one of the more difficult courses in law enforcement to take. DREs are located in each of the states counties, including in Greenwich, Norwalk, Clinton, East Haven, Torrington, Shelton, Newtown, Wallingford, Wolcott, New Milford and several Connecticut State Police Troops. The state Department of Motor Vehicles employs a DRE, as does the University of Connecticut for its Storrs campus. Agencies without DRE-trained officers will request one from a neighboring town as needed. In the long run, we'd like to do a call-out program where DREs can be requested to respond, Geraci said. If an agency needs a DRE, they would go to a website and request a DRE and then all the DREs would get a page saying, Hey, you know, Avon is looking for a DRE. Does anybody want it? Sure. And then you would go out and respond. DREs are not the officers pulling over drivers. All police officers are trained to administer a standard field sobriety test, which only covers alcohol. They will shine a light back and forth and check the drivers eyes, ask the person to walk and turn and to stand on one leg. Those are the three tests that patrol officers will utilize for all impaired drivers, Geraci said. The next step is Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement, known by its acronym, ARIDE. Thats a two-day class designed to teach officers to determine if a driver is under the influence of a drug. They're not looking specifically for one or two different things. It's a totality of everything, Geraci said. Your vehicle operation, their personal contact. Are they dropping documents? Are they fumbling? Do they have bloodshot eyes? Do they smell like alcohol or marijuana or another substance? Is there a residue all over their mouth because they just inhaled gold spray paint? The goal, according to Robert Klin, who runs the DRE program for the state Department of Transportation, is to have as many ARIDE-trained officers as possible. The goal is to get everybody coming out of the academy ARIDE training, he said. But when there is reason to question the arresting officers determination if, for example, a suspects blood-alcohol level is lower at the police station than it was in the field the department may call in a DRE. DREs are called post-arrest. Theyre there to confirm the presence of substances, Klin said. Theyre not hunting people. They're not driving around looking for people. The 12 steps of a DRE drug evaluation 1. Breath alcohol test, to determine BAC 2. Interview of the arresting officer, to determine what he or she saw or heard that could indicate drug use 3. Preliminary examination, to determine whether to continue the evaluation 4. Eye examination for evidence of involuntary eye jerking and other effects 5. Divided attention tests, such as finger-to-nose tests and one leg stands 6. Vital sign examinations 7. Dark room examinations, for changes in the pupils with changes in light 8. Muscle tone examination, to see if muscles are markedly tense or flaccid 9. Examination for injection sites 10. Interview of the subject and logging other observations 11. Recording the evaluator's opinion, based on the above tests 12. Toxicological examination Source: CT OLR See More Collapse The other 12 steps Neither DRE nor ARIDE training is specific to marijuana, but both levels of training include ways to tell if a driver is stoned. If you kind of look at some of the things that marijuana does, it does mess with people's time and distance perception, Geraci said. Some of that is how a person is driving. Maybe theyre following too close, or forgot which way they were going. Once a suspect is back at the police station, there are even more tests. For instance, marijuana causes eyelid tremors. You close your eyes, you tilt your head back, your eyelids flutter rapidly, not normal twitching, Geraci said. You don't know that that's happening at all, whatsoever. Another test asks suspects to close their eyes and estimate when 30 seconds have passed. Most people in their head will be like, Oh, I got this, I can count to 30, Geraci said. We've had people go for a minute, a minute and a half. Or some people that count five seconds and think 30 seconds have passed. In their head they think they did fine, but in reality they didnt. There are, in fact, 12 steps a DRE uses to determine if a suspect is actually under the influence of a drug. That includes multiple checks on the dilation of a suspects pupils in several different light levels, interviews with both the arresting officer and the suspect and toxicology reports. When asked if he could confidently tell if a suspect was under the influence of marijuana, Geraci said, I trust the program and the training that I have. Obviously, you'd have to go through the entire process to make a determination, he said. We don't just look at somebody and say, Hey, that person is high or that person is drunk. We go through our entire process. The training to be a DRE consists of two weeks of intensive classroom instruction and a week in the field. That fieldwork includes real people, suspected of being inebriated, usually in an out-of-state jail such as Maricopa County in Arizona. Theres a limit to those field certification sites, Klin said. A handful in the country. According to Geraci, suspects used during training are tested after theyve been arrested, similar to the process after an officer is certified. These people are coming straight off the streets, in some cases, to us, and that's when they're usually impaired, Geraci said. We ask, Anybody who wants to help us out, and they're usually pretty good about it, because it gets them out of central population. They're in a small room with us, not with 30 or 40 other people. So there are usually plenty of people that will stand up and raise their hand and say, Yeah, I'll volunteer to help out. DRE training costs about $5,000 per student, covered by grants from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through the state DOT. I'm a forensic guy, I do computer forensics, that's my full-time job. I went to all these forensic schools, and trust me, that was extremely hard, Geraci said. This was pretty close to some of the computer forensics stuff that I've done. It took Geraci eight full hours to take the DRE test, and he said some people have taken as long as 12 hours. Just the sheer amount of knowledge of information that you're getting, and, memorization that's required to do this, it certainly, testing-wise, was probably one of the more difficult tests that I've had to take, he said. More DREs on the way When Gov. Ned Lamont signed into law a bill legalizing recreational use of cannabis, included was a provision to add DREs to Connecticuts rolls. According to that law, local police agencies have until Jan. 1, 2022 to request more DRE training. The Police Officer Standards and Training Council will then make a recommendation by July 2022 on how many more DREs should be trained. Geraci said the program is so intense he prefers to train volunteers, not officers appointed by their commanding officer. We would certainly rather have people who want to do this come into the program than agencies saying, You're going to this training, he said. Because it's not just a one-and-done thing. Officers are required to get recertified every two years, and there are administrative tasks involved in making legal testimony stand up in court. You have to do a lot of data management, he said. You have to keep track of all your emails, you have to keep them listed for attorneys, because one thing that they're going to look for is the amount of emails and stuff in your paperwork being in order. GUATEMALA CITY (AP) The U.S. government has suspended cooperation with Guatemalas Attorney Generals Office in response to the firing of its top anti-corruption prosecutor, saying Tuesday that it has lost confidence in the Central American countrys willingness to fight corruption. U.S. State Department deputy spokeswoman Jalina Porter told reporters in Washington that the decision by Guatemala Attorney General Consuelo Porras to fire Juan Francisco Sandoval, the special prosecutor against impunity, fits a pattern of behavior that indicates a lack of commitment to the rule of law and independent, judicial, and prosecutorial processes. As a result, we have lost confidence in the attorney general and the intention to cooperate with the U.S. government and fight corruption in good faith, Porter said. She said the suspension would remain in effect while the U.S. reviews its assistance to the Attorney Generals Office. A strong U.S. response was expected after Sandovals dismissal Friday. He fled the country the same day. Protests in Guatemala have called for Porras' resignation. The firing came less than two months after Vice President Kamala Harris visited Guatemala and spoke with President Alejandro Giammattei about the importance of the countrys anti-corruption efforts. Harris has targeted corruption in the region as one of the key factors in pushing outward migration. Porter noted that U.S. officials had repeatedly made it clear to the highest levels of government of Guatemala our view that the fight against corruption is essential to our shared goals of strengthening the rule of law, increasing economic opportunity, and addressing the root causes of irregular migration. She said the U.S. government recognized that Porras had the authority to dismiss Sandoval, but our concern is what the implications with this decision for the rule of law and regional stability. A day before Sandovals firing, Porras had reassigned another prosecutor from Sandovals office. Porras has defended Sandovals firing, accusing him of ideological bias in his prosecutions. Porras was appointed by the previous president, Jimmy Morales, but Giammattei has spoken of his friendship with her as well. Sandoval said Porras had repeatedly worked to block his investigations, especially those with proximity to Giammattei. Sandoval applauded the U.S. move. He told The Associated Press that the U.S. governments decision was consistent with the United States policy of respecting the culture of law. The Attorney General's Office said in a statement that it had not been officially notified of the suspension in cooperation. We have always worked in a coordinated manner in the interests of both countries, it said. In this case we respect the decisions of the U.S.; the Attorney General's Office is an independent and autonomous institution so we will continue working like normal to the benefit of the Guatemalan people. La oficina de prensa de la fiscalia dijo que no habian sido notificados oficialmente. Siempre se ha trabajado de manera coordinada en favor de los intereses de ambos paises. En este caso respetamos las decisiones de EE.UU; el Ministerio Publico es una institucion independiente y autonoma por lo que seguiremos trabajando con normalidad en beneficio de la poblacion guatemalteca. On Sunday, lawyer Marco Aurelio Alveno Hernandez said he had told Sandovals office that one of his clients, a former Guatemalan central banker, had paid a bribe through Alveno to an adviser of Porras so his corruption case was moved from Sandovals office to another prosecutor. Alveno fled the country Sunday with his family fearing potential retribution for his cooperation with Sandovals office. Guatemalas government has been criticized over the past year for driving out judges known for taking a hard line on corruption. The moves are a continuation of the effort that ended the 12-year run of the United Nations anti-corruption mission in Guatemala in 2019 during Morales' presidency. ___ Associated Press writer Sonia Perez D. reported this story in Guatemala City and AP writer Matthew Lee reported from Washington. MADISON, Wis. (AP) The Republican head of the Wisconsin Assembly elections committee said Monday she will ensure there is a comprehensive, forensic examination of ballots cast in the 2020 presidential election at the same time the state's nonpartisan audit bureau conducts a review. The broadened investigation comes amid pressure from former President Donald Trump and other national Republicans to take a closer look in Wisconsin, a state President Joe Biden won by just over 20,000 votes. There is no evidence of widespread fraud and courts rejected numerous lawsuits filed by Trump and his allies attempting to overturn the outcome. Democrats have derided calls for more investigations as feeding into conspiracy theories and lies that Trump actually won the state. One of the loudest critics of how the election was run is Rep. Janel Brandtjen, chair of the Assembly elections committee. She said in a statement Monday that her committee will request additional materials to conduct a deeper review. The committee's investigation is in addition to a review ordered by Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, being done by three retired police detectives and overseen by a former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, and the independent review by the audit committee. Another separate, independent investigation is being done by several individuals convinced there was widespread fraud in Wisconsin, despite no evidence. That effort is being led by Peter Bernegger, who was convicted of mail fraud and bank fraud in federal court in Mississippi in 2009. The type of probe Brandtjen describes mirrors a widely discredited audit done in Arizona. Brandtjen and three other Wisconsin Republicans traveled to Arizona last month to observe that review. The people of Wisconsin deserve to know the truth about the 2020 election, Brandtjen said in a statement. She said her committee will look into broader issues that have been raised in the most transparent and coordinated way possible. Trump's loss to Biden in Wisconsin withstood a partial recount ordered by Trump in Milwaukee and Dane counties, the two most heavily Democratic counties. The Republican-controlled Legislature subsequently passed bills to make it more difficult to vote absentee in Wisconsin, measures that Democratic Gov. Tony Evers plans to veto. Trump himself has been putting pressure on Wisconsin Republicans. Last month he called out the three highest ranking Republican legislative leaders, saying they were working hard to cover up election corruption. The Wisconsin Republicans said Trump was misinformed, but they have also facilitated more reviews of the election outcome. There are almost no documented cases of election fraud in Wisconsin. Two people have been charged with election fraud, out of more than 3 million votes cast in the state, and prosecutors are still reviewing a handful of other cases that were among 27 forwarded to them by election officials. Similarly, very few potential voter fraud cases have been identified in Arizona where the type of audit envisioned by Brandtjen was done. Brandtjen repeated concerns raised by Trump and his allies about absentee voting by people who said they were indefinitely confined, which under state law meant they did not have to show a photo ID to obtain their ballot, and about election officials filling in missing information on the envelopes that contained absentee ballots. That practice was done for prior elections under guidance from the Wisconsin Elections Commission. She also raised concerns about how ballot counting machines work, a longtime GOP talking point. Random audits required under state law, that Republicans pushed for, have not shown any significant issues with the operation of ballot counting machines in Wisconsin. Voters have made it clear that they want a thorough, cyber-forensic examination of tabulators, ballot marking devices and other election equipment, which I will be helping facilitate, Brandtjen said. IP addresses, chain of custody on ballots and audit trail logs must be thoroughly inspected by cyber-audit technicians in order to provide confidence for voters in our elections, both completed and upcoming. Democratic state Rep. Mark Spreitzer said Brandtjen was reviving dead conspiracy theories and making up new ones about tabulation machines. Wisconsin deserves better than right-wing extremists pretending to have insight into elections that they lost, Spreitzer tweeted. GREENWICH First Selectman Fred Camillo said he is monitoring the rising COVID-19 infections rates daily but does not plan to follow the mayor of New York City in requiring all of its employees to get the coronavirus vaccine or face weekly testing. But at the same time, Camillo is urging all residents to get the COVID-19 vaccine. I certainly understand people who have hesitancy (to get the vaccine), because they may have underlying issues, or theres a religious component to it or theyre still not convinced that its safe, Camillo said Monday. I would ask them to really reconsider, and look at the data so far that (shows) the majority of the people going into the hospitals (with COVID-19) right now are those that are unvaccinated, he said. And theyre putting themselves at risk. And unfortunately, other people are putting themselves at risk now. In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday that all municipal workers, including teachers and police officers, will be required to get inoculated by mid-September or undergo weekly COVID-19 tests, making the city one of the largest employers in the U.S. to take such action. The mandate covers about 340,000 employees. This is about our recovery. This is about keeping people safe. This is about bringing back jobs, de Blasio said. The state of California said it will also require proof of vaccination or weekly testing for all state workers and health care employees starting next month. In San Francisco, its 35,000 employees must get vaccinated, get an exemption or lose their job. The Department of Veterans Affairs also became the first major federal agency to require health care workers to be fully vaccinated. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed course Tuesday on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging. Citing new information about the ability of the delta variant to spread among vaccinated people, the CDC also recommended indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to schools, regardless of vaccination status. The Greenwich Public Schools cited the state policy on continued use of masks this fall in reaction. We have already shared with our families last week that the Connecticut governors Executive Order mandating masks in school was extended through September 30th, Superintendent of Schools Toni Jones said Tuesday. But Camillo said that if COVID-19 infection rates swell again locally and get out of hand policies would be adjusted. Well do anything to keep people safe, he said. Statistics from the town At the end of last week, town Health Department Director Caroline Baisley said the uptick in new COVID-19 cases among residents was continuing. The recent rise in cases of COVID-19 in town is something of concern, she said last week. Camillo said in email blast Friday that the town had 24 more cases than a week ago, and that the Greenwich Health Department is tracking 26 active cases in town. Greenwich Hospital had two COVID patients as of Friday afternoon, he said. As of July 22, 62.7 percent of Greenwich residents have been fully vaccinated with 68.46 percent of residents having received an initial vaccine dose, Camillo said, citing state statistics. I cannot stress enough that residents who are not fully vaccinated should continue to wear a face mask, especially when social distancing isnt possible, he said. Please get a vaccination as state statistics show that three out of four new COVID cases involve the Delta variant that was contracted by unvaccinated people. Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday that his administration is not planning any new mandates, including travel restrictions floated as a possibility last week, even as COVID hospitalizations jumped over the weekend. More Information COVID vaccine and testing information The town of Greenwich and First Selectman are providing information on how to get tested for COVID-19 and where to get vaccinated. For homebound residents, the Family Health Division of the Health Department can provide assistance. Residents should contact their physician to request that a doctor's order for a vaccine shot is forwarded to the Health Department. Doctors can contact the Family Health Division by calling 203-622-6495. Here is a list of available vaccine providers: Yale New Haven Health: Sign up online here (www.ynhhs.org/patient-care/covid-19/vaccine/get-your-covid-vaccine.aspx), or call 1-833-275-9644. Stamford Health: Sign up online here (www.stamfordhealth.org/covid-19-update/covid-19-vaccination-information/), or call 203-276-7300. CVS Health (limited locations): Sign up online here (www.cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccine), or call 1-800-679-9691. For information on testing: Greenwich Hospital and the Yale New Haven Health system: click here (www.ynhhs.org/patient-care/covid-19/testing/testing-locations.aspx). Community Health Center: click here (www.chc1.com/covid-19-testing). Family Centers at Wilbur Peck Court: click here (www.familycenters.org/FamilyCentersHealthCare). See More Collapse Staff Writer Justin Papp and the Associated Press contributed to this story. tatiana.flowers@thehour.com @TATIANADFLOWERS GREENWICH Two people have been charged with misdemeanor larceny in the past week in connection with the theft of lawn signs that belong to Jackie Homan and the Greenwich Patriots, according to police. The red, white and blue signs in question pose a single question: Do you value freedom? The Patriots describe themselves as a group of concerned residents from Greenwich and the surrounding areas who have organized a series of protests in recent months against vaccinating children, requiring masks in schools and what they say is the teaching of critical race theory. According to police, a Riverside woman was charged Sunday with sixth-degree larceny, a misdemeanor, after she allegedly removed a sign from Binney Park and threw it in the trash at her nearby home. In a separate incident Monday, Greenwich police received a report of a sign stolen from the roundabout at Perryridge Road and Lake Avenue. According to the police report, the sign was removed and placed in the back of a vehicle, which then drove off. The person reporting the theft provided police with the cars license plate and police said they followed up with the man, a Greenwich resident, at his home. He was also charged with misdemeanor sixth-degree larceny. Sadly, cancel culture is alive and well in Greenwich, Homan said Tuesday. Our group values diversity of opinion and free speech. And we love our freedom. Homan, a Greenwich parent, said she started the Greenwich Patriots in the spring. The group has sent out a Truth Truck, which occasionally drives around Stamford and Greenwich with messages cautioning against the COVID-19 vaccine including, Wait for Clinical Trial Results in 2023 Before You Join the Experiment in 2021. In early June, Homan had circulated Stand Up Greenwich signs around town. Unmask our children, ban critical race theory, protect medical freedom, the signs said. The state Department of Education has repeatedly encouraged residents to get vaccinated. On Tuesday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised its guidance and will recommend students wear masks in schools, something currently mandated in Connecticut. The COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory for children, according to the state, but district officials have been encouraged to share information with students about it. As for critical race theory, it is an academic framework for viewing race and power in relation to American history. Its alleged presence in schools has been the source of debate in the last year and has polarized people in Greenwich, as well as nationally. Superintendent of Schools Toni Jones has repeatedly denied that critical race theory is taught in Greenwich Schools. The Patriots also organized a Flag Day Rally on June 14 outside City Hall attended by about 50 people from Greenwich and surrounding areas. Homan and members of her group have also been vocal at Board of Education meetings since March and protested at the June 17 meeting, speaking at length during public comment in what was a more-than-four-hour meeting. It is a real crime, and our group is frustrated that simple signs, promoting a social group in town, would get stolen while so many other signs remain standing, Homan said. justin.papp@scni.com; @justinjpapp1; 203-842-2586 Aside from the XR20, HMD Global has announced another two phones, the 6310 and the C30. The former is, as the name implies, yet another reinterpretation of a classic Nokia phone from years past, while the C30 is an interesting Android smartphone with a big battery and low price. Nokia C30 The C-series is Nokia's new entry-level family of devices, and as such you shouldn't expect record-breaking specs on offer here. In fact, the Nokia C30 is the new "king" of the C-series, with the biggest screen and largest battery capacity at 6.82" and 6,000 mAh, respectively. The screen has HD+ resolution with a teardrop-shaped notch and a significant bottom bezel that's big enough to house the Nokia logo. On the rear, there's a 13 MP main camera with flash as well as a 2 MP depth sensor, while for selfies you get a 5 MP snapper. The C30 is powered by the Unisoc SC9863A chipset, which has an octa-core Cortex-A55 CPU clocked at up to 1.6 GHz. There will be three RAM/storage combos: 2/32GB, 3/32GB, and 3/64GB. The phone runs Android 11 Go Edition, Google's trimmed-down OS version for dirt-cheap devices. Speaking of pricing, the Nokia C30 will be available starting at 99. It has 4G support (no 5G here), and 10W charging. A fingerprint sensor is on the rear, and there's support for camera-based face unlock too. The device has a 3.5mm headphone jack and a microUSB charging port. It will receive security updates for two years (no mention of any Android version updates though). Nokia 6310 The new 6310 has a design reminiscent of the original, but with a larger screen and bigger buttons, both things that HMD thinks will aid in usability. The display is a 2.8" curved panel with QVGA resolution. The phone also has a 1,150 mAh battery for "weeks" of use, a wireless FM radio, 2G support, the Series 30+ platform onboard, a microUSB port for charging and a 3.5mm headphone jack, internet connectivity, built-in Snake, and Torch functionality. It's powered by the Unisoc 6531F. It will retail for a global average price of 40. HMD Global also made some Nokia-branded true wireless earbuds official at the same event. Nokia Clarity Earbuds Pro The Nokia Clarity Earbuds Pro feature Bluetooth 5.2, active noise cancellation, aptX support, a design "optimized" to the Nokia XR20 smartphone (in color, rubber coating), 10mm drivers, up to 27 hours total playtime with the case, a low-latency 60ms gaming mode, IPX5 water resistance, and support for wireless charging of the case. These will go on sale in September in Europe, the US, and the Middle East for $99. Nokia Comfort Earbuds The Nokia Comfort Earbuds have an "ergonomic fit", compact design, IPX5 water resistance, Bluetooth 5.1, touch control, master/slave auto-switch to use either earbud as a mono headset, and 29 hours of total playtime with the case. These will be out in August globally for $49. Nokia Go Earbuds+ Finally, the Nokia Go Earbuds + sport Bluetooth 5.0, 26 hours of total playtime with the case, touch control, the master/slave auto-switch, and they're IPX4 splash-proof. These will be out in August for $29 in Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. One UI 3.1 and Android 11, with most features intact It is hardly a secret that a lot of the appeal of Samsung devices lies in the software. Of course, it's not a universal appeal, but there is a reason why One UI is one of the most popular custom Android implementations out there and has been so for quite some time. For many users, the added value proposition of a Samsung phone lies precisely in the software and ecosystem. In keeping with its new "Awesome is for everyone" slogan, the Korean giant is significantly stepping up its software game with the new Galaxy A family of devices. That includes the Galaxy A22 5G. That being said, feature parity only stretches so far and coming down from the A72 towards the A22 has inevitably resulted in some extra feature cuts. Nothing major, though, and the things that are still there are amazing for a budget device. Right off the bat, the A22 5G ships with the latest One UI 3.1 and Android 11 setup out-of-the-box. There aren't too many massive differences between One UI 3.1 and its recent predecessors, like 3.0 and 2.5. Still, there are some subtle differences worth going over. At the launch of the A72, A52 and A32, Samsung made a huge commitment to offer three major Android OS updates for those phones, as well as four years of security updates. That will apparently be the case going forward for its high-end and some mid-range models. Unfortunately, the Galaxy A32 and A32 5G are the cutoff point in that list, and the Galaxy A22 5G is currently scheduled for two major OS updates. This could actually be a reason to prefer the A32 5G for some prospective buyers, particularly if they intend on keeping it for a long time. Circling back to One UI 3.1 and some of its changes - the default lock screen shortcuts - dialer and camera, are now monochrome - they used to match the respective apps' colors. Oddly enough, if you pick different apps, they will keep their colors - it's not a first-party vs. third-party type of differentiation either. As more of a functional change - the lock screen has a wellbeing widget - you can now keep track of how much time you've spent on your phone without even unlocking it. Lock screen, shortcuts and widgets One notable omission on the Galaxy A22 5G is the always-on display feature. It is hidden away since it would just waste too much battery on the LCD display. The side-mounted fingerprint reader will likely be the primary method of unlocking for most users, but you can still use face unlock instead or alongside it. It can be more convenient in certain situations, but it generally is less secure since it's just based on the selfie camera. Iris scanners are sadly a thing of the past now. Biometrics and security Another notable change is that pulling the notification shade covers the entire screen underneath, even if there's just one notification card or none at all. Previously, a portion of the screen below the last notification still remained visible, just darkened. While we're here, the quick toggles can now be edited directly from the plus button at the end of the list instead of going into the menu. Android 11 includes the nifty Notification history feature. It's accessed from the Settings menu, so it's not within immediate reach, but it's there for those occasions when you dismissed a notification too quickly and you can't seem to find what it was about. Just make sure to enable it because it's Off by default. Notifications, quick toggles and notification history All of the standard layout adjustments and toggles for the quick panel and taskbar are accounted for. Android 11 has a new way of handling notifications for instant messenger apps called Bubbles, and One UI 3 adopts it, too. That's in addition to a previously available similar feature offered by Samsung by the name of Smart pop-up view. You'll find these settings under the 'Floating notifications' submenu, where you can alternatively turn both of them off and opt for the old-school cards-only interface. Bubbles is an extension of the Conversations feature, another new development. You tap on an icon in the initial incoming message notification. It turns into a conversation that you can then minimize to a bubble, or what was known as a 'chat head' - originally Facebook Messenger's default way of dealing with chats. Smart pop-up view is one of One UI's lesser-known proprietary features. In the pre-Bubbles days, it used to add the chat head functionality to any application of your choosing. Tapping the hovering 'head' icon opens the app in a floating window, which you can further maximize to fullscreen or minimize again to an icon. Sort of like Bubbles, only slightly different. Floating notifications Android 11's refined multimedia controls have made their way on to One UI. You get the active audio playback apps in a stack right below the quick toggles and swiping to the side switches between the apps. The Media screen was already available on One UI 2.5 pre-Android 11, and it offers similar functionality for picking the output device. The volume control panel has gotten a makeover too, and now the four sliders are vertical instead of the horizontal ones of One UIs past. Media controls Speaking of the Media screen, there is one notable omission on the Galaxy A22 5G - Music Share. It allows you to play music through Bluetooth accessories connected to a friend's Samsung phone. Quite nifty and understandably a major focus in Samsung's PR campaign for the A72, A52 and A32. Unfortunately, Music Share is nowhere to be found on the Galaxy A22 5G. The same goes for Smart View. Mind you, we tried a lot of workarounds, like installing SmartThings and its various components and even sideloading apps to no avail. There is still an option to cast content to a supported TV via SmartThings, though. Honestly, though, these sorts of missing features are kind of the exception, rather than the norm on the Galaxy A22 5G. Most core features on One UI 3.1 are present. Like the ability to pin apps to the top of the sheet with Share options. It is actually a native Android 11 feature and a way overdue addition to the Android core in our mind. Things are much better now, but still, we'd like to be able to remove some of the options, too, because that list could sure use some decluttering. One more thing that Google tweaked in this year's release is the permission handling, and Samsung's implemented it in One UI 3. With this version, you will now see a new prompt for permissions every time an app requests it, letting you deny permission, allow it only while using the app, or just for this one time. If an app requires constant access to permission, you also get a fourth option that takes you to a setting page where you can provide it. This is done to prevent the user from accidentally selecting this option while blazing through the permission dialogs. Sharing options pinning, casting and permissions handling The settings menu has seen a subtle but meaningful makeover. Subcategories are made more legible by using a dot separator and extra intervals, while recent searches are now shown as bubbles instead of a list. Additionally, there's a newly added feature to search settings by hashtags - for conceptually related things found in different places in the menu. One UI Settings The One UI dialer app lends itself to plenty of customization. There are two different layouts for the in-call screen to choose between. You can also set up a background image or video for that screen, though it's going to be all the same for all of your calls - you can't have a different one on a per-person basis. Samsung dialer There are plenty of other smaller visual changes scattered all throughout One UI 3.1. Samsung's excellent theme support and rich online selection are present, as well. The same goes for the system navigation options, with a few tweaks and layouts available for gestures, as well as old-school button controls, even the really-old original style, with the back button on the right side. One UI 3.1 and navigation options There are plenty of additional extra features in the Galaxy A22 5G as well. Like we said, most things present on the A32, A52 and A72 made it over, like the Edge panels interface, as well as Game launcher - the hub for all your games, which also provides options for limiting distraction when gaming is here to stay as well. There are some omissions, though. For instance, there is no mention of Bixby anywhere in the UI, which is another feature that did not dissipate all the way down to the lineup. Though the cutoff point for this one, in particular, was the Galaxy A52, it was also missing from the A32. Another thing missing out of the box is SmartThings. Though, the system-level integration for it within the Devices tab in the notification shade is present. All you need to do is download the SmartThings app to get it working. Additional software features Samsung Dex is nowhere to be found. But it is absent from the entire Galaxy A lineup, which we get - some things still need to be flagship exclusives. Another thing absent from the Galaxy A22 5G, which the A32 and beyond do get to enjoy, is the Link to Windows feature. We failed to sideload that one, as well. Android Auto support is baked right in on the Galaxy A22 5G, though. Overall, like we said, there are some omissions here and there the further down we go into the Galaxy A lineup. However, nothing cut is really major or all that detrimental to the overall One UI experience in our opinion. Fans of Samsung's particular Android experience should still be perfectly at home here. Synthetic benchmarks The Galaxy A22 5G is based on the MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G chipset. It currently sits at the bottom of the Dimensity line, but is still fairly popular. Probably more so than the Dimensity 720, which has still only passed by the office in the Galaxy A32 5G. Actually, the Dimensity 700, 720, 800U, 800 and 820 are all quite similar. All of these are based on an efficient 7nm manufacturing node and use a combination of big Cortex-A76 cores and smaller Cortex-A55 ones, plus a Mali-G57 GPU with a progressively increasing number of cores. The Dimensity 700, in particular, has two Cortex-A76 cores, clocked at up to 2.2 GHz and another six Cortex-A55 ones, working at up to 2.0 GHz. The Dimensity 720 gets the exact same configuration, though, interestingly enough, with its bigger cores only going up to 2.0 GHz. Just like the specs suggest, we can verify through GeekBench and its pure CPU tests that, indeed, The Dimensity 700 inside the Galaxy A22 5G has a bit more raw CPU performance than the Dimensity 720 inside the Galaxy A32 5G. Not that it's a huge delta or anything significant for real-world use, but still interesting to note. GeekBench 5 (multi-core) Higher is better Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G 2909 Poco X3 Pro 2574 Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 2009 Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G 1787 Realme 8 5G 1784 Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro 1780 Poco X3 NFC 1777 Samsung Galaxy A22 5G 1719 Realme 8 1690 Realme 8 Pro 1678 Samsung Galaxy A32 5G 1673 Samsung Galaxy A72 1627 Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 1599 Samsung Galaxy A52 1577 Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S 1576 Samsung Galaxy A32 1277 Samsung Galaxy A12 1034 Samsung Galaxy A02s 495 GeekBench 5 (single-core) Higher is better Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G 803 Poco X3 Pro 735 Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 661 Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G 597 Realme 8 5G 569 Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro 569 Poco X3 NFC 568 Realme 8 Pro 566 Samsung Galaxy A22 5G 560 Samsung Galaxy A72 537 Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 534 Realme 8 533 Samsung Galaxy A52 525 Samsung Galaxy A32 5G 505 Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S 502 Samsung Galaxy A32 361 Samsung Galaxy A12 169 Samsung Galaxy A02s 131 We can also see that the Realme 8 5G has managed to squeeze a bit more performance out of the Dimensity 700. Again, not a significant difference. We can also clearly see that the CPU performance is about on par with what the Snapdragon 732G offers. While getting outpaced by the Snapdragon 750G 5G inside the Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite. AnTuTu paints a bit of less-favorable picture of the Galaxy A22 5G. It makes sense, seeing how AnTuTu has a more compound set of tests that also take into account thing like resolution, memory and storage speeds. Still, the A22 5G holds its own. AnTuTu 8 Higher is better Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G 465534 Poco X3 Pro 453223 Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G 333952 Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 318882 Realme 8 5G 302059 Realme 8 298328 Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro 295442 Realme 8 Pro 286666 Poco X3 NFC 283750 Samsung Galaxy A72 279342 Samsung Galaxy A52 261282 Samsung Galaxy A22 5G 242155 Samsung Galaxy A32 5G 226561 Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 218788 Samsung Galaxy A32 174332 Samsung Galaxy A12 107189 Samsung Galaxy A02s 90811 AnTuTu 9 Higher is better Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G 522490 Realme 8 5G 361505 Realme 8 357488 Samsung Galaxy A72 333668 Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S 330909 Samsung Galaxy A22 5G 223188 Samsung Galaxy A32 5G 222125 It should really come as no surprise that the Galaxy A22 5G is not a graphics powerhouse. It only has two Mali-G57 GPU cores. The Dimensity 720 and 800U have three of these cores, four in the Dimensity 800 and five in the 820. Just to give you some context. GFX Manhattan ES 3.0 (offscreen 1080p) Higher is better Poco X3 Pro 102 Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G 89 Realme 8 53 Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G 51 Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 45 Poco X3 NFC 44 Realme 8 Pro 43 Samsung Galaxy A52 39 Samsung Galaxy A72 39 Realme 8 5G 38 Samsung Galaxy A22 5G 32 Samsung Galaxy A32 24 Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 24 Samsung Galaxy A12 12 Samsung Galaxy A02s 9.3 GFX Manhattan ES 3.0 (onscreen) Higher is better Poco X3 Pro 93 Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G 78 Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G 48 Realme 8 48 Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 39 Realme 8 Pro 38 Samsung Galaxy A52 35 Samsung Galaxy A72 35 Realme 8 5G 35 Poco X3 NFC 33 Samsung Galaxy A22 5G 31 Samsung Galaxy A32 21 Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 21 Samsung Galaxy A12 19 Samsung Galaxy A02s 16 Something potentially worth noting here is that the Galaxy A22 5G has a 2400 x 1080p display. This is important for on-screen tests. The higher native resolution on the A22 5G is definitely not helping in combination with its weak GPU. GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p) Higher is better Poco X3 Pro 75 Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G 65 Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G 35 Realme 8 33 Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 33 Poco X3 NFC 33 Samsung Galaxy A52 29 Samsung Galaxy A72 29 Realme 8 Pro 28 Realme 8 5G 25 Samsung Galaxy A22 5G 24 Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 17 Samsung Galaxy A32 15 Samsung Galaxy A12 7.7 Samsung Galaxy A02s 6.1 GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (onscreen) Higher is better Poco X3 Pro 67 Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G 57 Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G 51 Realme 8 Pro 31 Realme 8 29 Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 28 Poco X3 NFC 27 Samsung Galaxy A52 26 Samsung Galaxy A72 26 Realme 8 5G 22 Samsung Galaxy A22 5G 21 Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 15 Samsung Galaxy A12 13 Samsung Galaxy A32 13 Samsung Galaxy A02s 12 GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p) Higher is better Poco X3 Pro 45 Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G 40 Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G 20 Realme 8 20 Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro 19 Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 19 Poco X3 NFC 19 Realme 8 Pro 18 Samsung Galaxy A52 17 Samsung Galaxy A72 17 Realme 8 5G 15 Samsung Galaxy A22 5G 14 Samsung Galaxy A32 9.3 Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 9.3 Samsung Galaxy A02s 3.4 Samsung Galaxy A12 3.3 GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen) Higher is better Poco X3 Pro 38 Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G 35 Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G 18 Realme 8 18 Realme 8 Pro 16 Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro 16 Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 16 Poco X3 NFC 16 Samsung Galaxy A52 15 Samsung Galaxy A72 15 Realme 8 5G 13 Samsung Galaxy A22 5G 12 Samsung Galaxy A32 8.1 Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 7.9 Samsung Galaxy A02s 6.1 Samsung Galaxy A12 5 Even in OpenGL ES 3.0 runs, the Galaxy A22 5G barely manages to break through the 30fps barriers and things only get worse from thereon. This is a bit deceiving though, since any mobile game engine worth its salt will scale back dynamically in detail and resolution to accommodate the available power. In fact, we saw this fist hand with many casual games we managed to run at over 60fps, with extra smoothness, taking advantage of the 90Hz refresh rate of the phone's panel. GFX Aztek Vulkan High (onscreen) Higher is better Poco X3 Pro 27 Realme 8 Pro 11 Realme 8 11 Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 11 Poco X3 NFC 11 Samsung Galaxy A52 10 Samsung Galaxy A72 10 Samsung Galaxy A22 5G 7.8 Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5.3 Samsung Galaxy A32 4.4 Samsung Galaxy A12 3.8 Samsung Galaxy A02s 3.5 GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (onscreen) Higher is better Poco X3 Pro 26 Realme 8 12 Realme 8 Pro 11 Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 11 Poco X3 NFC 11 Samsung Galaxy A52 10 Samsung Galaxy A72 10 Samsung Galaxy A22 5G 8.4 Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5.6 Samsung Galaxy A32 5 Samsung Galaxy A12 4.6 Samsung Galaxy A02s 3.5 GFX Aztek Vulkan High (offscreen 1440p) Higher is better Poco X3 Pro 18 Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 7.6 Realme 8 7.5 Realme 8 Pro 7.2 Samsung Galaxy A52 7 Samsung Galaxy A72 7 Samsung Galaxy A22 5G 5.1 Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 3.5 Samsung Galaxy A32 2.9 Samsung Galaxy A12 1.2 Samsung Galaxy A02s 1.1 GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (offscreen 1440p) Higher is better Poco X3 Pro 17 Realme 8 7.7 Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 7.3 Samsung Galaxy A52 7 Samsung Galaxy A72 7 Realme 8 Pro 7 Samsung Galaxy A22 5G 5.5 Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 3.7 Samsung Galaxy A32 3.3 Samsung Galaxy A12 1.5 Samsung Galaxy A02s 1.2 Hence, take these numbers for what they are - artificial figures, measured within as much of a controlled scenario as possible to be comparable. Not reflective of real-world performance. In GPU test, in particular, display resolution also plays a role in on-screen benchmarks, which also needs to be taken into account. 3DMark traditionally paints a more cohesive picture in terms of comparative performance between devices. For instance, it makes plenty of sense that the Dimensity 720 in the Galaxy A32 5G is higher up the ladder than the Dimensity 700 in the A22 5G, due to the extra GPU core. 3DMark SSE ES 3.1 (offscreen 1440p) Higher is better Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G 3167 Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 2789 Poco X3 NFC 2689 Samsung Galaxy A32 5G 2638 Realme 8 2610 Samsung Galaxy A52 2529 Samsung Galaxy A72 2517 Samsung Galaxy A22 5G 2391 Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 1471 Samsung Galaxy A32 1323 Samsung Galaxy A02s 438 Samsung Galaxy A12 365 3DMark SSE Vulkan 1.0 (offscreen 1440p) Higher is better Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G 3035 Realme 8 2639 Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 2595 Samsung Galaxy A32 5G 2509 Poco X3 NFC 2495 Samsung Galaxy A52 2406 Samsung Galaxy A72 2395 Samsung Galaxy A22 5G 2257 Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 1372 Samsung Galaxy A32 1371 Samsung Galaxy A12 612 Samsung Galaxy A02s 489 3DMark Wild Life Vulkan 1.1 (offscreen 1440p) Higher is better Poco X3 Pro 3401 Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G 3136 Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G 1556 Realme 8 1486 Samsung Galaxy A32 5G 1185 Samsung Galaxy A22 5G 1104 Realme 8 5G 1104 Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 1098 Realme 8 Pro 1051 Samsung Galaxy A52 1040 Samsung Galaxy A72 1031 Samsung Galaxy A32 686 Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 482 It is important to note that we felt no shortage of performance while using the Galaxy A22 5G with regular, day-to-day tasks. In fact, even light game titles felt great and clearly managed to run smoother with the 90Hz mode enabled, meaning they manage to go above the 60fps mark. Is the Galaxy A22 5G a powerhouse or even a good budget gaming device? No, definitely not. If that is what you are after, you can get better value out of your money. The Dimensity 700 delivers a modern and competent feature set and connectivity options, plus good power efficiency at a budget price point, all without being strapped for power for the tasks most of its users are likely to carry out. A frontline worker, adorned in protective gear, oversees the buses for loading repatriating citizens from Guam to the quarantine facility in Kosrae in the Federated States of Micronesia. Republican Minority Leader Sen. Chris Duenas said its almost impossible for the Legislature to pass a budget for the next fiscal year without knowing how the administration plans to us American Rescue Plan funds. The Legislature met with Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero to discuss policy priorities back in May, but a draft plan for the money wasnt provided to lawmakers. Leon Guerrero has the final authority over the money, but Duenas wants to see a draft of her plans. There was some guesswork involved in figuring how she would spend it, he said. We have had several agencies that have come before the Legislature that have given us some hard numbers, public health $17 million, the hospital $10 million, he said. The Guam Economic Development Authority had also asked for $30 million, and the Guam Visitors Bureau has requested a total of $38 million. There was an issue with deciding how much money from the General Fund would actually have to be appropriated, Duenas said. The governors policy director, Rikki Orsini, stated that the investment plan will be released once the final guidance from the U.S. Treasury on how the ARP can be spent is reviewed. The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued an interim final rule with examples of how the ARP money could be spent in May, and Leon Guerrero has said a final rule could be expected by early August. The governors investment plan for ARP funding is separate from the legislative budget process, Orsini said. The administrations spending plan for the fiscal 2022 budget was released in January, and all information needed for senators to satisfy their duty was provided, she added. Really blind Duenas said the ARP funding plan does affect how money will be budgeted. We could probably say safety right now, theres already been a declaration of over $100 million out there that the governor plans to issue. At least with the hospital and with public health, if she follows through, those would normally have been General Fund requests. Does that means that we no longer have to have in the annual budget, that $27 million that we were planning? Duenas asked. The senator had a specific concern over the Customs and Quarantine Agency, which had revenues drop from over $13 million for fiscal 2016 through fiscal 2019 to just over $440,000 in May of this year. The reduction of funds had left them unable to pay rent for much of fiscal 2021. Its a classic example of an agency that needed a cash infusion, Duenas said, to deal with their staffing issues among other things. Were really blind, basically, he said. The Republican Party of Guam also issued a statement on Monday asking for Leon Guerrero to be transparent with the money. On Tuesday morning, the Democratic party of Guam issued a statement saying once final guidelines are known, our draft spending plan will be published, our expenditures will be subject to federal audit, and everyone will know these funds are being spent in line with federal policy. They stand at the Micronesia Mall and Agana Shopping Center. They visit Infusion Coffee & Tea branches and farmers markets. They hang outside of Ross Dress for Less and post flyers at food vendors. They are researchers seeking answers for the 2021 Guahan survey, a project to survey 650 CHamorus by Aug. 15. Their target? One percent of the CHamoru population, as counted in the 2010 census. The survey is a broad survey about what the CHamorus care about, what they think about and what they want for their future, said Kevin Lujan Lee, co-principal investigator of the project and doctoral candidate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Lee grew up in Malaysia but hails from the Capili family in Barrigada. He launched the survey with his co-principal investigator, Ngoc Phan, assistant professor at Hawaii Pacific University. The project mimics Phans earlier project, a Native Hawaiian survey with 1,000 respondents. We got connected because she was at a conference and presented her survey, Lee said. The project was something I wanted for my homeland in Guahan. After working on other projects together, Lee and Phan spent seven months crafting the survey. The pandemic enabled that because it normalized virtual meetings, and we were able to plug ourselves in and ask questions, Lee said. So how does this survey differ from other questionnaires? My auntie told me that surveys are not new to Guam, but traditionally, data on indigenous people and CHamoru communities have focused on community deficits, Lee said. We know about their public health outcomes and their health issues that come with betel nuts, but these are old stories. To tell a new story, the survey focuses on the diversity and vibrancy of the CHamoru people. The survey aims to build research capacity on Guam. The investigators train research assistants on Guam so they can work with data and create survey questions. Once assistants collect the data, the researchers plan to release a report by January 2022. We want to start a community conversation about how people responded, why they wanted to respond the way they did, and what we can learn from them, Lee said. This is not the first survey. This is not the last, we hope. And this is not a definitive statement on what the CHamoru people want. For 22-year-old Chauntae A. Quichoho the data project gives the CHamoru people a voice. A lot of the data and research is about how our CHamoru culture is not practiced anymore or dying, Quichocho said. From the data we captured, we see that people still use the language. People value the traditions and practice the cultures. As a CHamoru Studies for Education major, the University of Guam senior said that the study creates more data for students to study CHamoru culture. Its important our people and community share their voices so as students, we have more up-to-date data of what CHamoru people think, Quichocho said. Co-team lead Nolan Flores said the community can use the information as they wish. A lot of the research we do at the University of Guam is going to be informed by this project, Flores said. As a political science and CHamoru Studies student at the university, Flores said hes interested in learning about perceptions on decolonization. Since decolonization can be a polarizing topic, to have something that says how the community feels can help us be better equipped for the work we do at UOG and the community, Flores said. How you can help To fill out the online survey, visit guamstudy.org. If you identify as a manamko and prefer a paper survey, contact the coordinators on the website. Tourists from South Korea are expected to start arriving in September, according to the Guam Visitors Bureau, with Japan tourism resuming in October or November. Two airlines from Korea Tway Air and Korean Air are scheduled to resume regularly scheduled flights to Guam, according to GVB, joining Jin Air, which already operates a weekly flight from Korea. Tway, which is a budget airline, is scheduled to fly to Guam once a week, starting July 31. and Korean Air is scheduled to fly to Guam twice a week, starting Aug. 6. Sam Shinohara, chairman of the governments Recovery Task Force, said he wants more information about incoming bookings so the task force during its next meeting can discuss how the island should plan for additional visitors. He noted GVB has more than $1 million budgeted for market recovery. I would just like the emphasis to be on getting things reopened here and getting the island stood up so that we dont have situations like Hawaii, Shinohara said during Tuesdays GVB board meeting. Theyre not ready for the volume of numbers theyre having, and I just want to make sure we dont put ourselves in a situation where we have to do some damage control once the visitors start to come. Jump start GVBs Air V&V vaccination tourism program jump started the tourism industry in early July, with charter flights from Taiwan bringing visitors to Guam for a vacation and to be vaccinated for COVID-19. According to GVB, 917 visitors from Taiwan have arrived in Guam since the tourism vaccination program started, with an additional 170 passengers scheduled to arrive Tuesday afternoon. About 630 more Taiwan visitors are scheduled to arrive on the next three charter flights, scheduled from Aug. 2 through Aug. 12. Taiwan has been obviously the biggest market from an Air V&V perspective, Shinohara said, adding the task force should discuss whether anything can be done to increase the programs success in other visitor markets. Reopening As the visitor industry starts to recover, its important that more stores and restaurants reopen so tourists have something to do, GVB board Chairman Milton Morinaga said during the board meeting. A lot of these store or optional tours are still closed. Theres a lot of tourists from Taiwan that are just lost not able to visit restaurants or stores to purchase their goods, Morinaga said. We have all these flights coming in, and if you can open your door to your stores or business, please do so, he said. Jerome Robert Santos was sentenced to three years imprisonment after pleading guilty to attempting to cash forged stimulus checks in May 2020. The plea deal reduced Santos charge of forgery as a second-degree felony to forgery as a third-degree felony. Judge Maria T. Cenzon, although able to give the sentence of three years to Santos, was unclear about whether to subject him to parole or probation upon his release from DOC. Santos was involved with a felony charge in 2014 which has yet to be resolved. Cenzon indicated that matter will be taken care of at a hearing in September. Santos was arrested in May 2020 after he tried to cash a forged stimulus check at Valencia Foreign Exchange. He told police he got his check from another man, Gerard De Guzman Belga, who made checks using a printer at his home, according to court documents. As they were trying to cash the checks, clerks noticed discrepancies. Clerks tried to stall and make copies of the mens IDS and the checks, but Santos and Belga became upset and insisted they get the checks back, documents said. Police arrested Santos when he returned to Valencia to try and cash another check, documents state. At the time of Santos arrest, Belga could not be found. He was later arrested in June 2020, according to PDN files. Part of Cenzons orders for Santos includes staying away from Belga and Valencia Foreign Exchange. Have any questions? Please give us a call at 520-625-5511 Haiti - FLASH : Arrest of the Presidential Security Coordinator, Jean Laguel Civil Monday July 26, the Divisional Commissioner Jean Laguel Civil, Security Coordinator of President Jovenel Moise who did not appear on July 13 at the invitation of the Government Commissioner of Port-au-Prince Me Bed-Ford Claude https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34232-haiti-news-zapping.html who wanted to hear him as part of the investigation into the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, banned from leaving the country, was arrested. Placed in solitary confinement, he is suspected of being involved in the plot to assassinate President Jovenel Moise. Information confirmed by Marie Michelle Verrier, Spokesperson for the National Police of Haiti (PNH). Civil lawyer Reynold Georges said his client's arrest was politically motivated. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34283-haiti-flash-follow-up-of-investigations-into-the-assassination-of-president-moise-video.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34238-haiti-flash-monitoring-of-investigations-into-the-assassination-of-president-jovenel-moise.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34232-haiti-news-zapping.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34210-haiti-flash-arrest-of-one-of-the-intellectual-authors-of-the-assassination-of-president-moise-and-an-attempted-coup.html https://www.haitilibre.com/article-34192-haiti-actualite-zapping.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34162-haiti-flash-president-jovenel-moise-assassinated-by-mercenaries-official-updated-7am-+-video.html SL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Politic : Caricom reiterates its regional solidarity to Haiti In a video message recorded on the occasion of the funeral of President Jovenel Moise, Gaston Browne President of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), offered his condolences and declared that the circumstances of the assassination of the President of Haiti had shocked the entire Caribbean. "[...] For us, assassination is an abomination that assaults our sense of humanity and undermines our democracy. There are no circumstances that would justify such planned and malicious murder. We deplore and condemn it strongly and unreservedly [...]" Browne, who is also the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, assured the Haitian people that the Region stands in solidarity with their country. "All those, who are responsible, must be brought to justice [...] As no problem can be solved by wanton violence; no problem confronting Haiti has been solved by the assassination of Jovenel Moise. But, the political and civil society groups, and the people of Haiti in general, should not let his tragic death be in vain." The President of Caricom also declared that Haiti should not be "[...] trapped in a vicious cycle of retribution and recriminations. Instead, the circumstances of Jovenels death, must shock everyone in Haiti to seek pathways for peace, stability, and prosperity, whether they were his political friend or political foe." He urged the Haitian people to fight for a country in which "[...] freedom reigns for the individual and your democratic institutions and values are respected by all [...] Our hand is offered in friendship, support and an enduring admiration for the strength and resilience of the Haitian people, who led a successfully revolution in 1791, freeing themselves from the oppression of slavery." HL/ HaitiLibre Published on 2021/07/26 | Source Actor Ji Chang-wook has been confirmed positive with COVID-19. Advertisement "It is true that Ji Chang-wook and one of the staff have come down with the virus", Netflix's "The Sound of Magic" told E-Daily on the 26th. "We will stop filming for everyone's safety according to health authorities' guidelines, and we will resume filming once everyone's safety is secured". It added "The people who filmed together according to the health authorities' guidelines are in self-quarantine, and all "The Sound of Magic" staff and actors have conducted tests, and pre-emptive tests will be conducted before the filming resumes". The agencies of Choi Sung-eun and Hwang In-yeop, who are also appearing in "The Sound of Magic" announced that they had been negatively confirmed. The original Netflix series "The Sound of Magic" is an emotional music drama about the meeting of Yoon-ah, a girl who has become an adult too early, and Ri Eul, a mysterious magician who wants to remain a child even when he becomes an adult. Actor Ji Chang-wook, Choi Sung-eun, and Hwang In-yeop are also drawing attention with their new film by Kim Seong-yoon. After almost a year and a half, here we are stuck in the middle again on covid-19, Havre Police Department A caller reported a domestic disturbance on Fifth Street Monday at 7:50 a.m. -- A 14th Avenue caller reported Monday at 10:13 a.m. that items were stolen from a yard. -- Michelle Nichole Healy of Havre, 39, was arrested on a pick up and hold order Monday at 10:23 a.m. on First Street. -- Leena Galan Healy of Havre, 26, was arrested on a Justice or City court warrant during a well-being check Monday at 12:53 p.m. on Second Street. -- Officers were asked Monday at 2:46 p.m. to investigate a theft, forgery or fraud by a 14th Avenue caller. -- Daniel Lawrence Olson of Havre, 47, was arrested on a state District Court warrant served Monday at 5:14 p.m. in the alley behind a First Street business. -- A Third Avenue caller reported Monday at 5:28 p.m. that someone needed help with a scam call in which information was given. -- Kristi Peterson of Havre, 45, was issued a summons on a vicious dog charge after a Havre area caller asked Monday at 8:10 p.m. to speak with an officer on an animal control issued. -- Darnell Kay Champagne of Havre, 42, was arrested on a probation violation after a caller asked at 9:57 p.m. for help removing a woman from a Third Street location. -- Calls about a water main break and flooding in the streets at Fourth Street at 1:48 a.m. today, Fourth Avenue at 2:03 a.m. and Montana Avenue and Third Street at 3:13 a.m. today were referred to Havre Public Works. Hill County Sheriff's Office Deputies investigated a stolen vehicle report from Fifth Street North at 11:29 a.m. Monday. Havre Fire Department Emergency medical personnel responded to three calls Monday and one early this morning. -- Firefighters responded to fire call on the 3200 Block of Clear Creek Road at 10:51 p.m. Monday. No one at the fire department was made available to provide information on the incident by printing deadline today. Havre Animal Shelter The shelter this morning held three 5-week-old kittens, one cat and one 7-week-old kitten all of unknown gender, six female cats and four male cats. Six male cats, a male 11-week-old kitten and a male 12-week-old kitten were being held separately. -- The shelter also held a male 10-month-old mixed-breed puppy, a male and a female 11-month-old mixed-breed puppies, and a female 6-month-old mixed-breed puppy. Edwards says poll validates need to end emergency jobless benefits Nearly 2 million Americans have turned down jobs because the unemployment benefits are too lucrative a poll finding Republican leaders cite as they push a bill to curtail emergency pandemic benefits. A new poll, conducted by the firm Morning Consult in late June, found that nearly one in three unemployed workers turned down job offers. The expanded unemployment benefits were the second-most-common reason, behind childcare issues. With more than 14 million U.S. workers collecting unemployment checks, the poll found about 1.8 million were likely to have turned down work because of the generous benefits. The results of the poll lend credence to Republican-led plans to end a COVID-related unemployment benefits program, which was intended to help people through periods of lockdown. The data validates the obvious conclusion that most honest observers reached: When government pays people not to work, lots of people don't work, Sen. Chuck Edwards, a Republican from Henderson County, said in a statement Tuesday. Federal pandemic unemployment benefits add an additional $300 per week on top of what state programs offer and extend the length of time people can claim benefits by 1 1/2 years. The program has held back the U.S. economys return from COVID-related doldrums. Despite record-setting numbers of job openings, the unemployment lines remain stubbornly long. In North Carolina, unemployed workers continue to receive the additional benefits and will do so until the program expires in September. Until last month, they did not even have to search for work. In response, roughly half the legislatures across the country have withdrawn their states from the federal pandemic unemployment benefits program, nudging claimants to return to work. The General Assembly passed such a bill, but Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, vetoed the measure earlier this month. The bill, the Putting North Carolina Back to Work Act, would also have required people receiving unemployment benefits to respond to interview offers from potential employers. Democrats praised Cooper for vetoing the bill, claiming Republicans were pushing a false narrative, as Sen. Wiley Nickel, D-Wake, put it. U.S. Rep. David Price, a N.C. Democrat, said he did not believe the expanded benefits were part of the problem. The new poll appears to contradict the liberal lawmakers. Those Democrats were living in a fantasy land, Edwards said. Blakely to run for Fletcher mayor as Whiteside bows out Fletcher Town Council member Preston Blakely filed to run for mayor. Preston Blakely, who won a seat on the Fletcher Town Council two years ago at age 25, filed to run for mayor on Monday as incumbent Rod Whiteside confirmed he is retiring from the job after one term. The first day of filing for Fletcher, Mills River and Flat Rock on Monday also assured at least one competitive race for a council seat in Flat Rock while two incumbents filed for re-election in Mills River. In Fletcher, incumbent Sheila Franklin drew a challenger, John Olsen. "I want to continue some of the good work we've started on the council," said Blakely, 26. His priorities include "equity, workforce housing, a new Henderson County library in Flertcher, still continuing the Heart of Fletcher project. I want to continue with transparency and make sure we're as transparent as possible in government. I'd like to have performance measures so we have a way to improve services in our community as well as report to our community." A manager with the family-owned Quality Janitorial Group, Blakely has an bachelor's degree in political science and African-American studies from UNC Greensboro and a master's in public administration from Western Carolina University. The Fletcher Town Council and advocates for a new library have urged the Henderson County Board of Commissioners to build a new library on the Town Hall campus. So far, commissioners have said no. "In the past, we've seen where the (county) library board of trustees expressed that there is a need for a new library in this part of the county" and that the current Fletcher library is inadequate. "I would argue it doesn't need to be studied," Blakely said. "I think it would meet the needs of the community. It's master-planned in our Heart of Fletcher project" to be sited on town-owned property. Whiteside, who rode an aggressive door-to-door campaign to a stunning upset of longtime Mayor Bill Moore in 2017, said he is moving on. "I am retiring ... for a variety of reasons, one of which is I'm just at a different point in life and I would prefer to be more in control of my time right now," he said. He takes pride in the progress the town has made on numerous projects during his mayoral service. "I can't take credit for all of it but certainly we have moved along in the last four years and I am grateful for that." He is endorsing Blakely. "During his time on council I would like to think I have," he said when asked if he had mentoried his young colleague. "I've certainly extended my hand in any way I can during his time. ... I have absolutely enjoyed my time and the people of Fletcher are the best residents in the state." Franklin, the District 1 incumbent on the Fletcher Town Council, filed for re-election Wednesday, twy days after Olsen signed up to run. Olsen said his "Moving Fletcher Forward" campaign is focused on "the commercial development push coming southward from Asheville and Arden." Today I begin the next phase of this campaign, he said in a news release. "I have the experience and background to evaluate development proposals and ensure our town grows in ways that respect our community and provide the maximum benefit for our residents. Olsen also said he wants to modernize how the community interacts with town services. Local government should be focused on ensuring residents can easily and conveniently access town services," he said. "Residents in other communities enjoy services that provide access to town information including online reporting of issues of concern, modernized access to updated town ordinances, police records, town news and events, and much more. In other filings: Free access for current print subscribers As a home delivery subscriber, you get free unlimited digital access to premium content on HenryHerald.com, including local news, local sports, obituaries, legal notices, local features, and the e-edition. All you need is your print subscription account number and your last name. Don't know your subscription number? Email access@henryherald.com with your delivery address. Activate your account now. Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email customercare@heraldandnews.com for help creating one. Billy James Daniel, 85, of Wolfe City, passed away on July 23, 2021 at Oak Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Commerce, with his family by his side. Billy was born in Wolfe City, Texas on July 13, 1936, the son of Samuel Daniel and Eliza Phillips Daniel. He began his career in the gr At least one, and maybe more, new businesses are expected to be coming to Hunt County in the near future, and the Hunt County Commissioners Court intends to make arrangements for potential tax abatements for the companies during todays regular session. Support local journalism We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story. Uniontown, PA (15401) Today Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 78F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Cloudy early with some clearing expected late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Nashua - Linda Susan Mason, with her husband of 21 years at her side, passed on June 15, 2021 at the Hillsborough County Nursing Home in Goffstown, N.H. Linda was born on June 26, 1947, in Lawrence, Mass. to William and Elizabeth (Tuttle) Case. She warmly remembered her childhood, spent in N House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on Sunday that she has already appointed Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger to the House select committee. Kingzinger will join the probing into the US Capitol insurrection on January 6. He confirmed that he had a discussion with Pelosi and that he would accept Pelosi's offer. Adams stated that the United States citizens are deserving of clarity and transparency and that they deserve to know the reason behind thousands of people's attack on the nation's democracy. Lies and Conspiracies Kinzinger said that conspiracies and falsehoods have threatened "our self-governance." He added that such happening necessitates responsibility and accountability. He continued that he will carry that out. The Illinois GOP member also said he "humbly accepted" the responsibility. The probing is slated to commence on Tuesday. It will hear from policemen who combatted rioters and have the power to subpoena papers and spectators. Pelosi previously denied to appoint Republican Reps. Jim Banks and Jim Jordan. Speaking about Kinzinger, she stated that he "brings great patriotism to the committee's mission: to find the facts and protect our democracy," reported Reuters. It was not made clear whether the House Speaker would name other GOP Members. Pelosi added that other GOP members also voiced out their interest to be part of the January 6 panel. The first hearing is slated to be held on Tuesday. Kinzinger will join Liz Cheney from Wyoming as one of two GOP members chosen by Pelosi to be participants on the panel comprising of nine individuals. Kinzinger and Cheney voted in favor of the former president's impeachment after the siege. They were the mere Republicans who supported the emergence of the committee in June, reported NPR. Read Also: Senate Democrats Agree on $3.5T for Major Reconciliation Bill; Major Programs Would Be Funded Pelosi's Statement According to Pelosi in a statement, "Today, I am announcing the appointment of Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger, an Air Force veteran and Lieutenant Colonel in the Air National Guard, to serve on the Select Committee. He brings great patriotism to the Committee's mission: to find the facts and protect our Democracy," reported CNN. The recently-appointed said he should not be looked upon as simply as an anti-Trump GOP member. He said that he would like to make it apparent that he is a GOP member committed to conservative values. However, he pledged oath to support and defend the Constitution. He added although the role is not a position he expected to be designated in or pitch, he would still answer the call of duty. The House speaker was reported to be pondering over Kinzinger's appointment the previous week. This is after she denied other Republicans House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) set forth. McCarthy put forward of his Republican appointees to the panel. Pelosi remarked the new probing would make efforts to know the truth regarding what transpired on January 6th when the former president's supporters made a commotion at the US Capitol. This is while President Joe Biden's victory was being officially declared. Related Article: Inside the Infrastructure Deal That Biden Struck With Senators @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. China's Xi Jinping should fear domestic problems that beset mainland China than trouble in the South China Sea. Beijing will have to face what it is ignoring at the home front, with national affairs that are more volatile than ever. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has been busy building defenses from a military attack yet to come in the Indo-Pacific with its endless posturing. It might be leaving a soft underside exposed which is minding how to settle its non-military problems, which is not as easy. According to Bill Hayton, who specializes in Asia Pacific Affairs, Xi's domestic problems are more critical. Why he minds the South China Sea situation is perplexing him to no end. Domestic threat targets internal management Hayton added that if the Chinese people are content, there will be a problem. Domestic problems are the best way for enemies to weaken China, reported the Express UK. He added that China is of no interest in an invasion. Southeast Asian countries are determined to defend their territory and keep their fishing, gas, and oil resources, keeping sea lanes open without interference from Beijing. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is at fault for aggressively acting against its neighbors by building bases and acting like it owns the SCS. There is a counter move to go against Beijing actively. Iain Duncan Smith, the ex-Conservative Party leader, has reportedly stated he is now under "direct threat" from the Chinese government, noted the Brisbane Times. He added that it was the work on the Interparliamentary Alliance on China that had painted a crosshair on his back. Xi Jinping should fear domestic problems, then act against foreign players. Read Also: Britain Deploys Two Patrol Ships to Indo-Pacific After China's Nuke Threat to Japan He revealed that a tip from the Five Eyes intelligence informed that the Chinese government is directing actions against him and co-chairs in the alliance. But, intel services told the chairs in the alliance, they will be getting support while under direct action from Beijing's counter-intel. According to James Cleverly, a junior minister, Foreign Office said that specific issues would not be discussed, especially delicate communique. He added that Smith's concern over the security issues is legitimate, especially if Beijing is concerned. Thwarting attempts to compromise the security of everyone involved. One recent retaliatory or Chinese assault is the Microsoft Exchange hack; others include spying, economic sanctions on Australia, wolf warrior politics, and naval intimidation in the South China Sea, to mention a few. UK displays power and support by deploying patrol ships Last Tuesday, the United Kingdom informed the media that it would take an active role in the Indo-Pacific, concern over Chinese threats of using nukes on Japan. This is explicit intimidation that China wants to isolate Taiwan from external assistance at all costs. A spokesman said the Royal Navy would station two 300-foot patrol ships, the HMS Tamar and Spey, in Asian waters, indefinitely, cited Reuters. This is after the carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth and its strike group reach Japan in September, passing through the South China Sea, which will draw the ire of Beijing for sure. The presence of British ships, even patrol class vessels, will be a serious ramp-up of tensions in China and the UK. Especially with the US and Japan clashing with the PLA just by being nearby. Sending the most powerful battle group composed of multi-national ships, the British carrier cemented more ties to Japan. But these are nothing compared to what Xi Jinping should fear from domestic problems. Related Article: Japan's China Policy Becomes More Confrontational in 2021 @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The parliament of France has approved a bill that imposes the requirement of COVID-19 passes for individuals traveling within the country. It will also necessitate health care workers to be administered the novel coronavirus vaccine by the middle of September. The bill necessitates people to display "health passes" to board trains, planes, or eat at restaurants and other public places. It also mandated inoculations for all health workers. Such measures have led to political tumult and demonstrations. President Emmanuel Macron and his team stated they need to shield susceptible populations and hospitals as coronavirus cases ricochet and to alleviate new lockdowns. The new law is merely applicable to adults. It is expected to extend to individuals from 12 years old and above starting in September 30. The passage of the bill comes after President Emmanuel Macron pledged to combat the low vaccination rate throughout the country in order to protect the most susceptible individuals. According to French President Emmanuel Macron in July, they have been able to contain the situation. Why they were able to do such is due to the decisions they have executed. He added they are yet again racing against time. "We need to spend this summer vaccinating," reported Business Insider. Over the weekend, the health protection initiatives resulted in tens of thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets through France. COVID-19 cases spike in France to an estimated 20,000 a day from a few thousand earlier in July. 'Health Pass' The said "health pass" necessitates people to show online or a hard copy of a proof of vaccination or evidence that they have recently recuperated from the virus. If not, they should display the most updated negative test. Read Also: Tokyo Olympics 2020 Opening Ceremony Highlights The newly-implemented law also necessitates health care sector workers to receive inoculation by September 15, or they would have to risk being suspended. The law indicates a government decree will draw up how to handle inoculation documents from other nations. The new guidelines may remain effective through November 15. However, it will depend on the spread of COVID-19 in France. On early Monday, lawmakers approved the said bill. Announcement of the Bill The bill was revealed mere six days earlier. Lawmakers drew it out through the night and the weekend to settle on a compromise version approved by the National Assembly past midnight and the Senate on Sunday night, reported France 24. According to French health minister Olivier Veran, non-inoculated health workers would not be allowed to work following the fixed date or would not receive an income. President Macron called for unity following a hospital visit in French Polynesia. He underscored that a number of people were in the business of illogical, at times jaded, and manipulative marshaling over guidelines designated to shield people. He posed the question regarding the worth of freedom if you say to him, "'I don't want to be vaccinated,' but tomorrow you infect your father, your mother or myself?'" reported Axios. Related Article: Western Europe Flooding: Hundreds Missing, at Least 69 Dead @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. When a woman unexpectedly disappeared, her boyfriend denied the police allegation. He then pleads guilty later and leads them to where he supposedly disposed of her body, but it turns out it was his missing wife of two decades. The unexpected turn of events leading to a different case seemed unlikely. The police identified the victim as Pamela Butler, 47, who went missing under unexplained conditions, which deepened the mysterious crime. Accused killer Jose Angel Rodriguez-Cruz, now 54, was convicted in November 2020 and pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree murder. Home surveillance system might reveal mysterious disappearance CCTV footage shows the last time that Butler was seen entering her house and never leaving again. No trace was ever found, reported the Mirror UK. Butler worked as a computer technichian at the US Environmental Protection Agency She was living in Washington D.C. with a good salary, even making some property investments on the side. She maintained an orderly regimen and strictly followed her daily schedule, according to the Daily Star. So when she missed out on a planned family meal, her family found it odd, and they were alarmed. Her brother visited her and found disturbing signs inside her home that worried him a lot. Her two cars were still there, but her keys and some of her belongings were missing. Her home surveillance camera showed footage from February 12, 2009, which was the last record of Butler going inside the house. Another shows her boyfriend, Rodriguez-Cruz, visiting on February 13, a day after her disappearance. The man was seen on three occasions visiting the house days after. Read Also: Mother Strangled Three Daughters as She Did Not Want Her Ex-Partner Getting Them The couple had met online and had been dating recently. Rodriguez-Cruz recalls that Butler ended their relationship that night, but they decided to remain as friends. However, she was never seen going out of the house again after that. When asked by the police why he came back there on three occasions, he mentioned he got his belongings and was seen carrying large bags. But the detectives noticed an open window with its blind pulled up, which Angela would not do unlikely. The window was out of the coverage of her home surveillance system. Rodriguez-Cruz became the primary person of interest for the police. He even agreed to take a lie detector test which, he did not continue, later on, saying he felt the police were setting him up. Detectives were not convinced, so they dug up his past and found something disturbing. He was found to be married to a woman who had been reported missing 20 years earlier. Case leads to a killing of two decades earlier He used to be married to Marta "Haydee" Rodriguez, 26, in Arlington, Virginia. And he had a son with Rodriguez, Hanzel, four at that time, cited WTOP News. Jose was just 23 then when she was reported to be missing. The woman earlier reported complaints of domestic violence. He was arrested for battering his wife months before her disappearance. In March 1989, he was seen dragging the woman on the street. When the police apprehended him and searched his car, they found a tape and a rope. He told the police that if he can't have his wife, then no one else will. Marta was fretting for her life after he was arrested. Later, the police released him because she never made it to court to testify. She was reported missing after a week. He made it appear that she had gone abroad. In 2000, someone used Marta's name to apply for a Florida driver's license. Authorities failed to confirm photos of Martha with the person, and they just ended the search for the missing woman, thinking she was okay. Investigations later confirmed that the woman was a relative of Rodriguez-Cruz. In April 2017, Rodriguez-Cruz made a plea over the death of Pamela. He leads the authorities to where he said he buried Pamela, a median area in Stafford County, Virginia. The state police found the remains of an unidentified human near the said spot. It was impossible to be of Butler because they were uncovered before her disappearance. Later investigations show that the remains belonged to Martha. A charge of murder was filed in 2019 against Rodriguez-Cruz, but no cause of death was declared. Although Rodriguez-Cruz confessed to the death of Butler, her body was never found; instead, it reveals the killing of his wife. He was convicted in November 2020 and is now serving a 12-year sentence for Butler 's death. After which, he will continue with 40 years in prison for Martha's killing. Related Article: Michigan Couple Killed Friend With Battery Acid and Bleach to Silence Her Permanently @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. President Joe Biden said Monday that the United States combat operation in Iraq would cease by the end of the year, a statement that reflects the realities on the ground rather than a significant change in U.S. strategy. Meeting Between Pres. Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi In a recently published article in The Wall Street Journal, Biden said, at the outset of a White House meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Monday, that the U.S. would not be in a combat mission by the end of the year. However, Biden said that the U.S. armed troops will "continue to teach, support, help, and deal with ISIS." Mr. Kadhimi's statement is meant to deflect criticism from hard-line Shiite lawmakers at home, who have demanded that the roughly 2,500-strong American unit leave Iraq. Officials from the United States, on the other hand, claim that it will not result in a substantial decrease in the number of American soldiers in the nation or fundamentally change their purpose. For years, the U.S. soldiers have served as support forces in Iraq and neighboring Syria, the birthplace of the Islamic State, which surged over the border in 2014 and seized significant swathes of Iraqi territory, leading the U.S. to deploy troops back to Iraq that year, according to a published article in Associated Press. Read Also: US Troops Will Continue to Launch Airstrikes Against Taliban If Needed The Shift of the U.S. Military Role in Iraq The American mission has traditionally been focused on advising and training Iraqi soldiers, which takes place mostly inside the boundaries of major facilities. The Iraqi military has received air assistance from the United States in its battle against Islamic State terrorist cells, and Iraqi authorities have indicated that this will continue. Moreover, following Biden's White House meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Monday afternoon, the plan to shift the American military mission to a strict advisory and training mission by the end of the year with no U.S. troops in a combat role will be spelled out in a broader communique to be issued by the US and Iraq, according to a published report in the U.S. News. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said, "We don't need any more fighters because we have those. What do we need? We need cooperation in the field of intelligence. We need help with training. We need troops to help us in the air," MSN News reports. Biden Remains Committed To a Partnership With Iraq During an Oval Office meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Biden told reporters that his government is still committed to a partnership with Iraq. Iranian-backed Iraqi militia organizations have made the situation more complex. The militias want all American soldiers out of Iraq immediately and have assaulted facilities that hold American troops on many occasions. Despite this, the U.S. military will continue to help Iraq in its battle against the Islamic State or ISIS, according to Biden. The security partnership between the U.S. and Iraq will be centered on training, advising, and information sharing, according to a joint statement. Related Article: US To Withdraw Thousands of American Troops in Iraq @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The White House stated on Monday that the U.S. would not remove any current travel restrictions "at this time," owing to worries about the highly transmissible COVID-19 Delta variant and the increasing number of U.S. COVID-19 infections. Biden Administration Formed Working Groups In a recently published article in The Hill, last month, the Biden administration established working groups with Canada, Mexico, the European Union, and the United Kingdom to determine when international travel restrictions should be lifted. The Biden administration has not said when it intends to relax international or foreign travel restrictions, but the formation of the working groups was viewed as a move in that direction. While European countries have eased restrictions on vaccinated Americans, the United States has resisted easing restrictions on visitors from other countries. The Department of Homeland Security said earlier this month that the land border closures with Canada and Mexico will be extended until at least August 21. Beginning Aug. 9, the Canadian government intends to open the border to fully immunized Americans, according to a published report in NBC News. Furthermore, most noncitizens who have spent the previous 14 days in the United Kingdom, European Union countries, Ireland, China, India, South Africa, Iran, or Brazil are presently barred from entering the United States due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the country and Delta variant. Read Also: Travel Restrictions: Canada's New Agreement with Airlines Suspends Flights to Mexico, Caribbean CDC Director Released a Statement About the New Infections In a recently published article in Reuters, the head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Rochelle Walensky, stated on Thursday that the seven-day average of new cases in the U.S. was up 53 percent from the previous week. Moreover, the Delta variant, originally discovered in India, currently accounts for more than 80% of new cases in the United States and has been identified in more than 90 countries. White House Press Secretary Psaki also mentioned the CDC's recent advice to Americans to avoid travel to the United Kingdom due to an increase in cases. The Biden administration has declined to provide any indicators that would tell when the travel restrictions would be lifted, and it has not said whether it will lift restrictions on certain nations or concentrate on improving individual passenger screening. Delta Variant More Transmissible, But Vaccines Work In the United States, the more transmissible delta variant has become the prevalent strain. COVID-19 cases have been on the rise again as vaccination rates have plateaued, after falling significantly at the start of the year. The White House has been urging eligible Americans who have not been inoculated yet to get vaccinated as soon as possible, stressing the danger of the delta strain. According to CDC statistics, over 70 percent of people in the United States have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. The vaccinations have been proven to be effective against the delta variant. Vaccine hesitancy and resistance, on the other hand, have surfaced as increasing challenges for the government in its attempts to achieve herd immunity throughout the country. Related Article: White House to Implement US Travel Restrictions from India, but Ban Unlikely to Stop COVID-19 @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A sheriff's deputy and four others were killed during an hours-long standoff that resulted from a domestic violence call in Southern California, said authorities on Monday. A resident called 911 at around 1:00 p.m. on Sunday saying that there was an armed man who had a restraining order that approached a home in Wasco, outside Bakersfield located about 140 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said. Hours-Long Standoff During the emergency call, screams and gunfire could be heard while a woman was seen fleeing the home found at 1718 First St. Youngblood noted that responding deputies believed two people inside the house were shot. After the suspect barricaded himself inside the residence, an hours-long standoff between him and the deputies began. Youngblood said that 35-year-old Deputy Phillip Campas and Dizander Guerrero approached the home and were immediately shot. The two officials were transported to the hospital where Campas later died due to his wounds as doctors continued to treat Guerrero and subsequently released him. Flying shrapnel from the incident also injured two other deputies. Read Also: Police, Bystanders Rescue a Baby Trapped Under the Car That Suspect Crashed Into Youngblood noted that the 41-year-old suspect was armed with an AK-47 and a handgun and was able to get on the roof of the home at 6:28 p.m. where he was shot and killed by deputies. After entering the house, deputies discovered three dead individuals, a 42-year-old female, a 24-year-old male, and a 17-year-old teen. Officials noted that the two male victims were the suspect's sons and that the woman was their mother, NBC News reported. He said that if there were no other people inside the house, officials would have had to battle against the suspect for a longer time, waiting for the gunman to get bored and have enough of the situation. Youngblood added that their belief that there were hostages inside the home led them to act fast. Bravery of Law Enforcement Personnel In the wake of the incident, Wasco Mayor Alex Garcia confirmed the death of one sheriff's deputy and said it was a "devastating time" for the city as he praised the law enforcement personnel. In a statement, he said he discovered the shooting and death of the deputy and quickly expressed his sympathies to the families of the victims. Before the suspect was killed, a SWAT team arrived at the area of the crime at about 2:50 p.m. who then tried to force their way into the home. This forced the gunman to once again shoot at law enforcement authorities, Newsweek reported. The Honorary Guard led the procession from the hospital where Campas was pronounced dead. Pictures showed how the ambulance crew and members of the public and hospital paid homage to the bravery of the deceased officer. Family members of Campas were seen exiting the hospital accompanying the ambulance crew, including the Kern County Sheriff Bureau. Campas was a deputy who had two daughters and was serving under the Kern County on Patrol, SWAT, and the Honorary Guard. Before becoming a sheriff's deputy, the law enforcement personnel was a soldier in the U.S. Marine Corps, California News Times reported. Related Article: Ohio Man Charged with Hate Crime After Plotting Mass Shooting of Women Over Alleged Revenge, Jealousy @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Biden administration imposed further sanctions on Havana on Monday, joining a group of 20 other democracies in condemning the Cuban regime's recent assault on protesters, but critics and anti-communist groups think the US actions are insufficient. They claim that President Joe Biden is squandering a historic opportunity to support a big pro-freedom movement on the communist-controlled island and that a few more sanctions on a country that has been subject to a 60-year US embargo would make little difference. Protesters demand an end to Cuba's communist regime A wave of pro-democracy protesters gathered on the Cuban Embassy in Washington, DC, on Monday afternoon to demand an end to the communist regime that has kept the island country isolated from the US for the last 62 years. Wrapped in Cuban flags, waving banners, and asking for freedom and liberty, the crowd yelled outside the embassy gates on 16th Street, only a few blocks away from the White House. After weeks of unrest in Cuba against the communist regime over food shortages, a faltering economy, and a rise in COVID-19 cases, the demonstration in Washington took place. President Biden has been chastised for not doing enough to press for change in Cuba, which he recently described as a "failed state," as per Fox News. Thousands of anti-Cuban government protesters gathered outside the White House and stayed overnight to push Joe Biden to do more to confront socialist Miguel Daz-Canel's actions against the Cuban people. Per Daily Mail, the group stayed late to prepare for a scheduled midnight candlelight vigil to commemorate the 26th of July Movement, a Cuban national holiday honoring Fidel Castro's first attempt to topple then-Cuban tyrant Fulgencio Batista in 1953. On Sunday night, Republican Representative Maria Elvira Salazar of Miami attended the candle and cellphone light vigil. On Monday, more elected officials are likely to join the protests. More people came to DC early Monday morning and went straight to the White House to join the protest. Thousands of more protestors are expected to arrive in the nation's capital on Monday, according to Maria Fundora, the head of Cuba Libre, a Texas-based organization that assists Cubans seeking refuge. The demonstrations come as Cuban-Americans claim Biden isn't doing enough to push back against the island's socialist regime, which has retaliated violently against demonstrators who marched in the streets earlier this month amid food, vaccine, and medicine shortages caused by the pandemic. Hundreds of protestors, activists, and journalists were detained by Cuban authorities when protests erupted across the nation on July 11 amid an economic crisis, a scarcity of necessities, and a lack of liberties - all centered on the Covid-19 crisis. Read Also: Joe Biden Reportedly Uses Private Email Accounts, Fake Names to Send Government Info to Hunter During Term as VP Mexican president urged Biden to make a decision on Cuba's unrest Meanwhile, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador stated on Monday that he believes US President Joe Biden needs to decide on the embargo against Cuba, which is experiencing its worst turmoil in decades. Given that "nearly all nations of the world" are against the embargo, Lopez Obrador said it was time to make a concrete decision about it, rather than waiting for countries to vote to abolish it through the UN General Assembly. Lopez Obrador also stated that Cuban households should encounter fewer limitations when it comes to receiving remittances from relatives in the United States or elsewhere. Remittances to Cuba are estimated to be worth between $2 billion and $3 billion per year, making them the country's third-largest source of revenue behind the services industry and tourism. The transactions have been hindered by measures implemented under former US President Donald Trump, including the closure of Western Union's Cuban operations. The Cuban government has blamed the demonstrations mostly on "counter-revolutionaries" funded by the United States who are taking advantage of the economic difficulties imposed by the US embargo, which has been in place for decades, Reuters via MSN reported. Related Article: Joe Biden Expresses Support to Cuba Protesters; Sen. Rubio Criticizes The Administration's Initial Assessment @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Pharmaceutical company Moderna announced plans to expand its coronavirus vaccine testing trials to include children aged five to 11 years old, officials confirmed on Monday. The expansion of the trial aims to increase the possibility of detecting potentially rare side effects among infected individuals, Moderna said. However, the company declined to reveal how many children it planned to include in the trials. COVID-19 Vaccine Trials for Children Last month, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) included a warning label on Pfizer and Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines, noting the potential risk of heart inflammation, which was reported in younger individuals as a rare side effect. In a statement, Moderna said it was currently discussing the expansion of the trial and expected that in late 2021 or early 2022, they would be able to have authorization. The company noted that the FDA would be responsible for choosing the route of authorization. Earlier this Monday, reports noted that the FDA requested both Moderna and Pfizer to include 3,000 children aged five to 11 years in their vaccine trials. Pfizer did not provide any updates regarding the previously stated timelines or information regarding its vaccine trials, CNBC reported. However, Pfizer said that it expects results from its Phase 2.3 trials to come out in September for children aged five to 11 years. Officials said that they expect the results for younger children shortly after. Many parents across the United States are eagerly waiting for the eligibility of their young children to get vaccinated. The incident comes as schools begin preparing to open for in-person learning in the fall. Pfizer's vaccine is currently authorized to be given to children as young as 12 but no treatment is available for those younger. Read Also: France Parliament Approves Law Necessitating COVID-19 Passes for Restaurants, Domestic Travel; Bill Applies to Adults Last week, United States President Joe Biden said that children younger than 12 years old could soon become eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. He predicted that the go signal for the process could come in the next few months. Cases of Rare Side Effects The nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is also the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said earlier this month that the FDA has the final say in the matter. The medical professional said he did not expect the process to be available until later on in the winter season, CNN reported. Members of a CDC advisory committee noted that the benefits of having vaccinations available for children under 12 years old far outweighed the risks, which include heart problems. Moderna's trial started recruiting participants in March and initially planned to enroll 6,795 children younger than 12 years old. Officials will split the children into three age brackets. Ray Jordan, a company spokesman, said they were discussing the details with the FDA. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published data that showed the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines have been linked to myocarditis and pericarditis, where more than 1,200 Americans reported the issue, where about 500 of the victims were younger than 30. Authorities said that the symptoms typically occurred within two weeks and were more frequent in young men and boys, the New York Times reported. Related Article: US Doctors Say Covid-19 Delta Variant More Dangerous Than Original With Slightly Different Symptoms @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Samantha Josephson, 21 years old, was stabbed approximately 120 times in her terrible March 2019 death, according to forensic pathologist evidence on Monday. Details of the Stabbing Incident A forensic pathologist, Dr. Thomas Beaver, described the many injuries she suffered in the March 2019 assault, according to a published article in Law and Crime. Prosecutors say Josephson walked inside Nathaniel David Rowland's black Chevy Impala believing it was her Uber. Rowland, on the other hand, abducted and killed her in Clarendon County, South Carolina. Beaver described Josephson's gruesome wounds. He stated one of the knife wounds in her flank region really got into her lung. Other wounds could be seen on her head while defensive-type injuries could be seen on her palm, including two parallel knife wounds that ran through her hand. According to him, this is what one would expect to see if someone was attempting to defend oneself against a stab. Additionally, Josephson's hyoid bone was also fractured. The back of the tongue contains this bone. He said that strangulation would shatter it, but that Josephson's was destroyed by a knife wound. However, he said that he could not be positive she was not strangled, according to a published report in Herald Sun. Read Also: New Jersey 'Torso Killer' Confesses to 1974 Murder Case of 2 Teenage Friends Beaver's Testimony Was Crucial in the Killing Incident Dr. Thomas Beaver, a pathologist, took the witness stand Monday after 31 witnesses and five days of testimony, and his description of the numerous and horrific wounds on Samantha Josephson's body left few doubts about what happened to the University of South Carolina senior. However, Beaver's evidence and testimony, as one of the last prosecution witnesses, was particularly important as it connected many critical aspects of prosecution witnesses who testified over the course of five days, according to a published article in News Observer. Previous witnesses have testified about the differences in wounds on Josephson's body, the double-bladed alleged murder weapon, the massive pool of blood in the back seat and trunk of what prosecutors said was Rowland's car, and how the USC student's cell phone mysteriously cut off some 20 minutes after video cameras captured her entering the vehicle in Five Points, a popular nightclub area near the courthouse. Defense Asserted Other Persons Were Involved The defense, on the other hand, has claimed that other individuals were engaged in Josephson's death. According to attorney Alicia Goode, none of Rowland's DNA was discovered on Josephson's defense wounds. However, DNA from the victim was reportedly discovered beneath Rowland's fingernails. During cross-examination, the defense claimed Josephson had wounds on her knuckles, which they characterized as "offensive." Beaver claimed he did not know what happened to Josephson's knuckles. He believes she may have struck anything in the vehicle during the re-direct, such as a door or a glass. In this trial that has drawn global attention, both the prosecution and defense rested their cases Monday afternoon. On Tuesday, the jury is scheduled to begin deliberations, according to a published report in MSN News. Related Article: Washington Deputy Dies in a Shooting Incident; 2 Persons Arrested @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. After Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated earlier this month, the government has arrested a top official who served as the nation's general security coordinator amid investigations, the official's attorney said on Monday. The official, Jean Laguel Civil, is among two dozen suspects arrested by the Haitian government as it continues looking into the assassination of Moise inside his private home on July 7. Reynold Georges, Civil's attorney, said the arrest of his client was politically motivated and not founded on evidence. Assassination Plot The arrest came amid a commemoration of Moise where more than 1,000 demonstrators gathered together. The people in the crowd wore mainly white while cheering on Jimmy Cherizier, a former police officer who is now the leader of a gang called "G9." The group is a federation of nine gangs that are being blamed for the surge of violence and kidnappings in the country in recent months. Cherizier, who is also known as "Barbecue" in the gang, said his underlings had to wait for his order before responding to the assassination of the president. Police said that the gang leader was responsible for the recent string of massacres that targeted civilians who live in areas where other gangs made their territories, Yahoo News reported. Read Also: Protesters Descend Outside White House, Accuse Joe Biden of Supporting Communism Amid Cuba Crisis The gang leader was seen in a white suit with a black tie while making a speech to a large crowd at the seaside slum of La Saline in the capital of Port-au-Prince. A large portrait of Moise was in the area where Cherizier knelt as music was played by a nearby truck. He lit candles in memory of the late president while saying that there would be no peace until justice was served. The incident also comes after last week where three police officers were arrested in connection to the assassination. Officials said it was possible that there was an infiltration of their force that planned out the murder. Authorities identified the three suspects as Boni Gregoire, Clifton Hyppolite, and Elie Jean Charles but did not provide the details of their involvement with the crime. The primary question that officials want to find out is how the perpetrators breached the president's security detail so easily. Many members of the public have become impatient, arguing the secrecy of the investigation, the New York Times reported. Multiple Arrests On Tuesday, Haiti was poised to replace its prime minister, Claude Joseph, and put Ariel Henry in charge. Henry is a neurosurgeon who was appointed by the president shortly before he was assassinated. Two days after the president's murder, two Americans were among those arrested in the initial actions against the assassination. There were also 15 detainees from Columbia that Haitian authorities took into custody. Gen. Jorge Luis Vargas Valencia, the head of the Colombia national police, said President Ivan Duque ordered the cooperation between Colombia's army and police force. He said the country's best investigators were gathered to form a team to provide Port-au-Prince with information that could help with the case, including dates, flight times, and financial information of the suspects, NPR reported. Related Article: Washington Deputy Dies in a Shooting Incident; 2 Persons Arrested @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Russia and China have declared their support for Syria at a time when President Joe Biden is directing policy changes in Afghanistan and Iraq, two additional countries where American soldiers are stationed. However, unlike Kabul and Baghdad, the Syrian government in Damascus has rejected US military participation in the nation, instead of relying on Moscow and Beijing for support. In a statement issued Monday, the joint Russia-Syria interdepartmental headquarters for the repatriation of refugees, a bilateral organization that signed 15 agreements during the most recent journey by a team from Moscow to Damascus, Russia repeated its position. The agreements were supposed to be aimed at improving Syrians' lives and speeding up the rebuilding of damage caused by a decade-long civil conflict, while both parties accused the West of delaying the country's rehabilitation and the return of millions of refugees. Russia, China place good relations with Syria China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited President Bashar al-Assad and other Syrian officials in Damascus earlier this month, signaling Beijing's continued support for the Syrian regime. China delivered a strong statement about the importance it placed on good relations with Syria by visiting Damascus and promising to support Assad's administration while the US waged financial warfare against the Arab country. Wang reaffirmed China's support for Syrian sovereignty while in Damascus, stressing Beijing's resolute opposition to regional and international efforts to force regime change in Syria. The Trump-era Caesar Act, which imposes devastating penalties on Syria, has bipartisan support in Washington today. Damascus officials have no intention of implementing the reforms and significant adjustments in Syria's foreign policy that would be required to persuade the US administration to suspend the Caesar Act. In this scenario, Syria is likely to remain subject to comprehensive sanctions imposed by the United States. Syria will continue to explore methods to get around them to the best of its ability unless and until this changes, as per Al Arabiya. Since at least 2015, when Washington assembled a worldwide coalition to combat the Islamic State militant organization (ISIS) as it swept over large swaths of Syria and neighboring Iraq, where US troops and allies also fight the jihadis, US forces have been stationed in Syria. Following a years-long presence since a 2003 invasion, US soldiers had just left Iraq in 2011, the same year that protests in Syria deteriorated into civil conflict. Per Newsweek via MSN, the battles are related to the wider US-led "War on Terror," which began in Afghanistan after 9/11 with the invasion against Al-Qaeda and its Taliban allies. After a U.N. Security Council decision in favor of involvement, with Russia and China abstaining, a new front opened for US forces as part of a NATO-led intervention on behalf of rebels against long-standing Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi. Read Also: Russia Successfully Tests Vladimir Putin's World- Destroying Nuclear Missile Biden vows to end Iraq operation by the end of the year The disparity between President Biden's management of Iraq and Afghanistan in terms of winding down America's conflicts is becoming more pronounced. Biden assured Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Monday at the White House that the US would complete its combat operation there by the end of the year. However, the president made it very clear that the majority of the 2,500 American troops presently stationed in Iraq will remain, although in advising and training duties on paper. The US, on the other hand, is making a far more clean departure in Afghanistan, withdrawing troops and formally completing its military operation by the end of August. Biden also stated that the objective of denying terrorists a haven in the nation was already accomplished long ago and that keeping troops on the ground was no longer worth the cost of lives and money. The president's handling of the two wars, which began after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, reveals not just America's strategic objectives, but also how he sees the two battles. In withdrawing from Afghanistan, Biden stated that there was no longer any reason to expect that the US could convert the nation into a stable democracy. However, he views an American presence in Iraq as vital, at least in part, to counter Iran's influence and the ongoing danger of the Islamic State, another decades-old war that many consider being more costly than the one in Afghanistan, New York Times reported. Related Article: Biden Announces the End of Combat Role of US Troops in Iraq @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The United States Department of Veterans Affairs declared on Monday that it will necessitate healthcare employees to be inoculated against COVID-19 for the next two months. According to the department, the VA vaccine rule is mandatory to all frontline healthcare staff, including nurses and doctors. The administration of President Joe Biden has been under mounting pressure to start implementing the vaccinations where it could as the national rate of inoculations stalled. The amount of new novel coronavirus cases has had a surge in the past few weeks. Biden stated that the VA will necessitate all documents working in facilities be inoculated. First Federal Agency to Impose Required Vaccination for Health Workers The over 100,000 health care personnel are required to receive the coronavirus doses. It is the first federal agency to implement such a mandate as NYC and California declared new vaccine requirements taking workers into consideration. Although the president's administration had earlier been dubious to back such guidelines, it is now facing a surge in cases due to the Delta variant. It is becoming more prevalent throughout the United States' tens of millions of unvaccinated citizens. The move of the VA arrived on a day when almost 60 forefront health care and medical organizations released a call for health care facilities to necessitate workers to receive inoculation. 8 Weeks of Compliance To be immunized, employees would be given eight weeks to comply, reported Fox 56. According to the secretary of Veterans Affairs, Denis McDonough, he is doing such because it is the most adequate to ensure the safety of the veterans. The VA agency is the biggest unified healthcare system in the United States, reported Becker's Hospital Review. Read Also: France Parliament Approves Law Necessitating COVID-19 Passes for Restaurants, Domestic Travel; Bill Applies to Adults According to the White House, it has yet to arrive to a resolve on the mandate's legality for federal employees in the midst of mounting concerns regarding low inoculation rates. This resulted in the spike of COVID-19 cases in the country. The Department stated that vaccines will be accessible for free. Employees will be granted four hours of paid leave for the purpose of getting the required vaccine doses. McDonough remarked that workers who deny to receive vaccination will be subjected to sanctions, including possible termination, reported Forbes. Coalition of Medical Organizations The action arrives after an assembly of 56 medical organizations prompting health care providers to impose immunizations for all their workers due to the prevalence of the Delta variant. The groups touted such a prerequisite the logical fulfillment of the ethical dedication to patients they are responsible for. With the advent of the prevailing growth of the Delta variant, NYC and California proposed workers a choice: receive inoculation or face weekly testing. A series of hospitals, which includes the prominent Mayo Clinic, announced they would necessitate staff to get vaccinated after a joint appeal from the significant medical groups in the US. Related Article: COVID-19 Inoculation Rates Spike Up in States With Most Number of Infections @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Angelina Jolie has won custody of her and ex-husband Brad Pitt's six children in a court fight. Judge John W. Ouderkirk, a private judge, has been disqualified from handling the actress's divorce case with her ex-husband Brad Pitt, according to a California judge. Jolie requested that Ouderkirk be removed from the case due to his past relationship with Pitt's attorney Anne C. Kiley and his failure to disclose the number of cases they had previously worked on together. Jolie's original request to have Ouderkirk removed from the scene was denied last fall, and Pitt was allowed "far more time" with his children early this summer. Judge John Ouderkirk disqualified in Angelina Jolie-Brad Pitt divorce case This means that the child custody case, which was thought to be nearly done, has been thrown out, and a new one will have to be set up. The specifics of the now-defunct custody arrangement were not made public, as per The Independent. Pitt's lawyers issued a statement in response to the court's approval of Jolie's motion, claiming that the case was dismissed due to a "technical procedural problem" and that Jolie was attempting to destroy the previously agreed-upon custody arrangement. According to an attorney representing Angelina Jolie, the judge was aware of the regulations and simply disobeyed them when it came to the court judgment on July 23. Judge John Ouderkirk neglected to reveal his financial links with Pitt's attorneys in a timely manner, causing questions about his impartiality, according to the 2nd District Court of Appeal. Pax, 17, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 15, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 12, are their other children. The couple had already been divorced by the judge, but the child custody issues had been separated. The state Supreme Court can hear an appeal of Friday's decision, but Pitt would have to be granted permission, which isn't assured. Read Also: Meghan Markle's Father Vows to File Lawsuit Against Her and Prince Harry to See Grandchildren Pitt's lawyer backfires, saying the disqualification was a delaying tactic According to USA Today, Pitt's lawyer, Ted Boutrous said the effort at disqualification was a delaying tactic by Jolie to prevent Ouderkirk's recent provisional custody judgment, which is favorable to Pitt, from taking effect. Brent Kaspar, a divorce lawyer in the San Francisco Bay Area said what happens next is likely to be determined by Pitt. Pitt's attorneys will have to take his case to a public judge in family court unless the two parties can agree on a new private judge to hear the custody case. In either situation, a final resolution is postponed, perhaps allowing at least some of the older children to reach old age. Jolie's attempt to reject joint custody will fail even if a new judge is appointed, whether public or private, according to Los Angeles family law attorney Christopher Melcher. Pitt and Jolie, like many other prominent couples, retained their own judge to ensure their privacy throughout the almost four-year-long divorce proceedings. Ouderkirk was the judge they picked to marry them in 2014. When Angelina Jolie requested him to disqualify himself in a filing in August, Ouderkirk declined. A lower court judge ruled that Jolie's request for disqualification was made too late. The attorneys for Angelina Jolie then filed an appeal. On July 9, the appeals court heard oral arguments to see if Ouderkirk followed ethical rules strictly enough by promptly revealing new business dealings. Private judges in California are usually retired superior court justices with links to the county's legal community. Jolie's appeal to the judge was "game-playing," Boutrous said. He described Jolie as a clever lady with excellent attorneys who had known about the matters that required Ouderkirk's disclosure for a long time but did not object until she began losing in his court. However, the court's recent ruling might imply that the former couple's custody fight will be reconsidered. Pitt, who has never had shared custody of their children, is likely to revert to whatever custody agreement they had in place before to the temporary judgment now that the temporary order has been overturned, as per ET Online. Related Article: Angelina Jolie, The Weeknd Dating Rumors Intensify After "Secretly Attending a Private Concert Together" @YouTube @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Officials from the United States and China met on Monday during a tumultuous meeting where they talked about various issues, including the alleged genocide in the southern province of Xinjiang in the Asian country. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman led the American delegation and met with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other Chinese officials in Tianjin, China. The event was held a week after United States President Joe Biden's administration entered an international coalition to condemn China for its alleged cyberattacks against other nations. U.S.-China Relations In a statement, the State Department called the meetings "frank and open," which is a diplomatic code for a skirmish. It labeled Beijing as being an international outlier that has undermined international standards, citing the country's alleged genocide of minority Uighurs and China's refusal to cooperate with the World Health Organization (WHO) in its investigations of the COVID-19 pandemic's origins. On Monday, Ned Price, the spokesman for the State Department, noted in a statement that Sherman said the United States was willing to welcome stiff competition between the two countries. He added that officials will continue to improve the American government's capability but said that they were not looking to enter conflicts with China, CNN reported. Read Also: Protesters Descend Outside White House, Accuse Joe Biden of Supporting Communism Amid Cuba Crisis On the other hand, Beijing officials described the meetings as "in-depth and frank" and responded with condemning statements. Chinese authorities said they were extremely dissatisfied with the American government's "extremely dangerous China policy" and called the U.S. a hypocrite, referring to human rights. During the meeting, Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng said the relationship between the United States and China "is now in a stalemate and faces serious difficulties." In a statement, the ministry said America portrayed China as an "imagined enemy." Chinese officials urged United States authorities to change their misguided perspective of Beijing. However, China said in the statement that it still wished to work together with the American government to address their relationship struggles. Beijing set the condition of the U.S. to "change course" and adhere to Chinese interests, CNBC reported. Increasing Number of Demands Shi Yinhong, director of Renmin University's Center on American Studies in Beijing, said both parties are trying to obtain a complete victory over the other. He said that officials are leaving little room for the other party to compromise. Shi added that it would be a surprise if the two nations can agree on a solution to any of the major issues they discussed. Sherman's trip to Tianjin and meeting with Chinese officials is part of a broader U.S. diplomatic push in the Asian country. The event came amid Biden's continued push to withdraw American soldiers from Afghanistan and bolster his home country's foreign relationships. Later this week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit India as Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will travel to Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines on political agendas. China also demanded that the U.S. government end its efforts to extradite Huawei Technologies Co. Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, who is currently in Canada. Beijing's demands continue to make it difficult for Biden to grant any one of them to avoid looking to take it easy on the Asian nation, Bloomberg reported. Related Article: Pelosi Chooses 2nd Republican Who Will Join the US Capitol Siege Panel After Rejecting 2 of 5 GOP Members Tapped for the Task @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. This month, the U.S. Air Force will deploy over two dozens of F-22 stealth aircraft to a training exercise in the western Pacific. 25 F-22 Will Be Deployed for Operation Pacific 2021 In a recently published article in MSN News, approximately 25 F-22 Raptors from the Hawaii Air National Guard and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, will be deployed to Guam and Tinian islands this month for Operation Pacific Iron 2021, according to Pacific Air Forces in Hawaii. The F-22s are fifth-generation fighter planes that use stealth technology and link on-board sensor systems with off-board information systems to provide its pilots with a comprehensive picture of the fighting area. Another example is F-35 fighter jets from the United States. According to Carl Schuster, a Hawaii-based defense analyst and former director of operations at US Pacific Command's Joint Intelligence Center, deploying a large number of F-22s for the exercise sends an immediate message to China at a time when relations are tense over Pacific flashpoints such as Taiwan and the South China Sea. He stated that most F-22 deployments include six to twelve planes, according to a published article in The Economic Times. Read Also: What Makes the F-22 Raptor Tick, and Why It's So Hard to Beat Chinese and U.S. Airforce Fighter Jets According to Schuster, the Chinese air force has approximately 20 to 24 operational fifth-generation fighters, but Beijing's capabilities are rapidly increasing. According to Air Force data, the U.S. Air Force has approximately 180 F-22s in its fleet although only about half of them are mission capable at any time owing to maintenance needs. As a result, the United States will deploy roughly a quarter of its mission F-22s to the Pacific Iron exercise. F-22s are anticipated to be among the first weapons deployed in any war, charged with knocking down an adversary's air defenses, among other tasks, due to their ability to avoid radar detection, according to a published report in Yahoo News. Peter Layton, a former Australian air force officer now an analyst with the Griffith Asia Institute, said that in the event of a severe crisis or conflict, the United States is actively rehearsing deployments. The United States is taking China very seriously, and it is strengthening its force posture and preparing its troops to be ready to get into position fast. Operation Pacific Iron According to a statement from Pacific Air Forces, ten F-15 Strike Eagle fighters from Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho and two C-130J Hercules transport planes from Yokota Air Base in Japan will join the F-22s for Operation Pacific Iron to round out the air fleet for what the Air Force calls an Agile Combat Employment operation, also known as a combat dispersal operation. Smaller, less developed airfields such as Tinian International Airport on the island of the Northern Marianas, Won Pat International Airport on Guam, or Northwest Field, a remote strip away from the major runways at Andersen Air Force Base, will be used to train for Pacific Iron. The exercise's lessons may be used to operate from smaller airports on islands in the western Pacific. This would increase the number of targets that enemy missiles would have to destroy, giving the U.S. air force a greater chance of retaliating. Related Article: Doomsday Plane: Russia is Developing a New Military Aircraft @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. BioNTech SE said it will use some of the profits from the COVID-19 vaccine it sells with Pfizer Inc., to invest in malaria and tuberculosis vaccines research in Africa, as part of the German firm's aim to build a big manufacturing base for breakthrough medicines on the continent. Vaccine technology through mRNA was an experimental, unproven outlier on the boundaries of mainstream research eighteen months ago. The amazing success of two mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in 2020 has paved the way for a slew of future developments. Covid-19 mRNA vaccine success to expand through malaria jab BioNTech is presently working on many additional mRNA vaccines to expand on the success of Covid-19. Along with mRNA vaccines for HIV and Tuberculosis, the firm has also revealed the development of a malaria vaccine, New Atlas reported. The large-scale endeavor is part of a larger effort to combat malaria. BioNTech is collaborating with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Africa's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to establish mRNA manufacturing facilities in Africa, in addition to developing and testing an mRNA malaria vaccine. The objective is to expand vaccination availability in low- and middle-income nations so that, if a vaccine candidate proves effective in trials, it may be quickly manufactured and given to those who need it most. According to WHO, 229 million cases of malaria were reported worldwide in 2019, with around 409,000 fatalities. Children under the age of five accounted for 67 percent of fatalities in 2019, with Africa accounting for 94 percent of cases and deaths, as per Sky News. "We are already working on HIV and tuberculosis, and malaria is the third big indication (disease) with a high unmet medical need," said Ugur Sahin, Chief executive of Biotech. However, Sahin admitted that the initiative is still in its early stages and that there is no assurance of success. Because of ideas acquired from creating an mRNA vaccine against Covid-19, he noted, the company feels now is the right moment to solve this problem. According to Reuters, malaria is a complicated disease produced by a parasite that escapes immune system identification, according to Sahin, who said that the objective is to develop a vaccine that makes the parasite visible and attackable from the start. Read Also: Fatal, Untreatable "Superbug" Spreads from Patients in Two Cities; CDC Warns Global Health Threat BioNTech aims to evaluate the tuberculosis vaccine in 2022 Messenger RNA vaccines cause the human body to produce a pathogen-specific protein, prompting an immune response. They're also easier to modify than standard vaccinations and take less time to create. Mosquirix, the world's first and only approved malaria vaccine, was produced over several years of clinical trials in many African nations by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L), although it is only around 30% effective. Adrian Hill, one of the key scientists behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, is leading a team of researchers at Oxford's Jenner Institute who are working on a potential new malaria vaccine that has shown promise in a year-long study. BioNTech said it will evaluate several vaccine candidates targeting the circumsporozoite protein (CSP), as well as novel antigens found in pre-clinical research, and choose the most promising for a clinical trial that will begin by the end of 2022. The firm is also looking for suitable mRNA vaccine production facilities in Africa, either with partners or on its own, with help from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the European Commission, and others. BioNTech Chief Operating Officer Sierk Poetting stated that the firm will fund the vaccine's research and initial manufacturing, then turn to its partners for help with large-scale trials and infrastructure, such as fill and finish facilities and local training. The company also aims to begin a clinical trial in 2022 to evaluate a tuberculosis vaccine candidate and is collaborating with partners to develop vaccines for nine other infectious illnesses, including cancer. Related Article: CDC Launches Investigation Following Teen's Death After Receiving Second Dose of Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine @YouTube @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. North and South Korea on Thursday announced they have restored previously suspended communication channels as part of an effort to restore ties between both governments. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un have agreed to "restore mutual confidence and develop their relationships again as soon as possible" following several exchanges since April, Moon's press secretary Park Soo-hyun said. Communication Between Koreas The inter-Korean communication channels began operating again at 10 a.m. Tuesday as the two leaders hope to recover from the setback in their relationship. "In this regard, the top leaders of the North and the South agreed to make a big stride in recovering the mutual trust and promoting reconciliation by restoring the cutoff inter-Korean communication liaison lines through the recent several exchanges of personal letters," North Korea's state media outlet, KCNA, said, as reported by POLITICO. North Korea cut off all lines of communication with South Korea in June 2020. According to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the move came after South Korea failed to stop activities from floating anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border. Some experts also claimed cutting off communication lines indicated that the DPRK had grown frustrated after the South Korea government failed to persuade the United States to lift the sanctions it placed on North Korea. On June 13, Kim Yo-jong, Jong-un's younger sister, warned that the North Korean army was given permission to "take the next action against the enemy." Three days later, the DPRK blew up an inter-Korean joint liaison office near the border town of Kaesong. Read Also: US-China Tensions Rise After Tumultuous Meeting Regarding Chinese Genocide But Continued Talks Still Possible Tensions between the two countries worsened on Sept. 22 after North Korean forces fatally shot a South Korea fisheries official who got lost on the DPRK's side of the Yellow Sea. The official, who was reported missing the previous day, was also burned, as reported by The Korea Herald. National Crisis The move to restore suspended communication lines come as North Korea faces food shortage caused by poor management, storm damage, and border shutdowns amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The DPRK is expected to face a food shortage of around 860,000 tonnes this year, according to a forecast by the UN Food and Agricultural Organization. Additionally, the country will also produce 5.6 million tonnes of grain this year, which is 1.1. Million tonnes short of the amount it needs to feed its entire population. "If this gap is not adequately covered through commercial imports and/or food aid, households could experience a harsh lean period from August to October," the forecast said, according to the South China Morning Post. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un also made a rare reference to the country's food shortage, calling the situation "tense" and warning the country's residents to brace for worse situations. However, experts say they have yet to see signs that the country will experience a nationwide famine like that in the 1990s, which killed up to 235,000 people, according to the North Korean government. Estimates by Natsios put those figures at 3.5 million. Related Article: Pelosi Chooses 2nd Republican Who Will Join the US Capitol Siege Panel After Rejecting 2 of 5 GOP Members Tapped for the Task @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Former United States Senator Barbara Boxer was attacked and robbed on Monday during a visit to Northern California, the former politician revealed on her Twitter account. California Democrat Boxer was visiting Oakland's Jack London Square neighborhood before someone suddenly pushed her from behind while taking her phone, her tweet said. The post noted that the former Senator was assaulted in the area and revealed the suspect quickly jumped into a parked car and drove away after committing the crime. Unprovoked Assault The post said that Boxer was not seriously injured during the encounter and showed the former politician's gratitude that it did not escalate any further. The Oakland Police Department reported that the incident took place at around 1:15 p.m. in the 300 block of 3rd Street. However, the department did not confirm whether or not Boxer was the victim, Fox News reported. In a statement, the police said that the suspect forcefully took the victim's mobile phone and quickly fled into a nearby vehicle and drove away. An investigation into the incident is currently ongoing and a $2,000 reward has been put up for any information that could lead to an arrest. On Monday night, a spokesperson said that Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf expressed her "troubled" response to the incident. Justin Berton said the mayor was deeply concerned about the occurrence of the crime and that Schaaf spoke with the former Senator's family to extend her wishes for a speedy recovery. The spokesperson noted that the Oakland Police Department was collecting surveillance footage of the crime that could help determine the identity of the suspect, ABC7 News reported. Read Also: US-China Tensions Rise After Tumultuous Meeting Regarding Chinese Genocide But Continued Talks Still Possible Surging Violent Crime The incident comes as the nation tackles the problem of surging crime in nearly all cities. Authorities revealed that many small cities that commonly have relatively fewer murders than others are seeing significant increases since last year. So far, killings in Albuquerque, Austin, Texas, and Pittsburgh have doubled. On the other hand, Portland, Oregon, has seen the crime rate go up by five times in the last year. The data of the crime numbers were released and compiled by Jeff Asher, a crime data analyst and co-founder of AH Datalytics. Many U.S. cities have Democratic mayors, and after last year's protests over police brutality against Black Americans, lawmakers have begun a "defund the police" movement. The result is law enforcement across the nation has reduced their police budget. Republicans have taken advantage of the narrative of rising crime and defunding the police to push their agendas in key swing districts that could be crucial to deciding control of the U.S. House next year. The GOP needs five seats to take majority control of the House. Mike Berg, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee that is responsible for recruiting and advising GOP congressional candidates, said Democrats across the U.S. should be held accountable for the rise in crimes for defunding the police. The attack comes amid a push by Republicans that targets Democrats over their take on crime, economy, and border security, NPR reported. Related Article: Washington Deputy Dies in a Shooting Incident; 2 Persons Arrested @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. 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. Thank you! You've reported this item as a violation of our terms of use. This content was contributed by a user of the site. If you believe this content may be in violation of the terms of use, you may report it. Pipeline 26 July 2021 Standard International, the leading hospitality company responsible for iconic hotels across the globe, from New York and Miami, to London and the Maldives, today added Brussels to its growing list of destinations. ZIN, Befimmo's ongoing redevelopment project of the World Trade Center towers 1 & 2 in Brussels' Northern Quarter, will welcome The Standard in 2025. Widely recognized as a pioneer in the lifestyle hotel sector for revolutionizing the concept of innovative, immersive hospitality, The Standard is renowned for its successful placemaking, exemplified by The Standard, High Line, in New York's Meatpacking District and more recently the award winning, The Standard, London in King's Cross.ZIN is a multipurpose project combining various functions in an innovative way. Housing, working and leisure are accommodated into one building, integrated into the existing urban ecosystem. ZIN is a real reference, a new way of making a city. The Standard, Brussels will have 180 rooms, 20 branded apartments and will feature a lush ground floor greenhouse and a spectacular rooftop, with bars and restaurants created for visitors and locals aliketapping into the city's deep cultural community. Reopening 27 July 2021 Global luxury hospitality company Jumeriah Group today announced its European flagship hotel, The Carlton Tower Jumeirah, opened in the heart of London's fashionable Knightsbridge district following an extensive 18-month revitalization estimated at $137 million.Previously known as Jumeirah Carlton Tower, The Carlton Tower Jumeirah launches under a new name to reflect the significance of the most extensive transformation in all its history. Originally designed 60 years ago by Henry End, also responsible for the interiors of New York's Plaza Hotel, the five-star property was thoughtfully redesigned by 1508 London to cater to a new generation of discerning guests. While respecting the building's original, clean modernist style, the esteemed design studio layered an eclectic mix inspired by the architecture of surrounding mansion blocks and homes with soft curved edges, pops of bright color and organic inspired forms throughout. With renovation costs totaling more than $137 million, changes include a new foyer and reception, health club and spa with London's largest naturally lit swimming pool, flagship restaurant, lobby bar and lounge, ballroom, and meeting rooms. A total of 186 new bedrooms and suites, reduced from a previous 216, now offer more space and natural light, with 87 of the rooms also featuring balconies with spectacular views of the city. Stars and socialites from all over the world can take advantage of the Royal Suite, the hotel's new and most exclusive residence featuring three bedrooms with the option to privatize the entire floor. Pipeline 27 July 2021 Welcome to Lake Geneva! Deutsche Hospitality has plans for a further Zleep Hotel in Switzerland. The Zleep Hotel Lausanne in the municipality of Chavannes-pres-Renens is the second venture to be announced in addition to the Zleep Hotel Zurich Kloten. It is scheduled to open for business in 2023. The new hotel will form part of a mixed-use concept including 300 student apartments, 30 further residential units, retail outlets, offices and public car parks. Deutsche Hospitality will be introducing its economy brand to a country in which it already maintains a presence in the form of the Steigenberger Grandhotel Belvedere Davos. Two IntercityHotels are also in the planning pipeline - the IntercityHotel Zurich Airport and the IntercityHotel Geneva Airport. The new-build Zleep Hotel Lausanne will feature the smart interior design which is typical of the brand and will be located only a few kilometres from the city centre. The project meets sustainable construction standards and will be built according to Switzerland's "Minergie" scheme. There will be 120 rooms with modern fixtures and fittings, a lobby complete with reception area, a breakfast restaurant and a bar. Guests will enjoy magnificent views of the hotel's surroundings from a generously proportioned terrace. Appointment 27 July 2021 Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI), a leader in luxury hotel sales for meeting incentives, conventions, and exhibition (MICE), welcomes the addition of Silvia Zamora to the ALHI executive team. As ALHI's new Vice President of Meeting Design and Experience, Zamora will lead and accelerate the company's vision for meetings and events in partnership with more than 250 member hotels and partners. Prior to joining ALHI, Zamora spent seven years at Virtuoso, a global network of travel agencies specializing in luxury and experiential travel, where she led the organization's major pivot from in-person to digital events. She also produced the company's well-attended Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas and their International Symposiums, Forum and Chairman events for many years. Zamora culminated her tenure at Virtuoso as the Director of Event Operations. With over 25 years of experience in the meetings and events industry, Zamora honed her skills with positions at Motorola, the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, as well as roles producing events in the tech, pharmaceutical, and banking sectors. Silvia graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor of science degree in advertising. And she is also certified as a meeting professional (CMP) with certificates in meeting management, sustainable events, event design, virtual event & meeting management, and pandemic on-site protocol. Supplier News 27 July 2021 With The Peoples Republic of China seeing strong domestic recovery, Shiji Group, China's leading hotel information systems player, has partnered with global travel technology company Amadeus to provide new content from Chinese hotels & chains to the Amadeus Travel Platform. This partnership will benefit an increasing number of travel agents who are looking for richer hotel accommodation options in China. This partnership will enable travel agents across Amadeus distribution network to access Shijis hotel accommodation options and provide agents with new hospitality content that is not made available yet on other global distribution systems. "Many hotels in China run on Shijis suite of solutions, from PMS, Channel Management, CRS, to our back-office solutions. One thing that never changes is that our hotel customers are always looking for broader, high quality distribution. says Anson Lau, Managing Director, Shiji Distribution Solutions. "Our partnership with Amadeus will open up a whole new global hospitality distribution network to our hotel customers, empowering them to grow both their retail & corporate business globally." The Amadeus Travel Platform enables airlines, hotels, car rental companies to provide their content to the worlds largest global network of travel sellers and corporations, so that travelers can shop, and book travel the way they want. The Travel Platform is built on open systems, processing 100,000+ end-user transactions per second at peak and harnesses intelligent use of data by artificial and machine learning. End-user transactions can include anything from a low fare search to a credit card authorization request. "We are happy to be partnering with Shiji, giving the reach the company requires to make its content available to more travel agents who are looking to make bookings in China," adds Malcolm Cheong, General Manager, Hospitality, China, Amadeus. "By providing new content from Shijis portfolio of Chinese hotels & chains on our Travel Platform, we are enriching the content available and ensuring our travel sellers have a more robust choice of hotel accommodations to offer their customers. As the journey of rebuilding travel begins across the world, our partnership with Shiji will be delivering stress-free traveler experiences that can unlock recovery and growth." Since launch of operations in 2007, Shiji Distribution Solutions has built a diverse hospitality network that connects to 40,000+ hotel properties, including 80+ hotel chains, 2,500+ independent hotels and 200+ channels. Press Release 27 July 2021 Ascott Residence Trust (ART) raised its distribution per stapled security (DPS) for 1H 2021 by 95% to 2.05 cents compared to 1H 2020 through active portfolio optimisation. ART achieved S$360 million in net gains from its divestments from 2019 to 2021 to date. The distributable income for 1H 2021 grew 96% year-on-year (y-o-y) to S$63.8 million. The distributable income for 1H 2021 included a one-off partial distribution of divestment gains of S$20 million to share divestment gains with Stapled Securityholders, replace income loss from divested assets and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on distributions. It also included termination fee income received[1]1 and realised exchange gains. Advertisements ARTs portfolio revenue per available unit (REVPAU[2]) has risen over four consecutive quarters since 2Q 2020, with an increase of 18% from 1Q 2021 to 2Q 2021. For 1H 2021, ARTs portfolio REVPAU was S$60. On a same-store basis[3], the revenue and gross profit for 2Q 2021 were 45% and 56% higher respectively compared to 2Q 2020. Revenue for 1H 2021 decreased by 11% y-o-y to S$185.0 million, mainly attributed to an absence of contributions from six properties[4] which were all divested at a premium to book value, and lower revenue from the existing portfolio due to the impact of COVID-19. This was partially offset by the additional contribution of S$3.6 million from Quest Macquarie Park Sydney in Australia which was acquired in February 2020, ARTs first student accommodation asset, Paloma West Midtown[5] in Georgia, United States of America (USA), acquired in February 2021 as well as three rental housing properties[6] in Sapporo, Japan that were acquired in June 2021. Gross profit for 1H 2021 was S$82.1 million, about 74% of which were stable income contribution by properties on master leases, properties on management contracts with minimum guaranteed income as well as management contracts of ARTs rental housing and student accommodation assets. There are no master leases expiring in 2021 and ARTs portfolio continues to generate profit and positive cashflow. Park Hotel Clarke Quay in Singapore is in the process of being repossessed by ART and the managers of ART are assessing options for the operations of the property. A provision of S$5.3 million has been made in 1H 2021 for the outstanding rents and the master lease, expiring in 2023, will subsequently be terminated. Assuming a same-store basis3, gross profit for 1H 2021 was relatively stable due to lower operating costs. Mr Bob Tan, Chairman of Ascott Residence Trust Management Limited (ARTML) and Ascott Business Trust Management Pte. Ltd. (the Managers of ART) said: ARTs predominantly long-stay properties, geographically diverse portfolio and presence in large domestic markets offer resilience and it is well-placed to benefit as the global economy recovers[7]. ART has been actively reconstituting and enhancing our portfolio by redeploying divestment proceeds into higher-yielding and long-stay assets to increase stable income and create greater value for our Stapled Securityholders. ART has received about S$580 million in proceeds from the divestment of our six properties at about 2%[8] average exit yield. In 1H 2021, our total investments of about S$285 million were at an average EBITDA yield of about 5%. With about S$140 million remaining in divestment proceeds and a debt headroom of S$1.9 billion, ART has a strong financial capacity to seek investment opportunities in more long-stay lodging assets to deliver sustainable, long-term value to our Stapled Securityholders. ART aims to expand our asset allocation in rental housing and student accommodation properties from about 9% currently to about 15-20% of our total property value in the medium term, added Mr Tan. Ms Beh Siew Kim, Chief Executive Officer of ARTML and Ascott Business Trust Management Pte. Ltd. (the Managers of ART) said: As governments around the world step up their vaccination programmes amid emerging variants of COVID-19 and start to ease restrictions on international travel, we are cautiously optimistic of the varied pace of recovery across global markets. The initial phase of recovery remains largely driven by the domestic and essential corporate travel segments, and the return of international demand may be more gradual. ARTs properties in China continued to lead the recovery with higher corporate demand while properties in Europe benefitted from leisure demand brought on by the summer season. The block bookings at our properties in Australia, Singapore and USA, as well as the long stays in Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam continued to offer stability. ARTs expansion of our rental housing and student accommodation portfolios will generate greater stable returns. The three Japan rental housing properties we acquired in June 2021 will immediately contribute stable income, given their long leases of about two years and high occupancy rates. The average EBITDA yield of the three rental housing properties is approximately 4%. Our first student accommodation asset, Paloma West Midtown is 97%[9] pre-leased for the Fall 2021 semester, in line with pre-pandemic pre-leasing rates. Our second student accommodation asset in South Carolina, USA which we will jointly develop with our sponsor, The Ascott Limited, has a target stabilised EBITDA yield of about 6.2%. It offers an attractive yield on cost and potential development upside, added Ms Beh. Rejuvenating ARTs portfolio to create greater value for Stapled Securityholders ART is rejuvenating its portfolio with four projects in Singapore and the USA undergoing asset enhancement or development. ARTs maiden development project and coliving property, lyf one-north Singapore, is expected to complete in 4Q 2021. The 324-unit coliving property situated within Singapores research and innovation business hub of one-north has achieved the Green Mark GoldPLUS award by the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore. Development of the new Somerset serviced residence at the Liang Court site in Singapore has commenced and is scheduled to complete in 2H 2025. The new 192-unit Somerset serviced residence will be part of an iconic riverfront integrated development. In the USA, in addition to the construction of its second student accommodation asset, ARTs US$10 million refurbishment of its Hotel Central Times Square in New York has commenced in April 2021. The rebranded property is expected to launch in 4Q 2021 as voco - an upscale brand under IHG Hotels & Resorts, well-positioned to capture demand from domestic leisure travellers as the market recovers. The 224-room voco Times Square South will provide guests a thoughtful, relaxed and charming experience. Strong financial and cashflow positions ARTs strong financial and cashflow positions give it the flexibility to invest in quality assets, pare down debt and/or distribute part of the gains from divestments to Stapled Securityholders. ART has a total of approximately S$1.17 billion in cash on-hand and unutilised credit facilities as at 30 June 2021. ARTs effective borrowing cost remains low at 1.6% per annum. ARTs gearing of 35.9% as at 30 June 2021 is well below the 50% gearing threshold set by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Summary of Results Photo: The Ascott Limited (1) Distributable income for 1H 2021 included: a one-off partial distribution of divestment gains of S$20 million to share divestment gains with Stapled Securityholders, replace income loss from divested assets and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on distributions. termination fee income received upon termination of the sale of Citadines Xinghai Suzhou and Citadines Zhuankou Wuhan. realised exchange gain on the receipt of the divestment proceeds. realised exchange gain arising from the repayment of foreign currency bank loans with the divestment proceeds. (2) In view of the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 situation, ART had retained approximately 15% (S$5.0 million) of its income available for distribution to Stapled Securityholders, as rent negotiations are still on-going and ART may grant further rental deferment and/or waivers to support some tenants through this challenging period. To mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on distributions and to share past divestment gains with Stapled Securityholders, ART had included a S$5.0 million top-up in the 1H 2020 distribution. Distribution and Book Closure Date ARTs distributions, made on a semi-annual basis, are as follows: Photo: The Ascott Limited For ARTs 1H 2021 financial statement and presentation, please visit www.ascottresidencetrust.com For the termination of the sale of Citadines Xinghai Suzhou and Citadines Zhuankou Wuhan. Portfolio REVPAU refers to the revenue per available unit of properties under management contracts and management contracts with minimum guaranteed income. It excludes master leases, rental housing and student accommodation. Excluding acquisitions and divestments in 2020 and 2021. The six properties are Somerset Liang Court in Singapore, Ascott Guangzhou and Somerset Xu Hui in China, Somerset Azabu East in Japan as well as Citadines City Centre Grenoble and Citadines Didot Montparnasse Paris in France. Formerly Signature West Midtown. The three rental housing properties are City Court Kita 1 jo, Big Palace Minami 5 jo, and Alpha Square Kita 15 jo. According to the World Economic Outlook (April 2021) by the International Monetary Fund, the global economy is projected to grow 6% in 2021, with a stronger performance expected in 2H 2021. Exit yield is computed based on the properties EBITDA in the last financial year before they were divested; excludes the divestment of Somerset Liang Court Singapore as it is a partial sale of GFA and the exit yield is therefore not meaningful for the purpose of this computation. As of July 2021. [1] For the termination of the sale of Citadines Xinghai Suzhou and Citadines Zhuankou Wuhan. [2] Portfolio RevPAU refers to the revenue per available unit of properties under management contracts and management contracts with minimum guaranteed income. It excludes master leases, rental housing and student accommodation. [3] Excluding acquisitions and divestments in 2020 and 2021. [4] The six properties are Somerset Liang Court in Singapore, Ascott Guangzhou and Somerset Xu Hui in China, Somerset Azabu East in Japan as well as Citadines City Centre Grenoble and Citadines Didot Montparnasse Paris in France. [5] Formerly Signature West Midtown. [6] The three rental housing properties are City Court Kita 1 jo, Big Palace Minami 5 jo, and Alpha Square Kita 15 jo. [7] According to the World Economic Outlook (April 2021) by the International Monetary Fund, the global economy is projected to grow 6% in 2021, with a stronger performance expected in 2H 2021. [8] Exit yield is computed based on the properties EBITDA in the last financial year before they were divested; excludes the divestment of Somerset Liang Court Singapore as it is a partial sale of GFA and the exit yield is therefore not meaningful for the purpose of this computation. [9] As of July 2021. Press Release 27 July 2021 On July 25, 2021, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and the American Hotel & Lodging Foundation (AHLA Foundation) honored the incredible resilience of hotel employees across the country who selflessly led their teams and supported their communities during the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic. The 2021 Night of a Thousand Stars gala, which featured the introduction of two new awards, celebrated the 2021 Stars of the Industry Award winners and up and coming hospitality super stars, while raising funds to support the AHLA Foundation programs that are helping the industry recruit and retain the stars of tomorrow. Advertisements The 2021 Night of a Thousand Stars Gala raised $600,000 to support the AHLA Foundations continued effort to strengthen the lodging industry, help people build careers and improve their lives. Funds raised support Foundation beneficiaries such as Tiffany Holland, graduate of the AHLA Foundations Lodging Manager Apprenticeship Program and current Front Desk Supervisor at the Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham in Marianna, FL. The Foundations training prepared Tiffany to take over the many positions she had to cover in the hotel, which had a limited staff during the pandemic. Everything I needed to know about the hotel industry is in that program, said Tiffany. That program is a blessing to me, and I know it can be a blessing to others. See her story here. The Night of a Thousand Stars gala offers a unique opportunity to support the AHLA Foundation and showcase the stars of our industry - the passionate women and men who make hotels feel like home and move our industry forward, even during the most challenging of circumstances. So much of their work is behind the scenes, and this is a wonderful opportunity to give them the praise and recognition they deserve, said Chip Rogers, CEO and President of AHLA. Tonights distinguished honorees go above and beyond for their guests and our hotels because of their commitment to their work and our industry. We are humbled to be here tonight to celebrate the true stars who keep our industry strong. This years event saw the introduction of two new awards: The Shining Star Award honors a person or organization that has gone above and beyond to advance the Foundations mission of helping people build careers, improve their lives, and strengthen the lodging industry. The heroic security department of the Los Angeles Airport Marriott received this award for their anti-human trafficking work. The Arne Sorenson Social Impact Leadership Award, in memory of former Marriott International president & CEO Arne Sorenson, will be given in conjunction with The Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) to an industry professional who demonstrates extraordinary efforts to advance positive societal change and make the lodging industry, and the world, more hospitable. The first honoree will be announced at the 2022 Night of a Thousand Stars gala. AHLAs 2021 Stars of the Industry winners were honored for their service to the industry during an unprecedented time. NORTH STAR AWARD WINNER: James Jimbo Leahy, Door Attendant, Boston Marriott Long Wharf, Boston, Mass. NORTH STAR AWARD FINALISTS: Ivan Salazar, Director of Outlets, Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach, Clearwater, Fla. Patrick Montgomery, Training Specialist, Marriott International Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center, Aurora, Colo. OUTSTANDING GENERAL MANAGER OF THE YEAR (SMALL PROPERTY): Michael Porter, General Manager, Motel 6, Saint Paul, Minn. OUTSTANDING GENERAL MANAGER OF THE YEAR (LARGE PROPERTY): David Piscola, General Manager, Hilton New Orleans Riverside, New Orleans PAVING THE WAY AWARD: Vanessa Stanley, Vice President, New Builds & Transitions, PM Hotel Group, Chevy Chase, Md. STEVAN PORTER EMERGING HOSPITALITY LEADER AWARD: Siji John, Front Office Manager, Hyatt Regency Orlando, Orlando, Fla. The AHLA Foundation would like to highlight Night of a Thousand Stars Visionary Sponsors, Curator Hotel and Resort Collection, G6 Hospitality, and HD Supply. Opinion Article 27 July 2021 Before Covid19, the hospitality industry accounted for around 10% of our global economy. In 2019, no less than 15,000 hotels were in the pipeline attesting to the industry growth and place in our society (Hotel Management). In such a thriving industry implemented changes can have a global impact not only on its activities but also on other industries. As we face difficult times with the Covid19 and the climate change crises, it is time for us as an industry to take a stand and inspire others with our actions. The hospitality industry must change to strive in the long-term and has the chance to inspire others by doing so. Advertisements Despite the difficult situation preventing hotels, restaurants, and events from operating smoothly, field actors can take the chance to prepare properly for the future. As the current crisis forces us to reconsider our ways of designing service and experience, we also have to face climate deregulation. Travel and tourism's role in it are pushing the industry to adapt and evolve. In our situation, reducing hotels and restaurants energy consumption is the right thing to do; however, it does not make up for the whole situation. Reducing Vs. Offsetting carbon emissions in travel & tourism Indeed, reducing is not offsetting and focusing solely on this part will fall short of reaching the net-zero carbon emissions goal. Using less energy and generating less carbon emissions are critical parts of the final objective. For now, not all carbon emissions can be avoided in our growing industry; reducing the operation's emissions is insufficient due to a significant lack of sustainable alternatives. Therefore, to reach the net-zero emissions goal throughout the hospitality industry, we must find ways to offset the carbon emissions of construction or customers' travel, for example. Fighting climate change with Technology Nowadays, technological initiatives are developed to capture CO2 out of the atmosphere to help our ecosystem survive and support our economy in fighting climate change. Significant research has focused on new processes that pull CO2 out of the atmosphere to store it underground (see companies such as Climeworks, Drax or Carbon Engineering). Unfortunately, today these new technologies are still in development. In the meantime, hospitality actors can consider partnering up with other better-known and more developed initiatives, such as companies that restore ecosystems, potentialize the ocean's capability to store the CO2, help new more sustainable agriculture techniques, or use biomass in construction (Net Zero Climate). By joining the UN's Race to Zero, companies can set themselves on the track to more sustainable operations thanks to more precise guidelines and better-defined objectives (UNFCCC). What is the hospitality industry doing to offset carbon? The hospitality industry has already created or partnered with concepts to reduce carbon emissions and energy usage. For example, by putting in place simple concepts like avoiding washing linen every day or giving part of their profit to NGOs that reforest areas of our planet. It thus made the first step towards more sustainable operations. Partnering with or investing in the initiatives mentioned earlier would come as a second step reinforcing our industry's reaction to our society's current challenges. Younger generations always expect more engagement from companies on climate change. Therefore, besides taking a stand to preserve our ecosystem in the long term, engaging in a path to net-zero emissions is a way to secure clientele in the long term. This article is part of the Young Hotelieres Insights (YHI), an initiative spearheaded by HotelierGuilds LeadingHotelieres Chapter and EHL Women in Leadership in collaboration with IUBH University of Applied Sciences and Institut Paul Bocuse. YHI aims to develop the professional visibility of our young female talent in a network of established hoteliers and hotelieres. The current article has been first published in HotelierGuilds Forum of Dialogue Vol. V and LOOKBOOK Spring/Summer 2021. Opinion Article 27 July 2021 Pandemic-era digitalization is here to stay. In 2019, grandparents had never heard of Zoom, scanning a QR code for a menu felt weird, and getting texts from a business still felt novel. Early adopters and innovative hotels and businesses have messaged with guests for years, creating serendipitous connections with guests. Like Zoom and QR menus, guests have come to expect to be able to message with businesses after the rise in popularity during the pandemic. Now that were on a path to normalcy, were able to identify concrete trends and learnings from the pandemic. According to a McKinsey report, the pandemic accelerated the digitalization of consumer interactions by 3-4 years, increasing digital interactions from around 36% to 58%. In the United States, digital interactions made up around 41% of all consumer interactions with brands. In 2021, that figure jumped to 65%. Digital communication is clearly here to stay. Over 65% of all customer engagement is now online. That McKinsey report takes into account all consumer interactions including more than conversations and specific service engagement. This 65% figure includes ordering at a restaurant or making purchases online as well. One of the most influential companies in how we search and communicate, Google, issued a report specifically on the adoption of messaging through their proprietary offering, Google Business Messages. Tech titans signal importance of messaging In the early aughts of the pandemic, Google invested heavily in their business messaging offering (of which Kipsu is a large partner), which gives customers a rich messaging experience with businesses through Googles Search, Maps, and Android Messages. Many took Googles re-investment in messaging as a signal of messagings newfound importance in business communications with customers. According to Google, 65% of users reported a desire to message directly with brands in 2019. As of June 2021, that number grew to 85% of consumers. Also, 45% of users have spent more time on messaging services because of the pandemic. Between social distancing and continued lean staffing, consumers turn more and more to messaging to reduce face-to-face exposure, avoid unnecessary lines, and use their time more efficiently with asynchronous messaging. And what about the hospitality industry? Im glad you asked. As the industry-leading provider of texting and digital messaging for hotels, we at Kipsu have a unique ability to survey guest usage of messaging across thousands of hotels in every region, service level, brand, and geography. The hospitality industry magnified the trends spotted by McKinsey and Google. Although overall messages sent and received from hotels dropped during 2020 due to closures and record-low occupancy, the adoption of guests who took advantage of messaging spiked dramatically. In May of 2019, hotels sent an average of .5 messages per guest. In other words, conversations were short and mostly transactional (Can I get more towels?). In May of 2021, hotels sent over 1.4 messages per guest, almost a threefold increase! Guest expectations have changed This means that hotels are messaging with more guests and the conversations are richer and more in-depth than previously. Whereas pre-pandemic, guests were pleasantly surprised when they had a chance to engage with hotels via messaging; today it's become an expectation. Guests expect to be able to communicate with service providers asynchronously through messaging to handle every aspect of their stay. Guests increasingly prefer to handle more of their needs during stays through messagingfrom service requests, to managing check in/out, to concierge, and more. This is further shown in the guest response rate to hotels welcome messages: 48% in 2021 compared to 30% in 2019. Compare this to the response rate of emails (2%) and the nearly nonexistent response rate to a room call-back, a 48% reply rate is incredible. In 2021, the response rate for messaging at hotels is 48%(!). As we understand and settle into our post-pandemic new normal, US hotel occupancy is (finally) on the rise again. As leisure and business travelers return to the skies, their expectations of service accessibility reflect the pandemic eras digitalization. Guests and consumers assume they will be able to engage with service teams through messaging to place F&B orders, coordinate housekeeping, and manage every aspect of their stays. As a guest, I mostly stay at hotels for business and short-term personal travel. There are occasions where I like to use Air BnB over a hotel stay; especially if there are no good hotel brands in my area of travel. I also like Airbnb when traveling with friends and family and we want to share space in a house. There's more room to spread out and yet feel connected versus two rooms at a hotel. There is definitely a different feel staying at each. When I'm visiting family or friends for an extended period of time, I like Air BnB because it's a house that feels more like home with many rooms and a yard to relax in. I prefer its solitude to decompress from the day. When I travel for business, I like the convenience and amenities of a hotel. Marriott's offering of house properties has grown nicely, though the ones I've seen are very high-end (at least, the cities I have looked into). The homes are magnificent and very comparable to Air BnB prices. I haven't seen any condos/apartments by Marriott, but that may just be me not finding them. If given the choice, I'd stay at a Marriott for the points and rewards over Air BnB. Both options provide a meaningful experience for me, depending on the type of travel. I don't feel that one should try to compete with the other. That is like an Italian restaurant competing with a French restaurant. Both are great, but one is what you're in the mood for versus the other. Both great choices! BP is joining with a nonprofit to develop alternative fuels and other low-carbon solutions for the shipping industry. The British oil major on Tuesday said it signed an agreement to partner with the Mrsk Mc-Kinney Mller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping to research and develop projects to reduce the maritime industrys reliance on fossil fuels. BP also will join the advisory board of the Copenhagen-based nonprofit to provide guidance for transition strategies. At BP, we want to play a role in advocating for policies to help decarbonize carbon intensive sectors like shipping, said William Lin, BPs executive vice president of regions, cities and solutions. When we work together, we can fast track development, de-risk investments and provide signals to the market that will speed up the decarbonization of the shipping industry. BPs partnership is the latest alliance between Big Oil and their customers in difficult-to-decarbonize industries such as transportation and cement manufacturing to help reduce the consumption of petroleum products and cut greenhouse gas emissions. These alliances come as oil companies are under increasing pressure from governments and the public to do more to curb the worst effects of climate change. ENERGY TRANSITION: Why oil companies are working with customers to cut petroleum consumption BP and French oil major TotalEnergies this year partnered with ride-hailing company Uber to accelerate the global adoption of electric vehicles. Total also worked with Air France-KLM to complete the airlines first long-haul flight using biofuel made from discarded cooking oils. Chevron and Toyota North America are developing transportation and storage systems for hydrogen-powered vehicles. BP and Mexican cement-maker Cemex are working together to decarbonize the cement industry, one of the largest producers of greenhouse gases, both through manufacturing and transportation of its products. The shipping industry accounts for about 3 percent of global carbon emissions, with 70,000 ships consuming 300 million tons of fuel per year. For the maritime industry to reach net-zero emissions, it would require new fuel types and technology, as well as new legislation and regulations to push for change, BP said. For more than 100 years BP has helped shape the shipping industry, from the development of large tankers to the invention of the inert gas system and the latest state-of-the-art LNG carriers, said Sven Boss-Walker, BPs senior vice president of shipping. Now is the time to work together with companies that share our net zero ambition and have complementary capabilities to shape the future of shipping. U.S. liquefied natural gas exports grew to record highs in the first half of 2021, according to the Energy Department. Exports rose in the first six months of this year, averaging 9.6 billion cubic feet per day, a 42 percent increase compared to an average of 2.8 billion cubic feet per day in the same period of 2020, the EIA said. In 2020, U.S. LNG exports fell to record lows during the summer months but bounced back to consecutive record highs in November and December. In the first half of 2021, exports continued to increase as international natural gas and LNG spot prices rose in Asia and Europe due to cold weather. Rising global demand once COVID-19 restrictions began to ease, along with continuous unplanned outages at export facilities in several countries including Australia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Algeria, Norway, and Trinidad and Tobago, also contributed to increased U.S. exports. TELLURIAN: Tellurian Executive Chairman Charif Souki on LNG, going green and the nuclear option The U.S. Henry Hub natural gas benchmark and U.S. LNG spot market prices have been lower than prices for international natural gas and spot LNG this year. This price difference has supported record volumes of U.S. LNG exports. Exports also increased because of new export capacity added in 2020. The final liquefaction units were commissioned at the Houston-based companies Freeport LNGs facility on Quintana Island near Freeport, Cameron LNGs project in Hackberry, La., and Cheniere Energys Corpus Christi LNG. As well, the remaining small-scale units were placed in service at Elba Island LNG, a joint venture between the Houston companies Kinder Morgan and EIG Global Energy Partners. The new units increased total export capacity by a combined 2.7 billion cubic feet per day for a total peak capacity of 10.8 billion cubic feet per day, the EIA said. Similar to 2020, Asia remained the top destination for U.S. LNG from January through May in 2021, accounting for 46 percent of the total. Asia was followed by Europe, which had a five-month average share of 37 percent. Exports to Latin America also increased, particularly to Brazil, which is experiencing its worst drought in more than 90 years. In June, exports declined slightly, mainly as a result of maintenance on several pipelines that deliver natural gas to export facilities, according to the EIA. But LNG exports are expected to remain at high levels in the remaining months of this year, the EIA said. Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers Raising Canes is on a hiring spree as the chicken-finger restaurant prepares to open four more locations in the Houston area by year end. The chain will make its Baytown debut at 4908 Garth Road on Aug. 3. Locations will open at 13480 Northwest Freeway, 7351 FM 1960 in Humble and 8956 Barker Cypress Road in Cypress in November and December. A location opened at 4055 Little York Road in May. So far, the largest bass Grayson Canezaro has caught weighed 3 pounds. When asked if he is a pro, the 6-year-old nods and smiles. Then, he narrows his focus, casts out into the water and reels in his line. Grayson began competing in fishing tournaments this January and has now completed four of them. Perched atop his familys boat in deep concentration, he occasionally calls out for advice from his father, Bryan, who steers the watercraft as Graysons brother Blaine, 7, fishes on the deck nearby. Grayson seems like any other dedicated young angler, but a second look reveals braces on his legs and his special seat welded to the boat with a bar to help him balance his rod. Walking can sometimes be a challenge for Grayson, who got a diagnosis of spina bifida before his birth. MORE HEALTH NEWS: 'Now they want the vaccine': Houston ER docs speak from front line of latest COVID surge But on the boat, everyone has to concentrate equally to get their sea legs. Though there is no cure for spina bifida, the treatment Grayson received in utero is responsible for his remarkable quality of life. He can walk unassisted and enjoys being outdoors. He never had the common side effect of hydrocephalus extra fluid on the brain that can result in neurological problems. Grayson was the first child in the U.S. to undergo a novel in-utero procedure to treat spina bifida, developed by surgeons at Texas Childrens Pavilion for Women. Thanks to his success and his mother, Altheas, courage to try this new approach in 2014 100 other babies have since followed in his footsteps. Reaching a diagnosis When Althea went to her doctor for a regularly scheduled ultrasound halfway through her pregnancy, a technician spotted something unusual: spina bifida, a neural tube defect when the fetal spinal column does not completely close. It was gut-wrenching, for sure, Althea recalled. There are different cases of spina bifida. Myelomeningocele, which Grayson has, is the most severe. With this diagnosis, the bones of the spine do not form normally, resulting in the formation of a small sac filled with cerebrospinal fluid and tissues. Altheas home physician recommended Texas Childrens Fetal Center, one of the nations leading facilities in providing high-risk maternal care. The Canezaros packed up for the hospital, which is 255 miles from their home in Rosedale, La. At the time, Althea had not heard of spina bifida and wasnt sure what the diagnosis meant. I cant tell you what they told me, she said. All I wanted to know was, How can I give my child the best life he can have? A similar question had been driving the doctors who would soon take over her case. Texas Childrens Drs. Michael Belfort and William Whitehead had worked for years to pioneer a new fetoscopic procedure to repair spina bifida. COVID HELP DESK: The ultimate guide on vaccines and viruses The doctors were convinced that a minimally invasive approach would revolutionize the care of both mother and baby. Still, they needed to identify their first patient. Pioneering two-port fetoscopic spina bifida surgery Belfort serves as chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine and obstetrician and gynecologist-in-chief of Texas Childrens Hospital. Since the 1980s, Belfort said data on fetoscopy had encouraged him to pursue the procedure for spina bifida. But there was a problem: The technique was deemed too dangerous for the fetus, Belfort explained. Most of the people in the U.S. did not believe in fetoscopic surgery, he said. With spina bifidia, he explained, most medical centers offer what is called an open procedure, which involves making a 7- to 10-centimeter incision in the uterus, called a hysterotomy, which can increase the risk of pregnancy complications. Mothers who undergo the open procedure also commit to a preterm cesarean-section delivery for the current pregnancy and all future pregnancies, which puts the babies at risk for complications arising from premature delivery. This is definitely something we needed to address, Belfort said. Fetal surgery for spina bifida would improve the babys chances of walking later in life and reduce the risk of hydrocephalus, as well as a need for a shunt to drain fluid from the brain, he explained. Lets do the right thing for the mother and baby, Belfort said. Belfort found a partner in Whitehead, pediatric neurosurgeon at Texas Childrens and professor of neurosurgery at Baylor College of Medicine. He believed in it, and he understood the benefits for the woman, Belfort recalled. He got on board. Belfort and Whitehead traveled to Barcelona, Spain, to collaborate with physicians on developing a minimally invasive fetoscopic method using a single port and making a smaller incision to guide their surgery. Upon returning to Houston, they made a few changes to the procedure, including making two incisions instead of one. Thats when we developed a different method, Belfort said. The began using two 4-millimeter uterine ports, placed in the amniotic cavity for a complete surgical repair of the spine. We spent hundreds of hours in a simulator, Belfort said. They perfected their method using a mock-up consisting of a kickball, doll and chicken. Then, the doctors returned to Spain to further hone the technique through animal surgery. Belfort explained that performing the fetoscopic procedure through two ports is more difficult than the traditional three- or four-port techniques used in most minimally invasive surgeries. With two ports, they make fewer incisions on the uterus, which minimizes rupturing membranes, as well as the leakage of amniotic fluid. During the surgery, Belfort and Whitehead each control one instrument, developing a complex choreography needed to complete the procedure. Believing in Grayson all the way Belfort and Whitehead described the surgery and its possible risks to Althea. They also explained the minimally invasive fetoscopic method they developed and the promise it offered to both baby and mother. Even though the doctors had never performed the procedure on a human, Althea believed in their vision. She could tell by their attention to detail and commitment to her care that they were worthy of her trust. They gave us all the time in the world and answered all of our questions, she recalled. If we asked something 700 times, they answered 700 times. In July 2014, she became the first patient ever to undergo a successful two-port fetoscopic fetal surgery for spina bifida. She quickly recovered, staying at the hospital so the doctors could closely monitor their patient. Both doctors, as well as their team of highly trained nurses, were assuring. They never showed any doubt, Althea said. They 110 percent believed in Grayson since Day 1. Her son was born Sept. 21, 2014, and by October, the Canezaros were able to return to Louisiana. In the meantime, Belfort said that controversy surrounded the procedure. On HoustonChronicle.com: Thanks, COVID. Young adults living with their parents has reached a historic high. Now the tide has shifted. Weve been publishing our results, and we presented our work nationally and internationally at conferences, Belfort said. We kept answering questions and presenting the data. More and more people came to visit. Over time, they have slowly converted to this method. Last year, 18 teams from around the world came to observe and learn the technique at Texas Childrens. Not only is the mothers health better preserved by this operation, but now there is proof that the baby fares better as well, Belfort said. And that knowledge could apply to other procedures. Basically, weve established the uterus as a new surgical space and that opens up a whole lot of other potential, Belfort said. If we can do this advanced surgery in utero, we can do other things. Althea and Grayson paved the way, he added. She said, to her credit, Someone has to be the first, and I want it to be me, which was completely remarkable, Belfort recalled. What a brave woman. Ive got it Altheas third child, Aiden, was born on July 5. Because of the two-port fetoscopic procedure, she was able to choose her method of delivery. Grayson will turn 7 in September and looks forward to first grade. Each day, his mother wonders at his progress. He gets better and better every day, she said. Grayson is determined to walk unassisted and has proved to be a top-notch student, Althea added. When he started kindergarten, he was reading in three weeks, she said. The child is smart as a whip. You cant get anything past him. Althea said that though there were so many unknowns at the beginning of his spina bifida journey, in retrospect, she would elect to have the same procedure again. There is a hope and a future for children with spina bifida, she said. Now that Grayson is older, he asks his mother, Why do I have this scar on my back? Why do I have to wear these braces? His parents explain that he has a different ability, which he accepts. Grayson is famous for saying, Ive got it. I swear those were his first words, Althea said. He wants to figure out how to do everything himself. Thats true of fishing or any obstacle, for that matter. If he wants to do something, hes not backing down, Althea said. This kid is doing it and will figure something out. He makes his own rules. Where theres a will, theres a way. Grayson has helped her appreciate the little things in life, she added. Little did we know that Grayson would be the one to teach us so much about life, Althea said. This journey is not easy. Youre going to have uphill battles, and downhill battles, but youll get through them. And, at the end of the day, its so rewarding. It just will make your heart that much bigger. Lindsay Peyton is a Houston-based freelance writer. With a fourth wave of COVID-19 cases circulating in the region, the effects are being felt locally, forcing the Conroe Animal Shelter to close. The shelter, managed by Conroe-based Care Corporation, first posted information about cases July 23 noting an employee had tested positive. Shelter officials posted a statement regarding the closure for the facility at 407 Sgt. Ed Holcomb Blvd. late Sunday. The shelter is closed until further notice due to multiple employees testing positive for Covid. Thank you for understanding. If you are missing an animal please check petharbor.com. We will continue to check our voice mail. We are sorry for any inconvenience, the post read. Data online shows the shelter has less than five employees. No other information was available. Montgomery County health officials first confirmed a growing number of new and reinfected COVID-19 cases July 14 and urged all residents to get vaccinated. Data from the county shows 238,394 people are now fully vaccinated which is almost 47 percent of the county population of those 12 and older. Last week, the Montgomery County Public Health Department confirmed the county added 412 new active cases and 23 cases of people reinfected. Reinfection is defined by the Department of State Health Services as two positive COVID-19 cases at least 90 apart with no consecutive tests between. The total number of cases is now 57,017 with 1,221 of those active. Total hospitalizations increased 36 to 91 with 20 of those patients in ICU. To date, 30,096 people have recovered. The countys number of deaths increased four to 346. Additionally, the countys testing positive rate has also started to rise again and is now at 7 percent. Health officials are encouraging all eligible residents to be vaccinated to protect themselves and others from COVID-19 and emerging variants in the area. Everyone 12 years of age and older is eligible for a vaccine in Texas. cdominguez@hcnonline.com CAIRO (AP) A Libyan militia leader sanctioned by the United States for allegedly killing civilians was shot dead Tuesday in an exchange of fire with forces attempting to arrest him in an eastern city, officials said. Libyan officials said security forces raided Mohamed al-Kanis house in Benghazi to carry out an arrest warrant on charges of killing civilians. Libyan officials and the U.S. allege al-Kani was responsible for the deaths of people found in mass graves last year in the western town of Tarhuna. Tarhuna, a strategic town some 65 kilometers (41 miles) southeast of the Libyan capital of Tripoli, was under control of the al-Kaniyat militia, which gained a reputation for its brutal tactics. Led by al-Kani, the militia had initially sworn allegiance to a former government in Tripoli. But it switched sides in the civil war and aligned with the east-based forces of military commander Khalifa Hifter in 2019. The officials said al-Kani was killed in an exchange of gunfire along with one of his associates. A third man was arrested, according to the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media. Mohamed al-Tarhuni, a spokesman for the militia, confirmed al-Kanis death. The mass graves in Tarhuna were found last year after the militia's withdrawal following the collapse of Hifters 14-month campaign to wrest control of Tripoli from an array of militias allied with the former U.N.-recognized government. The U.S. Treasury placed al-Kani and his militia under sanctions in November after finding them responsible for killing the civilians whose bodies were discovered in several mass graves in Tarhuna. They also alleged the militia had committed acts of torture, forced disappearances and displacement of civilians. Fatou Bensouda, former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, told the U.N. Security Council in November that her office was working with the Tripoli government in relation to these mass graves, where many bodies were found blindfolded and with hands tied. Libya has been in turmoil since 2011, when a NATO-backed uprising toppled long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was later killed. The country was since split between rival administrations in the east and the west, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments. Hifters 2019 offensive, supported by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Russia, collapsed in June 2020 when militias backing the Tripoli government, with support from Turkey and Qatar, gained the upper hand. A U.N.-brokered cease-fire was reached in October that stopped hostilities. Oil-rich Libya is now ruled by a transitional government tasked with preparing the nation for elections in December. OMAHA, Neb. (AP) An Omaha man has been indicted on a federal charge of bank fraud after prosecutors say he lied to get a loan through a federal program meant to help businesses struggling in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. M.A. Yah faces court next month the charge and could get up to 30 years in prison, the office of the U.S. Attorney for Nebraska said in a news release. HELSINKI (AP) Swedish public prosecutors said Tuesday they have charged an Iranian citizen with committing grave war crimes during the final phase of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. The Swedish Prosecution Authority said the suspect worked in July-August 1988 as an assistant to the deputy prosecutor in the Gohardasht prison outside the Iranian city of Karaj and allegedly took part in severe atrocities there. During the eight-year Iran-Iraq conflict, Iran was subjected to attacks by the Peoples Mujahedin of Iran, a political-militant organization, which advocated overthrowing the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran and installing its own government. The Swedish prosecutors said Irans then supreme leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, issued an order for the execution of all prisoners in Iranian prisons who sympathized and remained loyal with the Mujahedin organization. Due to that order, a large number of prisoners were executed in the Gohardasht prison between July 30 and August 16, 1988, the prosecutors said. According to a Swedish indictment, the suspect along with other perpetrators in the prison, participated in mass executions and is suspected of having intentionally deprived the lives of a very large number of prisoners who sympathized with the Mujahedin. Swedish prosecutors didnt name the suspect but he has widely been identified as Hamid Nouri, a 60-year-old former Iranian prosecutor. Swedish public broadcaster SVT said the man was arrested in November 2019 when he arrived to the Swedish capital, Stockholm, and has been held in custody since. Prosecutors accuse the suspect of subjecting prisoners to severe suffering that amounts to torture and inhumane treatment, the indictment said. War crimes are one of the most serious crimes both internationally and under Swedish law. Because Sweden has universal jurisdiction for violations of international law, we have both an opportunity but also a certain obligation to prosecute these crimes, prosecutor Kristina Lindhoff Carleson said in a statement. Trial is set to start Aug. 10 and is expected to last for several months. Amnesty International has noted previously that no Iranian official has faced charges over the mass 1988 executions. This is such an incredibly important event for us: all the mothers, fathers, families and other relatives of people who have fallen victim to the Iranian regime, Iraj Mesdaghi, a key witness in the trial, told the Swedish news agency TT. These crimes have never been tried before, I'm very grateful that it is finally happening. Mesdaghi, one of the plaintiffs in the court case, was a political prisoner in Iran in 1988, TT said. Iranian state and semiofficial media didn't acknowledge the charges on Tuesday. ___ Jon Gambrell contributed to this report from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) Maine officials cautioned on Monday that air quality will be worse than typical in the early part of this week due to smoke from fires elsewhere in the U.S. and Canada. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection said particle pollution concentrations started to rise in the state's western mountains earlier in the day Monday than expected. The department said levels were expected to keep rising through the day from northwest to southeast. The fourth COVID-19 wave is like a sequel to a movie that no one ever wanted to watch in the first place, said Dr. Gina Blocker, attending emergency physician at Baylor St. Lukes Hospital. This feels like a part two with additional scenes, said Blocker, who feels this recent surge could have been avoided had more Houstonians been vaccinated. In Harris County, the number of active coronavirus cases has nearly tripled from 3,076 to 8,431 since the beginning of July, as the hypercontagious delta variant spreads rapidly among young, and primarily unvaccinated, Texans. Blocker sees an average of 20-25 patients a day, at least half of whom test positive for COVID. Every COVID patient she has seen in the last three weeks has been unvaccinated. And doctors throughout the Houston area, where only slightly more than half the eligible population is fully vaccinated, are seeing a similar pattern. On HoustonChronicle.com: Hidalgo raises Harris County COVID threat level as delta variant rages, hospitalizations double Dr. Hilary Fairbrother, associate professor of emergency medicine at UTHealth and Memorial Hermann, said nearly 100 percent of people testing positive for COVID at Memorial Hermann are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated with only one Pfizer or Moderna shot. A single shot of Pfizer or Moderna is only about 30 percent effective in protecting from COVID symptoms, Fairbrother said. While the delta variant is much more contagious than the original coronavirus strain, Fairbrother said it has many of the same symptoms: fever, cough, shortness of breath, vomiting and diarrhea. The virus, while we are calling it something different, is remarkably the same, Fairbrother said. We have changed the population of people who are at risk of getting really sick. We can expect people who are not vaccinated to be more likely to get the delta variant because its twice as infectious as the original. While vaccine hesitancy remains a big hurdle in Houston, Blocker says many of her patients are desperate for a shot after learning their diagnosis. Most people are shocked when I tell them they have COVID, Blocker said. Ive had a handful of people beg me for the vaccine now they want the vaccine. The time of diagnosis is not when we administer the vaccine. Last week, the number of lab-confirmed COVID hospitalizations statewide broke 4,000 for the first time since March, a figure that coincided with a White House announcement that 40 percent of all new cases were recorded in Texas, Missouri and Florida. More than 1,000 people are testing positive per day for COVID-19 in the greater Houston region, which is more than seven times last months daily average, according to the Texas Medical Center. On HoustonChronicle.com: Disagreements over COVID, politics prompt some Christians to plot next moves Dr. Richina Bicette, assistant professor of emergency medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, has been treating COVID patients since March 2020. Bicette said the latest wave will be different because doctors know what they are fighting. And there are vaccines that prevent the worst COVID outcomes, she said. At this point, there is little excuse for people to get severely ill from COVID-19; we have something to combat this, Bicette said. I dont understand why people would choose otherwise. This is a public health crisis at this point. After Memorial Day weekend, when many Houstonians dipped their toes back into normal social situations, Dr. David Lakey, a member of the states vaccine panel, said the return to pre-pandemic life was on the horizon. Then vaccinations stalled in June. And by July, the uptick in case counts was undeniable. Vivian Ho, a health economist at Rice Universitys Baker Institute of Public Policy, said she felt comfortable walking into a crowded Buc-ees gas station without a mask in early June. We did a road trip and stopped at Buc-ees, and it was a mad house, Ho said. I was unmasked like everyone else, and I felt fine. That would be incredibly foolish to do now with the delta variant. Ho will return to in-person teaching at Rice at the end of August. While shes nervous to return, she believes Rice students have proved to be risk-averse and will be mostly vaccinated. Either way, she will wear her mask. On HoustonChronicle.com: Thanks, COVID. Young adults living with their parents has reached a historic high. She worries for public school teachers and children too young to be vaccinated who are returning to class next month, as well. In May, Gov. Greg Abbott signed an executive order to stop individual school districts from mandating face coverings, which will remain in effect for the 2021-22 year. I worry that we dont have the data available for parents to make the right decisions to keep their children safe, and a lot of them will end up keeping their kids home, Ho said. I think that behavior is more likely to happen among lower-income families who were the ones most left behind last year. julie.garcia@chron.com twitter.com/reporterjulie When Jaunetta and Clinton Johns first heard about the Harvey Homeowner Assistance Program, it seemed like just what they needed to recover from the severe hurricane that battered Houston in 2017. The couple have lived in Pleasantville, a community in east Houston, since 1959, and moved into the lifelong home of Jaunettas late parents. But after Hurricane Harvey flooded houses across Houston, the couple struggled to repair mold and other damage. In 2020, they applied for a city relief program that promised to pay for fixes. What followed, they said, was a confusing, drawn-out and stressful process. After the Texas General Land Office took control of the program from the city in January, they were told that the cost of repairs to their home exceeded the program limit and the assistance program would need to rebuild the house. A builder under the program sent them a floor plan that would demolish and replace their three-bedroom, 1,523-square-foot brick home with a plank-walled two-bedroom house with only 1,140 square feet. Far from restoring their home to its pre-Harvey condition, the couple said the program was proposing to build a different house one that didnt measure up. On HoustonChronicle.com: Loophole keeps Pleasantville homeowners from getting post-Harvey repairs Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Thats my equity gone, all the years I put into the property, said Jaunetta. A smaller home means smaller equity. Details mattered in Pleasantville, which takes pride in being among the nations first African-American neighborhoods protected by deed restrictions. The Pleasantville Civic League, an organization that functions as a property owners association, attempts to enforce a deed restriction that stipulates homes on a concrete foundation and a two-car garage. But Jaunetta, who helped found the Pleasantville Super Neighborhood Organization, said the GLO was not interested in abiding by the deed restrictions that helped define Pleasantville for decades. When the contractor came, he had a copy of the deed restriction and crossed out the clause about needing a garage, she said. I said, how are you going to ignore a deed restriction? Wed be in court. Complaints from residents soon reached city hall, which held a press conference Monday to blast the General Land Offices takeover and handling of the program. When the City of Houston ran this program, people were very critical, said Mayor Sylvester Turner. But I will say, we were rebuilding the homes back to where they were. We werent reducing their value or diminishing the value of their neighborhood. Houston Chronicle investigation: A closer look at Houstons biblical floods Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer The program under the city was extremely slow and unproductive, said Brittany Eck, a spokesperson for the General Land Office. She added that the city would have lacked adequate funds to rebuild each home with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Basically, you are not able to just build a replacement home, said Eck. That is what insurance is for. This is to meet the remaining unmet need for those individuals who were underinsured or not insured, or otherwise unable to recover from the storm. Many Pleasantville residents, especially elderly homeowners on fixed incomes, lacked flood insurance for their homes, said Mary Fontenot, who leads the Pleasantville Civic League. Fontenot said Pleasantville sits on a 500-year floodplain, meaning floods are unlikely. They didnt (have flood insurance) because they didnt think they needed it anymore, and/or they could not afford it anymore, said Fontenot. But Eck was firm in saying the program was intended to meet unmet needs, as determined by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is not a program for rebuilding McMansions, she said. But in Pleasantville, what constitutes a familys needs is contentious. While Eck said elderly homeowners who may need live-in caretakers can qualify for an additional bedroom, Jaunetta and Clinton Johns said it was only last week that the GLO builder offered to rebuild their home with three bedrooms. On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston to help Harvey victims buy new homes under federally funded recovery program Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer I dont think anybody understood that the point of the program was to keep you one step from being homeless, said state Rep. Harold Dutton, a Democrat whose district includes Pleasantville. Nobody would have participated in the program under those circumstances. Dutton said he thinks the GLO is unfairly disadvantaging lower-income communities that lack homeowners associations. For Clinton Johns, there is another issue. Were a historical community and were working on getting our historical markers, he said. We just want, as Aretha Franklins song says, a little respect. An earlier version of this article stated the Johns' existing home was 1,256 square feet. The article has been updated with the correct figure. charlie.zong@chron.com The Taylor family of San Antonio left their friends, family and beloved Spurs for Austin and ultimately Hawaii in 2020 to shield their 9-year-old son from a spate of anti-transgender policies in Texas. The Rey family, who have been raising their kids in the Austin area, are relocating to Maryland in August to avoid a toxic environment that plunged their youngest son, bright 8-year-old Leon into a depression. The Stantons, who are deeply connected to the Jewish community in Houston, are monitoring the real estate market in Arizona, but as long as gender affirming health care is legally accessible, they hope to stick around and advocate for their 10-year-old Maya and children like her. These Lone Star families are among thousands bracing for Gov. Greg Abbotts anticipated edict barring transgender youth from access to hormones and medicine to delay the onset of puberty. Both treatments have been the standard of care for children diagnosed with gender dysphoria for years. Amid a field of ultra-conservative challengers trying to one-up each other, the Republican governor indicated last week on a radio show that if the special session failed to pass legislation that punished parents for seeking gender-affirming care or prohibited doctors and therapists from providing it, he had a new strategy for banning it. MORE: Two Houston families' stories of survival amid anti-trans legislation: 'I finally feel right in my body' Abbott did not respond to a request for comment. Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer The Williams Institute, dedicated to research on sexual orientation and gender identity law and policy at UCLA law school, estimates there are 13,800 transgender teens in Texas who could be impacted by a prohibition on health care. Civil rights groups here are prepared to sue if these treatments are outlawed. Arkansas the only state to pass a ban among 21 that considered such measures already faces a legal challenge from two doctors and four families brought by the states ACLU. A federal judge in Little Rock ruled last week that the new law barring doctors from providing medicine to transgender minors discriminated on the basis of sex. U.S. District Judge James M. Moody noted lawmakers were not barring cisgender boys from receiving testosterone for medical reasons, just transgender boys. Its the same, exact treatment, the judge said, according to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Boy wants it. Girl wants it. ... You want to talk about the reason they want it but why is that not discriminatory when we have the same treatment? Experts in the field say offering gender-affirming care is not just about equity, it is a life-or-death matter. Just after this bill passed the House, these kids heard about it, said Dr. Michele Hutchison, a pediatric endocrinologist at Arkansas Childrens. Ive had multiple kids in the emergency room because of an attempted suicide, just in the last week. Hutchisons small sample is not an anomaly. A 2020 study in the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics found that more than 90 percent of transgender adults who were unable to access puberty blockers had suicidal thoughts. The American Medical Association, American Psychological Association and the Endocrine Society have said these treatments are best practice medical care. With these somber statistics in mind, families of gender non-conforming children are assessing their priorities. Ricardo Martinez, of Equality Texas, says the fact that a handful of families are considering a move indicates the severity of the threat theyre facing. Credit Taylor/Dodd family / Credit Taylor/Dodd family Its not an easy decision to uproot your family, to separate your kids from their friends, to leave extended family, he said. Its a terrible burden to put on Texans to find new jobs, new apartments or homes and spend the money associated with a move just to keep their kids safe. It breaks my heart. Shelly Skeen, a senior attorney at Lambda Legal in Dallas, said the targeting of transgender children began with the Younger case near Dallas. The 2019 jury trial addressing parents dispute over treatment for a trans 7-year-old girl prompted Sen. Ted Cruz to tweet that gender-affirming care was a horrifying and a form of child abuse. A jury awarded the girls mother full custody of the girl and her twin brother and determined the girls treatment should go forward. In the wake of the Younger case, 13 anti-transgender measures cropped up in Texas 2021 legislative session. The Texas bills proposed criminalizing or disciplining doctors or therapists who delivered gender-affirming care to minors. Other measures in Texas called for parents who supported children seeking this care be treated as child abusers. Another set of Texas bills made it illegal to provide liability coverage for medical providers who provide gender-affirming medical care. The authors of bills Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth and Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock declined to comment this month on the impact of their proposed legislation on Texas families. Adri Perez, of the ACLU of Texas, said lawmakers proposed this slate of bills because they resonated with their base and got people motivated, building on years of misinformation about trans people and attempting to make people fear a fictionalized enemy. I get calls from parents whose children are struggling and are suicidal because of what is happening in the legislature, said Perez, who identifies as transgender. There are kids that have spent the entire span of their lifetime fighting against these bills... What does that look like for their mental health? Skeen, from Lambda Legal, said these bills invade doctors rights to provide the best care for trans youth and parents rights to raise their children based on what they feel is in the childrens best interest. It also violates their freedom from unwarranted government intrusion into their private lives, she said. Courtesy Camille Rey / Courtesy Camille Rey Camille Mojica Rey likens her familys move next month to her husbands parents fleeing communist restrictions in Cuba. Were leaving because I refuse to raise my child in an environment where grown men and women are trying to create laws to take away his civil rights and they call me a child abuser, she said. Lisa Stanton, who spent most of 2021 trekking from Houston to Austin with her family to rally for trans kids, said, I feel like theres always another shoe to drop here in Texas. She worries that if politicians continue to wage what they consider a culture war, shes not sure her family should stay in Texas. Our kids are the collateral damage, and its all pandering for votes, Stanton said. Mike Taylor said hes a tried-and-true Texan despite the fact that he and his wife, daughter and trans son MJ live in Hawaii. He said a certain set of Texans pride themselves on small government and the slogan Dont tread on me. He said he finds it shocking when politicians like Abbott make it their absolute business to tread on peoples rights. For me to uproot my family across the sea, I never thought that I would do that, he said. But weve been forced to do that. gabrielle.banks@chron.com Regarding Dr. Peter Hotez: Delta variant like nothing weve seen before, expect rise in hospitalizations, (July 23): I am a mom of three young Texans under 10. We are four weeks out from school starting, and I implore state officials to reconsider and let local leaders and schools implement COVID mitigation measures, like masks and virtual options (for that they need funding). Kids who are unvaccinated are vulnerable. Our teachers and school staff have worked so hard this last year, lets not lose sight of the sacrifices we have all made. We are acting like we are in the clear. How can I protect my kids if the safeguards our leaders put in place last year are gone? I am scared for my kids. Local officials have to be allowed to mandate masks. Shannon Flores, Katy When we first became aware of the full impact of the COVID-19 virus, the media repeatedly broadcast the phrase we are all in this together. Remember? But, when push came to shove, each man for himself became the working model. In the U.S., for some this meant making sure they and their loved ones were protected with the vaccine. For others, it meant letting misinformation and confusion guide their decision not to vaccinate. Whatever the case, vaccines were easily available to all of us. Not so for poor countries. It is exciting to learn that Houstons own Dr. Peter Hotez and his team have developed a vaccine that has the potential to aid countries that have little or no access to vaccinations. Congressman Michael McCaul should also be recognized for his interest in promoting global health and his belief that we really are all in this together. I prefer that phrase to what goes around comes around, but in light of the new variant, both should be heeded. Paula Djabbarah, Houston No common ground Regarding I have tried to find common ground with Trump supporters and there is none, (July 24): Again the Houston Chronicle has shown a disservice to over 75 million citizens in this country in publishing ridiculous remarks toward conservatives who believe in fair government for all, a balanced budget, hard work and reward without creating a Marxist welfare state. Brenda Harrison presents an argument contrary to her own beliefs. Please remind her that the Democratic Party she so fondly represents has ignored the rule of law in promoting their agenda when the majority of Americans voted against it. When Texas Democratic legislators fled to shut down the legislation agenda, they in effect told the citizens of Texas you dont matter and the majority of voters decisions dont matter for it was the majority vote that sent these representatives to Austin in the first place. So in ignoring majority rule process, Brenda Harrison has no idea of what bipartisan legislation looks like because she is not open to compromise along with the party she represents. Her world order consists of its my way or the highway regardless of what the majority of Americans think. It is the requirement of the Texas Supreme Court as well as the U.S. Supreme Court to ensure that legislation made into law is fair to all. In some cases, these courts have imposed what I refer to as the Rule of Spock where the needs of the few sometimes outweigh the needs of the many. If you want to enforce the majority rule of law, then have your representatives put it up for a general vote by the people to see how it would be accepted. Michael Burton, Houston When it comes to COVID-19 vaccines, Republicans say its my body, my choice. That is their right as Americans. Why then do they deny a woman the right to control her own body when it comes to reproductive choices? They want it the way they want it. They are huge hypocrites and cant see the forest for the trees. Dont waste your time trying to find commonality with Trump supporters. They are not worth it. Ruth Mohyla, Cypress Bail reform Regarding A conservative case for balanced bail reform, (July 25): I have a simple solution to the problem of people on bail assaulting others. Give the accused a trial. Then, the guilty will be sent to prison and the problem will no longer be there. End the long, long wait for a trial. I know there are also problems currently with the courts and trials, so use the time, energy and money being expended on bail problems on the court and trial problems. Requiring increased bail or denying bail at all is punishing people before they are convicted of the crime. This is assuming all criminal accusations are correct and we know that is not true. I do not want criminals running around hurting people. Prove them criminals promptly and put them in prison. Betty Barnes, Pearland Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. Weather Alert ...AIR QUALITY ALERT REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH 3 PM CDT TUESDAY... * WHAT...The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued an Air Quality Alert for fine particle pollution. The Air Quality Index (AQI) is expected to reach the Orange or Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups category. * WHERE...Central and south central Minnesota. * WHEN...Through 3 PM CDT Tuesday. * IMPACTS...Sensitive groups, such as people with lung disease (including asthma), heart disease, and children and older adults, may experience health effects. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Smoke from Canadian wildfires lingers over most of Minnesota. There has been some improvement Sunday afternoon to the air quality. However, on Sunday evening more smoke is expected to move into Minnesota. This reinforcing batch of heavy smoke along with smoke recirculating from the past several days will create high levels of fine particle pollution. Fine particle levels will begin to improve Monday as southerly winds start moving the smoke out of the state. Fine particle levels are expected to reach the Orange AQI category, a level considered unhealthy for sensitive individuals, across far central and southern Minnesota. This area includes The Twin Cities Metro, St. Cloud, Alexandria, and Albert Lea. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Sensitive groups, such as people with lung disease (including asthma), heart disease, and children and older adults, should limit prolonged or heavy exertion. For information on current air quality conditions in your area and to sign up for daily air quality forecasts and alert notifications by email, text message, phone, or the Minnesota Air mobile app, visit https://www.pca.state.mn.us/air/current-air- quality. You can find additional information about health and air quality at https://www.pca.state.mn.us/air/why-you-should-care- air-quality-and-health. A marketing guide for independent artists In this comprehensive guide for indie musicians, we break down what music marketing is, the different elements of a music marketing campaign, and how to successfully pull one off. This article originally appeared on CDBabys DIY Musician Blog If youre like a lot of artists, music marketing is that scary thing youre supposed to do once youve finished making the music. Youve written and recorded a song or album youre proud of. Now you need to get your existing fans excited, reach new listeners, and find more ways of earning money from your music. Yes, thats where this whole music marketing thing comes in. If youre reading this, its probably safe to assume you dont have a fancy management team or big label handling your marketing. Thats okay. You can accomplish a lot with DIY music marketing tactics and a small budget. How? Well get to that. But first What is music marketing? Music marketing is the process of satisfying your fans needs for your music, merch, and concerts. Its also about, ya know, reaching the right people and turning them into fans in the first place. A lot can fall under the marketing umbrella. From publicity, to promotion, to advertising, and more. Experts will debate the differences between those various pursuits. But to keep things moving, lets just say that marketing can either encompass or overlap with all those efforts. When we say music marketing, we mean actively putting your music in front of your desired audience through a concerted effort called a campaign. Through a campaign, you persuade your audience to take a specific action. That action youre trying to get your audience to take might be something like: Listen to my song Watch my video Buy a ticket Enter this contest Subscribe to my SMS list Get the vinyl record Follow me on Spotify Etc. You have something you want your audience to do. Marketing is an effort to lead your audience on a journey from awareness to conversion (and beyond). And speaking of audience and conversion, lets define some terms before we get into specific tactics. Important marketing terms you should know Lets run through a quick glossary of marketing terminology: Audience: In a non-marketing sense, you could say your audience is your whole fan ecosystem. Its everyone whos enjoyed your music that youre able to reach back out to in some way. But in marketing, audience is more narrowly defined as the specific people you intend to motivate with a certain message or to reach through a certain channel. It could also be a group of people whove already taken a specific action. Segment: A part of your audience that shares similar characteristics, often determined by such demographics as age, gender, geographical location, or other easily marked delineations. Segments are important to your marketing efforts because they can tell you what kind of people listen to your music. They can also tell you who took certain actions, like who opened your recent emails or watched your latest video. Targeting: Actively focusing on a specific segment once youve identified what your segments are. Targeting is the verb to segments noun. When youre aiming your marketing at a certain segment, youre targeting them. Here are some examples of audience segments you could target with your music marketing message: Fans of Olivia Rodrigo in the United States who are older than 25 People on Instagram whove engaged with one of your posts in the last 45 days Hip-Hop fans in the UK whove never heard of you, but are likely to stream your song on Spotify Conversion: When your targeted audience performs the action youre asking of them. This can be anything from buying your merch to streaming your song, or smaller desired actions like clicking a link in an email you sent. Impression: The number of views something (usually an ad, but also something like an email) has received. Note that this is not the number of clicks on the ad or email itself, but rather how many people saw the ad. Since many ads are video ads, an impression isnt always a sign of engagement. If someone just sees the ad is there, thats an impression but its not the same as them actually watching the entire thing. CTA: Call to action. This is what you want your audience to do, the action you want them to take after their impression. Its also the language you use to get them to do this, such as Hear my new song! or Buy tickets here. Open rate: The amount of subscribers who open a message like an email or SMS text. This is measured in percentages, so if you sent an email to 100 people and 90 of them opened it, thats a 90% open rate. Click-through rate: The amount of subscribers who click the link in a marketing message. In music marketing this link will be to your new song, a merch item, or a page to buy tickets for upcoming shows. Like open rates, click-through rates are also measured in percentages. CPM: Cost per 1,000 impressions (the M stands for mille, which is Latin for thousand). Impressions are typically measured in the thousands, since even 100 ad impressions is just 100 people seeing your ad online. In the case of paid advertisements, CPM is measured in the cost per 1,000 impressions on an ad. Ideally youd like your CMP to be as low as possible, but there are occasions where the cost per impression is high but the return is worth it. For example, if you ran an ad asking for someone to host a house concert, you might have thousands of people ignore your ad. But if just one or two people book you, it will have been worth it. ROI: Return on investment. How much your campaign contributes to your revenue growth, often in relation to how much the campaign costs. This is another measure of a campaigns success. Is your spending worth what youre seeing in return? Not all campaigns will see positive ROI. In fact, many will COST you more than you get back, but that doesnt mean its not worth the investment. More on that in a sec. Direct Response versus Madison Avenue At a high-level, there are a couple modes of marketing. The first mode is Madison Avenue. Its meant to create a lasting impression. It might even drive sales. But it doesnt necessarily compel immediate action. Think of a giant billboard in Times Square. A Super Bowl commercial. Or a full-page ad in a glossy magazine. A big, branded broadcast. Something that often feels one-to-many. And unless the ad features a QR code, dedicated URL, or something else thats trackable, theres no quick way of assessing engagement and attributing growth to the ad. An uptick in sales would be a nice correlation of course, but connecting the dots still involves some assumptions. Direct Response, on the other hand, is a marketing tradition that often attempts to appeal to an individual. It feels one-to-one. This style of marketing also asks that individual to DO something. Respond to this letter. Use this coupon. Claim this free knife set. Click this link. The direct appeal, combined with the ability to KNOW and MEASURE what recipients of the message are doing in response, make this style of marketing the smart choice for businesses that cant just throw money around willy-nilly. And guess what? Thats most musicians! The way that giant ad platforms like Google, Facebook, and Instagram function is essentially the digital evolution of direct response marketing. The keys to a successful music marketing campaign Before we dive into different types of music marketing and the platforms you can use to market your music, here are a few general guidelines and tips from CD Babys analytics strategist Dan Parscale. Set the right budget for your music marketing campaign(s) That old business adage you have to spend money to make money applies here. Marketing your music is an investment in you! And you are in charge of driving your musics success. Some music marketing campaigns might be more affordable than others, but they are rarely free. So make a budget and invest in your campaign. But dont break the bank. Parscale warns, It can be easy to spend too much money on your campaign. Make sure youre getting a good ROI for your efforts. There can be exceptions to that rule, however. When youre first building your fanbase, youre building a business. Most businesses expect to lose money for a year or two before making a profit. These losses are often factored into business plans from the start, and can be considered customer acquisition costs, brand awareness costs, etc. Youll also want to consider how quickly you spend your budget. Its tempting to spread your budget out over a longer duration, and lots of music marketers talk about $1/day campaigns. But if youre using an ad platform like Facebook or Instagram to reach new listeners, it takes a certain amount of interaction before the platform has gathered enough data to understand your ideal audience, optimize the ad delivery, and so forth. So while something like $1/day is attractive, you might be better off spending a decent amount upfront in the testing phase. This helps you optimize your marketing more quickly. Once your campaign is out of the testing phase, you can determine whether you want to spend the rest of your budget quickly for a critical mass, or whether you want to allocate the rest of the budget over a longer period as a kind of maintenance spend. Theres no single correct way to use your marketing budget, but just make sure to: Save up so you have enough money to adequately test your ad content and targeting. But do NOT blow all the budget too soon. Testing is just the first phase. Once your marketing is dialed in, put the rest of the money to work! Match your campaign timeframe to the desired result. Selling tickets for a show next week? Spend all the ad budget ASAP. Driving cold traffic to a Spotify playlist? Stretch out your budget over many weeks or months. Monitor ad performance every day. Optimize along the way, because every penny counts. Your marketing should set your music and story apart from other artists Music marketing is not you shouting listen to my music! in every communication you have with potential fans. Thats an easy way for your efforts to get lost in the noise of innumerable other campaigns targeting those same people. We live in an age where we are being marketed to every day, whether through social media, email, SMS text message, etc. Think of your marketing as a way to either tell the story of your music, or to confirm something about your audience that they feel is essential to their identity. To do that successfully, youll want to consider your marketing content from various angles. Test different approaches. And remember that weve grown very suspicious of things that FEEL like cold, polished, corporate marketing. Thats good news for you, because it means you can be more authentic, casual, and quirky. Your music marketing should capture attention immediately Dont bore us. Get to the chorus. Peoples attention spans are short these days. For your first impression, get in, get your message across and get out. If you linger too long before getting to the point, your audience will just scroll on by without seeing your message. Were also going to scroll past anything that doesnt jump through the screen and interest our eyeballs in the first 3 seconds. So even if the call-to-action comes a little bit later, something compelling has got to happen right away. So pay a lot of attention to the immediate impression youre creating. It has to be intriguing enough that we want do the next thing: unmute the sound, click the button, keep watching, etc. With emails, make them personal, but try not to write a novel. Learn who your audience is Its a good idea to focus on advertising to people who like artists you sound like or take influence from, says Parscale. So if you notice people who like Queens of the Stone Age also enjoy your music, youll want to target fans of that band since you know they might also enjoy your music. But dont necessarily limit your targeting to sounds-like artists. There could be other interests and topics that overlap with your music as well. Keep testing, keep learning! Thankfully, you dont have to keep this all in your head, on a spreadsheet, or as a hunch. Platforms like Facebook continually learn about your audience as you run more campaigns. As your ad account becomes seasoned, Facebook delivers smarter (and often cheaper) results. Use a clear CTA If you have a new single out and you want your audience to listen, Hear the new single or New song out now! works. Want them to watch your livestream or buy tickets? Sign up for the livestream gets the message across. Spell it out for them. The exception to this is first-touch audiences (people who are totally new to your music) on a social platform. Make that first ad post just normal content without looking like an actual ad. No CTAs or links. Just good content delivered to the right people. That way they dont feel like theyre being advertised to right out of the gate, making them more likely to engage. Once they DO engage, you can Re-market to your fans In marketing speak, remarketing is the process of putting the right sequential messages in front of a defined audience based on their previous actions. Put simply, youre trying to take fans on a journey from A to Z; and you treat each fan differently according to when, if, and how they take the next step along the way. Eventually this journey leads your audience from introduction to lifelong fan, from cold to lukewarm to warm to hot. You dont start with the big upfront ask. You work your way slowly towards the vinyl offer, the t-shirt of the month club, the VIP tickets. Remarketing requires that you understand what steps your audience has and hasnt taken along the journey. One of the best ways to track that audience behavior is with the Facebook pixel. For steps on creating and installing a Facebook pixel on your website, see our musicians guide to Facebook and Instagram ads. Stick to The Rule of Seven: Market your music on repeat Its an axiom as old as marketing itself, but it still holds true in the modern age of digital marketing: your audience needs to see your message at least seven times before they convert. Really in the modern age the seven times is more of a shorthand for lots and lots. Basically your audience wont bite on your ad the first time around, and probably not for a few times after that. Stay in front of them! Identify your brand as a musician Just like major companies, you have a brand. Your brand is your story; its who you are and what your music represents to people, and anything else that sets you apart from other artists and makes you you. Or that makes them them (speaking about your fans). Check out our DIY Podcast episode about branding for musicians to learn how to effectively identify and sell your brand. You should also download our free Music Marketing 101 guide for some ideas on how to align your marketing efforts and your artist story. Dont focus too much on short-term gains Its tempting to put all your marketing efforts into boosting something like Spotify streams or YouTube video views, because those stats are public. It feels like your ego is on the line. However, what you REALLY want your marketing to do is nurture a lifelong relationship with your fans. Passive streams will fall away, but a deep connection with your audience even if its a small audience can lead to things like merch sales and concert attendance down the road. Which means Begin with your marketing goal in mind, obvs Start with the end result, and then make sure everything works together toward that goal. Ask yourself: What is the ultimate purpose of my marketing campaign? Am I targeting the right audience? Is the offer right for that audience? Will my audience find the incentive compelling enough? Do they know WHY this offer or content will benefit them? Does the ad creative and copy (images, video, text, etc.) convey the right vibe? Know what the NEXT step will be in the journey Lets assume your marketing campaign is successful. Thats great. But if you dont have a plan in place to follow-up, you might lose steam, your audiences could go dormant or expire (thats a thing in the world of digital advertising), and you could then have to spend more time and money reaching back out to some of those same people. So before you launch a music marketing campaign, have an idea of what the next step will be in the weeks or months that follow. Your artist website is essential for music marketing Yes, you still need a website in 2021. Why? Having an official artist website is an indispensable part of your marketing efforts for the following reasons: You own it. Your website is yours and no one elses, as opposed to social media profiles. Your website is yours and no one elses, as opposed to social media profiles. It makes you look professional. A website shows youre serious about your music career. A website shows youre serious about your music career. You control the experience. You get to decide every aspect of your page and customize how you see fit. You get to decide every aspect of your page and customize how you see fit. Valuable data. You can acquire essential data from your website that you might not be able to access elsewhere, like an email list. You can acquire essential data from your website that you might not be able to access elsewhere, like an email list. Sell your music directly to fans. Dont want anyone taking a cut of your record sales? You can sell music and merch directly on your website if youre inclined to ship it out yourself. Install remargeting code on your website But perhaps most crucial for your marketing efforts, you can put remarketing code such as the Facebook pixel on your site! This provides a great window into the effectiveness of your marketing efforts, and helps you build retargeting audiences. Oh, and last but NOT least Make the most of squeeze pages With your own website you can drive traffic to a squeeze page. So called because it squeezes information from visitors or squeezes them towards ONE action, a squeeze page is a page on a website that is specifically designed to acquire information (like an email address) for something in return, or to put the attention solely on one desired result. Theres no distractions. You remove options, hide the top navigation, delete the footer, avoid other links. The visitor either takes the action you want, or they hit the back button. You remove barriers by removing choices. One common use for squeeze pages in the digital music space is to create a bridge between your chosen ad platform and Spotify. Why wouldnt you just send traffic straight from Instagram to Spotify? Well, you could. But to limit bots and junk traffic, you would first send ad traffic to the squeeze page on your website. This page would have ONE option to stream the music on Spotify. Yes, that ultimately means less overall traffic to Spotify. But given the extra step, the action demonstrates greater intent. The button clicks on your squeeze page would be tracked as conversions, helping Facebook learn more about your true fans, and thus sharing your ad content with more and more qualified members of your target audience. In addition, a squeeze page is also tracking visits, so youre building a retargetable audience from those page views, which is something you cannot do on Spotify. More about squeeze pages in connection with email below. Email marketing is more important than ever for musicians Email is a major component of marketing. And some studies are showing that email marketing is more effective than ever. Just about everyone has an email address, far more than even people who have social media accounts. Plus, we all check our emails just about every day, and studies have shown consumers prefer to be marketed to through email than any other advertising avenues. But how do you actually get prospective fans email addresses? There are a few creative ways to do that: Collect email addresses at live gigs (theyre coming back!) by soliciting them from attendees. (theyre coming back!) by soliciting them from attendees. Give away your merch, including your CD. Yes, people still listen to CDs! You can add a ton of people to your email list by offering to send them a free CD if they just cover shipping and handling. including your CD. Yes, people still listen to CDs! You can add a ton of people to your email list by offering to send them a free CD if they just cover shipping and handling. Use a squeeze page. You can add a squeeze page to your website soliciting subscriptions to your newsletter, which in turn adds the subscribers email to your list. This is also where you can entice visitors with something free in exchange for their email address, like an unreleased song or exclusive video. You can add a squeeze page to your website soliciting subscriptions to your newsletter, which in turn adds the subscribers email to your list. This is also where you can entice visitors with something free in exchange for their email address, like an unreleased song or exclusive video. Just ask. Put a CTA on your website that compels fans to subscribe to your mailing list. Make the incentive that theyll be the first to hear about any news going on, like new merch, show/tour announcements and of course new music! What should I write in my marketing emails? So youve gathered a bunch of fan emails and have a pretty sizable audience with whom to communicate. What do you actually write? A few key emails every artist should know how to write: Welcome email: Just like it sounds, your welcome email is the first email you send to someone after they subscribe to your mailing list. You should set this to send automatically. A welcome email is one of your most highly opened emails, which means its also one of the most important. We have a bunch of great tips for making sure your welcome email is dialed in. Personal email: Also called a newsletter, a personal email is sort of a this is what Im up to communication. It can be a studio update, tour journal from the road or just some insight into your personal life. This email allows your audience to know you as a person and not just as an artist. Big announcement email: You have a new single (or album) out! You made some new merch! A tour you just booked! Thats big news, and definitely an email lots of fans are going to want to open. Get to the details of your announcement early (dont bury the lede as they say in journalism) and provide all relevant links where your audience can hear your song or buy your new shirts or get tickets to your shows. We asked CD Babys own email marketing manager Luke Kashdan for his advice to artists looking to market their music through email. He says the first thing you want to do is increase open rates in your emails. To do that you need to learn how to write subject lines, says Kashdan. Learn what works and gets the best results. Next you need to know what the benefit is to the reader. The benefit is usually what youre offering, so your new song or some new merch, says Kashdan. In the actual email itself, Kashdan says using a button can be a great way to attract the readers eye on the main focus of the email. If youre using an email system like Mailchimp, its easy to add a button to any email. Couple your button with a compelling CTA to really increase clicks. Improve your music marketing with automated emails Email automation is the process of setting up your email system so that your email content takes your fans on a journey from a subscriber to a fan. Its a way to set up your emails so they send automatically, which is great for things like your welcome email or another series like your personal journey. Automating your emails is a way to work smarter, not harder with your audience communication. For more, listen to our podcast episode about 30 emails to automate your fan list. Market with SMS text SMS stands for short message service. Put simply, SMS is text messaging. If youve ever received a text message from a business trying to sell you something, youve been marketed to via text message. You also know text messaging and marketing via text is a delicate balancing act. Text messaging feels much more personal than email. Your phone is yours, a device you carry everywhere with you and check more often than email. So being marketed to via SMS can feel invasive if youre careful about how you do it. Some general guidelines for SMS marketing: Get permission from your audience to text them. Be brief in your texts. Engage with your audience when they text back. Keep track of what works. Make the opt-out process easy. What platforms are available for SMS marketing? There are tons of apps to choose from when youre looking to market your music with SMS. Heres a sampling: How do I market my music on streaming platforms? It might sound obvious, but the first step to promoting your song on the various streaming platforms is by actually distributing said song to those platforms. For that youll need a music distributor. CD Baby is the best in the biz at getting your music everywhere you need for maximum exposure. From Spotify to Apple Music to YouTube, CD Baby gets your song to every major streaming platform and dozens of others in specific territories. Get Started And the really cool thing is that distributing music is in many ways its own form of promotion. Thats because simply getting your music on, say, Spotify is already putting it in front of possible fans who use that platform through Spotifys automated playlists. Well get to that soon, but the first big step is to Verify your artist profile on the streaming platforms The first big step to promoting your music on streaming platforms is verifying your artist profile on the platforms that allow it. Weve said it before but it cannot be overstated: verifying your artist profile is one of the most important foundational things you can do for your music on streaming platforms. CD Baby artists can verify their profiles on most major streaming platforms: Everything you do as an artist on the streaming platforms stems from verifying your profiles. The main advantage to verifying your artist profiles is that you can customize your branding and appearance. This is also its own kind of promotion because a personalized and professional-looking artist profile will attract more listeners. If you look at two artist profiles without ever having heard a song from either artist, and one has a fully verified profile with a professional artist photo and other features fleshed out on their profile, and the other one just has a generic picture of their latest release and no confirmed verification, whose music are you going to check out? How you present your music has an impact on how (and if) people hear your music. Compel your audience to stream and save your song Heres where clear CTAs come back into play. Explicitly spell out your messaging to your audience; tell them what they need to do when you release a new song. Not everyone knows all the inner-workings of streaming platforms. And not every fan understands the positive impact their actions can have on your music. Make sure you tell your audience they should: add your song to their playlists save your song to their queue share and recommend your song on social media follow your artist profile The truth about streaming: Quality over quantity. You want true fans, not passive listeners (or skippers). The streaming platforms value quality engagement. Essentially, as they monitor listener behavior, they want to know that people actually care about your music when they listen. As such, your overall stream count is less important than the percentage of people who saved or playlisted your song, listened to the whole thing, listened again, etc. Whenever you look at your streaming stats, you should remember quality is more important than quantity. When listeners behave in a way that suggests they ENJOY your music, platforms such as Spotify and Pandora are more likely to recommend your music to new audiences. Harness the power of Spotify playlists Once youve verified your artist profile, youre ready to use Spotifys playlists to expand your reach. Most of this basic promotional heavy lifting is done through algorithmic playlists, of which there are two powerhouses: Release Radar updated every Friday with up to two hours of new songs and relevant tracks from artists that youve shown interest in as a listener on Spotify. updated every Friday with up to two hours of new songs and relevant tracks from artists that youve shown interest in as a listener on Spotify. Discover Weekly updated with fresh music every Monday, with songs chosen according to your own listening history and that of other users that like similar music. The more followers you have on Spotify, the more times someone saves your song to their queue, library, or playlists, the better your songs chances of being added to either of these personalized playlists. This is why its crucial to get your fans to follow you on Spotify, since your releases can be automatically added to your followers Discover Weekly and Release Radar playlists. The more followers you have, the more fans wholl never miss out on your new tunes. The more people who enjoy a new release early on, the more Spotify will serve that music up on more algorithmic playlists. You can build anticipation and encourage follows by creating a Social Unlock campaign with Show.co. Social Unlocks incentivize your audience to follow, save, pre-save, or stream you on Spotify in exchange for special content like: an MP3 or FLAC download a PDF an unlisted video link on YouTube or Vimeo a hidden URL a special Spotify playlist a coupon code free merch VIP access to a live stream tickets to a concert or meet-and-greet Submit your music for playlist consideration Thats a good start for some passive promotion, but lets get a little more pointed, shall we? You can submit your music directly to Spotifys editors for consideration on their customized, curated playlists. And you can do it directly in your Spotify for Artists account once youre verified! These playlists are a pretty big deal because theyre organized by genre and style and they have thousands of followers who refer to them for new songs catered to their tastes. So if you have a new metal, hip-hop, jazz, or whatever song due soon, getting it on a major playlist curated by experts of all things heavy, rhyming or outright cool is a great way to introduce your tune to a wider audience. Two added benefits of this Spotify pitching process: Spotify asks you to supply a bunch of additional information about your musics sound, genre, and instrumentation, all of which can aid discoverability. You are guaranteed Release Radar placement for the suggested track Guaranteeing that your new music appear in your followers Release Radar playlists every time is huge, because your existing followers are the people most likely to enjoy your songs. That also means theyre more likely to take actions showing quality engagement, which in turn sends signals to Spotify that your music is worth sharing beyond your existing fanbase. Create a pre-save/pre-add for your music Spotify and Apple Music offer the ability for users to add songs or albums from an artist to their playlists ahead of the musics release. Spotify calls this feature a pre-save and Apple Music calls it a pre-add. Both Spotify pre-saves and Apple Music pre-adds play a pivotal role in promotional efforts on Spotify and Apple Music, as Anne Reburn demonstrated with her Show.co pre-save campaign on Spotify. Which brings us to Run a pre-save campaign on Spotify Pre-saves help ensure fans will hear your song on the day its released. To help build traction on Spotify for your new music, you can run a pre-save campaign. This gives you a window of time where fans can actually DO something with the music youre promoting before its release namely, save the song or album to their queue. All CD Baby artists get free access to Show.cos promotional tools (including pre-saves), right within your CD Baby dashboard. While a pre-save campaign is a great start, Show.co offers much more to those who want to really go the extra mile to bring in new listeners, including promotion on other websites. How do you do that? Glad you asked! Advertise your music on premium music websites Looking to advertise your music more directly to potential fans? Outside of their free pre-save options, Show.co also offers a paid feature called Interactive Ads. Like the name suggests, Interactive Ads are advertisements that turn any Spotify track or YouTube video into an eye-catching ad thats playable right on popular websites like Rolling Stone and Pitchfork. These ads will target music fans who visit websites related to your genre, so you know theyre the right audience. They can play your song right on the ad, so theyre browsing isnt interrupted to open a new program like Spotify. But if they want to see the song on that platform, they can click the ad to open the app. Thats how you convert a listener to a fan/follower, and you only had to spend a few bucks! Marketing music on social media So weve covered drawing attention to your music directly on streaming platforms and on websites, but how about social media? After all, social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok are major tools for musicians to grow their audience and keep in touch with their fans. Or, as CD Babys Social Media Strategist Cassia Saranovich puts it, Social Media channels are the platforms that allow you to be your own biggest hype person. The most basic way to promote your music on social media is to post about your new release. Releasing new music is a major event for an artist, so youll want to blast that announcement on all channels. Post streaming links to your song on Facebook, add those to your Instagram profile and create IG Stories and Reels with your song to encourage others to do the same. But remember your content should be about much more than just new music out now. Make your content matter. Show us different sides of your personality. Go deep into your interests outside of music. The marketing power of short-form video When it comes to video, dont just think about long form videos on YouTube and Facebook. Get with the hottest short-form video platform and create a video with your song on TikTok. Interacting with your audience on social media shows that youre engaged with your fans and appreciate them as listeners, says Saranovich. The great thing about TikTok is that you can make short videos on your phone. No need to splurge on an expensive music video. Its all about short, cheap, memeable videos now. And TikTok isnt just about challenges, duets, and dance videos anymore. People are getting really creative and diverse with their content. Get your songs in the mix and maybe one of them will start trending. The goal here is to encourage as many people as possible to use your song in fun ways, and since CD Baby delivers music to social video platforms like TikTok, Triller, and Instagram Reels, users can easily create content with your new music! But you can take social marketing to the next level with the help of some experts. Market your music with a social media influencer campaign A growing number of indie musicians are turning to social media influencers to help with building their audience on social. Thats because influencers are experienced social media experts with built-in fanbases they can help you convert into fans. Influencers can attract new listeners to your song by getting it trending on a social media platform like TikTok through placement in videos. Think of it as a magnified version of what you would do on your own, created by someone who knows the strategies needed to really take off on the platforms. There are a few steps you can take to market your music on social media with an influencer: Determine if the time is right. This is mostly a subjective look at your music and if you have work someone would want to work with. Find an influencer. Do some research on social media to find a creator whose work you admire. If you remember a funny video you enjoyed, find out who made it. Vet your influencer. Check out their profile, look at their online engagement and make sure their brand is in line with yours. Essentially, you want to see if theyre someone you could actually work with and not just someone whose content you enjoy. Create your campaign. Work with your influencer to make a campaign that will use your music in a way that will attract new listeners. The influencer is the expert but remember that its your music, so provide input and give your vision on how your music is used. Convert your viewers into listeners. Thats what this is all about. Use Show.co to place ads on Spotify and drive traffic to your song. Create an electronic press kit An electronic press kit (EPK for short), is an efficient way to combine all of your information into one document. Its really handy for would-be promoters, radio DJs and other personnel youre looking to work with to have one simple EPK to summarize what youre about. That all-encompassing nature can also make EPKs rather intimidating. What do you actually add to your EPK? Our friends at Bandzoogle compiled this handy list: A quote: Something that describes your sound, or your draw from the media, or a previous booker. Something that describes your sound, or your draw from the media, or a previous booker. A bio: Write a musician bio that includes a few sentences about yourself, a description of your music, and your current achievements. Write a musician bio that includes a few sentences about yourself, a description of your music, and your current achievements. Music: Select your newest tracks, most popular tracks, or tracks from the album youre promoting. Select your newest tracks, most popular tracks, or tracks from the album youre promoting. Photos: Add hi-resolution images. Be sure to offer a variety of options, from live shots to posed band pictures. Have a few different sizes as well (landscape, portrait, and square). Add hi-resolution images. Be sure to offer a variety of options, from live shots to posed band pictures. Have a few different sizes as well (landscape, portrait, and square). Video: Choose your best video, keeping in mind it may be re-used online to show what your band looks and sounds like. Choose your best video, keeping in mind it may be re-used online to show what your band looks and sounds like. Contact: Make it easy for a media person or booker to reach you. Make it easy for a media person or booker to reach you. Social media links: Add your social media icons for the platforms youre most active on, limited to 3 or 4 Bandzoogle also offers a great, easy to use template for creating an EPK for your website. So once you have everything in order, just plug it all into that template and youll have something ready to go for anyone looking to know more about you and your music. The most important things to remember when marketing your music This article is already a bazillion words long, and were barely scratching the surface on all the things you can do to market your music, build your fanbase, and sell merch or tickets. Specific tools and tactics might change over the years, but there are some core marketing principles that are good to close with: Put yourself in a strangers shoes. Would YOU care? Keep adjusting your content and messaging until the answer is a solid yes. Dont go broke. Marketing, like music-making itself, is a long game. This should be reflected in your budgeting. Make sure the money you spend brings results, not stress or debt. If it feels inauthentic, its not good marketing. If marketing is an extension of your own artistry and storytelling, your marketing efforts should feel both true and sustainable, not smarmy and exhausting. Its a lot of work, so you might as well have fun. Marketing isnt some magic dust you sprinkle on top of good music to get famous overnight. Its a whole creative pursuit, just like your music. You wont get good at it unless you try. And as you do, be you! Stay inspired by stealing from the best. Like music, marketing is a field where you gain much by copying your influences at first. Keep your antennae attuned to what you see working out there in the world. What made you laugh, cry, or click? Stash those ideas away for your own music marketing down the road. As long as you filter that inspiration through your own voice and sensibilities, its not really stealing at all. Lastly, since tools and tactics are constantly changing, remember that music marketing is a pursuit where you might always feel like a student to some degree. Thats okay. What you want to do is master the fundamentals. Everything else is just a Google search away. Wed love to hear what youre doing to market your music. Whats worked, and what hasnt? Holler below to share some marketing inspo. Share on: Select Board members Jeffrey Johnson, left, Andrew Hogeland and Hugh Daley participate in Monday's meeting held at the elementary school. Williamstown Community Needs Survey, Cost Draws Ire Carrie Waara, above, asks the Select Board to be 'champions' of the Williamstown Cares Community Assessment and Research project. Nat Romano, right, supports the survey but thinks the town shouldn't be footing cost for it. WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. The Select Board on Monday heard concerns from multiple residents about the cost and direction of a community needs assessment project that the town began earlier this year. The Williamstown Cares Community Assessment and Research project came under fire for what some alleged is an attempt to draw a "biased" sample of respondents to study the community's public safety needs. It also was defended by residents who made the case that the town needs to hear from voices that historically have been ignored. According to the study's page on the town's website, the social scientists involved "want to hear from as many community members as possible, and especially from those who feel unsafe, unwelcome, or excluded in our town." "This approach is likely to result in a biased and non-representative sample, not a representative sample," said Luana Maroja, a professor of biology at Williams College. "In fact, it seems like an attempt to support a pre-ordained conclusion that people in Williamstown feel unsafe, and the police are incompetent or even responsible for that. "As a scientist, I object to studies designed not to find out the truth, but to prop up a conclusion reached before the study has started." Maroja said the town needs to have the data analyzed by a disinterested third party with no connection to the town in order to validate any conclusions. "Biased data with biased analysis, which seeks to prop up a pro-ordained, ideological conclusion will not and should not be taken seriously," she said. "Such data will fail in its goal of, 'understanding the views of Williamstown residents in order to provide recommendations to the town.'" Maroja's comments touched off a lengthy discussion during the public comment portion of a meeting that began with an hourlong conversation with Berkshire District Attorney Andrea Harrington about the purpose and procedures of her office's "Brady list" of law enforcement officers whose past actions need to be revealed to defense attorneys during criminal prosecutions. That discussion grew out of a desire by members of the Select Board to get more information about the inclusion of a Williamstown police officer on that list and a more restrictive "do not call" list for officers who cannot be used by a prosecuting attorney without the review of a supervisor. The Brady list is one aspect of a wider community conversation about policing that began in the summer of 2020 and led, among other things, to the Williamstown Cares research project. Earlier this month, the Select Board learned that the community needs assessment, which grew out of conversations between local social workers and the previous town manager, was projected to run over budget by about $87,000. That price tag also drew fire from Ralph Hammann, who added it to a list of other expenditures the town has incurred in the fallout from a since-dropped federal lawsuit filed by a member of the Police Department. By Hammann's reckoning, using numbers provided by the town and undisputed by the Select Board and interim town manager on Monday, the total cost in the wake of the lawsuit filed by Sgt. Scott McGowan is about $872,000 including legal fees and separation agreements with former Town Manager Jason Hoch and former Police Chief Kyle Johnson even before the Williamstown Cares overrun is factored in. Hammann, who also said he was afraid the research project had a "procedural bias," later read a letter from South Williamstown resident Donna Wied, who was unable to attend Monday's meeting at the Williamstown Elementary School gymnasium in person. "In 2020, with benevolent intentions, at the end of a long and steamy town meeting, the 227 remaining citizens pledged to strictly review Williamstown's policies and practices and to change those that were unjust, especially to 'marginalized people,'" Wied wrote. "Our town's commendable willingness to take a hard look in the mirror seems now to have morphed into madness. And this current madness has soaring costs, both monetary and social. Many townsfolk allege that a significant and very costly survey is skewed from the start." Although at least one social worker associated with the research project was among the crowd of about 50 in the gymnasium, the project itself was not on the agenda for discussion, and no one involved was asked by the Select Board to give more information about their endeavor. But several residents spoke from the floor to refute the idea that the research project is "too expensive" or that an effort to lift up the voices of marginalized residents represents "bias." Randall Fippinger said he is "very much in favor" of the research project, which he said is critical to understanding what is happening in town. "I think it is, in terms of equity, it is important for us to focus on marginalized voices who don't feel comfortable talking in this town," said Fippinger, who earlier this summer was appointed by the Select Board to serve on the town's Diversity, Inclusion and Racial Equity Committee. "If you feel safe in this town, this culture is meant for you. But some people don't feel safe, and I think it's important to bring that to the fore and make an effort to do that." Carrie Waara called on the Select Board members themselves to be advocates for the Williamstown Cares project. "The last two years included terrible violence and pain on the part of marginalized people in our town as well as globally," Waara said. "The benefits of this research project are being forgotten. You need to move beyond the myth-making and extremist attacks I've read and hear and champion it." Nat Romano told the Select Board that while the research project has merits, it should not be funded by the town. "From a budgetary standpoint, there are better things for us to consider than funding a major academic research study, which really should be funded by an academic research institution," Romano said. "We're a town. It's not our job to bankroll large scale academic surveys. "I believe in the merits of the survey, but I don't believe the town should be footing the bill for it." Molly Polk disagreed. "It's important that we see the costs, it's important to understand those costs, but I think we also need to look, historically, at the cost of marginalization and discrimination in our community since its inception," Polk said. "I work with young children who ask me questions about the original, indigenous inhabitants of our region, what had happened to those people over hundreds of years. "I'm not trying to wax philosophical, but we really need to take that seriously. There are costs to running this survey, but there are also costs people have experienced when they lost land, their home, their livelihood, etc. These are things to consider that really, really matter, not just to me but to young people in our community who want to make it their home." Another set of financial costs cited by Hammann drew the interest of Andrew Wells, who asked to know why the town only learned of the payouts to Hoch and Johnson during a Finance Committee meeting this summer. Select Board Chair Andrew Hogeland said the separation agreement with Hoch was voted on by the board in a public meeting, and Jane Patton added that it was "absolutely discussed" by the board in open session. "Not the amount," resident Anthony Boskovich interjected from his chair. "Thank you," Patton responded. "I know that. We talked about the agreement. There was a vote. It was not a unanimous vote. ... The information was available. We did not say the number out loud." The discussion and roll call vote on Hoch's separation agreement at the board's Feb. 22 meeting lasted just 65 seconds out of a 93-minute virtual meeting with no specifics shared about the agreement. The only board member to comment on it at all was Patton, who said her no vote in a 4-1 decision to approve the agreement was "has to do with the terms of the agreement and not the separation." No documents on the separation agreement, which was negotiated in executive session, were available in the public meeting packet on the town's website. Fenton Quinn PC Add Partner, Change Name PITTSFIELD, Mass. With the addition of Christine Arace, CPA to the firm of Fenton Quinn PC, the firm has changed their corporate name to Killeen Arace & Quinn, PC. Christine Arace has joined Ryan Killeen and Sheri Quinn as managing partners of the Firm. Killeen Arace & Quinn PC now has four CPA's, which also includes William Fenton, and eight support staff members. Killeen Arace & Quinn, PC specializes in tax preparation services, which includes corporate, individual, non-profit and trust returns, along withAssurance and Advisory services; bookkeeping, accounting and Quickbooks/Sage assistance. 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 circulation2@journalnet.com for help creating one. The Netherlands is pitching itself as the intelligent choice for business technology leaders looking to develop artificial intelligence (AI) business applications. AI can help with the big challenges of our time in health, resources and education, says Maarten De Rijk, Professor of AI at the University of Amsterdam. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being positioned as the commercial opportunity that will see the Netherlands remain a physically small nation that is a big player in business. This is, after all, a country that pioneered globalisation with the Dutch East India Company, which was to be copied by empire-building European rivals and today is home to global giants such as oil firm Shell and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) maker Unilever. With a rich culture, the Netherlands has also given the world the artists Rembrandt and Van Gogh, as well as a rainbow of colour every spring with its Tulips and bulbs. The Netherlands is already in a strong position as a major innovation hub for AI. German industrial conglomerate Bosch, the health arm of compatriots Siemens and IBM, have all invested in Dutch AI research divisions. With the Netherlands government investing in AI, major firms are attracted by the healthy economy, easy access to the European Union, the fact that the Netherlands is ranked as the worlds number one connected country and has a wealth of skilled talent and academic research. Germany and the Netherlands share the vision that AI is a shared interest, says Marloes Pomp of the European AI Forum of the collaboration between the two nations. We call the Netherlands the gateway to Europe and we pride ourselves on our international business climate, and we have a high quality of life, a low tax rate and a 30% tax allowance for employees, says Lowri Van Der Linden of the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency of why organisations are flocking to the nation famed for its windmills and mega ports. She adds that the Netherlands is ranked the number two global business destination, ahead of the USA, Singapore, Germany and the UK. To attract AI focused organisations to the Netherlands, the investment agency is offering incentives connected to technology and sustainability and advice on forming public-private partnerships. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority shows that Philippine exports in March 2021 increased by 31.6% compared to the same month last year, putting the countrys export growth year-to-date in the positive territory at 7.6%. This progress is due to the rollout of vaccination programs nationwide, allowing Filipinos to move towards herd immunity, revert businesses to their pre-pandemic state, and ultimately repair the economy. Contributing to the countrys positive turnaround in exports is 1Export. The tech-enabled exporting company has distributed a total of 3,000 tonnes of products to 23 different countries, generating around $500,000 or PHP25 million in export sales as of June 2021. Because of this, 1Export accounted for 0.2% of the total Philippine exportsand the company isnt planning to just stop there. It goes without saying that the pandemic has and continues to significantly affect the Philippine economy. But as we move forward and accept the business landscape in the new normal, 1Export is happy to contribute to the countrys recovery by circulating business transactions through exports and helping businesses expand their horizons, said Mel Nava, founder and CEO of 1Export. To further fulfill its mission of helping micro, small and medium enterprises in the Philippines reach more markets, 1Export plans to export products to 60 countries by the end of 2022. With the help of its business-to-business-to-consumer venture, Caravan, 1Export is ready to take on the world and empower more Filipinos to resell products proudly made in the Philippines to other markets. All-around exporting services Founded in 2016, 1Export promises to help MSMEs in the Philippines to grow their business and expand in different countries using digital tools and platforms. The company currently has markets in the US, Australia, Canada, UAE, Kuwait, UK, and more. What makes the company unique is that its more than just an e-commerce or logistics platform1Export takes third-party exporting to the next level by vetting local products to be cross-border compliant, allowing local businesses to follow the laws of the market they want to explore or expand to. Compliance is often one of the most difficult steps to accomplish when expanding to other countries with different policies and laws, so having a reliable partner to handle export compliance can lift some burden off of the shoulders of Filipino business owners. When youre a business owner, you want to be working on your business rather than in your business as the saying goes. We enable Filipino entrepreneurs to achieve just thatinstead of spending so much time and effort learning about the complexities of importing in different countries, they can focus on the core business activities that will enable them to scale, said Nava. Moreover, 1Export offers all-around exporting services, covering compliance documentation, product labeling, logistics, export facilitation, and marketing services. The company also provides its clients with intensive business matching services to determine which of their products fit certain markets. By doing so, local businesses can seamlessly expand abroad, boost their brand awareness, reach their target market, and grow their sales. Through its comprehensive services, 1Export has been able to reduce time and costs by 80% for exporting. On another hand, Caravan by 1Export provides aspiring Filipinos entrepreneurs living or working abroad a catalogue of unique and authentic Filipino productsranging from food to clothing to beauty productswhich they can choose from to start their own business where they are. If entrepreneurs want to sell items not available on the catalogue, Caravan by 1Export is ready to assist them in finding their preferred goods, as long as theyre export-compliant. 1Export and Caravan provides Filipino entrepreneurs a myriad of opportunities to expand their business in new markets, as well as spread and empower the Filipino culture across the world. Entrepreneurs need only to sign up on 1Exports website as a supplier partner to kick off their journey in business. The pandemic may have put many aspects of life and business on hold, but it also became an opportunity for millions of Filipinos to explore entrepreneurship and set up shop with the help of digital tools. With companies such as 1Export simplifying export and e-commerce processes as well, local businesses have all the opportunities and resources they could ever need to not just weather the global crisis but even grow and thrive in the long run. Sony today announced a new Alpha series interchangeable lens camera for creators, the Alpha ZV-E10. The new camera combines Sonys advanced imaging technology with extensive usability and a custom-built feature set that is optimized for creators. Sony Alpha ZV-E10 APS-C Camera Delivers High Quality Photo and Video Performance, Video-Optimized Functions and Versatile Connectivity Perfect for All Creators At its core, the Alpha ZV-E10 features a 24.2-megapixel (approx. effective) APS-C Exmor CMOS sensor and BIONZ X image processing engine to produce high-quality imagery with high-sensitivity, detailed texture depiction and beautiful natural bokeh. Additionally, the Alpha ZV-E10 includes the acclaimed video-specific features favored in the popular digital camera ZV-1 including Background Defocus that can smoothly switch between a blurred (bokeh) and sharp background, as well as the Product Showcase Setting mode that allows the camera to automatically shift focus from the subjects face to an object being highlighted. With the introduction of the new Sonys interchangeable lens camera, the Alpha ZV-E10, we are excited to meet the growing needs of todays creators, said Ryo Ochi, General Manager, Digital Imaging Division, Sony Electronics Asia Pacific. The new Alpha ZV-E10 pairs the versatility and excellent image quality of a larger-sensor interchangeable lens camera with user-friendly features that are specifically designed for still and video, making it an ideal tool for both still and video creators looking to transition to a more advanced set up. The Alpha ZV-E10 features a video-first design in a lightweight form factor (approx. 12 oz. / 343g) and includes the popular side-opening Vari-angle LCD Screen that allows creators to connect external mics on top of the camera. This simplifies their setup while still allowing users to see the screen in selfie shooting mode and from high and low angles. In addition to the screen, the Alpha ZV-E10 includes several other easy-to-use functions that are specifically designed for still and video, including a new Still/Movie/Slow and Quick motion button located on the top of the camera that allows creators to easily change between their desired shooting mode with just one touch. The new camera also includes advanced video features such as 4K video shooting and Slow Motion with high picture quality (FHD 120p). Electronic image stabilization with Active Mode is also available and delivers stable video recording even while walking and shooting hand-held. Further, the Alpha ZV-E10s advanced AF (autofocus) technology provides fast, precise AF with excellent tracking performance, as well as high quality audio for clear sound recording. Creative Versatility An Interchangeable Lens Camera for Expanded Creative Expression The Alpha ZV-E10 allows the user to expand their creative expression by utilizing the ideal lens for each individual scene they want to shoot. The wide variety of compatible lenses in Sonys E-mount lens lineup lets the user choose the perfect lens based on their creative vision. Advanced Autofocus Sonys industry-leading AF technology enables the user to leave the focusing duties to the camera so that they can concentrate on composing their shot. The Alpha ZV-E10 includes Fast Hybrid AF and Real-time Eye AF for video, Real-time Tracking that allows the camera to keep track of the subjects face and eyes for fast and precise autofocusing even while shooting on-the-go and in challenging environments. The user can also customize the cameras AF settings, such as AF Transition Speed and AF Subject Shift Sensitivity, to choose between fast focusing or slow focusing according to their creative preferences. Additionally, the Alpha ZV-E10s Touch Focus function allows the user to intuitively set the focus position in still images by simply touching the screen. With one tap, the user can instantly shift the focus position to a subject in the image periphery. This is available in both stills and video modes. High Quality Audio Sonys leading technology enables the Alpha ZV-E10 to capture crystal clear sound recording that clearly captures the speakers voice, thanks to its internal Directional 3-Capsule Mic and the supplied wind screen to greatly reduce wind noise. For expanded audio options, the Alpha ZV-E10 includes a Digital audio interface via Multi Interface (MI) Shoe Cap and a mic jack to connect an external mic. The inclusion of a headphone jack allows the user to connect headphones to accurately monitor sound recordings. Audio output timing can also be set for Live or Lip Sync. Putting the Subject First When shooting in different settings with dramatic changes in light, the user can rest assured that the Alpha ZV-E10 will automatically correct the exposure so that the subjects face is not over or under exposed, using an original Face Priority AE (autoexposure) algorithm capable of rapid AE transitions. This allows the camera to detect the subjects face and adjusts the exposure to ensure that the face is depicted at optimal brightness, even when selfie-shooting in scenes with extreme changes in lighting, and even if the subjects face turns away momentarily from the camera. In addition, the camera features the same advanced color science from the popular ZV-1 to optimize skin tones for any subject in both still and video modes. Cutting-edge Video Features: Internal 4K movie recording through full pixel readout without pixel binning High bit rate XAVC S codec at 100Mbps when recording 4K Slow & Quick Motion High-speed full HD recording at 120 fps Interval Shooting for stunning time-lapse videos Hybrid Log-Gamma (HDR) / S-Gamut3.Cine / S-Log3, S-Gamut3 / S-Log3 Designed for Creators Users can comfortably operate the new Alpha ZV-E10 thanks to its easy-to-hold body grip and large MOVIE button that is conveniently located on top of the camera. When paired with the optional Shooting Grip with Wireless Remote Commander (GP-VPT2BT, sold separately), one-handed shooting is simplified with easy to access zoom, record and a customizable button. A recording lamp (tally light) is also provided on the front face of the body for an at-a-glance indication of recording status. A red frame on the LCD screen also appears while recording to quickly and easily lets the user know if recording is active when behind the camera. A unique feature of the Alpha ZV-E10 is the zoom lever that can operate optical zoom with power zoom lenses and Clear Image zoom with prime lenses. When pairing the camera with a prime lens, the user can zoom without losing video resolution to maintain full 4K video. The user can also choose from 8 zoom speed settings for added creative flexibility. The Alpha ZV-E10 features long battery performance with enough power to capture up to 125 minutes or 440 images on a full charge so the user can record for long periods without worry. When shooting indoors, AC power supplies like the optional AC-PW20AM can supply power, so the user can continue to record without worrying about battery consumption. Power can also be supplied through a USB Type-C connector, allowing external batteries to power the camera for extended battery life when shooting on the go. To conserve the cameras battery, the Alpha ZV-E10s Vari-angle LCD Screen allows the user to put the camera into Power save mode by closing it and instantly shoot by opening the panel. Stay Connected Livestreaming The Alpha ZV-E10 can also be used as a high-quality webcam or live streaming camera by simply connecting it to a PC or smartphone for increased mobility while streaming with no additional software needed. The feature allows the user to take advantage of the Alpha ZV-E10s outstanding image quality and crystal-clear audio as well Face Priority AE and Soft Skin Effect while livestreaming or on video calls. Alpha ZV-E10 supports standards used for USB cameras like UVC (USB Video Class) / UAC (USB Audio Class). The Alpha ZV-E10 also allows users to connect to a power supply via USB cable while livestreaming for longer usage. For added convenience, the user can assign this function to a custom button to start streaming instantly. Easy File Data and Transfers Using Sonys Imaging Edge Mobile app, users can transfer selected images and video files to a mobile device via Wi-Fi. This also allows the user to transfer RAW image files. After the camera has been paired to the Imaging Edge Mobile app, the files location data can be acquired from the mobile device and recorded. Users can transfer files from an SD card in the camera to a smartphone (mobile device) via Bluetooth even if the camera is powered OFF. Pricing and Availability The Alpha ZV-E10 is available in black and white. Its kit package is priced at Php39,999 that includes an E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS power zoom lens. Pre-order in the Philippines starts from July 28 to August 22, 2021 in all Sony Authorized Camera Dealers nationwide. Customers are also entitled for a special discount on select Sony lenses to partner with the Alpha ZV-E10. Just two months after announcing that vaccinated Americans can go maskless indoors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to reverse its stance. The government agency in charge of setting public health standards is reportedly set to announce today that vaccinated individuals in certain parts of the country should once again don facemasks indoors. The focus is on areas with large numbers of unvaccinated individuals, which includes Florida and Tennessee. The about-face from the CDC is a response to rising infections wrought by the highly contagious Covid-19 Delta variant, which now makes up 83 percent of cases in the U.S., according to the CDC. And as of July 22, 35 percent of counties in the U.S. have high levels of community transmission. Of course, the pandemic is nothing if not unpredictable. So it makes sense that guidance changes. However, this isn't the first time the CDC has reversed itself during the Covid-19 pandemic. In September 2020, the agency reversed a controversial recommendation suggesting that people who have had close contact with someone infected with Covid-19 don't need to get tested for it if they show no symptoms -- a move that received unprecedented backlash from government and health officials. The upshot of the flip-flop is not good for businesses -- uncertainty of any kind never is. Plus, there's a cost to the reversal. Many businesses in the past couple months, including Walmart, Costco, and Starbucks, lifted mask requirements for customers and employees who are fully vaccinated -- often relying on an unspoken honor system in which they trust that unmasked employees and customers have received a vaccine. Still, given the trajectory of the Delta variant, many businesses, including Apple, have already begun reinstating their policies of requiring public-facing employees to wear masks, regardless of vaccine status. So the CDC change may be less jarring. And your employees' and community's safety should be paramount. Commuters exit a Long Island Rail Road train at Pennsylvania Station in New York in May. Amir Hamja/Bloomberg via Getty Images Update: On June 28, 2021, the Senate voted to move ahead on the infrastructure bill, an indication that the legislation could pass the chamber in short order. Pass the $579 billion infrastructure plan today. That's the message a group of business leaders sent to Congress, where a bipartisan group of lawmakers and the White House has trying for weeks to cobble a deal together. More than 140 business leaders, including Microsoft president Brad Smith, Etsy CEO Joshua Silverman, and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, sent the letter to lawmakers on Monday, encouraging them to act on infrastructure as a means for helping America back to work. "Investment in the country's physical and digital assets are essential for the well-being of the economy and the workforce," reads the letter. "Mass transit funding is of particular concern to urban centers like New York City where commuters are dependent on subways, buses and commuter rail." The letter is a product of the Partnership for New York City, a business advocacy group that boasts 330 members and has separately backed legislation including the American Rescue Plan, passed in March by President Biden. The timing of the letter is notable, as the most recent Senate infrastructure talks missed a key deadline on Monday, after various GOP members rejected a plan from the White House and Democrats to address outstanding issues. The latest impasse revolves around transit funding, spending on water projects, and how much of the leftover Covid-19 relief money can be redirected, among other things. Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema -- the lead Democratic negotiator on the bill -- was called to the White House Tuesday to meet with Biden to discuss the talks. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is reportedly weighing whether to extend the Senate's session into the weekend so lawmakers can overcome issues. Regardless of the political wrangling, the issues at hand are gaining urgency in the business community. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has also expressed support for an infrastructure deal, issuing its own letter to Congress last week. Update: This article was updated on July 27 at 8:34 p.m. eastern to include the SBA's latest timeline for publishing details on its new forgiveness portal. The Small Business Administration is expected to release details on its forthcoming Paycheck Protection Program forgiveness portal on Wednesday. That should mean speedier decisions -- with some caveats -- for the remaining 7.8 million loans, worth $385.4 billion. Ahead of the release, in which the agency is slated to publish an interim final rule on the subject of forgiveness, the SBA authored a series of forgiveness portal user guides for lenders, which Inc. has reviewed. Here are three of the biggest features to look forward to: 1. Direct Forgiveness Business owners will be able to apply for forgiveness directly with the SBA. This option will be available only to borrowers with loans of $150,000 or less -- which is 95 percent of all loans issued in 2021. Currently, all borrowers need to apply for loan forgiveness at their lender. 2. Batch Uploads Lenders or their technology partners may also elect to use the SBA portal's batch upload function, which the SBA says tends to be useful for lenders with more than 500 forgiveness submissions. 3. Covid Health Score Second-draw borrowers with loans of $150,000 or less may elect to use something called a "Covid health score," which is an automatic score that is intended to validate a company's revenue reduction over the period in question. The score, determined by Dun and Bradstreet's Commerce Health Index, combines various public and proprietary data sources like foot traffic and business-to-business expenditures. For those whose scores don't jibe with reality, you'll need to upload documentation into the platform indicating that your revenue loss in 2020, relative to 2019, amounted to at least 25 percent. What's in It for Lenders? Lenders are by no means off the hook for forgiveness. They will need to both opt-in to use the SBA portal and ultimately make the forgiveness decision for every loan on their books -- even for PPP borrowers that apply for forgiveness directly with the SBA. Plus, they'll still need to directly process any loans worth more than $150,000. Lenders have 60 days to make a loan forgiveness decision once it gets an application, and depending on its review, the SBA must then remit funds within 90 days. If there are any discrepancies, the borrower may need to provide additional verifying documentation. Lenders would then notify borrowers of their loan forgiveness amount. However, being able to offload the smaller-dollar forgiveness applications, if only to a degree, may be appealing. As a reminder: Through its lending partners, SBA doled out more than 11.8 million PPP loans worth $780 billion since the start of the pandemic. Making forgiveness a lighter lift could help free lenders up to make other loans, which is, in part, how they make money. You can still expect some lag time between when the SBA finalizes its portal and when lenders actually sign up -- and that's if they sign up at all. "Banks like ours are debating the pros and cons of opting into the federal system," says David Patti, a spokesperson for Customers Bank, based in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. The SBA has given lenders technical guidance on how to set up their systems and API connections -- and the system itself is actually running in pilot mode. But many lenders have been reportedly waiting up to six weeks for the rules governing the portal to get released before they sign up. Too Little, Too Late? Of course, this new portal does nothing to help PPP borrowers who've already applied for forgiveness. According to a report out last week from the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC), a group of inspectors general from different federal agencies that tracks relief spending for the government, more than 4 million PPP loans, amounting to $394.6 billion, have already been forgiven. That's just over half of the full outlay, since April 2020. You might then be wondering why the SBA would choose to launch this portal now -- more than a year after the program launched and two months after the first PPP recipients began repaying the loans that haven't already been forgiven. The delayed timing may well be deliberate, says Bill Briggs, the former director of the SBA's office of capital access. In a recent interview, he pointed out that the latest round of PPP, which opened up in January 2021, involved funneling many loans through lenders like community financial institutions (CFIs) that tend to lack the resources to throw at, say, building a complicated forgiveness portal from scratch. CFIs typically focus on helping under-served business owners access capital, which was a key goal during this latest PPP round. To wit, the program reopened to just CFIs for two days prior to launching at other lending institutions on January 13, 2021. CFIs also had exclusive access to the program for three weeks prior to the program's May 31 end date. Offering a tool for forgiveness now may also just be the SBA's way of taking more control over the PPP process, which by its nature has fallen into the hands of more than 5,200 lenders. At various times, the SBA had tweeted appeals for businesses to apply for loan forgiveness. Here is a tweet from SBA.gov dated August 11, 2020. At that time, many banks were not ready to process the applications. As of October 2020, for instance, Bank of America's online PPP forgiveness portal was still inoperable. We're just weeks away from the "formal" start of the 2022 election season -- as if the politicking ever ends -- and it's always good to have an easy target to flog as this bunch of do-nothings, proud obstructionists, and performative liars heads home as Congress goes into recess. This time around, in addition to the usual suspects there's another major whipping boy on the agenda: Big Tech. All of this would be nothing more than the usual sad circus of clowns lying about the Big Lie except for the fact that the Big Tech boogeyman provides such an irresistible and wonderfully villainous distraction from their inaction. Virtually every politician in D.C., on both sides of the aisle, has agreed to hate on and incessantly attack the FAAMG five (that's Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Google). The Dems have their traditional grievances, mainly concerns about monopolistic injuries to competition and small businesses, and the sale of consumer data. Republicans are all a-dither about supposed suppression of free speech and the alleged censoring of conservative online discussions concerning anti-vaccination information. Unfortunately, to make matters worse and even more damaging to the country's competitive prospects, President Biden just piled on the bandwagon with a 72-item bill of particulars directing more than a dozen federal agencies to do "something" to change the laws, increase the regulation, improve the scrutiny, and otherwise stem the awful tide of growth, innovation, and prosperity which we've seen over the last two decades in the tech sector. The unavoidable implication of Biden's program is that the Federal Trade Commission and other regulators will now be free (without clear guidelines or standards) to try to invent restrictions on the fly. They want to abruptly rescind and interfere with existing and long-established understandings regarding anti-competitive market behaviors, mainly because Congress itself hasn't done a thing to address any of these growing and legitimate concerns for years. As a serial tech entrepreneur, and even believing that much of this latest drama and BS will come to nothing, it still concerns me to repeatedly hear the entire discussion reduced to the same old tired and simplistic argument that "big is bad." All the major tech giants began as tiny and insignificant startups and fought for years to overcome existing competitors, antiquated and anti-competitive laws, and other impediments, including skeptical and actively hostile regulators and all manner of local politicians firmly in the pockets of the industry incumbents. No one thinks that it's likely to be any easier today to achieve the levels of success of Apple (b.1976), Amazon (b.1994), Google (b.1998), and Facebook (b.2004), but most of these giants initially emerged in the massive and imposing shadow of Microsoft (b.1975), the Evil Empire of Redmond. Somehow, they survived and thrived. Microsoft is now inexplicably regarded by the media and millions of others as some kind of harmless and benign force for good, unless you happen to be an anti-vaxxer concerned about the little chips being inserted into your bloodstream. This is especially amazing as we watch Microsoft Teams slowly but inevitably drain the life out of Slack -- even with Salesforce's ownership -- as a result of the utter entrenchment of Office 365 in the Fortune 500. Teams' user count grew from 2 million in 2017 to 150 million today, and its growth and penetration continues to accelerate. The bottom line has been, and will always be, the same: Building new businesses is risky and tough, change is always difficult and consistently resisted, and creating new, disruptive and innovative solutions is challenging, expensive, and not for the faint of heart. The playing field has never been level and never will be. The guys at the top of the hill aren't going anywhere voluntarily. They'll invoke every excuse and impose every possible obstacle -- legal and regulatory, for sure -- with the cooperation, connivance, and unspoken support of every politician they can enlist. Size always matters, especially for our major tech companies today because -- and make no mistake -- they are fighting off and defending our country from massive, continual, and increasingly effective attacks, from China and Russia, in particular. They are using their own resources and funds to do so because our own government is too hidebound, ill-equipped, and politically paralyzed to do much of anything other than make vague and unenforceable threats. If these very same companies don't continue the battles, or are hobbled and weakened by idiots in D.C., we won't have to worry much longer about preserving a competitive environment for the little guys. Instead, we'll be looking at ways to save our entire country from being overrun. In addition to the external threats, size is also absolutely critical to true and substantial innovation that moves the needle at scale. You can start small and smart, but if you're going to lead the return of competitive manufacturing capabilities to the U.S. mainland in both the automotive and space industries, you're going to have to have enormous resources behind you to effectively and quickly scale. It takes big bucks to make the big bets that make a difference ultimately in our lives. Putting aside the phallic implications, there's no doubt that SpaceX (Tesla), Amazon and Virgin have done more for the expansion and innovative enhancement of the U.S. space program in the last decade than the government itself, notwithstanding the annual expenditures of billions of bureaucratic dollars. There are undoubtedly anti-competitive practices in the tech universe -- it's a winner-take-all world by its very nature. And being the new little guys on the block in any business is rowing against the tide. The power of platforms and their dominance continues to grow, but they are absolutely the most cost-effective tools to offer, warehouse, and rapidly deliver millions of products created by small local merchants to a global market. DaBaby has faced a backlash from fans following his appearance at Rolling Loud festival in Miami this weekend (Sunday 25 July). The 29-year-old rapper, real name Jonathan Lyndale Kirk, was appearing at the event when he was filmed making negative comments about those living with HIV. A video showing the rapper making homophobic comments about gay men was also widely circulated on the internet. He said to the audience: "If you didnt show up today with HIV, AIDS, any of them deadly sexually transmitted diseases thatll make you die in two, three weeks, then put your cellphone light up." He continued: Fellas, if you aint sucking d*** in the parking lot, put your cellphone lighter up. The comments led to a furious backlash from users of social media. One fan wrote: DaBaby will keep doing what hes doing on bigger and bigger platforms as long as folks allow him to do so. His words fuel hate and violence, while another added: DaBaby this is weird to say?? Wth. The Terence Higgins Trust, a charity that works on HIV prevention and awareness, issued a statement to Pink News in which they accused the rapper of "discrimination" and "spreading misinformation". Campaigns Director at the Terrence Higgins Trust, Richard Angell, told the publication: "Its wrong for people living with HIV to be made to feel lesser or excluded because of their diagnosis it should be unacceptable in the musical industry and in society at large. "Comments like DaBabys perpetuate HIV-related stigma and discrimination, as well as spreading misinformation about HIV." Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up Angell continued: "You can now live a long, healthy life with HIV thanks to medical progress when youre diagnosed and accessing treatment. Thats why its important to challenge anything that deters people from testing and learning the facts about HIV. The Independent has reached out to representatives of DaBaby for comment. At the same event, DaBaby caused additional controversy by bringing out fellow rapper Tory Lanez for his performance, immediately following Megan Thee Stallions appearance onstage. Megan Thee Stallion, real name Megan Pete, alleges that Lanez shot her in the foot in an incident last year. Lanez has disputed her accounts in social media accounts and in his album released last year. Lanez was charged with assault on an unnamed female and weapons charges in October; he pleaded not guilty on both counts. The case is ongoing. A protective order was granted ordering him to stay 100 metres away from Stallion. A concert-goer has claimed responsibility for throwing a shoe at DaBaby at a Miami festival. The Ohio rapper dodged the shoe after he brought out fellow rapper Tory Lanez at the Rolling Loud concert, right after Lanezs ex-girlfriend Megan Thee Stallion had finished her set. Ill give somebody out here a million dollars if they can guess who in here, DaBaby announced to the crowd as Lanez arrived on stage in a mask. I got a million dollars right now if you can guess who Who do you think? DaBaby then removed Lanezs mask and performed their collaborative single SKAT. While DaBaby stopped to talk to his fans, a man from the crowd threw an Adidas sneaker at him, which sailed past DaBabys head as he ducked. Who the f**k threw that motherf**ing busted god-damn Adidas? he yelled. On Twitter, a user named @bobbymooks claimed that he threw the shoe, and posted a picture of his one shoeless foot at what appears to be a concert. While the tweet has gone viral, the Twitter users claim remains unverified. In October 2020, Lanez was charged with felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, personal use of a firearm, and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle, following an altercation with Megan Thee Stallion. Megan has alleged that Lanez had shot her. Lanez has disputed Megans account of the night in social media posts and in song lyrics. Lanez was charged with assault on an unnamed female in October, as well as weapons charges, and he has pleaded not guilty on both counts. The case is ongoing. A protective order was also granted ordering him to stay 100 metres away from Megan. The rapper also came under fire this week after he made homophobic comments during his set at Rolling Loud. The governments of North and South Korea on Tuesday announced the restoration of communication channels between them, which have remained suspended for more than a year. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un exchanged letters several times since April this year and decided to normalise cross-border communication channels as a first step towards improving relations, the office of the South Korean president said. Park Soo-Hyun, the spokesperson of Blue House, the residence of the president of South Korea, said in a televised briefing that the two leaders agreed to restore mutual confidence and develop their relationships again as soon as possible. He said the two countries reopened communication channels on Tuesday morning. Tuesday also marks the 68th anniversary of the signing of an armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. In 2020, North Korea had cut off all communication channels with South Korea to protest against South Koreas failure to stop activists from floating anti-Pyongyang leaflets across their border. It had even blown up an empty, South Korean-built liaison office, just north of the countries border. The state media of North Korea, the Korean Central News Agency, also confirmed the announcement. The top leaders of the North and the South agreed to make a big stride in recovering the mutual trust and promoting reconciliation by restoring the inter-Korean communication liaison lines through the recent several exchanges of personal letters, said KCNA. Though former US President Donald Trump had tried to improve relations with North Korea, the efforts had fallen apart. Since January 2021, the Biden administration has urged North Korea to return to the talks but it has refused to do until US withdraws its hostile policy against them. Last week, top US and South Korean officials had agreed to try to convince North Korea to return to talks on its nuclear programme. North Korea is facing severe food security issues as well, and earlier this month it told United Nations that it is facing its worst food shortage in more than a decade. The economic condition of the country has also taken a hit due to Covid-19. Additional reporting by agencies An age-old boundary dispute at a contested border point between two of Indias northeastern states Assam and Mizoram erupted in violent clashes between the police forces of both states on Monday. At least five personnel from Assams police force have died, while 50 of them were injured in the clashes with Mizorams police personnel. One of the injured is a senior officer, a superintendent of Assams Cachar district. The incident occurred over a long-standing border demarcation dispute, with both states accusing each other of encroaching on territory that each state claims to be theirs. One firing incident occurred two days after federal home minister Amit Shah met the chief ministers of both states who have been trading accusations on Twitter to discuss the boundary issues, reported Indian Express. In a statement, the Assam government confirmed five of their personnel were killed and blamed Mizoram for instigating the violence. Assams Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a tweet, said clear evidences are now beginning to emerge (sic) that Mizoram used light machine guns. Mizoram, on the other hand, said the violence started after the Assam police crossed the state border and overran a police post at Kolasib district, which is in Mizoram territory. The Mizoram government claimed 200 police personnel from Assam encroached the border at Vairengte. The police personnel forcibly crossed the duty post manned by CRPF personnel stationed there and overran a duty post manned by one section of Mizoram police personnel, said a statement by Mizorams home minister, quoted by Indian Express. Zoramthanga, Mizorams Chief Minister, in a tweet, asked the Assam police to be instructed to withdraw from Vairengte for the safety of civilians. Mr Sarma posted a video on Twitter claiming that Mizoram personnel celebrated the killing of the police officers Tensions have long been simmering over the 164-kilometre-long interstate border which comprises three districts in each state with the last clash reported in June. We are firm on our stand to protect the territorial integrity of Assam at any cost. At the same time, we will ensure the safety of all civilians, either of Assam or from Mizoram, Mr Sarma said at a press conference on Tuesday evening. Opposition parties, meanwhile, held Narendra Modis federal government responsible for the violence and the border dispute between the two states. A seven-member committee by the opposition Congress will be formed, party leader Jitendra Singh Alwar said on Tuesday. The committee will assess the dispute and the ensuing violence that has cost the lives of police personnel among others. Mr Shah has also reportedly intervened in the clash and the public spat among the chief ministers and has urged them to stop miscreants on either side of the border and bring an end to the violence, sources told Indian Express. A 17-year-old girl from Indias northern Uttar Pradesh state was killed last week and her body dumped on a river bridge, allegedly by members of her extended family who were enraged at her choice of clothes. The grandfather and uncles of the teenager, identified as Neha Paswan, allegedly beat her severely with sticks and rods after she went against their diktat and continued to wear jeans clothing her family considered inappropriate. Reports in Indian media outlets said the family repeatedly objected to her western clothes, exposing the deep roots of patriarchy in the countrys social fabric. Shakuntala Devi, the teens mother, was quoted by the BBC as saying that the teen was adamant about wearing jeans despite strong objections from her grandparents. She had kept a day-long religious fast. In the evening, she put on a pair of jeans and a top and performed her rituals. When her grandparents objected to her attire, Neha retorted that jeans were made to be worn and that she would wear it, Ms Devi said. This led to an argument that escalated to severe violence against the teen, according to the BBC. The girls grandparents and other relatives reportedly beat her unconscious. Police said the grandfather and two of her uncles refused to let Ms Devi accompany them to the local district hospital. They instead allegedly took the help of a local auto-rickshaw driver to dispose of the body. They wouldnt let me accompany them so I alerted my relatives who went to the district hospital looking for her but couldnt find her, Ms Devi was quoted as saying by the BBC. The next morning, Ms Devi and her other relatives received news that a girls body was dangling from a bridge over the Gandak river that flows through the region, and upon inspection it was found to be of her daughters. Police officials said the men had tried to throw the body over the bridge, but it got stuck instead. Police registered a case of murder and destruction of evidence against 10 people, including the girls aunts and cousins, according to local reports. So far, authorities have arrested four people including the grandfather, two uncles and the auto-rickshaw driver. A search is on for the others. The girl received serious head injuries when she was beaten up, leading to her death, the Indian Express quoted senior police official Yash Tripathi as saying. The postmortem report also suggested she had received a severe injury and fracture in the head (sic). Her extended family including her uncles and grandfather had been persistent in objecting to the girls routine activities and life choices. They had told her to quit school and admonished her for not wearing traditional Indian clothing. The teens father Amarnath Paswan, who had been living in Ludhiana city in Punjab state where he worked as a construction site labourer told the media that he laboured to send her to school. This is not the first time a gruesome crime of this nature was committed. A 20-year-old girl was beaten by her father for running away from her abusive in-laws in central Indias Madhya Pradesh state last month. In another shocking incident, two girls were beaten up by their family members for talking on mobile phones in the states Dhar district. Several social media users paid tributes to the deceased. One tweeted: Sorry Neha we let you down - this is a blot on us as society! In the last four years, crimes against women have increased in Uttar Pradesh by over 66 per cent, according to the latest available data. Women in India mostly bear the brunt of these so-called honour killings, carried out by family members based on the belief that their actions have brought dishonour on their community. A 2018 report says that more than 300 cases of honour killings were reported across the country in the last three years. Experts have warned that the case of Hong Kong activist Tong Ying-kit - who was convicted on Tuesday of inciting secession and terrorist activities under Hong Kongs controversial National Security Law (NSL) - could set a precedent of criminalising free speech in the city, which used to enjoy a high degree of civil liberties and autonomy. Eric Lai, a Hong Kong law fellow at the Centre for Asian Law at Georgetown University in the US said that since the court thinks the protest slogan Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our time can be used to incite others to commit secession, it shows that speech crime now exists in Hong Kong. The conviction of inciting secession is purely a speech crime and the judges dismissed the importance of the diverse meanings that can be embedded in the protest slogan, Lai said. The judges cherry-picked the one interpretation that characterises the slogan as a political agenda for secession. During the trial, the prosecutor cited a report from Hong Kong historian Lau Chi-pang and argued that the protest slogan was raised to separate Hong Kong from China. However, the defence lawyer cited data gathered by Hong Kong academic Francis Lee to claim that the phrase is ambiguous and open to interpretations. On Tuesday, the court said in the particular circumstance where Tong raised a flag bearing the protest slogan, it is capable of inciting others to commit secession. While Tong could be sentenced to life imprisonment under the NSL, Lai thinks its still unclear whether the court will consider his mitigations or not. Mitigation of the case is set for Thursday. Apart from setting a precedent for speech crime in Hong Kong, Lai thinks the legal proceeding of Tong Ying-kits case is a demonstration for how other NSL cases will work without a jury and with judges being designated by the Chief Executive. It also confirms that defendants in NSL cases will likely have to endure lengthy pre-trial detention. All these settings become legal precedents as well as a chilling effect on civil society, he added. It will cause many people and legal professionals in Hong Kong to wonder whether freedom of expression can still be safeguarded by the common law system. Others think the legal proceedings in this trial shows that there is no longer judicial justice in Hong Kong. Tong was denied bail since his arrest and he was in custody for around a year, said Glacier Kwong, a PhD candidate in law at the University of Hamburg and an activist from Hong Kong. What we have left is a mere facade that there is still rule of law in Hong Kong or common law still exists in Hong Kong, the interpretation of the law is now controlled by Beijing, she added. A Correction Services Department van thought to carry Tong Ying-kit, convicted under the Hong Kong National Security Law, leaves the High Court in Hong Kong (EPA) Another alarming precedent extending from Tongs case is that the court is more likely to hand down rulings that are in line with the executive branchs interpretation of what words and deeds would endanger national security. The courts interpretation of the slogan echoes what the government asserted one year ago, which is that the slogan implies a danger to national security, said Eric Lai. Without the scrutiny of a jury trial and with the system of judges being handpicked by the Chief Executive to handle the NSL cases, the outcomes of NSL cases would be less descending from the governments expectation. He thinks this result also means that the rule of law that Hong Kong used to uphold can no longer be sustained under the NSL. For NSL cases, the executive branch of the government has more influence over the judiciary because of the pretrial settings, including the designation of judges and power to remove jury trials, he explained. Glacier Kwong argues that one lesson that the international community should take away from the first conviction under the NSL is that the Chinese government will not honour the obligations that it has made under legally-binding international treaties. Under the Sino-British Joint Declaration, China promised that Hong Kong will be able to maintain its system and way of life until 2047. When China says that they will honour some of their promises and international obligations, this is what will happen, she told The Independent. The rest of the world should make sure that the lesson will not repeat again. There is a recording of a murder. Agnes Callamard has listened to that 15 minutes, in which Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is suffocated and strangled in his countrys Istanbul consulate. She has heard the strange low humming that comes once the voices have stopped that experts believe is the sound of a buzzsaw, being used to dismember the body of a 59-year-old. Callamard, who investigated the death for the UN, is one of just a few people to have listened to that recording but, though she has heard the moment Khashoggi was killed, many of the details surrounding those 15 minutes remain a mystery, two and a half years on. Turkish prosecutors and the US intelligence community have alleged that the murder was ordered by Saudis crown prince, an allegation adamantly rejected by Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). Now Callamard says she believes the US government still holds information about the killing that could help bring accountability to those responsible. Its one of the most elemental of all cooking techniques impaling fish, flesh, fruit or vegetable matter on a skewer or a stick and cooking it over an open fire. With iterations found throughout the world the kebabs of the Middle East, the anticuchos of South America, the yakitori of Japan and the suya of Nigeria, to name a few grilling food on skewers is a widespread practice thats as richly diverse as it is satisfying. As any distracted smores maker who has incinerated a marshmallow knows, it can also be one of the trickiest activities to do well. With grilling season in full swing, now is the perfect time to run through some of its finer points. Choose the right skewers Japanese yakitori, one of the many iterations of skewers around the world (Getty) Any thin rod with a sharp end whether its the swords of Turkish soldiers cooking their suppers on the battlefield (an oft-told tale, reflecting how the shish in shish kebab means sword or skewer), or tree branches foraged at campsites and destined for hot dogs can be used as a skewer. But there are plenty of more easily obtained options, in metal, and those made from wood, usually bamboo. Bamboo skewers are inexpensive, biodegradable and wont burn your guests lips. Youll need to soak them for at least 30 minutes before using, so they dont flame up on the grill. I like to repurpose a rimmed sheet pan for this; just add the skewers and cover them with water. But a very large bowl or roasting pan will also work. Metal skewers have the advantage of being highly sturdy and reusable, and, when made from stainless steel, dishwasher safe. Flat, wide skewers will keep your ingredients from slipping as you turn them, and I find that those with big, looped handles are the easiest to grasp. Skewers come in a variety of sizes. The 30-35cm lengths are a good bet, as theyre long enough to hold a lot of food, yet small enough to fit in your kitchen drawers. For hors doeuvres, 15cm bamboo or wooden skewers are just right (metal skewers get too hot). Consider your ingredients Anything youd cook over direct heat will work well on a skewer; just avoid tough cuts of meats that are better for braising or for slow, indirect barbecuing, and dense vegetables such as potatoes and other roots, and winter squash. The shish in shish kebab comes from the Turkish for sword (Getty/iStock) Cut your ingredients into small, uniform pieces, usually 2.5-5cm. And although it looks festive to have different ingredients lined up on the same skewer, resist the urge. Those colourfully striped meals-on-a-stick are hard to control and much more likely to cook unevenly. Better to stack similar ingredients on the same skewer so all the pieces are done at the same time. Leaving a little space (about 0.5cm) between the chunks will help brown things more thoroughly and encourage crisp edges. This is especially helpful for vegetables that need to release a lot of moisture as they grill, such as aubergine, courgette and onions. On the flip side, for fish, chicken breasts and other ingredients that have a tendency to dry out, pressing the cubes together insulates them slightly, helping retain their juices. Bigger chunks, irregularly shaped ingredients like shrimp or delicate things such as tofu can benefit from using two parallel skewers, which keep the tidbits from rotating when turning. Bamboo skewers are cheap, eco-friendly and wont burn your lips as long as you soak them first (Getty/iStock) Make marinating a goal Many of the worlds great skewered dishes call for a pungent marinade, such as lemongrass-laced Thai satay or oniony Russian shashlik. Marinating helps season them thoroughly, adding loads of flavour. You can marinate your ingredients a few hours ahead or the day before, which makes things go very quickly when youre ready to grill a boon for entertaining. But even on a weeknight, a quick stint in a heady marinade can do wonders. When youre pressed for time, start marinating your ingredients while your grill heats up. As little as 10 minutes can make a difference. And if you dont want to marinate, give everything a sprinkle of salt and a slick of oil to help keep things from sticking. Turn and serve The closer the skewers are to the heat, the more you need to turn them to make sure they cook evenly. This is where your skewer handles are important the larger they are, the easier they are to grasp. Grilling gloves can help you maneuver things safely. Once youre ready to serve, youll want to remove the food from the skewers. While you could use a fork, a soft piece of flatbread adds flair and makes a tasty cooks treat. Spiced minced meat skewers Based on Turkish Adana kebabs, these oniony, spiced skewers can be made with almost any minced meat (Getty) Total time: 30 minutes, plus grill heating and at least 2 hours chilling Makes: 4 servings Ingredients: 450g cold minced meat, such as lamb, beef, turkey or a combination 100g finely minced or grated white onion 2 garlic cloves, finely grated, pressed or minced 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander or parsley, plus more for garnish 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground sumac (see tip), plus more for serving 1 tsp salt 1 tsp Urfa or Aleppo pepper tsp freshly ground black pepper tsp ground cinnamon (optional) Flaky sea salt, for serving Method: 1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the meat, onion, garlic, coriander, cumin, sumac, salt, Urfa pepper, black pepper, and cinnamon, if using. 2. With your hands, thoroughly knead and massage the meat to incorporate the ingredients, about 4 minutes. Breaking down the meat will create a sticky, cohesive mixture that results in a pleasing springy texture. You can also combine everything in an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, in which case it will take only about 2 minutes. Chill the mixture for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight. 3. Wet your hands with cold water, then divide meat into 6 equal portions and mould each around a metal or pre-soaked bamboo skewer (see tip). Transfer skewers to a large plate or baking tray. You can grill them right away at this point, or cover and refrigerate them while preparing the grill (up to 4 hours). 4. Heat the grill to high. When the grill is hot, lightly brush the grates with oil, and add the skewers. Cook, rotating them carefully every few minutes, until evenly browned and slightly charred in places, about 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a platter and let rest for a few minutes. Garnish with more herbs, sumac and flaky sea salt, and serve. Tips: If you cant find ground sumac, use 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest instead. The flavour wont be the same, but the lemon will provide the needed tartness. Using flat metal skewers is best, but not necessary. If using bamboo skewers, they must be soaked in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling to prevent flare-ups. Place bamboo skewers flat on a rimmed sheet pan and add enough water to cover. Summer vegetable skewers Courgettes and aubergines are some of the best vegetables to grill on skewers (Getty/iStock) Total time: 25 minutes, plus grill heating Makes: 4 to 6 servings Ingredients: 900g courgette or aubergine, or a combination, cut into 2.5cm cubes Fine sea salt 2 fat garlic cloves, finely grated, pressed or minced 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano or marjoram tsp red-pepper flakes 80ml extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving Lemon wedges, for serving Flaky sea salt, for serving Method: 1. Heat the grill to high. With a colander set in the sink, lightly sprinkle the aubergine or courgette with a little salt. Toss well and set aside for 10 minutes. 2. In a large mixing bowl, combine garlic, oregano or marjoram, and red-pepper flakes. Whisk in oil. Pat vegetables dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels, and add to the bowl. Gently toss to coat. Let marinate while the grill heats up. 3. Thread vegetables onto metal or pre-soaked bamboo skewers, keeping the aubergine and courgette on separate skewers, if using both vegetables. Reserve any leftover marinade at the bottom of bowl. 4. When the grill is hot, add the skewers. Cook, rotating them carefully every few minutes, until evenly browned and slightly charred in places, about 7 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter. Brush with remaining marinade and squeeze a lemon wedge all over. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and serve. Smoky paprika cheese skewers These golden cheese skewers are a savoury delight (Getty/iStock) Total time: 20 minutes, plus grill heating Makes: 4 servings Ingredients: 2 tbsp minced shallot 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil tsp smoked sweet paprika tsp hot paprika or ground cayenne tsp ground coriander or cumin Fine sea salt (optional) 225g grilling cheese, such as halloumi, cut into 2.5cm cubes and patted dry Method: 1. In a mixing bowl, combine shallot, oil, spices and a small pinch of salt, if you like (most grilling cheese is already pretty salty; taste it first). Add cheese and gently toss to evenly coat. 2. Heat the grill to high. While the grill is heating, pierce marinated cheese onto metal skewers or pre-soaked wooden skewers, about 3 to 4 per skewer. Reserve any leftover marinade at the bottom of bowl. 3. When the grill is hot, brush the grates lightly with oil and add the skewers. Cook, rotating them carefully every few minutes, until evenly browned and slightly charred in places, about 3 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and brush with remaining marinade. Serve immediately. Fish skewers with herbs and lime Simple and speedy, this is a minimalist take that lets the flavours of good, fresh fish shine through (Getty/iStock) Total time: 20 minutes, plus grill heating Makes: 4 servings Ingredients: 2 garlic cloves, finely grated, pressed or minced 1 tbsp fish sauce tsp red pepper flakes 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 450g thick, dense fish steaks, such as tuna or swordfish, cut into 4cm pieces Lime wedges, for serving 2 spring onions, white and green parts, trimmed and thinly sliced Handful chopped dill, mint, parsley, cilantro or a combination Method: 1. Heat the grill to high. In a mixing bowl, combine garlic, fish sauce and red pepper flakes. Whisk in oil. Add fish cubes and gently toss to evenly coat. Let marinate while the grill heats up. 2. Thread marinated fish onto metal or pre-soaked bamboo skewers, pushing them up so they touch. This keeps them from overcooking. 3. When the grill is hot, lightly brush the grates with oil and add the skewers. Cook until slightly charred in places, about 2 to 4 minutes, rotating them carefully halfway through. 4. Transfer to a serving platter, and immediately squeeze 2 or 3 lime wedges on top of the fish while still hot. Garnish fish with scallions and herbs, and serve with more lime wedges on the side. Coconut-pineapple skewers with marshmallows Grilling does great things to chunks of fresh, sweet pineapple (Getty/iStock) Total time: 15 minutes, plus grill heating Makes: 4 servings Ingredients: 450g fresh pineapple, cut into 4cm cubes 2 tbsp coconut oil Ground cinnamon 120g mini marshmallows Sweetened shredded coconut, for garnish Coconut sorbet or ice cream, for serving (optional) Toasted chopped pecans, for garnish (optional) Method: 1. Heat the grill to high. As the grill is heating, thread pineapple chunks onto metal or pre-soaked wooden skewers, leaving space in between each piece for maximum browning. Brush all sides of the pineapple chunks with coconut oil and dust with cinnamon. 2. When the grill is hot, lightly brush the grates with oil, and add the pineapple skewers. Cook, rotating them carefully every few minutes, until they are evenly browned and slightly charred in places, about 4 to 8 minutes. 3. While the pineapple is grilling, divide marshmallows across 4 bowls. Remove pineapple from the grill and, using a fork, immediately slide the pineapple off the skewers and onto the marshmallows. Let sit for a few minutes for the hot pineapple to soften the marshmallows. 4. Sprinkle each serving with shredded coconut, and top with pecans and small scoops of coconut sorbet or ice cream, if using. The New York Times The opening scene of the first episode of Netflixs cult foodie docuseries Chefs Table starts with the 2012 earthquake that shattered the Italian town Modena. Local chef Massimo Bottura stepped in to rescue some 360,000 wheels of damaged Parmigiano-Reggiano. He came up with a recipe for risotto cacio e pepe and got people around the world to cook it. All the cheese wheels were sold, and no jobs were lost. That was a recipe as a social gesture, said Bottura in the show. The creative and social work of the Osteria Francescana owner focuses on the culture of zero waste. Famously, when a pastry chef mishandled a dessert, it became one of the restaurants signature dishes, Oops I Dropped the Lemon Tart, part of the vision and humour that has seen it be named Worlds Best Restaurant twice. In 2015, he and wife Lara Gilmore started Food for Soul, a project focused on cutting food waste and feeding the poor. Now Bottura, whos also a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is focused on food waste in peoples homes. This week he unveiled the Why Waste? project, a video series featuring tips and recipes from his team of chefs to inspire home cooks to make the best of leftovers and prevent waste. He hopes to inspire a shift in how we think about food. This is a critical moment: almost 1 billion tons of ready-for-sale food gets wasted every year, most of it at home, according to UNEP. Rotting scraps contribute as much as 10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and the world might be wasting about 40 per cent of all food produced, according to a report this week from the World Wildlife Fund and Tesco. We want to communicate that wasting food is not acceptable in 2021, Bottura says. The chefs have to step out from the kitchen, talk to the young generations, and be ethical mentors. In 2021, the chef is more than the sum of his recipes. Its the way he acts. Hes the example for the new generation, especially at our level This chef has done more than talk about the problem. Food for Soul has opened more than a dozen Refettorios-sleek soup kitchens that fight food waste by turning surplus supermarket ingredients into meals for those with insecure access to food. Half a million meals were served at the Refettorios last year, he says. There are more than a dozen around the world, from London to Manhattans Harlem to Rio de Janeiro. In 2021, the chef is more than the sum of his recipes, says Bottura. Its the way he acts. Hes the example for the new generation, especially at our level. Standouts of the Why Waste? series include Takahiko Kondo, a sous chef at Osteria Francescana, turning a Parmigiano-Reggiano crust into crackers by using a microwave, and Jessica Rosval of Casa Maria Luigia in Modena making beef fat trimmings into a substitute for oil and butter. I took him at his word. Because its summer, I replaced the carrots and broccoli called for in the original recipe below with courgette, spinach and broad beans from my seasonal veg box, accounting for the same weight 150g. While the bechamel sauce is easily made, next time I might try using creme fraiche thinned with a little milk to save a step. The result is the ultimate comfort food: chewy pasta rounds punctuated with hearty bites of meat and bright-tasting vegetables, all lightly bound with the sauce. Its baked in a shop-bought pie crust that makes it even more delightful, an unexpected filling within a crust. Bottura challenged his chefs to come up with innovative leftover recipes, but hes also challenging the world. Its something to consider the next time you open your fridge, thinking theres nothing there. Second-life pasta pie This recipe is a great way to use up leftovers when youre stuck for ideas (Bloomberg) Makes: 4-6 servings Ingredients: 400g cooked macaroni or any leftover pasta 2 tsp unsalted butter, plus more for the tin 4 tsp all-purpose flour 100ml milk Pinch of grated nutmeg Salt Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, to taste 100g cooked mince beef, or other leftover meat such as chicken or cut-up brisket 150g mix of cooked broccoli, carrots and peas Shop-bought short crust pastry or pie dough Beaten egg, for brushing Method: Preheat the oven to 180C. Make the sauce: in a small pan, melt the butter and slowly stir in the flour to make a roux. Slowly whisk in the milk. You will start to see the mixture thicken. Add a pinch of salt, a pinch of nutmeg, and grated Parmigiano to flavour your bechamel. Fill the pie: mix your leftover pasta, meat and vegetables with the bechamel in a bowl. Add grated Parmigiano to taste. Line a buttered high-sided baking dish, about 20cm, with pastry (saving some for a pastry lid) and spoon in the mixture. Cover the top with your pastry lid and trim the sides. Brush with egg wash and punch holes with a fork to let out the steam while it bakes. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until the top is golden. Let rest for 10 minutes, then slice and serve. Recipe adapted from Francesco Vincenzi and Massimo Botturas Why Waste? initiative. Bloomberg Despite the remaining lockdown restrictions having been lifted in England on Monday as the final stage of the Prime Minister's roadmap to freedom, an increasing number of people are being told to self-isolate by the NHS Covid app as the number of coronavirus cases across the country continues to soar. In February, Boris Johnson said that the governments plan to exit lockdown will be cautious but irreversible, but as coronavirus cases continue to rise, many are becoming concerned about restrictions being lifted too early. On Tuesday, the government issued a statement to remind people that it is crucial they self-isolate when theyre alerted by the NHS app. It comes as the UK recorded more than 46,000 new cases of coronavirus and 96 more deaths, marking the highest number of fatalities since March. The latest data also shows that hospital admissions have been rising, with 745 Covid patients admitted to hospital on 14 July, while 4,500 were admitted in the last seven days, a weekly rise of 38.4 per cent. As a result, an increasing number of people are being pinged by the NHS Covid app, with health secretary Sajid Javid warning that cases could reach 100,000 a day over the summer. The NHS Covid app was designed to help test and trace efforts with regards to managing the pandemic and helping to reduce Covid infection rates. It works by notifying people if they have come into close contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus and asking them to self-isolate to prevent spreading the virus. The app uses Bluetooth to detect the distance between users and the duration of time spent in the potential exposure zone. However, an increasing number of people have been deleting the app so as to avoid cancelling summer plans and trips abroad. But what are the legal requirements surrounding this? Why is it important to self-isolate even if you dont have coronavirus symptoms? And how long should you isolate for if youre pinged? Heres everything you need to know. What is the pingdemic? Recent figures show that more than 500,000 people in England and Wales were notified by the app to self-isolate in the week up to 1 July. The term pingdemic refers to the increasing number of people who have been told to self-isolate by the NHS Covid-19 app. Additionally, the R rate for England currently stands between 1.2 and 1.4, meaning that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 12 and 14 other people. Despite Downing Street insisting that those who have been told to isolate must do so, business minister Paul Scully said earlier this week that self-isolating after being told to by the app was a decision for individuals and employers, referring to it as an advisory tool rather than a legal requirement. In response, a Number 10 spokesperson said: Isolation remains the most important action people can take to stop the spread of the virus. Given the risk of having and spreading the virus when people have been in contact with someone with Covid, it is crucial people isolate when they are told to do so, either by NHS Test and Trace or by the NHS Covid app. What is the difference between NHS test and trace and getting pinged by the app? While the government has stressed that those who have been pinged must self-isolate, it is not actually a legal requirement either to download the app or to self-isolated if pinged by it. The NHS says: The NHS Covid-19 app is entirely voluntary and you can choose whether or not to download it. You can also uninstall and delete the app whenever you like. However, if you are contacted by NHS Test and Trace and told to self-isolate, it is a legal requirement to do so, with fines starting from 1,000 for those who fail to comply. NHS Test and Trace works by contacting people who have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus. When you test positive, you are required to provide details of your close contacts in the last nine days, starting 48 hours before you experienced symptoms. This includes anyone you have spent at least 15 minutes with, at a distance of less than two metres, sexual partners, people they live with or have had face-to-face conversations with, at a distance of less than one metre. These contacts are then contacted by text, email or phone. People who are contacted in that way will be told to self-isolate for 10 days, regardless of whether or not they have symptoms. You will then be advised to get a test to see if you have coronavirus. If your test is positive, you must complete the remainder of your 10-day self-isolation. Anyone in your household must also complete self-isolation for 10 days from when you started having symptoms. If your test is negative, you will no longer be required to self-isolate, though you may wish to do so if you still feel unwell and have symptoms similar to Covid-19. How long should you isolate for if youre pinged? If you are told to self-isolate by the NHS app, it will tell you how long you should isolate for. The length of time can be up to 10 days. People who have Covid-19 are most infectious around the time they first develop symptoms. 10 days into an infection, data shows that only about 2 per cent of people will pass on the virus to others. Why its important to isolate even if you dont have Covid symptoms Its crucial that people isolate if theyre told to by the NHS app regardless of whether or not they have coronavirus symptoms. This is because more than half of people with Covid-19 are asymptomatic, according to the latest data. In April, the ONS said 53 per cent of people with a strong positive, or high viral load, between December 2020 and March 2021 did not report having any symptoms compared to 47 per cent who did. It excluded patients likely to be at the start of their infection when transmission and symptoms are thought to be less likely. Fatigue, headache and cough were the most commonly reported symptoms among people who had a strong positive test for Covid-19. However, the reported symptoms for those who have been vaccinated include sneezing, a runny nose, a sore throat and a headache, according to a recent study, while the reported symptoms for the Delta variant - currently the dominant strain in the UK - are similar to those resulting from the common cold or the flu. Can employers ask you to come to work if youve been pinged? The pingdemic has sparked concerns among some employers due to the increasing levels of staff absences. Ports, for example, are experiencing significant levels of absences, with reports as high as 10 per cent in some areas and many businesses have warned about having to change their closing times in order to adapt. Frontline health workers are exempt from self-isolation in exceptional circumstances but the guidance still applies to all other workers. However, Downing Street announced on Wednesday that it has not ruled out extending test and trace exemptions to fully vaccinated supermarket workers. From 16 August, those who have had both of their vaccination doses will not need to self-isolate. The Prime Ministers spokesperson said: Its not a blanket exemption and my understanding is were not going to be producing a list covering individual sectors, these business-critical areas will be able to apply for exemptions to their host departments. There wont be a list covering individual sectors... its important that anyone who feels theyre in a critical industry or wants to raise potential issues because of isolation are able to contact departments and get advice and where necessary get exemptions. Given that everyone who has been pinged has been told it is crucial that they self-isolate in order to reduce the spread of coronavirus, employers should not be asking people to go to work if they have been told to isolate. However, the legality around this remains hazy. Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, has said that remembering Nelson Mandelas ability to forgive his political enemies after he spent 27 years in prison helped her deal with her struggles in the public eye. In a new interview with Town & Country magazine, the former wife of Prince Andrew revealed she feels free of her past after having dominated tabloid headlines in the 1990s and early 2000s. Mandela, who was imprisoned for 27 years under South Africas apartheid regime, famously forgave his political opponents after he was elected the first Black president of the country in 1994. One day I got up and thought, Mandela forgave his persecutors; surely I can forgive and move forward, she said. Shortly after Ferguson and Prince Andrew announced their separation in 1992, pictures were published in the tabloid press of John Bryan, an American businessman, kissing her feet whilst the pair holidayed together. In 2009, she told Hello! magazine that she had debts of 600,000 after her US-based lifestyle company, Hartmoor, collapsed. Speaking on how her life has changed over the course of the last 20 years she has since become a grandmother after Princess Eugenie welcomed a son in February Ferguson said she is no longer self-sabotaging. Its a very good moment, because Im free, she said. Shes still with me, that person who thinks shes fat, ugly, and disgusting, and she still has to have her hair done to talk to you, but shes now not so vocal. The truth is, I am 61 years old and Im free of the self-sabotaging Sarah, she added. A series of portraits for the magazines September issue by celebrity photographer Misan Harriman who also took pictures of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle when she was pregnant see Ferguson don a number of statement pieces, including a fuchsia pink Aliette dress and a red and black Alexander McQueen bustier. While Ferguson did not comment on Prince Harry and Meghan Markles decision to step down as senior members of the royal family, she said she believes Princess Diana would be so proud of her boys...and shed be so proud of her grandchildren. She also revealed that she had contacted Andy Harries, an executive producer of The Crown, offering input after her character received minimum air time in the series. Hello? Where is Fergie? I said to him, Why cant I help my character? she said, adding that her offer was declined. The lead investigator in the 2018 death of University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts expressed confidence Tuesday that the right man was convicted, rejecting defense claims that her abduction could be tied to two other local men. Division of Criminal Investigation agent Trent Vileta said that had they known, detectives searching for Tibbetts in 2018 would have looked into another womans claim that shed been lured by a man from Tibbetts small hometown of Brooklyn Iowa, weeks earlier and held in a nearby home for sex trafficking. But the womans complaint did not lead to criminal charges and Vileta said it should be disregarded given the evidence tying local farmhand Cristhian Bahena Rivera to Tibbetts abduction and stabbing death. Vileta noted that Bahena Rivera partially confessed to stalking Tibbetts while she was out for a run, killing her and dumping her body in a cornfield, where he led investigators after a lengthy interrogation in August 2018. He said that Bahena Riveras statements were completely corroborated from start to finish. Cristhian Rivera murdered Mollie Tibbetts, Vileta testified at a hearing on Bahena Riveras request for a new trial. After hearing hours of testimony Tuesday, Judge Joel Yates said he would take the matter under advisement and issue a written ruling as soon as possible. Bahena Riveras lawyers sought to link Tibbetts death to the other young womans report of being kidnapped and sexually assaulted in the summer of 2018, and the recent disappearance of an 11-year-old boy from the same county. A 50-year-old suspected methamphetamine dealer has been investigated in both cases but hasn't been charged in either, and prosecutors say he has no tie to Tibbetts at all. Yates told Bahena Riveras lawyers at times that he was having trouble seeing any relevance to the case against their client. Jurors found Bahena Rivera guilty of first-degree murder after a two-week trial in May. They rejected his testimony in which he claimed that two masked men kidnapped him at gunpoint from his trailer, forced him to drive to where Tibbetts was running on a rural road, killed her, put her body in his trunk and made him dispose of it. Bahena Rivera, who illegally entered the U.S. from Mexico as a teenager, said he didn't tell investigators about the two men earlier because they had threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend and young daughter. He was to be sentenced to life in prison earlier this month. But at the end of his trial, two new witnesses came forward independently of one another and told police that a local 21-year-old man, Gavin Jones, told them he had killed Tibbetts. Defense lawyers requested a new trial based on that and other newly discovered information, and Yates agreed to postpone sentencing while he considered their request. One of those witnesses, inmate Arne Maki, testified Tuesday that Jones told him of his involvement last year when they were both held at the Keokuk County Jail. Jones said he and another man stabbed Tibbetts after she was held at a sex trafficking trap house where they were staying and framed Bahena Rivera for the death, Maki testified. An older man in charge of the house had ordered her killed, Maki said. Maki said he came forward after seeing news clips about Bahena Riveras testimony in which he said two other men were responsible for the crime. Maki, 46, said he was getting no benefit for his testimony, saying he wanted to do the right thing. I just want to say one thing, my thoughts and prayers go out to the Tibbetts family, Maki said, after his testimony concluded. Jones has denied any involvement and prosecutors worked Tuesday to clear him. Prosecutor Bart Klaver noted that Jones was in a rehabilitation facility in the summer of 2018 and then in an assisted living facility under state supervision. They also noted that Tibbetts was not cut up and wrapped in plastic, as Maki testified that Jones had told him. Vileta said that neither Jones nor the 50-year-old man came up during the investigation. Under cross-examination, he said investigators hadn't tested their DNA to determine whether either is linked to two unidentified samples found along with Tibbetts' blood in the trunk of Bahena Rivera's vehicle. Bahena Rivera's DNA was not a match, and investigators never recovered a murder weapon. A 30-year-old woman has been jailed for a total of 34 months for money laundering offences worth more than 5 million. Tara Hanlon of Pelham Court, Leeds, was arrested on 3 October 2020 as she attempted to board a flight to Dubai with over 1.9m in cash, concealed within five suitcases. Ms Hanlon pleaded guilty at Isleworth Crown Court in June having previously admitted to three counts of removing criminal property relating to cash amounts. These were of 1.4m on 14 July, 1.1m on 10 August and 1m on 31 August 2020. The court heard that when the 30-year-old was stopped by customs officials, she was travelling with a friend to Dubai on a girls trip and said she had five suitcases because she wasnt sure what to wear whilst on holiday. Border officials have said that the discovery was the largest individual cash seizure of 2020 at the UK border. The money was found in vacuum-packed bundles which were hidden beneath coffee, apparently so as to prevent sniffer dogs from detecting the cash. The money was concealed in vacuum-packed bags (PA) Initially, Ms Hanlon said in a statement to investigators that it was the first trip she had taken, she wasnt being paid and that she was of the understanding that the trip was legal as the money would be declared in Dubai. A search of the 30-year-olds phone and inquiries with the airline, however, revealed otherwise and it appeared that she had made three previous visits as a courier. These took place in July and August 2020 and she was paid around 3,000 for each trip. In a series of text messages, Ms Hanlon claimed that her job gave her the perfect life, saying: Perfect life, a few days in the sun and a few at home. She also bragged about her job saying: Three big ones with this wage and the next my debts go bye. The National Crime Agency (NCA) discovered that Ms Hanlon had indeed declared she was carrying cash upon each arrival, but that the amount she declared totaled 3.5m. Stephen Grattage, who was defending Ms Hanlon, claimed that she was vulnerable at the time of the offences as they came when she had been furloughed from her job and shortly after the sudden death of her mother in March. Judge Karen Holt, however, disagreed, saying: Although you were vulnerable at the time, I dont find that you have been exploited and find that you knew what you were doing. NCA senior investigating officer, Ian Truby said: Tara Hanlon thought that she was going to be living a jet-set lifestyle, instead she is now serving a prison sentence. I hope her story is a cautionary one for others who would consider doing the same. Stopping the flow of illicit cash is a priority for the NCA and our partners. A train driver with a history of safety blunders and an undiagnosed sleep condition narrowly avoided a head-on crash with another train, an investigation has found. The man was operating a Chiltern Railways service when he missed a stop sign in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, while travelling to London Marylebone on June 21 last year, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said. His train, which was travelling at 60mph, was automatically halted. But because he did not recall passing the signal, he believed the activation of the safety system was spurious so he decided to restart the train without the necessary permission, the RAIB said. He continued on, nearly crashing head-on into a Chesham-bound London Underground Metropolitan line train at Chalfont & Latimer station but stopped around 75ft (23m) away from it. The RAIB said the driver, who was not named, was probably fatigued. Following the incident, the driver was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea, which causes breathing to stop and start during sleeping, and can make sufferers feel very tired. The disorder was missed during his regular medical assessments, although he told RAIB investigators that he had consistently suffered from poor quality sleep for many years. The driver had been involved in 15 previous safety-related incidents since he qualified in 2002 and had been restricted to driving empty trains to and from a depot between 2015 and 2018. It is unclear whether the driver is still operating operator trains for the company, as a spokesperson refused to disclose this information. The RAIB concluded that Chiltern Railways training and testing of drivers on what to do if a trains safety system is activated was not effective. It said that this could be a consequence of the operator struggling to recruit and retain driver managers, although the companys request to increase the salary for the role of driver managers to solve the problem was declined by the Department for Transport as it had a policy of no new pay rises. This was in May 2020, a month before the incident. The company had to obtain consent for such pay rises as the DfT had agreed to take on the revenue and cost risks of rail franchises due to coronavirus. In October that year - four months after the Amersham incident - Chiltern Railways was given permission by the department to temporarily assign someone to a senior position to strengthen driver management. The RAIB made a series of safety recommendations, including that the train company should improve its management of drivers, and review the risks associated with resetting train protection equipment on London Underground infrastructure. A spokesman for Chiltern Railways said the operator had already adjusted some of its processes and procedures following the report. He said: The safety of our customers and staff is our top priority. Weve taken on board the findings of the report from the RAIB. We have already responded to many of the findings in the report by adjusting our processes and procedures. Specifically, in recent weeks we have expanded and strengthened our driver management team with several new roles and new appointments. Additional reporting by PA It is "disappointing" that the US has kept in place a Covid-related travel ban with the UK, a government minister has said. Kit Malthouse, the policing minister and MP for North West Hampshire, said he wanted to see international travel return "as soon as possible". On Monday the Biden administration announced it will maintain restrictions on a range of countries, including the EU and China, for the foreseeable future. Both the US and the UK have a high number of Covid-positive cases caused by the Delta variant, although new infections in the UK appear to be decreasing. Given where we are today ... with the Delta variant, we will maintain existing travel restrictions at this point, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told a press conference. "Driven by the Delta variant, cases are rising here at home, particularly among those who are unvaccinated and appear likely continue to increase in the weeks ahead. Under current rules, British nationals are not allowed to enter the US if they have been in the UK and a number of other countries in the previous 14 days. The UK has the US on its "amber list" of countries and travel between the two countries has been frozen since March last year. Responding to the US move to keep restrictions in place, Mr Malthouse said British citizens will have to continue dealing with uncertainty around travel until the pandemic has subsided. He told Sky News: "Obviously that is for them to assess and we are assessing the likelihood of variants coming in from other countries as well. So, it doesn't surprise me that they are doing similar. It is obviously disappointing." He added: "We want to get back to international travel as soon as possible. I have got lots of family overseas who I would love to go and visit, particularly in Canada. "I am afraid that the tail-end of this virus, and let's hope it is the tail-end, we are still coping with some of that uncertainty across the world and people will have to bear that in mind as they decide their travel plans or otherwise." The US decision came despite intense lobbying efforts from the travel and tourism industries to salvage summer travel for Europeans and others covered by the restrictions. The extraordinary US travel restrictions were first imposed on China in January 2020 to address the spread of COVID-19 and other countries have been added since then - most recently India in early May. New Covid cases continue to rise in the US and Dr Anthony Fauci, who has led the countrys response to the virus, said earlier this week that things are going in the wrong direction. Last week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle Walensky said the seven-day average of new cases in the US was up 53 per cent on the previous week. The more transmissible Delta variant, first detected in India, now comprises more than 80 per cent of new cases nationwide, the CDC said. Figures show there were 56,635 new cases reported nationwide on 26 July, up from 51,939 in the previous 24 hours. Positive cases have been steadily rising since the beginning of the month. Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell appeared in court on Tuesday to support a Labour MP charged with three counts of housing fraud, praising her as a hard working and very good person. He was questioned by prosecutors on the second day of Apsana Begums trial, amid accusations the Poplar and Limehouse MP jumped the queue by claiming she was living in overcrowded conditions when she was in fact residing at a four-bedroom house with three other people. Ms Begum, who has held the east London seat since 2019, told jurors at Snaresbrook Crown Court she believed multiple bids for council properties carried out in her name were made by her controlling ex-husband. She added that Ehtashamul Haque, from whom she split less than two years after the pair moved in together, often kept things from her, including his tendency to drink heavily. Ms Begum acknowledged that she had moved in with ex-partner in June 2013 so no longer needed to apply for social housing, but jurors heard how offers for properties continued to be made on her housing account. I think it may have been my ex-husband, Ms Begum said. He did have access to a lot of my things by that time. I had taken a loan out for him [and] he did create an email address for me, and we had a password that was shared. When pushed by prosecutor James Marsland, she admitted that her ex did know I had had an application for housing before. Taking the stand as a character witness for Ms Begum, Mr McDonnell said his colleague was so hard working that he considered offering her a ministers position if Labour won the 2019 general election. I was hoping if we were elected, I would like to add her to my ministerial team as a parliamentary private secretary, Mr McDonnell said, adding: Ive worked with her quite closely in Parliament. I think she comes across as always wanting to do the right thing [and] I always describe her as a very good person. Mr McDonnell, the MP for Hayes and Harlington, who was the shadow chancellor of the exchequer in the five years to 2020, said he met Ms Begum during her 2019 campaign to represent Poplar and Limehouse, which she went on to win. I thought she was a very straightforward, sincere, committed person, very keen to represent the local community, he told the court. Asked by Mr Marsland, the prosecutor, if Ms Begum was a good political operator, Mr McDonnell batted the term away and said in some respects [it] would be derogatory. I think she relates to people well and I think she can put a good argument, he instead put forward to the court. You have to win people [over] with honesty and sincerity, and I think thats what shes done, not just in my own political party but across the house as well. McDonnell backed his Labour colleague entirely, saying she would have been offered a ministerial position if Labour had won the 2019 election (Getty) During her cross-examination, Ms Begum was asked why she thought her ex-husband would have made housing bids behind her back to which the Labour MP repeated claims Mr Haque had knowledge of her passwords and was often dishonest. I don't know what his plans were or what was going on in his mind at the time, she told the court. I cant fully explain about the social housing bids behind my back. She continued: Over the years Ive learnt more and more about what he is doing. [Some of it] is still a revelation to me. By 2015 it became apparent to me that I didnt know what he was up to. Despite claiming she could not explain his behaviour, the prosecutor said Mr Haque would not have been able to legitimately process any housing bids without Ms Begums help. Without you being in the process, Mr Haque couldnt have achieved any [advantage] could he? said Mr Marsland. These are things that were gains in the potential or long-term future for you. And you were capable of making those gains. Ms Begum was later questioned about erroneous housing and council tax exemption forms, which Mr Marsland said were submitted by her mother and aunt one in 2009, the other in 2013. Both applications are said to contain lies about the number of bedrooms in the same property at Woodstock Terrace, in Poplar years apart. Your aunt made a housing application in 2009. In short, she said that at that point in time, the property was being used as four bedrooms, Mr Marsland said. Your mother in April 2013 made an application for council tax benefit. Is she wrong when she says four bedrooms? He continued: Can you help us with why two people, years apart, applying for different things, have made the same mistake? But Ms Begum said only she did not know and that the house was always three bedrooms. She was also asked about her contact or alleged lack thereof with Tower Hamlets Housing Options (THHO), and the fact there is no record of the calls she claimed she made to inform the council of her change in address. Ms Begum told the court she first called the service to inform them of the change first when she moved to St Bernard Terrace with Mr Haque in June 2013 and then again upon her return to Woodstock Terrace in 2015. However, the calls did not appear on the Camino workflow system used by THHO, Mr Marsland said. Is the position that, twice over two years, you have suffered the same problem of calling and, on two different occasions, someone has failed to log an action? Ms Begum replied: I can't comment on what another person did or didnt do. All I can say is what I remember. I called in 2015. I spoke to someone and filled in a form as a result. I can't say whether they have or haven't [logged] all I can say is that I did call. Ms Begum denies three counts of fraud, alleged to have taken place between 18 January 2013 and 31 March 2016. The trial continues. Additional reporting from Court News UK Brussels has paused its legal action against the UK over alleged breaches of the Northern Ireland Protocol agreed last year. In a surprise move on Tuesday, the European Commission said it was doing so in the hope that solutions to outstanding issues with the UK-EU post-Brexit trade agreement signed in December could be found. The blocs executive had launched the legal action in March, after the UK chose to unilaterally renege on parts of the deal by extending grace periods relaxing controls on British supermarket suppliers and businesses trading in Northern Ireland. Just last week, the Commissions vice president Maros Sefcovic swiftly rejected the idea of a renegotiation of the Protocol, after new proposals put forward in a command paper by the UKs Brexit minister Lord Frost suggested the agreement on Northern Ireland should be frozen and radically reworked. Warning we cannot go on as we are, Lord Frost had called for the preservation of the current grace periods and the suspension of the EUs legal action while changes were renegotiated. But a European Commission spokeswoman said on Tuesday that a pause in the legal action would be used to consider proposals put forward by the UK last week. While the EU will not renegotiate the Protocol, we stand ready to address all the issues arising in the practical implementation of the Protocol in a spirit of good faith and cooperation, they said. It is essential that we continue constructive discussions in the weeks ahead. With regards to the request for a standstill, the Commission will carefully assess the new proposals made by the UK, in accordance with the necessary consultation procedures, both internally, and with the European Parliament. In order to provide the necessary space to reflect on these issues and find durable solutions to the implementation of the Protocol, we have decided, at this stage, not to move to the next stage of the infringement procedure, started in March. A spokesperson for Boris Johnsons government acknowledged receiving a constructive reply from the Commission in response to its request for a standstill on existing arrangements. We look forward to engaging in talks with the EU in the weeks ahead to progress the proposals in our command paper, the spokesperson said. As we set out in the command paper last week, significant changes are needed to ensure the Protocol is sustainable for future. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 31 July 2021 James Guy, Adam Peaty and Kathleen Dawson celebrate winning the gold medal in the mixed 4x100m medley relay final at the Tokyo Olympics AP UK news in pictures 30 July 2021 Great Britain's Bethany Shriever and Kye Whyte celebrate their Gold and Silver medals respectively for the Cycling BMX Racing at the Ariake Urban Sports Park on the seventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 29 July 2021 Team GB's Mallory Franklin during the Womens Canoe Slalom Final on day six of the Tokyo Olympic Games. She went on to win the silver medal Getty UK news in pictures 28 July 2021 Canoers on Llyn Padarn lake in Snowdonia, Gwynedd. It was announced that the north-west Wales slate landscape has been granted UNESCO World Heritage Status PA UK news in pictures 27 July 2021 A view of one of two areas now being used at a warehouse facility in Dover, Kent, for boats used by people thought to be migrants. PA UK news in pictures 26 July 2021 A woman is helped by Border Force officers as a group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, onboard a Border Force vessel, following a small boat incident in the Channel PA UK news in pictures 25 July 2021 Vehicles drive through deep water on a flooded road in Nine Elms, London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 24 July 2021 Utilities workers inspect a 15x20ft sinkhole on Green Lane, Liverpool, which is suspected to have been caused by ruptured water main PA UK news in pictures 23 July 2021 Children interact with Mega Please Draw Freely by artist Ei Arakawa inside the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern in London, part of UNIQLO Tate Play the gallery's new free programme of art-inspired activities for families PA UK news in pictures 22 July 2021 Festivalgoers in the campsite at the Latitude festival in Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk PA UK news in pictures 21 July 2021 A man walks past an artwork by Will Blood on the end of a property in Bedminster, Bristol, as the 75 murals project reaches the halfway point and various graffiti pieces are sprayed onto walls and buildings across the city over the Summer PA UK news in pictures 20 July 2021 People during morning prayer during Eid ul-Adha, or Festival of Sacrifice, in Southall Park, Uxbridge, London PA UK news in pictures 19 July 2021 Commuters, some not wearing facemasks, at Westminster Underground station, at 08:38 in London after the final legal Coronavirus restrictions were lifted in England PA UK news in pictures 18 July 2021 A view of spectators by the 2nd green during day four of The Open at The Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 July 2021 Cyclists ride over the Hammersmith Bridge in London. The bridge was closed last year after cracks in it worsened during a heatwave Getty UK news in pictures 16 July 2021 The sun rises behind the Sefton Park Palm House, in Sefton Park, Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 15 July 2021 Sir Nicholas Serota watches a short film about sea monsters as he opens a 7.6 million, 360 immersive dome at Devonport's Market Hall in Plymouth, which is the first of its type to be built in Europe PA UK news in pictures 14 July 2021 Heidi Street, playing a gothic character, looks at a brain suspended in glass at the worlds first attraction dedicated to the author of Frankenstein inside the Mary Shelleys House of Frankenstein experience, located in a Georgian terraced house in Bath, as it prepares to open to the public on 19 July PA UK news in pictures 13 July 2021 Rehearsals are held in a car park in Glasgow for a parade scene ahead of filming for what is thought to be the new Indiana Jones 5 movie starring Harrison Ford PA UK news in pictures 12 July 2021 A local resident puts love hearts and slogans on the plastic that covers offensive graffiti on the vandalised mural of Manchester United striker and England player Marcus Rashford on the wall of a cafe on Copson Street, Withington in Manchester Getty Images UK news in pictures 11 July 2021 England's Bukayo Saka with manager Gareth Southgate after the match Pool via Reuters UK news in pictures 10 July 2021 Australias Ashleigh Barty holds the trophy after winning her final Wimbledon match against Czech Republics Karolina Pliskova Reuters UK news in pictures 9 July 2021 England 1966 World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst stands on top of a pod on the lastminute.com London Eye wearing a replica 1966 World Cup final kit and looking out towards Wembley Stadium in the north of the capital, where the England football team will play Italy in the Euro 2020 final on Sunday PA UK news in pictures 8 July 2021 Karolina Pliskova celebrates after defeating Aryna Sabalenka during the women's singles semifinals match on day ten of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London AP UK news in pictures 7 July 2021 The residents of Towfield Court in Feltham have transformed their estate with England flags for the Euro 2020 tournament PA UK news in pictures 6 July 2021 A couple are hit by a wave as they walk along the promenade in Dover, Kent, during strong winds PA UK news in pictures 5 July 2021 Alexander Zverev playing against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round of the Gentlemen's Singles on Court 1 on day seven of Wimbledon at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club PA UK news in pictures 4 July 2021 Aaron Carty and the Beyonce Experience perform on stage during UK Black Pride at The Roundhouse in London Getty for UK Black Pride UK news in pictures 3 July 2021 Englands Jordan Henderson celebrates after scoring his first international goal, his sides fourth against Ukraine during the Euro 2020 quarter final match at the Olympic stadium in Rome AP UK news in pictures 2 July 2021 Dan Evans serves against Sebastian Korda during their mens singles third round match at Wimbledon Getty UK news in pictures 1 July 2021 Prince William, left and Prince Harry unveil a statue they commissioned of their mother Princess Diana, on what would have been her 60th birthday, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, London AP UK news in pictures 30 June 2021 Dancers from the Billingham Festival and Balbir Singh Dance Company, during a preview for the The Two Fridas, UK Summer tour, presented by Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance in collaboration with Balbir Singh Dance Company, inspired by the life and times of female artists Frida Kahlo and Amrita Sher-Gil , which opens on July 10 at Ushaw Historic House, Chapel and Gardens in Durham PA UK news in pictures 29 June 2021 A boy kicks a soccer ball in front of the balconies and landings adorned with predominantly England flags at the Kirby housing estate in London AP UK news in pictures 28 June 2021 Emergency services attend a fire nearby the Elephant & Castle Rail Station in London Getty UK news in pictures 27 June 2021 People walk along Regent Street in central London during a #FreedomToDance march organised by Save Our Scene, in protest against the governments perceived disregard for the live music industry throughout the coronavirus pandemic PA UK news in pictures 26 June 2021 A pair of marchers in a Trans Pride rally share a smile in Soho Angela Christofilou/The Independent UK news in pictures 25 June 2021 Tim Duckworth during the Long Jump in the decathlon during day one of the Muller British Athletics Championships at Manchester Regional Arena PA UK news in pictures 24 June 2021 A member of staff poses with the work 'The Death of Cash' by XCopy at the 'CryptOGs: The Pioneers of NFT Art' auction at Bonhams auction house in London EPA UK news in pictures 23 June 2021 Bank of England Chief Cashier Sarah John displays the new 50-pound banknote at Daunt Books in London Bank of England via Reuters UK news in pictures 22 June 2021 Actor Isaac Hampstead Wright sits on the newly unveiled Game of Throne's "Iron Throne" statue, in Leicester Square, in London, Tuesday, June 22, 2021. The statue is the tenth to join the trail and commemorates 10 years since the TV show first aired, as well as in anticipation for HBO's release of House of the Dragon set to be released in 2022 AP UK news in pictures 21 June 2021 Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon receives her second dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 20 June 2021 Joyce Paton, from Peterhead, on one of the remaining snow patches on Meall aBhuiridh in Glencoe during the Midsummer Ski. The event, organised by the Glencoe Mountain Resort, is held every year on the weekend closest to the Summer Solstice PA UK news in pictures 19 June 2021 England appeal LBW during day four of their Womens International Test match against India at the Bristol County Ground PA UK news in pictures 18 June 2021 Scotland fans let off flares in Leicester Square after Scotland's Euro 2020 match against England ended in a 0-0 draw Getty UK news in pictures 17 June 2021 Members of the Tootsie Rollers jazz band pose on the third day of the Royal Ascot horse racing meet AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 16 June 2021 A woman and child examine life-size sculptures of a herd of Asian elephants set up by the Elephant Family and The Real Elephant Collective to help educate the public on the elephants and the ways in which humans can better protect the planets biodiversity, in Green Park, central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 June 2021 Hydrotherapists with Dixie, a seven-year-old Dachshund who is being treated for back problems common with the breed, in the hydrotherapy pool during a facility at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home's in Battersea, London, to view their new hydrotherapy centre PA UK news in pictures 14 June 2021 Scotland's David Marshall in the net after Czech Republic's Patrik Schick scored their second goal at Hampden Park Reuters UK news in pictures 13 June 2021 Raheem Sterling celebrates with Harry Kane after scoring Englands first goal of the Euro 2021 tournament in a match against Croatia at Wembley Reuters UK news in pictures 12 June 2021 Oxfam campaigners wearing costumes depicting G7 leaders pose for photographers on Swanpool Beach near Falmouth, Cornwall EPA The Protocol, part of the Brexit divorce deal agreed by the UK and Brussels, effectively keeps Northern Ireland in the EU's single market for goods. This means checks on goods being sent from Great Britain into the single market and in some cases could result in prohibitions on certain products that do not comply with EU rules. The Protocol was put in place to ensure there would be no hard border with Ireland, but it has instead effectively placed a trade barrier in the Irish Sea. The UKs decision to unilaterally extend the initial grace periods agreed with the EU came amid fears that food shortages could intensify when the grace period had been due to end in March. Additional reporting by PA People suffering from long Covid and forced off work for lengthy periods have urged Boris Johnsons government to do more to protect their jobs. Some who have struggled to return full-time after contracting Covid-19 while working on the frontline during the pandemic said they were worried they could lose their jobs. Heather Jones, a teacher who has struggled with long Covid symptoms since getting the virus at school in November 2020, said has been warned she would be sacked if she did not return to work when asked. We threw ourselves into the line of fire and trusted that people would do right by us but that wasnt the case, said Ms Jones. She added: So Im calling on the government to help protect our jobs. We are valuable. Please help us now do not throw us away. We are not worthless. We are not useless. Ms Jones and several other frontline workers appeared before MPs on the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Coronavirus on Tuesday to share their experiences of long Covid. Dr Eleanor Mountstephens said she had already lost her job as a GP after long Covid forced her off work for more than six months. Our partnership agreement says that when youre been unable to work for 26 weeks, the other partners can you remove you from the partnership and thats what happened to me, she told MPs. She added: The reason they gave was that they didnt really understand what was going on with me, and they didnt know what my long-term prospects were. I felt like Id lost family, a home, my place with 11 days notice. Long Covid symptoms including fatigue, muscle aches and ongoing respiratory and heart problems can continue for months beyond initial illness from the virus. A recent Imperial College London study indicated that more than two million people in England may have experienced long Covid. The TUC has called on the government to change the Equality Act 2010 so long Covid is recognised as a disability, and workers have more legal protections at work. Kathryn Harries, a pharmacist struggling with flare ups of serious illness with long Covid since contracting the virus last year, said her employer had been supportive of her need to take time off work. But Ms Harries said others had not been so fortunate, and called on the government to a consider compensation scheme for key workers living with the effects. The government do not need to look at financial support [for people with Long Covid] and compensation for frontline staff, because we have done our part and been injured, she told MPs on the APPG. Something needs to be done. Quinn Roache, policy officer at the TUC, urged ministers to make sure long Covid was recognised in law. The government can define any condition as a disability and that would give anyone who has long Covid the protections of the Equality Act immediately. Mr Roache also said a right to flexible working and increasing statutory sick pay to the living wage would help many of those forced off work long-term since the Covid crisis began. Carol Vorderman opens up about long Covid struggle Paula Cole, employment lawyer at TLT Solicitors, said there was an urgent need for clearer guidance from the government on how employers should treat staff with long Covid. Theres much more that can be done to give clarity. Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, which acts on behalf of NHS trusts, also said he would welcome more guidance from government on how to treat staff with long Covid. He said the temporary allowances allowing staff with Long Covid to phase their return to work had been extended. We are absolutely looking at how we can redeploy [staff] and protect peoples earning over periods of time, Mr Mortimer told MPs. But at the moment there isnt the certainty, in terms of both Covid and Long Covid, in terms of their impact. The APPG has previously called on the government to launch a compensation scheme for frontline workers suffering from long Covid. A senior Conservative has warned that the party could irretrievably split if Boris Johnson introduces compulsory vaccine passports. Some crowded indoor venues would be required to deny access to people who do not show proof of either having had two Covid-19 vaccine doses, a negative test result, or natural immunity Prime Minister Mr Johnson announced on Monday. It was a change from Health Secretary Sajid Javids announcement on 12 July that high risk setting businesses and events would be encouraged, but not required, to make attendees show their vaccine passports. A plan pushed by Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove could see millions of university students be required to get double-jabbed before they are allowed to attend lectures or stay in halls of residence. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson and his department fear it may be open to legal challenge. It comes as nightclub owners are threatening legal action over the plans that they say are unfair to them. Nightclubs are to be required to check vaccine passports from September, while other hospitality venues such as pubs and bars will not. Former minister Steve Baker is against the idea of having universities come under the scheme, and has slammed it as an outrageous proposal. The deputy chairman of the Covid Recovery Group of Tories told The Sun: Who are they now trying to coerce? Whose education are they now trying to deny? I believe the government is in terrible danger of splitting the Tory Party irretrievably after all we have been through with Brexit. Tory MP Peter Bone had threatened to boycott the Conservative Party conference if a vaccine passport is required to attend. He said: If you are standing up against vaccine passports then you yourself comply with it, it seems to be wrong. Tory MP Tom Tugendhat has likened the vaccine passport system to a social credit system of control. He added: If we need a vaccine to for events like a party conference or a nightclub why not to travel by a train, or go to a university lecture or a shop? What other choices will result in denial of service? Downing Street wants vaccine passports to be required for nightclubs from September (Getty) More than 40 Tory MPs have signed a declaration by campaign group Big Brother Watch saying they are opposed to using Covid status certification to deny individuals access to general services, businesses or jobs. Some Tory MPs are in favour of the passports. Sir Roger Gale has said: In a crisis, its not unreasonable for government to mandate a vaccine. You dont have to go to a nightclub if you dont want to be vaccinated. A Cabinet minister said, according to the i, that the policy has no advocates, and that Mr Johnson could quietly ditch the plans if the uptake of vaccines among young people continues to grow to a level of around 85 per cent by September. They suggested that plans to make the passport compulsory for entry into some settings could be shelved if there is a lack of support among MPs. But the Labour Party has said that it would back the scheme for mass-attendance events such as sports. Mr Johnson would need Labour and the SNPs support for the vaccine passport for his government to be able to legislate on it when MPs return from summer recess in September, On Monday, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said that he was ready to support passports plus testing to enable mass-attendance events to admit large audiences, but said he would rule out checks to access everyday venues and services such as healthcare or food shops. The passport is on an app that shows someone has either typically had two doses of a vaccine, a negative PCR or lateral flow test result within 48 hours of entry to a venue, or natural immunity after being infected by Covid-19 and a period of self-isolation. A Covid pass letter can also be requested by people who cannot, or do not want, to use the app. The U.S. military this week has launched additional airstrikes in support of Afghan government forces in their fight against the Taliban using both conventional warplanes and armed drones, the Pentagon said Tuesday. The strikes, following several conducted last week, indicate stepped up U.S. support after weeks of battlefield gains by the Taliban as U.S. troops complete their withdrawal. The aircraft are being flown from bases outside of Afghanistan because the U.S. military has pulled all of its combat planes out of the country. "A number of strikes have occurred over the last several days from both manned and unmanned strike platforms, Maj. Robert Lodewick, a Pentagon spokesman, said. He did not provide further details. Other officials had said last week's airstrikes targeted Taliban positions in combat as well as military equipment that had been captured by the Taliban. Gen. Frank McKenzie the head of U.S. Central Command, who is overseeing the U.S. military withdrawal and making decisions on air support for Afghan troops, said on Sunday that airstrikes had been increasing. Were prepared to continue this heightened level of support in the coming weeks if the Taliban continue their attacks, McKenzie said. McKenzie also said the U.S. was providing contract logistics support both here in Kabul and over-the-horizon in the region, funding for them, intelligence sharing, and advising and assisting through security consultations at the strategic level. Central Command says the U.S. troop withdrawal is more than 95% complete. It is to be finished by Aug. 31. Whether the U.S. will continue to provide airstrikes in support of Afghan government forces after that date is yet to be determined. At least 57 migrants have died after their boat sank off the coast of Libya, the UNs migration body has announced. Safa Msehli, a spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration, said the vessel left the Libyan town of Khums on Sunday with about 75 men, women and children on board. But on Monday the boat came to a standstill after it developed engine troubles, before capsizing in rough weather. Only 18 people were plucked from the sea by fishermen and the Libyan coastguard and the others are presumed to have died. Ms Msehli said survivors of the shipwreck who were successfully brought to shore reported there were at least 20 women and children among their fellow passengers who had not survived the sinking. The tragedy is the latest in a series of disasters in the Mediterranean, as attempted crossings by refugees and migrants have soared in recent months. The IOMs Libya mission chief, Federico Soda, said on Twitter: Horrified by yet another painful loss of life off the Libyan coast, At least 57 people drowned today in the latest tragedy in the Central Mediterranean. Silence and inaction are inexcusable. According to the UN organisation, 891 people have died in the Mediterranean in the first six months of 2021, more than double the number in the same period last year. Libya has for several years been the predominant launching pad for migrants hoping to escape poverty and conflict in Africa for a better life in Europe, by making the perilous sea crossing. However, unscrupulous people smugglers often pack far too many migrants into decrepit boats, which are unable to cross the Mediterranean without sinking. But life for those picked up from the shipwreck and returned to the Libyan coast may not be much better. Amnesty International has said that in the first six months of this year, more than 7,000 people intercepted at sea were forcibly returned to detention camps in Libya. Human rights groups and UN officials have long cited testimony from survivors who report systematic abuse - including rape, torture, forced labour and beatings - at these camps, as well as extortion by the traffickers who try to extract vast sums from desperate migrants before letting them attempt to cross the Mediterranean into Europe. A doctor in Arkansas says dying Covid patients beg him for a vaccine, and he has to tell them its too late. I see someone daily for the last three weeks that is possibly dying, certainly very sick, that asks if they can get their vaccine, Dr Michael Bolding told CNN . And it is heartbreaking to tell them that that time has passed, that that was five to six weeks ago to prevent this. Dr Bolding works at Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. That state, along with Missouri , has become the epicentre of the United States latest wave of the coronavirus, which is wreaking havoc on regions with low vaccination rates. In Arkansas, only 44.8 per cent of adults are fully vaccinated. Dr Bolding says the situation at his hospital is heartbreaking. I literally just came from a patients room in his 20s, and it took six people to get him in a prone position on the ventilator, he told CNN. We are seeing 20 and 30-year-olds dying now from a preventable illness. The physician said he was disturbed by the increased mortality of states like his. I grew up in rural America, he said. These are my people. And theyre dying. And its tragic. And it is very much a case of misinformation. Conservative pundits and politicians have sown doubts about vaccines for months. Fox News host Tucker Carlson has repeatedly questioned the shots efficacy, and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene recently said falsely that Covid is only dangerous to obese people and senior citizens. Dr Bolding has been trying to break through that wall of misinformation. You cant be too healthy for this virus, he said. We are seeing people that CrossFit on Tuesday and are on a ventilator on Friday. I cant get the word out enough of what were seeing back here in these units. This is not Dr Boldings first effort to get his message out. Earlier this month he starred in an emotional Facebook video produced by Washington Regional, begging people to get vaccinated. What I really wish you could see is to look in the eyes of a young father, or a gentleman who knows that they may be short for this world because they didnt get their vaccine, and the regret and remorse on their face and fear, he said in that video. Chasten Buttigieg, husband of transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, has described life in Washington, DC as almost unaffordable six months after relocating to the capital from Indiana. In an interview with The Washington Post, Mr Buttigieg noted the stark difference in the cost of living compared to their previous home in the midwest. Were doing fine for ourselves, and [yet] the city is almost unaffordable, he said. Which tells you how extremely unaffordable it is for many people. Six months ago the couple moved into an 800 square foot, one-bedroom apartment in an upscale secure building in the Capitol Hill neighbourhood. Their rent works out at approximately $3,000 a month as they signed a long-term lease that included two months for free, according to the Post. An earlier version of the article listed the apartment as $4,500 per month drawing criticism from some quarters. Mr Buttigieg told the outlet that they couldnt afford the one-bedroom-plus-den layout. Two-bedroom units in the same building are reportedly listed for $5,650. The average rent in Washington is approximately $2,100 according to data from Zumper, and ZipRecruiter lists the average salary as $73,000. According to the US Office of Personnel Management, the transportation secretarys salary is $221,400. Mr Buttigieg, formerly a middle-school teacher, is not currently working. His assertion that the capital is unaffordable for many is not incorrect. Data from Payscale.com shows that the cost of living in Washington, DC is 39 per cent more expensive than the national average, with the cost of housing 148 per cent higher. While Washington is an expensive place to live, some questioned whether the Buttigiegs needed to spend so much on rent though being in a secure is a must as the couple has received threats in the past. Fellow DC residents were quick to offer suggestions as to where to look online for something cheaper than the initially reported figure of $4,500 per month. Across the aisle, there was plenty of scorn tweeted by Republicans looking to score points on the alleged profligacy of the Buttigiegs. Hilarious how Mr Wine Cave Buttigieg is whining that he ONLY makes $221,400 a year, wrote Club for Growth senior analyst Andrew Follett. The problem isnt DCs real estate market (which Ive personally lived with and in for years)... its that Dems elites are incredibly fiscally irresponsible even in their personal lives. Imagine being so far removed from the real world that you complain about your $4,500/mo apartment not having a den, tweeted Abigail Marone, press secretary for Senator Josh Hawley. Americans are struggling to afford basic necessities thanks to #bidenflation but poor Pete & Chasten dont get a den in their high-end building. Boo hoo. The Buttigiegs sold their home in South Bend, Indiana, where the transportation secretary was mayor prior to his bid for the presidency, earning him the nickname Mayor Pete throughout the Democratic primaries. They have since bought a home in Chastens hometown of Traverse City, Michigan, where his parents still live. Fully vaccinated adults should continue to wear masks when inside public places in areas where there are high numbers of coronavirus infections, US Centres for Disease Control Director Dr Rochelle Walensky said in a media call. The new guidance is a direct response to the growing number of Delta variant coronavirus cases across the country, specifically among unvaccinated individuals. She said that getting the vaccine is still the best way to protect oneself against the virus. Dr Walensky said that new science suggests fully vaccinated people can still spread the virus, but noted that the vast amount of transmission is still through unvaccinated people to other unvaccinated individuals. She said the decision is not one that was made lightly, noting that people were tired and frustrated and acknowledging that the news would not be welcome to people who have already been vaccinated. The CDC director said that mask wearing is always a personal choice, but noted that people who live in areas with low infection rates are less likely to encounter unvaccinated individuals. The updated CDC mask guidance is specifically for areas with high transmission rates. She said that the vast majority of illness and death is among unvaccinated people. Dr Walensky said one in 10 or one in 20 transmissions are coming from vaccinated individuals.She also said all students, staff and teachers should wear masks when schools open in the fall. For those wondering if they live in an area with high transmissions, they can visit the CDC Covid data tracker. Dr Walensky said the CDC is encouraging communities to determine for themselves if measures like vaccine mandates are appropriate, suggesting it will not issue official guidance to enact those policies. Los Angeles updated its mask mandate last week in response to the uptick in cases. According to Dr Walensky, eight in 10 samples of coronavirus now have the Delta variant present. The Delta variant is showing a willingness to outsmart us and to be an opportunist in areas where we havent shown fortified response against [the virus], she said. The doctor said the Delta variant was behaviour that was different from any of the previous strains of the coronavirus. Dr Walensky said that vaccination was still the best way to stave off the virus, and noted that the vaccine reduced the chance of infection by the Delta variant seven-fold and illness or hospitalisation by twenty-fold. Health officials met on Sunday to discuss whether or not to update the guidance. Dr Walensky said that if the science shifts again, then the guidance will be changed again. The White House has been largely hands off regarding official suggestions on mask wearing. When asked about the potential change to mask usage, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that the Biden administration would follow the lead of the CDC. The reality is we are dealing with a much different strain of this virus than we were even earlier in the spring, back in May, when the masking guidance was provided by the CDC at that time, Ms Psaki told reporters. That is their job. Their job is to look at evolving information, evolving data, an evolving historic pandemic and provide guidance to the American public. Thats exactly what they will do and what they will provide specific details on later this afternoon. Forget about a second wave, this is more like the fourth wave. As the United States reels from yet another spike in Covid cases, putting pressure on health officials and hospitals and leaving the president practically begging people to get vaccinated, the fault lines of the new crisis are becoming clearer to assess. Though there are exceptions, the new cases a tripling over the last three weeks are overwhelmingly among unvaccinated people. And of those cases, more than 80 per cent are of the new Delta variant of the coronavirus, which is far more contagious, and as a result, has the ability to lead to more deaths. I think were in what is probably the most challenging period of the Covid pandemic, Anthony Santella, Professor of Health Administration and Policy at the University of New Haven, tells The Independent. He says after the dark days of last year and the first part of 2021, the arrival of widespread, easily accessible vaccines appeared to be a tool that would spearhead the fightback. Yet he and many of his colleagues believe people collectively let down their guard as a result. In May, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention suggested it was no longer necessary to wear masks guidance it is now changing and Joe Biden talked of 4 July being the nations day to celebrate independence from Covid. Read more: Bidens dream of having 70 per cent of Americans vaccinated by 4 July, has fallen well short. Right now, that figure stands at just 50 per cent, and Covid is surging again among unvaccinated populations, particularly in places such as Arkansas, Alabama, Missouri and Mississippi. Many of these have some of the lowest vaccination rates in the US, though some states were not as badly hit last year as some of the worst hotspots. Many Americans bought into measures such as social distancing and the wearing of masks, but persuading people to get a vaccine was much tougher, Santella says. With the small but mighty anti-vax movement, what should be a no brainer getting the vaccine has become the challenge of the day, he says. Maps on two different websites underscore the situation. A map hosted by the Mayo Clinic website shows daily Covid cases per 100,000 people. On it, the states of Arkansas, Florida, Missouri and Louisiana burn red, indicating the highest percentage of cases. Another map, curated by the Centres for Disease Control (CDC), shows states by the number of vaccinations per head of population. Among those shaded in the deepest shade of blue are Washington, New Mexico, New York and New Jersey. None of these are centres of the fourth wave of cases. Look, the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated, Biden said earlier this month. Dr Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC, which has revised its guidelines to say vaccinated people should continue to wear masks indoors in certain states and certain situations, was even more forceful. Our biggest concern is we are going to continue to see preventable cases, hospitalisations and, sadly, deaths among the unvaccinated, she said. President has been wary of federal government using heavy hand (AFP /AFP via Getty Images) Dr Charles Hennekens, a professor and senior academic advisor at Florida Atlantic University, located in the city of Boca Raton, says after having suffered the largest number of cases and deaths in the world, the US appeared to be leading the fightback with its vaccine rollout. He says it ran into two roadblocks: the Delta variant and those individuals who do not want to be vaccinated. The irony is that in some places we have more people lining up at hospital for Covid medicine than we do to get vaccinated, he says. How would he persuade those opposed to or worried about a shot? He says one tactic would be for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to push through the full authorisation for the various vaccines available. The other would be to make more use of health care providers, he says. Among the people Americans trust the most are the person they get healthcare from, They dont trust the government. Those healthcare providers need to be urging their patients to get vaccinated. Because he knows how sensitive the issue is, and because the most pressing danger appears to be in states that voted for Donald Trump in 2020, Biden is walking a careful path. Graphic Australian Covid vaccine advert At the moment, he has a high approval rating for his handling of the pandemic he does not want to lose that, nor does he want to add to the more than 610,000 Americans who have lost their lives. He fears that if the federal government plays too heavy a hand, there could be a backlash, further discouraging people already anxious. A door-to-door vaccine push met such resistance from right-wing media and some politicians, that it was dropped. Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene claimed Bidens administration was acting like the Nazis. Meanwhile, first-term congressman Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina claimed the government could also seek to take your guns, [or] to take your Bibles. Some Republican politicians have been strikingly outspoken about the perils facing their constituents. Alabama governor Kay Ivey was asked by a reporter what more could be done to increase vaccination rates in her state, which has one of the lowest vaccine uptakes in the nation. I dont know. You tell me. Folks are supposed to have common sense, she said. Its time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks, not the regular folks. Its the unvaccinated folks that are letting us down. Pia MacDonald, an infectious disease epidemiologist at RTI International, a non-profit group focused on health research, acknowledged the full-steam-ahead efforts that had been made with the vaccine rollout. It has now hit stagnation, she says. She argues it is vital the nation addresses the wave of Delta cases before they get worse and says persuading those still unvaccinated to get a jab can be done but it is difficult and costly work. The key, she believes, is to recognise there can be many reasons for vaccine hesitancy, even within the same communities. She adds: Those conversations need to be dealt with in a sensitive and respectful way. A former US diplomat to Mexico sexually abused and photographed multiple unconscious women over the course of 14 years while he was working at the US Embassy in Mexico City. He may now face life in prison. The Department of Justice announced on Friday that 45-year-old Brian Jeffrey Raymond, from La Mesa, California pleaded guilty to the sexual abuse of two women, and to taking nude or partially nude images and videos of more than 20 women without their consent. Raymond departed Mexico after an adult woman was observed nude and screaming for help from his balcony on May 31, 2020, DOJ said in a press release. The woman reported she had no memory of events after consuming drinks and food provided by Raymond. Brian Raymond betrayed the trust granted to him as a US government employee representing the United States abroad by engaging in years of predatory conduct sexually abusing, exploiting, and recording vulnerable women he targeted in the United States and around the world, said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite of the Justice Departments Criminal Division in a statement. As demonstrated by Raymonds prosecution and plea, the Department of Justice and its law enforcement partners will use all of the tools at our disposal to hold accountable those who victimise women. During the investigation that follows, officials uncovered hundreds of photos and videos of more than 20 unconscious and fully or partially nude women from Raymonds cell phones, as well as from his iCloud account, and other electronic devices. The department said he started committing these abuses as early as 2006 14 years before being apprehended. Raymonds hand is visible in photographs and videos manipulating his victims eyes, mouths, and limbs and fondling their breasts and buttocks, the statement from the department says. At two points, Raymond can be seen lying in a bed with unconscious women. The victims experienced memory loss when they were with Raymond and had no knowledge of the photographs, videos, or physical contact. Raymonds internet search history revealed that he had researched the effects of prescription drugs combined with alcohol, including using search terms such as Ambien and alcohol side effects, Ambien dissolve, Ambien and alcohol pass out, and passed out and carried. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of law enforcement here and abroad, Brian Raymond was brought to justice for the sexual and exploitive crimes he repeatedly committed against numerous women, said Acting US Attorney Channing Phillips of the District of Columbia. We hope that this guilty plea brings some solace to his many victims. In the plea agreement, Raymond admitted that he had had sex with two of the victims when they were unable to give their consent. These offences occurred on May 30, 2020, and March 26, 2020, in Raymonds embassy-leased residence in Mexico City, the DOJ said. He also admitted that he over the last 14 years recorded or photographs at least 24 unconscious women and touched the breasts, buttocks, groin area and/or genitalia of numerous women when they were unable to consent. Raymond transported these obscene materials, specifically 479 photographs and videos of 20 unconscious and nude or partially nude women, into the United States, the department added. During the investigation, he made false statements to law enforcement and tried to delete images and videos from his online accounts and physical devices. Brian Jeffrey Raymonds guilty plea is a step in the right direction in the pursuit of justice for the many victims of his predatory behaviours, said the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBIs Washington Field Office Steven DAntuono. The FBI is grateful to the brave women who came forward to provide information to further this investigation and put a stop to Raymonds actions. The NYPD is searching for three teenagers who are accused of beating and siccing a dog on an off-duty firefighter over the weekend. The alleged attack occurred on Friday night in Juniper Valley Park in Queens. According to police reports, the firefighter, who has not been named, was walking his dog near the park when at least 100 kids attacked him. According to a police report, the firefighter complained to the teens that they were being too loud, which prompted an argument. The confrontation escalated to violence. The firefighter claims the teens were setting off fireworks near the park. The NYPD account of the attack claims the teens punched the victim in his head and body before he was able to flee the scene. The unnamed firefighter spoke with the New York Post. He claims he was accosted by the teens in an unprovoked incident. They just picked me out and approached me, he said. According to his account, one of the teens took their shirt off and claimed they could fight him, after which other teens took their phones out to film the encounter. They all came at me, he said. The firefighter claimed a teen came up behind him and hit him with a bottle in the back of his head. I got hit, turned around, that's when the kids started coming at me. At that point, he let go of his dog. One of the teens grabbed the dogs leash and appears to have pulled it away from the beating, as the dog was found later by a Good Samaritan unharmed. The firefighter told police that the teens were going crazy and were high as a kite during the attack. Eventually, the firefighter ended up on the ground while grappling one of the teens. He was saved when a nearby ambulance caught the disturbance and rolled onto the scene, prompting the teens to flee the area. If they weren't there I would have been in much worse condition, the firefighter said. The NYPD has not made any arrests in the attack but has released photos of the suspects and asked for the public's help identifying them. One of the teens accused of participating in a group attack against an off-duty firefighter in Queens. (NYPD) One of the teens accused of participating in a group attack against an off-duty firefighter in Queens. (NYPD) One of the teens accused of participating in a group attack against an off-duty firefighter in Queens. (NYPD) A video of the event starts about midway through the fight and shows the firefighter squaring up against the teens before being overwhelmed by them. The firefighter's dog can be seen barking in the video. The victim said that he was a little lumped up but thanked God for getting through the attack without more severe injuries. According to the man, the park has been a frequent hangout spot for teens, and he claims to have found several knives while out walking in the park. The founder of the Guardian Angels, and Republican New York mayoral candidate, Curtis Silwa criticised the NYPD for not intervening and said his group would begin patrolling the park on Saturday evening. Former Senator Barbara Boxer was mugged and assaulted in Oakland, California, on Monday. According to a tweet from her official account, the former California lawmaker, 80, was pushed in the back in Jack London Square, before her mobile phone was taken by an assailant who then jumped in a car that was waiting. She is thankful that she was not seriously injured, wrote the tweet. There were reportedly two assailants, one of which forcefully took Boxers phone at 1.15pm on 3rd Street, according to the Oakland Police Department, reported CNN. Im not physically hurt at all, Im just shook up, Ms Boxer told local San Fransiscos KPIX. The news station reported that she was walking and talking on her brand new iPhone, before the suspect stole it and fled in a black sedan. She shouted at the perpetrator as he was fleeing: Why would you do this to a grandma? I was yelling at the kid as he was running with my phone, she laughed. I said I want to call my grandkids, why are you doing this? He could care less. He got in the car. But I hope he has some guilt. The Oakland Police Department is investigating the incident, the department offering a $2,000 (1,499) reward for information that leads to an arrest. Barbara Boxer served as Democratic senator before Kamala Harris between 1993 to 2017. The Independent has contacted Oakland Police Department for further comment. It appears increasingly likely that the US had intelligence in advance about the deadly threat to Jamal Khashoggi, according to the former UN official who investigated the dissident journalists murder by Saudi Arabia. By failing to make public all and any information it has about the killing, and whether it was aware in advance of the perilous danger he was in, she said, the US is making itself complicit in the impunity enjoyed by Saudi Arabia. If they have information of any kind, and any source, regarding the killing; if they have information pointing to the extent of the responsibility of MBS, or the stops in Cairo, and they are not making it public they are making themselves complicit of impunity, Agnes Callamard, the former UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions, told The Independent. Ms Callamard spent six months investigating the murder, and said in her 2019 report that Saudi Arabia was responsible for premeditated execution. She also said that there was credible evidence of the liability of crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS. Saudi Arabia denied the prince was responsible and claimed the 57-year-old Khashoggi had been the victim of a rogue operation. It charged a handful of lower-ranking operatives, though none of the senior officials identified by US intelligence, a summary of whose conclusions was made public earlier this year. In recent months there has been a flurry of new revelations about the 2018 murder of Khashoggi, for many years a defender of the Saudi regime, who had fallen out with MBS and was increasingly critical often within his columns for The Washington Post. In June The New York Times reported that four members of the Saudi hit squad had received paramilitary training from an Arkansas-based security company, Tier 1 Group, owned by the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management. On the presidential campaign trail, Joe Biden called Saudi Arabia a pariah and vowed he would take a much tougher line with the kingdom than Donald Trump had. Yet, though the report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) assessed that MBS had approved the murder, there have been no sanctions levelled at the crown prince himself only at lower-ranking officials. The US government is currently being sued by two organisations seeking to force Mr Biden to make public any information the state has about the murder, and what it knew in advance of the threat to Khashoggi, a resident of the United States. Agnes Callamard spent six months digging into the crime (AFP/Getty) Ms Callamard, whose investigation included listening to a 15-minute audio of the killing, which has not been made public, has called on all governments to make available all the evidence they have. She was disappointed by how quickly the US and its relationship with Saudi Arabia had retuned to normal, she said. In her 2019 report, she said she could independently confirm media reports that both the US and Turkey had information about the threat to the reporter. Two years later, she said it appeared less and less likely that the US was not aware of a threat to Khashoggi. Donald Trump: Jamal Khashoggi death 'the worst cover up ever' Everything that we are hearing is pointing to such a close nexus between the US and Saudi Arabia, including at an intelligence level, she said. And this, coming on top of the leaks very early on Its only a hypothesis, I have no material evidence, but it [increases] the likelihood of the US having captured intelligence regarding threats to Jamal. The White House did not reply to inquiries from The Independent. The CIA and the ODNI referred to the US intelligence report from February, but failed to respond to the issue of whether the US had information in advance about the threat to Khashoggi. The State Department said it could not comment on intelligence matters. The Saudi embassy in Washington DC, its foreign ministry, and one of its US lawyers also did not respond to a request for comment. Cerberus also did not respond to inquiries. A doctor in Missouri says some patients have worn disguises to their vaccinations to avoid letting people know they got the shot. Ive had several people come in to get vaccinated who have sort of tried to disguise their appearance and even went so far as to say, Please, please, please dont let anybody know that I got this vaccine. I dont want my friends to know, Dr Priscilla Frase told ABC News. Dr Frase is an internist at Ozarks Medical Centre in West Plains, Missouri. That state, along with Arkansas , has become the epicentr e of the United States latest wave of the coronavirus, which is wreaking havoc on regions with low vaccination rates. In Missouri, only 50.6 per cent of adults are fully vaccinated. In parts of the state, coronavirus caseloads and hospitalisations have reached levels not seen since their peaks last winter, driven by the highly contagious new Delta variant. But people in conservative states are still resisting the shots, at least partly because of misinformation from right-wing pundits and politicians. Fox News host Tucker Carlson has repeatedly questioned the shots efficacy, and congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene recently said falsely that Covid was only dangerous to obese people and senior citizens. In Missouri, Dr Frase said the shots were so unpopular patients do n0t want their friends or families to know they received one. According to ABC News, her hospital now offers a private setting for vaccinations. Dr Frase is not the only physician who has recently spoken out about patients vaccine resistance. Dr Michael Bolding of Arkansas has said dying Covid patients at his hospital have belatedly begged him for the vaccine. Dr Brytney Cobia of Alabama says shes had the same experience. One of the last things they do before theyre intubated is beg me for the vaccine, Dr Cobia has written. I hold their hand and tell them that Im sorry, but its too late. GOP Representative Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma has revealed how he comforted the distraught officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt, one of the Trump supporters who entered the Capitol on 6 January. Mr Mullin said he encountered and hugged the officer who shot Ms Babbitt, a 35-year-old Air Force veteran, as she tried to climb through a broken window next to a door close to the speakers lobby. Mr Mullin told C-SPAN last week that the officer was later in his career and the GOP Rep added that he was sure the officer did not want to use lethal force but that he was left with no other option. He was the last person in the world who ever wanted to use force like that, Mr Mullin said. I dont know for a fact, but I can guarantee you hes never had to pull his weapon in a manner like that before. I know for a fact because after it happened, he came over. He was physically and emotionally distraught. I actually gave him a hug and I said, Sir, you did what you had to do. Unfortunately, the young lady, her familys life has changed and its unfortunate that she lost her life, but the lieutenants life has changed too, he added. It wasnt his choice. He did not show up that day to have to do that, he got put in a situation where he had to do his job because there were members [of the House] still in the balcony. If youre going to present your weapon in a manner and give commands and they still dont listen and they still approach, you dont have a choice, he said. Either you have to, at that point, discharge your weapon in a manner of self-defence or that weapons going to be taken away from you. Its going to be used against you and put all of our lives in danger too. Mr Mullin added that he thinks the officers actions saved other peoples lives because I think there would have been a lot more that would have lost their lives because there were still a lot of members on the balcony. Former President Donald Trump has used the death of Ms Babbitt to attack his political adversaries. He claimed in an interview with Fox News earlier this month that the officer who discharged his weapon was a Democrat. Who shot Ashli Babbitt? Why are they keeping that secret? Who was the person that shot an innocent, wonderful, incredible woman, a military woman? Mr Trump said. Ive heard also that it was the head of security for a certain high official, a Democrat. And well see because its going to come out, Mr Trump added. The Department of Justice said in a statement that officials examined video footage posted on social media, statements from the officer involved, and other officers and witnesses to the events, physical evidence from the scene of the shooting and the results of the shooting. Based on that investigation, officials determined that there is insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution, the department added. White House secretary Jen Psaki has said that the Biden administration does not want to fight Fox News, saying the administration needs to reach its audience amid the pandemic. In an appearance on Monday on Snapchats news programme Good Luck America, Ms Psaki was asked why a Democrat should engage with Fox News. Well, first we dont do a lot of the personalities on Fox," the press secretary said in response, before noting that Joe Bidens number one goal still is beating the pandemic. Our objective is to put people back to work, and we need to talk to Fox and Fox viewers in order to do that, Ms Psaki elaborated. She continued: Now, they are not waiting for the president, the vice president, me, other people from the administration to tell them what to do, but they might listen to medical experts or some of our doctors, they might. There might be information that strikes them because its so fact-based, if we convey it to Fox, that they may hear that." Ms Psaki said that the administration did not have to approve of everything the often-times controversial broadcaster does editorially or what their personalities say and do. The administration official stipulated that the right-wing outlet is still a platform for us to communicate with the public. "And frankly, the other piece of it is getting in a fight with Fox News at this point in time for the administration isnt particularly constructive, Ms Psaki said. The White House secretary then made a dig at the Trump White House, saying the US had come out of an administration that completely destroyed trust in media, trust in institutions. Thats not the fight we want to fight right now, right?, Ms Psaki said. We want to fight a fight about getting the pandemic under control and things that actually impact peoples lives. This week, both Sean Hannity and Steve Doocy urged viewers to get vaccinated against the virus, with Mr Biden appearing to infer that hosts have had what he described as an altar call. Last week, Mr Hannity told viewers he believed in the science of vaccinations while Mr Doocy urged viewers: If you have the chance, get the shot, it will save your life. The messaging came as a stark contrast to the attitudes of personalities on the network such as Tucker Carlson who has often fielded criticism for their anti-vaccination sentiments. The Independent has contacted Fox News for comment. In a friendly exchange, President Biden on Monday called an NBC reporter a pain in the neck for asking about mandatory vaccination for those working in the Department of Veterans Affairs. After the bilateral meeting with Iraqs Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi on Monday, Joe Biden was asked by NBC Newss Kelly ODonnell about mandatory vaccines for those working in the Department of Veterans Affairs. You are such a pain in the neck, but Im going to answer your question because weve known each other for so long. It has nothing to do with Iraq. Ill answer your question. Yes, Veteran Affairs is going to, in fact, require that all docs working in facilities are going to have to be vaccinated, said President Biden, smiling. She, however, retorted, I take that as a compliment, Mr President, drawing another laugh from Mr Biden. The president, however, didnt answer a follow-up question up about Covid-19 vaccine requirements for other federal employees. Recommended Watch as Biden delivers remarks on economy in Pennsylvania She also indicated in her posts on Twitter that the exchange was friendly. The president called me a "pain in the neck" (with a smile) as I pressed him on a NEW mandate for doctors at [Department of Veterans Affairs] hospitals to get the Covid vaccine. He did not respond when I pressed if there would be further federal required vaccines, she tweeted. On Monday, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) became the first major federal agency to require health care workers to get Covid-19 vaccines. Following this mandate, employees will have eight weeks to be fully vaccinated. At the Department of Veterans Affairs, vaccines will now be mandatory for certain medical personnel including physicians, dentists, podiatrists, optometrists, registered nurses, physician assistants and others who work in departmental facilities or provide direct care to veterans, said the VA Secretary Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough. Its the best way to keep veterans safe, especially as the delta variant spreads across the country. Whenever a veteran or VA employee sets foot in a VA facility, they deserve to know that we have done everything in our power to protect them from Covid-19, said Mr McDonough said in a statement. Nearly 60 leading medical and health care organisations have also issued a call for health care facilities to require their workers to get vaccinated. The US is witnessing a rise in Covid-19 due to the Delta variant spreading across the country with some communities report troubling increases in hospitalisations among unvaccinated people. Additional reporting by agencies Capitol Police Officer MIchael Fanone was holding back insurrectionists on 6 January when one of them grabbed him, calling out I got one as they pulled him into the sea of rioters. Fearing what that meant, the officer offered a desperate reply. I've got kids, he said. That moment was captured by Mr Fanone's body camera and was played as part of a House select committee hearing on Tuesday investigating the Capitol riot. Mr Fanone and a number of other officers who were injured on 6 January were called to testify during the hearing. On the day of the attack, Mr Fanone was dragged down the Capitol stairs, beaten and shocked with a stun gun. He suffered a concussion and a mild heart attack resulting from the incident. He estimates based on body camera footage that he was unconscious for four minutes during the attack. Mr Fanone has been an outspoken critic of Republican politicians who downplayed the violence on 6 January, even traveling to the Capitol the day after 21 Republicans in the House voted against the Gold Medal resolution, which was intended to award Congressional Gold Medals to the Capitol Police for defending the building. During his visit, Mr Fanone encountered GOP Congressman Andrew Clyde and attempted to introduce himself. According to Mr Fanone, Mr Clyde who likened the riot to a normal tour of the Capitol ignored him before running away. During the hearing, Mr Fanone called the GOP lawmakers who have attempted to brush off the riot or downplay its violence as disgraceful. He went further, saying he believes that those lawmakers were responsible for inciting the riot. In retrospect now, thinking about those events, the things that were said, it's disgraceful members of our government, I believe were responsible for inciting that behaviour and then continue to propagate those statements, things like this was the 1776, or that police officers who fought, risked their lives in some who gave theirs wore red coats, he said. Capitol Police Officer Michael Fanone watches footage of the 6 January insurrection during the House select committee hearing on the Capitol riot. (screengrab) His statement specifically references a tweet made by Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, who tweeted Today is 1776 while the rioters were attacking Capitol police officers. To me those individuals are representative of the worst that America has to offer, Mr Fanone told the committee. Other officers speaking on Tuesday voiced their frustration with former President Donald Trump, who was impeached for a second time for inciting the riot. Although Mr Trump was ultimately acquitted due to Senate Republicans, many still lay the blame for the riot at his feet. Capitol Police Sargent Aquilino Gonell was asked by Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney what he thought of Mr Trump's characterisation of the rioters as a loving crowd. He called the comments upsetting and said that it was a pathetic excuse for [Mr Trump's] behaviour, for something that he himself helped create. The officer said he was still recovering from those 'hugs and kisses' that day. Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger and Ms Cheney were the lone GOP lawmakers to call for an end to partisan bickering over the event, urging their Republican colleagues to put partisan concerns aside and assist the investigation into the attacks. Another Capitol Police Officer, Daniel Hodges, who was crushed between a group of body shields and a door during the riot, said he believed the attack was largely driven by white nationalists within the Republican voter base. The crowd was overwhelmingly white males, he said. People who associate with Donald Trump I find more likely to subscribe to that kind of belief system. The Democratic lawmakers on the committee were unrestrained in their condemnation of the rioters. Congressman Jamie Raskin called the rioters traitors. Those who attacked you and beat you are fascist traitors to our country, and will be remembered forever as fascist traitors, he said. So far, more than 540 Capitol rioters have been arrested, and the FBI is seeking to apprehend hundreds more. The firing of Guatemalas top anti-corruption prosecutor and new allegations that someone close to the attorney general was soliciting bribes for protection from investigations have increased concerns that what little capacity the country still had to battle corruption is being dismantled from within. Juan Francisco Sandoval, head of the anti-impunity special prosecutors office, was dismissed Friday and fled the country that same night. Attorney General Consuelo Porras accused him of ideologically biased investigations. She had reassigned another prosecutor from his office a day earlier. Then Sunday, lawyer Marco Aurelio Alveno Hernandez said he had told Sandovals office that one of his clients, a former Guatemalan central banker, had paid a bribe through Alveno to an adviser of Porras so his corruption case was moved from Sandovals office to another prosecutor. Alveno fled the country Sunday with his family fearing potential retribution for his cooperation with Sandovals office. The point of firing the prosecutor who led the investigations is to block what was being investigated, said Elvyn Diaz, vice president of Guatemalas Institute for Comparative Studies in Criminal Science. He said the move also raises the possibility the justice system could be manipulated to punish Sandoval and the judges who ruled on the cases that he brought. Sandoval had said as much about his firing. He accused Porras of blocking his offices investigations, including those touching President Alejandro Giammattei, who has spoken of his friendship with Porras. The administration denied any involvement, saying it respected the attorney generals autonomy. U.S. officials condemned Sandovals firing. We stand with the people of Guatemala and with Prosecutor Juan Francisco Sandoval, whom I recognized this year with an Anticorruption Champion Award. His dismissal undermines the rule of law and strengthens the forces of impunity. Guatemalans deserve better, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said via Twitter on Sunday. Guatemalas government has been criticized over the past year for driving out judges known for taking a hard line on corruption. The moves are a continuation of the effort that ended the 12-year run of the United Nations anti-corruption mission in Guatemala in 2019 under then President Jimmy Morales Porras was appointed attorney general by Morales and has continued in the position during the administration of Giammattei. Ivan Velasquez, who led the U.N. mission and worked closely with Sandoval, said the anti-corruption fight is worsening. It will only reverse if the international community suspends all aid to the Attorney Generals Office and isolates the attorney general, which is allied with all of the corrupt political power in the country, Velasquez said. It will depend on Guatemalans and their effort to defend democracy and find a way out. On Monday, rural organizations blocked three highways to protest Sandovals firing. Other groups are considering ways to pressure the government. Some lawmakers have already filed formal complaints against Porras, accusing her of obstruction of justice among other things. In June, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris visited Guatemala and pledged support for anti-corruption efforts here. She has identified corruption as one of the factors pushing Guatemalans to migrate. The firing confirms the fear from several months ago that despite having expressed an interest in collaborating on an anti-corruption agenda, ultimately, the Guatemalan government has a different agenda, said Tiziano Breda, Central America analyst for Crisis Group. Officers from the frontlines of the 6 January Capitol riot have expressed frustration at Republican members of Congress for downplaying the nature of the insurrection and blamed former President Donald Trump for inciting it. Officers Harry Dunn, Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gonell, Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, and Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department Officers Daniel Hodges and Michael Fanone spoke about their experiences trying to protect lawmakers from rioters who sought to overturn the election results as Congress sought to certify them. Mr Dunn and other officers, speaking at the first public hearing of the Select Committee to investigate the 6 January riot, were also quick to blame Mr Trump for whipping up the crowd, provoking them to go to Capitol. When a hitman is hired and kills someone, not just the hitman goes to jail, he said. The guy who hires them does. There was an attack carried out on 6 January and a hitman sent them. I want you to get to the bottom of that. Mr Gonnell compared the day to his time in Iraq. My time, compared to Iraq, totally different, he said. This is our own citizens, people who weve sworn an oath to protect, yet theyre attacking us with the same flag they claim to represent. Mr Fanone delivered a particularly fiery testimony, criticising conservative members of Congress whom he had tried to protect for attempting to downplay the events. The indifference shown to my colleagues is disgraceful, Mr Fanone said during his opening statement, acknowledging that he expects to be in danger in his job. But nothing, truly nothing has prepared me to address those elected members of our government who continue to deny the events of that day and in doing so, betray their oath of office. Mr Dunn said before then he had never seen anyone assault Capitol police officers, and saw people using weapons. He also said rioters told him nobody voted for President Joe Biden, to which he said he voted for Mr Biden and in turn led them to call him the N-word, which had never happened to him before. In the days following the attempted insurrection, other Black officers shared with me their own stories of racial abuse on 6 January, he said. Conversely, Mr Hodges, who is white, said rioters tried to recruit him to their cause. One of them came up to me and said are you my brother, Mr Hodges said. Throughout much of the hearing, members of the committee replayed images from the riot and insurrection, including moments the officers themselves experienced. At the same time, plenty of them praised the officers for their actions. Long after you are gone, you will be remembered as heroes to our country along with your fellow officers, Rep Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who could be heard talking about the fact his daughter was in the Capitol on the day of the riot, told the officers. Those who attacked you and beat you are fascist traitors to our country, and will be remembered forever as fascist traitors. Similarly, after Rep Stephanie Murphy of Florida played video of Mr Hodges experiences, she said she and Rep Kathleen Rice of New York were only feet away from them hiding from the rioters because the basement was a safe choice. And it turned out, we ended up at the centre of the storm, she said. Imagine if they had caught the two members of congress that were just 40 feet from where you all were. Similarly, Rep Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, a Republican who was added to the committee after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy pulled his members from the committee, praised the officers through tears. You guys talk about the effects you have to deal with and you talk about the impact of that day. But you guys won, Mr Kinzinger, a US Air Force veteran who now serves in the Air National Guard, said. You guys held. Similarly, Rep Liz Cheney, the committees other Republican, praised the officers service. It is because of you you held the line, you defended all of us, you defended the Capitol, and you defended the Constitution and our Republic, and every American owes you our undying gratitude, Ms Cheney said. Both Republicans lambasted members of their own party for playing politics. Its toxic and its a disservice to the officers and their families, to the staff and the employees on the Capitol Complex, to the American people who deserve the truth and to the generations before who went to war to defend self-governance because self-governance is at stake, Mr Kinzinger said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tapped Ms Cheney to serve on the committee. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had initially selected Reps Jim Jordan, Jim Banks, Troy Nehls, Kelly Armstrong and Rodney Davis. But after Mrs Pelosi rejected Mr Jordan and Mr Banks, Mr McCarthy pulled the rest of his members, which prompted Mrs Pelosi to select Mr Kinzinger. But Mr McCarthys team was not the group of Republicans who were expressing their displeasure. Reps Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene, two of the staunchest defenders of the former president, led a group of other members of Congress to stage a press conference to protest the treatment of riot suspects in prison. But that press conference was derailed by protesters with a brass band staging a counter protest and accusing the group of treason. Mr Dunn said while the Republicans on the select committee deserved credit, it was also a low bar. And while I agree with that notion, why? Because they told the truth? Why is telling the truth hard? I guess in this America, it is, Mr Dunn said. Protesters drowned out US Reps Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene and other Republican members of Congress as they held a press conference to back complaints by Capitol riot suspects over their treatment in prison. The lawmakers fled the news conference surrounded by security as protesters screamed at Mr Gaetz, calling him a "paedophile", and accusing the group of committing treason with their statements in support of the rioters. The press conference began with one protester attempting to drown out the politicians with a referees whistle; the scene then quickly devolved as Ms Greene took the podium and began speaking. Protesters quickly encircled the group with signs reading traitors + rapists, as well as other messages blaming the group personally for the events of 6 January. As the group ended the press conference before Ms Greenes remarks concluded, the shouts grew even louder, with one woman questioning Mr Gaetz are you a paedophile? as he walked past. Reps. Gaetz and Greene get run out of their own presser at the DOJ. pic.twitter.com/Jc3BTbUO05 Zachary Petrizzo (@ZTPetrizzo) July 27, 2021 The protesters appeared to be referencing the reported investigation Mr Gaetz faces over claims that he had sex with a 17-year-old girl; a Justice Department investigation into that matter was reported by The New York Times in March. Mr Gaetz has strongly denied any wrongdoing and insisted the reported investigation is part of a political campaign to discredit him. One staffer, who was seen during the press conference directing others to block the view of reporters trying to take pictures of a large effigy of former President Donald Trump brought by some of the demonstrators, angrily addressed reporters as the group left, claiming that the scene was the result of the left stifling speech they disagreed with. Rep Louie Gohmert, one of the members of Congress to speak at the news conference, briefly returned to speak to reporters after the news conference dissolved into chaos but was drowned out by a large brass band, DC Critical Condition, which was apparently contracted by demonstrators to show up and drown out the news conference with music. The band could still be heard playing a while after the presser ended, as demonstrators celebrated and danced outside of the Justice Department building while still waving their signs and the Trump effigy. Close The 6 January Select Committee is holding its first hearing After months of buildup, today marked the first public hearing of the Select Committee to Investigate the 6 January riot at the US Capitol. The panel heard from law officers from the US Capitol Police and Washingtons Metropolitan Police Department. Hero officer Harry Dunn, who led the mob away during the 6 Capitol riot, described how he and his fellow officers were subjected to a torrent of racial abuse, including the n-word. Liz Cheney, one of two Republicans selected by Nancy Pelosi on the committee, called her colleagues including Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz a "disgrace" for holding a counter-event to support rioters still held in prison. The other Republican on the committee, Adam Kinzinger, broke down in tears after hearing the officers recount their experience of the day while Jamie Raskin, who lead the unsuccessful impeachment of Donald Trump, called his supporters "fascist traitors". While Joe Biden was too busy to watch proceedings (according to Jen Psaki), Donald Trump wasted no time in bemoaning the "fake" hearing as a waste of time. Republican representative Adam Kinzinger fought back tears as he spoke to officers who protected the Capitol during the first public hearing to investigate the 6 January riot. Mr Kinzinger, who is one of just two Republicans to take a seat on the select committee, told the officers that despite feeling broken, they had won. I never expected today to be quite as emotional for me as it has been, he said. I have talked to a number of you and gotten to know you. I think its important to tell you right now though; you guys may individually feel a little broken, he continued. You guys all talk about the effects you have to deal with and the impact of that day. But you guys won, you guys held. You know democracies are not defined by our bad days, he said, his voice breaking. We are defined by how we come back from bad days. The GOP representatives comment came amid a dramatic opening day for the committee after one of the officers who fought back rioters on 6 January, Sergeant Aquilino Gonell, told the committee he was still recovering from the assault which former President Donald Trump claimed involved many rioters giving police officers hugs and kisses. Im still recovering from those hugs and kisses that day that he claimed that so many rioters, terrorists, were assaulting us that day. If that was hugs and kisses, we should all go to his house and do the same thing to him, Sgt Gonell said. What he was doing, instead of sending the military, instead of sending the support or telling his people, his supporters to stop this nonsense, he egged them to continue fighting. The committee had been rocked by partisan fighting before the first hearing even began, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejecting two of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthys picks for the committee. In retaliation, Mr McCarthy pulled all of his GOP picks from the panel. However, both Mr Kinzinger and Rep Liz Cheney agreed to sit on the committee, prompting a backlash from Mr McCarthy, who described the pair as Pelosi Republicans. Senator Lindsey Graham has taken aim at soaring crime rates in big Democratic cities and states, earning a swift reminder that his home state of South Carolina has one of the highest rates of violence in the United States. Mr Graham appeared on Fox News on Monday to spout claims that high gun ownership rates in South Carolina deterred criminals and helped to keep street crime in check. If you do this crap in South Carolina, youll be lucky if you go to jail. Youll be lucky if someone doesnt shoot you, Mr Graham said. Weve lost deterrence ... People no longer feel afraid to assault someone in the streets. Nobody feels afraid to go into Walmart and clean out the place because nobody in the prosecution level is going to do a damn thing. Responding on Twitter, former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele pointed out Mr Grahams home state experienced a 25 per cent spike in its murder rate in 2020 . Umm Senator perhaps you should speak with your State Law Enforcement Division before jawboning about South Carolina shooting people as a deterrence to violent crime: The murder rate went up around 25% in 2020; aggravated assault went up around 9% in 2020. https://t.co/n8pxi2VsSo https://t.co/y1DMG0zHB8 Michael Steele (@MichaelSteele) July 27, 2021 Umm Senator perhaps you should speak with your State Law Enforcement Division before jawboning about South Carolina shooting people as a deterrence to violent crime: The murder rate went up around 25% in 2020; aggravated assault went up around 9% in 2020. In 2018, California ranked as the 14th most dangerous state, with a violent crime rate of 447.4 per 100,000 people, while New York was 25th, with 350.5 incidents. Meanwhile, South Carolina was 9th with 488.3 violent incidents per 100,000 people. The city of San Francisco has become a regular target for Republican lawmakers since it voted in Proposition 47 in 2014, which lowered criminal sentences for certain nonviolent crimes like shoplifting. There is no street crime in South Carolina because they street crime away the street crime? https://t.co/HbtTdxIeNz Elika Sadeghi (@elikasadeghi) July 27, 2021 Under the initiative, shoplifting of goods under $950 for shoplifting is considered a misdemeanour, rather than a felony. Viral clips of brazen shoplifters making off with huge hauls of stolen goods have sparked discussions about safety in the city. Secretary of State Tony Blinken said an investigation would be launched after a swastika was found etched on the wall of a State Department elevator. Quoting a person familiar with the matter, Axios first reported the Nazi symbol was found near the office of the State Departments special envoy monitoring and combating antisemitism at its Washington DC headquarters. An image showed the crud representation seemingly carved into the siding of elevator 36, which is within a secured area of the government building that requires vetting and clearances. State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter confirmed reports the swastika had been found, according to a transcript of a press briefing that posted online late Tuesday. In a memo to staff on Tuesday, Mr Blinken condemned the hateful graffiti that has since been removed following its discovery. "As this painfully reminds us, antisemitism isnt a relic of the past. Its still a force in the world, including close to home. And its abhorrent. It has no place in the United States, at the State Department or anywhere else. And we must be relentless in standing up and rejecting it, Mr Blinken said. To our Jewish colleagues: please know how grateful we are for your service and how proud we are to be your colleagues. Mr Blinken, who is Jewish, announced during a Holocaust awareness ceremony in June a US-German programme to educate the public about the Nazis. Israels ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, said in a statement to The New York Times, the swastika was a serious incident of anti-Semitic vandalism. [It] once again shows that antisemitism does not distinguish between Jews in Israel and Jews in America, and harms not only Israel but the entire world, the statement said. We must fight together resolutely against anti-Semitism of any kind and bring to justice anyone who acts out of hatred for the Jewish people. The speaker of the Texas house of representative has signed a civil arrest warrant for a Democratic lawmaker who fled the state for a second time while trying to halt Republican-led bills aimed at restricting voting. Republican Dade Phelan called for the arrest of Representative Philip Cortez, who returned to the state to try to open a good faith dialogue about the election legislation that restricts mail-in ballots and some early voting procedures. Earlier this month, 50 Democratic lawmakers in the Texas legislature fled in two chartered flights to Washington DC to try to prevent the legislature from reaching a quorum needed to pass bills . Last week, Cortez became the first Democrat to return to the state capitol Austin in what he said was an attempt to break the impasse. He was criticised by fellow Democrats for not consulting with them before leaving the US capitol. Mr Phelan said Mr Cortez had represented to me and his fellow members that he wanted to work on policy and find solutions to bring his colleagues back to Texas. Mr Cortez was temporarily granted leave from the House floor, and promised to return, Mr Phelan said. Instead, he fled the state. In issuing the arrest warrant, Mr Phelan said that Mr Cortez had irrevocably broken my trust and the trust of this chamber. The warrant, which is not enforceable outside of Texas, is the first time an arrest order has been issued for any of the group, who have remained exiled in Washington DC for two weeks since their dramatic exit. They have been lobbying senior Democrats including Vice President Kamala Harris to try to raise awareness about voter suppression efforts in Texas. If passed, the bills would add new restrictions for those who assist others in casting ballots, a provision criticised by disability advocates. It would also ban drive-thru voting pioneered by Harris County in the November elections and 2020 primaries, as well as a 24-hour early voting period the county allowed at some precincts last year. The Democrats move came amid a wave of GOP-led efforts around the country to restrict voting in various ways, as well as the campaign from progressive Democrats to reform the US voting system at the federal level, which has stalled amid a refusal from centrist Democrats in the Senate to change or abandon the filibuster. Governor Greg Abbott vowed to arrest the Democrats upon their return to the state. Six of the Texas state representatives have since tested positive Covid-19 since arriving in Washington. Donald Trump has spurned George P Bush to endorse under-indictment Ken Paxton for Texas attorney general. The former president refused to throw his support behind Mr Bush, the only member of his famous family to support Mr Trump after the rest snubbed his inauguration and both of his Republican nomination conventions. This was made more striking because the Bush family had the only two living Republican ex-presidents during Mr Trumps single term in office. Attorney General Ken Paxton has been bravely on the front line in the fight for Texas, and America, against the vicious and very dangerous Radical Left Democrats, and the foolish and unsuspecting RINOs that are destroying our Country, said Mr Trump ion a statement that failed to mention Mr Bush. Mr Bush is the son of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who Mr Trump mocked as low energy during the 2016 Republican presidential primary. He is also the states Land Commissioner and met with Mr Trump at his gold course in Bedminster, New Jersey, earlier this month. Mr Paxton has been a vocal supporter of Mr Trump, and filed a lawsuit in 2020 that challenged the former presidents election defeat in four battleground states. The US Supreme Court declined to hear the case, but Mr Paxton went on to speak at Mr Trumps rally on 6 January before the Capitol riot. Following Mr Trumps endorsement of Mr Paxton, Mr Bush took to Twitter to highlight the legal issues that his election opponent faces. Mr Paxton has been under securities fraud investigation for a large portion of his time in office, and has also faced an FBI investigation into whether he abused his position by helping a wealthy donor. He has denied any wrongdoing in both cases. Im running for Attorney General because Texans deserve integrity and honesty from the office of Texas top law enforcement official, said Mr Bush. Texans deserve a candidate without a laundry list of existing and potential criminal indictments. Donald Trump shut down infrastructure talks during his presidency and threatened there wouldnt be a deal unless Democrats stopped investigating him, according to Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin. As Joe Bidens $1.2trn infrastructure package threatens to unravel over how to pay for the massive spending bill, Mr Durbin said Mitch McConnell was pressuring Republicans not to negotiate with Democrats following Mr Trumps latest calls on Monday for the party to back out of the deal. Mr Durbin said on the Senate floor that the former presidents refusal to work with Democrats on infrastructure dates back to a May 2019 meeting at the White House where he said no deal on infrastructure would be made while he was being investigated by Democrats. "He walked in the room, and he said to all of us assembled there, As long as youre investigating me for any reason therell be no infrastructure bill," Mr Durbin said. "Wheeled around and walked out. That was the end of the conversation about infrastructure in the Trump administration. It was never seriously considered or debated after that." In May 2019, at least 12 congressional investigations were probing Mr Trump after Democrats took control of the House that year, according to The New York Times tracking. The House Foreign Affairs, Intelligence and Oversight Committees were investigating allegations of abuse of power, communications with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and money laundering. The House and Senate Intelligence committees opened inquiries into potential foreign influence, attempts to obstruct justice, and Russian interference in the 2016 election. The House Oversight and Reform Committee had an inquiry into the possible role of Trump in concealing hush-money payments, abuses of the White House security clearance process, whether he misrepresented his net worth, and a proposed US nuclear venture in Saudi Arabia. The House Judiciary Committee looked into possible obstruction of justice and abuse of power by Mr Trump and his administration. In addition to the Democrat-led inquiries in Congress, Mr Trump was also facing 10 federal criminal investigations and eight state and local investigations, according to the Times. Before that meeting, Mr Durbin said Mr Trump had agreed at a previous meeting to a $2trn infrastructure package on issues from roads and bridges to broadband and school buildings. "It was one of the best meetings," Mr Durbin said. "Today, former President Trump has joined the chorus saying [Republicans] shouldnt bargain at all with Democrats. Put it off another year, or two years, whatever it has to be until the Republicans control the whole process," he added. Senators had hoped to announce on Monday a bipartisan deal on infrastructure but late changes threaten to derail the previously agreed package. Earlier on Monday, Mr Trump waded back into the infrastructure negotiations to call denounce the Republicans like Mitt Romney negotiating the deal as getting "absolutely savaged by Democrats". "Mitch McConnell and his small group of RINOs (Republicans in Name Only) wants nothing more than to get a deal done at any cost to prove that he can work with the Radical Left Democrats," Mr Trump said in a statement. "It is so important to him that he is agreeing to almost anything. Dont do the infrastructure deal, wait until after we get proper election results in 2022 or otherwise, and regain a strong negotiating stance. Republicans, dont let the Radical Left play you for weak fools and losers!" President Joe Biden has confirmed to reporters that the White House is considering a requirement that all federal workers receive a Covid-19 vaccine or submit to regular mandatory testing. The president made the remarks on Tuesday when asked if a requirement that all federal employees, a number that tops 4.2 million when including the armed forces and Postal Service according to a recent report using data from federal agencies, would be required to get the vaccine. Thats under consideration right now, the president said. Officials clarified to The New York Times that those who do not wish to be vaccinated would be required instead to be tested regularly for Covid-19, which continued to spread in the US largely as a result of major pockets of unvaccinated individuals. The Independent has reached out to clarification from the White House as to whether the plans being considered would affect the entire federal workforce. During his remarks to reporters on Tuesday following an address to employees at the National Counterterrorism Center in McLean, Virginia, Mr Biden also remarked that those who had yet to be vaccinated were not nearly as smart as I thought you were. The Biden administration writ large has been continuing its effort to convince Americans, especially in areas where scepticism about the jabs is high, to get vaccinated against Covid-19 amid a surge in cases blamed on the Delta variant, which has been reported in all 50 states. Republican leaders have joined the effort in increasing numbers within the past few weeks, expressing frustration about persistent rates of Covid-19 in their communities which are stressing health care systems and making it more difficult for some businesses to reopen. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey was one of those Republicans who criticised those hesitant to receive a vaccine on Friday, telling reporters bluntly: Its time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks, not the regular folks. Its the unvaccinated folks that are letting us down. Former President Donald Trump has faced growing calls for months to tell his supporters more frequently and urgently to get the vaccine, a bizarre sticking point given that it was his administration that launched a federally-backed effort to speed the development of vaccines last year. Some of his closest allies, such as South Carolina Sen Lindsey Graham, have resorted to dubbing the US-made Covid-19 jabs the Trump vaccine in their efforts to convince supporters of the former president to get the shots. A meeting of more than 100 teenagers from all over France was meant to encourage civic-mindedness as they spent two days tackling the delicate topic of religion and discrimination. The government minister of youth, Sarah El Hairy, in her early 30s and herself a child of immigrants like many there, had come to listen and told them: I dont have any big speeches to make. Instead, the meeting in October quickly turned rancorous, laying bare the gulf between Frances republican values and the emerging sensibilities of a new generation. The teenagers flatly said their daily lives had little to do with the ministers vision of France a nation ostensibly secular, colourblind and of equal opportunity. When the minister started singing La Marseillaise some refused. One young woman in a veil told her: Ill never sing it. Frances lofty universalist ideals have long aimed to secure individual rights and social unity precisely by ignoring religion, race, gender and other differences. El Hairy herself embodied and extolled the possibility those ideals have offered to some. Today, those values are more likely to be met with scepticism by a younger generation that, according to polls, harbours more liberal attitudes toward race, religion and gender in a diversifying society. The age difference between the minister and her audience only about 15 years was itself a measure of how quickly things were changing. The meeting, in a high school gymnasium in Poitiers, came at a sensitive moment days after a teacher had been beheaded by an Islamist extremist for showing caricatures of Prophet Muhammad in a class on freedom of speech. Carla and two others took the stage to reveal proposals to the minister that the teenagers had voted on. The most popular plans asked for more religious education in school and better police training The clash was just as the government began a broad crackdown on what it described as radical Muslim groups. It became part of a fierce debate on Islam and its place in the French republic. Recent interviews with key participants and El Hairy herself reveal a divide that has not healed in the intervening months. Some of the white teenagers were much more attuned to issues of social injustice through social media. Others were children of working-class immigrants from Frances former African colonies who, unlike their parents, were not shy about zeroing in on the gap between Frances ideals and their daily lives. Meeting a minister was to be the highlight of the event and El Hairy, 32, the daughter of Muslim immigrants from Morocco and one of the youngest members of President Emmanuel Macrons government, could have been the wildly successful older sister of many people there. But there were also sharp differences. Her family was well-to-do, her father was a medical doctor who went to work in Africa and her mother and stepfather owned a restaurant in Casablanca. Politically, she had espoused clear, conservative positions since at least high school, recalled classmates at the prestigious Lycee Lyautey in Casablanca, where she spent part of her adolescence. Unlike the teenagers she faced in Poitiers, El Hairy strongly embraced Frances lofty universalist ideals. Youth minister Sarah El Hairy with centrist party leader Francois Bayrou (AFP via Getty Images) France, she said in an interview at her office in Paris, represented a chance. She said: It doesnt look at you by your religion. It doesnt look at you by the colour of your skin. It doesnt look at you by your parents standing. It gives you the chance to be a full citizen and to construct yourself in this pact. That was not how the teenagers saw it. One of those who attended was Jawan Moukagni, now 16, the daughter of a white Frenchwoman and an immigrant man from a former French colony in central Africa. For as long as she could remember, she had wanted to join the gendarmerie. She grew up as a practicing Catholic but the many West African immigrants in her neighbourhood in Poitiers sparked in her an interest in Islam. Jawan saw things from both sides. At school, where Frances strict secularism forbids the wearing of any visible religious symbols, some of her teachers said nothing when she wore a cross but when she saw Muslim friends wear a veil in public, she saw how many French people treated it as radioactive. On the eve of the ministers visit, Jawan looked her up online. She recalls: I told myself, Shes young, maybe shell understand our problems. In video clips of the ministers visit, one of the most outspoken speakers was Carla Roy, 15. Carla says she had listened with a sense of injustice to the teenagers who had faced discrimination. She had never known it herself as a white person growing up in a tiny village, Peyrins, in the southeast. It was only in the months before the conference, as she watched videos about the George Floyd killing last year, that Carla had become more aware. She says: Im white, I have privileges, and Ive never been detained. Women in Paris demonstrate after a far-right politician asked a woman accompanying her son and other children on a school trip to remove her headscarf (AFP via Getty Images) Carla and two others took the stage to reveal proposals to the minister that the teenagers had voted on. The most popular plans asked for more religious education in school and better police training. They also wanted to be allowed to wear visible religious symbols in high school a break from the current law but an idea backed by 52 per cent of high school students, according to a recent poll. While the teenagers proposals had been based on their personal experience, they felt El Hairy answered in abstractions. A teenager, Oumar NDiaye, 19, recounted how the police had stopped him nine times in the previous two months to check his identification, a deep source of injustice and resentment among minorities in France. In response, El Hairy told the students that the police force cant be racist because its republican but there were black sheep among the police, she said, like elsewhere in society. Carla wouldnt have it. When you undergo an identity check nine times in two months because of the colour of your skin, I dont think thats right, and I dont think its a black sheep, she told the minister. Recently, Carla said she felt that the minister had used her constant references to the republic almost as a shield. It means everything and nothing, she says. Finally, El Hairy, who had been expected to answer questions, left the gymnasium to talk to the few journalists present, leaving the audience confused and angry. When the word republic is used in a context where, each time, it means standards, constraints, behavioural obligations, one shouldnt be surprised that it draws less and less support Michael Foessel Oumar hoped that the minister would return. Back home in Pau, southern France, he said of the police: The fact that its republican doesnt preclude the fact that it could be racist. The son of immigrants from Senegal, Oumar says that both white and Black police officers asked him whether he was Muslim during those nine stops. When he answered yes, the officers tone changed, often dropping the polite vous in addressing him, he says. At the meeting, seeing the minister walk back in, Oumar buttonholed her and asked what would become of their proposals. He said: Im sorry, Madam Minister but I have the impression that everything we did this week was for nothing. In Pau, Oumar added: If we were against the republic, we wouldnt have got together to look for solutions to make it better. But the minister was so disturbed by the teenagers comments that she later ordered a government investigation into the conference. Her office wrote in a letter that their comments, revealed a complete ignorance and a worrying indifference toward republican principles. Investigators eventually blamed the events organisers for failing to instruct the youths on republican values. As the report was released, the minister told the French news media: Not a single euro of public money should go to the enemies of the republic. Such events have been put together for a decade by the Federation of Social and Sociocultural Centres of France, a private, politically neutral organisation that manages 1,250 outlets. President Emmanuel Macron of whose government El Hairy is one of the youngest members (POOL/AFP via Getty Images) The organisers rebutted the criticism, saying most of the teenagers had spent their lives in public schools where those values had been taught. The teenagers comments were a barometer of Frances social problems, said Tarik Touahria, the president of the federation, that had been transformed into a problem, an illness. Michael Foessel, a philosopher at the Ecole Polytechnique, said that French republicanism was being challenged precisely because it has failed to integrate children of immigrants and because, in the name of unity, it has increasingly called for more uniformity. Foessel says: When the word republic is used in a context where, each time, it means standards, constraints, behavioural obligations, one shouldnt be surprised that it draws less and less support. The teenagers who went to Poitiers have kept in touch, mostly on social media, and some are preparing a rebuttal to the report. Oumar shares an apartment in Pau with his fiancee, a woman of Algerian descent he met at an annual gathering three years ago. Clara is outraged at what she had heard in Poitiers, her mother says, and is now getting ready for another gathering. Jawan converted to Islam a few days after the end of the gathering. She now has second thoughts about becoming a gendarme for the military because she didnt feel like working for a country that doesnt love me. She says: I often say that Im in love with a republic that doesnt love me back. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. One person has died and four people are still missing after an explosion in a chemical industrial park in Germany. The body of a man was recovered from the site in the city Leverkusen, German media RTL and Die Welt reported. The cause of the explosion at the site, about 13 miles north of Cologne, was unclear Chempark operator Currenta said. Police said on Tuesday afternoon that 31 people were injured, with five of them in intensive care. Chempark director Lars Friedrich said: We are deeply affected by this tragic accident and the death of an employee. Our special sympathy goes above all to the relatives, but also to the colleagues who worked with him. The explosion took place at a rubbish incineration plant, the newspaper Daily Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger reported. Footage of the explosion on Tuesday shows a thick cloud of smoke rising out of the building that is on fire. The explosion has been classified as an extreme threat by Germanys Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance. Police in Cologne wrote on Facebook: The situation in Leverkusen-Wiesdof is still confusing at the moment. We are on-site with many police forces and we are clarifying the situation. There are several injured people. Residents have been asked to stay indoors with their windows and doors closed, German news agency dpa reported. The smoke cloud was moving in a north-western direction toward the towns of Burscheid and Leichlingen, Daily Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger reported. Emergency services had been deployed, and people from outside of Leverkusen have been advised to avoid the region. Several nearby motorways have also been shut. Leverkusen is home to Bayer, one of Germanys biggest chemical companies. Many of the 163,000 residents of Leverkusen work at the pharmaceutical company. Additional reporting by AP A huge plot in China with the potential to hold up to 110 nuclear silos has been discovered by American researchers. The expanse of land in the Gobi desert, near the city of Hami in the Xinjiang province, has 14 completed silos and the ground is cleared to build another 19, researchers at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) said. It could have up to 110 underground silos built on it judging by the grid-like outline of the entire complex, said the non-profit global think tank that pledges to use science for a safer, more informed world. The field spans about 300 sq miles the size of New York Citys land mass and is a similar size to a silo site discovered last month in Yumen, in Xinjiangs neighbouring province Gansu. The two sites are similar in construction and organisation to another site in the Jilantai training area, in Inner Mongolia, which has approximately 12 silos. The scientists said construction at the site near Hami which they discovered using satellite images likely began around March, according to a FAS blog post published on Monday. The underground silos are typically used to house intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). The researchers fear that the new silos are proof that China plans to rapidly increase its stockpile amid the global nuclear arms race. FAS said that its not sure how the silos will be used whether they would serve as empty decoys or to store warheads but it added that Chinas current number of about 350 warheads is expected to more than double over the next decade. If the new silos were all loaded with missiles, Chinese ICBMs could potentially carry more than 875 warheads assuming three warheads per missile when the Yumen and Hami missile silo fields are completed, up from the approximately 185 warheads China has on ICBMs already the researchers wrote. China is the third-largest nuclear power after Russia and the US. Russia has about 6,225 warheads while the US has about 5,550. France has about 300. The UK is the fifth largest nuclear power with about 225 warheads, of which up to 120 are operationally available for deployment. The scientists graphic showing where they expect future silos could be built on the site (FAS) FAS said: The Chinese government has for decades insisted it has a minimum deterrent and that it is not part of any nuclear arms race. Although it remains unclear how many silos will actually be filled with missiles, the massive silo construction and China's other nuclear modernisation programs are on a scale that appears to contradict these policies: the build-up is anything but minimum and appears to be part of a race for more nuclear arms to better compete with Chinas adversaries. FAS researchers Matt Korda and Hans M Kristensen said: The silo construction at Yumen and Hami constitutes the most significant expansion of the Chinese nuclear arsenal ever. A Chinese nuclear expert has dismissed reports on the discovery of the nuclear base under construction. Song Zhongping, a former Peoples Liberation Army instructor who is based in Hong Kong, said the nuclear silos were outdated, according to the South China Morning Post. He said: China has already used mobile launchers and discarded these fixed silos, which are time-consuming, labour-intensive, costly and vulnerable to be attacked and destroyed. Israeli forces and Palestinian militants in Gaza committed apparent war crimes during the recent 11-day conflict, a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) has found. The New York-based rights group investigated three Israeli strikes on Gaza in May that killed 62 Palestinian civilians, concluding there were no evident military targets in the vicinity, violating the laws of war. They also accused Palestinian armed groups of committing unlawful attacks when they fired more than 4,000 unguided rockets and mortars towards Israeli towns, amounting to indiscriminate attacks against civilians. In the Tuesday report, HRW urged the UN Human Rights Councils Commission of Inquiry to examine the unlawful attacks, and share those findings with the International Criminal Court which since March has been investigating war crimes committed by all sides in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. HRW also said that US-made weapons were used in at least two of Israels attacks investigated in the report, and urged the US to condition future security assistance to Israel on it taking concrete and verifiable actions to improve its compliance with international law. Israeli forces carried out attacks in Gaza in May that devastated entire families without any apparent military target nearby, said Gerry Simpson, associate crisis and conflict director at Human Rights Watch. Israeli authorities consistent unwillingness to seriously investigate alleged war crimes, as well as Palestinian forces rocket attacks toward Israeli population centres, underscores the importance of the International Criminal Courts inquiry. However, the Israeli military vehemently denied the accusations of war crimes telling HRW that it strikes military targets exclusively, following an assessment that the potential collateral damage resulting from the attack is not excessive in relation to the expected military advantage. More than 260 people, including at least 67 children, were killed in the intense Israeli bombardment of Gaza which erupted in June, after weeks of violence in Jerusalem. An unprecedented barrage of rocket fire from Gaza also killed 13 people in Israel, including two children and a soldier. HRW said several Palestinians also died in Gaza when rockets fired by armed groups including militant group Hamas fell short and landed in the Strip. The Independent has reached out to the Israeli army for comment but has yet to receive a reply. In the past military officials have told The Independent that they use precision weapons, and regularly warn those living in or around the targets about the attacks. The Independents own investigation into the deadliest night of bombing on 16 May in Wehda Street found that at least 45 civilians, including 18 children, were killed in dozens of airstrikes. At the time senior members of Amnesty International told The Independent that they appeared severely disproportionate and may amount to war crimes. The war erupted on May 10 after Hamas, the militant group that runs Gaza, fired a barrage of rockets towards Jerusalem in support of Palestinian protests against Israels heavy-handed policing of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which is sacred to both Jewish people and Muslims. It had followed weeks of violence, that was partially ignited by the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers in a nearby neighbourhood in Jerusalem, an action the UN said could constitute a war crime. HRW said Mays hostilities, like those in 2008, 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2019 took place amid Israels blockade on the Gaza Strip, which began in 2007, and discriminatory efforts to remove Palestinians from their homes in occupied East Jerusalem. HRW said these policies and practices are part of the Israeli governments crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution. In their latest report, HRW zeroed in on three Israeli attacks on Gaza. The first was May 10 near the northern town of Beit Hanoun which struck near four houses of the al-Masri family, killing eight civilians including six children. The second was a 15 May bombing that destroyed a three-story building in al-Shati refugee camp near the coast, killing 10 civilians from two related families. The third was the 16 May bombing in al-Wehda street in the heart of Gazas largest city causing three multi-story buildings to collapse and killing dozens of civilians. The Israeli military said it was targeting tunnels and an underground command centre used by armed groups, but HRW says they presented no details to support that claim. They also examined the indiscriminate and unlawful rocket fire from Gaza which killed over a dozen people in Israel including a five-year-old, Ido Abigail. But HRW said it would publish details of those findings later on. In a harrowing interview with HRW, survivor Alaa Abu Hattab, said his family received no warning when an airstrike destroyed their three-story building, killing his wife and four of his children, on the 15 May in al-Shati refugee camp. Palestinian rescue a survivor from under the rubble of a destroyed residential building following deadly Israeli airstrikes in Gaza Cit (AP) I felt like everything was revolving around me. I was in shock and I fainted, he said. When I regained consciousness, I saw rescue workers looking for bodies under the rubble and recovering body parts. The attack had shredded the bodies. HRW also interviewed Omar Abu Auf, 17 the sole survivor of the extended Abu Auf family after his home on Wehda Street was bombed on 16 May. Omars father Ayman, who was killed in the bombing, was a prominent doctor leading Gazas coronavirus response. I heard the civil defence members and ambulances. I shouted, but they didnt hear me. I felt like I was dead, he said about being trapped under the rubble for 12 hours. Why did they kill my family and leave me orphaned? Until that day, we had a house. I had a family. Each family member had a dream. It all disappeared in one second. HRWs Gerry Simpson said Israel and the Palestinian authorities have shown little or no interest in addressing abuses by their forces. Global and national judicial institutions should step up to break the vicious cycle of unlawful attacks and impunity for war crimes, he said. These investigations should also address the larger context, including the Israeli governments crushing closure of Gaza and its crimes of apartheid and persecution against millions of Palestinians. Tunisias largest political party, Ennahda, has called for national dialogue and even withdrew calls for protest, after accusing the countrys president of instigating a coup, when he fired the prime minister and suspended parliament. Countries across the world have expressed alarm about President Kais Saieds dramatic decisions as they plunged the country into its deepest political crisis in a decade and drew comparisons to Egypts military takeover in 2013. Mr Saied, an independent and former constitutional lawyer, claimed he was responding to nationwide protests against the ruling elite and acting in line with a clause in the countrys constitution allowing extraordinary measures during an emergency. Four of the biggest parties in parliament including moderate Islamist Ennahda have denounced the move as a coup, saying his actions were unconstitutional and had consolidated executive, legislative and judicial powers in his hands. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Mr Saied late on Monday and said he had urged him to "to adhere to the principles of democracy and human rights. The State department warned Tunisia not to "squander its democratic gains." A UN spokesperson Farhan Har said the already volatile region "cannot bear to have more unrest than it has presently had. Germany, Italy and France, Tunisias former colonial ruler, have all also expressed alarm, with German Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Adebah saying the Tunisian president appeared to be relying on a "pretty broad interpretation of the constitution. France meanwhile said it counted on Tunisia returning to as soon as possible the normal functioning of institutions. The ousted prime minister Hichem Mechichi, who is at his home and not under arrest, finally released a statement saying he would not be a "disruptive element" and was ready to hand over power to whomever Saied appointed. Tunisia has been rocked by a week of violent protests, as citizens took to the streets angry with the near total collapse of the health care system because of the pandemic and the escalating economic woes. Ten years on from the 2011 ousting of Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, few have seen tangible change. The economy shrank 8 percent last year while youth unemployment had soared to nearly 40 per cent. Tunisia has one of the highest Covid-19 death rates in the region. On Monday, Tunisias hard-currency bonds tumbled. Much of the anger during the rallies was directed towards the large political parties like Ennahda. But few expected the president, a staunch independent, to take such drastic measures which have raised the spectre of major street confrontations as both supporters and critics of the president held rallies. On Monday, as troops surrounded the parliament, there were already brief scuffles between hundreds of supporters of Ennahda and Saied. Mr Saied also lengthened an existing nationwide curfew from 7 pm to 6 am for one month and banned gatherings of more than three people in public places. He has been quick to dismiss the label of coup and told major civil society groups including the powerful labour union, the UGTT, that the emergency situation was temporary and that he would "protect the democratic path a senior union official said. But experts expressed deep concern about the future of Tunisia and the democratic gains made since the 2011 Arab Spring. Tarek Kahlaoui, a Tunisan political analyst said the president went well beyond the constitution, in particular suspending parliament and by making this decision without consulting the constitutional court, a body which has yet to be formed. This is a major breach of the constitution. It has allowed him to amass most powers, he told The Independent, clarifying he did not believe it amounted to a coup. I think we are going to have a transitional period where we will have an agreement to change the system from semi-parliamentary to presidential, which could be worrisome if too much power is given to the president, he added. Monica Marks, an expert on Tunisian politics at New York University Abu Dhabi agreed and told The Independent that so many Tunisians seem fed up and unwilling to wait for elections now. There may be a presidential hybrid regime, she said. There wont be neither full Sisi-style autocracy nor anything approaching genuine democracy if Kais Saied gets his way. It will be a kind of bastardised no mans land in which Tunisian politics could be more paralysed, and civil societys liberties more restrained than ever, she added . Scientists have found evidence of water vapour in the atmosphere of Jupiters moon Ganymede the first time such a discovery has ever been made. Using two decades of data from Nasas Hubble Space Telescope, which the space agency recently succeeded in bringing back online after a computer glitch, astronomers noticed a strange phenomenon in the ultraviolet images they took of the Jovian moon. The first images, from 1998, captured brightly-coloured ribbons of electrified gas known as auroral bands from Ganymede. Astronomers at the time believed that this was due to the presence of oxygen, but the data gathered did not match the expected emissions of a body that had an atmosphere made of pure oxygen. This strange information was believed to be caused by the high concentration of atomic oxygen (oxygen with only one molecule) but this could not have been further from the truth in fact, there is hardly any atomic oxygen in Ganymedes atmosphere. Lorenz Roth, of the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, made this discovery with his team using data from Hubbles Cosmic Origins Spectrograph in 2018 and archival images from the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) from 1998 to 2010. Closer examination of the distribution of aurora in the ultraviolet images suggested that the moons icy surface turns into vapour without becoming a liquid first (a process known as sublimation) to produce small amounts of water molecules in the atmosphere. "So far only the molecular oxygen had been observed," said Roth. "This is produced when charged particles erode the ice surface. The water vapor that we measured now originates from ice sublimation caused by the thermal escape of water vapor from warm icy regions." Ultraviolet images of Ganymede from 1998 (NASA, ESA, Lorenz Roth (KTH)) With the European Space Agencys Juice mission (the JUpiter ICy moons Explorer) planned to launch in 2022 and arrive at Jupiter in 2029, this new information will allow the ESA to refine their observation plans. The Juice mission will spend three years observing Jupiter and its three largest moons: Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto. Ganymede also has potential to be a habitat for future human exploration, and although it is subject to seven hundred times more natural radiation than Earth and one hundred times that of Mars too much for humans to live on the moon it is possible that astronauts would be able to explore the surface for short periods of time if they had sufficient protection. With a greater understanding of Jupiter and its history, astronomers will be able to get a better understanding of how the gas giants form and evolve too shedding more light on the mysteries of our place in the universe. Attacks by Taliban militants have been sharply on the rise. The departure of the coalition forces has led to more and more of Afghanistans territory falling to the Taliban. There is ample evidence to suggest that we should be concerned about the future of Afghanistan. Massacres of citizens; the beating up and forced marrying off of women in northern areas to Taliban fighters; an avalanche of passport and migration applications; and the approval of emergency exits for Afghan interpreters who worked with German, American or British forces. Alongside this dark news we have the welcoming of the Talibans delegation in Tehran by Irans official government. The US, meanwhile, undergoes a fundamental change in its foreign policy as it abandons its strategic partner, the sovereign government of Afghanistan, headed by President Ashraf Ghani. It has been two months since the Talibans bloody onslaught took a new turn, as did their widespread propaganda about the cities that had fallen to them. We have much evidence for the rise of popular resistance, however, including by armed women in some northern areas of Afghanistan. On the holy day of Eid al-Adha, as President Ghani and Vice President Amrullah Saleh were taking part in a collective prayer, we saw the capital city of Kabul and the presidential palace under rocket fire. The rockets delivered a message to Kabul not just from the Taliban but from the US government. Two days after Kabuls rocket-filled Eid, on Thursday 22 July, the US, European Union, Nato and a number of Western governments asked Kabul to reach an agreement with the Taliban about the future of governance in Afghanistan. In a meeting held in Rome, the representatives of these countries and organisations asked the Afghan government and the Taliban to agree on an immediate ceasefire and also to thrash out details of the agreement for an interim government. Kabul got the message: if it didnt agree to the American demands to share power with the Taliban and form an interim government, the capital and other cities could fall and an all-out civil war could intensify. On 24 July, Afghanistans foreign ministry welcomed the Rome meeting in an official statement as a step toward ceasing of violence from the Taliban, immediate ceasefire and a political solution in Afghanistan. Now that President Ghani had implicitly agreed to an interim government (which he had previously strongly opposed), the US did what it had agreed to do for its strategic partner: bombardment of the Taliban. The cities that have fallen to the Taliban were previously safeguarded by the US air force. It was the cutting of this support and cessation of airstrikes that aided the Taliban and allowed it to take them over. Sensing the danger, President Ghani showed flexibility and stopped opposing the US-Taliban deal that was inked in Doha. He agreed to an interim government. It is now up to the United States to push back the Taliban and force them to accept principles that have undermined the achievements of Afghanistans people in the last 20 years. The US embassy in Kabul have asked the Taliban to quickly cease their military operations in Afghanistan or else face a fierce response by US air strikes. It might feel like the momentum is now with Afghanistans central government. But what we witness is politicking by the United States which aims to bring to an end its 20-year presence in Afghanistan due to its high expenditures and to change its political strategy in the region. Who will pay the high cost of this decision? The people of Afghanistan. In its newest report, published on 26 July, the UN said that, in the first six months of the year, there was a 47 per cent rise in the number of wounded and dead civilians. The report shows that the number spiked after May when the process of withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan began and the Taliban intensified their attacks. The shocking report shows that 1,659 civilians were killed and 254 civilians were wounded. In the last two months, according to a report by Afghanistans government, close to a million people have fled war-torn areas and lost their homes. Many schools and health clinics have been destroyed. In the occupied areas, people face ferocious oppression, while the human rights of girls and women are especially violated. Defenseless and innocent people who want little to do with politics are once more paying the highest price. Now an interim government is being formed in Afghanistan while the US has, with much calculation, prepared the conditions so that this happens just when the Taliban and Kabul hold roughly the same amount of territory. Backed by US air strikes in the last two days, Afghanistans armed forces, with the collaboration of local people, were able to take back 17 districts. The Taliban now holds 193 out of 421 districts, roughly half of Afghanistan. Ashraf Ghanis flexibility and conciliation will soon bring out other results including the taking back of Afghanistans border areas including border posts of Herat province (with Iran) and other border areas with Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The path is now open for what Zalmay Khalzad, the US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, has long wanted: an interim government. He can now aim to finish the unfinished talks of Doha after two years. The new changes, desired by the US, can also satisfy Afghanistans neighbours. Coordination with Iran and Pakistan, representatives of both already closely in touch with Afghan contacts, will help the formation of an interim government. A Kabul-Taliban meeting was to be held in May in Turkey but it was postponed. The next summit, when it comes, can be as important a meeting as Bonn in 2001 which helped the transfer of power away from President Burnhanuddin Rabbani to President Hamid Karzai. This all helps back a narrative long supported by Khalilzad and also by Barnett Rubin, a political scientist and a former senior advisor to the state department during the Obama years. More than two decades of international failure in Afghanistan, Khalilzad and Rubin claim, goes back to Bonn 2001s decision to exclude Taliban from a share in power. Camelia Entekhabifard is the editor-in-chief of The Independent Persian To find out what others are saying and join the conversation scroll down for the comments section or click here for our most commented on articles People with disabilities had a fortunate dilemma that was rarely available to them during last years Democratic presidential primary: They could pick from a variety of candidates who had put out comprehensive policies on disability. Progressives like Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, as well as more mainstream Democrats like Pete Buttigieg and then-Senator Kamala Harris, all had plans that focused on healthcare, promoting home and community-based services as opposed to institutions and ending sub-minimum wage labor. The one exception to this rule was Joe Biden. Throughout the primary, Bidens disability plan was missing in action, likely a product of the fact that as the de facto frontrunner, he didnt feel a need to court interest groups. He also frustrated one disability rights activist when he touched his face . Thankfully, Biden turned this deficit around and released a comprehensive policy on disability, which, if passed, could make him one of the best presidents for disability rights, surpassing Barack Obama and making him on par with George H W Bush, who signed the Americans with Disabilities Act. At the same time, as is the case with much of his rhetoric, Biden seems married to a bygone era of bipartisanship. On Monday, during his address commemorating the 31st anniversary of the ADA, which he voted for as a Senator, he highlighted the bipartisan nature of the laws passage. Perhaps most importantly, we did it together, he said. This was a Democratic bill signed by a Republican president. It is true that the laws initial passage united people from various political factions, from the patrician New England Republican Bush to conservative Republicans like Bob Dole and liberal Democratic Senators like Ted Kennedy and Tom Harkin. The problem is that era does not exist anymore. Dole, who was disabled after serving in the Second World War, is long gone from the Senate and John McCain, Bidens friend who was disabled during his time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, is now deceased. In their stead, disabled Republicans look more like Madison Cawthorn, who uses a wheelchair, but has defended paying disabled people below minimum wage (hes since said in a hearing last week even though he doesnt believe in a federal minimum wage, all citizens should be treated fairly) and who infamously lied about being a Paralympian . The bipartisan comity between disabled veterans Dole and then-Democratic Senator Daniel Inouye has been supplanted by Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw, who lost his eye in Afghanistan, saying Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, who lost her legs in Iraq, agreed with the destruction of America. Even before then, Republicans have shown how little they regard the rights of disabled people. In 2012, when the Senate was voting to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, it failed, despite the fact that Dole returned to lobby for it on the chambers floor. Similarly, in 2017, disability rights activists staged massive protests in the halls of the Senate to oppose attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which they feared would gut Medicaid. Of course, this was compounded by the election of Donald Trump, who regarded the Covid-19 pandemic as only something that affects elderly people, elderly people with heart problems and other problems. At the same time, Biden has proposed a bold agenda on disability. During his address Monday, he touted his proposal to spend $400 billion expanding home and community-based services, which allows disabled and elderly people to access care in their homes rather than institutions or nursing homes. Hes also pledged to end sub-minimum wage labor. Similarly, his campaign pledged to lift the benefit level for Supplemental Security Income to 100 percent of the federal poverty level (it is currently 74 percent of it). The problem is that few Republicans in Congress support these initiatives, to the point that Democrats are putting home and community-based services in their reconciliation bill to sidestep a filibuster. Similarly, while some Republicans might individually support ending sub-minimum wage labor, many support keeping it in place. The divide transcends the typical MAGA-moderate divide in the GOP, as was seen when Senators Mitt Romney and Tom Cottons alternative minimum wage proposal would have preserved the practice . Furthermore, many disability rights activists are alarmed by the deluge of state laws that would curb voting, which they saw might restrict their rights . But Biden has so far not budged on removing the filibuster in the Senate. Bidens proposals for disabled people are indeed quite bold and they are more comprehensive than almost anything people with disabilities have seen a president propose. But they will all be rendered meaningless if he prioritizes bipartisanship over results. Nearly seven months after a violent mob attempted to block Congress from certifying President Joe Bidens electoral college win, a select committee of seven Democrats and two Republicans convened what will be the first of many hearings that committee members plan to use to tell a definitive story of the worst attack on the Capitol since Admiral Sir George Cockburn ordered its burning in August 1814. The committees investigation is the Houses second attempt to bring about accountability for any Trump administration officials and Republican members of Congress who may have played a role into fomenting the events of the day. The first, a brief inquiry which led to former President Donald Trump becoming the first American president to face two Senate impeachment trials, was limited by both time constraints and the Trump administrations wholesale rejection of the Democratic-led chambers investigative authority. But even with the White House and the executive branch under the control of Biden and his appointees, it remains unclear whether officials of the former administration will cooperate. Also unclear is whether Democrats will be willing to do what is necessary to secure testimony from a stable of GOP witnesses that could include their own colleagues and the former president. Over the two years of Trumps presidency during which Democrats controlled the House, most attempts to compel testimony from administration officials were met with massive resistance from the White House and executive branch agencies. Trump and his allies made sweeping claims regarding the extent to which executive privilege a legitimate privilege meant to protect the presidents right to receive candid advice from his advisers shielded almost any information sought by Democrats on any subject. In the face of this wholesale obstruction, Democrats resorted to the courts to force compliance with subpoenas. For the most part, they were unsuccessful in ever forcing a Trump administration official to testify in a timely manner. Yet the change in administration gives at least some hope that their efforts will not spend years in judicial limbo this time. According to The New York Times, the Justice Department recently advised current and former officials that executive privilege will not be used to shield them from speaking with Congressional probes into January 6, citing the extraordinary events of that day. So too will the White House Counsels Office, which the Times reports as having determined that it would be inappropriate to assert the privilege to block an investigation into an attempt to overturn the election by Trump and his allies. In an interview with CNN, one of the committee members, California Representative Adam Schiff, said that the House could turn to the Biden-led Justice Department to charge recalcitrant witnesses with contempt of Congress should the House vote to make an appropriate referral with a contempt citation. We were hampered in that the last four years because the Justice Department was hostile to the mission. Bill Barr, at times, was implicated in what we were investigating and so was not going to enforce a contempt against witnesses who were recalcitrant. Hopefully that has changed but time will tell, said Schiff, who led the Houses first impeachment inquiry into Trump as chair of the House Intelligence Committee. While the Justice Department may be willing to allow officials to testify without the shield of executive privilege, its doubtful that prosecutors would act on a contempt referral from Congress, as the department has declined to act on a number of recent examples under both Democratic and Republican administrations. That pattern is unlikely to change under Attorney General Merrick Garland, who has so far taken great pains to avoid actions that could be perceived as political. One veteran observer of and participant in GOP politics, ex-Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele, said the House should skip the court battles and use its own inherent contempt authority to force witnesses to testify. Under such procedures, the House could vote to direct the Sergeant-at-Arms to arrest and detain a witness who is in contempt of Congress until they cure the contempt by testifying. The last time either chamber resorted to such measures was 1934, when then-Assistant Secretary of Commerce William MacCracken Jr was arrested by the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms, tried on the Senate floor, and detained for ten days at Washingtons Willard Hotel. MacCracken challenged his arrest in court, but the Supreme Court upheld his arrest and ruled that Congress had acted constitutionally. Another prominent Republican with experience dealing with congressional investigations, former Nixon White House Counsel John W Dean, said Congress needs to do what it takes to get answers and end years of impotence when it comes to enforcing its prerogatives. Suffice it to say it is long past time for Congress to get its act together to be able to enforce subpoenas and they have the inherent power to do so, Dean said. It is in the interest of both parties to fix this fundamental problem. Sources close to House Democrats have suggested that inherent contempt is off the table because it has been so long since it has been used and would create a spectacle that Republicans could use to their advantage. But Steele said the spectacle would be an advantage for Democrats. Democrats had better demonstrate that they are f**king serious and bring the hammer of the system. What the hell do you have subpoena power for? What the hell do you have a Sergeant-at-Arms with the authority to arrest for? Why do you have all these things in place [for] if you dont know how to use them or refuse to use them? he said. The American people should hear and see every moment when a Republican elected official current or former or some other actor says: I refuse to acknowledge this subpoena, and guess what? Theyre going to get arrested and sit their ass in jail until they decide to appear. They need to create that image for the American people, because then the American people will know this is legitimate, and its serious, and its on the way to getting an answer to the questions they have. Yet even if such tactics could strike fear into the hearts of potential Trump administration figures, they might not work for some of the most important witnesses: sitting members of Congress. Both Democrats and the Republicans on the committee have indicated that they may want to hear testimony from several GOP members, including Arizona Representative Paul Gosar and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the latter of whom is on record as having spoke to Trump while his supporters were storming the Capitol. But one expert on Congressional operations, American Enterprise Institute emeritus scholar Norman J Ornstein, warned against voting to have the Sergeant-at-Arms arrest McCarthy or any other member because Republicans would find ways to do the same to Democrats once they retake the House, even if the reasons are wholly in bad faith. When McCarthy warned Pelosi to watch out what you do [regarding her rejection of McCarthys picks for the January 6 committee] he was being serious, and what you can imagine is them abusing this in the worst possible way, he said. What would be worse is if you started to throw your own colleagues into some kind of a cell in the basement of the Capitol. Ornstein said the House could still use inherent contempt on non-congressional witnesses, but only after laying groundwork to show that their refusal is to conceal wrongdoing: Get to a place where it becomes clear that theyre not doing this out of some, you know, moral protest, but on some bogus separation of powers, or executive privilege issue because theyre trying to cover up their own culpability. Steele, the former RNC chair, warned that if Democrats fail to use the full extent of their power to compel answers from whoever the need to hear from, theyre going to get caught in the vortex of politics and political name-calling and all of the typical Washington bulls**t that comes from that, and the American people will yawn, and it will be a waste of time. One former Republican who aided numerous congressional investigations of the Obama administration, ex-House Oversight Committee spokesperson Kurt Bardella, agreed that all options should be on the table if Democrats want to get to the bottom of what happened before and during the insurrection. Democrats should use every tool at their disposal to compel cooperation with the January 6th Select Committees investigation, he said in a text message. Period. Full stop. A spokesperson for the January 6 committee did not respond to a query on whether inherent contempt would be one of the tools employed in the course of the investigation. But should the committee and the full House decide to do so, Ornstein predicted that those responsible for enforcing the Houses decision will have plenty of eager help. The Sergeant-at-Arms is not exactly in a position to want to go out and arrest people. Thats not what they do, he said. But I have a feeling you may find some Capitol Police who would be happy to do that. Indiana, PA (15701) Today A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 79F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Three members of a gang were arrested because they allegedly duped internet users by sending bogus pop-up police notices and asking a fine to be paid, claiming they were watching illegal porn, police said as per PTI. Gabrial James, Ram Kumar Selvam and B Dhinushanth were nabbed in Tamil Nadu by a team of Delhi Police's Cyber Cell, which camped for over a week and travelled over 2000 kilometres between Chennai, Trichi, Coimbatore and Udhagamandalam to eventually catch them. Modus operandi The trio operated on the behest of their mastermind, B Chanderkant, who is based out of Cambodia and is Dhinushanth's brother, the police said. A probe was initiated after a few people reported on social media about being issued police notices alleging they were watching pornographic content, and that it is a banned activity. The notices alleged that owing to viewing banned activity, all the files in the computer of the victims had been blocked. They were also asked to pay Rs 3,000 as fine, according to the police. These victims also added that they were only conducting routine searches on their web browser and had not searched any pornographic content, the police said. iStock Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Cell) Anyesh Roy said, "Action was initiated suo moto after registration of an FIR on the basis of social media inputs. The technical analysis of bogus pop-up notices showed that they were being routed through foreign locations. Used fake addresses "However, the money trail led to multiple accounts operating from Tamil Nadu. Accordingly, a team was dispatched to Tamil Nadu. Since the accused used bogus addresses for opening accounts, the team camped in the region for over a week and travelled over 2,000 kilometres between Chennai, Trichi, Coimbatore, Udhagamandalam, and several other places to finally apprehend three men including the local mastermind -- B. Dhinushanth." When Dhinushanth was questioned, he told the police that the technical part of the entire operation, which included hosting bogus police notices and its targeted display to internet users, was being handled by his brother, B. Chanderkant, who operated from Veal Pon, near Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh, the officer said. PTI "In the investigation conducted so far, more than 20 bank accounts were found to be used to route the defrauded money. Cheating of more than Rs 30 lakh has been accounted for through identified UPI IDs and QR codes used in the bogus notices over a period from February to June this year. "Dhinushanth disclosed that the cheated money was being moved out from the banking system through cryptocurrencies by his brother Chanderkant," he said. The police said the matter is being further investigated to unravel the complete money trail as it is suspected that more accounts are being used to hide the money trail. Two engineers responsible for making the earliest iteration of WhatsApp have come together with a private social media network that promises to be secure and ad-free, dubbed HalloApp. HalloApp Also Read: Apple iOS 14.5 Update Declares War On Facebook, Google, Other Data Tracking Apps The social media platform went live last week on Google Play Store and Apple App Store and the platform has quite a few similarities with WhatsApp. Reported first by The Verge, HalloApp is designed for group or individual texting with close friends and family and the only way people can add you is through their phone number. The platform also promises that the conversations on the platform will be end-to-end encrypted for an additional layer of security. And one of its unique selling propositions is the fact that the app would not host advertisements -- something WhatsApps parent company Facebook truly relies on for its revenue. The app is created by Neeraj Arora and Michael Donohue who both worked with WhatsApp until 2018 and 2019 respectively. Arora worked as WhatsApps chief business officer whereas Donohue was WhatsApps chief engineering director. The novel social media platform is broken into four main tabs -- a home page that is like a feed for all posts of people in your network, group chats, private chats and settings. The app continues to follow a minimal design language and looks quite fresh. Also Read: Signal's Genius Ads On Instagram Asked Users To Quit Facebook For Data Privacy In a blog post hosted by the company, Arora shared the philosophy behind the app, calling engagement-driven social media the '21st-century cigarette'. Reuters Imagine your friends online were your real friends. Imagine your feed wasnt filled with people and posts you didnt care about. Imagine scrolling through meaningful moments and seeing what you wanted you to seenot what the algorithm wanted you to see. Imagine not being treated like a product. Also Read: Facebook Crosses $1 Trillion Value, Fastest Company To Reach Milestone While the app looks great for now and is free to use, in the future it is expected to charge users for the feature through a subscription model, similar to what WhatsApp tried to do in the initial days before Facebook took control of the app. Would you prefer paying for social media with an ad-free or tracking-free experience? Tell us in the comments below. Researchers at Alzheimer's Association -- a Chicago-based non-profit organisation -- have shared three studies that show the ill effects of pollution and its link with dementia-causing Alzheimer's, warning the governments to put regulations in place to curb air pollution to reduce the rates of people suffering from this condition. Getty Images Also Read: iPhone Or Apple Watch Can Detect Early Signs Of Dementia, And Help In Getting Speedy Care The three studies were reported at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2021 that was conducted in Denver. They looked at the effect of reducing nitrogen dioxide and PM 2.5 on cases of Alzheimer's in a particular population. First Study The first study on this list was conducted by Xinhui Wang, assistant professor of research neurology at the University of Southern California and his team. They tested the hypothesis that if older women who resided in locations with a greater reduction in air pollution could result in a slower decline in their cognitive function and would have fewer chances of developing dementia. For the study, they looked at a group of women from the age group of 74 to 92 from the WHIMS-ECHO study that was funded by the National Institutes of Health. These women didnt have dementia at the beginning. These participants were observed between 2008 and 2018, with cognitive function tests performed every year to understand if the test subjects are showing signs of dementia development. Getty Images Also Read: Those Who Sleep More Than 9 Hours A Day Have Higher Chances Of Getting Dementia Researchers also got the addresses of participants to see an estimated pollution level at their homes over time. The researchers discovered that in the decade-long period, air quality improved greatly. During a median of 6 years, some level of cognitive decline was evident due to the subjects ageing. However, for every 1.2 micrograms per cubic metre reduction in PM2.5, there was a 14 percent reduced risk of getting dementia and for every 5.3 parts per billion reductions in NO2, there was a 26 percent reduced risk of dementia. Second Study A similar study was conducted by the University of California, San Diego researchers, but with a large sample of 7,000 participants aged 65 years and older. They discovered that a 15 percent reduced risk of all-cause dementia and a 17 percent reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease for every decrease in PM2.5 levels. This decrease was regardless of the socio-demographic and health behaviour factors and the APOE genotype -- a genetic risk factor for dementia. Third Study To the uninitiated, Alzheimer's is known to be caused by the abnormal build-up of proteins in and around brain cells. One of the proteins involved is called beta-amyloid plaques. The other protein dubbed tau is responsible for the tangles within brain cells. Accumulation of beta-amyloid plaques is one of the most prominent indicators of Alzheimer's disease, and researchers were looking for a link between this plaque buildup and air pollution. Also Read: Think Positive: Risk Of Dementia, Alzheimers Disease Grows By Negative Thinking For this, a study by researchers from the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Washington looked at links between exposure to PM2.5, PM10, NO2 and A1-40 -- a major protein component of plaques in over 3,000 individuals who were originally dementia-free. iStock The study also looked at pollution levels at the address of the participant for time periods up to 20 years prior to taking blood tests for the study. Individuals who have been a part of the study for a long time -- up to eight years -- showed a strong association between all three pollutants and A1-40, thus marking the first human data suggesting air pollution could be an important factor in the development of dementia. Claire Sexton, director of scientific programs & outreach at the Alzheimers Association said in a statement, We've known for some time that air pollution is bad for our brains and overall health, including a connection to amyloid buildup in the brain. But what's exciting is we're now seeing data showing that improving air quality may actually reduce the risk of dementia. These data demonstrate the importance of policies and action by federal and local governments, and businesses, that address reducing air pollutants. Rio de Janeiro: A young girl named Nicole Oliviera from Brazil has now become the youngest astronomer as she discovered around 7 asteroids for NASA. According to reports, the 7-year-old girl participated in a citizen-science program called 'Asteroid Hunt; it was run by the International Astronomical Search Collaboration - NASA is a member of it as well. NASA Nicole discovered seven asteroids and was given a certificate for the same. According to a Brazilian news organization named 'R7', Nicole asked her mother to get her a star when she was only two years old. Her mother bought her a toy star at the time, only to realise what her daughter actually wanted. Nicole is the youngest astronomer in the world right now; she has also given lectures in various schools and events on astronomy. She was invited to give a lecture during the first-ever International Seminar on Astronomy and Aeronautics at Brazil's Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. Sprout Wired Due to the pandemic, all the events she attends are held online right now. Sky&Telescope (Representational image) Other than her multiple accolades, Nicole also runs a YouTube channel where she talks about astronomy - she discusses asteroids, space and other things around it for people like her. On occasion, she also invited researchers and professors of the field to share their knowledge with the rest of the world. In a shocking turn of events, a man in Madhya Pradeshs Anuppur district died by suicide allegedly due to harassment by police and a shopkeeper who had registered a complaint against him. As per a report in India Today, the incident reportedly took place at Bandha village of Amarkantak town on July 22. The victim took the extreme step of ending his life after an argument broke out between him and a shopkeeper over the rise in the price of samosas. Representational Image/iStock The shopkeeper, identified as Kanchan Sahoo, asked the man to pay Rs 20 for two pieces of samosas instead of Rs 15, which resulted in an argument between the two, Zee News reported. As the matter escalated, the shopkeeper approached the police and lodged a complaint. Representational Image/Pxhere Police filed a case under sections 294, 506 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and initiated an investigation. As part of its probe, police questioned the buyer who later set himself ablaze. The onlookers doused the fire and took him to a nearby community health centre. He was referred to the district hospital where he died on July 24. Representational Image/iStock He died due to severe burn injuries, police said. Pushprajgarh Sub-divisional officer of police (SDOP), meanwhile, said he has ordered a probe into the matter. We can never forget the Kargil war heroes who fought with bravery. We salute the bravehearts and remember them every year for their acts of selfless courage during the Kargil war of 1999. Today we will talk about one such heroes, Lance Naik Satbir Singh, because of whom we are safe and sound in our homes. Took bullets for nation It has been over 18 years since Satbir Singh last served in the Indian Army as Lance Naik in the Rajputana Rifle Regiment. During the 1999 Kargil war, Satbir Singh wrote a letter to his parents on June 19, 1999. His letter read: Revered Mother... Sincere Regards to Father... How is everyone? Sent a letter to sister Sushila today. Don't worry about me. I am fine here. Must read the newspaper of 16th. All the martyrs of the incident were from my unit. There is no more danger now. There is almost peace. I will apply for leave only when the situation is completely fine. I will come on leave by September. Hows your health father? Reply to the letter quickly. (Read the letter in Hindi) Kargil Soldier of Rajputana Rifles, Satbir Singh's residence in Mukhmelpur village, New Delhi During the battle of Tololing, the brave from Mukhmelpur Village fought with valour and never looked back despite being injured from bullets. Even today, he cannot walk properly because of the injury. Story of Lance Naik Satbir Singh Satbir Singh was brought up in an environment where he was taught the importance of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan' from his childhood. Satbir was just five years old when he held the Indian tricolor in his hands for the first time during a rally. Whenever someone asked him at a young age what he wanted to become in the future, he would reply proudly I want to join the army. During his childhood, Satbir Singh took part in the school parade with great enthusiasm. Later he went on to join the NCC (National Cadet Corps) to prepare himself for the Indian army. But due to a lack of financial support, he couldnt study too much. Before joining the Indian Army, Satbir Singh worked as a Home Guard for about two and a half years. Talking with Indiatimes Hindi, Satbir said that, during the 1999 Kargil war, He was on the top of Tololing hill on June 13, 1999 morning with his troops. A bullet wound is still visible on his leg Satbir lay injured on the hill for about seventeen hours During the war, Satbir exploded the grenade that killed many Pakistani soldiers. However, in this struggle, a bullet hit him in the leg. The mark of the wound is still visible on his foot. After being hit by the bullet, Satbir lay injured on the hill for about seventeen hours. During this time he lost a lot of blood. After sending back the Pakistani soldiers from the hill, troopers brought him down and sent him to Srinagar for better treatment. Satbir was admitted to the Army Hospital on June 14, 1999, for treatment and retired from the Indian Army on May 23, 2000, as he could walk properly due to the leg injury. Battle for entitlements After winning the Kargil war on July 26, 1999, the Indian government announced plans to provide a petrol pump and agricultural land to the soldiers who died in the 1999 India-Pakistan Kargil war. Satbir was also named on this list, but while families of others, who were injured or martyred received either petrol pump licences or acres of land for their livelihood, Satbir spent his days on the hospital bed and unable to fill the forms. Kargil War Hero Satbir Singh working in his juice shop | Indiatimes He was given about five Bighas of land, which was taken back after three years. In such a situation, the hero of Kargil was forced to open a juice shop to meet his daily family needs. Satbir takes care of his two children and wife from his army pension and the earnings from the juice shop. He didn't get the respect he really deserved. A warrior who fought for the country was defeated by the system From left to right: A glimpse of letter written by Singh, A photograph of Singh standing on his farm, A newspaper cutting about Singh,Singh's residence It would be unfortunate that this warrior, who was shot by the enemy in the battle of Kargil, was defeated by the system! Even though his disappointment from the country's system inefficiency, Satbir remains indebted to the Indian Army. Spin follows Rhea (Avantika), an Indian American teen who learns she has a passion for creating DJ mixes that blend the textures of her Indian heritage and the world around her. (photo via IANS) International students contributed $38.7 billion to the U.S. economy during the 2019-2020 academic year, supporting approximately 415,000 jobs, said 150 colleges in an amicus brief to the DC Court of Appeals, which is hearing a case on the Optional Practical Training program. (Representational image of Indian students/Narinder Nanu/AFP via Getty Images) Dilawar Syed, co-chair of the AAPI Victory Fund, has been nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as Deputy Administrator at the Small Business Administration. His confirmation has been stalled by a group of senators. The Pakistani American executive is seen here in a file photo with President Joe Biden. (India-West file photo) Samsung said on Tuesday that the popular Galaxy Note series, an integral part of its flagship premium portfolio that created a distinct buzz every year, will not make its appearance in 2021. The company is betting big on the future of foldable devices. Unveiled at IFA Berlin for the first time and later arrived in the market in October 2011, the iconic device made a strong customer base globally including in India, owing to the unique S (Stylus) Pen, bigger and better screen and overall productivity that separated the device from the rest. Dr TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics, said that instead of unveiling a new Galaxy Note this time around, "we will further broaden beloved Note features to more Samsung Galaxy devices", as the company prepares to enter the next generation of foldable Galaxy Z devices next month. According to Tarun Pathak, Research Director, Counterpoint Research, Galaxy Note series surely had a loyal fan base and, over the past one decade, positioned itself as a go to device in terms of enterprise-grade and productivity-centric features, thanks to stylus. "The differentiation with the stylus was so strong that none of the smartphone players were able to bring the stylus with the same impact as Samsung in the past one decade, even though a handful of OEMs tried that route," Pathak told IANS. Now Samsung is looking to replicate the same with foldable categories where it has already an edge being on the second generation of devices. "It will surely look forward to bring some Note-related features in the foldable as well," he added. Launched last year, Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra broke the gridlock and monotony of our daily lives, providing some out-of-the-box moments. It redefined productivity in the work-from-home (WFH) era amid the pandemic. For Samsung, it makes prudence to focus more on aligning their product portfolio by bringing S-Pen and other functionalities from the Galaxy Note, said Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR. "As differentiation between the Note and other product series gets blurrier, it will be in Samsung's advantage to consolidate, and focus on furthering its leadership in foldable phones," Ram told IANS. However, according to Counterpoint Research, foldable smartphone shipment share will remain in low single digits for the foreseeable future as the industry experiments with various form factors, designs, materials and operating system variants. "Foldables accounted for just a fraction of a percent of last year's 1.3 billion total addressable market in smartphones and is expected to reach just 1.2 per cent by 2022," according to the data. Although the foldable market grew significantly over the past year, it was from a small base and is expected to remain niche through the medium term. "Three key things must happen before we see any significant volumes: 1) Significant price declines with flagships at around $1,000$1,500; 2) more vendor participants -- we're starting to see this now; and 3) Apple's entry into the space," said Counterpoint Research Senior Analyst Jene Park. Ram added: "The current market conditions, including the semiconductor supply chain crunches, and the pandemic impact on consumer smartphone buying behaviour, make it tougher to sustain two distinct flagship product platforms". Real-time social media posts from local businesses and organizations across Northern Virginia, powered by Friends2Follow. To add your business to the stream, email cfields@insidenova.com or click on the green button below. A sand spit that protects part of the coastline straddling Fairfield and Bridgeport, Connecticut, is eroding and could leave the area vulnerable to flooding and other damage if measures arent taken to replenish it, a local environmental group says. A report by a New York-based consultant has estimated that continued erosion and storms could make the spit disappear in 15 years, according to a report in the Connecticut Post. The spit acts like a sponge, and breaks the waves coming off Long Island Sound. Without it, the inland residential areas bordering Ash Creek as well as the tidal ecosystem within the creek could be threatened. Roughly 200 homes could be affected. Like global warming, its not too late to act, but were on the precipice, Gail Robinson, president of the Ash Creek Conservation Association, told the Post. The spit has served as a barrier for the creek since the 1600s but has been reduced in recent years by storms Irene and Sandy as well as dredging the city of Fairfield has performed for an adjacent marina. The association has been pushing for dredged sand currently being brought to Jennings Beach to be placed back on the sand spit. William Hurley, Fairfields engineering manager, told the newspaper the city has been talking with Robinsons organization and takes the matter seriously. He said previous dredgings have occurred under guidelines approved by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The report by Beacon, New York-based environmental consultant One Nature found the sand spit has lost 60 linear feet between 2006 and 2016. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Connecticut Millers Mutual Insurance Promotes Hess to VP, Chief Information Officer Millers Mutual Insurance, a regional property/casualty insurance carrier, promoted Samuel Hess to vice president and chief information officer, effective immediately. As CIO, Hess will partner with Millers business units to identify, develop and implement information technology capabilities that enable the companys strategic direction, support day-to-day business operations, position Millers favorably with all organizational stakeholders and agencies and function in accordance with applicable regulations. He will be responsible for leading all functional and staff-related activities as well as maintaining knowledge of current and emerging trends in the IT insurance industry. Hess has been a part of the Millers Mutual IT team for more than five years, with increasing amounts of responsibility and expertise, including becoming certified and serving as the chief information security officer in 2020. Prior to Millers Mutual, Hess worked for Millville Mutual as an IT support and technology developer for five years. Before that, he was an IT consultant for three years. Millers Mutual Insurance, based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is a regional property/casualty insurer serving commercial policyholders in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and Washington, D.C., through a network of independent agents. Source: Millers Mutual Insurance MEMIC Hires Three to Underwriting Team MEMIC, a workers compensation insurance specialty carrier with offices from Maine to Florida and licenses across the nation, hired three to its underwriting team. Diane Firster was hired as senior production underwriter, Scott Richards was hired as senior production underwriter, and Sunny Jarrard was hired as senior loss sensitive underwriter. As a 31-year insurance industry veteran, Firster most recently served as product manager for Philadelphia Insurance and previously as an account management specialist with Selective Insurance for seven and a half years, helping her develop multi-line commercial experience. She is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Richards, who joined MEMIC in June, began his career with The Hartford in 1997. He served there for 10 years before accepting underwriting and leadership positions with Harleysville/Nationwide and Travelers. He is based in Whitesboro, New York. Jarrard will manage MEMICs loss sensitive portfolio in the Eastern region. She began her insurance career as an independent agent in 2010 and transitioned into underwriting in 2014, when she joined Travelers national accounts division. In 2019, she joined Safety National, where she managed the Florida, Georgia and Tennessee territories with a $25 million book of loss sensitive business. Jarrard is based in Roswell, Georgia. Source: MEMIC Topics Underwriting The Ardonagh Group announced the creation of Ardonagh Europe as it prepares to take its buy-and-build model to Europe. Ardonagh Europe will be headquartered in Dublin and led by Conor Brennan, who will also continue to hold the position of CEO of Arachas Corporate Brokers, a subsidiary of Ardonagh. Ardonagh Europe will form part of the Ardonagh International segment and operate alongside Ardonagh Global Partners, led by Des OConnor, which is focused on the rest of the world. Brennan has been the CEO of Arachas, Irelands largest and fastest growing specialist corporate broker, since May 2018. Prior to Arachas he held a number of roles at Zurich Insurance, including head of UK general insurance and CEO of general insurance in Ireland. The team is strengthened by the additional appointments of Maria Cospito as chief commercial officer for Ardonagh Europe, and Colin OReilly as chief acquisitions officer. Cospito was most recently head of Navigators & General at Zurich Insurance Co. Ltd., while OReilly joins from the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), the 9 billion Irish sovereign wealth fund, where he held the role of senior investment manager. John McCarthy, in addition to his current role as CFO of Arachas, will assume the role of CFO for Ardonagh Europe. Arachas joined Ardonagh in 2020 and has gone on to make a number of acquisitions including Hooper Dolan and fintech Orange Bear. Earlier this month, it announced the opening of the Ardonagh Global Data and Risk Management Centre in Mullingar, Ireland, and the creation of 60 data science and analysis roles. Under Brennans leadership, Ardonagh Europe will replicate Arachas model across Europe, acquiring platform businesses and then building organically and through bolt-on acquisitions. Businesses that join Ardonagh Europe will benefit from access to Ardonaghs commercial capabilities, funding and management expertise as part of a top 20 Global Broker which places over $10 billion in gross written premiums. In the first quarter of 2021, the Ardonagh Group increased income by 24.8% to 199.7 million and adjusted EBITDA by 52% to 66.3 million, due to a combination of acquisitions and organic growth. The group expects further substantial growth and investment into international markets, including Ardonagh Europe, over the next 12 months and beyond. Ardonagh will complete the $500 million acquisition of Ed Broking Group and Besso Insurance in 2021. The launch today of Ardonagh Europe signals our continued focus on increasing our global footprint. We have spent the last 12 months building a meaningful pipeline in geographies which present us with significant complementary opportunities, commented David Ross, chief executive of Ardonagh Group. Almost a year to the day since we acquired Arachas, we are poised to execute on our campaign in Europe, with Conor and his newly formed team perfectly positioned to establish themselves as the partner of choice for extraordinary businesses, Ross added. Conor Brennan, chief executive of Arachas and of Ardonagh Europe, said: Ardonagh has a special culture and a unique strategy to acquire and invest in brokerages, MGAs, and strategically significant service providers while retaining and empowering leaders. We have established a strong pipeline of acquisitions; making them a reality is a dream job. Formed in 2017, Ardonaghs brands include Autonet, Arachas, Bishopsgate, Broker Network, Carole Nash, Compass Networks, Ethos Broking, Geo Underwriting, Price Forbes, Swinton, Towergate and URIS. With a UK headquarters in London, Ardonaghs registered address is in St. Helier, Jersey, one of the Channel Islands off the coast of the UK. Source: Ardonagh Group Topics Agencies Europe This edition of International People Moves covers appointments at three insurers: Covea Insurance, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Swiss Re Corporate Solutions. A summary of these new hires follows here. Covea Insurance, the UK underwriting business of French mutual insurer Covea, announced the promotion of Adrian Furness as chief executive officer. He succeeds James Reader, who is leaving the business and has no plans to take on another executive role. Furness has held the role of chief operating officer at Covea Insurance since December 2019, having previously been claims director of the company and its predecessor Provident Insurance since 2008. We are extremely grateful to James for the legacy he leaves within Covea, commented Furness in a statement. Ive worked with him for 18 years and he has been a brilliant leader of the business and, from both a professional and personal perspective, I will miss him greatly and wish him all the very best for the future. While the board of directors and our shareholder regret James personal decision to leave, we respect his choice, said Covea Insurances Chairman Dominique Salvy. We are grateful for his leadership of the company throughout his tenure, which has delivered a solid strategic positioning for the business and has helped navigate the unprecedented challenges brought about by the pandemic, added Salvy. Going forward, no one is better positioned than Adrian to continue to guide the company and build on its strengths. The board wishes him every success. After nine years as chief executive, I have decided that the time is right for me to take a step back. It has been an absolute privilege to lead such a great business and team and Im extremely proud of what weve achieved together, said Reader. *** Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) announced it has named Caroline Alder-Smurthwaite, head of General Casualty, UK. Alder-Smurthwaite comes to BHSI from Chubb, where she spent 12 years in increasingly senior positions, most recently London corporate casualty manager. She began her career on the claims side of the business at Gerling Insurance. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in European Studies, International Business, from the University of Central Lancashire. She is based in BHSIs office in London and can be reached at +44 203 692 8011 or Caroline.AlderSmurthwaite@bhspecialty.com *** Swiss Re Corporate Solutions appoints Caroline Pritchard as head Distribution Management Europe, Middle East & Africa, effective Aug. 1. She will assume this new responsibility in addition to her current role as head Distribution Management UK. Based in London, Pritchard will advance Corporate Solutions distribution strategy, represent the companys products and solutions to commercial insurance brokers and maintain strong relationships with key partners. Pritchard joined Swiss Re Corporate Solutions in March 2020 as head of Distribution Management UK. She has over 25 years of experience in the commercial insurance sector in EMEA and North America and has held various leadership roles with brokers and commercial insurers, including roles at Crawford & Co. and nine years at Zurich Insurance, according to her LinkedIn profile. Pritchard holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Warwick. Topics Chubb Swiss Re J.M. Wilson promoted Mary Ricks and Jennifer Councell to executive fleet underwriters in its Portage, Michigan, office, where they are responsible for underwriting new and renewal transportation fleet submissions (11 plus units), as well as building relationships with independent insurance agents and company underwriters. Ricks and Councell have been with the J.M. Wilson team for 18 years and 14 years respectively and have held various positions in the transportation department. Most recently, they held the positions of senior fleet underwriters. J.M. Wilson promoted Ryan Tokarz to transportation renewal underwriter in its Arlington Heights, Illinois, office. Tokarz joined the company in December 2020 as an assistant underwriter with previous experience as an underwriting operations associate for four years, as well as a sales manager for eight years. The company promoted Andrea Farr to senior property/casualty underwriter in its Kansas City, Missouri, office. Farr is responsible for underwriting a wide variety of P/C risks, as well as building relationships with independent insurance agents and company underwriters in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. She joined J.M. Wilson in 2015 with prior experience as an underwriting supervisor for seven years. She holds the INS (Associate in General Insurance), AU (Associate in Commercial Insurance) and SM (Supervisory Management) professional designations. Jenna Hans has been promoted to executive property/casualty underwriter in J.M. Wilsons Arlington Heights, Illinois, office. Hans is responsible for underwriting a wide variety of new and renewal property and casualty risks, as well as building relationships with independent insurance agents and company underwriters in Illinois and Iowa. She has been with J.M. Wilson for eight years where she began as an assistant underwriter. Most recently, Hans held the position of senior property/casualty underwriter. J.M. Wilson promoted Seth Mahaffey to senior transportation underwriter in its Westerville, Ohio, office. Mahaffey is responsible for underwriting a wide variety of new and renewal transportation risks, as well as strengthening relationships with independent insurance agents and company underwriters in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. He joined JM Wilson in 2017 as an assistant underwriter before being promoted to an underwriter that same year. A landlord in Ohio is violating a federal lawsuit consent decree by continuing to rent properties and harass female tenants, the U.S. Justice Department says. The United States Attorneys Office filed a motion requesting a federal judge to find local landlord John Klosterman in civil contempt of court for failing to meet the requirements of a negotiated federal consent decree. The United States sued Klosterman in 2018, alleging Klosterman sexually harassed female tenants since at least 2013 at the 55 residential properties he and his wife Susan Klosterman owned in Sedamsville, Ohio. According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, Klosterman engaged in unwanted sexual touching, offered to reduce rent and overlook or excuse late or unpaid rent in exchange for sex. He evicted or threatened to evict female tenants who objected to or refused sexual advances. Klosterman also entered the homes of female tenants without their consent and otherwise monitored their daily activities with cameras directed at their units. In 2020, the Justice Department settled the lawsuit with Klosterman, who agreed to various terms in a consent decree. The current filing states Klosterman has violated these terms: Accurately represent and update the extent of their rental property holdings; Cease personally interacting with tenants or otherwise participating in rental management; Secure an independent property manager for any properties owned outside of a receivership created as a result of a lawsuit filed by the City of Cincinnati; Complete fair housing training and ensure compliance with a sexual harassment policy; and Pay monetary damages. The United States argues Klosterman has failed to fully comply with the provisions of the federal courts consent decree. For example, according to todays motion, Klosterman continues to personally manage five rental properties, failed to secure an independent property manager, and has been accused of further improper conduct regarding female tenants. In September and November 2020, Klosterman was charged criminally by the state of Ohio with Menacing by Stalking a female tenant victim. The court may remedy civil contempt by issuing fines or other relief intended to secure compliance with the federal courts orders. The United States motion asks the court to fine Klosterman $100 per day and $500 per incident until he meets various provisions of the consent decree. The United States is also asking the court to extend the duration of the decree by nine months, until July 2026. The United States lawsuit was pursued jointly with the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division. The Civil Rights Division enforces the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color religion, national origin, sex disability and familial status. Source: U.S. Department of Justice Topics USA Ohio The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a jury verdict that found an insurer liable for $2.6 million in damages to a Miami condominium tower caused by Hurricane Irma, rejecting arguments made in appeals filed by parties on both sides of the dispute. The panel refused the insurance carriers request to overturn a magistrate judges decision barring testimony by its expert, who had failed to make himself available for a deposition during the period set by the US District Courts scheduling order. But the panel also rejected an argument by the condominium association that a deductible set at 3% of the value of the building was invalid because it conflicted with a state statute. It refused to overturn the jurys finding that a portion of the damages claimed by the association existed prior to the hurricane. After extensive litigation, we put this case to bed, says the 11th Circuit ruling, released Tuesday, July 20. Neither the St. Louis Condominium Association or State Autos Rockhill Insurance Co. were happy after a District Court jury in Miami returned a $2.6 million damage award to the condo association. St. Louis claimed Hurricane Irma caused $16 million in damages to its 31-story waterfront building when it struck on Sept. 10, 2017. The insurer argued that most of the claimed damages were preexisting, caused by years of exposure to wind and rain, and the amount needed for legitimate hurricane damage repairs fell well below the deductible amount of 3% of the value of the building, or $945,342. The jury found that the association suffered $3,673,303.67 in covered losses. The jury also found that $359,578 of the claimed damages were preexisting. Rockhill appealed the trial court decision and St. Louis filed a cross-appeal. Each party asked the 11th Circuit to overturn the jury verdict because of the magistrate judges decisions on motions that were made both before and after trial. Before trial, the association had moved to exclude or strike testimony by some of Rockhills experts. The magistrate judge agreed that one expert should be removed: Brian Warner, Rockhills expert on sliding windows and doors. The magistrate judge noted that Warner had canceled a scheduled deposition and Rockhill had refused to offer a single date on which me would be available before the deadline set by the scheduling order. Rockhill filed a similar motion to bar testimony from St. Louis experts, alleging their training was inadequate and their methodology in estimating damages was unreliable. The magistrate judge denied the motion. After trial, the association filed a motion to strike the jurys finding about preexisting damage and asked the trail court to refrain from applying the deductible. The magistrate judge denied both requests. On appeal, the condo association argued that the trial court erred by applying the deductible because Florida Statute Section 627.701(2)(b) states that deductibles cannot be based on a percentage rather than a specific dollar amount unless the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation determines that the deductible provision is clear and unambiguous. The association also asked the appellate court to overturn the jury finding that that $359,578 of the claimed damages were preexisting. The 11th Circuit panel refused on both points. The condo association was hoping to increase the amount of the award by about a third by throwing out a deductible that it says is specifically prohibited by state law. The opinion says that the Florida Supreme Court ruled in QBE Ins. Corp. v. Chalfonte Condo. Apartment Assn (2012) that the statute that requires regulatory approval for percentage-based deductibles does not create any penalty for violations. Voiding the deductible would amount to a severe penalty that was not created by the legislature, the panel concluded. The court also upheld the jurys finding about pre-existing damage. The opinion notes that minutes of the condo associations board of directors meetings shows that the amount that jury found to be pre-existing damages matched exactly the cost of a repair estimate that was provided to the board for a proposal to waterproof and caulk windows and doors. Rockhill was also unable to persuade the appellate panel to alter the trial court decision. The insurer rejected arguments that the associations experts were incompetent and unreliable. Whats more, the appellate panel refused to accept Rockhills argument that jury had failed to factor into its damage calculation that the board of directors was considering spending $1.2 million for painting and waterproofing balconies attached to the condo tower. The insurer asserted that those pre-existing damages should also have been deducted from the award. The 11th Circuit said to overturn that finding, the insurer needed to show that the amount awarded was not legally sufficient. The number found by the jury was not pulled out of a hatit was within the range shown by the evidence at trial, the opinion says. Top Photo: Waves crash over a seawall from Biscayne Bay as Hurricane Irma passes by, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Hurricane A utility is building walls around an electric substation to prevent them from being overrun by floodwaters in the first of its kind project in South Carolina. Duke Energy is spending $1.6 million on the Nichols project to protect a substation that has flooded twice in the past five years, utility spokesperson Ryan Mosier told the Morning News of Florence. The substation was flooded in 2016 in Hurricane Matthew and 2018 in Hurricane Florence. In 2018, the substation, which takes high voltage power from plants and converts it to lower voltage electricity for homes, was out for five weeks, Mosier said. We wanted to come up with a system that would prevent flood waters from the Lumber River from impacting this substation, Mosier said. The substation is surrounded by reinforced fiberglass walls. Crews put up aluminum gates when flooding is threatened, which keep water out but allow crews access inside. The walls are 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 meters) high with access gates. The gates are installed when the company forecasts potential flooding. Crews can also quickly access the substation for maintenance. Duke Energy has already installed the walls at facilities in Lumberton and Wallace in North Carolina and plan four more projects, Mosier said, Other nearby substations to Nichols are on higher ground and didnt need the walls, said Davy Gregg, a Duke Energy supervisor for the Marion County area. Weve had a struggle the last few years with the flood waters getting into the substation but Duke Energy really stepped-up to the plate, he said. They put a big investment in the community and it really helps us out. Heavy rains from the decaying hurricanes in 2016 and 2018 caused devastating flooding in Nichols, which is just north of where the Lumbee River and the Little Pee Dee River meet. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Flood South Carolina Civil rights groups in North Carolina have reached a settlement with the city of Charlotte and its police department in a lawsuit filed last year after officers surrounded and gassed demonstrators protesting the death of George Floyd. The terms of the agreement include extensive revisions to police directives, including a ban on the use of CS tear gas during protests, the ACLU of North Carolina said in a news release Friday. Police will also be banned from using chemical weapons to kettle or trap protesters under the agreement, which also says crowd dispersal orders must be communicated clearly and repeatedly in English and Spanish, allowing protesters reasonable time to disperse. People should not be brutalized when they are exercising their right to protest, Kristie Puckett-Williams, statewide manager of the ACLU of North Carolinas Campaign for Smart Justice, said in a statement Friday. The groups lawsuit accused police of orchestrating a violent attack on hundreds of peaceful protesters during a protest over Floyds killing on June 2, 2020. The clash was captured on video and sparked outrage. We are a learning agency and always looking for ways to improve as we owe that to the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and all of those we serve because it is the right thing to do, Johnny Jennings, chief of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, said in a statement to The Charlotte Observer. The newspaper reported police had previously announced some changes to their policies. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Law Enforcement North Carolina Recent state budget actions by California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature make a strong argument that the state is not serious about addressing the states immense wildfire risk. Unquestionably, Californias wildfire risk is the second biggest problem facing the state, after COVID-19. Yes, the governor has committed some $2 billion dollars to wildfire budget items. These include $404.8 million to hire staff and purchase firefighting equipment, $1.128 billion for forest management such as thinning and prescribed burns, and $616 million to community investments. The complete details for this founding can be found in the Wildfire and Climate Change Fact Sheet provided by the governors office. However, if you compare that commitment of dollars to the list of other budget allocations the governor has just signed, it appears the administration and the Legislature determined the wildfire problem was only as worthy as some of the lower priority budget allocations like cleaning up trash ($1.5 billion), and paying-off delinquent water and electrical bills ($2 billion). Over the last five years, wildfires in California have burned millions of acres, destroyed entire towns, wiped out well over 10,000 homes, killed scores of residents, and blanketed the state with unhealthy air. California homeowners and businesses are paying five- and six-figure premiums for property insurance, and that is only when they can find insurance at any price. Californias largest industries, agriculture and wine production, are being devastated by the lack of available insurance. Throughout the state, wildfires threaten communities in the foothills, along the coast and in the wildland-urban interface. We are seeing this play out in the headlines already this month with some of the largest fires ever threatening parts of the state. There are over 160 million dead trees in the forests, practically kindling in overgrown forests and foothills as the drought tightens its grip. Last year, wildfires consumed some 4 million acres of the state. Already this year from January to June, California has had 700-plus more wildfires than last year. In light of all these facts, in the just-signed California budget, the governor and Legislature have committed: $25 billion to reserves; $12 billion to fight homelessness; $12 billion for additional stimulus payments; $6.2 billion for broadband deployment; $5.2 billion for rent relief; $5.1 billion for drought measures; $4.1 billion to small businesses for COVID-19 relief, seed and micro-grant funding, I-Bank loans, and loan guarantees; $3.4 billion for pre-school expansion. The $2 billion dollars committed to wildfire risks doesnt even make it into the top five issues in the state based on the budget allocation committed to the fight. To make a dent in Californias wildfire problem, the state needs to be thinning, managing, or burning between 1 to 2 million acres of forest, foothill, and brush areas annually for the next five years to 10 years. Current state efforts are just over 100,000 acres per year with the goal to reach 500,000 acres by 2025. At the rate of only targeting 500,000 acres per year, it will take the state decades to address the 20 million acres in California that must be better managed in order for the state to address the risk of catastrophic wildfires. The availability and affordability of property insurance in California are not likely to change until the worldwide reinsurance market believes California is serious about addressing its wildfire risks and there are demonstrable results in reducing the number and severity of wildfires in the state. Without the reinsurance market backing California property/casualty insurance companies, there will continue to be an availability crisis in the state for property insurance and prices for such coverage will continue to increase substantially to the detriment of Californias homeowners and businesses. Unfortunately, the states current efforts will be unlikely to impress the reinsurance community. As such it is extremely likely that California residents will continue to face major property insurance restrictions for the foreseeable future. Norwood with Norwood Associates is a lobbyist who represents insurance agents, wholesalers and carriers in Sacramento. He earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law and is an active member of the California State Bar. Topics Catastrophe California Natural Disasters Wildfire A Kerry centre that provides support to new communities and migrants is among 34 social enterprises to be awarded funding by Rethink Ireland. Going Green, Killarney Immigrant Support Centre has been active since 2000 and works with vulnerable migrants, especially women, to overcome considerable employment barriers. It provides support for training, work placements and employment opportunities within the Killarney community. The group also run a zero-waste cafe and refill store in an effort to raise awareness of the impact of climate change on the local area. Rethink Ireland's Social Enterprise Development Fund has awarded 400,000 to 16 projects around the country that work on a wide variety of social issues. A further 18 projects have been awarded a place on the Genesis Programme which provides strategic business support. A project in Tipperary seeks to combat the high and increasing levels of property theft in the community. Property Marking Ireland aims to reduce anxiety among victims as well as older and vulnerable people with their community-led crime prevention program. It uses Eircodes to assist in combating both rural and urban crime. Property Marking Ireland aims to reduce anxiety among victims as well as older and vulnerable people with their community-led crime prevention program. Well-known The Walls Project, Waterford is also among the groups to receive funding. The project uses large scale mural artwork to tackle urban dereliction and social isolation for marginalised and diverse communities. The artwork inspires people and builds communities while the outreach programmes are delivered in close collaboration with local community and educational networks. Speaking about the work done by the 34 organisations, Deirdre Mortell, CEO of Rethink Ireland said they are working to achieve a fair, inclusive and sustainable Ireland. "Whether they are knitting groups working to bring together marginalised members of society, innovative therapy practices using the power and beauty of our coastlines, or innovative ideas to strengthen safety in rural communities, they are the heart of our communities, and were delighted to be able to support them." Attending Irish hospitals has become a risk in and of itself due to overcrowding, the general secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (IMNO) has warned. This morning, more than 300 people were awaiting admission to a hospital bed across the country with Munster hospitals the worst affected. Speaking on RTE's Today with Claire Byrne, Phil Ni Sheaghdha said overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) has gotten "out of control". Despite an additional 110 beds being made available to UHL, 51 patients were being treated on trolleys at the regions busiest hospital on Tuesday morning. Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation general secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha. Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie Today they have additional beds and additional trolleys on wards," Ms Ni Sheaghdha said. "That should be absolutely the last thing that's happening in the middle of a variant such as this, in the middle of a pandemic. Cork University Hospital is the second worst affected hospital in the country with 41 patients awaiting a bed. At University Hospital Galway, 28 patients are waiting for a bed, while 22 patients are waiting at Portiuncula Hospital. Between January and June of this year, more than 25,000 people were treated on trolleys in Irish hospitals. The Covid-19 virus is looking for congregations, and Irish hospitals are providing that," Ms Ni Sheaghdha said. "Going to hospital should not be a risk of itself. We believe it now is, particularly with the overcrowding levels." Staff are also concerned about ventilation in hospitals, she said. The main reported issue of our members now is that they believe that the air exchange on wards, the air exchange where they're expected to take their breaks etc, is not sufficient. And when they hear what is correctly being proposed for restaurants for schools, they're saying, but that's not happening in my workplace? Staff in Irish hospitals are concerned about ventilation in wards There are also issues with staffing, with agency nurses leaving to work in vaccination centres which is putting hospitals under enormous pressure. The Regional Hospital Mullingar has over 50 shifts not covered over this week and next, for example, she said. Ms Ni Sheaghdha said she intends to write to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly about the issue. The IMNO has also written to the head of the acute hospital division in the HSE asking for extra help from private hospitals in order to ease the burden on public hospitals. UCC spin-out's software could cut hospital waiting lists A Cork company has developed software that could "radically" reduce hospital waiting list times, according to its founders Naomh McElhatton and Professor Barry OSullivan. Stimul.ai, a new spin-out company from the Insight SFI Centre at UCC, has designed a strategic clinical design tool that supports hospital administrations in capacity planning decisions. The first-of-its-kind technology will support and guide hospitals on how to best allocate times that best match their patient category requirements, without the interruption to daily working practice. Naomh McElhatton and Professor Barry OSullivan, founders of Stimul.ai Stimul.ai's founders say mismatch between capacity and demand is one of the main reasons why waiting lists and backlogs develop and why waiting lists and waiting times increase. In trials, the software has helped hospitals slash waiting list times anywhere from 20% - 80%. Stimul.ai CEO Naomh McElhatton confirmed the company are currently engaged with "a number" of hospital departments throughout Ireland and UK. "I encourage hospitals to contact me directly, so that we can identify new pilot sites to support the resolution of the [overcrowding] crisis." An action by retired nurse Philomena Lee is one of two lead challenges to the final report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes fixed for hearing later this year. When eight challenges were before the High Court's Mr Justice Garrett Simons for case management today, he said he would hear two lead challenges in either late October or November. The lead cases are by Ms Lee (88), who lives in England, and by Galway-based Mary Harney (72), both former residents of mother and baby homes. The exact hearing date will be fixed after lawyers have liaised concerning the most suitable date. The lead cases will address a core claim in all of the cases concerning the ambit of section 34 of the Commission of Investigation Act 2004. The applicants claim section 34 required they, as persons unnamed but allegedly identifiable in the commissions final report, be given the commissions draft report and the opportunity to make submissions on that. It is claimed the failure to do that breaches section 34 and the fundamental rights of the applicants under the Constitution and European Convention on Human Rights. Mr Justice Simons previously suggested it might be helpful to all applicants to identify lead cases and the sides had been in contact about that in recent weeks. The chosen cases Today, he was told by Michael Lynn SC, for three applicants, that lawyers for the eight applicants had identified three cases as possible lead cases. Siobhan Phelan SC, for five applicants, outlined there was an outstanding discovery issue in one of the suggested lead cases, that of Mari Steed, and she could not say that was ready to proceed. Counsel indicated the discovery issue relates to section 12 of the Act, concerning the power of the Commission to make a decision to share information with a person who has given evidence to it. David Fennelly BL, for the State respondents, said it would not be possible to agree discovery in the Steed case and a discovery motion would have to be brought by the applicant. Mr Fennelly added his side would need time to consider a range of affidavits received in the proceedings. The legal issues are not straightforward, he said. Read More Philomena Lee among seven women challenging Mother and Baby homes report The judge decided that the Lee and Harney cases would be heard over two days in either late October or November. That hearing will immediately be followed by the hearing of the discovery application in the Steed case, he said. The challenges are against the Minister for Children, the Government, Ireland and the Attorney General. They involve claims the commissions final report does not accurately reflect the applicants evidence to it and breaches their rights to fair procedures and natural and constitutional justice. As well as the core claim concerning section 34, other issues raised include concerns about the nature of a redress scheme and the constitutionality of provisions of the 2004 Act. Orders preventing identification of some of the applicants have been made. Background to the three cases An anonymity order was not sought in the case by Ms Lee who was sent to the Sean Ross Abbey Mother and Baby Home in Roscrea, Co Tipperary, when she became pregnant aged 18. When her son was aged three, he was sent for adoption by a US couple. Her life was subject of a book, The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, by Martin Sixsmith, and a film, Philomena, directed by Stephen Frears and starring Judi Dench. Her solicitor Wendy Lyon, of Abbey Law, said in an affidavit the Commissions findings included that there was no evidence for the opinion of some women their consent to adoption was not full, free and informed. Ms Lees evidence was that she was not given any time to consider a document which she was told to sign and which relinquished her rights to her son, Ms Lyon said. Mary Harney, born in the Bessborough Home in Cork in 1949, claims she is readily identifiable in the commissions report and was thus entitled to an opportunity to make submissions on the findings concerning her in the draft report. Had she had that opportunity, she could have said the commission should not have omitted evidence she gave to it of abuse and neglect while boarded out between 1951 and 1954, she claims. Mari Steed, of Virginia, US, born in the Bessborough Mother and Baby Home, Cork, in 1960 and adopted by an American family in 1961, claims her rights were damaged by being subject to the Quadrivax vaccine trial while in Bessborough. She says she was entitled to an opportunity to address the commissions finding there was no evidence of injury to the relevant children as a result of the vaccines. The Government will aim to beef up its post-Brexit relationship with Britain by appointing the most senior civil servant in the country as ambassador. Secretary general in the Department of An Taoiseach, Martin Fraser, will be appointed Irish ambassador to Britain in 2022 in a rejig that will see the current US ambassador's term come to an end. Sources said that Mr Fraser's experience makes him "the right fit" for Ireland's post-Brexit dealings with London. Geraldine Byrne-Nason will, in 2022, replace Dan Mulhall as the ambassador of Ireland to the US and vacate her role as ambassador to the UN, which will be filled by Fergal Mythen, currently director general of the Ireland, Britain, and Americas division in Department of Foreign Affairs. The current British ambassador, Adrian O'Neill, will stay on until 2022, with secretary general in the Department of Foreign Affairs, Niall Burgess, set to take up a new role as ambassador of Ireland to France. Ambassador Patricia OBrien will be appointed ambassador to Italy, replacing Colm O Floinn. Deputy-secretary general Brendan Rogers will also be appointed Irish ambassador to the Netherlands, replacing Kevin Kelly. National Development Programme Elsewhere at Cabinet, the Government agreed a 136bn review of the National Development Programme (NDP). Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath received agreement for the 10-year capital investment plan, which is 45bn more than the existing NDP, an increase of 49%. When investment from the commercial semi-State companies and other State bodies is included, the total investment will exceed 165bn across the decade. It is understood that the plans which set out the allocation to individual departments for the next five years and will form the basis of the new plan will be officially launched by Government in September. A core capital budget of 11.1bn is being earmarked, a further increase from the 9.8bn allocation in the current year. It is expected that major themes in the new NDP will be the need to accelerate the construction of social and affordable homes, improvements to Healthcare capacity, investment in education and research as well as the integration of climate concerns. Reforms are also being proposed to ensure value for money in government procurement processes. The Cabinet has also agreed to commence the formal procurement process for a new Coast Guard aviation service next October. The service is currently contracted to CHC Ireland and may be extended up to June 2025 at the latest. The business case brought to Government set out the strategic case for a new service including the potential for the Air Corps to provide an element of the service as a hybrid option alongside another civil operator. Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said that the service was "costly" but important. The Cabinet also agreed the appointment of former children's minister Katherine Zappone as a special envoy on freedom of opinion and expression. A statement said that "this appointment will provide enhanced capacity for engagement on Irish human rights priorities". As the US nears completion of its military withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Pentagon is supposed to switch to over-the-horizon counter-terrorist operations in the country. But it is far from clear yet what those will look like in practice. The Biden administration has made it clear that after the end of August it will not provide air support for Afghan forces intended to bolster the Kabul government, though it is possible that will be reappraised if provincial capitals fall to the Taliban. However, General Kenneth McKenzie, head of the US Army Central Command, said on Sunday that the US would continue airstrikes in support of Afghan forces in the coming weeks, if the Taliban continue their attacks. The stated objective of future operations is to pursue the original war aims of 2001: To stop Afghanistan being a training ground and launching pad for attacks on the US by al-Qaeda. After 20 years of fighting, al-Qaeda still has a presence in the country, alongside another threat, Islamic State. The US says it will continue to target those groups if and when they strengthen their foothold in the growing share of territory under Taliban control, but it will do so from bases outside the country. Among the questions that have not been answered, at least not publicly, is the extent of future US involvement. Will it seek to have a constant unblinking eye in the skies above Afghanistan, or make periodic forays? What level of al-Qaeda or Isis presence would trigger an attack? Would the Taliban be targeted on suspicion of cooperating with terrorist groups? Unknown horizons And what bases would the US be able to use? How far away is the horizon going to be? All these issues were debated more than a decade ago when Barack Obama was considering withdrawal from Afghanistan, as advocated by then US vice-president Biden. But Obama was ultimately persuaded to conduct a troop surge instead and no conclusions were reached. There was a lot of effort put into casting about for what the over-the-horizon options might look like, said Laurel Miller, a former acting special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, now Asia programme director at the International Crisis Group. "The fact that they were all suboptimal was one of the factors that contributed to perpetuating the American military presence in Afghanistan." The horizon which US aircraft will be flying over could be very distant indeed. The Biden administration has been holding talks with central Asian states in recent days in which the subject of possible bases is very likely to be on the top of the agenda. A delegation is heading to Uzbekistan this week, but there is no sign of progress so far. Im sceptical that the central Asian options are going to work out, Miller said. At a minimum, I dont see how you pull that together very quickly. David Petraeus, who served as head of US Central Command, commander of US and allied forces in Afghanistan, and director of the CIA, said there would be no straightforward way of continuing military operations after withdrawal. Over the horizon in Afghanistan will be enormously challenging, vastly more so than most other countries, Petraeus told The Guardian. Obviously it is landlocked and a considerable distance from our closest bases in the Gulf states," Mr Patraeus said. It seems pretty clear that were not going to keep anything in-country, and we will probably not have a base in a neighbouring country "Unless an aircraft carrier is parked off southern Pakistan, any drones, close air support and other aircraft will have to fly a substantial distance going to and from Afghanistan, with very limited time on-station for drones that are not air-refuellable, and with many aerial tankers required to keep on-station aircraft that can be refuelled in flight. Counting cost of an aircraft carrier Maintaining an aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea as a base for Afghan operations would be prohibitively expensive as it would have to be constantly supplied and its crew rotated, using far more resources and troops than the 3,5000-strong military presence that has just been withdrawn from Afghanistan. US commanders may also be restricted by host governments in the Gulf on the use of bases to launch Afghan air operations. All of this is just enormously challenging and difficult. And the truth is, it didnt have to happen," Mr Patraeus said. "We could have easily maintained a sustainable, in terms of blood and treasure, commitment, which I think the history of the last 20 years tells us is necessary. If you actually take your eye off al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, if you dont keep pressure on them, if you stop disrupting them, then at a certain point youre going to end up having to re-engage, and it is always more difficult when you have, as in Iraq, given up your bases and infrastructure and reduced your intelligence presence. Jason Dempsey, a former infantry officer who served in Afghanistan, argued that the logistical difficulties were not that different from those in other parts of the world where the US flies counter-terrorist operations, and the obstacles could have the benefit of focusing minds on non-military means to meet US objectives in Afghanistan. Non-military action America has to get beyond the idea that the only way it can influence other nations is with the military, Dempsey, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, said. We have to find out how to use the levers that we do have to keep things in check. The Taliban doesnt want to be a pariah state, so thats one of the levers we have. So long as were willing to commit to supporting Afghanistan, I think we can continue to have leverage. However, Dempsey said there appears to have been surprisingly little urgency in putting non-military measures in place. One of the head-scratchers is the fact that we still dont have an ambassador in Afghanistan, he said. So if that indicates our level of seriousness, thats pretty embarrassing. Guardian Service Burma COVID-19 Rips Through Myanmar Military: Soldiers Coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. The State Administrative Council (SAC), the governing body of the military regime, has imposed a news blackout on COVID-19 deaths in the military, despite widespread infections. The infected junior personnel and their families do not receive treatment at military hospitals until their conditions are serious. Until then they are ordered to isolate in their accommodation, said military personnel. Four cases have been found in my unit and many more are sick. [The commanders] do nothing for them. They were transferred to [military hospitals] only when they had difficulty breathing, said a soldier from a battalion in Meiktila, Mandalay Region. But they received no treatment at hospitals. [Doctors] only tell them to stay strong. They had to buy medicine. They were tested after two weeks and discharged if they test negative, he said. Widespread coronavirus infections have been reported among battalions in Yangon. Personnel and their families who have fever and no sense of smell are ordered to isolate in their quarters, said a soldier assigned to help patients in a military hospital in Yangon. There have been many infections in my unit. I am still clear but I havent returned to my family for more than three weeks because I am concerned about infecting them. We are sliding into chaos and I dont want to work any longer, he said. COVID-19 infections have also been reported among senior military leaders. Deputy Home Affairs Minister and Police Chief Lieutenant-General Than Hlaing and his wife and the wife and son of Adjutant General Lt-Gen Myo Zaw Thein are reportedly receiving treatment at military hospitals for COVID-19. Some units in Yangon, including the Yangon Command Headquarters, have reportedly been placed under lockdown. More than 300 military personnel at an ordnance factory on the banks of the Pyay in Bago Region were infected with coronavirus and nine died last week. But the military regime only registered two deaths as COVID-19 fatalities, the independent media outlet Democratic Voice of Burma was told by Peoples Soldier, a Facebook page run by striking military personnel. Despite infections, personnel were forced to continue working at the factory, said the Peoples Soldier. Soldiers are seeking help from striking officers as the regime is unable to provide proper treatment for them, said Captain Nyi Thuta, who is on strike. Soldiers can do nothing. They are at the hands of the regime. Ordinary people can still look for oxygen but soldiers cant go out and are helpless. They told me that they can do nothing but are waiting to be infected, he said. Though Myanmars military initially revealed the infections and deaths of its personnel and their families, it is now hiding the COVID-19 death toll. In early July, coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said there was enough oxygen in Myanmar. Since then, cemeteries in Yangon have been overflowing with bodies from coronavirus deaths with most fatalities blamed on a lack of oxygen. At least 10 military personnel and their relatives have been dying per day at a military hospital in Mandalay due to a shortage of oxygen and doctors, Myanmar Now reported on Sunday, quoting a military medic at the hospital. Another military medic, Major Min Maung Maung, said: Though they had made preparations, they cant handle it when the pandemic broke out. I want to question what they are doing. They can neither control the virus in the military nor provide proper treatment for the people. They keep saying that they are addressing but it is untrue. There have also been widespread infections among police amid independent media reports of around 10,000 police officers infected with coronavirus nationwide. Around 100 trainees caught COVID-19 at the training school of the Criminal Investigation Department in Yangons Insein Township in early July. The military leaders have no goodwill not only to the people or lower ranks. The other ranks are becoming more aware of that. It has become more obvious during the COVID-19 outbreak that they are being ignored. It has become clearer that not only the people but also the soldiers are suffering from the bad legacy of the dictators, said Capt. Nyi Thuta. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Military Seizes Medical Oxygen Imported by Charities Prisoners Held by Myanmar Junta Dying of COVID-19 Myanmar Junta Officially Annuls NLDs 2020 Election Win Burma Myanmar Junta Officially Annuls NLDs 2020 Election Win NLD supporters celebrate the party's electoral success in Mandalay in November 2020. / The Irrawaddy Myanmars military regime has revoked the results of last years general election, in which the party of now detained State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi won a landslide victory, claiming the poll was not free and fair and not in compliance with the constitution and the law. The official cancellation of the election result is little more than another attempted justification by the military of its February coup, and another step in its apparent scheme to dissolve the winning National League for Democracy (NLD) for allegedly committing voter fraud. The junta claims its takeover was necessary as the election held in November 2020 under the Daw Aung San Suu Kyi-led NLD was seriously flawed, pointing to alleged voter list errors. In the election, the NLD won 920 (or 82 percent) of the total 1,117 elected seats up for grabs nationwide, while the military-backed main opposition party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party, only managed a humiliating 71 seats, or 6.4 percent of elected seats. Despite the regimes claim, international observers like the Carter Center and local monitoring groups said the polls were free and fair. The Asian Network for Free Elections said the outcome of the vote was by and large, representative of the will of the people of Myanmar. Since the coup, leaders of the victorious NLD, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and others, have been detained. The announcement by the regime-controlled Union Election Commission (UEC) came after a nearly six-month-long investigation of voter lists and ballot papers in the countrys 315 townships. The review was ordered by coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. In its announcement on Monday, the UEC said it found more than 11 million irregularities in the voter lists, such as the inclusion of people who didnt have national ID cards as well as vote duplication, with the same ID card numbers appearing on multiple sets of ballots. The large number of voter list errors at polling stations was not accidental; they were deliberate acts, the UEC said. Furthermore, the UEC accused the NLD of interfering and misusing its administrative power in election and campaign processes to grab State Power. U Thein Soe, the regime-appointed chairman of the UEC and a former major general in the Myanmar military, said in the statement that the 2020 election results were annulled as the vote was not held in compliance with the countrys constitution and electoral laws, and was not free and fair. A voter in Yangon said the cancellation of the result reflected the regimes mistreatment of the NLD, which received a popular mandate through the election to rule the country. The people will reject the announcement, as they have no faith in the regime, he said. Nearly six months on from the coup, the junta has still not succeeded in governing the country, facing resistance, including armed struggles, by people across the country who reject its rule. Since the coup, the regime has been trying to dissolve the NLD, vowing to take action against those who it says rigged the November vote, calling them traitors. While in the process of investigating the voter lists a few months ago, the UEC claimed it had found evidence that the NLD intentionally violated the law to ensure its victory. Military spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun said at a press conference on May 15 that action must be taken against the NLD under the Political Parties Registration Law and the military-drafted 2008 Constitution, because the party supports the National Unity Government (NUG) and the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), both of which the regime has declared to be terrorist and unlawful associations. The CRPH represents lawmakers, mostly from the NLD, who were elected in November. The NUG was formed by the CRPH as a shadow government to rival the military regime. Under the Political Parties Registration Law and the 2008 Constitution, any party with links to terrorists or unlawful associations shall be abolished. In response to the regime and the UECs remark at that time, detained NLD leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said the NLD would be there as long as the people are, because the party was founded for the people. You may also like these stories: Ex-Myanmar Military Captain Who Nearly Shot Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Dies of COVID-19 Myanmars Third Wave COVID-19 Deaths Now Exceed Fatalities in First and Second Waves Thai Govt Must Take Responsibility for Vaccine Debacle Burma Myanmar Military Seizes Medical Oxygen Imported by Charities People waiting to refill oxygen cylinders at the New Aye Mosque in Yangon / The Irrawaddy A colonel in the Myanmar military has admitted seizing 100 medical oxygen cylinders officially imported from Thailand by Yangon charities to treat COVID-19 patients. Colonel Myo Min Naung, first member of the juntas Administration Council in Karen State, ordered the life-saving oxygen to be seized as the cylinders were brought into Myanmar on Saturday via the Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge No. 2 in Myawaddy, a border town in Karen State, eastern Myanmar. The colonel subsequently denied confiscating the oxygen, telling junta-controlled newspapers that he had only borrowed them for emergency use. We have ordered 100 cylinders for Karen State and already paid for them. At first, it was not important when we get those cylinders. But, unfortunately, the oxygen plant in Mawlamyine, from where we were collecting oxygen for Karen State, broke down. So I decided to take those 100 cylinders for hospitals and COVID-19 centers that need them urgently, he said. However, those at the scene said junta forces acted in a threatening way, displaying their weapons as they took the oxygen cylinders, while using COVID-19 patients in Karen State as an excuse. The junta troops took the cylinders despite an intervention from Major Mote Thone of the Karen State Border Guard Force based in Myawaddy. On Saturday evening, military regime forces handed 800,000 Thai Baht (around 40 million kyats) to the importer of oxygen cylinders as a guarantee that they would return the cylinders to him. Minister U Aung Naing Oo of the junta-controlled Ministry of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations has intervened in the case, but the 100 oxygen cylinders have not yet been returned. The Irrawaddy was unable to contact Colonel Myo Min Naung for comment. You may also like these stories: More Than 400 Myanmar Civil Groups Say Telenor Sale Breaks OECD Rules Prisoners Held by Myanmar Junta Dying of COVID-19 Myanmar Junta Officially Annuls NLDs 2020 Election Win Commentary For Myanmars Top Generals, Overturning Election Results Is a Rite of Passage Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing (far left), former Snr-Gen Than Shwe (center), late Gen Ne Win (far right) As long as the current breed of military generals survives in Myanmar, the country will be forced to live with overturned election results, the rejection of the peoples democratic choice and the ousting of elected governments at the point of a gun. On Monday night, the most recent junta formed by these generals officially announced the annulment of the results of the 2020 general election. This is the third time the Tatmadaw, Myanmars military, has revoked the results of an election since the generals first seized power in 1962. The three top generals from successive generations have turned this undemocratic path into a military tradition. General Ne Wins coup detat in 1962 nullified the result of the 1960 election, and Senior General Than Shwe and his deputies did the same for the result of the 1990 vote. This year, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has done it again, sweeping aside the result of the 2020 general election. Such dictatorial power seizures have become an all-too-familiar step in a vicious circle perpetuated by the generals over the past 59 years. Each of them has systematically destroyed the countrys democratic system at different times by abolishing the results of elections, which underpin democracy. As long as these generals meddle in politics, Myanmar will find it impossible to become a democratic nation despite the strong will and unyielding struggle of the entire population. In multiple elections stretching over decades, Myanmars 55 million people have repeatedly demonstrated their clear desire for the generals to stay away from politics. In the last election in November 2020, the majority of the 27 million citizens who cast ballots backed the National League for Democracy (NLD) headed by the countrys now ousted de facto leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. As in every previous election it had contested over the previous three decades, the NLD won a landslide victory. The voters cast their ballots with their hearts, but their hearts were crushed by Min Aung Hlaing. Thats the way his predecessors did it in 1962 and 1990. After three such bullying, undemocratic rejections of the peoples desire, there can be no reconciliation with these violators of the national will. Forgive and forget are no longer in the peoples vocabulary. An already sour relationship has hardened into irreconcilable hostility. There is no longer room for talking, only fighting, as seen in the actions of the many protesters who have taken up arms in recent months. The people, in reality, have been aware since the coup that one of the main aims of Min Aung Hlaing was to reject their vote for the NLD, disband the party and ultimately to maintain powereither under the military or a new system dominated by its generalsforever. Everything coup maker Min Aung Hlaing has done from the Feb. 1 coup to this final official rejection of the election result has served to close the door to reconciliation between the military and society, or politically speaking, between the NLD or any civilian government and the military leadership. Perhaps, those advocates or politicians who promoted a relationship between the civilian NLD government and the military over the past decade will now understand that their attempts failed and there seems to be no room for such a relationship in the future, unless a new breed of generals who can accept and at least follow basic democratic norms emerges in the military leadership. Otherwise, the idea of a civilian-military relationship in Myanmar is just a delusion. In reality, there has never been such a relationship. There have never been any leading generals who sincerely accept basic democratic norms like elections, or the need to respect their results as the peoples will. Over the past decade, some observers, including even politicians who had contact with high-ranking military officials, argued that some generals would be moderate. Now, however, their arguments appear threadbare, lacking a scrap of tangible evidence. Perhaps those military officials just put on too good of a show, while their apologists were just too trusting. As long as it is run by the breed of generals who have led it since 1962 (in other words, from the Ne Win era to the Min Aung Hlaing era), the military will never accept democracy. And there wont be any reconciliation between the military and the people. Principally, or simply, the militarys role as an institution is to defend or protect the nation and its people. A standard military is not supposed to get involved in politics. Thats a basic principle that most societies graspbut not so the generals of this country. They have always involved themselves in politics at all levels, interfering in the peoples decisions and rights in ways both big and small, including the right to vote. Why? The generals are addicted to absolute power and the economic benefits derived from it, which have made their families, relatives and associates enormously rich. They have become the elite of all elites in this poor society. What these generals are too stupid to see is that all they have succeeded in doing is destroying the reputation of their own institution, making the military the most hated institution in the country. They dont see that their actions can only lead to their own downfall. The juntas formal rejection of their votes on Monday night will positively embolden the Myanmar people to make good on their motto: Down with the military regime. Naing Khit is a commentator on political affairs. You may also like these stories: Ceasefire Broken in Chin State as Myanmar Junta Troops Clash with Civilian Resistance Fighters As Myanmar Regime Mishandles COVID-19, More Than 2,000 People Die in Three Weeks Heavy Job Losses in Myanmar Since Coup: ILO Report Google Chrome is the optimal web browser for the largest search engine in the world. It is simple yet quick and it has quite a few hidden features that help make your internet experience all the better. Chrome Flags offers several experimental features that Google wants to test out to improve the browsing experience all for the regular user to play around with. What Is Crome Flags, How to Activate it? Chrome Flags are experimental features that have not made it to the stable Google Chrome browser just yet, TechRadar explained. Flags makes it easy to integrate them to the browser with a few clicks to enable. They do have some bugs and can go through the occasional hiccup, but some Google Chrome Flags enable an improved browsing experience, said Android Authority. Accessing the Flags menu is easy. In the address bar, type "chrome://flags" and hit enter. You will be redirected to a long list of options, each with a drop-down meny to set each to Default, Enabled or Disabled. Since there are a lot of these Flags, simply hit Ctrl+F to search for the ones you want to try out. When you have enable a Flag, Chrome will prompt you to re-launch the browser to activate it, make sure ot have saved anything you are working on online or you might lose that data, TechRadar warned. Read Also: Clubhouse App Data Breach Is Scary! 5 Steps to Delete the App Now 10 Best Chrome Flags to Try Out Chrome Flags are usually not too unstable, Android Authority said. However, it is best to read the warning message about the dangers of using them. There will be a few issues in the browser, but Flags are easy enough to disable. 10. Smooth Scrolling Smooth Sccrolling is just as it name suggests: eliminating the stutter or sluggish reaction time when you scroll up or down Chrome. Here is a temporary workaround they have found that appears to fix the issue: Open chrome://flags/#smooth-scrolling in Chrome and set the Smooth Scrolling flag to DISABLED then at the bottom of the page press Relaunch Now. This will close all chrome windows and reopen them. _mattfoster2010 (@_mattfoster2010) April 29, 2018 9. Password Account Storage It allows users to save their passwords in what is called a "secondary Gaia-account-scoped storage." It is accessible from multiple devices running Chrome without turning sync on. This is best for people who prefer not to sync their Chrome browser data cross devices. 8. Experimental QUIC Protocol QUIC is Google's own protocol that is designed to make the web faster. The catch is it only works with websites that have been optimized for it, Android Authority said. It is still worth trying out. 7. Reader Mode Chrome Flag Get a more omptimized reading experience with this Chrome Flag, perfect for users who just want to get to read the text, free of distracting images, ads and other elements. 6. Force Dark Mode for Web Contents Dark Mode is great for eye comfort, not to mention it is aesthetically pleasing. Not all websites support Dark Mode but this Chrome Flag can change that. Fun fact for those with migraines but who have to get work done in the dark during nap time: chrome://flags/ Ctrl+F "Force Dark Mode for Web Contents" Enable Makes everything in dark mode - even Google Sheets. pic.twitter.com/gkBoxTVrqj Carolyn Lyden (she/her) (@CarolynLyden) July 24, 2021 5. Pull-to-refresh gesture Similar to the pull-to-refresh gesture on Chrome mobile, this lets users do the same thing on the PC. 4. Parallel Downloading This Flag allows the division of downloads into multiple files to be downloaded simultaneously, cutting delays one normally gets with large file downloads. 3. Show Autofill Predictions Take Google's in-browser autofill option one step higher by using the Show autofill predictions flag. This allows Chrome to autofill form information automatically. 2. Quieter notification permission prompts This will make websites' notification permission prompts less annoying to deal with. 1. GPU Rasterization Harness the full power of your computer to speed things up with a dedicated GPU. This Flag makes it possible for Chrome to take some of the workload off the CPU, offering faster performance, according to Android Authority. To disable Chrome Flags, head back to the Chroe Flags settings and find the experimental Glag you want to disable. Select the drop-down menu and click Disabled. You can also press the button in the top-right corner that says "Reset all" to wipe all Chrome Flags. Related Article: Android Earthquake Alert System: How Google's Accelerometer Detects Tremors Huntsville, TX (77320) Today Partly to mostly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms. High 88F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 74F. Winds light and variable. Like the Ithaca Times? Please help support local journalism by whitelisting this site in your ad blocker. Thank you! Business software provider Zoho is lending its online invoicing software Zoho Invoice for free to help small and medium businesses and freelancers with their invoice processing. With the software businesses can send professional invoices, follow up payments, and get paid online and Zoho Invoice will be free of cost to extend assistance to small and medium-sized businesses. The pandemic has pushed small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) to modernise their invoicing processes at an accelerated rate. 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Because employees or departments scrambled for ad-hoc solutions to remote working, they sometimes sacrificed robust security to get up and running as quickly as possible. Cybercriminals can also work from home or other remote locations, and many saw the rise in remote workers as an opportunity to exploit. For example, a survey (1) of security professionals found: Most security employees struggled to offer strong security solutions to remote employees. At the same time, almost half of the respondents reported seeing an increase in phishing attempts. Most of these corporate security pros had concerns about their ability to scale security, respond to abrupt environmental changes, and the difficultly of controlling employee use of unknown and untested software. Five security practices for remote employees With the increase in cyberthreats and the concerns of security professionals in mind, it is useful for organisations to consider security best practices for two reasons: to help keep business systems free of threats and to ensure compliance with rules that govern privacy and security in different industries. 1. Two-factor authentication With two-factor authentication, sometimes called 2FA, users must finish their login with a code that gets sent to another device, typically a mobile phone. It takes a few seconds longer to access the system, but it provides better protection against phishing attacks. One CTO (2) found that this simple measure reduced security problems in his company by almost 40 per cent. 2. Use secure connections Most home workers will rely on their home Wi-Fi connections. Without any other protections, security will only be as good as whatever the employee's home internet company, router, and password can provide. To boost security, businesses may encourage employees to login through a virtual private network (VPN) or other methods of encrypting communication between home devices and corporate systems. 3. Endpoint security and monitoring No matter how well the IT department protects logins and communication, it is still difficult to avoid the threat of malicious code entering systems. On the server end, organisations can employ software to block threats and monitor system usages. Even though most threats stem from accidental vulnerabilities, it is impossible to ignore the rise of inside jobs as a source of risks. Not only will these systems provide a firewall against malicious software, they can also send automatic alerts for unusual data use and provide a clear audit trail just in case something does happen. 4. Develop and create clear security policies Even before the coronavirus outbreak, companies grappled with security issues that stemmed from remote workers and the rising use of personal devices. For example: Personal devices may be allowed if employees adhere to security policies. For instance, mandating the installation of approved security software and only allowing employees login to the business network through corporate VPN. Employees in sensitive areas or departments can only use laptops or other devices that the IT department issues to them and to only use the devices in approved ways. This includes restricting these company-issued devices to work-only activities and not letting employees use them to watch videos or browse social sites. It is important to develop clear policies. In addition to communicating these rules, organisations should ensure that employees understand why they are important and that they can incur consequences for ignoring them. 5. Deploy secure information systems Deploying intelligent and robust document and data management systems may not take as much of an effort as businesses think it will. These systems come designed and built to offer robust security and rule-based access for both in-house and remote workers. They also provide audit trails and guarantee recoverability, so if something suspicious happens, it is easy to trace the issue to its source and remediate it. They can also help improve other important business processes. Companies that employ a smart data management system worry less about an abrupt change from working in a corporate office to a home office. For example: Access to documents could already have been set by role, so the people who needed information would have an easy time accessing it, according to their security levels. To others, that same information would be invisible. The right people could view, change, add, or delete information, and others would not even see it exists. With built-in encrypted access and simple rollbacks for recoverability, an intelligent information management system can meet the requirements for the most sensitive data and systems. (1) https://blog.checkpoint.com/2020/04/07/a-perfect-storm-the-security-challenges-of-coronavirus-threats-and-mass-remote-working/ (2) https://digitalguardian.com/blog/securing-remote-workforce The Australian Government's move to push Telstra to buy Digicel appears to contradict the policy it has adopted in order to ban Huawei from having a role in the country's 5G networks. The news that the government is pushing Telstra to fork out $2 billion to buy the telco's operations in six Pacific nations in order to avoid a Chinese vendor doing so, was first reported by the Australian Financial Review. The push with Australia giving Telstra a loan of $1.5 billion for the purchase is apparently meant to keep a player like China Mobile from acquiring Digicel, with the standard excuse of "Chinese spying" being advanced. But given that all these Digicel networks in the Pacific run on gear from Huawei, the government appears to have forgotten that it advanced the same tired excuse Chinese spying to prevent the Chinese vendor from supplying gear for Australia's 5G networks. It stands to reason that since the Digicel networks, then China should already have an open path to the data that flows through them. That is, if one accepts as gospel the reasons advanced by Australia when it placed a ban on Huawei in August 2018. In that case, why did Australia prevent Huawei from bidding for contracts for 5G networks in the country? How is the Huawei gear used by Digicel in any way different from what the company has supplied to Australia in the past? (And would have done so in the future too, for 5G, as well had it been allowed to do so.) Predictably, no mention of this contradiction has been made by any of the Australian media that have reported the Digicel story. If the Australian Government is expecting Telstra to not only buy these Digicel assets, but also replace the gear they use with either Ericsson (which Telstra uses) or Nokia equipment, then the cost would rise to multiples of that $2 billion figure. As with all telecommunications gear, upgrading to 5G equipment would not be possible unless the 4G gear was first replaced. This is not the first time that Australia has intervened in telecommunications deals in the Pacific. Back in 2017, Canberra pressured the Solomon Islands to withdraw from an undersea cable project after Huawei was awarded the contract to build the cable. The project was finally awarded to the Vocus Group, with Australia footing two-thirds of the bill, a sum of about $100 million. Whether Telstra will be keen to be pushed into the sale, remains to be seen. Australia has been in talks with the US about the purchase of Digicel, with Washington said to be interested in buying the telco's assets in the Caribbean, also for the same reason of curbing alleged Chinese spying. COMPANY NEWS: Tecala, Australias award-winning technology services and IT consulting provider, has announced that it has been named as one of the worlds premier Managed Service Providers in the prestigious 2021 Channel Futures MSP 501 rankings . Tecala has been selected as one of the technology industrys top-performing providers of managed services by the editors of Channel Futures. For the past 15 years, MSPs from around the globe have submitted applications to be included on this prestigious and definitive listing. The Channel Futures MSP 501 survey examines organisational performance based on annual sales, recurring revenue, profit margins, revenue mix, growth opportunities, innovation, technology solutions supported, and company and customer demographics. Managed services providers that qualify for the list must pass a rigorous review conducted by the research team and editors of Channel Futures that rank applicants using a unique methodology that weighs financial performance according to long-term health and viability, commitment to recurring revenue and operational efficiency. We are delighted to have been ranked in the Top 50 MSPs globally as well as the Number 1 second year running for Mid-Market companies in the 2021 Channel Futures MSP 501 rankings, said Pieter DeGunst, Managing Director, Tecala Group. These rankings highlight our ongoing commitment to our customers to support their growth as they continue to invest in cloud and digital transformation, intelligent automation and security to improve their operations. Achieving a leadership MSP position in Australia is also testament to the calibre of skills and experience our growing employee talent base holds and we are well equipped to proactively seize opportunities to further digitally enable our customers. This years list attracted a record number of applicants and was one of the most competitive in the surveys history. Winners are being recognised on the Channel Futures website and will be honoured at a special ceremony at the MSP Summit held on 1-2 November in Las Vegas as part of the Channel Partners Conference & Expo. Since its inception, the MSP 501 has evolved from a competitive ranking into a vibrant group of innovators focused on high levels of customer satisfaction at small, medium, and large organisations in public and private sectors. Today, many of their services and technology offerings focus on growing customer needs in the areas of cloud, security, collaboration, and support of hybrid work forces. The 2021 Channel Futures MSP 501 winners are the highest-performing and most innovative IT providers in the industry today. They stand head and shoulders above the competition, said Robert DeMarzo, vice president of content for the Channel Futures and Channel Partners Conference & Expo division of Informa Tech Channels. Coordinated by Channel Futures MSP 501 editor Allison Francis, this years list was clearly one of the best ever on record. Vendors that are aligned with the Channel Futures MSP 501 are driving a new wave of innovation in the industry. Through their partnerships they are demonstrating a commitment to moving the MSP and entire channel forward, said Kelly Danziger, general manager of Informa Tech Channels. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the 2021 winners and gratitude to the thousands of MSPs that have contributed to the continuing growth and success of the managed services sector. The complete 2021 MSP 501 list is available on Channel Futures website. Background The 2021 MSP 501 list is based on confidential data collected and analysed by the Channel Futures editorial and research teams. Data was collected online from March 1-May 24, 2021. The MSP 501 list recognises top managed service providers based on metrics including recurring revenue, profit margin and other factors. About Tecala As an end-to-end Managed Services Provider (MSP), Tecala supports mid-market clients throughout Australia and overseas. Rooted in a consulting and advisory background, their methodology is built on understanding their clients business objectives first, enabling them to provide technology solutions that deliver brilliant outcomes. Taking a strategic approach, Tecala implements and optimises a range of services including managed cloud, infrastructure and user support services along with security and intelligent automation as well as a comprehensive, as-a-Service practice that includes infrastructure, data protection and disaster recovery. Interconnectivity is provided for both data and voice via their national network services. For further information please visit: tecala.com.au About Channel Futures Channel Futures is a media and events platform serving companies in the IT channel industry with insights, industry analysis, peer engagement, business information and in-person events. Our properties include Channel Futures MSP 501, recognising the most influential and fastest-growing providers of managed services in the technology industry,. COMPANY NEWS by Qlik: Bank BTPN, formed from the merger between PT Bank Tabungan Pensiunan Nasional Tbk (BTPN) and PT Bank Sumitomo Mitsui Indonesia (SMBCI), is one of the most bullish banks in Indonesia. Its in the countrys top ten in terms of market capitalization and is known for its ambition. BTPN wants to lead Indonesias digital banking transformation. As the country relaxes regulation around digital banking, paving the way for entirely virtual banks, BTPN aims to be first to market with new digital services. We launched the Jenius app in 2016, our first all-digital channel, says Duddy Christian Hayanto, Head of Data Engineering, Bank BTPN. We have more than two million users today. They can enjoy an entirely branchless banking experience. The bank recognizes there is plenty of growth for Jenius. Indonesia, a country with a population of 260 million, has a huge youth demographic. More than 40% of the population is under 25. For many, their first experience of a bank will be through a smartphone and internet growth rates run at double digits. The success of Jenius created a welcome headache for Hayanto. With more touchpoints, and wide access, the bank was capturing a huge amount of new data. BTPN wanted to be able to act on, or react to, this data. The problem was our data was held in the core banking system, which meant it wasnt being processed until the end of the day. We had no insight into real-time activity. If the customer had an issue, we had no visibility of what it might be. If there was a sale opportunity, wed miss it, Hayanto explains. Real-time data ingestion with immediate alerts Bank BTPNs Enterprise Data Hub is built with Qlik Replicate, part of Qliks data integration platform. Rather than having to wait until the end of each business day to access data, Qlik Replicate simplifies the massive, daily data ingestion into big data platforms from thousands of sources, including Oracle, SQL, DB2, MySQL, Sybase and PostgreSQL. Qlik Replicate enables real-time ingestion of data from our AS/400 environment, but the real advantage is we can then gain instant visibility to all the data in one dashboard for real-time action, says Hayanto. We do real-time ingestion through Apache Kafka. Because everything is completely real time, monitoring is necessary to ensure this process runs smoothly without any errors and Qlik Replicate has an alert feature so we can find out if an incident occurs. Thats a real plus point. All streamlined, no delays. The use of change data capture (CDC) enables true real-time analytics with less overheads. The approach automatically generates target schemas based on source metadata. If there is a problem, BTPN can check the logs, and it can restart from the exact moment rather than starting from scratch. Real-time ingestion means we get incremental data changes in less than a minute, explains Hayanto. Relieving strain on the core banking system The creation of the Enterprise Data Hub relieves any strain on the core banking system, leaving it free to focus on serving transactions. This reduces the risk of business downtime, protecting corporate reputation. In direct terms, the primary beneficiary of Qlik Replicate is BTPNs CRM application. The availability of near real-time data enables the bank to create a detailed picture of every customer in the moment. If there is a problem with onboarding a new customer, we can see it immediately, says Hayanto. Previously wed have been blind. The speed of access to data transforms user productivity. The time taken to retrieve data for a query is under a second which means BTPN agents can directly engage with a customer, confident they have a real-time view of the customers activity. Data: the fuel to drive business growth The engagement with Qlik means BTPN is in control of its data. Data is no longer seen as something to be stored and managed, but an asset to be exploited. The link to Apache Kafka means any data update is visible and directed to the appropriate team in real time. Users can access the hub remotely. Data is always-on. The power of the Enterprise Data Hub is now being brought in to support new services: To support the currency exchange feature for Jenius foreign currency products, BTPN enables real time synchronization for any exchange rate changes and the data hub is also used for customer onboarding, to help check against duplications. This is having a real-world impact on banking services, says Hayanto. Real-time data gives the bank an immediate and detailed picture of every customer. At a macro level this helps spot trends and potential issues. At an individual level this enables the bank to deliver relevant products and services. New Zealand cable operator Hawaiki Submarine Cable has been acquired by BW Digital, an affiliate of the global maritime company BW Group, for an undisclosed price. Hawaiki owns and operates the Hawaiki Transpacific Cable which went into operation in July 2018, and spans 15,000km. It is claimed to be the fastest and largest capacity link between New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii and mainland US, with a design capacity of 67Tbps. In a statement, Hawaiki executive chairman Remi Galasso said: ""We are delighted to welcome BW Group as a shareholder. Having established a successful subsea cable business with the support of our customers and partners, the company started a process to find a new long-term shareholder who is able to take the company to the next stage of development. "BW has an excellent track record of growth in maritime and technology-related assets, combined with the highest standards of governance and strong access to capital through relationships with leading global banks and through the capital markets. "Three years after Hawaiki's commercial launch, it is time to write a new chapter of the company's history and we believe BW is an ideal shareholder for this fast-growing business." There will be no change in the personnel who manage the Hawaiki business. BW Group executive chairman Andreas Sohmen-Pao said: "We are excited to be making this investment in Hawaiki's outstanding platform and team. "BW Group has a deep heritage in maritime connectivity and infrastructure, with assets spanning production, transportation and distribution. "Our strategy is to help connect countries across the oceans while working to reduce our environmental impact, including recent investments into wind installation vessels, floating wind, batteries, solar and other sustainable technologies. "Hawaiki is a great fit and we are pleased to be able to support the team in their next phase of development." Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by subscribing or making a contribution. Subscribe or contribute 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. Despite it being an incredibly natural human behavior, moms often face backlash for feeding their babies in public places. Click for more. Donate Now As a public service during this pandemic, the Jewish News is providing free, unlimited access to all articles. Jewish News is a nonprofit publication that is owned by the community and relies on community support. For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, The Gillette (Wyo.) News Record. Teton County School District No. 1 School Board is chaired by Keith Gingery. Vice Chairman William Scarlett, Secretary Betsy Carlin, Treasurer Janine Bay-Teske, Kate Mead, Alan Brumsted and Jennifer Zung round out the board. Guest Shots are solely the opinion of their authors. Editorial: Climate change is driving extreme floods, wildfires and heat. Will the world meet the moment? CARTHAGE, MO - Donald Lee Miller, 71, passed away Thursday, July 29, 2021. Services will be at 9 a.m. Thursday at Carthage Church of the Nazarene. Burial will be in Missouri Veterans Cemetery, Springfield. Officials in two major Kansas health care systems are urging people to resume wearing masks indoors even if theyve been vaccinated against COVID-19 because of the faster spreading delta variant The attorney general in Missouri has sued in an effort to halt a mask mandate that took effect Monday in the St. Louis area amid a rise in COVID-19 cases that are burdening a growing number of hospitals around the state Today Overcast with rain showers at times. High near 75F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable. Tomorrow Intervals of clouds and sunshine in the morning with more clouds for later in the day. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 80F. Winds light and variable. Today Overcast with rain showers at times. High 76F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Tomorrow Intervals of clouds and sunshine in the morning with more clouds for later in the day. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 81F. Winds light and variable. Mary Simon, who on Monday became the first indigenous person to be named governor general of Canada, has fought to preserve her peoples way of life, opposing oil drilling in the Arctic, supporting seal hunting and defending Inuit culture. As Canadas head of state and Queen Elizabeth IIs representative in the Commonwealth nation, Simon said her appointment marks an important step forward on the long path towards reconciliation. It followed the painful discoveries of more than 1,000 unmarked graves at church-run residential schools funded by the government to forcibly assimilate Canadas indigenous population. More than 4,000 students died of disease and neglect, while others have recounted physical and sexual abuses by headmasters and teachers who stripped them of their culture and language. Simon, wearing a seal skin vest, was among several indigenous leaders present in parliament in 2008 for the governments official apology for those abuses. Im filled with optimism that this action by the government of Canada and the generosity of the words chosen to convey this apology will help us all mark the end of this dark period in our collective history as a nation, she said then. But, she added, let us not be lulled into an impression that when the sun rises tomorrow morning, the pain and scars will miraculously be gone. They wont. Colonial perceptions I am honored, humble and ready to be Canadas first indigenous governor general, said Simon, in her first official speech Monday at a ceremony in Ottawas Senate. I will strive to build bridges across the diverse backgrounds and cultures that reflect our great countrys uniqueness and promise, she added. Born in 1947 in Kangiqsualujjuaq, a hamlet on the east coast of Ungava Bay, Simon attended a day school similar to the indigenous residential schools, before landing her first job as a radio host for public broadcaster CBC. From the 1980s, she became actively involved in defending Inuit rights and their Arctic lands. As president of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC), she denounced oil and gas drilling and other sources of pollution in the far north. She has also promoted Inuit culture, including applauding her predecessor for eating seal meat during an official Arctic trip in solidarity with Inuit hunters fighting an EU ban on the sale of seal products. The seal ban, she said at the time, was based on colonial perceptions of our sealing practices. Simon brought that same zeal to Washington to fight against adding polar bears on the endangered species list, saying the hunting restriction would hurt the livelihood of many Inuit. Canada is home to about half of the worlds polar bear population. The polar bear is a very important subsistence, economic, cultural, conservation, management, and rights concern for Inuit in Canada, she said. Her appointment as governor general was widely praised, but her lack of fluency in French irked some, notably in Quebec. Simon said she was committed to taking French lessons to conduct the business of the governor general in both of Canadas official languages, as well as Inuktitut, (her native language and) one of many indigenous languages spoken across the country. In a key moment in Ivory Coasts turbulent politics, President Alassane Ouattara on Tuesday will meet his predecessor Laurent Gbagbo for the first time since the pair fought a post-election conflict a decade ago. Gbagbo, 76, has leapt into the spotlight since returning last month from Europe, where he won a landmark case at the International Criminal Court (ICC). In the last months of his stormy rule from 2000 to 2011, Gbagbo rejected defeat by Ouattara in a presidential ballot. The conflict that broke out claimed more than 3,000 lives. After he was ousted, Gbagbo was flown to The Hague to face charges of crimes against humanity, of which he was eventually acquitted. Commentators will be scrutinising Tuesdays meeting for signs of whether the two former rivals have buried the hatchet, boosting hopes for national healing after bloody clashes last year. But Gbagbos spokesman Justin Katinan Kone urged the public not to make too much of the meeting. This is a courtesy visit to his elder If it helps to ease the political atmosphere, so much the better, he said. Laurent Gbagbo is in a spirit of openness, dialogue and reconciliation, Franck Anderson Kouassi, spokesman for Gbagbos Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) party, told AFP on Monday. Meeting president Ouattara is exactly in line with our way of thinking. Dialogue in our country will continue, because that is the governments will, said government spokesman Amadou Coulibaly. A onetime international banker, Ouattara, 79, won a landslide victory in the last elections on October 31. But the credibility of the win was undermined by an opposition boycott. In the runup to the vote, scores of people died in clashes with police after Ouattara unveiled his controversial bid for a third term. Moment for symbolism In this context, Ouattara has officially welcomed Gbagbos return, hoping it will ease tensions. But the question is whether Gbagbo will stick to the script of statesman or prefer an active political role that may challenge Ouattara. Gbagbo rose in the 1970s as a left-wing campaigner who helped end Ivory Coasts one-party system following independence from France in 1960. His years in power were marked by rebellion, civil war, national divisions and repeatedly postponed elections, but he retains considerable grassroots support. His defenders portray him as a champion of the poor and oppressed. The meeting on Tuesday will take place on Ouattaras turf the presidential palace. Analyst Rodrigue Kone said the long-expected encounter wont wipe out their huge differences but it takes their relationship further along. Ouattaras side, he suggested, sees the meeting as a recognition by Gbagbo of Ouattaras legitimacy something that hasnt been conveyed before in such a visible and official manner. Symbolically, its very important. Commentators are also watching the interplay among Ouattara, Gbagbo and former president Henri Konan Bedie, 87, three men who have dominated the political stage for decades. On July 11, Gbagbo and Bedie who were also once rivals announced that they were united in the goal of forging final and sustainable peace. One lingering matter is a 20-year jail sentence for Gbagbo, who was convicted in absentia of looting the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) during the 2010-11 conflict. Authorities have hinted that this sentence will be lifted. JUSTICE INFO IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS Eduardo Cifuentes President of Colombias Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) Eduardo Cifuentes is the president of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, the judicial arm of the transitional justice system stemming from the 2016 peace agreement between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). A former Constitutional Court justice, Cifuentes has become the visible face of the special tribunal locally known as the JEP which this year unveiled its first indictments against 8 former FARC commanders over kidnapping and 25 Army officials over extrajudicial executions. JUSTICE INFO : You were a justice in Colombias first Constitutional Court which was born with the 1991 Constitution and then Ombudsman. In both positions you worked closely with victims of the internal armed conflict. Did you experience it personally? EDUARDO CIFUENTES : I believe that all Colombians my age have lived through the conflict since childhood. I was born in 1954, so I remember it at home in Popayan [in Cauca department, south of Colombia], in the family, in public transport, in the press, in the lives of uncles, and then in urban contexts from the 1970s onwards. The 1991 Constitution also emerged in a context of diffuse violence in the country and then I was Ombudsman during one of the most critical moments of national history. After traversing that period, as president and magistrate of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, were also living amid a violence that recycles itself and refuses to die out, and a faltering State that isnt able to fulfil its own functions comprehensively. It seems as if the signs of violence were parallel to our existential journey. I feel that I was born in a territory of minimums, but in the 21st century we have to open more horizons for this society and these generations. The JEP is part of a response to those minimums. In the Constitutional Court, when discussing the case of Luis Humberto Rolon, who was threatened, attacked and forced into exile for his political ideas, you stated that a modicum of peace is required to materialize the Constitutions promise of achieving a peaceful country. Thirty years later, do you see the JEP strengthening that modicum of peace? A Constitution is an agreement on minimums, on limits and on the utopian outline of a society. The possibility of governance is based on civil and political modicums, from which an institutional thickness and common ground can emerge. And, in our case, also from a modicum of peace so that society is not brutalized. A communitys history is one of how those minimums can progress and densify, but also as nothing is written and political life is subject to random and contingent elements it is possible that they have a difficult life and struggle to immunize a society from the risk of those modicums not growing any more. Colombia has always had many minimums: we have, for the purposes of a democracy, an electoral minimum; for the purposes of a welfare state, a minimum possibility of distribution and creation of public goods; for the purposes of the preservation of order, likewise I feel that I was born in a territory of minimums, which sometimes forces us to become marooned and cling to the nearest log, but in the 21st century we have to open more horizons for this society and these generations. Colombia is in a position to climb those steps: we have a Constitution that has all the vital juice to nurture several generations in their growth as a society and institutions. We have a formidable peace deal that allows us to look at the past, recover it in a present of truth, justice and reparation, and at the same time envision a profoundly transformed future society. The JEP is part of a response to those minimums. Colombias transitional justice attempts a novel formula to balance punishment and redress, but also to satisfy those rights of the victims truth, justice, reparations rather than just focus on one. Achieving this depends on whether perpetrators acknowledge their responsibility. Was this a successful gamble? I think it has been because we had perceived a very high dose of impunity throughout Colombias successive conflicts and different peace processes. Referring only to the recent peace process, it was an agreement between combatants: one extra-state [the FARC] that had sought to take power from the State by means of arms, in a failed attempt; and the State, which resorted to its Armed Forces to resist this insurgent action. They could have reached a point where the weariness and fatigue of the conflict led them to an accord and surely it would have been easier for the negotiators to agree to [FARC] handing in their weapons, demobilizing and continuing their conflict through democratic means but they decided it was impossible not to take the victims into account. When you talk about the victims, youre talking about the damage and about assuming the consequences of such damage. They understood that it would not be possible to maintain a purely political peace between combatants, leaving aside that legacy of damage, criminality and impunity. In addition, contemporary political and legal culture make it impossible today in middle-income and geo-strategically unimportant states like Colombia to make peace leaving thousands of international crimes unpunished. It would have been impossible for the international community to endorse it. In this constitutional weighing between how much justice and how much peace, we arrived at the Colombian solution of acknowledging responsibility and assuming truth, justice and reparation, which this Special Jurisdiction for Peace has to administer. We are not in times of war but in times of investigation, trial and punishment. It is very important to rename things, to review past deeds with a different language. When announcing the first indictment against seven former FARC over kidnapping, you said: There were no mistakes, there were war crimes and crimes against humanity. This phrase captured the countrys pain in the face of them still justifying kidnappings, despite the advances of the peace deal and the laying down of arms. Why was it so important for you to underscore that? First, we were reaffirming that the Jurisdiction has the character of a judge and that our peace agreement requires reading, interpreting and translating the deeds and atrocities committed in terms of punishable acts and conducts that fit into international crimes. On the other hand, we were pointing out that the JEP is not an autonomous judge, but applies pre-existing law and, in this case, the sources of law to which it must always turn to to classify acts of war as crimes and their consequences. The purpose was to make it clear that the path of this Jurisdiction begins in the norm, ends in the norm and is expressed in a sanction. And that, therefore, we are not in times of war but in times of investigation, trial and punishment. Through the Jurisdiction, the Colombian State is fulfilling the duties stemming from its international and domestic obligations. We are moving from war to the time of judgment: it is very important to rename things, to review past deeds with a different language. Transitional justice, from the point of view of its punitive component, aims at pointing out that there is an alternative to punishment through prison. In this new model, penalties will not be prison sentences when those accused provide the truth, redress victims and own up to their responsibility. But Colombia is a country where justice is often equated with imprisonment, despite historical impunity for these crimes. How do you reconcile this tension? We have understood that international criminal law and the Colombian States commitments dont necessarily oblige it to impose prison-type sanctions for war crimes or crimes against humanity. This is a premise of the peace accord that was validated by the Constitutional Court. In any case, the system does impose a custodial sentence on the person responsible for these crimes who in the non-adversarial track doesnt provide detailed and exhaustive truth, own up to the corresponding responsibility and, being most responsible, is found guilty based on a procedure duly structured in the norms. But even the so-called special sanction also restricts freedom of residence and movement, forces the person to be confined to a restricted area of the national territory and, during eight years, makes him available to the community of victims to carry out reparatory activities. That is to say, it combines a retributive and a restorative component. Beyond that, I believe that Colombian transitional law is certainly placed in a postmodern context: prison, seen from a sociological and criminal policy perspective, results in the mere naturalization of a re-socialization myth that is not sustained in the world today. Transitional justice, from the point of view of its punitive component, aims at pointing out that there is an alternative to punishment through prison. How does this alternative work in practice? Thanks to the contribution of truth, seeing the faces of victims and, through them, the faces of thousands of Colombians who are also victims, the perpetrator of a war crime achieves a change in this mythical idea that criminal law alone, through a custodial sentence in a dungeon or prison, changes persons and gives them opportunities of a new future. This, in turn, may provide thousands of victims a chance to mitigate the moral suffering and the cumulus of pain left by these crimes, helping them rebuild their own lives and social fabric. That is for me the lesson of transitional justice to the world: you cannot contemplate severe punishments without considering generating changes in the subjectivities of victims and perpetrators, with a State that at the same time transforms environments. Changing the environments of an internal armed conflict is a very complex task that will occupy the Colombian State and this society for many years to come. It means, in our case, understanding that in the most vulnerable territories and populations we have a deficit of reforms that we have left undone: rural development, education, public services, vision of what a State is and civic ethics. All this is necessary to take transitional justice, damages to victims and that promise of another existence that we can infer from the surrender of weapons seriously. This is the criminal law, lets put it this way, of post-modernity. Paradoxically, it is being carried out by a country that has not even passed the first threshold of modernity. Weve had violence extended in time and space, which penetrates almost all social organizations and coexists with a minimal but weak institutional framework. The whole landscape needs to be reordered. Taking Colombian particularities out of this equation, is it a model that other countries can emulate? I think that in countries like ours where there are low-intensity and prolonged conflicts, linked to colonialism or its debris, to extreme poverty, to elites that succeeded colonial powers, to strong ethnic divisions to think that the solution is a kind of military tribunal like [Nuremberg] in 1945 is not possible. The solution are transitional justice mechanisms where a country begins again, in the sense of re-creating a community and integrating subjects of the war. We see it in Colombian history: in our conflicts the same families and social classes have recycled violence. In the face of this, a 40-year prison sentence in [Bogotas] La Modelo Prison doesnt prevent cycles of violence from flourishing again. Weve had violence extended in time and space, which penetrates almost all social organizations and coexists with a minimal but weak institutional framework. The whole landscape needs to be reordered. The point to think about for the future is: can this be done only on the basis of the JEPs accusations, which then become indictments and finally rulings? Justice is not only what is fulfilled through a special tribunal created for that purpose, but the changes and transformations that must take place in the future. In the Colombian case, it was a moment of clarity when the elite and FARC structured a peace deal including thick chapters detailing social and economic transformations. If these are carried out, well be able to reach an adequate level of statehood and a well-ordered society. A 40-year prison sentence in [Bogotas] La Modelo Prison doesnt prevent cycles of violence from flourishing again. Daniel Munoz / AFP One of the million-dollar questions is what sanctions those found to be most responsible will exactly look like. Because, after three years of the JEPs work, many details of the sanctions regime are still unknown. How is this discussion progressing? In the JEP we are committed to sanctions being effective. From a logistical point of view, its a huge challenge for a justice body. Think that traditional judicial bodies, such as the Constitutional Court or the State Council, do not have the burden of thinking, designing, executing and managing sanctions. In addition, the JEP only imposes them after an in-depth dialogue between victims and perpetrators, in which they agree on which activities of redress may be appropriate and proportional to the sanctioned deeds, the most serious of all in terms of damage, perversity and reproach. This dialogue, led by the transitional judge, is unprecedented in the world. We are seeking to create a unit within the JEP to manage, supervise and monitor sanctions. But there is something very important I want to underscore: there is a commitment by the Colombian State to create conditions for recipients of these sanctions to have security, a decent way to continue with their lives and, most importantly, to comply with restorative actions. Were making progress in inter-institutional agreements with the Presidencys Stabilization Council, the Mayors Office of Bogota and other local entities. There is another point that is only beginning to become clear: those most responsible will receive their own sanctions, but what will happen to those whose legal situation is also defined through non-punitive measures, such as a waiver of criminal action, a suspension of the execution of the sentence or an exemption from responsibility? This is the bulk of those appearing before the Jurisdiction. Benefits granted to them are subject to a conditionality regime: to providing the truth and redress. Managing this is another element that no other jurisdiction has. To find perpetrators working for victims in social and community projects, generating tangible solutions, would be a Keynesian moment of transitional justice. So how does conditionality operate? In the Jurisdiction, we also have perpetrators, participants and material perpetrators, so the challenge is perhaps even greater than when dealing only with the special sanctions [for those most responsible]. In total, some 12,500 persons are bound by conditionality regimes. We are working to homogenize reparation mechanisms, so that an indicator of the Jurisdictions success in the coming years can be seeing how those most responsible are already anticipating their own sanctions and are clearly inserted in reparative programs and projects for victims and communities and that the bulk of the security forces, FARC and others [who are not most responsible] are doing the same. That is the Jurisdictions colossal challenge. And this is what would make Colombia special in the international scenario. At a time of post-pandemic and economic crisis in the country, that in the 170 municipalities [prioritized because they are the poorest and most affected by war] we can find perpetrators working for victims in social and community projects, generating tangible solutions, would be a Keynesian moment of transitional justice: it would activate demand and generate economies, public goods and employment. We are going to seek that national, regional and local budgets concur in this, because its very important for the redress of victims, but also to heal the social fabric and fight against poverty. There are two other issues still pending in the sanctions. For example, will former FARC commanders be able to continue in politics while they are sanctioned? When will sanctions time begin counting, given that so far they have not been restricted? This is something that, as president of the Jurisdiction, I cannot answer as it would enter into the realm of the decision that the Acknowledgement Section within the [JEPs] Peace Tribunal will adopt in due course, once the Judicial Panel for Acknowledgement submits its sanction project. It is anyhow part of that task of the Jurisdiction that no other court in the world fulfils, because it is one thing, as a judge, to say this person will serve a 30-year custodial sentence and will do so in this prison and another one to come up with what we could call a restorative compound. Its not only up to us: victims, perpetrators, the State and the judge will come together to design them. Synchronization should allow final products and procedures from each mechanism to flow and generate cross-fertilization. This is not happening, nor can it happen, because of time constraints. The transitional justice mechanisms in theory work together to verify that perpetrators tell the truth and redress victims. In real life, however, the JEP will last 15 years and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) just three, ending this year. Is there a timing problem? Indeed, in December the TRC must deliver its final report and its existence draws to an end. So there is a timing problem: synchronization should allow final products and procedures from each mechanism to flow and generate cross-fertilization. This is not happening, nor can it happen, because of time constraints. Even so, the Jurisdiction has contributed in the terms foreseen: lists of perpetrators enjoying benefits were sent so they can provide information of a non-judicial nature. They have gone before the TRC with information and testimonies which have helped in its upcoming report and before the Unit for the Search for Persons Deemed Missing with information that may lead to recovering missing persons. This has happened, although not with the strength it could have had, given that it only captures the first years of the JEPs work. The most important truths, the exhaustive revelations, are only now beginning to emerge when in six months the Commission will finalise. In any case, the explanation of the conflicts structural causes in the TRC report will be very useful for the Jurisdiction. This historical vision of the conflict will nourish the JEP as it strives to understand macro-criminality patterns and contexts. Its also true that it has not been easy to coordinate victims. Rather, we have seen a kind of victim fatigue whereby they have come before the TRC, the Unit and the Jurisdiction, each with their own methodology. For example, for the TRC its crucial to foster absolute confidence that what is reported there will not be subject to prosecution and, therefore, it established a firewall vis-a-vis the JEP. Here I believe that the institutional architecture and coordination have not been the best, but anyhow the comprehensive [transitional justice] system approach has been useful. What comes now will do so in a faster and more structured way. [The goal is] to simultaneously open all the remaining lines of inquiry in this second stage, which will likely begin in the second semester [of 2021]. Many victims are demanding the JEP to open cases on sexual violence, forced displacement, landmine use or even crimes against the environment. How do you envisage the second batch of macro-cases that will come in the near future? That is an autonomous competence of the Judicial Panel for Acknowledgement and, as president of the Jurisdiction, I can only give them peripheral indications. But I would like to point out that, in record time in international and transitional criminal justice, it has been possible to advance in the first case against FARC over hostage-taking and [the second] against security forces over extrajudicial executions. These investigations allowed the justices and their teams to profoundly understand the structure, physiognomy, chain of command, flow of information, territorial organisation and policies of FARC over time. The same with security forces. This means that what comes now will do so in a faster and more structured way. The unit [of measurement] through which the Jurisdiction has related with victims and with the country has been the macro-case. This is why we speak of macro-cases as the typical JEP dossier. However, were thinking more in terms of each armed actor: in FARCs case, for example, [the goal is] to arrive at several accusations where the universe of punishable acts and crimes known to the Jurisdiction converges. In other words, to simultaneously open all the remaining lines of inquiry in this second stage, which will likely begin in the second semester [of 2021]. So will upcoming investigations take less than three years? Exactly. Memory, historical and judicial, is very important for a transitional jurisdiction. Besides, those most responsible persons are mortal like any of us. They cannot be subject to the fact that today a child recruitment case is opened, in three years one on forced displacement and in six another on methods of warfare. We are going to prioritise comprehensive testimonies by military structures and by those most responsible. The sum of the information available to the JEP, the cross-referencing of data banks and the teams that are working will allow us, I believe, in a reasonable time and in a shorter time than the system envisioned to address all the FARC cases. Likewise, this year and next year we are going to exhaust the case on extrajudicial executions, the one regarding the [extermination of the political party] Patriotic Union will end between now and next year, and investigations will surely begin on links between paramilitary groups and the security forces. With those we really cover cases against members of the military. So the first macro-cases were really fertilizing the ground that you will now harvest in less time? Indeed, were thinking more about the structures that gave way to all this criminality. The language of macro-cases cannot disappear because its already in peoples consciousness and, in fact, [victim and human rights] organizations measure our work this way. But we really have to understand that armed actors have a spatiality and that there is not only displacement or sexual violence, but a number of deeds. Obviously, future lines of inquiry will surely have thematic emphases. If government and society do not follow the lines laid down by the peace deal, the ensuing collective and historical frustration will affect not only the Jurisdiction, but the entire Colombian State. How can you meet the expectations of all victims about which cases you open? A transitional justice system manages a cumulus of expectations and surely it will not be able to satisfy I say this in all sincerity all of them. Especially when it is a justice like ours, which not only targets those most responsible for the most serious crimes and behaviours, but also has a prospective vision of change with which government and society must concur. If both of these do not follow the lines laid down by the peace deal, the ensuing collective and historical frustration will affect not only the Jurisdiction, but the entire Colombian State. In the JEP we want to have a greater impact on the communities most affected by the conflict. We chose to begin in Buenaventura [a port on the Western coast of Colombia], where all armed actors converged, violence still rages on and the structural aspects that could give life to 100,000 conflicts within a thousand years are present. As a comprehensive [transitional justice] system, were seeking the simultaneous deployment of our competences and summoning authorities to convert Buenaventura into a territory of peace because there, until now, we have all failed. Then we will tour all the most affected regions, because that is where we will hold victims hearings, conditionality regimes and our own sanctions, as well as rural reform and other elements [of the peace deal] that are complementary to our functions. We chose to begin in Buenaventura, where all armed actors converged, violence still rages on and the structural aspects that could give life to 100,000 conflicts within a thousand years are present. Luis Robayo / AFP I was about to ask you about Buenaventura because were seeing the JEP, a jurisdiction designed to deal with the past, also addressing present problems. Isnt this an additional burden? The procedural rules of the Jurisdiction state that it is an obligation for justices to establish, in war crimes cases, the ex ante situation of the community and its victims, the situation when the crime takes place and finally the current or ex post situation. Why? So that measures dictated by the judge, whether in rulings or conditionality regimes, take into account these realities so that they do not happen again. We understand non-recurrence not only as concerning the perpetrator of the crime, but also in more systemic terms. This transitional justice depends to a great extent on what the government does to transform the conditions that explain the conflict, such as eliminating extreme poverty or the absence of statehood. Speaking of the present, the JEP has had to work at the same time as a hostile national government, which even tried to object its procedural law. How can justice be administered in such an environment? Our challenge is manifold. What worries me is how to fulfil it if we do not have an adequate political formula. What do I mean by this? This transitional justice depends to a great extent on what the government does to transform the conditions that explain the conflict, such as eliminating extreme poverty or the absence of statehood. Colombia has always lived with a frontier that it has never managed to consolidate in terms of rule of law: we have a far west in Buenaventura, in the 170 municipalities most affected by war and in other regions of the country. Thats the challenge of the 21st century for all of us. I consider the JEP invincible, undefeatable and indispensable. To see a restorative justice acting every day is the right drug for a violent society. The JEP has operated in the midst of a strong polarization, a pandemic, more recently a national strike and soon an election campaign. How to overcome that background noise so that Colombians can really see what is happening here? We have a country with 9 million victims and a history of conflict that we must overcome: this is not an ideological view, but a premise of the judicial entity and the application of law in an impoverished and inequitable society. I believe that this allows us to face any opposition party or any candidate mad enough to want a return to a wartime Colombia. I also believe we have a lot of normative strength and forgive the expression, which I use with a certain arrogance every reason to change things in the country. I consider the JEP invincible, undefeatable and indispensable. For new generations, this landscape of war in Colombia has to end. Seeing those most responsible of war crimes working with their communities for eight years a historic time of reconstruction will be a new paradigm that generates change. If we can also apply this to the conditionality regimes of all 13.000 persons admitted in the JEP, it will be even more so. To see a restorative justice acting every day is the right drug for a violent society. Now, if it is not a remedy, no one will be able to vaccinate this country or indemnify it from future violence. We must attempt profound changes in the 170 war-ravaged municipalities and other areas of the country: better education, public goods, economic opportunities, robust institutions, recovery of memory. Why not? Its possible. I am hopeful that the next government will provide an adequate political environment for a transitional regime. With transitional justice and a government that complies with the peace agreement, I believe we will have another Colombia. In all those years you have spent time with many victims. What has been the moment you were most touched by? When I was Ombudsman, I was the first to arrive at a town of stilted houses where a massacre had taken place. Three days later, no one had arrived. The deceased were still in peoples houses. I arrived in a boat, entered a house and found an old black man, whose two dead children were in his house. He hugged me tightly and said Thank you, you are the State. I felt I was letting him down, because I was not the State. He had no reason to thank me, but that was his state of prostration, humiliation and human devastation, precisely due to the total absence of the State. That massacred population has never had a State. Was that in Nueva Venecia [a wetland village in northern Colombia]? Yes, and they will never have a State if these transformations do not take place. This is why I permanently speak of the vacuum of statehood. That State is the debt I have with that old black man who embraced me. Human Rights Watch said Tuesday that both Israel and Gazas Islamist rulers Hamas apparently committed war crimes during a May conflict, calling for the incidents to be probed as part of ongoing international investigations. The 11-day conflict saw Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in Gaza fire thousands of rockets towards Israel, which pounded the strip with hundreds of air strikes. In a report released Tuesday, HRW said it had investigated three Israeli attacks that killed 62 Palestinian civilians where there were no evident military targets in the vicinity, interviewing Palestinians in Gaza and analysing data from the sites and digital imagery. It listed a May 10 strike in Beit Hanoun, one on May 15 at the Al-Shati refugee camp and a series of air strikes on May 16 in Gaza City as the focus of its investigation, but noted other Israeli attacks during the conflict were also likely unlawful. The rights group also noted the indiscriminate rocket attacks by Palestinian militants that targeted Israeli civilians, which HRW said would be addressed in a forthcoming report. The Israeli and Palestinian attacks violated the laws of war and apparently amount to war crimes, HRW said. The prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in March announced the opening of a full investigation into the situation in the Israeli-occupied territories. That probe will mainly focus on the 2014 Gaza War but also look at the deaths of Palestinian demonstrators from 2018 onwards. But the ICC said in May that it was also monitoring the latest conflict as part of its investigation. Israeli authorities consistent unwillingness to seriously investigate alleged war crimes, as well as Palestinian forces rocket attacks towards Israeli population centres, underscores the importance of the International Criminal Courts inquiry, HRW said. In a separate international probe, the UN Human Rights Council decided on May 27 to create an open-ended international investigation into violations during the May conflict. There was no immediate response from the Israeli army, which was quoted in the HRW report as saying it strikes military targets exclusively and makes concerted efforts to reduce harm to uninvolved individuals. When possible, the army provided civilians located within military targets with prior warning, while it was investigating a number of attacks to determine if its rules were breached, HRW cited the Israeli military as saying. The conflict killed 260 Palestinians including some fighters, according to Gaza authorities. In Israel, 13 people were killed, including a soldier, by rockets and other munitions fired from Gaza, the police and army said. Rwandas main genocide survivor group on Tuesday welcomed the extradition of a top fugitive to stand trial over the 1994 killings as a step in the right direction for justice. Prosecutors in Kigali said that Venant Rutunga, a 72-year-old genocide suspect, was flown late Monday from the Netherlands to Rwanda where he is accused of directing massacres over a quarter century ago. Rutunga, an agricultural scientist, headed a government research institute in Rwandas south at the time of the genocide and allegedly mobilised soldiers to kill Tutsis in his department and surrounding area. Every time a top genocide fugitive is extradited, it is a step in the right direction for justice, Naphtali Ahishakiye, executive secretary of the Ibuka survivors association, told AFP. It has taken decades but we welcome the extradition of Venant Rutunga to Rwanda, who was responsible for the murder of many Tutsi he worked with and lived with in his home area. Rutunga was detained by the Dutch authorities in 2019 after Rwanda issued a warrant for his arrest and extradition some years earlier. Dutch courts rejected his appeal against being returned to Rwanda for trial. Rutunga becomes the third genocide suspect to be extradited from the Netherlands after Jean Baptiste Mugimba and Jean Claude Iyamuremye returned to stand trial in 2016. Rwandas National Public Prosecution Authority thanked Dutch authorities for their continued cooperation in matters of mutual legal assistance and contribution to global efforts to fight impunity. Some 800,000 mainly Tutsi people were beaten, hacked or shot to death in the genocide, a roughly 100-day killing spree carried out mostly by Hutu forces. Swedish prosecutors said Tuesday they were charging an Iranian man for war crimes and murder over the execution of more than 100 political prisoners in 1988 in Karaj, Iran. The case against 60-year-old Hamid Noury, who was arrested in Sweden in 2019 when he came to visit relatives, concerns his alleged part in the mass killings of prisoners towards the end of the 1980-1988 war between Iran and Iraq. Human rights groups have been campaigning for years for justice for what they consider to be the extrajudicial execution of thousands of Iranians, mostly young people, across the country. Swedens Prosecution Authority noted in a statement that the prisoners had been linked to the Peoples Mujahedin of Iran, a political organisation seeking to overthrow the clerical leadership whose armed branch had launched several attacks against Iran. In the summer of 1988, Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini issued an order to execute all prisoners held in Iranian prisons who sympathised with and were loyal in their convictions to the Mujahedin, the authority noted. According to the authority, Noury held the position of assistant to the deputy prosecutor at the Gohardasht prison, on the outskirts of Karaj, west of Tehran. The accused is suspected of participating, together with other perpetrators, in these mass executions and, as such, intentionally taking the lives of a large number of prisoners, who sympathised with the Mujahedin and, additionally, of subjecting prisoners to severe suffering which is deemed torture and inhuman treatment, the authority said. In the charge sheet, seen by AFP, prosecutor Kristina Lindhoff Carleson noted that these actions constituted a violation of the Geneva Conventions. Nourys lawyer told AFP that he denies the charges against him. Following the mass executions, and after a ceasefire between Iran and Iraq was enacted, the Iranian leadership also decided that other political prisoners who sympathised with various left wing groups and were regarded as apostates by the Iranian leadership, should be executed. Prosecutors said Noury, in his role at the prison, was also complicit in the killings that followed. These acts are classified as murder according to the Swedish Penal Code since they are not considered to be related to an armed conflict, the authority said. In May, a group of more than 150 rights campaigners, including Nobel laureates, former heads of state or government and former UN officials, called for an international investigation into the 1988 killings. The case remains sensitive in Iran as activists accuse officials now in government of being involved. Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday that both Israel and Gazas Islamist rulers Hamas probably committed war crimes during their latest war in May. The 11-day conflict saw Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in Gaza fire thousands of rockets at Israel, which retaliated with hundreds of deadly air strikes. HRW said it had investigated three Israeli attacks that killed 62 Palestinian civilians where there were no evident military targets in the vicinity, interviewing witnesses and analysing data from the sites and digital imagery. The report listed a May 10 strike in Beit Hanoun, one on May 15 at the Al-Shati refugee camp and a wave of strikes on May 16 in Gaza City as the focus of its investigation. It noted other Israeli attacks during the conflict were also likely unlawful. The May 10 strike hit a family as it packed barley into sacks. Eight people including six children died. HRW said it found no evidence that any were combatants, and saw no proof of a military target at the site. An attack that is not directed at a specific military objective is unlawful, it said. In the second attack, an Israeli strike on a three-storey building in Al-Shati killed 10 people. One resident told researchers that there was no warning that anything would happen to our house. Israel said it had targeted a building in the camp because a number of Hamas terror organisation senior officials were in an apartment. HRW said no witnesses or relatives of the dead were aware of militants in or near the building during the attack. It also said it believed the building was hit by a bomb made by Boeing and exported by the US to Israel. The third attack was a four-minute onslaught that destroyed three buildings and killed 44 civilians including 18 children and 14 women on Gaza Citys Al-Wehda Street. None of the witnesses that Human Rights Watch interviewed said they had received or heard about any warning issued by the Israeli authorities to evacuate their buildings before the Israeli strikes, the group wrote. Rocket attacks It said Israeli military videos and munitions collected by Palestinian police indicate the one-ton bombs used were also made by Boeing. Israel said at the time it was targeting tunnels used by Hamas, but HRW said it did not find any evidence of a military target there. It also noted indiscriminate rocket attacks targeting Israeli civilians, and said these would be addressed in a later report. The Israeli and Palestinian attacks violated the laws of war and apparently amount to war crimes, HRW said. Hamas spokesman Bassem Naim said the report showed this occupation state acts as an entity above the law and enjoys impunity through the absolute American support which protects it from punishment. Israeli authorities did not immediately respond to AFP questions. HRW quoted the Israeli military saying it strikes military targets exclusively and makes concerted efforts to reduce harm to uninvolved individuals. The report comes after the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in March announced a full investigation into the situation in the Israeli-occupied territories. That probe will focus mainly on the 2014 Gaza War, but will also look at the deaths of Palestinian demonstrators from 2018 onwards. The ICC said in May it was also monitoring the latest conflict as part of its investigation. Israeli authorities consistent unwillingness to seriously investigate alleged war crimes, as well as Palestinian forces rocket attacks towards Israeli population centres, underscores the importance of the International Criminal Courts enquiry, HRW said. Separately, the UN Human Rights Council decided on May 27 to create an open-ended international probe into violations during the May conflict. The conflict killed 260 Palestinians including some fighters, according to Gaza authorities. In Israel, 13 people including a soldier were killed, the police and army said. A Libyan militia gang leader accused of major human rights violations has been shot dead at a farm in the eastern city of Benghazi, a military source told AFP Tuesday. Mohammed al-Kani was gunned down after resisting members of the military who had arrived bearing an arrest warrant accusing him of war crimes, the source who requested anonymity added. Kani led the Kaniyat, a gang of six brothers who commanded a militia that traumatised the town of Tarhuna in war-ravaged Libya, systematically executing not only their opponents but slaughtering their entire families. The brothers paraded through the town some 80 kilometres (50 miles) southeast of the capital in shows of force with a pair of leashed lions roaring at the crowd. Libya has been ravaged by conflict since the fall and killing of veteran dictator Moamer Kadhafi in a NATO-backed 2011 revolt, and an array of armed groups and militia forces arose to fill the vacuum. In Tarhuna, it was Kaniyat militia that took power in 2015. It first supported the internationally backed government in Tripoli, but later switched sides and backed eastern strongman Khalifa Haftar, main rival of the Tripoli government. Human Rights Watch says at least 338 people were abducted or reported missing during the five-year rule of the Kaniyat in Tarhuna. The brothers were toppled from power last year, but their shadow still hangs over the town. So far, 150 bodies have been exhumed in a slow process that began in June 2020 after the town was captured from Haftars forces. Last November the United States Treasury announced sanctions against the Kaniyat, and in May this year, Britain also imposed sanctions on the brothers over their reign of terror in Tarhuna. An interim unity government came into being in Libya in March, replacing the rival administrations in Tripoli and in the east, ahead of elections in December this year. THE Atlanta spa shooter has pleaded guilty after allegedly killing eight at massage parlors. God-fearing Robert Aaron Long, 21, took responsibility for the shootings and told cops at the time that the massage parlors were a temptation that he wanted to eliminate. 9 Robert Long remains in custody Credit: Cherokee County Sheriff 9 Most of the victims of the spa shootings were believed to be Asian women Credit: AP 9 At least eight people were killed at three spa shootings in the Atlanta area The shooter entered a plea of guilty on Tuesday morning as he sat in court surrounded by nearly a dozen deputies. He was wearing a white button-down shirt and was present in the courtroom. The plea allowed him to negotiate life in prison without the possibility of parole. Long was arrested back in March after leading cops on a three-hour car chase, Cherokee County Sheriffs spokesperson Howard J Baker said. Captain Jay Baker said that Long had been charged with four counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault for the Cherokee County shooting, the New York Times reported. However, charges have not yet been announced in connection with the attacks in the City of Atlanta. And cops have released the chilling 911 calls from when the alleged gunman attacked. Sheriff Frank Reynolds said in a press conference that Long had potential sexual addiction issues. CNN later reported that a former roommate had claimed the alleged shooter spent time in a sex rehab clinic. Sheriff Reynolds added that cops believe Long frequented these places in the past and that he may have been lashing out. 9 Long was arrested back in March Credit: The Mega Agency They added that Long claimed the attack was not racially motivated. The Atlanta Police Department added that Long was on his way to Florida, where they believe he was going to do similar acts in the state targeting some type of porn industry. Long did not target the victims due to their ethnicity, rather that he chose locations that he knew specifically, according to Channel 2. Local news outlets reported Long had purchased his gun the day before the attack. The first shooting occurred at a Cherokee County massage parlor about 30 miles northwest of Atlanta before two other spas across the street from each other in northeast Atlanta were targeted. Long was only apprehended after authorities performed a pursuit intervention technique (PIT) to stop his vehicle. The move caused the vehicle to spin out of control as Long was reportedly driving south on Interstate 75. He was taken into custody without incident and was being held at the Crisp County jail. The FBI are now assisting the investigation into the shooting spree, that saw six Asian women shot dead. WHAT HAPPENED IN THE ATLANTA SHOOTINGS Eight people have died in three separate shootings at a range of massage parlors. The first shooting began at around 5pm on March 16 at the Youngs Asian Massage Parlor. Two people died at the scene, three casualties were transported to the hospital, where another two also died. Nearly an hour later, the gunman began another shooting spree in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta at Gold Spa. Three women were found dead at the second massage parlor. A fourth woman was shot dead at Aromatherapy Spa, just across the street from Gold Spa. Seven of the eight victims were women and six were Asian, police say. Robert Aaron Long, 21, was arrested after a lengthy police pursuit that saw his black 2007 Hyundai Tuscon rammed off the road. Of the eight dead, seven were women and one a man, according to officials. Two of the victims were white, cops said. The Cherokee County Sheriffs Office confirmed that the four victims who died at that location were: Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33, Paul Andre Michels, 54, Xiaojie Yan, 49 and Daoyou Feng, 44. They added that one victim who was injured, but is in stable condition, was identified as Elcias R. Hernandez-Ortiz, 30. South Korea have since confirmed that four of the victims were of Korean descent. Further details have not yet been released on the victims, but Atlanta Police Chief Rodney N. Bryant confirmed the majority were female and Asian. It is not yet clear if it was a racially motivated attack, but officials from all jurisdictions said they are very confident that the same suspect was involved in all three shootings. The NYPD announced it will deploy officers into Asian communities in response to he shootings and the rising hate crimes against Asian minorities. The 21-year-old suspect was apprehended in Crisp County about 150 miles south of Atlanta. It has since emerged that Long is a God and gun loving son of a pastor, with an extensive religious background. President Biden has since been informed about the killings. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said: The President has been briefed overnight about the horrific shootings in Atlanta. 9 The motivation for the shootings was not immediately known Credit: AFP 9 The Cherokee County Sheriffs Office released an image of a person of interest and arrested a suspect, Robert Aaron Long of Woodstock Credit: AP 9 Memorial flowers were placed outside Youngs Asian Massage salon Credit: Alamy White House officials have been in touch with the Mayors office and will remain in touch with the FBI, she said. The White House added that Biden will also be briefed over the phone by Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray regarding the shootings. The Mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms, praised the quick response of authorities in apprehending the offender and offered her sympathies. I commend law enforcement for their quick work in arresting a suspect in the tragic shootings on yesterday. A motive is still not clear, but a crime against any community is a crime against us all. I have remained in close contact with the White House and APD as they work with federal, state and local partners to investigate the suspect who is responsible for this senseless violence in our city. Former Fist Lady Hillary Clinton also shared her condolences, writing: Im sending prayers today to the families of the people killed and those injured in Atlantas horrific attacks. The surge in violence against Asian Americans over the last year is a growing crisis. We need action from our leaders and within our communities to stop the hate. The first shocking shooting happened at around 5pm at the Youngs Asian Massage Parlor off Bells Ferry Road and Highway 92 in Acworth, Georgia. Two people died at the scene. A further three were transported to hospital, were another two succumbed to their injuries. The Sheriffs Office spokesman Captain Jay Baker confirmed that two Asian women, a white woman, a white man, and a Hispanic man had been injured. It appears all five victims were shot inside the business. 9 The sheriffs office released surveillance images of a man by a vehicle Credit: Cherokee County Sheriffs Office 9 Authorities were searching for a man who fled in a dark-colored SUV Credit: Cherokee County Sheriffs Office Less than an hour later, police responded to a call off a robbery in progress at Gold Spa, in northeast Atlanta. Three women were shot dead in the appalling attack. The gunman then headed to another spa situated just across the street, the Aromatherapy Spa, where officers found another woman deceased. Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant said all four victims were female, and it appears that they may be Asian. While at Gold Spa, cops received another call across the street that had shots fired, Bryant said. We responded to that to find another individual was shot at that location. One witness told CNN, We just heard numerous gun shots coming from across the street. I wont say any names but theyre really nice girls. The shopping center where Youngs Asian Massage is located was closed to the public as investigators search for ballistics, fingerprints and other evidence according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The suspect was captured by surveillance video pulling up to the business around 4.50pm, just minutes before the shooting. The sheriffs office posted surveillance pictures on its Facebook page, asking people to share the images that show the man near the vehicle. From Youngs Asian Massage, its believed the gunman drove more than 30 miles and opened fire at two other businesses north of the city in the suburb of Woodland Hills. The 21-year-old is believed to be devoutly religious, as he and his family are present on multiple social media posts from the Crabapple First Baptist Church. One of Longs former classmates, who graduated from Sequoyah high school in 2017, told the Daily Beast that he alleged killer seemed innocent and nerdy and wouldnt even cuss, and that his father was a pastor. He was sorta nerdy and didnt seem violent from what I remember. He was a hunter and his father was a youth minister or pastor. He was big into religion, he said. The suspected killer was re-baptized in 2018 and shared his enthusiasm about the process online, citing the teaching of the Prodigal Son. As many of you may remember, when I was 8 years old I thought I was becoming a Christian, and got baptized during that time. And I remember a lot of the reason for that is a lot of my friends in my Sunday school class were doing that. And after that time, there wasnt any fruit from the root that is our salvation, he said in the since-deleted post. Long went on, By the grace of God I was able to draw the connection there and realize this is a story between what happened with me and God. I ran away living completely for myself, and he still wants me, and so thats when I was saved. Elders at the Crabapple First Baptist Church released a statement saying: We are grieved to hear the tragic news about the multiple deaths in the Atlanta area. We are heartbroken for all involved. We grieve for the victims and their families, and we continue to pray for them. Moreover, we are distraught for the Long family and continue to pray for them as well. Nico Straughan, 21, who went to school with Long, described him as super nice, super Christian, very quiet and said that in high school Long brought a Bible to school every day and would walk around with it in his hands. An anonymous former classmate of Longs told The Sun: I led worship with him at our FCA club a few times my sophomore year, he played cajon and I sang and played guitar. He seemed very quiet, and he was a huge Christian, Im pretty sure he was also in band. Its very awful news. It makes me sick to my stomach to know that someone like him did this awful thing. I dont recall him ever being with a female, its the first Ive heard about that [him being a sex addict], so thats very crazy. Its very sad that he turned into this. Im praying for the families that lost loved ones because of his awful actions. A second former classmate added: Its just unbelievable that I went to high school and graduated with someone that could kill eight people. It makes you wonder if hes always thought about that. I remember him being quiet but nice, he did have friends and was friendly. It was crazy to see he did that. As more details emerged about the sequence of events that took place, Longs other fascination guns was revealed. Pizza, guns, drums, music, family, and God. This pretty much sums up my life. Its a pretty good life, stated a tagline on an Instagram account believed to be Longs, reported the Daily Mail. The motive of and details of the shooting were not immediately clear, Baker told WXIA-TV. But officials from all jurisdictions say they are very confident that the same suspect was the gunman in all three shootings. Locals suggested the area was renowned for its versatile demographic, and that the spas were known to be Asian-owned businesses. When asked if it was a hate crime, due to the ethnicity of the victims, Atlanta Police Chief Rodney N. Bryant said: We cant make that determination just yet. The Atlanta Police Department promised to send officers to check on neighbouring businesses and deploy increased patrols in the area, according to a press release. The Seattle Police Department also pledged to instate an increase presence and support its Asian-American community. The startling shootings have sparked a debate about whether a Asian Lives Matter movement should be organised. However some have accused the proposal of co-opting and diminishing the Black Lives Matter movement, and have suggested using a Stop Asian Hate slogan instead. There have been 4,000 reported incidents of racism against Asians in the last year. The drastic rise in attacks has been exacerbated by claims coronavirus originated in China. Democrat Ted Lieu offered his condolences, and noted that many of the victims are Asian. These murders occurred at a time when anti-Asian violence has been spiking. All officials should do their part to condemn violence and not inflame further discrimination, he tweeted. The shooting left the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus horrified, especially at a time when were already seeing a spike in anti-Asian violence. Campaign group Stop Asian American and Pacific Islanders Hate said was unclear: Whether or not the shootings were related or motivated by hate. But right now there is a great deal of fear and pain in the Asian American community that must be addressed. The executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice Atlanta, Stephanie Cho, condemned the atrocities and called for the community to come together. We are heartbroken by these acts of violence. Six Asian women lost their lives. Now is the time to hold the victims and their families in our hearts and in our light. Were calling on our allies across communities of color to stand with us in grief and solidarity against racist violence in all its forms. When our most vulnerable community members are targeted, we all need to band together, she said in a statement. Brian Kemp, the Governor for Georgia, added: Our entire family is praying for the victims of these horrific acts of violence. Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed Kemps message, saying: We are horrified by this violence which has no place in America or anywhere. We will stand up for the right of our fellow Americans, Korean Americans, to be safe, to be treated with dignity. Prince Harry and the angry Meghan will actively respond to Thomas Markle Dad Thomas vowed to force his separated daughter and son-in-law to let him see his grandchildren. This may be the last nail in the coffin of their relationship, some people claim. After Harry announced that his memoirs would be published next year, royal commentator Jonathan Sacerdoti warned that the differences between the Sussex family and the royal family are getting bigger and bigger, his vow It was when he swore. Former Hollywood lighting director Thomas Markle has yet to meet his two grandchildren because his relationship with the former royal daughter is unstable-since she married Harry, the Duke of Sussex in 2018, he has Never saw her again. Markle, 77, told Fox News from his home in Rosarito, Mexico: I will apply to the California courts for the right to see my grandchildren in the near future. However, relations expert Tina Wilson told Sun Online: If Mr. Markle formally submits his official documents to the California court, the Sussex couple may actively respond to the legal paperwork. Occupied East Jerusalem The family of a Palestinian man who died in Israeli custody claimed that he was beaten by the Israeli army in a detention center before his death, citing reports from other detainees and photos released after his death??. Abdo Yusuf al-Khatib al-Tamimi, 43, died on July 23 at the notorious Moskabiya Detention Center (also known as the Russian Compound) in West Jerusalem. Al-Tamimi, the married father of four children from Shuafat refugee camp in occupied East Jerusalem, was arrested a few days ago for minor traffic violations. His pregnant wife, Lana, said that the detainee told his family that Tamimi had been beaten by the Israeli army before his death. Our family received calls from other prisoners in the adjacent cell in Moskabiya, saying they heard al-Tamimis screams and knocks, and then he quieted down, she told Al Jazeera. He was a healthy person when he went to jail and had no health problems. Ranas mother, Amal Taha, stated that according to other prisoners, there had been clashes with prison guards before the alleged attack on her son-in-law. Taha told Al Jazeera: Abdu and the three other prisoners have been yellingAllah Akbar because it is Eid al-Adha, and then the guards told them that this is not allowed. My son-in-law quarreled with the guards, and the quarrel escalated to the point that he was separated from three other people and taken to a cell alone, and then the others heard his screams before quieting down. Photos posted after his death showed that he had a deep wound on his head, which was subsequently sutured, blood stains on his knees, and large bruises on other parts of his body. The 43-year-old Abdul Muttaleb Khatib, the father of six children, his family published photos proving that he was tortured to death in the Al Maskubiyyeh Interrogation Center on Wednesday.https://t.co/n4lFymWILW -QudsNen (@QudsNen) July 23, 2021 The Israeli Prison Service (IPS) announced that he was found dead in a cell three days after his arrest. IPS said in a statement: Although medical staff tried to resurrect him, they did not succeed and he died on the spot, IPS said in a statement, adding that it would investigate like any other such incident The circumstances of his death. According to reports, Al-Tamimis body was taken to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Occupied East Jerusalem, where an autopsy was performed by the Israeli authorities in the presence of a Palestinian doctor. The autopsy results have not yet been made public. The family said their request to discuss the autopsy with a senior official in Abu Kabir was rejected by the Israeli authorities. On July 23, the United Nations Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory expressed deep concern over al-Tamimis death. The United Nations Human Rights Office urges the Israeli authorities to publish an autopsy report and conduct an independent and transparent investigation into Mr. Tamimis death. According to the Palestinian media Wafa, Several detainee agencies, including the Detainees and Former Detainees Affairs Committee and the Palestinian Prisoners Association, believe that the Israeli occupation authorities are fully responsible for the death of Abdo al-Tamimi. History of torture The Moskabiya Detention Center in Israel has a terrible history of treating and interrogating Palestinian prisoners. According to Addameer, a Palestinian prisoner organization, since the beginning of the Israeli occupation in 1967, at least 73 Palestinians have been killed during Israeli interrogations in prisons including Moskabiya. Despite the absolute prohibition of torture in Article 2 of the International Convention against Torture, which was approved by Israel on October 3, 1991, the torture of Palestinian detainees is still systematic and widespread in Israeli-occupied prisons and interrogation centers. Yes, Addameer said in a statement. 2020 report. Israel has consistently denied allegations of abuse of prisoners and torture. Israeli courts allow the use of what they call moderate pressure in situations involving time bombs involving imminent security threats. Addameer said that in 2018 the Israeli High Court relaxed the regulations in this regard, and the case expanded the definition of time bomb to include cases that are not an imminent security threat. According to the Public Committee against Torture of Israel (PCATI), since 2001, more than 1,300 complaints about torture during interrogations in Israel have been filed. Reported methods of torture include painful restraint, sleep deprivation, exposure to extreme heat and cold, threats, sexual harassment and religious humiliation, PCATI said. Two investigations were conducted, but the Israeli Ministry of Justice did not file any prosecutions and all cases have been closed, PCATI said. Addameer was also ordered by Israeli courts for allegedly torturing some detainees, including three months in 2019, when members of the Palestinian armed group Peoples Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) took place near Ramallah. The explosion killed one Israeli settler and injured two others. The Addameer report stated: This prohibition order was issued to conceal the crime of torture committed against Palestinian detainees held at the al Moskabiya Interrogation Center in Jerusalem. One of the interrogated persons was Samer Arbeed, who was transferred to the hospital about 18 days after being interrogated in Moskabiya. His injuries were life-threatening. According to Addameer, Arbeed then woke up in the hospital with 11 fractured ribs, kidney failure and severe bruises. Before being taken back for more interrogations, he put on a respirator for several weeks, which included the loss of all his nails due to torture. At the same time, the circumstances surrounding the deaths of many Palestinians in Israeli custody remain clear. In 2019, the Council of Palestine Human Rights Organizations stated that it held the Israeli authorities responsible for the death of 31-year-old Nasser Taqatqa, who died of pneumonia while being held in solitary confinement in Nitzan Ramle prison on July 16, 2019 . Taqatqa was arrested at his home in Beit Fajjar one month before his death, and he was interrogated in Moskabiya for most of his detention. The exact circumstances of his death are not yet known, as neither his family nor his lawyers were allowed access to his body. Amal and Abdullah Tata, parents of al-Tamimis wife Rana [Al Jazeera] Why are you killing my father? At the same time, Al-Tamimis family was also distraught and demanded a response. After the death of her husband, Lana aborted one of her twins who were three months pregnant. I love my husband deeply, he is my life, he is an excellent father, and he is very excited about the twins that are about to be born, Lana said. Al-Tamimi used to run a grocery store to support his family, and another cruel twist in his fate was that a fire caused by an electrical failure broke out a few days after his death, causing widespread damage to the grocery store and further causing Economic poverty. Ranas father, Abdallah Taha, asked angrily who would support his daughter and grandson now. He told Al Jazeera: We are also struggling financially, and it is difficult to feed five more people. Al-Tamimis 12-year-old son Muhammad asked to know the cause of his fathers death. I asked the Israelis behind the scenes,Why did you kill my father? What did he do that should be killed?' People in parts of the U.S. The number of COVID-19 infections surges The countrys public health agency recommends that even if they have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, they should wear masks indoors. Cite new information about capabilities Delta variant In order to spread among vaccinated people, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommended on Tuesday that all teachers, faculty, staff, students and school visitors wear indoor masks, regardless of the status of the vaccination. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told reporters at a press conference in the afternoon: In areas with large numbers and high transmission, CDC recommends that fully vaccinated people wear masks in public and indoor environments. To help prevent the spread of Delta variants and help protect others. There are an average of more than 57,000 coronavirus cases and 24,000 hospitalizations in the United States every day, and public health officials have warned for weeks that COVID-19 infections are increasing, especially in areas with low vaccination rates in the country. Varensky said that although vaccinated Americans represent very small transmission-and emphasized that the vast majority of new infections, hospitalizations and deaths occur in unvaccinated people-vaccinated people still Ability to spread the virus to others. With the Delta variant, vaccinating more Americans is now more urgent than ever, she added. The number of infections is rising The recent increase in cases follows the relaxation of masks and other public health restrictions, as well as restaurants, bars and other establishments Reopen In many parts of the country, national vaccination rates have risen sharply. Before the CDCs announcement, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki confirmed that the agency will revise its guidelines based on changing data and changing viruses. Psaki told reporters: Our goal is to save their lives, and our responsibility and the responsibility of public health officials is to continue to provide the latest guidance against the evolving virus. The CDCs new recommendations are non-binding, and many Americans, especially in states favored by the Republican Party, may choose not to follow these recommendations. The CDC has recommended that people wear masks for most of the pandemic when they cannot maintain a distance of 6 feet (1.8 meters) from others. In April, as vaccination rates rose sharply, the agency relaxed its guidelines for wearing masks outdoors, stating that fully vaccinated Americans no longer need to cover their faces unless they are among a large group of strangers. In May, the guidelines for fully vaccinated people were further relaxed, allowing them to no longer wear masks in outdoor crowds and most indoor environments. The guidelines still require masks to be worn in crowded indoor environments, such as buses, airplanes, hospitals, prisons, and homeless shelters, but it clears the way for the reopening of workplaces and other places. Subsequent CDC guidelines say that people who are fully vaccinated no longer need to wear masks at summer camps or schools. According to CDC data, the coronavirus vaccine is widely available in the United States, 60% of adults have been fully vaccinated, and 69% of adults have received at least one dose dataBut there are still millions of people who are not vaccinated-the recent increase in cases is particularly evident in US states with low vaccination rates, such as Florida. Wrong direction Dr. Anthony Fauci, Chief Medical Advisor to US President Joe Biden, warn Last weekend, the United States was going in the wrong direction on the coronavirus-he urged people to accept the jab. If you look at the changes in the new infection curve, Fauci said in an interview with CNNs State of the Union program on Sunday, emphasizing that most infected people are Americans who have not been vaccinated. It is one of the people who are not vaccinated because 50% of our countries are not fully vaccinated. This is a problem-especially when you have a variant like Delta, it has the ability to be very effective and very easy The extraordinary characteristics that spread from person to person. People, he said. With the increase in cases, some cities and states have re-implemented the regulations on wearing masks. According to the CDC, 60% of American adults are fully vaccinated, while 69% have at least one dose [File: Karen Pulfer Focht/Reuters] In St. Louis, Missouri, a county-wide mask enforcement order came into effect on Monday, requiring most people, regardless of their vaccination status, to wear masks indoors and when taking public transportation. Los Angeles, California, also recently reinstated mask requirements, and senior public health officials in King County, Washington (including Seattle) last week asked everyone to wear masks in indoor public placeseven if they were vaccinated. There are also increasing calls for health workers and others to be vaccinated. Due to the recent surge in COVID-19 and the availability of safe and effective vaccines, our healthcare organizations and society advocate that all healthcare and long-term care employers require their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, a group of 50 members including the American Medical Association Multiple healthcare organizations said Monday. On the same day, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs stated that it would require its doctors and other medical staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19, becoming the first federal agency to enforce such tasks. Since Diana Bosco turned into a woman four years ago, she has been trying to obtain identification that accurately reflects her gender-she describes the process as intrusive and subject to systematic discrimination against transgender people Hinder. She is currently trying to obtain an Ontario photo card-an ID card issued by the government for people who do not have a drivers license-and her gender is listed as F. But she said she just encountered obstacles. This is an impossible fight, Bosco said. It feels like all the old hatred is lingering in the system and everywhere. I dont know what to do. I just want to live my life, but Im struggling here. Earlier this month, Bosco and her social worker Margie Boese went to the Ontario Service Center in western Toronto with LOFT Community Services so that Bosco could apply for the card. She currently has only one health card, which means she cannot pay taxes or apply for assistance programs, such as the Canadian emergency response benefits last year to help people affected by COVID-19. Bosco said that the staff at the Ontario Service Center asked her if she had had bottom surgery and told her that she needed to provide the surgeons instructions and contact information. This is ridiculous to me, Bosco said. My medical information is only between me and my doctor. Having to protect myself for some random person, my gender, its really shameful. In addition, she said that whether she had genital reconstruction or breast surgery has nothing to do with her female identity. I know who I am. I dont need to prove to you, she said. Provincial requirements are huge obstacles Bosco later learned that the Ontario Service Center staffs requirements for the photo card were not entirely correct. According to the Department of Transportation, she can actually provide a letter from any doctor licensed in Ontario or a psychologist who has examined or treated her, and can say that changing her gender name is appropriate. But Bosco said that this requirement is a huge obstacle for transgender people facing systemic discrimination in the healthcare system because they may not have a doctor they trust to provide letters. Bosco said it was a shame to be required to provide a medical certificate so that her Ontario photo card could accurately reflect her gender. My medical information is only between me and my doctor, she said. (Evan Mitsui/CBC) If a person changes their birth certificate to reflect their gender, or wants to change their name to X and keep the gender specified at birth in the record, a doctors certificate is not required. Bosco said that neither of these is her choice. Her birth certificate comes from another country that does not allow her to change her gender, and she is not identified as X, nor is she a male. The point is to have an ID to identify myself. This is not my way of identification. These marks are not mine, she said. Need to educate employees, the social worker said The process for transgender people in Ontario to change and update their identities using name and gender markings is very complicated and time-consuming. The LGBTQ service provider 519 in Toronto has a clinic to help them understand the system. The agencys judicial assistance coordinator, Al McDonough, said that the clinic is in high demand, providing waiting services for 50 people at a time. They say it takes months to integrate applications, and more time to get approval or rejectiona major problem when people need identification to apply for school, work, or housing. Although everyone may have different opinions on the doctors letter requirements for photo cards, McDonough said that in general, this is problematic. This is a way of medicalizing and pathological transgender people and saying that we cannot verify our gender and our own experience, they said. McDonough said the request also created obstacles. In order to get affirmative care, they need to align their ID with their gender and in order to get their ID to align with their gender, they need to get affirmative care, McDonough said. If they cant get to the end of that cycle, it will have a big impact. At the same time, Boscos social worker Boese witnessed these incidents in Service Ontario and said that there is a clear need to educate employees and hire transgender people to help steer the province towards a more inclusive system. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) will soon begin accepting applications for $12.4 million in financial assistance that will be available to Louisiana fishermen and others in the industry who have been financially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications for these funds will open at 8 a.m., Monday August 9. Applications can only be submitted online. To access the application, please visit www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/cares-act-assistance. The application process will be open for a three-week period. The deadline to submit applications is 11:59 p.m. August 29. Funding allocation has been structured so that ALL applications submitted before the deadline will be considered. The funds, part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (CARES 2.0), will be distributed as direct aid payments by the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission to those applicants who qualify. These federal funds are another step in alleviating some of the financial impacts of the pandemic on our state, said Gov. John Bel Edwards. While we know these funds are not a cure-all, we are grateful for the relief they will provide to our hardworking fishing community. LDWF Secretary Jack Montoucet agreed with Gov. Edwards. This is more crucial aid for our fishing community. While it will not totally bail out all of those hard workers, it does provide much-needed financial help to them. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently approved the departments spending plan for the federal funding dedicated to the states fishing industry. CARES 2.0 and NOAA Fisheries have established that to be eligible, participants: Must be a Fishery Participant This includes persons, fishing communities, aquaculture businesses, processors, or other fisheries-related businesses. (NOTE: Gear and vessel suppliers, repair facilities, retailers, restaurants, and bait and tackle operations are not viewed as fisheries-related businesses. In addition, freshwater fisheries, including wild crawfish, are ineligible.) Must have incurred economic revenue losses greater than 35 % as compared to the prior 5-year average revenue. (NOTE: New businesses and entrants in 2020 with no prior revenue history are ineligible.) Must reside in the state that is providing funding. The qualifying criteria are intended to include individuals directly affected by COVID-19 and not those that have either exited or entered the fishery prior to or after COVID-19, while also taking into consideration the impacts of the 2019 flood disaster. Individuals who applied for the first round of CARES Act payments will be required to apply again but will not need to submit 2015-2019 tax information or the certified fishermens form if those documents were submitted and accepted during the first round. Payments will be issued following the close of the application period. The amount of each payment will be determined by the number of eligible applications received. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisianas abundant natural resources. LDWF receives no state general funding and depends on license sales as a major funding source. Help us protect your hunting and fishing heritage while preserving habitat, wildlife, and aquatic resources by purchasing your license at www.wlf.la.gov. BATON ROUGE, LA, July 27, 2021 - The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) received federal approval to expand the state's Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) program to cover the summer months. To date, DCFS has issued approximately $192.2 million in P-EBT benefits for 515,624 students who receive federal free or reduced-price meals but attended school between August 2020 and May 2021 on a hybrid or virtual learning schedule because of the pandemic. The third P-EBT payment, covering February-May 2021, is scheduled to begin loading onto cards on August 4. Benefits for the Summer P-EBT program are expected to be issued in August. Those who have already received P-EBT benefits for the 2020-21 school year will see benefits made available on students existing cards by August 6. For Summer P-EBT, each eligible child will receive a one-time payment of $375 to cover both June and July. The program differs from the 2020-21 School Year P-EBT program in that students who attended school in-person, as well as on a hybrid or virtual schedule, would be eligible if they receive free or reduced-price meals and were in school in May 2021. It includes those eligible for free or reduced-price school meals through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) and those in a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school, where all children receive free meals regardless of family income, as of May 2021. Students who were not previously approved for free or reduced-price school meals, but who apply by July 30, 2021, and are later approved, will also be eligible to receive Summer P-EBT. While Summer P-EBT benefits will be issued to those who have applied for free or reduced-price school meals by July 30, there may be a delay in the issuance of benefits. There is no action required for students who already received free or reduced-price school meals or attended a CEP school. DCFS will work with school districts to gather eligibility information. Important information about benefits: Children who received P-EBT benefits for the 2020-21 school year will receive their Summer P-EBT payment on the same EBT card where their P-EBT benefits were issued. Children who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals but didn't receive P-EBT for the 2020-21 school year because they attended school in-person will receive a P-EBT card by mail pre-loaded with their Summer P-EBT benefits. More information about the P-EBT program can be found at www.pebt-la.org. DCFS is also working with the USDA Food and Nutrition Service on a plan for children aged 0-5 who are in SNAP households but did not receive P-EBT benefits through the school year P-EBT program. More information on that program will be announced later. Jeon Jong Seo is slated to grace the upcoming Venice International Film Festival for the film "Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon"! Read on to know more. Jeon Jong Seo to Represent Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon at the Venice Film Festival After she made it to the Cannes Film Festival in 2018, Korea's brilliant actress Jeon Jong Seo is making another historic journey in her career. On July 26, the film industry announced that "The Call" star is about to make her Hollywood debut this year! In fact, she will be walking the red carpet of the 78th Venice International Film Festival for her Hollywood debut film "Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon." Jeon Jong Seo is already preparing to depart for Venice. Fantasy adventure film "Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon" is about a lunatic girl who has a strange and dangerous power. With her desire to live on her own, she decided to escape from the mental institution where she has been in locked up for years. The film is also headlined by Hollywood actress Kate Hudson. In addition, Director Ana Lily Amirpour will executive produce the movie. Jeon Jong Seo Achievements With no experience in acting at all, the 27-year-old Korean actress began to write her own journey when she joined the film "Burning," directed by Lee Chang Dong. This project led her to make her first red carpet runway at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018, alongside Korean luminaries Yoo Ah In and Steven Yeun. She also worked with "Sisyphus: The Myth" actress Park Shin Hye in the 2020 movie "The Call," where she won the Best Actress Award at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards last May 2021 for the film category. For the first time in three years, Jeon Jong Seo made a debut in Cannes, and is ready to make another debut at the Venice Film Festival. The prestigious gathering will happen from September 1 to September 11 in Venice, Italy. "Parasite" director, Bong Joon Ho, will also be at the film festival as part of the jury. Meanwhile, Jeon Jong Seo has been confirmed to play the role of Tokyo in the Korean adaptation of the famous Spanish series "La Casa de Papel," famously known as "Money Heist." She also signed an exclusive contract with Hollywood agency United Talent Agency, which is also the home company of big stars Jessica Alba, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Anthony Hopkins. What can you say about Jeon Jong Seo's participation in the forthcoming 78th Venice International Film Festival? Share it with us in the comments! For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at Kdramastars. Kdramastars owns this article. Written by Shai Collins Kim Young Dae will be replaced by Choo Young Woo for the upcoming K-drama "School 2021." After officially leaving the drama, the broadcasting network found the actor who will take the place of the "Penthouse 3" star. Choo Young Woo Joins "School 2021" According to a local outlet, the rookie actor is set to join the cast of KBS' much-anticipated sequel. In the forthcoming series, the newcomer will portray the transfer student named Jung Young Joo, which was initially offered to the 25-year-old actor. With this, he will be working alongside "School 2021" cast WEi's Kim Yo Han, Hwang Bo Reum Byeol, and "Hospital Playlist" actress Jo Yi Hyun. READ MORE: Kim Young Dae Reportedly Drops Out of 'School 2021'+ 'Penthouse 3' Actor Joins Lee Sung Kyung in tvN's 'Shooting Star' Kim Young Dae Officially Leaves K-drama "School 2021" The upcoming youth-oriented drama was involved in the controversy after Kim Young Dae is rumored to step down from his role in the KBS show due to misunderstanding. Following this, Kim Young Dae's agency, Outer Korea, confirmed that the "Cheat On Me, If You Can" star is withdrawing his appearance from K-drama. Just recently, the talent agency also cleared the rumors involving their artist and the statement of the "School 2021" team. Outer Korea began by expressing their gratitude towards the director and the broadcasting network who gave the actor a chance to star in the "School" series. However, Kim Young Dae's agency explained in a lengthy statement that the sudden move was due to internal issues with the production company, Kings Media. "In March 2020, we signed a contract with Kings Media and the "School 2020" company (the cultural industry company) regarding Kim Young Dae's appearance in "School 2020." According to the contract, filming would begin in May 2020 and broadcasting would begin in August 2020," the statement reads. However, the start of the production did not go as planned, which hindered the artist's schedule. Prior to this, the "School 2021" production team released their position and cited that the actor's camp expressed Kim Young Dae's departure from the drama "without negotiating with the production team. "The production team and KBS have not agreed to actor Kim Young Dae's departure, and we are working to reach an amicable settlement. This was followed by a new statement saying that the production has badly been affected by the actor's withdrawal from the show. However, they planned on filming as soon as they found a replacement for his role. Get to Know "School 2021" New Lead Star Choo Young Woo Choo Young Woo recently debuted as an actor as he starred in the BL web drama "You Make me Dance" together with Won Hyung Hoon. In the drama, he played the character of aspiring contemporary dancer Song Shi On; this was followed by landing on the upcoming K-drama "Police University" with f(x)'s Krystal, B1A4's Jinyoung, and Cha Tae Hyun. Apart from being an actor, he is currently attending Korea National University of Arts's acting department. IN CASE YOU MISSED: 'School 2021' Cast: WEi's Yohan, Cho Yi Hyun, Hwang Bo Reum Byeol, and 'Penthouse' Star Kim Young Dae Confirmed for Upcoming Drama KDramastars owns this article. Written by Geca Wills Song Hye Kyo has been regularly updating her Instagram account, sharing what she has been up to with her fans. With her latest Fendi posts, the A-list actress immediately trended online because of her goddess-like beauty. Now, We Are Breaking Up Actress Song Hye Kyo Looks Expensive in Simple Pastel Outfit There's no perfect word to describe how good-looking Song Hye Kyo is. Even with simple ensembles and sans makeup, the "Descendants of the Sun" star glows naturally. On July 27, Song Hye Kyo surprised her followers on Instagram when she released a couple of her photos, displaying her look as she endorses the popular Italian luxury brand, Fendi. Clad in a pastel turtleneck top and simple white shorts, the Korean sleb impressed her fans for looking expensive even without much accessories on. Her braided hair adds volume to her features. She is indeed aging backwards! YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Song Hye Kyo in Talks to Reunite with 'Descendants of the Sun' Director For Upcoming Mystery Thriller Drama Song Hye Kyo Dominates Twitter after Sharing Her Fendi Snaps Song Hye Kyo shared a total of eight different snaps of her on her Instagram post. You can visit her official account @kyo1122 to see more of the "Encounter" star! Right after the K-drama actress uploaded the new photos on her SNS, her fans were quick to spread the news, making Song Hye Kyo's name trend on Twitter. This is the second day the "Full House" actress topped the trending list on the bird app. Last July 26, Song Hye Kyo posted a sneak peek of her upcoming K-drama "Now, We Are Breaking Up" - a black and white snap of Song Hye Kyo and her onscreen partner Jang Ki Yong's backs facing the camera. This gave excitement to both of the actors' fans, who have been patiently waiting for the release of the romance drama. Escape from Mogadishu Director Receives Appreciation and Support from Song Hye Kyo Meanwhile, Song Hye Kyo showed her support to "Escape from Mogadishu" director Ryu Seung Wan as she promoted the film on her Instagram Story. The movie is set for premiere on July 28. The film stars Song Hye Kyo's "That Winter The Wind Blows" co-star Jo In Sung, Kim Yun Seok, Heo Jun Ho, Jeong Man Sik, Kim Jae Hwa, Park Kyung Hee, and Goo Gyo Hwan. Have you seen Song Hye Kyo's new Instagram photos? Share with us your thoughts 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. Six-year-old Audrey Gard will head to first grade next week wearing a mask. It's a precaution her mom believes will help to minimize the chances of her getting coronavirus. But the Gwinnett County School District, north of Atlanta, is making masks optional for now, and Sara Holton Gard fears that could leave her family caught in the middle. "I'm confident in her wearing a mask at school," Holton Gard says of her daughter. "But I don't have confidence that the rest of the kids will. And that makes me very nervous ... "I worry that she's going to get into school, come home one day and say nobody's wearing their masks and I'm going to say then I have to pull you out of school." That would mean Holton Gard's husband would have to drop out of the workforce to help handle schooling duties again, similar to last year, a situation she called "unsustainable." Having parents decide, albeit with a "strong recommendation" for masks from Gwinnett, is one of a patchwork of school mask policies taking shape across the nation that are already confusing and upsetting families and staff as the school year approaches. The district believes its approach is "the best way to handle things at this particular time," said Bernard Watson, director of community and media relations for Gwinnett County Public Schools, which is the state's largest school district. "We understand that people are concerned about this virus and (it) is causing tremendous harm and pain across this nation for the last couple of years," he said. "So again, we are encouraging everyone who is who's eligible for the vaccine to get vaccinated. And we're encouraging people to wear masks, we're recommending strongly recommending that people wear masks when they come into our buildings." While Holton Gard appreciates that recommendation, she believes it doesn't go far enough and will create problems at school. "I think that it leaves so much up to our teachers who are already trying to manage our classrooms of 25 and 30 students, and 'strongly encouraged' isn't a rule," she says. "So, give the students a rule so that the teachers can enforce a rule. If the rule is everyone wears a mask, that would make me very happy, it would make me more comfortable with sending my child to in person school, and it would follow public health guidelines." Districts and parents take stands The debate about how schools should handle Covid-19 protocols has been a divisive issue in Gwinnett County and across the country. School districts, parents, health departments and state officials are grappling with how to return students to classrooms safely at a time when the Delta variant is driving a surge in cases across the country and while younger students are still unable to be vaccinated. Atlanta Public Schools and DeKalb County schools, just south of Gwinnett, have taken a different tactic. Masks are being mandated for students. That piecemeal approach has been frustrating for parents throughout Georgia, where Gov. Brian Kemp declined to issue state guidance but signed an executive order restricting schools from using the state's public health emergency as a reason for their decisions. "We're doing (a mask mandate) out of an abundance of caution to make sure that all our children and our staff are safe," said DeKalb County Schools Superintendent Cheryl Watson-Harris. "We know that there's a lot of divide, that there are some people who want masks, people who don't want masks. But my job as the CEO or head educator of our school district is to make sure that I remove as many barriers as possible to make sure that our teachers feel safe, that our families feel safe, and most importantly, our children are back in school ready to learn." Schools in the nation's three biggest school districts -- New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago -- will be requiring masks when the school year begins this fall. But others, like Houston, Texas, and Miami-Dade County and Hillsborough County in Florida, are among those who are making masks optional for students. Vocal opponents to mask mandates have led to raucous school board meetings in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Barrington, Illinois. Virginia Beach parents argued to the school board last week there should be no mask mandate because of data around children being relatively safe from severe Covid-19 and the fact that masks are no longer required in most other indoor places in the state. "Masks are optional almost everywhere that our children play, where they live, where their parents work, it's optional. And yet, we're still requiring them to be masked in our school buildings?" said mother Lori Sharp. The meeting was stopped at one point because the debate had gotten so heated. School board members said they're following the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Virginia's health commissioner when they decided to mandate masks. At the end of the more than four-hour meeting, the Virginia Beach school board voted against a motion which would make mask-wearing in school optional for the upcoming school year. The board voted 6-4 against the effort, keeping masks mandatory for the district's 63,000 students and more than 4,000 teachers in September. But that can still change before school reopens. In Barrington, Illinois, children were among the speakers who asked to not wear masks. Others at the meeting wanted the school to follow guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which recommended last week universal masking in schools of everyone over the age of 2, regardless of vaccination status. The CDC recently updated its school guidance, saying everyone 2 and older who is not fully vaccinated should wear a mask indoors. That meeting finished without a decision on the mask policy. Watson-Harris, the Dekalb County superintendent, said she understands the varying views on the mask issue and that administrators are trying their best to come up with solutions that put safety first but take into consideration many diverse views. "I've heard from some parents that they are uncomfortable with their child wearing a mask all day, they don't think that there's science that supports the decision," she said. "But to that end, we're working in mask breaks. We're working in times for children to go outside as much as possible and be socially distant, to remove their masks. We're trying to take all of those things into consideration. But that's the primary pushback, that they just don't think that there's science that supports the decision for mandatory masks. They think that the children are uncomfortable, and then they're worried about that." Keeping up with changes Mandating masks is not the sole point of contention in schools around the country. The issue of testing policies, what levels of community spread could trigger shutting down a school, and policies related to how schools will quarantine children or classmates if there are positive cases have become another point of disagreement. Children returned to Chandler Unified Schools last week, the second largest school district in Arizona. The first day went "exceedingly well," according to a spokesman for the district. "Our students and staff have protocols down," said Terry Locke, director of community relations for the district. "It was last year that was so challenging, because it was so new to us." But the district's protocols are still changing. Chandler Unified updated its quarantine policy as of Monday, making quarantining optional for students with known exposure to Covid-19. The school district said the changes were directly related to an edict from Gov. Doug Ducey's office last week, which told two other school districts to withdraw their policy of requiring unvaccinated students to quarantine if they were exposed to Covid, saying it was against state law. Those schools said through a lawyer they disagreed with the governor. The issue has yet to be resolved. Masks are optional for the Chandler Unified for now, but that is also subject to change depending on the local transmission levels in Maricopa County. The district also said it will "maintain a heightened awareness of students and staff behavior regarding mask bullying." Most schools have said they will continue to evaluate the transmission rates and community spread and have said the situation will remain fluid throughout the year. In first-grader Audrey's Gwinnett County school district, it's already a change from last academic year when students who returned to in-person school were all required to mask up. Audrey's mother says she understands the anger coming from parents who disagree with her, especially after a frustrating year for families juggling schooling from home. "But I also have to say, look, public health says anyone who's not vaccinated needs to be wearing a mask all the time in public," Holton Gard says. She says when her family made the decision to choose in-person learning in April, she was feeling good about declining Covid-19 levels and hoped the majority of eligible Georgians would be vaccinated. Only 40% of Georgia residents have been fully vaccinated, according to the Georgia Health Department. Holton Gard is concerned about the surge in cases from the Delta variant. And she's grown exasperated with her school board and their decision not to mandate masks. But she will do the best she can to help her daughter Audrey ease into the first grade "I'm very frustrated. I'm out of patience at this point," she says. "But as the parent I have to put on the brave face, convince my children that we're doing this and we're all in this together. But on the inside, I'm frustrated. I'm furious." The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. MEDFORD, Ore. Federal agencies in southwest Oregon are heightening fire danger restrictions on public lands in anticipation of continued exceptional heat and dryness after this week's brief reprieve. On state-protected lands, southwest Oregon has been at the highest, "Extreme" level since earlier this month. The state also banned all campfires east of I-5 last week. That said, federal lands function separately from their state-managed neighbors, and the individual agencies are now heightening their own restrictions. The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest announced Monday that it will increase fire restrictions starting Wednesday, due to the high temperatures and conditions that are "dry and prone to both human-caused and naturally-caused fires." This includes a ban on campfires, even in designated pits, within the national forest. Propane or liquid fuel-powered stoves are allowed on the RRSNF. Smoking is allowed only in vehicles, buildings where permitted and designated recreation sites, or aboard watercraft on the water. Campfires are likewise banned on the Wild Portion of the Lower Rogue River starting July 28, applying to the area from Grave Creek to the mouth of Watson Creek. The same exception applies for safe use of liquid or propane stoves. Smoking is also only permitted while on watercraft, in areas of vegetation-free sand, and on gravel bars. The Bureau of Land Management's Medford District also decided to increase the fire danger level on public lands effective Wednesday, banning campfires in the district, which includes Hyatt Lake Campground. Visitors to BLM-managed public lands are required to carry tools with them to ensure small fires can be put out quickly, including a shovel, axe and at least one gallon of water or a 2.5 pound fire extinguisher. "The Western U.S. is in the most expansive and intense drought this century, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, and the drought continues to intensify in parts of the Pacific Northwest, including Southern Oregon," BLM said in a statement. "Jackson and Josephine counties experienced the driest April and May on record, which dates back 111 years. Significant fire potential is expected to increase to above normal for Southern Oregon in June. "The safety of the public and all wildland fire responders is always the number one priority for all wildland fire agencies. This year, it is especially important everyone does their part to reduce human caused wildfires. BLM officials are taking the necessary steps to ensure their ability to deploy firefighters for wildfire response. Officials stress their commitment to the most efficient wildland fire suppression operations during these challenging times." PHOENIX, Ore. Officers from multiple law enforcement agencies responded on Tuesday to reports of a black bear seen on the streets of Phoenix. According to Phoenix Police chief Derek Bowker, the first reports started coming in around 10 a.m. of a bear seen at the southern end of town. Several responding officers worked to corral the bear, directing him toward the Bear Creek Greenway. Nearby Phoenix Elementary School and a daycare were temporarily placed on lockdown during the initial response. By roughly 11 a.m., the bear had settled in near Bear Creek roughly behind the Phoenix Plaza Civic Center in an area of brambles and trees. Bowker said that at that point, officers had not attempted to use sedatives or tranquilizers to incapacitate the animal. Though officers succeeded in moving the bear out of the town proper, Bowker said that the bear's location was a "bad spot" because he was across the water from responding agencies. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife also responded, and Bowker said that they were working to decide what to do with the bear. ODFW told NewsWatch 12 that the bear was unlikely to leave its current proximity to the populated area with so much activity around, so they intended to draw down the response in order to give the animal a chance to make its escape later in the day. The agency did not indicate that they intended to tranquilize or euthanize the animal. Black bears make frequent appearances in Ashland, where they're often drawn to unsecured trash cans. They're less common in the central areas of Phoenix or Medford, though there are plenty of sightings on the outskirts. Wildlife officials sometimes decide to euthanize bears and other predators if they seem overly comfortable or habituated to human surroundings. This is a developing story and will be updated with more details as they emerge. BLY, Ore. Conditions on the Bootleg Fire continue to improve this week for crews working to contain it, and officials now have a better idea of how many homes and other buildings were destroyed when the historic fire was at its peak. As of Tuesday, the Bootleg Fire was estimated at 410,731 acres with containment still at 53 percent. "Yesterday, a thorough damage assessment was finalized that tallied the number of buildings damaged and destroyed in Klamath and Lake counties," officials said in a Tuesday update. "This fire has a very large footprint and it is important to fire managers that the impact to peoples homes and other structures be accurately examined and counted. Surveying experts were able to safely access remote areas where the fire has caused significant damage and provide updated reporting to fire managers." According to that latest assessment, the Bootleg Fire has claimed 161 homes and 247 outbuildings. Flames also destroyed 342 vehicles. These numbers could still continue to increase as firefighters and surveyors penetrate further into the interior of the fire. As for the firefight itself, changing weather conditions have helped crews gain the upper hand on most areas of the fire, with the northern side posing the last major challenge. Lines on the southern end of the fire continue to hold and are in patrol status, with crews searching for hot spots and burning out pockets of fuel to widen the safe perimeter. To the northwest, officials said that rugged terrain has hindered suppression efforts. "There is a concentration of snags, downed logs, and slash that provide heavy fuels to the fire. And while progress is being made, this area continues to be a challenge," officials said. "Favorable weather today will create a good window for direct attack." On Monday, firefighters extinguished a small spot fire that jumped the perimeter on the northeast size, keeping it at less than three acres. Officials said that the potential for spotting should fall on Tuesday with the changing weather, though crews will remain vigilant to the threat. "Temperatures are expected to cool today with an increase in humidity and likelihood of isolated showers continuing through tomorrow. The mild weather will have a short-term calming effect on the fire behavior," officials said. "But due to the extremely dry conditions and fuels, as the week progresses and temperatures rise, aggressive fire behavior is likely to quickly rebound." A new command team took over leadership of Bootleg Fire efforts on Tuesday morning, with the Alaska Incident Management Team transitioning in. Incident Commander Norm McDonald thanked the Pacific Northwest Team 2, Oregon State Fire Marshal Red Team, and Oregon Department of Forestry Team 1 for leaving the new team in such a good position. "We will continue operations with a focus on the safety of the community and our firefighters, said Commander McDonald. Were continuing with community and agency partners to suppress the fire as effectively as possible to protect timber, ranchlands, and other local values. For those who lost property to the Bootleg Fire, officials recommended visiting Oregon's wildfire and insurance site or calling the states team of consumer advocates at 888-877-4894 (toll-free). YES: The competition is the same. LESS: It's not the same without fans. NO: It was silly to stage them. Vote View Results 282 Shares Share I remember the second I received my first phone call from admissions to a medical school. I was sitting at an airport, after having finished another interview. After putting down the phone, I started to cry. All of those years of hard work had been recognized, and I was finally welcomed into the profession of my dreams. I never thought that I accomplished something less meaningful because it was a phone call from an osteopathic school, not an allopathic school. Now, as a second-year medical student, who serves on the admissions committee and has faced discrimination against my educational background and my decision to choose DO, I question why some choose to even go into this profession. Of the candidates that I met this past cycle, each one was better than the last they were, in many ways, more accomplished than I was. On paper and in interviews, candidates seemed eager to choose DO, just as I did. However, having been in the unique position as both a peer and on the admission committee, I can see a discrepancy between those feelings in front of the admissions committee and those in an informal setting. DOs and MDs are both called physicians, and patients who interact with both call them doctors. Most patients assess their relationships with physicians based on their ability to empathize and connect with them during their most vulnerable times. Rarely do you hear a patient judge or request a different physician depending on where they attended medical school. Thus, the two letters behind a physicians name seem to matter more to the physician themselves than to the patients they care for. At the heart of every medical schools personal statement, applicants convey the message that they want to help patients. The last time I checked, MDs and DOs have the same practicing rights in all 50 states of the U.S. Given the choice between MD and DO, both of which are seen equally in the eyes of the ACGME and, more importantly, patients, why is there still a stigma? Appearances and perceptions of others matter more to them more than their motivation to become a physician. The competition and drive as a premed start early. For every couple thousand applicants to a medical school, less than 5 percent matriculate. The work that applicants put into presenting themselves as the best candidate achievable, is something they hope can be recognized as significant in the eyes of the admissions committee. Too many times have I seen the level of recognition being correlated with the ranking of a medical school. Unfortunately, osteopathic medical schools traditionally rank lower than allopathic medical schools, unjustly undermining the significance of an acceptance to osteopathic medical school, and by extension, the DO degree. Despite the information that the AACOM and AAMC put out to show the similarities and differences between allopathic and osteopathic medicine, biases, for the wrong reasons, still exist. These biases still exist, not only in the previous generation of physicians, but also in the present. Whether it is due to the lack of understanding or unfounded pride, 150 years of discrimination makes our revered culture and profession no better than the others in American society. While allopathic medical education has been around for longer than osteopathic medical education, both have the same primary goal to treat patients. As a member of an admission committee, a current medical student, and your future colleague, I encourage you to remember why you applied or are applying to medical school and your motivations for becoming a physician. Numbers are numbers, ranks are ranks, and a physician is a physician. The perceptions that truly matter are that of the patients you care for. Colburn Yu is a medical student. Image credit: Shutterstock.com 1 Shares Share Medical groups calls for COVID-19 vaccination mandates for health care workers reached a fever pitch on Monday, with the American Medical Association (AMA), American Nurses Association, and 55 other organizations joining the chorus supporting mandatory vaccination. It is critical that all people in the health care workforce get vaccinated against COVID-19 for the safety of our patients and our colleagues, said Susan R. Bailey, MD, immediate past president of the AMA, in a statement. Increased vaccinations among health care personnel will not only reduce the spread of COVID-19 but also reduce the harmful toll this virus is taking within the health care workforce and those we are striving to serve. The joint statement was unequivocal: We call for all health care and long-term care employers to require their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, it said in a single paragraph in bold and italicized font. Unfortunately, many health care and long-term personnel remain unvaccinated, the statement said, describing COVID-19 vaccination as an ethical commitment of all health care workers to put patients as well as residents of long-term care facilities first and take all steps necessary to ensure their health and well-being. Previously, the American Hospital Association was the largest health care organization to urge mandatory vaccination for health care workers. Infection prevention organizations, including the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, previously released a consensus statement recommending mandatory vaccination as a condition of employment, on July 13, and joined in on this statement as well. Primary care groups, such as the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Family Physicians, joined a wide array of medical specialty organizations in co-signing the letter, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association of Clinical Endocrinology, and American Society of Clinical Oncology all backed the statement. Universal vaccination of health care workers is the single most important step health care institutions can do to stop the spread of COVID-19. It is essential for protecting the health of their workers, the safety of their patients, and ultimately the health of their communities, Georges C. Benjamin, MD, executive director of the American Public Health Association, which also co-signed, said in a statement. The organizations cited the growing number of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, as well as the highly contagious Delta variant among their reasons for requiring vaccination. The statement noted that some workers will not be able to be vaccinated due to identified medical reasons and should be exempted, though they represent a minority of workers. They added that employers should consider any applicable state laws on a case-by-case basis. Existing COVID-19 vaccine mandates have proven effective, the groups stated. As the health care community leads the way in requiring vaccines for our employees, we hope all other employers across the country will follow our lead and implement effective policies to ensure vaccination. Molly Walker is deputy managing editor, MedPage Today. This article originally appeared in MedPage Today. Image credit: Shutterstock.com The tasks before the Democratic-led House Select Committee examining the January 6 insurrection that opens on Tuesday, after bitter partisan feuding over its make-up, could hardly be more critical. Not only is it probing one of the darkest episodes in America's story, but -- in examining the incitement and assaults on democracy on that terrible day -- it will serve as a real-time counterpoint as pro-Donald Trump Republicans whitewash history to excuse their demagogic leader. When police officers on Tuesday testify on the committee's opening day about how they were abused and attacked by Trump's supporters, they will directly refute the ex-President's claim about a "loving" crowd of his MAGA-hatted supporters. In examining Trump's behavior after he lost November's election and then claimed massive fraud, investigators will later likely draw a direct line between the former President's malfeasance and the shocking US Capitol assault. The committee's work is even more vital, since the dangerous tide of insurrection and lies that helped spark the sacking of Congress has only intensified since the former President left Washington and set his sights on destroying democracy from the outside. The committee will represent the most formal and sweeping effort yet to find out what happened behind the scenes in the White House, in Trump's campaign and by violent elements of his supporters before their march on Congress. It is also likely to examine the policy and security failures that allowed the mob to breach the Capitol. And it may offer recommendations for how to prevent such unheard-of scenes in the future -- should the nation again stand on the cusp of political disaster. That the first hearing on Tuesday will begin more than six months after the January 6 mob attack underscores how the GOP's continuing fealty to Trump has warped normal constitutional customs of accountability and will be certain to diminish its impact. But the panel will go ahead, with seven Democrats and two Republicans, Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney and Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who were appointed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- and may well be in the process of sacrificing their promising political careers to expose Trump's threat to democracy and the Constitution. House GOP Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy brands the committee as effectively a kangaroo court designed to damage the ex-President. He pulled out all five of his picks for the committee after Pelosi rejected two of them, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan and Indiana Rep. Jim Banks, who have been amplifying Trump's claims that the last election was fraudulent. Jordan has been a leading figure in trying to blame Pelosi for the sacking of Congress -- over security failings -- rather than Trump. Acting in line with Trump's demands, McCarthy actually helped sabotage an earlier genuine independent commission formed in a bipartisan House deal. And after initially saying Trump bore responsibility for the red-hatted hordes who stormed Congress, McCarthy has made the ex-President the anchor of his midterm election campaign. A historical record After months of right-wing propaganda and misinformation about the January 6 assault, the committee has the chance to set the record straight and to establish a historical record -- even if Trump supporters are certain to reject the truth. Testimony from police officers, lawmakers and others who fled for their lives from the crowd on that day will recreate the stark horror of those moments when it seemed that America's democratic traditions were in grave peril. House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, who serves on the January 6 panel, said Monday that testimony from DC and Capitol Police officers will push back on GOP attempts to rewrite history and portray what it was like "to be on the front lines for the brave police officers." The committee is expected to see never-before-seen videos from January 6 that include profane language. What actually did happen is still shocking. A sitting US president refused to accept his sound defeat in a presidential election, cast a malicious web of lies about fraud that did not take place and called a mob to Washington. Then he incited them with further lies, told them to "fight like Hell" before they marched on Congress to block the certification of his successor's election victory. It was, for all intents and purposes, a coup attempt and made the United States look more like a failed state in the hands of a vengeful dictator trying to cling onto power rather than the global guarantor of democracy and peaceful transfers of power it set itself up to be. The atmosphere surrounding the committee would feel less fraught had Trump's threat to basic American democratic values faded -- as many hoped it would -- when he left power on January 20. But the ex-President has only escalated his claims that the election was stolen, convincing millions of his supporters that American democracy is corrupt. His increasingly extreme behavior carries the possibility that the violence on January 6 may not be the end of it. In Arizona on Saturday for instance, Trump spewed lie after lie about the election, and warned that the midterms in 2022 and the presidential race in 2024 would also be corrupted if a supposed plot against him wasn't exposed. If anything, his speech was more inciteful than the one he delivered on the Ellipse in Washington on January 6 that led to the insurrection. "It was a scam, the greatest crime in history, and we have to hold these people accountable," Trump said in his visit to the Grand Canyon State, where GOP state senators are conducting a sham audit of votes in key Maricopa County based on his lies about fraudulent ballots. In another example of incitement from Trump world, the ex-President's short-tenured national security adviser Michael Flynn, a former general, made a "joke" about assassinating someone in Washington when he was presented with an automatic rifle at an event earlier this month. In the light of the events on January 6, his humor was in very poor taste. Feuding between Pelosi and McCarthy could undermine probe findings When Pelosi vetoed Banks and Jordan's spots the committee last week, many Beltway pundits suggested she had made a grave political error and enabled McCarthy to claim that her motives were nakedly partisan. In the most-narrow sense, that may be true. And it is almost impossible to find a precedent for a speaker dismissing members of a committee selected by a rival party leader. But the unique context of the January 6 insurrection also provides some unprecedented background. And as the committee opens, her strategy looks less risky. McCarthy for instance will have no capacity to control events in the hearing room or have allies on Trump's side push back on damaging televised testimony. The select committee, which has subpoena power, will have the capacity to unveil weeks of damaging evidence that will further soil Trump's legacy and might increase the price for the Republicans who support it. Pelosi hinted at how her political strategy will play out in a statement from her press office on Monday. "This week, House Republicans are proving once again that they stand with the insurrectionists -- not with our law enforcement," the release said. The willingness of Cheney and Kinzinger to join the committee, meanwhile, will allow Pelosi at least the opportunity to claim the panel is bipartisan. McCarthy lashed out at the two rebel GOP lawmakers whose defection underscores the extent in which vast sectors of the House Republican Party have abandoned democracy in a way that would shock the GOP's most revered past leaders. He called Cheney, one of the most-staunch conservatives in the House, and Kinzinger, an Iraq war veteran, "Pelosi Republicans." Cheney responded that the new name was "pretty childish" -- a comment echoed by her colleague from Illinois. "It's childish. We're doing big things right now. We're getting to the answers of the worst attack on the Capitol since the War of 1812," Kinzinger said Monday. He added that he would be willing to hear testimony from his fellow Republican members of the House -- like Jordan -- on what their role was on January 6. "I want to know where the facts lead, and if that includes members that had a role in organizing or that they knew or that tried to cover up. That's important," Kinzinger said. Underscoring how the House GOP has split over January 6 -- and the radical company McCarthy is keeping by opposing an investigation -- four pro-Trump members will counter-program Tuesday's committee opening. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert and Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar will highlight what they say is the plight of January 6 "prisoners." Such terminology, referring to criminal suspects being held as part of a legal investigation into their alleged role in the riot, emphasizes the extreme road that the GOP has taken in support of Trump. The contrast between the two events could undermine Republican claims to always be the party of law and order, justice and support for the police. This could be noted by suburban voters who deserted Trump's cause and helped cost him the election. But it's unlikely that it will cost the ex-President his almost mystical connection with his supporters -- that could convince him to pursue another run for the presidency in 2024. After all, if two impeachments and the truth about an election that was not stolen did not break through, it's unlikely that a select committee appointed by Pelosi will -- as important as it undoubtably is. The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. EUGENE, Ore. -- A grass fire burning in west Eugene Monday afternoon is contained. It was reported in the area of South Danebo Avenue and Pacific Avenue after 3 p.m. Multiple fire trucks were on scene working to fight the blaze, which burned in an open field in an area with trails. As of 5 p.m. the fire had grown to five to eight acres. While the fire is contained, smoke will be visible throughout the evening, police say. Crews with Eugene-Springfield Fire will remain at the site to deal with hot spots. Firefighters were staged on Terry Street as there are structures on that side of the fire. Earlier in the day, nearby businesses said they were concerned because the fire picked up fast, and conditions were windy. Smoke is impacting West 11th Avenue, and residents are asked to use caution. A second fire is burning on Bridges Lane near Fern Ridge Lake. KEZI 9 News has a crew at the scene. SWEET HOME, Ore. A Lane County Sheriffs deputy drowned on Sunday while trying to help a young child at Foster Reservoir. The sheriffs office is mourning the death of Courtney Couch, a US Army veteran who had been a deputy with LCSO for seven years. Couch, 36, had been enjoying the reservoir with her family and was paddle boarding when she tried to help a young child. She fell in the water and did not resurface. Authorities say Couch was not wearing a life jacket. Bystanders brought Couch to the surface, and Linn County Sheriffs deputies and paramedics tried to save her life, but she did not survive. Her sudden and tragic death has knocked the wind out of us. Please keep your thoughts and prayers with Courtney and her family following this heartbreaking tragedy, a statement from the sheriffs office said. Authorities confirmed the child involved in the incident is OK. Linn County deputies are investigating the drowning. If you have any information, you are asked to contact the sheriff's office at 541-967-3950. DORENA, Ore. -- After a man was assaulted, Dorena residents are questioning whether their streets are safe, and now the man is speaking out. Victim Neal McDonald was walking his dog on the Fourth of July when the incident happened. He was taken to OHSU in Portland, where he had surgery on his eye. Due to the severity of the incident, McDonald ended up losing all vision in his right eye. RELATED: SOME DORENA RESIDENTS CONCERNED FOR THEIR SAFETY AFTER ALLEGED ASSAULT "I was kind of blind and dumb about it," McDonald said. "I should've been on guard about it, and I wasn't." McDonald said that he moved to Dorena three years ago. Ever since he got to town, he said he's been a victim of many burglaries and a witness to many more. "I hate going to town because when I go to town if I'm just going there to grab one thing at Walmart, I know that I'm going to be gone for an hour," McDonald said. "In that hour, if someone or the wrong person sees me leave, then what are they going to do in that hour." McDonald said he feels like a prisoner in his own home. He moved to Dorena to be left alone and to be surrounded by beautiful scenery and the water. But now, he said he wants to move, especially after he got attacked. "As much as I love it here, I have been seriously considering selling my place and moving somewhere else," McDonald said. McDonald didn't feel comfortable talking a lot about the incident because the investigation is still ongoing. But his friend, who wished to remain anonymous, said a family is to blame and they're known to cause a ruckus throughout the community. "There's one family that's up here that's just different; they are different," McDonald's friend said. "They tend to cause some problems. They don't have a place to live, so they are just going in and taking properties wherever people aren't living or wherever they feel like they can get in." McDonald said there are a few criminal groups in Dorena. They are setting fires, vandalizing, stealing, and trespassing. "I probably am going to move," McDonald said. "There are a couple of people who moved recently, and after they heard why happened to me, they were glad they left." Community members said they want more attention from law enforcement. McDonald said he hopes his case will get the attention of deputies. Sgt. Tom Speldrich of the Lane County Sheriff's Office said that due to the location of Dorena and their limited resources right now, patrols are very limited. "In that area, it's the definition of rural. There's unfortunately not as much police presence as I know the majority of the community would like to see and also what we would like to provide," Speldrich said. Speldrich said they are working on making Dorena a safer place. "We do respond there, and safety of persons is our number one priority; protection of property comes just second of that," Speldrich said. SALEM, Ore. Former Oregon State Representative Mike Nearman pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal misconduct on Tuesday. On Dec. 21, 2020, Nearman allowed protesters into the state Capitol at a time when the building was closed. Once inside, the protesters some of whom were armed fought with law enforcement officers and damaged the building, according to the Marion County District Attorney's Office. MORE: REP. NEARMAN FACES EXPULSION OVER BREACH OF OREGON CAPITOL Judge Cheryl Pellegrini sentenced Nearman to a year and a half of bench probation and ordered him to complete 80 hours of community service. He will also be required to pay $2,700 in restitution for the damage the protesters caused. Nearman is banned from the Oregon State Capitol and its grounds. A charge of second-degree criminal trespass was dismissed as part of a plea agreement. This plea and sentencing concludes an embarrassing and disgraceful event in our states history, Marion County District Attorney Paige Clarkson said. I am thankful that no members of law enforcement, or anyone else were seriously injured as a result of Mr. Nearmans irresponsible actions. Additionally, I am grateful to the Oregon State Police for their complete and thorough investigation that led to this conviction. Anna Scharf was selected to replace Nearman earlier this month. EUGENE, Ore. -- The husband of a woman shot in the arm at the Lane County Fair Saturday is speaking out. Jason Smith has a background in security. RELATED: FAIR ORGANIZERS SAY MORE SECURITY IS IN PLACE, BUT FAIRGOERS SAY IT'S NOT ENOUGH In a Facebook post regarding the shooting, Smith wrote in part: "Our job is to protect, that's what we do. I heard many say they would have shot the kid, for starters that is wrong, that's a problem around everywhere. We do not shoot first, we train to handle a situation with the only amount of force needed to contain a threat or possible threat." He went on to write that he doesn't believe the shooter intended to fire the weapon. "The gun was drawn because he was getting beaten up by grown men and nobody would help, he pulled the gun out to make the guy stop and during the commotion it was accidentally discharged," Smith wrote. In a response to a comment under the post asking about the woman's condition, Smith said his wife is resting but still a bit shaken up following the incident. Smith told KEZI this is not the first time his wife has been involved in a shooting. He said she was attending a concert in Las Vegas in 2017 when a shooter opened fire on the crowd, killing 60 people. MORE: LAS VEGAS POLICE SHARE NEW REPORT ON SHOOTING MASSACRE According to police, a 16-year-old discharged the gun after a physical altercation at the fair. That 16-year-old is charged with second-degree assault with a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm. Additionally, a 14-year-old is charged with tampering with evidence and disorderly conduct. READ ON: POLICE ARREST TWO MINORS AFTER SHOOTING AT LANE COUNTY FAIR Many families who were present during the shooting are experiencing serious trauma. "It was extremely traumatizing, especially for my son," said Cassandra Glenn, who heard the gunshot. "He is experiencing nightmares currently and he's having anxiety in public places. His viewpoint of it is this could happen anywhere." A representative from Lane County's chapter of the National Alliance of Mental Health (NAMI) advised parents to validate their children's feelings by listening to them and helping them name and work through the emotions they're going through. He said some local resources include the Oregon Family Support Network, Looking Glass, and NAMI's peer support groups which meet on Tuesdays. The shooting was not the only time police responded to the fairgrounds during the five-day event. Eugene Police reported responding to at least 19 different calls related to crime or suspicious activity in the area. Those calls include four reports of theft, including an ATM that was stolen Thursday morning and a bike reported stolen Thursday afternoon. EUGENE, Ore. -- The number of hate crimes reported in Eugene continues to rise, and city councilors are hoping increased penalties for violators might help curb the trend. Preliminary numbers from the 2020 Hate and Bias Report reveal a 12% rise in hate crimes, according to a presentation from Fabio Andrade, Humans Rights and Equity Analyst with the City of Eugene. During a work session Monday, Andrade said crimes against Black and African American people make up about half of all incidents despite the fact that they account for just two percent of the population in the city. During the work session, councilors voted to move forward with plans to increase the maximum fine for second degree bias crimes from $2,500 to $6,250. Violators can also face up to a year in jail. The increased fines will be the topic of future public hearings and an eventual vote by the city council, but no exact date has been given. Eric Richardson, Executive Director of the Eugene Springfield NAACP, said stiffer fines are a good thing and can help make clear when free speech becomes hate speech. We support that, and we look forward to our city government and state and county government really backing up the idea that racism is a public health crisis, Richardson said. Councilors also voted to move forward with a city code amendment to add a crime of intimidation by display of a noose, to align with a state law that goes into effect in January 2022. The city said many of the bias crimes are reported in neighborhoods near downtown Eugene as well as near high schools. Eugene Police Chief Chris Skinner said police also have difficulty bringing a resolution to bias crimes, referred to as the "clearance rate". The clearance rate is not anything to be real proud of quite frankly," Skinner said. "But I do think it's a testament to how difficult sometimes it is to be able to identify suspect information and then ultimately, the motivator behind these [crimes]." The city will release a more detailed report on bias crimes from 2020 at an event in August alongside leaders at the Eugene-Springfield NAACP. By Benjamin Jumbe Anti-corruption civil society organisations have castigated the government over its contract for the installation of digital monitors in automobiles. This comes days after the revelation that the Russian Joint Stock Company Global Security which was contracted to implement the project filed for bankruptcy last year. Speaking at the signing ceremony, security minister Jim Muhwezi said the company had been given 10 years to implement the project and ensure all automobiles including vehicles and motorcycles in the country are fitted with a digital monitoring system with Ugandans to meet the cost of installation. However, speaking to KFM following the revelation of the alleged bankruptcy, the executive director of Anti-Corruption Coalition Uganda ACCU Cissy Kagaba accused the government of failing to do due diligence, calling for halting of the projects implementation. The government has however since insisted that due diligence was conducted before the contract was awarded to the Russian company. By Ruth Anderah Lawyers representing Olympian Julius Ssekitoleko have petitioned the High Court civil division seeking his unconditional release from police custody where he has been held since Friday upon returning from Tokyo. Led by Phillip Munaabi, from Wameeli & Company Advocates, the lawyers have sued the Attorney General, the Director Criminal Intelligence and Investigations as well as the Officer in Charge of Jinja Road Police station. They want the court to declare that Ssekitoleko is unreasonably detained because he has been held without being presented before a competent court for any charge beyond the mandatory 48 hours. Ssekitoleko was whisked away by police upon landing at Entebbe International Airport from Tokyo, Japan where he had gone to represent Uganda as a heavyweight lifter in the ongoing Olympic Games. He is accused of escaping from camp after he failed to qualify and is said to have left a note claiming that he had disappeared to look for greener pastures. He is however believed to have turned himself in to the officials in Japan upon hearing that he was being hunted by local authorities. By Ivan Ssenabulya Ugandas new COVID-19 infections have dropped to 71, the lowest recorded since the 42-day lockdown was announced by President Museveni. These were from tests done on 25th July 2021. On the same day, the ministry of health also recorded 11 deaths, the lowest in a day. This comes ahead of President Musevenis address on the Covid-19 situation in the country slated for July 31st 2021 after the 42-day lockdown he announced on 18th June elapses on Friday this week. The country currently has 92,795 cumulative confirmed cases, 631 active ones on admission at health facilities, 2,590 cumulative deaths and 78,415 recoveries. By Ruth Anderah Prof Patrick Ogwang has asked the High Court in Kampala to dismiss the case filed by lawyer George William Alenyo who says he is not a lawful owner of the Covidex- a herbal covid treatment drug. The lawyer also wants Prof Ogwang to remit all proceeds from the sale of the drug to the consolidated fund. However, Prof Ogwang together with his company Jena Herbals Uganda Ltd which produces Covidex states that the case against them is political, an abuse of court process, and has no legal basis and as such should be dismissed with costs. Early this month, Alenyo together with the Christian Chamber of Commerce, Agriculture, Industry, Trade and Tourism dragged Prof Ogwang together with his company and others including Attorney General and National Drug Authority (NDA) for alleged failure to perform their statutory duties. The lawyer faults the respondents for failure to do due diligence to establish the true ownership of Covidex drug, failure to collect taxes and remit it to government coffers, failure to obtain environmental impact assessment of the impact of the ongoing extraction or exploitation of millions of the tree species expected to be used to make millions of veils of Covidex among others. He also faults the Attorney General for failing to advise the government on the revenue collected from the sale of covidex that should be placed in the consolidated fund. According to the petitioners, covidex was developed using government resources and funds from the consolidated Fund. They contend Prof Ogwang, a civil servant who draws Salary the Consolidated Fund at Mbarara University of Science and Technology developed covidex from the government of Uganda facilities and laboratories and with the staff of University and Pharma Bio Centre. However, in defence, Prof Ogwang says covidex drug was developed at Jena Herbals Ltd which is outside Mbarara University in 2020 with private funds and the Ugandan government only disbursed funds to the said university in April 2021 for evaluation purposes of the already available product. The Covidex drug hit the market more than a month ago with claims that it heals the novel COVID-19. It was later approved by the NDA last week as a supportive treatment in the management of viral infections. Weather Alert The Washington Department of Ecology has announced an Air Quality Alert through noon Thursday, Aug. 5, for all of Washington east of the Cascade crest because of degraded air quality. The alert may be extended past Thursday for areas close to active wildfires. Wildfire smoke may produce health impacts due to Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) pollution. Air quality may reach levels that range from unhealthy for sensitive groups to very unhealthy. Burning restrictions are in effect. Health Impacts and Recommended Actions: When air quality is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, sensitive persons may experience health effects and should limit prolonged or heavy exertion and limit time spent outdoors. When air quality reaches Very Unhealthy levels, everyone should stay indoors, do only light activities, and keep windows closed if it is not too hot. If you must be outdoors, wear an N-95 respirator mask (people with chronic diseases should check with their doctor before wearing a mask). Outdoor Burning Restrictions: Washington Governor Jay Inslee issued an emergency order July 6, 2021, prohibiting most unpermitted outdoor burning through September 30, 2021. Visit www.ecology.wa.gov/burnbans for details on local restrictions. ...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TUESDAY TO 11 PM PDT WEDNESDAY... * WHAT...Dangerously hot conditions with afternoon temperatures in the upper 90s to 105 degrees possible. * WHERE...Portions of Central, East central, North central, Northeast and Southeast Washington and North and North central Idaho. * WHEN...From 11 AM Tuesday to 11 PM PDT Wednesday. * IMPACTS...Extreme heat combined with unusually warm overnight temperatures will significantly increase the potential for heat related illnesses. Conditions will be difficult for residents without air conditioners. Those working or participating in outdoor activities will also be vulnerable. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Wildfire smoke in the region could reduce afternoon temperatures reducing the risk of extreme heat. The amount of wildfire activity and subsequent smoke in the region will play a role in how hot the temperatures are Tuesday and Wednesday. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Monitor the latest forecasts and warnings for updates on this situation. Be prepared to 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. This is especially true during warm or hot weather when car interiors can reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes. && The Lingaun Valley, has created a high tech national first, with the launch its 'augmented reality' (AR) smartphone application to three high prestige heritage-tourism sites. Southwest Kilkennys emerging tourism region has stolen a march on much larger and more established hot spots by creating a free app to allow visitors to both see the three sites as they were when first developed up to thousands of years ago. The project, which focused on the sites at Knockroe Passage Tomb, the Kilkerian High Cross monastic complex and the Killamery High Cross and heritage cemetery, was led by Kilkenny LEADER Partnership, in cooperation with the community group Lingaun Valley Tourism and Kilkenny County Council. Declan Rice, the CEO of Kilkenny LEADER Partnership stated at the launch at the Kilkerian Cottage Restaurant, beside the four crosses at the Kilkerian site, This is the first in Ireland, with even very few international examples! he continued, The Walton Institute of WIT have done a magnificent job on creating the app. It allows any visitor with a smartphone- Apple, Samsung or Android, to see a huge amount of dynamic images of the former appearance of these internationally prestigious sites. This smartphone app is the first in Ireland, with even very few international examples! Stephen Barnes, the project lead for the Walton Institute, (formerly TSSG) of WIT confirmed that the content of class leading smartphone app was based on rigorous research by archaeologists and recreated by specialist and experienced artists. He stated, The project partners decided that Augmented Reality technology, where images and information is overlaid on the real world through the smartphone camera, was a more flexible and suitable interpretation means than the better-known virtual reality, which requires specialist viewing visors and much more broadband capacity. AR, by contrast just requires the visitor to download an app and run it from their smartphone. The guest of honour, Professor Muiris O'Sullivan, of UCD had led the archaeological research on the Knockroe site in the early 1990s. Noting his pleasure at seeing the recently installed road signs designating the visitors entry to the Lingaun Valley, Professor OSullivan spoke of the uniqueness of the entire Lingaun region, both sides of the Kilkenny- Tipperary border, in all cultural senses. He recounted that some of the then young students of the time who participated under his supervision in the digging, often still spoke of the charm of the regions culture, be it music in the pubs, the beauty of the scenery or the friendliness of the people. I think they left a bit of their hearts here! he admitted. Professor OSullivan explained that the relatively short Lingaun River, and the mountain of Slievenamon, where its source sprung, probably, based on an analysis of the archaeology, formed a special and region to Neolithic people. He explained that later in early Christian Ireland, the presence of high crosses was a ready indicator of the site being a monastic settlement. He praised the AR app initiative, stating, that having being informed today of its many functions, he realised he had only really, Started the tractor engine on its capabilities. Frank Walsh, the Chairperson of the Lingaun Valley Tourism group, commended the development of the app as an important addition to the interpretation of the many heritage sites in the Lingaun region. He also praised the efforts of the community in maintaining and developing the sites on a voluntary basis. Mr Walsh, who with his wife Ade operates the (soon to reopen) Kilkerian Cottage Restaurant, also appealed for funders to understand the pressures on communities and change their funding rules to accommodate the lack of finances of the typical voluntary group which all agencies and statutory groups relied upon to lead projects. Councillor Fidelis Doherty, the Chairperson of Kilkenny County Council spoke to praise the initiative and its partners. She gave particular credit to the work of the County Council on constructing the new entrance road to the Knockroe site, its support of other community tourism initiatives and cooperation with KLP. Declan Rice presented the original oil paintings of the artist Bettina Norton of the three individual sites used in the apps artwork, to Professor OSullivan, Frank Walsh and Councillor Doherty. He confirmed the app would be free to download and was available on the Apple store and the equivalent on other smartphone makes. He also stated that KLP had plans to expand the app to additional sites, both within the Lingaun Valley and elsewhere in the region. Lidl Ireland has been granted final planning permission to knock and rebuild its store on Waterford Road in Kilkenny, which will see a 9 million investment in the local area. Alongside an environmentally-friendly Lidl store, the development includes the construction of 13 two-storey homes adjoining the new store. The current store will be replaced with a larger and more modern model that showcases Lidls leadership in sustainable building being powered by 100% green electricity and featuring a roof mounted solar panel installation and two electric vehicle charging points in the stores spacious car park. A larger Lidl store will give our Kilkenny customers an even better shopping experience with wider aisles and additional shelf space to stock even more of their favourite top-quality Lidl products," said Darren Bourke, Lidl Kilkenny Store Manager. "After all, our everyday value range just keeps growing and growing! We have some really lovely and loyal customers here in Kilkenny and we are delighted to be bringing them a new state-of-the-art store to do their weekly shop in. Since first opening on Waterford Road in 2004, Lidl Kilkenny has become a part of the retail fabric of Kilkenny. Lidl Ireland employs 5,000 employees across its 169 stores, Head Office in Tallaght and three distribution centres and regional offices based in Charleville, Mullingar and Newbridge. A Kilkenny social enterprise has been awarded business supports by Rethink Ireland under their Genesis Programme. The successful Kilkenny organisation is: Buddy Bench. The project strengthens communities by proactively educating primary school students on positive mental well-being with evidence-led lessons on topics like anxiety, resilience, and emotional intelligence. Research has found almost 90% of Irish teachers have not been trained in children's mental health in college, while Ireland rates among the highest for childhood self-harm and suicide compared to the European average. Rethink Irelands Social Enterprise Development Fund has awarded 400,000 to 16 projects around Ireland, while a further 18 projects have been awarded a place on the organisations Genesis Programme which provides strategic business support to organisations. The Genesis Programme is an intensive two-day workshop that will focus on building the skills and knowledge needed to develop a sustainable social enterprise and to be successful in future funding opportunities. Speaking at the announcement yesterday Chief Executive of Kilkenny County Council, Colette Byrne, who said: We would like to congratulate The Buddy Bench on their success in receiving a Social Enterprise Development Fund Award from Rethink Ireland. Coming out of an extremely challenging period for Irish society and Irish businesses were delighted with this good news story for Kilkenny. Social enterprises have an important role to play in guiding Ireland to become a more inclusive and equal society. Organisations like The Buddy Bench, are leading the charge by not only creating jobs but working towards bringing about positive social change. The Ombudsman for Children Dr. Niall Muldoon has called on children and young people in County Kilkenny to take part in Child Talks 2021. Now in its fourth year, Child Talks is an annual event held by the Ombudsman for Childrens Office where children and young people up to age 18 are given a platform to talk about the issues that matter most to them. This years theme is 'My Hopes for the Future'. Child Talks is an opportunity for children to tell their own stories, to share their views and to have their say. Taking place on November 19 to mark World Childrens Day, Child Talks 2021 will be a hybrid online-physical event streaming live from the RDS in Co. Dublin. Since Child Talks began in 2018 young have people have talked about lots of different issues school, disability, period poverty, culture, sexuality, family and lots more. It is completely up to the speakers. "The past 18 months has highlighted the importance of hearing childrens voices and their concerns," explains Muldoon. "Child Talks gives us a real insight into the problems and issues children are facing and helps us to get a better understanding of their world. At a time where childrens voices have often been forgotten, Child Talks gives young people a unique platform to share their story, vision, and hopes for the future." There is no need to worry if you have never spoken in public, Child Talks will help you and work with you. Child Talks has changed over the past 4 years, largely due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the message and value has remained the same. It gives speakers the confidence and courage to speak up about the issues that matter to them and find the value in their voice. Katherine Amusan (16) from Co. Dublin took part in Child Talks 2020 and has encouraged children and young people to take part. "My story last year was about my hair and coming to terms with my identity," she explained. "My culture is something to be proud of and I spoke last year about how I dont need to separate my African culture from being born and raised in Ireland. "Participating in Child Talks and getting to tell my story was a very liberating experience and it really grew my confidence." To take part or find out more email 'communications@oco.ie', send a voice note to 0871029039 or visit here to fill in the online application form. Applications close at 5pm on Wednesday, August 11. (ASSOCIATED PRESS) - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed course Tuesday on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging. Citing new information about the ability of the delta variant to spread among vaccinated people, the CDC also recommended indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to schools, regardless of vaccination status. The new guidance follows recent decisions in Los Angeles and St. Louis to revert to indoor mask mandates amid a spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations that have been especially bad in the South. The country is averaging more than 57,000 cases a day and 24,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations. Most new infections in the U.S. continue to be among unvaccinated people. But breakthrough infections, which generally cause milder illness, can occur in vaccinated people. When earlier strains of the virus predominated, infected vaccinated people were found to have low levels of virus and were deemed unlikely to spread the virus much, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said. But with the delta variant, the level of virus in infected vaccinated people is "indistinguishable from the level of virus in the noses and throats of unvaccinated people, Walensky said. The data emerged over the last couple of days from 100 samples. It is unpublished, and the CDC has not released it. But it is concerning enough that we feel like we have to act, Walensky said. Vaccinated people "have the potential to spread that virus to others, she said. For much of the pandemic, the CDC advised Americans to wear masks outdoors if they were within 6 feet of one another. Then in April, as vaccination rates rose sharply, the agency eased its guidelines on the wearing of masks outdoors, saying that fully vaccinated Americans no longer needed to cover their faces unless they were in a big crowd of strangers. In May, the guidance was eased further for fully vaccinated people, allowing them to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings. The guidance still called for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings, like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters, but it cleared the way for reopening workplaces and other venues. Subsequent CDC guidance said fully vaccinated people no longer needed to wear masks at summer camps or at schools, either. For months COVID cases, deaths and hospitalizations were falling steadily, but those trends began to change at the beginning of the summer as the delta variant, a mutated and more transmissible version of the virus, began to spread widely, especially in areas with lower vaccination rates. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the delta variant has changed the nations COVID-19 outlook since the the CDC relaxed masking recommendations. That is their job. Their job is to look at evolving information, evolving data, an evolving historic pandemic and provide guidance to the American public, Psaki said. What has not changed, she added, is the fact that people who are vaccinated have a huge deal of protection from serious illness, from hospitalization and from death. Some public health experts said they thought the earlier CDC decision was based on good science, which indicated that the risk of vaccinated people spreading the virus was relatively low and that the risk of them catching the virus and becoming extremely ill was even lower. But those experts were also critical, noting that there was no call for Americans to document their vaccination status, which created an honor system. Unvaccinated people who did not want to wear masks in the first place saw it as an opportunity to do what they wanted, they said. If all the unvaccinated people were responsible and wore mask indoors, we would not be seeing this surge, said Dr. Ali Khan, a former CDC disease investigator who now is dean of the University of Nebraskas College of Public Health. Lawrence Gostin, a public health law professor at Georgetown University, drew a similar conclusion. It was completely foreseeable that when they (the CDC) made their announcement, masking would no longer be the norm, and thats exactly whats happened, Gostin said. The CDC may be seen as flip-flopping, he said, because theres been no widely recognized change in the science, he said. Furthermore, its not likely to change the behavior of the people who most need to wear masks. I dont think you can effectively walk that back, he said. Ken Thigpen, a retired respiratory therapist who now works for a medical device manufacturer, is fully vaccinated and stopped wearing his mask in public after the CDC changed its guidance in May. But he started to reconsider in the last week after his job took him to hospitals in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and Florida, where he witnessed medical centers getting inundated with COVID-19 patients. That delta variant is intense. It is so transmissible that we have to do something to tamp it down, he said. I loved it when I could call the hospitals and they said, We actually closed our COVID ward today or we are down to two COVID patients," he recalled. "And now we are opening the wards back up, and the numbers are going nuts. DES MOINES, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is blasting new federal guidelines telling people whove been vaccinated against COVID-19 they still need to wear masks. Reynolds released the following statement following the new mask guidance issued by the CDC: The Biden Administrations new COVID-19 guidance telling fully vaccinated Iowans to now wear masks is not only counterproductive to our vaccination efforts, but also not grounded in reality or common sense. Im concerned that this guidance will be used as a vehicle to mandate masks in states and schools across the country, something I do not support. The vaccine remains our strongest tool to combat COVID-19, which is why we are going to continue to encourage everyone to get the vaccine. I am proud that we recently put new laws in place that will protect Iowans against unnecessary government mandates in our schools and local governments. As I have throughout this pandemic, I trust Iowans to do the right thing. President Biden also issued a statement on the new CDC policy: When I ran for President, I promised to be straight with you about COVIDgood news or bad. And I promised to follow the science. That strategy has worked: in my first six months in office, weve given out over 300 million shotsand have 60% of adults fully vaccinated and nearly 70% started on vaccinations. Cases are down, and deaths are down dramatically. One estimate suggests that our rapid deployment of the vaccine has saved 100,000 American livesperhaps more. Todays announcement by the CDCthat new research and concerns about the Delta variant leads CDC to recommend a return to masking in parts of the countryis another step on our journey to defeating this virus. I hope all Americans who live in the areas covered by the CDC guidance will follow it; I certainly will when I travel to these areas. Today, the CDC also reaffirmed that we can safely reopen schools this fallfull time. Masking students is inconvenient, I know, but will allow them to learn and be with their classmates with the best available protection. Most importantly, todays announcement also makes clear that the most important protection we have against the Delta variant is to get vaccinated. Although most U.S. adults are vaccinated, too many are not. While we have seen an increase in vaccinations in recent days, we still need to do better. On Thursday, I will lay out the next steps in our effort to get more Americans vaccinated. Vaccinations are free, safe, and effective to every American. Theyve been available to every adult in this country for more than three monthsat locations within 5 miles of 90% of the US population. By following the science, and by doing our part by getting vaccinated, America can beat COVID. In the meantime, more vaccinations and mask wearing in the areas most impacted by the Delta variant will enable us to avoid the kind of lockdowns, shutdowns, school closures, and disruptions we faced in 2020. Unlike 2020, we have both the scientific knowledge and the tools to prevent the spread of this disease. We are not going back to that. Congresswoman Ashley Hinson released the following statement on the CDC's new mask guidance: "I am concerned that the CDC's guidance will erode public trust in the three safe and effective American vaccines that protect against COVID-19. Americans dont need any more government-imposed lockdowns when these vaccines are widely availableand I will oppose any further attempt to shut down our businesses, impose mask mandates or vaccine passports, and keep our kids out of the classroom. We need to follow the science and encourage people to get vaccinated so that we can all safely return to our normal lives and put this pandemic in the past. I will continue working to combat vaccine hesitancy and urging all Iowans to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19." MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin A man accused of killing his two-year-old daughter in Minnesota has been sentenced for murdering the girls mother in Wisconsin. Dariaz Lewis Higgins, 37 of Milwaukee, was given a life sentence Monday for shooting to death Sierra Robinson, 24, in March 2019. He pleaded guilty to first-degree intentional homicide and attempted first-degree intentional homicide in Milwaukee County District Court. Higgins is facing a charge of second-degree murder in Mower County for the death of Noelani Robinson. Investigators say the two-year-old was murdered at an Austin motel before Higgins traveled to Milwaukee to kill her mother. The girls body was found wrapped in a blanket in the east ditch north of the intersection of Highway 218 and Highway 30 in Steele County. No plea has been entered in the Mower County murder case. FLOYD COUNTY, Iowa - A Mason City woman is facing multiple felony burglary charges in Floyd County. Sarah Schilling, 40, is facing three counts of felony burglary and a felony count of criminal mischief in connection to alleged crimes in rural Floyd County. Schilling is accused of burglarizing a home on multiple occasions from June 9 to June 15 of this year. Court documents state Schilling forced entry into the residence in the 1200 block of 215th St. in Rockford and stole items. Two safes were damaged at the residence, including a green long-gun liberty safe. The damage estimate was in excess of $1,500. The Minnesota State Legislature eliminated the statute of limitations for sexual assault. The move came after the Legislature's first special session. Sexual assaults used to have a six-year reporting time limit unless DNA was involved. Olmsted County Attorney Mark Ostrem said he believes the change in the statute will help victims. "We want our victims to be healthy and to be ready for what is going to come and so it takes the pressure off but I think it ultimately will make for better cases. Ultimately it will make for better dispositions or closures in those types of cases. At the end of the day, this is going to be a great thing for victims," Ostrem said. Cases starting on or after September 15, when the new law goes into effect, will apply to the statute change. ROCHESTER, Minn. A plea deal is reached over a threat to cut off someones head. Jamahl Gene Southall, 50 of Rochester, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of felony threats of violence. He had been charged with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon after an incident on March 1. Rochester police say when the manager of a 6th Avenue NW apartment complex tried to escort Southall out of the building, Southall pulled out a pocketknife, said he was going to cut the managers head off, and continued to make threats until officers arrived. Police say a breath test after his arrest found Southalls blood alcohol content was .23, nearly three times the legal limit. Southalls sentencing is scheduled for September 20. ROCHESTER, Minn. Extra security precautions will be in place for Tuesdays meeting of the Rochester Public Schools Board of Education. There was an outpouring of passionate comments from the public at the board meeting on July 13, primarily about the school districts facemask policy and Critical Race Theory. Now the Rochester school district says it is working with local law enforcement on security and safety concerns. Rochester Public Schools says guns and other weapons are prohibited on district property and signs, banners, and posters are not permitted in the board room. The board room will also be closed to additional entrants once it reaches maximum capacity under the fire code. Heather Nessler of Rochester Public Schools says there were signs brought into the board room on July 13 but the rules against that will be enforced for Tuesdays meeting. Mary Gorfine, Program Coordinator for the Rochester-Olmsted Youth Commission, has also sent out a message to Youth Commissioners that she is not officially encouraging students to attend Tuesdays meeting, stating she does not want to put anyone in a situation that could be dangerous. In her message, Gorfine says someone attempted to enter the board room at the last meeting with a rifle but was stopped from doing so. MASON CITY, Iowa Passing bad checks in North Iowa results in probation for a Central Iowa woman. Samantha Rae Rumbaugh, 31 of Slater, has pleaded guilty to two counts of forgery in Cerro Gordo County District Court. Authorities say she tried to cash two counterfeit checks in February at two banks in Mason City but was only successful once. Rumbaugh has been given a deferred judgment and sentenced to three to five years of supervised probation. She was also ordered to pay $876.48 in restitution to one of the banks. If Rumbaugh successfully completes her probation, this conviction will be removed from her record. WSMV.com is now with you on the go! Get the latest news updates and video, 4WARN weather forecast, weather radar, special investigative reports, sports headlines and much more from News4 Nashville. >> Click/tap here to download our free mobile app. << Copyright 2020 WSMV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved. ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) -- On Friday, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt said he intended to file suit against St. Louis City and County's new mask mandate, which went into effect on Monday. Missouri AG files motion for temporary restraining order in lawsuit over St. Louis mask mandate The attorney general in Missouri has sued in an effort to halt a mask mandate that took effect Monday in the St. Louis area amid a rise in COVID-19 cases that are burdening a growing number of hospitals around the state. Monday evening, the suit was filed, that claims the city and county didn't follow a new Missouri statute signed in June by Governor Mike Parson. The question is does he have the grounds to challenge the mandate? One Saint Louis University Law Professor says he could. "It's primarily about the new statute that was passed, that was signed by the governor in June," law professor Rob Gatter said. Gatter said the statute requires public health officials take specific steps before they put a mandate into effect. "It requires that when the local public health official issues the order, that it files a report essentially with county council explaining why, and that didn't happen here. That's one of the things the lawsuit complains about," Gatter explained. That's also why some St. Louis County Councilmen have requested Dr. Faisal Khan, acting director of St. Louis County Public Health Department, be at Tuesday's council meeting. They want Dr. Khan to explain the data leading to the decision for the mandate. However, Gatter argues that county and city officials did that Monday when they made an official announcement about the mask mandate. "At least the front half of it, is an explanation of all the reasons with a whole lot of data and citations to various expert sources, and it's quite educating. One of the things it points out is that mask wearing works," Gatter continued. It's important to note, the state statute in question was not in place the last time St. Louis City and County had a mask mandate. It was signed into law last month. There's other things the law allows the council to do as well. "Falling under the statute limits the duration of the order, and it subjects it to the county council to terminate it by county council," Gatter said. The law professor tells News 4 that Schmitt's lawsuit will ultimately determine whether or not the city and county's mask mandate falls under the new state statute. We could get some answer to this at Tuesday's St. Louis County Council meeting. Several St. Louis County Councilmen have weighed in on mask mandate: St. Louis County Councilman Tim Fitch said he will vote to oppose the mandate. Saying it is not about wearing masks, but the legality of the mandate. Councilwoman Shalonda Webb said she believes masks work but added "I do take issue with the County Executive bypassing the St. Louis County Council and unilaterally making decisions for the people I represent with any official that doesnt represent them." Councilwoman Rita Heard-Days says instead of a mask mandate, the focus should be on an aggressive outreach to get more people vaccinated. All other members of the St. Louis County Council did not respond for a request to comment on the mask mandate. The Superman Celebration is back in Metropolis after taking a year off. Missouri health care CEO trying to reach the unvaccinated says people are dying unnecessarily 'The physical violence we experienced was horrific and devastating': Officers recount harrowing events of Capitol insurrection Yes No I am not vaccinated As far as I know, all my close friends are vaccinated Vote View Results Some girls like playing with dolls, but some like something with a bit more bang. The Pocatello Fish and Game office has been teaching a group of young ladies about hunter's safety while teaching them lessons that can last a lifetime. Read more Charde Duncan, CNL, RN at New Orleans VA Medical Center Hospital gives a COVID-19 vaccination on Monday, January 4, 2021. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate) MONTANA - Montana health and environmental quality officials ordered an air quality alert in several counties throughout the state Monday. Air quality has reached "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" to "Unhealthy" in the following counties, according to a release from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) and the Montana Department of Environmental (DEQ) Quality: Beaverhead Carbon Gallatin Lewis and Clark Madison Missoula Park Pondera Powder River Powell Ravalli Sweet Grass According to DPHHS and DEQ, Montana's air quality is in the moderate to unhealthy range, with the worst air quality south of the I-90 corridor. The poorer air quality is due to smoke from a number of wildfires actively burning in the northwestern United States region. When air quality reaches unhealthy, active children, adults and those with a chronic respiratory or heart disease should stay away from prolonged exertion outside. DPHHS and DEQ said wildfire pollutants can cause inflammation in the lungs, mess with immune function and create more vulnerability to respiratory infections such as COVID-19. Groups of people more vulnerable to wildfire smoke exposure include: Children Senior citizens Pregnant women Those with chronic health conditions such as heart or lung disease Outdoor workers DPHHS and DEQ said those experiencing homelessness or have restricted healthcare access may also increase vulnerability to wildfire smoke exposure. Respiratory symptoms caused by wildfire smoke exposure include: Dry cough Sore throat Trouble breathing Those who are experiencing extreme symptoms such as trouble breathing or chest pain should get medical help immediately by calling 911 or calling the closest emergency center. DPHHS and DEQ said N95 masks help defend against wildfire smoke particulate matter; however, they must be worn correctly. Wearing filtering facepiece respirators may cause breathing difficulties for certain people, and should therefore, seek advice from healthcare provider before using. DPHHS and DEQ offers the following advice in their release: "Before heading outside for any physical activity, check for air quality updates and pay attention to any hazardous air quality advisories. Air quality information is updated regularly at: TodaysAir.mt.gov When wildfires occur, continue to monitor DEQs site for changes in air quality. Pay attention to visibility. How far can you see in the distance? Looking at visibility can help estimate air quality. If the air quality is poor, limit outdoor activities and keep your indoor air clean by keeping all doors and windows shut and setting any air conditioning units to recirculate indoor air . Consider using HEPA air cleaners indoors to reduce overall smoke exposure. Weather Alert ...AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT... The Montana Department of Environmental Quality has issued an air quality alert for Big Horn, Carbon, Lake, Lincoln, Mineral, Missoula, Rosebud, Sanders, and Yellowstone counties in effect until further notice due to elevated particulate concentrations from local and regional fires. This alert will be updated again at 9 AM MDT 8/3/21. An Air Quality Alert means that particulates have been trending upwards and that an exceedence of the 24 hour National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) has occurred or may occur in the near future. As of 9 AM MDT, Particulate levels in Libby and Thompson Falls are Unhealthy As of 9 AM MDT, Particulate levels in Billings, Birney, Broadus, and Seeley Lake are Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. As of 9 AM MDT, Particulate levels in Bozeman, Butte, Columbia Falls, Cut Bank, Frenchtown, Great Falls, Hamilton, Lewistown, Malta, Missoula are Moderate. When air quality is Unhealthy... State and local health officials recommend that people with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly, and children should avoid prolonged exertion; everyone else should limit prolonged exertion. When air quality is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups... State and local health officials recommend that people with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children should limit prolonged exertion. When air quality is Moderate... State and local health officials recommend that unusually sensitive people should consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion. For more information visit the Montana Department of Environmental Quality at http://todaysair.mt.gov UPDATE: JULY 27 AT 8:44 P.M. The Missing Endangered Person Advisory for Kevin Olson has expired, but Kevin has not been located. It was last reported that he was traveling on his motorcycle from Plentywood to the South Dakota Black Hills area on Saturday. If you have any information on Kevin's whereabouts, you are asked to contact the Sheridan County Sheriff's Office at 406-765-1200. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: PLENTYWOOD, Mont. - A Missing and Endangered Person Advisory has been issued by the Sheridan County Sheriff's Office for a 53-year-old man last heard from Saturday, July 24. Kevin Olson reportedly left from Plentywood for a motorcycle trip to the South Dakota Black Hills area on Saturday and has not been heard from since. He is described as being five foot and nine inches tall, weighing 185 pounds, with grey hair and blue eyes. According to a release, Kevin is riding a blue 2008 Honda motorcycle. There is concern for his safety as he does take medication for a heart condition. If you have any information on Kevin's whereabouts, you should contact the Sheridan County Sheriff's Office at 406-765-1200 or dial 911. HELENA, Mont. - The Montana Department of Agriculture reminds agricultural producers of the availability of the Hay Hotline, an online tool that connects those interested in buying, selling, or donating hay or pasture. With high temperatures and an ongoing drought, the Hotline provides producers an option to search for available hay or pasture, as stated in a release. Those with forage to sell or donate can also enter and describe new available listings. In an update, the Montana Department of Agriculture clarifies that they do not directly sell hay to producers, but that they only maintain the list. You can find the Hay Hotline on the MDA website at agr.mt.gov/Hay-Hotline. For more information, contact the Agricultural Development & Marketing Bureau at (406) 444-2402 or danielle.jones@mt.gov. The online tool is maintained by the Montana Department of Agriculture as a service to the agricultural industry with the expectation that all buyers and sellers will treat each other in an equitable and lawful manner. For more information on department programs and services, visit agr.mt.gov. This article was updated with a clarification from the Montana Department of Agriculture on July 27, 2021. Authorities in South-Central Montana have captured an inmate who overpowered a county jail guard, took his gun and keys and escaped in a minivan. The Park County Sheriff's Office said inmate Jordon Earl Linde, 34, ditched the minivan after Sunday night's escape and was believed to be driving another stolen minivan on Monday. Linde was apprehended in Clyde Park, just north of Livingston Tuesday morning. Linde was found with a stolen gold Chrysler vehicle, the second vehicle stolen during the search. Linde was considered armed and dangerous. Jail records show he was being held on felony drug charges after being arrested by the sheriff's office on Saturday. How do you feel about the dispute between the Sandwich Creamery and some of their neighbors about the use of the private road leading to the popular ice cream spot? ROME, JUL 27 - A trial into alleged criminal handling of Catholic Church funds started in a hall of the Vatican Museums on Tuesday. Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu is among 10 defendants in the case stemming from a loss-making investment in a controversial property deal regarding a building on Sloane Avenue in London. Becciu, who last year resigned as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, is accused of embezzlement and abuse of office in relation to alleged wrongdoing when he was the Vatican's Substitute of the Secretariat of State. A number of prelates, Holy See employees and external managers are also on trial. Tuesday's hearing regarded procedural matters and the admission of civil plaintiffs, which included the Vatican Secretariat of State and the Vatican bank, the IOR. (ANSA). ROME, JUL 27 - Milan prosecutors said on Tuesday that they have wrapped up an investigation into alleged corruption by Lombardy Governor Attilio Fontana and four other people in view of requests for indictments. The case regards a 513,000-euro contract with the DAMA company run by the governor's brother-in-law Andrea Dini for 75,000 medical gowns and other medial supplies during the peak of the COVID-19 crisis last year. Fontana said the contract was turned into a donation and so DAMA did not profit from the deal. Prosecutors said in a statement that Fontana had put personal interest before the public interest. The governor's defence team said he was innocent and that the prosecutors' reconstruction of events was not correct. (ANSA). BAKER CITY Noel Livingston slides the cursor across the charts on his computer screen, and what he sees, lurking behind the zigzagging lines Actor Thomas Lennon recently donned his well-known sunglasses and cop uniform with short shorts to help raise money for a good cause. Lennon portrayed his Reno 911 character, Lt. Jim Dangle, to serve as a guest cashier at the Lake Geneva Walmart, July 24, to help raise money for the Childrens Hospital of Wisconsin. Lennon asked customers if they wanted to make a donation to the childrens hospital along with their purchase, and he and Walmart would match the donations for that day which ended up totaling about $2,000. Austin Hartell, assistant manager of the Lake Geneva Walmart, said he recently met Lennon while the actor was shopping at the store and asked him if he would be interested in partnering with Walmart to do some type of fundraising event. Hartell said Lennons publicist later proposed that the actor make an appearance at the store as a guest cashier. I was like, I never thought about that before, Hartell said. I thought it was a good idea. Lennon said when Hartell approached him about doing a fundraiser at the Lake Geneva Walmart, he was on board. He said he owns a home in Lake Geneva near Geneva Lake and often shops at the Lake Geneva Walmart. Defence Minister #RajnathSingh (@rajnathsingh) left for Tajikistan for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) annual meet, where he is to appraise about measures needed to eradicate terrorism in the region. Photo: IANS (File) pic.twitter.com/KrLilYLOmV IANS Tweets (@ians_india) July 27, 2021 (SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.) Opposition Parties Will Boycott Entire Session in Assembly, Says Tejashwi Yadav: We decided that all opposition parties will boycott the entire session in the Assembly, unless action is taken against those who have murdered democracy. We will go only when we are allowed to debate: Bihar LoP Tejashwi Yadav ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2021 (SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.) When the Great Mississippi Flood displaced hundreds of thousands of African Americans in 1927, many chose to keep on going. Impelled by the waters of the worst U.S. flood ever recorded, they joined another rising tide a mass migration from the rural South to the urban Northeast, Midwest and West. Cultural diaspora has been a prominent theme for sculptor Alison Saar for a long time, and it is a centerpiece of her magnificent new show at L.A. Louver Gallery. Displacement drives the monumental, 12-foot tall Breach (large figure on raft), a powerful nude figure balancing all her belongings atop her head. And it animates Silttown Shimmy, a smaller but no less potent pedestal sculpture of a woman wrapped in her own embrace. Breach can be seen as specifically evoking the 1927 flood narrative, its lifesize figure poised atop a raft and using a pole to navigate the way. Saar positions her on a shallow plinth of wooden slats stained a mossy green, low enough to bring her face to face with a viewer but elevated on a pedestal nonetheless, suggesting eminence. A sturdy tower of strength, she carries with her an impossibly balanced stack of steamer trunks, suitcases, a frying pan, bucket, lantern and more domestic objects. But Saars composition also disperses down related paths. The womans warm, sensuous, tactile brown skin is made from rusted plates of embossed ceiling tin, a uniquely American material. Her naked pose recalls Jim guiding Huck Finn down the Mississippi in a tale of conflicted yearning and liberation. Advertisement Shes likewise a New World caryatid, a personified pillar that held up the entablature in ancient Greek temples, such as the Erechtheum on the Acropolis. Their perhaps apocryphal association with slaves floats into view. So does the horrific Middle Passage and the Atlantic slave trade. The 19th and 20th century diaspora is but a recent chapter in a very long history. Through the potent dignity of Breach, Saar commands it. Alison Saars Silttown Shimmy nods to Ernst Ludwig Kirchners landmark 1910 German Expressionist sculpture Dancer With Necklace. (Christopher Knight/Los Angeles Times ) Silttown Shimmy, a totemic female figure a bit more than 2 feet tall, further elaborates. Saars sculpture merges profile and frontal views, its head tilted sharply toward her shoulder. Carved from wood, its blocky base sheathed in ceiling tin and then rubbed with enamel paint, tar and silt to create a voluptuous patina, the nude female cups her left breast in her right hand and rests her left hand across her body on her right thigh, like the pose of a Venus from the ancient or Renaissance world. (Think Botticelli.) The gestures conceal her sex and fecundity yet simultaneously draw attention to those attributes, both physical and conceptual. The shimmy, a dance born of black American ragtime music, underscores the works inescapable visual relationship to Dancer With Necklace, the great 1910 Ernst Ludwig Kirchner sculpture that is a landmark of German Expressionist art. (It was acquired last year by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.) The Kirchner carving was inspired by his frequent visits to Germanys Ethnographical Museum Dresden to learn from Cameroon sculpture. Saars oblique reference to it reminds us that European Modern art in the early 20th century is unthinkable without its profound, complex relationship to Africa. She brings artistic diaspora into play. She also introduces current events, with water as the continuous theme. Hades D.W.P. is an illuminated wall shelf that holds five etched-glass jars, one for each mythological river coursing through ancient visions of hell. (They loosely recall Kiki Smiths 1986 sculpture of etched glass jars for assorted bodily fluids.) Each of Saars has a battered ladle or drinking cup, and their internal illumination makes these water-filled jars glow with ominous radiance. Advertisement Alison Saars Hades D.W.P. Dead and dying bodies are etched into the glass. (L.A. Louver Gallery ) In Hades D.W.P., water and power intertwine. Poisoned drinking water from the Flint River in the black-majority city of the same name in Michigan is yet one more unspeakable episode of abuse. Saar etched dead and dying bodies into the glass. The show includes five additional sculptures, several of them sinuous figures emerging from ceramic jugs like escaping spirits, and 15 drawings and paintings on collaged surfaces, including steamer trunk drawers, sugar sacks and patched denim. At 60, Saar has been making exceptional work for quite some time. A full museum retrospective is overdue. Advertisement ------------ L.A. Louver Gallery, 45 N. Venice Blvd., Venice. Through July 1. Closed Sunday and Monday. (310) 822-4955, www.lalouver.com. christopher.knight@latimes.com Twitter: @KnightLAT They lived simple lives of austerity and abstinence and suffered horrifying deaths, cut down by marauding armies and burned at the stake as heretics or so the legend goes. For their considerable pains, the Cathars were memorialized and celebrated as martyred religious rebels by a region of southern France that, eight centuries later, still promotes itself under their name: Pays Cathare. But in recent weeks, a debate has erupted across this region in newspapers, tourism offices, and in research conferences following an academic exhibition that explored a more modern-day heresy: The Cathars never existed. People imagine that these people died as heroes, in defense of their faith and against corrupt powers, said Alessia Trivellone, a history professor at Paul-Valery University in Montpellier who organized the exhibit. They feel that the very idea of going back to investigate this painful story is unbearable. Advertisement Trivellone is one of a growing number of early modern Europe scholars who have cast doubt on the Cathars existence, and her role as organizer of the exhibit has made her the target of critics who call her a negationist. Along with other maverick historians, she is dismissed as an upstart just trying to generate buzz and further her career. Yet the intensity of the backlash reveals something deeper: the lingering regional resentments over Paris domination of the countrys culture and economy. The 13th century slaughter of the Cathars is associated with the regions loss of autonomy to the kingdom of France, which proceeded to systematically wipe out the language and culture of the south in favor of northern values. A display in Cordes-sur-Ciel in France. (Chris OBrien / For The Times) Such wounds remain fresh in a highly rural region that struggles economically, where people believe the norths elite view them as unrefined hillbillies with odd accents. The anger bubbled to the surface in recent weeks with the yellow vest protests against President Emmanuel Macron. To people here, the crusade against the Cathars looks rather like a colonial war, said Monique Boulze, who is in charge of promotion at the tourist office in Beziers, which was burned to the ground in one of the crusades most infamous episodes. Its something still present and alive in local history. Any tourist visiting this region would find it hard to miss the ever-present signs and historical markers recounting the tragic tale of the Cathars. The city of Albi is dominated by the massive Cathedral Basilica of St. Cecilia, a 200-year construction project launched by the Catholic Church after the Cathar crusade, supposedly to remind locals who was boss. Farther south, the town of Mazamet is home to the Cathar Museum. And in Beziers each August, the town shows a sound and light spectacular called: The Cathars, the Treasure of Beziers. Advertisement What our region has retained from the tragedy of the Cathars, says the narrator, is the taste of rebellion. And the taste of liberty. At first blush, the Cathars make for unlikely modern-day heroes. They are said to have been fundamentalists who believed there were two gods: A good one who presided over the spiritual world, and an evil one who ruled the physical world. Cathars viewed even sex within marriage and reproduction as evil, and so lived strict lives of abstention. More appealing today, however, is the idea that the Cathars mounted the first major rebellion against the Catholic Church. They saw Rome as corrupt, rejected the churchs hierarchy, and did not build cathedrals but rather worshiped outdoors. This lack of structure gave women more prominence and freedom, and because they were pacifists who repudiated all killing, they were vegetarians. Much about the history of 12th and 13th century France may today be fuzzy. But there is no dispute that in 1209, at the urging of Pope Innocent III, a band of northern French nobles rallied an army that swept into the south, where they unleashed a crusade so bloody it would make Game of Thrones look tame by comparison. Advertisement This included the sacking of Beziers in July 1209 by an army under papal authority. Just before the attack, which would kill as many as 20,000 men, women and children, the popes man on the scene, Arnaud Amalric, is reported to have uttered one of historys most famous orders: Kill them all. God will know his own. To wrap things up after the majority of fighting was done, church leaders began a grand inquisition in Toulouse. Suspects were rounded up, forced to confess, and then sometimes burned at the stake. This became the blueprint for the much larger inquisitions carried out in the centuries to come. In mid-October, as part of an annual nationwide science festival, Trivellone organized an exhibition called, Les Cathares, une idee recue? That translates literally as The Cathars, an idea received but implies something that is widely accepted as fact but probably not true. The exhibition is modest, consisting of a handful of posters, a video, a comic book, and a few items that summarize the conclusions of some medieval scholars: There are no significant records from the time that support the idea that a single religious movement called the Cathars ever existed across southern France. Advertisement The subject, along with the exhibits somewhat provocative title, proved to be catnip to regional journalists, and soon local newspapers were publishing dueling interviews with scholars who were hashing out the details of ancient texts. Myths are the very foundation of a social group or of a civilization, a sometimes indispensable cement of societies, Trivellone said. The myth of the Cathars is even stronger because it allows people to identify with the vanquished of history. This latest wave of attention has been vexing to local Cathar scholars who have spent decades battling to have their work taken seriously. University of Toulouse history professor Pilar Jimenez-Sanchez, for instance, has been among those medieval scholars in the south who have been scouring what limited archives exist from that time to stitch together a picture of the Cathars. Its been a struggle, she said, because there was a feeling the broader French academy didnt take the work seriously. Advertisement Cathar scholars say doubters are too hung up on the name. They acknowledge that at the time, such heretical groups sometimes used a variety of different names and that some rituals varied. But references to Cathars in letters by the pope as well as some other contemporaries, along with intensity of the crusade and the inquisition, offer ample support to prove the group as a whole existed. Rather than being a marketing ploy, the reemergence of interest in the Cathars over the last half a century has been the fruit of that scholarship and digging, Jimenez-Sanchez said. In the wake of the Montpellier exhibition and the media attention, she organized a late October presentation in Carcassonne to rebut the idea that the Cathars were a latter-day invention. The Cathar defenders pose a question to the skeptics: If the crusade was not about quashing this religious movement, then what motivated so many Christians to take up arms and kills thousands of other Christians? How do we resolve this question? Pilar-Jimenez said. How could people at this time have reacted in this manner? Advertisement The Cathar debate doesnt seem to be hurting the region the revival of interest in its cultural history shows no sign of slowing. Two years ago, in an effort to shift some power away from Paris, the French government fused together regional governments to create far larger administrative zones. An emblem of the Occitanie regional government in France. (Chris OBrien / For The Times) In the south, the regions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrenees were merged into Frances largest regional government by land size. In a vote to name the new region, the first choice of residents was clear: Occitanie an homage to the language, Occitan (langue doc), a cousin of Catalan that was widely spoken in Cathar territory before the crusade. And so, more than 800 years after the brutal crusade, Occitanie is the name of a geographic territory that is roughly the size of Austria. Advertisement The medieval history of Occitanie is rich and fascinating, Trivellone said. It does not need the ghost of the Cathars to arouse interest. OBrien is a special correspondent. The 98th casualty and final missing person on the Florida condo collapse was identified by the authorities on Monday, bringing the search efforts for the reported missing victims in the June 24 tragedy to a close. Miami Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced the recovery of the final missing individual, in a press conference that happened on Monday, NBC News reported. During the press conference, Mayor Levine Cave said that they notified the family of a recent individual recovered, following the identification of the victim's remains. READ NEXT: Florida Condo Collapse Victims and Families to Receive At Least $150 Million Compensation, Judge Rules Last Victim of the Florida Condo Collapse, Identified: Death Toll Rises to 98 Associated Press reported that the final missing person in the Florida Condo collapse was identified as Estella Hedaya, 54 years old. Hedaya's relative described her as an outgoing person who loves to travel. "She [Hedaya] always mentioned God anytime she was struggling with anything," the victim's brother said. Hedaya's brother, identified as Ikey Hedaya, noted that the victim's remains will be transferred to their hometown, Midwood, Brooklyn, for a Jewish funeral followed by a Shiva, CBS Miami reported. Hedaya was reported to be the only victim left unrecovered when the firefighters concluded their search for bodies on Friday. Hedaya's recovery also rose the Florida condo collapse's death toll to 98. Mayor Levine Cava underscored that all the persons who were reported missing were recovered. Meanwhile, 242 people were accounted for. Furthermore, an additional victim of the June 24 tragedy was reported to die in the hospital, but Miami Dade County officials highlighted that the said individual was not reported missing. Apart from Hedaya, the fatalities of the Florida building collapse were composed of members of the area's community, Paraguay first lady's sister and her family as well as their nanny. The oldest known victim of the condo collapse was Hilda Noriega, 92 years old; while the youngest was identified as Aishani Gia Patel, 1-year-old. "Nothing we can say or do will bring back these 98 angels, who left behind grieving families, beloved friends, loved ones across this community and across the world," Levine Cava said. The Miami Dade mayor also lauded the efforts that brought closure to all those who reported their missing loved ones after the tragedy in Florida. The Associated Press also noted that search teams spent weeks facing the hazards of the rubble and went through more than 14,000 tons of debris from the tragedy before declaring their mission complete. Florida Condo Collapse: Death Toll May Still Rise Despite the number of casualties in the June 24 tragedy, Mayor Levine Cava's deputy communication director, Natalia Jaramillo, said that the death toll of the Florida Condo collapse may continue to rise, explaining that there might be someone in the rubbles that was not reported. The Miami Dade Mayor noted that their police department will continue to search on the "evidentiary pile" to ensure that all identifiable human remains are recovered. Meanwhile, what will happen to the site of the Florida condo collapse was still unclear. READ NEXT: 2 Nieces of Paraguay First Lady Among Latest Victims of Florida Condo Collapse This article is owned by Latin Post Written By: Joshua Summers WATCH: Last Victim Identified at Condo Collapse Site- From Associated Press U.S. President Joe Biden slammed a reporter for asking him a question about the COVID vaccine mandate, calling the reporter a "pain in the neck." The question was off his preferred topic of Iraq, with the reporter involved NBC's Kelly O'Donnell asking him to comment on frontline Veteran Affairs workers being required to get a COVID Vaccine, according to a Fox News report. Biden told the reporter that she was "such a pain in the neck." He added that he is still going to answer the question as they have known each other for so long. O'Donnell said that she took the president's comments as a "compliment." READ NEXT: Pres. Joe Biden Will Resign Due to Limited Cognitive Abilities, Former White House Doctor Predicts Biden Lashing Out on Reporters Biden was earlier reported to lashed out on a CNN reporter during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. CNN's White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins asked Biden why he is confident that Russia will change their behavior. Biden answered the reporter by saying that he is not confident, adding "what the hell, what do you do all the time." The president's outrage caught the critics' attention, according to an Independent report. Cristina Azocar, chair of the Journalism Department at San Francisco State University, said that her first reaction was "Wow," adding that if it were a male reporter, Biden would not have been as dismissive. Azocar added that there were already too few women reporters. She said that she feared some of her female students might look at the interaction and feel negatively about it. Biden then apologized before boarding the Air Force One. He said that he should not have been such a wise guy, according to a Business Insider report. The president apologized for his attitude toward the reporter. Veterans Affairs Mandating COVID Vaccine The VA Department had announced on Monday that they will be mandating COVID vaccines for workers with cases increasing across the count amid the Delta variant. VA will be the first federal agency to mandate COVID vaccines for its workers, according to a New York Post report. VA Secretary Denis McDonough said the directive will include health care personnel, such as physicians, dentists, and podiatrists, registers nurses, and physician assistants, among others. McDonough announced that they are requiring vaccines for Title 38 employees as it is the best way to keep Veterans safe. The VA Secretary added that may it be a Veteran or an employee, they deserve to know that the agency has done everything in their power to protect them from COVID. He added that with the said mandate, we can keep their fundamental promise as an agency. McDonough also noted that four VA employees died of the coronavirus in recent weeks. None of the employees that died were vaccinated. The VA statement also disclosed that there has been an outbreak among unvaccinated employees and trainees at a VA Law Enforcement Training Center. The decision of the agency came after Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, said that the White House supports the move of hospitals to mandate staff to get vaccinated, according to a Daily Mail report. READ MORE: Pres. Joe Biden, a 'Direct Beneficiary' of His Son Hunter Biden's Foreign Deals, Says Head of Government Accountability Institute This article is owned by Latin Post Written by Mary Webber WATCH: 'Pain in the neck': Joe Biden scolds reporter for asking off-topic question - from LiveNOW from FOX California Governor Gavin Newsom recently engaged in a Twitter war against Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The Wrap reported that the exchange of tweets between the officials happened on Monday, July 26, as the California governor urged Californians to get vaccinated due to the highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant in Los Angeles and other parts of the state. READ NEXT: California Gov. Gavin Newsom Offers Vacation Incentives to Further Promote COVID Vaccinations California Gov. Gavin Newsom Slams Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Twitter The Twitter war between Gavin Newsom and Marjorie Taylor Greene started when the California governor slammed those promoting COVID vaccine disinformation during a press event, CBS Bay Area reported. Gavin Newsom mentioned the Georgia representative, saying they were exhausted with people like her and the right-wing echo chamber that perpetuates misinformation on the vaccine and its safety and effectiveness. Marjorie Taylor Greene took to Twitter to express her thoughts on the California governor's public comments. The Georgia lawmaker said Californians were exhausted by Newsom's "communist dictatorship" that had closed businesses, schools, and churches. "Shutting down businesses, closing churches, schools, and beaches is disgraceful. Mandating vaccines against people's will is unconscionable. Which is why you're being recalled," Greene tweeted. .@GavinNewsom you know what is exhausting to the people of California? Your communist dictatorship. Shutting down businesses, closing churches, schools, and beaches is disgraceful Mandating vaccines against peoples will is unconscionable Which is why youre being recalled. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@mtgreenee) July 26, 2021 More than an hour after the Georgia official wrote her comments on Twitter, Gavin Newsom responded and labeled Marjorie Taylor Greene's vaccine misinformation "murderous." "Your anti-vaccine lies are literally killing Americans. Your own supporters are following you off a cliff and into the ICU," Newsom also wrote in reply to Greene's earlier tweet. The California governor ended his tweet by urging the official to "come clean about vaccines," emphasizing that "they save lives." Disgraceful? Here's a word -- murderous. Your anti-vaccine lies are literally killing Americans. Your own supporters are following you off a cliff and into the ICU. Come clean about vaccines -- they save lives. https://t.co/pJjlzJ3TVJ Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 26, 2021 It was not the first time Gavin Newsom called out Marjorie Taylor Greene over the vaccine issue. In an interview on MSNBC's "Ayman Mohyeldin Reports" on Monday, July 26, the California governor cited the Georgia lawmaker and Fox News' Tucker Carlson as part of the group, which he claimed is responsible for the 25 percent of California adult residents who remain unvaccinated. Gavin Newsom added that Greene, Carlson, and Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson were placing the lives of people at risk due to the vaccine misinformation they conveyed. "People are dying because of the misinformation, either knowingly or unknowingly, regardless, time to call it out," the California governor said. California Will Require Proof of Vaccination Among State and Health Care Workers During Monday's press conference, Gavin Newsom announced that they would require all state and health care workers to present proof of vaccination or undergo weekly testing for those who are not vaccinated, KCRA reported. Newsom's office noted that vaccinations are not being mandated, but it's encouraging local government and other employers to adopt a similar vaccine verification protocol. The new California policy would take effect for state workers beginning August 2, while the new policy for health care workers and congregate facilities will start on August 9. Meanwhile, health care facilities would have until August 23 to fully comply with the new policy. READ MORE: California Secretary of State Faces Lawsuits From Governor Hopefuls Kevin Faulconer, Larry Elder as Recall Election Nears This article is owned by Latin Post Written By: Joshua Summers WATCH: Gov. Newsom Announces State to Require Proof of Vaccination or Weekly Testing for All State Workers - From ABC 10 Utah's Great Salt Lake has experienced a new historic low in its water levels, with experts saying that the conditions at the largest saltwater lake in the West will further decline. Citing a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) information released on Saturday, July 24, NBC News reported that the average daily water levels dropped by about an inch below the previous record of 4,191.4 feet above sea level recorded in 1963. The USGS is maintaining a record of Great Salt Lake elevations dating back to 1847. As the water levels in the Great Salt Lake continue to recede gradually, the recent declines were reportedly worsened by the megadrought spreading around the Western U.S. According to the latest report of the U.S. Drought Monitor, more than 99 percent of Utah is under "extreme" drought conditions, with almost 70 percent of the state experiencing "exceptional" drought, which is the highest category. Candice Hasenyager, deputy director of the Utah Division of Water Resources, said it is already concerning that the Great Salt Lake has been on a slow decline, but the drought even accelerated, which is more alarming. Ryan Rowland, data chief at the USGS Utah Water Science Center, noted that it is likely that water levels will continue to drop and "may decline an additional foot over the next several months" based on current trends and historical data. In the past years, the Great Salt Lake usually gains up to two feet from spring runoff. But this year, it was just six inches, Star Tribune reported. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called on his constituents to cut back on lawn watering and "pray for rain." READ NEXT: Water Shortage in Hoover Dam Seen To Fall Below the Federal Threshold This Summer Drought in The West The Western United States is experiencing its worst drought in history, threatening to kill crops, spark wildfires, and harm public health. More than 93 percent of the land in seven Western states is under the state of drought conditions. Around 59 percent of those experiencing drought are categorized as extreme or exceptional. Drought conditions are seen in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and most of Utah areas, Scientific American reported. Colorado, Wyoming, North and South Dakota, and Southwestern Texas are also affected. The conditions have also caused fishing restrictions and wildfire alerts. The National Interagency Fire Center warned that the growing drought across the West is causing wildfire risk. The wildfire risk can be seen from California to the Northwest and across the northern plains for the next three months. Douglas Kluck, NOAA's director of regional climate services in Kansas City, said they had a lot of wildfire and smoke last year. Kluck noted that it would be very surprising if this would not happen again this year. Dennis Todey, director of the Department of Agriculture's Midwest Climate Hub, said they have huge concerns in the northern Plains because conditions are not good. Experts with the U.S. Drought Monitor noted that they take many factors into account like precipitation totals, snowpack, stream flows, soil moisture measurements, and the use of images from remote-sensing satellites in reviewing the health of vegetation and ranking the severity of drought in a given area, The New York Times reported. READ MORE: Parts of Amazon Rainforest in Brazil Are Being Illegally Offered for Sale on Facebook Marketplace This article is owned by Latin Post Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Great Salt Lake Hits All-time Historic Low - From FOX 13 News Utah Former president Donald Trump threw his support behind Texas attorney general Ken Paxton for reelection in 2022 over Republican primary challenger George P. Bush. The Washington Examiner reported that Donald Trump is endorsing Ken Paxton after floating the possibility of backing Bush. Newsweek noted that the former president released a statement on Monday, July 26, expressing his support to Ken Paxton. READ NEXT: Donald Trump Targets U.S. Justice Kavanaugh In A New Book Titled "Landslide" | 'Where Would He Be Without Me,' He Says Donald Trump Supports Attorney General Ken Paxton for Reelection In a statement, Donald Trump was all praises for Ken Paxton, saying that the Texas attorney general "is a true Texan who will keep Texas safe and will never let you down." The former president noted that Ken Paxton was strong on crime, border security, election integrity, the Second Amendment, "and above all, our Constitution." He added that the Texas attorney general also "loves our military and vets." "It is going to take a PATRIOT like Ken Paxton to advance America First policies in order to Make America Great Again... Ken has my complete and total endorsement for another term as Attorney General of Texas," Donald Trump noted. NBC News reported that the endorsement would benefit Ken Paxton for his reelection, as the former president continues to enjoy support in the Republican party. Paxton's endorsement from the former president is not surprising as he was known to be one of the most pro-Trump state officials in the country. Earlier this year, Paxton has filed a lawsuit against President Joe Biden based on the discredited claims of voter fraud in several states, such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Georgia, during the 2020 presidential elections. However, the U.S. Supreme Court tossed Paxton's case as Texas lacked enough standing to bring the matter to court. Ken Paxton also supported Donald Trump in filing another lawsuit against the Biden administration over a proposed freeze of deportations and revoking the 2019 presidential permit granted for the Keystone XL pipeline. George P. Bush Challenges Ken Paxton Donald Trump gave his support to Ken Paxton as George P. Bush, the Texas land commissioner since 2015, sought Trump's endorsement. NBC News reported that George P. Bush tried to win the former president's endorsement despite the criticisms he garnered from his family. Last May, the younger Bush tweeted a picture of himself on the phone with Donald Trump, suggesting they were discussing his plans to seek higher office. Trump earlier said that he likes George P. Bush because he's "the only Bush that likes me" and "the Bush that got it right." The Texas land commissioner announced his candidacy for the Texas attorney general in early June. George P. Bush earlier said that Ken Paxton became the center of different investigations regarding corruption. He added that Texans should have a choice when it comes to choosing their "top cop." READ MORE: Ex-White House Spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders Slams Pres. Joe Biden, Other Top Officials for 'Misjudging' the 'Trump Vaccine' This article is owned by Latin Post Written By: Joshua Summers WATCH: Former President Trump Endorses Ken Paxton To be Re-Elected as Texas Attorney General - From CBSDFW Due to the recent surge in infected vaccinated bar workers, hundreds of bars in San Francisco would begin to require either proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 tests from those customers who want to remain inside the businesses' enclosed structures while they drink, an industry group stated Monday. Based on the statement of the San Francisco Bar Owner Alliance, they have agreed that the measure would go into effect Thursday. The alliance mentioned that vaccination cards or the test results from within 72 hours requirements would not be applicable for those customers who would be sitting outside buildings or open spaces. According to NBC News, the San Francisco Bar Owner Alliance emphasized they believe that they are obligated to protect not only their workers but also their families while offering a much safer space for customers while they relax and socialize. NBC Bay Area reported that the alliance, which represented around 500 San Francisco bar owners, stated it was a majority decision. The alliance said that it conducted a poll of its members before it announced the decision. Based on the result, eighty-five percent of alliance members agreed with the decision to have indoor customers have the requirements. Moreover, the alliance stated that each bar would also be tasked to figure out the best way of enforcing the new rules. Meanwhile, the highly contagious Delta variant which has spread across various parts of the U.S. has filled hospitals and alarmed public health officials once again. Public health officials were worried about the recent surge, especially for areas with low vaccination rates. ALSO READ: 'Murderous': California Gov. Gavin Newsom Engages in Twitter War With Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Over Vaccine Misinformation COVID-19 Rise in San Francisco In San Francisco, almost three-quarters of its residents have been fully vaccinated. Last week, San Francisco Mayor London Breed stated that out of the 1,800 individuals who have been hospitalized with the disease since December, only six among them have been vaccinated. The number of infected vaccinated individuals was low, but experts have said that such serious "breakthrough" cases were rare, and most of them were only yielding mild or no symptoms at all. Still, city health department data show a rise in the number of cases overall. With an average of 10 new cases per day last month, the numbers jumped to 118 last week. Furthermore, Breed applauded the announcement made by the alliance and stated that it was a responsible decision that would help not only protect their employees but also their customers. Breed said last week that all city employees would be required to have proof of vaccination before returning to work, based on the announcement made by California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday for state employees and all health care workers. RELATED ARTICLE: US President Joe Biden to Mandate COVID-19 Safety Measures To Protect Unvaccinated People; Will Americans Wear Masks Again? This article is owned by Latin Post Written by Jess Smith WATCH: San Francisco bars set to require proof of vaccination - Yahoo Finance Three of the warring factions of Mexico's Gulf Cartel have announced Monday, July 26, that they have reached an agreement on a truce, postponing the shootings and killings in the state of Tamaulipas. Tamaulipas state police had confirmed the printed banners with slogans like "Long live Peace!" posted in the border city of Reynosa and other cities, Associated Press reported. The banners were printed with red, white, and green letters like the colors in Mexico's flag and were signed by the Metros, the Scorpions, and the Reds, which were the three main factions involved in the decade-old turf war. It was unclear if the Cyclones, a fourth faction, was part of the agreement. State police said four people had been apprehended on suspicion of hanging the banners from buildings and overpasses in over half a dozen cities across Tamaulipas. One of the writings in the banner said they "have agreed to a truce of tranquility," and declared "our solidarity with the people, and with ideological principles consistent with keeping the peace." They also conveyed a message that assured communities that they have a presence, to feel secure and "without any worry." It added that the Gulf Cartel's biggest priority is peace in the state and the wellbeing of its residents. "We have families too," read one of the banners that also bore a picture of a dove with an olive branch. These messages were in contrast to usual Mexican drug cartel messages that are often accompanied by body parts. Last month, the Gulf Cartel gunmen randomly killed 15 bystanders in Reynosa. The June 19 killings were reporetedly carried out by members of the Scorpions and the "Cyclones," a fourth faction of the Gulf Cartel, both based on the east of Reynosa, around Matamoros. Similar banners appeared in Matamoros, suggesting that the Cyclones may have been on board with the peace pact. The two groups allegedly terrorize the crowd d of Reynosa as part of their campaign to challenge the Metros' control of the city. READ NEXT: Mexico Government Confirms Gulf Cartel Clandestine Human Incineration Site Near Texas Border Ongoing Violence in Some Areas in Mexico Due to Turf War of Mexican Drug Cartels Meanwhile, some areas in Mexico also see violence due to the ongoing turf war of Mexican drug cartels wanting to control specific states, such as in Zacatecas. Residents locked their doors and stayed inside their homes when they heard gunfire in the valley. One witness said that around 200 armed men had just looted a gas station. Authorities found 18 bodies in San Juan Capistrano located in Valparaiso, Zacatecas on June 24, Anchorage Daily News reported. The military has sent reinforcements earlier. However, the killings prevailed across Zacatecas. The continuous killings suggested that the head-on drug war launched in 2006 by former President Felipe Calderon did not manage to break the cycle of violence in Mexico. The "hugs not bullets" approach of current President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has also not waned the killings in Mexico. Valparaiso mayor Eleuterio Ramos noted that criminal groups fight over territory when the soldiers leave, as they know from experience. Zacatecas has been an eye candy for Mexican drug cartels battling over due to its location between the drug production and consumers. The previous head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for international operations, Mike Vigil, earlier said that clashing cartels are fighting to dominate the fentanyl market in Zacatecas. Fentanyl is the largest source of money for the drug cartels in the States. The Gulf Cartel The Gulf Cartel is one of Mexico's oldest and most powerful criminal groups before losing in recent years its territory over rivals, including its former enforcer faction, the Zetas. The criminal activities of the Gulf Cartel can be dated back to 1984 when Juan Garcia Abrego was in control of the drug-trafficking business that his uncle formerly headed. InSight Crime reported that the Gulf Cartel is still in control of a key criminal area in Tamaulipas that allows the group to continue trafficking large drug shipments across the U.S.-Mexico border. READ MORE: Video Shows Jalisco Cartel Parading' Narco-Tank' in Mexico's Street This article is owned by Latin Post Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Omar Trevino Morales: Last Zeta Cartel Leader - From WorthTheyHype A Texas gunman was stoned to death by a mob of partygoers after opening fire and killing at least one from the party past midnight on Monday. Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that partygoers hurled concrete landscaping stones and bricks at the gunman who fired at the group. At some point, authorities believed that the Texas gunman was chased and caught by a group of partygoers, making the suspect fall or was taken down by the mob. Police said the shooter was then struck multiple times with at least one landscaping brick and was pronounced dead at the scene. The Texas gunman has yet to be identified by the authorities. No one was arrested after the incident. However, authorities noted that the medical examiner would still have to determine if the Texas gunman lost his life by stones, FOX 4 reported. READ NEXT: 7 Dead in Utah after Sandstorm Causes 20-Vehicle Pileup on Highway Texas Gunman Opens Fire at Crowd of Party Goers The shooting incident happened in the 5600 block of Shiloh Drive at Fort Worth's Como neighborhood at around 1 a.m. Monday, July 26. Police said the Texas gunman attended the party and became upset and left. Daily Mail reported that he returned with another person and got into an argument with several people. Armed with a gun, he opened fire in the backyard, injuring at least one person. The Texas gunman then fled, but he was pursued by the partygoers, who grabbed landscaping bricks and started throwing them at him. The partygoers soon caught up with the shooter, who opened fire again, hitting three more people. Tracy Carter of the Fort Worth Police District has a clear warning about the crowd's reaction. He said they should let the authorities handle the situation, and they do not advise "someone going after someone who has a gun." Carter noted that the group of partygoers picked up what they call "stone pavers," which are used to build easily accessible surfaces for driveways, walkways, patios, and pool decks. "I don't want to say [that the stones] maybe used as defense, but that's what they were able to throw at the gunman," Carter said. Victims of the Recent Texas Shooting The three injured victims were reportedly brought to a hospital. However, authorities did not provide their names. Officials confirmed that one person was in critical condition while the two victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries. "Last night's incident could have happened anywhere in the city, it just happened in Como," 3rd District Councilman Michael Crain said in a statement. Crain then recalled a shooting incident near a car on Horne Street on July 4 that victimized at least eight individuals. Police were also investigating another shooting incident in the same neighborhood that happened on Sunday, July 25. Fox 4 reported that community leaders in Como were eager to see an end to what they call "senseless shootings." READ MORE: Las Vegas Man Arrested After He's Caught on Ring Doorbell Video of Threatening to Rape, Kill Woman This article is owned by Latin Post Written By: Joshua Summers WATCH: Gunman in Deadly Fort Worth Shooting Stoned to Death- From FOX 4 California man Joshua James Chimarusti was arrested after he allegedly pointed his handgun into the sky and shot at a helicopter crew preparing to put out the raging wildfires. The county's Sheriff's Office said the 44-year-old man fired several rounds at the Ventura County Firehawk helicopter, Law and Crime reported. Ventura County Firehawk helicopter was said to be doing a nighttime training operation in Lake Casitas on Wednesday night, July 21, when the California man fired at them. The deputies said "the pilot of Copter 4" took evasive action and identified the suspect's vehicle leaving the area at a high rate of speed. The helicopter crew has followed the suspect's vehicle into Oak View, where it came to a stop in the 200 blocks of Olive Street. The California man got out of the vehicle and fired more shots from a handgun at Copter 4 as he ran away to avoid being apprehended. Sheriff's Captain Eric Buschow told Law and Crime that the county's aviation unit is jointly operated by the sheriff's office and fire department. He added that the incident had taken place in a rural area. Officials said that Joshua James Chimarusti was found and taken into custody last Thursday, July 22, after an extensive search of the area with a K9 team, a small SWAT contingent, and helicopter. CBS Local reported that the handgun used during both shootings was recovered. The Ventura County Copter 4 reportedly did not obtain any damage in either shooting. Buschow did not say whether the California man confessed to shooting at the helicopter. Joshua James Chimarusti faces several charges such as attempted murder, shooting at an unoccupied aircraft, and an assault with a firearm upon a peace officer or firefighter. The California man is being held on $910,000 bail, and he is set to make his first court appearance on Monday. READ NEXT: Oregon Wildfire Continues To Grow, Destroying Homes Along the Way California Wildfire California's largest wildfire continues to grow after destroying more than a dozen homes over the weekend, CBS News reported. The Dixie Fire north of Sacramento is just 21 percent contained. More than 80 fires are ravaging 11 Western states, which prompted 8,400 forced evacuations. The fires of the Dixie Fire are destroying Homes in the community of Indian Falls. It continues to threaten thousands more in its path. In addition, Dixie Fire is also creating smoke columns, which could cause lightning storms that can start more fires. A public information officer assigned to the Dixie Fire said that "those air masses" start moving very quickly as the smoke clears. He said this means that the firefighters would face erratic and windy fire behavior. Meanwhile, Tamarack Fire is not expected to be fully contained until the end of next month. The Bootleg Fire, near the California border, is now the third-largest ever recorded in Oregon. The Bootleg Fire had already destroyed around 70 homes. A resident of Sycan Estates in Oregon said there was nothing left when he got to his property. Around 10,000 homes are threatened with the continuous rampage of the Dixie Fire, which is currently the 15th largest fire in California in history. READ MORE: California Wildfires Cause Power Outage to 361,000 Residents This article is owned by Latin Post Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Dixie Fire is Now Largest Burning in California | Wildfire Updates - From ABC10 NASA acknowledges Nicole Oliveira's efforts after she discovered seven asteroids for the international space agency. Thanks to her work, she is now the youngest astronomer at the age of 7-years-old. The intelligent kid has an immense passion and love for astronomy. When she was 12 years old, her interests in space and astronomy started to grow. According to First Post's latest report, the young lady was recognized after she participated in the latest "Asteroid Hunt," a citizen science project, of the International Astronomical Search Collaboration, in partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. "Here is Nicole Oliveira de Lima Semiao and her parents , Zilma Janaca Oliveira de Lima Semiao and Jean Carlo Lessa Semiao, from Fortaleza, Brazil. They participated in the IASC asteroid search campaign sponsored by the Ministry of Science, Technology, & Innovations (Brasilia, DF)," said the agency via its official Facebook account. The Youngest Astronomer Is a 7-Year-Old Student! The announcement is a big deal since it could inspire other people, especially the young generations, to take part in other essential programs, which could help them enhance their skills and knowledge. READ MORE: Mexico: Oaxaca Bans Use of Public Funds for Beauty Contests The Facebook post of the IASC thanked the parents of the current youngest astronomer. It was able to gain around 12 comments from various FB users. Although she, the kid, is still young, she already acts like an adult. This can be seen when she is presenting lectures in different schools in her hometown. On the other hand, her mother also shared that Nicole already asked her for a toy star at two years old. However, her parents said that they didn't think that her love for space will lead to something extravagant. Brazilian Ministry Invites the Young Space Expert According to Wion's latest report, the Brazilian Ministry confirmed that they want the smart lady to visit them. Oliveira was also asked if she can share her story and share some inspirational messages at the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation's 1st International Seminar on Astronomy and Aeronautics. As of the moment, the young girl is managing her YouTube channel to teach other people about space. She is actively talking about asteroids, and other related topics, especially during the ongoing pandemic. Her achievement shows that with the right effort and initiative, you can achieve anything at any age. Nicole currently shows that young people can also go toe-to-toe with other professionals in different fields. READ NEXT: Caitlyn Loane: Rising TikTok Star Reportedly Took Her Own Life Iskra Lawrence, one of the most famous supermodels in the United States and other parts of the world, gained weight, making her physical appearance quite different from her recent fit. Despite gaining weight, she still looks stunning, especially on her latest Instagram post. Her newest IG photo was able to generate more than 80,000 likes from her fans. "Gained weight, still feel cute. Let's continue to normalise that our bodies fluctuate; soften, strengthen, stretch and evolve as we grow into new versions of ourselves," she said via her official Instagram page. "What a gift to have a body that allows us to experience this life. Also I swear I'm gonna get round to editing a heatless curl tutorial for y'all because I think I've finally nailed it," the supermodel added. On the other hand, her followers also supported her figure, saying she is still gorgeous from the day she Lawrence started modeling. Iskra Lawrence Posts Daring Photo The British supermodel's viral IG photo shows her wearing only a white floral bralette with a paired white shorts. Her positivity towards her new physical appearance really inspired a lot of her fans in the comment section. READ MORE: Johnny Depp Vs. Amber Hear: Dior Takes the Side Of Jack Sparrow! As of the moment, she has more than 4 million followers on Instagram and 1,799 posts. Based on her content, you can see that she is confident with her body even though she is already a mother to a one-year-old boy with her longtime boyfriend, Philip Payne. Despite her smile, she said that she still experienced postpartum during her first days as a mother. But, Iskra shared to the public, via Yahoo Life's latest report, that she is now getting used to modeling her new body type. Lawrence added that she also felt like she is reborn as a new person after she gave birth. For those new mothers, the professional model could be your inspiration through rough times, especially since the global pandemic is still ravaging some parts of the globe. Lawrence Still Misses Her Old Self The British supermodel is really confident with her new physical appearance. However, she still feels how other people felt when they went through a massive body transformation. Yahoo News reported that Iskra recently admitted that she still misses her old body type. Although this is the case, she still tries her best to embrace her new look. On July 21, she even posted a photo of her wearing a blue tie-dye midi dress as she arrives in Los Angeles, as reported by the Daily Mail UK. Her look fits her since the elegant outfit reveals her hourglass figure. READ NEXT: Camila Cabello Responds to Backlash After Her Backup Dancer Was Accused of Blackface A Laois social enterprise that aims to be a hub for a community in Portlaoise has been awarded business supports by Rethink Ireland. An Treo Nua Resource Centre in Knockmay provides accessible and affordable room rental to the wider and local community in Portlaoise for target groups like one parent families, travelling community, older people and training rooms. Their three services are Portlaoise Family Resource Centre, HSE and Laois County Council. They also have a cafe which caters at low prices to the local community. A statement said Treo Nua has become a mainstay in the local community over the last number of years and developed an excellent rapport with all service users from babies through to the elderly in the locality. John Mulholland, Chief Executive of Laois County Council, extended his congratulations. We would like to congratulate The Treo Nua Resource Centre on their success in receiving a Social Enterprise Development Fund Award from Rethink Ireland, he said. "Coming out of an extremely challenging period for Irish society and Irish businesses were delighted with this good news story for Laois. Social enterprises have an important role to play in guiding Ireland to be come a more inclusive and equal society. Organisations like The Treo Nua Resource Centre, are leading the charge by not only creating jobs but working towards bringing about positive social change, he said. MORE BELOW LINK. Rethink Irelands Social Enterprise Development Fund has awarded 400,000 to 16 projects around Ireland, while a further 18 projects have been awarded a place on the organisations Genesis Programme which provides strategic business support to organisations. The Genesis Programme is an intensive two-day workshop that will focus on building the skills and knowledge needed to develop a sustainable social enterprise and to be successful in future funding opportunities. The Social Enterprise Development Fund is a 3.2 million Fund being delivered from 2018 2022. The fund was created by Rethink Ireland in partnership with Local Authorities Ireland and funded by IPB Insurance and the Department of Rural and Community Development through the Dormant Accounts Fund. The Social Enterprise Development Fund has been supported by IPB Insurance since 2018. Also speaking at todays announcement was George Jones, Chairman of IPB Insurance, who said: Were proud to see the Fund going from strength to strength each year. Using innovative solutions to tackle social problems in our communities is something IPB Insurance strongly believes in, and were delighted to support the fund. Commenting on the funding announcement today, Deirdre Mortell, CEO of Rethink Ireland said: Just a few weeks ago, Rethink Ireland set out our Manifesto for 2030, detailing the Ireland we want a fair, inclusive and sustainable Ireland. Today, Im delighted that Rethink Ireland is awarding both funding and business support to 34 organisations who are actively working to achieve this vision. Social enterprises are already living our Manifesto by actively working to tackle the greatest social challenges in Ireland. Whether they are knitting groups working to bring together marginalised members of society, innovative therapy practices using the power and beauty of our coastlines, or innovative ideas to strengthen safety in rural communities, they are the heart of our communities, and were delighted to be able to support them. Rethink Ireland have also launched a new Start-Up Fund for social enterprises at the early stage of their development. The Fund will award cash grants as well as strategic business support to Awardees. Rethink Ireland are encouraging early-stage social enterprises to apply for the Fund to receive the support they need to grow and scale. For more information visit: https://rethinkireland.ie/ awarded_fund/social- enterprise-development-fund- 2021/ Rethink Ireland (previously Social Innovation Fund Ireland) supports the most innovative non-profit organisations working in communities across the country. We believe that a team effort is more effective than working alone. Social enterprises are organisations whose mission is to have a positive effect on society. They generate revenue through their products or services and reinvest their profits back into their social mission. While the design is not yet revealed for a derelict Portlaoise hotel set to become social housing apartments, a four storey build is being considered. The old County Hotel on Main Street Portlaoise has got initial funding approval to renovate it and turn it into 10 small apartments for single older social housing tenants. The building is three storey but it is understood that a four storey unit is being considered to add to its rear in what is a very confined site. The building was bought up by Laois County Council with the double aim of ending urban degeneration and providing housing. The approved housing body Cluid would handle the renovation, funded by Government. A Part 8 planning submission is expected to be made in the coming weeks. However Portlaoise area councillors got a preview of what it might become, when they were taken on a tour of a similar older persons supported housing block in Dublin, Broome Lodge in Cabra (pictured below). Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley praised its potential speaking at this week's monthly council meeting. "I was very impressed. It is target to older people, we are looking at a similar model for the county hottel. I had reservations before, I felt that three or four storeys for the elderly wouldn't work, but I was very impressed. I look forward to the part 8 coming before us. "There was a great focus on cameras and security and personal alarms for the tenants that they can communicate from inside their homes. There are people on site to make sure they are looked after and there was a great community spirit," said Cllr Dwane Stanley. Cllr Willie Aird agreed. "It is a beautiful secure development and I look forward to something of the same in lower main street. It will be smaller in Portlaoise but absolutely beautiful. It's the way forward," he said. Pictured is Zak Moradi who has become a new Irish citizen with Minister of State for Law Reform, Youth Justice and Immigration, James Browne TD and Lucyna Edgar, another new Irish citizen. From a Kurdish refugee camp on the Iran/Iraq border, to a new life in Co Leitrim and then on to Tallaght in Dublin, the remarkable story of Zak Moradi captivated the public when he appeared on the Tommy Tiernan Show earlier this year. Zak grew up in the shadow of oil fields in searing 50 degree heat. His parents, he said, had spent 22 years in a refugee camp. The Kurdish people had suffered years of torment under the brutal regime of Saddam Hussein and Zak's family were given the opportunity by the United Nations to relocate to Europe and give themselves a chance of a new life. Zak's family initially thought they were going to England but they ended up a bit further west. Landing in Dublin, Zak, aged 11, and his family were transported to Carrick-on-Shannon in Co Leitrim and that was the last time they saw 50 degrees of heat! Since then his family have settled in Carrick-on-Shannon where Zak went to school, made friends and integrated himself into the community. The Minister for Justice, Heather Humphreys TD, and the Minister of State for Law Reform, Youth Justice and Immigration, James Browne TD, will host a very special virtual celebration event this evening to welcome the 1,000 people who recently received their Irish citizenship. The event is the second virtual event to welcome new citizens following the success of the first one in April, and will see Minister Humphreys welcome our new Irish Citizens with a speech broadcast live from Valentia Island, Co Kerry. In her role as Minister for Rural and Community Development, Minister Humphreys is in Valentia Island as part of the launch of Irelands first National Hub Network. The event itself will be live streamed from Croke Park and will feature wonderful performances and contributions from some of our new citizens, as well as from the Garda Band. Retired High Court Judge, Mr Justice Bryan McMahon (who normally presides over the citizenship ceremonies), is also participating in the event. Ministers Ministers Charlie McConalogue and Pippa Hackett met with IFA representatives last week over the issue of forestry licences. Following the meeting the Ministers issued a joint statement which outlined: We met today with members of the IFA who were protesting at the rate at which forestry licenses are being issued to individual farmers by our department. We gave them good news on recent improvements, and also told them that while we accept there are issues, we believe we are addressing them robustly, indeed with their help and co-operation, through Project Woodland. In terms of figures, we explained that in June of this year 411 licenses were issued. 80% of those were private, the highest number of private licenses issued in one month in five years. We also updated them on staffing increases, in terms of ecologists, inspectors and administrators. However we also focused on the wider issue which is to devise a vision for Irish forestry for the next 100 years. We need as a country to agree on what we want from our trees, so that our woodlands and forests work for our communities, for industry and for biodiversity. The statement went on to add With the help of the farmers protesting today, and other stakeholders, Project Woodland is both fixing the current issues and working on the longer term vision. It involves representatives from all stakeholders, coming together in working groups, along with officials and outside expertise, to fix the backlog, reform the process, make organisational structures fit for purpose, and also devise that new strategy. It is a process which is giving a genuine voice to all involved and it is working well. One of the early asks from one of the groups was that Minister Hackett would undertake a fundamental regulatory review of the licensing system, as well as of the processes pursued by other Member States. Such a review had also been called for by the Oireachtas Committee and stakeholders. And Minister Hackett has asked the Project Board to progress that immediately, the statment concluded. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider subscribing to our ePaper and/or free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Schools closed due to the coronavirus pandemic must reopen as soon as possible, the United Nations insisted Tuesday, estimating that the education of more than 600 million children was at stake. "This cannot go on," James Elder, spokesman for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), told reporters in Geneva. While acknowledging the difficult choices that governments have to make when facing the Covid-19 crisis and the possible spread of the disease, "schools should be the last to close and the first to reopen," he said, calling it a "terrible mistake" to reopen bars and pubs before schools. "Reopening schools cannot wait for all teachers and students to be vaccinated," he added, calling on governments to protect their education budgets despite the economic hardship caused by the pandemic. While children in the northern hemisphere are on their summer holidays, in eastern and southern Africa, an estimated 40 percent of school-age children are currently out of school. Across that region, schools are being closed due to Covid-19 surges, with more than 32 million children estimated to be out of school due to pandemic-related closures or having failed to return after their classrooms reopened. That comes on top of the estimated 37 million children who were out of school before Covid-19 struck. In nearly half the countries in Asia and the Pacific, schools have been closed for more than 200 days during the pandemic. In South America and the Caribbean, there are 18 countries and territories where schools are either closed or partially closed, Elder said. Around the world, "education, safety, friends and food have been replaced by anxiety, violence, and teenage pregnancy", he said. Citing Uganda, he said that between March 2020 and June 2021, there was a more than 20% increase in pregnancy among 10 to 24-year-olds. Remote learning remains out of reach for a third of pupils around the world, UNICEF said. In southeast Asia and the Pacific, 80 million children had no access to remote learning while their school was closed. Schools in Uganda were closed for 306 days with only 0.3% of households having an internet connection. According to a World Bank study, the pandemic will cost this generation of students $10 trillion in lost income, Elder said. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will arrive in New Delhi on Tuesday, to discuss bilateral relations, regional issues including Afghanistan, Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, Indo-pacific among other issues with Indian officials. On Wednesday, the US top diplomat will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar. This will be Blinken's first visit to India after assuming the office. In the defence domain, both sides are expected to explore ways and means to deepen their collaboration. This will cover policy exchanges, exercises, and defence transfers and technologies. These would be covered in greater detail during the fourth 2 2 Ministerial Dialogue due in the US later this year. Among the subjects on the agenda will be "focus on expanding our security, defense cyber and counterterrorism cooperation," said the Department of State Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Acting Assistant Secretary Dean Thompson. Thompson also said that Secretary Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lyod Austin look forward to hosting their Indian counterparts in the annual US India 2 2 ministerial dialogue, later this year. Indian ambassador to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu will also return to Delhi to participate in the high-level meetings where Afghanistan will remain one of the top focus, with Thompson underscoring India's shared commitment to peace and supporting economic development in Afghanistan. "We expect that all the countries in the region have a shared interest in a stable and secure Afghanistan going forward" and so "we will certainly be looking at talking with our Indian partners about how we can work together to realize that goal, to find ways to bring the parties together, and continue to pursue a negotiated settlement to end the longstanding war." "On vaccines, India will continue to push for ensuring open and consistent supply chains for materials and items required for vaccine production, as India ramps up both for domestic vaccination and as for global supplies thereafter," sources added. Discussions on deepening Quad engagement are also expected to be a key focus area of talks, with the possibility of a Foreign Ministerial Quad meeting later this year. India and the US will also take forward the Quad vaccine initiative to enable the supply of vaccines produced in India from early 2022 to countries in the Indo-Pacific region, said a source.Afghanistan witnessing massive violence will be the central issue, implications of the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, and the need for sustained pressure on Pakistan on terror financing and terror havens will be part of the agenda. Two sides will also exchange assessments about the Indo-Pacific region, with focus on Covid assistance, economic slowdown and security scenario. Latest developments pertaining to West Asia and Central Asia are also likely to be covered, sources said. Blinken's trip will follow a visit by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to China and coincide with one to Southeast Asia by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. New Delhi: The government on Tuesday confirmed that a French court has ordered the freezing of certain Indian assets in Paris on a petition by Britain's Cairn Energy, which is seeking to recover USD 1.72 billion from New Delhi after winning an arbitration against retro tax. Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha said the government has filed an appeal against an international arbitration tribunal overturning levy of 10,247 crore in back taxes on Cairn Energy. "Yes sir, an order has been passed by a French Court freezing certain Indian government properties in the case pertaining to Cairn Energy," he said. While the minister did not identify the properties, PTI had earlier this month reported that the 20-odd centrally located properties mostly comprise flats, valued at more than EUR 20 million. The French court, Tribunal Judiciaire de Paris, on June 11 agreed to Cairn's application to freeze (through judicial mortgages) residential real estate owned by the Government of India in central Paris. The legal formalities for the same were completed earlier this month. A three-member international arbitration tribunal that consisted of one judge appointed by India, had in December last year unanimously overturned the levy of taxes on Cairn retrospectively and ordered refund of shares sold, dividend confiscated and tax refunds withheld to recover such demand. "Arbitral tribunal (which had its seat in The Hague) pronounced its award on 21st December 2020 in favour of Cairn Energy Plc and Cairn UK Holdings Ltd (CUHL)," Chaudhary said. The government has not accepted the award and has filed a 'setting aside' petition in a court in the Netherlands - the seat of the arbitration. "Appeal against the said award has been filed in the Hague Court of Appeal on March 22, 2021," he said. On action initiated to protect the interest of the country, he said an international law firm, with relevant experience, has been engaged for handling enforcement proceedings. "In consultation with its counsel team, the Government is taking all appropriate legal steps to protect its interest," he said without giving details. With its shareholders - who include the biggies of the global financial world - egging it to get the money back, Cairn has got the arbitration award registered in countries such as the US, the UK, Canada, Singapore, Mauritius, France and the Netherlands. It has since started seeking enforcement action. It has identified USD 70 billion of Indian assets overseas for the potential seizure to collect the award, which now totals to USD 1.72 billion after including interest and penalty. Last month, Cairn brought a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York pleading that Air India is controlled by the Indian government so much that they are 'alter egos' and the airline should be held liable for the arbitration award. Similar lawsuits are likely to be brought in other countries, primarily with high-value assets. The Scottish firm invested in the oil and gas sector in India in 1994 and a decade later it made a huge oil discovery in Rajasthan. In 2006 it listed its Indian assets on the BSE. Five years after that the government passed retroactive tax law and billed Cairn 10,247 crore plus interest and penalty for the reorganisation tied to the flotation. The government then expropriated and liquidated Cairn's remaining shares in the Indian entity, seized dividends and withheld tax refunds to recover a part of the demand. Cairn challenged the move before an arbitration tribunal in The Hague, which in December awarded it USD 1.2 billion (over 8,800 crore) plus costs and interest, which totals USD 1.725 million ( 12,600 crore) as of December 2020. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Washington: Chinese President Xi Jinping visiting Tibet last week is a threat to India, an influential US lawmaker has said, accusing the Joe Biden-led administration of not doing enough to stop the Chinese "march". Xi on Wednesday last made an unannounced three-day trip to Nyingchi in Tibet, close to the border with Arunachal Pradesh. Xi, who is also General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, met top officials of the Tibet Military Command and reviewed development projects in the region. In an interview to Fox News, Republican Congressman Devin Nunes said: "Just last week, you had Xi Jinping, the Chinese dictator, on the border with India, in Tibet, claiming victory. This was the first time in 30 years, I believe, that a Chinese dictator had been to Tibet, and also threatening India, over a billion people also a nuclear power; threatening India that he's going to build a big water project, possibly cut off water to India." During his visit to Nyingchi, Xi visited the Nyang River Bridge to inspect the ecological preservation in the basin of the Brahmaputra river, which is called Yarlung Zangbo in Tibetan language. China this year approved plans to build a huge dam over the Brahmaputra river during the current 14th Five-Year Plan, which raised concerns in the riparian states of India and Bangladesh. So, no matter what you plug into the propaganda machine, you can build all the narratives you want here in Washington, D.C., but then there's reality. The reality is that the Chinese are on the march, and the (President Joe) Biden administration is letting them do whatever they want," Nunes said. A senior Republican in the House of Representatives representing the 42nd Congressional district of California, Nunes was the chairman of the powerful House Intelligence Committee from 2015 to 2019. Xis visit to Tibet took place amidst the current India-China military tensions in eastern Ladakh. India and China have been locked in a military standoff at multiple friction points in eastern Ladakh since early May last year. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet, which is firmly rejected by India. The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km Line of Actual Control (LAC). China is accused of suppressing cultural and religious freedom in Tibet. China has rejected the accusations. Since becoming President in 2013, Xi has pursued a firm policy of stepping up security control of Tibet. Beijing has been cracking down on Buddhist monks and followers of the Dalai Lama, who despite his exile remains a widely admired spiritual leader in the remote Himalayan region. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics Saudi Arabia will impose a three-year travel ban on citizens travelling to countries on the kingdom's 'red list' under efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus and its new variants, state news agency SPA said on Tuesday. It cited an unnamed interior ministry official as saying some Saudi citizens, who in May were allowed to travel abroad without prior permission from authorities for the first time since March 2020, had violated travel regulations. "Anyone who is proven to be involved will be subject to legal accountability and heavy penalties upon their return, and will be banned from travel for three years," the official said. Saudi Arabia has banned travel to or transit at a number of countries including Afghanistan, Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Lebanon, Pakistan, South Africa, Turkey, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates. "The Ministry of Interior stresses that citizens are still banned from travelling directly or via another country to these states or any other that has yet to control the pandemic or where the new strains have spread," the official said. The kingdom, the largest Gulf state with a population of some 30 million, on Tuesday recorded 1,379 new COVID-19 infections, bringing its total to 520,774 cases and 8,189 deaths. It saw daily infections fall from a peak above 4,000 in June 2020 to below the 100 mark in early January. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. London: Total antibody levels start to wane six weeks after complete immunisation with Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines and can reduce by more than 50 per cent over 10 weeks, according to a study published in The Lancet journal. The researchers from University College London (UCL) in the UK noted that if the antibody levels carry on dropping at this rate, there are concerns that the protective effects of the vaccines may also begin to wear off, particularly against new variants. However, they said, how soon that might happen cannot be predicted yet. The UCL Virus Watch study also found that antibody levels are substantially higher following two doses of the Pfizer vaccine than after two shots of the AstraZeneca preventive, known as Covishield in India. Antibody levels were also much higher in vaccinated people than those with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, they said. "The levels of antibody following both doses of either the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine were initially very high, which is likely to be an important part of why they are so protective against severe COVID-19," said Madhumita Shrotri from UCL Institute of Health Informatics. "However, we found these levels dropped substantially over the course of two to three months," Shrotri said in a statement. The findings based on data from over 600 people aged 18 and above were consistent across all groups of people regardless of age, chronic illnesses or sex, according to the researchers. The authors highlight that although the clinical implications of waning antibody levels are not yet clear, some decline was expected and current research shows that vaccines remain effective against severe disease. For Pfizer, antibody levels reduced from a median of 7506 Units per millilitre (U/mL) at 2141 days, to 3320 U/mL at 70 or more days. For AstraZeneca vaccine, antibody levels reduced from a median of 1201 U/mL at 020 days to 190 U/mL at 70 or more days, over five-fold reduction. "When we are thinking about who should be prioritised for booster doses our data suggests that those vaccinated earliest, particularly with the AstraZeneca vaccine, are likely to now have the lowest antibody levels," said Professor Rob Aldridge from UCL Institute of Health Informatics. The findings support recommendations that adults who are clinically vulnerable, those aged 70 years or over, and all residents of care homes for older adults should be prioritised for booster doses, the researchers said. In addition, those who were vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine are likely to have much lower antibody levels than those vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine, they noted. "This may also need to be considered when deciding who should be prioritised when boosters are rolled out," Aldridge said in the statement. The team acknowledged certain limitations in the data, including a small sample size for some groups. The researchers noted that that each individual only contributed one sample, so they cannot yet confirm how quickly antibody levels drop for each individual, or whether these would continue to drop or reach a stable level over the next few months. They also noted that different people will have different levels of immunity depending on the virus neutralising ability of their antibodies as well as their T-cell responses. "Even when measurable antibody levels are low, there is likely to be continuing immune memory that could offer long-term protection," the authors of the study noted. They said further research will be important to establish if there is an antibody level threshold needed for protection against severe disease. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Chinese officials have rejected a World Health Organization proposal to investigate the origins of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, raising new questions about whether the world will ever learn when, where and how the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) made the leap into humans. China objected to the WHO plan last week because this phase of the investigation left open the possibility that the virus escaped as the result of a laboratory accident, NPR reported . Without Chinese cooperation, scientists will face frustrating gaps in the data that may keep them from identifying the moment the pandemic began. However, the virus itself does hold clues to its own origin. In the coronavirus's genetic blueprint is a history of where it came from and how long it took to cause the outbreak that led to a global catastrophe. Even if scientists never identify a Patient Zero the first person who fell victim and sparked a chain of infections leading to the pandemic they may be able to determine what animals facilitated the leap and what human activities made it possible, experts told Live Science. Related: 7 facts about the origin of the novel coronavirus Defining Patient Zero In your typical pandemic fiction, a disease outbreak begins with a single, dramatic moment: A vial of infected blood breaks, a sickly monkey escapes a lab, an alien satellite falls from the sky. And it is sometimes possible to find a singular source for an epidemic or pandemic in the real world. Recently, epidemiologists traced the source of a devastating 2014 Ebola outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to the infection and death of a 2-year-old named Emile Ouamouno . But this work is extremely challenging and potentially stigmatizing. For example, for many years, a single Quebecois flight attendant was blamed for spreading HIV to North America. In a 2016 study in the journal Nature , however, researchers showed that the flight attendant, who died of AIDS in 1984, was just one of thousands who had become infected with the then-unknown virus. Ironically, the man was blamed for so much spread partly because he was one of the most helpful early patients to epidemiologists, providing information on his sexual contacts that other patients couldn't always recall. Delving further into HIV's history, any notion of a "Patient Zero" becomes foggy: The virus leapt from West African primates into humans at least three times, and the major strain responsible for most infections probably emerged sometime around 1910 or 1920. Related: 11 (sometimes) deadly diseases that hopped across species Even for diseases in the modern era, finding early cases doesn't always translate to understanding how the disease jumped from animal to human. No one knows exactly how Emile Ouamouno caught Ebola, and scientists still haven't discovered the animal reservoir for the disease, though bats are a prime suspect. Likewise, discovering how a new virus jumped from animals to humans doesn't always require discovering a Patient Zero. SARS-CoV-1, the close relative of the current pandemic coronavirus, emerged in November 2002 with a single patient, a farmer from Guangdong who died in the hospital. But that farmer was just one of several early cases that emerged in five separate cities. Further studies revealed that SARS-CoV-1 was closely related to a virus found in horseshoe bats, which then infected animals sold in wildlife markets, particularly civet cats. A 2003 Center for Disease Control and Prevention study found that 13% of people in the wildlife trade in the region had antibodies against SARS-1 compared with 1% to 3% of the general population, suggesting that the virus or a closely related one had been bouncing from animals and humans asymptomatically or with minimal symptoms before the major outbreak occurred. Among those who traded in civet cats the likely bridge species between bats and humans the likelihood of previous infection was 72%. Ultimately, researchers found a virus in bats that was 97% identical to human SARS-1, and then a virus in civets and raccoon dogs that was 99.8% identical to the virus that infected humans, said Stephen Goldstein, a postdoctoral scholar in evolutionary virology at the University of Utah. Thus, researchers clinched the chain of animal-to-human transmission of SARS-1 without ever learning exactly when and where the virus made the leap. A murky beginning SARS-CoV-2 may be particularly tricky to trace because of its inconsistency in producing disease. Somewhere between 30% and 40% of infected people are asymptomatic, and many others experience mild or moderate symptoms of COVID-19 that can be easily mistaken for a head cold or a case of the flu. Wuhan, where the first cases emerged, was in the midst of a bad flu season in fall 2019, so early cases could have been misdiagnosed. To work within these limits, scientists are trying to rewind the history of the virus from its genetic blueprint. This can't reveal the exact moment of the first animal-to-human transmission, but it can get tantalizingly close. "For trying to determine when HIV first arrived in the United States, our uncertainty is on the order of years or sometimes even a decade," said Joel Wertheim, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California, San Diego, who is doing this research. "For SARS-CoV-2, our uncertainty is on the order of weeks." Wertheim and other researchers in his field depend on a powerful tool in viral evolution: a molecular clock. This "clock" is based on a constant pile-up of mutations that occurs each time the coronavirus reproduces. Most of these mutations have no effect on the function of the virus, Wertheim said, but because they occur at a predictable rate, scientists can use them to determine when certain events in the virus's history took place. Those events can include when the infection that kicked off the pandemic first occurred. This isn't the same as the first human infection with SARS-CoV-2, Wertheim cautioned. Most people who caught the earliest variants of the virus didn't pass it on, so there could have been dozens of infection chains that fizzled out. There are parallels in human evolution. Around 200,000 years ago in Africa lived a Homo sapien woman known as Mitochondrial Eve, because the maternal genetics of every human alive today can be traced to her. But Mitochondrial Eve wasn't the only woman around back then she was just the one whose genetic lineage survived. "You can think of the genetic ancestor of all of SARS-CoV-2 like that," Wertheim told Live Science. "It is the virus from which all circulating SARS-CoV-2 descends, but that doesn't mean that there may not have been other [SARS-CoV-2] viruses around at the time, potentially very closely related, that just went extinct." Wertheim and his colleagues used the molecular clock of SARS-CoV-2 to try to figure out how much time could have passed between the first appearance of the virus in humans and the infection that sparked the pandemic. "What we were really interested in in our study was trying to put an upper limit on how long the virus could have been in humans and still given rise to the genetic [common] ancestor," he said. In a paper published in Science in April, Wertheim and his team reported that the earliest possible emergence of the coronavirus was October 2019 , but the most likely timing was mid-November 2019. Based on the genetic changes in the virus, very few people would have been infected in mid-November, Wertheim said, suggesting that reports of early hospitalizations in Wuhan may indeed have been due to influenza, not COVID-19. "It would have had to have been at very, very low levels in order to persist without giving rise to this genetic ancestor," Wertheim said. Wuhan's local health authority reported the first cluster of mysterious pneumonia in the city on December 31, 2019. The WHO later determined that the first case that could be confidently identified as COVID-19 was a man who became ill on Dec. 1, 2019. Wertheim and his colleagues are now delving deeper into the coronavirus genetics to try to understand whether the virus leapt from animals to humans just once to spark the pandemic, or whether it made multiple incursions leading to multiple infection chains. SARS-1 was genetically diverse early on, Wertheim said, suggesting a multiple-introduction scenario. SARS-CoV-2 was less diverse, which may mean the introduction happened just once, he said. But both scenarios are still possible with the data currently available. The animal-human connection Unfortunately, much of the evidence of the early pandemic is now gone, or at least hidden. During the SARS-1 outbreak, the live-animal markets were not initially shut down, Goldstein told Live Science. When scientists went into the markets months later, infected animals were still present, and animal-to-animal transmission was ongoing. In contrast, soon after the SARS-CoV-2 virus began spreading among humans, wet markets were shut down, and Chinese officials initially denied any live animals were sold at the market at the center of the first superspreader event, the Huanan Seafood Market. Researchers later showed that seven vendors were selling live mammals, birds and reptiles at that market, they reported in June in the journal Scientific Reports . If the Chinese government tested any of the animals present in the markets when they were shut down, they're not talking. "They haven't announced that they tested any of those animals that were in the markets in November and December 2019," Goldstein said. Similarly, the government has refused to release early viral samples from Wuhan that might reveal more about the genetics of the first human cases and has taken a database containing early viral sequences offline. This makes uncovering the animal-human link for SARS-CoV-2 difficult. What's clear right now is that the virus probably originated in bats . The closest known relative so far is a bat virus called RaTG13, with which SARS-CoV-2 shares 96% of its genome. Researchers discovered the virus in Yunnan province, China, in 2013, and published about its close ties to SARS-CoV-2 in March 2020 . Researchers are still looking for closer relatives, but it's slow going, Goldstein said, particularly given pandemic-related travel restrictions and China's reluctance to invite in international research teams. "You've got to find the right bats and it's like a needle in a haystack," Goldstein said. However, comparing the bat viruses to the human virus can be illuminating. Bats are a lot like humans, said William Haseltine, the president of ACCESS Health International and a former professor at Harvard Medical School, where he studied HIV and the human genome. Like humans, bats have long life spans, travel over long distances and then cluster together in close contact. This pattern of behavior may partly explain why coronaviruses that evolve in bats tend to find fertile ground in humans. "A bat has a chance to be infected many times in its lifetime, so these viruses have got to survive in a long-lived mammal that has many defenses against them," Haseltine said. The proteins in SARS-CoV-2 can reveal just how the virus's evolution allowed it to break free of bats and eventually infect humans. The genes alone can't explain this step, said Ingo Ebersberger, a bioinformatician at Goethe University Frankfurt, because most of the mutations in the genome don't change the virus's function. It's the proteins that are the workhorses, as genes give instructions for making proteins and proteins carry out biological functions. In a study not yet peer-reviewed but posted Feb. 5.on the preprint server bioRxiv , Ebersberger and his colleagues studied the proteins of SARS-CoV-2 and found that most of the genetic changes between RaTG13, SARS-1 and closely related viruses translated to exactly nothing on the protein side. "SARS-CoV-2 is not special," Ebersberger told Live Science. In the end, the only major functional change that made SARS-CoV-2 stand out was that the virus has something called a furin cleavage site. This is a tiny sequence of four amino acids that massively improves the coronavirus's ability to fuse to the ACE2 receptors on the surface of human cells. This tiny insertion helps the spike protein on the virus to unfurl, all the better to expose its binding sites to the ACE2 receptors, which then unlock the cell for the virus's invasion. RaTG13 doesn't have a furin cleavage site, but other coronaviruses , including some that circulate in bats, mice, camels and cats, do. "This is something we think evolutionarily can happen very quickly," Ebersberger said. The change requires only a tiny mutation, he said, and every sick animal produces millions or billions of viral particles, each of which has a chance at accidentally acquiring that crucial mutation. Continued change The acquisition of the furin cleavage site has led some to argue that the origins of COVID-19 lie not in natural animal viruses, but in deliberate manipulation in a laboratory. The researchers contacted by Live Science for this story dismissed this as evidence for such an origin, however. The original version of SARS-CoV-2 actually had a wimpy version of the furin cleavage site and was not particularly transmissible compared with what was to come, Wertheim said. "Anyone who says they've never seen a more perfectly adapted human virus, well, they clearly hadn't met the delta variant," Wertheim said. Related: Coronavirus variants: Here's how the SARS-CoV-2 mutants stack up In January 2020, well before the word "variant" exploded into everyone's consciousness, SARS-CoV-2 acquired a spike protein mutation called D614G that made it perhaps 20% more transmissible. Coronavirus strains with this mutation quickly took over the world . And in the spike protein, evolution has marched on. The alpha variant of coronavirus was 50% more transmissible than the variants with D614G alone, according to Yale Medicine , and the delta variant is around 50% more transmissible than alpha. The spot on the coronavirus' genome that encodes for the furin cleavage site is also evidence for a natural origin, Goldstein said. The mutation is a string of 12 nucleotides dropped right in the middle of a codon, or three-nucleotide sequence, that codes for the amino acid serine. By a stroke of evolutionary good luck for the virus, the sequence still works for coding for proteins: All amino acids are coded for by three-nucleotide codons, and because 12 is a multiple of three, the overall rhythm of the sequence remains undisturbed. But the position of the mutation smack dab in the middle of the codon for another amino acid looks far more like an accident of nature than something engineered deliberately. "It's a totally bizarre thing that nobody would ever do," Goldstein said. Finally, Goldstein said, the amino acid sequence in the SARS-CoV-2 furin cleavage site is not one that anyone had experimented with before and is not one that anyone would have predicted would work particularly well. Some researchers have experimented with artificially inserting a different furin cleavage from feline coronaviruses into harmless virus fragments in the lab. If someone were trying to make an animal virus transmissible in humans on purpose, Goldstein said, you'd expect them to use that proven sequence rather than a new, poorly placed string of amino acids that doesn't work that well out of the gate. None of these structural studies can prove that SARS-CoV-2 wasn't a natural virus that was present in laboratory samples, though. The question of whether the virus could have leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology , a lab where studies of bat coronaviruses took place, has become a political sticking point that might sink any chance of discovering the origin of SARS-CoV-2. The Chinese government has categorically denied that the virus came from the lab, while obfuscating raw data that could prove whether it did or didn't. In recent statements, government officials have tried to steer the conversation away from China entirely, despite no evidence that the virus initially emerged elsewhere. (Indeed, Wertheim's work on early transmission dynamics suggests that the virus needed a densely populated city like Wuhan to take off; simulations mimicking rural population density led to an emerging virus that couldn't find enough hosts and went extinct.) "In the next stage of origin studies led by the WHO, we should take a global vision and conduct research in different countries and multiple places instead of focusing on one area only," foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on June 16 . Scientists interested in COVID-19's origins have a different take. Both Wertheim and Goldstein said they think a lab leak is unlikely, but that the search for the virus's origins needs to focus on the animal supply chain in and around Wuhan. This search can be stigmatizing, too, Ebersberger said, as many of the news stories circulating about the markets led to the implication that Chinese people eat wild animals indiscriminately. Many wild animals are consumed as delicacies in Chinese cuisine, but much of the international chatter around these culinary traditions ignored regional differences and the rarity of these items in people's diets. Bats aren't commonly part of the menu in central China, where Wuhan is located, and bats were not present at the Huanan Seafood market. Many animals sold at these markets aren't sold as meat, either, but as pets or for fur. One possible species that could have carried the virus from bats to humans is the raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides), which is mostly farmed for fur. The meat from raccoon dogs killed for fur then ends up in the luxury food market, Goldstein said. Still, disparate species are held close together during both shipping and in stalls at live animal markets, creating prime conditions for viruses to mix, mingle and evolve. It wouldn't be the first time that close quarters between people, wild animals and domestic animals caused trouble. For example, the H1N1 strain of flu, also known as swine flu, is a genetic mix of influenza viruses from pigs, people and birds. Were he advising the WHO, Goldstein said, he'd recommend that scientists test the blood of people working in the animal trade for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies to see if they are more exposed than the general population. "You can start with the farmers, you can go with the people who transport these animals from farms to cities, you can look at the people who sell these animals in the market," Goldstein said. "If these people have higher antibody positivity rate than the general population, that would be indirect but very strong evidence that this virus was present in animals that were part of the human food chain." Originally published on Live Science If you don't want to think about the pandemic any more than you have to, rest assured covid-19 is nowhere to be found in three of this month's most noteworthy mysteries and thrillers. The virus is a factor in a fourth entry, and in a fifth it's the foundation for a plot too ingenious to miss. Take your pick. - - - The Ito family, at the center of Naomi Hirahara's vibrant suspense novel set in World War II Los Angeles and Chicago, were four of the more than 120,000 Japanese Americans rounded up by a U.S. government gripped by racial hysteria and transported to grim internment camps. Late in the war, many of those people were relocated to cities with labor shortages. Months after smart, take-no-guff Rose Ito, 23, arrives in Chicago, she is run over by a subway train and dies. Younger sister Aki scoffs at the coroner's verdict of suicide and sets out to uncover the ugly truth. Author of the Mas Arai and Ellie Rush mysteries, Hirahara has drawn a devastating picture of a family in crisis and a nation's monumental blunder. (Available Aug. 3) - - - Throwing a case may be the worst thing a defense attorney can do. But that's what otherwise ethical Leigh Collier plans with the case of accused rapist Andrew Tenant. Karin Slaughter's (the Will Trent series, et al.) latest non-series thriller, set in Atlanta at the outset of the pandemic, is cunningly conceived and written - not to mention massive; don't drop it on an unshod foot. As teens, Leigh and her sister Callie babysat young Andrew, and he thinks - correctly - that they killed his violent pedophile dad and got away with it. Complicated? Very. But also deeply satisfying. - - - William Kotzwinkle, author of the cult hippie novel "The Fan Man," as well as dozens of other novels, children's stories and screenplays, brings a similar engagingly outre vibe to this tale of a conscience-stricken mob scion who finds peace as a Benedictine monk. That is, until his Uncle Vittorio, a corrupt priest, leaves Brother Tommy a fortune; others think it belongs to them. The amiably satirical novel takes place in Paloma, Arizona (read Sedona), a world gathering place for "cartoon spirituality" and New Age hustlers. It's where the previously celibate Tommy hooks up with Cheyenne, an alluring con artist who tries unsuccessfully to exorcise what - to the monk's bafflement - she refers to as his "slimy entities." (Available Aug. 30) - - - At or near the top of any list of superb Irish thriller writers these days is Catherine Ryan Howard, an Edgar nominee for "The Liar's Girl" in 2018. Her fifth stand-alone, the masterly "56 Days," is set mostly during a 2020 covid lockdown in Dublin and brings two vulnerable and insecure 20-somethings together for an anxious, pandemic-limited, let's-see-how-it-goes romance. Each, however, harbors a doozy of a secret, one of them blood-curdling. Timely, surprising, emotionally alive, this is about as good as suspense fiction gets. (Available Aug. 17) - - - Shari Lapena's eighth stand-alone thriller - 2016's "The Couple Next Door" may be her best known - is such a quintessential "beach read," I half expected sand to fall out of it. This one brings lurid family mayhem to the Hudson Valley. When wealthy, psychologically sadistic Fred Merton and his fretful wife, Sheila, are massacred in their mansion, their three grown children - rage-filled Dan, materialistic dermatologist Catherine and purple-haired "outlier" Jenna - are all plausible suspects. With her cascading short chapters and teasers by the dozen, you stick with Lapena eagerly despite the flavorless scene-setting and generic cops. Bring sunscreen. - - - Richard Lipez writes the Donald Strachey PI novels under the name Richard Stevenson. Jungle Cruise - the theme park ride, not the new Disney movie it has inspired - is notable for the groan-worthy humor of its "skippers," the tour guides who provide Borscht-Belt-style entertainment for passengers on the minutes-long trip down a lazy (fake) river lined with animatronic animals. The shtick is bad, and leans on wordplay and dad jokes that often have nothing to do with the tropical rainforest setting, along the lines of: "I used to work in an orange juice factory, but I got canned. My boss said I couldn't concentrate." (Pause for laughter.) That esprit of the unapologetically cheese ball, the ersatz and the at-times downright inexplicable - however lovable some fans of Disney's theme parks might call those qualities - permeates and weighs down the new movie. That movie stars Dwayne Johnson as an effervescent Amazon riverboat skipper named Frank, who utters some version of that same, field-tested orange-juice bit during the film's early moments. He is no more convincing in the role than a guy in a Mickey Mouse costume waving to you from behind the touch-point entrance stanchions of Typhoon Lagoon. The plot of "Jungle Cruise"is generally more straightforward than the river itself: Frank gets hired by a British plant scientist named Lily (Emily Blunt), who, along with her reluctant brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall), is searching the Brazilian jungle for a legendary tree. Its petals, known as Tears of the Moon, are said to possess miraculous healing powers - and, for no extra charge, the ability to break curses. Did someone say curses? Hold that thought. Yes, along with the lush (CGI-enhanced) natural scenery, and the historical backdrop of World War I - which somehow allows for a German villain (Jesse Plemons, with an overripe accent and a U-boat armed with torpedoes) to wander around the world unimpeded in search of the same tree - there is also an element of the supernatural. Edgar Ramirez plays an undead, moth-eaten conquistador, and there are mechanical stone apparatuses reminiscent of an Indiana Jones movie. For all its disparate influences and cinematic borrowings, a better title for this movie might have been "Jungle Pirates of the Lost Ark." Still, over a running time of more than two hours, packed more tightly than the Rock's bulging shirt with slapstick violence and implausible peril, Johnson manages to carry the film to a (more or less) satisfying conclusion - assuming you're a small child in need of constant distraction. For older teens, adults or anyone with higher storytelling standards, there's a romantic subplot involving Lily and Frank, and a sprinkling of naughty double-entendres. At one point, MacGregor asks Frank, after the skipper has been injured, whether he'd like to bite down on MacGregor's stick. Much has already been reported about MacGregor's sexuality, which has nothing to do with anything, really, but is refreshing to see in a Disney film. Other amazing sights you'll see on this "Cruise": Frank wrassling with a leopard; river dolphins; a bad guy who can converse with snakes and bees; dangerous rapids; people eating piranhas, and not the other way around; and a scene in which Frank emerges from the river, soaking wet, only to put on a dry shirt for some reason - over his already waterlogged one. You'll also meet the character of Trader Sam (Veronica Falcon), the Indigenous shrunken-head dealer who, although removed by Disney from its Jungle Cruise rides earlier this year because of racial insensitivity, is back, albeit in a more woke version. She refers, sarcastically, to dropping the "ooga-booga" stuff. Again, good for Disney. This is an untaxing, big-budget summer popcorn movie for the whole family. Like the ride itself, it requires no more mental engagement than you would devote to any theme park visit (excluding the thrill rides, which actually raise a pulse.) At many points, you might find yourself asking, like MacGregor, "Are we there yet?" - - - Two stars. Rated PG-13. At theaters; also available on Disney Plus with Premier Access. Contains sequences of adventure violence and some racy humor. 127 minutes. Ratings Guide: Four stars masterpiece, three stars very good, two stars OK, one star poor, no stars waste of time. The exclusive Wu-Tang Clan album once belonging to former hedge fund manager Martin Shkreli was sold Tuesday to an unnamed buyer, according to federal prosecutors. Shkreli, who was convicted of securities fraud and conspiracy, forfeited the album after his sentencing three years ago. The money from the sale covered the remainder of a roughly $7.4 million debt Shkreli owed the government as part of his sentencing in March 2018, according to a Department of Justice news release. Due to a confidentiality agreement between prosecutors and the buyer, the release did not disclose how much the album sold for. "Through the diligent and persistent efforts of this Office and its law enforcement partners, Shkreli has been held accountable and paid the price for lying and stealing from investors to enrich himself," said Jacquelyn Kasulis, acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York. "With today's sale of this one-of-a-kind album, his payment of the forfeiture is now complete." Shkreli bought the only copy of Wu-Tang Clan's 2015 album "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin" at auction that year for $2 million, making it the most expensive record ever sold. The release said the album was marketed as "both a work of art and an audio artifact," and that it includes "a hand-carved nickel-silver box as well as a leather-bound manuscript containing lyrics and a certificate of authenticity." Though Shkreli was convicted of defrauding investors in his hedge funds, MSMB Capital and MSMB Healthcare, he is most widely known as the "Pharma Bro" who hiked up the price of the lifesaving pill Daraprim from $13.50 to $750 - or by 5,000 percent - while serving as chief executive of Turing Pharmaceuticals. The release noted that Shkreli tried to sell "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin" through an online auction in September 2017, an effort reportedly prompted by Wu-Tang member Ghostface Killah calling him a "s---head" for raising the price of the medication used to treat malaria and other infections. Shkreli is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence. Last year, a judge denied his request to leave prison so he could research treatment for the coronavirus, referring to Shkreli's reasoning as "delusional self-aggrandizing behavior." Click here to read the full article. Reason8 is prepared to make moves at the upcoming Locarno Film Festival. The London-based sales and production outfit has secured the international sales rights to Russian drama Medea. Reason8 will be on the ground in Switzerland ahead of the films premiere on Aug. 9, looking to drum up interest for the feature which hails from Target director Aleksandr Zeldovich. The film incorporates elements of the titular mythical Greek figure, centering around a woman (played by Tina Dalakishvili) who commits a grave crime for the sake of her future with the father of her two children. However, this crime causes him to withdraw from her. Feeling betrayed for having paid an enormous price for happiness, Medea tries to fill the void with sex and religion; but resentment drives her to revenge. We were immediately impressed by the emotional electricity of Aleksandrs film which will no doubt resonate with international audienceS and are looking forward to working on its global marketing and distribution strategy, said Denis Krupnov, co-founder and co-managing director at Reason8. According to Zeldovich, Medea transfers the Pagan myth of Circes niece to the Holy Land in an attempt to at once acknowledge its original theme of emigration and to add intensity and dynamism to the narrative. Im happy that Medea will have its world premiere and meet its first audience in Locarno next month. The film is starting its journey to the audience and Im glad to be in partnership with Reason8 who will lead the way, Zeldovich said of the deal. Medea also stars Russian actor Evgeny Tsyganov, whose previous credits include the Oscar-nominated Mermaid and 2018 Venice entry The Man Who Surprised Everyone. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Currently Reading Alert: Man pleading guilty, hopes for life without parole in first 4 Georgia spa killings, faces death in 4 Atlanta killings Courtesy /LPD The Laredo Police Department announced on Tuesday that it has arrested two individuals for their alleged involvement in the citys sixth murder of 2021. Alejandra Salinas and Daniel Alegria were arrested at the 2600 block of E. Ash Street on Tuesday at approximately 8:57 a.m. PARIS (AP) French authorities said Tuesday they are investigating a gasoline bomb attack that caused minor damage to the Cuban Embassy. The Paris prosecutors office said an investigation is under way. No one has been arrested or claimed responsibility, and no one was hurt, according to police. International recognition of French creativity in the arts, literature, and science formed an integral part of Louis XIV's strategy to dominate European culture. Recognizing that political power lay in cultural superiority, and assisted by his minister, Colbert (Controller General of the Finances, 16621683), Louis XIV (16431715) initiated an all-encompassing cultural program designed to glorify the monarchy in his person. Fueled by state patronage, this cultural initiative channeled the creative forces of French elite culture into academies, luxury goods, industries, technology, engineering projects, and imperial expansion. State control of culture reached unprecedented heights under Louis XIV, the Sun King (le Roi Soleil). Newly created academies in the arts and sciences generated heroic representations of the king that reinforced the royal religion. Increasing censorship targeted scandalous texts (for example, pornography) and political writings incompatible with absolute monarchy. Systematic purchases of treasures from ancient and modern cultures the world over enhanced the regime's prestige. The need to reign supreme in cultural matters also spawned French Classicism, the crowning cultural achievement of France's golden age under Louis XIV. As the Sun King's reign passed into its twilight years, some judged the social stability and routine he had created as oppressive to the individual spirit. A counter-cultural revolution under his successors, Louis XV (17151774) and Louis XVI (17741793), unleashed Enlightenment ideas and values which tore away at the theatrical and courtly foundations that Richelieu and Louis XIV had given the state. The cultural vitality of the realm shifted decisively from the royal court at Versailles to Paris. The increased role of the press, of reports of scientific and commercial activities, of exploration and discoveries, as well as the weekly meetings of academies and salons energized literary, artistic, and artisan circles. The writerwhether a novelist, a scientist, or a philosopher describing a new and better societybecame the guiding light of a culture that was enthusiastic about itself, eager for change, and increasingly beyond the control of royal censorship. In personal, cultural, and political identity, the writer evolved from a royal servant to an independent moral authority. The increasingly emancipated condition and subversive potential of authors reached their climax during the French Revolution (17891799) when the printed word played a mighty role in bringing down the Ancien Regime. Karl Walker, task leader and volunteer for Team Rubicon, stands in front of one of the trailers filled with gear to complete the mission in Lockport of cleaning out flood damage. Team Rubicon was started by two Marines who wanted to be "immediate responders" to disasters around the world and is run by donations and the hard work of volunteers. (Photograph by Benjamin Joe) The beginning of the school year when you got to show off your new duds, new cars, new looks! Sports! Playing, cheering, watching high school athletics. The arts: Dramatic arts, musical groups and shows, graphic arts groups, debate, etc. The prom! No dancing the night away or punch bowl antics. The daily interactions. Just being with the group, hanging with friends and classmates. Access to college recruiters and advisors its harder to line up higher education. Walking onstage to get a diploma while all the family is watching with everyone elses family. Vote View Results 16 and 17 year olds in Longford and across the country can register to receive a Pfizer/Biontech or Moderna Covid-19 vaccine from today. The HSE has confirmed that the online booking system is now open to those aged 16 and over to register for an mRNA jab. Fines handed down at Longford court for breaches of Covid regulations A number of 250 fines for breaches of Covid-19 regulations during level five lockdown were handed out at a sitting of Longford District Court last week. People registering for their vaccine on the HSE website will need: Their PPS number Their Eircode A mobile phone number An email address People who dont have all of these, or who would prefer not to register online, can call HSELive on 1850 241 850 for assistance with the registration process. Yesterday, HSE Chief Paul Reid said on Twitter that they will aim to vaccinate teenagers promptly as they deserve it. Teenagers have sacrificed a lot throughout Covid-19 and we should be proud of their response overall. Now, its their turn to be protected, he said. Taoiseach Micheal Martin also made a direct appeal to young people to get vaccinated yesterday as the number of cases linked to the Delta variant continues to rise. As further restrictions were lifted yesterday, the Government is under pressure to have as many teenagers vaccinated before the start of the new academic year. Last week the portal was opened up to every adult aged 18 or over. People in the 18-24 age cohort can also register to receive an AstraZeneca vaccine on an opt-in basis. Those aged between 18-34 can also choose to get the single-shot Janssen vaccine at a participating pharmacy, subject to supply. It is likely that children aged 12-15 will be invited to receive a Covid-19 vaccine in the coming weeks, subject to approval by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). The latest vaccine statistics show that more than 5.5 million doses have been administered in Ireland. Gardai attached to the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) have arrested two people in counties Tipperary and Dublin as part of an ongoing investigation into romance fraud. During the course of this investigation, it was established that a man based in the east of the country, was defrauded of 28,000 on a dating website. The money was laundered through the accounts of two persons based in Tipperary and Dublin. The mans bank account was also used to launder the proceeds of a separate invoice redirect fraud, perpetrated upon an Irish based company. Last Thursday, July 22, a man, aged in his 20s, was arrested and detained at Tipperary Garda Station under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984. He was later released without charge and a file will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. This morning, (Monday, July 26), a woman, aged in her 40s, was arrested in Dublin for offences contrary to Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2006. She is currently detained in Finglas Garda Station under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2007. A vehicle was also seized during the arrest operation this morning. Investigations are ongoing. A High Court challenge has been launched over the States refusal to hold a public investigation into Covid-19 related deaths in care homes. The action has been brought in behalf of 19 individuals from all over Ireland who are challenging a decision by the Minister for Health in June 28th last not to establish a formal investigation into the circumstances of Covid 19 deaths in care homes in the State. Fines handed down at Longford court for breaches of Covid regulations A number of 250 fines for breaches of Covid-19 regulations during level five lockdown were handed out at a sitting of Longford District Court last week. Most of the applicants had a relative who is recorded as having died from covid19 while in a care home in Ireland. Some of the applicants have experienced what they claim are a range of failures within nursing homes during the pandemic, which they say should be included in the inquiry. The court heard that the applicants sought the investigation because of their deep concerns about the relative's deaths and the preparedness and response of the care homes. They also claim that a public investigation into their deaths is required under both the Irish Constitution and the European Convention of Human Rights. Such an investigation they claim would establish the facts, allow learning from events, provide accountability, help rebuild confidence in the sector and prevent a re-occurrence. They claim the refusal by the State, formally indicated to the applicant's solicitors last month, to hold such an inquiry is contrary to the public interest, is unfair, unreasonable and disproportionate. Represented by Ronan Lavery SC the applicants have brought judicial review proceedings against the An Taoiseach, the Minister for Health, Minister for Finance, Ireland and the Attorney General. The seek an order quashing last June's decision not to hold an investigation into covid19 deaths in the State, and damages. They also seek a declaration that Articles of the Irish Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights an investigation into the circumstances of Covid19 deaths in the state's care homes. They further seek declarations that the refusal to conduct such a probe is unlawful, unconstitutional and in breach of the applicants' rights. The matter was briefly mentioned, on an ex-parte basis, before Mr Justice Charles Meenan on Monday. The judge noted that no medical evidence supporting some of the applicants claims that residents had been badly or not properly treated at the hones, had been given to the court. The judge said that given the issues raised he wanted time to consider the documents in the application and adjourning the matter to later this week. The Troubles of the 1969-1994 period were something that Longford people read about or saw accounts of on television, but seldom did they come face-to-face with the reality of the situation in the Six Counties. When internment was introduced in 1971 and Catholics/Nationalists were being burned out of their homes, thousands of refugees fled south, and some were accommodated in Longford. Bloody Sunday was another occasion when the horror of it all hit the county, and everything came to a halt on the day of the funerals of the Derry victims in January 1972. The period when Longford people felt closest to the conflict was in 1981 when the hunger strikes in the H-Blocks were in progress and protest meetings and marches were organized in the county. It was also an occasion when people from different political affiliations, and those with none, combined to highlight the appalling conditions in the H-Blocks. Longford Smash H-Blocks Committee In July 1980, a Smash H-Block Committee was formed in Longford with Tony Carberry as Chairman and Christy Warnock as Vice Chairman. Both men were Independent members of Longford Urban Council. Eugene McGloin, a journalist with the Longford Leader was PRO and other committee members included Sean Lynch and Michael Nevin, both Sinn Fein county councillors and Michael Brennan, Independent county councillor. Motions at Longford County Council meetings calling on the British Government to restore political status received unanimous support from all parties but, when no progress was forthcoming, the prisoners embarked on hunger strike, not once but twice. Bobby Sands was elected as MP for Fermanagh-South Tyrone and, in May 1981, an election was called in the South. Nine Anti H-Block candidates were chosen to stand for election, and the constituency of Longford/Westmeath was one of those where a candidate was nominated. The candidate chosen to run in the constituency in the June 1981 election was twenty-seven-year-old Martin Hurson, from Cappagh, Co Tyrone. He was the second youngest of nine children and his mother had died when he was fourteen years old. After secondary school, he worked for a while in Manchester before returning home to work in Dungannon. With the Troubles at their height, Martin Hurson joined the IRA and, in 1977, he was sentenced to 20 years for allegedly attempting to kill Crown forces, possession of explosives and membership of the IRA. Hurson claimed at his trial that he had been tortured and forced to sign two statements. He appealed his sentence twice, but without success. H-Blocks Election of 1981 With only ten days to canvass, a big campaign was mounted in the two counties that almost succeeded. A major rally was held in Longford with Bernadette McAliskey among the speakers. John Hurson, father of the hunger striker, appealed for votes for his son, in the hope that it might lead to a change of heart by Margaret Thatcher and her government. In the end, Martin Hurson received 4,573 first preference votes and was the last to be eliminated. Martin Hursons condition continued to deteriorate and, on 12 July, one month after the election, his family were informed that his condition was critical. His fiancee, Bernadette Donnelly, to whom he had become engaged in March 1979, and Bernadette McAliskey headed for Long Kesh in the hope of being able to say a last farewell. The authorities refused them access. It was a cruel move that still rankles with the family. At 4.30am the following morning, Martin Hurson passed away. Funeral of Martin Hurson Thousands poured into the village of Cappagh, Co Tyrone, including hundreds from all over Longford who travelled by bus and car. The Longford Leader report of the event stated that: Thousands of mourners from all over Ireland crammed the tiny village of Cappagh, Co Tyrone, yesterday for the internment of hunger striker, Martin Hurson. Hurson died at 4.30am last Monday in Long Kesh after an unsuccessful attempt at gaining a seat in the Dail in the Longford-Westmeath constituency. However, some of his 5,000 voters attended the funeral to hear his election agent, Cllr Sean Lynch (Provisional SF) give the funeral oration. Chairman of Longford H-Block Committee, Cllr Tony Carberry (Ind) acted as pall bearer to bring the coffin into the Church of St John the Baptist. Cllrs Warnock, Nevin and Brennan were also high-profile figures at the funeral. The significance of the Longford connection was heightened by the choice of Sinn Fein councillor, Sean Lynch, to deliver the graveside oration. Lynch had been Cathaoirleach of Longford Co Council and his term ended just over a week before the funeral. Martin Hurson was the sixth hunger striker to die and the funeral oration at the grave of Raymond McCreesh had been delivered by another Longford man, Ruairi O Bradaigh. It was certainly a unique honour for Longford to have representatives from the county speaking at two of the funerals. Two Monuments in the County to Martin Hurson Longfords links with the tragic period of the hunger strikes, and the election candidacy of Martin Hurson, have not been forgotten and, significantly, two monuments stand in the county commemorating that period. In 2006, on the 25th anniversary of Martin Hursons death, a monument was erected by Sinn Fein in Lanesboro. Republican Sinn Fein erected a monument in Edgeworthstown in 2001 and, due to roadworks, it was relocated and unveiled in 2006. Commemorations were held recently at both of those locations to mark the 40th anniversary of Martin Hursons death. For those involved, it was a memorable and historic time in Longford, as they strove to press for a resolution to the hunger strike issue and to achieve political status for the prisoners. Ironically, the prisoners demands were acceded to soon after the ten of the men had died. The intransigence of the Thatcher government of the time led to increased support for the IRA and the conflict continued for many years more. * The story of Longfords connections with the hunger strikes and with other events during the Troubles will be recounted in Sean O Suilleabhains forthcoming book Longfords Republican Story 1900 2000 which will be launched later this year. A persons right to travel across land owned by another has caused tension between neighbours for generations. Known as a right of way, it arises if one landowner needs to pass through anothers property to get to his own. Rights of way are either general or limited. The mode of the passageway may be restricted to foot passage or may admit motor vehicles, the purpose of the user may be restricted to the exercise of agricultural property purposes, or for the sporting facility, or for carrying coal to a house, or allowing access to a business premises. A right of way could be a laneway, a boreen, or even a gap in a fence. How does someone come to have a right of way? A right of way can be created by either an agreement in writing or by use over a fixed period of time called long use or prescription. The first method is straightforward and basically means that two landowners sign a document to allow one of them to access a piece of property. The second method by long use is the continuous use of the right of way for 20 years (soon to be 12). A person who wants to establish a right of way by this method must use the route without force, without secrecy and without the oral or written consent of the landowner. Historically, there were other ways to prove a right of way. However, since the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act 2009, these will no longer be available. The Act also will shorten the time frame to get the right of way to 12 years. How to know if a Right of Way exists on my land? If the right of way was created by agreement, there should be a paper trail showing it in your title documents. These may be held by your solicitor or mortgage provider. If the right of way, created either by agreement or long use is registered, then it can be seen by requesting a copy of your propertys folio from the Property Registration Authority. Up until recently, rights of way developed by long use were generally not registered and so may exist unregistered. I have an unregistered right of way. Should I register it? Yes, and soon. The reason for this is that under the changes brought in since 2009, a right of way can be registered (if the affected landowner does not object) without the need for court approval under the old rules until November 30, 2021. As such, while an application is still needed at present to have a right of way registered, it may become more problematic after this 2021 date when a court order may also be needed. The benefit of registering a right of way is that it is protected from becoming extinguished. It will also be extremely helpful if you choose to sell your property in the future as a new purchaser will almost certainly want the right of way registered. Can I Lose A Right of Way By Not Using It? They can be lost by the doctrine of abandonment or they can generally be extinguished on 12 years non-user if not registered. Usually, it will be up to the court to decide but non-use of itself may not be enough. Abandonment requires some act or omission by the owner of the right of way accompanied by an intention to permanently relinquish the right. There is a conspicuous reluctance of the courts to hold that a right is abandoned in the absence of unequivocal evidence. Abandonment is not to be inferred from the fact alone that the person who owns right away has made use of an alternative facility. What Should I Do To Make Sure That I Dont Lose My Right Of Way? If you access your property by using a right of way over another persons land you should make sure that that right of way is registered with the Property Registration Authority (PRA). To register a right of way, there is now a straightforward procedure where all parties agree. People can now make an application to register it if it is not in dispute. It is important to note that until the deadline of November 30, 2021, you can apply under the old rules to the Property Registration Authority to register the Rights of Way. If you wait until 2021 you could lose an opportunity and may run into unnecessary difficulties. How to stop somebody getting a right of way A right of way can only be registered if it is used without secrecy, without force, and without permission. A letter of consent, given periodically to the person using your land can, therefore, act as a written permission and help prevent someone from establishing a right of way. If you are worried about someone developing a right of way then you should speak to your solicitor about it for detailed advice. Seek Advice & Take Action If you are a landowner using a right of way you should look for advice to make sure that your long-established rights of way are not lost. Title documents should be checked at the earliest opportunity to find out if your right of way needs to be registered if you dont do something in time you could lose a valuable asset. If you have an agreement with the other owner or you have a written agreement you should register using the fast track system. You should go about registering before the deadline for registration to avail of the older system of registration. For further advice or if you wish to discuss any other legal area please contact reception@lynchsolicitors.ie Community, Charity & Cause By Chris Boyle Published: July 27 2021 The Legislature has approved County Executive Currans proposal to apply tens of millions of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds toward business recovery initiatives. Legislator Mule speaks to Baldwin business owners on Saturday, July 17 about the Boost Nassau Resource Center and new County-level recovery grant and loan programs for small businesses. Nassau County Legislator Debra Mule (D - Freeport) visited Baldwin business owners recently to spread the word about the opportunities that are available through the Boost Nassau Resource Center. During her visits to local merchants, Legislator Mule urged small business owners to secure their fair share of assistance by availing themselves of the Boost Nassau Resource Center, which compiles federal, state, county and town-level COVID-19 recovery assistance resources into a centralized website and brick-and-mortar resource center in Eisenhower Park. To further supplement existing aid resources, the Legislature has unanimously approved County Executive Laura Currans proposal to apply tens of millions of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds toward business recovery initiatives. This includes $10 million to fund the Boost Main Street Small Business grant program; an additional $10 million toward the Boost Nassau Small Business Loan Program; and $10 million for workforce development initiatives. Crime By Chris Boyle Published: July 27 2021 Ethan Ladd, 20, if convicted of the top counts, faces a maximum sentence of 50 years in prison. Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini has announced the indictment of an alleged gang member for Attempted Murder for shooting two victims in Port Jefferson Village. This was a senseless act of gun violence committed by a dangerous individual, District Attorney Sini said. Both victims have been left with severe lasting impacts as a result of the shooting. My Office will continue to hold gang members and perpetrators of gun violence accountable. Ethan Ladd, 20, is charged with two counts of Attempted Murder, a class B violent felony; two counts of Assault in the First Degree, a class B violent felony; Criminal Use of a Firearm in the First Degree, a class B violent felony; and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C violent felony. Ladd has been identified by law enforcement as a member of the Just Chasing Money (JCM) gang. At approximately 2 a.m. on June 19, Ladd entered a restaurant near 109 Main Street in Port Jefferson where he encountered a 23-year-old man and a 20-year old man and allegedly became engaged in an argument with one of the men. Ladd, the two men and several other individuals moved to a nearby parking lot where a physical altercation ensued with one of the men. Ladd allegedly retrieved a .380 caliber handgun from his vehicle and shot one of the men in the abdomen. He then allegedly shot the other man twice in the leg and once in the arm at close range before fleeing the scene in his vehicle. Both victims were transported to a local hospital with serious physical injuries. Following an investigation by the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office and the Suffolk County Police Department, Ladd was arrested on June 20. If convicted of the top counts, Ladd faces a maximum sentence of 50 years in prison. Ladd was arraigned on the indictment today by Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei. The People requested that bail be set in the amount of $1 million cash or $5 million bond. The Court transferred bail from Ladds arraignment in Suffolk County District Court in the amount of $25,000, which Ladd previously posted. He is due back in court on August 26 and is being represented by Steven Politi. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Sheetal Shetty, of the Felony Offense Bureau. Nina Nesmith stocks shelves at Los Altos Hardware. Her familys store has been targeted by Scott Johnson, a serial plaintiff who has filed thousands of ADA-related lawsuits. 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!) 27th July 2021 Runtime 10:08 We were joined by Werner Klingenberg, CEO at Goldplat (GGP), the AIM-listed gold recovery services company heaquartered in South Africa. Werner wanted to update us on the receivables from the sale of the Kilimapesa gold mine in Kenya and the substantial share buy back of shares from minority shareholders. "We had some good corporate transactions and positive momentum from the sale of Kilimapesa" said Werner, "which means we are both encouraged and excited." "With these transactions done, essentially we are a gold recovery business and 100% own our gold recovery business in West Africa, located in Ghana, and 90% in South Africa. We source gold by-product materials from mines in West Africa, South Africa and South America, and then we process and recover that last bit of gold and other metals contained in that material." As for the sale of Kilimepesa, on or around 23 August around $450,000 is payable in cash to Goldplat plc, and the remainder of the consideration, around $1.5M will then be payable in shares in Papillon at that point in time. "It completes a strategy which we have embarked upon for the last two years whereby we looked at exiting gold mining and excavation. Mining is always quite capital intensive and now we simply focus on growing our gold recovery business and distributing excess cash to shareholders. The business is set up to look at how we can get money back to shareholders." The minority shareholders wanted to sell their shares and the company have devised this solution. "We offered to buy back 22.3% and then we issued some shares back to Mr Ntsaluba. All of this will be funded by a 3M loan from Ned Bank, denominate in SA Rands and at an interest rate of Prime plus 1.75%, or 8.75%. This gave us the opportunity to take a bigger stake in our most profitable subsidiary, producing 2/3rds of revenues in the past. And to take control of the intercompany loan which is outstanding to Goldplat Recovery, which is 4.5M. All of this gives us the ability to distribute value back to shareholders and we are in a good space to focus on growth". "As a minimum we would like to distribute back the royalty from the sale of Kilimepesa, which is capped at 1%, $1.5M and then look at sharing the profits from the recovery operations in Ghana and South Africa going forwards." explained Werner. AEX Gold Inc - miner in Greenland - Non-Executive Director David Neuhauser buys 128,000 shares via Livermore Partners LLC at average CAD0.54, worth CAD69,120, about GBP39,676, on Thursday and Friday last week. Neuhauser is founder & managing director of Livermore, a hedge fund in Chicago and 6.0% shareholder in AEX Gold. He joined the AEX Gold board in June. Current stock price in Toronto: CAD0.51 Year-to-date change: down 41% By Tom Waite; thomaslwaite@alliancenews.com Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Tui AG - Hanover-based holiday firm - Agrees to extend existing credit lines until summer 2024. Agrees with 19 international banks, and German state-owned investment and development bank KfW, to extend the maturity of revolving credit facilities totalling EUR4.7 billion by two years. As of Monday, Tui had pro forma liquid funds of about EUR2.9 billion. Notes upcoming covenant tests on September 30 and March 31, 2022, have been suspended. "This gives the group more time and flexibility and strengthens Tui in a market environment with corona restrictions. The group's objective remains a rapid repayment of the government loans as soon as more holiday destinations can be travelled to in a stable manner again and the successful relaunch of tourism continues in a sustainable manner," the travel agent says. Notes pent-up demand and interest in travel remain at high levels in Europe and international markets. Says 2021 summer season has started well. Chief Executive Fritz Joussen says: "Tui is returning to the growth path. We are well positioned with our tour operators, hotel and cruise brands and we will be more efficient and digital after the corona crisis. "The banks support our strategy, our path of transformation and see Tui's strengths after the corona crisis. We are now financed in the medium term until summer 2024. This creates stability and flexibility as long as corona restrictions still affect the business and markets." Current stock price: 340.80 pence, up 4.2% Tuesday afternoon Year-to-date change: up 19% By Paul McGowan; paulmcgowan@alliancenews.com Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Uniphar PLC - Dublin-based healthcare services firm - Says it remains confident in delivering on current year expectations and that medium term organic growth targets at a divisional level remain unchanged. Posts organic gross profit growth of 11% for the half year period ended June 30. Growth is driven by continued outperformance in the Commercial & Clinical division and by strong performances in the Product Access and Supply Chain & Retail divisions, it says. Mergers and acquisitions will "continue to play an important part in Uniphar's growth strategy" and the business will monitor its active pipeline of acquisition opportunities, the company notes. "Our trading update reflects a strong start to the year with the group delivering double-digit organic gross profit growth. I am pleased to report that all our divisions are performing well, with the outperformance in Commercial & Clinical representing a particularly strong result," comments Chief Executive Ger Rabbette. Current stock price: 329.00 pence, up 4.4% Tuesday afternoon Year-to-date change: up 49% By Will Paige; willpaige@alliancenews.com Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - Business-to-business media and events firm Ascential PLC on Tuesday said it had raised GBP153 million via a share placing. The London-based firm said 35.5 million new shares were placed at 432 pence each, a 4.9% discount to its closing price on Monday. Shares in Ascential were down 8.5% at 416.00p in London in afternoon trade, making the stock the second worst performer in the FTSE 250 on Tuesday. The shares issued represent just under 9% of the company's existing issued share capital prior to the placing. Ascential had unveiled plans for the placing alongside interim results late Monday, which showed revenue jumped 37% to GBP175.1 million from GBP127.9 million a year ago. JPMorgan Cazenove and Numis Securities Ltd acted as joint bookrunners. The media business anticipates that the raised funds will offer it "balance sheet flexibility" and extra cash for its M&A strategies. By Josie O'Brien; josieobrien@alliancenews.com Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Adds CEO quote, background) LONDON, July 27 (Reuters) - Rio Tinto said on Tuesday it would invest $2.4 billion to develop its Jadar lithium project in Serbia, bringing forward an investment decision that was expected later in 2021, as demand for electric vehicle batteries is on the rise. The Anglo-Australian miner expects construction to start in 2022 and last four years, subject to regulatory approvals. Lithium is a vital ingredient in the batteries that power electric vehicles, and automakers, including BMW, Volkswagen and leader Tesla Inc, are increasingly looking to secure direct access to raw materials via partnerships with mining companies to avoid bottlenecks and keep plants at full capacity. One in every nine new cars sold in Europe last year was an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle. Jadar is in the western Serbian city of Loznica and was discovered in 2004. It will include an underground mine and onsite processing facility that will produce battery-grade lithium carbonate, also used for storing renewable energy. It will also mine borates, used in solar panels and wind turbines. Jadar is slated to position Rio as the largest lithium supplier in Europe for at least the next 15 years, the company said in a release ahead of its financial results on Wednesday. "Serbia and Rio Tinto will be well-positioned to capture the opportunity offered by rising demand for lithium, driven by the global energy transition," said Chief Executive Officer Jakob Stausholm, adding that the company would supply enough lithium to power over 1 million electric vehicles per year. (Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil, Clara Denina, Ivana Sekularac; Editing by Aditya Soni and Steve Orlofsky) Bonnie Squires is a communications consultant who writes weekly for Main Line Media News and can be reached at www.bonniesquires.com. She hosts the Bonnies Beat TV show at MLTV- MAIN LINE NETWORK. E-NEWSLETTERS Keep up with the latest news with one or more of our free email newsletters. Click Here to Sign up! Jefferson, GA (30549) Today Showers this morning then scattered thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. High 78F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Showers early, then cloudy overnight. Low 66F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. The Netherlands is lifting its travel restrictions for Spain as of today and will no longer be advising people not to come to the Balearic Islands. The change is due to the Balearic Islands and the rest of Spain moving from Amber to Yellow. The Balearics and the Canary Islands were Amber listed on July 15 after Covid infections soared and a raft of Dutch tourists cancelled their holiday reservations. The Netherlands Embassy in Spain tweeted the change of criteria on Monday, saying travellers over 12 years old must show a vaccination certificate, proof of recovery from Covid, a negative PCR from with 72 hours of travel or a negative Antigen test from within 48 hours of travel. Ambassador, Jan Versteeg is satisfied and thanks to the vaccine and the Covid Certificate, as of tomorrow the Netherlands will stop advising against travel to Spain." 92, of Mankato, died July 30, 2021. Memorial service will be 11:00a.m., August 21, 2021 at Northview-North Mankato Mortuary with visitation one hour prior to the service. Burial will be at Beauford Oak Hill Cemetery. www.mankatomortuary.com. Microrefugia are small-scale ecosystems which serve as habitat for rare and negatively impacted plants and animals; you might already have one in your backyard or on your lanai. Even small patches of land which are covered in flowering plants can serve as beacons of hope for beleaguered poll Manchester United have announced their signing of Raphael Varane, pending a medical, bringing the centre-back to the Premier League for around 50 million euros. The centre-back only had one year remaining on his Real Madrid contract and is embarking on a new challenge in England. The player didn't train with Real Madrid on Tuesday evening, before his transfer was confirmed by both clubs shortly afterwards. It has been in the works for several weeks, with the clubs negotiating the fair price for the world-class centre-back who was going to become a free agent next summer. Back on February 8, MARCA reported that Varane wasn't going to renew and now he has left Real Madrid after 10 seasons in which he won 18 titles. "Real Madrid would like to express their gratitude to Raphael Varane and his family and wish him the best of luck in this new stage of his career," a Real Madrid statement said. "Our club thanks the player for his professionalism and exemplary conduct throughout his ten seasons representing our colours." Manchester United, meanwhile, are celebrating the arrival of a player who can partner Harry Maguire to form an elite central defence. August is just around the corner, which means Netflix are preparing to release various new films and series. On the first day of each month, Netflix subscribers are treated to day of new releases and there are some exciting ones coming up. There's something for everyone, with action movies like 'Vendetta', horrors like 'The Swarm', thrillers like 'Hit & Run', comedies like 'Quam's Money' and family flicks like 'Paddington'. As for new series, 'The Kissing Booth 3' and 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians Season 5' are likely to be two of the most popular this August. They come out on August 11 and August 17 respectively. The full list of what's new to Netflix in August 2021 August 1 30 Rock: Seasons 1-7 44 Cats: Season 3 Beethoven Beethoven's 2nd Beowulf Catch Me If You Can Darwin's Game Deep Blue Sea The Edge of Seventeen Ferris Bueller's Day Off Five Feet Apart (2019) Friday Night Lights: Seasons 1-5 Good Luck Chuck The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia Hunter X Hunter: Seasons 5-6 (2011) Inception The Lincoln Lawyer The Losers (2010) The Machinist Magnolia Major Payne My Girl My Girl 2 The Net The Original Kings of Comedy Pineapple Express Poms Seabiscuit Space Cowboys Team America: World Police August 3 Pray Away Shiny_Flakes: The Teenage Drug Lord Top Secret UFO Projects: Declassified August 4 Aftermath American Masters: Inventing David Geffen Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami Control Z: Season 2 Car Masters: Rust to Riches: Season 3 Cooking With Paris August 6 Hit & Run: Season 1 Navarasa The Swarm Vivo August 8 Quartet August 9 Shaman King August 10 Gabby's Dollhouse: Season 2 Phil Wang: Philly Philly Wang Wang UNTOLD: Malice at the Palace August 11 Bake Squad The Kissing Booth 3 La diosa del asfalto Misha and the Wolves August 12 AlRawabi School for Girls Lokillo: Nothing's the Same Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild August 13 Beckett Brand New Cherry Flavor Fast & Furious Spy Racers: Season 5 Gone for Good The Kingdom Valeria: Season 2 August 15 Mother Goose Club: Seasons 3-4 Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai: Season 1 Winx Club: Season 6 August 16 Walk of Shame August 17 Go! Go! Cory Carson: Season 5 UNTOLD: Deal with the Devil August 18 The Defeated Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes Out of My League The Secret Diary of an Exchange Student August 19 Like Crazy August 20 The Chair Everything Will Be Fine The Loud House Movie Sweet Girl August 23 The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf August 24 Oggy Oggy UNTOLD: Caitlyn Jenner August 25 Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed Clickbait John of God: The Crimes of a Spiritual Healer Motel Makeover The November Man The Old Ways Open Your Eyes Post Mortem: No One Dies in Skarnes Rainbow High: Part II Really Love The River Runner Tayo the Little Bus: Season 4 The Water Man August 26 Edens Zero Family Reunion: Part IV August 27 He's All That I Heart Arlo Titletown High August 28 Bread Barbershop: Season 2 Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha August 31 Sparking Joy UNTOLD: Crime and Penalties This week were celebrating the small fish, the mavericks, the start-ups and the long-established family businesses of the drinks industry. From single malt whisky to craft gin, here are our top ten bottles from independent distilleries. Its not easy being an indie in a drinks industry dominated by giants like Diageo, Pernod Ricard or Beam Suntory. These behemoths have marketing budgets bigger than some countries. How do you compete with that? Then theres always the possibility that one of the big boys will make you an offer you cant refuse. Pernod Ricard, in particular, seems to be constantly snapping up craft gin distilleries. Yet, were glad that so many independent distillers are not only surviving but thriving. They are able to react more quickly than the giants, be more individual, or just do things as theyve always done without having to worry about shareholders. An independent could be a hungry start-up bursting with innovation, or a family business thats been honing its craft for generations. Either way, youre getting something a bit different when you go independent. So, weve rounded up some of our favourites from the world of whisky, gin, rum, Cognac and Tequila. Lets raise a glass to the small fish of the drinks industry! Top ten bottles from independent distilleries Edradour is one of Scotlands smallest distilleries and at the heart of the range, this 10 year old Eastern Highlander is a highly distinctive single malt, a decidedly rum-like dram with a thick mouthfeel. The distillerys methods of production remain virtually unchanged in the last 150 years, and we can see why. If it aint broke and all that. This single malts decade of ageing was spent in a combination of Oloroso sherry and bourbon casks. This is one sherry monster and we love it. The single malt still is Irelands great gift to the whiskey world. Until recently, if you wanted some of that creamy magic, there was only one game in town, Irish Distillers. Now though, independent distillers are beginning to release spirits like this splendid one from Drumshanbo. The mash bill is a mixture of malted and unmalted barley with 5% Barra oats. Its triple distilled before being matured in a combination of Kentucky bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks, making for a glorious balance of cream and spice. Many small American whiskey brands buy in spirits from larger distillers. Wilderness Trail, however, did things the hard way when the founders Shane Baker and Pat Heist (great name) built their own distillery at Danville, Kentucky in 2013. This Single Barrel release is made from a mash bill of 64% corn, 24% wheat and 12% malted barley, aged in toasted and charred barrels. Its also bottled in bond, meaning that, as laid out in the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, it must be aged between five and six years and bottled under the supervision of the U.S. Government at 100 proof, or 50% ABV in British English. The Hayman family are descended from James Burrough, the founder of Beefeater Gin. They have been distilling for five generations but its only in recent years that the family name has appeared on bottles. These days, their gin is produced in Balham in South London (following the Haymans base of operations moving from Essex in 2018), only four miles from where the company was founded by Burroughs. This classic London Dry Gin is produced to a family recipe which is over 150 years old but the company also makes innovative products like the fiendishly clever Small Gin. Masons is back from the brink. In April 2019, the distillery burnt to the ground in a freak fire. It was utterly destroyed. But founders Catherine and Carl Mason did not give up. They had their gin made at another distillery before rebuilding and reopening in 2020 (read more about the story here). Their distinctive London Dry Gin uses Harrogate spring water along with juniper, a proportion of which is from their own bushes, and a combination of secret botanicals including citrus, fennel and cardamom. Produced in small batches, each bottle has hand written batch and bottle numbers. As you might be able to tell from our visit in 2019, were pretty keen on everything from California distilling pioneers St. George. The team makes whiskey, vodka, various types of gin, liqueurs, eaux-de-vie and more. But we can only pick one thing so weve gone for the Botanivore Gin. Its made with 19 different botanicals, including angelica root, bay laurel, coriander, Seville orange peel, star anise and juniper berries, among others. Its like a greenhouse in a bottle. This would make a superb Martini with just a splash of vermouth and a green olive. This has proved a hit with customers and staff alike. Its a rum from the Portuguese island of Madeira, located off the coast of West Africa, made by O Reizinho and bottled by our very own That Boutique-y Rum Company. The distillery uses fresh sugar cane rather than molasses so expect lots of vegetal funkiness with green banana, olive and red chilli, tamed somewhat by three years in oak barrels bringing toffee, vanilla and peanuts to the party. And what a party it is! This is now the second batch; only 1936 50cl bottles were filled at 52.6% ABV. British rum, distilled in Hertfordshire by one man spirits maverick Doug Miller. Read more about him here. A great deal of patience has gone into this one. The rum is double distilled, spending time in whisky casks between distillations, before further maturation in ex-bourbon and new oak casks. Finally, the matured rums are blended for perfect balance and bottled in small batches. Wonderful stuff, expect flavours of toffee and butter fudge, tropical hints of banana with rich, oaky vanilla, combined with dried fruits and soft wood spice prickle. It just goes to show that patience does pay off! Whereas most Cognac is made from bought-in grapes, wine or eau-de-vie, Frapin only uses fruit from the familys estates in the Grand Champagne region. They ferment and distill everything themselves too. After distillation, 1270 was matured for six months in new oak barrels and then moved to older casks for extended ageing. The name is something of a tribute to the long history of Frapin. A refined and fruity Cognac that was created by Frapin to work as an aperitif, served over ice, or as a base for cocktails. The brand Fortaleza was launched comparatively recently, back in 2005, but Guillermo Sauzas family have been making Tequila for five generations. Apparently his ancestor, Don Cenobio, was the first person to export mezcal de tequila to the United States, shorten the name to simply Tequila, use steam to cook the agave rather than an earthen pit, and specify blue agave as the best to use. Quite a legacy! This reposado bottling spends a short time in ex-bourbon barrels where it takes on popcorn, caramel and wood spice to go alongside those fruity, herbal agave flavours. Marietta, GA (30060) Today Some clouds and possibly an isolated thunderstorm this afternoon. High 82F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Atlanta, GA (30303) Today Showers this morning then scattered thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. High 82F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Marietta, GA (30060) Today Some sunshine with a thunderstorm or two possible this afternoon. High 82F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. 'The publics perception of sharks, shark science and shark scientists is heavily influenced by Shark Week. Unfortunately, we found that Shark Week programming focuses on negative portrayals of sharks and does not often accurately portray shark research nor the diversity of expertise in the field. While critics have been saying this for some time, we now have the numbers to back it up,' said Dr. Lisa Whitenack, associate professor of biology and geology at Allegheny College. Henrietta "June" Crabtree, age 94, formerly of Conneaut Lake, PA passed away on July 30, 2021 at Rolling Fields Eldercare. She was born on April 2, 1927 in Courtney, PA to the late John and Henrietta (Young) O'Dell. She married Harry Crabtree on May 8, 1949. He preceded her in death on Decem Meridian, MS (39302) Today Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 87F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Click here to log in and see all of our other subscription options for the Mesabi Tribune, including online only & auto-renewal subscriptions. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V.Makei meets the Ambassador of Azerbaijan On July 27, 2021, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Vladimir Makei met with Ambassador Extraordinary and the Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Republic of Belarus Latif Gandilov on the occasion of the completion of his diplomatic mission in our country. During the meeting, the sides discussed topical issues of the development of bilateral Belarusian-Azerbaijan relations in the political, trade, economic and humanitarian spheres, interaction between Minsk and Baku at international platforms. V.Makei expressed gratitude to the Ambassador of Azerbaijan for active constructive work aimed at strengthening the Belarusian-Azerbaijan cooperation. print version Stay safe this summer: tips for identifying and avoiding harmful algal blooms FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 27, 2021 MDHHS CONTACT: Chelsea Wuth, 517-241-2112 MDARD CONTACT: Jennifer Holton, 517-284-5724 EGLE CONTACT: Hugh McDiarmid Jr., 517-230-7724 LANSING, Mich. - If you or your family are living near or visiting Michigan waters in summer or fall months it is important to be aware of the potential for harmful algal blooms (HABs). HABs form due to a rapid overgrowth or bloom of cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae. Cyanobacteria are naturally present in lakes, rivers and ponds. Unfortunately, some cyanobacteria produce toxins, called cyanotoxins, that can be present in cyanobacterial blooms, which at higher levels can be harmful to people and animals. HABs usually occur in Michigan May through October, most commonly in August and September. The occurrence of cyanobacteria and their toxins has been confirmed in lakes across Michigan in previous years, and elevated toxin levels have been documented in a small percentage of Michigan lakes. During 2020, 61 HABs in 35 Michigan counties were reported to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). "Before going in the water, we recommend Michiganders look for visible algal blooms or scums on any lake, and that people and pets stay out of water in areas that look affected," said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health for Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. "If you may have had contact with or swallowed water with a HAB and feel sick, call your doctor or Poison Control at 800-222-1222. If symptoms are severe, seek emergency medical attention as soon as possible." What does a HAB look like? HABs can look like algal scums or mats, spilled paint or pea soup, or colored streaks on the water's surface. Visit the HAB Picture Guide for examples of HABs and other algae and plants. Blooms may last for days or sometimes weeks. Blooms can change in size, toxicity and location within the same day. They also may disappear on a waterbody, but then form at a later time. What should people do if they think they have found a HAB? Consult the HAB Picture Guide for examples of HABs and compare your sighting to other algae and plants found in lakes. If you suspect you have found a HAB or have any suspicion: Do not let people, pets or livestock in the water or near the shore in affected areas. Unless the bloom covers a large part of the lake, you can still use any part of the lake that is not affected. Always rinse off people and pets after contact with any lake water. If there is a posted HAB advisory or closing, follow its instructions. Report suspected HABs to EGLE by e-mailing AlgaeBloom@Michigan.gov or calling 800-662-9278. If possible, include pictures of the suspected HAB. What are the symptoms of HAB exposure? Breathing in or swallowing water containing HABs and their toxins may cause the following symptoms: runny eyes or nose, asthma-like symptoms, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, numbness, headaches, dizziness or difficulty breathing. Skin contact can cause rashes, blisters and hives. Should residents be concerned about threats to animal health? Animals, especially dogs, can become ill or die after contact with HABs. Signs of illness can include vomiting, diarrhea, staggered walking and convulsions. Preventative measures for dogs include keeping them out of the water wherever surface scums or discolored water are visible, bringing along clean, fresh water for them to drink and rinsing them off after contact with any lake water. If a pet or livestock animal becomes sick after contact with water that may have a HAB, contact a veterinarian right away. Illness in an animal due to exposure to a HAB is reportable to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD). Cases can be reported by submitting a Reportable Disease Form, located at Michigan.gov/dvmresources under "Reportable Diseases," or by calling 800-292-3939 Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. What can people do to help prevent HABs from occurring? Michigan residents should learn about nutrient pollution, such as excess nitrogen and phosphorus, to reduce and prevent HABs. Excess nutrients may come from detergents, sewers, fertilizers and malfunctioned septic systems. Michiganders can decrease nutrients getting into the water by: Using phosphate-free detergents. Disposing of pet waste properly. Applying fertilizer only when necessary and applying the recommended amount according to label instructions. A buffer should be left when applying fertilizer near a lake or stream. Promoting the use of natural shoreline (as opposed to hardened shoreline) including growing native vegetation along the water's edge. Joining a local organization or like-minded residents to develop or update a watershed management plan (WMP) if one does not already exist or is out-of-date. A WMP identifies pollutants that are causing water quality problems, the sources of those pollutants and recommends actions that can be taken to reduce pollutant inputs into surface waters. Contacts for HAB questions More information on health effects, causes, and reports on the occurrence of HABs in Michigan lakes can be found at Michigan.gov/habs. For more information on HABs and your health, contact MDHHS at 800-648-6942. For more information on HABs and pets and livestock, contact MDARD at 800-292-3939. For more information on HABs and the environment, contact EGLE at 800-662-9278. ### MPSC approves natural gas pipeline project that will improve reliability for customers in northern Michigan MPSC approves natural gas pipeline project that will improve reliability for customers in northern Michigan FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 27, 2021 Media Contact: Matt Helms 517-284-8300 Customer Assistance: 800-292-9555 Michigan.gov/MPSC Twitter The Michigan Public Service Commission today approved a certificate of public convenience and necessity for a subsidiary of DTE Energy Co. to convert northern Michigan natural gas pipelines from unregulated wet gas gathering lines to regulated dry gas transmission lines that would serve as an additional supply source for areas of northern Michigan, adding a layer of resilience in the supply of natural gas for DTE Gas Co. customers in the northern Lower Peninsula. The MPSC approved DTE Michigan Lateral Co.'s (DMLC) application (Case No. U-20894) under Public Act 9 of 1929 to convert the existing natural gas gathering pipelines, a $28 million project, and to build, operate and maintain two connector pipelines - the $7 million Rogers City Connector and the $13.9 million Norwalk Manistee Connector - between the existing system and DTE Gas transmission facilities serving customers in Manistee, Traverse City, Alpena and Rogers City, and surrounding areas. Approval of the project provides redundancy to areas of the state that have, at present, only a single source of natural gas supply and will increase the resilience of DTE Gas's transmission system, the Commission found. Adding redundancy and diversifying sources of natural gas supply were key recommendations of the MPSC's 2019 Statewide Energy Assessment, a comprehensive review of Michigan's energy systems undertaken at Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's request after a statewide energy emergency declared during a polar vortex cold snap in January of that year. A fire at a Macomb County compressor station threatened to disrupt delivery of natural gas in Michigan, underscoring the need for diverse supply sources. The Commission also approved a 20-year contract between DMLC and DTE Gas for firm transportation services on the converted and new pipelines, but the Commission ordered DMLC to file recalculated rates minus contingency costs within 30 days, due in part to the fact that DMLC was an affiliate of DTE Gas at the time the agreement was struck. Costs for the pipeline project will be recovered through rates DTE Gas will pay to DMLC for use of the pipelines. A determination regarding the recovery of these costs from DTE Gas customers will be made in a future DTE Gas case. The Commission conditioned its approval on the completion of an alternative natural gas gathering system proposed by Lambda Gathering LLC to replace the system DMLC will convert, providing transport for 10 natural gas producers in the area, pending in Case No. U-21091, and on DMLC receiving all necessary permits and easements. In addition to DMLC, the Michigan Department of Attorney General, North Bay Energy LLC, and Riverside Energy Michigan LLC intervened in the case. MPSC Staff also participated. Separately, the Commission also approved DTE Energy Co. subsidiary DTE Michigan Gathering Co.'s request to implement new delivery point charges reflected in an Aug. 30, 2017, agreement with DTE Gas Co. (Case No. U-20994). MPSC LOWERS FUNDING FACTOR FOR LOW-INCOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE FUND The MPSC today set at 87 cents the funding factor for the Low-Income Energy Assistance Fund, which annually provides up to $50 million in home energy assistance and self-sufficiency services for thousands of vulnerable Michigan households (Case No. U-17377). The funding factor is a 4-cent decrease from the previous year. Each year, the MPSC sets the funding factor, capped at $1. The factor is collected monthly from each retail billing meter from participating investor-owned utilities, municipally owned electric utilities or rural cooperative electric utilities - no more than one meter per household - to raise funding distributed through the Michigan Energy Assistance Program, or MEAP. MPSC SEEKS REPLIES TO INITIAL COMMENTS IN REVIEW OF RATE CASE FILING REQUIREMENTS The MPSC is asking interested parties to file replies to comments received after the Commission in March 2021 sought stakeholder comment as part of a review of rate case filing requirements enacted after Michigan's energy laws were updated in 2016, including shortening the review period for rate cases from 12 months to 10 months (Case No. U-18238). The MPSC in 2017 approved amended Rate Case Standard Filing Requirements for electric, natural gas, and steam utilities and in March 2021 sought comments to examine what is and is not working under the requirements. The Commission now seeks replies to the comments as it reviews whether to revise filing requirements. Comments should reference Case U-18238 and must be received by 5 p.m. Aug. 11, 2021. They may be mailed to Executive Secretary, Michigan Public Service Commission, P.O. Box 30221, Lansing, MI 48909, or emailed to mpscedockets@michigan.gov. Those needing assistance prior to filing may call 517-284-8090 or email mpscedockets@michigan.gov. MPSC APPROVES REQUEST OF DTE ELECTRIC, DTE GAS TO AMEND PAYMENT TERMS OF UTILITIES' SHUTOFF PROTECTION PLANS The MPSC today approved an adjustment to optional shutoff protection plans (SPP) sought jointly by DTE Electric Co. and DTE Gas Co. (Case No. U-20712), reducing the number of monthly payments customers enrolled in SPP programs can miss before being removed from such programs from two missed payments to one. The SPP programs are designed to help senior and eligible low-income customers manage outstanding account balances by providing year-round service shutoff protection if customers make monthly plan payments following a down payment to enroll. The companies note that allowing two missed payments does not increase rates of successful completion of the payment program, and 80% of customers who fall behind on one payment end up defaulting. The approval aligns DTE Electric and DTE Gas with similar requirements in Consumers Energy Co.'s shutoff protection plan and will allow vulnerable customers the opportunity to seek energy assistance before arrears accumulate to a level where such assistance is reduced or denied. The approval will not result in an increase in the cost of service to customers. MPSC DENIES DTE ELECTRIC CO. APPLICATION FOR OPTIONAL PREPAYMENT PROGRAM FOR UTILITY CUSTOMERS The MPSC today denied DTE Electric Co.'s application for ex parte approval of a customer Prepay Program and a waiver of customer standards and billing rules for the optional payment plan for residential electric customers (Case No. U-21087). The Commission instead suggested that DTE Electric, should it wish to pursue the program, submit the application with a fuller explanation of customer benefits in an upcoming rate case or file it as a standalone contested case. DTE Electric says the goal of its Prepay Program, open to electricity-only customers with AMI smart meters, is to help customers understand their energy use and provide them with payment flexibility. Customers prepay for energy use but would have electricity service disconnected if they fail to make a payment before reaching a prepaid balance of zero dollars. The Commission shared concerns raised by a group of organizations including the Environmental Law and Policy Center; the Ecology Center; the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association; Soulardarity; the Union of Concerned Scientists, and Vote Solar that DTE Electric's application lacked sufficient information about customer benefits of the program balanced against consumer protections enrollees would forfeit by enrolling in it. MPSC APPROVES DTE GAS CO. DEFERRAL OF COSTS RELATED TO TRAVERSE CITY-ALPENA REINFORCEMENT PROJECT The MPSC has approved DTE Gas Co.'s request (Case No. U-21102) for a one-time regulatory asset to defer transportation expenses related to its Traverse City-Alpena Reinforcement Project (TCARP) once contracts between DTE Gas and DTE Michigan Lateral Co., a DTE Energy Co. subsidiary, and Saginaw Bay Pipeline Co. are approved by the Commission in cases U-20894 and U-20993, respectively. TCARP is designed to provide a redundant supply of natural gas, improving reliability for about 91,000 DTE Gas customers in northern Michigan. To look up cases from today's meeting, access the MPSC's E-Dockets filing system. Watch recordings of the MPSC's meetings on the MPSC's YouTube channel. For information about the MPSC, visit www.Michigan.gov/MPSC, sign up for its monthly newsletter or other listservs, or follow the Commission on Twitter or LinkedIn. DISCLAIMER: This document was prepared to aid the public's understanding of certain matters before the Commission and is not intended to modify, supplement, or be a substitute for the Commission's orders. The Commission's orders are the official action of the Commission. # # # Gov. Whitmer Secures Commitment from Financial Industry Groups to Assist Michiganders Affected by Recent Flooding Gov. Whitmer Secures Commitment from Financial Industry Groups to Assist Michiganders Affected by Recent Flooding This release was originally issued by Governor Whitmer's Office. Media Contact: Laura Hall, 517-290-3779, halll17@michigan.gov Consumer Hotline: 877-999-6442, Michigan.gov/DIFScomplaints FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 27, 2021 (LANSING, MICH) Governor Gretchen Whitmer today joined the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) and financial leaders across Michigan to announce a shared commitment to help Michiganders affected by the recent flooding in southeastern Michigan to stay in their homes and to afford necessary repairs. Michigan lenders have programs available to assist impacted homeowners, and homeowners whose mortgages are owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac - an estimated 70% of the market - may be eligible to delay making monthly mortgage payments, allowing these homeowners to focus on immediate financial needs caused by flooding. "We're using every tool in our toolbelt to help Wayne and Washtenaw County residents recover from recent flooding, and we are thankful that our Michigan financial services industry partners are taking this step with us," said Governor Whitmer. "Michigan's banks, credit unions, and mortgage lenders will work with customers who may need deferred payments and loan modifications for their mortgages or loans to pay for repairs to their homes. Brighter days are ahead and there is help available for homeowners who suffered flood damage." "It can feel overwhelming to decide how to move forward after a devastating flood, but homeowners should know that their mortgage lenders are there to help them as they get back on their feet," said DIFS Director Anita Fox. "It's important that homeowners do not delay if they need assistance. Contact your lender today to find out what options are available to you, so you can make needed repairs and move forward." Michiganders who are not able to make mortgage payments should contact their mortgage lender right away to ask about repayment plan assistance, as they may be able to defer their payments and focus on immediate flood recovery. Borrowers who are able to make their payments should continue to do so as normal. For more information about relief for homeowners with Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac-owned loans, including tools to look up whether a loan is owned by these entities, visit the Federal Housing Finance Agency website. The Michigan financial industry organizations who have confirmed their member companies' continued commitment to assist their customers facing damage form recent floods, and who are encouraging financial institutions to support their customers, as appropriate, include: Community Bankers of Michigan Michigan Bankers Association Michigan Credit Union League Michigan Mortgage Lenders Association In a joint statement, these partner organizations affirmed lender support, stating: "In response to recent flooding in Wayne and Washtenaw Counties that resulted in a national disaster declaration, we are committed to helping the impacted families stay in their homes and make necessary repairs. We live and work in these communities and our lenders will work with impacted homeowners on appropriate relief and financial solutions, which may include forbearance and loan modifications, where possible, to help them with their urgent need for flood damage remediation. Affected homeowners should contact their mortgage lender to discuss options, in addition to contacting FEMA and their insurance company." In addition to help from their lenders, relief for homeowners may be available through state or federal programs. Federal disaster assistance is available to people in Washtenaw and Wayne counties to help with temporary housing, home repairs, and other assistance to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster. Apply for assistance by registering online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362 or 1-800-462-7585 TTY. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is also offering emergency relief assistance to low-income residents affected by recent flooding, and Michiganders can apply at Michigan.gov/MIBridges. DIFS encourages lenders to work with impacted borrowers as appropriate and otherwise within state and federal regulatory standards. On the federal level, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has announced steps to provide regulatory relief to financial institutions and facilitate recovery in the Washtenaw and Wayne counties. The FDIC is encouraging banks to work constructively with borrowers experiencing difficulties beyond their control because of damage caused by the severe weather. DIFS can assist consumers and businesses with questions or disputes that cannot be directly resolved with their financial institutions. Contact DIFS Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 877-999-6442 or file a complaint at Michigan.gov/DIFScomplaints. The mission of the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services is to ensure access to safe and secure insurance and financial services fundamental for the opportunity, security, and success of Michigan residents, while fostering economic growth and sustainability in both industries. In addition, the Department provides consumer protection, outreach, and financial literacy and education services to Michigan residents. For more information, visit Michigan.gov/DIFS or follow the Department on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. #### Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II Fuels Michigan's Economic Jumpstart by Helping Small Businesses Prepare for the Future of Manufacturing Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II Fuels Michigan's Economic Jumpstart by Helping Small Businesses Prepare for the Future of Manufacturing FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 26, 2021 Press@Michigan.gov Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II Fuels Michigan's Economic Jumpstart by Helping Small Businesses Prepare for the Future of Manufacturing BATTLE CREEK, Mich. - Today, Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II spoke with a series of small business owners, small manufacturers and advocacy organizations in Battle Creek as part of the ongoing MI Small Business Summer tour. These events are bringing together small business owners, advocates, support organizations and lenders as part of a statewide effort to inform a comprehensive strategy for small business investment in Michigan with today's summit focused on future-proofing the manufacturing sector. "Ensuring our manufacturers are positioned to grow and create good jobs across Michigan is critical as we move into a state of recovery and growth following the pandemic," said Lt. Governor Gilchrist. "Through important conversations like those happening today with manufacturers, we can determine how to invest billions of critical federal dollars in support of all small businesses and manufacturers throughout Michigan." With additional state revenues expected following May's Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference and incoming federal funding that includes $2 billion in remaining CARES Act funding, nearly $6.5 billion in flexible funding through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and $176 million in federal State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) funds, Michigan is in a strong position to make investments that can transform the landscape for small businesses and small manufacturers to help both residents and businesses recover from the pandemic as part of the administration's Economic Jumpstart Plan. Today's summit in Battle Creek builds on the efforts of last month's virtual Small Business Summit hosted by the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), to inform a comprehensive strategy for small business investment in Michigan. "After the challenges and setbacks our workforce faced during the pandemic, these conversations will help guide our efforts as we address the unique needs of businesses like those in the manufacturing industry," said Susan Corbin, acting director of LEO. "By working together and bringing a diverse set a voices across our state, we can continue to jumpstart the economy and build Michigan back better." According to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Survey, just over 80% of business leaders surveyed plan to accelerate the automation of their work processes, with half of those businesses planning to speed up the automation of jobs within their companies. For both the automotive industry and the manufacturing industry - both of which are the lifeblood of our state economy - the greatest barriers to adopting new technologies is the growing need to attract highly skilled talent. The manufacturing industry, specifically, faces a significant skills gap; between now and 2030, manufacturers will need to fill 4 million jobs - over half of which could go unfilled if the current workforce is not retrained in response to the growth of automation. In Michigan, specifically, nearly 42% of Michigan's current labor force could be impacted by the advent of new Industry 4.0 technologies. "We commend Governor Whitmer and Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist for proactively seeking input from manufacturers on the best tools to support them in driving Michigan's economic recovery," said John J. Walsh, President & CEO of the Michigan Manufacturers Association. "While the needs of each manufacturer is unique, it is clear that the future success of our industry depends on people and technology. Resources to support rapid adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies and skill development for in-demand talent will be critical to keeping Michigan competitive in the global economy." The Whitmer Administration remains focused on helping Michigan manufacturers transition seamlessly to Industry 4.0 through education, programming and strategic partnerships. The MEDC is helping lead an Industry 4.0 readiness initiative to support and encourage the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies by Michigan's small- to medium-sized manufacturers. Partnering with Automation Alley and Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center MEDC has set a goal of having 6,200 businesses - or 50% of the state's small and mid-sized manufacturers prepared to adopt Industry 4.0 technologies by 2025. "Manufacturing and technology converge in powerful ways here in Michigan, as evidenced by the bright minds and innovative leaders that are driving our manufacturing industry into the future," said Quentin Messer, Jr., CEO of the MEDC. "By working with local partners and listening to small manufacturers to inform our unique regional approaches to support these changes, we can make sure that the ideas, people and companies of tomorrow can always find their home here in Michigan." The administration is continuing to hold regional and topical small business summits throughout the summer as part of the MI Small Business Summer Tour to explore the findings from the initial virtual summit - and the emerging trends following the pandemic - in greater detail as the state works to effectively leverage the total funding available to support long-term economic prosperity across the state. For more information on the small business summits and support for small businesses visit www.michigan.gov/smallbusiness. # # # Governor Whitmer Supports State Police Community Policing Development De-Escalation Training Program Application to USDOJ Governor Whitmer Supports State Police Community Policing Development De-Escalation Training Program Application to USDOJ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 23, 2021 Press@Michigan.gov Governor Whitmer Supports State Police Community Policing Development De-Escalation Training Program Application to USDOJ Whitmer sends letter of support, putting Michigan's safety first LANSING, Mich. - Governor Whitmer sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland urging support for Michigan State Police's (MSP) application for federal grant funding through the United States Department of Justice's Community Policing Development De-Escalation Training Program to put Michigan's safety first. "Michigan's brave troopers and law enforcement officers are at the forefront of the crucial work needed to keep our communities safe and are often required to make split-second decisions," said Governor Whitmer. "Law enforcement officers require the best training on topics like de-escalation to help them secure the safety of everyone involved. All Michiganders must be treated with dignity and respect under the law, and this grant is key to ensuring the safety of both our law enforcement officers and the public." Last year, Governor Whitmer partnered with law enforcement organizations and community leaders to help strengthen police-community relations. "I applaud that by seeking this de-escalation grant, MSP is continuing its effort to strengthen its training to keep our communities safe," Whitmer said. To view the letter to U.S. Attorney General Garland, click the link below: ### MANISTEE The Manistee Clerk's Office will be open this weekend to receive and issue absentee ballots for the upcoming Aug. 3 consolidated election. The office will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. The city clerk's office is located on 70 Maple St. in Manistee. MANISTEE Jaclyn Baca didnt know what to expect on her first day of substitute teaching at Jefferson Elementary. At first, I wasnt entirely sure about a whole room of 7-year-olds, but the teachers that I substitute for always leave me very detailed plans, and the rest of the building staff was super supportive," she said. "Every time Im in the building, Ive had a paraprofessional who helped me with the routines and things like bus notes. The students really gravitate toward anyone with a caring heart. I was feeling right at home in no time. In the winter, Baca took over for an elementary teacher on medical leave. Baca felt some apprehension but said the experience was extremely rewarding. Having a couple of weeks in a classroom was hard right at first, but then I realized I was looking forward to seeing the kids every day and watching them grow. I have two kids at Jefferson, and knew it was difficult to find enough substitute teachers, so this was a great way to be involved at school and help out," she said. "As a parent, it also helps me have deeper, more meaningful conversations with my own children about their education, as Im exposed to everything theyre learning each week. I can even pick up tips and tricks to help them out at home. Baca was unsure if she could fit in substitute teaching while with everything else going on her life, but said the flexibility of the position allows her to see to all other areas of her life. Before I had my own kids, I was a high school English teacher. Then we moved to Manistee, opened our business Farmers Insurance on First Street and it just hasnt slowed down," she said. "I was worried about adding one more thing by being a substitute teacher, but I get to choose the days I work, and I get the same holidays as my kids. My family still always comes first, but I also get to know their school family on a whole new level. "I may want to be a full-time teacher again in the future, but for right now, being a sub has been a good fit. Currently, Baca is teaching Summer Enrichment at Manistee Middle School. Its been great having Mrs. Baca on staff this summer, and I hope she is coming back as a substitute teacher next year, said Andy Huber, Manistee Middle High School principal. Our teachers appreciate and have a lot of respect for our subs, and our students have enjoyed getting to know the subs who are in our building regularly. We had a lot of open substitute teaching positions last year, so anyone interested in becoming a sub can work as much or as little as they want. For the coming school year, Manistee Area Public Schools is seeking individuals to join their team as substitute teachers. These opportunities offer a flexible schedule, staff support and rewarding work with students. Anyone interested in becoming a certified substitute teacher and working a flexible schedule can go online to EduStaff.org or call 877-974-6338 to get started for the coming school year. MCLEAN, Va. (AP) President Joe Biden used his first visit with rank-and-file members of the U.S. intelligence community a part of government that was frequently criticized by his predecessor Donald Trump to make a promise that he will never politicize their work. Biden waited more than six months to make the short drive across the Potomac River on Tuesday to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, giving analysts and national security leaders often derided by Trump as the deep state" some breathing room. The president in his remarks to about 120 ODNI employees and senior leadership officials sought to make clear that he understood the complexity and critical nature of their work. The agency oversees the 17 other U.S. intelligence organizations. "You have my full confidence," he said. I know theres no such thing as 100% certainty in the intelligence world. Occasionally that happens. Rarely, rarely, rarely. Biden told the audience that his administration would be getting us back to the basics. Ill never politicize the work you do. You have my word on that, he said. "Its too important for our country. Biden also mentioned Russia and China as growing threats to American national security and noted the growing wave of cyberattacks, including ransomware attacks, against government agencies and private industry that U.S. officials have linked to agents in both countries. I think it's more likely ... if we end up in a war, a real shooting war with a major power, it's going to be as a consequence of a cyber breach of great consequence, Biden said. Biden toured the National Counterterrorism Center Watch Floor, where analysts work to collect information and intelligence from various sources to ascertain potential threats. He was accompanied on the tour by Avril Haines, director of national intelligence, and Christy Abizaid, director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Trump visited the Central Intelligence Agency on his first full day in office, praising the agency but also airing personal grievances. Standing in front of CIAs memorial wall with stars marking each of the officers who have died while serving, Trump settled scores with the media and repeated false claims about the size of his inauguration crowd. The relationship between the intelligence community and the president "went downhill from that very day, said Glenn Gerstell, who then served as general counsel of the National Security Agency and stepped down last year. Trump would go through four permanent or acting directors of national intelligence in four years and engaged in near-constant fights with the intelligence community. In particular, he was angry about its assessment that Russia had interfered on his behalf in the 2016 presidential campaign and its role in revealing that Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate Biden, an action that ultimately led to Trump's first impeachment. Trump eventually fired the inspector general at the national intelligence office the internal watchdog who brought that pressure to light. By contrast, Biden has repeatedly insisted that he would not exert political pressure on intelligence agencies, a message repeated by his top appointees. He also came to office with a long history of working with intelligence officials as vice president and while serving in the Senate. The president has already called on Haines with several politically sensitive requests. Perhaps the most prominent is an enhanced review of the origins of COVID-19 as concerns increase among scientists that the novel coronavirus could have originated in a Chinese lab. Biden set a 90-day timeframe and pledged to make the results of the review public. Haines and CIA Director Bill Burns are also investigating a growing number of reported injuries and illnesses possibly linked to directed energy attacks in what's known as the Havana syndrome. The CIA recently appointed a new director of its task force investigating Havana syndrome cases, an undercover official who participated in the hunt for Osama bin Laden. And intelligence agencies are having to adapt to the military withdrawal from Afghanistan, with growing concerns that the Taliban may topple the U.S.-backed central government. Haines and Burns have also said that their review of COVID-19 origins may be inconclusive, probably disappointing lawmakers and observers who have pushed for more aggressive action against China. Former officials said Biden's choice of visiting the national intelligence director before the CIA was significant because it makes clear he wants Haines to be considered his principal intelligence adviser. When her office was created in 2005 to better coordinate intelligence sharing following the 9/11 attacks, it subsumed a leadership role once held by the CIA director. Since then, agencies and leaders have periodically fought for preeminence, causing concerns that some agencies' views are more strongly heard than others. I think weve had a couple of presidents in a row where the supremacy of the DNI was put in some question either through the selection of people they chose in the job or how they engaged with the community, said Larry Pfeiffer, a former senior official at both the CIA and the intelligence office who now leads the Hayden Center at George Mason University. Pfeiffer said he strongly supported Biden's visit and also hoped the president would eventually visit the memorial wall where Trump spoke in January 2017. ___ Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed course Tuesday on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the delta variant of the coronavirus is fueling infection surges. Citing new information about the variant's ability to spread among vaccinated people, the CDC also recommended indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors at schools nationwide, regardless of vaccination status. In other developments, President Joe Biden said his administration was considering requiring all federal workers to get vaccinated. His comments came a day after the Department of Veterans Affairs became the first federal agency to require its health care workers receive the vaccine. Biden dismissed concerns that the new masking guidance could invite confusion, saying Americans who remain unvaccinated are the ones who are sowing enormous confusion. The more we learn about this virus and the delta variation, the more we have to be worried and concerned. And theres only one thing we know for sure if those other 100 million people got vaccinated, wed be in a very different world, he said. The White House quickly pivoted on its own masking guidance, asking all staff and reporters to wear masks indoors because the latest CDC data shows that Washington faces a substantial level of coronavirus transmission. The CDC's new mask policy follows recent decisions in Los Angeles and St. Louis to revert to indoor mask mandates amid the spike in COVID-19 infections. The nation is averaging more than 57,000 cases a day and 24,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations. The guidance on masks in indoor public places applies in parts of the U.S. with at least 50 new cases per 100,000 people in the last week. That includes 60 percent of U.S. counties, officials said. New case rates are particularly high in the South and Southwest, according to a CDC tracker. In Arkansas, Louisiana and Florida, every county has a high transmission rate. Most new infections in the U.S. continue to be among unvaccinated people. So-called breakthrough infections, which generally cause milder illness, can occur in vaccinated people. When earlier strains of the virus predominated, infected vaccinated people were found to have low levels of virus and were deemed unlikely to spread the virus much, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said. But with the delta variant, a mutated and more transmissible version of the virus, the level of virus in infected vaccinated people is "indistinguishable from the level of virus in the noses and throats of unvaccinated people, Walensky said. The data emerged over the last couple of days from over 100 samples from several states and one other country. It is unpublished, and the CDC has not released it. But it is concerning enough that we feel like we have to act, Walensky said. Vaccinated people "have the potential to spread that virus to others, she said. For much of the pandemic, the CDC advised Americans to wear masks indoors and outdoors if they were within 6 feet of one another. Then in April, as vaccination rates rose sharply, the agency eased its guidelines on the wearing of masks outdoors, saying that fully vaccinated Americans no longer needed to cover their faces unless they were in a big crowd of strangers. In May, the guidance was eased further, allowing fully vaccinated people to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings. The guidance still called for masks in crowded indoor settings, like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters, but it cleared the way for reopening workplaces and other venues. Subsequent CDC guidance said fully vaccinated people no longer needed to wear masks at schools either. For months, COVID cases, deaths and hospitalizations were falling steadily, but those trends began to change at the beginning of the summer as the delta variant began to spread widely, especially in areas with lower vaccination rates. Some public health experts said they thought the earlier CDC decision was based on good science. But those experts were also critical, noting that there was no call for Americans to document their vaccination status, which created an honor system. Unvaccinated people who did not want to wear masks in the first place saw it as an opportunity to do what they wanted, they said. If all the unvaccinated people were responsible and wore mask indoors, we would not be seeing this surge, said Dr. Ali Khan, a former CDC disease investigator who now is dean of the University of Nebraskas College of Public Health. Lawrence Gostin, a public health law professor at Georgetown University, drew a similar conclusion. It was completely foreseeable that when they (the CDC) made their announcement, masking would no longer be the norm, and thats exactly whats happened, Gostin said. The CDC may be seen as flip-flopping, he said, because theres been no widely recognized change in the science, he said. Furthermore, its not likely to change the behavior of the people who most need to wear masks. I dont think you can effectively walk that back, he said. The changes were sure to renew mask debates in school districts across the country. In South Florida, the Broward County school board postponed a meeting Tuesday about whether students should wear masks in the classroom this fall after about 20 anti-mask protestors refused to don them. The delay angered the protestors, who called on Gov. Ron DeSantis, a strong mask mandate opponent, and the state government to override any mandates imposed by school districts. We need a special session of the state Legislature to ban this kind of crap right now, said Chris Nelson, 38, founder of an anti-mask group called Reopen South Florida. He threatened to go to board members homes to confront them directly. If we cant be heard in public areas, and peacefully, we will go to where they are, and we will let them know how we feel about this, because we will not stand for children being masked for another year, he said. Walensky said she is aware of the criticisms and concerns, and she acknowledged that many Americans are weary of the pandemic and do not want to return to prevention measures. But she said new scientific information forced the decision to change the guidance again. This is not something that I took lightly, she said. Ken Thigpen, a retired respiratory therapist who now works for a medical device manufacturer, is fully vaccinated and stopped wearing his mask in public in May. But he started to reconsider in the last week after his job took him to hospitals in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and Florida, where he witnessed medical centers getting inundated with COVID-19 patients. That delta variant is intense. It is so transmissible that we have to do something to tamp it down, he said. I loved it when I could call the hospitals and they said, We actually closed our COVID ward today or we are down to two COVID patients," he recalled. "And now we are opening the wards back up, and the numbers are going nuts. ___ Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani and Alexandra Jaffe in Washington and Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas, contributed to this report. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. The Port Crescent State Park had a messy situation on its hands July 25, dealing with a 50-gallon sewage leak. Park unit supervisor Brian Dunn said the leak occured in the campground and was immediately reported by campers to the park. Thankfully, very little sewage got out, and we were able to fix (the leak) right away, Dunn said. Dunn said the leak was caused by a power outage, which knocked out the lift station and stopped the sewage pumps. It then took the entire night for the sewage tank to fill up and overflow. The power outage knocked out our lift station the previous night, and we didnt realize it right away, so the lift station filled up, Dunn said. When it started to leak out, we realized there was an issue, reset the pumps and got everything going again. Dunn said he estimates the leak only lasted 20 minutes before it was noticed, and park staff was able to fix the leak and clean up the area immediately. The parks permit with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy requires park officials to report all sewage leaks to EGLE, the local health department and the local newspaper. AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton received former President Donald Trumps endorsement Monday for election to a third term, in which Trump called the legally beleaguered incumbent a true Texan who will keep Texas safe and will never let you down. In a statement, Trump said Paxton is strong on crime, border security, gun rights, sound elections and the U.S. Constitution. He is a true Texan who will keep Texas safe and will never let you down, his endorsement message concluded. The endorsement comes in the face of ongoing investigations of securities fraud allegations and whether his petitioning of the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the election of President Joe Bidenconstituted professional misconduct. Allegations that Paxton abused his office to help an Austin businessman are also receiving FBI scrutiny after then-top Paxton aides leveled bribery and abuse-of-office allegations against him. On social media, Paxton said he was honored to receive the endorsement of President Donald J. Trump. Paxton had drawn challenges for the GOP nomination from Land Commissioner George P. Bush and ex-state Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman. Bush, the son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and grandson of former President George H.W. Bush, had broken with his family and expressed support for Trump, who has mocked the Bush family that was once the face of the Republican Party. In social media postings, Bush said: Im running for Attorney General because Texans deserve integrity and honesty from the office of Texas top law enforcement official. Texans deserve a candidate without a laundry list of existing and potential criminal indictments." The Guzman campaign did not immediately return a message seeking comment. Do you still feel the thorn of wanting to celebrate that you are already vaccinated? You better think about it. Read on and weigh what is most important so as not to affect the effectiveness of your vaccine. Drinking alcohol after applying your dose can enhance its side effects, for example, dizziness, fever, nausea and headaches . Therefore, the intake of alcoholic beverages is not recommended, according to Dr. Rosa Maria Wong , specialist at the Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory of the UNAM Faculty of Medicine. The doctor commented to UNAM Global that "it is recommended not to take in 72 hours, which is the period in which immunizations cause some side effect and alcohol can enhance them ." However, the scientific community extends this period to 21 days or three weeks after its application. In studies prior to other vaccines, excessive alcohol consumption was found to impair the immune response and increase susceptibility to bacterial and viral infections. Split stances Even so, opinions are divided regarding its consumption and its relation to the effectiveness with the vaccine. Even the doctor herself, Rosa Maria Wong, points out that one or two drinks is okay. At the beginning of the application of the biological Sputnik V In Russia, a warning was issued not to consume alcohol, this because the population of that country is one of the most ingesting this type of drink in the world and in excess it can interfere with the immune response. Similarly, Angela Hewlett , associate professor of infectious diseases, who leads the team for infectious disease Covid-19 at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, supports this hypothesis and says that moderate consumption has no impact on cells. immune. "I think having a celebratory drink in moderation is fine," he explained to The New York Times . On the other hand, Dr. Ronx Ikharia, specialist in emergency medicine, explains in the BBC documentary ' The truth about strengthening your immune system' , it is not advisable to drink alcohol before or after receiving a vaccine. She did an experiment on herself. He took a blood sample before and after drinking three glasses of wine, to see how alcohol affected his immune system. The result? After analyzing both samples, he was able to verify that the alcohol he had consumed was enough to halve his levels of white lymphocytes in the blood, those responsible for defending the body from external pathogens. What do the Mexican authorities say? When the young people of northern Mexico began to receive their vaccine, Alonso Perez Rico, Baja California Secretary of Health, asked the population not to go to be immunized with a hangover. "If they are 'raw' do not get vaccinated, because they will have greater side effects," said the official. In addition, he explained that it is possible to drink after the application but that it is not recommended either because side effects may appear that are going to be confused with the effects of alcohol. Also, those who had already received their vaccine in the Mexican Republic were advised that they could not take it for a week. This time varied depending on the health professional who applied it and gave the explanation. So can I drink alcohol or not? In summary, it is recommended that you do not drink alcohol before or after receiving your COVID-19 dose as it can reduce its effectiveness. Sheena Cruishank , professor of biomedical sciences at the University of Manchester, advises avoiding drinking as the immune system needs to work at its best to have a good response to the vaccine, so it is not recommended to drink alcohol the night before or after , He comments to the British newspaper The Mirror . It is a personal decision, but better to abstain from drinking for a while than to compromise your immunization. It may interest you: How effective are the Sputnik and Sinovac vaccines? Recommendations for the application of your vaccine Go to the appointment for breakfast If you feel a headache or fever, take only paracetamol Rest and hydrate properly. Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Tobacco giant Philip Morris International announced that they will stop selling cigars in Britain in the coming years. This means that the Marlboro brand will disappear from the shelves after a century in stores across the country. Philip Morris International's plan is part of efforts to phase out smoking in the UK . The company also pledged to encourage those who wish to continue smoking to switch to alternatives such as e-cigarettes or heated tobacco devices , which are considered more modern and less harmful. "I want to allow this company to leave cigarettes behind ," Jacek Olczak, chief executive of Philip Morris, told Britain's The Daily Mail . "I think in the UK, in ten years at the most, the problem of smoking can be completely solved ," he added. Asked if that meant Philip Morris would stop selling traditional cigars in the UK, Olczak replied: "Absolutely ." And he stressed that the Marlboro brand will leave the country. We're delivering a #smokefree future and, as we do, we're continuing to earn the trust and active cooperation of stakeholders across society, building a relationship grounded in facts and science. Find out more here https://t.co/J7TTKaNT7n pic.twitter.com/lbkJGxlL1x - Philip Morris International (@InsidePMI)July 1, 2021 (Marlboro) will disappear. The first option for consumers is to quit smoking. But if they don't, the second best option is to let them switch to better alternatives, " said the Philip Morris manager, referring to the fact that smokers will be encouraged to switch to electronic cigarettes or other tobacco devices. In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph , Olczak expressed his concern for the environment by comparing cigarettes to gasoline cars. Read also: This is the reason why Philip Morris blocked the sale of cigars The Government of Great Britain has a plan to become 'smoke-free' by 2030. This project includes reducing the prevalence of smoking to 5% in all age groups by that year, that is, to a third of current levels. Therefore, the withdrawal of the traditional Philip Morris cigars would be an extra boost. A few months ago the company announced that it will leave cigarettes in Mexico , a market in which it has a 65% share , to promote other forms of smokeless tobacco consumption with its IQOS device. In fact, in previous statements, the company said it wanted half of its turnover to come from non-smoking products while transforming itself into a "health and wellness company" with its new mission to "quit smoking in the world" by eliminating little by little cigarettes. In addition, Philip Morris launched a 1bn takeover bid for Vectura, a British pharmaceutical company that makes asthma inhalers . Philip Morris International , which spun off the Altria tobacco company and has been listed in New York since 2008, sells Marlboro cigars throughout much of the world. Its former parent still sells the brand in the United States, where it is the market leader. Its UK revenue is around 800 million pounds a year, according to documents filed by Companies House cited by iProfesional. Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Liberty Bank / Contributed photo MIDDLETOWN Jonathan Gonzalez of Meriden has been selected to receive the 2021 Donald B. Wilbur Scholarship from Liberty Bank. The $1,000 gift is presented annually to a graduating high school senior who is enrolling in college with the goal of majoring in engineering or a technology-related field, according to a press release. WASHINGTON (AP) In a major step against climate change, President Joe Biden is proposing a return to aggressive Obama-era vehicle mileage standards over five years, according to industry and government officials briefed on the plan. He's then aiming for even tougher anti-pollution rules after that to forcefully reduce greenhouse gas emissions and nudge 40% of U.S. drivers into electric vehicles by decades end. The proposed rules from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation reflect Biden's pledge to attack climate change but also balance concerns of the auto industry, which is urging a slower transition to zero-emission electric vehicles. The regulatory action would tighten tailpipe emissions standards rolled back under President Donald Trump. The proposed rules are expected to be released as early as next week, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the rules haven't been finalized. Environmental groups said Tuesday that the proposal did not go far enough. The world isnt the same as it was in 2012 when President Obama signed the clean car standards, said Katherine Garcia, acting director of Sierra Clubs Clean Transportation for All campaign. Millions of Americans have had to swelter in heat waves, evacuate their homes in the face of onrushing wildfires, or bail out flooded homes. Biden has set a goal of cutting U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by at least half by 2030. The transportation sector is the single biggest U.S. contributor to climate change. The proposed rules would begin with the 2023 car model year, applying California's 2019 framework agreement on emissions standards reached with Ford, Volkswagen, Honda, BMW and Volvo, according to three of the officials. The California deal increases the mileage standard and cuts greenhouse gas emissions by 3.7% per year. Requirements ramp up in 2025 to Obama-era levels of a 5% annual increase in the mileage standard and a similar cut in emissions. They then go higher than that for model year 2026, one of the people said, perhaps in the range of 6% or 7%. Neither EPA nor the Transportation Department would comment on the proposal. The new standards aim to go partway in meeting the call from environmental groups, which had pushed for a more immediate return to at least the Obama-era standards. Were at the climate cliff, and the stakes are too high to aim low, the Center for Biological Diversity will write in a full-page ad in The New York Times on Wednesday urging tough action. Dan Becker, director of the center's Safe Climate Transportation Campaign, on Tuesday said the administration's proposal is inadequate because it embraces two years of the California deal, which offered a number of exemptions. In the proposed rule, the EPA is likely to make a nonbinding statement that the requirements will ramp up even faster starting in 2027, forcing the industry to sell more zero-emissions electric vehicles, the industry and government officials said. For now, the agency is seeking to ask that 40% of all new car sales be electric vehicles by 2030, according to one of the officials. The Biden administration defers for now in setting post-2026 mileage requirements, setting the stage for bigger fights ahead over the level of government effort needed to combat climate change against the future of the auto industry, which currently draws most of its profits from gas-powered SUV sales. Delaware Sen. Tom Carper, who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has been urging tough rules that would ban sales of new gasoline-powered passenger vehicles by 2035. He's argued that the industry is already moving in the direction of zero-emission electric vehicles. Under Obama, automakers were required to raise fuel economy 5% per year from 2021 through 2026. But under Trump, that was reduced to 1.5% annually. In 2019, five automakers Ford, BMW, Honda, Volkswagen and later Volvo split with competitors and reached a deal with California to raise mileage by 3.7% per year. Trump later repealed Californias legal authority to set its own standards, which the Biden administration is moving to restore. The Trump rollback of the Obama-era standards would require a projected 29 miles per gallon in real world stop and start driving by 2026. Thats well below the requirements of the Obama administration rules that would have increased it to 37 mpg. The California deal with Ford and the other automakers has vehicles getting about 33 mpg on average, according to environmental groups, after accounting for credits for electric vehicles. It wasnt clear whether the Biden administration would restore credits for selling electric vehicles, but that is likely since EVs are a cornerstone of its plan to fight climate change. Bidens nearly $2 trillion infrastructure proposal includes 500,000 new charging stations for electric cars and trucks, and he has proposed tax credits and rebates to help spur sales. Under the Obama-era standards, automakers got double credit for fully electric vehicles toward meeting their fuel economy and pollution requirements. That multiplier was removed in the Trump rollback. Several automakers including General Motors have expressed a commitment to transition to all electric vehicle sales, though environmental groups are skeptical the companies will stick to their promises if consumers continue to favor gas-powered cars, which now cost less. Potentially easing the transition for automakers is a nearly trillion-dollar bipartisan Senate infrastructure bill that would help fund the half-million new electric charging stations around the country. An accompanying $3.5 trillion Senate spending bill backed by Democrats was expected to provide tax credits and other incentives for consumers to switch to electric vehicles. Those measures are still pending in Congress. The move comes at a time when Americans are buying record numbers of less-efficient pickup trucks and SUVs, which will make it harder for the industry to comply. So far this year, more than three-quarters of U.S. new vehicle sales were trucks, vans and SUVs, according to Edmunds.com. Fewer than a quarter were more efficient cars. Only three automakers Tesla, Honda and Subaru complied with the standards in 2019, the latest year figures are available from the EPA. The rest had to use fuel efficiency credits from previous years or buy electric vehicle credits from other automakers to hit their goals. Fully electric vehicles represent just 2% of new vehicle sales in the U.S., but analysts expect that to rise rapidly in coming years. ___ Krisher reported from Detroit. Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday that his administration is not planning any new mandates, including travel restrictions floated as a possibility last week, even as COVID hospitalizations jump by 32 over the weekend. Connecticuts COVID-19 infection rate continues to rise due to the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. Since Friday, hospitalizations jumped from 76 to 108 with 589 new cases and a 2.27 positivity rate. Still, the governor said hell hold off on restrictions. Nobody wants mandates. I know how tired everybody is, Lamont said. We dont have to get into that conversation if people just go get vaccinated. The governor was in New Haven to make a plea to young people to get vaccinated, which he views as better way to combat the highly contagious delta variant, as opposed to ordering new mandates. Asked about the possibility of new travel restrictions, which he indicated was under consideration last week, Lamont said, its probably not a really good week to go to Missouri or Arkansas is sort of my sense. Id probably skip Florida as well, he said. Lamont said hed have to talk with neighboring governors about putting into effect a travel advisory, which Northeast states issued jointly earlier in the pandemic. Right now, theres nothing anticipated, he said. But, he added, his administration is closely watching southern states where infection rates are much higher than in Connecticut. The White House announced Monday that its keeping current international travel restrictions in place due to the Delta variant and rising coronavirus cases domestically. While Lamont maintains that restrictions are not needed in Connecticut, other governments are contemplating mandates and additional measures to try to curb the rapid spread of the Delta variant. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday all city employees will either have to be vaccinated or receive weekly testing, and Los Angeles County recently started requiring masks again, even for vaccinated individuals. julia.bergman@hearstmediact.com PORTLAND -- Regina Turner's career ambition is to become a dentist. Right now, however, she has a different title -- Miss Connecticut USA. Turner, 21, a native of Old Saybrook and graduate of Portland High School, was recently crowned Miss Connecticut and will soon compete for the title of Miss USA. It was the goals outlined in the pageant brochure that convinced the striking brunette to enter the competition -- her first ever. "Contrary to the beliefs of some, being Miss Connecticut isn't about evening gowns and tiaras," Turner said. "Rather, the goal of the Miss Connecticut USA pageant is to offer a venue where young women can grow personally in poise, confidence, goal-setting, public speaking and communication skills, physical fitness, and self-discipline. The pageant is meant to provide a positive alternative to the many destructive activities that lure our young people today and also to promote community service programs and local charities." Turner is not shy in terms of her confidence, calling it the key to her success. The beauty queen says she expected to wear the crown at the end of the competition. "Whenever I decide to do something, I go all in," she said. "I truthfully expect to win. I do it well, and I do it the right way. I put all my heart into it, and I always try my best. " Turner is a dental major at Tunxis Community College in Farmington. And while she hopes to someday become a dentist, she is hopeful that her Miss USA title will help her achieve her goals well into the future. "I hope this title will help me with school, as well as furthering my hobbies of modeling and acting," she said. "Possibly, I can turn those hobbies into a second career." Later this year, Turner will represent the state in Las Vegas, where she will compete for the title of Miss USA. But for now, she has many responsibilities as Miss Connecticut that will keep her busy. Turner will serve as the emcee for Cupid's Chase 5K Race in Hartford on Feb. 12. She will also be the emcee for Oscar Night Hartford 2011 on Feb. 27. What Turner is looking forward to the most is a trip to Haiti in May with the Haitian Health Foundation. "There, I hope to aid as a dental assistant and in whatever other ways possible," she said. "I also hope to participate in fundraisers for this wonderful organization throughout the year." As for the possibility of someday being crowned Miss USA, Turner will not go on the record saying she will win, only that the honor would be a privilege. Walt Gogolya can be reached by e-mail at wgogolya@middletownpress.com. TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) Troops surrounded Tunisias parliament and blocked its speaker from entering Monday after the president suspended the legislature and fired the prime minister and other top members of government, sparking concerns for the North African country's young democracy at home and abroad. In the face of nationwide protests over Tunisia's economic troubles and the governments handling of the coronavirus crisis, President Kais Saied decided late Sunday to dismiss the officials, including the justice and defense ministers. He announced a series of other measures Monday, including a nationwide curfew from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. for one month and a ban on gatherings of more than three people in public places. He denied allegations that he was fomenting a coup d'etat. Some demonstrators cheered the firings, shouting with joy and waving Tunisian flags. But others accused the president of a power grab, and the countrys overseas allies expressed concern that it might be descending again into autocracy. In a move sure to fuel those worries, police raided the offices of broadcaster Al-Jazeera and ordered it shut down. Tunisia, which ignited the Arab Spring in 2011 when protests led to the overthrow of its longtime autocratic leader, is often regarded as the only success story of those uprisings. But democracy didn't bring prosperity. Tunisias economy was already flailing before the pandemic hit, with 18% unemployment, and young people demanding jobs and an end to police brutality protested in large numbers earlier this year. The government recently announced cuts to food and fuel subsidies as it sought its fourth loan from the International Monetary Fund in a decade, further fueling anger in impoverished regions. The pandemic has only compounded those problems, and the government recently reimposed lockdowns and other virus restrictions in the face of one of Africas worst outbreaks. Angry at the economic malaise and the poor handling of the pandemic, thousands of protesters defied virus restrictions and scorching heat in the capital, Tunis, and other cities Sunday to demand the dissolution of parliament. The largely young crowds shouted Get out! and slogans calling for an early election and economic reforms. Clashes erupted in many places. I must shoulder the responsibility and I have done so. I have chosen to stand by the people, the president said in a solemn televised address. Saied said he had to fire the prime minister and suspend parliament because of concerns over public violence. He said he acted according to the law but parliamentary speaker Rached Ghannouchi, who heads the Islamist party that dominates the legislature, said the president didnt consult with him or the prime minister as required. The three have been in conflict. We have taken these decisions ... until social peace returns to Tunisia and until we save the state, Saied said. While the dissolution of parliament cheered some protesters, others in Tunisia were opposed. Police intervened Monday to prevent clashes outside the parliament building between demonstrators supporting the president and lawmakers from the dominant Ennahdha party and their allies who opposed the move. Both sides shouted and some threw stones, according to an Associated Press reporter. Ghannouchi, the speaker, tried to enter parliament overnight, but police and military forces guarding the site stopped him. He sat in a car outside the building for nearly 12 hours before leaving Monday afternoon his next steps were unclear. He called the presidents move a coup against the constitution and the (Arab Spring) revolution, and insisted the parliament would continue to work. Saifeddine Makhlouf, founder of and lawmaker in a coalition of hardline Islamists, also denounced the presidents move as a coup, saying, "We will not let it pass. However, the president, a former constitutional law professor elected in 2019, rejected allegations during a meeting Monday with representatives of several national organizations that he was engaging in a coup. I ask how some can talk of a coup d'etat, Radio Mosaique quoted Saied as saying. I studied and taught law. I applied the constitution, respecting its dispositions. The president invoked a constitutional article that allows him to assume executive power for an unspecified period of time in cases of imminent danger threatening the institutions of the nation and the independence of the country and hindering the regular functioning of the public powers. Tensions between the prime minister and president have been blamed for poor management of the virus, while a bungled vaccination drive led to the dismissal of the health minister this month. To date, 7% of the population has been fully vaccinated, while more than 90% of the countrys intensive care unit beds are occupied, according to health ministry figures. Videos have circulated on social media showing bodies left in the middle of wards as morgues struggle to deal with growing deaths. Ennahdha has been a particular target, accused of focusing on its internal concerns instead of managing the virus. Security forces also moved in Monday on the Tunis offices of Al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based satellite news network said on its Facebook page. The reason for the move was not immediately clear. Al-Jazeera, citing its journalists, said 10 heavily armed police officers entered their bureau without a warrant and asked everyone to leave. The reporters phones and other equipment were confiscated, and they were not allowed back into the building to retrieve their personal belongs, the network said. Qatar and its Al-Jazeera have been viewed by some Middle Eastern nations as promoting Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood. Its offices have been shut down in other countries over that, most noticeably in Egypt after the 2013 coup that brought current President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to office. Qatars Foreign Ministry said it hoped the voice of wisdom would prevail in the turmoil and that the rule of law would be established again. Inside and outside Tunisia, from the U.N. to the U.S, the European Union and beyond, concern was raised about whether the nascent democracy was taking an authoritarian turn. Former President Moncef Marzouki called for political dialogue, saying in a Facebook video, We made a huge leap backward tonight, we are back to dictatorship. Potential violence and respect for Tunisia's institutions were at the forefront of concerns by allies. "The already volatile region cannot bear to have more unrest than it has presently had, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said. U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke by phone with the Tunisian leader, encouraging him to adhere to the principles of democracy and human rights that are the basis of governance in Tunisia, State Department spokesman Ned Price said. Blinken also asked that Saied maintain open dialogue with all political actors and the Tunisian people. While German Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Adebahr stopped short of calling the presidential actions a coup, she said the Tunisian president appeared to be relying on a pretty broad interpretation of the constitution. France, Tunisia's former colonial ruler, said it counts on respect for a state of law and the return, as soon as possible, to the normal functioning of institutions. Italy, likewise, appealed for respect of the Tunisian Constitution while Turkey hoped democratic legitimacy is soon restored. ___ Associated Press journalists Mehdi El Arem in Tunis; Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Geir Moulson in Berlin; Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations, Matthew Lee in Washington; Lorne Cook in Brussels; Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report. WATERBURY A New Haven resident has been identified as the 37-year-old man who died following a shooting Saturday in Waterbury, according to police. In a release Monday, police said Douglas Daniels was fatally shot over the weekend. Two other people were also injured in the incident, according to police. Not long after the incident, Daniels who had a gunshot wound to the shoulder / chest area was pronounced dead at St. Marys Hospital, according to police. This incident continues to be investigated by the Waterbury Police Departments Major Crimes Division, police said in the release. No further information on suspects or motives involving this incident are available at this time. City police went to the East Farm and Orange streets area Saturday around 8:14 p.m. for a weapons complaint, police said. Dispatch told police who were responding that two people had been shot and were in the roadway of that location. When police arrived, they located two people who were wounded by gunshot one of them with a gunshot wound to the shoulder / chest area and the other with a gunshot wound to the leg, according to police. They were both sent to a hospital. Evidence of shots fired was also recovered in the area, police said. While investigating this incident, officers were further advised that another party arrived at a local hospital with a gunshot wound to the head. Police said it appeared they were all injured in the East Farm Street incident. HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) Dr. Manisha Juthani, an infectious disease specialist at Yale School of Medicine, was nominated by Connecticut's governor on Monday to serve as the next commissioner of the Department of Public Health. Juthani will succeed Dr. Deidre Gifford, the state social services commissioner who has also been leading the health agency since the departure of Renee Coleman-Mitchell in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic. Juthani was among the doctors who signed a letter in November to Gov. Ned Lamont urging him to prohibit indoor dining, close gyms and ban nonessential social gatherings to slow the spread of the virus. Juthani will begin the new role on Sept. 20. At a news conference she said she was eager to work on issues including health care equity and disparities in access to treatment. She also commended the health care workers and others who have helped the state through the pandemic. We have all been dependent on the guidance of people at the Department of Public Health. It is civil servants in the Department of Public Health who have helped guide the way forward. They have been advocating for the most vulnerable, she said. She joined the faculty of Yale's medical school full-time in 2006 and took on the role of infectious disease fellowship program director in 2012. Dr. Juthanis background in infectious diseases will be a tremendous benefit to the people of Connecticut as we continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthen our vaccination efforts, Lamont said. A daughter of immigrants, Juthani said she was humbled by the selection. As the first Indian-American commissioner in the state of Connecticut, it gives me great pride to showcase the multicultural state that we are and to showcase the path that any immigrant can take coming to this state to achieve the American dream," she said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Tuesday that everyone in K-12 schools should wear facial masks this fall, regardless of their vaccination status. The latest CDC guidance is that masks should be worn indoors by everyone over 2 years old who are not fully vaccinated. In Connecticut, masks are required to be worn by everyone in schools, a rule that has been in effect since guidelines were updated in May. Gov. Ned Lamont has said he needs more time to evaluate the highly contagious delta strains impact before deciding on whether to lift the mandate. A request to Unmask Our Kids CT for comment on the new CDC guidance was not immediately returned on Tuesday. The group is planning a rally at noon Friday on South Main Street in Middletown, according to its Facebook page. The state Department of Public Health and state Department of Education guidance is included in Connecticuts return-to-school document that outlines procedures required and recommended for public school districts. It has been used as a template by many school districts to draft their own reopening plans. In June, East Hampton Superintendent Paul Smith announced the districts reopening plan, which stated that masks would be welcome, but not required for students and staff. A similar plan is in place in Region 18 schools. Lyme-Old Lyme students and staff will only require masks if public health measures dictate a need for them, according to the districts reopening plan. In Old Saybrook, the reopening plan includes mask wearing for all staff and students unless a documented medical reason exists. When asked about the CDCs change in guidance on Tuesday, Old Saybrook Superintendent Jan Perruccio said nothing has been finalized. We are awaiting guidance from CDC and DPH, Perruccio wrote in an email. We followed the public health guidance throughout the year last year and will want to do the same thing this year. Superintendent Jeffrey Newton, of East Lyme Public Schools, echoed Perruccio in an email on Tuesday. We have not finalized plans as of yet regarding mask wearing in our school buildings, Newton said. We will await further guidance and follow up from [Connecticut State Department of Education], DPH and [Ledge Light Health District] and our medical advisor. Like Old Saybrook and East Lyme, Middletown Superintendent Michael Conner said he is awaiting information from the state and federal level. Based on what those recommendations are, were going to implement them, Conner said. The start of the school year is still several weeks away, and guidelines may change again before then, the superintendent said, adding that officials are still planning to return to a traditional academic calendar with all students attending in-person classes five days a week. Staff writer Adam Hushin contributed to this article. christine.derosa@hearstmediact.com TOKYO - When Simone Biles exited the arena, the U.S. women's gymnastics team's gold medal chances plummeted. The world's best gymnast later returned to the sideline but she withdrew from the competition for what USA Gymnastics cited as a "medical issue." Without Biles, the team scrambled to fill those holes in the lineup, and even though the United States had an opportunity to catch the Russian Olympic Committee heading into the final rotation, the Americans could not close the deal. The U.S. team earned the silver medal behind the ROC. A gap of more than three points separated the two nations after Jordan Chiles fell on a tumbling pass, crushing any hope the team had left. On the final routine from the ROC, Angelina Melnikova only needed to avoid disaster, and she hit her routine, bringing the team's total to a 169.528, well ahead of Team USA's 166.096. South Windsor FD / Contributed SOUTH WINDSOR Fire crews freed an individual whose legs were pinned after a crash on Interstate 291 on Monday, according to officials. The South Windsor Fire Department sent units to I-291 east near Exit 4 minutes before 5 p.m. for a reported crash with entrapment. The crash involved a tractor-trailer and a car. WASHINGTON (AP) Time running short, senators and the White House worked furiously Tuesday to salvage a bipartisan infrastructure deal, with pressure intensifying on all sides to wrap up talks on President Joe Bidens top priority. Despite weeks of closed-door discussions, several issues are still unresolved over the nearly $1 trillion package. Spending on public transit remains in question and a new dispute flared over the regulation of broadband access. Patience was running thin as senators accused one another of shifting the debate and picking fights over issues that had already been resolved. Still, all sides the White House, Republicans and Democrats sounded upbeat that an accord was within reach as senators braced for a possible weekend session to finish the deal. No new deadlines were set. Good progress, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said as he opened the chamber. Republican negotiator Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, who took the lead in key talks with a top White House aide, struck a similar tone, but also acknowledged the bipartisan group was still working" on transit and other issues. It's a make-or-break moment that is testing the White House and Congress, and the outcome will set the stage for the next debate over Biden's much more ambitious $3.5 trillion spending package, a strictly partisan pursuit of far-reaching programs and services including child care, tax breaks and health care that touch almost every corner of American life, and that Republicans vowed Tuesday to oppose. As talks drag on, anxious Democrats, who have slim control of the House and Senate, face a timeline to act on what would be some of the most substantial pieces of legislation in years. Republicans are weighing whether they will lend their votes for Bidens first big infrastructure lift or deny the president the political accomplishment in hopes of stopping both packages. Biden met Tuesday morning at the White House with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, one of the Democratic leaders of the bipartisan talks, to discuss both the current bill and the next one. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said after the president's meeting with Sinema that the administration sees good signs but is not setting any deadlines. Ten Republicans would be needed in the evenly split 50-50 Senate to join all Democrats to advance the bipartisan bill past a filibuster toward passage, but its an open debate among Republicans whether its politically advantageous to give their support. A recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC found 8 in 10 Americans favor some increased infrastructure spending. Republican senators sparred at their closed-door lunch Tuesday, one side arguing against doing anything that would smooth the way for Democrats' broader bill, according to a person granted anonymity to discuss the private meeting. Others spoke in favor of the bipartisan package. The bipartisan package includes about $600 billion in new spending on public works projects. That falls far short of what House Democrats have proposed in their own transportation bill, which includes much more spending to address rail transit, electric vehicles and other strategies to counter climate change. At a private meeting of House Democrats on Tuesday, Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, called the Senate's bipartisan measure complete crap, according to two Democrats who attended the session. DeFazios remarks illustrated the tensions between Democrats in the two chambers over the budget talks. The Democrats spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the closed-door session. Senators in the bipartisan group have been huddling privately since they first struck an agreement with Biden in June on the contours of the joint deal. The group includes 10 core negotiators, split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, but has swelled at time to 22 members. Filling in the details has become a grueling month-long exercise over the scope of spending in each of the categories as well as some of the underlying policies. Transit funding has remained a stubborn dispute, as Republican senators are wary of formalizing what has been a typical formula for the Highway Trust Fund allotting around 80% for highways and 20% for transit. Most Republican senators come from rural states where highways dominate and public transit is scarce, while Democrats view transit as a priority for cities and a key to easing congesting and fighting climate change. Democrats don't want to see the formula dip below its typical threshold. Expanding access to broadband. which has become vital for households during the coronavirus pandemic, sparked a new debate. Republicans pushed back against imposing regulations on internet service providers in a program that helps low-income people pay for service. Democrats were insisting on a prevailing-wage requirement, not just for existing public works programs but also for building new roads, bridges, broadband and other infrastructure, but it's not clear that will make the final package. The senators had been debating money for public water works projects and removal of lead pipes after Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, raised questions about the amount. He said Tuesday the issue had been settled. Still unresolved is how to pay for the bipartisan package after Democrats rejected a plan to bring in funds by hiking the gas tax drivers pay at the pump and Republicans dashed a plan to boost the IRS to go after tax scofflaws. Funding could come from repurposing COVID relief aid, reversing a Trump-era pharmaceutical rebate and other streams. It's possible the final deal could run into political trouble if it doesn't pass muster as fully paid for when the Congressional Budget Office assesses the details. Meanwhile, Democrats are readying the broader $3.5 trillion package that is being considered under budget rules that allow passage with 51 senators in the split Senate, with Vice President Kamala Harris able to break a tie. It would be paid for by increasing the corporate tax rate and the tax rate on Americans earning more than $400,000 a year. ___ Associated Press writers Alan Fram and Josh Boak in Washington and Tali Arbel in New York contributed to this report. Smoke from massive wildfires burning out West is continuing to impact Connecticut. The massive plumes of smoke now cover all of the northern United States along with parts of the Southeast and much of the Eastern Seaboard. In much of the New York City region, haze from the smoke is causing brilliant red sunrises and sunsets. In Oregon, the Bootleg Fire has torched more than 410,000 acres, making it the nations largest fire. The blaze is more than half contained. In California, the Dixie Fire has merged with another wildfire and burned around 200,000 acres. Other fires are burning in Washington state and Montana. Its pretty much blanketing much of the United States now, said Gary Lessor, chief meteorologist at Western Connecticut State Universitys weather center. Most of Connecticut, with the exception of Litchfield County in the northwest, remains under an air quality alert due to the fine particles produced by the wildfire smoke. Gov. Ned Lamont cited the smoke as a sign of climate change. If an air quality alert in CT caused by smoke traveling cross country from Western wildfires isnt a sign that we must take climate action now at all levels of government, I dont know what is, the governor tweeted. Let's address this crisis for our children, grandchildren and future generations. Heres what you need to know about the air quality in the region: When will it be over? The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection issued an air quality action day from 9 a.m. Tuesday through 11 p.m. Fine particulates from the departing wildfire smoke plume have been slow to disperse and unhealthy levels are expected to persist throughout the day, the National Weather Service said in a bulletin. A few scattered thunderstorms and showers overnight Tuesday could clear the air, with some smoke still lingering Wednesday. On Thursday, air from eastern Canada and another weather system bringing more showers will likely suppress the smoke coming in from the south and west of Connecticut. But its only going to be a brief respite, Lessor warned. Theres just so much smoke. ... Every opportunity it gets to come, its gonna do it, so people have got to get used to this. He said theres no end in sight until the fires out are much more contained than they are now. Is it unhealthy to be outside? The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is encouraging residents to limit their activities outdoors in light of the smoke. The agency said fine particles from the smoke became trapped in the lower atmosphere and have been slow to disperse. The particles will reach unhealthy levels for sensitive groups and could be unhealthy for unaffected people as well, according to DEEP. In Litchfield County, the air quality will be lower, in the high-moderate range, according to the agency. You have very hot, humid air, and its kind of stagnant, so you have a lot of particulate matters from the fires that are kind of accumulating in the air, said Dr. Frank Illuzzi, medical director of specialty services for Fairfield County at St. Vincents Medical Center in Bridgeport. Patients with asthma, emphysema or other breathing conditions in particular need to take precautions, he said. Elevated levels of fine particles are expected to impact most of the state, including Bridgeport, Danbury, East Hartford, Groton, New Haven and Waterbury. Affected groups means people with respiratory or heart conditions, the elderly and children should limit prolonged exertion, according to DEEP. In an interview last week, Dr. Richard Krinsky, a pulmonology specialist at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington, said he was receiving a lot of calls from people with nasal congestion and patients with lung conditions that were exacerbated. The particulates that are coming, theyre small diameter and they can get into the lower respiratory tree, where they irritate the respiratory lining as well as the nasal mucus membrane, he said. Illuzzi said St. Vincents has also seen an uptick in patients with respiratory issues coming through its emergency department. Whenever you have those small particles the particulate matter that are suspended in the air, those are notorious triggers for people with respiratory issues, he said. How is the smoke reaching Connecticut? The jet stream is pulling smoke from the wildfires from west to east. Whats west is going to come east, explained Lessor. If a fire were burning on the East Coast it would take a lot to get to the West Coast, because itd be going over the Atlantic and Europe and Asia. The smoke has blanketed the country from west to east, causing air quality alerts down the Eastern Seaboard and throughout much of the Northeast. What can you do? Experts say to stay hydrated and avoid strenuous exercise or activities outside. Air conditioning is also important not necessarily for the cold, but because of the filtering, Krinsky said. As for masks, which most people have thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says cloth masks offer little protection against wildfire smoke. Cloth masks prevent the spread of the virus by catching respiratory droplets that contain the virus. They might not catch small, harmful particles in smoke that can harm your health, the CDCs website says. Respirator masks, such as N95 or KN95 masks can provide protection. The CDC said N95 masks should be reserved for health care personnel. KN95s are made in China and are similar to the N95 masks used in the United States. Alongside cloth masks, theyve become commonplace during the pandemic and may be useful against wildfire smoke. Anything thats going to reduce the particulate burden that enters your bodys going to be helpful, Krinsky said. But you have to balance that against the fact that really restrictive masks in the hot humid air are hard to tolerate. He also recommended residents set their cars climate control system to recirculate in order to filter out as much particulate as possible, especially when driving through hazy areas. Illuzzi said he tells his patients with respiratory conditions to limit their time outdoors. He also recommends his asthmatic patients get HEPA filters, which can clean fine particles. He echoed Krinskys thoughts on mask wearing, suggesting an N95 mask would help, but might be too much of a burden to wear. They are very hot, they are very uncomfortable and when its 90 degrees out and humid, its very hard to comply with that for long periods of time, he said. The Nebraska National Guard is the first state to start scaling back activities to save funds as Congress has less than a week left to come up with a solution to pay the $520 million tab for the months spent keeping lawmakers safe after the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol. States across the country are bracing to cancel National Guard training and ground aircraft until October due to the budget shortfall. Nebraska hasnt canceled its August or September drills yet, but is suspending ancillary things in an attempt to keep its head above water in case Congress cant pass a bill by the Sunday deadline, Military.com has learned. Nebraska canceled a company commander and first sergeant pre-command course, a 40-hour block of instruction designed to prepare leaders for command. A marksmanship and endurance competition also were canceled. Read Next: How Much Discrimination Did Guardsmen Face from Civilian Employers During the Pandemic? Most units tend to conduct their annual weapon proficiency tests in October to mark the start of the new fiscal year. Nebraska also terminated a three-day, small arms school for soldiers who struggle with their marksmanship. None of these canceled events will be rescheduled even if funding comes through, according to Wayne Hall, a National Guard spokesperson. Military.com reached out to a dozen states to ask whether they have begun to curtail training like Nebraska. This would be the first time in nearly a decade the Guard would be shut down. In 2013, a government shutdown suspended at least one month of training for many guardsmen. No other states have canceled any training, but are scrambling to figure out what to cut to make it to October. They warned that if Congress doesnt figure the money out, it would have massive repercussions for the force. Beyond concerns over canceled trainings impact on the Guards ability to deploy at home and abroad, guardsmen also will lose out on two months of pay. For a specialist, the Armys most common rank, that means losing out on about $700. If funds are not made available, mitigation efforts have been put in place to ensure each soldier and airman has met their minimum training requirements for the year, Ohio National Guard spokesperson Stephanie Beougher told Military.com in a statement. These measures will prioritize and fund mission critical elements of our operations, but will result in an overall erosion to training and skills at the individual and team level efficiency. Some soldiers will be short on what is considered a good year. To be eligible for retirement benefits after 20 years of service, troops have to serve a certain amount of time each year. Missing out on two months of drills could put some troops at risk of effectively having a wasted year. Two senior National Guard leaders with direct knowledge of their states plans told Military.com on the condition of anonymity that units are considering having just a handful of troops drill in September and August, which will be decided on who needs more time for a so-called good year or their paychecks. The House in May passed a $1.9 billion bill to reimburse the Guard and provide extra money for federal law enforcement at the Capitol with no Republican votes. Democrats and Republicans in the Senate are bickering over the size and scope of their own bill, with the GOP aiming for a narrow bill mostly for the Guard while Democrats argue the must-pass bill is an opportunity to advance other items. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., introduced a $632.9 million bill to fully fund the Guard and recoup additional costs Capitol Police accrued related to the Jan. 6 Capitol assault. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., has a $3.7 billion plan that includes money for the Guard to avoid a shutdown, police and boosting support for Afghanistan refugees and more funding for pandemic-related resources. -- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon. Related: National Guard Two Weeks from Collapse Stalling Promotions, Gutting Training, Canceling Drills, Leaders Warn The Senate on Monday confirmed President Joe Bidens pick to be the next top civilian to lead the U.S. Air Force. Despite facing several holds during the confirmation process, senators ultimately voted to confirm Frank Kendall as the services 26th Air Force secretary. Kendall, 72, will replace John Roth, who is currently the acting Air Force secretary. Barbara Barrett, who served as the fourth female Air Force secretary and succeeded Heather Wilson, was the last person to fill the role with Senate approval. The latest move fills two of three military service positions. Christine Wormuth was confirmed as the first female Army secretary in May; Carlos Del Toro, nominated to lead the Navy, still awaits a vote. Read Next: Yes, an Air Force Recruit with Ties to a Hate Group Is Out. But the Militarys Extremism Problem Isnt Fixed. Kendalls nomination gained momentum after Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., earlier this month lifted her hold upon reaching an agreement that Kendall would stay out of the defense industry for an extended period of time after his work at the Pentagon. Biden nominated Kendall for the position in April. Kendall and Heidi Shyu, recently confirmed as the Pentagon's research and development chief, agreed to avoid working for defense firms for four years after their turns in the administration, up from the two years mandated by law, an aide familiar with the protocol told Military.com on July 13. Additionally, they agreed to recuse themselves from any decisions that involve their former employers -- both had worked for Raytheon Technologies -- during their government service. The Senate Armed Services Committee last week also included Warrens recusal amendment in its version of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. Under the Obama administration, Kendall served as the under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics at the Pentagon between 2012 and 2017. He was previously the vice president of engineering at Raytheon. In January, Warren received a similar pledge from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to recuse himself from any work related to Raytheon, where he was a member of the board of directors. "This is precisely the kind of thing that senators should be doing to ensure that we shore up our system to make sure that there's integrity, and that there isn't even the perception that people are going to be using their public service to advance their own personal financial interests," said Mandy Smithberger, director of the Straus Military Reform Project at the Project on Government Oversight. "We don't even want the appearance that decisions are being made because of who someone's prior employers were," Smithberger said in an interview earlier this month. Sens. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, and Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan, reportedly also had put holds on Kendall's nomination for differing reasons. Air Force Magazine reported Peters, for example, held up Kendall's nomination over the future of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter international training center, which was awarded to Arkansas' Ebbing Air National Guard Base over Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan. Kendall spent 10 years on active duty and retired as a lieutenant colonel from the Army Reserve. -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. Related: Warren Extracts Agreement for Nominees to Refuse Defense Industry Work for 4 Years The Air Force has kicked out a man who belonged to the white nationalist group Identity Evropa months after reporters uncovered his ties, a spokeswoman confirmed in an email to Military.com Monday. The episode has only underscored the challenges the military faces in screening recruits for associations with extremist groups. That concern has gained fresh urgency since the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection, which led to the arrests of at least 32 veterans and one active-duty service member who were allegedly part of the mob. Shawn McCaffrey is no longer serving in the U.S. Air Force, Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek confirmed Monday in a statement. McCaffrey enlisted on Jan. 26, 2021, according to Stefanek. In April 2021, the Huffington Post reported that McCaffrey had deep ties to white nationalist and anti-Semitic leaders and groups. According to the report, McCaffrey belonged to Identity Evropa and hosted a podcast that featured guests who included white supremacist Richard Spencer and Andrew Anglin, the fugitive founder of the neo-Nazi message board, The Daily Stormer. In April 2019, the advocacy group Right Wing Watch reported that McCaffrey was booted from his volunteer role on Democrat Andrew Yangs presidential campaign after his extremist ties came to light. Information brought to the attention of his command after Mr. McCaffreys enlistment led to an entry level separation due to erroneous enlistment, Stefanek said. The term erroneous enlistment suggests that, had the Air Force known all the facts about McCaffrey, it would not have allowed him to enlist. Regardless, McCaffreys brief enlistment illustrates how far the military still has to go in tackling the issue of keeping extremists from joining its ranks. There has essentially been no screening process, Heidi Beirich, an expert on American and European extremist movements, told Military.com. The military needs to come up with materials. They need to train the recruiters on them. They need to access databases. They haven't decided yet what to do about social media postings, Beirich said. In other words, that whole sort of management that needs to be in place to keep people like this Identity Evropa member out -- it doesn't exist right now. Stefanek said Air Force Recruiters rely on national and local criminal background checks to help identify membership in extremist/hate organizations and that any military applicant that has a criminal history associated with an extremist/hate organization or gang is not qualified for entry. However, these screenings will miss individuals who are active members of extremist groups but who dont have criminal records. One suggestion that has been put forward is to screen recruits social media profiles. Congresswoman Jackie Speier, D-Calif., called on President Biden to implement such screenings in February. Beirich said social media screenings are more complicated to implement than they appear. I would say, yes, you do want to take [social media profiles] into consideration, she said. The second part of that is: How do you take it into consideration? Then there is the question of time and manpower. A Pentagon report from February on screening recruits for extremism noted that human analysts cannot effectively and efficiently search the Internet on the hundreds of thousands of people each year that undergo DoD background vetting. Both the Pentagon report and Beirich point out that there are civil liberty considerations involved, as well. In the meantime, the problem of extremists in the ranks continues to haunt the military. Dozens of service members, including some on active duty, were arrested in connection to the Jan. 6 insurrection. The Pentagon also has acknowledged that extremist groups are actively trying to recruit military members. One thing that has changed, though, is the attention being given to the problem. I've been in this game for 20 years. We finally have a president, a SECDEF [secretary of defense], leadership, all of whom are like, This is a huge problem, Beirich said. We've never had that kind of seriousness. In April, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin released a memo that said the department plans to add new questions about current or past extremist behavior to screening questionnaires given to troops during the accession process. But Beirich notes that despite the new attitude, changes still will come slowly. It's a fundamental reorganization of how the military functions on these particular issues, and it's not going to be done overnight, she said. -- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin. Related: Pentagon Announces Tougher Extremism Screenings for New Military Recruits Ike warned 68 years ago Tuesday that it could take a while to reach a peace treaty on the Korean peninsula to follow up on the armistice of July 27, 1953. "So at long last, the carnage of war is to cease, and negotiations at the bargaining table are to begin," President Dwight D. Eisenhower said in an address to the nation an hour after signing the armistice. The armistice agreement called for a political conference to be held within three months to discuss "the peaceful settlement of the Korean question, etc." That conference never happened, leaving the U.S. technically in a state of war with North Korea, and formal peace on the peninsula has remained an afterthought ever since. In the annual White House proclamation issued Monday marking the anniversary of the armistice, President Joe Biden said that the U.S. had pushed for a peace deal over the decades but "that settlement still has not been reached, and the Korean Peninsula remains divided along the 38th parallel." Read Next: Yes, an Air Force Recruit with Ties to a Hate Group Is Out. But the Militarys Extremism Problem Isnt Fixed. Despite a stalemate frozen in time, the seesaw war in which Seoul changed hands four times yielded a continued U.S. military presence, providing the shield that has allowed South Korea to grow "into a thriving, vibrant country, and the enduring relationship between our two nations has flourished," Biden said. The armistice anniversary also offers the "opportunity to honor, remember, and pay tribute to the Korean War veterans who fought to defend those universal values and freedoms that the people of South Korea enjoy today," he added. Some of those veterans saw little chance of progress, much less a breakthrough, on a peace treaty that could lead to the unification of the two Koreas. "It's a morass, a political morass," said 92-year-old retired Marine Col. Warren H. Wiedhahn, who served in Korea and then in Vietnam. He believes there's no way out unless North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un completely reverses course on giving up his nuclear weapons. And Kim Jong Un "is not going to give up those nukes," said Wiedhahn, who fought at the Pusan perimeter, the Inchon landings and the "Frozen Chosin" reservoir. "As long as there's a communist dictator in North Korea, as long as that communist dictator does not want to give up what he has and normalize relations with the free world -- then no, it will probably not ever end, in my opinion," he said. Former Air Force Staff Sgt. Paul Cunningham, 91, a radar repairman in Korea during the war, said the impasse boils down to "what are they willing to give up, what are we willing to give up?" Despite the lack of progress on a settlement, Cunningham said he was heartened by South Korea's stunning rise from the devastation of the war that he witnessed. With some degree of irony, the words of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the commander in Korea who was relieved by President Harry S Truman, are etched on a wall of the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History in Seoul: "It will take them 100 years to recover from the devastation." "To see the rise {of South Korea] 68 years later, it's nothing short of amazing," Cunningham said of the democracy and economic power that South Korea has become. North Korea and China Harden Stance At a joint White House news conference May 21 with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Biden said he wanted the "total denuclearization" of North Korea and would not consider meeting with Kim unless that was on the table. He noted that former President Donald Trump had met with Kim three times without making progress toward that goal. But North Korea earlier in May had already called the Biden proposal on the North's nuclear arsenal a non-starter. North Korean propaganda outlets, responding to Biden's earlier charge that North Korea's nukes pose a security threat to the world, cited a statement from Kwon Jong Gun, head of the Foreign Ministry's department of U.S. affairs, saying that Biden had made a "big blunder" in targeting the North's nuclear programs. The current state of relations with China, which the Pentagon describes as a "near-peer competitor" threat, also offers little prospect for a North Korea agreement. As a signatory to the 1953 armistice, China would have to be included on any peace deal. But on the eve of the anniversary of the cease-fire, a top Chinese diplomat told American negotiators that the U.S. was trying to make an "imaginary enemy" out of the Beijing regime to divert attention from problems at home. Chinese state media reported that Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng told U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman that the U.S. was acting "as if once China's development is suppressed, U.S. domestic and external problems will be resolved, and America will be great again, and America's hegemony can be continued." Last weekend, North Korean outlets reported that busloads of Korea war veterans were headed to Pyongyang for ceremonies Tuesday marking the end of the war, which the North views as a victory in the "Fatherland Liberation War." At last year's ceremony, Kim presented his generals with keepsake handguns while vowing to maintain his nuclear weapons. The weapons mean that "now we are capable of defending ourselves in the face of any form of high-intensity pressure and military threats from imperialists and hostile forces," Kim said, according to state media. Armistice Marked at Korea War Veterans Memorial Nearly seven decades after the armistice was signed, the U.S. military still maintains 28,500 troops in South Korea in permanent readiness to "fight tonight" against possible attack. In a July 2 change-of-command ceremony, Army Gen. Paul LaCamera, who was taking over U.S. Forces Korea, United Nations Command and Combined Forces Command from the retiring Army Gen. Robert B. "Abe" Abrams, made clear that there would be no change in the force posture. "The most sacred trust given to me is to prepare our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, guardians and civilians to fight and win," LaCamera said. On the National Mall on Tuesday, ceremonies at the Korean War Veterans Memorial with American and South Korean veterans of the conflict in attendance will turn more to remembrance than the way ahead. The most striking feature of the memorial, which was dedicated July 27, 1995, on the 42nd anniversary of the armistice, are the 19 figures of U.S. service members in ponchos on eternal patrol. In May, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the addition to the memorial of a Wall of Remembrance listing the names of 36,595 American service members who died in the Korean War and the names of 7,174 Korean Augmentation to the United States Army members who fought alongside them. At the ceremony, retired Army Gen. John H. Tilelli Jr., chairman of the Korea War Veterans Memorial, said the Wall will "honor and pay homage to those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the cause of freedom." -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Related: Everything You Need to Know About Korean War Veterans Armistice Day SAN FRANCISCO Phyllis Gould, one of the millions of women who worked in defense plants in World War II and who later relentlessly fought for recognition of those Rosie the Riveters, has died. She was 99. Gould, who lived in Fairfax, north of San Francisco, died on July 20 from complications of a stroke, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. She wants on her gravestone: Mission Accomplished, her 95-year-old sister, Marian Sousa, told the paper on Monday. I think she did it all. During World War II, the U.S. created a recruitment campaign for women to fill defense jobs to replace men who were serving in the armed forces. An iconic poster from the campaign showed Rosie the Riveter, a woman in a polka-dotted bandana flexing a muscular arm as she rolls up her sleeve. Some 6 million women joined the workforce. Gould, a welder, was one of the first six women hired at a shipyard in Richmond in the San Francisco Bay Area for the war effort. After the war, she became an interior decorator, married and divorced twice, had five children and moved around before settling in Fairfax. She was kind of like a hippie, you know, where the wind blows," her sister said. She has been an I can do it person all her life, and she passed that on to all of us," said her granddaughter, Shannon Akerstrom of Potter Valley in Mendocino County. The Rosie thing that was really her." I do welding on my ranch like grandma did and so does my daughter, Akerstrom told the Chronicle. Grandma always thought that was very cool. Women defense workers received little notice or appreciation after the end of the war but Gould fought tenaciously to honor them. She helped push for creation of the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, established in 2000. Gould and other Rosies met with former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden in 2014. She pushed for the declaration of national Rosie the Riveter Day, held annually on March 21, and before her death was helping design a Congressional Gold Medal to be issued next year to honor the Rosies. She really put the Rosies on the map. It was her letters so many of them she wrote, to everyone that did it, her sister said. Phyllis is, in modern-day life, as iconic as the Westinghouse poster with the woman in the polka-dotted bandana, said Rep. Jackie Speier, who led the effort that got the gold medal authorized. She flexed her muscles on the telephone every day telling Congress to move forward on recognition of the Rosies." A House panel is weighing a $770 billion defense policy bill that includes a provision to give lower-income military families a basic needs allowance -- a stipend that advocacy groups say would relieve stress and "food insecurity" among U.S. troops. The draft of the House's 2022 National Defense Authorization Act released Tuesday contains a provision similar to the Senates proposal that would provide service members additional money for food and other basics if their household incomes do not exceed 130% of the federal poverty level -- which in 2021 meant $21,960 for a family of three, $26,500 for a family of four, and slightly higher for even larger families. This is the third time the proposal has been incorporated into the House defense policy bill; unlike previous years, it also has been included in the 2022 Senate defense bill, increasing the likelihood that it will pass later this year. For an E-4 with several years in the military, a spouse and two children, the stipend could equate to roughly $250 extra a month. Read Next: Down to the Wire, the Senate has a Deal to Fund the National Guard Advocates say the provision is needed as junior military service members face the stresses of supporting families in areas where spouse employment is low or child-care expenses make it difficult to pay monthly bills. "When I got to the [Defense Department], I started talking about food insecurity, and I really did get a look that said to me, We really don't think we have a problem, Patty Barron, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Military Community and Family Policy, said at an event on military and veterans food insecurity Tuesday. The data is mixed on the extent of food insecurity among military families. This year, the Defense Department's Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation found that an estimated 880 to 4,690 U.S. service members use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, a rate of between .08% and .42% of troops. Civilian usage of SNAP, also known as food stamps, is 9.6%. Critics note, however, that the report pulled data from only two months in 2019, and the data does not include numbers from 40% of states, including several with large military populations such as California, Hawaii and Virginia. "The reason we thought we didn't have a problem is, we were looking at the low SNAP numbers, and we believe we are compensating our people well, and if not, they will promote out of it and get those pay raises to solve the problem," Barron added. "The department is much more aware of the issue now, and it is one of Secretary [Lloyd] Austin's biggest priorities," Barron said during the discussion hosted by the Center For Strategic and International Studies. A survey released in May found that nearly 33% of more than 5,600 respondents at an unidentified Army installation were considered marginally food insecure, meaning they faced food hardship or had difficulties ensuring that their food budget stretched through the end of the month. And according to a report from the organization MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, one in eight military families experiences food insecurity compared with one in 10 in the U.S. civilian population. "The mental health of our service members is key to their long-term connection to the military and the well-being of their families, and given that we find service members' mental health is associated with food insecurity, addressing food insecurity may be one way to address [mental health issues]," said Matthew Rabbitt, an economist with the USDA Economic Research Service, during the CSIS event. The House Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee will consider its portion of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act on Wednesday. The bill is expected to be debated by the full committee on Sept. 1 and must be reconciled with the Senate's version before it can become law. The proposed legislation provides for a 2.7% pay raise for military personnel in 2022 and a number of other benefits, including an increase in parental leave for service members and designated caregivers as well as foster parents, expansion of the department's in-home, child-care pilot program and the establishment of an advisory council to support the services' Exceptional Family Member Programs. -- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime. Related: Should Low-Income Military Families Get a Food Allowance? White House Says No The Senate has agreed on a massive funding package that would refund the National Guard ahead of the fast-approaching Sunday deadline as the force faces a near total shutdown. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, on Tuesday announced an agreement with Republicans on a $2.1 billion plan that would pay the $521 million tab the Guard accrued during its response to the Jan. 6 pro-Trump attack on the Capitol. But the upper chamber still needs to vote on the measure. The costs the Guard racked up include travel, lodging, food and pay for some 27,000 troops. The mission has since ended. The bill also would secure critical funds needed for Capitol police, additional pandemic resources and boost support for Afghanistan refugees. We have the responsibility to take care of the Capitol Police in the wake of their incredible service on January 6th, and to reimburse our National Guard for costs incurred protecting the Capitol, Leahy said in a statement. We have the responsibility to pay for costs we have already incurred as a result of the pandemic. And we have the moral responsibility to stand with our Afghan partners who stood with us through two decades of war. The announcement comes on the same day four police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6 testified before a House select committee investigating the attack, sharing grizzly details of hand-to-hand combat and trauma still impacting law enforcement. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters Tuesday he wants to pass the bill this week. Yet the measure potentially faces a bumpy road in the House. No Republicans voted on a previous $1.9 billion House bill in May aimed to fund the Guard fully and boost resources for federal law enforcement. The bill in the spring squeaked by with a 213-212 vote with three Democrats opposing it, arguing the bill provides too much funding for law enforcement amid high-profile incidents of police brutality across the country while not providing enough mental health resources for officers and Capitol staff. Only 35 Republicans voted in favor. Gen. Daniel Hokanson, the chief of the National Guard, warned Congress in May of the severe consequences for not reimbursing the Guard on time. Many states have drawn up plans to keep afloat until October, the start of the next fiscal year. This included suspending some 2,000 Guard courses, including schools needed for promotions, and canceling August and September drills, which could severely impact Guard operations and cost soldiers their paychecks. -- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon. Related: National Guard Two Weeks from Collapse Stalling Promotions, Gutting Training, Canceling Drills, Leaders Warn A former Air Force intelligence analyst who said he was compelled to speak out against the militarys use of drones after witnessing firsthand their effect on civilian casualties has been sentenced to 45 months in prison for leaking classified information. U.S. District Judge Liam OGrady convicted Daniel Hale of Nashville, Tennessee, on Tuesday for leaking the top secret information to a reporter. Hale pleaded guilty to violating the 1917 Espionage Act in April. Hale, who served in the Air Force between 2009 and 2013 deployed to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, in 2012. There he supported the National Security Agency and used his skills to track down cell-phone signals hunting enemy combatants in the field, according to the Associated Press. He was honorably discharged in 2013, the same year he reached out to an unidentified reporter, according to the original indictment. OGrady confirmed during the sentencing hearing that the leaks were made to the Intercept. Read Next: VA Makes 'Error' in Using Gender-Neutral Motto in Official Government Notice He then leaked more than a dozen documents while working as a contracted analyst at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in 2014 and 2015. The documents provided a counterpoint to U.S. claims that the drone program prioritized avoiding civilian casualties. In an impassioned 11-page letter to OGrady, Hale spoke of his depression and post traumatic stress disorder he has suffered in the wake of his intelligence work. "Not a day goes by that I don't question the justification for my actions," Hale wrote. What possibly could I have done to cope with the undeniable cruelties that I perpetrated?" The prosecution argued that Hales leak, however, made its way into an internet manual used by Islamic State fighters, jeopardizing military tactics and operations. You are not being prosecuted for speaking out about the drone program killing innocent people, OGrady, the judge, said Tuesday in Alexandria, Virginia. You could have been a whistleblower without taking any of these documents. Lisa Ling, a former Air Force technical sergeant who worked with the drone program, told Military.com that unless the U.S. government creates more adequate ways for whistleblowers to come forward, leaks will continue to come from the intelligence and military communities. We all believe the public has a right to know whats done in our name, said Ling, who was honorably discharged in 2012 and spoke out against drone warfare in the 2016 documentary, "National Bird." Ling believes the system meant to protect whistleblowers is broken, cheating the individuals who want to do public good. And the Espionage Act should be repealed -- it shouldn't be used for whistleblowers, she said. The World War I-era act was intended to punish those spying on behalf of any enemy or a foreign actor, but its scope has expanded over the years to include the prosecution of those who leak highly sensitive information that could harm national security. Hales case has been compared to Reality Winner, who until recently was serving a 63-month sentence at a Fort Worth, Texas, federal prison after pleading guilty to leaking classified NSA information on Russia's alleged efforts to undermine the 2016 election -- a topic that has dominated national discourse and brought to light the challenges of safeguarding the voting process. Prosecutors said at the time it was the longest sentence ever imposed for an unauthorized distribution of government information to a media outlet. Similar to Hale, Winner was a former Air Force language analyst aiding pilots targeting enemy combatants in the Middle East. She also was found guilty of violating the Espionage Act in 2018. I am so relieved that Daniel Hale did not receive as harsh of a sentence as my daughter, Billie Winner-Davis, Realitys mother, said Tuesday. Winner last month was freed from the detention center and entered a residential reentry process. She has not been pardoned. It breaks me to know he was sentenced to prison though, Winner-Davis said. I don't believe he, nor any whistleblower, belongs in prison. More attention should be focused on the U.S. lethal actions abroad, argued Ling. It's always a bad thing when somebody has a document that the public should have a right to know [about], Ling said. If you look at a lot of the whistleblowers who come in who have come out, a lot of them have been involved or touched the drone program to include Edward Snowden, she added. Why is that? And why are we not interrogating the drone program? Why are we interrogating the whistleblowers? -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at Oriana.Pawlyk@Monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @oriana0214. Related: #FreeRealityWinner: Behind the Growing Push to Pardon an Imprisoned Air Force Vet CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa -- A pair of state-of-art F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters recently met their match in the form of actual lightning in the skies over Makurazaki in Kagoshima prefecture. Both aircraft, assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, landed safely after the strike and neither pilot was injured. The incident occurred during a routine flight on July 13, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing spokesman Maj. Ken Kunze wrote in an email to Stars and Stripes on Tuesday. The F-35Bs, which are capable of short takeoffs and vertical landings, were en route to Okinawa when they were struck. The incident is considered a Class A mishap because the combined projected repair cost is expected to exceed $2.5 million, Kunze said. Class A mishaps involve repair costs exceeding $2 million or the death or permanent disability of a service member. "We are currently conducting an investigation into the mishap and will incorporate the lessons learned into future flight operations," Kunze said. "The safe operation of our aircraft and the readiness of our squadrons are vitally important to us in order to continue supporting our allies, partners, and joint forces in the region." Kunze said that each U.S. aircraft is "meticulously inspected" for safety prior to any flight operations. Lightning strikes on aircraft are fairly common and can severely damage critical and essential systems, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. However, they rarely result in catastrophic effects, according to NTS, an Anaheim, Calif., industrial technology firm. The F-35 is the costliest weapon system in Defense Department history, the Government Accountability Office declared in an April report. Estimated costs over the life of the program exceed $1.7 trillion. Critics call the program unsustainable and the Air Force, which fields the conventional F-35A variant, is seeking alternatives. Precautionary landing In an unrelated incident Tuesday, a U.S. military helicopter landed in a field due to an inflight emergency. No injuries or damage were reported after the AH-1Z Viper assigned to the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma landed at 8:44 a.m. Tuesday in Kushima, Miyazaki prefecture, on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, Kunze said in a separate email Tuesday. The pilot set the attack helicopter down after identifying a possible mechanical issue. The wing is sending a team to inspect the aircraft and determine the best method of recovery, Kunze said. "The aircraft systems performed as designed and notified the pilot of the issue," he wrote. "The aircrew performed as trained and chose the safest option, landing the aircraft in accordance with standard procedures out of an abundance of caution." The Viper was one of a pair that had just departed the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's Nyutabaru Air Base for MCAS Futenma when the issue arose, Kyodo News reported Tuesday. The helicopters had been at the air base since Sunday due to bad weather, a Kyushu Defense Bureau spokesman told Stars and Stripes. Kunze said the landing was precautionary. "We remain committed to ensuring the safety of our aircrews, the community and the airworthiness of all our aircraft," he wrote. Japan's Ministry of Defense Tuesday asked the U.S. military to quickly determine the cause of the incident and to take preventative measures, the spokesman said. Stars and Stripes reporter Hana Kusumoto contributed to this report. WASHINGTON -- In their search for a new approach to arms control, Moscow and Washington are likely to soon encounter an old bugaboo: Russia's demand that the U.S. stop resisting limits on its missile defenses, which the Russians view as a long-term threat and the Americans see as a deterrent to war. It is likely to arise when U.S. and Russian officials open a "strategic stability" dialogue Wednesday in Geneva -- talks meant to lay the groundwork for future arms control and to reduce the risk of nuclear war. The talks are an area of modest promise in a relationship otherwise marred by disputes over ransomware attacks, Russian military intervention in Ukraine and other issues. The Geneva session is not expected to yield a major breakthrough, but it likely will lead to additional talks. The missile defense dispute has shot down past efforts to broaden the scope of arms control negotiations to include more than the traditional category of "strategic," or long-range, nuclear missiles. Now it is among several disagreements -- magnified by mutual distrust -- that are likely to determine whether the world's two biggest nuclear powers can avoid a new arms race. At stake are what President Joe Biden has called "new and dangerous and sophisticated weapons that are coming on the scene now that reduce the times of response, that raise the prospects of accidental war." Biden appeared to be referring to emerging technologies such as hypersonic weapons, artificial intelligence and space weapons, which are being pursued not just by the United States and Russia but also China, whose rapid military advances have complicated the international arms control picture. Biden may also have had in mind Russia's pursuit of exotic nuclear weapons, including a nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed cruise missile, as well as a nuclear-powered underwater drone. The Russians have said U.S. missile defenses compelled them to seek new weapons that could evade those defenses, and they recently offered to include these in future arms control negotiations. That gesture is seen by some as an opening for Washington to drop its opposition to negotiating limits on missile defenses. When they met in Geneva on June 16, Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to begin mapping a new road to arms control by reopening the "strategic stability" talks that had faltered in the final months of the Trump administration. The idea is to explore possibilities for negotiating arms deals to succeed the New START treaty, which covers only long-range nuclear-armed weapons and is set to expire in 2026. Both sides want additional categories of weapons to be included in future deals, but they disagree how to do that. The Russians have long insisted there can be no strategic stability without limits on defensive as well as offensive weapons. Their point man on arms control negotiations, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, has left no doubt that Moscow will insist that missile defense be part of a future arms control arrangement. "Addressing the issue of missile defense has no alternative for us," he told an international conference June 22 sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He said Russia cannot accept U.S. assurances that its missile defenses are meant only to shoot down rockets fired by North Korea or potentially by Iran. "Sooner or later," Ryabkov said, the U.S. will increase its defensive capabilities to the point where they will undermine the viability of Russian missiles. Therein lies the Russian concern about instability. For its part, the Biden administration wants Moscow to agree to limit its so-called nonstrategic nuclear weapons, which are not covered by the New START treaty. Some arms control experts think this presents the possibility of a tradeoff -- negotiations covering missile defenses as well as non-strategic weapons. Before the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, marking an end to the Cold War, the conventional wisdom was that nationwide missile defenses would make the world less safe. The thinking was that by limiting such defenses, each side was kept vulnerable and thus less likely to strike first. President Ronald Reagan upset that convention in 1983 with his "star wars" vision of an impenetrable shield, based partly in outer space, to render ballistic missiles obsolete. The plan was abandoned after he left office but gave rise to new Russian fears about missile defense. Russian concerns escalated in 2002 when President George W. Bush pulled the United States out the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which had imposed missile defense limits on both countries. Bush called the treaty a relic and said U.S. security demanded better protection of the homeland against limited missile attacks. Thus was born the current U.S. missile defense system, based mainly at Fort Greely, Alaska, starting in 2004. Its stated purpose is to protect U.S. territory from a potential North Korean missile attack. A smaller system based in Germany and intended to defend NATO territory against potential missile attack from Iran also is a source of tension with Moscow, which sees it as threatening Russia. Proponents of U.S. missile defense point out that Russia has its own nuclear-armed missile defense of Moscow. Prior to entering the White House, Biden was a critic of missile defense. In 2006 he derided the Bush administration's homeland missile defense system as a modern-day Maginot line -- a defense that is confidently relied upon despite being unreliable. In 2001 he said the Bush administration had a "theological allegiance" to a missile defense system that he predicted would spark a new arms race. Robert Soofer, a top nuclear and missile defense policy official throughout Donald Trump's four years as president, acknowledges that the Russians will want to include missile defense in any future arms negotiations. "We should offer no concessions, but rather hear them out and explore ways to reassure the Russian side through transparency, technical cooperation where practical, and other confidence-building measures that U.S. missile defenses pose no threat to Russia's formidable nuclear forces," Soofer said in congressional testimony June 9. No, the Department of Veterans Affairs has not officially changed its mission statement, despite publishing a gender-neutral version in an official U.S. government publication last week. Buried in a July 23 Federal Register notice on regulations about reporting veterans' medical and benefits debt to credit agencies is a statement that the VA's mission is to "care for those who shall have borne the battle and for their families and survivors." That is a variation of the department's official mission to support "President Abraham Lincoln's promise 'To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan.'" The VA's website clarifies the mission statement, saying the department is dedicated to "serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans." But while momentum has grown since 2017 among advocates and some members of Congress to change the motto to that gender-neutral version to be more inclusive of female veterans and those who do not identify with a specific gender, no official change has been made, VA spokesman Randy Noller told Military.com last week. "This entry was made in error, and we are going back to the originating office to ensure the mistake is not repeated going forward," Noller said. Read Next: 68 Years Later, Korea Peace Deal Still on Hold When he assumed the duties of VA secretary, Denis McDonough said he planned to review the VA's policies and programs to ensure that they comply with a presidential executive order designed to combat discrimination over gender and sexual identity. McDonough said the motto is one of many items being looked at by his team. "Obviously, this is something that came up in the context of confirmation hearings and my conversations with the veterans service organizations, he said in February. I'm not in a position to announce anything on that. Rep. Kathleen Rice and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, both New York Democrats, introduced bills this year that would formally change the VA's mission statement to read, "To fulfill President Lincoln's promise to care for those 'who shall have borne the battle' and for their families, caregivers, and survivors." Rice's proposal has 28 cosponsors -- 24 Democrats and four Republicans, while Gillibrand's has three, including Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski. A similar measure introduced by Rice last year passed the House but was never brought up in the Senate. Efforts to change the motto were rebuffed strongly by the Trump administration, which argued that the move was a fabrication of political correctness. Still, versions of the gender-neutral motto occasionally surfaced in documentation, including programs for official ceremonies, such as one in 2019. Then-VA Secretary Robert Wilkie told Military.com last fall that the "only time I hear anything about this motto is from activists in this town." "If we don't have a place in our collective memory for Abraham Lincoln, we're in a hell of a fix," he said. -- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime. Related: Some Women Veterans Want VA to Change its Culture, Starting with Motto Joseph V. Micallef is a best-selling military history and world affairs author, and keynote speaker. Follow him on Twitter @JosephVMicallef. At first glance, the South and East China Seas, or China Seas, and the Caribbean Sea seem to have little in common. Situated on opposite ends of the Earth, they are what geographers describe as enclosed seas. To a naval strategist, that's shorthand for an environment replete with numerous choke points from which maritime traffic can be interdicted. Beyond this geostrategic similarity, however, these seas have another common element: the parallels and contrasts with how each region has handled the emergence of new military powers. China in East Asia For much of its history, China has been the predominant military power in East Asia. Historically, it was the largest country, had the largest population and the largest economy. All those factors are typically prerequisites for national power -- a fact as true today as it was a millennium ago. The exceptions were periods when China was internally divided, beset by weak governments unable to assert their authority, or dominated by foreign powers. These exceptions have been a recurring theme in Chinese history, most recently the period from the First Opium War (1839-42) to the communist revolution in 1949. Contemporary Chinese historians and government officials often refer to this period as "the century of humiliation." Beijing's desire to exert greater control over the South and East China Seas, and to dominate the region economically, politically and militarily, is nothing new. It's simply a return, more or less, to the historic status quo -- or at least some version of it. To that end, Beijing has asserted its sovereignty over the region, as outlined in the Nine-Dash Line map, based on what it contends are historical antecedents. Many modern historians consider these claims dubious, and the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague soundly rejected them in a landmark ruling. China has constructed and fortified seven artificial islands in the South China Sea. It has often clashed with its neighbors over its sovereignty claims. Numerous confrontations, typically between fishing vessels of its maritime neighbors and units of the People's Liberation Army Navy, have resulted. While China is the predominant military power in East Asia, it lacks the means to project much of that power over the maritime environment, although that ability is growing rapidly. Moreover, the present maritime situation in the region is historically unprecedented in two respects. First, China's economic expansion and modernization have made it dependent on maritime trade, both to bring in the raw materials to fuel its industry and to export its manufactured goods. Historically, China's dominance of its adjacent seas occurred almost by default. It was a reflection of its cultural and diplomatic influence and, indirectly, its status as the major land power in the region. Access to maritime trade routes or control of the China Seas was not, however, a strategic issue. Traditionally, at least until the arrival of the Europeans, threats to Chinese sovereignty had come overland from the west, not across the maritime environment from the east. However, Its control, even then, was far from absolute -- Japan being an obvious and persistent example. During periods of Chinese weakness, a power vacuum typically developed that was filled on a local basis by some of China's maritime neighbors. Until the arrival of European naval fleets in the 19th century, however, there was no one who could challenge China's historic dominance over that entire maritime region. European naval power quickly reversed that. No European power ever completely dominated the China Seas, although Great Britain came close. Japan eventually emerged as the dominant naval power in the region, a position it relinquished to the United States following its defeat in World War II. Second, for the first time in its history, China's ambition to assert its authority in the China Seas is being challenged by another power: the United States. The U.S. maintains a string of military bases on the periphery of the South and East China Seas and has considerable military assets in the region. Those bases and forces are generally, though not always, well situated to interdict Chinese maritime activity. The U.S. has organized a very loose coalition of neighboring states to oppose China's assertion of sovereignty over the China Seas and accompanying islands and to ensure free passage of maritime traffic through the region. Some participants in that coalition -- Japan, South Korea and the Philippines, for example -- are tied to the U.S. by mutual defense treaties. Others have informal understandings, like the vague or unstated security guarantees to the Republic of China (Taiwan), or simply by a pattern of policy alignment and coordination, like that which exists between the U.S. and Vietnam. This informal alliance is underscored by the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue between Australia, Japan, India and the United States. The so-called "Quad Alliance" falls far short of a formal coalition. It has taken great pains to emphasize that it is not geared against China, but only concerned with maintaining the freedom of maritime transit across the Indo-Pacific region and, in particular, the China Seas. To that end, the U.S., along with several of its allies, has repeatedly conducted Freedom of Navigation Operations in the region. Such operations are designed to demonstrate that, notwithstanding Chinese claims of sovereignty, the areas in question are international seas and free maritime transit cannot be restricted. Naval Power in the Caribbean Unlike East Asia, the Caribbean did not have a dominant naval power prior to the arrival of the Europeans. Initially, that dominant naval power was Spain, a position it maintained until the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 formally opened up the Caribbean to other European countries. In reality, however, Spanish naval power in the region had been in decline since the early 17th century. The role of dominant naval power in the Caribbean was subsequently contested by the Dutch, British and French. The Dutch initially had the upper hand, but gradually lost it as a result of defeats in the four Anglo Dutch wars (1652-1784). Likewise, French power in the region waned after its defeat in the Seven Years War (1756-1763). Despite French and Dutch attempts to use the American War of Independence as leverage to reassert their power in the Caribbean, Great Britain emerged as the dominant naval power in the region, a position it would maintain over the course of the 19th century. The Caribbean was a significant prize, possibly as important then as the South and East China Seas are today. The 17th- and 18th-century sugar boom had transformed the sugar islands of the West Indies into the world's most profitable real estate. Sugar estates routinely returned 100% yearly on their invested capital. The British "sugar barons" were the largest bloc in Parliament. Their wealth exceeded that of the crown and was lavishly displayed. It was a practice that caused George III to limit such displays, lest their ostentatiousness embarrassed the crown's more modest fortune. The rise of American power in the Caribbean began with the Spanish-American War of 1898 and was cemented by the American completion of the Panama Canal in 1914. The transition from British dominance to American dominance of the Caribbean region offers an instructive contrast to the contemporary strategic situation in East Asia. British foreign policy from the time of Louis XIV on was to prevent the rise of a dominant European continental power by organizing a coalition of weaker states to resist it, backed by British gold and the Royal Navy. That policy was succinctly summarized by British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston when he observed: "We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and these interests it is our duty to follow." It was a view that he would express numerous times, in different forms, over the course of his long political career. While that policy was geared primarily toward the balance of power in Europe, it was equally applicable to other parts of the world where the rise of a dominant power would affect British interests. That view was one of the dominant sub-themes in Anglo-American relations over the course of the 19th century. Great Britain considered aligning itself with Mexico in the Mexican-American War, 1846-1848. An Anglo-Mexican alliance would have had far-reaching consequences in that conflict. The traditional invasion route into Mexico was from the Gulf Coast in the south. That was the route followed by every invader from Cortez to the U.S. to France since rugged mountainous terrain and inhospitable deserts made invasion from the north extremely difficult. In 1846, the dominant naval power in the Caribbean was the Royal Navy. An invasion of Mexico from the south would have been impossible had the American invasion fleet been resisted by Great Britain. In the end, however, London chose to remain neutral, opting to use the leverage gained from its potential involvement to negotiate more favorable terms over the division of the Oregon/Columbia Territory between itself and the U.S. (the Oregon Treaty of 1846). That territory ran from the border with Mexican California, 42 degrees north, to the border with Russian Alaska at 54 degrees 40 minutes north. At the time, there was widespread support in the U.S., as epitomized in the slogan "54.40 or fight," for the U.S. to take control of the entire region. Likewise, Great Britain considered intervening on behalf of the Confederacy during the American Civil War. Britain's textile mills were dependent on Southern cotton. More importantly, a permanently divided United States would have crippled the rise of American power. The Confederate States of America would have been dependent on British capital and manufactured goods, as well as a diplomatic ally. British public opinion was strongly opposed to slavery, however. The Royal Navy and British foreign policy had spent most of the first half of the 19th century trying to stamp out slavery and end the slave trade. Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, a politically dangerous move that might have spurred the slave states that remained in the Union to leave, was motivated in part by his desire to recast the Civil War as a repudiation of slavery and preclude British intervention on behalf of those states that would have continued it. Nonetheless, that didn't stop private British interests, with the unofficial approval of the British government, from intervening on the Confederacy's behalf. Many of the Confederate blockade runners were ships built in British shipyards and sailed by British crews and officers who had taken a leave of absence from the Royal Navy. Bermuda, a British colony and the major Royal Navy base in the Western Atlantic, was at the center of the British-supported blockade running. Fast-forward to the end of the 19th century. The U.S. is preparing to go to war with Spain. An American victory is all but certain, as is the likely annexation of at least some of Spain's colonial possessions in the Caribbean. The sugar boom has long since faded. Rather than possessing the world's most expensive real estate, the region is now an economic backwater. Nonetheless, if past policy is a guide, Great Britain should seek to organize a coalition of Caribbean nations, Mexico, Spain, maybe Colombia, to resist the American expansion into the region. At the very least, it would be expected to leverage the possibility of such a coalition to extract favorable concessions from the U.S. Instead, Great Britain acquiesces to the emergence of the U.S. as the principal naval power in the Caribbean and openly supports it. By the end of the 19th century, Great Britain was experiencing an acute sense of imperial overreach. The British empire still spanned a quarter of the world's surface, and Great Britain was still a formidable military power. It was certainly capable of dealing with any of its adversaries, but increasingly there was a sense that it would be hard-pressed to deal with multiple adversaries simultaneously. U.S. gross domestic product, or GDP, had surpassed that of Great Britain in 1870, and was on track to surpass that of the entire British Empire by 1916. Likewise, the German GDP had surpassed that of Great Britain during the 1890s. As the century drew to a close, Great Britain found itself increasingly at odds with France in the scramble for African colonies and with Russia for influence in central Asia and to forestall Russian encroachment on the Ottoman Empire and eventually on British interests in the Mediterranean. On top of all that, a new war was brewing with the Boers in South Africa. Faced with the rise of a potential European hegemon for the first time since the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, Great Britain opted to reconcile itself with its principal adversaries -- France, Russia and the United States -- while seeking alliance with rising powers Italy and Japan in order to allow itself to concentrate on the strategic threat posed by the rise of Imperial Germany. Ironically, Imperial Germany (Prussia) was the one country with whom Great Britain had never fought a major war, and with whom it had traditionally been aligned in opposing the rise of a European continental power. Geostrategic Considerations: From the Caribbean to the China Seas At the end of the 19th century, all of the world's principal economies were on the gold standard. One of the factors limiting Great Britain's strategic options was the realization that London could simply not afford the level of military spending required to retain the capability to deal with multiple adversaries simultaneously. Forced to choose between potential opponents, it opted to focus on the one it deemed the greatest threat, and reconciled itself to at least some of the aspirations of its previous adversaries. Today, Washington feels free to monetize ever growing amounts of debt to finance its wants, from new aircraft carriers to expanded child care. In the process, it can at least defer the hard choices that Great Britain was forced to make more than a century ago. How might American foreign policy be different today if the U.S. was limited by the same budgetary constraints that Great Britain faced? At the very least, it probably would be more accommodative of the aspirations of rising powers such as China. Successive American administrations, both Democrat and Republican, have emphasized that it is not their intent to resist the rise of China, but rather to ensure that China adheres to the rules-based system of the international order. In a recent statement, quoted in The New York Times, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed that it is not U.S. policy "to contain China" or "try to hold China back," but that the U.S. "will stand up" to defend the existing international order. That statement, however, misses the point. The rules-based system of the international order reflects the interest of the leading powers. Historically, no rising power has simply accepted those rules as given, but has sought to modify them to suit its own needs and aspirations. That was as true of a rising United States in the 19th century as it was of Imperial Germany at the beginning of the 20th century and China today. The real question is, are the rules that China wishes to impose or modify ultimately reconcilable with the international order that the U.S. and its allies wish to maintain? As a corollary to that question, how far is Beijing willing to go to modify those rules and what risks will it take to accomplish those aims? Those questions are at the heart of Beijing's aims in the China Seas. Would China risk a military confrontation with the United States, for example, or would it limit itself to a heated and intense, but otherwise peaceful, competition? Going back to the parallels and contrasts between the China Seas and the Caribbean, there is one other potential link that could bind these regions together. The noted geopolitical strategist George Friedman has suggested that China might look for leverage in the Caribbean as a way of gaining strategic bargaining chips in the China Seas. Unlike China, all of whose coastal ports front the China Seas, the main U.S. ports are well diversified between the East and West Coasts, the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean region -- although a disproportionate amount of America's energy imports and exports flow through the Caribbean Sea into its Gulf of Mexico ports. Friedman points out that any Chinese ambitions in the Caribbean ultimately would revolve around Cuba. This would not be the first time that an American adversary sought to use Cuba for leverage against the U.S. The Soviet Union did so, as well. Its attempt to stage nuclear armed missiles there precipitated the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962. China is Cuba's largest trading partner and has become the primary supplier of manufactured and infrastructure-related goods and technical assistance, although China's ranking depends on the amount of oil Venezuela provides and how that oil is valued. China also operates at least one intelligence-gathering facility in Cuba. A People's Liberation Army Navy hospital ship visited Cuba in 2011. and three Chinese warships visited in 2015, ostensibly to commemorate the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries and to participate in a joint naval exercise with the Cuban Navy. Otherwise, there has been little Chinese military activity in Cuba. Chinese companies have, however, invested in Cuba, including a $120 million Chinese government loan to fund a major expansion and modernization of the port facilities in Santiago de Cuba. There is no evidence, however, that Beijing is looking to leverage Cuba to play a role comparable to how the Soviet Union used Havana at the height of the Cold War. Nor is there any evidence that the Cuban government would be open to such an initiative. Recent domestic unrest in Cuba could lead Havana to seek closer ties with Beijing, including stepped-up economic aid. On the other hand, for Cuba, a strategic military relationship with China means forgoing any hope of normalizing relations with the U.S. For now, it's a theoretical question for analysts and strategists, but it is one more factor that could tie these two disparate seas together. The record of great power rivalry in the Caribbean and China Seas offers an interesting historical comparison. It is further evidence that history's plots tend to repeat themselves, albeit with a different cast and, sometimes, different outcomes. -- The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration. Post from MilitaryByOwner Theres a good chance your military family was used to the hustle-and-bustle travel lifestyle before the pandemic set in, so the travel restrictions were extra brutal on morale. By now, wanderlust probably has taken over your home, and everyones bursting with pent-up travel energy. Youre not alone; it seems almost everyone has at least one trip scheduled in the upcoming months. One of the perks of military life is the abundance of discounted military travel options, from discounts on hotel stays and RV rentals to slashed prices on airfare and event tickets. There are definitely more than a few ways to save some money during vacation or even PCS travel. Sometimes, the problem is just remembering them. Tuck this guide to military travel discounts away so you wont forget them for your next trip. Go-To Travel Resources for Military Families Lets start with the tried-and-true discounts youve probably heard of or used multiple times. Although you probably know about these, its a good idea to check out how their prices, amenities and restrictions have changed. Armed Forces Recreation Centers Yes, by now, youve tried Shades of Green (probably multiple times) and sought refuge at the Dragon Hill Lodge, but have you thought of planning a German adventure in the Alps at the Edelweiss Lodge in Garmisch? Or, are the Hawaiian Islands on your bucket list? Nows the time to take advantage of the rank and eligibility booking system to maximize your discounts. Hale Koa Hotel in Honolulu Shades of Green in Orlando Edelweiss Lodge and Resort in Garmisch, Germany Dragon Hill Lodge in Seoul, South Korea Or, if youre stationed in or near Japan, you might want to pop over to Tokyo and check-in at The New Sanno. Its not part of the AFRC, but it offers resort-style stays with military family-friendly prices. Armed Forces Vacation Club You know youve heard about this club but havent sat down to investigate, because youre wondering if you really can rent a room or condo at a resort for $379 for seven days. Yes, you can. Head to U.S. travel hot spots like Orlando and Las Vegas (and everywhere in between), but you can also travel OCONUS to see whether the Dominican Republic or Mexico are viable options on the retirement destination shortlist. New and Updated Military Travel Resources Now, lets introduce you to a few military travel resources you probably havent heard about. They might just become your next go-to resource for a family vacation or during a PCS trip. American Forces Travel New in 2021, all military branches are invited to check out the new program MWR and Priceline created to extend military discounts for all forms of travel, including hotels, rental cars, vacation packages, flights, cruises and event tickets. The website is open to all five military branches, but you must confirm your active-duty status through a DEERS portal on the login page. RV and Camping Destinations More than ever, military families embrace RV and camping life, not just for vacations, but unfortunately to fill housing gaps during PCS transitions. Extended time living on campsites can be stressful, so its a good idea to research your options for amenities and availability before pulling in. Dont forget, if you rent an RV or camper for a road trip, ask for a military discount. Companies such as Bates International, American Dream Vacations and Roadrunner RV Rental offer discounts to active-duty military and veterans. Military Base Camping and Rentals Check your nearest military bases MWR or Outdoor Recreation Centers. More and more bases offer camper and RV rentals for daily and weekly rentals. Take a look at these options. Fort Belvoir, Virginia, (near Washington, D.C.) has name-brand travel campers starting at $104 a night. NAS Corpus Christi RV Park, Texas, has sites available for $20. Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, Outdoor Recreation Center rents campers for $107 per day, in addition to travel trailer and boat rentals. If you werent ready to hit the road, you should be now! Across the country, youll find plenty of affordable opportunities for travel. You just have to be in the know and plan ahead, because you wont be alone. Military and civilians alike are clamoring to get away, so make your reservations early! Stay Up-to-Date With Military Discounts Want the scoop on military discounts? From travel to phones and everything in between, troops, military families and veterans can stay on top of military discounts. Become a Military.com subscriber and get full access through our newsletter. NIPUN SAXENA examines the Indian legal framework governing lawful interception of phones and data provided by the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the rules framed thereunder to uncover some complex constitutional questions and demonstrate the disparity between what is allowed by Indias legal architecture in this regard, and what the NSO Groups contractual terms are regarding the use of Pegasus. In the second part of a series analysing the legal questions surrounding the Pegasus Project revelations examines the Indian legal framework governing lawful interception of phones and data provided by the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the rules framed thereunder to uncover some complex constitutional questions and demonstrate the disparity between what is allowed by Indias legal architecture in this regard, and what the NSO Groups contractual terms are regarding the use of Pegasus. Regardless of whether the snooping was authorised by the Indian State, a foreign government, or some private entity, Indian law has been violated in every scenario. IN PartI of this series, after analysing the contractual provisions and policy of Pegasuss developers NSO Group, the question which I posed that, dare I say would have tremendous ramifications for our national interest is could the exercise of sovereign powers of surveillance be contractually performed by a corporate entity registered in a foreign territory? A sequitur would perhaps be if a cosurveillance exercise jointly carried out by the State and a foreign entity would survive constitutional scrutiny. A third question which also has to be posed in the Indian context is could this mechanism of co-surveillance be the death knell of the very avowed objective of national security in pursuance of which the State allegedly employed Pegasus? But let us first set the tone for the Indian context. The first formidable instance of en masse phone tapping came here in 1991 when the Central Bureau of Investigation submitted a report about the phones of many politicians being tapped, which reeked of unbridled discretion in the hands of a few to snoop on the many. This led to widespread public outcry and resulted in the human rights body Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) filing a writ petition before the Supreme Court. The counsel appearing for the Government of India did not question the authenticity of the report, which disclosed a lack of uniformity in the mode and manner of collecting and storing intercepted copies. In many cases, interception went on beyond the statutory mandate of 180 days only on oral assurances, and none of the procedural safeguards guaranteed under the Indian Telegraph Rules of 1951 were being complied with. The Supreme Court held, in its 1996 judgment , that while the sovereign right to carry out interception may be necessary in certain circumstances, the same cannot be enforced to sacrifice the privacy of citizens at the altar of democracy, since surveillance is the most intrusive form of encroachment of privacy. The Supreme Court stressed the need for appropriate safeguards to be laid down. The court also decided that there was no requirement of prior judicial scrutiny of the interception, and instead directed that the practice in the U.K., where an order of surveillance could only be passed by the highest offices of the bureaucratic setup, be followed. The power to issue orders for phone-tapping was thus conferred in the hands of the Secretary, Union Ministry of Home Affairs. As indicated in the previous part, the NSO Group has clarified that Pegasus works on a solitary surveillance request model, which means that the client State has to request for every suspect individually by sharing their contact number. In this way, it is more akin to wire-tapping technology, than to a mass-surveillance machine. In that context, it would be apposite to briefly examine the law which applies to the traditional wiretapping model of surveillance, including the safeguards that were laid down by the Supreme Court of India in its PUCL judgment, and draw parallels with the unique challenges that the technological innovation of Pegasus poses. Pegasuss tango with Indian Telegraph Act and Information Technology Act Some might argue that the sophisticated technology employed by Pegasus cannot possibly be regulated by archaic laws such as the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 and rest this assumption on the Biblical parable of putting new wine into old wineskins. This cannot be any farther from the truth as the entire scheme of the Indian Telegraph Act operates on a fundamental assumption that the power to carry our interception vests exclusively in the sovereign State. In other words, the power to order interception solely and exclusively vests in the officer appointed by the Central or State Government in this regard. Section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act further enjoins that there are a few fundamental conditions that have to be fulfilled for the valid exercise of powers of interception therein: 1. Such power can be exercised only by the central/state government or an officer appointed by either to exercise such powers; 2. The occasion to exercise the power of interception shall only arise if there is a public emergency or if it is in the interest of public safety; 3. Satisfaction has to be recorded in writing that it is necessary and expedient to do so in the interest of security of state, sovereignty and integrity of State, friendly relations with foreign nations, public order or for preventing incitement to the commission of an offence. Section 26 of the Telegraph Act prescribes a punishment of up to three years for unlawfully intercepting or disclosing, messages, or divulging the purport of signals. Section 7(2)(b ) empowers the central government to also frame appropriate rules for the precautions to be taken in order to prevent the improper interception or disclosure of messages. In the context of the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Information Technology (Procedures and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules, 2009 came to address the lacunae in the Telegraph Act, which does not define interception in the digital context. Instead of messages, the 2009 IT Rules provide for interception, decryption and monitoring of information which is broader in its ambit and covers a spectrum of data within its meaning. The definition of interception under Rule 2(l) now means the acquisition of the contents of any information carried out through the use of any means so that the information could be accessed by any person other than the sender or recipient of that information. The definition also includes the power to monitor, view, examine, inspect or even divert any information from its intended destination to a different destination. Similarly, the definition of monitor contained in Rule 2(o) brought within its ambit the power to record the information. The power to decrypt the information under Rule 2(f) would further entail the conversion of information in the non-intelligible form to an intelligible form through the complex use of algorithms and mathematical formulae to make the information intelligible. From a bare reading of the statutory scheme of both legislations, it clearly emerges that the power of the State to order interception is not subject to any supranational approval process. If it is established that the State has in fact submitted its request of surveillance of a suspect with evidence to NSO, that would be a process that hits the core of the legislative scheme and all the protections guaranteed and afforded under it. The statutory scheme provides additional protection to the press since accredited journalists and members of the press have additionally been safeguarded from interception in terms of the Proviso to Section 5(2) of the Telegraph Act, 1885 which in no uncertain terms maintains that press messages intended to be published in India of correspondents accredited to the Central Government or a State Government shall not be intercepted or detained, unless their transmission has been prohibited under this sub-section. This additional protection was engrafted into the statute to eliminate any chances of snooping by the State against journalists unless the transmission was prohibited under the grounds mentioned in Section 5(2). This clearly means that the State would have to establish that it has credible actionable information against every such journalist whose phone was intercepted and that there was an order to that effect passed by a competent officer appointed by the government who had passed an order recording his individual satisfaction as to the involvement of every journalist in acts which are against the security of the nation. However, no such protection is available to journalists and members of the press under the 2009 IT Rules. Assuming that the State does have actionable information on every Indian person who has been named in the Pegasus Projects alleged leaked list, and assuming further that every information discloses involvement in the commission of an act which is against the security of the nation which has been so recorded by reasoned order, what is baffling is that it would form part of a further request to the NSO Groups headquarters in Israel for a further assessment/review (as per the contractual terms revealed by NSO, which were examined in the previous part) on the basis of which Pegasus license would be issued to carry out surveillance on a case to case basis. This not only undermines national security but would also have a perilous effect on the sovereignty of the State itself since the Government of India would be trusting its data with a corporate entity. The same data containing sensitive actionable information, if released, would have disastrous implications for the sovereignty and integrity of India. In doing so, will the State not violate its own constitutional mandate by being an accessory to the disclosure of that information to a foreign corporate entity? Of Procedural Safeguards and fallacies The Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Rules, 2007 incorporated Rule 419A into the Indian Telegraph Rules, 1951 for providing additional safeguards to citizens. These safeguards also form part of the 2009 IT Rules. The only distinction between the two sets of Rules is that while an external agency is called a service provider in Rule 419A of the Telegraph Rules, the 2009 IT Rules use the expression intermediary. The order for interception can only be passed by the Secretary, Union Ministry of Home Affairs or the Secretary of Department of Home Affairs in the State Government, depending upon the nature of such request. A very crucial safeguard is the recording of the satisfaction of the officer that there are no other means through which this information can be accessed, and therefore interception is being carried out as a last resort. Other safeguards which are guaranteed under Rule 419A are: 1. The order carrying out interception shall be reviewed by a Review Committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary and a copy of the order will be sent to the Review Committee within seven days; 2. The order shall specify the person to whom the intercepted messages would be disclosed to and also specify that those messages are subject to the requirements of Section 5(2) of the Telegraph Act; 3. The power to intercept shall remain valid for a period of 60 days from the date of issuance of order, and in any case not extend over a period of 180 days; 4. Proper records have to be made about the messages which are intercepted, including a record of the officer to whom the disclosures have been made, the duration of the interception, and the mode and manner in which intercepted copies were made and destroyed; The service providers shall put in place adequate and effective internal checks to ensure that unauthorised interception of messages does not take place and extreme secrecy is maintained and utmost care and precaution is taken in the matter of interception of messages as it affects the privacy of citizens, and also that this matter is handled only by the designated nodal officers of the company. The employees of the service provider are also liable for offences under Sections 20A , 5.The service providers shall put in place adequate and effective internal checks to ensure that unauthorised interception of messages does not take place and extreme secrecy is maintained and utmost care and precaution is taken in the matter of interception of messages as it affects the privacy of citizens, and also that this matter is handled only by the designated nodal officers of the company. The employees of the service provider are also liable for offences under Sections 20 23 and 24 of the Telegraph Act for any unauthorised surveillance or interception. For NSO to be made amenable to these Rules, it would have to be established that NSO had in fact been appointed as a service provider by the Government before availing the services of the Pegasus spyware. There are no rules which lay down the procedure as to how an entity can become a service provider. One wonders: why would an Israeli company knowingly submit itself to the jurisdiction of one of its customers and would also undertake to be bound by the high standards set out in the provisions of Rule 419A(14) and 15 of the Telegraph Rules? Furthermore, can a foreign agency with its areas of operations and servers located abroad be even classified as a service provider? It certainly wouldnt be far-fetched to think that NSO could give a fly-by to the various procedural safeguards laid down by the Supreme Court in its PUCL judgment, which only found statutory recognition in Rule 419A almost a decade later. In the context of the IT Act, while Section 2(1) (w) of the Act defines an intermediary as any person who on behalf of another person receives, stores or transmits that record or provides any service with respect to that record and includes telecom service providers, web-housing service providers, search engines, online payment sites, online auction sites, online market places and cyber cafes, this functional definition is given a further expansion under the 2009 IT Rules, where the intermediary has now been conferred with additional tasks of interception, decryption and monitoring. However, on a bare reading of the contractual provisions claimed to be entered into by NSO with its client countries, it appears that it is the client/State which has to make the request, along with supporting evidence, which is then the subject matter of review/assessment by the companys management, instead of what has been contained in the Rules. If this was a mere contractual dispute, it could well have been argued that the specific contractual recital is against the wordings of statutory rules, and is therefore unenforceable as being fundamentally opposed to public policy as per Section 23 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872. But if the allegations reported by the Pegasus Project are true, and if the Government is, in fact, using the services of NSO, then the handing over of information with a request for surveillance seems to suggest that the law is subservient to a foreign contractual recital. It would also suggest that the sovereignty of our nation is subject to a contract dictated by a foreign company. Of Perception, International Covenants and the Constitution On a perceptual basis, can private persons or agencies be conferred with the right to store sensitive data, the misuse of which has all the makings of being a threat to the security of the nation? This question assumes even more significance when the entity is registered abroad. Even the Supreme Court of India, while upholding the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016, read down Section 57 of the Act, unequivocally holding that body corporates or private individuals cannot store sensitive data of the citizens. It was also observed that the metabase or digital repository of Aadhaar data cannot be stored, as it may result in a grave and serious national security risk. Understandably so, this led to Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016 being omitted in its entirety in the Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Act, 2019 If Indian companies and corporate bodies have been forbidden from storing, collating, or processing sensitive data belonging to citizens, how can a foreign company registered abroad be permitted to collect or store data which may pose a significant national security risk? How can the Government of India, with the most laudable of intentions be justified in sending such data to NSO? Would that not be a fundamental breach by the State of the right to privacy of its citizenry? Now, if the State is not a customer of NSO, then on the basis of information collected by Project Pegasus, NSO could face grave charges of hacking, which is a punishable offence under Section 66 of the IT Act since personal information including chats, phone calls, messages, video and audio files have been accessed without the information and consent of people. The ghost of the Northern California District Court verdict from July last year would come to haunt NSO again. With no data privacy law to protect its citizenry, India finds itself in a unique predicament, a sordid reminder of the Aadhaar enrolment drive, where data security was breached far too many times , and with citizens left without redressal. To borrow an expression from the controversial Mitrokhin Archive : India continues to be a Disneyland for anybody who is willing to offer the right price for the data of its citizens. From a constitutional perspective, while there is no doubt tension between the legitimate objective of preventing the commission of an offence or an anti-terror activity which may imperil the security of the state and the rights of privacy and freedom of speech and expression of its citizens, a fine balance has to be carved between the two so that the power is exercised only on the basis of actionable information. The Indian States power to regulate the former cannot be unfettered or unregulated and must be kept in check with appropriate safeguards. Electronic surveillance is one of the most invasive forms of intrusion into the privacy of an individual, and the fact that it could be committed by a non-State actor is against all tenets of rule of law. The liability of non-State actors for violation of human rights has been a subject of intense litigation before international judicial bodies, and principles of customary International law afford very little guidance in this regard. As a result, Nation-States continue to find more and more efficient and convenient means to evade their obligations under international covenants by seeking the assistance of private entities who pay no homage to such treaties and covenants. The conclusion arrived by all social contractarian theorists such as English philosophers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, and Genevan philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau was unanimous: that the State is the custodian of the security of its citizens, and that understanding forms the bedrock of the constitutional powers which the State could exercise to preserve its citizens security. Will the cosurveillance model with a foreign entity shake the tectonic plates of the Constitution? If the State is in breach of its own commitment, one could only seek solace in Mark Antonys famous words in the Shakespearean play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar: This was the most unkindest cut of all. Click here to read Part-I ( https://www.moneylife.in/article/is-it-the-last-flight-for-pegasus-part-i/64599.html ) (Nipun Saxena is an advocate at the Supreme Court of India. The views expressed are personal.) In the recent Cabinet reshuffle, new Union minister Narayan Rane for the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) took charge. Coming from the MSME-intensive state like Maharashtra, the sector has a lot to look up to from him. The first challenge today is enhancing the institutional share of credit to the sector to at least 50% from just 23% MSME units. The second challenge is, developing a public credit registry to provide dependence on secured data as the base for lending, replacing collaterals and guarantees. A few days before departing, his predecessor had announced that the sector will be provided with a credit rating tool. Viewed as a strong pillar of Indias economic growth, the MSME sector has undergone definitional change in July 2020 with the modification that tourism and travel sectors, as services, can register as MSMEs, as long as they fulfil the turnover criterion. Several other progressive changes also occurred during the past two years with a number of portals directing MSMEs to avail the incentives and other services online. Even before a solution to such an imbroglio could emerge, the news that a rating tool for MSMEs, as is used in Japan, is getting constructed, comes as a surprise. Earlier Credit Rating Efforts In 2005, Small and Medium Enterprise Rating Agency (SMERA) was set up as a joint venture (JV) between the Small Industrial Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and Dun & Bradstreet, specifically to rate the MSMEs even as there were several other rating agencies like CRISIL, ICRA, and Fitch, whose focus was on large corporates. As an incentive, performance and credit rating scheme (PCRS) was simultaneously launched. The objective at that time was to incentivise banks to lend fast to the sector and also at preferential rates of interest. For the first credit rating availed by any MSME from SMERA, 75% of the rating fee was reimbursed under the scheme. All other rating agencies also quickly set up MSME divisions to enhance their pie in the rated portfolio of the banks with no value addition to either the lender or the borrower. Then, an 8-point rating scale was developed specifically for the MSMEs, considering their business, financial, operational and management risks, giving higher weightage to the operating capability of the enterprise and lower weight to the balance sheet ratios. In May 2018, SMERA changed its name to Acuite Ratings & Research Ltd to position itself as a full-service rating agency with a diverse client base, as SME ratings accounted for less than 50% of its clientele base. Visit to the enterprise is an imperative for all the rating agencies to record their direct observations on maintenance of records, stocks and machinery and related invoices. Going by the risk appetite of the banks for this sector, all these efforts were a damp squib. Credit reporting is essentially a commodity business. That commodity is data and the credit rating companies (CRCs) found a lucrative niche for decades as information brokers that transform raw credit data into value-added credit information products for banks and other credit-granting entities. (Rosse, 2017) For MSMEs in India, the data requirements are huge because banks adopt the principle of suspect and respect the client instead of the reverse. Every MSME is viewed with suspicion, as though they themselves are saints and know-alls in credit risk assessment. The use of analytics has been by far the lowest as all banks relied only on the annual balance sheets and tax payments data (income tax I-T, goods, and services taxGST) and this data reflects the situation on a particular day in a year and not cash-flows during the year. In the wake of the Equifax episode in the US, the credit rating agencies there were put on alert for resettling their risk models. This was not just a fallback of the 2008 recession. Irregularities in rating institutions have not been unique to the US. In India, most of the corporate ratings proved wrong and that reached a climax with the Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS), Dewan Housing Finance Limited (DHFL) and many others, disproving even commercial banks basic credit risk assessment capabilities. Data on the entrepreneur, his or her family, enterprise, environment, customer behaviour, creditor response, credit behaviour and payment culture, plays an important role in insulating the credit risk assessment and view it as the security. When 98% of enterprises are owner driven, with fragile balance sheets either under proprietary or partnership status of a firm, it is such data availability that would play a crucial role. Such data requirements could expand when agri-food product chains require finance to the related crop, seasonality, production and price trends of the base raw material, storage capacity and life of the product. The latest thinking emerged from the open credit enablement networks (OCEN) prevailing in Japan, based on account aggregator framework. It has been made out that such a framework enables the creation of a credit risk data (CRD) pool involving banks and non-banking finance companies (NBFCs). Financial and default data of the sector is expected to be the basis. The main benefits of CRD include the development of credit scoring models based on nationwide data and the availability of benchmarks for different segments of the MSME sector, according to a working paper (March 2021) by Savita Shankar, School of Social Policy and Practice, University of Pennsylvania. The question remains: Where is this reliable nationwide data, as most data that is posted is rarely verified? All this effort is directed to those who have access to institutional credit. Unless the effort results in making most MSMEs realise the need for registering on the existing data base, in the first place, and going digital in the second place, no useful purpose will be served by mere announcement of yet another effort in rating tool creation as a panacea for collateral and guarantee free credit flow to the sector. When credit growth since the pandemic broke, despite the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan claims of the union finance minister, it is just hovering around 5% to 6%, and with the number of enterprises accessing institutional credit remaining almost static, delivery mechanisms for credit, if based on OCEN, would only take a longer time for the MSMEs to recover and for the Banks to embrace the tool. (The writer is an economist and risk management specialist and author of the Story of Indian MSMEs.) PERKASIE Family members told Bob Hosier they were taking him out to eat. Moultrie, GA (31768) Today Scattered thunderstorms during the morning becoming more widespread this afternoon. High near 80F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Variably cloudy with scattered thunderstorms. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Jacy Lewis/ Reporter-Telegram Odessa Arts will host a grant-writing workshop for organizations interested in applying for 2022 grant cycle from 10:30 a.m. to noon Tuesday at the MCM Elegante, 5200 E. University in Odessa. To be eligible for a grant, an organization must attend one session. The grant workshop is free, but registration is required. The registration link can be found here. Odessa Arts provides grants for events and programs that promote the arts in Ector County and encourage tourism to the area. Grants will be awarded in September for the calendar year 2021. Organizations can RSVP by calling 337-1492 or emailing ramzi@odessaarts.org. Space is limited. Oil and gas companies are always on the lookout for highly skilled talent when looking to fill open positions. Where do they look for a strong talent pool? How do they generate positive leads to fill those positions? What are the skills they look for? These are some questions that recruiters, human resources and talent acquisition departments ask every time they must either replace a person or hire for a new position. Midland College (MC) Energy Technology and Diesel Technology Programs have developed strong partnerships with local oil and gas companies to help answer some of these questions and fill the employment gap here in the Permian Basin. There is representation from upstream, midstream and downstream companies. The partnerships are made up of large corporations such as Chevron, Oxy, Ovintiv and SM Energy, as well as independents such as Endeavor and CrownQuest, just to mention a few. These companies are a very integral part of the educational process. Where do they look for a strong talent pool? Conveniently located in the Permian Basin, MC provides an ideal starting point. As a community college, MC is committed to provide a strong talent pool with individuals that possess a strong foundational skill set. All faculty in the Energy and Diesel Programs have industry experience in oil and gas or the diesel equipment industries. This ensures that students are not only receiving the theory aspect of instruction, but also instruction from a practical real-world experience. All courses consist of lecture plus actual hands-on labs. The hands-on labs help to reinforce content and allows students to apply what they have learned in the classroom. How do they generate positive leads to fill those positions? Industry partners are invited to speak to students about opportunities within their respective companies. Some of them attend classes as guest lecturers or speak about a day in the life of an engineer, field service tech, natural gas compressor mechanic, etc. These opportunities provide students with the day to day functions of a job in the oil and gas industry. Moreover, it establishes name recognition for the company and allows students to begin networking with individual companies. What are the skills they look for? Every company wants an individual that is already well-versed and experienced, but in reality, those types of individuals are a rare find. MC works hand in hand with our industry partners to ensure that students are well-equipped with the fundamental skills necessary to be successful in the oil and gas industry. Our advisory board which consists of a diverse group of individuals from these companies provide feedback in regards to new innovations and changes within the industry. Based on their input MC will make curriculum changes to the Energy and Diesel programs to ensure students possess skills that are current and relative. The partnership goes beyond providing subject matter expert involvement. These companies also provide scholarships as well as donations of equipment. Scholarships support students in the Energy and Diesel Programs. Over the course of a year Oxy, Chevron, Ovintiv, Archrock, Midland West Rotary Club have donated in excess of $35,000 toward scholarships. Archrock donated a compressor package valued at approximately $200,000. Other industry partners such as Endeavor, JohnDeere Yellowhouse, and Caterpillar have donated everything from pumps, engines, transmissions to downhole equipment. They are making an investment in our students future with these types of donations. Partnerships between Midland College and the oil and gas industry is an important and vital part to developing a well-rounded skilled individual that is prepared to enter the workforce. Midland College is the gateway for these employers in being able to provide an employee with a fundamentally strong base. We are extremely fortunate to be in the Permian Basin. We are here to support each other for the long haul. COVID-19 cases have been surging in Texas and nationally mostly among unvaccinated people as the highly contagious delta variant has become dominant. While dozens of variants have spawned from the original COVID-19 virus, health experts say the delta variant is the most transmissible so far. Research also shows its leading to higher rates of hospitalization for those infected. Health officials are also worried about the current stalled vaccination rates in the state and country, which have given the virus room to spread. As of Tuesday, nearly 43% of Texans have been fully vaccinated. The state continues to lag behind the national vaccination rate of 48.8%, according to the Mayo Clinic. Earlier this month, the states positivity rate the ratio of confirmed cases to tests went above 10% for the first time since February, a threshold that Gov. Greg Abbott has previously identified as dangerous. Statewide, hospitalizations have increased this month as well. Whats the delta variant of the coronavirus? Viruses frequently change by mutating, including the coronavirus. Its challenging to know the exact number of variants out there globally or in Texas, health experts say. Checking for these variants happens by analyzing a random sample of COVID-19 tests, so there is a possibility that some mutations might be missed. With all viruses, some variants eventually disappear while others persist. Only time will tell how different variants will affect people and how extensive they will be. The most effective way to curb new variants is to prevent spreading the virus and giving it a chance to mutate. That delta variant, known by scientists as B.1.617.2, was first discovered in India. It triggered a devastating outbreak there in April and May and has since spread to at least 100 other countries, attacking areas where vaccination rates are the lowest. How else should I protect myself? If youre able to do so, health experts say the best thing to do is to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The CDC also recommends avoiding poorly ventilated venues and large crowds, washing your hands often, covering your coughs and sneezes, cleaning and sanitizing highly touched surfaces daily, and monitoring your health daily. Texas health experts have also recommended staying away from people who arent following COVID-19 safety protocols. How contagious is the delta variant? Proteins on the outer spikes of the delta variant are stickier, making it more transmissible than other variants, said Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, an epidemiologist at the University of Texas School of Public Health in Dallas. Studies have shown that the delta variant is up to 60% more transmissible than the previous leading variant, the alpha variant. A study from Scotland found that the hospitalization rate of those who contracted the delta variant was about 85% higher than those fighting the alpha variant. The variants symptoms are more similar to those of a cold headaches, sore throat, runny nose and fevers than common COVID-19 symptoms such as coughing and loss of smell, according to the COVID Symptom Study, a project by doctors and scientists to track the symptoms and spread of the virus. Fully vaccinated people can and have gotten COVID-19. However, these cases are overwhelmingly asymptomatic or mild. These types of cases are known as breakthrough infections, but experts say they are uncommon. Fully vaccinated people who become seriously ill, hospitalized or die are even rarer, The New York Times reports. But this also means that vaccinated people may spread COVID-19 to others. Will the vaccine protect me? According to Yale Medicine, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 88% effective against symptomatic cases of the delta variant and 96% effective against hospitalizations. Researchers are still studying the efficacy of the Moderna vaccine against the delta variant but believe it may work similarly to Pfizer. The one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine is far less effective at preventing coronavirus infections from the delta variant, according to a study from New York University. Current data shows the people who are at most risk are those who are unvaccinated. No vaccine is 100% effective at preventing the spread of a virus, but studies and research have shown that the COVID-19 vaccines are effective at reducing the risk of serious illness. Reuters reports that 97% of people entering hospitals in the United States with COVID-19 are unvaccinated. Nationwide, deaths are up 26%, with outbreaks occurring in parts of the country with low vaccination rates, according to the CDC earlier this month. Since early February, 8,787 people have died in Texas due to COVID-19. At least 43 were fully vaccinated. That means 99.5% of people who died due to COVID-19 in Texas from Feb. 8 to July 14 were unvaccinated, while 0.5% were the result of breakthrough infections, which the Texas Department of State Health Services defines as people who contracted the virus two weeks after being fully vaccinated. These breakthrough infections are rare, according to health experts. But some worry the small percentage of fully vaccinated people who do end up getting the virus could develop long COVID, a poorly understood group of symptoms that people experience four or more weeks after first being infected with the virus. Whos eligible for the vaccine? All people 12 and older are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in Texas. Children ages 12-17 can get the Pfizer vaccine, but COVID-19 vaccines are not mandatory for Texas students. Based on several factors, medical experts believe the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective even for the medically vulnerable. But several studies are in the works, including trials and research happening in Texas, to deepen scientific understanding of how the vaccines affect people with immune disorders, cancer and transplant patients who are taking immunosuppressant medications, and people who have allergies. State and local health officials say that vaccine supply is healthy enough to meet demand across much of Texas. Most chain pharmacies and many independent ones have a ready supply of vaccine doses, which is administered free and mainly on a walk-in basis. Many private doctors offices also have doses. And you can check current lists of large vaccine hubs that are still operating here. Public health departments also have vaccines. You can register with the Texas Public Health Vaccine Scheduler either online or by phone. And businesses or civic organizations can set up vaccine clinics to offer it to employers, visitors, customers or members. Medical experts recommend that people who have had COVID-19 should still get the vaccine. If someones treatment included monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma, they should talk to their doctor before scheduling a vaccine appointment. The CDC recommends that people who received those treatments should wait 90 days before getting the vaccine. Disclosure: The New York Times 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. Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, signed a civil warrant for the arrest of state Rep. Philip Cortez, a San Antonio Democrat who on Sunday rejoined his colleagues in Washington, D.C., to help prevent the passage of a GOP-backed election bill. The warrant is not likely to have impact since Texas law enforcement lacks jurisdiction outside the state, though it is the first one signed by the speaker since over 50 House Democrats left the state to block Republicans from having the quorum needed to pass legislation during the special legislative session that began earlier this month. Last week, Cortez returned to Austin from D.C. in what he said was an attempt to engage in "good faith dialogue" about House Bill 3, the voting restrictions legislation. Other Democrats criticized Cortez's move, saying the lawmaker did not first consult with them before returning to Austin. By Sunday, Cortez was back in D.C., saying in a statement that "discussions on improving" the legislation had "not produced progress." In a statement Monday, Phelan said that Cortez had "represented to me and his fellow members that he wanted to work on policy and find solutions to bring his colleagues back to Texas." "As a condition of being granted permission to temporarily leave the House floor, Rep. Cortez promised his House colleagues that he would return," the speaker said in a statement. "Instead, he fled the state and has irrevocably broken my trust and the trust of this chamber." Cortez did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. After Democrats left the state, the House voted overwhelmingly to issue what's known as a "call of the House" in an effort to regain quorum. Part of that effort included sending law enforcement after those Democrats, though Republicans acknowledged that state authorities couldn't force lawmakers back to the Capitol so long as they remained out of state. The current special session is slated to end Aug. 6, and Democrats have said they do not plan to return to the state before then. Gov. Greg Abbott has said he plans to call additional special sessions to get his priority legislation passed. The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans and engages with them about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. Congratulations to the students and teachers at Travis Elementary. You made your improvement happen, and there are a lot of Midlanders who couldnt be prouder. We talked with Bethany Solis, executive director of IDEA Public Schools of the Permian Basin, and she said that using the ratings system of 2019 the last time grades were given to campuses that IDEA Travis would have been given the grade of a B. That is rare territory for MISD schools only four campuses in the district received an A or B in 2019 and it is a huge accomplishment for the elementary school in southeast Midland. Travis was not only a failing school but had one of the longest failing streaks in the state. But the past appears to be the past. While there is room to grow with absolute results, the growth has been good enough to put an elite rating well, elite for Midland -- on the campus. Still, this is the type of education news that many of us want to see. The No. 1 priority for the school district should be academic performance, and when we see dramatic improvement, our community should celebrate it. We should also ask how it happened, and if there is anything that can be replicated across the district. Sadly, there are going to be some who dont want to celebrate this academic good news. They are going to make unfounded accusations about IDEA Travis cherry-picking its student population. They are going to be critical of Midland ISDs partnership with a charter program (IDEA Public Schools). They are going to come up with reasons to dislike the IDEA Travis news they read and the improvement being experienced. There might be even be elected representatives who acknowledge the improvement but attempt to temper excitement, saying that these types of partnerships are not in the best interest of the school district. Heres what I would tell any of those people. Midland needs achievement, not institutional protectionism. Midland needs an education system that can go from an F to B during a year when a pandemic rocked our education world. IDEA Travis didnt make excuses, just gains in the classroom. And if it was so easy, it would have been done before. We wouldnt have forced that campus to be among the worst in the state. Midlanders should be excited about this new chapter in education. Midlanders should be pleased that the school board opted for a solution that didnt require the closing of a campus but allowed what is still basically a neighborhood school to serve its own students. They also should see this as a win for the education of Hispanics in Midland. 83 percent of Travis students met or exceeded their individual growth goal on the STAAR exam; 62 percent of all English Learners met their English proficiency growth goal; An average of 1.5 years was made up during a year dominated by COVID. that students in grades 3-5, averaged improvement in their reading by a grade and a half, that 93 percent of Travis students met or exceeded their growth target in math; In pre-K through second grade, only about 5 percent were reading on grade level at the beginning of the year. By the end of the 2020-21 campaign, 70 percent were on level with where they should be in that curriculum. It is exciting, and I am proud of their growth, but they will be the top students in Midland. Period, IDEA Travis Executive Principal Hailey McCarthy said. They will outperform everyone else. It will take a little time. Solis added, I mean, these are the things that people think are impossible, right? That a school that fails so many years Oh, it's not possible for those kids to progress that far in one year. No, it is. Because it was never the kids fault to begin with. We knew before that IDEA Public Schools was the proven commodity. Now, Midland has experienced how good IDEA can be here -- in one of the worst performing districts in the state. Our community should look forward to any expansion of IDEA in our community either on its own or as a partner of the district. We also should encourage that as the school district makes a call for quality to improve another MISD school that IDEA gets earnest consideration. The business and philanthropic community in Midland believes in IDEA. Now, we know why. Its time the rest of us say, Lets see more of what is happening at an improving school like Travis. It is better for education in Midland. For 11 seasons, actor William H. Macy played the lead role of alcoholic, abusive patriarch Frank Gallagher on the Showtime series Shameless. As a drunken schemer capable of any manner of selfishness and deceit, Gallagher instigated endless pain and frustration for his on-screen children, notably the eldest Fiona (Emmy Rossum) and her brother Lip (Jeremy Allen White). But Macy himself, naturally, couldnt be more different: Hes polite, enthusiastic about art and what it can give people, and was known for playing ukulele on set between takes, of course. I play it quietly and gently so it doesnt bother people, Macy said, I heard from a lot of people, including the producers, that it is so soothing. Just that sound wafting over the soundstage lowers peoples blood pressure. Macy, who introduced himself as Bill, has been singing the praises of his favorite instrument for years. Watch him on CBS This Morning in 2014, talking about the amazing instrument, and you can listen to him sing about Wild Hogs and roast his co-stars on Oprah four years earlier. He keeps eight just in his office, likes to write vulgar songs with titles like You Dont Know Where This Dick Has Been and I Love F**ked up Women and even likes to leave them lying around his home: If I walk by my uke on the couch, he said, Ill play it for five minutes. Cordoba Protoge Concert Ukulele Cordoba Protege U1 Concert Ukulele Natural Cordoba musiciansfriend.com $79.00 Shop Now When the COVID pandemic hit in 2020, Macy decided to use his favorite instrument to show appreciation for people put out of work. As spokesman for Woody Creek Distillery, he wrote a tribute song to out-of-work bartenders called Why I Put My Pants On. His wife, actress Felicity Huffman, shot it on her iPhone, and after some editing and color correction, they published the video online. Macy wasnt the only one drawn to the ukulele during that dark period: It was the most popular instrument on Amazon during the early months of the pandemic, and other retailers saw similar spikes. I cant give you numbers, but it turned into the hand sanitizer of the musical instrument world said Brad Johnson, Director of Acoustic Instruments and Guitar Accessories at Guitar Center. This is surprisingly common: Americans have historically turned toward acoustic instruments during times of strife. CF Martin, they saw a spike in instrument sales during the Spanish Flu, Johnson said. They then saw, going into World War II, a big ukulele boom they had to add on to their factory just to meet demand. During the '60s, the Vietnam War, acoustic instruments of all type had a boom. And I was working at Guitar Center post September 11, so I saw that spike myself. It seems like expressing yourself is a natural, and effective, way to cope with stress and the ukulele fits that specific niche by fulfilling three key categories: Its versatile, relatively easy to learn, and comes with a great community. Ukuleles are versatile When you pull out a ukulele, people laugh, Macy said. Especially a Soprano uke. It looks like a toy! If you want to entertain people, its always good to start with a laugh. Though most famous for its association with Hawaiian music Israel Kamakawiwo'oles cover of Somewhere Over the Rainbow is likely the first song people think of when they think of the instrument but the truth is its everywhere. You see people transposing Beatles tunes or whatever, Johnson said, doing the solo to Beat It, hammer-ons, whatever. It spans generation and genre and gender. A very unifying instrument. There are so many different kinds of ukes, Macy said. Theres a big difference between a Baritone and a Soprano. Fender, the sweet people, sent me a uke thats shaped like a Stratocaster. Fender Fullerton Stratocaster Ukulele Sunburst Fender musiciansfriend.com $199.99 Shop Now This variety has led to interesting experimentation. You should turn people on to the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, Macy said excitedly, Its an orchestra of ukes! Theyve baritone ukes and soprano ukes, all kinds of different stuff. And theyre very funny! Ukuleles are easy to learn Macy wasnt always a ukulele player he grew up with a guitar. It wasnt until after filming Boogie Nights in the mid 1990s when director Paul Thomas Anderson held an impromptu talent show to celebrate with the caveat that you had to do something youd never done before. Macy picked up a Martin ukulele at a nearby Guitar Center, and though he didnt win (Im still pissed about that, he joked) he also never picked up a guitar again. Martin T1K Koa Tenor Ukulele Martin Musician's Friend $499.00 Shop Now Not many people know this: If you can play a guitar, you can play a ukulele, Macy explained. Theyve got different names, but the shapes are the same. For musicians out there: A standard ukulele tuning is G C E A, which are five semitones higher than the top four strings of a guitar. In other words, if you play a D chord on a uke, itll sound like a G. Its daunting to many people to bar chords on a guitar. On a uke, its a piece of cake, Macy continues. Ive got big, fat hands it doesnt matter. IZ (Kamakawiwoole), the famous Hawaiian musician, he had a set a mitts and he could play. So its really accessible. One tip? Dont beat yourself up about technique at least, not at first. People get hung up on strumming, says Macy. Id advise people not to worry about it, itll come. Even if all you do is play downbeats, you can get a lot of music by singing along. The ukulele community In addition to just keeping ukuleles around, Macy explains that he loves to give them as gifts, or suggest visitors start playing them. When we wrapped Shameless, after 11 years (in April of 2021), I gave everyone a ukulele, Macy said. Jim Beloff is sort of the godfather of the uke these days, Macy said. He puts out these little books, and in each one he arranges songs. Hes got Jim Beloffs Camp Ukulele, Jim Beloffs Daily Ukulele. Hes got a couple Beatles songs. Wonderful arrangements. Jumpin' Jim's Camp Ukulele Flea Market Music, Inc. amazon.com $14.95 Shop Now Macy shared Beloffs catchphrase, uke can save the world, which embodies what people love about the instrument: Its powerful without being the least bit intimidating. You can play it loud, like Jake Shimabukuro covering Bohemian Rhapsody, or quietly, like Macy on the set of Shameless, and itll always have that same effect. The ukulele doesnt interfere, says Macy. It just calms everything down. How Students From Rwanda and Liberia Have Found a Home at Muhlenberg Since 2014, the College has partnered with an organization that identifies exceptional women from post-conflict countries and supports them as they pursue a U.S. education. By: Meghan Kita Tuesday, July 27, 2021 09:16 AM Illustration by iStock Starting about 10 years ago, Muhlenberg made a concerted effort to recruit outside the U.S. The number of international students on campus peaked at 90 in the 2017-2018 academic year, up from only five a decade before. A small but critical part of this international recruitment effort began in 2014. Thats when the College signed on as a partner with the SHE-CAN coalition, which supports extraordinary women from post-conflict countries as they pursue a college education in the United States. Everything we do with international recruitment is done with the goal of creating a more global learning experience for all students at Muhlenberg, says Mandi Haines, director of international recruitment. Being partners with SHE-CAN gives us the opportunity not just to expand the diversity of our international student population but also to give a full scholarship to a student for whom thats really life-changing. SHE-CAN, which stands for Supporting Her Education Changes a Nation, has sent scholars to Muhlenberg from Rwanda and Liberia. The coalition first recruits a class of scholars via a rigorous application process. Once those scholars have been selected, they take a gap year to study for and take standardized tests and otherwise prepare to apply to U.S. colleges. SHE-CAN also provides a group of mentors to help each scholar. My mentors helped me throughout my application process, says Jenny Maxwell 24 (pictured, right), a Liberian scholar who plans to major in business administration with minors in innovation & entrepreneurship and womens & gender studies. They have been a real support system, even before I moved to the U.S. They are not just there for academic support but for moral and emotional support as well. The mentors and the SHE-CAN staff also help guide scholars toward a partner institution where theyd be a good fit. (Muhlenberg is one of 13 U.S. institutions accepting SHE-CAN scholars.) For Rwandan scholar Eunice Umubyeyi 21, a computer science major with minors in French & francophone studies and statistics, that was Muhlenberg. Im not great with big group settings. I want to know people on a personal level, she says. Muhlenberg was perfect for that. The small class sizes were amazing. I thrived in that environment. I learned peoples names; they learned mine. I felt valued and seen. Muhlenberg offers a full cost of attendance scholarship to one SHE-CAN scholar each year, the only full scholarship the College grants to international students. Umubyeyi (pictured, right) says that the College went above and beyond to support her, financially and otherwise, during her time as a student. For example, when she wanted to participate in a short-term study abroad opportunity her sophomore year, the Office of International Student Supportand specifically its director, Tom Janishelped rally various offices and funding sources to make it happen. She was allowed to stay on campus during winter break, something not all other scholars in her cohort attending other institutions were allowed to do, and she graduated completely debt-free. The international students office is, wow10 out of 10, she says. Tom really fought for me to have different experiences and feel supported. Haines says that the College values its relationship with SHE-CAN because its mission aligns so well with Muhlenbergs. SHE-CAN does a lot more than partner with institutions and bring us great students to enroll, Haines says. They are helping create strong women leaders who will impact their communities and home countries. It's a privilege for Muhlenberg to have a role in that. Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription, or activate your access, to continue reading. Discuss this article with your neighbors or join the community conversation. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. BEARDSTOWN JBS USA is pledging $20 million to help fund affordable housing projects in several communities that are home to their facilities, including Beardstown. With the need for more housing in the area, JBS is working with the city and county to help establish a new housing development in the area. Nikki Richardson, a spokeswoman for JBS, said the funding is one way the company is meeting the needs of their employees. As a large employer, we believe it is our responsibility to find creative ways to support the needs of our team members and our communities, Richardson said. There is currently a lack of affordable housing in areas like Beardstown, and JBS USA wants to be part of the solution to that challenge. Beardstown Mayor Tim Harris said the city is excited for the opportunity to partner with the county and JBS on the project, though details still have to be worked out. There is definitely a need for additional housing in Beardstown, Harris said. JBS wants to cooperate with us any way they can to make that happen. Harris said the various groups are looking at locations and options for the development, which could be done in stages and expanded as needed. Though JBS is providing some funding, the city and county also are looking at other options for funding, including other grants and organizations that would help cover the cost, Harris said. The development would provide affordable buying options for the community, he said. These will be medium-income-type housing, Harris said. JBS has a large number of employees that are seeking housing. These will not be just for JBS employees, but it will provide more options in the community. New housing would open up other housing in the community, or rentals. Once completed, the housing units would be sold, though Harris said he is not sure who would be in charge of that process. The process is ongoing, with an eye toward having more details available soon, Richardson said. We are in the process of determining what this process and investment will look like in Beardstown and will share more details when possible, Richardson said. JBS USA is very excited about this initiative as we work to create opportunity and a better future for our team members, and develop stronger rural communities around the country. There is not a timeline for the project, though Harris hopes to have plans in place this year and to get things started as soon as possible, he said. WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden said Monday the U.S. combat mission in Iraq will conclude by the end of the year, an announcement that reflects the reality on the ground more than a major shift in U.S. policy. Even before Biden took office, the main U.S. focus has been assisting Iraqi forces, not fighting on their behalf. And Biden did not say if he planned to reduce the number of troops in Iraq, now about 2,500. The announcement comes on the heels of Bidens decision to withdraw fully from Afghanistan nearly 20 years after the U.S. launched that war in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Together, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have heavily taxed the U.S. military and kept it from devoting more attention to a rising China, which the Biden administration calls the biggest long-term security challenge. For years, U.S. troops have played support roles in Iraq and in neighboring Syria, which was the origin of the Islamic State group that swept across the border in 2014 and captured large swaths of Iraqi territory, prompting the U.S. to send troops back to Iraq that year. Speaking to reporters during an Oval Office session with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Biden said his administration remained committed to a partnership with Iraq a relationship that has been increasingly complicated by Iranian-backed Iraqi militia groups. The militias want all U.S. troops out of Iraq immediately and have periodically attacked bases that house American troops. Dan Caldwell, a senior adviser to Concerned Veterans for America, said U.S. troops will remain at risk. Regardless of whether their deployment is called a combat mission, U.S. troops will remain under regular attack as long as they remain in Iraq, Caldwell said in a statement. An American military presence in Iraq is not necessary for our safety and only risks the loss of more American life. Biden said the U.S. military will continue to assist Iraq in its fight against the Islamic State group, or ISIS. A joint U.S.-Iraq statement said the security relationship will be focused on training, advising and intelligence-sharing. "Our shared fight against ISIS is critical for the stability of the region and our counterterrorism operation will continue, even as we shift to this new phase were going to be talking about, Biden said. The shift from a U.S. combat role to one focused on training and advising the Iraqi security forces was announced in April, when a joint U.S.-Iraqi statement said this transition allowed for the removal from Iraq of any remaining U.S. combat forces on a timetable to be determined later. It did not specify what combat functions the U.S. was engaged in then, nor did Biden get into such specifics on Monday. Were not going to be, by the end of the year, in a combat mission, he said. White House press secretary Jen Psaki declined to say how many troops would remain in Iraq by year's end. "The numbers will be driven by what is needed for the mission over time, so it is more about moving to a more advising and training capacity from what we have had over the last several years, she said. The U.S. troop presence has stood at about 2,500 since late last year when then-President Donald Trump ordered a reduction from 3,000. The Iraqi government in 2017 declared victory over the Islamic State group, which is now a shell of its former self. Still, it has shown it can carry out high-casualty attacks. Last week, the group claimed responsibility for a roadside bombing that killed at least 30 people and wounded dozens in a busy suburban Baghdad market. In his remarks alongside Biden, al-Kadhimi thanked the United States for its support. Back home, al-Kadhimi faces no shortage of problems. Iranian-backed militias operating inside Iraq have stepped up attacks against U.S. forces in recent months, and a series of devastating hospital fires that left dozens of people dead and soaring coronavirus infections have added fresh layers of frustration for the nation. For al-Kadhimi, the ability to offer the Iraqi public a date for the end of the U.S. combat presence could be a feather in his cap before elections scheduled for October. Biden administration officials say al-Kadhimi also deserves credit for improving Iraqs standing in the Mideast. Last month, King Abdullah II of Jordan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visited Baghdad for joint meetings the first time an Egyptian president has made an official visit since the 1990s, when ties were severed after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. The Iraqi prime minister made clear before his trip to Washington that he believes its time for the U.S. to wind that mission down. There is no need for any foreign combat forces on Iraqi soil, al-Kadhimi told The Associated Press last weekend. The U.S. mission of training and advising Iraqi forces has its most recent origins in President Barack Obamas decision in 2014 to send troops back to Iraq. The move was made in response to the Islamic State groups takeover of large portions of western and northern Iraq and a collapse of Iraqi security forces that appeared to threaten Baghdad. Obama had fully withdrawn U.S. forces from Iraq in 2011, eight years after the U.S. invasion. Pentagon officials for years have tried to balance what they see as a necessary military presence to support the Iraqi governments fight against IS with domestic political sensitivities in Iraq to a foreign troop presence. The vulnerability of U.S. troops was demonstrated most dramatically in January 2020 when Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on al-Asad air base in western Iraq. No Americans were killed, but dozens suffered traumatic brain injury from the blasts. That attack came shortly after a U.S. drone strike killed Iranian military commander Qassim Soleimani and senior Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis at Baghdad International Airport. ___ Associated Press writer Samya Kullab contributed to this report. CAIRO (AP) An apartment building in the Egyptian capital of Cairo collapsed on Tuesday, killing a man while rescue workers hours later pulled his wife alive from under the rubble, officials said. The woman spent more than five hours buried under the rubble of the four-story building in the citys Waraq neighborhood, officials said. She was taken to hospital. No other residents were believed to be inside the building at the time of the collapse. BOSTON (AP) A once celebrated young Massachusetts mayor urged a court on Tuesday to throw out a jury's verdict convicting him of fraud and corruption, accusing prosecutors of carrying out an unfair smear campaign in the courtroom." Lawyers for former Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia said in court papers asking the judge to acquit him that the evidence against Correia was remarkably shallow" and that his convictions cannot stand. When a precocious young mayor is accused of defrauding investors and extorting small business owners as well as betraying the voters and cheating on his taxes, the jury can be forgiven for jumping to the conclusion, without sufficient evidence, that he must be guilty," attorneys Daniel Marx and William Fick wrote. "Now, however, this Court must take a hard look at the evidence... to ensure that justice is done." Correias lawyers are urging the judge to order a new trial if any of the counts against him stand. They say the fraud and corruption cases against him should have been tried separately. Correia was found guilty in May of extortion, fraud and filing false tax returns after a trial that highlighted his swift rise and fall in Fall River, where he charmed voters at the age of 23 by portraying himself as a successful entrepreneur who could revive the struggling old mill city. Corriea was convicted of stealing money from investors in his start-up to bankroll his lavish lifestyle and soliciting bribes from marijuana vendors who wanted to operate in the struggling mill city. Throughout the trial, prosecutors portrayed Correia as a serial liar, who they said misled voters in order to get elected just like they said he duped investors. Prosecutors say Correia looted a bank account filled with investor money to pay for things like a helicopter tour of Newport, Rhode Island, a Mercedes, a $300 bottle of cologne and a $700 pair of Christian Louboutin shoes for his girlfriend. Correia insisted he was innocent and attacked the charges as politically motivated. After leaving Bostons federal courthouse after his conviction, Correia told reporters his fight is not over and predicted he would win on appeal. Correia is scheduled to be sentenced in September. American Red Cross is experiencing a blood-donation shortage, which it said is affecting hospital requests nationwide. The organization says it needs to cover a 12% increase in demand and collect more than 1,000 additional donations a day. All blood types are needed, especially the universal type O, which is at a one-day supply. Donors can make an appointment online at redcrossblood.org. In addition, there will be a donation drive from noon to 6 p.m. Aug. 12 at First Christian Church at 390 N. Liberty St. in Rushville. Darren Iozia HELSINKI (AP) Swedish public prosecutors said Tuesday they have charged an Iranian citizen with committing grave war crimes during the final phase of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. The Swedish Prosecution Authority said the suspect worked in July-August 1988 as an assistant to the deputy prosecutor in the Gohardasht prison outside the Iranian city of Karaj and allegedly took part in severe atrocities there. During the eight-year Iran-Iraq conflict, Iran was subjected to attacks by the Peoples Mujahedin of Iran, a political-militant organization, which advocated overthrowing the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran and installing its own government. The Swedish prosecutors said Irans then supreme leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, issued an order for the execution of all prisoners in Iranian prisons who sympathized and remained loyal with the Mujahedin organization. Due to that order, a large number of prisoners were executed in the Gohardasht prison between July 30 and August 16, 1988, the prosecutors said. According to a Swedish indictment, the suspect along with other perpetrators in the prison, participated in mass executions and is suspected of having intentionally deprived the lives of a very large number of prisoners who sympathized with the Mujahedin. Swedish prosecutors didnt name the suspect but he has widely been identified as Hamid Nouri, a 60-year-old former Iranian prosecutor. Swedish public broadcaster SVT said the man was arrested in November 2019 when he arrived to the Swedish capital, Stockholm, and has been held in custody since. Prosecutors accuse the suspect of subjecting prisoners to severe suffering that amounts to torture and inhumane treatment, the indictment said. War crimes are one of the most serious crimes both internationally and under Swedish law. Because Sweden has universal jurisdiction for violations of international law, we have both an opportunity but also a certain obligation to prosecute these crimes, prosecutor Kristina Lindhoff Carleson said in a statement. Trial is set to start Aug. 10 and is expected to last for several months. Amnesty International has noted previously that no Iranian official has faced charges over the mass 1988 executions. This is such an incredibly important event for us: all the mothers, fathers, families and other relatives of people who have fallen victim to the Iranian regime, Iraj Mesdaghi, a key witness in the trial, told the Swedish news agency TT. These crimes have never been tried before, Im very grateful that it is finally happening. Mesdaghi, one of the plaintiffs in the court case, was a political prisoner in Iran in 1988, TT said. Iranian state and semiofficial media didnt acknowledge the charges on Tuesday. ___ Jon Gambrell contributed to this report from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. By JARI TANNER Associated Press Tesla reaches milestone with first $1B quarterly profit View Photo SAN RAMON, Calif. (AP) Teslas quarterly profit has surpassed $1 billion for the first time thanks to the electric car pioneers ability to navigate through a pandemic-driven computer chip shortage that has caused major headaches for other automakers. The financial milestone announced Monday extended a two-year run of prosperity that has erased questions about Teslas long-term viability raised during its early years of losses and production problems. Tesla now has cemented its position as the leader in the shift away from gas-combustion that is expected to make it even more profitable than during its most recent quarter. The Palo Alto, California, company earned $1.1 billion, or $1.02 per share, in the April-June period. That was more than 10 times its profit at the same time last year. Revenue nearly doubled from last year to about $12 billion. Adjusted to exclude one-time times items, Tesla earned $1.45 a share in the latest quarter, easily topping the 94 cents expected by Wall Street analysts, according to FactSet. Tesla now boasts a market value of roughly $630 billion, far more than any other automaker and 14 times more than what the company was worth just two years ago. Its mercurial CEO, Elon Musk, is now sitting on the worlds third largest fortune at an estimated $163 billion, according to Forbes magazines calculations. For all its recent success, Teslas momentum could still be slowed by a persisting shortage of chips that have become vital parts in modern cars. While other major automakers had to dramatically curtail production during the first half, Tesla so far has been able to secure an adequate supply of chips to churn out vehicles at the fastest rate in its history. In a Monday conference call, Musk said Tesla keep its manufacturing lines running largely by finding chips from alternate suppliers and then scrambling to rewrite some of the software in its cars to ensure all the technology remained compatible. Although he said things appear to be slightly approving, Musk described the chip shortage as still being quite serious, making it difficult to plan for the second half of the year. The chip supply is a governing factor on our output, Musk said. It is out of our hands. In a telling sign that Tesla isnt immune to the shortage of chips and other components, the company disclosed that it will delay the introduction of a highly anticipated semi truck to some time next year. Its original plan was to introduce it this year. Musk, who jokingly anointed himself as Teslas Technoking earlier this year, let investors know that he might not be the executive discussing how the company is faring during the second half of the year. After holding regular quarterly updates since Tesla went public 11 years ago, Musk said he no longer intends to be on future calls with analysts unless he has something extremely important to say. He told analysts on Monday that he wants to use the time to focus on other work at Tesla. The company already has eliminated the department that communicates with reporters. In its most recent quarter, Tesla produced more than 206,000 vehicles within a three-month span for the first time in its history. It is also gearing up to build the Model Y small SUV and other models at a new factory in Austin, Texas, thats still on schedule to be completed later this year. Despite Tesla is now on a production pace that has raised hopes it will be able to manufacture more than 800,000 vehicles this year. That would be a significant increase from nearly 510,000 last year, when government restrictions during the early stages of the pandemic forced the company to temporarily shut down its California factory. The uncertainty about the chip shortage may have somewhat dampened the investor response to Teslas surprisingly strong quarterly results. The companys stock gained more than 1% in extended trading Monday after the second-quarter numbers came out. The stock has fallen about 25% from its peak price reached six months ago. ___ Corrects 13th paragraph to show that Tesla is gearing up to build the Model Y small SUV and other models at a new factory in Austin, Texas, thats still on schedule to be completed later this year. By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Business Writer Democratic donor convicted of offering drugs for sex; 2 died View Photo LOS ANGELES (AP) A federal jury on Tuesday convicted a wealthy California political donor on charges he injected gay men with methamphetamine in exchange for sex, leading to two deaths and other overdoses. Ed Buck, 66, was found guilty of all nine felony counts in federal court, which could lead to a life sentence. The verdict came exactly four years after one of the victims, 26-year-old Gemmel Moore, was found dead of an overdose in Bucks West Hollywood apartment. Today is bittersweet, LaTisha Nixon, Moores mother, said after the verdict. We got victory today. The jury deliberated for more than four hours after a two-week trial. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. Prosecutors said Buck paid men and provided drugs in return for sex acts. Buck had pleaded not guilty. His defense lawyers said neither fatal overdose victim died from meth and that many of the alleged victims were drug addicts. Bucks attorneys one of whom was a prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson case did not immediately return a request for comment. Bucks 2019 arrest marked a turning point for activists who protested outside his apartment and pressured law enforcement to act after Moore died on Bucks floor in 2017. Even after Timothy Dean, 55, died 18 months later, it took another nine months and the near-death of another overdose victim before Buck was arrested in September 2019. This man did some terrible things to human beings, Joann Campbell, one of Deans sisters, said after the verdict. Family members and activists had pushed for Bucks arrest since Moore died. They said Buck escaped criminal charges for years because of wealth, political ties and race. Ed Buck will never harm anyone else, and I thank God for that, said Joyce Jackson, another of Deans sisters. Buck is a wealthy white man who was active in gay causes and animal rights issues. He has given more than $500,000 to mostly Democratic politicians and causes since 2000. Prosecutors say he exploited vulnerable men most of them Black by paying them to come to his home to use drugs and engage in sex play to satisfy a fetish. Many were destitute drug users who often worked as prostitutes to support their habit. The defense contends all the men were at Bucks apartment under their own will and that Moore and Dean did not die from methamphetamine. I know this has been an arduous, lengthy and difficult process, U.S. District Judge Christine A. Snyder told jurors after she read the verdict, according to the Los Angeles Times. One of the prosecutors dropped to her knees and wept in the courthouse hallway after the jury was dismissed, the Times reported. During the trial, Dane Brown testified that he had overdosed in Bucks apartment twice in one week in September 2019. He told investigators he had been living in a hotel on Skid Row when he met Buck on Adam4Adam, a gay dating and escort site, and moved in with him for part of summer 2019. Brown said Buck injected him with meth nearly daily for five weeks, according to court documents. After his second overdose, Brown said Buck refused to call an ambulance and Brown was forced to call 911 at a nearby gas station. I didnt think I was going to believed, Brown said after the verdict. Walking out of that house, I didnt know what was going to happen next. By STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) California prisoners are entitled to a lawyer when they challenge their murder convictions for killings that others committed, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday. The courts ruling means that hundreds of inmates who want to use a 2-year-old law to fight their convictions have the right to court-appointed attorneys to argue their cases, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. SB1437, which took effect in 2019, narrowed a California law that permitted murder convictions for anyone involved in a robbery, burglary or other serious felony where someone died regardless of whether they actually committed the killing. SB1437 permitted a murder conviction only for someone who intended the killing and directed and aided in it or acted with reckless indifference to human life. Hundreds of prisoners challenged their convictions and qualified for legal representation. However, most state appellate courts refused to require court-appointed lawyers before a lower court decided whether the challenge should be allowed to proceed. More than 300 challenges that were dismissed are now before the California Supreme Court, the Chronicle said. Mondays ruling said that an inmate who hadnt killed anyone and was fighting a murder conviction was entitled to an attorney to help them argue in the initial hearing that their case meets the basic requirements of the law. The case was filed on behalf of Vince E. Lewis, who was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the 2012 gang shooting of a woman by another gang member while Lewis waited in a car. The Legislature designed this law to give it as broad application as possible, to identify people who should be serving sentences for lesser crimes that they actually committed and not for murders that someone else committed, said his attorney, Robert Bacon. Too many courts made it unreasonably hard for them to even get in the courthouse door. The author of the law, State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, argued in a court filing that many inmates werent capable of handling the complexities of legal issues on their own. Many people in our prisons cannot read. Many people in our prison system have a limited education. Many people in our prisons have limited English comprehension. Many people in our prisons have intellectual disabilities or have been diagnosed with a mental disorder, Skinner said in the filing. The state attorney generals office, which argued for upholding Lewis conviction, declined to comment on the ruling, the Chronicle said. LOS ANGELES (AP) California regulators have cited and fined three El Super grocery stores for failing to provide or delaying paid sick leave to 95 employees affected by COVID-19, officials said Tuesday. Some of the employees were forced to work while sick, others were told to apply for unemployment while quarantining or in isolation, and others waited months to be paid, according to a statement from the state Labor Commissioners Office. Citations including fines totaling more than $447,000 were issued to El Super stores in Los Angeles, Lynwood and Victorville. The parent company, Delawares Bodega Latina Corporation, was also cited. Supplemental paid sick leave is intended to protect workers from being forced to choose between their health and providing for their families, said Labor Commissioner Lilia Garcia-Brower. These violations expose workers, their families and El Supers customers to unnecessary health risks. El Super said in a statement that it would appeal and that the company is committed to complying with labor laws. We are disappointed that the Labor Commissioner acted without completing their investigation. The citation is without merit and we will vigorously defend our record of compliance, the statement said. ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) Some legislators want to change New York's campaign finance rules after Gov. Andrew Cuomo used $285,000 in political donations to pay lawyers representing him in sexual harassment and misconduct investigations. New York politicians have used millions of dollars in campaign funds in recent years to pay lawyers defending them against allegations of wrongdoing, according to tallies kept by the New York Public Interest Research Group. The list includes former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, former state Senate leader Dean Skelos, former state Senate leader Joseph Bruno and former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. That kind of campaign spending is allowed under certain conditions but many still find it distasteful. Its completely bizarre and it makes no sense because campaign contributions are supposed to be for campaigns, not for other things, said John Kaehny, executive director of the ethics watchdog group Reinvent Albany. Defending yourself in a criminal matter is not the same as running a campaign and its fairly obvious. So far, sentiments like that haven't led to changes. Proposals to ban campaign committees from covering legal expenses related to alleged misconduct have failed to advance since 2013. Many taxpayers recoil at one alternative, which is to have the government pick up the legal bills of officeholders being investigated. Using campaign funds instead of taxpayer dollars for this purpose has been well established for decades, Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said in a statement defending the use of campaign cash for legal bills. New York's attorney general is investigating allegations that Cuomo sexually harassed several state employees. An Assembly committee is investigating whether there are grounds for impeachment. Federal authorities are examining whether the administration manipulated data about COVID-19 deaths of nursing home patients. Cuomo, a Democrat, has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crimes. The idea that political candidates should be allowed to use campaign money to pay for a legal defense is grounded in the reality that elected officials do occasionally face spurious lawsuits and politically motivated investigations. But state Sen. Brad Hoylman, a Manhattan Democrat who is sponsoring one bill calling for changes, said politicians facing serious allegations related to personal misconduct should pay legal costs out-of-pocket. I think its a bait-and-switch when you solicit campaign support and then use it for your defense in a large investigation or a trial, Hoylman said, adding that he doesnt think the state should be paying Cuomos legal bills, either. When it involves malfeasance and serious charges, thats where I think a taxpayer is right to take umbrage that they shouldnt be paying for those legal fees. Cuomo could afford to pay for lawyers himself. He is set to be paid more than $5 million for a book he wrote about leadership through the coronavirus pandemic. Former President Donald Trumps campaign and the Republican National Committee spent unprecedented millions of dollars on legal fees related to a long list of investigations, including former special counsel Robert Muellers probe of Russian election meddling. Trump's campaign also paid the legal fees of associates caught up in lawsuits and investigations, as did the RNC, which also picked up the tab for several of Trumps second impeachment lawyers. Several legal defense funds, including one called the Patriot Legal Expense Fund were also established allowing donors to foot former Trump aides legal bills. Former President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, chiefly relied on a legal defense fund, set up separately from his campaign but still funded by political supporters, to pay legal bills related to investigations into his conduct with women and alleged perjury. Some say such funds promote transparency, though others say they are just another way for donors to buy influence. New York does limit what legal expenses a campaign can cover. Political contributions cant be used for purely personal things unrelated to a campaign or public office. You cant pay a lawyer for a house closing. Thats a good example of what you cant do, said Jerry Goldfeder, a longtime New York election lawyer who worked in the state attorney general's office when Cuomo was attorney general. He declined to comment on the specifics of Cuomos spending. Years ago, Cuomo used $400,000 in campaign funds for lawyers representing him in a federal investigation of his shutdown of a state anti-corruption commission. That inquiry was closed without anyone being charged. On the federal level, the Federal Elections Commission allows candidates to pay legal expenses with campaign funds, but not in matters where the expense wouldn't exist if the person wasn't a candidate or officeholder. Sometimes what counts as a prohibited personal use can be ambiguous. Frankly, I think in the case of Cuomo, clearly if its allegations of sexual harassment, it would seem to me that the New York law is a little too expansive, former FEC Commissioner Ann Ravel said in an interview. Because that is a purely personal act, despite the fact that he was able to engage in it because of his position. In the private sector, a company might pay for lawyers for an executive accused of sexual harassment. Or, it might refuse to do so, depending on the circumstances. The state has also picked up some legal costs related to Cuomo investigations, paying out $760,000 so far to a Manhattan law firm in the federal probe related to nursing homes. ___ Associated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed to this report from Washington. CHESHIRE Mixville Park pavilion is going to get a facelift after the Town Council voted to accept funds from the John G. Martin Foundation. The funds will be used to reconfigure the main pavilion so it can be serve as an outdoor multi-use center. The council accepted $150,000 for the renovation at its July 13 meeting. The pavilion over at Mixville has been in disarray for a while now, and its fantastic that we can finally give it the attention that it needs, said Councilor Don Walsh. The new outdoor center will allow for enhanced summer camp activities as well as an area of refuge, according to the grant proposal. The new center will also be used for equipment storage and outdoor education programs. Frank Loehmann, who serves on the foundations board of directors, was credited by the council as being instrumental in securing this funding for the park. We really want to highlight what an incredible man Frank is, began Council Chairman Rob Oris. From being responsible for the new building signs around town and now helping with this, Frank is really someone this town cannot take for granted. Loehmann, who currently serves on the towns Public Safety Commission, thank the council for its recognition. I wanted to make sure that when people come into our town they are greeted with the best and most beautiful signs, he said. I have a lot of love for this town and consistently want to help it get better, he said. The pavilion will now be called the John G. Martin Outdoor Center. The Foundation, created in honor of the former president of Heublein, Inc. who died in 1986, honors Martins legacy by contributing to the education of Connecticuts youth by financially supporting a variety of initiatives. WALLINGFORD From classic beach reads to Oprahs latest favorites, the Wallingford Public Librarys readers advisory librarian is ready to recommend books to patrons with interests of all kinds. Its as simple as somebody coming into the library and saying, I really just need a good book, said Cindy Haiken, the readers advisory librarian who shifted to full time status last week after working at the library for almost five years. I live for that question, she added, but that's a huge question when you've got stacks, and stacks, and stacks, and stacks of books. Shes able to make recommendations based on what readers say they are looking for what they love, and dont love, to read and then sends them off with a bunch of books, encouraging them to come back and tell her how they are. If a patron comes in asking about titles shes not as familiar with, her first step is a research database called NoveList that recommends read-alikes. I can get a very good feel because I'm always going to be familiar with something on that list to give me a sense about what they're asking about, she said. Haiken specializes in adult fiction and nonfiction. Staff serving children, teen and young adult readers specialize in those areas, she said. Jane Fisher, Wallingford Public Library director, said Monday via email that while the library has steadily increased its access to technology for the public over the years, promoting books and reading also remains central to its mission. Offering readers advisory service for children, teens, and adults is one of the best tools public libraries have to get, and keep, people excited about reading, she said. Background as attorney Working at the library is a second career for Haiken. Originally from New York City, she left a career in corporate tax law as a partner in a large firm and moved to New Haven five years ago with her husband, Matthew Haiken, also a lawyer, after their two daughters went to college. She earned her masters degree in library and information science online from Rutgers University. Fisher said that Haiken joined the library staff when they were ramping up readers advisory services in response to feedback from the community. Patrons had asked the library to do more to assist adults from a wide range of reading backgrounds and interests with recommendations for what to read next, to increase awareness of the librarys collection of books and to plan more programs, presentations and author visits. She said that Haiken has been an extraordinary leader on our team. Her work offering readers advisory service and providing reference services and technology assistance at our reference desk has a positive impact on our community, Fisher said, so when a full-time position became available, we were delighted that Cindy (Haiken) was interested in increasing her hours. Haiken said Monday that shes settling into the rhythm of the day and the responsibilities of her newly expanded role, spending part of her time at the reference desk and then working on her readers advisory duties. Among her increased duties is to get out into the Wallingford community. She now facilitates the librarys book clubs participation has grown since the start of the pandemic, she said and organizes the book-related to author events and programs that the library has for adults. They've all adapted to Zoom, she said about the librarys book clubs. If anything, they've been consistently bigger than they were before the pandemic. People have a real appetite for books. Right book, right time Haiken also is working to broaden the scope and reach of the readers advisory services by letting patrons know what new titles are getting a lot of buzz in the book world. She writes a new novels column for the library's monthly newsletter and maintains a bulletin board across from the circulation desk that has the New York Times Best Seller list and best new releases, the Washington Posts monthly top ten books to read list and other update lists by Book Page, Indie Next, Library Reads and Oprah, Time and Newsweek magazines. To keep up on what library patrons are checking out, she looks at the most popular books on hold in the librarys system and what titles patrons are requesting the library purchase. A relatively recent development is library marketing teams at the publishing houses, she said, which provide pre-publication alerts and advanced copies of books, which is definitely a perk of the job, she said. Fisher said that part of Haikens success comes from her voracious reading habits and the way that she remembers the books and can talk about them with other potential readers. She has her finger on the pulse of the publishing world, Fisher said about Haiken, and has a knack for recommending the right book at the right time for our readers, no matter their interests or their reading backgrounds. Half of the books Ive read in the last two years were books that Cindy recommended to me. She added that the programs Haiken offers almost always fill to capacity because of her enthusiasm, whether its an author talk, a book discussion or facilitating a lecture or discussion. Public libraries have always been crackerjack at recommending books to children and teens, Fisher said. With Cindy (Haiken) on our team, weve enhanced our capacity for keeping adults excited about reading and about talking about books, too. Haiken works on the One Book, One Wallingford program, an annual town-wide reading program that the library hosts. The program includes a book reveal party and a slew of book-themed events, culminating in an author visit. Haiken said that the library just signed a contract for next years program, but wouldnt disclose the book selection yet, saying the announcement will come in early 2022. Whatever the book is, Haiken is excited about it. I have not come down from Cloud Nine about about this get, and I just can't stop smiling about it, she said, which was evident as she spoke, even through her library-branded face mask. Haiken can be contacted at 203-284-6410 or chaiken@wallingfordlibrary.org. LTakores@record-journal.com203-317-2212Twitter: @LCTakores Getting students back on track academically as well as in a good place emotionally is a big task after the disruption to schools this past year and a half. To address this, two towns have created programs to give kids a boost in their studies as well as support for their overall well being. In Meriden, a series of weekend academic sessions known as Get it Done Saturday began as the brainchild of Michael Strumski, a Platt High School ninth grade transition specialist. In 2018, he spearheaded an informal version of the program for ninth grade students who needed a little extra help to make sure they passed their classes. Volunteer tutors worked with them one-on-one. It makes sense that this past school year, Get It Done Saturday was opened up to students across all high school grades as an educator-led initiative to help students achieve academic success despite the pandemic challenges. The program was offered quarterly at both Platt and Maloney high schools. One of Platts assistant principals, Andrea Fonseca, said for many students the experience of learning from home had been difficult. The Saturday sessions provided a supportive environment free of stress and distractions. A recent report from the Connecticut RISE Network found that 71% of the 55 students at Platt and Maloney who participated in the Get It Done Saturday sessions were able to catch up and pass classes where they had previously struggled. Meriden officials havent finalized data on how many Platt and Maloney students earned enough academic credit to achieve grade promotion or graduation. But its a promising sign that preliminary numbers showed rates that appear similar to pre-pandemic years. Statistics aside, there should be no doubt that students did benefit. Theres nothing like sitting one on one with a history teacher to get the help you need in that class, Strumski said. Programs like the Saturday sessions are expected to be sustainable through grant and COVID-19 relief funds for at least the upcoming academic year. Cheshire officials are taking action, too, in an effort to help young people return to class. Schools moved to an all-remote model for most of the spring semester in 2020, and then returned to in-school instruction in the fall, with mask and social distancing requirements in place. With a return to a more routine school year, local leaders wanted to make the transition back to normal as smooth as possible. To make that happen, Cheshire is offering multiple support groups for students and parents. We understand that returning to school for some students after a pandemic is a daunting task, explained Town Manager Sean Kimball. Cheshire Human Services Committee is offering four different transition support groups to help middle and high school students adapt. The groups begin meeting this month and sessions will address issues like managing stress and anxiety, building coping and distress tolerance skills, improving verbal expression of emotions, establishing an effective back-to-school routine, and crisis conflict resolution. There will be similar groups for parents to help them with navigating all the challenges the pandemic has brought forth, and whatever might lie ahead, Kimball said. The extra support given to students, whether there are measurable benefits or not, is the right way to go. If San Antonio's famed North Star Mall boots were made for walkin', they'd cost thousands. Here at MySA, we've seen a number of ways San Antonians have paid tribute to the 35-foot-tall kickers that have made North Star Mall a landmark, including this February tattoo. The boots were created by late artist Bob "Daddy-O" Wade in 1979, before finding their permanent home in San Antonio 1980. They hold the Guiness World Record for "largest cowboy boot structure" and are so roomy, they once housed a country radio station, which broadcast from inside them during the rodeo. We originally asked readers if anyone had ever recreated the boots to add to their wardrobe. If anyone does have a pair in their closet, they didn't speak up. Others liked the idea I think. "What a TERRIBLY brilliant idea. Im taking note of this," a tweet by user @NosPosWow210 says. Dennis Dunleavy/FILE So, we decided to find out for ourselves. We tapped none other than Little's Boots, the family business generations of San Antonians have trusted for their custom orders. Sharon Little, the eldest daughter of Little's Boots' Dave Little, shared some insight on what it would take to make a wearable replica of Wade's creation. Little tells MySA that judging by the countless photos of the North Star Mall pair, the real-life shoes would need to use quill ostrich on the vamp, which is the part that covers your feet. Quill ostrich, shows the "bumps" where the feathers grow. Sharon says the shop would use kangaroo leather on the tops with six rows of stitching. Yes, kangaroo. File photo / Express-News The mall boots are equipped with lights that give them a nighttime glow. It's unclear how much adding Kacey Musgraves-esque illuminated accents would tack on to the price. The grand total for that much custom work would be ... $2,445. For context, the owners of North Star Mall paid $20,000 in a bidding war to bring the behemoth boots to the Alamo City. Sharon says all of the shop's custom orders are taking four months to complete. If that price tag didn't make you turn on your heel and the San Antonio-centric design speaks to your sole, Little's Boots has been taking care of San Antonio cowboys since 1915. Their custom, made-to-order boots start at $1,400. The shop is located at 110 Division Avenue. Courtesy, @MiroTattooArtist WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) New Zealand on Monday agreed to repatriate an alleged Islamic State militant and her two young children, who have been detained in Turkey since February. The decision follows a bitter dispute with Australia over which country needed to shoulder responsibility for the woman, who had been a dual citizen of both countries until Australia stripped her citizenship under its anti-terrorism laws. The woman and her children were arrested when they tried to illegally cross from Syria into Turkey, according to Turkey's Defense Ministry. Turkey identified her only by her initials, S.A., while New Zealand media say she is Suhayra Aden, who was 26 at the time of her arrest. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said New Zealand had taken into account its international responsibilities and could not remove citizenship from anybody if it left them stateless. I made very strong representations to Australia that she should be permitted to return there. Her family moved to Australia when she was 6 and she grew up there before departing for Syria in 2014 on an Australian passport," Ardern said in a statement. Unfortunately, Australia would not reverse the cancellation of citizenship. Australian Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said the woman lost her citizenship as a result of her own actions, and that ending citizenship for dual nationals engaged in terrorist conduct was an integral part of Australia's response to terrorist threats. The governments first priority is always to protect the Australian community," Andrews said in a statement. Ardern said the safety and wellbeing of New Zealanders was the government's paramount concern. She said there had been extensive planning with the police and other agencies. I can assure people great care is being taken as to how the woman and her young children are returned to New Zealand and how they will be managed in a way that minimizes any risk for New Zealanders," Ardern said. Authorities declined to say when the family would be repatriated, citing legal and security concerns. Ardern said anybody suspected of being associated with a terrorist group should expect to be investigated under New Zealand laws, although the case remained a matter for the police. New Zealand police confirmed an investigation was underway but declined further comment on whether the woman would face any criminal charges. ___ Associated Press journalist Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, contributed to this report. BOSTON (AP) The Florida company whose software was exploited in the devastating Fourth of July weekend ransomware attack, Kaseya, has received a universal key that will decrypt all of the more than 1,000 businesses and public organizations crippled in the global incident. Kaseya spokeswoman Dana Liedholm would not say Thursday how the key was obtained or whether a ransom was paid. She said only that it came from a trusted third party and that Kaseya was distributing it to all victims. The cybersecurity firm Emsisoft confirmed that the key worked and was providing support. Ransomware analysts offered multiple possible explanations for why the master key, which can unlock the scrambled data of all the attack's victims, has now appeared. They include: Kaseya paid; a government paid; a number of victims pooled funds; the Kremlin seized the key from the criminals and handed it over through intermediaries or perhaps the main attacker didn't get paid by the gang whose ransomware was used. The Russia-linked criminal syndicate that supplied the malware, REvil, disappeared from the internet on July 13. That likely deprived whoever carried out the attack of income because such affiliates split ransoms with the syndicates that lease them the ransomware. In the Kaseya attack, the syndicate was believed overwhelmed by more ransom negotiations than it could manage, and decided to ask $50 million to $70 million for a master key that would unlock all infections. By now, many victims will have rebuilt their networks or restored them from backups. It's a mixed bag, Liedholm said, because some "have been in complete lockdown. She had no estimate of the cost of the damage and would not comment on whether any lawsuits may have been filed against Kaseya. It is not clear how many victims may have paid ransoms before REvil went dark. The so-called supply-chain attack of Kaseya was the worst ransomware attack to date because it spread through software that companies known as managed service providers use to administer multiple customer networks, delivering software updates and security patches. President Joe Biden called his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, afterward to press him to stop providing safe haven for cybercriminals whose costly attacks the U.S. government deems a national security threat. He has threatened to make Russia pay a price for failing to crack down, but has not specified what measures the U.S. may take. If the universal decryptor for the Kaseya attack was turned over without payment, it would not be the first time ransomware criminals have done that. It happened after the Conti gang hobbled Ireland's national health care service in May and the Russian Embassy in Dublin offered to help with the investigation. Its that time of year when students treasure the last days of summer as the new school year approaches. For some parents, its also a time when funds can be strained as children need new school supplies, clothing, and more. Thankfully, San Antonio organizations and businesses are offering events to provide local students with necessary school items free of charge. Events are open to all San Antonio students, regardless of age or school district: Back to School Community Fair This community event is truly for all, with event organizers encouraging interested individuals to bring a friend. Families can get the school supplies and community health resources they need, as well as the music, games, and free food they want. Its a win-win, San Antonio, so be sure to register for this free event. Saturday, July 31, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Compass Rose Ingenuity, 522 Billy Mitchell Boulevard, eventbrite.com Back 2 School Jam Billy Calzada/Staff Photographer ReachSA is back again this year with its seventh annual giveaway event, which provides both school supplies and backpacks to students. Lots of local organizations and vendors will be onsite, so bring the whole family. Saturday, August 7, 9 a.m. to noon, Copernicus Park, 5003 Lord Road, reachsatx.org Back 2 School Expo Free to attend, this one-stop for all things back to school event offers free school supply packs and free backpacks, each one per child while supplies last. Free immunizations will also be administered for school-age children. Saturday, August 7, 8 a.m. to noon, Gustafson Stadium, 7001 Culebra Road, backtoschoolsa.com Back to School Drive-thru at Barlite School supplies and up to 500 backpacks will be distributed at this drive-thru event, so come early. Parents can also schedule a childs physical as well as check their weight and height. Tuesday, July 27, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., South Alamo Medical Group, 7355 Barlite Boulevard, eventbrite.com Back 2 School Bash Last Chance Ministries and KIPP Texas Public Schools are teaming up again for its annual event for San Antonio families. Free backpacks and other supplies will be given out to students, and there will be live music, food, and games for the whole family to enjoy. An RSVP is encouraged. Saturday, August 7, noon to 5 p.m., Rosedale Park, 303 Dartmouth Street, eventbrite.com Back To School Giveaway There will be a wide variety of items up for grabs at this local churchs free giveaway event. In addition to school supplies, there will also be kids coats, gift cards, and door prizes ready to be claimed. Vaccines will also be administered onsite and parents can choose to sit on educational sessions. Saturday, August 14, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Bethel International Christian Fellowship, 3447 Northeast Parkway, eventbrite.com Victory Worship Center Backpack Drive In a place to give back? Victory Worship Center will be collecting backpacks and other school supplies over the next few weeks to distribute in the community. With a goal of 400 backpacks, the church is hoping to help lots of students this school year. Saturday, August 14, 2 to 5 p.m., Victory Worship Center, 103 Springvale Drive, eventbrite.com Kin Man Hui, Staff / Staff photographer The following events have restrictions, so please read carefully: Back to School Summer Bash by Gabriellas Smile Foundation Local children battling cancer can come together for a special day at Morgans Wonderland before the new school year begins. Hosted by Gabriellas Smile Foundation, the summer bash will include food, music, and admission to Morgans Inspiration Island. Children in attendance will also receive a backpack. Families can register here. Sunday, August 8, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Morgans Wonderland, 5223 David Edwards Drive, facebook.com Back To School Drive at Life Church SW Campus After taking part in games and activities, children can snag a backpack and school supplies, which will be distributed to children part of the church community. Students will also be prayed over during a special service. Saturday August 14, 9 a.m., Life Church SW Campus, 4424 SW Loop 410, facebook.com There are also some great promotions happening for teachers, too: H-E-B San Antonios own is showing its appreciation for teachers with a 15-percent discount, valid through Friday, August 27, on school supplies and select household items. Teachers must fill out a form before Monday, August 23, to be eligible. You can fill out the form here. Target Sign up for Targets dedicated customer app, Target Circle, and teachers will also be able to enjoy a 15-percent discount now through Saturday, July 31. You can find more information here. Judson Independent School District hasnt escaped from its ransomware attack nightmare yet. And Bexar Countys fourth largest school districts confusing updates are making a frustrating situation harder for its 26,600 students and staff. On June 17, the Northeast Side district announced its communications and computer systems had been hobbled by hackers. Not long after that, Judson officials set up alternate e-mail, phone and internet connections. Judson officials continually reassured families and staff with worn-out platitudes and scripted lines such as, There is nothing more important to Judson ISD than the safety, security and well being of its employees, students and their families, or We are committed to a successful resolution, and we will continue to share updates with you, and There remains little information we can share about the ransomware attack and system outage at this time. On ExpressNews.com: Judson ISD pays undisclosed amount to ransomware hackers to regain access to phones, email Oh, and dont forget, The ransomware attack remains an ongoing and active investigation. On July 20, the district announced it had restored its phone and e-mail systems. It also grudgingly admitted it paid an undisclosed amount to the hackers and hired a New York-based cybersecurity firm, BlueVoyant, to help clean up the mess. Then things got murky when the district spokeswoman said, Although it has been reported that a ransom payment was made, this restoration (of phone and e-mail service) was achieved through the acceleration of key upgrades to reinforce the security of our systems in preparation for the 2021-22 School Year. Cue the record-scratch sound here. So the district paid money to the hackers, but accelerating previously planned upgrades actually recovered the e-mail and phones? Can someone explain what the money was for? The answer is no. In fact, the district wont disclose the amount of ransom or whether the districts insurance policy covers cyber attacks. On ExpressNews.com: A hall of mirrors: SA cyber gurus weigh in on Judson ISD hack More on that later. When asked if all the districts computer systems were operational, the response was more public relations jibber jabber: I am not able to confirm the status of any specific systems beyond what has been previously shared. At this point, we know the district has e-mail and phone service again, that its paid an unknown amount of ransom for unknown reasons and apparently the hackers still have a foothold in the districts technology. Judson officials havent told parents if any of their personal information has been compromised. In fact, theyre barely acknowledging that possibility, with lines like this: While it is unclear at this time what information might have been accessed, the district is committed to a successful resolution. One would think that at this point, the district would make proactive moves like paying for credit monitoring and providing families and staff information they need to protect themselves. Instead, Judson employees and parents are left adrift in an information vacuum full of fuzzy reassurances. Then theres the issue of how much this breach will cost and who will pay. On ExpressNews.com: More than 26,000 students, educators impacted in Judson ISD ransomware attack Similar attacks over the last year have cost much smaller Texas school districts between $50,000 and $2.3 million each, and cyber experts say thats only the beginning. Besides ransom, each attack costs exponentially more when you consider the response, remediation, recovery and upgrade costs. In Maryland, a ransomware attack in November cost Baltimore County Public Schools an estimated $8.1 million. The district released a spreadsheet breaking down the costs in May. The districts initial emergency recovery cost $2 million, with longer-term upgrades exceeding $6 million. Its estimates not only included the technology costs, but also the various costs associated with the breach, such as consulting, public relations, legal fees and negotiation services. The district only recovered a portion of the $2 million initial response costs from insurance. And, interestingly, the Baltimore County Public Schools never disclosed whether it paid a ransom. If it paid a ransom, the actual cost is likely higher than $8.1 million. On ExpressNews.com: Thats problematic: San Antonio lands on dark-web top 10 list As for insurance, Judson ISD officials have refused to say whether their insurance covers losses from ransomware attacks. With a $200 million district budget, lets hope the district has made the investment in cyber liability insurance. Schools are increasingly popular ransomware targets. Attacks on education facilities spiked 388 percent in the third quarter of 2020, according to Emsisoft, an anti-malware software company. Emsisoft explains that school districts are vulnerable due to the use of outdated IT equipment and a lack of security resources, while the interconnected nature of campuses makes for a large attack surface and increases the risk. In December 2020, the FBI and other federal cybersecurity entities released a joint report warning K-12 schools of heightened ransomware threats. The report noted that 57 percent of ransomware attacks reported in August and September 2020 targeted schools. Hopefully, San Antonio-area school districts heeded that warning and beefed up their defenses. On ExpressNews.com: Are out-of-state takeovers changing the nature of San Antonios nascent cyber industry? More details will come to light about the Judson attack. In the meantime, Judson students, parents and staff should have some healthy skepticism about the districts mixed messages regarding the breach. Its probably worse than theyre letting on. 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 By Jerri-Lynn Scofield, who has worked as a securities lawyer and a derivatives trader. She is currently writing a book about textile artisans. The worldwide pandemic has made for some depressing times. Especially for those of us who believe governments must play a key role in safeguarding public health. First up a point Ill only mention in passing, as details are unclear at the time of posting. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) appears on the verge of reversing its mask guidance for the fully vaccinated, according to the New York Times, The C.D.C. will recommend that some vaccinated people wear masks indoors again. This new guidance would reverse one of the many misguided government decisions made since the start of the pandemic: dangling the shiny penny of being able to go maskless as a bribe to the vaccine hesitant to induce them to get jabbed. Look how well that worked out! The premature decision to allow people to go mask-free has undoubtedly increased the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths among both vaccinated and unvaccinated alike, since it was announced in May. That brings me to what I really want to discuss: the focus throughout the pandemic on protecting intellectual property rights and profits rather than hunkering down to supply effective treatments and vaccines to everyone in the world as quickly as possible. The powers that be decided to bet the farm on a vaccine strategy rather than on treatments. So, in the interest of keeping this post to a manageable length, vaccines will be the topic du jour. Its not always been the case that inventors of medical advances promoted profit over public health. Both Jonas Salk and Alfred Sabin didnt patent their respective polio vaccines. In that regard, they followed a precedent set by the inventor of insulin in 1923, Frederick Banting, who declined to put his name on the patent, as he believed it to be unethical for a doctor to profit from such a life-saving discovery. Bantings co-inventors, James Collip and Charles Best, sold the insulin patent to the University of Toronto for $1, so that anyone who needed the new miracle medication could afford it, according to a 2019 Vox article, The absurdly high cost of insulin, explained). Would that Big Pharma and other esteemed elites Im looking at you, Bill Gates were now so public spirited. Not only did they seek to profit, but they have blocked initiatives to distribute remedies widely, cheaply, and rapidly. Last year, India and South Africa proposed a patent waiver for coronavirus vaccines at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The U.S., along with Canada, Germany, and the UK, opposed this measure , until the Biden administration reversed course in May and came out in support of waiving coronavirus patents.. But U.S. support alone hasnt led to any shift in WTO policy. Meanwhile, people continue to die. Millions, as matter of fact, since the waiver proposal was made nine months ago. From Common Dreams, 3 Million People Have Died of Covid Since Rich Nations Began Obstructing Vaccine Patent Waiver: More than three million people across the globe have died of Covid-19 in the roughly nine months since India and South Africa first proposed a temporary patent waiver for coronavirus vaccines, a popular measure that Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, and other rich countries have blocked. According to an analysis released Tuesday morning by the U.K.-based advocacy group Global Justice Now, 3.08 million people have succumbed to the coronavirus since members of the World Trade Organization began considering the patent waiver in October, when the pandemic death toll stood at just over a million. Earlier this month, the global death toll surpassed four million. More than 100 WTO member countriesincluding the United Stateshave backed the patent waiver, along with hundreds of civil society organizations, Nobel Prize-winning economists, intellectual property scholars, and the head of the World Health Organization. But because the WTO operates by consensus, several powerful rich countries have been able to thwart the patent waiver push, leaving pharmaceutical companies in control of vaccine manufacturing even as it has become abundantly clear that current production levels are not sufficient to meet global needs. Millions have died while the governments of rich countries have been bickering over monopoly rights for Covid-19 vaccines, said Nick Dearden, the director of Global Justice Now. Every one of those deaths is a mark of shame for the governments of countries like the U.K. and Germany who have protected patents over human lives. The WTOs General Council meets in Geneva today and tomorrow and will discuss the patent waiver issue. But without a breakthrough soon, no waiver may be forthcoming until the WTO breaks for vacation in August. Meaning that the measure will be stymied until October at least. Per Common Dreams: Negotiators are asking for more time to hammer out a potential intellectual property agreement as the WTO is set to break for vacation in the month of August. The WTOs TRIPS Councilthe body tasked with monitoring global intellectual property rulesis not set to formally meet again until mid-October, a nearly three-month gap in the talks as the Delta variant continues to wreak havoc in undervaccinated regions. Global Justice Now noted that nearly a million people have died of Covid-19 over the past three months. It beggars belief that governments could delay progress for another three months, said Dearden. The virus is ravaging the worlds poorest while rich governments buy booster shots and vaccinate low-risk groups. Extreme vaccine inequality will be never-ending unless we remove the corporate monopolies which are preventing the world from ramping up production. Common Dreams turned to noted trade expert Lori Wallach, who lambasted the WTOs continued delay: Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizens Global Trade Watch division, blasted the WTO for preparing to shut down for six weeks of vacation while monopoly protections for pharmaceutical corporations remain an obstacle to scaling up the production of vaccines, tests, and treatments needed to beat Covid. The Delta variant is burning a murderous path through a world where most people are literally dying for a vaccine but there simply is no supply, Wallach said in a statement Tuesday. Until the WTO intellectual property barriers are waived, and governments force technology transfer and fund major new manufacturing capacity so the needed vaccines are made to inoculate the world, it will be one variant after another getting hatched. U.S. Tries to Cajole Producers to Agree Low-Cost Offshore Manufacturing Hubs Meanwhile, the U.S. is moving on another front, as reported in the FT, US vaccine diplomat urges producers to back low-cost jab hubs abroad: Joe Bidens top vaccine diplomat has urged Covid-19 vaccine makers in the US to support the development of low-cost manufacturing hubs overseas to boost the production of cheaper jabs for developing countries. Gayle Smith, head of global Covid-19 response at the US state department, told the Financial Times she wanted US vaccine makers which include Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson to share technological expertise with international rivals that can make the vaccines at a lower price point. We need to increase the capacity of regions to produce more of the vaccines than they consume, Smith told the Financial Times. Then they can start exporting to countries around them. Her comments follow criticism that the US is not doing enough to boost supplies in developing countries struggling to contain the spread of the Delta coronavirus variant, despite having secured more doses than it needs to vaccinate the entire American adult population. Smith said: All companies want to hold on to their innovation. It is our hope that, particularly in the realm of public health, [they] will see the wisdom of making sure that there is greater accessibility and affordability. In addition to backing the temporary WTO patent vaccine waiver, the Biden administration has vowed to buy 500 million vaccine doses to donate to poorer countries. Advisers are also recommending setting up a web of low-cost, offshore factories that could manufacture billions of vaccine doses per year. The U.S.governments International Development Finance Corporation has so far pledged $2 billion to vaccine makers in developing countries as incentives for deals. Agreements are already in place with companies in India, Senegal, and South Africa. Yet this far these agreements have been for off-shore manufacturers to fill and finish vaccine vials rather than make injections from scratch, according to the FT. What Must Be Done Buried at the end of the FT piece is a fact that left my utterly gobsmacked. The US government still owns one of the main patents underpinning the Moderna vaccine, but has not yet charged the company a royalty for using it. Barney Graham, one of the US government scientists who helped develop that vaccine, told the FT earlier this year the patent gave the government leverage over Moderna. Jerri-Lynn here. Ill say. Leverage indeed! Back to the FT. Tom Frieden, the former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is advising the Biden administration on its global vaccine hub strategy. He told the FT: For a proper global vaccine strategy, we really need Moderna or Pfizer to play. Moderna is a better candidate, because the US taxpayer has bought and paid for that technology. I cannot believe this. It seems the U.S. is merely urging Moderna, to ramp up vaccine production with global partners, as quickly and cheaply as possible, Rather than as anyone with any sense of urgency about what response this pandemic warrants would do: direct the company, full speed ahead, damn the torpedoes, to manufacture what are surely our life-saving vaccines, as taxpayers bought and paid for that technology. Im sure, with a sufficient sense of whats at stake, J & J, Pfizer, and any other potential vaccine makers lurking in the background- which do or hope to supply vaccines to the U.S. market might also be brought around to do what must be done. I should also mention that I dont see this U.S. hub promotion policy as a substitute for the more general WTO patent waiver. Its been many years since I studied U.S. trade policy seriously, and in fact spent a year in Geneva on a fellowship researching and writing just after the launch of the Uruguay Round of GATT negotiations in 1986-87. I know in general the devil is in the details of all trade pacts and Im wary that this policy might perhaps be a stalking horse, intended to deflect a more general patent waiver from being adopted. I hope my suspicions in that respect are unwarranted. At any rate. what must be done is to transfer vaccine technology quickly to places where vaccines can be made and deployed more widely. So that lives may be saved and the pandemic brought under a measure of control. That must be done worldwide. As a final aside, Ill not be impressed by any whispering campaign raising putative offshore quality control issues especially in light of this June New York Times report of a Baltimore factory spoiling 75 million doses of a Johnson & Johnson vaccine (see F.D.A. details failures at a Baltimore plant that led to unusable vaccine doses.) Where do you think most vaccines are made these days anyway? After all, the Serum Institute of India remains the worlds largest vaccine manufacturer and lis ocated in the worlds largest vaccine manufacturing country, India. (Natural News) The Biden Administration has signaled its next move as part of the White Houses full court press to pressure Americans into taking COVID-19 vaccines. (Article by Jordan Schachtel republished from Dossier.Substack.com) It seems the White House intends to strongarm the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) into fully approving COVID vaccines, while completely dismissing evolving safety and efficacy concerns in the process. It began during a CNN town hall this week, when President Biden appeared to let it slip (in difficult to comprehend language) that he was pushing for full FDA approval before the end of the year. Whether or not we should be in a position where you are why cant the experts say we know that this virus is in fact its going to be or excuse we know why all the drugs approved or not temporarily but permanently approved, thats underway too Joe Bidenpic.twitter.com/ebkp9TJaZT Alana Mastrangelo (@ARmastrangelo) July 22, 2021 Fully authorizing the COVID vaccines will allow for the government to hop over legal and regulatory hurdles that come from their current status under emergency use authorization. The Biden Administration seems to believe full approval will act as a mandate for further draconian, top down policies from the federal government, the likes of which may include vaccine passports and compulsory vaccination for much of public and private industry. In an article earlier this week, state-corporate press organ NBC News attempted to tee up the case for vaccine mandates. Several Obama and Biden health officials went on the record for the piece to make it clear they wanted to make life as difficult as possible for unvaccinated Americans. U.S. could see a wave of Covid-19 vaccine mandates as soon as the FDA grants full approval to one or more of the shots, public health experts predict. https://t.co/M17IvmOSOT NBC News (@NBCNews) July 25, 2021 The official regulatory sign off would remove a significant legal and public relations barrier for businesses and government agencies that want to require vaccinations for their employees and customers, former health officials from the Biden and the Obama administrations said, the NBC article states. Andy Slavitt, a former Biden Administration official who infamously advertised a mask that he claimed could deactivate the coronavirus, told NBC News: I think once the vaccines go through full FDA approval, everything should be on the table, and I think that everything will be on the table at the level of municipalities, states, employers, venues, government agencies. The FDA is not in fact an independent regulatory agency. It is simply another executive branch agency that falls under the umbrella of the Department of Health and Human Services. While the FDA is tasked with ensuring the safety of drugs that have prospects for the open market, the reality remains that politicians and pharmaceutical companies regularly steer and manipulate the FDA as they please. The revolving door between Big Pharma and the Government Health is very much on display at the FDA today. Patrizia Cavazzoni, the FDAs new top drug regulator, worked for two decades in Big Pharma (including a stint at Pfizer) before entering her government role in 2019. In fact, it is the norm, not an aberration, for Big Pharma executives to have a resume stuffed with Big Pharma consulting and employment gigs. Recent FDA chiefs, such as Pfizer board member Scott Gottlieb and Obama FDA chief Robert Califf, have resumes stuffed with examples of the constant revolving door between lobbying, government, and pharmaceutical companies. The notion that mRNA vaccines have proven, *long term* safety and efficacy standards for the masses is simply not possible to prove at this time. Real world data (as opposed to Big Pharma studies) out of Israel, Malta, the U.K., and elsewhere show that the vaccines have not exactly demonstrated much of an ability to prevent infection, contrary to the early claims made by pharmaceutical companies and Government Health institutions. The Pfizer Shot is just 39% effective against Delta infection: https://t.co/68GDB1z8XY pic.twitter.com/0F6m8PXD3D Forbes (@Forbes) July 24, 2021 The bottom line: The White House is seeking to use the reputation of the FDA to force more Americans to take COVID vaccines, and theyve made it clear that this is entirely about politics, and not science. The government agency that gave us the disaster that is the food pyramid is not an independent body, nor is it any kind of authority on science and health. The FDA is just another bureaucracy, with the primary interested parties being the White House and Big Pharma. Read more at: Dossier.Substack.com and BigGovernment.news. (Natural News) An article recently published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) asks the pertinent question, Is it time to assume that health research is fraudulent until proven otherwise? The answer, of course, is yes. The reason is that the quality of medical science today has declined to the point of becoming an almost parody of itself, destroying the credibility of the sciences for possibly generations to come. If we are ever again to have a trustworthy system of science, the time is now to start requiring that researchers prove their oftentimes wild claims beyond a shadow of a doubt, rather than just assume their work to be accurate simply because it got published in a reputable journal. Health research is based on trust, reports Strange Sounds. Health professionals and journal editors reading the results of a clinical trial assume that the trial happened and that the results were honestly reported. But about 20% of the time, said Ben Mol, professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Monash Health, they would be wrong. It is a grave error to continue just assuming that all health research is honest and truthful. To the contrary, it is better to assume it all as fraudulent until proven otherwise. Trust but verify no longer works in the realm of science because everyone is doing the former, and very few are doing the latter. In order for scientific information to withstand the threshold of trust, it must be verified, which rarely seems to happen anymore. Systematic reviews cannot be trusted, says Roberts One example of science gone wrong was the publishing of a study claiming that mannitol halved the number of deaths resulting from head injury. It turns out that the trials cited never happened, and the school referenced does not even exist. The trials were all published in prestigious neurosurgery journals and had multiple co-authors, Strange Sounds further explains, citing Prof. Ian Roberts who spoke about this fraudulent study during a recent webinar. None of the co-authors had contributed patients to the trials, and some didnt know that they were co-authors until after the trials were published. Interestingly, when Roberts contacted one of the journals that published the study, he was told by the editor that he should not trust the data. Why, then, did that editor and others like him publish the fraudulent study in the first place? After identifying yet another study in which cited trials were determined to never have occurred, Roberts has come to the conclusion that all systemic reviews, particularly those that involve mostly multiple small trials, should not be trusted. (RELATED: Fake science is everywhere these days.) Rather than combine small, single-center trials into systematic reviews, Roberts says they should be discarded entirely. There is simply too much fake science emerging nowadays to continue allowing this format to persist as being credible. Anesthetist John Carlisle analyzed some 526 trials submitted to the journal Anesthesia, discovering that 73 (14 percent) had false data. Another 43 (eight percent) Carlisle categorized as zombie. In analyzing 153 studies with individual patient data, Carlisle found that 67 (44 percent) had untrustworthy data and 40 (26 percent) were zombie trials. Many of these fraudulent trials came from countries like Egypt, China, India, Iran, Japan, South Korea and Turkey. Prof. John Ioannidis confirmed this, finding that of the trials containing individual patient data that were submitted to Anaesthesia, 100 percent of the ones from Egypt were false, along with 75 percent from Iran, 54 percent from India, 46 percent from China, 40 percent from Turkey, 25 percent from South Korea, and 18 percent from Japan. The latest news about the problem of fake science deception can be found at Deception.news. Sources for this article include: StrangeSounds.org NaturalNews.com (Natural News) July 21, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) A Canadian doctor claims he has seen blood clotting in the majority of his patients who have had COVID-19 jabs and has issued a grim outlook that the worst is yet to come due to potential permanent damage caused by the injections. (Article by Anthony Murdoch republished from LifeSiteNews.com) And so, Im still trying to accumulate more information. But on the ones I have so far, 62 percent of them have evidence of clotting, which means that these blood clots are not rare. It means that the majority of people are getting blood clots that they have no idea that theyre even having, said Dr. Charles Hoffe of Lytton, British Columbia, in an interview with Vancouver-based Christian broadcaster Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson last week. So, Laura-Lynn, the most alarming thing about this is that there are some parts of your body, like your heart and your brain and spinal cord and lungs, which cannot regenerate. When those tissues are damaged by blood vessels, they are permanently damaged. Hoffes remarks are not his first concerning COVID-19 injections. In April, he was punished by his local health authority because he raised concerns about the side effects he observed in some of those who had received the Moderna COVID-19 jab within his community. Hoffe said he was barred from working in the local ER after his local health authority suspended his clinical privileges for the crime of causing vaccine hesitancy, for speaking out about my vaccine injured patients. Hoffe told Tyler Thompson that in a single dose of one COVID-19 jab (Moderna) there are 40 trillion messenger RNA molecules and that only 25 percent of the jab stays at the injection site. The rest of the COVID-19 injection, said Hoffe, goes on to circulate through the bloodstream, and end up in the tiny capillary vessels, whereby ones body then gets to work reading these genes and manufacturing trillions and trillions of COVID spike proteins. Hoffe said the spike proteins that ones body begins to manufacture are in the trillions, and become part of ones vascular endothelium. This is where issues come up, according to Hoffe. He said the cells that line ones blood vessels are supposed to be smooth so that your blood flows smoothly. Now we have these little spiky bits sticking out. So it is absolutely inevitable that blood clots will form because your blood platelets circulate around in your vessels, said Hoffe. Hoffe explained that the clots are microscopic. These are tiny, literally on a capillary level, and they are scattered throughout your capillary network. So they are not going to show on any scan, they are just too small and too scattered, said Hoffe. The worst is yet to come, warns Doctor Hoffe gave a dire warning, saying that the mechanism of injury from the COVID-19 shots is causing permanent damage to organs that cannot regenerate and that the worst is yet to come. Because, you know, there are some tissues in your body like intestine and liver and kidneys that can regenerate to quite a good degree. But brain and spinal cord and heart, muscle and lungs do not. When theyre damaged, its permanent, said Hoffe. Like all these young people who are now getting myocarditis from these shots, they have permanently damaged hearts. It doesnt matter how mild it is, they will not be able to do what they used to be able to do because heart muscle does not regenerate. So this is the terrifying concern. He then said the long-term outlook is very grim. With each successive shot, the damage will add and add. And its going to be cumulative because youre progressively getting more and more damaged capillaries, said Hoffe. Hoffe said the only predictable way to find out for sure if the clots are there is to do what is called a blood D-Dimer test, which he says he has been doing on his patients. And so, the D-Dimer is a blood test that shows a recent blood clot. It doesnt show anything else other than a recent blood clot. And it wont show an old blood clot, it only shows new blood clots. And so, I have been doing that on my patients, finding people who have recently had their COVID shot within the previous seven days, to needs to be between four and seven days and doing a blood test on them called a D dimer, said Hoffe. Hoffe said that in his practice, he has seen six people who showed reduced lung capacity, meaning that they just get out of breath much more easily than they used to. I have one fellow that used to walk to my office every week for actually for an arthritis injection who told me that he could walk two miles without any problem. And now after a quarter of a mile, he is absolutely out of breath. And it has been like that for five months, said Hoffe. Hoffe noted that what has happened to his six patients is that the clots have plugged up thousands of tiny capillaries in their lungs. And the terrifying thing about this is not just that these people are not short of breath and cant do what they used to be able to do. But once you block off a significant number of blood vessels through your lungs, your heart is now pumping at a much greater resistance to try and get the blood through your lungs. And the problem, so that causes a condition called pulmonary artery hypertension, like high blood pressure in your lungs, said Hoffe. And that the terrifying thing of this is that people with pulmonary artery hypertension usually die of right-sided heart failure within three years. Just recently, Hoffe was one of 10 doctors?who spoke in a video?calling for an end to ethically unjustifiable COVID-19 lockdowns. The video was published by?Professionals Against Lockdowns, which was created by Liberty Coalition Canada. Health Canada has authorized four COVID-19 injections for adults, all of which are connected to abortion. All of them?have also been associated?with severe side effects such as blood clots, rashes, miscarriages, and even heart attacks in young healthy men. After announcing last year that vaccine makers would be shielded from liability regarding COVID-19 jab-related injuries, the Canadian federal government launched the nations first-ever program designed to financially compensate those who have suffered adverse side effects from any type of vaccine, the?Vaccine Injury Support Program (VISP). According to?official Canadian government statistics, as of July 16, there have been a total of 9,615 COVID-19 vaccine-related adverse events since the first shots were given in late 2020, of which 2,222 were deemed serious. In Canada, 41,526,682 COVID-19 jabs have been administered. Read more at: LifeSiteNews.com and VaccineInjuryNews.com. (Natural News) While most Americans remain in a deep state of slumber, global events are moving us a little bit closer to military conflict with each passing day. U.S. relations with China are rapidly going down the tubes, and this is something that should greatly concern all of us because it has very serious implications for our future. (Article by Michael Snyder republished from EndOfTheAmericanDream.com) Personally, this is an issue that I have been focusing on for a very long time. Many years ago when I worked as an attorney, I would often have conversations about the state of the world with those that I worked with, and when China would come up I would warn that someday the U.S. and China would be bitter adversaries. At the time, what I was saying didnt seem to make sense to a lot of people, but I understood where global trends were taking us. Like most of the things that I write about, I knew that it wouldnt happen right away, but now we have reached a point where U.S. relations with China are the worst that they have been since the Korean War. On Monday, there was breaking news about a huge international scandal involving China, but it didnt get that much coverage from the corporate media. According to NPR, the Biden administration announced that it is formally blaming the Chinese government for a large scale cyberattack on Microsoft The White House is publicly blaming China for an attack on Microsofts Exchange email server software that compromised tens of thousands of computers worldwide, allowing hackers to gain access to troves of sensitive data. Separately, the Department of Justice announced Monday that a federal grand jury in May had indicted Chinese nationals accused of working with official sanction from Beijing to break into computer systems belonging to U.S. companies, universities and governments. This wasnt just some random State Department official making speculative comments about who may be responsible. This is the official position of the White House, and a number of other governments around the world joined the Biden administration in placing the blame on China In a coordinated announcement, the White House and governments in Europe and Asia identified Chinas Ministry of State Security, the sprawling and secretive civilian intelligence agency, with using criminal contract hackers to conduct a range of destabilizing activities around the world for personal profit, including the Microsoft hack. A cyberattack of this magnitude is an act of war, and we are being told that sensitive systems all over the country were compromised The cyberattack on Microsoft, which is believed to have begun in January, reportedly injected computers with malware that secretly monitored systems belonging to small businesses, local and state governments and some military contractors. As part of the attack, an unidentified American company was also hit with a high-dollar ransom demand, according to a senior Biden administration official. This represents a dramatic escalation by the Chinese, and the Biden administration crossed a major threshold by formally pointing a finger at China. There is no going back to the days when the U.S. and China were friends. Way too many bridges have been burned, and now an act of war has been committed. The good news is that at least we arent shooting at one another yet, but that could change. China has repeatedly threatened to invade Taiwan if independence is declared, and if that happens the U.S. military would get involved. Many Americans cant even find Taiwan on a blank map of the world, but the truth is that it could easily spark a major military conflict. If you dont want to take my word for it, just consider what some national security experts are saying A clear and troubling consensus has emerged in the American national security community that the Taiwan Strait is the most likely place for a major war to erupt between the United States and China; that it might start soon, and that such a conflict might quickly escalate into a nuclear confrontation. In March, the leading foreign policy organization in the United States, the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, issued a report concluding that Taiwan has become the most dangerous flashpoint in the world. There, a unique and troubling set of geopolitical developments have conspired to make a shooting war between the Peoples Republic of China and the United States more likely than ever before. Recently the newly appointed commander of U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific Region, Admiral John Aquilino, remarked that a possible invasion of Taiwan by the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) is much closer than we think. For such a long time I have been warning that this was coming, and now it is becoming a reality. Recently, the Japanese government also publicly warned that the Chinese could soon invade Taiwan, and the Chinese responded very angrily. In fact, a video channel that has close ties to the Peoples Liberation Army released a video which had such harsh words for Japan that it made headlines all over the globe When we liberate Taiwan, if Japan dares to intervene by force even if it only deploys one soldier, one plane or one ship we will not only return fire but also wage full-scale war against Japan itself. Can you imagine the uproar that would happen if the Biden administration said something like that? In the video, Japan was also threatened with nuclear war In the new video now deleted, a narrator said: We will use nuclear bombs first. We will use nuclear bombs continuously. We will do this until Japan declares unconditional surrender for the second time. The video has now been taken down, but it should be unthinkable to say such things. Unfortunately, these are the times in which we live. Here in the United States, members of Congress from both parties are trying to get increasingly tough on China, and Chinese ownership of U.S. farmland is of particular concern The push to drain Chinas influence from the U.S. economy has reached Americas farm country, as congressional lawmakers from both parties are looking at measures to crack down on foreign purchases of prime agricultural real estate. House lawmakers recently advanced legislation to that effect, warning that Chinas presence in the American food system poses a national security risk. And key Senate lawmakers have already shown interest in efforts to keep American farms in American hands. In recent years, the Chinese have been buying up thousands upon thousands of acres of prime farmland, and their holdings are now valued at approximately 1.9 billion dollars Chinese firms have expanded their presence in American agriculture over the last decade by snapping up farmland and purchasing major agribusinesses, like pork processing giant Smithfield Foods. By the start of 2020, Chinese owners controlled about 192,000 agricultural acres in the U.S., worth $1.9 billion, including land used for farming, ranching and forestry, according to the Agriculture Department. Hopefully Congress will step up and do something. Of course if that happens, the Chinese government will almost certainly retaliate against U.S. companies in China. Most Americans simply do not understand how bad things have gotten. Our relations with China have been deteriorating for years, and now we have officially reached a crisis point. Unfortunately, it appears that relations between our two nations will continue to fall apart in the months ahead, and at this point everyone should be able to see where all of this is eventually leading. As always, let us hope for the best, but let us also get prepared for the worst. To many people, any sort of open conflict between the U.S. and China is absolutely unthinkable, because the consequences of such a conflict would be too horrific for words. Read more at: EndOfTheAmericanDream.com and CommunistChina.news. (Natural News) We are witnessing an epic global struggle for freedom, and the outcome of that struggle is going to greatly shape what our world is going to look like in the years ahead. Ultimately, one of the most fundamental rights that we have is the right to make our own health decisions. If someone else has the authority to make those decisions for you, then you arent really free. This pandemic has transformed the debate over health freedom into the most hotly contested political issue on the entire planet, and the intensity seems to have been turned up a few more notches in recent days. As governments around the world have begun instituting new lockdowns, new mandates and new health passports, we have seen huge eruptions of anger all over the world. (Article republished from TheMostImportantNews.com) For example, over the weekend there was an enormous health freedom protest in London Thousands have gathered today Saturday, July 24, in Londons Trafalgar Square to protest against the lockdown rules and COVID-19 vaccinations. A wide range of speakers is attending the event, including well-known British conspiracy theorist, Kate Shemirani, who spoke to the crowd. Demonstrators are angry about the recent move which will see vaccine passports becoming compulsory in England to access nightclubs and other packed venues. At the same time, there were also massive protests in the heart of Paris French anti-riot police fired tear gas Saturday as clashes erupted during protests in central Paris against COVID-19 restrictions and a vaccination campaign, television reported. Police sought to push back demonstrators near the capitals Gare Saint-Lazare railway station after protesters had knocked over a police motorbike ridden by two officers, television pictures showed. Images showed a heavy police presence on the capitals streets. Scuffles between police and demonstrators also broke out on the Champs-Elysees thoroughfare, where tear gas was fired and traffic was halted, the pictures showed. On the other side of the globe, we continue to see violent protests in Sydney and other major Australian cities Thousands of people took to the streets of Sydney and other Australian cities on Saturday to protest lockdown restrictions amid another surge in cases, and police made several arrests after crowds broke through barriers and threw plastic bottles and plants. The unmasked participants marched from Sydneys Victoria Park to Town Hall in the central business district, carrying signs calling for freedom and the truth. Millions upon millions of people are fed up and are refusing to accept any more violations of their fundamental rights. But of course there are millions of others that are eagerly embracing the tyrannical measures that have been implemented by national governments around the globe. In the end, the scale is going to tip one way or the other, and the outcome is going to greatly shape the direction of humanitys future. So let us hope that freedom wins. Right now, the corporate media continues to work very hard to generate as much panic as possible. Earlier today, I found it quite comical when one news outlet ran a story about how authorities are now warning us that COVID can be spread by flatulence The official advice is to open a window to increase ventilation and slow the spread of Covid, but now there could be an added incentive the virus may also be spread by flatulence. Ministers have privately pointed to evidence that Covid could be spread by people breaking wind in confined spaces such as lavatories. One said they had read credible-looking stuff on it from other countries, although government scientists are yet to produce a paper on the matter. The source said there had been evidence of a genomical-linked tracing connection between two individuals from a [lavatory] cubicle in Australia. You better run out and do as they say, because someone sitting in the next bathroom stall may have gas. Here in the United States, we are now being told that more mandates and more lockdowns are coming because this pandemic is spiraling out of control yet again More mitigation is coming. Whether its masking, or whether its closures or whether its your kids having to return to virtual learning, that is coming, the Trump administration surgeon general told CBS Face the Nation on Sunday. And its coming because this pandemic is spiraling out of control yet again. And its spiraling out of control because we dont have enough people vaccinated. In fact, we are already starting to see some local governments put new mandates into place. For instance, a new mask mandate has just been announced in St. Louis and St. Louis County Faced with a rising tide of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations, St. Louis and St. Louis County leaders announced Friday that they will reinstate a mask requirement, for vaccinated and unvaccinated residents alike. As more mandates are instituted by local governments around the country, it is inevitable that we will see widespread protests break out just like we are seeing in other countries. Meanwhile, other pestilences continue to make headlines as well. A drug-resistant superbug that is resistant to all existing treatments is causing quite a bit of alarm for U.S. health officials at this moment Cases of a deadly fungal infection resistant to all existing treatments have been spreading through nursing homes and hospitals in the United States for the first time, health officials said. In the past we have seen isolated cases, but now we are being told that it looks like this superbug is spreading pretty easily from person to person This is really the first time weve started seeing clustering of resistance in which patients seemed to be getting the infections from each other, said Dr Meghan Lyman, a medical officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If that wasnt bad enough, scientists have recently confirmed cases of the Bubonic Plague in animals and fleas in six different Colorado counties The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment says there have been laboratory-confirmed reports of plague in animals and fleas from six counties. One of the six counties with confirmed plague is LaPlata County, where a 10-year-old resident died from causes associated with the plague. Laboratory testing has since confirmed the presence of plague in a sample of fleas collected in the county, according to CDPHE. For even more examples like this, please see my previous article entitled 4 Pestilences That Everyone Should Be Keeping An Eye On Right Now. As I have stated before, I believe that we have entered a new era of great pestilences. Scientists all over the globe are constantly playing around with deadly diseases, and in many instances they are actually attempting to make them even deadlier. With that in mind, it chilled me to the core to read that 33 ancient viruses were recently discovered trapped in the ice of the Tibetan Plateau Glaciers can preserve all sorts of relics from the distant past. So could they also be home to a pandemic from prehistoric times as well? Its possible. A team from The Ohio State University has discovered a collection of viruses that have never been seen before in the ice of a glacier in China. Scientists say the viral samples date back nearly 15,000 years and may reveal how pathogens evolve over the centuries. Of the 33 viruses found trapped in the ice of the Tibetan Plateau, the team considers 28 to be completely novel. About half of them also seem to have survived specifically because of the freezing conditions. Now these ancient viruses will be brought back to life, and it is inevitable that scientists around the world will start playing around with them. So what happens when there is an accident and one of those ancient viruses gets released? We live at a time of incredible stupidity, and our stupidity is going to end up getting a whole lot of people killed. Read more at: TheMostImportantNews.com and HealthFreedom.news. (Natural News) Just three percent of the worlds land remains ecologically intact, according to a study published April 15 in the journal Frontiers in Forests and Global Change. And of those few intact ecosystems, only around 11 percent fall within existing protected areas. However, many of those pristine habitats exist in northern latitudes, which are not bursting with biodiversity. There are are some that are though, including several chunks of species-rich rainforests of the Amazon, the Congo and Indonesia that are still fully intact. These findings were alarming because the researchers expected some eight to 10 percent of land remained ecologically intact. The study shows how humans have affected the environment, said lead author Andrew Plumptre of the Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) Secretariat in Cambridge, England. Very few lands remain ecologically intact Conservation scientists have long tried to determine how much of the Earth remains pristine. Earlier estimates using satellite images or demographic data showed that around 2040 percent of the Earth remained free from obvious human incursions, including roads, light pollution and deforestation. But Plumptre and his colleagues argued that those estimates can be misleading because an intact forest canopy can easily hide a bare ecosystem below. Even savannahs and tundras can appear intact from above. What exactly constitutes an intact ecosystem is also still hotly debated by experts. For their study, the researchers began by looking for habitats that retained their full retinue of species at their natural abundance in the year 1500. Thats the baseline that the International Union for the Conservation of Nature uses to study species extinctions. They looked at species of mammals, birds, fish, plants, reptiles and amphibians. So for their study, only parts of the world that were as ecologically intact as they were 500 years ago were considered wilderness. The researchers also used the Human Footprint (HF) map as their index of human impact. The HF maps infrastructures, population or agriculture. It also predicts human impacts up to 10 miles on either side of linear features like rivers and roads. When the researchers analyzed the maps and datasets on species loss, they found that 97 percent of the Earths land was no longer ecologically intact. Many of the remaining intact areas were in territories managed by indigenous communities, which play a vital role in maintaining the ecological integrity of their territories. However, much of the remaining intact land lies in northern areas that arent rich in biodiversity to begin with, such as the boreal forests in Canada or the tundra in Greenland. Some experts argued that Plumptre and his colleagues grossly underestimated those areas that have previously been considered ecologically intact. They also pointed out that the new maps do not consider the impact of environmental factors on habitats and ecosystems. But according to Plumptre, overhunting, poaching and the introduction of invasive species are largely to blame for the loss of ecologically intact lands. Reintroduction of species could help improve biodiversity Although the study painted a gloomy picture, it may not be too late for humans to turn things around. Plumptre and his colleagues suggested that reintroducing a handful of important species to damaged areas can help restore up to 20 percent of the worlds land to ecological intactness. For instance, reintroducing forest elephants to regions of the Congo Basin where they have long since disappeared may help revive the local ecosystem. These elephants physically transform the forest as they move through it and feed. For instance, they allow light to reach the ground below by knocking down dead trees. The elephants also keep the ground clear by trampling vegetation and rotting logs, speeding up decomposition. Reintroducing large mammals like giraffes and zebras to Africas woodlands and savannahs may help revitalize terrestrial ecosystems as well. Many of these animals have disappeared from their habitats because of overhunting and poaching. (Related: Poaching rates DOWN for elephants compared to a decade ago, but theyre not out of the woods yet.) Visit Environ.news to learn more about the state of the worlds terrestrial ecosystems. Sources include: EcoWatch.com FrontiersIn.org Congo.WCS.org (Natural News) Banner Health, a health system headquartered in Arizona, has announced that its more than 52,000 employees must be vaccinated against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) by Nov. 1. Any worker who does not get vaccinated by that date will be fired. Banner Health is Arizonas largest health system. It operates 30 hospitals, including three academic medical centers, and dozens of other health facilities in Arizona and five other states: Wyoming, Nevada, Nebraska, Colorado and California. It has around 45,000 employees in Arizona and 7,000 in the five other states. The health system is the first in Arizona to publicly announce mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for its employees. It told its employees about the vaccine mandate via email on Tuesday afternoon, July 20. We are taking this step to reduce risk for our patients, their families, visitors and each other. Safety is an absolute top priority and the COVID vaccine mandate reflects that commitment, wrote the executives of the Arizona health system. The health system said it will release more information about the vaccine mandate in the coming weeks, including a process by which employees can request an exemption. But the health system warned that its exemptions will be extremely limited. The company already has an incentive program in place to entice its employees to get vaccinated. It is bribing workers with paid time off, reimbursement of travel costs and extra points toward the health systems wellness program that offers discounts on health insurance. Banner Health also has a lottery, with drawings taking place from July until August. Ten vaccinated employees will win $10,000 each. Banner Healths vaccine mandate is part of a national trend among healthcare systems implementing their own forced vaccination policies. Notable examples include the Houston Methodist Hospital system in Texas, which fired over 150 employees for refusing to get the vaccine. Three of Massachusetts largest hospital systems have also implemented vaccine mandates for their nearly 130,000 workers. (Related: Vaccine mandates in healthcare industry are growing, and they are expected to accelerate once FDA grants full approval.) Banner Health using post-vaccine delta variant to justify vaccine mandate Banner Health already mandates its employees receive the flu vaccine every year. Now, it says it needs to mandate the COVID-19 vaccines due to the rise of the post-vaccine delta variant. We care for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities and we owe it to them to take every measure possible to ensure the safest care environment, said Banner Health President and CEO Peter Fine. The delta variant makes up around 36 percent of all new COVID-19 cases in Arizona. Average new reported cases in the past two weeks have risen to 1,080 per day from 565 per day. This represents a 91 percent increase in the states ongoing post-vaccine outbreak. In addition to fearmongering about the delta variant, Banner Health has justified the vaccine mandate due to the upcoming flu season. Banner Health also believes it can mandate vaccines due to the expectation that the COVID-19 vaccines in use will soon receive full authorization from the Food and Drug Administration. Banner Health employees speak out against mandate, threaten to resign if it pushes through Some Banner Health employees have expressed their support for coercing their co-workers to get vaccinated. Many others have spoken out in support of health freedom and against the vaccine mandate. I just want to have a choice, said nursing assistant Sujey Torres. She does not trust the vaccine, and wants to be given the option to refuse it for now. I dont want to be forced to get it. I dont have nothing against the vaccine, people that want to get it, good for them. My family has gotten it already, I just simply dont want it, she said. Jim Sachs, who has been working for Banner Health for over three years now, said he is resigned to the fact that his refusal to get vaccinated may cost him his job. Sachs works from home. He takes patients meal orders and relays them to the proper channels. Based on the fact that I never see a patient or never see my team members, theres no way I can be a danger. Sachs is a cancer survivor and is concerned about how the vaccine could affect his body. He is hoping to apply for an exemption to the mandate. While I love Banner, they saved my life in 2017, thats a hill I will lose my job over. I think theyre going to lose a lot of staff members, warned Patricia Olivas, an X-ray technician who used to work at a Banner Health Urgent Care Center. Olivas believes it is wrong for the health system to force the vaccines onto its employees. Theyre taking the choice away from someone and we make our own choices, she said. Why should we have an employer say you need this? Learn more about the vaccine mandates in the healthcare industry by reading the latest articles at Vaccines.news. Sources include: DailyMail.co.uk BannerHealth.com AZCentral.com AZFamily.com Fox10Phoenix.com (Natural News) Government authorities and large health care groups are ordering the vaxtermination of their own members and workers, demanding spike protein murder shots be injected into millions of victims who work in the government and health care sectors. NYC mayor Bill de Blasio, for example, just announced covid mandates (vaccinate or endure daily tests with high false positive rates) for all 314,000 city workers. This is government targeting government in the vaccine depopulation war. What it means is that if covid vaccines produce any significant number of fatalities or hospitalizations, NYC will suffer personnel losses and large increases in health care costs for its own workers, plunging the city into a dire situation where there are no longer enough city workers alive to keep the city running. Similarly, the American Medical Association and dozens of other medical groups have colluded to call for mandatory vaccines of all health care workers. Their public demand falsely claims that covid vaccines are safe and effective, even though the FDA has made no such determination, and the manufacturers of the vaccines openly admit in their own documents that these vaccines have unknown consequences and are experimental medical interventions. Both the State of California and the Veterans Administration have announced mandatory vaccine requirements for all their workers. In California alone, 15.4% of the workforce is employed by the government, according to 247WallSt.com, and there are 2.5 million government workers in the state of California (although not all of them work for the state itself and may instead work for county or city governments). In Arizona, a large health care group known as Banner Health has announced mandatory vaccine requirements for its 52,000 employees. Any who refuse the vaccine will be fired after November 1st, right as the winter flu season is rising, likely increasing the demand for health care services. In all, we are now seeing governments and health care authorities ordering the vaxtermination of their own workers and employees on a scale never witnessed in the history of human civilization. This is a genocidal self-culling operation that clearly seeks to murder as many people as possible as a way to collapse the nation. Watch this Maryland nurse warn the world about whats really happening with vaccine deaths and injuries, although the lying corporate media (paid off by Big Pharma) and criminal Big Tech platforms (also paid off by Big Pharma) are censoring all health care workers who are warning about covid vaccines: Brighteon.com/82932c26-9234-4057-b283-6d458d3107df A novel way to slash the size of government When mayors like Bill de Blasio order 314,000 government workers to be vaccinated with a dangerous, deadly, unproven experimental gene therapy intervention, hes actually promoting a novel way to slash the size of government. Within as little as 18 months, tens of thousands of those workers may be injured or dead from covid vaccines in NYC alone, according to various warnings from a growing number of qualified medical professionals such as Drs. Hoffe, McCullogh, Tenpenny, Martin, Northrup, Madej, Merritt, Zelenko and others. Across California, if all government workers are forced into covid vaccines, a mere 10% fatality rate could mean 250,000 government workers dying in the near future, leaving California government at a devastating loss for its own continuity of government (C.O.G.) sustainability. Its difficult to see how local and state governments that are currently mandating gene therapy jabs will continue to function if these risky medical experiments turn out to cause serious health complications. Should these experimental gene therapy injections (vaccines) produce substantial adverse reactions, hospitalizations and permanent injury, cities, states and the federal government will also be financially devastated by exploding health care costs incurred by their own surviving workers. Most blue cities and blue states are already on the verge of bankruptcy right now. And that means their ability to cover the added financial strain of retirement pensions and vaccine injury health care costs may be too much to bear. Vaxtermination of doctors, nurses and health care workers Thanks to the AMA, which has abandoned its own stated guidelines for medical ethics and informed consent, vaccine-induced fatalities and injuries will disproportionately impact health care workers, causing widespread shortages in doctors, nurses and other workers at the precise time the rest of the nation is suffering from vaccine injuries and desperately needing medical assistance. This action on the part of the AMA is beyond merely criminal. It is the self-destruction of the entire promise of medical authority from the western medical system, which now admits that it will murder its own practitioners in order to enhance the profits of Big Pharma. No doctor is really valued by the AMA, as they are throwing their own doctors under the spike protein steamroller of Big Pharmas experimental mRNA gene therapy injections, with unknown consequences backed by nothing but fraudulent promises and a hard political push for mass obedience. Just recently, a medical assistant from Minneapolis had both of her legs amputated after receiving the Pfizer covid vaccine, reports the UK Daily Mail. The highlights from the story are nothing less than horrifying: Jummai Nache, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, received the second dose of her COVID-19 vaccine on February 1 Days later, she felt chest pains and was rushed to the hospital, where she tested positive for the virus Doctors diagnosed her with arterial blood clots multiple inflammatory syndrome (MIS), a condition where multiple organs in the body become inflamed. Jummais health rapidly deteriorated and she had to have of her legs amputated Medical experts are unsure whether the vaccine caused her complications, while her husband searches for answers Jummai will soon need her hands amputated as well, though her heart has fully recovered The lying corporate media guilty of a conspiracy to mass murder millions of human beings wont cover Jummais story, since all those who are injured by vaccines are immediately blacklisted and smeared by the pharma-controlled media. And because corrupt government has granted vaccine makers absolute legal immunity against lawsuits over injuries caused by their products, Big Pharma wont be helping Nache pay any of her long-term care costs or immediate medical costs. There is a GoFundMe page for Jummai Nache where she has so far raised $127,000 to help cover medical expenses. Note that she will soon need both hands amputated as well, which means her lifetime medical assistance costs will surely be in the many millions of dollars. Please consider supporting her if you are able. It is critical to note here that the injuries she has sustained are consistent with vaccine-induced blood clots caused by the spike protein, trillions of which are generated in her own cells after an mRNA gene therapy injection. Nache is, technically, a victim of biological warfare, and that same war is being waged against doctors, nurses, government workers and just about every human being across the world. Vaxtermination is the correct term to describe whats happening today. Human beings are being vaxterminated, and the mass murderers are running the medical institutions, the media, the science journals and the big tech platforms. Get more details of this vaccine holocaust in todays Situation Update podcast, via Brighteon.com: Brighteon.com/0b6a918d-0640-4461-aef8-fd78044d3109 Find a new podcast each day at: https://www.brighteon.com/channels/hrreport STORY AT-A-GLANCE In a July 16, 2021, White House press briefing, press secretary Jen Psaki admitted the Biden administration is violating the First Amendment by alerting social media companies to posts and accounts it believes is peddling misinformation about COVID injections This kind of corporate-government collusion to censor free speech is illegal. As noted by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, The government cannot accomplish through threats of adverse government action what the Constitution prohibits it from doing directly The Biden Administration wants COVID misinformants to be removed from all social media platforms, not just one or two In that same press briefing, Psaki also referred to the COVID shots as approved, and having gone through the gold standard of the FDA approval process. This is verifiably false. All currently available COVID injections are authorized for emergency use only. None are approved and none have finalized their safety studies The Biden Administrations call to censor through public utilities and private companies anyone who shares information about risks and the lack of benefit of these COVID injections must be rejected on ethical, legal and Constitutional grounds (Natural News) (Article republished from Articles.Mercola.com) In a July 16, 2021, White House press briefing,1 press secretary Jen Psaki admitted the Biden Administration is violating the First Amendment by alerting social media companies to posts and accounts it believes is peddling misinformation about COVID injections. When asked by a reporter to expound on how this flagging works, Psaki said: Well, I would say first, it shouldnt come as any surprise that were in regular touch with social media platforms just like were in regular touch with all of you and your media outlets about areas where we have concern, information that might be useful, information that may or may not be interesting to your viewers So we are regularly making sure social media platforms are aware of the latest narratives dangerous to public health that we and many other Americans seeing And we work to engage with them to better understand the enforcement of social media platform policies. So let me give you an example, just to illustrate it a little bit. The false narrative that remains active out there about COVID-19 vaccines causing infertility which has been disproven time and time again. This is troubling, but a persistent narrative that we and many have seen, and we want to know that the social media platforms are taking steps to address it. That is inaccurate, false information And that is an example of the kind of information that we are flagging or raising So a couple of the steps that could be constructive for the public health of the country are providing for Facebook or other platforms to measure and publicly share the impact of misinformation on their platform and the audience its reaching with all of you to create robust enforcement strategies that bridge their properties and provide transparency about rules. You shouldnt be banned from one platform and not others if you for providing misinformation out there. In her July 15, 2021, press briefing,2 Psaki cited The Disinformation Dozen report3 by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), which claims 65% of anti-vaccine content on Facebook and Twitter comes from 12 individuals, including yours truly. According to Facebook, they have removed 18 million posts with COVID misinformation, and connected more than 2 billion users to reliable information, meaning state-sanctioned information. The Biden administration is not satisfied with these already staggering numbers and thinks more must be done. Specifically, as Psaki mentions, they want the disinformation dozen banned from all available social media platforms. Psaki Disinforms Public About Vaccine Approval Status In that same July 16 press briefing, Psaki also referred to the COVID shots as approved, and having gone through the gold standard of the FDA approval process.4 She said: The public has a right to know And were dealing with a life-or-death issue here, and so everybody has a role to play in making sure theres accurate information Its clear there are more [steps] that can be taken On the foreign government piece the State Departments Global Engagement Center has found that Russia and China have promoted their own vaccines through messaging that undermines Western origin vaccine development programs. So, you know, that is more than just competition about vaccines. The risk and impact there is that this type of information magnifies, you know, the risk of potential side effects associated with Western vaccines. This is what theyre what the information some of this misinformation is doing and misleads the public by falsely alleging that mRNA vaccines are untested and, thus, risky, even though many of them are approved and have gone through the gold standard of the FDA approval process. This is verifiably false. All currently available COVID injections are authorized for emergency use only. They are not licensed or approved. At present, the emergency use authorization applies to adults and children as young as 12.5 Those two terms, authorized for emergency use and approved for use, are not interchangeable. Biden Administration Launches Illegal Attack on Free Speech One wonders whether the admission that theyre flagging posts and accounts they dont like so that social media companies can remove them is an attempt at normalizing illegal government overreach. It comes across that way. But lets be clear. This kind of corporate-government collusion to censor free speech violates the U.S. Constitution and is illegal. As noted by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in an April 5, 2021, ruling6 in which he weighed in on the ability of social media giants to control free speech: The government cannot accomplish through threats of adverse government action what the Constitution prohibits it from doing directly Under this doctrine, plaintiffs might have colorable claims against a digital platform if it took adverse action against them in response to government threats. Even if the Biden administration is not threatening social media companies with adverse action if they refuse to censor at the governments whim, the government cannot use private companies to do something on its behalf that it is not legally allowed to do on its own. Put another way, it is illegal for government officials to pressure private companies into censoring free speech on their behalf or at their request, since they as government officials do not themselves have the right to infringe on free speech. The same goes for attorneys general that have publicly called for social media companies to ban posts and deplatform accounts,7 as well as the surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, who recently stated that an epidemic of misinformation and disinformation is putting peoples lives at risk.8,9 He too has illegally called for technology and social media companies to address the way misinformation and disinformation spread on their platforms. To that end, he even released his own 22-page report,10 which advises addressing misinformation super-spreaders and using educational institutions, from elementary school settings through college, as well as private funders, to monitor and address false and misleading information. The Rockefeller Foundation wasted no time in responding by announcing $13.5 million in new funding to help with the effort. Again, these government officials have the right to their own opinion. But they do not have the right to censor other peoples opinion and/or information, least of all published research. And since they do not have the Constitutional right to censor Americans, they also cannot ask private companies to do it for them. Government officials are also breaking several laws by incentivizing Americans into participating in medical experimentation, and collaborating with private companies to require personnel to participate in medical experimentation. Its truly remarkable whats happening, and the fact that so many laws are blatantly broken in an effort to get a needle in every arm suggests something other than public health interest is at play. Why Is Truth About Natural Immunity Banned? Im still on Twitter, and in recent times, the only post deleted was one in which I indicated that naturally-infected people developed robust and long-lasting immunity, and that health officials need to be honest and admit that this immunity is very powerful.11 To my post, I had attached a paper12 published in the peer-review journal Nature. However, Twitter does censor me in a different sort of way by posting a detailed warning to users who click on any links to Mercola.com that I post on Twitter that visiting my site may be unsafe which is completely false. Recovered COVID patients have robust immunity even if their symptoms were mild and subsequent antibody count is low, because latent antibody-producing cells called memory B cells for SARS-CoV-2 still exist in their bone marrow. This was shown in another Nature study.13,14 When they encounter the SARS-CoV-2 virus again, those memory cells start churning out new antibodies, which will raise the level again to eliminate the virus. The National Institutes of Healths website15 even declares that recovery from COVID-19 provides lasting immunity, and that the immune systems of more than 95% of people who recovered from COVID-19 had at least 3 out of 5 immune-system components that could recognize SARS-CoV-2 up to eight months post-infection. This research was funded in part by the NIAID, and published in the journal Science.16 Clearly, the naturally-acquired immunity narrative poses a significant threat to the mass injection campaign. The information poses no threat to public health. Quite the contrary. The more people know about this, the less fearful they will feel. If they are the ones who recovered, they will know they now have good protection. If the former COVID patient is a family member or friend, they can be at ease with those people, knowing they pose no infection risk. If it were really about keeping people safe from infection, natural immunity would be accepted and people would be encouraged to look at studies showing most places on earth have already achieved natural immunity. But when it comes to SARS-CoV-2, they insist even those who already have natural immunity should get a COVID shot. Why? Theyre already immune! And theres no added benefit to getting a COVID injection if you have antibodies. Researchers at Cleveland Clinic looked at this issue, concluding that people who had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 at least 42 days prior to vaccination reaped no additional protection from the jabs, over and above their natural immunity.17,18 Zero Benefit and All Risk for Recovered COVID Patients Meanwhile, the COVID injection may trigger an adverse immune response in those who have already been infected with the virus, putting them at significantly increased risk of injury and death.19 As explained by Dr. Hooman Noorchashm, a cardiac surgeon and patient advocate:20 Viral antigens persist in the tissues of the naturally infected for months. When the vaccine is used too early after a natural infection, or worse during an active infection, the vaccine force activates a powerful immune response that attacks the tissues where the natural viral antigens are persisting. This, I suggest, is the cause of the high level of adverse events and, likely deaths, we are seeing in the recently infected following vaccination. In early March 2021, researchers at Kings College confirmed the validity of Noorchashms concerns. They found people who have already had COVID-19 are three times more likely to experience vaccine side effects than those who have not been exposed to the virus, and this appears true for both mRNA and DNA versions of the vaccine.21 Using data from the Kings College ZOE app, which has logged more than 700,000 vaccinations, 35.7% of those given the Pfizer injection who had previously been infected reported side effects, compared to just 12.2% of those not previously infected. Looking at the AstraZeneca vaccine, 52.7% of previously infected had side effects, compared to 31.9% of those who had not been previously infected. Despite these documented risks, the FDA continues to recommend the COVID shot for those with natural immunity. Vaccination Versus Natural Immunity Public Health England has published data showing only 44 of 6,614 previously infected persons tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection a second time.22 Of those 44, only 15 developed symptoms, so its quite possible the remainder were simply false positives. Either way, the risk of reinfection after recovering from a bout of COVID-19 seems rare, and the risk of reinfection is far lower than the risk of infection faced by those who are fully vaccinated. As reported by Israel National News, July 13, 2021:23 Coronavirus patients who recovered from the virus were far less likely to become infected during the latest wave of the pandemic than people who were vaccinated against COVID Health Ministry data on the wave of COVID outbreaks which began this May show that Israelis with immunity from natural infection were far less likely to become infected again in comparison to Israelis who only had immunity via vaccination. More than 7,700 new cases of the virus have been detected during the most recent wave starting in May, but just 72 of the confirmed cases were reported in people who were known to have been infected previously that is, less than 1% of the new cases. Roughly 40% of new cases or more than 3,000 patients involved people who had been infected despite being vaccinated. With a total of 835,792 Israelis known to have recovered from the virus, the 72 instances of reinfection amount to 0.0086% of people who were already infected with COVID. By contrast, Israelis who were vaccinated were 6.72 times more likely to get infected after the shot than after natural infection, with over 3,000 of the 5,193,499, or 0.0578%, of Israelis who were vaccinated getting infected in the latest wave. Impossible for COVID Jabs to Have Favorable Impact In a world of differing opinions and eternally evolving science, who can claim rights to the truth? The White House press secretary seems to think the Biden administration should have dibs on the truth, while in the same breath disinforming the public by referring to the COVID shots as FDA approved with gold standard safety studies behind them. Health agencies and their officials also disinform the public every time they claim vaccine-induced immunity is better than natural immunity, as this runs counter to everything weve ever learned about virology. It may be accurate for some diseases, but it certainly cannot be said for COVID-19. Theres far more data suggesting the COVID jab is an unnecessary risk that provides negligible benefit. The overall noninstitutionalized infection fatality ratio is a mere 0.26%. Below 40 years of age, its 0.01%. Whats more, data shows the absolute risk reduction for all four COVID injections is between 0.7% and 1.3%. Since the absolute risk that needs to be overcome is lower than the benefit that these injections can provide, mass vaccination simply cannot have a favorable impact on the population. Its mathematically impossible. Remember, healthy adults under 50, teens and children have a less than 1% chance of hospitalization and death from COVID-19, so they dont have a medical need for this experimental injection. The overall noninstitutionalized infection fatality ratio is a mere 0.26%. Below 40 years of age, its 0.01%.24 Those odds simply do not make a strong argument for mass injection with an experimental gene modification tool. Whats more, data show the absolute risk reduction for all four COVID injections is between 0.7% and 1.3%.25,26 (Efficacy rates of 67% to 95% all refer to the relative risk reduction.) Since the absolute risk that needs to be overcome is lower than the benefit that these injections can provide, mass vaccination simply cannot have a favorable impact on the population. Its mathematically impossible. So, while government, public health leadership and pro-vaccine advocates insist we must follow the science, they themselves are doing anything but. For a year and a half, theyve insisted pandemic measures like lockdowns, mask wearing and gene modification injections are the only way forward, despite mountains of evidence against each and every one of those strategies. So, its not about science. If it were, theyd produce studies that overwhelmingly refute the counternarrative and prove demonstrable benefits. But they dont. Instead, they unleash personal attacks and smear campaigns to discourage people from listening to anything that doesnt come out of their propaganda machine. Biden Administration Wants to Monitor Your Private Texts The Biden Administration has now gone so far as to propose SMS carriers fact check private text messages to make sure Americans dont share inconvenient facts to friends and family. Ironically, White House spokesperson Kevin Munoz told Politico that this move was part of the administrations steadfast commitment to keep politics out of the vaccination efforts.27 Backlash was swift, from legislators and private individuals alike, but time will tell whether it was enough to make the White House reconsider.28 Its also not about public health, because if it were, theyd accept natural immunity, and they wouldnt be breaking the law at every turn. No, its all about getting a needle in every arm science, logic and common sense be damned. The question is why. Many of my articles over the past year have detailed evidence pointing to this mass injection campaign being a tool to usher in a new world order of surveillance, worldwide poverty and the complete removal of medical and personal freedoms. The Biden administrations call to censor through public utilities and private companies anyone who shares information about risks and the lack of benefit of these COVID injections is clearly part of that agenda, and must be rejected on ethical, legal and Constitutional grounds. The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) recently posted more than 50 video presentations from the pay-for-view Fifth International Public Conference on Vaccination held online October 16 to 18, 2020, and made them available to everyone for free. The conferences theme was Protecting Health and Autonomy in the 21st Century and it featured physicians, scientists and other health professionals, human rights activists, faith community leaders, constitutional and civil rights attorneys, authors and parents of vaccine injured children talking about vaccine science, policy, law and ethics and infectious diseases, including coronavirus and COVID-19 vaccines. In December 2020, a U.K. company published false and misleading information about NVIC and its conference, which prompted NVIC to open up the whole conference for free viewing. The conference has everything you need to educate yourself and protect your personal freedoms and liberties with respect to your health. Dont miss out on this incredible opportunity. I was a speaker at this empowering conference and urge you to watch these video presentations before theyre censored and taken away by the technocratic elite. Read more at: Articles.Mercola.com and JoeBiden.news (Natural News) A mysterious airborne illness plagued the Russian Urals city of Yekaterinburg in spring 1979. (Article by Taylor Penley republished from WesternJournal.com) People died in droves days after presenting with mysterious pneumonia at local hospitals. Then, the secret police stepped in. Doctors, ordered to keep silent, had their patients records stripped from them and kept under wraps as the communist government searched for a more mundane explanation a scapegoat to feed the media. Youre thinking this is another coronavirus story only its somehow planted 42 years in the past, right? Not this time. While the Soviet anthrax incident looked eerily like it couldve been a rehearsal for communist Chinas apparent COVID-19 release, the two were not planned to be similar. But it was perhaps our first small-scale glimpse into what would take the world by storm four decades later and it reiterates that history repeats itself. About a month ago, The New York Times Moscow bureau chief picked up on the story thats more relevant now than ever as we double our search into COVID-19s origins. It seems impossible that even the most authoritarian governments could mask, if you will, one of the deadliest lab leaks in history by reshaping the narrative into something far less damning. At least, it seems impossible until it actually happens. Another even more damning resemblance between the two regime-touted origin stories is that U.S. officials believed their lies each time. Wild rumors do spread around every epidemic, Nobel Prize-winning American biologist Joshua Lederberg wrote in a 1986 memo, according to the Times. The current Soviet account is very likely to be true. But Lederbergs opinion and similar opinions from other top U.S. scientists didnt settle. In fact, we would continue searching to the point where the truth about the anthrax lab leak would be unearthed only a few years later. But, lets rewind to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when anyone entertaining the idea that the virus escaped a Wuhan lab was labeled a conspiracy theorist. Numerous social media platforms unsurprisingly censored free discourse and refused to allow their platform users to come to their own conclusions surrounding the virus origins. They would continue censoring them until the lab leak theory seemed not-so-preposterous to everyone else. The natural origin theory, however, still retains its place among the opinions of one top U.S. medical official: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci. Its been 40 years the Berlin Wall has fallen, the Soviet Union has collapsed, weve witnessed communisms lies, corruption and collapse time and again yet American scientists still believe them. Its unjust to the victims of these ailments, in the same way it is unjust to the poor subjects of any tyrannical government living today. Now, the metal grave plates marking the victims of this mysterious Soviet illness are showing wear and the names of those who died are slowly becoming erased, according to the Times. They were buried in coffins with an agricultural disinfectant in a cemetery on the outskirts of town (perhaps intentionally kept distant from everything else) killed prematurely by a mistake their government refused to own. American elites stupidly let the Soviets spread a deadly lie for over a decade. Lets make sure we dont make the same mistake with China. Read more at: WesternJournal.com and Pandemic.news (Natural News) Searing hot temperatures have always been a common occurrence in Dubai. The desert city located in the United Arab Emirates consistently sees an average rainfall of just 4 inches. Because of this, the Emirati government has taken steps to ensure the country experiences more rain. It has successfully done so through various cloud seeding operations. On July 18, the U.A.E. National Center of Meteorology (NCM) released footage of heavy downpours in different parts of the country. The rains came amid a summer heat wave that saw temperatures surpass 120 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the NCM, cloud seeding operations done to increase rainfall contributed to the downpours intensity. The footage showed the monsoon-like rains drenching a busy highway, with sudden waterfalls appearing on the side of the road. Unfortunately, it also caused tricky driving conditions for SUV drivers. A report by Abu Dhabi newspaper The National said heavy rainfall caused waterfalls to appear in the city of Al Ain and made driving conditions hazardous. Meanwhile, a Yahoo News report said researchers at the University of Reading in England received US$1.5 million from the UAE in 2017 to work on rain enhancement science. The amount constituted a portion of the Emirati governments total US$15 million investment in nine different rain-making projects for that year. The UAE said the investment was part of the countrys quest to ensure water security. Emirati Ambassador to the U.K. Mansoor Abulhoul visited the English university in May 2021, where he was shown demonstrations of technologies to generate rainfall. He said during this visit: Its moving to think that the rainfall technology I saw, which is still being developed, may someday support counties in water-scarce environments like the UAE. University of Reading Vice-Chancellor Robert Van de Noort meanwhile said: Of course, our ability to manipulate weather is puny compared to the forces of nature. We are mindful that we, as a university, have a big role to play by working with [our] global partners. Rainfall generation proves weather control is REAL Cloud seeding operations are commonly performed by pilots who fire chemicals into the clouds. The chemicals then trigger increased precipitation, which then falls to the ground as rain. Substances used in cloud seeding include silver iodide, salt compounds and dry ice. However, one system proposed by University of Reading researchers involved the use of drones that zap clouds with electricity to increase precipitation. Meteorologist Maarten Ambaum, a researcher who worked on the project, told BBC News in March 2021 that it aims to change the balance of electrical charge on cloud droplets. Furthermore, applying electrical shocks to clouds was more preferable to using chemicals such as silver iodide. According to Ambaum, the UAE has plenty of clouds and the goal is to persuade the water droplets in them to merge and stick together. He compared it to dry hair meeting a comb when charged with static electricity. When the drops merge and are big enough, they will fall as rain, Ambaum said. The researcher continued: The water table is sinking drastically in [the] UAE, [and] the purpose of this is to try to help with rainfall. UAE Rain Enhancement Research Program Director Alya Al-Mazroui meanwhile told Arab News in March 2021 that the remote-controlled drones will be tested at a flight center in Dubai. However, Al-Mazroui added that it is too early to predict the studys efficacy at that time. Equipped with a payload of electric-charge emission instruments and customized sensors, these drones will fly at low altitudes and deliver an electric charge to air molecules, which should encourage precipitation, she said. The UAE was not the only country that dabbled in weather modification efforts. Bloomberg columnist Adam Minter wrote in a December 2020 op-ed that China conducted cloud seeding operations the previous month. The operation done at the behest of the Juye County Meteorological Bureau saw 16 artificial rain enhancement rockets launched off the back of a pickup truck located 300 miles south of Beijing. Minter noted that the November 2020 cloud seeding plan was done in response to a local drought. Juye County officials said the endeavor was successful, with the county receiving more than 2 inches of rain. They also noted that the resulting rain alleviated the drought, lowered the risk of forest fires and improved air quality. GeoEngineering.news has more articles about weather modification projects in different countries. Sources include: StrangeSounds.org Independent.co.uk News.Yahoo.com BBC.com ArabNews.com Bloomberg.com (Natural News) Vaccinated individuals accounted for three-quarters of Singapores Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) infections in the last four weeks, putting a dent in the countrys vaccination program. Singapore, which has been distributing the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, has already vaccinated nearly 75 percent of its 5.7 million people the worlds second-highest rate behind the United Arab Emirates. Half of the countrys population is fully vaccinated. Of Singapores 1,096 locally transmitted infections in the last 28 days, 484 or about 44 percent were in fully vaccinated people while 30 percent were partially vaccinated and just over 25 percent were in unvaccinated individuals, according to data provided by the government Thursday, July 22. The data also showed that infections in the last 14 days among vaccinated people older than 61 stood at about 88 percent, higher than the figure of just over 70 percent for the younger group. Linfa Wang, a professor at Duke-NUS Medical School, said elderly people had been shown to have weaker immune responses upon vaccination. In Israel, which also has a high vaccination rate, about half of the 46 patients hospitalized in severe condition by early July had been vaccinated, and the majority were from risk groups. (Related: Breakthrough coronavirus cases still being reported, some even dying despite being fully vaccinated.) Singapore bans restaurant dining, gatherings of more than two people Beginning Thursday, Singapore banned restaurant dining and gatherings of more than two people as the country reverted to Phase 2, also known as heightened alert. Both indoor and outdoor food and beverage establishments, including hawker centers and food courts, will only be able to offer takeaway and delivery options during this period. The restrictions will last until Aug. 18. Just 10 days before the start of restrictions, the government allowed residents to dine in groups of five. The countrys Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a press release that people should continue to limit their overall number of social gatherings to not more than two per day. Each household can also receive only two distinct visitors per day. This does not apply to grandchildren who are being cared for daily by their grandparents. Work-from-home will remain the default at workplaces and social gatherings at the workplace will not be allowed. Employers should continue to stagger the start times of employees who need to return to the workplace and implement flexible working hours. Strenuous indoor exercise classes are also not allowed. Other activities that require masks to be off including personalized services such as facials, saunas and make-up services, singing and the playing of wind and brass instruments are also banned. MOH said these restrictions will not apply to medical and dental consultations, but non-medical facial treatments will not be exempted from these restrictions On-again, off-again restrictions hold back Singapore Singapores daily new case numbers are only a fraction of those reported elsewhere in Southeast Asia, but the tightening of measures just days after easing them is a setback for an Asian business hub eager to move on from the pandemic. (Related: Singapore to stop counting coronavirus cases, will rely solely on vaccines in misguided attempt to curb infection rates.) While the country has one of the worlds lowest fatality rates from the coronavirus pandemic, its people have not been spared the roller-coaster ride of on-again, off-again social gathering restrictions every time an outbreak occurs. We have to make this pre-emptive tightening so that we can cut back on our overall activity levels and slow down the transmission, said Lawrence Wong, co-chair of the countrys coronavirus taskforce. The objective now is to buy us time so that we can vaccinate more people, especially our seniors. Wong said the tighter restrictions will be reviewed in two weeks, and the task force will decide whether to update the measures based on the COVID-19 situation at that point. Once the situation stabilizes, Singapore will have more lenient measures for those vaccinated, Wong said. Singapore has ramped up testing after clusters of infections involving karaoke lounge operations that are notorious for facilitating prostitution and gambling. They were temporarily allowed to operate as restaurants. The country has reported more than 63,000 coronavirus infections overall, the bulk of those linked to outbreaks in dormitories of migrant workers last year. Follow Pandemic.news for more news and information related to the coronavirus pandemic. Sources include: Reuters.com 1 Reuters.com 2 SCMP.com (Natural News) People high up in the administration of President Joe Biden are in talks with other top officials and so-called public health experts on whether to update the countrys mask mandate policies. The debate is being spurred on by the surge in infections connected to the post-vaccine delta variant of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). Some of the talks included officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A federal health official reported that the CDC is itself separately examining whether to update its masking guidance. Any changes to federal or CDC policy will reportedly include mandating masks even for fully vaccinated individuals. (Related: VAX SCAM REVEALED: Los Angeles County brings back mask mandates, even for the vaccinated.) Under the CDCs current health guidelines, fully vaccinated Americans do not need to wear face masks in most settings. But a federal mask mandate remains in place for airlines and many forms of interstate public transportation. The reports from the White House come from at least six people who are familiar with the discussions and spoke with the mainstream media under the condition of anonymity. The White House has not denied that these talks have been taking place. But officials did claim that the federal government wants to maintain a hands-off approach and leave mask policy up to the CDC. At the White House, we follow the guidance and advice of health and medical experts, claimed White House assistant press secretary Kevin Munoz. Public health guidance is made by the CDC, and they continue to recommend that fully vaccinated individuals do not wear a mask, he said. If you are not vaccinated, you should be wearing a mask. Potential changes to mask policy still unclear It is still not clear what updates the White House and the CDC want to push through in their masking policies. An official privy to the discussions said the talks are still in their preliminary stages. The result could be as simple as new messaging from the White House and the CDC reiterating their recommendation for people to wear masks. One of the options the CDC is reportedly considering is mandating masks even for fully vaccinated Americans. According to some officials, the proposal would strongly recommend masks in indoor public spaces where vaccinated and unvaccinated people might mix. These public spaces would include malls and movie theaters. Another idea that has been floating around in the discussions involves vaccine passports. This proposed plan would require Americans to provide proof of vaccination before they are allowed entry into businesses. This is unlikely to be implemented. The White House seems to understand that it is very unpopular and would lead to significant backlash and possibly even some legal challenges. Federal health officials have stated that no final decision regarding mask policy has been made and that the CDC is still considering all options. At this time, we have no intention of changing our masking guidance, said CDC spokesman Jason McDonald in a statement. Also unclear how new mask policies would be enforced In a town hall with mainstream media outlet CNN held on Wednesday evening, Biden said he will likely order the CDC to issue guidance encouraging unvaccinated children to wear masks when they return to schools in the fall. It was unclear how Biden could enforce the guidance. He even admitted that it would be difficult, and passed the responsibility of forcing children to wear stifling masks indoors on to others. He said it was a community responsibility. It is also unclear how Biden or the CDC can enforce any wide-ranging mask mandate, especially since many local and statewide mask mandates have been lifted and fewer and fewer Americans are wearing masks. A recently published poll conducted by market research firm Ipsos with mainstream news website Axios found that just 54 percent of Americans are still wearing masks regularly when they are in public. This is a significant decrease from 84 percent in early May. The White House and the CDC are claiming that updates to their mask policies are important because of the rise of the post-vaccine delta variant of the coronavirus. Health officials have claimed that the current surge is a pandemic of the unvaccinated. They further claim that most of the cases are coming from states with low vaccination rates, including Missouri. This claim is not supported by the evidence, because 50 percent of adults in the state are already fully vaccinated. Learn more about what the Biden administration and the rest of the federal government are up to by reading the latest articles at WhiteHouse.news. Sources include: Chron.com TheHill.com Independent.co.uk NYTimes.com According to information published by the British Ministry of Defense on July 27, 2021, ships from the UKs Carrier Strike Group, led by the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, performed a naval exercise with the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) on July 26, 2021. Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link HMS Queen Elizabeth, HNLMS Evertsen, USS The Sullivans, and HMS Kent. (Picture source British MoD) The exercise, to advance interoperability and coordination between the two navies, builds on the deep and long-standing defense partnership between the UK and Singapore. It was also the first time that ships from the British Royal Navys 5th generation Carrier Strike Group exercised alongside the RSN (Republic of Singapore Navy). Eight ships were involved in this exercise, including the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier, HMS Kent Type 23 anti-submarine frigate, HNLMS Evertsen De Zeven Provicien-class frigate fromu the Royal Netherlands Navy, USS The Sullivans Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer from the U.S. Navy, RFA Tidespring Fast Fleet Tanker from the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary, RSS Intrepid Formidable-class frigate, RSS Unity Independence-class littoral mission vessel and RSS Resolution Endurance-class landing ship tank from the Republic of Singapore Navy. The British Navy Strike Group, which set off on its maiden deployment in May this year and has successfully conducted operations and engagements in the Mediterranean, is now in the Indo-Pacific. The purpose-built aircraft carrier replenishment ship, RFA (Royal Fleet Auxiliary) Tidespring broke away from the main group on Friday (23 July 2021) for a quick and contactless replenishment pit-stop in Singapore. She will now sustain the group as it proceeds further east. The UK Strike Group will next undertake a series of multinational exercises with global allies in the Philippine Sea. Later in the year, the Carrier Strike Group will return to Singapore. A ship from the Group will also take part in Exercise Bersama Gold - with Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand this will mark the 50th anniversary of the Five Power Defence Arrangements. The British Navy Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier is accompanied on operation by a Strike Group consisting of ships, submarines and aircraft and other ships from international partners which offer a network of defensive and offensive military capabilities. The Strike Group can move, act and fight as an integrated and cohesive force, even when spread out across thousands of miles, but individual ships are able to detach from the main group to conduct independent or concurrent tasks as required. Weather Alert ...AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PDT THURSDAY... The Washington State Department of Ecology has issued an Air Quality Alert...in effect until noon PDT Thursday. A Smoke Air Quality Alert has been issued. Wildfires burning in the region combined with forecasted conditions will cause air quality to reach unhealthy levels. Pollutants in smoke can cause burning eyes...runny nose...aggravate heart and lung diseases...and aggravate other serious health problems. Limit outdoor activities and keep children indoors if it is smoky. Please follow medical advice if you have a heart or lung condition. Information about air quality is on the Washington Department of Ecology Web site at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/air.html or call 360-407- 6000. ...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TUESDAY TO 11 PM PDT WEDNESDAY... * WHAT...Temperatures 100 to 105 expected Tuesday and Wednesday. * WHERE...In Washington, Eastern Columbia River Gorge of Washington, Kittitas Valley, Yakima Valley, Lower Columbia Basin of Washington, Foothills of the Blue Mountains of Washington and Simcoe Highlands. In Oregon, Eastern Columbia River Gorge of Oregon, Lower Columbia Basin of Oregon, Foothills of the Northern Blue Mountains of Oregon and Foothills of the Southern Blue Mountains of Oregon. * WHEN...From 11 AM Tuesday to 11 PM PDT Wednesday. * 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. && On June 20, student Oliver Daemen took off with Jeff Bezos on Blue Origin's first manned space trip . Thus, the 18-year-old Dutchman became the youngest person in history to travel to space. Despite this feat, the boy confessed to the tycoon that he has never bought through the Amazon platform. "I told Jeff that I had never actually bought anything on Amazon," Daemen revealed last Friday during an interview at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. "And he was like, 'Oh, I haven't heard someone say that in a long time.' Related: Jeff Bezos thanks Amazon employees after his space flight: 'You paid for this' Oliver is the son of Joes Daemen, CEO of Somerset Capital Partners, and was chosen to fly with Bezos after the mysterious millionaire who paid $28 million for the seat canceled at the last minute citing "scheduling problems." The boy received the news while on a family vacation in Italy. "They called and said, 'Are you still interested?' and we said 'Yes! Yes! Yes!' says Daemen, who added that since he was a child he had dreamed of traveling to space and therefore obtained his pilot's license at an early age. Welcome to the crew, Oliver! We're grateful to have you as our first customer to mark the beginning of commercial operations. #NSFirstHumanFlight https://t.co/gwZ6qBOFpi pic.twitter.com/SuOwxe2353 - Blue Origin (@blueorigin) July 15, 2021 Daemen said his passage aboard Bezos's New Shepard rocket cost much less than what the anonymous mogul would have paid. They chose me because I was the youngest and I was also a pilot and I already knew a lot about that, he explained. "I don't think I realized until I was on the rocket: 'Wow, it's really happening.' It was my ultimate goal () but I never thought it would be so soon." Related: Are Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson Already Astronauts? America Says No In addition to Jeff Bezos and Oliver Daemen, the crew included Mark Bezos (Jeff's brother) and aviator Wally Funk, 82, who now holds the title of the oldest person to go into space. They all received two days of safety training for the historic 10-minute trip out of Earth's atmosphere. Our astronauts have completed training and are a go for launch. #NSFirstHumanFlight pic.twitter.com/rzkQgqVaB6 - Blue Origin (@blueorigin) July 19, 2021 For now, Daemen is enjoying the final weeks of his gap year before entering college. In September, he will begin a Physics degree at the University of Utrecht and, although he is not yet sure what he wants to do with his life, he said he would seriously consider a career in space travel. Related: Millionaires In Space 2! Tourism off Earth Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved By Rachel Yoder Doubleday. 256 pp. $26 - - - If you have ever been the primary parent of a small child, reading Rachel Yoder's debut novel, "Nightbitch," may feel as if the author stuck her hand into your brain and rummaged around. Yoder has a powerful understanding of the alienation that can set in for stay-at-home mothers and others. The main character christens herself "Nightbitch" after she begins noticing physical changes in her body. Are her canines sharper? Why is she hairier? That lump at the base of her spine - is it a tail? Do these signs prove that she's not like the other mommies at the various enrichment classes, Book Babies, Tyke Hyke, Gymnastic Jam and more? Before she gave birth and made the fraught but financially necessary decision to provide full-time parenting, Nightbitch was an artist and administrator at an arts foundation. The before-and-after gap is never so apparent as when she meets two friends from grad school who have made different choices. They make her realize that she has buried her former self, "the talented and plucky young woman with big ideas and an unusual point of view." Meanwhile, Nightbitch grows ever more feral, although Yoder keeps the transformation ambiguous. Readers won't be sure which changes stick around and which only show up after dark, although we do see Nightbitch involving her toddler in some of her new activities. A fussy sleeper, her son finally settles down when she allows him to use a kennel for his naps. She also gives him small tastes of raw meat. That's just one example of the surprising, and surprisingly gory, scenes in this novel. They're not gratuitous, but they're also not genteel. Neither is Nightbitch. She's raw and complicated and angry. She tells her friends from art school that she's "working on" something "about the wildness of motherhood," which isn't exactly a lie. Nightbitch wants to "underscore the brutality of motherhood, how a child's first act is violence against the woman who created it. Yet the mother loves the child with the most powerful love known in this universe." Yoder concocts a small and humorous conceit to connect Nightbitch's present with motherhood's long history. At some point, the protagonist starts to read a book called "A Field Guide to Magical Women," by one Wanda White, a professor at the University of Sacramento. White claims to have spent years studying and doing field work about mythical female creatures she encounters "in the wild," including a clan "drawn to and focused on all things related to her career, success, financial earning, and power" - and the mysterious "WereMothers of Siberia," who procreate individually, spontaneously and frequently. Not only are these imaginary tribes of women wittily conceived, but they also remind us of motherhood's shared experiences: the changing bodies, disrupted sleep schedules and tiny potentates demanding macaroni again and again. As Nightbitch disrupts the equilibrium of her household, allowing her long-suppressed fury to surface, something else happens: She rediscovers her creativity. The scene of her art opening is unforgettable. So is Nightbitch. No one should take her for granted. - - - Bethanne Patrick is the editor, most recently, of "The Books That Changed My Life: Reflections by 100 Authors, Actors, Musicians and Other Remarkable People." Three of the richest billionaires on Earth are now spending billions to exit Earths atmosphere and enter into space. The world is watching and reflecting. Some charmed commentators say the billionaires racing into space arent just thrilling humankind theyre uplifting us. The technologies they develop could benefit people worldwide far into the future, says Yahoo Finances Daniel Howley. But most commentators seem to be taking a considerably more skeptical perspective. Theyre dismissing the space antics of Branson, Bezos, and Musk as the ego trips of bored billionaires cynical stunts by disgustingly rich businessmen, as one British analyst puts it, to boost their self-importance at a time when money and resources are desperately needed elsewhere. Space travel used to be about us, a collective effort by the country to reach beyond previously unreachable limits, writes author William Rivers Pitt. Now, its about them, the 0.1%. The best of these skeptical commentators can even make us laugh. Really, billionaires? comedian Seth Meyers asked earlier this month. This is what youre going to do with your unprecedented fortunes and influence? Drag race to outer space? Lets enjoy the ridicule. But lets not treat the billionaire space race as a laughing matter. Lets see it as a wake-up call a reminder that we dont only get billionaires when wealth concentrates. We get a society that revolves around the egos of the most affluent and an economy where the needs of average people dont particularly matter. Characters like Elon Musk, notes Paris Max, host of the Tech Wont Save Us podcast, are using misleading narratives about space to fuel public excitement and gain tax-dollar support for various projects designed to work best if not exclusively for the elite. The three corporate space shells for Musk, Bezos, and Branson SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic have all benefited greatly through partnerships with NASA and the U.S. military, notes CNN Business. Their common corporate goal: to get satellites, people, and cargo into space cheaper and quicker than has been possible in decades past. Branson is hawking tickets for roundtrips to the edge of the atmosphere and back at $250,000 per head. Hes planning some 400 such trips a year, observes British journalist Oliver Bullough, about almost as bad an idea as racing to see who can burn the rainforest quickest. The annual UN Emissions Gap Report last year concluded that the worlds richest 1% do more to foul the atmosphere than the entire poorest 50% combined. Opening space to rich peoples joyrides would stomp that footprint even bigger. Bezos and Musk seem to have grander dreams than mere space tourism theyre looking to colonize space. They see space as a refuge from an increasingly inhospitable planet Earth. And they expect tax-dollar support to make their various pipedreams come true. How should we respond to all this? We should, of course, be working to create a more hospitable planet for all humanity. In the meantime, advocates are circulating tongue-in-cheek petitions that urge terrestrial authorities not to let orbiting billionaires back on Earth. Billionaires should not exist on Earth or in space, but should they decide the latter, they should stay there, reads one Change.org petition nearing 200,000 signatures. Ric Geiger, the 31-year-old automotive supplies account manager behind that effort, is hoping his petition helps the issue of maldistributed wealth reach a broader platform. Activists like Geiger are going down the right track. We dont need billionaires to conquer space. We need to conquer inequality. Sam Pizzigati is an associate fellow and co-editor of Inequality.org at the Institute for Policy Studies. Hes the author of The Rich Dont Always Win and The Case for a Maximum Wage. This article was adapted from Inequality.org and distributed by OtherWords.org. New Castle, PA (16103) Today Sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 79F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 57F. Winds light and variable. By Charlie Severance-Medaris | July 2021 A QUICK LOOK INTO IMPORTANT ISSUES OF THE DAY Many states are seeing positive developments with certain infectious disease rates. For instance, the annual number of new HIV diagnoses decreased by 7% from 2014 to 2018. Unfortunately, at the same time, many states have seen significant increases in the rate of new cases of other infectious diseases. Since 2015, rates of new chlamydia infections have risen 19%, gonorrhea by 56% and syphilis by 74%. This includes a 279% increase in cases of congenital syphilis, which occurs when syphilis infection is passed from a mother to the fetus during pregnancy. In the same time frame, rates of hepatitis A infection increased by an unprecedented 1,325% due in large part to outbreaks reported in 31 states among people who use drugs and people experiencing homelessness. Rates of new hepatitis B and C infections are rising as well. DYK? Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a medicine people at risk for HIV can take to reduce the risk of getting HIV by 99%. New congenital syphilis infections have increased 279% since 2014. More than 75% of patients at high risk for HIV who saw a care provider in the last year werent offered an HIV test and that routine testing can lead to earlier care and reduce the risk of transmission. These infections are not affecting all communities equally. For instance, 39.1% of new congenital syphilis cases occurred among infants with Black mothers and 31.5% occurred among infants with Hispanic mothers in 2018. The same year, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men accounted for 69% of all new HIV diagnoses in the United States. A lower percentage of Black and Hispanic gay and bisexual men have discussed PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), a medicine people at risk for HIV can take to prevent getting HIV, with a health care provider or have used PrEP within the past year. In addition to the toll these diseases can have on individuals, treatment is costly for states. The average lifetime treatment cost of a person with HIV is $501,000 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The estimated cost of providing health care services to people living with hepatitis C in the United States is $15 billion annually and recent hepatitis A outbreaks have cost states at least $270 million since 2016. The good news is that these infections, and their associated treatment costs, are preventable. Improving access to screening services, vaccines and medications like PrEP, as well as other strategies like employing comprehensive syringe services programs, can prevent further spread of these infections and address health disparities. State Action Many people with a communicable infection are unaware of their status. For instance, an estimated 15% of people with HIV do not have a diagnosis and 40% of new infections are transmitted by people unaware of their status. Routine screening, at least once per year for high-risk groups, can lead to early detection and greatly reduce risk of transmission. States are supporting increased screening in various ways. West Virginias statutes stipulate that health care providers should recommend routine HIV testing and that high-risk patients should be encouraged to undergo HIV testing at least annually. Connecticut requires private insurers to cover screening for HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, HPV, hepatitis B and syphilis. Kentucky requires pregnant women to receive hepatitis C testing. Texas requires syphilis testing in the first and third trimester, and as of 2019, at delivery. Texas also created the Newborn Screening Preservation Account to help cover the costs of expanded testing. Increasing access to prevention medications can also reduce new infections. PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by 99%, and by 74% among people who inject drugs. California and Colorado authorize pharmacists to dispense PrEP without a prescription from a doctor. Georgia created a three-year pilot program in 2019 to provide PrEP financial assistance. Washington requires the Department of Health to increase awareness about financial support for PrEP. New Mexico appropriated $107,000 in 2019 to improve awareness of PrEP and its benefits among health care professionals. Comprehensive syringe service programs (SSPs), sometimes referred to as syringe or needle exchanges, also provide screening for infectious diseases, referrals to treatment for infections and substance use disorders, vaccinations for hepatitis A and B and access to PrEP. SSP use is associated with a 50% decrease in the risk of HIV transmission and individuals who use SSPs are more than three times as likely as non-users to stop injecting drugs. Additional Resources Preventing Infectious Diseases Caused by Injecting Drugs (Legisbrief) Rise in Congenital Syphilis Cases Concerns State Legislators (Blog) Report Highlights Strategies to Prevent High Treatment Costs, Tackle Infectious Disease (Blog) Racial/Ethnic Disparities in HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis Among Men Who Have Sex with Men (CDC) Syringe Service Programs (CDC) Kentucky allows county health departments to operate SSPs that test for infectious diseases and provide hepatitis A and B vaccinations. Florida allows county commissions to authorize SSPs that can refer individuals to substance use disorder treatment and for screening and treatment of infectious diseases. Minnesota provided a grant of $367,000 to the Rural Aids Action Network to support syringe exchange services in rural parts of the state. Georgia encourages SSPs to include harm reduction counseling. Federal Action The federal government supports state efforts to prevent and mitigate infectious diseases. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 permits funds from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support SSPs with the exception that funds may not be used to purchase syringes. States can work with the CDC to allow for the use of federal funds to support SSPs. Currently, 44 states and DC, one tribal nation and one territory are permitted to redirect federal resources to support SSPs. Additionally, the CDC has many informational resources for SSPs, including a technical package of effective design strategies and a summary of SSP effectiveness and safety. HHS launched the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative in 2019. This plan aims to diagnose new HIV cases quickly and connect individuals to treatment. To achieve maximum impact, the CDC is focusing resources on communities most affected by HIVmore than 50% of new HIV diagnoses occurred in only 50 localities. Additionally, HHS launched the Ready, Set, PrEP program to provide free PrEP HIV-prevention medications to thousands of people living in the United States, including tribal lands and territories. There is arguably no networking technology surrounded by more hype than software defined WANs (SD-WAN), and much of it is well deserved. A significant number of network professionals either have an SD-WAN deployment underway or on their near-term roadmap. The reason is that SD-WAN architecture is optimized for cloud computing while legacy WANs were designed when client-server computing was the norm. As work-from-home has shifted more apps to the cloud, the adoption of SD-WAN has accelerated. Is SD-WAN an MPLS killer? The short answer is, No. The reality is the two technologies are complementary, so its important to understand how to use each to design a network that provides not simply the best possible price, but the best priceperformance. Still, many SD-WAN vendors have been positioning SD-WAN as an MPLS killer because the newer technology can leverage multiple broadband circuits to connect branch offices. The thesis from much of the vendor community, particularly startups, is that businesses can ditch their traditional MPLS network and save a significant amount on telecom charges. Its true that broadband circuits are cheaper than MPLS, but that doesnt mean MPLS no longer has a purpose in enterprise WANs. Benefits of MPLS MPLS (short for multiprotocol label switching) is a network protocol that controls the flow of traffic between two locations. MPLS networks are dedicated, private networks and use advanced routing protocols to send varying types of traffic across the network using different paths. For example, video and voice need a low-latency route to ensure performance is high, but general internet traffic might take a more congested route because delay is not such an issue. The benefit of MPLS is it guarantees fast, reliable packet delivery, making it ideal for high-performance or real-time applications. Cost of MPLS The downside of MPLS is cost, which can be significant for long distance, global connections. One characteristic traditional MPLS networks have is that it uses an activepassive architecture. This means enterprise customers have to buy two links but can only send traffic over the primary one unless it fails completely; only then is traffic rerouted over the passive link. To get that added network reliability, customers effectively purchase bandwidth twice for a single connection. SD-WAN cost advantage SD-WANs are an overlay to existing networks that could include MPLS but most often use broadband for the last mile and then the internet for the middle mile. The technology enables businesses to leverage multiple network connections in an activeactive architecture where traffic can be sent over the best connection as determined in real time. Determining factors include the delay-sensitivity of traffic, time of day, cost, and the current status of individual links. Use of internet and broadband connections rather than MPLS is less expensive, is more reliable because it affords multiple paths, and offers more flexibility. The flexibility is due to the software-defined nature of SD-WAN that decouples the control aspect of the network from the hardware so network-wide routing changes can be managed centrally and executed in a fraction of the time it would take in an all-MPLS WAN. Lower cost, increased network reliability, and centralized management are among the potential benefits of SD-WAN. SD-WAN shortcomings The downside of SD-WAN is that application performance can be unpredictable if the network is solely built on broadband internet whose performance is variable and unpredictable. In this scenario, the multi-path capabilities of SD-WAN improve reliability, but application performance can be hard to manage. Latency comparisons When designing an SD-WAN it may be tempting to make it all-broadband because long-distance MPLS connections can be very expensive, often several thousand of dollars for trans-oceanic connections as compared to local broadband. Businesses must ask themselves if the cost-to-predictability tradeoff is worth it. There is no single right answer because all businesses are different, but for most companies, certain apps wouldnt perform well with the unpredictability of broadband and internet, and that could pose a risk to the business. Examples include trading systems, real-time CAD programs, and voice and video. Differences in response time Recently, I took a look at how big the performance difference is between using MPLS or an internet connection to connect cities that are far apart. The average response time between Dallas, Texas, and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, using MPLS was about 50ms compared to about 600ms using the internet. Whats even more striking is the variability between the best and worst times. With MPLS, the DallasDubai response time varies by 12% compared to 153% for internet. Similarly, Dubai to Mumbai varies 15% with MPLS and 212% for the internet. Even transcontinental connections see quite a bit of disparity with a connection between San Jose, California, and Washington, DCa variability of 5% with MPLS and 82% with internet. Once the length of the link drops to about half of the US, the difference in variability is much less, making an all-broadband WAN a no-brainer. The problem with a variance this large is it creates a situation where some applications can work great sometimes and perform horribly at other times. This kind of inconsistency can be highly disruptive as it can negatively affect how apps perform and therefore reduce productivity. Small businesses and regional companies can use an all-internet WAN and likely wont see much of an impact on user experience because the length of connections for important traffic is short enough. But thats not the case for nationwide or global enterprises. For these far-flung businesses, optimizing cost and performance involves using SD-WAN as an architecture to blend together broadband and internetas well as MPLSto create a best-of-both-worlds scenario. That can be done by using broadband for last-mile connectivity and a combination of internet and MPLS for long-haul connections. The multiple broadband connections ensure resilient connectivity, and apps can be directed either over MPLS or the internet, based on the performance they require. High performance, real-time, and mission-critical apps would be directed over MPLS, and best-effort traffic would use the internet. By doing so, businesses can cut the amount they spend on MPLS by right-sizing those circuits to deliver connectivity for just the subset of business apps that demand a high-performing network. The savings on MPLS can often dwarf the investment in SD-WAN infrastructure, so with a bit of good planning and up-front homework, companies can lower their total cost of running the network. The rise of SD-WAN has raised the question whether SD-WAN or MPLS is better. The answer is both as they are used to solve different problems. One doesnt replace the other; rather they are complementary. By Express News Service CHENNAI: Vodafone Idea on Monday followed rival Bharti Airtel in tweaking its mobile service postpaid plans for its enterprise customers. The new Business Plus postpaid plan begins with tariffs for corporate users starting from Rs 299 per month to Rs 499 per month. It has, however, kept its earlier Rs 799 plan and introduced a new Rs 349 plan. Its rival Airtel last week had discontinued postpaid plans in the Rs 199 and Rs 249 range for enterprise customers and increased tariffs for the segment. Vodafone Ideas new plans come with bundled services such as mobile security, location tracking solutions, subscription to Vi Movies & TV and Disney+ Hotstar VIP for one year, as well as Vi Caller Tunes subscription, and Vi Business-Mobility platform and Vi App for easy manageability of account and plan. But the company has also reduced data benefits, preserving the industry trend of raising tariffs. Analysts have been observing that the telecom sector requires tariff hikes to better its financial health for a while now. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The government has detected undisclosed income of approximately Rs 20,078 crore in the Panama Papers leak case, Rs 11,010 crore in the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) cases, and Rs 246 crore in Paradise Papers leak cases, it informed Parliament on Monday. In a reply to Lok Sabha, Pankaj Chaudhary, Minister of State for Finance, said that the government has raised tax demand of Rs 8,216 crore as on May 31, 2021 in 166 cases under the Black Money Act, 2015. He further informed the lower house of the Parliament that more than 107 prosecution complaints have been filed under the Black Money Act so far. Giving details of the steps taken by the government to bring back black money from outside the country, the minister said that the government had enacted in 2015 the Black Money Act, which specifically deals with the issue of black money stashed abroad. He also informed that the government has been engaging with the foreign governments to facilitate and enhance the exchange of information, has entered into information sharing agreement with the USA under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act and set up the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Black Money under chairmanship and vice-chairmanship of two former judges of the Supreme Court. The minister said that so far, over 260 conviction orders have been passed since 2016-17 against individuals found indulging in tax evasion. He also said that there is no official estimate of the black money stashed in the Swiss Bank for the past 10 years. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Private sector lender Axis Bank expects the ban on Mastercard to affect new credit card issuance by close to 20% each month, assuming the situation normalises by September 15. According to Sumit Bali, president and head- retail lending and payments, the recent curbs imposed by the central bank on the global card network will largely hit its co-branded card with Flipkart. Launched in July 2019, there are about 1.2 million such co-branded credit cards, where Mastercard is the sole card network. We are in engagement with Flipkart and Mastercard. Were expecting the situation to normalise by September 15, he said, adding that the bank is expected to come back to normalcy even if Mastercard is not operational. Currently, the lender is in the process of onboarding other card networks to issue more cards. On Monday, Axis bank reported a 94% increase in June quarter net profit to Rs 2,160 crore on the back of higher other income and lower provisions. The lenders other income rose 39% to Rs 3,588 crore, while provisions were down 20% to Rs 3,532 crore year-on-year. Net interest income, or core income, increased 11% over the year earlier to Rs 7,760 crore, against an estimated Rs 7,788 crore. Fee income stood at Rs 2,668 crore, up 62% year-on-year. Asset quality deteriorated sequentially as gross non-performing assets (NPAs) as a percentage of total advances stood at 3.85% as on June 30 compared with 3.7% as of March. Kotak Mahindra Bank Q1 profit up 32% Kotak Mahindra Bank reported a 31.9% jump in its standalone net profit for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 at Rs 1,641.92 crore owing to higher other income. Other income doubled to Rs 1,583 crore at the end of June quarter compared to Rs 773 crore a year ago. As expected, the banks asset quality worsened, with gross non-performing asset ratio at 3.56% compared with 3.25% as of March. The bank added Rs 1,500 crore of fresh bad loans in the quarter, largely contributed by agriculture and commercial vehicle loans. DLF Q1 profit at Rs 337 crore DLF, the countrys largest real estate developer by market capitalisation, reported a net profit of Rs 337.17 crore during first quarter ended June (Q1FY22) due to robust demand for its residential houses. DLFs revenue during the quarter stood at Rs 1,243 crore, up 92% a Y-o-Y. DLF had reported loss of Rs 71.52 crore during Q1 of FY2021, due to the pandemic induced lockdown. L&T profit grows 4 times y-o-y Engineering and construction giant Larsen & Toubro (L&T) on Monday posted near 4x jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 1,174 crore in Q1FY22. The company had reported Rs 303 crore net profit in the year-ago period due to first wave of Covid-19 infection. The second wave of Covid-19 also had a big impact on the companys operations as its PAT decreased 50.4% quarter-on-quarter. In Q4FY21, L&T had reported net profit of Rs 3,293 crore. KV Navya By Express News Service CHENNAI: When 60-year-old Venkataraman went to a Corporation school in Alandur to get vaccinated recently, he was denied a jab since he did not carry a photocopy of his Aadhaar card. The old man had to ask people around and eventually walk to a xerox shop to get a photocopy of the same. This is the plight of elders and many citizens at almost all the vaccination centres in the city. Either the officials demand a photocopy or the original of Aadhaar and refuse to accept any other identity proof. State immunisation officer Dr Vinay Kumar told Express that there is no such rule and seven identity cards must be accepted by the government. This includes Aadhar card, electoral photo identity card (EPIC)-voter ID, passport, driving license, PAN card, NPR smart card, and pension document with a photograph. Also, the officials must not demand for photocopy and instead check the original copy and register them on the portal, said Vinay. When Express visited the school, as Venkataraman did, in Jal Street at Alandur, there was a queue of at least 300 people with no physical distancing norms with a photocopy of Aadhaar card. When asked why, one of the officials there said it was necessary for registration and refused to comment further. On his table, was a huge stack of Aadhaar copies. Similarly, when the Corporation conducted a vaccination camp at one of the private offices in Egmore, they had demanded xerox copies of Aadhaar, alleged employees. We were informed that we need to submit a photocopy or our details will not be registered on Cowin. At a time when there is so much of data breach, this move looks fishy, said D Charan, an employee. Even in places where photocopy is not being demanded, only Aadhaar is being accepted as proof. Officials at the vaccination centres said there is also an issue with the Cowin portal as most of the times, it accepts only Aadhaar as identity proof and shows error for others. Harish Murali By Express News Service CHENNAI: In relief to actor Vijay, the Madras High Court on Tuesday ordered an interim stay against the operation of a single judge order labelling him anti-national for challenging the entry tax demand for import of a Rolls-Royce Ghost car from the United Kingdom in 2012. A division bench of Justices M Duraiswamy and R Hemalatha that heard the plea, however, directed the actor to pay the remaining 80% of the tax within a week of receiving a fresh demand notice from the commercial tax department. This follows Vijay's appeal against the order of the single-member bench of Justice SM Subramanian on July 13 imposing Rs 1 lakh cost on the actor for failing to pay the entry tax by making several adverse observations against the actor. The judge had also observed that reel heroes should be real heroes in real life and tax evasion is to be construed as an anti-national habit, attitude and mindset and unconstitutional. After directing him to pay the tax, the judge had dismissed his petition. ALSO READ: 'Act like real hero': Madras HC orders Vijay to pay entry tax for Rolls Royce On Tuesday, senior advocate Vijay Narayan, appearing for the actor before the division bench, argued, "He is not challenging the tax liability but wanted to expunge adverse comments made by the single judge against him." He pointed out that the single judge had made adverse remarks only on the plea moved by the actor when similar such pleas were dismissed without any observations. "The learned single judge had dismissed similar writ petitions without giving any observations. The judge had dismissed the present writ petition making damaging observations against the appellant and also imposing a cost of Rs 1 lakh," he argued. "There was no justification at all for these remarks. In open court, the same order as others was passed, but when judgment came, all these remarks were made much to the shock of the appellant. The adverse publicity can hurt any human. He does not deserve this treatment," Narayan argued. In the event of the tax authority issuing a demand challan to the actor claiming the balance 80% of the entry tax, he would pay the amount within one week, assured the senior counsel before the bench. The bench recording the submissions made granted an interim stay to the order passed by the single member bench. However, the bench in its interim orders also directed the authorities concerned to issue the demand challan in respect of the balance 80% of the entry tax to be paid by Vijay within one week. The court adjourned the plea to August 31. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has said that the Yamuna is not fit for bathing in the absence of a minimum environment flow in the river, as per a report submitted to the Union Jal Shakti Ministry. Minimum environmental flow for the dilution of polluted water in Yamuna is required to meet the desired water quality levels for bathing purpose i.e. BOD<3 mg/l and DO>5 mg/l, the report read. A study conducted by National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, recommended that 23 cubic metres per second (cumec) water should be released in the river from the Hathnikund Barrage in Haryanas Yamuna Nagar district in the lean season for sustaining downstream ecosystems. The National Mission for Clean Ganga observed that the water sharing agreement of 1994 among the riparian states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi is due for revision in 2025, implying that no revision will be possible to achieve the E-flow in Yamuna,the report stated. In the absence of a minimum environmental flow of the Yamuna in Delhi, it is very difficult to achieve bathing quality standards, it mentioned. The 22 km stretch of Yamuna from Wazirabad to Okhla in Delhi, which is less than two per cent of the river length, accounts for about 80 per cent of the pollution in the river. Untreated wastewater, poor quality of effluent discharged from Common Effluent Treatment Plants and sewage treatment plants are the major reasons behind pollution in the river, according to experts. The Delhi government banned the sale, transportation and marketing of detergents which do not meet BIS standards to curb the pollution. The report also stated that out of the 35 sewage treatment plants in Delhi, 22 do not meet the wastewater standards prescribed by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC). Anupama Mili By Express News Service KOCHI: Several heaps of unused cables are left abandoned on many areas, especially roadsides. These unclaimed cables are also causing difficulties for pedestrians and giving an ugly look to the city. Many activists have come forward demanding the corporation to take immediate action and remove them. Ranjith Tambi, an environmental activist from the city said none of the cables has any marking to denote the ownership. If we want to ask the operator to remove them from the public places, whom should we call? None of them has names or any markings to denote the companies. It also makes the street look untidy, he said. He added the authorities should come out with guidelines for installing cables on electric posts. Some activists have alleged that there is corruption in allocating the cable services of the private players. Manu Jacob, one of the councillors, said the corporation has given sanction for some of the private players to lay cables without the clearance from the council. There should be coordination for installing these cables. Since there are no markings on these cables, nobody knows the number of cables lying unused in the city. There is a huge pile of cables lying near North Railway station, which no one claims. More than 80 per cent of the cables are non-functional. The corporation should take a strong decision in this regard, he said. However, while admitting that the heaps of unused cables are bad for the image of the city, Mayor M Anilkumar dismissed the corruption allegations. There is a huge change brought in the Smart City areas with Smart Poles, and that will continue on the other roads as well. It is difficult to remove all the cables since many other departments, like the electricity board (KSEB), have given sanction for them. So, the corporation cannot take a one-sided decision. The corporation secretary will soon call a meeting of all the cable companies. Meanwhile, unused cables that cause hindrances to the pedestrians will be removed immediately, he said. By PTI MUMBAI: Studio Warner Bros Pictures will release "The Suicide Squad", directed by James Gunn, in select Indian cinema halls on August 5, according to a release issued Tuesday. The DC superhero action-adventure stars Margot Robbie, Idris Alba, John Cena, with Sylvester Stallone and Viola Davis among others. Action fantasy feature "Mortal Kombat", another Warner Bros Pictures title that was released on April 23 in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, will now open in select cities on this Friday, July 30. Warner Bros' horror mystery "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It", starring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, is also slated to be released in select cities on August 13. After a decline in COVID-19 cases in some parts of the country, states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have permitted the resumption of operations in cinema halls. Theatres in Delhi opened on Monday at 50 per cent occupancy. Kamal Gianchandani, CEO of the theatre chain PVR Pictures, said he is happy that the studio has come up with a slate of films to release in Indian theatres after a slump in the cinema exhibition industry due to the pandemic-induced shutdown. "It is heartening to know that Warner Bros. Pictures have announced the release dates of 'Mortal Kombat on 30th July', 'The Suicide Squad 2' on 5th August and 'The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It on 13th August'. "Many states have given permission for cinemas to re-open and the release of these movies in three consecutive weeks in multi-languages and multi-formats would surely give a boost to the industry by inducing movie goers back to the big screen to enjoy these amazing films," Gianchandani said in a statement. These three and new Hollywood titles will help kickstart the exhibition industry that has been facing "severe headwinds for the last 5 Quarters", said Rajender Singh Jyala, Chief Programming Officer, INOX Leisure Ltd, the multiplex chain. "We would like to thank Warner Bros. Pictures for laying out such a stellar line-up," he added. Devang Sampat, CEO of the movie theatre chain Cinepolis India, said the company is excited to welcome back their patrons to the cinemas. "To make their welcome a bit more special, Warner Bros. Pictures and Cinepolis will be greeting patrons with back to back releases like Mortal Kombat, The Suicide Squad and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It which have proven to be successful in the overseas markets. Safety of our patrons and employees is paramount and at Cinepolis we have ensured that 100% of our staff has been vaccinated already, thus providing a safe environment to all our patrons and employees," Sampat said. By PTI NEW DELHI: Hip-hop act Seedhe Maut has made it to the 2021 class of Foundry, YouTube's global artist development programme. The Delhi-based duo, comprising Siddhant Sharma aka Calm and Abhijay Negi aka Encore ABJ, is among the 27 artists representing 14 countries, YouTube announced on Tuesday. Started in 2015, Foundry aims to support independent artists by helping them engage fans and build careers on their own terms. Till date, Foundry has supported more than 120 artists in 13 countries, including international pop stars like Dua Lipa, Arlo Parks, Rosalia, India's Lost Stoies (2020) and many more. The 2021 Foundry Class is the largest to date, the video-sharing platform said in a press release. As part of the programme, the artistes will receive dedicated partner support from YouTube and seed funding invested into the development of their content. "Hip-hop helped us articulate our hopes and ambitions and be who we truly wanted to be. We represent a generation that dares to dream and wants to live life on its own terms. With our music, we hope to give a voice to others like us who go against the grain and follow through on their convictions, whether that be as an artist, gamer, accountant, or whatever," Seedhe Maut said in a statement. "Being independent grants us the freedom to evolve in any direction that we feel like. The downside of that can be that sometimes, great ideas get sidelined due to limited resources. Foundry helps remove some of those hurdles, and we're extremely helpful to unleash our full creative potential onto the world," the rapper duo added. Besides Seedhe Maut, the list also includes Ambar Lucid (US), Bad Milk (Colombia), Bella Shmurda (Nigeria), Blessd (Colombia), chilldspot (Japan), Doul (Japan), Ebhoni (Canada), Enny (England), Fana Hues (US), Junior Mesa (US), Marina Sena (Brazil), Meekz (England), Paranoid 1966 (Spain), Paris Texas (US) and Raveena (US). The other artists are Reggie (US), Rote Mutze Raphi (Germany), SE SO NEON (South Korea), Shygirl (England), Sinead Harnett (US), Snail Mail (US), SoFaygo (US), Sycco (Australia), Tenille Arts (US), Tokischa (Dominican Republic) and Tuyo (Brazil). Pawan Agarwal, Director of Music Partnerships (India & South Asia) at YouTube, said that Foundry celebrates the creative potential of independent artists. "The initiative is a testament to our commitment of nurturing and supporting indie talent in India, enabling them to bring their creative vision to light. We will continue supporting these talented, promising artists to take their talent to newer audiences and build their communities," he added. Rajesh Kumar Thakur By Express News Service PATNA: Bihar-born Siddhant Sarang, 21, is an undergraduate student of history at Delhi Universitys Satyawati College. A keen observer of global climate-related occurrences since his school days, he is set to launch a podcast in Bhojpuri dialect called Dharti Maiya. Through podcast, he wants to reach out to the rural people in Bihar and UP on climate change. Bhojpuri is the 8th most spoken language in India and 3rd most spoken in Nepal too, with 51 million native speakers as per the 2011 census. Sarang, as one of the youngest environmental activists, is also getting an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled app in addition to his podcast to create awareness on environment and ecology. Born in Bihars Muzaffarpur district, Sarang went to school where his passion led him to make a short documentary film on climate that won him an award. Climate change is a stark reality. It is our fundamental responsibility to save the climate by becoming eco-friendly in our activities, he said. Sarangs podcast, launched in February, will soon be disseminating information through 22 other regional languages listed in the Indian Constitution. Being a student I dont have funds to appoint translators. So, I have decided to take the help of the AI-enabled system to make both the podcast and the app multilingual, he said. By ANI DISPUR: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday visited Silchar Medical College and Hospital to meet police personnel who were injured in the Assam-Mizoram border clash. Himanta Biswa Sarma directed the doctors to ensure the best treatment to the injured police personnel and shift the seriously injured for better treatment by air ambulance on priority. "Visited SMCH to meet injured police officials and directed doctors to ensure the best treatment to them. Asked to send seriously injured personnel for higher level treatment by air ambulance on priority Mins @TheAshokSinghal, @Pijush_hazarika; @DGPAssamPolice; Local MLAs accompanied," tweeted the CM Biswa Sarma. Visited SMCH to meet injured police officials & directed doctors to ensure best treatment to them. Asked to send seriously injured personnel for higher level treatment by air ambulance on priority Mins @TheAshokSinghal, @Pijush_hazarika; @DGPAssamPolice; Local MLAs accompanied. pic.twitter.com/F4fOJIqrr2 Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) July 27, 2021 As many as six Assam Police personnel have died in an exchange of fire with their Mizoram counterparts, Assam Minister Parimal Suklabaidya said. Suklabaidya said that around 80 people were injured in the firing from the Mizoram's side. "6 Assam Police personnel have died and around 80 people have been injured in the firing. There was no firing from our side. Firing from the Mizoram side was similar to that by the British at Jallianwala Bagh," he added. "A cordial talk with the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) was underway after some men came to our side of the border when the Mizoram side started firing suddenly. As much as I know, the firing continued for at least 30 minutes," he further said. We are deeply anguished by the loss of lives of our brave @assampolice personnel. I visited Silchar SP Office and paid floral tributes to the five martyrs and salute their sacrifice. pic.twitter.com/Alj0l9sKmG Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) July 27, 2021 Expressing disbelief, the minister said, "We fail to understand the reason behind the move. We live in the same country. They have to cross Assam to enter other Indian states; Assam acts as a corridor to them. Our people never had a bad attitude towards them and still, they did this, we are still shocked." A war of words ensued between Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga and his counterpart from the neighbouring state Himanta Biswa Sarma after the clash which led the Home Minister to intervene. In reply to the tweet, Assam Police said miscreants from Mizoram were indulging in stone-pelting and attacking Assam government officials stationed at Lailapur to protect Assam's land from encroachment. Assam CM Sarma also replied and shared a clipping and said a superintendent of police from Mizoram was asking Assam's officials to withdraw from their post, failing which civilians from the neighbouring state would not stop the violence. He sought immediate intervention from the Home Minister Amit Shah and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). How can we run a government in such circumstances?" Sarma wrote. Soon after, Mizoram CM Zoramthanga wrote to Sarma, "After a cordial meeting of CMs (chaired) by Shah, two companies of Assam Police with civilians lathi-charged and tear-gassed civilians at Vairengte Auto Rickshaw stand inside Mizoram today. They even overrun CRPF personnel/Mizoram Police." Zoramthanga shared another video with which he wrote that an innocent couple were "manhandled and ransacked by thugs and goons" on their way back to Mizoram via Cachar in Assam. "How are you going to justify these violent acts?" he wrote. Mizoram CM Zoramthanga said that border disputes in the northeast are a legacy of the colonial era and lasting peace between states is important for further development of the region. By PTI AIZAWL: A day after a violent clash and exchange of fire between police forces of Assam and Mizoram left at least six people dead and over 50 injured, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) deployed along the disputed interstate border on Tuesday received criticism from various quarters for allegedly failing to carry out its "responsibility" as a neutral force. A Mizoram minister, the local MLA and the village council chief alleged that the CRPF were unable to prevent "Assam policemen and civilians" from entering the neighbouring state and overrun security forces' camps inside Mizoram near Veringte on Monday. Central paramilitary forces have been deployed along the Mizoram-Assam border by the Central government as neutral forces to defuse tension and maintain peace following a border standoff in August last year. While the CRPF are deployed on the Mizoram side, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) are camped on the Assam side in Lailapur. ALSO READ | Full demarcation of border needed for durable solution to Assam-Mizoram dispute: BJP leader Mizoram Information and Public Relations Minister Lalruatkima alleged that the paramilitary forces did not restrain armed police personnel and civilians from Assam from intruding into Mizoram territory despite the vulnerability of the situation. "The bloody clash could have been averted had CRPF personnel prevented Assam police from entering Mizoram territory and put restrain on them," Lalruatkima, who is currently camping at Vairengte, told PTI. He alleged that unarmed Mizoram police officers were denied protection by CRPF personnel when they rushed to the CRPF base when the firing took place between two state forces on Monday. Officials of the CRPF were not available for comment. Lalrinsanga Ralte, the MLA of Serlui constituency under which Vairengte falls, accused the CRPF of backing the police personnel and civilians from Assam in entering Mizoram territory. He also alleged that Assam police took over the CRPF camp and driven out around 15 personnel of Mizoram police from their duty post located a few meters away from the CRPF camp on the outskirt of Vairengte. The MLA claimed that the people of Mizoram have lost faith in the paramilitary force as far as maintaining neutrality and restoring peace on the border areas are concerned. ALSO READ | Not an inch of Assam's land can be encroached upon by Mizoram: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma Vairengte joint village council chairman R Lalfamkima also blamed the CRPF for allegedly failing to carry out their responsibility to defuse tension. Lalfamkima, who claimed to have been present at the incident site on Monday, alleged that the CRPF personnel did nothing to stop the Assam team from proceeding and avert clashes. In a statement on Monday, the Assam government alleged that the Mizoram Police opened fire on its officials and civilians from two dominating high features with automatic weapons, including light machine guns (LMGs). However, Mizoram Home Minister Lalchamliana claimed that the state police responded "spontaneously by firing back" at Assam Police after its 200 personnel forcibly crossed a duty post manned by CRPF personnel and indulged in arson and firing and assaulted unarmed people Following the incident, Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga and urged them to ensure peace along the disputed border and find an amicable settlement. Assam's Barak Valley districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi share a 164-km border with Mizoram's three districts of Aizawl, Kolasib and Mamit. Tensions along the border with Mizoram in Cachar and Hailakandi districts of Assam have been escalating since October 2020 with frequent incidents of burning of houses and charges of encroachment of land by both sides. On October 22, 2020, high-level talks were held under the aegis of the Union Home Ministry where it was decided to maintain the status quo and resolve the dispute through discussions. The tension flared up again in February this year and since then people had fled their houses near Gallacherra border outpost after two huts were burnt down. After a lull of few months, a grenade was hurled on an Assam government team visiting the border by unknown attackers from Mizoram on July 10, while two back-to-back explosions were heard from across the border in the wee hours on July 11. A high-level meeting between officials of both the states, including the chief secretaries and DGPs, was also held in New Delhi earlier this month, on the issue to sort out the dispute. Mizoram was a district of Assam before it was carved out as a separate union territory in 1971 after years of insurgency and the district borders did not really matter. The border issue cropped up after that as perceptions over where the boundary should be, differed. While Mizoram wants it to be along the inner line notified in 1875, which Mizo tribals feel is part of their historical homeland, Assam wants it to be demarcated according to district demarcation done much later. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The controversial Citizenship Amendment Act is not going to be implemented till Jan next year as the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has sought another six months extension to frame the rules for the law that was notified nearly two years ago. Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai informed Lok Sabha on Tuesday that the central government has sought extension till January 9 for framing rules of CAA. He was replying to a question from Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on whether the government had missed the deadline to frame and notify CAA rules and the steps taken in this context. Nityanand Rai said that the committees on Subordinate Legislation, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have been requested to grant further extension of time upto 09.01.2022 to frame the rules under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. ALSO READ | AASU head says not afraid of being spied on by Pegasus, fight against CAA to continue Constitutional experts say that the rules of a legislation need to be framed within six months of getting Presidents nod, it is for the fifth time that the government has sought extension for the framing of the rules. CAA seeks to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted minorities like Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The act aims to not consider any person who has arrived in India who had come to India till the cut off date of December 31, 2014, after facing religious persecution as an illegal outsider. The Act has drawn huge protests across the country since it was tabled. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Raising an alarm over the rising number of districts with Covid-19 test positivity rate of over 10% and over 20 districts reporting an increasing trend in daily cases, the Centre on Tuesday said it is an "area of concern." Compared to 46 such districts in India between July 14-21, this week, the number has grown to 54 and the majority of them are in Kerala, Maharashtra and the five north-eastern states. More worryingly, there are 22 districts in the country which have recorded an increase in the trends of the Covid-19 cases for the last four weeks. While addressing a press briefing on the coronavirus pandemic status in the country, Lav Agarwal, joint secretary in the Union health ministry, said that 22 districts -- including 7 from Kerala, 2 from Maharashtra, 5 from Manipur and three in Meghalaya -- are showing a rising trend in cases over a month. #TNIEKeralaCovidUpdate#Kerala TPR jumps to 12.35% on Tuesday from 10.59%. New cases continue to rise. More details here pic.twitter.com/fK4lNsBsOm TNIE Kerala (@xpresskerala) July 27, 2021 As per the data shared, there are still 62 districts in the country where over 100 cases are reported every day, which are found in a localised and limited set of areas of these districts. ALSO READ | After flak for denying deaths due to lack of oxygen, Centre now writes to states seeking info "Average daily new cases declined from 3,87,029 cases between May 5- 11 to 38,090 cases between July 21-27. The recovery rate in the country now stands at 97.4 %," said Agarwal. India on Monday reported less than 30,000 fresh cases, the lowest in 132 days. "If we look from a global perspective, the pandemic is far from over. There is a noticeable increase in the number of cases across the world, which remains the area of concern. We have to work on containing the spread of the virus with strictness," Agarwal added. On a positive note, VK Paul, member, health, Niti Aayog, who also heads the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration Committee for Covid-19, mentioned a study conducted on 15 lakh doctors and frontline workers in the Armed Forces Medical College who were administered Covishield. The findings have shown that there was a 93% reduction in infection during the massive second wave of the pandemic, driven by the delta variant of SARS CoV-2 while the vaccine also showed a 98% reduction in mortality. By PTI AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat government on Tuesday announced that children who have lost a parent to COVID-19 will get a monthly assistance of Rs 2,000 under the existing scheme of Mukhya Mantri Bal Seva Yojna. Earlier, only children who had lost both their parents to the disease were covered under the scheme and were eligible to get a monthly assistance of Rs 4,000 till they turn 21, and if they chose to go for higher studies after the age of 21, they would receive Rs 6,000 per month till they turn 24. At least 776 children, who lost both parents to the infection, received the first monthly instalment of Rs 4,000 each under the Bal Seva Yojna, earlier this month. ALSO READ | Kerala announces financial aid for 74 children who lost parents to Covid The state government has now decided to extend the benefit of this scheme to children who have lost one of their parents to COVID-19, said Sunaina Tomar, additional chief secretary of the Social Justice and Empowerment Department, in a written communication to district collectors. On August 2, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani will launch this scheme for such children, by transferring the first monthly instalment of Rs 2,000 into the bank accounts of each beneficiary child identified by the authorities, Tomar stated in the letter. She further asked the district collectors to open bank accounts for eligible children within three days. By PTI NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed Indian Medical Association (IMA) president J A Jayalal's appeal against a trial court order asking him not to use the organisation's platform to propagate any religion and cautioning him that loose comments cannot be expected from a person chairing a responsible post. The appeal is dismissed, said Justice Asha Menon while pronouncing the order. The high court had issued notice on the appeal filed by the IMA chief challenging the trial court's order in June. The trial court had passed the order on a plea filed against Jayalal for allegedly starting a defamatory campaign against the Hindu religion by way of promoting Christianity, in the garb of proving superiority of Allopathic medicines over Ayurveda in treatment of COVID-19 patients. Complainant Rohit Jha had alleged before the trial court that Jayalal was misusing his position and misleading the nation and its citizens in order to convert Hindus to Christianity. The complainant cited articles and interviews of the IMA president and had sought a direction from the court to restrain him from writing, speaking in media, or publishing any content which is defamatory to Hindu religion or Ayurveda. Jha had averred that an article on March 30, 2020, published in Nation World News read with TV debate of defendant with Baba Ramdev on various TV news channels in May 2021 had seriously disparaged and denigrated his reputation in the society being a Hindu. The trial court had said no injunction was required based on the assurance given by Jayalal that he will not indulge in such kind of activity and had noted that the plea seemed to be an offshoot of a verbal duel with respect to Allopathy vs Ayurveda. It nonetheless had asked the IMA chief not to indulge in any activity contrary to the principles enshrined in the Constitution of India and maintain the dignity of the position chaired by him. Challenging the trial court's order, advocate Tanmaya Mehta, who represented Jayalal, claimed that the IMA chief never gave such an assurance to the trial court since he has not done anything wrong. He sought to stay the observations made against Jayalal in the trial court's court order saying they were affecting his reputation as he was heading a body which has 3.5 lakh doctors as its members. He contended that there was no television debate between Jayalal and Yoga guru Ramdev and that he was not propagating any religion including Christianity and that the suit before the trial court was based on fake news. The act of appellant (Jayalal), if any, does not defame respondent/plaintiff (Jha) therein per se or cause any per se offence, causing per se injury. Accordingly, the suit claiming defamation against a class is not maintainable, the appeal said and sought setting aside of trial court's order. By PTI NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday attacked Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the violence at the Assam-Mizoram border, alleging that he has "failed" the country by "sowing hatred and distrust" into the lives of people and India is now reaping its "dreadful consequences". According to officials, at least five Assam Police personnel were killed while defending the "constitutional boundary" of the state with Mizoram and more than 60 people injured, including an SP, as the festering border dispute between the two northeastern states erupted into a bloody conflict on Monday. "Heartfelt condolences to the families of those who've been killed. I hope the injured recover soon," Gandhi tweeted, tagging a purported video of the violence. "HM has failed the country yet again by sowing hatred and distrust into the lives of people. India is now reaping its dreadful consequences," the former Congress chief said. In a statement on Monday, the Assam government alleged that the Mizoram Police opened fire on its officials and civilians from two dominating high features with automatic weapons, including light machine guns (LMGs). However, Mizoram Home Minister Lalchamliana claimed that the state police responded "spontaneously by firing back" at Assam Police after its 200 personnel forcibly crossed a duty post manned by CRPF personnel and indulged in arson and firing and assaulted unarmed people. Later, Shah spoke to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga and urged them to ensure peace along the disputed border and find an amicable settlement. Assam's Barak Valley districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi share a 164-km border with Mizoram's three districts of Aizawl, Kolasib and Mamit. Following a territorial dispute, there were clashes along the inter-state border in August 2020 and February this year. By PTI MUMBAI: NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said he is likely to meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday in New Delhi, where the TMC head will hold parleys with opposition leaders to explore ways to cobble together an alliance of anti-BJP parties ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Banerjee arrived in Delhi on Monday on her first visit to the national capital since assuming office as the West Bengal CM for a third term and is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo, who apparently seeks to take up a larger role in national politics prior to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, is also scheduled to meet Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and a host of other leaders from opposition parties. ALSO READ | Regional parties should form national front for 2024 Lok Sabha polls: Sukhbir Singh Badal Responding to a question in this context by reporters here, Pawar, whose party shares power with the Shiv Sena and Congress in Maharashtra, said, "She called me last week and told me about her visit to New Delhi and her willingness to meet. I think we are likely to meet tomorrow in New Delhi. The former Union minister, however, refused to comment on the Pegasus snooping controversy. "This is not the time and place to say anything about it. We will raise the issue at the right place-in Parliament. We will try to raise it there," he said. Last week, an international media consortium had reported that over 300 verified Indian mobile phone numbers, including of two ministers, over 40 journalists, three opposition leaders besides scores of businesspersons and activists in India, could have been targeted for hacking through the Pegasus spyware of the Israeli firm NSO. However, the central government has been denying all Opposition allegations in the matter. By PTI SILCHAR: Assam will abide by any law enacted by Parliament that makes it even cede its land to another state but till then it will not allow even an "inch to be encroached", Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma asserted on Tuesday amid border tensions with Mizoram. Sarma's comments came a day after six Assamese people, including five police personnel and a civilian, were killed and over 50 injured in border clashes with Mizoram. He also said Assam will move the Supreme Court seeking protection of Innerline Forest Reserve from destruction and encroachment and deploy three commando battalions in Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi districts bordering Mizoram to strengthen security. "It is the responsibility of the Centre to define the boundary and we will abide by it. If tomorrow the Parliament enacts a law by which our land can be given to another state, we will do so but till then we will protect our constitutional boundary," he told a press conference here after paying floral tributes to the slain personnel. ALSO READ | Assam declares 3-day state mourning to condole death of 5 cops, 1 civilian in border clash with Mizoram He also visited the Silchar Medical College and Hospital and met police personnel injured in the attack. Assam has declared a three-day state mourning following the incident. Assam, he said, will behave responsibly under all circumstances, and even under provocation, will not fire back at civilians. "We hope that the Mizos regret that they have fired at fellow countrymen but we are leaving it to their wisdom and conscience. This is a dispute between two states and not a fight between countries. But the video evidence that we have of the Mizo forces celebrating after attacking our people has saddened and hurt us," he said. The chief minister said that satellite images have shown that roads are being constructed and forests cleared for jhum cultivation which cannot be allowed. "We will move the Supreme Court to ensure that the forests are protected," he said. Jhum cultivation is a farming activity where farmland is cleared of trees and other vegetation and then set on fire. The practice is followed in most states of the northeast. ALSO READ | Assam-Mizoram clash: 'All eyes on Amit Shah who visited northeast few days back,' says Derek O'Brien "The dispute is not regarding land but encroachment of reserved forests is the issue. We have no settlements in the forest areas and, if Mizoram can give evidence, we will immediately carry out eviction," he said. The chief minister asserted that not an inch of Assam's land could be encroached by the neighbouring state. "People have sacrificed their lives but boundary has been protected which we will continue to do at any cost. There is very strong deployment of police inside our border and not an inch of land will be allowed to be encroached," he asserted. Sarma said after he took office in May, he had spoken to Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga and suggested that both the states should maintain status quo. The Mizoram CM had agreed but insisted that chief secretary-level talks should continue, he said. On July 8, chief secretary-level talks were held in New Delhi under the aegis of the union home secretary but the Mizoram official refused to accept the satellite images for maintaining status quo and refused to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), he alleged. The chief minister said in the last few months several attempts were made to encroach Assam's land in Hailakandi, Karimganj and Cachar districts in five sectors and the police foiled each attempt. "On July 25, Cachar DFO gave a report that a road was being constructed inside the Inner Line Forest, and when our deputy commissioner, IGP and DIG rushed to the spot, the next day they found that not only a road but a police post had also been set up in the forest," he said. The Kolasib Superintendent of Police was asked to remove the post, and while talks were going on to find a peaceful solution, Sarma alleged, "Mizoram police along with civilians began pelting stones, opened fire and later started firing from LMGs from top of a hill which continued for 30 to 35 minutes". He said as the firing was on he spoke to Zoramthanga six times, asking him to control the situation "but he just said that he was sorry". "I even told him that I was ready to go to Aizawl to ensure that the status quo is maintained but he simply kept apologising," Sarma said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to two chief ministers three times on Monday, Sarma said. The Assam chief minister said Shah called him up even on Tuesday to inquire about the situation at the inter-state border. When asked if the problem could have been resolved as constituents of NEDA, the northeastern version of the NDA, were ruling the two states, Sarma shot back, saying, "This is not a political issue but a long-standing boundary dispute. Earlier, there were Congress governments in both the states. Was the problem resolved then?" Responding to a question about whether there could be a foreign angle to the border flare-up, he said, his government had taken decisions in the last two months which might have angered "certain non-state vested actors". He claimed some people who entered India from Myanmar wanted to settle in Assam's Dima Hasao district via Mizoram but his government thwarted the attempts. "Then we hit the drug route through Mizoram and Manipur to Assam," he said. "Finally, the tabling of the Assam Cattle Protection Bill in the state assembly also created apprehension though we have clarified that transporation to northeastern states will not be affected provided they have valid permit," he added, while explaining the reasons that could have upset the non- state actors. The chief minister also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 50 lakh to the families of each of those killed in the border clashes and a government job to a member. The injured will be given Rs one lakh each and injured personnel deployed at the border an additional one month's salary. By ANI NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday led the House to pay tributes to former Mauritius President Anerood Jugnauth and first President of Zambia Kenneth David Buchizya Kaunda. Both the leaders had passed away last month. Anerood Jugnauth died last month at the age of 91. He was the country's longest-serving Prime Minister with more than 18 years of tenure. Jugnauth was considered the father of the Mauritian economic miracle of the 1980s. Centre had declared one day's State Mourning on June 5 throughout India over the demise of the former President. Meanwhile, Zambia's first President Kenneth Kaunda died at the age of 97. President Kaunda is known to the Zambian people as the Founding Father of the Republic of Zambia. He was steadfast in uniting Zambia's 73 tribes through his commitment to "One Zambia, One Nation". He advocated against discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS and was a tireless advocate for the poor and marginalised. By PTI NEW DELHI: Amid reports that Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz will meet his French counterpart in Paris and discuss the Pegasus snooping issue, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Tuesday attacked the Centre, saying Israel, France as well as other nations are concerned about the allegations and only the Indian government is not. The former Union home minister said the Pegasus snooping case is "growing larger and more ominous" every day. "The Defence Minister of Israel is flying to France to meet with President Macron of France. Why? Not to have dinner at a French restaurant! He is going there to apologise and make peace with President Macron who was the victim of snooping," Chidambaram said in a tweet. "France is concerned, Israel is concerned, other countries are concerned. Only the government of India is not concerned. Isnt that strange?" he said in another tweet. According to media reports, Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz will meet his French counterpart Florence Parly in Paris this week for talks that will include an "update" on the Pegasus spyware issue. Earlier in the day, Chidambaram said the government would brazen out the allegations of snooping until it is known who the "Indian client" of Israeli firm NSO Group's Pegasus spyware was and that name would be revealed soon. The former home minister said that based on investigations by an international group of journalists, news portal 'The Wire' has reported that there was "an Indian client of the NSO Group". "Who was the 'Indian client'? Was it the government of India? Was it an agency of the government? Was it a private entity?" Chidambaram asked in a tweet. "I am certain the client's name will be revealed soon. Until then, I suppose the government will brazen out the allegations of snooping," he said. Last week, an international media consortium reported that over 300 verified mobile phone numbers, including those of two ministers, over 40 journalists, three opposition leaders besides scores of businesspersons and activists in India, could have been targeted for hacking through the Pegasus spyware of the NSO Group. The government has been denying all Opposition allegations in the matter. Opposition parties on Tuesday asked the government to call an all-party meeting to resolve the current impasse in Parliament, while sticking to their demands for a discussion on Pegasus snooping issue and a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the matter. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Sessions in both Houses of the Parliament were adjourned on Monday. There was an uproar, with the Opposition demanding discussion on the Pegasus snooping controversy in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. They also demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe. The government said it tried to reach out to the Opposition to end the logjam in the Houses. Lok Sabha passed two bills Factoring Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020, and National Institutes of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management Bill, 2021 without any discussion amidst the pandemonium. The Rajya Sabha took up the Marine Aids to Navigation Bill, 2021, but the House saw repeated adjournments. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge held a meeting of floor leaders of the Opposition parties and it was agreed that they will seek discussion on Pegasus. He moved a notice under Rule 267 to adjourn other business and have a discussion on the snooping, spying and surveillance scandal, saying that this has undermined democratic and Constitutional rights. His notice for a judicial probe, was, however, rejected by the Chair. Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said members were prevented from raising issues of public importance. We are becoming helpless day by day, he said before adjourning the proceedings till 12 noon. Soon after the house paid tributes to Kargil martyrs and congratulated Mirabai Chanu for winning a silver medal in the Olympics, slogan-shouting Opposition members trooped into the well of the House. Amid the din, Naidu said he has not allowed notices under Rule 267 from Opposition leaders including Kharge and KC Venugopal (both Congress), Tiruchi Siva (DMK), TMCs Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Elamaram Kareen (CPI) and others as the issues they want to raise are being discussed in the normal course of time. Piyush Goyal, Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, said the government has reached out to the Opposition, but there was no consensus among these parties. Parliament Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi also claimed that he had reached out to the Leader of Opposition. In Lok Sabha, the two bills were passed without discussions as Opposition members raised slogans and held placards on the Pegasus snooping row and the farmers issue. Congress MPs protested in the well of the house and Rahul Gandhi on the aisle with senior leaders Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari. They raised slogans on Pegasus and demanded Home Minister Shahs resignation. Subsequently, they were joined by MPs of other Opposition parties. When the Lok Sabha was paying tribute to Kargil martyrs, Congress leader Tewari asked why Prime Minister Modi was not seen in the house. By PTI NEW DELHI: Parliamentary panel on Information Technology will question government officials on allegations relating to suspected phone tapping of politicians, journalists and others using Pegasus spyware, the committee chairman and senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said on Tuesday asserting that it is the "most important issue" for many members. The 32-member Parliamentary Standing Committee on IT is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, for which the listed agenda is ''Citizens' data security and privacy'', according to a notification issued by Lok Sabha Secretariat. The panel, which has the maximum members from the ruling BJP, has summoned officials from the Ministry of Electronics, Information and Technology and the Ministry of Home Affairs. ALSO READ | Court defers order on whether to put Shashi Tharoor on trial in his wife Sunanda's death case An international media consortium has reported that over 300 verified Indian mobile phone numbers were on a list of potential targets for surveillance using Israeli firm NSO's Pegasus spyware. Opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi, two union ministers -- Prahlad Singh Patel and Railways and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, businessman Anil Ambani, a former CBI chief, and at least 40 journalists are on the list on the leaked database of NSO. It is, however, not established that all the phones were hacked. "The subject of Citizens Data Privacy and Security is an approved agenda item of the committee and it was under this item that we had earlier discussed the Pegasus issue in November-December last year. So it's a continuing issue. There would be other questions as well, as this is not necessarily the only issue. But, for many of us in the committee this is perhaps the most important issue," Tharoor told PTI a day before the panel's meeting. Since the beginning of the monsoon session on July 19, both houses have seen repeated disruptions as opposition parties have been demanding a Supreme Court-monitored judicial probe in this matter. "Parliament is not functioning because of this issue. People are anxious to find out about this and we are definitely likely to have questions for the government officials attending the meeting. We are going to see what the answers are," he said. Meanwhile, the TMC-led government in West Bengal has set up a Commission of Inquiry to probe allegations of snooping on politicians, officials and journalists. Leaders from all parties have been maintaining that the entire opposition is united on this matter and they want a discussion on the Pegasus snooping issue in Parliament. By ANI NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked Bharatiya Janata Party MPs to expose the opposition parties as they were not letting the Parliament conduct any business, sources said. The comments were made by the Prime Minister at the BJP's parliamentary party meeting held on Tuesday. The comments of the Prime Minister on the opposition come as both Houses of Parliament have been facing multiple adjournments due to ruckus created by opposition parties repeatedly. PM Modi also asked the ministers and MPs to have a good relationship with Opposition MPs, said sources. Meanwhile, briefing about the meeting, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said that Prime Minister also spoke about 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' at the party meeting and said that people have blessed us and it is an opportunity to inculcate the feeling of serving the country. "Between August 15, 2022, and Aug 15, 2023, two workers will be handpicked to visit 75 villages per Assembly constituency. They will spend 75 hours in each village to collect ideas and noteworthy initiatives which will be collated further for the development of the country," said Meghwal. He further said that MPs were told that they too had to ensure everyone is connected, he said in 2047 we will celebrate 100 years of independence, so we should collect ideas from people for the development of the country. PM Modi said Azadi ka Mahotsav need to be a 'Jan Andolan', he added. A meeting of the BJP parliamentary party was held at Parliament premises in the national capital. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP chief JP Nadda, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and other BJP leaders were present at the meeting. Earlier, the BJP had also held a parliamentary party meeting on July 20 before the commencement of proceedings on the second day of the monsoon session. (ANI) By PTI SRINAGAR: President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday interacted with soldiers at the headquarters of the army's 15 Corps here and lauded them for fighting terrorism and maintaining peace in Jammu and Kashmir. He also appreciated the high morale of the troops and their exceptional courage and professionalism. "President Kovind visited HQ of 15 Corps in Srinagar. The President interacted with the troops and complimented them for maintaining peace, fighting terrorists and safeguarding borders," the President's office tweeted. He appreciated women officers for serving the nation in various capacities in the armed forces, it said. In a message in the visitor's book, Kovind said that he was pleased to know about the tradition of the 15 Corps in effectively fighting against anti-national and anti-social elements while safeguarding country's borders. They have maintained high morale amid sustained challenges and have demonstrated exceptional courage and professionalism while discharging their national duties, the president wrote. "I express my best compliments to all the soldiers and officers for their extraordinary service to the nation," he wrote in the visitor's book. By PTI DEHRADUN: Schools in Uttarakhand, which have remained closed because of the Covid pandemic for a long time, will resume classes for the students of class 6 to 12 from August 1. The decision was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday, Cabinet Minister and state government's spokesman Subodh Uniyal said. The cabinet also decided to appoint Airports Authority of India as the consultant for preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR) on the proposed Greenfield Airport in Pantnagar in Udham Singh Nagar district, he said. U'khand: State cabinet approves opening of schools from Class 6 to 12 from August 1, 2021! @NewIndianXpress @TheMornStandard Vineet Upadhyay (@VineetTNIE) July 27, 2021 The AAI will have to submit the DPR within six months, Uniyal said. The cabinet also decided to give Rs 50,000 to candidates who clear the UPSC prelims to prepare for the mains and to 100 candidates who clear PCS prelims. It was also decided to give Rs 50,000 to people who pass the written tests of National Defence Academy and Combined Defence Services, Uniyal said. The Cabinet decided to convene monsoon session of the state assembly from August 23 to August 27. The cabinet gave its approval to setting up a four-member committee headed by retired chief secretary Indu Kumar Pandey which will give its recommendations within three months on resolving pay-related irregularities in various departments. Considering the adverse impact of Covid on Chardham Yatra and tourist activities, the cabinet gave its nod to a relief package of Rs 197.85 crore for people whose livelihoods are connected with them trades are connected with them. A financial assistance of Rs 10,000 each will be given to 549 boat operators of Naini, Naukuchiyatal, Bhimtal, Sat Tal and Sadiyatal in Nainital district under the package. A total of 671 beneficiaries will be given concession in boat licence renewal under it besides interest reimbursement on loans availed under Vir Chand Singh Garhwali and Deendayal Upadhyay homestay schemes. The cabinet also authorised the chief minister to take a call on disbursement of Rs 51.24 crore as salary for three months to state roadways employees. It was also decided to elevate the stature of Kausani, a popular tourist spot in Bageshwar district, from a gram panchayat to a nagar panchayat for the creation of better infrastructure for tourists. By PTI SHILLONG: A day after an escalation of tension between Assam and Meghalaya on the inter-state border, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma Tuesday said the situation is under control and asked people and district administrations of both states to refrain from taking any aggressive stand. Sangma said both the states are working to find an amicable solution to the border conflict and that he had spoken to his Assam counterpart on Monday and Tuesday. The MLA of Jirang, Sosthenes Sohtun, has been deputed to visit the site and report to the Meghalaya government on the matter. Besides, the Meghalaya chief secretary M S Rao and Ri-Bhoi district deputy commissioner have been asked to talk to their counterparts in Assam on the matter, he said. "The situation is under control as of now. I urge both sides to maintain peace as both governments are on the job to find an amicable solution to the problem. Both the state governments are working to find an amicable solution (to the border issue). "We are asking citizens and administrations (on both sides) to refrain from taking any aggressive stand and allow the state governments to find an amicable solution," Sangma told media persons on the sidelines of the swearing-in of BJP MLA Sanbor Shullai as minister. Inter-state border clashes between Assam and Meghalaya are not new and the tension on Monday followed alleged attempts by Meghalaya to put up electric poles at Khanapara area of Guwahati. Meghalaya said the Assam Police had disrupted developmental activities at Longkuli village on its side along the inter-state border. In 2010 four citizens of Meghalaya had lost their lives when Assam police opened fire at Langpih in West Khasi Hills district prompting the two-state governments to take up talks. There had been chief ministers' level talks on the border issue on several occasions in the past. The chief ministers' level talk had been held in Shillong even on Friday last week in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah when Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accompanied by top officials met Sangma. The chief secretaries and district deputy commissioners too met on earlier occasions to discuss the issue. A revenue department official of Meghalaya said the two neighbouring states had decided to maintain status quo on claims and counterclaims on at least 12 areas along the inter-state border. They had also resolved that if any developmental work was to be undertaken in these areas, both the governments will take the other into confidence first. A senior Assam government official Tuesday said the situation is normal and peaceful in the area. He said that a delegation from Meghalaya, including a couple of MLAs, had visited the area on Tuesday and had urged the people to maintain restrain and peace. "The Pillingkata area at Khanapara where the attempt was made by Meghalaya Energy Corporation on Monday to erect poles is a part of Assam and has been demarcated in maps," Biswajit Pegu, deputy commissioner of Kamrup Metropolitan district, under which the Assam capital city falls, told PTI. The local people had alerted the civil administration when officials from Meghalaya came on Monday, Pegu said. "Our people went there and requested them not to disrupt any status quo as talks are on at the highest levels," he said. Top officers of Kamrup Metropolitan district, including Pegu and Commissioner of Police, Guwahati, Harmeet Singh, had also visited the area on Tuesday to take stock of the situation and assuage apprehension among the people of any possible flare-up, officials said. Monday's incident occurred on a day when five Assam Police personnel and a civilian were killed and about 60 people injured while defending the 'constitutional boundary' of the state with Mizoram as the festering border dispute between the two northeastern states erupted into a bloody conflict. By ANI NEW DELHI: The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is trying to bring back normalcy on the Assam-Mizoram disputed site where six Assam Police personnel lost their lives after an exchange of fire. CRPF Director General Kuldiep Singh will chair an internal meeting with senior officials of the 3.5 lakh strong force to plan a strategy to maintain peace as well as law and order on the disputed site, said sources. The issue will be discussed in detail in the one-and-half hour meeting which will begin at the CRPF headquarters, said the source. ADG SN Ojha told ANI that the situation is being brought to normal at the site. Six Policemen of Assam lost their lives in the fierce gun battle between the police forces of the two states. It was between 4 pm and 4.30 pm on Monday when two companies of CRPF-- one from 119 Battalion in Assam and the other from 225 Battalion in Mizoram-- took command to control the crisis following orders from its Director General Kuldiep Singh who got orders from Home Secretary under the direct supervision of Home Minister Shah. "Luckily the two CRPF companies were deployed at Lailapur-Vairengte disputed site between Assam and Mizoram and were assisting the police forces of other two states respectively in a neutral way in maintaining peace and law and order," CRPF ADG SR Ojha told ANI on Monday. Recalling the sequence of the event, Ojha said both the CRPF companies from these two separate Battalions were already present along with the police forces of Assam and Mizoram but they were neutral and we're not taking sides of any one of them when both sides started firing on each other. "Mizo police was on height and Assam Police was on the plain. Matter triggered violence suddenly and automatic weapons were firing from both sides after a few rounds of fire from tear gas shells leading to the death of six Assam policemen," Ojha said in a telephonic conversation with ANI. Our CRPF companies informed DIG Silchar Shahnawaz about the incident who in turn approached DG CRPF through senior hierarchy, Ojha continued, mentioning "DG CRPF gave a detailed briefing to the Home Secretary (Ajay Bhalla) and the matter was later apprised to the Home Minister". "CRPF was directed to take control of the situation and simultaneously, Home Minister spoke with both Assam and Mizoram CMs who agreed to return back their police forces from the site," Ojha said. "Over 300-400 locals were gathered at the spot and the situation got tensed due to firing which led to the death of six Assam Policemen. But our CRPF companies managed to maintain peace at the spot. Locals returned back to their homes as well both Mizoram and Assam Police," he informed. CRPF has sought the support of reinforcement teams and our aim is to maintain peace and law and order, said the CRPF ADG, adding "we are convincing both sides, including police forces and locals". A war of words ensued between Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga and his counterpart from the neighbouring state Himanta Biswa Sarma after the clash which led the Home Minister to intervene. The incident took place after Shah returned from Meghalaya by completing his two-day visit to the region during the weekend where he held a closed-door meeting with chief ministers of the northeast states. A clipping shared by Zoramthanga on Twitter showed police trying to stop a clash among men armed with sticks. In reply to the tweet, Assam Police said miscreants from Mizoram were indulging in stone-pelting and attacking Assam government officials stationed at Lailapur to protect Assam's land from encroachment. In reply, Sarma shared a clipping and said a superintendent of police from Mizoram was asking Assam's officials to withdraw from their post, failing which civilians from the neighbouring state would not stop the violence. He too sought immediate intervention of Shah and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). "How can we run a government in such circumstances?" Sarma wrote. Soon after, Zoramthanga wrote to Sarma, "After a cordial meeting of CMs (chaired) by Shah, two companies of Assam Police with civilians lathi-charged and tear-gassed civilians at Vairengte Auto Rickshaw stand inside Mizoram today. They even overrun CRPF personnel/Mizoram Police." Zoramthanga shared another video with which he wrote that an innocent couple were "manhandled and ransacked by thugs and goons" on their way back to Mizoram via Cachar in Assam. "How are you going to justify these violent acts?" he wrote. On Saturday, Zoramthanga said border disputes in the northeast are a legacy of the colonial era and lasting peace between states is important for further development of the region. Speaking on the border dispute with Assam at the CM's meeting, chaired by Shah in Shillong on Saturday, Zoramthanga said the area claimed by the latter has been used by people from Mizoram for over 100 years. "The border disputes are a legacy of the colonial era that the present government inherited from its predecessor which has been left unresolved at the time of the formation of states like Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram," he said. "The large tract of areas claimed by Assam to be within its constitutional boundary has been used for collection of forest producers and for shifting and settled cultivation for the past 100 plus years by the people of Mizoram, and that Assam started claiming these areas only fairly recently due to population pressure apparently caused by the large-scale influx of migrants from outside Barak valley," he said. Zoramthanga further requested the Assam government to respect and honour the situation on the ground and desist from disturbing the peace. By PTI NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court Tuesday asked the Central government to provide assistance to five Indians stranded in Iran after being implicated in a criminal case and sought status report on the issue. "I'm saying do what is permissible in the rules. Whatever they are entitled to, they should get," said Justice Rekha Palli who gave two weeks' time to the Centre to file the status report. The court recorded the statement of Centre's counsel Harish Vaidyanathan's that the five seafarers were in touch with the officers of the Indian Mission in Iran and had also been provided with boarding and lodging facilities. "All five have been receiving assistance from the Mission consistently and have been in touch, lodged in a hotel and given access to a telephone," the advocate said. He also informed the court that the order of acquittal in the criminal case against the five seafarers has been overturned by the Supreme Court of Iran. Vaidyanatha submitted that verdict of innocence no longer remains and whatever next step in legal recourse has to be taken, will be taken. Advocate Gurinder Pal Singh, counsel for the family members of the five seafarers, sought legal assistance from the Indian authorities as well as issuance of a document to prove their identity as an Indian citizen. "We'll ask for a status report. He (Vaidyanathan) is not saying no (to assistance as per rules)," the court responded. Fathers of the five seafarers had moved the high court seeking assistance from Indian authorities and their repatriation form Iran. According to the petition, in 2019, the seafarers had begun work at a cargo vessel in Iran. However, in February 2020, the vessel was raided by the Iranian authorities and the five Seafarers were arrested for allegedly conspiracy to smuggle narcotics in deep sea, the counsel said adding that they were acquitted by a court in Iran in March this year. The petition informed that the Iranian authorities refused to hand over the passports of the seafarers on account of the case being referred to the Supreme Court of Iran. The petition said the five were stranded in Iran without any source of income and in their state of desperation, they even recorded a video message on July 10, 2021, requesting the Hon'ble Prime Minister to intervene in the matter. Given their pitiable condition, the central government and the Indian Embassy in Tehran should provide legal assistance, a roof to live under and adequate monetary assistance to the Seafarers, the petition said. The matter would be heard next on October 7. By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: Afghanistan consul general Muhammad Suleman Kakar said the country has opened up investment opportunities for the Indian private sector, and increased the possibility of an economic engagement with the state of Andhra Pradesh. In a virtual meeting with president of Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry CV Atchut Rao on Monday, he invited businessmen from the State to explore opportunities in the fields of agriculture, manufacturing and import/export in the landlocked country. Stating that there is a vast scope for business expansion and cultural activities, he suggested that a deal with Afghanistan Federation of Chamber of Commerce may be reached upon for serious business transactions between the countries. The opening of an Afghan Mission in Hyderabad is an important step towards the enhancement of trade between the two countries. Earlier, Atchut Rao gave brief details of the investment and trade opportunities in Andhra Pradesh. By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday emphasised the need to accord mental well-being as a public health issue in the wake of the Covid-19. Observing that sedentary lifestyle can cause stress and anxiety among people, he suggested that a spiritual outlook to life can relieve tension. He urged religious leaders to take the message of spirituality and service to the public, especially youth. Noting that the Indian way of life envisioned the world as one family, Naidu wanted the youth to uphold Indias ancient ethos and tradition. He also urged the youth to visit the monuments of art, architecture and culture, and take inspiration from them. Virtually releasing two Telugu books written by former MLA from Andhra Pradesh N P Venkateswara Chowdary on ancient Hindu temples in Cambodia and Vietnam, Naidu said the art and architecture of those temples showcase ancient Indian culture and traditions. Referring to the booksCambodiaHindu Devaalayala Punya Bhumi and Neti Vietnam-Naati Haindava SamskrithiNaidu recalled his visit to the Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia suggested that everyone, especially the youth, must try to visit such temples and learn about Indias great past. The Vice-President also observed how temples in the country have played a significant role as important centres of learning, art, culture and religion. He said that temples, being an integral part of the social life of people, were crucial in maintaining social harmony. By Express News Service BENGALURU: A day after BS Yediyurappa resigned, senior minister in his cabinet Basavaraj Bommai is set to take over as Karnataka Chief Minister. In the Bharatiya Janata Party's legislature party meeting held at a private hotel in Bengaluru, Bommai was unanimously chosen as the leader. Newly appointed leader Bommai said Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has invited him to form the government and he will take oath as Chief Minister at 11 AM on July 28. "I have informed the Governor about my election as the leader of the legislature party. He has invited me to form the government. We have discussed and decided that I will take oath tomorrow at 11 AM," Bommai said. According to the Governor's office, the oath taking ceremony will be at the Glass House in the Raj Bhavan. He also said that he alone will take the oath of office on Wednesday. Bommai, a legislator from Shigaon, emerged as a consensus candidate given his proximity to BS Yediyurappa, the central leadership of the BJP as well as the Sangh parivar. ALSO READ: Political thriller in Karnataka that played out in serialised form The 61-year-old is the son of former Karnataka Chief Minister SR Bommai and has a background in the Janata Party. The New Indian Express on July 23 had reported that Bommai was emerging as a consensus candidate. Bommai has left behind Murugesh Nirani and Arvind Bellad among others in the race to the CM post. BL Santhosh, the partys National General Secretary (Organisation), was also seen as a frontrunner as he could keep dissidence at bay, but his rivalry with Yediyurappa as well as the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh were roadblocks. ALSO READ: Outgoing CM Yediyurappas successor will have his task cut out Earlier, insisting that nobody pressurised him to resign, Yediyurappa had on Monday said he had stepped down so that somebody else could take over as Chief Minister after the successful completion of two years of the BJP-led state government. Ahead of the 2023 Karnataka Assembly polls, Yediyurappa had assured that he shall work to bring the party back to power in the upcoming polls. (With inputs from PTI) Anusha Ravi By Express News Service BENGALURU: Who will be the next Chief Minister of Karnataka? To answer this very question, the Bharatiya Janata Party has called for a legislature party meeting on Tuesday evening at a private hotel in Bengaluru. As decided by the party's Parliamentary board, Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan and Tourism and Culture G Kishan Reddy have been sent to Karnataka as observers during the legislature party meeting. While the names of more than half a dozen party leaders are doing the rounds for the top post, the observers are expected to bring a name pre-approved from the party's central leadership. The exercise of the legislature choosing a leader will be a mere formality. ALSO READ: Yediyurappa loyalists, non-performers set to face axe; new cabinet to be kinder to turncoats "BS Yediyurappa has tendered his resignation. His government over the last two years has worked very hard and successfully. He was an experienced administrator and under his guidance, the party will continue to succeed. Based on the inputs of the Parliamentary Board, we will accordingly decide at the Legislative Party meet today on the new CM. Yediyurappa's support will continue to be sought after by the party," said Arun Singh, National General Secretary in charge of Karnataka. Karnataka BJP state President Nalin Kumar Kateel and BJP national general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Arun Singh arriving at BJP state office in Bengaluru. (Photo | Nagaraja Gadekal, EPS) BJP state President Nalin Kumar Kateel on Tuesday said that the new Chief Minister will be a legislator thus reducing the possibility of BL Santhosh or Pralhad Joshi becoming BS Yediyurappa's successor. While state leaders were hoping to elect a new Chief Minister before the end of this week, the central leadership following inputs from the state unit of the party has decided to name a candidate at the earliest given the flood and pandemic situation in the state. Bansy Kalappa By Express News Service BENGALURU: It was a study in contrast: a sombre mood descended on the BS Yediyurappa camp, while there was much celebration in the rebel camp. A large number of Yediyurappas supporters looked downcast and clearly unhappy. Yediyurappas associate and former political secretary MP Renukacharya couldnt hide his emotions and tears as he tweeted, Today is the sadest day of my entire political career.... Yediyurappas family members, though, were extremely restrained in public, while son and Shivamogga MP B Y Raghavendra and BJP state vice-president B Y Vijayendra showed no visible sadness -- both in Vidhana Soudha or later. By contrast, the rebel camp erupted in happiness, as they watched visuals of Yediyurappa handing over his resignation. The foursome -- Basanagouda Yatnal, Arvind Bellad, CP Yogeeshwara and Adagur Vishwanath -- have been celebrating with many openly congratulating them. By PTI BENGALURU: The Chief Minister-designate Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said he would strive to offer relief to people affected by COVID-19 and floods and improve the economic condition of Karnataka, hit hard by the pandemic. "I will work day and night to offer relief to the people in distress due to COVID or the recent floods. I will initiate all steps to improve the economic condition of the state in the coming days," he told reporters. Following torrential rains, parts of the state had witnessed floods in recent days. Bommai also said that he would work to implement the policies initiated by the outgoing Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa. "We will tread on the path shown by B S Yediyurappa and work for the welfare of youth, women, poor and the downtrodden communities". ALSO READ: Outgoing CM Yediyurappas successor will have his task cut out "I have taken oath that whatever programmes Yediyurappa had started for such communities will be implemented and funds will be allocated for them and we will provide a just administration," Bommai said. The CM-designate also hailed his predecessor for his handling of the flood havoc and COVID-19 management. "Facing the tough situation as chief minister when there were severe floods and COVID-19 situations twice, Yedyurappa has taken the state forward. He (Yediyurappa) has managed the economy of the state in a manner that there was no shortage of funds in the state despite facing tough situations," Bommai said. Soon after he was elected as the new leader of the BJP Legislature Party, Bommai thanked the BJP leaders, especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Yediyurappa who reposed faith in him to lead the state. He said he would work hard to live up to the expectations of the Prime Minister and Yediyurppa on the development front. "I will win everyone's trust with the help of my cabinet colleagues and my party workers," Bommai said. He said the seniors in the party have blessed him and he would take everyone along. Yediyurappa resigned on Monday, coinciding with his government completing two years in office. Meanwhile, news of Bommai set to become the next Chief Minister triggered celebrations in Shiggaon town in the district headquarters of Haveri. Shiggaon is from where Bommai got elected to the Karnataka Assembly. Bommai's supporters hit the roads, burst crackers and raised slogans in favour of their leader. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Putting the state government on the backfoot, the Opposition UDF on Tuesday released the official list of Covid deaths compiled by the Information Kerala Mission. As per the list, the state has lost 23,486 people to Covid from January 2020, while the list released by the Chief Minister's office on Monday mentions only 16,170 deaths so far. The list provided by the Information Kerala Mission has around 7,316 more deaths than the list of the Chief Minister, even as the government has been claiming that the Covid death certification system is very transparent in Kerala and works as per the guidelines of the ICMR. Revealing the Covid deaths list received in reply to an RTI query, Opposition leader V D Satheeshan said in the Assembly that it vindicated their stance on the issue. He also said the death stats are compiled by a state agency and not the Opposition which increases the gravity of the issue. "When taking into account the deaths of the current week, the actual death toll would be higher than the list released today, he said. While moving an adjournment motion in the assembly, P K Kunhalikutty of the IUML said the state government failed to handle the economic and livelihood crisis that emerged from the pandemic. Kerala which was once branded as a model state in tackling Covid is the worst-hit state in the country now. The people of the state are really finding it hard to sustain their lives. On the one hand, the state government provides kits consisting essential provisions to the people and on the other hand, it collects the money required for them from the people by slapping heavy fines, he said. There should be a change in the current policy and system in place. The state should take the initiative to give money to people directly to help them stand firm on the ground, he said. He also said he doesnt want to blame the government over the issue but wishes to bring the real situation that exists in the state to its attention. In reply to the allegation of the Opposition, Finance Minister K N Balagopal listed the measures taken by the state government to mitigate the effect of the pandemic on the economy. The state will disburse the welfare pension for two months to beneficiaries before Onam which is expected to bring money into the economy, he said. Defending the state government, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, Around 50 per cent of the people have been infected by the Covid virus, while in many other states it would be over 80 per cent. But we have to exercise further caution." Later, the Speaker denied an adjournment motion to discuss the matter, following which the Opposition staged a walkout. By PTI NEW DELHI/ CHENNAI: AIADMK's top leaders O Panneerselvam and K Palaniswami on Tuesday called on Union Home Minister Amit Shah and handed over a memorandum of Tamil Nadu related issues. Speaking to reporters in Delhi after visiting Shah, Palaniswami said, "it was a courtesy visit." Asked if there were discussions related to Tamil Nadu's political scenario, he said, "no political discussions happened." The two leaders also met Union Minister for Culture, G Kishan Reddy (previously Tamil Nadu BJP incharge for the April 6 Assembly polls) and the meeting was termed a "courtesy visit" by the party. A party release in Chennai said a memorandum of Tamil Nadu related issues was presented to Shah by the two leaders. The memorandum was apparently on matters like the Mekedatu dam, urging the Centre to take steps to halt Karnataka from going ahead with its initiative to build the reservoir. On Monday, Palaniswami and Panneerselvam met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital and urged him to not support Karnataka on its proposal to build a dam across Cauvery river at Mekedatu. By Express News Service KARIMNAGAR: Pointing out that the State government cant hush him up by registering false cases, former minister and BJP leader Eatala Rajender said that he will continue his fight against the ruling party, no matter what. On Monday, Rajender addressed the gathering at Kaniparthi and Deshrajpalli villages in Kamalapur mandal, as part of his Praja Ashirvada Yatra. Mentioning that he has no capacity to face the TRS money power, Rajender requested the citizens to stand with him and teach the pink party a befitting lesson. Unlike the ruling party leaders, who attempt to purchase votes by distributing liquor bottles, I interact with the people face-to-face. I would like to ask KCR and KTR how the ruling party fared poorly in the GHMC polls despite both of them campaigning for the TRS candidates. Did all your tricks fail, Rajender asked in a ridiculing manner. As of Monday, the BJP leader has covered 45 villages (101 km) as part of his Praja Ashirvada Yatra. By PTI GUWAHATI: The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has fully vaccinated 90% of its eligible adult population within just seven days, its health ministry said on Tuesday. The tiny country, wedged between India and China and home to nearly 800,000 people, began giving out second doses on July 20 in a mass drive that has been hailed by UNICEF as "arguably the fastest vaccination campaign to be executed during a pandemic." In April, Bhutan grabbed headlines when its government said it had inoculated around the same percentage of eligible adults with the first dose in under two weeks after India donated 550,000 shots of AstraZeneca vaccine. But the country faced a shortage for months after India, a major supplier of the AstraZeneca shot, halted exports as it scrambled to meet a rising demand at home as infections surged. Bhutan was able to restart its drive last week after half a million doses of Moderna vaccine arrived from the United States as a donation under the UN-backed COVAX program, an initiative devised to give countries access to coronavirus vaccines regardless of their wealth. Some 5,000 shots of Pfizer were also facilitated through COVAX, which is co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organisation and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation. It also received more than 400,000 AstraZeneca shots from Denmark, Croatia and Bulgaria in the last two weeks. "Our aim is to achieve herd immunity among our population in the shortest possible time to avert a major public health crisis, Dechen Wangmo, Bhutan's health minister, told The Associated Press. Many Western countries with far more resources are yet to vaccinate such a high rate of eligible adults. Health experts say Bhutan's small population helped, but the country also benefited from strong and effective messaging from top officials and an established cold chain storage system. More than 3,000 health workers participated and 1,200 vaccination centers across the country helped ensure that shots reached every eligible adult. In some cases, health workers trekked for days through landslides and pouring rain to reach extremely remote villages atop steep mountains to administer doses to those unable to get to a center, said Dr. Sonam Wangchuk, a member of Bhutan's vaccination task force. "Vaccination is the pillar of Bhutan's healthcare initiative," he said. Bhutan's government is also led by medical practitioners. The prime minister, the foreign minister and the health minister are all medical professionals. And frequent messaging from the government, which directly answers questions from the public about the coronavirus and vaccinations on Facebook, also helped combat vaccine hesitancy among citizens. "In fact, people are quite eager to come and get themselves vaccinated," Dr. Wangchuk said. Its prime minister, Lotay Tshering, and monarch, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, were also early advocates of the vaccine, which allayed fears surrounding the rollout. The king also toured the country to raise awareness about the vaccination drive. Bhutan is the last remaining Buddhist kingdom in the Himalayas, but it has transitioned from an absolute monarchy to a democratic, constitutional monarchy. Another crucial ingredient in the vaccine drive is the country's extensive network of citizen volunteers called "desuups," said Will Parks, the UNICEF representative for Bhutan. Some 22,000 citizens volunteered over the last year and a half to raise awareness, dispel misinformation, help conduct mass screening and testing and even carry vaccines across the country's difficult terrain, he said. Bhutan's success is an anomaly in South Asia where countries such as India and Bangladesh are struggling to ramp up their vaccination rates. Experts say it underscores the importance of richer countries donating vaccines to the developing world and highlights just how big an impact the government and community outreach can have. "Perhaps this little Himalayan kingdom can be a beacon of hope to a region that is on fire," Parks said. By PTI BEIJING: China on Tuesday denied imposing an unofficial ban on commercial ships with Indian crew to berth in its ports, saying that Beijing has never imposed such restrictions and the reports were "not accurate". Asked about the reports of the unofficial ban, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing here that after consulting relevant departments, it has been found that China has never imposed such restrictions. "The relevant reports by the media are not accurate," he said. All India Seafarer & General Workers Union in a recent letter to Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal sought the Indian government's help in saving the jobs of thousands of Indian seamen, as companies are not recruiting them for the China-bound ships. The seamen's body has claimed that as many as 20,000 seafarers are "home" because of this reason. The Union in its letter said, "From March 2021, any ship reaching China Port and having Indian seafarers as a crew on it, China government is not allowing all those ships to enter into the port." According to the Union, around 80 per cent of seafarers on various ships come from India, and "without them, the shipping industry will collapse and will be in big disaster". Earlier, two commercial ships with Indian crews had to divert to ports in other countries for crew change as the vessels had to wait for months to get the anchorage in Chinese ports. A ship named "Jag Anand" with 23 crew members, after a six-month-long wait to unload its Australian coal cargo, last year had to travel to a Japanese port to change the stranded crew following refusal by Chinese officials citing COVID-19 protocols. Another ship named MV Anastasia with 16 Indian crew, carrying Australian coal, waited for months to deliver cargo to Caofeidian port in China. By PTI WASHINGTON: A Hindu American body has opposed the joint production of drones by Russia, Pakistan and Turkey and supported a Congressional move to seek an investigation into the matter. Last week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including David Cicilline and Gus Bilirakis, in a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken demanded suspension of export licences for US drone technology to Turkey, pending an official investigation into the destabilising role of Ankara's drone programmes in the Caucasus, South Asia, Eastern Mediterranean, and other regions around the world. In a statement on Monday, the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) supported the Congressional move, saying the Turkish-Pakistani-Russian joint production of combat UAVs should alarm democracies around the world and that the drone strikes in Kashmir on June 26 and 27 should serve as a reminder of the challenges that America's ally India faces. "Turkey's increasingly destabilising role from North Africa, to the Middle East, to the South Caucasus, and to South Asia, poses a clear and direct threat to the US, our interests, and to our allies and strategic partners like India, the largest democracy in the world," said HAF director of public policy Taniel Koushakjian. The addition of Turkish combat UAVs combined with existing jihadi forces in Kashmir could poses a real threat to India, he said. Last week, a bipartisan group of US lawmakers had said: "Turkey has entered into agreements to sell drones to Poland and Pakistan and is discussing the joint production of armed UAVs (Unmanned aerial vehicles) and anti-drone defense systems with Russia and Pakistan." Following the statement, the group demanded suspension of export licences for US drone technology to Turkey. By PTI SINGAPORE: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin decried the actions of Myanmar's military rulers on Tuesday and urged a regional bloc to keep demanding an end to the violence. Myanmar, also called Burma, has been wracked by violence by its security forces against people protesting against the military's seizure of power in February. Austin applauded the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for its efforts to solve the crisis, including a consensus reached with Myanmar's military leader in April. The five-point document calls for an immediate end to violence and the start of a dialogue among contending parties, with a special ASEAN envoy mediating in the talks. However, a special envoy still hasn't been appointed. "The Myanmar military's refusal to respect the inalienable rights of the Burmese people and to defend their basic well-being is flatly unacceptable," Austin said in a lecture in Singapore. "A military exists to serve its people, not the other way around. And so we call on the Myanmar military to adhere to the ASEAN five-point consensus and to forge a lasting peace," he added. "ASEAN obviously plays a key role, or can play a key role. We certainly will continue to encourage ASEAN to continue to work this issue," Austin said. He said the U.S. will work with partners in the region to urge Myanmar's military to "move in the right direction" and release civilians it has imprisoned. Austin, who is on a tour of Southeast Asia, met with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday. He also met Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen to reaffirm the countries' longstanding ties, according to a joint statement. The retired four-star Army general hopes to strengthen relationships with other Southeast Asian allies in the coming days, and will visit Vietnam and the Philippines amid tensions in the disputed South China Sea, which is largely claimed by China. "As Prime Minister Lee has counseled, we are not asking countries in the region to choose between the United States and China," Austin said. "In fact, many of our partnerships in the region are older than the People's Republic of China itself. That's why we are expanding our important work with countries throughout the Indo-Pacific and with ASEAN itself, a critical body that brings the region closer together, offering everyone a voice, building deeper habits of cooperation," he said. By ANI ISLAMABAD: Slamming Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's (PTI) party, the top opposition leaders in the country are mulling moving the courts and holding a protest drive against the alleged rigging in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) elections. Pakistan Muslim League (N) has accused Prime Minister Imran Khan's PTI government of using its machinery to rig the polls, Dawn newspaper reported. "I have not accepted the PoK election results... and I will not. I had neither accepted the results of the 2018 general election nor this fake government. The PML-N will soon announce a strategy on this shameful rigging in the PoK polls," PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz tweeted. Amid allegations of poll rigging by the Opposition, Khan's PTI has won 25 of 45 seats in PoK legislative assembly elections marred by deadly violence. The PTI has won 25 seats, followed by 11 seats won by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), six by PML-N and one each by two regional political parties in Sunday's polls. Lashing out at Imran Khan, PML-N Punjab Information Secretary Azma Bokhari said that July 25 will be remembered as the day of rigging by vote thieves in the country. "July 25 will be remembered as the day of rigging by vote thieves in the country. The Buzdar administration sent police, teachers, polling and other administrative staff to PoK from Punjab to ensure rigging in the polls. The Punjab government also openly used its machinery to rig polling in nine constituencies falling in the province," PML-N Punjab Information Secretary Azma Bokhari alleged. Sardar Tanveer Ilyas, who was in the run for the office of PoK prime minister, was involved in the rigging, PML-N alleged. "We wonder how the state functionaries have become personal servants of someone," she said, and warned the people of PoK that the PTI government would make their lives miserable. Furthermore, the PML-N lawmaker said the party was considering moving courts and holding protests to challenge the rigging, Dawn reported. "The PoK election was a repeat of the 2018 general polls. In the 2018 election, the Results Transmission System was compromised and in PoK, similar tactics were adopted," Bokhari alleged. By PTI MOSCOW: Russia's health officials have given a go-ahead to testing a combination of the AstraZeneca coronavirus shot and the single-dose version of the domestically developed Sputnik V vaccine, according to the country's registry of approved clinical trials. The small study, which was scheduled to start July 26 and end in March next year, will enroll 150 volunteers and look at the mixed regimen's safety and capability to trigger immune response, records show. It will be conducted in five medical facilities in Moscow and St. Petersburg. AstraZeneca developed its vaccine with Oxford University. Sputnik V was developed by the state-run Gamaleya Center in Moscow, and the Russian Direct Investment Fund bankrolled the project. Both shots use a similar technology, employing a harmless virus to deliver genetic material from the spike protein of COVID-19 into the body, which then prompts an immune response. Russian officials introduced Sputnik V last year as a two-shot vaccine using different viruses in each dose, but they also have separately marketed the first shot as a single-dose alternative dubbed Sputnik Light. The developers of Sputnik V proposed combining the shots to AstraZeneca in November, suggesting it could increase the effectiveness of the British vaccine. AstraZeneca announced a study to test the combination in December. In May, however, the ethical committee of Russia's Health Ministry suspended the process of giving the trial a green light and requested additional documents for review. According to the official Twitter account of Sputnik V, the go-ahead by the ministry this week comes as similar trials are ongoing in Azerbaijan, Argentina and United Arab Emirates. More trials of Sputnik Light with other producers are also underway in different countries in order to increase the efficacy of other vaccines, Spuntik V's developers reported on Twitter. Russia gave Spuntik V regulatory approval in August 2020. The vaccine initially faced skepticism at home and abroad because it had only been tested on a few dozen people at the time. A report in the British medical journal The Lancet this year blunted the criticism, saying large-scale testing showed the vaccine to be safe and having a 91% efficacy rate, The one-dose version, Sputnik Light, received approval in May and was released for use last month. Russian authorities have also approved two other domestically developed jabs, EpiVacCorona and CoviVac. But no data on the efficacy of those two vaccines has been released, and Spuntik V remains the most widely used coronavirus vaccine in Russia. Researchers in Britain and elsewhere have been testing whether combining AstraZeneca's vaccine with other products, including the vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, are safe and effective. Early results have shown that combining the AstraZeneca vaccine with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine produces a strong immune response. A large U.S. study found the AstraZeneca shot to be about 79% effective in preventing symptomatic disease, but it may be slightly less effective against emerging variants, including the delta. The World Health Organization has said it's likely that mixing and matching different COVID-19 vaccines probably works, but more data is needed to be certain. By PTI SINGAPORE: A 52-year-old Indian-origin stateless man in Singapore was on Tuesday sentenced to five weeks in jail for hurling racist comments and assaulting staff at a public hospital here. Periyanayagam Appavoo was handed over the sentence by a court here after he pleaded guilty to two harassment charges and one charge of using criminal force, TODAY newspaper reported. Appavoo shouted and verbally abused a nurse at the Sengkang General Hospital on June 23 where he had gone to seek treatment for double vision, it reported. "You are a Chinese, Chinese people are stupid. I want an Indian doctor, the same Indian doctor who attended to me previously," he said to the nurse when she tried to take his vital signs. A doctor of Indian ethnicity then attended to him but he complained that she was "too fair" and refused to be examined by her, the court heard. He then got up from the bed, walked up to a senior staff nurse who was looking after another patient, and tried to choke her with his hand before the security officers stepped in to restrain him. Appavoo was also being investigated for using racist comments against a cashier at a supermarket in April last year when he committed the latest crime. When asked to not enter from the exit gate of the supermarket, he threatened to beat up the cashier and shouted, "you Chinese people bring COVID into Singapore". By AFP HAVANA: Cuba denounced the targeting of its Paris embassy on Monday as a "terrorist attack" encouraged by the United States after the building was bombarded with molotov cocktails. Firefighters in the French capital said two incendiary devices were thrown at the delegation, located in the city's 15th arrondissement, causing minor damage. "We denounce the Molotov cocktail terrorist attack against our Embassy in Paris @EmbaCubaFrancia," Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said on Twitter. Denunciamos ataque terrorista con cocteles molotov contra nuestra Embajada en Paris @EmbaCubaFrancia. Responsabilizo al Gobierno de EEUU por sus continuas campanas contra nuestro pais que alientan estas conductas y por llamados a la violencia, con impunidad, desde su territorio. Bruno Rodriguez P (@BrunoRguezP) July 26, 2021 "I hold the US government responsible for its continued campaigns against our country that encourage this behavior and for its calls for violence, with impunity, from its territory," he tweeted. Fire officials said they were alerted to the attack after midnight and "the devices, which caused minor damage, were extinguished before (firefighters) arrived". Police did not immediately provide any more information. Three Molotov cocktails -- two of which reached the embassy's facade and another that made it into the building -- struck the building at 11:45 and started a fire that was quickly put out by the mission's employees, according to the Cuban Foreign Ministry. Demonstrators marching in favor of and against the Cuban government took to the streets in cities all over the world this weekend and on Monday, coinciding with July 26 national day commemorations and just two weeks after anti-government protests erupted throughout the island nation. Around two dozen countries, including Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador, on Monday joined US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in calling on the Cuban government "to respect the legally guaranteed rights and freedoms of the Cuban people" and to "release those detained for exercising their rights to peaceful protests." The "statements of the US secretary of state are based on the support of a handful of countries that have been pressured to accept his decrees," Cuban Foreign Minister Rodriguez said in a separate tweet. "#Cuba counts the support of 184 nations that all call to #EndTheEmbargo," Rodriguez said, referring to the United States government's longstanding sanctions that have been in place since 1962. Help support your local hometown newspaper/website. Independent local news reporting matters. Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription, for as little as $3, so we can continue to provide independent local reporting on our communities. Starbucks saw record sales in the third quarter as the impact of the pandemic receded and customers flocked to its stores. But the company's shares fell after it lowered its forecast for sales growth in China, its second-largest market outside the U.S. The Seattle-based coffee giant said its revenue soared 78% to $7.5 billion in the April-June period, an all-time high. That beat Wall Streets forecast of $7.3 billion, according to analysts polled by FactSet. Starbucks said its global same-store sales __ or sales at locations open at least a year __ jumped 73% from the same period last year. Starbucks felt the brunt of the pandemic in the April-June period last year, when many stores were closed and same-store sales tumbled 40%. Same-store sales jumped 83% in the U.S. in the fiscal third quarter. Starbucks said rural and suburban traffic, which led sales coming out of the pandemic, remained strong, but sales in urban markets also turned positive for the first time since early 2020. Sales of higher-priced drinks __ like cold brews and alternative milk beverages __ juiced sales, as did higher demand for food items. Starbucks said it's also serving U.S. customers better with new store formats that prioritize drive-thru and mobile ordering. Starbucks announced last year that it would close 400 stores and replace them with more convenient options, like small mobile pickup locations. Johnson said the company is about 80% finished with that transformation, and he noted that drive-thru orders made up nearly half of U.S. orders in the third quarter. The improvements we are making to our portfolio today will provide benefits for years to come," Johnson said. But investors expressed concern with results in China, where same-store sales increased at a lower-than-expected pace of 19%. Starbucks also lowered its full-year sales forecast for China, saying it now expects growth of 18% to 20%, down from 27% to 32%. The company said it assumed travel restrictions would be lifted more quickly than they have been, and results last year were helped by coronavirus-related tax exemptions that have since been lifted. But Johnson forcefully defended the company's performance, saying Starbucks will continue to see robust growth in China as it opens new stores. The company plans to open 600 stores in China in its 2021 fiscal year. There should be no misunderstanding of how big and robust our business in China is and will be, he said. Starbucks reported net income of $1.15 billion for its fiscal third quarter. Adjusted for one-time items, the company earned a record $1.01 per share. That was well ahead of analysts forecast of 78 cents. Based on the results, Starbucks updated its financial guidance for the full year. The company said it now expects global same-store sales growth of 20% to 21%, up from a range of 18% to 23%. It also expects adjusted earnings of $3.20 to $3.25 per share, up from $2.90 to $3.00. Starbucks shares fell 3% to $122 in after-market trading. A boat made from household items that wont sink from added weight. A rubber-band powered car that travels the greatest distance. These are the design projects slated for the first week of the Governors Summer STEM Challenge, a partnership with the Yale School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy. The online initiative provides students with opportunities for engaged learning, while also equipping them with skills for STEM careers, the governors office said. Connecticut students in grades 3 through 12 will compete each week in challenges drawn up by Yale student organizations. Over the course of the pandemic, so many students missed out on classroom experiences that are essential to their development, Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement. Our administration is launching the Governors Summer STEM Challenge as a way to help them have a stimulating summer and an engaging educational experience in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, while at the same time giving our youth experiences that will improve their career opportunities. The first Summer STEM Challenge to build boats and toy cars was announced on Monday. Future projects will be posted online over the next six weeks. College students from the Yale Undergraduate Aerospace Association came up with the first two projects. Their instructions are clear and detailed: No adding salt or minerals to the water to make the boat floats, the student group said. For the toy cars, inclined surfaces and wind power are strictly prohibited and once they leave the finish line, the vehicles cannot be touched until theyre at rest. Elementary and secondary students, who may work individually or as a group, have until Sunday at noon to finish their mini boats and cars. A panel of judges will then choose the winners based on creativity, design, presentation and teamwork. Winners receive an unnamed prize and, if they participate in all six challenges, become eligible for one grand prize in each category. Yale University is honored to partner with the state to provide enriching educational opportunities for elementary, middle and high school students, Peter Salovey, president of Yale University, said in a statement. The Governors Summer STEM Challenge will help young scholars gain an appreciation for STEM, incorporate critical thinking into their studies and lives, and become the next generation of innovators. A press release for the initiative said the Summer STEM Challenge came out of the Governors Workforce Council, which included colleges and universities looking to support summer programming. The Governors Summer STEM Challenge will be shared with school districts, municipalities, and many summer camps across the state, said Kelli-Marie Vallieres, Connecticuts chief workforce officer, in a statement. Our goal is to engage as many students as possible to excite them about STEM and spark their interest to explore STEM curriculum and careers. Tuscola County commissioners skepticism of the proposed new health officer qualifications has left them in the lurch to find another candidate. During a county meeting on July 12, Ann Hepfer, who is the health officer for both the Huron County Health Department, and the Tuscola County Health department, announced to Tuscola leaders that Huron County commissioners supported environmental health officer Eugene Tip MacGuire to replace Hepfer, who is scheduled to retire Sept. 30. At that time, Tuscola commissioners had an opportunity to ask questions, but only asked a couple. It wasnt until the July 15 meeting that they discussed at length their concerns about having an environmental officer who doesnt have a medical background heading the health department. At Mondays Tuscola County meeting, Hepfer read a letter to the commissioners from MacGuire. Im rescinding my resume for consideration of the associated health officer position after being selected by the selection committee, approved by the Huron County commissioners, and tentatively approved with no restrictions by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said Hepfer reading MacGuires letter. It has become evident that the majority of the Tuscola board of commissioners have an issue with my credentials, predominantly my environmental background. It is my opinion the support that a health officer needs isnt present. MacGuires decision came following articles in local media outlets about the meeting. All of the conversations and the recording I heard indicated you were not leaning that way," Hepfer said. "That is why he made the decision that he made. I got phone calls that Tip had gotten roasted by (Tuscola) commissioners and that he should resign. Bardwell took exception to the word roasted, saying his qualifications were discussed. For what you are reading, its garbage, said Commissioner Doug DuRussell about news reports on the meeting. Chairman Thom Bardwell explained that the board had a lengthy agenda the day Hepfer and MacGuire attended the meeting, and that he and Hepfer later had a discussion where he learned there were 13 other health departments in the state whose health officers were environmentalists without a medical background. That conversation probably should have taken place prior, noted Bardwell. At this point it is water under the bridge, countered Hepfer. Hepfer pointed out that before her and her predecessor, there were three environmental engineers who became health directors. I tried to explain that we dont think that Kip isnt the best person," said commissioner Kim Vaughan, who serves on Tuscola's board of health. "I dont think we gave the indication that we dont believe in him." It comes down to a matter of communication and perception of both sides. According to Hepfer, finding a health officer or an environmental engineer or anyone in the health field is very difficult after what has transpired over the last year. Huron County commissioners could stand by their decision on MacGuire to replace Hepfer. If that happens it would split the health officer job that the two counties have shared at a cost savings. If that happens, a new environmental engineer would have to be hired, which would impact both counties as that position was also shared between the counties as a cost savings. A lot will depend on what Huron does, Hepfer said. She noted her health deputy also resigned that position, but is staying on with the department. Bardwell put the issue in MacGuires court. Where is his tenacity?" Bardwell asked. "You have to have fortitude in that position (health officer). Maybe he doesnt have that, and it is good he stepped down. I would rather he came and talked and said he understood our concerns and answered our questions. I feel Tip should have had more resilience and come to talk to us. In my mind, when I think of the health department, I think clinical and not environmental. So it is back to square one in advertising and looking for a replacement for Hepfer. She said if necessary she would stay on until the end of the year, but not beyond that. If she does, she would like to be compensated for having to rent a place and also for mileage. If no candidates are forthcoming, the Michigan Public Health Institute would select an interim health officer. Commissioner Dan Grimshaw, who had been vocal about what he felt was MacGuires lack of qualifications, said the health board should have spent the money to hire a firm to help find a replacement. NEW MILFORD - Town resident Ann Peng may not have known at first how her artistry would turn into a career, but after moving to the United States, she found a niche. Her focus is personalized portraits of homes, special occasions such as weddings, anniversary celebrations and vacation mementos. She also paints pets and babies all from provided photos. In addition to oil painting, Peng uses several different mediums in her work, including acrylic, water colors and colored pencils. When I first began oil painting, I was passionate about painting landscape and portraits since I love the beauty of nature and all the creatures, said Peng, who studied art at Nan Tong University in China, focusing on oil painting. Going to school and working in a fast-paced city in China was stressful; I missed the days of running through the fields in my childhood, she said. I was working at an international kindergarten and seeing those pure faces of different races every day. I just loved their cuteness and started to do baby portraits by colored pencils. I took some trips with my husband and painted beautiful sceneries of our memories using oil or water color. The first house portrait I did was our apartment in Norwalk and I used it for my baby's gender reveal, Peng said. The couple bought their first home in New Milford last year and had a difficult time with the renovation, finally deciding to move in and learn to finish the project themselves. Looking at the pieces coming together like a puzzle, it made our first home here more meaningful, Peng said. I was inspired and started to do more house paintings and house portrait on ornaments. I believed it would be a good way to remember all the effort we've paid as everyone has a unique story about their homes. She added she used to love to paint outdoors on the spot as I love the idea of Impressionism, but when the condition is limited, I paint from photos more and more, and it actually became a good way to communicate with people. The small house paintings are personalized, sentimental, good to keep and display for years. Since I've done paintings of buildings in different cities and countries from my own trips, I would love to help people to paint the beautiful sceneries from their trips, too. As a member of Etsy, a global online marketplace where unique items are sold and collected, Peng has found some success, especially last December when she featured customized Christmas ornaments. Some of her specialties are earrings, metal bookmarks, bracelets and rings, most of which are intricately embroidered. When she lived in China, she painted pictures of tea houses and other scenes for her own mementos, and when her whole family traveled to Greece, she painted a series of images for her portfolio. She said shes grateful that she can work from home and care for her 2-year-old daughter, Lydia, who, according to her mother, already loves drawing and singing. As long as she enjoys doing it, it doesnt matter if she will become an artist or not. I just hope she can find her own gift and enjoy it, Peng said. Guilford Police / Contributed GUILFORD Investigators on Monday are working to establish a timeline in the killing of 42-year-old Lindsey Hopkins, found dead in the Quonnipaug Hills condo complex last week. Police Chief Butch Hyatt said police are working to pinpoint how much time had passed between Hopkins being killed and her body being found. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended on Tuesday that localities encourage all teachers, staff, students, and visitors in schools to wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status. "In areas with substantial and high transmission, CDC recommends fully vaccinated people wear masks in public indoor settings to help prevent the spread of the Delta variants and protect others -- this includes school," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told a media briefing on Tuesday. "CDC recommends that everyone in K through 12 schools wear a mask indoors, including teachers, staff, students and visitors, regardless of vaccination status. Children should return to full-time in-person learning in the fall with proper prevention strategies in place," she said. "Finally, CDC recommends community leaders encourage vaccination and universal masking to prevent further outbreaks in areas of substantial and high transmission with the Delta various. Vaccinating more Americans now is more urgent than ever." Previously, the CDC updated its Covid-19 guidance for schools earlier this month, noting that fully vaccinated people did not have to wear masks, and then about a week later the American Academy of Pediatrics issued stricter guidance recommending that everyone older than 2 wear a mask in schools, regardless of their vaccination status. Now, the agency is updating its mask guidance overall, recommending that fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors when in areas with "substantial" and "high" transmission of Covid-19, which includes more than half of all US counties. Nearly half -- 46% -- of US counties currently have high transmission and 17% have "substantial" transmission, according to data from the CDC, as of Tuesday morning. "When we released our school guidance on July 9, we had less Delta variant in this country, we had fewer cases in this country, and importantly, we were really hopeful that we would have more people vaccinated, especially in the demographic between 12 to 17 years old," Walensky said. "Next week, we have many school systems that are starting around the country, and I think we all agree that children 11 or less are not going to be able to be vaccinated," she said. "With only 30% of kids between 12 and 17 fully vaccinated now, more cases in this country, and a real effort to try and make sure that our kids can safely get back to full in person learning in the fall, we're recommending that everybody wear masks right now." The nation's three largest school districts -- New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago -- already require masks in schools. Among the top 12 districts in the country, all are requiring masks except those in Florida and Texas, where the governors have banned mask mandates in schools, prior to Tuesday's updated CDC guidance. For instance, in Texas, "earlier this summer, Governor Abbott issued an executive order banning mask mandates on public school campuses so HISD cannot require them but those who want to wear mask may certainly do so," Dennis Spellman, spokesperson for Houston Independent School District, told CNN in an email on Tuesday. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Some other schools, such as Little Rock School District in Arkansas, told CNN on Tuesday that they are reviewing the new CDC recommendations. Before the updated CDC guidance, at least 14 of the 30 largest US school districts overall are making masks optional for students in school, while another 13 are requiring masks. As of last week, three districts were undecided. School districts have indicated they may change their guidance according to local public health conditions even after the school year starts. Caitlin Rivers, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Health Security, told CNN in an email on Tuesday that she thinks the updated CDC guidance will be enough to encourage some schools to issue mask mandates. "School districts look to CDC for guidance so having clear recommendations will make it easier for them to set masking policies," Rivers wrote in the email. "I encourage indoor masking for children too young to be vaccinated," she added. "The delta variant spreads very easily, and classrooms are high risk environments without protective measures. Children are at much lower risk of severe illness than adults, but they can and do get infected and transmit the virus to others." Overall, it's "reassuring" that the CDC is updating its guidance given that the Delta variant has been shown to be more contagious, Dr. Vivek Cherian, an internal medicine physician affiliated with the University of Maryland Medical System, told CNN in an email on Tuesday. He called the updated guidance for schools "the best and safest course of action" to protect children at this time. "On a personal note, we are in the process of moving to Chicago and are basing our decision on school selection based off of their approach to mask mandate because it is that critical to offer our children the greatest advantage of staying safe," Cherian said about his own family. "There is no question that the updated recommendations will encourage some schools (if not most) to issue or reissue mask mandates. Many schools are implementing guidance based on the CDC recommendations in general," Cherian wrote. "I would consider it reckless on the part of schools to not move forward in updating mask mandates given that the Delta variant is now the predominant strain in the country, and given that a large population of the K-12 population is still unvaccinated." The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. Armando Sandoval, left, and Adam Lopez on the patio of Maize Mexican Grill on University and Chestnut in Champaign on Friday. View more of our photographers best work by following us @news_gazette on Instagram. Reporter Debra Pressey is a reporter covering health care at The News-Gazette. Her email is dpressey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@DLPressey). Reporter Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk). A 20-year member of the Champaign police department who has held nearly every job an officer can will be the department's interim chief. 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. One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021 Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading. To subscribe, click here. Already a subscriber? Click here. Hepatitis is a general term to describe inflammation of the liver tissue. It can arise from several causes, although the most common cause is a viral infection. It presents a significant global public health challenge with 2.3 billion new infections each year and 1.4 million deaths annually, with 98% of deaths being attributable to hepatitis B and C. Additionally, about 5.5 million people worldwide with HIV are also co-infected with hepatitis B or C, which is a rising cause of mortality for the HIV patient group. Despite this, hepatitis has been generally overlooked as a health priority until recently. Without significant intervention, rates of hepatitis B are estimated to remain stable and high across the next 50 years, whilst the rates of people infected with hepatitis C are expected to rise annually, despite the availability of an effective cure. Hepatitis. Image Credit: Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock.com Targets to eliminate hepatitis In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) endorsed the Global Health Sector Strategy to address the global disease burden of hepatitis. The strategy envisioned a halt to new infections of hepatitis B and C, and access to safe, affordable, and effective treatment for all. For the first-ever time, global targets for the elimination of hepatitis were established which included: From a baseline measure in 2015, a reduction of new cases of chronic hepatitis by 30% by 2020 and 90% by 2030. This represented a reduction in new cases from 6-10 million worldwide in 2015 to fewer than 1 million by 2030. To reduce mortality from hepatitis B and C by 10% by 2020 and 90% by 2030, representing a reduction in deaths from 1.4 million in 2015 to fewer than 500,000 by 2030. How could viral hepatitis be eliminated? The strategy document outlined five strategic directions, each comprised of critical actions that countries should undertake with support from WHO. These included: Gathering strategic information to understand the viral hepatitis epidemic, ensuring data is sufficiently detailed to identify hotspots of infection, understand modes of transmission, and arisk populations. Such information at a regional level should make deployment of interventions that are targeted and tailored, whilst ensuring interventions are aligned with existing services and health plans. Defining the evidence-based essential interventions that should be included in response to the epidemic, then the development of tailored national plans with appropriate governance and management to ensure they are embedded in services. Strengthening community and health systems to deliver high-quality and inclusive services, ensuring that those living with hepatitis and those at-risk have access to medical care. This should include defining the pathways to care at community, primary and tertiary care levels and integrating hepatitis services with pre-existing services, such as sexual health, cancer, and substance misuse services. Ensuring the strategy is underpinned by robust, equitable, and sustainable financial planning, by improving domestic tax collection, pooling funds across whole care systems, and improving efficiencies in healthcare. Promoting and incentivizing innovations and technologies to drive progress, such as new antiviral medicines and improved diagnostic techniques. Interventions Vaccination Hepatitis A, B, and E can all be prevented via vaccination, with many countries implementing large-scale, effective vaccine programs. Globally, the coverage of infant third (full) dose vaccination against hepatitis B was 82% in 2015. The strategy aims to increase the figure to 90% by 2020 and maintain that level until 2030 by widening infant and birth-dose programs, and specifically targeting at-risk populations. In some areas, the hepatitis A vaccine should also be adopted into infant vaccination programs. Reducing vertical (mother-to-baby) transmission In highly endemic areas, mother-to-baby is the leading cause of hepatitis B transmission, but it can be effectively prevented if the infant received a birth dose vaccine within 24 hours of birth. To ensure elimination of vertical transmission, a comprehensive approach including education and testing during pregnancy and birth dose vaccination. In 2015, only 38% of countries used effective methods to prevent transmission. The WHO aimed to increase this to 50% in 2020 and 90% by 2030. Improving safety In the absence of safe, high-quality transfusion services, the risk of transmission of hepatitis B and C via contaminated blood products is high. Whilst providing safe blood products is a vital public health responsibility of every government, in 2015 89% of countries provided safe services. The strategy aimed to increase this to 90% by 2020, with a target for 100% of countries to provide national quality-assured blood services by 2030. An area with significant scope for improvement is with regards to safe injections. Currently, only 5% of injections administered globally use safety-engineered devices such as needle guards or retractable needles. These safety features significantly reduce the risk of needle-stick injuries, and as such, the WHO aimed for this to increase to 50% of injections by 2020, and 90% by 2030. Finally, by providing harm reduction services for people using injectable drugs, a host of blood-borne infections including hepatitis could be prevented. A comprehensive package of support for people who inject drugs was suggested, including vaccination, opiate substitution programs, and needle and syringe programs. Progress by 2020 Although the hepatitis elimination strategy will continue for another 9 years, progress against the interim targets set for 2020 can provide insight into the feasibility of the strategy achieving its aims. One study which included 45 high-income countries found that 80% of the target were not on track to meet the 2030 goal, with two-thirds of the sample requiring at least 20 more years to do so. It is highly likely therefore that lower-income countries would be even further from achieving the WHO targets. References: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/246177/WHO-HIV-2016.06-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Cox, A. L., El-Sayed, M. H., Kao, J. H., Lazarus, J. V., Lemoine, M., Lok, A. S., & Zoulim, F. (2020). Progress towards elimination goals for viral hepatitis. Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology, 17(9), 533542. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-020-0332-6 Waheed, Y., Siddiq, M., Jamil, Z., & Najmi, M. H. (2018). Hepatitis elimination by 2030: Progress and challenges. World journal of gastroenterology, 24(44), 49594961. https://doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v24.i44.4959 https://www.who.int/hepatitis/news-events/07_towards-elimination-Dr-Gottfried-Hirnschall.pdf?ua=1 Further Reading A mother's mental health may play a larger role in a child's toothbrushing habits than previously thought. It is no secret that brushing your teeth twice a day is highly effective in promoting healthy teeth and gums. The International Association of Pediatric Dentistry advocates brushing with toothpaste containing fluoride to prevent decayed, missing, or filled teeth - known as childhood dental caries (ECC) - in children. Parents are instrumental in instilling good dental habits in their children. In Japan, there is a worryingly high prevalence of ECC among children aged 3 years old. Postpartum depression and/or lack of affection caused by bonding disorders hamper a mother's ability to cultivate healthy dental practices in children, and researchers were keen to explore this link. Dr Shinobu Tsuchiya from Tohoku University Hospital led a research group that analyzed approximately 80,000 mother-infant pairs from the Ministry of Environment's Japan Environment and Children's Study. They found children with mothers suffering from postpartum depression or bonding disorders brushed their teeth less often. Likewise, the frequency with which children brushed their teeth increased when mothers showed strong affection towards their children. The research group hopes their research will foster greater mental support and management for mothers and that doctors will incorporate these factors when assessing children's oral health. A mother's psychological well-being provides valuable screening information for identifying children at a high risk of ECC." Dr Shinobu Tsuchiya, Tohoku University Hospital In future studies, Tsuchiya and her team hope to examine other environmental influences on poor oral health. Due to a shortage in vaccines, the Quebec Immunization Committee (QIC) recommended that the Canadian province of Quebec defer the second dose of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine to optimize the coverage of the first dose. The reason behind this proposal was to protect a majority of the high-risk population, which includes individuals in the older age groups and frontline workers, from severe COVID-19 infection and deaths. Quebec started its vaccination campaign by targeting long-term care facility (LTCF) residents and healthcare workers (HCW) who were in direct contact with patients. Based on the vaccine supply and short-term vaccine effectiveness (VE) reports, in early March 2021, the Canadian National Advisory Committee on Immunization and the Quebec Ministry of Health set the duration between two vaccine doses to be 16 weeks. Study: Single-dose mRNA vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 in healthcare workers extending 16 weeks post-vaccination: a test-negative design from Quebec, Canada. Image Credit: ezps / Shutterstock.com Background In Canada, two messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA)-based vaccines, including the BNT162b2 vaccine by Pfizer-BioNTech and mRNA1273 by Moderna, received emergency use approval in December 2020. Initially, individuals were to be given their second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines 3 and 4 weeks after receiving the first dose, respectively. According to the Phase III randomized-controlled trial results, the efficacy for both vaccines exceeded 90% 14 days after administration of a single dose. However, the efficacy of the vaccines beyond 3-4 weeks after the initial vaccination was not studied. As healthcare workers (HCWs) were amongst the prioritized group to first receive the COVID-19 vaccine, many observational studies have been conducted to assess the efficacy of mRNA vaccines after a single dose. Most of these studies have a short follow-up period, with the longest being 8 weeks post-vaccination. Efficacy of one- and two-doses of mRNA vaccines A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* compared the efficacy of mRNA vaccines against the original strain of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2) and SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) among HCWs in Quebec after receiving their first and second doses. This study has also determined the effectiveness of a single dose of the mRNA vaccine at 16 weeks post-vaccination. To do this, the researchers adopted a test-negative design that compared vaccination among HCWs who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 to HCWs who tested negative. Taken together, 5,316 cases and 53,160 controls were included in the current study. VE of 70% for a single dose of the mRNA vaccine against any SARS-CoV-2 infection and 73% against COVID-19 illness among the study group was reported. However, in the case of HWCs who received two doses of the vaccine, VE was calculated to be 86% for any SARS-CoV-2 infection and 93% against COVID-19 illness. VE against SARS-CoV-2 hospitalization rates for the recipients of both one and two doses was comparably high at >95%. Vaccination coverage in the cohort of healthcare workers and total number of reported COVID-19 cases in the population per week, Quebec, Canada. Can a single dose of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine provide enough protection? The researchers have reported that a single dose of an mRNA vaccine provided substantial protection against SARS-CoV-2 that remained stable for at least 16 weeks post-vaccination. This is undoubtedly the biggest contribution of the paper, as previous studies have not demonstrated vaccine effectiveness beyond 8 weeks. These findings led to the conclusion that the interval between the first and second dose of the vaccine can be prolonged for up to four months in the event that there is a scarcity in the vaccine supply. The findings described here align with similar observational studies that have been conducted using Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines in the United States, Israel, and Europe. However, these reports are based on short follow-up periods post-vaccination. The present study has also reported that a single dose of mRNA vaccine has effectively reduced hospitalization owing to severe COVID-19 infection among HCWs by 97% across 16 weeks. This observation differs from previous studies that claim that the lowest rate of COVID-19 hospitalization is obtained after receiving two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. When the current study was being conducted, the Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant was the dominant circulating strain of SARS-CoV-2 in Quebec. Therefore, the authors report that the effectiveness of the single dose of the vaccine against the Alpha strain was 60% among the HCWs. This finding is consistent with prior studies conducted in another Canadian province of British Columbia, which showed a single-dose VE of 67% against COVID-19 Alpha infection in adults over the age of 70. *Important notice medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information. Fatumo Osman, a 65-year-old Somali refugee who speaks limited English, was in a bind. She made too much money at a meal prep service job so she no longer qualified for Medicaid. But knee pain kept her from working, so her income had dropped. She could reapply for Medicaid, get her knee fixed and return to work, at which point she'd lose that safety-net health coverage. Her first step was getting a note from a doctor so she wouldn't lose her job. So, Osman came to Mango House, a clinic in this eastern suburb of Denver that caters primarily to refugees and turns no one away, regardless of their ability to pay. Dr. P.J. Parmar designed the clinic to survive on the Medicaid payments that many doctors across the U.S. reject as too low. The clinic is just one part of a broader refugee ecosystem that Parmar has built. Mango House provides food and clothing assistance, after-school programs, English classes, legal help and Parmar even leads a Boy Scout troop there. He leases space to nine stores and six restaurants, all owned and run by refugees. Mango House hosts a dozen religious groups, plus community meetings, weddings and other celebrations. When Parmar needs an interpreter for a patient from any of a dozen languages spoken in the building, he can easily grab one of his tenants. "This is what I call a medical home," Parmar said. Although it's not part of the formal U.S. refugee resettlement program, Mango House is in many ways emblematic of refugee health care in the U.S. It's a less-than-lucrative field of medicine that often relies on individual physicians willing to eke out a living caring for an underserved and under-resourced population. Parmar finds creative ways, often flouting norms or skirting rules, to fit his patients' needs. As a result, Mango House looks nothing like the rest of the U.S. health care system and, at times, draws the ire of the medical establishment. "How do you deliver the quality of care necessary, and that they deserve, while still keeping the lights on? It's a struggle for sure," said Jim Sutton, executive director of the Society of Refugee Healthcare Providers. "It's these heroes, these champions out there, these cowboys that are taking this on." Osman brought her son, Jabarti Yussef, 33, to interpret for her. They have been coming to Mango House for 10 years and said that Parmar opens doors for them when they have trouble accessing care. "If we ask for an appointment to get Medicaid, P.J. makes the call," Yussef said. "If we call, we're on hold for an hour, and then it hangs up. If we go to the ER, it's a three-hour wait. Here, the majority of people walk in and sit for 30 minutes. It's good for the community." As for Osman's knee pain, Yussef asked Parmar, could they pay cash to get an MRI at the hospital? "I can almost guarantee it's arthritis," Parmar replied. "You could do an X-ray. That will cost $100. An MRI will cost $500. And if it shows a bigger problem, what are you going to do? It will cost you $100,000." Parmar said he would connect them with someone who could help Osman enroll in Medicaid but that it's an imperfect solution. "Most orthopedists don't take Medicaid," Parmar said. Older immigrants need to have worked the equivalent of 10 years in the U.S. to qualify for Medicare. Medicaid, which covers low-income people, generally pays primary health care providers a third less than Medicare, which covers seniors and the disabled. And both pay even less than commercial insurance plans. Some doctors paint Medicaid patients as more difficult and less likely to follow instructions, show up on time or speak English. Parmar said he realized back in medical school that few doctors were motivated to treat Medicaid patients. If he limited his practice to just Medicaid, he said dryly, he'd have guaranteed customers and no competition. So how does he survive on Medicaid rates? By keeping his overhead low. There are no appointments, so no costs for a receptionist or scheduling software. He said his patients often like that they can drop in anytime and be seen on a first-come, first-served basis, much like an urgent care clinic, and similar to the way things worked in their native countries. Because he takes only Medicaid, he knows how to bill the program and doesn't have to hire billing specialists to deal with 10 insurance companies. It's also more cost-efficient for the health system. Many of his patients would otherwise go to the emergency room, sometimes avoiding care altogether until their problems get much worse and more expensive to fix. "Really none of our innovations are new or unique; we just put them together in a unique way to help low-income folks, while making money," Parmar said. "And then, instead of taking that money home, I put it back into the refugee community." The son of Indian immigrants, Parmar, 46, was born in Canada but grew up in Chicago and moved to Colorado after college in 1999, where he did his medical training at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He opened Mango House 10 years ago, buying a building and renting out space to refugees to cover the cost. Two years ago, he expanded into a vacant J.C. Penney building across the street. "There's a good three-, four-year dip in the red here, intentionally, as we move from there to here," Parmar said. "But that red is going to go away soon." The covid pandemic has helped shore up his finances, as federal incentives and payment increases boosted revenue and allowed him to pay down his debt faster. Parmar must navigate a host of obstacles while working to overcome financial and language barriers. A Muslim Somali woman needs dental care but is uncomfortable seeing a male dentist. A Nepalese woman needs a prescription refill, but she lives in Denver and so has been assigned by Medicaid to the safety-net hospital, Denver Health. Parmar won't get paid but sees her anyway. Another patient brings paperwork showing he's being sued by a local health system for a year-old emergency room bill he has no way to pay. A Nepalese man with psoriasis doesn't want creams or ointments; good medicine, he believes, comes through a needle. "A lot of this is, basically, geriatrics," Parmar said. "You have to add 20 years to get their age in refugee years." When one patient turns away momentarily, Parmar discreetly throws away her bottle of meloxicam, a strong anti-inflammatory he said she shouldn't be taking because of her kidney problems. He began stocking over-the-counter medications after realizing his patients got overwhelmed amid 200 varieties of cough and cold medicines at the drugstore. Some couldn't find what he told them to get, even after he printed flyers showing pictures of the products. Parmar's creative solutions, however, often rub many in health care the wrong way. Some balk at his use of family members or others as informal interpreters. Best practices call for the use of trained interpreters who understand medicine and patient privacy rules. But billing for interpretation isn't possible, so hospitals and clinics must pay interpreters themselves. And that's beyond the capabilities of most refugee clinics, unless they're affiliated with a larger health system that can absorb those costs. "It's a good thing to have the standards, but it's another thing altogether to implement them," said Dr. Pat Walker, an expert on refugee health at the University of Minnesota. When Mango House began providing covid vaccines, residents of more affluent areas of town started showing up. Parmar tried to limit vaccinations only to those patients living in the immediate area, checking ZIP codes on their IDs. The state stepped in to say he could neither require IDs nor turn away any patients, regardless of his refugee-focused mission. During a recent lull at the clinic, Parmar took stock of that day's inventory of patients. Six were assigned to Denver Health, one patients Medicaid coverage had expired, and two had high-deductible commercial plans. Chances are he wouldn't get paid for seeing any of them. Of the 25 patients he had seen that day, 14 had Medicaid coverage that Parmar could bill. "We see the rest of them anyway," he said. The manufacturer of high-tech laboratory instruments, KNAUER Wissenschaftliche Gerate GmbH, has committed to helping the victims of the West Germanys recent flooding disaster with a donation of 15,000. Damage to the Market Square of Stolberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, following the floods. Image Credit: KNAUER Wissenschaftliche Gerate GmbH The spontaneous and self-organized donation campaign by KNAUERs employees and management team was further helped by Germanys exemption of taxes on donations made towards natural disasters that occur within the country any donations made are free from both income tax and social security contributions. In practice, this means the full donation reaches those who need it whilst each donor only pays, depending on their tax bracket, around 55% of the cost from their post-tax earnings. The shocking images of the devastation caused by the floods touched everyone at KNAUERs hearts. Within a matter of days the companys employees donated 6,250. The management team then not only doubled this but went further, to increase the total donation value to a grand sum of 15,000. This donation is now on the way to the Germanys relief coalition Aktion Deutschland Hilft. This method of donating can be replicated by other companies. The HR team at KNAUER simply wrote a short email to all the employees, asking them if they were willing to donate this got the ball rolling and the next steps came easily after. We all felt helpless, shocked and saddened when we saw the suffering that this disaster caused for those living in the impacted areas. We give them our full sympathy and we want to support them further with rapid financial assistance. We are particularly proud of the wide participation in the donation scheme by our employees it is clear to us that social responsibility is alive and well at KNAUER Alexandra Knauer and Carsten Losch The family-owned company KNAUER Wissenschaftliche Gerate GmbH has been developing high-tech laboratory instruments for research, routine analysis and production for 59 years. Liquid chromatography (HPLC) systems are used to analyze liquid samples for ingredients and impurities and determine their quantity. The company also manufactures larger chromatography systems, e.g. for the purification of proteins, active ingredients or other valuable substances. For laboratory equipment, the company supplies metering pumps, switching valves and detectors for high-pressure applications. Promotion of science and corporate responsibility are of great importance to the company. PerkinElmer, Inc. (PerkinElmer) today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire BioLegend, a leading, global provider of life science antibodies and reagents, for approximately $5.25 billion in a combination of cash and stock, subject to certain adjustments. BioLegend provides its academic and biopharmaceutical customers with best-in-class antibodies and reagents in high-growth areas such as cytometry, proteogenomics, multiplex assays, recombinant proteins, magnetic cell separation, and bioprocessing. The transaction will be the largest in PerkinElmers history and is expected to close by the end of the 2021 calendar year, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Privately-held BioLegend has more than 700 employees based primarily in the U.S., with estimated 2022 revenues of $380 million. Upon joining PerkinElmer, BioLegend will expand PerkinElmers existing life science franchise into new segments, and its state-of-the-art campus in San Diego, California will become PerkinElmers global Center of Excellence (CoE) for research reagent content development for the combined company. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring our technologies and innovative cultures together to create seamless solutions to push science and discovery forward. We believe joining our teams presents an incredible opportunity to accelerate discoveries that help life science researchers leverage ever-developing technologies and novel approaches to better understand and fight disease. Prahlad Singh, president, and chief executive officer of PerkinElmer Gene Lay, founder, president, and chief executive officer of BioLegend, added, We are very excited to join the PerkinElmer family. The combination will afford us the opportunity to continue to build on our two-decade foundation of innovative science and scale in new and highly attractive PerkinElmer areas such as clinical diagnostics and food safety testing. The BioLegend team is eager to enter this new chapter with PerkinElmer, furthering our mission of enabling legendary discovery from research to cure. Strategic Alignment of Deal Structure Expected to Lead to Faster Growth and Elevated Margins PerkinElmer has fully committed bridge financing from Goldman Sachs Bank USA in place for the cash portion of the agreed upon purchase price. The combination is expected to be accretive to PerkinElmers existing revenue growth and margin profile and provide an estimated $0.30 of adjusted earnings per share accretion in the first full year following close and greater than $0.50 in the second year following close. The combined company will generate immediate revenue synergies which are expected to reach $100 million annually by the fifth year following the transaction close and no significant cost synergies are planned. Advisors Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Inc., is serving as exclusive financial advisor to PerkinElmer, with WilmerHale serving as legal counsel and McDermott Will & Emery serving as antitrust counsel. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC is serving as exclusive financial advisor to BioLegend with Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP serving as legal counsel. Conference Call and Webcast PerkinElmer will discuss its second quarter 2021 results (as released separately), its outlook for business trends, and its acquisition of BioLegend in a conference call on July 26, 2021 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time. To access the call, please dial 720-405-2250 prior to the scheduled conference call time and provide the access code 9275741. The webcast and accompanying slides can be found on the investors section of www.perkinelmer.com. An audio archive of the call will be available in that section of the website until August 9, 2021. Factors Affecting Future Performance This press release contains "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements relating to estimates and projections of future earnings per share, cash flow and revenue growth and other financial results, developments relating to our customers and end-markets, and plans concerning business development opportunities, acquisitions and divestitures. Words such as "believes," "intends," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," estimates, "projects," "forecasts," "will" and similar expressions, and references to guidance, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on managements current assumptions and expectations and no assurances can be given that our assumptions or expectations will prove to be correct. A number of important risk factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described, implied or projected in any forward-looking statements. These factors include, without limitation: (1) markets into which we sell our products declining or not growing as anticipated; (2) the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on our sales and operations; (3) fluctuations in the global economic and political environments; (4) our failure to introduce new products in a timely manner; (5) our ability to execute acquisitions, such as BioLegend, and license technologies, or to successfully integrate acquired businesses and licensed technologies into our existing business or to make them profitable, or successfully divest businesses; (6) our ability to compete effectively; (7) fluctuation in our quarterly operating results and our ability to adjust our operations to address unexpected changes; (8) significant disruption in third-party package delivery and import/export services or significant increases in prices for those services; (9) disruptions in the supply of raw materials and supplies; (10) our ability to retain key personnel; (11) significant disruption in our information technology systems, or cybercrime; (12) our ability to realize the full value of our intangible assets; (13) our failure to adequately protect our intellectual property; (14) the loss of any of our licenses or licensed rights; (15) the manufacture and sale of products exposing us to product liability claims; (16) our failure to maintain compliance with applicable government regulations; (17) regulatory changes; (18) our failure to comply with healthcare industry regulations; (19) economic, political and other risks associated with foreign operations; (20) the United Kingdoms withdrawal from the European Union; (21) our ability to obtain future financing; (22) restrictions in our credit agreements; (23) discontinuation or replacement of LIBOR; (24) significant fluctuations in our stock price; (25) reduction or elimination of dividends on our common stock; and (26) other factors which we describe under the caption "Risk Factors" in our most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We disclaim any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release. About PerkinElmer PerkinElmer enables scientists, researchers, and clinicians to address their most critical challenges across science and healthcare. With a mission focused on innovating for a healthier world, we deliver unique solutions to serve the diagnostics, life science, food, and applied markets. We strategically partner with customers to enable earlier and more accurate insights supported by deep market knowledge and technical expertise. Our dedicated team of about 14,000 employees worldwide is passionate about helping customers work to create healthier families, improve the quality of life, and sustain the well-being and longevity of people globally. The Company reported revenue of approximately $3.8 billion in 2020, serves customers in 190 countries, and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Additional information is available through 1-877-PKI-NYSE, or at www.perkinelmer.com. About BioLegend BioLegend enables life science discovery from research to cure by providing world-class, cutting-edge antibodies and reagents for biomedical research, manufactured in its state-of-the-art facility in San Diego, CA. Its mission is to accelerate research and discovery by providing the highest quality products at an outstanding value, along with superior customer service and technical support. Its product expertise covers a diverse set of research areas including Immunology, Neuroscience, Cancer, Stem cells, and Clinical Products. BioLegends reagents are supported by superior customer service and a quality management system that is certified for ISO 13485:2016. With a strong commitment to the scientific community, BioLegend pushes the boundaries of scientific innovation, and transforms the way we collect and interpret scientific knowledge. To learn more, visit www.biolegend.com. A new genetic study from an international team of scientists has uncovered genes involved in severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) illness. Two loci at 17q21.31 and 19q13.33 are associated with respiratory failure during infection. The loci are thought to cause impairments in lung function and alter the number of immune and blood cells. The genetic changes also affect the NAPSA gene, which contributes to lung surfactant protein production. Led by Andre Franke from Christian-Albrechts-University and University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein in Germany, the results provide insight into how genetics contribute to COVID-19 disease severity. According to the authors, their findings could aid with designing more targeted experiments focusing on specific genes and subsequently develop therapies to alleviate severe COVID-19 infection. The study New susceptibility loci for severe COVID-19 by detailed GWAS analysis in European populations is published and available on the preprint medRxiv* server. Image Credit: New susceptibility loci for severe COVID-19 by detailed GWAS analysis in European populations The course of the experiment The researchers conducted a meta-analysis looking at genetic loci from patients with severe COVID-19 illness living in Italy, Spain, Norway, and Germany/Austria. Their focus was on genetic variations on the human leukocyte antigens (HLA) and how they may play a role in disease severity. Another point of interest for the researchers was to look for a possible genetic link between severe COVID-19 and the male sex. Research suggests men are more likely to develop more severe infections than women. To this end, the team investigated genetic variations on the Y chromosome with a focus on the haplogroup R the predominant haplogroup in Europe. Genes contribute to COVID-19 disease severity The genetic analysis identified 17q21.31 inversion and 19q13.33 as two loci linked to severe COVID-19 infection. The 19q13.33 locus appeared to contribute to severe disease infection by affecting its regulation of the NAPSA gene. The gene helps with the production of an enzyme expressed in Type 1 and Type 2 alveolar cells. These cells are needed for exchanging gases at the lung surface, secreting surfactant proteins, and immunomodulatory factors. The NAPSA gene was associated with damage-associated transient progenitors, an intermediate state between cell types with high inflammation during COVID-19 infection. Thus, given that the NAPSA protein is involved in lung surfactant production, which is dysregulated in COVID-19, the fact that the COVID-19 risk allele is associated with decreased NAPSA expression while increased expression of NAPSA is a protective factor for severe COVID-19, suggests a potential role of NAPSA in susceptibility for severe COVID-19, Role of genetic inversions in COVID-19 illness The 17q21.31 inversion may dysregulate the immune response during COVID-19 infection. Previous studies have suggested the inversion is linked to a higher red blood cell count and elevated hemoglobin levels. Additionally, it correlates with a decreased lung function and a higher risk of developing the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This genetic locus was of interest because it is commonly expressed among Europeans. Although the function of many of the affected genes are not well known, the inversion acts as an eQTL and sQTL of several interesting candidate genes for severe COVID-19. Other genes that could impair immune function and ultimately result in more severe infection include KANSL1, CHRH1, and FMNL1. The KANSL1 gene contributed to histone acetylation and was found to exhibit decreased expression in infection-like stimulated monocytes, which is partially compensated in homozygotes for the H2 inversion haplotype. The CHRH1 gene showed greater expression in the H2 haplotype in multiple tissues. The researchers suggest it could regulate inflammatory responses through its involvement with corticotropin-releasing hormones. The FMNL1 gene is also found on the inversion locus and is highly expressed in macrophages, dendritic cells, B lymphocytes, and T lymphocytes in tissues infected with COVID-19. Further genetic analysis also found a downregulation of the MAPT genes in neurons and lung cells infected with the coronavirus. Though the 17q21.31 inversion is associated with increased expression of MAPT in several tissues, suggesting a protective effect against SARS-CoV-2. But the researchers clarify that more research is needed as it is unlikely to pick out which gene is the most protective or detrimental during COVID-19 infection. No significant genetic link in Y-chromosome haplogroups The study did not yield any significant association between severe COVID-19 infection and genetic variations on the Y chromosome. Although the researchers note that larger samples may have been needed to study Y-chromosome haplogroups and their connection to COVID-19 disease. *Important Notice medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information. Safe and effective inhalable nanocatchers that contain human angiotensin-converting enzyme II (hACE2) have been recently developed by a group of researchers from China, providing a plethora of potential benefits in comparison to existing treatments against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The exact approach is delineated in-depth in a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS). Image Credit: National Academy of Sciences The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) uses its spike glycoprotein on the surface to bind with the hACE2 for cell entry and subsequent infection. Consequently, the mutations of this glycoprotein can optimize its binding properties and, in turn, make the virus more transmissible and pathogenic. Some studies have already investigated how cellular nanovesicles that harbor hACE2 can compete with host cells for SARS-CoV-2 binding, safeguarding them from infection. For example, one of them observed the activity of cellular nanosponges made from human macrophages or human lung epithelial type II cells. Another study described decoy nanoparticles that can protect against COVID-19 by simultaneously adsorbing viruses and inflammatory cytokines, the latter being signaling molecules that are secreted from our immune cells (most notably helper T cells and macrophages). In this new paper, a research group led by Dr. Han Zhang from the Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials at the Soochow University in Suzhou (China) designed ingenious hACE2-containing inhalable nanocatchers that act as competitors with host cells for viral binding. Genetic engineering in full throttle The approach of these researchers was to genetically engineer human embryonic kidney 293T cells with high expression (i.e. high density) of hACE2 in the form of neutralizing nanocatchers. Their spherical morphology was demonstrated with the use of electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering, and an average diameter was found to be around 200 nanometers. Encouraged by such successful preparation of hACE2-containing nanocatchers, the researchers next aimed to assess their neutralization activity of SARS-CoV-2 by binding with its spike glycoprotein using. A vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)based pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 was used as a model for this purpose (both wild-type and the D614G variant). Finally, to prevent lung infection with SARS-CoV-2, they have developed an inhalable formulation by mixing hACE2-containing nanocatchers with mucoadhesive excipient hyaluronic acid, with the end goal to prolong the retention of nanocatchers in the lung after inhalation. This was also tested in a hACE2-expressing mouse model. Successfully targeting viral binding In conclusion, the hACE2-containing nanocatchers showed excellent neutralization propensity against pseudoviruses of both the wild-type SARS-CoV-2 and the D614G variant, which means they could act as potent competitors with host cells for viral binding - regardless of mutations. Furthermore, mucoadhesive excipient hyaluronic acid was able to substantially improve the retention of nanocatchers in the lung, emphasizing a rather vigorous SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus inhibition ability in the mouse model (primarily by using replication-defective adenovirus encoding for hACE2). Even more importantly, nanocatchers were successfully developed in the lyophilized formulation with the assistance of cryoprotectant sucrose, increasing, in turn, the feasibility of their clinical usage (which includes transport issues and long-term storage). A promising non-invasive strategy The inhalation of drug-loaded nanoparticles represents a promising non-invasive strategy for the treatment of pulmonary diseases due to ease of administration, low systemic adverse effects, and favorable patient compliance. Furthermore, this study has shown that large-scale and timely production of hACE2-containing nanocatchers with the use of an engineered cell line is actually a feasible approach. Our proposed strategy may have the potential to be implemented in the battle against COVID-19, especially in this urgent period with the frequent emergence of mutated viral strains Study Authors Importantly, inhalable nanocatchers in the lyophilized formulation would enable long-term storage and, consequently, facilitate their future clinical usage. Hence, this work shed some light on one viable alternative approach to inhibit the infection with SARS-CoV-2 even when faced with a rising number of mutations and variants of concern. A few months ago, the boxy, teal truck parked outside a McDonald's in this Inland Empire city might have drawn hundreds of people willing to stand in line for hours under the scorching sun. The truck is San Bernardino County's mobile vaccine unit, which brings covid-19 vaccines directly to people. But on July 15, only 22 people got a covid shot during the four hours it sat there. Roughly 12 feet away, more people were often seen waiting by a red canopy for free, government-subsidized smartphones, intended for low-income people, than were stepping up for the potentially lifesaving shots. Barry Luque, a 37-year-old car wash worker who visited the red canopy that day for a free phone, was lured by the truck. He had been eligible for a covid vaccine since April but never got around to making an appointment. Had he not seen the truck in the parking lot on his day off, "this wouldn't have gotten done," he said. It's Luques job to guide drivers into the car wash, but his boss won't let him take his mask off unless he can show proof he's vaccinated. "People come in from different lives, different styles, different moods at different times," he said after getting his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. "I've got to guide them carefully and gently, and it's kinda hard for them to see the smile on my face." Luque and the other 21 people who got vaccinated that day in addition to the scores of others who drove by or waited in the McDonald's drive-thru line without seeking a shot offer a snapshot of California's stalling vaccination effort. Some who finally got the shot, like Luque, were motivated by mandates from employers or are tired of wearing masks. Others want to visit other countries, and vaccinations may help ease travel or quarantine requirements. Some were persuaded, at long last, by family and friends. Those who continued to hold out primarily cited potential side effects and distrust of the medical system. Recent polling shows that no matter which tactics are used, a strong majority of unvaccinated people are unlikely to budge on getting a shot, creating an increasingly dangerous scenario as the highly contagious delta variant burns through the country. In California, about 2,800 people were hospitalized for covid or suspected covid more than twice the number six weeks earlier as of Wednesday. About 61% of Californians age 12 and up were fully vaccinated by then, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ranking the state 18th among other states and the District of Columbia. But the overall rate masks deep disparities among, and even within, regions. In geographically and ethnically diverse San Bernardino County, about 47% of eligible residents were fully vaccinated as of Wednesday, with the lowest rates among young people, men, Latinos, Blacks and those who live in the poorest and unhealthiest communities. Statewide, the profile of unvaccinated people is largely the same. One way local and state leaders are trying to get shots into residents' arms is by hosting pop-up clinics that make covid vaccines more convenient and accessible for those who can't or won't sign up for an appointment. San Bernardino County is organizing pop-up events at supermarkets, schools, churches and community centers. The state is also funding vaccine clinics, including 155 events at more than 80 McDonald's restaurants in 11 counties as of Wednesday. The pop-ups require significant resources and are showing diminishing returns. About 2,500 doses have been administered at the McDonald's clinics so far an average of 16 shots per event. The California Department of Public Health declined to say how much these events cost, saying it varies. At the McDonald's in San Bernardino, a city of more than 200,000 that serves as the county seat, eight staffers were on hand to check people in, administer shots and watch for side effects from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. They also scheduled the necessary second dose for another local pop-up event. Jeisel Estabillo, 36, hadn't been vaccinated, even though she is a registered nurse who sometimes cares for covid patients at a hospital. She was one of the first people in the county to become eligible for vaccines, in December, but avoided getting a shot because she wanted to wait and see how it would affect others. She also tested positive for covid during the winter surge. But Estabillo changed her mind and visited the vaccine clinic with her father and teenage son because they plan to vacation in the Philippines next year and hope vaccination will reduce travel restrictions or quarantines. Estabillo also likes that vaccinated people can forgo masks in most public places, although that perk may slip away as more California counties respond to the delta surge by calling on residents to mask up again indoors. But Jasmine Woodson continued to hold out against the vaccine even though she was hired to provide security and direct traffic for the clinic. Woodson, 24, is studying to become a pharmacy technician and has been tracking vaccine news. She said she was alarmed by the brief pause in the administration of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine over concern about blood clots, and reports of rare heart inflammation linked to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. She also knows that no covid vaccine has been fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration, which puts her on high alert. Woodson, who is Black, is also wary because these mobile vaccine events seem to take place only in low-income Black and Latino neighborhoods a tactic public health officials say is meant to increase uptake in these communities. Every day theres always something new. Youre not meant to live that long, so if you get it, you get it, and if you dont, you dont, Woodson said of covid. Maxine Luna, 69, who came to the nearby red canopy to get a phone, also was not swayed. A longtime smoker whose doctor has been pleading with her to get a covid shot, she fears side effects, mentioning a friend who battled two weeks of headaches, diarrhea and vomiting after getting vaccinated. To mitigate her risk, Luna sticks close to her home, which she shares with her brother, who is vaccinated, and her sister and brother-in-law, who are not. "We're not out and about, we don't go to shows, and we don't go to crowded places," she said. Concern about side effects is the most common reason holdouts cite for not getting a covid vaccine, said Ashley Kirzinger, associate director of public opinion and survey research for KFF. (The KHN newsroom is an editorially independent program of KFF.) This is followed by fear that the vaccine is too new or hasn't been tested enough. Kirzinger said it's important to acknowledge that some people simply can't be persuaded. "They don't see themselves at risk for covid, they think that the vaccine is a greater risk to their health than the virus itself, and theres really no incentive, no stick, no message, no messenger that's going to convince these populations," she said. "It's going to be really hard to reach the goals set by public health officials, with the decreasing enthusiasm around the vaccine that we have seen in the past several weeks. This story was produced by KHN (Kaiser Health News), 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. This story was produced by KHN, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation. James "Jim" C. Thompson, 86, passed away Saturday, July 31, 2021 at Clark Memorial Health. He worked at the Army Ammunition Plant and Jewish Hospital as an orderly/transport. Jim was a member of Eastside Christian Church. He was a native of Shepherdsville, KY. He is survived by his sons, Hen Goldsboro, NC (27530) Today Periods of rain. High 74F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Periods of rain. Low 66F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall near a half an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible. The chief executive of the company that makes Marlboro cigarettes said Sunday the tobacco company foresaw an end to its sales of traditional cigarettes in Britain within 10 years. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot, File) The chief executive of the company that makes Marlboro cigarettes said Sunday the tobacco company foresaw an end to its sales of traditional cigarettes in Britain within 10 years. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot, File) (Newser) President Biden said Monday the US combat mission in Iraq will conclude by the end of the year, an announcement that reflects the reality on the ground more than a major shift in US policy. Even before Biden took office, the main focus had been assisting Iraqi forces, not fighting on their behalf. For years, US troops have played support roles in Iraq and in neighboring Syria, which was the origin of the Islamic State group that swept across the border in 2014 and captured large swaths of Iraqi territory, prompting the US to send troops back to Iraq that year. Biden did not say if he planned to reduce the number of troops in Iraq, now about 2,500, the AP reports. The announcement comes on the heels of Biden's decision to withdraw fully from Afghanistan nearly 20 years after the US launched that war in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Together, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have heavily taxed the American military and kept it from devoting more attention to a rising China, which the Biden administration calls the biggest long-term security challenge. story continues below Speaking to reporters during an Oval Office session with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Biden said his administration remained committed to a partnership with Iraqa relationship that has been increasingly complicated by Iranian-backed Iraqi militia groups. The militias want all US troops out of Iraq immediately and have periodically attacked bases that house American troops. Dan Caldwell, a senior adviser to Concerned Veterans for America, said US troops will remain at risk. "Regardless of whether their deployment is called a combat mission, US troops will remain under regular attack as long as they remain in Iraq, Caldwell said in a statement. Biden said the US military will continue to assist Iraq in its fight against ISIS. A joint US-Iraq statement said the security relationship will be focused on training, advising, and intelligence-sharing. "Our shared fight against ISIS is critical for the stability of the region and our counterterrorism operation will continue, even as we shift to this new phase we're going to be talking about," he said. (Read more Iraq war stories.) (Newser) The availability of coronavirus vaccines for younger children could be delayed, after the Food and Drug Administration asked Pfizer and Moderna to expand its trials. The agency wants to know if a rare inflammation of the heart muscle that has surfaced in young adults would more of a problem in young children, the Washington Post reports. The number of children to be enrolled in the trials was not announced. Moderna said it already had planned to involve about 7,000 children down to 6 months old, per the AP. A Moderna spokesman said authorization for administering the company's vaccine could be given this winter or early in 2022. "The objective is to enroll a larger safety database, which increases the likelihood of detecting rarer events," he said. story continues below Pfizer had planned to test its vaccine in 4,500 children, ages 6 months to 12 years, and report its findings by November. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has determined a "likely" connection between vaccine doses and myocarditis, which has shown up more often in adolescents who've been vaccinated than adults. Teenagers and adults receive identical dosages, but smaller ones might be necessary for children. The FDA has not decided how large it wants the trials to be for children younger than 5. Pfizer's vaccine is approved for recipients as young as 12; Moderna is expecting similar approval from the FDA any time now. (Dr. Anthony Fauci supports developing prototype vaccines.) (Newser) A teenage girl in India is dead over her choice of attire, authorities say. The 17-year-old reportedly returned to her village after staying with her father elsewhere for some length of time, and refused to wear traditional clothing after getting back. Instead, she wore jeans, among other modern articles of clothing, despite her relatives asking her not to do so, India Today reports. Her grandfather and uncle asked her last Monday to dress more traditionally, and when they saw her wearing jeans again on Thursday, they and some of her other uncles brutally beat her with sticks, the BBC reports. story continues below Family members allegedly then panicked and threw her body over a bridge, but it got stuck and was seen hanging there, over the river below, by her mother when she went looking for the girl. Police ultimately retrieved it. The grandfather and a driver accused of helping with the attempted body disposal have been arrested, and police are searching for the other suspects. Similar violence has been reported recently in India; in other cases, girls have been savagely beaten for talking on mobile phones. "It's shocking that in the 21st century, we are killing and assaulting girls for wearing jeans or talking on a mobile phone," a gender activist says. (Read more India stories.) We use cookies. By Clicking "OK" or any content on this site, you agree to allow cookies to be placed. Read more in our privacy policy A health care worker fills a syringe with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File) A health care worker fills a syringe with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File) (Newser) Babysitter Terry McKirchy got a light sentence 36 years ago after pleading no contest to attempted murder for shaking 5-month-old Benjamin Dowling so severely that he suffered permanent brain damageweekends in jail for three months and three years probation. But now McKirchy is facing a possible life sentence after a Florida medical examiner says Dowling succumbed to those injuries when he died in 2019 at the age of 35 after a life with severe mental and physical disabilities, per the AP. A Broward County grand jury recently indicted McKirchy, 59, on charges of first-degree murder. She is now jailed near her home in Sugar Land, Texas, pending her return to Florida. McKirchy, who has previously denied injuring the boy, has waived extradition, the Broward State Attorney's Office said. story continues below In a statement, Benjamin's parents, Rae and Joe Dowling, said their first son "never crawled, fully rolled over, walked, never talked, never fed himself" after his injuries. They did not address McKirchy's arrest and, through the state attorney's office, declined interview requests. McKirchy told the Miami Herald in 1985 she was innocent, but accepted the plea deal to put the case behind her. "I know I didnt do it. My conscience is clear. But I can't deal with it anymore," she said. She was then six months pregnant. Under the deal, she would only serve weekends until her third child was born. The Dowlings told the Herald at the time they were stunned when prosecutor Barbara Mitchell told them of the plea deal. She had been facing 12 to 17 years. (Read about a similar case here.) (Newser) When the chips were down, Frito-Lay decided to meet a key demand of striking workers and guarantee them one day off a week. The company and the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers union reached an agreement over the weekend to end a 20-day strike at a Topeka, Kansas, plant, CBS reports. Workers said they had been forced to work seven days a week, including what they called "suicide shifts" and the company called "squeeze shifts"back-to-back 12-hour shifts with only eight hours off in between. The new two-year contract eliminates those shifts and provides a 4% pay rise, up from the 2% stated in the previous contract offer. The deal will also give the union more of a say in staffing and overtime decisions, reports the Washington Post. story continues below Around 600 of the plant's 850 workers joined the strike. Union leaders said the company, dealing with a surge in demand for products including Cheetos and Ruffles, had forced employees to work 84-hour weeks, though the company called the claims "grossly exaggerated." A warehouse worker at the plant, who declined to give his name for fear of retaliation, tells the New York Times that there is "more disappointment than happiness" with the contract, but workers couldn't afford to hold out for a better deal. "A lot of people had to vote yes because they were running out of money and didnt have insurance," he says. In a tweet about the news, Sarah O'Connor at the Financial Times quipped, "US reaches early-19thC stage of capitalism..." (Read more Frito-Lay stories.) (Newser) A fraud and embezzlement trial involving charges of mismanagement of the Holy See's investments began Tuesday in Vatican City, with a once-powerful cardinal among the 10 defendants saying he remains obedient to Pope Francis, who stripped his privileges to bring him before the tribunal. "He wanted me to be on trial, and I'm coming to the trial. I'm serene. I feel tranquil in my conscience," Cardinal Angelo Becciu, one of two defendants who attended the largely procedural, seven-hour session, told reporters. Becciu, a former longtime Vatican diplomat, is charged with embezzlement, abusing his office, and pressing a monsignor to recant information he gave to prosecutors about a disastrous real estate deal involving properties in London. The 73-year-old prelate, who was elevated to cardinal by Francis in 2018 but later dismissed by the pope from his later post in charge of the church's saint-making office, has denied any wrongdoing, the AP reports. story continues below During the first day of the trial, defense lawyers lamented they hadn't had time to digest about 28,000 pages of documents released by Vatican prosecutors. They noted that much of the evidence from the July 3 indictments hadn't been made available, apparently due to logistical problems. Chief Judge Giuseppe Pignatone agreed, setting the next hearing for Oct. 5. A former Rome chief prosecutor, Pignatone spent years investigating the Mafia and criminal financial activity. The Vatican has a tiny courtroom, but to accommodate all the defendants, lawyers, and journalists for the largest trial in the Holy See's modern history, the trial was moved to a hall that is part of the Vatican Museums. The makeshift courtroom is adorned only with a crucifix, and, just behind where the three-member prosecution team sits, a photo of Francis in his white robes. Because the pope removed his rights as a cardinal, So Becciu wore a plain black clergyman's suit and a large, pectoral cross instead of the usual, prestigious red garb. All the defendants face prison if convicted. (Read more Vatican stories.) Please purchase a subscription read this premium content. If you have a subscription, please sign up for a digital website account or log in. Lydia Jacoby of Seward won gold in Tokyo in the 100-meter breaststroke. She's the first Alaskan to win a gold medal in swimming. Let us know what you're seeing and hearing around the community. Submit here The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at letters@newsminer.com or call 459-7574. 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All letters must contain no more than 350 words and include a full name (no abbreviation), daytime and evening phone numbers and physical address. (If no phone, then provide a mailing address or email address.) The Daily News-Miner reserves the right to edit or reject letters without consulting the writer. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa commended the opening of the World Health Organization (WHO) office which embodies decades-long relations and joint cooperation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the international body. This came as HM the King yesterday received, at Al Sakhir Palace, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus marking his visit to Bahrain to open its new regional office in Manama. His Majesty lauded the organisation for announcing Manama as the first Capital Health City in the East Mediterranean region in recognition of the quality primary healthcare services and initiatives to promote health awareness and combat chronic and communicable diseases. He commended WHO-led efforts to combat the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and support the international drive to fight diseases and epidemics all over the world. HM King Hamad underlined Bahrains strides in combating the pandemic and mitigating its fallout, highlighting the national vaccination campaign and the directives to administer jabs to all citizens and residents free of charge. HM, the King commended the unwavering efforts of Team Bahrain, led by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and all medical and nursing frontliners and other supporting sides, hailing the cooperation of all social segments. Dr Ghebreyesus expressed deepest thanks to HM the King for the warm welcome and good hospitality, stressing the WHO pride in opening its 152nd office in Bahrain. He praised Bahrains pioneering edge in combating the pandemic in compliance with the WHO recommendations. He praised HM the Kings wise leadership, adding that the organisation looks forward to stepping up relations with the Kingdom of Bahrain in order to bolster health, contribute to the safety of the world and serve the needy. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Export Bahrain, a leading initiative of the Kingdoms national SME Development Board, achieved a milestone by facilitating over USD 100 million in export value as of June 2021 through the Kingdoms small and medium-sized enterprises. In the last quarter alone, 21 per cent of Export Bahrains customers entered new markets. Export Bahrain also achieved a 21 percent increase in women exporters, a 24 per cent increase in service exporters and a 7 per cent increase in new products exported in the second quarter of 2021. This underscores the steadfast role played by Export Bahrain in strengthening the Kingdoms national SME export ecosystem and highlights the sustained development of the local export market. This upward trajectory has been achieved within more than two years of Export Bahrains inception, marking consistent and rapid growth despite ongoing global disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Ms Fatima Aziz Rostam, Head of Operations at Export Bahrain added: Reaching this milestone in such a short timeframe reflects the resilience, desires and ambitions of the small and medium-sized enterprises based in Bahrain and the growing export ecosystem within the country to reach global markets. With our diverse and growing list of solutions and services, and our international and regional partnerships, Export Bahrain aims to facilitate and support more SMEs and to ease their export journey. The high level of exports we facilitated in 2021 thus far shows promising potential for the remainder of the year, as we work to exceed our annual target with the continued efforts of our dedicated team. Ms Haifa Aljishi, Managing Director at BFG Advanced Concrete Facades W.L.L said, Although we are already a global company, exporting to many parts of the world, Export Bahrains export credit insurance gave us the confidence to tackle new markets. The solution, which guaranteed at least a 90% reimbursement in the case of default, helped us gain new clients in Italy, France, Canada and Albania. We look forward to continuing this partnership to help further increase our international sales. Mr Khalid Aljowder, the Managing Director of Bahrain Drone Studios said, Exporting to other countries seemed like an intimidating process but with Export Bahrains facilitation services, we felt supported every step of the way. I was able to expand my business into Australia, the US and Italy without having to worry about the technicalities or the connection process to clients, helping me tap into new destinations. Meat Town General Manager, Mr Ahmed Jaffar added: With Export Bahrains support and guidance, we were able to export our products to markets we were unable to access before in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. We have now increased our product range, and this broader product range has allowed us to cater to different tastes and market demands, expanding our customer base. The Founder of Golden Taste Factory, Ms Parwevana Mokhtar said, As a woman-led business, we received support from Export Bahrain to secure new overseas markets for our products in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and Kuwait. We congratulate them on achieving this milestone and look forward to continuing to work together on more collaborations soon. If you are interested in any of Export Bahrains solutions and services, visit export.bh, email info@export.bh, call +973 1738 3999 or visit its head office at the Harbour Gate 5th Floor Bahrain Financial Harbour. Thank you for trusting us for your local news coverage. You have reached the maximum number of free articles per month. Subscribe today for unlimited access to News-Press NOW. It's a fast and easy way to support local journalism. MAPLE GROVE TWP. A plan to convert the former Kaleva Elementary school into a new community center is moving ahead in Maple Grove Township. While the school has sat empty for over a decade, residents have formed a committee to determine how the unused property could be repurposed as a community center. Members of the committee were at an event in Kaleva earlier this month, gathering public input on what amenities should be offered when the new center reopens. Buildings, like houses, need to have occupancy in order to thrive, said committee member Paul Petrovich at the event. So why would anyone want to see an abandoned building there? The recommendations received include things which organizers say are lacking in the area, such as a place to host blood drives, a central location for locals to gather in case of emergency, and expanded options for health, fitness, child care services and adult learning classes. Several individuals and local organizations have also approached the committee in the hopes of using the space when it becomes available, according to Cynthia Asiala, a founding member of the committee. We are hoping that each group that does their thing now will be self-supporting, so it doesn't take the committee's time and effort to set that up, Asiala said. Were deciding what we're going to allow and how the scheduling will go. The Marilla Food Bank, Lakeview Church of the Brethren and Bethany Lutheran Church are among those entities interested in utilizing space at the community center as a possible place to host their regular food pantries. Local artist, and committee member Tricia Boucha has expressed interest in hosting art classes and gallery showings at the center, and individuals have offered to donate some equipment for an exercise room, Asiala said. Members of the public are encouraged to participate in the groups meetings to share their thoughts on the project. The next meeting will take place starting 4 p.m. Aug. 19 at Maple Grove Township Hall. Other meetings at the same time and location are scheduled for Sept. 16, Oct. 21, Nov. 18 and Dec. 16. Kaleva Elementary was closed along with several other local schools in a region-wide consolidation in 2009. The district made the decision to close the buildings due to shrinking enrollment and lack of funds, according to previous coverage in the News Advocate. Because Kaleva Norman Dickson Schools owe a bond on the property, committee members said it was necessary to purchase the building at fair market value. Cost of the building is around $100,000. "I know of nobody that has said anything negative against it, both here in the community, or in my circles out in the county and in this part of the state," Maple Grove Township supervisor Wayne Beldo had said. LI think that is, number one, a great value and number two, a good opportunity. ... to do some great things for the community." Beldo also heads the Maple Grove Township Community Center committee. An anonymous donor has agreed to buy the building directly from the school to help finalize the deal now, rather than after the money is raised. In addition, the donor has agreed to match dollar for dollar any contributions made to pay off the loan. The school was constructed in the 1950s and was later added onto in the 1990s and early 2000s. It is estimated that the community would finish paying off bonds used for expansion in roughly a decade. If (the donor) hadn't stepped forward, the undertaking that wed have as volunteers is just too huge, Asiala said in a prior interview. But because (the township) will own it, they will be responsible for it. Then the committee can work on how the community can use it. An appraisal was completed and an agreement was made between the township and KND to purchase the building, according to a press release. The deal has not yet been finalized. In the meantime, the group is looking for other donors to help pay off the loan. A note informing residents of the community center project was mailed along with property tax bills prompting $900 in donations, according to a post on the groups Facebook page. Between April and May, the group also reported receiving an additional $5,100. We actually got some donations from people that have property here, but live away and I just know that theres great enthusiasm for whats going to happen, Asiala said. People may need to wait a little while longer while the property transfer is finalized, according to Asiala however. The News Advocate first reported in May that committee members were aiming for an open house to be held at the school by July. Asiala said that would have to wait until the loan goes through and a purchasing agreement is passed. Related: Committee proposes transforming vacant school into community center With a mix of frustration, relief and uncertainty, Danbury-area educators and families accepted updated federal guidance recommending students and staff wear masks in schools. New Fairfield Superintendent Pat Cosentino said she would be 100 percent in support of Tuesdays revised recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It has been my plan all along to start the school year with everyone wearing masks in the buildings, only because kids under 12 are not vaccinated and only about 50 percent of students over 12 (statewide) are vaccinated, she said. I think until we get a good handle on the delta variant, as well as whos vaccinated and whos not vaccinated, that we wear masks. Tuesdays announcement from the CDC is a change from about two weeks ago when the agency recommended only unvaccinated students and staff wear masks, in most cases. The governor said Tuesday that Connecticut likely would follow the CDCs guidance. Other local superintendents, including in Brookfield and Danbury, said they will take direction from the state. Given the evolving nature of this process, we plan to wait for official guidance from the Department of Education and Department of Health before we make any decisions, Danbury interim Superintendent Kevin Walston said in an email. Bethel Superintendent Christine Carver plans to rely on health experts when deciding mask rules. Im not an epidemiologist, said Carver, who had said she would allow families to chose whether to send students in masks if the state didnt require it. I know (the CDC guidance) is going to obviously make some parents upset, but Im not a public health expert, so thats the bottom line. Brookfield mother Sarah Amaral said she was disappointed by the CDCs update. Amaral said she would be more sympathetic to masks in schools if the virus posed a greater health risk to children or if fewer people in the community were vaccinated. In Brookfield, 63.24 percent of residents are fully vaccinated, according to state data. Were seeing way too many negatives associated with masking and COVID restrictions, said Amaral, who is part of a group of Brookfield parents who have rallied against masks in schools. A lot of parents are just done, as well as the children. But Christine Rose, a mother of two at John Read Middle School in Redding, said she thinks the guidance is a great idea. They [children] can bring it [coronavirus] into homes where people who can't get vaccinated are, and to have those kids bring it into the homes is just not worth the risk, she said. Her daughter who has health issues would not be able to get the vaccine, but her children don't mind wearing masks. Rose said they like masks because they get to play with the designs and mix and match them with their outfits. Thomas McMorran, interim superintendent of the Easton, Redding and Region 9 school boards, said the CDC is making the strongest recommendations it can to protect children and those that work with them. "It's so important that we get kids physically back into the buildings because they need to be with each other and their teachers, he said. We've figured out distancing, sanitation, air circulation and improved the probability of keeping them safe then we need to start with the masking also and be guided by experts. Cosentino said she considers mask-wearing is an effective mitigation strategy. We found that out last year thats how we remained open, she said. Parents concerns Michelle Howatt in Ridgefield said she will pull her twin daughters from public school again this year to homeschool them if the state requires masking. She will also homeschool her son, who is in preschool. But this wasnt her original plan. I was excited about being able to send them to public school this year, Howatt said. That does not look like its going to happen. Howatt and her husband moved to Ridgefield because of their strong public schools, but this past year, they homeschooled their daughters in a cohort with several other area families instead of sending them to public schools where masking and social distancing were enforced. The group called their learning pod the Shadow Hill School and hired a local teacher to help. Howatt said forcing a child to wear a mask was child abuse, and she wants an educational environment that allows for more normalcy. While homeschooling is a lot of work, Howatt said she is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure her children get the best childhood and school experience possible. I cannot picture sending my first-graders and my son, who is a preschooler, to school in a mask, she said. Students are suffering from wearing masks, Amaral said. The younger children are not able to see each others faces, she said. Theyre missing out on those social cues. Theyre not able to read expressions. Theyre not able to see their teacher for that language development. Amaral said her children, 12 and 15, have said they dont want to return to school in a mask, so the family is considering other options, such as private or Catholic school. But her oldest son doesnt relish going to a new high school, and she wondered if private schools would change their minds about forgoing masks due to the CDCs recommendation. But McMorran said mask-wearing helps the overall community. I think we need to think not only of our individual situation but that of others in the school building and we should all respect privacy rights of those in our lives, he said. If people have conditions and we can make them safer by wearing masks, then we should wear masks. It's e pluribus unum, he added. That means out of many, one in Latin. Masks arent Amarals only concern about the fall. She said shes worried about how other mitigation strategies, such as quarantining and social distancing, will affect students learning. Its not just my kids dont want to wear a mask, she said. They want a normal school year where theyre able to just learn and not have to worry about all these other considerations and possibly having to be sent home to quarantine. Or numbers getting high in town and school closing down. Staff writers Currie Engel, Shayla Colon and Kendra Baker contributed to this report. Smoke from massive wildfires burning in the western United States and Canada have once again triggered air quality alerts across large swaths of Connecticut. The state issued an air quality action day for all of Litchfield, Hartford, Tolland and Windham counties, along with the northern part of Middlesex county. State agencies throughout much of New England have also issued similar warnings. Connecticuts warning lasts through 11 p.m. Monday evening, and means fine particles from the wildfire smoke may approach or exceed unhealthy standards, according to the bulletin. In Litchfield County, authorities said they have received complaints of haze and an odor of smoke from residents. State police out of Troop B in North Canaan said they had received several reports of smoke and odors of smoke throughout Litchfield County. They said those reports are related to smoke produced out west. Police said anyone who believes they smell smoke from an emergency here in Connecticut should call 911. Last week, smoke from the fires put the entire state under an air quality alert, and the state issued an advisory recommending people avoid the outdoors, particularly in the western part of the state where the air quality was worse. The smoke was cleared away by the latter part of the week and into the weekend by a cold front moving down from Canada. However, the smoke was forecast to return this week if the fires continued out west. The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the agency in charge of issuing air quality alerts, is forecasting good to moderate air quality Monday and Tuesday. Several cities are forecast to have slightly elevated levels of fine particles - a category that includes smoke - on Tuesday, with the highest levels forecast for Bridgeport, Cornwall, East Hartford, New Haven and Waterbury. Particulate in the haze can aggravate the respiratory system, and can be especially difficult for older people, those with heart and lung conditions and children, according to DEEP. In Oregon, the bootleg fire has consumed a staggering swath of land nearly 409,000 acres as of Sunday, CNN reported - making it the nations largest wildfire. The fire has been exacerbated by continued dry weather and an abundance of dry fuel feeding the massive blaze. The weather system created by the fire also led to a tornado on its eastern perimeter, officials confirmed over the weekend. In British Columbia, more than 250 wildfires are burning, driven by dry weather and above-average temperatures, CBC reported. With the smoke impacting the Torrington area, the city fire department said the city has suspended any open burning until further notice, in light of the poor air quality. The agency said in a Facebook post Monday they have received reports of strange burning odors and visible haze, which are directly tied to the wildfires out west. We have responded to numerous calls investigating these conditions this afternoon. We anticipate these conditions to continue for the next day or so, the post said. RUSTIC, Colo. (AP) Authorities have recovered the body of a third person who died during flooding and mudslides in an area of northern Colorado that was burned by a massive wildfire. One person is still missing. The Larimer County Sheriff's Office was notified Monday that a man's body was found in the Poudre River, a day after another man was found dead in the waterway. On Tuesday, a woman's body was found near the small community of Rustic, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) northwest of Denver, shortly after a mudslide sent a wave of debris into scenic, winding Poudre Canyon. St. Louis became one of the first cities in America to reinstitute a mask mandate on Monday, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise throughout Missouri. Per a CNN report, Missouri is one of three states (the others being Texas and Florida) that constituted 40% of of all cases nationwide. The Metro East and much of western Illinois, which borders Missouri, are also seeing an uptick in coronavirus cases recently, as vaccinations in counties nearest Missouri continue to be at 50% or below (Madison County is currently at 43.42% fully vaccinated as of Sunday; Morgan County is at 41.36% fully vaccinated). That could pose a threat to the Metro East and other areas near the border. "It's of concern because of our proximity," Amy Yeager, public information officer for the Madison County Health Department, said. "Due to the proximity here and the whole region to St. Louis and so many who live and work on both sides of the river, there is additional concern with that. Any time you're on the border like that, things will move back and forth. A virus doesn't know a border and so many people go back and forth." This comes on the heels of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert and chief medical advisor to President Joe Biden, saying the nation is heading "the wrong direction" on coronavirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is currently weighing whether or not to institute a mask mandate, even for those who are already vaccinated due to the threat of the delta variant of COVID-19. While Illinois is not currently weighing their options, they are still tracking any concerning trends related to the virus. "At this time, the state of Illinois has not reinstituted a mask mandate but has said all unvaccinated individuals should be masking indoors in public," wrote Melaney Arnold, state public information officer for the Illinois Department of Public Health, in an email. "We continue to monitor the availability of hospital resources and beds very closely. The key right now is vaccination. There are pockets of the Metro East with lower vaccination rates that we need to increase. The overwhelming number of new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are among those who are not vaccinated. The vaccines have been proven to be effective against COVID-19 and its variants. IDPH will continue to monitor COVID-19 increases and vaccination rates very closely." The Metro East continues to trail the state's vaccination numbers, as statewide, more than 73% of Illinois adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 58% are fully vaccinated, per the IDPH. Missouri ranks fourth nationally in the most new cases per capita over the last week. Missouri has been tracking up in cases since the beginning of July and is rapidly approaching the peak set during late autumn of 2020. According to that same data, Illinois is tied with Indiana, New Mexico and Puerto Rico at 27th among U.S. states and territories. For those who are vaccinated this may feel like punishment, punishment for doing the right thing, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, a Democrat, said at a news conference Monday. Ive heard that and I feel that frustration. While the vaccination can protect against serious illness, it cant protect you from being infected with COVID-19 and passing it onto someone else, someone who may be more vulnerable. JERUSALEM (AP) Human Rights Watch on Tuesday accused the Israeli military of carrying out attacks that apparently amount to war crimes during an 11-day war in May against the Hamas militant group. The international human rights organization issued its conclusions after investigating three Israeli airstrikes that it said killed 62 Palestinian civilians. It said there were no evident military targets in the vicinity of the attacks. The report also accused Palestinian militants of apparent war crimes by launching over 4,000 unguided rockets and mortars at Israeli population centers. Such attacks, it said, violate the prohibition against deliberate or indiscriminate attacks against civilians. The report, however, focused on Israeli actions during the fighting, and the group said it would issue a separate report on the actions of Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups in August. Israeli forces carried out attacks in Gaza in May that devastated entire families without any apparent military target nearby, said Gerry Simpson, associate crisis and conflict director at HRW. He said Israels consistent unwillingness to seriously investigate alleged war crimes, coupled with Palestinian rocket fire at Israeli civilian areas, underscored the importance of an ongoing investigation into both sides by the International Criminal Court, or ICC. In a statement, the Israeli army said its attacks were aimed at military targets and that it took numerous precautions to avoid harming civilians. It said Hamas is responsible for civilian casualties because it launches attacks from residential areas. While the terror organizations in the Gaza Strip deliberately embed their military assets in densely populated civilian areas, the IDF takes every feasible measure to minimize, as much as possible, the harm to civilians and civilian property, it said. The war erupted on May 10 after Hamas fired a barrage of rockets toward Jerusalem in support of Palestinian protests against Israels heavy-handed policing of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, built on a contested site sacred to Jews and Muslims, and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers in a nearby neighborhood. Israel has said it struck over 1,000 targets during the fighting. In all, some 254 people were killed in Gaza, including at least 67 children and 39 women, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Hamas has acknowledged the deaths of 80 militants, while Israel has claimed the number is much higher. Twelve civilians, including two children, were killed in Israel, along with one soldier. The HRW report looked into Israeli airstrikes. The most serious, on May 16, involved a series of strikes on Al-Wahda Street, a central thoroughfare in downtown Gaza City. The airstrikes destroyed three apartment buildings and killed a total of 44 civilians, HRW said, including 18 children and 14 women. Twenty-two of the dead were members of a single family, the al-Kawlaks. The Israeli military said the attacks were aimed at tunnels used by Hamas militants in the area. The airstrikes unexpectedly caused nearby buildings to colapse, leading to unintended casualties, it said. In its investigation, HRW concluded that Israel had used U.S.-made GBU-31 precision-guided bombs, and that it did not warn residents to evacuate the area ahead of time. It also found no evidence of military targets in the area. An attack that is not directed at a specific military objective is unlawful, it wrote. The investigation also looked at a May 10 explosion that killed eight people, including six children, near the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun. It said the two adults were civilians. In its statement, the Israeli military said the casualties were caused by errant rocket fire launched by militant groups, not Israeli airstrikes. It released aerial photos of what it said was the launch site, some 7.5 kilometers (4.5 miles) away, and the landing area. It also said it did not carry out any strikes in the area at the time of the explosion. But based on an analysis of munition remnants and witness accounts, HRW said evidence indicated the weapon had been a type of guided missile used by Israel. Human Rights Watch found no evidence of a military target at or near the site of the strike, it said. The New York-based group said that Israel refused to allow its investigators to enter Gaza. Instead, it said it relied on a field researcher based in Gaza, along with satellite images, expert reviews of photos of munitions fragments and interviews conducted by video and telephone. The third attack HRW investigated occurred on May 15, in which an Israeli airstrike destroyed a three-story building in Gazas Shati refugee camp. The strike killed 10 people, including two women and eight children. Israel said the target was a group of senior Hamas officials hiding in an apartment, and that the civilian deaths were unintended and under review. But Human Rights Watch said it found no evidence of a military target at or near the site and called for an investigation into whether there was a legitimate military objective and all feasible precautions were taken to avoid civilian casualties. HRW investigators concluded the building was hit by a U.S.-made guided missile. The May conflict was the fourth war between Israel and Hamas since the Islamic militant group, which opposes Israels existence, seized control of Gaza in 2007. Human Rights Watch, other rights groups and U.N. officials have accused both sides of committing war crimes in all of the conflicts. Early this year, HRW accused Israel of being guilty of international crimes of apartheid because of discriminatory polices toward Palestinians, both inside Israel as well as in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israel rejected the accusations. In Tuesdays report, HRW called on the United States to condition security assistance to Israel on it taking concrete and verifiable actions to comply with international human rights law and to investigate past abuses. It also called on the ICC to include the recent Gaza war in its ongoing investigation into possible war crimes by Israel and Palestinian militants. Israel does not recognize the court's jurisdiction and says it is capable of investigating any possible wrongdoing by its army and that the ICC probe is unfair and politically motivated. In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Bassem Naim called for Israeli leaders to be brought before international tribunals. He also claimed that the Hamas rocket fire was a legitimate right to resist the occupation. ISLAMABAD (AP) Dozens of Afghan soldiers slipped across the border into northwestern Pakistan, the Pakistani army said Monday. The Afghan troops were fleeing after their border post was overrun, apparently by the Taliban. The statement said 46 members of the Afghan forces, including five officers, crossed the border late Sunday near the Pakistani border town of Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Afghan soldiers "have been provided food, shelter and necessary medical care as per established military norms," the Pakistani army said, adding that it had informed Afghan authorities of the development. The Afghan government denied Monday its troops crossed into Pakistan. This issue is not true. No Afghan military personnel have taken refuge in Pakistan, the sensitivity that all Afghans have against Pakistan and especially our military, is clear to all, said Gen. Ajmal Omer Shinwari, spokesman for the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. He made the statement at a press conference in the Afghan capital Kabul. But early on Tuesday, Pakistan's military distributed a video of Afghan soldiers in uniform being greeted by Pakistani troops. An accompanying statement read: The said soldiers have now been amicably returned to Afghan authorities on their request along with their weapons and equipment. Pakistan will continue to extend all kinds of support to our Afghan brethren in time of need. Neither Pakistan nor Afghanistan provided information about fighting on the Afghan side of the border. Pakistan's military dismissed the Afghan denial. The Taliban have swiftly captured territory in recent weeks in Afghanistan, and seized strategic border crossings with several neighboring countries. They are also threatening a number of provincial capitals advances that come as the last U.S. and NATO soldiers complete their final withdrawal from Afghanistan. The insurgents are said to now control about half of Afghanistans 419 district centers. The rapid fall of districts and the seemingly disheartened response by Afghan government forces have prompted U.S.-allied warlords to resurrect militias with a violent history. For many Afghans weary of more than four decades of wars and conflict, fears are rising of another brutal civil war as American and NATO troops leave the country. Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan long fraught with suspicion and deep mistrust deteriorated further when the Taliban overran the Afghan border town of Spin Boldak earlier this month. Taliban fighters at the time were seen receiving medical treatment in a Pakistani hospital in the town of Chaman, across the border from Spin Boldak. Afghan officials have accused Islamabad of providing sanctuary to the Taliban as Afghan forces battle to retake Spin Boldak. The U.S. last week carried out airstrikes in support of Afghan troops in the southern city of Kandahar, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of Spin Boldak. Also this month, Kabul recalled its ambassador and other diplomats from Islamabad after the 26-year-old daughter of Afghanistan's ambassador was brutally attacked in the Pakistani capital. Pakistan still hosts about 2 million Afghans as refugees from decades of war in their homeland. The Taliban surge gained speed after President Joe Biden announced in mid-April that the last American and NATO troops would soon leave Afghanistan. The 2,500-3,500 American soldiers and 7,000 NATO allies have mostly left the country at this point, with the few remaining soldiers to be gone by Aug. 31. Pakistan has dismissed allegations of aiding the Taliban, and points out that it succeeded in pressuring the insurgents into peace talks last year. For its part, Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring the Pakistani Taliban, a militant group separate from the Afghan Taliban that has stepped up attacks on the Pakistani military. OTTAWA, ON, July 26, 2021 /CNW/ - Everyone has the right to live free from violence. However, many people in Canada continue to experience violence every day because of their gender, gender expression, gender identity or perceived gender. This issue has only been magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic in communities across the country. That's why the Government of Canada is collaborating with organizations that provide continued support and empower women and families, Indigenous peoples, and underrepresented people, ensuring that everyone can feel safe and live a life free of violence. Today Jenica Atwin, Member of Parliament for Fredericton, on behalf of the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development, announced $200,000 to support the New Brunswick Aboriginal Peoples Council and $30,000 to support the NB Champions for Child Rights Inc. Both are dedicated and impactful organizations that work tirelessly to end gender-based violence in Canada. This funding will help both organizations increase access to supports for underserved populations in the region. The New Brunswick Aboriginal Peoples Council is working towards establishing a crisis Helpline (1-833-MMI-FIND) across Eastern provinces for Indigenous people facing the compounded impacts of both the COVID-19 pandemic, and the tragedy of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. NB Champions for Child Rights Inc. will develop an implementation plan to increase access to culturally sensitive and gender inclusive programs and create supports for underserved populations in the province as they continue the healing journey from the effects of gender-based violence. Much work remains to be done to address gender-based violence in our country. The Government of Canada continues to work together with provinces, territories, Indigenous partners, service providers, victims, survivors and experts to ensure anyone facing gender-based violence has reliable and timely access to protection and services, no matter who they are or where they live. Quote "Ensuring women, children, Indigenous peoples and underrepresented populations feel safer in their own communities is a top priority for the Government of Canada. These two important projects will ensure that there is consistent and reliable access to the critical supports and services needed to ensure victims and survivors of gender-based violence can continue their healing journey here in New Brunswick. Since 2015, the Government of Canada has directly supported 400 projects just like these across the country. I am extremely grateful to these dedicated organizations for their tireless work towards creating a safer Canada as we are rebuilding strong communities." Jenica Atwin Member of Parliament for Fredericton Quick facts Since November 2015 , Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) has supported a total of over 400 projects working to address and prevent gender-based violence (GBV) with over $149 million in funding. , Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) has supported a total of over 400 projects working to address and prevent gender-based violence (GBV) with over in funding. In June 2020 , Canada was recognized by CARE as having the most gender-responsive plan to address COVID-19. , was recognized by CARE as having the most gender-responsive plan to address COVID-19. To ensure that anyone facing gender-based violence has reliable and timely access to protection and services, no matter where they live, Budget 2021 committed $601.3 million over five years to advance towards a new National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. This includes increased funding for initiatives to end human trafficking. over five years to advance towards a new National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. This includes increased funding for initiatives to end human trafficking. Since November 2015 , Women and Gender Equality Canada has provided total funding of over $95 million to more than 200 organizations working to achieve equity for Indigenous women and girls, commemorate the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+, as well as encourage Indigenous women's innovations, entrepreneurial spirit and leadership. Of this, over $13 million has supported 110 projects through the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Commemoration Fund. , Women and Gender Equality Canada has provided total funding of over to more than 200 organizations working to achieve equity for Indigenous women and girls, commemorate the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+, as well as encourage Indigenous women's innovations, entrepreneurial spirit and leadership. Of this, over has supported 110 projects through the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Commemoration Fund. On June 3, 2021 , the Core Working Group of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People, released the 2021 National Action Plan: Ending Violence Against Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People in response to the issues raised in the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Associated Links Follow Women and Gender Equality Canada: SOURCE Women and Gender Equality Canada For further information: Marie-Pier Baril, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development, 613-295-8123; Media Relations, Women and Gender Equality Canada, 1-855-969-9922 Related Links http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/ "It is an honour and a privilege to participate in the Emancipation Festival each year where people come together, engage in conversation, share stories and renew friendships it's pretty special," said Ian Boddy, Mayor of Owen Sound. "Emancipation Day is essential for the country and certainly important for us here in Owen Sound." This informative and entertaining video showcases speakers and performers who share compelling stories and compositions of freedom, legacy and inclusion. Featured are the Honourable Wanda Thomas Bernard, Senator Nova Scotia (East Preston), Owen Sound's Mayor Ian Boddy, Members of Parliament Alex Ruff (Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound), Majid Jowhari (Richmond Hill) and Matthew Green (Hamilton Centre), Dr. Afua Cooper, Ontario's Poet Laureate Randell Adjei, and many others. Musicians Bobby Dean Blackburn, Brooke Blackburn, Harrison Kennedy, Michael Dunston, Eugene Smith, Josh Ritchie and other artists are also showcased. "We strive to uphold the integrity of our organization and preserve a 159-year legacy to honour Black ancestors and their stories of adversity and determination," said Jeff Smith, Chair, Emancipation Festival. "We stand together with Indigenous people and other ethnicities to fight for social equality, justice and freedom. The support from our volunteers and the community including Bruce Power Generation has been wonderful, and we look forward to celebrating the 160th anniversary in 2022." The Emancipation Festival, originally called the Emancipation Day Picnic, commemorates the British Commonwealth Emancipation Act of August 1, 1834. Since 1862, descendants of those who escaped slavery and found freedom and peace in Canada, gather in Owen Sound`s beautiful Harrison Park and other places such as the Grey Roots Museum and Archives over the Civic holiday weekend. This is a time for fellowship and reflection with family and community, to share memories, and keep the picnic and other traditions alive for future generations. More information about the Emancipation Festival not-for-profit organization is on the website. SOURCE Emancipation Festival For further information: Jeff Smith, [email protected], [email protected] Highly tensed situation has prevailed at the Assam-Mizoram border along the Cachar-Kolasib districts, with security personnel of both states deployed at the border over a month now. Though it was not clear which side fired first on Monday but each side blamed the other. At least five Assam Police personnel were killed in violent clashes between Assam and Mizoram on Monday at a contested border point where tensions had been escalating due to the age-old boundary dispute. Including Nimbalkar Vaibhav Chandrakant, SP of Assams Cachar district who sustained a bullet injury in the leg, fifty other policemen were injured too. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma confirmed the demise of state police personnel in a Twitter post, said: I am deeply pained to inform that six brave jawans of @assampolice have sacrificed their lives while defending constitutional boundary of our state at the Assam-Mizoram border. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. It was only later when a statement from the Assam government later that five personnel had died SI Swapan Roy and constables Liton Suklabaidya, MH Barbhuyia, N Hussain and S Barbhuiya. Sarma alleged Assam Police personnel for using Light Machine Guns (LMG). He said This is sad, unfortunate and speaks volumes about the intention and gravity of the situation. Mizoram CM Zoramthanga informed about no tension in the area for more than a year after the Centre had intervened. Yesterday, after the North-East Chief Ministers meeting in Shillong, I had passed the area and everything was normal. This morning, the IGP of Assam and about 200 Assam policemen came to the Mizoram side. Because it was only a stones throw away from our sub-divisional headquarters, it created a tense situation. Firing started on both sides and there were casualties, he said. Recently, Sarma and Zoramthanga had sparred publicly on Twitter, accusing each others state of inciting trouble. This tweet war compelled Home Minister Amit Shah to step in. Two days before the firing incident Shah met the Chief Ministers of the North-East states for a closed-door discussion on inter-state boundary issues plaguing the region. Therein, he urged the two CMs to immediately bring an end to the violence to which both assured resolve dispute through discussions, sources reported. For the last month, a tensed situation has prevailed at the Assam-Mizoram border along the Cachar-Kolasib districts, with security personnel of both states deployed at the border. Though it was not clear which side fired first on Monday but each side blamed the other. According to Assam Police officers, miscreants from the Mizo side started pelting stones at government officials at Lailapur town on the Cachar border. The Karnataka legislative party meeting will take place today evening to elect a new leader to replace BS Yediyurappa as the state's chief minister. BJP central observers are also going to be present in the meeting. A day after BS Yediyurappa resigned as the Karnataka chief minister, now all eyes are on Tuesdays BJP legislature party meet in Bengaluru, where the name of the new CM is likely to be announced. The BJP high command has also sent Dharmendra Pradhan and G Kishan Reddy, along with BJP national general secretary in charge of Karnataka Arun Singh, to Bengaluru ensuring the smooth election of the new candidate at the legislature party meeting. Meanwhile, sources tell NewsX that Basavaraj Bommai is likely to be the next Chief Minister of Karnataka. The leader also spoke exclusively to NewsX reacting to speculation around his appointment as the Karnataka CM. The observers are expected to reach Bengaluru Today itself after the parliamentary board picks on the new CM. A meeting of the legislature party will be convened by the party chief whip as per the directions of the BJP leadership. Based on the legislature party decision, the Governor can invite the BJP legislature party leader to come forward and take oath as the new CM or the newly elected leader will communicate to the Governor his election as leader of the BJP in the state legislature and seek to take oath at a chosen date. The schedule of the BJP picking a candidate to be the new CM and the candidate taking oath as CM is expected to be completed by Thursday. During her visit to Delhi amid the Monsoon session of Parliament, Mamata Banerjee is likely to meet leaders of other opposition parties, sparking talks of a possible Grand Alliance ahead of the 2024 general election. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived in Delhi on Monday evening on her first visit to the national capital since assuming office after the TMCs victory in West Bengal elections for a third term in a row. She met Prime Minister Narendra Modi today evening at his residence in Delhi. According to a schedule of her five-day visit provided by her Trinamool Congress, Banerjee was slated to meet Modi at 4 pm. Following their meeting, Mamata told reporters that there should be a Supreme Court-monitored inquiry into the Pegasus scandal involving opposition leaders, two union ministers and 40 journalists revealed as potential targets of surveillance using Israeli Pegasus spyware that is sold only to governments. She further informed she discussed the Covid situation, the supply of vaccines and medicine to the state and also a proposal to rename Bengal as Bangla in the meeting. I should not speak what the PM said, she told reporters when pressed for details. She is also likely to meet President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday, sources said. She is also scheduled to meet Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and other party leaders, including Kamal Nath, Anand Sharma and Abhishek Manu Singhvi. During her visit to Delhi amid the Monsoon session of Parliament, she is likely to meet leaders of other opposition parties as well. This move has led to talks about Opposition unity ahead of the 2024 general election. Banerjee left Kolkata for Delhi after attending a special state cabinet meeting. She did not talk to newspersons at the N S C Bose International Airport in Kolkata. On her Delhi visit, the BJPs West Bengal unit alleged that Banerjee wants to be away from the state for a few days as she is facing criticism over the fake Covid vaccination scandal, post-poll violence and other issues. Her efforts to unite opposition parties will not succeed, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh claimed. Maybe you currently manage a disability, such as low vision or chronic pain, and needing daily assistance can make you feel like a burden. Or perhaps you broke your arm and now struggle to use your phone or computer in the same way as before. Luckily, the iPhone was built with accessibility in mind, so you dont have to slow down despite your limitations. In fact, this little device might provide more freedom and independence than youve ever imagined before! Here are some game-changing features that can make the iPhone your personal assistant in life. Accessing accessibility Do you struggle to set up accessibility features because chronic pain prevents you from tapping the screen? Or are these tools new to you, and you wish you had the experience to start implementing them? The good news is that Apple has a variety of pathways to try. Under the Settings app on the home screen, theres a tab labeled Accessibility. From there, you can customize your iPhone. If you have low vision or otherwise struggle to enable these features yourself, Apple has a 24/7 disability line available, or you can give them a call. As long as you can give the Apple representative the code needed to screen share your device, he or she can guide you through the process. Alternatively, you could head to your local Apple store, where a staff member can assist you in person. Regardless of your disability, there are plenty of ways to get your iPhones accessibility features up and running. Related: Employing Individuals with Disabilities May Solve Your Talent Crisis Relying on your hearing only Transitioning to the iPhone can be frightening if you rely on prominent buttons you can feel under your fingers. Voice features may also be anxiety-inducing since they can seem too complex to be of use. However, digital assistants have come a long way over the years. While you may be familiar with Siri, you might not realize how much she can do when your vision is impaired. Siri works with tons of applications from the App Store, including visually impaired ones like Money Reader. Maybe youre tired of constantly asking people, Hey, is this a dollar? With Money Reader, Siri can identify all your bills. Siri also works with apps that take photos, blow-up images and send emails. There are apps available for every type of disability, many of which are compatible with Siri. Check out the App Store to find which ones keep you the most efficient. Customizing based on your disability If its difficult to use your fingers or arms, the cluttered buttons and links on your smartphone are probably too tiny and sensitive for you. You may be thrilled to learn that your iPhones controls can be fully customized to your physical and motor capabilities. Lets say youre trying to activate the number three on your keypad using the AssistiveTouch feature. If you have shaky hands, perhaps you would prefer to use the single-touch option. That way, the moment you lift your finger off the number three, it selects three. Alternatively, if you have big fingers that cause you to press the two and the three simultaneously, you can tell AssistiveTouch to respond only to a double tap instead. Maybe you dont have any mobility in your hands, but you have good mobility in your head and neck. The iPhone offers another great feature called SwitchContol, which can create switches based on your left and right head movements. With these iPhone controls, you can confidently make full use of the iPhone, even contacting friends and coworkers without much hassle. Related: What a Foldable iPhone Could Look Like Finding your focus While searching the web, do you have trouble focusing on the task at hand? Are busy web pages too distracting when paired with your cognitive disorder? Luckily, the iPhone has options that can center your attention. If listening is easier than reading, Speak Selection will read highlighted text out loud. You could also use Speak Screen, which will read an entire news article with just a swipe. Perhaps you love reading, but blinking pop-up ads are over-stimulating and exhausting. In this case, try Safari Reader, which displays text without all that extra noise. Now, you can peacefully read articles and text to your hearts content. Seeing is believing If youre deaf or hard of hearing, you may dread purchasing specialized devices for simple phone calls. Thankfully, Real Time Text (RTT) is available for the iPhone and can make your life a whole lot easier. Do you want to call a friend and get a message across quickly? With RTT, your friend can see a live transcript of every word you type to them. After the call, you can go into your call history to find full transcripts of your conversations. On the topic of messages, do you sometimes miss messages on your device because you cant hear the notification? With visual alerts, your lock screen will flash brightly to notify you of new messages. Life with a disability comes with many daily challenges. You may feel scared of transitioning to new technology, like the iPhone, or frustrated by your loss of independence. However, the iPhone can be your greatest ally in maintaining your autonomy. Consider checking out those features on your own or give Apple a call. You may be surprised at all the ways you can personalize your smart device without missing a beat. Related: How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad | PCMag Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved GAUHATI, India (AP) The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has fully vaccinated 90% of its eligible adult population within just seven days, its health ministry said Tuesday. The tiny country, wedged between India and China and home to nearly 800,000 people, began giving out second doses on July 20 in a mass drive that has been hailed by UNICEF as arguably the fastest vaccination campaign to be executed during a pandemic. In April, Bhutan grabbed headlines when its government said it had inoculated around the same percentage of eligible adults with the first dose in under two weeks after India donated 550,000 shots of AstraZeneca vaccine. But the country faced a shortage for months after India, a major supplier of the AstraZeneca shot, halted exports as it scrambled to meet a rising demand at home as infections surged. Bhutan was able to restart its drive last week after half a million doses of Moderna vaccine arrived from the United States as a donation under the U.N.-backed COVAX program, an initiative devised to give countries access to coronavirus vaccines regardless of their wealth. Some 5,000 shots of Pfizer were also facilitated through COVAX, which is co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation. It also received more than 400,000 AstraZeneca shots from Denmark, Croatia and Bulgaria in the last two weeks. Our aim is to achieve herd immunity among our population in the shortest possible time to avert a major public health crisis, Dechen Wangmo, Bhutans health minister, told The Associated Press. Many Western countries with far more resources are yet to vaccinate such a high rate of eligible adults. Health experts say Bhutan's small population helped, but the country also benefited from strong and effective messaging from top officials and an established cold chain storage system. More than 3,000 health workers participated and 1,200 vaccination centers across the country helped ensure that shots reached every eligible adult. In some cases, health workers trekked for days through landslides and pouring rain to reach extremely remote villages atop steep mountains to administer doses to those unable to get to a center, said Dr. Sonam Wangchuk, a member of Bhutans vaccination task force. Vaccination is the pillar of Bhutans healthcare initiative, he said. Bhutans government is also led by medical practitioners. The prime minister, the foreign minister and the health minister are all medical professionals. And frequent messaging from the government, which directly answers questions from the public about the coronavirus and vaccinations on Facebook, also helped combat vaccine hesitancy among citizens. In fact, people are quite eager to come and get themselves vaccinated, Dr. Wangchuk said. Its prime minister, Lotay Tshering, and monarch, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, were also early advocates of the vaccine, which allayed fears surrounding the rollout. The king also toured the country to raise awareness about the vaccination drive. Bhutan is the last remaining Buddhist kingdom in the Himalayas, but it has transitioned from an absolute monarchy to a democratic, constitutional monarchy. Another crucial ingredient in the vaccine drive is the countrys extensive network of citizen volunteers called desuups, said Will Parks, the UNICEF representative for Bhutan. Some 22,000 citizens volunteered over the last year and a half to raise awareness, dispel misinformation, help conduct mass screening and testing and even carry vaccines across the country's difficult terrain, he said. Bhutan's success is an anomaly in South Asia where countries such as India and Bangladesh are struggling to ramp up their vaccination rates. Experts say it underscores the importance of richer countries donating vaccines to the developing world and highlights just how big an impact the government and community outreach can have. Perhaps this little Himalayan kingdom can be a beacon of hope to a region that is on fire, Parks said. ___ Lekhi reported from New Delhi. Getty Images Dylan Butler of Pittsfield has been named to the spring semester honors list at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Missouri. To be included on the list, a student must earn a 3.2 or higher grade point average. WASHINGTON (AP) During emotional, tense and sometimes angry testimony Tuesday, four police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6 vividly recalled the violence they endured while fighting against a mob of Donald Trump's supporters. I was grabbed, beaten, Tased, all while being called a traitor to my country, said Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone at the first hearing of the new House investigation into the insurrection. The Jan. 6 insurrection, an attempt to stop the certification of President Joe Biden's win, came after then-President Trump held a rally in Washington where he urged his followers to march on the Capitol and fight like hell. Yet despite extensive documentation of the violence, some Republicans have sought to deny and downplay the carnage that unfolded. In telling their stories, officers said they wanted to set the record straight about the hell they experienced. Here are highlights from the testimony of Fanone, fellow Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges, as well as Sgt. Aquilino Gonell and Officer Harry Dunn of the U.S. Capitol Police: MEDIEVAL BATTLEFIELD They were armed with flags, steel pipes, table legs, chemical weapons, guns even a cattle prod. The officers said they were expecting a routine protest the day of Trump's Jan. 6 rally. But they weren't prepared for thousands of his angry supporters to overrun them during fierce hand-to-hand combat that transformed the Capitol grounds into what Gonell described as a medieval battlefield. Is this all the manpower you have? Do you really think youre going to be able to stop all these people? Hodges said one of the rioters told him. Get your machete, someone in the crowd could be heard saying. Fanone, at one point was separated from his fellow officers, was pulled into the mob, beaten and repeatedly shocked with a stun gun. "I heard chants of kill him with his own gun. I can still hear those words in my head today, he said. He blacked out and estimates he lost consciousness for four minutes. Doctors later told him that he had a heart attack. Elsewhere, Gonell was guarding an entrance when he was crushed by rioters. He could feel himself losing oxygen. This is how Im going to die," he recalled thinking. RACIAL SLURS Dunn told lawmakers about an exchange he had with rioters who had fully bought into Trump's false claims that the election was stolen and believed nobody voted for Joe Biden. When Dunn, who is Black, told the rioters he voted for Biden and his vote should be counted, a crowd of Capitol intruders hurled the N-word at him. One woman in a pink MAGA (Make American Great Again) shirt yelled, You hear that, guys, this n voted for Joe Biden! Dunn said. The crowd of roughly 20 people began hurling the slur at him. No one had ever called Dunn, an officer with more than a dozen years on the force, the N-word while he wore his Capitol Police officer uniform, he told the panel. However, Dunn was also speaking to the experience of being an African American police officer, who make up 29% of roughly 2,300 officers and civilians serving on the Capitol Police force. Dunn said another Black male officer told him that, while confronting the rioters on Jan. 6, he was told to Put your gun down and well show you what kind of n you really are. PUSHING BACK ON TRUMP Ever since the attack, Trump has repeatedly tried to downplay the role he and his supporters played. In a video belatedly released hours after rioters breached the Capitol, Trump called for them to go home in peace. But he also added: We love you. Youre very special. Since then, hes insisted many attendees were loving people who were hugging and kissing the police and the guards. The four officers would have none of it. Im still myself recovering from those hugs and kisses, Gonell said. If that was all hugs and kisses we should go to his house and do the same thing to him." Later in the hearing he apologized for the comment. Dunn appeared to compare Trump to a hit man and urged the committee to explore his role in the insurgency. There was an attack on Jan. 6. And a hit man sent them. I want you to get to the bottom of that, he said. TWO REPUBLICANS House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, a Trump ally, said he wouldn't name any House Republicans to serve on the committee conducting the probe after Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected two of his selections. But the investigation is bipartisan anyway, thanks to Pelosi's appointment of Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney and Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, both vocal Trump critics. McCarthy has mocked the two lawmakers as Pelosi Republicans. Both Cheney and Kinzinger chastised their party at the hearing, accusing them of prioritizing political power and fealty to Trump over getting to the bottom of the attack. For all the overheated rhetoric surrounding this committee, our mission is very simple: Its to find the truth. And its to ensure accountability, said Kinzinger, who grew emotional and choked back tears. Many in my party have treated this as just another partisan fight. Its toxic and a disservice to the officers and their families. Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, said determining an objective truth about the attack would be key to overcoming the many efforts we are already seeing to cover up and obscure the facts. ___ COUNTERPROGRAMING Tuesday's emotional hearing was covered gavel to gavel on many major TV networks. McCarthy did attempt to offer some counterprograming, though, with an early morning news conference. He lamented the fact that Pelosi rejected two ardent Trump supporters he had nominated to the committee, leading to his decision to boycott the panel. He also told reporters that Pelosi should be investigated for her role in the security failures of the day, but he ignored questions about Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who had identical authority over the Capitol Police and Capitol security officials. Unfortunately Speaker Pelosi will only pick people for the committee that ask the questions she wants asked, McCarthy said, adding that it will lead to a sham and a failed committee." The officers had sharp words of their own for Republicans, many of whom now downplay the seriousness of the attack. I feel like I went to hell and back to protect them and the people in this room. But too many are now telling me that hell doesnt exist or that hell actually wasnt that bad. The indifference shown to my colleagues is disgraceful," Fanone said while pounding a table. PORTLAND, Maine (AP) The number of daily coronavirus infections has quadrupled in Maine over the last four weeks, and the total count since the start of the pandemic has eclipsed 70,000 cases. The state's top public health official, Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah, told the Bangor City Council that a return to indoor mask use is likely coming even for fully vaccinated residents, the Bangor Daily News reported. We probably need to be prepared, even for fully vaccinated folks, for the time being, to go back to wearing masks in indoor settings, the Daily News reported that Shah told councilors during a Monday meeting. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that there have now been more than 70,000 reported cases of the virus in the state, and the number of deaths since the start of the pandemic was 898. Shah tweeted on Tuesday that people in public, indoor spaces should consider masking up, especially in a higher transmission counties, such as York and Piscataquis. He also tweet that everyone in schools should mask up, regardless of vaccination status, and he urged unvaccinated people to get vaccinated. The agency did not return a call from The Associated Press regarding a possible return to indoor mask orders. The state rescinded masking orders weeks ago. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Maine has risen over the past two weeks from about 14 new cases a day on July 11 to about 61 new cases a day on Sunday. The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths in Maine has also risen over the past two weeks from less than one death a day on July 11 to about two deaths a day Sunday. The AP is using data collected by Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering to measure outbreak caseloads and deaths across the United States. Maine authorities said about 68% of the state's eligible population is fully vaccinated against coronavirus. That's one of the highest rates in the country. However, counts have been increasing in Maine and around the country in recent weeks. In other pandemic news in Maine: ___ EVENT RAISES FUNDS Organizers with the American Lung Association said a virtual event to raise money for COVID-19 research and lung health raised a little more than $360,000. The association said more than 600 cyclists from around the country participated in the virtual Trek Across Maine. They said they plan to hold the event in person in 2022. ___ Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic. NEW HAVEN Natosha Gaines mother remains struck by her laugh, months after Gaines slaying. It was infectious, she said Tuesday it stood out as an aspect of her character. Police announced Tuesday that Anthony Valeriano, 52, was arrested July 20 and charged with first-degree manslaughter in connection with Gaines October 2020 death. Cheryl Tyson, Gaines mother, and Arnold Payne, her father, shared their gratitude for the efforts of officers at a press conference, including Detective Daniel Conklin, who led the investigation, and Officer Nancy Jordan, who heads the departments victim services unit. They were so supportive with my family I really appreciate it, said Tyson. Im just grateful that hes caught and hes doing time. He took something very precious away from all of us. Payne said he believed the department was one of the best in Connecticut, and called for the officers to be promoted. Before this, he said he was unsure whether the department could address violence in New Haven hes now convinced. Wearing a shirt features Gaines picture, Payne noted the pain he had felt in the wake of her passing and said the departments efforts had helped. I live alone, so Id go home at night and Id cry. Im wearing her shirt today; Im proud of wearing the shirt, because Im proud of what theyve done, and I feel so much better, said Payne. I thank New Haven police, mayor, the chief and all of them, for doing such a, such a great job in such a short time. Tyson said Gaines was full of life, full of joy, an amazing mother and grandmother a happy go lucky person. Every picture that I see, shes (laughing). Shes got this hearty laugh thats infectious, said Tyson. Thats what I really miss about her. Mayor Justin Elicker, Acting Chief Renee Dominguez and Conklin thanked the family for their communication and help, saying they hoped the arrest would provide some sense of closure. This will never bring back Natosha, said Dominguez. It just gives a little bit of closure, to begin a very long healing process, that we know will probably last a lifetime. Gaines, 44, was fatally wounded in an apartment in the 1400 block of Quinnipiac Avenue last Oct. 17, according to police. According to an affidavit from Conklin, Valeriano told police he tripped while cleaning a handgun he had for self-defense. The firearm went off; Gaines was struck. State Chief Medical Examiner James Gill determined Gaines was wounded just above her ear, according to the affidavit. He said the firearm was in contact, or within very close proximity, with (Gaines) head at the time it was fired, according to the affidavit. Sgt. Bertram Ettienne said Tuesday the manslaughter charge was the most suitable option, given the results of the departments investigation. Valeriano has not yet entered a plea to the charge levied against him, according to state judicial records. He remains held in lieu of $300,000 bail and is next scheduled to appear in court Aug. 3. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com New Haven Police Department NEW HAVEN An 18-year-old city resident has been arrested following an incident early Sunday morning in the East Shore neighborhood, according to police. Hector Delgado has been charged with possession of a pistol without a permit, weapon in a motor vehicle, possession of a high-capacity magazine, second-degree larceny, third-degree criminal mischief, interfering with police, operating a motor vehicle without a license and traveling the wrong way on a one-way street, according to a news release from police. NEW HAVEN The protracted process of evaluating the job performance of the citys superintendent of schools is causing friction on the Board of Education. The absence of school board attorneys at a meeting this week continued the delay, which didnt sit well with one board member. The update for tonights meeting is delayed based on vacations, but the fact that we havent evaluated the superintendent for two years still remains the same, board member Darnell Goldson wrote as the boards July 26 meeting, held over Zoom, came to a close. We are now into her second year of this contract, without even setting goals and a process for the eval(uation) for the year which just ended. Goldson said the board should have done so nine months ago. Named interim superintendent in November 2019, Ilene Tracey was given a three-year contract as the districts full superintendent in June 2020. A longtime district employee who went from teacher to assistant principal, principal, director of instruction and assistant superintendent over the course of four decades met in executive session with the board at the conclusion of its June 28 and July 12 meetings to discuss her performance. Both times, the board turned to public session to say the evaluation would be continued at a later time. That continuation was not listed on the agenda for the July 26 meeting, prompting Goldson to send an email calling on board leadership, including President Yesenia Rivera, Vice President Matt Wilcox and Secretary Ed Joyner, to resign from their leadership posts. As a Board we have failed to meet our most basic duty to this school system for two consecutive years, Goldson wrote. ... (Y)ou have not met your basic duty. Rivera, during her presidents report, said the evaluation wasnt on the agenda for Mondays meeting because both attorney Thomas Mooney, who represents the board, and Elias Alexiades, the city attorney who advises the school board on legal matters, were out. An evaluation, in some shape or form, we are committed to seeing it happen, Rivera said. She said a future discussion, when attorneys return, will include a timeline for the completion of the process. Also absent from the Monday meeting was board member Dr. Tamika Jackson-McArthur. Both Jackson-McArthur and Goldson have been critical of Traceys handling of an incident involving a now-former principal who used a racial slur in speaking with staff members. Tracey recommended, and the school board, by a 4-3 majority, approved the reassignment of Laura Roblee from the head of Brennan Rogers School to a non-specified central office role. Jackson-McArthur and Goldson repeatedly have asked for a more thorough investigation and more information on what is being done to heal the school community. Earlier this month, Tracey apologized for how the situation was handled. Jackson-McArthur accepted the apology. Paul Sancya/AP DETROIT (AP) The United Auto Workers union says it got $1.1 million for a lakefront house in northern Michigan that was being built for a former president who was sentenced to prison in a federal corruption probe. Cabin 4 at a UAW conference center on Black Lake was being built for Dennis Williams, who who retired in 2018 and in May was sentenced to 21 months in prison in an embezzlement scandal. The property in rural Cheboygan County was originally listed at $1.3 million. Mark Mulligan / Staff photographer H-E-B is hiring for employees to work their warehouses and the jobs come with a few incentives. According to H-E-B Careers, the San Antonio warehouses are hiring with starting pay at $17.50, plus premiums of 50 cents to $1, for overnight, weekends or in a freezer shifts. Productivity premiums and overtime pay are also offered. In a letter to parents on Thursday, July 22, the North East Independent School District announced it would begin treating COVID-19 exposure similar to the flu or strep throat, meaning it will no longer send home letters alerting parents about COVID-19 cases on campuses. After receiving backlash, NEISD reversed that decision and announced on Monday, July 26, that it's reversing the policy back for the 2021-2022 school year. "As we did last year, we must work together to create a safe environment. We continue to focus on what the district can control," the district said on its website. "Consequently, we will continue to notify parents of positive COVID-19 cases at their child's school." The district also says it will continue to report cases to the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District and the state, per Texas Education Agency guidelines. In recent weeks, Gov. Greg Abbott has said he won't issue another face mask mandate, despite the rising COVID-19 cases throughout Bexar County and across the state. Instead, Abbott says, it's time for individual responsibility and leaves it up to parents if they want their children to wear a mask or not. Last weekend, 32 Texas Representatives signed a letter to Abbott and the Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath, asking the pair to reconsider the current COVID-19 protocols. The letter asks the governor and commissioner to allow Texas school districts to offer fully funded virtual learning and enforce masks in school. For Northside ISD, Barry Perez, the executive director of communications for the district, told MySA on Friday that it hasn't defined yet if they are going to send out alerts about COVID-19 exposure. The district is weighing its COVID-19 policy from last year and looking into the feedback they've received from families about the letters, Perez says. San Antonio ISD also told MySA it will follow the guidance issued by the Texas Education Agency and the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District on notification and quarantine procedures. Per the current guidance by the TEA, districts must notify the local health department and state. However, there's no mention of what its recommendation is when it comes to notifying parents about COVID-19 cases on campuses. In Travis County, Austin ISD announced Monday it will offer a virtual learning option to families of students in kindergarten through sixth grade this fall, according to TV station KXAN. However, it will not be funded by the state as Texas lawmakers failed to pass a bill that would have continued supporting school systems to keep that option available. SWBC is pleased to announce that Blake Hastings has joined the company as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development. In this role, Hastings will use his extensive experience as a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas senior management, to help SWBC continue to grow successfully in a rapidly changing political, economic, social, and technological environment. He will provide leadership in the areas of corporate development and long-term growth strategies. Hastings will also support our business development goals and activities by leveraging external relationships in both the public and private sectors. Additionally, he will provide direction in the assessment, evaluation, and management of risk throughout the organization. As a Board Member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas San Antonio Branch, I have known Blake for many years and have witnessed his outstanding work, said Charlie Amato, SWBC Chairman and Co-founder. I have no doubt he will use his superlative work ethic and expertise to provide meaningful contributions to our outstanding leadership team and their successful divisions. Prior to joining SWBC, Hastings worked for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas for over 14 years. He served as the Senior Vice President and was instrumental in modernizing and enhancing the banks succession planning efforts, talent-acquisition approaches, leadership and organizational development programs, and much more. He developed and implemented a comprehensive outreach strategy with the business, economic development, and academic communities of CentralSouth Texas. He also established a new leadership program for the bank to enhance the development of future senior management prospects. Sharon C. Mantell, 57, on July 25, 2021, in Town of Niagara; daughter of the late Charles and Arline (Henderson) Mantell. Survivors include sisters, Kim Kuntz and Susan Mantell; brothers, Charles and John Mantell. Memorial service was held on August 2 in Oakwood Cemetery. Arrangements were w Gunmen suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have killed Fatmann Dooiyor, divisional police officer... Gunmen suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have killed Fatmann Dooiyor, divisional police officer (DPO) of a community in Oru east LGA of Imo state. Oru east LGA is where Hope Uzodimma, Imo governor, hails from. The suspected IPOB members struck on Monday, the day Nnamdi Kanu was to appear in court in continuation of his trial. The Department of State Services (DSS) refused to produce Kanu in court. He is accused of treasonable felony. In a statement, Mike Abattam, spokesman of the police command in Imo, said six of the gunmen were killed during a gun duel with police officers. Abattam said 11 other suspected members of IPOB were also arrested. The tactical teams of the command immediately swung into action, ambushed and launched a surprise attack on the convoy of the bandits which resulted in the neutralisation of six of the bandits while 11 of them were arrested at the station, he said. Unfortunately, the Divisional Police Officer, CSP Fatmann Dooiyor paid the supreme price. The teams later recovered the three vehicles abandoned by the bandits to the station which includes, two Toyota Highlander SUV vehicles with registration numbers Abia MBL 517 AT and LAGOS , JJJ 984 EL respectively and a milk colour unregistered Lexus Jeep to the station. Presently, the commands tactical teams and Special forces led by ACP Evans E.Shem are combing the bush for possible arrest of the bandits that fled into the bush. Afenifere, Yoruba socio-political group, says there is nothing wrong with Sunday Adeyemo, a Yoruba nation agitator better known as Sunday ... Afenifere, Yoruba socio-political group, says there is nothing wrong with Sunday Adeyemo, a Yoruba nation agitator better known as Sunday Igboho, trying to protect his life. Afenifere was speaking against the backdrop of Igbohos arrest in Benin Republic while he was trying to flee to Germany. Igboho is standing trial at the Cour Deappal De Cotonou after his arrest at Cardinal Bernardin International Airport, Cotonou. He was declared wanted by the Department of State Services earlier in July after his Ibadan house was raided by the operatives of the DSS. In a statement by Jare Ajayi, its national publicity secretary, Afenifere said there is nothing wrong with Igboho seeking asylum to preserve his life. The group also accused the federal government of hunting those seeking relief from the oppressive situation in Nigeria while neglecting kidnappers and terrorists. We recall that Moses had to be taken away from the prying eyes of Pharaoh and his agents in Egypt. Prophet Muhammed (S.A.W) too had to leave his hometown, Mecca for Medina in order to escape persecution, the group said. Thus, there is nothing wrong in Igboho seeking a respite first to preserve his life and perhaps to re-strategise. What is now regarded as Sunday Igboho travail ought not to occur at all if there had been good governance in Nigeria and people are not harassed without any just cause. It is so sad that President Muhammadu Buhari administration is concentrating on hunting and harassing those who are seeking relief from the oppressive situation in Nigeria while shying away from tackling the menaces of kidnapping, terrorism and antics bordering on ethnic cleansing. By its conduct, the government is giving people reasons to believe the allegation that it is pursuing a Fulanisation agenda. Harassment of freedom agitators and innocent citizens must stop forthwith. Afenifere also praised Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ooni of Ife; and Saliu Adetunji, Olubadan of Ibadan, for sending delegations to Benin Republic. Recall that Ogunwusi set up a 28-member committee of south-west leaders to look into his arrest. Gani Adams, Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, had also said he had rallied 10 Benin Republic monarchs to facilitate the release of Igboho. Afenifere urged other monarchs and prominent people in Yorubaland to emulate the Ooni and Olubadan. The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba has ordered the posting and redeployment of twenty-four Assistant Inspectors General of Police (... The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba has ordered the posting and redeployment of twenty-four Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs). The directive, which is effective immediately, is in line with the new Manpower Development Policy of the Police. In a statement, Force spokesman, Frank Mba assured that the development will further help to drive the IGPs vision. Mba assured of improved services and effective response to security threats in the country. The breakdown of the new appointments below: AIG SPU FHQ ABUJA AIG ZAKI M. AHMED AIG ZONE 4 MAKURDI AIG MUSTAPHA DANDAURA AIG CTU FHQ ABUJA AIG DANSUKI D. GALADANCHI, mni AIG ZONE 17 AKURE AIG OKON ETIM ENE, mni AIG BORDER PATROL FHQ ABUJA AIG USMAN D. NAGOGO AIG ZONE 7 ABUJA AIG BALA CIROMA AIG ZONE 9 UMUAHIA AIG ADELEKE ADEYINKA BODE AIG ZONE 13 UKPO-DUNUKOFIA AWKA AIG MURI UMAR MUSA COMMANDANT POLAC WUDIL, KANO AIG LAWAL JIMETA TANKO AIG FCID ANNEX LAGOS AIG USMAN ALHASSAN BELEL AIG DOPS FHQ ABUJA AIG ADEBOLA EMMANUEL LONGE AIG INVESTMENT FHQ ABUJA AIG MUSA ADZE, fdc AIG DICT FHQ ABUJA AIG PHILIP SULE MAKU, fdc AIG ZONE 6 CALABAR AIG USMAN SULE GOMNA AIG COOPERATIVE AIG ADAMU USMAN AIG ZONE 3 YOLA AIG DANIEL SOKARI-PEDRO, mni AIG DTD FHQ ABUJA AIG AHMED MOHAMMED AZARE AIG FCID ANNEX KADUNA AIG MAIGANA ALHAJI SANI AIG ZONE 12 BAUCHI AIG AUDU ADAMU MADAKI AIG MARITIME LAGOS AIG JOHN OGBONNAYA AMADI, mni AIG ZONE 8 LOKOJA AIG EDE AYUBA EKPEJI AIG ARMAMENT FHQ ABUJA AIG MOHAMMED L. BAGEGA AIG ZONE 15 MAIDUGURI AIG BELLO MAKWASHI AIG WORKS FHQ ABUJA AIG BALARABE ABUBAKAR Locally reported news and sports Stay Current with What's Happening Get the most of NNY360, register today! By providing your email address, you consent to receive emails and special offers from NNY360.com Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death. Submit Yes; and with the delta variant a concern, everyone regardless of vaccine status should wear one Yes; but only for those who are as yet unvaccinated No; people can wear one if they or their parents want, but masks should not be mandated No; I don't believe masks work and don't think people should wear them Vote View Results The Santa Cruz Valley Unified School District welcomed back students on Monday for the first day of fully in-person instruction since the star It started as a brewery. It ended as a service station. Today its an empty lot. But for a brief time in the early 20th century, the corner of Canal Street and Claiborne Avenue was a place of pure, granulated magic, a Wonka-esque temple to all thats sugary, gooey and/or chocolatey. That former delight factory even spawned a classic Crescent City flavor that lingers today in the memories and on the taste buds of many New Orleanians. (More on that later.) It was the Fuerst & Kraemer candy factory, a five-story, castlelike wonderland that provided confections for the New Orleans-based companys chain of candy stores in the Crescent City and, eventually, beyond. For some 20 years, the Fuerst & Kraemer brand was the sweetest of New Orleans success stories, and its factory purportedly the largest of its kind in the South was a physical testament to that. Then, suddenly, it wasnt anymore, a victim of its own success. It started in 1903 when Albert Kraemer, a charismatic former wholesale shipping clerk with a passion for making his customers happy, teamed up with a municipal water department clerk named Irwin Fuerst to open whats described as the citys first true candy store. Eventually, they would also be credited with introducing the concept of a chain store to the city, as well as creating its first mass-production chocolate factory. Each man put in $5,000 to get things going, the equivalent of about $146,000 each in 2021. Fuerst would handle the business end. Kraemer would make sure the customers felt special. Right off the bat, it was clear their original store on the ground floor of Canal Streets Macheca Building (known later as the Godchaux Building) wouldnt be your ordinary shop. Operating under the slogan Happiness in Every Box, it would be clean. It would be elegant. It would cater to mothers and children. The concept was so successful that Fuerst and Kraemer opened a second store a year later at the high-traffic corner of Canal and St. Charles Avenue. Then a third. And a fourth. They would eventually open hundreds of locations throughout the South and the Northeast. As the company grew, its production facility on Bourbon Street fell behind. So, in spring 1917, Fuerst and Kraemer looked to the then-vacant Crescent Brewery Building at Canal and Claiborne, a massive Victorian structure with echoes of the Renaissance Revival style. It had been built as part of the daylight factory trend, whereby post-and-beam architecture was replaced with concrete and steel, allowing for large, open spaces inside, perfect for candy-making machines. Oversized windows flooded the place with light. After a massive overhaul, the factory and its 150 to 200 workers, mostly young women, would be cranking out a reported 2 million pounds of candy a year by 1919. Its around then that the success of the operation caught the eye of United Retail Candy Stores, a New York-based concern determined to open its own chain of candy stores nationwide. Rather than start from scratch, it bought Fuerst & Kraemer. It also hired the companys namesakes to help steer their new enterprise. North of the Mason and Dixon line, they are called the United Retail Candy Stores. South of the line, they are called the Fuerst and Kraemer stores, according to the business magazine System. For a while, things looked good. New Orleans even got a fifth Fuerst & Kramer store, on Carondelet Street. In late 1925, the company opened a two-story operation at 228 Canal St., with a luncheonette and candy counter on the first floor and a Fifth Avenue style tearoom upstairs. Sadly, it would be the last new Fuerst & Kraemer store in the city. Later that same decade, with little fanfare, all the companys other local stores closed and the giant chocolate factory fell silent. By late 1931, the following item ran in The Daily Picayune: The building at Canal Street and North Claiborne Avenue, erected for a brewery and later transformed into the Fuerst and Kraemer candy factory, and noted for a quarter of a century as the most pretentious structure on the central thoroughfare back of Rampart Street, will be demolished to make way for a new service station. A small, two-story section of the complex was spared and would become a car dealership. By 1934, Albert Kraemer was dead. Irwin Fuerst died a few years later, in 1939. Today, the site of the factory and the old dealership is an empty lot owned by LSU Medical Center. But Fuerst & Kraemer isnt entirely gone. In Canal Street: New Orleans Great Wide Way, the companion book to Peggy Scott Labordes WYES documentary of the same name, former K&B President Sidney Besthoff III said one of his companys most familiar flavors started at Fuerst & Kraemer. Nectar sodas were developed by a confectionary firm on Canal Street called Fuerst and Kraemer, Besthoff said. When they went out of business in the 1910s, we bought the formula from them. Of course, K&B has also since closed, but those who want it bad enough can still find a classic New Orleans nectar soda here and there around town which is how, 100 years later, Fuerst & Kraemer is still making New Orleanians happy. Know of a New Orleans building worth profiling in this column, or just curious about one? Contact Mike Scott at moviegoermike@gmail.com. Sources: The Times-Picayune archives; Canal Street: New Orleans Great Wide Way by Peggy Scott Laborde and John Magill; Investor and Trader; System magazine Because she felt this was her time, pandemic or no, Melissa Araujo opened her first restaurant Alma in the Bywater last fall, introducing many to the delights of her native Honduran flavors at breakfast and lunch. Because they couldnt turn back when the pandemic hit, the partners behind Vals opened just three months after the crisis shut everything down, turning heads at the time and animating a key corner on the Freret Street restaurant row ever since. Because he kept cooking and the people kept lining up, Demond Dee Matthews found himself in the restaurant business, and planted a vibrant new addition on St. Bernard Avenue last year with his Dees Xquisite Seafood. Here's how many new restaurants opened in New Orleans through the pandemic From sidewalk cafes to popsicle doorbells, the coronavirus pandemic reshaped the way New Orleans dines. If it felt like a lot of restaurants o These are just a few examples from the influx of new restaurants that have opened around the New Orleans area since the coronavirus crisis began (see the related story with a tally of total numbers in New Orleans). Its been a time of grinding turmoil for the hospitality sector everywhere, and thats been sharply felt in New Orleans with its tourism-based economy. And yet, the flow of new restaurants continued throughout the crisis and soon resumed its customary, frenetic pace. The pandemic only deepens the nebulous questions of supply and demand that have run parallel to the proliferation of new restaurants here for years now. They are also adding more players to an industry in broad distress, and more competition in the struggle that many businesses now face to hire back staff. But ask the people behind these new restaurant why theyre opening now, and they offer a range of stories that have long propelled restaurant sectors growth here. Between their different backgrounds and different styles of food, they come through the dynamics of ambition and necessity, change and opportunity. Survival tactics As hard as the crisis has hit the restaurant business, for NOLA Crawfish King opening a new restaurant in the midst of it was a survival tactic. Company founder Chris Shaggy Davis had built his business around catering, rolling out huge spreads of crawfish or barbecue for private events and festivals. When all of that abruptly ended, he started selling direct through a truck he parked by a gas station in Gentilly. The truck was what saved the business, Davis said. That was all we had for a while. People turned up, and the response convinced him to open a brick-and-mortar version of NOLA Crawfish King. This debuted over the winter as a seafood market and barbecue shop covered in colorful murals, with a boiling room and smoker side by side in back. Opening new doors Things also looked bleak early on for 14 Parishes, the Jamaican food stand in downtowns Pythian Market. But then, as the economy slowly reopened, the return of loyal customers buoyed the prospects for founders Lauren and Charles Blake. When they spotted a closed restaurant space that looked ideal the former Mellow Mushroom pizzeria across town on Oak Street they set plans in motion for a big step up. The couple had once run a full-service version of 14 Parishes in Central City, though this closed in 2018. They dreamed of bringing it back, but were wracked with indecision about rolling the dice again on a big investment in the business. Finally, though, it was the way customers flocked to their food hall stand through the pandemic that convinced them this was their time. Dont get me wrong: It was a scary decision because of what was going on, and its still scary, said Lauren Blake. But weve always had very loyal customers. That gave us motivation that we can do this. We can make it through a pandemic when literally the world shut down. We can do this. This second, full-service, much larger rendition of 14 Parishes opened in April, with an expanded menu, a second-floor event space and a bar devoted to rum drinks. Time and place Araujo devised her restaurant Alma after years cooking in Italy and in a progression of high-end New Orleans restaurants. She wanted to showcase the heart and soul of her own familys Honduran heritage through the kind of modern style shes seen propel other cuisines. Food and restaurant news in your inbox Every Thursday we give you the scoop on NOLA dining. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up She decided to start with breakfast and lunch, as the most accessible meals for newcomers to experience it. She opened Alma in October in a corner Bywater location that had seen a few restaurants come and go. I needed to get back to work, and this is what I do, Araujo said. I took the opportunity that was there and ran with it. In less than a year, the restaurant is exceeding the chefs financial goals for the early going, and its staff has grown. Still, Araujo said shes waiting to expand hours and add the more ambitious dinner menu she has planned. Were not overextending ourselves, were taking it piece by piece, she said. Curbside to anchor Dees Xquisite Seafood started out as a side gig to augment Matthews full-time job as a mental health tech at a local hospital. He cooked outside his brothers Ninth Ward barbershop, and he started building a following for his way with seafood. He runs Dungeness crab legs, shrimp and other shellfish through a three-part harmony of flavor: first boiled, then chargrilled, then splashed with garlic butter sauce. The nimbleness of the street food operation meant he could keep his stride through the shutdowns. Dee's was already set up for curbside pickup, which suddenly was the only way many people were getting meals away from home. People in cars lined the street waiting for their plates. In September, Matthews went full time into the venture and opened his counter service location, where people on foot now line the block to get in. Matthews said his next goal is to open a second location, this time in Baton Rouge. I'm new to this business. I never thought I'd be a chef, never thought I'd have a role in the restaurant business, Matthews said. But now I feel like I found my identity in the food world. Now or never Vals was among the first new restaurants to open after the shutdowns last year, and when it did a design worked out before anyone had heard of COVID-19 proved a to be a vital jump start. Developed by CureCo, parent company of the lounge Cure a block away on Freret Street, it serves a menu of cocktails, tacos and other Latin American flavors from chef Fredo Nogueira. It also has a large patio and a walk-up window for takeout. When Vals was ready to open in June 2020, those outdoor elements convinced the restaurants managers that they could do so safely under the public health guidelines at the time. Neal Bodenheimer, a partner in Vals, thought they would begin with the takeout window only. But customers showed up swift and steady; that convinced Bodenheimer they needed to quickly add outdoor table service, if only to help spread people out for social distancing. At first, they had to rent furniture to respond to the growing demand. People were actually coming, this was actually working, he said. People were treating it like a regular opening, and they were excited about it. It was an early illustration of what many other new restaurants have learned since as long as New Orleans people could dine out safely, they were going to show up, and the reliable interest in whats new endured through it. +12 Rescued and revived: 5 long-time New Orleans restaurants that changed hands to carry on Throughout the coronavirus crisis, New Orleans has watched restaurants reconfigure constantly to reopen and stay open, lamented the loss of fa +10 See six new local restaurant plans now stacking up, from Mid-City to Metairie As restaurants have reopened, New Orleanians have been welcoming back old favorites left and right. At the same time, weve also been seeing n +11 Ian McNulty: At Maypop, Italian fusion and a fresh reminder of what restaurants give us The ham spent a year longer than planned hanging in the curing case at Maypop, not exactly forgotten but set aside as the restaurant sat close Nearly every St. Tammany Parish School Board meeting this summer has been packed with well-wishers ready to greet the newly announced principals and assistant principals with flowers and applause after they give their acceptance speeches. When the new school year begins in August, 17 of St. Tammany's 55 public schools -- nearly a third -- will have a new principal. There are also 21 new assistant principals and 7 new parishwide assistant principals. The administrative turnover, among the highest in recent memory, was caused in part by Superintendent Frank Jabbias restructuring of the central office, the first reorganization of the district's administrative hierarchy in 18 years. That added several positions and shuffled around others. Basically we have 50 new administrators in the school system, from site-based on up, Jabbia said, noting that the applicant pool included candidates from other parishes and states. We were able to be intentional. Brant Osborn, president of the St. Tammany Federation of Teachers, said that the turnover was also the result of a tough pandemic year that pushed many educators into retirement. I see it as concerning but also exciting, Osborn said. Just like any new position there's going to be a learning curve and it's going to be another challenging school year. The new principals have entered their positions as the education world continues to regroup after nearly two years of changes and learning losses stemming from the pandemic. And there's more likely on the way as the opening of the 2021-2022 school year coincides with a fourth COVID wave swallowing the parish and state. Masks and social distancing required in St. Tammany government buildings starting Tuesday As the region becomes engulfed in a new wave of coronavirus cases, St. Tammany Parish officials are mandating masks and social distancing in g Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up While school officials have not imposed a mask mandate, it remains largely unknown how the recent surge might impact the school year. On Monday, following a weekend in which 509 new COVID cases were reported in St. Tammany -- the most over a single weekend since the pandemic started -- St. Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper instituted a mask mandate and social distancing in parish government buildings. The last two years have been difficult, said Trece Jordan-Larsen, the new principal of Pearl River High School. It's almost like a fresh slate for everybody. Jordan-Larsen, a graduate of Slidell High, began her career teaching English at her alma mater and assisting with the Freshman Academy, a program that supports students in their transition into high school. She has started a Freshman Academy program at Pearl River and has encouraged teachers to assess their students more frequently to see where catching up needs to happen. The school has also built in time during the school day for students who have missed class or need extra help, she said. I can't be more positive about the opportunity we have to just get everybody back on track, she said. That's kind of the general feel -- wanting a normal year and being excited about being able to do different things that encourage our kids to be better. Brandon Frederick, the newly-appointed principal at Pitcher Junior High in Covington, said he hopes to continue to increase community involvement after it was limited by the pandemic. But paramount, he said, is student safety. Before the pandemic, that meant fire, lockdown and weather drills, and ensuring students werent running or roughhousing in the hallways. But for the last two years there has been a newer, more obvious day-to-day threat of the virus, Frederick said. Safety is a No.1 priority, but we try to take care of as much of that as possible on an administrative level so that our teachers can focus on classroom instruction and student success, he said. Andrew Canulette contributed to this report. 25 years ago A federal grand jury on Friday indicted former District 12 state Sen. B.B. Sixty Rayburn, 79, for racketeering and conspiracy to racketeer related to payoffs from a Slidell-area video poker truck stop outlet seeking to influence legislation. Fred H. Goodson, and his daughter Maria Goodson, both of Slidell, and Carl W. Cleveland, of New Orleans, were also named in the indictments. Rayburn, a Bogalusa-area resident, ended a 47-year career in the Louisiana Senate last year after FBI tape transcripts indicated his involvement in the kickback scheme during the midst of his campaign for reelection. Phil Short, of Covington, won election to Rayburns post. On Monday, Short released a statement in which he regretted that the district is again forced to suffer through another political black eye. The Goodsons owned the truck stop on Interstate 10 at Gause Boulevard in Slidell with a video poker parlor in the adjacent motel. They face charges of mail fraud, money laundering and conducting an illegal gambling operation through their failure to disclose the alleged corporation ownership. 50 years ago Meet Congressman Edwin Edwards, candidate for governor, and enjoy FREE fish fry and refreshments with him this Saturday at 6 p.m. July 17, 1971, at the Covington Community Center. 75 years ago St. Tammany top stories in your inbox A weekly guide to the biggest news in St. Tammany. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up The rainfall reported from the government rain gauge was 9 inches and fifty-five hundredths from Sunday night at 11:45 to Monday at 3 p.m., the heaviest rainfall reported for the past 40 years. All highways between Pearl River and Slidell were covered and traffic practically stopped only where cars were pulled through and then stopped when they reached Slidell. 100 years ago At a meeting of the American Legion, Robert H. Burns Post 16, held at the courthouse Thursday evening, the constitution was adopted and matter of the funeral of Robert H. Burns, which will take place at Covington as soon as the remains arrive from France, was discussed. It was arranged to have a full military funeral with a firing squad and bugles. The body will lie in state at the courthouse for 24 hours and all business houses will be requested to close from 1 to 3 oclock during the funeral. Boy Scouts will assist. A delegation from the Community House offered the Legion the use of the building for headquarters, which was accepted, and Commander Miller, who presided, expressed the appreciation of the legion. A volunteer committee was appointed to take turns in sitting at the beside of a legion member who is here from New Orleans and who is very ill Robert H. Burns, son of Capt. and Mrs. Edw. Burns and a brother of A.S. Burns, was the only soldier from Covington to die of wounds received in battle (during World War I). 125 years ago Mr. Maurice Lafargue, director of the Kneipp Institute of Chinchuba near Mandeville, desiring everyone to profit from the marvelous benefits to be derived from the water treatment, will receive sick persons this year for $15 per week, including board, treatment and wine, whenever the last may be deemed necessary. Sick persons, who can furnish references, and who are entirely unable to pay for their treatment, will be treated free of charge. Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng on Tuesday added her voice to the growing chorus of public and health officials pleading with reluctant residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19, saying low vaccination rates are driving the current surge in the parish. "I was naive to think that after the vaccines were available we would not be in this mode," she said. "This is the highest amount of cases since January." Lee Sheng made her comments at a midmorning news conference in which she identified several areas in Jefferson Parish as current COVID-19 hot spots: in Kenner, around the Grandlake Estates neighborhood; in Metairie, between David Drive and Causeway; in Terrytown; and in the Woodmere neighborhood in Marrero. Ochsner imposes new limits on unvaccinated staff as Delta variant surges Ochsner Medical Center will require unvaccinated employees to wear N-95 masks, avoid in-person meetings not part of direct patient care and to "These are areas with low vaccination rates," she said. "All we can do is ask you if you have not been vaccinated is to reconsider." Jefferson Parish has had the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths since the pandemic began. More than 51,000 overall cases, and 919 deaths have been attributed to the disease. Lee Sheng's news conference came on a day when the state, in the grips of a fast-moving fourth surge, reported more than 4,000 new confirmed cases, as well as 20 new deaths. About 53% of Jefferson Parish's population has received two shots. About 48% have gotten at least one shot, Lee Sheng said. That ranks Jefferson Parish high among Louisiana parishes, but still low in comparison to other parts of the country, she said. Jefferson Parish's numbers, like the state's are concerning, Lee Sheng said. In June, just as the delta variant began being identified in Louisiana, the parish averaged around 20 cases per day with a 2% positivity rate, she said. Now, the average is 289 cases per day with a 14% positivity rate, she said. Parish and health officials will increase the hours at testing and vaccine sites, she said, and add new pop-up testing and vaccine sites in the days to come. For instance, the testing and vaccine site at Harold McDonald Park in Westwego will now have Saturday hours, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. There are also sites at Lakeside Mall and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner. Temporary sites at Little Farms in River Ridge and at Celebration Church in Kenner are planned for this week, she said. Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Lee Sheng stopped short of issuing a new mask mandate, something she did in May 2020 even before the state had issued one. She said the parish would continue to follow state guidelines from the Louisiana Department of Health which she noted now recommends all people mask indoors. Later Tuesday, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommended that people, including those who have been vaccinated, go back to wearing masks in indoors. The CDC also recommended students and teachers wear masks inside schools. Lee Sheng's vaccine comments were echoed by doctors from both Ochsner Health and LCMC Health, the area's two largest hospital operators. Both said that more than 90% of COVID-19 patients being admitted to their hospitals are unvaccinated. Masks and social distancing required in St. Tammany government buildings starting Tuesday As the region becomes engulfed in a new wave of coronavirus cases, St. Tammany Parish officials are mandating masks and social distancing in g "Our hospital capacity is stressed across the system," LCMC's Dr. Jeffrey Elder said. LCMC Health has announced that they will limit the number of nonemergency procedures and admissions they will conduct in order to reserve beds for COVID-19 patients, Elder said. Ochsner is leaving that decision up to individual hospitals based on resources and staffing, officials have said. Elder said the two best methods of slowing the disease are vaccines and masking again in public places. "If we can ask the community to do those simple things, I think we can push through this," Elder said. Jefferson Parish schools Superintendent James Gray said Tuesday that the school system was still working on its plans for the year. Requiring mask wearing, he said, is an option. "We are continuously talking about it," he said. It's too hot today, and forecasters say you can expect it to be too hot tomorrow as well. A heat advisory issued by the National Weather Service will extend to 7 p.m. Tuesday, marking four days since meteorologists put out the warning for metro New Orleans and Baton Rouge. "It's slightly unusual that weve needed one out for this amount of time," said National Weather Service meteorologist Kevin Owens. Another few days of heat, thunderstorms, and rain. Remember to keep hydrated and limit time outdoors, if possible. #mswx #lawx pic.twitter.com/2a6NhWLhQt NWS New Orleans (@NWSNewOrleans) July 26, 2021 Forecasters will reevaluate the need to extend the advisory past tomorrow, but with the heat index, or the "feels like" temperature, near 105 degrees through Thursday, it might stick around a little bit longer. The highs for both New Orleans and Baton Rouge through Thursday will fluctuate between 90 and 94 degrees. In metro Baton Rouge, it will feel like 105 to 106 degrees all week long. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up 3:31 p.m.: The heat advisory has been extended until tomorrow at 7 p.m. Please remember to drink plenty of water and limit any time outdoors. #lawx #mswx pic.twitter.com/frU0JVL5NF NWS New Orleans (@NWSNewOrleans) July 26, 2021 New Orleans could see a drop in its heat index Tuesday and Wednesday, to 103 degrees. On Thursday, however, the heat index will return to a scorching 105 degrees. Despite the unusually long stretch of hot days since Friday, Owens said the weather service doesn't expect this summer, or even this July, to break any heat records. Residents should still take caution this week. Here's the advice from forecasters: Never leave children or pets in a vehicle that's off. With the expected high temperatures, the conditions could become deadly within minutes. Find air conditioning and stay inside if possible. Try to reschedule strenuous outdoor activity to early morning or later in the evening. Seek out shade and take frequent breaks if outside. Stay hydrated. Wear sunscreen, a hat and lightweight, loose-fitting clothing. Forecasters said the area could be hit by more thunderstorms beginning Monday night in Baton Rouge with a 22% chance. On Tuesday, rain chances in Baton Rouge bump up to 52% and 22% in New Orleans before the patch of storms moves toward Mississippi later that night. The Frontier is a nonprofit, independent news source based in Tulsa. Frontier content is republished in The Transcript through a special content agreement. For more information on The Frontier, visit readfrontier.org. Stay up to date on local news Get Breaking News Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. Politics Reporter Reese Gorman covers politics and the COVID-19 pandemic for The Norman Transcript. He started as an intern in May of 2020 and transitioned into his current position as a staff writer in August of 2020. Cogan Station, Pa. - Annually, the National Association of Town Watch sponsors a nationwide community-policing event known as National Night Out. National Night Out sponsors Fairlawn Community Church recognized the following sponsors: Adelphoi Village Allison Crane & Rigging, Larry Allison Bills Appliance Bimbo Bakery Budget Inn Motel Caddy Shack Portable Restrooms Durdach Brothers Inc. Eagle Automotive Service Early Bird Carwash Fairlawn Community Church Board of Supervisors from Old Lycoming, Lycoming and Hepburn Townships Old Lycoming Twp Recreation Board ASD Inc Hellers Market Ling Ling Chinese Restaurant Little Caesars Pizza Lycoming Bakery Lycoming College Pennsylvania Skill Games/Miele Manufacturing Pepsi Pipeline Supply & Services Professional Petroleum Service Pudgies Pizza Puffs Cigarette Outlet Rhones Travel Trailers Rite Aid Seneca Resources Tebbs Brothers Landscaping UPMC Susquehanna Warm Up Shop Wegmans WEIS Weld-Tec Services & Sales This year, Old Lycoming Township Police Department will again be co-sponsoring this unique crime prevention event. The Annual National Night Out will be held across the country on August 3, 2021. Locally, the Fairlawn Community Church, 353 Pleasant Hill Road, Cogan Station, will host this years event, taking place August 3 from 6-8 p.m. Representatives and apparatus from Old Lycoming Township Police, Old Lycoming Volunteer Fire Department, Hepburn Township Volunteer Fire Department, Lycoming County Sheriffs Department, and the Pennsylvania State Police will be on hand. Additionally, according to Fairlawn Community Church, they expect PA Safe Kids, Allison Crane & Rigging, Adelphoi, Lycoming Bakery, Born To Fly, and UPMC Susquehanna to participate. The free event will serve as a way for members of the community the chance to meet local emergency responders, and law enforcement officers in a non-emergency setting. In addition to the Old Lycoming Police Department, members of the Old Lycoming Fire Department; Hepburn Township Fire Department; Lycoming County Sheriff's Department; and Pennsylvania State Police, will be in attendance. The evening will also include food (hot dogs, burgers, pizza, soft drinks, ice cream, chips), backpack and clothing giveaways, inflatable attractions, carnival games including a dunk tank, police and fire/EMS vehicles to check out, a (safe) drunk driving simulator, and an enormous American flag on display by Allison Crane & Rigging. The event is free and open to the public. Lewisburg, Pa. -- Union County will not seek the death penalty for homicide suspect Tracy Ray Rollins Jr., a truck driver from Dallas, Texas, who is accused of killing a woman in February and dumping her body off the side of Interstate 80. Union County District Pete Johnson confirmed a decision was made not to seek capital punishment after Rollins waived his preliminary hearing in May. Rollins, 29, also waived his formal arraignment at Union County Court of Common Pleas, which was originally scheduled for July 26. The next step will be scheduling a pre-trial conference with Rollins and the Union County District Attorney. If an agreement or plea is not reached, Rollins will then have a pre-trial conference with Union County Judge Michael T. Hudock. If a plea or agreement is not reached at that point, his case will go to trial. Rollins is being represented by Chief Public Defender in Union County, Brian Ulmer. Rollins is accused of slaying former model Rebecca Landrith, 47, of Virginia, and allegedly leaving her body on an Interstate 80 ramp near Loganton in western Union County sometime overnight between Feb. 6 and 7, 2021. Landriths body was found shortly before 7 a.m. Feb. 7 by a PennDOT worker at mile marker 199 near Mile Run. According to an arrest affidavit filed by Trooper Tyler Watson of Pennsylvania State Police at Milton, Landrith was shot at least 18 times in the head, neck, and chest inside the cab of Rollins tractor trailer truck. Rollins was arrested by state police in Connecticut on Feb. 10 after investigators followed a paper trail to track the suspect down. Through receipts found in Landriths jacket, police were able to match dates and times to surveillance footage at several restaurants and convenience stores in Wisconsin and Indiana. It is believed that Landrith had traveled with Rollins for several months during his deliveries. She had allegedly gone by the name Leslie Myers. Rollins was extradited back to Pennsylvania on Feb. 23 where he was arraigned by District Judge Jeffrey C. Mensch on charges of felony homicide and a misdemeanor of abuse of a corpse. Mensch denied bail with the reason being criminal homicide and no ties to the community according to court documents. Rollins has been committed to Union County Jail since then. The maximum penalty for criminal homicide ranges from the death penalty to life in prison. The abuse of a corpse charge carries a punishment of up to 2 years in jail and a $5,000 fine. Docket Sheet The current 44th Legislative District. State district boundaries like this will be changing soon because of the 2020 census. Calhoun, GA (30701) Today A shower or two possible this morning with partly cloudy skies for the afternoon. High 84F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable. Cedartown, GA (30125) Today A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 84F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Rome, GA (30161) Today Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Rome, GA (30161) Today Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 87F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Rome, GA (30161) Today Chance of a shower or two during the morning, followed by partly cloudy skies this afternoon. High 87F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. News featured City to utilize leadership program Napoleon officials plan to use a leadership program that has gained national prominence to train city employees. Napoleon City Manager Joel Mazur and Napoleon Human Resource Director Lanie Lambert presented the proposal Monday night to the Napoleon Safety and Human Resources Committee. They told the committee the city could have up to 38 employee spots for the training, which would cost a total of $18,000. They said it would be budgeted for the 2022 year, though the first training would begin in September. It would run September through May, and then wed take the summer off since thats when a lot of people get away, and then start it back up again in September of 2022 and run through May again, Lambert said. She added the program would involve each employee doing some online training about 30-40 minutes per month, along with then gathering once a month with a team of other city employees they are assigned to discuss material. Mazur said the hope is to develop better leadership skills, especially for supervisors, as well as better service to residents. Government, on a global scale, often struggles with training its supervisors, Mazur said. Often we promote the next person in line of seniority and say good luck. Youve had all the on-the-job training you need. He added this program would also be a way to get employees back together and connecting after being away from each other for more than a year due to the pandemic. As things are opening back up and people are coming back, they are still feeling a little disconnected, Mazur said. While the cost of the program will be discussed during next years budget hearings later this year, Mazur said it is also possible Napoleon could use American Rescue Plan money being used to pay for at least a portion of the training. He added Napoleon is set to receive about $580,000 from the federal plan, but there have not been clear guidelines given yet as to how the money can be spent. I really do believe this is something we need to do, and I dont think this is something we should ignore, Mazur said. Ill also say, for this level of training, for 38 people, for this period of time, this amount of money, we feel like this is a bargain, he added. Mazur pointed out national companies have used Wildsparq for training programs, including Chick-fil-A, Northwestern Mutual and The Energy Authority. The Northwest Regional SWAT team took five people into custody at a Hobart home early Monday morning, the culmination of a month-long narcotics investigation, police said. Hobart police Capt. James Gonzales said officers, assisted by the SWAT team, which comprises multiple law enforcement agencies, arrived at a home in the 100 block of Fraser Lane around 5:15 a.m. to execute a search warrant. That warrant was obtained after a lengthy investigation into the homeowner and others who were staying at the residence, police said. Officers arrested five people at the home: a 59-year-old Hobart man identified as the homeowner, a 34-year-old man, also from Hobart, and three women, ages 37, 44 and 45 from Highland, Hobart and Portage, respectively. The five were arrested on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine, maintaining a common nuisance, visiting a common nuisance and possession of paraphernalia and hypodermic needles, police said. All five are being held at the Hobart City Jail with charges pending through the Lake County Prosecutors Office. Police did not release the names of those arrested. Gonzales said a similar search warrant was executed on the same home in November, with the homeowner also charged in that incident. Love 0 Funny 2 Wow 1 Sad 2 Angry 1 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Kniola is then accused of starting to rub the girl's leg and then progressing on to sexual acts, which the girl said shocked her, charges state. Kniola is further accused of using a sex toy she pulled from her purse. Kniola took about five partially nude photographs of the girl and texted them to Kniola's boyfriend, police said. Kniola left the Hebron home about 2 a.m. The girl said she used her electronic tablet to make three videos questioning Kniola after the assault, police said. In one, Kniola asks if the girl will cuddle with her while she takes a short nap before leaving. A younger child relative, who described Kniola as being a counselor, told police she saw Kniola close the blinds in the lower room of the house where the abuse allegedly occurred. She described Kniola as "acting really strange" and heard Kniola tell the girl that her "boyfriend will like her" and "my boyfriend is going to love you," police said. The younger child said she saw the girl and Kniola under a shared blanket, movement under the blanket and the girl's red face and felt something was wrong, according to a court document. Kniola reportedly kept telling the younger girl to leave the room. CROWN POINT Lake County prosecutors filed a motion Monday seeking to dismiss charges against a Munster man accused of sexually assaulting an 89-year-old relative with dementia, records show. Bruce Michael Abrahamson, 66, had been scheduled to appear Tuesday for a hearing on the state's request for a no-contact order barring him from any communication with the relative. That hearing was canceled after Lake County Deputy Prosecutor Nadia Wardrip filed a motion stating further review of the case, including additional documentation, led her to conclude the state could not prove all four counts against Abrahamson. Abrahamson had pleaded not guilty to felony charges of rape, neglect of a dependent and practicing medicine without a license. Abrahamson's attorney, Matthew Fech, said Abrahamson was "grateful the criminal case is behind him" so he can "properly grieve" the recent death of his relative. "Michael is extremely satisfied that once he was able to present his evidence to the Lake County prosecutor's office and they took the time to necessary to review it, they saw they could not prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt," Fech said. DOLTON A woman is dead after she dragged one police officer more than a block, struck a second with her vehicle and crashed into a bicycle shop just before 1 a.m. Tuesday in Dolton, a city official said. City spokesman Sean Howard said two Dolton police officers were hurt in the fast-moving incident, with one officer hospitalized in Chicago in very serious condition, although their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. The woman, whose vehicle dragged that officer from the parking lot of the Babas Famous Steak and Lemonade restaurant at 685 Sibley Blvd. into the Compleat Cycle store one block east, was pronounced dead at the scene. Our officers were courageous, Howard said. Were asking the public for prayers. Officers were called to the Babas restaurant at 12:55 a.m. Tuesday by employees who described an irate woman at the drive-thru after the restaurant had closed. Employees reported the woman was armed with a gun, but Howard said he could not confirm that detail. Leon's Triathlon, the National Park Service and Team Rubicon Disaster Response are partnering to present the inaugural Americas Race on Sept. 11 at Indiana Dunes National Park's West Beach. The event is inspired by the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and will honor military veterans and first responders. The 5K and 10K races will obstacles representing American military conflicts. According to organizers, the course will include obstacles representing the forests of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, the trenches of World War I, the obstacles on the Normandy beaches on D-Day in World War II, the challenges of a patrol in Vietnam, the sand dunes of the Middle East and the stairs of the Twin Towers. Registration will be capped at 250 contestants. Participants will receive a special jersey created by the veteran-owned firm Legendborne. The red, white and blue jersey includes a representation of the American flag as well as the race logo. The race will have staggered start times to avoid crowding along the course. Participants should be prepared to low crawl, bear crawl, carry sandbags, drag dummies and negotiate numerous obstacles spread throughout the racecourse. There will be a water point approximately at the halfway point and snacks and refreshments will be provided close to the finish line. He said instead of a federal face mask directive it should be up to local communities, and private-sector businesses, to decide whether face masks should be required, and to whom the requirement should apply. "I'm going to be a voice for saying, hey, let this be solved at the grassroots level," Braun said. "My observation is when you put the task to businesses and Main Street, they did everything to keep their employees and customers safe." Braun did not acknowledge in his brief statement that Indiana businesses have no incentive to minimize the spread of COVID-19 since Senate Enrolled Act 1 enacted in February by the Republican-controlled General Assembly provides businesses civil legal immunity for all but gross negligence, or willful or wanton misconduct, relating to coronavirus infections. Instead, Braun claimed the federal face mask directive will lead to more "bailouts" of Biden-supporting "blue states," even though records show Indiana reaped more than $5 billion in federal COVID-19 recovery aid that the state's Republican leaders are using to increase education funding, invest in infrastructure, pay off debt and grow the state's financial reserves. But there is a growing sentiment among critics that the pendulum has swung to a dangerous extreme. They say federal prosecutors and the Drug Enforcement Administration have frightened doctors away from making legitimate opioid prescriptions, subjecting patients to needless suffering and prompting some to seek dangerous alternatives. Every time a doctor is prosecuted and the prosecution is prominently announced, the DEA is saying: Were going to get you and we dont care how long it takes; well put your (behind) in prison if you continue prescribing and we dont care if the science disagrees, said patient advocate Richard Lawhern. The DEA grants licenses that allow doctors to prescribe controlled substances, and Joshi is circulating a petition that aims to restrict its oversight (he made a similar argument in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland). He argues the agency has abused its authority and doesnt have the medical expertise to make appropriate decisions. That might sound self-serving given the loss of his own DEA license. But Joshi, who has returned to practice in Merrillville under the supervision of another physician, said law enforcement shouldnt second-guess doctors. "You might ask, 'Why?' Well because that means you're starting to spend money," he said. Back then, visitors could grab a drink at the Lassen's tavern, located right on the dock, take a spin at the dance hall that floated on piers, or take a ride down the water slide, while their luggage was taken to the resort via a horse-drawn carriage, Rita said. Up until a week ago, the Alabama No. 4 was in storage, where it sat for more than 20 years, said Rita, who noted the boat was restored by James Kinkaide, of Elkhart, Indiana. The steamboat travels around 4 knots, or about 4 1/2 mph, and instead of being powered by propane, like it would have been in its heyday, or even wood or coal, the ship is fueled with kerosene, Rita said. "This is the first time in decades that there has been a steamboat for hire in the state of Indiana, and this is the only one," Rita said, noting the venture has received approval from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. A veteran federal prosecutor originally from Gary was nominated Monday by Democratic President Joe Biden to serve as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Indiana. If confirmed by the Democratic-controlled Senate, Clifford Johnson would make history as the first black U.S. attorney in the district, which includes all of Northwest Indiana and 32 counties altogether. In a sense, Johnson already holds that distinction. He was acting U.S. attorney for six months in 2017 following the resignation of U.S. Attorney David Capp and prior to the appointment of U.S. Attorney Thomas Kirsch II. During that period, Johnson oversaw the prosecution and conviction of Lake County Sheriff John Buncich on public corruption charges. But Johnson's experience as a federal prosecutor dates back to 1986 when he left the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division after five years to join the U.S. attorney's office in Hammond as a civil assistant U.S. attorney. The graduate of Gary's Emerson High School and Valparaiso University Law School then served as chief of the local civil division before becoming first assistant U.S. attorney in 2010. He left the office in 2020. A historic drought and recent heat waves tied to climate change have made wildfires harder to fight in the American West. Scientists say climate change has made the region much warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. An inversion layer, which is a cap of relatively warmer air over cooler air, trapped smoke over much of the fire Monday, and the shade helped lower temperatures and keep humidity up, incident meteorologist Julia Ruthford said. Similar smoke conditions were expected through Tuesday. Monsoon moisture was streaming in over the region but only light showers were likely near the fire. A return to hotter, drier weather was expected later in the week. The Dixie Fire, burning mostly on federal land, is among dozens of large blazes in the U.S. With so many fires, officials have to prioritize federal resources, said Nickie Johnny, incident commander for the Dixies east section, crediting help from local governments and California's firefighting agency. I just wanted to thank them for that because we are strapped federally with resources all over the nation, she said. MOSCOW (AP) Russian authorities have restricted access to the website of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny and to dozens of sites run by his close allies, Navalny's team said Monday. The action came amid mounting government pressure on opposition supporters, independent journalists and human rights activists in Russia ahead of the country's parliamentary election. The September vote is widely seen as an important part of President Vladimir Putins efforts to cement his rule before a 2024 presidential election. The 68-year-old Russian leader, who has been in power for more than two decades, pushed through constitutional changes last year that would potentially allow him to hold onto power until 2036. Navalny's website, as well as the website of his top strategist, Leonid Volkov, and longtime ally Lyubov Sobol were unavailable on Monday. The websites of Navalny's Foundation for Fighting Corruption and a network of about 40 regional offices, which the Russian government outlawed as extremist groups last month, also could not be accessed; neither could the website of the Navalny-backed Alliance of Doctors union and an online page calling for Navalny's freedom. Now retired, I cant get financial assistance for our expensive medications and quality healthcare. Im told I earned too much money on Social Security, because I am over the poverty level. Theres a saying, you learn, then earn at every job. My Social Security entitlement was earned for working almost 50 years. But now as a senior citizen, Im penalized for working hard. I guess I should have worked only minimum hours at a minimum wage job to provide for my family. There are many people in America who expect the government to take care of them providing food, shelter, healthcare, smart phones, on and on. Many of them havent contributed anything to society. What is our government doing to help the seniors in this country who are over the poverty level but not wealthy? True, there are many people who deserve benefits, but what about the ones who dont take responsibility for the lives they choose? For the people who work and pay taxes, keep working hard, because millions of people are depending on you. Ken Bastasich Sr., Hammond Love 3 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 2 Angry 0 The new requirement in California, which covers 246,000 state government employees, plus the two million health care workers in the public and private sectors, will begin on Aug. 2 and be implemented by Aug. 23, Mr. Newsom said. We are exhausted by the right-wing echo chamber that has been perpetuating misinformation around the vaccine and its efficacy and safety, Mr. Newsom, a Democrat, said. We are exhausted by its politicization of this pandemic, and that includes mask wearing that has been equated to the Holocaust. Its disgraceful, its unconscionable and it needs to be called out. California averages almost 6,400 new virus cases per day, an increase of more than 200 percent in the past two weeks. More than 64 percent of adults in the state are fully vaccinated, according to federal data. Last month, San Francisco announced that all of its workers, more than 35,000 people, would have to receive a vaccine or risk disciplinary action after F.D.A. approval of at least one of the three vaccines now being administered under an emergency order. Several Bay Area counties, Stanford University and the 10 campuses of the University of California have also recently announced some type of mandate to help improve stalling vaccination rates. The order in New York City, affecting roughly 340,000 city workers, including teachers and police officers, would begin for most workers on Sept. 13, the day when nearly one million students in the nations largest school district return to class. Mr. de Blasio has signaled that school reopening is critical to the citys recovery from the pandemic. September is the pivot point of the recovery, Mr. de Blasio said on Monday, also referring to the number of workers who are scheduled to return to offices in Manhattan. The Biden administration has said it is not the federal governments role to impose a nationwide mandate. But for the Department of Veterans Affairs, the risk to veterans, who tend to be older, sicker and possibly more vulnerable to illness, was becoming too great, said Denis McDonough, the secretary of veterans affairs, in an interview on Monday. For a few weeks in 1992, U.S. politics were all about family values. President George H.W. Bush was in electoral trouble because of a weak economy and rising inequality. So his vice president, Dan Quayle, tried to change the subject by attacking Murphy Brown, a character in a TV sitcom, an unmarried woman who chose to have a child. I was reminded of that incident when I read about recent remarks by J.D. Vance, the author of Hillbilly Elegy, who is now a Republican Senate candidate in Ohio. Vance noted that some prominent Democrats dont have children, and he lashed out at the childless left. He also praised the policies of Viktor Orban, the leader of Hungary, whose government is subsidizing couples who have children, and asked, Why cant we do that here? As The Washington Posts Dave Weigel, who was there, pointed out, it was odd that Vance didnt mention Joe Bidens newly instituted child tax credit, which will make an enormous difference to many poorer families with children. It was also interesting that he praised Hungary rather than other European nations with strong pronatalist policies. France, in particular, offers large financial incentives to families with children and has one of the highest fertility rates in the advanced world. So why did Vance single out for praise a repressive, autocratic government with a strong white nationalist bent? She is a fan of apps from Toca Boca and Sago Mini that encourage young children to explore open-ended games without much instruction. Dr. Russo Johnsons company, OK Play, makes children and their families the central characters of stories and games. Thats not to say that more passive activities like watching a video are all bad, she said. When its possible, it can be great for parents to engage with their children as they use an app, read a book or watch onscreen, but not always. Alone time is good for kids, too. Again, no rules! If you pay no attention to what your children do online, they could find some bad corners of the internet. But Dr. Russo Johnson said that parents shouldnt overly worry if children break out of a carefully manicured digital world. She said that she once was showing her 4-year-old daughter videos of French songs, walked away for a little while and came back to see her daughter watching YouTube videos depicting toys acting out badly scripted story lines. Instead of freaking out, Dr. Russo Johnson said that it was helpful to ask herself why her daughter might have been drawn to those videos. She acknowledges that the lack of clear rules and the quantity of technology available to children can also feel like a burden. With streaming and apps, anyone can publish anything, which puts more work on the parents, she said. I asked her why the expert recommendations and many parents beliefs about children and technology were focused on fear for so long. Dr. Russo Johnson said that those views reflect perennial anxieties about children and the ways that we react to anything new. Under an emergency order issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the coronavirus pandemic, the Biden administration has had the authority to expel to Mexico any migrants who show up at the border without a visa. But the government of some Mexican border states have refused to accept families with young children or those who have traveled from countries outside Central America, such as Brazil, Ecuador, India and Venezuela. Human smugglers in recent months have funneled tens of thousands of families to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas and to parts of Arizona and California places where they are aware families will be admitted because Mexican states like Tamaulipas and Baja California are not taking them back. Details of how expedited removal will be carried out were not immediately available, but it could potentially be applied to certain cohorts of families, depending on their country of origin or the age of the children, or along only certain stretches of the border. The announcement on Monday drew a sharp rebuke from immigrant advocacy groups. Jamming desperate families through an expedited asylum process would deny them the most basic due process protections and can hardly be called humane, said Lee Gelernt, a lawyer at the American Civil Liberties Union, which has sued the government to end the use of the emergency order, known as Title 42. Having already dangled the possibility of delaying the recess as a motivational threat, Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, warned colleagues about the prospect of working through the weekend. He has said he intends to hold votes before the August break on both the nearly $600 billion infrastructure deal and a $3.5 trillion budget blueprint set to carry much of the rest of Mr. Bidens economic agenda. The mood on Capitol Hill was grim, as private policy disagreements turned into public finger-pointing between the two parties. And a group that had been held up just days ago as the best chance for bipartisan success in a divided Congress was itself veering into dysfunction, with many senators tired of negotiating. Perhaps it was an indication that the talks were just about to yield fruit, wallowing in the darkest moments of disagreement before a dawn when negotiators would work it all out. But it seemed just as likely they were headed toward collapse, confirming the expectations of legions of skeptics. I think theyre down to where it all seems easy until you get to the final details, said Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri, a member of Republican leadership. Then theyre never as easy as you think theyre going to be. In the meantime, aides traded accusations on condition of anonymity, naturally, to avoid jeopardizing the chances of a deal about who was at fault for the impasse. The laundry list of unresolved items ballooned. There was talk of unserious offers rejected, self-imposed deadlines discarded and goal posts being moved. The Biden administration will continue to restrict the entry of Europeans and others into the United States, citing concerns that infected travelers may contribute to further spread of the contagious Delta variant across the country, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said Monday afternoon. Concern about the variant had convinced officials not to lift the current travel restrictions on foreigners, Ms. Psaki said, some of which had been in place since the beginning of the pandemic. Vaccines remain effective against the worst outcomes of Covid-19, including from the Delta variant. The more transmissible Delta variant is spreading both here and around the world, she told reporters, adding that cases are rising in the United States, particularly among the unvaccinated. The decision is a blow to the travel industry, which hoped that a lifting of the travel bans could increase tourism for the remaining summer months, helping hotels, airlines and other businesses that have been struggling. The crews will also keep collecting personal items, but officials could not give a specific time when people would be able to retrieve them. We hope to return as much items as we can to bring closure to the families, Mr. Ramirez said, adding that they hope to begin the process as soon as possible. Searchers spent several weeks relentlessly digging through the steel and concrete remnants of the 13-story building in a hunt for survivors, long after it seemed that hope had been lost. But after rescuing a 15-year-old boy, Jonah Handler, and finding his mother, Stacie Fang, who died at a hospital, just hours after the collapse 32 days ago, searchers found no one else alive in the debris. The search-and-rescue effort officially ended on July 7, but officials vowed that the recovery operation would not cease until all the rubble had been searched and every victims body had been found. The discovery of Ms. Hedayas remains ends a long, painful period of waiting for her family and friends, who followed along as every other victim was identified within a month of the collapse. Ms. Hedayas younger brother, Ikey, traveled to Florida twice, offering a DNA sample and praying near the site. Your first reaction is shock and disbelief, and then just crying till you cant stop, and then accepting what you cant change, Ms. Hedayas mother, Linda Hedaya, said on Friday before her daughters remains were identified. Estelle Hedaya had relocated to Florida from New York to begin a new chapter, and so much in her life was looking up, said her brother. She had lost weight, bought a new red car and was focused on her spirituality. Her mothers wish was that her daughter would be found so she could receive a proper burial. We have no choice but to go on, but I want to give her the respect that she deserves, Linda Hedaya said. She was my firstborn. I called her my shining star. BERLIN The authorities in Germany are considering reinstating some restrictions for adults who are not vaccinated against Covid-19 if daily infections substantially increase in the coming months. In an interview on Sunday with Bild, Germanys most widely read tabloid, Dr. Helge Braun, Chancellor Angela Merkels chief of staff, said, Vaccinated people will definitely have more freedom than unvaccinated people. Dr. Brauns statement came a little more than a week after President Emmanuel Macron of France made clear that the lives of unvaccinated people would get progressively less comfortable, touching off a debate about whether government policies in Europe were using persuasion or coercion to get people vaccinated. The British government has also said that it will begin requiring proof of vaccination for large events in England. The announcement by one of Ms. Merkels top lieutenants exemplified the narrow line lawmakers and officials are trying to navigate in pressuring the public to get their shots without making immunizations mandatory. A star dancer at New York City Ballet who came under fire for sharing vulgar texts and sexually explicit photos plans to leave the company next year. The dancer, Amar Ramasar, will retire in May after a 20-year career with City Ballet, according to a 2021-22 season announcement released by the company this month. Ramasar has been under intense scrutiny since 2018, when he and two other male dancers were accused of sending inappropriate texts and photos of other City Ballet dancers. The scandal roiled the ballet company and became a high-profile test of the #MeToo movement. One female dancer accused the company of condoning a fraternity-like atmosphere. Many artists have given up on that vision. They instead have questions like, where is the art that is not being held in Germany or in upstate New York? How will the trust settle accounts with the heirs of artists who have died? Another worry: what will happen in 2024 when the first works turned over will have been in the trust for 20 years? Under the contract, artists at that point can reclaim works that remain unsold. But how do you do that if you cant reliably reach the company or confirm the location of your art? And in the event artists fail to reclaim their work at that time, ownership reverts to the company, according to the contract. In his effort to defend the company, Shniberg cited recent sales of work by the artists Hank Willis Thomas and Mequitta Ahuja as evidence the trust is functioning. He acknowledged that the sales had been initiated by the artists or their galleries but said the trust had handled the administrative matters and, in one case, negotiated the price. We know the artists and buyers were very happy with the work we had done, he said. But the Jack Shainman Gallery, which represents Thomas, characterized the trusts role as passive, as largely a matter of paperwork. Ahuja said she was glad the sale went through because it meant the work was no longer held by the trust and that she regretted having joined the pool in New York. Founded in 1956 as the Museum of Contemporary Crafts, on West 53rd Street, then renamed the American Craft Museum in 1979, the institution touted itself as the countrys first museum devoted to craft. Hotchner broadened its mission in 2002 by incorporating art and design, signaled by a name change to the Museum of Arts and Design, known as MAD. She moved the museum to Columbus Circle, adapting a 1963 building by the noted architect Edward Durell Stone that had fallen into disuse. The new 54,000-square-foot headquarters, inset with transparent and fritted glass and a glazed terracotta-tile facade, opened in 2008. The museum has cultivated a reputation for acclaimed exhibitions by curators like Lowery Stokes Sims and David Revere McFadden. There are more than 3,000 objects in its collection by artists such as Faith Ringgold, Wendell Castle and Derrick Adams. Its gift shop and skyline restaurant bring in a combined $1.8 million in revenue, more than the museum made in admissions and membership fees in 2019. But despite the accolades, MAD has had an unusually high turnover rate with directors, a trend that industry experts said is an aberration in a field where leaders often stay with their cultural institutions for many years. Even through a pandemic when thousands of New York City cultural workers have experienced layoffs and furloughs, the turnover rate for executives has remained low, according to Christine Anagnos, director of the Association of Art Museum Directors. Killenss Africa is a caricature that might, in other circumstances, be irritating. But The Minister Primarily isnt a book about Africa. Its about America, and the author has a lot to say about his homeland, starting with Jimmy Johnsons Poop Sheet for Jungle Travel, which the fake prime minister writes up the night before the Washington visit and hands out to the half-cabinet that will be traveling with him. In The Land of the Thief and the home of the slave, he writes (borrowing from W. E. B. Du Bois), white Americans are citizens. Black Americans are subjects. A white man who drives a Cadillac is affluent, a Black one is a conspicuous consumer, uncouth, stupid, loud, etc., etc. The moment they touch down in America, the dignitaries are greeted by a couple of bands playing For Hes a Jolly Good Fellow, and then they travel to the White House, where in the course of the evening, the president serves them whiskey, and then more whiskey, and says, This is a social evening, Mr. Prime Meneceter, but I want you to know, we think of your fuh-fuh-fuh-fabulous country as the bulwark of democracy against godless communism. He continues: And with certain democratic provisional provisos and assurances and free world commitments, but with no strings attached, we are ready, willing and able to give all kinds of assistance, financial, educational, technical. Then he clears his throat and explains, And especially we are willing to help you get that cobanium out of the ground just as quick as we possibly can. Along with the realpolitik, there is fun to be had. Once in New York, the Guanayans go up to Harlem and to Jamaica, Queens, before heading off (of course) to Lolliloppi, Miss., where Jimmy Jay and the Guanayans teach K.K.K. members more about brotherly love than they ever thought possible. Even more than telling a fine tale, Killens wants to see grown men transformed. Inspired by Southern hospitality (and a warning from the president in Washington that nothing must disturb the smooth development of Guanayan-American relations), the erstwhile white supremacists of Lolliloppi discover their hidden humanity. Its as if the white Southerners the Guanayans encounter, led by their fake prime minister, are touched by a magic wand; as a result of the Africans visit, they begin speaking of Lolliloppis mayor as governor and even as president. Killens has read his Shakespeare. With the surprises in its plot and its quadrilles of mistaken identities, The Minister Primarily is right up there with The Tempest and The Comedy of Errors. The choreography of his set pieces has an effulgent warmth that is as passionately expressed as it is disarming, creeping up on the reader with such skill you hardly realize youre being stalked by a master. Killenss writing about sex, of which there is a lot, both of the emotional tsunami kind and of the nothing-but-lust kind, should be used in creative writing courses across the country. There is a generous contouring to his love for African America that is filled with pride. But the most powerful message that Killens has to impart is that lessons come in all shapes and sizes. Humor and satire are often more powerful than sermons or political finger-wagging. The Minister Primarily probably could not be written today. Amid the increasingly toxic discourse about race and politics, we have forgotten what we ever learned about laughter being the best medicine. Mores the pity. For conservative Supreme Court justices, 80 is effectively retirement age. After Anthony Kennedy turned 80, he stepped down at the first convenient moment in 2018, when a Republican was in the White House and the court wasnt already welcoming a first-year justice. Warren Burger and Lewis Powell both retired at 79, during Ronald Reagans second term. Sandra Day OConnor left the court at 75, during George W. Bushs presidency. To put the pattern in its starkest terms, no modern conservative justice has forfeited the chance to be replaced by a Republican president after turning 80. Thats part of the reason that Democratic presidents have so rarely had the chance to flip a court seat: The conservative justices try not to let it happen. Several liberal justices have taken a different approach. John Paul Stevens could have retired at age 80 during Bill Clintons presidency but did not. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, having been diagnosed with cancer, could have retired at 81 during Barack Obamas presidency but did not. And Stephen Breyer, now 82, could have announced his retirement this summer, with Joe Biden in the White House and the Democrats narrowly controlling the Senate, but Breyer has not. There is no one explanation for the pattern. It involves so few people that it may partly be a coincidence. Whatever the reasons, though, it has huge consequences for the country. Tunisias democracy in turmoil Kais Saied, the president of Tunisia, has tried to seize power from the rest of the government in what his political opponents denounced as a coup. He announced on Sunday that he was firing the prime minister, suspending Parliament and taking control amid large anti-government protests over deepening health and economic crises. With Syria, Yemen and Libya undone by civil war, Egypts attempt at democracy crushed by a counterrevolution and protests in the Gulf States quickly extinguished, Tunisia was the only country to emerge from the Arab Spring revolutions with a democracy, if a fragile one. Saied did not appear to have completely succeeded in taking control as of yesterday evening, as chaos enveloped the North African country. But many Tunisians expressed support and even jubilation, frustrated with an economy that never seemed to improve and soaring death rates from the coronavirus. U.S. response: Tunisia must not squander its democratic gains, the State Department said in a statement. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a phone call on Monday with Saied, encouraged him to adhere to the principles of democracy and human rights, a spokesman said. Just days before the federal moratorium on evictions is set to expire, lawmakers scrutinized the actions of corporate landlords that have filed tens of thousands of actions seeking the removal of tenants during the pandemic. Representative James E. Clyburn, the chairman of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, said the hearing was the opening salvo of an investigation into what he called unjustified eviction practices by some large landlords. Mr. Clyburn, Democrat of South Carolina, said he was disturbed by reports that some large property owners had moved to evict renters for failing to pay rent, even as the government works to distribute tens of billions of dollars in emergency rental assistance funds. Last week Mr. Clyburn sent letters to four corporate landlords that he said were particularly aggressive in going after lower-income tenants and Black and Latino renters. Evictions by corporate landlords have been widespread in minority communities, he said. Representatives for those landlords did not speak at the hearing, but several housing advocates did. In an effort to regain their stature and compete against the much larger Facebook and Google, which take huge chunks of online ad revenue, BuzzFeed, Vox Media, Vice Media and Group Nine have gotten bigger in recent years through mergers and acquisitions. Vox Media bought New York Media, the parent company of New York magazine and its clutch of websites. Vice Media bought Refinery29. Group Nine added PopSugar to a stable that included The Dodo and Thrillist and created a special purpose acquisition company (or SPAC) with the aim of going public. BuzzFeed bought HuffPost and said it would acquire another publisher, Complex, as part of its plan to go public through a SPAC transaction of its own. Those deals were just the start. Vice Media, previously on the hook for big payments to one of its investors, the private equity giant TPG, is circling a plan to go public, according to three people with knowledge of Vice Media. Vox Media is considering several offers that would take it public through a SPAC, two people familiar with the business said. And Axios, a news site based in Washington that started in 2017, has had talks with the German publishing giant Axel Springer about a possible merger, according to three people with knowledge of the negotiations. All eight people spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal matters. The wheeling and dealing has come as media investors have lost some of their enthusiasm for ad-supported sites filled with free content. Substack, a digital newsletter platform that relies on subscriptions, is now in vogue. Puck, a newsletter founded by a former Vanity Fair editor, recently started up with millions of dollars in funding. News sites with strict paywalls, including The Information and Insider, are growing. The media industry has turned into a barbell. On one end, there are The Post (3.2 million print and digital news subscribers), The Journal (3.4 million) and The Times (six million) large news operations that rely on their prestige, breadth and experience to attract subscribers. At the other end are The Information, Insider, Axios and others that provide hyper-focused reporting on subjects of special interest to smaller but intensely loyal audiences. Headliner BBF The chef Chikara Sono, who earned high praise during his tenure at Kyo Ya in the East Village, has opened this new Lower East Side restaurant, which seats 54 people ready for inventive, seasonal Japanese fare. The menu includes dishes like satsuma potato tempura, shrimp mousse spring roll, anago fish and chips, and Hokkaido-style skirt steak. Mr. Sono will also serve BBF Sushi Bombs, based on the rice balls served at Brooklyn Ball Factory in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. (His partners also own that restaurant, as well as Bozu, Samurai Mama and more.) Nana Shimosegawa, who was at Angels Share in the East Village, created the cocktails; the sakes and other beverages are the work of Chizuko Niikawa, a sake sommelier. The space is done in pale tones accented by decorative spheres, a reference to the signature sushi balls. Later this year, Mr. Sono will open an eight-seat counter called Kappo Sono in the back of the restaurant, where the chef will serve the kind of multicourse kaiseki menus for which he became known. 177 Ludlow Street (East Houston Street), 646-476-5088, bbfkapposono.com. Opening Family Meal The chef Dan Barber and his partners in Blue Hill in Greenwich Village, his brother, David, and sister-in-law, Laureen, have reopened the restaurant under this new name. For the past year and a half, the Blue Hill space was used for preparing food delivery boxes. Now, its devoted to group dining, for parties of four, six or eight. You could say Im trying to create community, Mr. Barber said. The menu, $115, plus beverages, tax and gratuity, is set and served family style, like whats called a family meal (supper for staff) in a restaurant. How long it will continue in this format has not been determined. 75 Washington Place (Avenue of the Americas), 212-539-1776, bluehillfarm.com. Hudson West Kitchen & Craft Bar What was Ousia, an airy Greek bar and dining room from the Livanos Restaurant Group in the dramatic Via57West building, has reopened with this new name and replaced much of its Hellenic menu with a more international approach. The chef, Vasiliki Vourliotaki, is still preparing dips and dishes like tzatziki, Greek salad and octopus souvlaki, but they share the menu with gochujang kimchi wings, beef tataki noodle salad, pappardelle with short ribs, and steaks with the option of chimichurri sauce. Sandwiches, including a burger and a French dip, are satisfying main courses at dinner. Among the desserts is a baklava cheesecake. 629 West 57th Street, 212-333-2000, hudsonwestnyc.com. Beatnic In homage to the Greenwich Village vibe of yore, By Chloe, which has emerged from bankruptcy, has this new name. (The group agreed to change the name as part of a court ruling.) It will reopen its 185 Bleecker Street flagship in September, and has restaurants elsewhere in New York, as well as in Boston and Providence, R.I. The company will retain its commitment to a plant-based menu. Data from several states and other countries show that the variant behaves differently from previous versions of the coronavirus, she added: This new science is worrisome and unfortunately warrants an update to our recommendation. This is not a decision we at C.D.C. have made lightly, Dr. Walensky added. This weighs heavily on me. Americans are tired and frustrated, she said, and mental health challenges are on the rise. After the agencys announcement, White House staff were instructed to begin wearing masks again indoors. The Biden administration is considering requiring all federal employees to be vaccinated or to submit to regular testing and workplace restrictions, requirements similar to those being imposed in New York City and California. We have a pandemic because of the unvaccinated, and theyre sowing enormous confusion, President Biden told reporters on Tuesday. The more we learn about this virus and the Delta variant, the more we have to be worried and concerned. And theres only one thing we know for sure if those other hundred million people got vaccinated, wed be in a very different world. The C.D.C. needed to revisit its recommendations, said Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the administrations lead adviser on the pandemic. I dont think you can say that this is just flip-flopping back and forth. Theyre dealing with new information that the science is providing. The vaccines remain remarkably effective against the worst outcomes of infection with any form of the coronavirus, including hospitalization and death. But the new guidelines explicitly apply to both the unvaccinated and vaccinated, a sharp departure from the agencys position since May that vaccinated people do not need to wear masks in most indoor spaces. Those recommendations, which had seemed to signal a winding down of the pandemic, were based on earlier data suggesting that vaccinated people rarely become infected and almost never transmit the virus, making masking unnecessary. As coronavirus cases resurge across the country, many inoculated Americans are losing patience with vaccine holdouts who, they say, are neglecting a civic duty or clinging to conspiracy theories and misinformation even as new patients arrive in emergency rooms and the nation renews mask advisories. The country seemed to be exiting the pandemic; barely a month ago, a sense of celebration was palpable. Now many of the vaccinated fear for their unvaccinated children and worry that they are at risk themselves for breakthrough infections. Rising case rates are upending plans for school and workplace reopenings, and threatening another wave of infections that may overwhelm hospitals in many communities. Its like the sun has come up in the morning and everyone is arguing about it, said Jim Taylor, 66, a retired civil servant in Baton Rouge, La., a state in which fewer than half of adults are fully vaccinated. The virus is here and its killing people, and we have a time-tested way to stop it and we wont do it. Its an outrage. Neither the company, nor the Sacklers, would admit to wrongdoing in connection with these lawsuits. Over the past two decades, more than 500,000 people in the United States have died from overdoses of prescription and illegal opioids, including a record annual number in 2020. Purdue, widely believed to have helped ignite the problem by downplaying the addictive potential of OxyContin and aggressively marketing the drug with misleading campaigns, pleaded guilty to two separate investigations by the Justice Department. For the complex plan to take effect, Judge Robert Drain of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York must sign off, a move long expected and now made even more likely by the full-throated results of the creditor vote. Purdue said it would release final voting tallies on Aug. 2, a week before a court hearing at which final objections will be aired, but the company does not anticipate that these results will change materially. The judge is expected to rule shortly after. Although a handful of states filed objections to the plan, as did the Department of Justice, those efforts seem unlikely to derail proceedings. Earlier this month, attorneys general for 15 states that had been among the most vociferous objectors, including Massachusetts and New York, said they had negotiated fresh terms that made the plan more palatable and now supported the plan. Among the new elements the states and Purdue reached during mediation was an agreement by the company to release more than 30 million documents to a public repository, including private communications with lawyers. Those documents are expected to unfurl the full story of the companys and the Sacklers involvement in the selling of OxyContin. The Sacklers, long known for their philanthropy in the arts, would relinquish future naming rights to any institutions to which they donate until their contributions to the opioids settlement are paid in full. Heres what we know about Matt Damon: He and his older brother, Kyle, were raised in Cambridge, Mass. by their father, Kent, a stockbroker, and mother, Nancy Carlsson-Paige, an emeritus professor of early-childhood education. The couple divorced when the boys were small children, but the relationship remained amicable. They really co-parented, offered Damon, whose posture stiffened slightly when questions crept toward the personal. Damon said his mother knew that hed be an actor from the time he was a small child. A family legend has it that when his mom accidentally started a fire in their apartment by forgetting to open a fireplace flue, 6-year-old Matts response was to don a makeshift firemans costume and pretend to put it out. He went to Harvard, planned to major in English, dropped out after landing a part in the 1993 western Geronimo and never seriously harbored thoughts about having a different job. I used to feel bad when friends would talk about their future after college and they didnt know what they were going to do, Damon said. I always knew. Damon and his wife met in Miami, where she was working as a bartender and he was filming the Farrelly brothers slapstick comedy Stuck on You, and have now been married for 16 years. Their four daughters range in age from 10 to 23, and their influence means the online presences of Taylor Swift and Timothee Chalamet have been a source of pleasure to their father, whose own social media presence is basically nonexistent. The familys home in Brooklyn Heights, according to The New York Post, was the most expensive private residence in the borough at the time of its purchase in 2018. For fun while in Australia, hed been doing some surfing (Im pretty terrible, he said) and horseback riding. The last nonfiction book he read was Hate Inc.: Why Todays Media Makes Us Despise One Another, by Matt Taibbi. The last novel: The Searchers, by Alan Le May, which was made into the classic 1956 western and which hed been sent by producers mulling a remake. What else do I do? Damon said when I nudged for more. I dont know, I sound like a pretty boring guy. Call it what you will, boring or shrewd, but Damon sees himself as in the last of that line of people who want to maintain privacy, he said. Theres this new line of people inviting everybody into their daily lives: Hey, Im at the gym! This is me working out! Theres something tactically brilliant about it in the sense that youre controlling the narrative, but its the exact opposite of how Ive always thought, which is Move on, nothing to see here, and just doing the work. This idea, that knowing where a movie star buys his coffee undermines the audiences ability to suspend disbelief to imagine is a hoary one, and also one we tend to hear coming from the mouths of older white guys, at least those lucky enough to opt out of feeling the pressure to build an audience without selling too much of themselves. But that doesnt mean there isnt anything to it. Brad probably wouldnt even remember how many of the movies that Im in that he was offered first. Even before he was famous, Damons impulse as an actor has always been toward a certain inwardness, an emotional mutability he identified in his idols early on. He remembers, thinking back to the fall of 1987, a discussion he and Affleck had backstage at a rehearsal for their high school production of Friedrich Durrenmatts bleak morality play The Visit. The two boys, students at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School in Massachusetts, were discussing the type of actors they wanted to be when they grew up. Self-taught film nerds in the habit of renting highbrow movies from the local Blockbuster, theyd recently watched the 1985 film version of Death of a Salesman, which had ignited a conversation. The movie starred a 48-year-old Dustin Hoffman as that icon of delusional striving, the 63-year-old Willy Loman, and in Affleck and Damons estimation, you could see Hoffman working to make that age gap manifest in his performance you could see the wheels turning. They wondered: Was it good acting when the acting announced itself? Did they want to be actors who did that, self-reflexive technicians? Was it more preferable to be a chameleon? Damon already knew the answer: He wanted to be like Gene Hackman. When Damon and Affleck were having this conversation, Hackman was 57, seven years older than Damon is now, the star of such classics as The French Connection and Hoosiers and the sort of actor who disappears into a character but without making a whole show about it an anti-magician, downplaying his transformation. Hackman could sit so deeply in a character, Damon said, and be so moving even when he was doing very little. Damon pointed to Hackmans work in Francis Ford Coppolas 1974 paranoid masterpiece The Conversation. He noted how in his book In the Blink of an Eye, the legendary film editor Walter Murch, who worked on The Conversation among other classics, found that whenever he went to make a cut, Hackman was blinking, so attuned was the actor to the narrative rhythms of the film. He was so locked in, Damon said of Hackman. It was work, like so much of Damons, that elevates a movie and yet, paradoxically, that you might not even notice as great acting. William Goldmans old saw about how in Hollywood nobody knows anything could probably now be amended to this: Everyone knows only one thing, and its that superhero movies sell. The reorientation of the studios toward those films and other pre-existing intellectual property means the power of actors, even proven stars like Damon, has diminished. Its the recognizable characters and cinematic universes that can be counted on financially, not the people inhabiting them. Fewer attractive parts adds extra pressure on stars to pick those parts wisely a big, undervalued aspect of Hollywood acting. In hindsight, when you look over a successful actors IMDB page, its a list of hits and near misses and duds, but originally, they were all the same: a script. Nothing is preordained. Anyone who has a 25-year career as firmly A-list as Damon is good at picking, at telling not just whether a movie will be good but also whether he can be good in it, and whether it can be good for him. Sometimes the right choice for an actor isnt the biggest film, but what is the right choice for that moment in an actors career, says George Clooney, who directed Damon in The Monuments Men and Suburbicon. Matt has bounced back and forth between big studio pictures and independent, interesting films. Because he doesnt keep doing the same thing, audiences dont get bored of him. Steven Spielberg needed a real shark. Before the young director began filming Jaws with his famously malfunctioning animatronic beast in Marthas Vineyard, he hired two underwater cinematographers to film great white sharks off the coast of South Australia. Skilled divers and well-known in their home country, the Australian couple Ron and Valerie Taylor set off to capture the footage that would be used in the climactic 1975 scene in which Richard Dreyfusss Hooper, seemingly safe in a shark cage, confronts the monster terrorizing beachgoers. But, as Valerie Taylor, the subject of a new documentary, said in a recent video interview from her home in Sydney, You might be able to direct a dog or a human or a horse, but you cant direct a shark. It quickly became clear that the Taylors were battling two unwilling parties: the shark and the professional stuntman, Carl Rizzo, who didnt know how to dive and panicked at being lowered in the cage. As he waffled on the boat deck, the shark approached, became tangled in the wires supporting the cage and ultimately snapped the empty container loose from the winch, sending it plummeting into the depths. Jimmy Elidrissi was 19 when he left his native Morocco for the United States, alone and barely able to speak English but full of ambition. He knew that as an immigrant he could never grow up to become president, but he found a job in New York where, he said, he got to meet nine of them. He became a bellhop at the Waldorf Astoria, where he remained until Jan. 31, 2017, a month before that storied Park Avenue hotel closed for a six-year gut renovation. On the day he retired after 51 years, he was its longest-serving employee and probably the longest-serving living bellhop in Manhattan, according to his union, the Hotel Trades Council. Mr. Elidrissi died at 74 on July 6 at a hospital in Queens, where he lived. The cause was pancreatic cancer, his daughter Rajaa Elidrissi said. When I started, bellmen and bellhops were called boys, but thats not OK any more, Mr. Elidrissi told Conde Nast Traveler in 2015. Also, we had to call all guests Madame and Sir, even if we knew their names. You know why? Because if the guest came in with their spouse and we already knew their names, the spouses would get suspicious as to why theyd been here already. A one-of-a-kind album recorded by the Wu-Tang Clan and sold at auction to the disgraced pharmaceutical executive and hedge fund manager Martin Shkreli has been purchased by an anonymous buyer for an undisclosed sum of money, the federal prosecutors who seized the album three years ago said. Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, the acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced the sale of the one known copy of the album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, in a news release on Tuesday. The terms of the sale required the government to keep the purchase price and the buyer secret, but the sale satisfied the balance that Mr. Shkreli had owed the government, according to the news release. The buyer was a group of people or a company, rather than an individual, according to a person with knowledge of the sale. The unique album more akin to a piece of fine art than a standard record was seized by the government in 2018 after a judge said that it could be used to pay part of the $7.36 million that Mr. Shkreli owed. Im glad its over, added Ms. Dick, who said she had gotten angry calls and at least 20 pieces of hate mail from as far away as California, North Carolina and Texas after reports about the dispute over the banners attracted national attention. The clash was the latest such episode to emerge from Americas fractured political landscape and to highlight the delicate balance local officials must sometimes strike between defending free speech and responding to concerns about language that some residents find offensive. The conflict involved three of 10 banners that Ms. Dick, a die-hard supporter of former President Donald J. Trump, had hung at the house. They included a crude word whose use the Supreme Court long ago ruled could not be restricted simply to protect those it offends. Roselle Park officials, citing complaints from neighbors and concerns that children on their way to a nearby school could be exposed to the vulgar language, asked Ms. Dick to remove the banners. When she did not, she was issued a summons for violating a local obscenity ordinance and ordered to appear in borough court. There, Judge Gary A. Bundy ruled against Ms. Dick, saying there were alternative methods for the defendant to express her pleasure or displeasure with certain political figures in the United States and noting the homes proximity to a school. The threat to public workers who are not vaccinated was reinforced on Tuesday when the citys police commissioner, Dermot Shea, said that five unvaccinated employees of the Police Department were in the hospital with the virus. When you look at who is getting sick right now, every story I hear anecdotally, its somebody that is not vaccinated, Mr. Shea said in a television interview on NY1. God forbid, you put yourself or your loved ones or anyone else at risk. Its the right thing to do. The Police Department appears to have one of the lowest vaccination rates among city agencies. The department has administered the vaccine to 43 percent of workers, though other officers have likely received the vaccine on their own. The citys largest police union, the Police Benevolent Association, has so far declined to comment on the new mandate. Other unions have made their opposition clear: The firefighters union said the city should allow members who test positive for antibodies to receive exemptions from the mandate. The paramedics union said the city was disregarding its members civil liberties, and asked for overtime if workers must get tested outside of work hours. Youre going to have people that are going to resent it, Mr. Nespoli said, adding that his sanitation workers many of whom got sick as they kept working during the pandemic took specific umbrage at the mayors threat that those who did not comply would be put on leave without pay. I was out in one of my garages yesterday and theyre saying, Whats going on with this if you dont get the shot, theyre going to send you home? Mr. Nespoli said. Oren Barzilay, the president of a union of emergency medical workers that opposes the mandate, said that some of his 4,300 members have expressed concerns about side effects or complications from the vaccine and about the U.S. Food and Drug Administration not yet giving full approval to any coronavirus vaccine. Who are the most dangerous purveyors of Covid misinformation? This spring, the Center for Countering Digital Hate published The Disinformation Dozen a report on the 12 influencers it claimed were responsible for 65 percent of anti-vaccine falsehoods disseminated on Facebook and other social media platforms. Top of the list is Florida osteopath Joseph Mercola, the subject of a recent profile in The Times by my colleague Sheera Frenkel. Other disinformers include Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the environmental activist, and Rizza Islam, a Nation of Islam acolyte. The misinformation Mercola, Kennedy and the others peddle is ugly stuff, a danger to the health of those who believe it as well as a public hazard to those they expose to their irresponsible choices. Its also a reminder that todays anti-vaxxers arent merely a right-wing phenomenon, much as some of the media have tried to paint it that way. Most figures on the list come from the woo-woo world of alternative medicine, not usually associated with rock-ribbed Republicanism. But the story of charlatans peddling fake cures and political conspiracy theories isnt the only part of the Covid misinformation saga. Distrust in public-health messaging is also sown when public-health messengers show themselves to be less than completely trustworthy. The latest set-to in this drama was a July 20 screaming match between Dr. Anthony Fauci and Senator Rand Paul. The Kentucky Republican suggested that Fauci had lied to Congress in claiming that the National Institutes of Health had never funded gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Fauci took vehement exception, saying the research that the N.I.H. had funded indirectly with a $600,000 grant wasnt connected to the Covid virus and didnt qualify as gain-of-function, a research technique in which a pathogen is made more transmissible. It is never quiet in Israel, but July brought new scrutiny. First, news broke that governments around the world have used spyware purchased from an Israeli cybersurveillance company, NSO Group, to target journalists, human rights activists and politicians. The revelations could implicate the Israeli Ministry of Defense in granting NSO permission to export hacking software that was then used by countries with authoritarian governments to suppress dissent. The scandal topped international news for days, but Israeli officials were instead preoccupied with ice cream. On July 19, Ben & Jerrys announced it will no longer be available in the occupied Palestinian territories as of 2023. The divestment story (inaccurately characterized as a boycott) diverted attention from the role Israeli technology plays in global antidemocratic practices. Together the stories highlighted two of Israels defining national enterprises: high tech and perpetual military occupation. The Israeli governments response to the Ben & Jerrys announcement was swift and voluble. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid insisted the move was anti-Israel and anti-Semitic. Israels ambassador to the United States, Gilad Erdan, appealed to governors of 35 U.S. states to activate anti-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions measures against the company. The Israeli government portrayed itself as the victim of a hostile and unethical move on the part of the ice cream company. As if Israel itself did not partake in any immoral behavior of its own; as if home demolitions, institutionalized discrimination, land expropriation, administrative detention and shooting at unarmed Palestinian protesters were not problematic; as if an Israeli company selling highly controversial technology to authoritarian regimes were not more questionable than an ice cream company denying its pints to customers who live in certain areas. The uniformity of official reaction in Israel to the Ben & Jerrys decision reflects an Israeli political consensus unlike that of the international community that does not distinguish between Israeli territory within its internationally recognized 1948 borders and the territories it occupied in 1967. For instance, to say that Francis is closer to the spirit of mass Catholicism than his predecessors is not to say that mass Catholicism directly mirrors his complex mix of 1960s-era and Jesuit and Latin American ideas about the church, let alone the more thoroughgoing liberal Catholicism of some of his advisers. Its to say that mass Catholicism reflects his turbulent spirit, his impatience with ecclesial forms, his sense of church teaching as a zone of contest and debate, his idea of a decentralized and experimental Catholic system all of which cashes out as its own kind of ungovernability, with many different forces empowered and contending all at once. The attempted suppression of the old Mass is a good example. On the one hand, Francis is attempting to use centralized authority to complete the revolution of Vatican II, to consign definitively to the past a liturgy thats often a locus of resistance to the councils changes. (Its many other things as well, but Francis is not wrong to see it playing that role.) At the same time, precisely because of the development of the revolution, his authority may not be strong enough to achieve this goal. The decentralization that liberals desire on doctrinal issues, the disillusioning impact of the sex abuse scandals, the doubts about a Vatican that keeps changing its mind from papacy to papacy, the role of the internet as a rallying point against disliked authority these factors will make many bishops reluctant to act as Romes enforcers and probably allow the old Mass to persist. To put it another way, some of Francis moves have seemed designed to restore the church as it looked in 1975, after the revolutionary decade and before John Paul II and Benedict. But the church of 1975 could actually suppress the old Mass, for a time, for the same reason that the church of 1975 could suppress, for a time, the evidence of priest sex abuse: It still had enough of its old authority, and the technological disruption was not yet ripe. Whereas in the church of 2021, conservative Catholic journalists just exposed the secret sex life of a notable American monsignor who was active on Grindr while he was responsible for formulating sexual-misconduct policy. Whether youre theologically left or right, its disruption all the way down. Then there is also a crucial way the 1848 analogy breaks down. The grand ideological contests of the 19th century were battles to control an institution, the modern state, that was strong and growing stronger and from whose power and reach it was difficult for dissenters to escape. The contest for control of Catholicism is a battle for an institution thats been dramatically weakened by all sorts of trends and that people can simply exit without having to emigrate or even dramatically change their weekday life when theyre disillusioned or defeated or just tired. This creates a deep unpredictability about what counts as long-term strength within the church. Traditionalists proclaim that their Masses are full while many modernized parishes and dioceses decline, and accuse Francis of trying to choke off a growing and often youthful movement. Liberals counter that old-rite Massgoers are a tiny minority in the United States and Europe and an even tinier one in the context of the global church and that all the trend stories about young traditionalists mistake anecdotes for data. Both have a point. The liberals are right that there is no great traditionalist groundswell among everyday Catholics. But the trads are right that there is a diverse cadre of younger Catholics, priests especially, who are traditionally inclined and likely to be increasingly influential in the otherwise diminished church of 2040, assuming the popes attempt at suppression fails. All this will make it easier for Chinese manufacturers to take American jobs and keep the United States dependent on China as the source for products critical to national security like semiconductors and personal protective equipment. The tariffs President Donald Trump imposed to combat the forced transfer of technology from American firms to Chinese ones as a price of doing business in China and other market-distorting Chinese trade practices are a critical component of this strategy. The notion that all tariffs are bad is foolish and counterproductive. They have been an effective tool of economic policy since the beginning of the Republic. They can offset unfair subsidies by foreign governments and industrial policy; break reliance on foreign suppliers; and raise import costs, thus encouraging companies to bring jobs back to this country. To the extent that tariffs might raise consumer prices (which is itself debatable), that is a small price to pay to achieve a strong manufacturing base and secure access to critical supplies. The amendment would cut tariffs on broad categories of protective gear and other medical products some of the very goods that are the focus of the Innovation and Competition Acts provisions aiming to strengthen manufacturing capacity here. In other words, while the overall bill seeks to encourage P.P.E. production in the United States, the trade amendment would undermine that goal by making it cheaper to import protective gear from China. Further, the categories of products in the amendment are far broader than health-related; indeed, the 114 tariff lines cut include such odd items as certain drinking alcohol. In addition, by renewing the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill, the Senate bill would undercut our ability to compete with China. The Miscellaneous Tariff Bill was originally meant to help manufacturers by reducing tariffs on parts that would be included in products made in the United States. Unfortunately, it degenerated into a lobbyist-driven giveaway and its renewal would reduce almost 2,300 tariffs with an estimated loss of revenue of more than $1 billion a year. Over 40 percent of the tariff reductions would benefit material imported from China, and a majority are for finished items. Finally, the most problematic and counterproductive part of the proposed Trade Act amendment is language that would gut a provision that President Trump used to impose tariffs on Chinese goods in 2018. The Trump administration helped American companies, through a program of exclusions to what are known as Section 301 tariffs, transition from reliance on Chinese suppliers. The amendment would reopen this process and worse, make it much more likely that a company would be granted an exclusion that would discourage it from bringing back jobs and capacity to America. The Senate bill would erect nearly insurmountable barriers to any effective use of Section 301 and fairly quickly lead to the elimination of most of the Trump tariffs. This is all good news for Washington lawyers and lobbyists but not for Americas workers or long-term competitiveness. FRONT PAGE A picture caption with an article on Monday about Toyotas resistance to electric vehicles, using information from a photo agency, misidentified a Toyota vehicle outfitted for the Tokyo Olympics. It is a Prius, not a Mirai. An article on Friday about Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the exiled Belarus opposition leader, misstated the action taken against the opposition politician Valery Tsepkalo before the election in Belarus last year. While he was barred from running, he was not jailed. An article on Sunday about Big Oil in Nigeria misstated the surname of a spokesman for the Gbaramatu Kingdom. He is Godspower Gbenekama, not Benekama. An article on Saturday about Dr. Joseph Mercola, an osteopathic physician, referred incorrectly to the outcome of regulatory actions against Dr. Mercola. He paid millions of dollars in refunds to customers as a result of a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission; he was not fined millions of dollars by the Food and Drug Administration. Dave Scott was not about to pass by an interesting rock without stopping. It was July 31, 1971, and he and Jim Irwin, his fellow Apollo 15 astronaut, were the first people to drive on the moon. After a 6-hour inaugural jaunt in the new lunar rover, the two were heading back to their lander, the Falcon, when Mr. Scott made an unscheduled pit stop. West of a crater called Rhysling, Mr. Scott scrambled out of the rover and quickly picked up a black lava rock, full of holes formed by escaping gas. Mr. Scott and Mr. Irwin had been trained in geology and knew the specimen, a vesicular rock, would be valuable to scientists on Earth. They also knew that if they asked for permission to stop and get it, clock-watching mission managers would say no. So Mr. Scott made up a story that they stopped the rover because he was fidgeting with his seatbelt. The sample was discovered when the astronauts returned to Earth, Mr. Scott described what hed done, and Seatbelt Rock became one of the most prized geologic finds from Apollo 15. Like many lunar samples returned to Earth by the final Apollo missions, Seatbelt Rock never would have been collected if the astronauts had not brought a car with them. Apollo 11 and Apollo 13 are the NASA lunar missions that tend to be remembered most vividly. But at the 50th anniversary of Apollo 15, which launched on July 26, 1971, some space enthusiasts, historians and authors are giving the lunar rover its due as one of the most enduring symbols of the American moon exploration program. Foldable, durable, battery-powered and built by Boeing and General Motors, the vehicle is seen by some as making the last three missions into the crowning achievement of the Apollo era. This article is part of the On Tech newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it weekdays. Before visitors set foot inside many tech company offices, they must sign a (digital) promise not to blab about what they overhear or see there. Religious leaders in the United States entered into legally binding agreements not to talk in detail about their online worship collaboration with Facebook. And Amazon demanded that testers of a revealing body-scanning technology not reveal anything about the experience. Nondisclosure agreements like these have become a fixture for many influential people and institutions that want to keep secrets, sometimes for understandable reasons and other times for horrifying ones. NDAs and similar legal agreements have been used to cover up sexual abuse and harassment and discrimination at work. NDAs are definitely not confined to the tech industry. But the power of large technology companies and the popularity of their products make their attempts at enforced secrecy particularly dangerous because of the ways NDAs keep the public from fully understanding how these companies shape the world. The use of NDAs, including in trivial or routine circumstances like visiting a tech office, is ironic in an industry that praises openness and transparency. Facebook says it values free expression, but it might stop you from talking about the grapes that you ate at the company cafeteria. Little Island was dreamed up as a haven for the performing arts on the Hudson River, and in its first months, it is also being put forward as a playground for artists who have been kept from the stage for far too long. The operators of the island announced on Tuesday that it would host a free monthlong arts festival starting in mid-August that would feature more than 450 artists in more than 160 performances. There will be dance, including works curated by Misty Copeland, Robert Garland and Georgina Pazcoguin. There will be music, including the pianists Jenny Lin and Adam Tendler, the composer Tyshawn Sorey and the saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin and her band. And there will be live comedy, with television stars like Ziwe and Bowen Yang in the lineup. The festival which is being produced by Mikki Shepard, formerly the executive producer of the Apollo Theater is another major effort by New Yorks performing arts community to revive the arts after the pandemic darkened theaters and concert halls for over a year. For the performers, it is an opportunity to get paid to create new work and explore where their art is heading after months of pandemic restrictions, and in the wake of racial justice protests that swept the country. People dont understand that when you use a QR code, it inserts the entire apparatus of online tracking between you and your meal. JAY STANLEY, a senior policy analyst at the American Civil Liberties Union, referring to the pixelated black-and-white square essentially a kind of bar code that customers scan with their phone cameras for touchless transactions. As more restaurants and retailers adopt QR codes, privacy experts are raising alarms. These road trips and initiatives that speak to people of color in general are important because weve been left out of travel narratives, Ms. Braswell said. If youre going to be creating experiences where people are going out into the world, all people should be included in those experiences. Ms. Braswell added that the bulk of her business comes from Black travelers. These travelers, she said, are looking for Black travel advisers who have the knowledge of places where they are welcomed and can help them plan their trips. Over the past year travelers across racial backgrounds have been increasingly asking for tours and experiences that include Black-owned businesses, she said. Across the country, as people protested against police brutality, travelers demanded to see more travelers who looked like them in advertising; they spoke out against tourism boards that hadnt been inclusive in the past and formed organizations like the Black Travel Alliance, calling for more Black travel influencers, writers and photographers to be employed. The Alliance and others have been pushing for more Black travelers to be visible and included in the industry and in spaces of leisure travel. Going beyond museums At the same time, tour providers like Free Egunfemi Bangura, the founder of Untold RVA, a Richmond-based organization, are offering tours that center on the contributions of Black people. In a city such as Richmond, which was once a capital of the Confederacy, she said that means seeing the value of working outside the established system of preservation societies and museums that are typically run by white leadership. To Ms. Bangura and other activists, artists and tour operators, museums and traditional preservation societies are part of the culture of exclusion that has historically left Black people out and continues to present versions of history that focus on white narratives. Ms. Banguras tours take place on the streets of the city as a better way to understand the local history. At a time when state legislatures are pushing for and passing laws that limit what and how much students learn about the contributions of Black and other marginalized people to the country, Ms. Bangura and others said, tours that show their contributions are even more important. So-called Freedom Day in Britain, which last Monday marked the governments lifting of all remaining coronavirus requirements, was a far cry from the blithe liberty that many locked-down British residents had dreamed of for the past year. Nearly 40,000 new coronavirus cases were recorded in the 24 hours before the anticipated day, while hundreds of thousands of people received a notification on a government tracing app, asking them to self-isolate for 10 days because of possible exposure to the virus. On the same day, vaccinated Britons who had escaped across the English Channel to France, to enjoy new privileges of quarantine-free travel, were abruptly informed that they would have to self-isolate when they returned home, regardless of their vaccination status. It was the second time British authorities had swiftly reversed course: In June, just weeks after letting British travelers freely travel to Portugal without quarantining upon their return, they changed the rules because of concerns about the prevalence of the Delta variant. Thousands of British residents rushed to Portuguese airports trying to get back home before the quarantine rule went back into effect. Now the chaos of the past week has left many people in Britain feeling anxious, overwhelmed and confused over how to spend the rest of their summer. Travel operators and industry professionals are also exasperated at the constant uncertainty after more than a year of unprecedented job and revenue losses. Its obvious that this government doesnt want anyone to travel abroad, so theyve made the system as unpredictable, stressful and confusing as possible so that people are left with no choice but to stay put, said Penelope Stenham, an interior designer from London who specializes in vacation home design in Spain and Portugal. Three people were killed and one remains missing after a flood and mudslide destroyed an area in Northern Colorado last week. One local official said that recent wildfires, including the Cameron Peak Fire last year, may be to blame. On Monday, search teams recovered the body of a man from the Poudre River near the community of Rustic, about 100 miles northwest of Denver. That followed the discovery of two other bodies, a man and a woman, since flooding in the area last week caused a mudslide that destroyed at least six homes and damaged a road. One woman remains missing. Justin Smith, the sheriff of Larimer County, said in a statement that the four people, who were not identified, were all associated with same residence. The area where the flooding and mudslide occurred was the site of the Cameron Peak Fire, which started in August 2020 and burned over 200,000 acres through December, becoming the largest wildfire in Colorados history. For months, Republican leaders have downplayed the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob. But on Tuesday, ahead of the first hearing of a special committee to investigate the riot, they took their approach to new and misleading extremes, falsely blaming Speaker Nancy Pelosi for the violence. The American people deserve to know the truth that Nancy Pelosi bears responsibility as speaker of the House for the tragedy that occurred on Jan. 6, said Representative Elise Stefanik, Republican of New York and the partys No. 3 leader. It amounted to an audacious attempt to rewrite the history of the worst attack on the Capitol in two centuries and pre-empt the damning testimony of four police officers who were brutalized by the mob of Donald J. Trumps supporters. Heres how Republicans twisted the facts. Pelosi is not responsible for securing the Capitol. Looking past the motivations of the mob or Mr. Trump, Republicans said it had been up to Ms. Pelosi and her leadership team to protect the Capitol from the attack, particularly given that intelligence gathered in the weeks before it occurred pointed to the potential for violence against Congress. The water level in Lake Powell has dropped to the lowest level since the U.S. government started filling the enormous reservoir on the Colorado River in the 1960s another sign of the ravages of the Western drought. On Monday, the pool elevation in Lake Powell, which stretches from Utah into Arizona, had dropped to 3,554 feet. (On Tuesday, it stood at 3,555 feet.) The water level has plunged as the American West experiences what scientists are calling a megadrought. Too little water is coming into the lake, and too much is being sent downriver to maintain levels in Lake Mead, which is also at historically low levels. The two reservoirs, among the largest in the United States, are part of a river system that provides water to more than 40 million people. The dams that hold back the water on the lakes produce hydropower for many Western states, and electric production from the Hoover Dam at Lake Mead has dropped by about 25 percent during the drought. Representative Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming, issued a defiant challenge to her own party on Tuesday as a special House committee began its inquiry into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, saying that the riot would remain a cancer on our constitutional republic if Congress failed to hold accountable those who were responsible. In stern opening remarks, Ms. Cheney, one of just two House Republicans willing to serve on the panel, dared her colleagues to support a full investigation into the worst attack on Congress in centuries. Will we be so blinded by partisanship that we throw away the miracle of America? Ms. Cheney asked. Do we hate our political adversaries more than we love our country and revere our Constitution? Her remarks underscored just how isolated she has become in her own party as one of the few Republicans willing to speak out against President Donald J. Trump and his role in inspiring the attack on the Capitol. Ms. Cheney, the daughter of a powerful conservative family, has already been ousted from Republican leadership for her insistence on calling out the former president and his election lies, and her participation in the inquiry has drawn scorn from party leaders. A former intelligence contractor who disclosed details of the American drone warfare program to a reporter was sentenced on Tuesday to nearly four years in prison. The former official, Daniel E. Hale, 33, was working as a contract employee with a security clearance at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency when he provided documents to a reporter for The Intercept, a news site that specializes in intelligence matters. He was originally charged in 2019 with various counts including disclosing intelligence information and theft of government property. In March, Mr. Hale pleaded guilty to retaining and transmitting national defense information. On Tuesday, Judge Liam OGrady of U.S. District Court sentenced Mr. Hale to 45 months in prison. According to court documents, Mr. Hale originally began communicating with an investigative reporter in 2013, while he was in the U.S. Air Force and was assigned as an intelligence analyst to the National Security Agency. Then in February 2014, after leaving the Air Force and becoming a contractor at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, he gave classified documents to The Intercept. But 2020, with a record 18.7 millions ballots cast by Latino voters, proved just how wrong that theory was. Though roughly 60 percent chose President Biden, the movement toward Donald J. Trump plunged Democrats into a period of soul-searching. While there has not been a conclusive detailed analysis, exit polling and focus groups from both parties show that Mr. Trump won over Hispanic voters without a college degree who were critical of shutdown orders amid the pandemic and believed the former president would be a better steward of the economy. Republicans also did well with Cubans, Venezuelans and Colombians in South Florida who viewed Democrats as sympathetic to socialism, as well as Mexican Americans in South Texas and other regions who backed his border policies. Evangelicals made up a sizable portion of Latino Trump supporters based on their opposition to abortion. The Democratic Party is now trying to use data to better understand Latino voters, and to try to develop a more granular understanding of how different national backgrounds, economic status and other factors change voting behavior. As a candidate and president-elect, Mr. Biden has had uneven success with Hispanic outreach. In early 2020 primaries, he trailed his rival Bernie Sanders among Latino voters. Top Latino officials were frustrated during his campaign last year by the absence of Hispanic officials in his inner circle. Some activists are quietly criticizing the new efforts as lackluster, and point out that while outreach has increased, there has not been a major policy victory on a critical issue like an immigration overhaul. But they acknowledge that there is a growing recognition that winning over Latino voters will take more than stops at taco shops and inserting mangled Spanish slogans into stump speeches. In terms of their engagement, they are doing a much better job at this point than during the first Obama administration, said Arturo Vargas, the chief executive officer of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials, who recently briefed White House staff members on the organizations policy priorities. We didnt get this kind of outreach under Obama. I would hope the lesson has been learned that you cannot take the Latino vote for granted, Mr. Vargas added. Weve been saying that for decades, and I think that has now fallen on ears that are open. Still overwhelmed, Border Patrol agents continue to issue about 800 of the documents a day, according to the data shared with The Times. Most of the migrant families have been arriving in Texass Rio Grande Valley. Last week, a spokeswoman for Good Neighbor Settlement House, a soup kitchen in Brownsville, said the organization helped 268 migrants in one day, up from an average of 45 to 55 a day in June. We are definitely seeing an increase, she said. Representative Henry Cuellar, Democrat of Texas, said the surge in migrants crossing into the country through the Rio Grande Valley comes as more Border Patrol agents are testing positive for Covid-19. He said one of the main nonprofit organizations that has been helping to provide shelter and support for migrants after they are released from Border Patrol has stopped accepting more people as of Monday, as cases in the region are on the rise. More than half of the traffic on the southern border between February and June has been in Texas, where families and children from Central America have been entering the country in high numbers, according to Border Patrol data. Last week, Gov. Greg Abbott, Republican of Texas, directed law enforcement officials to start arresting migrants for trespassing to address illegal immigration. Texas has begun arresting illegal immigrants who are trespassing in Texas or vandalizing property & fences, Mr. Abbott said in a Twitter post on Wednesday. He said the migrants were being sent to a detention center in Dilley, rather than being released like the Biden Admin. has been doing. If the administration continues to use the alternate document while border stations see high numbers of migrants crossing illegally into the country, the number of undocumented immigrants living under the radar will continue to increase, Joseph Edlow, an immigration attorney and former deputy director for policy at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services during the Trump administration, said in an interview on Monday. To use this in the way that its being used is akin to ending immigration enforcement and making it clear that the onus is essentially on the individual to report themselves if they want to, Mr. Edlow said of the alternate document. The migrants who have legitimate asylum claims, for example, are not benefiting from the policy, either, he said. Its almost like a legal purgatory, where there is really nothing going on because theyre not legally here, he said. Miriam Jordan contributed reporting from Los Angeles. Mr. Enzi served in the Wyoming National Guard from 1967 to 1973. He married Diana Buckley in 1969, and the two moved to Gillette, where he ran a shoe store. She survives him, as do his daughters, Amy Strom and Emily McGrady; a son, Brad Enzi; and four grandchildren. Mr. Enzi did not initially intend to get into politics, he said. But he was a member of the Jaycees, a national leadership training and civic organization (for only men at the time), and served as president of its Wyoming chapter. When he was 29, he recalled, he was asked to speak at an event in Cody, Wyo., where another speaker, Alan Simpson, a state representative who would go on to serve in the United States Senate, pulled him aside and encouraged him to run for mayor of Gillette, the city to which he had moved only a few years earlier. On the way home from that Cody meeting while my wife was driving, I told her what Senator Simpson had said, and that I was thinking maybe I should run for mayor, Mr. Enzi said in his retirement speech. It must have come as quite a shock, because she ended up swerving into the barrow pit and then coming back up onto the road. At the time, Mr. Enzi said, Gillette was a place where recent discoveries of oil, gas and coal were drawing more and more people and putting a strain on municipal services. The city, he said, was in need of three things that would become a recurring theme in Mr. Enzis political career: budgets, agendas and planning. Not the most exciting topics, he said. Mr. Enzi was elected mayor in 1974 and served two four-year terms, during which he traveled to and from Washington as a member of the Coal Advisory Committee for the U.S. Department of Interior and served as the president of the Wyoming Association of Municipalities. He soon set his sights on state politics, joining the Wyoming House of Representatives in 1987 and the Wyoming State Senate in 1991. He was first elected to the United States Senate in 1996. He led its Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions from 2005 to 2007 and was the chairman of the Budget Committee from 2015 to 2021. And this month, Mr. Trump falsely suggested that law enforcement officers had been the only ones with firearms and said that the doors were open. In American life, truth is now contested. And while this has profoundly affected the countrys politics, and so much else, it has raised unique challenges for one group in particular: journalists. After all, the high-profile Republicans who are obfuscating the events of Jan. 6 are undeniably newsworthy. Ms. Stefanik is the third-ranking House Republican; Mr. Johnson may seek re-election in a pivotal Senate race; polls indicate that Mr. Trump would be the commanding front-runner if he seeks the Republican presidential nomination in three years. Their political influence would normally demand coverage. Yet journalists will never feel comfortable publishing anything they know to be false. Social media has also raised the stakes of airing misleading statements, even in the service of conveying the news. If a lie can make it halfway around the world before the truth can get its pants on, then maybe the act of printing a falsehood and debunking it in the next sentence is just giving the falsehood a head start. Mainstream outlets have tried to square this circle by contextualizing problematic quotes and allegations. But this is difficult to do well, and it may be impossible to strike the exactly correct balance. Share Your Stories About Returning to Work if You Dont Sit at a Desk Millions of Americans are returning to work at hospitals, retail stores, restaurants and schools. For a short series, we are soliciting stories from those workers about their concerns and hopes for the future. New York commuters in July. Are you returning to a non-office job? We want to hear your stories. Credit... Gabby Jones for The New York Times President Biden met with Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, the lead Democratic negotiator on a bipartisan infrastructure deal, on Tuesday as talks between a group of senators and White House officials continue to hinge on a handful of unresolved disagreements over funding levels and how to finance the agreement. The meeting, first reported by Politico and confirmed by two people familiar with the plans, is expected to center on the ongoing talks. Other senators involved in the talks expressed different degrees of optimism, but most said negotiations are likely to continue deeper into the week. If it takes a couple of extra days, fine, said Senator Tom Carper, Democrat of Delaware, who is fighting for more funds for clean-water infrastructure. At the end of the day, I think its just critically important to meet our priorities. The White House meeting comes more than a month after Mr. Biden, Ms. Sinema and nine other senators triumphantly announced a deal on a framework for $1.2 trillion in spending, with nearly $600 billion of that in new funding for roads, bridges, highways and broadband. CANTON, Ga. The man accused of killing eight people at a string of Atlanta-area spas pleaded guilty on Tuesday to four counts of murder in suburban Cherokee County and will serve four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole plus 35 years in prison. But the man, Robert Aaron Long, still faces four other murder charges in nearby Fulton County, where the prosecutor is seeking the death penalty. Mr. Long, 22, had already admitted to investigators that he was responsible for the March 16 shooting spree. On Tuesday morning he appeared in public for the first time since his arrest, in a tense courtroom packed with victims family members and one man, Elcias Hernandez Ortiz, whom Mr. Long shot in the face but did not kill. Shackled, bespectacled and sporting a haircut shaved around the sides and long at the top, Mr. Long spoke, at the judges prompting, of his addiction to pornography and prostitution, and how he wanted to punish the people who were the objects of his obsession. Mr. Longs main goal now, it appears, is to avoid execution. In a statement after the sentencing hearing, Zachary H. Smith, one of Mr. Longs lawyers, said that the defense team hoped that the Fulton County district attorney, Fani T. Willis, would follow the example of the Cherokee County prosecutor, Shannon Wallace, and agree to a similar resolution in that county. American officials have indicated that there will be renewed interest in the region, given Mr. Bidens focus on Asia as a linchpin of his foreign policy agenda. Analysts say there could be a flurry of diplomatic efforts in the months ahead. Mr. Austin is also set to travel to the Philippines and Vietnam on his trip. In recent months, several Southeast Asian officials have been perturbed by the lack of face-to-face engagement from their American counterparts, particularly in light of Chinas ramping up its diplomatic efforts in the pandemic. (Mr. Austin was scheduled to appear in Singapore at a regional defense meeting in June, but organizers had to cancel at the last minute because of a surge in Covid-19 cases in the city-state.) Several Southeast Asian analysts viewed Secretary of State Antony J. Blinkens decision to visit Japan, India and South Korea, but not Southeast Asia, as a snub. It seemed to reinforce the perception that Southeast Asia has always been paid lip service: that this is an important region to the Indo-Pacific, but it is, in practice, still being treated as an afterthought, said Collin Koh, a research fellow at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies in Singapore. Mr. Blinken tried to hold a video conference with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, in May. But the ministers were kept facing a blank screen for 45 minutes because of a technical glitch. The meeting had to be postponed and rescheduled for earlier this month. In the first trial under the tough national security law imposed by China, a Hong Kong court convicted a protester of terrorism and inciting secession on Tuesday, a ruling that sets new limits on dissent and raises the risks of challenging Beijing. The protester, Tong Ying-kit, was arrested last year on July 1, after he drove his motorcycle around a Hong Kong neighborhood with a protest banner, then collided with police officers who tried to stop him, injuring three. Under the security law, which went into effect hours before his arrest, Mr. Tong could be sentenced to life in prison. The court will hand down his sentence at a later date, likely within weeks. The trial was regarded as a test of how the citys traditionally independent courts would enforce the security law while upholding the citys much cherished civil liberties. In convicting Mr. Tong, the court showed the extent to which the new law would criminalize political speech. SEOUL North and South Korea on Tuesday reopened military and other diplomatic communication hotlines after a hiatus of nearly 14 months, as the North said it wanted to improve ties as early as possible amid a deepening economic crisis. The decision to restore the links was brokered in a series of letters exchanged since April between President Moon Jae-in of South Korea and Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, both countries governments said on Tuesday. The pair chose to reopen communications on a symbolic day: the anniversary of the truce that effectively ended the Korean War in 1953. The North cut off all communications with South Korea in June of last year, saying that it had no need to continue to communicate with a country it deemed an enemy. It has since refused to pick up the phone when South Korean officials made routine daily calls on the military and other inter-Korean hotlines. Days after communications were cut off, relations reached their lowest point in recent years when the North bombed an inter-Korean joint liaison office in the North Korean town of Kaesong near the border, where officials from both sides had maintained offices. People are not only suffering there, they are not only being indoctrinated there, not only being tortured, they are actually dying, said Mr. Ayup, who now lives in Norway. And the Chinese government is using this death, using these threats to make us silent, to make us lose our hope. As Beijing has intensified its repression in Xinjiang in recent years, more Uyghurs living overseas have felt compelled to speak out about mass internment camps and other abuses against their families back home. Their testimonies have added to a growing body of evidence of Chinas crackdown, which some have called a genocide, prompting foreign governments to impose sanctions. Image Ms. Erkin was a gifted agricultural scientist educated at prestigious universities in Shanghai and Tokyo. Credit... Abduweli Ayup Now the Chinese authorities are pushing back against overseas Uyghurs by targeting their relatives. The Communist Party has long treated the relatives of dissidents as guilty by association and used them to pressure and punish outspoken family members. With the courts under the control of the authorities, there is little recourse to challenge such prosecutions. Liu Xia, the wife of Chinese activist Liu Xiaobo, spent nearly eight years under house arrest after he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010. Her younger brother, Liu Hui, served two years in prison for a fraud conviction she called retaliation. But with the Uyghurs, the authorities seem to be applying this tactic with unusual, and increasing severity, placing some Uyghur activists relatives in prison for decades, or longer. A lonely year Average time spent per day during waking hours, May through December in 2020 vs. 2019 No time 2 hours 4 hours 6 hours 8 hours Alone +57 min. With household members only +31 min. With people outside household 1 hour and 33 min. 2019 2020 Note: Excludes time spent on personal grooming and other activities where data on who is there is not collected. Last year was the year of sourdough baking and jigsaw puzzles and of trying to work with a toddler screaming in the same room. It was the year of commuting from the bedroom to the living room for those able to work from home, and of harrowing, masked bus rides for many of those who had to go to work in person. It was a year of profound loneliness for those trapped in nursing homes, and of too much togetherness for those quarantining in too-small apartments. It was a year, in other words, when the pandemic changed life for everyone, but in different ways. The American Time Use Survey every year asks thousands of people to track every minute of a single day. Most years, the data reflects the ways in which changes in technology, society and the economy subtly shift how we spend our days. For 2020, it reflected the sudden rupture of daily life. The Labor Department, which oversees the survey, paused data collection in mid-March last year because of the coronavirus outbreak, and didnt resume it until mid-May. That means the years data is missing the most intense period of lockdowns and business closings last year. But it offers a glimpse of how we adapted to a different way of living as the pandemic dragged on, when we were left to figure out how to shop, work, entertain ourselves and connect with others in brand new and perhaps enduring ways. And it shows how those adaptations and disruptions varied across groups. Beyond work and school People last year spent far less waking time an hour and a half less, on average with people outside their own household. For people who didnt live with anyone else, in particular, that meant a lot of time by themselves more than 20 hours a day either asleep or alone, on average. Seniors spent the most time alone. But it was young people, especially teenagers, who saw the biggest shift in their social lives. Teenagers 15 to 19 spent six hours a day alone in 2020, up from four and a half in 2019. With less time out of the house, Americans stared at screens a lot, for Zoom happy hours, Netflix binges or idle social media scrolling. While others let their hair grow long and worried less about their wardrobes, young people were the only group to spend more time on personal grooming in 2020 and the only group to spend less time working out. How we spent our free time Average non-work and non-school time spent per day, by age, May through December in 2020 vs. 2019 Age group 15-24 25-44 45-64 65+ Sleeping 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 hours per day + 5 min. + 13 min. + 15 min. + 4 min. 2019 2020 Doing housework 15 30 45 min. per day + 3 min. + 5 min. + 6 min. No change 2019 2020 Grooming 30 35 40 45 min. per day + 0.4 min. 4 min. 7 min. 4 min. 2019 2020 Exercising 15 30 45 min. per day 5 min. + 5 min. + 4 min. + 4 min. 2019 2020 Texting, phone calls and video chats 5 10 15 min. per day + 8 min. + 2 min. + 2 min. + 3 min. 2019 2020 Cooking 15 30 45 60 min. per day 6 min. + 2 min. + 6 min. + 4 min. 2019 2020 Watching TV, movies or videos 2 4 6 hours per day + 22 min. + 11 min. + 25 min. + 16 min. 2019 2020 Using computers or smartphones 15 30 45 min. per day + 10 min. + 0.5 min. + 3 min. + 2 min. 2019 2020 Playing games 30 60 90 min. per day + 24 min. + 6 min. + 3 min. + 3 min. 2019 2020 Notes: Annual averages include all people, not just those who participated at all in each activity. The computers and smartphones category excludes school and work use, or time spent on devices for gaming, watching videos or other uses covered in other categories. Examples of included uses are social media and internet activity. Parents had a lot to juggle Its no secret that the pandemic was particularly disruptive to the lives of people with children. But the time-use data shows just how much child care dominated the lives of parents last year, and how the burden fell unevenly. With schools closed in much of the country, parents jumped in to help with homework or home-schooling, while spending less time running errands like pickup and drop-off. Overall, parents spent a few minutes more a day on such direct child care duties, with the biggest burden falling on those with kids who would ordinarily have been in elementary school. But the big change was in the amount of time parents spent watching their children while juggling other tasks, what Labor Department statisticians call secondary child care. Parents of elementary-school-age children spent six hours a day on secondary child care in 2020, an hour and 20 minutes more than in 2019. Women bore the brunt of the burden: They spent seven hours a day on secondary child care (versus less than five hours for men), and eight hours on child care overall. School-age kids required more time Average time spent per day caring for children, among adults with children ages 6-12 in their household, May through December in 2020 vs. 2019 No time 2 hours 4 hours 6 hours 8 hours 10 hours Women +2 hours and 4 min. Men +1 hour and 21 min. 2019 2020 Parents spent more time doing just about everything while keeping an eye on the kids in 2020 more time cooking, more time cleaning and, in particular, more time working. Women spent 48 more minutes a day working while responsible for children in 2020, a figure that understates the true increase for many women because the average includes women who werent working at all. Parents had to multitask more Average time spent per day caring for children, among adults with children ages 6-12 in their household, May through December in 2020 vs. 2019 While working 15 30 45 60 75 min. per day Women + 48 min. Men + 16 min. 2019 2020 While cooking + 13 min. + 3 min. 2019 2020 While doing housework + 6 min. + 4 min. 2019 2020 Child care increased for mothers across the board last year. But single moms were hit especially hard. Unmarried women with elementary-school-age children at home spent nearly three extra hours a day on child care; the time unmarried men spent on child care hardly changed. The picture looked very different in married households, where men and women saw roughly equal increases in child care (although women still shouldered a greater burden in total). Single mothers had the biggest increases in time spent on child care Change in average time spent per day caring for children, among adults with children ages 6-12 in their household, May through December in 2020 vs. 2019 Married 2 4 6 8 10 hours per day Women + 1 hour and 49 min. Men + 1 hour and 41 min. 2019 2020 Never married + 2 hours and 45 min. + 15 min. 2019 2020 Widowed, divorced or separated + 2 hours and 49 min. 3 min. 2019 2020 Time spent working Americans worked less last year on average, but that was because mass layoffs in the spring meant fewer people were working at all. Among those who kept their jobs, there was little change in the amount of time spent working in a given day about seven and a half hours in 2020, the same as in 2019. Of course, the nature of work changed drastically. In 2019, one in seven people worked primarily from home on a given day. In 2020, that figure rose to one in three. (The share was almost certainly even higher in the spring, when data wasnt collected.) Overall, the average time spent at the office or job site fell more than an hour and a half among employed workers, while the amount of time spent working from home rose about the same amount. On average, Americans still spent more time at workplaces than working at home Average time spent per day working, among those who worked at all, May through December in 2020 vs. 2019 No time 2 hours 4 hours 6 hours 8 hours At home +1 hour and 38 min. At workplace 1 hour and 39 min. 2019 2020 The changes werent evenly distributed. Hispanic workers were likelier to lose their jobs than members of other racial or ethnic groups, while Black workers were more likely to be in jobs that required them to keep going to work in person. White and Asian workers were far more likely than other groups to be able to work from home. Asian workers were the only group to work more remotely than in person Average time spent per day working, among those who worked at all, May through December in 2020 vs. 2019 White workers 2 4 6 8 hours per day At home + 1 hour and 36 min. At workplace 1 hour and 32 min. 2019 2020 Black workers + 1 hour and 1 min. 34 min. 2019 2020 Hispanic workers 2 4 6 8 hours per day + 1 hour and 14 min. 1 hour and 36 min. 2019 2020 Asian workers + 4 hours and 21 min. 3 hours and 28 min. 2019 2020 Note: Racial categories exclude people identifying as Hispanic or Latino. Hispanics can be of any race. The educational divide is just as stark. Americans with higher levels of education were both more likely to keep their jobs and more likely to be able to work from home than those with less formal education. People with graduate or professional degrees actually spent more time, on average, working from home last year than working from the office. Those with a high school diploma or less, meanwhile, saw little increase in their time spent working from home, reflecting the large share of them who were considered essential workers and had to show up for work in person in the midst of a pandemic. People with more education were more likely to work from home Change in average time spent per day working by location and education level, among those who worked at all, ages 25 and up, May through December in 2020 vs. 2019 High school or less 2 4 6 8 hours per day At home + 24 min. At workplace 16 min. 2019 2020 Some college + 1 hour and 27 min. 1 hour and 17 min. 2019 2020 Bachelors degree 2 4 6 8 hours per day + 2 hours and 24 min. 2 hours and 16 min. 2019 2020 Graduate degree + 2 hours and 57 min. 2 hours and 43 min. 2019 2020 A 37-year-old father of one from Texas woke up one day ready to go to school, thinking it was the 1990s, after losing the last two decades of his life, including ever marrying his wife and having a daughter. In July of last year, Daniel Porter, a hearing specialist from Texas woke up in his bed just like any other morning, only something was wrong. A woman who he had never seen before was sleeping next to him, and when he looked in the mirror, an old and fat man was looking back at him. Daniel had gotten up thinking it was time to go to school, not knowing that he had graduated high-school nearly two decades before, and that the strange woman in his bed was his wife, with whom he had a 10-year-old daughter. Photo: Pixabay Daniel Porter had gone to sleep a 36-year-old father-of-one, and woke up the next day thinking he was still 16 and in high-school, with no recollection of his life as a family man. His wife, Ruth had to calm him down and explain that she was his wife and that he had not been kidnapped by a stranger. It sounds funny, but it was a scary experience for both of them. He woke up one morning and just had no idea who I was or where he was. He was very confused. I could tell he didnt recognize the room, Ruth said. He thought he was either drunk and gone home with a woman or that hed been kidnapped. I could see him looking for an escape route. Luckily, the couple had moved into his parents home and they helped her convince him that he was safe and where he was supposed to be. Still, he didnt even recognize his 10-year-old daughter, Libby, and was afraid of their two dogs. He didnt even recognize himself when looking in the mirror. Doctors originally diagnosed Daniel Porter with Transient Global Amnesia a sudden, temporary interruption of short-term memory and told him that he should be back to his old self again within 24 hours. However, a year after waking up with no recollection of the last 20 years, the 37-year-old still cant remember much of his life past his high-school days. Not only does Porter not remember his wife and daughter, their pets, and the friends hes made in the last two decades, but he has even forgotten all the education he got after high-school so he had to quit working as a trained hearing specialist. Ruth has been driving him through the neighborhood, reintroducing him to his old friends, in the hopes of bringing his memory back, but so far it hasnt been working. Things have been difficult for Daniels wife and daughter over the past year, as they struggled to come to terms with his mysterious condition. Not only is he missing a big chunk of his memory, but he is actually a different person, with different tastes in food and a different attitude. For example, he now loves going out, when in the past he didnt. Its weird because Im in an old relationship and hes in a new one, Ruth said. Doctors dont know exactly what triggered Daniel Porters severe amnesia, but they suspect that it was a side-effect of emotional stress. He started having stress-induced seizures in January 2020, after losing his job, having to sell his house and some of his possessions, and suffering a slipped disk in his spine. The month they moved in his parents home to get their feet back on the ground, he started getting these non-epileptic seizures. It was like his brain just said it didnt want to do it anymore and just swiped 20 years of memories, Daniels wife said. I knew that when people have been through trauma that they can lose their memory of it but I didnt know it could cause 20 years of memory loss. Daniel is currently going to therapy to try and work through the trauma, but no one knows if he will ever get back the 20 years of memories he lost. Denise Vitola Bayer adds Denise Vitola to its communications team as vice president of brand integration, PR, social and influencer for consumer health. Vitola was previously founder and CEO of communications consultancy Vitola Strategies, where she led internal communications and brand PR for Bayer Consumer Health North America. Before that, she was managing director at Makovsky and North America practice director, consumer, at MSLGROUP. In her new role, Vitola will be responsible for leading strategy for integrated brand PR, social media and influencer marketing for all Consumer Health U.S. brands. Denise has elevated and brought new relevance to Bayer Consumer Health North Americas largest brands, said Beth Roden, SVP and head of communications Bayer U.S. and head of communications, Consumer Health North America. Michael Lyons Two Nil Holdings, a global marketing services network focused on servicing direct-to-consumer brands, appoints Michael Lyons as chief investment officer, as well as managing director of Juice Media, the networks investment arm. Lyons previously worked at Casual Precision, where he partnered with Two Nil to activate clients across OTT/CTV opportunities. Before that, he co-founded Bliss Point Media and also led TV and streaming sales efforts for companies such as AOL, Adapt.tv and A&E Networks. In his new role, Lyons will oversee all activation and investment efforts for TNHs clients, while leading Juice Media. Mikes experience developing and leading investment activities across campaigns, especially as we focus more and more on Over-the-Top and Connected TV investments, will help keep Juice Media LLC on top of its game, said TNH chief operating officer Greg Castronuovo. Anne Sophie Hurst, Eric Gonzalez, Maggie Philbin San Francisco-based VSC promotes Anne Sophie Hurst, Eric Gonzalez and Maggie Philbin to partner. Hurst has been with the VSC since 2018, most recently serving as head of people and operations. Before VSC, Hurst spent two decades leading teams and clients at digital creative agencies Huge, Prolific Interactive and Fluid. Gonzalez was previously general manager of the agencys New York office. He is responsible for setting campaign strategies and overseeing the execution of initiatives across the company's growing roster of global clients. Philbin has been with VSC since 2014, most recently serving as a senior vice president. She was previously at Brook Communications and White Book Agency. Liz Cheney Hats off to Liz Cheney for her robust opening statement at today's special House committee to investigate the January 6th Capitol Hill riot, the biggest assault on DC since the War of 1812. Heres an excerpt: We cannot leave the violence of January 6thand its causesuninvestigated. The American people deserve the full and open testimony of every person with knowledge of the planning and preparation for January 6th. We must know what happened here at the Capitol. We must also know what happened every minute of that day in the White Houseevery phone call, every conversation, every meeting leading up to, during, and after the attack. Honorable men and women have an obligation to step forward. If those responsible are not held accountable, and if Congress does not act responsibly, this will remain a cancer on our Constitutional Republic, undermining the peaceful transfer of power at the heart of our democratic system. We will face the threat of more violence in the months to come and another January 6th every four years. Cheney spoke powerfully, destroying the Republican effort to re-write the history of January 6th. The Wyoming Congresswoman exposed the flat-out hypocrisy of her Republican colleagues. She quoted an unnamed Republican who said during the riot: What is happening at the U.S. Capitol right now is unacceptable and un-American. Those participating in lawlessness and violence must be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.'" Those were the words of Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana, who has now flipped and is trying to discredit the January 6th probe. Speaker Nancy Pelosi nixed Banks and Trump lackey Jim Jordan of Ohio for membership on the committee. That led gutless Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to pull all five of his nominations. His snit enabled Pelosi to pick Cheney and Republican Adam Kinzinger, who advocates for a full investigation of January 6, for the committee and pitch the panel as bipartisan. Pelosi simply outplayed McCarthy. Mercury co-chair Barbara Boxer lives up to her name. She is one tough cookie. The 80-year old was assaulted and robbed on July 26 while walking to her apartment in Oaklands Jack London Square neighborhood. She told the Los Angeles Times a guy jumped out of a car, shoved her on the shoulder, put his arm around her waist, grabbed her cellphone, ran back to his car, and sped off. I was standing and shaking and I just said to them, 'Why would you do that to a grandmother? I need to call my grandkids, she told the paper. Boxer noted that though she was pushed hard, she did not fall to the ground. Mercury clients are lucky to have tough-as-nails Boxer in their corner. The PR halo earned by the pharmaceutical industry for its masterful performance in developing vaccines for COVID-19 is in serious jeopardy. The Wall Street Journal reports that Big Pharma is leading the effort to kill the 15 percent global corporate tax agreement ironed out by 130 countries. The 15 percent tax rate is a major priority of the Biden administration. A New York University analysis of taxes paid by drug companies found that Pfizer paid a 5.8 percent effective tax rate over the past decade. Johnson & Johnson paid a rate of 10.8 percent in 2020. The drug companies claim those tax breaks help bankroll research that leads to breakthroughs such as the COVID-19 shot. An all-out effort to thwart the global effort to create a more equitable tax system will squander the PR goodwill earned by Big Pharma for its COVID-19 efforts. The outdoor swimming pool on the Shannon beside Banagher bridge has been an especially popular spot during the July heatwave. For a good deal of the year only a small number of brave souls swim in the pool's cold waters, but it's popular during the summer and when we were enjoying a Mediterranean climate user numbers have soared. During a recent meeting of Birr MD Cllr Clare Claffey said it's great to see the pool being popular, however she said it needs a Lifeguard during the summer months. I have great memories of swimming in the pool as a child, she said. There was a Lifeguard at the time, part-funded by Offaly and Galway County Councils. Offaly County Council recently wrote to Galway County Council asking them to restart this programme but we haven't received a response yet. The pool attracts a lot of locals and visitors during the summer, not just during this heatwave, and it's a matter of being an absolute priority that we employ a Lifeguard there. Director of Services Stephane Duclot said he will talk to Galway County Council about the matter. Cllr Clendennen said lifebelts are needed at certain popular swimming spots. A High Court challenge has been launched over the States refusal to hold a public investigation into Covid-19 related deaths in care homes. The action has been brought in behalf of 19 individuals from all over Ireland who are challenging a decision by the Minister for Health on June 28 last not to establish a formal investigation into the circumstances of Covid-19 deaths in care homes in the State. Most of the applicants had a relative who is recorded as having died from Covid-19 while in a care home in Ireland. Some of the applicants have experienced what they claim are a range of failures within nursing homes during the pandemic, which they say should be included in the inquiry. The court heard that the applicants sought the investigation because of their deep concerns about the relative's deaths and the preparedness and response of the care homes. They also claim that a public investigation into their deaths is required under both the Irish Constitution and the European Convention of Human Rights. Such an investigation they claim would establish the facts, allow learning from events, provide accountability, help rebuild confidence in the sector and prevent a re-occurrence. They claim the refusal by the State, formally indicated to the applicant's solicitors last month, to hold such an inquiry is contrary to the public interest, is unfair, unreasonable and disproportionate. Represented by Ronan Lavery SC the applicants have brought judicial review proceedings against the An Taoiseach, the Minister for Health, Minister for Finance, Ireland and the Attorney General. The seek an order quashing last June's decision not to hold an investigation into covid19 deaths in the State, and damages. They also seek a declaration that Articles of the Irish Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights an investigation into the circumstances of Covid19 deaths in the state's care homes. They further seek declarations that the refusal to conduct such a probe is unlawful, unconstitutional and in breach of the applicants' rights. The matter was briefly mentioned, on an ex-parte basis, before Mr Justice Charles Meenan on Monday. The judge noted that no medical evidence supporting some of the applicants claims that residents had been badly or not properly treated at the hones, had been given to the court. The judge said that given the issues raised he wanted time to consider the documents in the application and adjourning the matter to later this week. A serial sex attacker has lost his appeal against his 18-and-a-half-year jail term for three premeditated, random attacks on women over a five-year period in south Dublin. The father-of-two was jailed in 2018 for the violent attacks, which the judge described as primal and brutal. Slawomir Gierlowski (37) had already lost an appeal against his convictions. One of the attacks was carried out in broad daylight, with Gierlowski putting a hunting knife to his victims throat as she made her way to work. The other two attacks involved a sexual assault and took place late at night as the women walked home after a night out. The roofer, who is originally from Poland, attacked all three women at locations in the Clondalkin area in 2011, 2015 and 2016. Gierlowski of Galtymore Drive, Drimnagh in Dublin had pleaded not guilty to nine charges, including false imprisonment, sexual assault, assault and possession of a hunting knife with intent to intimidate. Following the final attack, witnesses identified a suspect van which Gardai linked to Gierlowski. His DNA was subsequently matched to DNA found under the nails of one of his victims and on semen found on the clothes of another. Inside his van, Gardai found duct tape and cable ties. Similar items were used on his second victim and were found near to where the third assault occurred. After a trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, a jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts on all counts. Judge Pauline Codd labelled him as clearly a dangerous man. She said that the involvement of a leather belt, a hunting knife, duct tape and cable ties were aggravating factors. She imposed consecutive sentences of eight years, nine and a half years and five years. She suspended the final four years on condition that he successfully complete sex offender programmes in custody. Following his release he will be subject to a nine-year supervision period and will have to obey a curfew. He appealed against his conviction to the Court of Appeal last year, but lost that appeal in January. His barrister, Desmond Dockery SC, returned to the court last month to appeal against his sentence. Mr Dockery first acknowledged that his client did not accept his guilt. His not guilty plea and trial always meant that any sentence would be severe, he noted. However, he said that the headline sentence imposed for the false imprisonment in the third attack was unduly severe, so the overall sentence was somewhat excessive. He explained that this was a headline sentence of 11 years, which was eventually reduced to eight years after mitigation and other legal factors were considered. However, Counsel said that this offence was ancillary to the very serious assault he carried out with a knife on that occasion, but was double the sentence handed down for that crime. She wasnt entitled to do that, he said of the judge. She had to start with a headline sentence for false imprisonment, which bore some proportionality to the sentence available to her for assault, he said. He noted that the available sentence for assault was not as high as that available for false imprisonment, but said that should have been considered before deciding which charges he should face. She seems to have treated this offence as the main offence and in my submission it was not, he said. Roisin Lacey SC responded on behalf of the DPP. She said that this was the first case of a serial attacker to come before the circuit court here and perhaps before any Irish court. However, she said there was a precedent for giving a larger sentence to the false imprisonment aspect of an attack than to the actual assault. She drew the courts attention to the case where the precedent was set. Justice Patrick McCarthy, who sat with Court President Justice George Birmingham and Justice Aileen Donnelly, dismissed the appeal on Tuesday. He added that the court may vary the terms of suspension, but would not interfere with the sentence length. He said that reasons would be given in a full judgment at a later date. Gierlowski is to be sentenced for other crimes by separate courts in the coming months. During the COVID-19 pandemic, more women lost their jobs than men, and many women who lost their jobs haven't returned to work, according to a recent report from the International Labour Organization (ILO). Even a year and half after the pandemic, gender equality and women's rights continue to be negatively impacted due to a crushing public health and socio-economic crisis, said Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. "The pandemic has hit the world in a context of rising economic inequalities," Bachelet said in a video message during a panel on gender-equal socioeconomic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic at the Human Rights Council. "Social and economic inequalities have been exacerbated, undermining women's economic security and resilience against shocks." Bachelet offered steps for moving forward on recovering efforts such as prioritizing economic security of women facing intersecting forms of discrimination, recognizing the value of care work, ensuring women's equal rights and responsibilities in the family, protecting civic space and the participation of women and girls; and ensuring their access to justice and remedies. "The majority of socioeconomic COVID-19 responses adopted by States are surprisingly gender-blind, often failing to address the specific needs of women," she said. In a video message, Mohammad Naciri, UN-Women Regional Director for Asia-Pacific, expressed his concerns for the unparalleled economic crisis that has hit more people working in the informal sector, the service industry and care work, where women are overrepresented. "Women and girls have had to juggle these burdens and hardships as support and protection were restricted," he said. "Even before the pandemic, women in some Asia-Pacific countries did up to 11 times more unpaid care work than men each day with an obvious impact on their opportunities for paid work. The pandemic has pushed this inequity to a breaking point." Naciri suggested improving economic inclusion through equal pay, better job protection, equal distribution of care work, expand social protection for caregivers and informal unpaid caregivers at home, and provide targeted credit and investments in the care economy. He also pushed for flexible work options for women employees and cash transfers for low-income women and unemployed informal workers. Even though women have been faced with the responsibility for health care and caregiving, women haven't been equally involved in strategic decision-making in the response to COVID-19, according to Monica Zalaquett Said, Minister for Women and Gender Equity of Chile. Only 24 percent of the membership of national institutions created to respond to the pandemic are women, she explained. To address this lack of participation, Zalaquett highlighted initiatives that have been introduced in Chile to address this participation gap. For example, the Covid Women's Council, made up of women from civil society, academia, the private sector, and the government, was convened to address issues related to the pandemic. "We have strengthened our partnerships with the private sector, particularly with key sectors for economic reactivation, such as construction, mining and energy, among others, with whom we are working to increase the participation of women in these sectors," she said. "A key pillar for equal recovery, is gender responsive financing." said Maria Alesi, a development practitioner from Uganda. Gender responsive financing is not about funding small village projects for women, but about financing targeted at dismantling structures and system that create and reinforce inequality, she explained. She highlighted the importance of ending the debt burden on middle- and low-income countries to release resources to invest in public services and social protection to drive gender equal recovery. Alesi also urged policy makers to develop progressive tax regimes. Many current regimes have regressive impacts, placing the burden on low-income earners who are mostly women, she said. In Uganda, the government imposed a 12 percent tax on internet use, which will exclude many women from the access to information and opportunity, Alesi said. She appealed to policymakers to focus on taxing wealth and income, instead of individuals. None of these measures, Alessi explained, can have any impact on gender equality if women worldwide don't have access to the vaccine. "How can we talk about gender-equal recovery when women in middle- and low-income countries cannot access the single most critical technology for human continuity today?" she questioned. Today, only 0.78 percent of the population in Africa have been vaccinated, she added. Kateryna Levchenko, Governmental Commissioner for Gender Policy of Ukraine, emphasized the need for ensuring women's and girls' participation in designing and implementing a gender-responsive recovery plan. To ensure their participation, Levchenko underlined the importance of keeping up with international commitments on human rights and gender equality, cooperation with civil society, particularly with women and feminist organizations, multisectoral cooperation, and the use of temporary special measures, such as electoral quotas. Millions of women have already lost so much, Bachelet said. For instance, in Latin America and the Caribbean, the pandemic has prompted a setback of more than 18 years in women's labor participation, she added. "We must shift the recovery efforts now to stop setbacks in gender equality and to build more inclusive, just and prosperous societies," she said. 27 July 2021 What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 716-372-3121 or email nfinnerty@oleantimesherald.com. Are you a current print subscriber? You qualify for online access to the Omak Chronicle. To receive your access, create a website account and then verify your print subscription or e-edition subscription with your subscriber number, which may be found on your bill or mailing label. Understanding the Model of iGaming in Europe Provides Guidelines for North America Published July 26, 2021 by Lee R Overall tolerance of land-based casinos positions Canada to emulate Europe faster than the US when it comes to North American iGaming. We know Europe is the capital of iGaming, but why are the US and Canada lagging and who has the best chance to join the iGaming revolution that Europe has spawned? The Freedom of Europe No other region enjoys as many gambling freedoms as Europeans, where all the largest by far iGaming companies come from or operate. North America Lags In another potentially lucrative region, many more restrictions exist: in North America, limited access to casinos delays the region and its citizens from capitalising on the benefits that their European counterparts have enjoyed since the beginning of the millennium. Triumphing Over Addiction The opponents of iGaming in the Northern American region cannot play the addiction card, when Europe has avoided a Wild West scenario where players would otherwise be taken advantage of because of the use of the rigorous restrictions and guidelines which govern free play across the Pond. Compliant Licensees Licenses are granted to compliant operators whose built-in self exclusion systems support safer environments where operators uniformly co-operate to identify and prevent criminal elements from using gambling to launder money. Technology for self-exclusion and money laundering checks supporting the regulation of specific jurisdictions in Europe are increasingly adaptable and as efficient as possible, with producers and tech providers concentrated in Europe markets. Money Laundering and Self-exclusion Tech Tech providers are concentrating their operations and offerings on European markets, while operators can pass along the proliferation of offerings to their players across European jurisdictions. More Options for EU Players Individual players in Europe benefit from enhanced promotions and special offers. North American and Canadian gamblers have access to promotions and bonuses, but in less regulated environments the competition is minimized and the amount of bonuses and benefits is also proportionally minimised. Canada's Greater Tolerance Canada has more land-based venues than the states, but there is no free market, with jurisdictions in Canada controlled legislatively by local provincial state governments. Attracting More Commerce More iGaming enterprises in the North American region could lead to more game studios, tech providers, and operators seeking licenses in the region. Outlook Canada appears in better position than the US to open the online market to private companies and take an active role in regulating them and emulating the successful examples of their European counterparts. Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia: The global alternative asset management group Tikehau Capital has raised EUR 617m ($728m) for its second European Special Opportunities fund (TSO II), surpassing the fund's EUR 500m target. "TSO II thus exceeds initial target by almost 25% and four times the amount raised by its predecessor TSO I," said a press release from the French investment company with 29.4 billion of assets under management. TSO II has a flexible investment mandate, providing corporate and asset-backed capital solutions across primary and secondary credit markets in Europe, it said. "The strategy's opportunistic and multi-sector approach enables it to invest through market cycles and macro-economic environments. It is managed by a diverse and experienced team of 8 professionals and draws upon the expertise of the wider Tikehau Capital investment platform across private debt, private equity, real estate, and capital markets," said the release. Maxime Laurent-Bellue, Head of Tactical Strategies at Tikehau Capital, said: "TSO II exceeded its fundraising target thanks to the support of existing and new LPs and partners, including insurance companies, pension funds, and family offices across 16 countries. Our differentiated strategy is attractive to clients, and they value the expertise of our team and Tikehau Capital's track record of delivering strong risk-adjusted returns. We have a very strong pipeline of opportunities, and we will continue to focus on...................... To view our full article Click here Memphis, Tennessee, June 28, 2021 - More people are finding value in low-income housing, but is it enough to address the housing crisis? America has continued to provide affordable housing to qualifying individuals, but the problem is that the demand far outweighs the supply. As private investors partner with the federal government to develop low cost housing, the focus has shifted from public housing and government funding to providing households Phoenix, AZ: July 27, 2021 The Elite Vein Clinic is excited to announce it will be opening a second location in Phoenix to enhance its services to clients with varicose vein problems. Currently located in Scottsdale, Arizona, clinic owner Dr Nima Azarbehi is now gearing up to reach out to more patients at a second location at 1641 E Osborn Rd Ste #4, Phoenix, AZ 85016. Dr Azarbehi commented: AHMEDABAD, India - July 27, 2021 Krish TechnoLabs is honored to announce that we have won the Adobe Commerce FY20 Commercial Partner of the Year Award - India. This accolade is given to Adobes top-performing Magento Commerce Commercial partners in the APAC region, based on the commitment to customer success, revenue, and overall relationship with the Adobe Community. As an Adobe Gold Solution Partner with a specialization in Adobe (Magento) Commerce, Krish BOWMAN [mdash] Gary Hamilton 76, of Bowman Georgia, husband of the late Donna Greer - Hamilton, formally of Ottumwa, Iowa, passed away on July 24, 2021 at his home. Mr. Hamilton was born in Trenton, MO, on July 16, 1945, son of George and Darlene Clutter - Hamilton. He was a veteran having s Do you appreciate the work we do as the only independent media outlet dedicated to serving OU students, faculty, staff and alumni on campus and around the world for more than 100 years? Then consider helping fund our endeavors. Around the world, communities are grappling with what journalism is worth and how to fund the civic good that robust news organizations can generate. We believe The OU Daily and Crimson Quarterly magazine provide real value to this community both now by covering OU, and tomorrow by helping launch the careers of media professionals. If youre able, please SUPPORT US TODAY FOR AS LITTLE AS $1. You can make a one-time donation or a recurring pledge. CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) At least 13 organizations and one municipality have expressed interest in acquiring two statues of Confederate generals removed from downtown Charlottesville parks, including one monument that was the focus of a violent white nationalist rally in 2017, according to city documents. Museums, battlefields and historical sites in Virginia and beyond expressed interest in the statues of Gen. Robert E. Lee and Gen. Thomas Stonewall Jackson that were removed earlier this month, according to the documents acquired by The Daily Progress. The city also received at least 18 expressions of interest from private citizens across the country. The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center is the only Charlottesville-area entity that expressed interest. LAXART, an art museum in Los Angeles, also expressed interest and submitted a proposal to include the statues as the centerpiece of an upcoming exhibit featuring decommissioned Confederate monuments alongside contemporary art. The town of Goshen in Rockbridge County asked to acquire the statues for free to place in front of its newly constructed community center to attract tourists. Others interested include the Jim Crow Museum in Big Rapids, Michigan; the Gettysburg Sculpture Museum in Pennsylvania; the Ogletree Estate in Cornelia, Georgia; Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas; the Confederate Gen. Robert Toombs Camp in Higgston, Georgia; and the Controversial Art Trust in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Charlottesville City Council still has not decided whether ownership of the statues should be transferred to a museum or other entity or whether the statues should be demolished. The city said July 13 that it would continue to accept statements of interest from entities interested in acquiring them. In early September, the mayor will conduct outreach with the interested parties to further evaluate their interest and resources. White supremacist and neo-Nazi organizers of the August 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville said they went to the city to defend the statue of Lee. They clashed with counterprotesters before a white supremacist plowed his car into a crowd of people, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer. In 1918, the city accepted a residents offer to donate land for parks for both statues. The Jackson statue was erected in 1921 and the Lee statue was erected in 1924, during the Jim Crow era when Black Americans rights were being stripped away. MCALLEN, Texas (AP) South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noems whirlwind tour of the U.S. border with Mexico on Monday was filled with climbing into military vehicles, visiting with troops and positioning herself as tough on an issue that's sure to loom large in 2024 presidential debates. The Republican governor flew to McAllen, Texas, to check in on the roughly 50 National Guard members who volunteered for a 30-day deployment. She heard how troops have encountered many children crossing and are eager to be stationed where even more people cross the border each night. By the end of the day, she had doubled down on border policy, saying she was considering extending the National Guard's assignment for more months. The reality of it is astonishing, Noem told The Associated Press after meeting with the troops. What our soldiers are seeing is a porous border. The ambitious governor s first visit to the border gives her a chance to pick up where former President Donald Trump left off in making hard-line immigration measures a driving force of the Republican Party. Noem eagerly joined the political fight with President Joe Biden after a surge in border crossings, sending the South Dakota Guard members to aid Texas push to arrest people crossing the border illegally and charge them with state crimes. This is a national security threat behind us, Noem said at a news conference near a border wall. What we see happening behind us is an open border. The drugs that come into South Dakota come over this border. But the governor has also stepped into a border policy debate that has no easy answers. She described how National Guard members are eager to help with border security, but have also been thrust into an environment where it's difficult to determine why people are crossing. Large numbers of migrants have been showing up at the U.S. border with Mexico, with many turning themselves over to U.S. Border Patrol agents in seeking legal asylum status. U.S. officials reported this month that they had encountered 55,805 members of families with children in June, up 25% from the previous month. That figure still remains far below the high of 88,587 in May 2019. For any Republican eyeing a 2024 presidential bid, a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border may become as necessary as visiting early primary states. Among the governors who have joined Gov. Greg Abbotts initiative, Noem and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are the only ones to stage a news conference with the border as a backdrop. Noem posed for photos with troops stationed on the Rio Grande River, inspected night-vision-enabled military trucks, and munched on burgers with her National Guard escort. However, Noems trip comes with its own political baggage: She was fiercely criticized for accepting $1 million from a Republican donor to fund the deployment. Military experts said it set a troubling precedent that sent a message that military troops could be deployed at the behest of private donors. But Noem brushed aside those concerns, and instead cast the donation as proof she is fiscally conservative. By accepting the donation, she argued, she was saving taxpayer money. And she was already eager to join the border fight when Tennessee billionaire Willis Johnson called with his $1 million offer she was just deliberating whether to send police officers or National Guard troops. Noem said many others have reached out to offer donations to fund the deployment. She said she would evaluate any further offers, but added that she would like to see Texas help fund the deployment if it lasts beyond the initial two months she committed. Meanwhile, Texas authorities last week began arresting people along the border on trespassing charges. At least 10 people were jailed, but the number of migrant arrests could increase to as many as 100 or 200 per day, according to authorities. As Noem made her first foray into border policy, she appeared ready to double-down on a tough-on-immigration stance that is sure to be a talking point for years to come. A lot of times you can't speak to the reality of something unless you see it, she said. ___ Follow Stephen Groves on Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephengroves DOLTON, Ill. (AP) Two suburban Chicago police officers were seriously injured and a 19-year-old woman died after one of the officers shot her early Tuesday as she drove away from a restaurant following a disturbance and crashed into a nearby business, police said. Police in Dolton were called to a restaurant at about 1 a.m. by employees who said a female driver with a gun was angry that the restaurant's drive-thru was closed, village spokesman Sean Howard said. She wanted service, even though they were closed. ... She appeared to be very upset that she couldnt receive service," even though the restaurant had been closed for about 30 minutes, he said. When officers arrived, Howard said the woman and a male passenger were asked to get out of the car. The passenger complied, but the woman began driving away while one of the officers was reaching inside the car to get the keys, Howard said. He was halfway in the vehicle trying to remove her. Thats when she took off," he said. The other officer fired his gun at least three times, striking the woman, whose car ran him over while the other officer was dragged by it. The vehicle struck a squad car and crashed into a nearby bike shop about a block away, heavily damaging the shop's front entrance, Howard said. The woman died at the scene and the two officers were hospitalized in serious condition. Howard said the officer who was dragged from the restaurant to the shop was in very, very serious condition, while the other officer's condition had improved. The Illinois State Police are investigating and the medical examiners office will confirm the womans identity and determine her cause of death, Howard said. State police said in a statement later Tuesday that the woman was 19 and her last known address was in the nearby village of Homewood. Police bodycam video of the incident and surveillance video from the restaurant has been turned over to state police for their investigation, he said. Additional details of the incident were not immediately available. The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Andrew Mullin. Saturday, July 24: 11:25 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to a Larkin Township residence regarding someone pressing the buttons on the front door security keypad. The 51-year-old homeowner advised she had heard the buttons beeping from inside her home; however, when she looked outside, nobody was there. The deputy checked the property and everything appeared normal. The female later advised that it may have been just her son's friend messing around, and no further assistance was requested. 11:06 p.m. A deputy was requested to check on a 16-year-old girl who may have harmed herself. Contact was made with the parent and the 16-year-old and it was learned the 16-year-old had a minor injury to her arm. The father advised he was addressing the matter with his daughter. The complainant was contacted and advised of the situation. 11:05 p.m. Deputies responded to a report of an accident that occurred on a Hope Township road following a road rage situation between a 26-year-old Hope Township male and a 29-year-old Edenville Township male. This report was sent to the Prosecuting Attorneys Office for review. 8:58 p.m. -- A deputy conducted a traffic stop at a Lee Township location. The Deputy made contact with the 33-year-old male driver who was subsequently arrested for OWI and cited for Misc. traffic offenses. The male was lodged at the Midland County Jail. A report is being sent to the Prosecuting Attorney's Office. 8:48 p.m. -- A deputy was sent to a Jerome Township home for a report of a suicidal 14-year-old female. Contact was made with the 14-year-old's father and advised of the situation. The father transported his daughter to the ER for treatment. 8:24 p.m. Deputies were dispatched to a report of a domestic assault between a 33-year-old Lee Township male and his 31-year-old live-in girlfriend. The female had minor injuries. The male was arrested for domestic assault, interfering with telecommunications, and OWI. 7:26 p.m. Deputies are investigating a single-vehicle accident in Jerome Township that claimed the life of a 54-year-old Gladwin County female. 6:05 p.m. Officers responded to vehicle crash on Swede Avenue. 5:42 p.m. A deputy was requested to assist Midland Township Fire Department with blocking a road due to a power line being down. The deputy was no longer needed when Homer Township Fire assisted with the request. 5:30 p.m. Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of Airfield Lane and Glendale Street. 4:32 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to a Jerome Township location regarding a vehicle parked alongside of a driveway. A 32-year-old male reported that an unknown person left their vehicle parked alongside his driveway. The complainant arranged for a private property impound and the vehicle was towed. 12:57 p.m. Deputies responded to a Mills Township residence for a report of a suicidal man. Deputies ultimately transported a 38-year-old male to the ER for a mental health evaluation. 11:40 a.m. Officers responded to a case of domestic assault on Eastlawn Drive. 1:17 a.m. A deputy searched an area in the city of Midland for a report of a possible intoxicated driver, but was unable to locate the driver. Director of Content and Operations Spencer McKee is OutThere Colorado's Director of Content and Operations. In his spare time, Spencer loves to hike, rock climb, and trail run. He's on a mission to summit all 58 of Colorado's fourteeners and has already climbed more than half. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, center, wears a face mask as he heads into a news conference to talk about the state's efforts to check the spread of coronavirus Friday, Jan. 15, 2021, in Denver. The governor extended the mask mandate again on Sunday, with a new provision. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) Peru Elections and Political Crisis 2021 By Alberto Cox Delano | Politics | July 27, 2021 | This one is kinda long, and full of intrigue. As a Chilean, writing about Peru might be a tad inappropriate. Chileans have developed an institutionalized sense of superiority over Peruvians (and most of our neighbors) after three decades of political and economic success (until recently). You can also throw on top of that a history of annexing hundreds of thousands of miles of territory, followed by a century and a half of border disputes, all covered by pervasive racism and xenophobia against the hundreds of thousands of Peruvian migrants in Chile. And though I might be a staunch, internationalist-socialist-proud-Latin-Americanist-Unificationist, I am aware of my biases, so be warned that I might be misrepresenting or omitting a lot of facts. Perus perpetual undoing. Peru faces the same issues all Latin American countries face: A vast and rich geography, that is still mostly used for extractive activities with little industrial development; thousands of years of history, resulting in a unique and vibrant mixture of cultures and ethnicities, including sizeable Indigenous, Black, and East Asian communities (which have all been appropriated and repackaged by the white elites for tourism purposes); and a decade and a half of outstanding economic growth and democratic stability (that has barely made a dent in the inequality, systemic racism and vast developmental gulf between urban and rural areas); Above all, Peru has always been the heart of Andean Latin America, the Imperial Seat, from the time of the Incas to the Colony and onwards. So, is there something about the countrys current political crisis that makes it any different from other periods in Perus history? There is a classic opening line in Spanish-language literature: At what precise moment had Peru screwed itself up? Now, we will completely ignore the author of that line and how he, during this crisis, has finished ruining his once hallowed reputation. Well use this quote just as a starting point. The last few years havent been kind to Peru. Its not like there is such a thing as a great period. As Mapuche writer Pedro Cayuqueo puts it, things in Peru have been going downhill since the arrival of the Spaniards: From 2017 onwards, Peru has been enmeshed in a continuous political crisis, as corruption scandals (generally circling the Obredecht case), inquests and cynical political ploys have led to a complete collapse of its political system, including the resignation of president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (PPK), the arrest of former president Alejandro Toledo in the USA, and the suicide of former president Alan Garcia just as he was about to be arrested. Garcia is perhaps the living stereotype of the corrupt, bombastic Latin American president, who fled the country and lived 9 years in exile after his first term to avoid prosecution. He was elected for a second term in 2006. Mutual institutional cancellation. Throughout this crisis, scores of political figures have been prosecuted for corruption, all across Perus political spectrum but mostly on the right. As one big name after another fell, we felt in Chile a healthy dose of envy and pride towards our northern brothers. We have been hit by our own series of corruption scandals, showing the extent of institutionalized, corporate interference in our political system, eroding the myth of Chile being the only non-corrupt country in Latin America. Meanwhile, Peru was locking up presidents and entire political cadres! Maybe, just maybe a Latin American country could overcome our perpetual cycles of corruption and stagnation through a painful but necessary process. After PPKs resignation, his vice-president centrist Martin Vizcarra was sworn in, pushing through a series of constitutional reforms that would target institutionalized corruption. They were approved, overwhelmingly, via referendum in 2018, but all efforts to put them into law were kneecapped by the Congress. Those parties more heavily implicated in the corruption scandals banded together, stonewalling the reforms. Ironically, most of these parties were right-wing, on what one would assume was Vizcarras bloc. Instead, he received the steadfast support of the left-wing bloc. This led to a crisis in October 2019, as Vizcarra decided to dissolve the Congress (following Constitutional procedures) in order to call for snap elections. The opposition majority countered, declaring the presidential seat vacant. The whole thing fell apart as thousands of Peruvians marched in front of Congress in support of Vizcarra, or at the very least, in support of the reforms and against the Congress. A few hours later, the military announced they would stand by Vizcarra. When is a Constitutional crisis a coup? Is there a coup when two representative branches of power collide, mutually cancel each other but one prevails? The opposition had delegitimized itself through corruption and stonewalling, while Vizcarras reforms enjoyed the support of more than 70% of Peruvians. And the military. But we have seen this before in Latin American history, a single political figure, with broad executive powers, claiming legitimacy on the back of clear popular support. That never ends well. On the contrary, the Congressional majority had ignored sensible reforms, reforms that were supported by the vast majority of Peruvians, pushing the limits of constitutional procedures to their breaking point. I am always wary of sticking up for Latin American political leaders because they will disappoint you in some way or another. Vizcarra does have some credible corruption allegations against him. But I do believe he wasnt vying for a power grab, and that he honestly wanted to reform Perus institutions, if only for self-preservation. On January 2020, Parliamentary elections were held, and the results were mixed (the seating allocation is proportional but not very representative). The right-wing opposition lost their majority, but Vizcarra was left without any party supporting him and no clear majority bloc. And then COVID hit. Things that started well. Perus government reacted remarkably fast, enacting stringent lockdowns and passing a stimulus package worth at least 12% of the countrys GDP, mostly in bonuses for poor families. Once again, we felt in Chile that healthy envy: while our right-wing government simply copied Boris Johnson herd immunity approach, we were forced to dip into our (privatized) pension funds after they only handed a few puny bonuses, for which most low-income people couldnt qualify. Meanwhile, up north, a country that was three times poorer than us was actually going all in for its population. It didnt work. In a country where over 70% of the population works in the informal economy, you have to go out to make ends meet, with or without financial aid. With an underfunded and ill-prepared health system, it resulted in the worst death rate in the world, according to official figures: Close to 200,000 excess deaths, at least 0.3% of the population, or one in 170 people. The economy fell by at least 30%. It was the perfect opportunity for Congress to try and remove Vizcarra again. They succeeded on November 2020, after a failed attempt earlier, leaving in place what basically amounted to an interim government until the presidential elections were held this year. Massive protests and riots followed, but police repression and the tides of Covid smothered them. Other Trumps and other Ivankas. Here we need to discuss the Fujimori family. In 1990, Alberto Fujimori, a far-right populist, succeeded Alan Garcia as president of Peru, implementing a series of neoliberal reforms that did what neoliberal reforms do: Granted economic stability and growth while widening inequality. But his key campaign promise was to put an end to the Maoist Shining Path insurgency, up in the countrys vast and remote highlands. Now, what do you think happens when an authoritarian, far-right populist collides with a Maoist, terrorist paramilitary? What you saw in Syria between Assad and the Daesh: tens of thousands of innocents being massacred in the crossfire. In this case, the overwhelming majority of victims were poor, rural, and indigenous. In addition to the massacres, Fujimoris worst crimes were the targeted sterilizations of at least 200,000 indigenous women, many times forced. Doing some back-of-the-envelope calculations, that would amount to 25% of all indigenous women between 18 and 35 back then. You can actually see the dent in population pyramids. In 1992, as Fujimori failed to pass through Congress a series of undemocratic, anti-terror laws, he dissolved it via a self-coup, ruling by decree, and implementing a new constitution that mostly stands to this day. His success against Shining Path and relative economic stability granted him reelection, and more importantly, the support of the Peruvian elite. But as his corruption and human rights abuses came to light, his popularity began to wane. In 2000, after modifying the constitution to run a third term, he was reelected in a sham election. As protests and Congress opposition grew, Fujimori took advantage of a trip to Brunei and fled to Japan, where he would remain until 2005. In his stead, his daughter Keiko succeeded him. For all intents and purposes, she is Perus Ivanka. In the following decades, Keiko and Fujimorist parties became a major political force, garnering support from a mixture of Limas middle class, the elites, and conservatives. She ran twice for president, in 2011 and 2016, losing each time by small margins. First, she lost to Ollanta Humala, a leftist that ended up becoming a centrist president (hes also been arrested for corruption), and in 2016 to PPK. Her biggest success was in the 2016 elections, as her party gained a majority of seats in the midst of a growing crisis. For what its worth, its important to mention that since 2000, elections in Peru have been transparent (as much as possible considering the size of it and isolation of some locations), and voter turnout has been remarkable, usually crossing 75% of the citizenry. Though she was too young to have participated directly in the corruption and human rights abuses committed by her father, Keiko continued her Fujimoris proud tradition of corruption and undermining democracy. Did I mention Rudy Giuliani was her consultant once? As you might imagine, she was deeply enmeshed in all these corruption scandals, being arrested on October 2018 and remanded in custody and released on bail on May 2020 as the trial dragged on. She wasted no time in returning to politics, gunning straight for a third presidential run, despite having pending charges. An Americanized South American election. General elections were held on the 11th of April. In total, there were 18 presidential candidates and over 20 party lists, resulting in a highly atomized and not very representative Congress. Only 4 presidential candidates garnered more than 10% of the vote, with Keiko going into the second round with 13.4% of the votes, trailing her opponent, rural school teacher Pedro Castillo, who got 18.9%. Just like in 2011, she faced a left-wing candidate of indigenous and peasant extraction. But unlike Humala, who started his career as a military rebel and then as a politician, Castillos political background started as a regional political activist, and then as a leader of rural teachers unions. After leading a relatively successful teachers strike in 2017, his political credentials grew enough to run as president, representing Peru Libre, a relatively new leftist party. I have doubts about Pedro Castillo. I am in awe of his trajectory and Ill be damned if Im not glad a teacher is now a president. Yet he represents the authoritarian, sexist, and deeply conservative Left that is still predominant in most of Latin America. His support of Venezuelas regime is worrying, though again, there are much more democratic leftist figures in the region that also support it, a persistent willful blindness on our side. However, an insightful counterpoint made the rounds among Perus progressive left: Updating his quote from 2011, political scientist Steven Levitsky said on Peruvian TV that we have even more doubts about Castillo, but even more evidence against Keiko. The experience showed that, worst-case scenario, Castillo could like Humala before him become yet another neoliberal technocrat, perhaps less corrupt. And a full Venezuelan-style dictatorship wouldnt hold in a country as fragmented and mostly right-wing leaning as Peru. Middle-case scenario, he could become someone like Chiles Ricardo Lagos, the first Socialist president since Allende, who later became a *socialist* and the darling of the business elite. Predictably, the establishment media began a smearing campaign against Castillo. The lowest point came on May 23, when an attack on the sierra killed 18 people, apparently at the hands of a guerrilla associated with Shining Path. Explicitly or underhandedly, the right-wing media tried to pin it on Castillo, even though in his youth in the late 80s and 90s, he participated in the Ronda Campesina, self-defense rural patrols that fought against Shining Path. But hey, wherever you are in Latin Americans left, you will always have to answer for what the worst of the left does. Nevertheless, these doubts garnered Keiko a huge deal of support, as the lesser of two evils, including people that should know better. As the votes were tallied, nearly half of her second-round votes came from the capital region, where close to a third of the country lives. Meanwhile, Castillos votes came from rural and urban areas of the country, mostly in the sierra, the mountainous region covering most of Peru, winning some provinces by over 80%. In the first 24 hours, the results were neck and neck, with differences of under a thousand votes. But as the results from isolated places came in throughout the week, the trend was clear, Castillo was winning, maintaining a 50.1% lead. Thats when Keiko started pulling a book straight from Trump, a book that was written many years ago by other Latin American politicians. In the following weeks, as the final batches of votes were slowly tallied and recounted, she kicked off the Big Lie, claiming the election had been stolen. I mean, its not like that was unprecedented in Perus history; her father pulled that sh*t in 2000. Yeah, everything was unfounded: International observers ratified the election as transparent, including the Organization of American States, the US governments big stick. Keiko and Perus far-right countered with Twitter disinformation, as usual, as proven by the thread below (in Spanish): Keiko y su pack completo trumpista/Atlas Network: Amenaza de golpe, acusaciones de fraude sin prueba, campana de odio y mentiras y tras analizar los mas de 100.000 tuits con #FraudeEnMesa vi miles de fakes, cuentas falsas, bots y tuits con el mismo error #FraundeEnMesa que fue TT pic.twitter.com/iPjrK2elfv Julian Macias Tovar (@JulianMaciasT) June 9, 2021 You saw all of this earlier this year: A white elite trying to undermine an election and have the vote of ethnic minorities discounted through gross manipulations of the legal system. In their private and not-so-private forums, Limas elite let their racist trap wide open. For comparisons sake, the difference between racism in Peru and racism in Chile is not unlike the one between Southerners and Northerners in the US, respectively. Tensions have only grown as retired members of the military called for an intervention to prevent Castillo from taking office (they were reprimanded by the interim president, but that wont make a difference). None of this has really subsided as of today. Keiko failed, once again, leaving her free to face corruption charges. Perus electoral board ratified Pedro Castillo last Monday as the elected President, to be sworn this Wednesday. Castillo faces a daunting task: On the one hand, he will constantly have to assuage the powers that be that he will not go full Venezuela, with a literal military threat against him. On the other, he doesnt have a clear majority, either in the popular vote or in Congress, which will compel him to tread lightly. Fujimorism hasnt gone away and the political system remains broken. And then theres inequality and rampant poverty. His promise is complex no more poor people in a rich country. He has also promised a constitutional assembly, perhaps the key requirement to start transforming Peru. Sincerely, I hope he succeeds, if only a third of the way. Latin American history teaches you to always, always temper even the lowest of expectations, but also that you have to force hope in somehow. At the very least, I hope this becomes a chance for Perus Left to grow and evolve. In particular, Perus left has a pending debt towards gender equality that needs to be addressed sooner than later by them and only them. 'What Two Foods Go Really Well Together Even Though Most People Don't Eat Them That Way?' | Review: 'Schmigadoon' Is Good, but Ariana DeBose Is Great Header Image Source: Getty Images Conakry, Guinea (PANA) - Guinean President Alpha Conde has extended the state of health emergency in the country for three months from Tuesday, according to a decree published on Monday Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Speaker of the House of Representatives (Parliament) in Libya, Aguila Saleh, has convened a plenary session for next Monday to adopt the draft general finance law 2021, an official source said here Tuesday CHICAGO Mayor Lori Lightfoot publicly acknowledged she might not run for re-election in 2023, saying its not a gimme that shell seek a second-term. Lightfoot initially made the comment in a New York Times interview where she first played coy, saying she would making a decision with her wife at an appropriate time. But its not now. Pressed further, however, Lightfoot later said the past year has been tough and acknowledged its not a gimme that shell seek re-election. Lightfoot then reiterated that she may not seek re-election at an unrelated news conference where she noted that the past year has been tough. When you come into office you have a vision of where you want to go, and I certainly had that myself. I still do. But the world and fate has a funny way of leading you in a different direction, Lightfoot said. Sixteen months into a global pandemic, a massive economic dislocation, surging violence, its not a gimme. Mayor Lori Lightfoot attends a press conference after a meeting with United States Attorney General Merrick Garland, US Sen. Dick Durbin, Chicago Police Sup. David Brown and others concerning gun violence on July 22, 2021, at the 11th District station in Chicago. But she said shes been raising money aggressively over the past year and believes in being prepared, but its a conversation she has to have at the appropriate time with my wife. Politicians dont typically acknowledge that they are waffling on a potential re-election bid because it makes it harder for them to raise money and emboldens their opponents. City Council members, who are already pushing Lightfoot aggressively on a host of issues, are less likely to listen to a lame duck. Despite her comments, Lightfoot continues to work as though shes seeking re-election. She raised more than a quarter of a million dollars in the last fundraiser quarter and had more than $1.7 million in the bank as of the last reporting period. Lightfoot has also previously indicated that she expects to seek re-election. After the 2019 teachers strike, for instance, she told the Tribune she expects the Chicago Teachers Union to run a candidate against her. During a Tribune interview in May 2020 amid the early months of the pandemic, Lightfoot also told the Tribune she plans to seek re-election. I have a lot of ambitions for transforming the landscape of government and its responsiveness to the needs of individuals, Lightfoot said. While Im not looking that far ahead, its hard for me to think that the work will be done in now three years time. So do I expect to present myself again up to the voters of the city? I do. Still, Lightfoot faces a potentially challenging re-election campaign. She ran as a progressive but has often been criticized for reversing her stance on key issues, like an elected school board for Chicago Public Schools. Violent crime is up throughout Chicago from where it was in 2019 and if it continues at its current rates, she could face problems with voters who feel unsafe. But Lightfoot is a tough campaigner who improbably rose from little-known candidate to mayor in a crowded field flush with bold-face names, so she cant be counted out. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A Republican candidate for Illinois governor said in a weekend TV interview that he would not encourage people to get a COVID-19 vaccination, incorrectly saying the shots were not FDA-approved and had caused thousands of deaths. Gary Rabine, a Bull Valley businessman and ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump and conservative causes, said he was not an anti-vaxxer by any stretch. But he criticized private businesses and public institutions mandating these vaccines that are not FDA-approved, its crazy. Vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson all have received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and experts expect the vaccines will gain full FDA approval in coming weeks after research on their use among millions of people is completed. Rabine made the comments in an interview Sunday on Nexstar Media Groups Capitol Connection. Host Mark Maxwell had to correct the candidate on several occasions and clarify Rabines misstatements for viewers. Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker made his handling of the pandemic the front-and-center issue in launching his reelection campaign last week. Rabine and the two other announced GOP contenders state Sen. Darren Bailey of Xenia and former state Sen. Paul Schimpf of Waterloo opposed Pritzkers phased mitigation efforts, which included business shutdowns. Rabine said in the interview with Maxwell that he believed Pritzker was counting on federal bailouts for individuals and businesses that would make everybody forget about the environment, the lack of freedom that he put us all in. Asked what he would tell people who have not received their COVID-19 vaccinations, Rabine said, Im telling them its a free country. If they feel that their health and that of their family and their community requires vaccination, its a free country. Go get it. If they feel that its not a benefit to them and vaccinating with a vaccination thats not FDA-approved that if it was FDA-approved would have been taken off the shelf about 5,000 or 6,000 deaths ago if they feel that thats not in their safety and that, you know, its not good for their health, then its a free country, he said. They should not have to take it. This month, JAMA reported that there have been three deaths attributable to vaccinations in the U.S. All of the deaths were linked to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and involved a rare form of blood clots that doctors now know how to treat. More than 339 million doses of a vaccine had been given to 187.2 million people in the U.S. as of July 19. On July 21, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it had received 6,207 reports of people who had died after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine between Dec. 14, 2020, and July 19, 2021. But the CDC noted that the FDA requires health care providers to report any death after COVID-19 vaccination, even if its not clear whether the vaccine was the cause. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System was created by federal health authorities to examine possible side effects among the vaccinated, but anyone can submit a report. Reports of adverse events to VAERS following vaccination, including deaths, do not necessarily mean that a vaccine caused a health problem, the CDC said. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} After the interview, Maxwell wrote in a story for his station that he received a voicemail from Rabines spokesman, Travis Akin, who sought to retract the candidates claims of thousands of deaths directly attributable to vaccines. I think we are walking that back, Akin said, according to Maxwells story. On Monday, Akin confirmed that he told Maxwell the campaign was walking back Rabines comments about vaccines causing deaths. Were saying that they could be (due to the vaccine) but that we should take a look at it and using due diligence to follow up, Akin said. We want to be factual, and the sourcing that we used just presented a number and didnt definitively say they were vaccine-related deaths. States are reporting increasing COVID-19 deaths among the unvaccinated, including preliminary reports showing 99.5% of people who died due to COVID-19 in Texas from Feb. 8 to July 14 were unvaccinated. Rabine was asked if such deaths were preventable. I cant tell you if they are. All I can tell you is the stuff, the data Im getting, shows that theres been anywhere from 5,900 deaths attributed to this to 8,000, right? What the real number is, I dont know, Rabine said. Asked if he was suggesting that the vaccine was killing people, Rabine said, Im suggesting that after taking the vaccine, within a short period of time, people died for no other reason that they can say. Though Rabine was not asked if he had been vaccinated in the interview, Akin said Monday that the candidate previously had COVID-19, so since he has the antibodies, he has decided not to get the vaccine. According to guidance from the CDC, people should be vaccinated regardless of whether they have had COVID-19 in the past. The CDC said experts do not know how long unvaccinated people are protected from getting sick again once theyve had COVID-19. Rabine also again refused to reject Trumps false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, echoing comments he made to the Tribune when he announced his candidacy in March. I dont claim and will never claim that Im an expert enough to understand how many votes were stolen, he said. He later added he had not seen any evidence of vote fraud, but if it was one, two or 10,000, boy that should be investigated thoroughly. SPRINGFIELD The state will have new COVID-19 guidance on face coverings after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance Tuesday to reflect that even individuals vaccinated against COVID-19 should wear masks while indoors in areas of the country where the virus is surging. CDC officials also recommended all teachers, staff, students and visitors in schools, regardless of vaccination status, should wear masks indoors as well, according to news reports covering an afternoon briefing by the federal agency. As of Tuesday afternoon, the full guidance had not been posted online. The Illinois Department of Public Health announced it will adopt the CDC guidance after Gov. J.B. Pritzker had said he would review it during a news conference Tuesday afternoon. Prior to Tuesday, Illinois had been following CDC guidance of the past two months which said unvaccinated individuals should wear masks indoors, but those who were vaccinated needed them only in certain settings, such as doctors offices and public transportation. The Illinois State Board of Education had recently fully adopted CDC guidance as well, which strongly encouraged but did not mandate masks in schools. But the Illinois Department of Public Health issued a news release later Tuesday saying it is fully adopting CDC masking guidelines, including recommendation for schools. While data continues to show the effectiveness of the three COVID-19 vaccines currently authorized in the U.S., including against the Delta variant, we are still seeing the virus rapidly spread among the unvaccinated, IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said in a news release. Cases and hospitalizations due to COVID-19 both continue to increase, overwhelmingly among the unvaccinated, but the risk is greater for everyone if we do not stop the ongoing spread of the virus and the Delta variant. We know masking can help prevent transmission of COVID-19 and its variants. Until more people are vaccinated, we join CDC in recommending everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear a mask indoors in areas of substantial and high transmissions, and in K-12 schools. The Delta variant spreads more than twice as easily from one person to another compared to other strains, according to the IDPH news release. The CDC guidance says masks should be worn by all individuals in areas of substantial transmission, which include those with 50 to 99 cases per 100,000 people over a 7-day period. Areas of high transmission are above that amount. The change to federal guidance came as cases in Illinois and around the country continue to rise as the vaccination pace stagnates and mask mandates are relaxed. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} There were 801 COVID-19-positive individuals hospitalized in Illinois as of Monday night, a number not seen since June 4. From Monday, July 19, to Sunday, July 25, there were 657 individuals hospitalized on average over the seven-day period, an increase of about 32 percent from the week prior. The 169 intensive care unit beds in use by COVID-19 patients as of Monday night were the most since June 13. From Monday to Sunday, there were 136 ICU beds in use on average, an increase of about 36 percent from the week prior. But Pritzker said Tuesday the vaccines have been widely effective in guarding against the most severe cases of COVID-19 for individuals who have had the shot. It remains the most effective way to combat the virus, he said, repeating a claim that 99 percent of those dying from COVID-19 in Illinois in recent weeks were unvaccinated. We know that if you're vaccinated, you're protected, he said, noting that experiences for individuals might differ, but for the most part, if vaccinated and contracting the disease, many people spend a few days in bed feeling bad, don't need to go to the hospital and then are able to recover. While Pritzker said those numbers are encouraging now, further, more dangerous variants of the virus could emerge if the vaccine is not more widely adopted. It is not over, Pritzker said of the pandemic. We would like it to be over, but it is not yet over and we know that if people remain unvaccinated there is a greater and greater possibility that you'll have a variant that ultimately will break through the vaccines that have already been developed. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, just over half of the states population, or more than 6.4 million individuals, are fully vaccinated. Over the past seven days, 17,776 vaccines were administered each day on average, representing a declining vaccination pace. The case positivity rate was also on the rise Tuesday, reaching 3.7 percent, a high since April 22 as testing numbers continued to taper off. There were 1,669 confirmed or probable cases of the virus reported Tuesday among 31,019 test results reported. Still, state and Chicago officials said Tuesday the Lollapalooza music festival will go on as planned starting Thursday, and Pritzker said he will attend. I plan to go to Lollapalooza, but I also know I'm gonna watch every single day what it looks like in terms of cases rising and make decisions, smart decisions, for myself, for my family, for our friends, as we move forward, he said. And yeah, I may wear a mask when I'm at Lolla depending upon whether I can social distance or not. He said anyone feeling uncomfortable in a crowd is encouraged to wear a mask as well. Positivity rates were higher in southern Illinois, with Region 4, which covers the Metro East area on the Missouri border near St. Louis, seeing a rate of 9.2 percent as of the latest data Tuesday, and southern Illinois Region 5 at 8.5 percent. All other regions were on an increasing pace as well. Over the past three days, the pandemic claimed another 10 lives, bringing the confirmed death toll to 23,414 along with 2,472 probable deaths. WASHINGTON The first hearing of the special House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday put two Central Illinois GOP congressmen in the spotlight. U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Channahon, a former McLean County Board member, delivered an emotion-laden speech, praising law enforcements defense of the U.S. Capitol and criticizing fellow Republicans who tried to block the probe and cast it as a partisan attack. After four members of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department and the Capitol Police testified about battling insurrectionists that day, Kinzinger choked back tears and said, You guys may individually feel a little broken. You guys all talk about the effects you have to deal with and, you know, you talk about the impact of that day. But you guys won. You guys held. Democracies are not defined by our bad days, Kinzinger added. Were defined by how we come back from bad days. How we take accountability for that. And for all the overheated rhetoric surrounding this committee, our mission is very simple: Lets define the truth. And, its to ensure accountability. Dressed in uniforms, the officers struggled at times to deliver the emotional testimony and graphic descriptions. I recall thinking to myself, this is how Im going to die, defending this entrance, Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell said. I could have lost my life that day, not once, but many times. Tuesdays hearing, which was meant to set the tone for what is expected to be a monthslong investigation, focused primarily on the officers and what they experienced fighting off the melee for several hours. Some Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, have said the event was a peaceful protest that got out of control. Even though there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary, including hours and hours of video and photographic coverage, there is a continuous and shocking attempt to ignore or try to destroy the truth of what truly happened that day and to whitewash the facts, Gonell said. Kinzinger, of Channahon, is one of two Republican members on the select panel chosen by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. An outspoken critic of former Trump and his followers in the GOP, he was selected after Pelosi vetoed two of House Republican leader Kevin McCarthys choices for the committee, prompting McCarthy to withdraw all five of his selections. Pelosi created the committee after Senate Republicans and most House GOP members opposed the formation of an independent outside commission to look into the deadly insurrection, which was aimed at blocking the Electoral College vote count that certified Democrat Joe Bidens victory over Trump. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Kinzinger said he was frustrated that several months have passed since a violent mob infiltrated the Capitol and so many questions remain unanswered. We still dont know exactly what happened. Why? Because many in my party have treated this as just another partisan fight, he said. Its toxic and its a disservice to the officers and their families, to the staff and the employees of the Capitol complex, to the American people who deserve the truth. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, like Kinzinger one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump over his role in promoting the insurrection, is the other GOP member of the select panel. McCarthy has called them Pelosi Republicans, and the House Republican caucus is considering moves to strip them of their committee assignments. Cheney was already removed from the House GOP leadership team. I think that reflects more on people than it does on the situation at hand, Kinzinger said of McCarthys threatened moves against him and Cheney. This is a historic moment and this is a democracy-defining moment, and no matter the consequences, me, and I know, Liz, will stand and defend democracy, Kinzinger said. Im here to investigate Jan. 6 not in spite of my membership in the Republican Party, but because of it. Not to win a political fight but to learn the facts and defend our democracy, he said. In his earlier testimony, Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, recounted an encounter with U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, in the Capitol rotunda after the building had been cleared. Rep. Rodney Davis was there offering support to officers. And when he and I saw each other, he came over and he gave me a big hug, Dunn said. Davis had been one of McCarthys five choices to be on the panel that the House Republican leader later yanked. Davis, who has been pondering a potential bid for the GOP governor nomination, then labeled the select committee a partisan sham. While the select committee was meeting, Davis joined McCarthy and members of the House GOP leadership to denounce the panels work and attempt to blame Pelosi for failing to enact changes in the structure of the Capitol Police that they contend would have better dealt with countering the insurrection. Its with great disappointment today that I dont get to question my friend Harry Dunn, Davis said. Harry is a friend. Harry and I hugged each other when we saw each other in the Capitol after what happened on Jan. 6. Harrys been to my office to talk about these issues. He knows that all of us here want to address the institutional problems with the structure that is set up to fail. About a dozen Illinois residents face federal charges related to the attack. The most recent charges were Monday, when John Schubert, 71, and Amy Schubert, 61, of Crest Hill, near Joliet, were named in a criminal complaint. The Los Angeles Times contributed to this report. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2 State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth knew she wanted to secure money for the MacArthur Highway business corridor in South Peoria as part of the state's $45 billion capital construction bill. She felt it would be vital to the rejuvenation of the area and said she hoped to get maybe $2 million to $3 million. But as the lead negotiator for the 2019 capital bill, the Peoria Democrat said she thought she might as well go big and propose $10 million to see if it would stick. It did, and as spending in the bill has rolled out in stages, $10 million was authorized beginning in this fiscal year for economic development along the MacArthur corridor. There has been a plan in place for the MacArthur business corridor, stretching from the MacArthur Highway bridge to Jefferson Street, to spur "more public and private investment" in the area to add more housing and commercial development, said City Manager Patrick Urich. "It's a key commercial corridor, it's a key corridor for the south side," Urich said. "I think this was an opportunity to focus on South Peoria in a way that we can kind of build some momentum. And there is some interest from private commercial developers and private residential developers to put some more emphasis on that part of town." Gordon-Booth believes the money will be a "catalyst" for development in South Peoria. "You can tell there has not been a strategic and aggressive strategy to rebuild the south side," Gordon-Booth said. "What I wanted to do was put a marker down for what could be in terms of rebuilding the south side and rebuilding that MacArthur corridor." Dan Ruffin, a longtime South Peoria resident who owns and operates the Que for You barbecue restaurant at 301 MacArthur Highway, said he believes building a supermarket in the area needs to be a top priority. "With this much money, hopefully it can be community owned and operated where it's providing jobs along with food that this area needs," Ruffin said. "We are in a food desert, so $10 million, if they can take $2 million of that to build a nice-sized supermarket and have other businesses like on the north end, there will be opportunities to do some things." Ruffin said the area's need for a supermarket is high considering that right now residents from the area need to cross the river to East Peoria or head north to do their grocery shopping. This both provides a transportation problem and does not incentivize people to come to the area. "People in this area might have to spend part of their money for food on transportation if they don't have cars," Ruffin said. "People don't have cars, and so they have to pay for transportation to get to these places to shop." Ruffin makes the case that not only is there a high need for a supermarket in the area, but also that a supermarket would be a large employer of people in the community and could be a hub for other businesses to build around. Peoria has poured money into revitalizing Downtown and the Warehouse District, both considered successes in the eyes of the city. Gordon-Booth hopes South Peoria can see a similar revitalization, beginning with the money for the MacArthur corridor. "Ten years ago we passed the (historic tax credit) that helped to rebuild the Warehouse District. ... You see what the Warehouse District looks like now and what it looked like 10 years ago, it's night and day," Gordon-Booth said. "That's what intentionality can do with an area of town. "When our problems are specific, our strategies to fix the problems have to be specific as well," Gordon-Booth said. "I wanted to be specific in targeting dollars in places." She said it's time for the city to turn its efforts to improving South Peoria's infrastructure, which she said is "painfully obvious to see" has been neglected. "These kinds of projects can really become catalysts for major development that instills such magnificent pride and emphasizes the pride that so many people have for our community, including the south side," Gordon-Booth said. "We need to build on that and build up a generation of young people who know that they are worthy of investment, that they are worthy of living in a beautiful community." Ruffin said after seeing the development that has happened Downtown and in the Warehouse District, it has been a waiting game for South Peoria to see development of its own. But now that the money is earmarked, he said it is time for the city to ask the community what it needs most. He argues that a small manufacturer of some sort coming to the area would be good for job growth and also would not cause a major traffic problem along the highway. "If you're going to build up a business corridor, what kind of jobs are you talking about providing?" Ruffin said. "Are you going to bring in a small manufacturer or are you talking about sandwich shops? When you talk about a business corridor, what kind of businesses are you referring to?" Gordon-Booth is the second-highest ranking member in the Illinois House of Representatives, sitting only behind House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch, D-Hillside. She was able to wield that influence to snag the large sum of money for the MacArthur corridor. "I'm in a leadership role and want to be able to leverage that leadership role in the state to be able to help Peoria as much as humanly possible," Gordon-Booth said. Last year, Gordon-Booth took Gov. JB Pritzker on a tour of South Peoria to show him where she believed the money needed to be targeted. "I was paying attention to what else was happening, and I didn't just make that number up in a vacuum," Gordon-Booth said of the $10 million she proposed. "I was the lead negotiator, so I knew what was out there, I knew what the requests were like for others, so I wanted to make it a request that was a stretch; $10 million was definitely a stretch." Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Photo: (Photo : Pexels) Medical malpractice lawsuits happen all the time. Individuals have to file them because doctor-caused wrongful deaths and injuries are common. Other medical staff like nurses or orderlies can also cause injuries or deaths. If you're a parent and one of your adult children is thinking about filing a medical malpractice lawsuit, they might come to you for advice. This is a big decision, and if you have a good relationship with your adult child, they may talk to you before they take any major life-changing action such as this one. You are probably not a medical malpractice expert, but there are a few things you can tell your child that apply to virtually all these cases. Let's talk about some of the things you might mention to them right now. They Need to Establish that the Doctor or Hospital Did Not Meet the Care Standard If your adult child is thinking about going through with a medical malpractice lawsuit, there are some stats they should probably know. Injured patients withdraw 65% of these claims. About 27% of cases reach a settlement, while the remaining 8% go to a jury's decision. The reason why so many patients end up dropping their claim is that they know they're not able to prove their doctor or the hospital that was taking care of them did not meet the care standard. The care standard is what the medical community expects to happen if you go to the hospital or a doctor performs a procedure on you. The care standard might also refer to a doctor prescribing the correct medication or telling you about an experimental treatment. In any of these instances, there is what the medical community agrees is the right thing to do, and then there is deviation from that. The point is that many lawyers win or lose lawsuits depending on whether they can prove to a jury that a doctor did or didn't meet the care standard. That can be harder than you might imagine. You may need to call on expert witnesses to say a doctor or some other medical individual acted inappropriately, and wrongful death or an injury was the result. Your adult child might think that a doctor did not meet the care standard, but can their lawyer prove it? If they can't, your child might need to forget about the lawsuit. They Need to Think About How Much Time This Will Take You can also mention to your adult child that lawsuits take a great deal of time and resources. Maybe your adult child feels that since a doctor harmed them, they need to take action against them. They may not care how long that takes or how much energy they need to dedicate to the endeavor. They should know, though, that these lawsuits can take many weeks or months in some instances. Your adult child will have to meet with their lawyer on many occasions to talk about their strategy. They might have to miss a lot of work while getting everything in order before their court appearance. If they understand everything that the lawsuit entails, and they still want to go ahead with it, that's fine. They should just realize what they're getting into and that this will not be easy for them. They Should Consider How Hard the Doctor Will Fight When you sue a medical individual, whether that's a doctor, nurse, orderly, or even an entire hospital network that you think was negligent, you should realize the gravity of what you're doing. The doctor or whatever other medical entity or person you name in the lawsuit will fight as hard as they can to clear their name in many instances. Their reputation is on the line, so they may feel that they have no choice in defending themselves. You should mention this to your adult child as well if they're thinking about bringing a lawsuit against a medical professional or entity. They cannot bring this allegation lightly and think the doctor will just roll over and pay them without any argument. They Should Think About How Hard This Will Be on Their Family If you agree with your adult child that they have a valid case and they should pursue it in court, they will probably be glad you are on their side to support them during this difficult time. However, you should also mention that if they go through with this plan, it's not going to be easy for their family either. They might have kids of their own and a spouse or partner. The lawsuit will impact the entire family since it will probably become public knowledge pretty quickly. Maybe students will ask your adult child's kids about the lawsuit at school. Their spouse or partner might have to hear about it at work. There might be some details that people will latch onto and will want to know more about as the whole process progresses. Your adult child's family is under no obligation to talk about any of that with anyone, but they should know those questions are coming. They are certainly likely to come if you're suing a beloved family doctor and you live in a small town where that doctor has practiced for decades. Ultimately, your adult child will choose whether or not to go through with the lawsuit, and they're the only one who can make that decision. They might feel like the doctor or whatever other medical person or entity did something so egregious that it cannot stand. Sometimes, if someone harms us, we must hold them accountable. If your adult child decides to move forward, you should try to support them if you can. They might lose or win, but in the end, you'd hope they will come to peace with whatever happened. Only then can they move on with their life and figure out whatever comes next for them. Photo: (Photo : FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images) The Internal Revenue Services (IRS) has issued a warning to parents about child tax credit scams instigated by thieves who may use the payments to bait clueless victims. In a statement on the IRS site, the agency told parents that they would never initiate contact with individuals to request their financial or personal detail. The IRS said they do not get in touch with the taxpayer via text, email, or social media. If a person receives IRS communications through text, email, or social media, they must report these activities to the agency. The IRS makes phone calls to taxpayers but never through pre-recorded messages. An IRS representative will not leave a voice mail informing people a warrant could be issued for their arrest if they don't give out their information. The scammers will allegedly fool the victims into providing more information before receiving their child tax credit payments. Worse, some of these scammers would request payments through wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or gift cards, or they would ask people to click on website links that look legitimate but may lead to identity theft or tax fraud. No Further Action Needed However, the IRS reminded the public that if they filed their tax returns for 2020 or 2019, they wouldn't have to do anything else to receive the payments. Their tax returns serve as their automatic enrollment for the rollout, and they may check for their eligibility by looking through the Advance Child Tax Credit Payments in 2021 program on the IRS official site. Read Also: Monthly Payments for Child Tax Credit Could Be Bad News for Some Parents On the other hand, non-filers who still do not have their information on file with the IRS can be eligible for child tax credit payments if they provided details through the Child Tax Credit Non-filer Sign-up Tool. Millions of American taxpayers received the payments last July 15. The IRS said 86 percent of taxpayers opted to get their child tax credit payments through their nominated bank account. The rest got their paper checks in the mail. Mom Lafleur Duncan of Brooklyn said that the money came at the right time as she used these to buy new clothes for her 13-year-old son. The rest of the money will pay the rent as Duncan and her husband have been out of jobs due to the pandemic. However, Laurynn Vaughn said she had not received her payment yet despite filing her 2020 and 2019 tax returns. The mother, who has two young girls under five years old, said her payment is still pending upon checking the IRS online portal. If her payment does not come through, Vaughn can make a lump sum claim when she files for her 2021 tax return this April. Issues with Child Tax Credit Payments Per the IRS, taxpayers with issues, such as Vaugh, can always verify, update or make changes to their child tax credit payments using the IRS online portal. Some parents can still sign up and receive their credit in larger payments to catch up to the amount missed if they update their profiles on the portal. However, taxpayers may also opt-out of the monthly payment scheme and, instead, collect this in one shot during next year's tax season. The portal also guides what taxpayers must do if they have an error in their payment. Meanwhile, there are initiatives in Congress to make this program a permanent benefit for the American taxpayers. Currently, the expanded child tax credit scheme covers the 2021 financial year only. Related Article: Child Tax Credit: What To Do With Delays, Missing Payments and Wrong Amount? This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact the Parsons Sun office at (620) 421-2000 if you have any questions I finally had a chance to read carefully the Motu Proprio Traditionis Custodes issued by Pope Francis on the use of the Roman Liturgy prior to the reform of 1970. There have been very strong responses from those Catholics who enjoy the Extraordinary Form of the liturgy according to the allowances made by Pope Benedict almost twelve years ago. Here are my thoughts on the Motu Proprio. The purpose of the document is abundantly clear: ecclesial communion. It is important to also note that Pope Francis does not act alone, but after consultation with Bishops from throughout the world. Having read many critical comments on the document, I found the actual document to be much softer than what I expected. I quickly noted that Pope Francis does not ban the use of the 1962 Roman Missal, but rather grants each individual Bishop the ability to regulate its use. Pope Francis is not taking away the Latin Mass. The document reads: Therefore, it is [a bishops] exclusive competence to authorize the use of the 1962 Roman Missal in his diocese, according to the guidelines of the Apostolic See. The desire for greater ecclesial communion is evidently seen in the requirement for each Bishop to appoint a delegate, or chaplain, for the pastoral care of the faithful who attend the Mass celebrated according to the 1962 Missal. This priest must be knowledgeable of the liturgy and the use of Latin. He must also be animated by pastoral charity and ecclesial communion. This priest must also be in charge of the pastoral and spiritual care of the faithful. My understanding is that the Extraordinary Form should be celebrated in a chapel or oratory with a priest who has exclusive care of the community. The priest and the faithful of this community cannot argue that the Liturgical Reform of Vatican II is invalid, in other words, that the Ordinary Form of the Mass is no good. Unfortunately, I have met many Catholics who advance this incorrect position. The document does restrict Bishops in that they cannot authorize new groups to celebrate the 1962 liturgy. Whatever is currently happening in a Diocese may continue without further expansion. The Bishop may allow priests currently celebrating the 1962 Mass to continue to do so. Those ordained afterwards must request permission from the Bishop, who must consult with Rome. This is not a ban on the celebration of the Extraordinary Form, but rather, a granting of its regulation to Bishops. Pope Benedicts Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum, which loosened restrictions on the celebration of the 1962 Mass, wished for there to be greater unity among the faithful. As a priest, my experience is that most of the faithful who attend the Extraordinary Form love it for its beauty and reverence. However, I have met some adherents who are radical: denying the validity of the Ordinary Form or Novus Ordo Mass. Pope Benedict dreamed of ways that the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms would enrich each other, rather than becoming two parallel liturgies where the faithful bicker with each other about which one is better. Summorum Pontificum took away a Bishops ability to regulate the celebration of the Extraordinary Form, granting the faithful direct recourse to Rome. Now, Bishops will be able to exercise their office as chief liturgists of their Diocese when it comes to the 1962 Missal. Traditionis Custodes is a reminder that as a whole the Eucharist must be celebrated in a manner that draws the faithful into the Mystery of God. It must be celebrated reverently and beautifully regardless of language or Missal. Pope Francis has not banned the Latin Mass. Those who are weeping and disgracefully disparaging Pope Francis must have not read the document. The same goes for those who see this as a victory over those who prefer the Extraordinary Form. The document is brief and direct, its worth a read. Carl Gustav Jung was born on this day, the 26th of July, in 1875, in Kesswil, Switzerland. His father was a rural pastor of the Swiss Reformed Church, his mother the child of a prominent clerical and academic family. He would later write how his mothers mental illness marked him. He would say he grew up with two personalities, one the boy of his time and place, but the other, a being from some other place, he imagined the 18th century. At first he believed he would grow up to become a minister, then was fascinated by archaeology. Finally he settled on medicine, and psychiatry. After graduation, and based on some of his research Sigmund Freud invited Jung to visit him in Vienna. This led to a lengthy coorespendence. Quickly Jung was seen as chief among Freuds disciples, and Freud saw the younger psychiatrist as his heir. But within six years strains began to appear. Jung began to question Freuds emphasis on the primacy of sex while Freud was concerned with Jungs growing focus on comparative religions and mythology. By 1913 with the publication of Jungs Psychology of the Unconscious. they broke with each other completely. Jung went on to develop Analytical psychology, with its emphasis on symbols and a sense of a collective unconscious. The Wikipedia article on Jung summarizes, the central concepts of analytical psychology is individuationthe lifelong psychological process of differentiation of the self out of each individuals conscious and unconscious elements. Jung considered it to be the main task of human development. He created some of the best known psychological concepts, including synchronicity, archetypal phenomena, the collective unconscious, the psychological complex and extraversion and introversion. Following a sometimes controversial and generally distinguished career, after a short illness, on the 6th of June, 1961, Carl Jung died. As a young seeker Jung caught my attention with his emphasis on religion and mythology. And, when I learned that it was he who identified the psychological inclinations of introversion and extraversion, I got his genius. But, I was more than a little suspicious of his idea of a collective unconscious. And as I came to see most people I read who followed him, believed the collective unconscious was a literal thing, long on certainty and very short on evidence, what passing interest I had, passed. Then, in my mid thirties, as part of a grand scheme for my spouse Jan and I to shift gears into professional lives, I began taking classes at Sonoma State University, studying psychology. I was working close to full time and I considered the BA nothing more than a ticket to a professional school, and so was pushing through as fast as I could. Some friends stopped me and said, Do yourself a favor, James. Find a professor you admire and take whatever she or he offers. They slyly added, Youll never regret it. One of them who knew the school, Sonoma State, a commuter college some sixty miles north of San Francisco, said Take a class from Gordon Tappan in the psychology department. A little reluctantly, but needing some relief from the grind, I signed up. Now, totally by accident I walked into a graduate seminar on archetypal psychology, a variation on Carl Jungs work. I stood at his desk. Gordon looked at my paperwork, glanced up and said, Been a mistake. No undergraduates here. I said, Im on a tight schedule and cant get another class in time to keep my load up, and as someone let me register, Im not going to leave. He gave me the fisheye, then said, Sit in the back and keep quiet. I sat in the back but didnt keep quiet. I ended up taking three classes with him, and found them pretty much the only things I recall from that whirlwind that led to my being able to get into grad school. Gordon was an archetypalist. And as Ive said, I never actually had much of a taste for Carl Jungs work. I think while he was some kind of artist of the heart, he also liked to pretend his work was science. And that just annoyed me. But, his disciple James Hillman, well, hes a horse of another color entirely. As is his subset of Jungian thought, archetypal psychology. A few years ago when I learned Hillman had died, I felt actual grief, as if it were the passing of one of my teachers. While I never met him, since Gordons class Ive read a lot of Hillman. I consider him one of my important guides. Im particularly taken with what Hillman considered the soul to be for someone who doesnt think theres a parasite inside us just waiting for the moment it can break free. You may have noticed how spirit and self, and sometimes mind are, in practice, in our times, all taken as synonyms for soul. Actually this is a problem. Hillman suggested this represents a reductionism in our current culture leading to a simple Cartesian divide between outer tangible reality and inner states of mind, or between body and a fuzzy conglomerate of mind, psyche, and spirit. He also provided me with a way to engage the classical Buddhist understanding of the Three Bodies. One is Nirmanakaya, the realm of history and causality. Another is the Dharmakaya, the realm of the absolute or vast empty. And, the third is the Sambkogakaya, the realm of miracle. Or, as I see it the realm of dream and story. In this third place the absolute and the phenomenal meet, and there are eruptions, perhaps not disruptions of time and space, but absolutely disruptions of our sense of what is, which are might close. For me seeing the two views, the classical presentation of the three bodies of the Buddha and Hillmans three parts of being within mind, psyche, and spirit, opened up the dynamic I kept experiencing in my own life. Seeing neither is precisely it, but that each in its three-fold dynamic points to something more livable than even the great truths of the identity of form and emptiness suggest. And Gordon provided a pretty direct example of how it all can come together in our lived lives. I was taking a dream seminar with him. One afternoon a member of the group described her most recent dream. The woman was ethereal, tall and thin, with long golden hair that frizzed just enough to create a halo effect around her head. She described how in her dream a woman, and I admit I had a hard time not picturing her, herself, walked toward her holding a golden ball. As she watched transfixed the ball started glowing, the brightness growing, and growing until there was nothing but light. Nothing but light. When she finished the group was silent. That pause extended a minute or so, almost achingly long. Then out of that silence Gordon asked, quietly, simply, kindly, What do you think all that light was hiding? With all that I knew I was finding aspects of the deep. And while I could never call myself a Jungian, thanks to Hillman, and most of all, Gordon Tappan, I do have to acknowledge my ongoing debt to the old Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung. Think of me as a Pseudo-Jungian. Grateful. We all see through the glass darkly. And, we get caught, as Jung pointed out, in shadows. But, Ive found, with gratitude, and hesitation, and more than a shadow of doubt, if we open our hearts, possibilities emerge. And in that regard, Jung opened doors to possibilities, for many, including me. And, to win the great victory, I feel, Ive found, we have to continue on. But, always, grateful The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) says Ghanas preparedness to produce its own vaccine is a laudable effort by the Nana Addo-led government. President of the GMA, Dr. Frank Ankobea, believes it is nigh time the country looked in that direction. The government of Ghana is set to invest some US$25 million as seed money towards the establishment of a National Vaccine Institute in a bid to produce COVID-19 vaccine locally. President Akufo-Addo announced this in his 26th address to the nation on measures being implemented to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, on Sunday, July 25. According to him, "the global shortage of vaccines" has necessitated the need for the country to "develop our capacity to produce our own vaccines domestically and reduce our dependence on foreign supplies". We must be self-sufficient in this regard in the future, and prepare ourselves better to deal with any such occurrences in the future. To this end, the Committee I established, under the leadership of the world-renowned Ghanaian scientist, Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, to investigate Ghanas potential as a vaccine manufacturing hub, to meet national and regional needs, has presented its preliminary report which, amongst others, recommends the establishment of a National Vaccine Institute to spearhead this development. Government has committed to inject seed funding of some twenty-five million United States dollars (US$25 million) this year into this whole enterprise. The Institute will be charged with delivering six clear mandates: 1. establishing local vaccine manufacturing plants; 2. deepening Research & Development (R&D) for vaccines in Ghana; 3. upgrading and strengthening the FDA; 4. forging bilateral and multilateral partnerships for vaccine manufacturing in various areas, such as funding, clinical trials, technology transfer, licensing, and assignment of intellectual property rights; 5. building the human resource base for vaccine discovery, development, and manufacture; and 6. establishing a permanent national secretariat to coordinate vaccine development and manufacture. In the short term, the Frimpong-Boateng Committee is facilitating the capacity of domestic pharmaceutical companies to fill and finish COVID-19 vaccines," Nana Akufo-Addo stated in his address. The president of the association, Dr. Frank Ankobea who was speaking to NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie said its time Ghana must stop begging for a vaccine. Its too much. Producing our own vaccine means we will be able to fight the covid which is vast spreading. Ghana Medical Association is more than happy for this announcement by the president, he added President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says its government will invest a seed funding of 25 million U.S. dollars for the local production of COVID-19 vaccines.In his address to the nation late Sunday on measures taken against the spread of the virus, president Nana Addo said the local production of the vaccine became necessary following a global shortage in recent times.The global shortage of vaccines means that we must develop our capacity to produce our own vaccines domestically and reduce our dependence on foreign supplies," the president said.Adding that, "We must be self-sufficient in this regard... and prepare ourselves better to deal with any such occurrences in the future." Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Ghanas High Commission to the UK and Republic of Ireland, Papa Owusu- Ankomah has advised young Ghanaians in the United Kingdom to get involved in the affairs of Ghana and be Influencers as the country moves into the next phase of its development. You are the best of worlds. You have the best in Ghana, and you are the best in the UK, so, I am urging you to be influencers in Ghana the High Commissioner says to a thunderous applause of the young, enthusiastic crowd. HE Owusu-Ankomah gave this advise at the Ghana Party in the Park arguably the biggest Ghanaian festival outside of Ghana. The annual festival featured Live Music, food, cultural activities and an exhibition of Ghanaian goods and services. The High Commissioner used the occasion to appeal to Ghanaians to take the Covid 19 vaccination exercise seriously to protect themselves from the virus. He reminded Ghanaians in the UK of the importance of the Ghanaians in the UK registration programme being organised by the Ghana High Commission UK to register and have their data on the missions database. As a prelude to the main event, the High Commission held a breakfast meeting with the organisers, artistes, and representatives of the sponsors of the event- Consolidated Bank of Ghana (CBG). Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Nigerian President Muhammad Buhari is traveling to London to attend an education summit and will use the trip to go for a health check-up, the presidency has announced. Mr Buhari will participate in the Global Education Summit co-hosted by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta, a statement said. He will also spend days undertaking "an earlier scheduled medical check-up". Mr Buhari will return to Nigeria by the second week of August, said Femi Adesina, the president's media aide. The 78-year-old leader has made several trips to the UK for medical reasons since taking office in 2015. During one such trip in 2017, he spent several months in London. The nature of his illness has never been disclosed by officials. His last visit was at the end of March when he spent about two weeks. His frequent medical trips have been widely criticized, especially given the poor state of Nigeria's public healthcare system. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, at the head of a Ghanaian delegation to the Global Education Summit in the United Kingdom, left Ghana on Tuesday for that country. His official visit to the UK is at the invitation of his Kenyan counterpart, Uhuru Kenyatta, and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson. The two-day London Summit which runs from from July 28 to July 29, 2021, will be a key moment for the global community to come together and support quality education for all children. A centre-piece of the summit will be the opportunity for leaders to make 5-year pledges to support Global Partnership for Education's (GPE) work to help transform education systems in up to 90 countries and territories. The GPE is a multi-stakeholder partnership and funding platform that aims to strengthen education systems in developing countries in order to dramatically increase the number of children who are in school and learning. The President will also, at the invitation of the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Emerging Business Intelligence & Innovation (EBII) Group of the UK, attend as Special Guest of Honour, and deliver the keynote address at the 2021 African Investments Risks and Compliance (IRC) Summit, on July 30, 2021 at the University of Oxford. He was accompanied by the Foreign Affairs minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, Education minister Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum and officials of the Presidency and Foreign Ministry. The President will return to Ghana on Sunday, August 1, 2021. Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, will act in his stead. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A new report by the Bureau of Public Safety (BPS) shows that crime rates across Ghana has increased dramatically this year. Comparing the first half of 2020 to the first half of 2021, there has been an increase in violent crimes while deaths arising out of these crimes have also gone up significantly. Particularly of interest is the tools that people are using to commit the crimes. If you compare the first half of this year and the first half of last year, firearms have gone up by 79% and machete and knife being used in violent crimes has also gone up significantly, so it is something we need to focus attention on which is gun control. These were made known by the Executive Secretary of the Bureau of Public Safety, Nana Yaw Akwadaa, on the Sunrise morning show on 3FM with Alfred Ocansey. The report comes on the heels of a series of crimes committed within the last two weeks. Of particular interest is the alleged murder of a pastor and his wife at Ayitikope in the Akatsi South Municipality of the Volta Region. Giving an account of the incident, the Assemblyman of the area, Dery Agbo, who is also a close relative to the deceased, said the decomposed bodies of the couple were found in their room. Another incident was about the Member of Parliament for the Sissala West Constituency in the Upper West Region, Mohammed Adama Sukparu, who was also attacked by armed men upon his return from a funeral. He and the occupants of his vehicle, however, escaped unharmed. The Bureau of Public Safety says the majority of the crimes recorded including murders and manslaughters happened outside the victims homes. And so it is important that we have these closed-circuit televisions and so we should deploy them and occasionally remove footage from them and appropriate the cameras very well to be able to pick up human traffics and isolate the people, he stressed. Source: 3news.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A CCTV footage of an unidentified lady deliberately turning on a gas cooker at an Abuja Supermarket has surfaced after an explosion occurred. The lady was seen in the video pretending to pick something, before turning on the gas cooker and leaving without anything. The gas explosion at the Supermarket located at Lokogoma district in Abuja occurred on Saturday July 17, and it was learnt that firefighters battled the fire until the next day. Goods worth millions of Naira were also destroyed as a result of the incident. Watch the video below... View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lindaikejiblog (@lindaikejiblogofficial) 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 Ronny Jackson, the former White House physician-turned-congressman, says hes "terrified for the country" in the wake of U.S. President, Joe Bidens televised town hall this week. According to Jackson, he doubts whether the commander in chief has the cognitive ability to make it through a full four-year term. During Joe Bidens performance on the CNN Town Hall on Wednesday, July 21, he made false assertions about the efficacy of COVID vaccines, talked about helping children "find out whether theres a man on the moon or those aliens are here or not" and confused some in the audience with references to conspiracy theories. "I mean, Qanon, the idea that the Democrats or that Biden is hiding people and sucking the blood of children and no, Im serious," he said. "Hes completely LOST it!" Jackson, R-Texas, tweeted along with a video clip in which Biden answers a reporters question about defunding the police by claiming that Republicans accuse him of "sucking the blood out of kids." "Needs a cognitive exam NOW!" Jackson posted. Earlier this month, Biden was forced to rely on notes to answer a reporters question at a Michigan pie shop. Speaking to Fox News host Sean Hannity, Jackson said; "This is a national security issue at this point'' "I think hes either going to resign theyre going to convince him to resign from office at some point in the near future for medical issues or theyre going to have to use the 25th Amendment to get rid of this man," Jackson said. Last month Jackson, who served as the personal physician of both President Obama and President Trump, joined a dozen Republican House members in a letter calling on Biden to take a cognitive function test as Trump did while he was in office and publicly release the results. "The American people deserve full transparency on the mental capabilities of their highest elected leader," the Republicans wrote. "Ive been saying that its only going to get worse," Jackson said Thursday on Fox News. "And guess what? Were watching that happen right before our eyes right now." he added Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A worker carrying a disinfectant sprayer walks past a WestJet Airlines Boeing 737-800 aircraft, after cleaning another plane at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. The Calgary-based airline says it will now be able market flights operated by KLM, which it says means WestJet travellers will be able to easily transfer through Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport to 18 European cities. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck Prime Minister Justin Trudeau chats with people waiting for their shots while visiting a COVID-19 vaccination clinic, Thursday, July 15, 2021 in Montreal. Trudeau is urging Canadians who still have not gotten a COVID-19 vaccine to roll up their sleeves, saying that the overwhelming majority of cases are in people who haven't received their two shots.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz Stuart LePage, of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, sprints to place a salmon in a vessel to be lifted by a helicopter and transported up the Fraser River past a massive rock slide near Big Bar, west of Clinton, B.C., Wednesday July 24, 2019. Officials say thousands of migrating salmon are making their way past an area of British Columbia's Fraser River that was the scene of waterway restructuring efforts following a massive rock slide more than two years ago. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck Thank you for reading the Philadelphia Tribune. You have exhausted your free article views for this month. Please press the "subscribe" button below and see our introductory price of $0.25 per week for 13 weeks. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you next month. Presidents Office names next chief of staff Tuesday, July 27, 2021 9:15 AM Alumni, People and Society, News Pittsburg, KS Katie George has been named the next chief of staff in the Presidents Office, succeeding Jaime Dalton, who soon will move to the Office of Career Services as its director. Since 2017, George has been the director of development for the College of Technology, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Technology in May 2015. As a student, she was very involved on campus and recalls interacting with President Steve Scott as a member of Ambassadors, as a Homecoming queen candidate, and when giving campus tours. I feel really honored to have even been considered for this position, she said. It still feels surreal. In her role in the Office of Development, she cultivated relationships with alumni, constituents, and corporate professionals; planned, coordinated, and executed visits and recognition events; and worked closely with deans, department chairs, and faculty all experiences that will be valuable in her new role as chief of staff. She anticipates completing a Master of Science in Human Resource Development with an emphasis in leadership and organization development next May. Katie has quickly proven to be a talented and passionate ambassador for Pitt State in her work as a development officer. I'm confident she'll bring a high level of energy, outstanding organizational skills, and love of Pittsburg State to this important role, Scott said. I am looking forward to working alongside her to advance the university. George also has worked as an integrated marketing manager for Boelte-Hall in Roeland Park, Kansas, and has been a leader in her sorority. She volunteers at The Lords Diner and has helped with the United Way Day of Action. She is a native of Mound City, Kansas, but considers Pittsburg home. My parents, sister, aunts, uncles, and cousins all attended Pitt State. We are a Gorilla family, said George. Ive always felt like Pittsburg and Pitt State are home away from home even as a student. You roll into the city limits and you just breath a big sigh of comfort. Its exciting to see how the campus and community have continued to develop since I graduated, Im happy to be a part of it, and Im looking forward to this next chapter. George will start her duties on Aug. 8. Some of the teams:: from left to right: Sandy Allan (Nanga Parbat); Sebastien Bohin (Kamet); Rick Allen (Nanga Parbat); Yasuhiro Hanatani (Kyashar) and Tatsuya Aoki (Kyashar). Photo by Lanzeni / Piolets d'Or Rick Allen perishes on K2 27.07.2021 by by Planetmountain 68-year-old Scottish mountaineer Rick Allen has lost his life while attempting to establish a new route on K2. In 2012, together with Sandy Allan, he completed the historic first traverse of the interminable Mazeno Ridge on Nanga Parbat. Rick Allen, one of Scotland's most renowned mountaineers, has died on K2 while attempting to establish a new alpine-style on the southeast face of the second highest mountain in the world. The 68-year-old was caught in an avalanche, while his two climbing partners Jordi Tosas from Spain and Stephan Keck from Austria escaped unharmed. Rescued by Pakistani helicopters, they were subsequently transported to Skardu. Born in 1953, Allen was one of the strongest mountaineers of his generation, a legend in his homeland for his mixed climbs (such as the spectacular Raven's Edge at Buachaille Etive Mor) and for his ascents on the highest mountains in the world. While it is impossible to list all his routes and attempts, his most representative climbs include a new route on the south face of Ganesh II (Lapsang Karbo) in Nepal established over a period of 12 days in the autumn 1984 together with Nikola Kekus, a new route up the southeast face of Pumori in 1986 with Sandy Allan, and a new, extraordinary direttissima on the north face of Dhaulagiri in 1993 with a Russian expedition. Furthermore, he summited Everest in 2000 after failed attempts in 1985 and 1987, and climbed the fearsome Diamir Face of Nanga Parbat in 2009 with Sandy Allan. Despite this amazing pedigree Allen was not a star on the international climbing scene, but in 2012 this changed when over a period of 18 days together with fellow countryman Sandy Allan he completed what for decades had been described as "one of the last great problems in the Himalayas", the interminable Mazeno Ridge on Nanga Parbat. After two previous attempts with Doug Scott in 1992 and 1995, the two mountaineers, well in their 50s, completed the historic first traverse relying on their unfathomable determination, resilience and technical ability. Over 13 kilometers at altitude, with eight peaks higher than 7000m, along the insidious crest that divides the Rupal Face from the Diamir Face... Carried out in pure alpine style, the climb was rightly celebrated as an absolute milestone in high altitude mountaineering and rewarded with the Piolet d'Or 2013. The mountains were evidently an integral part of Allen's life and in the years following the epic Mazeno climb he continued climbing actively; in 2018, during an attempt on Broad Peak, he got lost in descent and miraculously suvived after being guided by a drone. Allen was on K2 now with Briton Jerry Gore to raise funds for Partners Relief & Development. On the official Facebook page, the charity stated on 25 July, "Rick died doing what he loved the most and lived his life with the courage of his convictions. Rick was committed to serving the worlds poorest and most vulnerable communities, and worked as a key member of the leadership of Partners Relief & Development UK for several years, campaigning for free, full lives for children affected by conflict and oppression." After spending decades in the mountains, Allen was acutely conscious of both the dazzling beauty and the terrible dangers that the mountains hold. Conversing with his good friend Simon Richardson, who has described him as "not just an incredible mountaineer but a very kind and gentle man", prior to leaving for the Mazeno Ridge in 2012, Allen wrote about precisely these risks: "If you are someone who prays, please pray for us. If not, please pray anyway." Segebrecht leads Race For Super MILLION$ $267K Top Prize July 27, 2021 Matthew Pitt The latest GGPoker Super MILLION$ attracted 123 players, and only nine of those starters have chips in front of them right now. Those nine finalists have locked up $36,982 for their $10,300 buy-in, but one of them will walk away with an impressive $267,285 and the title of champion. Super MILLION$ Season 2 Episode 5 Final Table Place Player Country Chips Big Blinds 1 Claas Segebrecht Austria 2,541,935 84.7 2 meow41 Canada 2,226,692 74.2 3 Joakim Andersson Malta 2,213,345 73.8 4 Ramiro Petrone Uruguay 1,544,865 51.5 5 Simon Matsson Norway 1,235,798 41.2 6 Chris Puetz Austria 964,684 32.2 7 Bruno Volkmann Brazil 883,203 29.4 8 Sergio Aido Macau 500,778 16.7 9 Yuri Dzivielevski Brazil 188,700 6.3 Claas Segebrecht returns to the Super MILLION$ action today armed with a tournament-leading 2,541,935 stack and with a great chance of padding his bankroll with more than a quarter of a million dollars. The Austrian is in great shape, with 84.7 big blinds at the restart, after winning his seat in this tournament via a $1,000 satellite. This is only the third time Segebrecht has cashed in the Super MILLION$ and the first time he has sat down at its final table. Finishing sixth or better doubles his lifetime Super MILLION$ winnings. Canada's "meow41" is another finalist guaranteed a massive ROI after securing their $10,300 seat via a $1,000 satellite tournament. This is the first time meow41 has played in a Super MILLION$ event, and they find themselves second in chips at a final table. No wonder they look like the cat that has got the cream! Watch This Star-Studded Final Table Unfold Who will win this week's Super MILLION$? Watch the final table action here! Head to GGPoker's Awesome YouTube channel Season 1's Super MILLION$ MVP, Joakim Andersson, has reached this final table, the ninth time he has been present and correct at the business end of this massive tournament. Andersson has triumphed in the Super MILLION$ on two previous occasions, impressive results that helped him accumulate $3,837,770 in Super MILLION$ earnings during Season 1 alone! He returns third in chips but is probably the favorite going into this final table. At least 11 GGPoker players will cheer on Ramiro Petrone when he takes his seat at the final table. Petrone sold 30% of his action at 1.05 markup to 11 investors via the in-built staking software. The Uruguayan is recording his first cash of Season 2 tonight. His previous final table appearances have both ended in third-place finishes. Will it be a case of third time's a charm for Petrone? Simon Mattsson Simon Mattsson won the Super MILLION$ on July 4 and banked a cool $302,054. Now he has another shot at glory in online poker's biggest weekly tournament. Mattsson returns to the fray with 1,235,798 chips or 41.2 big blinds in old money. Austria's Chris Puetz has been in a similar position to this before. Puetz has two prior Super MILLION$ final tables to his name, a seventh-place finish in March 2021 and a sixth-place exit in June. The latter was when the tournament was part of the High Rollers Week, so it came with a $266,187 payout. He needs to finish in first place on July 27 to beat that impressive sum. GGPoker Announces Full 33-Bracelet WSOP Online 2021 Schedule Down in seventh place, albeit with 29.4 big blinds at his disposal, is Brazilian superstar Bruno Volkmann. Volkmann has eon more than $4.9 million at GGPoker, with almost $2.2 million of that haul stemming from Super MILLION$ cashes. His pair of outright victories saw more than $880,000 added to his bankroll. He has his work cut out if he wants to complete a hattrick, but Volkmann is the man to turn things around if anyone is. Sergio Aido is another man who will be cheered on by some railbirds when the final table commences at 6:00 p.m. BST on July 27. This is because he sold 25% of his action to seven stakers at 1.05 markup. Aido does not play many Super MILLION$ tournaments, which is one of the reasons this is his first-ever final table appearance. He sits down in eighth place with 13.8 big blinds in his arsenal. Former Super MILLION$ champion Yuri Dzivielevski is the man bringing up the real when play resumes this evening. The March 23rd champion limped into the final table with 327,304 chips or 13.1 big blinds. Players have come back from this challenging position and gone on to bank six-figure sums. Will Dzivielevsky be one of those players we talk about for seasons to come? WASHINGTON President Joe Biden said Monday the U.S. combat mission in Iraq will conclude by the end of the year, an announcement that reflects the reality on the ground more than a major shift in U.S. policy. Even before Biden took office, the main U.S. focus has been assisting Iraqi forces, not fighting on their behalf. And Biden did not say if he planned to reduce the number of troops in Iraq, now about 2,500. The announcement comes on the heels of Biden's decision to withdraw fully from Afghanistan nearly 20 years after the U.S. launched that war in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Together, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have heavily taxed the U.S. military and kept it from devoting more attention to a rising China, which the Biden administration calls the biggest long-term security challenge. For years, U.S. troops have played support roles in Iraq and in neighboring Syria, which was the origin of the Islamic State group that swept across the border in 2014 and captured large swaths of Iraqi territory, prompting the U.S. to send troops back to Iraq that year. Speaking to reporters during an Oval Office session with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Biden said his administration remained committed to a partnership with Iraq a relationship that has been increasingly complicated by Iranian-backed Iraqi militia groups. The militias want all U.S. troops out of Iraq immediately and have periodically attacked bases that house American troops. Dan Caldwell, a senior adviser to Concerned Veterans for America, said U.S. troops will remain at risk. "Regardless of whether their deployment is called a combat mission, U.S. troops will remain under regular attack as long as they remain in Iraq," Caldwell said in a statement. "An American military presence in Iraq is not necessary for our safety and only risks the loss of more American life." Biden said the U.S. military will continue to assist Iraq in its fight against the Islamic State group, or ISIS. A joint U.S.-Iraq statement said the security relationship will be focused on training, advising and intelligence-sharing. "Our shared fight against ISIS is critical for the stability of the region and our counterterrorism operation will continue, even as we shift to this new phase we're going to be talking about," Biden said. The shift from a U.S. combat role to one focused on training and advising the Iraqi security forces was announced in April, when a joint U.S.-Iraqi statement said this transition allowed for the removal from Iraq of any remaining U.S. combat forces on a timetable to be determined later. It did not specify what combat functions the U.S. was engaged in then, nor did Biden get into such specifics on Monday. "We're not going to be, by the end of the year, in a combat mission," he said. White House press secretary Jen Psaki declined to say how many troops would remain in Iraq by year's end. "The numbers will be driven by what is needed for the mission over time, so it is more about moving to a more advising and training capacity from what we have had over the last several years," she said. The U.S. troop presence has stood at about 2,500 since late last year when then-President Donald Trump ordered a reduction from 3,000. The Iraqi government in 2017 declared victory over the Islamic State group, which is now a shell of its former self. Still, it has shown it can carry out high-casualty attacks. Last week, the group claimed responsibility for a roadside bombing that killed at least 30 people and wounded dozens in a busy suburban Baghdad market. In his remarks alongside Biden, al-Kadhimi thanked the United States for its support. Back home, al-Kadhimi faces no shortage of problems. Iranian-backed militias operating inside Iraq have stepped up attacks against U.S. forces in recent months, and a series of devastating hospital fires that left dozens of people dead and soaring coronavirus infections have added fresh layers of frustration for the nation. For al-Kadhimi, the ability to offer the Iraqi public a date for the end of the U.S. combat presence could be a feather in his cap before elections scheduled for October. Biden administration officials say al-Kadhimi also deserves credit for improving Iraq's standing in the Mideast. Last month, King Abdullah II of Jordan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visited Baghdad for joint meetings the first time an Egyptian president has made an official visit since the 1990s, when ties were severed after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. The Iraqi prime minister made clear before his trip to Washington that he believes it's time for the U.S. to wind that mission down. "There is no need for any foreign combat forces on Iraqi soil," al-Kadhimi told The Associated Press last weekend. The U.S. mission of training and advising Iraqi forces has its most recent origins in President Barack Obama's decision in 2014 to send troops back to Iraq. The move was made in response to the Islamic State group's takeover of large portions of western and northern Iraq and a collapse of Iraqi security forces that appeared to threaten Baghdad. Obama had fully withdrawn U.S. forces from Iraq in 2011, eight years after the U.S. invasion. Pentagon officials for years have tried to balance what they see as a necessary military presence to support the Iraqi government's fight against IS with domestic political sensitivities in Iraq to a foreign troop presence. The vulnerability of U.S. troops was demonstrated most dramatically in January 2020 when Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on al-Asad air base in western Iraq. No Americans were killed, but dozens suffered traumatic brain injury from the blasts. That attack came shortly after a U.S. drone strike killed Iranian military commander Qassim Soleimani and senior Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis at Baghdad International Airport. ___ Associated Press writer Samya Kullab contributed to this report. Charleston International officials believe July will set a passenger record after traffic in June jumped to 94 percent of pre-pandemic levels as more travelers boarded planes for summer vacations. Propelled by more airlines offering more flights to more destinations in the wake of the height of the pandemic, July's travel numbers will outpace those from July 2019, airport CEO Elliott Summey predicted. Two years ago in July, more than 464,000 people came through the state's busiest airport. It was among the more heavily traveled months that led to a record-setting year for air passengers in Charleston. Last month, more than 436,000 ticketholders traveled through the terminal on arriving and departing flights, or about 29,500 less compared to June 2019. Measured against the same month last year, when airline travel plummeted amid the COVID-19 outbreak, passenger levels at the airport climbed 300 percent in June. In June 2020, slightly more than 109,000 travelers arrived and departed at Charleston International. During this year's first six months, the airport recorded 638,000 more passengers than during the same time period in 2020. Compared to 2019, the terminal is down nearly 730,000 passengers during the first six months. Sign up for our business newsletter. Our twice-weekly newsletter features all the business stories shaping Charleston and South Carolina. Get ahead with us - it's free. Email Sign Up! Summey also is bullish on final projections for the rest of the year, as long as there is not another setback from the latest surge of coronavirus cases. "I think we can beat 2019's numbers this year, barring another outbreak," Summey said. That's a tall order, considering the airport will need to see nearly 3.25 million travelers, or an average of more than 541,000 each month, for the final six months of the year to match the passenger count for 2019. During the final six months of that year, the airport recorded an average of roughly 420,000 passengers a month. The highest number of travelers the airport saw during any month of 2019 was in May of that year with just over 469,000. For all of 2019, the number of people traveling through Charleston International stood at 4.87 million, as the growing airport set a string of records every year for nearly a decade before the COVID-19 outbreak. Last year, just under 2 million people traveled through the terminal, far short of the 5 million-plus that was projected before the coronavirus flare-up and economic shutdown in March 2020 that crippled air travel. Proponents of a shipping terminal in Jasper County are hoping a law will keep development of the Lowcountry site alive even if the Georgia Ports Authority decides it doesn't want to expand across the South Carolina border. The law, part of the National Environmental Policy Act, requires the Army Corps of Engineers to consider alternative sites for projects that affect federal waterways. That has backers of the proposed Jasper Ocean Terminal ready to push their site as the preferred alternative to a 200-acre terminal that Georgia officials want to build on Hutchinson Island in the Savannah River. The Jasper terminal has seen little progress in the nearly 15 years since the rival port agencies in South Carolina and Georgia formed a joint venture to develop the site to handle future cargo needs. The two states have spent a combined $19.5 million on preliminary environmental studies for the proposed container terminal, which has a price tag of more than $5 billion. Meanwhile, the Port of Savannah is bursting at the seams with cargo, moving 5.3 million 20-foot containers in fiscal 2021 a 20 percent increase from last year. The Hutchinson Island terminal, announced in 2019, would cost about $2 billion and add capacity for an additional 2.7 million cargo containers by 2027. The Georgia Ports Authority in February filed a permit application for the terminal with the Army Corps, although it's unclear how much progress has been made on the application. Representatives for the GPA and the Army Corps did not respond to requests for comment. Sen. Tom Davis, a Beaufort Republican, sees the Hutchinson Island development as a threat to the Jasper terminal he's backed for more than a decade. Sign up for our business newsletter. Our twice-weekly newsletter features all the business stories shaping Charleston and South Carolina. Get ahead with us - it's free. Email Sign Up! "This is of great concern since, as you know, the development of a terminal on Hutchinson Island would materially impact in a negative way the timeline" for the Jasper site, Davis wrote in a July 6 letter to Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the South Carolina's ports authority. Davis wants the Mount Pleasant-based maritime agency to continue spending money on environmental studies for the Jasper project so its progress "compels its consideration by the Corps as an alternative to Hutchinson Island." He also wants South Carolina port officials to take action against their Georgia joint venture partners if they don't match what the Palmetto State spends on those plans. The plan to offer the Jasper Ocean Terminal as an alternative to Hutchinson Island was outlined in a part of the South Carolina budget that restricts how state dollars can be used. The S.C. Legislature included $2 million in this year's budget for Jasper studies, with that money to be spent by June 30. However, the terminal's board approved just $200,000 $100,000 apiece from South Carolina and Georgia for studies during its July 20 meeting. Georgia officials haven't publicly said what they plan to do about the Jasper terminal. South Carolina's port authority has agreed to assign its interest in the joint venture to Jasper County, but the Georgia Ports Authority would have to agree to the deal. Georgia officials have until Sept. 1 to make a decision. Andrew Fulghum, Jasper County's administrator, did not respond to a request for comment. Randy Lowell, the South Carolina authority's lawyer, said in a July 12 email to Davis that the environmental studies that are underway should make the Jasper site an alternative to a terminal on Hutchinson Island. However, he added: "The Savannah District of the Corps will ultimately have the final say over any alternative for a proposed Hutchinson Island terminal if an application is filed." Even if the Jasper terminal is chosen as a potential alternative, the Army Corps considers a range of factors in making a final permitting decision, and developers usually work closely with regulators to resolve issues related to their preferred site. COLUMBIA Nathaniel Rowland was sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted of kidnapping and murdering University of South Carolina senior Samantha Josephson, who mistakenly got into a car she thought was an Uber in Columbias Five Points in 2019. A near-even racially mixed group of jurors deliberated for a little more than an hour before finding the 27-year-old Clarendon County man guilty of killing Josephson, a 21-year-old New Jersey native who planned to attend law school on a full scholarship. She was stabbed more than 120 times while locked in the backseat of a car, investigators said. Josephson's father, Seymour, pumped his fist, looked up to the ceiling and wiped away tears before hugging his wife and daughter in the courtroom when the verdict was announced. Rowland and his family showed no emotion. Josephson stepped into Rowlands car just after 2 a.m. one night in March 2019 and was later found stabbed to death in a rural area of Clarendon County, 65 miles east of Columbia and not far from Rowlands childhood home. The jury found Rowland guilty of each of his charges of murder, kidnapping and possessing a weapon during a violent crime. His murder conviction carried a sentence of 30 years to life in prison. Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty against Rowland. Judge Clifton Newman told the court before sentencing Rowland to life without parole that the last time he presided over a case involving a stabbing death, it had been a death penalty case. Seeking the death penalty requires an aggravated circumstance, which Newman noted was present in Rowland's case because of the kidnapping charge. Fifth Circuit Solicitor Byron Gipson told reporters after the verdict that he had consulted the Josephson family and that they approved of his decision to not seek the death penalty. Former prosecutors said jurors in Richland County, with its high African American population, are less likely than other areas of the state to sentence a convicted murderer to death. "We're satisfied that Mr. Rowland will spend the rest of his natural life in prison," Gipson said. Before sentencing, Rowland told Newman that he was innocent because state and local investigators did not do enough research to find the real culprit and instead on concentrated on proving he committed the crime. Rowland tried to fire his public defenders on the first day of the trial, but the private attorney he said he hired said she had not agreed to work on the case. Newman told Rowland that after hearing the testimony and seeing the evidence from the trial, "There's 1,000 trails and each trail led to you." The judge and Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook both said this was the worst crime they had ever encountered in their careers. In seeking a life sentence, Josephson's mother, Marci, told the judge how she cannot erase the thoughts of her daughter struggling for survival while being stabbed repeatedly. "Her dreams were my dreams and her death was my death. I used to have dreams for her, now all I have are nightmares," Marci Josephson said. "Her death sliced through my heart." She repeatedly called Rowland a monster and said he "stole my beliefs." Seymour Josephson held up a binder that he said held 90 statements from family and friends about the cost of losing his daughter before handing it to the judge. Her family spoke about how Samantha Josephson was a kind and happy woman with a bright future. "Obviously, she trusted too many people," Seymour Josephson said. Her father said he cannot look at photos or videos of Samantha Josephson because it brings up images in his mind of how she died. Seymour Josephson told the court that he contemplated suicide but stopped himself because of the anguish it would cause his already traumatized family. He was upset about how Rowland was able to chat with his family during breaks at the trial, an act some legal experts called unusual. "It killed me to witness this," Seymour Josephson said. Newman said he allowed the visits because defendants are presumed innocent. Rowlands mother, Lorett, tried to tell the judge her son was innocent but she was cut short by Newman, who reminded her of the evidence leading to his conviction. Asked by Newman how she knew he did not kill Josephson, Lorett Rowland said it was because of how she raised her son. Rowland's father, Henry, said he was sorry for the Josephsons' loss but repeated his wife's pleas that their son was innocent. "He's a loving child, very respectful," Lorett Rowland told the judge. Rowland was arrested 24 hours after Josephsons disappearance after police pulled over his 2017 Chevrolet Impala as matching the car seen in surveillance video. Rowland ran from the traffic stop in the downtown Columbia neighborhood near Five Points and was grabbed a few blocks away. Prosecutors used cellphone data, surveillance video, DNA evidence and witness testimony to prove Rowland circled Five Points before intentionally singling out Josephson as she waited for a ride, locked her in the backseat of the car, stabbed her to death with the knife blades of a multitool, drove to the other side of Sumter and dumped her body in some remote woods off of a dirt road. During his closing argument, prosecutor Daniel Goldberg asked jurors not to be distracted from "an avalanche" of evidence as they considered whether Rowland killed Josephson. "He took her from Five Points; he took her life," Goldberg told the jury. "And he took the time to try to erase all the evidence, to try to erase her." Public defender Tracy Pinnock told jurors in her closing statement that unidentified people whose DNA was found on various items and Josephson's body cast doubt on the state's case. Pinnock worked to poke holes in the testimony of the state's star witness, Rowland's former girlfriend Maria Howard, and that bags of bloody items, including a multitool knife, investigators found in the trash at her home had her DNA in it. A prosecutions expert witness said the multitool was the murder weapon, and police investigators testified they found Josephson's blood in a Chevrolet Impala that Rowland was caught driving when he was arrested the night after her disappearance. Pinnock noted again that Rowland's DNA was not found on Josephson's body. Prosecutors cannot argue that Rowland's DNA was not found on Josephson because he was wearing long sleeves and gloves, and also that Rowland's DNA was found on the murder weapon, Pinnock argued. Gipson's claim in his opening statement that the simple answer is the right answer isn't true in this case, Pinnock said. "There is nothing simple or easy about what happened," Pinnock said. "He's the easy answer; he's the simple answer. In this case, its the wrong answer." But all the pieces of evidence introduced by more than 30 witnesses painted enough of a picture to convince jurors. Josephson was preparing to graduate from USC that spring and planned to attend law school at Drexel University in Philadelphia. The day she disappeared, she had been on the phone and texting with her boyfriend throughout the day, pleading with him to visit her in Columbia from where he lived in Charleston. But the couple already planned to reunite in Charleston that weekend and her boyfriend, Greg Corbishley, told her to enjoy a night out free from worrying about a family members medical condition. Josephson left with friends from her Main Street apartment the night of March 29, 2019, and went to a friends house in the Shandon neighborhood near Five Points. From there, the group went to The Bird Dog, the only establishment they visited in the nightlife district that night, according to testimony. At some point Josephson was separated from her friends and she called an Uber for the ride-hailing service to take her home. Her would-be Uber driver testified that he circled the area and canceled the ride when he didnt see Josephson. Surveillance video from outside the bar and shown in court shows Josephson standing alone outside the bar on her phone just after 2 a.m. She first tries to get into a gray sedan that pulls up slowly before driving away. Immediately after, a black Chevrolet Impala can be seen on video emerging from a neighboring parking lot, hopping a curb and pulling in a handicap spot beside Josephson. She begins opening the door before the car has come to a complete stop. Her friends became worried after she didnt return to her apartment and her boyfriend said he hadnt heard from her. They watched from an app on their phones as she moved away from Five Points, never to be seen again. Jessica Holdman and Kailey Cota contributed from Columbia. A lavender beverage with tapioca pearls and an extra-wide straw sits on the counter at Poke Tea House. It's the most popular drink sold by the Hawaiian restaurant that also doles out burritos made with raw fish and seaweed, even though it's technically a Taiwanese creation. And according to CNN Travel, the industry surrounding the trending drink is expected to grow by almost $2 billion to a whopping $4.3 billion by 2027. Bubble or boba tea are two terms used interchangeably to describe the combination first whipped up in the 1980s of milk, tea and "bubbles" chewy balls made of tapioca or fruit jelly. The concept is ranked as one of the top food trends of 2021 via Yelp, alongside hot honey, Detroit-style pizza and birria. Orders for bubble tea in Southeast Asia increased by 3,000 percent in 2018 alone, and the United States isn't far behind. In April, a cargo ship delay caused concern for a boba shortage in Los Angeles that would trickle across the country. At several Charleston tea shops, certain boba flavors have been in and out of stock. "Due to shortage, check store for updated tea toppings," reads Poke Tea House's online menu. The snafu hasn't been enough to close the shop, though two popular downtown bubble tea sellers shuttered their doors for other reasons. Tapio and Ice Bing Tapio's boba was featured in a scene from the 2018 Charleston-filmed "Halloween" reboot closed in 2020, leaving the bubble tea lovers and curious in the lurch. Though Ice Bing's closure is temporary as the Spring Street shop looks to relocate, Tapio seems to be gone for good, another business lost to the pandemic. When the interior space that served as a hangout spot and refuge for high school and college kids alike had to be closed during COVID-19, to-go orders alone couldn't keep Tapio afloat. "Without getting any help, it was hard for us to survive, said Terry Hung, who with his wife, AJ, owned the Coming Street tea shop. We kept on going as long as we could. In Tapio's wake, The Post and Courier set out to find other locations that are serving up the beverage and give the lowdown on each. Here's our roundup of six places to get bubble tea in the Charleston area. Poke Tea House 441 Meeting St. Unit E, Charleston This Hawaiian cafe in downtown Charleston offers non-dairy bubble tea as one of its most popular menu items, but taro milk tea still reigns supreme, a lilac shade that is dreamily Instagram-worthy and equally delectable. According to owner Chuxin Jiang, the beverage has brought in more customers this past year, particularly kids. "Now they see it more often on social media and search to see that Charleston has a couple spots that offers it," said Jiang. Poke Tea House's Ahi tuna, salmon or vegan poke bowls are easily paired with a variety of boba options from the "tea house" menu. The "freshen it up" dairy-free options include flavors such as mango, strawberry, passionfruit, pineapple and peach. There are also flavorful "slushy" options to create an icy blend in the consistency of a pina colada. Ding Tea & Ha Long Cafe 281 Meeting St., Charleston If any spot could replicate the hangout-worthy ambiance of Tapio, it's Ding Tea & Ha Long Cafe, near the College of Charleston campus. The shop is a blend of a popular bubble tea chain and a local Vietnamese restaurant, and the interior decor includes a TV streaming silent anime and a large fish tank. At the store, customers can ask for winter melon milk tea with egg pudding, kumquat lemon ice tea with rainbow popping pearls or oolong tea with sea cream, as well as countless other combinations. Victoria Pham, owner and barista, said most patrons come in just for the bubble tea. And sometimes the shop can barely keep up with the demand. Sign up for our food & dining newsletter. We publish our free Food & Dining newsletter every Wednesday at 10 a.m. to keep you informed on everything happening in the Charleston culinary scene. Sign up today! Email Sign Up! One pro tip is adjusting the sugar level based on your sweet tooth. Here, you can choose from "normal" (100 percent), "less" (70 percent), "half" (50 percent), "slight" (30 percent) or none (0 percent). Sweet Bowl Poke & Tea 10 Westedge St. Suite 130, Charleston Another tea shop with a lounge-worthy interior is Sweet Bowl, located by the Publix at Westedge. Red booths line the walls, coffee-themed art and abstract light fixtures dangle and there's even a glassed-off study room. Pho, poke bowls and spring rolls make the menu, along with milk teas available in a traditional or frozen frappe format. For those looking for more of a dessert treat than a morning snack, choose from options like caramel de leche, white chocolate and mint chip. For a caffeine boost, try the coffee jelly, or for something different, order the flavorful honey boba. QQ Thai Ice Cream and Crepes 216 St James Ave. #B, Goose Creek Slurp up some boba and scoop up some rolled ice cream at this Goose Creek ice cream and crepe shop. QQ Thai is an ideal outing for the entire family. The strip mall storefront is unassuming, but the lime green and pink interior brightens things up in Willy Wonka fashion once inside. Here, you can order just a bubble tea or get jelly toppings added to your rolled ice cream. Sweet and savory crepes are also on the menu, from strawberry and banana to grilled shrimp salad. The bubbles come in the form of tapioca; lychee, mixed or coffee jelly; and strawberry, passionfruit or kiwi juicy balls. You can also get flavored yogurt juice or slushies with boba. Add mochi ice cream to your order if you haven't tried it. Cuppa Manna 100 S. Main St. Suite A, Summerville This Summerville coffee shop is also the neighborhood spot for bubble tea. Cuppa Manna features an Italian espresso bar, all-day lunch and breakfast and bubble tea. You can have your tea blended or over ice, and your milk in whole, skim, almond, soy or coconut format. Drink flavors range from lavender to lemon velvet, with avocado, pistachio praline and orange cream in between. Gong Cha 7800 Rivers Ave., North Charleston A major player in the global tea game has a shop in North Charleston. This chain operates more than 1,500 stores worldwide. Gong Cha has been ruled the best of traditional bubble tea makers by Business Insider, but also offers some funky flavors like a purple sweet potato milk tea. Try the lemon winter melon with basil seeds or the creme brulee milk foam tea. There are also smoothie and "sparkling" options, that can be ordered with a mochi waffle on the side. Kingstree, SC (29556) Today Showers and thunderstorms likely. High 74F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier? Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. Breaking News Columbia Breaking News Greenville Breaking News Myrtle Beach Breaking News Aiken Breaking News Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time. Success! Please click the 'Allow' button in the 'Show Notifcations' alert in your browser if one is available. Thank you for signing up! Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page. One of the Charleston area's most popular tearooms and antique sales returns this summer after being canceled twice due to the pandemic. With some modifications, Grace's Team Room and Church Mouse Boutique fundraiser is back with a special sale 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 28-31 at the church's Croft Hall, at 98 Wentworth St. in downtown Charleston. It feels so good to almost be back to normal," said Susan Carter, senior warden at Grace. Hundreds of donations that have been kept in storage for two years will be on sale, including sterling silver, fine china crystal and small furniture. Special collector items like pottery, porcelains and Christmas decorations, decorative items, and costume jewelry will also be available. Grace's Tea Room will sell pints of chicken salad, pimento cheese and ham biscuits 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. throughout the antique sale. The Gifts of Grace bookstore will also be open each day 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Several changes have been made with the pandemic in mind. This year's event has been shorted from 11 days to four, and the event will take place in two buildings instead of three on Grace's campus. Organizers also expect a smaller crowd than normal. The church mouse event, which usually coincides with Spoleto Festival USA, has drawn up to 400 guests a day in the past. "We had people from all over the country that came back every year," said Anne Janas, event volunteer. Store owners and antique shoppers are glad the sale is back. A July 26 event preview welcomed a line of attendees outside the church more than an hour before the 6 p.m. event kickoff. Many of the guests were antique shop owners looking to get valuable items at discounted prices. Items for sale can cost from $2 to $1,000. Some guests are getting a head start on holiday preparation. An Italian manger scene sold within the first 30 minutes of the event opening July 26. Thats what happens," Carter said. They know we have high-end things. Charleston-area tearooms, which serve as a fundraisers for local faith communities, date back to the 1940s when Old St. Andrews sold lunches to fund church repair projects. A handful of women started the annual tearoom at Grace 29 years ago. That event has since grown to include the mouse boutique, which helps raise money for dozens of nonprofits across the tri-county region. In 2019, Grace's Tea Room and boutique raised $100,000 for 43 nonprofits, including groups such as the One80 Place, Lowcountry Food Bank, and the Charleston Youth Development Center. Some nonprofits heavily depend on the $1,000 to $2,000 they regularly receive from the Grace Church fundraiser, Carter said. The church felt strongly about the need to hold a summer sale to help get money to the groups helping people in need. "That's what propelled us to do a sale as quick as we could," Carter said. Like many other nonprofits, homeless shelter One80 Place took a financial hit amid the pandemic. In addition to financial support, Grace's Church Mouse Boutique and Tea Room also raises awareness about the nonprofit's work in housing and feeding those in need. Fatal crashes are beginning to rise in South Carolina after numbers fell last year as millions of people stayed home during the heart of the coronavirus pandemic. There were 461 fatal crashes from Jan. 1 to June 30, compared with 430 during the same period in 2020, according to data from the S.C. Department of Public Safety. In those crashes, 501 people died this year compared with 486 last year. A recent report by Smart Growth America and the National Complete Streets Coalition examined the rate of pedestrian deaths per 100,000 people from 2010 to 2019. It ranked South Carolina as the fourth-worst state for the rate of pedestrian deaths in that time period. "We still see the same main contributors that we've seen year after year speeding, DUI and lack of seat belt usage," said Sgt. Sonny Collins, of the S.C. Highway Patrol. "I can see a big increase in travelers (coming) down to the coast for vacation. People travel from other states to our state." That increase in road traffic may account for last year's drop in fatalities because South Carolina didn't see the typical influx of tourists and locals stayed closer to home during the pandemic, Collins said. Data from auto insurance companies also shows an increase in activity compared with 2020. "Our data indicates more people are driving and it's resulting in an increase in auto claims from levels in the spring of 2020," said Roszell Gadson, a spokesman for State Farm. With summer here and coronavirus restrictions lifted, troopers around South Carolina are preparing for a busy season. "We know these are the peak travel times," Collins said. "We've always taken an enforcement and education approach. On the enforcement side, it's about high visibility. We look at where the crashes are occurring, any trends, days of the week, and assign troopers to certain areas of the state to hopefully prevent those crashes before they happen. We are going to approach this like we have in the years before the pandemic." Troopers also travel the state speaking to civic groups, churches and other organizations about road safety as part of their ongoing education efforts, he said. "It's just vital that we remember the basics to driving," Collins said. "Speeding, distracted driving and DUI are all avoidable. It's about driver responsibility. If we all do our jobs behind the wheel, it'll be a safer place." To help curb aggressive driving, the state Department of Public Safety announced the creation of new specialized teams at the end of June. The Area Coordinated Enforcement Teams include Highway Patrol troopers and officers from the State Transport Police, according to the Department of Public Safety, which oversees both agencies. "During the past year, South Carolina has followed national trends of increased highway collisions, injuries, and fatalities," said Robert Woods, IV, the department's director. "We also have seen a disturbing increase in aggressive driving behaviors, including speeds of over 100 mph, tailgating, drunken or drugged driving and road rage all of which are unacceptable." The new teams will use crash data and other resources to direct traffic enforcement efforts to areas of the state most in need of traffic enforcement, according to a statement by the Department of Public Safety. Both marked and unmarked vehicles will be deployed, including a group of unmarked, striped Dodge Chargers the Highway Patrol purchased recently, according to the statement. "The Chargers feature an assortment of body and stripe colors that allow troopers to blend in with traffic to better detect and enforce aggressive driving behaviors causing injuries and fatalities," according to the statement. State Transport police will focus on commercial vehicle traffic, according to the statement. Officers will be on the lookout for drivers hauling unsecured loads, distracted driving, serious equipment violations and other hazards. Twenty-five years ago, the world welcomed Atlanta as the host for the 1996 Summer Olympics. Amid the celebrations, the world also witnessed the bombing of Atlantas Centennial Park. The heartfelt moments of that Olympics are unforgettable for Augusta resident Phil Wahl. Wahl, the president of Security Federal Bank in Aiken, was one of the many volunteers who was in Centennial Olympic Park on the night of July 27. Working for Wachovia Bank at the time, Wahl was sent to Atlanta as a volunteer security coordinator. Stationed in Centennial Olympic Park, he was responsible for helping guests and conducted nightly sweeps to close the park. Around 1 a.m. a pipe bomb exploded in the park while Wahl's team was preparing to close the venue. Eric Rudolph was eventually arrested and convicted of the Olympic bombing and other crimes and is currently serving multiple life sentences. I received a radio call from one of the gates that said that they did not have these large zipties. You would (need) it to secure the gates, and there was one gate that did not have those, so I had to go, Wahl explained. Just as I was crossing (International Boulevard), (there was) this huge explosion, something that I will never forget. Ive never forgotten the feeling. Wahl was in close proximity to the blast. If youve seen the movie 'Saving Private Ryan' and he sees the explosion and his ears started ringing and was in a state of everything ... slowing down. Thats exactly how you feel when you have that type of impact from a bomb, he said. At that moment, you are kind of numb and wonder what has just happened and then you come back to reality. Wahl immediately started to help those around him. He located a law enforcement officer and helped a couple injured by shrapnel to safety. I immediately got on my radio and asked what had just happened and there was a huge amount of radio chatter and chaos and people running around and yelling, Wahl said. The next couple of days after the event followed with news coverage, police investigations and a new sense of purpose for Wahl. After initially being a volunteer for two weeks, he extended his time to help with Olympic efforts. For myself, it just kind of built up something within me like Im not going to let this keep me away from the Olympics, Wahl said. I felt it was kind of a rallying point for people and wanting to support. Did it have an impact? Im sure it did. Im sure there were people who were concerned and certainly you have to be concerned about that, but for me and most of my volunteer group, we came back. The FBI awarded Wahl and other volunteers the St. Michaels pendant, named after the patron saint of law enforcement, for their service. The Olympic Committee also held an appreciation event for the volunteers. The 25-year anniversary happens to fall during this year's Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic postponing last year's Games. It's amazing that 25 years have passed, Wahl said. I look at pictures of me, my wife and my friends and Im much younger and a little bigger today and that shows me that I have aged, but it seems like it was yesterday. When you reminisce, it seems like it was just yesterday, and as a country we have gone through a lot in the past 25 years." I have great memories of the Olympics and the excitement. It did not dampen my level of patriotism or the support for the United States and our state as the host, and I was excited to be there as a volunteer, Wahl said. My memories were all very good even though that was a very troublesome event in the middle of it. North Augusta, SC (29841) Today Thunderstorms likely this morning. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. High 81F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations. Jamal Sutherland did everything right, and he was killed for it. Theres more than enough blame to go around for Sutherlands Jan. 5 death at the Charleston County jail minutes after deputies dragged him from his cell for a bond hearing. His mental health care providers took him off crucial medications, and administered others with potentially deadly side effects. When he became agitated, they had him arrested on a misdemeanor assault charge. Health care workers at the jail never checked on him. And jail supervisors ordered deputies to drag him from his cell for a bond hearing, violating both Sheriffs Office policy and Sutherlands constitutional rights. The deputies shocked Sutherland 10 times with Tasers, shot him with pepper spray and put their weight on him while he was in a prone position a violent encounter captured on horrifying body camera video. On Monday, Solicitor Scarlett Wilson announced that those two deputies would not be charged in Sutherlands death. The family is despondent, and the community is angry as they should be. Im angry with her, Sutherland's mother, Amy Sutherland, said Monday, but its not justified. She didnt write the laws. ... My son, he was lynched. The cold indifference of the state's mental health and justice systems, along with a series of fatal mistakes, killed Sutherland. But, as his mother noted, Wilson isn't to blame for that absence of justice. Thats on the state of South Carolina. As an experienced trial attorney ... I know I had no real choice, Wilson said. Based on the facts and the law, I know that the evidence would not support convictions of Lindsay Fickett or Brian Houle. South Carolina is one of the few states without excessive force laws, which would have given Wilson the easiest route to charge deputies. And the state's arcane murder law requires prosecutors to consider mental intent and prove beyond a reasonable doubt malice aforethought to charge murder. Even manslaughter charges require hurdles that Wilson decided the proof did not clear. I cannot and will not say what happened to Jamal Sutherland was right; its not, Wilson said. When I saw that video, I set out to build a case. Wilson said its no coincidence Sutherland died minutes after he was dragged from that cell, but she couldnt prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the deputies were the proximate cause of death, another state requirement. Sutherland checked himself into Palmetto Lowcountry Behavioral Health in North Charleston on Dec. 31, 2020. By Jan. 4, he requested a discharge, writing that he was doing worse than when came in, fear of (sic) life and freedom. The request was denied. Sign up for our opinion newsletter Get a weekly recap of South Carolina opinion and analysis from The Post and Courier in your inbox on Monday evenings. Email Sign Up! That evening, he became agitated when other patients attacked a staff member at the center. Sutherland shoved a staffer. The center called North Charleston police, and asked that he be charged with assault. A report Wilson requested found Sutherland had been taken off his regular antipsychotic medication and given new meds information that wasnt shared with jail personnel. Dr. Kimberly Collins, a pathologist who reviewed the case for Wilson, said the absence of Sutherlands regular medicine left him highly agitated, and the new meds were dangerous; they can affect the hearts rhythm and sometimes can cause death. It is my opinion that the mechanism of death is dysrhythmia due to adverse drug reactions, lack of proper antipsychotic medication, underlying schizophrenia, and deputies actions, Collins reported. Gary Raney, a nationally recognized use of force expert, said the deputies made many mistakes, but didnt violate the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Centers indefensible and reckless training. In my opinion, they were not reckless because they were either doing what they were trained to do or, in the absence of training, they were doing what had become the custom and practice in the (jail), Raney reported. If criminal liability could be attached to an organization rather than an individual, the Charleston County Sheriffs Office should be charged. Wilson will face an abundance of criticism for her decision. Some community activists have accused her of skirting her duty. But the independent reviews ordered by her office found little different from the initial coroners report, which, though inconclusive, found no unusual or excessive use of force on the deputies part. It even speculated that Sutherlands change of medication played a role in his death. If Wilson had been looking for an out, she had it in March. Instead, she sought new opinions from several outside experts, and tried to find charges she could bring. Her office's exhaustive report, which amounts to hours of recordings and hundreds of pages of documents, shows Sutherlands death was hastened along by any number of people and factors. And yet, no ones going to prison for it. Because under current state law, what the deputies did just isnt illegal. And thats ridiculous. Its time for an excessive force law, Wilson said Monday, a demand echoed by Sutherlands family Monday afternoon. They are absolutely right, because Jamal Sutherland did not get justice. But thats not Wilsons fault. Editorials represent the institutional view of the newspaper. They are written and edited by the editorial staff, which operates separately from the news department. Editorial writers are not involved in newsroom operations. It might seem strange to ask the Legislature to spend $50 million in federal COVID-19 relief funding for private and nonprofit after-school and summer programs when public schools already have $3 billion in emergency funds they could use to offer such programs. But South Carolina has no more important task than providing a decent education to all students, many of whom suffered learning loss that has the potential to do irreversible damage because they were already struggling as a result of the inadequate job we were doing before the pandemic. And while it will be a challenge for schools to spend a sudden influx of $3 billion well we have grave concerns that many districts lack the capacity to put their emergency funding to the best use the money amounts to only about a 6% increase in the total local, state and federal funds the schools would have received over the three years they have to spend it. Given the scope of learning loss and how far behind we were pre-pandemic, that means theres plenty of room to put additional funding to good use to help kids who need the most help. The Post and Couriers Seanna Adcox reports that Gov. Henry McMasters accelerateSC task force wants the Legislature to use $50 million of a separate $2.5 billion pot of COVID funding to pay for after-school tutoring and summer programs for low-income, low-performing students. An outline developed by the governors office calls for giving $1,000 grants to parents to pay for tutoring, instructional or curriculum materials or after-school education programs. But task force members seemed particularly intrigued by an idea pitched by Akil Ross, interim superintendent of the Lexington-Richland 5 School District, to provide funds that would allow churches, civic organizations and parks and recreation departments to expand and move their small wrap-around summer and after-school programs to sustainability. Dr. Ross, a USC education professor and 2017 national high school teacher of the year whose education consulting company runs one such program in a low-income apartment complex, told his colleagues on the panel that a big difference between children who do well in school and those who fail is that the successful kids live in communities that provide enrichment outside of the school day, rather than just the 21% of the time they spend in schools. Ideally, the schools would use a hefty chunk of their federal funding to provide creative and enticing extended-day and summer programs for the kids whose education suffered the most during a year of disrupted classes and who tend to be the kids who were the furthest behind before the pandemic. Sign up for our opinion newsletter Get a weekly recap of South Carolina opinion and analysis from The Post and Courier in your inbox on Monday evenings. Email Sign Up! Some schools will. But thats entirely up to the school districts. While S.C. Education Superintendent Molly Spearman is offering matching funds if they offer programs that focus on proven approaches such as engaging, enriching summer learning, one-on-one tutoring and yearlong programs before and after normal school hours, federal law gives her almost no control over how districts spend the federal money. The governor and the Legislature have none. And even if all the districts decided to use all of their emergency funding to address learning loss (by law, only 20% has to go to that), devoting it all to summer and after-school programs would mean not using it on such potentially smart investments as covering the start-up costs of converting to Montessori or building apprenticeship or dual-enrollment programs that could last well past the pandemic. Of course, the governors plan is only as good as the details. Some of the conversation at Thursdays meeting gave the proposal the uncomfortable feel of serving as a proxy for Mr. McMaster's ill-advised effort to pay parents to abandon the public schools, which was struck down by the state Supreme Court. Its not at all the same, because our public schools have never really been in the business of providing after-school or anything but the most bare-bones of remedial summer programs, but its still important to vet the programs that receive either direct or indirect tax funding, just as we do with early childhood education programs offered through S.C. First Steps. Although its true that in many cases parents know whats best for their children, its also true that organizations that see a big pot of free money can be a lot better at selling themselves to parents than at providing useful services to the children. Coordination also will be important, to ensure were making the best use of this one-time funding. A lot of money will be wasted if school districts staff up for summer and after-school programs for the kids who need it most, but parents spend their $1,000 state grants to send those kids to summer school or after-school programs operated by nonprofits. Similarly, a lot of kids could miss out on the help they need if schools decide not to offer those programs because they think no one will enroll, but the only programs available locally are glorified child-care centers. And lawmakers will need to ensure that the program really is targeted to poor kids who are behind. But if the Legislature is willing to work out those details, this could be a smart addition to the schools' efforts to catch up the kids who need help the most. COLUMBIA Mayors across South Carolina said July 26 their towns are unfairly waiting for $435 million in federal aid, and they're calling on Gov. Henry McMaster to let them collect their share. South Carolina's 254 municipalities of fewer than 50,000 people are collectively slated to receive $435.1 million through Congress' American Rescue Plan. But their shares are tied to the state's. The towns can't get their money until the state officially asks the U.S. Treasury to release the $2.5 billion the Legislature controls. So, while counties and larger cities gained access in mid-May, smaller municipalities are in wait-and-see mode. "Were waiting on somebody to do something," said Scott Slatton with the Municipal Association of South Carolina, referring to legislative leaders and McMaster. McMaster will formally seek the money sometime before the Legislature's special session in September, said his spokesman Brian Symmes. How soon remains unclear. Concerns over how towns spend their aid help explain the delay. By federal law, legislators have no say in how the money's spent. But legislative leaders want to incentivize certain types of spending, such as broadband expansion and water and sewer projects, by offering to share those costs. The details of such grant programs won't be worked out until this fall, when the Legislature will approve their own spending package for the aid. Sign up for updates! Get the latest political news from The Post and Courier in your inbox. Email Sign Up! A Senate budget-writing subcommittee will start its work next week. "Everybody's saying, 'Wait until September,'" Slatton said. But mayors said delays will only make it harder to hire contractors for projects that will likely get more expensive amid the competition. "When you have all these municipalities and neighboring states working on infrastructure at the same time, there are only so many construction companies that do water and sewer projects," said Batesburg-Leesville Mayor Lancer Shull. Federal aid to SC municipalities South Carolina's 254 municipalities of fewer than 50,000 people are slated to receive $435 million total in federal COVID aid. The amounts range from $21,400 for tiny Jenkinsville to $21.7 million for Goose Creek. The following are the top 15 allocations: Goose Creek, $21.7 million Greer, $16.6 million Hanahan, $13.4 million Mauldin, $12.6 million Simpsonville, $12.1 million North Augusta, $11.9 million Greenwood, $11.7 million Fort Mill, $11.1 million Lexington, $11 million Easley, $10.6 million West Columbia, $9 million Clemson, $8.7 million Cayce, $7 million Beaufort, $6.7 million Port Royal, $6.6 million Source: Municipal Association of South Carolina Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser and the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board announced Monday that Chef Peter Duenas of Guam will face off against 12 other chefs from around the country in the nations ultimate seafood cooking competition. The 2021 Great American Seafood Cook-Off will be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans on Saturday, Aug. 7. Duenas, from Meskla Chamoru Fusion Bistro in Hagatna, took home third place at the 2019 Great American Seafood Cook-Off with his prawn hash-topped Napoleon wrasse. The 17th annual event will get underway with opening ceremonies at 11:30 a.m. as 13 chefs, each representing their home state or territory, cook in front of a live audience and a panel of nationally acclaimed judges, the organizers announced in a press release. Following a challenging year for all of us, the Great American Seafood Cook-Off is the perfect stage to celebrate Louisiana and Americas domestic seafood industry the best in the world, said Nungesser. This year we are excited to welcome a very talented field of chefs from all over the country vying to be crowned the next King or Queen of American Seafood right here in New Orleans. Each chef will be showcasing their skills with domestic seafood to present the best seafood dishes. The 2021 Great American Seafood Cook-Off competitor chefs are: Scott Simpson, The Depot, Auburn, Alabama; Wes Choy, Alyeska Resort Kitchens; Girdwood, Alaska; Edgar Teran, Someburros Restaurant; Phoenix, Arizona; Jordan Scott, Perdido Key Breakfast Club; Pensacola, Florida; Peter Duenas, Meskla Chamoru Fusion Bistro; Hagatna, Guam; Robert Vasquez, Forks & Corks; Covington, Louisiana; Leon Vuong, Seven Seas Food & Company; Portland, Maine; Denise Herrera, Red Heat Tavern; Boston, Massachusetts; Austin Sumrall, White Pillars Restaurant; Biloxi, Mississippi; Tory McPhail, Revelry Plate + Pour; Bozeman, Montana; Jackie Paige, Love Rocks Cafe; McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania; Nicholas Huckabee, A Difference in Dining; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Jesse Cavazos, Nicks Fish Dive + Oyster Bar; The Woodlands, Houston, Texas. During the competition, each chef will prepare a dish highlighting the use of domestic seafood while interacting with the live audience, celebrity hosts Chef Cory Bahr, a Food Network Star finalist, a Food Network "Chopped!" champion, and a former King of Louisiana Seafood. Each dish will be presented to a panel of nationally renowned judges who will score based on presentation, creativity, composition, craftsmanship and flavor. The Great American Seafood Cook-Off promotes the quality and variety of domestic seafood found in the United States, according to the press release. To be eligible to compete in the event, chefs must either hold the current title of King or Queen of Seafood or be appointed by the lieutenant governor of their respective state or territory. The reigning King of American Seafood, Louisianas Chef Nathan Richard of Cuvee Wine Bar & Bistro, won the title with his dish of Cracklin-crusted Red Snapper with pickled crawfish tails, buttermilk chili consomme, spring vegetables, burnt leek oil, fermented cream, and bowfin caviar, knocking out 11 of the nations best chefs, according to the press release. Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email circulation@postregister.com for help creating one. @montcocourtnews on Twitter Carl Hessler Jr. is a multi-media reporter who writes about crime and justice from the Montgomery County Courthouse for 21st Century Media Newspapers Greater Philadelphia area publications. Follow Carl on Twitter: @MontcoCourtNews Teaching critical race theory in the public schools is immoral, but it is legal unless the legislature in a given state has banned it. On the other hand, for an employer to inflict CRT training on employees against their will can be legally problematic. And even in the public schools, promoting CRT while discriminating against expression of other viewpoints may violate the First Amendment. Today the Upper Midwest Law Center, fresh off its victory over the City of Minneapolis, in a case in which a state court judge ordered Minneapolis to hire more police officers to comply with that citys charter, held a press conference to announce several new legal actions, all related in some way to critical race theory. (Disclosure: I am a member of UMLCs Board of Directors.) From the press release announcing the actions: Tara Gustilo says: I shouldnt be demoted or retaliated against because I dont agree with the racially divisive and demeaning CRT ideology. Is she wrong? Our clients believe we are all human and we are all important all are created equal. They believe no one should be told they are irredeemable. Our clients believe that not being judged by race or ethnicity is a right, not a privilege. They believe all have the right and responsibility to understand and critically assess history and culture and that no one should ever have advantages or detriments based on race. But, shockingly, the Critical Race Theory (CRT) message in 2021 to students and employees in Minnesota public schools, state agencies, public hospitals and many private schools and business corporations is the opposite. Students and employees are being told that White people are oppressors who benefit from systemic racism, that Blacks are oppressed by Whites who are intrinsically racist whatever they do, and that other groups are White-adjacent junior oppressors unless they join the attack on Whites. The practical consequences of this CRT, BLM or 1619 Project ideology (all with Marxist origins) include the familiar hallmarks of racial discrimination from the Civil Rights Era: race-based discrimination and favoritism, bullying of critics, name-calling and retaliation. Whites are a target of course, but CRT is rejected by many of all races who see it as bad for everyone and as denying minorities ability to take charge of their lives. The clients of UMLC are among the critics and victims. Tara Gustilo, a Filipino-American doctor at Hennepin Healthcare System (formerly known as HCMC), Joe and Aaron Norgren, Native-American father and mixed-race son employees at DHS, and Bob and Cynthia Cajune, Native-American and White parents of multi-racial children at Lakeville Public Schools, and many other parents there, are challenging this abhorrent, racially-divisive ideology, grounded in Marxism and anti-Americanism, which is literally pushing aside the medical care, teaching and public service missions at these organizations to convert them to this warped version of social justice. *** Doug Seaton, President of UMLC, said: Our clients are bravely confronting CRT-inspired bullying, indoctrination and retaliation, which is not training or persuasion. They have been insulted, lied about, threatened, demoted and fired, simply for refusing to submit to this ideology. But the U.S. Constitution, the federal Civil Rights laws, and their Minnesota counter-parts dont permit this race-based discrimination, retaliation, compelled speech, and invasion of privacy. UMLC believes that the courts must be asked to rule on these questions because our laws are not self-enforcing and many politicians, employers and institutional leaders are either afraid or too woke themselves to follow the law, confront the new commissars of CRT and stop their abuses. Today, UMLC announces parallel EEOC charges and state and federal lawsuits on behalf of Tara Gustilo, a HHS Doctor; Joe and Aaron Norgren, a Native-American father and multi-racial son, former and current employees at DHS; and Liberty In Our Neighborhood 194 an organization of Lakeville Public School parents, and several individual Lakeville parents, including Bob and Cynthia Cajune, a Native-American Veteran and white couple with multi-racial children. The initial agency complaints and a draft lawsuit complaint are available here. *** Bob Cajune, the Lakeville Native-American Veteran and parent, says that: Black Lives Matter, of course, but so do all other human lives. Posting BLM signs and disallowing All Lives Matter signs is political speech or viewpoint discrimination. Discriminating against or demeaning any race is not neutral and is wrong. Aaron Norgren believes that: these Critical Race Theory ideas of race separation, division, incitement of hate for Whites, Christians and traditionalists, and demeaning of Blacks and other minorities as unable to act or succeed in America, should not be promoted at a state agency or anywhere else. This is wrong and its illegal. The Lakeville, Minnesota public schools have posted Black Lives Matter signs in the districts schools. When students and parents requested that the district also post All Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter signs, the district refused. This is an obvious case of viewpoint discrimination by a public agency that violates the First Amendment. Now that a lawsuit has been filed, I expect the Lakeville school district to surrender quickly. What we really need, however, is for concerned parents and others to run for the school board in Lakeville and thousands of similar towns across the country, so that it doesnt take a lawsuit to belatedly redress this kind of injustice. To me, the most poignant of UMLCs cases may be that of Dr. Tara Gustilo. Dr. Gustilo was demoted from her position as the head of the Hennepin Healthcare Systems department of obstetrics and gynecology because she refused to sign on to CRT propaganda. Like several other UMLC plaintiffs, she has to present her race discrimination claim to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission before proceeding with a lawsuit. This is how her EEOC complaint begins: An impressive history, but if you dont toe the left-wing line, nothing else matters: In todays corporate America, fealty to the Marxist line trumps everything else. Dr. Gustilo, despite her impressive credentials and successful track record, was demoted for failing to back critical race theory: I dont know whether Dr. Gustilos employer engaged in race discrimination in violation of federal law. That is a subject on which Paul, for one, is vastly more knowledgeable than I am. But Minnesota also has a statute that bars public employers like Hennepin Healthcare System from discriminating against employees on the basis of political orientation. I am confident that Dr. Gustilos cause of action under that provision is sound and will be vindicated in the courts. In the end, the evil of critical race theory and other forms of Marxism will be defeated when the public at large understands what they represent. Meanwhile, legal action can be a valuable means of reining in discriminatory conduct by employers and others, and also a part of the ongoing educational process. Kudos to Upper Midwest Law Center for taking on these important cases. ADVERTISEMENT A former United Kingdom-based trader for Glencore Plc, Anthony Stimler, on Monday pleaded guilty over what prosecutors in the United States described as his role in a scheme to bribe officials in Nigeria in exchange for favourable contracts from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. Bloomberg reports that Mr Stimler admitted to conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and commit money laundering at a hearing in Manhattan federal court conducted by video. Prosecutors said millions of dollars in bribes were paid to officials in Nigeria, in exchange for NNPC awarding oil contracts and providing more lucrative grades of oil on more favorable delivery terms. Reports said that court papers refer to seven alleged co-conspirators from several countries in the bribery scheme, which prosecutors said ran from 2007 to 2018. None of them was, however, charged or identified by name. In a statement Monday, Glencore confirmed that Mr Stimler had been an employee. The Anglo-Swiss mining company and one of the worlds largest commodity traders also said it has cooperated with probes by the U.S. Department of Justice and other authorities. The conduct described in the plea is unacceptable and has no place in Glencore, the company said. Mr Stimler worked on Glencores West Africa desk from around 2002 to 2009 and again from around 2011 to 2019, court papers show. He will remain free in the United Kingdom on a $500,000 bond, according to Bloomberg, even as his lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Earlier in March, former Glencore oil trader Emilio Jose Heredia Collado pleaded guilty in San Francisco to manipulating a key oil price benchmark. The Justice Department has been investigating Glencores business dealings in Nigeria, Venezuela and the Democratic Republic of Congo. U.K. and Swiss authorities have also been examining possible corruption involving Glencore, and various governments have investigated other large oil traders. The spokesperson of Nigerias state-owned oil company, NNPC, Kennie Obateru, did not return a phone call as of press time Tuesday morning. ADVERTISEMENT Commedinne cum actress, Damola Princess Adekola, has told the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja that her foster child was harrassed again by a neighbour. Princess disclosed this while she was being cross examined in the alleged rape case involving embattled Yoruba actor, Olanrewaju Omiyinka, aka Baba Ijesha, on Tuesday. Responding to questions from the cross-examination by Baba Ijeshas defence counsel, Princess said, Damola Adekola is my neighbour. I took him as a younger brother because his mom was late. He was arrested because he tried to harrass the minor, my daughter, in December. He put his hands on her laps, and asked her to touch his penis but she refused and screamed. It happened in December 2020 in my flat. It happened around 9:30pm, I was at a meeting around Sabo when it happened, she added. Princess said the minor told her about the incident in April 2021 after Baba Ijesha was arrested. Princess also said that she found out at the police station where Baba Ijesha was arrested and taken to that another security guard identified as Okele indecently exposed himself to the child. Although Princess didnt go into details of what she meant by indecently exposed , she emphatically noted that her daughter was not molested by the security guard. The judge, Oluwatoyin Taiwo, excluded members of the public and journalists from taking the account of the victim concerning the allegations made against Baba Ijesha. Earlier, Princess said she baited him (Baba Ijesha) with a script conference with a plan to confront him. The defence counsel asked her, You heard that the defendant had molested your daughter and you left her with the same person who you already had in mind to be a peadophile? Why did you leave your foster daughter with the defendant who had an amorous encounter with your daughter? You already had a premonition that he had an encounter. However, Princess said, The initial plan was for my mum and I to confront him; that was why I had to set up the CCTV camera because he was going to be violent. I didnt believe he would repeat the same action. The case has been adjourned to August 11 and 12, 2021. Controversy has trailed the comments made by Lazarus Chakwera, the president of Malawi, moments before he travelled to the United Kingdom (UK) to attend the Global Education Summit on Financing Global Partnership for Education (GPE) 2021-2025. Although organisers of the summit allowed a small in-person event in London, the Malawian president cited unreliable internet connection in his country as the reason he is embarking on the trip. The conference, according to organisers, is a largely virtual summit scheduled to take off on July 28. Details on its website shows that: The summit runs over 2 days, starting at 14:00 BST on July 28. Four thematic sessions run concurrently on our virtual program, each with an exciting roster of speakers. On July 29, the hybrid summit live in London and virtual starts at 10:00 BST, the organisation said. Mr Chakwera, however, blamed poor internet connection as the reason he is attending the conference physically. Even though the said summit is virtual, the president needs to be in the UK physically as you know internet connection in Malawi is not reliable, Malawis presidential spokesperson told local journalists. The Malawian president is said to have arrived London in the early hours of Monday with his wife and daughter as part of a 10-person entourage to attend the summit. The UK rejected Malawis proposed 61-person entourage to participate in the summit. Mr Chakweras delegation, according to Malawi Times, included his wife, First Lady Monica Chakwera; daughter Violet Lillie and the Presidents son-in-law Sean Kampondeni, who is State House director of communications. He said that he needed his daughter there because she would provide physical and emotional support during the trip as the First Lady was reportedly not feeling well. The presidents reason for embarking on the journey sparked outrage in Malawi and some critics accused him of nepotism and hypocrisy. The summit, which will be co-hosted by the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, will bring together Heads of State and Government as well as stakeholders and youth leaders. Nigerias president Buhari is among the leaders scheduled for the in-person event in London. Mr Buhari has already travelled to the UK two days before the conference commences. Femi Adesina, presidential spokesperson, said Mr Buhari will also hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson after participating in the conference. Deliberations at the Summit will focus on: The Power of Education A Conversation between Global Champions; Transforming Education for Girls; Financing for Impact and Recovery and; What Now? Priorities for Transforming Education in the Coming Five Years, among others. The Nigerian leader will remain in the UK for about a week after the summit for medical check-up, his office said. ADVERTISEMENT The man seized by kidnappers after delivering a N30 million ransom for the release of 136 pupils of Salihu Tanko Islamiyya School, Tegina in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State, has described how the pupils are being kept in disturbing conditions. The pupils were abducted by the bandits from their school on May 30 and are still being held by the bandits despite a global outrage. The ransom bearer provided an insight to how they are being held after his own release on Monday. PREMIUM TIMES reported how Kasimu Barangana was sent along side six others to deliver the ransom but was seized by the bandits over an alleged shortfall of N4.6 million in the N30 million ransom. Mr Barangana told PREMIUM TIMES after he was released on Monday that the children were being kept in poor conditions in 25 different camps. The pupils were separated into 25 groups in the forest, with each group being monitored by different gangs in fear of attacks. I was taken round the enclave to see the children and I found their conditions disturbing, Mr Barangana said. However, he said the bandits did not maltreat him. While I was in the forest with the kidnappers I was given fair treatment, I fed on beef throughout my stay with them. They gave me N11, 000 as transport fare, they are very kind to me. We should just be praying for the safe return of the pupils. But I cannot say exactly when they will be released because they are demanding five new motorcycles as another ransom for the release of the school pupils, Mr Barangana said. Before they sent the N30 million ransom, the parents had earlier sent N25 million, some parents and one of the schools teachers, Yakubu Idris, earlier told PREMIUM TIMES. The head of the school, Abubakar Alhassan, earlier disclosed that some parents sold off their landed properties and his school sold off a portion of its land to raise the N30 million. They then sent Mr Barangana and six other men to deliver the money in the forest whrre Mr Baragana was detained by the bandits. We believe that the latest N30 million ransom is complete but the bandits have continued to devise a means to be receiving more money from the parents, the parent said, refusing to disclose their identity because the state government has allegedly forbidden them from granting media interviews. Earlier, the Secretary to the State Government, Ibrahim Matane, explained why the government is yet to apply force in rescuing the pupils. Mr Matane said the government was taking time to evaluate ongoing negotiations with the bandits in order to prevent collateral damage. READ ALSO: Bandits abduct N30 million ransom bearer for Niger Islamiyya school pupils We know the location where they (pupils) are; we are very careful of any untoward situation; we do not want to hurt the children while resorting to military operations, he was quoted to have said by Leadership newspaper. He further told the paper that the state government was looking at other options devoid of payment of ransom before considering kinetic action. The bandits had on May 30 stormed the Islamiyya school, which also has nursery and primary schools, and abducted the pupils. ADVERTISEMENT Two parents reportedly died of shock after hearing that their wards were among the children kidnapped. EDITORS NOTE: The initial report has been updated to reflect the accurate information provided by the state government. We apologise for the initial incorrect report. The Kaduna State government on Tuesday refuted reports of indefinite suspension of resumption of academic activities in schools across the state. Shehu Muhammad, the Commissioner for Education, in a statement issued in Kaduna, described the information as fake news. The attention of the Kaduna State Ministry of Education has been drawn to a fake news report in circulation, alleging that the government has suspended the resumption of schools across the state indefinitely. The purported report attributed to Nasir El-Rufai declares that the governor made the declaration while addressing a stakeholders meeting on Monday. That the resumption is suspended due to the ongoing aggressive military operation against bandits in most parts of the state. The Ministry of Education wishes to inform the public that the information is false and lacks any basis as the governor was neither in a meeting with stakeholders, nor made any disclosure of such nature to anyone, Mr Muhammad said. He recalled that the ministry had in a statement on July 15, announced that schools would be closed for three weeks beginning from July 16. This, he explained, was to enable the state to review the 2020/2021 Academic Calendar so that normal school activities could continue afterward. The states stance on that has not changed. In view of the above, the Ministry of Education is urging the public to disregard the fake news report. The ministry is also warning those behind this heinous act of misinforming the public, to desist from it, or be prepared to face the wrath of the law, the commissioner said. Kaduna schools Kaduna schools are behind schedule in the academic calendar compared with schools in other states in Nigeria. The schools are expected to resume for third term in the first week of August. When the schools reopen, it will be for third term while the first term of a new academic year would already be underway in other states and the FCT. A teacher in Kaduna, Mohammad Hassana, while speaking with PREMIUM TIMES reporter, said security should be the uppermost consideration. Although our children will not be happy and also parents, it is better to ensure the safety of the children than rush them to school and your mind will not be at peace. We will wait and pray this time around we get it right not only in Kaduna but all over the Northern states, she said. Another teacher, Peter Sambo, said neighbouring states should join Kaduna in the offensive against the bandits. ADVERTISEMENT Kaduna is bordered by states that are suffering from the same problem, so the flushing should be all over, he said. Kaduna state has witnessed multiple kidnappings of school children by bandits in recent times. About 83 students of Bethel Baptist School are still in the captivity of bandits. The emergence of insecurity in different forms has become a major threat to Nigerias food security in recent months. Many farmers in rural Abuja communities and across the different regions of the country have been deprived of access to their farmlands for fear of either being kidnapped for ransom, or being attacked or killed by herders. Insecurity has affected my farming activities badly, said Esonu Udeala, who farms orange-fleshed sweet potato along Kubwa Road in Abuja. Mr Udeala, 58, lamented that herdsmens invasion of farms has affected his farming activities seriously and that he could not commence farming early this year. I had to wait until everybody else was planting before I could do my best to avoid my farm being attracted to cows, he said. The farmer who has been into active cultivation for 13 years, said the delay he witnessed this year would mean he can only expect harvest by August, because he started planting around June 5. Last year he started harvesting around July 15. However, this particular farm was eaten up by cows on 2nd December right in my presence. An attempt to stop them was about to cause serious problems when we let them eat up the farm. That made me not to farm in an open place again, he said. Angered by how things turned out for him last year after the invasion of his farm by cattle, he said he had to move to Nasarawa State, where he leased a fenced four hectares land he is trying to work on. Farming under a state of insecurity is costlier than other times. Now I have to rent land at N50,000 per hectare. This calls for support as every other factor of production has gone up, he lamented, adding that these experiences have caused huge setbacks to his farming activities this year. Of several factors that have affected Nigerias food production lately, widespread attacks on farms by herders and other criminals have been perhaps the most devastating, experts say. It has caused the prices of all classes of food to increase at an unprecedented scale. More farmers lament Mr Udeala is one of several farmers in the federal capital territory whose livelihood has come under threat from grazing activities, putting them in perpetual clashes with herders. I can no longer visit my five hectares farmland located at Gaube community of Kuje due to increased rate of kidnappings, said Daniel Okafor, the National President Potato Farmers Association of Nigeria (POFAN). Mr Okafor told PREMIUM TIMES that he could no longer pay frequent visits to his farm along the Kuje route due to reports of kidnappings and insecurity and that they adopted a strategy of going to the farm only on Kuje market days when the roads would be busy. He said this has reduced their output significantly but remained the best option for them to safeguard their lives. It reduced our output last year coupled with Covid-19 pandemic. This we are doing the same to save our lives. This year we are battling with the climate change problem, Mr Okafor said. Asked if he can take this reporter to the farm he abandoned at Kuje, he said our reporter must sign a written agreement before he will embark on such a trip if anything happens on the way. In the agreement, you should state that you will be taking complete care of my family if anything happens to me, he added. In Sofo Toge community, along the Airport Road, Festus Chukwu, who grows vegetables and potatoes in commercial quantities to feed his family, told PREMIUM TIMES that they have not experienced any form of kidnappings due to the presence of security men along the axis of his farm, but that his business has been hit by the invasion of cattle herders in recent months. ADVERTISEMENT Our problem here has been the invasion of our farms by herdsmen, nothing like kidnapping here. We dont have such things happening here, he said. Aderibigbe Isaac-Taiwo, the chairman of Pegi community in Kuje, explained to this newspaper when contacted that with the increasing rate of insecurity they are currently experiencing, Kuje can no longer be referred to as the food basket of the FCT because farmers are finding it difficult to access their farms for fear of being kidnapped or killed. Mr Isaac-Taiwo lamented that farmers do not have access to any form of relief materials that could aid their activities towards making them the best. Simon Irtwange, the national president of the Association of Yam Farmers, Processors, and Marketers, said many agricultural activities happen around Abuja suburban communities but that most of these activities have stopped due to insecurity. People are a little bit scared to visit their farms, the professor of agriculture engineering added. He said the state of insecurity had left farmers with no option but to be farming closer to their houses for fear of being attacked by bandits. As a result of this, Mr Irtwange said they are urging their farmers to plant into empty cement bags along the corridors of their homes. We are asking our farmers to buy cement bags, fill them with topsoil, irrigate and plant within their compounds, and a lot of them are putting this into practice already, he told PREMIUM TIMES. He said the long-term impact of insecurity on the agricultural value chain is that it will lead to a significant rise in the prices of food items, which is already manifesting. Great potential, weak intervention Nigerias large expanse of arable land has the potential for farmers to support the growth of a wide range of crops in large quantities, which could help boost the countrys food supply and agricultural exports. But experts have posited that the perennial crisis between the farmers and herders has helped to stall that potential. Nigeria has for years grappled with attacks on farmers in the countrys north and central regions, with thousands of lives being lost in the last few years. In recent months, herders violence that gripped some parts of the South-south, South-east, South-west, and even the middle belt regions have created a significant shock to many farmers, pushing a large chunk of them away from cultivating their farmlands. The aftermath of this has clearly translated into a significant spike in the countrys prices of essential food commodities. While these subsists, farmers are complaining about the lack of attention from the government. It is a whole mirage of problems, Mr Isaac-Taiwo added, stating that if the government could provide adequate security and grants such as subsidized essential farm inputs like fertilizers, tractors among others, to farmers, the crime rate will reduce. Mr Okafor said the government should do the needful and review the security approach considering the population growth rate. When contacted, Theodore Ogaziechi, director of information, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the ministry has been distributing relief packages to farmers to help boost food production across the country since the pandemic hits. However, he declined to speak further when asked how the ministry supports farmers affected by insecurity so far? I have told you that we have been supporting farmers through input distribution; what else do you want me to say? he said and hung up the phone on our reporter. Calls and text messages to Mariam Yusuf, the FCT police public relations officer, were not answered. Support for this report was provided by Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism with funding support from Free Press Unlimited. The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), on Monday started a training for 21 female reporters on leadership skills and ways to report Sexual and Gender Based Violence. The annual fellowship which started in 2017 is tagged Female Reporters Leadership Programme (FRLP). This year, it is supported by Open Society Initiative For West Africa (OSIWA). Speaking at the opening ceremony of the four day training in Lagos State, Motunrayo Alaka, the Executive Director of WSCIJ, said that the FRLP was organised for issues on ethics, equity, equality and sustainability to be upheld in the media. We noticed that there were very few editors in chief that were females in Nigeria. We saw that voices in news were mostly male. Women are scarce as sources of news and experts. We had to conclude that women were underrepresented and misrepresented, she said. Asides the highlighted, she noted that women are often projected as victims and while perpetuators of crime are hidden, the survivors, particularly females are splashed all over the media. According to her, SGBV is the other pandemic which happens everywhere in the world. Consequently, the fellowship will focus on violence against women and girls, she said noting that culture and religion are the big elephants while reporting related issues. Ms Alaka called on media houses to create a policy that ensures women occupy a certain percentage of leadership positions in the newsroom. She asked that media reports showcase the strength of women through professionalism and as result show the full picture of the society by not neglecting women. She also informed that fellows from previous trainings are defining moment for their lives and careers as some already hold leadership positions in their newsrooms. Joseph Amenaghawon, a representative of OSIWA, said the aim of the programme is to empower female reporters with skills to address exclusionary activities in newsrooms and give attention to issues of SGBV in Nigeria. The training is targeted at female reporters equipping them with leadership potentials and support them with training to promote issues important to women, he said. He noted that beneficiaries are expected to apply skills acquired from the training in their daily job. Representing the Lagos state Commissioner of Women affairs and poverty alleviation, Abimbola Badejo highlighted programmes organised in the state to tackle SGBV issues. They includepublicity and enlightenment campaigns on the effect of social violence at local government areas across the states, skill acquisitions programmes and trainings for women to kick start their businesses. We will not relent in the commitment to the well-being of our women, Mr Badejo said. Women right advocates, the media, medical experts and the police were present at the opening ceremony. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The Zamfara State government has confirmed the arrest of 17 residents of Dansadau in Maru Local Government Area of the state for alleged complicity with bandits. The special assistant to Governor Bello Matawalle on new media, Ibrahim Zauma, told PREMIUM TIMES that the suspects were arrested by soldiers in the town. The information is still scanty but direct information from the scene has it that the security personnel are conducting a rigorous house to house arrests of suspects following intelligence reports they received. The member representing Maru South at the state House of Assembly, Kabiru Dansadau, also confirmed the development to journalists Monday evening in Gusau. He said the search by the soldiers was conducted in the town and some of the communities around it following increased unrest in that part of the local government area. The lawmaker said the exercise was conducted by soldiers stationed in the area. Dansadau town, 99 kilometres from the capital city of Gusau, is one of the worst-hit by the activities of the bandits and was targeted twice recently. On Saturday, a large group of bandits killed four people, including vigilante members, and kidnapped 15 others. Mohammed Shehu, the states police spokeperson, did not respond to calls and SMS requesting his comment for this report. The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has sanctioned 11 lawyers in Nigeria for various acts of professional misconduct in 2021, the chair of the Nigerian Body of Benchers, Olabode Rhodes-Vivour, has said. The Body of Benchers is the Nigerian Body concerned with the admission of prospective students into the Nigerian Law School, regulates the call of graduates of the school to the Nigerian bar, and generally regulates the legal profession in the country. Mr Rhodes-Vivour gave the update on the number of lawyers that have been sanctioned for misconduct at the call-to-bar ceremony of the Nigerian Law School at the Eagle Square in Abuja ion Tuesday. Giving a breakdown of the forms of sanctions that were slammed on the erring lawyers, Mr Rodes-Vivour said, From January to July 2021, five lawyers were disbarred, six lawyers were suspended (ranging from two years to four years and one lawyer was admonished. Admonition As the 884 new lawyers took their oath without the usual handshakes with the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) due to the COVID-19 safety guidelines, they were also advised to shun act that could put them on a collision course with the disciplinary body and the Nigerian constitution. Mr Rhodes-Vivour, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, As a lawyer, you are an officer of the court. You are not to do any act or conduct yourself in a manner that will obstruct or adversely affect the course of justice. He therefore advised the new wigs to be of good behaviour and abide by the ethics and tradition of the profession to avoid being brought before the (disciplinary) committee, he said. He also admonished them to actively participate in the affairs of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), which is the umbrella body for legal practitioners in Nigeria The practice of law is not a right, but a privilege, he said adding, It is a privilege that can be lost should you fail to live up to the requisite professional standards imposed upon you by virtue of your entry into the community of lawyers. He further sensitised them on their obligations to their clients. You are expected to represent or defend your client when called upon. You are to remain committed to the best interest of your client. This must however be within the purview of the law, Mr Rodes-Vivour said. The lawyers were told to undergo mentoring as a way of acquiring necessary legal skills for a successful career. Adequate safeguards for law school campuses In his remarks, Isa Chiroma, the director general of the Nigerian Law School, said adequate safeguards had been put in place on all campuses of the school. Mr Chiroma, a law professor, said the school under his watch had witnessed more positive transformations in the areas of academics other developmental indices. By providing and creating better learning and conducive environment for students and staff, our performance at the Bar final examinations effective 2018 have (sic) greatly improved, Mr Chiroma said. He revealed that the law school had on June 28, 2021, commenced a special remedial course for law graduates of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). In his presentation of the 2020 Bar Final Examinations results, Mr Chiroma said the total number of students who participated stood at 1561, while the number of successful candidates was 880. However, the schools recently released results for the 2021 bar examinations, showed a 22 per cent failure. ADVERTISEMENT A total of 1,325 students failed the examinations. According to the Council of Legal Education, a total of 5,770 candidates sat the examination. The statistics showed that 20 students (0.007 per cent) bagged first class, 432 (7.49 per cent) bagged second class (upper division), 2,172 (37.64 per cent) bagged second class (lower division) and 1,725 (29.90 per cent) scored a pass. ADVERTISEMENT President Muhammadu Buhari is now in London, the United Kingdom (UK), where he will participate in the Global Education Summit on Financing Global Partnership for Education (GPE) 2021 to 2025. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the presidents aircraft arrived at the Stansted International Airport, London at about 11:20 p.m. (local time). NAN also reports that an earlier statement by the Presidents spokesman, Femi Adesina, said the summit would be co-hosted by the Prime Minister of the UK, Boris Johnson, and the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta. According to him, the summit will bring together Heads of State and Government as well as officials and youth leaders, and provide a platform for partners to chart a way forward toward transforming education systems through exchange of best practices. It will also offer the opportunity for leaders to make 5-year pledges to support GPEs work to help transform education systems in up to 90 countries and territories. Deliberations at the Summit will focus on: The Power of Education A Conversation between Global Champions; Transforming Education for Girls; Financing for Impact and Recovery; and What Now? Priorities for Transforming Education in the Coming Five Years, among others, Mr Adesina stated. He said the Nigerian leader would also hold a bilateral meeting with the British prime minister. After the summit, Mr Adesina said, Mr Buhari will spend a few days to keep a scheduled medical appointment. He is due back by second week of August 2021, the presidents spokesman said. (NAN) On Monday, the trial of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, continued at the Federal High Court in Abuja but was adjourned to a later date. Nigerias secret police, SSS, failed to produce Mr Kanu in court, one of the reasons the trial was adjourned by the judge. PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported how the trial was stalled not just because of Mr Kanus absence from court, but also because the judges of the court began their vacation on Monday, July 26. The judge, Binta Nyako, adjourned the case till October 21. The separatist, who was granted bail in April 2017, fled the country after the invasion of his home in Afara-Ukwu, near Umuahia, Abia State, by the military in September of that year. Mr Kanu was re-arrested and brought back to Nigeria in June, about four years after he fled Nigeria. Nigerias Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, said Mr Kanu was brought back to Nigeria to continue facing his trial. The IPOB leader, who is being prosecuted on charges of treasonable felony, was intercepted through collaborative efforts of Nigerian intelligence and security services. The Nigerian government did not reveal in which country Mr Kanu was detained before being extradited, raising more unanswered questions about the capture. But Mr Kanu, through his lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, said that he was arrested in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria. Mr Kanu said that no warrant of arrest was shown to him or even mentioned, adding he was held incommunicado and chained to a bare floor for eight days in a nondescript private facility in Kenya. The IPOB leader arrived in Nigeria on June 27 and is accused of engaging in subversive activities that include inciting violence through television, radio and online broadcasts against the Nigerian state and institutions. Battle with Federal Government Mr Kanu, from Abia State, was first arrested in 2015, and was granted bail on medical grounds in 2017, before fleeing the country. He told the court he did so because he feared for his life after security operatives raided his home in a standoff that left some dead. The Nigerian government declared IPOB a terrorist group in 2017 and has blamed recent attacks targeting security agents in the southeastern part of the country on the groups armed wing, ESN. PREMIUM TIMES has reported how a series of the attacks killed several police officers and razed police facilities in Nigerias South-east and South-south. In the same vein, several public facilities including offices of the electoral commission, INEC, have been attacked across the two regions. Mr Kanu was a relatively obscure person until 2009 when he started Radio Biafra, a station that called for an independent state for the Igbo people. He broadcast to Nigeria from London, where he used to live. ADVERTISEMENT He had spoken at gatherings threatening Nigerian authorities and calling for Biafras independence. At various times, he has referred to Nigeria as a zoo, urging his loyalists to take up arms against the Nigerian State. We need guns and we need bullets, Mr Kanu said in one of such gatherings. Its either Biafra or death, he said in an interview, adding that because of the deception of the past by the federal government, he will never change his stance. He has since shot himself to prominence as his followers increased amidst his separatist agitations for the independent Republic of Biafra, which, he said, would have the Igbo-dominated states in the South-east region and some other neighbouring states carved out from Nigeria. Below is the timeline of his battle with the federal government: TIMELINE October 2015: Mr Kanu was arrested and charged with offences of treasonable felony, unlawful possession of arms, and illegal importation of broadcast equipment, at a Federal High Court in Abuja. October 2015: Mr Kanu and his defendants denied the charges. December 2015: Court ordered the release of Mr Kanu but the federal government failed to comply. December 2015: The federal government filed another five-count charge of treasonable felony against Mr Kanu and, in 2016, three courts ruled that he be remanded in Kuje prison, citing threats to national security. May 2016: Mr Kanu heads to ECOWAS court blaming President Buhari for bail denial. April 2017: The federal high court in Abuja granted Mr Kanu bail on health grounds. April 2017: Mr Kanu became a free man once again after being detained for 18 months. September 2017: Mr Kanu was last seen after soldiers attacked his home. September 2017: The lawyer representing Mr Kanu said he has not communicated with his client since September 14, when his Abia State home was invaded by soldiers. October 2017: When the court sat to resume the treason trial of Mr Kanu, he was nowhere to be found. June 2021: Mr Kanu was brought back to Nigeria to continue his trial. June 2021: Court ordered his remand in SSS custody until July 26. July 15, 2021: Mr Kanu speaks from detention, reveals how he was arrested in Kenya. July 26, 2021: Court adjourned the case till October 21. July 26, 2021: Mr Kanu seeks transfer from SSS custody to prison. ADVERTISEMENT The police in Zamfara State on Tuesday said nine travellers were abducted along the Sokoto-Gusau road on Sunday, and not 60 as had been widely reported. Police spokesperson in Zamfara, Muhammad Shehu, stated this in a press statement on Tuesday. On Sunday 25th July, 2021, a large number of armed bandits blocked a Toyota Bus Vehicle belonging to Sokoto State Mass Transit and abducted eleven (11) passengers who were travelling from Sokoto Abuja along Sokoto Gusau Road in Bakura LGA. Police Tactical operatives attached to Operation Restore Peace were alerted, and they quickly mobilzed to the location and dislodged the hoodlums who blocked many vehicles for abduction. The road was instantly cleared for motorists and other road users and reinforced by more police operatives to improve the security and safety of the commuters. In the course of mopping up the scene, a Toyota Bus Vehicle belonging to Sokoto State Mass Transit was sighted empty and it was revealed that eleven (11) passengers including the driver were abducted and taken to the bush before the arrival of the Police. READ ALSO: Gunmen abduct over 50 travellers in Sokoto The Operatives further embarked on search and rescue operation in the sarrounding bush with a view to rescuing the kidnapped victims. Two (2) persons who were left far behind with other hoodlums were abandoned by their captors for fear of being neutralised by the Police operatives, the remaining nine (9) victims were taken to the forest. The Command is currently employing various search and rescue strategies aimed at rescuing the victims safely. In view of the above, the Command enjoined members of the public to discontenance the abduction of 60 people. On the other hand, members of the press are urged to always verify the authenticity of any information that comes their way before going to the public. ADVERTISEMENT The Asset Management Corporation of Nigerian (AMCON) on Tuesday announced it has taken over Nicon Insurance Limited and the Nigeria Reinsurance Corporation (Nigeria Re). The two companies belonging to the embattled businessman and politician, Jimoh Ibrahim, were taken over an alleged N69.4 billion debt. To enhance the smooth running, efficient and effective management of the two firms, the board and management has been changed, AMCON said. It said the take-over has been approved by National Insurance Commission. The reason for the changes in the board and management of the two insurance firms is sequel to the takeover of the major investors interests in the two organisations by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), and the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) is working in partnership with AMCON to bring the much-needed stability in the operation of the organisations, AMCON said in a statement. The new board of NICON Insurance Limited has Lamis Dikko as its Chairman, Henry Ationuas Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer and John Oyidih as Executive Director, Finance & Admin. The insurance firm also has Alexander Okoh, the Director-General of Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) as Non-Executive Director and Ahmed Modibbo FIBA ACIS as Non-Executive Director (Independent). Similarly, the board and management of Nigeria Reinsurance Corporation has Mela Nunghe as Chairman, Olugbenga Falekulo serves as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer and Olusegun Ilori comes in as Executive Director, Finance & Admin. Alexander Okoh, the Director-General of Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) comes in as Non-Executive Director while Yvonne Isichei, FCIB joins as Non-Executive Director (Independent), AMCON said. It said the reconstitution of the board and management team of two insurance institutions is to ensure that the firms continue in their quest for transparent and accountable management of insurance in the country, and continue to deliver value to its stakeholders. Longstanding debt In 2016, a court ordered the seizure of some assets from Mr Ibrahim over his debts to AMCON but he obtained a court injunction a month later discharging the interim order granted to AMCON. On November 19, 2020, following an order granted by Justice R.M. Aikawa of the Federal High Court in Lagos, AMCON was able to freeze the businessmans accounts and also seize 12 properties. He subsequently urged the court to set aside the order for non-disclosure and misrepresentation of material facts. Also urged the court to order AMCON to pay N50 billion indemnity for its alleged failure to conduct due diligence before obtaining the said order and for misrepresentation and concealment of fact. He lost this bid on February 16,2021 when Rilwan Aikawa, the judge at the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court declined his application. He also has many unresolved corruption cases with the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and a US firm, Aersale Inc. The Adamawa government, on Tuesday told a Federal High Court, Abuja, that former Vice President Atiku Abukakar was eligible to vie for the office of the president. The Attorney-General (AG) of Adamawa, Afraimu Jingi, told the judge, Inyang Ekwo, while moving a motion on notice, seeking to be joined in the suit filed by a group against Atiku and three others. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the group, an Incorporated Trustees of Egalitarian Mission for Africa (EMA), in a suit marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/177/2019 had sued Atiku, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) as 1st to 4th respondents respectively. EMA is challenging Mr Atikus eligibility to contest for presidency on the grounds that he was not a Nigerian citizen by birth. The group asked the court to hold among others, that considering the provisions of Sections 25(1) &(2) and 131(a) of the constitution and the circumstances surrounding the former vice presidents birth, he cannot contest for the top office. But Mr Jingi, through his lawyer, L.D. Nzadon, in the motion filed June 24, sought an order of the court to be joined in the matter. Moving the motion, Mr Nzadon based his argument on 21 grounds. The lawyer described the matter as a public interest suit to ensure that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) is complied with in the election of the President of Nigeria. Why Adamawa govt needs to join suit He said the Adamawa AG is a chief law officer of the state who must be brought in as a party. The Attorney-General is traditionally the guardian of the public interest in any public interest litigation, he added. According to him, this matter cannot be effectively and conclusively determined unless the Attorney General of Adamawa is joined as a party. Mr Nzadon said Mr Atiku, against whom the suit was primarily directed, is a citizen of Nigeria from Adamawa who had been elected as a Governor of the state in 1999 and served as the vice president of the country between 1999 to 2007. He said the suit threatens the right of not just the ex-vice president to contest the office of president but that of the citizens of Nigeria of Adamawa State origin covering 12 out of the 21 Local Government Areas in the state. The lawyer listed the local government areas to include Ganye, Jada, Toungo, part of Mayo-Belwa, part of Fufore, part of Song, part of Hong, Maiha, Mubi-North, Mubi-South, Michika and Madagali. He said the total population of the citizens of Nigeria from Adamawa who would be affected by the outcome of the suit was about 2 million people going by the 2006 National Population Census. Every citizen of Nigeria whatever his ethnic, religious or cultural background or persuasion should have the same right to vie for any political position under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as any other citizen. To disenfranchise the citizens of the 12 local government areas of Adamawa State in relation to the office of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is to discriminate against them contrary to Section 42(1)(a), (2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), Nzadon told the court. According to him, Adamawa has the highest number of Nigerian citizens from the former Trust Territories of Northern Cameroon of the three states that have such citizens, to wit: Adamawa, Taraba and Borno States. ADVERTISEMENT The lawyer said it would be extremely difficult to get each one of these Nigerian citizens to defend this action in court. This is a public interest suit and can best be defended by the Adamawa State Government through its Chief Law Officer, the Attorney General of Adamawa State. This cause will be defeated by the non-joinder of the citizens whose civil rights and obligations will be affected in violation of Section 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), he said. The citizens of Adamawa in the 12 local government areas ought to have been joined as necessary parties to this suit but were not. The presence of the said citizens is necessary to enable the court to effectually and conclusively adjudicate upon and settle the questions involved in the action. The government and people of Adamawa State have a greater interest in this suit than the 4th respondent (AGF). It is the constitutional responsibility of the Adamawa Government to advance and protect the political, social and economic interests of the citizens of Nigeria from Adamawa State. The applicant is a necessary party to this suit without whose joinder the citizenship issues affecting the indigenes of Adamawa State from the 12 of the 21 local government areas in the state can not be determined with finality, the lawyer said. Ruling Since the lawyers to other parties in the suit did not oppose the motion, Mr Ekwo granted the prayer The judge, who gave the applicant seven days to file and serve all their processes, adjourned the matter until Sept. 27 for hearing of the substantive suit. NAN reports that both Mr Atiku and the PDP had since asked the court to dismiss the suit which they said was grossly lacking in merit. Atiku, PDPs Preliminary objection In a preliminary objection he jointly filed with the PDP, Atiku, maintained that he is a bonafide citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He told the court that aside serving as Vice President from 1999 to 2007, he held many public/private offices in Nigeria, including serving as Governor of Adamawa State and as a Commissioned Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service. He said both his parents, grandparents and great grandparents were born in Nigeria and they lived, died as Nigerians and were buried in Nigeria. Mr Atiku told the court that he is qualified and eligible to be elected to the office of the President of Nigeria, adding that the Plaintiff filed the suit malafide. I know as a fact that this suit as filed by the trustees of the plaintiff is aimed at maligning the person and integrity of the 1st defendant. He further queried the locus standi of the group to challenge his nationality, saying it failed to show before the court, the interest it has above other citizens of Nigeria to be entitled to the requisite jurisdiction to institute the action. He therefore urged the court to dismiss the suit in its entirety. (NAN) The Permanent Secretary, State House, Tijjani Umar, has cautioned members of staff against divulging classified and unauthorised information. Mr Umar handed down this warning on Tuesday in Abuja during the administration of oath of secrecy to some members of staff of the State House. No fewer than 42 members of staff took the oath which was administered by Justice Hamza Muazu of the FCT High Court. The permanent secretary warned that such unauthorised disclosure was a breach of the law and would attract consequences. I want to begin my remarks by saying that this exercise for me is the beginning of doing what is right in our respective offices. Breach of classified information and documents is inimical to the delivery of service. Therefore, we found it necessary to assist this segment of staff who are directly dealing with classified information. This is a very peculiar environment and, therefore, it is important to us to remind them about their duties, their oaths, their responsibilities in all those things they are handling and then the consequences of mishandling such kind of responsibilities, he said. According to Mr Umar, those taking the oath are staff of the C-in-C Secretariat; that is, Secretariat of the President; staff from the Registry of the Vice President, staff from the Registry of Chief of Staff to the President and the staff of the Registry of the Permanent Secretary. He said that others were staff of the Secret Registry of the State House and the Open Registry. Cumulatively, these members of staff are the ones that from day to day handle some of the most sensitive information going back and forth in our offices and in our environment. It is very important to us to discharge our responsibility and our obligations and to let them understand that we are going to apply the rules. Government as an institution is held together by laws, by rules and by regulations and those laws, rules and regulations are there to be respected, to be enforced and any breach of that will always carry a consequence. He said an earlier lecture was to properly sensitise the members of staff to official secrets laws and regulations and how to avoid deliberate breach of classified information. Mr Umar said the exercise would be continuous and expressed delight that so far the State House had not recorded any breach of information. We have not had any breach; we dont anticipate having any breach. But then, it is our duty to let them understand that if there is any, there will be consequences after investigations and that also includes after they have retired from the civil service, he said. Earlier in his remark, the Director, Special Duties, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Tukur Yahaya, said the essence of the event was to ensure the safety and security of government information, documents and facilities. ADVERTISEMENT He said secrecy was binding on every government official. The oath taking featured a lecture on the Official Secret Act which focused on patriotism, passion, truthfulness, integrity, loyalty, reliability dedication to duty among others from government officials. State House Counsel Geraldine Longsten also attended the exercise which was held at the State House Auditorium. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has again announced the withdrawal of results of additional 13 candidates who were alleged to have been involved in examination malpractices during this years yet-to-be-concluded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The examination body, which had earlier on Tuesday, announced the withdrawal of a candidates result over allegation of impersonation, also announced that 93 candidates results have been withheld pending the conclusion of an ongoing probe. In its second statement on the matter on Tuesday, JAMB said; The decision followed the consideration and further approval of the recommendations of the investigators by the boards management at a management meeting held on Tuesday, 27th July 2021. The statement, which was signed by the head of public affairs and protocol, Fabian Benjamin, however, noted that the results of 14,620 other candidates who were hitherto under investigation have been cleared and released. List of affected candidates The examination body listed the additional 13 candidates whose results were withdrawn to include; Gabriel Micheal, Lawson Ruth Joy, Sadiq Mahbub Auwal, Tambaya Yahaya, Anowa Anointing, Ogbonna Joseph Dibia, and Ani Maryrose AdaLoki (Loik Ayomiposi Precious). Others according to the statement are Ekeocha Chinecherem Michael, Oluwarotimi Toluwanimi Ayanfeoluwa, Edu Teslim Abiola, Simon Friday Promise and Onyeama Odi. However, unlike its earlier announcement which contained details of the alleged candidate- Attama Lawrence Ikedichukwu, the latest announcement gave no insight into the specifics of the alleged infringements committed by the accused and where they sat the examinations. The statement simply said; You will recall that the Board, in its earlier release, stated it would still review the results of the 2021 UTME exercise and any candidate found wanting would have his/her result withheld. Out of the withheld results, thirteen were discovered to have been involved in examination infractions after they were released and the one withdrew bringing the total of the results that have been withdrawn to fourteen. Blind candidates results released The examination body, in its statement, said the results of the blind candidates who sat its examination between June 30 and Jul 1, 2021, have been released. In a similar vein, the results of the 332 blind candidates whose examination was conducted this month have also been released, the statement added. However, JAMB did not give reasons while 332 candidates results were released out of the 335 that registered to take part in the examination. Earlier, the chairman of JAMB Equal Opportunity Group, the body in charge of the conduct of the examination for the blind candidates, Peter Okebukola, said the examination was scheduled to hold simultaneously across the 11 centres. Mr Okebukola, a professor of science education, spoke with PREMIUM TIMES on June 30 at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, venue for the candidates from Lagos and Ogun States. He listed other cities hosting the remaining other centres like the Federal Capital Territory, Ado-Ekiti, Bauchi, Benin, Enugu, Jos, Kano, Kebbi, Oyo and Yola. ADVERTISEMENT THESIN of the Igbo leaders is their nonchalant attitude towards the long-standing policy of the federal authorities to reduce the Igbo nation to a mere dot in a circle. In fact, what most people do not know is that Nnamdi Kanus biggest crime against the Nigerian state is actually his doggedness in exposing the major truths why the country does not promote the teaching of History in its schools. Ezekiel 18:20: A son must not suffer the punishment for the fathers guilt Therefore, those grandstanding as Igbo leaders should be falling on top of each other protesting, demanding President Muhammadu Buhari to detain them instead of the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The objective fact is that Kanu is suffering for the sins of the Igbo leaders. THE FIRST SIN of these Igbo leaders is the lack of development in Igboland that drew the ire of Kanu in the first place. Mazi Kanu, we should remember, began to gain national prominence not long after General Buhari gained democratic power in 2015. Key to Kanus popularity among the masses was his boldness to say enough is enough, after the leaders from the South-East and South-South zones failed to hold President Buhari accountable for the naked threat to marginalise the Biafran region, simply because the people voted en masse for their native son, President Goodluck Jonathan. But their failure to confront Buhari is understandable. Most of these Eastern leaders like their counterparts in other regions are virally corrupt. Thus, they continue to fear that the president would readily revenge by marshalling the anticorruption agencies against them. Such dilemma prompted my piece: Buhari And Nnamdi Kanu Fighting The Wrong Enemies. There I reminded that before Buharis presidency, a major aim of Radio Biafra, in Kanus own words, was to uproot all looters, embezzlers, kidnappers, sponsors of terrorism, child traffickers, corrupt judges, crooked university lecturers, murderous Nigerian security forces and all thieving individuals masquerading as public officials who steal public funds thereby preventing developmental projects from impacting positively on the lives of the ordinary people. Yes! I then followed that, if Buhari was ever sincere with his election campaign promise to fight corruption, the President and Kanu ought to have common enemies in the very corrupt leaders from the South-East and South-South zones of Nigeria, who plundered development opportunities in Biafra land during the last 16 years of astronomical oil boom, before Buhari assumed democratic power. Buhari is not solely to blame for the dot in a circle propaganda. He inherited the script from the Igbo marginalisation scheme that began during the Biafran war. Central to such scheme was the endeavour to sustain an artificial boundary, which must suggest that the Igbo people suddenly no longer have access to the Atlantic Ocean. THE SECOND SIN of the Igbo leaders is their nonchalant attitude towards the long-standing policy of the federal authorities to reduce the Igbo nation to a mere dot in a circle. In fact, what most people do not know is that Nnamdi Kanus biggest crime against the Nigerian state is actually his doggedness in exposing the major truths why the country does not promote the teaching of History in its schools. The most stubborn of those truths is that the Igbo nation is NOT landlocked, after all. Unlike the Igbo leaders, Nnamdi Kanu is a student of History and has stoutly rejected the dot in a circle label, far before Buhari made the conspiracy public. The IPOB leader understands that, besides the South-East geopolitical zone, there are indigenous Igbo areas in the North-Central and the South-South zones, including the riverine areas of Nigeria. The point is that Igbo nation is far beyond Muhammadu Buharis dot in a circle map, well into the Atlantic Ocean. But Buhari is not solely to blame for the dot in a circle propaganda. He inherited the script from the Igbo marginalisation scheme that began during the Biafran war. Central to such scheme was the endeavour to sustain an artificial boundary, which must suggest that the Igbo people suddenly no longer have access to the Atlantic Ocean. Stop here for a minute and take a critical look at the Nigerian map, featuring the six geopolitical zones. Any discerning mind would notice the devious manner federal authorities lumped the indigenous Igbo areas that have natural access to the sea into the South-South zone. Make no mistake about this: No one is wishing for a perfect homogenous state or zone. After all, there are indigenous Igala communities in the South-East zone, as there are indigenous Igbo communities in the North-Central zone. The problem here is the double standard. On the one hand, the Fulani flock a recent immigrant to Nigeria is free to align with the Hausa to assume a new ethnic identity the Hausa-Fulani. Moreover, the Fulani is not only free to lay claim to Fulani settlements in the three zones of Northern Nigeria, but the group also prides itself for wielding the disparate Northern ethnic nationalities into a homogenous political identity. These moves by the Fulani are politically strategic and definitively worthy of emulation. On the other hand, however, any attempt by the Igbo an indigenous settler in Nigeria to identify with her indigenous components in the South-South zone or even to align with any other ethnic group is viewed as a taboo by the federal authorities. The latent policy of Nigeria is that the Igbo must be seen not only as a dot in a circle but they must also be viewed as political lepers. The analysis into the current Biafran crisis should not only go beyond the fleeting exigencies of secession, it ought to also consider the message, not only the messenger. The problem must not revolve around how Kanu delivers his message. The problem is that the Igbo leaders who claim to know how best to deliver the message choose to do nothing at all. Unfortunately, unlike Nnamdi Kanu, the Igbo leaders are grossly naive. They have been busy, aiding and abetting the federal authorities in the re-writing of Igbo history for their individual interests. Today, any mention of the Igbo is squarely pegged to the South-East zone. Presently, there is hardly any Igbo organisation or those in position of power who promote the Igbo agenda beyond the South-East zone. Unlike Nnamdi Kanu, the Igbo leaders prefer to forget that Ohaneze Ndigbo, for example, refers to indigenous Igbo communities in eight states in three geopolitical zones, namely: South-East: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo states; South-South zone: Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross-River, Delta, Edo (Igbanke), and Rivers; and North-Central: Benue and Kogi States. Unlike Nnamdi Kanu, the so-called Igbo leaders are too daft to remember that the former Secretary-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, a Biafran war commander, and the late Secretary-General of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Joe Achuzia, is not from the South-East zone. Needless to mention that Ralph Uwechue, a native of Ogwashi-Uku in Delta State, was once the President General of Ohaneze; and the eminent pan-Igbo activist, Uche Okwukwu, a native of Ikwere in Rivers State, was not long ago the Secretary-General of the Ohaneze. THE THIRD AND MOST SENSATIONAL SIN of the Igbo leaders is their penchant to appease Buhari and the enemies of Ndigbo by carrying on as if Biafra is solely a South-East affair or rather a mere dot in a circle. Unlike the Igbo leaders, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu clearly understands that Biafra is not even an Igbo word; and it was Frank Opigo, an Ijaw not Igbo who christened the new nation after the then Bight of Biafra, now known as the Bight of Bonny. The IPOB leader does not forget that the last Head of State of Biafra, Major-General Phillip Effiong, a native of Ibiono Ibom in Akwa Ibom State, is not from the South-East zone. He knows that the ancient city of Asaba, the bloody epicentre of the Biafran war, is in the South-South zone. Nnamdi Kanu recognises that Chukwuma Nzeogwu, a native of Okpanam in Delta State, who led the first military coup of 1966, that is commonly blamed for the civil war, was from the present South-South zone. The IPOB leaders is bold to expose the true history, which clearly states that a major objective of the first coup was to free Obafemi Awolowo from prison and make him the prime minister of the country. The analysis into the current Biafran crisis should not only go beyond the fleeting exigencies of secession, it ought to also consider the message, not only the messenger. The problem must not revolve around how Kanu delivers his message. The problem is that the Igbo leaders who claim to know how best to deliver the message choose to do nothing at all. History, though, must not forgive President Muhammadu Buhari whose pattern of injustice continues to inflame the crisis. SKC Ogbonnia, a 2019 APC Presidential Aspirant, writes from Houston, Texas; Twitter @SKCOgbonnia. ADVERTISEMENT Surprisingly, what Olatunji dismissed as sheer distraction is a subject of serious contention. I have heard people describe the advert as a design against some particular professors. Is it? Indeed, respected scholar and newspaper columnist, Professor Ayo Olukotun, remarkably notes that the ad is rather skewed against the Humanities and Social Science scholars on account of the publication requirements. But which university in Nigeria indulges in restricting promotion of professors to its own confinement? Like similar relevant posts in the recent past, the advertisement for the position of UNIOSUNs VC found its way to the exalted WhatsApp forum exclusive for Nigerian Communications Professors. In no time, it found its way to a couple of others I share with some other intellectuals. And then, somebody hauled a prayer at me, asking if I wont give it a shot. I smiled away the suggestion. My friend insisted, arguing that testing waters with a rising profile may not be a bad idea for me, coming from not only the most university-endowed state in Nigeria, but also the most university endowed town, Ede. Ede plays host to two great universities, Adeleke University and the Redeemers University. My friend continued: What about the confidence once expressed in you by Professor Soremekun, FUOYEs pioneer VC after his strong impression of your passion for LASU registered in one your series of media articles about that university? What about your pioneering efforts in intellectualising the domestic affairs of the university with which you have inspired younger academics, students and even the alumni alike? And your extensive connections in the development sector? I can continue But I believe the opportunity will beckon at the right time. It just doesnt seem to be now. Soon afterwards, I overheard someone say now is the time for my immediate past dean at the Lagos State University (LASU)s School of Communication, Professor Rotimi Olatunji, whose reaction I was keen on hearing. I was really anxious, hoping seriously that he would like to do it, so we can sit down to organise our home front with all the credible and smart experts, and take time to formulate a winning formula. I was so confident he would immediately earn the support of everyone at the LASUSOC. I also believe the man with the ceaselessly rising profile would clinch the UNIOSUN ticket. My confidence in Professor Olatunji is premised on a number of variables, which incidentally may already be well known to colleagues at UNIOSUN. Yes, the same UNIOSUN! Olatunji as a patriot he is from Osun State had elected, without being pressured, to spend a recent sabbatical leave he took from LASU at UNIOSUN. My own firsthand experience with the indomitably energetic scholar radiates by the day. Indeed, it was part of what compelled me to share with the world the story of how LASUSOC, under Olatunji, led LASU to its premier national honour, when, for the first time that university emerged as Nigerias second best university. If we agree that charity begins at home, who at LASUSOC will not rise up to vouch for Olatunjis tenacity, transparency and fairness, which the nations university system needs most substantially now? Is it intellectual strength? Ah, he made a first a First Class at the first degree level from the nations foremost first generation university, University of Ife, as it was then known. Olatunjis keen attention to matters of intellectual integrity is already becoming a national affair. How? I dont know of any worthwhile Mass Communication programme, which the LASUs first professor of Public Relations and Advertising, and indeed one of the nations first, for which he has not served as an external examiner. The National University Commission (NUC) also bothers him repeatedly for the accreditation of communication programme around the country on account of his erudition and discipline. To my surprise, however, Olatunji isnt keen yet. The superactive researcher, who has earned the most enviable respect from both the academia and industry, locally and internationally, has handled integrity-challenging research and allied assignments successfully, and with applause. He appears to currently have his table filled with assorted intellectual engagements, which he seems to treasure over and above the job of a Vice Chancellor, which is largely administrative. Perhaps, later. Maybe, serious pressure from fellow patriots from Osun will, some day, persuade Olatunji to give that position some consideration Surprisingly, what Olatunji dismissed as sheer distraction is a subject of serious contention. I have heard people describe the advert as a design against some particular professors. Is it? Frankly it comes on as an extremely detailed offering for a position for which a tested scholar is being sought, incidentally, steeping it into some avoidable grammatical slips, least expected from a citadel of learning expecting the towering best for its numero uno position. Indeed, respected scholar and newspaper columnist, Professor Ayo Olukotun, remarkably notes that the ad is rather skewed against the Humanities and Social Science scholars on account of the publication requirements. But which university in Nigeria indulges in restricting promotion of professors to its own confinement? How, we may also ask, does the number of paper published translate into managerial competence? This is not dismissing a specific employers needs and standards for its employees but a reasonable moderation and or balance may not be distasteful afterall. To a serving VC for instance, the UNIOSUN requirements are just apt: The spirit of the advertisement, to me, is that subjective scoring of any candidate wont just be possible. In the usual adverts that some see as normal, the oracles may decide to, and indeed they score the best candidates lower than their preferred mediocre candidates, because, the criteria for scoring are hidden and known only among the less than 10 panelists in the final selection process. The UNIOSUN criteria are in the public domain. No hidden agenda thats the way many universities will go in their search for VCs henceforththe era of 100 applicants for position of VC should be over. It makes a mockery of the position and the academia. It happens only in Nigeria the position is open, no one is excluded. No discipline, race or creed is excluded. Excellence is borderless, raceless, creedless. Its just what it is and this business is global The employers have only stated the eligibility criteria and this may be difficult to fault. There are lessons, however, for the demand and supply sides here to learn from the experience of some high achieving individuals who have evolved before our very eyes. Tony Elumelu, more prominently known as the Chairman of UBA that has become a pan African bank, readily comes into mind here. In his most recent post on the LinkedIn website, he urges ambitious youngsters to always muster the courage to fight timidity. He recounts that he applied for his first job, despite the fact that it was clear the stated requirements were well above what he had. But he refused to be deterred and fired his shot. To his surprise, he was called for an interview and he got the job! The rest today is history. According to him, in retrospect, what happened was that his potential employers were painstaking and therefore ensured a thorough scrutiny of the applications of all bidders. They, therefore, decided to select those who registered manifest passion for the job and finalised their list. To his fellow employers, Elumelu now counsels that they should endeavour to be meticulous in screening potential applicants applications as the best candidate(s) may not radiate any conspicuity at all. Indeed, I emerged a British Chevening Scholar, even as I didnt hold either a First Class or Second Class Upper Degree required of applicants. However, I did all I could to justify the fact that I deserved it as a potential leader in all I was doing. My interviewers that year, 1999, two white men, made it clear that it was my sole responsibility to blow my own trumpet for others to hear, not for them to support me. I was adjudged suitable eventually. So, now that UNIOSUN has spoken, it is the turn of the potential VCs to respond with whatever they have as credentials. May the best candidate emerge as the VC of the only university of my Osun State to build on the conspicuous and inimitable accomplishments of the incumbent, Professor Labo Popoola and his team on the council chaired by the incorruptible Yusuf Alli (SAN). Tunde Akanni, PhD, an associate professor of journalism, is the pioneer director of the Digital Media and Research Centre of the Lagos State University. ADVERTISEMENT When the Nigerian National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS) was launched in October 2012, it set out to reduce the percentage of adult Nigerians who do not have access to financial services from 46.3 per cent in 2010 to 20 per cent in 2020. Upon a review of the NFIS set target in 2019, Nigerias financial regulatory body, CBN, further designed an ambitious 5-year policy thrust to achieve a 95 per cent financial inclusion target by 2024. Currently, with just 2.6 per cent of the entire world population, Nigeria alarmingly makes up over 3 per cent of the worlds unbanked population. The World Bank Group cites financial inclusion which means that people have access to basic financial services like a savings account, credit and insurance as a key driver of extreme poverty reduction and shared prosperity. And for a nation with an alarming figure in its standing in the worlds unbanked population ranking, it is little surprise that the CBN is desperate to close the gap. A dire economic situation has necessitated the need for all hands, especially those of the financial institutions operating in Nigeria, to be on deck regarding the financial inclusion of all citizens in the most-populous African country. Available data by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) pegs the population of Nigerians living below the poverty line at a whopping 40 per cent indicating that desperate financial measures need to be adopted to turn the tide in the nations favour. As various statistics and Nigerias grim economic reality have shown, financial inclusion should not be exclusive or limited to adults. In fact, in urging the inclusion of children in the financial system, the American Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Financial Literacy Commission posits that financial literacy and inclusion is not an end in itself but a step-by-step process. The commission submits that it begins in childhood and continues throughout a persons life all the way to retirement. Instilling the financial-literacy message in children is especially important because they will carry it for the rest of their lives. In Nigeria, financial inclusion for children will ensure that children who are often susceptible to abuse and exploitation enjoy adequate financial backing through their journey to adulthood. In recognition of these issues, Nigerias leading financial institution, Fidelity Bank Plc, is taking on the challenge by designing products, services, and initiatives to cater to the financial inclusion of children in the country. The banks introduction of the Sweet Account (SWEETA) is one of many that are designed to provide financial inclusion for children. SWEETA, according to the bank, has been specially created to encourage a savings culture towards childrens welfare by those responsible for them. Holders of this special account type are also eligible for a stream of benefits and rewards from Fidelity Bank. On Childrens Day this year, for instance, the bank rewarded 62 lucky SWEETA holders with a N150,000 cash reward each. Yet another indication that Fidelity Bank is intentional about financial inclusion for children is its participation in the CBN-endorsed Financial Literacy Day. As an active participant in the event every March, Fidelity Bank has, at different times, used the event to develop initiatives to help children cultivate and understand the importance of positive financial habits like saving, entrepreneurship, and wealth-building early on in their lives. During the March 2021 Financial Literacy Day event themed, Take Care of Yourself, Take Care of Your Money, the banks leadership enlightened young students across the country on the importance of a healthy savings culture which it says will, in turn, help them make intelligent financial decisions that will improve their future finances. The bank noted that the virtual sessions indicated a change from the norm where children are commonly exempt from matters that concern money and finances. CBN has stated the importance of financial inclusion for all Nigerians going into the next decade, calling for an environment with a profusion and prevalence of financial access points, products and services, a financially literate population, and a digital savvy customer base. Fidelity Bank has undoubtedly shown it is ready and willing to play its part, with children right at the top of its priority list. The fast-growing banks attempts at providing Nigerian children with a new lease of life is not only applaudable but worthy of emulation. ADVERTISEMENT The Police Command in Imo has confirmed the death of CSP Fatmann Dooiyor, a Divisional Police Officer (DPO), in an attack in Oru East Local Government Area (LGA) of the state. The command also said that six bandits died in the attack when they engaged the police in a gun duel. Police Commissioner Abutu Yaro confirmed the incident in a statement signed by the commands spokesperson, Micheal Abattam, on Tuesday. Mr Yaro said that police operatives repelled the attack and killed six of the bandits, while 11 were arrested. He said that tactical teams of the command had been mobilised to comb the communities in the area to arrest other bandits who fled into the bush. On 26/7/2021 at about 16:20 hours, bandits in convoy of three vehicles were repelled in Omuma town in Oru East LGA of Imo State. According to the Area Commander, ACP Benjamin Abang of Omuma Area Command, the bandits were sighted moving in convoy into Omuma town. The area commander immediately alerted the tactical teams of the command who swung into action. They (teams) ambushed and launched a surprised attack on the convoy of the bandits which resulted in the neutralizing of six of the bandits, while 11 of them were arrested. Unfortunately, the Divisional Police Officer, CSP Fatmann Dooiyor, paid the supreme price. The teams recovered the three vehicles abandoned by the bandits, including two Toyota Highlander SUV vehicles with registration numbers Abia MBL517AT and LAGOS JJJ984EL. Presently, the commands tactical teams and special forces led by ACP Evans Shem are combing the bush for possible arrest of the bandits that fled into the bush, the commissioner said. He warned bandits to keep off the state or face dire consequences. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT The Eselu of Iselu, Akintunde Akinyemi, has said the philanthropy of the immediate past governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, has earned him a chieftaincy title in his cabinet. The Ogun monarch made this known through a statement he personally signed and sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday. The monarch said he would decorate Mr Okorocha, who is currently the senator representing Imo West in the National Assembly, as the Otunba Asoludero of Iselu Kingdom on September 19. According to the monarch, the recipient of the title has over years exemplified a track record of unifying people of different tribes across the country through his actions, deeds, and philanthropical gestures. He noted that the awardee who recently bagged a traditional title in Daura, Kastina State, from the Emirs in President Muhammadu Buharis homestead is a bridge builder. Despite the happenings in the country, we have been able to identify a de-tribalized Nigerian who is concerned about the well being of every Nigerian irrespective of their colour, tribe and religion. We hold Senator Rochas Okorocha in high esteem for that which he recorded in Imo state as a former governor and the lofty heights he has attained through the Rochas Okorocha Foundation that has offered no fewer than 25,000 less privilege and orphans free scholarship from primary school to university education. We are optimistic that this new task will set Oja Odan, Ogun State, and by extension Yoruba land into greater heights, he said. The Eselu also said Mr Okorocha has pledged to establish a school in the border town for the less privileged and orphans, a gesture he said would help improve the standard of education within and around the town. The Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday rejected the results of Saturdays council elections in the state. The party chairman, Deji Doherty, alleged in a statement that the polls were manipulated to favour of the ruling APC. I seize this opportunity to state categorically that any result published by Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) is fake and unacceptable to PDP in Lagos State. We reject any result already released or that would be released and we hereby state that a decision will be taken as regards our next line of action, after the collation of our results and due consultation with our lawyers. As a party who are the pioneers of democracy in the country, we believe it is in the best interest of our youths and law-abiding citizens of the state to seek redress legally rather than lock horns with the ruling party in mobilising thugs to shed blood in protecting our votes. We believe our success at the council elections is not worth the blood of any youth in the state, Mr Doherty stated. He added that the PDP had observed from the results received so far that the ruling party did not perform as expected and decided to go all out to rig the election. This desperation by the APC created a wave of crisis throughout the state especially in Oshodi, Isolo, Agege, Alimosho, Eti Osa, Ojo, Ajeromi Ifelodun, Mushin, Badagry, Ikorodu and a couple of other local governments and local council development areas. These councils among many others experienced full blown over-voting, ballot snatching, and LASIEC collaboration with APC agents to remove sensitive voting materials out of the councils. There was no involvement of other parties in the monitoring of voting materials, Mr Doherty added. He also stated that the PDP had reports that some members of the APC did not vote as they were protesting against the imposition of candidates in the party. These are very obvious signs that the people have lost confidence in the democratic system in the APC-led government of Lagos State. We stand bold to say that if the results in a free and fair environment are not tampered with, our party would win a few chairmanship seats and a handful of councillorship seats. We are sure that LASIEC would not have the courage to publish the real figures of votes counted for all the participating parties. It is clear that exposing these figures would further divide the APC as a party, he stated. He alleged that only about 200,000 voters participated in the election in a state with a population of about 25 million and close to seven million registered voters. Mr Doherty advised all PDP chairmanship and councillorship candidates and their teeming supporters to return to their zones, wards and local government areas and get ready for the 2023 general elections. APC reacts Reacting to the allegations, Publicity Secretary of the APC in Lagos State, Seye Oladejo, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the PDP should be ashamed of its excuses for failure at the polls. We cannot hold the brief of LASIEC, but the PDP should be ashamed of its age-long excuses for their perennial failure since the advent of democracy. ADVERTISEMENT Their inherent failure is borne out of lack of ambition, direction and leadership. The results of last Saturdays elections were the peoples total rejection of the PDP as a party and their refusal to associate with unserious elements. We, however, commend them for at least participating in the spirit of the Olympics, he told NAN. Saturdays elections were conducted into the 20 Local Government Councils and the 37 Local Council Development Areas of the state. (NAN) The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) on Tuesday presented Certificates of Return to the 57 council chairmen elected in last Saturdays local government election in the state. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates won all the 57 chairmanship seats in the state. Ayotunde Phillips, the LASIEC chairman, who presented the certificates to the 57 council chairmen-elect and vice-chairmen-elect at LASIEC headquarters in Yaba, urged them to serve the people diligently in appreciation of their votes. This is just as she denounced as untrue, reports of malpractices, said to have allegedly characterised the poll, saying such reports were based on mere rumours, as nothing of such was reported to her office. The opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party, have, however, rejected the outcome of the election. A preliminary report by the election observer group, YIAGA Africa, said there were violent disruptions at some polling units. Mrs Phillips, a retired judge, who described the election as pretty good, though with few pockets of hitches, said the exercise was peaceful and without any major uprising and rioting. NAN reports that the chairman urged all the winners to work hard and work for the people who elected them to serve. The people put you there, you dont get there and then shut the door on the same people that put you there. Make yourself accessible, have open door policy, work for the people and serve them to the best of your ability. Let them see you serve them; let them see the dividends of their votes, and the dividends of democracy. They should not cut themselves from the people that put them there, she said. She clarified that most of the allegations of malpractices making the rounds on social media, could not be traced, while such had not been reported to her office. A lot of these things are just hearsays and rumours. Nothing has been reported to me. It is until the matter is reported to me officially in writing before I can take action. I have received no such report up to this minute that I am talking to you. So, a lot of these things are just rumours and trouble-making and fishing for unnecessary information. I am not aware, the chairman said. On voter apathy, Mrs Phillips urged political parties to re-sensitise their followers to be participating in elections. All of them have large followers, both on social media and in the real life. They are the representative of the grassroots, so, they know how to reach them (voters) most. The bulk of the job really lies with them, not with us, she said. ADVERTISEMENT According to her, good turnout in elections would give more credibility to the democratic process. Speaking to journalists after the presentation, Tunde Balogun, the Lagos State APC caretaker chairman, attributed the partys victory to the performance of the ruling party in the state, saying Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had been phenomenal. He has been working hard and has turned the state into huge construction sites. We want the local government chairmen and councilors to also complement what the governor is doing, that is what we have been striving at. They must work as hard as he does too so that we can get the whole state developed for the people of the state. They should do things that people of Lagos want. People have demanded for service and improvement in their lives and that is what we are really going to do as a party, Balogun said. Also speaking, Dele Oshinowo, the newly re-elected Chairman of Agboyi-Ketu LCDA, said that his renewed mandate would make him continue in giving back to the people true development. We will continue from where we stopped. We have tried our best in the last four years. We want to continue doing more. The people of Agboyi-Ketu deserve the best and we shall give them the best. We have empowerment schemes that uplift vulnerable, we will continue, Mr Oshinowo said. He said that he would be magnanimous in victory with his contenders, adding that his main challenger, Wole Dahunsi, had reached out to him. Also speaking, the trio of Moyosore Ogunlewe, Seyi Jakande and Oluwagbenga Abiola, Chairman-elect and Vice Chairmen-elect of Odi-Olowo Ojuwoye LCDA and Agege Local Government, promised to justify the confidence reposed in them by the electorates. ADVERTISEMENT A group, the Yoruba Youths Parliament, has said they are not in support of Sunday Adeyemos (popularly known as Sunday Igboho) agitation for a Yoruba nation, adding that we are better and stronger together. Olaleru Folorunsho, the speaker of the group, said in Abeokuta Tuesday that although Mr Igboho does not have the support of Yoruba youths, the Federal Government should temper justice with mercy. Mr Folorunsho spoke at the sideline of an award conferment on the Group Managing Director of Ojulowo-Omoluabi Empire Holdings, Victor Eniola Mark. Mr Igboho is currently facing charges in Cotonou, the Benin Republic, where he was arrested on his way to Germany. Led by monarchs Mr Folorunsho said if the Yorubas are going to decide on secession, the decision must be led by the monarchs. We are not in support of the secessionist agitation. Any agitation that will cause discord will not get our own support. We have said this before and we know that it will get to this level. If any agitation will be embarked upon, it should be led by our monarchs. I agree that the matter should be resolved over there in Cotonou, while I will also beg the Federal Government to temper justice with mercy. Although, we do not support that agitation, but we wont, as a result of that, hand over his life to the government. Because, if he is asked to come and face the wrath of the law here in Nigeria, protest will start again and there will be destabilisation in the country and this is what we dont want as Omoluabis. We have started making some moves. In fact, I was in Benin Republic yesterday in solidarity. In fact, we were there with delegates of the Olubadan, even although we were not allowed into the court. So I will only beg our elders and government to please temper justice with mercy. Responding, the recipient of the award, Mr Mark noted that there is no other option to achieving a sustainable peace other than dialogue in the country, adding that all should return to the negotiating table. I like the fact that over and over again, you kept on saying something that is important to our existence and togetherness as human. If you value human, you will not be a bandit, you will not be a thief nor interested in anything that could hurt your neighbour. I am a Yoruba man and I love that fact. But we are human before we can be called a Yoruba, an Igbo or a Fulani or an Hausa. What keeps us together is more than any other thing. If we continue to divide ourselves, it will get to a point where we would begin to divide into smaller units. I am an advocate of peace, I believe whenever there is a form of disagreement it should be discussed and resolved. Youths just like myself should begin to eschew violence. Let us begin to discuss with people and not just get angry and take up arms. There are different ways to achieving the same result, but what is key is adequate dialogue. I love Yoruba so much but I do not believe in we breaking up and renaming ourselves, he said. ADVERTISEMENT The Police Command in Osun on Tuesday arrested a burglar who allegedly stole an air-conditioning system from a COVID-19 isolation centre in Osogbo. Olawale Olokode, the Commissioner of Police in the state, said this during the parade of arrested suspects at the State Police Headquarters in Osogbo. Mr Olokode explained that, On July, 22 at about 1:30 p.m., a security guard attached to one of the Osun COVID-19 Isolation centres/Mercy Land , Osogbo, noticed a person inside one of the isolation rooms removing an air conditioner. The security guard quickly alerted the Dada Estate Police Station in Osogbo and police officers from the station immediately moved to the scene and cordoned off the area. Only one Morufu Abdullah m aged 27, who had removed one of the air conditioners in one of the rooms at the Isolation Centre was thereafter arrested. Me Olokode also said three armed robbery suspects, four suspected cult members, a suspect who is alleged to be a specialist in snatching cell phones and SIM cards were arrested during the month. He said that another suspected burglar, who was alleged to have burgled two shops in Osogbo was also arrested within this month. He said all the suspects would be charged to court after the conclusion of investigations into their matters. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State lost only two councillorship seats in last Saturdays local government elections in the state. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won in Ward G, Yaba LCDA, while the Young Progressive Party (YPP) in Ward D of Orile-Agege LCDA. NAN reports that the APC won 375 out of the 377 councilorship seats spread across the 20 LGs and 37 LCDAs. The rulling party also won all the chairmanship seats in all the 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the state. The PDP Councillor-elect, Adeshola Thomas, and the YPP Councillor-elect, Omotunde Abdul-Kareem, were on Tuesday presented the Certificates of Return at the LASIEC headquarters in Sabo, Yaba. Speaking with NAN, the PDP Councillor-elect described his victory as the work of God and resilience of the people. Mr Thomas said: I feel great. First, I will thank my God because when the struggle started, He stood by us and at the end we have the victory. During the election, out of the 18 polling units in my ward, my challengers allegedly took two ballot boxes away. In the remaining 16, I won in 15 and lost with only five votes in the last polling unit. It was the election of the people. It is the people that want me. They stood by us, they stood by the PDP. So, even this Certificate of Return, I am giving it to them. I promise them in this tenure they will be in charge. I have to represent them well. All glory to God and my people. On the possibility of his defection to the ruling party, Mr Thomas said that he would be faithful to the party on which he got the mandate. I wont be ungrateful person by cross-carpeting. It is what my people want that I will do because the mandate belongs to them and I cannot disappoint them. I cannot go against their wishes. My people will take first position because without them, I wont be here, he added. The electoral umpire had earlier in the day presented Certificates of Return to Chairmen-elect and Vice-Chairmen-elect who had been sworn-in by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. (NAN) These hot temperatures will likely stick around for a while. Do you still enjoy the outdoors when it gets this hot, or do you prefer to stay indoors in the air conditioning? You voted: PLATTSBURGH [mdash] Dr. Stephen Guy Hausrath's spirit set sail August 1st a heavenly voyage with the comfort of a gentle rain and a steady breeze off of Lake Champlain. His death followed a year- long journey with cancer. This last year made him understand why dealing with cancer is often ca FinancialNewsMedia.com News Commentary PALM BEACH, Fla., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Underground mining diamond drilling is the process of extracting core samples from the earth. This is an exploratory process that determines the structural strength of mineral composition for construction projects or potential mining. Diamond coring bits are majorly used in the exploration phase of the mining industry. Underground mining diamond drilling includes of diamond core drill bits, which are equipped with drilling systems, for example, rotary or wireline drilling systems. Deployment of efficient coring drilling rings in the exploration phase entails extensive capital investment. Mining companies invest significantly in installation and testing of mined samples over coring systems. Growing the demand for base metals such as nickel, lead, copper, and zinc and precious metals for instance gold, silver, and diamond is expected to boost investments in the metal mining business. This is possible to augment the demand for diamond core drill bits that are used in underground mining of hard rocks. Diamond core drill bits are mostly employed in the exploration industry, especially for hard rocks, as the penetration of diamond bits is high regarding that of other materials. Active stocks in the mining markets this week Clarity Gold Corp. (OTCPK: CLGCF) (CSE: CLAR), Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE:GOLD) (TSX:ABX), Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd (NYSE: OR) (TSX: OR), Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE: AEM) (TSX: AEM), Kinross Gold Corporation (NYSE:KGC) (TSX:K). A report from WiseGuysReports predicts that the global underground mining diamond drilling market to grow with a CAGR of 5.7% through 2025, while a report from 360iResearch were even more optimistic, saying that: "The Global Underground Mining Diamond Drilling Market size was estimated at USD 433.11 Million in 2020 and expected to reach USD 463.40 Million in 2021, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) 7.33% from 2020 to 2026 to reach USD 662.18 Million by 2026." MaximizeMarketResearch adds that: "Region-wise, North America was the largest revenue-generating region in the underground mining diamond drilling market in 2017 and is anticipated to continue its dominance in the market by 2026. In North America, US dominated the underground mining diamond drilling market. Some players in North America supply core drill bits along with complete drill rigs solutionsThe market in Canada is anticipated to expand at a rapid pace in the upcoming future Latin America is the important region of the global underground mining diamond drilling market. Increasing investments in the extraction of underground minerals is expected to augment the demand for hard rock mining in Latin America." Clarity Gold Corp. (CSE: CLAR) (OTC: CLGCF) BREAKING NEWS: CLARITY GOLD ANNOUNCES COMPLETION OF DIAMOND DRILLING PROGRAM - Clarity Gold Corp. ("Clarity" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the completion of 10,826 m of diamond drilling from 27 drill holes (the "Program") at the Company's flagship Destiny Project in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. The Program was completed under budget, and all samples collected have now been dispatched to the laboratory. The first batch of results from approximately 2600 m of this drilling were previously released (see Company news release dated June 16, 2021). Which included select highlight intercepts tabled below. Table 1 Highlights from the first batch of assay results previously released on June 16, 2021. Drillhole From (m) To (m) Width* (m) Grade (g/t) DES21-156 329.15 334.40 5.25 3.68 including 329.70 331.80 2.10 18.64 and 331.35 331.80 0.45 32.67 DES21-157 230.50 234.95 4.45 3.79 including 230.50 231.30 0.80 20.36 DES21-160 388.00 396.00 8.00 1.57 including 391.00 392.00 1.00 4.99 including 394.00 395.00 1.00 3.68 DES21-160 435.45 436.70 1.25 4.88 DES21-161 277.50 280.15 2.65 6.97 including 278.05 279.00 0.95 15.80 DES21-162 304.00 325.00 21.00 0.98 including 319.00 321.30 2.30 4.48 The Company looks forward to updating further as results are received from the lab and interpreted. The drill holes in this Program concentrated on infilling historic drilling in the DAC and GAP Zones, and confirmation of historic drilling which identified mineralization in these areas. "The Company is very pleased to have completed our first significant drill program on the Destiny Project" stated CEO, James Rogers. "Our team worked diligently to complete the program as efficiently and safely as possible, while coming in well under budget. We look forward to releasing remaining results as we receive outstanding data from the laboratory and continue to build our understanding of the mineralized system." The Company looks forward to updating further as additional results are received and as we continue to interpret these results as we evaluate bulk tonnage and high-grade models for the Destiny Project. CONTINUED Read this entire release along with tables for the Clarity Gold at: https://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-clar/ Other recent developments in the mining markets include: Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE:GOLD) (TSX:ABX) recently reported preliminary Q2 sales of 1.07 million ounces of gold and 96 million pounds of copper, as well as preliminary Q2 production of 1.04 million ounces of gold and 96 million pounds of copper. We remain on track to achieve 2021 guidance, with both the Africa & Middle East and Latin America & Asia Pacific regions trending to the higher end of their regional gold guidance and North America to the lower end. The average market price for gold in Q2 was $1,816 per ounce, while the average market price for copper in Q2 was $4.40 per pound. Preliminary Q2 gold production was lower than Q1, with planned maintenance shutdowns at Nevada Gold Mines' ("NGM") processing facilities further impacted by a mechanical mill failure at Carlin's Goldstrike roaster, as well as planned maintenance at Pueblo Viejo. The Goldstrike roaster is currently operating at a reduced rate and work to repair the mill is expected to be completed in Q3, with actions being taken to mitigate the impact on NGM's full year production. As previously guided, Barrick's gold production in the second half of 2021 is forecast to be higher than the first half. Q2 gold cost of sales per ounce is expected to be 2 to 4% higher, total cash costs per ounce are expected to be 1 to 3% higher and all-in sustaining costs per ounce3 are expected to be 6 to 8% higher than Q1. Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd (NYSE: OR) (TSX: OR) recently announced that it has entered into a royalty transfer agreement with Sailfish Royalty Corp. pursuant to which Osisko has agreed to purchase an up to 2.75% net smelter return royalty on the Tocantinzinho gold project operated by Eldorado Gold Corporation for cash consideration of US$10 million. Tocantinzinho is a permitted and construction-ready, open-pit gold project located in Para State, Brazil. The project hosts NI 43-101 compliant mineral inventory of 39Mt grading 1.42g/t gold for 1.78Moz of gold in proven and probable reserves derived from, and inclusive of 46Mt grading 1.37g/t gold for 2.03Moz of gold in the measured and indicated resource categories and 0.6Mt grading 0.90g/t gold for 17Koz of gold in the inferred resource category. Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE: AEM) (TSX: AEM) recently provided an update on exploration activities at several projects and select mine sites. The Company's exploration focus remains on pipeline projects, near-mine opportunities and mineral reserve and mineral resource replacement and growth. Key exploration highlights during the first half of 2021 can be found here: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/agnico-eagle-provides-exploration-results-210000578.html Kinross Gold Corporation (NYSE:KGC) (TSX:K) recently announced that it has signed a definitive agreement ("Agreement") with the Government of Mauritania ("Government") to provide enhanced certainty on Tasiast economics. The Agreement confirms the same key terms of the agreement in principle signed on June 15, 2020, including: the continuation of tax exemptions on fuel duties; the repayment by the Government to Kinross of approximately $40 million in outstanding VAT refunds; the payment by the Company to the Government of $10 million to resolve disputed matters; the introduction of an updated escalating royalty structure tied to the gold price that aligns with current Mauritanian mining legislation and is comparable to other royalties in the region; and the nomination of two observers by the Government to the Board of Directors of the Kinross subsidiary operating the Tasiast mine. DISCLAIMER: FN Media Group LLC (FNM), which owns and operates Financialnewsmedia.com and MarketNewsUpdates.com, is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. 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Contact Information: Email: editor@financialnewsmedia.com Tel.: +1(561)325-8757 SOURCE FinancialNewsMedia.com Hospital backed by doTERRA Healing Hands will provide sustainable, quality health care to hundreds of thousands across a remote African region PLEASANT GROVE, Utah and HARGEISA, Somaliland, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- doTERRA today announced the grand opening of Sanaag Specialty Hospital, located in Erigavo, the heart of Somaliland's Frankincense resin harvesting region. The hospital provides quality, accessible healthcare in a region with over 600,000 people. Working with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Planning, Response-Med, and various NGOs over the last four years, doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation and local partners, Jibriil Foundation and Asli-Maydi, funded the construction of the hospital to bring primary and secondary healthcare services to the remote region. The Sanaag Specialty Hospital was officially opened by David Stirling, Barkhad Hassan, and Edna Adan. The Sanaag Specialty Hospital provides services, including accident and emergency care, maternity and neonatal care, operating theater (C-sections and surgical procedures), pediatric care, in-patient and out-patient care, diagnostic services (laboratory and radiology), and community outreach. Part of the hospital's community outreach will include training of maternal child health and health outpost personnel, regular health day clinics offering maternal and child health checks, as well as ambulatory response for emergency situations. "Prior to the opening of the Sanaag Specialty Hospital, people had to travel over 12 hours to reach medical help, if they could afford the journey at all," said Dr. Russell Osguthorpe, doTERRA Chief Medical Officer. "Now, Sanaag provides a full-service hospital, pediatric care, pharmacy services and community outreach services, among other medical care. This first-class facility allows us to face the region's high infant and child mortality rate. We have an amazing and dedicated medical team that is already seeing success and making an impact in the lives of Somalilanders." "When doTERRA looks for sourcing partnerships, we deliberately choose locations where we can obtain the highest quality essential oils, while also focusing on improving the individual, social, economic, and environmental well-being of the people in surrounding communities," said David Stirling, doTERRA founding executive and CEO. "The hospital has been a vision of ours for more than four years, and its completion represents the passion, determination, grit, and hard work of so many people and organizations. We can't thank everyone enough for their contributions. Sanaag Speciality Hospital will be a powerful force for good in the lives of individuals and families living and working in the region for generations." The hospital currently employs over 100 staff, including a chief medical officer, senior medical officer and doctors specializing in general and trauma surgery, obstetrics, gynecology, internal medicine and child and infant care. The support staff include trained laboratory technicians, anesthetists, radiologists, pharmacists and nurses. Hospital and lab equipment meet the highest international standards and include an ambulance, three ultrasound machines, three incubators, and portable x-ray machines, among other technology. doTERRA sources different species Frankincense resins from Somaliland, Oman, and Ethiopia. In Somaliland, doTERRA's Frankincense resins come from the Sanaag Region. Approximately one-third of the national population lives in this region, and Frankincense harvesting is a primary source of employment. While middle men have often historically taken advantage of harvesters and collectors in the Frankincense industry, doTERRA has worked closely through its Co-Impact Sourcing program over several years to form a more traceable network of harvesters, collectors, and sorters working with over a dozen tribal sub-clans within Somalilandproviding livelihood opportunities to over 7,000 people. This approach enables a more stable and reliable income, fairness, employment, and security for those within these supply chains. About doTERRA doTERRA International is an integrative health and wellness company and the world leader in the Global Aromatherapy and Essential Oils market. doTERRA sources, tests, manufactures and distributes CPTG Certified Pure Tested Grade essential oils and essential oil products to over nine million doTERRA Wellness Advocates and customers. Through industry leading responsible sourcing practices, doTERRA maintains the highest levels of quality, purity and sustainability in partnership with local growers around the world through Co-Impact Sourcing. The doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, offers resources and tools to global sourcing communities and charitable organizations for self-reliance, healthcare, education, sanitation, and the fight against human trafficking. Through the life-enhancing benefits of essential oils, doTERRA is changing the world one drop, one person, one community at a time. To learn more, visit www.doTERRA.com. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1581756/Sanaag_Specialty_Hospital_Ribbon_Cutting.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/385568/doTERRA_Logo.jpg Related Links www.doterra.com SOURCE doTERRA CHICAGO, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "3D Printing Market by Offering (Printer, Material, Software, Service), Process (Binder Jetting, Direct Energy Deposition, Material Extrusion, Material Jetting, Powder Bed Fusion), Application, Vertical, Technology, and Geography Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global 3D Printing Market size is expected to grow from USD 12.6 billion in 2021 to USD 34.8 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 22.5%. Increased demand for healthcare supplies due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the potential to improve manufacturing processes and enhance supply chain management have created opportunities for the providers of 3D printing solutions in the market. However, factors including limited availability and high cost of materials, limitation of product size, lack of standard process control, and the threat of copyright infringement might hamper the growth of the overall market in the coming years. Ask for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=1276 The coronavirus pandemic has severely disrupted the supply chains across the globe. Shutdowns of major manufacturing hubs, coupled with the increasing demand for medical supplies, have created the need to produce essential supplies using 3D printing. Several hobbyists, startups, and small enterprises have contributed to the manufacture of nasopharyngeal swabs, ventilator valves, face shields, and other personal protective equipment. In North America, the NIH 3D Print Exchange, FDA, the Veterans Healthcare Administration, and America Makes have collaborated to develop surgical face mask which includes 3D printed elastic straps and filter material that are fabricated using SLS or MJF technology. Moreover, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Surgery has developed a negative pressure isolation head box, which uses 3D printing to produce glove grommets. Similarly, the Texas A&M University has developed isolation chambers that work as a physical barrier for contaminated patients; and comprise CNC cut vinyl and 3D printed parts. Printers segment is expected to hold the largest market share during the forecast period The printers segment captures the largest share of the 3D printing market. It mainly includes industrial and desktop printers. 3D printing has gained exceptional traction during the past decade owing to the multiple advantages of 3D printers over traditional manufacturing processes. The production process offers a range of advantages, such as design flexibility, rapid prototyping, print-on-demand, minimal wastage, fast designing and production, ease of access, and time and cost efficiency, amongst others. The accessibility of 3D printers across the globe with the increasing availability of local service providers has reduced the time and logistics, and transport costs compared to traditional manufacturing processes produced abroad in China. Since it is a single-step manufacturing process, 3D printing saves time and costs associated with using different machines for manufacturing. The rising adoption of 3D printing in verticals, such as aerospace & defense, industrial, automotive, consumer products, healthcare, provides opportunities for the 3D printer market. Industrial vertical is estimated to be the dominating market during the forecast period The 3D printing market for the industrial vertical accounts for the largest market share of 3D printing. Rising trends of smart manufacturing, robotics, industrial services, and cloud applications provide opportunities to the 3D printing market for the industrial vertical. From jigs and fixtures to end-of-arm tooling, the industrial vertical is shifting its adoption of 3D printers for applications from prototyping to end products. Companies using 3D printers in various industries can create custom, low-volume tooling and fixtures at a lower cost than traditional prices. This gives more time to designers and engineers to spend on revenue-generating parts. Small manufacturers get the same benefit with a 3D printer as Tier 1 global manufacturers, which helps them improve and expedite processing while mitigating downtime. Browse in-depth TOC on "3D Printing Market" 188 Tables 50 Figures 235 Pages Inquiry Before Buying: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=1276 The Asia Pacific is expected to grow at the highest rate The growth is driven by the rising adoption of 3D printing technologies in various verticals, including automotive, consumer products, healthcare, and industrial. China is the key country contributing to the growth of 3D printing in the APAC region. The Action Plan, which forms part of the 'Made in China 2025' strategic roadmap for the country's manufacturing sector, outlines long-term ambitions and development goals to make China one of the leading 3D printing nations. One of the important aspects of the plan is a goal to introduce over 100 AM pilot projects across ten key industries, including the medical, cultural, educational, and Internet sectors. Major players in the 3D printing market include Stratasys (US), 3D Systems (US), Materialise (Belgium), EOS (Germany), GE Additive (US), ExOne (US), voxeljet (Germany), HP (US), SLM Solutions (Germany), Renishaw (UK), Protolabs (US), CleenGreen3D (Ireland), Optomec (US), Groupe Gorge (France), Ultimaker (The Netherlands), Beijing Tiertime (China), XYZprinting (Taiwan), Hoganas (Sweden), Covestro (Royal DSM) (Germany), Desktop Metal (US), Nano Dimension (Israel), Formlabs (US), Carbon (US), TRUMPF (Germany), and Markforged (US) among others. Related Reports: Industrial 3D Printing Market by Offering (Printers, Materials, Software, Services), Application (Manufacturing, Prototyping), Process, Technology, Industry (Aerospace & Defense, Automotive), and Geography - Global Forecast to 2025 COVID-19 Impact on 3D Printing Market by Offering (Service, Printer, Material, and Software) - Global Forecast to 2025 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: [email protected] Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/3d-printing-market.asp Visit Our Web Site: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/3d-printing.asp SOURCE MarketsandMarkets PALO ALTO, Calif., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Aisera, one of the world's first AI-driven platforms that automates tasks, actions and workflows for employees and customers, announced they would be partnering with Microsoft to deliver next-gen AI Service Desk solutions to automate requests, tickets, and operations for IT, HR, DevOps, and Customer Service departments. Aisera solutions for enterprise are now available on the Microsoft Azure Marketplace. Additionally, as part of this announcement, Aisera has been officially named as a member of the Microsoft for Startups program. Aisera's artificial intelligence service management (AISM) solution is scalable, easy-to-deploy, and built to work smoothly with existing service desks to deliver revolutionary end-to-end experiences to users and employees. By enabling self-service with Conversational AI and unsupervised Natural Language Understanding and Processing NLU/NLP, Aisera and Microsoft will work together to reduce resolution times and operating costs while providing a personalized user experiences across Microsoft Teams and other channels in the following capacities: AI Service Desk on Azure : The AI Service Desk solution is purpose-built on Azure to automate repetitive IT service desk requests, tasks, and workflows. Employee requests range from responding to information requests to autonomously resolving complex workflow tasks across multiple applications and systems. Automated responses provide employees with immediate self-service resolutions with zero lag time. The AI Service Desk solution is purpose-built on Azure to automate repetitive IT service desk requests, tasks, and workflows. Employee requests range from responding to information requests to autonomously resolving complex workflow tasks across multiple applications and systems. Automated responses provide employees with immediate self-service resolutions with zero lag time. AI Service Desk on Teams: Aisera's AI Service Desk solution works on Teams to auto-resolve IT issues for employees to deliver an exceptional employee experience. Aisera's AI Service Desk works with existing ticketing systems to deliver an end-to-end AI Service Experience using Conversational AI, NLU search, and unsupervised NLP to speed remediation of knowledge requests and provide self-service resolutions to users. With year-over-year growth of 300% and a base of over 65 million users, Aisera is a cloud-native, enterprise-wide platform that works to auto-resolve service issues and deliver a scalable, personalized, proactive, and secure AI customer service interaction. As the only vendor with 1,200 predefined workflows out-of-the-box, Aisera allows its customers to reap the benefits of its conversational RPA on the first day of access. "Being a part of the Microsoft for Startups program is another proud moment for Aisera as we continue an era of explosive growth of the company having recently announcing a new round of funding, new customers including Dartmouth College, and exciting new integrations and partnerships that empower our enterprise-focused end-to-end automation services," said Muddu Sudhakar, founder and CEO of Aisera. "With the support of Microsoft as a key growth partner, we are prepared to take the next step in enhancing Aisera's services, increasing our offerings and raising our auto-resolution rates for our enterprise customers." Empowering organizations with business uptime, improved productivity, and cost reduction, Aisera comes with its own orchestrated service catalog stacked with RPA workflows, capabilities to understand over five billion+ user intents and phrases, and unsupervised AI learning to eliminate scripted customer service conversations. Aisera provides 65-80% Auto-Resolution Rates for IT service requests and achieves 85% CSAT and ESAT improvement for customers, serving companies including: 8x8, Autodesk, Dartmouth College, Dave, McAfee, NJ Transit, and more. "The Microsoft for Startups program was started with the goal of assisting innovative startups, like Aisera, to escalate their growth so they can reach the enterprise businesses that need their solutions," said Jeffrey Ma, Vice President, Microsoft for Startups. "It's clear that Aisera will be another success story for the Microsoft for Startups program and we look forward to working alongside their team to make that happen." Aisera was founded by serial entrepreneur Muddu Sudhakar, who previously built and led Kazeon (acquired by EMC, 2009), Cetas (acquired by VMware, 2012) and Caspida (acquired by Splunk, 2015). In 2020, Aisera was recognized as a member of the Forbes AI 50, as well as a Gartner Cool Vendor. About Aisera Aisera offers the world's first AI-driven service experience solution that automates operations and support for IT, Sales and customer service, making businesses and customers successful by offering consumer-like self-service resolutions to users. Aisera fast tracks the digital transformation journey with user and service behavioral intelligence that drives end-to-end automation of tasks, actions, and business processes. Aisera is a top-tier, VC-funded startup headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif. and a strategic partner with AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, ServiceNow and Salesforce. For a free assessment of your enterprise's IT, customer service, and HR service desk automation effectiveness and to learn how your team can benefit from day one with the Aisera platform, please contact [email protected]. Contact: Spencer MacDonald (732) 300-6461 [email protected] SOURCE Aisera CLEARWATER, Fla. and HARTFORD, Conn., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AmeriLife Group, LLC ("AmeriLife"), a national leader in developing, marketing, and distributing annuity, life, and health insurance solutions, has entered into an agreement to acquire Saybrus Partners, LLC ("Saybrus"), a life insurance and annuity distribution company, from Nassau Financial Group ("Nassau"). "As longtime partners with Nassau Financial Group, we've witnessed firsthand Saybrus Partners' track record of success as a leading distributor of life and annuity products," said Scott R. Perry, chairman and CEO of AmeriLife. "Today's announcement is a significant milestone in our relationship, and we're thrilled to welcome the Saybrus team to the AmeriLife family. We look forward to extending and strengthening our industry-leading life and annuities offerings together." Based in Hartford, Conn., Saybrus Partners was formed in 2009 to bring its boutique model to institutions, delivering customized support, proactive consultation and transparent, centralized management for advisors and insurance agents. Saybrus has been a subsidiary of Nassau Financial Group since 2016 and has exclusively distributed Nassau's annuities and Medicare supplement insurance through independent marketing organizations (IMOs) and independent agents. Further, Nassau and AmeriLife have a longstanding relationship, with the latter as the leading distribution partner for Nassau annuities. Saybrus will continue to distribute Nassau's products after this transaction. "This strategic transaction marks an exciting milestone for Nassau, further aligning us with AmeriLife, our leading distribution partner, while simplifying our business in support of our insurance sales and asset management growth plans," said Phil Gass, chairman and chief executive officer of Nassau. "Under Ed Cassidy's terrific leadership, Saybrus has grown from a start-up insurance wholesaler to a scaled insurance distribution company with a national footprint. We are confident that Saybrus has a bright future ahead with AmeriLife." "There was an obvious synergy to this transaction, starting with the long-standing relationship among Nassau, Saybrus and AmeriLife around the distribution of Nassau products," said Edward Cassidy, managing principal of Saybrus Partners. "In addition, Saybrus and AmeriLife share a strategic focus on the development, marketing and distribution of annuities, life and health insurance solutions, and Saybrus' industry footprint nicely complements AmeriLife's growing portfolio of independent affiliates." Similar to other AmeriLife subsidiaries, Saybrus will continue to operate as a stand-alone organization and brand. Edward Cassidy, along with Aziz Ali, Moira Lowe, and the rest of the Saybrus management team will continue to lead Saybrus from its Hartford headquarters. Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick acted as legal advisor to AmeriLife, while Debevoise & Plimpton and Piper Sandler & Co. acted as legal advisor and financial advisor, respectively, to Nassau in connection with the transaction, which is expected to close later this quarter, subject to customary closing conditions. About AmeriLife AmeriLife's strength is its mission: to offer insurance and retirement solutions to help people live longer, healthier lives. By putting its mission into practice, AmeriLife has become recognized as a national leader in developing, marketing, and distributing life and health insurance, annuities and retirement planning solutions to enhance the lives of pre-retirees and retirees. For 50 years, AmeriLife has partnered with the nation's leading insurance carriers to provide value and quality to customers served through a national distribution network of over 200,000 insurance agents and advisors, 35 marketing organizations, and nearly 60 insurance agency locations. Visit www.AmeriLife.com and follow AmeriLife on Facebook and LinkedIn for more information. About Saybrus Partners Saybrus Partners, LLC helps institutions and financial professionals address clients' needs with life insurance and annuity solutions for basic protection as well as retirement, estate, and business planning. Its partner firms include institutional financial advisories, insurance retailers, banks and broker/dealers. Customizing its services to best fit its partners' businesses, the company offers a complete set of distribution capabilities including assisted sales, traditional wholesaling, new business operations and custom product design. For more information, visit www.saybruspartners.com. About Nassau Financial Group Nassau Financial Group, based in Hartford, Conn., has combined assets of $27 billion, capital of $1.3 billion and annual sales of approximately $750 million. Its business covers insurance, asset management and reinsurance. For more information, visit www.nfg.com. SOURCE AmeriLife Group, LLC Related Links https://amerilife.com/ EATONTOWN, N.J., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Angel Medical Systems, Inc., (dba AngelMed) a proactive diagnostics company focused on the advancement of long-term management of high-risk coronary disease, announced today the first commercial implantation and U.S. launch of its flagship product, The Guardian device. The procedure marks The Guardian's first use following its recent FDA approval. Indicated for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) events, including silent heart attacks, The Guardian System is the first implantable cardiac detection monitor and patient-warning system. The outpatient procedure was successfully performed by cardiac electrophysiologist and cardiologist Dr. Andrew J. Kaplan of Cardiovascular Associates of Mesa in Mesa, Arizona. Dr. Kaplan is a pioneer of new cardiac technologies and has played a significant role in The Guardian's commercialization. He is a clinical trial investigator and serves on AngelMed's medical advisory board. "The first commercial implant of The Guardian marks a pivotal advancement in cardiac care. The device detects impending ACS events, including silent heart attacks, and leads to earlier patient treatment," said Dr. Andrew Kaplan. "Given the device's clinical success, the cardiovascular community can feel confident in this new, first-in-kind technology. The Guardian fills a true unmet need in high-risk ACS patients." The recently approved Guardian device is the first version of the product to be made commercially available. The updated version of the device is enhanced with ease-of-use adaptations and an updated, long life battery that could potentially double the life of the implanted device. "We are elated to bring The Guardian System to market. The device's ability to provide high-risk heart attack patients with around the clock monitoring offers comfort to both at-risk patients, caregivers, and their healthcare providers said Brad Snow, AngelMed chief executive officer. "We look forward to continuing to have a substantial impact on the standard of cardiology care for years to come." Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. suffers a myocardial infarction or heart attack.1 The most important risk factors for another cardiovascular event in post-heart attack patients are age, medical history, comorbidities, and the severity of their first ACS event.2 Despite proactive ongoing efforts over the last decade from the medical community to better educate the public on signs and symptoms of a heart attack, the time from symptom onset to arrival at a hospital remains static at eight hours.3 For more important safety information, please visit: http://www.angel-med.com/. About AngelMed Guardian System The Guardian device is implanted subcutaneously by a cardiologist during a low-risk, outpatient surgical procedure. Using a patented algorithm, the AngelMed Guardian continuously records the heart's electrical activity, 24 hours a day, monitoring for electrical changes that can indicate an impending ACS event. The AngelMed Guardian device provides a more effective diagnosis of a life-threatening condition when compared to patient symptoms alone.4 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. 1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012, August). NCHS data brief: Prevalence of Uncontrolled Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease: United States, 19992010 (No. 109). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db103.pdf. 2 Amsterdam EA, Wenger NK, Brindis RG, et al. 2014 AHA/ACC guideline for the management of patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes: executive summary: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines. Circulation. 2014;130(25):2354-2394. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000133. 3 Holmes DR, Krucoff MW, Mullin C, et al. Implanted monitor alerting to reduce treatment delay in patients with acute coronary syndrome events. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2019;22:2047-2055. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2019.07.084. 4 Food and Drug Administration Website. Summary of Safety and Effectiveness Data. https://www.fda.gov/media/96475/download. Accessed May 6, 2021 Media Contact: Cassy Dump Pascale Communications [email protected] (619) 971-1887 Company Contact: Sean Pisani Marketing Manager [email protected] (973) 459-9437 SOURCE Angel Medical Systems Related Links www.angel-med.com ST. LOUIS, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Arch Resources, Inc. (NYSE: ARCH) today reported net income of $27.9 million, or $1.66 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2021, compared with a net loss of $49.3 million, or $3.26 per diluted share, in the prior-year period. Arch had adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, depletion, amortization, accretion on asset retirement obligations (ARO), and non-operating expenses ("adjusted EBITDA")1 of $66.5 million in the second quarter of 2021, which included an $8.8 million non-cash mark-to-market loss associated with the company's coal-hedging activities. This compares to a negative $10.7 million of adjusted EBITDA in the second quarter of 2020, which included a $0.1 million non-cash mark-to-market gain associated with the company's coal-hedging activities. Revenues totaled $450.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021, versus $319.5 million in the prior-year quarter. In the second quarter of 2021, Arch made important progress on its key strategic priorities: Neared completion of the transformational Leer South project, which is on track to commence longwall operations in August; Extended the company's track record as one of the U.S. metallurgical industry's lowest cost producers; Generated significant cash with its legacy thermal segment, while simultaneously reducing its long-term closure obligations in a responsible and systematic way; and Maintained a perfect regulatory record and joined ResponsibleSteelTM, furthering its intense focus on and exceptional performance against a wide range of environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics. "Arch's core coking coal segment executed with efficiency and precision during the second quarter, delivering increased volumes, outstanding cost performance, and steadily improving margins," said Paul A. Lang, Arch's chief executive officer and president. "At the same time, we advanced towards the finish line of the best-in-class Leer South growth project, which promises to elevate our metallurgical segment performance still further and cement our position as the world's leading supplier of premium High-Vol A metallurgical coal." "This is an exciting moment for Arch," Lang said. "The startup of Leer South represents the culmination of our 10-year effort to develop a world-class metallurgical portfolio capable of generating strong margins and significant levels of cash across a wide range of market environments," Lang added. "We expect Leer South and its companion mine, Leer, to serve as the strong foundation of Arch's value proposition for the next 20 years, as we set the industry bar for cost execution, margin generation and ESG leadership over that time frame." Arch expects to continue its positive operational and financial momentum in the second half of 2021, supported by the impending startup of Leer South, a strong coking coal price environment, and substantial contributions from the company's legacy thermal assets. Environmental, Social and Governance During the second quarter, Arch maintained its exemplary performance across a wide range of environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics. Of particular note, Arch extended its exceptional environmental and water quality compliance performance, maintaining a perfect record through the first six months of 2021. In addition, Arch became the first and only U.S. metallurgical coal producer to join ResponsibleSteelTM, the steel industry's first global multi-stakeholder standard and certification initiative. "Arch is committed to playing a vital role in building a sustainable global economy," Lang said. "We view ResponsibleSteel as a valuable forum for collaborating with our steelmaking partners as they endeavor to create a more ESG-compliant value chain and as they seek to lower and ultimately reduce to zero the carbon intensity of the steelmaking process." With its strategic shift towards metallurgical products which are an essential input in the production of new steel Arch has realigned its value proposition to reflect the global economy's intensifying focus on de-carbonization. Arch believes that a significant amount of new steel will be required in a de-carbonizing world, given steel's importance in urbanization, infrastructure replacement and the construction of essential de-carbonization tools such as mass transit systems, wind turbines and electric vehicles. Leer South Update "We appreciate the tremendous focus and dedication of the Leer South team," said John T. Drexler, Arch's chief operating officer. "In a span of just two-and-a-half years, including through the global pandemic, the Leer South team has brought this large and multi-faceted project to the cusp of completion, on time and effectively on budget. I commend the entire workforce for this remarkable achievement, which we believe sets the stage for strong and consistent value creation for all of our stakeholders in the quarters, years and decades ahead." Late last week, the operations team commenced a planned, 30-day suspension of development mining at Leer South to tie the upgraded conveyance systems into the new preparation plant. At the same time, the team began to move the longwall mining equipment underground in preparation for start-up, which is slated for late August. During the second quarter, Arch invested a total of $50 million at Leer South and has now expended a net total of $392 million on the project, which as previously projected is slightly above the high end of the original guidance range of $360 million to $390 million. Arch is raising its 2021 capex guidance by $10 million to between $210 million and $230 million to reflect the modest amount of additional capital required to complete Leer South and to fund certain opportunistic optimization efforts at its metallurgical mines. With the addition of Leer South, Arch expects to expand its High-Vol A metallurgical output by an incremental 3 million tons annually; enhance its already advantageous position on the global cost curve; strengthen its coking coal profit margins across a wide range of market conditions; and cement its position as the leading supplier of High-Vol A coking coal globally. Strategic Plan for Legacy Thermal Assets During the second quarter, Arch advanced its dual objectives of harvesting cash from its legacy thermal assets and simultaneously driving forward with its accelerated Powder River Basin reclamation plan. During the quarter, the thermal segment generated a gross margin of $39.9 million; completed work totaling $15.5 million towards the reduction of its Powder River Basin asset retirement obligation (ARO); and expended almost no maintenance capital. "We remain sharply focused on generating value from our legacy thermal assets while working down their associated, long-term closure obligations in a systematic and measured way," Lang said. "While we will continue to explore strategic alternatives for our thermal assets, we are confident that we have the right strategy, people and cost structure in place to generate sufficient cash from our thermal segment to address its long-term closure obligations while still creating meaningful incremental value for our stockholders." Arch is intent on completing its strategic transition towards steel and metallurgical markets, while managing the long-term wind-down of its legacy thermal assets carefully and responsibly and in a way that serves the needs of the company's thermal employee base, mine communities, and thermal power customers. Since the beginning of 2021, Arch has reduced its Powder River Basin ARO by $17.3 million, or nearly 10 percent. As previously announced, Arch plans to discontinue production at the Coal Creek mine and to reduce the mine's total ARO by an estimated $40 million, or approximately 80 percent, by mid-2022. Operational Update "Our core metallurgical segment continued to execute at a high level during the second quarter, with a 23-percent step-up in coking coal sales volume, a 26-percent increase in per-ton cash margin, and a small but meaningful reduction in costs when compared to an already strong Q1 performance," Drexler said. "In short, we demonstrated once again that we have a powerful foundation in place, with anticipated further improvement from the startup of the Leer South longwall mine next month." Metallurgical 2Q21 1Q21 2Q20 Tons sold (in millions) 2.0 1.7 1.5 Coking 1.8 1.5 1.3 Thermal 0.2 0.2 0.2 Coal sales per ton sold $89.71 $83.76 $76.17 Coking $96.03 $93.14 $84.26 Thermal $23.43 $22.13 $18.12 Cash cost per ton sold $59.37 $59.63 $61.95 Cash margin per ton $30.34 $24.13 $14.22 Coal sales per ton sold and cash cost per ton sold are defined and reconciled under "Reconciliation of non-GAAP measures." Mining complexes included in this segment are Beckley, Leer, Mountain Laurel and Leer South/Sentinel. Arch expects a small sequential increase in metallurgical sales volumes in Q3, and a more significant step-up in volumes in Q4, reflecting a full quarter of production from the Leer South longwall. Thermal 2Q21 1Q21 2Q20 Tons sold (in millions) 15.2 12.3 11.6 Coal sales per ton sold $13.50 $13.16 $13.87 Cash cost per ton sold $10.88 $12.18 $14.86 Cash margin per ton $2.62 $0.98 ($0.99) Coal sales per ton sold and cash cost per ton sold are defined and reconciled under "Reconciliation of non-GAAP measures." Mining complexes included in this segment are Black Thunder, Coal Creek and West Elk. The thermal segment achieved a 167-percent increase in per-ton cash margin during the second quarter, and a 24-percent increase in sales volume. Arch expects another strong performance from its legacy thermal assets in Q3. Financial and Liquidity Update Arch ended the second quarter with cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $187 million, and total liquidity of approximately $242 million. With the capital spending associated with Leer South nearly complete, Arch expects to build additional liquidity in the second half of the year. "We were successful in maintaining a solid financial position throughout the Leer South development, and we now plan to use strong, projected cash flows in the year's back half to further improve our liquidity position," said Matthew C. Giljum, Arch's chief financial officer. "Given the inherent volatility in all commodity markets, including ours, we are committed to improving the company's liquidity profile and to reducing its overall debt level, at which point the board plans to consider a measured capital return program." As previously noted, Arch recorded a mark-to-market loss of $8.8 million during the quarter associated with the company's coal-hedging activities. This mark-to-market loss stems from indexed thermal positions that will ship in the back half of the year, at which time this mark-to-market loss will reverse. Market Update The seaborne metallurgical market is currently strong and well-supported, with global steel output on pace to match pre-pandemic levels and global steel prices at healthy if not historic levels. Importantly, Australian coking coal indices have recently returned to parity with Atlantic Basin pricing, demonstrating more-than-sufficient global coking coal demand even in the face of the continuing Chinese lockout of Australian volumes. In short, while Chinese policies are re-mapping global trade flows, the overall supply-demand balance remains constructive at present, despite growing concerns about the spread of new COVID-19 variants. Also of note, opportunities for North American metallurgical coals to move into China remain substantial. At present, the delivered-in price for premium hard coking coal in China is approaching $320 per ton, underscoring China's need for high-quality replacement products. Moreover, the domestic spot price for high-quality indigenous Chinese products stands at nearly $310 per ton, which Arch views as further evidence that China's mine cost curve continues to shift higher. In addition to the uplift in coking coal markets, Arch is seeing strong upward movement in thermal markets as well. U.S. thermal coal consumption is on track to increase by more than 50 million tons, or around 12 percent, in 2021, while seaborne thermal prices have surged to multi-year highs. As a result, Arch expects to harvest healthy levels of cash from its legacy thermal assets in 2021. During the quarter, Arch committed an additional 300,000 tons of metallurgical coal for delivery in 2021, bringing total commitments for the current year to 7.1 million tons and leaving just 700,000 tons still to sell at the mid-point of guidance. In addition, Arch committed an additional 7.6 million tons of thermal coal for delivery in 2021, spurring a 5-million-ton increase in the company's projected thermal 2021 sales volumes at the mid-point of guidance. Looking Ahead "We remain singularly focused on executing on our clear, consistent and actionable strategy for long-term growth and value creation," Lang said. "With the global economy in recovery mode, infrastructure-driven stimulus efforts gaining momentum around the world, and an intensifying focus on the build-out of a new, low-carbon economy, we expect demand for steel and our premium metallurgical coal to continue to increase. With our low-cost metallurgical assets, premium High-Vol A product slate, industry-leading ESG performance, top-tier marketing and logistics expertise, and nearly complete best-in-class growth project, we believe we are well-positioned to generate significant, long-term value for our stockholders." 2021 Tons $ per ton Sales Volume (in millions of tons) Coking 7.4 - 8.2 Thermal 55.0 - 59.0 Total 62.4 67.2 Metallurgical (in millions of tons) Committed, Priced Coking North American 1.8 $90.79 Committed, Unpriced Coking North American - Committed, Priced Coking Seaborne 3.1 $97.00 Committed, Unpriced Coking Seaborne 2.2 Total Committed Coking 7.1 Committed, Priced Thermal Byproduct 0.7 $21.98 Committed, Unpriced Thermal Byproduct 0.2 Total Committed Thermal Byproduct 0.9 Average Metallurgical Cash Cost $57.00 - $60.00 Thermal (in millions of tons) Committed, Priced 56.6 $13.39 Committed, Unpriced 1.2 Total Committed Thermal 57.8 Average Thermal Cash Cost $11.50 - $12.00 Corporate (in $ millions) D,D&A $118.0 - $122.0 ARO Accretion $18.0 - $20.0 S,G&A - cash $62.0 - $70.0 S,G&A - non-cash $13.0 - $17.0 Net Interest Expense $24.0 - $26.0 Capital Expenditures $210.0 - $230.0 Tax Provision (%) Approximately 0% Note: The company is unable to present a quantitative reconciliation of its forward-looking non-GAAP Segment cash cost per ton sold financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures without unreasonable efforts due to the inherent difficulty in forecasting and quantifying with reasonable accuracy significant items required for the reconciliation. The most directly comparable GAAP measure, GAAP cost of sales, is not accessible without unreasonable efforts on a forward-looking basis. The reconciling items include transportation costs, which are a component of GAAP cost of sales. Management is unable to predict without unreasonable efforts transportation costs due to uncertainty as to the end market and FOB point for uncommitted sales volumes and the final shipping point for export shipments. In addition, the impact of hedging activity related to commodity purchases that do not receive hedge accounting and idle and administrative costs that are not included in a reportable segment are additional reconciling items for Segment cash cost per ton sold. Management is unable to predict without unreasonable efforts the impact of hedging activity related to commodity purchases that do not receive hedge accounting due to fluctuations in commodity prices, which are difficult to forecast due to their inherent volatility. These amounts have historically varied and may continue to vary significantly from quarter to quarter and material changes to these items could have a significant effect on our future GAAP results. Idle and administrative costs that are not included in a reportable segment are expected to be between $15 million and $20 million in 2021. Arch Resources is a premier producer of high-quality metallurgical products for the global steel industry. The company operates large, modern and highly efficient mines that consistently set the industry standard for both mine safety and environmental stewardship. Arch Resources from time to time utilizes its website www.archrsc.com as a channel of distribution for material company information. To learn more about us and our premium metallurgical products, go to www.archrsc.com. Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains "forward-looking statements" that is, statements related to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "should," "appears," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," or "will." Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. For us, particular uncertainties arise from the COVID-19 pandemic, including its adverse effects on businesses, economies, and financial markets worldwide; from the impact of COVID-19 on efficiency, costs and production; from changes in the demand for our coal by the steel production and electricity generation industries; from our ability to access the capital markets on acceptable terms and conditions; from policy, legislation and regulations relating to the Clean Air Act, greenhouse gas emissions, incentives for alternative energy sources, and other environmental initiatives; from competition within our industry and with producers of competing energy sources; from our ability to successfully acquire or develop coal reserves, including the development of our Leer South mine; from operational, geological, permit, labor, transportation, and weather-related factors; from the effects of foreign and domestic trade policies, actions or disputes; from fluctuations in the amount of cash we generate from operations, which could impact, among other things, our ability to service our outstanding indebtedness and fund capital expenditures; from our ability to successfully integrate the operations that we acquire; from our ability to generate significant revenue to make payments required by, and to comply with restrictions related to, our indebtedness, including our ability to repurchase our convertible notes; from additional demands for credit support by third parties; from the loss of, or significant reduction in, purchases by our largest customers; from the development of future technology to replace coal with hydrogen in the steelmaking process; and from numerous other matters of national, regional and global scale, including those of a political, economic, business, competitive or regulatory nature. These uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different than those expressed in our forward-looking statements. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. For a description of some of the risks and uncertainties that may affect our future results, you should see the risk factors described from time to time in the reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. # # # ____________________ 1 Adjusted EBITDA is defined and reconciled in the "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP measures" in this release. Arch Resources, Inc. and Subsidiaries Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (In thousands, except per share data) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 2020 2021 2020 (Unaudited) (Unaudited) Revenues $ 450,389 $ 319,521 $ 807,932 $ 724,753 Costs, expenses and other operating Cost of sales (exclusive of items shown separately below) 355,329 316,348 665,235 691,347 Depreciation, depletion and amortization 27,884 30,167 53,681 61,475 Accretion on asset retirement obligations 5,437 4,986 10,874 9,992 Change in fair value of coal derivatives and coal trading activities, net 8,762 (129) 9,290 614 Selling, general and administrative expenses 24,119 19,738 45,599 42,483 Costs related to proposed joint venture with Peabody Energy - 7,851 - 11,515 Asset impairment and restructuring - 7,437 - 13,265 Gain on property insurance recovery related to Mountain Laurel longwall - (14,518) - (23,518) Gain on divestitures - (1,369) - (1,369) Other operating income, net (4,347) (5,704) (9,615) (11,874) 417,184 364,807 775,064 793,930 Income (loss) from operations 33,205 (45,286) 32,868 (69,177) Interest expense, net Interest expense (2,941) (3,523) (7,069) (6,911) Interest and investment income 147 1,793 474 3,052 (2,794) (1,730) (6,595) (3,859) Income (loss) before nonoperating expenses 30,411 (47,016) 26,273 (73,036) Nonoperating (expenses) income Non-service related pension and postretirement benefit costs (539) (1,102) (2,066) (2,198) Reorganization items, net - - - 26 (539) (1,102) (2,066) (2,172) Income (loss) before income taxes 29,872 (48,118) 24,207 (75,208) Provision for (benefit from) income taxes 2,006 1,206 2,383 (585) Net income (loss) $ 27,866 $ (49,324) $ 21,824 $ (74,623) Net income (loss) per common share Basic earnings (loss) per share $ 1.82 $ (3.26) $ 1.43 $ (4.93) Diluted earnings (loss) per share $ 1.66 $ (3.26) $ 1.31 $ (4.93) Weighted average shares outstanding Basic weighted average shares outstanding 15,294 15,145 15,289 15,142 Diluted weighted average shares outstanding 16,756 15,145 16,598 15,142 Dividends declared per common share $ - $ - $ - $ 0.50 Adjusted EBITDA (A) $ 66,526 $ (10,732) $ 97,423 $ 2,183 (A) Adjusted EBITDA is defined and reconciled under "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures" later in this release. Arch Resources, Inc. and Subsidiaries Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (In thousands) June 30, December 31, 2021 2020 (Unaudited) Assets Current assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 153,516 $ 187,492 Short-term investments 33,256 96,765 Restricted cash 7,104 5,953 Trade accounts receivable 160,154 110,869 Other receivables 3,336 3,053 Inventories 162,531 126,008 Other current assets 35,149 58,000 Total current assets 555,046 588,140 Property, plant and equipment, net 1,102,570 1,007,303 Other assets Equity investments 74,974 71,783 Other noncurrent assets 62,356 55,246 Total other assets 137,330 127,029 Total assets $ 1,794,946 $ 1,722,472 Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity Current liabilities Accounts payable $ 116,042 $ 103,743 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 166,287 155,256 Current maturities of debt 133,812 31,097 Total current liabilities 416,141 290,096 Long-term debt 402,076 477,215 Asset retirement obligations 213,387 230,732 Accrued pension benefits 2,274 2,879 Accrued postretirement benefits other than pension 95,491 94,388 Accrued workers' compensation 249,256 244,695 Other noncurrent liabilities 97,792 98,906 Total liabilities 1,476,417 1,438,911 Stockholders' equity Common Stock 254 253 Paid-in capital 774,665 767,484 Retained earnings 400,771 378,906 Treasury stock, at cost (827,381) (827,381) Accumulated other comprehensive loss (29,780) (35,701) Total stockholders' equity 318,529 283,561 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 1,794,946 $ 1,722,472 Arch Resources, Inc. and Subsidiaries Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (In thousands) Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 2020 (Unaudited) Operating activities Net income (loss) $ 21,824 $ (74,623) Adjustments to reconcile to cash from operating activities: Depreciation, depletion and amortization 53,681 61,475 Accretion on asset retirement obligations 10,874 9,992 Deferred income taxes 11 13,880 Employee stock-based compensation expense 8,498 8,936 Amortization relating to financing activities 3,110 1,946 Gain on property insurance recovery related to Mountain Laurel longwall - (23,518) Gain on disposals and divestitures, net (413) (3,180) Reclamation work completed (28,218) (6,207) Changes in: Receivables (49,568) 55,817 Inventories (36,523) (23,792) Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other current liabilities 14,590 (42,889) Income taxes, net 2,337 22,918 Other 25,906 25,167 Cash provided by operating activities 26,109 25,922 Investing activities Capital expenditures (147,957) (148,561) Minimum royalty payments (1,124) (1,124) Proceeds from disposals and divestitures 438 562 Purchases of short-term investments - (17,707) Proceeds from sales of short-term investments 68,986 86,079 Investments in and advances to affiliates, net (1,114) (1,059) Proceeds from property insurance recovery related to Mountain Laurel longwall - 23,518 Cash used in investing activities (80,771) (58,292) Financing activities Payments on term loan due 2024 (1,500) (1,500) Proceeds from equipment financing - 53,611 Proceeds from tax exempt bonds 44,985 - Net payments on other debt (18,795) (13,592) Debt financing costs (1,537) (1,171) Dividends paid - (7,645) Payments for taxes related to net share settlement of equity awards (1,316) (331) Cash provided by financing activities 21,837 29,372 Decrease in cash and cash equivalents, including restricted cash (32,825) (2,998) Cash and cash equivalents, including restricted cash, beginning of period 193,445 153,020 Cash and cash equivalents, including restricted cash, end of period $ 160,620 $ 150,022 Cash and cash equivalents, including restricted cash, end of period Cash and cash equivalents $ 153,516 $ 150,022 Restricted cash 7,104 - $ 160,620 $ 150,022 Arch Resources, Inc. and Subsidiaries Schedule of Consolidated Debt (In thousands) June 30, December 31, 2021 2020 (Unaudited) Term loan due 2024 ($287.3 million face value) $ 286,638 $ 288,033 Tax exempt bonds ($98.1 million face value) 98,075 53,090 Convertible Debt ($155.3 million face value) 118,394 115,367 Other 43,948 62,695 Debt issuance costs (11,167) (10,873) 535,888 508,312 Less: current maturities of debt 133,812 31,097 Long-term debt $ 402,076 $ 477,215 Calculation of net debt Total debt (excluding debt issuance costs) $ 547,055 $ 519,185 Less liquid assets: Cash and cash equivalents 153,516 187,492 Short term investments 33,256 96,765 186,772 284,257 Net debt $ 360,283 $ 234,928 Arch Resources, Inc. and Subsidiaries Operational Performance (In millions, except per ton data) Three Months Ended June 30, 2021 Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 Three Months Ended June 30, 2020 (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Unaudited) Metallurgical Tons Sold 2.0 1.7 1.5 Segment Sales $ 180.1 $ 89.71 $ 144.0 $ 83.76 $ 112.4 $ 76.17 Segment Cash Cost of Sales 119.2 59.37 102.5 59.63 91.4 61.95 Segment Cash Margin 60.9 30.34 41.5 24.13 21.0 14.22 Thermal Tons Sold 15.2 12.3 11.6 Segment Sales $ 205.2 $ 13.50 $ 161.8 $ 13.16 $ 160.9 $ 13.87 Segment Cash Cost of Sales 165.3 10.88 149.8 12.18 172.5 14.86 Segment Cash Margin 39.9 2.62 12.0 0.98 (11.5) (0.99) Total Segment Cash Margin $ 100.8 $ 53.5 $ 9.4 Selling, general and administrative expenses (24.1) (21.5) (19.7) Other (10.1) (1.1) (0.4) Adjusted EBITDA $ 66.5 $ 30.9 $ (10.7) Arch Resources, Inc. and Subsidiaries Reconciliation of NON-GAAP Measures (In thousands, except per ton data) Included in the accompanying release, we have disclosed certain non-GAAP measures as defined by Regulation G. The following reconciles these items to the most directly comparable GAAP measure. Non-GAAP Segment coal sales per ton sold Non-GAAP Segment coal sales per ton sold is calculated as segment coal sales revenues divided by segment tons sold. Segment coal sales revenues are adjusted for transportation costs, and may be adjusted for other items that, due to generally accepted accounting principles, are classified in "other income" on the consolidated statements of operations, but relate to price protection on the sale of coal. Segment coal sales per ton sold is not a measure of financial performance in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. We believe segment coal sales per ton sold provides useful information to investors as it better reflects our revenue for the quality of coal sold and our operating results by including all income from coal sales. The adjustments made to arrive at these measures are significant in understanding and assessing our financial condition. Therefore, segment coal sales revenues should not be considered in isolation, nor as an alternative to coal sales revenues under generally accepted accounting principles. Quarter ended June 30, 2021 Metallurgical Thermal All Other Consolidated (In thousands) GAAP Revenues in the Consolidated Statements of Operations $ 219,448 $ 230,759 $ 182 $ 450,389 Less: Adjustments to reconcile to Non-GAAP Segment coal sales revenue Coal risk management derivative settlements classified in "other income" - 651 - 651 Coal sales revenues from idled or otherwise disposed operations and pass through agreements not included in segments - - 181 181 Transportation costs 39,348 24,899 1 64,248 Non-GAAP Segment coal sales revenues $ 180,100 $ 205,209 $ - $ 385,309 Tons sold 2,007 15,204 Coal sales per ton sold $ 89.71 $ 13.50 Quarter ended March 31, 2021 Metallurgical Thermal All Other Consolidated (In thousands) GAAP Revenues in the Consolidated Statements of Operations $ 178,781 $ 177,540 $ 1,222 $ 357,543 Less: Adjustments to reconcile to Non-GAAP Segment coal sales revenue Coal risk management derivative settlements classified in "other income" (690) 552 - (138) Coal sales revenues from idled or otherwise disposed operations and pass through agreements not included in segments - - 1,217 1,217 Transportation costs 35,489 15,167 5 50,661 Non-GAAP Segment coal sales revenues $ 143,982 $ 161,821 $ - $ 305,803 Tons sold 1,719 12,292 Coal sales per ton sold $ 83.76 $ 13.16 Quarter ended June 30, 2020 Metallurgical Thermal All Other Consolidated (In thousands) GAAP Revenues in the Consolidated Statements of Operations $ 138,951 $ 174,393 $ 6,177 $ 319,521 Less: Adjustments to reconcile to Non-GAAP Segment coal sales revenue Coal risk management derivative settlements classified in "other income" (259) (2,486) - (2,745) Coal sales revenues from idled or otherwise disposed operations and pass through agreements not included in segments - - 6,143 6,143 Transportation costs 26,848 15,950 34 42,832 Non-GAAP Segment coal sales revenues $ 112,362 $ 160,929 $ - $ 273,291 Tons sold 1,475 11,603 Coal sales per ton sold $ 76.17 $ 13.87 Arch Resources, Inc. and Subsidiaries Reconciliation of NON-GAAP Measures (In thousands, except per ton data) Non-GAAP Segment cash cost per ton sold Non-GAAP Segment cash cost per ton sold is calculated as segment cash cost of coal sales divided by segment tons sold. Segment cash cost of coal sales is adjusted for transportation costs, and may be adjusted for other items that, due to generally accepted accounting principles, are classified in "other income" on the consolidated statements of operations, but relate directly to the costs incurred to produce coal. Segment cash cost per ton sold is not a measure of financial performance in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. We believe segment cash cost per ton sold better reflects our controllable costs and our operating results by including all costs incurred to produce coal. The adjustments made to arrive at these measures are significant in understanding and assessing our financial condition. Therefore, segment cash cost of coal sales should not be considered in isolation, nor as an alternative to cost of sales under generally accepted accounting principles. Quarter ended June 30, 2021 Metallurgical Thermal All Other Consolidated (In thousands) GAAP Cost of sales in the Consolidated Statements of Operations $ 158,539 $ 190,245 $ 6,545 $ 355,329 Less: Adjustments to reconcile to Non-GAAP Segment cash cost of coal sales Transportation costs 39,348 24,899 1 64,248 Cost of coal sales from idled or otherwise disposed operations and pass through agreements not included in segments - - 4,354 4,354 Other (operating overhead, certain actuarial, etc.) - - 2,190 2,190 Non-GAAP Segment cash cost of coal sales $ 119,191 $ 165,346 $ - $ 284,537 Tons sold 2,007 15,204 Cash cost per ton sold $ 59.37 $ 10.88 Quarter ended March 31, 2021 Metallurgical Thermal All Other Consolidated (In thousands) GAAP Cost of sales in the Consolidated Statements of Operations $ 138,002 $ 164,941 $ 6,963 $ 309,906 Less: Adjustments to reconcile to Non-GAAP Segment cash cost of coal sales Transportation costs 35,489 15,167 5 50,661 Cost of coal sales from idled or otherwise disposed operations and pass through agreements not included in segments - - 5,218 5,218 Other (operating overhead, certain actuarial, etc.) - - 1,740 1,740 Non-GAAP Segment cash cost of coal sales $ 102,513 $ 149,774 $ - $ 252,287 Tons sold 1,719 12,292 Cash cost per ton sold $ 59.63 $ 12.18 Quarter ended June 30, 2020 Metallurgical Thermal All Other Consolidated (In thousands) GAAP Cost of sales in the Consolidated Statements of Operations $ 118,238 $ 187,408 $ 10,702 $ 316,348 Less: Adjustments to reconcile to Non-GAAP Segment cash cost of coal sales Diesel fuel risk management derivative settlements classified in "other income" - (1,011) - (1,011) Transportation costs 26,848 15,950 34 42,832 Cost of coal sales from idled or otherwise disposed operations and pass through agreements not included in segments - - 9,068 9,068 Other (operating overhead, certain actuarial, etc.) - - 1,600 1,600 Non-GAAP Segment cash cost of coal sales $ 91,390 $ 172,469 $ - $ 263,859 Tons sold 1,475 11,603 Cash cost per ton sold $ 61.95 $ 14.86 Arch Resources, Inc. and Subsidiaries Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures (In thousands) Adjusted EBITDA Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income (loss) attributable to the Company before the effect of net interest expense, income taxes, depreciation, depletion and amortization, accretion on asset retirement obligations and nonoperating expenses. Adjusted EBITDA may also be adjusted for items that may not reflect the trend of future results by excluding transactions that are not indicative of the Company's core operating performance. Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of financial performance in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and items excluded from Adjusted EBITDA are significant in understanding and assessing our financial condition. Therefore, Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in isolation, nor as an alternative to net income (loss), income (loss) from operations, cash flows from operations or as a measure of our profitability, liquidity or performance under generally accepted accounting principles. The Company uses adjusted EBITDA to measure the operating performance of its segments and allocate resources to the segments. Furthermore, analogous measures are used by industry analysts and investors to evaluate our operating performance. Investors should be aware that our presentation of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies. The table below shows how we calculate Adjusted EBITDA. Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 2020 2021 2020 (Unaudited) (Unaudited) Net income (loss) $ 27,866 $ (49,324) $ 21,824 $ (74,623) Provision for (benefit from) income taxes 2,006 1,206 2,383 (585) Interest expense, net 2,794 1,730 6,595 3,859 Depreciation, depletion and amortization 27,884 30,167 53,681 61,475 Accretion on asset retirement obligations 5,437 4,986 10,874 9,992 Costs related to proposed joint venture with Peabody Energy - 7,851 - 11,515 Asset impairment and restructuring - 7,437 - 13,265 Gain on property insurance recovery related to Mountain Laurel longwall - (14,518) - (23,518) Gain on divestitures - (1,369) - (1,369) Non-service related pension and postretirement benefit costs 539 1,102 2,066 2,198 Reorganization items, net - - - (26) Adjusted EBITDA $ 66,526 $ (10,732) $ 97,423 $ 2,183 EBITDA from idled or otherwise disposed operations 3,997 2,696 7,563 7,795 Selling, general and administrative expenses 24,119 19,738 45,599 42,483 Other 8,376 (906) 7,111 (847) Segment Adjusted EBITDA from coal operations $ 103,018 $ 10,796 $ 157,696 $ 51,614 Segment Adjusted EBITDA Metallurgical 61,246 20,910 102,843 63,630 Thermal 41,772 (10,114) 54,853 (12,016) Total Segment Adjusted EBITDA $ 103,018 $ 10,796 $ 157,696 $ 51,614 SOURCE Arch Resources, Inc. Related Links http://www.archcoal.com PARIS and IRVING, Texas, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Atos today announces it has reached an agreement to acquire Visual BI, one of the leading and fastest growing firms focusing exclusively on Cloud Data Analytics and Business Intelligence in the US. Visual BI is a Snowflake Elite partner, Microsoft Gold Partner for Data & Analytics and is an SAP partner. The company also supports the technology platforms from market leading partners such as Fishtown Analytics, Fivetran, Tableau, HVR Software, Qlik, Theobald Software and Alteryx. By adding Visual BI's cloud data-related capabilities, consulting services and partnerships to its technology portfolio, Atos will enhance its ability to address customers' increasing need for BI and analytics in cloud environments. Atos will also benefit from the expertise of Visual BI's 180+ employees worldwide, based in the United States, Canada, and India, who will reinforce its Data Analytics and Cloud Enterprise Solutions practices. This operation, together with the acquisition of Maven Wave in 2020, reinforces Atos's strategic vision for data and cloud as the foundations of digital transformation. The Group aims at supporting organizations in their entire cloud data journey, from data centralization to high-value insight delivery. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Plano, Texas (US), Visual BI is an end-to-end BI & Analytics enablement provider offering expert consulting services, analytics solutions and end-user training. "Atos has made it its mission to help businesses easily and safely mobilize and leverage data from multiple sources to fuel decision making. With the acquisition of Visual BI, we gain access to a broader set of analytics capabilities and tools, greatly enhancing our customers' ability to tackle their most complex business challenges using data," said Wim Los, SVP Cloud Enterprise Solutions at Atos. "This strategic acquisition allows us to further accelerate our global leadership in data-driven transformation, in line with the recent launch of our Atos Digital Hub initiative." "My team and I are super excited to bring our culture, technical expertise and world class client relationships to the illustrious Atos brand. Our technical and operational synergies will result in a clear victory for our clients as we accelerate their Data, AI and Analytics journeys," said Christopher Holliday, Senior Vice President, Client Management, Visual BI. "I am very excited to have this opportunity to bring these two great organizations with amazing employees together to help clients' accelerate modernize their data and analytics journeys in the cloud. This integration is a great blend of strong technical experience and industry expertise to deliver impactful value to our customers," said Gopal Krishnamurthy, Founder and CEO, Visual BI. About Atos Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with 105,000 employees and annual revenue of over 11 billion. European number one in cybersecurity, cloud and high performance computing, the Group provides tailored end-to-end solutions for all industries in 71 countries. A pioneer in decarbonization services and products, Atos is committed to a secure and decarbonized digital for its clients. Atos operates under the brands Atos and Atos|Syntel. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea), listed on the CAC40 Paris stock index. The purpose of Atos is to help design the future of the information space. Its expertise and services support the development of knowledge, education and research in a multicultural approach and contribute to the development of scientific and technological excellence. Across the world, the Group enables its customers and employees, and members of societies at large to live, work and develop sustainably, in a safe and secure information space. www.atos.net SOURCE Atos Related Links http://na.atos.net KNOXVILLE, Tenn., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AtWork franchise owner Josephine Suryono of Roseville, California was identified by franchise research firm, Franchise Business Review, as being one of 2021's Franchise Rock Stars. Suryono was selected from nearly 25,000 franchisees, representing 224 brands that participated in Franchise Business Review's research in the past 18 months. The Franchise Rock Stars recognized were nominated by their franchise brand leadership in one of eight categories as franchisees who set admirable examples when it comes to leadership, business acumen, financial and professional success, and contributing to their community. Categories included: Giving Back, Women, Millennials, Veterans, Family-Owned, "Freshmen", Top-Performers, and Multi-Unit Owners. "Josephine is one of our top performing franchisees and a rock star within our system," said Jason Leverant, President and COO of AtWork Group. "It's an honor to see Josephine recognized in this way and we look forward to seeing her continue to be AtWork for all of her clients and employees!" "Our journey of opening an AtWork office in a very saturated market to experiencing the success we have now, despite the pandemic, has been very humbling and fulfilling," said Suryono. "And now, to be nominated and selected as one of the year's Franchisee Rockstars makes it even more exciting! Our success is truly the product of consistent delivery, excellent customer service, and a great team who are passionate and love what they do!" To learn more about AtWork, visit AtWork.com. SOURCE AtWork Group Related Links https://www.atwork.com TORONTO, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- For the longest time, travel has played a major role in the professional world. Whether we are talking about business trips abroad , employees visiting client offices, or workers commuting to the office via car and public transit, individuals have always been on the move. All of these movements, however, cost money. Sometimes it's on the company to shoulder such expenses, while other instances require employees to pay out of pocket. However, there is a solution to minimizing such expenses: working from home. Scott Wilson, Co-Founder and CEO of Banty Inc. According to recent findings by Globe Newswire, 47% of video call users have seen their travel costs reduced. That's a huge number, and one that could increase as more and more companies put their trust into online meeting platforms. Scott Wilson , Co-Founder and CEO of video conferencing service Banty Inc. , recognizes the cost effectiveness of virtual meetings. Thus, he believes video call technology can save companies, and their employees, lots of money. They just have to: Attend virtual conferences and trade shows: The COVID-19 pandemic has inspired more industries to put on, and attend, virtual events . Now, instead of having to travel to a conference at a convention centre (locally, or abroad), these gatherings are now being held online at a fraction of the cost The COVID-19 pandemic has inspired more industries to put on, and attend, . Now, instead of having to travel to a conference at a convention centre (locally, or abroad), these gatherings are now being held online at a fraction of the cost Minimize office-to-office travel: In business, relationships are everything . As such, it does pay to have plenty of face-to-face interactions with your most loyal clients and associates. However, this no longer has to be an in-person experience. Virtual meeting apps now make meeting online a very convenient, personal way to see and speak with someone In business, relationships are . As such, it does pay to have plenty of face-to-face and associates. However, this no longer has to be an in-person experience. Virtual meeting apps now make meeting online a very convenient, personal way to see and speak with someone Mitigate commuting costs: A lot of employees lament how much it costs them for gas, vehicle maintenance, and public transit in order to get to and from the office. Giving staff full, or partial, work-from-home flexibility as long as they're available for regular video calls allows them to save a few extra bucks each week A lot of employees lament how much it costs them for gas, vehicle maintenance, and public transit in order to get to and from the office. Giving staff full, or partial, as long as they're available for regular video calls allows them to save a few extra bucks each week Fewer per diem possibilities: By chopping down how many business trips employees need to physically go on, less per diems will have to be doled out. Keeping certain business gatherings in an online meeting environment minimizes the need to pay out meal, travel, and accommodation allowances By chopping down how many business trips employees to physically go on, less per diems will have to be doled out. Keeping certain business gatherings in an online meeting environment minimizes the need to pay out meal, travel, and accommodation allowances Promote the convenience of video calls: As soon as your staff sees how positive and convenient an online team meeting can be, it will quickly get onboard with virtual meeting technology . Once this happens, staff will focus more on which gatherings need to be done in person, and which can be completed in a video call setting . From there, travel costs will noticeably ease up over time "If a company is serious about saving itself as well as its employees some money, it's imperative that they embrace virtual meetings," adds Scott. "Now that quality meetings and virtual events can be done online in very user-friendly, hospitable environments, there's no need to push for frequent business-related travel." Banty.com's video call service offers all subscribers a custom, permanent URL (i.e., Banty.com/MyMeeting ); a secure, end-to-end encrypted meeting space; excellent video quality; unlimited meetings each month; and straightforward scheduling tools. Banty has a number of solutions that are meant to make it easy to meet with those who matter most to you. (Watch the 'Banty Is Easy' video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhmVdwrR_w8&t=10s ) Today, everyone has a mobile number and an email address. In the near future, everyone will have a Banty video chat address: Banty.com/YourName About Banty Founded in 2020, Banty offers exceptional video conferencing solutions for Businesses , Enterprise , Medical Practices , Virtual Events , and Personal use . Banty video conferencing is easy to use and ultra-secure. The platform provides users with a dedicated Banty.com URL , accessible via any desktop browser or through iOS and Android mobile apps. In order to receive government approval to become a verified medical platform, Banty was upgraded to meet new cyber security standards, making it one of the most secure platforms available. Each day, the Banty team goes above and beyond to ensure the platform remains one of the most secure and innovative virtual meeting solutions in the world. For more information, please visit Banty.org/solutions, or follow Banty on social media to learn more about the latest platform innovations: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube , Instagram. Media Contact: Scott Wilson [email protected] 289-259-8059 SOURCE Banty Inc. Related Links http://www.banty.org WASHINGTON, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Media Research Center's Free Speech America (FSA) released its second quarter Big Tech Report Card on Tuesday, grading the big tech companies with a collective "F" in online freedom. FSA's quarterly report card grades Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Google, YouTube and Apple based on five categories relating to online freedom: free speech, user transparency, bias, responsiveness to user complaints and fact-checking. Big Tech performed worse in this quarter's report card, despite appalling scores in Q1 following the widespread censorship of former President Donald Trump. Facebook led the pack receiving an "F" in nearly every category this quarter, except for "user transparency" in which it received a "D." Twitter, Amazon and Apple each received an overall grade of "F." Google and YouTube each received a "D" in overall online freedom. The two most impactful censorship cases of this quarter involved the further censoring of former President Donald Trump, and restricting content related to COVID-19. Facebook upheld its Oversight Board ruling on Donald Trump, banning the former president from its platform for 2 years. Facebook also had to reverse its decision to censor content related to the COVID-19 Wuhan lab leak theory after reports emerged that the lab leak theory was being investigated. FSA also looked at platforms claiming to hold to free speech values: Parler, Rumble, Gab, FreeTalk and CloutHub. Given the relative newness of many of these alternative platforms and the lack of data relating to their moderation of content, MRC's Free Speech America did not assess grades for them this quarter. As more data become available on new platforms, they may be added to future report cards. The full breakdown of Free Speech America's Q2 report card can be found here. Free Speech America is a project of the Media Research Center dedicated to recording and exposing bias and censorship by Big Tech. For more information about Free Speech America, visit https://censortrack.org. SOURCE The Media Research Center BLOOMINGDALE, Ill. and MARIETTA, Ga., July 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Trade Interior Solutions, one of the nation's leading providers of interior design, procurement, and project management services for hospitality providers, and its partner Blackford Capital, has successfully acquired the assets of Design Environments Corporation, a top interior design and interior architecture firm serving single and multi-family developments, collegiate housing and continuing care retirement communities (CCRC). Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction aligns two industry leaders into a single-source, national entity providing interior design, interior architecture, procurement, project management and installation services to a wider array of residential, overnight, and short-term rental owners and developers. Marietta, Ga.-based Design Environments works across the country and is the premier provider of interior design and interior architecture services in the southeast region of the US. DEI will join Boston Trade, which has offices in Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco, as a division of Hospitality Consolidation Company (HCC), a Blackford Capital portfolio holding company. DEI's unique approach to providing a fully company-owned and managed turnkey solution to its clients has driven its evolution into the go to interior design provider for large regional and national developers. "We are thrilled to add such a prestigious and well-respected company to our portfolio of services," said Greg Kadens, Chief Executive Officer at Boston Trade. "The synergies between our two organizations offer a unique advantage as a design-first procurement business that differentiates from the standard single thread procurement providers and with our international product sourcing capabilities, we believe we can add significant value to DEI's business model. "With the addition of DEI to our family of interior design brands, we now have a professional staff of over 50 designers with expertise across a wide array of markets and project types. What makes this so compelling is the depth, experience and solutions we are now able to offer our clients," Kadens said. There are no staffing changes expected for the 48 employees of Design Environments. Donna DeLuca, who founded Design Environments in 1991, will stay on as strategic consultant while Kristen Holloway will remain with the company as its president. The entire management team will also remain in place. "The entire Design Environments team is excited about the opportunities that this combination presents," DeLuca said. "We strongly believe that Boston Trade will make a great partner in our continued growth and expansion." Blackford Capital is an 11-year-old Midwest-based private equity investment firm specializing in helping founder-and family-owned companies supercharge performance by improving operations and implementing aggressive growth plans. "With this transaction, we have advanced our vision for Hospitality Consolidation Company, so it is optimally poised to serve the rapidly changing hospitality and residential development industry while providing a platform for future acquisitions and expanded market share," said Martin Stein, founder and managing director of Blackford Capital and Chairman of Boston Trade Interior Solutions. "We are confident that the combination will create a dynamic company with an experienced and accomplished leadership team that will meet the future needs of its customers in new and exciting ways. Our vision is to become one of the most diversified FF&E providers across multiple industries with shared design, sourcing, and digital capabilities." Dickinson Wright PLLC, Honigman LLP, and King & Spaulding LLP served as legal advisors; and Midland State Bank and Assurance Mezzanine Fund provided financing. Plante Moran provided deal structure and accounting services. Benchmark International, Moore Ingram Johnson & Steele, LLP, and HLB Gross Collins, P.C. represented the seller. About Boston Trade International Boston Trade has provided interior design and furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) procurement solutions customized to the hospitality industry across the US since 1979. Boston Trade international merged with Vertically Integrated Projects on March 17, 2021. Headquartered in Bloomingdale, IL and with design and project management centers in Bloomingdale, Hudson, MA and Freemont, CA, Boston Trade Interior Solutions is a nationally recognized, industry leading, turnkey provider of professional design, procurement, project management and logistics services for the renovation and new construction of hospitality interiors. For more information, visit https://www.bostontrade.com/ About Design Environments Design Environments, based in Marietta, Ga., is a nationally renowned interior design firm specializing in the interior architecture and merchandising of model homes, clubhouses, and amenity/sales facilities throughout the United States. Our highly skilled staff offers professional consultation in architectural detailing, space planning, lighting design and floorplan reviews through state-of-the-art CAD systems. The company also offers extensive warehousing and purchasing systems to ensure timely delivery and smooth installations. For more information visit http://www.designenvironments.com/ About Hospitality Consolidated Corp Hospitality Consolidated Corp. (HCC) is the platform created by Blackford Capital to execute its growth strategy of acquiring leading interior design companies across multiple industries, including the hotel and hospitality industry, single and multi-family homes and other related industries while delivering efficiencies through economies of scale and through consolidated sourcing and fulfillment. About Blackford Capital Founded in 2010, Blackford Capital is a private equity investment firm headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Blackford Capital makes majority control investments in founder and family-owned, lower middle-market manufacturing, industrial and distribution companies. Currently, Blackford Capital has eleven portfolio companies. Blackford and their team members have received several recognitions over the past several years, including M&A Adviser Private Equity Firm of the year, Corp. Magazine Small Company of the Year (Michigan), GR Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year (West Michigan), numerous recognitions on the Inc. 5000 fastest growing private companies list and M&A Adviser Private Equity Professional of the Year (Martin Stein). For more information, visit https://www.blackfordcapital.com/ Contact: Kourtney Rogus Lambert & Co. (810) 334-5282 [email protected] SOURCE Boston Trade Interior Solutions; Blackford Capital Related Links https://www.bostontrade.com Great Place to Work evaluated more than 60 elements of team members' experience on the job. ChenMed ranked higher than the national average in areas that rated employee pride in the company's community impact, camaraderie, and celebration of special events. Other top-performing areas include feeling safe and respected at work, feeling welcome when joining the company, having a lot of responsibility, and feeling accomplishment and meaning in the work being done. Survey rankings measure consistency of employee experience, from every level of the organization. "ChenMed has an amazing, diverse culture that focuses on our values of love, accountability and passion, and we're proud to be recognized for being a Great Place to Work," said Stephanie Chen, Chief Legal Counsel and Culture Officer at ChenMed. "Our rich history of diversity, hard work and economic vitality helps make us who we are, and our mission-focused employees work diligently to transform care of the neediest populations. We believe when team members are happy and engaged that they will provide better patient care, and our outcomes demonstrate it." Iconic worldwide brands that also rely on Great Place to Work research include Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott and Four Seasons hotels; UKG, Cisco, Workday, and Salesforce Intuit technology firms; financial services giants Edward Jones, American Express, Capital One, Rocket Companies, Progressive Insurance, USAA and Bank of America; Delta Airlines, Genentech, Regeneron, Scripps Health, Texas Health Resources and Kettering Health Network. As a market disruptor achieving double-digit growth every year, ChenMed is constantly recruiting primary care doctors and care team members who are committed to the company's mission and values. Employee benefits at ChenMed that make it a Great Place to Work include multiple health care and dental programs, health savings accounts, wellness credits on health care premiums and rewards for healthy behaviors, amongst other benefits that are being added with the feedback received from team members. In addition, the company offers a competitive Shared Success Bonus Plan which rewards employees for doing their best for the business. And employees who refer candidates for hard-to-fill positions, such as primary care physicians, are eligible for referral bonuses. "We applaud ChenMed for seeking certification and releasing its employees' feedback," said Dr. Jacquelyn Kung, of Great Place to Work's senior care affiliate Activated Insights. "These ratings measure its capacity to earn its own employees' trust and create a great workplace for high performance." In addition to the Great Place to Work Certification, ChenMed was recently named as a Best Place to Work in IT by IDG's Insider Pro and ComputerWorld, a 2021 Healthiest Employer by South Florida Business Journal and a Fortune 2020 "Change the World" company. About ChenMed ChenMed, headquartered in Miami, is a privately owned medical, management and technology company that brings concierge-style medicine and better health outcomes to the neediest populations. Physician-led and privately owned, ChenMed is a provider of choice for some 20 Medicare Advantage health insurance plans. Operating more than 80 primary care medical practices for diverse populations of seniors, ChenMed results consistently include up to 75 percent drops in emergency room visits, plus 30 to 50 percent reductions for in-patient hospital admissions. In addition, this high-touch primary care is shown to reduce coronavirus deaths by 40 percent, according to a study published in American Journal of Preventive Cardiology. A Fortune 2020 "Change the World" company, ChenMed brands include Chen Senior Medical Center, Dedicated Senior Medical Center and JenCare Senior Medical Center. About Great Place to Work Great Place to Work is the global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures. Through its certification programs, Great Place to Work recognizes outstanding workplace cultures and produces the annual Fortune "100 Best Companies to Work For" and Great Place to Work Best Workplaces lists for Millennials, Women, Diversity, Small & Medium Companies, industries and, internationally, countries and regions. Through its culture consulting services , Great Place to Work helps clients create great workplaces that outpace peers on key business metrics like revenue growth, profitability, retention and stock performance. Learn more at Greatplacetowork.com and on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. SOURCE ChenMed Related Links http://ChenMed.com LOS ALTOS, Calif., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- DPL Telematics, a leading provider of advanced asset monitoring and telemetry technologies, announced today the release of the AssetCommand Base Tracking System. AssetCommand Base is an advanced solution for wireless monitoring and remote tracking of on road vehicles to improve productivity and safety while reducing fleet costs. The compact device tracks runtime, speed, trips, driver ID, idling, geofences, curfews, driver behavior and service schedules while empowering managers to remotely disable their assets. The AssetCommand Base is a hardwired telematics solution for affordable vehicle tracking and Driver ID logging The AssetCommand Base allows managers to remotely monitor their truck and vehicle fleet accurately from an intuitive, Internet-based software package and mobile app. The unit is the first telematics product of its kind to feature: Real time location updates with historical route log. Improve dispatching and access every vehicle's location and history Improve dispatching and access every vehicle's location and history Accident and rollover detection . Real time notifications of potential safety issues or vehicle abuse . Real time notifications of potential safety issues or vehicle abuse Driver safety and behavior monitoring. Monitor speeding, harsh acceleration, braking, cornering, idling, and more to improve safety and prevent unnecessary wear on vehicles. Monitor speeding, harsh acceleration, braking, cornering, idling, and more to improve safety and prevent unnecessary wear on vehicles. Driver ID logging. Pair iButton or RFID Readers for Driver ID, Access Control, and Logbooking. Pair iButton or RFID Readers for Driver ID, Access Control, and Logbooking. Maintenance scheduling. Set reminders based on distance traveled, run hours and calendar days to reduce maintenance and repair costs. Set reminders based on distance traveled, run hours and calendar days to reduce maintenance and repair costs. Internal backup battery and antenna . Small form factor for fast installation and internal power in case primary power is lost . Small form factor for fast installation and internal power in case primary power is lost Remote starter disable/enable . Asset immobilization for safety, theft or nonpayment concerns . Asset immobilization for safety, theft or nonpayment concerns Little to no sky view required . May be hidden inside or under certain assets . May be hidden inside or under certain assets Wireless, two-way communication. Activate recovery mode or set movement alerts over the air from the software or mobile app Activate recovery mode or set movement alerts over the air from the software or mobile app Month to month agreement. No long-term contract, deactivate and reactivate anytime without penalty The AssetCommand Base has a unique starter disable function which allows owners to immobilize the vehicle on demand from anywhere with an Internet connection to curb theft, unsanctioned use and other emergencies. When paired with an optional iButton or RFID Reader the device will restrict starting to only authorized operators as well as log the specific driver activities. The AssetCommand Base also monitors speed, harsh braking, rapid acceleration, cornering and idling to improve safety and prevent unnecessary wear on vehicles. The AssetCommand Base reports usage metrics such as runtime, odometer, idle time, movement, ignition status, and battery health. The device also has both internal antenna and backup battery, to make it easier to hide as well as alert should the primary power be lost. The platform also includes an intuitive service module for scheduling by runtime, odometer or calendar and notifying whichever threshold is reached first. The easy-to-use solution is an effective tool to reduce service costs, maximize uptime and eliminate manual errors. "The market has been seeking an affordable, quick installing vehicle telematics solution with an intuitive user interface," said Tony Nicoletti, VP of Business Development at DPL Telematics. "In the AssetCommand Base we have introduced Driver ID options along with an easy-to-use service scheduling platform to reduce potential safety hazards, accurately log usage and reduce unnecessary vehicle wear. Additionally, customers can now map and manage their entire fleet of on road, off road and unpowered assets from the same platform." About DPL Telematics DPL Telematics is a leading provider of advanced asset monitoring and telemetry technologies. With over 20 years of experience and an excess of $1 billion in customer mobile assets trusted to it over that time, DPL Telematics delivers a full suite of monitoring solutions with a global reach. For more information, visit www.dpltel.com. Media Contact: Tony Nicoletti [email protected] 650-965-1636 SOURCE DPL Telematics Related Links http://www.dpltel.com PORTLAND, Maine, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Maine Venture Fund (MVF), a state-sponsored venture capital fund whose board of directors is appointed by the state's governor, announced today that Dr. Brien Walton, a nationally recognized social impact investment strategist, has been appointed to chair the organization's board of directors. Walton is the first African American to hold that position. Walton is the CEO of Acadia Capital Management L3C, a nationally certified Community Development Entity (CDE) that advises government agencies, municipal leaders, and social impact funds on leveraging public and private resources that maximize economic growth and permanent job creation in Opportunity Zones and economically distressed communities. He is also the director of the Richard E. Dyke Center for Family Business at Husson University, where he has led initiatives analyzing the challenges of Maine's entrepreneurs and developed a collaborative innovation ecosystem between academia and the business community. Walton was appointed to the MVF board of directors by Maine Governor Janet Mills in 2020. He and the other ten members of the MVF board are responsible for determining how the fund invests in businesses that have the potential for significant growth statewide, regionally, and nationally. "I am delighted Dr. Walton has agreed to chair the Maine Venture Fund," said Governor Janet Mills. "I appointed Brien to the Board because of his vast experience managing a technology-focused venture capital fund and his reputation for creating innovative business strategies for high potential companies. The depth of his knowledge and experience make him an excellent choice to chair the Board and spearhead our efforts to help businesses grow and stay in Maine." "I want to thank Governor Mills for appointing me to the Maine Venture Fund board and for the opportunity to serve the state," said Walton. "I also want to thank my fellow directors for selecting me to chair the board. As the first African American to serve as the chair of the Maine Venture Fund, I want to encourage entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds to start and grow businesses in Maine or to pursue careers as investment professionals in ways that stimulate regional and national economic growth." As part of Walton's work with MVF, he engages with the state legislature about banking and financial initiatives. He facilitates collaboration with regional economic development agencies, social impact foundations, state-sponsored venture capital funds throughout New England, and national private equity firms with a social impact focus. "We're fortunate to have a leader of Dr. Walton's caliber chairing our board of directors," said Joe Powers, Maine Venture Fund's managing director. "We have developed an excellent rapport since he joined the board, and his extensive investment and business development experience make him the ideal person to help maximize the fund's assets for the benefit of all Maine citizens, especially in this era of increased collaboration between state and federal government." Funded by the state as a revolving "evergreen" fund, MVF has invested over $25.2 million in small businesses since the fund's inception in 1997 and has attracted over $200 million in outside investment into Maine, creating high-quality jobs across the state. MVF has made 155 investments in over 80 companies, which has created over 900 jobs for Maine residents. MVF plans to further expand access to capital, especially for underrepresented founders. "For more than twenty years, the Maine Venture Fund has helped many small businesses and entrepreneurs across our state turn dreams into reality," said U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine) in a joint statement. "The MVF's two decades of service have spurred economic innovation, supported good jobs, and made important contributions to local communities but there are always new chapters to be written in its story. We congratulate Dr. Brien Walton for his appointment to this important role to bolster Maine's economy, and we look forward to continuing our work in the Senate to promote economic development and job creation as well." About Maine Venture Fund Maine Venture Fund invests in dynamic businesses that have the potential for significant growth and impact in Maine. For more information, visit maineventurefund.com. For more on Dr. Brien Walton's background, visit his profile here. Media Contact: Terri Wark Maine Venture Fund (207) 924.3800 [email protected] SOURCE Maine Venture Fund BOSTON, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Edenred Benefits, Edenred's leading company in corporate mobility provider in the United States, has announced a new partnership with Spin, a Ford-owned micromobility solutions provider that offers dockless electric scooters and electric bikes in more than 60 markets in the U.S. Spin is offering an exclusive scooter rental discount to Edenred clients in the U.S. who use Edenred's commuter card. For each electric scooter ride, commuters will receive a 10 percent discount. This is a pay-as-you-go service, so there is no need to commit to a subscription. Spin will also provide new riders with a $5 promo code when they use their scooters for the first time. In the short time the program has been available, the County of San Mateo has become the first client to enable this new benefit to its employees. As commuters begin to head back to the office, Edenred has pledged to become the one-stop-shop for all commuting needs no matter when, where, or what vehicle is chosen. Partnering with Spin provides commuters with an excellent opportunity to try micromobility alternatives for their commute. Spin gives people in cities and on campuses the freedom to move by offering accessible, safe, sustainable, and affordable forms of personal mobility. Their electric scooters are equipped with GPS, can be unlocked by scanning a QR code with their app, and when you are finished riding, users can park their e-scooter right at their destination. It's just that simple! Ed Fleischmann, CEO at Edenred Benefits says, "We're thrilled to be partnering with Spin, a leading micromobility company. By offering this exclusive offer to our clients, we're giving them another reliable, safe, sustainable, and affordable option to commute back to the office. The more micromobility options we provide, the better as we transition back to the way life was before the pandemic. Our goal is to keep our customers happy and continue to provide the best commuting solutions in the marketplace." Ben Fong, Director of Business Development at Spin says, "We are excited to partner with Edenred to expand flexibility and convenience for commuters. The pandemic has highlighted the value that micromobility can serve in city transportation at the same time as remote work habits are changing. Spin is at the forefront of redefining the post-pandemic commute and we are excited to support workers as they go back to the office. Our service will make the commute even easier and more convenient for workers getting back to the office for the first time." Edenred is a leading digital platform for services and payments and the everyday companion for people at work, connecting over 50 million users and 2 million partner merchants in 46 countries via more than 850,000 corporate clients. Edenred offers specific-purpose payment solutions for food (such as meal benefits), mobility (such as multi-energy, maintenance, toll, parking and commuter solutions), incentives (such as gift cards, employee engagement platforms) and corporate payments (such as virtual cards). True to the Group's purpose, "Enrich connections. For good.", these solutions enhance users' well-being and purchasing power. They improve companies' attractiveness and efficiency and vitalize the employment market and the local economy. They also foster access to healthier food, more environmentally friendly products and softer mobility. Edenred's 10,000 employees are committed to making the world of work a connected ecosystem that is safer, more efficient and more responsible every day. In 2020, thanks to its global technology assets, the Group managed close to 30 billion in business volume, primarily carried out via mobile applications, online platforms and cards. Edenred is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange and included in the following indices: CAC Next 20, CAC Large 60, Euronext 100, FTSE4Good and MSCI Europe. The logos and other trademarks mentioned and featured in this press release are registered trademarks of Edenred S.E., its subsidiaries or third parties. They may not be used for commercial purposes without prior written consent from their owners. SOURCE Edenred Benefits Related Links https://www.edenred.com/en Elevate Healthcare will continue reviewing all in-network agreements and process accordingly. EHC Leadership refuses to continue a relationship with insurance companies that are failing to comply with the Mental Health parity: The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA), Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity, and Prompt Pay Act. State and Federal complaints were filed on July, 23, 2021 prompting an investigation of practices of all client networks we serve. Apologies from provider relations representatives is unsatisfactory we require action and results; while EHC is providing medically necessary therapy for client's dealing with depression, suicide ideation, severe anxiety, emotional and physical abuse, or homicidal thoughts. Preventive measures are key to a healthy and safe community creating service options for Juvenile Reform. About Elevate Healthcare Since 2019 Elevate Healthcare has been the leading outpatient mental health hospital provider for kids and adolescents ages 5 to 17. Providing free Mental Health Assessments, In Person - Online Group Therapy, Individual Therapy, and Family Therapy. EHC has served more than 25,500 clients; throughout locations. For additional information visit, www.elevatehealthcare.us. SOURCE Elevate Healthcare Related Links https://www.elevatehealthcare.us BELMAR, N.J., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ellavoz Impact Capital today named Edward Dimon, Esq., to their Advisory Board. "I'm excited to join up and provide Advisory services together with the Ellavoz team. Our mission is aligned, with an eye toward achieving measurable impact for community development while also growing the Ellavoz 'Shared Values' asset class for individual investors," said Mr. Dimon. Edward Dimon is a managing partner at Carluccio, Leone, Dimon, Doyle & Saks, LLC. At his firm, Mr. Dimon oversees that the legal team advice is grounded upon research, pragmatism and cost-effective resolution. His wealth of experience includes serving as First Assistant Prosecutor in Ocean County, New Jersey and Investment Banking at J.P. Morgan, Chase Manhattan Bank and Kidder Peabody. Mr. Dimon's areas of expertise in law include Business Sales and Acquisitions as well as complex securities transactions. Mr. Dimon received his undergraduate degree from Holy Cross and his law degree from Boston College. He was admitted to the New Jersey and Massachusetts Bar in 1971. Robert Hutchins, CEO and President of Ellavoz Impact Capital said, "With the addition of Mr. Dimon to our team, we can provide expert advisory services to sellers of businesses who wish to avail themselves of Opportunity Zone tax benefits. Ed is a much-respected member of the community, and we look forward to his counsel as we grow New Jersey's Community Opportunity Fund." About Ellavoz Impact Capital Ellavoz Impact Capital, in partnership with New Jersey Community Capital, is the management company for the 3 Ellavoz Shared Values Opportunity Funds, the Ellavoz Neighborhood Homes Fund and the Ellavoz Impact Angel Network. The Angel Network represents high net worth individuals, family offices, and businesses that believe innovative investing in underserved communities will result in positive financial and social impact returns. To learn more about the Ellavoz family of funds, visit us at www.ellavoz.com or contact the following members of our team below. Robert Hutchins 908.330.2029 [email protected] Christopher Ferry 732.616.8847 [email protected] Related Images ellavoz.png Ellavoz Ellavoz SOURCE Ellavoz ALPHARETTA, Ga., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Emeakpo Ojonah, an energy executive with more than 15 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, has joined Energy Quest as Business Development Manager. Mr. Ojonah previously served in senior technical and commercial roles at Baker Hughes and Halliburton, managing technical engineering and expanding service lines for each company in the U.S. and worldwide. Emeakpo Ojonah Energy Quest, founded in 2013, is currently operating in Nigeria, where it provides oilfield services to some of the world's largest oil companies, as well as local, independent operators. In his new role, Mr. Ojonah is responsible for diversifying Energy Quest's product lines within Nigeria and expanding the company's services to other sub-Saharan African countries and North America. The position capitalizes on Mr. Ojonah's unique blend of advanced engineering and business skills, integrating his strong training in oil and gas technologies with economic and leadership experience in legal contracts, high impact sales, and price optimization. His extensive career has included driving revenue and technical development in the United States, Nigeria, Uganda, Angola, Vietnam, Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Brunei Darussalam. Based in Georgia (US), Mr. Ojonah is recognized globally for specializing in the introduction, execution, testing, and provision of expert support for leading-edge wireline and perforating technologies, and developing technical processes that advance efficiency and promote profitability in the oil and gas, geothermal, and carbon-capture-and-storage industries. As a member of Energy Quest's senior leadership team, he is charged with building growth strategy and profitability by managing measurable assets including budgets, equipment, and human resources; developing pricing and technology in collaboration with the business development team; overseeing new business and account relations; recruiting and deploying technical sales resources; and consulting with technical advisors. Mr. Ojonah is responsible for leading the organization's international sales team, managing contracts for the company's products and services, and aligning sales resources with the business plan. Mr. Ojonah is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and has contributed original scientific advancements to the energy industry. Most recently, his article on "Downhole Fluid Analysis During Wellbore Sampling at High Temperatures" was published in the prestigious Journal of Petroleum Engineering (May 2021). He also supports the success of small businesses such as Fosad Consulting, a Houston-based engineering firm, which recognized him as the "External Consultant of the Year" in 2018 and 2019. Media Contact Ellen Warren 215-669-0011 [email protected] SOURCE Emeakpo Ojonah BIRMINGHAM, Ala., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE: EHC), a national leader in integrated healthcare, offering facility-based and home-based patient care through its network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and home health and hospice agencies, today reported its results of operations for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021. "Business momentum accelerated in the second quarter of 2021 and resulted in strong revenue and earnings growth in both segments over the same period of 2020 and 2019," said President and Chief Executive Officer of Encompass Health Mark Tarr. "As a result of our strong operating trends and year-to-date performance, we are again raising our full-year 2021 guidance." Consolidated results Growth Q2 2021 Q2 2020 Dollars Percent (In Millions, Except Per Share Data) Net operating revenues $ 1,287.7 $ 1,074.1 $ 213.6 19.9 % Income from continuing operations attributable to Encompass Health per diluted share 1.13 0.34 0.79 232.4 % Adjusted earnings per share 1.17 0.31 0.86 277.4 % Cash flows provided by operating activities 255.9 222.3 33.6 15.1 % Adjusted EBITDA 278.9 162.2 116.7 71.9 % Adjusted free cash flow 205.6 168.2 37.4 22.2 % Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 2020 Cash flows provided by operating activities $ 414.4 $ 251.6 $ 162.8 64.7 % Adjusted free cash flow 313.0 242.8 70.2 28.9 % Revenue growth resulted from increased volumes and favorable pricing. The increase in income from continuing operations attributable to Encompass Health per diluted share and adjusted earnings per share in 2021 primarily resulted from revenue growth. The increase in year-to-date cash flows provided by operating activities and adjusted free cash flow primarily resulted from revenue growth and the timing of maintenance capital expenditures in 2021. See attached supplemental information for calculations of non-GAAP measures and reconciliations to their most comparable GAAP measure. Inpatient rehabilitation segment results Growth Q2 2021 Q2 2020 Dollars Percent Net operating revenues: (In Millions) Inpatient $ 976.9 $ 808.0 $ 168.9 20.9 % Outpatient and other 24.7 16.5 8.2 49.7 % Total segment revenue $ 1,001.6 $ 824.5 $ 177.1 21.5 % (Actual Amounts) Discharges 49,492 41,682 7,810 18.7 % Same-store discharge growth 16.9 % Net patient revenue per discharge $ 19,739 $ 19,385 $ 354 1.8 % Revenue reserves related to bad debt as a percent of revenue 1.7 % 1.4 % 30 basis points (In Millions) Adjusted EBITDA $ 254.0 $ 180.3 $ 73.7 40.9 % Revenue - Inpatient revenue growth resulted from increased volumes and favorable pricing. Total discharge growth for the second quarter of 2021 was 18.7% with same-store growth of 16.9%. Same-store discharge growth in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the second quarter of 2019 was 1.6%. Growth in net patient revenue per discharge primarily resulted from an increase in reimbursement rates, the suspension of sequestration, improvement in discharge destination and prior period cost report adjustments partially offset by the timing of discharges between quarters. The increase in outpatient and other revenue included an increase of approximately $7 million in provider tax revenues (offset by $2.5 million of provider tax expenses included in other operating expenses). Inpatient revenue growth resulted from increased volumes and favorable pricing. Total discharge growth for the second quarter of 2021 was 18.7% with same-store growth of 16.9%. Same-store discharge growth in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the second quarter of 2019 was 1.6%. Growth in net patient revenue per discharge primarily resulted from an increase in reimbursement rates, the suspension of sequestration, improvement in discharge destination and prior period cost report adjustments partially offset by the timing of discharges between quarters. The increase in outpatient and other revenue included an increase of approximately in provider tax revenues (offset by of provider tax expenses included in other operating expenses). Adjusted EBITDA - The 40.9% increase in Adjusted EBITDA in the second quarter of 2021 primarily resulted from revenue growth and effective productivity management. Adjusted EBITDA in the second quarter of 2020 included approximately $29 million of additional paid-time-off awarded to employees. Home health and hospice segment results Growth Q2 2021 Q2 2020 Dollars Percent Net operating revenues: (In Millions) Home health revenue $ 232.3 $ 201.8 $ 30.5 15.1 % Hospice revenue 53.8 47.8 6.0 12.6 % Total segment revenue $ 286.1 $ 249.6 $ 36.5 14.6 % Adjusted EBITDA $ 61.7 $ 15.0 $ 46.7 311.3 % Home Health Starts of care: (Actual Amounts) Episodic admissions 39,657 34,841 4,816 13.8 % Same-store episodic admissions growth 12.9 % Episodic recertifications 28,296 28,328 (32) (0.1) % Total episodic starts of care 67,953 63,169 4,784 7.6 % Total admissions 50,598 44,124 6,474 14.7 % Same-store total admissions growth 13.8 % Total recertifications 33,794 31,952 1,842 5.8 % Total starts of care 84,392 76,076 8,316 10.9 % Revenue per episode $ 2,968 $ 2,920 $ 48 1.6 % Hospice Admissions: Same store 3,130 3,190 (60) (1.9) % New store 168 168 5.3 % Total admissions 3,298 3,190 108 3.4 % Revenue - Total starts of care were up 10.9%. Total admissions increased 14.7%, including same-store admissions growth of 13.8%. Volume growth was achieved in spite of continued lower occupancy at skilled nursing and senior living facilities, as well as staffing challenges in certain markets. Elective procedures have returned to historic levels. The increase in revenue per episode resulted from an increase in reimbursement rates, as the timing of completed episodes offset the benefit of the suspension of sequestration. Growth in hospice admissions resulted from the acquisition of assets from Frontier Home Health and Hospice in June 2021 . - Total starts of care were up 10.9%. Total admissions increased 14.7%, including same-store admissions growth of 13.8%. Volume growth was achieved in spite of continued lower occupancy at skilled nursing and senior living facilities, as well as staffing challenges in certain markets. Elective procedures have returned to historic levels. The increase in revenue per episode resulted from an increase in reimbursement rates, as the timing of completed episodes offset the benefit of the suspension of sequestration. Growth in hospice admissions resulted from the acquisition of assets from Frontier Home Health and Hospice in . Adjusted EBITDA - The 311.3% increase in Adjusted EBITDA in the second quarter of 2021 primarily resulted from lower cost per visit supported by the clinician compensation model changes implemented in May 2020 , as well as effective management of overall productivity of full-time staff. Adjusted EBITDA in the second quarter of 2020 included approximately $14 million of additional paid-time-off awarded to employees. General and administrative expenses Q2 2021 % of Consolidated Revenue Q2 2020 % of Consolidated Revenue (In Millions) General and administrative expenses, excluding stock-based compensation $ 36.8 2.9% $ 33.1 3.1% General and administrative expenses decreased as a percent of consolidated revenue due to the increased revenue base year over year. General and administrative expenses in the above table exclude $4.1 million in costs associated with the strategic alternatives review of the Company's home health and hospice business and $1.3 million of transaction costs associated with the Frontier acquisition for the second quarter of 2021. 2021 guidance The Company increased its full-year guidance to reflect its second quarter results and strong operating trends. Full-Year 2021 Guidance Ranges Previous Guidance Updated Guidance (In Millions, Except Per Share Data) Net operating revenues $5,060 to $5,230 $5,100 to $5,250 Adjusted EBITDA $1,000 to $1,030 $1,050 to $1,070 Adjusted earnings per share from continuing operations attributable to Encompass Health $3.94 to $4.16 $4.32 to $4.47 On December 9, 2020, the Company announced it is exploring strategic alternatives for its home health and hospice business. The review is ongoing. Accordingly, the Company's 2021 guidance assumes the continuation of the current structure of the business for 2021. The guidance may change if a transaction occurs before the end of the year. For additional considerations regarding the Company's 2021 guidance ranges, see the supplemental information posted on the Company's website at http://investor.encompasshealth.com. See also the "Other Information" section below for an explanation of why the Company does not provide guidance for comparable GAAP measures for Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted earnings per share. Update on Strategic Alternatives Review for Home Health and Hospice Business Encompass Health continues to explore strategic alternatives for its home health and hospice business. Based on the analysis to date, the Company's Board of Directors believes a full or partial separation of the home health and hospice business will enhance the long-term success and value of the business. The Company is pursuing a separation transaction by either public or private means. Many of the key preparatory actions for a separation have been completed, including but not limited to, audited carve-out financial statements for the home health and hospice business, a confidential submission of a draft registration statement on Form S-1 with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and certain required regulatory filings. While no assurance can be provided, the Company expects to announce a transaction in the second half of 2021. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities, 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 law of that jurisdiction. Earnings conference call and webcast The Company will host an investor conference call at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, July 28, 2021 to discuss its results for the second quarter of 2021. For reference during the call, the Company will post certain supplemental information at http://investor.encompasshealth.com. The conference call may be accessed by dialing 877 587-6761 and giving the pass code 7294490. International callers should dial 706 679-1635 and give the same pass code. Please call approximately ten minutes before the start of the call to ensure you are connected. The conference call will also be webcast live and will be available for on-line replay at http://investor.encompasshealth.com by clicking on an available link. About Encompass Health As a national leader in integrated healthcare services, Encompass Health (NYSE: EHC) offers both facility-based and home-based patient care through its network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, home health agencies and hospice agencies. With a national footprint that includes 140 hospitals and 249 home health locations and 94 hospice locations in 42 states and Puerto Rico, the Company provides high-quality, cost-effective integrated healthcare. Encompass Health is ranked as one of Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For. For more information, visit encompasshealth.com, or follow us on our newsroom, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Other information The information in this press release is summarized and should be read in conjunction with the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 (the "June 2021 Form 10-Q"), when filed, as well as the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 27, 2021 (the "Q2 Earnings Form 8-K"), to which this press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1. In addition, the Company will post supplemental information today on its website at http://investor.encompasshealth.com for reference during its July 28, 2021 earnings call. The financial data contained in the press release and supplemental information include non-GAAP financial measures, including the Company's adjusted earnings per share, leverage ratio, Adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted free cash flow. Reconciliations to their most comparable GAAP measure, except with regard to non-GAAP guidance, are included below or in the Q2 Earnings Form 8-K. Readers are encouraged to review the "Note Regarding Presentation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" included in the Q2 Earnings Form 8-K which provides further explanation and disclosure regarding the Company's use of these non-GAAP financial measures. Excluding net operating revenues, the Company does not provide guidance on a GAAP basis because it is unable to predict, with reasonable certainty, the future impact of items that are deemed to be outside the control of the Company or otherwise non-indicative of its ongoing operating performance. Such items include government, class action, and related settlements; professional feesaccounting, tax, and legal; mark-to-market adjustments for stock appreciation rights; gains or losses related to hedging instruments; loss on early extinguishment of debt; adjustments to its income tax provision (such as valuation allowance adjustments and settlements of income tax claims); items related to corporate and facility restructurings; and certain other items the Company believes to be non-indicative of its ongoing operations. These items cannot be reasonably predicted and will depend on several factors, including industry and market conditions, and could be material to the Company's results computed in accordance with GAAP. However, the following reasonably estimable GAAP measures for 2021 would be included in a reconciliation for Adjusted EBITDA if the other reconciling GAAP measures could be reasonably predicted: Interest expense and amortization of debt discounts and fees - estimate of $164 million to $174 million to Amortization of debt-related items - approximately $9 million The Q2 Earnings Form 8-K and, when filed, the June 2021 Form 10-Q can be found on the Company's website at http://investor.encompasshealth.com and the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Encompass Health Corporation and Subsidiaries Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 2020 2021 2020 (In Millions, Except Per Share Data) Net operating revenues $ 1,287.7 $ 1,074.1 $ 2,518.1 $ 2,256.1 Operating expenses: Salaries and benefits 708.2 651.9 1,395.4 1,331.0 Other operating expenses 172.7 148.3 335.0 307.9 Occupancy costs 20.2 20.3 40.4 40.5 Supplies 50.0 50.6 101.9 96.3 General and administrative expenses 54.2 43.0 92.8 78.6 Depreciation and amortization 63.4 60.7 125.9 119.5 Government, class action, and related settlements 2.8 Total operating expenses 1,068.7 974.8 2,091.4 1,976.6 Loss on early extinguishment of debt 1.0 1.0 Interest expense and amortization of debt discounts and fees 41.8 45.8 84.6 89.0 Other income (4.6) (5.8) (6.0) (3.9) Equity in net income of nonconsolidated affiliates (1.0) (0.7) (2.0) (1.5) Income from continuing operations before income tax expense 181.8 60.0 349.1 195.9 Provision for income tax expense 39.5 11.8 74.0 38.9 Income from continuing operations 142.3 48.2 275.1 157.0 (Loss) income from discontinued operations, net of tax (0.3) 0.1 (0.3) Net and comprehensive income 142.0 48.3 274.8 157.0 Less: Net and comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests (28.7) (14.8) (54.2) (36.5) Net and comprehensive income attributable to Encompass Health $ 113.3 $ 33.5 $ 220.6 $ 120.5 Weighted average common shares outstanding: Basic 99.0 98.7 99.0 98.5 Diluted 100.2 99.9 100.2 99.6 Earnings per common share: Basic earnings per share attributable to Encompass Health common shareholders: Continuing operations $ 1.14 $ 0.34 $ 2.22 $ 1.22 Discontinued operations Net income $ 1.14 $ 0.34 $ 2.22 $ 1.22 Diluted earnings per share attributable to Encompass Health common shareholders: Continuing operations $ 1.13 $ 0.34 $ 2.20 $ 1.21 Discontinued operations Net income $ 1.13 $ 0.34 $ 2.20 $ 1.21 Amounts attributable to Encompass Health common shareholders: Income from continuing operations $ 113.6 $ 33.4 $ 220.9 $ 120.5 (Loss) income from discontinued operations, net of tax (0.3) 0.1 (0.3) Net income attributable to Encompass Health $ 113.3 $ 33.5 $ 220.6 $ 120.5 Encompass Health Corporation and Subsidiaries Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) June 30, 2021 December 31, 2020 (In Millions) Assets Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 73.2 $ 224.0 Restricted cash 65.0 65.4 Accounts receivable 627.5 572.8 Other current assets 93.6 86.4 Total current assets 859.3 948.6 Property and equipment, net 2,391.2 2,206.6 Operating lease right-of-use assets 244.9 245.7 Goodwill 2,412.3 2,318.7 Intangible assets, net 435.5 431.3 Other long-term assets 269.7 295.0 Total assets $ 6,612.9 $ 6,445.9 Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity Current liabilities: Current portion of long-term debt $ 66.8 $ 38.3 Current operating lease liabilities 42.0 44.8 Accounts payable 145.1 115.0 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 550.6 519.2 Total current liabilities 804.5 717.3 Long-term debt, net of current portion 3,105.7 3,250.6 Long-term operating lease liabilities 212.9 209.6 Deferred income tax liabilities 61.7 51.8 Other long-term liabilities 219.1 215.0 4,403.9 4,444.3 Commitments and contingencies Redeemable noncontrolling interests 32.9 31.6 Shareholders' equity: Encompass Health shareholders' equity 1,762.0 1,588.0 Noncontrolling interests 414.1 382.0 Total shareholders' equity 2,176.1 1,970.0 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $ 6,612.9 $ 6,445.9 Encompass Health Corporation and Subsidiaries Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 2020 (In Millions) Cash flows from operating activities: Net income $ 274.8 $ 157.0 Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax 0.3 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities Depreciation and amortization 125.9 119.5 Stock-based compensation 14.8 17.0 Deferred tax expense (benefit) 6.2 (9.1) Other, net 4.0 7.8 Changes in assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions Accounts receivable (38.1) (38.5) Other assets (17.2) 20.0 Accounts payable 6.6 (0.4) Accrued payroll 27.4 58.4 Other liabilities 10.3 (80.0) Net cash used in operating activities of discontinued operations (0.6) (0.1) Total adjustments 139.3 94.6 Net cash provided by operating activities 414.4 251.6 Cash flows from investing activities: Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired (97.7) (1.1) Purchases of property and equipment (212.7) (166.6) Additions to capitalized software costs (10.0) (4.4) Other, net (1.2) (3.0) Net cash used in investing activities (321.6) (175.1) Encompass Health Corporation and Subsidiaries Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Continued) (Unaudited) Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 2020 (In Millions) Cash flows from financing activities: Proceeds from bond issuance 592.5 Principal payments on debt, including pre-payments (207.3) (11.0) Borrowings on revolving credit facility 45.0 330.0 Payments on revolving credit facility (375.0) Principal payments under finance lease obligations (11.8) (10.9) Repurchases of common stock, including fees and expenses (4.9) Dividends paid on common stock (56.9) (56.7) Purchase of equity interests in consolidated affiliates (162.3) Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests of consolidated affiliates (52.7) (37.4) Taxes paid on behalf of employees for shares withheld (16.4) (15.7) Contributions from consolidated affiliates 36.1 16.8 Other, net 0.1 (11.5) Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities (263.9) 253.9 (Decrease) increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash (171.1) 330.4 Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of year 310.9 159.6 Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of year $ 139.8 $ 490.0 Reconciliation of Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period $ 224.0 $ 94.8 Restricted cash at beginning of period 65.4 57.4 Restricted cash included in other long-term assets at beginning of period 21.5 7.4 Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of period $ 310.9 $ 159.6 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 73.2 $ 419.0 Restricted cash at end of period 65.0 56.4 Restricted cash included in other long-term assets at end of period 1.6 14.6 Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of period $ 139.8 $ 490.0 Encompass Health Corporation and Subsidiaries Supplemental Information Earnings Per Share Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 2020 2021 2020 (In Millions, Except Per Share Data) Adjusted EBITDA $ 278.9 $ 162.2 $ 529.7 $ 390.2 Depreciation and amortization (63.4) (60.7) (125.9) (119.5) Interest expense and amortization of debt discounts and fees (41.8) (45.8) (84.6) (89.0) Stock-based compensation expense (12.0) (9.9) (14.8) (17.0) Loss on disposal or impairment of assets (2.9) (3.0) (2.8) (3.1) 158.8 42.8 301.6 161.6 Certain items non-indicative of ongoing operating performance: Loss on early extinguishment of debt (1.0) (1.0) Costs associated with the strategic alternatives review (4.1) (5.0) Costs associated with the Frontier acquisition (1.3) (1.3) Gain on consolidation of former equity method location 2.2 Change in fair market value of equity securities 0.7 2.4 0.6 (0.1) Government, class action, and related settlements (2.8) Payroll taxes on SARs exercise (1.5) Pre-tax income 153.1 45.2 294.9 159.4 Income tax expense (39.5) (11.8) (74.0) (38.9) Income from continuing operations (1) $ 113.6 $ 33.4 $ 220.9 $ 120.5 Basic shares 99.0 98.7 99.0 98.5 Diluted shares 100.2 99.9 100.2 99.6 Basic earnings per share (1) $ 1.14 $ 0.34 $ 2.22 $ 1.22 Diluted earnings per share (1) $ 1.13 $ 0.34 $ 2.20 $ 1.21 (1) Income from continuing operations attributable to Encompass Health Encompass Health Corporation and Subsidiaries Supplemental Information Adjusted Earnings Per Share Q2 6 Months 2021 2020 2021 2020 Earnings per share, as reported $ 1.13 $ 0.34 $ 2.20 $ 1.21 Adjustments, net of tax: Government, class action, and related settlements 0.02 Costs associated with the strategic alternatives review 0.03 0.04 Costs associated with the Frontier acquisition 0.01 0.01 Income tax adjustments (0.03) (0.05) Loss on early extinguishment of debt 0.01 0.01 Change in fair market value of equity securities (0.02) Gain on consolidation of former equity method location (0.02) Payroll taxes on SARs exercise 0.01 Adjusted earnings per share* $ 1.17 $ 0.31 $ 2.22 $ 1.18 * Adjusted EPS may not sum due to rounding. Encompass Health Corporation and Subsidiaries Supplemental Information Adjusted Earnings Per Share For the Three Months Ended June 30, 2021 Adjustments As Reported Loss on Early Exting. of Debt Income Tax Adjustments Costs Associated with the Strategic Alternatives Review Costs Associated with the Frontier Acquisition Change in Fair Market Value of Equity Securities As Adjusted (In Millions, Except Per Share Amounts) Adjusted EBITDA* $ 278.9 $ $ $ $ $ $ 278.9 Depreciation and amortization (63.4) (63.4) Interest expense and amortization of debt discounts and fees (41.8) (41.8) Stock-based compensation (12.0) (12.0) Loss on disposal or impairments of assets (2.9) (2.9) Loss on early extinguishment of debt (1.0) 1.0 Costs associated with the strategic alternatives review (4.1) 4.1 Costs associated with the Frontier acquisition (1.3) 1.3 Change in fair market value of equity securities 0.7 (0.7) Income from continuing operations before income tax expense 153.1 1.0 4.1 1.3 (0.7) 158.8 Provision for income tax expense (39.5) (0.3) (0.1) (1.1) (0.3) 0.2 (41.1) Income from continuing operations attributable to Encompass Health $ 113.6 $ 0.7 $ (0.1) $ 3.0 $ 1.0 $ (0.5) $ 117.7 Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations** $ 1.13 $ 0.01 $ $ 0.03 $ 0.01 $ $ 1.17 Diluted shares used in calculation 100.2 * See reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA ** Adjusted EPS may not sum across due to rounding. Encompass Health Corporation and Subsidiaries Supplemental Information Adjusted Earnings Per Share For the Three Months Ended June 30, 2020 Adjustments As Reported Income Tax Adjustments Change in Fair Market Value of Equity Securities As Adjusted (In Millions, Except Per Share Amounts) Adjusted EBITDA* $ 162.2 $ $ $ 162.2 Depreciation and amortization (60.7) (60.7) Interest expense and amortization of debt discounts and fees (45.8) (45.8) Stock-based compensation (9.9) (9.9) Loss on disposal or impairments of assets (3.0) (3.0) Change in fair market value of equity securities 2.4 (2.4) Income from continuing operations before income tax expense 45.2 (2.4) 42.8 Provision for income tax expense (11.8) (0.4) 0.6 (11.6) Income from continuing operations attributable to Encompass Health $ 33.4 $ (0.4) $ (1.8) $ 31.2 Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations** $ 0.34 $ $ (0.02) $ 0.31 Diluted shares used in calculation 99.9 * See reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA ** Adjusted EPS may not sum across due to rounding. Encompass Health Corporation and Subsidiaries Supplemental Information Adjusted Earnings Per Share For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 Adjustments As Reported Loss on Early Exting. of Debt Income Tax Adjustments Costs Associated with the Strategic Alternatives Review Costs Associated with the Frontier Acquisition Change in Fair Market Value of Equity Securities As Adjusted (In Millions, Except Per Share Amounts) Adjusted EBITDA* $ 529.7 $ $ $ $ $ $ 529.7 Depreciation and amortization (125.9) (125.9) Loss on early extinguishment of debt (1.0) 1.0 Interest expense and amortization of debt discounts and fees (84.6) (84.6) Stock-based compensation (14.8) (14.8) Loss on disposal or impairment of assets (2.8) (2.8) Costs associated with the strategic alternatives review (5.0) 5.0 Costs associated with the Frontier acquisition (1.3) 1.3 Change in fair market value of equity securities 0.6 (0.6) Income from continuing operations before income tax expense 294.9 1.0 5.0 1.3 (0.6) 301.6 Provision for income tax expense (74.0) (0.3) (3.4) (1.3) (0.3) 0.2 (79.1) Income from continuing operations attributable to Encompass Health $ 220.9 $ 0.7 $ (3.4) $ 3.7 $ 1.0 $ (0.4) $ 222.5 Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations** $ 2.20 $ 0.01 $ (0.03) $ 0.04 $ 0.01 $ $ 2.22 Diluted shares used in calculation 100.2 * See reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA ** Adjusted EPS may not sum across due to rounding. Encompass Health Corporation and Subsidiaries Supplemental Information Adjusted Earnings Per Share For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2020 Adjustments As Reported Gov't, Class Action, & Related Settlements Income Tax Adjustments Change in Fair Market Value of Equity Securities Gain on Consolidation of Former Equity Method Location Payroll Taxes on SARs Exercise As Adjusted (In Millions, Except Per Share Amounts) Adjusted EBITDA* $ 390.2 $ $ $ $ $ $ 390.2 Depreciation and amortization (119.5) (119.5) Government, class action, and related settlements (2.8) 2.8 Interest expense and amortization of debt discounts and fees (89.0) (89.0) Stock-based compensation (17.0) (17.0) Loss on disposal or impairment of assets (3.1) (3.1) Change in fair market value of equity securities (0.1) 0.1 Gain on consolidation of Treasure Coast 2.2 (2.2) Payroll taxes on SARs exercise (1.5) 1.5 Income from continuing operations before income tax expense 159.4 2.8 0.1 (2.2) 1.5 161.6 Provision for income tax expense (38.9) (0.7) (4.7) 0.6 (0.4) (44.1) Income from continuing operations attributable to Encompass Health $ 120.5 $ 2.1 $ (4.7) $ 0.1 $ (1.6) $ 1.1 $ 117.5 Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations** $ 1.21 $ 0.02 $ (0.05) $ $ (0.02) $ 0.01 $ 1.18 Diluted shares used in calculation 99.6 * See reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA ** Adjusted EPS may not sum across due to rounding. Encompass Health Corporation and Subsidiaries Supplemental Information Reconciliation of Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities to Adjusted EBITDA Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 2020 2021 2020 (In Millions) Net income $ 142.0 $ 48.3 $ 274.8 $ 157.0 Loss (income) from discontinued operations, net of tax, attributable to Encompass Health 0.3 (0.1) 0.3 Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests (28.7) (14.8) (54.2) (36.5) Government, class action, and related settlements 2.8 Provision for income tax expense 39.5 11.8 74.0 38.9 Interest expense and amortization of debt discounts and fees 41.8 45.8 84.6 89.0 Depreciation and amortization 63.4 60.7 125.9 119.5 Loss on early extinguishment of debt 1.0 1.0 Loss on disposal or impairment of assets 2.9 3.0 2.8 3.1 Stock-based compensation expense 12.0 9.9 14.8 17.0 Costs associated with the strategic alternatives review 4.1 5.0 Costs associated with the Frontier acquisition 1.3 1.3 Gain on consolidation of former equity method location (2.2) Change in fair market value of equity securities (0.7) (2.4) (0.6) 0.1 Payroll taxes on SARs exercise 1.5 Adjusted EBITDA $ 278.9 $ 162.2 $ 529.7 $ 390.2 Reconciliation of Segment Adjusted EBITDA to Income from Continuing Operations Before Income Tax Expense Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, Year Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2021 2020 2020 (In Millions) Total segment Adjusted EBITDA $ 315.7 $ 195.3 $ 601.4 $ 451.8 $ 986.3 General and administrative expenses (54.2) (43.0) (92.8) (78.6) (155.5) Depreciation and amortization (63.4) (60.7) (125.9) (119.5) (243.0) Loss on disposal or impairment of assets (2.9) (3.0) (2.8) (3.1) (11.6) Government, class action, and related settlements (2.8) (2.8) Loss on early extinguishment of debt (1.0) (1.0) (2.3) Interest expense and amortization of debt discounts and fees (41.8) (45.8) (84.6) (89.0) (184.2) Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests 28.7 14.8 54.2 36.5 84.6 Change in fair market value of equity securities 0.7 2.4 0.6 (0.1) 0.4 Gain on consolidation of former equity method location 2.2 2.2 Payroll taxes on SARs exercise (1.5) (1.5) Income from continuing operations before income tax expense $ 181.8 $ 60.0 $ 349.1 $ 195.9 $ 472.6 Encompass Health Corporation and Subsidiaries Supplemental Information Reconciliation of Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities to Adjusted EBITDA Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, Year Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2021 2020 2020 (In Millions) Net cash provided by operating activities $ 255.9 $ 222.3 $ 414.4 $ 251.6 $ 704.7 Interest expense and amortization of debt discounts and fees 41.8 45.8 84.6 89.0 184.2 Equity in net income of nonconsolidated affiliates 1.0 0.7 2.0 1.5 3.5 Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests in continuing operations (28.7) (14.8) (54.2) (36.5) (84.6) Amortization of debt-related items (2.0) (1.7) (4.0) (3.1) (7.2) Distributions from nonconsolidated affiliates (0.8) (1.0) (1.8) (2.0) (3.8) Current portion of income tax expense 42.0 22.3 67.8 48.0 51.4 Change in assets and liabilities (39.3) (113.9) 11.0 40.5 7.3 Cash used in operating activities of discontinued operations 0.6 0.6 0.1 0.2 Costs associated with the strategic alternatives review 4.1 5.0 Costs associated with the Frontier acquisition 1.3 1.3 Payroll taxes on SARs exercise 1.5 1.5 Change in fair market value of equity securities (0.7) (2.4) (0.6) 0.1 (0.4) Other 3.7 4.9 3.6 (0.5) 3.5 Adjusted EBITDA $ 278.9 $ 162.2 $ 529.7 $ 390.2 $ 860.3 Encompass Health Corporation and Subsidiaries Supplemental Information Reconciliation of Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities to Adjusted Free Cash Flow Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 2020 2021 2020 (In Millions) Net cash provided by operating activities $ 255.9 $ 222.3 $ 414.4 $ 251.6 Impact of discontinued operations 0.6 0.6 0.1 Net cash provided by operating activities of continuing operations 256.5 222.3 415.0 251.7 Capital expenditures for maintenance (30.5) (35.7) (53.8) (73.5) Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests of consolidated affiliates (24.9) (18.4) (52.7) (37.5) Items non-indicative of ongoing operations: Cash paid for SARs exercise (inclusive of payroll taxes) 102.1 Transaction costs and related assumed liabilities 4.5 4.5 Adjusted free cash flow $ 205.6 $ 168.2 $ 313.0 $ 242.8 For the three months ended June 30, 2021, net cash used in investing activities was $226.0 million and primarily resulted from capital expenditures and the acquisition of assets from Frontier Home Health and Hospice. Net cash used in financing activities during the three months ended June 30, 2021 was $186.4 million and primarily resulted from net debt payments, cash dividends paid on common stock, and distributions to noncontrolling interests of consolidated affiliates. For the three months ended June 30, 2020, net cash used in investing activities was $92.1 million and primarily resulted from capital expenditures. Net cash provided by financing activities during the three months ended June 30, 2020 was $182.8 million and primarily resulted from the issuance of additional senior notes in May 2020 offset by cash dividends paid on common stock and distributions paid to noncontrolling interests of consolidated affiliates. For the six months ended June 30, 2021, net cash used in investing activities was $321.6 million and primarily resulted from capital expenditures and the acquisition of assets from Frontier Home Health and Hospice. Net cash used in financing activities during the six months ended June 30, 2021 was $263.9 million and primarily resulted from net debt payments, cash dividends paid on common stock and distributions to noncontrolling interests of consolidated affiliates. For the six months ended June 30, 2020, net cash used in investing activities was $175.1 million and primarily resulted from capital expenditures. Net cash provided by financing activities during the six months ended June 30, 2020 was $253.9 million and primarily resulted from the issuance of additional senior notes in May 2020 offset by the settlement of the final put and exercise of the Home Health Holdings rollover shares and SARs, cash dividends paid on common stock, and distributions paid to noncontrolling interests of consolidated affiliates. Encompass Health Corporation and Subsidiaries Forward-Looking Statements Statements contained in this press release and the supplemental information which are not historical facts, such as those relating to the strategic alternatives review, the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on Encompass Health's business and financial assumptions, financial guidance, balance sheet and cash flow plans, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In addition, Encompass Health, through its senior management, may from time to time make forward-looking public statements concerning the matters described herein. All such estimates, projections, and forward-looking information speak only as of the date hereof, and Encompass Health undertakes no duty to publicly update or revise such forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily estimates based upon current information, involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and relate to, among other things, future events, Encompass Health's plan to repurchase its debt or equity securities, dividend strategies, effective income tax rates, its business strategy, its financial plans, its future financial performance, its projected business results or model, its ability to return value to shareholders, its projected capital expenditures, its leverage ratio, its acquisition opportunities, and the impact of future legislation or regulation. Actual events or results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors. While it is impossible to identify all such factors, factors which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those estimated by Encompass Health include, but are not limited to, the possibility that the Company may not be able to realize higher values for its home health and hospice business through strategic transactions; the possibility that the Company may decide not to undertake a transaction following the review of strategic alternatives or that it is not able to consummate any proposed transactions resulting from the review due to, among other things, market, regulatory and other factors; the potential for disruption to the Company's business resulting from the review of strategic alternatives or the undertaking of any transactions following the review; any potential adverse effects of the Company's stock price resulting from the announcement of the results of the strategic review; the continued spread of COVID-19, including the speed, depth, geographic reach and duration of the spread, which could decrease our patient volumes and revenues and lead to staffing and supply shortages and associated cost increases; actions to be taken by the Company in response to the pandemic; the legal, regulatory and administrative developments that occur at the federal, state and local levels; the Company's infectious disease prevention and control efforts; the demand for the Company's services, including based on any downturns in the economy, consumer confidence, or the capital markets and unemployment among family members; the price of Encompass Health's common stock as it affects the Company's willingness and ability to repurchase shares and the financial and accounting effects of any repurchases; any adverse outcome of various lawsuits, claims, and legal or regulatory proceedings involving Encompass Health, including any matters related to yet undiscovered issues, if any, in acquired operations; Encompass Health's ability to attract and retain key management personnel; any adverse effects on Encompass Health's stock price resulting from the integration of acquired operations; potential disruptions, breaches, or other incidents affecting the proper operation, availability, or security of Encompass Health's or its vendors' information systems, including unauthorized access to or theft of patient, business associate, or other sensitive information or inability to provide patient care because of system unavailability as well as unforeseen issues, if any, related to integration of acquired systems; the ability to successfully integrate acquired operations, including realization of anticipated tax benefits, revenues, and cost savings, minimizing the negative impact on margins arising from the changes in staffing and other operating practices, and avoidance of unforeseen exposure to liabilities; Encompass Health's ability to successfully complete and integrate de novo developments, acquisitions, investments, and joint ventures consistent with its growth strategy; increases in Medicare audit activity, including increased use of sampling and extrapolation, resulting in additional unpaid reimbursement claims and an increase in the backlog of appealed claims denials; changes, delays in (including in connection with resolution of Medicare payment reviews or appeals), or suspension of reimbursement for Encompass Health's services by governmental or private payors; changes in the regulation of the healthcare industry at either or both of the federal and state levels, including as part of national healthcare reform and deficit reduction (such as the Patient-Driven Groupings Model for home health) and Encompass Health's ability to adapt operations to those changes; competitive pressures in the healthcare industry and Encompass Health's response thereto; Encompass Health's ability to obtain and retain favorable arrangements with third-party payors; Encompass Health's ability to control costs, particularly labor and employee benefit costs, including group medical expenses; adverse effects resulting from coverage determinations made by Medicare Administrative Contractors regarding its Medicare reimbursement claims and lengthening delays in Encompass Health's ability to recover improperly denied claims through the administrative appeals process on a timely basis; Encompass Health's ability to adapt to changes in the healthcare delivery system, including value-based purchasing and involvement in coordinated care initiatives or programs that may arise with its referral sources; Encompass Health's ability to attract and retain nurses, therapists, and other healthcare professionals in a highly competitive environment with often severe staffing shortages, which may be worsened by the pandemic, and the impact on Encompass Health's labor expenses from potential union activity and staffing shortages; general conditions in the economy and capital markets, including any instability or uncertainty related to armed conflict or an act of terrorism, governmental impasse over approval of the United States federal budget, an increase in the debt ceiling, or an international sovereign debt crisis; the increase in the costs of defending and insuring against alleged professional liability claims, including claims associated with patient and employee exposures to COVID-19, and Encompass Health's ability to predict the estimated costs related to such claims; and other factors which may be identified from time to time in Encompass Health's SEC filings and other public announcements, including Encompass Health's Form 10K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2021 and June 30, 2021, when filed. Media Contact Casey Lassiter, 205 447-6410 [email protected] Investor Relations Contact Crissy Carlisle, 205 970-5860 [email protected] SOURCE Encompass Health Corp. Related Links http://www.encompasshealth.com THE WOODLANDS, Texas, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Excelerate Energy (Excelerate), a U.S.-based LNG company, today announced a joint donation with fellow members of the U.S.-Bangladesh Business Council (the Council) to provide medical supplies to aid in Bangladesh's fight against COVID-19. The Council partnered with nonprofit organization Project C.U.R.E., the world's largest distributor of donated medical equipment and supplies to resource-limited communities across the globe. Council members Chevron, HSBC, and MetLife joined Excelerate to deliver 46,000 KN-95 masks; 13,000 N-95 masks; 80 transformers; 60 oxygen concentrators; and 20 ventilators. "We have a responsibility to our employees and customers in Bangladesh," said Steven Kobos, President and CEO of Excelerate. "The Council is a key partner of ours and together we joined forces with Project C.U.R.E. to make a direct impact. Through our donation, these medical supplies will provide much needed relief and support to severely affected people in Bangladesh." Delivering supplies across Bangladesh The shipment arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on July 26. U.S. Embassy Charge d'Affaires JoAnne Wagner participated in a handover ceremony with senior representatives of the Government of Bangladesh. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Bangladesh's Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) will distribute the donated equipment and supplies to 10 medical colleges across Bangladesh. "The COVID-19 pandemic has produced unprecedented challenges for the global health community, from large urban hospitals to small rural clinics. Project C.U.R.E. has been on the front lines to meet those challenges with our partners to combat COVID-19 all over the world, including Bangladesh," said Dr. Douglas Jackson, President and CEO of Project C.U.R.E. "We are proud to partner with our friends at Excelerate and the U.S.-Bangladesh Business Council in this vital mission to provide the necessary medical equipment and training to save lives of people in Bangladesh and bring an end to this devastating pandemic." Core Values in Action Excelerate's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program is guided by the company's core values: Stewardship, Accountability, Improvement, and Leadership. Committed to the long-term success of the communities where Excelerate builds and operates projects and to positively impact each, the company's CSR focus areas are health, education, and climate. "Bangladesh is confronting a new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic," said Habib Bhuiyan, Country Manager, Excelerate Bangladesh. "Excelerate developed Bangladesh's first ever LNG terminal in the Bay of Bengal and plays an important role in developing the economy through delivering reliable energy to the country. It is important for us to address the urgent healthcare needs across communities and we believe these supplies and equipment will help the medical colleges better respond to a surge in COVID-19 cases." For more information about Excelerate, the company's core values, mission, or projects, visit ExcelerateEnergy.com. About Excelerate Energy: Excelerate Energy L.P. is a U.S.-based LNG company located in The Woodlands, Texas. It is part of a privately held U.S. energy group founded by George Kaiser. Excelerate is the pioneer and market leader in innovative floating LNG solutions, providing integrated services along the entire LNG value chain with an objective of delivering rapid-to-market and reliable LNG solutions to customers. Excelerate offers a full range of floating regasification services from FSRU to infrastructure development to LNG supply. Excelerate has offices in Abu Dhabi, Buenos Aires, Chittagong, Dhaka, Doha, Dubai, Rio de Janeiro, Salem, Singapore, and Washington DC. SOURCE Excelerate Energy L.P. "Extreme is on a path to enable the Infinite Enterprise for our customers and their consumers," said Nabil Bukhari, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Product Officer at Extreme Networks. "As we continue to evolve our portfolio, it is critical to have leadership that understands the importance of being consumer-centric and for our solutions to scale to the individual. Networking must evolve to be infinitely distributed. Calvin understands this vision and has a proven track record of successfully bringing innovation and new ideas to market." Calvin spent the past 20 years of his career at F5 Networks in various roles, primarily focused on driving corporate transformation initiatives. Prior to his most recent position as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cloud Services, Calvin was Senior Vice President of Business Development, where he focused on growing F5's business alliances, ecosystem partners, and corporate strategy. Calvin joined F5's business development organization in 2001 and built revenue-impacting alliances with leading technology companies including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, VMware, Red Hat, FireEye, Okta, Oracle, SAP, and IBM. Prior to joining F5, Calvin held business development and sales roles at DataChannel, WorldTalk, and ResourceNet. "This is a pivotal time in the networking industry and Extreme is leading the way when it comes to providing next-generation experiences for customers. I'm thrilled to leverage my expertise to help Extreme continue to evolve as a services-based, cloud-driven company. Extreme has an incredible opportunity to advance the services it delivers by making them more flexible, accessible, and available to customers on demand. Once I saw what Extreme had started, I had to join the mission," said Calvin Rowland, Senior Vice President of SaaS, Extreme Networks. A graduate of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Calvin holds both a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Industrial Technology. About Extreme Networks Extreme Networks, Inc. (EXTR) creates effortless networking experiences that enable all of us to advance. We push the boundaries of technology leveraging the powers of machine learning, artificial intelligence, analytics, and automation. Over 50,000 customers globally trust our end-to-end, cloud-driven networking solutions and rely on our top-rated services and support to accelerate their digital transformation efforts and deliver progress like never before. For more information, visit Extreme's website at https://www.extremenetworks.com/ or follow us on LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Extreme Networks and the Extreme Networks logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Extreme Networks, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Other trademarks shown herein are the property of their respective owners. SOURCE Extreme Networks, Inc. Related Links http://www.extremenetworks.com Carefully developed since 2019, the Whole Blends Shampoo Bar formulas utilize Garnier's best technology to cleanse like liquid shampoos without plastic packaging, resulting in shiny and healthy-looking strands. Formulated with 94% plant-based ingredients, the solid shampoo bars are blended free of preservatives, silicones, soap and dyes. The fast-rinsing formulas are 97% biodegradable and dermatologist-tested for safety. Each easy-to-use solid shampoo bar provides up to 2 months of usage and is suitable for the whole family ages three+. To use, wet hair and the solid shampoo bar to make it foam. Hold the shampoo bar and lather from roots to tips. Massage scalp and rinse off. Follow with conditioner and store the shampoo bar in a dry place. "At Garnier, we are deeply committed to shift the way the beauty industry operates and lead the change for all of us. The new Whole Blends zero-plastic shampoo bars are a huge milestone for the brand. We are not only changing the face of haircare but also helping millions of consumers across the US to take #OneGreenStep and join us in our journey towards more sustainability. This is all part of Garnier's commitment towards Greener Beauty, for all of us." Adrien Koskas, Global Brand President By the end of 2021, all Whole Blends Shampoo & Conditioner bottles, excluding caps and pumps, will be made with 100% recycled plastic. By 2025, Garnier's ambition is for all of our plastic packaging to be made of 100% recycled material. Garnier Whole Blends Shampoo Bars (SRP $7.49) are available now on Amazon in four sensorial blends: Garnier Whole Blends is committed to Greener Beauty and launched its end-to-end sustainability journey in 2020 to make a positive impact on people and the planet through the following initiatives: Eco-designed formulas track the biodegradability and water footprint of products. Zero plastic packaging uses FSC certified cardboard, supporting forest management that respects people and nature. Whole Blends Commits to respect bees: Whole Blends is using sustainably sourced Honey and Beeswax that are obtained using traditional beekeeping methods, which respect bees & help maintain biodiversity. Whole Blends supports The Bee Conservancy, a non-profit organization that protects 10 million bees. The products are produced in a facility committed to sustainability, reducing its waste and water consumption per unit by approximately 58% and 47% respectively, since 2005. Proud supporter of Ocean Conservancy, an organization that mobilizes beach clean-ups of plastic pollution on their International Coastal Clean-Up Day. As of 2021, Garnier is officially approved by Cruelty-Free International under the Leaping Bunny program. About Garnier USA Garnier, a L'Oreal USA brand, was developed in 1904 in France by hair care expert Alfred Amour Garnier and is now present in more than 65 countries worldwide. Following the launch of Garnier in the United States in 1999 with Nutrisse hair color, the brand has continued to develop beauty products with a keen awareness of its social responsibility to you and the planet. The entire collection of Garnier brands available in the U.S. includes Nutrisse, Fructis hair care, and Fructis Style, Olia hair color, Color Sensation hair color, SkinActive, and Whole Blends hair care. For more information visit www.garnierusa.com or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Snapchat @GarnierUSA. For Press Inquiries Please Contact Alyssa Barnett Director, Social Media Content & Influencer Marketing 516.521.0611 [email protected] Lauren Larkin or Donna Valle Alison Brod Marketing Communications 212.230.1800 [email protected] SOURCE Garnier DUBLIN, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Industrial Safety Market Research Report by Industry, by Component, by System, by Region - Global Forecast to 2026 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Global Industrial Safety Market size was estimated at USD 5,545.02 Million in 2020 and expected to reach USD 6,013.29 Million in 2021, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) 8.78% to reach USD 9,189.14 Million by 2026. Market Statistics: The report provides market sizing and forecast across five major currencies - USD, EUR GBP, JPY, and AUD. It helps organization leaders make better decisions when currency exchange data is readily available. In this report, the years 2018 and 2019 are considered historical years, 2020 as the base year, 2021 as the estimated year, and years from 2022 to 2026 are considered the forecast period. Market Segmentation & Coverage: This research report categorizes the Industrial Safety to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets: Based on Industry, the Industrial Safety Market was examined across Aerospace & Defense, Automotive, Chemical, Energy & Power, Food & Beverages, Healthcare & Pharmaceutical, Metal & Mining, Oil & Gas, and Semiconductor. Based on Type, the Industrial Safety Market was examined across Machine Safety and Worker Safety. Based on Component, the Industrial Safety Market was examined across Emergency Stop Controls, Presence Sensing Safety Sensors, Programmable Safety Systems, Safety Controllers/Modules/Relays, Safety Interlock Switches, and Two-Hand Safety Control. Based on System, the Industrial Safety Market was examined across Burner Management Systems, Emergency Shutdown Systems, Fire & Gas Monitoring System, High-Integrity Pressure Protection Systems, and Turbomachinery Control System. Based on Geography, the Industrial Safety Market was examined across Americas, Asia-Pacific , and Europe , Middle East & Africa . The Americas was further studied across Argentina , Brazil , Canada , Mexico , and United States . The Asia-Pacific was further studied across Australia , China , India , Indonesia , Japan , Malaysia , Philippines , Singapore , South Korea , and Thailand . The Europe , Middle East & Africa was further studied across France , Germany , Italy , Netherlands , Qatar , Russia , Saudi Arabia , South Africa , Spain , United Arab Emirates , and United Kingdom . Competitive Strategic Window: The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies to help the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. It describes the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth during a forecast period. FPNV Positioning Matrix: The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Industrial Safety Market based on Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape. Market Share Analysis: The Market Share Analysis offers the analysis of vendors considering their contribution to the overall market. It provides the idea of its revenue generation into the overall market compared to other vendors in the space. It provides insights into how vendors are performing in terms of revenue generation and customer base compared to others. Knowing market share offers an idea of the size and competitiveness of the vendors for the base year. It reveals the market characteristics in terms of accumulation, fragmentation, dominance, and amalgamation traits. Company Usability Profiles: The report profoundly explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Industrial Safety Market, including ABB Ltd, Balluff GmbH, Banner Engineering India Pvt. Ltd., Emerson Electric Co., Euchner, Fortress Interlocks, General Electric Company, HIMA Paul Hildebrandt GmbH, Honeywell International Inc., IDEC Corporation, Johnson Controls International PLC, Keyence Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Omron Corporation, Paladon Systems Ltd., Pilz India Pvt Ltd, Proserv Ingenious Simplicity, Rockwell Automation, Inc., Schmersal India Pvt Ltd, Schneider Electric SE, SGS Group, Sick AG, Siemens AG, and Yokogawa Electric Corporation. The report provides insights on the following pointers: 1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players 2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyze penetration across mature segments of the markets 3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments 4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, certification, regulatory approvals, patent landscape, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players 5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and breakthrough product developments The report answers questions such as: 1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Industrial Safety Market? 2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Industrial Safety Market during the forecast period? 3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Industrial Safety Market? 4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Industrial Safety Market? 5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Industrial Safety Market? 6. What is the market share of the leading vendors in the Global Industrial Safety Market? 7. What modes and strategic moves are considered suitable for entering the Global Industrial Safety Market? Key Topics Covered: 1. Preface 2. Research Methodology 3. Executive Summary 4. Market Overview 4.1. Introduction 4.2. Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 5. Market Insights 5.1. Market Dynamics 5.1.1. Drivers 5.1.1.1. Rapid rise in automotive manufacturing activities 5.1.1.2. Rising technological advancement producing reliable safety equipment 5.1.1.3. Increasing demand for the safety systems in the oil & gas industry 5.1.2. Restraints 5.1.2.1. Initial investment cost for the installation of industrial safety systems 5.1.2.2. Limited training initiatives and complicated safety standards 5.1.3. Opportunities 5.1.3.1. Rising demand for industrial safety systems in the oil, gas, automotive, and construction sectors 5.1.3.2. Stricter implementation of government protocols for creating a safer work culture Adoption of IIoT 5.1.4. Challenges 5.1.4.1. Minimizing cost and risk by improving workforce efficiency 5.1.4.2. Lack of awareness about the potential benefits of workplace safety programs by numerous businesses 5.2. Porters Five Forces Analysis 5.2.1. Threat of New Entrants 5.2.2. Threat of Substitutes 5.2.3. Bargaining Power of Customers 5.2.4. Bargaining Power of Suppliers 5.2.5. Industry Rivalry 6. Industrial Safety Market, by Industry 6.1. Introduction 6.2. Aerospace & Defense 6.3. Automotive 6.4. Chemical 6.5. Energy & Power 6.6. Food & Beverages 6.7. Healthcare & Pharmaceutical 6.8. Metal & Mining 6.9. Oil & Gas 6.10. Semiconductor 7. Industrial Safety Market, by Type 7.1. Introduction 7.2. Machine Safety 7.3. Worker Safety 8. Industrial Safety Market, by Component 8.1. Introduction 8.2. Emergency Stop Controls 8.3. Presence Sensing Safety Sensors 8.4. Programmable Safety Systems 8.5. Safety Controllers/Modules/Relays 8.6. Safety Interlock Switches 8.7. Two-Hand Safety Control 9. Industrial Safety Market, by System 9.1. Introduction 9.2. Burner Management Systems 9.3. Emergency Shutdown Systems 9.4. Fire & Gas Monitoring System 9.5. High-Integrity Pressure Protection Systems 9.6. Turbomachinery Control System 10. Americas Industrial Safety Market 10.1. Introduction 10.2. Argentina 10.3. Brazil 10.4. Canada 10.5. Mexico 10.6. United States 11. Asia-Pacific Industrial Safety Market 11.1. Introduction 11.2. Australia 11.3. China 11.4. India 11.5. Indonesia 11.6. Japan 11.7. Malaysia 11.8. Philippines 11.9. Singapore 11.10. South Korea 11.11. Thailand 12. Europe, Middle East & Africa Industrial Safety Market 12.1. Introduction 12.2. France 12.3. Germany 12.4. Italy 12.5. Netherlands 12.6. Qatar 12.7. Russia 12.8. Saudi Arabia 12.9. South Africa 12.10. Spain 12.11. United Arab Emirates 12.12. United Kingdom 13. Competitive Landscape 13.1. FPNV Positioning Matrix 13.1.1. Quadrants 13.1.2. Business Strategy 13.1.3. Product Satisfaction 13.2. Market Ranking Analysis 13.3. Market Share Analysis, By Key Player 13.4. Competitive Scenario 13.4.1. Merger & Acquisition 13.4.2. Agreement, Collaboration, & Partnership 13.4.3. New Product Launch & Enhancement 13.4.4. Investment & Funding 13.4.5. Award, Recognition, & Expansion 14. Company Usability Profiles 14.1. ABB Ltd 14.2. Balluff GmbH 14.3. Banner Engineering India Pvt. Ltd. 14.4. Emerson Electric Co. 14.5. Euchner 14.6. Fortress Interlocks 14.7. General Electric Company 14.8. HIMA Paul Hildebrandt GmbH 14.9. Honeywell International Inc. 14.10. IDEC Corporation 14.11. Johnson Controls International PLC 14.12. Keyence Corporation 14.13. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation 14.14. Omron Corporation 14.15. Paladon Systems Ltd. 14.16. Pilz India Pvt Ltd 14.17. Proserv Ingenious Simplicity 14.18. Rockwell Automation, Inc. 14.19. Schmersal India Pvt Ltd 14.20. Schneider Electric SE 14.21. SGS Group 14.22. Sick AG 14.23. Siemens AG 14.24. Yokogawa Electric Corporation 15. Appendix For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/1cshk0 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 LOUISVILLE, Ky., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GlowTouch LLC, a global Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) services provider based in Louisville, Kentucky, announced today that the company has been recognized as an Aspirant by Everest Group in the analyst's 2021 Customer Experience Management (CXM) - Service Provider Landscape with Services PEAK Matrix Assessment for its unique CXM offerings. This is the first time that GlowTouch has made the list and the recognition comes after a year of growth and expansion amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Everest Group analysts evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of over 39 CXM service providers. The Matrix allows unbiased and fact-based validation of CXM leaders' market position and differentiation in customer experience, including the evaluation of their strategic positioning, market presence, growth dynamics, investment readiness, and adoption trends for technologies and related services. "We are proud and humbled to be included among the other leading names in our industry," said Vidya Ravichandran, President and Founder of GlowTouch. "This past year has been one of tremendous growth and change for us. We have added new leadership, new clients, expanded our global footprint, helped existing clientele with increased demand for customer care, and adapted to an unexpected global issue while maintaining our core values. This recognition by Everest Group emphasizes the importance of CXM to companies as they deliver seamless customer experiences." As The Uncommon BPO, GlowTouch brings a unique depth and breadth of technology and customer service skills to the industry. Along with contact center agents and supervisors, there are also software engineers and full-stack web developers who provide outsourced technology services. Expertise is critical as technology grows more complex and the inherent user issues become more intricate. During the past 16 months, GlowTouch moved into a new corporate headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky; opened a nearshore facility in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; and launched its third offshore center in Mysore, India. In response to the pandemic, a nascent work-from-home program was created as an additional staffing option for clients to expand the labor pool to populations for whom access was previously difficult. In conjunction, the staff has grown to more than 2,300 employees. The company has also invested heavily in its own ongoing IT evolution. "We have added bot technology, artificial intelligence, and dashboard mechanisms to better streamline our contact center operation," continued Ravichandran. "In recent years, we have also developed and supported software and mobile apps for multiple clients. Our company has a mission to be the customer experience management (CXM) provider of choice for companies that want to acquire and engage customers across all channels. We are committed to delivering innovative solutions that help our customers achieve their business goals." Read more about the Everest Group's 2021 CXM PEAK Matrix: https://www2.everestgrp.com/reportaction/EGR-2021-21-R-4470/Marketing About GlowTouch GlowTouch provides personalized contact center, business processing, and technology outsourcing solutions to clients around the world. Founded in 2002, its 2,300+ employees deliver operational excellence with high-touch engagement. A certified Woman-Owned Business and six-time Inc. 5000 honoree, GlowTouch is headquartered in Louisville, KY, with operational onshore contact centers in Louisville and Miami, FL; nearshore presence in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; and offshore locations in Mangalore, Bangalore, and Mysore, India. To learn more about GlowTouch, visit www.GlowTouch.com , or email Tammy Weinstein at [email protected] . Related Images glowtouch-llc.png GlowTouch, LLC GlowTouch logo SOURCE GlowTouch, LLC In the midst of the COVID pandemic, Southwest Louisiana was impacted by more federally declared natural disasters than any other community in American history: Hurricane Laura (August 27, 2020), Hurricane Delta (October 9, 2020), Winter Storm Uri (February 15, 2021) and a 1,000 Year Flood Event (May 17, 2021). Supplemental disaster recovery funding, formally called CDBG-DR, is the customary response communities have received from the federal government after being impacted by major natural disasters. This funding has always been awarded in a much shorter time period. By comparison, Washington DC acted 10 days after Hurricane Katrina, 34 days after Hurricane Andrew, and 98 days after Superstorm Sandy. To date, nearly a year after Hurricane Laura, the federal government has provided no supplemental disaster recovery funding for Southwest Louisiana. "The clock continues to tick," says Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter. "We are closing in on the one year mark since Hurricane Laura made landfall, tearing a path of destruction through Southwest Louisiana and the rest of the state. We have yet to receive a federal appropriation of supplemental disaster relief funding. It is simply unfathomable and unconscionable that American citizens are still struggling and suffering due to inaction in Washington D.C." Help Southwest Louisiana Now is a way for those concerned about this region's recovery to join together to communicate with Congress and the President about the dire need for supplemental relief. The total unmet housing need for the state exceeds $900M from Hurricanes Laura, Delta and Zeta, and this figure was calculated before the Winter Storm and May 17 flood. Within the City of Lake Charles alone, housing damages are estimated at $235M, less than 13% of residential buildings have pulled permits to begin reconstruction or rehabilitation, 60% of public housing is still offline, average rental costs have risen by 22%, and 21% of businesses have not renewed occupational licenses for 2021. SOWELA & McNeese enrollments are both down by 9% due to weather disasters. Calcasieu Parish School Board enrollment is down by 14%. Thousands in Southwest Louisiana are living in unsustainable and unhealthy housing. Local government, non-profits and faith-based organizations have continuously expressed the need for supplemental disaster aid but to no avail. Pastor Sam Tolbert, President of the National Baptist Convention of America International states, "I have seen the suffering and need with my own eyes, in my own neighborhood." He adds, "As we always do in the face of adversity, we have helped our brothers and sisters to our greatest extent possible. Now, we call upon our American brothers and sisters. To all in Washington DC and across America, I say to you that we are your brethren, we are hurting, and we need help. Mother Nature has been brutal to us. We are strong and though we try to keep each other's spirits lifted, many are weary and plead for additional help and an equitable response." Campaign information and resources can be found on www.rebuildingswla.com. Those who wish to help are asked to submit pre-written letters to their Congressional representatives and the President. It is a brief simple process and the letters can be customized. Citizens are also asked to share the campaign video released today on the RebuildingSWLA Facebook page. "Recent weather disasters continue to have a traumatic impact on the lives of our people in Southwest Louisiana, including our education system," adds Karl Bruchhaus, Calcasieu Parish School Board Superintendent. "Combined with COVID, the damages to our 76 campuses in the Calcasieu Parish School Board system have left us struggling to repair our buildings and live up to our strong academic expectations. We are near the end of our capacity to continue repairs without additional resources. Our community and our students deserve the same consideration given to others across our country that have faced similarly disasters. Our local resilience and strength should not be used to penalize. Although we continue to endure, our employees, parents and students are exhausted and are nearing breaking points." "Cameron Parish is the first location to experience the fury of each hurricane that makes landfall in SWLA, the entryway that welcomes global maritime commerce and the buffer to points north," says Clair Marceaux, Director of Cameron Parish Port, Harbor & Terminal District. She continues, "Cameron Parish exists as a working coast: we are home to more than $50 billion in liquefied natural gas export construction already completed and another $40 billion in proposed projects and one of our nation's only two Strategic Petroleum Reserves. We export more natural gas than all but two countries worldwide! Our people desperately need more help from the federal government." For more information, to view the campaign elements or sign and submit a letter of support, visit www.rebuildingswla.com. For Further Information Contact: Katie Harrington, 337-491-9176 (Office) 337-884-3536 (Cell) [email protected] SOURCE City of Lake Charles SANTA MONICA, Calif., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Inspire, a technology enabled clean energy company in the U.S., today announced it has signed an agreement to become a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell New Energies US LLC ("Shell"). As part of Shell, Inspire intends to rapidly scale its offering of access to sustainable energy to U.S. households. "We look forward to joining Shell's talented team to achieve our energy transition goals together," said Patrick Maloney, Founder & CEO of Inspire. "We share the belief that renewable energy should be accessible to everyone and Shell's resources, reach and ownership of many aspects of the energy value chain will help us scale and advance our mission." "Our goal is to become a major provider of renewable and low-carbon energy, and this acquisition moves us a step closer to achieving that," said Elisabeth Brinton, Executive Vice President of Renewables & Energy Solutions at Shell. "This deal instantly expands our business-to-consumer power offerings in key regions in the U.S., and we are well-positioned to build on Inspire's advanced digital capabilities to allow more households to benefit from renewable and low-carbon energy." Inspire will operate under its existing brand within Shell's Renewables & Energy Solutions integrated power business. The Inspire leadership team and existing employee base will remain in place. The deal is expected to be completed by Q4 of 2021, subject to regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of closing conditions. About Inspire Inspire is a mission-driven, technology enabled clean energy company that subscribes people to a world where energy from renewable sources is a better choice for their home and the environment. With Inspire, members receive access to clean energy and peace of mind from a predictable price for their home's electricity supply. Founded in 2014, Inspire has made it easy for hundreds of thousands of people to support clean energy, and join the fight against climate change. Inspire, a certified B-Corp, is a privately held company with headquarters in Santa Monica, CA and Philadelphia, PA. About Royal Dutch Shell plc Royal Dutch Shell plc is incorporated in England and Wales, has its headquarters in The Hague and is listed on the London, Amsterdam, and New York stock exchanges. Shell companies have operations in more than 70 countries and territories with businesses including oil and gas exploration and production; production and marketing of liquefied natural gas and gas to liquids; manufacturing, marketing and shipping of oil products and chemicals and renewable energy projects. For further information, visit www.shell.com . SOURCE Inspire Clean Energy SAN JOSE, Calif., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lacework, the security company for the cloud, today announced Jay Parikh, a technology visionary and longtime industry leader, has joined the company as Co-CEO. Parikh joined Lacework as an advisor in May following his tenure at Facebook as VP, Head of Engineering and Infrastructure, where he led a global team of tens of thousands of employees who built and scaled its software and hardware infrastructure and platforms. Current CEO David "Hat" Hatfield, who joined Lacework in February, led the recruitment of Parikh. Hatfield will remain as Chairman and Co-CEO of the company and will continue to lead business strategy, business development/market expansion, and operations. Parikh, who will also join Lacework's Board of Directors, will lead the company's innovation engine, including the company's product, engineering, and infrastructure efforts. Together, the two leaders will partner with Vikram Kapoor, Lacework founder and CTO, to carry forward the vision he helped establish when Lacework launched in 2015. "Jay and I have a professional relationship and personal friendship going back more than 20 years. That type of trust and mutual respect is not only invaluable, it's a force multiplier as we work together to build Lacework into an iconic security company," said Hatfield. "I can't think of a better person to lead Lacework's technology organization as we double down on changing security forever with a platform that embraces data and automation, bridges security and DevOps, and secures the world's shift to the cloud." Parikh is one of the few technology leaders who has architected, built, and operated cloud infrastructure at scale. At Facebook, his team tackled the tech industry's hardest scale and technological challenges, driving innovation for everything from the physical infrastructure - data centers, servers, networking, subsea cables - to the thousands of massive scale software, data/AI, and security systems that, together, power the Facebook family of apps. This enabled Facebook to grow its community from three hundred million people to over three billion people around the world who are constantly communicating and connecting with each other in real time. Parikh also played a key leadership role in industry-transforming initiatives like the Open Compute Project and the Telecom Infra Project. Prior to Facebook, Parikh oversaw all product development, core infrastructure, product management, and operations for the company's social networking platform at Ning. At Akamai Technologies, where Parikh initially met Hatfield, he helped build one of the world's largest and most globally distributed cloud platforms. In his new Co-CEO role, he will lead Lacework's growing technology team and research and platform development efforts as the company scales to meet the ever-growing high demand for Lacework's Platform. "Joining Lacework as an advisor gave me a closer look into the potential of the company, and as I learned more, I knew immediately it was something I wanted to be a part of longer term. Lacework's approach is profoundly different from anything else in the market, and Hat and I are excited to lead together to scale Lacework into the industry's preferred security platform for the cloud," said Parikh. "Together, we will broaden our leadership reach, execute with precision, deliver faster, and accelerate the growth of Lacework -- all with a relentless focus on serving our customers." Parikh's appointment as Co-CEO builds off of the recent expansion of Lacework's executive leadership bench and advisory board with some of the technology industry's leading thinkers. In May, Lacework announced that Murray Demo, former CFO of Atlassian, Rubrik, and Adobe, among other companies, joined the Lacework Board of Directors. The company also added Adrian Ludwig, Atlassian CISO and Frank Slootman, Snowflake CEO as company Advisors. "Rocketship companies share two common characteristics - a product vision that maps to where the industry needs to go to solve a major societal problem, and a team that knows how to execute better than anyone else," said Mike Speiser, Managing Director at Sutter Hill Ventures and a Lacework Board Member. "Jay Parikh is a proven technology leader who has a long track record of building and scaling technology organizations that change entire industries. The combination of Hat, Jay, and the other outstanding talent that Lacework has attracted, underpinned by the world's most innovative cloud security platform, is a recipe for a breakout company and long-term success." The addition of Parikh as Co-CEO comes with continued record breaking growth for Lacework. In the first quarter of 2021, Lacework reported revenue tripled year-over-year, driven by a 5x increase in new customers where nearly half of all new customer wins were competitive takeouts, an expanding partner ecosystem, and an almost 300 percent increase in employee growth year-over-year. With eight straight quarters of sequential revenue growth, Lacework continues to dramatically increase market share. About Lacework Lacework is the security company for the cloud. The Lacework Cloud Security Platform is offered as-a-Service and delivers build-time to run-time threat detection, behavioral anomaly detection, and cloud compliance across AWS, GCP, Azure, and Kubernetes services, workloads, and containers. Trusted by enterprise customers worldwide, Lacework significantly drives down costs and risk, and removes the burden of unnecessary toil, rule writing, and inaccurate alerts. Lacework was founded in 2015 and is backed by Sutter Hill Ventures, Snowflake Ventures, Altimeter Capital, AME Cloud Ventures, D1 Capital Partners, Coatue, Dragoneer Investment Group, Liberty Global Ventures, Spike Ventures, Tiger Global Management, and the Webb Investment Network (WIN). The company is based in San Jose, California. Get started at www.lacework.com. SOURCE Lacework Related Links http://www.lacework.com CLEARWATER, Fla., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- There is no question that the most anticipated time of year for coffee lovers is the fall. After countless emails and social media requests, Jordan's Skinny Mixes is excited to announce their new fall lineup, featuring 11 pumpkin flavors, available today nationwide. This is the earliest date the company has released the flavors in order to keep up with customer demand. Jordan's Skinny Mixes Pumpkin Flavor Variety Jordan's Skinny Mixes Pumpkin Spice Flavor For over 12 years, Skinny Mixes has been the number one brand for zero calorie, zero sugar syrups for those who love lattes and coffees, but don't want to settle for the sugary, high calorie offerings from well-known coffee retailers. As the only sugar-free pumpkin option on the market, fans are known to BYOB (Be Your Own Barista) and make their favorite PSL at home or on the go. With over five million bottles of pumpkin syrups sold, the Skinny Mixes team challenges themselves to innovate each year. This season, customers can expect to see the return of their six favorite pumpkin varieties, including Pumpkin Spice, Pumpkin Caramel, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll, Pumpkin Caramel Scone and Pumpkin Praline Pie, but also the addition of five new flavors, including a Keto option. The new varieties include Vanilla Bean Pumpkin, White Chocolate Pumpkin, Pumpkin Spice Latte, Keto Pumpkin Spice with MCT Oil and Pumpkin Pecan Waffle. "Pumpkin Spice is without a doubt our number one Skinny Syrup flavor year after year," says Skinny Mixes CEO, Jordan Engelhardt. "We know that our loyal customers crave these products all year round, so we are so excited to be able to offer them their go-to's and some new varieties earlier this year." For those who are less enthusiastic about pumpkin, but still enjoy fall blends in their coffee, the brand will be returning Maple Bourbon Pecan and adding Maple Donut and Chai. Skinny Syrups are available at www.SkinnyMixes.com and can be found at local retailers across the US, Canada and Europe. About Jordan's Skinny Mixes: Skinny Mixes empowers people to make healthier choices full of flavor and fun, from coffee to cocktails and everything in between. Enhance your favorite foods and beverages with guilt-free sweetness and flavor. Skinny Mixes is the leading manufacturer of low-calorie cocktail mixes, sugar free coffee syrups, cold brew coffee on tap, protein shakes and many other specialty beverage items and gift sets. Skinny Mixes features standout Skinny Syrup flavors like Mocha, Salted Caramel and Vanilla as well as fruity flavors like their Blueberry Burst, Peach Ring and Citrus Splash Functional Syrups, plus their fall fan favorite, Pumpkin Spice. Skinny Mixes and Syrups are proudly produced in the USA and are Gluten Free & Kosher. Skinny Mixes can be found in over 13,000 specialty retail locations across the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe. For more information, please visit www.SkinnyMixes.com and follow on social media at @SkinnyMixes. Contact: Bonnie Taylor 702-300-5690 [email protected] SOURCE Jordan's Skinny Mixes Related Links http://www.SkinnyMixes.com "We are excited to offer our members another convenient branch location," said Jay Magulski, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Our branches also play and important role in building awareness of our brand and strengthening our ties to the communities we serve." "Our members enjoy having a wide variety of ways to bank with us that give them the flexibility to choose an option that supports their specific need," explained Brian Melter, Chief Experience Officer. "With our easy to use online and mobile offerings, friendly call center, and convenient branch locations, we're ensuring our members can manage their finances however and whenever works best for them." To celebrate the addition of the new branch location, Landmark donated $1,000 to the local non-profit organization, Mel's Charities. Through various events, Mel's Charities has distributed more than $1.4 million in grants to Ozaukee County based non-profits since 1999. Landmark Credit Union has $5.6 billion in assets and more than 800 employees, who serve over 370,000 members at 35 locations throughout Southern Wisconsin. Visit landmarkcu.com to learn more. SOURCE Landmark Credit Union Related Links http://www.landmarkcu.com BOSTON, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of National Lasagna Day (Thursday, July 29th), Lasagna Love will attempt to break its existing record for lasagnas delivered. The nationwide grassroots movement of kindness that connects neighbors through homemade meal delivery, has partnered with Rao's Homemade and Pastene to feed families, spread kindness, and strengthen communities. Since its founding in May 2020, Lasagna Love's army of volunteer "Lasagna Chefs" (LCs) has delivered upwards of 95,000 meals and positively impacted more than 400,000 lives. To pay homage to one of America's most popular comfort foods, Lasagna Love has challenged itself and its volunteer chefs to deliver 5,000+ lasagnas across America in one week, surpassing the 100,000 lasagna delivery mark for the year. To help make this effort a reality, Rao's Homemade, a leading producer of premium pasta sauces, and Pastene, a leading importer of authentic Italian foods and ingredients, have donated ingredients needed to create the perfect homestyle lasagna. Pastene, is donating approximately 1,000 packages of authentic Italian Lasagne Festonate and Kitchen-Ready Tomatoes and is also donating 10 percent of its July lasagna noodle sales to Lasagna Love. "We are honored to support Lasagna Love and their volunteer's efforts to feed as many families as possible in celebration of National Lasagna Day," said Mark Tosi, president of Pastene. "Our company has a long-standing history of supporting local communities through donations to food pantries therefore supporting Lasagna Love's community outreach efforts is a natural fit for us." Rao's Homemade , Lasagna Love's National Sauce Sponsor, is recognized for high quality sauces. From classic Marinara to savory Bolognese, Rao's Homemade offers 12 sauce varieties in addition to pizza sauces, alfredo and pesto versions, as well as soups, pasta and frozen entrees. Each Rao's Homemade offering is made with simplicity in mind, using the fewest number of the highest-quality ingredients and taking the fewest number of steps. "Lasagna Love's efforts to feed families compliments our own commitment to our fans: to bring family and loved ones around the dinner table to enjoy a delicious meal," said Risa Cretella, Executive Vice President, Group General Manager for Rao's Homemade. "As the National Sauce Sponsor, Rao's Homemade is delighted to align our brand with an organization that shares our love for giving back to the community." Rao's Homemade is donating a jar of sauce to all active Lasagna Love volunteers to help prepare batches of lasagna and is supplying additional sauce donations to Lasagna Chefs preparing lasagna deliveries in Chicago, IL, Omaha, NE and San Diego, CA. #NationalLasagnaDay celebrates single-pan comfort food National Lasagna Day is an annual celebration of a long-favored meal of Italian descent made with layers of pasta, tomato sauce, meats or poultry, vegetables, and plenty of cheese. The unctuous, single pan meal is one of America's most favored comfort foods, and in the last year, has become the primary vehicle for delivering kindness to neighbors and community members courtesy of Lasagna Love. Initiated at the start of the pandemic by a mom looking for a way to support community members during safety lockdowns, Lasagna Love has connected neighbors through homemade meal delivery. More than 20,000 "Lasagna Chefs" (LCs) are matched weekly with recipient families residing within their immediate community. Chefs prepare and deliver meals to not only dent food insecurity, but to provide support and kindness to those contending with challenge, whether defined by job loss, pandemic fatigue, or general overwhelm. "National Lasagna Day is like our Super Bowl," said Rhiannon Menn, founder of Lasagna Love. "For more than a year, lasagna deliveries have been the foundation on which Lasagna Love has strengthened communities, so a day dedicated to lasagna is the perfect time to accelerate our efforts to do even more." Even with the arrival of humid summertime temperatures, Lasagna Chefs across America have continued to make and deliver meals to community members in every state across the country. Lasagna Love gained exponential traction because Americans were looking for a safe and thoughtful way to stay connected at a time when we were disconnected--from everyone and everything. With anticipated large-scale deliveries of hundreds of lasagnas already scheduled in California, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New York, and Virginia, Lasagna Love volunteers are preparing to surpass the existing record for lasagnas delivered. It also signals a sobering reality that demand for meals is still high despite rebound from pandemic lockdowns. To request a meal on National Lasagna Day, to become a volunteer Lasagna Chef, or to support Lasagna Love through the purchase of Lasagna Love store merchandise, visit www.lasagnalove.org . Lasagna Love volunteers are encouraged to participate as much or as little as desired -- whether one-time, weekly, or monthly. About Pastene For over 145 years, Pastene has been bringing family and friends to the table with uncompromising quality and taste. For generations, we have turned meals into memories with our wide selection of high-quality ingredients. With a strong presence and offices in both the United States and Canada, the Company's iconic yellow and red labels grace gourmet items from tomatoes to tuna, breadcrumbs to olive oil, including hard-to-find varieties of olives and artichokes. About Rao's Homemade Rao's Homemade offers authentic sauce made with whole Italian tomatoes and other Italian specialty foods, including bronze die cut pastas, slow-simmered soups and premium frozen entrees. Each product is made with simplicity in mind, using high-quality ingredients. Find out more at www.raos.com . Follow us on social at: @raoshomemade. About Lasagna Love Lasagna Love is a viral grassroots community impact movement connecting neighbors with neighbors through gestures of kindness and support. The non-profit abides by three simple principles: feed families, spread kindness and strengthen communities. Founded by a mom in support of moms, Lasagna Love has joined together volunteers across all 50 states in America and aims to normalize asking for help when it's needed, and to weave kindness back into the fabric of our daily lives. To learn more about Lasagna Love and how you can get involved, visit www.lasagnalove.org or our social channels, @WeAreLasagnaLove (Instagram and Facebook). Media inquiries: For Lasagna Love: Wendy Agudelo (978-994-1447); [email protected] For Pastene: Jackie Rodriguez (561-299-3560); [email protected] For Rao's Homemade: Bobbie Semple (860-391-2627); [email protected] SOURCE Lasagna Love Related Links http://www.lasagnalove.org VANCOUVER, BC, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Entreflow Consulting Group, a boutique consulting firm based in Vancouver that provides accounting, marketing, and consulting services for startups and growth companies across Canada, is pleased to announce the arrival of Mary Aig as its newest hire. "I enjoy working with entrepreneurs and love to see them succeed, hence my passion for consulting," Mary says. "I'm thrilled to be working alongside one of the best and most respected teams in the industry." Before joining Entreflow, Mary worked with multiple high-growth technology startups and even founded her own consulting business. She's successfully managed full sales cycles in different capacities, especially high-growth technology startups. With her guidance, one of those startups -- a high-growth SaaS technology company saw revenue increase nearly 7x in the first 18 months. With extensive experience in the B2B Saas environment and a credible entrepreneurial background, Mary's able to leverage insights acquired while collaborating with executives across a diverse range of industries -- finance, marketing, accounting, construction, real estate, and more to help businesses thrive. "I care and love to bring my 100% to the work I do, even if it means learning new things and seeking new knowledge to solve complex problems," Mary continues. "I help provide tools and resources for business owners to increase their revenue and book of business by giving them back time to focus on what they know how to do best while utilizing the right tools to take care of the rest." To learn more about Entreflow Consulting Group or to connect with Mary Aig, please CLICK HERE. About Entreflow: Your Secret Weapon for Growth. Entreflow is different. As a licensed public practice CPA accounting firm and licensed recruiting agency, our highly unusual team of 25 Finance legends, HR Leaders, and Systems ninjas specializes in supporting startups and scale-ups that have a big vision. Every day, we leverage hands-on expertise in the complex operations and finance of technology and manufacturing companies to help our clients set, track, and crush their goals. When you work with Entreflow, you're partnering with an award-winning team that has earned Elite status with Intuit QuickBooks, Xero Partner Advisory Council status, and a Top 50 Cloud Accountants North America award. We're regularly invited to speak at international conferences and webinars about how we help companies grow and scale through effective Finance, Accounting and HR. Media contact: Helina Patience [email protected] 604-814-7154 SOURCE Entreflow The first batch of supplies worth RMB 350,000, including bottled water and convenience food, has been dispatched from the Wuhan warehouse, which will be followed by a second batch that includes over 115,000 bottles of water in an effort to mitigate drinking water shortage caused by the flood. The second and third batches of relief supplies, including 9,600 boxes of drinking water worth more than 800,000 yuan, arrived in Xinxiang City on May 24, and the third batch arrived in Weishi County, Kaifeng City on May 25, and were respectively received by the local Red Cross. "In the face of this devastating natural disaster, the Chinese people have once again shown enormous tenacity and solidarity in ensuring people's safety and rebuilding their homeland. The donation is our endeavor to serve and support the affected communities and the front-line rescue workers by providing vital supplies in their time of need," said MINISO's Vice President of Marketing Robin Liu. Since its establishment, MINISO has initiated multiple charity projects and taken concrete actions to help support children, women and those who suffer from serious illness and disasters. In recent years, MINISO has ramped up efforts in channeling its resources to address the challenges of people in need, seeking new ways to positively impact the communities around it and working with its partners in various sectors to create a new philanthropy ecosystem in all over the world. Earlier this year, together with China Charities Aid Foundation for Children (CCAFC), a leading Chinese NGO established to provide support to marginalized and vulnerable children in China for their education, health and growth, MINISO launched a charity project for female, an initiative that offers health and well-being education to "left-behind" girls to help them raise awareness about personal hygiene and sanitation. Under the joint initiative, MINISO also aims to harness the sprawling influence of this platform to bring the attention of the public and companies to the health conditions of young girls living in rural areas, improving access to sanitary projects for them. "MINISO places social responsibility at the forefront of our business visions and objectives, constantly exploring new charity models through diverse and cross-border partnerships. Building on our own business advantages, we wish to maximize our ability in transforming the charity landscape in China and beyond, bringing meaningful changes to people in need. Looking forward, MINISO will continue to promote the development of charitable programs by providing more education projects, life essentials and services to vulnerable communities," said Robin Liu. About MINISO MINISO is a lifestyle product retailer, offering high-quality household goods, cosmetics, food, and toys at affordable prices. Since its first store opened in Guangzhou in 2013, MINISO has opened more than 4,587 stores in over 95 countries and regions. With a focus on sleek design and fun trends, its mission is to enable everyone to enjoy life's little surprises. SOURCE Miniso Group "Gen Z is the most influential consumer group out there today, and MINISO is committed to catering to their expectations and delivering experiences that are as distinct as their personality. This generation feels passionate about their hobbies and creates communities anchored in them. As a result, the only brands that will thrive in the future are those that create surprises to attract more consumers from this core demographic. The blind box machine is a bold new way for MINISO to meet the changing needs of consumers and connect with the youth of today through exciting brand experiences tailored to their unique interests," said Robin Liu, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of MINISO. Nine collections will be sold in MINISO's blind box vending machines, including previous best-selling items from its retail stores. Blind boxes are priced between SGD 9.90 and 14.90, which makes them easily within reach for younger collectors. MINISO has also made contactless shopping easier than ever with the option to pay using card or to scan a QR code and complete the payment via WeChat Pay or Alipay. According to a report by Frost & Sullivan, Singapore's pop toy retailing market ranks amongst the top three in the world alongside Japan and Korea. Capitalizing on this trend, MINISO already sells its blind box products in 22 stores across major shopping malls in Singapore. The retailer plans to open up a total of five self-service blind box vending machines across Singapore for this launch, with a focus on highly popular shopping destinations without an existing MINISO presence. Since 2020, MINISO has sold blind box products online and in its stores across Singapore. In May 2021, the company won over the love of an entire generation of fans with five highly anticipated collection drops based on popular IPs, including the nationwide release of the Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, and RUMI TUTU range. In addition, the retailer launched its own beloved Budding Pop series based on the fan-favorite emoji icon, which sparked a MINISO blind box phenomenon across South-East Asia. MINISO's first self-service blind box vending machine builds upon this momentum, bringing more opportunities for Gen Z shoppers to engage with and delight in MINISO's brand experiences. A hub for trendy culture, Singapore will also serve as the launchpad for MINISO's blind box machines in the broader region, as it seeks to create new experiences for Gen Z consumers in Asia and beyond. About MINISO MINISO (NYSE: MNSO) is a lifestyle product retailer, offering high quality household goods, cosmetics, food, and toys at affordable prices. Since its first store opened in Guangzhou in 2013, MINISO has opened more than 4,587 stores in over 95 countries and regions. With a focus on sleek design and fun trends, its mission is to enable everyone to enjoy life's little surprises. SOURCE Miniso Group HERZLIYA, Israel, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nayax Ltd. (TASE: NYAX) today announced key performance indicators for the second quarter of 2021. The financial results for the second quarter of 2021 will be published on Monday, August 23rd, 2021. Revenue for Q2 2021 is expected to be between $30 million and $31 million , an increase of more than 110% over Q2 2020 and , an increase of more than 110% over Q2 2020 Managed and connected devices were 436,000, an increase of more than 40% over Q2 2020 Number of customers reached 23,500, an increase of more than 40% over Q2 2020 Number of processed transactions was 186 million, more than double those of Q2 2020 "We will be announcing our financial results on August 23rd, 2021", commented Yair Nechmad, CEO of Nayax. "Our ongoing efforts to reach new customers, with further expansion in our global markets, continue to support our growth, producing positive results for our stakeholders. I am very pleased with our achievements this quarter. Even considering the impact of the global COVID pandemic on Q2 2020 results, Q2 2021 saw very strong results, representing over 30% revenue growth over Q1 2021, a significant milestone in our continued journey." Conference Call Yair Nechmad, Chief Executive Officer; Sagit Manor, Chief Financial Officer; and David Ben-Avi, Chief Technology Officer, will host a conference call to review the Company's second quarter 2021 financial results on August 23rd, 2021, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time / 3:30 p.m. Israel Time. To attend the conference call, please dial one of the following teleconferencing numbers. Please begin by placing your call at least five minutes before the conference call commences. If you are unable to connect using the toll-free numbers, please try the international dial-in number. U.S. TOLL-FREE: 1-866-777-2509 ISRAEL TOLL-FREE: 1-80-9212373 INTERNATIONAL: 1-412-317-5413 AUSTRALIA TOLL-FREE: 1-800-822-994 WEBCAST LINK: https://services.choruscall.com/mediaframe/webcast.html?webcastid=ge9Ube3b At: 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time 5:30 a.m. Pacific Time 3:30 p.m. Israel Time The Company encourages participants to pre-register for the conference call using the following link: https://dpregister.com/sreg/10158266/ea98f08302. Callers will receive a unique dial-in upon registration, which enables immediate access on the day of the call. Participants may pre-register at any time, including up to and after the call start time. The conference call will also be available via live webcast from a link on Nayax's Investor Relations website. A replay of the conference call will be available from August 23, 2021, to September 6, 2021. To access the replay, please dial one of the following numbers: Replay TOLL-FREE: 1-877-344-7529 Replay TOLL/INTERNATIONAL: 1-412-317-0088 Replay Pin Number: 10158266 To access the replay using an international dial-in number, please select the link below. https://services.choruscall.com/ccforms/replay.html An archived and live media webcast will also be available for 90 days on Nayax's Investor Relations website. ABOUT NAYAX Nayax is a global commerce enablement and payments platform designed to help merchants scale their business. Nayax offers a complete solution including localized cashless payment acceptance, management suite, and consumer engagement tools, enabling merchants to conduct commerce anywhere, at any time. With foundations and global leadership in serving retail, Nayax has transformed into a comprehensive solution focused on our customers' growth across channels. Today, Nayax has 10 global offices, over 400 employees, connections to more than 80 merchant acquirer and payment method integrations and is a recognized payment facilitator worldwide. Nayax's mission is to improve our customers' revenue potential and operational efficiency. Visit www.nayax.com for more information. The securities referred to in this announcement have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") or under the securities laws of any state of the United States, and may not be offered, sold, resold or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. In the United States, any offer of the ordinary shares will be made only to "qualified institutional buyers" as defined in and in reliance on Rule 144A under the Securities Act or another available exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. Outside the United States, any offer will be made in accordance with Regulation S of the Securities Act. Forward-looking statements The information included in this press release contains, or may be deemed to contain, forward-looking statements (as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the Israeli Securities Law, 1968). Said forward-looking statements, relating to quarterly financial results or other performance indicators, are subject to uncertainties and assumptions and the actual results may materially differ. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Nayax on the date hereof. All written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to Nayax are expressly qualified in their entirety by the factors referred to above. Nayax does not intend to update these forward-looking statements. Investor Relations Contact: Miri Segal MS-IR LLC [email protected] Tel: +1-917-6078654 SOURCE Nayax Related Links http://www.nayax.com/ Next Frontier Brands hires Retail Industry Veteran Bill Wafford as its Chief Financial Officer Tweet this Previously in his career, Wafford was the Chief Financial Officer of JCPenney, and was the Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Vitamin Shoppe. He also served as a Partner in the Advisory Practice group of KPMG LLP, and was a Vice President of Finance at Walgreens. Wafford will report to Magnacca and will become a member of the company's executive team. Wafford will be responsible for all aspects of the company's financial strategy and operations, including accounting and financial reporting, investor relations, mergers and acquisitions, treasury and capital planning, investments, risk management, tax, budgeting and planning, and procurement. "I am thrilled to be joining Next Frontier Brands and its team of world-class executives," said Wafford. "Given its platform of CPG brands, global distribution footprint and proprietary technology, I believe there is a tremendous opportunity for revenue growth and free cash flow generation for Next Frontier Brands." About Next Frontier Brands Next Frontier Brands is an international consumer packaged goods company with a focus on beverage and wellness products. Next Frontier Brands currently owns 10 beverage and wellness brands, with six additional brand acquisitions pending. Our beverage brands include products in the distilled alcoholic spirits, distilled non-alcoholic spirits, wine, coffee and superfood categories. Our wellness brands include products in the topical and sublingual categories. We are headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, with additional offices in London, England; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; and Auckland, New Zealand. CONTACT: Next Frontier Brands [email protected] SOURCE Next Frontier Brands COSTA MESA, Calif., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Safe & Sound Treatment recognizes that substance abuse does not occur in a bubble, which is why they prioritize offering a variety of treatment options that address guests' overall wellness. EMDR has recently been added to Safe & Sound Treatment's range of outpatient treatment options, thanks to therapist Erin Lae. Safe & Sound Treatment "I am very excited to be able to offer EMDR to our clients," Lae says. "I've known about it and how effective it can be for quite some time. There has been so much research on EMDR therapy that it is recognized as an effective treatment for trauma and other disturbing experiences by organizations such as the American Psychiatric Association, the World Health Organization, and the Department of Defense." Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is distinct from talk therapy. EMDR can treat a wide range of needs, though it is most notably associated with PTSD. As many people with substance use disorders deal with trauma, individuals at Safe & Sound Treatment can now benefit from the service. The National Institute of Drug Abuse identified that almost two-fifths of adults coping with substance abuse also experience a co-occuring mental illness. Being able to address underlying causes of addiction, such as trauma, are critical to a successful recovery. Adding EMDR to Safe & Sound Treatment's program makes the program more dynamic, broadening the range of people that they can help. Rather than discussing new ways to think about or respond to trauma, EMDR uses techniques involving eye movements and imagery to facilitate the brain's natural ability to heal and respond to challenging events. Research supports that three to six sessions of EMDR can have a 75 percent or higher remission rate for single-trauma PTSD. Lae has 15 years experience in various clinical settings, and more recently completed EMDR International Association compliant training. Lae, and Safe & Sound Treatment, prioritizes the quality of care they provide continuing to advance their quality of care through additional therapeutic services. Media Contact: Mitch Marowitz 949-543-1241 [email protected] SOURCE Safe & Sound Treatment FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- U.K. cosmetics brand Scence Natural Skincare has received multiple awards during the 2021 edition of the Free From Skincare Awards. The recognition from the prestigious organization isn't surprising, considering Scence Skincare's steady commitment to create quality, all-natural, inclusive cosmetics for all. Scence Skincare is used to accolades. The footer of their website is studded with awards and honors for their hard work in the cosmetics industry. Most recently, the growing U.K. brand was able to add a trio of awards from the tenth edition of the Free From Skincare Awards competition. The brand had two products placed in three of the event categories, including the company's: Scence Pure Deodorant Balm , which won a Gold Medal in the Deodorant category. , which won a Gold Medal in the Deodorant category. Scence Pure Deodorant Balm, which won a Gold Medal in the Free From Achievement Award category and was a runner-up in the Best Free From Skincare Product 2021 Award category. The announcement was released on July 7th, coming after a rigorous, months-long judging process. This included an assessment by four experienced skincare testers as well as concluding round-table expert judging sessions. The brand shared the stellar news with the statement that "Our Scence team is so happy to have our products recognized and selected from a fantastic range of brands that share our ethos and vision." The "ethos and vision" referred to includes creating products that are organic, cruelty-free, and vegan. Scence Skincare also prides itself on using 100% plastic-free packaging and remaining carbon-positive through multiple corporate social responsibility initiatives. As for the awards themselves, the Free From Skin Care Awards is a Europe-wide event. The competition is designed to celebrate, encourage, and reward skincare manufacturers that create products that exclude many of the allergens, fragrances, preservatives, and other additives typically associated with the cosmetics industry. These manufacturers focus on SKUs that are effective solutions for those with skin sensitivities, allergies, and ethical, environmental, and health-related concerns. Scence is delighted to receive this latest batch of awards, but the company isn't resting on its laurels. Rewards like these ultimately serve as another reminder of why they're in the cosmetics business in the first place. As the brand continues to grow both its product line and its international presence, including the U.S. it remains firmly focused on the standards that have brought it so far, so fast. About Scence Skincare: Scence Natural Skincare products were launched in 2018 by sisters Mel and Krista. From its inception, the Cornwall-based company has maintained an ambitious strategy to provide high-quality, handmade, natural skincare products to a growing audience of customers "who care about the planet and what they put on their skin." Please direct inquiries to: Jacinda Knuth (954) 721-3269 [email protected] SOURCE Scence CHICAGO and LONDON, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Screendragon , a leading enterprise workflow platform for marketing, agency and professional services organizations, today announced the election of Clive Sirkin to serve as Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors. Sirkin is a veteran global CPG and agency executive with more than 30 years' experience at large multinational corporations, a reputation as a change agent, and a track record of driving shareholder value. Sirkin most recently served as Chief Growth Officer at Kellogg Company, where he was a member of the Executive Committee and was responsible for R&D, innovation, sales, marketing, and research & analytics as well as for setting the company's category strategy. Prior to Kellogg, Sirkin served as the Chief Marketing Officer of Kimberly-Clark, where he was also part of a leadership team during a time of unprecedented shareholder growth. He had previously launched and successfully exited his own consultancy after a 16-year advertising career at Leo Burnett that culminated in being named the Group Managing Director of Publicis' Leo Burnett Worldwide. Sirkin has translated that background into an investment and strategic advisory role helping technology and food startups scale for growth and exit. He currently serves on the boards of Fyllo, UCAN, Jones Soda and 70 Faces Media. Sirkin has a long history as a client, investor and business partner to the co-founders of Screendragon, Jan Quant & John Briggs. "It's not often that you encounter someone with both a transformational mindset and Clive's degree of operational ability," Briggs said. "Given our long relationship with him, he was the natural candidate to head our Board of Directors as we position the company for the next stage of growth." "Digital transformation starts internally, and Screendragon leads the way in helping create the frictionless workflow that is required to achieve competitive advantage in today's environment," Sirkin said. "With their stellar client roster and exceptional track record in simplifying project management at scale, this is a company that has all the tools and technologies to dominate their space and make a real difference in their clients' ability to operate at peak efficiency." About Screendragon Screendragon is a leading project, resource and workflow management software company that helps agencies, brand marketers, sports organizations and others streamline and scale their business efficiently. The company's platform boosts productivity and profitability by applying AI and machine learning to scoping projects, managing resources, tracking budgets and adapting content/workflows. For more information, visit https://www.screendragon.com SOURCE Screendragon AUSTIN, Texas, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Serenity Kids, the fastest growing shelf-stable baby food brand, continues to increase its nationwide retail availability to over 700 Target locations and on Target.com, offering the first ethically sourced meat-based baby food varieties. This retail expansion into Target brings Serenity Kids' retail footprint to over 5,000 stores in the U.S. As a family owned and parent-run brand, Serenity Kids' goal is to provide health-packed, delicious, low sugar, high fat, and convenient food that babies and toddlers enjoy and parents feel good about feeding them. Serenity Kids' Ethically Sourced Meat-Based Baby Food Line The Ethically Sourced Meat Baby Food line is made with only high-quality pasture raised meat from small American regenerative family farms and Certified USDA Organic vegetables - with no sugary fruits. Serenity Kids only uses ingredients without any antibiotics, added hormones, pesticides, fillers, GMOs, or major allergens. The brand's Ethically Sourced Meat Baby Food line debuting into Target stores nationwide includes five varieties in 3.5 oz. single serving pouches: - Grass Fed Beef with Organic Kale and Sweet Potatoes - Free Range Chicken with Organic Peas and Carrots - Pasture Raised Turkey with Organic Pumpkin and Beets - Grass Fed Bison with Organic Kabocha Squash and Spinach - Wild Caught Salmon with Organic Butternut Squash and Beet "We are thrilled to be partnering with Target, which sells a huge percentage of America's baby products," said Joe Carr, co-founder and President of Serenity Kids. "Target bringing in our five meat-based baby food varieties further proves how the consumer demand for premium quality baby and toddler food with ethical sourcing and testing traceability goes well beyond the natural market and has become fully mainstream. Who ever thought you'd be able to get bison baby food at Target?! The Ethically Sourced Meat line has a special place in our hearts as it was the first products we launched with three years ago, and is the perfect introduction to the Target parent." Serenity Kids introduces new customers to an updated baby food brand with strong points of difference versus the current shelf-stable offerings filled with sugar, fruits, and fillers. Each of the meat-based baby food pouches from Serenity Kids offer five grams of protein, five grams of fat, and less than three grams of natural sugar from vegetables to support healthy growth and development versus the top-selling baby food competitors that average 1.3g protein, 0.6g fat, and 10.3g sugar per pouch. Premium baby food pouches within the $2.00 - $3.99 MSRP range, such as Serenity Kids' products, are driving 36.5% sales growth in conventional retail outlets nationwide, as opposed to the lower priced pouches under $2.00 which have seen a decline of -2.8% vs. last year. The brand offers 15 baby food pouch varieties in their current lines - Ethically Sourced Meats, Organic Savory Veggies, and Toddler Purees with Bone Broth. Most recently, Serenity Kids debuted a new line of Grain Free Puffs and an innovative A2 Whole Milk Toddler Formula. All of Serenity Kids' products are Clean Label Project certified. At select Target locations nationwide and on Target.com, Serenity Kids' five meat-based baby food pouch varieties are available for $3.99 MSRP each. About Serenity Kids: Serenity Kids makes premium products of the highest nutritional, ethical, and taste standards. Serenity Kids only uses ingredients without any antibiotics, added hormones, pesticides, fillers, GMOs, or major allergens. Serenity Kids' new A2 Whole Milk Toddler Formula and Ethically Sourced Meat Baby Food, Organic Savory Veggie Baby Food, Toddler Purees with Bone Broth, and new Grain Free Puffs lines are available online at www.MySerenityKids.com, Amazon, and Thrive Market, and in over 5,000 grocery stores nationwide including Harris Teeter, select H-E-B locations, Kroger, Natural Grocers, Meijer, select Albertsons/Safeway locations, Sprouts, Target, Wegmans, Whole Foods Market, and more. For more information on the brand, mission, and products, please go to www.MySerenityKids.com, and follow them on Instagram and Facebook. Media Contact: Leah Brown (858) 337-2995 [email protected] SOURCE Serenity Kids Related Links http://www.MySerenityKids.com MOSCOW, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sheremetyevo International Airport served 11,369,000 people in the first six months of 2021, an increase of 16.4% over the same period in 2020. Passenger traffic in June reached 2,980,000, an increase of 378.4% over the corresponding period in 2020. Travelers on international flights numbered 2,499,000, about 22% of the passenger traffic, while domestic passengers numbered 8,870,000, or 78%. Passenger traffic in June totaled 2,980,000, of which 654,000 were on international flights and 2,326,000 were on domestic flights. A total of 99,000 takeoff and landing operations were performed in the same six- month period, including 22,840 in June, an increase of 166.9 percent over June 2020. The intensity the of air traffic at Sheremetyevo Airport has been steadily increasing with resumption of regular flights between Russia and a number of other countries, as well as the opening of new tourist destinations and the easing of restrictions for persons entering Russia, The most popular international destinations in January-June of the current year were Istanbul, Male, Dubai, Yerevan, Antalya, and domestic - Sochi, Simferopol, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Krasnodar. Aeroflot, Rossiya, Nordwind Airlines, Ikar, Pobeda, Royal Flight and Severstal made the largest contribution to Sheremetyevo's passenger traffic of Sheremetyevo in the six-month period. Sheremetyevo Airport is among the TOP-5 airport hubs in Europe, the largest Russian airport in terms of passenger and cargo traffic. In 2020, the airport served 19 million 784 thousand passengers. Sheremetyevo is the best airport in terms of quality of services in Europe, the absolute world leader in punctuality of flights, the recipient of the highest 5-star Skytrax rating. You can find additional information at http://www.svo.aero. SOURCE Sheremetyevo International Airport Related Links http://www.svo.aero FT. WORTH, Texas, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Simpli.fi, a leader in programmatic advertising and agency management software, announced that Sandra Murillo Sareyko, Vice President of Sales, of the e-Commerce, D2C, and International group, was honored with the 2021 Cynopsis Top Women in Media award in the Tech Leaders category. The past year has called for exceptional innovation and this award tributes those who rose to the challenge and went above and beyond. Honorees are risk-takers who are instrumental in creating and executing strategy in tech. Sareyko led the industry in high growth areas during a time when the pandemic was altering the entire market. Her primary focus was to help brands use e-commerce to grow their customer bases by leveraging their first party data as well as Simpli.fi's real-time audience curation tool within Simpli.fi's own unique addressable platform. In addition, Sareyko and her team have been instrumental in the rollout and launch of Simpli.fi's online attribution capabilities for their advanced CTV advertising solution. This capability allowed advertisers to drive, and measure, online sales when it was most crucial. During the pandemic when in-store foot traffic came to a near halt, it was vital that advertisers could correctly analyze the performance of their campaigns in converting online sales. "Sandra is a results driven leader as she consistently leads her team by example, experience, and empathy," said Frost Prioleau, co-founder and CEO of Simpli.fi. "She is generous and forward-thinking in nature and takes the time to connect with her colleagues to help drive a great culture of positivity and self-empowerment. We are excited to see Sandra honored yet again for this award." In 2020, Sareyko was able to propel her team forward as she played an instrumental role in the development and monetization of addressable CTV by the largest broadcast station groups and cable companies in the U.S. The Advanced TV team also helped clients quickly pivot into verticals, geographies, and messaging that excelled during the pandemic. Simpli.fi has run over 26,000 CTV campaigns for more than 7,000 unique advertisers so far in 2021, largely due to Sareyko's team's contribution and effort towards helping brands drive performance with CTV advertising. The selected winners will be honored this year at the 2021 Cynopsis Top Women in Media Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, October 27th in New York City. To learn more about Simpli.fi please visit our website. About Simpli.fi Simpli.fi is a leading provider of workflow software and programmatic advertising solutions, serving over 1400 agencies, advertisers, and media buying organizations. Our solutions enable our customers to perform more effectively and efficiently, and to maximize ROI on their advertising spend across CTV, mobile, display, and other media types. Our platform delivers performance on budgets of all sizes, executing over 120,000 campaigns for 30,000 advertisers in a typical month. Media Contact Katie McGovern SHIFT Communications for Simpli.fi [email protected] SOURCE Simpli.fi Related Links https://simpli.fi OKLAHOMA CITY, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyke & Byke continues to impress outdoor enthusiasts and adventurers with top-quality products at affordable prices. The company's sleeping pad ultralight, insulated and self-inflating has received high marks for durability, comfort and its light weight. Recently, Hyke & Byke joined forces with the Conservation Alliance, a group of outdoor companies that seeks to protect threatened wild places throughout North America for their habitat and recreational values. Hyke & Byke Sleeping Pad Learn more about the sleeping pad self inflating mat by visiting https://www.amazon.com/Hyke-Byke-Appalachian-Inflatable-Sleeping/dp/B08F9FWC34 . "We are happy to join the membership of a group that recognizes our collective responsibility to help protect the natural landscape and waterways where we, along with our adventuring customers, recreate," says the company's senior spokesperson, Daniel Ede. "Supporting conservation efforts is not only vital to maintaining the outdoor space where we play and explore, but more importantly, it's necessary to look after this habitat for the wildlife that lives there." Since it was founded in 1989, the Conservation Alliance membership has grown to over 250 companies, including some of the most widely recognized brands in the industry. The Alliance disperses funding to grassroots environmental organizations and community-based campaigns. Hyke & Byke offers a range of outdoor gear essential for exploring the wilderness. One of its popular products, the sleeping pad backpacking, is made from durable, ultralight, and water-repellent 70D ripstop nylon. It takes up little space and adds little weight, leaving room for other adventuring essentials without weighing down a backpack. The pad rolls down to a mere 11 inches by 4.5 inches (standard size) and 11 inches by 3.5 inches (ultralight size) and weighs only 1 pound and 8 ounces. Many users rave about one product feature: the micro-adjustment valve that allows a person to adjust the air pressure to individual preference for the ultimate sleeping experience. Horizontal air channels provide better contouring for a comfortable sleep regardless of preferred sleeping position. As seasoned backpackers, the company founders saw a need for premium and lightweight gear that doesn't break the bank. "Out in nature as in business, we believe in the ultralight lifestyle. You bring along only what you need, and you realize that the journey, itself, is the important part," says Ede. To find additional information about Hyke & Byke and its full range of sleeping bag backpacking products, please visit the official company website or Amazon storefront at https://www.amazon.com/Hyke-Byke-Appalachian-Inflatable-Sleeping/dp/B08F9FWC34 . Contact Name: Daniel Ede, Contact Phone: 1 (888) 300-1001 Contact Email: [email protected] About Hyke & Byke Hyke & Byke is a small but rapidly growing, independent outdoor gear company that was inspired and built by a group of entrepreneurial outdoorsmen who felt that the outdoor gear market was filled with overpriced products that could be better designed and sold at honest prices. SOURCE Hyke & Byke Related Links http://www.hykeandbyke.com MENLO PARK, Calif., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SRI International today announced that its insurtech venture spinout, Wingsure, is expanding its artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) capabilities to deliver instant access to personalized insurance products for underserved small farmers and communities worldwide. Wingsure is an insurtech platform that revolutionizes how small farmers and rural customers leverage insurance and financial products to transform their lives and livelihood. Wingsure is an insurtech platform that revolutionizes how small farmers and rural customers leverage insurance and financial products to transform their lives and livelihood. The U.N. reports the global rural population is more than three billion. Wingsure delivers instant access to all through personalized mobile-based insurance products and services. It supports economic empowerment with transparency and promotes sustainability through modern agricultural practices that preserve and enrich the environment. "The benefits of artificial intelligence need to be accessible to everyonenot just the big corporations," said Todd Stavish, vice president and managing director of SRI Ventures. "Bringing SRI's computer vision and natural language processing technology into the hands of small agriculture allows Wingsure to reach communities that need this technology the most." The gap between economic losses and those that are insured widened in 2020 due to the pandemic. According to a Swiss Re Institute study, the global insurance protection gap reached a new high of $1.4 trillion. Wingsure connects insurance companies, brokers and agri-businesses with small farmers worldwide through their mobile devices. Wingsure's application leverages AI and machine learning (ML) to rapidly process insurance claims with the aid of SRI's computer vision, geospatial and AR technology, which can confirm crop damage, identify the validity of insurance claims and make prompt settlement. In addition to its advanced AI and ML, Wingsure combines voice prompts and natural language processing to allow farmers to speak in their native language. The platform can be scaled to integrate with existing mobile communication platforms, and claims that previously took 3 to 12 months to complete can be verified and processed in minutes. "Farmers are the foundation of our society, but many farmers worldwide are exposed to risks that could cost them their livelihood and their land. We now have the technology to protect these small farmers anywhere in the world," said Avi Basu, founder and CEO of Wingsure. "Not only can we insure them, but by applying this kind of advanced technology, Wingsure can help farmers become more successful growers." Initial implementation will focus on India where 70 percent of households are dependent on agriculture for their living. Many are located in remote locations without access to financial services and are unable to insure against crop failure or other unexpected events. Wingsure's mobile platform provides services that were previously inaccessible to this enormous market, where 800 million people are agri dependent. 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, works primarily in advanced technology and systems, biosciences, computing and education. SRI brings its innovations to the marketplace through technology licensing, spin-off ventures and new product solutions. About Wingsure Wingsure leverages artificial intelligence and deep technology to provide protection for farmers worldwide. The company operates in developing nations as well as advanced countries, focusing on small growers who are locked out of traditional financial services. Wingsure is dedicated to providing small farmers competitive levels of technology and security to maintain dignity and sustainability of individuals worldwide. Media contact: Kaleigh DeBias SRI International [email protected] (862) 222-4559 SOURCE SRI International SAN FRANCISCO, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Finance Barometer report series was created to collect, compare, and present worldwide primary credit sentiment data and time trends. The 2021 report will be published on July 27 by Financer.com Limited, revealing several significant findings, as presented below: Key Findings Map Chart: Change in Credit Sentiment 2020-2021 - Finance Barometer 2021 The global credit sentiment score decreased by 8.9% in 2021. in 2021. Global pessimistic voters increased from 38.8% to 45.2%, while global optimistic voters shrunk from 40% to 32.2%. while global U.S. respondents remained among the most optimistic , despite having the second-largest decrease in sentiment score (-22%) since 2020. , despite having the second-largest decrease in sentiment score (-22%) since 2020. Ukrainian respondents were the most pessimistic group in the study for the second year in the row, with 66% expressing a negative credit sentiment. group in the study for the second year in the row, with 66% expressing a negative credit sentiment. Sweden had the most significant decrease in credit sentiment (-26.5%) and is now the 3rd most pessimistic country in our study. (-26.5%) and is now the 3rd most pessimistic country in our study. The most optimistic voters are from Indonesia , Georgia , Bulgaria , Russia , Estonia , the USA , Netherlands , and Germany . The most pessimistic voters are from Hungary , Sweden , Poland , Spain , Slovakia , Latvia , Brazil , and Czechia. Read the 2021 report here: https://financer.com/blog/2021-finance-barometer/ Data Collection Process All primary data has been collected via polls placed in financial product comparison pages, written in national language(s) across the 26 markets/countries Financer.com operates in. The polls have been active from January 1st, 2021, to June 30th, 2021, and June 1st, 2020, to November 30th, 2020. The countries included in the study are the United States (U.S.), Brazil (BR), Mexico (MX), Georgia (GE), Russia (RU), Indonesia (ID), Kazakhstan (KZ), Sweden (SE), Finland (FI), Poland (PL), Spain(ES), Denmark(DK), Estonia (EE), Netherlands (NL), Czech (CZ), Norway (NO), Germany (DE), France (FR), Lithuania (LT), Bulgaria (BG), Hungary (HU), Ukraine (UA), Italy (IT), Romania (RO), Latvia (LV), and Slovakia (SK). The latest study contains seven interactive charts that compare credit sentiment data for 2020 and 2021. Conclusions In 2021, we observed a statistically significant global -8.9% decrease in credit sentiment scores. Pessimistic voters increased from 38.8% to 45.2%, while optimistic voters shrunk from 40% to 32.2%. Polarizing votes remained very popular in 2021, with standard deviation remaining at high levels, both indicating a strong opinion division within and across nations. Read the complete Finance Barometer 2021 report here Press Contacts George Chrysochou Chief Economist & CMO Financer.com Limited [email protected] Ruby Willow Global Content Manager Financer.com Limited [email protected] Related Images 2020-2021-change-in-credit.png 2020 - 2021 Change in Credit Sentiment Map Chart: Change in Credit Sentiment 2020-2021 - Finance Barometer 2021 SOURCE Financer.com Limited COLUMBIA, S.C., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SpeedBuilder Systems, Inc. (SBS) today announced that Wolverine Mutual Insurance Company (Wolverine) has expanded use of the BindExpress Suite from Wolverine's home state of Michigan and is now live in Indiana. "The Indiana launch represents another milestone in our partnership," said Rod Giess, president of SpeedBuilder Systems. "Wolverine understands the value that technology brings in 'touching' their agency plant on a day-to-day basis. Their trusting the BindExpress platform to provide a reliable, positive web experience for their agents is important as the company expands geographically." "We are excited to be leveraging our success with BindExpress in Michigan into Indiana," said Jim Laing, president of Wolverine. "The continuing improvements in our on-line reporting, training, flexibility, and streamlined, real-time quoting and policy issuance have made our agents ability to use Wolverine much easier, which in turn has improved our financial results. We are already seeing growth in Indiana." "Our work never stops," continued Laing. "SpeedBuilder's flexibility in working with us and even with our vendor partners to streamline the development process has been a huge asset as we double down on bringing out the Homeowners line in Indiana and Michigan later this year." Built using open-source technologies, the BindExpress Suite's AlwaysCurrent Architecture is the only market solution that enables clients to customize the system as desired, yet accept all product updates and enhancements at any time, without retrofitting the customized code. About SpeedBuilder Systems SpeedBuilder Systems, Inc. (www.speedbuildersystems.com) offers large enterprise-class solutions for small-to-medium sized P&C insurance carriers and MGA's. The BindExpress Suite is an integrated set of components including policy administration, rating, automated underwriting, agent and consumer portals, product configuration, billing, automated workflow, claims, and document generation. About Wolverine Mutual Insurance Company Established in 1917, Wolverine is a regional mutual insurer providing personal insurance in Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin. Wolverine's commitment to providing a strong financial future for policyholders has been steadfast for over a century, and is reinforced by a strong corporate desire to meet changing customer needs and focus on customer service excellence. CONTACT: Jerry Bush [email protected] SOURCE SpeedBuilder Systems, Inc. Related Links http://www.speedbuildersystems.com SINGAPORE and MUMBAI, India, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Yondr Group, a global leader, developer, owner operator and service provider of hyperscale data centers, today announced it has formed a strategic joint venture partnership with Everstone Group (Everstone). Operating under the brand name EverYondr, the first facility located in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, for which land and power have already been acquired, will deliver 30MW by 2023 and 60MW of IT capacity when fully developed. Everstone is a leading private investment firm across private equity, real estate, green infrastructure, credit and venture capital. Its real estate arm, Indospace, is India's largest industrial real estate developer in India with over 47 million square feet under development. Yondr is a privately owned data center developer, owner operator with a significant track record in delivering hyperscale capacity with presence in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region and the Americas. The joint venture, with an initial capitalisation of USD 1 billion will support hyperscale clients and service the rapidly growing Indian market, the size of which is projected to exceed USD 4.5 billion by 2025. The investment will be used to fund the development and operation of multi-locational hyperscale data center business across important geographies in India, including but not restricted to the metros of Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai and National Capital Region (Delhi). In recent years India has undergone significant digital transformation, with active internet user numbers reaching 525 million in 2019, representing an annual growth of 19.2 percent. Low cost smartphones and cheap data tariffs have further compounded the shift to digital, with data consumption increasing 37-fold, from 0.26GB to 9.8GB per user between 2014 and 2018. With a population of more than 1.3 billion and data consumption per user forecast to reach 18GB per user by 2024, India represents a major market opportunity, surpassed only by the US and UK. Starting with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, the venture will deliver a portfolio of facilities at true hyperscale, significantly propelling India's IT and power capacity to meet the growing demand from public cloud providers and end users at scale. Sameer Sain, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Everstone Group, adds, "To meet the accelerated pace of cloud adoption, hyperscale companies are increasingly looking to credible partners to help realise their expansion needs. Yondr's global experience combined with Everstone's strong execution capabilities in India, will provide clients with a credible and consistent choice." Dave Newitt, CEO at Yondr Group, comments, "EverYondr's early acquisition of its first campus in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region reinforces our commitment to the region. Unlike other mature hyperscale markets, data centers in India require a proactive approach to development and a streamlined delivery process. As a business, our mission is to help clients meet their data center capacity and technical real estate needs, faster and with better performance outcomes than anyone else. Collaborating with a specialised and trusted partner like Everstone will enable us to continue to deliver on that promise in the Indian market that is critically under-served today. Bringing together Everstone's deep knowledge of the Indian market and Yondr's technical expertise and track record in developing capacity at scale, this joint venture will deliver unrivalled value to our hyperscale clients." About Yondr Group Yondr Group is a developer, owner operator and service provider of hyperscale data centers. The company's mission is to meet growing businesses' data center capacity and technical real estate needs faster, more elegantly and with better performance outcomes than anyone else. As an organisation, Yondr self-funds, designs, delivers and operates hyperscale data center facilities globally. For more information, visit www.yondrgroup.com About Everstone Group Singapore headquartered Everstone is one of Asia's premier investment firms. The firm has assets in excess of US$6 billion across private equity, real estate, infrastructure credit, and venture capital. Everstone has a significant resource base across its offices in New York, India, Singapore, London and Mauritius, comprising best-of-breed investing, operations and strategic resources with significant experience and skills. For more information, visit www.everstonecapital.com SOURCE Yondr USA LLC Related Links www.yondrgroup.com NEW YORK, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The rising awareness on women and infant hygiene, increasing geriatric population, booming number of urban dwellers, and technological advancements are the key global non-woven adhesives market drivers. Another key factor propelling the demand for such products, especially in the healthcare sector, is their good bond strength and elasticity. Due to these factors, their sales valued around $2.0 billion in 2020, and they are set to witness a steady rise during 20212030, according to P&S Intelligence. Unlike most other industries, the non-woven adhesives market did not suffer much during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the unprecedented health emergency caused by the viral disease, the wearing of face masks has been made mandatory in many countries, while a higher usage of sanitary products is being encouraged. This has led to a high demand for non-woven adhesives as they are widely used in sanitary products, masks, and surgical gowns. Get the Sample Copy of this Report at @ https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/non-woven-adhesives-market/report-sample The categories of the non-woven adhesives market under segmentation by application are baby care, adult incontinence, feminine hygiene, medical, and others. Among these, the largest share during the historical period (20152020) was held by the baby care category on account of the escalating number of births, rising consciousness regarding the hygiene of infants, and increasing awareness on the importance of controlling odor and humidity in baby care products. Further, amorphous polyalpha olefin (APAO), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), styrenic block copolymer (SBC), and others are the divisions of the non-woven adhesives market under the type segment. In 2020, the market was dominated by the APAO category, which is also predicted to witness a considerably high CAGR till 2030. This would be because APAO offers baby and adult diapers high sheer resistance and peel strength. Apart from these products, APAO finds wide application in medical devices, which are in high demand during the pandemic. Browse detailed report with COVID-19 impact analysis on Non-Woven Adhesives Market Research Report: By Type (Amorphous Poly Alpha Olefin, Styrenic Block Copolymer, Ethylene Vinyl Acetate), Application (Baby Care, Feminine Hygiene, Adult Incontinence, Medical) - Global Industry Insights and Growth Forecast to 2030 @ https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/non-woven-adhesives-market Just like in the historical period, Asia-Pacific (APAC) will be the largest non-woven adhesives market during the forecast period. The low labor and raw material costs have been encouraging companies from around the world to set up non-woven adhesive manufacturing plants, as well as those for their end products, here. Additionally, the demand for the end products is increasing in the region as the people here are experiencing financial prosperity. To meet the increasing product demand, non-woven adhesives market players are increasing their manufacturing output. For instance, in February 2020, a new $57.0-million facility was commissioned by Henkel Adhesives Technologies India Pvt. Ltd. in Kurkumbh, India. Here, the company produces high-performance adhesives and sealants, which are growing in demand in the country. Make enquiry about this report at @ https://www.psmarketresearch.com/send-enquiry?enquiry-url=non-woven-adhesives-market The most-prominent companies in the global non-woven adhesives market are H.B. Fuller Company, Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, Arkema SA, Beardow Adams (Adhesives) Ltd., Moresco Corporation, Lohmann-Koester GmbH & Co. KG, Savare Specialty Adhesives LLC, ADTEK Malaysia Sdn Bhd., Palmetto Adhesives Company Inc., and Cattie Adhesive Solutions LLC. Browse Other Related Reports Hot Melt Adhesives Market - Globally, the Asia-Pacific hot melt adhesives market generated the highest revenue in 2019, due to the presence of vast manufacturing hubs in China, India, Japan, and South Korea. Additionally, the regional market is also expected to retain its dominance throughout the forecast period. Polyester Hot Melt Adhesives Market - Currently, the largest contributor to the polyester hot melt adhesives market is Asia-Pacific (APAC), and this is also where the industry will grow the fastest in the years to come. Automotive Adhesives and Sealants Market - Globally, the Asia-Pacific region generated the highest revenue for the automotive adhesives and sealants market in 2019. This is due to the rapid economic growth, robust development in urban infrastructure, and high purchasing power of middle-class population of the region. About P&S Intelligence P&S Intelligence is a provider of market research and consulting services catering to the market information needs of burgeoning industries across the world. Providing the plinth of market intelligence, P&S as an enterprising research and consulting company, believes in providing thorough landscape analyses on the ever-changing market scenario, to empower companies to make informed decisions and base their business strategies with astuteness. Contact: Prajneesh Kumar P&S Intelligence Contact: +1-347-960-6455 Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.psmarketresearch.com SOURCE P&S Intelligence SAN RAMON, Calif., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Accela , the leading provider of SaaS solutions for government, today announced that DeLand, Florida, and Yuba City, California have implemented a new digital permitting system integration with Forte Payment Systems - a CSG company, powered by Accela technology. As a result, these jurisdictions are able to utilize a best-in-breed, integrated solution for online and in-office transactions, resulting in increased transparency, improved user experience for citizens and staff, and more efficient use of resources. As citizens' expectations continue to increase, agencies are turning to cloud solutions to expand access to critical information, provide essential services, and connect with communities remotely. Never has this been more important, as the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred greater demand for secure digital services and citizen engagement. DeLand and Yuba City turned to Forte's product integration with Accela's solutions to provide their residents with more streamlined, accessible and reliable digital services. As a result, they are reducing permit processing time and are able to easily track metrics through Accela's daily transaction report. DeLand specifically sought Accela and Forte out for improved e-check payments, and Yuba City emphasized the value add of daily reporting. Accela's secure government-specific platform is designed for community development and regulatory (CDR) functions, integrated tightly to Forte's payment solutions to rapidly adapt to governments' evolving payment needs and improved data reconciliation and transparency. "We're thrilled to continue partnering with DeLand and Yuba City by offering our Forte integration to best meet their citizens' and staff's needs," said Tom Nieto, chief operating officer at Accela. "As municipalities look to offer safe access to critical information in the permitting process and to save resources and time, we take great pride in delivering solutions that will help governments continue to champion residents' needs and build thriving communities." "Simplifying payments for government services with an end-to-end digital platform, like Forte, is a win-win for citizens and municipalities," said Jeff Kump, head of payments for CSG. "As a consumer, you get a secure, easy way to process your payments via any channel at any time. For municipalities, you tap into the power of scale and real-time insights that allow you to better serve your communities and deliver essential services with an intentionally higher level of customer service in mind. Accela is an invaluable partner for Forte in helping us deliver these critical capabilities to cities across the United States. We will continue to drive innovation and excellence so local governments and residents alike can benefit from our collective solutions." Together, Accela and Forte offer an integrated solution scalable for varied complex state and local governments, including DeLand and Yuba City. Accela provides an intuitive, digital-first approach for vital citizen services, and helps agencies continually meet evolving constituent needs. Forte optimizes Accela's system as the powerful payments processing engine for Accela's SaaS solutions. Forte's payment solutions platform is secure and scalable for all sizes and complexities of state and local government, and maintains Level 1 PCI compliance while also being adaptable to multiple payment channels. DeLand and Yuba City are utilizing this easily configurable payment integration for credit card, debit card, and electronic check (e-check) to support their permitting and licensing processes. "The reporting available through Accela and Forte's solution is modern and intuitive," said Alberto Cirelli, programmer and analyst for the City of DeLand. "We're excited to continue using the service to better meet the needs of the DeLand community." Accela launched the Forte payment integration in autumn 2020, and Accela's existing partnerships with both cities and adaptable product suite allowed for a less than six month system deployment. Today's announcement is another example of Accela's commitment to empower the most innovative state and local governments to build thriving communities in an evolving civic landscape. Most recently, Accela announced the migration of more than 200 total customers to its cloud infrastructure. Accela's secure and flexible SaaS solutions give governments the resources to quickly respond to evolving community needs, increase efficiency, and maintain resilience to benefit 275 million citizens globally, in 80 percent of the United States' largest cities. To learn more about Accela's Solutions, please visit https://www.accela.com/solutions/ . About Accela Accela provides market-leading cloud solutions that empower the most innovative state and local governments around the world to build thriving communities, grow businesses and protect citizens. More than 275 million citizens globally benefit from Accela's solutions, which are powered by Azure, for permitting, licensing, code enforcement, and service request management. Accela's fast-to-implement Civic Applications, built on its robust and extensible Civic Platform, help agencies address specific needs today, while ensuring they are prepared for any emerging or complex challenges in the future. The company was recognized as a Microsoft US Partner Award winner for Community Response (2021, 2020), and Government Partner of the Year (2021), and was named as one of the Largest East Bay Tech Employers by San Francisco Business Times. Accela is headquartered in San Ramon, California, with additional offices around the world. For more information, visit www.accela.com . About Forte, A CSG Company Forte Payment Systems delivers innovative and flexible payment solutions that help organizations maximize the effectiveness of their payment operations and increase revenue. The company offers a scalable and secure suite of payment processing solutions that support ACH and card payments made via any device or channel, enabling companies to transform their payment operations into a competitive business strategy. Forte is a part of CSG's award-winning suite of innovative revenue and customer management solutions that help companies acquire, monetize, engage, and retain customers. For more than 35 years, CSG has simplified the complexity of business, delivering innovative customer engagement solutions that help companies acquire, monetize, engage, and retain customers. Operating across more than 120 countries worldwide, CSG manages billions of critical customer interactions annually, and its award-winning suite of software and services allow companies across dozens of industries to tackle their biggest business challenges and thrive in an ever-changing marketplace. CSG is the trusted partner for driving digital innovation for hundreds of leading global brands, including AT&T, Charter Communications, Comcast, DISH, Eastlink, Formula One, Maximus, MTN and Telstra. To learn more, visit our website at csgi.com and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Copyright 2021 CSG Systems International, Inc. and/or its affiliates ("CSG"). All rights reserved. CSG is a registered trademark of CSG Systems International, Inc. All third-party trademarks, service marks, and/or product names which are referenced in this document are the property of their respective owners, and all rights therein are reserved. Media Contacts: Accela - [email protected] Forte and CSG - [email protected] SOURCE Accela Related Links www.accela.com PERTH, Australia, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alloy Steel International, Inc. (OTC: AYSI) ("Alloy Steel" or "Company") the manufacturer of Arcoplate and provider of anti-wear and hang-up solutions to the mining and bulk materials industries, based in Perth, Western Australia, and Kostecki Brokerage Pty Ltd (a wholly owned entity owned by the Kostecki family) today announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Kostecki Brokerage Pty Ltd ('KBPL") will acquire the non-controlling shareholders' interest in the Company in an all cash transaction. Under the agreement, the Company's shareholders, excluding the Kostecki family and its affiliated entities, will receive $2.55 per share in cash upon completion of the transaction for a total implied market capitalization of the Company of approximately $40.6 million. The Special Committee, comprised of independent members of the Board of Directors (the "Board") of the Company was formed in May 2021 to review the proposal from the Kostecki family and, with the assistance of independent legal and financial advisors, completed a thorough review of the proposal, unanimously concluding that the transaction with the Kostecki family was in the best interests of the Company's shareholders. Based on the unanimous recommendation of the Special Committee, the agreement was also approved by the full Board. According to Mr. Steven Kostecki, Director of KBPL, "the Kostecki family, with a 65% majority ownership interest in the Company, believes that the Company can better compete in its markets as a privately held company. The family believes that the cash transaction will provide non-controlling shareholders with certainty of value and liquidity at a fair value which exceeds the Company's historical trading price." According to Mr. Alan Scott, the Company's Chairman of the Board, and a member of the Special Committee, "we believe that the proposed transaction provides the Company with the opportunity to improve its competitive position as a privately held company and provide liquidity to its minority shareholders, which has been historically lacking." He added that, "the Special Committee and the Board believe it is a good time to privatize the Company with expected competitive benefits for the business as well as providing a good result for our minority shareholders." Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss, P.C. served as legal advisor to the Company. Conner & Winters, LLP served as legal advisor to the Special Committee. Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP served as legal advisor to Kostecki Brokerage Pty Ltd. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "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 can be identified by words like "may," "will," "likely," "should," "expect," "anticipate," "future," "plan," "believe," "intend," "goal," "seek," "estimate," "project," "continue," and variations of such words and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, assumptions, and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, risks related to: (i) the satisfaction of the conditions to closing the transaction in the anticipated timeframe or at all; (ii) the failure to obtain necessary regulatory and stockholder approvals; (iii) the ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the transaction; (iv) disruption from the transaction making it more difficult to maintain business and operational relationships; (v) the negative effects of this announcement or the consummation of the proposed transaction on the market price of the Company's common stock; (vi) significant transaction costs and unknown liabilities; and possible (vii) litigation or regulatory actions related to the proposed transaction. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those indicated or anticipated by these forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date of this release, and except as otherwise required by federal securities law, neither the Company nor Kostecki Brokerage Pty Ltd assume any obligation nor do they intend to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. Additional Information and Where to Find It In connection with the proposed transaction, the Company will mail a proxy statement to each stockholder entitled to vote at the special meeting relating to the transaction. INVESTORS AND STOCKHOLDERS ARE URGED TO CAREFULLY READ THE PROXY STATEMENT (INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO AND ANY DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE THEREIN) AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE TRANSACTION WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRANSACTION AND THE PARTIES TO THE TRANSACTION. The proxy statement and other relevant materials in connection with the transaction (when they become available) may be obtained free of charge from the Company upon request. The Company and its directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the Company's stockholders in connection with the transaction. Information regarding the interests of such individuals in the proposed transaction will be included in the proxy statement relating to such transaction. These documents may be obtained free of charge from the Company upon request. ENQUIRIES Thushara (Sam) Dahanayake Company Secretary +61 8 9248 3188 [email protected] SOURCE Alloy Steel International, Inc. To celebrate #NationalZingDay, Miller's is hosting a giveaway on Instagram through July 29. Fans can follow @millersalehouse, like this post and tag a friend for a chance to win one of 50 $50 Miller's gift cards. (No purchase required. Must be 18 or older. Complete rules are here.) "We started celebrating 'National Zing Day' at Miller's several years ago because Zingers are a perfect way for our guests to enjoy a classic wing taste without having to bother with the bones," said Miller's Ale House Vice President of Marketing Andrea Von Utter. "We serve up more than two and a half million orders of Zingers a year, and we think they deserve to be celebrated on National Chicken Wing Day." Zingers are the cornerstone of another Miller's signature dish the Zingers Mountain Melt, an awe-inspiring combination of Zingers, Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses, applewood-smoked bacon and scallions, all served atop a mountain of seasoned fries. In fact, Zingers are so popular that Miller's also created the Zingers Salad, featuring Roma tomatoes, cucumbers, Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses served on field greens; a Zingers Flatbread with hot garlic sauce, mozzarella, blue cheese and scallions; and Zingers Mac & Cheese, made with bite-sized pieces of medium-sauce Zingers, creamy cheddar, Parmesan and Monterey Jack cheese sauce. Over the years, Miller's chefs have put Zingers in limited-time specials from lasagna to tacos to fajitas and more. In addition to its famous Zingers, Miller's Ale House offers a full menu that goes way beyond bar food with cravable flavors, unique twists on the classics and something delicious for everyone. Choices include more than 60 items including appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, flatbreads, pastas, steaks, seafood and entrees, plus daily lunch and dinner specials. Guests can top off their experience with Miller's signature dessert, Captain Jack's Buried Treasure , named after Miller's founder Jack Miller, featuring triple-layered vanilla ice cream cake, Oreo cookie crust and Heath Bar crunch crumble, topped with caramel and hot fudge sauce. About Miller's Ale House Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Orlando, Florida, Miller's Ale House is a sports-themed casual dining restaurant with 90+ locations in 10 states. Miller's Ale House serves a wide variety of entrees, burgers, salads and sandwiches, plus daily lunch and dinner specials, in a lively atmosphere that includes 60+ TVs, large open-air patios, beckoning bars and spacious booths and tables. It is known for its large portions, great prices, warm service, and sharable appetizers, including its famous buttermilk-drenched, hand-breaded boneless chicken Zingers and The Mountain Melt. Open daily for lunch, dinner and late night, Miller's also offers over 35 beers on tap and a large selection of signature cocktails and pitchers. For more information, go to www.millersalehouse.com or @MillersAleHouse on Facebook . Media Contacts: Curry Simic or Karina Cervantes [email protected] or [email protected] 817-329-3257 SOURCE Millers Ale House Related Links http://www.millersalehouse.com LONDON, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Global energy and commodity price reporting agency Argus has launched 10 new freight price assessments for tankers transporting liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). These prices are a response to market demand for greater transparency in the growing and increasingly complex global trade in LPG, which comprises butane and propane. The US continues to dominate the global LPG export market and increasing amounts are flowing from the US Gulf and Atlantic coasts to destinations in Europe and South America, driven by demand in the residential and autogas sectors. Argus has worked with industry participants to develop prices that accurately reflect freight costs for LPG exports from the US to Brazil, Chile, Peru, Morocco and northwest Europe. Rates are available for very large gas carriers (VLGCs) and medium gas carriers (MGCs). Argus has also launched VLGC and MGC freight rates on the Ras Tanura to New Mangalore route Saudi Arabia to India to support participants engaged in the swelling LPG trade between the Middle East and the sub-continent. Argus Media chairman and chief executive Adrian Binks said: "The LPG industry seeks to better understand and manage its exposure to volatile freight costs. These assessments will help it by both improving overall transparency and providing necessary pricing tools on the growing trading volume from the US and the Middle East." Argus contact information London: Seana Lanigan +44 20 7780 4200 Email Seana Singapore: Tomoko Hashimoto +65 6496 9960 Email Tomoko Moscow: Alexey Komarov +7 495 933 75 71 Email Alexey Houston: Matt Oatway +1 713 968 0000 Email Matt About Argus Media Argus is an independent media organisation with almost 1,100 staff. It is headquartered in London and has 26 offices in the world's principal commodity trading and production centres. Argus produces price assessments and analysis of international energy and other commodity markets and offers bespoke consulting services and industry-leading conferences. Companies in 140 countries around the world use Argus data to index physical trade and as benchmarks in financial derivative markets as well as for analysis and planning purposes. Argus was founded in 1970 and is a privately held UK-registered company. It is owned by employee shareholders, global growth equity firm General Atlantic and Hg, the specialist software and technology services investor. ARGUS, the ARGUS logo, ARGUS MEDIA, ARGUS DIRECT, ARGUS OPEN MARKETS, AOM, FMB, DEWITT, JIM JORDAN & ASSOCIATES, JJ&A, FUNDALYTICS, METAL-PAGES, METALPRICES.COM, INTEGER, Argus publication titles and Argus index names are trademarks of Argus Media Limited. SOURCE Argus Media Related Links http://www.argusmedia.com BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Drive TLV, a leading innovation hub connecting high-technology Israeli companies with investors and major development partners around the world, has selected AutoCom Associates as its public relations agency of record in the United States. Based in Tel Aviv, Drive works with promising Israeli smart-mobility startups, assists them with strategic business-plan guidance and helps them form partnerships with investors and industry-leading mobility companies, including automakers and insurance firms. The Israeli innovation hub plans to make its programs available to startups in the U.S. and Europe in the near future. Drive's FastLane program is an intense five-month commercialization process that provides startups with an opportunity to forge relationships with investment groups and major corporate partners. Drive partners include Honda, Volvo Cars, Volvo Group, Cox Automotive, Denso, Hertz, Mayer Cars and Trucks, Next Gear Ventures, NEC and Novelis. More than 45 Israeli startups have taken part in Drive TLV's six previous FastLane programs, including Arbe Robotics, Hailo, Foretelix, Moodify, SoftRide, Spectralics and UVeye. Several also have been acquired or merged with other companies, including EXO Technologies, VAYA VISION and Fleetonomy. "Drive TLV is a unique commercialization enterprise that has successfully forged partnerships between innovative Israeli high-tech startups and major automakers, firms with an interest in smart-mobility and other investor groups," noted AutoCom President Larry Weis. "We're looking forward to working with them as they expand their partnership networks in the United States and Europe." "The smart-mobility technologies that Drive is helping to develop will be of particular interest to the growing number of media outlets covering electric and hybrid-electric vehicles, autonomous driving technology and the smart-mobility sector in general." Founded in 1995, AutoCom Associates provides public relations services and counsel to businesses working in the global automotive industry. The agency has extensive working experience with major automakers, trade-media and general-interest publications both in North America and elsewhere around the world. Located in the Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills, the firm is a member of Automotive PR, an international network of public relations agencies in more than 33 major markets around the world. AutoCom's client group includes Alcantara, Chipex, the Freudenberg Group, Gage Products, Hitachi Astemo, INFICON, Lippitt O'Keefe PLLC, MAHLE, Rodin Cars, UVeye and Valeo. Additional information about Drive TLV is available at www.drivetlv.com. More information about AutoCom Associates can be found at www.usautocom.com. SOURCE AutoCom Associates; Drive TLV Related Links http://www.usautocom.com Sarah Iselin will join Blue Shield on August 9, 2021 in a new role as executive vice president of strategy and public affairs. Hope Scott, vice president, deputy general counsel, has been promoted to senior vice president and general counsel. She is also the chair of the company's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council. The company has also announced that Sandra Clarke, chief financial officer, was recently promoted to executive vice president from senior vice president. Mary O'Hara, chief human resources officer and senior vice president of internal communications, was also recently promoted to executive vice president of people and engagement. Of the 19 senior leadership positions within the company, 13 are now occupied by women and people of color. Scott and Iselin join a CEO-direct report leadership team that includes Todd Walthall, chief operating officer; Clarke; O'Hara; AnaLisa Luippold, vice president of operating committee and Office of the CEO; and Debbie Chang, president and CEO of Blue Shield of California Foundation. Iselin joins Blue Shield from Guidewell and Florida Blue where she served as executive vice president, government programs and diversified business, as well as senior vice president and chief strategy officer. "Sarah brings a proven track record of transforming health care and has significant experience working with Blue health plans and at the state level with the Governor in Massachusetts on complex public issues," Markovich said. "She is a very talented strategic thinker and leader who shares our values and vision: to create a healthcare system that is worthy of our family and friends and sustainably affordable for everyone." Scott has been a senior member of Blue Shield's legal department since 2012. She served has Blue Shield's chief risk and compliance officer, as well as the company's chief privacy officer and privacy counsel. "Through several promotions, Hope has proven to be a strong leader," Markovich said. "All great general counsels share certain attributes: excellent judgment, unwavering ethics, strong independence, great leadership skills, outstanding communication skills, strong business acumen, and of course, legal expertise. Hope excels in all these areas." Scott replaces Seth Jacobs, senior vice president and general counsel, who will retire after a distinguished career that has included more than 25 years at Blue Shield. "Seth has been a strategic adviser, trusted colleague and good friend to me and so many of us here at the company. He has played an important role in our efforts to grow the company and to transform health care. I wish him a long and healthy retirement," Markovich said. These moves build on Blue Shield's commitment to and recognized leadership in diversity, equity and inclusion. In addition to Kristina Leslie serving as the company's first woman chair of the board of directors, the governing body also has gender balance, and women chair four of the board's five standing committees. The tax-paying nonprofit, which has more than 7,500 employees and $21 billion in annual revenues, is one of the largest companies in California to achieve gender balance on its board. Additionally, people of color make up nearly half of the board. Blue Shield also maintains a zero pay-ratio gap by both gender and ethnicity. It has a balanced representation of women and men in leadership roles (Director and above) and was recently included on the 2021 National Diversity Council Index and named one of America's Best Companies for Women to Advance by Parity.org. About Blue Shield of California Blue Shield of California strives to create a healthcare system worthy of its family and friends that is sustainably affordable. Blue Shield of California is a tax paying, nonprofit, independent member of the Blue Shield Association with over 4.5 million members, over 7,500 employees and more than $21 billion in annual revenues. Founded in 1939 in San Francisco and now headquartered in Oakland, Blue Shield of California and its affiliates provide health, dental, vision, Medicaid and Medicare healthcare service plans in California. The company has contributed more than $150 million to the Blue Shield of California Foundation in the last four years to have an impact on California communities. For more news about Blue Shield of California, please visit news.blueshieldca.com. Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook. CONTACT: Mark Seelig Blue Shield of California (510) 607-2359 [email protected] SOURCE Blue Shield of California Related Links www.bcbs.com BOSTON, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Botkeeper clients will soon be able to access a new feature embedded in the Botkeeper Operating System, powered by Vic.ai. This new module will provide accountants and firms a unified, faster, more intelligent, and advanced autonomous Accounts Payable (AP) solution integrated with their GL and bill pay systems, all from within the Botkeeper Operating System. Botkeeper and Vic.ai will bring the largest source of data together in a progressively smarter platform. Tweet this Vic.ai Integrating Vic.ai into the Botkeeper Operating System provides accountants with enhanced autonomous invoice processing and real-time insights. The combination of Botkeeper and Vic.ai will bring the largest source of data together in a progressively smarter platform, removing onerous and manual tasks from an accountant's day-to-day activities. The most comprehensive Client Advisory Services (CAS) management platform will be formed, with enhanced machine learning, artificial intelligence and skilled accountants, which will be transformative for accounting firms throughout the United States. The new autonomous module powered by Vic.ai will allow for invoice processing to occur without any data entry or classification review beforehand. This includes everything from vendor identification to cost and dimensional classifications on a line item level. The unified approach between Botkeeper and Vic.ai will help accounting firms become more AI-empowered, resulting in: time savings, error and duplicate reduction, seamless system integrations, and effective approval workflows. Artificial intelligence and statistical analysis with a data-set like no other, will surface new reporting and insights to accounting firms. Using the time saved, a firm's team will be enabled with the capacity to analyze and share data with their clients to help them make the most informed business decisions. "Botkeeper's approach to automated bookkeeping and pre-accounting, encourages open and connected systems to generate exponential value. Integration with the Vic.ai autonomous invoice processing module will continue to streamline the overall accounting process and enable greater insights for accountants and their clients," shared John Barnes, Chief Product Officer with Botkeeper. If you are still transforming your accounting firm and automation is the conversation around the office, don't stop. Our goal is to open doors to new growth opportunities for your firm with the invoice processing piece in place by the end of 2021. Why are we telling you now? We want you to be the first to know that Botkeeper & Vic.ai are teaming up to create the ultimate bookkeeping automation platform. Enrico Palmerino, CEO of Botkeeper states, "It's always special when two companies that are trailblazing in an industry join forces to amplify each other's efforts. Integrating the Vic.ai AI enabled invoice processing functionality as a module within the Botkeeper Operating System will provide accountants with an end to end solution that affords greater levels of scale and efficiency." Don't hesitate to ask us questions. It will only improve the consolidated experience we are building for you. About Botkeeper Botkeeper is a leading automated bookkeeping solution that provides accounting firms and their clients a powerful combination of skilled accountants, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. The various packages provide full-suite bookkeeping & pre-accounting solutions, a consolidated platform consisting of tools to optimize firm processes, and the highest quality support, all designed to meet our clients' unique needs at any stage of growth. Accounting firms running on Botkeeper are able to grow their book of business, diversify their service offering, increase capacity, and reduce stress during tax timeall while improving their overhead costs. The powerful and easy-to-use solution has helped firms across the United States to maximize their potential, better serve their clients, and do more of what they love. Learn more about Botkeeper here ! About Vic.ai Vic.ai is the AI (Artificial Intelligence) Platform for Accounting Productivity. Vic.ai's machine learning technology has been trained on over 500 million live accounting documents and transactions. Already surpassing human-level accuracy for many tasks with its Autopilot functionality, Vic.ai helps accountants, CFOs, controllers, and accounts payable (AP) teams perform truly autonomous accounting and become more efficient and reduce errors on routine accounting tasks. Contact: Della Copp [email protected] 179 South St., Fl 2 Boston, MA Ph: 800-388-3323 x7108 SOURCE Botkeeper ROYAL CITY, Wash., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cascade Organic Farms is wrapping up harvest of several thousand acres of new crop irrigated Organic Hard Red Wheat, and the crop is looking very good, according to Cascade Organic Farms' officials. In fact, a recent survey by Cascade Organic Farms of its various fields of irrigated organic wheat showed outstanding quality and yields. Cascade Organic Farms is a family-owned and vertically integrated producer of organic wheat, organic flour, organic dry beans (pinto beans, black beans, etc.), and other organic crops in Washington State. July 2021 Cascade Organic Farms Hard Red Wheat getting ready to be harvested in Washington State July 2021 Cascade Organic Farms Hard Red Wheat being harvested in Washington State Cascade Organic Farms has several thousand acres of certified organic irrigated farmland with rich volcanic soils near the east slopes of the Cascade Mountains, and we grow our wholesome organic wheat and other organic crops (pinto beans, black beans, etc.) with Columbia River water fed by mountain glaciers. Our modern irrigation system(s) on our farms delivers the most efficient amount of water which ensures consistent production and large yields of premium quality organic wheat (and other organic crops). As a result, our organic farms produce some of the highest quality and premium Organic Hard Red Wheat in the world. Our wheat and flour are produced naturally and are certified organic and non-GMO. For the 2021-2022 season, Cascade Organic Farms is estimating several thousand tons of new crop organic wheat (beginning in August) from our organic farms. Our yields of organic wheat (~4 tons per acre) and our protein levels (ranging from 13% to 16%) are some of the highest in the world. Additionally, Cascade Organic Farms has modern state-of-the-art shipping and storage facilities and can ship its bin-run organic wheat in bulk hopper bottom trucks or in hopper bottom rail cars, or Cascade can clean its organic wheat and ship it (domestically or internationally) in 2,000 lb. totes or super sacks in trucks, intermodal containers, and rail boxcars. Furthermore, we have a modern organic flour mill (Cascade Organic Flour) near our organic farm(s) that can produce a variety of organic flours, including organic whole wheat flours, organic sprouted flour, organic rye flour, organic corn flour, etc. as well as various organic sifted flours. Recently, Cascade Organic Flour unveiled and introduced 5 lb. retail bags of Organic Whole Wheat Flour and 5 lb. retail bags of Organic All-Purpose Flour. Representatives of Cascade Organic Farms (and Cascade Organic Flour) will be attending Natural Products Expo. West from March 8-12, 2022 in Anaheim and the International Baking Industry Exposition from Sept. 17-21, 2022 in Las Vegas to discuss its organic wheat and organic flours with various domestic and international buyers. For more information, contact Justin Brown at Cascade Organic Farms at [email protected] or 509-855-7450, or visit our website at www.cascadeorganicfarms.com. SOURCE Cascade Organic Farms, LLC. Related Links http://www.cascadeorganicfarms.com/ TYLER, Texas, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Choice Health at Home, LLC ("Choice") formally announced the acquisition of Oklahoma-based Alpha Home Health and Hospice ("Alpha"). For Choice, the transaction marks the third in Oklahoma since January 1, 2021, creating a substantial service footprint in the state. David Jackson, Founder and CEO of Choice Health at Home made the announcement and commented on this flurry of activity: "Our level of M&A activity is indicative of our excitement about the expansion of our home health and hospice services in the state of Oklahoma. Alpha Home Health and Hospice shares our vision and mission to provide the full home health and hospice continuum at home." Choice entered the Oklahoma market via the January 1, 2021, acquisition of Angelic Hospice ("Angelic") in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and followed that step with the June 1, 2021, purchase of Restore Home Health ("Restore") operating in Central and Northeast Oklahoma. Alpha provides home health and hospice services through five locations in Ada, Ardmore, Oklahoma City, Norman, and Pauls Valley. Mr. Jackson commented further: "Through these transactions, and with eleven service sites in key areas of the state, we are poised for further expansion. Most importantly, the senior leadership of Alpha includes decades of healthcare experience that will benefit our patients and further solidify the leadership foundation of our company. Carl Ganter and his team are already positively impacting our operations." Mr. Ganter served as CEO of Alpha and is continuing with Choice as Vice President of Business Operations. He joins Lori Chlouber of Restore in expanding the Choice executive team. Trina Lanier, Co-founder and Chief Operations Officer at Choice, commented on the expansion of the team: "Talented leadership in the home health and hospice industry is an imperative and a priority at Choice. As we went through our diligence on these companies, as an operations officer, I was most excited about Carl, Lori, and several of their team members. It enables us to be poised for further success and growth." This transaction was facilitated by Agenda Health, a healthcare-focused M&A advisory firm headquartered in Austin, Texas. Choice corporate headquarters are located in Tyler, Texas, and the company currently operates in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. Choice was founded in 2008 as a rehabilitation service provider, entered home health in late 2012, and launched their hospice segment in 2018. For more information on Choice, you can visit choicetx.com or choiceoklahoma.com. Related Images image1.png SOURCE Choice Health at Home SELBYVILLE, Del., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The commercial boiler market value is projected to cross USD 12.5 billion by 2028, according to a new research report by Global Market Insights Inc. The commercial boiler industry is experiencing robust traction across hospitality and healthcare sectors. Educational institutes, offices, and retail outlets are also generating significant demand for economical and energy efficiency heating solutions. Modern commercial boiler technologies are characterized by greater efficiency and lower emission discharge. Global Market Insights Inc. The equipment adoption is likely to increase in the near future led by tightening energy efficiency regulations across the commercial sector. Based on the aforementioned factors, it is estimated that the global commercial boiler market could surpass an annual installation of more than 400,000 units by the end of 2028. Request a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/2809 Let's explore some major trends and developments outlining the growth of the market in the forthcoming years: Oil fired boilers - an economical long-term solution for commercial applications Oil fired boilers are anticipated to witness strong demand across the commercial sector. Over the years, the deployment of these boilers has been quite stagnant due safety concerns and the availability of alternatives such as gas fired systems. However, in the long run, oil fired systems prove to be highly economical and energy efficient, which is fuelling their adoption. Easy availability of raw materials, cost benefit, and efficient operation makes these boiler systems a promising option for commercial settings. Promising opportunities for commercial boiler manufacturers across healthcare The healthcare sector will account for a notable share of the commercial boiler market by 2028. Improving healthcare infrastructure is a major priority among policymakers worldwide, which is continuously driving new investments. An exponential surge in hospital admissions due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated investments in healthcare. Growing expenditure on installation of new boiler systems and upgradation of existing ones will benefit commercial boiler manufacturers globally. Condensing boilers - why is the technology replacing conventional boiler systems The condensing commercial boiler industry is likely to grow substantially by 2028. With the introduction of stricter energy efficiency standards and ongoing energy conservation efforts, these boilers are gradually replacing conventional boiler systems used in commercial applications. Condensing boilers offer numerous advantages including higher efficiency, compact design, and easy installation. Strict energy efficiency standards to fuel Europe commercial boiler market size Commercial boiler deployment in Europe is expected to gather pace due to the demand for efficient district and space heating across the commercial sector. Stringent energy efficiency regulations are driving new boiler installations as well as the replacement of conventional systems. Europe is home to a large number of businesses, commercial enterprises, and educational institutions, making it a promising market for commercial boiler companies. A.O. Smith, Weil McLain, Fulton, and Babcock & Wilcox are some of the notable names in the commercial boiler market. These companies are expanding their distribution networks to facilitate easy availability of boiler solutions in the market. Product innovation is also a key area of focus among manufacturers to stay ahead of the competition. Commercial boiler companies are set to witness plenty of opportunities in the near future, as the need for reliable, economical, and energy efficient district and space heating solutions increases. In October last year, for instance, Babcock & Wilcox had secured a US$4 million contract from Creative Energy to supply two boilers for a district heating project in Vancouver. Browse the ToC of this report @ https://www.gminsights.com/toc/detail/commercial-boiler-market About Global Market Insights 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 with 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 commercial-boiler-industry.jpg Commercial Boiler industry Forecasts 2021-2028 SOURCE Global Market Insights Inc. FT. WAYNE, Ind., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- iRely, a global leader in business management software for commodities, petroleum distribution, convenience stores, and grain operations, announces the appointment of Marcel Kistler as iRely's senior partner, process transformation. Kistler will lead iRely's process transformation team from Switzerland, where he will guide iRely's customers as they improve business processes by implementing commodity management best practices, the latest technology, and automated workflows. Kistler has over 30 years of experience in soft commodities, from origination and trading to purchasing, transportation, production, sales, finance, and accounting. He has decades of experience in the coffee, cotton, and grain industries. Prior to joining iRely, Kistler was a business analyst and application specialist at Volcafe Ltd, one of the largest coffee trading companies in the world. Kistler has built and implemented ERP and CTRM systems in South America, Asia, Australia, Europe, the United States, and Africa. He will use his local knowledge to help iRely's global customers address location-specific issues and ensure iRely's product roadmap addresses country-specific commodity challenges. "Marcel's wide range of experience across both commodities and regions is a huge asset for iRely and our customers," said George Olney, president of iRely. "He brings extensive experience from the entire commodity value chain and has worked and lived in every continent that grows or produces commodities. His intimate knowledge of South America, Asia, Africa, Australia and Europe will ensure our software is localized to meet the needs of our global customers." "I am thrilled to join iRely as it expands its global footprint," said Kistler. "iRely's CTRM provides a true commodity management platform that adds value across the entire value chain, and I look forward to helping our clients transform their business processes to reduce risk and become more efficient and responsive. I am especially excited to work with our growing customer base in South America, where I lived and worked for many years." iRely's CTRM manages all aspects of physical and financial trades including risk, procurement, logistics, hedging, position, and P&L in one, comprehensive commodity trade and risk management solution. About iRely iRely is a global leader in business management software for commodities, including commodity management, petroleum distribution, convenience store, grain operations and agribusiness management solutions. Headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana with offices in Chicago, New Jersey, Texas, California, London, Bangalore (India) and Makati City (Philippines), iRely's near 40 years of experience have made them a world leader in providing end-to-end Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Commodity Trading and Risk Management (CTRM) to over 500 customers in more than 25 countries. For more information, visit irely.com. CONTACT: Mary DeFilippe, [email protected] SOURCE iRely, LLC Related Links http://www.irely.com PHOENIX, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CopperPoint Insurance Companies, a western-based commercial insurance company, today announced that Kris Mathis has been appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Workers' Compensation Claims Officer. Mathis will succeed Ginny Arnett Caro who plans to retire at year-end after 21 years with the company. In this role, Mathis will oversee all workers' compensation claims operations for the enterprise. He joined CopperPoint through the acquisition of PacificComp in 2018 and has over two decades of experience in the industry. Prior to CopperPoint, Mathis served in a progression of managerial and executive leadership positions in claims and field services for insurance carriers including SAFECO, CompWest, SeaBright and the Liberty Mutual Group. President and Chief Executive Officer, Marc Schmittlein, commented, "Ginny has been a vital part of the CopperPoint team for over 20 years and has been a great partner to our employees, agents and policyholders. I will personally miss working with her and wish Ginny and her husband all the best in retirement." He continued, "Kris has been a trusted advisor and great addition to our leadership team over the last several years. His industry experience, technical expertise and commitment to claim service have earned him an exceptional reputation. Over the next six months, he will work side by side with Ginny ensuring a smooth transition for the team. I look forward to working closely with him in the years ahead." Mathis earned a B.A. in History from California State University, Fullerton and a Juris Doctorate from Trinity Law School. He holds a Workers' Compensation Claims Professional (WCCP) designation and a Self-Insured Administrators Certificate from the California Department of Industrial Relations, Office of Self Insurance Plans (OSIP). He is a past member of the Governing Committee of the Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB) and currently serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee for the California Workers' Compensation Institute (CWCI). He also serves on the Advisory Committee for Kid's Chance of California. About CopperPoint Insurance Companies Founded in 1925, CopperPoint Insurance Companies, www.copperpoint.com, is a leading provider of workers' compensation and commercial property and casualty insurance solutions. With an expanded line of insurance products and a growing 10 state footprint in the western United States, CopperPoint is in a strong position to meet the evolving needs of our brokers, agents and customers. It has $4.97 billion in total assets and an enterprise surplus of over $1.4 billion. CopperPoint Mutual Insurance Holding Company is the corporate parent of CopperPoint Insurance Companies, Pacific Compensation Insurance Company and Alaska National Insurance Company. All companies are rated A (Excellent) by AM Best. SOURCE CopperPoint Insurance Companies Related Links www.copperpoint.com Dr. Roggen to Address the "Cost of the Status Quo: An Economic Look at Extraction Optimization", Thursday Oct 21, 2021at 2:00pm PT VANCOUVER, BC, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - DELIC Corp Inc. ("DELIC" or the "Company") (CSE: DELC) (OTCQB: DELCF), the leading psychedelic wellness platform, today announced Dr. Markus Roggen, President and CEO of its subsidiary DELIC Labs has been selected as a speaker at MJBizCon 2021. Dr. Roggen will lead a discussion on "Cost of the Status Quo: An Economic Look at Extraction Optimization," Thursday October 21, 2021 at 2:00pm PT. DELIC Labs is a federally-authorized psilocybin and cannabis research laboratory focused on extraction, analytical testing, and chemical process development. DELIC Labs serves as the engine for the DELIC platform, conducting research and developing innovative product lines and intellectual property (IP), including psilocybin vaporization technology for future distribution across the Company's physical footprint and licensed psychedelic wellness clinics in the United States. "Business managers find that cannabis production does not deliver on the riches promised, due to low yields or high costs," said Dr. Roggen, DELIC Labs President and CSO. "The major obstacle to realize profits from an extraction operation is the disconnect between the business and production teams. Cannabis extraction should not be viewed as a black art but a quantifiable scientific process. And modern process analytics will improve the production and profits." Founded by award-winning chemist, Dr. Markus Roggen, and UBC Professor, Dr. Glenn Sammis, DELIC Labs supports the psychedelic industry with high precision chemical analytics, metabolomic identification and process optimization. DELIC Labs is one of a handful of licensed psilocybin research labs in Canada and has an aggressive plan to build out a suite of novel compounds and delivery methods for the industry. DELIC Labs is also a leading cannabis analytical and research company boasting clients that include some of the largest brands in the world. DELIC Labs is applying for a Dealer's License, and intends to eventually commercialize its psilocybin research and associated intellectual property (IP). Dr. Markus Roggen is President and Chief Scientific Officer of Delic Labs, a licensed cannabis and psilocybin research laboratory focused on extraction optimization, analytical testing, and process development. Delic Labs is one of a handful of research labs licensed for both cannabis and psilocybin in Canada. Delic Labs was initially founded as Complex Biotech Discovery Ventures by Dr. Roggen and Prof. Dr. Glenn Sammis in 2018, and rebranded after the sale to Delic Corp. Dr. Roggen received his M/Sci degree from Imperial College, London, UK in 2008. He then pursued his graduate degree in organic chemistry at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ), where he received his PhD in 2012. Dr. Roggen was awarded an DAAD postdoctoral fellowship to pursue further training in physical organic chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla in 2013-2014. He then entered the cannabis industry in 2014 and since has held executive positions in analytical and production companies. His research into process optimization and analytical methods has been recognized with a number of awards, ElSohley Award of the ACS, Cannabis Scientist Power List 2020 & 2021, 40 under 40 by Marijuana Venture Magazine among others. Dr. Roggen is also a trusted advisor and mentor to multiple startups, startup accelerators and organizations About DELIC Labs (formerly Complex Biotech Discovery Ventures Ltd.) DELIC Labs is a federally licensed cannabis and psilocybin research laboratory focused on extraction optimization, analytical testing, and process development. Based at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada and founded by award-winning chemists Dr. Markus Roggen and UBC Professor Dr. Glenn Sammis, DELIC Labs uses precision chemical analytics and metabolomics identification to develop IP, produce novel products for patients, and advance the cannabis and psychedelic wellness industries. Part of the DELIC Corp family, the leading psychedelic wellness platform, DELIC Labs powers innovation and treatment options with an ever-expanding line of unique and high-quality products for markets that allow legal cannabis and psychedelic-based care. About DELIC Corp, Inc. DELIC is the leading psychedelic wellness platform, committed to bringing science-backed benefits to all and reframing the psychedelic conversation. The company owns and operates an umbrella of related businesses, including trusted media and e-commerce platforms like Reality Sandwich and Delic Radio , Delic Labs , the only licensed entity by Health Canada to exclusively focus on research and development of psilocybin vaporization technology, Meet Delic the premiere psychedelic wellness event, and Ketamine Infusion Centers one of the largest ketamine clinics in the country. DELIC is backed by a team of industry and cannabis veterans and a diverse network, whose mission is to provide education, research, high-quality products, and treatment options to the masses. The Canadian Securities Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any 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 unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. Forward-Looking Information and Statements This press 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 DELIC'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", 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" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein may include, but are not limited to, information concerning listing on the Canadian Securities Exchange, anticipated continued growth in the health and wellness sector (and, in particular, related to psychedelics), the continued emergence of psychedelics from stigmas, the ability of the Company to maintain sensible messaging, the ability of the Company to avoid dogmatic practices and binary rhetoric, the ability of DELIC to successfully achieve business objectives, and expectations for other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. By identifying such information and statements in this manner, DELIC is alerting the reader that such information and statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of DELIC to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such information and statements. In addition, in connection with the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release, DELIC has made certain assumptions. Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information and statements are the following: the ability to consummate the Proposed Transaction; the ability to obtain requisite regulatory and securityholder approvals and the satisfaction of other conditions to the consummation of the Proposed Transaction on the proposed terms and schedule; the ability to satisfy the conditions to the conversion of the Subscription Receipts (as defined in the Previous Press Release); the potential impact of the announcement or consummation of the Proposed Transaction on relationships, including with regulatory bodies, employees, suppliers, customers and competitors; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; changes in applicable laws; compliance with extensive government regulation; and the diversion of management time on the Proposed Transaction. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information or statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although DELIC 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 press release are made as of the date of this press release, and DELIC 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. All subsequent written and oral forward- looking information and statements attributable to DELIC or persons acting on its behalf is expressly qualified in its entirety by this notice. SOURCE Delic Holdings Inc. Related Links https://deliccorp.com/ TSXV: DME U.S. OTC: DMEHF Frankfurt: QM01 VANCOUVER, BC, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - DESERT MOUNTAIN ENERGY CORP. (the "Company") (TSXV: DME) (U.S. OTC: DMEHF) (Frankfurt: QM01) From the President of the Company. Desert Mountain Energy Corp. is pleased to announce that it has mobilized the completion rig, additional testing equipment and associated personnel to undertake the completion and flow testing of well #4. "We are pleased to be using some of the newest and most cutting-edge tools for the downhole completion portion of this well. We look forward to expanding the application of these tools along with other completion equipment and improving the technological database. The library of detailed information derived from our drilling programs will expand the company's understanding of specific geological formational environments which produce helium," said Desert Mountain Energy Corp. CEO, Robert Rohlfing. ABOUT DESERT MOUNTAIN ENERGY Desert Mountain Energy Corp. is a publicly traded exploration and resource company focused on the discovery and development of rare earth gas fields in the U.S. The Company is primarily looking for elements deemed critical to the renewable energy and high technology industries. We seek safe harbor "Robert Rohlfing" Robert Rohlfing CEO & Executive Chairman Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in polices of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The statements made in this press release may contain certain forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ from the Company's expectations. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward looking statements and information herein include but are not limited to statements regarding the Company's anticipated performance in the future the planned exploration activities, receipt of positive results from drilling, the completion of further drilling and exploration work, and the timing and results of various activities. Forward-looking statements or information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company and its operations to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements. Such factors include, among others, changes in national and local governments, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments in Canada and the United States; financial risks due to helium prices, operating or technical difficulties in exploration and development activities; risks and hazards and the speculative nature of resource exploration and related development; risks in obtaining necessary licenses and permits, and challenges to the Company's title to properties. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable, including but not limited to the continued operation of the Company's exploration operations, no material adverse change in the market price of commodities, and such other assumptions and factors as set out herein. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or information, there may be other factors that cause results to be materially different from those anticipated, described, estimated, assessed or intended. There can be no assurance that any forward-looking statements or information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements or information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. The Company does not intend to, and nor does not assume any obligation to update such forward-looking statements or information, other than as required by applicable law. SOURCE Desert Mountain Energy Corp. Related Links https://desertmountainenergy.com/ Regarding the return of populism and the increased demise in legitimacy of many democratic governments throughout the region, Gutierrez pointed out: "It is true that the elites of Latin America have fell short and are not up to the task. They confused freedom and democracy with privileges when in reality they are rights and responsibilities that must be fought for every day " . In relation to the recent outbreak of demonstrations in Colombia, former President Pastrana declared: "We have to be careful with these kinds of claims that democracy is not working. If we review Colombian democracy and the numbers, we see economic growth, improvements in education, health and living. There are many things that have been working. Unfortunately today we have a pandemic and that has taken us back 10 or more years and we have to work together. But democracy has worked ". Gutierrez added: "The populist madness of the radical left, empowered by the corruption of the incompetent right, is the greatest threat that freedom and democracy face in Latin America today". In turn, Pastrana pointed out the intentions to destabilize the region with Colombia as its main objective: "Look what happened in Chile in 2019 with the increase in the subway rate. Here's an organized attack. When these left-wing governments were in power, they had the greatest amount of money, but the living conditions of the poorest people were not improved, resources were lost in an absolute corruption, never seen before in the region. Colombia is definitely at risk of falling". Gutierrez concluded the meeting by saying: "If Latin America has any challenge today, it is to ensure that the ideas of Liberty, Justice and republican democracy do not end up in the cemetery of forgotten ideas". To see the full conversation, click here. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1582548/DG_and_Pastrana.jpg SOURCE Fundacion Libertad y Desarrollo DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dover Fueling Solutions ("DFS"), a part of Dover (NYSE: DOV) and a leading global provider of advanced customer-focused technologies, services and solutions in the fuel and convenience retail industries, is pleased to announce a reseller agreement with Techniche, under which DFS can market, sell and distribute Techniche asset maintenance management and compliance software solutions to customers worldwide. Techniche's solutions can be used in combination with the recently launched DFS DX Connected Solutions Platform the industry's first open, global and common cloud platform that harnesses advanced analytics and IoT to deliver five core innovative solutions focused on customer experience and site efficiency or as a standalone SaaS option to further enable a digital transformation for intelligent fueling and retail. Trusted by a growing number of global retailers including BP, Shell, Q8, Parkland and Ampol Techniche is used in over 40,000 locations across 29 countries. Techniche has been at the forefront of managing business-critical assets for fuel retailers for more than 20 years. Techniche's cloud-based computerized maintenance management system software was developed specifically for the fuel and convenience retail industry to increase the efficiency of maintenance operations and ensure optimal asset uptime. This helps reduce environmental risk and costs while providing a greater return on investment for all fuel, retail and forecourt assets. "Techniche software provides insight into compliance, equipment and operational needs and is a great complement to DFS DX," said DFS President David Crouse. "We are excited to be able to offer additional solutions to improve asset optimization and productivity, while helping customers future-proof their businesses with cutting-edge technology." "We are delighted to partner with Dover Fueling Solutions as a DFS DX ecosystem partner," said Karl Jacoby, Techniche Chairman and CEO. "DFS customers will join a worldwide community of fuel and convenience retailers that already rely on Techniche software to address their compliance and asset maintenance challenges. We look forward to working closely with the team at DFS to ensure a long and successful partnership." About Dover Fueling Solutions: Dover Fueling Solutions ("DFS"), part of Dover Corporation, comprises the product brands of ClearView, Fairbanks, OPW Fuel Management Systems, ProGauge, Tokheim and Wayne Fueling Systems, and delivers advanced fuel dispensing equipment, electronic systems and payment, automatic tank gauging and wetstock management solutions to customers worldwide. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, DFS has a significant manufacturing and technology development presence around the world, including facilities in Brazil, China, India, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States. For more information about DFS, visit www.doverfuelingsolutions.com. About Techniche: Techniche is a technology company which has been at the forefront of managing the maintenance of business-critical assets of global fuel retailers for over 20 years. Our asset and maintenance management software is used at over 40,000 sites in 29 countries by major brands including BP, Shell, Q8, Ampol, Parkland and AECOM, to increase the efficiency of maintenance operations and ensure optimal asset uptime. For more information visit technichegroup.com. About Dover: Dover is a diversified global manufacturer and solutions provider with annual revenue of over $7 billion. We deliver innovative equipment and components, consumable supplies, aftermarket parts, software and digital solutions, and support services through five operating segments: Engineered Products, Fueling Solutions, Imaging & Identification, Pumps & Process Solutions and Refrigeration & Food Equipment. Dover combines global scale with operational agility to lead the markets we serve. Recognized for our entrepreneurial approach for over 65 years, our team of over 24,000 employees takes an ownership mindset, collaborating with customers to redefine what's possible. Headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois, Dover trades on the New York Stock Exchange under "DOV." Additional information is available at dovercorporation.com. Dover Fueling Solutions Contact: Jocelyn Sexton (737) 529-6345 [email protected]s.com Dover Media Contact: Adrian Sakowicz, VP, Communications (630) 743-5039 [email protected] Dover Investor Contact: Andrey Galiuk, VP, Corporate Development and Investor Relations (630) 743-5131 [email protected] SOURCE Dover Related Links http://www.dovercorporation.com The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Adobe Inc., Cengage Learning Holdings II Inc., City & Guilds Group, Cornerstone OnDemand Inc., D2L Corp., John Wiley and Sons Inc., Learning Technologies Group Plc, McGraw-Hill Education Inc., SAP SE, and Skillsoft Ltd. are some of the major market participants. Factors such as the Learning process enhancements in the academic sector, the rise in cost-effective content development, the reduced infrastructural and additional costs will offer immense growth opportunities. To leverage the current opportunities, market vendors must strengthen their foothold in the fast-growing segments while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments. E-learning Market in the UK 2021-2025: Segmentation E-learning Market in the UK is segmented as below: Product Packaged Content Solutions End-user K12 Higher Education Corporate To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR70775 E-learning Market in UK 2021-2025: Vendor Analysis and Scope Some of the major vendors of the e-learning market in the UK in the Education Services industry include Adobe Inc., Cengage Learning Holdings II Inc., City & Guilds Group, Cornerstone OnDemand Inc., D2L Corp., John Wiley and Sons Inc., Learning Technologies Group Plc, McGraw-Hill Education Inc., SAP SE, and Skillsoft Ltd. To help businesses improve their market position, Technavio's report provides a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the market. The report also covers the following areas: E-learning Market in UK size E-learning Market in UK trends E-learning Market in UK industry analysis The reduced infrastructural and additional costs are likely to emerge as one of the primary drivers of the market. However, the rise in in-house content development may threaten the growth of the market. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the e-learning market in the UK are designed to provide entry support, customer profile & M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support. E-learning Market in UK 2021-2025: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2021-2025 Detailed information on factors that will assist e-learning market growth in the UK during the next five years Estimation of the e-learning market size in the UK and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the e-learning market in the UK Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of e-learning market vendors in the UK Related Reports on Consumer Discretionary Include: Global Digital Badges Market- The digital badges market is segmented by application (higher education and K-12) and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, MEA, and South America). Download FREE Sample Report Global Corporate Compliance Training Market- The corporate compliance training market is segmented by type (online and blended) and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, MEA, and South America). Download FREE Sample Report Table of Contents: Executive Summary Market Landscape Market ecosystem Value chain analysis Market Sizing Market definition Market segment analysis Market size 2020 Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025 Five Forces Analysis Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Threat of rivalry Market condition Market Segmentation by Product Market segments Comparison by Product Packaged content - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Solutions - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Market opportunity by Product Market Segmentation by End-user Market segments Comparison by End-user K12 - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Higher education - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Corporate - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Market opportunity by End-user Customer landscape Market drivers Market challenges Market trends Vendor Landscape Overview Vendor landscape Landscape disruption Vendor Analysis Vendors covered Market positioning of vendors Adobe Inc. Cengage Learning Holdings II Inc. City & Guilds Group Cornerstone OnDemand Inc. D2L Corp. John Wiley and Sons Inc. Learning Technologies Group Plc McGraw-Hill Education Inc. SAP SE Skillsoft Ltd. Appendix Scope of the report Currency conversion rates for US$ Research methodology List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Report link: https://www.technavio.com/report/e-learning-market-in-uk-industry-analysis SOURCE Technavio Related Links http://www.technavio.com HICKSVILLE, N.Y., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Halarosis (https://halarosis.com/) announced it will be adding new scents to its growing line of fragrance products while also planning a major product expansion in the coming months, including air and fabric fresheners, and reed diffusers. All new products will align with the overarching Halarosis mission to educate consumers on the dangers of additives like phthalates and other harmful substances found in many common home fragrance products. Halarosis (Greek for relaxation) is an all-natural soy wax, vegan, and cruelty-free company dedicated to producing items that are better for both people and the environment, totally eliminating toxic ingredients. Halarosis products are available online directly from the company, and through Amazon and Walmart.com. Halarosis LLC Halarosis LLC "People increasingly want to live much healthier lifestyles and you see that reflected everywhere now, especially in food and exercise trends," said Joanna Vassiliades, Halarosis Founder. "But it's surprising that people still use other products that are harmful to their health. So many candles on the market today, from big-name brands to small businesses, are made of paraffin wax, which is a petroleum waste product." "These waxes and fragrances used in candle-making often contain toxins, like phthalates and parabens. It's shocking, but people are still burning candles with carcinogens, mutagens, reproductive toxins, and organ toxins in their homes usually because they have no idea. And although some companies are trying to provide better options like soy wax, those candles often do not entice new customers because they don't have the same richness of scent people want. We knew we could do better, so the wax used in our candle-making process is not only clean and pure soy, but also sustainable and biodegradable. And the exciting part: it has a strong, robust scent that lasts." Halarosis: A Difference You Can Smell All natural, high quality soy wax blend formulated for an even burn. Lead-free single and double cotton wicks. Free of phthalates and paraffins. Also carcinogen-free, as defined in the guidelines of Proposition 65. Cruelty-free and completely vegan, with room-filling, long-lasting fragrances. A wide range of popular fragrances like: Pineapple & Herb, Apple Berry Harvest, Apple Cinnamon, Black Cherry Vino, Lavender, Winter Forest , Sweet Coconut, and Amber & Musk. "Clean fragrances are just as important as safe, sustainable wax," explained Vassiliades. "Some companies will claim to infuse their candles with essential oils, without informing customers that they are also using fragrance oils which may contain toxic ingredients. We work to provide a wide range of fragrances that please all of our clientele, meaning that sometimes we have to use more than just essential oils. But the scents we use are always safe, as we work very closely with our suppliers to ensure that our fragrance oils are phthalate-free and toxin-free." Halarosis candles were recently included in the 2021 MTV Movie and TV Awards celebrity gift bags, delivered to celebrities like Scarlett Johansson, DJ Snoop, Addison Rae, Kim Lee, Heidi Klum, the cast of "Jersey Shore," Selena Gomez, and both Kim and Kourtney Kardashian. For the latest updates on new Halarosis scents, follow them on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok. About Halarosis Halarosis is dedicated to creating vegan home products that are toxin-free and better for people. Our mission is to make every home an inviting atmosphere where people can enjoy room-filling fragrances that are as natural as possible. Using a unique wax formula, Halarosis candles are designed to fill rooms with fragrance while being safe, clean, and environmentally friendly. Discover why Halarosis means relaxation at: www.Halarosis.com. Media Contact: Joanna Vassiliades, Founder 1-800-991-5699 [email protected] SOURCE Halarosis LLC Related Links http://www.halarosis.com CORE is a technology think tank with office locations in Germany (Berlin), UAE (Dubai), UK (London) and Switzerland (Zurich). They develop solutions based on market knowledge, in-depth technology expertise and high methodological competencefocusing on IT strategy, IT architecture, solution design and software development. "We're pleased to welcome CORE to the EPAM family," said Peter Kuerpick, SVP, CTO of Enterprise Platforms and Managing Director of EPAM Germany. "CORE's strategic IT consulting and software architecture expertise will enable us to effectively advise our clients on developing and delivering business-critical modern solutionsproviding them with a high degree of adaptability and management of their sophisticated technology transformations." "As a trusted partner of EPAM over the years, we couldn't be more pleased to join forcesas they are very much in line with our company culture and values," said Fabian Meyer, Board Member and Head of International Business at CORE SE. "With EPAM's impressive history of growth, there are tremendous synergies with our focus practices, industries and geographies that will in turn provide even more value for our clients." About EPAM Systems Since 1993, EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE: EPAM) has leveraged its software engineering expertise to become a leading global product development, digital platform engineering, and top digital and product design agency. Through its 'Engineering DNA' and innovative strategy, consulting, and design capabilities, EPAM works in collaboration with its customers to deliver next-gen solutions that turn complex business challenges into real business outcomes. EPAM's global teams serve customers in more than 35 countries across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. As a recognized market leader in multiple categories among top global independent research agencies, EPAM was one of only four technology companies to appear on Forbes 25 Fastest Growing Public Tech Companies list every year of publication since 2013 and ranked as the top IT services company on Fortune's 100 Fastest-Growing Companies list in 2019 and 2020. Learn more at www.epam.com and follow us on Twitter @EPAMSYSTEMS and LinkedIn. About CORE SE Founded in 2009 in Berlin, CORE is a technology think tank and trusted partner for governmental and private institutions, especially in highly regulated industries such as finance, biotech, automotive and logistics but also for startups, particularly FinTechs. With around 100 highly skilled experts, CORE supports clients in critical IT transformation projects with offices in Berlin, Zurich, Dubai and London, cooperating with leading institutions where IT represents a critical factor to business success. Guided by the company values trust, performance & expertise, CORE delivers professional competence with a focus on highest quality. Learn more at www.core.se/ and follow us on LinkedIn. Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes statements which may constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the accuracy of which are necessarily subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied include general economic conditions and the factors discussed in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. EPAM undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities law. SOURCE EPAM Systems, Inc. Related Links https://www.epam.com LOS ALAMITOS, Calif., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Epson America, Inc., a worldwide leader in inkjet printing solutions, today announced it has been awarded a Sourcewell contract for its portfolio of digital imaging solutions including business inkjet print, copy, scan hardware and large-format printers. Sourcewell, a government organization, streamlines the competitive bid process to connect state and local government, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations with world-class suppliers. "The contract with Sourcewell brings new avenues for Epson BusinessFirstSM partners to provide the high-quality business inkjet technology and value we are known for to the many institutions that rely on Sourcewell," said Patty O'Brian, director of commercial sales, Epson America, Inc. "Epson, together with our partners, is committed to delivering innovative inkjet printing solutions that are not only reliable and cost-effective today, but provide that same quality as well as low energy consumption benefits for the long-term." Recognized among Sourcewell's highly regarded suppliers, Epson was awarded the Sourcewell contract after a competitive evaluation process that proved its business inkjet solutions to hold distinguished value and quality for government agencies. By utilizing Sourcewell contracts, participating agencies save time and money by capturing the buying power of more than 60,000 organizations. "At Sourcewell, we are always looking to add best of class suppliers who solve problems for our participating agencies," said Jim Benson, supplier development, Sourcewell. "Epson provides valuable solutions for Government, Education and Nonprofit Agencies and is a welcomed addition to our Awarded Supplier Portfolio." Epson's business inkjet printing solutions are engineered with PrecisionCore Heat-Free Technology and use high-yield consumables to enable high-productivity printing and deliver print-shop-quality output. The broad lineup is comprised of various printing solutions to meet the precise needs of range of markets from Supertank printers with supersized ink tanks to help teachers with high-volume color printing throughout the school year to WorkForce Enterprise monochrome and color MFPs for administrative office printing that is cost-effective and energy efficient. About Epson Business Inkjet Epson's portfolio of high-performance business inkjet printing solutions forge the future of office printing and set the new standard for minimal intervention, affordability and low energy consumption. Engineered with Epson's innovative PrecisionCore Heat-Free Technology, Epson's groundbreaking business printing solutions from Supertank, WorkForce, WorkForce Pro and WorkForce Pro HC for hybrid work-from-home and in-office small businesses to WorkForce Enterprise deliver high performance with few moving parts to exceed market needs. To learn more about Epson's portfolio of business inkjet printing solutions, visit Epson.com/BusinessInkjet. To learn more about Epson PrecisionCore Heat-Free Technology, visit Epson.com/Heat-Free. About Epson Epson is a global technology leader dedicated to co-creating sustainability and enriching communities by leveraging its efficient, compact, and precision technologies and digital technologies to connect people, things, and information. The company is focused on solving societal issues through innovations in home and office printing, commercial and industrial printing, manufacturing, visual and lifestyle. Epson's goal is to become carbon negative and eliminate use of exhaustible underground resources such as oil and metal by 2050. Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the worldwide Epson Group generates annual sales of around JPY 1 trillion. global.epson.com/ Epson America, Inc., based in Los Alamitos, Calif., is Epson's regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. To learn more about Epson, please visit: epson.com. You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook (facebook.com/Epson), Twitter (twitter.com/EpsonAmerica), YouTube (youtube.com/epsonamerica), and Instagram (instagram.com/EpsonAmerica). All rights reserved. EPSON, PrecisionCore, and WorkForce are registered trademarks, EPSON Exceed Your Vision is a registered logomark, PrecisionCore Heat-Free Technology is a trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation. BusinessFirst is a service mark of Epson America, Inc. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks. Copyright 2021 Epson America, Inc. SOURCE Epson America, Inc. Related Links www.epson.com NIEL, Belgium, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- eTheRNA immunotherapies NV ('eTheRNA' or the 'Company'), a clinical-stage company developing mRNA-based immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases, today announced that it has appointed Mathieu Lane as Chief Financial Officer and President of eTheRNA Inc., its newly established U.S. subsidiary company. Mathieu Lane brings a wealth of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. He served over 15 years in healthcare investment banking in New York, working on a broad range of financings and strategic transactions for both large pharmaceutical and emerging biopharma companies. He was most recently at Guggenheim Securities and, prior to this, at Bear Stearns. An organic chemist by training, Mathieu has also worked in lipid-based gene therapy research at Genzyme and in venture capital at SR One. He will be based in eTheRNA's new office in New York. Steven Powell, Chief Executive Officer of eTheRNA, said: "We are pleased to welcome Mathieu to eTheRNA as we look to maximise the potential of our mRNA and related technology platforms. Mathieu is a key addition to our senior leadership team and will play an important role in managing our future financing strategies and establishing our presence in North America. Today's announcement is a significant step in the development and growth of our company as we look to strengthen our position in key geographies and accelerate development of our technologies and product pipeline." Mathieu Lane, Chief Financial Officer of eTheRNA, commented: "Over the last year we have seen the ability of mRNA technology to generate novel and effective therapeutics. eTheRNA has a powerful next-generation mRNA platform which offers enormous potential for the development of off-the-shelf therapies for cancer, infectious diseases and, potentially, auto-immune disorders. I am delighted to be joining at this exciting time as we look to establish a footprint in the U.S.A and maximise the potential of eTheRNA's technologies and product pipeline." eTheRNA's corporate headquarters is in Niel, Belgium and its discovery facility is in Ghent, Belgium. About eTheRNA immunotherapies eTheRNA immunotherapies NV is developing immunotherapy and vaccine products for the treatment of cancer, infectious diseases and auto-immune disorders from its multiple RNA, formulation and manufacturing technology platforms. The Company is headquartered in Belgium, with an office in the US, and was established in 2013. Its founding shareholders include Progress Pharma and VUB. eTheRNA is supported by an international group of specialised investors: BNP Fortis Private Equity, Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Funds, Everjoy Fortune PTE. LTD, Grand Decade Development Limited, Fund+, LSP, Novalis Lifesciences, Omega Funds, PMV and Ying Zhou Enterprise Management Company Limited who share the Company's ambition to build a world-leading company in the RNA field. To date, the Company has raised 63 million of venture funding. Further details relating to eTheRNA can be found at www.etherna.be SOURCE eTheRNA DUBLIN, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Europe Cybersecurity Market, Share by Segment, Component, Country, Company Initiatives, Overview, Sales Analysis, Forecast" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Europe Cybersecurity Market is estimated to reach US$ 22.67 Billion by 2027 from US$ 8.56 Billion in 2020, growing at a CAGR of 14.93% during 2020-2027. Europe is making cybersecurity a "high priority" and financing equipment & infrastructure. As the demand for robust Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) and Defence security grows, the market for cybersecurity will explore and the number of available solutions. In 2019, according to Eurostat, the expanding penetration of mobile internet user's uptake of 92% of young people in European region and adoption of cloud-based services, and Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) presented a comprehensive opportunity for cyber vendors in the European cybersecurity market size. As the internet is cheaper, faster, and more widely available than ever before, the connected device, PCs, and wearables cybersecurity continue to grow with data breaches, malware, and phishing. Cyber security is continuing to be an integral part of every single organization across Europe. As per our report, we have studied complete insights of IT &Telecom, Retails, BFSI, Healthcare, Defence/Government, Automotive, and others. Financial and banking service sectors are the primary targets of increasing cyber-attacks. Hackers have begun using malware, such as Danabot, Odinaff, and Backswap, Camubot, to target banks that rely on the SWIFT network to send money-moving messages. The growing government regulations on data privacy, increasing cyber intimidations, and a swelling number of data centres are the most vital income generators for the Defence/Government cybersecurity market. The European cyber security market for the Internet of Things (IoT) and connected device are in a growing phase. Germany, United Kingdom, France, and Italy, are leading European countries to adopt IoT and connected device. However, many consumers across Europe are also seeing the importance of wearables devices and increasingly understand the benefits. The severity of cyber breaches has become more and more intense in recent years across European countries. The threat to UK companies from hackers and other malicious elements online was magnified in 2020. The number of attacks continued to grow, and cyber security has become increasingly important to many more parts of the UK economy. In the past two years Denmark, France, Sweden citizens have faced the highest percentage of security-related problems in the European region. France is projected to hold a notable portion in the cybersecurity business in the European region. The French national cyber security plan attempts to supplement the French society's digital transformation actions and approach the new challenges expereinced due to the changing uses of digital technology and the associated threats. The primary companies in Europe cyber security market are Broadcom, Cisco Systems Inc., Check Point Software Technology Ltd., IBM and Palo Alto Networks, Inc. These key players are adopting different strategies in the European region to the lucrative path towards expanding their market share. In Jan 2020, Cisco opened its first Cyber Security Co-Innovation Centre, which is totally dedicated to cyber security and privacy in Europe. Key Topics Covered: 1. Introduction 2. Research Methodology 3. Executive Summary 4. Market Dynamics 4.1 Growth Drivers 4.2 Challenges 5. Europe Cyber Security Market 6. Market Share - Europe Cyber Security Market 6.1 By Segments 6.2 By Components 6.3 By Country 7. Segment - Europe Cyber Security Market 7.1 IoT devices 7.2 PCS 7.3 Mobiles/network 7.4 Connected TV 7.5 Wearables 7.6 Connected car 8. Component - Europe Cyber Security Market 8.1 IT & Telecom 8.2 Retails 8.3 BFSI 8.4 Healthcare 8.5 Defense/Government 8.6 Automotive 8.7 Other 9. Country - Europe Cyber Security Market 9.1 Germany 9.2 France 9.3 United Kingdom 9.4 Italy 10. Company Analysis 10.1 Overview 10.2 Company Initiatives 10.3 Sales Analysis Broadcom Cisco Systems, Inc. Check Point Software Technology Ltd. IBM Palo Alto Networks, Inc. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/xz9i3y 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 Get Free Access to These 100+ Profiles Each profile is free to view and packed with high-quality insights, providing businesses with detailed company information. Users can take advantage of these insights to identify, target, and connect with the right heater manufacturers and suppliers. This company information includes employee insights, company competitors, the impact of emerging trends and challenges, the latest news, and more. Free Insights Included for all Heater Manufacturer and Supplier Profiles: List of product and service category offerings and primary operating industries Risk of doing business score across four different metrics List of key executives and their roles within the company Company financials and general organizational information Global, national, and regional competitors List of key clients Top trends and challenges within operating industry and expected influence on business impact Latest company news with the ability to sign up for timely news alerts Get Started to View Free Company Insights Heater Companies on BizVibe BizVibe's platform contains 10M+ company profiles, spanning across 200+ countries, categorized into 40,000+ products and services. There are 100+ company profiles related to heater manufacturers and suppliers on BizVibe, covering 30+ product and service categories. Each company profile contains detailed insights dedicated to helping procurement and sales teams find trusted suppliers and target sales prospects. Examples of heater manufacturer and supplier company profiles that can be discovered on BizVibe include: Water heater manufacturers Patio heater manufacturers Heater plate manufacturers Coil heater manufacturers Industrial heat exchanger manufacturers Central heating manufacturers Get Free Company Profile Access for all Categories Company Profiles for Buyers and Sellers BizVibe's modern B2B platform is designed to help both global buyers and sellers. Powered by the latest best-in-class solutions, BizVibe provides outstanding product features for both category managers and sales professionals. Features for Buyers: Quickly discover the right suppliers Create short lists and custom alerts Mitigate supplier risk and evaluate suppliers Send RFIs/RFPs Learn how BizVibe helps buyers: https://www.bizvibe.com/find-suppliers Features for Sellers: Target the right sales prospects Qualify leads Analyze buyer potential API integration and data enrichment Learn how BizVibe helps sellers: https://www.bizvibe.com/sellers About BizVibe BizVibe has been conceptualized and built by a team based out of Toronto, Bangalore, and London. We are a branch of Infiniti Research and have dedicated units in all three locations. BizVibe helps buyers find the most relevant suppliers from around the world and help sellers target prospects who need their products and/or services. For more information, please visit www.bizvibe.com and start for free today. Contact BizVibe Jesse Maida Email: [email protected] 1 855-897-5880 Website: https://www.bizvibe.com/ SOURCE BizVibe SEATTLE, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As brands and retailers of all sizes seize control of their digital commerce strategies with the most modern and scalable headless commerce platform in the marketplace, Fabric today announced that Karen Brewer has been appointed Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer. As CMO, Brewer will lead Fabric's global integrated marketing, brand strategy, corporate communications, product marketing, digital marketing, field marketing, and customer and partner marketing efforts. Brewer joins Fabric on the heels of its early stage growth and $100 million Series B funding announcement in July. Fabric allows merchants and marketers to quickly turn creative commerce ideas into reality, without the need to fully rely on expensive engineering resources. An extensive and flexible API-driven approach enables brands to modernize their legacy e-commerce platforms in a matter of weeks versus months, saving time and money. Additionally, Fabric is the only modular commerce platform designed to support scaling businesses that have outgrown the limitations of e-commerce solutions tailored for entrepreneurs and small businesses. "We are thrilled to have a veteran marketer of Karen's caliber join the growing Fabric team as more and more brands discover the flexibility and effectiveness of our headless, API-driven approach to digital commerce," said Faisal Masud, CEO of Fabric. "Karen, is a marketing leader who shares our philosophy around the power of the customer experience and putting brands in complete control of their digital commerce strategy without their platform getting in the way, or holding them back. We've been growing rapidly, and with Karen onboard, we've added jet-fuel to our growth efforts." "I believe we are again in one of those transformative moments this time in digital commerce where a rocket ship startup is out-innovating the incumbents," said Karen Brewer. "Fabric's technology changes everything for brands and retailers and works the way merchandisers and marketers think about delivering a delightful customer experience with speed and agility that drives growth. I am excited to be joining an innovative and customer-focused organization that has limitless opportunity to shape the future of ecommerce." Brewer will manage the marketing organization building on Fabric's continued momentum to accelerate growth and help build customer and partner success. Brewer is a results-driven marketing executive with a background developing business and marketing strategies that increase awareness and demand for enterprise software companies both as a CMO and as a consultant. She was most recently a Marketing Advisor to Fabric, and has experience leading marketing, customer experience, ecommerce, and sales across pre/post IPO (Adobe/Macromedia), PE-backed exits (Ellucian Higher Education), and global public leaders (Autodesk, Cisco). Brewer joins Fabric following the company's recent hires of Tyler Nemiro as VP of Enterprise Sales , Umer Sadiq as CTO and Morgan Dollard as SVP of Product. About Fabric Fabric is the headless commerce platform purpose-built for growth. Customers like BuildDirect, abc carpet & home, GNC, and MSC trust Fabric for its open and modular design that allows them to be live within weeks without having to replatform. Fabric is a force multiplier on retailers' existing technology investments proven to grow digital revenue by up to 3x. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Fabric is backed by Stripes, B Capital Group, Greycroft, Norwest Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, Sierra Ventures, Innovation Global Capital, Ascend Venture Capital, Expa and BC Partners. To learn more, visit https://fabric.inc. Mission North for Fabric [email protected] 703-795-1928 SOURCE Fabric Inc. Related Links https://fabric.inc/ The brand's 13-week mission will honor the unsung heroes of our agri-food chain and highlight the fundamental role the heartland plays by delivering grab-n-go lunches and providing monetary donations to support the future of farming. The Farmland Honoring The Heartland Tour food truck will complete two to three stops per week at various locations rooted in Midwestern neighborhoods. In addition to distributing meals, the brand will be donating to the National FFA Organization and state-level FFA Associations throughout the tour to assist them in their vision to grow leaders, build communities and strengthen agriculture at the local, state and national levels. This $5,000 donation to the Nebraska FFA Association will go towards the organization's mission to develop its students' potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success. With so many Nebraskans directly employed in agriculture, institutions like this are vital in creating the next generation of leaders and ensuring a positive future for the category. "Farmland is humbled to share this donation with the Nebraska FFA Association so they can continue to be a prominent influence in the agricultural sphere by offering valuable real-world information and opportunities to its student and alumni chapters," said Michael Merritt, Jr. senior director for Farmland at Smithfield Foods. "Farmland is committed to supporting localized farming in America's heartland to provide customers with high-quality, flavorful products they can trust and feel good about. The donation today honors the brand's appreciation for the crucial role our partners in this industry play for not only our products, but our nation's food supply." "We are thankful for Farmland's ongoing support of the National and State-level FFA Organization's missions," said Molly Ball, chief marketing officer for National FFA Organization and president for National FFA Foundation. "We're happy to join in honoring the unsung heroes of farming and agriculture, many of whom are former FFA members." The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 760,000 student members as part of 8,700 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In addition to supporting local farming and agriculture communities, Farmland is simultaneously working to keep these neighborhoods strong by alleviating hunger. In its efforts, the brand is partnering with Hy-Vee to help fight food insecurity across Omaha through a donation of more than 40,000 pounds of protein to the Food Bank for the Heartland. This is the equivalent of more than 160,000 servings of protein, which is one of the most valuable resources the food bank distributes. The donation is part of Smithfield Foods' Helping Hungry Homes initiative, which was created in 2008 to fight hunger and food insecurity in local communities across the country. Since then, the company has donated more than 215 million servings of protein to food banks, community outreach programs, and disaster-relief efforts in all 50 states. To learn more, visit https://sustainability.smithfieldfoods.com/helping-communities. "Smithfield Foods is proud to help our neighbors navigate challenging times by working to alleviate hunger and show appreciation for the Food Bank for the Heartland for their tireless work this past year," said Jonathan Toms, charitable initiatives manager for Smithfield Foods. "We are honored to support America's food banks, which provide essential meals to millions of people every day, to assist in fighting food insecurity across the country." "We are tremendously grateful to the teams at Smithfield Foods, Farmland, and Hy-Vee for their continued support of our mission at Food Bank for the Heartland," said Brian Barks, President and CEO for Food Bank for the Heartland. "Protein-rich foods play an important role in our fight against hunger, especially during this critical time. This generous donation will help us provide more healthy meals to more families in need allowing them to focus, work, live, and thrive. We are also thankful for Farmland for bringing their food truck to our facility to feed our staff and volunteers." "Hy-Vee is proud to operate under the same philosophy as Farmland, as we join together to help support the communities where we work and live," said Craig Todd, District Store Director for Hy-Vee. "This donation to the Food Bank for the Heartland is especially crucial, now more than ever, to provide our fellow neighbors with essential provisions to help fight food insecurity following a heartbreaking year." As part of the donation event at Food Bank for the Heartland in Omaha, Neb., the Farmland food truck also supplied meals to essential food bank employees and volunteers a token of the brand's gratitude for courageously working during this past year to ensure neighbors still had access to fresh food. For more information and to see where the Honoring the Heartland Tour goes next, follow us on Facebook (@FarmlandFoods), Instagram (@farmlandfoods) or Twitter (@FarmlandFoods). Farmland is a brand of Smithfield Foods. About Farmland Founded in 1959, Farmland is the maker of high-quality, flavorful meats. Rooted in rich traditions of America's heartland, Farmland is committed to a strong work ethic, community, substance over flash, and wholesome, quality food that people feel good about serving. Farmland's robust portfolio of products includes varieties of bacon, sausage, ham and lunch meat. For more information about our products and recipe inspiration, please visit www.FarmlandFoods.com or follow us on Facebook (@FarmlandFoods), Instagram (@farmlandfoods) or Twitter (@FarmlandFoods). Farmland is a brand of Smithfield Foods. About Smithfield Foods, Inc. Headquartered in Smithfield, Va. since 1936, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is an American food company with agricultural roots and a global reach. Our 63,000 team members are dedicated to producing "Good food. Responsibly." and have made us one of the world's leading vertically integrated protein companies. We have pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including our industry-leading commitments to become carbon negative in U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30 percent across our entire U.S. value chain by 2030. We believe in the power of protein to end food insecurity and have donated hundreds of millions of food servings to our communities. Smithfield boasts a portfolio of high-quality iconic brands, such as Smithfield, Eckrich and Nathan's Famous, among many others. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com, and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. About National FFA Organization The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 760,000 student members as part of 8,700 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. For more, visit the National FFA Organization online at FFA.org and on Facebook and Twitter. About National FFA Foundation The National FFA Foundation builds partnerships with industry, education, government, other foundations and individuals to secure financial resources that recognize FFA member achievements, develop student leaders and support the future of agricultural education. A separately registered nonprofit organization, the foundation is governed by a board of trustees that includes the national FFA president, educators, business leaders and individual donors. For more, visit FFA.org/Give. About Nebraska FFA Foundation The Nebraska FFA Foundation invests in agricultural education and FFA for over 10,000 FFA members and their advisors in Nebraska by growing leaders, building communities and strengthening agriculture. For more information, visit neffafoundation.org. About Food Bank for the Heartland (a member of Feeding America) Food Bank for the Heartland is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Omaha, Nebraska that acts as a central clearinghouse distributing food to more than 600 network partners across 77 counties in Nebraska and 16 counties in western Iowa. Food Bank for the Heartland distributed more than 32.8 million meals in 2020, helping thousands of children, families, seniors, veterans, and others in need. For more information, visit FoodBankHeartland.org. About Hy-Vee, Inc. Hy-Vee, Inc. is an employee-owned corporation operating more than 280 retail stores across eight Midwestern states with sales of $11 billion annually. The supermarket chain is synonymous with quality, variety, convenience, healthy lifestyles, culinary expertise and superior customer service. Hy-Vee ranks in the Top 10 Most Trusted Brands and has been named one of America's Top 5 favorite grocery stores. The company's more than 86,000 employees provide "A Helpful Smile in Every Aisle" to customers every day. For additional information, visit www.hy-vee.com. Media Contact: Caroline Greer HUNTER: on behalf of Farmland (646) 459-4952 [email protected] Kristy Meyer National FFA Organization (800) 293-2387 [email protected] Travis Carlson Food Bank for the Heartland (720) 440-1885 [email protected] SOURCE Smithfield Foods, Inc. Related Links www.smithfieldfoods.com The Fireblocks platform propagates the expansion of digital asset use cases beyond bitcoin into payments, gaming, NFTs, digital securities and ultimately allows any business to become a digital asset business. Fireblocks' technology can be white labeled for crypto custody solutions, allowing new and established financial institutions to implement direct custody on their own without having to rely on third parties. "Fireblocks is the preferred choice by large and small institutions given that its platform allows them to offer their customers' custom custody solutions instead of outsourcing critical capabilities," said Mukaya (Tai) Panich, Chief Venture and Investment Officer, SCB 10X. "We are an investor, partner and customer of Fireblocks in multiple areas as we believe the Fireblocks Asset Transfer Network and its crypto custody infrastructure are world-class and are unparalleled in the digital asset space. As Thailand's largest bank, we are looking forward to bringing Fireblocks' solutions to future users in Southeast Asia." As the pioneer of MPC technology for digital assets, Fireblocks has created a trusted infrastructure that sits at the core of its platform. Now adopted by over 500 institutions and securing over one trillion dollars in digital assets, Fireblocks infrastructure has been a fundamental driver in the growth and adoption among new and traditional financial institutions. Expanding its services globally, Fireblocks now supports many of the world's biggest banks in addition to leading crypto-native exchanges, lending desks, hedge funds, OTC desks, and market makers like Revolut, BlockFi, Celsius, PrimeTrust, Galaxy Digital, Genesis Trading, crypto.com, eToro and others. "As crypto becomes increasingly important, we are seeing an explosion of companies that handle digital assets, including crypto-native companies, fintech companies, neobanks and traditional financial institutions," said Ravi Gupta, Partner at Sequoia Capital. "The secure storage and transfer of digital assets will be core to all of these businesses, and Fireblocks is positioned to become the infrastructure for companies to secure and move digital assets. The visionary team at Fireblocks is providing critical infrastructure to a new financial world and we're thrilled to be their partner." Since its inception in 2019, Fireblocks has raised a cumulative total of $489 million from the leading global VCs in the fintech, blockchain and cybersecurity space including Cyberstarts, Eight Roads, Tenaya Capital, Swisscom Ventures, Paradigm, Ribbit Capital, and Coatue. "We're thrilled to be able to expand our company and infrastructure through this new injection of funds. The growth we've seen to date is a reflection of all parties involved, at every stage," said Michael Shaulov, CEO of Fireblocks. "As it stands, our technology has stood out in the space since the company was founded and its success rate has been evident. Looking ahead into the growth of the industry, there is massive potential for us to continue stepping in and being a trusted partner to financial institutions and other organizations looking to enter the space safely and seamlessly." Blockchain technologies are being integrated into the financial sector at an incredibly rapid pace, with banking identified as the sector containing the highest distribution of blockchain market value. Recent statistics point to the increase in digital asset users, as the number of registered blockchain wallets in the second quarter of 2021 was more than 70 million, up from 10.98 million in 2016. By 2022, it is projected that more than one billion people will be utilizing blockchain wallets. While continuing its strategic expansion alongside the growth of the digital asset industry, Fireblocks intends to scale all business lines, adding more customers and partners to its ecosystem. About Fireblocks Fireblocks is an enterprise-grade platform delivering a secure infrastructure for moving, storing, and issuing digital assets. Fireblocks enables exchanges, lending desks, custodians, banks, trading desks, and hedge funds to securely scale digital asset operations through the Fireblocks Network and MPC-based Wallet Infrastructure. Fireblocks serves over 500 financial institutions, has secured the transfer of over one trillion in digital assets, and has a unique insurance policy that covers assets in storage & transit. For more information, please visit www.fireblocks.com . SOURCE Fireblocks Related Links https://www.fireblocks.com/ While we consumers can shop for just about anything, just about anywhere these days, the furniture category has long presented something of a conundrum. For one thing, a sofa is a big-ticket item, not easily returned, and something we don't typically shop for very often, especially since even a poorly constructed sofa will likely last a few years. That leaves the decorating challenged without a lot of experience in the matter, and with a lot riding on making the right decision. Choose well and prepare to sit back in satisfaction and comfort, enjoying the compliments of family and friends. Choose incorrectly, and you're saddled with a costly decorating mistake that will be a source of unhappiness and discomfort for quite some time to come. A New Decorating Ally Flexsteel is a leading furniture manufacturer determined to take the guesswork out of the decorating gamestacking the deck for consumers by loading their new website with a variety of high-tech tools designed to assist in what many see as a time-consuming, and sometimes altogether frustrating, shopping process. At first glance, the company would seem an unlikely contender for position of decorating ally in the digital age. Based not in Silicon Valley, but in Dubuque, Iowa, the maker was launched more than a century ago, when searching for just the right sofa anywhere other than inside a brick-and-mortar storemuch less while parked on a beach blanketwould have sounded like so much science fiction. Yet, the maker's journey from traditional furniture company to its recently stated goal of becoming a true omnichannel presence in the home furnishings marketplace, is a story that appears destined to become a case study in the how-to-succeed-in-business genre. It begins with a legacy of quality products, and a unique innovation that dates back to the 1920s, when Flexsteel introduced its proprietary blue steel spring, a patented ribbon of steel that revolutionized upholstered furniture manufacturing in those days and has made for a clearly defined brand story in all the years since. From the start, the manufacturer focused on telling its story to retailers across the country, for the most part relying on those dealers to convey its benefitsthe spring never actually wears out or requires adjusting over timeto their stores' customers, the furniture buying public. This marketing approach, which focused nearly all selling efforts on gaining coveted space for Flexsteel's products on retail floors, worked fine for decades. Indeed, over time, the company would grow to become an industry leader, going public in the 1960s, and eventually expanding their product offering to encompass not only upholstered goods, but major collections for every room in the home. "Then came the big shift in how we, as consumers, shop for everything," says Sharad Mathur, vice president of marketing at Flexsteel. "While nothing changed in terms of our capability to design and manufacture fashionable, quality products that will last, in little more than a decade, we moved from the industrial age to the digital. For consumers, new tools continue to appear at an ever-quickening pace, from the first time we used a Google Map to find our way, to the introduction of the iPhone, to our first Uber rides, and all the mobile apps we've learned to useand come to depend onalong the way. People now habitually start their shopping process online, no matter the product, and the pandemic has only accelerated this trend. Prior to a purchase, they expect to find all the information they require to make their buying decision on your website, on your mobile friendly app, on a screen of one sort or another, wherever they happen to be." Beginning a New Chapter The challenge for a company like Flexsteel, born and bred in the industrial age, was how to evolve its very traditional marketing approach to remain relevant in this new reality. Thus, the launch of Flexsteel.com, which supplants a site that was by all accounts dated and quite corporate in appearance (read that boring). The new version is cleaner, brighter, bolder, and from a visual standpoint, much more in line with the look of a major specialty retailer. Though aimed squarely at a consumer audience, the site remains strictly B2B in support of the retailers that sell Flexsteel's products. "We recognize that the success of our business here at Flexsteel is directly tied to the success of our retail partners," says Jerry Dittmer, chief executive officer, "so our goal was to develop a seamless experience linking our digital platform and our brick-and-mortar dealers to better meet the needs of today's consumers." "Our website is about providing inspiration, information and communicating our brand story to shoppers," Mathur emphasizes. "The robust digital tools we now provide are designed to lead site visitors to retail stores to complete their purchase, and to assist those stores in positioning and promoting our brand to their customers." Get me Rewrite! One of the new tools that will no doubt curl everyone's toes in the sand (or anywhere else for that matter), is digital drapingenabling site visitors to visualize and customize furniture styles and fabrics with a click. Forget the heavy rings hung with small fabric samples that have long forced shoppers to flip back and forth from one small swatch to another, trying to imagine what a sofa might look like wearing each. Just choose a customizable silhouette from Flexsteel's expansive selection of sofas, chairs, and sectionals, and then personalize the look with your choice of more than 250 standard fabrics from the company's popular South Haven collection. Tap on a fabric and the tool immediately "drapes" your piece, fully covered in the chosen color and pattern. No guesswork necessary. Users can then rotate the resulting image 360 degrees to view their selection from all angles, zooming in and out to study it closer. Say that green floral sofa with plaid pillows is not quite what you imagined, just drape it with another fabric, changing the base cloth and/or the accent material as many times as necessary to create a look you love. Among the choices included in the South Haven collection's simplified pricing program are performance fabrics with stain resistancewe're talking to you parents of small children and petssustainable options and even fabrics with UV protection. Still determined to go old-school and insist on actually touching and feeling your chosen material in person? Tap again to request a swatch be sent for your hands-on review. When a Flexsteel.com visitor hits upon an ideal fabric and frame combination, they can add the image they have created to their favorites, email it to themselves, and/or share with friends, family members via social channels. Or simply print the image out to show a salesperson on the floor of their favorite furniture store exactly what it is they are after. Suddenly, buying furniture and decorating a spacelong considered an overwhelming task by manyis something akin to a video game. Winning is easy. Convenient. Confidence boosting. Fun! Wait, There's More As whiz-bang as all this sounds, Mathur is quick to note that the company's digital journey is just beginning. Even so, there are already more tools available here to help consumers create beautiful spaces than the company has ever previously provided. Along with the aforementioned draping tool, the newly interactive website is loaded with bolder, more inviting images, improved navigation, anda room planner. The room planning tool enables site visitors to move beyond customizing a piece of furniture, to actually placing the furniture in a space. "You input your room's dimensions, along with architectural elements like windows, doors and fireplaces, and the room planner makes it simple to choose from any of our products and design your entire room to scale," he explains. Set aside the razzle dazzle designed to engage consumers and invite play, and the company's mission becomes quite clear. These new digital tools virtually nullify the possibility of making a decorating mistake, while exponentially increasing the customer's peace of mind about prospective purchases. There is yet more to come. Virtual realitythe kind that enables users to actually move around inside a space they have createdfigures prominently in the company's plans over the coming months. The Plot Thickens Any good summer read includes page after page designed to engross and move a story forward, and the concept holds just as true here. Anyone who may have encountered the company's previous website, will immediately grasp that its sequel is far more expansive and compelling. Indeed, the company's writing team has been hard at work developing fresh, informative, best-in-class content that is conversational in tone, relatable and smart. In fact, the new site arrives with an ever-growing library of inspirational blogs packed with design ideas and advice, all aimed at helping people make more informed decisions. Read through the vastly improved copy and the underlying message of the brand's legacythe quality construction story at its very heartcontinues to beat unchanged. Additionally, all of the new content is seamlessly syndicated to the websites of Flexsteel retailers across the country, which ensures that no matter where consumers encounter the brand, the information they find will be accurate, up-to-the-minute, and most important, consistent. Although Flexsteel.com is the most outward expression of Flexsteel's transformation into an omnichannel presence, Mathur reports that it is actually only one chapter in the company's unfolding marketing plan. Others delve into brand basics like refreshed store signage and point-of-purchase materials, an updated, easy-to-use in-store kiosk, and, of course, a mobile app. As is appropriate in the current environment, there is also plenty of audience engagement already at work through improved social outreach via Facebook, Instagram, and other channels. "Our over-arching goal now is to create conversations with consumers, sharing what's new and how we're trying to position ourselves as a design leader," Mathur says. "We want to know who they are, what they think about us, and what we can do better. Rather than talk at people, we want to really communicate. And being truly omnichannel means that we need to be ready to talk whenever and wherever they want to have the conversation with us." In other words, the dialog in this story will be ongoing. "We're on a journey, and it's one that never actually ends," the executive says. "Flexsteel accomplished wonderful things for more than one hundred years, all of which were relevant for a company in the industrial age. Now, the marketplace has evolved, and we are transforming along with it. The end of our story is a long way from being written, but for us, the time has come to turn the next page." SOURCE Flexsteel Industries, Inc. Related Links www.flexsteel.com MARGATE, Fla., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Felicia Collins struggled to keep up with her peers as a kid in school, especially when it came to reading and writing. She didn't understand why it took so much more effort for her compared to the other students in her class. The daily struggles led to self-esteem and behavioral problems that only seemed to make her situation worse. "School was pretty hard for me when I was young. I got picked on a lot. It was tough," she said. Felicia Collins is a Medical Assistant Student at Florida Career College in Margate What Felicia and her teachers didn't know at the time was that she has a learning disability called dyslexia. The cause of dyslexia is linked to variances in parts of the brain that process language, and it is believed to be genetic. It wasn't until she was in high school that she was properly diagnosed. "The learning issues and struggles persisted all the way through the ninth grade, but things really changed when I enrolled into a vocational high school," she said. "There, I had instructors who cared about the learning process and helped me understand my own learning process. It was really life changing." "I had teachers that taught me the tools I needed to retain information and to alwaysalways ask questions until everything is clear," she added. With this newfound support, Felicia discovered she is quite capable. Her self-esteem blossomed as she focused on learning the culinary trade, and she graduated from that specialty high school at the age of 17. In the following years, she worked her way up the career ladder in the restaurant business, eventually becoming the manager of a franchise food location. "I was living my best life as a manager of a restaurant," she said. "Then I got a call one day saying I would need to take custody of my three-month-old grandson. I thought, no problem I can do this." But Felicia soon discovered that the demanding work and long hours of her job were not compatible with raising a child. She had a difficult decision to make. Finding a New Path "I decided to quit my job and go back to school to pursue a different career," Felicia said. That's when she found the Medical Assistant Technician program at Florida Career College (FCC) at the Margate campus. "I've always enjoyed helping others, and this is a career path that really appeals to me." During her first week of classes after being out of school for over 25 years, the challenges Felicia faced in her youth reemerged. But, so did the learning strategies she learned in high school. She also found support from the staff and instructors at FCC. "Thank God for an instructor that cares enough to help students," she said. "I was really overwhelmed at first, but Ms. Pierre really worked with me and kept me motivated. I realized I needed to be clear about my goals. I am doing this with a definite purpose to make a better future for my grandson. I am 45-years-old and going back to school to show him that age is not a factor, no matter what your difficulties are, or what your barriers are, you can still do it." "Felicia is a superhero here on campus. She not only motivates, but she also encourages, guides and mentors other students in the classroom," said FCC Medical Assistant Technician Instructor Nadine Pierre. "She has demonstrated a great attitude and has shown incredible dedication towards achieving success. She continues to thrive in her academic studies with top grades and attendance. Felicia has a true passion driving her." Selected for a Special Scholarship Felicia learned about a special scholarship from FAPSC Foundation and decided to apply. FCC is a member of the Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools and Colleges (FAPSC), which serves as an advocate for career schools and colleges in the state. The FAPSC Foundation is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization founded for the sole purpose of providing tuition assistance to qualifying individuals interested in pursuing education through FAPSC member schools. Three times per year, the Foundation awards 10 students with scholarships from among its member schools. Felicia was selected from the applicants in the spring cycle for 2021 for a $1,000 scholarship. "Ms. Pierre encouraged me to submit an application for a scholarship," Felicia said. "I wasn't really expecting to be picked but thought putting in the time and effort would be worth it if I did." "My advice to her was go for it. You will be a great candidate," Nadine said. "I am so happy she was selected and so proud of her because she makes me want to do better each and every day as a person." "I am incredibly grateful to the FAPSC Foundation for this very helpful scholarship. Thank you so much," Felicia said. "It is one more motivation for me to keep going." "The FAPSC Foundation was founded for students just like Felicia. The sole mission of the foundation is to offer scholarship possibilities to students attending FAPSC member schools," said Linda Weldon, FAPSC Foundation Executive Director. "Each cycle, as I read through the applications and accompanying personal essays, I am touched by these stores. Each is unique to the individual but there is a common thread that is woven through them allthe importance of education and training to facilitate change for them and their families. Many have lost jobs due to Covid and are using this opportunity to move into fields they have only dreamed of. Many are single parents and often even supporting other members of their family. Many are first generation college students and they are anxious to set an example for their children. "It is the sincere hope of the Foundation that the $1,000 Scholarship that has been awarded them will send the message that they are not alone. That there are others out there who want to help them achieve their goals," Linda added. To learn more about the FAPSC Foundation visit fapscfoundation.org. About Florida Career College: Florida Career College (FCC) is an accredited, employee-owned post-secondary career education system with campuses locations in Florida and Texas. FCC offers programs in high-demand fields such as health care, business and skilled trades. Each program is designed to provide every student with the skills, knowledge, and training they need to be successful in their future careers. FCC programs are tailored to meet the needs of students with small classes. Students can train for entry-level careers and start building their future in as few as 10 months. For more information visit www.floridacareercollege.edu Media Contact: Joseph Cockrell [email protected] (949) 812-7749 SOURCE Florida Career College Related Links http://www.floridacareercollege.edu HOUSTON, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Flotek Industries, Inc. ("Flotek" or the "Company") (NYSE: FTK), a leader in green specialty chemistries serving industrial, commercial and consumer markets, announced today it has entered into a long-term agreement with Resolute Oil, a leader in high-quality white mineral oil serving consumer and industrial customers, to leverage capabilities and facilities to drive growth in adjacent green chemistry markets. The agreement includes options to renew until 2036. Through the agreement, Resolute Oil will fully utilize Flotek's entire 15-acre campus, including its 38,000 square foot chemical blending facility, based in Waller, TX, to manufacture United States Pharmacopeia-National Formulary (USP-NF)-grade white mineral oil distributed globally to customers in the agricultural, energy, food & beverage, cosmetic, and personal care markets. Flotek's facility is customized for the production of green chemistries and certified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), facilitating the production of food-grade chemistries. With more than 164 patent assets, Flotek has leveraged its best-in-class research and innovation capabilities to become a global leader in sustainable chemistry technologies serving customers in consumer and industrial markets. The collaboration between Flotek and Resolute Oil will enable the companies to leverage their expertise and access adjacent market verticals for mutual benefit. The Company also has significant blending capacity at its 90,000 sq ft. ISO 9001:2015-certified manufacturing facility in Marlow, OK. Flotek utilizes its manufacturing capabilities and capacity to blend products on behalf of suppliers in a contracted capacity. About Flotek Flotek Industries, Inc. creates solutions to reduce the environmental impact of energy on air, water, land and people. A technology-driven, specialty green chemistry and data company, Flotek helps customers across industrial, commercial, and consumer markets improve their Environmental, Social, and Governance performance. Flotek's Chemistry Technologies segment develops, manufactures, packages, distributes, delivers, and markets high-quality cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing products for commercial, governmental and personal consumer use. Additionally, Flotek empowers the energy industry to maximize the value of their hydrocarbon streams and improve return on invested capital through its real-time data platforms and green chemistry technologies. Flotek serves downstream, midstream, and upstream customers, both domestic and international. Flotek is a publicly traded company headquartered in Houston, Texas, and its common shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "FTK." For additional information, please visit www.flotekind.com. About Resolute Oil Resolute Oil is a global supplier of specialty hydrocarbon products to many markets, including agriculture, oil and gas, ink, cosmetics, and personal care. Our products include highly refined technical-, NF-, and USP-grade white mineral oils, base oils, low-aromatic solvents, and petrolatum. The team at Resolute Oil has decades of experience, and we take pride in providing industry-best customer service. Resolute Oil has worldwide storage, production, and packaging capabilities. Our MaxPar, MaxPure, MaxNap, MaxSol, and MaxSolv brands are universally recognized for purity, performance, and consistency. Resolute Oil also works with customers to develop and blend application-specific formulations in our state-of-the-art labs. To learn more, visit resoluteoil.com. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements set forth in this press release constitute 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) regarding Flotek Industries, Inc.'s business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Words such as will, continue, expects, anticipates, intends, plans, believes, seeks, estimates and similar expressions or variations of such words are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying forward-looking statements in this press release. Although forward-looking statements in this press release reflect the good faith judgment of management, such statements can only be based on facts and factors currently known to management. Consequently, forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results and outcomes may differ materially from the results and outcomes discussed in the forward-looking statements. Further information about the risks and uncertainties that may impact the Company are set forth in the Company's most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Form 10-K (including, without limitation, in the "Risk Factors" section thereof), and in the Company's other SEC filings and publicly available documents. Readers are urged not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect any event or circumstance that may arise after the date of this press release. SOURCE Flotek Industries, Inc. Related Links https://www.flotekind.com CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Guests at freecoat nails beauty bars can treat themselves to the same luxurious CBD pedicure that A-list Hollywood celebrities choose before strolling the red carpet. freecoat announced today that it has carefully selected the nationally acclaimed Mazz Hanna brand for its certified organic, cruelty-free products that will be offered as a CBD add-on with all pedicure services. In addition to being a celebrity manicurist and the CEO of Nailing Hollywood, Mazz Hanna also won the coveted Elle Beauty Genius Award for customized treatments and products that include aromatherapy, crystal healing, and CBD services for restorative health and wellness. Mazz Hanna High Vibration Luxury CBD Pedicure products include CBD Bath Fizz, Clarifying Mist, Cuticle Oil, Rose Quartz Stone and Shea Butter and Essential Oil-Laced Balm. Relax, chill out, and enjoy a luxurious pedicure with a Mazz Hanna CBD add-on at any freecoat nails location. "We're excited to offer our guests the ultimate 'feel good' pedicure with the CBD + Mazz Hanna add-on service," said freecoat nails co-founder Kat Eckles. "We reviewed many CBD brands and chose Mazz Hanna because their commitment to health and wellness aligns with our mission as the nation's first clean, non-toxic beauty bar franchise. We are educating consumers about the difference in brands that "weed wash," by claiming their products contain CBD when it is actually hemp seed oil or other misleading formulas." Mazz Hanna CBD is certified organic with clean extraction methods that are free of toxic solvents such as propane, hexane, pentane, and butane. Eckles said the clean safety measures are a priority at freecoat, where nail technicians use products that are up to "10-free," without harmful chemicals found in many traditional nail salons. At all freecoat nails locations, guests can relax in a spa-like environment while receiving the Mazz Hanna signature service. The experience starts with a fizzy bath in jet-free tubs, followed by a relaxing mist and therapeutic grade aromatherapy. Next, a leg + foot massage with warm rose quartz stones and a luxe shea butter and essential-oil laced balm helps relieve tension and sore muscles while hydrating the skin. "It's a calming, chill-out experience guests can enjoy in a Zen-like environment that also offers light therapy, infrared sauna, and salt therapy at select locations," noted Eckles. "Through innovation, prioritizing the health of our customers and employees, and offering exciting new services, freecoat has rapidly emerged as the leader in the clean beauty movement after just one year since opening for business." Founded by Kat and Landon Eckles, owners of the successful Clean Juice franchise, freecoat nails studios are located in Charlotte, Nashville, and Charleston, South Carolina, with expansion underway. Plans include up to 10 additional stores opening or in development by the end of 2021, with 30 or more conceived for 2022. About freecoat nails: freecoat nails was founded in Charleston, SC in 2017 as the nation's first non-toxic nail + beauty franchise system. The freecoat nails brand was purchased by Kat and Landon Eckles, founders of Charlotte-based Clean Juice, the first and most prolific USDA-certified organic juice bar franchise in the U.S. and follows the Eckles' personal and professional philosophy of "healthy in body and strong in spirit" (3 John 1-2) scripture. freecoat is proud to offer an upscale beauty salon with non-toxic skincare products and services. Each location is equipped with hospital-grade ventilation systems to evacuate fumes and circulate clean air. freecoat prides itself on using high-end, non-toxic products and never offers SNS or fake nails/acrylics, which contribute to toxic fumes. To learn about franchising opportunities, visit www.freecoatnails.com/franchising/ . About Mazz Hanna: Mazz Hanna's luxurious and completely customized treatments have attracted celebrity clients and have won her the coveted Elle Beauty Genius Award. Her clients look to her to provide an elevated and restorative wellness experience beyond the typical manicure. In addition to her extensive celebrity clientele, her work has also been featured in campaigns for brands such as Prada, Fenty Beauty, and Nordstrom, and on the covers of Harper's Bazaar and Glamour Media contact: For interviews, contact Rhonda Price, TopFire Media, at (561) 371-9407. SOURCE freecoat nails Jamison grabbed a national spotlight in 2019 for the personalized handshakes he performs with his students each morning. While adapted to be non-touch in 2020, the tenacity, excitement and hype remains the same. Over the course of his career, he has memorized over 200 distinct handshakes, reinforcing students as important INDIVIDUALS. Jamison decided to become an educator after his own experience without any Black male educators taught him that representation at school matters. "When I was a kid, I was always in trouble at school," explains teacher and icon of GapKids' Fall 2021 campaign, David Jamison. "I realized that part of the reason why is because I didn't have teachers who looked like me; I didn't have someone I could relate to. When I decided to become a teacher, I not only felt called to help change representation in education, but to be a role model kids need. Experiences in early childhood education shape who we are the rest of our lives. I am honored to play a role in the lives of my students and our handshakes are just a small piece of the change I hope to create. It's our job as a community to nurture all children so they can flourish and reach their greatest potential." "Jamison's approach to teaching and commitment to his students as INDIVIDUALS is inspirational and heartwarming," says Mary Alderete, global head of Gap marketing. "He is equal parts champion and role model. Back to school is even more meaningful when many students are returning to the physical classroom for the first time in over a year. One of his students told us she loves being in his class because she can be herself and that is the essence of GapKids - being an individual who is true to yourself, encouraging others, instilling empathy and optimism, and being the change this world needs." To continue Gap's commitment to drive change and amplify voices, the campaign was captured by biracial female photographer, Melodie McDaniel, and filmed in collaboration with Gap Global Creative Director, Len Peltier. The creative plays tribute to Gap's modern American optimism rooted in music and dance with a soundtrack set to daily mantras from Jamison's class phrases like, "Who are we? We are the Rockets! The Rockets are respectful and responsible, optimistic, collegiate, knowledgeable, engage with enthusiasm, trustworthy, striving for success," vibrating the spirit and heart of these forces for good. To kick off the campaign and celebrate the students starring within, Gap installed the iconic GapKids images of Jamison and his students on school grounds. The billboard was just revealed at an in-person pep rally, welcoming Hickory Ridge Elementary back to school. Gap also donated hundreds of school uniform pieces and hoodies to support the students and families at Hickory Ridge Elementary School. The GapKids campaign will debut on July 27, 2021 across Gap brand channels and television, OOH and digital. Follow along on @gapkids to see #GaptoSchool content go live throughout the coming months. PRESS CONTACTS Gap: Jenna Stone, [email protected] LaForce: Kristin Brice, [email protected], 724.549.1731 About Gap @gap and @gapkids Gap is an authority on modern American style. Founded in San Francisco in 1969, Gap continues to build on its heritage grounded in denim and connect with customers online and in company-operated and franchise retail locations globally. Gap includes Women's and Men's apparel and accessories, GapKids, babyGap, GapTeen, GapMaternity, GapBody and GapFit collections. The brand also serves value-conscious customers with exclusively designed collections for Gap Outlet and GapFactory Stores. Gap is the namesake brand for leading global specialty retailer, Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) which includes Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta brands. For more information, please visit www.gapinc.com. SOURCE Gap Related Links http://www.gapinc.com TEL AVIV, Israel, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Gav Yam Land Corporation Ltd. (TASE: GVYM) one of Israel's largest and longest established real estate companies, specializing in the initiation, planning, development, construction, leasing, maintenance and management of hi-tech, logistics, and industrial parks and centers throughout Israel, today reported its results for the second quarter and first half of 2021. Highlights Ongoing strength and stability across all financial parameters and accelerated growth in its real estate development activity, which includes 12 projects, with a total area of ~400,000m (of which the Company's share is ~340,000m) with a total investment of about NIS 2.5bn (the Company's share). ~40% of the areas in these projects have already been marketed. across all financial parameters and accelerated growth in its real estate development activity, which includes 12 projects, with a total area of ~400,000m (of which the Company's share is ~340,000m) with a total investment of about (the Company's share). ~40% of the areas in these projects have already been marketed. Net income attributed to shareholders amounted to ~NIS 460 million in the first half of 2021, compared with NIS 125 million in the same period last year with the growth mainly due to an increase in income from the appreciation in the fair value of real estate compared to the corresponding period last year. amounted to in the first half of 2021, compared with in the same period last year with the growth mainly due to an increase in income from the appreciation in the fair value of real estate compared to the corresponding period last year. Cash flow from operating activities amounted to ~NIS 232 million in the first half of the year, an increase of 17% compared with the corresponding period last year. amounted to in the first half of the year, an increase of 17% compared with the corresponding period last year. Rental income in the first half of 2021 amounted to ~NIS 269 million , similar to that of the corresponding period last year. in the first half of 2021 amounted to , similar to that of the corresponding period last year. NOI in the first half of the year amounted to ~NIS 259 million , unchanged from last year. in the first half of the year amounted to , unchanged from last year. EBITDA in the first half of 2021 amounted to ~NIS 242 million , similar to that of the corresponding period last year. in the first half of 2021 amounted to , similar to that of the corresponding period last year. FFO attributed to shareholders amounted to ~NIS 124 million in the first half of 2021, similar to that of the corresponding period last year. Management Comment Avi Jacobovitz, CEO of Gav-Yam, commented, "We are seeing demand from global technology companies for the establishment of new development centers in Israel. This demand is strongly driving the income-producing real estate industry in Israel ahead and provides accelerated growth in the office rental market. "High-tech companies, within the context of Israel as a leading technological power, show continued growth and leads the trends in the market. "The Tel Aviv office market, in particular, is at the forefront and is expected to strengthen and expand in the coming years. High-tech companies have chosen to be an integral part of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area and lead the demand as part of this structural process. Gav Yam continues to show strength and meet this demand in all its compounds across the country "In the second quarter of 2021, the Company signed 58 lease agreements, with an average real increase in rents of ~12.4% (in existing properties). In the first half of 2021, the Company signed 78 leases, with an average real increase in rents of ~9.7%. "We are experiencing very strong demand in the Gav-Yam complexes in Herzliya Pituach, North of Tel Aviv. Among the contracts signed in the first half of the year, 6 contracts were signed in Gav-Yam Park Herzliya North, with a real increase of ~16%. Gav-Yam's complexes in Herzliya, which include about 260,000m, are attractive to the leading global tech companies. The Company is in the process of planning the expansion of the O2 campus in Herzliya, with a total area of about 45,000m. "The Company showed continued stability across all operational parameters as well as financial strength, which is reflected in cash balances of approximately NIS 1.5bn, leverage of 50.5%, an AA debt rating by Maalot (S&P's Israel affiliate), and 100% of the Company's assets are unmortgaged. The Company continues its trend of stability in occupancy levels and an increase in rents. " Financial Results Summary Gav-Yam published its financial reports for the second quarter and the first half of 2021. It continues on a very clear path of intensive activity, which includes a significant accumulation of 12 projects, amounting to ~400,000m (of which the Company's portion is ~340,000m), with a total investment of ~NIS 2.5bn, and expected revenue of ~NIS 208m, which is an addition to ~NIS 127m to the FFO attributed to shareholders. About 40% of the areas in these projects have already been marketed. After the completion and population of the projects initiated, at the end of 2024, the Company's assets will stand are expected to stand at approximately 1,380,000 m, with annual revenues of approximately NIS 775m. This represents a significant growth in activity, which places Gav-Yam in a new position At the same time, the Company is in the process of planning and licensing seven projects with a total area of about 160,000m (of which the Company's share is 134,000m), in addition to the planning process of two server farms in Haifa and Jerusalem. Gav-Yam has properties covering ~1,030,000m, with a diverse spread, both geographically and across sectors, covering 19 cities throughout Israel, including 22 parks and high-tech centers, offices, logistics, industry and commerce. The Company's properties are located in high demand areas in Israel adjacent to main road arteries, premium buildings, with high LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards. In addition, the Company maintains available building rights in reserve, amounting to ~490,000 square meters. Gav-Yam has ~440 customers, including large international and top-tier companies including the largest technology corporations in the world. As at year-end 2020, the Company's backlog of signed lease agreements amounted to NIS 2.3bn for income-producing properties, and NIS 2.75bn including signed lease agreements for construction projects. The average lease agreement is ~4.4 years. The Company also has strategic partnerships with the leading academic institutions in Israel. This is for future developments, and brings the highest quality in terms of technology and manpower. Gav-Yam significantly deepens these activities and collaborations, which include, among others, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the Weizmann Institute. Gav-Yam has set itself the goal of broadening its activities in the field of industry and logistic centers, an market segment which is in its growth phase in Israel. Gam Yam believes it provides a stable anchor with great demand and it is one of the areas in which the Company intends to focus on. Gav-Yam is currently initiating four projects in this field, with a total volume of approximately 75,000m, of which 65% has already been marketed. About Gav-Yam Gav-Yam Land Corporation Ltd. is one of Israel's largest, longest established real estate companies. The company specializes in the initiation, planning, development, construction, leasing, maintenance, and management of hi-tech, logistics, and industrial parks and centers nationwide, as well as in the construction of dedicated complexes planned for long-term leasing. Through a wholly owned subsidiary, Gav-Yam also provides a variety of maintenance management services to tenants throughout the leasing period. Gav-Yam was founded in 1928, and has been listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange since 1978. Today, the company's shares are included among the leading indices of real estate (Tel-Bond 60) and large companies (TA-125). In addition, the company's debentures are rated AA by S&P Maalot and Aa2 by Midroog. Contact Information Investor Relations Contacts GK Investor & Public Relations Ehud Helft +1 646 201 9246 [email protected] Company Contact Mark Zack CFO +972 4 66 44 222 [email protected] SOURCE Gav-Yam BALTIMORE and ATLANTA, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Audacious Inquiry, a national industry-shaping health IT company, and the Georgia Hospital Association (GHA), a leading advocate for its 160 hospital members, today announced a significant increase in hospitals joining GA Notify. GA Notify facilitates the secure transmission of actionable, accurate, and event-driven data across healthcare entities, helping hospitals and providers across the state deliver better health care for all Georgians and comply with key federal and state data mandates. The number of hospitals participating in GA Notify has tripled over the past six months, due in part to CMS' new Conditions of Participation e-notification requirement and deeper rural-urban hospital connectivity. With a majority of the rural hospitals in the state participating, GA Notify is able to bring wide-reaching communities together to simplify healthcare complexities and break down siloes commonly faced by urban and rural hospitals when treating their patients. When a patient from a rural hospital is transferred to an urban hospital, GA Notify provides a complete patient profile with encounter history across the networkregardless of the geographic distance between hospitals or the potential transient nature of patients. This empowers clinicians with important insights into the patient's overall health for more informed treatment decisions, and providers can better assist discharged patients in getting appropriate care, post discharge. "Our vision has always been to offer additional data services that require more real-time access to information," said Chuck Adams, executive vice president of the Georgia Hospital Association. "We are particularly excited that the majority of our state's rural hospitals are now using GA Notify to improve discharge planning, care coordination, and public health improvement, ensuring that high-quality healthcare is not limited to our state's urban centers." In late 2019, GHA members partnered with Audacious Inquiry to bring its flagship Encounter Notification Service (ENS) to Georgia. Since then, the GA Notify service powered by Audacious Inquiry's ENS has expanded to become the largest real-time care coordination network for hospitals across the state. GA Notify tailors notifications to the preferences of subscribed care teams by generating real-time alerts of participating hospital admissions, discharges, and/or care transfers. This allows providers to ensure patients are getting the appropriate care they need, when they need it, resulting in improvements to the overall healthcare experience. "GA Notify is enhancing communication and the exchange of medical information between inpatient and outpatient providers," said Dr. Cameron Nixon, who is a board-certified internist and Chief Transformation Officer for Southwell, a healthcare system based in Tifton, Georgia. "GA Notify makes certain that outpatient primary care providers are notified when one of their patients visit the emergency room or are admitted to the hospital. This ensures a timely follow-up visit for a patient upon discharge, which is important in minimizing hospital readmissions and improving outcomes. Being a part of the GA Notify network helps us in our journey of continuous performance improvement." GA Notify also facilitates compliance with the recently implemented CMS Conditions of Participation (CoP) e-notification requirement at no additional cost to hospitals. The CoP e-notification compliance is the fifth mandate that GHA's data program, Georgia Discharge Data System (GDDS), allows hospitals to comply with, including four other state mandates as a service to members. "This is incredibly important on-the-ground progress. As the GA Notify network continues to scale, the impact of improving transitions of care after a hospital visit and creating opportunities for better patient outcomes scale alongside it," said Scott Afzal, President of Audacious Inquiry. "Compliance with the CoP e-notification requirement is certainly important, but this collaborationon a statewide levelwill enable a fundamentally better experience for patients following a hospital visit." Hospitals interested in joining GA Notify can learn more by visiting ganotify.com or contacting the team at [email protected]. About Audacious Inquiry Audacious Inquiry is a national industry-shaping health IT company that provides a connected care platform facilitating the secure transmission of actionable, accurate, and event-driven data across the U.S. healthcare system. Audacious Inquiry's pioneering software solutions help providers and care managers be proactive during the most important moments, including during transitions of care. This information helps at-risk providers and payers working within value-based arrangements reduce costs and improve patient outcomes. With years of experience developing health data exchanges at the federal and state level, Audacious Inquiry is a trusted partner to health plans, health systems, Health Information Exchange Organizations, hospital associations, public health agencies, and federal, state, and local government agencies across the country. Audacious Inquiry's trusted solutions, which include its flagship Encounter Notification Service (ENS) and the Patient Unified Lookup System for Emergencies (PULSE), serve more than 70 million people nationwide. For more information, visit us at ainq.com, or follow us on Twitter at @A_INQ. About Georgia Hospital Association Founded in 1929, GHA serves more than 160 hospital members in Georgia and promotes the health and welfare of the public through the development of better hospital care for all Georgia's citizens. The mission of GHA is to advance the health of individuals and communities by serving as the leading advocate for all Georgia hospitals and health care systems. GHA represents its members before the General Assembly and Congress, as well as state and federal regulatory agencies, and is an allied member of the American Hospital Association. For more information, visit gha.org. For more information, contact: [email protected]. SOURCE Audacious Inquiry Related Links www.ainq.com NEW YORK, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Glenmorangie Whisky is joining forces with designer Brandon Blackwood, pianist Chloe Flower, creative Alani Figueroa and R&B artist Tone Stith to launch X by Glenmorangie, a new single malt Scotch whisky specially made for mixing. The partnership will celebrate the multitude of unique flavor possibilities when mixing X by Glenmorangie and toast to the mix of things that makes each of us unique. Known as the Glenmorangie Mix Makers, these eclectic creatives will join the brand for dynamic video content on NTWRK, which will feature an exclusive product drop, as well as a series of events and social content. X by Glenmorangie is designed for how we all enjoy cocktails today, allowing room to experiment and mix and match. With the help of these Mix Makers, Glenmorangie aims to share whisky with a wider audience in an entirely new way - however they prefer to enjoy it! Aiming to welcome more people than ever into the wonderful world of whisky, Glenmorangie's Mix Makers will utilize X by Glenmorangie to demonstrate the multitude of flavors that can be created using this single malt Scotch whisky. Crafted to encourage mixing, X by Glenmorangie has a sweeter, richer profile ideal for simple serves that require minimal ingredients. The versatility of the single malt allows for easy cocktail creation to seamlessly fit into all occasions, from BBQs and brunches to date nights and impromptu karaoke outings. As part of their partnership, the Glenmorangie Mix Makers will collaborate on a limited edition, collectible barware kit that will be available through an exclusive drop on NTWRK this July, alongside an all-new video series on the platform and an ongoing event series throughout the Summer. By executing this product drop through NTWRK and tapping this group of creative icons spanning various industries, X by Glenmorangie will speak to a broad group of consumers in a compelling new way. "People are more comfortable than ever mixing up their own cocktails, so we wanted to craft a single malt whisky that makes the space itself more inviting for newcomers and cocktail lovers to enjoy whisky wherever and however they please," says Allison Varone, VP, Emerging Brands at Moet Hennessy. "Our Mix Maker partners will help illustrate how they mix up their craft and how X by Glenmorangie's ethos resonates with them." A group of global bartenders were consulted when creating X by Glenmorangie, a luscious whisky with flavors from pear, vanilla, and honeysuckle to orange sherbet and chocolate fudge. It's sweet, flavorful palate lends itself to innumerable simple serves, each needing just 2-4 ingredients. Glenmorangie's inaugural group of Mix Makers will illustrate how they whip up their favorite refreshingly easy cocktails using X by Glenmorangie during an exclusive content series on NTWRK, featuring simple serves and candid discussions. Follow Glenmorangie on social for the latest Mix Maker news: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glenmorangieusa/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theglenmorangie Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GlenmorangieUSA/?brand_redir=211304389010197 About X by Glenmorangie X by Glenmorangie is bottled at 40% ABV This lusciously free-wheeling whisky has succulent aromas of pear, vanilla and honeysuckle, and oranges. They set the stage for an extravaganza of flavor, from swirls of orange sherbet to bursts of creme brulee drizzled with chocolate fudge. Recipes for X by Glenmorangie's refreshingly simple serves - each using just 2-4 ingredients - can be found at www.glenmorangie.com . SRP: $33.99 Link to Purchase: https://drizly.com/liquor/whiskey/scotch-whisky/x-by-glenmorangie/p156255 About Glenmorangie: Glenmorangie 's Highland whisky makers use endless imagination and five key ingredients wood, water, barley, yeast, and time to dream up delicious single malt whiskies. Known as the Distillers of Tain, they've been honing their craft for more than 175 years. In Scotland's tallest stills, whose necks are as high as a giraffe, they produce a delicate and fruity spirit, ripe for experimentation. Led by Director of Whisky Creation Dr. Bill Lumsden, this crackerjack crew is on a mission to bring new flavors and possibilities to the world of single malt. PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY SOURCE Glenmorangie Whisky DUBLIN, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Halal Food & Beverage Market Outlook, 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. During the period of 2015 to 2020, the global halal food and beverages market grew by roughly USD 412 Billion. It has been forecasted that the market will reach the double trillion figure by 2026. One major driver for this growth is the rapidly growing Muslim population which is also the fastest-growing religion in the world. However, it is interesting that halal food and beverages products is not only demanded by Muslim consumers but is also gaining popularity among Non-Muslim consumer. The research report presents insights from different geographies, namely - North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East Africa, and the Asia Pacific with major economies playing a role in the halal food and beverages market. The market has been segmented on the basis of product lines to give a deeper understanding. The product lines which formed the basis of the study was - halal meat, seafood and poultry market, halal milk and milk beverages products, halal fruits and vegetables, halal grain products market, halal beverages, and halal confectionery, bakery and, other products. The various sales and distribution channels identified for halal products are hypermarkets/supermarkets, traditional retail channels in form of convenience stores, online channels, and other sales channels such as speciality stores, exhibitions, etc. As demographic trends play an important role in influencing the consumption demand of halal products, it is no surprise that the Asia Pacific and Middle East Africa region combined to contribute about 90% of the global halal food and beverages market share and Latin America being having the lowest market share of all. As more and more consumers are demanding halal labelled food, the halal food industry has itself diversified into a new product line. Halal meat, poultry and seafood have traditional relevance and account for the majority of halal foods and beverages market sales. However, the fastest growing product categories that have been observed worldwide are halal products in the form of bakery, confectionery and other products which are growing at roughly 8 to 9%. Another interesting pattern that has been observed during the research is that, in major Islamic regions such as Asia Pacific and Middle East and Africa, traditional retail channels drive the sales for the halal foods and beverages market whereas other regions such as North America, Europe and Latin America have supermarkets and hypermarkets as the major sales channels for the halal market. Big box retailers in form of supermarkets and hypermarkets cater to customers by serving large verities of products. However, globally, of all sales channels, online sales channels show an unparallel and promising growth. During the period of 2015 to 2020, the online sales channels generated sales at a CAGR of 8.17%, which has been predicted to increase to 9.42% during the forecast period of 2020 to 2026. The major players driving the halal foods and beverages market are Al Islami Foods Co., QL Foods Sdn Bhd, Saffron Road, Dagandhalal Group, Janan Meat Ltd, Kawan Foods Berhad, Cargill, Prima-Agri Products, Nestle SA, BRF SA, Al-Falah Halal Foods Ltd. and Tahira Foods Ltd. CONSIDERED IN THE REPORT Geography: Global Base Year: 2020 Historical year: 2015 Forecasted Year: 2026 REGIONS COVERED North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East ASPECTS COVERED IN THE REPORT Market Size by Value (2015-2026F) Market Share by Product Market Share by Sales Channel Market Share by Region Market Share by Country THIS REPORT WOULD HELP YOU ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS: What is the size of the global halal food and beverages market? What is the trend in product development in the halal food and beverages market? What is the changing consumer behaviour with regards to halal food and beverages? What is the position of different economies in the food and beverages landscape? What are the drivers, development and key challenges in the halal food and beverages market? Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary 2. Report Methodology 3. Global Halal Food & Beverages Market Outlook 4. North America Halal Food & Beverages Market Outlook 5. Europe Halal Food & Beverages Market Outlook 6. Asia Pacific Halal Food & Beverages Market Outlook 7. Latin America Halal Food & Beverages Market Outlook 8. Middle East and Africa Halal Food & Beverages Market Outlook 9. Market Dynamics 10. Market Trends and Developments 11. Company Profiles 11. Strategic Recommendations 12. Disclaimer Companies Mentioned Al Islami Foods Co. American Foods Group BRF S.A. Cargill Kawan Foods Berhad Midamar Corporation Nestle S.A. QL Foods Sdn Bhd Saffron Road Tahira Foods Ltd. Unilever For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/16eplk 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 DUBLIN, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Global Market Report 2021: COVID-19 Impact and Recovery to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This report provides Strategists, marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the global hospital daily cash benefit insurance market as it emerges from the COVID-19 shut down. The global hospital daily cash benefit insurance market is expected to grow from $34.68 billion in 2020 to $35.26 billion in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.7%. The growth is mainly due to the companies rearranging their operations and recovering from the COVID-19 impact, which had earlier led to restrictive containment measures involving social distancing, remote working, and the closure of commercial activities that resulted in operational challenges. The market is expected to reach $59.79 billion in 2025 at a CAGR of 14.1%. Reasons to Purchase Gain a truly global perspective with the most comprehensive report available on this market covering 12+ geographies. Understand how the market is being affected by the coronavirus and how it is likely to emerge and grow as the impact of the virus abates. Create regional and country strategies on the basis of local data and analysis. Identify growth segments for investment. Outperform competitors using forecast data and the drivers and trends shaping the market. Understand customers based on the latest market research findings. Benchmark performance against key competitors. Utilize the relationships between key data sets for superior strategizing. Suitable for supporting your internal and external presentations with reliable high quality data and analysis. Where is the largest and fastest growing market for the hospital daily cash benefit insurance? How does the market relate to the overall economy, demography and other similar markets? What forces will shape the market going forward? The Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance market global report answers all these questions and many more. The report covers market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional and country breakdowns, competitive landscape, market shares, trends and strategies for this market. It traces the market's historic and forecast market growth by geography. It places the market within the context of the wider hospital daily cash benefit insurance market, and compares it with other markets. The market characteristics section of the report defines and explains the market. The market size section gives the market size ($b) covering both the historic growth of the market, the impact of the COVID-19 virus and forecasting its recovery. Market segmentations break down market into sub markets. The regional and country breakdowns section gives an analysis of the market in each geography and the size of the market by geography and compares their historic and forecast growth. It covers the impact and recovery trajectory of COVID-19 for all regions, key developed countries and major emerging markets. Competitive landscape gives a description of the competitive nature of the market, market shares, and a description of the leading companies. Key financial deals which have shaped the market in recent years are identified. The trends and strategies section analyses the shape of the market as it emerges from the crisis and suggests how companies can grow as the market recovers. The hospital daily cash benefit insurance market section of the report gives context. It compares the hospital daily cash benefit insurance market with other segments of the hospital daily cash benefit insurance market by size and growth, historic and forecast. Major players in the hospital daily cash benefit insurance market are Cigna Corporation, AIA Insurance Group, UnitedHealth Group Inc., Allianz SE, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd., Express Scripts Holding Company, AXA, Aviva plc, Aetna Inc., and Apollo Munich Health Insurance. The hospital daily cash benefit insurance market consists of sales of hospital daily cash benefit insurance by entities that are engaged in directly underwriting daily hospital cash plans that provide a lump sum amount in case of hospitalization and this amount can be used as per the liberty of the insured. The hospital daily cash benefit insurance market covered in this report is segmented by type of plan into rider, standalone cover, part of health insurance; by term of coverage into lifetime coverage, term insurance; by benefit into emergency admission, accident, medical treatment, surgery and by service provider into public, private. The regions covered in this report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa. The inability to cover the complete medical treatment expenses is anticipated to hinder the hospital's daily cash benefit insurance market's growth. Hospital cash plans only provide a daily allowance through hospitalization instead, a health insurance plan provides more comprehensive coverage. On average, the hospital's daily cash benefit insurance provides the insured with an amount ranging from $100 to $3000 per day which is not sufficient for the complete coverage of the treatment making it a supplement to the health insurance plans. This scenario is likely to act as a hindrance to the growth of the market. In January 2020, HDFC, an Indian-based provider of housing finance with a presence in banking, life and general insurance, asset management, venture capital, real estate, education, deposits, and educational loans, acquired a majority stake in Apollo Munich health insurance for $334 million. Through this acquisition, Apollo Munich health insurance is renamed HDFC ERGO health insurance to improve customer service experience with a wider range of products and a network of 10000+ cashless hospitals. Apollo Munich health insurance is an India based company formed by the collaboration between Apollo Hospitals and Munich which offers services such as life, health, accident, and travel insurance. Rising out of the pocket health care expenditure is expected to drive the hospital's daily cash benefit insurance market. Out-of-pocket payments (OOPs) are direct payments made by individuals to healthcare providers at the time of service use. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) report on National Health Expenditures 2018, the out-of-pocket spending grew by 2.8% to $375.6 billion in 2018, accounting for 10% of the total healthcare expenditure in the USA. During hospitalization, out-of-pocket hospital expenses include user fees, medicines, diagnostics, procedure charges, transportation, informal charges, and others that have to be borne by the insured. The hospital's daily cash benefit insurance provides a certain fixed amount to the insured during their hospital stay, which the person is free to use as per his/her need. Hence, an increase in out of the pocket health care expenditure aids in the growth of the hospital's daily cash benefit insurance market. Companies are collaborating with the digital payment platforms for providing hospital daily cash benefits to provide a simple and hassle-free claim process to policyholders for faster reimbursement. For instance, in July 2020, ICICI Lombard partnered with Phone Pe for offering hospital daily cash benefits to phone pe users. Similarly, in October 2019, Religare Partnered with Ola and started the OlaMoney-Religare Hospicash Policy which offers the policyholder to avail the compensation of $70 per day of hospital cash for plans above $7000. The countries covered in the market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA. Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary 2. Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market Characteristics 3. Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market Trends and Strategies 4. Impact Of COVID-19 on Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance 5. Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market Size and Growth 5.1. Global Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Historic Market, 2015-2020, $ Billion 5.1.1. Drivers Of The Market 5.1.2. Restraints on The Market 5.2. Global Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Forecast Market, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion 5.2.1. Drivers Of The Market 5.2.2. Restraints on the Market 6. Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market Segmentation 7. Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market Regional and Country Analysis 7.1. Global Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market, Split By Region, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion 7.2. Global Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market, Split By Country, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion 8. Asia-Pacific Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market 9. China Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market 10. India Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market 11. Japan Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market 12. Australia Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market 13. Indonesia Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market 14. South Korea Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market 15. Western Europe Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market 16. UK Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market 17. Germany Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market 18. France Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market 19. Eastern Europe Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market 20. Russia Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market 21. North America Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market 22. USA Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market 23. South America Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market 24. Brazil Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market 25. Middle East Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market 26. Africa Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market 27. Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market Competitive Landscape and Company Profiles 27.1. Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market Competitive Landscape 27.2. Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market Company Profiles 27.2.1. Cigna Corporation 27.2.1.1. Overview 27.2.1.2. Products and Services 27.2.1.3. Strategy 27.2.1.4. Financial Performance 27.2.2. AIA Insurance Group 27.2.2.1. Overview 27.2.2.2. Products and Services 27.2.2.3. Strategy 27.2.2.4. Financial Performance 27.2.3. UnitedHealth Group Inc. 27.2.3.1. Overview 27.2.3.2. Products and Services 27.2.3.3. Strategy 27.2.3.4. Financial Performance 27.2.4. Allianz SE 27.2.4.1. Overview 27.2.4.2. Products and Services 27.2.4.3. Strategy 27.2.4.4. Financial Performance 27.2.5. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd. 27.2.5.1. Overview 27.2.5.2. Products and Services 27.2.5.3. Strategy 27.2.5.4. Financial Performance 29. Key Mergers and Acquisitions In The Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market 29. Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Market Future Outlook and Potential Analysis 30. Appendix For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/wqoo4n 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 DUBLIN, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Nanobiotechnology: Applications and Global Markets 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global market for nanobiotechnology should grow from $38.5 billion in 2021 to $68.4 billion by 2026, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.2% for the period of 2021-2026. The scope of this investigation includes the major viable nanobiotechnologies that are currently being implemented in various industries. The study scope includes the major nanotechnology formats that will or likely become commercialized within the next 5 years. Each technology format is analyzed to determine its market status, impact on future market segments and forecasted growth from 2021 through 2026. Given the emerging nature of this industry, it is time to analyze the key trends, markets and industry dynamics to provide a useful basis for decision-making. In many industries, including the biotechnology industry, nanotechnology is emerging as the platform for materials. The unique properties of nanomaterials allow for added value in a variety of applications, from drug encapsulation and release to biological imaging. At the same time, the pharmaceutical industry is seeking ways to expand patenting and improve pharmacokinetics. In addition, the diagnostics industry is looking for ways to improve the molecular image of new pharmaceutical products. These converging forces result in nanobiotechnology being used in a variety of applications and materials. Several nanotechnology platforms are already established and providing significant revenues in drug delivery applications, as well as diagnostics, microbicides and R&D tools. Significant nanotechnology drug formats include polymer, liposomal and nanocrystal drugs. Diagnostic and microbicide formats include nanoparticles, quantum dots and dendrimers. Nanopore formats are emerging in third generation DNA sequencing applications. The purpose of this report is to provide a global, regional and national assessment of the nanobiotechnology application market's potential as well as its existing products, services, future market sizes. This is important because nanobiotechnology markets vary substantially in terms of regional characteristics and depending on the technology in question. Technology issues and market-driving forces are discussed. Influencing factors, including drug delivery needs, biologic imaging trends and industry structure, are also discussed. The publisher examines nanobiotechnology companies and industry alliances, nanomaterial consumption, end-user industry, and market-driving forces. The Report Includes: Analyses of the global market trends, with data from 2020, estimates for 2021 and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2026 Estimation of the market size and market forecast for nanobiotechnology applications, and corresponding market share analysis by molecular diagnostic application, therapeutic application, biopharmaceutical application, and geography Highlights of key market dynamics, issues and trends, gaps and opportunities influencing current and future demand for nanobiotechnology in the global market and its sub-segments Regional outlook and a country level assessment of nanobiotechnology applications market considering all macroeconomic factors, and Covid-19 impact analysis within the industry Identification of the companies that are best positioned to meet this demand because of their proprietary technologies, strategic alliances, or other advantages Discussion of major market segments and their respective technologies in the overall global market for nanobiotechnology Assessment of major stakeholders and analysis of the key competitive landscape based on recent developments and segmental revenues Profile descriptions of the leading industry players including Ablynx, Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Inc., Celgene Corp., GlaxoSmithKline PLC, Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co. Inc., Bio-Gate AG, Nanophase Technologies Corp., and Starpharma Holdings Ltd. Key Topics Covered: Chapter 1 Introduction Nanobiotechnology: Unique Fusion of Biotechnology and Nanotechnology Market Definition Study Goals and Objectives Reasons for Doing the Study Scope of the Report Methodology Intended Audience Geographic Breakdown What's New in This Updated Report Analyst's Credentials Custom Research Related Reports Chapter 2 Summary and Highlights Chapter 3 Industry Overview Nanotechnology Value Chain Bionanomaterials Nanoparticles Nanobiotechnology from Laboratory to Market Nanobiotechnology Techniques Nanobiotechnology Costs Nanobiotechnology Applications Status Life Cycle Status Nanobiotechnology Growth Driving Forces Chapter 4 Market Breakdown by Molecular Diagnostic Application Diagnostic Applications Detection Application Nanoarrays Individual Target Robes DNA Probe RNA Probes Protein Chips Sparse Cell Detection Nanotechnology as a Tool in Imaging Why Nanoparticles are Important for Imaging Genomics, Proteomics and Cell Biology Imaging Emerging Applications of Imaging Reagents Biopolymeric Nanoparticles in Diagnosis, Detection and Imaging Chapter 5 Market Breakdown by Therapeutic Application Drug Delivery Applications Nano-Based Drug Delivery Systems Fundamentals of Nanotechnology-Based Techniques in Designing of Drugs Gene Delivery Cell/Gene Therapy Reconstructive Surgery Nanolaser Surgery Liposomes Surfaces Chapter 6 Market Breakdown by Biopharmaceutical Application Nanopharmaceuticals Development of Nanopharmaceuticals Biomolecular Engineering Tissue Engineering Nanostructures Bioprocessing Chapter 7 North American Market Outlook Regional Market Overview Chapter 8 European Market Outlook Regional Market Overview Chapter 9 Asia-Pacific Market Outlook Regional Market Overview Chapter 10 Latin America, Middle East and Africa Market Outlook Regional Market Overview Chapter 11 Company Profiles Introduction Ablynx Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Inc. Avadel Pharmaceuticals Plc Captivate Pharmaceuticals Llc Celgene Corp. Elitechgroup Eyepoint GlaxoSmithKline Plc Johnson & Johnson Merck & Co. Inc. Nanobio Corp. Nanophase Technologies Corp. Starpharma Holdings Ltd. Vectura Group Plc Nanobiotechnology Startup Companies Bio-Gate Ag Cour Pharmaceutical Iceutica Keystone Nano Meda Biotech Nanocarrier Nanomedical Diagnostics Nuvascular Technologies Inc. Sitka Biopharma T2 Biosystems Zylotherapeutics For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/7wjt38 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 Natural Fragrance Ingredients Market Analysis Analysis of the cost and volume drivers and supply market forecasts in various regions are offered in this Natural Fragrance Ingredients research report. This market intelligence report also analyzes the top supply markets, market opportunities, challenges and the critical cost drivers that can aid buyers and suppliers devise a cost-effective category management strategy. The report provides insights on the following information: Regional spend dynamism and factors impacting costs The total cost of ownership and cost-saving opportunities Supply chain margins and pricing models Competitiveness index for suppliers Market favorability index for suppliers Supplier and buyer KPIs Get detailed insights on the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and recovery analysis of Natural Fragrance Ingredients Market www.spendedge.com/report/natural-fragrance-ingredients-market-procurement-research-report Related Reports on Agro Commodities and Raw Materials Market: Egg and Poultry Category - Sourcing and Procurement Market Intelligence Report : According to SpendEdge, one of the best procurement practices is to engage with suppliers that offer a widespread local sourcing network leading to savings on logistics and transportation costs. They can also save on delivery and procurement timelines and minimize the defect rate of products. According to SpendEdge, one of the best procurement practices is to engage with suppliers that offer a widespread local sourcing network leading to savings on logistics and transportation costs. They can also save on delivery and procurement timelines and minimize the defect rate of products. Ginkgo Biloba Extract - Sourcing and Procurement Market Intelligence Report : This ginkgo biloba extract procurement report predicts an increase the spend growth momentum for this category in the coming years. The use of ginkgo biloba extract in beverages, especially energy drinks, is increasing due to its ability to boost cognitive ability, memory, and blood circulation. This ginkgo biloba extract procurement report predicts an increase the spend growth momentum for this category in the coming years. The use of ginkgo biloba extract in beverages, especially energy drinks, is increasing due to its ability to boost cognitive ability, memory, and blood circulation. Feed Enzymes - Sourcing and Procurement Intelligence Report: The report identifies Royal DSM, DuPont de Nemours, Inc., and BASF SE among the top most important suppliers for feed enzymes procurement. Suppliers have moderate bargaining power in a market that is set to grow at 5.68%.. Detect blind spots in your revenue decisions by analyzing interconnected unknowns around the "Natural Fragrance Ingredients Market." Report Metrics Details Base year considered 2020 Forecast period 2020-2024 Forecast units Value (USD Million) Geographies covered North America, South America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and APAC Leading Natural Fragrance Ingredients suppliers Givaudan SA, Firmenich SA, Symrise AG Top Pricing Models Fixed-fee, retainer-based fee, and commission-based Pricing Download 5 Reports EVERY MONTH! Get instant access to download 5 reports every month and view 1200 full reports. With every purchase, we also offer complimentary research add ons and Covid-19 impact assessments. Purchase Report Download License This procurement report answers help buyers identify and shortlist the most suitable suppliers for their Natural Fragrance Ingredients Market requirements following questions: Am I engaging with the right suppliers? Which KPIs should I use to evaluate my incumbent suppliers? Which supplier selection criteria are relevant for? What are the workplace computing devices category essentials in terms of SLAs and RFx? Table of Content Executive Summary Market Insights Category Pricing Insights Cost-saving Opportunities Best Practices Category Ecosystem Category Management Strategy Category Management Enablers Suppliers Selection Suppliers under Coverage US Market Insights Category scope Appendix About SpendEdge: SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions. Contact SpendEdge Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340 https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us SOURCE SpendEdge Related Links http://www.spendedge.com Silicon Wafer Market Analysis Analysis of the cost and volume drivers and supply market forecasts in various regions are offered in this Silicon Wafer research report. This market intelligence report also analyzes the top supply markets, market opportunities, challenges and the critical cost drivers that can aid buyers and suppliers devise a cost-effective category management strategy. The report provides insights on the following information: Regional spend dynamism and factors impacting costs The total cost of ownership and cost-saving opportunities Supply chain margins and pricing models Competitiveness index for suppliers Market favorability index for suppliers Supplier and buyer KPIs Get detailed insights on the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and recovery analysis of Silicon Wafer Market www.spendedge.com/report/silicon-wafer-sourcing-and-procurement-intelligence-report Related Reports on Electrical Components Include: Solar Panels- Forecast and Analysis: The solar panels will grow at a CAGR of 10.72% during 2021-2025. Prices will increase by 4%-6% during the forecast period and suppliers will have a moderate bargaining power in this market. Contact Center Infrastructure Sourcing and Procurement Report: This report evaluates suppliers based on ability to provide customized services, system capable of call blending, capability to improve end-user customer experience, and real-time reporting. Electric Car Chargers - Sourcing and Procurement Intelligence Report: The electric car chargers will grow at a CAGR of 25.62% during 2021-2025. Prices will increase by 5%-10% during the forecast period and suppliers will have a moderate in this market. Detect blind spots in your revenue decisions by analyzing interconnected unknowns around the "Silicon Wafer Market." Report Metrics Details Base year considered 2021 Forecast period 2021-2025 Forecast units Value (USD Million) Geographies covered North America, South America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and APAC Leading Silicon Wafer suppliers SK Inc., Okmetic Oy, Virginia Semiconductor Inc., Wafer World Inc., Silicon Materials Inc., and Targray Technology Top Pricing Models Volume-based pricing and cost-plus pricing Download 5 Reports EVERY MONTH! Get instant access to download 5 reports every month and view 1200 full reports. With every purchase, we also offer complimentary research add ons and Covid-19 impact assessments. Purchase Report Download License This procurement report answers help buyers identify and shortlist the most suitable suppliers for their Silicon Wafer Market requirements following questions: Am I engaging with the right suppliers? Which KPIs should I use to evaluate my incumbent suppliers? Which supplier selection criteria are relevant for? What are the workplace computing devices category essentials in terms of SLAs and RFx? Table of Content Executive Summary Market Insights Category Pricing Insights Cost-saving Opportunities Best Practices Category Ecosystem Category Management Strategy Category Management Enablers Suppliers Selection Suppliers under Coverage US Market Insights Category scope Appendix About SpendEdge: SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions. Contact SpendEdge Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340 https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us SOURCE SpendEdge SAN FRANCISCO, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hagens Berman urges ATI Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE: ATIP) investors with significant losses to submit your losses now. The firm is investigating possible securities law violations and certain investors may have valuable claims. Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/ATIP Contact An Attorney Now: [email protected] 844-916-0895 ATI Physical Therapy, Inc. (ATIP) Investigation: The investigation focuses on statements by ATI Physical Therapy, its senior management, and others concerning ATI Physical Therapy's financial performance, operations and business prospects leading up to and after its merger with special purpose acquisition company Fortress Value Acquisition Corp. II that closed on or about June 16, 2021. More specifically, ATI Physical Therapy and senior management have touted the company's growth opportunities through new clinic openings and accelerated hiring. But on July 26, 2021, slightly a month after the merger closed, ATI Physical Therapy reported disappointing Q2 2021 financial results and slashed its full year revenue expectations by as much as 12%, blaming dismal outlook on accelerated attrition of physical therapists and a corresponding reduction in estimated new clinic openings. The company also disclosed it "has determined that the revision to its 2021 forecast constitutes an interim triggering event that requires further analysis with respect to potential impairment to goodwill and trade name intangible assets." This news sent the price of ATI Physical Therapy shares crashing lower. "We're focused on investors' losses and company insiders overstated ATI Physical Therapy's asset values and expected 2021 revenues," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation. If you invested in ATI Physical Therapy and have significant losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firm's investigation, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman. Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding ATI Physical Therapy should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email mailto:[email protected]. About Hagens Berman Hagens Berman is a national law firm with eight offices in eight cities around the country and over eighty attorneys. The firm represents investors, whistleblowers, workers and consumers in complex litigation. More about the firm and its successes is located at hbsslaw.com. For the latest news visit our newsroom or follow us on Twitter at @classactionlaw . Contact: Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895 SOURCE Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP Related Links https://www.hbsslaw.com BOSTON, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Digital Health Measurement Collaborative Community (DATAcc) announced its first two projects, which will bring together stakeholders from across the healthcare industry to pre-competitively collaborate on the challenge of diversity, equity and inclusion in digital health measurement. DATAcc is hosted by the Digital Medicine Society (DiMe) , a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports the development of digital medicine through interdisciplinary collaboration, research, teaching, and the promotion of best practices. The collaborative, which launched in May 2021, comprises leaders from across the government, non-profit, and private sectors, including healthcare systems, medical technology companies, patient advocates, biopharma, and policy organizations. Together, this diverse group of experts has agreed to focus their first few months on digital inclusion, identifying two distinct project goals: To ensure that a broad spectrum of diverse voices (e.g. different races and ethnicities, people with disabilities, all ages, genders, geographies, socioeconomic status, education levels, health status, and sexual orientations) are included in each stage of the product development lifecycle so that diverse populations can utilize and benefit from digital health measurement. To standardize the evaluation of inclusivity in the development, deployment and commercialization of digital health measures across contexts of use. "Equity in health, healthcare, and health outcomes has been a pressing and persistent challenge for decades. Right now, the field has the unique opportunity to build the digital health measurement toolbox with intention, and build it right." says Jennifer Goldsack, CEO of DiMe. "In order to do this, we must create a set of standardized criteria for the inclusion of diverse populations throughout the development, deployment and commercialization phases of a digital health measurement product. This standardized approach will also allow stakeholders to evaluate whether representative data can be collected and help them to identify where there may be disparities in data collection and health outcomes downstream." Digital health measurement also creates the opportunity for more equitable and accessible clinical research and trials."With digital health measures, we as a company and as a society can access [permission-based] research data on individuals that are not typically seen in traditional healthcare settings," comments Nirosha M. Lederer, Ph.D., Director, Real-World Evidence Strategy at Aetion. "This data can provide valuable insights into the health status of individuals across our society." Kalvin Yu, MD, Senior Medical Director at BD, echoes these sentiments and sees immediate opportunities to engage with populations that have traditionally been left behind. "For example, many people experiencing homelessness currently have access to cell phones or smartphones. This digital access establishes a meaningful touchpoint to care for the homeless population potentially enabling connectivity to health providers who can identify appropriate interventions." On the other hand, estimates of individuals in the U.S. without access to the internet at broadband speeds range from 25 to 163 million people. "Given the current digital divide, providers of healthcare services need to ensure that our products and technologies can work across a spectrum of internet access and speeds," notes Bimal Shah, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Data & Analytics at Teladoc Health. "And for those individuals that do not have reliable, quality access, how can we decouple having access to healthcare technologies from having access to broadband?" Individuals and clinicians have the difficult task of ascertaining which digital health measurement products would work for a given patient's internet access or technical capabilities. Amy Sheon, PhD, Advisor to the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, believes, "We need a rating or certification system for determining if a digital health product has been developed and tested with considerations for different populations' needs - from those not proficient in English, to those with digital health literacy gaps or those lacking sufficient internet access. This would be immensely useful in ensuring that digital health measurement products can benefit a broad cross-section of society." DiMe has brought together the many stakeholders necessary to establish and implement a shared vision of high-quality digital health measurement that is available to and effective for every person. The collaborative will use interdisciplinary expertise, data and use cases to approach their first two projects, ultimately producing outcomes that are actionable and can be used by the community to advance the field. Participating members of DATAcc include: ActiGraph Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) Aetion AliveCor American Telemedicine Association Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) Connected Health Initiative Consumer Technology Association Duke University - Big Ideas Lab - Big Ideas Lab eHealth Initiative HumanFirst Evidation Health FDA, Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) Flatiron Health Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) HHS, Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center (HC3) Institute for eHealth Equity Johnson & Johnson Johns Hopkins Medicine, Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality MindMed National Cancer Institute National Digital Inclusion Alliance National Patient Advocate Foundation Open mHealth OptumLabs Pfizer Philips Savvy Cooperative Teladoc Health U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs UC San Diego, ReCODE Health University of Louisville , Office of Research and Innovation , Office of Research and Innovation University of Rochester Medical Center, Center for Health + Technology Medical Center, Center for Health + Technology Verily Life Sciences Xealth About DATAcc: Hosted by the Digital Medicine Society (DiMe), the Digital Health Measurement Collaborative Community is a pre-competitive collaboration comprising the broad and inclusive range of stakeholders necessary to modernize the way we measure and define health and disease using digital approaches and technologies. Together, this collaborative will develop and demonstrate best practices and advance harmonized approaches to speed the fit-for-purpose use of digital health measurement to improve lives and minimize harm. About the Digital Medicine Society: The Digital Medicine Society (DiMe) is the professional society serving the digital medicine community, driving scientific progress and broad acceptance of digital medicine to enhance public health. At DiMe, our commitment to fully integrating experts from all of the disciplines comprising digital medicine is unwavering. From regulators to white-hat hackers, ethicists to engineers, and clinicians to citizen scientists, we are proud to welcome all experts committed to ensuring that digital medicine realizes its full potential to improve human health. Join us ! Media Contact: Jamie Gray, [email protected] , 310.699.3163 SOURCE Digital Medicine Society (DiMe) Related Links http://dimesociety.org Download our Free Sample Report right now to gain access to a detailed customer landscape matrix comparing key industry-driven parameters. The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. AREVA H2Gen, Asahi Kasei Corp., Enapter Srl, Giner Inc., Hitachi Zosen Corp., Hydrogenics Corp., ITM Power Plc, McPhy Energy SA, Nel ASA, and Siemens AG are some of the major market participants. Although the growing adoption of fuel cell-powered vehicles will offer immense growth opportunities, competition from alternate technologies of hydrogen production will challenge the growth of the market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments. The growing adoption of fuel cell-powered vehicles has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. However, competition from alternate technologies of hydrogen production might hamper market growth. Hydrogen Electrolyzers Market 2020-2024: Segmentation Hydrogen Electrolyzers Market is segmented as below: Type Alkaline PEM Geography North America Europe APAC MEA South America To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR45472 Related Reports on Utilities Include: Global Fuel Cell Market - Global fuel cell market is segmented by product (PEMFC, PAFC, SOFC, and others), application (transport, stationary, and portable), and geography (APAC, Americas, and EMEA). Download Exclusive Free Sample Report Global Battery Analyzers Market - Global battery analyzers market is segmented by product (portable and stationary) and geography (APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and MEA). Download Exclusive Free Sample Report Hydrogen Electrolyzers Market 2020-2024: Scope Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our hydrogen electrolyzers market report covers the following areas: Hydrogen Electrolyzers Market size Hydrogen Electrolyzers Market trends Hydrogen Electrolyzers Market industry analysis This study identifies the advantages of fuel cells as one of the prime reasons driving the hydrogen electrolyzers market growth during the next few years. Hydrogen Electrolyzers Market 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the Hydrogen Electrolyzers Market, including some of the vendors such as AREVA H2Gen, Asahi Kasei Corp., Enapter Srl, Giner Inc., Hitachi Zosen Corp., Hydrogenics Corp., ITM Power Plc, McPhy Energy SA, Nel ASA, and Siemens AG. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the Hydrogen Electrolyzers Market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile, and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Hydrogen Electrolyzers Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024 Detailed information on factors that will assist hydrogen electrolyzers market growth during the next five years Estimation of the hydrogen electrolyzers market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the hydrogen electrolyzers market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of hydrogen electrolyzers market vendors Table Of Contents : Executive Summary Market Landscape Market ecosystem Value chain analysis Market Sizing Market definition Market segment analysis Market size 2019 Market outlook: Forecast for 2019 - 2024 Five Forces Analysis Five force summary Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Threat of rivalry Market condition Market Segmentation by Electrolyzer Type Market segments Comparison by Electrolyzer Type Alkaline - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 PEM - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Market opportunity by Electrolyzer Type Customer landscape Geographic Landscape Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison North America - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Europe - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 APAC - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 MEA - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 South America - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Key leading countries Market opportunity by geography Market drivers Market challenges Market trends Vendor Landscape Overview Landscape disruption Vendor Analysis Vendors covered Market positioning of vendors AREVA H2Gen Asahi Kasei Corp. Enapter Srl Giner Inc. Hitachi Zosen Corp. Hydrogenics Corp. ITM Power Plc McPhy Energy SA Nel ASA Siemens AG Appendix Scope of the report Currency conversion rates for US$ Research methodology List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ Report: www.technavio.com/report/hydrogen-electrolyzers-market-industry-analysis Newsroom: https://newsroom.technavio.com/news/hydrogen-electrolyzers-market SOURCE Technavio CLEVELAND, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. (NYSE:HY) will release its 2021 Second Quarter financial results and will file its 2021 Second Quarter 10-Q after the close of the market on Tuesday, August 3, 2021. In conjunction with this release, the Company will host a conference call at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, August 4, 2021 to discuss its results for the 2021 second quarter. To register for this conference call, please use the following link: http://www.directeventreg.com/registration/event/6061423. After registering, a confirmation will be sent via email, including dial-in details and unique conference call access codes required for call entry. Registration is open throughout the live call. To ensure you are connected prior to the beginning of the call, the Company suggests registering a day in advance or a minimum of 15 minutes before the start of the call. The call will also be webcast live on Hyster-Yale's Investor Relations website at https://www.hyster-yale.com/investors. For those not planning to ask a question of management, the Company recommends listening via the webcast. Please allow 15 minutes to register, download and install any necessary software. Following the conference call, a replay will be available at (800) 585-8367 (Toll Free) or (416) 621-4642 (International). The replay passcode is 6061423. An archive of the webcast will also be available on the Company's website two hours after the live call ends. About Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc., headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, offers a broad array of solutions to meet the specific materials handling needs of customers' applications. The Company's wholly owned operating subsidiary, Hyster-Yale Group, Inc., designs, engineers, manufactures, sells and services a comprehensive line of lift trucks, attachments and aftermarket parts marketed globally primarily under the Hyster and Yale brand names. Subsidiaries of Hyster-Yale Group include Nuvera Fuel Cells, LLC, an alternative-power technology company focused on fuel cell stacks and engines, and Bolzoni S.p.A., a leading worldwide producer of attachments, forks and lift tables marketed under the Bolzoni, Auramo and Meyer brand names. Hyster-Yale Group also has significant joint ventures in Japan (Sumitomo NACCO) and in China (Hyster-Yale Maximal). For more information about Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. and its subsidiaries, visit the Company's website at www.hyster-yale.com . *** SOURCE Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. Related Links http://www.hyster-yale.com "Our mission to be the benchmark for trust and transparency in digital media quality has never been more critical. With the rise of brand risk globally, we're providing highly advanced tools for marketers to safeguard their brands and avoid misinformation content," said Lisa Utzschneider, CEO, Integral Ad Science. "This partnership with GDI is a market first, building on our strong brand safety and suitability tools to offer expanded global coverage and to classify more sources of misinformation, which means greater protection for our clients." When IAS identifies potential sources of misinformation through its artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm, these sites will now also be validated by GDI's trusted and independent assessment of news content and risk. IAS will also add domains that GDI detects organically to ensure the most complete coverage for advertisers. Using this proprietary methodology, IAS now provides even greater protection for its customers on a global scale. The combination of IAS's advanced AI capabilities with GDI's independent assessment to detect sources of misinformation gives advertisers confidence that their campaigns run on quality news platforms and avoid misinformation sites. According to the latest IAS Media Quality Report (MQR) , brand risk has increased globally, with marketers requiring more advanced tools to protect brand reputation. IAS is committed to helping marketers manage brand risk with the latest tools available and this new partnership with The Global Disinformation Index offers critical new capabilities. GDI is a trusted third-party that sets the standard for what qualifies as disinformation and focuses on restoring trust in media sites around the world by providing real-time automated risk ratings. The GDI's risk assessment is built off human-powered analyses, based on the international Journalism Trust Initiative standard, alongside cutting-edge AI that catalogues millions of pages per week across hundreds of thousands of domains. GDI currently covers 18 media markets and six languages globally. "Our new partnership with IAS is a powerful step forward for digital advertisers, and we're proud to be part of catalyzing change across the industry to stop the dissemination of disinformation online," said Clare Melford, co-Founder and Executive Director, GDI. "Working with IAS, our combined strengths will change the way disinformation is detected and avoided, ultimately disrupting the incentives to create it." About Integral Ad Science Integral Ad Science (IAS) is a global leader in digital media quality. IAS makes every impression count, ensuring that ads are viewable by real people, in safe and suitable environments, activating contextual targeting, and driving supply path optimization. Our mission is to be the global benchmark for trust and transparency in digital media quality for the world's leading brands, publishers, and platforms. We do this through data-driven technologies with actionable real-time signals and insight. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in New York, IAS works with thousands of top advertisers and premium publishers worldwide. For more information, visit integralads.com . About Global Disinformation Index The Global Disinformation Index is a not-for-profit that operates on the three principles of neutrality, independence and transparency. Our vision is a world in which we can trust what we see in the media. Our mission is to restore trust in the media by providing real-time automated risk ratings of the world's media sites through a Global Disinformation Index (GDI). The GDI is non-political. Our Advisory Panel consists of international experts in disinformation, indices and technology. For more information, visit disinformationindex.org . Media Contact Julie Nicholson [email protected] SOURCE Integral Ad Science, Inc. Related Links https://integralads.com/ BOSTON, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Incentivio, a restaurant technology company focused on enhancing the digital guest experience, today announced a transformative new machine learning tool for restaurants. Incentivio offers an all-in-one digital guest experience platform that combines online ordering, commission free delivery, native mobile apps, loyalty programs, and a suite of marketing tools. The new machine learning based recommendations tool leverages all of the data collected across the platform to help restaurants autonomously increase their digital revenue and average check sizes. "Simply by turning this feature on, we've seen a 4 percent increase in digital revenue driven autonomously through the upsells enginewe didn't have to lift a finger to start seeing results," says Justin Egan, CMO of Wing it On! The upsell algorithms powering this feature look at what guests have commonly purchased on a per store basis and what a guest already has in his/her cart to make smart upsell recommendations. It also accounts for seasonality, regional preferences, and requires no manual intervention from the operator. "As a restaurant guest, if I like a certain item, I know I like it, and I'll buy it; this has the potential to help people discover new menu items that they wouldn't have tried or perfect pairings," said Sash Dias, Incentivio's Co-founder and COO. "For restaurants, what we're delivering is outcomes - real revenue and real margin dollars." About Incentivio Incentivo helps restaurants of all sizes leverage machine learning to increase their top and bottom line. Incentivio's all-in-one digital guest experience platform combines online ordering, commission free delivery, native mobile apps, loyalty programs, and a complete suite of marketing tools to help restaurants thrive in the digital environment. Contact: Samuel Kusinitz 617-833-0110 [email protected] SOURCE Incentivio Related Links incentivio.com TEL AVIV, Israel, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Infinipoint today announced the first Device-Identity-as-a-Service (DIaaS), its comprehensive device identity and security posture solution that is a critical part of a Zero Trust approach to secure device access. Infinipoint also announced $11 million in funding from JAL Ventures , Emerge , and Hetz Ventures . Strategic investors and advisors include Ron Myers, former SVP of global channels for Palo Alto Networks; Pradeep Aswani, serial entrepreneur, US distribution and channel veteran and cybersecurity investor; Issy Ben-Shaul, serial entrepreneur, cloud technologies expert, and Director of Engineering at Google; and Ravi Ithal, founder of Netskope and founding engineer of Palo Alto Networks. "Today most of the workforce is working from anywhere and accessing remote services, potentially from multiple devices. While the user is authenticated, the network is encrypted, and the SaaS application is secured, the device is often overlooked. As a result, the device has become the weakest link in the organization's IT security. It's no use authenticating users if they are on a vulnerable device as this can open the door for an attacker to access your sensitive data and services," said Ran Lampert, co-founder and CEO, Infinipoint. Infinipoint is pioneering the DIaaS security category and is the only solution that provides Single Sign-On (SSO) authorization integrated with risk-based policies and one-click remediation for non-compliant and vulnerable devices. This reduces risk by protecting access to an organization's data and services while transforming devices to support world-class security posture. Infinipoint is able to do all this in a productive way that maintains business continuity with no disruption to the workforce. Infinipoint acts as a single enforcement point for all major identity providers including ForgeRock, Okta, Ping Identity, and Azure Active Directory, as well as business services such as Salesforce, Google Workspace, Office 365 and AWS. A Zero Trust security posture for devices is an essential and urgent requirement with a work-from-anywhere workforce. This is highlighted in every major Zero Trust reference architecture and guidance, including from Forrester, Gartner, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and NIST. The NIST Special Publication on Zero Trust Architecture (800-207) states "the enterprise monitors and measures the integrity and security posture of all owned and associated assets. No asset is inherently trusted." The only way to ensure true Zero Trust for devices is through real time security upon user authentication with a deep and dynamic scope, while ensuring business continuity at the same time. The Infinipoint DIaaS solution is the only one on the market built by design to meet these requirements. "Our customers understand the importance of Zero Trust and Identity working together. Leveraging device posture to achieve real-time continuous authorization is essential for any modern Zero Trust implementation," said Ben Goodman, senior vice president, global business and corporate development, ForgeRock . "By leveraging the device visibility Infinipoint provides, ForgeRock's Intelligent Access can dynamically adjust a user's authentication experience and level of access to align with their degree of risk. Infinipoint can remediate issues of device risk before ForgeRock will allow access to a protected resource." "Partnering with Infinipoint enabled us to improve and maintain our connected devices security posture for our more than 1,100 employees. We're very impressed by what the Infinipoint team accomplished, the results so far have been far beyond our initial expectations," said Dikla Ramot, CISO, AppsFlyer , a SaaS mobile marketing analytics and attribution platform leader and Infinipoint customer. "Infinipoint gives our customers device-based conditional access to any service, enabling us to not only inventory and assess the vulnerabilities of all devices accessing the customers' services, but also to allow users to remediate issues with one-click and seamlessly continue their workflow," said Kai Mallmann, CEO, DTS Systeme , multinational IT services provider and Infinipoint partner. "Infinipoint delivers the missing piece of the puzzle, and together we are delivering an innovative solution for a recent and critical problem." Infinipoint's co-founders Ran Lampert and Elad Wexler were part of the core team which created the product known today as Cortex XDR Palo Alto Networks' pillar offering at the endpoint. Recognizing that IT teams did not have complete, accurate, and up-to-date authentication data from devices, the duo were compelled to design and create a purpose-built solution specifically to address this challenge. While other identity and access management vendors have attempted to incorporate this functionality, they have yet to build a device-centric solution that operates with simplicity at the speed and scale necessary to maintain visibility and control over IT assets in modern digital environments. The Infinipoint DIaaS solution is generally available. Contact Infinipoint for a demo today. About Infinipoint Infinipoint is the first solution provider to offer Device-Identity-as-a-Service (DIaaS), addressing Zero Trust device access and enabling enterprises of all sizes to automate cyber hygiene and increase visibility across their entire IT estate. For more information visit www.infinipoint.io or follow Infinipoint on Twitter or LinkedIn . Media Contact: Jennifer Balinski Guyer Group for Infinipoint [email protected] SOURCE Infinipoint Related Links http://infinipoint.io ATLANTA, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Invesco Ltd. (NYSE: IVZ) today reported financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2021. $31.1 billion of net long-term inflows, including a nearly $18 billion institutional passive mandate in Asia-Pacific , continued strength in our ETF franchise and Fixed Income capabilities, and net long-term inflows from our Private Markets and Greater China businesses of net long-term inflows, including a nearly institutional passive mandate in , continued strength in our ETF franchise and Fixed Income capabilities, and net long-term inflows from our Private Markets and businesses $1,525.0 billion in ending AUM, an increase of 8.6% over the prior quarter in ending AUM, an increase of 8.6% over the prior quarter 27.4% operating margin; 41.5% adjusted operating margin(1) Update from Marty Flanagan, President and CEO "Our investment in key capabilities and focus on clients continues to produce strong momentum in our business," said Marty Flanagan, President and CEO. "We saw another record level of net long-term inflows for the firm in the second quarter. Flows were driven by continued execution of strategies within our key capability areas, including ETFs, Fixed Income, China, Solutions, Alternatives, and Global Equities." "The growth we're experiencing is also driving positive operating leverage, as well as helping to build a stronger balance sheet and improving our financial flexibility for the future. Invesco's scale, investment readiness and competitive strength position us well going forward, and we continue to focus our efforts on delivering positive outcomes for clients while driving future growth." (1) Represents non-GAAP financial measure. See the information on pages 6 through 9 for a reconciliation to the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measure. Net Flows: Net long-term inflows were $31.1 billion for the second quarter of 2021, compared to inflows of $24.5 billion in the first quarter of 2021. Institutional flows from the Asia Pacific region include the nearly $18 billion passive mandate. Retail flows were strong for the quarter at $9.5 billion, driven largely by ETF products. Overall areas of strength by asset class include net long-term inflows of $15.0 billion into equity products, $13.6 billion in fixed income products and $4.3 billion in alternative products, offset by outflows of $1.8 billion from balanced products. On a geographic basis, the Asia Pacific, Americas and EMEA ex-UK regions achieved net long-term inflows of $28.3 billion, $5.0 billion, and $1.0 billion, respectively, offset by $3.2 billion outflows in the UK. We had inflows of $19.8 billion into money market funds during the quarter, while net market gains increased AUM $65.6 billion. Foreign exchange rate movements increased AUM by $1.0 billion. Ending AUM was up 8.6%, while average AUM increased 6.1% during the second quarter. Summary of net flows (in billions) Q2-21 Q1-21 Q2-20 Active $ 2.1 $ 7.5 $ (13.4) Passive 29.0 17.0 (0.8) Net long-term flows 31.1 24.5 (14.2) Non-management fee earning AUM 2.5 0.1 (8.7) Money market 19.8 7.3 (6.6) Total net flows $ 53.4 $ 31.9 $ (29.5) Annualized long-term organic growth rate (1) 10.6 % 8.8 % (6.5) % (1) Annualized long-term organic growth rate is calculated using net long-term flows (annualized) divided by average long-term AUM for the period. Long-term AUM excludes money market and non-management fee earning AUM. Second Quarter Highlights: Financial Results Q2-21 Q1-21 Q2-21 vs. Q1-21 Q2-20 Q2-21 vs. Q2-20 U.S. GAAP Financial Measures Operating revenues $1,721.4 m $1,659.7 m 3.7 % $1,419.0 m 21.3 % Operating income $470.9 m $344.3 m 36.8 % $117.1 m 302.1 % Operating margin 27.4 % 20.7 % 8.3 % Net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. $368.3 m $267.8 m 37.5 % $40.5 m 809.4 % Diluted EPS $0.79 $0.58 36.2 % $0.09 777.8 % Adjusted Financial Measures (1) Net revenues $1,302.9 m $1,251.0 m 4.1 % $1,034.3 m 26.0 % Adjusted operating income $540.5 m $503.0 m 7.5 % $359.7 m 50.3 % Adjusted operating margin 41.5 % 40.2 % 34.8 % Adjusted net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. $364.7 m $316.6 m 15.2 % $159.7 m 128.4 % Adjusted diluted EPS $0.78 $0.68 14.7 % $0.35 122.9 % Assets Under Management Ending AUM $1,525.0 bn $1,404.1 bn 8.6 % $1,145.2 bn 33.2 % Average AUM $1,480.2 bn $1,395.1 bn 6.1 % $1,118.7 bn 32.3 % Headcount 8,483 8,426 0.7 % 8,717 (2.7) % (1) Represents non-GAAP financial measure. See the information on pages 6 through 9 for a reconciliation to the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measure. Second Quarter U.S. GAAP Operating Results: Operating revenues and expenses: During the second quarter, increases in operating revenue were driven by an additional day in the quarter and higher average AUM resulting from market gains and net inflows during the quarter. Revenues were higher by $61.7 million, which includes higher investment management fees of $40.8 million and higher service and distribution fees of $19.9 million. Performance fees were $10.5 million for the second quarter, an increase of $3.8 million from the previous quarter. Foreign exchange rate changes increased operating revenues in the second quarter by $2.6 million. In the second quarter, Invesco recorded an adjustment to the liability related to the previously disclosed OppenheimerFunds acquisition-related matter, which resulted in a benefit to transaction, integration and restructuring expense of $85.4 million. Based on information that is currently available and our current analysis of the patterns of actual underlying fund shareholder activity, we have reduced our estimated liability to $300.0 million. The estimated liability excludes any amounts that may be recovered through indemnification and insurance recoveries. Estimation of the liability involves significant judgment, and we continue to analyze the data to determine the appropriate fund shareholder reimbursement amounts. Operating expenses decreased $64.9 million in the second quarter as compared to the first quarter. The decrease is driven by a decrease of $92.9 million in transaction, integration and restructuring costs, resulting primarily from a benefit of $85.4 million to expense discussed above. Third party distribution, service and advisory costs were up $16.8 million during the quarter driven by higher average AUM. Employee compensation expense decreased $2.2 million in the second quarter, reflecting lower seasonal tax and benefit costs, offset by higher variable compensation costs. Marketing expenses were up $8.7 million from increased advertising and client event costs. General and administrative expenses increased $6.7 million, resulting from increased professional services costs. Foreign exchange rate changes increased operating expenses $2.7 million in the second quarter. Non-operating income and expenses: Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates was $37.2 million, earned primarily from our Chinese joint venture and real estate partnership investments. Other gains and losses was a net gain of $43.4 million, driven by market value changes on deferred compensation and seed investments. Other income/(expense) of consolidated investment products (CIP), net was a gain of $122.0 million, primarily driven by market gains on investments held by consolidated funds. The effective tax rate was 23.7% in the second quarter as compared to 22.3% in the first quarter. The increase is primarily due to non-cash tax expense related to the remeasurement of deferred tax assets and liabilities following enactment of an increase in the UK corporate tax rate, partially offset by a reduction in the tax rate due to the change in the mix of income across taxing jurisdictions. Diluted earnings per common share: Diluted earnings per common share increased 36.2% to $0.79. Second Quarter Adjusted(1) Operating Results: Net revenues increased $51.9 million or 4.1% as compared to the first quarter, driven by higher average AUM resulting from market gains and net inflows during the quarter. Investment management fees, service and distribution fees and performance fees were higher in the second quarter, partially offset by lower transaction fees. Adjusted operating expenses increased 1.9% in the second quarter to $762.4 million from $748.0 million in the first quarter, reflecting increased marketing and general and administrative costs. Adjusted operating income improved $37.5 million to $540.5 million in the second quarter from $503.0 million in the first quarter. Adjusted operating margin improved to 41.5% from 40.2% for the prior quarter. Adjusted diluted earnings per common share increased 14.7% to $0.78 as a result of increased operating income, higher net market gains and a lower effective tax rate in the second quarter. The effective tax rate on adjusted net income was 22.8% in the second quarter as compared to 24.0% in the first quarter. The rate decrease in the second quarter is due to the change in the mix of income across taxing jurisdictions. (1) Represents non-GAAP financial measure. See the information on pages 6 through 9 for a reconciliation to the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measure. Capital Management: Cash and cash equivalents: $1,333.0 million at June 30, 2021 ($1,158.3 million as of March 31, 2021). Long-term debt: $2,083.8 million at June 30, 2021 ($2,083.2 million as of March 31, 2021). The credit facility balance was zero as of June 30, 2021 and March 31, 2021. On April 26, 2021, the company renegotiated its $1.5 billion credit facility, extending the maturity date to April 2026. Common share repurchases: During the second quarter of 2021, the company did not purchase any of its shares in the open market. The company withheld 0.1 million shares ($2.9 million) related to employee share vestings. On April 1, 2021, the company paid the balance on the two remaining forward contracts. There are no remaining forward contract liabilities. Diluted common shares outstanding (end of period): 466.2 million Dividends paid: $78.6 million (common); $59.2 million (preferred) Common dividends declared: The company is announcing a second quarter cash dividend of $0.17 per share to holders of common shares. The dividend is payable on September 1, 2021, to common shareholders of record at the close of business on August 13, 2021, with an ex-dividend date of August 12, 2021. Preferred dividends declared: The company is announcing a preferred cash dividend of $14.75 per share representing the period from June 1, 2021 through August 31, 2021. The preferred dividend is payable on September 1, 2021 to preferred shareholders of record at the close of business on August 16, 2021. About Invesco Ltd. Invesco is a global independent investment management firm dedicated to delivering an investment experience that helps people get more out of life. With offices in more than 20 countries, our distinctive investment teams deliver a comprehensive range of active, passive and alternative investment capabilities. For more information, visit invesco.com/corporate . Members of the investment community and general public are invited to listen to the conference call today, July 27, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. ET by dialing one of the following numbers: 1-866-803-2143 for U.S. and Canadian callers or 1-210-795-1098 for international callers, using the Passcode: Invesco. An audio replay of the conference call will be available until Tuesday, August 10, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. ET by calling 1-888-566-0499 for U.S. and Canadian callers or 1-203-369-3057 for international callers. A presentation highlighting the company's performance will be available during a live Webcast and on Invesco's Website at invesco.com/corporate . This release, and comments made in the associated conference call today, may include "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements include information concerning future results of our operations, expenses, earnings, liquidity, cash flow and capital expenditures, industry or market conditions, assets under management, geopolitical events and the COVID-19 pandemic and their respective potential impact on the company, acquisitions and divestitures, debt and our ability to obtain additional financing or make payments, regulatory developments, demand for and pricing of our products and other aspects of our business or general economic conditions. In addition, words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "estimates," "projects," "forecasts," and future or conditional verbs such as "will," "may," "could," "should," and "would" as well as any other statement that necessarily depends on future events, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees, and they involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Although we make such statements based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable, there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from our expectations. We caution investors not to rely unduly on any forward-looking statements and urge you to carefully consider the risks described in our most recent Form 10-K and subsequent Forms 10-Q, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You may obtain these reports from the SEC's website at www.sec.gov . We expressly disclaim any obligation to update the information in any public disclosure if any forward-looking statement later turns out to be inaccurate. Investor Relations Contacts: Greg Ketron 404-724-4299 Aimee Partin 404-724-4248 Media Relations Contact: Graham Galt 404-439-3070 Invesco Ltd. U.S. GAAP Condensed Consolidated Income Statements (Unaudited, in millions, other than per share amounts) Q2-21 Q1-21 % Change Q2-20 % Change Operating revenues: Investment management fees $ 1,247.4 $ 1,206.6 3.4 % $ 1,037.1 20.3 % Service and distribution fees 401.0 381.1 5.2 % 332.7 20.5 % Performance fees 10.5 6.7 56.7 % 3.5 200.0 % Other 62.5 65.3 (4.3) % 45.7 36.8 % Total operating revenues 1,721.4 1,659.7 3.7 % 1,419.0 21.3 % Operating expenses: Third-party distribution, service and advisory 539.6 522.8 3.2 % 444.0 21.5 % Employee compensation 487.0 489.2 (0.4) % 454.6 7.1 % Marketing 24.5 15.8 55.1 % 14.4 70.1 % Property, office and technology 127.2 129.3 (1.6) % 128.3 (0.9) % General and administrative 103.3 96.6 6.9 % 188.9 (45.3) % Transaction, integration and restructuring (47.1) 45.8 N/A 56.5 N/A Amortization of intangible assets (1) 16.0 15.9 0.6 % 15.2 5.3 % Total operating expenses 1,250.5 1,315.4 (4.9) % 1,301.9 (3.9) % Operating income 470.9 344.3 36.8 % 117.1 302.1 % Other income/(expense): Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates 37.2 27.5 35.3 % 11.2 232.1 % Interest and dividend income 0.4 1.3 (69.2) % 2.4 (83.3) % Interest expense (24.6) (23.8) 3.4 % (34.8) (29.3) % Other gains and losses, net 43.4 34.1 27.3 % 60.0 (27.7) % Other income/(expense) of CIP, net 122.0 94.7 28.8 % (50.5) N/A Income before income taxes 649.3 478.1 35.8 % 105.4 516.0 % Income tax provision (154.2) (106.5) 44.8 % (43.4) 255.3 % Net income 495.1 371.6 33.2 % 62.0 698.5 % Net (income)/loss attributable to noncontrolling interests in consolidated entities (67.6) (44.6) 51.6 % 37.7 N/A Less: Dividends declared on preferred shares (59.2) (59.2) % (59.2) % Net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. $ 368.3 $ 267.8 37.5 % $ 40.5 809.4 % Earnings per common share: ---basic $0.80 $0.58 37.9 % $0.09 788.9 % ---diluted $0.79 $0.58 36.2 % $0.09 777.8 % Average common shares outstanding: ---basic 462.8 461.6 0.3 % 460.1 0.6 % ---diluted 466.2 464.7 0.3 % 463.1 0.7 % (1) In prior periods, amortization of intangible assets was included in the transaction, integration and restructuring line item. Beginning in 2021, amortization of intangible assets is now presented as its own line item. There is no impact on operating expenses, operating income or net income. Invesco Ltd. Non-GAAP Information and Reconciliations We utilize the following non-GAAP performance measures: net revenues (and by calculation, net revenue yield on AUM), adjusted operating income, adjusted operating margin, adjusted net income attributable to Invesco Ltd., and adjusted diluted EPS. We believe the adjusted measures provide valuable insight into our ongoing operational performance and assist in comparisons to our competitors. These measures also assist management with the establishment of operational budgets and forecasts and assist the Board of Directors and management in determining incentive compensation decisions. The most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measures are operating revenues (and by calculation, gross revenue yield on AUM), operating income, operating margin, net income attributable to Invesco Ltd., and diluted EPS. The following are reconciliations of operating revenues, operating income (and by calculation, operating margin), and net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. (and by calculation, diluted EPS) on a U.S. GAAP basis to a non-GAAP basis of net revenues, adjusted operating income (and by calculation, adjusted operating margin), and adjusted net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. (and by calculation, adjusted diluted EPS). In addition, a reconciliation of adjusted operating expenses is provided below, together with reconciliations of the U.S. GAAP operating expense lines to provide further analysis of the non-GAAP adjustments. These non-GAAP measures should not be considered as substitutes for any U.S. GAAP measures and may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. The tax effect of the reconciling items is based on the tax jurisdiction attributable to the transactions. These measures are described more fully in the company's Forms 10-K and 10-Q. Refer to these public filings for additional information about the company's non-GAAP performance measures. Reconciliation of Operating revenues to Net revenues: in millions Q2-21 Q1-21 Q2-20 Operating revenues, U.S. GAAP basis $ 1,721.4 $ 1,659.7 $ 1,419.0 Invesco Great Wall (1) 110.9 104.0 48.8 Revenue Adjustments (2) Investment management fees (212.8) (203.2) (175.9) Service and distribution fees (269.7) (261.5) (228.5) Other (57.1) (58.1) (39.6) Total Revenue Adjustments (539.6) (522.8) (444.0) CIP 10.2 10.1 10.5 Net revenues $ 1,302.9 $ 1,251.0 $ 1,034.3 Reconciliation of Operating income to Adjusted operating income: in millions Q2-21 Q1-21 Q2-20 Operating income, U.S. GAAP basis $ 470.9 $ 344.3 $ 117.1 Invesco Great Wall (1) 62.0 66.5 25.6 CIP 19.2 17.0 12.0 Transaction, integration and restructuring (3) (47.1) 45.8 56.5 Amortization of intangible assets (4) 16.0 15.9 15.2 Compensation expense related to market valuation changes in deferred compensation plans 19.5 13.5 28.0 Fund rebalancing correction (5) 105.3 Adjusted operating income $ 540.5 $ 503.0 $ 359.7 Operating margin (6) 27.4 % 20.7 % 8.3 % Adjusted operating margin (7) 41.5 % 40.2 % 34.8 % Reconciliation of Net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. to Adjusted net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. in millions Q2-21 Q1-21 Q2-20 Net income attributable to Invesco Ltd., U.S. GAAP basis $ 368.3 $ 267.8 $ 40.5 CIP 0.1 Transaction, integration and restructuring, net of tax (3) (34.8) 35.1 43.5 Amortization of intangible assets, net of tax (4) 21.8 21.8 21.2 Deferred compensation plan market valuation changes and dividend income less compensation expense, net of tax (7.6) (1.9) (22.6) Fund rebalancing correction, net of tax (5) 80.0 Foreign exchange hedge, net of tax (0.1) Acquisition-related contingent consideration, net of tax (6.2) (2.9) Impact of tax rate changes (8) 17.0 Adjusted net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. (9) $ 364.7 $ 316.6 $ 159.7 Average common shares outstanding - diluted 466.2 464.7 463.1 Diluted EPS $0.79 $0.58 $0.09 Adjusted diluted EPS (10) $0.78 $0.68 $0.35 Reconciliation of Operating expenses to Adjusted operating expenses: in millions Q2-21 Q1-21 Q2-20 Operating expenses, U.S. GAAP basis $ 1,250.5 $ 1,315.4 $ 1,301.9 Invesco Great Wall (1) 48.9 37.5 23.2 Third party distribution, service and advisory expenses (539.6) (522.8) (444.0) CIP (9.0) (6.9) (1.5) Transaction, integration and restructuring (3) 47.1 (45.8) (56.5) Amortization of intangible assets (4) (16.0) (15.9) (15.2) Compensation expense related to market valuation changes in deferred compensation plans (19.5) (13.5) (28.0) Fund rebalancing correction (5) (105.3) Adjusted operating expenses $ 762.4 $ 748.0 $ 674.6 Employee compensation, U.S. GAAP basis $ 487.0 $ 489.2 $ 454.6 Invesco Great Wall (1) 39.5 29.5 17.5 Compensation expense related to market valuation changes in deferred compensation plans (19.5) (13.5) (28.0) Adjusted employee compensation $ 507.0 $ 505.2 $ 444.1 Marketing, U.S. GAAP basis $ 24.5 $ 15.8 $ 14.4 Invesco Great Wall (1) 4.1 3.0 2.2 Adjusted marketing $ 28.6 $ 18.8 $ 16.6 Property, office and technology, U.S. GAAP basis $ 127.2 $ 129.3 $ 128.3 Invesco Great Wall (1) 3.2 3.2 2.3 Adjusted property, office and technology $ 130.4 $ 132.5 $ 130.6 General and administrative, U.S. GAAP basis $ 103.3 $ 96.6 $ 188.9 Invesco Great Wall (1) 2.1 1.8 1.2 CIP (9.0) (6.9) (1.5) Fund rebalancing correction (5) (105.3) Adjusted general and administrative $ 96.4 $ 91.5 $ 83.3 Transaction, integration and restructuring, U.S. GAAP basis (3) $ (47.1) $ 45.8 $ 56.5 Transaction, integration and restructuring 47.1 (45.8) (56.5) Adjusted transaction, integration and restructuring $ $ $ Amortization of intangible assets, U.S. GAAP basis $ 16.0 $ 15.9 $ 15.2 Amortization of intangible assets (4) (16.0) (15.9) (15.2) Adjusted amortization of intangibles $ $ $ (1) Management reflects 100% of Invesco Great Wall in its net revenues and adjusted operating expenses. The company's non-GAAP operating results reflect the economics of these holdings on a basis consistent with the underlying AUM and flows. Adjusted net income is reduced by the amount of earnings attributable to non-controlling interests. (2) Management believes that adjustments to investment management fees, service and distribution fees and other revenues from operating revenues appropriately reflect these revenues as being passed through to external parties who perform functions on behalf of, and distribute, the company's managed funds. Further, these adjustments vary extensively by geography due to the differences in distribution channels. The net revenue presentation assists in identifying the revenue contribution generated by the business, removing distortions caused by the differing distribution channel fees and allowing for a fair comparison with U.S. peer investment managers and within Invesco's own investment units. Additionally, management evaluates net revenue yield on AUM, which is equal to net revenues divided by average AUM during the reporting period. This financial measure is an indicator of the basis point net revenues we receive for each dollar of AUM we manage and is useful when evaluating the company's performance relative to industry competitors and within the company for capital allocation purposes. Investment management fees are adjusted by renewal commissions and certain administrative fees. Service and distribution fees are primarily adjusted by distribution fees passed through to broker dealers for certain share classes and pass through fund-related costs. Other is primarily adjusted by transaction fees passed through to third parties. While the terms used for these types of adjustments vary by geography, they are all costs that are closely linked to the value of AUM and the revenue earned by Invesco from AUM. Since the company has been deemed to be the principal in the third-party arrangements, the company must reflect these adjustments as expenses gross of operating revenues under U.S. GAAP in third-party expenses on the consolidated statements of income. (3) During the second quarter of 2021, the company recorded an $85.4 million benefit to the Transaction, integration and restructuring line item resulting from an adjustment to the estimated OppenheimerFunds acquisition-related liability. (4) In prior periods, amortization of intangible assets was included in the transaction, integration and restructuring line item. Beginning in 2021, amortization of intangible assets is now presented as its own line item. There is no impact on operating expenses, operating income or net income. While finite-lived intangible assets are amortized under U.S. GAAP, there is no amortization charge on goodwill and indefinite-lived intangibles. In certain qualifying situations, amortization can be recognized for goodwill and indefinite-lived intangibles for tax purposes, generally over a 15-year period, as is the case in the U.S. The tax benefit realized on the amortization is recognized as a deferred tax liability that is not reflected in the company's earnings absent an impairment charge or the disposal of the related business, which is not anticipated in the foreseeable future. We believe it is useful to include this tax benefit in arriving at the adjusted diluted EPS measure. (5) The company recorded a charge of $105.3 million in the second quarter of 2020 due to a previously disclosed S&P 500 equal weight funds rebalancing correction. Due to the unique character and magnitude of this item, it has been adjusted from U.S. GAAP to arrive at the company's non-GAAP financial measures. (6) Operating margin is equal to operating income divided by operating revenues. (7) Adjusted operating margin is equal to adjusted operating income divided by net revenues. (8) Represents a non-cash income tax expense arising from the remeasurement of the UK deferred tax assets and liabilities due to the enactment of an increase in the UK corporate tax rate from 19% to 25% effective in 2023. (9) The effective tax rate on adjusted net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. is 22.8% (first quarter 2021: 24.0%; second quarter 2020: 24.4%). (10) Adjusted diluted EPS is equal to adjusted net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. divided by the weighted average number of common and restricted common shares outstanding. There is no difference between the calculated earnings per common share amounts presented above and the calculated earnings per common share amounts under the two class method. Invesco Ltd. Quarterly Assets Under Management in billions Q2-21 Q1-21 % Change Q2-20 Beginning Assets $1,404.1 $1,349.9 4.0 % $1,053.4 Long-term inflows 114.4 120.2 (4.8) % 62.7 Long-term outflows (83.3) (95.7) (13.0) % (76.9) Net long-term flows 31.1 24.5 26.9 % (14.2) Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) 2.5 0.1 2,400.0 % (8.7) Net flows in money market funds 19.8 7.3 171.2 % (6.6) Total net flows 53.4 31.9 67.4 % (29.5) Reinvested distributions 0.9 0.9 % 1.8 Market gains and losses 65.6 24.6 166.7 % 117.7 Foreign currency translation 1.0 (3.2) N/A 1.8 Ending Assets $1,525.0 $1,404.1 8.6 % $1,145.2 Ending long-term AUM $1,199.0 $1,118.1 7.2 % $909.3 Average long-term AUM $1,173.9 $1,110.3 5.7 % $879.3 Average AUM $1,480.2 $1,395.1 6.1 % $1,118.7 Gross revenue yield on AUM (b) 49.2 bps 50.4 bps 52.9 bps Gross revenue yield on AUM before performance fees (b) 48.9 bps 50.1 bps 52.7 bps Net revenue yield on AUM (c) 35.2 bps 35.9 bps 37.0 bps Net revenue yield on AUM before performance fees (c) 34.8 bps 35.7 bps 36.8 bps in billions Total AUM Active(f) Passive(f) March 31, 2021 $1,404.1 $1,006.3 $397.8 Long-term inflows 114.4 61.1 53.3 Long-term outflows (83.3) (59.0) (24.3) Net long-term flows 31.1 2.1 29.0 Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) 2.5 2.5 Net flows in money market funds 19.8 19.8 Total net flows 53.4 21.9 31.5 Reinvested distributions 0.9 0.9 Market gains and losses 65.6 35.3 30.3 Foreign currency translation 1.0 1.6 (0.6) June 30, 2021 $1,525.0 $1,066.0 $459.0 Average AUM $1,480.2 $1,049.1 $431.1 Gross revenue yield on AUM (b) 49.2 bps 61.7 bps 21.2 bps Net revenue yield on AUM (c) 35.2 bps 44.3 bps 13.1 bps By channel: (in billions) Total Retail Institutional March 31, 2021 $1,404.1 $989.7 $414.4 Long-term inflows 114.4 74.7 39.7 Long-term outflows (83.3) (65.2) (18.1) Net long-term flows 31.1 9.5 21.6 Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) 2.5 3.2 (0.7) Net flows in money market funds 19.8 (1.0) 20.8 Total net flows 53.4 11.7 41.7 Reinvested distributions 0.9 0.8 0.1 Market gains and losses 65.6 57.3 8.3 Foreign currency translation 1.0 1.2 (0.2) June 30, 2021 $1,525.0 $1,060.7 $464.3 See the footnotes immediately following these tables. Invesco Ltd. Quarterly Assets Under Management (continued) By asset class: (in billions) Total Equity Fixed Income Balanced Money Market (e) Alternatives(d) March 31, 2021 $1,404.1 $725.0 $301.6 $85.2 $115.7 $176.6 Long-term inflows 114.4 58.8 30.9 10.2 14.5 Long-term outflows (83.3) (43.8) (17.3) (12.0) (10.2) Net long-term flows 31.1 15.0 13.6 (1.8) 4.3 Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) 2.5 3.3 (0.8) Net flows in money market funds 19.8 19.8 Total net flows 53.4 18.3 12.8 (1.8) 19.8 4.3 Reinvested distributions 0.9 0.2 0.4 0.1 0.2 Market gains and losses 65.6 52.1 2.8 4.4 (0.2) 6.5 Foreign currency translation 1.0 (0.1) 0.6 0.4 0.1 June 30, 2021 $1,525.0 $795.5 $317.6 $88.5 $135.7 $187.7 Average AUM $1,480.2 $767.3 $311.3 $88.0 $127.7 $185.9 By client domicile: (in billions) Total Americas Asia Pacific EMEA Ex UK U.K. March 31, 2021 $1,404.1 $997.2 $189.0 $154.8 $63.1 Long-term inflows 114.4 52.9 44.0 14.8 2.7 Long-term outflows (83.3) (47.9) (15.7) (13.8) (5.9) Net long-term flows 31.1 5.0 28.3 1.0 (3.2) Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) 2.5 1.7 0.5 0.3 Net flows in money market funds 19.8 20.2 (0.4) Total net flows 53.4 26.9 28.4 1.3 (3.2) Reinvested distributions 0.9 0.8 0.1 Market gains and losses 65.6 50.5 8.0 5.3 1.8 Foreign currency translation 1.0 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.1 June 30, 2021 $1,525.0 $1,075.8 $225.6 $161.7 $61.9 See the footnotes immediately following these tables Invesco Ltd. Quarterly Assets Under Management - Passive (f) in billions Q2-21 Q1-21 % Change Q2-20 Beginning Assets $397.8 $370.6 7.3 % $246.1 Long-term inflows 53.3 43.9 21.4 % 20.4 Long-term outflows (24.3) (26.9) (9.7) % (21.2) Net long-term flows 29.0 17.0 70.6 % (0.8) Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) 2.5 0.1 2,400.0 % (8.7) Total net flows 31.5 17.1 84.2 % (9.5) Market gains and losses 30.3 10.4 191.3 % 44.9 Foreign currency translation (0.6) (0.3) 100.0 % 0.2 Ending Assets $459.0 $397.8 15.4 % $281.7 Average long-term AUM $252.5 $217.6 16.0 % $150.6 Average AUM $431.1 $386.7 11.5 % $269.9 Gross revenue yield on AUM (b) 21.2 bps 21.0 bps 20.9 bps Gross revenue yield on AUM before performance fees (b) 21.2 bps 21.0 bps 20.9 bps Net revenue yield on AUM (c) 13.1 bps 12.6 bps 12.1 bps Net revenue yield on AUM before performance fees (c) 13.1 bps 12.6 bps 12.1 bps By channel: (in billions) Total Retail Institutional March 31, 2021 $397.8 $369.3 $28.5 Long-term inflows 53.3 34.7 18.6 Long-term outflows (24.3) (23.7) (0.6) Net long-term flows 29.0 11.0 18.0 Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) 2.5 3.2 (0.7) Total net flows 31.5 14.2 17.3 Market gains and losses 30.3 27.9 2.4 Foreign currency translation (0.6) (0.6) June 30, 2021 $459.0 $411.4 $47.6 By asset class: (in billions) Total Equity Fixed Income Balanced Money Market(e) Alternatives(d) March 31, 2021 $397.8 $331.6 $38.7 $1.0 $ $26.5 Long-term inflows 53.3 41.5 6.2 0.1 5.5 Long-term outflows (24.3) (20.9) (1.4) (2.0) Net long-term flows 29.0 20.6 4.8 0.1 3.5 Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) 2.5 3.3 (0.7) (0.1) Total net flows 31.5 23.9 4.1 3.5 Market gains and losses 30.3 28.4 0.3 0.1 1.5 Foreign currency translation (0.6) (0.4) (0.1) (0.1) June 30, 2021 $459.0 $383.5 $43.0 $1.1 $ $31.4 Average AUM $431.1 $358.8 $41.1 $1.1 $ $30.1 See the footnotes immediately following these tables. Invesco Ltd. Quarterly Assets Under Management - Passive(f) (continued) By client domicile: (in billions) Total Americas Asia Pacific EMEA Ex UK U.K. March 31, 2021 $397.8 $325.5 $10.5 $60.9 $0.9 Long-term inflows 53.3 25.0 19.5 8.5 0.3 Long-term outflows (24.3) (17.1) (0.7) (6.3) (0.2) Net long-term flows 29.0 7.9 18.8 2.2 0.1 Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) 2.5 1.7 0.5 0.3 Total net flows 31.5 9.6 19.3 2.5 0.1 Market gains and losses 30.3 24.4 3.0 2.9 Foreign currency translation (0.6) (0.6) June 30, 2021 $459.0 $359.5 $32.2 $66.3 $1.0 See the footnotes immediately following these tables. Invesco Ltd. Year-to-Date Assets Under Management in billions June 30, 2021 June 30, 2020 % Change Beginning Assets $1,349.9 $1,226.2 10.1 % Long-term inflows 234.6 147.4 59.2 % Long-term outflows (179.0) (180.7) (0.9) % Net long-term flows 55.6 (33.3) N/A Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) 2.6 (18.0) N/A Net flows in money market funds 27.1 19.7 37.6 % Total net flows 85.3 (31.6) N/A Reinvested distributions 1.8 2.9 (37.9) % Market gains and losses 90.2 (45.0) N/A Foreign currency translation (2.2) (7.3) (69.9) % Ending Assets $1,525.0 $1,145.2 33.2 % Average long-term AUM $1,142.1 $917.2 24.5 % Average AUM $1,437.7 $1,147.5 25.3 % Gross revenue yield on AUM (b) 49.8 bps 54.7 bps Gross revenue yield on AUM before performance fees (b) 49.5 bps 54.6 bps Net revenue yield on AUM (c) 35.5 bps 38.0 bps Net revenue yield on AUM before performance fees (c) 35.2 bps 37.7 bps in billions Total AUM Active(f) Passive(f) December 31, 2020 $1,349.9 $979.3 $370.6 Long-term inflows 234.6 137.4 97.2 Long-term outflows (179.0) (127.8) (51.2) Net long-term flows 55.6 9.6 46.0 Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) 2.6 2.6 Net flows in money market funds 27.1 27.1 Total net flows 85.3 36.7 48.6 Reinvested distributions 1.8 1.8 Market gains and losses 90.2 49.5 40.7 Foreign currency translation (2.2) (1.3) (0.9) June 30, 2021 $1,525.0 $1,066.0 $459.0 Average AUM $1,437.7 $1,028.8 $408.9 Gross revenue yield on AUM (b) 49.8 bps 62.1 bps 21.1 bps Net revenue yield on AUM (c) 35.5 bps 44.5 bps 12.9 bps By channel: (in billions) Total Retail Institutional December 31, 2020 $1,349.9 $947.1 $402.8 Long-term inflows 234.6 169.7 64.9 Long-term outflows (179.0) (139.0) (40.0) Net long-term flows 55.6 30.7 24.9 Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) 2.6 1.8 0.8 Net flows in money market funds 27.1 4.0 23.1 Total net flows 85.3 36.5 48.8 Reinvested distributions 1.8 1.6 0.2 Market gains and losses 90.2 74.5 15.7 Foreign currency translation (2.2) 1.0 (3.2) June 30, 2021 $1,525.0 $1,060.7 $464.3 See the footnotes immediately following these tables. Invesco Ltd. Year-to-Date Assets Under Management (continued) By asset class: (in billions) Total Equity Fixed Income Balanced Money Market (e) Alternatives(d) December 31, 2020 $1,349.9 $689.6 $296.4 $78.9 $108.5 $176.5 Long-term inflows 234.6 116.8 59.2 31.4 27.2 Long-term outflows (179.0) (92.0) (38.0) (25.9) (23.1) Net long-term flows 55.6 24.8 21.2 5.5 4.1 Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) 2.6 2.0 0.6 Net flows in money market funds 27.1 27.1 Total net flows 85.3 26.8 21.8 5.5 27.1 4.1 Reinvested distributions 1.8 0.4 0.8 0.2 0.4 Market gains and losses 90.2 79.4 0.1 3.5 (0.2) 7.4 Foreign currency translation (2.2) (0.7) (1.5) 0.4 0.3 (0.7) June 30, 2021 $1,525.0 $795.5 $317.6 $88.5 $135.7 $187.7 Average AUM $1,437.7 $740.8 $305.9 $86.8 $121.8 $182.4 By client domicile: (in billions) Total Americas Asia Pacific EMEA Ex UK U.K. December 31, 2020 $1,349.9 $959.9 $171.3 $151.7 $67.0 Long-term inflows 234.6 113.9 81.8 33.9 5.0 Long-term outflows (179.0) (98.9) (36.8) (29.2) (14.1) Net long-term flows 55.6 15.0 45.0 4.7 (9.1) Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) 2.6 1.7 0.9 Net flows in money market funds 27.1 22.8 4.5 (0.2) Total net flows 85.3 39.5 50.4 4.5 (9.1) Reinvested distributions 1.8 1.6 0.1 0.1 Market gains and losses 90.2 74.2 6.5 6.2 3.3 Foreign currency translation (2.2) 0.6 (2.7) (0.7) 0.6 June 30, 2021 $1,525.0 $1,075.8 $225.6 $161.7 $61.9 See the footnotes immediately following these tables. Invesco Ltd. Year-to-Date Assets Under Management - Passive (f) in billions June 30, 2021 June 30, 2020 % Change Beginning Assets $370.6 $297.0 24.8 % Long-term inflows 97.2 50.4 92.9 % Long-term outflows (51.2) (49.7) 3.0 % Net long-term flows 46.0 0.7 6,471.4 % Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) 2.6 (18.0) N/A Total net flows 48.6 (17.3) N/A Market gains and losses 40.7 2.2 1,750.0 % Foreign currency translation (0.9) (0.2) 350.0 % Ending Assets $459.0 $281.7 62.9 % Average long-term AUM $235.0 $156.5 50.2 % Average AUM $408.9 $278.5 46.8 % Gross revenue yield on AUM (b) 21.1 bps 21.9 bps Gross revenue yield on AUM before performance fees (b) 21.1 bps 21.9 bps Net revenue yield on AUM (c) 12.9 bps 12.7 bps Net revenue yield on AUM before performance fees (c) 12.9 bps 12.7 bps By channel: (in billions) Total Retail Institutional December 31, 2020 $370.6 $346.0 $24.6 Long-term inflows 97.2 75.9 21.3 Long-term outflows (51.2) (49.1) (2.1) Net long-term flows 46.0 26.8 19.2 Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) 2.6 1.8 0.8 Total net flows 48.6 28.6 20.0 Market gains and losses 40.7 37.0 3.7 Foreign currency translation (0.9) (0.2) (0.7) June 30, 2021 $459.0 $411.4 $47.6 By asset class: (in billions) Total Equity Fixed Income Balanced Money Market(e) Alternatives(d) December 31, 2020 $370.6 $306.4 $37.0 $1.0 $ $26.2 Long-term inflows 97.2 76.9 9.4 0.1 10.8 Long-term outflows (51.2) (42.0) (3.5) (5.7) Net long-term flows 46.0 34.9 5.9 0.1 5.1 Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) 2.6 2.0 0.7 (0.1) Total net flows 48.6 36.9 6.6 5.1 Market gains and losses 40.7 40.7 (0.4) 0.1 0.3 Foreign currency translation (0.9) (0.5) (0.2) (0.2) June 30, 2021 $459.0 $383.5 $43.0 $1.1 $ $31.4 Average AUM $408.9 $339.4 $39.6 $1.1 $ $28.8 See the footnotes immediately following these tables. Invesco Ltd. Year-to-Date Assets Under Management - Passive(f) (continued) By client domicile: (in billions) Total Americas Asia Pacific EMEA Ex UK U.K. December 31, 2020 $370.6 $303.0 $7.9 $58.9 $0.8 Long-term inflows 97.2 54.9 22.8 18.9 0.6 Long-term outflows (51.2) (34.0) (1.8) (15.0) (0.4) Net long-term flows 46.0 20.9 21.0 3.9 0.2 Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) 2.6 1.8 0.8 Total net flows 48.6 22.7 21.8 3.9 0.2 Market gains and losses 40.7 33.8 3.2 3.7 Foreign currency translation (0.9) (0.7) (0.2) June 30, 2021 $459.0 $359.5 $32.2 $66.3 $1.0 See the footnotes immediately following these tables. Invesco Ltd. Footnotes to the Assets Under Management Tables (a) Non-management fee earning AUM includes non-management fee earning ETFs, UIT and product leverage. (b) Gross revenue yield on AUM is equal to annualized total operating revenues divided by average AUM, excluding Invesco Great Wall AUM. The average AUM for Invesco Great Wall in the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 was $81.1 billion and $78.9 billion (March 31, 2021: $76.6 billion, three and six months ended June 30, 2020: $45.1 billion and $44.2 billion). It is appropriate to exclude the average AUM of Invesco Great Wall for purposes of computing gross revenue yield on AUM, because the revenues resulting from these AUM are not presented in our operating revenues. Under U.S. GAAP, our share of the net income of Invesco Great Wall is recorded as equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates on our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income. Gross revenue yield, the most comparable U.S. GAAP-based measure to net revenue yield, is not considered a meaningful effective fee rate measure. The numerator of the gross revenue yield measure, operating revenues, excludes the management fees earned from CIP; however, the denominator of the measure includes the AUM of these investment products. (c) Net revenue yield on AUM is equal to annualized net revenues divided by average AUM. See the reconciliations of U.S. GAAP to Non-GAAP Information on pages 6 through 9 of this release for a reconciliation of operating revenues to net revenues. (d) The alternatives asset class includes absolute return, commodities, currencies, financial structures, global macro, long/short equity, managed futures, multi-alternatives, private capital - direct, private capital - fund of funds, private direct real estate, public real estate securities, senior secured loans and custom solutions. (e) Long-term AUM excludes money market and non-management fee earning AUM. Ending AUM as of June 30, 2021 includes $135.7 billion in money market AUM and $190.2 billion in non-management fee earning AUM (March 31, 2021: $115.7 billion and $170.3 billion, respectively; June 30, 2020: $111.5 billion and $124.4 billion, respectively). (f) Passive AUM includes index-based ETFs, unit investment trusts (UITs), non-fee earning leverage and other passive mandates. Active AUM is total AUM less Passive AUM. Invesco Ltd. Investment Capabilities Performance Overview Benchmark Comparison Peer Group Comparison % of AUM in Top Half of Benchmark % of AUM in Top Half of Peer Group Equities (1) 1yr 3yr 5yr 10yr 1yr 3yr 5yr 10yr U.S. Core (5%) 55 % 17 % 13 % 9 % 8 % 21 % 17 % 4 % U.S. Growth (7%) 61 % 52 % 88 % 52 % 73 % 100 % 87 % 51 % U.S. Value (7%) 51 % 7 % 51 % 48 % 51 % 6 % 50 % 33 % Sector (2%) 69 % 97 % 97 % 96 % 67 % 66 % 67 % 67 % UK (1%) 22 % 28 % 34 % 41 % 12 % 10 % 22 % 27 % Canadian (<1%) 100 % 41 % 41 % 34 % 75 % 41 % 41 % 12 % Asian (3%) 67 % 83 % 81 % 93 % 62 % 54 % 64 % 72 % Continental European (2%) 70 % 12 % 17 % 90 % 70 % 10 % 26 % 55 % Global (7%) 84 % 74 % 74 % 87 % 67 % 29 % 79 % 44 % Global Ex U.S. and Emerging Markets (13%) 17 % 90 % 87 % 99 % 17 % 64 % 70 % 75 % Fixed Income (1) Money Market (17%) 89 % 99 % 100 % 100 % 78 % 76 % 77 % 99 % U.S. Fixed Income (12%) 96 % 77 % 95 % 95 % 90 % 86 % 90 % 90 % Global Fixed Income (5%) 93 % 85 % 96 % 97 % 59 % 63 % 69 % 71 % Stable Value (5%) 100 % 100 % 100 % 100 % 97 % 97 % 100 % 100 % Other (1) Alternatives (6%) 48 % 41 % 52 % 40 % 46 % 50 % 43 % 56 % Balanced (8%) 72 % 60 % 65 % 66 % 93 % 61 % 90 % 93 % Note: Excludes passive products, closed-end funds, private equity limited partnerships, non-discretionary funds, unit investment trusts, fund of funds with component funds managed by Invesco, stable value building block funds and CDOs. Certain funds and products were excluded from the analysis because of limited benchmark or peer group data. Had these been available, results may have been different. These results are preliminary and subject to revision. Data as of June 30, 2021. AUM measured in the one, three, five and ten year quartile rankings represents 51%, 50%, 49% and 45% of total Invesco AUM, respectively, and AUM measured versus benchmark on a one, three, five and ten year basis represents 62%, 60%, 58% and 53% of total Invesco AUM. Performance shown is asset-weighted. Peer group rankings are sourced from a widely-used third party ranking agency in each fund's market (e.g., Morningstar, IA, Lipper, eVestment, Mercer, Galaxy, SITCA, Value Research). Rankings are as of prior quarter-end for most institutional products and prior month-end for Australian retail funds due to their late release by third parties. Rankings are calculated against all funds in each peer group. Rankings for the primary share class of the most representative fund in each composite are applied to all products within each composite. Performance assumes the reinvestment of dividends. Past performance is not indicative of future results and may not reflect an investor's experience. (1) Numbers in parenthesis reflect AUM for each investment product (see Note above for exclusions) as a percentage of the total AUM for the 5 year peer group ($743.9 billion). Invesco Ltd. Supplemental Information (1) For the three months ended June 30, 2021 For the three months ended June 30, 2020 Cash flow information $ in millions U.S. GAAP Impact of CIP Excluding CIP U.S. GAAP Impact of CIP Excluding CIP Invesco and CIP cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period (2) $ 1,795.9 $ 429.6 $ 1,366.3 $ 1,229.5 $ 289.0 $ 940.5 Cash flows from operating activities 507.7 (18.8) 526.5 337.9 (9.1) 347.0 Cash flows from investing activities (83.8) (44.4) (39.4) (291.0) (304.9) 13.9 Cash flows from financing activities (482.7) 36.6 (519.3) (25.0) 294.7 (319.7) Increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents (58.8) (26.6) (32.2) 21.9 (19.3) 41.2 Foreign exchange movement on cash and cash equivalents 1.1 (1.1) 10.3 4.9 5.4 Net cash inflows (outflows) upon consolidation/deconsolidation of CIP 9.5 9.5 Invesco and CIP cash and cash equivalents, end of the period (2) $ 1,737.1 $ 404.1 $ 1,333.0 $ 1,271.2 $ 284.1 $ 987.1 For the six months ended June 30, 2021 For the six months ended June 30, 2020 Cash flow information $ in millions U.S. GAAP Impact of CIP Excluding CIP U.S. GAAP Impact of CIP Excluding CIP Invesco and CIP cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period (2) $ 1,839.3 $ 301.7 $ 1,537.6 $ 1,701.2 $ 652.2 $ 1,049.0 Cash flows from operating activities 480.8 (120.4) 601.2 260.9 (7.8) 268.7 Cash flows from investing activities (215.0) (160.3) (54.7) (743.0) (687.5) (55.5) Cash flows from financing activities (344.9) 396.5 (741.4) 71.3 318.1 (246.8) Increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents (79.1) 115.8 (194.9) (410.8) (377.2) (33.6) Foreign exchange movement on cash and cash equivalents (14.4) (4.7) (9.7) (28.4) (0.1) (28.3) Net cash inflows (outflows) upon consolidation/deconsolidation of CIP (8.7) (8.7) 9.2 9.2 Invesco and CIP cash and cash equivalents, end of the period (2) $ 1,737.1 $ 404.1 $ 1,333.0 $ 1,271.2 $ 284.1 $ 987.1 (1) These tables include non-GAAP presentations. Cash held by CIP is not available for use by Invesco. Additionally, there is no recourse to Invesco for CIP debt. The cash flows of CIP do not form part of the company's cash flow management processes, nor do they form part of the company's significant liquidity evaluations and decisions. Policyholder assets and liabilities are equal and offsetting and have no impact on Invesco's shareholder's equity. The impact of cash inflows/outflows from policyholder assets and liabilities are reflected within cash flows from operating activities as changes in receivable and/or payables, as applicable. (2) The beginning period cash excluding CIP for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 includes restricted cash of $208.0 million and $129.2 million, respectively (June 30, 2020: none). There was no restricted cash at the end of the period for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020. Invesco Ltd. Supplemental Information(1) As of June 30, 2021 As of December 31, 2020 Balance Sheet information $ in millions U.S. GAAP Impact of CIP Impact of Policyholders As Adjusted U.S. GAAP Impact of CIP Impact of Policyholders As Adjusted ASSETS Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,333.0 $ $ $ 1,333.0 $ 1,408.4 $ 1,408.4 Unsettled fund receivables 287.6 287.6 109.4 109.4 Investments 965.2 (440.8) 1,406.0 826.8 (421.4) 1,248.2 Investments and other assets of CIP 8,793.1 8,793.1 8,085.5 8,085.5 Cash and cash equivalents of CIP 404.1 404.1 301.7 301.7 Assets held for policyholders 3,415.2 3,415.2 7,582.1 7,582.1 Goodwill and intangible assets, net 16,229.0 16,229.0 16,221.9 16,221.9 Other assets (2) 1,821.2 (5.4) 1,826.6 1,968.3 (5.1) 1,973.4 Total assets 33,248.4 8,751.0 3,415.2 21,082.2 36,504.1 7,960.7 7,582.1 20,961.3 LIABILITIES Debt of CIP 6,750.7 6,750.7 6,714.1 6,714.1 Other liabilities of CIP 1,118.6 1,118.6 588.6 588.6 Policyholder payables 3,415.2 3,415.2 7,582.1 7,582.1 Unsettled fund payables 286.9 286.9 98.4 98.4 Long-term debt 2,083.8 2,083.8 2,082.6 2,082.6 Other liabilities (3) 3,802.7 3,802.7 4,417.6 4,417.6 Total liabilities 17,457.9 7,869.3 3,415.2 6,173.4 21,483.4 7,302.7 7,582.1 6,598.6 EQUITY Total equity attributable to Invesco Ltd. 14,908.0 (0.1) 14,908.1 14,361.8 (0.1) 14,361.9 Noncontrolling interests (4) 882.5 881.8 0.7 658.9 658.1 0.8 Total equity 15,790.5 881.7 14,908.8 15,020.7 658.0 14,362.7 Total liabilities and equity $ 33,248.4 $ 8,751.0 $ 3,415.2 $ 21,082.2 $ 36,504.1 $ 7,960.7 $ 7,582.1 $ 20,961.3 (1) These tables include non-GAAP presentations. Cash held by CIP is not available for use by Invesco. Additionally, there is no recourse to Invesco for CIP debt. The cash flows of CIP do not form part of the company's cash flow management processes, nor do they form part of the company's significant liquidity evaluations and decisions. Policyholder assets and liabilities are equal and offsetting and have no impact on Invesco's shareholder's equity. The impact of cash inflows/outflows from policyholder assets and liabilities are reflected within cash flows from operating activities as changes in receivable and/or payables, as applicable. (2) Amounts include restricted cash, accounts receivable, prepaid assets, property, equipment and software, right-of-use asset, and other assets. (3) Amounts include accrued compensation and benefits, accounts payable and accrued expenses, lease liability, and deferred tax liabilities. (4) Amounts include redeemable noncontrolling interests in consolidated entities and equity attributable to nonredeemable noncontrolling interests in consolidated entities. SOURCE Invesco Ltd. Related Links https://www.invesco.com TEL AVIV, Israel, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Start-Up Nation Central - the independent not-for-profit organization connecting global corporations, investors, and governments to the Israeli tech innovation ecosystem - today revealed that Israel's FinTech sector experienced a record-breaking first half of 2021 in terms of Venture Capital investments. According to a data gathered from Start-Up Nation Central Finder, Israeli companies raised $2.3B in the first half representing a staggering 260% increase over H1 2020 funding, and even surpassing the 2020 full-year total of $1.8B by 28% Investments in Israeli Fintech Companies 2018-2021, source: Start-Up Nation Central Finder (PRNewsfoto/Start-Up Nation Central (SNC)) Based on Start-Up Nation Finder insights, investments in FinTech made up 19% of the total funding in Israeli innovation technology companies during H1, which amounted to $12.2B. When it comes to international comparisons, data from PitchBook* showed that Israel's 28% increase in FinTech funding over the 2020 total surpassed the 20% increase in US company funding and the negative growth (-30) exhibited by the Asian ecosystem but fell short of Europe's impressive 63% growth during the same period. Investors' interest in Israeli FinTech was also expressed in the number of the sector's funding rounds. With a total of 68 rounds halfway through the year, 2021 is already nearing the 2020 total of 74. A breakdown according to round type, shows an increase in the number of Seed rounds (26 in H1 2021, compared to 18 in all of 2020) and also in the number of C+ rounds (15 in H1 2021, compared to 13 in all of 2020). This indicates that while FinTech is a mature sector, new startups are continuing to emerge. When it comes to mega-rounds (investments of more than $100M) 2021 has already seen seven companies raise nine-figure sums, compared to only five throughout all of 2020. The first half of 2021 also indicated very strong exit momentum in the Israeli FinTech sector, with 7 acquisitions, 1 IPO, and 1 completed SPAC, compared to 8 acquisitions and 1 IPO throughout all of 2020. The rise in exists can be linked to the US Federal Reserve's monetary policies, which promoted cash influx to financial markets, leading to a surge in public capital market activity. Payment solutions are the FinTech sectors' hottest ticket Over the last two years, 70% of Israeli FinTech funding was funneled into three prominent subsectors: Payments, Anti-fraud and Insurtech. This trend has continued in 2021, with Payments retaining the top spot, comprising 35% of FinTech funding in H1. The demand for online payments skyrocketed during restrictions imposed by COVID-19. Companies like multi-currency mobile wallet Rapyd ($300M Series D), eCommerce fraud prevention company Forter ($300M Series F) and supplier payment platform Melio ($110M Series D) were well-positioned to benefit from the shift in habits and are expected to continue to grow going forward. The first half of 2021 also saw investment growth in Enterprise Solutions. This new demand was largely spurred by the pandemic-induced rush for corporate innovation which created an opportunity to modernize legacy processes. Start-Up Nation Central FinTech Analyst Nicole Krieger: "2021 has been encouraging for the Israeli FinTech sector so far, with a record number of large late-stage funding rounds, notable exits, and emerging early-stage companies. COVID-19 drivers aside, Israeli FinTech companies have grown rapidly and globally, building commercial partnerships and contributing significant technology to payments and enterprises. Tech innovation significantly upgraded legacy financial services processes. The sector now stands poised for a new era, we see a digital age emerging and are watching digital currency evolution enter a new digital age, it seems the stage could be set for subsequent FinTech evolution such as the adoption of digital currencies." Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1582147/Start_Up_Nation_Central_Infographic.jpg SOURCE Start-Up Nation Central (SNC) OAKLAND, Calif., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente hospitals are among the best in the nation for delivering high-quality care, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2021-22 Best Hospitals rankings. The 32nd annual study analyzes how well hospitals perform when it comes to specialty care, common procedures, and common patient conditions. According to the evaluation of more than 4,500 hospitals nationwide: All 39 Kaiser Permanente hospitals are "high performing" for 1 or more measures; high performers are among the top 10% to 20% of all hospitals rated, and the following are the number of Kaiser Permanente hospitals rated "high performing" for these categories: Stroke care: 35 Heart failure treatment: 34 Kidney failure treatment: 25 Knee and/or hip replacement: 24 Kaiser Permanente Vallejo Medical Center is ranked among the top 30 nationwide for rehabilitation services and treatment At least one Kaiser Permanente hospital is nationally ranked or rated as "high performing" in these 6 specialty care areas: rehabilitation; neurology and neurosurgery; pulmonology and lung surgery; gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery; orthopedics; and geriatrics "Our experienced and highly skilled care teams, nurses, and physicians are the heart and soul of our hospitals, and they're committed to ensuring that our patients receive the high quality care they deserve to get healthy and stay healthy," said Nancy Gin, MD, executive vice president and chief quality officer for The Permanente Federation, the national umbrella organization for the more than 23,000 physicians who provide care to Kaiser Permanente's approximately 12.5 million members. "These rankings and ratings underscore our consistency as one of the finest health care organizations in the country." Nineteen Kaiser Permanente hospitals in California are ranked among the best in the state for overall care: Anaheim, Baldwin Park, Downey, Fontana, Irvine, Los Angeles, Oakland, Ontario, Richmond, Roseville, Sacramento, San Diego, San Diego Zion, San Francisco, San Leandro, Santa Clara, South Bay, South Sacramento, and Woodland Hills. Additionally, Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center in Honolulu is ranked number 2 in Hawaii, and Sunnyside in Oregon is among the state's top 10. "We're proud that U.S. News & World Report once again places us within the top tier of hospitals nationwide," said Andrew Bindman, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer at Kaiser Permanente. "This reflects our winning combination of top-notch physicians and care teams working with the support of an integrated care delivery system to address the needs, from the routine to the most specialized, of our patients and their families." In its hospital analysis, U.S. News & World Report uses publicly available data, such as patient volume, mortality rates, infection rates, staffing levels, and patient satisfaction rates. For more information and complete rankings, visit U.S. News & World Report. About Kaiser Permanente Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve approximately 12.5 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health. CONTACT: Vincent Staupe, [email protected], 510-318-1557 SOURCE Kaiser Permanente Related Links http://www.kaiserpermanente.org STOCKHOLM and NEW YORK, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Klarna, a leading global retail bank, payments and shopping service, today announces the acquisition of APPRL, a SaaS platform that allows content creators and retailers to work together frictionlessly to bring immersive and informative shoppable content to global consumers. Klarna is a global growth partner for its 250,000+ retailers, constantly expanding the suite of tools they can leverage to engage with consumers in dynamic ways. APPRL, based in Stockholm with a global client base, is the latest addition to Klarna's growing roster of retailer marketing services, powering merchant growth through the content that allows consumers to shop smarter through inspiration, reviews, customer service or product and price comparison. Klarna's retailer support offering now includes a Comparison Shopping Service, an AI-driven styling engine and content creation platform, and most recently, HERO, a world leader in conversational commerce. Together, these platform services help consumers make informed decisions about purchasing the products they want from the retailers they love and at the best price. APPRL will further enhance Klarna's marketing services by allowing retailers to connect directly to relevant content creators to create social shopping content and track campaign results through Klarna. Social commerce is expected to account for $84 billion of US retail sales by 20241 with 48% of US Millennial and Gen Z internet users already having purchased products through social channels2. Social shopping is growing across all demographics, and by 2022, 28% of the entire US population are expected to shop across social channels3. Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO of Klarna commented: "As social shopping becomes a core element of the retail experience, we believe Klarna's position at the center of the shopping ecosystem is instrumental in connecting retailers to both consumers and content creators who resonate with their brand audiences. By adding APPRL to Klarna's existing retailer support expertise, we see a huge opportunity to create an enriching and informative shopping experience for consumers everywhere while accelerating retailer growth." Martin Landen, CEO of APPRL commented: "We are incredibly excited to join Klarna on its impressive journey and bold mission ahead. As retailers continue to embrace influencer marketing as their growth engine, with an increasing focus on ROI, data and automation, APPRL has been seeing an exponential increase in demand. With APPRL's platform together with Klarna's scale, incredible talent and portfolio of marketing services, we will be able to offer retailers an end-to-end influencer and performance marketing solution that they won't be able to find anywhere else." 1 Business Insider; TechNavio; 2019 2 Bizrate Insights; April 2020; 18-65 years; internet users 3 eMarketer; 2018 to 2019; For additional information, please contact: Aoife Houlihan, VP of Communications Phone: +46 (0) 72855 8047 Email: [email protected] About Klarna With over 90 million global active users and 2 million transactions a day, Klarna is meeting the changing demands of consumers who want to shop, pay and bank on one intuitive platform and with one trusted brand. Over 250,000 global retail partners, including H&M, Saks, Sephora, Macys, IKEA, Expedia Group, Samsung, ASOS, Peloton, Ralph Lauren, Abercrombie & Fitch, Nike and Shein have enabled Klarna's innovative shopping experience online and in-store. Klarna is one of the most highly valued private fintechs globally with a valuation of $45.6 billion. Klarna was founded in 2005, has over 4,000 employees and is active in 17 markets. Klarna has been backed by Sequoia Capital since 2010 and more recently, SilverLake, Dragoneer, Bestseller Group, Permira, Ant Group, HMI Capital, TCV, NorthZone, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Merian Chrysalis Investment Company Limited, funds and accounts managed by BlackRock amongst others. About APPRL APPRL is an end-to-end influencer marketing software, tailored for the needs of e-commerce brands, where marketers can find high-performing creators, collaborate efficiently and track performance in real-time. APPRL's platform enables millions of global consumers to shop influencer content from retailers such as Harvey Nichols, Shopbop, Dr Martens, Luisaviaroma and many more. http://apprl.com This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/klarna-bank-ab--publ-/r/klarna-acquires-apprl--connecting-retailers-and-content-creators-as-global-consumers-embrace-social-,c3389707 The following files are available for download: https://news.cision.com/klarna-bank-ab--publ-/i/ssp-victorydance-emotional-safezone-3000x1800-72dpi-1,c2938445 SSP VictoryDance Emotional SafeZone 3000x1800 72dpi 1 SOURCE Klarna Bank AB (publ) "We know fans of Knob Creek Bourbon have an appreciation for things crafted with care, attention to detail and with full flavor in mind, just as we've crafted our bourbon for nearly 30 years," said 7th Generation Master Distiller Fred Noe. "The folks at The Boardsmith share those values, and we are proud to team up with them to give whiskey fans a new way to savor our bourbon and bring their cooking to a new level." Each Knob Creek Bourbon Barrel Grilling Plank is made from genuine barrel wood that was first used to patiently age Knob Creek Bourbon. For the better part of a decade, as seasons changed and years went by, our aging whiskey interacted with the inside of the barrel, leaving its flavorful imprint behind. When carefully crafted into a grilling plank by the team at The Boardsmith, the barrel wood can be used to cook fish, meat or vegetables on the grill. The result is a sensory experience, packed with Knob Creek Bourbon's signature aroma and smoky, yet sweet bourbon notes that accentuate any grill master's fare. "The Boardsmith brings over a decade of dedication to craftsmanship of premium, handcrafted woodwork built to age with quality and perfection - just like Knob Creek Bourbon," said John Loftis, Owner of The Boardsmith. "We're proud to continue our tradition of excellence alongside the folks at Knob Creek to help elevate the everyday and take your backyard grilling experience to a new level." Knob Creek Bourbon has set the standard for bourbon for nearly 30 years. It is patiently aged for at least nine years and bottled at an honest 100 proof, creating a full-flavored spirit that reflects the strength, care and patience that define pre-prohibition whiskey. The proof is in every pour. Knob Creek Bourbon Barrel Grilling Planks will be available while supplies last, starting on July 27 at www.theboardsmith.com/products/knob-creek-bourbon-barrel-grilling-planks for $25 for a set of two with shipping included. About Knob Creek Bourbon Part of the original small batch bourbon collection from Kentucky, Knob Creek Bourbon has set the standard for super-premium bourbon for more than 25 years, crafting an extraordinary full-flavored bourbon with a rich taste. Introduced in 1992 by founding distiller Booker Noe, who pioneered the small batch bourbon movement, all Knob Creek expressions are patiently aged in new, maximum charred American Oak barrels, and bottled in unique flask-shaped packaging. No matter the expression, Knob Creek's hard-earned flavor is crafted without shortcuts, and upholds the standard of what great whiskey ought to be. In recent years, Knob Creek has expanded its rye portfolio, introducing Knob Creek Single Barrel Select Rye Whiskey (115 proof), Knob Creek Cask Strength Rye Whiskey, a limited-edition offering (119.6 proof), and Knob Creek Twice Barreled Rye (100 proof). In 2020, Knob Creek expanded its bourbon portfolio with the introduction of Knob Creek 12 Year Old Bourbon (100 proof) and a limited-edition Knob Creek 15 Year Old Bourbon (100 proof). About Beam Suntory As a world leader in premium spirits, Beam Suntory inspires human connections. Consumers from all corners of the globe call for the company's brands, including the iconic Jim Beam and Maker's Mark bourbon brands, Suntory whisky Kakubin and Courvoisier cognac, as well as world renowned premium brands including Knob Creek, Basil Hayden's and Legent bourbon; Yamazaki, Hakushu, Hibiki and Toki Japanese whisky; Teacher's, Laphroaig and Bowmore Scotch whisky; Canadian Club whisky; Hornitos and Sauza tequila; EFFEN, Haku and Pinnacle vodka; Sipsmith and Roku gin; and On The Rocks Premium Cocktails. Beam Suntory was created in 2014 by combining the world leader in bourbon and the pioneer in Japanese whisky to form a new company with a deep heritage, passion for quality, innovative spirit and vision of Growing for Good. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Beam Suntory is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan. For more information on Beam Suntory, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit www.beamsuntory.com and www.drinksmart.com . About The Boardsmith For the last decade, The Boardsmith has been one of the most admired makers of butcher block in the world. The Boardsmith's reputation has been hard-built, beginning with an uncompromising approach to craftsmanship by creating butcher block by hand and paying careful attention to details like wood grain direction and seamless joinery. To make a beautiful, lasting butcher's block, The Boardsmith uses only the highest grade (FAS) hardwoods, sourced from sawmills who use sustainable forestry practices (FSC). In short, our products are built to be beautiful, and built to last as some of the finest butcher blocks in the world. Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 50-60.% Alc./Vol. 2021 Knob Creek Distillery, Clermont, KY. SOURCE Beam Suntory Inc. Related Links https://www.beamsuntory.com BANGOR, Maine, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Laser Yoga Records is proud to release the new spoken word Doom Metal album by Atheist Alien, boasting 2 NEW sub-genres: Doom Metal spoken word poetry and Doom New-Age spoken word poetry. And a new physical format. The 12" USB-LP, the world's first 12" physical/digital format, an amazing collectors item and display quality album. Made from virtually indestructible PVC material, Contains USB drive with all music tracks and printable 11"x17" poster---and MORE. Atheist Alien Brian Horustopheles Labrecque Watch the promo video featuring an introduction to the 12" USB-LP by former Candlemass vocalist Robert Lowe. https://youtu.be/GjEoSO3GusU Born from the cold ashes of a thousand dead gods. Atheist Alien is epic spoken word poetry in the tradition of the Iliad, the Mahabharata and Edgar Allan Poe, fused with the dark unrelenting brutality of Doom Metal. The story is of a lone human, lost in a haze of anonymity and purposelessness, captured by the Earth's sick religions in their desperate attempt to rob people of their freedom of thought and reliance on factual reality, climaxing with the lone human's Homeric transformation into a vengeful, mythical anti-God lunar deity. To explore the duality of brutality, there are two tracks, one brutal Doom Metal, and the other with the metaphysical ethereal sounds of space and time. Dual versions of the same epic tale, meant to crawl into both sides of your consciousness. Started by avantgarde writer/filmmaker Brian Horustopheles Labrecque. Atheist Alien is his attempt to take dark brutal poetry to its logical conclusion, also broaching subject matter rarely found in any metal music like anti-violence, militant atheism and bodily autonomy. Brian's writing evokes drunken Greek gods and multidimensional fever dreams. Like nothing you've ever heard, like nothing ever to come. Written and Produced by Brian Horustopheles Labrecque Vocals by Paul "Dinenthal" Taylor and Mavis Murasaki Hear the tracks and order the new 12" USB-LP here: https://atheistalien.bandcamp.com You can also listen on all major streaming services like Apple Music, Pandora and Spotify Interview requests: Brian Horustopheles 207-558-2444 [email protected] SOURCE Laser Yoga Records AUSTIN, Texas, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- After being released just over two weeks ago, "Beyond Se Habla Espanol: How Lawyers Win the Hispanic Market", authored by the founders of Nanato Media, Natalie Fragkouli and Liel Levy, has quickly become an Amazon best seller in the Law Office Marketing and Advertising and Customer Relations categories. Top 10 list of best-selling books in Amazon Law Firm Marketing and Advertising category The book is primarily targeted at attorneys whose clientele are largely individual consumers; examples include personal injury, workers' compensation, bankruptcy, immigration, family law, criminal, and other practices. Nanato Media, the authors' marketing agency, is headquartered in Austin and is focused on aiding law firms that concentrate on the rapidly expanding Hispanic American market. Since publication, several media outlets have already featured authors Fragkouli and Levy discussing their book and the importance of the growing Hispanic community for law firms. One such article published by the Daily Business Review is titled "Reaching Hispanic Clients: Why Digital-Forward is the Smart Strategy for Firms". In the article, Fragkouli and Levy stress the importance for firms to use the right marketing channels in connecting with the Hispanic community, the fastest-growing demographic in the United States. The reception on the online platforms has been stellar for the book as well. As of publication, "Beyond Se Habla Espanol" has a 100% 5-star rating on Amazon. Stephanie, a reader from the United States, titled her review A Must-Read for Legal Marketing Professionals in 2021. Fragkouli and Levy were also featured on Law360, once again discussing the importance of marketing to Hispanic audiences and the intricacies of doing so effectively. "We're thrilled at the reception the book has received thus far, and are happy to see individuals and publications recognizing the importance of the U.S. Hispanic population," said Levy. "So many firms are either entirely ignoring the Hispanic market or making so many mistakes that their efforts are fruitless; we hope that with our book we are able to shift the paradigm and in doing so benefit both the Hispanic community and the firms that serve them; it's truly a win-win." "Beyond Se Habla Espanol" was published on July 13. It is available at all major booksellers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. About the authors and Nanato Media Natalie Fragkouli is an MBA with more than 10 years of experience serving firms that need help marketing to the Hispanic American demographic. Liel Levy grew up working in a family-owned business that became one of the country's largest Hispanic legal brands. Together, Fragkouli and Levy co-founded Nanato Media with the goal of helping law firms run relevant, expert campaigns targeting local Hispanic markets. Media Contact: Liel Levy - [email protected] - 512 813 0087 Related Images beyond-se-habla-espa-ol-no-1.jpg Beyond Se Habla Espanol No.1 Amazon Best Seller Top 10 list of best-selling books in Amazon Law Firm Marketing and Advertising category SOURCE Nanato Media MEDFORD, Ore., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lithia & Driveway (NYSE: LAD) today announced the acquisition of Subaru of Mobile in Mobile, Alabama and Michael's Subaru in Bellevue, Washington, boosting the company's presence in its Northwest and Southeast regions. By expanding into new markets, such as Mobile, and expanding offerings in prime markets such as greater Seattle, LAD grows closer to its goal of delivering and servicing consumer vehicles within a 100-mile radius anywhere in the country. With the purchase of Subaru of Mobile, LAD crosses the border into Alabama adding a new state to the Southeast Region, the company's least dense network. Gaining a foothold in the state's third-most populous city represents LAD's ongoing pursuit to complete its presence within the region's three remaining states. "This Southeast expansioncoupled with growth and outstanding performances of our existing storeshas us outpacing our 5-year Plan," said Bryan DeBoer, LAD President and CEO. "These acquisitions amplify our digital Driveway brand and fuel our fast-paced network development." The purchase of Michael's Subaru of Bellevue comes on the heels of the Michael's Toyota of Bellevue purchase a few weeks ago, making it LAD's third store in the market. The Michael's Subaru store is one of the strongest in the country and is expected to grow to be a top 10 volume Subaru store in the coming years. Combined, these two Subaru stores are expected to generate $155 million in annualized revenues, bringing LAD's total expected annualized revenue acquired to $8 billion since the announcement of its 5-year Plan to achieve $50 in earnings per share (EPS) and $50 billion in revenue by 2025. Both acquisitions were financed using existing on-balance sheet capacity. About Lithia & Driveway (LAD) LAD is a growth company powered by people and innovation with a 5-Year Plan to profitably consolidate the largest retail sector in the country. As the leading provider of personal transportation solutions in the United States, LAD is among the fastest-growing companies in the Fortune 500 and is currently ranked #231 (#2 on 10-Year EPS Growth, #3 on 10-Year TSR and #12 on 10-year Revenue growth in 2021). By providing a wide array of products and services for the entire vehicle ownership lifecycle through various consumer channels, they build magnetic brand loyalty. Operational excellence is achieved by focusing the business on convenient and transparent consumer experiences supported by proprietary data science to improve market share, consumer loyalty and profitability. LAD's omni-channel strategy will continue to pragmatically disrupt the industry by leveraging experienced teams, vast owned inventories, technology, and physical network. Continuing to lead the industry's consolidation and Driveway's e-commerce in-home experiences further accelerates the massive regenerating capital engine. Together, these endeavors create a unique and compelling high-growth strategy that provides transportation solutions wherever, whenever, and however consumers desire. Sites: www.lithiamotors.com www.lithiainvestorrelations.com www.lithiacareers.com www.driveway.com Lithia & Driveway on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/LithiaMotors http://www.facebook.com/DrivewayHQ Lithia & Driveway on Twitter http://twitter.com/LithiaMotors http://twitter.com/DrivewayHQ SOURCE Lithia & Driveway Discover consumer electronics industry potential and make informed business decisions based on qualitative and quantitative evidence highlighted in Technavio reports. Download a Free Sample Report Now! The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. AAC Technologies Holdings Ltd., Analog Devices Inc., Cirrus Logic Inc., Goertek Inc., Infineon Technologies AG, Knowles Corp., OMRON Corp., Robert Bosch GmbH, STMicroelectronics NV, and TDK Corp. are some of the major market participants. The increased penetration of MEMS technology in hearing aids will offer immense growth opportunities. To leverage the current opportunities, market vendors must strengthen their foothold in the fast-growing segments while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments. MEMS Microphone Market 2021-2025: Segmentation MEMS Microphone Market is segmented as below: Application Consumer Electronics Healthcare Automotive Others Geographic APAC North America Europe South America MEA To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR43959 MEMS Microphone Market 2021-2025: Vendor Analysis and Scope Some of the major vendors of the MEMS microphone market in the consumer electronics industry include AAC Technologies Holdings Ltd., Analog Devices Inc., Cirrus Logic Inc., Goertek Inc., Infineon Technologies AG, Knowles Corp., OMRON Corp., Robert Bosch GmbH, STMicroelectronics NV, and TDK Corp. To help businesses improve their market position, Technavio's report provides a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the market. The report also covers the following areas: MEMS Microphone Market size MEMS Microphone Market trends MEMS Microphone Market industry analysis The MEMS microphone market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate. The growing earphones and headphones market will offer immense growth opportunities. However, the declining tablet market will hamper the market growth. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research report on the mems microphone market is designed to provide entry support, customer profile & M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support. Related Reports on Consumer Discretionary Include: Global Speakers Market - Global speakers market is segmented by technology (wireless speakers and wired speakers), product (stereo speakers and smart speakers), and geography (APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and MEA). Download Exclusive Free Sample Report Global Action Camera Market - Global action camera market is segmented by technology (ultra HD and HD), end-user (commercial and residential), distribution channel (online and offline), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA). Download Exclusive Free Sample Report MEMS Microphone Market 2021-2025: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2021-2025 Detailed information on factors that will assist MEMS microphone market growth during the next five years Estimation of the MEMS microphone market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the MEMS microphone market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of MEMS microphone market vendors Table of Contents: Executive Summary Market Landscape Market ecosystem Value chain analysis Market Sizing Market definition Market segment analysis Market size 2020 Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025 Five Forces Analysis Five Forces Summary Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Threat of rivalry Market condition Market Segmentation by Application Market segments Comparison by Application Consumer electronics - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Healthcare - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Automotive - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Others - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Market opportunity by Application Customer landscape Geographic Landscape Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Key leading countries Market opportunity by geography Market drivers Demand led growth Market challenges Market trends Vendor Landscape Overview Vendor landscape Landscape disruption Vendor Analysis Vendors covered Market positioning of vendors AAC Technologies Holdings Ltd. Analog Devices Inc. Cirrus Logic Inc. Goertek Inc. Infineon Technologies AG Knowles Corp. OMRON Corp. Robert Bosch GmbH STMicroelectronics NV TDK Corp. Appendix Scope of the report Currency conversion rates for US$ Research methodology List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ Report: www.technavio.com/report/mems-microphone-market-industry-analysis SOURCE Technavio Antonio and his team, including his son Raffaele aspire to have the finest restaurant in the world. Located on the former renowned Cliff restaurant site, the team has paid great care with the site's huge and amazing refurbishment with the most stunning views of the blue Caribbean Sea. Mellino's food philosophy is innovative but respects tradition and seasonality. This approach to his signature dishes - such as one that combines linguini with zucchini and zucchini flowers with basil and black pepper perfected over 10 years - earned Quattro Passi its Michelin stars. Mellino has cooked for Kings, presidents, elite artists, athletes and farmers all over the world. Mellino is excited to source fresh ingredients in Barbados from local and Caribbean farmers. The team will also be importing the best ingredients, shellfish from Italy, beef from the UK; the champagne will be imported insulated and chilled, so the temperature is always correct. "I absolutely love the energy of Barbados, and I am telling all of my regular clientele to meet me there. I couldn't be more excited to open this unbelievable Quattro Passi in Barbados. We will make this the best restaurant in the world, on the best island, Barbados." To reflect the food philosophy the interior design plans are an exquisite mix of Moroccan and Italian decor. Quattro Passi will feature a cigar bar, a lounge, private dining areas, all with tables overlooking the ocean. Next door to the fine dining of Quattro Passi will be QP Bistro. This will have an all-day, 7:30 am-2:00 am, bistro menu, a large Italian pizza oven, homemade soft-serve ice cream and young, vibrant energy. Quarto Passi and QP Bistro are owned by Michael Kent, a resident of Barbados. He also owns the Tides Restaurant in Barbados. Born on a farm in Cornwall, England, he is relentless in working with the best local people wherever he is. He loves how calm and friendly Barbadians are. He believes for the best restaurant one needs, in order of importance, the best people, the best local produce, the best facilities and the best location, Quattro Passi has it all. Kent has hired Elan Mottley, who recently returned to Barbados from Sydney, Australia as director of all restaurants. An experienced marketer in gourmet products and an attorney by training, Kent says, "Elan has so much energy and an amazing attitude." Quattro Passi is taking reservations for the winter season at 1-246-432-1922 and QP Bistro at 1-246-432-0797 SOURCE Quattro Passi at The Cliff Workfam was founded in the UAE in 2018 by Cameron Collins, former Product Marketing Manager - Cloud & Enterprise at Microsoft, and is a player in the fast growing HR Tech - Employee Engagement market. In 2019, the HR Tech market was valued at $47.5 billion while the global growth expectations for the sector are at $90 billion in market value in 2025 (an equivalent of a 13.7%). As companies globally begin to adopt long-term work from home policies, they are turning to HR solutions and software to help them retain high levels of employee engagement. The modern remote workforce is struggling to remain engaged, motivated, and productive. Furthermore, HR departments are recognizing the importance of both the mental and physical wellbeing of their employees. This topic has now become an integral part of every organization's HR strategy moving forward. Workfam helps organizations leverage their employee retention through several stimuli: it provides opportunities for employees to work on their mental and physical wellbeing, giving them access to customized benefits; it allows to create synergies and connections by driving cross-industry and cross-offering collaboration and breaking down workforce silos; it also encourages internal competitions for a healthy lifestyle, through badge collection and rankings; it allows to reward employees for their personal and professional achievements; it leverages data to let the corporate leadership make informed decisions about employee engagement. GELLIFY's co-investment transaction with Azimut - through the Azimut Digitech Fund - will help Workfam with its consolidation process and international scale up phase. This first co-investment transaction by Azimut and GELLIFY lays the foundation for a series of new co-investments in B2B tech startups through a dedicated Fund that will be launched in the Middle East by the end of 2021. Massimo Cannizzo, CEO and Co-Founder of GELLIFY Middle East, commented: "I am excited to announce the first GELLIFY and Azimut joint Middle East investment in Workfam, an auspicious employee engagement platform based in Dubai, UAE, with promising plans to expand internationally by leveraging GELLIFY global ecosystem. At GELLIFY, we have always believed that a strong 'Human Centric' focus is the key in Digital Era, where the global pandemic confirmed that Digital Adoption and Employees Engagement are the real challenges of the future markets. And our co-investment, validates the trust in potential of Workfam and confirms our 'Human Centric' focus." Giorgio Medda, the Azimut Group Co-CEO and Global Head of Asset Management commented: "This transaction marks the acceleration of Azimut's private markets investment in the GCC. We are pleased that this happening in the UAE, which is a key center of our global integrated asset management platform since 2016, with offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. We have big plans to scale this effort up with a brand new fund, domiciled in the Abu Dhabi Global Market, focusing exclusively on B2B tech start-ups rooted and developed out of the UAE and the wider region, which is a testament to a vibrant ecosystem conducive for disruptive innovation with a global potential." Cameron Collins, the CEO and Founder of Workfam, commented: "Our strategic partnership with GELLIFY and Azimut will support Workfam's 'Go Global' mission. We will use the financing to strengthen our capabilities and maximize the value that we deliver to our current and future stakeholders. Our flexible approach to customization, integration and authentication enables us to successfully differentiate our solution from other HR platforms. Business leaders and HR professionals around the world are looking to reshape their current policies and practices to prioritize employee engagement, wellbeing, and happiness. There has never been a more exciting time to be in the HR Tech market. Attracting and retaining top talent can no longer be achieved by simply offering an appealing fixed salary. Instead, people are flocking to organizations that prioritize culture and work-life balance. We believe we are perfectly positioned to capitalize on the growing market opportunity, and are delighted to have GELLIFY and Azimut join our Workfam. About GELLIFY GELLIFY is an innovation platform that connects high-tech B2B startups with traditional companies to innovate their processes, products, and business models. With headquarters in Italy and offices in Spain and the United Arab Emirates, the company's success is based on its unique model that infuses companies with the most advanced B2B startup technologies and GELLIFY's expertise. The platform accompanies startups from their "gaseous" or "liquid" embryonic state to a reliable and scalable "solid" state through its exclusive and proprietary growth program, GELLIFICATION. This growth is financed through smart investments implemented by GELLIFY and its co-investors. GELLIFY has also created a community called EXPLORE where entrepreneurs, innovators, and professionals can connect on any digital device. Through the app, downloadable from the App Store and Google Play Store, subscribers can have phygital experiences that alternate between the physical and digital world, participate in events, and infuse their companies with the most advanced startup technologies and GELLIFY skills. GELLIFY consists of 3 business units: GELLIFY for Startups, which is dedicated to the gellification of startups that have already expressed traction in the market. The gellification program provides more complex services than the mentorship and basic business creation services typical of incubators. It lasts 6-24 months and involves all areas of the company. GELLIFY for Companies, which is focused on open innovation services for SMEs and large corporations that want to build new innovative business paths. This division specializes in corporate venturing, innovation strategies, sales and marketing digitization, Industry 4.0 and digital operations, digitization, and workforce empowerment. GELLIFY for Investors, which provides investment advisory services and manages a GELLIFY Investment Fund for selected innovative B2B tech startups. Partners of GELLIFY for 2021 include the tax consulting firm Pirola Pennuto Zei & Associati with Partner Stefano Tronconi and Associate Partner Luca Neri; the law firm Gianni & Origoni with Partner Federico Dettori and Associate Partner Rodrigo Boccioletti, as part of the activities of the Gop4Venture practice; and T.T. Tecnosistemi, a company focused on advanced IT solutions. GELLIFY Contacts Corporate Communications Daniela Abbondanza Mob. +39 342 0982305 Email: [email protected] Website: www.gellify.com Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/gellify About Workfam Founded in 2018 by Cameron Collins, Workfam provides HR solutions and consultancy services that support companies with their mission to create a happy, healthy, and highly engaged workforce. Workfam's enterprise SaaS solution offers employee benefits, corporate wellness, internal communications, reward and recognition, and pulse surveys. Their holistic employee engagement platform encourages and enables companies to focus on their most important asset, their people. As companies globally begin to adopt long-term work from home policies, they are turning to HR solutions and software to help them retain high levels of employee engagement. The modern remote workforce is struggling to remain engaged, motivated, and productive. Furthermore, HR departments are recognizing the importance of both the mental and physical wellbeing of their employees. This topic has now become an integral part of every organization's HR strategy moving forward. Workfam's enterprise SaaS solution encourages your talent to pursue and share their passions, take risks, and discover hidden talents. Whether you are a fitness freak, a creative creature, or an adrenaline junkie Workfam's unique algorithm will match like-minded colleagues to their partners' discounted services. Through the platform, you can encourage healthy internal competition using the Wellness Leader Board. Distribute points, recognize with badges, and allow your employees to redeem their points for awesome rewards. Workfam helps organizations remain competitive by optimizing employee relations and workplace happiness. Their HR Solution enables companies to make informed, data driven decisions by gathering, processing, and analyzing the information collected from their workforce. As software development is built into Workfam's DNA, they've committed to continuously build solutions that contribute towards creating a happy and healthy Workforce, or as they like to call it, Workfam. Workfam Contacts CEO and Founder Cameron Collins Mob. +971 52 629 3429 Email: [email protected] Website: www.workfam.com About Azimut Azimut is one of Europe's leading independent asset manager (active since 1989). The parent company Azimut Holding was listed on the Italian stock exchange on 7 July 2004 (AZM.MI) and, among others, is a member of the main Italian index FTSE MIB. The shareholder structure includes over 1.900 managers, employees and financial advisors bound by a shareholders' agreement that controls over 21,8% of the company. The remaining is free float. The Group comprises various companies active in the sale, management and distribution of financial and insurance products, with Registered Offices mainly in Italy, Luxembourg, Ireland, China (Hong Kong and Shanghai), Monaco, Switzerland, Taiwan, Brazil, Egypt, Singapore, Mexico, Australia, Chile, USA, UAE and Turkey. In Italy, Azimut Capital Management SGR sells and manages Italian mutual funds, Italian alternative investment funds, as well as being active in the discretionary management of individual investment portfolios. Furthermore, Azimut Capital Management SGR, following the demerger by incorporation of Azimut Consulenza SIM, distributes Group and third-party products in Italy via a network of financial advisors while Azimut Libera Impresa focuses on the Alternatives business. Overseas main operations are Azimut Investments (formerly AZ Fund Management, founded in Luxembourg in 1999), which manages the multi strategy funds AZ Fund 1 and AZ Multi Asset and the Irish Azimut Life DAC, which offers life insurance products. Azimut Holding S.p.A. contacts www.azimut-group.com Media Relations Maria Laura Sisti (Esclapon & Co.) Mob. +39 347 42 82 170 Email: [email protected] Viviana Merotto Mob.. +39 338 7496248 Email: [email protected] Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1582120/Workfam.jpg SOURCE Workfam Related Links https://workfam.com/ LAS VEGAS, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MJ Unpacked announces today a Blues Brothers concert benefiting the Last Prisoner Project. The concert will take place on Thursday, Oct. 21, 8:00 - 11:00 pm at The House of Blues at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. The concert is exclusively available to registered MJ Unpacked attendees. Jim Belushi and Dan Aykroyd register at www.mjunpacked.com "The Blues Brothers. At The House of Blues. In Las Vegas. MJ Unpacked. To raise money for the Last Prisoner Project. Come on!" said Jim Belushi, who was bestowed his role in the Blues Brothers in honor of his late brother John Belushi. "It's our combined efforts that will lead to the release of all non-violent cannabis prisoners." Dan Aykroyd is back as Elwood Blues, joined by Jim Belushi as Zee Blues. Together, Elwood and Zee bring the magic of the legendary Blues Brothers to life in an electrifying live show backed by The Sacred Hearts band Las Vegas musical icon Jerry Lopez will be joining the group on stage along with other special guests TBA. It's an evening of singing and dancing to hits from the official Blues Brothers canon like "Soul Man" and "Sweet Home Chicago" plus classic tunes from the vast catalog of great American roots music. "For me and I think many others, the Blues Brothers evoke the brash exuberance and fun and joy of our earliest experiences with cannabis," said Steve DeAngelo, founder of Last Prisoner Project. "The Blues Brothers have always told it the way they see it, and walked whatever they talked so it's an honor to stand beside them in this important cause." Tickets are $150.00 each and can be purchased through MJ Unpacked registration . Including additional opportunities to donate onsite, all net proceeds from this benefit go to the Last Prisoner Project in support of their efforts to ensure every last victimless cannabis prisoner walks free. "As our event creates the opportunity for this high-impact executive level audience to gather, it's both an honor and an obligation for us to support the hero work of the Last Prisoner Project," said George Jage, CEO of Jage Media. "It is a collective responsibility of everyone in our industry to reverse the injustices of the war on drugs." Purchase Benefit Concert Tickets To purchase Blues Brothers & The Sacred Hearts x Last Prisoner Project Benefit Concert tickets, please visit: https://mjunpacked.com $150.00 ea. ea. Space is limited and as a result ticket purchases are limited to 2 per registrant. If not yet registered for MJ Unpacked, ticket purchasers will be prompted to first complete their registration. Register for MJ Unpacked Now MJ Unpacked is the first cannabis CPG trade event designed to both drive commerce and integrate access to capital. Attendance to MJ Unpacked is exclusive to cannabis retail and brand executives with the title manager and above and accredited investors. There are a limited number of exhibit spaces available for ancillary companies. MJ Unpacked is free for retailers (dispensary license holders and their managing teams). To register for MJ Unpacked and for a participating list of brands, retailers and investors, please visit: https://mjunpackedregister.com Free for retailers $149.00 All Inclusive Early Registration for brand executives and accredited investors About MJ Unpacked All it takes is a spark. Premiering October 21 & 22 2021, MJ Unpacked is the first cannabis event of its kind that places passionate cannabis retailers and THC CPG brands at the center of it all, with unique opportunities to connect, collaborate and access capital. In a newly imagined format, executives are free to learn from fellow professionals, explore expansion opportunities and prepare to be competitive in a national market. MJ Unpacked is produced by Jage Media, Inc. For more information, please visit: https://mjunpacked.com . About Last Prisoner Project The Last Prisoner Project (LPP) is a coalition of cannabis industry leaders, executives and artists dedicated to bringing restorative justice to the cannabis industry. LPP is dedicated to releasing cannabis prisoners and helping them rebuild their lives. As the United States moves away from the criminalization of cannabis, giving rise to a major new industry, there remains the fundamental injustice inflicted upon those who have suffered criminal convictions and the consequences of those convictions. Through intervention, advocacy and awareness campaigns, the forces behind the Last Prisoner Project will work to redress the past and continuing harms of these unjust laws and policies and are dedicated to making sure that every last victimless cannabis prisoner walks free. Visit www.LastPrisonerProject.org or text FREEDOM to 24365 to donate and learn more. About Jage Media Founded by George Jage, former president of MJBizDaily/MJBizCon and CEO of Dope Media, and Kim Jage, former EVP & CMO of World Tea Media, Jage Media launched in early 2020 with a veteran team of cannabis investors, including: BDSA; CanopyBoulder; Keneh Ventures; Panther Opportunity Fund; and cannabis industry veterans Jay and Diane Czarkowski, co-founders of Canna Advisors, through their Trailhead fund. The company is poised to fill the critical gap where brands and retailers convene to drive the future of the industry, capture the next stage of market growth and deliver a true return on investment and objectives. https://www.jagemedia.com Media Contact: Zoe Wilder 310-972-0197 [email protected] Last Prisoner Project Media Contact: Linda Carbone [email protected] SOURCE MJ Unpacked SAN MATEO, Calif., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobile Health, the digital health and wellbeing solution that makes it simple for employers to create cultures of health for their employees and their family members, announced today it has signed an eight-year agreement to be the Preferred Partner for employer health and wellbeing program customization for Sydney, the member engagement tool offered to members of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield's plans. Sydney is an AI-powered, digital health and wellbeing consumer platform that provides a personalized and simplified healthcare experience for health plan members through market leading technology and artificial intelligence. The combination of Sydney and Mobile Health will enable employers to customize health and wellbeing programs natively within Sydney to support each employer's unique culture of health. "We believe it is important to give consumers access to platforms, such as Sydney, that deliver engaging, personalized healthcare experiences that help people lead healthier lives," said Samir Bhatt, Staff Vice President, Digital Solutions at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. "Mobile Health was born in the cloud and its innovative products are a great addition to our digital platform for health and wellbeing." Mobile Health is the only low code provider of digital health and wellbeing products, uniquely providing the flexibility to enable employers with quick and easy customization driving outstanding adoption, engagement, and outcomes. "Since the COVID 19 pandemic, 65% of employees have a negative perception of their overall wellbeing, and 2 in 5 are experiencing symptoms of burn out. Employers and employees need help. Sydney and Mobile Health are here to support them as they rebuild their cultures of health," said John Halloran, CEO and Founder of Mobile Health. About Mobile Health Mobile Health is a digital health and wellbeing solution that makes it simple for employers to create healthy cultures for their employees. With Mobile Health, you can deliver a seamless wellbeing journey for employees and generate data-driven insights to control costs better. Discover how at www.mobilehealthconsumer.com . SOURCE Mobile Health Related Links http://www.mobilehealthconsumer.com STERLING, Va., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mvix, a leading provider of enterprise-grade digital signage solutions, has partnered with Simply NUC, a state-of-the-art mini-PC company, to provide an affordable, fully-integrated digital signage solution. As a part of this partnership, Mvix and Simply NUC will provide ready-to-use, enterprise-grade mini-PCs preloaded with fully-licensed Mvix digital signage software. These bundled solutions are expected to be available worldwide via Simply NUC's distribution channels in the US, UK, Europe, and SE Asia. Headquartered in Round Rock, TX, Simply NUC is a global systems integrator specializing in fully-configured, warrantied mini-PC systems for commercial applications. Simply NUC mini-PCs are known around the world for their reliability and long-term support. Widely known for IOT and digital signage applications, these ultra-compact, long-life NUCs offer optimized cost-performance value. "This new partnership between Mvix and Simply NUC brings the best-in-class systems together for the digital signage world. The launch of this fully integrated bundle is the next evolution in our industry, where clients will benefit from flexible, ready-to-use solutions rather than trying to piece-meal it together," asserted Mike Kilian, VP of Client Relations at Mvix. "We are proud of this partnership and hope that it lends itself to an enhanced value for all our clients." The award-winning Mvix digital signage software is known worldwide for its versatility of use across market verticals and low cost. To fit a range of project requirements, the Mvix - Simply NUC bundle will be available for affordable software license packs for 1, 2 and 3 years. Fully configured with enterprise-grade features like smart playlists, remote device monitoring, and industry-leading support SLAs. These fully-tested, compliant and robust digital signage bundles are backed by a long-term support warranty from Simply NUC. As a pioneer of full-service digital signage with over 15 years of experience and 60,000 screens deployed, Mvix has garnered the experience and capability to provide uniquely packaged, turnkey digital signage solutions bundled with high-quality content. The no licensing or subscription fees pricing model associated with its solutions makes it one of the most affordable end-to-end signage systems available in the market today. "We've seen the digital signage industry rapidly grow with opportunities in many different sectors and are thrilled to partner with Mvix to offer ready-to-use signage solutions," stated Aaron Rowsell, CEO at Simply NUC. "Our rugged and long-lasting media players paired with Mvix's digital signage software will appeal to a wide array of clients by effortlessly powering video walls, menu boards, corporate signage, and much more." About Mvix Mvix is a leading digital signage provider, specializing in end-to-end, full-service solutions backed by its award-winning digital signage software that offers unique value to clients all over the world. For more information, contact Mvix at 866.310.4923 or visit: www.mvix.com Related Images mvix-logo.jpg Mvix Logo Mvix Logo with Tagline SOURCE Mvix Digital Signage Today the hotel represents the newest upper-midscale lodging asset in the Dallas Central Business District/Market Center STR tract. Featuring a contemporary design across an open floor plan, the hotel offers a young-at-heart experience synonymous with the Tru brand. Brand-new amenities include two F&B venues (including a 24/7 market stocked with drinks and gourmet snacks), a highly activated lobby featuring foosball, billiards, other games and a fitness center. Napali Hospitality intends to infuse over $400,000 in capital to upgrade the stunning rooftop deck into SkyBlue at the Tru, the newest rooftop experience in Dallas providing unmatched views of the Dallas skyline. Additionally, the company has engaged Aimbridge Hospitality, a leading multinational hospitality company, to assume day-to-day operations of the property. "We couldn't be more excited to expand the Napali footprint in the Dallas market and with an asset that is irreplaceable and has simply the best views of the city," said Napali Capital co-founder and Managing Partner, Tim Black (former COO of Great Wolf Resorts.) "We are looking forward to delivering the best guest service and an incredible upside to our investors and that is our ultimate goal." Tru by Hilton Dallas Market Center is Napali Hospitality's second acquisition. The company purchased Home2 Suites by Hilton Charlotte University Park in late 2019. The company's portfolio now totals 15 assets in hospitality, multifamily and industrial assets. For more information about Napali Capital, visit www.napalicap.com. About Napali Capital Napali Capital is a real estate investment company that partners with physicians to increase their wealth beyond traditional investment platforms. The company was founded in 2016 by Tim and Thomas Black MD, brothers with a passion for real estate. Thomas Black is a 13-year veteran, author and physician who was looking for a way to provide passive income for himself and colleagues. Tim Black spent 30 years as an executive in hospitality, operations and real estate development. Working together, they were able to build a brand providing profitable opportunities for investors. Napali Capital works with over 1000 investors in 43 states. Napali Capital has just under $ Billion under management and was recently ranked #21 on the 2020 Inc. 5000 list of America's Fastest-Growing Private Companies. SOURCE Napali Capital Related Links http://www.napalicap.com WASHINGTON, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Collaborative for Health Equity (NCHE) today was awarded an $800,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to assist local jurisdictions in leveraging health data that can help mitigate racial inequities in health outcomes, especially in communities of color. As the leader of the Health Opportunity and Equity (HOPE) Initiative, NCHE compiled comprehensive population health research, including disaggregated data on people of color across the country. Through state data, HOPE tracked 27 life and community indicators that shape health and well-being for families and individuals including social and economic factors, community and safety conditions, physical environment and access to healthcare. The HOPE research, which was released last year on an accessible state-of-the-art platform, is a breakthrough because it creates a new narrative on health inequities and provides achievable pathways for states to eliminate health disparities. The HOPE Initiative changes the disparity narrative: instead of merely identifying health disparities, HOPE pinpoints where resources must be directed to make meaningful and lasting changes. HOPE portrays an America that would be dramatically different if the impact of racism embedded in our society was eliminated and everyone experienced equal social, economic and health opportunities. For instance, 70 million more people would live in low poverty neighborhoods; 55 million more adults would live in households with a livable income; and 54 million more adults would achieve very good or excellent health. "Our HOPE research delivers a narrative that compels corrective action at multiple societal levels," said Dr. Gail Christopher, the NCHE executive director. "It creates a new opportunity frame that brings actionable data and information to help states and the nation move beyond measuring disparities to compelling action to achieve health equity. Disparities during the Covid-19 pandemic demonstrate the urgent need for health equity." Dr. Christopher thanked the MacArthur Foundation for the grant that comes under their equitable recovery funding. NCHE prioritizes working in partnership with their expanding network of collaborating leaders and organizations committed to achieving health equity. With the grant, NCHE will expand the impact of the HOPE research by fueling a campaign to advise cities and counties on how the information can be deployed to improve local health outcomes. "Getting HOPE research into the hands of local change makers requires a collaborative strategy that unites regional, state and local capabilities, as well as private sector and non-profit energy and resources," said Dr. Christopher. "This project will leverage the millions invested in HOPE by helping to create the infrastructure needed to amplify this opportunity for achieving health equity in communities across America." The MacArthur Foundation project will organize infrastructure that includes NCHE staff and national networks; implementation of equity policies and practices and related accountability approaches in cities and counties; periodic publications and briefs disaggregated by race and ethnicity based on data from states; related webinars, blogs, technical assistance tool kits and resources for use by local leaders. The grant is part of roughly $80 million in awards MacArthur announced today in support of the foundation's Equitable Recovery initiative, centered on advancing racial and ethnic justice. The initiative is funded by MacArthur's social bonds, issued in response to the crises of the pandemic and racial inequity. "As we emerge from this moment of crisis, we have an opportunity to improve the critical systems that people and places need to thrive. Our systems and structures must be rebuilt," said MacArthur President John Palfrey. "We are committed to ensuring that our response to the pandemic is focused on supporting the reimagining of systems that create a more just, equitable, and resilient world." Led by the NCHE, the HOPE Initiative is a collaboration with Texas Health Institute and Virginia Commonwealth University's (VCU) Center on Society and Health. The HOPE Initiative was created and funded through grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Here are some of the findings that the MacArthur grant will empower states address: In Colorado , more than 434,000 Hispanics need improvements in economic opportunity and neighborhood conditions to lift them out of areas with concentrated poverty. , more than 434,000 Hispanics need improvements in economic opportunity and neighborhood conditions to lift them out of areas with concentrated poverty. In Arizona , more than 200,000 of the 265,000 Native Americans in the state need to have improved economic opportunity and neighborhood conditions to lift them out of areas with concentrated poverty and more than 121,000 Native Americans need adequate access to food. , more than 200,000 of the 265,000 Native Americans in the state need to have improved economic opportunity and neighborhood conditions to lift them out of areas with concentrated poverty and more than 121,000 Native Americans need adequate access to food. In Wisconsin , more than 205,000 African Americans need economic opportunities and improved neighborhood conditions to lift them out of areas with concentrated poverty. "We will use the HOPE data to spur action addressing the social determinants of health in local communities," said Dr. Christopher. "The HOPE Initiative is helping create a more just, fair and equitable pandemic recovery that helps address the effects of structural and systemic racism." (For print or broadcast interviews with Dr. Christopher, please contact Michael Frisby at [email protected]isbyassociates.com or 202-625-4328 to schedule.) Contact: Michael K. Frisby 202-625-4328/[email protected] SOURCE NCHE Related Links https://www.nationalcollaborative.org/ NEW YORK, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- New research released today by the Center for Public Research and Leadership (CPRL) at Columbia University finds that digitally accessible, high-quality instructional materials designed to bring students, families and educators together increased student learning and engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research reveals possibilities for sustained partnership between schools and families moving forward. Despite challenges associated with remote learning, students, families, and educators from nine school districts and charter school organizations across seven states told researchers that students with access to high-quality instructional materials and support from a caregiver learned about the same and sometimes more than they would have in a "typical" year. Their experience was in contrast to students who struggled academically, and at a time that many fear learning loss among students because of pandemic-related learning disruptions. "We learned through virtual schooling that educators' use of high-quality, culturally responsive instructional materials that are enabled by technology and educative for families can be a game changer," said Elizabeth Chu, Executive Director of CPRL. "Instead of families being 'passive recipients' of instruction, it's time for a new model in education that brings families fully into the instructional process by using high-quality instructional materials to help foster close coordination and collaboration between students, families and educators." The findings are spelled out in a new report, "Fundamental 4: Pandemic Learning Reveals the Value of High-Quality Instructional Materials to Educator-Family-Student Partnerships." View the report here. "In Hartford, we've learned how important it is for our students, the majority of whom are students of color and/or from families that are economically disadvantaged, to have access to high-quality instructional materials on a daily basis to foster strong academic partnerships with families," said Mario Carullo, Director of Mathematics at Hartford Public Schools, a study site. "The adoption and implementation of high-quality curriculum materials was an essential key to turning around the district and ensuring our students could reach their academic potential. The pandemic was not an excuse not to continue to ensure our students received access to these materials. Our district team worked hard to ensure all of those materials were fully accessible online when the vast majority of students were learning online. This was a commitment to equity for our students," said Dr. Nikolai Vitti, Superintendent at Detroit Public Schools Community District, a study site. Researchers from CPRL found that high-quality instructional materials are strongest and most impactful when dimensions of "high-quality" are expanded from being aligned to standards to also include being 1) tech enabled, 2) culturally responsive and sustaining, and 3) designed to enhance families' ability to guide student learning and instruction. The report recommends expanding the definition of "high quality" to include these additional components. It also provides recommendations for dedicating federal pandemic relief funds: Adopt instructional materials that meet that expanded definition of "high quality." Invest in curriculum-based professional learning that supports educators to implement high-quality instructional materials in ways that respond to student, family and community needs. Create systems and structures in schools to support continued collaboration between families, teachers and students around academics and learning. CPRL conducted more than 290 interviews between February 2021 and June 2021 with administrators, teachers and families from the following sites: Clarksdale Collegiate: Clarksdale, MS Detroit Public Schools Community District: Detroit, MI District: Excellence Community Schools: New York, NY and Stamford, CT and Hartford Public Schools: Hartford, CT Public Schools: Hayward Community School District: Hayward, WI School District: New York City Department of Education's Community School District 11 Richmond Public Schools: Richmond, VA Public Schools: Rocky Mountain Prep: Aurora, CO and Denver, CO and Stoughton Area School District: Stoughton, WI About CPRL: The Center for Public Research and Leadership (CPRL) at Columbia University strives to revitalize public school systems while strengthening professional education. Since its founding in 2011, CPRL has provided research and consulting support to state agencies, school districts, charter school organizations, foundations and advocacy groups. In doing so, CPRL provides training to graduate students who are the next generation of education leaders. Funding for the report was made possible by a collaboration between the Louis Calder Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Overdeck Family Foundation and the Robin Hood Learning + Technology Fund. SOURCE The Center for Public Research and Leadership "Sandi has the rare combination of human resources and operations leadership, so she was a perfect fit to serve in this new executive role," said Nexa CEO Jeff Mosler. "At Nexa, people are our greatest assetwe have passionate, customer-centric employees, and we're excited to have Sandi in the CPO role to lead our dedicated employees and support our strong and continued growth." As CPO of Nexa, Valdovinos leads the entire human resources organization, including recruiting, company culture, career pathing and professional development. Before taking on this role, she served as senior vice president of HR & operations at Alert Communications. "It has always been my belief that to be a valuable professional you need to understand the overall business and how your role fits into, and helps drive, the larger company goals," said Valdovinos. "I think it is my curiosity in our business, coupled with my interest in our people, that led me to become the company's first-ever Chief People Officer." "It sounds simple enough, but the responsibility of a company's people can be complex. People are different and unique, so tapping into what motivates them and how they want to be recognized can be an incredibly challenging but worthwhile endeavor." In this new role, Valdovinos' top priorities include fostering employee career growth and development by working on career progression tools and programs, creating more meaningful ways to recognize employees who work hard to make valuable contributions to the organization, and executing on a vision that inspires Nexa and Alert employees, and makes them feel like they're part of something bigger. "I want to inspire all of us with a mission to do our best work and be our best selves." About Nexa Receptionists Holdings, LLC Nexa Receptionists Holdings, LLC is a leading provider of tech-enabled business services for companies of all sizes across the United States, helping them grow and scale with 24/7 virtual receptionist, call answering & appointment scheduling, inbound & outbound sales, live chat & text, and client & patient intake services. The company's two brands, Nexa and Alert Communications, serve clients across industries like home services, healthcare, legal, real estate, retail & eCommerce and technology, among others. Founded in 1982, the company is headquartered in Phoenix with locations in California, Virginia and Texas. Useful Links: Nexa on LinkedIn Nexa on Twitter Nexa on Facebook SOURCE Nexa Related Links http://www.nexa.com HUMBERSIDE, United Kingdom, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Humberside Police has chosen NicheRMS365 as the force embarks on an organizational-wide business migration program to deploy the entire breadth of the NicheRMS365 policing platform. NicheRMS365 allows information to be managed, processed and shared, enabling Humberside Police to have greater visibility on Vulnerable Individuals, to prevent and detect crime, bring culprits to justice, and increase community safety. NicheRMS365 covers the entire breadth of police information management in a single platform, giving the 3500 sworn Humberside officers and staff a focused operational view for each critical policing situation to increase citizen safety. NicheRMS365 delivers the operational capability officers need to work from any location, on any device. Humberside Police will be able to have a seamless experience simultaneously using the functionality of both the Microsoft 365 product set and the NicheRMS365 platform. With NicheRMS365, Humberside Police can streamline daily business processes, and experience the benefits of single data entry, with force-wide data sharing to avoid duplication. Additional benefits provided by NicheRMS365 include: Flexibility: NicheRMS365 will give officers and staff immediate access to critical policing information, regardless of their location. NicheRMS365 will give officers and staff immediate access to critical policing information, regardless of their location. Technical/Functional Stability: NicheRMS365 offers a highly robust and secure operational platform that supports all Humberside Police's records management needs: Crime Intelligence, Recording, and Investigation, Custody Management, Property and Forensics Management, Case Management, and Safeguarding and Vulnerability Management. Additionally, NicheRMS365 offers Reporting, Tasking, Briefing and Mobility capabilities to further support frontline police officers. NicheRMS365 offers a highly robust and secure operational platform that supports all Police's records management needs: Crime Intelligence, Recording, and Investigation, Custody Management, Property and Forensics Management, Case Management, and Safeguarding and Vulnerability Management. Additionally, NicheRMS365 offers Reporting, Tasking, Briefing and Mobility capabilities to further support frontline police officers. Operational efficiencies: NicheRMS365 simplifies data entry through our unique Guided Entry capabilities, providing fast, accurate reporting that's easy for officers. Our Guided Entry capability is sensitive to the incident that is being processed and adapts accordingly based on the data capture requirements of different incident classifications. Niche is proud to support the mission of Humberside Police "to create safe and strong communities, where people know how to protect themselves and are able to make informed decisions." About NicheRMS365 At Niche, our focus is on the information demands of frontline officers when seconds count. The responsive NicheRMS365 UI provides a consistent, intuitive user experience on phone, tablet, laptop and desktop devices, so agencies can simply train once and use anywhere on any device. NicheRMS365 is the mobile-first platform that sets the standard for Police RMS worldwide, serving 162,000 sworn officers in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Australia. It's the most highly configurable, capable and respected RMS platform in the world. Schedule a demonstration to see the potential of NicheRMS365 for your agency at www.NicheRMS.com. For More Information: Mike Gardner +44 1656 661774 [email protected] SOURCE Niche Technology Related Links https://nicherms.com Technavio's reports offer in-depth market insights that assist global businesses to obtain growth opportunities. Download a Free Sample Report Now! Factors such as growing gifting culture and increasing demand for seasonal decorations and growing organized retail in emerging countries will offer immense growth opportunities. To leverage the current opportunities, market vendors must strengthen their foothold in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments. The non-photo personalized gifts market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Non-photo Personalized Gifts Market 2021-2025: Segmentation Non-photo Personalized Gifts Market is segmented as below: Product Decoration Wearables & Accessories Kitchenware & Tableware Stationery & Greeting Cards Others Distribution Channel Online Offline Geography North America Europe APAC South America MEA Buy our market report now to gain access to detailed analysis on the non-photo personalized gifts market: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR41377 Non-photo Personalized Gifts Market 2021-2025: Vendor Analysis and Scope Some of the major vendors of the non-photo personalized gifts market in the leisure products industry include Apollo Global Management Inc., Card Factory Plc, Cimpress Plc, Enesco LLC, Hallmark Licensing LLC, PersonalizationMall.com LLC, Redbubble Ltd., Sixty Stores Ltd., The Walt Disney Co., and Zazzle Inc. To help businesses improve their market position, Technavio's report provides a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the market. To leverage the current opportunities, market vendors must strengthen their foothold in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments. The report also covers the following areas: Non-photo Personalized Gifts Market size Non-photo Personalized Gifts Market trends Non-photo Personalized Gifts Market industry analysis The growing popularity of private-label brands is likely to emerge as one of the primary drivers of the market. However, the availability of alternate products for social expression may threaten the growth of the market. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the non-photo personalized gifts market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile & M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support. Related Reports on Consumer Discretionary Include: Global Gift Card Market - Global gift card market is segmented by Type (E-gift cards and Physical gift cards) and Geography (North America, Europe, APAC, MEA, and South America). Download Exclusive Free Sample Report Global Gifts Novelty and Souvenirs Market - Global gifts novelty and souvenirs market is segmented by product (souvenirs and novelty items, seasonal decorations, greeting cards, and other gift items), distribution channel (offline and online), and geography (Europe, North America, APAC, South America, and MEA). Download Exclusive Free Sample Report Non-photo Personalized Gifts Market 2021-2025: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2021-2025 Detailed information on factors that will assist non-photo personalized gifts market growth during the next five years Estimation of the non-photo personalized gifts market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the non-photo personalized gifts market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of non-photo personalized gifts market vendors Table of Contents: Executive Summary Market Overview Market Landscape Market ecosystem Value chain analysis Market Sizing Market definition Market segment analysis Market size 2020 Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025 Five Forces Analysis Five Forces Summary Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Threat of rivalry Market condition Market Segmentation by Product Market segments Comparison by Product Wearables and accessories - Market size and forecast 2020 - 2025 Decoration - Market size and forecast 2020 - 2025 Kitchenware and tableware - Market size and forecast 2020 - 2025 Stationery and greeting cards - Market size and forecast 2020 - 2025 Others - Market size and forecast 2020 - 2025 Market opportunity by Product Market Segmentation by Distribution channel Market segments Comparison by Distribution channel Offline - Market size and forecast 2020 - 2025 Online - Market size and forecast 2020 - 2025 Market opportunity by Distribution channel Customer landscape Overview Geographic Landscape Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison North America - Market size and forecast 2020 - 2025 - Market size and forecast 2020 - 2025 Europe - Market size and forecast 2020 - 2025 - Market size and forecast 2020 - 2025 APAC - Market size and forecast 2020 - 2025 South America - Market size and forecast 2020 - 2025 - Market size and forecast 2020 - 2025 MEA - Market size and forecast 2020 - 2025 Key leading countries Market opportunity by geography Market drivers Demand led growth Market challenges Market trends Vendor Landscape Overview Vendor landscape Landscape disruption Vendor Analysis Vendors covered Market positioning of vendors Apollo Global Management Inc. Card Factory Plc Cimpress NV Enesco LLC Hallmark Licensing LLC PersonalizationMall.com LLC Redbubble Ltd. Sixty Stores Ltd. The Walt Disney Co. Zazzle Inc. Appendix Scope of the report Currency conversion rates for US$ Research methodology List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ Report: www.technavio.com/report/non-photo-personalized-gifts-market-industry-analysis Newsroom: newsroom.technavio.com/news/non-photo-personalized-gifts-market SOURCE Technavio NRx Pharmaceuticals Announces Emergency Use Authorization of ZYESAMI (aviptadil) in Nation of Georgia Tweet this The regulatory approval comes as Georgian doctors are seeing significant, daily increases in COVID-19 cases, hospitalized patients, and specifically, patients in hospital intensive care units. "This latest wave of COVID-19, brought on by the delta variant has medical professionals in Georgia working throughout each day and night trying to keep people breathing," said Dr. Ivane Chkhaidze, a leading pulmonary physician in Georgia and a member the Association of Georgia Physicians Leadership Team. "We appreciate the Prime Minister and Minister of Health authorizing the use of ZYESAMI and offering Georgian physicians a new treatment to help people recover from this devastating virus." Dr. Javier Perez-Fernandez, a lead investigator in the Phase 2b/3 clinical trial of intravenous ZYESAMI (aviptadil), and critical care pulmonologist in Miami, Florida, is leading the team of physicians traveling to Georgia to train fellow doctors there about administering ZYESAMI and the effects of the medicine. The first Georgian physicians trained in administering ZYESAMI comprise twenty of the leading critical care physicians in the country. The first doses of ZYESAMI will arrive in the Nation of Georgia within 24 hours, and discussions are underway with the Ministry of Health to provide access to ZYESAMI to Georgians suffering with Critical COVID-19. About ZYESAMI/VIP in COVID-19 ZYESAMI (aviptadil) is a synthetic form of Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide (VIP) first discovered by the late Prof. Sami Said in 1970, and ZYESAMI is named in his honor. Although primarily concentrated in the lung, it was first purified from the intestinal tract. VIP binds specifically to the alveolar type II cell (ATII) in the air sac (alveolus) of the lung, where it has been shown have potent anti-inflammatory/anti-cytokine activity in animal models of respiratory distress, acute lung injury, and inflammation. VIP stimulates ATII cells to make the surfactant that must coat the lining of the lungs in order for them to exchange oxygen with the blood. Loss of surfactant causes respiratory failure and alveolar collapse, which are hallmarks of COVID-19. COVID-19-related respiratory failure is caused by selective infection of the ATII cell by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The ATII cells are vulnerable because of their (ACE2) surface receptors, which serve as the route of entry for the virus. Coronavirus infection of the ATII cell shuts down surfactant production, triggers the formation of inflammatory cytokines, and causes cell death (cytopathy). VIP is shown to upregulate surfactant production, block Coronavirus replication in the ATII cell, block cytokine synthesis, and prevent viral-induced cell death (cytopathy). Other than ZYESAMI, no currently proposed treatments for COVID-19 specifically target this mechanism of action. About NRx Pharmaceuticals NRx Pharmaceuticals (www.nrxpharma.com) (NRx) draws upon more than 300 years of collective, scientific and drug-development experience to bring improved health to patients. Its investigational product, ZYESAMI (aviptadil) for patients with COVID-19, has been granted Fast Track designation by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is currently undergoing phase 3 trials funded by the US National Institutes of Health, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority part of the US Department of Health and Human Services, and the Medical Countermeasures program, part of the US Department of Defense. The FDA has additionally granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation, a Special Protocol Agreement, and a Biomarker Letter of Support to NRx for NRX-101, an investigational medicine to treat suicidal bipolar depression. NRX-101 is currently in Phase 3 trials, with readouts expected in 2022. NRx is led by executives who have held senior roles at Allergan, J&J, Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, and the US FDA. NRx is chaired by Jonathan Javitt, MD, MPH, who has held leadership roles in six biotechnology startup companies with public exits and been appointed to advisory roles in four US Presidential administrations. The NRx board includes Dr. Sherry Glied, former US Assistant Secretary for Health (ASPE), Daniel E. Troy, JD, former Chief Counsel of the US FDA, Chaim Hurvitz, former director of Teva and President of the Teva International Group, and General H.R. McMaster, Ph.D. (US Army, Ret.) the 26th United States National Security Advisor. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This announcement of NRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which may include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our financial outlook, product development, business prospects, and market and industry trends and conditions, as well as the company's strategies, plans, objectives, and goals. These forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs, expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections of, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the company's management. The company assumes no obligation to revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Accordingly, you should not place reliance on any forward-looking statement, and all forward-looking statements are herein qualified by reference to the cautionary statements set forth above. CORPORATE CONTACT INVESTOR RELATIONS Jack Hirschfield John Mullaly Head of Corporate Communications, NRx LifeSci Advisors [email protected] [email protected] 512-674-5163 617-429-3548 SOURCE NRx Pharmaceuticals "As we accelerate our growth globally, Rob's extensive experience and proven domestic and international leadership will be a powerful addition to our OTS team, and we are thrilled to have his expertise in this role", said Brandon McDaniel, Managing Principal and CEO of OTS. Seiter has a wide-ranging construction background, with GC and data center project management experience, as well as QA/QC testing, and compliance experience in federal contracting. Prior to transferring to OTS, Rob began his career with Critical Project Services (CPS) as a Project Manager in 2017; through several promotions he has worked on very large projects for CPS domestically and internationally. Most recently, he worked with the CPS LTD team in the UK and Europe in the capacity of Contracts Director. Rob also brings over 15 years of direct leadership and success in the construction and data center industries and this past experience will translate well to this new role. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Building Construction Management from the University of Wisconsin, and served in the US Marine Corp during the Persian Gulf War. Omni-Threat Structures (OTS) buildings are designed to provide customer-defined levels of protection for critical infrastructure, power generating companies, the military, financial institutions, and other industries in which shielding is necessary. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, to learn more, please visit www.omni-threat.com. Media Contact: Jon O'Neill [email protected] 949-943-4835 SOURCE Omni-Threat Structures YOKNEAM, Israel, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On Track Innovations Ltd. (OTI) (OTCQX: OTIVF), a global provider of near field communication (NFC) and cashless payment solutions, will release its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021 before market opens on Thursday, August 12, 2021. Management will host a live investor conference call at 9:00 a.m. ET that same day to discuss OTI's financial results, provide a corporate update, and conclude with a Q&A session taking live questions from participants as well as answering many of the previously submitted questions by investors. To participate, please use the following information: U.S. Dial-in: 1 888 723 3164 International Dial-in: +972 3 918 0691 Webcast: https://veidan.activetrail.biz/otiq2-2021 Investors and analysts may also submit questions they would like OTI to address on the call. Questions should be submitted at any time until 4pm ET, Wednesday, August 11 to [email protected] to ensure they are addressed on the call. Please dial in a few minutes before the start of the call and request to join the "On Track Innovations Q2 2021 Earnings Conference Call" to ensure timely participation. The replay of the conference call will be available via the investor relations section of the company's website. About On Track Innovations Ltd On Track Innovations (OTI) is a global leader in the design, manufacture, and sale of secure cashless payment solutions using contactless NFC technology. OTI's field-proven innovations have been deployed around the world to address cashless payment, automated retail and petroleum markets. OTI distributes and supports its solutions through a global network of regional offices and alliances. For more information, visit www.otiglobal.com. OTI Investor Relations Contact: Ehud Helft GK Investor and Public Relations 1 646 201 9246 [email protected] SOURCE On Track Innovations Ltd. (OTI) Related Links https://otiglobal.com/ "PenFed has been proud to support employee-selected, charitable organizations in the Eugene region for the past 25 years," said PenFed's Senior Vice President of the Eugene Service Center, Chris Martin. "Our members and employees are inspired by these three organizations and we believe it is important to give back to the community where we live and work." Bags of Love provides every child they connect with the essentials: clothing, toiletries, toys, books, school supplies, and a handmade quilt or fleece blanket. For a child in crisis, a Bag of Love delivers support and comfort at the time he or she is most vulnerable. PenFed donated $10,000 to assist Bags of Love's unique way of showing support to children when they are at their most vulnerable. "Bags of Love is so grateful for this donation from PenFed Credit Union," said Executive Director of Bags of Love Becky Stenzel. "Over the past two years, the requests for our services have increased by 34% with more than 3,000 children and teens now receiving support from our organization annually. The generosity of PenFed and their employees will play a significant role in our ability to provide tangible support for even more children who are impacted by abuse, neglect, poverty, and homelessness." A Family for Every Child seeks to find permanent and loving adoptive homes for all waiting children. Their intention is to develop programs that assist special-needs/challenging-to-place foster children in finding their own "Forever Families." PenFed donated $5,000 to support A Family for Every Child's mission. A Family for Every Child said the following in response to PenFed's donation: "We started with our first sole project called The Heart Gallery in November 2006, and now we have blossomed into thirteen incredibly successful programs. None of this could have occurred without the wonderful support from this community's sources, including volunteers, sponsors, photographers, in-kind donors and many more. It is always our goal to facilitate, encourage, and publicize the need for families to adopt special needs children. To inspire and educate families that otherwise would not have thought of becoming an adoptive family." Hope & Safety Alliance (formerly Womenspace) has been providing hope and safety to survivors of domestic violence for over 40 years. Each year, they serve thousands of survivors and children from our communities of color, tribal communities, LGBTQIA, survivors with disabilities, men, and the rural communities in Lane County, Oregon. PenFed gave $5,000 to equip Hope & Safety Alliance to serve more people. "We are so grateful for the support of PenFed Credit Union and their employees," said Hope & Safety Alliance Chief Executive Director Julie Weismann. "Your donation will provide hope and safety to survivors and their families as they begin new lives, free from violence. We think the PenFed team will be happy to know that the first families receiving support will be at our new shelter, Jamie's House." PenFed's Eugene Service Center has been proudly serving members and supporting local community organizations for over 20 years. Employees at the service center have completed 2,500 volunteer hours and donated $628,330 to charity since its founding in 1996. About PenFed Credit Union Established in 1935, Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PenFed) is America's second-largest federal credit union, serving over 2.3 million members worldwide with over $28 billion in assets. PenFed Credit Union offers market-leading certificates, checking, credit cards, personal loans, mortgages, auto loans, student loans, and a wide range of other financial services. Our mission is to empower members of our community to achieve their financial well-being. PenFed Credit Union is federally insured by the NCUA and is an Equal Housing Lender. To learn more about PenFed Credit Union, visit PenFed.org, like us on Facebook and follow us @PenFed on Twitter. Interested in working for PenFed? Check us out on LinkedIn. We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. SOURCE PenFed Credit Union Related Links http://www.PenFed.org GRAY, Tenn., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- School board meetings are overflowing with fervent community members seeking to have their voices heard as districts decide how they will implement the Federal Education Department's Title IX ( US News ). The Biden administration announced in June that Title IX prohibits discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation, leading state education boards to enforce new policies. While a small minority of school boards are refusing to comply with the new interpretation, the majority are deciding to adopt these new policies. "This year may determine the destiny for your district," warns Gena Suarez, publisher of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. "If you see any form of compliance to policies that go against your values, no matter how small, get your child out of the system." Though refusing to enroll your child in public school in the 202122 school year may seem like a bold move, it is one that Gena herself madenever looking back and leading to the development of a successful company now celebrating twenty years of serving homeschooling families. The Old Schoolhouse The Old Schoolhouse provides a flexible option for new homeschooling parents with SchoolhouseTeachers.com It is estimated that over 9 million Americans have experienced being homeschooled as of February 2020 (NHERI.org). Evidence points to parents pulling their children from the public school system and actively joining the established homeschooling community. While private school remains an option, the affordability and flexibility of homeschooling cause it to be the popular alternative. Recently, twenty-one conservative attorney generals stood up against the Biden administration's interpretation of Title IX as it references the prohibition of discriminating against anyone based on gender. The attorney generals warned that much confusion will arise within school districts due to the "abrupt pendulum swing between the Biden administration's position and the one the Trump administration had in place just a few months earlier" ( Politico.com ). This shift is causing an uproar in school board meetings across the nation. Though some conservatives are taking a stand, the battle is only beginning. Schools will look different this fall, and conservative parents have a decision to make. Will they send their children to public school as sheep among wolves while they battle this out, or will they seek another option? SchoolhouseTeachers.com , a division of The Old Schoolhouse, has made itself available for those with concerns. Anyone considering home education for students in PreK12 this fall can receive an entire year of homeschooling completely free when they purchase one year at a deeply discounted rate. Parents are able to join before the school year begins, so they can take a look around the platform and see the 400+ courses available for their family this coming year. Though many parents are torn about what to do as the new year approaches, the homeschooling community stands with arms open wide, ready to help if they decide to join the movement. About The Old Schoolhouse The Old Schoolhouse (www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com) is a privately held corporation that publishes the industry-leading homeschool education print magazine, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, as well as hundreds of books and planning support tools for homeschooling families. SchoolhouseTeachers.com, a division of The Old Schoolhouse, supports over 9,000 member families with more than 400 courses for preschool through high school, as well as educational videos, World Book Online, transcripts, report cards, planning tools, and recordkeeping. Established in 2001, The Old Schoolhouse is focused on providing high-quality, encouraging, affordable solutions for homeschooling families. Paul and Gena Suarez The Old Schoolhouse +1 888-718-4663 [email protected] SOURCE The Old Schoolhouse Related Links http://www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com BEIJING, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Puxin Limited (NYSE: NEW) ("Puxin" or the "Company"), a successful consolidator of the after-school education industry in China, today announced that, on July 24, 2021, China's official state media, including Xinhua News Agency and China Central Television, announced the Opinions on Further Alleviating the Burdens of Homework and After-school Tutoring for Students of Compulsory Education (the "Opinion"), issued by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council. The Opinion contains high-level policy directives about requirements and restrictions related to after-school tutoring services, including, among others, (i) institutions providing after-school tutoring services on academic subjects in China's compulsory education system, or Academic AST Institutions, are required to be registered as non-profit, no approval will be granted to establish new Academic AST Institutions, and online Academic AST Institutions will be subject to approvals; (ii) foreign ownership in Academic AST Institutions is prohibited, including through contractual arrangements, and companies with existing foreign ownership are required to make rectification; (iii) listed companies are prohibited from raising capital to invest in businesses that offer after-school tutoring services on academic subjects of compulsory education; (iv) Academic AST Institutions are prohibited from providing tutoring services on academic subjects of compulsory education during public holidays, weekends and school breaks; and (v) Academic AST Institutions are required to follow the fee standards to be determined by competent government authorities. The Opinion also provides that the supervision on institutions providing after-school tutoring on academic subjects of high schools (which are not within China's compulsory education system) will be implemented with reference to the Opinion. The Company will follow the requirements under the Opinion and comply with all applicable rules and regulations in providing educational services, including those to be adopted by local governmental authorities following the Opinion. The Company is carefully considering appropriate compliance measures in response to the Opinion, and expects such measures to have material adverse impact on the Company's after-school tutoring services, results of operations and prospectus. The Company will proactively seek guidance from, and cooperate with, the government authorities in connection with its efforts to comply with the Opinion and any related rules and regulations. Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements made under the "safe harbor" provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "may," "would," "expect," "anticipate," "future," "intend," "aim," "plan," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "project," "continue," "confident" and similar statements. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Any statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements that involve factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, but not limited to the following: its goals and strategies, its ability to achieve and maintain profitability, its ability to attract and retain students to enroll in its courses, its ability to effectively manage its business expansion and successfully integrate businesses it acquired, its ability to identify or pursue targets for acquisitions, its ability to compete effectively against its competitors, its ability to improve the content of its existing courses or to develop new courses, and relevant government policies and regulations relating to the Company's corporate structure, business and industry. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is current as of the date of the press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update such information, except as required under applicable law. About Puxin Limited Puxin Limited (NYSE: NEW) ("Puxin" or the "Company") is a successful consolidator of the after-school education industry in China. Puxin has a strong acquisition and integration expertise to effectively improve education quality and operational performance of acquired schools. Puxin offers a full spectrum of K-12 and study-abroad tutoring programs designed to help students achieve academic excellence, as well as prepare for admission tests and applications for top schools, universities and graduate programs in China and other countries. The Company has developed a business model effectively combining strategic acquisitions and organic growth achieved through successful post-acquisition integration, which has differentiated the Company from other after-school education service providers in China. For more information, please visit http://www.pxjy.com/. Contacts Puxin Limited Investor Relations Phone: +86-10-6269-8930 E-mail: [email protected] ICA (Institutional Capital Advisory) Mr. Kevin Yang Phone: +86-21-8028-6033 E-mail: [email protected] SOURCE Puxin Limited Related Links www.pxjy.com FREMONT, Calif., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Q'Apel Medical, Inc., an innovative neurovascular company specializing in developing and commercializing novel access device technology for vascular interventions, announced today that it will relocate its existing headquarters into a new building at 4245 Technology Dr, Fremont, CA, 94538. The 35,000 square foot facility accommodates current and future growth and will enhance employees' work experience and consolidate operations. The new location features unique workspaces and a 10,000 square foot clean room. "We are thrilled to be moving into a new headquarters. This new location will help us centralize Q'Apel employees in one exclusive Q'Apel Medical building, which will support innovation and collaboration," said Q'Apel's Chief Executive Officer, King Nelson. "Our new space will give us the capability and capacity to better serve our national customers while preparing for our expansion into international markets," said Nelson. "This new building provides us an open floor plan that we have built out to suit our needs and our growth. Strategically, the new building locates R&D and Manufacturing under the same roof and will accelerate our introduction of new products already in the pipeline. We are excited to have found a space that supports not only our increase in manufacturing but also the needs of our employees," said Ken Peartree, Chief Operating Officer at Q'Apel. Q'Apel Medical products are already being utilized in over 185 hospital systems nationwide. This move supports Q'Apel's plans to significantly increase its manufacturing capacity, add additional head count, and expand their product portfolio. In addition, the company is in the process of acquiring CE certification, which will allow expansion into Europe later this year. About Q'Apel Medical: Q'Apel Medical leverages highly innovative technologies to help physicians overcome their challenges concerning the delivery of successful neurovascular procedures. The company's portfolio comprises two core products, the Walrus Balloon Guide Catheter (BGC) system, and the Wahoo Control Catheter hybrid access system. Q'Apel's Walrus BGC is specifically designed to assist doctors in performing mechanical thrombectomy procedures on stroke patients. Unlike existing balloon guide catheter products, the Walrus BGC has unmatched trackability, as well as a larger lumen which allows for the delivery of complex therapies and large bore stroke aspiration catheters. The Wahoo Control Catheter is a dual-mode hybrid access system, providing two distinct operational modes - Tracking Mode and Support Mode. The physician controls the change of modes at any given moment during a clinical case. The hybrid nature of Wahoo reduces the need for multiple catheters in challenging procedures. Media Contact: Q'Apel Medical 510.738.6255 [email protected] www.qapelmedical.com SOURCE Q'Apel Medical, Inc. BEIJING, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- This is a report from China.org.cn: "Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China" was accepted as a cultural property on UNESCO World Heritage List at the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee on Sunday, bringing the total number of China's UNESCO World Heritage sites to 56. "It reflects greatly the spatial structure that combined production, transportation and marketing. It demonstrates the key institutional, social and cultural factors that contributed to the spectacular rise and prosperity of Quanzhou as a maritime hub of the East and Southeast Asia trade network during the 10th to 14th centuries AD," said a report by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the committee's official advisory body. According to the criteria included in the "Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage," the World Heritage Committee made the decision to include "Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China" in the World Heritage List. Wang Ning, governor of Fujian province, attended the session and witnessed Quanzhou city winning the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage status. Li Qun, vice minister of culture and tourism and director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, Yang Jin, leader of the Chinese delegation and China's Ambassador to UNESCO, and Wang Yongli, Party chief of Quanzhou city, offered remarks at the session and expressed their appreciations. Li said in his remarks that the Chinese people were inspired by the news that Quanzhou won UNESCO World Cultural Heritage status, and he extended his appreciation to the World Heritage Committee and ICOMOS. China will continuously keep its commitment to and take more responsibilities for world cultural heritage by enhancing conversation, management, and international cooperation, making contributions to promoting mutual learning and building a community with a shared future for humanity, Li said. Quanzhou's inscription onto the World Heritage List reflects the great recognition from the World Heritage Committee on Quanzhou's outstanding universal value as a window for economic and cultural exchanges, a major port along the Maritime Silk Road, as well as a global maritime trade center back in the Song and Yuan dynasties, said China's Vice Minister of Education Tian Xuejun. Tian, also director of the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO and chair of the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee, said that it also demonstrated that the international community highly recognized the significance and historical value of Quanzhou in promoting mutual learning, sustainable development, and building a community with a shared future for humanity. He said Quanzhou's inscription onto the World Heritage List is a major achievement made at the session, adding a "shining pearl" to China's World heritage sites, and it is of special significance as this year marks the 50th anniversary of China's restoration of its seat in the UNESCO. China is committed to working with UNESCO, state parties to the World Heritage Committee, and professional advisory bodies to promote international exchanges and cooperation in world heritage protection and proper use while making greater contributions to the noble cause, Tian said. Quanzhou added to UNESCO World Heritage List http://www.china.org.cn/china/2021-07/27/content_77654871.htm SOURCE China.org.cn BOSTON, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RareStone Inc., formerly Citrine Medicine, a China-based rare disease company, and Tencent Holdings Limited (Tencent), based in Shenzhen, China, signed a strategic collaboration memorandum to develop a service ecosystem focused on rare disease patients in China. The combined effort will promote education of rare disease, focus social awareness on rare disease, and improve accessibility of medical information and services for rare disease by working together to provide innovative digital solutions to benefit rare disease patients. Through this strategic cooperation, RareStone will contribute its strength in the development of disease education, and Tencent will contribute its technical platform capabilities with access to its broad user base. Together, the two companies in collaboration will develop education and services focused on rare disease awareness, diagnosis, and disease management. This digital effort will help more patients obtain timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment and services. At the signing of the strategic collaboration between RareStone and Tencent, Yiou Wang, Chairman of the Beijing Pain Challenge Charity Foundation, a patient organization, which has served rare disease patients for 12 years, commented on the topic of rare disease, stating "Patients with rare diseases currently have numerous unmet needs in areas of diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. Many patients find it difficult to uncover correct information on rare disease from medical professionals as well as access rare disease treatment options." Ms. Wang added, "I am very pleased that we have companies, such as RareStone and Tencent, which use the power of science and technology to improve the health status of patients with rare disease." Several representatives of other rare disease patient organizations also witnessed the signing of strategic cooperation between RareStone and Tencent, including the China Mucopolysaccharidosis Type I Patient Alliance, Beijing Zhiai Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Care Center, Shenzhen Muscular Dystrophy Baby Care Center, Guangzhou Aizhiyi Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Mutual Association, Hypercortisolism Alliance, Leukodystrophy Connect, and Dravet Baby Support Center. At the signing, patients expressed great hope and suggested future areas of focus for the collaboration between RareStone and Tencent. At the collaboration signing ceremony, RareStone Chief Executive Officer, Shawn Xiang, pronounced, "It may take several generations of effort to make rare diseases 'not rare.' As a company focusing on rare disease solutions, we hold this responsibility on our shoulders and aim to contribute with our professional knowledge, experience and resources to the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases. Collaborations with strong technology companies, such as Tencent, will surely help accelerate the process via technological innovation." Tencent Vice President, Meng Zhang added, "Tencent hopes to make digital upgrades in a variety of industries, and medical care is one such key area. In this strategic collaboration, Tencent will join hands with RareStone to better serve China's 20 million rare disease patients through innovative digital solutions in the field of rare diseases." Tencent Tencent is an internet-based platform company that enriches the lives of internet users through technology and helps enterprises upgrade their digitalization. Medical care is one of the industries in which Tencent focuses, actively exploring applications and innovations in the health fields. Through innovative digital solutions, including artificial intelligence, big data, cloud and other technical capabilities, the company helps to improve diagnosis, treatment, and disease management as well as the level of public health management. RareStone Inc. RareStone Inc., formerly Citrine Medicine, is dedicated to improving the lives of patients with rare and intractable diseases by making diagnosis and essential treatments available and accessible to those who need them in China. Our mission is to build the first rare disease ecosystem in China, and in doing so, enable people with rare diseases to live more normal lives. In addition to developing and marketing rare disease drugs, RareStone aims to establish a patient-centric platform which educates people on rare diseases, trains doctors on diagnosis and treatment, and helps doctors develop a full disease management protocol. RareStone's lead product candidate, Wakix (pitolisant), is an investigational oral drug in development for the treatment of narcolepsy and obstructive sleep apnea in China. RareStone also recently announced two strategic partnerships that will allow the company exclusive rights to develop, register, and commercialize Alkindi for pediatric congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) patients and Efmody for adolescent and adult CAH patientsboth hydrocortisone treatmentsin Greater China. RareStone is headquartered in Shanghai and has other offices in Beijing, China and Cambridge, Mass. For more information, visit www.rarestonegroup.com RareStone Media Contact: Melissa Bradford-Klug President and Chief Business Officer, RareStone Inc. [email protected] SOURCE RareStone Inc. Related Links http://www.rarestonegroup.com MILWAUKEE, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ademi LLP is investigating possible securities fraud claims against ATI (NYSE: ATIP). The investigation results from inaccurate statements ATIP may have made regarding its business operations and prospects. Click here to learn more about the case: https://www.ademilaw.com/case/ati-physical-therapy-inc or call Guri Ademi toll-free at 866-264-3995. There is no cost or obligation to you. The investigation focuses on whether ATIP properly disclosed (i) difficulties in retaining and employing physical therapists (ii) increased levels of competition for physical therapists and (iii) decreases in rates driven by a shift from workers compensation and auto personal injury to commercial and government. As a result, ATIP is performing an interim quantitative impairment test to determine whether the fair value amounts are below the respective carrying amounts, which may require that ATIP record a material impairment charge. If you wish to obtain additional information or have information about this case, please contact Guri Ademi either at [email protected] or toll-free: 866-264-3995, https://www.ademilaw.com/case/ati-physical-therapy-inc We specialize in securities fraud and shareholder litigation. Please call us for more information. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Contact: Ademi LLP Guri Ademi 3620 East Layton Ave. Cudahy, WI 53110 Toll Free: (866) 264-3995 Fax: (414) 482-8001 www.ademilaw.com SOURCE Ademi LLP Related Links http://www.ademilaw.com WHITE SALMON, Wash., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sagetech Avionics Inc., an innovative technology company providing industry-leading avionics solutions for Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS), announced that they completed a successful demonstration of Detect and Avoid (DAA) using their low SWAP ACAS X based DAA computer as part of a Phase 1 STTR for the United States Air Force. "This technology is critical to unlocking the full potential of UAVs and allowing for safe BVLOS [beyond visual line of sight] missions," stated Matt Hamilton, CTO of Sagetech Avionics. "Safe DAA cannot be achieved with a single sensor; it's a combination of sensors including validated ADS-B In data feeding the proven ACAS algorithms for collision avoidance calculations and alerts." Sagetech has been collaborating with the FAA's TCAS program office to test the future ACAS algorithms (ACAS-sXu and ACAS-Xr) that are yet to be released. Sagetech's flight testing helps validate the models used to verify the ACAS algorithms to ensure statistical models accurately predict real world performance. ACAS X is the next generation of airborne collision avoidance and has become an international standard. ACAS X uses advanced algorithmic techniques and probabilistic models to obtain the safest and best possible collision avoidance system for all classes of piloted and unpiloted aircraft. Sagetech has integrated the ACAS X algorithms on their DAA computer and paired it with their MX transponder to receive ADS-B In track data. The MX transponder, which is available today, is the only micro transponder that includes integrated ADS-B In, a critical sensor input to the ACAS logic. Data from the test flights were provided to FAA researchers for use in the evaluation of ACAS Xr logic for crewed and uncrewed rotorcraft. "Sagetech's prototype ACAS Xr device integrated into a UAS demonstrated the receipt of RWC [remain well clear] and CA [collision avoidance] alerts," explained Neal Suchy of the FAA's TCAS Program Office. "These results along with their planned testing of omni-directional surveillance will prove useful to the continued development of the ACAS X system for use in rotorcraft." Sagetech and UND Aerospace Foundation (UNDAF) chose the Penguin C aircraft built by UAV Factory to flight test this solution due to its flexible payload configuration and cost-effective operations. The system is optimized for gyro-stabilized day and night payloads with weights under 4.5 lb. "The Penguin C aircraft provides simple customized payload integration and has an endurance of up to 20 hours," according to Josh Brungardt, UAV Factory's Executive Vice President. "With its maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 50.7 lb, the Penguin C packs significant capabilities into a small and versatile aircraft platform for performing a wide variety of missions. The aircraft uses a sophisticated parachute recovery system, which eliminates the need for bulky landing equipment and can also be deployed for emergency landings. The addition of Sagetech's DAA solution to the industry-leading Penguin C aircraft, with its proven parachute recovery system creates the world's best safety case for flying BVLOS missions." Sagetech, an industry leader in transponders and detect and avoid solutions, plans to release their DAA computer at the end of the year, and will be working with UAV Factory to fully integrate this capability on the Penguin family of aircraft. The Sagetech DAA computer will complement the MX transponder and provide small UAVs with the first certifiable, true Detect and Avoid solution. About Sagetech Avionics Sagetech Avionics, Inc. is an aerospace technology company empowering safe flight in unmanned aircraft with situational awareness solutions built from mission-critical transponders, software, and related technologies. Currently serving military and civil duty on most small to medium UAVs, Sagetech solutions are mission-proven and offer decades of program experience, certifications, and millions of flight hours to deliver maximum value over the life of an unmanned platform. Today, Sagetech is expanding its technology platform to create comprehensive, certifiable systems such as detect and avoid solutions. Every day, Sagetech works in concert with its extensive ecosystem of OEM customers, technology partners, and resellers to ensure UAVs fly safer with Sagetech on board. Learn more at www.sagetech.com. About UAV Factory UAV Factory, a U.S.-based leader in unmanned and autonomous technology, was established in 2009 with the goal of developing the most advanced platforms and sensors in the unmanned market. UAV Factory benefits from its vertically integrated operations and global footprint where its Penguin class of fixed-wing UAV, as well as its Octopus ISR stabilized EO/IR camera payloads offer unmatched reliability and performance. For more information please visit www.uavfactory.com. Follow us on Twitter @UAVFACTORY. About UNDAF The UND Aerospace Foundation (UNDAF) is a non-profit corporation which develops alternative revenue sources to support core activities of the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences. The Foundation develops innovative business ventures with private industry and governments which provides the Odegard School flexibility, adaptability, and confidentiality to enter into contracts and deliver aviation-related services. UNDAF also operates a stand-alone flight training center at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway airport, offering both Collegiate and fast-track flight training for undergraduate students and those seeking to change careers. For more information about UNDAF visit www.undaerospace.com, or for information about UNDAF's UAV capabilities visit www.uasresponders.com. SOURCE Sagetech Avionics Inc. Related Links https://www.sagetech.com/ LOS ANGELES, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Regional Energy Network's (SoCalREN) podcast series, "ReEnergizing Communities," focuses on exciting new trends and ideas impacting Southern California's energy efficiency and sustainability communities. Its' latest episode, "Energy Efficiency Policymaking," features Kurt Johnson, The Climate Center's Advanced Community Energy Manager, discussing a massive rethinking of California's grid, along with state and federal energy policy, how California can become more energy resilient, and the status of the Community Energy Resilience Act in the State legislature. "We've had a 100-year-old model of central station power delivery with electricity only flowing one way and everyone at the end turning their lights on and consuming power, but not producing it." said Mr. Johnson. "We now have the possibility to envision a whole new electricity system which takes advantages of dramatic cost improvement. This is a change in the environment which is made possible by improvement and that's what we are doing with the Community Energy Resilience Program." "ReEnergizing Communities" is available now. To listen, subscribe to 'ReEnergizing Communities' on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or visit socalren.org/about/podcasts. The Southern California Regional Energy Network (SoCalREN) Programs believe in the power of their communities to lead their members toward a safe, secure, resilient, affordable, and sustainable clean energy future. SoCalREN offers a suite of customizable, no-cost services to remove barriers to achieving energy savings. SoCalREN is here to help community members save energy, save money, and lead a pathway to a clean energy community. Learn more at SoCalREN.org. SOURCE SoCalREN Related Links http://SoCalREN.org ROME, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The first two test phases of the SocialTruth project, the engine that analyzes online news, classifies and certifies its reliability, have been completed. SocialTruth (www.socialtruth.eu) is a multicultural and multidisciplinary European project conceived and developed by an international consortium of 11 partners, led by the ICCS of Athens. SocialTruth's objective is to analyze the news by classifying its reliability, in order to make the dissemination of information online safer and more trustworthy. After more than two years of teamwork, the partners of the consortium involved in the direct experimentation have concluded this phase of work. The tests involved more than 700 use cases conducted in 14 days, where almost 500 websites, articles and pieces of online news were subjected to the SocialTruth analysis. Thus, the system was checked and data was collected and utilized by the technical partners for the further development and definition of the system, which will be completed shortly leading to the final round of evaluations in September 2021. The results of these first experimental tests are more than satisfactory and go beyond expectations: almost 90% of the "real" pieces of news have been correctly recognized by the SocialTruth system and identified as valid and reliable. Similarly, the total success rate of SocialTruth for news that included falsified information, reached 63%. Evaluations were conducted using the Digital Companion end-user app. This is a simple add-on that can be easily installed on all the most common browsers. The user experience of the Digital companion emphasizes convenience as it is user-friendly and easy to understand. The blockchain system has been utilised to guarantee the results of the analysis are reliable and solid. All these preliminary results have given strength to the consortium, in particular to the technical team that is now refining and improving the engine to quickly arrive at a final product of absolute reliability. SocialTruth is now ready to be tested by real end-users, such as a press agency and a citizen-oriented foundation. Funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, SocialTruth has been developed to fight fake news. The idea of creating an open, democratic, pluralistic and distributed ecosystem shows the originality of the project. The initiative grants easy access to various verification services, ensuring scalability, and building trust, in a completely decentralized environment. The SocialTruth's consortium comprises partners from 6 European countries: three widely recognised research organisations: ICCS Institute of Communications and Computer Systems (Athens - GR); UTP-University of Sciences and Technology (Bydgoszcz - PL); LSBU-London South Bank University (London - UK). Three main technical partners, developers and software vendors: Thales (Paris - FR); Expert AI (Paris - FR) and Qwant (Paris - FR); along with two experienced management consulting companies: Tecoms (Rome - IT) and Zanasi&Partners (Modena - IT). The SocialTruth consortium is complemented by two major news and media groups: Adnkronos (Rome - IT) and DeAgostini Scuola (Rome - IT) and by InfoCons (Bucharest - RO), a very active consumers' organisation. www.socialtruth.eu [email protected] Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1091908/SocialTruth_Logo.jpg For info: Project Coordination & Management Institute of Communications and Computer Systems (ICCS) Konstantinos Demestichas, [email protected] George Koutalieris, [email protected] +30 210 7721478 Press office Fabrizio Galassi Adnkronos Comunicazione [email protected] +39 366 6722512 SOURCE SocialTruth Related Links http://www.socialtruth.eu NEW YORK, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Stellar Health ("Stellar") announced today it is working with Pittsburgh-based Highmark Inc. ("Highmark"), one of America's leading health insurance organizations, to drive payment transformation and value-based care. The initiative is an extension of Highmark's value-based payment and care platform, True Performance. Stellar will help Highmark accelerate new payment models and value-based care ("VBC") for small, independent practices. These practices are typically independent of larger medical group or hospital system affiliation and are integral to value-based care delivery in Highmark's network. The initiative focuses on practice engagement, quality improvement, management of chronic conditions, reduced ED and inpatient utilization, and affordability of care for Highmark members. Stellar, an innovative value-based care company, activates practices by translating value-based metrics to meaningful and granular workflow steps for providers and their care teams. Stellar's work with Highmark will build on the success of the existing True Performance suite of programs, which has helped Highmark avoid more than $1.5 billion in health care costs since being established in 2017. Today's announcement will push that further by allowing practices to deliver the right care at the right time, and reward providers in real time for the completion of quality and utilization value-based measures. "We have followed Highmark's success in value-based delivery for years, and our mission at Stellar Health to lower costs and improve health outcomes aligns very well with what they are doing," said Michael Meng, CEO of Stellar Health. "The True Performance initiative with Stellar aims to reward and incentivize providers and care teams in real time, and our platform does exactly that. We are looking forward to working with the provider groups in Highmark's network and encourage them to engage with us if they are interested in driving value as well." Highmark has chosen to work with Stellar due to their deep experience and their platform's ability to support Highmark's strategy of expanding VBC models to small, independent practices. "We are continuing to accelerate our value-based care strategy through our True Performance Primary Suite, both internally and with external partnerships," described Sean Burns, Vice President of Provider Payment and Network Infrastructure at Highmark. "Over the past few years, we have developed a robust program that allows practices to thrive in the new value-based care landscape, but we also needed to truly engage and activate small, independent practices. We have evaluated various tools and potential partners, and after a comprehensive and exhaustive search, have decided to work with Stellar Health because of their success in engaging providers of all kinds in value-based care." Stellar is committed to driving value-based care outcomes for patients across the state of Pennsylvania. As a sign of this commitment, Stellar has brought on a new board of Advisor - Paul Mango, who is a former PA governor candidate, deputy chief of staff for HHS, McKinsey healthcare consultant and ex-Army Ranger. "Stellar's product is built for driving outcomes and will find success in engaging the providers that Highmark is looking to include in this initiative," said Mango. Stellar works across all lines of business, but this initiative will first focus on Highmark's Medicare Advantage and Commercial lives. Providers will receive Stellar's no-cost platform and will get paid early and often for all the extra time spent completing value-based activities. Stellar and Highmark will start onboarding practices in 2021 with an initial two-year implementation timeline across 50,000 Highmark members. If you're a small, independent practice in the Highmark network, please contact [ [email protected] ] for more information on how to participate in the program. About Stellar Health: Stellar Health is a point-of-care, cloud-based platform that activates primary care providers to achieve value-based care goals that improve patient outcomes, such as optimizing the patient care journey and improving quality scores through transitions of care and high-value referrals. The Stellar Health Platform helps primary care providers continually engage with their patients by providing them real-time information and tangible action-based incentives for improving quality of care. Stellar Health's mission is to enable all physicians to engage and succeed in value-based care by bridging the incentive gap between providers and payors. If you would like more information, please contact Stellar Health at [email protected] or visit their website at www.stellar.health . About Highmark Inc.: One of America's leading health insurance organizations and an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Highmark Inc. (the Health Plan) and its affiliated health plans (collectively, the Health Plans) work passionately to deliver high-quality, accessible, understandable, and affordable experiences, outcomes, and solutions to customers. As the fourth-largest overall Blue Cross Blue Shield-affiliated organization, Highmark Inc. and its Blue-branded affiliates proudly cover the insurance needs of more than 6 million members in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York and West Virginia. Its diversified businesses serve group customer and individual needs across the United States through dental insurance and other related businesses. For more information, visit www.highmark.com . Contact Stellar Health Stavroula Zimaras Email: [email protected] Phone Number (929) 382-4886 Website www.stellar.health SOURCE Stellar Health Related Links www.stellar.health SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tasker Payment Gateways LLC has just released a new guide on their website specifically for e-commerce merchants selling premium cigars and alcohol products. This guide helps new and seasoned sellers navigate some of the questions and considerations they may face when starting out or adding a new high-risk product type to their online store. With nearly twenty years of experience and an A+ rating by the BBB, Tasker Payment Gateways LLC has provided a lot of advice and helped many online business owners in different high-risk industries accept credit cards for their products. According to Tasker Payment Gateways' owner Matt Tasker, online sellers expanding into other high-risk markets often are very successful, provided they do their research first. "It's not at all uncommon to see a merchant who sells alcohol decide to start carrying premium cigars in their online store or vice versa. It makes a lot of sense because they've already done the work of setting up a website and high-risk-friendly payment gateway and merchant account, so adding other high-risk products can seem more straightforward after that. Our guide emphasizes that your high-risk payment solutions need to be the right ones for all of the different product types you are selling. Suppose you have a merchant account that is alcohol-friendly but doesn't allow tobacco items, for example. In that case, you'd need to make some changes before you start accepting payments for cigars, and fortunately, this is right up our alley at TaskerPaymentGateways.com. We can help make sure every aspect of your payment solution is right for all the high-risk product types you sell." The guide, "Sell Premium Cigars and Alcohol on the Same Payment Gateway," recommends that new merchants consult an attorney and tax professional before selling regulated products like alcohol and tobacco online. Once the necessary first steps are taken care of (licensing, etc.), it's time to build a website. The guide includes helpful links to more detailed posts about selling high-risk products with different site builders and shopping carts, such as Shopify, WooCommerce, Squarespace, GoDaddy, Wix, and more. Its purpose is to provide website owners and developers easy access to specific, up-to-date information about their preferred platforms. One reason the guide provides such detailed information is that, according to Matt Tasker, "We've seen too many cases where merchants have started out with whatever generic payment gateway is included with their site builder, some of which are powered by PayPal or Stripe, which do not allow regulated products. Unfortunately, this can lead to accounts getting shut down and even frozen funds. When you reach out to Tasker Payment Gateways LLC, we can help you set up high-risk-friendly payment processing the right way, the first time, and at no cost to you, so you can accept credit cards for your wine, beer, or spirits and cigars online without shutdowns. And if you've already experienced a shutdown, we can help you get your payment processing back on track ASAP." With so many potential customers looking to buy online, this can be a great time to start a new online business. Tasker Payment Gateways LLC's guide helps point merchants in the right direction when beginning an online alcohol business exploring considerations about shipping across state lines, package handlers, licensing, and more. And for selling premium cigars online, it provides some suggestions for handling age verification, and of course, for finding the payment gateway and merchant account combination that allows sellers to accept credit cards online for both alcohol products and premium cigars. Selling regulated, age-restricted products online, like cigars and alcohol, comes with challenges, but finding payment processing solutions that will work for both high-risk product types together doesn't have to be one of them. Contact Tasker Payment Gateways LLC for free advice and support for each step of your high-risk e-commerce process. The Tasker Payment Gateways LLC guide, "Sell Premium Cigars and Alcohol on the Same Payment Gateway" is available to read for free on their website: https://taskerpaymentgateways.com/cigars-alcohol-same-payment-gateway/ Media Contact: Matthew Tasker 207.772.8737 [email protected] SOURCE Tasker Payment Gateways LLC This year's expo will feature six business exhibition areas - food and agricultural products, automobiles, intelligent industry and information technology, consumer goods, medical equipment and healthcare products, as well as trade in services. To date, the planned 360,000 square meters of exhibition areas have been booked, and the focus has now shifted to recruiting purchasers and organizing the exhibition. The official said that this year's CIIE will see more participation from Global 500 companies and industrial leaders compared to last year. Over 80 percent of Global 500 companies and industrial leaders that attended the third expo will again take part in this year's edition. More than 30 new Global 500 companies and industrial leaders will make their debuts. Agencies from Japan, Denmark, Poland and New Zealand have booked larger exhibition areas compared to last year and they have also announced that more of their small and medium-sized companies will attend the event. A large number of new products, technologies and services will make their world or China debut, according to a preliminary survey. New sections for low-carbon energy and environmental protection technology, biological medicine, smart transportation and intelligent and household appliances will be added to this year's business exhibition areas. Special sections for incubating companies will also be set up in the Intelligent Industry and Information Technology, Medical Equipment and Healthcare Products and Automobile exhibition areas to connect foreign innovation resources with the Chinese market. A special section that showcases featured products from Central and Eastern European countries will also be added to this year's expo. In line with efforts to elevate the level of professionalism of the expo, more measures have been taken to invite professional visitors and more play has been given to the exhibitor alliance and specialized committees. The country exhibition will invite countries to showcase their national image and present their trade and investment advantages on the official website of the CIIE (https://www.ciie.org/zbh/en/) through VR and 3D modeling technologies. To date, over 50 countries have confirmed their participation in the country exhibition. This year's Hongqiao International Economic Forum will be centered on global economic cooperation and will include a main forum and several subforums. Topics to be discussed at the forum will cover global governance, climate change and trade, and digital economy. The official has also pledged to offer better services related to dining, expo entry, logistics, transportation and information sharing during the 4th CIIE. He stressed that strict epidemic prevention and control measures will be implemented to ensure safety. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1077995/CIIE_Logo.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1582271/ciie_venue.jpg Contact: Nie Qingxin Tel.: 0086-21-67008870/67008988 SOURCE CIIE SAN FRANCISCO, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization enabling mass innovation through open source, today announced it will host Pyrrha, created and contributed by Prometeo Platform S.L., in collaboration with IBM to help accelerate the development and deployment of firefighter safety technology around the world. In 2019, Prometeo was named the winner of the Call for Code Global Challenge and since then their technology has been further developed with updated hardware and enhanced software through work with the IBM volunteer Service Corps and leading ecosystem partners. Climate change has created more dangerous conditions for firefighters by increasing the risk and extent of wildfires around the world. From Australia's 2020 brushfires, to record-breaking wildfires in Spain and the Western United States, fires in recent years have increased in number, severity, and destruction, while posing greater immediate and long-term health risks to firefighters who battle these blazes. According to Cal Fire, California is already experiencing a 26% increase in 2021 wildfire activity and a 58% increase in acres burned compared to 2020. Through the Pyrrha open source project, Prometeo, the Linux Foundation, and IBM aim to accelerate innovation around firefighter health monitoring and safety. By partnering with leading companies from the Call for Code ecosystem like Samsung, the goal is to customize and scale the solution around the world in an effort to help save lives. "Samsung and IBM have collaborated for many years to create industry leading technologies that solve challenging societal and business problems. Now we're excited to work together to advance tech for good and help combat the effects of climate change," said Executive Vice President of Samsung B2B Mobile KC Choi. "As a huge proponent of open source technology, we see Call for Code as a unique opportunity to deploy real world solutions based on open source technologies. We're excited to be able to equip award-winning teams like Prometeo with resources to strengthen their solution as it is actively tested, deployed, and now made available in open source. We also look forward to increasing our own participation in Call for Code." The Prometeo solution was created by a nurse, a firefighter, and developers as a system that uses artificial intelligence and the internet of things to guard the safety of firefighters. Over the past two years through collaboration with Call for Code ecosystem partners, Prometeo has improved its technology across offline usage, through integration with mobile phones and watches to provided two-way alerts, and in capturing the averages of toxin exposure over time. Through field tests in Spain in early 2020 and 2021, the technology has incorporated firefighter feedback and amassed anonymized technical data to improve the solution end-to-end. "Pyrrha is another example of the power of open source to accelerate technology innovation that can save lives," said Mike Dolan, senior vice president and GM of Projects at the Linux Foundation. "We are happy to support and host the development of Pyrrha and the community that is building and using it." "On behalf of the Prometeo team, we want to extend our deepest thanks to our many partners who have contributed to improve this solution and help protect firefighters," said Salome Valero, co-founder of Prometeo. "We set out to create technology that would equip firefighters with personalized monitoring of their exposure to toxic substances. Through the contributions of our partners and the open source community, that dream is becoming a reality through the Pyrrha open source project." In addition to the Linux Foundation, IBM and Samsung, Prometeo's ecosystem partners in the Pyrrha community include a variety of leading tech companies and institutions: Arrow Electronics has helped improve Prometeo's IoT devices. GRAF/Bombers de la Generalitat de Catalunya facilitated multiple rounds of field testing of testing with Prometeo's technology during controlled burns in Spain . . The Pau Costa Foundation is helping connect Prometeo with a global community of firefighters, and exploring opportunities for further field testing. Peli has contributed their expertise in creating firefighter gear to help enhance Prometeo's hardware. Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona has contributed lab access and technical expertise to help calibrate devices. IBM and The Linux Foundation have a rich history of deploying projects that help drive progress in society through innovation. The winner of the 2018 Call for Code Global Challenge, Project OWL, contributed its IoT device firmware in March 2020 as the ClusterDuck Protocol. Since then, more than a dozen Call for Code deployment projects have been open sourced for communities that need them most, with solutions ranging from disaster-response, to mitigating climate change, and promoting racial justice. The Pyrrha project community encourages new users to contribute and to deploy the software in new environments around the world. Priorities for short term updates include adapting the hardware for usage in new locations, improving the analysis of toxin exposure over time, and further improving the mobile and smartphone capabilities. For more information, please visit: https://pyrrha-platform.org. The 2021 Call for Code Global Challenge invites the world's software developers and innovators to combat climate change with open source-powered technology. Call for Code's diverse and like-minded global ecosystem of experts, companies, foundations, universities, and celebrities continues to expand. It includes UN World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator experts, Arrow Electronics, Black Girls Code, Caribbean Girls Hack, charity: water, Clinton Foundation, Clinton Global Initiative University, Heifer International, Ingram Micro, Intuit, Kode With Klossy, NearForm, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, United Way, and World Institute on Disability. For more information and to begin contributing, please visit: https://developer.ibm.com/callforcode/solutions/projects/get-started/ & https://github.com/Pyrrha-Platform About Call for Code Developers have revolutionized the way people live and interact with virtually everyone and everything. Where most people see challenges, developers see possibilities. That's why David Clark, the CEO of David Clark Cause, created Call for Code in 2018, and launched it alongside Founding Partner IBM and Charitable Partner UN Human Rights. Since then, Call for Code has scaled to include an annual University Challenge in addition to regional prizes and the creation of Call for Code for Racial Justice. This multi-year global initiative is a rallying cry to developers to use their mastery of the latest technologies to drive positive and long-lasting change across the world through code. Call for Code Global Challenge winning solutions are further developed, incubated, and deployed as sustainable open source projects to ensure they can drive positive change. To learn more about past winners and their progress, visit IBM Developer. About The Linux Foundation Founded in 2000, The Linux Foundation is supported by more than 1,000 members and is the world's leading home for collaboration on open source software, open standards, open data, and open hardware. The Linux Foundation's projects are critical to the world's infrastructure including Linux, Kubernetes, Node.js, and more. The Linux Foundation's methodology focuses on leveraging best practices and addressing the needs of contributors, users and solution providers to create sustainable models for open collaboration. For more information, please visit us at linuxfoundation.org. The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see our trademark usage page: https://www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Media Contact Jennifer Cloer for the Linux Foundation 503-867-2304 [email protected] SOURCE The Linux Foundation Related Links www.linuxfoundation.org DUBLIN, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Anti-Jamming GPS Market - Forecasts from 2021 to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global anti-jamming GPS market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 10.13% over the forecast period to reach a market size of US$7.228 billion in 2026, from US$3.679 billion in 2019. GPS Anti-Jamming is used in the protection of GPS receivers from international jamming and interference. It reduces the effect of jamming and interference which allows the GPS receiver to operate and function freely and correctly. The market is expected to surge in the coming years, due to the rise of GPS anti-jamming in modern military and defense technologies and civilian applications. There has been a surge in investments and funding, intending to develop and adopt novel GPS anti-jamming technologies for different applications. Major companies and institutions have been investing a considerable sum of capital in the development of novel and advanced anti-jamming solutions. For instance, Raytheon provides anti-jamming products for the protection of the weak links and points in modern and novel infrastructure systems, which include battlefield and modern warfare systems. The company has been developing and providing advanced digital and analog GPS anti-jamming systems to the plethora of global military forces. Currently, the company provides GPS anti-jamming systems to the United States Department of Defense, the UK Ministry of Defence, and more than twenty other nations. Other players have also been making significant developments in the market. With the rise in the investment and development of advanced solutions, the market is expected to surge at an exponential rate during the forecast period. Increase in Defense Expenditure. The market is expected to surge in the coming years, due to the rise and growth in military expenditure, worldwide. Countries have been adopting novel, innovative and advanced solutions. According to the data given by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, global defense spending had reached almost US$2 trillion in the year 2020. The United States has been the biggest spender, with total spending of around US$778 billion in the year 2020. The country has also been adopting novel and advanced GPS anti-jamming solutions, in the past few years. For instance, in May 2021, BAE Systems, one of the major players in the market, announced that it had been awarded a US$325.5 million contract by the United States Defense Logistics Agency, to supply novel and advanced military code GPS modules. The novel modules would provide secure and reliable positioning, with anti-spoofing and anti-jamming capabilities. China and India are also making significant developments in the advancement and enhancement of their defense capabilities. The country's had an annual defense budget of US$252 billion and US$72.9 billion in the year 2020. Other countries such as Russia, UK, Saudi Arabia, and Germany are also expected to make significant developments in the market, during the forecast period. These countries had also increased their defense expenditures in the last few years. The annual defense budget of these nations in the year 2020 was US$61.7 billion, US$59.2 billion, US$57.5 billion, and US$52.8 billion, respectively. Novel Developments. The market is expected to surge in the coming years because of the adoption of novel and advanced technologies by major institutions and other key players. In May 2021, The Light Dragoons, a cavalry regiment of the English army announced that they had been participating in Project Thundercat, a light cavalry investigation, which is operated by the Armored Trials and Development Unit (ATDU). The project aimed to test and demonstrate GPS anti-jam technology. Other players are also making significant developments in the market. In May 2021, Hexagon NovAtel announced that it had launched a novel and advanced GAJT-410MS, a new addition to their GPS anti-jam technology, for the defense and commercial marine markets. The latest product is lower in weight, size, and power, and protects military and civil operations from jamming and interference. This development is expected to enhance the company's portfolio in the coming years. Adoption of anti-jamming technologies and solutions is expected to have a positive effect on the overall market, during the forecast period. The market has been witnessing a substantial number of novel developments in the past few years. With the growth in artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, the market is expected to surge at an exponential rate, in the coming years. In October 2020, Quantum Reversal, a key player in the market, announced that it had added novel addition to its flagship GPS anti-jamming line. The company had introduced QR101 L1/L2 GPS anti-jamming antenna and QR100 L1/L2 GPS anti-jamming unit in February 2020. All of the company's products provide robust GNSS and GPS navigation solutions, blocking unintentional RF interference and intentional jamming for services such as 3D positioning and timing. The company has been updating and upgrading novel anti-jamming features into the project. This development is expected to have a positive impact on the market during the forecast period. In March 2021, The United States Space Force had announced the creation of a novel three-year agreement and arrangement for allies to test and borrow advanced equipment for navigation, that uses a novel and innovative GPS signal to spoof or jam. The novel M-Code signal that has been developed for the military has been intended to supply more resilient and advanced GPS access to warfighters. Under this novel agreement, the United States allies would be allowed to have receiver cards for M-Code ready Military GPS User Equipment technology on a specified loan for field and laboratory testing. This development is expected to have a positive impact on the market. Private space firms and organizations are also expected to make significant developments in the market. These private firms have been investing a significant sum of capital to adapt novel and advanced GPS solutions, in the past few years. In May 2021, Raytheon Intelligence and Space, one of the major players in the market, announced that it had won a contract worth US$234 million from the United States Air Force to update and enhance the ground control system for the country's future GPS satellites. The company has worked on the United States' Next-Generation Operational Ground System, since the year 2010, and the total cost of the project had been estimated at US$3.7 billion. 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 4.3.1. Bargaining Power of Suppliers 4.3.2. Bargaining Power of Buyers 4.3.3. The threat of New Entrants 4.3.4. Threat of Substitutes 4.3.5. Competitive Rivalry in the Industry 4.4. Industry Value Chain Analysis 5. Global Anti-Jamming GPS Market Analysis, By Receiver Type 5.1. Introduction 5.2. Commercial and Transportation Grade 5.3. Military and Government Grade 6. Global Anti-Jamming GPS Market Analysis, By Technology 6.1. Introduction 6.2. Beam Steering Technique 6.3. Civilian Technique 6.4. Nulling Technique 7. Global Anti-Jamming GPS Market Analysis, By Application 7.1. Introduction 7.2. Surveillance and Reconnaissance 7.3. Flight Control 7.4. Position, Navigation and Timing 7.5. Others 8. Global Anti-Jamming GPS Market Analysis, By End-User 8.1. Introduction 8.2. Military 8.3. Civilian 9. Global Anti-Jamming GPS Market Analysis, by Geography 9.1. Introduction 9.2. North America 9.2.1. United States 9.2.2. Canada 9.2.3. Mexico 9.3. South America 9.3.1. Brazil 9.3.2. Argentina 9.3.3. Others 9.4. Europe 9.4.1. UK 9.4.2. Germany 9.4.3. France 9.4.4. Italy 9.4.5. Others 9.5. The Middle East and Africa 9.5.1. Saudi Arabia 9.5.2. South Africa 9.5.3. Others 9.6. Asia Pacific 9.6.1. Japan 9.6.2. China 9.6.3. India 9.6.4. South Korea 9.6.5. Taiwan 9.6.6. Thailand 9.6.7. Indonesia 9.6.8. Others 10. Competitive Environment and Analysis 10.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis 10.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrativeness 10.3. Mergers, Acquisitions, Agreements, and Collaborations 10.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix 11. Company Profiles 11.1. Hexagon 11.2. Raytheon Company 11.3. Rockwell Collins 11.4. Orolia 11.5. Furuno Electric Co. Ltd. 11.6. Harris Corporation 11.7. BAE Systems 11.8. InfiniDome 11.9. Cobham 11.10. Chelton For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ul5uxz 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 DUBLIN, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Molten Salt Thermal Energy Storage Market - Forecasts from 2021 to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global molten salt thermal energy storage market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 15.65% over the forecast period to reach a market size of US$1,743.663 million in 2026 from US$629.969 million in 2019. The molten salt thermal energy market is estimated to increase in the forecast period. The factors responsible for the growth of the market are increase in the population which has led to increase in the consumption of energy and initiatives taken by the government for the use of renewable sources of energy will boost the market growth in the coming years. Another reason for the use of the molten salt thermal energy is the decrease in the cost per kilowatt for the storage of energy. Impact of COVID-19 on the market The deployment of renewable energy technology in many markets was already threatened at the start of 2020 by funding, policy uncertainty and grid integration, which COVID-19 had further amplified. According to IEA projections, owing to the unprecedented global COVID-19 crisis, the number of new renewable energy installations worldwide declined in 2020. The decline is due to lockdown restrictions in various countries because of the pandemic, thereby severely affecting the supply chain globally. It is estimated that in 2021, with revival of the economy the market will resume with the majority of projects that were delayed. Increase in the government initiatives and investments in renewable energy technologies is going to foster the growth of the market Market Drivers Concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies are considered to have a key advantage over photovoltaic systems. In this the solar radiations are captured and then transferred to thermal storage to enable generation of electricity when the sun is not shining or during the late nights or early evenings. In central receiver direct-storage plants and parabolic trough indirect-storage plants, molten salt is commercially used. Many new CSP plants, operated by molten salt storage, have a capacity of more than 1200 MW, consist almost exclusively of indirect TES parabolic trough plants, usually providing 50 MW of generating capacity and at least 7.5 hours of maximum power storage capacity. China is one of the largest users of molten salt thermal energy storage system. In the year 2019 China accounted for half of the global newly installed concentrated solar power capacity. is one of the largest users of molten salt thermal energy storage system. In the year 2019 China accounted for half of the global newly installed concentrated solar power capacity. Botswana government has announced that they plan to build 200 MW of CSP capacity by the year 2026. government has announced that they plan to build 200 MW of CSP capacity by the year 2026. According to a recent report by Reuters, Cubico Sustainable Investments has recently acquired 50 MW Moron and Olivenza CSP plants, thereby extending its Spanish CSP portfolio to 250 MW. Increase in the research will help boost growth in the market, teams in US and Europe have developed self-aligning heliostat technology which will help boost the performance and reduce the CSP costs. have developed self-aligning heliostat technology which will help boost the performance and reduce the CSP costs. China has invented a system that would reduce the risk of clouds in high altitude. The use of latest AI technology will help improve the performance. has invented a system that would reduce the risk of clouds in high altitude. The use of latest AI technology will help improve the performance. Molten salt is 33 times cheaper when compared to the lithium-ion batteries. Growing concerns for the environment will boost the demand for molten salt thermal energy storage. For example, Sweden which has made an ambitious goal of eliminating the use of fossil fuels for the generation of electricity by the year 2040. Market Restraints Battery storage and pump-storage are one of the closest substitutes of molten salt thermal energy storage. They are the major barriers in the growth of molten salt thermal energy storage market. Asia Pacific will witness lucrative growth in the market The market of molten salt thermal energy storage is estimated to be dominated by the Asia Pacific region, wherein China and India will be the leaders driving the market. China has invested heavily in renewable resources. According to the vice chairman of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA) the solar capacity of China has increased by more than fivefold since 2015 and it is estimated to double in the coming five years. On the other hand, India has set a target of generating 175 GW of clean energy capacity by 2022 Major Players The major players in the market are Torresol Energy Group, BrightSource Energy, Inc., Acciona AS, Abengoa SA, Yara International ASA, ENGIE Group, ACWA Power, Lanco Group, KVK Energy Ventures Ltd, and others. The companies compete with each other by entering into a joint venture, merger and acquisition in order to expand their reach and global presence 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 4.3.1. Bargaining Power of Suppliers 4.3.2. Bargaining Power of Buyers 4.3.3. The threat of New Entrants 4.3.4. Threat of Substitutes 4.3.5. Competitive Rivalry in the Industry 4.4. Industry Value Chain Analysis 5. Molten Salt Thermal Energy Storage Market Analysis, By Technology 5.1. Introduction 5.2. Parabolic Trough 5.3. Fresnel Reflector 5.4. Power Tower 6. Molten Salt Thermal Energy Storage Market Analysis, by Geography 6.1. Introduction 6.2. Americas 6.3. Europe Middle East and Africa 6.4. Asia Pacific 7. Competitive Environment and Analysis 7.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis 7.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrativeness 7.3. Mergers, Acquisitions, Agreements, and Collaborations 7.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix 8. Company Profiles 8.1. Torresol Energy Group 8.2. BrightSource Energy, Inc. 8.3. Acciona AS 8.4. Abengoa SA 8.5. Yara International ASA 8.6. ENGIE Group 8.7. ACWA Power 8.8. Lanco Group 8.9. KVK Energy Ventures Ltd. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/enq001 Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com WATERBURY, Conn., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Therap Services, the leading software solution for HIPAA-compliant electronic documentation for service providers in Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) and the broader human services settings, announces its integration with a new EVV interface in Georgia. This integration enables providers in Georgia to directly submit EVV data collected through Therap's Electronic Visit Verification software to the new interface. Therap's integration with Georgia's state EVV interface ensures a seamless workflow of service planning, and service tracking that meets EVV requirements, and claims submission which is consistent with the Section 12006 of the 21st Century Cures Act. In response to the 21st Century Cures Act mandate, the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) requires the implementation of EVV for programs in Personal Support Services (PSS)/Community Living Supports (CLS) which include the following waiver programs: Service Options Using Resources in a Community Environment (SOURCE) Community Care Services Program (CCSP) New Options Waiver (NOW) Comprehensive Supports Waiver Program (COMP) Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP) Georgia Pediatric Program (GAPP) Therap's EVV software is designed to provide robust support to users in Georgia which aligns with Georgia Medicaid's mission to provide access to quality health care services that are affordable. In compliance with the State and Federal regulations, Therap's EVV software captures all six Federally required data elements including: Type of service performed Individual receiving the service Date of the service Location of service delivery Staff providing the service Time the service begins and ends Therap's Scheduling/Electronic Visit Verification module has been designed to allow providers to build staff schedules, track staff hours, and monitor individual service allocation. Staff can easily check-in/out electronically and remotely with a single swipe from their mobile device which includes geolocation and timestamp features. Contact https://www.therapservices.net/products/electronic-visit-verification-solutions/ with any questions. About Therap Therap's comprehensive and HIPAA-compliant software is used in human services settings for documentation, communication, reporting, EVV and billing. Learn more at www.therapservices.net . Source: https://www.therapservices.net/electronic-visit-verification/ Related Links http://www.therapservices.net SOURCE Therap Services Related Links http://www.therapservices.net Thermo Fisher's carbon reduction efforts build on its 2030 targets to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across its operations (Scopes 1 and 2). Established in 2019, these goals are aligned with the criteria of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Thermo Fisher's new pledge to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 incorporates additional targets to reduce its value chain emissions (Scope 3), including a commitment to SBTi's most ambitious guidelines. "To better serve our customers and society overall, we continue to build on our commitment to sustainability," said Marc N. Casper, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Thermo Fisher Scientific. "At Thermo Fisher, we have a culture of continuous improvement, which is powered by our PPI Business System. Our goal to find a better way every day inspires our colleagues to drive innovation and deliver new solutions. The effort to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 will further engage all 80,000 of our colleagues to address climate change." Meeting a net-zero commitment for the future requires innovating today. Thermo Fisher is moving forward on this front by making its facilities more energy efficient, increasing the use of renewable energy and reducing waste in its operations. The company also plays a critical role in advancing climate science as a whole. Its leading analytical instruments spur the creation of green technologies and allow researchers to further investigate global warming. All of these efforts will help enable customers and partners to achieve their climate goals. Casper continued, "Our goal to achieve carbon neutrality is another example of our commitment to doing business the right way and our mission to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. We are taking deliberate actions today to strengthen our business for tomorrow's customers, colleagues and communities." 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. Media Contact Information: Ron O'Brien Thermo Fisher Scientific Phone: 781-622-1242 E-mail: [email protected] Investor Contact Information: Rafael Tejada Thermo Fisher Scientific Phone: 781-622-1356 E-mail: [email protected] SOURCE Thermo Fisher Scientific Related Links http://www.thermofisher.com TILLAMOOK, Ore., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) a Certified B Corporation (B Corp) announces ambitious new packaging goals, which demonstrates another way the 112-year-old, farmer-owned cooperative is putting stewardship into action. TCCA intends to achieve the following goals: Avoid additional and unnecessary packaging while prioritizing the uncompromising quality of its products and the reduction of food waste Commit 100% of its packaging solutions to being recyclable, reusable, or compostable by 2030 Increase recycled content to 20% (on average) in its plastic packaging by 2025 and eliminate use of all virgin plastic by 2035 Source all virgin paper packaging from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified materials and use 50% or more recycled fiber by 2025 Educate consumers on actionable ways to reduce food waste and properly dispose, recycle, or re-use Tillamook packages "Our decision-making around packaging is dynamic as we think about everything from the design, material selection sourcing, and consumer behavior," said Paul Snyder, Executive Vice President, Stewardship, Tillamook County Creamery Association. "At TCCA, our goal is to provide a great product that's good for our business, our Tillamook brand fans, and for the environment." TCCA evaluates its packaging by conducting thorough, science-based lifecycle assessments (LCAs) and has already completed LCAs for its cheese, yogurt, and ice cream packaging. As part of the LCAs, TCCA measures multiple packaging aspects, such as the greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts associated with material sourcing, transportation, production, and the final destination of Tillamook packaging. More details about TCCA's sustainable packaging efforts are available here. "By studying the environmental impact of our current product packaging, we have a clear vision of what alternatives if any can help us further reduce our environmental impact," said Jocelyn Bridson, Director of Environment & Community Impact, Tillamook County Creamery Association. "Our approach to packaging sustainability starts and ends with science. It is complex, data intensive, and absolutely worth it." TCCA's ongoing commitment to packaging and food waste reduction comes at a time when 9.8 million tons of packaging and 133 billion pounds of food waste end up in U.S. landfills each year. Nearly 30% of the world's food supply becomes waste. This food waste, in turn, ultimately contributes 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. TCCA is focused on doing its part to help reduce these concerning statistics. While the stated packaging goals are new, TCCA's dedication to packaging-related sustainability is not. This year, TCCA introduced the Tillamook Creamery Collection yogurt served in a reusable cup a first-if-its-kind offering for the cultured category. In addition to its own efforts, TCCA has joined forces as part of industry-wide initiatives to promote sustainability. The co-op is an active member of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition in the Innovation Center for the U.S. Dairy's Packaging Working Group. Additionally, TCCA recently joined an effort to combat global food waste by teaming up with major retailer, Kroger, and hundreds of suppliers worldwide to commit to a reduction of 50% in food waste among TCCA's own operations by 2030. Given its long-time commitment to sustainable procurement practices, TCCA was recognized with the 2020 Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council Award that validates the co-op's commitment to traceability and transparency across its entire supply chain. "Our packaging and food waste commitments are vitally important to our sustainability efforts at TCCA, yet stewardship goes well beyond any one aspect of our business," said Snyder. "Stewardship is truly the heart and soul of TCCA. This means we put our people, our animals, and the environment first just as we always have since our founding in 1909." TCCA abides by six stewardship commitments including: thriving farms, healthful cows, enduring ecosystems, inspired consumers, fulfilled employees and enriched communities. For TCCA, these priorities represent areas of dedication, accomplishment, and continual improvement. Highlights of TCCA's 2020 stewardship efforts, include: Creating a $4 million COVID-19 relief fund. When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the lives of employees and the people who live and work in the communities where Tillamook operates, the co-op stepped up with a relief fund to provide direct support to local businesses in the rural hometowns of Tillamook and Morrow counties. When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the lives of employees and the people who live and work in the communities where operates, the co-op stepped up with a relief fund to provide direct support to local businesses in the rural hometowns of and counties. Donating $1.6 million through the "All For Farmers" initiative. In September 2020 , Tillamook donated 10% of profits to provide 130 grants to farmers across the country and to protect at-risk farmland through a partnership with the American Farmland Trust. In , donated 10% of profits to provide 130 grants to farmers across the country and to protect at-risk farmland through a partnership with the American Farmland Trust. Complying to the Farm Animal Welfare Program with 100% participation. All milk used in Tillamook products came from suppliers adhering to the Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) industry-leading animal care standards. All milk used in products came from suppliers adhering to the Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) industry-leading animal care standards. Becoming a Certified B Corporation. Tillamook earned the distinguished B Corp certification representing a collective effort to build a purpose-driven company committed to doing good. earned the distinguished B Corp certification representing a collective effort to build a purpose-driven company committed to doing good. Reducing water use by 4 million gallons. Tillamook dramatically reduced water consumption at the Tillamook manufacturing facility representing a 2.7% net reduction over the previous year. Additional details of TCCA stewardship activities are featured in the "Good is Something We Make Together" Stewardship Report available at Tillamook.com. About Tillamook County Creamery Association Founded in 1909 as a farmer-owned cooperative, Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) recently achieved the distinction as a Certified B Corporation (B Corp) and prides itself on its commitment to bringing to market the most consistent, best tasting, highest quality dairy products made in the most natural way possible. Guided by the belief that everyone deserves real food that makes them feel good every day, Tillamook produces internationally recognized, award-winning cheese as well as exceptional ice cream, butter, cream cheese spreads, yogurt and sour cream, made with unwavering values that never sacrifice or compromise quality for profit. TCCA is owned by almost 80 farming families, primarily based in Tillamook County, Oregon. TCCA operates production facilities in Tillamook and Boardman, Oregon and employs more than 900 people throughout the state. The Tillamook Creamery is the largest tourist attraction on the coast of Oregon and one of the most popular in the state, attracting more than one million visitors each year. For more information on TCCA and Tillamook, visit Tillamook.com. Media Contacts: Brooke Vane, FleishmanHillard [email protected] Jenna Cerruti, Tillamook [email protected] SOURCE Tillamook County Creamery Association Related Links https://www.tillamook.com In his opening speech, Hurun Report Chairman and Chief Research Officer Rupert Hoogewerf said of making the lists, "We aim to find companies with high growth potential and innovative models gazelle companies that hope to become unicorns in as little as three years. Our list selection criteria are based on recent gazelle company development trends." According to Hoogewerf, such companies frequently invent or integrate innovative technologies that allow them to maintain rapid growth provided the proper funding and partnerships. "Successful gazelle enterprises take the initiative to break with tradition, operating with agility, innovation, and respect for market needs on their trajectory towards unicorn status." TOJOY Global CEO Ge Jun also spoke at the event. "Unicorn and gazelle enterprises represent a new economic growth engine based on innovative business models and market strategies," said Ge. "Companies in these categories are particularly promising for promoting regional economic development and leading development clusters during China's 14th Five-Year Plan." According to Ge, the program has been created to establish authoritative lists of promising companies to better enable them to draw the attention of business resource owners, and to connect them with said resource owners to launch the next stage of such enterprises' development at "China speed". Hurun's CEO and Group Publisher Lu Nengxing expressed his optimism about the cooperation with TOJOY. "This is the third year Hurun has released the China Gazelle Enterprise List, and this year we have a great partner joining us in TOJOY," said Lu. "We look forward to connecting the high-growth potential companies selected here with the business resource empowerment they need to grow in this new era." Selection to the Gazelle and Future Unicorn Enterprise Lists will have added value for growing companies due to TOJOY's participation. Over 1.2 million registered high-net-worth entrepreneurs use the TOJOY platform to connect with innovative new companies for partnership or investment opportunities. Growing companies listed on the platform can then access a wide variety of business resources through these partnerships. The reputations and capabilities of Hurun and TOJOY are the baseline the organizations are using for a "strong endorsement + strong empowerment" strategy. Companies recognized on the lists will have the benefit not only of Hurun's widely-recognized publication, but also the access to resources and relationships, and professional services that TOJOY provides. TOJOY Consulting Group chairman Li Shengfeng presented a research report on the Sino-American unicorn environment from the TOJOY Research Institute. The report highlighted the event's focus on high-tech companies innovating in the digital space. Many innovative businesses are growing throughout China. Hurun and TOJOY hope that the China Gazelle and Future Unicorn Enterprise Lists will act as a benchmark for high-growth companies from across the country, and lead to further high-tech industrial development. TOJOY hopes to inspire more enterprise service platforms to join in with similar contributions to benefit growing companies and society as a whole. Also attending the event were PricewaterhouseCoopers Managing Partner Jiang Chun; New Wave Media Group Partner and Vice President Wang Xingdi; Vice President of Beijing Venture Capital Association and Beijing Huijin Chuangfu Investment Fund Partner Qu Jinglu; Executive Dean of the 21st Century Baifu Academy Tong Longjun, and Chairman of the TOJOY Shared Internet Technology Group Zhou Zhonghua. SOURCE TOJOY SHARED HOLDING GROUP CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION, Fla., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket is in final preparations to launch Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft on the second Orbital Flight Test (OFT-2) to the International Space Station (ISS). The launch is planned for July 30 at 2:53 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The live launch broadcast begins no earlier than 2 p.m. EDT on July 30 at www.ulalaunch.com. "This second orbital flight test provides us with an opportunity to further analyze the unique technologies developed for our Atlas V launch vehicle in support of NASA's human spaceflight program," said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of Government and Commercial Programs. "Our ultimate focus is on the safety of the crew and this flight will ensure we are one step closer to preparing to safely fly astronauts in the near future." The Atlas V rocket will deliver Boeing's Starliner spacecraft to a 98-nautical mile (nmi) sub-orbital trajectory. Following separation from the Atlas V, the Starliner engines will propel the spacecraft to its final orbit and on to the ISS. Modified specifically for the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, the Atlas V configuration does not include a payload fairing. Instead, the Starliner's own protective surfaces take the place of the fairing to protect the uncrewed spacecraft during ascent. The Starliner is attached to the Atlas V using a launch vehicle adapter (LVA), which includes an aeroskirt to reduce aerodynamic loads on the vehicle. The Atlas V booster for this mission is powered by the RD AMROSS RD-180 engine. The Atlas V Centaur is powered by dual Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10A-4-2 engines, each producing 22,600 lbs of thrust. The Centaur upper stage includes an active Emergency Detection System (EDS) that monitors the health of the rocket throughout the flight. The EDS also provides critical in-flight data that supports jettison of the ascent cover and initiates Starliner spacecraft separation. Aerojet Rocketdyne provided the two AJ-60A solid rocket boosters. This will be the 88th launch of the Atlas V rocket and the 100th launch from Space Launch Complex-41. To date ULA has launched 144 times with 100 percent mission success. With more than a century of combined heritage, ULA is the nation's most experienced and reliable launch service provider. ULA has successfully delivered more than 140 missions to orbit that aid meteorologists in tracking severe weather, unlock the mysteries of our solar system, provide critical capabilities for troops in the field, deliver cutting-edge commercial services and enable GPS navigation. For more information on ULA, visit the ULA website at www.ulalaunch.com, or call the ULA Launch Hotline at 1-877-ULA-4321 (852-4321). Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunch, twitter.com/ulalaunch and instagram.com/ulalaunch. SOURCE United Launch Alliance (ULA) TAMPA, Fla., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tampa General Hospital is once again ranked as the #1 hospital in Tampa Bay by U.S. News & World Report for 2021-2022. This is the sixth consecutive year that Tampa General has been named by U.S. News & World Report as Tampa Bay's top hospital. Tampa General is also listed among the top four hospitals in Florida and ranked as one of the nation's top 50 hospitals in five medical specialties, according to the digital media company. The annual Best Hospitals rankings and ratings, now in their 32nd year, are designed to help patients and their doctors in making informed decisions about where to receive care for challenging health conditions or for common elective procedures. The high U.S. News rankings are a sign of Tampa General's ability to treat the most complex illnesses and conditions, said TGH President and CEO John Couris. "Year after year, Tampa General has been recognized as a leading healthcare system by U.S. News & World Report, considered by healthcare consumers as the global leader in quality rankings. Consistency in performance is what is most important as we continue on our journey to become the safest and most innovative academic health system in America," Couris said. "I'm incredibly proud of our physicians and team members who deliver world-class care to our patients every day. Their dedication and commitment is the reason that Tampa General ranks so highly." Tampa General, the primary teaching hospital of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and one of the nation's largest hospitals, is the leading academic medical center on the West Coast of Florida. It is known for performing the most challenging procedures and treating the most complex illnesses. Tampa General is ranked as one of the nation's 50 top hospitals, as well as the top hospital in Florida, in these five medical specialties: Tampa General also ranks as "high performing," or among the top 10% of U.S. hospitals, in four more specialties: Finally, Tampa General also ranks as "high performing" in 12 procedures and conditions that include: Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair, Acute Kidney Failure, COPD, Diabetes, Heart Attack, Heart Bypass Surgery, Heart Failure, Hip Replacement, Knee Replacement, Pneumonia, Spinal Fusion and Stroke. For the 2021-22 rankings and ratings, U.S. News evaluated more than 4,750 medical centers nationwide in 15 specialties and 17 procedures and conditions. In the 15 specialty areas, 175 hospitals were ranked in at least one specialty. In rankings by state and metro area, U.S. News recognized hospitals as "high performing" across multiple areas of care. "This year's expanded report from U.S. News includes new ratings for important procedures and conditions to help each patient pick the right hospital for the type of care they need," said Ben Harder, managing editor and chief of health analysis at U.S. News. "Hospitals faced incredible challenges this past year, and the best of them have provided great care throughout the pandemic and continue to offer excellent care today." The U.S. News Best Hospitals methodologies in most areas of care are based largely on objective measures such as risk-adjusted survival and discharge-to-home rates, volume, and quality of nursing, among other care-related indicators. Best Hospitals was produced by U.S. News with RTI International, a leading research organization based in Research Triangle Park, N.C. For more information about the 2021-22 rankings and ratings, please visit U.S. News' list of frequently asked questions. ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL Tampa General Hospital, a 1,041-bed non-profit academic medical center, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region's only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report's 2021-22 Best Hospitals, and one of the top 4 hospitals in Florida, with five specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal 2020 provided a net community benefit worth more than $182.5 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation's busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center and its 32-bed Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed Level IV neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital's footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health and 19 outpatient Radiology Centers. Tampa Bay residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics, and they can even receive home visits in select areas through TGH Urgent Care at Home, powered by Fast Track. As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that uses artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org. ABOUT U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT U.S. News & World Report is the global leader in quality rankings that empower citizens, consumers, business leaders and policy officials to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives. A multifaceted digital media company with Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars, News and 360 Reviews platforms, U.S. News provides rankings, independent reporting, data journalism, consumer advice and U.S. News Live events. More than 40 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C. Media Contact: Karen Barrera Assistant Director of Communications & Partnerships (813) 844-8725 (direct) | (813) 928-1603 (cell) [email protected] SOURCE Tampa General Hospital Related Links http://www.tgh.org WASHINGTON, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors will meet Aug. 6, 2021, in open session at Postal Service headquarters, 475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW, Washington, DC. The public is welcome to observe the meeting beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET in the Benjamin Franklin Room on the 11th floor. The Board is expected to discuss the following items: Call to Order and Opening Remarks of the Chairman Remarks of the Postmaster General and CEO Approval of Minutes Committee Reports Quarterly Financial Report Quarterly Service Performance Report Approval of Tentative Agenda for November Meetings Adjournment Public Comment Period A public comment period will begin immediately following the adjournment of the open session on Aug. 6. During the public comment period, which shall not exceed 30 minutes, members of the public may comment on any item or subject listed on the agenda for the open session above. Registration of speakers at the public comment period is required. Speakers may register online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BOG-08-06-2021. Onsite registration will be available until thirty minutes before the meeting starts. No more than three minutes shall be allotted to each speaker. The time allotted to each speaker will be determined after registration closes. Participation in the public comment period is governed by 39 C.F.R. 232.1(n). Open session meetings of the Board of Governors are available on live audio webcasts at http://about.usps.com/who/leadership/board-governors/briefings/welcome.htm. Three hours after the conclusion of the open session meeting, a recorded audio file will be available for listening. In compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, the audio webcast will be open-captioned. The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. Please Note: For U.S. Postal Service media resources, including broadcast quality video and audio and photo stills, visit the USPS Newsroom. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the USPS YouTube Channel, like us on Facebook and enjoy our Postal Posts blog. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and facts.usps.com. Contact: Dave Partenheimer 202-268-2599 [email protected] usps.com/news SOURCE U.S. Postal Service Related Links http://www.usps.com "As schools start to return to the new normal, the question remains: 'what does the classroom of the future look like?'" says Miranda Koperno, principal of Mesa Arts Academy, a charter school of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley. "Vari's donation of new standing desks for our classrooms will allow students who have been connecting from couches and kitchens for a year to start their school year in a space that allows them the flexibility to learn in a way they are most comfortable." A Fresh Start and a Bright Future Standing school desks are designed to encourage movement throughout the day. Research shows that learning in active classrooms can improve student cognition, health outcomes and behavior. Additional health and behavioral benefits include: Students with the freedom of movement in the classroom experience benefits including a 15 percent increase in engagement in the classroom. Moving more and sitting less in class can lead to a three to five percent improvement on test scores. Standing desks can increase calorie burn by 17-35 percent and decrease BMI percentile by five percent. Achieving and maintaining a healthier weight is linked to increased confidence and self-esteem, which are directly tied to attendance rates. "I'm proud that Vari is among local volunteer agencies that support the wonderful mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley and the Mesa Arts Academy," says Craig Storey, chief financial officer at Vari. "It's incredible to see firsthand the powerful impact that the organization has in the lives of the children that they serve." Classroom of the Future The Mesa Arts Academy will host an open house on Tuesday, July 27 for faculty and parents to preview the new active classroom environment. Storey and Lisa Teman-Rosenburg, Phoenix regional sales director for Vari, will attend. In addition to standing school desks, Vari donated its best-selling electric standing desks and conference tables for Mesa Arts Academy faculty to use. Vari has a regional showroom for people to experience its products located at 5080 N 40th St Suite 455, Phoenix, AZ 85018. Vari has donated more than $5 million worth of products to nonprofit organizations since 2018. The award-winning Vari Community Giving Program focuses on product donations to alleviate operational costs so nonprofits can put their resources back into the community. "The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley is an organization that is critical to supporting the young people in our local community," says Teman-Rosenburg. "We are looking forward to displaying the students' incredible art in our showroom and continuing to serve as partners." About Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley offers affordable after-school and summer programs for 16,000+ young people in grades K-12. At Clubs across the Valley, BGCAZ provides award-winning programs designed to change the lives of young people. For over 70 years, BGCAZ has been creating equity and opportunity for youth through academic, social, and workforce opportunities. We help young people make healthy decisions and focus on social and emotional development to build resilient young adults. Most importantly, we work to develop strong character and leadership skills by creating positive connections to caring adults and their community. For more information: visit bgcaz.org. About Vari A workspace innovation company, Vari helps growing organizations unlock the potential of their space and their people. From a collection of office furniture to workspaces offering space-as-a-service, the company makes it easy for high-growth businesses to scale and flex their office space. Organizations all over the world including over 98% of the Fortune 500 use Vari products, which are tested and certified to the highest industry standards. Media Contact Media Contact Name: Lisa Noble Katie Satarino Phone: (602) 317-1589 Phone: (512) 773-7002 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] SOURCE Vari Related Links https://www.vari.com MIAMISBURG, Ohio, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Verso Corporation (NYSE: VRS) today announced that it will host a conference call and webcast for analysts and investors on Friday, August 6, 2021 at 9 a.m. (EST) to discuss second quarter 2021 financial results. Analysts and investors may access the live conference call only by dialing 888-317-6003 (U.S. toll-free), 866-284-3684 (Canada toll-free) or 412-317-6061 (international) and referencing elite entry number 1830797 and Verso Corporation. To register, please dial in 10 minutes before the conference call begins. The news release and second quarter 2021 results will be available on Verso's website at http://investor.versoco.com by navigating to the Financial Information page. Analysts and investors may also access the live conference call and webcast by clicking on the event link https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/1524/42246 or by visiting Verso's website at http://investor.versoco.com and navigating to the Events page. Please go to this link at least one hour before the call and follow the instructions to register, download and install any necessary audio/video software. A telephonic replay of the call can be accessed at 877-344-7529 (U.S. toll-free), 855-669-9658 (Canada toll-free) or 412-317-0088 (international), access code 10159009. The replay will be available starting at 11 a.m. (EST) Friday, August 6, 2021, and will remain available until September 3, 2021. An archive of the conference call and webcast will be available at http://investor.versoco.com starting at 11 a.m. (EST) Friday, August 6, 2021, and will remain available for 120 days. About Verso VERSO CORPORATION is a leading American owned and operated producer of graphic, specialty and packaging paper and market pulp, with a long-standing reputation for quality and reliability. Verso's graphic paper products are designed primarily for commercial printing, advertising and marketing applications, including direct mail, catalogs, corporate collateral, books and magazines. Verso's specialty paper products include release liner papers and label face stock for pressure sensitive, glue-applied and laminate applications. Verso produces packaging paper used in higher-end packaging and printing applications such as greeting cards, book covers, folders, labels and point-of-purchase displays. Verso also makes market pulp used in printing, writing, specialty and packaging papers, facial and toilet tissue, and paper towels. For more information, visit us online at versoco.com. Forward-Looking Statements In this press release, all statements that are not purely historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "plan," "estimate," "intend," "potential" and other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on currently available business, economic, financial, and other information and reflect management's current beliefs, expectations, and views with respect to future developments and their potential effects on Verso. Actual results could vary materially depending on risks and uncertainties that may affect Verso and its business. Verso's actual actions and results may differ materially from what is expressed or implied by these statements due to a variety of factors, including those risks and uncertainties listed from time to time in Verso's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Verso assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement made in this press release to reflect subsequent events or circumstances or actual outcomes. SOURCE Verso Corporation Related Links http://versoco.com The crewed Volocopter 2X took off at 2:45 PM CST for a 4-minute flight at ~160 ft and a top speed of 18 mph over Wittman Regional Airport as part of EAA's AirVenture aviation celebration. Event attendees were able to watch the Volocopter 2X fly and take a seat in the VoloCity model at Volocopter's booth to experience these aircraft. "Volocopter successfully conducting the first US public manned test flight of an eVTOL company in the US is a milestone for the industry and a reminder that our commercial launch is fast approaching. We can talk about our lead in certification, low noise emissions, and global partnerships all we want, but nothing shows just how close we are to launch UAM as a service as does flying an air taxi in front of crowds and inviting people to sit in our aircraft. Air taxis are coming, and we are working to bring electric flights to cities around the globe in the next two to three years," says Florian Reuter, Volocopter CEO. "Oshkosh is a haven for enthusiasts and experts to embrace the pioneering spirit of aviation, and today's Volocopter flight is one for the history books. This is the spirit of Oshkosh giving our visitors the chance to experience real pioneers, who will change aviation for good, right here," says Rick Larsen, EAA Vice President of Communities and Member Programming. Volocopter is the only eVTOL developer with a family of electric aircraft for passengers and goods. This aircraft family includes aircraft for both long and short distances within cities and beyond (VoloCity and VoloConnect air taxis and VoloDrone heavy-lift drone). Volocopter's holistic approach to launching UAM services entails partnering with global industry leaders to offer the whole operating UAM ecosystem, including infrastructure and the digital backbone (VoloPort and VoloIQ) to integrate services into existing transport systems in cities. In addition to a full-service solution, Volocopter is the first and only eVTOL developer to hold Design Organisation Approval and Production Organisation Approval, two strategic certification approvals from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to design and produce aircraft in-house. Once certified for commercial launch in Europe, Volocopter is positioned for concurrent type certification approvals in the US from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), having applied earlier this year, and the civil aviation authority in Singapore (CAAS). Volocopter is an expert in urban air mobility (UAM), a subcategory of AAM. While the term AAM covers the aviation transportation system for people and goods with highly automated aircraft, UAM focuses specifically on how these advanced aircraft can thrive in and around cities. The company has ten years of experience, over 1,000 test flights, and a track record of public flights in Paris (2021), Singapore (2019), Helsinki (2019), Dubai (2017). Pictures and footage of the historic flight will be available at 5 PM CST in the Media Hub: https://mediahub-volocopter.pixxio.media/collection/46. About Volocopter Volocopter is building the world's first sustainable and scalable urban air mobility business to bring affordable air taxi services for goods and people to megacities worldwide. Volocopter leads and cooperates with partners in infrastructure, operations, and air traffic management to build the ecosystem necessary to "Bring Urban Air Mobility to Life." Volocopter has 400 employees in offices in Bruchsal, Munich, and Singapore. The company has raised a total of 322 million in equity form investors including Daimler, Geely, DB Schenker, BlackRock, and Intel Capital amongst others. www.volocopter.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1582311/Volocopter_GmbH_at_Oshkosh.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1361665/volocopter_Logo.jpg SOURCE Volocopter GmbH TAMPA, Fla., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A 30-year veteran law enforcement officer with the Tampa Police Department (TPD) today filed a lawsuit against Sig Sauer, Inc., the maker of his department-issued, controversial P320 semi-automatic pistol that fired a live round into his leg inflicting serious line-of-duty injuries without the officer ever touching the holstered weapon, according to his legal team from Jeffrey S. Bagnell Law, LLC, Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky , and Gurney Law, PLLC. The complaint asserts claims against the manufacturer for corporate negligence and product liability. They are similar to those filed against Sig Sauer by other officers and agents, some who suffered career-ending gunshot wounds, and civilians against the manufacturer. The attorneys also filed an Emergency Motion asking the Court to immediately preserve and protect the P320 involved, while also seeking P320-related records and reports. Officer Northrop/Photo: Tampa PD Howard Robert Northrop, 69, a longtime Tampa resident and decorated officer, alleges in the complaint (Northrop v. Sig Sauer, et al. 2021-CA-006111, Circuit Court of Florida, 7/27/2021) that his department-issued Sig Sauer P320 wounded him in the leg without ever touching the weapon's trigger. "It happened February 27, 2020, I was just walking, near bleachers at a local school as students were leaving a game, when suddenly the gun discharged. I felt intense pain, but first thought I was the victim of a shooter. It turns out I was the victim of my Sig Sauer despite never touching the trigger. Every day I replay that moment. Thank goodness the gun which Sig said was safer than ever didn't kill somebody." The father of two (one a Tampa firefighter), grandfather of six, was hospitalized nearly one week after he was wounded and since the incident has suffered through constant pain and limitations. He added, "What's it going to take for Sig Sauer to finally admit the gun isn't safe and pull it off the market?" He said his son-in-law, a sheriff's deputy in Florida, just reported the "good news" that his department was discontinuing use of the P320 over serious safety concerns. Attorney Jeffrey S. Bagnell, of Connecticut's Bagnell Law , said, "Sig Sauer's misleading marketing practices are addressed in the complaint. We will demonstrate in court that the company's claim that its P320 'won't fire unless you want it to' is inaccurate, and its failure to recall the weapon is putting lives at serious risk every day. Officer Northrop's wounds and those of many others bear witness to this fact." Philadelphia attorney Robert W. Zimmerman, of SMB said following today's filing, "Bob Northrop was performing his duties as a public safety officer that fateful day; his P320 should never have fired, and shouldn't be capable of firing without a trigger pull. What happened to Officer Northrop could have happened to any of his fellow officers and should never happen again." Co-counsel from Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky include the firm's managing partner, Larry Bendesky, and Daniel Ceisler, an army combat veteran trained in gun safety. Orlando-based attorney Nicholas S. Gurney, of Gurney Law, PLLC, stated, "Our client, the son of a career law enforcement officer, loved his job and loved serving his community. Not only was his career abruptly ended, but his dreams of a well-deserved, active retirement were dashed when the P320 bullet shattered his leg. An avid outdoorsman, Officer Northrop will very likely face physical limitations and mobility challenges for the rest of his life. Like many clients, Officer Northrop realizes a lawsuit won't mend his wounds, but he's hopeful that this case can help prevent more injuries caused by the industry's most dangerously defective sidearm. We are fearful with more than one million of them remaining in use." The officer's attorneys collectively represent nearly two dozen former users across the U.S. of the Sig Sauer P320 whose weapons fired without touching let alone pulling the trigger. Before today's filing, a Boston area police lieutenant alleged in a Federal lawsuit last month that his holstered P320 fired while he was in a SWAT van with a group of other officers. The other police-plaintiffs have included a Loudon County, Virginia Sherriff's Deputy whose career ended in 2018 when her holstered P320 fired, shattering a bone in her leg; an ICE Federal law enforcement agent, wounded in the leg when his holstered P320 discharged while awaiting a turn at the shooting range; an HSI agent whose P320 fired on him at a shooting range. These agents and officers join many other state and federal law enforcement agents advocating for the weapon's recall in its present forms. SOURCE Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky The company has appointed Peter Neilson as chief financial officer to help drive Kachi Lithium Project financing and development, including guiding a panel of international project financiers to secure funding. Lake is expanding its team to support bringing Kachis clean lithium development into production. ( , ) has appointed Peter Neilsen as chief financial officer (CFO) as the company ramps up international project funding and development activities for the clean Kachi Lithium Project in Argentina. According to the company, a key focus of the new CFO will be to guide a panel of international project financiers to successfully secure funding for Lakes lithium production. His other major responsibilities will be to develop and assist Lakes team in Argentina to organise development activities and lithium production. He will also serve as joint company secretary. The company is progressively expanding its team to support bringing the Kachi clean lithium development into production Critical to support Lakes growth Welcoming the appointment, Lakes managing director Steve Promnitz said: Peter has experience with both large and small organisations in the energy and natural resources sector, which will be critical to support Lakes major growth through development into production. Developing the finance support team in Argentina and Australia and securing project finance will be critical to the companys success and delivering increased value for shareholders. Positive funding environment This appointment follows Lakes moves to progress project finance for Kachi, with preliminary interest received from more than half a dozen major international banks to participate in export credit agency-led project debt finance. The positive funding environment follows the acceleration of the worlds decarbonisation drive towards net-zero emissions, with lithium a key ingredient in the EV and battery storage revolution. Expertise and experience Neilsen is a chartered accountant with more than 20 years of experience in all facets of financial management, asset management and leadership. He has served in a range of senior positions including as CFO, company secretary, finance manager and other senior executive positions for a number of listed and unlisted companies in the energy and natural resources sector. Neilsen has also been involved in reducing operation expenses up to $100 million through cost analysis, performance improvements and contract negotiations, acquisitions of up to $80 million and managed revenues over $5 billion. Resignation of Garry Gill Peter Neilsen will replace Garry Gill, who will step down from the CFO role. Following his resignation, Gill will continue to assist with the handover to Neilsen on a transitional basis. The board thanks Gill for his services over the last 18 months during a transformational period for the company. A glance at some of the day's highlights from the Proactive Investors US and Canada newswires ( , ) said it has agreed to purchase strategic assets related to a patented graphene processing technology from the UK specialty chemical company Thomas Swan & Co Limited through a joint venture company to be named Black Swan Graphene Inc. Mason Graphite and Thomas Swan will own 66.67% and 33.33%, respectively, of Black Swan Graphene, which is expected to go public in the coming months. Graphene is no longer theoretical, but undergoing a transformative progress in applications, production, and commercialisation, Mason Graphite chairman Fahad Al-Tamimi said in a statement. ( ) ( ) ( ) revealed it had struck a distribution agreement with UK-based MPH Group, which will strengthen the tech company's presence in Europe and the UK. MPH, which has already placed a volume purchase order for Vuzix Smart Glasses, distributes game-changing and highly immersive technologies that involve augmented reality (AR), virtual reality and IoT (Internet of Things) solutions. It serves customers in the healthcare, energy, automotive, telecommunications, defense, construction and manufacturing sectors. Canada Silver Cobalt Works Inc has announced additional intersections of high-grade silver, including 7,981 grams per tonne (g/t) over 0.30 metres (m) at a downhole depth of 484.9 to 485.2m, belonging to the Big Silver vein at the companys Castle East project in northern Ontario. Canada Silver Cobalt Works said the drill results further define and expand the high-grade silver zone initially discovered with hole CS-20-39, which had earlier recorded intercepts of up to 89,853 g/t silver over 0.30 meters. ( ) said its recently released version of the Kash Karnival 5.5.3 App will now include Apple Pay for iOS users. Kash Karnival is Royal Wins flagship hyper-casual gaming platform, in early July, the company unveiled its 5.5.3 release of the popular App. The latest version allows players using iOS platforms to purchase Kash Coin bundles using Apple Pay. Kash Coin bundles can be used within the App during play, the in-App Kash can also be used for other forms of in-App currency, including Arcade Tokens and Booster Cards. ( ) has added a new green royalty to its portfolio. The Toronto-based company announced an agreement with Elizabeth Metis Settlement (EMS) to acquire a 13.5% gross revenue royalty on EMSs revenue share of carbon credit offsets from the EMS Forest Project in Alberta. EMS derives revenue from the creation and sale of emission reduction benefits from 15,457 hectares of forest located in the province. Star Royalties has paid C$300,000 for the 13.5% royalty and expects it to start generating revenue in 2023. ( ) Corporation revealed that it has inked a letter of intent (LOI) to acquire a 25% interest in FB Labs Corporation (FB LABS), a lead generation software company with major success in the hospitality vertical, for around $750,000 in a cash-and-stock deal. FB LABS provides cloud-based software that helps businesses in capturing more leads and converting a higher proportion of them into sales. It also offers a turnkey proposal builder that quickly capitalizes on opportunities with personalized, branded proposals. Businesses using FB LABS' software can increase speed-to-sale, closing rates and workplace efficiencies, while having real-time intelligence on the sales pipeline and customer preferences to enable more effective decisions, said the company. On a continuing basis, the investment will allow Toronto, Ontario-based Xigem recognize its share of profit or loss in FB LABS after the effective date of acquisition. QC Copper and Gold Inc has reported a positive drill result from the Saddle Zone, which it says underlines the potential of its flagship Opemiska project in Quebec and includes a 'spectacular' gold intersection in one hole. The Saddle zone is a previously unmined structural corridor, which lies between the Springer and Perry conceptual pits at the property, and hole 98 intercepted 100 metres (m) grading 0.5% copper-equivalent starting at just 7m from surface. And near the bottom of the hole (337.6m) was intersected a 9m interval grading 18.30 grams per ton (g/t) gold. ( , , ) said it has entered into a service agreement with CannaLabs, a Canadian, London-based laboratory services company, licensed by Health Canada. The life sciences company, which produces and distributes functional and psychedelic mushrooms, said it will use the services of CannaLabs to perform stability tests on its AME-1. This will help it to determine the expiration dates and storage conditions for the final AME-1 product. Dalrada Corporation said its subsidiary, Dalrada Precision, has entered the eco-friendly degreaser global market with the launch of its Ignite Industrial Technologies revolutionary biodegradable cleaner and degreaser products. The products provide a safe and more environmentally responsible solution to improving manufacturing efficiencies without harsh chemicals, including mineral spirits, butyl-based products, caustics, and alkaline detergents, the company added. Dalrada said the proprietary ingredient profile of Ignite Industrial Technologies uniquely enhanced products is the first of its kind for the cleaning and degreaser market. Engineered by industry veterans as a safer, more effective, and cost-effective product line to revolutionize manufacturing efficiencies, the formulation acquired by Dalrada is now its intellectual property. . (UI) has announced that P Squared Renewables Inc. (PSQ) has received conditional approval from the TSX Venture Exchange for its previously announced Qualifying Transaction with UI. Under the transaction, UI said PSQ will acquire all of its outstanding shares by way of a three-corner amalgamation among PSQ, UI, and 1266855 B.C. Ltd. (Subco), a wholly-owned subsidiary of PSQ. PSQ also will subsequently change its name to ' .' ( , , ) has revealed plans to launch its NFT (non-fungible token) hologram creator platform. The company said the creator platform will leverage its human hologram creator platform HoloX, which is expected to launch in the third quarter. Once up and running, customers will have the ability to seamlessly experience its digital collectibles in augmented reality. Nextech noted that it has a two-staged rollout plan where initially AR human holograms are purchased through a third-party NFT marketplace, then viewed and experienced outside a digital wallet using the companys HoloX application. BioLargo Inc said it will receive and treat contaminated water from a major municipality in Southern California and a federal government agency. The companys Aqueous Electrostatic Concentrator (AEC) is a proprietary water treatment technology specifically designed to remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of man-made forever chemicals. The receipt of the treatment water from two potential clients will allow BioLargo to implement its multi-phase commercial approach. ( ) ( ) Corp said it has executed binding agreements with Titan Minerals Limited to acquire four Peruvian gold, silver, and copper royalties for a total cash consideration of US$1 million. As part of the transaction, Titan will pay ( ) US$1 million in cash under the terms of a deal between Vox subsidiary SilverStream and Titans Mantle Mining Peru. The amount payable by Titan was previously recorded as a non-current accounts receivable balance. The acquisition gives Vox exposure to four exploration royalties in Peru, which hold potential for the discovery of large-scale precious and base-metal deposits. Historical fieldwork confirmed geological alteration systems indicative of such deposit styles, Vox said. Marble Financial Inc said that it has entered into an arms length definitive credit facility agreement with CHP Agent Services Inc., a subsidiary of an independent, non-affiliated Canada-based alternative specialty lender Cypress Hills Partners Inc. The Vancouver, British Columbia-based financial technology company said the credit agreement provides for a $10 million credit facility through its wholly owned special purpose vehicle (SPV) subsidiary and TPFM as servicing agent for originations, administration, and monitoring of the SPV loan portfolio. The funding is a selected percentage of the SPVs eligible customer loans, with the initial advance rate set at 95% and a minimum threshold of 80%. AgraFlora Organics International Inc has announced that, effective on July 28, 2021, it will change its name to Agra Ventures Limited to reflect the evolved vision and strategic direction of the company under its current leadership. The company said the Canadian Securities Exchange will publish a bulletin announcing the date of the name change, and the firm will begin trading under its new name on or about July 28, 2021. The shares will continue to trade under the AGRA ticker symbol on the Canadian Securities Exchange. In addition, the companys main subsidiary Propagation Services Canada has rebranded to Boundary Bay Cannabis to conjure up the picturesque setting in which its cannabis is grown in the Delta region, in British Columbia. Empress Royalty Corp said it has amended its agreement with mining sector financial advisor Endeavour Financial Ltd to source and evaluate debt facility opportunities and/or corporate transactions to accelerate the former's growth. "We have been working closely with Endeavour since our inception, building a strong platform to identify investment opportunities and continue to do so," said Alexandra Woodyer Sherron, CEO of Empress Royalty in a brief statement. ( , ) said it has engaged an arm's length service provider, Jonathan Carroll to provide strategic advisory and consulting services to the company for a 24-month period, subject to extension or termination in accordance with the provisions of the consulting agreement. It noted that Carroll has vast c-suite experience in the travel industry and is an innovative leader in the corporate branding and loyalty management areas, which experience will benefit the company by fostering growth and expanded distribution of its CPG brands. As partial consideration for the consulting services, the company will grant an aggregate of 1,500,000 warrants to purchase common shares of the company to the consultant as follows: (i) 300,000 warrants following the second month of the term of the consulting services; (ii) 300,000 warrants following the 6th month of the term; (iii) 400,000 warrants following the 12th month of the term; and (iv) 500,000 warrants upon the company reaching certain sales targets for fiscal 2022. Each warrant will entitle the consultant to one Common Share, at an exercise price equal to the greater of the: (i) market price of the common shares on the day immediately prior to the date of issuance of the warrants; and (ii) volume-weighted average trading price of the common shares during the 30 full trading days immediately prior to the date of issuance of the warrants; and will expire 24 months from the date of issuance. ( , ) Corp said the TSX Venture Exchange has accepted for filing documentation pertaining to a purchase and sale agreement dated March 12, 2021, between the company and an arm's-length party, whereby the company has acquired a 100% interest in 103 unpatented mining claims located to the west of its existing Iron Creek project, Idaho. Under the terms of the agreement, the company has agreed to acquire the property for a $50,000 cash payment and the issuance of 225,000 common shares. Additionally, the vendor will retain a 1% net smelter return (NSR) royalty, 0.5% of which the company has a right to buy $750,000. Benchmark Metals Inc said the TSX Venture Exchange has accepted for filing documentation pertaining to an exploration co-operation and benefit agreement dated March 25, 2021, as amended, between the company and Tsay Keh Dene Nation, Kwadacha Nation and Takla Nation. The agreement establishes a mutually beneficial framework under which the company and the first nations will advance the company's Lawyers gold-silver project. Under the agreement, the company will make various cash payments and has granted the first nations 300,000 non-transferable warrants in the company. Each warrant entitles the holder to acquire one share for $1.30 for a three-year period. Washington, July 27 : The US will keep existing travel restrictions from entering the country due to the surging cases of Covid-19 Delta variant, the White House said on Monday. Driven by the rising Delta variant cases here at home, particularly among those who are unvaccinated, "we will maintain existing travel restrictions at this point," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at a daily briefing, Xinhua news agency reported. The federal administration has been under pressure from the travel industry and allies to lift these restrictions. The US currently bars entry for most non-citizens who within the last 14 days have been in Britain, the European Schengen area, Ireland, China, Iran, South Africa, Brazil, and India. It also keeps non-essential travel restrictions across its borders with Canada and Mexico. Last week, the US State Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning against travelling to Britain due to the country's high level of Covid-19 cases. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Washington, July 27 : US President Joe Biden said on Monday that American forces in Iraq will end the combat mission by the end of the year while continuing to train and assist Iraqi forces. "Our role in Iraq will be... continue to train, to assist, to help and to deal with ISIS (Islamic State) as it rises, but we're not going to be, by the end of the year, in a combat mission," Biden said at the beginning of a meeting in the Oval Office with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Xinhua reported. "Our counter-terrorism cooperation will continue even as we shift to this new phase," he said. Al-Kadhimi told a leading media outlet ahead of the visit that there is no need for any foreign combat forces staying in Iraq. "What we want from the US presence in Iraq is to support our forces in training and developing their efficiency and capabilities, and in security cooperation," he said. There are now around 2,500 US troops in Iraq. White House Press Secretary on Monday declined to provide the number of troops staying in Iraq at the end of the year. US media said the move may not lead to a significant reduction of US military presence in Iraq, given most of the American troops in the country have already been taking training and advising roles for the Iraqi forces. The two countries agreed to shift US troops' mission back in April, but no timeline for the transition had been set at the time. Analysts noted that the Iraqi leader faced mounting pressures at home from hardline Shia factions who demand all US troops to leave the country. This shift in the mission of US troops could be seen as a political gain for al-Kadhimi ahead of parliamentary elections in October. The US troops withdrew from Iraq in 2011, eight years after the US-led invasion. US troops returned to the country in 2014 to support the Iraqi forces in the fight against the Islamic State militants. Immediately after the deaths of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a US airstrike at Baghdad airport in Jan. 2020, the Iraqi parliament passed a resolution requiring the government to end the presence of foreign forces in Iraq. Iraqi military bases housing US troops across the country and the US embassy in the Green Zone in central Baghdad have been frequently targeted by rocket and drone attacks from Iran-backed Shia militias. The US military launched retaliatory airstrikes against Shia militants in Syria and Iraq this February and June, only leading to a cycle of more attacks and reprisals. Earlier this month, up to 14 rockets hit Al-Assad Air Base housing US-led coalition forces in Iraq's western province of Anbar, causing two minor injuries. Patna, July 27 : Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP) president Mukesh Sahani has slammed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for not allowing him to enter Varanasi. "Our party members can also provide the same treatment to leaders of Uttar Pradesh who are coming here for political campaign in Bihar. But we will not do it as it would give wrong impression of our Nitish Kumar government," Sahani said. "What kind of government Yogi Adityanath is running in Uttar Pradesh? He is scared of one person. He is worried that one person could disturb the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh," Sahani said. "I went there to establish 18 statues of Phulan Devi in 18 divisions of Uttar Pradesh. After the preventive act of Yogi government, the Nisadh society people will become more united," he said. Sahani said that Uttar Pradesh government had banned statues be establish at public places in 2008. "I went there to establish statues of Phulan Devi in private places. If Yogi Adityanath government is afraid of my activities. I have requested local authorities to allow me to go at schedule place to offer flowers to respect her. Unfortunately, the local administration did not allowed me," Sahani said. Sahani said that Nishad society people have 16 per cent vote share in Uttar Pradesh. Beside, he is also looking for votes of other backward class people. Sahani's party is not more than three years old in the political history of Bihar. He is ambitiously looking to spread wings in Uttar Pradesh. Rome, July 27 : The regional government in Italy's Sardinia has declared a state of emergency after large swaths of land across the island were ravaged by wildfires in the last few days, according to the local civil protection department. Besides the emergency, the regional emergency services in Sardinia also issued a new adverse weather warning on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported. The alert entails a high risk of new bushfires. In an emergency meeting on Sunday night, after the national civil protection launched five operations with Canadair water-dropping planes on the island, the regional government declared the state of emergency. The wildfire started on July 23 with a car that caught fire after a crash, and has forced the evacuation of at least 1,500 people from their homes. It has devastated some 20,000 hectares of land so far. Sardinia's Governor Christian Solinas said several farms and homes were destroyed, along with thousands of hectares of vegetation. No casualties were reported yet. Fanned by hot southwest winds, the largest bushfire in the Oristano area kept spreading along a front of almost 50 km as of Monday morning, according to the Nuova Sardegna newspaper. Local firefighters have received support from Greece and France. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Varanasi, July 27 : Professor U.K. Choudhary, a well-known river engineer and former professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University (IIT-BHU), has sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to help in maintaining "the crescent shape of Ganga river in Varanasi". Chaudhary said that the ornamental crescent shape of the Ganga is the unique morphology of the river, and this is the path of least resistance of friction, form and pressure drag forces of the soil in Varanasi. "This is the anatomy which defines the development of centrifugal and centripetal forces in upper and bottom layers of flows, responsible for generation of secondary current and transportation of fine clay and pollutant particles towards the concave bank (city side bank) and that of sand on the convex bank (sand bedside bank), respectively," he explained. He further said that the Ganga water longitudinally runs, circulating and vibrating on the cross section. Thus, the sustainability in the crescent shape of the Ganga at Varanasi is only due to the Assi and Varuna, the tributaries of the Ganga. As the Assi has been shifting course, the Ganga left the Assi Ghat forever. The Varuna (responsible for filling the erosion pockets) and Assi (responsible for keeping the sediment load in suspension) are needed for the protection and conservation of boundary conditions for the crescent shape. This, conceptually, must be realized. "The Assi river needs to be returned to its original position at Assi Ghat in the form of a river not of a nullah," he pointed out. Regarding the construction of the spur at Lalita Ghat and development of the channel in sand bed to facilitate the cargo/ship, he said that the massive work of the spur at Lalita Ghat is with different solid materials arranged in different forms not able to create the resonance with Ganga. As such, the anatomy and morphology of the Ganga has been permanently changed. The dynamics of the region in turbulence, responsible for carrying the sediment will be damped out. This will cause more sedimentation. Thus, the Ganga will leave the Ghat in the upstream and sedimentation and pollutants logging are bound to take place in the downstream of Lalita Ghat, he stated. In this way, the crescent shape of the Ganga will slowly change. And the pollutants logging will be very acute. The wall created along the Ghats will restrict the ground water movement and the water logging problem in the city will increase. Choudhary also questioned the efficiency of the sewage treatment plants (STPs), saying that an STP is capable of removing the organic pollutant load maximum up to 50 per cent only at the cost of several fold enhancement of microbiological load. And it is causing the pollution of all five constituents of nature. "Investment of several crores of rupees under Namami Gange programme is just like a face-washing work of the diseased Ganga. This investment should have been made for the treatment of the base level diseases of the Ganga," said Choudhary in his letter. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Tunis, July 27 : Tunisian security and military units were deployed to protect the government headquarters in the capital Tunis in the wake of the sacking of Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and nationwide protests. Monday's deployment came a day after President Kais Saied announced on Sunday evening that he had removed Mechichi from the post of Prime Minister and suspended all activities of the Assembly of People's Representatives or Parliament, reports Xinhua news agency. Saied said he will temporarily head the government until he appoints a new prime minister. The President also announced that he annulled the immunity of all parliament members. At dawn on Monday, units of the Tunisian National Army prevented Tunisia's Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, accompanied by other deputies, from entering the Assembly's headquarters in the district of Bardo. Amid tight security measures, dozens of Tunisians gathered in front of Parliament. Violent protests broke out on Sunday in several Tunisian provinces as protesters expressed anger at the deterioration of the North African nation's health, economic and social situations, calling for the departure of the government and dissolution of Parliament. Chennai, July 27 : The AIADMK has decided to launch a state-level agitation against the DMK government after accusing it of delaying tactics in not going ahead with the university named after former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. The proposed university was to come up at Villupuram and had got the approval and sanction of the Governor of Tamil Nadu who is the Chancellor of the University. This was on February 25, 2021, when the Palaniswami government led by AIADMK was in power. However, following the election model code of conduct, the government could not take it further and was expecting to commence its operations once it was back in power after 2021 Assembly polls. The DMK government has not taken forward the implementation of the University citing lack of funds. The AIADMK leader and former minister, CVe Shanmugham termed the DMK government's delaying tactics as part of vendetta politics practiced by the DMK. The AIADMK has termed the DMK government's action of not commencing operations of the Jaya University due to lack of funds as "fictitious and untenable". The party's state leadership has chalked out a series of agitations across the state against the DMK government's politics of vendetta by trying to scuttle and derail a University for higher education in the backward Villupuram district of the state owing to political anathema, said party leaders. CVe Shanmugham, who is also the Villupuram North district secretary of the AIADMK, led an agitation in the district on Monday against the DMK government on the issue. While speaking to IANS, CVe Shanmugam said, " This is a classic example of vendetta politics and the DMK government seems to be worried even on the name of Jayalalithaa. They should understand that by delaying this they are scuttling the higher education opportunities of a large number of students of the backward Villupuram region." The AIADMK leader also said that the DMK government, which was citing lack of funds, has no qualms in setting up a library in the name of DMK leader and late Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi by spending a mammoth amount of Rs 200 crore. The senior leadership of the AIADMK is planning an agitation across the state in a few days time to put pressure on the DMK government. Beijing, July 27 : The death toll from the torrential rain in China's Henan province has increased to 69, local authorities have confirmed. More than 12.9 million people have been affected by the latest round of downpours, and the flood situation remains severe, Xinhua news agency quoted the information office of the provincial government as saying in a latest update on Monday. A total of 933,800 residents in Henan have been relocated to safer places, and about 972,000 hectares of crops damaged, said the office. The province is witnessing a new spell of heavy rain expected to last until Thursday. The cities of Xinyang, Zhumadian, Zhoukou, Shangqiu, Kaifeng, Puyang, Xinxiang, Hebi and Anyang are likely to witness heavy downpours, intensifying the local flood control situation, said the Henan provincial meteorological observatory. New Delhi, July 27 : An integral part of its flagship premium portfolio that created a distinct buzz every year, the popular Galaxy Note series will not make its appearance in 2021, the company said on Tuesday, as it bets big on the future of foldable devices. Unveiled at IFA Berlin for the first time and later arrived in the market in October 2011, the iconic device made a strong customer base globally including in India, owing to the unique S (Stylus) Pen, bigger and better screen and overall productivity that separated the device from the rest. Dr TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics, said that instead of unveiling a new Galaxy Note this time around, "we will further broaden beloved Note features to more Samsung Galaxy devices", as the company prepares to enter the next generation of foldable Galaxy Z devices next month. According to Tarun Pathak, Research Director, Counterpoint Research, Galaxy Note series surely had a loyal fan base and, over the past one decade, positioned itself as a go to device in terms of enterprise-grade and productivity-centric features, thanks to stylus. "The differentiation with the stylus was so strong that none of the smartphone players were able to bring the stylus with the same impact as Samsung in the past one decade, even though a handful of OEMs tried that route," Pathak told IANS. Now Samsung is looking to replicate the same with foldable categories where it has already an edge being on the second generation of devices. "It will surely look forward to bring some Note-related features in the foldable as well," he added. Launched last year, Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra broke the gridlock and monotony of our daily lives, providing some out-of-the-box moments. It redefined productivity in the work-from-home (WFH) era amid the pandemic. For Samsung, it makes prudence to focus more on aligning their product portfolio by bringing S-Pen and other functionalities from the Galaxy Note, said Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR. "As differentiation between the Note and other product series gets blurrier, it will be in Samsung's advantage to consolidate, and focus on furthering its leadership in foldable phones," Ram told IANS. However, according to Counterpoint Research, foldable smartphone shipment share will remain in low single digits for the foreseeable future as the industry experiments with various form factors, designs, materials and operating system variants. "Foldables accounted for just a fraction of a percent of last year's 1.3 billion total addressable market in smartphones and is expected to reach just 1.2 per cent by 2022," according to the data. Although the foldable market grew significantly over the past year, it was from a small base and is expected to remain niche through the medium term. "Three key things must happen before we see any significant volumes: 1) Significant price declines with flagships at around $1,000-$1,500; 2) more vendor participants -- we're starting to see this now; and 3) Apple's entry into the space," said Counterpoint Research Senior Analyst Jene Park. Ram added: "The current market conditions, including the semiconductor supply chain crunches, and the pandemic impact on consumer smartphone buying behaviour, make it tougher to sustain two distinct flagship product platforms". Paris, July 27 : Nearly 60 per cent of the adult population in France have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, hitting the government's target previously set for the end of August, President Emmanuel Macron announced. So far, France has administered the first dose to 40 million people, with 4 million citizens having received the shot in the past two weeks, Xinhua news agency quoted Macron as saying in a Twitter post on Monday. "All together, we will beat the virus. We will carry on," the President added. To date, some 33.26 million people in France have been fully vaccinated against the virus, nearly half of the country's 67 million inhabitants, according to the Health Ministry. In a bid to return to pre-pandemic daily life, the French government has vowed to speed up vaccine rollout to bring down the coronavirus-linked infections and contain the spread of the more contagious Delta variant which triggered another wave. Starting from early August, only people who have completed their vaccination, test negative or recently recovered from Covid-19 will be allowed to enter restaurants and cafes, go to shopping centres, gyms and even hospitals except for emergencies. Since the onset of the pandemic early last year, France has reported a total of 5,999,244 confirmed coronavirus cases and 111,667 deaths. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New Delhi, July 27 : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh left for Tajikistan for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) annul meet, where he is to appraise about measures needed to eradicate terrorism in the region. Sources said he would also be talking about challenges at the Indian borders during the annual meeting of the Defence Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states. He is on a three-day visit to Dushanbe in Tajikistan from July 27 to July 29. In the annual meeting, defence cooperation issues among the SCO member states are discussed and a communique is expected to be issued after the deliberations. During his visit to Dushanbe, Rajnath Singh is also expected to meet his Tajik counterpart Col. Gen. Sherali Mirzo to discuss bilateral issues and other issues of mutual interest. Tajikistan is chairing the SCO this year and hosting a series of Ministerial and official-level meetings. Singh's address at the meeting is slated for July 28, 2021. The organisation comprises eight member states -- India, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan. India became a member of the SCO in 2017. The defence ministers of all eight SCO member nations are expected to discuss on regional security challenges like terrorism and extremism. They will also deliberate upon ways to deal with them collectively. The organisation is seen as a counterweight to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations. It accounts for almost 44 per cent of the world population stretching from the Arctic Ocean to the Indian Ocean and from the Pacific Ocean to the Baltic Sea. The organisation's aim is to maintain peace, stability and security of the region. Last year, the meeting took place in Russia's Moscow. Then the meeting took place under the shadow of a border dispute between India and China. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Colombo, July 27 : Over 50,000 people have been arrested in Sri Lanka since last October for violating the government-imposed quarantine laws amid the Covid-19 pandemic which has infected 298,181 people to date in the island nation, police said. In a statement on Monday, Police Spokesperson Ajith Rohana said that 52,154 people have been arrested so far since October, reports Xinhua news agency. Furthermore, 100 people who had broken the inter-district travel restriction were also turned and sent back to their respective provinces. Sri Lanka presently has a district-to-district travel restriction in place due to the rapid spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Health Ministry has also made it compulsory to wear masks and maintain social distance and anyone caught defying these rules can face a jail term. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, July 27 : Among the host of names from cross-section of categories whose phone numbers have appeared on the Pegasus Project list, there are also a few businessmen and bureaucrats who have made their way into the alleged surveillance list. This includes disgraced industry captains like Naresh Goyal, formerly of Jet Airways, to former top PSU officials such as B.C. Tripathi, ex-chief at GAIL India, The Wire reported. Apart from Goyal, the most prominent names on the list are numbers used by SpiceJet chairman and managing director Ajay Singh and the Essar Group's Prashant Ruia, the report said. The list also contains multiple businessmen or officials of companies who have had run-ins with the law over the last few years, mostly due to investigations of loan fraud. This includes Vikram Kothari of Rotomac Pens (and his son Rahul), and C. Sivasankaran, former Aircel promoter and maverick entrepreneur. In the last year, the Jet Airways founder has also been under the scanner of the enforcement directorate. The entries for Kotharis and Sivasankaran also appear to match key points of the investigation that law enforcement authorities have conducted. Also, a mid-level official at the Adani Group, one individual who used to work with the Essar Group and another formerly with SpiceJet. The leaked list also contains at least five corporate executives associated with India's mutual fund industry. These include professionals from companies such as Franklin Templeton, DSP BlackRock and Motilal Oswal. Finally, key people in India's public sector also appear to have been selected as potential candidates for surveillance. The Wire reported that a phone number used by B.C. Tripathi -- formerly head of state-run GAIL India who joined Essar in January 2020 as non-executive chairman -- is on the list. Tripathi's selection as a possible candidate for surveillance comes a month after he took up the top post at the natural gas corporation and his number appears in the leaked records on-and-off for almost a year afterwards. Two numbers, one for a former boss of Life Insurance Corporation of India and the other for a former executive director of the Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertiliser Corporation also appears on the list. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed Dras, July 27 : Sidharth Malhotra confesses nervousness as he gears up for the release of 'Shershaah', his ambitious new film slated for an OTT release on August 12. This is the first time he is playing a real-life hero and the protagonist happens to be Param Vir Chakra recipient Captain Vikram Batra, hero of the Kargil War. "I was aware his family would watch the film, and that made me nervous. We wanted them to watch the film," says Sidharth, opening up for a chat. The film's trailer was earlier released on the eve of Kargil Vijay Diwas here. There was an element of anticipation too, for the actor. He tells you 'Shershaah' is "a dream that started five years ago", and talks of how the project changed a few hands before Karan Johar and Dharma Productions took it up, to ready it for release. These past months have been hectic, wrapping up the project, and now flying up all the way to Dras for the trailer launch and promotional interactions with select media. "The recurring emotion has been of passion," says the actor, on what goaded him all along, for what could be the biggest release of his career yet. In 'Shershaah', Sidharth plays Captain Batra and his twin brother Vishal, siblings with very different personality traits. Which role did he find tougher to imbibe? "It wasn't easier or harder playing either role, because I wasn't portraying a double role in the traditional sense. It was more about portraying two real-life characters, in what has been my first real-life film," he explains. The conversation moves to the film settling for an OTT release, what with cinemas only cautiously opening up post-pandemic lockdown. The plus point, as Sidharth notes, is this gives the film viewership across 200 countries. "The plan was always to go for the big screen at inception, but there are no theatres around. On the other hand, we reach 200 countries on OTT, and that's the biggest distribution we could have hoped for," he says. These days, the bigger the film and stakes, more the chances of social media reactions, which could go either way. Sidharth is glad his 'Shershaah' journey has seen a largely positive reaction on the net. Overall, he underplays talk of trolling that stars of his generation are often prone to face. "We have been trained to ignore it," he says, about tackling toxicity, adding: "It all depends on how you deal with it. I choose to look at the positives." "Look at it this way. Social media also means bigger access. A while back, there was the print media only. Then came electronic media, and now social media expands reach. It's not always bad. The other day a fan sent me gifts thanks to social media awareness of the film. You need to move ahead with technology," he sums up. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Mumbai, July 27 : Actor Arjun Kapoor, who recently opened up about his body transformation, says he is working towards bettering himself every day. Arjun on Tuesday morning treated his fans to a then-and-now picture. The first image features Arjun from his younger days, when he was voluptuous. In the second photograph, Arjun is seen flaunting his perfect jawline and a toned muscular physique. Alongside the image, he wrote: "Pehle main bohot mota bohot pareshan tha (I was obese before)...No no this is not one of those posts. Just putting it out there that I love every chapter of my life." He added: "Those days and even now, I have always been myself at every step of the way. I cherish every bit. I'm a work in progress like anyone and everyone else." Image Source: Instagram/arjunkapoor Arjun Kapoor on body transformation The actor quoted his mother and said that he will always be a constant work in progress. "My mother told me every stage of your life is a journey and you will always be a constant work in progress. I understand the meaning of that now more than ever and I'm loving that I'm working towards bettering myself...every damn day," he concluded. Speaking about his work, Arjun is currently busy shooting for 'Ek Villain 2' and will also be seen in 'Bhoot Police'. -- Syndicated from IANS July 27 : Hiten Tejwani is a known name in the Indian Television Industry. He is amongst the biggest faces and has a huge fan following. The actor recently received Dadasaheb Phalke Indian Television Award and he spoke to News Helpline about the same. Talking about receiving the award in person after a long time, he said, "Slowly and gradually people are getting out of their house. I am so happy to receive this award in person. I got a chance to meet so many wonderful people which would not have been possible through a virtual event." The actor who was elated after winning such a prestigious award shared,"Dadasaheb Phalke award is amongst the most prestigious awards in our country. It's an honour to get this award but with the award comes responsibility. When you get an award, your responsibility to do good work increases." He further added,"When I started my career, I used to always see people being bestowed with this award. I had the hope of getting this respectable award one day for sure. I am lucky and grateful to have been honoured with the same now. I can only say, ``Dreams do come true." The actor will soon be seen in the film Ardh. The film marks the Bollywood debut of Rubina Dilaik. It is directed by Palaash Muchhal. The film also stars Rajpal Yadav. Shoot for the film will start in September this year. Mumbai, July 27 : Tata Communications, a global digital ecosystem enabler on Tuesday announced the launch of 'IZOTM Financial Cloud, a purpose-built community cloud platform, enabling next-gen digital transformation, customised to meet the stringent data privacy and protection compliance and security guidelines defined by Indias regulators for the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) sector. Developed on Tata Communications IZOTM Private Cloud, this platform aids in building an open banking ecosystem that offers BFSI and FinTechs, the foundation to enable advanced digital services. It also allows international banks to expand their footprint in India by meeting the country's data residency requirements, said a company statement. With IZOTM Financial Cloud, the financial service providers are able to strengthen their customers trust by operating on a platform that is secure, compliant and supported by a transparent cloud model. It also enriches the end-user experience by enabling BFSIs to launch advanced services with agility. "This purpose-built cloud platform will assist financial organisations to modernise their legacy systems to support the next-gen banking services and accelerate their digital transformation. It will embed security for data, application, and perimeter to manage industry specific cyber risks," it said. It will also fuel future growth in the industry by serving as the execution venue for new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and Blockchain. Rajesh Awasthi, Associate Vice President and Global Head, Managed Hosting and Cloud Services, Tata Communications, said: "Being at the forefront of digital transformation is vital to survive in today's competitive environment where digital is not only an enabler but a differentiator. Financial institutions in India have significantly shifted to digital, providing highly personalised digital experience to their consumers with round-the-clock access to banking services through online platforms and mobile apps." "We at Tata Communications recognise the journey they are undertaking and aim to assist the financial industry with a catalytic solution. IZOTM Financial Cloud supports to simplify the modernisation charter, fuel innovation employing new technologies and plan business continuity through a geo-resilient redundancy to manage disaster situations." According to the company, the IZOTM Financial Cloud will help mature the BFSI industry and make it conducive for constant innovation. It will provide resiliency by embedding security controls and adherence to key industry compliances, uptime assurance through high availability of Disaster Recovery (DR) and service assurance through managed cloud infrastructure, and agility to manage dynamic changes in cloud infrastructure requirements and swifter Development and Operations (DevOps) by using emerging technologies. The IZOTM Financial Cloud Command Portal comes with an integrated dashboard for network, cloud and security services along with a personalised, proactive notification and timely information enabled system. Hyderabad, July 27 : Superstar Amitabh Bachchan on Tuesday took part in Green India Challenge by planting saplings at Ramoji Film City here. The actor lauded the efforts of Green India Challenge and its founder and Rajya Sabha MP Joginipally Santosh Kumar in expanding the green cover across Telangana and the country. Amitabh Bachchan enquired about what inspired Santosh Kumar to take up this initiative, how plants are cared for, tended even after years of plantation and expressed his happiness at the results. Image Source: IANS News He said he was surprised to know that GIC planted three crore saplings recently on the occasion of the birthday of Telangana's minister for municipal administration and urban development K. T. Rama Rao. "It was certainly a mammoth task, and I am in awe of their dedication and commitment towards the environment," he said. Image Source: IANS News Image Source: IANS News The Superstar also congratulated GIC for entering into Guinness Book of World Records with a massive plantation of 2 crore seed balls within an hour. "I have always been aware of Green India Challenge but taking part in this is a great privilege. I wish very best to Shri Joginipally Santosh Kumar in taking this great work forward," the actor said. Image Source: IANS News Amitabh Bachchan opined that a noble and great initiative like Green India Challenge requires great participation from across the world and said that he would challenge three more people to take part in the same from his twitter handle. Image Source: IANS News Image Source: IANS News Telugu superstar Nagarjuna also took part in the programme and planted a sapling along with Producer Ashwini Dutt and Ramoji Film City MD Vijayeeswari. Image Source: IANS News Incidentally, July 27 is also the death anniversary of India's greatest scientist and former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam and on many occasions, Santosh Kumar mentioned how Kalam inspired him to take up this challenge and do his bit for the environment. Image Source: IANS News Image Source: IANS News -- Syndicated from IANS Ottawa, July 27 : Mary Simon has been sworn in as Canada's 30th Governor General, becoming the first-ever indigenous person to take over the post. Simon, an Inuk from Quebec, was recommended by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take the role earlier this month, reports Xinhua news agency. The swearing-in ceremony was held in the Senate on Monday where about 50 dignitaries and guests, including Trudeau and the speakers of the House of Commons and Senate, were in attendance. In addition to official oaths and signatures overseen by senior federal officials, the event had included several cultural performances. A prominent Inuk leader and former ambassador, Simon as Governor General will play a crucial role in constitutional matters and within minority governments when it comes to questions of confidence and calling elections. She also becomes the top commander of the Canadian Armed Forces. Simon's appointment comes amid renewed focus on Canada's efforts towards reconciliation with indigenous peoples, prompted by the continuing discovery of unmarked graves on former residential school grounds across the country. Canada's indigenous leaders, particularly representatives of the Inuit community, have praised the appointment. Washington, July 27 : Five people, including the suspect, were killed during an hours-long standoff in California's Wasco city, local authorities said. In a statement to the media on Monday, the Kern County sheriff's office said they received a report of shots fired at 1 p.m. on Sunday, reports Xinhua news agency. When deputies arrived at the scene, the suspect opened fire at the law enforcement personnel triggering the standoff between the two sides. Two hours later, special weapons and tactics (SWAT) teams who approached the house were attacked by the gunman. One policeman suffered major injuries and died in hospital and another deputy was moderately injured. At around 6.30 p.m., the suspect and deputies exchanged more gunfire, during which the former was wounded. The suspect and other three persons locked in the house during the time of the shooting were taken to a hospital for treatment, and all died there. The victims have not been identified and an investigation is underway. Wasco is in the San Joaquin Valley, about 240 km northwest of Los Angeles. Tunis, July 27 : Tunisian President Kais Saied extended the hours of night curfew across the country from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. until August 27, an official statement said. "The President issued a decree imposing the ban with the exception of urgent cases and people who work at night," Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying on Monday night. This decree prohibits the movement of people and vehicles between cities during the curfew, except for essential emergencies or for urgent health reasons. "Any gathering of more than three people on public roads is also prohibited," the statement added. Meanwhile, Saied issued another decree on the suspension of work in central administrations, external services, local communities and public administrative institutions for two days, starting from July 27. Administrations offering online services are responsible for ensuring the continuity of work. This decision "does not involve the internal security forces, the army, customs agents as well as employees operating public health establishments", it added. The curfew announcement came a day after Saied removed Hichem Mechichi from the post of Prime Minister and suspended all activities of the Assembly of People's Representatives or Parliament, reports Xinhua news agency. Saied said he will temporarily head the government until he appoints a new Prime Minister. The President also announced that he annulled the immunity of all parliament members. Bengaluru, July 27 : The stage is all set in Karnataka for the selection of the next chief minister as union ministers -- Dharmendra Pradhan and G. Kishan Reddy set off for Bengaluru from Delhi on Tuesday afternoon. The two have been made central observers to oversee the selection of Yediyurappa's successor. Pradhan and Reddy will meet BJP legislators and collect their views on a new chief minister this evening. "We are leaving for Bangalore. We will reach there by evening and then we will have a meeting with BJP MLAs," Kishan Reddy said in Delhi, before departing for Bengaluru. Meanwhile, the BJP legislature party meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday evening. The party's chief spokesperson in Karnataka, captain Ganesh Karnik said that the legislature party meeting has been convened at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in a city hotel. The information about the evening meeting has already being conveyed to the legislators and the party has asked all leaders to be present and take active participation in the process. The developments came in the wake of B.S. Yediyurappa's resignation as chief minister on Monday. New Delhi, July 27 : The Delhi government has decided to recommend the names of doctors and healthcare workers for this year's Padma Award, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Tuesday. Every year, the Centre asks the states/ union territories to recommend the names of persons for the Padma Awards -- Padma Vibhushan (second highest civilian award), Padma Bhushan (third highest civilian award) and Padma Shri (fourth highest civilian award) to honour them for their extraordinary services to the people. Kejriwal said for the last one and half years doctors and healthcare workers have been putting their lives at risk and many have even lost their lives while serving in Covid care centres. During a press conference here, Kejriwal said that it was an opportunity to honour the doctors and healthcare staff who have saved the lives of several people amid this Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, the Delhi government has decided to send only the names of doctors and healthcare workers for the Padma Awards to the Centre for this year, he added. The Chief Minister has appealed to the people of Delhi to recommend the names of doctors and healthcare workers who have done extraordinary work during the pandemic. People of Delhi can send their recommendations on -- padmaawards.delhi@gmail.com by August 15 August. "One has to recommend the name of a doctor or healthcare worker with address details and detailed description regarding the extraordinary work of the suggested name for the Padma awards," Kejriwal said. For this purpose, the Delhi government has also set up a screening committee under the supervision of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. After receiving names from the people, the screening committee will verify the facts given about the particular doctor or healthcare worker and then the list will be sent to the Centre by September 15. Earlier, Kejriwal had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging to give 'Bharat Ratna', the highest civilian award in the country this year, to a doctor. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Srinagar, July 27 : Militants shot at a civilian on Tuesday in the Srinagar city of Jammu and Kashmir. He was shifted to hospital in a critical condition. Police sources said militants fired at Mehran Ali Pathan in Nawakadal area of the old city. "Initial reports indicate the victim belongs to Safa Kadal area of Srinagar," sources said. The area has been cordoned off for searches. New Delhi, July 27 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hit out at the Congress for not allowing the parliament to function properly and causing repeated disruptions in both Houses. The Prime Minister was speaking at the BJP's Parliamentary Party meeting here on Tuesday. Sources said, "The Prime Minister told the party MPs that the Congress party is deliberately disturbing the parliament. They are neither interested in debate nor are allowing the parliament to function smoothly." The Prime Minister also hit out at the Congress for not participating in the meeting of floor leaders of all parties on Covid. On July 20, the Prime Minister interacted with floor leaders of all parties of both Houses of the Parliament to inform them of the trajectory of Covid-19 and the public health response to the pandemic. "The Prime Minister said that the on one side, the Congress stops the functioning of the House and on the other hand, they did not turn up to attend the all-party meeting called on Covid. Their behaviour is against the humanity. He asked MPs to expose the Congress among the people of India," sources said. It is learnt that the Prime Minister asked the BJP MPs to celebrate the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' with public participation to mark 75 years of Independence so that it does not look like a government event. Sources said that Prime Minister Modi also asked the BJP MPs to celebrate 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' in a big way with public participation. It is also learnt that the Prime Minister asked the BJP MPs to appeal to people to suggest ideas for the next 25 years. "He asked people to suggest their ideas and vision for the next 25 years when the country will celebrate 100 years of Independence in 2047," another MP who was present in the meeting said. The Prime Minister also asked MPs to organise various activities to create awareness and increase public participation in 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Panaji, July 27 : Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal crossed swords on Twitter, a day after Power Ministers of the two states engaged in a public spat in pollbound Goa, over the benefits of power tariff models implemented by their respective governments. The online slamming between the two chief ministers started with Sawant accusing the Aam Aadmi Party of indulging in cheap politics and denigrating Goan politicians. "AAP has always indulged in cheap politics through constant protests & theatrics. But to say Goans are third class politicians, is an insult to great sons-of-the-soil like Bhausaheb Bandodkar, Jack Sequeira, Manohar Bhai Parrikar, Rajendra Arlekar or Shripad Bhau Naik. AAP is free to create hype for their political benefits but to come to Goa and insult our leaders is unacceptable," Sawant tweeted first. Kejriwal, who's party is aiming to get a secure foothold in Goa politics after a dismal outing in the 2017 state assembly polls, responded by saying that it was unfair to compare the current set of politicians to past political stalwarts, even invoking the reference to late Manohar Parrikar, a former BJP Chief Minister and a Union Defence Minister. "Pramodbabu, by comparing present set of politicians to such political greats, you are insulting them. Current BJP neither has the greatness of Bhausaheb Bandodkar, integrity of Dr. Jack Sequeira or vision of Manohar Parrikar," Kejriwal said. "Bhausaheb Bandodkar has been insulted by the way MLAs have been bought and sold. Dr. Jack Sequeira didn't fight to see Goan votes being bought and sold. Manohar Parrikar didn't work tirelessly to see Congress MLAs being bought wholesale," the Delhi CM added. In response, Sawant accused Kejriwal of being selective in his comments and accused the Delhi CM of hobnobbing with the same politicians he had slammed. "Arvind ji, you are being selective as always. You have ignored our present leaders whom I mentioned in my tweet, who have risen from grassroots. They are epitome of integrity and humility," Sawant said. "Also, in this current set as you mentioned, there are politicians from Goa with whom you and your party is holding discussion and meetings. There are also some politicians, including from the Congress who have joined your party. Are these Goan politicians third class?" Sawant said. Chennai, July 27 : The Central Water Commission (CWC) has sought details from the southern states -- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry -- on the dispute arising over the Karnataka state constructing a dam on the Markandeya river. This was announced by Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Monday through a written reply to questions raised by Tamil Nadu MPs, including MDMK leader Vaiko. PMK leader and former Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss had also put a written question in the Upper House regarding the same. The Parliamentarians had asked whether the Centre would constitute a tribunal to resolve the dispute. Karnataka had proposed the construction of a check dam over the river Markandaya, which is flowing through Tamil Nadu as river Penniyar and also known as river Thenpennai. Tamil Nadu had, according to the Union minister, sought for the constitution of a Tribunal for adjudication of disputes over the water of river Penniyar. The minister also said in the Upper House that a negotiation committee was constituted on January 20, 2020 which was led by the Central Water Commission Chairman. Shekhawat said that the committee conducted two meetings, but there were no concrete results for the same. He said that hence the Central Water Commission has sought more details from the four states -- Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and union territory of Puducherry -- to furnish more information regarding the waters. The letters were sent to the four states, according to the minister, on March 16 and July 8 this year. MDMK leader Vaiko told IANS, "We have already raised the issue in Parliament and the Union Minister has responded that they are seeking more information from the four southern states and we are waiting for the reply of these states." Thiruvananthapuram, July 27 : The Kerala Assembly on Tuesday witnessed heated debate between the Congress-led Opposition and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on the continued lockdown in the state. Seeking leave for an adjournment motion to discuss the issue, veteran Indian Union Muslim League legislator P.K. Kunhalikutty blamed the Vijayan government for having failed to provide succour to the beleaguered Kerala society as the raging Covid pandemic continues unabated. "In the world, India has the maximum case and in it, Kerala leads the rest of the country. So what does it mean? Not long ago you (Left govt) claimed credit for containing and see what's the situation today, Kerala is on the verge of poverty. On one hand you are giving free kits and on the other hand you are levying fines on those who come out to go for their jobs. Kerala is in shambles. No one knows what sort of lockdown norms are being implemented, which is totally unscientific and this has to change as the economy has to move on," said Kunhalikutty. Kerala has the highest number of daily new Covid cases and also has the highest number of daily active cases. Vijayan, however, said he failed to understand why the opposition is so wary of the kits that are being given to the people. "The opposition has only one agenda and that is to let the state go anywhere and the opposition only wants to blame the government. Today, the situation in many states is that 80 per cent of the population have been affected with Covid, while in Kerala it's only 49 per cent. Likewise none should forget that it was Kerala which came first with the lockdown way back in February last year. Also all were surprised to hear the new Union Health Minister say that one million vaccine doses are lying unutilised. This is absolutely untrue and unfounded. Incidentally Kerala is one of the states which have taken up vaccination in full earnestness and we are now having hardly any vaccine stock left," said Vijayan. State Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal pointed out that the government has announced Rs 23,000 crore Covid package and that has helped the state. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Seoul, July 27 : South Korea and North Korea have restored their cross-border communication lines that had been severed for over a year, the presidential Blue House in Seoul announced on Tuesday. In a statement, the Blue House said that the two Koreas decided to resume their direct communication hotlines from 10 a.m. on Tuesday, reports Xinhua news agency. All of the communication lines had been severed since June last year after North Korea protested against Seoul's failure to stop civic activists from sending anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets. According to the statement, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have exchanged personal letters several times since April to communicate about issues on restoring inter-Korean relations. Moon and Kim agreed first to restore the severed inter-Korean communication lines, the statement noted. The two leaders also agreed to restore mutual trust and enhance ties as early as possible. Also reporting the news on Tuesday, Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the restoration of the communication liaison lines "will have positive effects on the improvement and development of the north-south relations". Meanwhile, South and North Korean military authorities reopened their military communication lines and put them back to normal operations from 10 a.m., the South Korean Defence Ministry said in a separate statement. Fixed-line phone calls through the fibre-optic cable and faxing to exchange documents are currently under a normal operation, the ministry noted. From Tuesday afternoon, the military authorities of the two Koreas planned to restart their regular phone calls twice a day at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The western military hotline across the inter-Korean border worked normally, but some technical problem was found in the eastern hotline, the Ministry said. It added that the restored hotline would substantially contribute to the defused military tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Lucknow, July 27 : Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has put the state on alert mode in view of the possible third wave of the pandemic. The government spokesman said on Tuesday that the government is sparing no efforts to expand all the healthcare facilities for children across the state and making fool proof arrangements including paediatric ICUs and Neonatal ICUs in every medical college and district hospital. More than 10,000 paediatric ICUs (PICU) have been established in the state. Considering fears that third wave will affect children more, paediatric ICUs have been increased to 6,522 in medical colleges across Uttar Pradesh. Besides, over 3,000 PICUs and isolation wards have been prepared in the other government hospitals. The government spokesman said that the chief minister has directed the health department to ensure there is no shortage of beds to treat children in any situation. He has also asked the health officials to ensure there should be no shortage of medical equipment in medical colleges and health department hospitals. There is adequate availability of all the necessary equipment including BiPAP machine, Paediatric ICUs and mobile X-ray machine. Adopting a multifaceted approach to nullify a probable third wave, the state government has urged people to stay cautious and not let the guard down by getting vaccination as soon as possible and strictly adopting the mantra of SMS - Social distancing, wearing masks, using sanitizers. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Beijing, July 27 : The virus strain behind the latest Covid-19 infection cluster in Nanjing, the capital city of China's Jiangsu province, has been identified as the highly infectious Delta variant, local authorities said on Tuesday. The recent spike in infections in Nanjing can be attributed to the special location of the outbreak and the highly contagious nature of the strain, Xinhua news agency quoted Ding Jie, vice director of the city's centre for disease control and prevention, as saying at a press conference. Nanjing, a mega-city with a population of more than 9.3 million, has witnessed single-day spikes of locally transmitted Covid-19 cases since a few airport workers tested positive for coronavirus last week. It has launched a second round of all-inclusive nucleic acid testing and urged residents not to leave the city unless necessary. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Kabul, July 27 : Afghan security forces have foiled a Taliban attack on the city of Taluqan city, the capital of Takhar province, and killed 28 militants, an official said on Tuesday. The Taliban militants, according to the official, were planning to storm Taluqan city from different directions but the ground troops backed by fighter planes targeted the militants, forcing them to retreat, reports Xinhua news agency. Besides the 28 victims, 17 Taliban militants were also injured. The Taliban is reportedly controls all the 16 districts' of Takhar province and have been fighting over the past one month to capture Taluqan city, 245 km north of Kabul. A number of Takhar residents have staged a sit-in in Kabul over the past one week, calling on the central government to send more troops to the province, fearing a total takeover by the Taliban. In another development, nine militants, including four foreigners, were confirmed dead after Afghan soldiers ambushed a group of Taliban fighters in Kuran-wo-Munjan district of the Badakhshan province on Tuesday. Taliban militants reportedly control of 19 out of 27 districts in Badakhshan province. Mumbai, July 27 : Businessman Raj Kundra -- the prime accused in a sensational porn films racket case -- has been remanded to judicial custody for two weeks till August 10, his lawyer Abad Ponda said here on Tuesday. Kundra -- husband of Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, was produced before a Mumbai court which declined the prosecution plea for extending his police custody by another seven days. Among other things, the prosecution informed that the court that it had come across an amount of Rs 1.13 crore belonging to Kundra's company in a private bank account which they wanted to probe further. Opposing the remand plea, Ponda argued that Kundra's custody is being sought in offences that are largely bailable barring two non-bailable charges. He said that there was nothing new for which the prosecution was seeking to extend his custody and reiterated that if the police had summoned him (Kundra) he would have cooperated. Ponda said that Kundra has applied for bail and his application will be taken up for hearing on Wednesday (July 28) before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court. Kundra has contended in his bail plea that he has been fully cooperating with the ongoing investigations and has already been in custody for long. In a major swoop, the Mumbai Police arrested Kundra on July 19 in the sensational case of producing and distributing pornographic content through mobile applications. Soon after arrest, he was remanded to police custody till July 23, which was extended till July 27, and now he has sent to judicial custody till August 10. The police have also raided Kundra's home in Juhu last Friday and recorded the statement of his wife Shilpa Shetty, besides summoning others, in the pornography case that first erupted in February and later international angles came to the fore. The Mumbai Police have appealed to other victims to come forward and give information about the illegal acts committed against them and said they have already recorded statements of two aggrieved women. Kundra has been charged with offences under various provisions of Indian Penal Code, IT Act and Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act. Gurugram, July 27 : Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday inaugurated South Korean automobile major Hyundai Motors' India headquarters in Gurugram. Hyundai Motors India Managing Director and CEO Seon Seob Kim was also present at the event. According to the company's statement Hyundai Motors India has invested over $4 billion in India and has 17 regional offices and 2,499 customer touchpoints across the country. According to Kim, the management is planning to appoint more officials by 2023. The corporate headquarters in Gurugram has a total built-up area of 2,800 square metres and nearly 364 employees work here. It is equipped with 14 electric vehicle (EV) charging points for the staff. The building is situated near the Delhi-Jaipur national highway at Sector-29 in Gurugram. The company also expressed its desire to set up a state-of-the-art facility in the state. The Chief Minister told the media that Haryana is a fast-growing state in the industrial sector and for setting up industries in the state, a single-window system has been created where all approvals can be easily obtained. "India is performing well in the ease-of-doing-business and the ease-of-living index and Haryana is considered the fastest in both these respects. Haryana is one of the favourite destinations for global investors," Khattar said, adding that Hyundai played a major role towards development in the automobile sector and overall progress in Gurugram. Speaking at the event, Kim said, "Gurugram in particular is one of India's prominent business and technology hubs. Major global corporations have their corporate fast-growing locations here in Gurugram. The building is equipped with all modern facilities." Amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic the company has also adopted all necessary measures to prevent the spread of the virus. Experts from the automobile sector said this is a big achievement for Haryana and Gurugram. This will give a huge boost to the automobile sector and will motivate multinational companies in other sectors to set up their headquarters and manufacturing plants in Gurugram. Along with this new employment opportunities will also be created here for the youth of the state. Samsung Electronics, POSCO, Doosan Heavy Industries are among the top Korean companies that are already present in Haryana. Vatican City, July 27 : A Vatican Cardinal, who was once a close adviser to Pope Francis, will face a trial over allegedly misusing Church funds in a London property venture, a media report said on Tuesday. The BBC report said that the 73-year-old Cardinal Angelo Becciu is the most senior cleric in modern times to face trial for alleged financial crimes. Although he denies any wrongdoing, Becciu has been "charged with spending 350 million euros ($412 million) of church money on a botched deal to buy a property in London's Chelsea that incurred huge losses", the report said. Besides the Cardinal, nine others are also accused of several other charges, including extortion, embezzlement and abuse of office. As reports of the fraud emerged, the Pope sacked the Cardinal last September. A two-year probe revealed that how the Vatican lost millions of euros, including donations from worshippers, after buying a prestigious former Harrods warehouse in Sloane Avenue, Chelsea, in 2014, the BBC report said. The Cardinal was formerly in charge of donations at the secretariat which handles Vatican funds. Meanwhile, the trial is expected to last for months. The two hearings scheduled for this week are likely to be adjourned until October. Chennai, July 27 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday brought the Chennai, Tiruvallur districts under Torrent Gas market map inaugurating 25 compressed natural gas (CNG) stations and one City Gate Station or mother station. Torrent Gas also announced an investment of about Rs 5,000 crore in Tamil Nadu in setting up the gas distribution infrastructure and other items. "Access to Compressed Natural Gas, which is a cheaper and cleaner alternative to petrol and diesel has been a felt need of the people of Tamil Nadu. Widespread availability of CNG and significant savings will encourage consumers to adopt it, thereby having a positive impact on the environment," Stalin said. "The domestic, commercial and industrial use of natural gas will spur further industrial development in the State," Stalin added while assuring the company of the state government's support to Torrent Gas in setting up its infrastructure. Torrent Gas has announced an aggressive price of Rs 51.35/Kg for CNG, in Chennai and Tiruvallur, which is the second lowest CNG price in the country after the NCR region. At this price, adoption of CNG as a fuel will help customers in Chennai save up to 66 per cent vis-a-vis petrol, 61 per cent vis-A -vis diesel and 42 per cent vis-a-vis automotive LPG. CNG prices are also much more stable as compared to those of petrol and diesel, which undergo frequent changes. According to Jinal Mehta, Director, Torrent Gas, the company aims to commission 50 CNG stations by this September and 100 by June 2022. Apart from the industrial and commercial segment, Torrent Gas plans to supply piped gas to the residential segment. Mehta said that in the next one year, the company is looking at providing 70,000 - 80,000 domestic connections and has also identified commercial, industrial and residential clusters. He said steel pipelines will be laid along the corners of the road. "Torrent Gas intends to make a total investment of Rs 5,000 crore in Tamil Nadu over the next five years towards the creation of CGD (city gas distribution) infrastructure including laying steel and PE pipelines to provide piped natural gas to domestic, industrial and commercial customers and setting up CNG stations," Mehta said. At a national level, Torrent Gas has already invested around Rs 1,900 crore and plans to invest around Rs 10,000 crore over the next five years, across the country. The company will be funding the capex with 70 per cent debt and 30 per cent equity by the group's holding company. Queried about electric vehicles eating into the CNG vehicle segment and in turn the company's business Mehta said electric vehicles will take some more time to come. Mehta also said the company is looking at acquisitions and has already acquired three companies. Lucknow, July 27 : The health condition of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and ex-governor of Rajasthan, Kalyan Singh, remains critical. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the hospital on Tuesday to see the veteran leader and spoke to doctors about his medical condition. According to the medical bulletin issued by the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) on Tuesday, Kalyan Singh has been on continuous dialysis. His clinical parameters are being closely monitored. He remains on life support system. "The senior faculty of CCM, Cardiology, Nephrology, Neurology and Endocrinology are keeping a close watch on all aspects related to his health," the bulletin said. Srinagar, July 27 : A 25-year-old youth shot at by unidentified assailants on Tuesday in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar city has succumbed to critical injuries in the hospital. The youth has been identified as Mehran Ali. Police said Mehran Ali, a body builder, shot at and critically injured by unidentified assailants in the Nawakadal area of old Srinagar city, has succumbed in the hospital. Police sources are attributing the murder of the civilian to some kind of a gang war. "Further investigation is, however, going on," police said. Bengaluru, July 27 : BJP Karnataka unit in-charge Arun Singh, accompanied by the state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel, arrived at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIAL) on Tuesday afternoon from New Delhi to oversee the legislature party meet scheduled to take place later on the day. After arriving in Bengaluru, Arun Singh said, the BJP will utilize the experience of and take guidance from B.S. Yediyurappa as he has contributed immensely to the party and has done good work in governance. "Yediyurappa has resigned and has done good work in the last two years. His guidance and experience has been utilized by the party earlier and it will be utilized in future also. The new chief minister will be elected in the state legislature party meeting as per the orders of the central party parliamentary board," he underlined. Singh reached Bengaluru ahead of Union Ministers, Dharmendra Pradhan and G. Kishan Reddy, the central observers for the selection of the next chief minister in the state. Nalin Kumar Kateel stated that the legislature party meeting has been convened on Tuesday evening and a decision will be made there. The legislature party meet is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. at a private hotel. Singh and Kateel are going to monitor the arrangements to organize the meeting and ensure smooth conduct of the proceedings. Pradhan and Reddy are expected to land in Bengaluru at 4 p.m. Meanwhile, former ministers Basavaraj Bommai and R. Ashok have said that it will take another two or three days to make an announcement of the new chief minister candidate. "Today the opinion of legislators will be collected and it will be conveyed to the high command. Then, the high command will announce the name," Ashok said. Basavaraj Bommai said that there is a procedure in the party to select the new chief minister. Firstly, it will be discussed in the legislature party meeting. Then the core committee will finalise and send a name to the Centre. That, in turn, will be discussed in the core committee and then the parliamentary board will take a call on that, he added. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Bengaluru, July 27 : The BJP high command is likely to announce the new candidate for the post of the chief minister of Karnataka after the legislature party meeting on Tuesday, sources said. They further stated that the Raj Bhavan has communicated to the Chief Secretary office to get things ready for the swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday. It is expected that the new Chief Minister will take oath on Wednesday and the cabinet will be formed after a while. Sources said, the names of former chief minister Jagadish Shettar and BJP MLA Aravind Bellad are doing the rounds in the party circles. Both, hailing from the Lingayat community are known for their flexibility and soft approach. Sources explained that the party high command is in no mood to waste any time in the process of announcing a new chief minister. Earlier, Karnataka unit in-charge Arun Singh, accompanied by the state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel, arrived at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIAL) on Tuesday afternoon from New Delhi to oversee the legislature party meet scheduled to take place later on the day. After arriving in Bengaluru, Arun Singh said, the BJP will utilize the experience of and take guidance from B.S. Yediyurappa as he has contributed immensely to the party and has done good work in governance. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed Beijing, July 27 : Social messaging app WeChat said on Tuesday it has temporarily suspended registration of new users in China, as the regulators in the country comes down heavily on the internet firms. In a post on social media, Tencent-owned WeChat (known as Weixin in China) said that the temporarily suspension is "according to relevant laws and regulations." "In the meantime, the registration of new WeChat personal accounts and public accounts will be temporarily suspended," the platform posted. "Registration services will be restored after the upgrade is complete, which is expected in early August," it added. The development comes "comes amid a widening crackdown on technology and now education companies by Chinese regulators that has spooked investors," reports CNN. Earlier this month, China's Cyberspace Administration suspended the registration of new users from ride-hailing app Didi. Last month, US President Joe Biden revoked and replaced executive orders targeting TikTok, WeChat and eight other software applications signed by his predecessor President Donald Trump. The new order signed by Biden directed the US Commerce Department to instead evaluate software applications connected with "foreign adversaries" under recent US supply-chain security rules "and take action, as appropriate", according to the White House. Citing national security concerns, Trump had sought to block new users from downloading TikTok and WeChat in the US, but his orders were blocked in federal district courts and never took effect. Beijing, July 27 : Authorities in Nanjing, capital of China's Jiangsu Province, on Tuesday ordered the tightening of restrictive measures in the wake of the recent spike in Covid-19 infections. Among the measures, all retail pharmacies in the city suspended selling antipyretic, cough, antiviral and antibiotic medicine to citizens, according to the municipal epidemic prevention and control headquarters. The city's major hospitals, excluding emergency departments and fever clinics, were urged to implement appointment registration, while closed venues and offline training services also suspended business, reports Xinhua news agency. Nanjing, a mega-city with a population of more than 9.3 million, has added more than 100 locally transmitted Covid-19 cases since a few airport workers tested positive for coronavirus last week. So far, the virus cluster in Nanjing has involved airport workers and their contacts, but new infections were also reported among flight passengers in other parts of China who have visited the city's airport. The city of Nanjing has launched its second all-inclusive nucleic acid testing campaign and urged residents not to leave the city unless necessary. On Tuesday, 11 villages and residential compounds in Nanjing were added to the list of medium-risk areas for Covid-19. The city now has four high-risk areas and 36 medium-risk areas. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Bulandshahr : , July 27 (IANS) Shikhar Agarwal, state general secretary of the Nishad Party and also one of the main accused in 2018 Bulandshahr violence, has been booked for allegedly instigating a group of people to kill the man who had shot dead dacoit-turned-politician Phoolan Devi in 2001. The case was filed on Monday after a video, purportedly showing Agarwal and a few others taking an oath to kill Sher Singh Rana, was shared on social media platforms. The alleged event took place in the Parauli village, Shikarpur in Bulandshahr on the 20th death anniversary of Phoolan Devi on Sunday. Bulandshahr Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Santosh Kumar Singh said, "We have filed an FIR against two persons, including Shikhar Agarwal, for disturbing peace and promoting hatred among different communities and efforts are on to arrest them." Agarwal, meanwhile, said, "My statement was taken out of context. I did not say 'we will kill Rana'. What we meant was that he (Rana) should be hanged after the due process of law. But now police are targeting me and my family for following the ideals of Phoolan Devi." The FIR filed after the event says, "It came to our notice through a video uploaded on social media that the death anniversary of former MP Phoolan Devi was being observed in the house of one Naresh Kashyap in Parauli village. The video shows Bulandshahr violence accused, Shikhar Agarwal, instigating people by raising hateful and vengeful slogans to kill Sher Singh Rana." Both Naresh Kashyap and Shikhar Agarwal have been booked under IPC section 505-2 (statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes)." Agarwal is one of the main accused in the 2018 Bulandshahr violence case in which police inspector Subodh Singh was killed by mob during a protest against alleged cow slaughter. Samajwadi Party MP Phoolan Devi was shot dead on July 25, 2001, outside her official residence in Delhi allegedly by Sher Singh Rana. Thirteen years later in 2014, Rana was sentenced to life imprisonment. Delhi high court granted him bail in October 2016. New Delhi, July 27 : Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Congress of not allowing the Parliament to function, the grand old party hit back saying it is not interested in a meaningful debate and it has yet to accept its demand for discussion and Supreme Court monitored probe into alleged Pegasus project issue. Addressing the media outside Parliament, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjuna Kharge along with several opposition leaders, said, "Yesterday also I said the same thing and today all the opposition members raised the issue of Pegasus and the farmers in Parliament. But the government is not ready to discuss these issues." Kharge said that the opposition wants issues to be discussed and "a Supreme Court monitored enquiry should be ordered so that the truth comes out". He said that in the other countries like France, Israel, Germany and Hungary, a probe has been ordered. "I am surprised why the government is not ready for an enquiry over the same," he said. His remarks came after Prime Minister Modi during the BJP's Parliamentary Party meeting here on Tuesday hit out at the Congress for not allowing Parliament to function properly and causing repeated disruptions in both Houses. Sources said, "The Prime Minister told the party MPs that the Congress party is deliberately disturbing the parliament. They are neither interested in debate nor are allowing the parliament to function smoothly." Slamming the government, Congress Rajya Sabha member Anand Sharma said, "The Leader of Opposition and leaders of other parties have spoken. One thing is clear that the deadlock in Parliament is squarely at the door of the government. The Government is not interested in meaningful discussion and debate." "This government does not believe in accountability to the people of India through Parliament," he alleged. Targeting the government, the Rajya Sabha member said, "Parliament is not convened only for the legislative agenda of government but it is meant to raise issues of national importance. Government is misleading the country by saying that they are ready to talk to the Opposition." Sharma said, "Government has to accept our demand for discussion and Supreme Court monitored probe (into 'Pegasus Project' report)." He said that we are doing our duty to prevent government from converting democracy into surveillance state. "Government doesn't want to give answers. We have no option but to continue to agitate," Sharma added. The snooping issue triggered a stormy start to the Monsoon Session after a global collaborative investigative project revealed that Israeli company NSO Groups' Pegasus spyware targeted over 300 mobile phone numbers in India including that of two ministers in the Narendra Modi government, three Opposition leaders, constitutional authority, several journalists and business persons. It snowballed last Tuesday after it came to the fore that in July 2019, phone numbers of Karnataka's then deputy chief minister G. Parameshwara and the personal secretaries of then chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and former chief minister Siddaramaiah, were selected as possible targets for surveillance. Chennai, July 27 : The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR&CE) department of the Tamil Nadu government has started retrieving encroached temple land. The department has, according to the Minister for HR&CE, P.K. Sekar Babu, retrieved around Rs 600 crore worth temple land and has targeted to retrieve land worth Rs 10,000 crore in the near future. A division bench of the Madras High Court had on June 9, 2021 while hearing a petition on encroached temple land asked the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department about the status of 47,000 acres of temple land that was not seen in the records. The division bench of Justices N. Kirubakaran and T.V. Thamilselvi had called for an explanation from the state government on the status of 47000 acres of temple land missing from government records. The court asked the state government pleader, Richard Wilson how there is a discrepancy in the temple land since the policy note of 1984-85 states that there were 5.25 lakh acres of temple land while a note of 2019- 20 shows that there are only 4.78 lakh acres. This shows that there is a difference of 47000 acres of temple land. The court also directed the HR&CE department to submit information in court regarding the specific details and survey numbers of the land mentioned in the policy note of 1984-85 and that in the policy note of 2019-20. After the stringent observation of the division bench of the Madras High Court, the HR&CE department commenced retrieving temple land from encroachers and illegal occupants. Sekar Babu said that the government has taken steps to retrieve the entire land of Ekambareswar temple at Kancheepuram. The land is located at the Poonamalle High Road at Kilpauk. The minister said that 45 grounds of land have already been retrieved of the total 140 grounds of land. 95 ground property of the Ekambareswar temple is yet to be retrieved, which according to the minister would be done soon. The value of the 45 grounds of retrieved land according to the HR&CE department would be around Rs 160 crore while that of the 95 acres is around Rs 450 crores. On Monday the department has razed a 1970 square feet property constructed illegally on the encroached land of the Ekambareswar temple. Three shops were also in the razed building, according to Sekar Babu. The minister told IANS, "We have already retrieved 600 crore worth of temple land across the state and it's a very small volume of the land to be retrieved. However, the government is keen to retrieve all the missing or encroached properties of temples across the state." He added, "We are planning to retrieve Rs 10,000 crore temple land in the near future and the state government under Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin is in the process of retrieving each inch of lost Temple land and all the encroached temple land would be retrieved and handed over to the respective temples". The government is also taking action based on online complaints as well as registered complaints and Public interest Litigations on the encroached temple lands across the state. Ramesh Krishnaswamy, director, Action and Course, an NGO based out of Tirunelveli and working for the retrieval of temple land while speaking to IANS said, "Taking possession of encroached temple land is a herculean task and most of the men who have encroached on the temple land are connected to the major political parties of the state. However the stringent intervention of the Madras High Court on the 47000-acre land has led to government taking action to retrieve temple land." Mumbai, July 27 : On a day when businessman Raj Kundra, who stands accused in a pornography case, was sent to 14-day judicial custody by a Mumbai court, former "Bigg Boss" contestant Sofia Hayat said on Tuesday that it is not uncommon for Bollywood aspirants to be tricked into shooting for pornographic films by unscurpulous businessmen. "A casting agent once said to me that there was an intimate scene and I have to show the director how well I can act for it," recalled Hayat, who had entered "Bigg Boss 7" as a wild card entry. "I knew this was a trick because professionals would never ask any artiste to perform such a scene. I have done two love scenes in my career, and although I am not inhibited about such scenes, it was a closed set and nobody had asked me to perform the scenes before the shoot," she said. Bollywood aspirants, Hayat said, should beware of such propositions. She added that pornography desensitised people from love and spoke in favour of it being treated by the courts on a par with rape. "It switches people off love and only allows lust. Anyone selling porn is an enemy to the energy of love," Hayat said. Some of her professional work, she added, was screen-recorded and uploaded to apps like the one that is being investigated for Kundra's alleged links with it. "Pornography is a violation of the rights of a woman and courts must treat it like rape," Hayat said. She also pointed out that a number of businessmen took advantage of young women in the film industry. Their only motivation is money -- and what they did to women was the equivalent of rape, she said. New Delhi, July 27 : Artist and producer Sona Mohapatra made her debut appearance on the iconic Times Square billboard in New York on Monday. She is one of the first independent musicians to be given this place as a pop-culture milestone. Sona said: "To be woken up in the middle of the night to see photographs of my face on a billboard covering a skyscraper in one of my favourite cities New York was a surreal feeling. To be one of the first independent musicians to be given this place is a pop culture milestone because it paves the way for artistic expression of various hues and colours free from cookie-cutter formulas in musical mainstream success." Sona appeared on Times Square billboard as part of the Spotify 'EQUAL' global campaign leading the Indian leg. Her single track 'Aise Na They' is being featured on the 'EQUAL' playlist for the entire month. The soundtrack for 'Aise Na They' has been composed by Ram Sampath with lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya and distributed by Paris-based music distribution and marketing service Believe. The song's narrative revolves around a relationship that has lost its fizz, but a sense of optimism is infused in the track through the lovely sound of the hills with pop rock blended with ethereal flutes and tingling mandolins. She said: "I have been consistently releasing original music for many years, have fought many battles for IP & residuals for artists and it has been exhilarating, exhausting too but now, with my indie label Omgrown Music partnering with a global name like Believe, I truly feel optimistic about the future of the music scene in India and more so for other independent voices like mine. She added: "To celebrate this achievement, I am dropping a single 'Ek Din - Manhattan Memories', a heartbreak love song which would be a perfect companion for a long highway drive or a dance party." Talking about the emergence of independent music in the pandemic, she said: "We are slowly coming out of a very tough time together as a society but this phase in India has been the very best for independent music releases without the big banyan tree of Bollywood taking away all the media and audience attention with its big promotional budgets." She added: "This billboard is a validation of that constant hustle of never giving up on the power of music and self-belief. My allies have stood by me through thick and thin and I am grateful for their belief." For the global campaign, Sona has been joined alongside other female global artists such as Meryl (France), Bowklylion (Thailand), Nadin Amizah (Indonesia) and Anikv (Russia). Launched globally earlier this year to celebrate female talent across the world, the campaign aims to put the spotlight on women in music across the world. The initiative features specially curated playlists across 50 countries. Vivek Raina, MD, Believe India said: "This is a great initiative by Spotify and we are proud to collaborate with Sona Mohapatra. Her new song is a celebration of love which is soulful, a pop-rock romantic track which will surely enthrall her fans." Mumbai, July 27 : Kunal Jaisingh, who was last seen playing a negative character on the show 'Kyun Utthe Dil Chhod Aaye', says it is important for actors to look good and stay fit. He says: "It is important to look good and stay fit for an actor to have ample work in their kitty. Acting brings in such responsibility, apart from your skills you need to win hearts and impress the audience with your looks too." Kunal says experimenting with looks helps in not getting boxed and this is the reason why he keeps exploring new looks with different hairstyles and beard. The actor adds: "It is fun for me to experiment with my looks by changing hairstyles to flaunting beards in different styles. I always enjoy it." "With a new look an actor gets assured that he will not be offered similar kinds of roles. Every time with the new look you can step in auditioning for a new character." For Kunal, fitness is of utmost importance. The 31-year-old actor shared: "I didn't spend long hours in the gym. I workout for a limited time so that I can stay in good shape. Apart from that I enjoy going for a walk and practicing yoga." Kunal, who started his career with 'Mann Kee Awaaz Pratigya', says it is important to remain fit as certain times there are long working hours and you have to be active all the time. He said: "An actor needs to stay fit because you never know how long you need to shoot or what the track demands, fight or dance. A fit actor can be active and perform anytime." Silchar : /Aizawl, July 27 (IANS) As the Assam-Mizoram border row turned violent on Monday with a spate of clashes and five Assam Police personnel being shot dead, Union Home Minister Amit Shah talked over phone with both the Chief Ministers and urged them to maintain peace and protect the people. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who on Tuesday rushed to the border area, said that to protect the state's reserve forest, his government would soon move the Supreme Court and deploy three commando battalions, comprising 4,000 personnel, along the inter-state border. He said Assam would, at any cost, protect its territory and the reserve forest along the Mizoram border for the sake of the future generations. Paying tributes to five killed policemen, he announced a government job and Rs 50 lakh as compensation to their next of kin and Rs one lakh for the 42 policemen and civilians injured in the border firing and clashes. Sarmaa said said that Shah's instructions, Union Home Secretary Alok Bhalla would meet the Chief Secretaries of both states. Referring to Monday's firing from the other side, Sarma urged his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga to probe how a section of the civilians are carrying and using sophisticated arms. "If the civilians of Mizoram carry sophisticated arms and ammunition, it would not only be very harmful for Assam but would be dangerous for Mizoram as well." He also assured that his government would provide security to the Mizo people, traders and students in Assam. "We would not encroach an inch of land of Mizoram and we would die but would not allow them to take over an inch of our territory as well," the emotional Chief Minister told the media after holding a series of meetings with officials. Sarma said that the Union Home Minister, during his meeting with all the eight Chief Ministers of the northeastern states on Saturday in Shillong, had announced that the inter-state border disputes would be resolved before India celebrates 75 years of Independence next year. Citing satellite imagery, he said that it is evident from many documents and evidence that reserve forest lands of Assam are occupied by Mizo people, who destroy the forest resources. "It might be that some people in Mizoram are annoyed after the Assam government curtailed the drugs trading chain from Myanmar to other parts of India via Mizoram and Assam," he claimed. An Assam government statement said that there was unprovoked firing from the Mizoram side as its senior state officials, led by an Inspector General of Police, had requested Mizoram Police and officials to dismantle unauthorised constructions on the Assam side, leading to the death of five policemen, including a sub-inspector, and injuries to many other security personnel. "The Assam officials suddenly were surrounded and attacked by a mob of miscreants, brandishing weapons and wearing helmets, from the Mizoram side and that was visibly supported by the Mizoram Police. "While the mob pelted stones on the Assam officials and destroyed three vehicles including the Deputy Commissioner's car, the Mizoram Police simultaneously fired tear gas shells on the delegation. The IGP was injured in this barrage. "Horrifically, even while SP, Kolasib district (of Mizoram) was in talks with the Assam officers, the Mizoram Police opened fire on the Assam officials and civilians, who had by then gathered there, from two dominating high features with automatic weapons including Light Machine Guns. "The Assam Police and officials have shown remarkable restraint in the face of an unimaginably horrific attack on them that is borne out by the fact that there are no casualties on the Mizoram side...," the statement said. On the other hand, Mizoram Home Minister Lalchamliana said that around armed 200 Assam Police personnel, led by an IGP, and accompanied by Cachar Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police, and Divisional Forest Officer, on Monday came to the Vairengte auto-rickshaw stand, forcibly crossed the post manned by CRPF personnel, and overran a duty post manned by the Mizoram Police personnel. He also claimed the Assam Police also damaged several vehicles travelling along the National Highway between Vairengte and Lailapur. "The confrontation continued and a volley of tear gas canisters and grenades were launched at Mizoram Police followed by firing from the Assam side. "Mizoram Police responded spontaneously by firing back at Assam Police in spite of the fact that SP, Kolasib District was still inside CRPF duty camp negotiating with the Assam Police authorities," Lalchamliana said in a statement. The Mizoram Government "strongly condemns the unjustified act of the Government of Assam in this intrusion and aggression into the territory of Mizoram", it said. According to Assam Police, since October last year, several inter-state border skirmishes have taken place along the 164.6 km border in which one man was killed, and over 50 people injured, besides large scale damage caused to properties, including government-run schools, shops and houses along the border. The Assam Chief Minister had claimed that 1,777 hectares of forest land in the three districts bordering Mizoram have been encroached by Mizos, but Mizoram Chief Secretary Lalnunmawia Chuaungo dismissed it, saying that these lands had been with residents of Mizoram's border villages for over 100 years, and hence, there is no question of encroachment. Lalchamliana had also alleged that crops of Mizo farmers had been destroyed at Buarchep in Kolasib by the Assam Police earlier this month and demanded compensation. The Assam-Mizoram border troubles were controlled last year following the intervention of the Union Home Minister, top Home Ministry officials, and Chief Ministers of both states and then the central paramilitary troops were deployed along the border to prevent fresh troubles. But since June 29, the troubles along the borders have resumed after the two states accused each other of encroachment at Aitlang hnar near Mizoram's Vairengte, which borders Assam's Hailakandi district. Tension further shot up when Assam officials reportedly destroyed some plantations at Buarchep on July 10 during eviction, while claiming that the people from Mizoram encroached more than six km into its territory. Assam shares borders with six other northeastern states and has boundary disputes with four - Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya besides Mizoram. Following clashes, Central para-military forces had been deployed on the borders. New Delhi, July 27 : Fashion designer Anita Dongre's latest ensemble of outfits celebrates the rural communities and craft traditions of the Kutch region of India. Craft villages hold a sense of magic, believes the designer... women in doorways singing over embroidery, men by deep pools of indigo holding secrets passed down over generations, children studying under the shade of a clacking loom under their mother's watchful eyes. Every season has a reason to rejoice -- a crop harvest, a local deity, and yet the biggest victory in these villages are time's whispers of crafts, handed down generation after generation across marauding empires, through the tune of freedom and bursting into a world of progress. Life changes but these traditions hold the truths of a world that is sustainable, and built on community, the designer states. 'Crafts Of India -- An ode to Bhuj' is a hark back at royal legacies from a millennium ago, bringing together handwoven fabrics, rich embroideries and intricate fabric patterns like dyeing from individual regions. The line features Bandhini, Ajrak and Block Printing -- crafts from the Kutch region of India. "It's been an absolute joy for my team and I to create this special collection along with the artisans of Bhuj. Their craft and these pieces are truly timeless and I hope everyone who buys them enjoys wearing them equally, and pass them down as heirloom pieces just like our grandparents did," Dongre concludes. (Puja Gupta can be contacted at puja.g@ians.in) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Baghpat : , July 27 (IANS) Ten policemen in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat have been relieved of their duties after a 22-year-old man - the son of a local RSS leader -- allegedly ended his life by hanging when his mother was roughed up and their house ransacked by police, following a brawl at a Covid vaccination camp in the district, officials said on Tuesday. Superintendent of Police, Baghpat, Abhishek Singh said 10 policemen of Binauli police station have been relieved of their duties and attached to police lines. Akshay, a son of a local RSS leader, had taken his mother to a vaccination centre, set up by the Health Department in a primary school in Ranchhad village, to get her vaccinated against Covid on Monday. He wanted to get her the jab first instead of standing in queue, and cited her age as the reason. This led to an altercation with police and one of the policemen allegedly slapped Akshay and got into a scuffle. Later, policemen raided the family's house and broke chairs and a window of the car and also vandalised a tractor, the family claimed. When the women of the house protested, they were insulted. Akshay's mother Madhu, her sister-in-law Kamlesh and Dharamveer Singh of the village were taken into custody and brought to the police station. A case was also filed against Akshay. Upset over this, Akshay allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself, the family said. After the news of the suicide reached the villagers, they held a demonstration demanding that a case be lodged against policemen. It was only after senior police officials pacified them that they allowed police to take the body for post-mortem on Tuesday morning. A case was filed against five policemen, including police station in-charge Chandrakant Pandey, SSI Udham Singh Talan, head constable Salim and constables, Ashwani and Murli, under Section 306 (abetment of suicide) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, police said. The SP said Akshay had assaulted the police personnel due to which there was chaos in the camp. A report was also filed against Akshay at the Binauli police station for obstructing government work as well as for assault. Policemen in large numbers have been deployed in the village to maintain law and order. New Delhi, July 27 : Taking care of your child's emotional growth has never been more important than it is today, owing to the pandemic. There are numerous tools readily available and easy to teach so kids can learn and practice affirmations. Affirmations are positive statements that are encouraging and motivational. Kids can receive positive affirmations from others, like their parents or teachers, and they can learn to use them when they talk to themselves or think about things. Inspired by her one-year-old son, Mumbai-based momtrepreneur, Amrita Aswani, a long-term practitioner of positive affirmations and Founder of Summer Stories, recently released her first book called 'A to Z Affirmation & Wellness book for kids'. She speaks to us about how creating a healthy habit of positive self-talk and using affirmations on a daily basis can empower your child, and boost their self-confidence. Building Self Confidence As important as it is for parents to encourage, support and love their children, it is equally important for children to learn to create these feelings within themselves. Children learn their behaviour from their environment, and the rewiring of their brains from various experiences in life. Affirmations are an effective tool to keep them in a positive direction and directly help them with their inner self-confidence. Breaking Societal Patterns Bullying is one major factor which plays an important role in forming negative beliefs from the outside world. For example if a child is bullied and hears things like 'You are good for nothing' or 'You are a loser', he might start believing in those things. But if at home he is using positive affirmations like I am worthy, I am secured then it can definitely help in his overall confidence. We all have our moments of self doubts and fears and that's okay. The problem is when we keep repeating these statements and it becomes a part of our beliefs. Processing Emotions Kids who have a more positive outlook are generally happier and better equipped to handle stress. Affirmations not only boost self-esteem and promote a growth mindset, but they also help combat intrusive negative thoughts. If your child is prone to negative thinking, never fear! We can train our brains to think more positively. Power of Repetitiveness Children need to hear over and over again what makes them unique. They are now competing against a world where social media and media in general is sending them the message that they aren't good enough, so it's important they learn to be their own cheerleaders. Inculcating the habit of Journaling The book that I have written is more of a personal journal for every kid. Journaling is a great way to know how you are feeling and what you are thinking. I am sure there are many parents out there who want to teach their kids how to think positively and believe in their capabilities. (Puja Gupta can be contacted at puja.g@ians.in) Chennai, July 27 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin is apparently trying to woo the AIADMK alliance partner, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) by issuing a government order of 10.5 per cent reservation for the Vanniyar community. The PMK is the political arm of the Vanniyar community. The DMK government had on Monday issued the Order regarding the 10.5 per cent reservation for the Vanniyar community within the Most Backward Castes (MBC) with retrospective effect as on February 26. The previous AIADMK government had passed the Act in February 2021 and the Government order also stated that the special reservation within the MBC quota would be applicable to all educational programmes including professional courses from this academic year. PMK leader Dr S. Ramadoss thanked the chief minister profusely after the order was issued with retrospective effect. There were several issues within the AIADMK over the political alliance with the PMK and the Act regarding the 10.5 per cent reservation for Vanniyar community. Several AIADMK leaders including O. Panneerselvam had come out against the reservation for Vanniyars within the MBC quota and had stated that this was the one reason which led to other communities moving away from the AIADMK in the 2021 elections. "Stalin, being a shrewd politician knows that the PMK with which the DMK had an alliance earlier, will help the party get a large number of votes in northern Tamil Nadu including Arkonam area which is the stronghold of the PMK", says an observer. While these are early days to predict a possible coming together, political observers are of the view that in the long run, PMK may not shy away from such an alliance. The PMK is also not happy over the BJP central leadership not considering party youth wing leader Anbumani Ramadoss for the post of Union minister in the recent cabinet reshuffle of the Modi government. This coupled with the internal bickering within the AIADMK with O. Panneerselvam and Edappadi K. Palaniswami not in good terms with each other may prompt the PMK search greener pastures and Stalin knows that there is a possibility of the Vanniyar switching stands, say political observers. C. Rajeev, Director of Centre For Policy and Development Studies, a think tank based out of Chennai told IANS, "The DMK government issuing a G.O. with retrospective effect regarding the 10.5 per cent reservation for Vanniyar community is not an immediate trigger for PMK switching over to the DMK fold, but it is indeed a possibility in future. Stalin knows clearly that there are issues in the AIADMK front ever since the party and the front lost power." He adds, "Anbumani Ramadoss not being given a berth in the Narendra Modi government has not been taken well by the party and coupled with the bickerings in the AIADMK and the DMK extending the olive branch over passing the G.O. on Vanniyar reservation, may give the PMK the necessary ammunition to leave the AIADMK front." Sources in the party however told IANS that there will be no immediate development, but there could be possibilities of alliance partners switching sides in the future. Amaravati, July 27 : Andhra Pradesh Industries Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy on Tuesday said, two multi-modal logistics parks will be set up in the state. The logistics parks are expected to come up in about 100 acres of land near Krishnapatnam and Kakinada ports. The industries department is looking at PPP route to build the parks in Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) lands. Reddy reviewed the progress on Tuesday along with senior officials at the secretariat and stated that a special logistics policy will be issued for the year 2021 soon. The minister said the government is currently working on the logistics policy, taking into consideration the policies of Singapore-like countries. "On the lines of ease of doing business, we will work out ease of doing logistics," Reddy noted. As part of creating an authority at the Central level, the minister said orders have already been given to make the chief secretary as the chairman for SLCC. He noted that for logistics to thrive, freight carriers are crucial for minor and major ports, cold storages and warehouses. Similarly, the department is also considering building truck parking bays in five acres of land parcels near state highways and national highways. These parking bays are expected to be equipped with refuelling stations, parking slots, dhabas (F&B outlets) and drivers resting rooms. Meanwhile, industries department director informed the major problems being faced by businessmen and manufacturers. Likewise, there were also proposals to set up an integrated command control centre. The industries ministry is also working towards raising the capacity of goods transportation from the ports, including raising it to 70 per cent from 50 per cent by 2026 at non-major ports. Reddy inquired about the progress made on the plans to set up the petroleum complex with officials who returned from Delhi recently. Considering the recent shuffling of ministers at the Centre, Reddy is expected to visit Delhi again to meet them. New Delhi, July 27 : The Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) at Madras, Roorkee and Ropar have partnered with the government job preparation platform Testbook.com, for its 360-degree job preparation programme. The ed-tech platform's skilled campus programme is designed to equip colleges and universities to efficiently prepare their students for the most in-demand jobs. Testbook intends to make examination preparation for public sector jobs into a tech-driven and automated system. The company has recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with top educational institutions across the country to impart professional skills training for securing high-paying jobs. More than 50 colleges, including IITs and NIT Jamshedpur, are using the programme to prepare their students for placements and jobs. "We are excited to introduce Testbook's unique 360-degree skilled campus programme that is specially designed for students for their professional skill development and training. Intending to make India more tech-driven, we are focusing on reaching out to as many educational institutes in the country. Through this, over 80,000 students have benefited till now," said Ashutosh Kumar, Founder and CEO, Testbook.com, in a statement. For job preparation, the company has also partnered with big giants and invites industry experts from top companies like Google, Amazon, Adobe, Oracle, Microsoft, and many more to engage with students and share the latest industry insights to guide them with a clear roadmap for a job. "Testbook ensures that the aptitude tests provided are up to the standards of the students at the institute and provide a plethora of study material for students to prepare from. Most importantly, they provide a detailed analysis of the performance on an individual basis as well as an institute level which allows students to target achieving new heights with each attempt," said Pranjal Jain - UG Placement Head, IIT Madras. Testbook also provides "Testbook Pass" to help students prepare for public and as well as private-sector jobs for campus placements and recruitments exams across engineering, civil services, banking and insurance, railways, defence, teaching etc. Bengaluru, July 27 : Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Kishen Reddy, named as observers by BJP high command at the legislature party meeting in Bengaluru on Tuesday to elect the B.S. Yediyurappa's successor as Karnataka Chief Minister, have reached the state. They were accompanied by BJP's national General Secretary, and former Karnataka minister, C.T. Ravi. Top state party leaders including former Deputy Chief Minister Ashwath Narayan, former ministers Bhyrathi Basavaraj, S.T. Somashekar, R. Ashok and others welcomed the observers at the the KempeGowda International Airport. Pradhan and Reddy proceeded directly to the party headquarters from the airport. After holding a discussion with state in-charge Arun Singh and state unit President Nalin Kumar Kateel, they will head straight towards the private hotel where the legislature party meeting is scheduled to be held at 7 p.m.. They are also likely to meet Yediyurappa and discuss the issue of selection of a new Chief Minister. Sources said that the observers will also take Yediurappa's suggestion on the new cabinet before the legislature party meeting. Meanwhile, Arun Singh, who reached the party headquarters in Bengaluru earlier, reiterated that the new leader will be elected in the legislature party meeting chaired by the Central observers. New Delhi, July 27 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is all set to launch a probe into the alleged financial dealings of Raj Kundra, the businessman husband of Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty, who has been arrested by the Mumbai police as the prime accused in a pornographic films racket case. According to senior ED officials familiar with the development, the financial probe agency has sought the copy of the FIR from the Mumbai Crime Branch. An official of the ED said that the agency has also sought the details of the banking transactions of Kundra related to Hotshots and BollyFame. The official said that before filing a case, the ED will also check financial transactions in other countries into the bank accounts of Kundra. Earlier in the day, Kundra was sent to judicial custody till August 10 by a Mumbai court. In a major swoop, the Mumbai Police arrested Kundra on July 19 for his alleged role in a sensational case of producing and distributing pornographic content through mobile applications. Soon after his arrest, Kundra was remanded to police custody till July 23, which was extended till July 27. The police also raided Kundra's home in Juhu last Friday and recorded the statement of Shilpa Shetty, besides summoning others. The pornography case first surfaced in February this year. Kundra has been charged with offences under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, IT Act and Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Bengaluru, July 27 : BJP's Karnataka state in-charge Arun Singh, along with state party chief Nalin Kumar Kateel, reached the residence of outgoing Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Tuesday to hold discussions regarding the selection of his successor. Sources said that the party leaders are also going to discuss the directions of the high command with him. Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, and G. Kishen Reddy, who have been named observers for the legislature party meeting on Tuesday evening, and national General Secretary C.T. Ravi are also expected to join them. Party insiders say that the party is trying to convey the message that Yediyurappa is not sidelined or ignored after his resignation. The leaders are expected to get Yediyurappa to announce the name of the new Chief Minister in the legislature party meeting. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, July 27 : Amid logjam in Parliament over the snooping row and farmers protests, seven opposition parties on Tuesday wrote to the President of India Ram Nath Kovind to intervene. While Congress and the TMC are not signatories to the letter, seven opposition parties which include Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), NCP, BSP among others have sought time from the President to meet. The parties urged the President to intervene to uphold the dignity of the Constitution of India and parliamentary rules and procedures. NCP's Supriya Sule said, "the parties have urged the President to direct the government to discuss Pegasus issue and farm laws in Parliament." These parties want that the President should direct the government to take up Pegasus issue and farm laws for discussion. Amid din, the government on Tuesday managed to pass the Marine Aids to Navigation Bill, 2021 in the Rajya Sabha, but there were multiple adjournments and House could not function, fourth day in a row. The opposition parties led by the Congress held press conference and deputy leader in the Upper House Anand Sharma said, "One thing is very clear, the blame of the deadlock in Parliament lies squarely at the door of the Government. Government is not interested in a meaningful discussion and debate. This Government does not believe in its accountability to the people of India through the Parliament." "Opposition is being blacked out inside the house, so through the media, we want to tell our people, we shall continue this fight. The government is obdurate as it is, we will force them, as in a democratic set up it is done, to come and debate, if government has nothing to hide, let them start the debate today itself, the opposition is ready." he said New Delhi, July 27 : Oil and gas and metals company Vedanta plans major expansion at Bharat Aluminium Company's (Balco) smelter capacity which will involve an investment of Rs 6,611 crore over the next 18-24 months. This would be first major investment after a long gap by Vendanta in the entity it acquired by purchasing majority government shareholding nearly two decades back. As part of the expansion, Balco's smelter capacity will increase by 414 KTPA, taking its total capacity to close to 1 million tonnes. With this fresh investment, Balco's value-added products portfolio will increase to 92 per cent. In addition, the carbon plant adequacy business at Jharsuguda (Odisha) will set up a new carbon facility at a cost of Rs 635 crore. "Balco's expansion is a very important project for us. We hope to ramp up the smelter capacity over the next 18-24 months. Post this expansion, Vedanta's aluminium capacity will increase to 2.8 million tonnes," Vedanta's Group CEO Sunil Duggal said. In February this year, Vedanta's Board of Directors had approved the expansion of Lanjigarh Alumina Refinery (Odisha) to 5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) from the present level of 2 mtpa at a cost of Rs 3,780 crore. Completion of this project will place the refinery as one of the world's largest single-location alumina refinery complex. Vedanta's aluminium business posted a strong momentum during the first quarter of FY2021-22 with highest-ever production of 549 KT, and margin of 36 per cent. The company has recently been awarded the Kuraloi (A) North coal block in Jharsuguda, which will be an optimal fit for its smelter unit. Duggal also said that the company is focused on reducing its cost of production by nearly $300 per tonne to around $1,200 in the next two years. This will help improve the realisation and profitability from the aluminium business significantly, he added. Vedanta on Monday announced a 79 per cent increase in its consolidated revenues to Rs 28,105 crore in Q1 FY2022. The company clocked its highest ever quarterly EBITDA of Rs 10,032 crore, which is 150 per cent higher year-on-year. Attributable PAT (before exceptional items) was 314 per cent higher at Rs 4,280 crore. During the first quarter, the company reduced its debt by Rs 6,989 crore, while Net Debt/EBITDA ratio at 0.6x is the lowest in the past four years. The company has a strong liquidity position with cash and cash equivalents at Rs 31,318 crore. New Delhi, July 27 : Amid din, the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed the 'The Marine Aids to Navigation Bill, 2021, that will replace old law governing lighthouses and provide a fresh framework to establish and manage vessel traffic services. Despite sloganeering of the opposition, the Deputy Chairman Harivansh put the bill to vote and it was passed subsequently with the voice vote and later House proceedings were adjourned for the day. The bill has already been passed by the Lok Sabha on March 22, 2021, in the last session. Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal replying the debate, said, "This Bill will provide a legal framework for the sector to meet the latest technologies and meets the requirements of best global practices for safe and secure navigation and protection of the marine environment." This will also help the fisherman and coastal and international trade, lighthouse tourism in and around and replace 90 years old law. The bill will also ensure compliance with the obligation under the maritime treaties and international instruments to which India is also a part of. It will provide the development, maintenance and management of aids to navigation in India, for training and certification of the operator. Lucknow, July 27 : Ramping up the facilities to improve the nutritional level in children of Uttar Pradesh, the department of child development and nutrition in the state has installed baby weighing machines and stadiometer machines in the Anganwadi centres of all the districts. The growth monitoring devices are required to monitor the weight and height of malnourished children, adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women. According to the government spokesman, around 1,52,432 infant weighing machines and nearly 1,88,219 stadiometer machines have been provided to the Anganwadi centres in 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh. The government has also provided training to the master trainer for the use of these devices. The state government is working in a phased manner to ensure that no child in the state suffers from malnutrition. On one hand, the government has established call centre for the resolution of the problems, while on the other hand, it is organizing profitable programs like 'Weight Day' and 'Poshan Vatika'. The Yogi Adityanath government has set up a call centre to keep a check on the facilities provided to malnourished children, pregnant and lactating women in UP. More than one lakh calls have been made to the call centre. In the first phase, calls are being made to Anganwadi workers, women self-help groups and families of malnourished children. Complaints related to nutrition service availability, quality, call out function are being registered through the call centre. A call centre has been set up to make calls to Anganwadi workers, ASHA, ANMs, women self-help groups and village heads to tackle the problems related to monitoring. The government has also provided cows to 1,622 families of malnourished children under the Mukhya Mantri Govansh Sahbhagita Yojana along with Rs 900 per month for its maintenance. In the Poshan Vatika community, malnourished children are being encouraged to switch to local greens and vegetables. Through Poshan Vatika, children are being made aware about nutritious vegetables at the Anganwadi centres. So far 28,106 Poshan Vatikas have been established. On the first Tuesday of every month, Weight Day is being organized at Anganwadi centres in the state in which malnourished and children affected by Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) are marked by weighing the children. As many as 12,23,891 underweight and 2,39,158 severely underweight and malnourished children have been identified in UP. Chandigarh, July 27 : Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has extended his government's full support to German Ambassador to India, Walter J. Lindner, who evinced keen interest in investing in the key sectors of mobility, engineering, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and renewable energy in the state. The envoy, who called on the Chief Minister late on Monday evening, discussed mutual strategies to explore new trade and investment opportunities in the state. During the meeting, the Chief Minister underscored the major reforms undertaken by the state to boost ease of investment and business. These include 'Invest Punjab' as a one-stop shop for all regulatory clearances to set up business ventures in the state, apart from the Punjab Anti-Red Tape Act, 2021 and the Punjab Right to Business Act, 2020. Amarinder Singh also invited more German companies to come and experience the investor-friendly ecosystem in the state, which is already home to multiple German investments, including Metro Cash and Carry, Hella, CLAAS and Vibracoustics. The Principal Secretary (investment promotion) of Punjab, Alok Shekhar, apprised the German envoy that Invest Punjab held an aftercare session in June for German companies operating in Punjab to ensure continued business success for them. The state government is proactively involved with the German investment agencies, such as Invest in Bavaria and the Indian Embassy in Berlin, especially for their Make in India Mittlestand (MIIM) initiative. Besides, delegations from the state government also attended the German India Business Forum, he said. The CEO of Invest Punjab, Rajat Aggarwal, said that German companies have made investments in the state across various sectors, such as auto components, manufacturing and renewable energy. Of these, Verbio is setting up paddy straw based bio-CNG projects at various locations, while Graepel's Punjab unit (only unit in Asia) is manufacturing perforated metal sheets and ventilation grids for agriculture and construction machinery. Another company, Vibracoustics, the sole supplier of automotive NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) solutions for BMW and Ford, is currently in the process of expansion and consolidation of its operations in Punjab by setting up a state-of-the-art auto component-manufacturing unit. New Delhi, July 27 : West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for what she called a courtesy meeting. This is the first official meeting between Prime Minister and Banerjee in the national capital after she became chief minister of West Bengal for the third time after stunning victory in assembly polls. The meeting, held at Prime Minister's residence, lasted for around 45 minutes. It is learnt that during the meeting, Banerjee discussed Covid situation in the state and demanded more vaccines and medicines for the state. After meeting with the Prime Minister, Banerjee said, "It was a courtesy meeting. I told the Prime Minister about need of more vaccines and medicines in the West Bengal. I also raised the pending issue of change of the name of the state on which the Prime Minister said he will see." In July, 2018, West Bengal assembly passed a resolution to change the name of the state to Bangla. Banerjee also discussed several different projects of the state and tax issues. On issue of her meeting with the opposition leaders, Banerjee said, "Many parties and their leaders are old friends. I am meeting them." Banerjee also said that she will be meeting Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday. "On Wednesday, I am meeting Sonia Gandhi. She has invited me for tea," she said. On her plan to bringing all opposition parties on one platform, She said, "Though the Lok Sabha polls are far away, we must have to start planning in advance. Assembly elections will be held in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Tripura. Our people were arrested in Tripura." Earlier she met Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath. Banerjee's meeting with opposition leaders is being seen as an attempt to bring all the opposition parties together before 2024 Lok Sabha polls. She is also likely to meet NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday. Mamata Banerjee is in Delhi on a five-day visit. New Delhi, July 27 : Veteran journalists N. Ram and Sashi Kumar have moved the Supreme Court seeking a direction for an independent probe by its sitting or retired judge into the alleged Pegasus snooping scandal. The plea said mass surveillance using a military-grade spyware abridges several fundamental rights and appears to represent an attempt to infiltrate, attack, and destabilise independent institutions, which are critical pillars of the country's democratic set-up. The petitioners sought direction should be issued to the Centre to disclose if any of its agencies have obtained license for Pegasus spyware or used it either directly or indirectly, to conduct surveillance as alleged. The plea is likely to come up for hearing within next few days. It also sought directions to investigate if the illegal hacking into the phones, represented an attempt by agencies and organisations to muzzle and chill the exercise of free speech and expression of dissent in the country. The plea argued that investigation involving several leading publications around the world has revealed that more than 142 Indians, including journalists, lawyers, government ministers, opposition politicians, constitutional functionaries and civil society activists, have been identified as potential targets for surveillance. The plea said: "Such targeted surveillance using military-grade spyware is an unacceptable violation of the right to privacy which has been held to be a fundamental right under Articles 14, 19 and 21 by the Supreme Court in KS Puttaswamy v. Union of India." It contended that the attack prima facie constitutes an act of cyber-terrorism that has several grave political and security ramifications. The plea claimed hacking constituted a criminal offence punishable under, inter alia, Section 66 (computer related offences), 66B (punishment for dishonestly receiving stolen computer resource or communication device), 66E (punishment for violation of privacy) and 66F (punishment for cyberterrorism) of the IT Act, punishable with imprisonment and/or fine. This is the third petition in the Supreme Court, which sought probe into Pegasus scandal. Earlier, advocate M.L. Sharma and CPI-M Rajya Sabha member John Brittas had also moved the apex court seeking probe into the spying allegations. New Delhi, July 27 : State-run banks have unclaimed deposits worth Rs 16,596.90 crore, the Parliament was informed on Tuesday. Unclaimed deposits are those deposits where proceeds or maturity amount has not been claimed for a period of at least 10 years. Data provided by Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Karad, in a written reply in the the Rajya Sabha, also showed the unclaimed deposits in public sector banks (PSBs) is spread across over 5.47 crore accounts. Unclaimed deposits with private banks, as of December 2020, was Rs 2,963.54 crore, in 88.67 lakh accounts. A total of Rs 3,577.56 crore worth of unclaimed deposits were present with the State Bank of India (SBI), the data showed. Such deposits with regional rural banks stood at Rs 601.15 crore, as of 2020. Foreign banks have an accumulated unclaimed deposit of Rs 612.33 crore. Citing the data provided by the Reserve Bank of India, the minister said that the total amount of unclaimed deposits in scheduled commercial banks by the end of 2020 stood at Rs 24,356.41 crore. "RBI has informed that unclaimed deposits have increased by Rs 5,977 crore in the year 2020, as compared to the year 2019, on account of depositors not having claimed their deposits from banks," Karad said. He added that the central bank has advised banks to play a more pro-active role in finding the whereabouts of the accountholders of unclaimed deposits or inoperative accounts. "Pursuant to the amendment of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, and insertion of section 26A, the RBI has framed the Depositor Education and Awareness Fund (Fund) Scheme, 2014 (Scheme). The scheme has already been notified vide Gazette Notification dated May 24, 2014. As per the Scheme, the Fund is utilised for promotion of depositors' interests and for such other purposes which may be necessary for promotion of depositors' interest as may be specified by the RBI," he said. New Delhi, July 27 : Climate ministers have taken a step forward towards a successful UN climate summit named COP26, as a constructive meeting in London concluded with countries, including India, coming closer on key issues such as actions to keep the 1.5-degree Celsius goal alive, adaptation finance and concluding the Paris rulebook. At the two-day ministerial, convened by COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma to discuss critical negotiating issues and climate actions ahead of COP26, ministers from around the world sketched the outline of the Glasgow summit outcome and agreed on collaborative ways forward to reach it. Ministers from Singapore and Norway agreed to continue consulting informally with the ministers on Article 6, which relates to carbon markets, while Rwanda and Switzerland's ministers agreed to consult on common time frames for emissions reduction commitments, or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). In a boost for the COP Presidency's goal of getting finance flowing for climate action, Germany and Canada have agreed to take forward a delivery plan for mobilising $100 billion a year from developed countries, which is critically needed to help others in their fight against climate change. The countries were clear that COP26 needs to deliver actions, not just words. Many highlighted the importance of ending coal power, coal financing and fossil fuel subsidies. The ministers looked forward to Italy's G20 leaders' summit on October 30-31 as a pivotal moment for action. Ahead of the meeting, there was a recent show of leadership from Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs), including the Solomon Islands, Bhutan and Ethiopia, as well as more ambitious NDCs from Paraguay, Morocco and Canada, which will help keep the critical goal of limiting global warming to 1.5-degree Celsius in sight. The ministers participating in the meeting called for all countries to deliver ambitious NDCs and long-term strategies towards net zero before COP26. Sharma welcomed the progress, but stressed that significant further work is needed, particularly on finance, adaptation and other crucial issues, with less than 100 days to go before the countries come together in November for the COP26 in Glasgow. Following the meeting, Sharma said: "The steps we have taken over the past two days bring us closer to securing an outcome at Glasgow that people and our planet are crying out for. "However, fault lines remain on some critical issues, and there is more work to do. We have asked the ministers to lead conversations in order to bridge the divide and get us in the best possible position for COP26. Each country must now give its all to this process; lives and livelihoods depend on it, and we have no time to waste." Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, said: "There can be no neutral position when it comes to climate action. It is necessary to come to an understanding and ensure the full implementation of the Paris Agreement, which is the most comprehensive and the only reliable strategy to address climate change." Bengaluru, July 27 : The atmosphere in Karnataka resembles an exciting T-20 match on Tuesday as the countdown for the legislature party meeting to elect a new chief minister has begun here in Bengaluru. Party senior leaders reached KempeGowda International Airport (KIAL) to welcome Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and G. Kishan Reddy who arrived here to select a new face for the chief minister's post. Former deputy chief minister Dr Ashwath Narayan stated that it's all about organisation in the BJP. S.T. Somashekar, former minister and Bhyrathi Basavaraju, BJP MLA Muniratna, S.R. Vishwanath who reached KIAL, maintained that they had not come here to lobby for positions. The KIAL airport was swamped by the saffron colour and BJP flags as the leaders reached with their supporters to show their strength. A senior leader K.S. Eshwarappa, said that the high command's decision will be obeyed. Another leader Umesh Katti from north Karnataka said that he is in the race of the chief minister's post and he is not hesitant about it. However, the legislators of the BJP were clueless about the decision of the high command. Meanwhile, uneasy silence prevailed over Yediyurappa camp, while his opponents were found to be in a joyful mood. Yediyurappa himself welcomed state in-charge Arun Singh and State Chief Nalin Kumar Kateel with a broad smile. The private five-star hotel, the venue where the legislature party meeting is scheduled to be held, has become the centre of attraction. Ten seats were put on the platform, where seating arrangements are being made in the hotel. Exotic vegetarian and non-vegetarian food are being ordered for the BJP legislators. The legislature party meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, was necessitated in the wake of B.S. Yediyurappa's resignation as chief minister, on Monday. Jaipur, July 27 : A 14-year-old deaf and dumb boy, found at Jodhpur railway station in Rajasthan, has finally identified his home state after seeing a picture of the Golden Temple situated in Amritsar in Punjab. He will now be sent there soon, confirmed officials here on Tuesday. According to Sangeeta Beniwal, chairperson of the Rajasthan Commission for Protection of Child Rights, "This boy, who is deaf and dumb, was found at Jodhpur railway station a few months back. As he could not hear or speak, it was difficult to communicate with him." "Our counsellors at the Jodhpur based childcare institute counselled him and soon he became quite active and extraordinary in all senses. They named him Gopi and he started responding to the same name. He was seen helping teachers and counselling. Also, he was the one who gathered all kids for yoga and meditation classes. He also coordinated with counsellors and staff when a Holi Sneh Milan programme was organised," said Beniwal. He was undergoing counselling too. This time, during counselling, when he was shown a turban, he smiled. Then he was shown a Golden Temple picture and he started doing bhangra. He was then shown a Punjab folk dress and a 'Kirpan' and the boy became very happy, said officials. Hence, the team came to the conclusion that the child belongs to Punjab and has decided to send him to a child care institute there. "We have written a letter to the authorities concerned there and shall send him along with two counsellors who counselled him and a policeman to Punjab. If he expressed joy looking at Punjab pictures, may be he can recall where he has come from if he is sent there," said officials. New Delhi, July 27 : The Indian Navy is participating in Exercise Cutlass Express 2021, which got underway on July 26 along the East Coast of Africa. The drill is an annual maritime exercise conducted to promote national and regional maritime security in East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean. The 2021 edition of the exercise involves 12 East African countries, the US, the UK, India and various international organisations such as the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Interpol, European Union Naval Force Somalia (EU NAVFOR), Critical Maritime Routes Indian Ocean (CRIMARIO) and EUCAP Somalia. The Indian Navy is participating in the exercise in 'trainer's role'. Accordingly, INS Talwar is participating in the drill which began on Monday and will go on till August 6. The exercise focuses on East Africa's coastal regions and is designed to assess and improve combined maritime law enforcement capacity, promote national and regional security and increase interoperability between the regional navies. As part of the exercise, the Indian Navy, together with other partners, shall undertake training of contingents from various participating countries in various fields across the spectrum of maritime security operations. Information sharing and information flow between various partner countries with respect to maritime domain awareness is also a key focus area of the exercise and participation of India's Information Fusion Centre- Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) would contribute in achieving the same. As part of the exercise, the ship is visiting Mombasa, Kenya, wherein various other professional interactions are also planned with the Kenya Navy. The ship, during its stay at Mombasa, will also host a number of events to build stronger bridges of friendships with Kenya, the Indian community and host of other partners in addition to the Cutlass Express participants. New Delhi, July 27 : The CPI (Maoist) are inducting children in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh and using them for cooking, carrying daily use materials apart from giving them military training, the government told Parliament on Tuesday. In a written reply to parliamentarian Vishnu Dayal Ram, Minister of States (Home Affairs) Nityanand Rai said that there have been some reports of CPI (Maoist) inducting children into the organisation in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. He said that they are using them for cooking, carrying daily use materials and collecting information on the movement of security forces. "They are also imparted military training," the minister said. Replying to a question whether the Government has implemented any scheme or programme for the rehabilitation of such children, he said as per the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, subjects of police and public order are with the state governments. "Therefore, state governments take legal action in such matters," he said. He said that as far as the Central government is concerned, it has enacted the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (JJ Act) for children in distress situations including children in conflict with law (CCL) and children in need of care and protection (CNCP). As per provisions of the JJ Act, a child who is a victim of or affected by any armed conflict, civil unrest or natural calamity, is included as a "child in need of care and protection", among others. The Act mandated a safety net of service delivery structures including institutional and non institutional care mechanisms, to safeguard the best interests of children. As per the JJ Act, any non-state, self styled militant group or outfit declared as such by the Central government, if it recruits or uses any child for any purpose, shall be liable for criminal prosecution. He pointed out that the Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing a centrally sponsored Child Protection Services (CPS) scheme, for supporting the States and Union territories in providing a framework for care and protection of children in distress conditions. The scheme also provides for non-institutional care wherein support is extended for adoption, foster care and sponsorship. Bengaluru, July 27 : Former Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who is seen as a close confidante of outgoing Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, held a closed-door meeting with him ahead of the legislature party meeting on Tuesday evening. Bommai reached Yediyurappa's residence and spoke to him for about 20 minutes. However, he did not divulge any details of the discussion. The meet sparked many rumours as Bommai is also perceived as one of the front-runners to succeed Yediyurappa. After the meet, he went to Kumara Krupa Guesthouse where Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Kishen Reddy, appointed as observers by the party high command for the legislature party meet, were staying. New Delhi, July 27 : Bharatiya Janata Party MPs on Tuesday boycotted the meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on information and technology chaired by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, accusing him of arbitrary behaviour. The BJP MPs alleged that Tharoor tried to push through his own agenda in the meeting. They said the agenda should be set with the consent of the committee members. BJP MPs also accused Tharoor of breaching secrecy, saying that he makes the agenda public without the knowledge of the members. The BJP MPs led by Nishikant Dubey boycotted the IT Parliamentary Standing Committee meeting on Tuesday. They said that they will complain against Tharoor to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Dubey told the media that the agenda of the meeting should be given to the members in advance, but was not given and the meeting was held at a time when both the Houses are in session. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology has a total of 32 members headed by Tharoor. BJP's Nishikant Dubey, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Syed Zafar Islam, Tejasvi Surya, Parvesh Verma, Locket Chatterjee among others boycotted the meeting. Shashi Tharoor had called the meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on IT to discuss Cinematography Amendment Bill, 2021, which is to be tabled in the Lok Sabha. New Delhi, July 27 : Popular Indian-American pop collective, 'THEMXXNLIGHT, is gearing up for the global premiere of their second independent release, "Naughty Or Nice". This track marks the maiden feature of the identical twin brother duo Luv (Krish Chandani) and Kush (Akash Chandani) of 'THEMXXNLIGHT' (pronounced as moonlight) with American rapper Wiz Khalifa, making them the first Indian-born US artistes to collaborate with the rap royalty. The 25-year-old twin brothers have been a key component of Khalifa's earlier releases, but this track marks the duo's maiden feature with the American rapper on their independent release. The track's central theme revolves around a classic teenage love saga, with both the twins taking turns crooning about raging emotions and mixed signals centred around a love interest. The accompanying cinematic video projects an ominously edgy vibe, blurring the lines between illusion and reality. For the number, the duo has also collaborated with revered Taylor Gang camp producer Sledgren. Elaborating on how Wiz Khalifa was roped in for the project, Akash Chandani told IANS, "We had actually completed the song without Wiz Khalifa's verse a few years ago when we started working with Sledgren. At that time, we had no idea that we would collaborate with a legend like Wiz Khalifa. After our feature on Wiz Khalifa's 'Rolling Papers 2', we met multiple major labels to discuss our career and to show them our unreleased music." The duo shared that earlier, 'Naughty Or Nice' only had vocals and they were recommended by the labels to hold off the release till they had a good enough global feature. After tons of studio sessions with Wiz Khalifa and after their performance at Sunburn India with him, they felt they had taken their relationship to the next level. He added: "One day, we randomly decided to play the song for him in the studio to get his initial feedback. He immediately stood up and started dancing and asked, 'You'll want a feature on this? Man, your vocals sound insane. I'll hop on it right now'. About 30 minutes later, he completed his verse, and the engineer arranged the song. We must have played it back around 20 times. The vibes were amazing, and we just felt super proud of ourselves at that moment." Krish shared that there wasn't any studio or big setup, it was just the two brothers, the mic, and a computer when the track was recorded initially. He said: "This is the most anticipated song of our entire career thus far. We're just proud of how far we have come and to be representing the Indian community around the world. This is a big moment. Words can't describe the way I feel. Just very grateful for all the support thus far and for the love that Wiz Khalifa has shown towards us over the years." The identical twins have interesting global collaborations featuring Megan Thee Stallion, Travis Scott, French Montana, Swae Lee, TM88, DJ Snake, Kirko Bangz, Roy Woods, Raja Kumari, Sukh-E, and Mickey Singh in the pipeline. The track 'Naughty Or Nice' will release worldwide on July 30 on digital audio streaming platforms. New Delhi, July 27 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday said "mediation is the best solution" while hearing a plea by Kirloskar Brothers Ltd CMD Sanjay Kirloskar challenging a Bombay High Court order for resolution through arbitration in a dispute over the deed of family settlement, in connection with the assets of 133-year-old corporate group. A bench, headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana asked the Kirloskar brothers to explore the mediation route to settle the family dispute. The bench, also comprising Justice Surya Kant, emphasised that the issues should sorted out through mediation. "If you want assistance, we can appoint a judge," it said. "Common family friends can mediate in the matter," said Justice Surya Kant. Sanjay Kirloskar had urged the top court to quash the high court order and ask the parties - his brothers Atul (CMD of Kirloskar Engine Oils Ltd) and Rahul (CMD of Kirloskar Pneumatic Company Ltd) and all other family members - to submit to the civil court at Pune, where he had filed a suit for implementation of the DFS. After hearing arguments in the matter, the Chief Justice said: "Mediation is the best solution." The bench told the parties, otherwise you can go on litigating for years, which is not good for a reputed business family and industry. The court, which ordered status quo on the Bombay High Court order directing arbitration as well as the civil suit, asked both sides to suggest names who could mediate and resolve the dispute disputes as it issued notice, returnable in six weeks, on Sanjay Kirloskar's appeal. Sanjay Kirloskar had moved the top court through advocate U.A. Rana of Gagrat and Co solicitors. He claimed the dispute arose a year after signing of the deed as his other brothers and their spouses sold their shares in KBL to Kirloskar Industries Ltd in breach of settlement. After the trial court agreed to proceed with the DFS suit by Sanjay, many members of the extended family, led by Atul and Rahul Kirloskar, having stakes in the family-owned business enterprises, moved the Bombay High Court. They claimed that many defendants in the suit, like Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd, La Gajjar and Kirloskar Proprietary Ltd, were not party to the DFS and hence the suit was not maintainable and sought an arbitration route for resolution in the matter. Dharamsala, July 27 : The President of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), Penpa Tsering, said on Tuesday that he is encouraged that concerns about the ongoing abuses in Tibet are being raised by the US, and hoped that China would put an end to 60 long years of repression in Tibet. "I am encouraged that concerns about the ongoing abuses in Tibet were raised by US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman with the Chinese Foreign Minister," Tsering said in a tweet. "I hope the Chinese leadership heeds the call and puts an end to 60 long years of repression and suffering of Tibetans in Tibet," he added. His response came after the US Deputy Secretary of State's expression of concern. Sherman had raised concerns about China's violation of human rights in Tibet, East Turkestan and Hong Kong, during her visit to China on July 25-26, according to a press note issued by US government spokesperson Ned Price. The concerns were raised during meetings with China's State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other senior officials of the Chinese government. The note quoting Price said: "The Deputy Secretary raised concerns in private -- as we have in public -- about a range of PRC actions that run counter to our values and interests and those of our allies and partners, and that undermine the international rules-based order. "In particular, she raised our concerns about human rights, including Beijing's anti-democratic crackdown in Hong Kong; the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang; abuses in Tibet; and the curtailing of media access and freedom of the press. "She also spoke of our concerns about Beijing's conduct in cyberspace; across the Taiwan Strait; and in the East and South China Seas." New Delhi, July 27: The attack on a bus that killed nine Chinese engineers not far from Dasu hydropower site in northern Pakistan earlier this month had breached four layers of security. Lu Wei, a security expert at ZhongAnTeWei, a firm engaged in providing security to Chinese companies operating in Pakistan told South China Morning Post (SCMP) that Chinese nationals working in Pakistan were provided with four layers of security. Pakistan's military personnel provided an outer ring of security. This was followed by a second layer comprising of 15,000-strong dedicated security force of Pakistanis, who were in charge of protecting 7,000 Chinese citizens. There has been a large influx of Chinese personnel working on projects, which are part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)-a massive undertaking that starts from Gwadar on the Arabian Sea coast and snakes northwards towards Kashgar in China's Xinjiang region. The corridor has to pass through Gilgit-Baltistan, breaching India's claim over undivided Jammu and Kashmir. Indianarrative.com had earlier reported that Pakistan has raised two special security divisions (SSD) to provide protection to Chinese contractors and workers along CPEC which is completely funded by China. Chinese have been spending money on the two Special Security Divisions (SSDs) -- the 34 and 44 Light Infantry Divisions -- with 15,000 troops each. While the 34 Light Division was created in September 2016, the 44 Light Division was developed in 2020. Private security companies, set up by other countries or as joint ventures with Chinese firms, form the third security cordon. Finally, guards that include retired soldiers hired by Chinese companies form the innermost security ring. Li Wei, a counterterrorism expert from the Beijing based China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations told SCMP that China lacked a sufficient number of professionals who understood the hazards of working abroad in restive areas. "There is a lack of talent in Chinese companies investing in these nations who fully understand the security threats, do proper planning and communicate with local police and the military," Li was quoted as saying. The daily pointed out that seven Chinese government agencies, including the ministries of commerce, foreign affairs, and public security, had released a joint document in 2010 which focused on the safety of Chinese nationals and companies working abroad. However, the listed protocols were not mandatory. "There is no requirement from the Chinese government on how much money companies should spend on security. But some nations demand companies spend 3 to 12 percent of their investment money on security," Li was quoted as saying. Chinese state media is also signalling that Beijing maybe considering sending its Special Forces following the July 14 terror attack. The Global Times tabloid affiliated with official People's Daily wrote in a scathing editorial that "[China] will not only provide the necessary support and assistance if Pakistan's strength is insufficient, China's missiles and special forces could also directly participate in operations to eliminate threats against Chinese in Pakistan with the consent of Pakistan. We will set an example as a deterrent." (The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative Panaji, July 27 : Himachal Pradesh Governor Rajendra Arlekar on Tuesday expressed pain at the series of disasters, including landslides, in the northern state following heavy rains. "Over the last two days, there have been natural calamities occurring in Himachal Pradesh for which I have expressed my pain. But there has been a red alert issued again today. The government there is focussed in its attention and prepared," he said. Arlekar, a former Speaker of the Goa Assembly, also said that he is confident that the Himachal Pradesh government would do a good job at handling the crisis. "Because it is a natural calamity, nothing much can be done about it. But we should focus fully on relief and rescue work," he said. Chandigarh, July 27 : Assuring all efforts to resolve their grievances in consultation with the departments concerned, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday appealed to the striking government employees to call off their stir to prevent any further inconvenience to the public. Chairing a high-level meeting to review the demands of the striking employees, he expressed concern over their continued agitation, which has severely impacted the functioning of various state government departments. An official spokesman said the state government had constituted a committee of officers to look into the demands of the agitating employees. The committee had examined, in detail, the demands of various employees associations and had submitted its report. It found that certain demands raised by the employees were linked to the decisions of the government prior to 2006 and were in no way connected with the report of the Sixth Punjab Pay Commission. The state government has already decided to implement the recommendations of the Pay Commission with effect from July 1. This has resulted in a financial outflow of Rs 4,692 crore to approximately 2.85 lakh employees and 3.07 lakh pensioners every year. On an average, it works out to Rs 79,250 per annum, over and above what they are getting at present. In addition, the employees and pensioners will be getting arrears of Rs 14,759 crore, which works out to an average of Rs 2.32 lakh per employee and pensioner. New Delhi, July 27 : The government has confirmed that a French court has directed the freezing of certain properties of the Indian government in the matter pertaining to the Cairn arbitration award. In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, the minister said: "An order has been passed by a French Court freezing certain Indian Government properties in the case pertaining to Cairn Energy." The reply came on a question that asked the government whether French Court has ordered to freeze 20 Indian government properties in Paris amounting to Rs 177 crore in a case pertaining to Cairn Energy. The minister in his reply noted that an arbitral tribunal, in The Hague had pronounced its award on December 21, 2020 in favour of Cairn Energy Plc and Cairn UK Holdings Ltd (CUHL). The government has filed an appeal against the award in the Hague Court of Appeal on March 22, 2021. For handling enforcement proceedings, an international law firm, with relevant experience, has been engaged, the minister said. Chaudhary has said that the Indian government, in consultation with its counsel team is taking all appropriate legal steps to protect its interest. Earlier this month, the finance ministry came in strong defence of reports suggesting Cairn getting French court nod to takeover Indian assets in Paris to recover part of arbitration award, saying that no such communication has been received by it on the matter. Reports from Paris had indicated that Cairn has secured a French court order to seize about 20 Indian government properties in France to recover a part of the $1.2 billion arbitration award. The ministry had said that the CEO and the representatives of Cairn have approached the Government of India for discussions to resolve the matter. "Constructive discussions have been held and the government remains open for an amicable solution to the dispute within the country's legal framework," the finance ministry said. New Delhi, July 27 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday said that it has arrested Subodh Mehra, an Accounts Officer of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) in Madhya Pradesh in a graft case. A CBI official here said that the arrest was made after a case was registered against Mehra, who was posted in Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh on a complaint. The official said that in the complaint it was alleged that Mehra had demanded a bribe of Rs 25,000 from the complainant for processing and forwarding his pending bills of Rs 5.50 lakh for payments in lieu of vehicles provided to the BSNL Office at Itarsi by the complainant. The official further said that it was alleged that after negotiation, the accused settled for the bribe of Rs 20,000 and instructed the complainant to transfer the same in the bank account of a private person, who was earlier working as casual labour in BSNL Office with Canara Bank, Itarsi. He said, the amount of Rs 20,000 was allegedly transferred to the said bank account on Tuesday by the complainant and the same was intimated to the accused. "During the trap proceedings and further investigation, Mehra was arrested," he added. Following his arrest, the CBI carried out searches at the premises of Mehra in Itarsi and Sironj in Vidisha district of MP. Patna, July 27 : A day after Mukesh Sahani, the president of Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP), claimed that he was disregarded in the National Democratic Alliance, JD-U MP Sunil Kumar Pintu slammed him on Tuesday and said that he should avoid misconceptions otherwise he would face a situation like that of Chirag Paswan. "If Sahani will give inappropriate statements in public in future, his party's four MLAs may go with the NDA. He should analyse the situation of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP). Chirag was walking a different path from the NDA. As a result, his party's 5 MPs left him and went with the NDA. I am sure Sahani will learn from that incident and will not repeat the mistake again," Pintu said. "Sahani was given a role in the NDA government on the basis of his party's 4 MLAs. He lost assembly election 2020, still the NDA gave him a portfolio. If he has any complaint about the alliance, he should discuss the matter with our chief minister Nitish Kumar and sort out the problem. Why had he approached the media and given unacceptable statements about the NDA and it's top leaders. It gives a wrong impression about the alliance to the public," Pintu said. Ram Prit Paswan, PHED minister in the Bihar government from the BJP quota said: "He is an alliance partner of the NDA but it is not necessary that the government would consider all his demands." BJP MLA Hari Bhushan Thakur said: "Despite having lost the election, the NDA made him a cabinet minister in the Bihar government. It is highly unacceptable that he has given a statement against the NDA." Thakur added that he has given a statement against our leader Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. He is a top leader of the BJP and the statement against him is extremely unfortunate. Sahani is facing criticism not only from the JD-U and the BJP, but also from his own party. Raju Kumar Singh, a VIP MLA, criticised Mukesh Sahani earlier in the day while another party MLA Mishri Lal Yadav said that he had not consulted any of the four MLAs of the party. "If Mukesh Sahani has any problem with the NDA, he should openly express his view on what points he differs with the NDA. After the end of Day 1 of the Monsoon Session of the Assembly on Monday, Mukesh Sahani called all four MLAs of the party and directed them to boycott the NDA legislature meeting. He has not consulted us," Yadav said. Bengaluru, July 27 : The Bengaluru Central Crime Branch (CCB), in two separate raids, arrested six drug-peddlers, including two Nigerian nationals, and seized banned narcotics substances like cocaine, Yaba pills, Ecstasy pills and others, from them, police said on Tuesday. Joint Commissioner of Police, Crime, Sandeep Patil, in a series of tweets, said that drive against drugs continues and CCB's Anti Narcotics wing seized banned drugs valued around Rs 1 crore. "In this drive our teams were headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police K. C. Gautham seized banned substances like Cocaine, Ecstasy, Yaba tablets, MDMA, Marijuana (Ganja) in Ramamurthy Nagar and Bagalur police limits. In connection of these two raids, six accused including two foreign drug-peddlers have been arrested," he said. According to the police in Bagaluru, the CCB arrested a Nigerian national, who was in possession of 330 gms of cocaine, 45 Yaba tablets, 20 MDMA tablets, and 113 Ecstasy tablets. The police added that he had come on a tourist visa and indulged in drug-peddling for some time now. In another case, the CCB Anti-Narcotics wing arrested five persons, including a Nigerian and seized 328 Ecstasy pills, 200 gms MDMA crystals and 101 LSD slips from them. The police has registered cases under the relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and Criminal Procedure Code and begun investigations. Imphal, July 27 : Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu was accorded a hero's welcome on her return to Manipur on Tuesday. On Saturday, the diminutive lifter had opened India's account at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics in style, winning silver in the women's 49 kg category. Chanu lifted 202 kg (87kg+115kg) to better Karnam Malleswari's bronze in 2000 Sydney Olympics. On reaching the Imphal international airport here, Chanu broke down as she hugged her mother Saikhom Tombi, before being felicitated by Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh. Notwithstanding the Covid pandemic related restrictions, thousands of men, women and children gathered at the airport even before Chanu's flight from Delhi touched down at the Imphal airport, arounf 7 km from the state capital. People of all ages carrying flowers and 'Lenjan', a traditional Manipuri greeting cloth, could be seen trying to take selfies with the Manipuri star, giving a tough time to the security personnel present at the airport. Chanu (26) is a native of Nongpok Kakching village in Imphal East district, around 25 km from Imphal. From the airport, the star weightlifter went to attend a felicitation event organised by the Manipur government that was hosted by the Chief Minister, who had promoted her to the post of Additional Superintendent of Police (Sports), and on Tuesday, handed over a well-decorated office chamber to Chanu. After Chanu's trimphant show in Tokyo on Saturday, the Chief Minister had announced a reward of Rs 1 crore for her, besides the promotion to the post of Additional Superintendent of Police (Sports). In a series of tweets since Saturday, Singh had praised Chanu and termed her as a "golden girl" of India and Manipur. "We are filled with so much joy to felicitate the 'Pride of our Nation'. Everyone in the state is absolutely delighted to have you back here in Manipur. Your achievement in Tokyo 2020 is no mean feat, and we are so proud of you. "I'm extremely delighted to handover the newly furnished office of Additional Superintendent of Police (Sports) to Mirabai Chanu in the presence of her proud parents. I was joined by my cabinet colleagues, MLAs and officials during the handing over ceremony," the Chief Minister said in a tweet on Tuesday. Chanu's elder brother Binod Meitei informed that the star lifter returned home after two years, as she was busy training in different places across the country. Chanu belongs to a low-income family comprising eight members, most of whom are into farm work. Chanu's village, Nongpok Kakching, is in a Covid-hit locality and hence the family did not allow too many people to enter their home after she created history in Tokyo, restricting the crowd to close relatives and immediate neighbours. Latest updates on Tokyo Olympics 2020 New Delhi, July 27: Pakistan's 'joy' over Taliban victories in Afghanistan maybe short-lived. Pakistani establishment's situation can easily turn into a nightmare for the Afghan Taliban's consolidation can unleash the deadly Tehreek e Taliban (TTP), Islamabad's arch-foe. The TTP wants to establish Greater Afghanistan, which includes tribal areas of Pakistan. "According to the teachings of Islam, victory of one Muslim necessarily helpful to another Muslim. How Taliban control of Afghanistan will help Pakistani Taliban, time will tell," said the most elusive chief of UN designated terror organisation TTP Noor Wali Mehsud to CNN in an interview. The dreaded militant leader has a plan in place after the Taliban's takeover of Kabul. He told the channel that the TTP is fighting along with the Taliban in Afghanistan, but the group's main "goal" is to have its "own" independent country. "Our fight is only in Pakistan and we are at war with the Pakistani forces. We are firmly hoping to take control of Pakistani border regions and make them independent," declared Mehsud from his unclosed hideout in Waziristan near the Durand Line, the disputed border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. TTP's stated objectives are the expulsion of Islamabad's influence in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in Pakistan. Besides, the implementation of a strict interpretation of sharia throughout Pakistan, and the expulsion of Coalition troops from Afghanistan is part of the TTP's playbook. TTP leaders also publicly say that the group seeks to establish an Islamic caliphate in Pakistan that would require the overthrow of the Pakistani Government. TTP has historically maintained close ties to senior al-Qaeda leaders, including Osama Bin Laden. Noor Wali Mehsud seems eager to make TTP's presence felt. Under his leadership, the group has already launched numerous provocative attacks. Shortly after the deaths of Mullah Fazlullah and his son in separate drone strikes in Afghanistan in March and June of 2018, respectively, TTP unleashed attacks against Pakistani politicians in July 2018. TTP rose to prominence in 2007, when Taliban factions fighting the state of Pakistan united under a single umbrella. In the 14 years since, TTP has carried out hundreds of attacks which have killed thousands of people in Pakistan. Despite sustained operations by Pakistani security forces, TTP remains intact and is still a potent security threat. It seems any friend of the Pakistani government appears to be an enemy of the terrorist group. Given China's ambitious $62 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor, the TTP sees Beijing as a natural opponent and has waged war against Chinese interests in Pakistan. "The TTP is targeting Pakistani Army personnel and CPEC and they are being bolstered by the Afghan Taliban, who want to show their power in territories on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border to assert its power and influence," says one Pakistani analyst. Meanwhile, the growing popularity of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement PTM) is a matter of concern for the TTP and the Pakistani rulers. PTM is a secular, democratic movement of young Pashtuns demanding restoration of peace and tranquillity in the tribal areas of restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA. PTM holds Pakistan Army responsible for gross human rights violations in the garb of successive counter terrorist operations in the tribal areas. On Tuesday, the PTM, which has strongholds in Pakistan's tribal areas, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, and parts of Karachi, organised the "jalsa" in support of the peace and stability in Afghanistan. (The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative New Delhi, July 27 : Dholavira, the Harappan city in the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, has been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list. India had submitted the nomination dossier for 'Dholavira: A Harappan City' to the World Heritage Centre in January 2020. The site was on the UNESCO's tentative list since 2014. Dholavira is one of the very few well-preserved urban settlements in South Asia dating from the 3rd to mid-2nd millennium BCE. "Absolutely delighted by this news. Dholavira was an important urban centre and is one of our most important linkages with our past. It is a must visit, especially for those interested in history, culture and archaeology," Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted. Union Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), G. Kishan Reddy, shared the news on Twitter shortly after the announcement. "It gives me immense pride to share with my fellow Indians that Dholavira is now the 40th treasure in India to be given @UNESCO World Heritage tag. Another feather in India's cap as we now enter the Super-40 club for World Heritage Site inscriptions," Reddy tweeted. Few days earlier, the Rudreswara Temple (also known as the Ramappa Temple) at Palampet, Mulugu district, Telangana, became the 39th World Heritage Centre in India. The list of countries with 40 or more World Heritage sites include Italy, Spain, Germany, China, France, and now India. Out of India's 40 World Heritage properties, 32 are cultural, seven natural and one mixed property. In another tweet, Reddy said, "Today is a proud day for India, especially for the people of Gujarat. Since 2014, India has added 10 new World Heritage sites - one fourth of our total sites. This shows Prime Minister @narendramodi's steadfast commitment in promoting Indian culture, heritage and the Indian way of life." Dholavira is the sixth largest of more than 1,000 Harappan sites discovered. The property comprises two parts -- a walled city and a cemetery to the west of the city. The walled city consists of a fortified castle with attached fortified Bailey and ceremonial ground, and a fortified middle town and a lower town. A series of reservoirs are found to the east and south of the citadel. The great majority of the burials in the cemetery are memorial in nature. Bengaluru, July 27 : Basavaraj Bommai, who was chosen as Karnataka's new Chief Minister at the legislature party meeting here on Tuesday, stated that he will take everyone along with him. "I will take everyone along with me in administration. It is going to be a pro-people government. Addressing the challenges of Covid and natural calamity will be my priority," he said. "The situation of finances in the state is not good. Will take steps to improve the situation," he said. On the cabinet, he said that he will meet Governor Thaawarchand Ghelot on Tuesday night and later, discuss the matter with party leaders. Bommai, who is seen as close confidante of outgoing Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, said: "Yediyurappa is going to be our leader always." "I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party chief J.P. Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah for the opportunity. Yediyurappa has blessed me," he added. "Party legislators have elected me unanimously and I will live up to their expectations," he said. Mumbai, July 27 : Public sector lender Canara Bank on Tuesday reported net profit of Rs 1,177 crore for the June quarter, a 190 per cent rise over Rs 406 crore last year, helped by higher non-interest income and a fall in provisions for bad loans. The Bengaluru-based lender's stock ended 1.47 per cent higher on the BSE at Rs 148.8 a piece. The bank said in a statement that its net interest income rose just 0.84 per cent year-on-year (YoY) in Q1FY22 to Rs 6,147 crore versus Rs 6,096 crore. The net interest margin fell to 2.71 per cent for Q1 against 2.84 per cent in the year-ago period. But it made more of this fall from big 67.47 per cent jump in non-interest earnings in the April-June quarter. The non-interest income rose to Rs 4,438 crore, from Rs 2,650 crore in Q1FY21. Asset quality profile improved with gross non-performing assets down to 8.5 per cent in June, from 8.84 per cent last year. Net NPA also fell to 3.46 per cent, from 3.95 per cent in June 2020. Its provision coverage ratio improved to 81.18 per cent, from 78.95 per cent a year ago. At Rs 2,335 crore, provisions for non-performing assets fell 34.23 per cent, from Rs 3,550 crore in Q1FY21. Under the Covid-19 resolution framework 2.0, the bank has restructured loans worth Rs 13,234 crore for 3,50,000 accounts. Advances grew 5.23 per cent to Rs 6.84 lakh crore, while deposits grew 12.34 per cent to Rs 10.21 lakh crore. The retail loan portfolio rose 9.6 per cent YoY to Rs 1.15 lakh crore. The bank also plans to raise Rs 2,500 crore of equity capital from institutional investors in the current financial year. It is also looking at issuing additional Tier -1 bonds (AT-1 bonds) worth Rs 4,000 crore and tier II bonds worth Rs 2,500 crore in FY22. The bank's total capital adequacy ratio was at 13.36 per cent with tier I of 10.34 per cent. Kolkata, July 27 : In a bid to unite the Opposition against the BJP, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is on a four-day tour to the national capital, will meet several leaders on Wednesday, including interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar. Speaking to the media after her meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, Banerjee said, "Opposition unity will take shape on its own," making it obvious that she will leave no stone unturned to build a political front against the BJP. When asked if she will lead such a consortium of Opposition parties, Banerjee said, "India will lead and we shall follow." The Chief Minister, who is hopeful that the regional parties will play an important role in developing the political front against the BJP, said, "The Lok Sabha elections are less than three years away and we should not waste time. We should join hands and fight the BJP together. The preparations should begin right away". Sources close to the Chief Minister said that Banerjee will meet Congress chief Sonia Gandhi at 4.30 p.m. at the latter's residence. "She will also meet Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and NCP leader Sharad Pawar on Wednesday," the sources said. The Chief Minister, however, is not very sure about her meeting with President Ram Nath Kovind. "President Kovind gave me time but there are some rules. I need to have two doses of vaccine and an RT-PCR negative report. I have completed two doses of vaccination, but from where do I get my test done? I am an outsider in Delhi. So if I can't meet him this time, I shall try the next time," she said. Prior to meeting Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday, the Bengal CM met several senior Congress leaders on Tuesday, including Kamal Nath, Anand Sharma and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, in an apparent attempt to prepare the ground for meet the Congress top boss. "If Opposition unity is to be a reality, the Congress will be a very important factor and Mamata Banerjee will definitely try to take the Congress on board. Her meeting with Sonia Gandhi is very significant because it can shape the future political scenario in the country," a senior Trinamool Congress leader said. Another senior Trinamool leader said that while the meetings with the President and the Prime Minister were formalities, Banerjee's visit this time was planned with a larger Opposition plan in mind ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. "I think it is clear to everyone in the Opposition that 2024 will see a very crucial election, which will be a big challenge. It is also a good sign that seriousness has set in now, when there is time to fight, and iron out the chinks, as they say," the Trinamool leader said. Kabul, July 27 : Over 22,000 Afghan families have fled from their homes to escape fighting in the former Taliban bastion of Kandahar as authorities arrested four suspected insurgents over this weeks rocket attack on Kabul. Local authorities have set up four camps for the displaced people, who are estimated to be about 154,000, Kabul Times reported. Since early May, violence has surged across several provinces of Afghanistan, including Kandahar, after the insurgents launched a sweeping offensive just days after the US-led foreign forces began their final withdrawal. The Taliban's deadly assault has seen the insurgents capture scores of districts, border crossings, besides encircling several provincial capitals. Dost Mohammad Daryab, the head of the provincial refugee department, said, "The fighting has displaced 22,000 families in the past one month in Kandahar. They have all moved from the volatile districts of the city to safer areas," the Kabul Times reported. On Sunday, fighting continued on the outskirts of Kandahar city. "The negligence of some security forces, especially the police, has made way for the Taliban to come that close. We are now trying to organise our security forces," said Lalai Dastageeri, Deputy Governor of Kandahar province, the report said. Kandahar resident Hafiz Mohammad Akbar said that his house has been taken over by the Taliban after he fled. "They forced us to leave... I am now living with my 20-member family in a compound with no toilet," said Akbar. The residents also expressed concerns that the fighting might increase in the days ahead. "If they really want to fight, they should go to a desert and fight, not destroy the city," said Khan Mohammad, who has moved to a camp with his family, the report said. Kandahar, with its 650,000 inhabitants, is the second-largest city in Afghanistan after Kabul. Meanwhile, global rights group Human Rights Watch has said that there were reports that the Taliban fighters are committing atrocities against civilians in areas they have captured, including in the town of Spin Boldak near the border with Pakistan which they captured earlier this month. "Taliban leaders have denied responsibility for any abuses, but growing evidence of expulsions, arbitrary detentions, and killings in areas under their control are raising fears among the population," Patricia Grossman, Associate Asia Director at HRW, said in a statement. The authorities, meanwhile, announced that they have arrested four men belonging to the Taliban, who are accusing of carrying out this week's rocket attack on Kabul. "A Taliban commander, Momin, along with his three other associates have been arrested. They all belong to the Taliban group," government spokesman Mirwais Stanikzai told reporters in a video message. At least three rockets landed near the palace in Kabul on Tuesday, when President Ashraf Ghani and his top officials were performing outdoor prayers to mark the start of Eid al-Adha. The attack was, however, claimed by the jihadist Islamic State group, the report said. New Delhi, July 27: Investigators are still trying to figure out the organisation that plotted the attack on former president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed. What is, however, clear is that the tiny archipelago of nearly 1,200 islands has become a haven for Islamist ideologies and recruitment for global militant organisations. It has taken decades for radicalisation to gain a foothold in the country. The problem began when Maldivians started going out for higher education in the late seventies to Egypt, Pakistan and the Arab countries. Maldives could only provide them with vernacular or religious education. Once abroad, many young people came in contact with orthodox Islam and radical elements. A Maldivian expert told India Narrative: "Once the war on terror started in 2001, many Maldivian youth joined global terror networks. Some were also caught from Afghanistan and sent to Guantanamo Bay. They eventually came back to Maldives. There were others who joined Al Qaeda and the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and fought in different countries. The country did not have a law to deal with such elements. Eventually an anti-terror law was drafted, but not all returnees were tried under it". Many of those who fought in other countries and came back became preachers and doled out a more orthodox approach to religion to the others. Maldivian political parties turned a blind eye to these youth as some of the parties also believed in Islamic principles, even if not radical Islam. At another level, prosecuting the fighters did not suit their political goals either. Also, within the governments, there were people who were religious but not radical. The next big push came after the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 when Salafi organisations from the Arab world landed up on Maldivian shores to help. Among these was the LeT that came with aid and a more hardline version of Islam. LeT also looked at the islands for recruitment of locals for its global jihad. Dr Gulbin Sultana, Research Analyst at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, says: "The first recorded Islamist militant attack in the Maldives took place at Sultan Park in Male in September 2007. Ever since, the Maldives has been vulnerable to terrorism. In 2017, a plot to blow up an airplane was orchestrated by a Maldivian member of the IS in Syria, but the attempt was foiled by the local authorities working with "five biggest countries in the world"." With the persistent arms of terror networks reaching Maldives, and indoctrination of Maldivian youth in countries like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the Maldives Police revealed in December 2019 that 423 Maldivians had planned to join the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria, of which 173 did manage to enter the war zone. Tourism with its free-flowing alcohol, bikini-clad holiday makers began to increasingly clash with the growing radical thought. Chinese tourists were attacked in 2007 which led to a demand for reforms. Nasheed came on the scene in 2008 with a view to defeating Mamoon Abdul Gayoom and sought the help of other political parties including some radical outfits. One of those was the Adalat Party, which was later given the charge of the Islamic Affairs Ministry. By 2011 Nasheed's coalition had problems due to which the political parties combined to oust Nasheed. The expert says: "The political parties in the Maldives keep changing their affiliations to grab power but do not want to take action against radical elements as they often take support for getting into power. By 2013 Abdulla Yameen was in power and the country took a foreign policy turn towards China and Saudi Arabia". The new coalition sought Chinese money for developing infrastructure while the Saudi money went into setting up Islamic universities and mosques. This only led to more dollops of Islam being preached in the country. Amid this tussle between liberals and orthodox elements, various political parties which keep flipping their support, and different shades of Islam, the global jihadi network realised that it was easy to recruit Maldives youth. "The political system is such that the parties join hands to support Islamic groups but not take action against radical tendencies", says the expert, adding that "the hallmark of coalition politics has been not to offend any religion preachers". As recently as April 2020, the IS claimed responsibility for launching an attack and destroying seven vessels including a sea ambulance on Mahibadhoo Island. The boats were destroyed using incendiary bombs. The attack made it clear that tourism and Maldives do not gel together. In a country that is Islamic, governments do not act upon radical elements because the parties also adhere to the same religious beliefs, therefore, the governments do not know where to draw the line. This uncertainty in governance has allowed radicalisation to take root in the society and amongst youth with repercussions that take place beyond Maldivian shores. (The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative Raipur, July 27 : Saying "it is too much", a disgusted Chhattisgarh Health Minister T.S. Singh Deo on Tuesday walked out of the Assembly after the opposition created an uproar demanding a House panel probe into a Congress MLA's charge that the Minister was behind an attack on him. Singh Deo, who has been lobbying hard for months to replace Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, said this on the second day of the Monsoon Session and walked out of the House. He said he will keep away from the Assembly proceedings until the government cleared the air regarding the allegation against him by a senior tribal legislator of his party. During Zero Hour, Home Minister Tamradhwaj Sahu read out a statement about some youths attacking a vehicle in Ramanujganj Congress MLA Brihaspati Singh's convoy at Ambikapur town on Saturday. Leader of Opposition Dharamlal Kaushik called it a `serious matter' as a ruling party MLA had alleged a threat to his life at the hands of a senior Cabinet minister. The Speaker denied receiving any communication from the legislator. The Opposition asked the Speaker to take cognizance now that it has come to his notice. Amid the chaos, Singh Deo stood up and declared: "Now, it is too much. I am also a human being and everyone knows my character and the background of my parents. I do not think it is rational to continue in this august House until the government clears the air on the allegations made against me." With the opposition still creating noisy disturbances, the House was adjourned for 10 minutes. When the House resumed, the opposition continued to seek a House panel probe. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel tabled the supplementary appropriation bill amid the chaos while opposition members reached the well of the House. Later, the Speaker adjourned the House for the day. On Monday evening, AICC General Secretary P L Punia cancelled his return to Delhi. He then met the legislator and the Minister in a bid to work out a truce. Three youths attacked the vehicle in the convoy of Brihaspati Singh after their vehicle was overtaken by the MLA's vehicles at Ambikapur. One of them turned out to be a relative of Singh Deo. Police have registered a case and all the three have been arrested. New Delhi, July 27 : No private sector companies are involved as far as building of the Agristack is concerned, however, leading technology/Agri-tech/startup companies were identified and invited to collaborate with the government of India to develop proof of concepts (PoC) based on small portions of data from the farmers' database for certain identified areas (districts/villages), the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday. "A public call through the department's website has been placed inviting proposals for PoCs. MoUs purely on pro bono basis with selected companies are being signed for a period of one year to develop the PoCs. The PoCs will help in understanding the solutions that can be built using the available data and some of them, if found beneficial to the farmers, will be scaled up at the national level," Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, said in a statement in reply to a question raised by Lok Sabha member Jayadev Galla. The department has commenced the work for creating Agristack in the country and is in the process of finalising the "India Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture (IDEA)", which will lay down a framework for Agristack, Tomar said. Accordingly, a task force has been constituted and in furtherance a concept paper on IDEA has already been floated for comments from the general public, not only through the department's website, but also through emails, especially to the subject matter specialists, agro-industry, farmers, and farmer producer organisations (FPOs). "The IDEA would help in laying down the architecture for the Agristack in the country and that would serve as a foundation to build innovative agri-focused solutions leveraging the emerging technologies to contribute effectively in creating a better ecosystem for agriculture in India," Tomar said. This ecosystem shall help the government in effective planning towards increasing the income of the farmers in particular, and improving the efficiency of the agriculture sector as a whole. As a first step in this direction, the government has already initiated building federated farmers' database that would serve as the core of the envisaged Agristack, Tomar said. "There is no connection between the MoUs and the IDEA consultation paper for which comments have been sought from various stakeholders in the country," the government claimed. Details of the MoUs entered by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare with leading technology/agri-tech/startup companies to develop PoCs are as follows: 1. Microsoft India Pvt Ltd -- for consolidating agri ecosystem across the value chain (farm to fork) to empower the farmer using data analytics. In this regard, 100 villages have been selected and a pilot is being carried out by Microsoft and its local partner. 2. ESRI India Technologies Limited -- for establishment and launch of "Nation Agriculture Geo Hub" and for using their 'ArcGIS' platform enabling a GIS layer over farmers' database. 3. Amazon Web Services India -- for digital services across the agri value chain and creating an innovation ecosystem around digital agriculture. 4. Star Agribazaar Technology Private limited -- for collaborating with the Department of Agriculture for a pilot project in three districts -- Kota in Rajasthan, Mathura in Uttar Pradesh and Guna in Madhya Pradesh -- to promote digital agriculture. 5. Patanjali Organic Research Institute Private Limited -- for farm management and farmers service in three districts -- Haridwar in Uttarakhand, Hamirpur in Uttar Pradesh and Morena in Madhya Pradesh. Hyderabad, July 27 : Cells communicate with each other via receptor proteins expressed on the cell membranes, and many drugs target these receptor proteins to alter the cell's functioning and physiology. However, the latest study from Prof Amitabha Chattopadhyay's lab at CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) makes a case for accounting for the lipid environment that surrounds the receptor proteins, while designing drugs, acting on the latter. The lab had earlier found that the serotonin receptors are sensitive to cholesterol surrounding them. In the new study published in Science Advances, they report a sensor region on human serotonin1A receptor that can detect cholesterol. They looked at specific regions called CRAC motifs, believed to interact with cholesterol, in the receptor. The researchers carefully replaced specific amino acids in the CRAC motifs of the serotonin1A receptor, and identified a particular amino acid responsible for cholesterol-sensitive function of the receptor. The researchers collaborated with Dr Jana Selent's group from Pompeu Fabra University Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute in Spain's Barcelona to visualise the protein-cholesterol interaction via computer-aided molecular dynamics simulations. This helped them predict how the specific amino acid on CRAC motif enables the receptor to sense changes in cholesterol levels by controlling molecular motion in certain regions of the receptor. "These findings are important since cholesterol levels change in our cells with age and in many disease conditions. We believe our work will help in developing better drugs that keep in mind not just the receptor as the drug target, but also the lipid environment in which the receptor is present," said Prof Chattopadhyay. "Our expertise in structural biology at the CCMB is key towards physical understanding of cells and their functions. This not only adds to the detailed view of living cells but also have immense potential in therapeutics development," CCMB Director, Dr Vinay Nandicoori, said. Hyderabad, July 27 : Actor Satyadev's recent releases have been appreciated by movie buffs for their contemporary treatement. Reflecting on the kind of content the Telugu film industry has started presenting in the last couple of years, the actor says everyone's focus is on producing relatable content. "Films have become more relatable and have a realistic approach. I give that credit entirely to the new age filmmakers -- the directors, actors, the producers. The Telugu film industry is on a growth curve. We are moving and transitioning into a new era where every actor, including me and my fellow actors, my fellow directors, think that we should go for a realistic approach," Satyadev told IANS. The actor is gearing up for the release of his film "Thimmarusu", which will be one of the first films to release in theatres on July 30, after the opening of theatres in Telangana. The actor said that while audience exposure to global cinema has increased during the lockdown, it doesn't take away the vision that Telugu filmmakers and actors have. "The audience is definitely more matured now than a year ago. Probably the lockdown has given a lot of opportunity and time to the people to watch world cinema. That could be one of the reasons," he said. Satyadev quickly added to this: "But I wouldn't give it completely to the Hollywood movies. When I do a film, me and the filmmakers make sure (and I have been doing it for the last so many years) that we approach it in a natural way and not go over the top." The actor, who will also be making his Hindi debut with "Ram Setu" alongside Akshay Kumar, said that the wheels of change are moving in the film industry since the last five years. "In the last five years, the approach has started and we are seeing the results now. I personally would give more credit to our filmmakers who started five years ago. We are all on the same boat," he said, adding with a chuckle: "So, I would like to take some credit too!" Satyadev will also be seen in the Telugu films " Sky Lab", "Godse" and "Gurthunda Seethakalam". Hyderabad, July 27 : Drug maker Dr Reddy's Laboratories said on Tuesday that the locally-manufactured Covid-19 Sputnik V vaccine is expected to be available in the September-October period. "The local manufacturers of Sputnik V vaccine are currently in the process of technology absorption and scale up, and we expect that the vaccine will be available from September-October period," the pharma firm's CEO, Branded Markets (India & Emerging Markets), M.V. Ramana, said. He told reporters that due to the sudden spike of Covid-19 cases in Russia, the arrival of Sputnik V doses are getting delayed, and the company expects the situation to ease by August-end. Dr Reddy's soft-launched the vaccine on May 14 after receiving Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) in April. So far, the vaccine has been launched in about 80 cities and towns across India and over 2.5 lakh people have been administered the jab. It expects to ramp up vaccination from August onwards after receiving balance doses for the second jab. The Hyderabad-based drug maker, which has tied up with Russian Direct Investment Fund (RIDF) for Sputnik V in India, is in discussions for ramping up supplies. The RIDF has tied up with six Indian pharma companies to manufacture Sputnik V. Ramana said Dr Reddy's will sell the first 125 million people doses (250 million vials). On single dose Sputnik Light, he said Dr Reddy's was in the process of receiving data on it. The company will be approaching the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) under the Drugs Controller General of India with the updated data. As per the recommendation of the SEC, Dr Reddy's will be leveraging Russia Phase-3 trials. It is also waiting for the clinical data from the ongoing clinical trials of Sputnik V in Russia for 12-18 age group to seek approval in India. The trials in Russia are expected to be completed by October. New Delhi, July 27 : A special court in Delhi designated for cases against lawmakers on Tuesday again deferred its order on framing of charges against Congress MP Shashi Tharoor in connection with the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar. This is the fifth time the pronouncement of the order on framing of charges against Tharoor has been deferred. The prosecution submitted that it wanted to bring on record and rely upon a recent judgment on the aspect of a "prima facie" case at the time of framing of charges. Special Judge Geetanjli Goel directed the judgment be placed on record and its copy to be supplied to Tharoor's counsel. However, the court said that it will not be entertaining any more applications. On April 29, May 19 and June 16, the order was deferred due to the pandemic impacting the judicial work. The pronouncement was adjourned again on July 2, after the court received an application from the prosecution seeking one week's time to file written submissions. The case has now been scheduled for pronouncement on August 18. Senior advocate Vikas Pahwa, representing Tharoor, had sought his client's discharge in the case, contending that the prosecution had not alleged any mental or physical torture against his client. Pahwa also argued that police, after spending four years on the investigation, could not even find the cause of Pushkar's death. Pushkar was found dead on the evening of January 17, 2014. Initially, Delhi police investigated the same as a murder with an FIR was registered under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code, but then, it charged Tharoor under Sections 306 (abetment of suicide) and 498A (cruelty by husband). Special public prosecutor Atul Shrivastava had argued that before her death, Pushkar had sustained injuries on her body, and they were reflected in the post-mortem report. He submitted 27 tablets of Alprax were found in her room, although it was not clear as to how many pills she had consumed. New Delhi, July 27 : The Centre on Tuesday appointed former Special Director of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Rakesh Asthana, as the new Commissioner of Delhi Police. The Ministry of Home Affairs said in an order, "Consequent upon the appointment of Rakesh Adthana, IPS, (GJ:84) Director General, BSF, as Commissioner of Police, Delhi, the competent authority has approved that S.S. Deswal, IPS (Hy:84), Director General of ITBP, shall hold the additional charge of post of DF, BSF, vice Asthana, till the appointment and joining of the regular incumbent or until further orders, whichever is earlier." The order further stated that accordingly, it is requested to relieve Asthana immediately to enable him to join as Cimmissioner of Police, Delhi. Asthana will be in charge of of Delhi Police for a period of one year, till July 31, 2022. His date of retirement was July 31, which has been extended by one year "as a special case in public interest". The government had given additional charge of Delhi Police to Balaji Srivastava after the retirement of S.N. Shrivastava on June 30. Asthana, a 1984 batch IPS officer of Gujarat cadre, was holding the posts of Director General of Border Security Force (BSF) and chief of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). In October 2018, the battle between then CBI Director Alok Verma and Special Director Asthana became public, forcing the government to intervene in the matter and transfer both the officers from the agency. Asthana as the Director General of NCB has been at the forefront of drug seizures and has directed investigation into the influx of cocaine and synthetic drugs in the Mumbai film industry. He also led the NCB in its probe into the drugs angle in Bollywood that emerged following the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput last year. As the Director General of BSF, Asthana has pushed the force to make the borders more secure by unravelling tunnels used by Pakistan-based terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab. New Delhi, July 27 : There has been no meeting of the National Integration Council (NIC), the apex body mandated to fight communalism, casteism, regionalism and parochialism, after the NDA formed the government in 2014, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. Lok Sabha member Raksha Nikhil Khadse sought answer to her question as to whether the government proposes to reconstitute the National Integration Council (NIC) chaired by the Prime Minister and if the last meeting of NIC was held on September 23, 2013. In a written reply, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, said, "Meetings of the National Integration Council (NIC) are convened as per requirement from time to time. There is no regular or specified time interval for convening meetings of the NIC. The last meeting of the NIC was held on 23.09.2013. However, issues of communal harmony and national integration are addressed continuously by the government." The National Integration Council (NIC) had originated in a conference convened by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in September-October of 1961. The purpose was to find ways to address the problems of communalism, casteism and regionalism. The conference set up the NIC to review national integration issues and make recommendations. The NIC met for the first time in June 1962. The NIC was reconstituted and met again in August 2005. The new council had 103 members, including 12 Chief Ministers, 12 Union ministers and leaders of all the main political parties. In April 2010, the NIC was again reconstituted with 147 members. The Supreme Court had commended the role of the National Integration Council in finding ways to counter the problems facing the country, including attachment to specific communities, castes, regions and languages. New Delhi, July 27 : The Delhi Board of School Education (DBSE) will affiliate as many as 30 government-run schools in its first academic year (2021-22), an official said on Tuesday. The decision was taken during the second general body meeting of DBSE chaired by Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, on Tuesday. Out of these, 20 schools will be specialised in excellence while 10 will be general schools. The officials said that these 20 schools of specialised excellence will be spread across Delhi. Of these 20 schools, eight would specialise in STEM, five each in humanities and high-end skills, and two in visual arts. The board has also decided to set up 100 more schools of specialised excellence during the next academic year. "Students at the specialised excellence schools will receive excellent learning opportunities in their area of interest which will enable them to join some of the best universities and institutions in the country and abroad. It is important to identify and provide specialised education to the students," said Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio in Delhi government. Sisodia further stated that the Delhi government is committed to provide world-class education to the children. "In the last five years, we have worked to improve the basics of the education system in Delhi. We now aspire to be the best in the world. Our vision is to create government schools in Delhi that would be at par with the international schools in the coming years," he said. In order to create progressive curriculum and assessment structures for Delhi schools, the DBSE is partnering with the research and assessment organisation, Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), which is credited with designing the globally recognised Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The separate education board for Delhi -- DBSE -- came into existence on March 19, following its registration under the Society Registration Act, 1860. The Delhi cabinet had approved the proposal to set up DBSE on March 6 this year. Jaipur, July 27 : Rajasthan's former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot on Tuesday went to Delhi, a day before the scheduled meeting of Congress' state in charge Ajay Maken with ruling party MLAs. In Delhi, Pilot had around an hour-long meeting with Maken, and sources said the state's political situation was discussed at length. According to informed sources, Pilot and other leaders discussed a road map which has been prepared for Rajasthan after discussing the matter with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Apart from this, the names of MLAs to be included in the cabinet were also discussed, even though those from the Pilot camp tipped for ministerial berths are yet not known. On Wednesday and Thursday, Maken shall be taking one-on-one feedback with all Congress MLAs to evaluate the performance of present ministers which will further pave the way for cabinet expansion and reshuffle as well. During the recent visit of Maken and party General Secretary K.C. Venugopal to Jaipur, there was no direct consultation with Pilot. However, Pilot has been meeting these leaders in Delhi. Meanwhile, Gehlot supporters were on the edge on Tuesday, with many rushing to meet the Chief Minister, fearing the loss of their portfolios. Meanwhile, a video of state Education Minister Govind Singh Dotasara is also raising eyebrows. Seen talking to Board of Secondary Education Chairman D.P. Jaroli in Ajmer, he said: "I am a guest for only two-five days. Let me know whatever you want me to do. I will get the file passed." Chennai: After many anxious moments India resumed civil passenger flight services on Monday, exactly two-months after it had suspended these operations due to the outbreak of Covid-19, at Chennai International Airport, on May 25, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News Chennai, July 27 : International travellers from Europe, the US and the Middle East, who are landing at the Chennai international airport, have to wait for hours in long queues to get their swab samples tested. Even for passengers who are reaching the country after taking two doses of vaccine are not exempted from swab test in Chennai. The passengers complain that they have to stand in two queues, one to make the payment and the second for the swab sample. Mohammed Aslam, a passenger who reached Chennai on Tuesday from Europe, told IANS, "I had to wait for more than two hours in the queue. One queue is to make payment for RT-PCR test and the second one is for giving the swab." The passenger also alleged that the room where the passengers are made to stand in queue is a tiny one where no Covid protocols are followed. At the Chennai international airport, at least five flights are arriving daily from abroad, leading to large queues. While other airports like in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi have adequate space, the Chennai airport does not have proper space for the passengers to stand in queue. Basheer from the air travel agents' association told IANS, "The solution is to increase the number of counters. While there are four counters at the Chennai airport, these are not enough to cater to the large flow of passengers to the airport. The number of passengers arriving from Europe is also more and hence the queues are also long. We got information that the Airport Authority of India will take effective measures to solve the issue." Officials in the Airport Authority of India (AAI) said that there are around 20 staff members who collect swab samples from the passengers. The officials, however, said that crowd control is in place and that the department would look into the complaints, if any. The AAI is also planning to increase the number of counters at the airport to ensure smooth exit for the passengers. Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma pays homage to 6 police personnel who died during violence at Assam-Mizoram border at Silchar in Assam on Tuesday, July 27, 2021.(Photo: Anuwar hazarika/IANS) Image Source: IANS News Silchar : , July 27 (IANS) With one more Assam policeman succumbing to bullet injuries at the Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH) on Tuesday night, the death toll in Monday's firing on the Assam-Mizoram rose to six, officials said. Meanwhille, Cachar Superintendent of Police Nimbalkar Vaibhav Chandrakant, who was shot in the leg in Monday's firing, has been shifted to Mumbai by Indian Air Force air ambulance. Announcing the latest fatality, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a tweet, said: "I am sad to inform that Shyamprasad Dusat of 6th AP Bn has succumbed to his abdominal bullet injury at SMCH. He couldn't be operated or moved to Guwahati because of his worsening condition. I salute the brave martyr and bow in reverence. My heartfelt condolences to the family." The other five Assam Police personnel killed in Monday's firing are Sub-Inspector Swapan Kumar Roy and constables Liton Suklabaidya, M.H. Barbhuyia, N. Hussain and S. Barbhuiya. Sarma, who on Tuesday rushed to Silchar and straightway went to the SMCH, where injured security personnel were admitted for treatment. He said that if required, the injured police personnel should be shifted to Guwahati or elsewhere for advanced treatment. Paying his last respect to the slain police personnel, the Chief Minister also laid wreaths to their mortal remains and announced an ex-gratia amounting to Rs 50 lakh to the next of the kin of each deceased and government job for one member of the family of the deceased. He also said that all the police personnel sustained injuries would be entitled to Rs one lakh compensation. Assam Police personnel deployed along the 164.6 km Assam-Mizoram border would get an additional salary of one month, he announced. The Chief Minister also said that clear evidence is emerging which conclusively show that Mizoram Police and their supported elements are behind in fomenting trouble across the border. He also said that Assam would seek the intervention of the Supreme Court for the protection of reserve forest from destruction and encroachment. The Chief Minister said that Assam is a responsible state which can not tolerate the lives of innocent civilians being lost in border skirmishes. He also said that there is no question of retaliation, as Assam respects the life of every individual. Later Sarma, who holds the Home Department, held a meeting to review the law and order situation prevailing in southern Assam's Barak Valley, particularly in Cachar district. An Assam government statement said that there was unprovoked firing from the Mizoram side as its senior state officials, led by an Inspector General of Police, had requested Mizoram Police and officials to dismantle unauthorised constructions on the Assam side. "The Assam officials suddenly were surrounded and attacked by a mob of miscreants, brandishing weapons and wearing helmets, from the Mizoram side and that was visibly supported by the Mizoram Police. While the mob pelted stones on the Assam officials and destroyed three vehicles including the Deputy Commissioner's car, the Mizoram Police simultaneously fired tear gas shells on the delegation. The IGP was injured in this barrage," the statement said. Mumbai, July 27 : Non-performing assets (NPAs) of the scheduled commercial banks declined marginally to Rs 8.34 lakh crore as on March 31, 2021, Parliament was informed on Tuesday. Citing data from the Reserve Bank of India, Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Karad told the Rajya Sabha, in a written reply, that the NPAs in the previous financial year stood at Rs 8.96 lakh crore. "Primarily as a result of transparent recognition of stressed assets as NPAs, gross NPAs of SCBs, as per RBI data on global operations, rose from Rs 3,23,464 crore as on March 31, 2015, to Rs 10,36,187 crore on March 31, 2018, and as a result of government's strategy of recognition, resolution, recapitalisation, and reforms, have since declined to Rs 9,33,779 crore on March 31, 2019, Rs 8,96,082 crore as on March 31, 2020, and further to Rs 8,34,902 crore (provisional data) as on March 31, 2021," he said. He also said that the government has taken comprehensive steps to tackle NPAs which enabled SCBs to recover over Rs 6.03 lakh crore over the last five financial years. Karad added that RBI's Covid-19 Relief Package allowed banks to grant a moratorium of six months on payment of all installments falling due between March 1 and August 31, 2020, in respect of all term loans and to defer the recovery of interest for the same period in respect of working capital facilities. New Delhi, July 27 : The IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Ltd, a subsidiary of IFFCO, has registered good performance in its cattle feed business during the first quarter of the current financial year (2021-22). During April-June, the company sold cattle feed amounting to Rs 49.13 crore, registering a growth of 29.73 per cent. It had sold cattle feed amounting to Rs 37.87 crore during the first quarter of the previous financial year, the company said in a release. The IFFCO Kisan cattle feed sales volume has also seen a substantial growth of 28.24 per cent. The company sold 24,756 MT of cattle feed during April-June 2021, as against 19,303 MT sold during April-June 2020, it said. "We are glad to announce that we could mark a commendable growth number with our cattle feed business in Q1 even though we witnessed a hard time in the market, hit by the second wave of Covid 19, during April-June 2021," IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Ltd's national sales head Ganesh Dash said in a statement. He also said that in June, the business started picking up pace as Covid cases started declining and the company sold 10,000 MT of cattle feed during the month. The company entered the compound cattle feed business on a pilot basis during FY 2019-20. It contributes about 30 per cent of the total business of IFFCO Kisan. New Delhi, July 28 : After repeated adjournments on their demand for a discussion on the Pegasus snooping issue, leaders of opposition parties in the Lok Sabha met on Tuesday evening and decided a meeting of leaders of both houses will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday chalk out a joint strategy. Congress' chief whip in the lower house, K. Suresh told media that the opposition will move an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha on Pegasus issue. The Parliament proceedings witnessed repeated adjournments on Tuesday too as the opposition wants the government to take up Pegasus issue and farm laws for discussion. Opposition parties held a press conference in which Congress Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma said: "One thing is very clear, the blame of the deadlock in Parliament lies squarely at the door of the government. Government is not interested in a meaningful discussion and debate. This government does not believe in its accountability to the people of India through the Parliament." "Opposition is being blacked out inside the house, so through the media, we want to tell our people, we shall continue this fight. The government is obdurate as it is, we will force them, as in a democratic set up it is done, to come and debate, if government has nothing to hide, let them start the debate today itself, the opposition is ready." New Delhi, July 28 : The Madhya Pradesh government has joined hands with UNESCO for heritage-based sustainable urban development of its Gwalior and Orchha cities. The UNESCO is collaborating with the state Tourism Department on its 2011 recommendation on the historic urban landscape as an approach to guide heritage-based sustainable urban development in the two historic cities. Launching the partnership, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan said: "I thank the Government of India and UNESCO for their assistance and partnership, through which the we are preserving and enhancing our cultural heritage with complete determination. "Madhya Pradesh since long has maintained a lot of potential for religious tourism. Now with this decisive partnership with UNESCO, historical, cultural and religious tourism will become even more prevalent." State Tourism, and Culture Minister Usha Thakur said that this project will take the two cities of Gwalior and Orchha to the heights of development, from a cultural and spiritual perspective, while also protecting the natural heritage. "In this important partnership, we will fulfill our role for the planning and development of these two historical cities," she said. UNESCO New Delhi Director and Representative, Eric Falt said: "I would like to congratulate the commitment made by the Government of Madhya Pradesh to preserve its historic towns, which will play an important role to make the urban development of Madhya Pradesh in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals." The UNESCO Historic Urban Landscape approach is a holistic means of integrating goals of urban heritage conservation with those of social and economic development. Gwalior and Orchha, as historical cities with a thriving culture and unique development needs, make excellent cases for this pilot project. Guwahati, July 28 : The Assam Congress on Tuesday accused the state and Central government for their "total failure to deal with the inter-state border disputes". The Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, headed by rights activist Akhil Gogoi, also demonstrated along the Assam-Mizoram border, with the protesters partially damaging the Mizoram-bound railway tracks. Assam Congress' newly-appointed working President Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha said that Monday's violent border clashes have exposed the complete failure of the state and Central governments. He said that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is also the convenor of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), who apparently shares good relations with the Chief Ministers of the other northeastern states, but the reality is different. Most of the regional parties of the eight northeastern states, including Mizoram's ruling Mizo National Front and Meghalaya's ruling National People's Party, are the members of NEDA, an anti-Congress regional body. "Mizoram has encroached upon lands in different areas along the borders with Assam. There is no security of for the people. A government which cannot provide security to its own people should resign," Purkayastha, also a Congress legislator, told the media. The Congress leader said that due to the wrong handling of the border troubles on Monday, the Mizoram police attacked the Assam police and civilians, killing six Assam police staff besides injuring 80 civilians and security personnel. Congress leader and former state minister Siddique Ahmed said that the border problems with Mizoram, Nagaland and Meghalaya are not new, and they have been further aggravated as the issues have remained unresolved for years. "We saw Nagaland people attacking Assam police personnel at Merapani, killing several of them. At the time I was the border minister. Our then Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had made it clear that not one inch of our land should be occupied. This is no longer the case now. "One-and-a-half years back, when Sarbananda Sonowal was the CM, we saw Mizoram destroy tea bushes in large areas of our land. We were also attacked by mobs armed with machetes," Ahmed told the media at the party headquarters in Guwahati. He said that former Congress legislator Rupjyoti Kurmi was also recenty attacked when he went to inspect the areas occupied by Nagaland. Another Assam Congress working president, Zakir Hussain Sikdar, said that Monday's border violence took place only hours after Union Home Minister Amit Shah left Assam. "People of the state are now questioning whether Shah came to bring peace or cause more troubles? The state BJP, the Central government, the Chief Minister and the Union Home Minister have all failed to deal with the issue. "It is not important what is written on Twitter and Facebook. Assam police personnel are capable of thwarting the designs of anyone and we have faith in them. It is the skewed policies of the BJP government that is to be blamed for the incident," Sikdar stated. Several other parties, including the Bajrang Dal, have also staged protests against Monday's border violence. The Barak Democratic Front has called for a 12-hour shutdown on Wednesday in the three districts in southern Assam -- Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi -- to denounce the border violence. New Delhi, July 28 : Groupe ADP and GMR on Tuesday said they have executed their industrial partnership. Accordingly, the move marks a new significant step into building the world's largest airport alliance to welcome passengers and leverage both groups' expertise to continuously improve operations. Notably, Groupe ADP and GMR Group signed an industrial partnership on July 23, 2021. As per the statement, the objective of this strategic partnership is to leverage on each party's expertise and resources, with a view to improve service level and product offering to passengers and airlines. "In a unique post-Covid context, Groupe ADP and GMR want to further strengthen their cooperation to identify areas of synergy and seize new opportunities to improve efficiency and define world-class new, safe standards of experience for the passengers." "This agreement will thus enhance and accelerate their cooperation to leverage on each others' strengths, and to add value to both companies in their entire network of airports and explore new business avenues." According to GBS Raju, Chairman - Airports, GMR Group: "The industrial partnership between GMR and ADP has been conceived to build an unparalleled airport alliance in the world that builds on the combined experience of ADP and GMR of handling more than 325 million passengers annually." "Together, we seek to bring unique experiences and concepts to the aviation industry that will build upon the combined expertise, innovation and vision of both partners. We believe this partnership will strengthen our respective airport platforms and enhance our competitiveness to seek opportunities for profitable growth for both ADP and GMR." Kandukur : , July 28 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Police's women safety app Disha came in handy for anxious parents who lost contact with their daughter who was travelling alone in the night in an area with poor bus connectivity, a police official said on Tuesday. According to Prakasam police, Sireesha started off from her grandmother's home at Edduwada village in Chilakaluripeta mandal on Monday evening for her home in Pamur village. She reached Ongole at 7.30 p.m. and waited for a bus to Pamur but could not find one and later learnt that there was no bus at that point of time. "She informed her parents and they told her to board the Kanigiri bus but she boarded the Kandukur bus when the Kanigiri bus was not there," said a police official. However, after this point, Sireesha's parents lost touch with her and could not reach her on phone even after calling several times. The panicked parents immediately contacted Ongole police through the Disha app. "Ongole police control room staff immediately responded and conveyed information to Kandukur police officers. Kandukur police staff swiftly responded and briskly rushed to Kandukur RTC depot," he said. After searching in and around the depot for some time, police found Sireesha waiting there. Upon finding her, police informed the panicked parents that she was safe. Later, police personally took Sireesha to her parents. Following crimes against women, the state police bolstered Disha app, which is helping in cases like these. Last week, Vijayawada police arrested an man, who did not stop harassing a girl even in her father's presence, within six minutes of the victim raising an alarm. Similarly, Deputy Inspector General, Guntur, Trivikram Varma said that a woman recently managed to save herself when the auto rickshaw she hired was rushing without stopping or taking any more passengers, causing her to panic. New Delhi, July 28 : A new portal for 'Earth System Science Data' was launched during the 15th foundation day event of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), here on Tuesday. Along with the the portal, Union Minister of State for Earth Sciences, Jitendra Singh, also launched the newly furbished MoES website that would provide a more user-friendly interface and cyber secure experience to the public. The MoES-ESSDP (Earth System Science Data Portal), an integrated digital web portal of MoES institutes, makes available data on various themes of earth system science for public use. The portal has been developed using the latest information technology tools and is available at https://incois.gov.in/essdp. It would facilitate search and retrieval of earth system science data (of atmosphere, ocean, poles, geoscience and seismology) for societal benefit. The minister encouraged the MoES to expand, enhance and promote services to the society, especially related to weather, climate, ocean and seismology, bringing in more socio-economic benefits to the country. On the occasion, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) introduced a new mobile app named 'Pune Weather Live', which would provide real-time and location-specific weather updates for Pune city. The app captures live data from more than 80 weather stations, including information on rainfall. Earlier, Petteri Taalas, Secretary General, World Meteorological Organization (WMO), delivered the foundation day lecture and spoke on 'WMO, Disasters, Climate and COP-26' besides discussing the pressing issue of climate change and its impact. Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Indira Murthy, announced the national awards in various categories for the scientists of the multiple agencies of the MoES. States Regenerate: Greening Government for our Planet, Wealth, and Health Governments must do more than state ambitions and commitments. Governments around the world have a tremendous opportunity to be changemakers, including through their 7.8 trillion procurement purchasing power. Governments must look beyond the economy alone if global decarbonisation targets are to be met, according to a new report, States Regenerate: Greening Government for our Planet, Wealth, and Health by StateUp, the international intelligence and advisory firm for public-purpose technology. To address the climate crisis, governments must also focus on decarbonising their own organisations and operations, the research argues. States Regenerate recommends how governments around the world could collectively shift 7.8 trillion annually towards green purchasing. Governments have a unique capacity to drive decarbonisation because of their purchasing power and dominant role in financing and managing polluting assets like infrastructure. Commitments made at the G7 summit were relatively light. Yet public procurement forms at least 12% of global GDP, and in developing countries alone 83% of investments in infrastructure projects are sponsored by government entities and state owned enterprises. Dr. Tanya Filer, StateUp founder and CEO, who also leads the Digital State program at the Bennett Institute at Public Policy, University of Cambridge: Governments must do more than state ambitions and commitments. Governments around the world have a tremendous opportunity to be changemakers, including through their 7.8 trillion procurement purchasing power. Our research shows how digital innovation can make a substantive contribution to decarbonisation and outlines policy actions and partners needed to support it. Governments that invest in decarbonising their own operations will reap benefits in terms of a headstart in meeting climate goals, health benefits from cleaner air and more livable buildings, and economic benefits in terms of economic stimulus: new skills, new jobs, and new companies. StateUps States Regenerate features insights from leading academics, including climate policy and green technology experts from the UK Geospatial Commission, and Cambridge, Oxford, and Yale Universities. Shifting government spending towards sustainable purchasing and accountability 7.8 trillion is the amount all governments spent on procuring goods, services and works in 2018 according to the World Bank. States Regenerate recommends that national governments appoint Chief Decarbonisation Commissioner to both rally the sector behind the governments priorities, and represent its interests to government figures, with a full office to ensure that there is continuity in policy and profile between successive office-holders and governments. The States Regenerate report highlights the opportunities governments have to reduce their own emissions using technologies which are either emerging or already available, focusing on four key areas in which governments can make use of these technologies to become carbon-neutral and low-waste: Making infrastructure and the built environment environmentally sustainable. For example, in the UK, a quarter of all construction output is by the public sector; these buildings could be run on renewable energy and upgraded using sustainable materials. Reforming procurement procedures to ensure positive environmental impact. Public procurement averages about 12% of global GDP. Technologies are already being developed to facilitate finding green suppliers and to measure and evaluate the sustainability of infrastructure tenders. Managing environmental public goods like water reserves and clean air. For instance, government-owned land could be repurposed as carbon sinks, and trees can be used to sequester carbon while improving air quality. Stimulating the use of data and development of green innovation for public sector organisations, such as smart grids to monitor energy consumption or AI to predict future patterns of energy use. Fifty high-quality startups focused on decarbonising governments States Regenerates shares fifty leading companies focused on greening government that can help develop a robust ecosystem of collaboration to realise government goals. The companies identified were sourced from Nebula, the public-purpose technology intelligence platform from international insights and advisory firm StateUp. Leading companies identified include Carbfix (Iceland), Ecodrone (Italy), SeeTree (Israel), Commonplace (UK) and Spacept (Sweden). Companies come from 22 countries, representing innovation from around the world, developing digital and emerging technologies such as AI and machine learning, IoT and big data analytics. While more innovation focused on government sustainability is needed everywhere, there are clear regional discrepancies. Europe is in the lead position, generating 41% of the highest quality startups focused on greening government, followed by North America (26%). Despite government commitments to green procurement, with only 5% of high-quality sustainable innovation for government emerging from the region, Latin America is the laggard, behind the Middle East (11%), Asia (9%), and Africa (8%). The top government decarbonisation startups were identified from Nebula, the new public-purpose technology intelligence platform that bridges the information gap between public-purpose innovators and policy and investment decision makers. Launching Nebula as the go-to public purpose technology intelligence platform The publication of States Regenerate also marks the launch of Nebula, which aims to be the go-to source for data and analysis on GovTech, CivTech and Tech for Place and Planet. Dr. Filer explained: At StateUp, our mission is to bridge the gap between the worlds of government and technology to improve citizens lives, through the highest quality public-purpose technology intelligence, data and advisory services. We created Nebula knowing that decisionmakers' expectations for the kind of information they receive and how they receive it are changing, particularly as "millennials'' take on leadership roles in policy, consultancy, and the technology ecosystem. Nebula draws on StateUps key qualities - a digital-first organisation that uses the depths of academic research, and a translator skill - committed to bridging the information gap between public-purpose technology innovators and policy and investment decisionmakers. Access the new report at: http://stateup.co/product/statesregenerate Learn more about Nebula, the first global public-purpose tech intelligence platform: http://stateup.co/nebula/ About StateUp StateUp is the international, multi-disciplinary insights and advisory firm for digital innovation with public purpose. Our mission is to bridge the gap between the worlds of government and technology to improve citizens lives, through the highest quality public-purpose technology intelligence, data and advisory services. We work with governments, international organisations, investors, and research bodies. StateUp works internationally with an ear to the ground on the latest technological uptake and policy updates across organisations and countries. We believe context is key. http://stateup.co About States Regenerate report: States Regenerate is the companion for policymakers, investors, innovators and consultants interested in how the government can lead in engaging new technology to benefit people and planet. It features expert interviews, multidisciplinary analysis, and data from the new Nebula public-purpose tech intelligence platform created by StateUp. http://stateup.co/product/statesregenerate About Nebula The Nebula public-purpose technology intelligence platform is the go-to source for data and analysis on GovTech, CivTech and Tech for Place and Planet. Nebula bridges the information gap between public-purpose innovators and policy and investment decision makers. Nebula is designed as the companion for intelligent policy and practice, with data deep dives, benchmarking and a personalised experience. Membership of Nebula will include access to two research collections per year, each addressing a core public-purpose technology theme that demonstrates StateUps commitment to bridging the information gap between public-purpose technology innovators and policy and investment decisionmakers. http://stateup.co/nebula/ # # # The Media Bias Chart Sadly we have entered an era in which responsible media is no longer the norm. Media reliability and bias ratings provide the critical intelligence consumers and advertisers need to make informed decisions." Elizabeth Tumulty, former President, CBS Television Network Until now, TV audiences and advertisers had little way of knowing if the news content they were exposed to when watching TV or promoting their brands was biased. This is an increasingly dire problem because of the substantial evidence that biased content plays a big role in media consumer polarization and is damaging to brands that appear next to it. Today, with the release of its New TV Reliability and Bias Ratings solution, Ad Fontes Media, the leader in media bias intelligence, provides a robust and actionable solution for all. The solution is integrated into Ad Fontes Medias Ad Apex solution suite, which was created to ensure easy access to the media bias intelligence needed to inform smart media planning and buying decisions across all digital channels. At its core, Ad Fontes Medias new TV Reliability and Bias Ratings solution provides audiences and advertisers with a way to assess the reliability and bias of over 200 individual TV and video news programs across network, cable, CTV and other video platforms. Ad Fontes Media is currently the only company that rates both linear and CTV content across multiple platforms based on both reliability and bias. Its ratings also drill down to the show-level because different shows on the same network can have drastically different ratings for reliability and bias. Armed with this intelligence, audiences and advertisers now have exactly what they need to decide for themselves whether or not the TV content they are exposed to aligns with their values and preferences, said Ad Fontes founder and CEO, Vanessa Otero. We believe advertisers have a basic responsibility to consider their Misinformation and Bias Impact (MBI) on society--a responsibility to make sure that at a minimum, their ad dollars arent supporting false or extreme polarizing content. According to former CBS Television President and Ad Fontes Media advisory board member Elizabeth Tumulty, Sadly we have entered an era in which responsible media is no longer the norm. Media reliability and bias ratings provide the critical intelligence consumers and advertisers need to make informed decisions. Advertisers choose to promote their brand within content whose audience is similar to the audience theyre targeting. Personally speaking, when a product or brand chooses to advertise in content which falls into the less reliable and/or more biased segments on Ad Fontes Media TV Reliability chart, I know that product or brand isnt for me. Instead I will purchase products and brands that advertise within more reliable, less biased TV news programming. Ad Fontes Media is a public benefit corporation that Otero founded to make news consumers smarter and news media better. The reliability and bias methodology that informs the companys solutions. As such, consumers and brands that access the companys ratings can rest assured that the content to which they are exposed can be trusted. Ad Fontes Medias Ad Apex solution suite is constantly being enhanced to benefit media stakeholders. Earlier this year, Ad Fontes Media added its Podcast Reliability and Bias Rating solution to Ad Apex. Prior to the release, the podcast environment, far less regulated than other media environments, was a wild west in terms of reliable and biased content. Not surprisingly, a lot of disinformation and urban myths can be traced back to the medium. Tumulty said, The addition of TV reliability and bias ratings to Ad Apex is of great benefit to the biggest stakeholders, media audiences and advertisers because it eliminates doubt around how reliable or biased TV news, analysis and opinion shows are at any given time. In todays polarized news environment, this is very important. Part of the problem, Otero said, is, So many news publishers say they have premium content and engaged audiences, but that doesnt tell you anything about the contents reliability or bias. And, at a practical level, advertisers simply dont have time to screen all that content and keep on top of changes and brand safety challenges in the news landscape. Our solutions make reliability and bias very easy to assess eliminating uncertainty, fear and doubt. With Ad Fontes Medias TV Reliability and News solution, advertisers can now differentiate between reliable, fair-minded TV and video journalism and other content that can get them in trouble with their brand stakeholders. Tumulty explained, Brand trust and brand loyalty is important to advertisers. Those ad buyers that continue to purchase the same networks theyve purchased for years need to look at todays atmosphere in which theyre placing advertising. Theyll likely be quite surprised and could be posing significant risk by exposing their brands within unreliable and biased content. For more information on Ad Fontes Media or Ad Apex TV Reliability and Bias Ratings solution, please contact Crista Bailey at crista@adfontesmedia.com. About Ad Fontes Media Ad Fontes Media is the media bias intelligence leader and producer of The Media Bias Chart which rates media sources in terms of political bias and reliability. The company was founded by patent attorney Vanessa Otero with the goal of combating political polarization. In 2021, Ad Fontes Media launched its flagship Ad ApexTM solutions suite, a family of integrated media bias intelligence solutions. Ad ApexTM allows Ad Fontes Medias app, brand, media and media technology partners to leverage its comprehensive news source ratings so they can realtime engage them in media planning, in support of their brand purpose and values. https://adfontesmedia.com Elizabeth Tumulty "Gone are the days we can assume that all news is factual. Ad Fontes Medias technology provides us with the tools to better understand and select unbiased, fact checked outlets as well as choose new sources better aligned with our personal opinions and beliefs." Elizabeth Tumulty Ad Fontes Media, the media bias intelligence leader and creator of the Media Bias Chart, today announced that it has expanded its Board of Advisors as well as its team. Appointees include Elizabeth Tumulty, Alec Saunders, Don Hussen and Crista Bailey. Elizabeth Tumulty, a long-time media veteran, most recently served as President of CBS Television Network. Saunders was a Principal Project Manager and former startup accelerator director at Microsoft. Both Tumutly and Saunders join Ad Fontes Medias already heavyweight board of advisors. Crista Bailey and Don Hussen have joined Ad Fontes Media in hands-on operating roles. Bailey, who as CEO of TextureMedia and Hideaway Report led both companies through revenue diversification and growth, and eventual acquisition, has joined Ad Fontes Media as Chief Revenue Officer. Hussen, who played a seminal role at Datalogix (acquired by Oracle) and now spends his time helping startups develop a solid data foundation, is leading Ad Fontes Medias technology development efforts. Hussen brings deep expertise in data science and building machine learning models, as well as a passion for addressing media bias and misinformation to the role. Ad Fontes Media has grown significantly over the past year as more social media giants, media buyers, sellers and intermediaries and educators integrate media bias intelligence into their operations and curriculums. The latest board of advisor appointments were made in support of Ad Fontes Medias mission to make news consumers smarter and news media better. They will help accelerate the public benefit companys growth needs. I am honored and excited Elizabeth, Crista, Alec and Don have joined us and will now be helping to spearhead our go-to-market strategy and plan, said Ad Fontes Media founder and CEO Vanessa Otero. There has never been a more critical time in our culture for the type of unbiased media intelligence we all need to make informed media choices. Additionally, there is currently a massive void of this intelligence across our current advertising supported media landscape and educational systems. Knowledge is power and we are determined to ameliorate this critical challenge to society. I subscribed to Ad Fontes Media as a passionate and curious consumer of news and information seeking facts and found their suite of resources extremely useful. Today Im proud to join Ad Fontes Medias Board of Advisors, said Tumulty, The media environment is constantly evolving and news has become even more profitable. Yet many viewers, readers and advertisers dont realize their favorite news source has changed. Gone are the days we can assume that all news is factual. Ad Fontes Medias proprietary technology provides us with the tools to better understand and select unbiased, fact checked outlets as well as choose new sources better aligned with our personal opinions and beliefs." Tumulty, Saunders, Bailey and Hussen join an already strong, diverse and influential Board of advisors, which includes: Brad Berens, Wally Dean, Keven Ellison, Dan Granger, Tom Hunersen, Fran Maier, Lana McGilvray, Daina Middleton, Karl Rinderknecht, Professor Maxwell Stearns and Lloyd Watts. Over the next 24 months, the advisory board and Ad Fontes growing team are charged with driving awareness of its offerings, continuously evolving its solutions to meet market demand and growing B2B adoption by over 300%. Its a pivotal time in our lifecycle, said Otero. And, our new advisors and team members are just the right individuals to help us drive our top goals. About Ad Fontes Media Ad Fontes Media is the media bias intelligence leader and producer of The Media Bias Chart which rates media sources in terms of political bias and reliability. The company was founded by patent attorney Vanessa Otero with the goal of combating political polarization. In 2021, Ad Fontes Media launched its flagship Ad ApexTM solutions suite, a family of integrated media bias intelligence solutions. Ad ApexTM allows Ad Fontes Medias app, brand, media and media technology partners to leverage its comprehensive news source ratings so they can realtime engage them in media planning, in support of their brand purpose and values. https://adfontesmedia.com Flashes of Blessedness: an engaging narrative of spiritual growth. Flashes of Blessedness is the creation of published author Arlene Marie Wever, a Dutch national born on the Caribbean island of Aruba who discovered a love of psychological observation while attending the University of Tulsa. Wever shares, Ariette, the protagonist of the novel, is an American girl who grows up on an enchanting Caribbean island. Ariettes parents are exemplary citizens; however, regrettably, religion is not part of their lives. Ariette is skeptical about Gods existence. Life on the island is good around the turn of the millennium. Ariette has a life filled with adventures and parties, yet she has also experienced sorrowful moments. After Ariette graduates from high school on the island, she goes to study at a highly-competitive university in the Southwestern region of the United States of America. The college of her choice turns out to be the perfect place that she had always dreamed of. However, during her studies, she makes wrong choices and is forced to abandon the university. On an unsuspecting day, the Lord touches Ariettes life in the most amazing way. The suspenseful novel Flashes of Blessedness is filled with inspirational testimonies that truly happened to the author or to a close relative of her. The novel is fictional, yet the epiphaniesin bold print in the novelhappened for real. The authors objective is to teach the joy of Christianity to young adults and adults. The enthralling Christian novel is a crucial building block for the successful formation of teenage girls. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Arlene Marie Wevers new book is a creative tale of discovering Gods grace. Wever spins an exciting fiction with a mix of personal life experiences in this engrossing young adult fiction. View a synopsis of Flashes of Blessedness on YouTube. Consumers can purchase Flashes of Blessedness at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Flashes of Blessedness, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. Scythy's First Christmas: A Wandering Bears Adventure: an inspirational tale of faith and friendship. Scythy's First Christmas is the creation of published author, Luba Holowatyj Rozsa, a Ukranian-born teacher of catechism, nursery school, and English-language learners. The author writes, This is a story about a little bear from the land of the Scythians, north of the Black Sea, in present-day Ukraine. That is why he likes to be called Scythy. He loves to travel and is very curious. He had traveled north and west and decided to go east and south around the Black Sea, and then east again, when he ran into an interesting caravan going west. It was very interesting to him that they were following a star. So he decided to stay with them. When the star finally stopped, he and the woodland animals did some investigating and found out what was going on. While the animals were gone, strange and frightening things started to happen. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Luba Holowatyj Rozsas new book inspires belief in a higher power and faith that what is meant to be will be when guided by prayer. While following the caravan of wisemen traveling to Bethlehem, some of the animals overhear the good news of the coming of a new king. The little bear, sleepily preparing to hibernate, is cursed by dangerous demons vying to intercept the joyous proclamation. With the help of faith, friends, and prayer, Bears guardian angel steps in to ensure the good news is not interrupted. View a synopsis of Scythy's First Christmas: A Wandering Bears Adventure on YouTube. Consumers can purchase Scythy's First Christmas: A Wandering Bears Adventure at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Scythy's First Christmas: A Wandering Bears Adventure, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. Marc Gray, a talented storyteller, has completed his new book "The Expatriated American", a fascinating book that unveils unexpected turns of events as the characters discover shocking truths and surprising obstacles ahead of them. Marc writes, Its hard enough to get what you want out of life while making good decisions. If you dont believe that, try going through life making bad decisions. Jims an average young man with his entire life planned out in front of him. He graduated from college, has a great job, a beautiful fiancee, and is at the doorstep of living the American Dream. However, his life begins to unravel when he takes a business trip to Key West, where he meets Jerry Hinkle, an old high school friend. Jerry sails the world on his sailboat living life at his own pace. He sails from port to port with no schedule or responsibility, a life that fascinates Jim Collins. Jim is eager to experience the mystical life of Jerry and decides to take a three-day sailing trip to Cuba, changing his life forever. Published by Page Publishing, Marc Gray's gripping book will leave the readers in awe while following the main character as he fights to get back to the life he once had. Readers who wish to experience this compelling work can purchase "The Expatriated American" 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 knows that authors need to 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. The Avanti acquisition team looks for Equine practices that feature progressive veterinary care, excellent but humble client service, and make a positive impact on their community." ~Andrew Clark, DVM, MBA, and CEO of Avanti A national network elevating the standard of equine veterinary practice, care, and service, Avanti Equine Veterinary Partners hit a new stride on May 19, 2021. In a strategic and exciting partnership move, the equine veterinary practice network acquired Goldsby, Oklahoma-based Interstate Equine Hospital. Pledging management and operational support for equine veterinarians across the U.S., Avanti ensures professionals have effective resources to support their objectives a veterinary medicine platform that benefits administrative teams, clients, patients, and as a result, the equine industry as a whole. Avanti makes this possible through collaborative acquisitions and partnerships with the top equine veterinary practices in the nation. Above all, Avanti advocates for administering the highest quality and innovation in veterinary care and service. This is the organizations mission: cultivating a sweeping team of skilled experts, serving patients and clients alike with integrity, transparency, and excellence. The Avanti acquisition team looks for Equine practices that feature progressive veterinary care, excellent but humble client service, and make a positive impact on their community, explains Andrew Clark, DVM, MBA, and CEO of Avanti. Hitting all those objectives, Interstate Equine Hospital is a tremendous fit in the Avanti network! When Dr. Josh Blyden, DVM of Interstate Equine, and his wife, Jessica, took on leadership of the hospital, they set out to provide consistent, trustworthy, and phenomenal support for their horse community. My wife Jessica and I bought Interstate Equine in 2014, and immediately began implementing our vision of an equine veterinary hospital that focused on both professional excellence and outstanding service. Over the years weve built a team of dedicated staff, and together have grown a successful practice. The tremendous growth and success of Interstate Equine is a testament to our dedication to our clients and patients. It is with great pride that we announce our new partnership with Avanti Equine, affirms Blyden. Joining Avantis exemplary network feels like an organic next step for Interstate Equine Hospital, drawing on the values in which their practice first began. After all, Dr. Blyden and his team continue and expand the Interstate Equine tradition of outstanding veterinary care together with excellent client service, notes Clark. Now, Interstate Equine can gain access to Avantis network of trained specialists, along with Avantis facilitation in managing support, human resources, accounting, and marketing. Blyden believes, This alliance will ensure the continued growth and development of Interstate Equine and its support of the entire horse community we serve. I speak for the Interstate Equine team when I say we are excited about the future of Interstate Equine Hospital, as we proudly continue the legacy started over 30 years ago by Dr. David McCarroll. Avanti is passionate about partnering with visionary veterinary practitioners. With a powerful network of support behind them, veterinarians can then optimize the latest technology, equipment, as well as business accommodations, all through Avanti. As Avanti joins forces with Interstate Equine Hospital and their talented team, this network amplifies its long-term potential: an unparalleled capacity to go above and beyond in caring for the equine industry. About Avanti Equine Avanti Equine Veterinary Partners, LLC is an equine veterinary practice network that provides management and operational strategy by investing resources in equine practices to help with forward-thinking growth. Unlike other companies, Avanti's sole focus is on the equine industry and working with equine veterinarians to tailor a plan to meet their goals while supporting their staff and clients. To learn more about Avanti, visit https://avantiequine.com/ Tony Award-winning, R&B legendary entertainer Melba Moore will receive the 2021 Being Brave Award for her advocacy on behalf of women, like herself, who have experienced sexual violence. Ive experienced many different kinds of abuse during my life, but by helping others, Ive learned to help myself. Melba Moore Being Brave: An Evening Honoring Survivors, will be held on Saturday, October 30, 2021, 7 pm, at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. In-person and virtual tickets are now on sale. This third-annual event will feature live music by renowned artists, empowering spoken-word moments by NJ notables, #TheManStand against domestic violence, the premiere performance of a new graphic novel and a showcase of inspirational art, all while celebrating NJ heroes. The event will benefit Town Clock Community Development Corporation (TCCDC), a New Brunswick nonprofit that manages Dinas Dwellings and The Barbara Littman House, unique facilities that provide permanent, affordable, safe housing and supportive services for survivors of domestic violence and their children. Spreading Our Wings One of our residents inspired this years theme Spreading Our Wings, says Reverend Susan Kramer-Mills, TCCDCs executive director. When this resident first came to live with us, she was very fearful. Now our resident says Living here has given me wings. I have grown as a human being and learned to love myself again. I also learned to never give up, we can overcome domestic violence. Dinas Dwellings is an opportunity that gives us wings; and once we get our wings, we are ready to fly on our own. This is the heart of what we do. Spreading Our Wings represents both the empowerment of domestic violence survivors who are rebuilding their lives, as well as the expansion of Town Clock CDC, explains Rev. Kramer-Mills. Our long-term goal is to scale our unique model, teaching other organizations in every state how to build facilities that provide permanent housing and supportive services. 2021 Being Brave Award Award-winning entertainer Melba Moore will receive the 2021 Being Brave Award for her advocacy on behalf of women, like herself, who have experienced sexual violence. Tony Award-winner Melba Moore is a multifaceted entertainer and R&B legend whose career includes four Grammy nominations, television shows and movies. Moore was sexually abused as a child and experienced domestic violence as an adult. A deeply spiritual person, Moore is dedicated to community service and helping others. She is especially passionate about organizations that help people struggling with domestic violence, homelessness and hunger. Ive experienced many different kinds of abuse during my life, but by helping others, Ive learned to help myself, says Moore. In addition, three 2021 Community Awards for Being Brave will be presented. The Outstanding Provider Award is given to an individual or group who provides emergency services to survivors of domestic violence. Safe+Sound Somerset will be honored for its work on the front lines through the pandemic, supporting an increasing number of victims of domestic violence and providing them with critically needed services. The Outstanding Volunteer Award is given to an individual or group who is a driving force in volunteering and/or philanthropy. United Methodist Church of New Brunswick will be honored for its ministry to feed the hungry, whose numbers grew during the pandemic. They also provided meals to domestic violence survivors and their children, who reside at Town Clock Community Development Corporation. The Outstanding Advocate Award is given typically to an individual or group who challenges perceptions and educates the public about domestic violence. In response to the challenge of educating students during the pandemic, Gisela Ciancia, Roosevelt School Principal, New Brunswick, will be honored for helping Town Clock children, all of whom experienced domestic violence. Principal Ciancia will receive this honor in recognition of all educators who help the 1 in 15 children exposed to domestic violence each year. Bert Baron to Host Being Brave 2021 A New Jersey native and lifelong resident, Bert Baron is a New Jersey Broadcasters Association Radio Hall of Fame Inductee & award-winning writer, producer, and podcaster. Over a career that spanned more than 20 years in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania radio, Bert has garnered a nomination for a prestigious Marconi Award from the National Association of Broadcasters, as well as winning more than a dozen JERSEY Awards from the New Jersey Advertising Club, highlighted by his being honored as Best of Radio in 2016. In July of 2019, Bert began serving as the Public Information Officer for the City of New Brunswick. For a list of performers and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.townclockcdc.org/being-brave. Town Clock CDC 1 of 40 in US Town Clock Community Development Corporation is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization (http://www.TownClockCDC.org). Town Clock CDCs main facility Dinas Dwellings opened in April 2016 after the sanctuary of the 200-year-old First Reformed Church of New Brunswick was transformed into 10 long-term affordable housing units with supportive services for survivors. In October 2020, Town Clock CDC expanded its facility by transforming the churchs sexton house into a home for a mother and up to five children. This housing model is one of only 40 establishments of its kind in the entire United States, and remains the largest permanent housing program for survivors of domestic violence and their children in New Jersey. In 2019, Town Clock CDC launched the Being Brave Event & Award. Domestic Violence According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, domestic violence is a pattern of behaviors used by one partner to maintain power and control over another partner in an intimate relationship. It can include physical and sexual violence, psychological abuse and financial control. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence finds that 57% of homeless women cite domestic violence as cause of their homelessness, and 33% of women have experienced domestic violence in their lifetime. The Childhood Domestic Violence Association cites that children who experience domestic violence are six times more likely to commit suicide, 50% more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, 74% more likely to commit a violent crime and three times more likely to repeat the cycle of abuse in adulthood. https://www.facebook.com/TownClockCDC https://www.instagram.com/townclockcdc/ https://twitter.com/TownClockCDC https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3z0EieTAnkTb8-kAxEjgPQ The new advisory board that will support Benchmark in upcoming ventures this year is made up of a talented team of masterful industry experts including John Farinacci, Glenn Bilawsky, and Karen Skelton. Johns respected career spans more than four decades and has included senior leadership roles in the global biopharmaceutical service industry. He founded ResearchPoint Global which was acquired by WuXi AppTec in 2017. Prior to founding ResearchPoint Global, John served as Executive Vice President of Quintiles Transnational Corporation (currently IQVIA), where he provided key leadership in acquisitions and integrations, helping Quintiles to become the CRO industrys market leader. Previously, John served as President and Chief Operating Officer at Pharmaco (currently PPD). He played a pivotal role in growing Pharmaco and during his tenure, Pharmaco became the second largest CRO in the industry at that time. He also worked with Sterling Drug earlier in his career. John has been listed among the PharmaVoice 100 most inspirational leaders in the health and science industry. Glenn Bilawsky is the current CEO of Discovery Life Sciences (http://www.dls.com), a private equity-invested global life science research services corporation specializing in biomarker research and development services. Mr. Bilawsky has over four decades of pharmaceutical and healthcare industry experience, dominantly in the global contract research industry. Prior to joining Discovery, Mr. Bilawsky built several leading contract research companies serving as Chief Executive Officer of Precision Health Economics, the i3 Global division of UnitedHealth Group, and INC Research. (now Syneos, Inc). He has also held executive positions at Quintiles Transnational (now IQVIA, Inc), and Pharmaco LSR (now PPD, Inc). Mr. Bilawskys success has been highly recognized in the industry for providing the entrepreneurial, strategic and executive leadership that supported the early growth of these leading global research service organizations. Over the span of his executive career, he has led the acquisition, integration and accelerated growth of over 30 companies. Karens diverse experience as an advisor and consultant in finance, banking, business acquisitions and real estate has spanned more than four decades. She graduated from Princeton University in 1979 and received her MBA from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987. Her early work was focused on large scale real estate development in Houston and Austin. In the 1990s, she founded an advisory/consulting group and worked as a contractor for the FDIC, Resolution Trust Corporation and various national and regional banks on assignments that included designing and implementing ground-breaking methods for securitizing and marketing large pools of real estate throughout the United States that became a template for recovery and were ultimately widely used throughout the industry. In recent years, she has provided real estate marketing/development, banking, and financial consulting services to a variety of mid-size businesses, primarily in Texas, through her company, Texas Realty Partners, LLC. With the addition of two executives in the last year and an expansion of roles and responsibilities, the new leadership team structure composed of members with immense industry experience has been reorganized and designed to facilitate the companys strategic growth plans as the following, Mark Lacy, Chief Executive Officer Cynthia Dukes, Chief Business Officer Deborah Copeland, Chief Operations Officer Melissa Reynolds, Senior Executive VP, Clinical Operations Kim Brittain, Executive VP, Strategic Development and Analytics Jennifer Bacchi, Executive VP, Human Resources Melinda Emig, Chief Commercial Officer Van Johnson, Executive Director of Commercial Operations In order to streamline and improve operations other departments within the company have also been strategically reorganized such as marketing and finance. Madelyn Rascoe, appointed Director of Marketing will be responsible for leading all marketing initiatives, communications, creative development and assisting in public relations for the organization. Melissa Reynolds, along with her current title will serve as Senior Executive. VP, Clinical Operations and Study Contracts/Finance and continue to head the finance department in study contracts and budgets. Benchmark Senior Living Consumer Confidence Campaign Nurturing and celebrating the power of human connection is at the heart of everything we do at Benchmark. So, I am thrilled to see on full display residents enjoying the people and passions that make life so meaningful, said Tom Grape, founder, chairman and CEO of Benchmark. Today, Benchmark Senior Living, a leading provider of senior living services in the Northeast, unveiled its new Consumer Confidence campaign. The campaign features messaging around the many ways in which Benchmark residents and family members at their 63 senior Assisted Living, Mind & Memory Care and Independent Living communities are confidently coming together again. These experiences are bolstered by Benchmarks more than 24 years of history providing award-winning support and programs facilitated by associates who are Called to Care and trusted by residents and their families. The campaign celebrates the confidence that Benchmark residents have in dining with their friends, participating in social hour, spending time with family, safely being together and generally feeling secure. It launched today in major newspapers, online and on social media. Nurturing and celebrating the power of human connection is at the heart of everything we do at Benchmark. So, I am thrilled to see on full display residents enjoying the people and passions that make life so meaningful, said Tom Grape, founder, chairman and CEO of Benchmark. Our associates, like myself, are proud to offer this caring environment and the highest quality services possible. Its been our purpose and our legacy for nearly 25 years. Studies show that those over the age of 65 have been impacted the most this past year. The pandemic exacerbated an already common problem among older adults who frequently experience chronic social isolation. Depression, anxiety and loneliness have taken a toll on many seniors health. Benchmarks Consumer Confidence campaign illustrates some of the countless activities Benchmark residents are confidently engaging in with their friends and loved ones. Many of these activities are made possible by the Benchmark Something in Common program, which assists residents in nurturing their individual passions and connections. Launched in January, the digital platform pinpoints residents interests, matching them to community programs and helping build relationships with neighbors. The program has identified common interests in things like acting, art and places shared. This has paved the way for many new experiences and successes, including new painters proudly displaying their artwork in front of audiences. Benchmark residents and their family members are confidently reconnecting, thanks partly to the companys COVID-19 protocols. In addition to proactively implementing them early on, the company is committed to continuing to focus on health and safety. All associates must be vaccinated and the Benchmark Coronavirus Advisory Council, comprised of 10 leading public health experts, continues to guide the companys long-term strategy and response. Benchmarks 63 communities in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont provide senior Assisted Living, Memory Care Assisted Living, Assisted Living with Memory Care and independent Assisted Living. They are also a short-term Respite Care provider. To learn more about the many programs offered at Benchmark communities, visit https://www.benchmarkseniorliving.com/our-communities. # # # About Benchmark Senior Living Benchmark is a leading provider of senior housing in the Northeast, providing Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Care, and Respite Care options in 63 communities and across seven states. The Waltham-based companys core values of Called to Care, Better Together and Be the Benchmark guide its mission to stay connected to who and what matters most: our residents, their families and our associates. Benchmark is one of only two companies to be named to The Boston Globes Top Place to Work all 13 years that the honor has been given. Throughout its history, Benchmark has continually been recognized as a top workplace. The Great Place to Work Institute certified Benchmark for two straight years, and the company earned a place on FORTUNEs 50 Best Workplaces in Aging Services list each of the two years that the magazine published the list. Biotech Networks August 10th California and Remote Life Science Career Fair California's leading life science network will connect top companies with diverse talent in an accessible, virtual event. Biotech Networks, the premier life science organization catalyzing connections between thousands of professionals in the field globally, is hosting the first virtual career fair focused on improving diversity in Californias life science industry. Biotech Networks pivoted in 2020 to virtual events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leveraging cutting edge software to ensure that valuable connections that fuel life science research and development advancements continue to be made. Biotech Networks is now leveraging this expertise and has partnered with organizations to accelerate the hiring process by connecting college and graduate-level job seekers with hiring companies at a diversity-focused career fair August 10th. The California life science job market has been somewhat insulated from the volatility of the pandemic, with many companies deemed to be essential and of course responsible for creating the successful COVID-19 vaccines and working to develop therapies to treat the virus. While the high cost of living in California has caused some to speculate that employees living in the state, which is home to biotech hubs in San Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles, a recent UC San Diego study showed that a mass exodus from the sunshine state is not happening.1 Biotech Networks hosts online job boards throughout California and has recorded a steady increase in the number of jobs posted over the past 18 months. A surge in biotech IPOs in the state is further fueling growth, including Caribou Biosciences, Codex DNA, Erasca and Ambrx. These trends have led to speculation that the life science job market is now a searchers market where the number of open positions may often exceed the number of available job applicants. Employees across many sectors are requesting more work-life balance accommodations and pay increases after gaining a different perspective during the pandemic. Coupled with these sentiments are the well-needed emphasis on improving workplace equality, company culture, and business performance by providing more resources and opportunities for underrepresented groups. The Biotechnology Innovation Organizations (BIO) Measuring Diversity in the Biotech Industry: Advancing Equity and Inclusion 2021 report surveyed 100 BIO member companies and found that women and employees of color are still underrepresented in executive roles, at 31% and 21%, respectively. While many factors have led to these inequities, improvements in the recruitment of diverse candidates can help to reduce these disparities by ensuring that a companys internal talent pool is more representative. Biotech Networks is catalyzing connections between life science companies and diverse candidates by partnering with organizations that serve underrepresented groups in STEM, as well as California-based educational institutions, to organize a virtual career fair that will be more accessible than traditional in-person events. Biotech Networks has chosen the Brazen virtual career fair platform, which features video and text chatting capabilities. The event will include presentations from speakers specializing in providing resources to STEM job seekers with varied experiences and seniority levels. The following associations and universities have partnered with Biotech Networks for the August 10th Career Fair: Black Women in Science and Engineering Women in BIO Southern California BioscienceLA 500 Women Scientists (San Diego, Palo Alto) Keck Graduate Institute San Diego Workforce Partnership UC San Diego Postdoctoral Association California State University San Marcos College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (CSTEM) Harvey Mudd College Biotech Networks has also leveraged its vast network of company connections to acquire leading life science employers to sponsor the event, and expects more to join leading up to the event: Illumina Shimadzu Scientific Instruments Takara Bio USA Codex DNA BASF Employer sponsorships will be available until August 4th and job seekers can sign up until the event on August 10th. More information, including jobs available, can be found on the event page. 1. Kousser, T., Reller, C., 2021, University of California San Diego, accessed July 20 2021 reference link Ricco wines are known as the natural, gluten-free, and vegan premium sweet wine selection from the finest area of Italy: Piedmont! Arel Group Wine & Spirits Inc., headed by the Candoni De Zan Family Wine Group, introduces customers to Ricco, the latest of their Italian labels that is tailored toward the growing diversity of millennial consumers and fruit-flavored wine consumers. Ricco wines are an innovative, fun, and natural concept produced and developed by the Candoni De Zan Family. The family are producers and pioneers known for bringing Italys exceptional and Premium Moscato to the U.S. over 15 years ago, with the world-renowned Candoni Moscato. Today, Candoni sisters Barbara and Caterina have developed the Ricco brand, combining their knowledge and background in making Premium Moscatos with the innovation and natural concept of fruit flavors. A label of better for you gluten-free and vegan wine, Ricco is composed of fresh flavors that are perfect for the summer months, including: Peach Moscato, Mango Moscato, Cherry Moscato, Blueberry, and Dolce semi-sweet red, all at 6.5% ABV. Refreshingly sweet with slight effervescence, Ricco wines are all-natural, fruit-flavored premium wines with no added sugar. What does it matter how good a sweet wine is if its not sweetened naturally? said Caterina De Zan, Candoni De Zan Family member and owner. Ricco wines are known as the natural, gluten-free, and vegan premium sweet wine selection from the finest area of Italy: Piedmont! Ricco wines are made using 85% premium Moscato grapes from Piedmont, combined with all-natural flavors and aromas directly from the fruit. The wines feature a natural semi-sparkling finish that comes from the fermentation of the must in pressurized tanks. To ensure the freshness of the product, the Candoni De Zan Family Wine Group selected premium wine musts that maintain freshness and aromas. Since launching the Brand, the Candoni De Zan Family has noticed enormous success and growth: The demand for Ricco is increasing rapidly, according to Barbara De Zan, Candoni De Zan Family member and owner, who said the wine will soon be distributed in every state across the U.S. As women in business and millennials themselves, the Candoni De Zan Sisters are pioneering innovation within the wine industry, and believe the Ricco label shows that strong female leadership has the advantage of being diverse and forward-thinking. "We are the change we wish to see in the wine industry, said Barbara De Zan. Ricco wines are just an example of the innovative wine products that can disrupt fast-growing categories. The bottles are priced at $10 for 750ml. Check the label for a QR code to access seasonally updated content, which includes the Candoni De Zan Sisters Ricco cocktail recipe ebook, and much more! For more information about Candoni Wines go to https://www.candonidezanwines.com/. About Candoni De Zan Family The Candoni De Zan family wineries are located in the Veneto region of Italy, where they own Tenuta Polvaro Estate, and in Piedmont, in addition to other vineyards located in other regions of Italy. Their wine labels include the namesake Candoni label as well as the Carletto, Polvaro, and Ricco labels. Candoni wines are imported by Arel Group Wine & Spirits, inc. Cumming, GA 30040 U.S.A. On August 9th, 2021, the marijuana-inspired sandwich franchise will open its newest location in Baton Rouge at 411 Ben Hur Road, Suite A. The toasted sub shop offers over 30 signature sub sandwiches, as well as a variety of Rice Krispy treats, salads, and munchies along with a full-service bar. Drinks like the Dirty Hippie, Hot Box, and Cheba Rita are all Cheba Hut signatures while the beer will feature a mix of national and local favorites including offerings from Lagunitas, Nola Brewery, and Rally Cap. Local owners and husband and wife duo Tommy and Meredith Wiggins are no strangers to the restaurant industry both have been in the food service business for more than 20 years. Currently, Meredith is the owner of Baton Rouge favorite, Island Girl Bake Shop, while Tommy has spent the past 15 years working at Maxwells Market. Tommy was first introduced to Cheba Hut in 2004 and, although it would be years before he would ultimately become a Cheba Hut owner himself, he was blown away by not only the quality of ingredients but also the welcoming, heady atmosphere that didnt compromise the high level of customer service. In 2009, tragedy struck the couple when they lost all of their belongings in a devastating fire, narrowly escaping with their own lives. After the Baton Rouge community rallied behind the two to help them get back on their feet, Tommy and Meredith were inspired to give back to the city that had given them so much at a time when they needed it the most. In 2019, the couple made the decision to attend a Cheba Hut discovery day and learn more about potentially opening a location of their own. After one bite it became crystal clear: this was the concept that they would bring to Baton Rouge. We could not be more excited to bring Cheba Hut to Baton Rouge, said Tommy. This is our way to give a little something to the people and the community that has given us so much, and we are confident that the concept will resonate in this area. We want our shop to be a gathering place thats centered in togetherness, respect and one love, and were sure that it will be an immediate success. To celebrate its Grand Opening, Cheba Hut will host a VIP event prior to opening its doors to the public, allowing friends and local business owners to experience a sneak peek of the new concept before it officially opens its doors to the public. Our newest franchise partners, Tommy and Meredith, are the perfect people to bring Cheba Hut to Baton Rouge. This is our first shop in the state of Louisiana and we look forward to continuing to grow the brand within this market over the next few years, said Cheba Hut Chief Relationship Officer, Seth Larsen. Cheba Hut has been escaping the established and getting toasted since its founding in 1998. The brand has broken the mold of mundane fast-casual concepts and set itself apart by becoming the first marijuana-themed sandwich joint (pun intended). Cheba Hut is dedicated to combining locally sourced ingredients with a chill, eclectic environment where genuine food is served by genuine people. Conveniently located near the Louisiana State University Campus, the new shop will offer delicious and affordable dining options for students and local residents alike while presenting a new restaurant concept to the Baton Rouge community. For more information about Cheba Hut of Baton Rouge, visit the restaurants official website, https://chebahut.com/locations/batonrouge/ or follow them on social media at @chebahut_batonrouge and https://www.facebook.com/ChebaHutBatonRouge/. ABOUT CHEBA HUT: Cheba Hut has been escaping the established and getting toasted since 1998. Breaking the mold of mundane fast-casual concepts by becoming the first marijuana-themed sandwich joint, Cheba Hut is dedicated to providing customers with delicious and memorable sandwich and munchie options in a chill, eclectic environment where made-to-order food is served by genuine people. Cheba Hut's fun and authentic dining experience includes a full-service bar and highlights its menu because its not about getting high, its about epic food and legendary service! The sophistication and ease of use of the Gain Servicing portal will change the way personal injury claims are managed, said Cherokee VP of Platform Innovation & Architecture, Jonathan Razza. We have received glowing feedback thus far and we look forward to enhancing the platform further. Earlier this month, Cherokee Legal Holdings (Cherokee), owner of Gain Servicing and Cherokee Funding, formally announced the open access of their SaaS-based, AI-enhanced third-party servicing platform, the Gain Servicing web portal. Official open access followed an initial successful rollout to previously waitlisted attorney and provider offices. In its first week since the start of open access, dozens of additional attorney and medical provider offices have been onboarded to the portal. The traditional funding model for personal injury patients is broken, which is why I am thrilled to announce open access to the Gain Service portal a platform that takes AI-derived case values into consideration in order to analyze total bills and their collectability. At settlement, this results in actual dollars recovered for providers based on settlement amounts and not return minimums for funding companies. It is a gamechanger for everyone involved attorneys, medical providers, funding companies, and, most importantly, patients, or plaintiffs in these instances, said Cherokee Founder and CEO, Reid Zeising. The Gain Servicing portal enables 24/7 access to patient information, allows rapid intake of personal injury patient data, tracks letters of protection (LOPs) and medical liens, and houses important case documents centralizing everything in one easy-to-use collaborative environment. Out-of-the-box AI-enhanced business intelligence reporting, including detailed referral source and customary charge analysis, drives more patient volume while improving both the patient experience as well as the financial results for healthcare providers. Additional functionality and benefits of the portal include: Input of new claims and referrals Access to patient/client documents, including treatment status, bills, notes and records Critical insights that can be utilized to allocate resources needed for care Notification when treatment is complete, with the ability to request additional documentation Comprehensive search, view and management functionality for claims and doctor notes Management of user accounts and contact information Instant payoff requests Attorneys can also use the portal to source quality provider care for clients, update case statuses, request plaintiff funding, and retrieve instant payoff amounts. The sophistication and ease of use of the Gain Servicing portal will change the way personal injury claims are managed across both the legal and healthcare industries, said Cherokee Vice President of Platform Innovation & Architecture, Jonathan Razza. We have received glowing feedback from attorneys and providers leading up to open access and we look forward to further enhancing our cloud-based platform based on our ambitious technology roadmap and through on-going collaboration with attorneys and providers across the U.S. Attorneys and medical providers are invited to schedule a demo of the portal as well as request login information by emailing support@gainservicing.com. About Cherokee Legal Holdings Cherokee Legal Holdings (Cherokee), parent company of Gain Servicing and Cherokee Funding, is the fastest growing medical lien servicing and legal funding company in the United States. Cherokee has built a best-in-class SaaS-based, AI-enhanced technology platform designed to service and manage hundreds of thousands of third-party liability liens simultaneously proving through consistent metrics to be much more effective for providers than managing liens in-house. For more information, go to http://www.gainservicing.com. Over the last year, weve watched customers rapidly adopt digital banking channels, creating new expectations for community institutions like ours. Were excited to partner with Numerated to bring digital lending convenience to businesses. Community Bank of the Bay (CBB), a leading San Francisco Bay area commercial bank, has partnered with Numerated, the fast-growing fintech making business banking easy for financial institutions and their clients. With a reputation for being an innovative community bank, CBB will use Numerated's digital lending platform to meet business clients' growing demand for digital channels. CBB will leverage Numerateds digital lending platform to offer Oakland businesses term loans and lines of credit up to $250,000, completely digitally, from application through closing. In doing so, the bank will offer convenient digital borrowing channels and fast loan decisions to businesses, while benefiting internally from efficiency gains in their lending operations. As a San Francisco Bay area bank with a presence in Silicon Valley, technology and innovation are in our DNA, said Community Bank of the Bay CEO William S. Keller. Over the last year, weve watched customers rapidly adopt digital banking channels, creating new expectations for community institutions like ours. Were excited to partner with Numerated to bring digital lending convenience to businesses. Numerated is a digital lending platform for business banking that dramatically reduces work for financial institutions and their clients by using data. More than 150 lenders have used its award-winning platform to originate and process loans for over 400,000 businesses, totaling more than $50 billion to date. The platform pulls in data at each stage of origination, including pre-filling borrower applications, aggregating data to speed banker reviews and offers, and fully automating the preparation of time-consuming document packages. Community financial institutions like Community Bank of the Bay are empowering businesses in their neighborhoods by meeting them when and where they want to bank, be it online or in person, said Numerated Co-Founder and CEO Dan OMalley. Were proud to partner with them as they continue to build out their digital capabilities. Learn more about Numerated by visiting https://www.numerated.com/. -- About Bay Community Bancorp Bay Community Bancorp (OTCPink: CBOBA) is the parent company of Community Bank of the Bay, a San Francisco Bay Area commercial bank with full-service offices in Oakland, Danville and San Mateo. Community Bank of the Bay serves the financial needs of closely held businesses and professional service firms, as well as their owner-operators and non-profit organizations throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Community Bank of the Bay is a member of the FDIC, an SBA Preferred Lender, and a CDARS depository institution, headquartered in Oakland, with full-service branches in Danville and San Mateo. It is also Californias first FDIC-insured certified Community Development Financial Institution and one of only three operating in the Bay Area. The bank is recognized for establishing the Bay Area Green Fund to provide financing to sustainable businesses and projects and supports environmentally responsible values. Additional information on the bank is available online at http://www.BankCBB.com. About Numerated Numerated is a fast-growing fintech making business banking easy for businesses, bankers and underwriters. Banks and credit unions use Numerateds digital lending and account opening platform to meet clients expectations for digital convenience and to bring efficiency gains to their internal teams. The platform has been used by more than 400,000 businesses and processed more than $50 billion in lending. The company was recently recognized as one of 2020s Top 250 FinTechs by CB Insights and 2021s Best Overall Business Lending Company by FinTech Breakthrough. Media Contacts: Sal Trifilio (781) 473-0690 sal@numerated.com Daily Herald Business Ledger honors Sara Boucek of the law firm Kriha Boucek as a 2021 C-Suite award recipient. Boucek was one of 20 business owners who won this award. We developed several guiding principles to help direct our practice and business clientele. Some of those principles are supporting every one of our staff members to thrive personally and professionally and to have a servant leadership approach. Sara Boucek, a partner at Kriha Boucek Law Firm based in Oakbrook Terrace, was one of 20 suburban business leaders who received the Daily Herald Business Ledgers C-Suite 2021 Awards. A virtual award webcast was held on July 22. The publications C-Suite Awards honor C-level executives, a high-ranking or senior executive of a company in charge of making company-wide decisions, for the leadership, business, and civic contributions they have made to their organizations and to the suburban Chicago community. Consideration is given to the executive's contributions to their company or organization's overall growth, commitment to good ethics, effective reporting and involvement in the community. Kriha Boucek is a K-12 boutique education law firm, representing boards of education, public school districts, special education cooperatives, charter schools, and private schools in Illinois and across the Midwest. They are a collaborative team that is personally invested in the success of the firm and their clients. Their culture is simple we work hard, treat others as we wish to be treated, demonstrate humility and kindness, and have a deep and abiding respect for our clients and each other. Boucek commands every room she enters as she is known for her direct advice and engaging personality. As partner and K-12 attorney, she plays an integral role at Kriha Boucek working to better school districts throughout Illinois. This award is a great honor to myself and the law firm, Boucek said. We developed several guiding principles to help direct our practice and business clientele. Some of those principles are supporting every one of our staff members to thrive personally and professionally and to have a servant leadership approach in making sure that all children receive a high-quality education. Were proud to be in the company of this years C-Suite business owners. For information about Kriha Boucek, visit https://krihaboucek.com/. About Kriha Boucek Kriha Boucek comprehensively understands the business of education and the law. From board governance to personnel issues, we are connected to the needs of our clients and proactively advise on your most important issues. Our commitment to client service and respect drives all firm decisions. We treat clients as they deserve to be treated with respect and admiration for their service to public education. We are a collaborative team that is personally invested in the success of our clients. We have two locations. Our Oakbrook Terrace address is 2 Trans Am Plaza Dr., Suite 450 Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181. The phone number for this location is (630) 394-3790. Our Southern Illinois Office location is 3 Club Centre Court, Suite D Edwardsville, IL 62025. The phone number for this location is (618) 207-4820. For more information, visit https://krihaboucek.com/. This July 27 - 30, 2021, APIA Scholars will once again launch the Elevating Leaders Summit (ELS). This Summit is a 4-day, virtual leadership development program for students in the Asian and Pacific Islander American community. This program centers on understanding identity, culture, and values and building community. The content of this session aims to cultivate authentic leadership skills as students continue their journeys into higher education. Through interactive workshops, small group discussions, and informative keynote speakers, Scholars will learn from community leaders, Alumni, and professionals to develop a sense of unity and belonging among the APIA Scholars community. As a sponsor and content provider, Wells Fargo has actively engaged with APIA Scholars and continues to support the development of future leaders. "Wells Fargo is privileged to serve as a platinum sponsor for APIA Scholars 2021 Elevating Leaders Summit, said Julie Caperton, Head of Wells Fargo Private Bank for Wells Fargo Wealth & Investment Management (WIM) and member of APIA Scholars' Board of Directors. Further, with the challenges our Scholars have faced during the recent months, APIA Scholars is grateful for the investment of its sponsors to help support their continuing education and career paths. "The scholars continue to face unique challenges and disrupted learning environments as they prepare for the upcoming school year. That's why McDonald's is so proud to support programs like the Elevating Leaders Summit as part of our ongoing commitment to empower and uplift students through their education journey. The Golden Arches aims to provide resources that scholars need to succeed while furthering our longtime support of the APIA community." Jimmy Ferguson, McDonald's Owner/Operator, member of APIA Scholars' Board of Directors. APIA Scholars, through the support of its corporate funders and community-based partners, will continue to support a focus on leadership and identity through ELS and other programs as it acts on its commitment to educate, elevate and empower today and tomorrows APIA students. The scholars at the Elevating Leaders Summit continue to demonstrate incredible flexibility and resiliency despite the unique challenges of this past year. We commend them for their dedication not only to their academics, but to their family, friends, and community as well. Theyre leaders today, and were honored to support their development as even greater leaders tomorrow, states Doug Murtha, Group Vice President, Chief Business Information Officer, ITx, Toyota Motor North America and member of APIA Scholars Board of Directors. In addition to McDonalds, Toyota, and Wells Fargo, other sponsors include Ford Motor Company, MetLife, Lumina Foundation, Sodexo, Inc., and United Health Foundation. This program is also made possible with the support of community based organizations and AANAPISI Partners including California State University (Sacramento), University of Massachusetts (Boston), Kokua Kalihi Valley, Empowering Pacific Islander Communities, CONSCIOUSXCHANGE, RTI International, OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, Teach for America, APIA Vote, and We Are Oceania. For more information about the Elevating Leaders Summit, please visit the ELS website at https://pheedloop.com/APIAScholarsELS2021/site. Matthias and the Kingdom of Kush: a richly detailed tale of Matthias. Matthias and the Kingdom of Kush is the creation of published author Don Schofield, a loving husband, retired attorney, and longtime resident of West Texas who has earned two degrees in history due to a lifelong interest. Schofield shares, Jesus, Son of God, walked among us until betrayed by one of the twelve. This novel is the telling of the journey undertaken by the disciple Matthias, the man chosen to pick up the mantel discarded by Judas, and to bring the message of Christ to the remote African kingdom known as Kush, a land of beliefs as ingrained as those of Rome and Egypt. Although Matthias never fully understood the reasoning behind his selection to carry out such an important task, he undertook his mission willingly and, as a result, helped to convert a civilization. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Don Schofields new book is an exciting new perspective on Matthiass work following the fall of Judas. The authors love of history is evident in this fresh tale about how the word of God was spread to the farther corners of the world. View a synopsis of Matthias and the Kingdom of Kush on YouTube. Consumers can purchase Matthias and the Kingdom of Kush at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Matthias and the Kingdom of Kush, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. Were excited by the reductions in embodied carbon in our reformulated Styrofoam brand products and are delighted to share that information through the EPDs that weve published for our products, said Shawn Hunter, Global Sustainability Director, DuPont Performance Building Solutions. DuPont Performance Building Solutions has achieved significant progress in partnering with industry stakeholders, Canadian architects, engineering and contractor (AEC) professionals to make sustainability a reality with safer, constructible solutions that have reduced embodied carbon. DuPont believes it is important to look beyond simplistic, popular single attributes and support holistic, data driven design principles to develop lasting, sustainable solutions for buildings. DuPont verifies the performance, quality assurance and environmental impact of Styrofoam products through leading certification agencies, such as UL Environment. Along with other Canadian extruded polystyrene (XPS) boardstock foam insulation manufacturers, DuPont introduced a reduced-GWP Styrofoam Brand XPS in Canada as of Jan. 1, 2021, while reaffirming its commitment to energy efficiency as a key driver to reducing carbon emissions throughout the industry. Each manufacturer is taking a different path to comply with Canadian HFC regulations. DuPont is taking a phased approach to ensure reliable operations and supply continuity as it converts its XPS production facilities across North America. We are also diligent in ensuring local provincial regulation compliance. The Quebec Regulation respecting halocarbons (Q-2, r.29) amends Section 39, stating: As of January 1, 2021: Prohibits manufacturing plastic foams or a product containing a GWP of more than 150, except in the case of having an Essential Use Permit by Canada. As of July 1, 2021: Prohibits the sale or distribution of such a foam or such a product within the Province of Quebec. DuPont complies with this and other regulations in effect across Canada. Embodied carbon impact: DuPonts reduced-GWP Styrofoam has achieved a significant reduction in embodied carbon relative to previous DuPont products, as demonstrated in published product Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). Despite some competitor marketing claims, DuPont Styrofoam brand XPS in Canada has a published embodied carbon value that is similar to other leaders in the XPS category. The published embodied carbon values for Styrofoam are based on an independent, peer-reviewed Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) conducted according to the required product category rules for insulation. Were excited by the reductions in embodied carbon in our reformulated Styrofoam brand products and are delighted to share that information through the EPDs that weve published for our products, said Shawn Hunter, Global Sustainability Director, DuPont Performance Building Solutions. A third party verified EPD is the only approach that allows product manufacturers to communicate credible, LCA-based information regarding their products. When comparing EPDs from different manufacturers, its critical to compare with caution as the ISO standards guide us, due to the complexity in modeling product life cycles and the general lack of quantified uncertainty in the reported values. To clarify the EPD information available to architects and engineers, DuPont has published the most current embodied carbon information for Canadian XPS products on BeyondBlue.DuPont.com. The data are based on verified EPDs and LCAs to simplify the comparisons and help architects, consultants and engineers build sustainable communities. Designers should be wary of any GHG comparisons not backed by peer-reviewed LCA and verified EPD that applies standardized LCA methodology and includes all modules of the required Product Category Rules (A1-A3, B1, and C1-C4) spanning the full life cycle of the product. DuPonts 2030 Sustainability Commitment: In addition to reformulating products across its Styrofoam Brand XPS Insulation portfolio, DuPonts Performance Building Solutions business has committed to an aggressive 75 percent reduction in GHG emissions from operations by 2030, compared to 2019 figures. The commitment includes the introduction of reduced embodied carbon products through product innovation. The insulation product reformulations are part of the companys Acting on Climate goal to achieve a 30 percent GHG reduction in its operations by 2030 relative to 2019 and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. For additional information about our new reduced-GWP Styrofoam Brand XPS Insulation, our conversion program and commitment to sustainability, please visit https://beyondblue.dupont.com/ About DuPont Performance Building Solutions DuPont Performance Building Solutions is a global innovation leader in the building and construction industry, providing products and materials for all six sides of the building envelope. By developing solutions for managing the air, water and thermal performance of buildings and residences, we help our customers build energy-efficient, resilient and durable shelters in a rapidly changing world. Backed by unmatched industry insight, building knowledge and technical support, as well as world-class brands such as Styrofoam Brand, Tyvek, and Great Stuff, our products and services portfolio enables customers to focus on what they do best, no matter where and how they choose to build. About DuPont DuPont (NYSE: DD) is a global innovation leader with technology-based materials and solutions that help transform industries and everyday life. Our employees apply diverse science and expertise to help customers advance their best ideas and deliver essential innovations in key markets including electronics, transportation, construction, water, healthcare and worker safety. More information about the company, its businesses and solutions can be found at http://www.dupont.com. Investors can access information included on the Investor Relations section of the website at investors.dupont.com. # # # DuPont, the DuPont Oval Logo, and all trademarks and service marks denoted with , SM or are owned by affiliates of DuPont de Nemours, Inc. unless otherwise noted. This information is based on information that DuPont believes to be reliable. It is subject to change as additional knowledge and experience are gained. It is not intended as a substitute for any testing you may conduct to determine for yourself the suitability of our products for your particular purpose. Since conditions for use are outside the Companys control, DuPont make no warranties, express or implied, and assumes no liability in connection with the use of this information. This information is not intended as a license to operate under or a recommendation to infringe any trademark, patent or technical information of DuPont or other persons covering any material or its use. We are proud to continue our work with IDE Water Technologies to bring affordable seawater desalination to Israel and tackle water shortages in one of the driest parts of the world. said HP Nanda, global vice president and general manager, DuPont Water Solutions DuPont (NYSE:DD) today announced that its FilmTec membranes have been selected by IDE Water Technologies to provide the sea water reverse osmosis (SWRO) filtration for the Sorek B desalination plant in Israel. The 25-year, 200 million m3/year facility, which will be the largest desalination plant in Israel and one of the largest in the world, is predicted to set a new benchmark for seawater desalination water prices on a global scale. IDE Water Technologies designed the state-of-the-art plant to drive efficiency, environmental sustainability, and achieve an exceptionally low water price. The durability, rejection, energy efficiency, and extremely long lifespans of the FilmTec membranes are expected to contribute to the lower long-term costs of the plant. DuPont is providing SWRO membrane elements to the project site, including dry SWRO elements. The dry SWRO membranes will give IDE and its project managers more flexibility and ease of installation. As dry membranes do not require preservation solution, they enable longer storage times, lower labor costs, and easier, long-term warehouse planning. The dry membranes are also more sustainable, using less water and chemicals in production and significantly reducing the carbon footprint of shipping. As our industry works to solve global water challenges, solutions that address sustainability and affordability will have the biggest impact, said HP Nanda, global vice president and general manager, DuPont Water Solutions. We are proud to continue our work with IDE Water Technologies to bring affordable seawater desalination to Israel and tackle water shortages in one of the driest parts of the world. Were convinced that the new standard weve set will help propel the water treatment world forward, and encourage the construction of additional high efficiency, environmentally sustainable and low-cost desalination facilities worldwide, said Avshalom Felber, Executive Chairman, IDE Technologies. The largest of its kind reverse osmosis plant will be built in Sorek central Israel, and will increase Israel's desalination capacity by 35 percent. The Sorek B plant is expected to come online in 2023, with an annual production capacity of 200 million cubic meters. It will be the sixth desalination plant Israel has built along its Mediterranean coast as the country braces for the risk of climate change and regional conflicts, aggravating water shortages. Desalination removes salt and other chemicals from seawater to produce freshwater for municipal, agricultural, energy or industrial use. The worlds oceans contain over 97 percent of the planets water resources, providing an essentially unlimited raw material for seawater desalination. DuPont Water Solutions (DWS), a leader in sustainable water purification and separation technologies, including ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis membranes and ion exchange resins, has been innovating and producing solutions in support of desalination for more than 40 years. The company continues to be at the forefront of reverse osmosis products that pursue sustainabilityfrom lower energy membranes to the recent launch of dry seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO)as well as the continuous enhancement of membrane durability to enable extremely long membrane lifetimes. About DuPont Water & Protection DuPont Water and Protection is a global leader in creating water, shelter and safety solutions for a more sustainable world; enabling its customers to win through unique capabilities, global scale and iconic brands including Kevlar, Nomex, Tyvek, Corian Design, GreatStuff, Styrofoam, and FilmTec. About DuPont DuPont (NYSE: DD) is a global innovation leader with technology-based materials and solutions that help transform industries and everyday life. Our employees apply diverse science and expertise to help customers advance their best ideas and deliver essential innovations in key markets including electronics, transportation, construction, water, healthcare and worker safety. More information about the company, its businesses and solutions can be found at http://www.dupont.com. Investors can access information included on the Investor Relations section of the website at investors.dupont.com. About IDE Technologies A world leader in desalination and water treatment solutions, IDE specializes in the development, engineering, construction and operation of some of the world's largest and most advanced thermal and membrane desalination facilities and industrial water treatment plants. IDE partners with a wide range of customers - municipalities, oil & gas, mining, refineries and power plants - on all aspects of water projects, and delivers approximately 3 million m3/day of high-quality water worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.ide-tech.com # # # DuPont, the DuPont Oval Logo, and all trademarks and service marks denoted with , SM or are owned by affiliates of DuPont de Nemours, Inc. unless otherwise noted. 7/27/21 EMA Design Automation (http://www.ema-eda.com), a full-service provider and innovator of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) solutions, will be expanding its operations to Central and South America with the addition of Anacom to its EMA Solutions Partner Program. This announcement marks the third global expansion this year and further solidifies EMA's commitment to expand its reach to provide leading-edge technology and first-class support to the worldwide EDA market. We are happy to be continuing our global expansion with the addition of the Anacom team, said Manny Marcano, President and CEO of EMA Design Automation. We are excited for the positive impact this collaboration will have on the Central and South American engineering communities. This collaboration combines EMAs commitment to quality and innovation with Anacoms exceptional service to Latin America since 1988. Central and South American customers will benefit from the additional product offers and enhanced customer support from EMA and allow Anacom to bring the latest products, services, and software to the local engineering communities. We are excited to be joining EMA, who shares our commitment to helping customers thrive, said Carlos Lion, President of Anacom. They are the perfect partner to grow our business and enhance our product offerings, enabling us to better serve our customers for generations to come. For more information about EMA, go to http://www.ema-eda.com or call toll free at 877.362.3321. To learn more about the Anacom team go to http://www.anacom.com.br. About EMA Design Automation, Inc. EMA Design Automation is a trailblazer in product development solutions offering a complete range of EDA tools, PLM integrations, services, training, and technical support. EMA is a Cadence Global Channel Partner serving North America, UK, Ireland, India, and South America. EMA develops Ultra Librarian, TimingDesigner, CircuitSpace, CIP, EDABuilder, and a host of custom solutions to enhance the OrCAD and Dassault products, and all are distributed through a worldwide network of value-added resellers. EMA is a privately held corporation headquartered in Rochester, New York. Visit EMA at http://www.ema-eda.com for more information. About Anacom Electronica Ltda. Founded in 1988, Anacom Eletronica LTDA offers solutions to the Central and South American market for electronic development with a particular focus on the embedded systems market. Anacom solutions include embedded design services and embedded development tools such as compilers, in-circuit emulators, OSs and RTOSs, embedded boards, and UML tools. As a result of Anacoms skills in hardware design, OS customization, and embedded software development, coupled with 15 years of experience in various embedded market segments, the companys consulting and service department is ready to support customers with the best solutions for projects and training. EMA Design Automation, TimingDesigner, CircuitSpace, EDABuilder, Ultra Librarian and the EMA logo are registered trademarks, and Component Information Portal is a trademark of EMA Design Automation, Inc. Cadence, Allegro, and OrCAD are registered trademarks of Cadence Design Systems, Inc. All other trademarks in this release are the property of their respective owners. 632 Ocean Palm Way, St. Augustine, Florida 32080 Strategic pricing along with Engel & Volkers expansive global reach worked in achieving the full price offer I was looking for. Nothing thrills me more than surpassing my customer's expectations! Engel & Volkers Florida today announced the record-breaking sale of 632 Ocean Palm Way. Jenn Bryndal, License Partner of Engel & Volkers St. Augustine, held the listing. With a $2,850,000 price tag, the sale is $250,000 more than any other home ever sold in the oceanfront community of Sea Colony. I knew this stunning oceanfront home could demand a premium price, said Bryndal. I felt the best way to achieve this was with a quick sale. One of the more complex undertakings in the sale of a luxury property is creating a sense of urgency. In the luxury market, many times consumers take a wait-and-see approach with the hope of getting a large amount off the purchase price after the property has been on the market for a while. I went over this with the seller and suggested a price I knew was just right to acknowledge the value of the property, while still creating a sense of urgency. Strategic pricing along with Engel & Volkers expansive global reach worked in achieving the full price offer I was looking for. Nothing thrills me more than surpassing my customer's expectations! The notable transaction represents the highest sales price for a single-family home in Sea Colony. According to Zillow, this home is valued 577-percent higher than the typical home in the same zip code. Home values in this zip code have gone up nearly 15-percent over the past twelve months and predictions indicate prices will continue to increase an additional 10-percent within the next year. Jenn has raised the bar in her market, said Peter Giese, Chief Growth Officer at Engel & Volkers Florida. Since joining forces with Engel & Volkers, she has repeatedly broken sales price records for luxury real estate. This has translated into her becoming a great mentor to local agents who join her firm; some of whom have surpassed her previous records. The 4,501 square-foot home offers five bedrooms and five bathrooms. The front porch is kept shaded and private by tropical palms that sway in the sea breeze. The Brazillian hardwood floors and tall ceilings are a contrasting backdrop to the rejuvenating infinity pool surrounded by views of the Atlantic Ocean. A wall of sliding glass doors invites breathtaking oceanfront views from the living and family rooms. Jenn is an incredible broker who made the sale of our Sea Colony beach house one of the smoothest and most successful real estate transactions I have ever been involved in, said seller Seth Shortlidge, CEO of Castillo Investment Holdings. I appreciated her guidance and understanding of the market. She efficiently managed an extremely effective marketing campaign that achieved a result that exceeded our expectations. Sea Colony is a unique oceanfront community, located on St. Augustines Anastasia Island. Nestled among natural vegetation and sculpted landscaping, residents enjoy gated privacy in a park-like setting. Whether you prefer to be on the ocean, or enjoy the quiet solitude of a wooded estate, or live in a charming cottage, Sea Colony has a home for every taste. Typical in traditional neighborhoods, Sea Colony is designed to evoke a sense of community by producing a pedestrian friendly environment complete with sidewalks, footpaths, and boardwalks that border the streets, weave through the woods, and lead to the beach. Bryndal, a recent Private Office inductee, representing the top two-percent of advisors in the Engel & Volkers global network, left Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Realty in 2019 to start her own brokerage by partnering with Engel & Volkers. With over 15-years of industry experience at the time, she was a top-producing agent, transacting over 20-million-dollars annually. She also enjoyed success as a top producer at Coldwell Banker Premier Properties. Prior, Bryndal got her start at Prudential American Group in Las Vegas where she trained directly with CEO, Mark Stark. Engel & Volkers St. Augustine has increased production by 455-percent year-over-year. The shop had an average listing price of $980,462 and an average sales price of $1,777,878 for the month of July in 2021. Additionally, Bryndal and her advisors have transacted more than $47,750,000 in the last twelve months. ### Press contact: Linzee Werkmeister, Junior Vice President, Marketing & Franchise Support Email: Linzee.Werkmeister(at)evrealestate.com Tel: (239) 348-9000 About Engel & Volkers: Engel & Volkers is a global luxury real estate brand. Founded in Hamburg, Germany in 1977, Engel & Volkers draws on its rich European history to deliver a fresh approach to luxury real estate in the Americas with a focus on creating a personalized client experience at every stage of the home buying or selling process for todays savvy homeowner. Engel & Volkers currently operates approximately 240 shop locations with 5,000 real estate advisors in the Americas, contributing to the brands global network of over 14,000 real estate professionals in more than 30 countries, offering both private and institutional clients a professionally tailored range of luxury services, including real estate and yachting. Committed to exceptional service, Engel & Volkers supports its advisors with an array of premium quality business services; marketing programs and platforms; as well as access to its global network of real estate professionals, property listings and market data. Each brokerage is independently owned and operated. For more information, visit http://www.evrealestate.com. About Engel & Volkers Florida: Engel & Volkers Florida is the Master License Partner of the global luxury real estate brand Engel & Volkers in the state of Florida. Recognized for uniquely recruiting, training and equipping some of the top professionals in the real estate industry, Engel & Volkers Floridas exclusive franchise model positions its license partners at the top of the premium market to gain market share and support their bottom line. The company represents franchise locations in: 30A Beaches, Amelia Island, Belleair, Boca Raton, Bonita Springs-Estero, Cape Coral, Clermont, Delray Beach, Destin, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers Downtown, Gainesville, Hollywood Beach, Islamorada, Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, Jupiter, Madeira Beach, Marco Island, Melbourne Beachside, Melbourne Central, Melbourne Downtown, Miami Coconut Grove, Neptune Beach, Olde Naples, Orlando, Orlando Downtown, Orlando-Winter Park, Palm Beach, Palm Coast, Ponte Vedra Beach, Sarasota, South Tampa, St. Augustine, St. Pete, St. Pete Beach, Stuart, Tampa Water Street, Venice Downtown, Wellington, and Windermere. Engel & Volkers Florida is continuing to strategically strengthen and expand its presence in premium real estate markets across the state of Florida. If you would like to know more about the Engel & Volkers brand or how to join its global networkwhich is known for demonstrating competence, exclusivity and passion, feel free to call our corporate office, located at 633 Tamiami Trl N, Suite 201, Naples, FL 34102 USA. Tel: +1 239-348-9000. For more information about Engel & Volkers Florida, please visit http://www.florida.evrealestate.com The latest news that is doing the rounds is that 150 etul students have got a job in different MNCs. It narrates the success story of etul. The one that it has achieved in a short while. This time around, 150 civil design domain students of etul got placed in some of the reputed MNCs in the industry. A thing to boast of for etul. What do these successful students have to say about their experience at etul reviews? Well, they have shared their experience through their etul reviews, after getting placed. The placed students sounded happy that they enrolled into the online training program of etul. A number of these students already hold a graduation degree in Civil engineering. However, they were looking for a specialized course like structural analysis and design. Thats when they came to know about etul, and enrolled into the course. Some of the students felt that the foreign language training provided at etul would be beneficial for their career. This being the primary reason behind them joining the course. It turned out to be as per their expectations is what they stated after getting placed. Advanced core domain training along with foreign language training provided, added to the skillset of the students. It not only helped them upskill themselves but landed them a job in an MNC. Seeing the current situation, most of these etul students felt that getting that first break was important. After getting placed in a multinational, they now feel that it was more than what they had asked for. They did not forget to thank etul for the same. In many of the etul reviews, the course curriculum has received praise. Students it seems have liked the syllabus covered for the foreign language part. It helped them in getting command over the language is what they have said. As far as the core domain training is concerned, the placed students of etul are of the opinion that the concepts and techniques taught are as per the industry requirements. This is helping them while carrying out their job in the real-time scenario. On the etul front, the team is happy over their recent achievement. Placing so many students has made them more confident and motivated. They are hoping that the current lot of students who is undergoing training at etul get good offers too. The team pledges to give in their best to get them placed in multinational companies. One thing is for sure that with proper training and guidance, career aspirants can get the best of starts to their careers, even in these uncertain and difficult circumstances. Where there is a will, there is a way. For more info, visit their website - https://etul.in/courses/ where you can register for the course of your choice and know more about their training offerings, especially their unique foreign language offering. Freds expertise in federal system compliance for state Medicaid and eligibility systems will bring expert guidance and insight to our clients across the country, says Robin Dufresne, CSGs HHS Practice Director. We are proud to have Fred as a member of the CSG team. CSG Government Solutions, a national leader in government program modernization, today announced that Fred Miller has join its Healthcare and Human Services Practice. Miller is a Medicaid expert with more than 40 years of experience in government IT. Prior to joining CSG, he served as an IT Specialist and State Officer for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for more than a decade. While with CMS, Miller collaborated with states on their MMIS and eligibility system modernization projects and conducted reviews for federal system certification requirements. Freds expertise in federal system compliance for state Medicaid and eligibility systems will bring expert guidance and insight to our clients across the country, says Robin Dufresne, CSGs HHS Practice Director. We are proud to have Fred as a member of the CSG team. CSG Government Solutions deploys highly experienced teams and innovative methods, knowledge, and tools to help governments modernize complex program enterprises. CSG clients include 46 state and territory governments, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Labor, and large municipal governments. CONTACT: Robin Dufresne Director, Health and Human Services Practice CSG Government Solutions 180 N. Stetson Ave Suite 3200 Chicago, IL 60601 312.444.2760 Fax: 312.938.2191 rdufresne@csgdelivers.com About CSG Government Solutions: CSG Government Solutions is a leading government operations consulting firm helping states modernize critical program enterprises. We help governments leverage innovative technology and processes to meet the challenges of administering complex programs. Founded in 1997, CSG has established itself as a trusted adviser to government agencies across the U.S. For more information, visit http://www.csgdelivers.com and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter. LANAP & LAPIP treatment now offered in Fresno CA Dr. Sam Namdarian, one of the top cosmetic dentists in California, is the first LANAP trained dentist in Fresno, CA. Patients suffering from gum disease in Fresno and the surrounding areas now have access to the minimally invasive LANAP and LAPIP protocols with the PerioLase MVP-7 dental laser. The LANAP protocol is the only FDA-cleared laser treatment with scientific research demonstrating the ability to regenerate bone lost to gum disease without cutting or stitching of the gums. The LAPIP protocol can save dental implants that are at risk due to infections. At Fresno Smile Makeovers, our motto is A better smile, a better you. When you smile, you simply feel more confident. Were excited about adding the LANAP and LAPIP protocols because they offer a way to treat periodontal disease and keep everything you love about your smile, states Sam Namdarian, DMD of Fresno Smile Makeovers located in Fresno, CA. By treating gum disease with the LANAP protocol, we can offer patients a comfortable, laser-based surgery that saves your teeth and beautiful smile line without the pain or fear of traditional treatment. Gum disease is as an infection of the tissues that support the teeth, and impacts up to 85% of adult Americans. In the beginning states, gums may be red, swollen, and bleed easily. If the condition worsens, gums and bone that support the teeth can become seriously damaged and the teeth can become loose, fall out, or have to be removed. Gum disease has been linked to serious systemic diseases including stroke, heart disease, Alzheimers and certain cancers. Recent research has shown that every tooth lost to gum disease increases the risk of cognitive decline. Gum disease around dental implants may cause many of the same issues as gum disease around natural teeth. Patients may see red gums at first. Puss and loose dental implants are a sign of more serious infection called peri-implantitis. If a patient has an infection around the dental implant, LAPIP treatment can help save the implant, states Dr. Namdarian. Similar to LANAP treatment around natural teeth, LAPIP treatment uses the PerioLase dental laser to kill the bacteria causing the infection without pain. The LAPIP protocol can be performed the same day as diagnosis, saving patients from lengthy invasive surgeries. Schedule an appointment to discuss your options for treating gum disease around teeth or dental implants at Fresno Smile Makeovers by calling (559) 431-1772. ### ABOUT SAM NAMDARIAN, DMD Dr. Namdarian attended University of California, Santa Cruz where he received his B.S. degree in Molecular Cellular Developmental Biology. Dr. Namdarian attended Boston University Goldman School of Dental medicine and graduated with a D.M.D. degree in 2005. After graduation he completed a two year post-doctoral residency program at University Medical Center, Fresno where he served as Chief Resident. Dr. Namdarian, is a member of the Frontier Institute (formerly California Center for Advanced Dental Studies) where he now serves as clinical instructor to Dentists attending their cosmetic courses. Dr. Namdarian achieved post-graduate certification from UCLA Dental School and he is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD), American Academy of Clear Aligners (AACA), Academy of General Dentistry, American Dental Association, California Dental Association and the Fresno Madera Dental Society. ### Our improved experience with Greenway Telehealth enables us to focus more on innovation, exploring what virtual care looks like for our most at-risk patients, ultimately closing gaps in care and improving outcomes. Greenway Health, a leading health information technology services provider, today announced an expanded partnership with HealthLinc, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care for the residents of northern Indiana. A Greenway client for more than a decade, HealthLinc will be leveraging Greenway Telehealth, the first tool in the companys virtual care portfolio, to remove care delivery barriers, enabling greater provider productivity and improved patient outcomes. HealthLinc is a leading nonprofit organization with 12 community locations, serving five counties in northern Indiana with 97 providers and over 150 staff. The organization operates a Patient-Centered Medical Home model, offering medical, dental, optometry, behavioral health and more. HealthLinc implemented telehealth early into the pandemic but was seeking an improved solution that did not require separate logins for each of their providers, and that was easier for patients to use while completely protecting their data. With Greenway Telehealth, the organization now benefits from a secure, HIPAA-compliant solution that is integrated with its core electronic health record. Our goal at HealthLinc is to make a difference in our patients' lives by delivering the exceptional care they deserve, said Melissa Mitchell, chief operating officer, HealthLinc. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic we were seeking a telehealth solution that would offer the convenience and flexibility our patients were requesting. Now, with Greenway Telehealth, we have a long-term solution in place that will further enable us to improve access to resources and care, including as part of our paramedicine program for homebound patients. Our improved experience with Greenway Telehealth enables us to focus more on innovation, exploring what virtual care looks like for our most at-risk patients, ultimately closing gaps in care and improving outcomes. Launched in October of 2020, Greenway Telehealth was developed in direct response to evolving client needs and the increasing demand for a secure, high-quality and flexible remote care solution that practices can implement as part of a long-term virtual care strategy. Since its initial launch, the solution has been implemented by thousands of users and featured on Beckers list of Telehealth Companies to Know. For ambulatory care providers, having a telehealth solution integrated with its core EHR is a key component to reducing administrative burden and provider burnout, while maximizing the efficiency of the practice with added flexibility to maintain business continuity, said David Cohen, chief product and technology officer, Greenway Health. Were excited to expand our partnership with HealthLinc and to provide them with the telehealth solution they need to further improve care and patient outcomes. Greenway Telehealth is now available at a special rate of $39 per provider, per month. For more information on how Greenways EHR-integrated telehealth solution can help your practice maintain business continuity, create additional revenue streams and reach new patient populations, visit http://www.greenwayhealth.com/solutions/telehealth. About Greenway Health Improving health care through innovation is at the heart of Greenway Healths work. We provide electronic health record (EHR), practice management, and revenue cycle management solutions that help practices in multiple specialties grow profitably, remain compliant, work more efficiently, and improve patient outcomes. Our team of clinical, financial, and technology experts serve as trusted advisers, committed to our clients success. Greenway works with over 55,000 providers across multiple specialties, which translates into millions of lives touched daily by our solutions. For details on how we can work together to build a more efficient health care system, visit http://www.greenwayhealth.com, call 877-537-0063, or follow Greenway on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. About HealthLinc HealthLinc, Inc. (healthlincchc.org) is a not-for-profit Federally Qualified Health Center that provides primary medical, dental, optometry, and behavioral health services to people of all ages regardless of a patients ability to pay. In 1996, HealthLinc began as Hilltop Neighborhood House, a neighborhood clinic and childcare center in Valparaiso, IN. Since then, HealthLinc has expanded to twelve clinics, two telehealth clinics, and one mobile medical/dental clinic. HealthLinc accepts Medicare, Medicaid, Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP), most commercial insurance plans, and provides care for uninsured patients. Services will be provided on a sliding fee scale based on household size and income, regardless of a patients insurance status. High-risk drivers can get better prices, but only if they use online quotes from multiple companies, including non-standard carriers, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. High-risk drivers should first identify the reason why they pay so much (if it is not obvious enough), then take action. Use the following tips to increase the chances of finding better coverage than the current one: Look for specialized non-standard carriers. Many insurance companies, even the ones in the top, have subsidiaries or work with smaller companies that are specialized in dealing with high-risk drivers. Their insurance rates are usually lower than the ones offered by traditional carriers. Compare online quotes. Even if a person is a high-risk driver, many insurance companies are still willing to provide coverage. Comparing online quotes will help drivers track the best insurance rates available for them. Look for discounts. Many discounts are available for all drivers, high-risk included. Discounts for getting married, graduating a defense course, moving to a better neighborhood, and for installing safety devices will lower car insurance rates. Drive a car that is cheap to insure. Look for cheap cars that come with installed safety devices. In that way, the owner can save more on premiums. Consider dropping coverage. When driving an old car that is worth less than the deductible, consider dropping the collision and comprehensive insurance. Improve credit score. All states, except California, Hawaii, and Massachusetts use the credit score to calculate insurance rates. Improving the score will help the driver get better rates. One reason why a person may be considered high-risk is poor credit scores. 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. Kerr County, Texas, remains a prime destination for new business relocation and remote work, and has seen 15 new businesses launch in the past 18 months. The KerrEDGE Entrepreneurial Center, which plans to open a brick-and-mortar facility in 2022, aims to diversify the areas economy, making it a cross-sector hotbed for innovation and investment. The Kerr Economic Development Corporation (EDC) announced today that its KerrEDGE Entrepreneurial Center is now open. The one-stop shop for current and prospective business owners offers support, education and mentorship from national and regional experts. It is the first of its kind in the Texas Hill Country region an area along the growing San Antonio-Austin business corridor, home to 4.5 million people. The KerrEDGE Entrepreneurial Center, which plans to open a brick-and-mortar facility in 2022, aims to diversify the areas economy, making it a cross-sector hotbed for innovation and investment. The regions growing industries include aviation and avionics, health care, craft agriculture and advanced manufacturing. About half of the U.S. private workforce is employed in the small business sector, and 99% of Kerrvilles businesses are considered small, said Kerr EDC Executive Director Gil Salinas. Because these companies have a significant economic impact, it remains vital to the Texas economy to encourage entrepreneurship and support local businesses. That is exactly what we aim to do with the areas first-ever Entrepreneurial Center. Kerr County, Texas, remains a prime destination for new business relocation and remote work, and has seen 15 new businesses launch in the past 18 months. The region remains particularly attractive to agriculture, technology and manufacturing entrepreneurs, as well as companies in the aerospace and avionics. Kerrville provides the best of both worlds: Its a county of some 53,000 residents and so a desirable, tight-knit community, though it offers the rural retreat that many seek in the Hill Country, said Austin Brown, who recently expanded his business, Prime Metal Buildings & Components, to Kerr County. I expect the countys growth to continue at a rapid pace and look forward to being a part of its collective future. KerrEDGE programs include a monthly roundtable series which began streaming in late-May. Upcoming sessions will cover topics such as finance, leadership, marketing, real estate, business law, strategy, insurance, and more. The training is designed to help entrepreneurs succeed throughout multiple business cycles from inception to start-up and scaling for growth. KerrEDCs first 40 Under 40 event in February 2020 also honored leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators within the seven-county Hill Country region. Its inaugural class now makes up several members of KerrEDGE (from participants to instructors and mentors). Its 2021 program has been expanded and will now showcase a broader range of innovative professionals. I was thrilled to be a part of the inaugural class for Kerr EDCs 40 Under 40 event, said Ricky Gleason, financial advisor for Prime Capital Investment Advisors. I truly enjoy offering financial services to individuals and businesses in the Hill Country, which is poised for swift growth, and credit Kerr EDCs wonderful initiative for opening up more professional doors for me, too. KerrEDGE currently has more than 20 mentors and class instructors from the Hill Country and has partnered with several regional entities to provide business resources, including: the U.S. Small Business Administration, SCORE, Texas Office of the Governor, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Texas Workforce Commission, Alamo Area Workforce Solutions, Alamo Colleges, Schreiner University, City of Kerrville, Kerrville Area Chamber of Commerce, Kerrville Independent School District and Ingram Independent School District. KerrEDGE is an expansion of the business resources platform that launched for area businesses early in the COVID-19 pandemic with real-time information about business closures, financial aid and more. The initiative is the next step in the organizations plan to promote regional recovery and resiliency. For more information, visit: http://www.kerredge.org. About Kerr Economic Development Corporation The Kerr EDC is an economic and business league located in the heart of the Hill Country and part of the San Antonio-Austin business corridor. The KEDC implements strategies for business and corporate growth in an array of sectors which are tied to the 2050 Your Voice-Your City comprehensive plan. The focus of the organization is to foster the communitys growth through corporate recruitment, workforce development and maintaining the cultural vibrancy of the Texas Hill Country. For more, visit: http://www.kerredc.com/. # # # Charlotte-area drivers can now purchase the Lamborghini Huracan STO at Lamborghini Charlotte. Racing and supercar enthusiasts in the Charlotte area can now take a closer look at the all-new Lamborghini Huracan STO at the Lamborghini Charlotte dealership. A huge front splitter helps direct airflow beneath the vehicle to the rear diffuser, massive air ducts in the bonnet for increased cooling, and louvers on top of the fenders; the Huracan STO pulls off the race car-inspired design very effectively. A 5.2-liter naturally aspirated V10 engine with 640 hp and 565 Nm provides the power. While the maximum power output is the same as the standard Huracan EVO, the additional downforce, stronger aero, wider track, firmer suspension, faster shift speeds, and more direct fixed ration steering help set it apart from the standard Huracan and give it the impression of driving a race car. The Lamborghini Huracan STO comes in three driving modes, namely STO, Trofeo, and Pioggia. STO is the default mode, and its designed for driving and curving on roads. Trofeo mode gets the Huracan ready for tracks for dry asphalt and fast lap times. Traction control, torque vectoring, rear-wheel steering, and the ABS on wet asphalt are optimized in the Pioggia mode to give out the best in rain or wet surfaces. Huracan STO has a top speed of around 193 mph and can accelerate from 0 to 62 MPH in under three seconds. STO is for Super Trofeo Omologata, and it refers to the street-legal Daytona version of the Super Trofeo race car, which has won the enervating 24-hour event for the fourth straight year. The Lamborghini Charlotte team is available to answer any questions and can be reached by calling 980-960-9562. Potential customers who would like to learn more about the Lamborghini Huracan STO can visit the dealership website https://www.lamborghiniclt.com/. Finally, Lamborghini Charlotte is available at 6500 E Independence Blvd, Charlotte, NC, for further inquiries. I look forward to working with the well-respected team at Ligori & Ligori and am dedicated to providing clients with legal counsel they can trust, says Kevin Sparkman Ligori & Ligori Attorneys at Law, an established personal injury law firm based in Tampa, is pleased to announce attorney Kevin Sparkman has joined the firm. Offering service in several practice areas, Ligori & Ligori Attorneys at Law represents those injured in auto accidents, by defective products or due to another's negligence. They provide personalized service and a commitment to seeking the highest amount of compensation for a clients injury or loss. Mr. Sparkmans legal knowledge and experience will be a great addition to the firm. Kevin Sparkman received his juris doctorate degree from The University of Florida in 2003. While in law school he worked as a certified legal intern for the Alachua County State Attorneys office. Upon Kevins graduation from law school, he worked as an assistant state attorney in Tampa, Florida, where he tried numerous cases. As an assistant state attorney, he handled hundreds of cases and tried over 25 jury trials. Mr. Sparkman obtained valuable litigation experience, knowledge and training during his years of working as a prosecutor. He is also licensed to practice in the United States Federal District Court in the Middle District of Florida. After two years at the State Attorneys office, Kevin began working at a plaintiffs personal injury firm in Bradenton, Florida. Kevin returned to Tampa several years later and has now been practicing in the field of plaintiffs personal injury law for over 15 years. He is a professional member of the Florida Bar, Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers, the Florida Justice Association and the Hillsborough County Bar Association. I look forward to working with the well-respected team at Ligori & Ligori and am dedicated to providing clients with legal counsel they can trust, says Kevin Sparkman More About Ligori & Ligori Attorneys at Law: Ligori & Ligori Attorneys at Law has offices in Tampa, Lakeland and Ocala, Florida, serving clients needing legal help in acquiring compensation for their injuries. They handle a wide variety of personal injury and insurance claims, including those involving auto accidents, truck accidents, property damage, storm damage, wrongful death, negligence and more. The practice was established with a mission to provide personalized attention for your personal injury while leveraging resources and experience to help clients obtain fair loss compensation. For more information about or the legal services offered at Ligori & Ligori Attorneys at Law, please visit http://www.callmeonmycell.com, or call the Tampa office directly at (813) 254-7119. It is important to be very strategic and calculated to make sure that the diagnosis is correct, and the robotic approach can then allow for a very precise and delicate dissection with release of the MAL, says Dr. Shouhed. Dr. Daniel Shouhed is an expert at foregut disease and disorders that involve the upper GI tract. Median arcuate ligament syndrome, or (MALS), is a complicated, uncommon and under-diagnosed disease that often causes chronic pain in the upper part of the abdomen. People with MALS are born with their diaphragm lower than normal, causing the median arcuate ligament to compress the celiac artery, a major branch in the abdominal aorta. This pressure can cause blood flow to change and nerves to inflame and become trapped, which sends pain signals to the brain. Dr. Daniel Shouhed is a nationally renowned mentor and educator, going across the country to instruct other attending surgeons and students in robotic surgery. Patients suffering from MALS travel from around the globe to have consultations with Dr. Shouhed. With his extensive knowledge and specialized training, Dr. Shouhed is uniquely qualified to offer patients innovative robotic MALS surgery as a possible option for treatment. With the superior skill provided by Dr. Shouhed, robot-assisted MAL release can be performed safely and effectively with the avoidance of conversion events and minimal morbidity. It is important to be very strategic and calculated to make sure that the diagnosis is correct, and the robotic approach can then allow for a very precise and delicate dissection with release of the MAL, says Dr. Shouhed. More about Dr. Daniel Shouhed: Dr. Shouhed graduated from UCSD School of Medicine and completed his general surgery residency at Cedars Sinai, where he developed his passion for minimally invasive surgery of the gastrointestinal tract. He then went on to complete fellowship training in metabolic (bariatric), endocrine and minimally invasive surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital. Dr. Shouhed was immediately recruited back to join the division of Minimally Invasive GI Surgery at Cedars Sinai Hospital. He is the associate director of the Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery fellowship, co-director of the Multi-disciplinary Adrenal program at Cedars Sinai and has also been appointed the director of the Robotic Catalyst program. Dr. Shouhed has presented his work and been invited to speak at numerous national and international conferences and meetings. He has published over 40 peer-reviewed journal articles and chapters in the Journal of JAMA Surgery, JACS and other reputable journals, including several articles specifically on MALS. Dr. Shouhed has two practice locations in the Los Angeles area, at 2121 Santa Monica Blvd in Santa Monica, CA, (310)-904-6647 and 250 N. Robertson Blvd #106 in Beverly Hills, CA, (310)-890-5834. For more information, please call or visit http://www.drdannyshouhed.com. As a technology vendor its important that we adapt and support the implementation needs of our clients to help them thrive as they return to, and exceed, pre-pandemic activity. Hospitality will always be defined by the interactions between frontline associates and hotel guests, which is why face-to-face training and onboarding has always been favored by the industry. Today, as the nation begins down the long road of recovery left from the COVID-19 pandemic, communication between guests and hotels, and even between hotels and employees, has changed. And, many hotel managers are embracing the strengths of remote training alongside what their workers are re-learning in person. "Conventional wisdom held that if leaders wanted to reach certain goals or instill specific value in hotel workers they would have to do so in person, just as the business is conducted each day," said Maestro President Warren Dehan. "Flash forward to 2020, the hospitality industry was turned on its head. We were accustomed to providing our services on-site and there were hesitations within our teams and clients who were not in favor of delivering the initial orientation, training and go-live remotely. However, given the travel and health challenges of the pandemic, it was time to adjust and provide a collaborative environment to both maintain the sense of relationship building that is a key part of the on-site implementation process, as well as provide remote training in a way that made sense to hoteliers. As a technology vendor its important that we adapt and support the implementation needs of our clients to help them thrive as they return to, and exceed, pre-pandemic activity. As the preferred cloud hosted and on-premises single source integrated PMS solution for independent hotels, luxury resorts, conference centers, vacation rentals, and multi-property groups, Maestro cites five ways remote on boarding as well as remote refresher training can be an asset to your hotel: 1. Training for Anyone, Anywhere Communication will always be a challenge in an ever-shifting environment such as hospitality, and sometimes important changes need to be made quickly and information must be shared even quicker. The pandemic saw the most extreme case of this, with hotels having to constantly and swiftly alter operations based on CDC guidelines. Plexiglass barriers, mask requirements, and more had to efficiently roll out across the industry while enforcing social distancing. During this period, employees in dire need of clarification and up-to-date communications were unable to physically meet on property. Remote training tools became valuable for workers who were in the process of making sweeping changes to their property. This technology will remain relevant during periods of significant change for hotels, such as those going through a rebrand, enacting new standards, or preparing for a natural disaster. 2. Reducing Travel Costs Even in a world where safe travel is possible, travel for the sake of training can often be a significant investment for hotel operators. Remote training absorbs many of the travel costs and time lost during in-person training events and mitigates the liability of travel disruption. Most of all, the immediacy of these learning tools allows operators to learn new skills without stepping away from their roles entirely or properties during periods of high volume. For this to be effective, training providers must change the way they organize classrooms for digital learning. Altered class structures, shorter teaching periods, and an emphasis on visual content are just some of the ways digital training differs from in-person lessons. These alterations are made with the goal of allowing students to learn at their own pace, without unnecessary external pressures. 3. Reinforcing In-Person Training The trend toward remote learning is taking place just as corporate culture is experiencing a clash of ideas as employees who value remote work combat calls to return to the office. In many ways the comfort of one's home can increase productivity and can even help with the retention of new ideas, showing value in creating portable lessons for workers to dial into at their own pace. Remote learning also allows management to update large groups of workers, such as entire departments, on small operational changes prior to their arrival on property. Digital training tools are often accessed using guest devices, making them easier to reference than hard copies, helping with long-term retention of information. 4. Improving In-Person Meetings It is important for hoteliers to look at new technology as a potential tool for improving existing processes as much as they are for eliminating unnecessary ones. For example, at some point during in-person meetings it is inevitable a video is introduced as a training tool. While this is an important part of the training experience, it is also disruptive to the flow of training. Instructional videos are often best sent to employee devices for remote viewing. This way, workers can maximize the effectiveness of hands-on training while having something to reinforce what they learned waiting for them later. Just as hotels work to keep guests present and in the moment while on property, so should training be used as efficiently as possible while key people are physically present to take advantage of it. 5. Speeding the Onboarding Process Time, like labor, is in short supply. That is why hoteliers need to consider any tools at their disposal to assist with the onboarding process for new team members. While on-site meetings are traditional for the first day of training, remote curriculums are invaluable for helping new hires absorb information. Remote training will be particularly effective for employees returning to the floor after an extended period of social distancing. Remote learning tools can help these workers get back into their zone of genius faster than otherwise. This way, hotels can focus on operating at the top of their form without neglecting the training of their newest workers. To learn more about the Maestro PMS approach to on boarding your new property management software solution, or for a variety of tools to help you through technology evaluations, please, visit http://www.maestropms.com to download a series of tools to assist you. # # # About Maestro Maestro is the preferred Web Browser based cloud and on-premises PMS solution for independent hotels, luxury resorts, conference centers, vacation rentals, and multi-property groups. Maestros PCI certified and EMV ready enterprise system offers a Web browser version (or Windows) complete with 20+ integrated modules on a single database, including mobile and contactless apps to support a digitalized guest journey as well as staff operations. Maestros sophisticated solutions empower operators to increase profitability, drive direct bookings, centralize operations, and engage guests with a personalized experience from booking to check out and everything in between. For over 40 years Maestros Diamond Plus Service has provided unparalleled 24/7 North American based support and education services to keep hospitality groups productive and competitive. Click here for more information on Maestro. Click here to get your free PMS Buying guide. This new scale meets the requirement for measurement scale comparators published in ASME-V-2019, VIII-287.1.c. MilTouch Solutions, LLC (http://www.miltouch.com) has released the MilTouch High kV X-Ray Visible Scale for use in high kV radiographic non-destructive testing (NDT). This lead-free scale is available in four lengths, 3 inches (3), 6 inches (6), 15 centimeters (15 cm) and 12 inches (12). It is designed to be visible next to plates of up to two inch (2) thickness under 300 kilovolts (kV). MilTouch High kV X-Ray Visible Scales meet the requirements for measurement scale comparators set forth in the ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code for Nondestructive Examination. The MilTouch High kV X-Ray Visible Scales fill a void in the non-destructive testing industry, says MilTouch Solutions, LLC President, Lauren Zimmer. There are many radiopaque rulers on the market, but few, if any, are lead-free and visible at high kV next to products being tested with a relative thickness above one inch. The High kV X-Ray Visible Scale serves as a known dimensional comparator and is placed on the imaging plate prior to processing, providing dimensions on the projected image. This scale is then used to interpret dimensions as stated in ASME-V-2019, VIII-287.1.c. MilTouch Solutions radiopaque rulers and scales provide a static reference, leaving a clear measurement on the x-ray image. These NIST certified radiopaque rulers and scales are inspected, calibrated and traceable to master standards at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Washington, DC. USA. Each NIST certified ruler is given a unique serial number and a calibration certificate for traceability. The High kV X-Ray Visible Scale uses MilTouch Solutions proprietary radiopaque coating technology combined with laser processing to create this unique product. This process is currently in use by the medical device industry to create x-ray visible products and is traceable to a NIST standard. Purchase lead-free rulers and scales at http://www.miltouch.com. "It is vital to hire the best talent in the parking and transportation industry, said David Damus, CEO of System Property, the parent company of Motor Parks. Motor Parks, a leader in the parking industry since its creation in 1920, is proud to announce the addition of Jeff Miller as Executive Vice President. Miller will be responsible for all aspects of Motor Parks operations including sales and auditing along with client and customer service. Established more than a century ago in Los Angeles, Motor Parks provides parking services for mixed-use, office buildings, shopping centers, and medical center type operations throughout California. Miller was previously Executive Vice President of a nationwide company where he transitioned the parking operations into a Real Estate Alternative Use Platform. He was also responsible for procurement of new real estate and adding alternative use applications to the existing parking platform. He has also held Vice President and Senior Vice President positions with other nationwide operators. I am happy to be joining the professionals at Motor Parks, known throughout the industry as a best-in-class company with an unbeatable team, Miller said. This is an exciting time for in the industry and Motor Parks is well-positioned for success and future growth. Miller is a well-respected 35-year veteran of the parking and transportation industry with experience in senior management, operations, support and consulting. He also has significant experience in transportation management, including national Department of Transportation compliance fleet procurement; development and implementation of new technology, such as PARCS; workforce management, GPS, people counters and APIs. He began his career in parking as an assistant manager and has been steadily promoted, holding positions as operations manager, senior branch manager, regional manager, and vice president with ever-larger portfolios under his authority. During his career, he oversaw the operations of a number of airport parking and shuttle programs, as well as high profile commercial office complexes, stadiums, healthcare, municipal, retail and hotel parking facilities. "As we continue our growth and nationwide expansion it is vital to hire the best talent in the parking and transportation industry, said David Damus, CEO of System Property, the parent company of Motor Parks. The addition of an industry leader and innovator like Jeff Miller will help us achieve our goals of growth, improved customer service and modernization. Based in Sherman Oaks, System Property owns, manages and operates premium commercial office and parking assets nationwide. Miller is an active member of several local, national, and international business associations, including the National Parking Association, the International Parking Institute, BOMA Greater Los Angeles, and the Central City Association. He is also an executive board member of the Los Angeles Parking Association. Jeff is a Certified Parking Facility Manager, Certified Parking Professional and holds an Air Quality Management District Certification. About Motor Parks Motor Parks, LLC, (Motor Parks) has been a leader in the parking industry since its creation in 1920. Motor Parks has extensive experience in the planning, development and construction of parking facilities throughout the United States. Motor Parks eventually evolved into System Parking, Inc., which for decades was one of the largest operating companies in the United States. With a history of both owning and operating parking facilities, our Company has a unique knowledge and understanding of our clients needs. Today Motor Parks manages its parking facilities and provides parking consulting services for every aspect of the parking industry. Motor Parks provides parking services for mixed-use, office buildings, shopping centers, and medical center type operations. Services offered by Motor Parks include surface lots, multi-level parking facility management, customer and employee shuttle services, signage consultation and sustainability consulting. Motor Parks is a parking company that is singularly committed to maximizing the revenues and service levels of parking assets. See http://www.motorparks.com for more information. As a vendor on Digital Main Street, Mrkt360 is ready to give back to the community by helping small businesses thrive in the ever complicated digital landscape. Mrkt360 is proud to announce they are officially an approved vendor on Digital Main Street, a platform launched in 2014, to help independent businesses, and entrepreneurs adopt digital tools and establish an online presence. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has made this platform especially valuable as businesses are in dire need of being found and discovered online. Digital Main Street launched the ShopHERE program, in response with the City of Toronto, to provide greater support to small businesses to quickly adapt to online platforms to survive. Mrkt360 is excited to contribute to this initiative, and help small businesses prosper through this tough time by helping them establish a successful online presence. Digital Main Street has partnered with the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario to launch the Digital Transformation Grant (DTG) program to assist businesses with their transition. The program will provide a grant of CAD$2500 to help small businesses obtain the technology, training and advisory support required to execute a digital transformation. In order to be considered for the grant, a business has to fulfill several requirements such as: (1) the business needs to be registered and operating in Ontario, (2) the business owner must be a citizen or resident of Canada (3) the business must not supply digital marketing services and most importantly (4) completing the Digital Transformation for Main Street program, which includes an assessment, an eligibility test, online training and developing a digital transformation plan. Following the steps of the application process is vital, as pre-qualification is essential for approval. Upon receiving the grant, businesses can choose vendors, such as Mrkt360, to help with their online marketing. Mrkt360 is a Toronto, Ontario based digital marketing agency that specializes in marketing solutions through multiple advertising platforms (Google, Facebook, Youtube, and more). As a Google Premier Partner, Youtube Premier Partner, and Facebook Partner, Mrkt360 is able to bring a variety of skills and expertise to this program, with services ranging from curating ad campaigns to web design. Mrkt360 has experience helping small businesses from their humble beginnings to when they are publicly traded, while generating millions of customers for their clients. The goals and values of Digital Main Street and Mrkt360 are also aligned, as both companies prioritize developing and enhancing the digital community by helping businesses evolve through digital marketing efforts. Grant approved businesses will have a unique opportunity to obtain the right expertise to develop efficient digital marketing strategies, which would ultimately lead to their exponential growth. As a digital marketing vendor for Digital Main Street, Mrkt360 emphasizes their mission to help grant approved businesses grow, establish a voice online, and find success in the digital world. This collaboration will allow tremendous growth for small businesses across Ontario, thus, businesses that meet the requirements of the grant are encouraged to apply and begin their digital marketing journey. Interested in a free consultation to learn how Mrkt360 can help your business? You can book one here. This PR has been co-written by Keegan Mcdougall. NetExperience, creator of the first end to end WLAN software and service compatible with Open Wi-Fi, today announced the launch of a cooperative project with researchers from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Ottawa, with support from Canadian research organization Mitacs, entitled Machine Learning-Enhanced Anomaly Detection and Performance Optimization for Enterprise Wi-Fi Networks. The project is designed to significantly advance the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning when applied to Wi-Fi management. NetExperiences platform has been architected to support the Telecom Infra Projects (TIP) OpenWiFi initiative which disaggregates the software from the hardware, allowing Wi-Fi deployments with multiple hardware vendors access points. One of the goals of this approach is to dramatically decrease the cost of deploying Wi-Fi around the world, helping to close the digital divide both domestically and internationally. NetExperience realized early on that AI/ML would be a key technology to achieve the goals of the initiative and has been developing and deploying software algorithms to meet the need of its commercial product. The University of Ottawa has developed a world class research team in AI enabled wireless networks led by Dr. Melike Erol-Kantarci and Dr. Burak Kantarci. Dr. Erol-Kantarci is Canada Research Chair in AI-enabled Next Generation Wireless Networks and world-wide recognized leader in 5G and 6G communications and network automation. Dr. Burak Kantarci is a prominent scholar in machine learning-backed cybersecurity solutions and he is the founding director of the Smart Connected Vehicles Innovation Centre of the University of Ottawa, first of its kind in Kanata North. The leadership team of the project includes Marcel Chenier, CTO of NetExperience, a seasoned veteran in telecommunications industry. The project is scheduled to run 24 months with the expectation that much of the advanced algorithmic work will be incorporated into NetExperiences product in parallel with the research. We have been working on AI for our WLAN controller for quite some time and we have been very pleased with the results so far as it is clear that the use of automated detection and correction of issues related to connectivity and performance for Wi-Fi is a critical technology to deploy large scale Wi-Fi networks in diverse environments, said Marcel Chenier, CTO of NetExperience. This project with uOttawa will help us to significantly advance this technology so our customers can easily deploy our Wi-Fi solutions worldwide, resulting in vastly improved Quality of Experience for their end users. Mitacs is a national, not-for-profit organization that has designed and delivered research and training programs in Canada for over 20 years. Working with post-secondary institutions, companies, municipalities, hospitals and not-for-profit organizations, as well as federal and provincial governments, Mitacs is dedicated to building partnerships that support innovation in Canada. We are very pleased to partner with the University of Ottawa on this project, said Bernard Herscovici, CEO of NetExperience. As an alumnus of the University and a current volunteer judge for some of their students projects and ideas, I know how strong their research and expertise is in artificial intelligence and machine learning for wireless networks, so we are very thankful for this help and assistance. Ultimately, we expect this work to further advance NetExperiences and Canadas lead in this important area of technology. This is a very compelling project for our team. We have been innovating in the Open RAN space for some time and we have been following the advances in Open Wi-Fi closely. The opportunities that come along with network disaggregation and virtualization allow us to use our machine learning algorithms for designing ultra-fast, ultra-reliable and ultra-low latency networks that can be configured, healed and optimized in a closed-loop., said Dr. Melike Erol-Kantarci. Among other goals of this project, we intend to develop anomaly detection, root cause analysis and performance optimization using machine learning models and deep learning networks with the aim of bringing self-healing features to Wi-Fi, Dr. Burak Kantarci added. Its also great to be working with a local Ottawa company that shares our vision of innovation and excellence in artificial intelligence as applied to wireless networks. The collaboration between NetExperience and the University of Ottawa is an important step toward achieving ubiquitous wi-fi at lower costs, said Dr. John Hepburn, CEO and Scientific Director of Mitacs. As an organization dedicated to innovation and entrepreneurship, Mitacs is proud to sponsor this meaningful project and we look forward to working closely with both parties to ensure its success. About NetExperience NetExperience is leading the transition to a disaggregated Wi-Fi network. NetExperience Cloud platform allows service providers to integrate WLAN controller and management capabilities into their back office. The platform is compatible with the three key components of the Telecom Infra Project Wi-Fi architecture: CloudSDK, certified open source Access Point software and compatible Access Point hardware. NetExperience is a contributor and co-manager of the TIP open source CloudSDK and Access Point software. About the University of Ottawa The University of OttawaA crossroads of cultures and ideas The University of Ottawa is home to over 50,000 students, faculty and staff, who live, work and study in both French and English. Our campus is a crossroads of cultures and ideas, where bold minds come together to inspire game-changing ideas. We are one of Canadas top 10 research universitiesour professors and researchers explore new approaches to todays challenges. One of a handful of Canadian universities ranked among the top 200 in the world, we attract exceptional thinkers and welcome diverse perspectives from across the globe. About Mitacs Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada by solving business challenges with research solutions from academic institutions. Mitacs is funded by the Government of Canada along with the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Yukon. Contact Bernard Herscovici bernard@netexperience.com http://www.netexperience.com University of Ottawa: media@uottawa.ca The occult and occult literature truly fascinate me. I only came into Wicca in 2014 in the lovely town of Glastonbury. I know that witchcraft is a very misunderstood religion, but I think that it is one of the most positive, friendly, nature-based religions that I am very drawn to, Steven Leslie Golding states. Philosophy of Witchcraft (published by AuthorHouse UK) shares his story of his experiences, telling how he turned to Wicca more than six years in his early 50s. He discusses the history of witchcraft and offers a look at what ancient witches faced in medieval Britain. In addition, Golding shares an overview of the elements of the modern pagan witchcraft such as its festivals, weekend courses, rituals, the witchs tools, telepathy and clairvoyance, the imagery of witchcraft, spells, astral travel and more. Since coming into Wicca six years ago, I have found it to be the right path for me. It is a journey I did not know I would be taking until 2014 in Glastonbury, Golding says. I have spoken to several Wiccans since then. I believe it is a kind of pilgrimage. I know I still have a lot to learn and a long way to go. Who knows where it will take me? I will probably remain a solitary Wiccan as I do tend to have a lot of reclusive traits. But thats okay. We should all do what we find most comfortable for us. When asked what he wants readers to take away from the book, Golding answers, To broaden their knowledge about modern pagan witchcraft. I hope they will enjoy reading this short book on my account of Witchcraft and the occult. For more details about the book, please visit https://www.authorhouse.com/en-gb/bookstore/bookdetails/827475-philosophy-of-witchcraft Philosophy of Witchcraft By Steven Leslie Golding Softcover | 5 x 8in | 124 pages | ISBN 9781665589567 E-Book | 124 pages | ISBN 9781665589550 Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble About the Author Steven Leslie Golding lives in Bristol, England. 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. Dr. Kris debuts comedy mental health show at Lyric Stage Company of Boston to raise awareness, increase access, and build community Now isnt the time for hiding. We all are affected by mental health issues-whether ourselves or our loved ones. This is simple brain science, all of us responding to devastating circumstances, within broken and fraught systems..." Mental health issues have skyrocketed in the face of the pandemic and ongoing uncertainty. Finding a therapist, or a reason to laugh, can feel impossible. It feels like a time to cry, not laugh. Dr. Kristen Lee, EdD, LICSW, an internationally recognized speaker and author, says laughter is important medicine during compromising times. She has translated her years as a psychotherapist, educator, and human resilience researcher into a new performing arts experience devoted to ending stigma, raising awareness, and building community through her comedy mental health show Crackin Up with Dr. Kris: Where Comedy Meets Therapy. It was time to flip my model, says Dr. Lee, who, in addition to her teaching, consults regularly with companies on building positive mental health cultures, given the rise in burnout and stress in the workplace. Ive always infused humor with serious topics but wanted to create something fun and heartwarming with a strong underlying message of hope, healing, and solidarity. Lee, who leads the Behavioral Science program at Northeastern University, uses her public platform to share her own lived experience of mental health. Ive always used humor as a mechanism for coping, and to connect with my students, patients, and those I serve. Humor is identified as an essential protective factor for resilience, and even though theres much to grieve and be serious about, it can help create space for joy, healing, and recovery. The average time for someone with a lived experience of mental health from onset of symptoms to treatment is 8-10 years. Lee emphasizes that given the enormity of what we are grappling with, we must engage with ourselves and each other creatively and candidly to get to a place of healing and reduced stigma. Lee underscores the critical nature of policy makers to devote attention to the mental health crisis at hand, particularly for underserved populations. Access is everything. Our service delivery systems are overstretched, people are suffering. They are afraid to ask for the help they need, and the reality is, access is extremely limited; especially for those who are marginalized due to race, class, gender, sexual orientation, ability, and place of origin. Lee also stresses that stigma is the number one reason people do not access support. Now isnt the time for hiding. We all are affected by mental health issues-whether ourselves or our loved ones. This is simple brain science, all of us responding to devastating circumstances, within broken and fraught systems, grieving the losses of critical aspects of our lives that are known to be protective towards our mental health. Gone are the days when this should be seen as a weakness or moral failing; we need to move from outdated framings of mental health condition to human condition. Lee is devoting a portion of the proceeds to benefit the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nations largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness, and to AAKOMA Project, focused on supporting youth of color and their families, raising consciousness, empowering people, and changing systems. Crackin Up debuts at the Lyric Stage Company of Boston on Thursday August 12th. Lee will host the show, and feature Boston Based comedians Tooky Kavanagh and Emily Ruskowski. Kavanagh was selected to perform on the Comedy Central UP NEXT audition showcase, and to audition for the prestigious Montreal Just for Laughs festival. She was selected to be a featured comedian in the 2020 Boston Calling festival, was the December 2018 Comic-In-Residence at The Comedy Studio; The 2017 Women In Comedy Festival; Thunderfest 2017; The 2017 Boston Comedy Festival; Boston Comedy Chicks; The 2017 Boston Comedy Arts Festival; headlining Laughing Liberally Boston; headlining It Aint Over til Its Dover; headlining Stand-Up Thursdays at John Harvards; co-producing Token: Rethink What Comedy Can Be at Improv Boston; featuring at The Producers Club in Manhattan, NY; and Comic Sit-In at The Riot Theater. Ruskowski is a staple on the Boston stand up scene. She has been featured in the Boston Globe and the Washington Post. She was a finalist in the 2018 Boston Comedy Festival and has been featured on Laughs TV. Ruskowski is also a clinical social worker. Lee, known as Dr. Kris, is award-winning behavioral science professor, clinician, researcher, author, activist, and comedian. As the Lead Faculty for Behavioral Science and Faculty-in-Residence at Northeastern University, Dr. Kriss research and teaching interests include individual and organizational well-being and resilience, particularly for marginalized and underserved populations. She operates a consulting practice devoted to preventing and treating burnout and is the author of RESET: Make the Most of Your Stress, Winner of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards Motivational Book of 2015, and best-selling Mentalligence: A New Psychology of Thinking: Learn What it Takes to Be More Agile, Mindful and Connected in Todays World and the upcoming Worth the Risk: Learn How to Microdose Bravery to Grow Resilience, Connect More, and Offer Yourself to the World. She is a regular contributor for Thrive Global, and Rethink Your Way to the Good Life on Psychology Today. She is the host of Crackin Up: Where Therapy Meets Comedy, which began online featuring Drs. Kathleen Mackenzie and Ying Cao. Dr. Kriss work has been featured on NPR, Ted and CBS radio. Her TedX talk, The Risk You Must Take has over 310,000 views and highlights her own battles with perfectionism, anxiety, and depression. Doors open at 7:00 pm, the show starts at 7:30 pm. The first 150 guests will receive a free copy of Lees best-selling book, Mentalligence: A New Psychology of Thinking: Learn What it Takes to Be More Agile, Mindful, and Connected in Todays World. Current CDC guidelines will be followed. Guests will be advised to wear masks when entering and moving around the theatre and removed once seated for those who are fully vaccinated. Lee says "If you cant crack up, youll crack up. Healing takes place through solidarity, community, and using the critical thinking skills comedy offers us to look at things in a more playful, expansive and humane way..." Show details: Thursday August 12, 2021 Doors open 7:00, show starts 7:30pm Lyric Stage Company Boston 140 Clarendon St, Boston, MA 02116 Purchase tickets here at the Lyric Stage Company Boston website. But its not always easy to know which patients are vulnerable or what interventions will keep them from returning to the hospital. Prescriptive analytics allow us to see beyond the EHR to detect the social determinants of health that put patients at risk of readmission. Jvion, a leader in clinical artificial intelligence (AI), will be featured prominently at HIMSS 2021 conference, to be held August 9-13 in Las Vegas, with results presented in two Essential Conversations. The sessions will demonstrate how healthcare organizations can use Jvions clinical AI to integrate accurate and prescriptive intelligence into their clinical and operational workflows. In particular, Northwell Health realized a 23.6% reduction in readmissions, while University Hospitals improved resource allocation. The first 60-minute Essential Conversation, The Implementation of AI to Predict Ventilator Utilization, will be presented on August 11th at 11:45 AM by Dr. Maulik P. Purohit, MD, MPH, Associate Chief Medical Information Officer at University Hospitals, and Dr. John Frownfelter, MD, FACP, Chief Medical Officer at Jvion. The session will review the findings of a study to assess whether Jvions clinical AI can accurately predict which patients were in need of ventilators in the ICU, which were in high demand at the peak of the pandemic. The session will also cover strategies for a successful AI implementation. The pandemic put immense strain on Americas ICUs and forced clinicians to make life-or-death decisions in triaging their resources, said Dr. Frownfelter. Our work with University Hospitals showed that AI can help care teams anticipate which patients can be safely discharged, which patients should be ventilated, and which patients are so at risk of dying that they would be best served by hospice care. In a surge, these insights can help ensure there are enough ventilators and ICU beds for the lives that depend on them. As clinicians, its our job to make critical care decisions based on patient data, which can be challenging when resources are stretched thin and lives are on the line, said Dr. Purohit. Our evaluation showed that clinical AI can recognize patterns in the data that wouldnt be obvious to a busy clinician or be flagged by traditional predictive analytics. This is an exciting time where we can provide better decision support leveraging the EMR data and potentially advance patient care tremendously. On August 11th at 4:15 PM, Dr. Zenobia Brown, VP of Population Health and Medical Director at Northwell Health Solutions, and Hallie Bleau, AVP of Care Management & Transitional Care Management at Northwell Health, will present their Essential Conversation Applying Clinical AI to Reduce Readmissions by Over 20%. In this discussion, the clinicians from Northwell Health, the largest healthcare provider in New York State, will share how they reduced readmissions by 23.6% by augmenting their post-discharge workflow with Jvions prescriptive AI-powered insights. Under value-based care, reducing readmissions has become a major focus for health systems like Northwell, said Dr. Brown. But its not always easy to know which patients are vulnerable or what interventions will keep them from returning to the hospital. Prescriptive analytics allow us to see beyond the EHR to detect the social determinants of health that put patients at risk of readmission. Even more helpfully, it recommends personalized interventions based on its knowledge of what worked and what didnt for millions of patient journeys. It can be an incredibly valuable resource for case managers to have. In addition to these conference presentations, representatives from Jvion will be on site to demonstrate its CORE AI at the Innovaccer Partner Pavilion in booth 2461. Attendees are invited to schedule a consultation and a technology demo to learn more about how Jvions AI-powered insights can empower care teams to better manage population health. To schedule a meeting at HIMSS, please contact Jvions Chief Marketing Officer Lizzy Feliciano at lizzy dot feliciano @ jvion dot com. About Jvion Jvion, a leader in clinical artificial intelligence, enables providers, payers and other healthcare entities to identify and prevent avoidable patient harm, utilization and costs. An industry first, the Jvion CORE goes beyond predictive analytics and machine learning to identify patients on a trajectory to becoming high-risk. Jvion then determines the interventions that will more effectively reduce risk and enable clinical and operational action. The CORE accelerates time to value by leveraging established patient-level intelligence to drive engagement across healthcare organizations, populations and individuals. To date, the Jvion CORE has been deployed across hundreds of clients and resulted in millions saved. For more information, visit https://www.jvion.com. Daily Herald Business Ledger honors Pinnacle Packaging CEO Nicole DeJoris with its 2021 C-Suite Award. She was one of 20 business owners to receive this award. In my role, I believe that packaging is more than whats on the outside; its what goes inside. That mission to provide excellent customer service and to be a trusted partner in various industries that depend on my services. This is how I show leadership in my company. Nicole DeJoris, CEO of Pinnacle Packaging Inc., was one of 20 suburban business leaders who received the Daily Herald Business Ledgers C-Suite 2021 Awards. A virtual award webcast was held on July 22. The publications C-Suite Awards honor C-level executives for the leadership, business and civic contributions they have made to their organizations and to the suburban Chicago community. Eligible candidates must work for a business or organization in the suburban Chicago region: DuPage County, Kane County / Fox Valley, suburban Cook County, Will County, McHenry County and Lake County. Judges chose DeJoris to be an honoree for several reasons. One was due to her community involvement with the League of Women Voters and her participation in other various community donation projects. She was selected for her thought leadership initiatives about her industry presented in informative social media posts to monthly blogs sharing tips and tricks. Finally, as DeJoris grew her company during the past three years, she also made a commitment to furthering her education. She is currently obtaining her Masters degree at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois. I thank the Daily Herald Business Ledger for selecting me to be on this list with other great area business owners, she said. In my role, I believe that packaging is more than whats on the outside; its what goes inside. That mission to provide excellent customer service and to be a trusted partner in various industries that depend on my services. This is how I show leadership in my company. For information about Pinnacle Packaging, visit https://www.pinnaclepackaging.net/. About Pinnacle Packaging Pinnacle Packaging is a Chicago-based distributor providing packaging, shipping, and industrial supplies to companies throughout North America. With over 20 years of experience in the packaging business, Pinnacle Packaging is committed to providing customers with the most accurate information and a wide variety of customization options so they can always find the right packaging solution for their companys needs. For more information, visit Pinnacle Packaging at https://www.pinnaclepackaging.net/ or call 773-235-6060. Pivt, the only mobile app that focuses on improving the social well-being of mobile employees and their families, is excited to announce a six month exclusive launch in the Netherlands with Dutchify, providing the premier range of relocation services for companies and employees transferring to the Netherlands. With users' social well-being top of mind for both Pivt and Dutchify, the Netherlands was a natural choice for Pivts first international launch. Ranked fourth overall in the World Happiness Report in 2021, life in the Netherlands, its welcoming population, and picturesque cities, made it an obvious destination for Pivts services. The partnership of these two brands gives relocated employees, from the moment they learn of their move, a support network and access to a depth of knowledge surrounding international relocation to the Netherlands. Pivts innovative and intuitive app assists users with making friends, receiving curated and trusted advice, and adapting to their new communities. Dutchify uses a comprehensive, cloud-based platform, led by a team with international backgrounds, to provide tailored and professional relocation services to clients moving to the Netherlands. By offering a seamless experience between the service and personal aspects of a move, Dutchify and Pivt can truly innovate and support the clients journey to a new country. Pivt is a natural partner to the Dutchify experience, notes Lynn Greenberg, CEO of Pivt. Relocation with Dutchify doesnt end with a move itself; they connect with their clients on multiple levels throughout their move and then acclimation journey. Were excited that Pivt will be part of their unique services, giving their clients the crucial access to community and social well-being that everyone who relocates craves. We partnered with Pivt to empower relocated internationals, no matter their background or preference, and this partnership allows us to put the client front and center for every service we provide," said Nick de Bruijn, CEO of Dutchify. Integrating Pivt into our customer journey brings a unique experience to every clients journey that you cannot find anywhere else. We believe by combining forces we will be able to give a fulfilling life in the Netherlands to all our internationals. A happy journey leads to a happy HR department, and a happy client will express their satisfaction inside the company which will make for a happy company. About Pivt: Companies spend over $90K to relocate an employee yet nearly 1/3 leave the company shortly after moving. Pivt is addressing the billions in losses to employers by creating a mobile app designed to increase employee retention and improve the well-being of relocated and mobile employees. Their Board includes Randi Zuckerberg (former Director of Marketing at Facebook) and Evan Segal (entrepreneur/investor and former Dept CFO in the Obama Administration). Pivt has raised from lead Investor Noemis Ventures and several notable celebrities and public figures. About Dutchify: A staggering 70% of failed relocations are because the family cannot settle in and adapt to the new country. Dutchify's mission is to give their clients the best life in the Netherlands and aim to bring this number down by a lot. Dutchify's innovative platform allows the company to complete every assignment efficiently. And they make a personal connection with you as a client on every assignment, but their help doesn't stop there. Dutchify offers free aftercare for as long as you stay. And they host events dedicated to making new arrivals integrate and build a network. Together with Pivt, Dutchify is ready to redesign the relocation journey. Redesigning this in such a way that it brings a unique experience to the client. Something the relocation industry has not offered for decades. Interested in Learning More?: Dutchify offers the Pivt app through the various services the company offers to internationals and/or their employer. In the next few months, Pivt and Dutchify will make a pre registry of new clients for the Netherlands. This allows our clients to use Pivt the second we go live. Our users will initially be supported through the free aftercare service that Dutchify offers and we will be appointing a community manager soon after. Pivt is available in the arrival package of Dutchify but can also be offered in a custom offer. Email sales@pivtapp.com for more information on the Pivt App or reach out to backoffice@dutchify.net to book an appointment with Dutchify today! This is a strategic expansion of ProSites overall business plans. The LifeLearn team possesses invaluable knowledge and creative tools and solutions to build customer loyalty and retention, which can be leveraged across all of the ProSites platforms. ProSites, a leading provider of marketing technology solutions for local business owners, announced today it has acquired LifeLearn Animal Health. LifeLearn provides marketing, customer communication and education solutions for veterinary practices and key industry partners throughout North America. The acquisition increases ProSites investment in the animal health market along with providing a Canadian satellite office near Toronto. Rockbridge Growth Equity, the Detroit-based private equity firm that owns ProSites, provided strategic support in this acquisition. LifeLearn has an amazing product offering along with talented employees that have shown dynamic leadership in the veterinary market, said Dave Rutan, CEO, ProSites. This is a strategic expansion of ProSites overall business plans. The LifeLearn team possesses invaluable knowledge and creative tools and solutions to build customer loyalty and retention, which can be leveraged across all of the ProSites platforms. The acquisition adds a veterinary base to the ProSites family of brands, currently supporting dentists, doctors, CPAs, tax accountants, bookkeepers, and lawyers, and continues to drive to the overarching goal of helping small business owners acquire, grow and retain customers through marketing solutions and customer communication tools. The ProSites platform consists of mobile responsive websites, online appointment booking, comprehensive patient communications, online patient forms, and marketing services like search engine optimization, social media management and paid search management. LifeLearns Practice Solutions bring new, powerful features to the overarching platform to include after-hours support tools, pet health education, and an AI-driven tool assisting in veterinary medical procedures. In addition, LifeLearns Industry Solutions business complements the ProSites product offerings and will allow for continued growth in animal health as well as the expansion of custom communication and educational tools to other business segments. We are excited to be joining forces with ProSites to help the veterinary community grow and thrive by transforming their operations to an interactive and seamless customer experience, said Graham McBride, CEO, LifeLearn Animal Health. The acquisition unites our complementary visions supporting the animal health industry and enhances our ability to deliver value to the combined customer base. The joint companies support over 17,000 small businesses across the U.S. and Canada. Sampford Advisors acted as the exclusive M&A advisor to LifeLearn. About ProSites ProSites delivers innovative website design and digital marketing solutions to small business owners in dental, medical, accounting, veterinary, and legal markets. Their comprehensive suite of solutions includes ready-to-go and custom website design, search engine marketing, social media management, automated customer communications and online customer interaction tools. ProSites is trusted by over 14,000 small businesses and endorsed by 15 associations across the supported markets. About LifeLearn Animal Health LifeLearn provides flexible, affordable, and customizable online software solutions for veterinary practices to save time, improve practice efficiency, and strengthen client relationships. LifeLearns award-winning competencies in digital media, combined with longstanding veterinary content expertise and customer support, are just part of why LifeLearn continues to be a leading and trusted name in the animal health industry. Media Inquiries: Tiffany Isbell Director, Corporate Marketing ProSites press@prosites.com RapidScale, a Cox Business company, wins 2021 Best Places to Work from Triangle Business Journal We always strive to cultivate an open, positive, fun, collaborative and empowering company culture where each team member can develop a successful career. RapidScale, a Cox Business company, is proud to have earned a spot as one of the Triangle Business Journals 2021 Best Places to Work honorees. To view the complete article, visit https://bizj.us/1qb1ev. We always strive to cultivate an open, positive, fun, collaborative, and empowering company culture where each team member can develop a successful career, said Duane Barnes, vice president, and general manager of RapidScale. Investing in our employees is one of our top priorities to maintain a productive work environment as we continue to grow our team in Raleigh. The winners were chosen based on an employee survey process conducted by Quantum Workplace. Once nominated, a company had to meet a threshold in employee participation a percentage that varies based upon the size of the company to be eligible to be honored. Companies receive this award because their organization received high marks in areas such as team effectiveness, trust with co-workers, manager effectiveness, and work engagements. Our 2021 honorees will be featured in the Business Journal's Aug. 27 Best Places to Work special edition, as well as online. About Triangle Business Journal The Triangle Business Journal is a multi-platform media company providing in-depth coverage of local business communities and breaking news reaching more than 491,000 readers each week. Through print, digital products such as its twice-a-day emailed news digests and face-to-face events, the Business Journal offers business leaders many avenues for making connections and gives them a competitive edge locally, regionally, and nationally. Visit us at https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/ to learn more. About RapidScale Flexible enough for the SMB and powerful enough for the enterprise, RapidScale, a Cox Business company, is a global managed cloud services provider helping organizations increase IT productivity, improve security, and empower remote workforces. Some organizations partner with RapidScale to manage portions of their IT, while others offload it all. Through our global network of data centers and our 24/7/365 high-touch support team, we obsess over creating an exceptional IT experience through a human approach to managed cloud. For more information on RapidScale, visit http://www.rapidscale.net. Cox Communications owns Cox Business and is a facilities-based provider of voice, video, and data solutions for commercial customers. More information about Cox Communications, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, is available at http://www.cox.com. About Cox Business The commercial division of Cox Communications, Cox Business provides voice, data, and video services for more than 355,000 small and regional businesses nationwide, including health care providers; K12 and higher education; financial institutions; and federal, state, and local government organizations. The organization also serves most of the top-tier wireless and wireline telecommunications carriers in the U.S. through its wholesale division. For more information, please visit http://www.coxbusiness.com. Media Contact Nikki Salazar nikki.salazar@rapidscale.net Orange County plastic surgeon Dr. Michael A. Jazayeri. More and more people view enhancements as just another way of putting their best face and body forward. A June 5 article on The List reports on reality star Lottie Lions decision to get rhinoplasty (nose contouring surgery) after being the victim of bullying, both at school while she was a student and online after appearing on The Apprentice UK. The article says the former reality contestant suffered from self-confidence issues stemming from her unconventional looks in general. After criticism of her appearance on The Apprentice, she decided to take matters into her own hands. Lion stressed that she made this decision for herself and no one else. Orange County-based board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Michael A. Jazayeri says that ones appearance can very much have an influence over ones self-confidence, and just like Lions story demonstrated, there are ways to take control and improve both through plastic surgery. Dr. Jazayeri says for those with a nose shape that stands out, it is often an unfortunate source of sometimes cruel criticism and embarrassment. The Orange County plastic surgeon says nose surgery, or rhinoplasty, can help provide patients with a look that is more aesthetically pleasing to them as well as improve breathing function for patients who suffer from a deviated septum or other issues. Dr. Jazayeri says that with rhinoplasty, prominent nasal bumps are smoothed out and the resulting shape of the nose may be made more proportional to the patients face. The board-certified plastic surgeon says that individuals who undergo plastic surgery should not feel ashamed about altering their looks. Dr. Jazayeri says that while receiving cosmetic improvements decades ago may have been seen as unusual, these days, more and more people view enhancements as just another way of putting their best face and body forward. He adds that for some individuals, looking their best may involve getting a hair makeover at a salon while others might include plastic surgery. Dr. Jazayeri says that in todays competitive world, especially in Southern California, an individuals looks and self-confidence can have a big influence on both their personal and professional lives. The plastic surgeon notes that when individuals look and feel their best, theyre more likely to leave a positive first impression, whether it is on a date or at a job interview. Readers who may be interested in learning more about Orange County-based board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Jazayeri can call (714) 834-0101 or visit his website at http://www.drjaz.com/. Dr. Jazayeri maintains offices in both Newport Beach and Santa Ana. Regency Palms Oxnard Senior Living I couldnt be more proud of our team and how they feel empowered and pride themselves in creating a welcoming and nurturing environment. Regency Palms Oxnard Senior Living, a luxurious, newly-renovated senior living community in Oxnard, CA, is proud to announce that they have been recognized with Best Place to Work of the Year Award from West Ventura County Business Alliance (WVCBA), Chamber of Commerce serving Oxnard and Camarillo. The Best Place to Work Award is one of only eight categories of distinction as part of WVCBAs 2021 Oxnard Community & Business Awards. We are honored to be recognized for this outstanding designation, said Ken Mahler, Executive Director, Regency Palms Oxnard. I couldnt be more proud of our team and how they feel empowered and pride themselves in creating a welcoming and nurturing environment. WVCBAs 2021 Oxnard Community & Business Awards honorees epitomize the best in Oxnard as nominated by citizens and subsequently chosen by the WVCBA Selection Committee on July 15, 2021. These exclusive awards honors individuals, business and organizations in Oxnard, CA. The Best Place to Work Award reflects a team that is dynamic and creates an exceptional work environment, which Regency Palms Oxnard provides with flying colors. Regency Palms Oxnard Senior Living team members support that they all are thrilled going to work every day in a supportive and enriching environment. The community regularly receives highly positive comments from their staff members like these: "At Regency Palms, you are made to feel appreciated, you are made to feel like you add value to the business. I have been treated with gifts, accolades and praise on a consistent basis. It makes me love what I do even more because the company I do it for cares and appreciates me." "Every employee, including management, continuously shows interest in bettering the level of care provided with training and team building to ensure a great quality of life in a free, fun, loving home environment." "Regency Palms gets to know you as a person and finds ways to show you they care about you based on your own interest or events occurring in your life. It's so refreshing to work for a company where you feel like you're not at work... you're home!" There is no doubt the achievement of this award is based on leadership and team effort in creating a strong culture of teamwork, appreciation, and empowerment. A sincere expression of gratitude and appreciation is warranted to all staff members working tirelessly to help support and achieve the optimal working environment at Regency Palms Oxnard. The Community & Business Awards including the Best Place to Work of the Year will be presented on Thursday, August 12, at 11:30 am at the Courtyard by Marriott in Oxnard. Interested attendees can register on WVCBAs website here. To learn more about Regency Palms Oxnard and employment opportunities, visit regencypalmsoxnard.com or call (805) 342-2001. About Regency Palms Oxnard: Regency Palms Oxnard features best-in-class senior living in delivering compassionate assisted living services and an exceptional, distinctive dementia care program based on a Montessori methodology for seniors with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia to their residents. The community offers a total of 101-suite apartments ranging from cozy studios to luxury one-bedroom suites in a single-story, 34,000 square foot building. Nestled in a quiet residential area, Regency Palms Oxnard is thoughtfully redesigned to include customized room designs with extra storage and vistas of beautifully landscaped outdoor areas. Each of the nine outdoor courtyards have a unique design to enrich outdoor recreation. This amenity-rich building supports the community's focus on active living: daily engaging and social activities, a dining experience with multiple dining options and venues, as well as an exceptional level of care. All spaces of the building have been carefully appointed to accommodate the superior services and luxurious lifestyle residents at Regency Palms Oxnard deserve, at a price within reach. To learn more about Regency Palms Oxnard, visit regencypalmsoxnard.com or call (805) 342-2001. About Meridian Senior Living: Meridian Senior Living, a privately held company based in Bethesda, Maryland, owns and operates seniors housing communities across the country and provides operational consulting to 24 communities in China. With more than 75 communities in 20 states and more in development, Meridian is one of the largest seniors housing operators in the U.S. The company prides itself on providing the highest quality care, exceptional lifestyle programming and a distinctive dining experience for its residents. For more information on Meridian Senior Living, visit meridiansenior.com. ROYBI INC, the leader in creating an artificial intelligence edutainment system for children Pre-K-12, welcomes Simon Shavanson of NuVu Group as its business partner to exponentially grow in retail and establish further partnerships globally. This partnership opens the door to opportunities that can bring millions of revenue for ROYBI and make a significant contribution to the education space. Mr. Shavanson is the founder and CEO at Shavanson Enterprises Corp and its affiliated companies since June 2011. With over 27 years of experience in the CPG and Retail industry, Mr. Shavanson has led the development of a shared services platform that would take brands and products from Concept to Consumer. Mr. Shavanson started his career with his family business, First Quality, back in February of 1994. During his 18 years tenure at the company, he held various roles in global business development, Sales Management & Marketing, where he was an integral part of the culture and growth of the businesses from under $20 million when he joined First Quality to over $3 billion in annual revenue when he decided to venture out in 2012. His passion for people, his industry relationships, and his integrity are core fundamental values to his business acumen. We are thrilled to welcome Simon to ROYBI family. This is just the beginning of an incredible collaboration for many years to come. Simons extensive business experience combined with his passion and creativity for making a difference in childrens lives will help position ROYBI as a household name and one of the top leaders in the education space, said Elnaz Sarraf, Founder and CEO of ROYBI. As hybrid and remote learning grows, ROYBI is on track to expand its product lines to meet the ongoing demand of the market and its customers. Moreover, this partnership will set ROYBI for growth and accelerated success worldwide with plans to expand globally. Mr. Shavanson and team ROYBI are in discussions to further strategize and grow ROYBIs product lines in retail and education spaces, starting in North America and expanding further in other regions. ROYBI is the creator of ROYBI Robot, TIME Magazines Best Inventions in Education. ROYBI Robot is an AI-powered educational robot for children 3+ in language learning & basic STEM. ROYBI guides a childs linguistic development beyond traditional pedagogies, facilitating collaboration between home and school contexts. ROYBIs mission is to provide a personalized learning experience for every child, highlighting their unique abilities and interests. ROYBI creates a robust educational foundation for children during early childhood, putting them on track for a successful future. For partnership inquiries, contact partnership@roybirobot.com PR Contact: Elnaz Sarraf marketing@roybirobot.com +1-415-715-9394 The constant evolution of SEO to reflect the changing tastes and expectations of eCommerce audiences is one of the most thrilling things about SEO! SEOblog.com, a fast-growing website providing the latest SEO news, tips and resources and helping business owners connect with leading digital marketing and SEO agencies, has released its exclusive 2021 ratings naming the best Shopify SEO companies in the United States. SEOblog analysts determined the 15 best Shopify SEO companies based on dozens of key quantitative and qualitative factors. SEOblog industry experts examined each digital marketing agencys website, social media experience, market presence, client list, portfolio, expert certifications and authorship, among other factors in its ranking system. SEOblog has provided an in-depth view of companies in a particular city or focus area on various directory pages to help business owners find the expert help they need to grow. This was a new, free offer added by SEOblog in 2019. The U.S. boasts several top Shopify SEO agencies that contribute to a highly competitive digital marketing landscape. The SEO industry has become uniquely competitive, said Elizeth Shah, CEO of NITRO PLUG Digital Marketing. There are thousands of start-up companies offering competitive pricing, and that keeps us on our toes in terms of providing excellent service for our clients. Jordan Brannon, president and COO of Coalition Technologies, also added: "The constant evolution of SEO to reflect the changing tastes and expectations of eCommerce audiences is one of the most thrilling things about SEO! It makes showing up to work diligently for our many clients a reward unto itself." Greg Benevent, author at Website Depot Inc., also added: "The SEO industry is unique because any company, person, product or service can succeed in it if they work hard, do things the right way and properly learn from their mistakes." SEOblog.com rankings are updated regularly as the market shifts and new players emerge. SEOblog.com has published more than 2,300 agency listings, with more added every day. There is no fee to participate, and the website welcomes all qualified agencies to apply. SEOblog.coms 15 Best Shopify SEO Companies in 2021: Uplers, Coalition Technologies, 1Digital Agency, Comrade Digital Marketing, NITRO PLUG Digital Marketing, Storm Brain, Website Depot, LLT Group, Precision Creative, Mr. & Mrs. Leads, Windmill Strategy, Capitol Tech Solutions, 5280 Design, Blue Shift Web Services and The Guerrilla Agency. Link: https://www.seoblog.com/best-shopify-seo/ About SEOblog.com SEOblog.com is a leading thought leadership site with a rich history of publishing educational and informative articles about SEO and digital marketing topics. In early 2019, SEOblog.com answered the call from buyers of digital marketing services that lacked unbiased, informative online resources and launched a comprehensive directory to highlight the best SEO companies in the United States -- https://www.seoblog.com/best-seo-companies/. SEOblogs mission is to connect businesses with qualified digital marketing agencies while also offering further SEO education, best practices and industry trends. SEOblog.com is a one-stop shop for educational SEO and digital marketing content, research, ratings and reviews for the best agencies in each local market across the United States. The website will be increasing its coverage of U.S. SEO agencies and accepting more guest blog posts in the coming months. Contact SEOblog if youre interested in getting involved. New release Visions Obstructed (published by WestBow Press) from debuting author Serious Lindsey is a book designed to help readers gain the knowledge to unleash the overall perspective through the power of personal experiences. This book is an eye-opener for everyone experiencing life. It explores the uncharted territory of love, challenging ones familiarity or understanding of its definition. It offers positive options of thinking, highlighting the importance of being open to change in order to live their life in peace. I became inspired to write this book by having a shift in my perspective that allowed me to see that no ones journey is the same, the author shares. In this shift, I learned that everyone experiences pain and it will never be the same pain that another experiences so it's better to be open to shifting your perspective then being closed off to only your view. Visions Obstructed is written for every human being that has the openness to come together as one. Visit https://www.westbowpress.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/798376-visions-obstructed to get a copy. Visions Obstructed By Serious Lindsey Hardcover | 5.5 x 8.5in | 108 pages | ISBN 9781664233799 Softcover | 5.5 x 8.5in | 108 pages | ISBN 9781664233782 E-Book | 108 pages | ISBN 9781664233775 Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble About the Author Serious Lindsey was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and moved to Los Angeles, California, in October 2011 to attend school. He was homeless while attending school but remained a 3.92 GPA. He has two dogs named Kurrency and Barbie. Lindsey volunteered for the Special Olympics and for My Friends House Foundation DTLA. He attended The Potter House at One LA under the leadership of Pastor Toure Roberts and Sarah Jakes Roberts. In his spare time, he talks to people that most people ignore the people laying on the sidewalk or standing outside of corner stores. Lindsey writes music which he shares on his platform called Happy Dance by Serious Lee. He also writes great screenplays. Visions Obstructed is his first book. WestBow Press is a strategic supported self-publishing alliance between HarperCollins Christian Publishing and Author Solutions, LLC the world leader in supported self-publishing. Titles published through WestBow Press are evaluated for sales potential and considered for publication through Thomas Nelson and Zondervan. For more information, visit westbowpress.com or call 844-714-3454. Our mission is to educate young people on how to prevent skin cancer now and to protect their future health. Girl Scouts are an ideal partner for us in our efforts to reach out to youth leaders and their families, empowering them to become allies in our fight against this terrible disease. SknVue, Inc. and the Girl Scouts of Orange County will host a sun safety service event focused on saving lives through skin cancer awareness. The program will empower Girl Scouts to be ambassadors in their communities and promote the importance of sun safety for kids of all ages and their families. As part of this July 29 sun safety service event, Girl Scouts will have the opportunity to earn a new Girl Scouts of Orange County Year of Service patch. We are excited to partner with the Girl Scouts to instill the importance of skin health and cancer prevention from a young age, said Randy Wyant, SknVue CEO. One in five Americans has skin cancer by the time they are 70 years old, and much of the skin damage occurs before 18. Our mission is to educate young people on how to take steps to prevent skin cancer now and to protect their future health. Girl Scouts are an ideal partner for us in our efforts to reach out to youth leaders and their families, empowering them to become allies in our fight against this terrible disease. SknVue is a leading non-profit organization promoting global awareness and early detection of skin cancer. Girl Scouts time-honored motto be prepared perfectly aligns with the mission to build awareness of sun safety and skin cancer prevention, said Vikki Shepp, CEO of Girl Scouts of Orange County. We are delighted for the opportunity to share such invaluable information with girls about how to protect themselves, and how to become a voice for sun safety amongst their peers. The Summer Sun Safety Service Event is for Girl Scouts of all ages and includes: Girl Scouts of Orange County Year of Service event patch and July add-on Informative guest speakers: Dr. Anne Marie McNeill, a board-certified dermatologist from Newport Beach, California, and Lainie Strouse, SVP of SknVue, Inc. Inspirational Gold Award Girl Scout to take action Interactive poster/video project Impactful service as we make the world a better place, advocating for life-saving summer skincare! There is a $5 fee for this event. The event accepts Cookie Dough, OC Bucks, and Juliette Dollars! Girls must complete online registration and pay in full. For more information about the SknVue Girl Scouts Summer Sun Safety Event, click here. About Girl Scouts of Orange County We are the Girl Scouts of Orange County. We nearly 13,000 girls and 10,000 adult members and volunteers who believe that every girl can change the world. Girl Scouts began over 100 years ago with one woman, Juliette Gordon Daisy Low, who believed in the power of every girl. Today, we continue her vision of building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place, by helping them discover their inner strength, passions, and talents. With programs in every zip code in Orange County, there are opportunities for every girl to do something amazing. We are the Girl Scouts. To volunteer, reconnect, donate, or join, visit http://www.GirlScoutsOC.org. About SknVue, Inc. SknVue was launched in 2020 by long-time health senior executive Randy Wyant and media and financial executive Dan Mechem. SknVue is a 501(c)(3)-pending nonprofit organization that promotes awareness and supports early detection of skin cancer, sun safety, and providing an actionable plan to improve and manage skin wellness. To learn more, visit sknvue.org and connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Change in Credit Sentiment - Finance Barometer 2021 US respondents remained among the most optimistic, despite having the 2nd largest decrease in sentiment score (-22%) since 2020. The Finance Barometer report series was created to collect, compare, and present worldwide primary credit sentiment data and time trends. The 2021 report will be published on July 27th by Financer.com Limited, revealing several significant findings, as presented below: Key Findings The global average credit sentiment score decreased by 8.9% compared to 2020. Pessimistic voters increased from 38.8% to 45.2%, while optimistic voters shrunk from 40% to 32.2%. US respondents remained among the most optimistic, despite having the 2nd largest decrease in sentiment score (-22%) since 2020. Ukrainian respondents were the most pessimistic group in the study for the second year in the row, with 66% expressing a negative credit sentiment. Sweden had the most significant decrease in credit sentiment (-26.5%) and is now the 3rd most pessimistic country in our study. The most optimistic voters are from Indonesia, Georgia, Bulgaria, Russia, Estonia, the USA, Netherlands, and Germany. The most pessimistic voters are from Hungary, Sweden, Poland, Spain, Slovakia, Latvia, Brazil, and Czechia. Read the 2021 report here: https://financer.com/blog/2021-finance-barometer/ Data Collection Process All primary data has been collected via polls placed in financial product comparison pages, written in national language(s) across the 26 markets/countries Financer.com operates in. The polls have been active from January 1st, 2021, to June 30th, 2021, and June 1st, 2020, to November 30th, 2020. The countries included in the study are the United States (US), Brazil (BR), Mexico (MX), Georgia (GE), Russia (RU), Indonesia (ID), Kazakhstan (KZ), Sweden (SE), Finland (FI), Poland (PL), Spain(ES), Denmark(DK), Estonia (EE), Netherlands (NL), Czech (CZ), Norway (NO), Germany (DE), France (FR), Lithuania (LT), Bulgaria (BG), Hungary (HU), Ukraine (UA), Italy (IT), Romania (RO), Latvia (LV), and Slovakia (SK). The latest study contains 7 interactive charts that compare credit sentiment data for 2020 and 2021. Conclusions In 2021, we observed a statistically significant global -8.9% decrease in credit sentiment scores. The percentage of pessimistic voters increased from 38.8% to 45.2%, while optimistic voters shrunk from 40% to 32.2%. Polarizing votes remained very popular in 2021, with standard deviation remaining at high levels, both indicating a strong opinion division within and across nations. -- You can read the complete Finance Barometer 2021 report here: https://financer.com/blog/2021-finance-barometer/ About Financer.com Limited Financer.com Limited is a leading personal finance site that offers localized financial product comparisons, reviews, reports, and guides across 26 countries. The company partners with more than 2185 financial institutions, serving approximately 1.5 million users monthly. Financer.coms platform helps users to make educated financial decisions based on primary data and comparisons from unbiased sources. Press Contacts George Chrysochou Chief Economist & CMO Financer.com Limited georgechrysochou@financer.com Ruby Willow Global Content Manager Financer.com Limited ruby@financer.com "The investment by these new diverse venture capital firms signals a growing trend in venture-backed start-ups diverse funds supporting diverse-founded companies, especially in the technology sector where there are so few diverse executives." SupplyHive, an innovative provider of Supplier Performance Management Technology, announced today that it closed $2 million in seed funding by securing investors who believe in the power of diversity and inclusion: led by LOUD Capital with co-investors Revolutions Rise of the Rest Seed Fund and Cleveland Avenue-CAST US. Capital from this funding will allow the company to reach the next level of scale and impact by growing our sales and marketing resources and furthering product development and integrations, says SupplyHive CEO and President Lou Sandoval. We can expand our strong list of clients that include some of the FORTUNE 100s most enviable brands. Sandoval added that SupplyHives SPM solution offers much-needed transparency to companies efforts on DEI and ESG by creating pathways to identify ways to help suppliers grow. In doing this, it fosters inclusion that helps large corporations be better partners to diversity and all their suppliers. In the 2020 pandemic year, SupplyHive was able to subscribe to such client companies as Facebook, MARS Global, McDonalds Corporation, Abbott, BOX, Eaton and First Energyall great clients that have taken a leading-edge approach to Supplier Performance Management and Supplier Diversity Development. The investment by these new diverse venture capital firms signals a growing trend in venture-backed start-ups diverse funds supporting diverse-founded companies, especially in the technology sector where there are so few diverse executives, said Sandoval. Our company has humble beginnings and signifies the epitome of the American Dreaminclusion and the opportunity for wealth creation. Recently, the landscape of venture capitalism is expanding to include Black and Brown-founded firms. In a Wall Street Journal June 2021 article which examines the rise of funds seeking diversity among company founders, it cited a 2020 Morgan Stanley survey of venture capitalists that saw 43% said finding opportunities to invest with companies with nonwhite founders was a top priority, up 10 percentage points from the prior year. The article also noted that among new funds being launched in the first quarter of this year, 10.4 percent were debuted by Black-led firms, more than double the rate of 2019, according to research firm Different Funds. The three investors combine a powerful wealth of experience investing in various types of start-up companies. Based in Columbus, Ohio and launched in 2015, LOUD Capital is an early-stage venture firm providing capital, entrepreneurship, and education to grow impactful companies across the globe. "Supplier performance and diversity of your supplier base are critical to the growth of any company, large or small, said Nishad Parmar, chief investment officer and senior partner, LOUD Capital (Chicago). SupplyHive has cracked the code to blend these two using data analytics and technology and bring to light areas of opportunity for companies to balance their supplier network efficiently. We are excited to lead this round as a follow-on investment with various other diverse VC groups and make a global impact." Led by Chairman and CEO Steve Case, a co-founder of America Online (AOL), Revolution is a Washington D.C.-based investment firm founded in 2005 that partners with entrepreneurs to build transformative, category-defining companies. Revolutions Rise of the Rest Seed fund invests catalytic capital in the most promising seed-stage companies outside of Silicon Valley, New York City and Boston. Today, companies large and small are increasingly recognizing that the need to prioritize DEI and ESG initiatives is both the right thing to do and the smart thing to do, said Anna Mason, managing partner of Rise of the Rest Seed Fund. We believe that SupplyHive represents a critical new layer of tech-enabled infrastructure that can help some of the worlds largest companies better measure and manage these initiatives across a sprawling network of suppliers. With SupplyHive, the enterprise can literally put its money where its mouth is on the topic of DEI and ESG. Based in Chicago and founded by former McDonalds President and CEO Don Thompson and his wife Liz Thompson in 2015, Cleveland Avenue is a privately-held venture capital firm that invests in, builds and extends brands across a range of companies, industries and locations. Through its newly created Cleveland Avenue State Treasurer Urban Success Fund (CAST US), the firm will use this initiative to bridge the capital and resource gap impacting Black, Latinx, and women entrepreneurs in Chicagos South and West Side neighborhoods. SupplyHive is an outstanding addition to our growing portfolio of companies founded and led by Black, Latinx and women entrepreneurs, said Andrea Zopp, managing partner, CAST US-Cleveland Avenue. The companys experienced leadership, growth strategy and innovative platform to help businesses manage and scale their diverse suppliers align with our mission and goals. Launched in Chicago in 2018, SupplyHive was the brainchild of Latino founder and entrepreneur Mike Anguiano who wanted to help underserved communities. The company provides Supplier Performance Management (SPM) software designed to help corporations centralize, standardize, scale, and automate the supplier performance process. The company uses the latest innovations of Artificial Intelligence (Al), Machine Learning (ML), and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to analyze the aggregated quantitative and qualitative data. For more information, visit https://supplyhive.com/. About SupplyHive Headquartered in Chicago, SupplyHive is a technology company that provides Supplier Performance Management (SPM) software designed to help corporations improve efficiency by centralizing, standardize, scale, and automate the supplier performance process. SupplyHive uses the latest innovations of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to analyze the aggregated quantitative and qualitative data. Our user-friendly interface helps organizations hold suppliers accountable and deliver enhanced partnerships by measuring KPIs, analyzing trends and identifies disparities, automating action plans, and providing predictive analytics. For more information visit https://www.SupplyHive.com. About LOUD Capital LOUD Capital is an early-stage venture and alternative investment firm providing capital, entrepreneurship, and education to grow impactful companies across the globe. LOUD Capital is based in Columbus, OH, with offices in Chicago, Raleigh, Los Angeles, and Beijing. LOUD Capital strives to provide profit with purpose through its Venture For People mission. Learn more at http://loud.vc. About Revolutions Rise of the Rest Led by Steve Case, Revolutions Rise of the Rest is a national platform focused on spotlighting regional startup hubs with seed-stage investments in early-stage, high-growth companies across the country. The team partners with regional ecosystem leaders and co-investors to build and scale the next wave of transformational companies. The Rise of the Rest Seed Funds are backed by a group of iconic entrepreneurs and business leaders who have committed to our vision that the next great startups will be located outside of the coastal tech hubs. Rise of the Rest is headquartered in Washington, DC and part of Revolutions family of funds including Revolution Growth and Revolution Ventures. Visit us online at http://www.revolution.com/rotr or @RiseOfRest. About Cleveland Avenue, LLC Founded by Don and Liz Thompson, Cleveland Avenue is a privately-held venture capital firm that accelerates and strategically invests in innovative food, beverage, and restaurant concepts and emerging brands. Learn more at clevelandavenue.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. ### It can be a constant battle in the summer to remove algae from a pool. Algae enters the pool from soil, plant debris, and spores. The high temperatures in Florida along with those daily summer storms also help contribute to algae growth. Swim N Fun, Central Floridas premier pool maintenance and pool repair company, announces their newest blog entitled Algae in Central Florida Pools. Bob Wright, owner of Swim N Fun, states, It can be a constant battle in the summer to remove algae from a pool. Algae enters the pool from soil, plant debris, and spores. The high temperatures in Florida along with those daily summer storms also help contribute to algae growth. Other factors that contribute to algae growth include imbalanced pool chemicals, poor water circulation, and a dirty filter. How can algae be eliminated? Check out these tips found in Swim 'N Fun's newest online blog: Vacuum the pool Brush the floor, walls, and steps of the pool Test the pool water and balance the chemicals Shock the pool Clean out the pool filter These tips and more can be found at: https://swimnfun.com/blog/algae-pools Wright adds, Bring in a sample of your pool water and utilize our state-of-the-art water testing system. At Swim N Fun, we offer the latest Spin Disk technology to diagnose pool water issues. Based off the test results, our staff can recommend chemicals and procedures needed to eliminate the algae. Swim N Fun is a full-service pool company that has been providing quality pool services for Central Florida since 1986. This pool store is family owned and operated and prides itself on its customer service. Swim N Fun offers top of the line products, friendly customer service, and reliable swimming pool maintenance packages. Their pool store carries everything needed to keep a pool sparkling clean. Swim N Fun is a one-stop shop for all salt and chlorine pools as well as residential spas. Pool owners can find pool chemicals, chlorine, shock, pool heaters, pool vacuums, nets, brushes, and more. Spa owners can find products to keep their spa water maintained. This store is a preferred dealer for BioGuard. Consumers will find a variety of BioGuard products for proper pool and spa maintenance. Swim N Fun is also an approved seller of The Big Green Egg grill. The Big Green Egg is considered the best ceramic grill for grilling, smoking, and baking. Swim N Fun offers various sizes of The Big Green Egg as well as a variety of grilling accessories, seasonings, sauces and rubs for the grilling enthusiast. Wright states, Swimming, summer, and grilling go hand in hand. Stop by our store at 1315 Tuskawilla Road in Winter Springs and visit our deck for a closer look at The Big Green Egg and our huge selection of grilling accessories! Swim N Fun also offers a wide array of pool accessories including inflatable pool toys, inflatable ride-ons, pool noodles, beach balls, dive toys, masks, goggles, and more. To learn more about Swim N Fun, visit online at https://swimnfun.com/. Their retail store hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 9am until 6pm EST, Saturday from 9am until 5pm EST, and Sunday from 9:30am until 4:30pm EST. For more information call 407-699-1952 or visit online. Most homeowners dont realize that flooring can play a part in keeping their home cooler. There are many different types of flooring options available to meet this need. We invite homeowners to stop by our showroom on Silver Star Boulevard in Orlando, Florida to see the many options. The Flooring Resource presents their newest article that discusses different types of residential flooring options that can keep a home cooler during the hot summer months. Richard Etscorn, owner of The Flooring Resource, states, Most homeowners dont realize that flooring can play a part in keeping their home cooler. There are many different types of flooring options available to meet this need. We invite homeowners to stop by our showroom on Silver Star Boulevard in Orlando, Florida to see the many options. Having a flooring material that can keep your entire home cooler will reduce the amount of heat a home retains and therefore will save money on the power bill. Types of flooring options that can help a home stay cooler include: Porcelain Tile Laminate Flooring Vinyl Flooring Porcelain tiles are water resistant, affordable, and versatile. This type of tile offers many options of colors and patterns. The Flooring Resource is proud to carry Onyx Porcelain Tile by Florim as well as Epic Porcelain Tile by MILEstone, Florim USA. The MILEstone Florim product is an American product that has Italian style. This tile option is made in the USA. Etscorn adds Buying American not only keeps jobs in the United State but also customers wont face long wait times to receive their flooring due to global shortages and delays in overseas shipping. The COVID19 pandemic coupled with the Suez Canal blockage in March 2020 have crippled supply chains causing extremely long delays in receiving just anything outside of the U.S. For these reasons I highly recommend homeowners only consider American made products. A 2nd type of flooring product that can keep a home cooler is laminate flooring. This type of flooring is inexpensive, durable, and easy to clean. Laminate flooring can be used throughout a home and comes in a variety of colors. The Flooring Resource offers a wide range of colors in Parkay laminate flooring. A 3rd type of flooring that keeps a home cooler is vinyl flooring. LifeProof SPS Vinyl Plank by ROKplank is an American made product that The Flooring Resource is proud to offer. Rokplanks LifeProof line of flooring is exceptional for a home where frequent spills can happen, the flooring is subject to pet stains and high foot traffic. Homeowners can also consider waterproof vinyl flooring and vinyl roll flooring as another type of vinyl option to keeping their home cooler. To learn more on the best flooring for keeping a home cooler, visit online at: https://www.theflooringresource.com/post/can-your-floor-play-a-part-in-your-home-s-temperature The Flooring Resource has over 33 years experience in the flooring industry. Etscorn states, We have the best knowledge and experience in the flooring industry. We strive to provide our customers with the best quality flooring at unbeatable prices. We invite homeowners to stop by our showroom and see the many flooring options we have available. In addition to their porcelain tile, laminate and vinyl flooring, the Flooring Resource also carries carpeting, vinyl plank, hardwood, mosaics, art in tile, stairway options, baseboards, molding, and underlayments. Many of their products are American made including the Shaw carpeting line, ROKplank products, and MILEstone Florim products. The Flooring Resource is located at 2480 Silver Star Road in Orlando, FL 32840. To learn more, visit online at https://www.theflooringresource.com/ or call 321-245-7780. Im extremely proud to see The Mount Sinai Hospitals commitment to exceptional patient care and clinical innovation reflected in U.S. News and World Reports Best Hospitals Honor Roll for the sixth year in a row, said Kenneth L. Davis, President and CEO, Mount Sinai Health System. The Mount Sinai Hospitals Department of Geriatrics was ranked No. 1 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for the second consecutive year. The Mount Sinai Hospital was also listed on the Honor Roll of the nations top 20 hospitals for the sixth year in a row. In this years report, The Mount Sinai Hospital saw improvements in six specialties, including significant leaps in Cancer, which rose to No. 32 from No. 49, and Orthopedics, rising to No. 14 from No. 24. The Mount Sinai Hospital specialties ranked among the top 50 nationally this year were Geriatrics, ranked No. 1; Cardiology/Heart Surgery, No. 6; Diabetes/Endocrinology, No. 10; Neurology/Neurosurgery, No. 10; Orthopedics, No. 14; Rehabilitation, No. 14; Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, No. 15; Urology, No. 16; Pulmonology/Lung Surgery, No. 20, and Cancer, No. 32. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai was ranked No. 12 nationally in Ophthalmology. Im extremely proud to see The Mount Sinai Hospitals commitment to exceptional patient care and clinical innovation reflected in U.S. News and World Reports Best Hospitals Honor Roll for the sixth year in a row, said Kenneth L. Davis, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mount Sinai Health System. While the past two years have been especially challenging for hospitals across the globe as we battle the COVID-19 pandemic, our hard-working clinicians, nurses, and support staff have remained deeply dedicated to providing the highest standard of care to our patients, their families and the diverse communities we serve. Our Department of Geriatrics is transforming the way we look at, think about, and experience aging, and we are honored to be recognized as No. 1 in the nation for the second consecutive year, said Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and President for Academic Affairs, Mount Sinai Health System. These rankings reflect our ability to be nimble in a time of great uncertainty, our unwavering dedication to our patients, and our outstanding track record of pushing the boundaries of medicine. Our steadfast commitment to intellectual exchange, multidisciplinary teamwork, and innovation continually drives us forward in scientific discoveries, clinical advances, and patient care, said David L. Reich, MD, President and Chief Operating Officer of The Mount Sinai Hospital and the Horace W. Goldsmith Professor of Anesthesiology at the Icahn School of Medicine. These rankings recognize the superb care provided by our clinical teams that have led to six consecutive years of being named one of the best hospitals in the nationan honor we are grateful for and work hard to achieve. Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai Morningside, Mount Sinai West, and Mount Sinai South Nassau were all ranked regionally. U.S. News & World Report also ranked The Mount Sinai Hospital as High Performing in 13 common conditions and procedures, four more than last year: abnormal aortic aneurysm repair, aortic valve surgery, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, colon cancer surgery, diabetes, heart attack, heart bypass surgery, heart failure, kidney failure, lung cancer surgery, pneumonia, stroke, and transcatheter aortic valve replacement. An overall rating of High Performing indicates a hospital was significantly better than the national average in a given procedure or condition. U.S. News & World Report evaluates more than 4,500 hospitals nationwide in 32 specialties, procedures, and conditions. The Best Hospitals rankings help guide patients who need a high level of care or who have a challenging condition or extra risk because of age or multiple health problems. Criteria such as patient survival and safety data, adequacy of nurse staffing levels, and other measures largely determine the rankings in most specialties. The rankings are produced by U.S. News with RTI International, a leading research organization based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. About the Mount Sinai Health System The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City's largest academic medical system, encompassing eight hospitals, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. Mount Sinai relentlessly advances medicine and health through unrivaled education and translational research and discovery to deliver care that is the safest, highest quality, most accessible and equitable and the best value of any health system in the nation. The Health System includes approximately 7,300 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 415 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, and Long Island; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked in the top 20 in U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" of top U.S. hospitals and top in the nation by specialty: No. 1 in Geriatrics and top 20 in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Neurology/Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology/Lung Surgery, Urology and Rehabilitation. Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital is ranked in U.S. News & World Reports Best Childrens Hospitals among the countrys best in four out of 10 pediatric specialties. The Icahn School of Medicine is one of three medical schools that have earned distinction by multiple indicators: ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Report's "Best Medical Schools", aligned with a U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" Hospital, and is the No. 14 in the nation for National Institutes of Health funding, Newsweeks The Worlds Best Smart Hospitals ranks The Mount Sinai Hospital as No. 1 in New York and top five globally, and Mount Sinai Morningside as top 20 globally. For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Toyota of Lompoc offers a Military Rebate Program to drivers in Lompoc, California The heroic U.S. military personnel who have put their lives on the line at the frontline for protecting our country can never be forgotten. Inspired by the courage and commitment of these brave hearts, Toyota of Lompoc is offering a $500 rebate to eligible U.S. military personnel toward any new Toyota vehicle purchased or leased through their dealership and Toyota Financial Services, dated from July 7, 2021, to August 2, 2021. This Military Rebate Program is also extended towards the household members of eligible U.S. military personnel. The Military Rebate Program offered by Toyota of Lompoc is made available to i) U.S. Military personnel, ii) U.S. military retirees, iii) U.S. military veterans (within 2 years of discharge), and iv) Household members of eligible U.S. military personnel (including Gold Star families). To be eligible for this program, make sure that the following criteria are satisfied: i) Submit verifiable proof of military status or active service at the time of purchase/lease of the select new Toyota Vehicle ii) Provide Leave/Earning statement or Military ID card, iii) Provide DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, iv) Proof of receiving a qualifying salary, and v) Should receive a credit approval by Toyota Financial Services through Toyota of Lompoc. This rebate program is not combinable with the College Graduate Rebate Program, the iFi Program, and the Lease-End Refi Program. The vehicle must be taken out of Toyota of Lompocs available stock (terms, conditions, and restrictions apply). For any further clarifications about this offer, customers are encouraged to visit the showroom of Toyota of Lompoc located at 203 East Ocean Avenue, Lompoc, Calif. 93436. Drivers could also contact the dealership staff at 805-736-1295 for any other information requests. Stated Andreea Gleeson, Co-head and Chief Revenue Officer, TuneCore, Independent artists wear a lot of hats and one of them is creative director. Who better to interpret an artists music into a graphic design than the artist themselves?" Leading independent DIY digital music distributor TuneCore, owned by Paris-based global digital music company Believe, has launched an innovative new service, TuneCore Cover Art, aimed to help independent artists create professional looking artwork for their singles and albums for Free. The TuneCore Cover Art tool was developed in-house by TuneCores Client Success team as a response to artists voicing their challenges with producing polished cover art to accurately represent their music on screen. Independent artists asked the company for a solution, and they delivered. The service offers dozens of images, filters, and fonts and a variety of layouts. Because of the myriad choices, each cover art image can be a totally unique representation of the artists creative vision. Stated Andreea Gleeson, Co-head and Chief Revenue Officer, TuneCore, Independent artists wear a lot of hats and one of them is creative director. Who better to interpret an artists music into a graphic design than the artist themselves? We are thrilled to introduce this innovative, intuitive, and easy to use tool as another free service when artists choose TuneCore as their distributor. Its yet another way that TuneCore gives you more. The cover art creator is the most recent addition to a suite of innovative artist tools created to empower independent artists which also include TuneCore Rewards, a first of its kind, multi-level educational program where artists can unlock rewards and VIP status through career education and TuneCore Certified where artists get digital plaques for streaming milestones beginning from 100 and going all the way to the billions. The launch of TuneCore Cover Art demonstrates TuneCores continued commitment to helping artists grow their careers. About TuneCore TuneCore is the global platform for independent musicians to build audiences and careers with technology and services across distribution, publishing administration and a range of promotional services. TuneCore Music Distribution services help artists, labels and managers sell their music through Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, TikTok, Tencent and more than 150 download and streaming stores worldwide, while retaining 100 percent of their sales revenue and rights for a low annual flat fee. TuneCore Music Publishing Administration assists songwriters by administering their compositions through licensing, registration, worldwide royalty collections, and placement opportunities in film, TV, commercials, video games and more. The TuneCore Artist Services portal offers a suite of tools and services that enable artists to promote their craft, connect with fans, and get their music heard. TuneCore, part of Believe, is headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, with offices in Los Angeles, Nashville, Atlanta, and Austin, and operates globally through local teams based in the UK, Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, India, Japan and Singapore across 4 continents. http://www.tunecore.com About Believe Believe is one of the worlds leading digital music companies. Believes mission is to develop independent artists and labels in the digital world by providing them the solutions they need to grow their audience at each stage of their career and development. Believes passionate team of digital music experts around the world leverages the Groups global technology platform to advise artists and labels, distribute and promote their music. Its 1,270 employees in more than 50 countries aim to support independent artists and labels with a unique digital expertise, respect, fairness, and transparency. Believe offers its various solutions through a portfolio of brands including TuneCore, Nuclear Blast, Naive, Groove Attack and AllPoints. Believe is listed on compartment A of the regulated market of Euronext Paris (Ticker: BLV. PA, ISIN : FR0014003FE9) http://www.believe.com Members of Virtual Vocations' Employer Partner program are headquartered in the U.S. and around the world in countries including Canada, Switzerland, and Australia. The job market is thriving. And our Virtual Vocations Employer Partner members are proof. Virtual Vocations CEO and co-founder Laura Spawn One of the webs leading remote job boards is highlighting employers that are turning dreams of remote work into reality for professionals everywhere. Founded in 2007, Virtual Vocations is a 100% virtual company that has spent the last 14 years connecting jobseekers with legitimate remote job openings from expert-vetted employers. In the second quarter of 2021, more than 250 of these openings came from members of the companys exclusive Employer Partner program, which allows businesses to work directly with the Virtual Vocations team to share current job listings with talented professionals looking for remote work. Released Monday, Virtual Vocations 2021 Q2 Employer Partners Report highlights 15 of those businesses that rose above the pack to share the most new remote openings with jobseekers in April, May, and June of this year. The report also puts the spotlight on more than 30 remote-enabled businesses that were welcomed into the Employer Partner program in Q2. According to Virtual Vocations CEO and co-founder Laura Spawn, the new additions made for a 142.86% increase in new Employer Partners added to the program in the second quarter of 2021 compared to Q1. In addition, throughout April, May, and June, Employer Partner hiring increased by 21.84%, Spawn said. The new report also reveals that of the 251 remote job openings posted to Virtual Vocations massive remote jobs database by its Employer Partners in Q2 of 2021, more than 60% were full-time work from home jobs, and more than half were permanent positions, while just 20% were designated specifically for independent contractors. But the report doesnt just provide good news for jobseekers who want long-term remote work options. For those seeking maximum location independence, more than 99% of the jobs posted by Virtual Vocations Employer Partners in Q2 were 100% remote positions, and more than 1 in 4 came from Employer Partners that operate 100% virtual businesses. The numbers indicate that even after more than a year of unprecedented growth for remote work, there are no signs that the market will be slowing any time soon. With businesses and organizations across the world now in a remote hiring push following a tumultuous 2020, the job market is thriving. And our Virtual Vocations Employer Partner members are proof, said CEO Laura Spawn. Ranked by the number of remote jobs posted in April, May, and June 2021, the following companies were named Virtual Vocations top 10 Employer Partners for Q2: 1. Study.com 2. Appfire 3. Achieve Test Prep 4. Agilent Technologies 5. The Simple Folk 6. EK Health Services, Inc. 7. Working Solutions 8. IMPACT Branding & Design 9. Uscreen 10. Elevate K-12 For more information about these companies and their current job openings, or to learn more about Virtual Vocations Employer Partner program, view the full 2021 Q2 Employer Partners Report: https://www.virtualvocations.com/blog/employer-partners/remote-hiring-push-2021-q2-employer-partners-report/ 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 WebFindYou Launches Enhanced Social Media Manager This new feature furthers WebFindYous mission to greatly simplify digital marketing to help maximize a companys visibility, leads and sales via the power of the Internet, said Robert Blankenship, Founder and CEO of WebFindYou. WebFindYou users have a new reason to celebrate. After recently launching a much-anticipated live chat feature earlier this month, the Unique All-in-One Digital Marketing Technology has just rolled out its newest feature to help keep businesses at the top of their digital marketing game. It now includes an enhanced Social Media Manager, complete with auto-posting, scheduling and conversion tracking capabilities across popular social networks. WebFindYou makes it easier than ever for businesses, agencies, and freelancers to manage their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and more. The technology provides users with all the necessary components set in place to share website content and makes it simple to post and track immediately across all their social networks or schedule posts for later with one click of a button. This differs from many traditional social media management tools, such as Hootsuite, where you oftentimes must import pictures and create the post text by hand and then use Ow.ly or other integrated tracking technologies like Bitly. Furthermore, these tools do not automatically tell you which leads and sales come from which posts without custom programming. In addition, the new WebFindYou feature is equipped with a soon-to-be-announced task management system for team collaboration, which is great for those who still use Microsoft Word documents or Google Docs to develop posts manually. With WebFindYou, teams will save a tremendous amount of time managing social media for themselves or clients, driving operational costs lower, profit margins higher, and helping to ensure optimal brand success. The Social Media Manager feature comes complete with auto-integrated tracking and linking capabilities, which provide users with valuable data insights such as which social media platform and post led to a trackable action and conversion on their website. Trackable actions and/or conversions include a purchase, a phone call, filling out a form, starting a live chat session, adding products to their shopping cart, a newsletter subscription, survey response, when someone writes a review, and more. Raising the bar even further, if a company displays their social media feed on their website with WebFindYou's Link in Bio feature, the social media management feature will automatically update it once a new post goes live, which also acts as an additional option for team collaboration on viewing prior posts in a quick and easy way. This new social media feature comes included, at no additional charge, with the powerful WebFindYou All-in-One Digital Marketing Technology that is revolutionizing the Digital Marketing industry as a whole by making it simpler and more affordable for everyone. The technology is already used in many countries and languages around the world and has been seen on popular news outlets like CBS, NBC, Fox News, Yahoo Finance, and others. "This new feature furthers WebFindYou's mission to greatly simplify digital marketing to help maximize a company's visibility, leads and sales via the power of the Internet," said Robert Blankenship, Founder and CEO of WebFindYou. "Every new feature we add to our technology is to ensure all businesses, freelancers, and agencies, no matter how big or small, are implementing digital marketing the right way to ensure maximum success with minimal coststherefore exploding their Return on Ad Spend and Return on Investment." WebFindYou is a Unique All-in-One Digital Marketing Technology that does not rely on third-party plugins that can slow a website down. It provides all the necessary functionalities and tools to implement True Digital Marketing in a transparent, affordable, and simple way by following the step-by-step guidance provided by the technology with supporting video tutorials. For more information or to purchase WebFindYou, please visit http://www.webfindyou.com or call toll-free 1-866-SEO-WEBS (736-9327) or directly (786) 347-2770. Drivers can get free car insurance quotes online really easy and fast, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. Compare-autoinsurance.org has launched a new blog post that presents the main places where drivers can get free car insurance quotes and compare multiple offers. For more info and free car insurance quotes online, check https://compare-autoinsurance.org/where-to-find-free-car-insurance-quotes/ The internet allows its users to contact multiple insurance websites and get estimates for free. Drivers can obtain these quotes from the following sources: Car insurers own websites. Most car insurance companies own a website that provides quotation services to their clients. Based on the data supplied by the customers, the embedded calculator will estimate their insurance rates. The user will only get price estimates from that company only. To compare multiple rates estimates, he will have to fill multiple quotes at different insurance companies websites. Each quote is personalized. Brokerage websites. These are the best places to complete car insurance quotes. These are specialized sites that work together with car insurance companies. A customer will have to fill only one questionnaire to get offers from multiple insurers. Local or regional insurance companies also appear in offers results. By filing the same data and choosing the same amount coverage, the significant price difference that caused by filing individual quotes from insurers' sites will be greatly reduced. That happens because all insurance companies will have to adhere to a standard set of questions provided by the insurance brokerage site. Local insurance department. Although not as popular as the other sources listed in this list, consulting the local insurance department site has its advantages. Drivers get free access to a list of top insurers and some basic rate surveys. Also, drivers can find out details about each insurer's complaint ratio. If one insurer has a high complaint ratio, it is better to avoid that company. 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. Based in Fairfield, CA, PPS is a highly regarded electrical and specialty services contractor focused on public works, industrial, institutional, renewable energy sectors. In conjunction with the transaction, White Wolf Private Credit Management LLC (White Wolf Private Credit) supported PPSs acquisition of Millennium Electric, Inc., and Orlando, FL, based electrical contractor focused on the commercial, industrial, and multi-family sectors. White Wolf Private Credit provided a senior secured term loan as well as a minority preferred equity co-investment to support the transaction. Details of the financing were not disclosed. By supporting PPS, White Wolf Private Credit is backing industry veteran Wally Budgell who will continue in his role as CEO of PPS. Wally Budgell, CEO of PPS, noted This is an exciting time for Pacific Power & Systems, after several years of successful internal growth we are thrilled to have partnered with White Wolf on what we believe will be the first of many strategic acquisitions. As we move ahead with our acquisition strategy we are confident that the White Wolf team will provide the expertise, wisdom, and support required to be successful. We look forward to working with Judd and the White Wolf team for many years to come. Judd Kohn, Managing Director and Head of Enterprise Lending Solutions at White Wolf Private Credit added We are very excited to partner with Wally and his team at PPS. The strategy Wally has implemented at PPS is impressive, and this partnership will allow PPS to expand into the fast-growing Florida market. We know that PPS seeks growth organically and through acquisitions, and we are ready to support the Company now and in the future. About PPS Pacific Power & Systems, Inc. (PPS) is a highly regarded electrical and specialty services contractor focused for more than three decades on public works, industrial, institutional, renewable energy and lease-leaseback projects in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Clients include all levels of government, school districts, property developers, public and privately held corporations, and small businesses. PPS provides its own in-house design and installation of electrical power (including emergency power infrastructure), copper and fiber cabling, complex fire alarm systems, paging and communication systems, clock systems, security and access control, AV systems, data infrastructure, and the latest in LED lighting. PPS is a direct distributor for many manufacturers of the products it installs. The Companys highly skilled craftsmen are factorytrained and certified by the manufacturers it represents. PPSs Fire Alarm Technicians are NICETCertified (National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies). The PPS management team has been deeply involved in electrical and systems contracting for over 40 years, including experience since 1991 with California Division of State Architect rules and regulations. For further information, please visit: http://www.pacificpowersystem.com. About Millennium Electric Millennium Electric is a Florida Corporation formed in 1998 to compete in the Electrical Construction Market. Millennium is headquartered in the Greater Orlando Area and is considered one of the premier Central Florida Electrical Contractors engaging in all phases of Electrical Construction including: commercial, industrial, residential, and servicing. About White Wolf Capital White Wolf is a private investment firm that began operations in late 2011 and is focused on management buyouts, recapitalizations and investments in leading middle market companies. White Wolf seeks both private equity and private credit investment opportunities in companies that are headquartered in North America with $20 million to $200 million in revenues and up to $20 million in EBITDA (smaller for add-ons). Preferred industries include manufacturing, business services, information technology, security, aerospace and defense. White Wolf Private Credit Investment Criteria Overview: Flexible and creative financing solutions with a focus on underwriting enterprise value and cash flows. Structures: First & Second Lien, Unitranche Structures, Mezzanine, Subordinated Debt, Equity Co-investment. Investment sizes: $5 million - $25 million (larger with financing partners) Minimum revenue and EBITDA: $10 million and $3 million, respectively. Borrower profiles: Independent sponsors or search funds, business owners and management, private equity funds and family offices. Situations: Buyouts / changes of control, acquisition financing, debt refinancings, minority recapitalizations and growth capital. For further information, please visit: http://www.whitewolfcapital.com. Putting an additional dollar in a rich persons pocket has considerably less of an economic multiplier effect than a dollar given to someone who is living on the breadline. The event Why a living wage is key in combating wealth disparity will be held on 10th of August at 12:00 pm UTC, 11:00 am London and 07:00 am New York. It will be broadcast on the website http://www.sustainfinance.org. The discussion will be hosted by ESG and Investor Relations strategist Ilkay Demirdag. It will be about how policy makers have a once-in-a-century opportunity to re-look at the way the world is organized and correct the economic imbalances. The discussion will also include the topic of why a living wage is key in restoring dignity for all. To register for this event please go to: http://sustainfinance.org/event-registration/ At the event, our recent article will be discussed https://www.reutersevents.com/sustainability/we-must-rise-biggest-economic-challenge-our-times-creating-good-jobs-everyone authored by Dr. Nouriel Roubini and Anand Ramachandran, CFA, published at Reuters Sustainable Business where SustainFinance authors Paul Smith CFA and Kubra Koldemir also contributed to the article. Nouriel Roubini is the cofounder and served as the chairman of Roubini Global Economics, an independent, global macroeconomic strategy research firm. The distinguished speakers are from Malaysia: Paul Chan, President at Malaysian Alliance of Corporate Directors and Faroze Nadar, Executive Director at UN Global Compact Network Malaysia. They will share local insights about Malaysian corporations and their supply chains in relation to human rights issues and to labor conditions. Paul Smith, a founder of the SustainFinance initiative and former President of CFA Institute as well as sustainability business writer Kubra Koldemir will speak. Dr. Arguden, who is a leading global governance expert, social entrepreneur, thought leader and author will also join the conversation. Our recent article will be referred to during the annual Asia Pacific Conference Governance 4.0 of Malaysian Alliance of Corporate Directors coming up on August 17th. Please register here: https://cds2021.macd.org.my/. Similar governance topics will also be discussed at this conference. The concept of a living wage, or a desirable level of pay, is not new. The philosopher Plato considered the idea when writing about the dignity of work more than 2,000 years ago. The Universal Declaration on Human Rights adopted by the United Nations makes the case for fair wages and social protection in Article 23. Traditionally this had been dealt with through minimum wage legislation, but because of the growth of the gig-economy and the collapse of collective bargaining, tools like the minimum wage are proving to be inadequate. Living wages would radically increase global discretionary income, which would drive economic growth. Putting an additional dollar in a rich persons pocket has considerably less of an economic multiplier effect than a dollar given to someone who is living on the breadline. According to Paul Chan, President at Malaysian Alliance of Corporate Directors boards increasingly need to oversee governance risks and work to ensure fair profit distribution to everyone in the ecosystem. Paying a living wage across an organisation is an ESG issue and an SDG Ambition Benchmark identified by the United Nations, says Faroze Nadar, executive director at UN Global Compact Network Malaysia. Named a PW Flying Start in 2016, Jeff Zentner has since written three more acclaimed novels, the most recent of which is In the Wild Light. His new novel follows best friends Cash and Delaney, who, after making a notable scientific discovery, are awarded full scholarships to a Connecticut boarding school far from their Tennessee hometown. Zentner spoke with PW about his mission to combat toxic masculinity through writing, the need for a more nuanced depiction of Appalachian people, and how his own journey to becoming a poet informed Cashs story. Your novels are set in Appalachia and often explore the main characters connections to the place theyve grown up and, in some cases, their wish to escape those places. But the characters at this heart of this story depart somewhat from that narrative. What called you to write this story and from this perspective? This story is sort of a spiritual sequel to The Serpent King, in that I wanted to follow some of the ideas in that book but to different conclusions. So, instead of two characters going their separate ways, there are two characters who stay and go to school together. I wondered, what if two charactersCash and Delaneygo out into the world and discover that they may end up back there again. Many of the characters in this book challenge expectations and stereotypes, like many of the male-identifying characters actively rejecting toxic masculinity. Can you speak about these characterization choices and their importance? The fight against toxic masculinity is something I took on subconsciously when I started writing books, but by the time I started writing In the Wild Light, I had accepted that this is a question Im actively trying to contend with through my writing. Its my ministry, if you will, to young men, particularly southern young men, because it is such a destructive force on an interpersonal and societal level. I feel I had an opportunity and obligation to write young male characters who reject that model of masculinity and instead approach masculinity with tenderness and love. Family, both biological and chosen, is central to all your novels. How do you approach portraying strong, tender familial relationships? I write my aspirational family in each of my books. In The Serpent King, I wrote my aspirational father figure in the form of Dr. Blankenship, and In the Wild Light I wrote my aspirational grandparents, teacher, and therapist. Its as simple as trying to write the best manifestation of something that I can imagine. The found-family relationships in my books are modeled after those Ive developed in my own life, that relationships that have sustained me and been a comfort during difficult times. A major focus in the book is characters grappling with where they come from and challenging what the world says they can be or achieve because of their socioeconomic statuses and backgrounds. Why did you feel it was important to explore these themes? Another of my missions is to explore social class [in young adult literature]. Its an issue in American society and increasingly determinative of what you can do in your life and what opportunities will be available to you. Im continually amazed by the fact that America is the richest country on Earth, yet we have people going into debt to pay medical bills next to billionaires shooting themselves into space. Its mind-boggling! I lived in Brazil when I was younger and saw first-hand what happens when wealth is extremely concentrated in a tiny percentage of the population, with 99% of the people in poverty. Ironically, Brazils middle class is now growing while the U.S.s is shrinking, but I feel like America is growing toward the Brazil I experienced. I wrote this into the book, somewhat, with the Brazilian character of Viviani. I grew up in a middle-class home where my mom stayed home while my dad worked. He didnt make an exorbitant salary, but it was enough to own a home, a couple cars, and to go on modest vacations and live debt-free. The ability to live that way today is disappearing. Its one of the reasons that, every time one of the teens in my books needs medical treatment, I always try to drop a little explanation of how they access that medical treatment. Its something I didnt understand until I was older, but teens need to know that not everyone in the United States has access to medical care. You cant go to the doctor the way you would call the fire department if your house was on fire or like you can attend a public school; our medical system is private and designed to make a profit. Though much of this novel is set at an elite Connecticut prep school, Cash and Delaneys Appalachian hometown is a character unto itself. What do you hope readers both from and outside of the region take from your fictional rending? That Appalachian people are not the stereotypes on the television screen: in-bred, hillbilly yokels wearing overalls with no shirts and spitting in tobacco jugs. I feel a lot of peoples experiences with Appalachia comes from the book Hillbilly Elegy. I havent read it, but many people who have take exception with the conclusions Vance draws in his narrative, which discounts the larger systemic issues that have contributed to poverty in Appalachia, choosing instead to pin it all on individuals and their poor choices. I hope readers understand that Appalachia is a beautiful place and a region filled with people who are proud and intelligent and have agency and, sometimes, have made choices to be and stay where they are. I was a state prosecutor in Tennessee for almost a decade before writing In the Wild Light, so also wanted to show the effects of the opioid epidemic on the region. I saw firsthand what devastation the opioid industry wrought in Appalachia, with big pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson making and aggressively marketing drugs to influence their use and dependence. At what point did you know that poetryand Cashs poemswould play a central role in the story? Were they written before, during, or after the prose? Each one of my books is kind of a referendum on whatever I love and am obsessed with at any given time. I try to pack it all in one book and see what sticks! While writing In the Wild Light, I was becoming very interested in poetry, which is, to me, the final frontier of writing. I wrote songs with original lyrics for many years, which is kind of like poetry, but I was hiding behind the performance of the music and my guitar. Its not the same as just putting your words on the page to sing for themselves. And I was writing novels, but, again, thats not distilled down to the absolute essence of feeling and idea like poetry. I was on a journey to understand and write poetry. Id also always wanted to write a boarding school story, since I loved the movie Dead Poets Society as a kid, with it having a profound influence on my world view. I thought, what if I made this journey towards becoming and calling myself a poet part of In the Wild Light? I wrote Cashs poems as I was writing the prose because I wanted the poetry to reflect his life. The one thing I kind of reverse-engineered was the phrase in the wild light, which came to me very early in the process as a single phrase. I knew I wanted it as a book title; I had to work it into the text to justify it as a title! I was tentative while writing the poems, writing in such a way that my editor could just delete them out of the story if they didnt work for her. She didnt delete any, so I guess it worked out okay! But it was a funny experience because I was teaching myself how to write poetry through the character of Dr. Adkins, writing my own instruction in poetry into her dialogue and interactions with Cash and then, through Cash, enacting the lessons that I had taught myself through Dr. Adkins. Cashs relationship with poetry is fostered by Dr. Adkins, a professor and poet from Appalachia. Are there poets in your life who encouraged your connection to poetry? Im friends with the incredible poet Ocean Vuong, who encouraged me in such a gentle and intelligent way. Dr. Adkins is also heavily based on my friend Brittany Cavallaro, who writes the Charlotte Holmes series, but is also an incredibly accomplished poet who teaches poetry. Ive had the opportunity to see her teach a class and she is so brilliant, doing it with such compassion and empathy. She was one of my first readers of my poems. The combination of Ocean and Brittany treating me like a poet inspired me to create a character like Adkins who meets a kid who normally wouldnt fit the stereotype of a poet, sees the ability in him, and fosters it. Speaking of your own poetry, what are the chances we will see a book of poetry or even a novel in verse from you someday? Theres a good chance youll see both! I am working on a verse novel now, but I cant say too much yet. And Ive challenged myself to challenge a book of poetry, too. When I wrote those poems through Cashs voice, I still hadnt arrived where I wanted to be as a poet; I was still hedging by letting Cashs name be on the poems; I was holding back. The next step is to write poetry under my own name. Does your work as a musician impact your approach to storytelling? Is music part of your writing process? Music is a part of my process in that music of a certain tone and mood can put me in a place where I am more receptive to receiving inspiration. Ill go for a long walk and listen to someone like Julien Baker or some beautiful instrumental music. Im a big fan of post-rock bands like Slow Meadow and Beach House. What music really taught me is that its okay for me to love all kinds of music, but that theres a kind of music that I make and that I need to make to tell the stories I need to tell. That there is a certain tone and atmosphere to the music I create. I apply this to writing, too. Whats next for you, other than the poetry projects you mentioned? In September, a month after In the Wild Light releases, I have a short story coming out in the anthology Battle of the Bands. Its about a three-girl light and sound crew, very much in the comedic vein of Rayne and Delilahs Midnite Matinee. In the Wild Light by Jeff Zentner. Crown, $17.99 Aug. 10 ISBN 978-1-5247-2024-7 Published on: 27 July 2021 The partnership will help to establish new programmes of study and events around areas of shared importance. These include international education, public policy studies and policy implementation, sustainability, health, business development, innovation, languages, arts and sciences. The partnership will also provide scholarships for students from Pakistan to study at Queen Mary. Other activities may include joint teaching and research opportunities, as well as mobility for staff, research fellows and students. Professor Colin Grant, Vice Principal International, Queen Mary University of London, said: We are hugely excited to be working with eminent Rotarian Mr. Pervez Haroon Madraswala, President of the Rotary Club of Karachi. I have no doubt that together we will help create better futures through education and research. It is a source of great pride that everyone who sets foot on our campuses gains the chance to shape the world of tomorrow. I look forward to welcoming even more students and partners from Pakistan to benefit from this experience. Todays agreement between our two organisations marks the first step in our journey towards widening opportunities and engaging global communities together. Pervez Haroon Madraswala, President of the Rotary Club of Karachi said: The Rotary International places a world of importance on education working to give communities vital access to the educational skills they need to live their lives to the fullest. But we know that no one organisation can achieve these goals alone. We are delighted to come to these agreements today with Queen Mary, to display our shared visions, and to make tremendous strides for education across Pakistan. Mr. Aziz Memon, Trustee of the Rotary Foundation, thanked philanthropist, entrepreneur and Rotarian Nayan Patel for his role in building a partnership with Queen Mary University of London and looks forward to further strengthening it. Central to this work will be Queen Marys Global Policy Institute (QMGPI), which uses the Universitys research and ensures its place in policy around the world so that impactful, real-world change can take place. Through partnerships, knowledge sharing, training, and project launches to name but a few methods QMGPI works to transform policy and workings across every continent for the betterment of society. The agreement announced today bolsters Queen Marys longstanding commitment to Pakistan. It was among the first UK universities to establish personnel in Pakistan, creating an in-country post in 2005. It is also the number one recruiter from Pakistan in the prestigious Russell Group, with more than 1,300 Pakistani students having studied at Queen Mary. The Rotary Foundation strives to address some of the most critical humanitarian needs, which includes supporting education, promoting peace, fighting disease, providing clean water, saving mothers and children, growing local economies, protecting the environment, and ending polio. Queen Mary has long been committed to engaging internationally, from education to research, partnerships and stakeholder work, to impact areas around the world. Its agreements with the Rotary Club of Karachi will help ensure marked improvements in these areas of shared interest. Queen Marys work within Pakistan sits alongside other major partnership initiatives in South Asia to help address some of the biggest challenges facing the region today, including partnership to promote gender equality, public health, and the environment. Published: 2 July 2021 Sarah Wolff received the authors of these books, Stefanie Walter (University of Zurich), Stella Ladi (Centre for European Research, Queen Mary University of London) and Catherine Moury (Nova University, Lisbon) on 1st June to exchange about EU policies during the Eurozone crisis. Matthias Matthijs (John Hopkins University) and Paul Copeland (Centre for European Research) contributed to the discussion. This blog summarises the main content of the book launch. Firstly, methodological approaches and results of both academic works are summarised. In a third part, I report on the final discussion of the conference, which focused on four points, mainly on the future of bailout policies. The first book, co-authored by Stefanie Walter, The Politics of Bad Options, OUP, 2020, offers to understand why the Eurozone crisis was so hard to resolve. To this end, the authors compare and examine the full range of policy options that were available to policymakers at the time of the crisis. The book thus allows to study both the decisions taken and those not taken and helps to understand the specific choices made by some EU member states. More specifically, the authors identify three bad options at the disposal of EU policy-makers when they face an economic crisis: internal adjustment, external adjustment, and financing. Each of these solutions corresponds to a distinctive vulnerability profile, whether deficit-debtor or surplus-creditor. Nonetheless, the most innovative research result of this book is what Stephanie Walter and her co-authors call the paradox of these politics of bad options: as bad as the options were, they did not lead to an exit from the eurozone by any member country and these bad options appear therefore probably as the best ones. The second book, co-authored by Stella Ladi and Catherine Moury, Capitalising on Constraint, MUP, 2021, focuses on the consequences of bailouts and Memorandums of Understanding (MoU, which allows for special cooperation in the event of a major crisis in a euro area country). It offers a more empirical and quantitative analysis of five countries in crisis - Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain - to establish a counter-intuitive argument: contrary to what is commonly thought, bailout countries had some form of leeway in the implementation of their national policies. In some cases, bailout countries were even able to capitalise on these constraint policies, as illustrated by the easier implementation of new policies, such as a Pension reform in Greece, after the bailout policies. In the configuration in which bailout/MoU policies worked well, the parties in power were able to retain the votes and to gain in electoral credit while the opposition remained thinly spread. The discussion then led by Matthias Matthijs and Paul Copeland focused particularly on the internal impacts and on the future of these bailout policies, with four main questions. Firstly, the debate focused on the future political consequences of the Eurozone crisis in terms of political parties and voters. The Eurozone crisis seems to have undermined the confidence countries have in the EU. As a consequence, the EU must prove its capabilities even more today. Secondly, experts discussed the impact that bailout policies might have in the future on the distribution of votes across the left-right axis. According to Stella Ladi, the Eurozone crisis, and the context of the 2010s has greatly changed the left-right division, especially in the crisis countries. Nevertheless, the initial polarisation has not completely disappeared, in some cases it has only been reframed around new actors for example. Traditional political parties have resisted because they sent political messages about learning from the mistakes of the past. In that sense and in line with what is described in their book, Stella Ladi and Catherine Moury used the example of Portugal to show that the left-wing party in power during the crisis was re-elected following a successful bailout policy. This shows, they argue, that success in the face of the recent crisis is always a useful campaigning showcase. Thirdly, the discussants raised the question of whether the Covid-19 pandemic is comparable to theEurozone crisis. According to Stephanie Walter, the two crises are very distinct. The major difference is that the consequences of the Eurozone crisis were in the end quite clear and known, which is not at all the case for the Covid-19 pandemic. There is now a great veil of ignorance about the future of Covid-19 economic policies, in respect to how and in what way it will affect the Eurozone countries. Finally, the discussion was extended to European governance in general. Stephanie Walter explained that the Eurozone crisis revealed a weakness in the EU's decision-making schemes as almost no crisis resolution mechanisms were in place when the crisis broke out. The intergovernmental approach was in fact favoured, which on the other hand allowed more room for manoeuvre at national level. To conclude, this lecture has created dialogues between two innovative researches on the Eurozone crisis. This rich discussion has raised many questions on the future of bailout policies and their repercussions, particularly on the political life of countries previously in crisis. Watch the full video to learn more Photo credits : Cover page of both Books @LisaScheid on Twitter I explore how our lives are shaped by our relationship to the land, water and air. Have a question you want me to answer? Email me. Will Brudereck, 15, a 10th-grade student at Wilson High School, wears a mask in Robin Timpson's honors chemistry class. The desks in the classroom are doubled to provide extra spacing. At Wilson High School in West Lawn, PA Thursday afternoon October 22, 2020 where the school has been taking precautions for students doing in person school to prevent the spread of COVID-19. As demand for oil continues to grow, gasoline prices are climbing across the country. Yet, the Biden Administration has asked OPEC not domestic producers and USA energy workers for help to supply the U.S. with more oil. Enticing countries with lower environmental standards is actually detrimental to the Administrations stated policy goal of combating global climate change by reducing fossil fuel usage. It is clear that we need to be concerned with rising gas prices. America has experienced six recessions from 1973 to 2019, all of which were preceded by a spike in energy prices. According to the American Automobile Association, the average price of gasoline has increased 40% just this year, from $2.25 a gallon on Jan. 1 to $3.70 as of July 19. At more than a 50-cent increase per gallon of gasoline, the American people are now paying over $71 billion more per year, or $195 million more per day. Coupled with a 5% increase in electricity prices across the U.S. in the past year, the American people are now paying more for their energy. Keep in mind the most negatively impacted among us from rising energy costs are those in poverty and senior citizens living on fixed incomes. While we search to expand alternative energy sources to help energize our future, we do not need to count on foreign sources to fuel our energy transition. A balanced approach to fix rising energy prices should be directed inward rather than relying on countries which do not share values with the U.S. Competitive USA offshore leasing needs to continue without delay to allow for a balanced energy transition for the U.S., one which provides for the environment, energy, and the economy. This leasing program has been in place since 1953. Previously implemented consecutively by 12 USA presidents: 5 democrats and 7 republicans, they all recognized the bipartisan value of affordable energy and American jobs. The facts clearly show U.S. offshore oil and gas is a viable source of energy at lower emissions. Recent research regarding carbon emissions reveals that U.S. Gulf of Mexico production has approximately half the carbon intensity per barrel of other producing regions worldwide. When it comes to flared or vented methane, the U.S. offshore industry has consistently been one of the best performing provinces in the world with a ratio of less than 1.25% of flared or vented to produced gas. Furthermore, according to a 2020 Wood Mackenzie report at least 73.4% of the oil imported to the U.S. had a higher carbon intensity than Gulf of Mexico production. This data bolsters conclusions in a 2016 Bureau of Ocean Energy Management report, produced under the Obama-Biden Administration, that found emissions would increase without new Gulf lease sales because foreign-produced oil would take its place, and the production and transport of that foreign oil would emit more greenhouse gases. Put simply, oil and gas produced from the U.S. Gulf of Mexico is better for the environment than oil and gas produced almost anywhere in the world. USA energy workers are asking, how can it be smart public policy to ask foreign countries to increase production of a commodity while the current USA policy seeks to curtail that same USA production, USA production that is often recognized as climate advantaged? USA energy workers nor most Americans fail to see any logic in increasing foreign production rather than focusing on American jobs and American energy security. USA energy workers, with a long and distinguished history of energizing America, are asking why our countrys policy is to punish innocent American workers in favor of foreign workers. While we embrace an energy transition, getting energy from the climate advantaged province of the Gulf of Mexico will help improve the health of the planet, create American jobs, many of them union jobs in the offshore energy supply chain, and simultaneously lower gasoline prices for American families. This policy of killing American jobs while asking foreign countries to energize our economy is incoherent, inconsistent, incompetent and most of all insulting to the USA energy worker. This current policy of asking foreign producers to increase production while cancelling long standing competitive lease sales for offshore American energy doesnt solve global warming but rather creates USA harming. Furthermore, foreign production does nothing to generate revenue to fund the Great American Outdoors Act to improve our national parks or to fund the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act to restore coastal Louisiana or to fund the widely successful Land and Water Conservation Fund. The men and women of our country who wear steel-toed boots and hard hats have helped each generation of Americans overcome many challenges. They are ready to help us achieve a balanced energy transition without crashing our economy. Lets bet on the American worker. They remain undefeated. All they need is common-sense public policy. Lets unleash the American spirit to replace these imported barrels, improve the health of our planet, create American jobs, fund infrastructure with the increased government revenue, and lower energy cost for Americans. Let us once again host competitive offshore lease sales, build better, improve the health of the planet, lower gasoline prices for our American families and recognize that USA Energy Workers Matter by focusing on the workers of Abbeville rather than Algeria; Lafayette, Larose, Lake Arthur, and Lubbock rather than Libya; Carencro, Cameron, Crowley, Cutoff, and Corpus Christi rather than the Congo; Vinton rather than Venezuela, and Kaplan rather than Kuwait. Additionally, the USA Energy Workers of Houston, Beaumont, Port Arthur, Lake Charles, Delcambre, New Iberia, Morgan City, Houma, the coastal parishes and coastal ports of Louisiana, and Pascagoula and Mobile are ready, willing, and able to help America increase climate-advantaged production and lower fuel cost for American families. Lets give them a chance to put all hands on DECK rather than favoring OPEC. Scott A. Angelle, the longest serving Director of the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, also held positions in Louisiana as Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of LA Department of Natural Resources, Chairman of Louisiana Public Service Commission and Chairman of Louisiana Water Resources Commission. The first midterms for US presidents usually don't go well. Other than a handful of exceptions, the party of the person in the White House does poorly. In years such as 1994, Republicans took control of Congress during the Bill Clinton administration. In other cases, such as in 2002 or 2018, losing one chamber has been sufficient to change the political dynamic in Washington. As former President Barack Obama commented in 2010, when Republicans took control of the House following the fallout from the Affordable Care Act, he took a "shellacking." The Democratic National Committee this week launched a digital ad campaign in Florida highlighting President Bidens actions to support Cubans rising up against that nations repressive government. The president has been incredibly clear: the Cuban people are crying out for freedom, and the United States will continue to stand with them and hold Cuban officials accountable for their abuse of human rights, DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison said in a statement Monday. But outside the White House on Sunday and Monday, thousands of protesters waving Cuban flags and signs emblazoned with S.O.S. Cuba were sending the opposite message. The administration is missing in action, they argued, and needs to do far more to ramp up pressure on the communist regime. Where is Biden? the crowd chanted many times throughout the Lafayette Park protests, often led by Alexander Otaola, a popular YouTube host and activist in Floridas exile Cuban community. Florida GOP Sen. Rick Scott, as well as the Miami areas three Cuban American GOP House members, took part Monday, often echoing the crowds dissatisfaction. @POTUS: Listen to the Cuban-American community and its legitimately ELECTED representatives, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, the longest serving Cuban American House member, tweeted afterward. The oppressed Cuban people demand freedom. Stand up next to them! The administrations response to the largest uprising in the island nations 62 years of communist rule is creating international confusion about how U.S. allies should respond, activists tell RealClearPolitics. The calls on Biden for more action came just hours after Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a coalition of 20 countries united in their support for the Cuban people. Those countries issued a joint statement, calling on the regime in Havana to respect Cubans demands for universal human rights. The United States was joined by Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Guatemala, Greece, Honduras, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, South Korea and Ukraine. Since protesters took to the streets in Cuba two weeks ago, chanting freedom and calling on President Miguel Diaz-Canel to step down, hundreds of them have been beaten or arrested and at least one has died, according to human rights activists. But there has been no crack in the Cuban governments authoritarian response, and support for the Cuban people from the U.S.-led coalition isnt likely to produce a change in the regimes tactics. The coalition, critics complain, lacks the most influential countries in the region. The Cuban people appreciate the support of responsible and freedom-loving nations. Noticeably absent [are] the Communist Partys main economic enablers in the Americas and Europe, particularly Mexico, Canada and Spain, said Jason Poblete, president of the Global Liberty Alliance (an international human rights organization) and the son of Cuban immigrants. The show of international support follows a new round of Biden administration sanctions targeting specific members of the communist government responsible for ordering the violent crackdown. The administration argues its doing all it can without sparking a broader international conflagration. Four days after the protests began, Biden surprised many in his party by publicly denouncing Cuba, calling it a failed state and communism in general a failed system. But the administrations slow actions the sanctions came nearly a week and a half after the protests began have many human rights activists and the all-Republican Cuban American delegation in Congress increasingly worried that a pivotal opportunity will soon be lost. On Monday, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, along with a group of 18 other GOP lawmakers, signed a letter to Biden requesting a meeting to discuss next steps. The lawmakers, including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, urged the president to work with Congress to bring an end to the oppressive communist regime in Havana and liberate the Cuban people. Now is the time to act, they urged, expressing concern that this window for change on the island is being squandered by indecision, bureaucracy and a failure to lead. Rubio has urged Biden to back up his calls for the Cuban government to allow the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, or IACHR, to investigate human rights violations in Cuba since the crackdown. (The IACHR is an arm of the Organization of American States, a regional forum for policy and decision-making in the Western Hemisphere.) Rubio would also like to see the administration push Cuba to allow access to the International Committee of the Red Cross to deliver humanitarian aid and for the U.S. to convene an emergency meeting of OAS standing council. More broadly, Rubio and several other Cuban American lawmakers have urged Biden to act swiftly to provide consistent and reliable Internet to the Cuban people after the government shut it down in the first days of the protests. Access has reportedly been restored, though it remains spotty in places. The White House can do two things: rally the international community and turn on the Wi-Fi, Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, a Florida Republican, told the crowd protesting outside the White House on Monday. But restoring consistent Internet access on the island is proving far more difficult than flipping a switch, according to numerous sources familiar with the process. Its also complicated by a previous failed U.S. attempt to furtively expand telecommunications when Alan Gross, a U.S. government contractor, was arrested in Cuba in 2009. He was prosecuted in Havana for trying to bring in military-grade communications equipment designed to evade government detection. President Obama secured his release in late 2014 in exchange for three Cuban spies being held in the U.S. Despite the obvious hurdles, Biden has said he wants to work with Congress to review whether the United States can help Cubans regain Internet access as Rubio and others have escalated their calls for immediate action. A State Department spokesperson reiterated that pledge to RCP. The entire United States government supports unrestricted access to the global open, interoperable, reliable and secure Internet and condemns actions by the Cuban government to restrict and limit access to the Internet and all forms of telecommunications, the spokesperson said. We call on Cubas leaders to reinstate all Internet and telecommunications services. The administration is working closely with the U.S. Congress and key stakeholders to identify viable options to make the online accessible more available to the Cuban people. But over the last two weeks, Rubio has repeatedly argued for what he views as simpler solutions. There are two ways to help the people of Cuba get around the regimes [I]nternet blockade, the two-term senator tweeted Thursday. We can immediately fund access to a proven VPN provider. Long term we can provide satellite/cell service from balloons and other methods. @POTUS we should do both ASAP. Sen. Bob Menendez, another prominent Cuban American and the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, has since poked holes in Rubios balloon proposal. Im all for creating Internet access in Cuba in a way that will work, that the regime will have the hardest time jamming, he told the website LatinoRebels.com. If you have balloons, it has an omnidirectional signal. I know the balloon is there. I know the signal comes down. I block it. Rubio and other GOP lawmakers have pointed to Project Loon, an experiment by Alphabet Inc., Googles parent company, to provide Internet access to remote areas around the world via balloons. It was discontinued in January. Rubio has cited such an approachs use in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, when Puerto Rico was able to gain Internet access through the balloon technology. But Alphabet had U.S. permission to fly its balloons in Puerto Rican airspace back then; now it lacks any such permission from the government in Havana. Nonetheless, Rubios goal remains to make sure the Cuban people can log on the Internet. That might be through satellite. It might be another way, he said. Im not a technologist. Were working on it. Several human rights organizations say the impasse over Internet access demonstrates why the U.S. should be investing far more in technologies to aid dissident communities living under numerous repressive regimes, including in China and Iran. Cuba is a perfect example of where a small investment by the U.S. government in Internet freedom could open up an entire society, Katrina Lantos Swett told RCP. Lantos Swett is the president of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice and a former chair of the Commission on International Religious Freedom. She is also the daughter of the late-Rep. Tom Lantos, a long-serving Democrat from California and the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to the House. Internet freedom is truly the next frontier of human rights, and Cubas relatively small footprint and population would make any investment there a game changer, she added. It would also send an important signal to other authoritarian regimes around the world that continue to control their countrys Internet access that change is coming. This president has a habit of repeating himself, but he might wish he hadnt done so in one recent instance. Sometimes the repetition is accidental. Other times it is deliberate, a sort of mental strategy to steal a few moments when speaking off the cuff to plan ahead before the next sentence reaches his lips. In May, however, the repetition was emphatic, and it was joyous. If youve been fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask, Joe Biden said as he clutched a velvet mask in his fist and repeated the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control. Let me repeat: If you are fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask. Since that medically endorsed pronouncement, masks have been disappearing almost in direct proportion to vaccination rates. But now, even as almost 70% of American adults have been inoculated, mask mandates might be coming back. White House officials are debating behind the scenes whether to encourage Americans, even those who are vaccinated, to re-mask. But the one thing White House officials wont do? Make the decision themselves they are busy trying to preemptively wash their hands of it. When RealClearPolitics asked on Friday if a masking mandate was on the horizon, spokeswoman Jen Psaki answered definitively, though at the same time noncommitally: Were always going to follow the guidance of our health and medical experts. On Monday, the White House press secretary said the same, this time calling the CDC our north star. But the role of the White House, she explained, is almost entirely passive: The CDC looks at data, they look at data across the country in a range of regions across the country, with the White House following its lead. If they make an assessment, she said, we will, of course, be here to follow their guidance. For now, discussions are ongoing and not necessarily promising. Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday told CNN that were going in the wrong direction in terms of infections, adding that the increasing number of COVID cases has left him very frustrated. He confirmed that a return to mask guidance, recommendations not seen since the darker days of the pandemic, is under active consideration. Fauci is part of those deliberations, of course, but what role does Biden play? Well, the president receives regular updates from his COVID team, Psaki said, but discussions are primarily between the health and medical experts about how we should proceed. That a return to masks is even being considered is a direct result of the delta variant of the coronavirus burning its way through the country. It is now the dominant variant worldwide, and it accounts for the majority of new COVID cases among the unvaccinated. Experts say that vaccines remains highly effective against it. Indeed, a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was 88% effective at preventing symptomatic disease from the delta variant. Two shots of AstraZeneca vaccine were 67% effective. Biden was aligned with those findings when he said at a CNN town-hall event last week that the vaccines would mitigate the more serious dangers of the virus. You are not going to be hospitalized, he said of anyone who was vaccinated but still tested positive for COVID. You are not going to be in the IC unit, and you are not going to die. Some local health officials have opted to return to required masking indoors despite that fact. Fauci praised Los Angeles County for reissuing such a mandate amid a sharp rise in cases. He clarified that CDC guidance did not yet recommend masking for vaccinated individuals, but praised health officials in the trenches. The local officials have the discretion, and the CDC agrees with that ability and discretion capability to say, You know, you're in a situation where we're having a lot of dynamics of infection. Even if you are vaccinated, you should wear a mask, Fauci said. As federal officials continue to deliberate about recommendations, the final decision remains with the states. If the CDC were to update its guidance and the White House blessed it, the change would face an uphill battle in many states. Republican governors such as Ron DeSantis of Florida have pledged to choose freedom over Faucism. In light of these dynamics, good luck getting people, especially vaccinated people, to put their mask back on, says Russ Vought, a former Trump Cabinet member and current president of the conservative Center for Renewing America. The American people have moved on from mask mandates and lockdown policies, and the Biden administration and state governors would do well to reject them, he told RCP. People are getting back to normal and taking precautions, and they have lost faith with the federal health bureaucrats who came up with these flawed approaches. All the same, if the CDC officially recommends a return to masking, it wont be at the direction of Biden. Medical and health experts, not the president, will decide. On that point, the White House is emphatic. Drag Race Holland is showcasing the new drag queens who will be competing on Season 2 of the reality series. ADVERTISEMENT The 10 contestants, who were showcased in a new trailer on Tuesday, range in age from 22 to 45. Ivy-Elyse, 35, who is one of the few Asian queens in the Dutch drag scene; Juicy Kutoure, 24, who is described as an all-rounder; Keta Minaj, 39, who has a conceptual style; Love Masisi, 39, who hails from Haiti; and My Little Puny, 39, who is a new queen, make up the roster. Also competing are Reggy B, 25, who is inspired by modern pop culture; Tabitha, 45, known for her direct humor; The Countess, 22, who wants to perform a piano concert in drag; Vanessa van Cartier, 41, who is the only Italian queen this year; and Vivaldi, 22, who is described as a hair queen. Drag Race Holland Season 2 will premiere Aug. 6 on WOW Presents Plus in the U.S., which is day-and-date with its local airing on Videoland in the Netherlands. Dutch television presenter and stylist Fred van Leer is returning as host. The series is a spinoff of RuPaul's Drag Race set in the Netherlands. Envy Peru was crowned the winner of Season 1 in November. 98, of Williamsburg, went peacefully into the arms of Jesus on Wednesday, June 23, 2021. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, August 5, with visitation one hour prior at Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home in Traverse City. Visit www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com. Athens, GA (30605) Today Rain showers early with scattered thunderstorms arriving for the afternoon. High 81F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Cloudy skies after midnight. Low 67F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Athens, GA (30605) Today Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. High near 80F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies. Scattered thunderstorms this evening. Low 66F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Weather Alert ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM EDT THIS MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING... The Flash Flood Watch continues for * A portion of eastern North Carolina, including the following areas, Beaufort, Coastal Onslow, Duplin, East Carteret, Greene, Hatteras Island, Inland Onslow, Jones, Lenoir, Mainland Dare, Mainland Hyde, Martin, Northern Craven, Northern Outer Banks, Ocracoke Island, Pamlico, Pitt, Southern Craven, Tyrrell, Washington and West Carteret. * From 8 AM EDT this morning through Thursday evening. * A stalled front will remain near or over Eastern North Carolina for the majority of the upcoming week. At the same time a series of disturbances will move along this front and will bring periods of heavy rain to the area. Rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches are expected inland, with 6 to 10 inches along the coast. Isolated higher totals are possible. The heaviest rain is expected along the coast. The soil in our area is already saturated in many locations, with some areas receiving 3 to 5 inches of rain over the past two days. * Heavy rain over the area has the potential to produce flash flooding and flooding of low lying areas and inundation resulting in impacted travel. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... You should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to take action should Flash Flood Warnings be issued. Motorists should not attempt to drive around barricades or drive cars through flooded areas. && A strong rainstorm on Thursday evening leaves first responders to deal with the aftermath of flooding and other issues across Windham County throughout the night and into Friday. Brattleboro, VT (05301) Today A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 79F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Cloudy skies. Low 54F. Winds light and variable. U.S. Deputy Marshals escort 6-year-old Ruby Bridges from William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, La., in Nov. 1960. The first grader was the only black child enrolled in the school. To the editor: I was sad to learn the other night that the Retreat Farm is doing its best to push evening yoga out of their programs. Upon arriving with my mat in hand, a staff member informed me that yoga would no longer be held on the beautiful flat lawn in the upper courtyard between the barns, but would rather be on the sloping front lawn, right by Route 30 and next to a food truck. Apparently, the staff decided that the 12 or so yogis with their bare feet and mats doing dancer poses and downward dogs once a week was more than the flat lawn could take, which is curious, because the upper lawn hosts large venues of people and has served our yoga class well since the instructor lost her studio space due to COVID-19. I have never seen any damage caused by the yogis or disrespect toward the farm in any way and wondered why the farm sent a letter to the instructor saying that the class was not respectful and therefore was no longer welcome. It seems like the proper recipients of such a letter should have been the geese, who make regular and copious deposits on the lawn. A time and place for yoga BRATTLEBORO Bakasana. It's one of Kristin Cassidy's favorite yoga poses her hands planted on the floor, with her shins resting upon her upper arms and her feet lifted up in order Nevertheless, good optics for the Retreat Farm (the Reformer has published great photo stories of the class), and a regular monthly rent check for the use of the space is coming to an end. The instructor is looking for a new outdoor venue who would welcome yogis to their leaves of grass. Doug Friant South Londonderry, July 22 Beckley, WV (25801) Today Showers this morning then scattered thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. High 73F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Low 58F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. Beckley, WV (25801) Today Showers this morning then scattered thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. High 72F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Low 58F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. Beckley, WV (25801) Today Rain showers early with scattered thunderstorms arriving for the afternoon. High 72F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Low 58F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) The U.S. Air Force has spent years trying to keep a jet fuel leak from reaching Albuquerque's drinking water supply and now says it has enough information to outline its work, paving the way to wrapping up the cleanup efforts. Officials from Kirtland Air Force Base say they will spend the next several months to a year writing a report that they will submit to the New Mexico Environment Department. Once the state reviews and approves it, the base can make recommendations for a final cleanup. I do understand how long it looks to everyone else, Kathryn Lynnes, who is overseeing the cleanup for the Air Force, said Monday. We went after the thing that had the potential to get into the city wells and we grabbed it, and we're working on the rest." The Air Force has spent $125 million cleaning up soil and water around the base that borders Albuquerque. The fuel leak believed to have been seeping into the ground for decades was detected in 1999 and attributed to a supply line break. The Air Force's assertion that there's no risk to communities nearby hasn't eased everyone's concerns. A group of lawmakers, residents and nonprofit organizations asked a federal judge last year to enforce deadlines for the cleanup. The judge dismissed the complaint in March, saying the court didn't have jurisdiction over the matter. And even if it did, he would defer to state regulators overseeing the Air Force's actions. The Environment Department has been working with the Air Force base on the final phase of the investigation. While significant progress has been made, there is still work to be done, said Maddy Hayden, a spokeswoman for the state Environment Department. This step, she said, is a very important milestone for this project. A plume of jet fuel that contained an additive known as ethylene dibromide, or EDB, once extended several miles north of the boundary of the base beneath nearby neighborhoods, Hayden said. The Air Force installed a pump-and-treat system in 2015 that helped pull the plume back and kept drinking water wells from becoming contaminated, she said. The effects on people haven't been well documented, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says animal studies indicate that chronic exposure may result in toxic effects to the liver, kidneys and reproductive organs. Lynnes said the equivalent of 775,000 gallons (2,933 cubic meters) of fuel has been removed from the water over the years, along with 5,000 tons (18,927 liters) of contaminated soil. The state has up to nine months to review the report submitted by the Air Force. Once it's approved, the military will start crafting recommendations on final cleanup plans, which again are subject to public comment and approval from the state. Lynnes said the fix won't be instantaneous and that the Air Force will continue monitoring more than 170 groundwater wells and some 270 soil vapor points. This is a super high priority for the Air Force," she said. I'm really confident we're not going to have any funding issues. ALBANY Twenty-one people have been shot in the city in the last 30 days. A man was treated at the emergency room of Albany Medical Center Hospital late Sunday and two other men received hospital care Monday after being wounded in separate shootings. They are the latest victims in a relentless streak of gun activity in the city. The burst of violence has the Albany County Sheriffs office reconsidering its approach to policing in the city and led Mayor Kathy Sheehan to declare a state of emergency in order to take swift action against what the city calls a problematic Lark Street Bar. A 25-year-old man was the victim of the most recent shooting. He arrived at Albany Medical Center hospital 11:50 p.m. Monday and later told police he'd been shot at Second Avenue and Raymo Street. He was expected to survive. It was at least the second shooting in the city on Monday. A 16-year-old was wounded in a 2 a.m. shooting at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Quail Street. The victim spoke to police after he arrived at Albany Medical Center. Police described his injuries as non-life threatening. Five hours earlier, police were investigating reports of gunshots in the area around Clinton and Lexington avenues when hospital officials called to report a man was being treated for a gunshot wound. The 32-year-old was shot in both arms, but the injuries are not life-threatening, police said. The shootings are a continuation of a wave of gun violence in the city over the past month. Twenty-one people people have been shot since June 27, including the citys latest fatalities, one man from a shooting on Friday and the other from a shooting on Saturday. The city says reports of shots fired are up 22 percent over the last four weeks compared to the same period last year. The increase in violence bears some similarity to a rash of shootings that left six dead in May alone. Sheriff Craig Apple, who agreed to deploy sheriff deputies to the city over the summer to help bolster the city police departments depleted ranks, said he was trying to re-configure his patrols in response to the recent violence, calling it a setback. The city police department is down dozens of officers. Apple said he also was short deputies and hasn't been able to deploy the number of patrols that he wants. Apple added that the deputies would become more aggressive with some quality of life issues. Were going start going after all the illegal dirtbikes and ATVs, he said. Albany is not the only city seeing a spike in gun violence. Police departments across the state and country are reporting an increase in gun violence and homicides. Earlier this month, Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared gun violence a public health emergency in the state. The emergency declaration frees up funds and give Cuomo increased latitude to direct money and initiate solutions to combat gun violence. Last week, the state announced that Albany, Troy and Schenectady would split just over $1.9 million in anti-gun violence funding to support job placement and training. Meanwhile, the city has been told to expect increased State Police and FBI resources to help stem shootings, as well as state funding for violence intervention groups like SNUG, according to Public Safety Committee chair Councilman Kelly Kimbrough. The city's 10th and 11th homicides of 2021 came amid Fridays state of emergency declaration by Sheehan, an action that resulted in the shutdown of Lark Street bar Cafe Hollywood. Sheehan and Police Chief Eric Hawkins said in a statement that the business appeared to have a connection to the first shooting, which took place Friday morning. The city said police have been called to the business 20 times in the past three months. The bar's owner, however, vehemently disagreed with that characterization and has threatened to sue the city. On Monday, a police spokesman wouldnt say what evidence the department had tying Fridays shooting to Cafe Hollywood, citing the ongoing investigation. He also did not explain what type of incidents officers had responded to at the bar in the past. David Galin, spokesman for Sheehan, said on Monday that the emergency declaration was aimed solely at allowing the city to take quick action toward declaring Cafe Hollywood a public nuisance, rather than a broad declaration against gun violence in the city. But Galin did not rule out further actions. "As the mayor has said, she's going to do everything she can to combat gun violence and this is another tool to do that," he said. Sheehan's move drew support from some Lark Street businesses, including Jason Pierce, owner of Savoy Taproom. In a lengthy Facebook post, Pierce said the closure didn't come as a surprise to him. "The simple fact is that management has exhibited an ongoing pattern of general disregard for the safety of their staff, patrons and the neighborhood for some time now," he wrote. The state of emergency will expire on Tuesday unless Sheehan signs another order. It allowed the city to suspend a section of city code, eliminating the need for a notice and a public hearing to close a business declared to be a public safety nuisance. The nuisance abatement power has rarely been used. The citys system assigns points for various violations of city code or illegal acts that happen in and around a business. If a business builds up enough points, the police chief can declare it a public nuisance and move to shut it down. The last business in the city to have a similar situation was Delaware Grocery at 36 Judson Ave. The store had multiple shootings and homicides happen near it in 2019 when city officials moved to have it brought before the Board of Zoning Appeals in an attempt to shut it down for a year. Galin said that recent incidents at and around Cafe Hollywood, which included a man being slashed with a machete in June during a fight, presented a much stronger case for it to be declared a public nuisance through emergency declaration that the case against Delaware Grocery. That stores owner and the city are close to finalizing an agreement to resolve its outstanding issues. Police believe the most recent incident at Cafe Hollywood led up to the fatal shooting of Lamon Lanier, 34. Lanier was shot in the head sometime before 1 a.m. Friday around Willett Street and Hudson Avenue, police said. He had been taken to Albany Med, where he died Saturday morning. Another man was fatally shot Saturday as well. At about 4:45 a.m. Saturday, police responded to the area of Third and Oak streets for reports of shots fired. Police said they found 30-year-old Rashad Nicholson in the street with gunshot wounds to his torso. He was treated at the scene by emergency medical personnel and taken to Albany Med, where he later died. A 30-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the abdomen, and a 32-year-old woman with a gunshot wound to her leg, were also wounded in that shooting. Their injuries are not life-threatening. Gov. Ned Lamont has tapped Dr. Manisha Juthani, an infectious diseases physician at the Yale School of Medicine, to lead the state Department of Public Health. Juthani will assume the role Sept 20, taking over for Dr. Deidre Gifford, whose led the department on an interim basis through much of the coronavirus pandemic following Lamonts firing of Commissioner Renee Coleman-Mitchell last May. Gifford will continue to serve as commissioner of the Department of Social Services and will take on a new role as senior advisor to the governor for health and human services. She is known as one of Lamonts most trusted advisors and was a frequent face at his virtual COVID briefings. Juthani specializes in the diagnosis, management, and prevention of infections among older adults, including infection control in nursing homes, where large numbers of residents died in Connecticut and across the country. Shes been a full-time faculty member at Yale's medical school since 2006 and became the director of the infectious disease fellowship program in 2012. Her nomination was announced by the governor at an afternoon press conference at the state Capitol. Juthani was among a group of doctors who wrote to Lamont last fall urging him to shut down indoor dining, close gyms and limit social gatherings as the state faced a second wave of the coronavirus. She also appeared at one of the governors COVID briefings last year, sharing stories of some her patients who were hospitalized due to the coronavirus. The state still faces a lot of tough decisions, with infections and hospitalizations on the rise again, Lamont said, adding theres nobody better to have at the table than Juthani, Gifford and Josh Geballe, the states chief operating officer. Asked whether he would consult with Juthani before her Sept. 20 start date, the governor, who is expected to release safety guidance to schools in the coming weeks, said shes still on my speed dial. In addition to being involved in the states response to the pandemic, now in its 16 month, Juthani said she looks forward to working on increasing access to health care and addressing disparities in care. We dont know what public health challenges lie ahead for us but please know that as a doctor and public health advocate, I will be there to fight for health care as a human right and will be ready to take on any public health challenge that faces us, Juthani said. If confirmed, Juthani, born in Manhattan, the daughter of two Indian doctors who immigrated to the U.S. in 1970, will be the first Indian American commissioner in Connecticut. It gives me great pride to showcase the multicultural state that we are and to showcase the path that any immigrant can take coming to this state to achieve the American dream, she said Juthani was selected after a nationwide search that included more than 100 candidates. Dozens were interviewed and the Lamont administration narrowed the group down to five finalists. Juthani will reportedly make $210,000 annually. julia.bergman@hearstmediact.com GREENBELT, Md. (AP) A man has been arrested and charged in federal court with sending emails that threatened to harm and kill Dr. Anthony Fauci, National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins, and their families, federal prosecutors in Maryland announced Tuesday. A criminal complaint filed Monday charges Thomas Patrick Connally Jr., 56, with threats against a federal official and interstate communication containing a threat to harm. Beginning in December and up to last week, Connally used a Switzerland-based encrypted email service to send a series of emails to Collins and Fauci, according to an affidavit filed with the complaint. Fauci is President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of NIH in Bethesda, Maryland. He was appointed to his post in 1984, but his visibility has increased amid the coronavirus pandemic. He has been a vocal supporter of vaccines and other preventive measures against COVID-19 and has been lauded for his leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS. One email threatened that Fauci and his family would be dragged into the street, beaten to death, and set on fire. On April 24, Collins received four emails from the encrypted address associated with Connally and 30 minutes later, Fauci received a string of seven threatening emails just minutes apart, according to the affidavit. One of those emails threatened that Fauci would be hunted, captured, tortured and killed." The complaint was unsealed Tuesday after Connallys arrest. He was arrested in West Virginia, U.S. Attorneys Office spokeswoman Marcia Murphy said. Its unclear where he lives. Connally is scheduled for an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt on Wednesday. Online court records do not list an attorney for him. We will never tolerate violent threats against public officials," Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan Lenzner said in a news release. "Our public health officials deserve our thanks and appreciation for their tireless work, and we will not hesitate to bring charges against those individuals who seek to use fear to silence these public servants. If convicted, Connally faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for threats against a federal official, and a maximum of five years in federal prison for interstate communication containing a threat to harm. HARTFORD -The Connecticut State Department of Education and End Hunger Connecticut!s Summer Meals Site Locator Map is now updated with more than 400 locations serving free summer meals around the state, according to a statement. Children and teens 18 and under can receive free meals all summer long, no questions asked. The map, which allows residents to find a site closest to them, is operated in partnership with EHC! and the CSDE. As of July 1, Connecticut has a record number of summer meal program sites in operation this summer to meet the needs of Connecticut families, officials said. Meals are now available at a total of 764 sites, which is 56 more than the previous high in 2016. When schools are closed, millions of children in low-income households across the country lose access to the school meals provided through the National School Lunch Program, according to the statement. Summer Meals Programs help fill this gap by providing free meals and snacks to children who might otherwise go hungry. These programs are funded by the United States Department of Agriculture and administered by state agencies. This year, through federal waivers, many sites will continue to have added flexibilities to improve access to meals, including: allowing parents and guardians to pick up meals; offering multiple meals (breakfast and lunch, or meals for multiple days) during one pick-up; and allowing those meals to be consumed off-site. Connecticut is fortunate to have incredible summer meal program operators and partners offering a record number of summer meals sites to help ensure children are receiving continued access to healthy and nutritious meals; so they are able to continue learning every day, everywhere, said Acting Commissioner of Education Charlene Russell-Tucker. The CT Summer Meals program provides children under the age of 18 access to free, nutritious complete meals featuring fruits, veggies, proteins, whole grains, and dairy at more than 400 open locations statewide, said Bryan P. Hurlburt, Commissioner of Agriculture. Help your local community fight food insecurity by sharing the mobile friendly locator map far and wide. Hunger doesnt take a summer vacation, and especially not this year, said Robin Lamott Sparks, EHC! Executive Director. This summer, its more important than ever to make sure our families know locations where they can obtain healthy, free food for their children. According to the national Food Research & Action Center, food insecurity has increased due to COVID-19. It is estimated that 6.8 million additional children across the country will experience food insecurity as a result of COVID-19, bringing the total number of food-insecure children to 18 million (1 in 4 children). During the summer of 2019, nearly 2.8 million children participated in Summer Nutrition Programs on an average day in July 2019. Connecticut was ranked sixth for strongest participation in the ratio of Summer Breakfasts to Summer Lunches served, according to FRACs 2019 Summer Nutrition Status Report. FRACs report for summer 2020 will be released later this summer. Increased investments in Summer Nutrition Programs, combined with the implementation of best practices, such as intensive outreach, site recruitment, and reducing barriers to participation, will help eliminate the nutrition and summer learning opportunity gaps millions of children face. Families can find locations by visiting www.ctsummermeals.org, texting CTMeals to 877-877, or calling 211. 3 1 of 3 Contributed photo Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Contributed photo Show More Show Less 3 of 3 WASHINGTON Join the Gunn Historical Museum and weaver Ellen Goldman at the Washington Town Party at the Spring Hill Arts Gathering at 292 Bee Brook Road from 1-4 p.m. Aug. 8. Admission is free. In the spirit of preserving the regions history, the Gunn Historical Museum in Washington is presenting Ellen Goldman, an enthusiastic weaver who enjoys sharing her love of weaving with others, an announcement said. WINSTED Whats a POCD, and why should anyone care about it? Planning and Zoning Commission members are trying to figure that out, ahead of a public hearing to approve the updated document. The Plan of Conservation and Development is updated every 10 years, and is used by towns and cities to monitor growth, update and amend zoning regulations, find funding for improvement projects, and provide an overall snapshot of the municipality and its assets. It inventories the town, reviews its regulations and makes changes as needed. Not everyone may know what it does or how it helps their home town unless they are directly affected by it such as a need to change zoning on their property or business. The Planning and Zoning Commission recently finished making some changes to it, and have scheduled an Aug. 23 public hearing to discuss it with residents. In Winsteds POCD, the commission set goals for itself, which are part of the update process, including promoting Smart Growth principles, maintaining long-term financial viability, providing a range of housing, and supporting open space preservation, protecting state assets and encouraging residents to further those goals in their own land management practices. In developing the 2011 POCD, the commission took a natural resources inventory in 2009, and conducted a corridor study, a watershed protection study and a traffic study. PZC Chairman George Closson said the commission has spent many months reviewing each area of the plan during the last year, to determine if changes were needed. Its pretty close to what we did a little more than 10 years ago, but there have been some changes, said Closson. The Board of Selectmen has all the information and the draft ... Mayor Candy Perez is sending it for discussion at the boards next meeting in August. Selectmen likely will be asked to approve the draft in advance of the public hearing. That approval is advisory, Closson said. Changes to some zoning regulations are included in the latest iteration. Closson recently asked the commission for input on what type of presentation they wanted to give to the public at that hearing. Its up to the commission to get people energized about it, he said. The POCD is something we all ought to be thinking about; I think weve spent a tremendous amount of time on it. Its a pretty solid document, and we need to get the word out. Thats the most important thing. Closson pointed out that funding for road repairs, renovating old buildings into usable office or retail spaces in Winsteds old mill buildings, upgrades for safety and traffic and upgrading roadways, often supported by grants or other state or federal funding, are a result of the POCD. It helps us get grants it helps the town, he said. We can look at how we compare with other towns and what theyre doing. Weve got a small city, and weve taken advantage of supporting it with this document, the chairman said. To prepare their presentation for Aug. 23, Closson and several other commission members walked Main Street Tuesday morning and photographed buildings and streets downtown. The commission also is attending the Northwest Hills Council of Governments Fifth Thursday event, which gives members of boards and commissions a forum to discuss changes in land use, zoning and state regulations. This week the Fifth Thursday forums are likely to include a discussion on land use regulations involving the state, and the recently-passed law that makes marijuana legal in Connecticut. All of those things come together in importance, in this planning document, Closson said. Even so, he admitted, its pretty dry stuff. Were trying to make it interesting, to show how we use it and why we spend so much time on it, he said. Residents can find the updated POCD online at www.townofwinchester.org. LEHIGHTON Virgil Cardamone couldnt sleep July 13. He obsessed over how to relay the message that everything he and his friends had built over the last six years on a grassy lot in Carbon County was in jeopardy. The next morning, it dawned on him: He would, as he put it, tear his heart open in a smartphone video broadcast over social media, pleading with hundreds of the regulars at the Mahoning Drive-In to help save the institution. In the six-minute video, Cardamone laid out the scenario: A green-energy company out of Connecticut had paid to option the land the theater sat on for a solar-panel farm. The local zoning board was going to vote in a few weeks and the 38-year-old was rallying fans of 80s classics, forgotten B-movies and films everywhere to plead with Greenskies Clean Energy LLC to change its mind. The drive-in will never die, Cardamone said in his sign-off, flicking tears out of his eyes with his thumb. Mark my words. Two days and hundreds of emails, Facebook posts and phone calls later, he posted a second video announcing, almost in disbelief, that the grassroots campaign had been successful. Greenskies had agreed to pull its plan, and the theaters landlord had expressed a willingness to sell the 4-acre property to Cardamone and his business partners. To have the whole entire culture rise up and let them know how much it means to them, for me, I feel this business is invincible, even with all the madness going on, Cardamone said in a recent interview. This place is an escape for people, and its a celebration of a simpler time. As the Hatboro native put it, this ending isnt normal. Its closer to the plot of the movies that Cardamone and his partners project onto the Mahonings 109-foot-wide screen. But its a reality. The latest chapter in the saga of a 72-year-old drive-in theater in the Pocono Mountains, an anachronistic landmark that has been repeatedly saved from obsolesce by a group of film buffs. Still, Cardamone is quick to point out that Greenskies is not the villain of this story. For them to step back and realize what this place meant to so many people took courage, he said. They saved this place, and they saved my lifes work. Film favorites In 2015, Cardamone and Matthew McClanahan worked with longtime theater operator Jeff Mattox to save the struggling business by switching from first-run blockbusters to retro film favorites and niche genre movies, all played on original, 35 mm film reels. The results were immediate: Whereas cars were once sparse in the lot, fans from as far away as Canada began making regular treks to Lehighton, a town living in the shadow of tourism darling Jim Thorpe. Themed movie events Camp Blood for Friday the 13th and its ilk and a Hanks-giving Weekend celebrating Tom Hanks and Turkey Day, to name a few have drawn crowds, often dressed in costume, who camp out under the glow of the screen. One couple even booked the drive-in as their wedding venue in September 2016. Greenskies vice president of policy and new markets, Jeffrey Hintzke, admitted he wasnt aware of that history earlier this year when he contacted property owner Joe Farruggio about optioning the land. His mind quickly changed when the company became bombarded with messages from Mahoning fans after Cardamones video was posted online. Pretty simply, the passion of the local as well as the broader film community sort of made us realize that this would be an uphill fight, if not an impossible one, Hintzke said. It certainly was not worth the fight and animosity it would develop in the local community. His communication with Farruggio, he said, gave him the impression that the drive-in was not long to be in business. When the inverse turned out to be true, the company unanimously made the decision to stand down. Broadly speaking, we like to be good corporate citizens, Hintzke said. And we dont like to do things that dont make sense. Landowners lament Farruggio, however, feels the company was unfairly forced into that situation. Greenskies was bullied, he said, into making a decision that cost them money, and jeopardized his own retirement. They created this media circus, got all their website friends to go and absolutely bombard Greenskies with negative comments and threats, Farruggio said. And the company had no option but to withdraw the application. Farruggio, 73, owns a small empire of theaters three other drive-ins besides the Mahoning, as well as The Gap Theater, a single-screen movie house in Wind Gap, Northampton County. He had hoped the deal with Greenskies would help secure a comfortable retirement for himself, and a sound investment for his family after years of struggling. He says he lets the Mahoning operate on his land for less than what he pays in property taxes. After this recent back and forth, he confirmed that he is willing to negotiate the sale of the land with Cardamone. So long as, he says, its under the proper terms. I dont want to say I wont sell to them. Im 73, and Ill need to do something soon, Farruggio said. Sales are an option, but not under these circumstances. I wont be a seller under duress. Drive-in defenders But the people who implored Greenskies to save the theater say its value transcends any amount of money. For Corey Reilly, the thought of visiting the drive-in was all that kept him going after undergoing hip surgery. And when he was finally able to make that six-hour drive from his home in a suburb of Cleveland, Reilly knew the wait had been worth it. Its like seeing a bunch of old friends youve never met before, Reilly said. Everyone is so courteous, and the layout is just nostalgia personified. So, naturally, he was part of the letter-writing campaign to Greenskies. He hoped the companys leaders could understand just a fraction of the love he had for the place. Movies, they reflect part of our culture, they reflect the history they were made in, he said. And having a place like this that keeps film alive, keeps part of decades of art alive, is amazing. But the drive-ins army of defenders werent all out-of-towners. Carla Bowman, a life-long Lehighton resident, was upset and was fully prepared to march to the township zoning board meeting to protest the Greenskies plan. Cardamone and his partners had won Bowman over in February when the local middle school canceled the annual 8th grade celebration because of COVID-19. Distraught that the tradition wouldnt go on, Bowman looked for alternative locations for the event to be held safely. The Mahoning delivered, offering its field to house bounce castles and games, and capping the night with what else a movie screening. This was a family event, and this is what its all about, she said. Saving this place is more than just watching movies. It was coming together as a common interest. MAHANOY CITY A revised list of school bus routes that eliminates some stops was approved by the Mahanoy Area school board at its Thursday meeting. The bus schedules are subject to tweaking as the routes are further examined, and that includes having drivers run the routes to test times. Business Administrator John J. Hurst said there are some stop changes that will probably be questioned by parents. As we have been saying, we were short three drivers through the school year, and now well have a fourth, and tonight well have a CDL driver resigning, Hurst told the board. The administration team sat down and went over some stop eliminations, and the router took that data and came up with some routes to absorb without the four drivers who are no longer with us. Hurst said the adjustment was done so that the starting times for junior-senior high students and elementary students would remain the same. Board President Steve Gnall said without adjusting, elementary students would have to start at 9 a.m. and the high school at 7:30 a.m. That will mean that elementary wont get out until 4:30, and after-school programs wont be done until 7:30 (p.m.), and it will push everything back, he said. I want to make sure that this is put out now. The ultimate intent, said Hurst, is to fill those positions and get back to where we are, but unfortunately were not at that position now. We are not the only district dealing with this. We are doing the best we can, Director of Transportation Renay Backes added. Students attending a Schuylkill Technology School campus, Gillingham Charter School or Nativity BVM High School in Pottsville will ride their neighborhood bus to Mahanoy Area High School in the morning and transfer to Bus 6 for the trip to the other school. Students attending Marian Catholic High School or St. Jerome Regional School will do the same and transfer to Bus 1. The stops that are listed on the website are only for stop locations and the times are subject to change, Hurst said. Parents should watch for an actual letter via U.S. mail for the times for pickup. The times on the stops are estimated times until we actually do what they call a dry run. For special education students, parents should watch their mail for their students transportation letter. To view the bus stops lists, go to www.mabears.net, click on Mahanoy Area Bus Stops for the 2021-2022 School Year link in the News and Announcements section, and download the PDF lists. In other business, the board approved: County repository sales: 533 and 535 W. South St. to Melvin Osorio at $400 and $500, respectively; 137 W. Maple St. to Andres Rodriquez and Yekeiry Peralta at $1,270. Sale of a surplus desktop computer to district Technology Director Paul Babinsky, $150. Purchase of a cyber-liability policy through Travelers Insurance for the 2021-22 school year, $9,785. A proposal from PenTeleData, Palmerton, for internet service for 60 months at $640 per month and a one-time cost for ethernet private line service of $16,676. The service cost will be eligible for E-Rate reimbursement of 90%. The sale of a surplus 2008 Chevrolet minivan through sealed bid. A proposal from American Computer, Frackville, for installation of ethernet cable required for the new phone system at a cost of $6,750, which will be paid from the ESSER II grant. Purchase of Social Emotional Learning software for a five-year term from Rhithm Inc., Fort Worth, Texas, at a cost of $31,500, which will be paid from the ESSER II grant. An agreement with Safety Net Counseling Inc., Atlas, for intensive behavioral health services for the 2021-22 school year. AUBURN Paul Shealer, owner of Evergreen Acres Tree Farm, will compete against tree growers across the country to supply this years White House Christmas tree. Its the highest honor in the tree business, Shealer said. This year will not be Shealers first competition, as he won in 2000 and was runner-up in 2008. To qualify for the national competition, he had to win at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. You dont just go to this competition, Shealer said. Its an invitational. In 2020, Shealer won both grand and reserve champion, having the best and second best trees in the competition. That was the third time thats ever happened, and Ive done it twice, Shealer said. His secret to success, Shealer said, is attention to detail. At 8 p.m. Aug. 4, Shealer will leave for West Jefferson, North Carolina, over 400 miles away, and drive through the night with a tree in the back of his truck. The tree is cut, so we have to travel through the night to keep it cool, Shealer said. To preserve the tree during the trip, Shealer said he will soak a piece of plywood for two days and place it in the truck. He will then staple a flannel sheet to the plywood and lay the tree on top. The butt of the tree will be wrapped in wet rags, and the top of the tree will be propped up so it does not shake. Another wet flannel sheet will lay on top of the tree, followed by a tarp to protect from the wind. If you break a branch along the way, that will be a deduction, Shealer said. The competition hall will open at 8 a.m. Aug. 5 for the trees to be set up. Shealer said farmers will then have until 11 a.m. to groom the trees before they are judged. Its a like a dog show, Shealer said. The trees are judged on color, density, straightness of the trunk, uniformity and freedom from insects and disease. Shealer plans to enter a Douglas fir, and he will need to win in the Douglas fir class before moving on to go against other tree varieties. The event will be held in North Carolina, the top producer of Fraser firs, which Shealer said would make competition in the true firs class tougher. Its a two-pronged approach, Shealer said. You want to pick the tree with the best chance of winning in its class, but you also want your best tree overall. Shealer spent the last year and a half assessing 5,000 trees to decide which might be the best competitors. He said he watches them grow and flags the ones he likes so they do not get cut and sold. I know my trees, Shealer said. I take mental notes of where they are. I almost memorize them. Then I go back and do some fine tuning. On Monday, Shealer said he has narrowed down his options to three trees after monitoring their growth. One stands out, though, as it has the right color, density and growth pattern. It is around 7 foot, 11 inches tall, coming in at the higher end of the 6- to 8-foot requirement. They change from year to year, Shealer said. That one got better. Shealer said there are a few other Pennsylvania growers in the competition this year, all of whom are good friends. Were stiff competition, but also best friends, Shealer said. Well be just has happy if one of us wins, as we all represent Pennsylvania. If Shealer wins the competition, he will send a 20-foot concolor fir, which has been growing for around 20 years, to the White House. Whether he wins or not, Shealer said the competition is a great way to promote the real tree industry, as opposed to artificial trees. He said while artificial trees will eventually end up in landfills, real trees are a natural, biodegradable product. It puts an American made product in the forefront, Shealer said. 100 years ago 1921 Several changes have been made in the mail service between north of the mountain points and Pottsville that should result in better facilities for Pottsville business hoses and a consequent better cooperation between the county seat and leading towns of the county. 75 years ago 1946 Miss Marion Speacht, student at West Chester State Teachers College, will be graduated Thursday and will receive her bachelors degree in elementary education, completing the four-year course in three years. 50 years ago 1971 Over two inches of wind-lashed rain created havoc in Pottsville Monday night. 25 years ago 1996 JIM THORPE Laura Thomas remembers this borough when it was divided into Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk. Everything was two, sometimes three or four, said the doctors widow, who is vice president and manager of the Mauch Chunk Museum and Cultural Center and lives on Broadway, the snaking main street flanked by gingerbread Victorian buildings. There are three ambulances and four fire companies, she said. There were two Lutheran, two Episcopal and two Methodist churches. Now, the two boroughs have been one for 42 years, united by a name honoring one of Americas greatest athletes although he died the year before the merger and never set foot in either Mauch Chunk or East Mauch Chunk. Its impossible to calculate the full impact of the opioid addiction crisis. But it is necessary to put a price on some pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors roles in the epidemic. Recently, opioid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson and distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson agreed to a $26 billion settlement with state governments that had sued them. The lawsuits contend that J&J downplayed the addiction risks of prescribed opioids, and that the distributors failed to prevent diversion of opioids for illegal distribution. Pennsylvania would receive a total of $1 billion in 18 annual installments of about $55.5 million. State Attorney General Josh Shapiro supports the settlement, but Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has blasted him for it and has sued to prevent the state from compelling Philadelphia to accept it. Krasner contends that the total is too small and that the payment schedule is too slow. Philadelphia would receive between $5 million and $8 million for 18 years. In any case, it is crucial that the state government not squander the settlement money, as it has much of the $350 million a year it has received from the 1998 national settlement with the tobacco industry. That money should have gone exclusively for tobacco cessation, addiction treatment, education and other public health initiatives. But politicians have used hundreds of millions of those dollars to fill the budget holes that they created. The opioid settlement itself requires the money to be used for addiction treatment and other programs to mitigate the crisis. But the state needs a law to ensure that the Legislature uses it to expand anti-opioid efforts rather than to fund existing programs. Security has been beefed up in the national capital ahead of United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit on Tuesday. Blinken has already boarded his flight to New Delhi for his two-day visit to India. A series of issues will be discussed during Blinken's visit to India including the US troop pullout from Afghanistan, Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, and other issues related to Indo-pacific welfare. The two sides will also discuss bilateral relations. Blinken will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Wheels up for my trip to New Delhi and Kuwait City. I look forward to consultations with our partners to further cooperation in support of our shared interests in the Indo-Pacific and Middle East. pic.twitter.com/KClJ405LGI Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) July 26, 2021 Antony Blinken's India visit amid Afghanistan crisis According to reports, the security of Delhi Airport has been increased by 20 per cent after the Intelligence Bureau (IB) warned law enforcement agencies that farmers can protest there ahead of Blinken's visit. In addition, Blinken's strategic visit also comes at a time when the Taliban is gaining more swathes in Afghanistan even as it fights with government troops. Even so, the Afghanistan government is being supported by the United States. The most recent assistance was the US airstrikes on Taliban positions in Afghanistan. Moreover, the US has assured Afghanistan of continuous air support. As for India's concerns, the Taliban has urged India not to interfere in Afghanistan's matters and in return has promised not to meddle in India's internal affairs, mainly Kashmir. However, reports have stated that India has been supporting Afghanistan by sending weapons and training the Afghanistan troops. On the other hand, Pakistan is reportedly supporting the Taliban in order to counter India. Blinken's visit and agenda In the defence domain, both sides are expected to explore ways and means to deepen their collaboration. This will cover policy exchanges, exercises, and the exchange of intel and defence technologies. These would be covered in greater detail during the fourth 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue due in the US later this year. Other areas of focus include expanding security, defence cyber and counterterrorism cooperation, as per the US Department of State Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. In addition, discussions on deepening Quad engagement are also expected to be a key focus area of talks, with the possibility of a Foreign Ministerial Quad meeting later this year. India and the US will also take forward the Quad vaccine initiative to enable the supply of vaccines produced in India from early 2022 to countries in the Indo-Pacific region, said a source. However, Afghanistan which is witnessing massive violence will be the central issue, implications of the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, and the need for sustained pressure on Pakistan on terror financing and terror havens will be part of the agenda. The two sides will also exchange assessments about the Indo-Pacific region, with a focus on Covid assistance, economic slowdown and security scenario. Latest developments pertaining to West Asia and Central Asia are also likely to be covered, sources said. Blinken's trip will follow a visit by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to China and coincide with one to Southeast Asia by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. With ANI Inputs In what may be seen as a major boost to India's COVID-19 innoculation drive, Russia's COVID-19 vaccine-Sputnik, which is being locally manufactured by Reddy's Laboratories Ltd, is expected to be available from September-October in India. CEO of Branded Markets (India and Emerging Markets) of Dr. Reddy's, confirming the news asserted that a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases in Russia was leading to a delay in the availability. "The situation may ease by August-end, and we expect that from the October-September timeframe, we are likely to have locally manufactured Sputnik-V available," the CEO of Branded Markets (India and Emerging Markets) of Dr. Reddy's further told. Russia's COVID vaccine-Sputnik V The vaccine has been developed by Russia's Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology and is being marketed by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), globally. Hyderabad-based Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, the marketing partner for the vaccine in the country, has been importing the shots from Russia. By September-October, the Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company, apart from imported shots, is expected to make available locally manufactured shots. The vaccine has been approved for emergency use in India. Apart from India, the Sputnik V vaccine has been registered in 67 countries. The data gathered during the vaccination of the population in a number of countries, including Mexico, Argentina, Serbia, Bahrain, Hungary, San-Marino, UAE, and others, shows that Sputnik V is one of the safest and most effective coronavirus vaccines. Russian health officials have so far, received no reports of unusual blood-clotting disorders in persons who received the Sputnik V vaccination. The vaccine uses two different viruses that cause the common cold (adenovirus) in humans. It employs a different vector for each of the two shots, given 21 days apart. According to Gamaleya and the RDIF, Sputnik V has demonstrated an efficacy rate of 92 percent. Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla took a strict approach over disruptions by the opposition in the proceedings of the house on July 27. He also expressed his discontentment with the indiscipline which was seen on Monday in the lower house of the parliament leading Birla to adjourn the session. He not only called on the lawmakers to not convert the session into a competition for chanting slogans but urged the members to unite to deal with the problems of the citizens of the country. In a bid to control the situation, Birla also said that the behaviour of the MPs is being watched by people across the country. Lok Sabha Speaker noted that the citizens want the lawmakers to consider the problems and shortcomings faced by a common man. Birla said, I request you to let the Lok Sabha proceedings be conducted peacefully. Birla said, Dont compete in the House for chanting slogans instead compete for dealing with problems of the Indian citizens. People are watching that you are competing for slogan-chanting. 'Will try to run Parliament by rules' Earlier, Birla led the house to pay tributes to Anerood Jugnauth, former President of Mauritius and Kenneth David Buchizya Kaunda, first President of Zambia as both leaders passed away last month. July 27 is not the only time that Birla spoke against chanting slogans in Lok Sabha. In 2019, as the opposition interrupted the decorum, the House Speaker said, I dont think Parliament is the place for sloganeering, for showing placards, or for coming to the well...There is a road for that where they can go and demonstrate. Whatever people want to say here, whatever allegations they have, however they want to attack the government they can, but they cant come to the gallery and do all this. Even at the time, Birla talked about what would he do if slogans are chanted in the house chambers. He said, I dont know if it will happen again but we will try to run Parliament by the rules. IMAGE: PTI In a key development, the United States on Tuesday reaffirmed its commitment to 'strengthening partnership' with India. This comes ahead of Secretary Antony J. Blinken's visit to India, during which he will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar to discuss a wide range of issues, including continued cooperation on COVID-19 response efforts, Indo-Pacific engagement, shared regional security interests, shared democratic values, and addressing the climate crisis. 'The United States supports Indias emergence as a leading global power' In a release, the United States stated that it supports Indias emergence as a leading global power. "The United States and India cooperate on a wide range of diplomatic, economic, and security issues, including defence, non-proliferation, regional cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, shared democratic values, counterterrorism, climate change, health, energy, trade and investment, peacekeeping, the environment, education, science and technology, agriculture, space, and oceans," it said, moving on to address the issues one by one. The Indo-Pacific front and centre Pointing out that the United States and India are working to expand cooperation in international organisations, the country in the release took up the cause of Indo-Pacific and beyond. "India is a leading global power and a key U.S. partner in the Indo-Pacific and beyond," it stated. Looking back at the inaugural Quad Leaders Summit in March, it added, "President Biden and Prime Minister Modi joined their Japanese and Australian counterparts in pledging to respond to the economic and health impacts of COVID-19, combat the climate crisis, and address shared challenges." Deterring adversaries and defending interests The United States, in the release, also talked about cooperation in the area of defence. "U.S.-India defence cooperation is reaching new heights, including through information sharing, liaison officers, increasingly complex exercises like Malabar, and defence enabling agreements, such as the secure communications agreement COMCASA. As of 2020, the United States has authorised over $20 billion in defence sales to India," it said in the release. It pointed out that the United States and India are closely coordinating on regional security issues, such as Afghanistan. Other issues on which the United States and India have partnered Combating COVID-19 In the release, the US threw light on cooperation during COVID. Reiterating full support to India in tackling COVID, it stated," The United States has contributed more than $200 million for Indias COVID-19 relief and response efforts since the pandemic began, including more than $50 million in emergency supplies and training for more than 218,000 frontline health workers on infection prevention and control, benefitting more than 43 million Indians." It added that the United States and India are partnering to strengthen the global response to COVID-19, on issues ranging from addressing infectious disease outbreaks to strengthening health systems to securing global supply chains. Further, the two countries, as per the release, have initiated the renewal of a memorandum of understanding to collaborate through an International Center of Excellence in Research focussed on infectious diseases, including COVID-19 and other emerging threats. Climate crisis The issue of Climate change also found a mention in the release. "Under the new Agenda 2030 Partnership, the United States and India look forward to launching the new Climate Action and Finance Mobilization Dialogue, led by Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, and relaunching the Strategic Clean Energy Partnership, led by Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, later this year," the Country stated in the release. Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in the national capital ahead of United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit on Tuesday. Blinken has already boarded his flight to New Delhi for his two-day visit to India. In a major success for the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh, three people including gangster Noor Islam aka Mohammed Noor, have been arrested while they were trying to illegally smuggle one man and two women who as per the initial investigation seems minor. According to the Uttar Pradesh police briefing, all the three were nabbed at Ghaziabad while they were travelling through a train that was going to Delhi with Bangladeshi Rohingya refugees. The train was stopped at Ghaziabad and upon questioning it was found that a person, related to those three people, was already waiting for the illegal transfer of the man and two women at the station. The ATS team has in total apprehended six people and an investigation against them is going on to ascertain full information. "Gangster Noor Islam said that one of his partners is going to receive them at Delhi station and our team apprehended that person also. We have taken total of six people in our custody till now upon questioning it has been revealed that two women who seem minor and one man were getting smuggled. Three accused are said to be the culprits and have been taken into custody and a case has been filed under relevant sections," added the police chief. UP ATS team nabs three culprits The police head also mentioned that accused Noor Islam is originally from Bangladesh who works at the Tripura border. From the border, he illegally smuggles people and sends them to different parts of India via train, for their exploitation, informed the UP Police chief. The one who came to the station has been identified as Rehmantulla who currently lives in the Jammu Rohingya camp while he is originally from Myanmar. Moreover, a search is underway to nab another culprit in the case. Both the women have been sent to Asha Kendra and an investigation on the man who according to the initial investigation seems to be the victim is also going on. On July 22, the Uttar Pradesh government had got a piece of its land in Delhi cleared of encroachment allegedly done by Rohingya refugees, according to officials. The 2.10-hectare land is estimated worth Rs 97 crore and lies in the Madan Khadar area of the national capital near Noida. It belongs to the Irrigation Department of Uttar Pradesh, the officials said. Registering yet another success, the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh nabbed gangster Noor Islam aka Mohammed Noor, and two of his aides while they were trying to illegally smuggle one man and two women in a train that was carrying Bangladeshi Rohingya refugees. The Squad in a media briefing made 5 major revelations after conducting the preliminary interrogation of those arrested. 5 big revelations in Rohingyas crackdown Rohingyas were being smuggled into India via trains India-Bangladesh Tripura border was also being used Earning money through human trafficking was the purpose Additional purpose was making money through gold smuggling Already similar in looks, they were getting made fake documents, making identification all the more difficult What happened? According to the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh, the train was stopped at Ghaziabad and three people including gangster Noor Islam aka Mohammed Noor were caught along with a man and two women. A man related to those three people, as per the police, was already waiting to receive the man and two women, who were allegedly being illegally smuggled, at the station. "We have taken a total of six people in our custody till now, and upon questioning it has been revealed that two women who seem minor and one man were being smuggled. While the man is in custody, the two women have been sent to Asha Kendra. The three accused, on the other hand, have been taken into custody and a case has been filed under relevant sections," added the police chief. The police chief further added, "They would be presented before the court." On July 22, the Uttar Pradesh government had got a piece of its land in Delhi cleared of encroachment allegedly done by Rohingya refugees, according to officials. The 2.10-hectare land is estimated worth Rs 97 crore and lies in the Madan Khadar area of the national capital near Noida. It belongs to the Irrigation Department of Uttar Pradesh, the officials said. Amid the controversy over the Pegasus project, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, on Tuesday hit out at the Centre saying that the country is witnessing 'dictatorship', following his repeated demands on discussing the same being allegedly disregarded by the Centre, even as the Opposition continues to allow only minimal functioning. "Dictatorship is prevailing in the country" Dictatorship is prevailing in the country. Modi Ji is not ready to solve issues in a democratic manner. We are ready for discussions. Govt should call an all-party meeting... We all are going to fight on this issue: LoP in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge (2/2) pic.twitter.com/vhFAQBtLz0 ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2021 Slamming the BJP, Kharge said that the Centre does not want to go by the rules of the constitution. The government gave permission for alleged snooping: Mallikarjun Kharge IT Act says permission is needed for surveillance. This Govt gave permission (for alleged snooping via Pegasus) & is involved in snooping on judges, Army officers, journalists & Opposition leaders. No democracy in the world would do it: LoP in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge (1/2) pic.twitter.com/TMuTMqCcyq ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2021 While speaking to the media, the LoP alleged that the government gave permission for alleged snooping via Pegasus and that it is involved in snooping on judges, army officers, journalists, and opposition leaders. He didn't provide additional evidence for the same, given that the much-touted Pegasus papers restrict themselves to conjecture in this regard. LoP accuses Centre over Pegasus row The LoP further criticised the Centre for ignoring their call of discussing crucial issues in the Parliament that are plaguing the Nation. He demanded an inquiry over the Pegasus row under the supervision of the Apex Court. He made little mention of the Parliament being disrupted or the IT minister's papers being snatched from him when he tried to make a statement on the matter. We have been requesting frequently that the @BJP4India Govt discuss crucial issues plaguing the nation #Pegasus #PriceRise #Rafale #CovidMismanagement, #EconomicCollapse Yet Govt refuses to allow discussions in Parliament. What are they hiding from the nation? pic.twitter.com/b5huOMazFu Leader of Opposition, Rajya Sabha (@LoPIndia) July 27, 2021 Mallikarjun Kharge had on July 22 said, We have been demanding a discussion on Pegasus issue. But the government is only giving a statement. One can only ask for clarification if a statement is given and not all members will be able to speak. The government is doing the same. It is an attempt to scuttle down and save themselves. They are not allowing other members to speak.". Later on July 23, the Congress had held protest marches at many places across the country demanding a Supreme Court-monitored judicial inquiry into the alleged snooping of phones using Israeli Pegasus spyware and the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah over the matter. The Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day following protests by opposition parties over the snooping row. The Upper House of Parliament was adjourned four times on Friday amid uproar by the Opposition for a discussion on the issue. Meanwhile, on July 25, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader and Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas has approached the Supreme Court seeking a court-monitored probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into reports of the government using Israeli software Pegasus to spy on politicians, activists, and journalists. The government and the ruling BJP on the other hand have dismissed the Pegasus Project reports as fabricated and evidence-less, with the IT minister referring to it as 'sensationalism'. What is the Pegasus row? A report by sixteen media houses claimed that 300 verified Indian mobile telephone numbers were allegedly spied upon using Israeli surveillance technology firm Pegasus - which only has 36 vetted governments as its clients. As per a 'leaked' database, numbers of those allegedly spied upon include over 40 journalists, three major opposition figures, one constitutional authority, two serving cabinet ministers, current and former heads, and officials of security organizations and businessmen. The target also includes the eight activists currently accused of the Bhima Koregaon case. The report claimed that the leaked numbers mainly belong to ten countries - India, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The Centre has refuted all allegations, while the Opposition has sought an SC probe into it. Beijing/Washington, Jul 26 (PTI) The desire to seek hegemony or territorial expansion is "simply not in the Chinese DNA", Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng told his American counterpart Wendy Sherman on Monday. Xie made the remarks while meeting with visiting US Deputy Secretary of State Sherman in the northeastern port city of Tianjin to discuss ways to set terms for the "responsible management" of the strained ties between Beijing and Washington. Xie said that the China-US relationship is now in a stalemate and faces serious difficulties. Fundamentally, it is because some Americans portray China as an imagined enemy", he said. "It seems as if by making China an imagined enemy", a national sense of purpose would be reignited in the US," he said. Xie told Sherman that the Chinese believe that one must not do to others what one does not like to be done to himself. "The desire to seek hegemony or territorial expansion is simply not in the Chinese DNA. And China has never coerced any country. China responds to foreign interference with legitimate and lawful countermeasures. "The aim is to defend the legitimate rights and interests of the country and uphold international equity and justice. China has never gone to others' doorsteps to provoke trouble. Neither has China ever stretched its arm into the households of others, still less has China ever occupied any inch of other countries' territory," Xie told Sherman. Xie's statement comes amid growing concerns in the Indo-Pacific region on China'saggressive actions and territorial disputes with neighbouring countries, including India. In Washington, the US Department of State said Sherman and Chinese State Councilor Wang had a frank and open discussion about a range of issues, demonstrating the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between our two countries. "They discussed ways to set terms for responsible management of the U.S-China relationship. The Deputy Secretary underscored that the United States welcomes the stiff competition between our countriesand that we intend to continue to strengthen our own competitive handbut that we do not seek conflict with the People's Republic of China (PRC)," the statement said. Sherman raised concerns in private about a "range of PRC actions that run counter to our values and interests and those of our allies and partners, and that undermine the international rules-based order," it said. In particular, she raised America's concerns about human rights, including Beijings anti-democratic crackdown in Hong Kong; the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang; abuses in Tibet; and the curtailing of media access and freedom of the press. She also spoke about our concerns about Beijings conduct in cyberspace; across the Taiwan Strait; and in the East and South China Seas, the press release said. Sherman also reiterated concerns about the China's unwillingness to cooperate with the World Health Organization and allow a second phase investigation in the PRC into COVID-19s origins. At the same time, she affirmed the importance of cooperation in areas of global interest, such as the climate crisis, counternarcotics, nonproliferation, and regional concerns including North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan and Myanmar, it said. Sherman is the most senior US official to visit China in months. US President Joe Biden has taken a hard-line approach towards China, especially on issues like human rights and sanctions. Her visit is being viewed here as a preparatory step for the first meeting with Biden and his Chinese counterpart President Xi Jinping. Meanwhile, the Chinese foreign ministry's press release pointed out that Xie told Sherman that by demonising China, the US could somehow shift domestic public discontent over political, economic and social issues and blame Beijing for its own structural problems. The US keeps making an issue with China. It is as if the US side has nothing to talk about except about China. "We urge the United States to change its highly misguided mindset and dangerous policy," the release quoted Xie as saying. "It is the United States, not anybody else, who is the "inventor, and patent and intellectual property owner of coercive diplomacy," he said. "It is the United States who has engaged in broad unilateral sanctions, long-arm jurisdiction and interference in other countries' internal affairs," Xie said. The US notion of engaging other countries from a position of strength" is just another version of the big bullying the small and might is right. This is pure coercive diplomacy, the senior Chinese diplomat added. PTI AKJ AKJ (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Germany is said to issue alerts of natural disasters through mobile phone notifications. Interior Minister Horst Seehofer announced on July 26, Monday that the country has planned to warn citizens of the impending dangers at the earliest so that they could engage in prompt protective action. This decision has come at the heels of the catastrophic German-Belgium flood that killed over 200 people and about 150 still missing. While speaking at the parliament about the sluggish warning system in the country, Seehofer said the idea was overdue and even though no many parliamentarians are for it, there is "no argument against it." Talking about the necessary reforms deemed necessary in the country's weather app 'Nina,' government spokesperson Martina Fietz admitted that the app had "worked" but there is a "need to do more and better." German Civil Protection Agency (BBK) has also acknowledged the need for sirens that need to be installed in areas with better reach out. However, the agency has pointed out the "number of issues" about installation costs and data protection concerns that need to be discussed before executing the mobile notification alerts. Mobile alerts will be like SMS The mobile alerts are said to be similar to short messaging services (SMS). These notifications will be sent anonymously through one common network. The alerts will be sent using technology known as cell broadcast. It will enable local authorities to send messages to multiple mobile users in a particular locality at the same time. This technology is extensively used in the US and Japan, however, it is not widely considered in Europe. Germany flood result of 'lack of warning' and 'disaster management failure': German Citizens Europe has experienced the worst natural calamity in decades that has left the socio-economic condition of Germany and Belgium on its knees. The loss of human lives and infrastructure has been staggering. While the scientists have blamed the cold, low-pressure areas dubbed as Bernd to have caused the major rivers and sewage systems to overflow, the infuriated Germans on Saturday blamed the monumental failure on the lack of warning and Germany's "know-it-all attitude". Germans have accused the politicians and disaster management officials of underestimating the forces of nature, as livelihood, homes, motor vehicles and several people washed away in the wild torrents within minutes. German broadcaster DW on July 24 reported that weather experts including British hydrologist Hannah Cloke argued that the warnings of the European Flood Awareness System (EFAS), had not reached the people in Germany in time. A report was similarly carried in the British newspaper The Sunday Times as well as later by German public broadcaster ZDF. The accusations were joined in by Michael Theurer, deputy parliamentary group chairman of the pro-market Free Democrats, who stated that German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer had a "direct personal responsibility but was too occupied in election campaigning. (Inputs: AP) The Russian health ministry on Tuesday gave a go-ahead to conduct the physical trials of combining the doses of AstraZeneca Vaccine and Sputnik Vaccine. Russias state drug register has allowed five Russian clinics to hold the trials and requested them to finish it off by early March 2021. Earlier, the clinical trials for approval process were suspended by the health ministrys ethical committee in May and had sought more information about it. UAE, Azerbaijan and Belarus are already conducting the human trials of mixing AstraZeneca and Sputnik V vaccines. Russia approves combining two adenovirus Vaccines to boost immunity: AstraZeneca + Sputnik V The AstraZeneca vaccine has been built by the UK based drug company AstraZeneca and the Oxford University, on the other hand, Sputnik V has been developed in Russia. Both the COVID vaccines consist of two doses-- the initial shot and the booster shot. They are both the adenovirus vaccines, which means they consist of the engineered virus, called adenoviral vectors, which are designed to shuttle a gene from SARS-Cov-2 to the body. AstraZeneca uses only one viral vector, however, Sputnik V uses different viral vectors for two different doses. This comes in as several countries have already allowed the trials to research the effects of inoculating mix and match doses of COVID-19 vaccines for greater immunity. The trials of the same are being conducted in the US, UK, China, Bahrain, Indonesia, Italy, UAE etc. To date, many scientific studies have suggested that administering two different vaccines can build stronger and long-lasting immunity against COVID-19 than administering two doses of the same vaccine. Scientists approve mixing and matching of COVID-19 vaccines In the past as well, many times this has been done safely. In India, different vaccines were used to evict the Ebola virus and combinations of rotavirus vaccines have also been used and tested in India. Experts suggest that giving people two different vaccines, allows their immune system to understand the pathogen better since both vaccines will stimulate different responses by exposing different parts of the pathogen to the human body, For example, if one vaccine consists of one type of Spike protein of SARS-CoV2, another vaccine will consist of some other part of the pathogen. Scientists say that giving two different vaccines might generate a stronger immune response, perhaps because the shots stimulate slightly different parts of the immune system or teach it to recognise different parts of an invading pathogen. Both the AstraZeneca/Oxford and Sputnik V vaccines involve two doses -- an initial shot and a booster-- but Sputnik V uses different viral vectors for its two shots. So-called viral vector shots use harmless modified viruses as vehicles, or vectors, to carry genetic information that helps the body build immunity against future infections. Image: AP Irans state TV reported on Tuesday that authorities arrested members of a group linked to Israels Mossad intelligence agency amid ongoing protests over water shortages in the countrys southwest. The report said a network of spy agents, with a large amount of weapons and ammunition was arrested after sneaking into Iran from across its western border. It claimed the alleged Mossad agents intended to use the weapons during riots in Iran and also for assassinations. The state TV did not elaborate or say how many alleged agents were arrested or when they purportedly infiltrated into Iran. Iran borders Turkey and Iraq to the west. At least five people have been killed amid days of protests over water shortages affecting Irans Khuzestan province. Thats according to statements carried by state-run and semiofficial media in Iran. Iran occasionally announces the detention of people it says are spying for foreign countries, including the United States and Israel. Western Iran has seen occasional fighting between Iranian forces and Kurdish separatists as well as militants linked to the extremist Islamic State group. In July 2020, Iran said terrorists killed two people in an attack in the Iranian province of Kurdistan. Iran does not recognize Israel and supports anti-Israeli armed groups across the region, such as Lebanons Shiite militant Hezbollah group and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip. Last year, Iran executed a man convicted of leaking information to the U.S. and Israel about prominent Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps general Qassem Soleimani, who was later killed by a U.S. drone strike in Iraq. In 2019, Iran said it arrested 17 Iranians accused of spying on the countrys nuclear and military sites for the CIA and reported that some of them had been sentenced to death. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) On Monday, an Israel Defense Forces soldier sued the Ben & Jerrys ice cream for halting sales in the Israel-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Calling the restriction a new form of terrorism the IDF soldier registered his ice cream woes in an official complaint that accused the company Ben & Jerrys ice cream of having a biased stance as it stopped what he described as his favourite ice cream. The complaint further stated that the Israeli military forces sent him to make long and frequent trips by car in those territories, and often he buys ice cream in different companies. The 20-year-old soldiers mother, Adv. Orly Ben Ami, filed the now-viral complaint on his behalf, as she argued that her son has been deprived of his preferred dessert. The Ben & Jerrys brand ice cream is his preferred one, read the complaint shared on Twitter. A report first carried by the US broadcaster Philadelphia Inquirer published by Abraham Gutman joked that the Privileged soldiers Right to Eat Chunky Monkey While Occupying has been Violated. Many condemned the judgment position the ice cream brand took about the Gaza conflict, yet several others joked about the complaint by the IDF soldier. The internet was seemingly divided. So, the IDF soldier suing Ben & Jerry's for being judgmental and making him unable to enjoy [his favorite ice cream] like everyone," wrote a commenter adding a crying emoji. His case was filed by his mom, she added. What a tough guy. Deprived of his favourite ice cream while enforcing 54 years of military occupation on Palestinians, meanwhile one other stated. His mom filled the suit for him lol Punished Kamui (@PunishedKamui) July 25, 2021 So yo he clear, an IDF soldiers mommy filed a human rights claim that her son was denied access to ice cream while oppressing a people? And he doesnt want to be made to feel like an oppressor? Theres a way around that Julie Lynn (@JulieLynnBH) July 25, 2021 IDF ice cream meltdown! ...if I had a rocket launcher... (@minxmarx) July 25, 2021 So... the IDF soldier suing Ben & Jerry's for being "judgmental" and making him "unable to enjoy [his favorite ice cream] like everyone" else... His case was filed by his mom raf (@rafaelshimunov) July 25, 2021 What a tough guy. Deprived of his favourite ice cream while enforcing 54 years of military occupation on Palestinians, has his mom, a lawyer specializing in class action suits, go after Ben & Jerry in Israel court. https://t.co/gHJcyfj3iH Rabbi David Mivasair (@Mivasair) July 25, 2021 To laugh or to cry Laila - - #SaveSilwan #SaveSheikhJarra (@lailadolle) July 25, 2021 Israeli PM called the move 'morally wrong' After Ben & Jerrys announced that it was going to stop selling its ice cream in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called the move "morally wrong. In a press note, the company said that it was inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry's ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). The announcement was one of the strongest and highest-profile rebukes by a well-known company of Israels settlements in the region, which is widely seen by the international community as illegal and an obstacle to peace. Israeli Prime Minister Neftali Bennett warned Unilever Plc Chief Executive Officer Alan Jope that Ben & Jerry's decision will have "serious repercussions, legal and otherwise." Lebanon on Monday appointed Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati, a billionaire businessman, as the prime minister. The newly appointed leader appealed for unity in the country to begin recovery from the ravaging impacts of the novel coronavirus and the economic and financial meltdown that has battered the country. Mikati was also tasked with forming a new government to deal with the immediate issues and ending a year-long political impasse. According to the local press, the former had been a two-time premier. He was last in power in the year 2014. On Monday, he told reporters that he would strive to form a new government but the situation is too dire to overcome alone. Mikati was designated to the position by Lebanons President Michel Aoun, after Saad Hariri earlier this month stepped down following political disagreements failing to form a cabinet despite the months-long attempts. Alone, I dont have a magic wand and cannot achieve miracles, Mikati said shortly after his election, according to AP. We are in a very difficult situation, it is a difficult mission that can only succeed if we all work together, he stressed. It is yet unclear whether Mikati would be able to break the year-long political impasse and actually form a new cabinet, which, sources told AP, had a monumental task to bring about the critically needed reforms within the country. Mikati is one of the richest men in Lebanon who is not only backed by Lebanons major political parties but also by Irans militant group Hezbollah, as well as the Shiite party, Amal, led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. Former Sunni prime ministers including Hariri had all previously endorsed Mikati. The former, however, faces the Christian opposition, including from Aouns own support base that heads the largest Christian bloc in Lebanons parliament. Although, he got a clear majority of 72 votes from Lebanese lawmakers. Lebanon's PM-designate resigned over 'differences' Lebanon's Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri resigned after he failed to form a government amid Lebanons accelerating economic and political crisis. Abandoning his 9 months-long effort after accepting the challenge to form a new cabinet, the veteran Sunni politician cited the difference of opinion with President Aoun as his reason for stepping down, snubbing any further hopes at compromise due to political gridlock. Lebanon has been enduring a severe economic depression over the past 8 years spillovers from the Syrian civil war that has halted the countrys cross-border trade, sinking its economy to the worlds third-highest ratio of debt to GDP since the 1800s, a World Bank Lebanon Economic Monitor (LEM) report stated. This was worsened by the recent COVID-19 pandemic with the most severe financial crises episodes since the mid-nineteenth century. The agency blamed the continuous policy inaction and the absence of a fully functioning executive authority within the middle eastern country that threatened the dire socio-economic conditions for the citizens. Hariri was nominated for the post of caretaker PM in October 2020 amid the nationwide protests from hundreds of thousands of Lebanese who had forced the then-Prime Minister Hassan Diab to step down in the aftermath of the deadly August 4 port of Beirut explosion. Although, a very slim majority of Lebanons members of the parliament had vouched for his return as a PM-designate to form a cabinet. At a state presser, the outgoing PM-designate declared that it is clear that he would not be able to agree with his excellency the president," as he announced resignation. Lebanons newly appointed Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati on Monday urged unity to begin recovery from a devastating economic and financial meltdown roiling the country. He said he will strive to form a new government but the situation is too dire to overcome alone. Mikati spoke to reporters shortly after he was appointed to the post by President Michel Aoun, after Saad Hariri earlier this month gave up his monthslong attempts to form a Cabinet. Alone, I dont have a magic wand and cannot achieve miracles, Mikati said. We are in very difficult situation. One of the richest men in Lebanon, Mikati became a favorite for the post after he was endorsed by most of Lebanon's political parties including the powerful, Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group and the other major Shiite party, Amal, led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. Mikati was also endorsed by former Sunni prime ministers including Hariri, who abandoned efforts to form a government after failing to agree with Aoun on the Cabinet's makeup. The political deadlock, driven by a power struggle between Aoun and Hariri over constitutional rights and powers of the president and prime minister, has worsened a crippling economic and financial crisis. Mikati's designation would be the third so far since the current caretaker government headed by Hassan Diab resigned in the wake of the massive explosion at Beirut's port last August. IMAGE: AP (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) European Parliament on Monday declared that it was withdrawing Pakistans GSP+ status over the controversial Blasphemy laws. Earlier in April, the EU had adopted a joint motion for a resolution on the blasphemy laws in Pakistan as it urged the Islamic Republic to opt for a more comprehensive approach to address the abuses of blasphemy laws. Pakistan attracted condemnation for convicting a Christian couple of blasphemy in an apex court, who were both handed death by hanging sentence in 2013 despite that the couple was illiterate and the alleged blasphemous message was in English. An EU political report published on July 26 by Philippe Jeune highlighted that Islamabad was trading opportunities offered by the EU Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) as a major beneficiary. From January 1, 2014, Pakistan has benefited from generous tariff preferences (mostly zero duties on two-thirds of all product categories) under the so-called GSP+ arrangement aiming to support sustainable development and good governance, the declassified report read. It goes on to add that Pakistan was obliged to ratify and effectively implement 27 core international conventions on human and labour rights, environmental protection, and good governance in order to keep its GSP+ status intact. However, in view of the global condemnation of Pakistans controversial Blasphemy Laws, the European Parliament has called into question the status quo of the country's GSP+ benefits. Abuse of Blasphemy Laws in Islamabad is a major concern, and cases have been widely reported, the EU political report alleged. A Joint Motion for a Resolution, backed by all major global political groups, and MEPs, pushed the EU to conduct an immediate review of Pakistans eligibility for GSP+ status earlier this year. The decision, considered appropriate, was the withdrawal of Islamabads status. Such a move, which apparently enjoys the support of the majority of the house, would be highly damaging for Pakistans economy: from 2010 to 2020, EU27 imports from Pakistan have almost doubled, with much of the growth coming in the aftermath of the award of GSP+ in 2014, the EU parliament stated. It added that the European Commissions official figures reveal that EU was now Pakistans second most important trading partner, accounting for 14.3 percent of Pakistans total trade in 2020, and absorbing 28 percent of Pakistans total exports. The EU scrapped Pakistans GSP+ status, stating that the parliamentarians agreed that Pakistan exploits citizens under the blasphemy laws, which the country uses to incite harassment, violence, and murder against those being accused, causing people who are accused of blasphemy to have to fear for their lives regardless of the outcome of judicial procedures. The report further quoted the EU parliament as saying that Pakistans Blasphemy laws were often abused to serve in the interest of the accuser and that the country has the highest rate of enforcement of blasphemy laws. Victims of blasphemy were sentenced to death for defamation of Islam, or defamation of the prophet. USCIRF found blasphemy laws in 85 countries 'criminalized expression' Earlier, The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released a groundbreaking report that found nearly eighty-four countries worldwide maintained laws that criminalized expression which insulted or offended the religious doctrines. The USCIRF highlighted illustrative examples to demonstrate the plethora of ways that governments enforcement of blasphemy laws undermines human rights, including freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression. USCIRF has consistently called on countries to abolish blasphemy laws, said USCIRF Vice Chair Tony Perkins. The existence of blasphemy laws empowers extremists to take the law into their own hands and employ violence extrajudicially. In just one example, we have recently seen a devastating uptick in mob violence related to blasphemy allegations in Pakistan. After the Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) was declared victorious in the recently conducted 11th general elections for the legislative assembly in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, the Prime Minister of PoK came forward to level accusations against his counterpart in Pakistan. Addressing the media, Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider Khan accused Imran Khan of election fraud. He asserted that the votes that are being shown as those of Imran Khan, are actually that of 'coercion, bribery, and fraud'. "I will run a movement across the nation and unveil the true face of the Imran Khan government before the Kashmiris, the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) supremo said. Protest in PoK; people demand 'Azadi' from the Pakistan government Earlier in the day, citizens of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) raised slogans demanding 'Azadi' from the Pakistan government after the results of the recently-held polls in the region were announced. In the video shared by PML-N's Maryam Nawaz Sharif, PoK citizens can be heard sloganeering against the newly-elected PTI government in the region demanding 'Azadi' from them. "Today, on the first day of the PTI's fake victory, for the first time in Azad Kashmir, the slogan of "Independent Kashmir" was raised. When you rob people's votes, oppress them, such incidents arise," said Maryam Nawaz on her Twitter handle. pic.twitter.com/xQYwJwPSwx Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) July 26, 2021 The incident was reported after poll results were declared. Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) won 25 seats while Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) came second with 11 seats and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) secured just six seats, the state-run Radio Pakistan reported, citing unofficial results announced by the Election Commission. Several parties such as Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People's Party (PPP) have claimed that the process was 'rigged'. Elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir On Sunday, the Pakistan government conducted voting for 45 out of 53 assembly seats in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. PTI had nominated candidates for all the 45 constituencies, while PML-N and PPP each issued tickets to candidates for 44 seats. Two other parties including All J&K Muslim Conference and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) have given tickets for 42 and 40 constituencies respectively. During the electoral process, clashes were reported in numerous polling stations. In the clashes, two people lost their lives. Police confirmed the news, and said, "Two PTI workers were shot dead by unidentified persons at a polling booth under Naarr police station area in Charhoi, Kotli." They were identified as Zaheer Ahmed, 40, and Ramzan, 50, by Pakistan Police. Around 12 others were injured in the violence that broke out during the elections. With Pakistan's attempt to hold elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) marred with reports of rigging and violence, protests erupted onto the streets of PoK as thousands marched against the Pakistan Army accusing them of election manipulation. The protests come after Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won the elections with 25 out of the 45 seats that went to the polls. A large number of citizens from PoK gathered to protest against the Pakistan Army on Monday accusing them of interfering in the election process and rigging the results in favor of PTI. Opposition dubs elections 'rigged' Apart from the citizens of PoK, the election verdict in favor of Imran Khan has also been rejected by the Opposition. Several parties such as Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People's Party (PPP) have claimed that the process was 'rigged.' When it comes to the Opposition, the Pakistan people's party (PPP) won 11 seats, the incumbent Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) 6 seats, and two regional parties, 1 seat each. Only 45 members are directly elected out of a 53-member PoK assembly. Meanwhile, PoK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider has called the election 'a farce.' "The assembly elections were nothing but a farce exercise to hoodwink the people," he said in a statement. Imran Khan's 'plebiscite' promise backfires? This comes even as Imran Khan made tall promises to the people ahead of the PoK polls and vowed to hold an UN-sponsored plebiscite and allow PoK to join Pakistan or remain an independent nation if they wished. His statement was slammed by several opposition parties including the leader of Opposition Shehbaz Sharif who said that his remarks were 'damaging' for the Kashmir cause. "We will hold another referendum whereby Kashmiri people will be asked to decide whether they want to live with Pakistan or as an independent nation. Remember, the decision has to be made by the Kashmiris themselves. The day is not far when you will decide about your future status of your own free accord, Imran Khan said. India had last year rejected Pakistan's attempts to 'alter the status of these Indian territories' via the elections and has asserted that PoK is an undeniable part of India as per the legal, complete, and irrevocable accession of Jammu and Kashmir to the Union of India in 1947. (With Agency Inputs) Afghanistan security forces on Tuesday said that they were successful in pushing back the Taliban from the Nirjab district of Kapisa province. This comes after the Taliban forces attacked the Dara-e-Farokh Shah and Dara-e-Kalan areas of Nijrab district, ANI reported citing Tolo news. "Clashes started shortly after midnight and continued until 4 am on Tuesday. Six people, including two civilians and four members of the public uprising forces, were also killed in the clashes," Shayiq Shorish Kapisa Policeman Spokesperson said to Tolo News. For the past two weeks, clashes have been underway in parts of Nijrab to regain control over the district, however, Afghan security forces have been successful in fighting the Talibani forces. As per Afghan forces, the Taliban has not been able to make any progress so far. A huge number of residents have been replaced from the area, due to violent clashes. In another win, the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces were successful in re-capturing the Kaldar district of Afghanistan's Balkh province. Since May, the Taliban has taken control of Afghanistan's crucial border crossings with Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan. As per the claims made by the Taliban it still holds control in over 400 districts in the country. Over 1500 insurgents killed in last one week: Afghan Defence Forces Apart from this, Afghanistan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) Tuesday, said, Over 1520 Taliban insurgents were killed and more than 800 injured in a total of 154 military operations conducted over the last one week. ANDSF spokesperson General Ajaml Omar Shinwarai said a total of 1,528 insurgents were killed during operations conducted in 20 provinces. Sixteen militants were also taken hostages, Shinwarai said as reported by ANI. The Aghan defence operations included land operations, airstrikes, and artillery shells. The ANDSF spokesperson has also accused the Taliban of killing 14 civilians and injuring nearly 30 more during the previous week, as per a report by ANI. "The forces have been out of defensive stance and are currently in an offensive one. During the operations conducted in 20 provinces, 16 terrorists were taken hostages," he added. General Shinwarai also informed that a large number of ANDSF operations were suspended in order to prevent civilian casualties in the country. (With ANI Inputs) Image: AP/PTI Despite having crunches in procuring COVID-19 vaccines and other healthcare equipment, Bhutan has still inoculated almost 85% of its eligible population with the second dose of coronavirus vaccine. According to a report by AFP, it has successfully injected as many as 4,54,000 shots in the last week after receiving a large consignment of vaccines from neighbouring countries as a part of a humanitarian gesture. Terming the achievement of a small country with such healthcare facilities, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) hailed the efforts made by the foreign countries for securing COVID-19 vaccine for the country having a 7.63 lakh population. UNICEF hails Bhutan's 'success story' Applauding the success story of the nation, UNICEF's Bhutan representative, Will Parks, affirmed that the world needs such an exemplary environment where the neighbouring countries donate the healthcare equipment or vaccine if they have it in abundance amount to those who have limited resources. The UNICEF representative also hailed the commitment of the king and his leadership in achieving the 'next to impossible task' with such limited healthcare resources. India had supplied 5.5 lakh vaccines India has already supplied around 5.5 lakh vaccine doses to Bhutan in two batches. However, it halted the donation to its neighbouring country after New Delhi had witnessed a sudden surge in the COVID-19 case in early May this year. While reacting to the donations from India, Bhutanese Foreign Minister Tandi Dorji said the Indian government had assured Bhutan that it would provide the half-million AstraZeneca vaccines required for the second dose to achieve full immunization. However, apprehending the current situation, he said the nation would not be going to pressurise New Delhi for the supply of vaccines, as it is in greater need. Despite not having diplomatic relation with Bhutan, the US helps Bhutan in the fight against coronavirus Meanwhile, at least 5,00,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine gifted from the United States had arrived at Paro International Airport in Bhutan earlier this month. Despite not having any diplomatic relations with Bhutan, it has donated essential health equipment to Bhutan, including 110 oxygen cylinders, more than 17,000 N95 masks, medical machinery and vehicles, and 15 state-of-the-art ventilators which are in use at hospitals throughout the country. It has also provided more than $1 million to strengthen the country's healthcare system, contribute technical assistance, and increase laboratory testing capacity. (With inputs from ANI) (Image Credit: PTI ) More than 1,000 demonstrators gathered around one of Haiti's most notorious gang leaders on Monday to commemorate slain President Jovenel Moise. The crowd was mostly dressed in white as they cheered on Jimmy Cherizier, a former police officer who now leads G9, a federation of nine gangs whom officials have blamed for a spike in violence and kidnappings in recent months. Everyone needs to wait on my order before we respond to the killing of Jovenel Moise, said Cherizier, who goes by the name of Barbecue" and whom police say is behind several recent massacres that targeted civilians living in communities run by other gangs. He was wearing a white suit and black tie as he spoke to the crowd at the seaside slum of La Saline in the capital of Port-au-Prince. A nearby truck played music as Cherizier knelt down before a large portrait of Moise and began to light candles. No justice, no peace! he said. Earlier, the crowd sang as they made a circle around a bonfire and threw salt into it as part of a ceremony to honor Moise. Many had their faces covered so as not to be identified. Moise was shot several times during a July 7 attack at his private home in which his wife was seriously injured. At least 26 people have been arrested, including 18 former Colombian soldiers. Police are still looking for various suspects including a former rebel leader and an ex-Haitian senator. IMAGE: AP (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) A week after three top police officials were arrested in connection with the assassination of Haiti President Jovenel Moise, authorities on Monday confirmed the arrest of Moise's general security coordinator. According to a report by AP, the police officials suspect the role of Security chief Jean Laguel Civil in the assassination of the Haiti President, as no gunshots were fired by the security commandos at the time of the incident. "This was in order to ascertain "how the attackers were able to reach President Jovenel Moise without any of his keepers being injured in the deadly attack," said Haiti Director-General Leon Charles. Apart from the Haitian presidential security chief, a high court judge also arrested Meanwhile, Reynold Georges, lawyer of Civil, has termed the arrest of the general security coordinator, a "politically motivated" move. It wasnt immediately clear if Civil had been charged with anything. The authorities have also reportedly issued a warrant for a high court judge whose role has also been under scrutiny as he has been fired by the assassinated President. On July 7, Haitian President Jovenel Moise, who ruled Haiti for more than four years was assassinated at his private home during a highly coordinated attack by an extremely trained and heavily armed group. His wife, Martine, who was injured in the attack, returned after being released from a hospital in Miami on Sunday. Protestors demand justice for slain President Subsequently, supporters of the Moise took to the street and marched a violent protest at several parts of the country. On July 22, Thursday, protests in Cap-Haitien turned violent as gunshots rang out while supporters of the slain President blocked roads and demanded justice. John Jovie, a protestor who was standing outside a church with a group of 7-8 men threatened more violence if wealthy members of the elite from the capital of Port-au-Prince showed up for the funeral ceremonies. "We ask them not to come to the funeral. If they come, we will cut their heads off. We will bring our guns out of hiding. We want justice for Moise," said the protestor. Meanwhile, police have arrested at least 26 people been including 20 former Colombian soldiers. Amid this turmoil, designated Prime Minister Ariel Henry--a neurosurgeon and former Cabinet minister-- sworn as the new prime minister on July 20, Tuesday. After taking the charge of the Prime Minister, he promised to re-establishing the law and order situation of the country in order to instil confidence among the citizens. Earlier, it was speculated that the first lady might take the charge of next Haiti President after she had a surprise return from the hospital. Who was Moise? The soft-spoken Moise seemed like an unlikely politician. According to the reports published in local media outlets, his father was a small-time farmer and his mother helped sell their crops and worked as a seamstress. Mouse won the 2015 presidential vote. However, the results were thrown out following allegations of fraud. Later, he won the November 2016 elections. He took office in February 2017. (With inputs from AP) (Image Credit: AP) The controversy surrounding the March 2021 fire at Lolldaiga Conservancy in Laikipia County of Kenya has taken a fresh new twist after Kenya prepares to sue the British army for the fire allegedly caused due to activities by the soldier. The fire is said to have destroyed over 12,000 acres of land at the privately-owned wildlife sanctuary. The conservancy is home to several animals including some endangered species. Earlier on March 31, 2021, the African Center for Corrective and Preventive Action (ACCPA) sued the British troops after the fire killed villagers and wildlife animals. The group had filed a petition for compensation at the Environment and Land Court in Nyeri to be paid by the British Army Training Unit in Kenya (Batuk) for the havoc caused to the lives of the fire in the conservancy. As a result of the respondents actions, millions of tonnes of carbon emissions have been emitted into the ozone layer which is likely to cause irreparable loss and damage to the environment, the petition read. Furthermore, they had also demanded the British Army Commanding offer to bear the responsibility of restoring the destroyed wildlife. The lawsuit was filed with the consent of about 1000 local residents around the sanctuary. No acknowledgment of lives lost According to BBC, a local Linus Murangiri plummeted death when he rushed to douse the fire at the Kenyan sanctuary. However, his death has not been acknowledged by the Kenyan government or the British Army. Although there is no evidence that British Army was directly involved with the death, his wife told BBC that she wants a quick probe into the matter to let the world know how her husband died. Thick plumes of smoke filled the sky, locals recall Explaining the momentum of the inferno, locals told BBC that 'thick plumes of smoke filled the sky,' which made it difficult for the residents to relocate. While many residents suffered burning eyes, some had to be admitted to the hospital due to choking after smoke inhalation. The area 'smelled like barbecue' presumably due to the death of animals, said another resident under the condition of anonymity. However, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) denied any claims of any cattle deaths. Meanwhile, the British High Commission refused to speak on the "ongoing court case" even after an internal investigation was conducted to determine the quantum of damage rendered by the fire. The Lolldaiga conservancy is about 49,000 acres of hilly bushland with a backdrop of the ice-capped Mount Kenya. It is a chunk of the Laikipia plateau. Allegedly, hundreds of thousands of acres of land were seized by the British during the colonial era, which has lead to land disputes which continue to this day. A few kilometers to the south of the conservancy are the newly remodeled Nyati Barracks, a 70m facility also known as British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk). The facility hosts thousands of British troops every year for massive exercises in Lolldaiga, which offers ideal conditions for harsh environment training. At least 57 people were presumed dead after a country-made boat capsized off Libyas coast on Monday. According to a report by AP, all those who died were migrants who sought a better life in Europe. While explaining the disaster, a spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration Safa Msehli said that the vessel had left the western coastal town of Al-Khums on Sunday. She informed that there were at least 75 migrants on board, including women and children. She also added that 18 were rescued by the locals and fishermen. It is worth noting that the incident of July 27 was the second ocean disaster in less than a week. Earlier on July 21, Wednesday, at least 20 migrants died after the boat carrying migrants overturned midway. A shipwreck off #libya claims at least 57 lives today after a boat capsized near Khums. According to survivors brought to shore by fishermen and the coast guard, at least 20 women and two children were among those who drowned. pic.twitter.com/QXqs1Oc7kx Safa Msehli (@msehlisafa) July 26, 2021 "Those who were rescued by the fishermen belonged to Ghana, Nigeria and Gambia. The boat capsized after it had encountered a problem in the engine," said Msehli and added that the bad weather further fuelled the boat in capsizing. More than 1,100 migrants die while crossing the deadliest sea route According to the report, migrants leaving African countries has seen a steep spike in recent months. A report by Amnesty International has found that more than 7,000 people were caught while leaving the country through the sea route. All of them were forcibly returned to Libya, and have been living in detention camps since then. The report also said as many as 1,146 people lost their lives between January and June this year while crossing the boundaries of Libya, with the Central Mediterranean route between Libya and Italy being the deadliest. Libya migrants forced to leave the country after 2011 The report submitted by Amnesty International marked the April 2021 incident as one of the 'deadliest' as it had claimed the lives of 130 people. The international non-governmental organization that focussed on human rights noted that the ship had sent multiple distress calls before being completely submerged. Libyan maritime authorities confirmed that one of their coast guard vessels had fired warning shots at a migrant vessel. They said it was an effort to stop the boat from crossing into Europe. The deadly sea route has become a major transit way for people trying to reach Europe by boat following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. (With inputs from AP) (Image Credit: Pixabay) New Delhi, Jul 26 (PTI) The next two to three months will be crucial for Afghanistan's future and India supports a political solution that could be in the form of a broad-based power-sharing agreement with the continuation of the current system of governance for stability in the war-torn country, people familiar with the developments said on Tuesday. As the Taliban continues its offensive, Pakistan has been keeping open its supply lines as well as tactical and logistics support to the outfit and is even allowing treatment of injured Taliban fighters in Pakistani medical facilities, they said. According to India's assessment, the security situation in Afghanistan could deteriorate further as the Taliban may step up its offensive after the complete withdrawal of US troops by August 31. They said India and several other countries believe that the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) are capable of defending the country and they are looking for international support to deal with the Taliban offensive. India has been supporting the current government headed by President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul and helping it "in whatever way we can", the people cited above said, adding New Delhi is working on "multiple tracks" and engaging with all the stakeholders. Afghanistan has been witnessing a series of terror attacks and large-scale violence by the Taliban as it looked at expanding territorial control after the US started withdrawing its forces on May 1. With the US withdrawing majority of its forces, the Taliban have made rapid gains taking control of several border crossings and rural areas, triggering mounting global concerns and hectic parleys among leading players like Russia, India, the US, Iran and several other countries. The best-case scenario, according to India's assessment, would be a power-sharing pact and in absence of such an agreement or understanding, there is a possibility of Afghanistan plunging into a civil war, the people cited above said. "If there is no power-sharing deal, then there is a possibility of Afghanistan plunging into a civil war," said one of the persons cited above. The people said the Taliban, gaining from its experience of 1996, would not want to capture power militarily as it will deny them international recognition and legitimacy. The Taliban has not attempted to capture urban centres, cities and towns as such a military take-over may come in the way of the outfit gaining international legitimacy, they said. "Not all countries are on the same page (on a solution to the Afghan problem) but all of them are worried about the possibility of a military takeover by the Taliban and overall security scenario. They do not want chaos," the person said. On India's engagement in Afghanistan, they said it is in touch with all the stakeholders, adding the Taliban is not a monolithic organisation and has many factions, some of whom have a different approach to the whole situation. They said India supports a political solution that could be a broad-based power-sharing agreement with the continuation of the current system of governance based on the Afghan Constitution. According to India's assessment, the security situation deteriorated following the drawdown of the US forces and subsequent focus by the Taliban on capturing as many areas as possible in rural Afghanistan. The people said the Taliban may possibly be waiting for the drawdown to be completed for launching the next phase of the offensive. The US plans to complete the troops' withdrawal by August 31. "We expect a change of strategy by the Taliban after August when the withdrawal of troops will be completed," said one of the persons cited above adding, capturing the urban areas will not be easy for the outfit. They said though the Taliban claimed to have control over 80 percent of areas in Afghanistan, India's assessment is that it is in the range of 45 to 50 percent. Even if the Taliban comes to power, it will not be easy for it to control the whole of Afghanistan, they said. They said the Afghan security forces are reorienting their strategy and majorly focusing on eight to ten key cities. The Doha peace process is running very slow and the Taliban is buying time to strengthen its territorial control. They said India is concerned over terrorists from the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) joining hands with the Taliban. As the situation deteriorated in Afghanistan in the last few weeks, India has been in touch with leading international players as well as the Afghan government on the overall developments in the country. India has been a major stakeholder in the peace and stability of Afghanistan. It has already invested nearly USD three billion in aid and reconstruction activities in the country. India has been supporting a national peace and reconciliation process which is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled. PTI MPB RT RT (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Kathmandu, Jul 26 (PTI) Two Indian nationals have been arrested in eastern Nepal for illegally carrying Indian currency notes worth more than Rs 2-lakh, police said on Monday. Atul Kumar, 34 and Sandip Singh, 35, both residents of Lucknow who were carrying Indian bank notes with denominations of Rs 500 and 100, were nabbed from Materuwa Chowk of Biratnagar Metropolitan City on Saturday, according to the Nepal Police. The police arrested the duo during a regular security check as soon as they entered the country from the southern border. They seized from them 417 Indian bank notes of Rs 500 denomination and 21 bank notes of Rs 100 denomination. The police handed them over to Internal Revenue Office. It is illegal to carry Indian currency worth more than Rs 25,000 without special permission in the country. PTI SBP MRJ MRJ (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Thai authorities began transporting some people who tested positive for the coronavirus from Bangkok to their hometowns on Tuesday for isolation and treatment to alleviate the burden on the capital's overwhelmed medical system. A train carrying more than 100 patients and medical workers in full protective gear left a station in the city's northern outskirts for the northeast. It will drop off patients in seven provinces, where they will be met by health officers and taken to hospitals. Bangkok has run short of ICU beds and other hospital beds for COVID-19 patients at public hospitals. On Monday, officials said they had asked for army medics to help out at civilian hospitals. "These patients are from Bangkok who haven't received treatment in hospitals. We want to bring them to doctors in their hometown. And the traveling process is controlled all through the journey," said Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul who watched the operation. He said they would continue with the initiative until all patients without hospital beds in the capital had been moved and that buses, vans and even aircraft might be deployed to send people back to less badly affected provinces. Thailand initially kept coronavirus cases in check but outbreaks have flared in recent months. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's government is facing harsh criticism over its handling of a delta variant-fueled surge and slow vaccination program, amid reports that people died in the streets or in their homes while waiting for treatment. Medical authorities in Bangkok said Monday that all ICU beds for COVID-19 patients at public hospitals were full and that some of the sick were being treated in emergency rooms. Of the nearly 500,000 total confirmed cases and more than 4,000 fatalities, 137,263 cases and 2,176 deaths have been in Bangkok. Nearly 80% of Bangkok's 4,451 beds for COVID-19 patients are occupied by people with mild or no symptoms. Hospitals are beginning to adjust by urging such patients to agree to isolate at home or in community isolation centers. The number of beds for people with moderate symptoms is due to be quadrupled and the number of intensive care units to increase to 80 from just 60 now, the government's Center for COVID-19 Administration said. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) People in Chile can now travel abroad if travellers are fully vaccinated against coronavirus, authorities said Monday. The move ends a travel ban imposed in April when the country was coping with a surge of COVID-19 cases. Chilean authorities llifted the restriction after a sustained decline in new cases and the high number of people vaccinated - currently 79% of the target population. Officials said people eligible to travel abroad should be vaccinated and have a mobility pass, a document for local transit for those who have received both shots. Chile's borders are still closed to foreign visitors. The country has reported 35,026 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) US President Joe Biden on July 26 met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi and said that the bilateral relations between both the nations were in a new phase that would include the end of US combat operations in the Middle Eastern nation. Alongside Iraqi PM at the White House on Monday, US President said that the country is committed to our security cooperation" and will "to continue to train, to assist, to help, to deal with ISIS as it arises." He said, Our role in Iraq will be as a dealing with not its just to be available, to continue to train, to assist, to help, and to deal with ISIS as it as it arrives. But were not going to be, by the end of the year, in a combat mission, Biden said in a joint press conference. Today, I met with Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi of Iraq in the Oval Office. We reaffirmed our commitment to expand cooperation through new initiatives focused on education, health, and climate as well as support for Iraqs democracy and strengthened rule of law. pic.twitter.com/wxtqizA3U7 President Biden (@POTUS) July 26, 2021 The US President also pledged Americas support for Iraqi elections in October and said that Washington is working closely with Baghdad, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the United Nations to ensure the elections are fair. Meanwhile, Kadhemi said that the US and Iraq have a strategic partnership. Iraqi PM said, America, they help Iraq. Together we fight, fight and defeat ISIS...Today, our relationship is stronger than ever -- our partnership in the economy, the environment, health, education, culture and more. Its a great honour to be here today with our American friends. We have strategic partnership. Im happy to be here in Washington to discuss the future of our nation and how to improve this relation between our two countries, Kadhemi also said. US combat mission in Iraq Coupled with Bidens withdrawal of the last remaining US troops in Afghanistan by August 31, after over 18 years, US President and Iraqi PM have confirmed the US troops fate in Iraq. Bidens latest affirmation that American soldiers will leave the nation by the end of the year, marks the completion of US combat missions in the two wars that then US President George W Bush began under his leadership. Presently, as per reports, there are 2,500 US troops in Iraq with an aim to tackle the Islamic State. Now, Americas role in Iraq would drastically shift to only training and advising the Iraqi military to defend itself. IMAGE: @POTUS/Twitter A red siren perched atop a small towns volunteer fire department sounds every night at 6 p.m., sending a piercing noise echoing through the ranches and towns of northern Nevadas Carson Valley including Dresslerville a community governed by the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California. To Serrell Smokey, the tribe's chairman, the sound is a reminder of racism and violence inflicted upon Native Americans a "living piece of historical trauma with an enduring legacy. He requested officials in the town of Minden silence the region's last remaining siren last summer. Its not just about the siren, he said. The siren is a reminder to a lot of people out here, especially in Dresslerville, of that past, he said of the tribal community just 5 miles (8 kilometers) south, where stories of brutality have been passed down through generations. Minden is one of what experts believe were thousands of American communities where discriminatory sundown laws were in effect, either through formal ordinances or unwritten rules enforced with intimidation and injury. The town siren has blared since 1921. Until 1974, it served as a warning to non-white people that they were required to leave town before the sun faded behind the rugged mountaintops of the Carson range. To members of the Washoe Tribe, the siren is inextricably linked to the ordinance, Smokey said. Elders remember seeing law enforcement jailing Native Americans and residents attacking non-white people. "Those sirens are a reminder of that history, and the fact that they are still used indicates that our present is not so far removed from its past, said Heather OConnell, a Louisiana State University sociologist who has studied the correlation between historic sundown ordinances and contemporary inequality. A nationwide reckoning over racism in the United States erupted last summer following George Floyd's murder and sparked protests in large cities across the country. And in small, mostly white towns like Minden, it revived a 15-year-old debate over the siren and whether it should be silenced. In 2006, county officials turned off the siren hoping to improve relations with the Washoe. But it was sounding again two months later following backlash from locals. As consolation, Minden passed an ordinance describing the sirens intent as honoring first responders. The siren earlier this year drew interest from state lawmakers, along with the Riders Against Racism, a group of San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe mountain bikers. The organization gathered 13,000 signatures to petition to silence the siren, and held a ride through historic Washoe lands from the town to the shores of Lake Tahoe. In June, the state banned sirens, alarms and bells historically associated with sundown ordinances as part of a new law that also directs school boards to replace racially discriminatory mascots. Minden fought the passage of the law. Some residents in the town of about 3,200 people have referred to efforts to shut off the siren as cancel culture. Others have defended it as central to their heritage and likened its sound to a dinner bell a traditional, small-town hallmark that makes the historic ranching community unique. Before Gov. Steve Sisolak signed it into law, town officials told the Reno Gazette-Journal they had no intention of silencing it. They said Minden purchased the siren in 1921 four years after county officials passed the sundown law and therefore it wouldn't be associated per the requirements of state law. Despite disagreement over the siren's meaning, Smokey and Minden Town Manager JD Frisby brokered an agreement in June to start sounding it at 5 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. Dissociating the time of the sound from the historic ordinance, they said in a joint statement, would acknowledge the volunteer firefighters and first responders who have been historically dispatched by the town siren and honor those hurt by archaic sundowner mandates of prior eras. It now rings at 5 p.m. a compromise that many in the tribe have said they're uncomfortable with and will challenge. Frisby attributes the dispute to conflicting versions of history and emphasizes intent over interpretation. He doesn't doubt the siren was used to signal the enforcement of the ordinance but said it was purchased to honor first responders. Nothing hes found in the town archive or other records connects the siren to the sundown ordinance, and he doesn't believe defense of the siren is incompatible with acknowledging the county ordinance's awful legacy. A lot of Minden residents have taken this hard because their fathers and grandfathers were the ones that worked to save up the money to purchase that siren for the purpose of responding to emergencies, he said. Its just unfortunate that because of the proximity in time, its been lumped in with this ordinance. Assemblyman Howard Watts, the Las Vegas Democrat who sponsored the legislation to shut off the siren, said the lingering pain its sound evokes demanded action. He respects the agreement the tribal chairman and town manager reached, but beforehand didn't think the town's effort to clarify what the siren means in their eyes was sufficient. Instead of changing when they rang the siren, they've decided to be more explicit about it being for first responders," he said. "Theres nothing wrong with honoring first responders, but you can do that at any time of the day. Having that siren continue to ring a half-hour before there was an ordinance that indicated to an entire group of people that they were no longer welcome in a community, thats a deeply hurtful thing. Smokey told The Associated Press that the agreement to change the timing of the siren wouldnt be the Washoe Tribes final word on the matter. He said hes told Frisby and tribal citizens many of whom were upset about the agreement that his intention was to secure immediate action. Why do they insist on keeping it? Why have a siren to remind us that were still considered less than people? Washoe elder Ann James Big Goose told the local newspaper, the Gardnerville Record-Courier. She wants the siren shut off. Smokey said tribal members have differing opinions on the topic, with many elders hesitant to reopen wounds and revisit traumatic experiences. Before the state law takes effect Oct. 1, the issue will go before the Tribal Council, which will decide the path forward whether to pursue the siren's removal, a public apology from Minden or another remedy. Smokey said he expects the council to ask for more than moving the time the siren blares. Regardless, he's satisfied to have spread awareness about the region's history. "We cant fix problems if we dont admit we have problems," he said. And were still dealing with the history of everything thats happened. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has left the White House following a meeting with President Joe Biden. Biden on Monday said the U.S. militarys combat mission in Iraq will conclude by the end of the year. He set out a more precise timeline for American forces to formally step back in their fight against the Islamic State organization in Iraq. The plan to shift the American military mission to a strictly advisory and training one by years end with no U.S. troops in a combat role, will be spelled out in a broader communique to be issued by U.S. and Iraq. That's according to a senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the still-unannounced plan. The U.S. troop presence has stood at about 2,500 since late last year when then-President Donald Trump ordered a reduction from 3,000. Biden not say how many U.S. troops would remain in Iraq when the combat mission is formally completed. The troop reduction may not be substantial because of the continuing advisory and training mission. The plan to end the U.S. combat mission in Iraq follows Biden's decision to withdraw fully from Afghanistan nearly 20 years after President George W. Bush launched that war in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Less than two years later, Bush started the war in Iraq. Biden has vowed to continue counterterrorism efforts in the Middle East but shift more attention to China as a long-term security challenge. Al-Kadhimi faces no shortage of problems. Iranian-backed militias operating inside Iraq have stepped up attacks against U.S. forces in recent months, and a series of devastating hospital fires that left dozens of people dead and soaring coronavirus infections have added fresh layers of frustration for the nation. For al-Kadhimi, the ability to offer the Iraqi public a date for the end of the U.S. combat presence could be a feather in his cap before the election. Biden administration officials say al-Kadhimi also deserves credit for improving Iraqs standing in the Mideast. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Washington, Jul 26 (PTI) The US remains committed to helping India recover from its devastating second wave of coronavirus and stands ready to support it until the virus is defeated, a top Biden administration official said on Monday. With 39,361 people testing positive for coronavirus infection in a day, India's total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 3,14,11,262, while the daily positivity was recorded above three per cent after 35 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday. The COVID-19 death toll climbed to 4,20,967 with 416 fresh fatalities. The active cases have increased to 4,11,189 and comprise 1.31 per cent of the total infections. An increase of 2,977 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours, it said. We remain committed to helping India recover from its devastating second wave and stand ready to support our partners until we have defeated the virus, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power said during the swearing-in ceremony for incoming USAID Mission Director for India Veena Reddy. Reddy, who is originally from Andhra Pradesh, made history on Monday by becoming USAIDs first-ever Indian-American India Mission Director. Veena and I also share a bit of history; we both arrived in the United States as immigrants from Ireland and we may or may not still be trying to overcome an Irish brogue, Power said. Veenas journey from Andhra Pradesh to Ireland, then to the United States embodies the best of what we a nation of immigrants has to offer. A determined sense of possibility. A bold vision that paves the way for sustainable and inclusive development around the world, Power said. Indias Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Americas Charge de Affairs at the US Embassy in New Delhi Atul Keshap also spoke during the swearing in ceremony. Power said that Reddys continued leadership in the Indo-Pacific region was an asset, both for the people of India and the United States. Veena brings a wealth of experience to one of USAIDs most complex portfolios. Our longstanding partnership with the government, private sector, and civil society has led to significant reductions in poverty, dramatic gains in public health, and spurred the countrys remarkable economic growth, she said. But like much of the rest of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated long-term inequality and set back efforts to generate inclusive prosperity. In May, India was witness to a truly terrifying spike in COVID-19 cases, peaking at over 400,000 newly-discovered cases a day, Power said. She said the US was quick to spring into action, working with the Department of Defense (DoD) colleagues to send several planeloads of health commodities to the Indian Red Crossnearly 1,500 oxygen cylinders, 700 concentrators, one million rapid testing kits, 2.5 million N95 masks. "We also lent our expertise, working with the government of India to establish oxygen-generating plants at 150 hospitals. And we continue to work with the Government of India on its vaccination campaignthe worlds largesthelping supply doses both through COVAX and bilaterally, she said. A significant component of US' pandemic response efforts and development efforts broadly is increased engagement with Indias robust private sector, she said. Between 2014 and 2019, USAID established 54 private sector partnerships that have leveraged USD 505 million in additional financial resources toward the two countries shared development goals, Power said. Leveraging our resources. Stretching our money further. USAID India can be a model for our development efforts globally, as private sector engagement serves as a powerful tool to implement creative solutions that address the secondary impacts of COVID-19 on the economic, health care, and education systems. "And critically, as Ambassador Keshap said, our partnership with Indias private sector is making headway in clean energy, environmental reform, and in combating the effects of climate change, she said. PTI LKJ MRJ MRJ (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) United States Vice President Kamala Harris is planning a visit to Vietnam and Singapore later this summer, a US official familiar with the issue revealed to Politico. As per the report, the details of the Asia swing still remain tentative and can still be subjected to altercations. As of now, the media publication has stated that Harris trip to Vietnam and Singapore will likely take place in August with the COVID-19 pandemic being part of the agenda. As per the report, the US Vice President office has not yet commented on the matter. The report stating Harris visit to Vietnam and Singapore came after she recently concluded her trip to Mexico and Guatemala with an aim to contain the surging levels of migration from the region. During her trip last month, the US Vice President primarily focussed on the issues such as economic development, food insecurity and womens rights and issues. She even visited the patrol facility near the US-Mexico border and called for a focus on children and imposable changes to tackle the issue of migration. Kamala Harris to tackle migration Pressure had mounted on Harris for several months now to make her first border visit since acquiring vice presidency in January. It had further escalated after US President Joe Biden gave the responsibility of dealing with the diplomatic front of a surge in migration in the US, to the VP. Even though it had been several weeks since Harris was made Bidens point person on dealing with migration, Harris visited the ground zero of the crisis only on Friday (local time). El Paso, where Harris went, was the same place where former US President Donald Trump administrations several discredited policies were unveiled. While speaking from the city, she said last month, It is here in El Paso that the previous administrations child separation policy was unveiled referring to Trump implementing remain in Mexico policy in 2018 that restricted the asylum-seekers from entering the United States until their claims were adjudicated contradicting US law and tradition. US VP said, We have seen the disaster that resulted from that, here in El Paso. Another notable aspect of Harris El Paso visit is that just two weeks prior to the trip, she had dismissed the need for her to visit the border herself. At the time, in Guatemala, the US VP had said that her visit to the El Paso border would be a mere grand gesture in the face of diplomacy required to address the issues such as poverty, corruption and violence that encourages people to flee north in search of both security and opportunities. IMAGE: AP Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email please call (208) 542-6777 for help. We get it. You don't want to see the ads. We'd just ask you to understand that those ads help us pay the bills and our reporters. Please, consider white-listing the Standard Journal in your ad-blocker or, even better, purchase a subscription so that you can help support quality local journalism. A court in Hong Kong on convicted the first person to be tried under a draconian national security law imposed on the city by Beijing of "terrorism" and "inciting secession" after he flew a banned protest slogan from his motorbike during protests against the law on , 2020. Tong Ying-kit, 24, was arrested by a group of police officers as he rode a motorbike at a protest against the law, carrying a flag bearing the words "Free Hong Kong, revolution now!" A panel of three judges, but no jury, found Tong guilty of having incited secession with his banner reading "Free Hong Kong, Revolution now!" The judges found that while the slogan of the 2019 protest movement may mean different things to different people, the fact that it can represent resistance to the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s control over the city was enough to convict Tong. Prosecutors had argued that the "Free Hong Kong" part of the slogan on Tong's flag implied the city needed to be rescued from an enemy, the CCP, while "Revolution now!" implied a rejection of Chinese rule over the city. "We have no difficulty in coming to the sure conclusion that the slogan as at was capable of carrying the meaning of separating [Hong Kong] from [mainland China] and was capable of inciting others to commit secession," the judges said in their ruling. "We are also sure that the defendant fully understood the slogan to bear the meaning of Hong Kong independence and by displaying, in the manner he did, the flag bearing the slogan, the defendant intended to convey the secessionist meaning of the slogan as understood by him to others and he intended to incite others to commit acts separating [Hong Kong] from [mainland China]." The once-ubiquitous 2019 protest movement slogan was banned under the national security law, which criminalizes public criticism of the authorities. Tong appeared calm as the ruling was passed, raising his hand to wave to his family in the public gallery. A woman shouted back "Hang in there! Love you!" Tong Ying-kit arrives at a court in a police van in Hong Kong, July 6, 2020, days after arrest for driving his motorbike into a group of police officers while carrying a flag bearing the protest slogan Liberate Hong Kong." Credit: AP Impact of verdict feared Outside the court, a supporter who gave only the surname Lee said she had worn black clothing and a T-shirt with an image of Tong riding a motorcycle to show her support for him. "It seems that if you're young, you're guilty now," Lee said, adding that she wasn't optimistic about the sentence. "I wouldn't be surprised if he got more than 10 years; they are going to sentence it more harshly because it's the first ever case, and they want to scare the people of Hong Kong," she said. Eric Lai, a Hong Kong law fellow at the Asia Law Center of Georgetown University, said the verdict was arrived at under an unreasonable system, which denied Tong a jury trial. "The court found that Tong Ying-kits actions, his driving, and his behavior towards police officers coupled with his political opinions constituted the crime of terrorism," Lai said. "Such a threshold for conviction is quite worrying." "The scope of crimes that can be regarded as terrorism is [now] quite extensive." He said the ruling will likely also affect judgments in cases not brought under the national security law. Tong, who has been held on remand for nearly a year, with repeated applications for bail and a writ of habeas corpus rejected by judges, pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. A supporter of Tong Ying-kit wears a t-shirt showing an illustration of Tong's act outside the High Court in Hong Kong, following Tong's conviction in the first trial conducted under a national security law imposed by China, July 27, 2021. Credit: AFP First aid kit National security judges Esther Toh, Anthea Pang and Wilson Chan also found that Tong's actions were aimed at "intimidating the public in order to pursue a political agenda," and also found him guilty of "terrorism." "In our view, a blatant and serious challenge mounted against the police force which is charged with the responsibility of maintaining public safety and security, and thus a symbol of law and order, will certainly instill a sense of fear amongst the law-abiding members of the public, in particular, apprehension of a breakdown of a safe and peaceful society into a lawless one. In that event, grave harm would certainly be caused to the society," the judgment said. The defense told the court during the trial that Tong had tried to avoid driving into the police officers, and noted he had in his possession a first-aid kit, far from the action that would be expected of a terrorist. The charges carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The national security law, which saw China's feared state security police set up a headquarters in Hong Kong to oversee "serious" cases, has been widely criticized by governments, rights groups, and lawyers as an assault on Hong Kong's traditional freedoms of speech, association, and political participation. It bans both words and actions deemed "secessionist," "seditious," "subversive," or linked to "terrorism," as well as speech that is critical of the Hong Kong government or the CCP, on pain possible life imprisonment. On Jan. 6, 2021, 53 pro-democracy activists and former opposition lawmakers were arrested for "subversion" under the law after they held a democratic primary designed to maximize their chances of winning seats in the Legislative Council (LegCo). The authorities responded by postponing the election and arresting those who took part in the primary. Of those arrested, 47 currently await trial on "subversion" charges, with 12 granted bail -- some only after several months in detention -- and the rest remaining in prison pending trial. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. State media have been told to focus on heart-warming rescue efforts by the People's Liberation Army. Flower offerings are shown at barriers set up at the Shakou Road Station of the Zhengzhou Metro, where city residents died in July 20, 2021 flooding. Authorities in the flood-hit Chinese province of Henan are preventing relatives and supporters from laying public wreaths for those who died in the Zhengzhou flood disaster of July 20, RFA has learned. Officials set up barriers at an entrance to the Shakou Road station on Zhengzhou's No. 5 Metro Line, as mourners got ready to mark the seventh day after the deaths of people trapped in trains, stations, and tunnels as the waters swept through the city. At least 69 people have died in the Henan floods so far, with five reported missing, government officials said. Some of the floral offerings for the dead were inside the barrier, and people arriving later grew annoyed and pushed the barrier aside, saying it was preventing the souls of the dead from finding their way home. Further barriers were set up by Tuesday lunchtime -- seven days after the tragedy -- by construction workers guarded by police. An employee who answered the phone at the Zhengzhou Metro said the two-meter barriers were there for reasons of "traffic safety." "Floral offerings are allowed," the employee said. "The barriers mean that people need to place their flowers within a certain area, so it doesn't affect passing traffic." "The concern is that they will walk along the edges of the road, but it's not a huge issue." A Zhengzhou resident surnamed Zhou said the authorities had acted inappropriately. "Offering flowers is a comfort to the victims' families," Zhou said. "We did this spontaneously, and it didn't affect the traffic or the cleanliness of the city." Zhou said he believed that the death toll was being played down, amid growing public anger of the lack of action to protect city residents following meteorological warnings, and reports that the floods were caused by a discharge of waters from a failing dam upstream, with warnings to local officials arriving hours after the floods had descended on the city. Local journalist Hong Tao said state-run media had been ordered to focus on the People's Liberation Army (PLA)'s role in the province-wide rescue effort, after the floods left millions cut off from road supplies, or with limited supplies of food and water. 'Public opinion management' The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s propaganda department has an ongoing program of directives and "public opinion management" strategies aimed at ensuring that the government's view is the only one available during breaking news stories. Around half a million people have been evacuated after tens of thousands of homes were destroyed in the floods, which came after unprecedented rainfall in mid-July. "The government is doing public opinion management ... all we can see [on state-run media] is 'nothing to see here, move on'," Hong said. "They won't let us see what is going on, and they stifle the voices who should be heard." Much of the relief effort is being financed by private donors, rather than through official relief recipients like the Red Cross, an official said. "Organizations like the Red Cross don't have a good reputation," a Red Cross employee surnamed Yang said. But he said the government was countering private fund-raising by requiring people install an "anti-fraud" app on their phones, to track the source of funding. A resident of Henan's Jun county said the danger from further flooding is still ongoing. "The floods are quite bad right now," the resident, who gave only a surname, Wu, told RFA. "There are places where the water is overflowing from the ... Wei river, and the water levels in our village are high, which is a bit dangerous." "One person was washed away," she said. "There is water on all sides now, so it's bad." "None of the villages near us have been evacuated, and we have been told by the army not to evacuate, but to stay home," Wu said. "If nothing happens, that's fine, but it'll be pretty major if something does happen [here]." Repeated calls to the Henan provincial flood control headquarters rang unanswered during office hours on Tuesday. Foreign journalists harassed The Foreign Correspondents' Club of China (FCCC) hit out on Tuesday at the harassment of foreign journalists covering the aftermath of the floods in Zhengzhou. "In one particularly alarming incident, Henans Communist Youth League asked its 1.6 million followers on Chinese social media site Weibo to report the whereabouts of BBC Shanghai reporter Robin Brant, after he became the target of viral online harassment," the club said via its Twitter account. "Rhetoric from organizations affiliated with Chinas ruling Communist Party directly endangers the physical safety of foreign journalists in China and hinders free reporting," it said. It accused the CCP of encouraging a climate of "growing hostility" against foreign journalists, warning that Chinese journalists working for foreign news organizations often bore the brunt of official persecution and online harassment. At least 20 foreign journalists have been expelled or forced to flee China in the past year or so, while Australian TV anchor Cheng Lei and Bloomberg journalist Haze Fan are currently detained on unspecified national security charges. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Political parties condemn the move as the militarys lame excuse to justify its takeover. Myanmars junta has annulled the results of the countrys 2020 election, which saw Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD) party win in a landslide, drawing condemnation from political parties who condemned the move as illegal and said they will not honor it. The military-appointed Union Election Commission (UEC) announced the decision late on Monday evening, claiming that more than 11.3 million ballots had been discounted due to fraud and other irregularities during the Nov. 8 vote. Among alleged irregularities, the commission said the deposed NLD government had assigned members of the UEC sub-commission at Myanmars state and regional levels, election authorities allowed voters to cast ballots without presenting their national identification cards, voters cast multiple ballots under the same name, and the NLD election victory committee members were part of a commission in charge of gathering early ballots. The announcement was posted on the website of the juntas Information Committee under the name of Thein Soe, the chairman of juntas UEC. Myanmars military seized power on Feb. 1 in a coup detat, arresting Aung San Suu Kyi and other top member of the NLD leadership. The junta has provided no evidence to back up its claims of voter fraud and has violently responded to widespread protests, killing 934 people and arresting 5,370, according to the Bangkok-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). Several of Myanmars political parties rejected Mondays announcement, arguing that it ignores the will of both the voters and the candidates who they say won in a free and fair election. Candidates from 10 political parties won parliamentary seats in the 2020 election, although the NLD party took the clear majority with 396. NLD lawmaker Phyu Phyu Thin, secretary of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Representative Committee (CRPH) shadow parliament, told RFAs Myanmar Service that the election results cannot be annulled without appropriate legislation. Citizens across Myanmar and people around the world already knew that the election fraud accusations were just a lame excuse to make way for the military coup. Besides, given the fact that they came to power through a military coupan unjust methodthey lack the legitimacy to cancel the election results and we will not accept the announcement, she said. We are already working with ethnic armed groups and civil society groups to eliminate the military dictatorship from Myanmar, once and for all. So, we dont need to take their announcement seriously. They planned it all along Sai Nyunt Lwin, chairman of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) party, said his partys candidates won 42 parliamentary seats in Shan State through a free and fair contest. We didnt have any connections to the election commission members or local authorities. We didnt have any ties to the persons in charge of the polling stations. The only people we communicated with were our voters, he said. Those who didnt like our party voted for other parties. We feel sorry that they canceled the election results after we won the third-most seats in the parliament among all political parties. We feel bad and we dont like that they canceled the results. Similarly, Phae Than, a leader of Arakan National Party (ANP), which won several seats in Rakhine state, echoed concerns that the junta was using the claims of fraud to justify its takeover. We can see that they planned it all along. We know that their intention is to abolish the NLD party and they are now actively trying to do that. Whether their actions are fair or not, we can judge them on their intentions alone, he said. Nonetheless, I do believe that canceling the election results of all constituencies for the entire country is unreasonable. If they can prove that voting fraud occurred in specific constituencies, they could have canceled the results of those constituencies. Now, other candidates who won the election fairly are paying the price. It is completely unreasonable. Attempts by RFA to contact Dr. Nandar Hla Myint, the spokesperson of the military proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which won 71 seats in the 2020 election, went unanswered Monday. The USDP, made up of retired army officers, refused to accept the results of the 2020 elections and its calls for a new vote set the stage for the military coup. The junta has said it will hold another ballot in a year. Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. Already grappling with a deadly third wave of COVID-19 infections in a health crisis made worse by chaos from the military coup, southern Myanmar was inundated by severe flooding over the weekend that hampered the efforts of healthcare workers and aid groups. Heavy rains battered the southern states of Kayin and Mon and Tanintharyi region beginning on Sunday, impacting as many as 3,000 people. More than 100 in Kayins Hlaingbwe had to be evacuated, according to a relief official from the area. No deaths have been reported. In Mon states Ye, Kyaikmaraw and Chaungzon townships, the rising Thanlwin River limited movement and frustrated efforts to treat patients infected with COVID-19, An Nu, a resident of Mawlamyines Shwedaung ward, told RFAs Myanmar Service. It is raining heavily right now. Cars and motorbikes are useless now. Houses that are level with the roads are all flooded, he said. Daily wage earners living hand to mouth are in big trouble. They now must rely on donations from well-wishers. An Nu said that despite the high number of COVID-19 infections in the area, people are being forced to shelter alongside patients in flooded homes, putting them at risk of catching the coronavirus. Nay Myo Aung, chairman of the Ramanya Emergency Relief Association, said no arrangements could be made for flood victims as his organization is too busy treating COVID-19 patients and cremating the dead. Today we are distributing meal packages to about 60 households, but the water is still rising. We cant set up relief camps yet. People just have to stay in their flooded homes and so we are sending meal packets because they cannot do any cooking, he said. We dont know what the governments plan is or what to do now. Should we go to the rescue of flood victims? Should we carry on with the burial of those who died with COVID-19? We also have to deal with providing treatment to COVID patients as well. Were too busy. Myanmar is struggling with a devastating third wave of COVID-19 infections, the number of which rose Monday to a total of 274,155 since the countrys first recorded case in March last year. The official monthly infection rate has jumped from around two percent of those tested in April 2020 during the first wave to 23 percent earlier this month, and at least 7,507 have died in the country. Meanwhile, the countrys hospitals are operating at maximum capacity and turning away all but the most seriously ill. Others must settle for treatment at home, but shortages have left families scrambling to secure basic medical supplies, including the oxygen they need to keep their loved ones alive. Efforts to control the spread of COVID-19 in Myanmar were dealt a serious blow when the countrys military seized power on Feb. 1, claiming that a landslide victory by the NLD in the countrys November 2020 ballot was the result of voter fraud. The junta has provided no evidence to back up its claims and has violently responded to widespread protests, killing 934 people and arresting 5,370, according to the Bangkok-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). Tens of thousands of people, including many healthcare professionals, have left their jobs to join a nationwide Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) in opposition to junta rule. Dr. Aung Naing Oo, a lawmaker from Chaungzon township, said the floods have worsened the situation for people suffering from COVID-19. Its affected the transportation of oxygen and patients, as well as the operation of factories in the state. This flooding has totally exacerbated our problems. When contacted by RFA Nai Latima, a junta official in Mon state, referred calls to the central government. Southern Myanmar often receives heavy rain at this time of year and flooding can be mitigated if proper steps are taken, but authorities have failed to make the necessary preparations, relief groups say. Flooding in Hlaingbwe, in Myanmar's Kayin state, July 26, 2021. Citizen journalist Oxygen plants in Rakhine state As the weather complicated efforts to control the spread of COVID-19 in Kayin and Mon states and Tanintharyi region, civil society groups pushed forward on Monday with plans to build oxygen production plants in Rakhine state, which had been devastated by deadly ethnic violence in recent years. Relief groups say the number of COVID-19 deaths has risen dramatically in the Rakhine capital Sittwe and townships of Mrauk-U, Kyauktaw, Sittwe, Minbya, Pauktaw, Buthidaung and Maungdaw in recent weeks, prompting them to turn to donors for assistance because they can no longer afford to wait for the junta to deal with the crisis. Oxygen has been in greater demand during this third wave and its lack of availability has led to more deaths, said Zaw Zaw Tun, who is working to set up an oxygen plant in Sittwe. The authorities are inefficient. If the virus becomes more contagious, there will be more deaths. So, we are now working together to meet the needs of the people through the cooperation of the people. Hla Myint, chairman of the Maungdaw Oxygen Plant Construction Committee, said people of different religions had agreed to work together to overcome the epidemic. There are three religions in our city: Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism. While their beliefs are different, the people can only overcome their problems if they work together, he said. With that belief in mind, we have mobilized them, and they are deeply involved ... People of all religions come to hospitals for medical treatment. So, we came up with this idea [to produce our own oxygen]. The oxygen plant in Maungdaw is expected to be completed within 45 days and will be able to produce 80-120 40-liter cylinders per day. The family member of a COVID-19 patient told RFA that her loved one died due to a lack of oxygen at Sittwe General Hospital on July 19. We heard they had enough oxygen at the hospital, so we went with full confidence that he could be saved, the family member said. What we actually experienced was that our patient ran out of oxygen during the night and died in the morning. RFA contacted Rakhine State Health Department director Dr. Kyi Lwin by telephone Monday, but he refused to comment. Aung Naing Lin, a doctor at Maungdaw Hospital, said more than a dozen patients are currently receiving oxygen and that it would be difficult to take in more people. COVID-19 is a disease that requires a lot of oxygen for treatment. If there are more than 20 patients in one hospital, it wont be easy to get them all enough oxygen, he said. Hla Thein, a junta official in Rakhine state, was not immediately available for comment Monday. A post to his Facebook account said that around 125 oxygen tanks had been delivered to the Sittwe, Kyaukphyu and Maungdaw hospitals, as well as the Military Hospital in Ann township, and that work in underway to produce 60 cylinders a day in Thandwe township. On July 22, Rakhine state authorities and Maj. Gen. Htin Latt Oothe head of the juntas Western Commandannounced that they planned to take over the construction of an oxygen plant being built by civil society groups in Mrauk-U, resulting in an angry backlash by residents. Civil society groups say there are currently 10 oxygen plants constructed with the help of donors in Rakhine state. The Rakhine State Public Health Department said that as of Monday, 110 people have died from the third wave of COVID-19 in the state, while 2,204 people have been infected. Chinese vaccines in Wa region Another area of Myanmar where people are taking COVID-19 prevention into their own hands is in the rebel-controlled Wa region of northeastern Shan state, along the countrys border with China, where officials told RFA that nearly everyone has been inoculated with vaccines provided by Beijing. Nyi Yan, the spokesman for the United Wa State Army (UWSA) said that the Chinese government provided medical assistance to people in the region because of longstanding ties between the Wa and China, as well as to prevent a possible spread of COVID-19 across the border. We have been working on vaccination programs throughout Wa State for a long time, he said. Almost everyone has been given their shots. Vaccinations were carried out right down to the grassroots level. A lot has been done. As far as I know, the vaccines were from China. Wa officials said that the first dose of the two-shot vaccine had been rolled out in May and the follow-up jab in June. They did not provide the name of the vaccine or any detailed statistics. Nearly 500,000 people live in the Wa region, meaning that the Chinese government would have had to provide residents with a million vaccinations. An official with an unnamed ethnic armed group told RFA that the Chinese government had in the past few months provided ethnic groups active along the border with Chinese-made Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines with the help of the UWSA. Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. Cambodia extends pandemic subsidies for poor as Laos deals with thousands of infected migrants. Vietnam has rescinded a recent endorsement of 12 traditional medicines as effective treatment against COVID-19 after promotion of the herbal remedies by the countrys health ministry caused an outcry among experts. Nguyen Truong Son, the deputy health minister, issued a dispatch on bolstering COVID-19 prevention measures with traditional medicines and herbal products on Saturday--only to recall it Monday after it created a backlash among pharmacists and started a storm on social media over the weekend. Son explained the withdrawal saying that it had some inappropriate content that the ministry spotted only after publishing the dispatch. According to the VietnamPlus online newspaper, after seeing the dispatch, experts and pharmaceutical industry employees expressed anger that many of the listed supplements and products do not work on COVID-19. Nguyen The Thinh, the head of the Traditional Medicine Administration, told state media Monday that his organization assessed that the herbal products, donated by companies for the fight against the pandemic in the northern Bac Giang and Bac Ninh provinces, were safe. Son had earlier said that traditional medicine had been used effectively in Bac Giang Province. Manufacturers raised the prices of some of the supplements on the list on July 19, five days before Sons dispatch was issued. A man living in an area under lockdown receives food through a barricade during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam July 20, 2021. Picture taken July 20, 2021. Credit: Reuters Not a curfew Vietnams economic hub and largest city Ho Chi Minh City banned the public from going outside between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. each day, but maintained that the order was technically not a curfew. This isnt a curfew. People shouldnt misunderstand this regulation, Nguyen Thanh Phong, chairman of the citys peoples committee, told a committee meeting Sunday. After publishing a report Sunday with the headline, Ho Chi Minh City Imposes a Curfew from Tomorrow Night, the VnExpress online newspaper updated it to Ho Chi Minh City Requires Residents to Not Go Out After 6 p.m. Vietnam had been among the most effective countries in tackling COVID-19, reporting no deaths among its 99 million people through late July 2020an outcome attributed to effective contact tracing, strict quarantines, and early testing. Since then, four separate waves of the virus swept over the country. On Monday Vietnam reported 7,882 new confirmed cases, bringing the total to more than 100,000, according to statistics from the Ministry of Health. Of the countrys 106,347 confirmed cases, 102,576 tested positive during the current outbreak, which started on April 27, 2021. On Monday the ministry recorded 154 COVID-19 related deaths between July 8th and 25th, 129 of which occurred in Ho Chi Minh City, the current epicenter. A total of 489 of the countrys 524 COVID-19-related deaths have occurred during the current outbreak. Though the ministry did not disclose the ages of the deceased patients, it said most were elderly with long-lasting underlying conditions, including cancer, diabetes, blood diseases, high-blood pressure and hepatitis. Three month extension for poor Cambodians The Cambodian government announced a three-month aid extension for the nations poor starting at the end of July, following a report from the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation saying the government so far has spent nearly US $400 million for more than 650,000 poor and vulnerable families. Civil society groups, however, said that the coronavirus relief cash has not been sufficient and has not reached many people who deserve the aid. Lach Sok Khay, a former massage therapist, who lives in a rented room in the capital Phnom Penh, told RFAs Khmer Service she receives more than 140,000 riels (US$35) per month from the state, but this money does not cover her basic expenses because she has many family members, and each has lost their jobs. She intends to ask the government to increase her subsidy or increase her food aid until she can find work again. Yes, I want Samdech Hun Sen to help with money or food, so we have enough to live on. When we get relief from COVID-19 we can find ways to help ourselves, she said, using an honorific for the prime minister. Cyclo driver Chan Thea, shares donated food and supplies from a cyclo community pantry with people working along the streets during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, July 19, 2021. Picture taken on July 19, 2021. Credit: Reuters Others who live in rental units have never received any funds from the state. Heng Sopheaktra, a cyclo driver in Phnom Penh, told RFA he received donations of rice, fish, fish sauce and dry noodles in late April, the only time he got aid from the state. The poor people I know have never received state-funded aid. I know this because I meet them every day, he said. RFA on Monday attempted to contact the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation Spokesman Toch Channy for comment but he could not be reached. Watchdog organizations have urged the government to continue to support the poor and find more means to help them. Yean Reaksa, a board member of the Women's Association for Society, told RFA that the COVID-19 crisis is still severe in Cambodia, and it has caused people to completely lose their income, while electricity, clean water and other essential needs remain very expensive. We are still concerned that the aid distributed to the poor is not enough. The peoples need is real, said Yean Reaksa. I hope the state understands this and can take all necessary action for the people in dire need, she said. The Ministry of Social Affairs started providing subsidies to citizens registered as impoverished and carrying a poverty equity card in June 2020. On average, poor families in rural areas receive a subsidy of 200,000 riels ($50), while in Phnom Penh, they can get an average of $80. Cambodias Ministry of Health, which has a goal of vaccinating 10 million people out of the countrys total population of 16.5 million, announced that it had vaccinated nearly seven million so far. As of Monday, the ministry recorded 22 new COVID-19 related deaths, bringing the total to more than 1,300. It confirmed nearly 800 new cases, more than half of which contracted the disease outside of the country. More Lao migrants return home Laos Labor and Social Welfare Department estimated Monday that 200,000 Lao migrant workers have returned home from Thailand, including 70,000 in the last month and a half. Our province receives an average of 300 Lao workers from Thailand a day and their rate of infection is high, up to 30 percent, Santiphab Phomvihane, Governor of the southern province of Savannakhet told local media on Sunday. Right now, were opening three more quarantine centers. The largest one in Nonsa-ath village in Kaisonephomvihanh district can house up to 10,000 people, he said. Dr. Phonpaseuth Xayamoungkhoun, deputy director general of the Communicable Disease Control Department, told a news conference Monday that all the newly confirmed cases on Monday were migrants who had returned to Laos from Thailand. Today, we tested 1,344 samples and found that 223 of them were positive for COVID-19, he said. Of the new cases, 119 appeared in Savannakhet, with 37, 31, and 19 in the nearby provinces of Champassak, Saravan, and Khammouane. The capital Vientiane had 16 new cases, while Borikhamxay to the capitals east had one new case, Phonpaseuth Xayamoungkhoun said. Laos Deputy Prime Minister Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune, chairman of the Lao National Taskforce for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, told a news conference on Sunday that 1,324 Lao workers returned home the previous day, with a total of 9,083 returned migrants housed in 49 quarantine centers in the country. Peter Haymond, the U.S. Ambassador to Laos, at a ceremony commemorating Washington's donation of 1,008,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine on July 16, 2021. Credit: U.S. Embassy in Laos A Vientiane health official told RFAs Lao Service that the government began registering people on Monday for the coronavirus vaccine manufactured by Johnson & Johnson. I know that many people are waiting for these vaccines. The vaccination will be conducted at the provincial and district hospitals nationwide, the official said. Last week, Peter Haymond, the U.S. ambassador to Laos, said that Washington had provided 1,008,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to Laos through the COVAX initiative. As of Monday, Laos has confirmed a total of 4,985 cases and five deaths. The country has partially vaccinated 1,062,000, and fully vaccinated 828,000, of its 7 million people. Reported by RFAs Vietnamese, Khmer and Lao Services. Translated by Anna Vu, Sok Ry Sum and Max Avary. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Bosnian Serb political representatives have announced a boycott of all major institutions in Bosnia-Herzegovina over a decision last week by the outgoing UN high representative for Bosnia to ban genocide denial. Branislav Borenovic, one of the opposition leaders in Republika Srpska, the Bosnian Serb entity in the country, announced the boycott at a press conference on July 26, saying it would take effect on July 27 and would affect Bosnias joint presidency, the parliament, and the government. Nedeljko Cubrilovic, president of National Assembly of Republika Srpska, said the representatives of the parties will not participate in the work of the institutions or make decisions until the matter is resolved, according to RFE/RLs Balkan Service. We will not live in a country where someone can impose a law by simply publishing it on his website. Under the 1995 Dayton agreement that ended Bosnias 1992-95 war, two entities -- a Muslim-Croat federation and the predominantly Serbian Republika Srpska -- are held together by the joint central institutions. The Serb politicians move comes in reaction to amendments to Bosnia's Criminal Code imposed on July 23 by the top international envoy overseeing implementation of the peace agreement, High Representative for Bosnia Valentin Inzko of Austria. The amendments prohibit the denial of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes and introduce prison sentences of up to five years for genocide deniers and for any glorification of war criminals. Inzko, who has the authority to impose decisions or dismiss officials, explained the move in an open letter saying that there is no reconciliation without the recognition of crimes and without responsibility. The decision immediately drew an angry reaction from Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of Bosnias joint presidency, and on July 26 he reiterated his opposition to the decision. We will not live in a country where someone can impose a law by simply publishing it on his website, Dodik said. Dodik said over the weekend that Inzkos decision should serve as a final push for secession of Bosnian Serb lands from the rest of the country. Dodik also reiterated his claim that the 1995 Srebrenica genocide in which some 8,000 Muslim men and boys were slaughtered by Bosnian Serb forces did not take place. The massacre has been deemed genocide by various verdicts of both the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Inzko's decision came only a week before the end of his term. After 12 years in office, Inzko is prepared to hand over to Christian Schmidt, a German, on August 1. Russia and China are challenging Schmidt's appointment at the UN. With reporting by AP and AFP About 1,000 Hungarians took to the streets of Budapest on July 26 to protest over allegations that the government used Israeli-made Pegasus spyware to illegally spy on public figures in Hungary. Drawing comparisons with the country's communist past, the protesters gathered at the House of Terror Museum in the capital, which commemorates victims of Nazism and communism. They then marched to the headquarters of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's governing Fidesz party, with some chanting "Victator!" Hungary's government is at odds with many other European Union member states over rule-of-law and democracy issues. It has not commented on the allegations about the use of the spyware other than to say that Hungary's intelligence-gathering is conducted lawfully. A report by a group of 17 international media organizations and Amnesty International this month said that the Pegasus spyware, made and licensed by the Israeli company NSO Group, was used in attempts to hack smartphones belonging to journalists, human rights activists, and government officials in several countries. That investigation concluded that the digital devices of some 300 individuals were targeted by the spyware in Hungary, including at least 10 lawyers and five journalists. Based on reporting by Reuters and AP Analysts say economic desperation and growing frustration in Iranian society have led to angry demonstrations around the country that began with people protesting water shortages in the southwestern province of Khuzestan. "If the society wasn't hopeless, it wouldn't take to the streets. It wouldn't react. Its dissatisfaction wouldn't result in protests and it wouldn't be able to raise its voice," Tehran-based sociologist Saeed Madani told RFE/RL's Radio Farda. Thousands of people have protested water shortages in recent days caused by a severe drought and exacerbated by years of state mismanagement of Iran's natural resources and poor planning in oil-rich Khuzestan, where residents -- including its large ethnic Arab minority -- have long complained of second-class treatment. The province is home to some 80 percent of Iran's oil fields and 60 percent of the country's natural-gas reserves. But its residents say they don't benefit from its wealth while facing pollution, the destruction of their wetlands, and water shortages that have devastated agriculture and livestock. Authorities say more than 700 villages in the region face difficulty accessing water and that many residents only receive water via tanker trucks dispatched by the government. The government responded to the protests in Khuzestan with force and by disrupting the Internet, according to local sources and the group Netblocks, which monitors worldwide Internet access. That tactic is used by Tehran to prevent protesters from organizing as well as to restrict the free flow of information and hide the extent of its crackdown. Amnesty International said on July 23 that security forces had used "deadly automatic weapons, shotguns with inherently indiscriminate ammunition, and tear gas" to disperse protesters. At least eight protesters and bystanders, including a teenager, were killed in the crackdown in different cities across the province, according to the London-based rights group, which also said dozens of protesters and activists, including many ethnic Arabs, had been rounded up in mass arrests in the province. 'Innocent And Thirsty' The protests in Khuzestan that erupted on July 15 and lasted for nearly a week prompted citizens in other provinces and cities to take to the streets to express solidarity with the people in Khuzestan while venting their anger at the clerical establishment and its highest authority -- Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei -- whom protesters called a dictator. Many journalists, lawyers, dissidents, artists and other Iranians have recently issued statements and comments in support of Khuzestan while condemning the crackdown. A group of activists, including prominent rights advocate Narges Mohammadi, were detained for several hours on July 20 after staging a peaceful gathering outside the Interior Ministry to express their concern over the use of force against the "innocent and thirsty people" of Khuzestan. Protests were reported on June 26 in Tehran and Karaj, west of the capital, where citizens chanted slogans against the Iranian establishment and its leaders -- namely Khamenei -- while also expressing support for the people of Khuzestan. "The mullah must get lost," chanted protesters in Tehran, according to online amateur videos, while in Karaj demonstrators called for unity "from Karaj to Khuzestan." Tehran Deputy Governor Hamidreza Goodarzi confirmed that a protest had taken place in the city while saying that the reason was a "lack of electricity." His claim was met with criticism and sarcasm on social media by those who highlighted the antiestablishment chants by protesters. "Let's assume that you're right and that the protest in Tehran was over electricity cuts. What a miserable establishment [it must be] that when there's a power outage or the subway is late, [people] chant against its highest authority and [question] the whole system," Tehran-based activist Hossein Razzagh said on Twitter. The protests in support of Khuzestan have also been reported in Isfahan, Tabriz, Bojnourd, Saghez, and other big cities, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reported. "The society's voice is loud. Khuzestan has a loud voice," sociologist Madani said, adding that Iranians want to be heard. He added that the country's middle class -- which has been shrinking due to the deteriorating economy under crippling U.S. sanctions -- does not want to see violence. "The middle class avoids violence and it believes that change should come from a nonviolent path," Madani told Radio Farda. 'Intensifying The Fault Lines' Many Iranians signaled their discontent with their leaders by boycotting the country's June presidential vote that resulted in the election of hard-line cleric Ebrahim Raisi following the strict disqualification of hundreds of hopefuls, including any potential serious rivals. The 48.8 percent turnout in the vote was the lowest ever in the Islamic republic, which was established in 1979. The vote was the first for president since the brutal state crackdown on antiestablishment protests in November 2019 that were sparked by a steep rise in the price of gasoline. At least 300 people were killed by security forces, according to Amnesty International. The government's mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic and a slow vaccination campaign has also led to frustration among people amid a surge in the number of COVID-19 deaths and infections due to the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. Hatam Ghaderi, a professor of political science in Tehran, said that a continuation of the current path of irrationality could lead to a collapse of the Iranian establishment. "Social gaps are expanding. If they are not controlled and the unreason [by the establishment] continues, then [in the long run] they can lead to a collapse," said Ghaderi. "The Islamic republic is intensifying the fault lines," he added. Angry protests against water shortages and deteriorating economic conditions in Iran are continuing to expand, a day after demonstrators in Tehran made a rare display of open discontent with the country's Islamic leadership. Late on July 26, protesters in the city of Karaj, the capital of Alborz Province, chanted "Death to the dictator," the same slogan that was heard earlier in the day in the capital, as well as, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, we are all together" and, "From Karaj to Khuzestan, unity, unity." The spread of protests comes as Iran struggles through another wave of the coronavirus pandemic and the economy continues to suffer under strict U.S. sanctions, while the consequences of the drought have been exacerbated by poor water-management policies that have hurt agriculture and left reservoirs in the country with little water. The demonstrations began on July 15 in dozens of towns and cities in Khuzestan, an oil-rich province that has a large ethnic Arab population, amid the worst drought in Iran in at least 50 years, which has triggered weeks of power blackouts in several parts of Iran. RFE/RL's Radio Farda cited videos posted on social media from Karaj on July 27 showing large numbers of protesters gathering around a highway bridge chanting, "Reza Shah, bless your soul," in reference to former Iranian ruler Reza Shah Pahlavi, the founder of the modern Iranian state, and chanting slogans against the paramilitary Basij forces. Reza Shah Pahlavi, who died on July 26, 1944, was the father of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last imperial ruler of Iran who was overthrown by the Islamic revolution of 1979 led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the predecessor of the current supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Radio Farda also reported that medical staff at the Khomeini Hospital in Karaj chanted slogans such as, "Death to the dictator" and, "Enough promises, our table is empty." The protests in Karaj came after videos and texts posted on social media indicated that a protest rally was also staged during the morning of July 26 on Jomhuri Islami Avenue in central Tehran -- the first indication that the discontent has spread to the capital. Tehran's Deputy Governor Hamidreza Goodarzi confirmed that the protest had taken place, saying the demonstration was over a "lack of electricity." RFE/RL reported that demonstrators in Tehran also expressed support for protesters in Khuzestan and other Iranian cities who have staged defiant rallies over water shortages. In one video from Tehran, protesters expressed discontent with the conservative Islamic clerics who control political life in Iran, chanting, "Cannons, tanks, fireworks, mullahs must go." In other videos, young demonstrators chanted, "Shame on Khamenei, your country" and, "Let go!" Still others chanted, "Neither Gaza, nor Lebanon, I sacrifice my life for Iran." That slogan has been chanted for decades by those who oppose the Iranian government's policy of providing financial aid and weapons to Palestinian militant groups and Hizballah fighters in Lebanon. Thousands of workers in Iran's oil industry also have launched strikes for better wages and working conditions. Several demonstrators have been shot dead across Iran in the protests, prompting rights groups to urge the Iranian regime to curb the repression against those protesting. "The systematic impunity that continues to take lives in Iran must end," Amnesty International said in a short video posted on Twitter on July 27, calling on the UN Human Rights Council to establish a mechanism to investigate the crimes. The London-based rights watchdog accused the regime of unlawfully using live ammunition, birdshot, and tear gas against protesters. It put the number of dead in Kuzekhstan at eight protesters and bystanders, including a boy. Earlier, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the deaths were the result of the apparent use of "excessive force" by Iranian authorities. HRW has urged Iranian authorities to transparently investigate the reported deaths and to deal with those were responsible for the violence. Iranian authorities have a very troubling record of responding with bullets to protesters frustrated with mounting economic difficulties and deteriorating living conditions, Tara Sepehri Far, an Iran researcher at HRW, said. With reporting by Reuters and IRIB ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Thirteen Kazakh opposition and rights activists, including four women, have gone on trial for their alleged links with the banned opposition Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK) movement and its associated Koshe (Street) Party. The trial started on July 27 in a district court of the Central Asian nation's largest city, Almaty. Subscribe To RFE/RL's Watchdog Report Watchdog is our curated digest of human rights, media freedom, and democracy developments from RFE/RL's vast broadcast region. In your in-box every Thursday. Subscribe here. All of the defendants were charged with taking part in the activities of extremist organizations, while 10 of the men and women in the group were additionally charged with organizing the activities of extremist groups. Due to coronavirus precautions, the trial is being held online. Kazakh human rights organizations have recognized four of the defendants -- Diana Baimaghambetova, Askhat Zheksebaev, Noyan Rakhymzhanov, and Qairat Qylyshev -- as political prisoners. The Qaharman human rights foundation called the trial "a persecution of activists for taking part in peaceful protests, calling for rallies, criticizing Kazakhstans authorities, supporting political prisoners and their relatives, defending human rights, and demanding immediate release of all political prisoners." In recent years, many activists across Kazakhstan have been handed prison or parole-like sentences for their involvement in the activities of DVK and the Koshe Party, as well as for taking part in rallies organized by the two groups. DVK is led by Mukhtar Ablyazov, the fugitive former head of Kazakhstans BTA Bank and an outspoken critic of the Kazakh government. Kazakh authorities labeled the DVK an extremist group and banned it in 2018. In early July, Human Rights Watch criticized Kazakh authorities, saying that they had targeted at least 135 people across the country with criminal investigations and prosecutions for alleged participation in banned extremist political opposition groups. Human rights groups in Kazakhstan say at least 300 men and women in the tightly controlled former Soviet republic were convicted for having links with DVK and Koshe or taking part in events organized by the two outlawed groups. Human rights groups have said Kazakhstans law on public gatherings violates international standards as it requires preliminary permission from authorities to hold rallies and it prosecutes organizing and participating in unsanctioned rallies, even though the nations constitution guarantees its citizens the right of free assembly. Kazakh authorities have insisted that there are no political prisoners in the country. BISHKEK -- The jailed leader of Kyrgyzstan's opposition Turan party, Jenish Moldokmatov, has started a hunger strike to protest his incarceration. Moldokmatov's aide, Erlan Bekchoro, told RFE/RL that Moldokmatov started his hunger strike on July 26 after he was informed about an additional charge against him of organizing mass disorder. Moldokmatov, an outspoken critic of President Sadyr Japarov, was arrested in May for the alleged seizure of buildings during anti-government rallies against the official results of parliamentary elections last October. Moldokmatov has rejected the charge, calling it politically motivated. Moldokmatov was one of the candidates to the Kyrgyz parliament in October who, according to official results, lost the election. He took part with thousands of others in the mass protests following the election in Bishkek. The rallies led to the resignations of the government and then-President Sooronbai Jeenbekov. Japarov was among several prominent politicians freed from prison by protesters during the unrest. He had been serving a 10-year prison sentence for hostage-taking during a protest against a mining operation in northeast Kyrgyzstan in October 2013. He maintains the charges against him were politically motivated. Japarov easily won the January presidential election. Moldokmatov's arrest on May 6 came three days after Japarov signed into law constitutional amendments approved by a nationwide referendum in April that has been criticized by his opponents as a move to concentrate more powers in his hands. An RFE/RL investigation into live webcam sites has exposed how young women employed by them are subject to abuse, blackmail, and even rape. At least two cases ended in suicide. We spoke to multiple people who have worked in webcam studios in Kyrgyzstan -- a hub in a multibillion dollar global industry. They lift the lid on dark practices and allege collusion from senior officials. Warning: Viewers may find the content of this video disturbing. BISHKEK -- Meerim and Ajara had just started their first year in university in Kyrgyzstans capital, Bishkek, when the two young women stumbled upon an opportunity to make some money on the side. Ajara saw an ad on Instagram looking for young, attractive women. "They told her you just needed to exchange messages with people online, show them your underwear, nothing else. And they offered good money," Meerim, 22, told RFE/RL on the condition that we use pseudonyms for her and Ajara. The two friends began working at one of the dozens of webcam studios in Bishkek, interacting with clients from all over the world who pay them to chat, undress, and often perform sexual acts on camera. And at first, the money was good. "In the first month I received around $1,000, and Ajara got even more. She got around $3,000. The second month was also well paid. But then it was cut. They started paying us about $600 each," Meerim said. Thats when the trouble started. The two friends, Meerim alleges, became victims of blackmail by their employers. Within a year, Ajara had taken her life. Meerim and Ajara are at the center of an investigation by RFE/RLs Kyrgyz Service, known locally as Radio Azattyk, into the webcam industry in Kyrgyzstan, which serves as a regional hub in a multibillion-dollar global industry. The investigation lifts the veil on the abuses -- including blackmail, rape, and doxing -- that young Kyrgyz women are subjected to while trying to make ends meet working for live webcam sites in the Central Asia nation, where, according to the World Bank, nearly one-third of the population lives in poverty. Radio Azattyk spoke to multiple young women and other sources previously or currently involved in the webcam industry in Kyrgyzstan. The sources include a number of men involved in recruiting women, filming them, and communicating with clients. All of them agreed to speak only on the condition that their identities remain hidden due to fears of exposure to family and friends. And many of the women who have suffered abuse fear going to police who, according to several sources, often provide cover for the studios. "I found several women who said they were afraid of going to the police because the police often extort money from these girls," Aleksandra Titova, a journalist at the Kyrgyz news site Kloop who has reported extensively on Kyrgyzstans webcam industry, told Radio Azattyk. 'Find Inexperienced Women' The global webcam industry generates billions of dollars annually, according to industry players and studies. In Central Asia, Bishkek and neighboring Kazakhstans economic capital, Almaty, have emerged as the regional hubs for webcam studios. Karachach Shakirova, a journalist with the Kyrgyz news site Radar.kg, which works closely with the Kyrgyz Interior Ministrys press service, estimates that between 4,000 and 5,000 young women in Kyrgyzstan are working for webcam sites. Some of the women work from home, with the studios providing logistical support and sometimes providing money for their rent. Others work on-site from premises rented in the city by the studios. A single building might house up to 30 young women simultaneously, with some studios providing free room and board for the women, according to Taalai, a former manager and recruiter at a Bishkek studio who agreed to speak to RFE/RL under a pseudonym. "In the studio where I work, we have 30 girls, but only five make decent money. The main thing is to put the models on salary. Here we have one model, she agreed to a [monthly] salary of $235. But she earns us at least $2,000 a week," said Taalai, who currently works as a cameraman at a webcam studio. Other industry players in Kyrgyzstan corroborated Taalais account, saying most studios take 50-70 percent of the earnings that the women bring in. Taalai says he prefers to find young women from rural areas. "You need to find inexperienced women who don't understand anything. You give them a little bit of money, a couple of hundred bucks, and they work," he said. Taalai said he is increasingly working more with women based either in Almaty or on the outskirts of Moscow. "Bishkek is too small, and its already become difficult to find young women ready to work," he said. For Meerim and Ajara, Kyrgyzstan was dangerously small for their short-lived stints as webcam sex workers. 'She's Bluffing' Unlike the young women recruited from rural Kyrgyzstan, Meerim and Ajara were not new to Bishkek, but they were in debt and afraid to tell their parents. Their waitressing jobs did not pay enough and the webcam work seemed like an answer. Meerim described Ajara as "outgoing, charismatic, and lively," and said she moved seamlessly into her new job. "She had regular customers and I think she was earning more than anyone else [at the studio]. At the time, we didnt know how the system worked. It turns out that in reality we were earning a lot more money and they were only paying us a salary," Meerim recalled. When the friends began complaining about their pay cuts around the third month of their employment, the studio administrators allegedly responded by threatening to leak their intimate videos and personal information. Meerim says a female manager at the studio said she had a phone number for Ajara's boyfriend. "Ajara is stubborn. She said, She doesn't have his number. She's bluffing. I don't know how she did it, but it turned out she had all the contacts from Ajara's phone. She must have downloaded them somehow. And then she sent him several videos on WhatsApp," Meerim recalls. Attempts to locate and contact the female administrator who Meerim identified by the name Damira were unsuccessful. Meerim said Ajara and her boyfriend had a falling out and "ended their relationship," and that Ajara was "under huge stress." "I tried to calm her down, to speak to her. But I was terrified myself that my photos or videos could be leaked. They could be sent to my parents or friends. I deleted all my contacts and accounts: Instagram, Facebook, VKontakte. I even changed my phone and got a new SIM card," she said. Meerim says that she and her friend did not speak for "a long time" after that. "Then, when I decided to phone her and met her, I almost couldn't recognize her. She was lost, tired. And then, in the summermy parents said that Ajara had hanged herself. So, they buried her," Meerim told RFE/RL. "Imagine: She was just 19 years old." Police Protection Meerim says she and Ajara felt unable to seek help from the police, fearing exposure. Kyrgyz police regularly report raids on what they call "porn studios," resulting in small fines for the women and the camera operators present. Three sources told RFE/RL that the owners of webcam studios in Kyrgyzstan typically enjoy high-level protection. "It's better if you have cover in the financial police. Because if there is no legal business and the financial police notice transfers to your account, every week $10,000-12,000, then they would immediately start checking," Taalai, the former recruiter for and administrator of a Bishkek studio, told RFE/RL. The Kyrgyz government disbanded the countrys financial police in March, handing their responsibilities to the Interior Ministry and the State Security Service. Kyrgyz authorities have opened several criminal cases for blackmail of women working for webcam sites, most of which were settled out of court. Some have resulted in fines or suspended sentences. Kyrgyzstans Interior Ministry said in a statement that "it has not been confirmed that police officers are connected to the work" of webcam studios. "If such cases are identified, they will be investigated by the Internal Investigations Department. The ministry is obligated to inform the public about the results of such investigations," a ministry spokesman said. "Webcam studios have predominantly been discovered in the city of Bishkek. The Interior Ministry and other organs are constantly working to identify new studios," the spokesman added. A key hurdle for webcam workers in Kyrgyzstan is the absence of a legal infrastructure regulating the profession. Raids on webcam studios often result in fines for administrators and the on-camera performers, who are charged with distributing pornography. Titova, the Kloop journalist who has investigated the Kyrgyz webcam industry, believes the business should be legalized and subject to taxes, thus providing greater oversight and protection for women working in the business. "But Id also like to appeal to young women: If someone is blackmailing you, contact journalists, contact the police. Dont be afraid. If you have protection, you can defend yourselves. Dont give in to a blackmailer," Titova said. "As long as he has material in his hands, he will most definitely use it. Emotionally, this is very difficult pressure and its not worth suffering in silence," she added. Telegram Doxing In recent years, Kyrgyz webcam workers have fallen victim to doxing on the popular encrypted messaging app Telegram. Titova uncovered multiple Telegram groups where young men try to discover the identities of women who work in the webcam industry, often with the aim of blackmailing them. There are thousands of men in each group, most of them hidden behind online pseudonyms. These groups were exposed in a documentary by Kyrgyz filmmaker Aziat Jeksheev. "In some cases, it's the same people who control the [webcam] business: the people who have access to all the videos and photos, the people who organize the studios. They are leaking material to the Telegram groups to intimidate disobedient women," Jeksheev told RFE/RL. Jeksheev's film identified Bishkek-based entrepreneur Daniel Ajiev, who was arrested for running a webcam studio in his apartment. Accused of blackmail, he was fined $350 for "making or distributing pornography." In one case, court records reveal how a man discovered a woman's identity via a Telegram group and used it to blackmail her into having sex with him. He was fined and ordered to do 2 1/2 years of community service. When contacted by RFE/RLs Kyrgyz Service, neither the man nor his lawyer agreed to an interview. "These young men who set up these Telegram groups have really set up a business. It's the business of catching girls from these sites," Titova told RFE/RL. The Kyrgyz Interior Ministry did not disclose whether law enforcement agencies are monitoring the Telegram groups. It also provided no information about what, if any, measures are being taken to prevent such crimes from being committed. A Lithuanian court has sentenced politician Algirdas Paleckis to six years in prison after finding him guilty of spying for Russia. The Siauliai district court also ruled on July 27 that businessman Deimantas Bertauskas, who testified against Paleckis, would avoid any criminal prosecution in the case. The Lithuanian Prosecutor-General's Office had sought nine years in prison for Paleckis, a politician who has been known for his pro-Russian views and questioned Lithuania's membership in NATO and the European Union. According to the Prosecutor-General's Office, Paleckis and an unspecified number of other Lithuanian citizens allegedly collected information for Russian intelligence for money between February 2017 and October 2018. Paleckis and several other Lithuanian citizens were arrested in December 2018 and charged with spying for Russia, which caused an angry reaction from Moscow. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at the time that the arrests were "another Russophobic move" and a "reversal of democratic rights and freedoms" in Lithuania. She did not explain the grounds for her statements. Since 2014, when Russia's seizure of Crimea and backing of separatists in a war in eastern Ukraine raised concerns among some other former Soviet republics, Lithuanian courts have convicted several people of spying for Russia or its close ally, Belarus. Based on reporting by Delfi, BNS, and TASS An animated film has been made in Tajikistan reflecting on the controversial case of a 5-year-old girl who was raped and killed near Moscow. Filmmaker Lolisanam Ulugova says she was moved to create the movie after seeing the girl's father in tears. Four years after the events, the case is still going through the Russian courts. DUSHANBE -- When the Taliban captured a strategically important security checkpoint near Afghanistan's border with Tajikistan last month, it assigned a Tajik militant to raise the Taliban flag on the site. The militant goes by the alias Mahdi Arsalon and has a group of fighters from Tajikistan under his command, an eyewitness to the flag-raising and other sources told RFE/RL. The Taliban also put Arsalon and his group in charge of security in five districts the Taliban seized near the Tajik border in recent months, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to personal security concerns. The districts are Kuf Ab, Khwahan, Maimay, Nusay, and Shekay -- all parts of Afghanistans Badakhshan Province. In Afghanistan, Arsalon and other Tajik militants are known as the Tajik Taliban. But in reality they are members of Jamaat Ansarullah, which is banned in Tajikistan as a terrorist group. Jamaat Ansarullah -- also known as Ansarullah or Ansorullo -- was founded by a rogue former Tajik opposition commander a decade ago with the ultimate goal of overthrowing the government in Dushanbe. According to several sources in Tajikistan, Mahdi Arsalons real name is Muhammad Sharifov. Sharifov, 25, was born in the village of Sherbegiyon in Tajikistans eastern Rasht Valley. An officer in the Tajik border guard services told RFE/RL that they received information about two years ago that there was a group of Tajik fighters led by Sharifov fighting alongside the Taliban on the other side of the border. Their number is unknown. The officer confirmed claims that Arsalon is now in charge of security in the five Afghan districts bordering Tajikistan currently controlled by the Taliban. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media. He also said Arsalon has introduced about 200 Tajik militants to the Taliban. They are thought to have taken part in Taliban offensives in Afghanistan's northern Badakhshan Province in recent months where the militant group captured large swaths of territory. Tajik fighters in Badakhshan caught the Afghan authorities attention in November 2020 when footage appeared on social media showing insurgents brutally killing men in Afghan Army uniforms. Some of the militants spoke with a distinct Tajik accent. The video purportedly showed the fall of the Maimay district to the Taliban. Authorities in Tajikistan identified at least 10 of the insurgents as Tajik citizens. Tajik Interior Ministry officials confirmed that Sharifov was among the group. Qadir Safa, the head of Afghanistans Darwaz district, confirmed to RFE/RL that Ansarullah members are active in the fighting in Afghanistan in support of the Taliban. Several of them were killed in fighting in our area and we were able to establish their identities, Safa said. They had married local women. Safa also claimed that Ansarullah recruits fighters from Tajikistan. We had information in the spring that nine Tajik nationals entered Afghanistan through Tajikistans Rushon and Shughnon districts. They joined the Taliban, Safa said. In the winter and spring, many new fighters came from Tajikistan. He added that Tajik diplomats in Kabul have been informed about Ansarullahs activities in Afghanistan. Ansarullah was founded in 2010 by Amriddin Tabarov, who had been a field commander for anti-government Islamist forces during Tajikistan's 1992-97 civil war. Tabarov, also known as Mullah Amriddin, was killed by Afghan government forces in 2015. Initially, Ansarullahs members were former Tajik opposition fighters who refused to accept a 1997 peace agreement between the government in Dushanbe and the Islamist-led opposition. The so-called new generation -- children and relatives of the initial members and supporters -- have since joined the group. Since its creation, Ansarullah has had links with other militant groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Al-Qaeda, and the Taliban. In 2019, two of Tabarov's sons were detained by U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan and extradited to Tajikistan. In August 2019, they were sentenced to lengthy prison terms after being convicted of organizing a criminal group, seeking to overthrow the government, and illegal weapons possession. Taliban Refutes Claims Taliban representatives reject the claims that Tajik nationals have joined the militant groups ranks in Afghanistan. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told RFE/RL that the Taliban is in favor of good relations with Tajikistan and wouldnt allow any group in Afghanistan to attack the neighboring Central Asian country. Mujahid even claimed the Taliban prevented its fighters from firing towards Afghan Army soldiers fleeing to Tajikistan in recent weeks because it didnt want the bullets to land in Tajikistan. But residents of Tajik villages near the border tell a different story. Amirjon Emomalizoda, a resident of the Panji Poyon area, told RFE/RL on June 24 that stray bullets were flying overhead from the other side of the border. Hundreds of Afghan soldiers have fled to Tajikistan in the past two months. Several were treated for their wounds and hundreds were later flown back by Tajikistan to Kabul. The Taliban spokesman was equivocal about reports indicating the Taliban has deployed armed Tajik citizens in areas near the Tajik border. It needs to be investigated. Well look into this, Mujahid said. Weve only recently got these areas under our control. We wont allow foreign nationals to use our name. If we find them, well expel them from our country. Skepticism In Dushanbe But Tajik authorities dont believe the Talibans promises. President Emomali Rahmon ordered the deployment of 20,000 additional troops on the border with Afghanistan. Tajikistan also conducted a nationwide military drill involving some 230,000 troops. Dushanbe also sought assistance from its ally, Russia, in defending its southern borders. Indeed, there weren't any hostile acts from the Taliban toward Tajikistan so far. The Taliban has said it wont harm Tajikistan, a Tajik government official said on condition of anonymity. But we know from our experiences that Ansarullah -- which currently is serving the Taliban -- has many times changed its stance and objectives. No one can guarantee that in the future Ansarullah wont turn its back to the Taliban and attack Tajikistan, the official said. WATCH: Tajikistan Tense As Fighting In Afghanistan Approaches Border According to sources in Tajikistan, Sharifov -- aka Arsalon -- joined Ansarullah about seven years ago. His father, Mirkhoja, was said to be an associate of Ansarullah founder Tabarov, who also hails from the Nurobod district in the Rasht Valley. Officials say Mirkhoja and his eldest son were killed by Tajik security forces during a 2011 raid against local militants in Rasht. That operation targeted and killed local militant leader Abdullo Rahimov, also known as Mullo Abdullo. Sharifov went on to follow his father and elder brothers path. One official source described Sharifov as dangerous and ruthless. According to information we obtained, he can make homemade bombs, can use many types of weapons, and he leads armed groups during operations. Hes taken part in several Taliban offensive in Afghanistans Badakhshan [Province], the source told RFE/RL. In the village of Sherbegiyon in Nurobod, many people remember Sharifovs family. The director of the local school -- who only gave his first name, Aminjon -- told RFE/RL that Mirkhoja didnt allow his six children to go to school. Instead, they received a religious education, he said. Mirkhoja's children only went to regular schools after he died. According to Aminjon, Sharifov was accepted into the seventh grade because of his age, even though he had not ever attended state schools before. After graduating in 2015, he disappeared from the village and no one in Nurobod ever saw him again. Sharifovs mother, Zulqada Yunusova, told RFE/RL that her son went to Russia as a migrant worker in 2015. Six months later, Sharifov told his mother by phone that he was getting a job in a forest where there is no mobile phone reception. "He told me that I shouldnt worry if he doesnt call for some time," Yunusova said. "Nearly seven months passed and I wasnt worried, thinking that hell call me when he finishes his work in the forest. Then, [Tajik] officials came to my house and told me that my son had lied to me and that he had gone to Afghanistan, she told RFE/RL. Yunusova said she last spoke to her son on July 20. She said he is based in Afghanistan, near the Tajik border. RFE/RL also spoke with a former friend of Sharifov who claims Sharifov tried to convince him to join the jihad in Afghanistan. The Tajik man spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons. The man said he first met Sharifov when they worked in Russia and they stayed in contact on WhatsApp until about two months ago. In the beginning, I used to listen to him. He would tell me that there is jihad going on in Afghanistan and that I should join the jihad, he said. "I told him that [Tajik militants] were wrong and that they were wasting their lives for other peoples interests," the man added. "We argued and he then blocked me on WhatsApp." Written by Farangis Najibullah in Prague based on reporting Mumin Ahmadi, Mullorajab Yusufi, and Nigorai Fazliddin President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has replaced the head of Ukraine's armed forces -- a move that comes as Kyiv presses for deeper NATO ties while its seven-year war against Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine grinds on. Presidential spokesman Serhiy Nikiforov said on July 27 that General Ruslan Khomchak will be replaced by General Valery Zaluzhny as the commander of some 250,000 active Ukrainian troops. Nikiforov said it was Zelenskiy's decision to sack Khomchak. He suggested the dismissal was an effort to stem infighting between Ukraine's armed forces and the Defense Ministry. "Volodymyr Zelenskiy has no doubts about Ruslan Khomchak's patriotism, loyalty to his oath, and professionalism," Nikiforov said. "But the president wants to see a synergy between the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Unfortunately, we do not see such synergy. We see, on the contrary, conflicts." Zaluzhny previously headed the Ukrainian northern command. Fighting between Ukrainian armed forces and the Russia-backed separatists has killed more than 13,200 people in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions since April 2014. Zelenskiy has urged NATO to issue a clear "yes" or "no" on a detailed plan for Ukrainian membership in the transatlantic alliance. Moscow recently described Ukrainian membership in NATO as "a red line." U.S. President Joe Biden's administration said last week that Zelenskiy would make his long-awaited first official visit to Washington on August 30 when Congress is on summer recess. A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers responded by calling on the Biden administration to reschedule the visit to allow Congress an opportunity to meet with Zelenskiy, saying the White House appeared to be "play[ing] politics." The original sign for Charlie O's Tavern has been repurposed at the newly opened Charlie O's Tiki Tavern at George's of Galilee. Charlie O's, a local restaurant staple, closed its doors permanently in 2019. Charlie O's owner and founder, Charlie Samaras (middle), celebrates the opening of the Charlie O's Tiki Tavern. WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, delivered an opening statement at Tuesday's hearing with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, to examine the resources and authorities DHS needs to protect and secure the Homeland. In his opening statement, Ranking Member Portman pressed Secretary Mayorkas on the steps DHS is taking to address the ongoing border crisis. Senator Portman highlighted that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents are overwhelmed by the surge of migrants at our southern border as well as the record amounts of illicit deadly drugs, like fentanyl, coming across the border and into the United States. Earlier this month, Portman issued a statement on CBP operational statistics for June 2021 that showed that the United States is experiencing the worst migrant crisis in more than two decades. There were more than 188,000 total encounters at the border in June. Earlier this year, Portman traveled to the southern border in El Paso, Texas, with Secretary Mayorkas, where he witnessed firsthand the ongoing migrant and unaccompanied children crisis, including situations where children were held in close quarters and unable to adhere to CDC distancing guidelines. Portman has made it clear that the Biden administrations border crisis is a direct result of its dismantling of the previous administrations policies with no consideration of the ramifications of removing those policies and how it would incentivize migration. Portman has repeatedly urged the administration to change course and put in place smart policies that address the need for legal and orderly processes for migration and reduce the pull factors that encourage these migrant and young children to make the treacherous journey north, while also securing our borders and protecting the American people. Rocky Mount, NC (27804) Today Showers this morning, becoming a steady rain during the afternoon hours. High around 75F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Periods of rain. Low 66F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Rutland, VT (05701) Today Mostly sunny early then increasing cloudiness this afternoon. High near 75F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 54F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Photo courtesy Tran TranChris Pappan, a 50-year-old Native American portrait artist living in Chicago, has been tapped by Salem leaders and the Massachusett Tribal Council to create a portrait of a Naumkeag leader to be displayed at City Hall. Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. New Direct Flights From San Diego to Take This Summer Sanford, NC (27330) Today Rain. High 72F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Showers this evening becoming less numerous overnight. Low 64F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Close In core samples taken from glacier ice in Tibet, a team of microbiologists discovered 33 distinct viruses dating back to the Pleistocene. They believe the viral communities were active on glacier surfaces before they were frozen. Some of them are still active within the ice cores. The Guliya viruses discovered in the ice cap are assumed to have infected the microorganisms that lived on the same ice. The researchers aren't sure when those infections occurred-whether they were most active before the ice cap arose or only thrived after it did. Their comprehensive study of the viruses' ecology was published in the journal Microbiome recently with the title "Glacier Ice Archives Nearly 15,000-Year-Old Microbes and Phages." Germs Melting Out in Glaciers Due to Climate Change; Should We Worry? The researchers were able to ascribe different bacterial hosts to some of the viruses based on their genomes. According to the researchers, climate change means that germs are melting out of their stasis in the glaciers, which might be harmful in several ways. According to a new study, such melting will not only result in the loss of those ancient, archived bacteria and viruses. Still, it will also release them into the environment in the future. The team's cores were wrapped in plastic and placed in aluminum-encased cardboard sheaths. They were then transported out of the ice cap in freezers by truck, plane, then truck. It's now stored at -22 degrees Fahrenheit. These are presently kept at a chilly -30 degrees Celsius at The Ohio State University's Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center (-22 degrees Fahrenheit). Those cores and the viruses that reside within them are unlikely to pose harm to us. ALSO READ: Life on Mars, Moon? Mystery Viruses Detected in 15,000-Year-Old China Glacier Around 28 of the 33 viruses found in the ice were novel, which means they had never been reported by scientists before. The frozen viruses were from bacteria-infecting viral families. The team identified the viral elements after decontaminating the ice in a multi-step process. After scraping the ice cores' surfaces with a sterilized saw in a lab setting, they cleaned them in ethanol, and water exposed them to UV light. The core samples were then filtered, condensed, and genetic material was sampled. The virus gene sets in a commonly known database from NCBI were compared to the genetic material discovered. Viruses are Designed to Survive Cold Environment Approximately half of the viruses showed genetic markers indicating that they were designed to survive cold ages. "These are viruses that would have thrived in extreme environments," Sullivan said in a press release. "These viruses have signatures of genes that help them infect cells in cold environments-just surreal genetic signatures for how a virus is able to survive in extreme conditions." "These glaciers were formed gradually, and along with dust and gases, many, many viruses were also deposited in that ice," said Zhi-Ping Zhong, lead author of the study and a researcher at The Ohio State University Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, in the same release. "The glaciers in western China are not well-studied, and our goal is to use this information to reflect past environments. And viruses are a part of those environments." On the one hand, there's a potential that melting glacier ice will release active viruses into the world that hasn't been seen since the Pleistocene. On the other hand, frozen biomasses are often in such minuscule numbers that the outside world, rather than the other way around, poses a hazard to them, as reported by Vice. The researchers believe that the resident viruses may still be active in the glacier based on the amount of genetic evidence revealed in the cores. It's also plausible that so much viral material wound up in the ice that enough was available thousands of years later for extraction and sequencing. RELATED ARTICLE: Antarctica's New Heat Record Confirmed: UN Verifies High Temperature at 64.9 Fahrenheit Check out more news and information on Climate Change in Science Times. Close As entrepreneurs race to launch thousands of broadband-emitting spacecraft into orbit, the United Kingdom has developed guidelines to prevent uncontrolled signal interference. Elon Musk's SpaceX and Starlink are launching satellites at breakneck speed in an attempt to blanket the Earth with high-speed Internet, with OneWeb and Amazon following closely behind. Satellite Constellations To Block Other Communications? Ars Technica said that the British communications regulator, Ofcom expressed alarm on Monday that these so-called satellite constellations could block one another's communications. Satellite systems would be scrutinized under the new criteria to see if they could degrade other services or damage competition. Ofcom would disclose details of the licenses it plans to grant, which would necessitate technical cooperation among enterprises, and would give Ofcom the authority to handle cases of interference in the United Kingdom. Changes would be made to the company's limited number of current licenses. The consultation with Ofcom is set to end on September 20, 2021, Ars Technica added. What is a Low Earth Orbit? ESA said that a low Earth orbit (LEO) is an orbit that is quite close to the Earth's surface, as the name implies. It is generally less than 1000 kilometers above Earth's surface. However, it might also be as low as 160 kilometers, a low altitude relative to other orbits, but still a long way above the planet's surface. Musk's SpaceX has already launched thousands of Starlink satellites, as Science Times reported. The billionaire entrepreneur claims that the network will be fully operational by next month, except in the polar areas. CityAm said that OneWeb, one of Starlink's competitors, has launched over 250 satellites and aims to provide broadband to governments and corporations. ALSO READ: Is This $2.2 Billion Radio Telescope Facing Threat from Starlink Satellite Constellations? Ofcom said in their lincensing updates on Non-geostationary satellite systems that they do not think they could solely rely on the International Telecommunication Union framework to effectively deal with all concerns impacting non-geostationary satellite orbit services provided in the U.K. Ofcom is referring to a United Nations agency made up of the world's telecommunications regulators. This update is also reported by Bloomberg. Mega-constellation Sattelites at the Risk of Huge Collisions Meanwhile, reports from The Independent claim that the rapid creation of mega-satellite constellations threatens "possibly hazardous on-orbit accidents frequently." According to the study of Aaron Boley and Michael Byers titled "Satellite Mega-Constellations Create Risks in Low Earth Orbit, the Atmosphere and on Earth," the constellation of satellites proposed by major corporations could deposit more aluminum into the Earth's upper atmosphere. At the same time, untraced and unregulated debris and meteoroids could cause numerous collisions. These are some of the adverse effects on Astronomy that the researchers raised. Furthermore, the same study said that the consumer electronic model provides for fast upgrade cycles and rapid expansions of capabilities and significant increase of discarded equipment. That is because these satellites are mass-produced with minimal backup systems. Similar endeavors are being planned by OneWeb, Amazon, Telesat, and the Chinese state-owned GW, which recently allowed its Long March 5B rocket to fall out of control worldwide. However, despite this commercial interest, current government regulations per The Independent are "ill-equipped to handle large satellite systems." While the likelihood of a satellite colliding with another satellite, whether responsive or non-responsive, is "negligible," and there is little to account for untracked debris, the report added. RELATED ARTICLE: Starlink vs. OneWeb Space Satellite: What's The Difference? Which Offers Faster Internet? Check out more news and information on SpaceX in Science Times. NEW DELHI (AP) U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in India on Tuesday to discuss strengthening Indo-Pacific engagement, seen as a counter to China, as well as New Delhis recent human rights record and other issues. Blinkens visit includes meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior officials on Wednesday, and comes just days after his No. 2 diplomat, Wendy Sherman, was in China for face-to-face talks. Washington has long viewed India as a key partner in efforts to blunt increasing Chinese assertiveness in the region. The U.S. and India are part of the Quad a group that also includes Japan and Australia allies in the region helping deal with Chinas growing economic and military strength. While the Biden administration has indicated it wants a more civil relationship with Beijing, its shown no sign of softening the Trump administrations confrontational measures on trade, technology and human rights. The rights record of India, the worlds biggest democracy, will also be on the agenda, according to comments last week from Dean Thompson, acting assistant secretary for South and Central Asia. Opponents of Modis ruling Hindu nationalist party have accused it of squashing dissent and introducing policies aimed at refashioning a multifaith democracy into a Hindu nation that discriminates against Muslims and other minorities. Modi has also been accused of trying to silence voices critical of his administrations handling of the massive pandemic wave that tore through the country in April and May. India routinely denies criticism of its human rights record and has rejected criticism by foreign governments and rights groups that say civil liberties have shrunk in the country. Thompson said Blinken also will seek Indias support in stabilizing Afghanistan after the U.S. military withdrawal is completed at the end of August. Blinken is set to travel to Kuwait on Thursday. Indias Ministry of External Affairs last week said Blinkens visit is an opportunity to continue the high-level bilateral dialogue and bolster the India-U.S. global strategic partnership. Over the last few years, the ties between the two countries have improved, particularly in terms of their shared interests regarding a rising China. They have steadily ramped up their military relationship and signed a string of defense deals and deepened military cooperation. In March, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met top Indian officials and Modi. Both sides agreed to deepen defense cooperation, intelligence sharing and logistics. His visit was followed by climate envoy John Kerry. STAMATA, Greece (AP) A wildfire north of Athens swept through a mountainous pine forest Tuesday, seriously damaging at least a dozen homes and burning cars before being contained by an intense firefighting deployment, officials said. The blaze prompted authorities to evacuate homes around the Stamata area, 30 kilometers (18 miles) northeast of the capital, while the flames sent smoke over Athens limiting visibility in parts of the city. Eight water-dropping planes and 12 helicopters were being used Tuesday to fight the blaze, joined by more than 300 firefighters on the ground. It was a difficult and dangerous fire, Civil Protection chief Nikos Hardalias said. Fire crews had to operate between inhabited areas and between homes ... The fire is currently receding, but is still burning at several different sites. A leased Russian Be-200ES firefighting plane was used in the effort Tuesday as well as two Greek army helicopters fitted with water-dropping buckets. Residents in the area received cellphone alerts and were being urged to keep doors and windows closed to avoid exposure to smoke and prevent hazardous sparks from blowing inside homes. Authorities said the cause of the fire wasn't immediately clear, adding that local reports of arson were being investigated. Four people were detained for questioning, Public Order Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis said without providing further details. Fires near cities are often blamed on arson to clear forest land for illegal development. The fire department is currently on alert in several parts of Greece with a heat wave expected through Friday with temperatures expected to reach 43 C ( over 109 F) in central Greece. Tuesdays fire was contained following a lull in strong winds. Deadly wildfires in greater Athens three years ago killed more than 100 people and left over 1,000 homes destroyed or seriously damaged. ___ Derek Gatopoulos reported from Athens. Yorgos Karahalis in Stamata contributed to this report. ___ Follow Gatopoulos at https://twitter.com/dgatopoulos and Pitarakis at https://twitter.com/LPitarakis Thank you for reading! You have reached your 30-day limit of free access to SentinelSource.com, The Keene Sentinels website. If you would like to read two more articles for free at this time, please register for an account by clicking the sign up button below. We hope you find The Sentinels coverage of the Monadnock Region valuable. We rely on our subscribers to bring you strong local journalism and hope you will consider supporting our work by taking advantage of this special subscription offer here. Good morning, Bay Area. Its Tuesday, July 27, and Bay Area beaches still saw a pileup of trash last year. Heres what you need to know to start your day. Thick plumes of smoke from Californias largest wildfire helped keep its own growth at bay over the weekend northwest of Lake Tahoe, but officials on Monday said they dont expect that to hold up much longer. The Dixie Fire has burned almost 200,000 acres in Plumas and Butte counties and is only 22% contained. A hot week ahead with a cool foggy layer no longer between scorching sun and the fire threatens to fuel new spread. See dramatic video as remote wildfire camera is engulfed by flames from Dixie Fire. Bay Area, Tahoe forecast: Thunderstorms possible as monsoonal weather rolls in. Coronavirus updates Federal health officials have said the U.S. is now on divergent paths in this pandemic: the unvaccinated vs. the vaccinated, with the former bearing the brunt of serious illness and death. Drawing distinctions between the vaccinated and unvaccinated is key to helping people understand the importance of vaccination, especially with deltas high level of transmissibility, health experts say. It becomes even more critical when looking at hospitalizations and deaths. But some Bay Area health experts worry growing resentment toward the unvaccinated could undermine efforts to reach them and prevent officials from focusing on other interventions, Erin Allday reports. S.F. bar group is recommending its 500 members require vaccine proof for entry. California requires state employees and health workers to show COVID vaccination proof or be tested weekly. Singapore has a very high vaccination rate and uses the same vaccines as the Bay Area does. What does its very high breakthrough rate mean for us? Around the Bay Manuel Balce Ceneta/Associated Press 2014 She did it: Phyllis Gould who successfully pushed for Congressional Gold Medal to honor fellow Rosies dies at 99. Clean up your trash: Here's how much trash volunteers removed from Bay Area beaches last year. Developing story: Business jet crashes near Truckee-Tahoe Airport, killing three. B ig Eyes : Bay Area artist Margaret Keane relieved and happy as painting stolen in 1972 is recovered. Melted influencers: San Francisco's Museum of Ice Cream is no more. Co-governed: With city's blessing, Oakland's unhoused will help run their own homeless encampment. Second City Hall? Council considering opening another in East Oakland. From Joe Garofoli: The California GOP's endorsement process may do harm to Republicans. Chronicle Food Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle Bread was an essential part of the Bay Area food scene long before the pandemic think Boudins enduring sourdough legacy or Tartines coveted country loaves but as diners slowly emerge from a year of false restarts and stops, restaurateurs and pastry chefs are sparing no imagination (or butter) on elaborate new dishes where bread is the focus. Weve followed the bread crumbs and rounded up some of the most exciting destinations for inventive and new bread dishes around the Bay Area. An exciting new Russian restaurant where classic dishes get a modern twist is coming to S.F. Get to know Bulgarian food, a rarity in the Bay Area, through these flaky, cheesy pastries. Bay Briefing is written by Taylor Kate Brown, Anna Buchmann and Kellie Hwang and sent to readers email inboxes on weekday mornings. Sign up for the newsletter here, and contact the writers at taylor.brown@sfchronicle.com, anna.buchmann@sfchronicle.com and kellie.hwang@sfchronicle.com. Former U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer of California was assaulted and robbed Monday afternoon in downtown Oakland. According to a statement from Boxers office, the assailant pushed her in the back, stole her cell phone and jumped into a waiting car. She was not seriously injured. The Oakland Police Department confirmed that at 1:15 p.m., while a victim was walking in the 300 block of Third Street, they were approached by a suspect, who forcefully took loss from the victim, and fled into a waiting vehicle. The incident is currently being investigated, and police declined to release the identity of the victim. The area of the assault is near Jack London Square. The attack took place just hours after Oaklands top federal and local law enforcement representatives pledged to take a tougher stance against criminals to deter violence at a Monday news conference. Law enforcement and Asian American community advocates gathered in response to what police described as two brazen daytime armed robberies in the same location in Chinatown earlier this month. Justin Berton, a spokesperson for Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, said the mayor was deeply troubled to learn of the assault and robbery of Sen. Boxer today. She spoke with the Senators family to extend her well wishes for a speedy recovery and was relieved to learn she was not seriously injured, he said via email. He added that police are working to collect any surveillance images from the area that will assist in their investigation. Boxer, 80, served on the U.S. Senate from 1993 to 2017 and was a U.S. representative in the decade before she became a senator. The Department and Crime Stoppers of Oakland are offering up to $2,000 in reward money for information that leads to an arrest in this case. Anyone with information is asked to call OPDs Robbery Section at 510-238-3326 or the Crime Stoppers tip line at 510-777-8572. Chronicle staff writer Rachel Swan contributed to this report. Emma Talley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: emma.talley@sfchronicle.com Twitter @EmmaT332 Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle A federal appeals court reinstated a lawsuit Monday by a hard-of-hearing prisoner who said that when the batteries on his hearing aid died, officers waited as long as 74 days to replace them. When the batteries first went out in September 2017, Raymond Whitall said, nursing and mental health staff at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad told him they would be replaced immediately, but they werent. He was taken to a hospital, returned to his cell nine days later, and said he learned that the batteries had been available right away but were not provided to him. More than 75 years ago, Phyllis Gould welded warships in Richmond, one of the millions of Rosie the Riveters who helped win World War II. When the fighting ended, the Rosies were largely forgotten but Gould made it her lifes mission to fix that, lobbying every political leader from the White House on down to get more recognition for these women. She was relentless, writing letters and making phone calls, becoming a driving force for the declaration of an annual national Rosie the Riveter Day on March 21. When time finally ran out for her last week, she was helping design the Congressional Gold Medal to be issued in 2022 to honor the Rosies. Gould died on July 20 at age 99 of complications from a stroke. By then, shed become a national symbol not only of the can-do spirit associated with the women who took on work typically done by men who were away at war, but also of the fact that time is running short for all of them. World War II ended in 1945. Surviving Rosies are in their 90s or older. Phyllis is, in modern-day life, as iconic as the Westinghouse poster with the woman in the polka-dotted bandanna, said Rep. Jackie Speier, who at the urging of Gould and fellow Rosie Mae Krier of Pennsylvania led the effort that got the gold medal authorized in December. She flexed her muscles on the telephone every day telling Congress to move forward on recognition of the Rosies. Even after we got the recognition of Rosie the Riveter Day, she wanted it to be a national holiday. It was never enough. Gould, who lived in Fairfax, did her lobbying old-school style. She didnt have a computer or a cellphone, so her calls to political leaders were by landline and her letters by snail mail. She made countless appearances at community gatherings to talk about the riveters legacy, and in 2014 met with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden with a delegation of Rosies. Our time is limited, Gould said after meeting the president, when asked why she was so dogged. We wont be here in 10 years, so I just was persistent. Thats an understatement, her 95-year-old sister, Marian Sousa, recalled Monday. Sousa, who lives in El Sobrante, is also a Rosie, having taken a job at the Richmond shipyards drawing ship blueprints a year after Gould signed on there as a welder in 1942. Their mother, Mildred McKey, also worked at the shipyard as a painter. Phyllis had 99 good years, was quite a gal, Sousa said with a chuckle. She really put the Rosies on the map. It was her letters so many of them she wrote, to everyone that did it. Up until days before her death, Gould was still advocating for a Rosie statue on the Washington Mall and plaques at veterans memorials, in addition to helping with the design of the Congressional Gold Medal. The U.S. Mint cant use existing artwork for the medals, such as the famous poster of the red-bandannaed Rosie flexing a bicep, so Goulds input was crucial. One of her suggestions was to make sure several ethnically diverse images of Rosies were included. Its a history Gould knew better than most. She was among the first six women hired at the Kaiser shipyard, and she was part of the push that got the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park created in Richmond in 2000. She wants on her gravestone: Mission Accomplished, said Sousa, when asked whether her sister felt shed achieved all her Rosie goals. I think she did it all. After the war ended, Gould worked as an interior decorator, a cook in Alaska and a clothing designer. She married and divorced twice, had five children and hand-built her own house in Bolinas before moving around Kind of like a hippie, you know, where the wind blows, her sister said and winding up at her apartment in Fairfax decades ago. She was always Grandma to me, not the political icon she became, and I sure learned a lot from her, said Goulds granddaughter, Shannon Akerstrom, who raises horses in Potter Valley (Mendocino County). She has been an I can do it person all her life, and she passed that on to all of us. The Rosie thing that was really her. I do welding on my ranch like Grandma did and so does my daughter, Akerstrom said. Grandma always thought that was very cool. Speier said one of her favorite things about Gould is that, at 99, she was still driving a stick-shift pickup truck. Now that she is gone, Speier feels even more urgency to get the gold medal distributed to her workforce sisters. The Rosies are precious few, and I want to be able to hold these coins in their hands, Speier said. Gould is survived by one son, Steven Gould of Florida; two daughters, Lori Gould of Grass Valley (Nevada County) and Donna Gould of Idaho; Sousa and two other sisters, Pat Marks of Vallejo and Jean Doty of Las Vegas; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. At Goulds request, no memorial is planned. Kevin Fagan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kfagan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KevinChron Noah Berger/Associated Press The Dixie Fire swallowed 10,000 more acres of Butte and Plumas counties overnight Monday, but firefighters aided by a helpful layer of smoke that created shade and decreased temperatures managed to increase containment of the blaze slightly, and said the spread could have been a lot worse. As of Tuesday morning, the blaze had grown to 208,206 acres, making it the 14th largest wildfire in state history. It was 23% contained. The Oakland City Council voted Monday to open a co-governed homeless encampment to provide shelter for 40 people in West Oakland making it potentially the second site that residents and service providers would operate together. Officials also have plans for a co-governed encampment at East 12th Street and Second Avenue on a vacant lot. The city will lease a vacant lot from Caltrans at Third and Peralta streets at no cost for three years and provide wooden-pallet shelters to residents as part of an effort to address its skyrocketing homelessness crisis. In 2019, the most recent data available, Oakland counted more than 3,200 unsheltered people on city streets out of a total homeless population of more than 4,000 a nearly 68% increase from 2017. That number has likely increased during the pandemic. The Third and Peralta streets site is expected to open by Labor Day, said Justin Tombolesi, an aide to Councilwoman Carroll Fife. The site is in Fifes district. Tombolesi said the city will canvass current encampments under threat of displacement by Caltrans, which has indicated it wants to clear some encampments on its land in Oakland, to move to the city-run site. The city has struggled to help its growing homeless population. A scathing April report from the city auditors office found Oakland officials lacked an effective strategy in dealing with a growing number of unsheltered residents living on city streets and failed to provide policy direction and adequate funding to handle the crisis. Since then, city council members and the administration have worked to find alternate solutions to address the need. In March, the administration released a report that listed vacant city-owned sites in each council district that could be used for homeless interventions. The report stated that $3.9 million of unused funds allocated for homelessness are available. All of those funds will be used to pay for the Third and Peralta streets co-governed encampment and a second one planned for near Lake Merritt. The Housing Consortium of the East Bay will operate both sites. City leaders have long expressed a desire to open a co-governed encampment, where the residents would work with service providers to maintain the site. James Vann, one of the founders of the Homeless Advocacy Working Group in Oakland, said co-governed encampments can be key in providing emergency shelter. And a co-governed model allows residents to have autonomy and responsibility, he added. The exact details of how the co-governed encampment at Third and Peralta streets will run have not yet been determined. Other Bay Area cities have pursued similar interventions. San Francisco has city-sanctioned tent encampments. Berkeley also wanted to open an outdoor city-sanctioned tent site, but instead decided to open an indoor tent shelter earlier this month. But these interventions are different than Oaklands co-governed encampment model, which relies on residents to maintain the properties and provides wooden-pallet shelters. In a more democratic fashion, it turns over a lot of the responsibility for the arrangement the management, the upkeep of an encampment to the residents themselves, he added. Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas also has plans for a co-governed encampment at East 12th Street and Second Avenue on a vacant lot. A developer eventually plans to break ground on 361 homes at the site, but until then, Bas said she plans to build pallet shelters with electricity for 60 people. Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani The spiking infection rates and alarming climb in hospitalizations may feel familiar, but the delta-fueled fourth wave of the coronavirus is unlike anything the United States has seen before as health officials scramble to contain the so-called pandemic of the unvaccinated. In every part of the country, including California, infections are increasing rapidly among both the vaccinated and those not yet inoculated as the delta variant cements its foothold as the dominant strain. Yet the big picture obscures an important distinction: People who are not vaccinated are driving this surge in some places being infected at rates five or six times higher than the vaccinated. In Contra Costa County, more than 30 cases per 100,000 unvaccinated residents are being reported each day the same rate as in early December, when the winter surge was just taking off, and six times the rate occurring among vaccinated people. California is reporting about 2 cases a day per 100,000 vaccinated residents, and 13 cases per 100,000 unvaccinated residents. Rates among San Franciscans who arent vaccinated are nearly three times higher than among vaccinated residents, with the citys overall cases approaching the peak of last summers surge, though hospitalizations remain much lower. Your choice to not get vaccinated ... comes at a real societal cost. We need to be more clear about that and we need to call that out, said Gov. Gavin Newsom at a Monday news briefing, during which he announced that all state employees must prove that theyre vaccinated or undergo weekly testing. Its a choice to live with this virus. And with all due respect, you dont have a choice to go out and drink and drive and put everyone elses lives at risk, Newsom said. Thats the equivalent of this moment with the deadliness and efficiency of the delta virus. Youre putting other peoples, innocent peoples, lives at risk. Drawing distinctions between the vaccinated and unvaccinated is key to helping people understand the importance of vaccination, especially with deltas high level of transmissibility, health experts say. It becomes even more critical when looking at hospitalizations and deaths; people who are not vaccinated make up well over 90% of those cases, evidence of vaccines effectiveness at preventing serious illness. But highlighting separate case rates is fueling a growing resentment toward the unvaccinated that may be counterproductive, other experts argue. Blaming those who are not vaccinated for prolonging the pandemic is not necessarily going to convince people to get shots, said Dr. Rhea Boyd, a Palo Alto pediatrician who co-founded a national campaign to deliver vaccine information to Black and Latino communities. It may also keep some health officials from putting in place strategies like universal masking that would protect everyone. Blame is an incredibly ineffective public health strategy, Boyd said. When we separate out who needs to take those precautions (like masking and social distancing), it undermines the culture of protection that we need to be creating. People should approach the pandemic as a collective effort, said Dr. Abraar Karan, a Stanford infectious disease expert. Separating vaccinated/unvaccinated case rates and other data may provide useful information about how well the vaccines are performing, but socially, you run the risk of dividing this into my problem and someone elses problem instead of a collective problem, Karan said. Thats where you see pushbacks against something like indoor masking. People say thats not really my problem anymore. Boyd and others note that the unvaccinated are not a monolith, and the vast majority are not opposed to vaccines in general. Probably the largest contingent are children under age 12, for whom the vaccines have not yet been approved. Also included are people with health problems who cannot be vaccinated. Sometimes access to vaccines is still a problem whether its transportation to a clinic or finding time between child care and a job. And among those who hesitate, the reasons are diverse and complex, Boyd said. Many people are fearful of side effects, especially of potentially feeling so sick from the shots that they cant work, Boyd said. Others have been given inaccurate information. To convince them the shots are safe and effective involves uprooting deeply embedded lies. Newsom railed against the spread of misinformation in an unusually emotional rant Monday. He targeted conservative pundits for refusing to endorse vaccines or outright discouraging them. Were exhausted by the right-wing echo chamber that has been perpetuating misinformation around the vaccine and its efficacy and safety, he said. Dr. Robert Wachter, UCSF chief of medicine, said it can be difficult to maintain perspective and patience as to why people arent vaccinated. More assertive measures, such as vaccine mandates, may be necessary to reach them, he said. Im feeling this odd mixture of exhaustion, sadness, discouragement and anger. And the anger is the most interesting one, because health care professionals, we dont like feeling that way, Wachter said. But this disease is so clearly preventable. I think its natural to be pissed. But to a larger extent, its the overall political environment thats creating this misinformation epidemic, and that part is tragic. Boyd said she hopes that vaccine holdouts can be gently coaxed to get the shots. Her concern is the time and patience needed luxuries the delta variant quickly is taking away. People are carrying real fears (about the vaccines) and if we can lovingly attend to those real fears, people are movable, Boyd said. That gives me a lot of hope that we can move this needle. Its just going to take more time. Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @erinallday The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday reversed its earlier guidance and recommended that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks indoors in regions where the coronavirus is spreading fast, based on evidence that people who are fully vaccinated can be infected with the delta variant and pass it to others. The federal policy shift shouldnt have much immediate impact in the Bay Area, where vaccinated residents in eight of nine counties already have been advised to resume wearing masks in indoor public spaces. And California earlier this month said it would require all K-12 students, teachers and staff to wear masks in school this fall a move that at the time went beyond CDC recommendations. The updated CDC guidance takes into account increasing signs that the delta variant, believed to be up to twice as infectious as the original coronavirus strain, is better able to infect people who are fully vaccinated, and that those people may be just as able to transmit the virus to others as those who arent vaccinated. Even against delta, the vaccines remain highly effective at preventing serious illness resulting in hospitalization and death, health officials said. But people who are fully vaccinated should wear masks in all indoor public spaces where the virus is widespread including the Bay Area and most of the rest of California to prevent becoming infected and to reduce the chance of infecting others. The delta variant is showing every day its willingness to outsmart us, said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, in a news briefing Tuesday. In recent days, I have seen new scientific data showing ... that the delta variant behaves uniquely from past strains. The CDC did not release data on post-vaccination breakthrough infections and transmission on Tuesday. But Walensky said investigations of large outbreaks in the U.S. have found that some people who test positive despite being vaccinated have as high a viral load as those who were not vaccinated. That wasnt the case with earlier variants, including the highly infectious alpha that was previously dominant in the U.S. The delta variant now makes up about 80% of cases in the United States. We believe the vast majority of transmission is in and through unvaccinated people, Walensky said. But unlike the alpha variant, where we didnt believe if you were vaccinated you could transmit further, this is different now with the delta variant. When investigators looked at the viral load in those who were and were not vaccinated, Were seeing theyre quite similar, Walensky said. That leads us to believe that the breakthrough infections, rare as they are, have potential to forward transmit with the same capacity as an unvaccinated person. The CDC guidance is meant specifically for parts of the country where transmission is widespread in the red high or orange substantial categories of the federal system for tracking cases and other metrics of the pandemic. Most of California, including all of the Bay Area, falls into the red or orange categories. Health officers in eight Bay Area counties already had advised residents earlier this month to start wearing masks again indoors, even if they were fully vaccinated; Solano County has not yet issued such guidance. The Bay Area mask guidance is not yet a mandate. In California, only Los Angeles County is requiring masks indoors for everyone. California also announced it would require masks in K-12 schools, though the CDC before Tuesdays reversal had not recommended them in schools for people who are vaccinated. The mask recommendations in California were largely in response to growing concern over a fourth surge of the pandemic, fueled by the alarmingly infectious delta. Cases have increased more than fivefold in the Bay Area and statewide since California dropped almost all public health restrictions on June 15. COVID hospitalizations have more than tripled. In addition to reviving mask advisories, health officials are urgently trying to increase vaccinations. On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said all state employees would be required to show proof of vaccination or undergo at least weekly testing starting next month. And on Tuesday, the California State University system said it would require all students, staff and faculty to be vaccinated this fall. The CDCs mask advisory wasnt surprising to health experts, many of whom said the guidance should have been revised weeks ago. But several experts said Tuesday that evidence of delta spreading from vaccinated people was game-changing. In particular, it means vaccinated people need to take care that they dont pass the virus to people who arent inoculated, including children under age 12 who arent eligible for the shots. You can think of the vaccine and the mask together as bringing the viral load down, said Nadia Roan, a UCSF immunologist and investigator at the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco. They will protect you from transmitting to others more so than if you had one, or neither. Roan and other experts also noted that masks are a relatively simple tool for reducing transmission, especially as more data emerges about delta and how it spreads. Better to renew mask urgings than employ more aggressive measures like banning large gatherings or issuing capacity limitations that could harm businesses, experts said. The public needs to realize as the virus evolves and mutates, the public health response needs to adapt, said Dr. Abraar Karan, a Stanford infectious disease expert. Vaccines reduce the probability that you transmit the virus, but they dont bring it to zero. Masks are relatively low hanging fruit that can be implemented and turned on and off as cases can go up and down. People need to get used to this as we head back into the winter, he added. We may see again that we have higher rates of transmission. Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @erinallday BALTIMORE (AP) Colleges and universities in Maryland are adjusting computer software and hiring additional staff in an effort to manage vaccination records for COVID-19 ahead of the fall semester. The Baltimore Sun reported Monday that administrators are devising plans to verify compliance with vaccine mandates and to process applications for an exemption. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle Congratulations to our city supervisors for trying to reduce traffic congestion in the busy part of the city during rush hours S.F. is considering downtown congestion pricing. Heres how much it would cost (July 24). However, as an economist, I can state that the way the law is being tried out presently, instead of getting rid of congestion, encourages congestion by people making less than $46,000. While it makes sense to have people of lower income be charged less, its important that something be charged in order to avoid congestion. And that fee must be greater than the cost of a Muni fare. In order to reduce congestion, everyone should be correct to take Muni. This will also capitalize on the citys drive to create bus and taxi-only lanes. Additionally, its also important that taxis pay the same congestion charge that ride-sharing services pay, in order to keep a level playing field between mature and emerging businesses. By now, just about everyone in San Francisco and the country has seen or heard about a June viral video depicting a brazen theft in a national retailers Hayes Valley location. As a senior advisor for ALTO, a global provider of strategic support for addressing retail crime, I was directly involved with other ALTO team members on behalf of the retailer supporting law enforcement efforts in catching the suspect. My role behind-the-scenes gave me a unique vantage point, and I am concerned that the public doesnt have a full picture of the incident and what goes on to prosecute offenders and prevent future crimes. Without this info, false narratives and finger-pointing are distracting us from the nature of the shoplifting and organized retail-crime problem that store employees and customers see daily. Though it seems cut and dry, retail crime is anything but. To offer a more complete picture of the incident, lets start with the facts: The original video shows a man conspicuously stuffing a bag full of merchandise at a Walgreens before riding off on his bicycle. A security guard and citizen are seen recording the incident, and the video was posted on Twitter by a local reporter minutes later. National headlines followed closely behind. But, contrary to what we see on social media, the story doesnt end there. The security guard became the subject of online scrutiny for videotaping rather than getting physically involved. The fact is this guard was doing exactly what he was trained to do: attempting to deter crime through presence and commands. When that didnt work, he observed and reported the incident to the best of his ability. Nothing in a store is worth someones life. With the guards report, and because of the determined investigative efforts of the San Francisco Police Department, the suspect was arrested just days later. As it happened, the ALTO team was communicating with the department throughout a crime spree. With the support of ALTO, police connected the suspect in the video with multiple other incidents around the city. With thorough police work in hand, District Attorney Chesa Boudins office had evidence to prosecute the suspect on 15 separate charges and requested he be held without bail. He remains in jail as of this writing. Despite the online hysteria and finger-pointing, particularly against Boudin, this was a case of the system working as it should. However, that isnt always true. Without dedicated training and resources by retailers and consistent collaboration between the in-store team, law enforcement and prosecutors, successfully catching shoplifters can be a difficult proposition. In severe cases like what we saw in this store organized, ongoing theft is cyclical: Repeat offenders victimize dozens of locations. However, even in highly publicized cases, it can be hard to connect the dots. Recent viral videos have shown offenders becoming more brazen, and at times, more violent. But many of these cases go unreported. In some cities, because of a shortage of law enforcement resources, police cant respond adequately to nonemergency retail crime offenses. In some instances, retailers are even fined if they call on law enforcement too frequently. However, when retailers work to collect evidence such as videos that go viral then file complete, accurate reports, it can help slow the cycle of recidivism. These efforts also free up law enforcement to pursue proactive, community-based strategies to prevent crime. ALTOs legal team has partnered with Boudins office on many other cases dating back to November 2020. Throughout that time, weve admired the offices openness to new ways of addressing this complex issue. For example, Boudins office has been receptive to having ALTO attorneys in the courtroom on behalf of our members. This strategy is new to the U.S. and has our attorneys providing support for employees testifying and acting as an advocate for retailers. In extreme cases like the one caught on video, we believe incarceration is appropriate. However, we share Boudins view that minor or one-time offenders may benefit more from treatment for addiction or mental health as the underlying cause for their crime. The end goal should be to break the cycle of recidivism and, in doing so, help make the community safer. Retailers want safe stores. Customers and employees expect and deserve them. Meaningful and lasting crime reduction, in a progressive manner, can be done. It has been done. And for it to continue to be done, we need to work together on a unified approach that doesnt end when the video cuts. Karl Langhorst is a senior advisor at ALTO USA and a retired law enforcement officer and retail asset protection executive. SACRAMENTO Gov. Gavin Newsom is in a tight race to hold onto office, according to a new poll, as Californias Democratic majority remains ambivalent about the upcoming recall election. With just a few weeks until ballots are mailed out to voters, a poll released Tuesday by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies and the Los Angeles Times found that likely voters are closely divided on recalling Newsom: 47% support removing the first-term Democrat and 50% would retain him, nearly within the polls margin of error. The split reflects Newsoms challenge in galvanizing his Democratic base for the Sept. 14 special election. While recalling the governor trails significantly in the new poll among all registered voters 36% supporting to 51% opposed fewer than 60% of Democrats and independent voters expressed a high level of interest in the election, compared to nearly 90% of Republicans, who overwhelmingly favor removing Newsom. That enthusiasm gap could allow recall organizers to overcome Democrats significant voter registration advantage and massive fundraising by the Newsom campaign in their bid to oust the governor, who was elected by a record margin in 2018. Mark DiCamillo, director of the poll, said that several factors could be dampening motivation among Democratic voters, who nonetheless oppose recalling Newsom by a greater than 9-to-1 margin. Nearly all Democrats think that Newsom will survive the recall, will beat it back, so theres a certain amount of complacency, DiCamillo said, whereas Republicans are increasingly excited by the possibility that they could take out the governor. The poll also found that 40% of Democratic voters did not plan to select a replacement candidate in the recall election, compared to only 6% of Republicans. The field of 46 candidates seeking to replace Newsom includes no prominent Democrats, after the governor and other Democratic leaders encouraged potential challengers from his party to stay out of the race. Many Democrats believe that former Gov. Gray Davis, who was recalled in 2003, was hurt by the presence of his own lieutenant governor, Cruz Bustamante, on the ballot. But DiCamillo called that an excuse for Davis high disapproval ratings at the time and said the decision not to provide a viable alternative to Newsom could backfire. Republicans have more incentive to vote in this election, he said. The Newsom people were just insecure and they rolled the dice. During a news conference in Fresno, where he signed a bill extending public health care access to undocumented immigrants age 50 or older, Newsom shrugged off the poll numbers and said he would beat the recall by focusing on the coronavirus pandemic, homelessness and other issues important to Californians. Were gonna defeat this partisan effort and were gonna work hard to do the work that people sent us here to do, he said. If we continue to do that good work, I think were going to be OK on election day. But recall organizers say his failure to provide solutions on those issues is exactly why the governor is vulnerable. Anne Hyde Dunsmore, campaign manager for Rescue California, one of the groups behind the recall, noted that Newsom is trending in the wrong direction despite airing weeks of television ads touting the recent state budget. He blames. He doesnt take responsibility, Dunsmore said. Hes going down a rabbit hole fast. The recall ballot will ask voters two questions: Should Newsom be removed from office? And if so, who should replace him? If a majority of voters selects yes on the first question, then whichever candidate wins the second question will serve out the remainder of Newsoms term, which ends in January 2023, even if they do not receive a majority. The new poll found that conservative talk radio host Larry Elder, who would be Californias first Black governor, leads the second question with 18% of likely voters favoring him. Elder sued last week to get on the list of replacement candidates after he was excluded over a paperwork error. San Diego County real estate investor John Cox, who lost to Newsom in 2018, and former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer follow with 10% support each. State legislator Kevin Kiley was the choice of 5% of poll respondents and Caitlyn Jenner, the former Olympian and reality TV star, trails with 3%. All are Republicans. Faulconer, who visited San Francisco on Tuesday to discuss crime rates, said the poll showed that Californians are ready for a change at the top. A two-term mayor and former city council member, Faulconer said he wasnt disappointed that he was trailing or tied with two men who have never served in elected office. Im very excited about where we are in this process. It really gives me a lot of energy as we head into what is the final stretch of six weeks, he said. Among the nine Democrats on the ballot, Kevin Paffrath, a real estate broker with nearly 1.7 million subscribers on YouTube, polled the highest at 3%. All other candidates combined for 11%, while 40% of likely voters remain undecided, suggesting a wide-open race. San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Joe Garofoli contributed to this report. Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff San Francisco has long had the highest rent prices in the nation, continuing its reign even as the pandemic pummeled the market. But this month, New York City appeared to be significantly closing the gap trailing San Franciscos median monthly rent by only $40, according to real estate website Zumper. The average monthly price for a one-bedroom rental in San Francisco in July was $2,720, while New Yorks was $2,680, according to Zumper. In third place was another East Coast city Boston where a one-bedroom typically goes for around $2,300. San Jose was the fourth most expensive city at $2,170. New York is making a faster recovery than cities on the West Coast, according to Zumpers latest monthy national rent report, fueling its catch-up to San Francisco. New York saw a 4.3% month-over-month increase in median one-bedroom rent in July, with its market now down just 5.6 percent compared to a year ago. San Francisco, on the other hand, experienced a slight month-over-month dip rent fell by 2.5% from last month to July, with the citys one-bedroom rent now down 15% year-over-year. Zumper San Francisco had one of the most dramatic year-over-year median one-bedroom rent declines of any major market during the pandemic, but the city has company in the Bay Area this month, Oakland and San Jose also ranked in the top 10 markets with the largest year-over-year declines, with Oakland down 9.9% and San Jose down 5.7%. Of the 21 Bay Area cities that Zumper tracked in the report, only one Concord had a median one-bedroom rent that was up compared to last year. Still, six California cities rank among the top 10 most expensive places to live, according to Zumpers data. Oakland, Los Angeles, San Diego and Santa Ana all joined San Francisco and San Jose in that group. Zumper And while the big cities may be seeing a rockier recovery, rent prices across the nation are up compared to the worst of the pandemic, the report said. While analysts at Zumper expect that trend to continue in the near-term, they wrote that the rise in COVID-19 cases due to the delta variant could change that if it further delays economic recoveries. Zumpers reports analyze data from over 1 million active listings across the United States and include newer builds. Data is aggregated monthly to calculate median asking rents for the top 100 metro areas by population. Danielle Echeverria is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: danielle.echeverria@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DanielleEchev San Francisco will require all new city employees to be vaccinated before they start their new job or else, they wont be hired. This mandate, which kicks in Wednesday, expands on previous news that San Francisco will require all 35,000 of its municipal employees to be vaccinated once the shots receive full approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Under the latest rule, FDA approval doesnt matter: All new hires must be vaccinated, unless they can show a medical or religious exemption. No city employee will be able to substitute a negative coronavirus test for proof of vaccination. Mondays announcement comes as city leaders mull how they can get more people vaccinated. The pressure is building, especially as the delta variant drives an increase in cases and hospitalizations, largely among the unvaccinated. San Francisco is the first city or county in California and likely around the country to require all city workers be vaccinated. The move is gaining national momentum: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday that all of the citys 340,000 municipal employees including teachers will either need to be vaccinated or start weekly testing by Sept. 13. San Franciscos school district had said it was considering mandating all employees to get vaccinated but said last week through a spokeswoman that it has not made vaccines a requirement for students or staff. Mawuli Tugbenyoh, chief of policy for the Department of Human Resources, said several cities and counties across the country have reached out with questions about San Franciscos policy in hopes of implementing their own. A majority of our staff interact with the public, and we are seeing the delta variant unnecessarily infect people with COVID everyday, Tugbenyoh said. It would be a travesty if a member of the public or one of our employees contracted COVID when its preventable. Meanwhile, city leaders are exploring the legal and logistical implications of extending the vaccine mandate to require that bars, restaurants and retailers, for example, require customers to show proof of vaccination. Mayor London Breeds office said that it does not have any immediate plans to do so, but didnt rule out the possibility. I want to be very, very clear, Breed said at a news conference last week. There are a lot of folks who still need to be vaccinated. And I dont want everyone else who did their duty to get vaccinated to have to suffer. As officials explore the idea, some local businesses are already mandating vaccines. The San Francisco Bar Alliance, which represents 500 bars around the city, officially recommended Monday that patrons show proof of vaccination before entry. Customers can also show a negative coronavirus test that was taken within 72 hours, or eat and drink outside if outdoor seating is available, the alliance said. Breed said on Twitter that the recommendation was a responsible decision, which will help protect employees and customers. We need everyone to get vaccinated, especially as the delta variant continues to spread, she said. Its how we can keep our city and our residents safe. Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani Former Senator Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., was assaulted and robbed in Oakland's Jack London neighborhood on Monday, her office said in a tweet. Boxer, 80, was assaulted by an assailant who "pushed her in the back, stole her cell phone and jumped in a waiting car," the tweet said. The former senator was not seriously injured in the confrontation, according to the tweet. The Oakland Police Department could not confirm whether Boxer was involved in a robbery and assault Monday but did say that a victim was walking on the 300 block of 3rd Street in Oakland when she was approached by someone. The incident is being investigated by the Oakland Police Department's robbery section, the police department said. "I'm very saddened by this experience because here is a grandma alone, on her phone, and two young people attacked," Boxer told KPIX. "I'm not hurt physically at all. I'm just shook up." She said that one person pushed her while the other was driving the car. They appeared to be younger than 18, Boxer told KPIX. Boxer said the assailant "pushed me very hard." Before she could fall, she said, the assailant grabbed her phone. Before the assailants left, Boxer said she asked them: "Why would you do this to a grandma?" She added that she hopes "he has some guilt." Boxer was a senator for California from 1993 to 2017. She previously served as a U.S. representative representing Marin and Sonoma counties from 1983 to 1993. Before that, she served on the Marin County Board of Supervisors for six years. She did not seek re-election for the Senate in 2016 and was succeeded by Vice President Kamala Harris. She joined the lobbying firm Mercury Public Affairs as co-chairwoman in 2020. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) _ Extra Space Storage Inc. (EXR) on Tuesday reported a key measure of profitability in its second quarter. The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The real estate investment trust, based in Salt Lake City, said it had funds from operations of $232.3 million, or $1.64 per share, in the period. Three tech companies Apple, Microsoft and Google owner Alphabet reported combined profits of more than $50 billion in the April-June quarter, underscoring their unparalleled influence and success at reshaping the way we live. Although these companies make their money in different ways, the results served as another reminder of the clout they wield and why government regulators are growing increasingly concerned about whether they have become too powerful. The massive profits pouring into each company also illustrated why they have a combined market value of $6.4 trillion -- more than double their collective value when the COVID-19 pandemic started 16 months ago. APPLE Apples first iPhone model capable of connecting to ultrafast 5G wireless networks continued to power major increases in quarterly revenue and profits for techs most valuable company. With iPhone sales posting double-digit growth over the previous year for the third consecutive quarter, Apples profit and revenue for the April-June period easily exceeded analyst estimates. The Cupertino, California, company earned $21.7 billion, or $1.30 per share, nearly doubling profits earned during the same period last year. Revenue surged 36% to $81.4 billion. But in a Tuesday conference call with analysts, Apple CEO Tim Cook lamented that the steadily spreading delta variant of the coronavirus is casting doubt on how the rest of the year will unfold. The road to recovery will be a winding one, Cook said. That uncertainty has already led Apple to delay employees mass return to its offices from September to October. Most of Apples stores, though, are already open. The iPhone 12, released last autumn, is shaping up to be Apples most popular model in several years, largely because its the first to work on the 5G networks that are still being built around the world. Apples iPhone sales totaled nearly $40 billion in the latest quarter, up 50% from a year ago. Apples services division, the focal point of a high-profile trial revolving around the commissions it collects from iPhone apps, saw revenue climb 33% from last year to $17.5 billion. A potentially game-changing decision from the trial completed in May is expected later this summer. Among Apple's upcoming challenges is whether shortages of computer chips and other key parts will force the company to delay its next iPhone this year, as it did last year. While Apple expects revenue to rise 10% in the current quarter, it said it may have more trouble getting parts for iPhones and iPad during the upcoming months. Executives skirted questions about another possible iPhone delay. ALPHABET Googles earnings improved markedly over the year-ago period, when the pandemic was starting to bite consumer spending and its partner, advertising. Now that vaccines have allowed people to shed the shackles of the pandemic and splurge again, a big chunk of that pent-up demand has spurred advertisers to spend more too, with a big chunk going to Google and its corporate parent Alphabet Inc. Powered by Google, Alphabet earned $18.53 billion, or $27.26 per share, during the quarter, a nearly threefold increase from last years earnings of $6.96 billion, or $10.13 per share. Googles advertising revenue soared 69% to $50.44 billion thanks to what CEO Sundar Pichai called a rising tide of online activity among consumers and businesses. Retail, along with travel and entertainment ads, were the biggest contributors to the revenue increase, the company said. Total revenue surged 62% from last year to $61.88 billion. Revenue after subtracting TAC, or traffic acquisition costs, was $50.95 billion. The April-June quarter looks particularly strong since the 2020 downturn forced Google to report its first decline in quarterly ad revenue from the previous year. Analysts were expecting Alphabet to earn $19.24 per share on revenue of $56.2 billion, and $46.2 billion after subtracting TAC. Alphabets stock jumped $135, or 5.1%, to $2,773 in after-hours trading after the results. MICROSOFT Microsoft on Tuesday reported fiscal fourth-quarter profit of $16.5 billion, up 47% from the same period last year. Net income of $2.17 per share beat Wall Street expectations. The software maker also topped forecasts by posting revenue of $46.2 billion in the quarter that ended on June 30, a 21% increase over the same time last year. Analysts were expecting Microsoft to earn $1.91 per share for the April-June quarter on revenue of $44.1 billion. Microsoft profits have soared throughout the pandemic thanks to ongoing demand for its software and cloud computing services for remote work and study. After an initial dip in after-hours trading, the company's shares later recovered and were up by less than 1%. Growth in sales of Microsoft's cloud services, which compete with Amazon and other companies, and its Office productivity tools for handling work documents and email both outpaced overall revenue growth. The company's historical pillar personal computing grew just 9% in the quarter. Microsoft noted that supply issues were affecting its personal-computing division, including for its Surface and Windows products. The company recently unveiled the next generation of Windows, called Windows 11, its first major update in six years. It will be available later this year. NEW YORK (AP) People who watched the first day of a House investigation into the Jan. 6 uprising at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday were exposed to the sort of blunt language, including profanity and racial slurs, rarely heard on daytime television. The hearing featured emotional testimony from four police officers who defended the Capitol and video clips of violence and mayhem. It was shown live widely, but not uniformly, on several television networks. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, who is Black, said one rioter cursed him and called him the n-word, a phrase that was repeated and even chanted at him. Dunn didn't mask any language while describing it. Networks warned of graphic material in onscreen messages. In initial accounts of Dunn's testimony, The Washington Post, The New York Times and The Associated Press all mentioned the slur but did not spell it out. CNN's website linked to a video with the headline, Capitol police officer recounts rioters calling him the n-word. The video itself, after warning of graphic language, used Dunn's full quotes. Cable networks CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC carried the hearing, lasting more than three hours, in full. ABC pre-empted daytime programming to air most of it but not CBS and NBC. Instead of compelling their local stations to carry it, those networks said it was optional. It wasn't immediately clear how many CBS and NBC stations chose to air it, but those in the New York and Los Angeles markets did not. Television executives argue that consumers have many more options to see such events than they did years ago, including live streaming. The fact is, people don't go to broadcast television for live, breaking news the way they used to, said Mark Lukasiewicz, who ran NBC News' special events unit until 2017 and is now dean of the School of Communication at Hofstra University. Still, there's no better way to catch a casual viewer's attention and signal an event's importance than broadcast television special reports. Some Republicans, like House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, have minimized the investigation as being partisan. So it was noteworthy that Fox News Channel, the favored destination for many Republican viewers, aired Tuesday's testimony. While onscreen chyrons occasionally reminded viewers that the investigatory committee was Pelosi-selected and Dem-led, the network stuck with the hearing through the question-and-answer period until the end. Fox's Bret Baier said the hearing was an eye-opener for anyone who considered Jan. 6 a non-violent protest. You cannot watch this testimony and say that it's not a big deal, he said. BERLIN (AP) Authorities in Austria said Tuesday that two young boys have died from carbon monoxide poisoning and their mother is fighting for her life after the family used an emergency generator during a power outage. Upper Austria police said they were called Monday to a house in the town of Lasberg where three seriously ill people were reported to be in the basement. LEXINGTON, Neb. (AP) Two 19-year-old men have appeared in court on charges in the drive-by shooting death of another man in the southwestern Nebraska city of Lexington earlier this month. Adalberto Saenz-Gonzalez and Francisco Hernandez-Corona were each arraigned Monday on charges of first-degree murder in the shooting death of 23-year-old Marcus Keyser, station KRVN reported. MEXICO CITY (AP) Two Mexican ships carrying food, fuel and medical supplies were sailing to Cuba on Tuesday and a third was getting ready to head there Wednesday, in what experts said was Mexico's biggest aid run for Cuba in almost three decades. The first ship left late Monday loaded with 100,000 barrels of diesel fuel that the Mexican government said would be used to provide power for Cuban hospitals. A second ship operated by the Mexican navy left Tuesday, and the third ship will leave Wednesday. The Foreign Relations Department said those two ships are carrying oxygen tanks, needles and syringes as well as basic food items like powdered milk, cooking oil and beans. The department described the shipments as humanitarian assistance to help Cuba weather the coronavirus pandemic. Rafael Elias Rojas, a Cuban historian and professor at the College of Mexico, said that this is a new phenomenon, comparable only to Cuba's special period in the early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union cut off the island's economic subsidies. There have been minor instances of aid during hurricane seasons, but the last big aid efforts of this scale or larger, were during the administration of (former Mexican president) Carlos Salinas de Gortari, when exchanges with Cuba increased significantly and when, as now, there was a deep economic crisis on the island," Rojas said. Carlos Salinas de Gortari governed from 1988 to 1994. And until Mexico's democratic transition in 2000, Mexico's old ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party had a longstanding policy of opposing U.S. interference in Cuba, in part because Mexico feared outside criticism of its own less-than-democratic regime. Lorena Ruano, a professor at Mexico's Center for Economic Research and Teaching, said Mexico's policy was to defend the sovereignty of other countries, so that 'others won't criticize me.' President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is a fervent believer in that old policy, and last week he called Cuba an example of resistance and proposed that the entire country be declared a World Heritage site. While much of Cuba seems stuck technologically in the middle of the last century, Lopez Obrador did not appear to be speaking ironically when he proposed the world heritage designation, which is usually used by the United Nations to honor historical sites. Lopez Obrador praised Cubas ability to stand up to U.S. hostility since 1959, but did not mention recent street protests that were violently repressed by the Cuban government. Lopez Obrador has in the past stated his opposition to U.S. sanctions that limit commerce with the island, and said they should be ended. On Thursday, the U.S. government tightened the sanctions on some Cuban officials over the suppression of the rare street protests earlier this month. The new sanctions target a Cuban official and a government special brigade that the United States says was involved in human rights abuses during the government crackdown. RABAT, Morocco (AP) Moroccan authorities have arrested a Uyghur activist in exile based on a Chinese terrorism warrant distributed by Interpol, according to information from Moroccan police and a rights group that tracks people detained by China. Activists fear Yidiresi Aishan will be extradited to China, and say the arrest is politically driven and part of a broader Chinese campaign to hunt down perceived dissidents outside its borders. Moroccos General Directorate for National Security said Tuesday that a Chinese citizen was arrested after landing at Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca on July 20, upon arrival from Istanbul. He was the subject of a red notice issued by Interpol due to his suspected belonging to an organization on the lists of terrorist organizations, the directorate said. The red notice the equivalent of being put on Interpols most-wanted list was issued at the request of China, which is seeking his extradition, the directorate said. It said Moroccan authorities notified Interpol and the Chinese authorities about the arrest, and the Chinese citizen was referred to prosecutors pending the extradition procedure. Moroccan police didn't publicly name the arrested man, but nongovernmental organization Safeguard Defenders identified him as Aishan. The group specializes in cases of people detained by China. Aishan, a 33-year-old computer engineer and father of three, has been based in Turkey since 2012, where he worked as a web designer and activist and has residency papers, according to friend and colleague Abduweli Ayup. Aishan worked on a Uyghur diaspora online newspaper and assisted other activists in media outreach and collecting testimonies of abuse in Chinas Xinjiang province. After repeated arrests in Turkey, Aishan left Istanbul for Casablanca on the evening of July 19, Ayup said. Aishan called his wife on Saturday and said he was being deported, according to Ayup, who is in touch with Aishans family. Interpol and the Chinese Embassy in Morocco didn't immediately respond to requests for comment on the arrest. The exact charges against him are unclear. Morocco ratified an extradition treaty with China in 2017, among several such treaties China has made in recent years. China has described its sweeping lockup of a million or more Uyghurs and other largely Muslim minorities as a war against terror, after knifings and bombings by a small number of extremist Uyghurs native to Xinjiang. Researchers say many innocent people have been detained for things like going abroad or attending religious gatherings. Safeguard Defenders has appealed to the Moroccan ambassadors in Washington and Brussels not to extradite Aishan. It is not uncommon for Chinese authorities to obtain Interpol red notices for Uyghur and other dissidents abroad, said Peter Dahlin of Safeguard Defenders. In a similar case, a Chinese teenager who says hes a U.S. permanent resident was arrested in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in April while transferring for a flight. Chinese officials had sought Wang Jingyu, a 19-year-old student, over his online comments about deadly border clashes between Chinese and Indian forces last year. The U.S. State Department called it a human rights concern. Wang was freed in May, and he and his fiancee fled to the Netherlands. Experts say both cases feed into growing fears of extraterritorial reach by China. ___ Angela Charlton reported from Paris. Currently Reading Alert: Ex-Air Force intelligence analyst sentenced to 45 months in prison for leaking classified info about US drone program NEW YORK (AP) The conviction of a New Yorker charged with providing material support to Hezbollah by seeking targets in New York City for terrorist attacks was upheld Tuesday by an appeals court, though one of three judges questioned the 40-year prison sentence, saying it was too long because nobody was harmed directly by the crimes. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled on Ali Kouranis appeal challenging the conviction and the sentence. Prosecutors said the Lebanon-born Kourani spent years conducting surveillance at federal buildings, airports and day care centers after he was recruited, trained and deployed by Hezbollahs Islamic Jihad Organization. In a majority opinion written by Circuit Judge Jose A. Cabranes, the appeals judges concluded that a trial was properly conducted before Kourani's 2019 conviction and that the judge did not error by allowing prosecutors to use confessions he made during 2017 interviews with the FBI at his trial. The 2nd Circuit said FBI agents were not coercive when they met with Kourani at a conference room at Seton Hall University, where the agents were dressed in business-casual clothing and did not display weapons. But in a partial dissent, Circuit Judge Rosemary S. Pooler said the 40-year sentence was overly harsh when compared with the prison sentences given to other defendants convicted of similar crimes. She wrote that a 20-year prison term would have been more consistent with what resulted from similar convictions. And she said: It is not lost on me that Kouranis actions could have culminated in far more injurious results. Nevertheless, they did not, and accordingly, the sentence imposed is disproportionately high. Authorities said Kourani came to the U.S. legally in 2003, earning a bachelors degree in biomedical engineering in 2009 and a masters degree in business administration in 2013. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in April 2009 and was issued a U.S. passport. Prosecutors said Kourani was recruited by the terrorist group after a family residence was destroyed in 2006 during the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. They said he traveled to Lebanon in 2011, when he learned to use a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, assault rifles, a submachine gun, a machine gun and a Glock pistol. A message for comment was sent to his lawyer. As coronavirus cases resurge across the country, many inoculated Americans are losing patience with vaccine holdouts who, they say, are neglecting a civic duty or clinging to conspiracy theories and misinformation even as new patients arrive in emergency rooms and the nation renews mask advisories. The country seemed to be exiting the pandemic; barely a month ago, a sense of celebration was palpable. Now many of the vaccinated fear for their unvaccinated children and worry that they are at risk themselves for breakthrough infections. Rising case rates are upending plans for school and workplace reopenings, and threatening another wave of infections that may overwhelm hospitals in many communities. Its like the sun has come up in the morning and everyone is arguing about it, said Jim Taylor, 66, a retired civil servant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a state in which fewer than half of adults are fully vaccinated. The virus is here and its killing people, and we have a time-tested way to stop it and we wont do it. Its an outrage. The rising sentiment is contributing to support for more coercive measures. Scientists, business leaders and government officials are calling for vaccine mandates if not by the federal government, then by local jurisdictions, schools, employers and businesses. Ive become angrier as time has gone on, said Doug Robertson, 39, a teacher who lives outside Portland, Oregon, and has three children too young to be vaccinated, including a toddler with a serious health condition. Now there is a vaccine and a light at the end of the tunnel, and some people are choosing not to walk toward it, he said. You are making it darker for my family and others like mine by making that choice. On Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City ordered that all municipal workers be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the time schools reopen in mid-September or face weekly testing. Officials in California followed suit hours later with a similar mandate covering all state employees and health care workers. The Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday required that 115,000 on-site health care workers be vaccinated in the next two months, the first federal agency to order a mandate. Nearly 60 major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association, on Monday called for mandatory vaccination of all health care workers. TOJO ANDRIANARIVO/NYT Its time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks, not the regular folks, a frustrated Kay Ivey, the Republican governor of Alabama, told reporters last week. Its the unvaccinated folks that are letting us down. There is little doubt that the United States has reached an inflection point. According to a database maintained by The New York Times, 57% of Americans ages 12 and older are fully vaccinated. Eligible Americans are receiving 537,000 doses a day on average, an 84% decrease from the peak of 3.38 million in early April. As a result of lagging vaccination and lifted restrictions, infections are rising. As of Sunday, the country was seeing 52,000 new cases daily, on average, a 170% increase over the previous two weeks. Hospitalization and death rates are increasing, too, although not as quickly. Communities from San Francisco to Austin, Texas, are recommending that vaccinated people wear masks again in public indoor settings. Citing the spread of the more contagious delta variant of the virus, the counties of Los Angeles and St. Louis have ordered indoor mask mandates. For many Americans who were vaccinated months ago, the future is beginning to look grim. Frustration is straining relations even within closely knit families. Josh Perldeiner, 36, a public defender in Connecticut who has a 2-year-old son, was fully vaccinated by mid-May. But a close relative, who visits frequently, has refused to get the shots, although he and other family members have urged her to do so. She recently tested positive for the virus after traveling to Florida, where hospitals are filling with COVID-19 patients. Now Perldeiner worries that his son, too young for a vaccine, may have been exposed. It goes beyond just putting us at risk, he said. People with privilege are refusing the vaccine, and its affecting our economy and perpetuating the cycle. As infections rise, he added, I feel like were at that same precipice as just a year ago, where people dont care if more people die. Hospitals have become a particular flash point. Vaccination remains voluntary in most settings, and it is not required for caregivers at most hospitals and nursing homes. Many large hospital chains are just beginning to require that employees be vaccinated. Even though she is fully vaccinated, Aimee McLean, a nurse case manager at University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City, worries about contracting the virus from a patient and inadvertently passing it to her father, who has a serious chronic lung disease. Less than half of Utahs population is fully vaccinated. The longer that were not getting toward that number, the more it feels like theres a decent percentage of the population that honestly doesnt care about us as health care workers, McLean, 46, said. She suggested health insurers link coverage of hospital bills to immunization. If you choose not to be part of the solution, then you should be accountable for the consequences, she said. Many schools and universities are set to resume in-person classes as early as next month. As the number of infections increases, these settings, too, have seen tension rise between the vaccinated and unvaccinated. Recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on K-12 school reopening are tied to rates of community virus transmission. In communities where vaccination lags, those rates are rising, and vaccinated parents must worry anew about outbreaks at schools. The vaccines are not yet authorized for children under 12. The American Academy of Pediatrics has advised that children wear masks in class when schools reopen. On Friday, school districts from Chicago to Washington began putting mandates into effect. Universities, on the other hand, often can require vaccinations of students and staff members. But many have not, frustrating the vaccinated. If were respecting the rights and liberties of the unvaccinated, whats happening to the rights and liberties of the vaccinated? said Elif Akcali, 49, who teaches engineering at the University of Florida, in Gainesville. The university is not requiring students to be vaccinated, and with rates climbing in Florida, she is worried about exposure to the virus. Some are even wondering how much sympathy they should have for fellow citizens who are not acting in their own best interest. I feel like if you chose not to get vaccinated, and now you get sick, its kind of your bad, said Lia Hockett, 21, the manager of Thunderbolt Spiritual Books in Santa Monica, California. As the virus begins to spread again, some vaccinated people believe the federal government should start using sticks rather than carrots, like lottery tickets. Carol Meyer, 65, of Ulster County, New York, suggested withholding stimulus payments or tax credits from vaccine refusers. I feel we have a social contract in this country with our neighbors, and people who can get vaccinated and choose not to get vaccinated are breaking it, Meyer said. Bill Alstrom, 74, a retired innkeeper in Acton, Massachusetts, said he would not support measures that would directly affect individual families and children, but asked whether federal government funding should be withheld from states that dont meet vaccination targets. Maybe the federal government should require employees and contractors to be vaccinated, he mused. Why shouldnt federal funding be withheld from states that dont meet vaccination targets? Though often seen as a conservative phenomenon, vaccine hesitancy and refusal occur across the political and cultural spectrum in the United States, and for a variety of reasons. No single argument can address all of these concerns, and changing minds is often a slow, individualized process. Shon Neyland, a pastor who regularly implores members of his church in Portland, Oregon, to get the COVID-19 vaccines, estimated that only about half the members of the Highland Christian Center church have gotten shots. There have been tensions within the congregation over vaccination. Its disappointing, because Ive tried to help them to see that their lives are in jeopardy and this is a serious threat to humanity, he said. Shareese Harris, 26, who works in the office of Grace Cathedral International in Uniondale, New York, has not been vaccinated and is taking my time with it. She worries that there may be long-term side effects from the vaccines and that they were rushed to market. I shouldnt be judged or forced to make a decision, Harris said. Society will just have to wait for us. Rising resentment among the vaccinated may well lead to public support for more coercive requirements, including mandates, but experts warn that punitive measures and social ostracism can backfire, shutting down dialogue and outreach efforts. Elected officials in several Los Angeles County communities, for example, are already refusing to enforce the countys new mask mandate. Anything that reduces the opportunity for honest dialogue and an opportunity for persuasion is not a good thing, said Stephen Thomas, a professor of health policy and management at University of Maryland School of Public Health. We are already in isolated, siloed information systems, where people are in their own echo chambers. Gentle persuasion and persistent prodding persuaded Dorrett Denton, a 62-year-old home health aide in Queens, to be vaccinated in February. Her employer urged Denton repeatedly to be immunized, but in the end, it was her doctor who convinced her. She says to me: Youve been coming to me from 1999. How many times did I do surgery on you, and your life was in my hands? You trust me with your life, dont you? Denton recalled. I said, Yes, Doctor. She said, Well, trust me on this one. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) It was completely improper for a judge to release a southwest Missouri couple charged with abusing girls at a reform school from jail, the Missouri Attorney General's Office said in a court motion. Boyd and Stephanie Householder were placed on house arrest after a hastily called court hearing on Friday. They face multiple counts of statutory rape, sodomy, physical abuse and neglect against girls at the Circle of Hope Girls Ranch they operated near Humansville. They pleaded not guilty in March. CANBERRA, Australia (AP) Australias second-most populous city Melbourne will end its fifth lockdown on Tuesday with the Victoria state government declaring it had beaten an outbreak of the highly contagious COVID-19 delta variant for a second time. The five-day lockdown across Victoria ends at 11:59 p.m., allowing schools, pubs and restaurants to reopen, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said. But people will not be allowed to have visitors in their homes for another two weeks. This lockdown ... sends a very clear message that we have seen off two delta outbreaks, Andrews said. I dont think theres a jurisdiction in the world that has been able to achieve that, and every Victorian should be proud of that. Sydney, Australias most populous city where the delta outbreak began in mid-June when a limousine driver was infected while transporting a U.S. air crew from the airport, remains in lockdown indefinitely after more than four weeks. The new outbreak has claimed 10 lives. The New South Wales state government on Tuesday reported 172 new infections in the latest 24-hour period, a new daily record. Victoria reported 10 new cases on Tuesday, but all had been in isolation while they were infectious. It was the third consecutive day in which no new cases in Victoria had been in the community while infectious. The South Australia government announced that the states week-long lockdown will end as planned on Wednesday after no new COVID-19 cases were recorded Tuesday. Australian states are quick to lock down due to relatively small clusters because of the low vaccination coverage of the population. Only 16% of adults are fully vaccinated. Australias immunization expert body, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, known as ATAGI, recommended on July 13 that adults under the age of 60 take Pfizer because of the increased risk of blood clotting in younger adults caused by the AstraZeneca vaccine. Pfizer and AstraZeneca are the only COVID-19 vaccines registered in Australia. AstraZenca had been recommended for all adults until a 48-year-old died of blood clots in April, then for Australians over 50 until a 52-year-old died in May. But with Sydneys COVID-19 death toll rising, ATAGI on Saturday recommended adults as young as 18 in Sydney should strongly consider getting vaccinated with any available vaccine including AstraZeneca. Australia has abundant stocks of locally-manufactured AstraZeneca, but imported Pfizer is in short supply. Most Australians under 40 have no access to Pfizer. Because Australia has been relatively successful in containing COVID-19 outbreaks, many Australians are prepared to wait for months for Pfizer rather than risk AstraZeneca. RED LAKE, Minn. (AP) A Red Lake Nation police officer was shot and killed in the line of duty Tuesday while responding to a call on the far northern Minnesota reservation, authorities said. The FBIs Minneapolis office said on Twitter that the officer with was shot as officers responded to a call at a home. Authorities apprehended a suspected shooter and were investigating, the FBI's tweet said. TWIN FALLS, Idaho (AP) Authorities say the body of a 15-year-old girl who went missing while swimming near a southern Idaho waterfall was recovered Monday morning. The Twin Falls County Sheriff's Office said the Twin Falls girl, whose name was not released, went underwater and did not resurface on Thursday evening while swimming near Pillar Falls on the Snake River. Deputies and search and rescue divers searched for the teen and the Bureau of Reclamation and Idaho Power worked to lower the water flow to the falls to aid searchers. On Saturday evening, searchers switched to making spot checks on the water and using drones to search by air. AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) A commission in Maine is going to study ways to implement a paid family medical leave policy for the state. Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill about the proposal into law earlier in July. The proposal, from Democratic Sen. Mattie Daughtry, called for a commission that will hear from workers, employers, caregivers and others before proposing a statewide family leave system for Maine. The state of Connecticut is embarking on a plan to dedicate Medicaid funds to help address the problem of gun violence and other violent crimes. Under new legislation, financially challenged community-based violence prevention services will eventually be able to receive state and federal Medicaid funds. These programs, which are growing around the U.S., typically involve intervention at the hospital after someone has been shot and intensive case management in the months following the injury to try and break the cycle of violence. This is a huge step because it legitimizes the work that these amazing men and women have been doing for years, said Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, D-West Hartford, during a ceremonial signing of the bill Tuesday. Theyre on call 24/7. They show up at the hospital when someone has been shot. They provide this intervention in the E.R. waiting room to ensure that there isnt retaliatory shootings in communities. she said. And then they go even further and provide follow-up care in the community to make sure that survivors of gun violence are getting the health care that they need. Connecticut's new law requires the state Department of Social Services commissioner by July 1, 2022, to amend the state's Medicaid plan so it will cover the cost of community violence prevention services for beneficiaries who have received medical treatment for an injury sustained from an act of community violence, such as a shooting, and have been referred for services by a licensed health care or social services provider. Fatimah Loren Dreier, executive director of The Health Alliance for Violence and Intervention, a national network of hospital violence intervention programs, said Connecticut will be the first state in the nation to provide direct financial support for such services, just like how doctors and nurses are reimbursed for the services they provide. Connecticut is leading the nation in moving us a step forward by leveraging public health resources to address this emergency, she said. Dreier cited recent research that found a 61% increase in the number of patients with injuries caused by violence in Connecticuts hospitals since the state has reopened from the COVID-19 pandemic. Advocates on Tuesday said they expect the federal government will agree to provide Connecticut its 56% federal Medicaid match for the services. Meanwhile, advocates celebrated a second newly signed law aimed at reducing gun violence, including suicides. Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont previously signed into law legislation that updates Connecticut's first-in-the-nation red flag law," initially passed in 1999 after a deadly mass shooting at the Connecticut Lottery headquarters to help authorities remove guns and ammunition from people who are danger to themselves or others. Under this updated version, instead of allowing police officers or a state's attorney, under limited circumstances, to apply for a risk warrant or risk protection order," individual family members or medical professionals can begin the process and bring about an investigation by law enforcement into whether the person poses a risk. Rep. Steve Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, co-chairman of the General Assembly's Judiciary Committee, said family and medical personnel often have more accurate and timely information than police and prosecutors. The new law, which takes effect June 1, 2022, also has a provision to prevent someone who is deemed a danger to themselves or others from purchasing a firearm by placing them on a list. Additionally, the automatic one-year expiration on when risk protection orders end is removed from current law, requiring people to petition to have their guns returned. CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) Hospitalizations in West Virginia due to COVID-19 have more than doubled since the Fourth of July and cases are up amid the spread of the more contagious delta variant of the coronavirus. State officials said they do not currently plan to bring back an indoor mask mandate, but they indicated they are open to shifts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed course Tuesday on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging. Republican Gov. Jim Justice said he does not think we are on the threshold of moving in that direction today, but, he added, weve all got to be smart enough to be open-minded. He said he did not receive any recommendations from his health advisers to reinstate the mask mandate, which was lifted on June 20. But I will continue to listen, and I will absolutely act on the advice of experts, he said. The CDC also recommended indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to schools, regardless of vaccination status. There are 111 hospitalizations in the state, a steady uptick since early July. There were 121 new confirmed cases reported on Tuesday, up from 51 cases a week ago. The state has recorded 43 total confirmed cases of the delta variant. Our hospital numbers are shooting up," said James Hoyer, a retired major general who leads the state's coronavirus task force, which he said is now on its 501st day. Officials have repeatedly urged more residents to get vaccinated, emphasizing that the vaccines are safe and offer strong protection against contracting the potentially life-threatening disease. Nearly 59% of all residents have received at least one dose, while 49% are fully vaccinated. Those numbers drop sharply among young people. Only 29% of West Virginia children aged 12 to 17 are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, while 36% of residents aged 18 to 29 are covered, according to Hoyer. Please quit following the misinformation that's out there, particularly across the internet and social media sites. Talk to someone who is a medical professional, Hoyer said to those who are vaccine hesitant. MARION, N.C. (AP) A North Carolina woman is accused of taking her 7-month-old son to a break-in, where she was found with a number of items and pills, a sheriffs deputy said. Deputy Robert Watson of the McDowell County Sheriffs Office said multiple charges were filed against Jenny Annette Skidmore Reel, 28, of Marion, including breaking and entering and child abuse, news outlets reported. Last summer, Don Teigen noticed he lacked his usual energy. His ankles swelled so much they felt like cement blocks. Then there was his labored breathing. On walks with his wife, Julie, she usually struggled to keep up with him. Now, it was the other way around. While on a beach vacation in their home state of Washington, Don felt a sharp chest pain while pushing an electric bike through sand to the parking lot. When he stopped, the pain disappeared. The 55-year-old batted away all these signs with an arsenal of excuses: He was too heavy, he had asthma, he'd pulled a ligament in his chest years ago. He didn't focus on the fact he'd been diagnosed several years earlier with an irregular heartbeat. Or that doctors had told him to eat healthier and exercise more. Or even that one of his best friends had recently died after a heart attack. By September, Don was constantly tired. Chest pains and shortness of breath occurred more frequently when walking and mowing the lawn. A clam-digging trip to Westport, Washington, brought more pain than pleasure. Still, he brushed it all off. After their first night home from that trip, Don went to bed with chest pain. He woke up the next morning and felt sick to his stomach. The sharpness in his chest worsened. "I think I need you to take me to the doctor," he told Julie. "The pain won't go away." Julie flipped on the light and saw her husband, shaken and pasty. "I'm not taking you to the doctor," she said. "I'm calling 911." Don was having a heart attack. Doctors performed an angiogram to examine his coronary arteries and identify blockages in the blood flow to his heart. They hoped to find a small enough issue to be fixed via a non-invasive insertion of a stent. "Sorry, my friend," the doctor told Don. "You need a triple, maybe quadruple bypass." Three days later, doctors performed a quadruple bypass, rerouting the blood flow around four blocked arteries. When he woke up, strapped to the bed and breathing through a ventilator, Don felt his wife's hand in his. "I'm right here," she said. "You have Thomas' bunny in your other hand." His 2-year-old grandson had donated his favorite stuffed animal to help his "Papa" recover. Don gestured toward the ventilator mask. When it was removed, everyone in the room clapped. From there, Don turned his life around. He applied the same determination to getting better that he had to ignoring his failing health. Julie got things going before he even returned home, throwing out all their unhealthy foods and buying a stationary bike. He began in-home physical therapy three days a week for a month, then progressed to cardiac rehab three days a week. "I loved it," Don said. "It was amazing to learn how to exercise and learn to read food labels and eat well." When he wasn't in rehab, he did similar workouts at home, using the bike and other equipment. He and Julie walked every day. He increased his distance to 4 hilly miles a day. Don returned to work with no restrictions in late January, three months after his surgery. Since then, he has lost more than 75 pounds. While Don and Julie celebrated his return to health in the first half of 2021, they also watched Julie's father struggle with heart failure. He died in May, making Don's quest even more personal. "Now my challenge is to not ever go back to how I was," Don said. He also is on a mission to spread the word about fitness and nutrition. He enthusiastically tweets about heart health, fitness and weight loss. "I work at Boeing, a big place, and it seems like every year or so someone passes away from a heart attack," he said. "I have to believe that, months before, they had to know something was wrong and maybe ignored it like I did. Maybe if I can just tell my story, someone else will benefit." For Julie, the change in her husband goes beyond his physique. "Things just don't bug him the way they used to," she said. "One time I asked him, 'Who are you? Why are you so nice?'" "I got a new heart," he answered. "He and I have never been wait-until-we-retire people," Julie said. "But now we feel even more motivated to get out and do the things we love doing. Don't wait for tomorrow, because you never know." Stories From the Heart chronicles the inspiring journeys of heart disease and stroke survivors, caregivers and advocates. If you have questions or comments about this story, please email editor@heart.org. Copyright is owned or held by the American Heart Association, Inc., and all rights are reserved. Permission is granted, at no cost and without need for further request, for individuals, media outlets, and non-commercial education and awareness efforts to link to, quote, excerpt or reprint from these stories in any medium as long as no text is altered and proper attribution is made to American Heart Association News. Other uses, including educational products or services sold for profit, must comply with the American Heart Associations Copyright Permission Guidelines. See full terms of use. These stories may not be used to promote or endorse a commercial product or service. HEALTH CARE DISCLAIMER: This site and its services do not constitute the practice of medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always talk to your health care provider for diagnosis and treatment, including your specific medical needs. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem or condition, please contact a qualified health care professional immediately. If you are in the United States and experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or call for emergency medical help immediately. QUITO, Ecuador (AP) Ecuador has revoked the citizenship of Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks who is currently in a British prison. Ecuadors justice system formally notified the Australian of the nullity of his naturalization in a letter that came in response to a claim filed by the South American countrys Foreign Ministry. A naturalization is considered damaging when it is granted based on the concealment of relevant facts, false documents or fraud. Ecuadorian authorities say Assanges naturalization letter had multiple inconsistencies, different signatures, the possible alteration of documents and unpaid fees, among other issues. Carlos Poveda, Assanges lawyer, told The Associated Press the decision was made without due process and Assange was not allowed to appear in the case. "On the date (Assange) was cited he was deprived of his liberty and with a health crisis inside the deprivation of liberty center where he was being held, Poveda said. Poveda said he will file appeals asking for an amplification and clarification of the decision. More than the importance of nationality, it is a matter of respecting rights and following due process in withdrawing nationality. Assange received Ecuadorian citizenship in January 2018 as part of a failed attempt by the government of then-President Lenin Moreno to turn him into a diplomat to get him out of its embassy in London. On Monday, the Pichincha Court for Contentious Administrative Matters revoked this decision. Ecuadors Foreign Ministry told AP the court had acted independently and followed due process in a case that took place during the previous government and that was raised by the same previous government. Assange, 50, has been in London high-security Belmarsh Prison since he was arrested in April 2019 for skipping bail seven years earlier during a separate legal battle. Assange spent seven years holed up inside Ecuadors London embassy, where he fled in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden to face allegations of rape and sexual assault. Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigations in November 2019 because so much time had elapsed. U.S. prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks publication of thousands of leaked military and diplomatic documents. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison. U.S. prosecutors say Assange unlawfully helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published. Lawyers for Assange argue that he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment freedom of speech protections for publishing documents that exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan. Earlier this month, Britains High Court granted the U.S. government permission to appeal a decision that the WikiLeaks founder cannot be sent to the United States to face espionage charges. In January, a lower court judge had refused an American request to send Assange to the U.S. SALEM, Ore. (AP) A former Oregon lawmaker who was expelled for letting violent, far-right protesters into the state Capitol pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of official misconduct. The Statesman Journal reports that Mike Nearman was sentenced to 18 months probation, during which he will need to complete 80 hours of community service and is banned from the Capitol building and grounds. He will also pay $200 in court fees and $2,700 to the Oregon Legislative Administration for damages done during the Dec. 21 riot. The maximum penalty for the misdemeanor was one year in jail, a $6,250 fine or both. As part of the agreement in Marion County Circuit Court, a count of criminal trespass was dismissed. Last month Nearman, a Republican from Polk County, became the first member of the Oregon House to be expelled in its 160-year history. The House voted 59-1 to remove him from the Legislature for disorderly behavior. Nearman was seen on security video opening a door to protesters on Dec. 21 as lawmakers met in emergency session to deal with economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Protesters barged into the building, which was closed to the public because of coronavirus safety protocols, got into shoving matches with police and sprayed officers with bear spray. Some of the protesters had guns. In court, Nearman acknowledged letting protesters into the Capitol, but said he didnt intend to cause harm. Nearman said he did so because he believed they had a right to be in the building. I think that the citizens were allowed to be in the Capitol, so I was letting them in, Nearman told the judge. In the scuffle Dec. 21 with Salem and Oregon State police officers, six officers were injured and the building incurred thousands of dollars in damages. I dont support what they did when they entered, Nearman said. ___ This story has been updated to correct that Nearman received 18 months probation, not parole. LAS VEGAS (AP) A federal judge won't block a Nevada law banning the manufacture and possession of so-called ghost guns that dont have serial numbers, saying she doubts a lawsuit from gun rights advocates can succeed. U.S. District Judge Miranda Du in Reno issued a court order Monday refusing to prevent enforcement of the law signed in June by Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak. The judge said she wasnt convinced the measure violated Second Amendment gun rights and a Fifth Amendment ban on government seizure of property. She called the law a valid exercise of the governments' police power. Plaintiffs including the Firearms Policy Coalition called the ruling misguided" and horribly flawed and said they were weighing an appeal, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. Though the judge refused to immediately block the law, the lawsuit will still move through the courts for a final ruling. Attorneys for the coalition did not immediately respond Tuesday to messages from The Associated Press. The law goes into effect Jan. 1. It prohibits ownership or sale of unfinished gun kits or the manufacture of firearms without identifying marks that allow their owners to be traced. Supporters of the law cited the public safety threat from people who are legally prohibited from owning and registering firearms but can build guns from kits. The lawsuit was filed June 10 by the coalition and Nevada residents Roger Palmer and Chad Moxley against state and local officials. It claims plaintiffs have a constitutional right to build their own guns. The lawsuit calls the law a broad and unconstitutional ban on constitutionally protected conduct that raises the specter of thousands of individuals and countless local businesses being forced to give up property they own. The judge said the law doesnt severely burden the Second Amendment right to own guns, merely regulates it, and does not completely prohibit, as plaintiffs suggest, the right to self-manufacture firearms but rather prohibits self-manufacturing of unserialized firearms. Plaintiffs have not shown a likelihood of success on the merits, Du said. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in December served a search warrant for a Nevada gun-kit maker, Polymer80 in Dayton, as it investigated whether the company evaded gun laws by making and selling the kits. According to ATF data, about 10,000 ghost guns were recovered from crime scenes and seizures by law enforcement in 2019, including 2,700 in California alone, the Review-Journal reported. COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) A pro-marijuana group said it will submit signatures to the Ohio Attorney General's Office on Tuesday in an effort to have the Republican-led Legislature legalize recreational marijuana. Attorney Tom Haren, a spokesperson for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, said the submission of the first 1,000 signatures will require the Attorney General's Office to review and approve petition language within 10 days. JERUSALEM (AP) Israel's defense minister will meet with his French counterpart in Paris this week and the two will discuss the Israeli spyware company NSO, a government statement said Tuesday. The Defense Ministry said Benny Gantz will travel on Wednesday for the meeting with Florence Parly. The defense ministers will discuss the crisis in Lebanon and nuclear talks between world powers and Iran, the ministry also said. IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) The lead investigator in the 2018 death of University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts expressed confidence Tuesday that the right man was convicted, rejecting defense claims that her abduction could be tied to two other local men. Division of Criminal Investigation agent Trent Vileta said that had they known, detectives searching for Tibbetts in 2018 would have looked into another womans claim that shed been lured by a man from Tibbetts small hometown of Brooklyn, Iowa, weeks earlier and held in a nearby home for sex trafficking. But the womans complaint did not lead to criminal charges and Vileta said it should be disregarded given the evidence tying local farmhand Cristhian Bahena Rivera to Tibbetts abduction and stabbing death. Vileta noted that Bahena Rivera partially confessed to stalking Tibbetts while she was out for a run, killing her and dumping her body in a cornfield, where he led investigators after a lengthy interrogation in August 2018. He said that Bahena Riveras statements were completely corroborated from start to finish. Cristhian Rivera murdered Mollie Tibbetts, Vileta testified at a hearing on Bahena Riveras request for a new trial. After hearing hours of testimony Tuesday, Judge Joel Yates said he would take the matter under advisement and issue a written ruling as soon as possible. Bahena Riveras lawyers sought to link Tibbetts death to the other young womans report of being kidnapped and sexually assaulted in the summer of 2018, and the recent disappearance of an 11-year-old boy from the same county. A 50-year-old suspected methamphetamine dealer has been investigated in both cases but hasn't been charged in either, and prosecutors say he has no tie to Tibbetts at all. Yates told Bahena Riveras lawyers at times that he was having trouble seeing any relevance to the case against their client. Jurors found Bahena Rivera guilty of first-degree murder after a two-week trial in May. They rejected his testimony in which he claimed that two masked men kidnapped him at gunpoint from his trailer, forced him to drive to where Tibbetts was running on a rural road, killed her, put her body in his trunk and made him dispose of it. Bahena Rivera, who illegally entered the U.S. from Mexico as a teenager, said he didn't tell investigators about the two men earlier because they had threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend and young daughter. He was to be sentenced to life in prison earlier this month. But at the end of his trial, two new witnesses came forward independently of one another and told police that a local 21-year-old man, Gavin Jones, told them he had killed Tibbetts. Defense lawyers requested a new trial based on that and other newly discovered information, and Yates agreed to postpone sentencing while he considered their request. One of those witnesses, inmate Arne Maki, testified Tuesday that Jones told him of his involvement last year when they were both held at the Keokuk County Jail. Jones said he and another man stabbed Tibbetts after she was held at a sex trafficking trap house where they were staying and framed Bahena Rivera for the death, Maki testified. An older man in charge of the house had ordered her killed, Maki said. Maki said he came forward after seeing news clips about Bahena Riveras testimony in which he said two other men were responsible for the crime. Maki, 46, said he was getting no benefit for his testimony, saying he wanted to do the right thing. I just want to say one thing, my thoughts and prayers go out to the Tibbetts family, Maki said, after his testimony concluded. Jones has denied any involvement and prosecutors worked Tuesday to clear him. Prosecutor Bart Klaver noted that Jones was in a rehabilitation facility in the summer of 2018 and then in an assisted living facility under state supervision. They also noted that Tibbetts was not cut up and wrapped in plastic, as Maki testified that Jones had told him. Vileta said that neither Jones nor the 50-year-old man came up during the investigation. Under cross-examination, he said investigators hadn't tested their DNA to determine whether either is linked to two unidentified samples found along with Tibbetts' blood in the trunk of Bahena Rivera's vehicle. Bahena Rivera's DNA was not a match, and investigators never recovered a murder weapon. At trial, a state crime lab analyst testified that it wouldn't be unusual for others' DNA to be in the trunk, which contained a football, a fishing pole and other items. TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Officials in two major Kansas health care systems on Tuesday urged people to resume wearing masks indoors even if they've been vaccinated against COVID-19 because of the faster spreading delta variant. The comments from administrator-doctors at Stormont Vail Health in northeastern Kansas and the University of Kansas Health System came just before the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that even vaccinated people wear masks indoors in places where the coronavirus is surging. Their comments also came the day after the board of education in one of Kansas' largest public school districts approved a mandate for elementary students to wear masks when classes resume in mid-August. Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas immediately criticized the CDC's new guidance, suggesting it would cause more people to hesitate to get vaccinated. Marshall, an obstetrician and not an epidemiologist, also argued that the CDC's change in guidance was unnecessary. Kansas has seen its daily average for new COVID-19 cases increase for nearly five weeks because of the delta variant and the state's low vaccination rate, to numbers last seen in mid-February. State data showed that Kansas averaged 653 new cases a day for the seven days ending Monday. While that's a fraction of the worst peak in mid-November, it's more than six times the average of 96 new cases per day for the seven days that ended June 23. First, we have to ask those who are unvaccinated to get vaccinated," Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer for the University of Kansas system, said during a daily webcast. But second, we all need to say to each other, We all need to put our masks back on until we can get you vaccinated. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly said in a statement that her administration is reviewing the new CDC guidance and we don't intend to stop following its recommendations. But she also didn't specifically urge people to wear masks indoors, instead calling for more people to get vaccinated. The University of Kansas system reported that it had 60 people hospitalized Tuesday at its main Kansas City, Kansas, hospital, compared to only two at one point in March. Stormont Vail reported Tuesday that of its 133 positive COVID-19 tests over seven days, all but 17 of them or 87% were in unvaccinated people. Both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals need to take precautions. Its time to return to wearing masks, practice social distancing, and avoid crowded places, Dr. Robert Kenagy, Stormont Vail's president and CEO, said in a statement. Meanwhile, the Shawnee Mission school board in the Kansas City area voted 6-1 on Monday night to require masks in elementary schools but keep them optional in middle and high schools, where children are old enough to get vaccinated, The Kansas City Star reported. The district has about 26,000 students and is the state's third largest, behind Wichita and Olathe. The CDC reported that 45% of Kansas' population or 1.3 million of its 1.9 million residents were fully vaccinated as of Tuesday. But no vaccine has been authorized for children under age 12. In Kansas, confirmed cases of the delta variant have been doubling every two weeks, with the state health department reporting 1,338 as of Monday. New cases began rising after top Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature in mid-June ended a state of emergency for the coronavirus pandemic. Kelly had wanted to keep it in place at least through August. Republican state lawmakers also forced Kelly to accept limits on her power and the power of local officials to impose pandemic restrictions. Earlier this month, District Judge David Hauber in Johnson County struck down those limits and a new law that would have required unusually speedy decisions in lawsuits challenging pandemic restrictions. Hauber on Tuesday rejected a request from Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt that the judge not have his order take effect while Schmidt appeals it. Schmidt, a Republican, is running for governor next year. Kansas Republicans became increasingly hostile to mask mandates as the pandemic continued, particularly when new case numbers declined. Marshall earlier this month co-sponsored a bill to prevent federal agencies from imposing mask mandates for public transportation, a measure that remains in committee. Marshall said vaccinations and natural immunity from COVID-19 infections provide exceptional defense against the delta variant and other variants. Science shows us there is no reason to panic, Marshall said. ___ Hollingsworth reported from Mission, Kansas. ___ Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) A millionaire businessman in Louisiana has pleaded guilty to having his estranged wife abducted in a scheme that ended when the suspected kidnappers drowned while trying to flee from an officer who saw them driving down an interstate shoulder. Lawrence Michael Handley, 53, accepted a plea deal Monday evening before 15th Judicial District Court Judge Scott Privat, The Advocate reported. Under the terms negotiated, all sentences are to be served concurrently, with the longest possible being 35 years, Privat said. Handley pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree kidnapping one of them reduced from a charge that could have brought a life sentence and one of attempted second-degree kidnapping, according to The Advocate. Prosecutors agreed to drop two conspiracy charges, one to commit second-degree murder and one to commit aggravated kidnapping, and one of violating a protective order, the report said. They also reduced an aggravated kidnapping charge to second-degree kidnapping. A sentencing date will be set after a pre-sentencing investigation. Handley has been jailed in Louisiana's Lafayette Parish since August 2017, when he was arrested on charges accusing him of hiring two men from Jackson, Mississippi, to kidnap his wife earlier that week. The men, Sylvester Bracy and Arsenio Haynes, both 27, tried to get around a traffic jam by driving on the shoulder of Interstate 10. Authorities said they drowned after apparently jumping into the Intracoastal Waterway while trying to elude an off-duty sheriff's deputy. Authorities said Handley's wife was found alive in the van abandoned by the two men. At Monday's court appearance, Handley sat calmly in shackles and striped jumpsuit while other cases were handled and his lawyers and prosecutors negotiated. He had a long gray beard and shoulder-length graying hair. Each kidnapping charge carries a possible sentence of 15 to 35 years, with a maximum of 20 for the attempted kidnapping charge, Privat said. Prosecutor Donald Knecht said the agreement assures a substantial prison sentence and ends a widespread and complex case that involved multiple law enforcement agencies from two states and many witnesses. The most important thing in a plea over a trial is there are no appeals," he said. Defense attorney Kevin Stockstill said Handley's attorneys were confident they could counter prosecution arguments, but a life sentence was on the table and they wanted to ensure Handley has a shot at life after prison. Handley was a tech millionaire by the time he was 30, but began drinking heavily, lost most of his money and was barred from seeing his children, The Advertiser has reported. After that, he helped launch companies that sold vitamins, energy supplements and calcium creams, and founded the Townsend Recovery treatment centers. That chain sold in 2015 in a deal worth more than $21 million. BRENTWOOD, N.H. (AP) One of two men arrested following a car chase in New Hampshire pleaded not guilty Tuesday to reckless conduct, disobeying a police officer, and other charges, and has been ordered held without bail. The pursuit began in Kingston on Sunday and continued north on Route 125 into Epping, police said. The vehicle was traveling at an extreme rate of speed and heading toward oncoming vehicles, police said. The car was later found abandoned in Lee. BANGOR, Maine (AP) A Maine man who strolled onto the runway at Bangor International Airport is facing charges, officials said. Planes were taxiing at the time the man was spotted on the runway on Saturday. The man ran when officials tried to stop him, scaled a fence and disappeared into the woods before being arrested later, officials said. ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) An Indiana man has received a life prison sentence for stalking his estranged wife to Florida, shooting her and burying her body in Tennessee, court records show. Jarvis Wayne Madison, 62, of New Albany, Indiana, was sentenced Monday in Orlando federal court, according to the court records. He pleaded guilty in March to one count of interstate stalking resulting in death. According to court documents, Madison and his wife Rachael were in Indiana in November 2016 when he threatened to kill her and fired a gun at her. The 44-year-old woman escaped and went to stay with relatives in Ormond Beach, Florida, just north of Daytona Beach. Madison left multiple texts and voicemails for his wife over the next two weeks, officials said. He eventually found her in Florida and began to conduct surveillance on his wife at her relatives' home. Madison confronted his estranged wife after watching her leave the house alone to go jogging, officials said. He shot her three times and then left the area with her body in his SUV. Madison spent a night with a friend in Buckhannon, West Virginia, where he bought a shovel and a tarp, investigators said. He then drove to a remote area near Knoxville, Tennessee, and buried the body in a shallow grave, officials said. Authorities had begun investigating shortly after Rachael Madison's disappearance, and Jarvis Madison was arrested days later in Louisville, Kentucky. Madison directed investigators to his wife's body, and a gun was recovered from his SUV, officials said Madison's friend in West Virginia, Belenda Sandy, 60, was previously sentenced to seven years and three months in federal prison after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice. BALTIMORE (AP) A Maryland man was sentenced Tuesday to seven months in federal prison for making death threats against U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris when they were candidates during the 2020 campaign. The threats were contained in a scrawled letter left on the doorstep of a neighbor who had yard signs supporting the Democrats. Looking disheveled with a thick black beard and wearing a red prison jumpsuit, James Dale Reed told a federal judge he was deeply remorseful for writing the letter in early October 2020. Among other things, it said he was among those with scary guns who would attack Biden and Harris and then execute them both on national television. The letter also threatened Democratic supporters. I dont know what evil drove me to do such an act, the slight man told U.S. District Court Judge Ellen Hollander at sentencing Tuesday. The case is an extreme example of the volatile polarization that has permeated some of the countrys political conversations. Earlier this year, Reed had been found guilty of voter intimidation during a bench trial in state court regarding the same matter. He was found not guilty of a charge of threat of mass violence. A home security camera captured images of Reed leaving the threatening letter on his neighbor's doorstep in Maryland's Frederick County, located in the northern part of the U.S. state near the Pennsylvania line. An anonymous tip to police led to investigators to question Reed at his home. He initially denied writing the letter or being the person seen in the security camera footage. But after he gave palm prints and a handwriting sample to investigators, he acknowledged it was him, according to court documents. Authorities obtained an extreme risk protective order to seize Reeds firearms based on misdemeanor charges of voter intimidation and threats of mass violence. On Tuesday, Hollander described Reed's letter as horrifying," comparing it to the same kind of mentality that led to the appalling events of Jan 6, when insurrectionists disrupted the congressional certification of Bidens presidential victory. Seven people died during and after the Capitol riot. Prosecutors noted that it wasn't the first time Reed had sent threatening letters and there was a serious need for deterrence in his case. In 2014, he sent two emails to a nonprofit making threatening comments about then-President Barack Obama and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Prosecutors sought a sentence of 18 months. Hollander sentenced him to seven months in prison and four months of home detention, followed by three years of supervised release. She gave Reed credit for time served in federal custody since February. He will have to participate in a mental health treatment program that deals with anger management. I think you have in fact paid a significant price for your errant ways, said Hollander, noting that the 43-year-old with various health problems had no prior arrests. Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan Lenzner said making threats against candidates and fellow citizens for their political beliefs undermines our democracy and will not be tolerated. LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) Public health officials expressed growing concern Tuesday about a recent increase in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in Nebraska, primarily among residents who haven't been vaccinated. Officials said they were worried about the slow-but-steady increase in infected people who end up hospitalized, putting pressure on COVID-19 treatment units. From a risk assessment perspective right now, I have serious concerns, particularly about that part of our population that has not been vaccinated, said Jeremy Eschliman, health director at the seven-county Two Rivers Public Health Department in central Nebraska. Nebraska reported 978 new cases in the week ending Thursday, a 42% increase over the previous week and exactly double the 489 new cases logged two weeks earlier, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most other states have seen larger increases, however, especially Southern states with lower vaccination rates. Nebraska's growth rate ranks 41st nationally. Despite the increase, Gov. Pete Ricketts repeated Tuesday that the state will not be imposing mask or vaccination requirements despite new CDC guidance. Nebraskans exercise personal responsibility for their own health, and are encouraged to have a conversation with their doctor about the vaccine," the Republican governor said in a statement. These conversations will be important because the virus will be with us forever. Working together, we've successfully protected hospital capacity throughout the pandemic. It's time for the CDC and the government to get out of the way, and to stop trying to tell people how to live their lives." In Omaha, the 25 beds in the Nebraska Medical Center's main COVID-19 unit were all full and hospital officials were considering adding beds. Douglas County Health Director Lindsay Huse said the increase was mainly driven by unvaccinated people and implored residents to get a shot. The health department announced new clinics that opened this week to offer vaccinations. In Lincoln, Lancaster County Public Health Director Pat Lopez implored residents to get vaccinated and urged unvaccinated people with underlying health conditions to wear a mask indoors. New cases in Lincoln have begun rising again after falling to their lowest level in nearly a year last month. Now is the time they should be getting vaccinated, Lopez said at a news conference. In Kearney, Eschliman of the Two Rivers Public Health Department said about 45% of residents in his district who are 50 to 64 years old haven't gotten vaccinated. The vaccination rate for the 30-to-49 age group is lower, with about 59% still unvaccinated. Eschliman said roughly one-third of the district's eligible residents signed up for a vaccination shortly after doses became available, another one-third were on the fence but have been gradually agreeing to get a shot, and one-third have declined to take one. He said interest has ticked up, however, as the number of cases has increased. For example, many farmers waited because they didn't want to feel side effects during their planting season, he said. ___ Follow Grant Schulte on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrantSchulte LAS VEGAS (AP) A 67-year-old Nevada man pleaded guilty but mentally ill on Monday and will avoid a death penalty trial in the fatal ambush shooting of a veteran highway patrol trooper on a remote state highway in March 2020. John Leonard Dabritz, a former resident of the small White Pine County mining town of Ruth, is expected in September to face a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for killing highway patrol Sgt. Ben Jenkins, 47. The officer had come up to the side of the road, and I had shot him, defendant Dabritz told White Pine County District Court Judge Steve Dobrescu, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported after a hearing that was livestreamed from court. He was killed. White Pine County District Attorney James Beecher said in a statement that the plea offer was extended to provide the family with swift and final closure, without protracted appeals or requiring them to relive the horrific incident through trial. Dabritz withdrew an earlier plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. Dabritz was previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder and has been in custody at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City. He underwent about two months of treatment at a psychiatric facility before he was deemed competent last October to stand trial on murder, arson, vehicle and firearms theft charges. Authorities said Dabritz was heavily armed and fled with Jenkins uniform and patrol pickup truck before crashing and surrendering as troopers and sheriffs deputies arrived not far from the Lincoln County line. Following the killing, the Review-Journal learned that Dabritz spent the weeks leading up to the shooting on a paranoid quest to warn people of his theory that COVID-19 was spreading through the water and sewer systems. His was treated at William Bee Ririe Hospital in Ely and at a behavioral health hospital in Las Vegas before his release one week before Jenkins was killed. Jenkins, a 12-year department veteran and married father of four from Elko, won the highway patrols highest honor, the Gold Medal of Valor, in 2011. Officials said he stopped to check on an apparently stranded vehicle just before dawn on U.S. Highway 93 outside Ely more than 250 miles (400 kilometers) north of Las Vegas. Jenkins was the first NHP officer killed in the line of duty since Trooper Kara Kelly-Borgognone died in a crash near Sparks in February 2008. SULLIVAN, Wis. (AP) Authorities say one person was killed Tuesday afternoon when a home exploded in the town Sullivan, about 45 miles west of downtown Milwaukee. The victim was inside the residence when it exploded and was the only person home when it happened, the Jefferson County Sheriffs Department said. OMAHA, Neb. (AP) An Omaha man has been sentenced to a year of probation and ordered to pay a $200 fine for posting neo-Nazi recruitment stickers on poles outside a synagogue. Jonathan Ziegler, 31, pleaded guilty Monday to property damage and hate intimidation. In exchange, prosecutors dropped two other identical charges. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Oregon's clean energy bill, which sets one of the most ambitious timelines in the country for moving to 100% clean electricity sources, was signed by Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday. The legislation lays out a timetable for the states two major power companies Portland General Electric and Pacific Power to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with electricity sold to Oregon consumers. Additionally, it bans the expansion or new construction of power plants that burn fossil fuels and allocates $50 million in grants for community-based energy projects, among other measures. With these policies, we will create jobs in a 21st Century, clean energy economy," Brown said. We will reduce carbon emissions. And, we will make sure the economic, environmental and health benefits of our clean energy economy reach all Oregonians, especially those who have been disproportionately impacted by climate change and pollution." The bill requires Portland General Electric and Pacific Power to submit plans to reduce emissions by 80% from a baseline amount by 2030, 90% by 2035 and 100% by 2040. Dave Robertson, vice president of Public Affairs at Portland General Electric, says the timeline is an important step toward the clean energy future. It provides a clear path for this critical transition while protecting the affordability and reliability of electricity, and it establishes greenhouse gas reduction targets that are in line with the climate goals we set for ourselves late last year, Robertson said. At least 17 other states and the District of Columbia have already adopted similar goals, according to the Clean Energy States Alliance. But officials say Oregon's timeline is the strongest electricity emissions reduction timeline in the country. The deadline is nearer than nearly every other state that has adopted a clean power plan, including Washington and California. Oregon would measure its progress in an atypical way, too. Most states have opted to ratchet down greenhouse gas emissions by requiring utilities to gradually increase the amount of power they get from renewable energy sources like wind and solar. Oregon, which has already had such a renewable portfolio standard since 2007, is taking a more straightforward approach: requiring Portland General Electric and Pacific Power to reduce their overall carbon emissions, which are tracked by the states Department of Environmental Quality. Already, we are seeing the devastating impacts of climate change, from more frequent drought to more severe wildfire seasons that put our homes and our families in jeopardy, said Rep. Jason Kropf, a sponsor of the bill and a Bend Democrat. "This bill will put Oregon on a pathway for a more environmentally sound future and create economic opportunity and jobs for our working families. Environmental activists have called the bill's passage a huge victory, especially as the state and country continue to see the worsening effects of climate change. But the bill, which passed in Oregon's Senate 16-12 and in the House 35-20, has also been criticized. Hiking Oregonians energy costs during an economic recovery is one of the dumbest ideas I have ever heard of, said Senate Republican Leader Fred Girod. This bill just adds insult to injury to the countless Oregonians who have endured massive hardship over the last year and a half. Opponents of the bill say the policy will increase electric prices for Oregonians, cause business energy costs to skyrocket and put strain on the power grid possibly leading to rolling blackouts. This bill accomplishes nothing for our environment, Girod said. It is simply a bill to virtue signal to extreme environmentalist groups that will cause Oregonians to pay more for less reliable energy. Whether or not the timeline is attainable is also uncertain. If you go out to 2030, we think we can hit that, PacifiCorp Senior Vice President Scott Bolton told The Oregonian/Oregon Live last month. We were pretty clear though, beyond that we dont have a plan that shows we can get there. Likewise, Brett Sims, a vice president at Portland General Electric, told The Oregonian the company can meet the 2030 target by eliminating coal, operating its natural gas fired plants to serve peaks rather than base load demand, and adding substantial wind, solar, storage and demand reduction strategies to its resource mix. However, the 2040 target, he said, remains aspirational. 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 newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) In response to a spike in COVID-19 cases in Oregon and updated national guidance calling for masking measures to prevent the spread of the highly transmissible delta variant, state health officials announced Tuesday they are recommending that people wear a mask in public indoor settings including those who are fully vaccinated. The announcement occurred the same day that the Oregon Health Authority reported 1,032 new and presumed COVID-19 cases, the states highest daily case count since January based on recent data. "Todays reported sharp rise in confirmed and presumptive cases and in hospitalizations in Oregon are sobering reminders that the pandemic is not over, especially for Oregonians who remain unvaccinated, said Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the state epidemiologist and state health officer. As cases continue to rise across the country, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed course Tuesday on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the delta variant of the coronavirus is fueling infection surges. Citing new information about the variants ability to spread among vaccinated people, the CDC also recommended indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors at schools nationwide, regardless of vaccination status. The new guidance follows recent decisions in Los Angeles and St. Louis to revert to indoor mask mandates amid a spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations that have been especially bad in the South. The country is averaging more than 57,000 cases a day and 24,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations. On Tuesday, Oregon health officials announced that their recommendations apply statewide and not just in areas with high infection rates. The possibility of reimplemented restrictions including mask mandates, capacity limits, county risk levels that dictate restrictions and distancing requirements that were lifted by Gov. Kate Brown on June 30 has also always been a possibility. During a public Q&A this month, Sidelinger said that if cases, hospitalizations and deaths surge then nothing is off the table when it comes to the possibility of reinstating restrictions. Health officials continue to reiterate that the greatest protection against COVID-19 is the vaccine. However in Oregon, around 29% of adults have yet to be vaccinated. Health officials warn the increased spread of the delta variant poses a great risk for unvaccinated people. Last month, the health authority reported that 92% of coronavirus cases in June and 94% of coronavirus deaths occurred in unvaccinated Oregonians. In a sign of slowing demand for the vaccine, last week the states first mass vaccination clinic at the Oregon State Fair and Exposition Center in Salem closed. In addition the Oregon Health Authority reported on Tuesday that nearly 93,000 doses of vaccine have been thrown away after expiring due to non-use. The impacts of the virus on unvaccinated people are apparent when looking at high-infection rates in counties with low-vaccination rates. Last week, in rural Umatilla County where 43% of adults are partially or fully vaccinated, the areas coronavirus-test positivity rate surpassed 14%. In one-third of Oregons counties many rural less than 50% of the adult population is vaccinated. The highly contagious Delta variant has increased tenfold in the past two weeks in Oregon, and it is now estimated to be associated with 80% of the new cases in Oregon," Sidelinger said. OHA continues to encourage all Oregonians who are eligible to make a plan to get vaccinated as soon as possible. - 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 newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. SINGAPORE (AP) U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin decried the actions of Myanmar's military rulers on Tuesday and urged a regional bloc to keep demanding an end to the violence. Myanmar, also called Burma, has been wracked by violence by its security forces against people protesting against the militarys seizure of power in February. Austin applauded the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for its efforts to solve the crisis, including a consensus reached with Myanmars military leader in April. The five-point document calls for an immediate end to violence and the start of a dialogue among contending parties, with a special ASEAN envoy mediating in the talks. However, a special envoy still hasnt been appointed. The Myanmar militarys refusal to respect the inalienable rights of the Burmese people and to defend their basic well-being is flatly unacceptable, Austin said in a lecture in Singapore. A military exists to serve its people, not the other way around. And so we call on the Myanmar military to adhere to the ASEAN five-point consensus and to forge a lasting peace," he added. ASEAN obviously plays a key role, or can play a key role. We certainly will continue to encourage ASEAN to continue to work this issue, Austin said. He said the U.S. will work with partners in the region to urge Myanmars military to move in the right direction and release civilians it has imprisoned. Austin, who is on a tour of Southeast Asia, met with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday. He also met Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen to reaffirm the countries longstanding ties, according to a joint statement. The retired four-star Army general hopes to strengthen relationships with other Southeast Asian allies in the coming days, and will visit Vietnam and the Philippines amid tensions in the disputed South China Sea, which is largely claimed by China. As Prime Minister Lee has counseled, we are not asking countries in the region to choose between the United States and China, Austin said. "In fact, many of our partnerships in the region are older than the Peoples Republic of China itself. Thats why we are expanding our important work with countries throughout the Indo-Pacific and with ASEAN itself, a critical body that brings the region closer together, offering everyone a voice, building deeper habits of cooperation, he said. THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) Police in Amsterdam said Tuesday that they are treating a brutal assault on a 14-year-old girl as a possible LGBTQ-related attack. The assault Monday gained national prominence after Paul Brink posted a photo of his daughter Frederique on LinkedIn, her nose broken, grazes visible on her face and a tear rolling down her left cheek. In his LinkedIn post, Brink said the attack happened in Amstelveen, on the outskirts of Amsterdam, after a boy yelled: Are you a boy or a girl? His daughter responded by saying: It doesn't matter. When the boy shouted the same question again, Frederique replied: I am who I am and you can be who you want to be. The boy then attacked Frederique, leaving her with injuries including a broken nose and jaw fracture, Brink wrote. Amsterdam Police tweeted Tuesday evening that they had arrested a 14-year-old boy on suspicion of involvement in the assault. They said the investigation was ongoing and didn't rule out further arrests. Brink couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday. He wrote in an update on LinkedIn that following his earlier post, we as the Brink family were positively surprised in a very good sense by all the warm and loving reactions from both home and abroad. The hashtag Frederique was trending on Twitter and thousands expressed support on Brinks LinkedIn post. Brink wrote Tuesday that Frederique is now recovering at home. Dutch LGBTQ rights organization COC condemned the attack, which it said was the latest in a long line of such violence. This umpteenth incident underlines our call for the government to do more against anti-LGBTI violence, the organization said on its Facebook page. The COC appealed last month for tougher punishments for violence linked to discrimination and for schools to devote more time to teaching about acceptance of everybody regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sexual characteristics. MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) Police in Nicaragua arrested on Tuesday academic Jose Antonio Peraza, the leader of the opposition alliance White and Blue National Unity. Peraza, a political science professor, was the 22nd opposition leader arrested, in addition to seven potential presidential candidates detained in a crackdown that started two months ago. Almost all were detained under broad accusations of treason. KINGMAN, Ariz. (AP) Authorities in northwestern Arizona have launched an investigation into the death of a Kingman man who was fatally struck by a train last weekend. Kingman police said the 30-year-old man was reportedly sitting on the tracks when the train approached. He was hit at about 11 p.m. on Saturday. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The number of murders in Tennessee jumped 37% last year compared to 2019, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's 2020 Crime in Tennessee report. That makes last year one of the deadliest since 2002, The Tennessean reported. The numbers rose from 498 in 2019 to 682 in 2020. BUCHAREST (AP) Ancient Roman mining galleries in a mountainous Romanian region that has been at the center of a long, fierce battle between a Canadian mining company and environmentalists were added to UNESCOs World Heritage list Tuesday. Rosia Montana, located in western Romania, is home to Europes largest gold deposits. Gabriel Resources, a Canadian mining company that gained concession rights in 1999, planned to extract the gold and silver over a 16-year period. The mining project, which the Romanian government owned a 20% stake in, also would involve razing four mountain tops, displacing hundreds of local families and leaving behind a waste lake containing cyanide, a toxic chemical used in the process of gold extraction. The project drew opposition from environmental and civic activists who helped organize protests that drew tens of thousands of people to Romania's streets. Some of the activists called for the area to be included on the UNESCO list. The Romanian government withdrew its support for the project in 2014. Rosia Montana Mayor Eugen Furdui, who had supported the mining project, told Romanian news channel Digi24 that UNESCO heritage status would not bring any benefits to local residents or the country. But Romanian President Klaus Iohannis welcomed UNESCOs decision. Through joint efforts of the authorities and specialists, Rosia Montana must become a model of value for heritage through the sustainable development of the area, he said Tuesday. The mining company, which invested hundreds of millions in developing the project, is seeking $4.4 billion (3.7 billion euros) in damages from the Romanian state for its losses. It said the project would have provided jobs in an area where employment opportunities are scarce. The UNESCO application was strongly opposed by the local communities in and around Rosia Montana," Gabriel Resources said in a statement Tuesday. Most of the cultural heritage for which protection is sought through the UNESCO application and which was identified by the extensive archaeological research programs funded by Gabriel, would have been protected in any event by the project," the company statement said. Oxford University archaeology professor Andrew Wilson, one of three British experts who published a 2011 report on Rosia Montanas cultural value, told The Associated Press he hoped the UNESCO designation would end decades of (planned) blight and enable the formulation of a plan for the protection of the cultural heritage. Rosia Montana is a landscape of great cultural importance a palimpsest of mining activity from Roman times through the Austro-Hungarian period to the Communist era, Wilson said. Deputy Prime Minister Dan Barna also cheered the UNESCO listing. We fought for years to protect the history and environment of Rosia Montana, and today we received extraordinary news, Barna wrote online. I am glad this site was finally able to achieve international recognition. MOSCOW (AP) Russia's health officials have given a go-ahead to testing a combination of the AstraZeneca coronavirus shot and the single-dose version of the domestically developed Sputnik V vaccine, according to the country's registry of approved clinical trials. The small study, which was scheduled to start July 26 and end in March next year, will enroll 150 volunteers and look at the mixed regimen's safety and capability to trigger immune response, records show. It will be conducted in five medical facilities in Moscow and St. Petersburg. AstraZeneca developed its vaccine with Oxford University. Sputnik V was developed by the state-run Gamaleya Center in Moscow, and the Russian Direct Investment Fund bankrolled the project. Both shots use a similar technology, employing a harmless virus to deliver genetic material from the spike protein of COVID-19 into the body, which then prompts an immune response. Russian officials introduced Sputnik V last year as a two-shot vaccine using different viruses in each dose, but they also have separately marketed the first shot as a single-dose alternative dubbed Sputnik Light. The developers of Sputnik V proposed combining the shots to AstraZeneca in November, suggesting it could increase the effectiveness of the British vaccine. AstraZeneca announced a study to test the combination in December. In May, however, the ethical committee of Russia's Health Ministry suspended the process of giving the trial a green light and requested additional documents for review. According to the official Twitter account of Sputnik V, the go-ahead by the ministry this week comes as similar trials are ongoing in Azerbaijan, Argentina and United Arab Emirates. More trials of Sputnik Light with other producers are also underway in different countries in order to increase the efficacy of other vaccines, Spuntik Vs developers reported on Twitter. Russia gave Spuntik V regulatory approval in August 2020. The vaccine initially faced skepticism at home and abroad because it had only been tested on a few dozen people at the time. A report in the British medical journal The Lancet this year blunted the criticism, saying large-scale testing showed the vaccine to be safe and having a 91% efficacy rate, The one-dose version, Sputnik Light, received approval in May and was released for use last month. Russian authorities have also approved two other domestically developed jabs, EpiVacCorona and CoviVac. But no data on the efficacy of those two vaccines has been released, and Spuntik V remains the most widely used coronavirus vaccine in Russia. Researchers in Britain and elsewhere have been testing whether combining AstraZeneca's vaccine with other products, including the vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, are safe and effective. Early results have shown that combining the AstraZeneca vaccine with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine produces a strong immune response. A large U.S. study found the AstraZeneca shot to be about 79% effective in preventing symptomatic disease, but it may be slightly less effective against emerging variants, including the delta. The World Health Organization has said it's likely that mixing and matching different COVID-19 vaccines probably works, but more data is needed to be certain. LIVINGSTON, Mont. (AP) A Montana inmate who overpowered a jail guard and took the guards gun and minivan was taken back into custody on Tuesday, ending an intensive search that spanned three days. Jordon Earl Linde, 34, was taken into custody without incident at about 10:15 a.m. Tuesday, Park County Sheriff Brad Bichler said. LEXINGTON, N.C. (AP) A North Carolina man faces multiple charges after a sheriff's office said he dragged a homeowner with a stolen truck. Deputies with the Davidson County Sheriffs Office responded on Sunday to reports of a break-in near the Silver Valley community, the High Point Enterprise reported. During the break-in, the man tried to steal a truck and one of the homeowners was dragged by the truck, the sheriffs office said. The truck wrecked on the edge of a wooded area and the man ran away, the sheriff's office said, adding that information on the homeowners condition wasnt available on Monday. Deputies arrested Christopher Dunning, 28, of Thomasville and charged him with felony breaking and entering, felony larceny after breaking and entering, felony breaking and entering of a motor vehicle, felony larceny of a motor vehicle and assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury. Dunning is jailed on a $75,000 secured bond. It's not known if he has an attorney. MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) A north Alabama city, state universities and others are offering cash and other perks for people to get vaccinated for COVID-19 despite the state's resistance to incentives aimed at improving the state's worst-in-the-nation inoculation program. In Gadsden, which last week began offering $100 cash to residents who get fully vaccinated between July 19 and Oct. 15, 94 people received shots in six days, said Deborah Gaither, director of the Gadsden Etowah County Emergency Management Agency. That's a really good number, Gaither said Tuesday, adding: Some of our pharmacies stated they haven't give a vaccine in weeks. While some complained about getting vaccinated earlier and not being eligible for the money, Gaither said the city of 35,000 had to do something to boost immunizations since cases of COVID-19 are rising rapidly. Were at the point now that weve got to do whatever it takes to get people vaccinated, she said. Nearly everyone who is hospitalized or dying now is unvaccinated, officials have said. Auburn University, with an enrollment of more than 30,000 students, announced incentives including improved parking, free meals, $1,000 scholarships, priority class registration and lunch for four with the president to students who are fully vaccinated for the fall semester. As part of the program, students have to agree to let the school publicize their prize. The University of Alabama said it will provide a $20 credit on a student debit card to any student who proves they are vaccinated by Aug. 28, and Montgomery-area government, public schools and the state health department are providing free state fair tickets to people who get fully vaccinated in the capital. Dr. Scott Harris, head of the Alabama Department of Public Heath, said he supports local initiatives to boost vaccinations but that other states have had minimal success with larger incentive programs. I would say were certainly not opposed to incentives at all. However, I dont know of an incentive program that has been wildly successful anywhere," he told a news conference. The state prison system also is offering $5 in commissary credits for inmates who get vaccinated even though Gov. Kay Ivey has refused to consider such incentives for the general public. Instead, she has said, common sense should be enough for people to get the shots. Just 34.1% of Alabama's population is fully vaccinated, the lowest nationally. Hospitalizations for COVID-19 have risen to 1,083, the highest since mid-February, amid the worsening spread of a new variants, and more than 11,490 have died of the illness caused by the coronavirus. In an opinion piece published Tuesday by The Washington Post, Ivey defended her approach. There are those who believe that government should mandate the vaccine or that we should bribe people to take it. Thats not going to happen in my state, no matter how many times the media ask me, wrote Ivey, who was vaccinated in public months ago. Ivey, who previously said it was time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks for the worsening rise in cases, wrote that those who are pushing fake news and conspiracy theories about this vaccine are reckless and causing great harm to people." "The unvaccinated folks are being lied to, and that is just plum sad. Ivey said in the piece. Over the past two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases has increased by 1,033, a jump of 185%, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. There were 345 new cases per 100,000 people in Alabama over the past two weeks, which ranks seventh in the country for new cases. While relatively few people are now wearing face masks in public in the state despite its low vaccination rate, Harris told a news conference that people without vaccinations should continue covering their mouth and nose in public. Harris said he does not expect the state to issue another order requiring masks. Cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations are still far below the levels from December and January, but Harris said the growth in cases right now is unprecedented. Despite updated federal guidelines recommending indoor mask use at schools nationwide, even for vaccinated students, South Carolina education officials said Tuesday that they won't be able to follow the advice, due to recently passed legislation. A budget proviso that went into effect July 1 prohibits school districts in South Carolina from using any appropriated funds to require that its students and/or employees wear a face mask at any of its education facilities. The measure was backed by Gov. Henry McMaster, who earlier this year called it the height of ridiculosity for a school district to require a mask over any parent's wishes that their child go without one, during a debate over whether schools should drop mask mandates before this summer's break. The budget measure, the state Department of Education said on its official Facebook page, "means that while the use of face coverings and other COVID-19 mitigation strategies may continue to be encouraged in accordance with public health recommendations, South Carolina public schools will not be adopting the CDCs recommendations for required mask use. Earlier Tuesday, McMaster sent a tweet about the masking situation, noting that The General Assembly agreed with me and that decision is now left up to the parents. The Delta Variant poses a real threat to South Carolinians, McMaster tweeted. However, shutting our state down, closing schools and mandating masks is not the answer. Personal responsibility is. The reliance on individual responsibility is one McMaster has trumpeted throughout the pandemic, refusing to give in to calls for a comprehensive statewide masking mandate, although some were in place temporarily for state buildings and restaurants. On Tuesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed course on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the delta variant of the coronavirus is fueling infection surges. Citing new information about the variants ability to spread among vaccinated people, the CDC also recommended indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors at schools nationwide, regardless of vaccination status. Earlier this month, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued recommendations that all students and staff should wear face coverings during the coming school year. Vaccination rates in South Carolina have been among the lowest in the country, with just over 44% of eligible residents having been fully dosed, according to data updated Monday by state health officials. New COVID-19 cases have been on the rise, with the average number doubling in the past two weeks to about 410 cases a day amid no signs of slowing down, according to state health officials. ___ Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP. BOSTON (AP) Two Democratic state senators are calling on Gov. Charlie Baker to end the relationship his administration has with the consulting firm McKinsey & Company. The Republican governor recently gave the firm the task of trying to gauge the longer term impact that the COVID-19 pandemic would have on the future of work in Massachusetts. State Sens. Diana DiZoglio of Methuen and Anne Gobi of Spencer sent a letter to Baker on Monday. It is truly inexplicable that your Administration would reward this firm with additional state contracts after what they have done to residents of the Commonwealth, the two wrote. The two pointed to a $573 million settlement reached by Democratic Attorney General Maura Healey and other attorneys general with McKinsey & Company for advising Purdue Pharma on how to boost OxyContin sales. After all the pain this firm has inflicted upon Massachusetts families, it is confounding that your Administration would task McKinsey & Co. with preparing crucial reports on COVID-19 metrics, the two wrote, urging Baker to sever ties with McKinsey & Co. immediately. The Baker administration didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The future of work study produced by McKinsey & Co. found the rise of hybrid and remote work during the past year and a half is just one of the ways the future of business in Massachusetts could change in the post-pandemic years shifting the states economic center of gravity away from the Boston core. BROOKHAVEN, Miss. (AP) A status hearing has been held for a man accused in the deaths of two Mississippi police officers. Kelsey Rushing, an attorney representing Marquis A. Flowers, told Special Judge Richard W. McKenzie on Monday that his team was awaiting reports from experts on several matters and, as a result, had not yet responded to a pretrial questionnaire from District Attorney Dee Bates' office, The Daily Leader reported. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose re-election campaign is selling koozies quoting him saying, How the hell am I going to drink a beer with a mask on? held a private meeting Monday with doctors to oppose mask mandates in public schools. DeSantis said he fears that the federal government might try to force mask mandates in schools, saying children would suffer. On Tuesday, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to schools, regardless of vaccination status. Our view is that this should absolutely not be imposed. It should not be mandated. And I know our Legislature feels strongly about it, said DeSantis. He predicted lawmakers would hold a special session to be able to provide protections for parents and kids who just want to breathe freely and dont want to be suffering under these masks during the school year. DeSantis didn't invite media to the discussion, but his office provided a video and transcript of the meeting in the state Capitol. Florida accounted for a fifth of the nations new coronavirus infections last week, more than any other state, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention But DeSantis has been firmly opposed to lockdown restrictions, mask mandates and vaccine passports, signing a bill into law that prevents businesses to ask for proof of vaccination and local governments from imposing COVID restrictions. As well as the koozie, which has an illustrated image of DeSantis raising a beer in toast, the governor's campaign is selling T-shirts that say, Don't Fauci My Florida, clearly mocking Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious diseases expert and President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser. DeSantis acknowledged during Monday's meeting that YouTube removed video of a similar roundtable discussion he held earlier this year because panelists said there was no scientific justification to mask children in schools. "So here we are full circle, still talking about that issue," DeSantis said. Democratic Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who is hoping to unseat DeSantis in the 2022 election, noted that children are being infected by the virus No one wants our kids to spend the school day in masks, but children are vulnerable to this virus. Florida has seen 7,000 cases in kids under 12 in the past week, with a 15% positivity rate. Inconvenience cannot be confused for oppression no ones freedom is at stake, but their lives may be," Fried said in a statement emailed by her campaign. In South Florida, the Broward County school board postponed a meeting Tuesday about whether students should wear masks in the classroom this fall when about 20 anti-mask protestors refused to don them. Board spokeswoman Kathy Koch told the South Florida SunSentinel that everyone who visits the districts headquarters is required to wear a mask. Most of them said they had a medical waiver, but you cannot prove it nor can you ask for it, Koch said. So for the safety of everyone, the discussion was rescheduled for Wednesday. The delay angered the protestors, who called on DeSantis and the state government to override any mask mandate imposed by Broward or others school districts. We need a special session of the state Legislature to ban this kind of crap right now, said Chris Nelson, 38, founder of the anti-mask group, Reopen South Florida. Meanwhile, the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers on Tuesday requested all state courts suspend in-person appearances for non-essential hearings and revert to virtual court sessions. We are extremely concerned about the uptick in positive coronavirus cases throughout the state, said Jude Faccidomo, the associations president. The associations request came the same day the Miami-Dade courthouse said four people who had been in multiple courtrooms over the past two weeks tested positive for the virus. Also, with COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations surging around Florida, the Orange County tax collector gave his employees a new directive: Get vaccinated by the end of August, or find a new job. Tax Collector Scott Randolph said Monday that he had been considering the new policy for weeks, but spiking numbers pushed him into action, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Randolph's department has 316 employees in six offices who assist about 800,000 customers with property taxes, auto titles, and driver's licenses. This variants getting bad. We have a responsibility to the employees to create a safe work environment and to the general public, Randolph said. Were an agency that just cant be closed." Randolph's office is the second in Florida to require employees be vaccinated. In April, the tax collector in Palm Beach County imposed a similar rule. In neighboring Seminole County, officials said they're unable to bring back any restrictions that were in place last year, including requiring businesses to follow safety-protocol guidelines recommended by the CDC. The state really tied everyones hands, county spokesman Andy Wontor told the Sentinel. Even so, the town of Palm Beach announced Monday it has reinstated its facial covering policy for everyone including the vaccinated inside town-owned buildings. ___ AP writer Mike Schneider in Orlando and Terry Spencer in Fort Lauderdale contributed to this report. The Associated Press reconstructed the story of a failed 2015 murder plot by a Florida branch of the Ku Klux Klan using one-and-a-half hours of recordings made by an undercover FBI informant, thousands of pages of public records, field reporting and interviews. The FBI confidential informant infiltrated the Florida Traditionalist Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in 2015, and testified about the investigation during a criminal trial in 2017. The FBI tapes were entered as evidence in the trial, and became public record. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) A Tennessee man who ran a Ponzi scheme disguised as a holistic wellness business was sentenced to eight years in prison on Friday. Howard L. Young falsely claimed to have a grant from Vanderbilt University to study cancer patients and other patients with chronic medical conditions, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney's office in Nashville. Young also claimed he he had cured himself of cancer using naturopathic methods. He required patients to pay $10,000 to participate in his nonexistent study but told them they would get their money back at the end of the year. BANGKOK (AP) Authorities in Thailand began transporting some people who tested positive for the coronavirus from Bangkok to their hometowns on Tuesday for isolation and treatment to alleviate the burden on the capitals overwhelmed medical system. A train carrying more than 100 patients and medical workers in full protective gear left the city for the northeast. It will drop patients off in seven provinces, where they will be met by health officers and taken to hospitals. Medical authorities in Bangkok said Monday that all ICU beds for COVID-19 patients at public hospitals were full and that some of the sick were being treated in emergency rooms. Officials said they have asked army medics to help out at civilian hospitals. These are patients from Bangkok who havent received treatment in hospitals. We want to bring them to doctors in their hometowns. And the traveling process is controlled all through the journey, said Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who was on hand to watch the operation. We will continue this service until no COVID-19 patients who cannot get beds in Bangkok are left, he said. He said buses, vans and even aircraft might be deployed to send people back to less badly affected provinces. Thailand initially kept coronavirus cases in check but outbreaks have flared in recent months. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ochas government is facing harsh criticism over its handling of a delta variant-fueled surge and slow vaccination program, amid reports of people dying in the streets or in their homes while waiting for treatment. Of Thailand's total of nearly 500,000 confirmed cases and more than 4,000 fatalities, 137,263 cases and 2,176 deaths have been recorded in Bangkok. Most of the 4,451 beds for COVID-19 patients in the city of about 15 million are occupied by people with mild or no symptoms. Hospitals are beginning to urge such patients to isolate at home or in community isolation centers. Bangkok Gov. Aswin Kwanmuang said the city government will coordinate with the State Railway to install 240 beds in 15 railway carriages in a maintenance shed in the city's huge Bang Sue station as a pre-admission center" for coronavirus patients without symptoms. He visited the station on Tuesday to inspect the carriages. He said they should be ready for use by Friday. The government said supplies of medical oxygen are sufficient and manufacturers have been asked to ensure enough is available. But people ill with coronavirus who are unable to find places for treatment are not always able to get supplemental oxygen. Meanwhile, some temples in the devoutly Buddhist country have begun to offer free cremations as the number of deaths rises, the government said. ICHINOMIYA, Japan (AP) An offshore tropical storm brought wind and rain to the Tokyo region and affected some Olympic events Tuesday as it headed toward northeastern Japan, where stormier conditions were forecast. The Japan Meteorological Agency predicted Nepartak would bring heavy rains, strong winds and high waves to northeastern Japan in advance of its landfall around midday Wednesday north of the capital region. LONDON (AP) A British public inquiry into child sexual abuse said Tuesday that hundreds of children in the care of a London authority faced hard to comprehend levels of abuse and neglect over several decades. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse said that between the 1960s and the 1990s, local authority staff in the south London borough of Lambeth treated children in their care as if they were worthless. It said staff members in the south London borough put vulnerable children in the path of sex offenders, who infiltrated childrens homes and foster care settings with devastating, life-long consequences for their victims. Over several decades, children in residential and foster care suffered levels of cruelty and sexual abuse that are hard to comprehend, the head of the inquiry, Alexis Jay, said. For many years, bullying, intimidation, racism, nepotism and sexism thrived within the council, and all against a backdrop of corruption and financial mismanagement, she added. Children who complained about mistreatment were disbelieved and dismissed, according to the inquiry. It said 705 former residents had made allegations of sexual assault, rape and other forms of abuse at three Lambeth childrens homes, and a number of children reported abuse at the time it occurred. But in four decades, only one staff member was disciplined. The report said many Lambeth Council employees showed a callous disregard for the vulnerable children they were paid to look after, and that racism was evident in the hostile and abusive treatment received by Black children in the councils care. The report urged police to consider whether there were grounds for a criminal investigation into the death of one boy, who killed himself in a care home in 1977 after alleging abuse by a senior staff member. Lambeths current leader, Claire Holland, said the council was deeply sorry for the shocking abuse. Husna-Banoo Talukdar, who said she was repeatedly abused while in Lambeth care homes between 1976 and 1979, said she would keep campaigning until the perpetrators names were made public. The inquiry missed that opportunity to get those names out there, to get it known who did what -- the abusers, the council, the police who covered it up, said Talukdar, who waived her right to anonymity. The multi-year inquiry was organized following the 2011 death of childrens entertainer Jimmy Savile, after which dozens of people came forward to say he had abused them. The inquiry is investigating child-protection failings in multiple settings, including church-run schools, young offenders' institutions and the internet, and is due to deliver its overall findings next year. BERLIN (AP) A United Nations panel paid out $600 million to Kuwait's national oil company Tuesday as compensation for Iraq's invasion and occupation of Kuwait three decades ago. The U.N. Compensation Commission said it has so far paid out $51.3 billion since approving some 1.5 million claims related to the invasion by governments and international organizations in 2005. NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) The head of the United Nations World Food Program says the agency will run out of food in Ethiopias conflict-hit Tigray region on Friday, while hundreds of thousands of people there face the worlds worst famine crisis in a decade. Some 170 trucks with food and other supplies are stuck in the neighboring Afar region and must be allowed to move NOW, David Beasley tweeted on Tuesday, noting that 100 such trucks are needed per day in Tigray. People are starving. International pressure is again rising on Ethiopias government to allow badly needed food and other supplies into Tigray, where aid hasn't reached some communities since the war started in November between Ethiopias military and Tigray forces. The Associated Press has reported that scores of people have begun to starve to death. Shortly after the WFP chiefs statement, Ethiopias government blamed the aid delivery problem on Tigray forces provocations in the Afar region, which the U.N. says has the only remaining road route into Tigray. But a WFP convoy trying to use that route was attacked on July 18, and insecurity remains a challenge. Ethiopias government in June declared a unilateral cease-fire, saying it was in part on humanitarian grounds, while its forces retreated from Tigray and Tigray forces retook the regional capital and many other areas. Calling the cease-fire a sick joke, the Tigray forces vowed to secure the region and chase enemies over its borders if needed. Our forces are advancing in every direction and no one is going to stop them, not even rain, spokesman Getachew Reda with the Tigray forces tweeted on Tuesday. Since the cease-fire, Ethiopias government has prepared for a renewed offensive in Tigray, with public rallies and recruiting drives. Some 3,000 youths gathered on Tuesday in the capital, Addis Ababa, to enlist in the military and denounce Tigrays former ruling party, which once dominated Ethiopia's government but this year was declared a terrorist group. Our recruits shall bury the enemy and make sure Ethiopias sovereignty is respected, Defense Minister Kenea Yadeta said. Tigrays civilians are caught in the middle, largely cut off from the outside world as communications links in the region remain down and supplies run low. Thousands have been killed in the conflict, and even outside the region witnesses say thousands have been detained because of their ethnicity. LAS VEGAS (AP) Nevada is re-imposing a mask mandate for public indoor settings in places where COVID-19 is surging, including the state's largest cities, state authorities said Tuesday. Gov. Steve Sisolak's order, effective at 12:01 a.m. Friday, follows an indoor masking recommendation issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier in the day. State officials said they hope the three-day grace period gives businesses time to adapt to the new guidelines affecting residents regardless of vaccination status in 12 of the state's 17 counties. Businesses and residents in counties with substantial or high transmission are strongly urged to adopt the changes as soon as possible, state health officials said in a statement. Reno officials said Tuesday that they plan to require masks at their facilities, which include city hall and indoor pools, starting Wednesday. In Nevada and nationwide, recent spikes in the number of new coronavirus cases reported daily have been fueled by the highly contagious delta variant. Most new infections continue to be among unvaccinated people. So-called breakthrough infections, which generally cause milder illness, can occur in vaccinated people. Nevada's indoor mask requirements will apply to Reno, Las Vegas, Carson City, Elko and other cities. The state Gaming Control Board confirmed the mandate would apply to casinos in counties with high transmission rates. It could hamper tourism industry efforts to entice visitors and trade shows back to power the state's economy. Health officials reported 1,124 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, more than any day since Feb. 8. The number of people hospitalized for the virus spiked to 1,143 on Tuesday, only four less than a peak reached last summer during a second surge and before vaccines were developed. Patients hospitalized have been on average younger than in previous surges, the state hospital association said last week. Other U.S. states, including Illinois, have aligned their masking guidelines with the CDC. However, governors in states including Texas, Iowa and Michigan have said they do not intend to implement new mandates. The federal recommendations followed indoor mask mandates in cities like Los Angeles and St. Louis, both of which are experiencing less severe surges than Clark County and the Las Vegas area. Though Sisolak's directive instructs officials to adopt new CDC mask guidelines for students and teachers, officials said Tuesday that they intend to have continued conversations" with school officials about recommendations and implementation. Las Vegas-area school officials said Tuesday that children will have to wear face coverings when they return to in-person classes in less than two weeks a decision that will likely stir passions among parents whove pleaded for classes to fully reopen after COVID-19 pandemic closures, but have vocally opposed masks and vaccinations. The Carson City School District approved a reopening plan earlier in July to not require masks when classes begin on Aug. 16. In Washoe County, home to Reno, the teachers' union wants masks mandatory for all students, but the superintendent has thus far recommended they be required only for staff and older students. ___ This story has been corrected to show that state officials said on Tuesday that they planned to continue conversations with schools about masks, not Thursday. ___ Metz, who reported from Carson City, 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. MADISON, Wis. (AP) Wisconsin Assembly Republicans failed Tuesday in an attempt to override Gov. Tony Evers' veto of a bill ending $300 a week in federal unemployment aid. Republicans fell five votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to override, 59-37, with no Democrats joining them. All Republicans voted to override. Republicans argued that the $300 federal payment, on top of Wisconsins weekly $370 unemployment benefit, was motivating people to not search for jobs, worsening the state's worker shortage problem. Congress approved the money to help the unemployed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The payment is set to expire under federal law on Sept. 6. Doing away with the extra payment sooner is not a silver bullet for the worker shortage problem, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said, but keeping it is a major part of the problem. Republicans tallied off problems reported by employers in their districts seeking enough workers, from large-scale manufacturers to mom and pop restaurants. This is common sense," said Republican Rep. Mike Kuglitsch. "Every one of us, no matter Republican or Democrat, has businesses that need workers. Lets get the politics out of it. It just doesnt make common sense to pay people a bonus not to work. They argued that Wisconsin should join the more than two dozen other states that have ended the benefits early. Wisconsin has faced a worker shortage for years and Democrats argued the solution was more complicated than simply ending the unemployment benefit. They said the problem is caused by factors including an aging workforce, the need for more child care for workers and ongoing concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. Dont fall for the political gamesmanship and easy rhetoric, tweeted Democratic Rep. Greta Neubauer, of Racine. Ending these final few weeks of extended benefits wont solve a deep-seated problem other states have already shown this. We need to get to work on real solutions that will draw workers to our communities. Veto overrides in Wisconsin are exceedingly rare. The last successful veto override was in 1985, a 36-year span that is the longest in Wisconsin history, according to the Legislative Reference Bureau. Democrats tried to make the debate about education funding, focusing on Evers' special session call to increase K-12 funding by $440 million and higher education by $110 million. Republicans rejected the call as a political ploy, saying they had no plan to revisit the education budget that was signed into law by Evers just over two weeks ago. Vos and Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Tyler August quietly convened the special session two hours later, in an empty chamber, and immediately adjourned it with no debate. The Senate, which was not in session Tuesday, also quietly met the requirements of meeting in special session but took no action. Evers, in a statement, called the Legislature's decision not to debate his proposal breathtaking. Republicans had time to go to Madison for another political stunt but couldnt be bothered to even consider investing more money into our kids and our schools thats just wrong," he said. Republican Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu called the special session a farce, noting that the budget passed by the Legislature and signed by Evers ensured the state would receive $2.3 billion in federal funding for K-12 schools, but that money was earmarked for expenses related to COVID-19 and not divided equally to all districts. The state budget essentially held funding flat for K-12 schools. The budget did direct about $650 million to schools, but Republicans did it in a way that the money must be used to reduce property taxes, rather than go toward new spending. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) A San Francisco Superior Court judge on Tuesday overturned a 2019 decision by the city's school district to cover up a controversial mural at George Washington High School. The George Washington High School Alumni Association had filed a lawsuit following the 2019 vote by the San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education to remove the 1936 mural titled "Life of Washington" by Victor Arnautoff on the walls of the stairway and main lobby entrance at the Richmond District school. The mural has been criticized as offensive for its depiction of Native Americans and African Americans. The alumni association alleged in its lawsuit that the school board failed to follow the California Environmental Quality Act and conduct an environmental review when it made its decision to cover up the mural and Judge Anne-Christine Massullo agreed, saying in a ruling Tuesday that the board and SFUSD "failed in their primary duty to follow the requirements of the law." Massullo scheduled a case management conference for Aug. 26 and asked for the two sides to agree on a date to schedule a status hearing in September, as well as to submit agreed-upon language to be used in preparing an environmental impact report so any future action by the board to remove the mural from view would comply with CEQA requirements. A school district spokeswoman said the district was still reviewing the order, while the alumni association was not immediately available to comment on the judge's ruling. 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. Come aboard and explore the U.S.'s only surviving steam-powered ocean tugboat Hercules virtually, officials with the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park urged Monday. The 1907 tug can be explored in a way not possible in person. Steep ladders prevent visitors from accessing some areas, but the new virtual tour allows guests to see the whole ship including the pilot house, the crew's quarters, and engineering. Hercules represents the height of 1907 marine steam reciprocating technology, according to national park officials, as well as the strength and fortitude of the sailors she carried. Up to 17 sailors were aboard Hercules with little privacy while facing long bouts of boredom and terrifying storms. Voyages usually lasted a week or two and could last a month or longer, national park officials said. At least one person from Piedmont was killed in a crash Sunday in Minnesota that claimed the lives of three other Californians, according to the Le Sueur County Sheriff's Office. Piedmont resident John St. John, 54, along with 56-year-old Jill St. John, a 13-year-old girl and 9-year-old boy were killed late Sunday night in a crash at County Road 15 and County Road 22. Deputies responded at 11:30 p.m. to that intersection where a 2012 Ford Expedition collided with a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado, sheriff's officials said. Seven people were in the Ford while one person was in the Chevrolet. The three others in the Ford, including two children, were also from California and were taken to hospitals, according to sheriff's officials. The driver of the Chevrolet, who was from Minnesota, was taken to a hospital, too. Sheriff's officials said alcohol probably did not play a role in the crash. The crash in under investigation. A 14-year-old boy is dead from gunshot wounds and another is in custody for the shooting that was discovered in Fairfield early Sunday morning, police said Monday. Someone called police at 2:30 a.m. Sunday and said a person may have been hit and killed by a train. When officers went to investigate the possible collision on the tracks behind State Street they found a body, according to police. The body was that of a 14-year-old boy who suffered gunshot wounds. The suspect, also a 14-year-old boy, was arrested on suspicion of murder and other offenses, police said. The shooting was not gang-related and doesn't appear to be random violence, according to police. Police in Stockton are searching for a hit-and-run suspect who struck and killed a man Sunday night. Officers responded at 6 p.m. to the 400 block of South San Joaquin Street and found a 40-year-old man injured after being hit by a vehicle. Police described the suspect's vehicle as a possibly late 90s Toyota minivan and either light blue or gray. The victim was taken to a hospital where he later died. His name was not released. Guests were evacuated from rides at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Monday evening following a power outage, a boardwalk spokesman said. By 6:35 p.m. power had been restored and some rides had reopened, boardwalk spokesman Kris Reyes said. Everyone was safely evacuated, and no one was stuck on any rides, Reyes said. Reyes said Monday evening that he didn't know what caused the power outage. Six people were arrested on suspicion of felony offenses following two sideshows in Vallejo Saturday night, police said. Arrested were 26-year-old Eric Cacho, 22-year-old Devon Dipinto, 26-year-old Cesar Dominguez, 24-year-old Mario Velasco, all of Sacramento, and 21-year-old Angelo Landford, and 19-year-old Payton Pinkela, both of Fairfield. Officers were called to Tennessee Street and Maple Avenue and Sonoma Boulevard and Lemon Street because of ongoing sideshow activity at both locations, according to police. At one location more than 100 people were blocking the intersection to watch the sideshow, police said. According to police, the crowd refused to disperse and threw things at the officers and a sergeant who arrived. A window of a police vehicle was shattered, police said. A comedy/drama set in Yosemite that costars a Danville native and a Sundance award-winner that plumbs science and immigration/migration issues are the headliners in this week's Pass the Remote. We also spotlight five additional features that are worth watching in the final weekend of the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. Three separate vehicle collisions caused fatalities late Monday night from Sacramento to Stockton. Both of the people who died in collisions in Sacramento were pedestrians, according to the California Highway Patrol. Officers responded to the first one reported at 8:50 p.m. on State Route 99 near the Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard off-ramp in South Sacramento, after a tractor-trailer truck traveling northbound struck a pedestrian. The collision closed the slow lane of the highway and the off-ramp for about two hours. The National Weather Service forecast for the San Francisco Bay Area calls for a wet morning Tuesday followed by a mostly sunny and hot afternoon. There is a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11 a.m. In the afternoon, mostly sunny skies will bring high temperatures ranging from the 60s along the coast to the 70s and 80s around the Bay, with inland valley areas reaching the mid to high 90s. Overnight lows will be in the 50s. A warm and dry trend is expected through the end of the month. 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. Professor Ujwal Kayande has been named as the new dean of Simon Fraser Universitys Beedie School of Business. Dr. Kayande is currently an associate dean and professor of marketing at the Melbourne Business School in Australia and will join SFU in mid-January 2022. Dr. Kayande has been teaching marketing strategy and business analytics at the Melbourne Business School since 2013 where he became the founding director of the schools Centre for Business Analytics. He was also co-director of the Delivering Value through Digital Executive Education program, jointly delivered with the University of Oxford. With a prior connection to Canada, having spent part of his childhood in Edmonton, Dr. Kayande returned to complete his PhD at the University of Alberta in 1998. He subsequently held faculty positions at Pennsylvania State University, Australian National University, and others. Dr. Kayande has received numerous accolades for teaching excellence and his research has been recognized by the American Marketing Association (Lehmann Award), European Marketing Academy (IJRM Best Paper) and the Australia-NZ Marketing Academy (Distinguished Researcher). He has also held a number of honorary and visiting positions at universities around the world including Malaysia, India, China, France, Germany and the U.S. I am excited to welcome Ujwal to SFU," says Dr. Catherine Dauvergne, SFUs vice-president, academic and provost. He brings with him a wealth of experience in leading institutions on three continents and a commitment to serve the SFU Beedie community enthusiastically as it moves towards fulfilling its goals. Dr. Kayande says he was drawn to SFU Beedie by the schools track record in developing innovative and impactful programs, including Canada's first Executive MBA, the EMBA in Indigenous Business and Leadership, the data and analytic programs in accounting with KPMG, and establishing outstanding centres for excellence such as the social innovation hub (RADIUS) and the Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship. SFU Beedie has a wonderful community of inspiring students, alumni, faculty and staff and an outstanding pedigree of innovation, says Dr. Kayande. It is my aspiration to continue to foster innovative activities and grow the schools reputation for innovative research and teaching. I look forward to being a part of the SFU Beedie community and working with all its stakeholders to make the school the best it can be. 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. In the upcoming land auction by the Department of Natural Resources, 97 properties, including lake frontage, trail access and small lots to extend a neighborhood lot, will be available. Properties for sale range in size from under an acre to 120 acres. Many of the surplus properties highlighted in the auction are in Yates Township, Lake County. There are several larger 5- to 15-acre properties available in Yates Township. Some of the largest parcels are in Clare, Lake and Menominee counties, according to a recently issued press release by the DNR. Theres going to be quite a bit of interest in Lake County, said Mike Michalek, the resource specialist in the Department of Natural Resources real estate section. Theres a parcel in Berrien County that has frontage on Lake Michigan. Its not a buildable site, but its definitely a site someone can outdoor recreate at, such as camp. Thats going to interest some people. Additionally, there is a riverfront parcel in Mecosta County. Its a bit swampy, but its going to interest people whenever theres water. Auctions happen once or twice a year. Unique to this auction, two land parcels include buildings: an old DNR field administration equipment building in Huron County and the abandoned Big Rapids Railroad Depot in Mecosta County. Notable waterfront properties that are accessible include: A Berrien County property with frontage on Lake Michigan. A Mason County parcel with frontage on Weldon Creek. A property in Mecosta County along the Little Muskegon River. So, why is this land up for auction? Many of the parcels are forested and/or have road frontage, so they are better suited for private ownership, according to Michalek. Additionally, much of the land offered in the upcoming auctions is isolated from other DNR managed land, which creates some challenges in effectively maintaining it. Other parcels are included in the auctions because they offer limited recreation benefits to the public. How to bid Fourteen online auctions will be offered between Aug. 2 and Sept. 3. Interested bidders may register in advance and get more information about the online auction schedule at Tax-Sale.info/. Those wanting to bid on a property must register before that property's auction date. See More Collapse We actually manage the properties, we have several different land management divisions within the Department of Natural Resources, Michalek said. For example, the wildlife division manages properties in the south part of the Lower Peninsula. Often, a land owner will file to have neighboring land put up for auction. Those go through an approval process by the division to see if they're OK with selling the land. Then, if the director approves it, its deemed in surplus and thats when it would go to an auction. If youd like to bid on a property, you must register between now and when the auction for your desired property starts. The auction schedule is available here. Throughout August and September, there will be 14 different auctions based on the counties. For example, Lake County is on Tuesday, Aug. 17. So, if someone wants to bid on a Lake County parcel, theyll need to register and set up an account before Aug. 17, Michalek said. The auctions are similar to an Ebay style. You can monitor where the bids are at and you can see the bids going up. The interactive bidding portion of an auction will open at 10 a.m. on that auction date. At that time, bidders will be able to see current high bids for each property. Bidders can continue to place bids on a property until 7 p.m. when bidding closes and the winning bidder is determined. Separate from the online auctions, the DNR is offering additional properties that were not sold in previous auctions. These properties are available for view and immediate purchase only on the BuyNow list. Visit Michigan.gov/LandForSale for a detailed list that includes minimum bid, acreage and location information on the available properties. Interested bidders also are encouraged to review the DNR Land Sales: Terms and Conditions. AURORA, Colo. (AP) A Colorado police officer has been arrested after video showed him using his pistol to beat a man he was trying to take into custody, choking him and threatening to kill him, while another officer was accused of failing to stop her colleague as required by a new police accountability law passed during racial injustice protests last year. Body camera footage was released Tuesday of the arrest in the Denver suburb of Aurora, whose Police Department has been plagued by allegations of misconduct in recent years, including the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who was put into a neckhold. In the latest confrontation, which came as the officers responded to a trespassing report Friday, the man repeatedly said, Youre killing me, bro" as Aurora Officer John Haubert held him down and struck him, the video showed. If you move, I will shoot you, Haubert said. The officer says repeatedly, Stop fighting, as the man cries and gasps for air. Video shows Haubert yelling at him to roll over on his stomach and show his hands, which he does. I need water, the man cried as the video ends. The Associated Press is not naming the man. He did not suffer serious injury but was taken to a hospital for welts and a cut on his head that required six stitches, police said. Authorities didn't say if he will face charges for an outstanding warrant on a probation violation. It is not clear what race or ethnicity he identifies as, but he appears in the video to be a person of color. Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson called the arrest a very despicable act at a press conference Tuesday. Were disgusted. Were angry, said Wilson, who took over the department last year. This is not police work. We dont train this. Haubert is under investigation on suspicion of attempted first-degree assault, second-degree assault and felony menacing, according to arrest warrant affidavits. His lawyer, Reid Elkus, said he could not comment because it's early in the case but added, We will be zealously defending Officer Haubert. Officer Francine Martinez is accused of not intervening to try to stop Haubert, the documents say. It wasnt immediately known if she had an attorney to speak on her behalf. Both officers have turned themselves in. Aurora's troubled Police Department has been involved in several excessive use-of-force allegations in recent years. The most egregious was the death of McClain, who was confronted on the street by police responding to a call about a suspicious person. In August 2020, Wilson became the first woman to permanently lead the department in Colorados third-largest city, a diverse community east of Denver. At the time, the agency was looking to regain public trust following a tumultuous year since the death of McClain, whom officers put into a neckhold. Paramedics also injected him with ketamine. In the latest case, Wilson said she moved quickly to put the officers on leave and release the body camera footage to shed light on an incident she said is an anomaly in a department trying to do better. She apologized to the man in the video. This is not the Aurora Police Department, Wilson said. This was criminal. Haubert and Martinez had been sent to investigate a trespassing report when they encountered three people who had outstanding felony warrants and tried to arrest them, according to documents. Two ran way and have not been arrested, Wilson said. The video shows Haubert draw his pistol and point it at the third person, who did not resist. We dont believe he knew that he actually had an existing warrant, Wilson said. Court documents filed for the warrant show he failed to submit some urine tests, abandoned treatment for court-ordered domestic violence counseling and did not report to four scheduled probation meetings. Haubert is accused of grabbing the back of the mans neck, pressing a gun against his head, then striking his head with the pistol at least seven times while ordering him to lie on his stomach, the documents say. The video shows the man bleeding from his head with a large golf-ball sized lump on his temple as he struggles on the ground and cries for help. In the video, Haubert told a sergeant after the arrest: I was going to shoot him but I didnt know if I had a round in it or not, the documents say. Haubert also said blood on the man was from pistol-whipping him. Last year, Colorado lawmakers passed a bill that, among other things, requires all officers to use body cameras by July 2023, bans chokeholds, limits potentially lethal uses of force and removes qualified immunity from police, potentially exposing officers to lawsuits for their actions in use-of-force cases. The law also requires officers to intervene when seeing colleagues use excessive force and report it to superiors. Lawmakers strengthened the law this year to encourage more officers to use their body cameras and promote deescalation techniques in police encounters. ___ Associated Press writer Thomas Peipert contributed to this report. Nieberg is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues. ___ This story has been updated to correct that Elijah McClain died in 2019, not 2018. Page Content The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) is a federal law that protects the civilian employment of active and reserve component military personnel and veterans. USERRA is a straightforward law with a central objective: to not penalize service members for their service. While most employers have probably handled numerous leave requests related to pregnancy, disability, or illness, employers are perhaps less likely to encounter requests for USERRA leave. Less than one percent of the population serves in the United States military, with approximately 1.3 million active duty personnel and 802,248 active reserve component members from all branches combined. Still, the number of military personnel in the civilian workforce is substantial enough that employers are likely at some point to receive a military leave request or USERRA-related question. Here are five USERRA-related questions employers are likely to face. 1. Is an employer required to accommodate leave for military duty when an employee does not have orders? Yes. Reserve component soldiers have routine drill periods known as inactive-duty training (IDT) in addition to 14 days (or more) of annual training (AT) per year, though the number of AT days is variable depending on the branch of service. Leave for IDT and AT is covered by USERRA. Although drill periods are typically reserved for the weekend, unit commanders may occasionally schedule three or four-day drillsfor example, on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The military does not issue orders for routine drill periods, so a request for orders will find the employee (and employer) empty-handed. In lieu of orders, units typically provide drill schedules for each fiscal year for IDT periods. The employee's drill schedule should also have a point of contact (POC) so that the employer may reach out to the unit with any questions. If the drill schedule does not identify a POC and the employer has reason to question the employee's service obligation, the employer may consider asking the employee to provide information as to whom in the military reporting chain the employer can direct questions. Employers that have reasons to question employees' service obligationsfor example, if the employee is unwilling to produce a drill schedule or to provide any additional information concerning the leave periodmay be justified, under USERRA, in contacting the employee's military chain of command. Conversely, employers that don't have good cause to question the service obligation but nevertheless contact the employee's commander may be at risk of a claim of harassment or discrimination under USERRA (especially if the employer reaches out repeatedly). The military will issue orders for a service member's AT requirement. Often, the AT period is at a designated location, such as on a military base or installation, for a consecutive period. Some units do not conduct a consolidated unit AT. In this situation, the employer may be faced with sporadic requests for leave throughout the year in order for the service member to fulfill the AT obligations. This type of AT may even be conducted remotely on occasion from the service member's home. These various scenarios may raise questions for the employer as to the legitimacy of the leave. If orders are issuedand they always are for AT daysthe leave is legitimate. Finally, some orders are issued retroactively (after the training period is completed). USERRA does not require a service member to produce orders to his or her employer in advance of leave if doing so is precluded by military necessity, or otherwise impossible or unreasonable. The unavailability of orders on the front end of leave is one such example of "impossibility" that often plays out in reality and is not a basis for denying leave under USERRA. [Want to learn more about compensation and benefits? Join us at the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo 2021, taking place Sept. 9-12 in Las Vegas and virtually.] 2. Does an employee continue to accrue vacation leave while on military leave? No, unless the employer provides that benefit to other employees on comparable leaves of absence. Section 1002.150 of USERRA states that"[t]he non-seniority rights and benefits to which an employee is entitled during a period of service are those the employee provides to similarly situated employees by an employment contract, agreement, policy, practice, or plan in effect at the employee's workplace." 3. Is an employer required to accommodate leave for voluntary deployments? Yes. USERRA requires employers to accommodate even voluntary deployments. USERRA expressly defines "service in the uniformed services" as "the performance of duty on a voluntary or involuntary basis." This is true regardless of the burden that the service may impose on the civilian employer and regardless of whether the deployment is "high speed" (such as special forces frontline operations) or "not so high speed" (for example, office work far away from the battlefield). USERRA does not consider the relative burden to the employer to be relevant when determining whether the employer may grant or deny leave. USERRA provides as follows: In any determination of a person's entitlement to protection under this chapter, the timing, frequency, and duration of the person's training or service, or the nature of such training or service (including voluntary service) in the uniformed services, shall not be a basis for denying protection of this chapter if the service does not exceed the limitations set forth in subsection (c) and the notice requirement established in subsection (a)(1) and the notification requirements established in subsection (e) are met. Those limitations include the cumulative five-year period and notice requirements. The U.S. Department of Labor's regulations further amplify the service member's right to volunteer for military service and state that "[t]he employee is not required to accommodate his or her employer's interests or concerns regarding the timing, frequency, or duration of uniformed service." Under USERRA and its enforcing regulations, the voluntary or involuntary nature of a leave is irrelevant, and the burden to the employer does not provide a justification to discharge or refuse to reemploy the service member. In sum, at this time, a so-called "USERRA abuse" defense is not readily available to employers. 4. May an employer permit an employee to continue working in a full- or part-time status while on military orders? Note: This scenario is perhaps on the rise due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as both civilian employers and the military are increasingly permitting telework. This may not be the recommended course of action. While there is no per se prohibition on outside employment for reserve component service members who are placed on active duty orders, there are myriad legal, ethical, and practical concerns that may militate against permitting such an arrangement, particularly under USERRA. A primary purpose of USERRA is to protect service members who leave their civilian jobs to perform uniformed service. If an employee never leaves his or her civilian job, an employer's USERRA obligations are unclear. Under the circumstances, it is possible that USERRA protections would be triggered if the employee were subject to discipline for job performance, and it is possible that the employee could subsequently claim that the discipline was due to the service obligation. The employer would likely have a defense that the employee was not entitled to USERRA protection in the first place, but nothing would prevent the employee from pursuing a claim alleging USERRA discrimination if confronted with an adverse employment action in the civilian job while on military orders. In addition to USERRA concerns, this scenario presents issues for the employee/service member related to potential violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice or applicable state codes of military justice. When performing military duty, a service member is required to prioritize military duty over other work. Although the U.S. Department of Defense's Joint Ethics Regulation allows outside employment with the permission of the service member's commander, this carve-out is typically for active duty soldiers who seek to take on moonlighting jobs for extra pay. A reserve component service member on full-time military orders does not get time off, in theory. Even if a service member has downtime during the duty day, that service member is still in a duty status. It is hard to imagine a scenario in which an employee could perform a full-time civilian job without creating conflicts. An example of a potential conflict might be if an employee suffered an injury (say, carpal tunnel) during the period of dual military and civilian employment. The employer would have to determine if the injury was caused on the job for workers' compensation purposes. The military, meanwhile, would be tasked with determining whether the injury was service connected and sustained in the line of duty. Determining the precise origins of the injury in this scenario could be a near-impossible task for both the military and the civilian employer because the employee was working for both entities simultaneously. 5. Does USERRA cover temporary employees? Yes, but a temporary employee's reemployment rights are conditional based on the intended length and scope of the temporary position. As a starting point, the regulations provide that an employee's USERRA rights "are not diminished because the employee holds a temporary, part-time, probationary, or seasonal employment position." This means that employers may not discriminate or retaliate against temporary employees because of their uniformed service. However, the reemployment protections under USERRA are not absolute. An employee does not have reemployment rights if the civilian employment was for a brief, nonrecurrent period, and there was no reasonable expectation that the employment would have continued indefinitely or for a significant period. Neither the statute nor the applicable regulations adequately define what constitutes a "significant period." In addition, the regulations arguably are unclear as to whether the "reasonable expectation" of continued employment is a belief held by the employee or the employer. Finally, the denial of USERRA rights on the basis of temporary employment is an affirmative defense that the employer has the burden of proving. If there is any expectation at all (by the employee or employer) that the employment would have continued absent the military leave, the employee is likely entitled to reemployment upon conclusion of the military leave period. Key Takeaways Although uniformed service members represent a small segment of the total workforce, most employers will eventually encounter USERRA leave requests. According to the Congressional Research Service, 1,007,061 reserve component service members have been called to active duty in the last 20 years. Presumably, these calls to active duty have resulted in a great many USERRA leave requests, and understanding the basic requirements of USERRA may help employers prevent costly litigation. USERRA is still evolving as a federal law, and it was amended as recently as January 15, 2021, to include coverage for National Guard soldiers called to "state active duty" by their states' governors. The legislation amending USERRA was passed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ogletree Deakins will continue to monitor and report on the impact of the recent amendment, as well as other USERRA developments. Stay tuned. Amy Quick Glenos is an attorney in the Birmingham, Ala., office of Ogletree Deakins. 2021, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. Republished with permission. All rights reserved. By Andrew Slette With water temperatures now in the low 80s, I have had to reschedule all my fishing trips until early August to avoid harm or even possibly killing the fish that we catch. You can still go fishing when the weather and water temps are this warm, but there should be a few... The burst detected by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope on August 26, 2020, turned out to be one for the record books -- the shortest Gamma-ray burst (GRB) caused by the death of a massive star. New Delhi, July 27 (IANS) A group of astronomers, few of them Indians, have detected a very short, powerful burst of high-energy radiation that lasted for about a second and had been racing towards Earth for nearly half the present age of the universe. GRBs are the most powerful events in the universe, detectable across billions of light-years. Astronomers classify them as long or short based on whether the event lasts for more or less than two seconds. They observe long bursts in association with the demise of massive stars, while short bursts have been linked to a different scenario. The identification of this short event GRB, which involved several scientists across the world, including Shashi Bhushan Pandey from the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), an institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), as well as scientists from other Indian institutions, showed for the first time that a dying star can produce short bursts too. From India, The Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, National Centre for Radio Astrophysics - Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (NCRA), Pune, and IIT Mumbai also participated in this work, a release from the Department of Science and Technology said on Tuesday. "Such a discovery has helped resolve the long-standing issues related to Gamma-ray bursts. Also, this study triggers to re-analyse all such known events to constrain number densities better," Pandey explained. Named GRB 200826, after the date it occurred, the burst is the subject of two papers published in Nature Astronomy on July 26. The first, led by Bin-bin Zhang from the Nanjing University in China and the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, explores the Gamma-ray data. The second, led by Tomas Ahumada, a doctoral student at the University of Maryland, College Park, and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, describes the GRB's fading multiwavelength afterglow and the emerging light of the supernova explosion that followed. "We think this event was effectively a fizzle, one that was close to not happening at all," Ahumada said. "Even so, the burst emitted 14 million times the energy released by the entire Milky Way galaxy over the same amount of time, making it one of the most energetic short-duration GRBs ever seen," Ahumada added. When a star much more massive than the Sun runs out of fuel, its core suddenly collapses and forms a black hole. As matter swirls toward the black hole, some of it escapes in the form of two powerful jets that rush outward at almost the speed of light in opposite directions. Astronomers only detect a GRB when one of these jets happens to point almost directly towards Earth. Each jet drills through the star, producing a pulse of Gamma rays the highest-energy form of light which can last up to minutes. Following the burst, the disrupted star then rapidly expands as a supernova. Short GRBs, on the other hand, form when pairs of compact objects such as neutron stars, which also form during stellar collapse spiral inward over billions of years and collide. GRB 200826 was a sharp blast of high-energy emission lasting just 0.65 seconds. After traveling for eons through the expanding universe, the signal had stretched out to about one-second-long when it was detected by Fermi's Gamma-ray Burst Monitor. The event also appeared in instruments aboard NASA's Wind Mission, which orbits a point between Earth and the Sun located about 930,000 miles (1.5 million km) away, and Mars Odyssey, which has been orbiting the Red Planet since 2001. ESA's (the European Space Agency's) INTEGRAL satellite observed the blast as well. The discovery helps resolve a long-standing puzzle. While long GRBs must be coupled to supernovae, astronomers detect far greater numbers of supernovae than they do long GRBs. The researchers conclude that collapsing stars producing short GRBs must be marginal cases whose light-speed jets teeter on the brink of success or failure, a conclusion consistent with the notion that most massive stars die without producing jets and GRBs at all. More broadly, this result clearly demonstrates that a burst's duration alone does not uniquely indicate its origin. --IANS niv/arm Netflix has become a staple of many weekends and has been a lifeline for people during pandemic lockdowns. If youre trying to access Netflix content in a different region, you might notice a new error message appear, asking you to turn off your proxy. While this error can be frustrating, its also intriguing after all, arent proxies and VPNs anonymous? How does Netflix know that you are using a proxy? This article aims to answer these perplexing questions and shed some light on the dark truth of online privacy. Netflix Versus Proxies: How They Can Detect Unblockers Streaming services are excellent for watching your favorite shows at home or on the go. If you want to view content in another region, however, you may encounter difficulty. Many people turn to VPNs or specialized proxies called unblockers to circumvent region locks on certain content. These proxies attempt to mask your actual region allowing you to watch programs from other countries that would usually be unavailable. A good example would be watching the latest Korean dramas from France. However, recently Netflix and other streaming providers have started blocking such methods. So, what is this magic method that Netflix uses to divine anonymous VPN usage? While only Netflix knows the precise formula they use internally, there are several ways to detect proxies. The answer to this question may be more troubling than region-locked content. Netflix Knows What Your Proxy Shows The primary method that Netflix (or any other online service) can use to detect proxies is the leaked information from the proxy itself. This realization may come as a shock, as the general belief is that proxies and VPNs are entirely anonymous. The idea of an entirely anonymous VPN is tantalizing; being undetectable online is the privacy advocates dream come true. In reality, however, no proxy or VPN is one-hundred-percent effective. The internet protocol was originally designed to share information, so traceability is innately present in HTTP communication. For example, the Forwarded header usually contains the source client IP address, even when using a proxy service. Therefore, it can be a simple matter to identify users by carefully examining the HTTP request headers. VPNs and proxies also collect and can divulge other information as well. Something as seemingly innocuous as your browsers language setting can be a revealing detail. Streaming services analyze usage patterns as one of their fundamental data points. A valid identifier can be determined by cross-referencing a users viewing patterns, language setting, region, and IP address. By logging these results, Netflix can easily detect traffic that suddenly deviates from established norms. Your Device May Not Play Nice Even though you may be using one of the best proxies available, your device may also give telltale signs of proxy use. One of the most common yet overlooked ways to identify individual users is with HTML5s Geolocation API. By utilizing specific functions in the HTML5 specification supported by modern browsers, it is a simple matter to obtain a precise location. Though most browsers require explicit permission before sharing Geolocation information, not all devices respect that rule. Netflix and other streaming services can also retrieve approximate locations by using IP range databases or querying various CDN servers for recent location information. More insidious are the privacy leaks that may arise due to unresolved software bugs. Such bugs can go undetected and unfixed for months or even years, leaving many users vulnerable. It is usually a good idea to ensure that all aspects of your system are fully patched and updated for maximum security. It Might Be Time to Toss Your Cookies Netflix may not just be checking your IP addresses but could also scan your browsers cookie data. Cookies are a surprisingly reliable way to detect a users past and present location. Netflix or any streaming service would not need to read the cookies actual data, but simply its location tag. If Netflix sees cookies with a wide range of locations across a small number of sessions, thats a good sign of a proxy in play. Because the cookies are not being read but merely location queried, this can be a rather tricky problem to solve. Check your proxy settings to see if its possible to enable cookies only from Netflix since you will need them for the service to function. Theres No Quick-Fix to Beat Netflixs Tricks There may be other methods that Netflix is using besides the ones listed here. The constant evolution of technology means that new ways to detect proxies and beat those protections continuously develop. However, with some trial-and-error, you should be able to start watching your favorite content wherever you are currently staying. Perhaps the most important lesson is always to exercise caution, even when behind a proxy. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to arrive in New Delhi today, his main purpose of visit is to discuss bilateral relations, regional issues including Afghanistan, Pakistan sponsored terrorism, Indo-pacific among various other issues with Indian officials. Tomorrow the US top diplomat would meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar. This is Blinken's first visit to India after taking charge. In the defence domain, both sides are expected to investigate ways and means to strengthen their collaboration. This would cover policy exchanges, exercises, and defence transfers and technologies. These would be covered in greater detail during the fourth 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue due in the US later this year. The subject of the agenda would be "focus on expanding our security, defense cyber and counterterrorism cooperation," states the Department of State Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Acting Assistant Secretary Dean Thompson. Thompson also said that Secretary Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lyod Austin look forward to hosting their Indian counterparts in the annual US India 2+2 ministerial dialogue, later this year. Indian ambassador to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu will also return to Delhi to participate in the high-level meetings where Afghanistan will remain one of the top focus, with Thompson underscoring India's shared commitment to peace and supporting economic development in Afghanistan. "We expect that all the countries in the region have a shared interest in a stable and secure Afghanistan going forward" and so "we will certainly be looking at talking with our Indian partners about how we can work together to realize that goal, to find ways to bring the parties together, and continue to pursue a negotiated settlement to end the longstanding war." Sources say, "On vaccines, India will continue to push for ensuring open and consistent supply chains for materials and items required for vaccine production, as India ramps up both for domestic vaccination and as for global supplies thereafter. Discussions on deepening Quad engagement are also expected to be a key focus area of talks, with the possibility of a Foreign Ministerial Quad meeting later this year. India and the US will also take forward the Quad vaccine initiative to enable the supply of vaccines produced in India from early 2022 to countries in the Indo-Pacific region, said a source. Afghanistan witnessing massive violence would be the central issue, implications of the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, and the need for sustained pressure on Pakistan on terror financing and terror havens would be part of the agenda. According to sources the discussion would cover, two sides exchanging assessments about the Indo-Pacific region, with main attention on Covid assistance, economic slowdown and security scenario. Latest developments pertaining to West Asia and Central Asia are also likely to be covered. Blinken's trip will follow a visit by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to China and coincide with one to Southeast Asia by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. By Dr Kenneth Wu It is good news the COVID-19 vaccination rollout has accelerated in recent weeks. On the other hand, there is an urgent need for the government to change some of the policies in order to reduce further lost of lives and livelihoods. Many lives have perished due to excessive restrictions and quarantines. There are still many people who are reluctant to be vaccinated. One of the ways to encourage more people to come forward is to provide some incentives and treat people who have been vaccinated differently. For example, fully vaccinated travelers returning to Malaysia from overseas may be required to have five days of home quarantine or no quarantine at all provided they do not have symptoms. They should still be screened for the virus on day two and day five. With the exception of a number of countries which should be on the red list, fully vaccinated travelers from most countries should not need to be quarantined. The UK has long required most travelers returning to the UK to self isolate at home. They have now changed their strategies again based on the latest information. There will be no quarantine for those who have been fully vaccinated provided they have not visited one of countries on their red list. If too many people are restricted unnecessarily, the diminished workforce of the country will affect the economy further. Unnecessary quarantines can also lead to anxiety, depression and other social problems. Some of the policies in Malaysia are still based on older evidence. There is an urgent need to review them. One recent official health report published in the UK has revealed that the rate of a person catching a COVID-19 infection after full vaccination is mercifully low, at around 0.13%. Commonsense tells us the possibility of them transmitting the disease must be even lower (possibly less than 0.001%). If people are not infected, they are unable to infect others. especially if they continue to wear facial coverings. The US CDC has reported that the risk of being infected after full vaccination is around 0.08%. Out of 75 millions people that have been fully vaccinated in the US, 5,800 cases of them testing positive for the virus. More importantly, the risk of them transmitting the infection is even lower. Therefore, it is important to find a balance between managing livelihoods and deaths due to COVID-19. Immunity against the virus is extremely good three weeks after full vaccination. It is logical to allow people who have been fully vaccinated to have home quarantine and less quarantine time. The people in Malaysia are more likely to think positively of a government who is willing to change strategies based on logical reasons and updated evidence. This is the opportunity for the government to score favorable points with the people. Prolonged and unnecessary quarantines will only cause more resentments from the public. Another incentive which will not cost the government is to allow fully vaccinated individuals to make permissible trips between districts if they do not have symptoms, instead of going to police stations to apply for travel permits. This will save time and minimize the potential risks of catching the virus. The same principle can be applied to allow vaccinated individuals to dine in restaurants or return to their workplaces. Whatever is happening in Selangor can happen to other parts of the country. Vaccination is not one of the ways, but the only way to prevent excessive bodies from piling up. It is very hard to regulate people's behavior, especially in places like Sabah and Kelantan where the vaccine rollout is too slow. These are the states which are very vulnerable without vaccines. Rolling out vaccines as quickly as possible and providing some incentives for people to be inoculated as mentioned above will help. This has to be done urgently if we are to avoid more tsunamis in other parts of Malaysia. Indonesia is a clear example for us to learn and we need to act quickly. Reducing unnecessary red tapes for private clinics to deliver vaccines is another urgent matter which needs to be addressed. Many private clinics desire to assist but there are apparently too many red tapes and forms to be completed which slow down the process. Mobile units are necessary in order to vaccinate as many factory and construction workers and undocumented migrants. Many of these workers and migrants are more likely to transmit the virus to others. They are not able to do social distancing or wear a mask properly. Mobile teams should go from factory to factory. Bosses will line up their workers to be vaccinated if they are told only vaccinated workers are allow to work. Even if only 50% of the workers are vaccinated, it will still buy time for the hospitals in Klang Valley to reorganize their resources. This is a race against time. Many deaths can be avoided with the right policies. By taking the few steps and changing the policies swiftly, i believe you and your government will have a better chance to lift the spirits of the people. The country desperately needs more good news. My appeal to the public is please do not miss your vaccine appointments. Accept whichever vaccines are provided for now. Some protection is better than none at all. Treating vaccinated people differently is not discrimination. It is necessary in order to encourage as many people as possible to be protected. There is good evidence to support the theory that 90% to 96% of fully vaccinated individuals will not develop severe COVID disease. If a vast majority of infected individuals are not severely ill or hospitalized, we will eventually learn to live with this virus just like another flu-like virus. Your decision to get vaccinated will help save lives, jobs and the country. Continue to wear a mask and keep your distance even after you have been vaccinated. We are at war with this virus. Malaysia can and must win this war. Watch the author's latest interactive Facebook interview highlighting different COVID-19 vaccines. (Dr Kenneth Wu is a medical specialist practicing in Sabah and a unique writer with the ability to integrate medical information with life inspiration. His latest book, 'Fake News Can Change You' encourages readers to embrace kindness and never give up especially when times are tough.) By Jeremie RICHARD STYKKISHOLMUR, Iceland (AFP) -- On a remote island in Breidafjordur Bay off the west coast of Iceland, a thousand-year-old harvest takes place -- the hunt for elusive eiderdown, used to make some of the world's best duvets and quilts. The handpicked down sells for thousands of euros (dollars) a kilo, catering to those looking for exclusive products. Every summer, nearly 400 Icelandic farmers comb through hollow surfaces in the rock, on the sand or in the tall grass to unearth a few handfuls of the grey feathers of this polar duck. From May onwards, the eider comes to nest in sparsely populated marine landscapes around much of Iceland's coast where there is seaweed to feed its ducklings. "When there are eggs, we only take a part of the down. And when the eider has already left the nest, we take everything," Erla Fridriksdottir, head of King Eider, one of the country's main exporters, told AFP. The eider, a sea duck from the subarctic oceans, leaves a trail behind consisting of a natural treasure: one of the warmest natural fibres on the planet, both light and highly insulating. The female, with her dark brown plumage with black stripes -- similar to that of a mallard but slightly larger -- releases the down from her breast and lines her nest with it to insulate it during incubation. Meticulous cleaning About 60 nests are needed to produce one kilo of down -- a quilt needs between 600 and 1,600 grams, depending on the quality chosen. Worldwide, the annual harvest of eiderdown is no more than four tonnes, three quarters of which comes from Iceland, by far the world's largest producer, ahead of Canada and other countries bordering the Arctic. There are five Icelandic companies exporting eiderdown, according to the Eider Farming Association, but around 15 companies in total involved in some capacity in its production. On the island of Bjarneyjar, the tradition of searching for abandoned nests has been passed down for generations. The local practice is said to have started in Iceland as Vikings from Norway settled on the island at the end of the 9th century. Since 1847, the eider has been fully protected in Iceland, as hunting and picking its eggs are prohibited. But it still faces dangers, as predators such as seagulls, crows, eagles, minks and foxes eat the sea ducks or their eggs. "We feel that the ducks like to have their nests close to us, where we are staying," Jon Fridriksson, Erla's brother, told AFP, adding that it could be a strategy to keep predators at bay. Once harvested, the down is dried in the open air so it doesn't mould. Then Fridriksdottir's employees begin the first stage of sterilising and cleaning the down in a huge oven at a temperature of 120 degrees Celsius for eight hours. "When the down comes in here, it's mostly going to be full of grass, eggshells and all kinds of things from the ocean... and we put it in the oven to kill off any organism and it (the high temperature) also makes the grass brittle," Pall Jonsson, in charge of the machines at the workshop in the nearby down of Stykkisholmur, told AFP. In a second step, rotating machines remove other dirt from the down by pressing it against a thin wire mesh. As a last touch, expert hands -- which no technology has been able to replace for this process so far -- do another thorough cleaning. Even for the most experienced, it takes four to five hours to clean out a kilo of down by hand. Finally, the down feathers are washed with water and disinfected, again by hand, before being wrung out and dried. 4,000-euro blankets While world famous, eiderdown production is a drop in the bucket of the world's total down production, estimated at 175,000 tonnes per year, according to the International Down and Feather Bureau. According to Icelandic law, eiderdown must pass strict quality controls before being sold, ensuring cleanliness, smell, colour and consistency. "You have to be able to pick up a 40-50 gram package between two fingers and if it remains intact and does not fall out, then the down is of good quality," Asgeir Jonsson, one of the inspectors, explains. In addition to its rarity, the production of eiderdown -- from its manual collection to its rigorous cleaning -- helps explain its high price. A simple duvet containing 800 grams of feathers is sold for about 640,000 Icelandic kronur (4,350 euros, $5,116). The customers "are often nature lovers and people who care about the environment," Fridriksdottir said. "It is the only one that is harvested, the other down is often a by-product of the food industry" added Fridriksdottir, whose small business mostly ships to Germany and Japan. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! China didnt finance any coal projects via its Belt and Road Initiative in the first half, the first time thats happened since the plan was launched in 2013, the International Institute of Green Finance said in a report. The lack of funding from China for the dirtiest fossil fuel comes amid increased scrutiny from investors and environmental groups due to concern over its contribution to man-made climate change. More than 70 per cent of all coal plants built today rely on Chinese funding, according to the Beijing-based institute, followed by investment from Japan and South Korea. Seoul said in April that it would halt state-backed financing of coal-fired power plants overseas. A coal processing plant in central Chinas Shanxi Province. Chinese power companies bid for credits to emit carbon dioxide and other climate-changing gases. Credit:AP Its increasingly becoming difficult to get financing for coal projects, said Christoph Nedopil, the author of the paper and director of the institutes Green Belt and Road Initiative Center. With new guidelines for greening overseas investment from the Chinese government, we expect even less opportunities for coal projects in the BRI in the future. BRI funding across 140 countries totaled $US19.3 billion ($26 billion) in the first six months of 2021, down 29 per cent from a year earlier, the IIGF said. Investment via the global infrastructure plan peaked in the first half of 2019, but has since dropped off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Energy and transport accounted for 65 per cent of all BRI investment in the first half. Within the energy sector, 37 per cent of funding went to natural gas, 30 per cent to oil and 28 per cent to hydropower. Australias second largest superannuation fund has completely divested from thermal coal and ploughed $1 billion into renewable and low-emission technology in the year since it declared it would reshape its business in line with climate targets. Aware is aiming to reduce emissions across its entire portfolio by 45 per cent by 2030. Credit:Quinn Rooney According to its progress report, Aware Super, formally First State, has reduced emissions in its listed equities portfolio by 45 per cent and by 63 per cent across its socially responsible investment options. Chief executive Deanne Stewart said more needed to be done to achieve Awares goal to reduce emissions across its entire portfolio by 45 per cent by 2030 in line with the Paris Agreement targets, on the way to net zero by 2050. She said Aware started moving towards a divestment from carbon intensive investment as far back as 2015 when it became clear not only that climate change presented a direct risk to the retirement savings of fund members, but that there were significant opportunities for growth in emerging and growing renewable and low-carbon technologies. We will not have enough Pfizer in the next few weeks to be able to do what we really could do in those hubs, he said. The push comes after NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said the ministry was looking at how it could prioritise vaccinating younger people in western Sydney. On Monday it was announced some supermarket workers would become eligible for Pfizer shots and walk-up AstraZeneca clinics would operate in Cumberland Council. National vaccine advisory group ATAGI has recommended all adults in Greater Sydney strongly consider receiving AstraZeneca. Despite uptake of the AstraZeneca vaccine increasing as case numbers have surged, only 2 per cent of people aged under 40 in NSW have had a first dose. There were 172 new local COVID-19 cases in NSW on Tuesday, the highest daily total recorded during this outbreak. Nine patients recently treated at Liverpool Hospital tested positive to COVID-19 after infections were detected in two nurses and a student nurse. One nurse was fully vaccinated and two were partially vaccinated. The cases have plunged more than 300 nurses and healthcare staff at the hospital into isolation, according to the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association. Cabramatta pharmacist Quinn On said he vaccinated 55 people on Monday, and at least 40 in the first two hours of business on Tuesday. He was inundated with requests from people under 40 wanting AstraZeneca after the state governments announcement. We are taking bookings every 20 minutes but if I can get extra staff on board I could vaccinate three or four people every 20 minutes, he said. Its quite unexpected, this level of demand. We are going to run out of vaccines really soon. He believed having vaccines administered by people who spoke community languages would make a huge difference. Pharmacy Guild NSW branch president David Heffernan said pharmacists would be heavily relied on to provide inoculations in south-west suburbs but easier access to personal protective equipment was needed so pharmacies could stay open when exposed to positive cases. There is a stockpile of PPE in NSW but pharmacists are often paying for this equipment out of their own pockets. There are also no guidelines on if the pharmacy can stay open if exposed to a positive case, he said. Loading Fairfield GP Dr Dong Hua has seen a surge in locals coming forward for an AstraZeneca shot. Dr Hua said there was more interest in Pfizer, although he was holding off booking in patients for those shots scheduled to begin next week until they had vials in the fridge. People calling about Pfizer were usually happy to book AstraZeneca instead, he said. And when we do have Pfizer, we need to follow the national rollout and keep it for people aged 40 to 60, Aboriginal people, pregnant women, he added. Royal Australian College of GPs NSW/ACT chair Dr Charlotte Hespe said Pfizer could be given only to those prioritised in the national rollout, meaning otherwise ineligible younger Sydneysiders needed to seek AstraZeneca, ideally in consultation with a GP. And sure, theres a very small risk associated with AstraZeneca, which means we will move over into Pfizer [later this year], but there are also massive benefits of AstraZeneca and that is what we need to understand if we are going to get through this period, Dr Hespe said. Cleaners disinfect the lower floor of an apartment building in Blacktown on Tuesday. Credit:Nick Moir Australian Medical Association NSW president Dr Danielle McMullen agreed that, while Pfizer is the preferred vaccine for younger people during low-risk times, the risk matrix has changed. In a crisis we need all hands on deck, she said. At least 79 of Tuesdays cases were in the community for some or all of their infectious period. NSW Nurses and Midwives Association general secretary Brett Holmes said the temporary loss of up to 300 staff at Liverpool Hospital would have a major impact on an over-stretched health service. Loading We are raising our concerns directly with the Local Health District and the Ministry of Health, given its unclear how theyre managing this effectively without a reduction in services at Liverpool Hospital. There are now four out of six hospitals in Sydneys worst-affected areas that have had positive cases expose patients and staff to the virus. A Blacktown apartment building was locked down after six cases were recorded across three households in the complex. NSW Health advised people who had been to the Campsie Centre shopping mall between July 14 and last Saturday to immediately get tested after the ministry concluded the virus had been transmitted within the building. Other close contact venues included Fairfield District Medical Centre on July 16 and 19, Campsie Family Medical Centre on Thursday morning, the Exodus Foundation at Ashfield around lunch from Tuesday through Friday last week and the Parkview Granville Place development on the morning of July 17. There are 169 COVID-19 cases in hospital in NSW. Forty-six are in intensive care and 19 require ventilation. Victoria will exit lockdown measures on Wednesday, although a ban on home visits and a mask mandate will remain in place. Stay-at-home orders for Orange City Council, Blayney Shire Council, and Cabonne Shire Council in the states west will lift at 12.01am on Wednesday. A Blacktown social housing complex has been forced into lockdown after six residents across three households tested positive to COVID-19. The unit block, owned by community housing provider Evolve Housing, is under police guard and all residents have been tested. Police arrived at the block of 50 units overnight Tuesday following a request from health authorities that all residents isolate for 14 days. A number of residents, including two young children, were pictured being medically transferred from the complex on Tuesday morning. How can some HSC students in lockdown Sydney not be disadvantaged during this latest COVID-19 crisis? Some schools are allowing their HSC students to enter their schools, others are not. Some schools are allowing students to take home their major works to complete, some are not. How can students in COVID-19 hotspots in south-western Sydney and surrounding areas be able to compete with a student at a prestigious private school on the north shore? Helen Simpson, Curl Curl Why not go further? In this modern age, surely exams are old hat. An individual students capacity through years 11 and 12 should be clear, judged on his or her overall performance. They should be spared the white-knuckle experience of swotting and sitting for a final exam. Why not move into the 21st century? Dump exams and base a students ranking by assessment. Derrick Mason, Boorowa Not so encouraging Your correspondents are rightly outraged at the failure of the Morrison government to manage the purchase and distribution of vaccines (Letters, July 27). This government has been responsible for another failure that has received too little criticism. This is the failure in quarantine where, 18 months after the pandemic began, we still have only one dedicated quarantine station. There can be no doubt many of the 30,000 Australians and permanent residents stranded overseas could be home by now if we had adequate facilities. And, at least some of the second, third and fourth surges in infections would not have occurred were we not locked into the hotel quarantine alternative with all its manifest weaknesses. Paul Fergus, Manly The Premier is spot on when she makes a case for increased vaccination rates before lockdowns become history. Somehow some advertising genius has to come up with an ad for AstraZeneca that adequately addresses hesitancy regarding this vaccine. A promise from the government that those who have the two doses of AstraZeneca will be prioritised for a booster of one of the other vaccines sooner rather than later might encourage the vacillating to have the vaccine we can make here ourselves. Genevieve Milton, Newtown Gross shame of jailing children What is wrong with our state and federal attorneys-general that they cant decide if it is okay to jail children as young as 10 (MPs cant agree on laws to stop jailing 10 year olds , July 27)? Reading that 53 per cent of children in jail in 2019-2020 were Indigenous (while making up only 6 per cent of that age-group cohort) has me asking what crimes were committed that caused any of these minors to be incarcerated. Were Indigenous childrens crimes worse than those of non-Indigenous children? Can we see a comparative list? Sandra Burke, North Sydney Titmus time to shine felt brightly The joy of watching Ariarne Titmus conquer her hero is not necessarily purely about the win (Race lifts hearts across nation, July 27). The 20-year-old displays resilience, character, humility and first and foremost a recognition of her surrounding community. Her moment offers us optimism at a time when the world is dark. Not just dark with the misery of COVID-19, but with the behaviour of individuals who see the pandemic as an individual inconvenience. As a nation, we must embrace the qualities that Titmus displays. Alison Stewart, Riverview The old Australian expression a heart like Phar Lap will surely change to a heart like Ariarne Titmus. Ray Alexander, Moss Vale PMs shrug reveals plenty I am flabbergasted, ashamed and disgusted (Lockdown fury allowed to foment, July 27). After the display of anarchy and stupidity, last Saturday we have two members of the government attending such rallies and inciting the crowd to civil disobedience. When asked about the comments of Craig Kelly and George Christensen, the Prime Minister shrugged it off with the statement that everyone has the right to free speech. Is retaining power all that matters? Jacqui Rennie, Rose Bay No one should be surprised at Scott Morrisons support of Christensens right to freedom of speech and to attend a legal freedom protest in Queensland. This Prime Minister is completely shameless in his partisanship and win-at-any-cost electioneering. Given his recent drop in the polls, he will do nothing to upset even the smallest section of the population of a state where we are oft reminded, federal elections are won and lost. Donna Wiemann, Balmain Still no regrets, Premier, over failing to act in the first two weeks of this Delta outbreak (Berejiklian renews calls to get the vaccine after 172 new COVID-19 cases, smh.com.au, July 27)? Ray Morgan, Maroubra Quick fix not enough Sure, an hour of training about what is and isnt sexual assault, sexual harassment and systemic bullying should fix everything (Ministers, staff must train to spot, act on harassment, bullying, July 27)! I dont think being encouraged to think about what theyve learned and what they might do as a result of the training quite cuts it in terms of being able to demonstrate competency, which usually applies to workplace training. And who will deliver the training? Given the Coalitions penchant for stealth and rorting, this new measure needs a closer look; the devil could quite possibly be in the detail. Kerrie Wehbe, Blacktown Pawns and players As the allied forces prepare to leave Afghanistan, and leave it at the mercy of the Taliban, I remember the protests of 2002-2003 against starting another war in Iraq (What were the US wars good for?, July 27). As Peter Hartcher writes, one war was just, legal and authorised by the United Nations, the other the opposite. But it went ahead anyway, of course. Both wars accomplished nothing; cost an outrageous amount of lives, money and credibility; and left the region worse than before. Still, George Bush, Tony Blair and John Howard were all re-elected, and never had to answer for their illegal war. Or for the poorly-planned legal one. We really are just cattle. Leticia Tarabay, Petersham Hartcher is right. Australia has to learn from blindly following the US into yet another useless war hoping for protection credit. We are being prepared to support the US in a looming Asian regional war (the third in 70 years) if China invades Taiwan because the US entered into a protection alliance. Korea (stalemate), Vietnam (lost). Yet Australia and the US have supported a one-China policy since the early 1970s. Could our position be any more inconsistent? In each war, Australia has sent troops. Will we ever learn? Edward Grieve, Woolloomooloo Nothing sparky here Only in Australia could we see the dinosaurs of the energy market, the lobby group wanting rooftop solar power taxed, likely to slow the conversion to renewable energy (Solar power tax to boost energy grid gains backing of consumer advocate, July 27). The Australian Energy Market Commission wants to avoid the cost of upgrading the ancient grid to cope with solar input. We need network operators to be forced to build the storage that the rest of the world is incorporating into their grids, so that our world-leading rooftop solar output can be used to retire the fossil fuel generators. To tax rooftop solar output at this stage would be another lunacy of national policy, alongside pushing the gas-led recovery that will also delay the upgrading of our national power system to fully renewable. Barry Laing, Castle Cove Whats cookin? Lockdown blues sorted (Catch a load of these fish dishes, Good Food, July 27). There is perhaps no better recipe to fill up the hours than Josh Nilands red gurnard, seaweed and dauphine potato pie. Firstly, about half a day to source the ingredients since surely they are not in the normal kitchen cupboard. Then, using multiple pans and dishes in a prep and cooking time of nearly four hours. I dread to see the state of my kitchen after all that. Id be too exhausted to eat it. Has given me even greater respect for our wonderful chefs and bring on the reopening of our wonderful restaurants. Natalie Mabbitt, Randwick Mad world In these difficult times you could do a whole lot worse then listen to that old Nobel Peace Prize winner Bob Dylan: World Gone Wrong (Letters, July 27). Rob Bane, North Bondi The best way to deal with lockdown? Just Let it be. Vijay Randev, Stanwell Park Stop the world, I want to get off. Ruth Dickman, Pymble Pockets full There is a solution to Tony Walbrans problems (Letters, July 27). Unfortunately, it requires the return of the ultimate 80s fashion accessory the man bag. David Farrell, Erskineville Tony Walbran, you forgot a bottle of water. Lia Chinnery, Peakhurst I hear you Tony Walbran. Being a few years older than you I can see 2030 seeing the inclusion of a walking frame. Thats if I can remember to leave the house at all. Paul Gray, Daylesford (Vic) I have one item to add to the list of reasons for needing deeper pockets: boat keys. Joanne Karcz, Dangar Island The lawyer for a protester accused of striking a police horse during the Sydney anti-lockdown march claims his client has the support of an MP and says his mother is worried sick about him being in custody. Lawyer Tony Nikolic said on Tuesday he had been unable to speak to Kristian Pulkownik, who he has been told is being held in the cells at Surry Hills police station. Kristian Pulkownik, pictured, has been charged with affray, joining or continuing in an unlawful assembly, committing an act of cruelty upon an animal and not complying with a noticed direction in relation to COVID-19. Credit:Brook Mitchell Mr Pulkownik was arrested at a Surry Hills unit on Saturday night and charged with affray, committing an act of cruelty upon an animal, joining or continuing in an unlawful assembly, and failing to comply with a COVID-19 noticed direction. The 33-year-old was among more than 3500 people who gathered in the CBD earlier in the day to protest against the states coronavirus restrictions. NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell has furiously rejected a Catholic schools boss call for formal HSC exams to be cancelled due to the citys COVID-19 outbreak and insists the government is planning for the exams to go ahead. But the proposal from Sydney Catholic Schools boss Tony Farley, who runs 33 of the citys high schools including some in hotspot local government areas, to base this years results on school assessments rather than formal exams has divided principals and students, with some saying it was a sensible adjustment due to high stress and uncertainty, and others saying it would create a new set of problems. NSW Minister Sarah Mitchell says the HSC will go ahead. Credit:James Brickwood NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian will on Wednesday announce a four-week extension of Sydneys lockdown and rapid antigen testing of year 12 students will allow them to return to school. There are no plans for a return to face-to-face learning for school students in other years. Ms Mitchell said the Catholics proposal was irresponsible and she was furious, adding that the government was absolutely planning for HSC exams. Any commentary speculating about the HSC is incredibly unhelpful, and to see education leaders willingly fuel that uncertainty for students is extremely disappointing, she said. Everything old is new again in the world of mining billionaire and coronavirus misinformation purveyor Clive Palmer, whose eponymous Clive Palmers United Australia Party is attempting a radical rebranding. Specifically, the party, of which Palmer is chairman, is trying to drop his name from its title. Clive Palmer. Credit:John Shakespeare If successful, that would take the CPUAP back to where it all started in 2013, when it was controversially first registered as the United Australia Party, nicking the name of the 1930s party of prime ministers Joseph Lyons, Billy Hughes and Robert Menzies. Since then, Clives party has gone through a series of names, first switching to the Palmer United Party and then Clive Palmers United Australia Party. Dropping his own name is an unusual move for publicity fiend Palmer, who has spent millions on election advertising in as many places as possible in recent times. Queensland police have fined two people behind one of the states latest COVID-19 scares almost $14,000 after an infected NSW man escaped Sydneys lockdown and crossed the border with the help of a Brisbane woman. The 26-year-old man is alleged to have verbally abused hotel quarantine staff while not wearing a mask, after flying from Sydney to Ballina to meet up with the 36-year-old Banyo flight attendant, before the pair crossed the Queensland road border at Tugun on July 14 and travelled on to Brisbane. Traffic camera footage of the pair after crossing the Queensland border at Tugun on July 14. Credit:Queensland Police His infection was only picked up by Queensland contact tracers on Sunday, who were trying to determine the source of the flight attendant who tested positive in the northern state on Friday, sparking since-dropped public health alerts for a number of regional flights and locations. A positive result from the mans test on July 12 was initially reported as negative by the private pathology clinic that conducted it, though the man was required to isolate for 14 days regardless of the result because he had been identified as a close contact of a known case in Sydney. Thousands of NSW residents will be excluded from a border bubble with Victoria as the Andrews government moves to prevent coronavirus from spilling over the state line. The changes, announced on Tuesday, are set to cause headaches for some businesses that have workers spread across both states. The City of Wagga Wagga, Hay Shire Council, Lockhart Shire Council and Murrumbidgee Council areas will be removed from border bubble arrangements allowing relative freedom of movement over the Murray River, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced on Tuesday. Premier Daniel Andrews announcing changes to borer bubble arrangements on Tuesday. Credit:Eddie Jim He said a tightening of border restrictions was unavoidable without a ring of steel of police checkpoints to limit movement out of Sydney. NSW recorded 172 new locally transmitted cases of coronavirus on Tuesday as Victoria emerged from lockdown after an outbreak seeded by Sydney removalists. Premier Daniel Andrews and Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton confirmed there were plans to further tighten restrictions at the border with NSW to prevent COVID-infected people entering Victoria. Those plans will come in addition to the removal of four NSW local government areas from the border bubble travel exemptions. Mr Andrews on Tuesday renewed calls for the ring-fencing of Sydney to prevent the outbreak spreading. Victoria recorded 10 new cases on Tuesday, but all were linked to existing chains of transmission. Premier Daniel Andrews is further restricting entry from NSW, which recorded 172 coronavirus cases on Tuesday. Credit:Eddie Jim Insisting he was not lecturing Ms Berejiklian, Mr Andrews made a firm and direct plea to her government: Youre not just making decisions for New South Wales, youre making decisions for the whole country. Ms Berejiklian will on Wednesday announce a four-week extension of the Sydney lockdown, with concessions to allow construction to resume from Saturday in non-hotspot areas, rapid antigen testing of year 12 students to allow them to return to school and a singles bubble for people who live alone. Loading In Victoria, children will be allowed to return to school from Wednesday, the five-kilometre restriction on movement has been lifted, weddings and funerals can proceed, hospitality venues will reopen with density limits and office workers can return to work up to a capacity of 25 per cent. Under new rules announced by Mr Andrews, people keen to see the elderly or sick in aged care and hospital settings will need to wait at least two weeks when restrictions are scheduled to be reviewed. Home visits are still banned and AFL matches will be played without crowds for at least a fortnight. Other changes to restrictions included allowing public gatherings outside for up to 10 people and allowing visitors to return to the ski fields if they return a negative test within 72 hours before travelling. Mr Andrews said he believed Victoria was the only jurisdiction to defeat two Delta outbreaks, but said this was not an excuse for reducing vigilance. We are in no way triumphant, in no way boastful, he said. Loading The troubles with the border permit scheme highlight what Professor Sutton described on Tuesday as the difficult task of managing a hard border with neighbouring states that shared supply chains. The transport associations of each state have written to the federal government requesting approval for drivers to use rapid antigen tests, which can be carried out in their own time using home kits but are less accurate than the PCR tests used at testing sites. The request was being assessed by the national body of chief health officers this week, Mr Anderson said. Under the proposal, a driver would immediately verify a positive rapid test results with a PCR test. Some countries use the tests to determine who can enter places like hospitals. Mr Andrews said on Tuesday the tests could potentially be used to make major sporting events safer in Victoria. Antigen tests are used widely in the US, UK and Germany but are less accurate than swabs and record a higher rate of false positives. The lower the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community, the higher the likelihood a rapid tests positive result is false. Asked about the tests, Professor Sutton said: In a virtually COVID-free environment, they have less of a role than that gold standard PCR that tells you with huge levels of confidence that youre negative when youre negative and youre positive when youve got that positive result. A small proportion of the estimated 15,000 trips into Victoria would not require a permit because they originate from within the border bubble zone. However, many of the 9800 permit holders would not be travelling each day, meaning there would likely need to be more permits issued than daily trips for each daily trip to be covered. Gaps in Victorias border permit system expose the state to another incursion of coronavirus from NSW, the Victorian Transport Association says. Credit:Jason Robins A government spokesman said: Victorias permit system is working [and] the department is working closely with the freight industry to ensure a high level of compliance with Victorias border permit system. Loading Victoria Police has increased patrols at the border but opted against checkpoints used in previous border closures, which are expensive and a drain on police resources. Victorias COVID-19 commander, Jeroen Weimar, said on Monday police were checking thousands of cars and freight vehicles. He said drivers who had freight permits were required to carry letters from their employers stating the purpose of their travel and to abide by a code of conduct governing their activities in the state. It allows those drivers to go get fuel to go get a pie or whatever else they need to go and do, but its all about minimal contact, he said. Federal Labor is set to swing the axe on its multibillion-dollar pledges for free cancer treatment and dental care for pensioners in an effort to slimline its election spending promises. The two signature health policies, announced under former leader Bill Shorten ahead of the last election, are likely to be formally scrapped in the coming months following the federal oppositions decision to cut off the key sources of revenue that would have funded them. Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing Mark Butler and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Labor went to the 2019 poll with a $2.3 billion package to tackle out-of-pocket costs and waiting lists for cancer patients. It included $600 million to improve access to and affordability of diagnostic imaging, with up to six million free cancer scans funded through Medicare and $433m to fund three million free consultations with oncologists and surgeons for cancer patients. In the final weeks of the election campaign Labor followed up with a $2.4 billion plan that would have given up to three million older Australians access to free essential dental care, covered by Medicare, every two years. Tax cuts to start in 2024 will cost the federal budget more than $184 billion by early next decade, new independent analysis shows, as the International Monetary Fund urges all governments to start rebuilding their fiscal buffers by making their tax systems more progressive. The analysis, carried out by the Parliamentary Budget Office after a request from the Australian Greens, shows the top fifth of the nations taxpayers will get $138.2 billion of tax relief between 2024-25 and 2031-32. The stage three tax cuts, now supported by the Coalition and Labor, will cost $184 billion by 2031-32. Credit:Gabriele Charotte Labor, after a bruising internal debate, this week agreed to keep the governments third stage of tax cuts, which were announced in 2019 when the federal government was expecting ongoing budget surpluses through to and beyond the 2030s. Since then, the coronavirus pandemic has delivered the nations first recession in three decades while the budget will show its largest deficit on record in the just-completed financial year more than $140 billion. Jeff Bezoss Blue Origin spaceflight company has publicly offered to cover up to $US2 billion ($2.7 billion) in NASA contract fees so it can remain involved in the US governments effort to return astronauts to the moon. The long-shot bid to persuade the space agency to change course comes after Elon Musks SpaceX was selected in April as the primary contractor to build the moon lander and given a $US2.9 billion contract for the work. Artist concept of the Blue Origin National Team crewed lander on the surface of the Moon. Credit:Blue Origin/NASA Blue Origin countered on Monday with a highly unusual open letter signed by Bezos, who owns The Washington Post. In it, he criticised NASAs decision to rely on a single company for the moon lander, an approach he said would put an end to meaningful competition for years to come by locking the government into SpaceXs rocket technology. He offered to pour billions of dollars in company funding into the effort in exchange for a seat at the table. Panasonic AI-driven cameras empower an expanding vision of new uses Imagine a world where video cameras are not just watching and reporting for security, but have an even wider positive impact on our lives. Imagine that cameras control street and building lights, as people come and go, that traffic jams are predicted and vehicles are automatically rerouted, and more tills are opened, just before a queue starts to form. Cameras with AI capabilities Cameras in stores can show us how we might look in the latest outfit as we browse. Thats the vision from Panasonic about current and future uses for their cameras that provide artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities at the edge. Panasonic feels that these types of intelligent camera applications are also the basis for automation and introduction of Industry 4.0, in which processes are automated, monitored and controlled by AI-driven systems. 4K network security cameras The companys i-PRO AI-capable camera line can install and run up to three AI-driven video analytic applications Panasonics 4K network security cameras have built-in AI capabilities suitable for this next generation of intelligent applications in business and society. The companys i-PRO AI-capable camera line can install and run up to three AI-driven video analytic applications. The AI engine is directly embedded into the camera, thus reducing costs and Panasonics image quality ensures the accuracy of the analytics outcome. FacePRO facial recognition technology Panasonic began advancing AI technology on the server side with FacePRO, the in-house facial recognition application, which uses AI deep learning capabilities. Moving ahead, they transitioned their knowledge of AI from the server side to the edge, introducing i-PRO security cameras with built-in AI capabilities last summer, alongside their own in-house analytics. Moreover, in line with the Panasonic approach to focus more on collaboration with specialist AI software developers, a partnership with Italian software company, A.I. Tech followed in September, with a range of intelligent applications, partially based on deep learning. Additional collaborations are already in place with more than 10 other developers, across the European Union, working on more future applications. i-PRO AI-capable security cameras Open systems are an important part of Panasonics current approach. The companys i-PRO AI-capable cameras are an open platform and designed for third-party application development, therefore, applications can be built or tailored to the needs of an individual customer. Panasonic use to be a company that developed everything in-house, including all the analytics and applications. However, now we have turned around our strategy by making our i-PRO security cameras open to integrate applications and analytics from third-party companies, says Gerard Figols, Head of Security Solutions at Panasonic Business Europe. Flexible and adapting to specific customer needs This new approach allows the company to be more flexible and adaptable to customers needs. At the same time, we can be quicker and much more tailored to the market trend, said Gerard Figols. He adds, For example, in the retail space, enabling retailers to enhance the customer experience, in smart cities for traffic monitoring and smart parking, and by event organisers and transport hubs to monitor and ensure safety. Edge-based analytics offer multiple benefits over server-based systems Edge-based analytics Edge-based analytics offer multiple benefits over server-based systems. On one hand, there are monetary benefits - a cost reduction results from the decreased amount of more powerful hardware required on the server side to process the data, on top of reduction in the infrastructure costs, as not all the full video stream needs to be sent for analysis, we can work solely with the metadata. On the other hand, there are also advantages of flexibility, as well as reliability. Each camera can have its own individual analytic setup and in case of any issue on the communication or server side, the camera can keep running the analysis at the edge, thereby making sure the CCTV system is still fully operational. Most importantly, systems can keep the same high level of accuracy. Explosion of AI camera applications We can compare the explosion of AI camera applications to the way we experienced it for smartphone applications" We can compare the explosion of AI camera applications to the way we experienced it for smartphone applications, said Gerard Figols, adding However, it doesnt mean the hardware is not important anymore, as I believe its more important than ever. Working with poor picture quality or if the hardware is not reliable, and works 24/7, software cannot run or deliver the outcome it has been designed for. As hardware specialists, Figols believes that Panasonic seeks to focus on what they do best - Building long-lasting, open network cameras, which are capable of capturing the highest quality images that are required for the latest AI applications, while software developers can concentrate on bringing specialist applications to the market. Same as for smartphones, AI applications will proliferate based on market demand and succeed or fail, based on the value that they deliver. Facial recognition, privacy protection and cross line technologies Panasonic has been in the forefront in developing essential AI applications for CCTV, such as facial recognition, privacy protection and cross line. However, with the market developing so rapidly and the potential applications of AI-driven camera systems being so varied and widespread, Panasonic quickly realised that the future of their network cameras was going to be in open systems, which allow specialist developers and their customers to use their sector expertise to develop their own applications for specific vertical market applications, while using i-PRO hardware. Metadata for detection and recognition Regarding privacy, consider that the use of AI in cameras is about generating metadata for the detection and recognition of patterns, rather than identifying individual identities. However, there are legitimate privacy concerns, but I firmly believe that attitudes will change quickly when people see the incredible benefits that this technology can deliver, said Gerard Figols, adding I hope that we will be able to redefine our view of cameras and AI, not just as insurance, but as life advancing and enhancing. i-PRO AI Privacy Guard One of the AI applications that Panasonic developed was i-PRO AI Privacy Guard Seeking to understand and appreciate privacy concerns, one of the AI applications that Panasonic developed was i-PRO AI Privacy Guard that generates data without capturing individual identities, following European privacy regulations that are among the strictest in the world. Gerard Fogils said, The combination of artificial intelligence and the latest generation open camera technology will change the worlds perceptions from Big Brother to Big Benefits. New applications will emerge as the existing generation of cameras is updated to the new open and intelligent next generation devices, and the existing role of the security camera will also continue. Future scope of AI and cameras He adds, Not just relying on the security cameras for evidence when things have gone wrong, end users will increasingly be able to use AI and the cameras with much higher accuracy to prevent false alarms and in a proactive way to prevent incidents." Gerard Figols concludes, That could be monitoring and alerting when health and safety guidelines are being breached or spotting and flagging patterns of suspicious behaviour before incidents occur. News spotlight Providing medical help to cats, controlling population a mission for Nerstrand women Stumbling upon a post from Mari Hougen-Eitzman this spring in the Northfield Happenings Facebook group looking to raise funds to trap, neuter and return feral cats is what Ali Bossmann calls a divine occurrence. Ali Bossmann, left, and Mari Hougen-Eitzman set a trap along the shed on a Nerstrand property. The duo work together to trap, neuter and release feral cats to decrease local cat populations over time and provide medical help to cats that would not receive it otherwise. (Photo courtesy of Ali Bossmann) Bossmann recalls tearing up out of gratitude and commenting online something to the effect of, Hi! Who are you and why havent we met?! followed by sending her a lot information about the population of cats in Nerstrand. Bossmann and Hougen-Eitzman, both Nerstrand residents, have since joined forces to TNR the feral cats in town. They describe their efforts as a great way to decrease local cat populations over time and provide medical help to cats that would not receive it otherwise. According to Bossmann, a female cat has the ability to produce up to 100 kittens in seven years. TNR helps by stopping the unheeded multiplication and the male cats from fighting over females in heat. Though some may advocate for killing feral cats to solve this problem, Bossmann says it is not only illegal, but cats are territorial animals so removing one will just invite others to move in and continue multiplying due to the shelter or food source. By fixing and returning them, the cats protect that specific area and their resources, and discourage others from moving in. The TNR initiative in Nerstrand started with local resident Mari Hougen-Eitzman. After reaching out/searching for additional resources, shes feels fortunate to have made local connections. (Photo courtesy of Ali Bossmann) Hougen-Eitzman, who started the initiative after learning more about the importance of spaying and neutering from the Kitten Lady on social media, explains the cats are first live-trapped and then checked to make sure they are feral and do not belong to someone. That is done by looking for an ear tip, evaluating their demeanor and seeing if they will eat in front of humans. The cats are then driven to either the Golden Valley Humane Society where it will do the surgery for free through its TNR program or to a local vet clinic. Since the Humane Society only takes in a few cats at a time and its a long drive, she says bringing cats to a local veterinarian is much more sustainable and efficient. Hougen-Eitzman says thats primarily what money raised on their GoFundMe page covers. Once surgery is completed, cats are released to the area where they were found as wild animals cant be brought to already overloaded shelters. Over time, she says, this process will address the root of the problem. Hougen-Eitzman considers herself a cat/animal lover, and says this effort something thats has long been on her radar. Shes especially enjoyed finding others who are equally passionate about for caring for cats and animals. This is a really cool community in Minnesota, Hougen-Eitzman said of Nerstrand. Im sure it exists around the country too. I care a lot about animals, and its nice to feel like Im helping them in an important and effective way. For Bossmann, who has history of caring for community cats during below zero weather. She began noticing community cats ready to give birth and other feral/stray/community cats roaming around and frequenting area where they could easily find scraps. Bossmann admitted that she had her hands full, worried about them all in the winter, feared further procreation and feline deaths. Bossmann, too, describes herself as someone with a deep appreciation for animals. Growing up on a farm, she remembers cats being thought of as a necessary nuisance, valuable for controlling the rodent population but not much more. Despite that, shes tamed many farm cats and kittens and loved other animals she encountered. She began feeding and setting water out for what started as a few outside kittens abandoned by their mother. Now it has grown to a few regular community cats, friendly outside cats and the feral cats that typically come when humans are not around, as well as the ones that have already been trapped, neutered and returned. Alley Cat Allies states that scientific studies and communities with TNR programs are proof that TNR reduces and stabilizes populations of community cats. (Photo courtesy of Ali Bossmann) Since she lives directly in the middle of Nerstrand, Bossmann not only cares for the cats but she also traps them. Since there is a limited number of open neutering spots at the Animal Humane Society, she works with Hougen-Eitzman to coordinate times to trap and transport the animals to and from appointments, along with after care and holding areas, fundraising opportunities and ideas. Typically, Bossmann says she sets the traps out and sees whats caught in next morning. She releases any that have already been fixed, loads the rest in her Jeep and drops them off for Hougen-Eitzman on her way to work in the morning. This act of service and knowing that they are really doing something positive to change the lives of those cats, and help the community, has become almost a hobby for Bossmann, though trying at times. Despite that and the time, resources and funding issues it truly has brought a lot of joy to myself and my familys life, she said. Bossmanns children both love learning and helping out. She finds that there are some great lessons to be taught and learned from this work. She says its a great moment when she catches a glimpse of one of their previously fixed ferals sneaking over for some food and seeing that theyre healthy and thriving, or when socializing a kitten from a feral mother. And theres that moment she knows that they realize they are safe, wont be hurt and that she will care for them. She is appreciative of the generosity of some of their neighbors who have been willing to loan them traps and carriers, and also given permission to put traps on their property. That kind of community helpfulness and interaction is what Bossmann says makes Nerstrand so great. In particular, Bossmann said they will always be thankful for Julie Holter Marvets from Furball Farms in Faribault and Cathy and Debb from Helping Paws of Southern Minnesota and their wealth of information and advice. Both have generously assisted in our effort in numerous ways. We will always be thankful to them, said Bossmann. News spotlight GALLERY: Local ag leaders recognized for involvement at annual program Leaders in the agriculture community were pleased to be together again for what program host Jerry Groskruetz, of KDHL Radio, calls a day to celebrate agriculture and recognize those involved for the work they do. During the annual Best of the Best Agriculture Awards at the Rice County Fair Wednesday, the county honored the the legacies and work of leaders past and present. Paul Liebenstein, right, presents the Holdens with a plaque indicating the induction of Howard and Evelyn Holden into the 2021 Rice County Ag Hall of Fame. Howard & Evelyn Holden, Mary Ann Langslag and Fred A. Schrader were inducted into the 2021 Rice County Agriculture Hall of Fame. Pictured from left, owners of Holden Farms, Barry Holden and Kent Holden, along with John Holden and Craig Holden. (Michelle Vlasak/southernminn.com) Howard Holden, the second son of William and Matilda Holden, was raised on Shady Lane Farm 1 mile east of Northfield. His interest in turkeys was accentuated when he met Evelyn Allen, whose parents raised show turkeys. Known as an early innovator in turkey production, Howard invented automatic waterers and feeders, along with an elevated flooring system to prevent disease. He was the founder and served as first president of Faribo Turkey, Inc., which eventually became Hormels Jennie-O Turkey Store. He entered hog production in the 1960s and was named to the Minnesota Pork Producer Honor Roll in 1971, among numerous other honors. Accepting the award presented by Paul Liebenstein, on behalf of Howard and Evelyn, were Barry, Kent, John and Craig Holden. Mary Ann Langslag, center, was pleased to have members of her family alongside of her while being inducted into the 2021 Rice County Ag Hall of Fame. (Michelle Vlasak photos/southernminn.com) Mary Ann Langslag received the Hall of Fame honors for her work alongside her husband, Richard, for 57 years. They believed she followed the saying, Behind every good farmer is a great wife quite well. Mary Ann was involved in the Rice County 4-H Program for over 50 years, working in the extension office, becoming a leader and teaching 4-Hers how to grow vegetables, fruits and flowers. She also worked in the open class building for almost 50 years at the fair. Mary Ann accepted the award, presented by Julie Fox, alongside her family. Woody Schrader, Marvin Shrader and Ardis Liebenstein accept the Hall of Fame plaque in honor of their sibling, Fred A. Shrader. (Michelle Vlasak/southernminn.com) The third inductee into the 2021 Hall of Fame was Fred A. Schrader. After marrying his wife, Gladys, in 1923, they increased their original 80-acre Bridgewater Township farm into 312 acres. In addition to crops, they milked cows and raised hogs and chickens, along with caring for six children. Fred served 44 years as director on the Northfield/Dundas Co-op Elevator, serving as secretary/treasurer. Member of of the County Extension Committee and the Rice County Agricultural Society, Fred was an active member of Township Farm Bureau and served as chairman. He was a 26-year member of the Rotary and served as president for one year. Freds siblings Woody and Marvin Schrader, and Ardis Liebenstein accepted the award with other family members. Others active on the local agriculture scene were also recognized by Groskruetz and Art Madsen, chair of the Faribault Chambers Agribusiness Committee. The Donahue family receives recognition for being nominated 2021 Farm Family of the Year at the Best of the Best program. (Michelle Vlasak/southernminn.com) The Donahue family was recognized for their honor as the 2021 Rice County Farm Family of the Year, nominated by the Rice County Extension. Every member of the Donahue family is involved in one way or another, each serving on different boards and donating time for local churches and schools. The Donahues Greenhouses have been a highlight of many peoples summers since they began doing business in 1972. Lois, the original owner, seven of the Donahue children, one son-in-law and two grandchildren take part in the operation of the greenhouse. Other family members pitch in when they can, like the kids when on break from school. Daniel and Erin Honken were honored with the Outstanding Conversationalist of the Year award for their outstanding accomplishments and improvements of conservation practices on their farming operation. (Michelle Vlasak/southernminn.com) Daniel and Erin Honken were named Rice County Outstanding Conservationists of the Year. Rice County Pheasants Forever Chapter earned recognition with the Wildlife Enhancement Award, while Dan and Joan Zielske of rural Morristown, earned the Forest Stewardship Award. Dan and Joan Zielske, of rural Morristown, graciously accept their Forest Stewardship Award plaque on Wednesday. (Michelle Vlasak/southernminn.com) Two area farms also achieved Century Farm status in 2021: James (Jim) Sam, who says he has the best job in the world, and Rebecca and Brian Peterson, of Far-Gaze Farms. Brian and his two brothers, Chris and Bruce work in partnership with fourth generations John, Tyler, Sam and Andrew. While members of the fifth generation are not old enough to drive yet, Brians daughter Becca says they have the farming bug in them and expects to see them in the field when they are able. James (Jim) Sam was recognized as one of two Rice County Century Farms in 2021. Working as a farmer, Jim says he has the best job in the world. (Michelle Vlasak/southernminn.com) Members of Far-Gaze Farms in Northfield were onsite to receive Century Farm regontion. Pictured from left, Bruce and Carol Peterson, Brian Peterson, Julie Ploetz and Brians daughter, Becca. (Michelle Vlasak/southernminn.com) Program host Jerry Groskruetz, of KDHL Radio, receives an unexpected award for dedicating 26 years to being an agvocate in the community and letters from FFA members Keygan Lundak and Emma Kuball. (Michelle Vlasak/southernminn.com) Much to Groskruetzs surprise, the well-known agvocate received a special honor during Wednesdays program for his 26 years of work in the industry. Randolph educator Ed Terry commended Groskreutz for his work and unique ability to make FFA members at ease while interviewing them on the radio. Waterville-Elysian-Morristown FFA member Emma Kuball and Albert Lea FFA member Keygan Lundak gifted Groskretuz with letters during the program, thanking him for his time. Pictured with Jerry Groskruetz is Waterville-Elysian-Morristown FFA member Emma Kuball and Albert Lea FFA member Keygan Lundak. (Michelle Vlasak/southernminn.com) Pictured with Jerry Groskreutz are his daughter, son, daughter-in-law and wife, Lois. Not pictured are son-in-law and two grandchildren. (Michelle Vlasak/southernminn.com) Fair Manager John Dvorak recognized Jake Gillen with a special award for his years of service on the Fair Board and financial contributions for the construction of numerous fair buildings. Gillen said the award was very well appreciated. Representatives from the Faribault Chamber of Commerce Agribusiness Committee, Rice County Farm Bureau and other local establishments, thanked those who received awards for their part in the ag community before awards were presented. Jake Gillen receives an award for his years of serving on the Rice County Fair Board. (Michelle Vlasak/southernminn.com) Fair Manager John Dvorak, right, presents Fair Board member Jake Gillen with an award for his dedicated time and financial contributions. (Michelle Vlasak/southernminn.com) For over 100 years, the Faribault Area Chamber of Commerce and Rice County Fair have supported agriculture as an essential part of the local economy. 2020 and 2021 inductees, farm families and other award winners were honored, while celebrating and learning more about ag in the local area. 2021 Rice County Fair Ambassadors Avalon Roberts and Kortney Prior, along with Junior Ambassadors Alexa Rojas and Clara Winget introduce themselves at the start of the 2021 Best of the Best program. Not pictured, Ambassador Marisa Winget. (Michelle Vlasak/southernminn.com) 2020 Hall of Fame inductee was the late Kevin Estrem, followed by Mike & Kay Peterson who received the Outstanding Conservationists Award. Jim & Mary Bierman were honored with the Wildlife Enhancement Award, and Paul & Mary Otting earned the Forest Stewardship Award. Century Farm recipients in 2020 were Robert & Tamara Schwichtenberg, Steven & Gaye Bauer, Joe Trnka, Daniel Pumper and Paul & Bonnie Bauer. STAMFORD OxyContin maker Purdue Pharmas settlement plan has gained the support of about 95 percent of voting creditors in its bankruptcy, according to preliminary results released this week but Connecticut still opposes the proposal. Among approximately 120,000 creditor votes, 97 percent of nearly 4,800 local and state government creditors voted to confirm Stamford-based Purdues plan. Other creditor groups accepted at rates between 88 percent and 100 percent. About 40 state attorneys general now back Purdues proposal after 15 who had formerly opposed it announced earlier this month that they would sign on following additional concessions made by the company and its owners. This is an unprecedented expression of support for a restructuring of this size and complexity in favor of a plan that will provide needed resources to those affected by the opioid crisis, Purdue Chairman Steve Miller said in a statement. The preliminary voting results demonstrate a broad consensus among every organized creditor group in these proceedings, and we will continue to work for even greater consensus ahead of the confirmation hearings. Purdue expects to make public the final voting results by Aug. 2, but said it does not expect the tally to change materially from the preliminary numbers. The votes were calculated by PrimeClerk, Purdues court-authorized solicitation and balloting agent. Also known as a plan of reorganization, Purdues settlement plan is not a done deal. It will next face a review by Judge Robert Drain during an Aug. 9 confirmation hearing. Purdue values its proposal at more than $10 billion. It would resolve several thousand local and state governments lawsuits alleging that the firm fueled the opioid crisis with deceptive OxyContin marketing. Despite its settlement offer, the company denies those complaints accusations. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong still vehemently opposes the plan. Connecticut joined California, Delaware, Maryland, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and the District of Columbia in voting against Purdues proposal. Those states attorneys general have said that Purdues proposed settlement amount is too low. They also oppose the prospective release of the Sackler family members who own the company from pending and potential claims. In addition, they have expressed concerns about a possible conflict of interest related to the companys plan to convert itself into a public benefit company focused on using its funds to tackle the opioid crisis. They have instead called for Purdues assets to be sold to private buyers. This vote does not change the fact that this deal is insufficient and inadequate and not good for Connecticut, Tong said in a statement Tuesday. We will not consent to a plan that seeks to strong-arm us into releasing our claims against the Sacklers and allowing them to walk away with their wealth intact while victims of the opioid epidemic and their families suffer and grieve. I remain firmly opposed and will continue to fight until all viable options are exhausted. Tong has not ruled out eventually reaching an agreement with Purdue, but he has frequently criticized the companys negotiating strategy. I havent seen a willingness on their part to do anything meaningful, Tong said at a press conference Monday at the state Capitol. When I see that, they can give me a call. In a landmark deal separate from the Purdue bankruptcy, Connecticut agreed last week to join a $26 billion national settlement with pharmaceutical distributing giants AmeriSourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson and drugmaker Johnson & Johnson a pact that would resolve local and state governments claims that those companies operations worsened the opioid crisis. Connecticut expects to receive about $300 million from the settlement with those four companies, with the funds to be solely focused on the opioid epidemic. Last year, 1,273 people in Connecticut died from opioid-involved overdoses, up 13 percent from 2019. There will never be enough money and never enough justice for victims, Tong said at the press conference. But $26 billion represents a real investment in fighting the opioid and addiction crisis. It is an acknowledgment by those four companies of their responsibility to do something really meaningful. pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; twitter: @paulschott Theresa Allen often drives from her home in Springfield, Massachusetts, to Old Lyme to enjoy one of the few public beaches in Connecticut: Sound View, which is only 100 feet long but sees wide use during warm months. Its an easy ride, only an hour and 10 minutes, Allen says as she relaxes on a beach chair, watching the gentle waves roll in and gazing out at a distant strip of Long Island. This is one of my go-to spots, she adds. Its one of my favorite beaches in Connecticut. The water is very clean; its pristine. But theres another thing she likes about Sound View Beach: Its got two bars near the water, referring to the restaurants Kokomos and The Pavilion. When I started coming here 20 years ago, we used to really party! Indeed, Sound View has seen more than its fair share of bar-hoppers, bikers, bootleggers, beer brawls and striptease dancers (Busty Hart among them). During its heyday in the 40s and 50s, the Sound View crowd rattled the residents of Old Lyme, a generally staid group of folks who prefer a quiet, tame environment. For decades, Sound View has been the Rodney Dangerfield of beaches: comical, a bit schlubby and getting no respect at all, Jim Lampos and Michaelle Pearson write in their 2010 book Rum Runners, Governors, Beachcombers and Socialists: Views of the Beaches in Old Lyme. Brian A. Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media But that seems to be changing, the authors added; Sound View has been recognized by the state as A Connecticut Historic Place. And the long-time residents who populate three dead-end streets leading to the beach say its become far less rowdy and much more family friendly. They play up the historic carousel, the Independence Day parade, bingo nights and the popular doughnuts sold on weekends at the Community Center. Allen and the thousands of others who flock to Sound View can thank Harry J. Hilliard, an avowed socialist who in 1892 began buying up 44 acres of the old Swan Farm and selling small parcels for $25 each. This was affordable for the Greek, Italian, Irish and Jewish immigrants who also were attracted to the beautiful natural setting but had been denied access. Hilliard did something truly radical and revolutionary for a conservative state where towns restrict use of their beaches: he deeded Sound View Beach to the unorganized general public for its perpetual use. I rather like the idea of equal opportunities for all, special privileges to none, Hilliard said. Sound Views residents are proud of their history. If you stroll down Hartford Avenue, the main strip, youll see colorful banners on lamp posts proclaiming: Americas first public beach. The people of Revere Beach in Massachusetts beg to differ; they claim their much-larger expanse is the countrys oldest public beach. But Lampos asserts that he and Pearson did a rigorous study for their book. He notes that Revere Beach didnt open until 1896 four years after Hilliard got started. Brian A. Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media Sound View was a great place to grow up, says Dennis Melluzzo, past president of the Sound View Beach Association. And it was the only place [in Old Lyme] where the middle class could go to the beach. Old Lyme is old Yankees. Sound View was built by blue-collar immigrants of a lower social status. Melluzzo admits it got kind of salty on Hartford Avenue during the 40s through the 70s. We had arcades, a roller-skating rink, dance halls and restaurants to beat the band! There was a strip joint in the Branmor Hotel and 11 bars. Melluzzo remembers seeing Westerns and B movies at the Strand, one of two movie theaters then in the neighborhood. If you went to the Colony Theater you bought your tickets from a young Ella Grasso, who spent her summers at Sound View. She had met her husband Tom Grasso (who ran the Colonys projector) when he was a lifeguard. He later became a teacher, while she was elected governor. Although the Grassos always spoke fondly of their days at Sound View, the beach community was rocked by a murder in August 1944. A Navy man from Groton picked up a young woman, strangled her and dumped her naked body behind a billboard. For many years afterward, parents had even more reason than before to tell their kids: Dont you ever go to Sound View! Nevertheless, for dec-ades many mothers and fathers have taken their kids to the Sound View Carousel. Built in 1925, it showcases 20 hand-painted horses and two chariots. Generations of young riders have eagerly reached for the brass ring, entitling them to a free ride. Jerry and Dee Vowles have run the carousel and adjacent ice cream and beach attire shops since 1988. The Vowles and their patrons are especially happy to be back at the carousel this summer after being denied the opportunity last year by the pandemic. The carousel operates daily 79 p.m., Memorial Day through Labor Day. The Sound View Beach Association (soundviewbeach.com), a volunteer nonprofit group, offers bingo on Wednesday nights and sells doughnuts on weekends in the summertime from its Community Center on Hartford Avenue. Association President Gail Fuller oversees the sales of those renowned doughnuts, which are baked in Hartford. Her volunteers sell up to 60 dozen of them on weekend mornings. People start lining up as early as 6 a.m. for the 7 a.m. opening. Often the doughnuts are sold out by 8:30. (You can pre-order by calling 860-463-6906.) The Independence Day parade resumed its tradition in July. Its a real hometown event, says Frank Pappalardo, who chairs the towns Sound View Commission. Kids ride in it with their decorated bikes. Brian A. Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media There are outdoor concerts this summer, held at 7 p.m. at the beachs flagpole. The final two are Aug. 5 and 19. If you want to hit the beach at Sound View on a sunny weekend, youd best arrive by 9 a.m. We have capacity limits and parking fees are strictly enforced, says Pappalardo, noting Sound View has a little over 100 parking spots. We certainly do have a colorful history, Pappalardo adds. But were looking at where were going, not where weve been. Original article: From booze and strippers to doughnuts and family fun, Old Lymes Sound View Beach has come a long way Randall Beach is a former columnist and reporter for the New Haven Register. He can be reached at rbeach8@yahoo.com. This article appears in the August 2021 issue of Connecticut Magazine. You can subscribe to Connecticut Magazine here, or find the current issue on sale here. Sign up for our newsletter to get our latest and greatest content delivered right to your inbox. Have a question or comment? Email editor@connecticutmag.com. And follow us on Facebook and Instagram @connecticutmagazine and Twitter @connecticutmag. DANBURY Newly released footage from the Danbury Police Department gives further insight into police officers response to a man recording video inside the citys library and City Hall, including the suggestion from one officer that the man would be dead had the incident occurred years ago. The new footage, in addition to reports connected to multiple incidents involving the man, comes as Danbury police officials work to conclude their internal investigation into the matter. The 15 videos with hours of body camera footage released this past week to Hearst Connecticut Media through a Freedom of Information Act request are similar to the videos SeanPaul Reyes has posted on his YouTube channel. His channel, Long Island Audit, includes incidents recorded last month at the Danbury Library and this month at City Hall in which he claims to exercise his First Amendment rights to film in public spaces. An internal police investigation was opened following the library incident that occurred in early June. Friday, Chief Patrick Ridenhour said the initial investigation is in its final stages, as a hearing is pending and a decision on what, if any further action should be taken. It revealed some violations of our policies, including the comments you are referring to, and is now being addressed through our department's disciplinary process, Ridenhour said of the investigation in an email, declining to provide a copy of the report. The comments referred to include a comment made by one officer stating 20 years ago, that f***** would be dead, referring to Reyes. Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, officers are permitted to have a hearing with union representation before the department administers any discipline, Ridenhour said. Those private hearings will be held over the next week or so. He declined to release any names of officers involved until conclusion of the hearings. The head of the Danbury police union and the citys attorney could not be reached for comment on Friday. Although a hearing is pending, Mayor Joe Cavo said it is likely the officers involved could have to go through retraining. It would be my hope that some of the things out of this will be some training that will help deal with these situations in a different manner, he said. After the library response, Reyes filed an intent to sue a city sergeant and a formal complaint with the police department accusing the officers of violating his constitutionally protected rights. The officers were extremely rude and unprofessional to say the least and treated my constitutional rights as a joke, Reyes writes in the complaint Hearst Connecticut Media obtained. Reyes said Friday he plans to file at least one federal lawsuit over the incidents. Hes deciding whether to file a single lawsuit or separate ones for the library and City Hall cases. Reyes was charged with criminal trespass and breach of peace on July 15 after a visit to City Hall in which he was recording. He previously visited City Hall in June and was recording, but was not arrested. He was asked to leave by City Hall security and police in both instances. These are bogus charges, Reyes said Friday. He accused the officers of retaliation over the library incident. Since posting his Danbury Library video last month, his YouTube channel, Long Island Audit, has grown by around 22,000 subscribers to 42,400 subscribers. Of the 15 videos obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media, nine are from his June 9 visit to the library in which he was recording. They also show Reyes later at police headquarters. The other six videos are from July 15 and show cops and Reyes at City Hall and the police station, where the YouTuber was taken after being arrested. The audio occasionally cuts out on some of the videos, sometimes when the officers are talking to each other. [O]ur policy does allow the officers to sometimes mute the audio when having a discussion with the supervisor or amongst themselves, Ridenhour said. Danbury police got body cameras around the start of 2021 and were trained on how to use them shortly afterward, so it is still a learning process for our officers, Ridenhour said. The audio often starts around 30 seconds into the videos because there is a 30-second pre-event buffer built into the system, he said. Library incident Reyes arrived at the library around 5 p.m. June 9 and stood inside filming staff and patrons, according to the police incident report. Multiple employees told the security guard they were frightened by Reyes and that he was making them very uncomfortable by staring at them and filming them with his cell phone without explanation, the report states. They further stated that they were avoiding the lobby area of the library in an attempt to hide from him, the report continues. The security guard told Reyes he needed to leave because he was disrupting the normal operations of the library, the report states. When officers arrived, the security guard greeted them outside, the body camera footage shows. A library employee is standing outside as the officers walk inside. Two other library employees are seen working in a back room during part of one of the videos. Patrons are seen in the library throughout the videos. Patrons did not complain about Reyes, the security guard says in one of the videos. An officer spends multiple minutes searching with library staff for a copy of a policy that would justify why Reyes should stop filming and leave the building, the videos show. Sgt. John Dickinson eventually reads Reyes a removal and exclusions of customers policy that is quoted in the incident report as stating the library administration or its designee may remove or exclude individuals who interrupt normal library operations by behaving in a disruptive or inappropriate manner toward customers or staff. Dickinson told Reyes there was no specific ban against making video or audio recordings in the library, but that he was disrupting the comfort of the general library population, the report states. Reyes gives police his identification and was told not to return to the library, the videos show. Outside the library After leaving the building, police escort Reyes off the library property and stay with him for about 10 minutes. As the video continues, officer Ken Utter can be heard in the video asking Reyes if he left the library and avoided arrest because plans to play a video game with his friends that night. What do you do in your spare time? Reyes asks Utter as the YouTuber stands on the sidewalk abutting Main Street. Do you look at little girls or something? Yeah, thats it, Utter says sarcastically with a laugh. What do you do, officer, tyrant? Reyes continues. Less than a minute later, Reyes questioned why officer Paul Tibbitts continued to wear a face covering outside. What do you have herpes, got to cover up the herp? Reyes asks. Reyes said Friday he lost (his) cool because he was tired of the officers violating his rights. They were treating me so horribly, Reyes said. I try to stay professional in all my videos, I do. This was so horrendous. A couple minutes later, the officers and Reyes argue over constitutional issues, leading Utter to put his hand on Reyes wrist. Its constitutionally protected activity. If I went in there and I was acting like an a****** Reyes says. Youre wrong, Utter says, pointing at the camera. He moves his body to get in better view of Reyes camera and motions with his right hand for Reyes to come closer, bringing his left hand to touch Reyes wrist, the body camera footage from Dickinson, the sergeant, shows. Youre wrong, Utter says. Dont touch me, Reyes says, swatting with his left hand without touching Utter. Dont touch me. The cops thumb and fingers hold Reyes wrist, but Utter does not appear to twist the YouTubers wrist, as Reyes claims in a complaint filed with the police department. Contributed Photo Officer Utter went crazy and decided it was within his right to grab my wrist and twist so that my camera was on him as he mocked me, Reyes wrote in his complaint. This was unacceptable. This officer has no right to touch me. I want him held accountable for this. After the back and forth, a group of officers met away from Reyes. You know what Im telling you right now, f****** five years ago with this s*** he would have been on the f****** ground, Utter tells a fellow cop after the two walk away from Reyes outside of Danbury Library on June 9. Absolutely, Tibbitts says. And 20 year ago, that f***** would be dead, Utter says. Hed be f****** his teeth would be missing. The audio cuts out shortly after. The comments surprised Mayor Cavo, who said he has not watched the footage. Wow, OK, he said, in reaction to learning about the comment. As a mayor of the city, Im really disappointed that those words may have been uttered or spoken by an officer of the city of Danbury. City Hall incident On July 15, Reyes made two visits to City Hall, according to a police incident report also obtained in the FOIA request. During his second visit that day, Reyes was arrested. During the initial visit July 15, city attorney Laszlo Pinter told Reyes he was not permitted to film in the offices of City Hall, according to a police incident report. Police were called then and Reyes left. Reyes claims City Halls security guard pushed him several times during his first visit to City Hall July 15. Police did not provide body camera footage from that visit. Reyes, who filmed the incident, said he went to the police station afterward and provided video to the officers that shows the security guard pushing him. That video is not available, however, as body camera footage shows police seizing Reyes phone when he was arrested July 15, which the police report confirms. Reyes told Hearst Connecticut Media the phone still has yet to be returned. Reyes returned to City Hall to film around 2:30 p.m., went to the second floor and pushed past the security guard to film across the tax assessors counter, according to the police report. Pinter told police Reyes was very loud and disruptive while he was in City Hall causing the employees to feel uncomfortable, the police report states. An employee in the tax assessors office hit the panic alarm button, prompting officers including one who responded to the first visit to arrive. In one video, Town Clerk Jan Giegler says to an officer that Reyes busted into her office and tried to film city employees, in addition to attempting to record video over the counter at work stations. Giegler said she told him he could not do so and that he needed to leave. Reyes told police he went to the town clerks office to file a Freedom of Information Act request, according to another video. As he talks to one officer, another comes down the hallway, asks for his name, reaches for his camera and then tells him to turn around and put his hands behind his back. You were told not to go film in the offices. You filmed in the offices, the officers says as he and another officer handcuff Reyes. Police walk the YouTuber down the stairs and outside City Hall before placing him in a police car and bringing him to a jail cell, the footage shows. Outside City Hall, Pinter told an officer that Reyes had upset City Hall staff, the footage shows. The department has not launched an internal investigation into the City Hall incident. In general supervisors review all arrests that we make, Ridenhour said in an email. At this time we have no indication of any violations of our department policies from the one on July 15. The concerns were only with the June 9 incident and only as it pertained to the demeanor of the responding officers. City Hall filming rules City employees were refreshed on Danburys policy on recording in public buildings as a result of Reyes videos, Cavo said. The city has reviewed this policy with internal and outside legal counsel, Cavo said. Members of the public may film in hallways and common areas in City Hall, but cannot record over staffs counters or computer screens because they could capture residents private information, he said. People looking to do more extensive filming in City Hall in offices are required to sign a 10-page form with these rules and get approved to film in City Hall for a fee. Reyes said this form was mentioned to Reyes but not provided on July 15. It gives people the opportunity if they want to film, they can film, Cavo said. But they have to be mindful of other peoples privacy. Since Reyes first visit to Danbury, two men filmed in City Hall and followed the citys policy, Cavo said. The men signed in with the security guard and wore masks as required during COVID-19. They were not asked to fill out the form, the mayor said. Reyes also returned to City Hall this past week, holding a rally, and filmed inside the building, not having to fill out a form, nor pay the fee. Additional videos captured by police body cameras of the City Hall and library incidents can be viewed on the Connecticut Posts YouTube page. ALBANY A certification process highlighting energy-efficient cannabis cultivators and a tax credit to complement it are key sustainability proposals of an industry white paper released Tuesday by New Yorks Castetter Cannabis Group. The paper also called for state regulators to develop a strategy for data collection and analysis of license holders operations. Its recommendations reinforce lawmakers urgency to minimize harm to the the states fledgling industry, but suggest a divergent strategy centered on incentives rather than efficiency limits. Were advocating for a performance-based approach, said Kate Hruby, the groups lead policy analyst and co-author of the paper. In mid-March, before adult-use cannabis was legalized in New York, state Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, D-Albany, had proposed language for a bill that would ensure the budding industry is designed to comply with emissions standards that would reduce its potential impact on the states ambitious climate goals. If passed, the legislation pushing cannabis growers to environmental conscious practices would put New York in a position to regulate them up-front. In contrast, early legalization states such as Colorado and California have circled back to try to cut down on their industries emissions once growers were already licensed and running. The language of Fahys bill, which includes limits on lighting power density and mandates for efficient heating and cooling systems for indoor grow operations, was mirrored in a Senate bill introduced in April by state Sen. Michelle Hinchey, D-Saugerties. What our bill does is it makes energy efficiency a priority in the indoor growing process by requiring applicants to submit their efficiency plans as part of their application, Hinchey said, noting that the specifics of the bill are still undergoing revisions. Were setting resource efficiency requirements for growers to make sure that we don't have to go back and do this again, down the road. But Hruby and her Castetter Cannabis Group (CCG) co-authors, whose leaders draw on their experience growing and processing regulated hemp which is low-THC cannabis as well as their knowledge of the legacy market, feel the piecemeal industry is ripe with innovators after its long existence in the shadows. They argue fringe innovations need to be encouraged before specific efficiency caps and technology mandates are introduced. We want New York to be the most innovative when it comes to energy efficiency, but we have to get the information first, Hruby said. The industry is concerned that it's going to be overly burdened when it hasn't even gotten off the ground. Both the legislative proposal and CCGs white paper focus on the energy use of indoor grow operations, which produce more emissions than outdoor grows. A study published this spring by Colorado State University's Hailey M. Summers, Evan Sproul and Jason C. Quinn notes that a considerable amount of legal cannabis is cultivated indoors primarily for quality control and security, though the CCG white paper noted that on the black market, indoor grows also served to conceal illicit operations. Summers and her colleagues looked at greenhouse gas emissions over the life cycle of indoor cannabis operations across the United States, and their modeling found that for every kilogram of dried cannabis flower, growers emitted gasses equivalent to between 2,283 and 5,184 kilograms of carbon dioxide. The higher carbon cost of indoor grows has led some farmers, including the Hudson Valleys Gail and Amy Hepworth of Hempire State Growers, to advocate for the benefits of growing hemp and adult-use cannabis plants outdoors. While the sisters do note rapidly improving indoor grow systems offer more yield and protection against adverse weather, they are proud of the outdoor grow system at their organic farm. It would be an excellent integrated plant in the agricultural community, said Amy Hepworth, the operations president and lead grower. She said its a crop that takes significant time and management they even use blockchain technology to track each plant but she loves to grow it. Its like, we know it's not easy to grow tomatoes outdoors, but they grow outdoors. And they're delicious, aren't they? But Aldous Lloyd, CCGs cultivation analyst, said that while certain products such as cannabis grown for extracts might work well outdoors, eliminating indoor growth for cultivation of smokable cannabis flower is not practical. He thinks the industry will need to consider how to innovate within greenhouse technologies. The problem with outdoor is contamination. You have to think about all kinds of funguses and viruses, those fall on the plants, Lloyd said, noting that most outdoor grows are not as controlled. Several researchers at Berkeleys Cannabis Research Center have been considering these issues in their assessments of the state of the research on cannabis and the environment. We found very few scientific, published studies on the topic, said Ariani C. Wartenberg, who co-authored a review article on the subject earlier this year. Wartenberg said she thought the lack of data was striking given the magnitude of the industry. Her article noted that like any crop, cannabis can have adverse impacts on the environment if grown outdoors as well as indoors; in California, and in other places where the climate allows robust outdoor growth of cannabis, there is a tendency that predates legalization for growers to tuck their cannabis crops in out-of-sight locations where the grows can have a substantial negative impact on particular ecosystems and wildlife. Van Butsic, a scholar in the group who has been doing cannabis research for about seven years, said he got into the field because of the lack of systematic takes on cannabis-related topics. Butsic said that while further research is needed to understand how to make its farming increasingly efficient, cannabis can probably be grown sustainably multiple ways. He noted that a disproportionate amount of attention has been paid to cannabis environmental impacts compared to other crops, especially as the industry has come out of the shadows. In the end, growers in the United States have an impact on the environment even when they are working in the illicit market and not as licensed cultivators. For local governments, it has been difficult to balance complaints from constituents, Bustic said. They say things like, we have too many cannabis farms, we need to make really restrictive permitting processes, without realizing that all the cannabis farms that they're upset about are already illegal and are not going to be joining the permit process, he said. And for California, which has a more advanced market where the environmental standards and licensing process are already restrictive, Bustic said, we need to focus on the people who are not in the legal market and try to get them to join the legal market. I think that's where you'll see the most environmental gain. New Yorks government leaders have yet to nominate the leadership of the new industrys regulatory bodies, the Office of Cannabis Management and the Cannabis Control Board. Once formed, they will define how licensing will operate within the state. A black bear cub that was injured in a California wildfire is recovering after being rescued. A Markleeville resident on Sunday found the bear, which had been hurt in the Tamarack Fire, and contacted Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, according to fire officials. Rescuers were not able to locate the bear's mother. As the country faces another COVID surge, fueled by the highly contagious delta variant, some health experts are advising people regardless of vaccination status to wear masks again. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White Houses chief medical advisor, told CNN on Sunday that revising national mask guidance is under active consideration. In California, Los Angeles County became the first area to reinstate a mask mandate for everyone. In Connecticut, where the daily COVID positivity rate eclipsed 2 percent twice last week and hospitalizations have begun to rise again, Gov. Ned Lamont has not yet indicated any plans to reinstate a mask requirement. Whether Connecticut residents will comply with another mask mandate is an extremely complicated question, according to Dr. Jeffrey Deitz, assistant professor of psychiatry at Quinnipiac University. Deitz he expects reactions to a possible return of the mask requirement to vary wildly, based on the individual. Will people follow this? Some people will, but other people wont do it, Deitz said. Not everybody feels the rules apply to them. Under an honor system, the states mask mandate was largely dropped for vaccinated people, while those who have not been vaccinated are supposed to continue wearing masks indoors. Dr. Ajay Kumar, chief clinical officer for Hartford Healthcare, said he believes Connecticut residents will want to do the right thing if they are required to wear masks again. I think there would be some reaction, but I still have tremendous belief in Connecticut residents generally, by and large that they want to do the right thing, he said. So if for some unforeseen reason we have to go there, then I imagine ... our state would comply better than most. But Kumar also said he doesnt think Connecticut needs to reinstate the mask requirement yet and instead should focus on vaccinations. About 72 percent of Connecticuts eligible population are fully vaccinated, according to data tracked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, the vaccination rate varies widely across the state. In Salisbury, Lyme, Old Saybrook and Kent, more than 80 percent of residents have received at least a first dose, according to state data, while nearly all of Canaans residents have been vaccinated. Meanwhile, some of the states largest cities, including Hartford, Bridgeport and Waterbury, continue to lag behind. Lora Rae Anderson, a spokeswoman for Lamonts Chief Operating Officer Josh Geballe, said the state will continue to rely on our residents to do the right thing, including wearing masks on public transit and in medical facilities as well as following other public health recommendations. Just because we have made significant progress in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, doesn't mean we can toss basic public health best practices we should always be using out the window, she said in an email. People following both mandated rules, and public health recommendations between now and the fall will dictate where we end up, and what choices we need to make. Lamont has expressed reluctance about reinstating restrictions. I dont think we need a lot of new mandates right now ... I feel like we are in a different situation. But I will watch it, if I see a steep curve, especially with hospitalizations. Thats the metric I follow, Lamont said last week. Kumar said his general sense is that people are fatigued by the pandemic and he said thats understandable. But at the same time, our people have been respectful and supportive largely of what needs to be done, he said. I have a lot of faith in our society. Dr. Carl Mueller, president of Stamford Hospitals medical staff, was somewhat less optimistic. He said its human nature to resist being told what to do. Mueller said its particularly difficult in this situation, where a lot of people were looking forward to an end to the pandemic once the vaccines were available. This has been going on for a year and a half and people are starting to get tired, theres no question, said Mueller, who is also associate chair of psychiatry at Stamford Hospital. Once the vaccines came out, this wave of hope came through. Asking people to go back to masks now is appealing to the common good, Mueller said, and their reserves of goodwill and community spirit might be draining. And some may be letting their guard down, said Alvin Tran, University of New Haven assistance professor of public health. Regardless of the reinstated mask mandates and constant calls for vaccination, people need to have higher perceived susceptibility and severity of COVID-19, he said. In other words, they need to believe theyre at really high risk of not only becoming infected, but also falling gravely ill due to the infection. The threat of COVID-19, such as symptoms, hospitalization, and death, needs to prompt those currently unvaccinated to take action. Tran said more people need to take the pandemic seriously, particularly those still unvaccinated and unmasked. This suggests to me they dont believe COVID-19 is a big threat to them, which is deeply concerning, he said. With the new COVID-19 variant circulating the country so profusely, we need to focus our public health messaging on it. Staff Writer Jordan Fenster contributed reporting. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Irans state TV reported on Tuesday that authorities arrested members of a group linked to Israels Mossad intelligence agency amid ongoing protests over water shortages in the countrys southwest. The report said a network of spy agents, with a large amount of weapons and ammunition was arrested after sneaking into Iran from across its western border. It claimed the alleged Mossad agents intended to use the weapons during riots in Iran and also for assassinations. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) Making a fresh push for vaccinations as coronavirus cases climb in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom turned political as he announced new requirements for state workers and health care employees to show proof of vaccination, blaming right wing politicians and media for perpetuating misinformation about the shots. Theyre misinforming people, theyre literally putting peoples lives at risk, Newsom said on MSNBC, echoing similar comments in a news conference and on CNN Monday, where he specifically criticized Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Newsom's comments veered far from his steadfast statements throughout the COVID-19 crisis, during which he's batted away questions about pandemic politics and often passed on opportunities to criticize Republicans. The new approach comes against the backdrop of a September recall election seeking to oust Newsom, fueled by anger over his response to the pandemic. Newsom's frustrations flashed as he announced he will require state employees and millions of health care workers, public and private, to show proof of vaccination or be regularly tested, a policy in line with a growing number of Democratic-run cities. After Newsom mentioned Greene repeatedly, she responded by calling him a communist dictator on Twitter. In his response, he accused her of literally killing Americans by spreading misinformation. Greene has compared vaccination and mask mandates to the Holocaust and was suspended from Twitter for 12 hours last week after spreading vaccine misinformation. On Sunday night, she likened decisions by business owners to exclude unvaccinated customers to segregation. Monday's announcement allows Newsom to take a clear step aimed at boosting the vaccination rate while avoiding imposing broader mandates and restrictions that could further frustrate voters. His political comments appeared aimed at motivating his Democratic base by linking the recall to what he calls extremist Republicans. In California, Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly 2-to-1 and one of Newsom's strategies has been to nationalize the race. Anything he can do to emphasize whos behind this and whos attacking him is all for his own political good, said Garry South, a Democratic strategist who worked for former Gov. Gray Davis, who got recalled in 2003. Rob Stutzman, a Republican strategist who worked opposite South in the 2003 recall, agreed that such sparring only benefits Newsom in the heavily Democratic state. Newsom needs to inject some intensity into his base, he noted on Twitter. Under the new rules, employees who do not provide verification of vaccination must submit to testing once or twice a week and wear a mask while working. Vaccine verification also will be required in jails, homeless shelters and other places where people congregate, Newsom said. Its not clear who will pay for the tests. While about 62% of all eligible Californians are fully vaccinated, the state has struggled to make significant progress in recent weeks. Infections and hospitalizations are rising, with the delta variant now making up an estimated 80% of cases in California, though the growing numbers are still far below the winter peak. An individuals choice not to get vaccinated is now impacting the rest of us in a profound and devastating and deadly way, Newsom said. While many of people who have not yet been vaccinated are merely hesitant, political sparring may not persuade more of an effort to get the shots. A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research released last week found 43% of Republicans said they had not been vaccinated or definitely wouldn't be compared to 10% of Democrats. It was taken before some Republicans and cable news personalities began urging vaccination last week. Broadly, several epidemiologists praised Newsom's new policy as one that will encourage vaccinations and potentially lead other private sector employers to follow suit. Medical professionals applauded the rules, saying its legal, ethical and necessary given a national surge driven by the highly contagious delta variant. Hes really showing leadership to strengthen the case for vaccination, which the entire country is trying to make, said Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious diseases professor at the University of California, San Francisco. Newsom has been hesitant to reimpose requirements on masks or social distancing since he allowed the state to reopen on June 15. Meanwhile, counties have forged ahead. Los Angeles County, home to a quarter of the state's population, is again requiring masks for people in indoor settings, and several other counties have encouraged it. Dozens of national health care organizations released a letter Monday pleading with health care and long-term care home employers to mandate employee vaccinations. The San Francisco Bar Owner Alliance said it will recommend its hundreds of members check for proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test result before allowing guests inside. ___ Har reported from San Francisco. AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Republican Jake Ellzey of Texas won a U.S. House seat on Tuesday night over a rival backed by Donald Trump, dealing the former president a defeat in a test of his endorsement power since leaving office. Ellzeys come-from-behind victory over Republican Susan Wright, the widow of the late Rep. Ron Wright, in a special congressional election runoff near Dallas is likely to be celebrated by Trump antagonists who have warned against his continued hold on the GOP. Trump backed Wright from the start and had made one last attempt to give her a boost with a telephone rally Monday night. Ellzey was carrying more than 53% of the vote in Texas 6th Congressional District with results from almost all precincts reported. One of things that we've seen from this campaign is a positive outlook, a Reagan Republican outlook, for the future of our country is what the people of the 6th District really really want, Ellzey said to supporters following his victory. Ellzey is a Republican state legislator who finished a second to Wright in May, and who only narrowly made the runoff over a Democrat. The seat opened up following the death of Ron Wright, who in February became the first member of Congress to die after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Far from running on an anti-Trump platform, Ellzey did not try distancing himself from the twice-impeached former president. He instead sought to overcome the lack of Trumps backing by raising more money and showing off other endorsements, including the support of former Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Trump had endorsed Susan Wright early in the special election and recorded a robocall for her late in the runoff. Make America Great Action, a political action committee chaired by former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, also made a $100,000 ad buy over the weekend. But the outcome may show the limits of his influence with voters. Republicans have continued making loyalty to Trump paramount since his defeat in November, even as Trump continues to falsely and baselessly assert that the election was stolen. The North Texas district won by Ellzey who narrowly lost the GOP nomination for the seat in 2018 has long been Republican territory. But Trumps support in the district had also plummeted: after winning it by double-digits in 2016, he carried it by just 3 percentage points last year, reflecting the trend of Texas booming suburbs shifting to purple and, in some places, outright blue. Ron Wright, who was 67 and had lung cancer, was just weeks into his second term when he died. Susan Wright had also been diagnosed with COVID-19 and at one point was hospitalized with her husband. Getty Images Three west-central Illinois students have graduated with honors from Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Missouri. Summa cum laude is awarded to students who have a grade point average of 3.8 or above; magna cum laude is for those with a 3.5 to 3.79 GPA; and cum laude for those with a 3.2-3.49 grade point average. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) A prolific serial torture-slayer dubbed The Dating Game Killer died Saturday while awaiting execution in California, authorities said. Rodney James Alcala was 77. He died of natural causes at a hospital in San Joaquin Valley, California, prison officials said in a statement. Alcala was sentenced to death in 2010 for five slayings in California between 1977 and 1979, including that of a 12-year-old girl, though authorities estimate he may have killed up to 130 people across the country. Alcala received an additional 25 years to life in 2013 after pleading guilty to two homicides in New York. He was charged again in 2016 after DNA evidence connected him to the 1977 death of a 28-year-old woman whose remains were found in a remote area of southwest Wyoming. But a prosecutor said Alcala was too ill to face trial in the death of the woman, who was six months pregnant when she died. Californias death row is in San Quentin State Prison near San Francisco, but for years Alcala had been housed more than 200 miles away at a prison in Corcoran where he could receive medical care around the clock. Prosecutors said Alcala stalked women like prey and took earrings as trophies from some of his victims. Youre talking about a guy who is hunting through Southern California looking for people to kill because he enjoys it, Orange County, California, prosecutor Matt Murphy said during his trial. Investigators say his true victim count may never be known. Earrings helped put him on death row, though Gov. Gavin Newsom has imposed a moratorium on executions so long as he is governor. The mother of 12-year-old Robin Samsoe testified at his murder trial that a pair of gold ball earrings found in a jewelry pouch in Alcalas storage locker belonged to her daughter. But Alcala claimed that the earrings were his and that a video clip from his 1978 appearance on The Dating Game shows him wearing the studs nearly a year before Samsoe died. He denied the slayings and cited inconsistencies in witness accounts and descriptions. California prosecutors said Alcala also took earrings from at least two of his adult victims as trophies. Two of the four women were posed nude after their deaths, one was raped with a claw hammer and all were repeatedly strangled and resuscitated to prolong their agony, prosecutors said. Investigators said one victims DNA was found on a rose-shaped earring in Alcalas possession, and his DNA was found in her body. He had been sentenced to death twice before in Samsoes murder, but both convictions were overturned. He was charged in the slayings of the four adult women more than two decades later based on new DNA and other forensic evidence. After the verdict, authorities released more than 100 photos of young women and girls found in Alcalas possession in hopes of linking him to other unsolved murders around the country. There is murder and rape and then there is the unequivocal carnage of a Rodney Alcala-style murder, Bruce Barcomb, the brother of 18-year-old victim Jill Barcomb, said as Alcala was sentenced to death. Alcala was born Rodrigo Jacques Alcala Buquor on August 23, 1943 in San Antonio, Texas. He moved to California with his mother at age 11, and later enlisted briefly in the Army. MySA Staff contributed to this report. Amy Goodman is the host of Democracy Now!, a daily international TV/radio news hour airing on more than 1,400 stations. She is the co-author, with Denis Moynihan and David Goodman, of the New York Times best-seller Democracy Now!: 20 Years Covering the Movements Changing America. Betsy McCaughey is a former lieutenant governor of New York and author of The Next Pandemic, available at Amazon.com. Contact her at betsy@betsymccaughey.com or on Twitter @Betsy_McCaughey. The law firm Luzerne County hired to seek a court ruling on the disputed district attorney election will report on its progress soon, councilwoman Kendra Radle said at Mondays meeting of councils special election decision committee. The dispute centers on whether the district attorney seat should be contested this November or in 2023. Attorneys offer differing interpretations of what state legislation adopted in March stipulates about a vacancy created when a sitting district attorney resigns in the first half of a term, as former Luzerne County district attorney Stefanie Salavantis did on March 25. The county election board ruled the seat should appear on the Nov. 2 ballot. County council then formed the special election decision committee to recommend a law firm to pursue a court ruling. The committee recommended Stevens & Lee, which has an office in Scranton, and council voted to hire the firm. Time is of the essence, since the deadline for candidates to appear on the November ballot is Sept. 13. Thus, Radle said she expects to receive an update from the firm via email later this week. The committee, which includes Radle and council members Tim McGinley and LeeAnn McDermott, voted to recommend to council that the committee will review Stevens & Lees billings and fees. The committee also voted to suggest to council that the firms fees be paid with transfers from the county reserve fund. Radle said there is no set limit to how much the county will pay Stevens & Lee, but the committee has a ballpark figure of $20,000 in mind. According to the firms letter of engagement, attorney Thomas Vanaskie will be paid $395 per hour, while attorney Peter Adonizio Jr. will be paid $250 per hour. Sam Sanguedolce, who was appointed district attorney after Salavantis resigned to run for county judge, is the only person who submitted a letter of interest to the county Republican Party to run in the Nov. 2 election, if it happens. As of late last week, the county Democratic Party was searching for qualified attorneys interested in running against Sanguedolce. The county parties will choose candidates, since it was too late to add the district attorney seat to the May 18 primary ballot after Salavantis resigned. MSU Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems Executive Director Clay Walden spoke to the Starkville Rotary Club on Monday about the impact the center is making on advanced vehicular research. Tuesday, 27 July 2021 12:18:00 (GMT+3) | Istanbul Ukraine-headquartered Metinvest has announced that Dnipro Coke, a metallurgical coke producer controlled by Metinvest, has won an auction to acquire production complex of Ukraine-based PJSC Dneprovsky Iron & Steel Integrated Works (DMK) for UAH 9.17 billion ($340.59 million). The auction was held on July 26 as part of DMKs bankruptcy proceedings and Dnipro Coke was the only participant. Dnipro Coke won the tender by offering a price significantly higher than the starting one. The purchase of DMKs production complex will allow Metinvest to expand its product mix by effectively replacing production of square billets, wire rod, rebar and shapes, which used to be produced at an asset located on non-controlled territory of Ukraine. The acquisition will also provide Promet Steel, a subsidiary of Metinvest in Bulgaria, with square billets for processing. DMK also has an annual production capacity of 3.9 million mt of crude steel. Approximately 148,700 people, Romanian and foreign citizens, with over 39,300 means of transportation (of which 15,300 trucks) have presented themselves to carry out their formalities at the border crossing points nationwide, in the last 24 hours, according to a press release sent by the General Inspectorate of the Border Police (IGPF) to AGERPRES on Tuesday. For the entry points there were approximately 74,400 people with 17,500 means of transportation, and for the exit points there were 74,300 people with 21,800 means of transportation. The Hungarian border was crossed by approximately 37,400 people and 17,500 means of transportation (5,500 trucks), and at the exit points there were approximately 19,000 people with 10,600 means of transportation and 1,800 trucks. Regarding specific activities, in the competence areas - crossing points and "green border" - the border police have found 50 illegal acts (33 infractions and 17 contraventions) committed by Romanian and foreign citizens. There were discovered, independently or in collaboration with other institutions, undeclared goods (which were about to be illegally brought into the country), which went past the border threshold or were suspect of being counterfeit, with a total value of over 11,100 RON. The value of applied contraventions was approximately 8,500 RON. 34 foreign citizens were denied entry, due to non-fulfilling the legal requirements, and 12 Romanian citizens were denied to leave the country, because of various legal reasons. Secretary of State with the Ministry of Health Andrei Baciu, CNCAV (Coordinating Committee for Vaccination Activities against COVID-19) vice-president, on Tuesday said that Romania has so far sold 1,170,000 doses of vaccine, donated some of the doses and has planned to donate more. "We sold 1,170,000 doses of vaccine to Denmark, we donated over a half million doses to the Republic of Moldova, 100,800 to Ukraine, 30,000 to Argentina, and 50,4000 to Serbia. And these are only the agreements that were already finalized," Andrei Baciu told a press conference at the Victoria Palace. He also provided clarification on vaccine doses that are close to their expiration term, Agerpres informs. "There are 1,400,000 doses that expire at the end of August. They expire every month, actually (...) So it's a cycle, a life expectancy, so to speak, natural for all vaccines, not just for those who arrive in Romania, but for all those who are distributed at European level. Hence the importance of an efficient stock management," Baciu also stated. The vice-president of CNCAV specified that Romania received 17,662,029 doses of vaccine until July 26, and at this moment there is a stock of 6,048,043 doses. "Of these, most are produced by BioNTech/Pfizer - 11,595,129, Moderna - 1,705,200. We also received 3,374,000 doses of vaccine produced by AstraZeneca, and 987,800 doses of the Johnson&Johnson vaccine," said Baciu. He said that for the next period, the authorities have estimated deliveries for July of 1,177,000 doses of vaccine. "But we must keep in mind that we have suspended deliveries for some of the vaccines, precisely to have the most efficient management of stocks, and for August we have so far confirmed a delivery of 868,800 doses of Moderna. In fact, there will be 217,000 doses delivered weekly, while for the other vaccines produced by the other companies we are waiting for the confirmations, as a result of the suspension of deliveries for June and part of July," Baciu also showed. Deputy Prime Minister Kelemen Hunor, national leader of the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR), said on Tuesday that it was good that a decision was made to include the Rosia Montana Mining Landscape on the World Heritage List, arguing that there is "something unique" about the area, an archeology that must be preserved. "As for Rosia Montana, it is very good that such decision was made. As we have said many times, there is - I speak from the point of view of cultural heritage - something unique, I am talking about Roman and medieval galleries, a technology and archeology that have to be preserved. UNESCO does not offer additional protection, as protection is provided by national law, but it is a prestige to be on this list," Kelemen said after a meeting of the governing coalition. He said that the ministries of economy and culture must come up with an alternative proposal for the locals and for the protection, restoration of historical monuments, Agerpres informs. "There are some recommendations from UNESCO. Romania must meet these criteria by 2022, if I am not mistaken, and, of course, that means money and investment. We cannot expect miners to make organic raspberry juice and make a living from selling organic mushrooms," added the deputy prime minister. Regarding the possible compensations that the Romanian state could pay, Kelemen said: "At this moment it is not known what the decision will be. If there is no decision, we do not comment." "UNESCO does not prohibit exploitation; it prohibits the destruction of heritage, the destruction of the surrounding site, which is also in our interest. Technology is evolving, we do not know what will happen in two years, in a year, we do not know the decision of the International Tribunal. Until the decision is known, we do not want any kind of assumptions," said Kelemen. The Rosia Montana Mining Landscape was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on Tuesday. The decision was taken by consensus by the World Heritage Committee at its 44th extended session in Fouzhou, China. The vaccination coverage rate at national level is currently about 30pct, almost 48pct in Bucharest, followed by Cluj County, with almost 44pct, head of CNCAV (National Committee Coordinating Vaccination Activities against COVID-19), doctor Valeriu Gheorghita, said on Tuesday. "In terms of the vaccination coverage at national level, for the eligible population resident in Romania, according to the National Institute of Statistics, we are talking about a reference number of 19.3 million people. If we look at the eligible population over 12 years, the vaccination coverage rate is now about 30pct. Regarding the vaccination coverage in Bucharest and by counties, and considering the eligible population over 12, there are 10 counties, including the municipality of Bucharest, which have a vaccination coverage rate of over 30pct, 26 counties that have a coverage rate between 20 and 30pct, and there are six counties that have a vaccination coverage rate between 17 and 20pct. Looking at the highest rates, Bucharest is at almost 48pct vaccination coverage rate, Cluj county at almost 44pct, Sibiu, Timis, Brasov, Constanta, Alba, Ilfov, Mures, Salaj countis are between 30 and 35pct," Valeriu Gheorghita told a press conference at the Government. He also noted that, more than 4.95 million people were vaccinated nationwide with at least one dose, by the date of July 26, with more than 95pct of them being fully vaccinated, Agerpres informs. Regarding the profile of the side effects recorded at the national level, the head of CNCAV said a total of 16,776 cases of post-vaccine side effects were reported, with a reporting rate of 1.79 per thousand doses administered. "For the past week reports showed 47 side effects, with a median age of 34 people reporting these side effects, which were not severe, in any of the cases, most of which were local side effects, and systemic," explained Gheorghita. Head of the National COIVID-19 Vaccination Coordination Committee (CNCAV) Valeriu Gheorghita said on Tuesday in September there will very likely be a decision on the administration of a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine to people at high risk of exposure, such as the healthcare workers, people with chronic diseases, those over 65 years of age. "There are discussions at the moment about the administration of the booster or, as it is known, the third dose, although we are rightly talking about a booster and not the third dose in people who are at high risk of exposure - and here we are talking, for example, about the category of healthcare and social workers, and people who are registered with chronic diseases, as well as people over the age of 65. The decision to administer dose three or the booster will be very likely this September. Basically, it would come eight months into the vaccination campaign," Gheorghita told a news conference at the Government House. He added that the relevant officials will take into account the "history of the disease." "A person who has gone through the disease and has gotten vaccinated with two doses is not precisely required to get the third dose of the vaccine, given that having already been ill of COVIDF-19 is an important factor in activating the immune response," said Gheorghita. He added that, pending a national decision on the third dose of vaccine, "the authorisation by the European Medicines Agency of this immunisation schedule is expected." "We are particularly interested in safety data and immunogenicity data," the military doctor explained. The National Institute of Public Health (INSP) on Tuesday informs that, as of July 25, 1,860 cases of infections with variants of the SARS-CoV-2 that are more worrying have been confirmed, of which 1,699 were cases of infections with the Alpha variant, 11 with Beta, 23 with Gamma and 127 with Delta. On July 25, the confirmation rate with worrying variants was 76pct, INSP states, in a note on its website. According to INSP, at this point, "there is no evidence of sustained community transmission, at the national level, of the Delta variant., Agerpres informs. On July 25, 2,459 sequencings were reported to the INSP - CNSCBT (National Centre for Communicable Diseases Surveillance and Control). The seven laboratories that reported these results are the Cantacuzino Institute, the "Prof. Dr. Matei Bals" Institute, MedLife, the "Stefan cel Mare" University of Suceava, the "Stefan S. Nicolau" Institute of Virology, the CRGM of SCJU Craiova and "Pro Vitam" Sfantu Gheorghe. Also, 35 confirmed deaths because of an infection with SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern were recorded and reported to the INSP - CNSCBT, of which 27 were cases of infections with the Alpha variant, three with the Gamma variant, and five with Delta variant. According to INSP, until July 25, 127 cases of infection with the Delta variant were confirmed: 50pct (64 cases) are in 28 outbreaks, of which 22 family outbreaks (36 cases) and six community outbreaks (28 cases) in the Arges (4), Bacau (1), Brasov (1), Dolj (5), Ilfov (4), Iasi (5), Olt (1), Teleorman (1) counties and Bucharest (6). Of the outbreaks, five were historically mentioned in India (3), Finland (1), and Turkey (1), according to the INSP. Also, according to the same source, out of the 127 cases confirmed with the Delta variant, 15 (12pct) had been vaccinated against COVID (two incomplete and 13 complete). The five deaths in Delta confirmed cases occurred in people not vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 . President Klaus Iohannis welcomed today the inclusion of the Rosia Montana historic mining site to the UNESCO World Heritage List. "I welcome the inclusion of the Rosia Montana mining cultural landscape into the world heritage! Through the combined efforts of the authorities and experts, Rosia Montana must become a model of heritage capitalization through sustainable development of the area," the head of the state wrote on Facebook. The World Cultural Heritage Committee decided on Tuesday to add the Rosia Montana site to the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List, Agerpres informs. Head of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Coordination Committee (CNCAV) Valeriu Gheorghita said on Tuesday that from August 2, in Romania, 12 to 17-year-olds will be able to be immunised against COVID-19 with the vaccine produced by Moderna, with appointments being available in the vaccination platform starting on August 1. "On July 23, the European Medicines Agency approved the extension of the Moderna vaccine administration indication to the 12-17-year age group. As such, from August 2 in Romania the vaccine Moderna will become available for this age group. These days, the national appointment booking platform is being used to allow from August 1 booking appointments for those who want to be vaccinated with the vaccine from the Moderna company. Vaccination procedures and methods are similar to the population for over 18 years," Gheorghita told a news conference at the Government House. He added that the immunisation schedule is unchanged, Agerpres informs. "It consists of two doses given in 28-day gap. The schedule and presentation of minors is similar to the vaccine from BioNTech/Pfizer in that minors are required to receive informed consent from next of kin relatives, parents or legal guardians, and it is important for the minors to be accompanied to the legal centres by the legal guardians. The vaccination will be performed at the same centres where we have the Moderna vaccine administered, including family physicians' offices that get this type of vaccine," Gheorghita explained. Romania's ambassador to UNESCO Simona Miculescu says that the inclusion of the Rosia Montana Mining Landscape on the World Heritage List on the very day when Romania celebrates 65 years since joining this organisation is a double celebration. "As we anticipated, we have a double celebration today! The Rosia Montana mining landscape was included today on the World Heritage List, as well as in the List of World Heritage in Danger, precisely on the day when Romania celebrates 65 years since joining UNESCO! Wonderful coincidence! What an exciting and beautiful day! We thank all those who have contributed, over the years, to this double celebration! We also thank all those who celebrate with us today! We will continue to promote Romania's interests with passion and devotion. In this prestigious international arena we will try to score increasingly more wins!," Miculescu wrote on Facebook. The Rosia Montana Mining Landscape was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on Tuesday. The decision was taken by consensus by the World Heritage Committee at its 44th extended session in Fouzhou, China, Agerpres informs. The inclusion of Rosia Montana on the UNESCO World Heritage List is a reason for national pride, but certainly also a reason for responsibility, says MP Mihai Weber, chairman of the Joint Standing Committee of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate on UNESCO. "Saving the national heritage is a duty we have to future generations and that, as I have always claimed, must not have a political colour," Weber said in a press statement released on Tuesday. The Rosia Montana Mining Landscape made it to the World Heritage List on Tuesday, as decided by the World Heritage Committee, which met in its 44th session on July 27, the 65th anniversary of Romania joining UNESCO, Agerpres informs. Weber adds that the system of Roman galleries, along with other cultural, historical and natural assets are thus recognised for their exceptional value. Independent UNESCO experts have recommended, since 2019, that the site be inscribed on both the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger. The MP mentions that under a Statement of Outstanding Universal Value, UNESCO established that Rosia Montana is the largest and most technically diverse Roman gold underground mining complex currently known in the world. The Rosia Montana Mining Landscape is the most important example of gold mining from the Roman period, which demonstrates the use of innovative techniques developed by skilled miners, a pioneer work in the technical history of mining. "The local administrations, together with officials of the relevant ministries have a mission, more than ever before, to solve some of the problems that still exist at Rosia Montana. The debates that we had on this subject at the meetings of the Joint Standing Committee of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate on UNESCO revealed that Rosia Montana remains a challenge: a balanced and responsible approach is needed, combining the need to safeguard the inherited cultural heritage with the economic aspects signalled by the local community. Protecting and promoting the cultural landscape and responsible mining are two components that are not excluded and for which there are certainly administrative solutions," said the chairman of the Joint Standing Committee of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate on UNESCO. AGERPRES (RO - author: Andreea Rotaru, editor: Claudia Stanescu; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu) ID: 6831206 | Data: 2021-07-27 14:23:16 | Slug: POLITICS-PARLIAMENT-UNESCO Rosia Montana in UNESCO World Heritage List / Ciolos: I couldn't have received a better gift on my birthday Bucharest, July 27 /Agerpres/ - MEP Dacian Ciolos, Save Romania Union - Party of Liberty, Union and Solidarity (USR PLUS) alliance co-chairman, says the inclusion of the site at Rosia Montana in the UNESCO World Heritage List represents "a unique chance to sustainable development." "Rosia Montana has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site today. It is great news and there could not have been a better gift to enjoy my birthday. The Rosia Montana community, which I know, have deserved this chance a long time, because the people there, but also other civic organisations in the country have fought for years for this recognition, it is a unique chance for sustainable development, a chance that I hope we can fully exploit. It is the victory of all those who, through their civic involvement, saved one of the most precious treasures of the ancient history of the Romanians, but beyond the prestige of being part of the UNESCO Heritage, it is, first of all, to find economic and social solutions, viable and sustainable, for tourist development. All this, based on the profile of the area, will bring prosperity to the people of the region. Congratulations to all those who believed in this opportunity and who made possible the moment today," Ciolos wrote on Tuesday on Facebook. Deputy Prime Minister Dan Barna also expressed joy that the site "has finally gained international recognition." "We have been fighting for years to protect the history and environment of Rosia Montana, and today we received great news. We have actively supported the Rosia Montana file at UNESCO from the beginning and I am glad that this site has managed to finally achieve international recognition. There is a huge chance for heritage development and - at the same time - heritage conservation. Now it will be much easier to access funding for heritage protection and investment in economic activities that enhance Roman galleries and the local mining landscape. (...) Rosia Montana is a major victory of the new political generation," Barna also wrote on Facebook. The lack of social dialogue has grown into an acute issue in Romania, and the government has a refractory attitude towards all social partners and particularly to trade unions, Razvan Gae, vice-president of the Sanitas health trade union and member of the Executive Committee of the European Public Service Unions (EPSU) Federation, told a press conference on Tuesday. "The lack of social dialogue has grown into an acute issue in Romania, ever since last year, since the outbreak of the pandemic. Non-compliance with the European Pillar of Social Rights and the anti-union climate have determined EPSU along with the European Transport Workers' Federation to take action and go on site where there is need for this and to signal to the colleagues in Brussels the practices that are being used in Romania, the lack of social dialogue and the intimidation of trade unionists in particular," Gae said. "The government has a refractory attitude towards all social partners, not only trade unions, but towards trade unions in particular. It treats trade unions as personae non-gratae, claiming that the unions only demand their rights and don't think of the good of the society. Moreover, public service unions have been slammed for only consuming and producing nothing, unlike multinationals and others of the like which, in the government's opinion, raise the economy; yet they forget that value-added is produced strictly through Romanian public services. On the other hand, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan was designed without consulting the unions," said the Sanitas representative, Agerpres informs. In his turn, Frank Moreels, president of the European Transport Workers' Federation, said that he is "very concerned" about the way trade unions are forced to operate here in Romania. We advocate the resumption of social dialogue with the unions and respect for Romanian employees. This is why I came to Romania. Today we will launch a Declaration, because we can see that there are social problems in this country. Romania is not the only country with such problems. We are talking about compliance with the Collective Bargaining Agreements, about respect for trade union rights and we want to call for a change in the approach in this country, for engaging in dialogue and for respecting the rights of the unions we represent, said Frank Moreels. The European Transport Workers' Federation organized on Tuesday a press conference on the "Resumption of social dialogue in Romania, a necessity!" Ten migrants were caught by border policemen from Arad and Bihor, in the past 24 hours, while trying to cross the border to Hungary illegally, on foot, through the field informs in a press release, on Tuesday, the western Arad County Border Police. In the area of the town of Nadlac, at approximately 100m from the border, three persons were spotted walking towards the neighboring state. "Because they couldn't justify their presence in the area, they were led to the headquarters of the border crossing point to conduct checks. Following investigations it was established they're citizens of Iraq, Egypt and Tunisia, with ages between 17 and 23," the Arad Border Police inform. In the locality of Varsand, border policemen discovered five migrants "which were walking with the intention of crossing illegally into Hungary." Following investigations it was established they are from Afghanistan and have ages between 14 and 17. Near Bors, approximately 200m from the border, two persons walking were caught. They are Algerian nationals, aged 35 and 41. In all cases, border police are conducting investigations, Agerpres informs. The young man, aged 21, who was reported missing after the boat he was in capsized in the Danube, two days ago, was found dead, on Tuesday, in the river, at a distance of approximately 12.5 kilometers from the area where the accident occurred, according to the representatives of Olt County Police Inspectorate (IPJ). "The missing person following the naval incident, on July 25, around the Corabia port area, was found on the Danube, deceased, around the town of Garcov, floating next to a buoy, approximately 12.5 kilometers away from the boating accident," IPJ informed. The driver of the boat was tested with the breathalyzer and found to have an alcohol content of 0.52 mg/l pure alcohol in the exhaled breath, Agerpres informs. "There were 9 people in the boat, all from the city of Corabia. Eight made it to the shore on their own; the ninth is a 21-year-old man who went missing after the incident. Another 23-year-old man needed medical attention and was taken to the Corabia Hospital," spokesman of the Olt County Police Inspectorate (IPJ), Cristian Grigorescu informed Sunday night. I almost view it as a poison pill. You would certainly not be able to build it without a significant amount of subsidy, Alston said. Its not clear whether any developer could receive city incentives for that site. Mayor Tishaura O. Jones campaigned on a promise that she would de-emphasize tax breaks in the citys central corridor to direct more incentives to less well-off neighborhoods on the north and south sides. The Optimist site includes two buildings the pavilion built in 1961 and a second building that dates to 1978. The Cultural Resources Office, the citys preservation agency, said both buildings are historically important but the pavilion was identified as high merit and as one of the 25 most significant examples of midcentury modern architecture in St. Louis in a 2013 survey done by the Cultural Resources Office. The Preservation Board has a say in the project because the property is located in a historic district. The property was built for the Optimists, a St. Louis-based nonprofit service organization. At its peak years ago, 60 staff members worked at the site, where they catered to 175,000 members worldwide. Today, executive director Benny Ellerbe said, the Optimists employ 20 staff members and have 50,000 members and dont need such a big footprint anymore. ST. LOUIS COUNTY A biotechnology company is asking St. Louis County for public incentives to help fund an expansion of its north St. Louis County campus. Patheon Biologics, a subsidiary of Massachusetts-based Thermo Fisher Scientifics, is seeking up to $85 million in Chapter 100 bonds toward financing a 58,000-square-foot expansion of the companys facility at 4766 La Guardia Drive in Berkeley. The expansion will add two additional manufacturing suites and increase site capacity and manufacturing capabilities that could expand its customer base. Patheon clients include pharmaceutical companies Merck & Co., Novartis, Takeda and Sanofi Aventis. Patheon said it would create 169 new full-time jobs by 2025 with an average annual salary of $82,633, according to the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership. The development is sponsored by County Executive Sam Page. Patheon also is seeking 50% real estate and personal property tax abatement for 10 years and sales tax exemptions on construction materials. The project will include a roughly $68 million investment in new building construction and the purchase of $14.5 million in new manufacturing machinery and equipment over a two-year period, the Partnership, a regional economic development agency, said. Hari Krishnan, on his way to the Arch with his wife and two grandchildren, said they were fine wearing masks. I dont want to be infected, nor do I want to spread it to anybody, said Krishnan, 64, of Columbia, Missouri. The start of the new mandate coincided with the kickoff to the Munys 2021 season in Forest Park. By showtime, easily thousands were in attendance at the 11,000-seat venue. Because the venue is outdoors, masks are not required, but Muny officials were strongly encouraging guests to wear them, and many did so. We dont have a problem wearing masks at all, said Dan Marchbanks, who attended opening night for Smokey Joes Cafe with his wife, Sherrill, in celebration of their 34th wedding anniversary. But if this was an inside event we wouldnt have come. Owners and managers of businesses that largely operate indoors, however, were in a tougher spot. At a Straubs in Town and Country, several signs were posted at the entrance, saying masks were required and: Thank you for doing your part. I am glad to do whatever its going to take to get this over with, said Kelly Lehmann, a manager there. If it makes it go faster, I am all for it. ST. LOUIS Natural gas company Spire Inc. has filed an emergency application with U.S. energy regulators to keep a gas pipe in service ahead of this winter to avoid outages in St. Louis. A spokesperson for Spire said on Tuesday that without the Spire STL Pipeline unit in service "its estimated as many as 400,000 St. Louisans could be without natural gas service during peak cold conditions." The filing follows a federal appeals court decision in June that threw out 2018 authorizations by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission allowing Spire STL to build a roughly $285 million gas pipe near St. Louis that is now operational. After court decision wiped out its approval, Spire pipeline could mark national tipping point Experts say that any reversal of the ruling is unlikely, but Spire says it has no immediate plans to stop operating the pipeline. The court decision was a victory against the regulator by the Environmental Defense Fund, which sued. A unanimous panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit vacated a critical permits order for the 65-mile STL pipe after ruling that FERC adopted an "ostrich-like approach" when it found a market need for the line despite only one gas supplier, an affiliate of the line's operator, committing to use it. Spire is the parent company of the line's operator Spire STL and of gas supplier Spire Missouri Inc., the affiliate that entered into a pre-construction deal committing it to use the line. Sandknops obsession his word to seek the truth hidden in the reports the National Guard tried to bury destroyed his life, he said. You just keep getting more and more crushed and you find out the system is one big lie. That last quote stuck in my head as Sandknop said it, less as it relates to his case, and more about the boss of the attorneys who were defending the case on behalf of the state of Missouri. Schmitt, who is running for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate, has spent much of the past year defending the Big Lie that former President Donald Trump actually won the election last November. Schmitts office worked behind the scenes before the Jan. 6 insurrection to file frivolous legal briefs questioning the results of the election in Pennsylvania. Those briefs were laughed out of the U.S. Supreme Court. When a researcher filed a Sunshine Law request for those documents, Schmitt stymied his attempts to get to the truth. The attorney general, a former state senator from Glendale who once was respected on both sides of the aisle as a serious and reasonable man, has become a Trumpist sycophant without taking a moment to realize the real damage his actions have done to democracy. ST. CLAIR COUNTY A registered nurse from Belleville who worked at the New Athens Home for the Aged has been charged with sexually assaulting a resident there in December. The St. Clair County states attorney charged 61-year-old Richard P. Kuklinski on Monday with aggravated criminal sexual assault of a 63-year-old man who was unable to give consent or understand the nature of the act. Court documents allege the assault happened Dec. 16. Kuklinski lives in the 400 block of South 20th Street in Belleville. A judge set his bail at $100,000. Kuklinski is not yet in custody, authorities said. He did not return a message left on his home phone. New Athens police Chief Leon Simburger said Kuklinski is expected to surrender to police on Thursday, based on arrangements made by Kuklinskis attorney. A woman who answered the phone Tuesday at the law office of attorney Jessica Koester said Koester had no comment on the case. Simburger said a co-worker was a witness to the sexual assault and notified his supervisor, who then told police on Dec. 22. After the fatal stabbing of Faria, investigators zeroed in on Russell Faria, in part with Hupps help. Russell Faria was convicted of his wifes murder in 2013, but that conviction was overturned amid accusations by Farias lawyers that Hupp was the real culprit. Faria was then acquitted in a re-trial. When Wood was elected, he took a fresh look at Farias murder and announced charges against Hupp earlier this month. Charging documents say Hupp badgered Faria into accepting a ride home after chemotherapy treatments on Dec. 27, 2011, because she knew Faria would be weak and lethargic. Faria was dying of cancer. Hupp also knew Russell Faria was out with friends, the charges say. Hupp stabbed Faria 55 times then staged the murder scene to try and implicate Russell Faria, according to the charges. She is accused of killing her friend for a $150,000 insurance policy that Betsy Faria signed over to Hupp four days before the murder. Wood said he will seek the death penalty if Hupp is convicted of first-degree murder. From there, the story took an even more disturbing turn. Mahoney, Ulsas and the victim belonged to a loose association of Facebook friends who shared every aspect of their lives, said Erik Wiedermann, a member of the group who kept screenshots of many of Ulsas posts and provided them to the Post-Dispatch. Tragedies in their lives that members of the group shared were used as fodder for jokes, trolling comments and memes. Wiedermann said Ulsas had a huge following online. Ulsas chronicled his drinking, drug use and an arrest for threats he made against the woman who worked near him, Wiedermann said. Everyone just ate it up because it was (expletive) hilarious, he said. He either does it for the memes or hes really stupid, he said, describing Ulsas goal as internet clout. Others saw it as something funny to entertain them online, Wiedermann said. Ulsas was among those who created a series of memes about Mahoney and his crimes and cyberstalked and harassed the victim and her family, according to officials and several Facebook friends who witnessed the campaign. He also targeted others, Wiedermann said, winning approval from some of his followers and inspiring them to harass the teen and others. But the rise of the highly infectious delta variant, which has spent the last month driving up hospitalizations in southwest Missouri, prompted a return to executive action and council resistance. In testimony before the council Tuesday night, acting health director Faisal Khan said the variant has already begun creeping toward the St. Louis region and would eventually overwhelm its hospitals without help from masking and improvement in the areas low vaccination rates. If the council, in its infinite wisdom, negates this order, there will be more misery, he said. There will be more infection. There will be more death. He also pleaded with council members to set aside concerns about legal issues and listen to public health officials. Most were not interested. Trakas asked Khan repeatedly whether the mandate would regulate access to business and thus trigger the new state law allowing the council to strike it down. Khan said he would expect businesses to enforce the order, but declined to comment further. Days, the council chair, echoed some of the frustration voiced by members of the audience, asking Khan why the county found itself again in a predicament. JEFFERSON CITY A species of tick whose females can reproduce without mating has been found for the first time in Missouri, the state Department of Agriculture announced on Tuesday. The female Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) can produce up to 1,000 offspring "at a time" without a mate, the department said in a news release, meaning animals could host thousands of ticks, causing them great stress. The release said the light brown arachnid's reproduction strategy was "unlike other ticks." Missouri is the 16th state to report the tick, which can be "smaller than a sesame seed," the release said. The release said the Department of Agriculture confirmed the tick's presence in Missouri working with the Department of Health and Senior Services and Missouri State University. The release said the "first confirmed presence" was in Greene County, in southwest Missouri. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of October, 15 states had reported the species: Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. WASHINGTON (AP) Moderna said Monday it plans to expand the size of its COVID-19 vaccine study in younger children to better detect rare side effects, such as a type of heart inflammation recently flagged by U.S. health authorities. The company said it is in talks with the Food and Drug Administration to enroll more study participants under age 12. It had intended to test the vaccine in about 7,000 children, with some as young as 6 months. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company said via email it hasn't decided on how many kids might be added. The announcement comes as U.S. COVID-19 cases are rising and schools prepare to welcome students back to classrooms. At the same time, regulators continue to review cases of a rare type of heart inflammation called myocarditis that has been reported in a small number of teenagers who got the Moderna or Pfizer shots. Pfizer said on Monday that if it makes changes to its vaccine testing in children, it will provide an update then. The New York-based company is testing its vaccine in up to 4,500 children in the United States and Europe. At the VA, vaccines will now be mandatory for certain medical personnel including physicians, dentists, podiatrists, optometrists, registered nurses, physician assistants and others who work in departmental facilities or provide direct care to veterans, said VA Secretary Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough. Employees will have eight weeks to be fully vaccinated. "Its the best way to keep veterans safe, especially as the delta variant spreads across the country, McDonough said in a statement. Whenever a veteran or VA employee sets foot in a VA facility, they deserve to know that we have done everything in our power to protect them from COVID-19. With this mandate, we can once again make and keep that fundamental promise, he added. It was unclear what would happen to VA employees who refuse to be vaccinated. The agency said vaccination will be required absent a medical or religious exemption. The longstanding policy in the health care industry is for staff to stay up-to-date with vaccinations, such as annual flu shots. Exceptions for medical reasons include known allergies. But when we first heard that Missouris Mike Parson was going to announce some incentives to encourage Missourians to get vaccinated, it looked like even Gov. HardHead had at last seen reason. And he had, sort of. On Wednesday, he said Missourians who get a COVID vaccination will be eligible for a prize of up to $10,000. More people need to consider getting inoculated, said Parson, such a bold follower of his base that hes careful never to get out ahead of them. Naturally, even this mild, tardy effort to save lives drew an angry response from many of those watching his announcement online. If the vaccines were good you wouldnt have to bribe, buy or coerce anyone, said one. Pick up a bible. We are in Revelation. Gov. Mike Parson sold himself to China, said another. Im ashamed to admit I voted for you, said a third. Maybe the answer to Gov. Coxs question about what possible sense it could make to be complicit in the death of your own supporters is that politicians like Parson have for some time been listening to those unvaccinated Americans who say things like, Parson sold himself to China, instead of listening to those who, as Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. Brytney Cobia has told us, often use their final words to plead for the vaccine. Public school closures are St. Louiss canary in the coal mine for the perils of continued population decline, rampant tax incentives and unchecked charter school growth. Over and over and over again, St. Louisans have thwarted school closures only to see them return in another year or another neighborhood. This vicious cycle will persist in perpetuity unless there are proactive changes to policy. The ominous warning song of the school closure canaries is too loud to ignore now; it is time to reverse course. The fervor and passion previously used to resist school closures must now be directed to resist the opening of new schools until a cohesive plan for education is developed. Those who oppose education reform initiatives will disagree, arguing that opening new innovative schools, purchasing specific curricula and partnering with predetermined organizations will create high-quality schools. But the truth is that approach has prevailed for the past 20 years; haphazard education options that exacerbate the citys underlying inequities are its consequence. The fact that the pandemic continues to rage throughout our area highlights the deep polarization and selfishness in American society. What happened to the common sense that underscored what it meant to be American? This is a good time to renew calls for creation of a national service movement and for the public to start doing whats right for the greater good. The Corporation for National and Community Service is an independent U.S. government agency that engages more than 5 million Americans in service through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, the Volunteer Generation Fund and other national service initiatives. The agencys mission is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering. While a government agency, it acts much like a foundation and is the nations largest annual grant maker supporting service and volunteering. According to a poll of registered voters by TargetPoint Consulting, 83% of respondents said they would like to maintain or increase the federal investment in national service. This includes 78% of Republicans, 84% of independents and 90% of Democrats. Resistance to the return of mask orders in St. Louis city and county is coming mostly from the political right ironic, since its conservatives refusal to get vaccinated that has spiked new coronavirus cases and forced the return of masks. Those whove taken the responsible course are rightly losing patience with the those who refuse vaccination, out of factual ignorance, misguided definitions of freedom, or whatever. The unvaccinated are ultimately responsible for the fact that much of the nation, including Missouri, is currently losing against a virus that, just a few months ago, was on a sharp decline. Rational society isnt helpless here. Vaccines cant and shouldnt be forced upon people, but theres nothing to prevent private businesses from requiring proof of vaccination before allowing people to enter restaurants and other venues. They should. Avelo, the new line that started regional flying from a hub at Burbank last April, has already cut two of its destinations and cut frequencies on several others. Breeze, David Neeleman's new venture, started up in May with three hubs in the East, and it has already reduced frequencies on a third of its initial routes and suspended a handful of others. Low-fare startups aren't the only lines to cancel newly established routes. Just last week, for Example, a report showed Delta as cutting six routes entirely, and the other lines routinely re-examine their routes and cut poor performers. Your "rights" in these cases are problematic. In more usual cases, when an airline cuts a flight or route, its first offer is a transfer to an earlier or later flight. On a busy route, that's probably enough for most travelers. If an airline cancels a nonstop route completely, it can often offer a connecting itinerary at roughly the same time. 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. American politicians have been increasingly divided over the impact of imposing political training on members of the armed forces. Many members of Congress and the military leadership consider this mandatory ideological training a major contributor to reduced capabilities in the military, especially the navy. Some members of Congress recently had two retired senior officers; marine general Robert Schmidle and navy admiral Mark Montgomery, both of them outspoken critics of the decline of military capabilities, interview active and retired naval officers about the impact of the latest proposals on the military. There were 77 officers who agreed to talk about their experience but wished to remain anonymous. The interviews were about growing complaints within the navy that essential military training was being reduced by mandatory training on subjects like sexual and racial diversity that are much less of a problem in the military than in civilian life. As one African-American naval officer pointed out, on a ship everyone bleeds red and sailors place a higher value on learning how to win and survive combat than being told who is racist, sexist or not politically correct. Many minority members of the military joined because the military was known as a place where your abilities were what counted, not your racial or ethnic background or sexual preferences. These ideological imperatives came on top of earlier problems with the declining effectiveness of senior officers, who had become more concerned with political imperatives than in taking care of the sailors and junior officers who had to do the fighting and dying in wartime. It got so bad in 2014 that the navy conducted a large-scale opinion survey which confirmed that morale was low and getting worse, with a growing number of experienced sailors eager to get out of the navy. The most common gripe was the length of time spent at sea and the belief that those long voyages to distant waters were going to get longer. There was also growing disillusionment with navy leadership. Sailors saw senior officers more concerned with political correctness and zero tolerance than with legitimate needs of sailors and junior officers. Some 42 percent of seven-year-old survey respondents said their last deployment, aboard a ship and away from home, was seven months or longer. Nearly half the sailors expect their next deployment to be even longer. Not surprisingly, only 21 percent of sailors were satisfied with the amount of time they spent at sea. When asked about morale only 42 percent felt it was good or better. A major reason for low morale is the growing talk in Congress for reducing pay and benefits. In particular many sailors feared the long-standing custom of retirement (at half pay) after twenty years service was in danger. Most (63 percent) were certain they could get a good job if they left the navy. Worse, nearly half the respondents did not want to get promoted because of the growing amount of paperwork and petty rules that had to be enforced even if it disrupted essential training. Over half the respondents had a low opinion of senior leadership, believing the admirals did not pay attention to the problems of those they commanded and were not themselves held accountable for bad decisions. The 2014 crisis was nothing new and followed earlier surveys to determine why so many highly trained and difficult- to-recruit or replace nuclear sub crew were leaving the navy and why air force pilots and combat experience junior army officers were leaving, The common denominator here was complaints of poor senior leadership, an increasing prevalence of zero tolerance regulations, and mandatory training on how to deal with problems that didnt exist except in the minds of the media, opportunistic politicians and senior officers whose promotions must be approved by Congress. This divergence in priorities because of political mandates was seen for what it was by the junior officers and the men and women they commanded. Getting out, or not joining at all, was seen as the rational decision because in combat the demands of diversity training got people killed. What is going on now is not unique in human history, actually it is quite normal. The basic pattern is that peacetime defense spending has, for millennia, been subject to misuse. With no war to provide a reality check to spending decisions, all manner of misappropriation mischief takes place. The oldest government records from antiquity mention misuse, often outright theft, of military budgets in peacetime, usually in the context of the problems that causes when there is a war. Some modern era leaders realized this was not a new problem and sought to warn America of what confronted them as the United States demobilized after World War II but retained large defense budgets and conscription. This was unprecedented in American history, where the norm with the peacetime military was volunteers and miniscule budgets. All that changed after 1945 and one American president had personal experience with how this works. U.S. Army five-star general Dwight Eisenhower was the Supreme Allied Commander for European Allied Forces from 1944 until the end of the war 20 months later. Not all these post-war changes with defense spending and conscription were welcome and that was one reason Eisenhower got elected president in 1952, an office he was reluctant to seek. By 1961, at the end of his eight years as president, Eisenhower warned of the "military-industrial" complex. At the time, no one paid much attention. Eisenhower's admonition proved prophetic, and right on target. Eisenhowers farewell speech was made to Congress, so he did not have to add the full name of the complex, which was very much a Military- Industrial-Congressional problem. Less than half a century later, the United States was demobilizing from another war. In mid-2009 the major fighting in Iraq was over and the U.S. was trying to reduce weapons purchases by 20 percent in the next year and even more after that. The initial cuts meant $33 billion less sales for American manufacturers. That translated into some painful cuts for the five U.S. manufacturers that accounted for most of those defense cuts. These five corporations, led by Boeing, then with about $30 billion in annual sales, unleashed their lobbyists to try and reverse some of these cuts. The lobbyists had some powerful allies. Politicians from the states, and congressional districts where the equipment is made, are sensitive to any job loss from reduced government spending. The threatened politicians often work together to keep these jobs, and they are a formidable coalition. The politicians had lots of practice because this sort of thing was already becoming the norm when Eisenhower gave his 1961 warning. Since the 1950s its gotten a lot worse, as politicians now seek to transform the military into something that suits their political goals rather than just a cash cow for politicians and military suppliers or anything approaching its original purpose, to defend the nation. Active-duty military people will tell anyone who will listen that this latest tinkering is not what they signed up for. Aerial porters work with maintainers to load a CH-47 Chinook into a C-17 Globemaster III in support of the Resolute Support retrograde mission in Afghanistan, June 16, 2021. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Corey Vandiver) X 0 20 Help Keep Us Soaring We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling. We need your help in reversing that trend. We would like to add 20 new subscribers this month. Each month we count on your subscriptions or contributions. You can support us in the following ways: India appears to have achieved some degree of calm in its northwestern border disputes. In Kashmir the February ceasefire agreement with Pakistan continues to hold, mainly because the Pakistani military has other problems, like being classified and sanctioned as a supporter of international terrorism. The Pakistani military is also at war with Pakistani media, politicians and voters in general. The other border dispute with China in nearby Indian Ladakh State has been less amenable to negotiations. China has violated several ceasefire deals, usually blaming India for misunderstanding the ceasefire terms. There are far fewer casualties on the Chinese border because the Chinese prefer to continue using their gradualist approach, which is easier to carry out along a high-altitude border with few civilians present. Both India and China have been increasing the number of troops and airfields near the contested area. Behind the front lines China continues to stay way ahead of Indian by building more roads and military bases to the high-altitude, and very hostile to everyone, combat zone. Motivations To Be More Like China Indian military leaders understand their problem facing better equipped Chinese troops but Indian political leaders were always less interested in such details. That has always been a problem with Indian politicians but change does come, if rather slowly. Indian political leaders have finally taken action to dismantle the dysfunctional aspects of the government that have crippled efforts to upgrade the Indian military for decades. Put simply, the problem has long been a tolerance of incompetence and corruption when it comes to military procurement and enabling Indian commercial firms to compete on equal terms with other countries that have been producing effective weapons. This includes a lot of much smaller nations, like Israel, where the current form of government was established at the same time as Indias. There are also a lot of smaller nations that have been around for a long time, like Sweden, Switzerland and Norway that have become major developers and producers of superior weapons. The Indian government is eliminating many laws that hinder Indian commercial firms that already build competitive commercial products, but have been hampered by government rules and rival government organizations concerning military products. The two most troublesome organizations; the state-owned OFB (Ordnance Factories Board) and the DRDO (Defense Research and Development Organization), are being reformed. For the OFB that means elimination. For the larger and more powerful (and damaging) DRDO the same fate awaits, either in the form of a massive reorganization and reduction in budget and authority, or outright elimination and creation of a new entity to resume the few useful functions an entity similar to the DRDO can participate in without becoming more problem than solution. Motivations To Like China Less Pakistan has growing problems with expanding Chinese economic activity in Pakistan, especially in the west (Baluchistan and the Pushtun tribal territories) where a disproportionate amount of the work takes place, and with imported Chinese workers the Chinese insist on using for most of the jobs. The Chinese do not want any problems with Pakistanis who violently oppose Chinese operations in tribal turf. Pakistan does a lot to protect Chinese, but it is not enough. Chinese are still attacked and often killed. In some cases, Chinese demands have been well served. This was the case when it came to Chinese radicalized Uighurs establishing themselves in Pakistan near the 522-kilometer border Chinas Xinjiang province has with Pakistan. In late 2015 Pakistan announced that all Uighur Islamic terrorists in Pakistan had been killed or driven from the country. In particular the primary Uighur Islamic terrorist organization, the ETIM (East Turkestan Independence Movement) was no longer operating in Pakistan. China is not so sure. Since 2007 China has been pressing Pakistan to do something about Chinese Islamic terrorists (Turkic Uighurs from Xinjiang province) based in Pakistan and Pakistan finally began making some serious moves on that problem in early 2014. There followed the June 2014 offensive in Pakistani North Waziristan concentrating on the bad Taliban and their allies, like the Uighurs. Pakistan is still reluctant to admit it is the cause of so many regional Islamic terrorism problems but the neighbors are not being very understanding. China, which supplies a lot of Pakistans weapons and foreign investment, finally told its troublesome neighbor to fix the situation or see China go from being a helpful to a hostile neighbor. The other neighbors have had a similar reaction, but given Chinas place as Pakistans most important ally, Pakistan could no longer ignore the problem when it hurts Chinese. This policy has worked with other Moslem-majority nations who fear economic reprisals from China for any criticism of how China persecutes its Moslems. For non-Moslem nations China has other ways to compel compliance with Chinese demands. What If The Tribes Unite? The Pakistani military is hated and loathed by a growing majority of Pakistanis as well as neighboring countries like Iran, Afghanistan, India and other Moslem majority nations (Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) bordering northern Afghanistan. This is all about the Pakistani dependence on the Afghan heroin trade to maintain some control over the Afghan Taliban. For a long time the UN tolerated the militarys misbehavior in Pakistan, India Afghanistan, but that tolerance faded over the last decade as evidence piled up in very visible ways. Another problem for the military is that decades of manipulating Pushtun tribes on both sides of the border to do their dirty work has caused Pushtuns on both sides of the border to unite in opposition to their common enemy; the Pakistani military. The military fears that another civil war in Afghanistan will see Pushtuns on both sides of the border seeking to violently establish an independent Pushtunstan. This appears to be more of a possibility to Pakistan and the Pakistan military than it is to Pushtuns, who still depend on tribal governments more than national ones where they live (Afghanistan or Pakistan). There has never been a true national government in Afghanistan or Pakistan because of their various Pushtun and other tribal cultures and most previous Afghan governments recognized and relied on this. The Pakistani Pushtun tribes were given official recognition by the British colonial government and allowed to use tribal law and customs. When Pakistan was created in 1948, the new Pakistani government continued the special legal status of the Pushtun tribal territory. Change comes slowly, but it does creep into tribal societies. The idea that less corruption and more democracy was clearly the path to a better life has grown. In practice the process is messy and takes longer than many pro-democracy advocates will tolerate and even try to understand. It explains the inefficient chaos of the worlds largest democracy (India) and the slow progress towards efficient democracy worldwide. Critics of tribalism often miss the point; tribalism survives because it provides superior local government than feudal or imperial alternatives. Then there are tribe-based terrorist movements. The current "Taliban" are not an Afghan organization, but a Pushtun movement that is active on both sides of the border and supported by less than ten percent of the 40 million Pushtun in the region. The Afghan Taliban are seen as part of the drug gangs that have brought the curse of drug addiction to over ten million Afghan, Pakistani and Iranian families. By 2007 this led to the creation of the Pakistani Taliban that was opposed to the drug trade and the Pakistani military efforts to control Afghanistan via links to the Afghan drug gangs and the Afghan Taliban. These attitudes spread to Afghan Taliban factions who, in the last few years, have remained Taliban but also openly opposed to Pakistani control or interference in Afghanistan. In 2014 this led to the founding of the PTM (Pashtun Tahafuz Movement or Pashtun Protection Movement). By 2018 the Pakistani military declared the peaceful PTM a threat and used increasingly violent methods to make PTM disappear. What the military fears is that the PTM is more than just a Pushtun nationalist movement in Pakistan and is an increasingly popular idea in Afghanistan as well. Most Pushtuns live in southern Afghanistan and northwest Pakistan. Pushtuns are a small minority in Pakistan while in Afghanistan half as many Pushtuns are the largest minority in the country and a force to be reckoned with. Pusthtuns in Pakistan have long been a despised and mistreated minority. The PTM is mostly about addressing the persecution and discrimination Pushtuns face in Pakistan. To the Pakistani military that is a form of treason, at least when it comes from Pushtuns. One reason for that is most Afghan Pushtun agree that Pakistan is no friend of Pushtun on either side of the border and is the main reason why the heroin business operates in Pushtun-majority Helmand (southern Afghanistan) province rather than across the border in Pakistani Baluchistan, where the heroin production used to be. The Baluchis are the second largest tribal minority in Pakistan and long violently opposed to bad behavior by the Pakistani military. The Baluchi and Pushtuns usually leave each other alone and agree that the non-tribal Pakistanis are a major threat. What keeps a lot of Afghan Taliban loyal to Pakistan is the sanctuary Pakistan has provided since 2004. Evidence of that sanctuary keeps showing up despite the Pakistani denials. The latest embarrassment has been the appearance of cellphone videos of the Pakistani funerals of Afghan Taliban killed in Afghanistan as well of Afghan Taliban from Afghanistan and Pakistan receiving medical care in Pakistani hospitals. Pakistani Pushtuns with no connection to the Afghan Taliban admit knowing other Pushtuns in their area who have gone to fight in Afghanistan. The pay is good and most of them return alive. Pushtuns on both sides of the border also agree that India is more of a friend, or at least more helpful than the Moslem majority of Pakistan, who like to treat India as an enemy. Indians always insisted they are not an enemy. Afghans, especially Pushtuns, participated in many of the invasions of south Asia during the last 4,000 years and were always impressed at the Hindu loyalty to their Hinduism, especially the experiences of Hindu emperor Ashoka, whose empire included parts of eastern Afghanistan and was one of the few conquerors who eventually embraced peace over constant war. These things matter because they explain the violent animosity the Pakistani military has towards India and the Afghan willingness to see India as a more reliable ally against Pakistan than anyone else. India has been a big help in breaking the monopoly Pakistan long exercised over Afghan foreign trade. India can now trade freely with Afghanistan via a new sea/rail link in Iran and most Afghans prefer this to dependency on Pakistan for access to the rest of the world. Attitudes and alliances are changing and Pakistan and the Taliban they created are the big losers. Indian Communism Dies From Frustration In eastern India the half century old Indian communist Maoist (radical communist) rebel movement continues to fade. Over the last year over a hundred of the Maoist leaders have died (from combat or disease), been captured or, increasingly just surrendering, often because they have lost faith in their cause or the possibility of ever succeeding. The Maoists have been having personnel problems throughout eastern India for over a decade. Time and technology have caught up with these leftist rebels as tips from civilians about Maoist activity or specific Maoists with a reward offered for their death or capture. Rewards are also offered for hiding places where weapons or equipment are stored. The Maoists are still active but are feeling pressure from over a decade of attacks by local police and paramilitary police battalions. The Maoists have seen reduced membership and a reduction in territory where they exercise any effective control. The downside is that the paramilitary forces are often operating in unfamiliar territory and more vulnerable to ambush or roadside (or trail side) bombs. Such attacks are less frequent as are the casualties the security forces suffer. Civilians in Maoist infested areas are less afraid of providing police with information about Maoist movements. It has also become easier to recruit Maoist members to become active informants. These spies are paid monthly and the sudden affluence of their families often alerts Maoist leaders to the presence of police informants. While details about informants are kept secret, the losses suffered because police had inside information is often obvious. The Maoist decline has demoralized leftist leaders, who have not been able to come up with any way to halt or reverse the losses. Maoists are a radical faction of the once mighty Indian communist party. Many Indian communists were slow to understand why all those East European communist governments, including Russia, collapsed between 1989 and 1991. Despite that many Indians still support communism, but not the violent, ineffective and increasingly unpopular Maoists. July 16, 2021: In the Pakistan capital (Islamabad) the 26-year-old daughter of the Afghan ambassador was kidnapped, held for five hours, during which she was injured while resisting the kidnapping and during interrogation before she was taken to another location and released. The kidnappers did not identify themselves and Pakistan blames India for carrying out the attack to hurt relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. On the 18th Afghanistan recalled its ambassador and demanded answers from Pakistan. July 15, 2021: In northwest Pakistan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) a bus carrying Chinese and Pakistani personnel was wrecked by a bomb. This left nine Chinese and four Pakistanis dead. Two of the Pakistani dead were police assigned to protect the bus passengers. The bus was on its way to the construction site of a Chinese-funded hydroelectric power facility. July 13, 2021: In Pakistan the parliament approved a fifteen percent pay increase for military personnel. This comes after a recent ten percent increase that was approved and has not gone into effect yet. It was noted that the paramilitary (recruited from locals) border patrol force, used mostly along the Afghan border, only for the ten percent increase. Several weeks later the army announced it was temporarily replacing the paramilitary border guards with regular army troops. The official reason for this was the increased Afghan Taliban violence along the Afghan border that the army believed the paramilitary force could not handle. Along the Afghan border locals see it differently because Pakistan has announced that it will not allow millions of Afghan refugees into Pakistan as it did during the 1980s. The government did not believe the paramilitary force would enforce that ban, while the regular army forces would. One way the military maintains the loyalty of its regular personnel is that the job pays well. Despite that, many of the troops are not happy with the way the military has taken over the government and recently made criticism of the military in the media, including the Internet, illegal. The paramilitary forces, who always received fewer economic benefits, are composed mainly of Baluchi and Pushtun tribesmen, two tribal groups that have been outspoken in their dislike of the Pakistani military. July 2, 2021: Global defense spending in 2020 increased 2.6 percent, to $1.96 trillion. This occurred despite the covid19 global recession. This is all about the growing military threat from China, Iran and North Korea. In 2019 spending was up 3.6 percent over the previous year. That was the largest one-year jump in a decade. Since 2010 defense spending has increased more than seven percent. Because of the global recession, 2020 spending as a percentage of global GDP increased, from 2.2 percent to 2.4 percent. This comes after a decade of decline, from 2.6 percent in 2010 to 2.2 percent in 2019. Two nations, the United States and China, account for more than half of global defense spending. The U.S. is still in the lead, accounting for 39 percent of global defense spending while China accounts for 13 percent. India accounts for 3.7 percent. Some major spenders did spend less in 2020, including Saudi Arabia (-10 percent), Turkey (-5), Iran (-3) and Pakistan (-2.8). These declines were caused by severe economic problems. Saudi Arabia has to devote more money to maintaining living standards since world oil prices fell sharply after 2013 and have not recovered to 2013 levels. Saudi Arabia is still the biggest spender in the region, spending $57.5 billion in 2020 compared to Israel ($21.7 billion), Turkey (17.7), Iran (15.8) and Pakistan (10.4). And then there is India at $73 billion. June 28, 2021: In response to new covid19 virus variants, Turkey has stopped all airline flights and direct travel from India. This came despite Indian plans to end, on June 30, its 15-month ban on scheduled overseas passenger flights. India did not end the ban but extended it a month, to the end of July. India has experienced an explosive increase in covid19 deaths, largely because India, like many nations with a high poverty rate, are unable to handle epidemics. Despite that India has the largest and fastest growing economy in the region and attempts to impose widespread covid19 related lockdowns could not be sustained long enough to halt the spread of the disease or prevent significant economic damage. There was major opposition to shutdowns in many high-poverty areas. In these areas if you dont work you dont eat. The government can handle small numbers of hungry unemployed and avoid starvation deaths. Epidemic disease is another matter. Shutdowns that were imposed during 2020 caused the GDP to shrink nine percent for the year. Economic recovery will come more slowly because of the covid19 surge. Like many nations in the region, most of India has no modern health system. The prime targets of covid19 are those whose immune systems are already weakened by old age or chronic disease. Healthier adults and children have a death rate similar to what is experienced when the annual influenza outbreak occurs. In less affluent nations the spread of covid19 is not really noticed in areas which already suffer higher death rates because of the absence of healthcare and more numerous deaths from natural causes. In all countries the wealthy and senior politicians tend to be older and more vulnerable to covid19 but have access to modern medical care. For these groups the record development of covid19 vaccines is literally a lifesaver. For India, the population is too large (over a billion) and the current world vaccine supply is too small to quickly vaccinate the most vulnerable Indians. The first vaccines were approved (by government drug safety agencies) in late 2020. The United States, the leader in quick development of covid19 vaccines, had paid for the manufacture of millions of vaccine doses before approval. This was expensive and risky as many believed it impossible to develop safe and effective vaccines this fast. The Americans took a chance on new vaccine development technologies and it worked. India was slow to obtain large quantities of the new vaccines and covid19 continued to spread, especially with India. Despite that India has not suffered from the virus as badly as other nearby nations. As of March 2021, India had 110 deaths per million people so far. Four months later it was 300 deaths per million compared to the current world average of 535. June 27, 2021: In northwest India (Kashmir) an air force base suffered two explosions which turned out to be from explosives carrying UAVs (drones). The base is only 14 kilometers from the Pakistan border. Since 2019 Indian troops in Kashmir have been detecting Pakistan using UAVs to deliver small quantities of weapons and other supplies to Islamic terrorists operating on the Indian side of the border. There were 167 sightings in 2019 and 77 so far this year. The failed use of tunnels under the border apparently led to trying UAVs to carry smaller quantities of supplies to Pakistani terrorist operatives in Kashmir. This urgent supply effort is a response to the heavy casualties the infiltrators suffer because of the improved border security. A month later India announced a major program to issue UAV (mainly quad-copter) jammers to troops in border areas where unidentified UAVS along the border. June 26, 2021: In southwest Pakistan (Baluchistan) Baluchi tribal separatists set fire to cell phone towers and other facilities and kidnapped six cellphone company workers. Three were soon released while three were held for interrogation on what the military is doing with the cellphone system. This includes installing cell phone service, and towers, in uninhabited areas of Baluchistan for unspecified purposes. There are not enough cellphone users in these areas to make it economically viable to install service. The Baluchi separatists believe the rural cell phone service is another tool directed at their operations. In northwest Pakistan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) there was a similar attack on cellphone company workers by non-Baluchi Islamic terrorists who kidnapped sixteen men who were installing cellphone towers in more remote areas near the Afghan border. Ten of the captives were seen released but one was beheaded and five others are being held for ransom. Three weeks later (July 15th) Pakistani troops found where the five captives were being held, raided that location and freed them. Two soldiers were killed during the raid along with a number of their captors. LOS ANGELES, July 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Shelter Structures America, distributor of Shelter temporary clearspan tent structures announces this week that Bobby Braun is joining the Shelter Team as the manager of Shelter Event Equipment. Bobby, a 40+ year veteran of the rental & sales industry will manage Shelter Event Equipment. Over the next quarter, Shelter is introducing several equipment product lines to service our customers. From tables and chairs to generators and HVAC systems Shelter Event Equipment provides affordable event equipment to our existing tent customers as well as new equipment rental customers. Bobby, based in Chicago, IL, expands the Shelter footprint into the Midwest with an additional location to serve our customers. "We are very excited to hire Bobby and introduce Shelter Event Equipment to continue the growth of Shelter Structures America." says Keith Krzeminski, Executive Vice President of Shelter Structures America. "The addition of an industry leader to our team allows Shelter Structures America to continue our growth into new product lines and markets." About Shelter Structures America Inc. Shelter Structures America Inc. is the distributor of Shelter Tent Structures, Glitzcamp and SKP Technology for the US, Canada and Mexico. Shelter manufactures a wide range of clear span tents, rental equipment and accessories. The company maintains a distribution center in Los Angeles, CA and an office in Roanoke, VA. Visit us at http://shelterstructuresamerica.com/ Photo(s):https://www.prlog.org/12878857 Press release distributed by PRLog View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shelter-structures-america-hires-bobby-braun-301341473.html SOURCE Shelter Structures America Fort Jackson, S.C. (U.S. Army) COLUMBIA, S.C. (Tribune News Service) The U.S. Army said it mourned the loss of a soldier whose death is being investigated. Sgt. 1st Class Greg Abbott, who was stationed at Fort Jackson, died recently, according to the Army. Investigators said Abbotts body was found July 22 in a vehicle in Manchester State Forest in Sumter County, and the sheriffs office is involved with the investigation. Abbott, 55, of Columbia, was a member of the U.S. Army reserves, serving in the 345th Training Battalion, said William Ritter of the Fort Jackson reserves public affairs office. Abbotts death was confirmed by Anthony Taylor, a spokesman for the 85th Support Command. But Taylor said further information was not available because Abbotts death is still under investigation. No cause of death has been made public, but an autopsy was scheduled Tuesday at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, according to the Sumter County Coroners Office. The unit was deeply saddened to learn of the news of SFC Abbott, said Lt. Col. Kenneth M. Attaway II, commander of 2-345th Training Support Battalion, 85th U.S. Army Reserve Support Command. He was a vital part of our personnel team and always went out of his way to help soldiers in every day actions as well as preparing them for mobilizations. SFC Abbott was a dutiful soldier in a career that spanned across almost 30 years. This loss will be felt by all at our command. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family in this time. Fort Jackson is the nations largest military basic training base with more than 50,000 recruits assigned there each year. 2021 The Charlotte Observer. Visit charlotteobserver.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Andrew Knowles, left, and members of the Djiboutian coast guard train in Djibouti in October 2019. Cutlass Express 2021, a two-week exercise sponsored by U.S. Africa Command and led by U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet, kicked off in Djibouti on July 25, 2021. (Andrea Rumple/U.S. Navy) NAPLES, Italy A 15-nation exercise designed to offer mostly African countries U.S. support in developing their navies and fighting piracy, trafficking and illegal fishing kicked off this week in Djibouti. Cutlass Express 2021, a two-week exercise sponsored by U.S. Africa Command and led by U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet, includes maritime forces from Comoros, Djibouti, Georgia, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, the United Kingdom and the United States. The U.S. Navy is emphasizing outreach and partnerships in Africa, as China gains economic resources and looks to enlarge its military footprint on the continent. Beijing already has an East Africa base near the U.S. installation in Djibouti, and is looking to build another naval base in West Africa that would give it ready access to the Atlantic Ocean, AFRICOM chief Gen. Stephen Townsend told The Associated Press in May. Col. Ahmed Daher Djama, of the Djiboutian navy, walks with Maj. Gen. William Zana, right, Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa commander, July 25, 2021, following the opening ceremony of exercise Cutlass Express 2021 in Djibouti. (Dwane R. Young/U.S. Air Force) The exercise is designed, among other objectives, to improve information sharing and promote security in East Africa, a Naval Forces Europe-Africa and 6th Fleet joint statement said. Cutlass Express incudes in-port training, at-sea scenarios and a senior leadership symposium. No U.S. Navy ships or other military assets are participating in the exercise, said Lt. Joelle Schmitz, Cutlass Express spokeswoman. The exercise ends Aug. 6. news@stripes.com A healthcare worker prepares a vaccine in Boston on June 17, 2021. (Adam Glanzman/Bloomberg) On one side of the island of Hispaniola lies Haiti, among the Western Hemisphere's last nations to offer its population a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. On the opposite side, the Dominican Republic is one of the first countries to offer a third. The nation of almost 11 million people is rushing to provide boosters as the pandemic rages in its destitute neighbor, Haiti, defying criticism from global health organizations that no scientific evidence shows they're necessary. The Dominican Republic has had one of Latin America's strongest immunization efforts, using mostly Chinese Sinovac inoculations to protect almost 50% of its population with at least one dose. But residents are starting to question Sinovac's efficacy compared with mRNA vaccines. Since the government said June 30 that it would provide mRNA booster shots, almost 289,000 people have been inoculated a third time, including President Luis Abinader. Meanwhile, Haiti has had one of the region's weakest vaccination campaigns. Even as it wrestles with the recent assassination of President Jovenel Moise, the Western Hemisphere's poorest country received its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines only July 14. Across the globe, relatively wealthy countries are struggling to use all their vaccines, while poor nations go almost entirely without. Low-income countries account for almost 20% of the population yet have received only 2% of vaccines, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker. Arthur L. Caplan, director of the NYU Langone health system's medical ethics division, said wealthier countries must help fight a virus that recognizes no borders. "There have been a few examples of sharing vaccines with a neighbor, but not many," Caplan said. "We have failed, miserably, to distribute the supplies we have to those most in need. That's a total moral failure." The Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which the Dominican Republic and Haiti share, is a microcosm of global disparity. At the outset of the pandemic, Haiti closed its borders and kept its citizens relatively safe, while the tourism-dependent Dominican Republic -- nearly 10 times richer -- became a viral hot zone. A year ago, it had reported more cases than any other Caribbean nation. Now, the countries have traded places. The nations have a historically complex relationship as they attempt to coexist on the West-Virginia sized island. Many Haitians travel east to seek work and better living conditions, and illegal immigration is one of the main contributors to the tension. Caplan believes Haiti could engender new variants that could bleed over the Dominican border. The Dominican Republic is joining Bahrain, Indonesia and Thailand in augmenting Sinovac and Sinopharm campaigns with mRNA shots -- even though experts agree that the Chinese shots lower hospitalizations and deaths effectively. "What we are looking for is that extra coverage against the variants, to increase the antibodies among the patients and to avoid reinfection and hospitalization," Minister of Public Health Daniel Rivera said at a press conference last month. The campaign began Feb. 16. The government has established more than 1,300 vaccination sites across its 31 provinces, 19 near the border. The third doses, mainly from Pfizer and AstraZeneca, are officially prioritized for health-care workers and people with underlying conditions, though they are widely available to all. Those who want one must wait at least a month after their second, and receive a different vaccine from the previous two. Everyone with a permanent Dominican address is eligible. The nation is now recording about 400 new daily cases, down from the 1,300 peak at the beginning of June. The improvement is crucial to reviving its tourism-dependent economy. The republic is finally seeing more visitors, with about 20% more last month compared with May. The International Monetary Fund expects the economy to grow 5.5% this year. "Economic prospects are encouraging, underpinned by the reopening of the tourism industry and the sustained pace of the vaccine rollout," strategists led by Regis Chatellier wrote in a note Tuesday encouraging clients to buy Dominican bonds. "Despite rising debt and a higher fiscal deficit in 2020, the economy massively benefited from the cushion this provided." But global health organizations are less impressed. The Pan American Health Organization and World Health Organization urged the Dominican Republic to delay a third dose. "It is vital that we shift the conversation away from booster shots," said Carissa F. Etienne, director of the Pan American Health Organization. Health officials across the world must guarantee that "everyone, everywhere and particularly health-care workers and those most vulnerable to severe disease are protected first." The office of Vice President Raquel Pena, who is overseeing the vaccine program, didn't answer questions about the third-dose initiative. Haiti didn't start a vaccination campaign for its 11 million people until after the July 7 assassination of its president, which is still under investigation amid violence and political instability. Official numbers show Haiti has reported almost 20,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 500 deaths, but doctors agree these numbers are far understated. Haiti has seen high hospitalization and death rates, and crowded shelters could become hot spots for COVID-19 transmission. "Limited supplies and violence are also hindering the ability of health workers to safely care for patients in need. In some cases, patients may be avoiding seeking care due to safety concerns," Etienne said in a press conference July 14. Ralph Ternier, a doctor who is director of community care and support for Partners in Health Haiti, which treats the poor, is worried. "The country might not have the resources to respond, that's why right now we are really focusing on the vaccine," he said. Pedro Urena, a Dominican cardiologist, sees danger in the highly permeable Haitian-Dominican border. Urena has been an outspoken critic on the third-dose initiative, and believes Dominican resources could have been used differently. "Haiti has a very bad COVID situation," he said. "They have a very high hospitalization rate and a very high mortality rate. The problem is that since they don't have very trustworthy statistics, sadly we can't really know the magnitude of the problem. But I understand that makes it so we have to be even more careful with the migration flow into this country." Caplan said helping your neighbor while protecting yourself isn't mutually exclusive. In fact, it's essential. "You can just sort of figure out international policy that would get the vaccine everywhere, but we just seem unwilling and unable as a world to do it," he said. PORTLAND, Maine (Tribune News Service) On Oct. 14, 1944, an escaped German prisoner of war strolled into a shop in New York City's Union Square. He was there to buy canvases. The Austrian-born painter had walked off a logging work detail in the New Hampshire woods two months earlier, leaving a note saying the labor was destroying his hands and he was afraid he would lose his ability to paint. Art was all that mattered to him. An alert art supply store clerk who had been shown the man's picture in advance called the FBI. Franz Bacher, 28, was arrested without incident. Instead of facing harsh punishment, Bacher was sent to a Maine prisoner-of-war camp where in addition to picking potatoes for local farmers he was allowed to paint. Camp Houlton in Aroostook County had a dedicated art program. Many of the 3,500 men held there between 1944 and 1946 took advantage. Nearly 80 years later, their creative works are reaching a wider audience thanks to a joint online and in-person exhibition between museums in Houlton and Portland. Two of Bacher's paintings are included. Though all of the art is historically significant and chronically understudied, it represents a wide range of skill levels. "Some of it is absolutely gorgeous and some of it looks like it was painted by your uncle," said Tilly Laskey, co-curator of the exhibition. Laskey, of the Portland-based Maine Historical Society, created the show with Henry Gartley at the Aroostook County Historical and Art Museum of Houlton, where the paintings reside. The two institutions are connected by the Maine Memory Network. The network, administered by the historical society, is a searchable database of significant photos, documents and artifacts held in more than 270 collections across Maine. The Aroostook museum is one of the biggest, most active contributors, with over 700 items listed. The online portion of the new exhibition, "Passing the Time: Artwork by World War II German POWs," is now live. An in-person version goes up at the historical society in Portland next month. It will include life-sized reproductions of the prisoners' artworks, which are on permanent display in Houlton. It will also feature many historical photographs. "The goal of partner exhibitions, like this one, is to let people know about collections all around the state," Laskey said. "We want them to go and see them in person, to make the trip up to Aroostook County." Houlton Army Air Base opened in 1942 and German prisoners began arriving in 1944 to help with logging and farming amid a massive labor shortage with soldiers overseas. Prisoners were paid a dollar daily in credit that they could spend at the post exchange store on things like chocolate, tobacco and art supplies. In addition to the space and materials to paint, the German prisoners were offered education classes through the University of Maine. Despite being enemies of the United States during a time of war when many local men were fighting overseas, most of the Germans were well-regarded by locals as hard-working and friendly. "A lot of them were reluctant soldiers," Laskey said. "Some were political prisoners just thrown out there as cannon fodder. Of course, some were also dedicated Nazis, as well." Many were also young and frightened. One soldier, just 15, broke out in tears when asked to dig a latrine pit. When asked why, he said he had believed he was digging his own grave. Another prisoner, Vohn Micka, returned to Germany after the war, finding it devastated and poverty-stricken. With an infant and wife to support, he wrote to the farmers he had worked for in Aroostook County. They sent supplies, food and baby formula. The surviving works of art in the Aroostook collection were either given as gifts or bought by locals. Most, though not all, of the subject matter is German and nostalgic in nature. One painting depicts a vase of flowers in vibrant colors. The artist is unknown but prisoners Walton Haase, Gunther Magdeburg and Gerhard Nowitsky, gave it to their guard, John D. Willard, as a wedding gift on August 31, 1945. Another simple painting of a birch tree and pond is simply signed P. Yearicks. Bacher's paintings include a seaside landscape, of possibly Greece or Italy, with stone buildings and tattered sails hung to dry. Bacher was a leftist who spoke four languages. After running afoul of the Nazi regime, he was sent to the front lines in North Africa. He was captured at Bizerte, Tunisia. After the war, Bacher had a successful art career and died in Austria in 1981. Perhaps the most astonishing picture on display is a portrait of Mary Ellen and Herman Porter's daughter, Lois, who was 8. Painted by an unknown prisoner, the smiling picture indicates a high level of intimate trust not normally associated with wartime. In 2003, several former prisoners returned to Houlton when invited by the town. They were then named honorary citizens in a ceremony. One said then that the experience "changed my life and the outlook of my life and how to see people and judge people." As for the art created at Camp Houlton, Gartley suspects it provided a kind of therapy for the traumatized soldiers far from home. "I do a little watercolor painting myself," he said, "and when you focus on painting, everything else just kind of goes away." "Passing the Time: Artwork by World War II German POWs" is online now. The original paintings are on display at the Houlton Historical and Art Museum. The Maine Historical Society exhibition opens Aug. 11 in Portland. (c)2021 the Bangor Daily News (Bangor, Maine) Visit the Bangor Daily News (Bangor, Maine) at www.bangordailynews.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. An F-35B Lightning II with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 lands at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Jan. 18, 2017. (Joseph Abrego/U.S. Marine Corps) CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa A pair of state-of-art F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters recently met their match in the form of actual lightning in the skies over Makurazaki in Kagoshima prefecture. Both aircraft, assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, landed safely after the strike and neither pilot was injured. The incident occurred during a routine flight on July 13, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing spokesman Maj. Ken Kunze wrote in an email to Stars and Stripes on Tuesday. The F-35Bs, which are capable of short takeoffs and vertical landings, were en route to Okinawa when they were struck. The incident is considered a Class A mishap because the combined projected repair cost is expected to exceed $2.5 million, Kunze said. Class A mishaps involve repair costs exceeding $2 million or the death or permanent disability of a service member. We are currently conducting an investigation into the mishap and will incorporate the lessons learned into future flight operations, Kunze said. The safe operation of our aircraft and the readiness of our squadrons are vitally important to us in order to continue supporting our allies, partners, and joint forces in the region. Kunze said that each U.S. aircraft is meticulously inspected for safety prior to any flight operations. Lightning strikes on aircraft are fairly common and can severely damage critical and essential systems, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. However, they rarely result in catastrophic effects, according to NTS, an Anaheim, Calif., industrial technology firm. The F-35 is the costliest weapon system in Defense Department history, the Government Accountability Office declared in an April report. Estimated costs over the life of the program exceed $1.7 trillion. Critics call the program unsustainable and the Air Force, which fields the conventional F-35A variant, is seeking alternatives. An AH-1Z Viper from Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 267 flies toward an arming and refueling point on Ie Shima, Okinawa, Jan. 10, 2017. (Jessica Etheridge/U.S. Marine Corps) Precautionary landing In an unrelated incident Tuesday, a U.S. military helicopter landed in a field due to an inflight emergency. No injuries or damage were reported after the AH-1Z Viper assigned to the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma landed at 8:44 a.m. Tuesday in Kushima, Miyazaki prefecture, on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, Kunze said in a separate email Tuesday. The pilot set the attack helicopter down after identifying a possible mechanical issue. The wing is sending a team to inspect the aircraft and determine the best method of recovery, Kunze said. The aircraft systems performed as designed and notified the pilot of the issue, he wrote. The aircrew performed as trained and chose the safest option, landing the aircraft in accordance with standard procedures out of an abundance of caution. The Viper was one of a pair that had just departed the Japan Air Self-Defense Forces Nyutabaru Air Base for MCAS Futenma when the issue arose, Kyodo News reported Tuesday. The helicopters had been at the air base since Sunday due to bad weather, a Kyushu Defense Bureau spokesman told Stars and Stripes. Kunze said the landing was precautionary. We remain committed to ensuring the safety of our aircrews, the community and the airworthiness of all our aircraft, he wrote. Japans Ministry of Defense Tuesday asked the U.S. military to quickly determine the cause of the incident and to take preventative measures, the spokesman said. Stars and Stripes reporter Hana Kusumoto contributed to this report. Buy Photo Five days into hosting the Olympics, the Japanese capital reached a new, one-day record of 2,848 coronavirus cases on Tuesday, July 27, 2021. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes) TOKYO The Japanese capital, five days into hosting the Olympic Games, reached a new, one-day peak for new coronavirus cases. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported 2,848 newly infected people on Tuesday, 328 more than the previous one-day peak, 2,520, on Jan. 7, according to public broadcaster NHK and metro government data. The new record makes the coronavirus fifth wave the most extreme in Tokyo since the pandemic began in March 2020. The city of 13.5 million in that time has recorded more than 200,720 cases of COVID-19, the coronavirus respiratory disease, and more than 2,725 deaths, according to metro data. Meanwhile, U.S. military bases across Japan reported 21 new COVID-19 patients on Tuesday. Commands in South Korea reported a dozen. The city is in a state of emergency until Aug. 22 in which restaurants and bars are expected to close early and refrain from selling alcohol and residents are urged to avoid unnecessary travel. At the Olympics, 155 people associated with the event have tested positive since July 1, Kyodo News, citing games organizers, reported Tuesday. Spectators are banned from most Olympic venues. Athletes are discouraged from interacting with anyone outside their bubbles and pandemic restrictions have waylaid the usual international celebration thats a hallmark of the event. The record high number of new patients Tuesday follows a week of daily case numbers above 1,000 in Tokyo. As for the U.S. military, Yokosuka Naval Base, homeport of the U.S. 7th Fleet 34 miles from central Tokyo, reported nine new patients since Friday, according to a base news release. One immunized person and one unimmunized person tested positive during medical screenings, and three unimmunized people tested positive after becoming ill with COVID-19 symptoms, according to the release. Four base employees became ill with COVID-19 symptoms; one was immunized and three were not, according to base. All four tested positive afterward. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, near Hiroshima, and Sasebo Naval Base, on Kyushu island, each reported one new coronavirus case. MCAS Iwakunis new patient is a recent arrival to Japan, according to a base news release. The individual at Sasebo fell ill with COVID-19 symptoms before testing positive, the base announced on Facebook. On Okinawa, the Marines reported another 10 people had tested positive, according to a Facebook post Tuesday by Marine Corps Installations Pacific, which did not specify where those cases arose. Okinawa prefecture is also under a state of emergency until Aug. 22. Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki on Monday said people ages 20 to 40 are spreading the coronavirus from restaurants and bars to their homes and work. The prefecture counted 99 new COVID-19 patients on Saturday, and 209 on Sunday, according to its online tracking site. Tamaki during a press conference said another major cause of the rapid increase in new cases is the delta variant, mostly seen in central Okinawa and spread among teens and younger people. On the upside, he said, vaccinations among the elderly are helping stem the virus spread in that population. About 25% of Japans population is fully vaccinated, according to the Johns Hopkins center. More military cases in Korea U.S. Forces Korea announced Tuesday that 12 people affiliated with the command had tested positive for COVID-19 between July 14 and Monday. Five are active-duty service members two stationed near the border with North Korea at Camp Casey and three at Osan Air Base south of Seoul whose infections were discovered after they developed symptoms, according to a USFK news release. Seven people tested positive between Saturday and Monday after being tagged as direct contacts of a recent patient. USFK identified them as a Defense Department civilian and the family members of two service members and another civilian stationed at either Osan or Camp Carroll, in the southeast. Stars and Stripes reporter Mari Higa contributed to this report. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is welcomed in Singapore, Tuesday, July, 27, 2021. (Chad McNeeley/Defense Department) Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday stressed the strategic imperative of partnership in confronting challenges in the Indo-Pacific and said the United States and its allies will not flinch when our interests are threatened by China. Austin, in his remarks during the International Institute for Strategic Studies Fullerton Lecture in Singapore, said regional conflicts are not isolated incidents, and that ensuing conflicts affect the broader global landscape. Today, amid this merciless pandemic, we stand together at another hinge moment, and we face another choice between the power of partnership and the dangers of division, he said. I am confident that through our collective efforts the Indo-Pacific will again rise to the challenge. And America will be right at your side, just as an old friend should. The defense secretary said he believed the success of countries in Southeast Asia depend upon common principles, which include a profound commitment to transparency and a dedication to freedom of the seas. Austin, taking aim at China, said this region has witnessed actions that just dont line up with those shared principles. Referring to territorial clashes in the South China Sea and the Senkaku Islands, Austin said: Unfortunately, Beijings unwillingness to resolve disputes peacefully and respect the rule of law isnt just occurring on the water. "We have also seen aggression against India, destabilizing military activity and other forms of coercion against the people of Taiwan, and genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. President Joe Bidens administration has prioritized the economic and political threats posed by China, which he described in March as having an overall goal to become the leading country in the world, the wealthiest country in the world and the most powerful country in the world. At the time, Biden said, "thats not going to happen on my watch, because the United States is going to continue to grow and expand. The Defense Department adhered to Bidens policy goal through the creation of a special China Task Force in June to reassess the U.S. military strategy on China and provide classified recommendations to military leaders. Following his visit to Singapore, the first trip to Southeast Asia by a Biden cabinet member, Austin is scheduled to meet with officials in Vietnam and the Philippines. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman was in China earlier this week, meeting with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng. Austin in his speech said the U.S. does not seek confrontation, but we will not flinch when our interests are threatened. You know, big powers need to model transparency and communication, he said. And we hope that we can work together with Beijing on common challenges, especially the threat of climate change. While Austin highlighted some of Chinas behavior, he placed a greater emphasis on a reassuring message to allies in Southeast Asia, according to Greg Poling, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Austins speech was particularly reassuring in Singapore and Indonesia, who have been most concerned about what they see as a lack of attention from the administration, Poling said in an interview with Stars and Stripes. Poling noted that many countries in Southeast Asia had been deeply uncomfortable with the level of tension in the US-China relationship, particularly as it transcended beyond security issues and affected the regions economy. Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs appeared to put the U.S. on notice during Austins tour of Southeast Asia earlier Tuesday. The United States shall not even try to obstruct or ever interrupt China's development, the ministry said in several statements on Twitter. The United States must not violate China's national sovereignty, let alone undermine China's territorial integrity. President Joe Biden speaks during a visit to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in McLean, Va., Tuesday, July 27, 2021. This is Biden's first visit to an agency of the U.S. intelligence community. (Susan Walsh/AP) MCLEAN, Va. President Joe Biden used his first visit with rank-and-file members of the U.S. intelligence community a part of government that was frequently criticized by his predecessor Donald Trump to make a promise that he will never politicize their work. Biden waited more than six months to make the short drive across the Potomac River on Tuesday to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, giving analysts and national security leaders often derided by Trump as the deep state some breathing room. The president in his remarks to about 120 ODNI employees and senior leadership officials sought to make clear that he understood the complexity and critical nature of their work. The agency oversees the 17 other U.S. intelligence organizations. You have my full confidence, he said. I know theres no such thing as 100% certainty in the intelligence world. Occasionally that happens. Rarely, rarely, rarely. Biden told the audience that his administration would be getting us back to the basics. Ill never politicize the work you do. You have my word on that, he said. Its too important for our country. Biden also mentioned Russia and China as growing threats to American national security and noted the growing wave of cyberattacks, including ransomware attacks, against government agencies and private industry that U.S. officials have linked to agents in both countries. I think its more likely ... if we end up in a war, a real shooting war with a major power, its going to be as a consequence of a cyber breach of great consequence, Biden said. Biden toured the National Counterterrorism Center Watch Floor, where analysts work to collect information and intelligence from various sources to ascertain potential threats. He was accompanied on the tour by Avril Haines, director of national intelligence, and Christy Abizaid, director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Trump visited the Central Intelligence Agency on his first full day in office, praising the agency but also airing personal grievances. Standing in front of CIAs memorial wall with stars marking each of the officers who have died while serving, Trump settled scores with the media and repeated false claims about the size of his inauguration crowd. The relationship between the intelligence community and the president went downhill from that very day, said Glenn Gerstell, who then served as general counsel of the National Security Agency and stepped down last year. Trump would go through four permanent or acting directors of national intelligence in four years and engaged in near-constant fights with the intelligence community. In particular, he was angry about its assessment that Russia had interfered on his behalf in the 2016 presidential campaign and its role in revealing that Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate Biden, an action that ultimately led to Trumps first impeachment. Trump eventually fired the inspector general at the national intelligence office the internal watchdog who brought that pressure to light. By contrast, Biden has repeatedly insisted that he would not exert political pressure on intelligence agencies, a message repeated by his top appointees. He also came to office with a long history of working with intelligence officials as vice president and while serving in the Senate. The president has already called on Haines with several politically sensitive requests. Perhaps the most prominent is an enhanced review of the origins of COVID-19 as concerns increase among scientists that the novel coronavirus could have originated in a Chinese lab. Biden set a 90-day timeframe and pledged to make the results of the review public. Haines and CIA Director Bill Burns are also investigating a growing number of reported injuries and illnesses possibly linked to directed energy attacks in whats known as the Havana syndrome. The CIA recently appointed a new director of its task force investigating Havana syndrome cases, an undercover official who participated in the hunt for Osama bin Laden. And intelligence agencies are having to adapt to the military withdrawal from Afghanistan, with growing concerns that the Taliban may topple the U.S.-backed central government. Haines and Burns have also said that their review of COVID-19 origins may be inconclusive, probably disappointing lawmakers and observers who have pushed for more aggressive action against China. Former officials said Bidens choice of visiting the national intelligence director before the CIA was significant because it makes clear he wants Haines to be considered his principal intelligence adviser. When her office was created in 2005 to better coordinate intelligence sharing following the 9/11 attacks, it subsumed a leadership role once held by the CIA director. Since then, agencies and leaders have periodically fought for preeminence, causing concerns that some agencies views are more strongly heard than others. I think weve had a couple of presidents in a row where the supremacy of the DNI was put in some question either through the selection of people they chose in the job or how they engaged with the community, said Larry Pfeiffer, a former senior official at both the CIA and the intelligence office who now leads the Hayden Center at George Mason University. Pfeiffer said he strongly supported Bidens visit and also hoped the president would eventually visit the memorial wall where Trump spoke in January 2017. ___ Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report. President Joe Biden departs the White House on July 16, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images/TNS) (Tribune News Service) President Biden is expected to visit the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in lower Manhattan in September to mark 20 years since the devastating Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center, according to a report. Politico reported that the White House indicated to New York officials that the president plans to make the trip as the city prepares to commemorate the day that terrorists steered a pair of hijacked planes into the Twin Towers. The White House didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. Biden, mask-clad, attended a ceremony at Ground Zero last September, in the heat of his campaign against former President Donald Trump. He greeted then-Vice President Mike Pence, but did not cross paths with Trump, who never visited New York Citys 9/11 Memorial during his presidency. Last year, Biden also visited Shanksville, Pa., where United Flight 93 crashed on Sept. 11, 2001, after passengers worked to pry back control from terrorists who hijacked the aircraft. It wasnt immediately clear if Biden will visit the southwestern Pennsylvania community or the Pentagon which was also attacked on 9/11 to mark the 20th anniversary. 2021 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives to board a plane Monday at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., traveling to New Delhi, India and Kuwait City, Kuwait. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool via AP) NEW DELHI U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in India on Tuesday to discuss strengthening Indo-Pacific engagement, seen as a counter to China, as well as New Delhi's recent human rights record and other issues. Blinken's visit includes meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior officials on Wednesday, and comes just days after his No. 2 diplomat, Wendy Sherman, was in China for face-to-face talks. Washington has long viewed India as a key partner in efforts to blunt increasing Chinese assertiveness in the region. The U.S. and India are part of the Quad a group that also includes Japan and Australia allies in the region helping deal with China's growing economic and military strength. While the Biden administration has indicated it wants a more civil relationship with Beijing, its shown no sign of softening the Trump administration's confrontational measures on trade, technology and human rights. The rights record of India, the world's biggest democracy, will also be on the agenda, according to comments last week from Dean Thompson, acting assistant secretary for South and Central Asia. Opponents of Modi's ruling Hindu nationalist party have accused it of squashing dissent and introducing policies aimed at refashioning a multifaith democracy into a Hindu nation that discriminates against Muslims and other minorities. Modi has also been accused of trying to silence voices critical of his administration's handling of the massive pandemic wave that tore through the country in April and May. India routinely denies criticism of its human rights record and has rejected criticism by foreign governments and rights groups that say civil liberties have shrunk in the country. Thompson said Blinken also will seek India's support in stabilizing Afghanistan after the U.S. military withdrawal is completed at the end of August. Blinken is set to travel to Kuwait on Thursday. India's Ministry of External Affairs last week said Blinken's visit "is an opportunity to continue the high-level bilateral dialogue and bolster the India-U.S. global strategic partnership." Over the last few years, the ties between the two countries have improved, particularly in terms of their shared interests regarding a rising China. They have steadily ramped up their military relationship and signed a string of defense deals and deepened military cooperation. In March, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met top Indian officials and Modi. Both sides agreed to deepen defense cooperation, intelligence sharing and logistics. His visit was followed by climate envoy John Kerry. A home burns as flames from the Dixie fire tear through the Indian Falls neighborhood of unincorporated Plumas County, Calif., on Saturday, July 24, 2021. (Josh Edelson, AFP/Getty Images/TNS) WASHINGTON (Tribune News Service) When a brush fire trapped more than 100 hikers and campers last year in the Sierra National Forest, California firefighters needed to know precisely where the blaze was and they needed to know fast. They turned to a little-known program called FireGuard, which gave them access to video and images captured by a U.S. military drone. The aerial view of the fires exact location allowed for a faster evacuation, likely saving lives. Since 2019, the nascent FireGuard program has relied on temporary permission from the Pentagon to review classified data collected from a variety of government sources, including U.S. military satellites that search the skies for enemy missiles. But that access could end as soon as September, just as the Santa Ana winds begin and Californias wildfire season typically becomes more active. The latest authorization expires Sept. 30, and the Pentagon hasnt acted on a pending one-year renewal request, or on a separate request from California lawmakers to make the pilot program permanent. House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who is leading the effort on Capitol Hill to save the program, said Pentagon officials are skeptical about extending or making permanent a program they view as outside the scope of their mission. Theres some reluctance at DOD, said Schiff, who joined 28 other California Democrats in a December letter urging Defense Department officials to make FireGuard permanent. DOD naturally has its focus on its warfighting capability and has some hesitance to be pulled in other directions. Spokespeople for the Defense Department and the militarys National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which shares data with FireGuard, declined to comment. If FireGuards access is not renewed by the end of September, federal and state firefighters could find themselves locked out of a vastly important tool, as Phillip SeLegue, Cal Fires deputy chief of intel, describes it. Its important for situational awareness, for the alert of a new and emerging fire, as well as the ongoing assessment of fires, SeLegue said. Right now we utilize this on an hourly basis. FireGuard pulls data from government and military-operated satellites, as well as from drones and on-the-ground sensors and cameras. Images are altered to ensure that the militarys classified capabilities are not revealed as they are shared with the California National Guard, which has a team of intelligence analysts to sift through the information. They are on call 24/7 during wildfire season in California, alerting incident commanders on the fire lines to new developments. The program began in California with the goal of providing a detailed view of wildfires, updated frequently enough every 15 minutes to be almost in real time. The COVID-19 pandemic and catastrophic 2020 wildfire season quickly convinced the fire community of FireGuards value. It now operates out of California and Colorado, and shares information with firefighters throughout the nation. Incident commanders on the ground are very happy with it. They recognized that they were getting data that they had never gotten before, said Sean Triplett, a U.S. Forest Service employee who oversees FireGuard. Triplett said a Pentagon official who has been in touch with his team was pretty confident approval would be granted for one more year of access. But permanent access to the data is more complicated. We need to come up with solutions and ways to make this program continue, he said, citing questions about which government agency would house the program, how it would be funded and whether its possible to automate some of the data analysis that is handled manually today. Lawmakers hope to convince the Pentagon to make FireGuard permanent. Its cumbersome that every year Cal Guard has to work with the National Guard and DOD and everyone to get this reauthorization, said Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara), a member of the House Armed Services Committee. We now have year-round fire season, and to be constantly asking to reauthorize this doesnt make sense. Establishing FireGuard as a permanent fixture may reduce flexibility for the Pentagon, which currently has the opportunity to not extend the cooperation through the renewals. Its not a mandate, said Natasha Stavros, a data and fire scientist and director of the Earth Lab Analytics Hub at the University of Colorado in Boulder. If we change administrations and new Department of Defense leadership decides not to develop this, it is out. SeLegue said he hopes that even if the worst comes to pass, and Pentagon officials end access, FireGuard might be able to continue in a scaled-down fashion using data from other government agencies. In addition to the militarys information, satellite and drone data are collected by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as by the private sector and public utilities. We ought to use them to the greatest degree we can, said Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., of the alternate sources of data and imagery. We have that technology. But there is no feasible alternative to replace the program as it operates today, according to SeLegue. Hiring a private company to build a platform to collect this data and comb through it would likely be much more expensive, he said. FireGuard currently costs the U.S. Forest Service about $4.2 million annually, according to the agency. Military assistance in battling wildfires is not new. But typically, states and federal agencies request help during a defined time period; the assistance might include the use of military airplanes or members of the National Guard to fight a wildfire, said Jay Balagna, assistant policy researcher at the RAND Corp. and a former federal firefighter. A request for ongoing or permanent access to military intelligence data, as well as the use of National Guard analysts to interpret it, doesnt fit that mold, he said. These two worlds operate closely and cooperate a lot, Balagna said. And this is just, I think, a high-tech, new, modern, exciting example of it. But unfortunately, theres some friction. Balagna said the Pentagon may have concerns about getting sucked into what is becoming a year-round job of fighting wildfires. Their mission is national defense, and when you start asking things of the military thats not national defense, they rightly ask whether or not theyre the right people to deal with that situation, he said. Triplett acknowledged that the request for military assistance when FireGuard began was out of the normal. It took a lot of effort to herd this through, he said, adding that the program has a great partnership with DOD. The effort to secure long-term funding for FireGuard is just one of several wildfire policy proposals lawmakers hope to tackle after years of inaction. The combination of the record-breaking 2020 fire season and the anticipation of a similarly dangerous 2021 has forced them to refocus on national wildfire policy, eroding some of Congress past intransigence on the issue and turning it into a bipartisan priority. The Western states that are under severe fire danger right now have a very large congressional delegation, said Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif. Were all motivated to bring all the resources to bear. The Biden administration has signaled more openness to addressing wildfires at the federal level. Though FireGuard launched during the Trump administration, President Trump frequently blamed California officials for the states wildfire crisis. Biden announced earlier this month that he would immediately increase firefighters pay to a minimum of $15 per hour for one year. Bills to make pay raises permanent and convert more seasonal positions to year-round jobs have been introduced by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Rep. Josh Harder, D-Calif. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, also a California Democrat, said she plans to write an expansive bill by years end to invest in scientific research into wildfires, including the causes and best ways to fight them. She wants to see modeling of fires on par with that of hurricanes and tornadoes. Just fighting fires is not the long-term answer, she said. We have to utilize science and technology in a more effective way to predict, to prevent and even to combat this destruction, because unfortunately, climate change is here. Its not going to get better. Other bills under consideration in the Senate seek to reverse decades of U.S. policy that emphasized only fire suppression. They would give the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management more money to set controlled blazes in an effort to avoid larger, life-threatening wildfires. A proposal to train more workers to set prescribed fires has been gaining support in the Senate, where its now included in both Feinsteins bill and one from Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. Only one such training program exists in the U.S., and its in Tallahassee, Florida a landscape that has little in common with Californias forests and shrubland. 2021 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Buy Photo Former Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., died Monday after suffering serious injuries in a bicycle accident near his home in Gillette, Wyo. (Stars and Stripes) Former senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., the onetime chairman of two Senate panels crucial to domestic policy, died Monday after suffering serious injuries in a bicycle accident. He was 77. Enzi was riding his bicycle near his home in Gillette, Wyo., when he was injured Friday and flown to UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, Colo. Enzi "passed away peacefully today surrounded by his family," a statement posted to his Twitter account late Monday said. His family said it plans to share details about a "celebration of a life well-lived" at a later time. The genial, low-key conservative was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996 after serving as mayor of Gillette and a member of the Wyoming legislature. He decided not to seek a fifth term in 2020. Enzi's gentle manner earned him respect and friendship as he chaired two committees: Budget and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. A fairly staunch conservative, Enzi had friends across the aisle. During a prolonged summer and fall negotiation in 2009, Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee tried to lure him into supporting what became the Affordable Care Act, a process that ended with no GOP support for the 2010 health law, President Barack Obama's signature domestic achievement. Ahead of the 2014 election, Enzi was thought to be considering retirement rather than a bid for a fourth term. Without much warning, Liz Cheney jumped into the Senate race as a primary challenger in a move that roiled the waters of Wyoming's close-knit Republican circles. The daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney instead prompted Enzi's anger and he aggressively countered her challenge, leading her to bow out of the race and instead run successfully two years later for the state's at-large seat in the House. After Republicans won the Senate majority in the 2014 midterms, Enzi used his seniority to claim the Budget Committee gavel until his retirement. His amiable manner served as a sharp contrast to his Wyoming predecessor, Sen. Al Simpson, R, who feasted off humor and enjoyed taking on politically fraught battles. In a statement Tuesday morning, Cheney mourned Enzi's death. "I had the privilege of working with Mike for four years in Congress. He was a mentor and teacher and you could be sure any event that included Mike would be better because of his intellect, his dedication, determination and wonderful dry sense of humor," she said. "Mike was a straight-shooter, an honest broker, and a soft-spoken but powerful advocate for the causes he cared deeply about. Whether it was pushing for fiscal discipline as head of the Senate Budget Committee or fighting for the needs of Wyoming's energy industry, Mike was always guided by principle and conviction." A strong defender of his home state's oil and gas industry, Enzi remained popular throughout his tenure, winning reelection three times with more than 70% of the vote. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., in remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday, recalled Enzi's humility. "Mike was 77 years old and only about seven months into retirement. Our friend was blessed with a great American life, and he lived it well. Mike was hugely accomplished ... but humble. He was powerful and influential ... but earnest and deeply kind," McConnell said. "He was ambitious ... but on behalf of the people of Wyoming, not personal gain or glory." Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., also in remarks on the Senate floor, remembered Enzi as a "kind and gentle man, as a practical legislator, someone who sought common ground and was willing to leave strained disagreements for another day. He was forceful. He was principled, but he was also gentle, a rare and unusual combination, much needed in this body." Enzi pushed a fiscal blueprint to balance the budget within 10 years, but his effort never prevailed amid government spending and the GOP's 2017 tax cuts. During his Senate tenure, Enzi worked with Senate Democrats, including the late senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, on reauthorization of Head Start early education and college aid programs. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., who succeeded Enzi in the Senate in January, recalled working with him in the state legislature. "I always like to say in Wyoming, I've been following him around like a puppy dog, pretty much my whole life. So we've been very dear friends for many, many decades, and he's a salt-of-the-earth, great guy," Lummis told reporters Monday. The Washington Post's Seung Min Kim contributed to this report. A Texas Guardsman and a Customs and Border Patrol agent stand near the shores of the Rio Grande River in Starr County, Texas as part of the federal call-up to the Texas Mexico border in April 2018. (Mark Otte/Texas Military Department) Texas National Guard troops now have the authority to arrest migrants who cross the states border with Mexico, according to an order issued Tuesday by Gov. Greg Abbott. Guard troops will work with state police to conduct arrests along the Texas southern border. This partnership will strengthen our efforts to secure the border and keep our communities safe, Abbott said about his latest effort to target what he describes as a crisis at the border created by immigration policies relaxed by President Joe Biden. Abbott ordered the troops to begin making arrests in a letter sent Tuesday to Maj. Gen. Tracy Norris, adjutant general of the Texas Military Department. The Texas Department of Public Safety recently began arresting migrants on trespassing charges and the order to Guard troops is meant to support that effort. To respond to this disaster and secure the rule of law at our southern border, more manpower is needed in addition to the troopers from the Texas Department of Public Safety and soldiers from the Texas National Guard I have already deployed there and DPS needs help in arresting those who are violating state law, Abbott wrote to Norris. He cited several state laws in the letter to support the order as well as his ability as governor to call forth the militia to execute the laws of the state. Abbott deployed about 500 Texas National Guard troops to the border under state orders to help law enforcement. He also sent about 1,000 state police to the southern region of the state as part of an emergency declaration. The state-controlled troops are in addition to about 3,800 troops deployed under federal orders to support the Department of Homeland Security across the entire U.S. border with Mexico. In June, Abbott put out a plea for support from other states. South Dakota and Arkansas answered by sending about 50 National Guard troops each. He has also taken former President Donald Trump on a tour of his efforts to secure the border in Texas, as well as other Republican governors. That same month, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents encountered more than 188,000 people across the entire southwest border the highest numbers of fiscal 2021, which runs from Oct. 1, 2020, until Sept. 30, according to departments data. All arrests are occurring in Val Verde County for those people found in violation of criminal trespass law, according to the Department of Public Safety. Violators are being processed at the Dolph Briscoe Unit, a previously empty state prison in the town of Dilley, about 85 miles north of the border town of Laredo. As of Thursday, 10 people were being held there, but the facility could support up to 950, The Associated Press reported. We are grateful to the Texas National Guard for their assistance with arresting individuals for state charges related to the border crisis, Rachael Pierce, spokeswoman for the Department of Public Safety, said in a statement. While the department does not discuss operational specifics, we will integrate our partners into Operation Lone Star as appropriate. The Texas Military Department did not immediately respond to questions about the new order. National Guard U.S. Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, pauses after making his opening statement before the House select committee hearing on the Jan. 6 attack on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, July 27, 2021. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool via AP) WASHINGTON (Tribune News Service) Four Capitol and Metropolitan Police Department officers on Tuesday recounted their experience fighting off the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol during the first hearing of a new House committee investigating the attack. "I recall thinking to myself, this is how I'm going to die, defending this entrance," Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell said. "I could have lost my life that day, not once, but many times." Gonell said he was more scared on Jan. 6 than he was during his Army tour of duty in Iraq. He said when he arrived home at 4 a.m. on Jan. 7, he could not even hug his wife because his uniform was so soaked in chemical irritants he had been sprayed with. He faces multiple surgeries from his injuries and at least a year of rehabilitation. Dressed in uniforms, the officers struggled at times to deliver the emotional testimony and graphic descriptions. At one point during a video presentation, Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Fanone placed his hand on Gonell's shoulder and whispered in his ear. Others dabbed their eyes with tissues, cleared their throats repeatedly and paused to drink water throughout their testimony. Tuesday's hearing, which was meant to set the tone for what is expected to be a months-long investigation, focused primarily on the officers and what they experienced fighting off the melee for several hours. Some Republicans, including former President Trump, have sought to downplay the event as a largely peaceful protest that got out of control. Washington Metropolitan Police Department officer Daniel Hodges, second from right, listens as U.S. Capitol Police Sgt. Harry Dunn testifies during the House select committee hearing on the Jan. 6 attack on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, July 27, 2021. U.S. Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, left, and Washington Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone, second from left, listen. (Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool via AP) "Even though there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary, including hours and hours of video and photographic coverage, there is a continuous and shocking attempt to ignore or try to destroy the truth of what truly happened that day and to whitewash the facts," Gonell said. Speaking for more than three hours, officers discussed seeing protesters carrying knives and metal batons, and breaking apart barricades to use the pieces as weapons. They recounted people in the crowd trying to gouge out their eyes and threatening to kill them with their own gun. They recalled fighting the rioters despite concussions and broken bones, being shocked with cattle prods and sprayed with wasp and bear spray. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn said he received no warning of a threat from the chain of command when he took his post Jan. 6 "We expected any demonstrators to be peaceful expressions of 1st Amendment freedoms, just like the scores of demonstrations we had observed for many years," Dunn said. Hours later, after hearing repeated racial slurs from the mob, Dunn, who is Black, recalled performing CPR on one of the attackers, fighting to save her life in Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's office. "More than six months later, Jan. 6 isn't over for me," he said. The House created the committee to investigate the attack after Senate Republicans blocked the creation of a nonpartisan independent commission. House Republican leaders declined to participate in the committee when Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) rejected two representatives picked by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield). Pelosi said the two men Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.) made past comments supporting President Trump's lie that the election was stolen and downplaying the riot. She said their participation would compromise the integrity of the investigation. At a news conference before the hearing, Republicans accused Pelosi of blocking the two members because she feared they would ask tough questions, saying the investigation is a sham with a preset outcome. "Nancy Pelosi bears responsibility as speaker of the House for the tragedy that occurred on January 6," said the third-most powerful House Republican, Elise Stefanik of New York. Pelosi named two Republicans to the committee, Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois. Cheney said at the hearing Tuesday that not investigating the Jan. 6 attack would leave a cancer that would reappear every four years and threaten the peaceful transfer of power between presidents. "Until Jan. 6 we were proof positive for the world that a nation conceived in liberty could long endure. But now Jan. 6 threatens our most sacred legacy," she said. Cheney said the question for Congress and every American is: "Do we hate our political adversaries more than we love our country and revere our constitution? I pray that is not the case." The melee sent lawmakers and former Vice President Mike Pence fleeing to safe rooms and briefly delayed the certification of President Biden's win in the electoral college. The committee has been instructed to examine what occurred before the attack, including if white supremacist groups coordinated the attack and what the Trump administration might have known in advance, how Trump's repeated lies about the election may have inspired rioters, and what intelligence failures caused police to be underprepared and allowed attackers to take control of the country's legislative seat of power for several hours. At least 140 officers were injured some permanently and five people died either in the melee or in the hours after, including a police officer. Two officers died by suicide in the days after the attack. Damage estimates exceed $1 million. 2021 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The destroyer USS Barry conducts operations in the South China Sea in November 2020. The U.S. military was crippled during a classified October 2020 war game designed to test its ability against an adversary such as China, which has since prompted the Pentagon to revamp its plans for fighting, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John Hyten said recently. (Molly Crawford/U.S. Navy) The U.S. military was crippled during a classified war game last year that exposed vulnerabilities the Pentagon is trying to fix, should it ever face off against a sophisticated adversary like China, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs said this week. Without overstating the issue, it failed miserably, Gen. John Hyten said of the battle plan during the October exercise, which he detailed Monday at the Emerging Technologies Institute in Washington. The biggest problem occurred when communication networks came under attack. During the drill, a Pentagon red team playing the enemy role ran rings around us, Hyten said. They knew exactly what we were going to do before we did it. Unlike in conflicts of the past 30 years, dating to the first Gulf War when the U.S. military had information dominance, the force found itself stifled from the get-go during the October war game. Buy Photo Gen. John Hyten listens to a question while testifying on during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington in April 2019. The U.S. military was crippled during a classified October 2020 war game designed to test its ability against an adversary such as China, which has since prompted the Pentagon to revamp its plans for fighting, Hyten said recently. (Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes) Well, what happens if right from the beginning that information is not available? And thats the big problem that we faced, Hyten said. Now, the military is updating its Joint Warfighting Concept with the new Expanded Maneuver strategy that seeks to transform how it fights over the next decade. Part of the plan calls for joint all-domain command and control, which links information into a fully connected combat cloud that commanders can access at any time to make fast battlefield decisions, Hyten said. Should the cloud be cut off by an enemy, plans must be in place so leaders can operate in a more decentralized environment, he said. Other aspects of the new concept deal with contested logistics, which the U.S. hasnt faced since trying to get forces to Europe and the Pacific during World War II. Contested logistics has been an area of rich study, rich conversation, and were changing our entire logistics approach because of it, he said. One way the military could overwhelm a sophisticated adversary is to enhance its ability to launch precision fires from all domains simultaneously which may include air, land, sea, space and cyber so an enemy force doesnt know where to defend, Hyten said. Thats a purely aspirational requirement, but I hope everybody can see that if you could do that you would change the equation on any future battlefield, he said. Against an enemy that also can hit targets with precision, the U.S. military must be able to mass fires across the force under a single command structure thats removed from the threat of attack. It allows you to disaggregate to survive, Hyten said. Now, the Pentagon has to figure out how to pay for it all, he said. The stakes, he said, are high since the U.S. militarys edge over China is shrinking fast. To deter war is to be prepared for war, Hyten said. Buy Photo The Department of Veterans Affairs headquarters in Washington, D.C. is shown in this undated file photo. (Stars and Stripes) WASHINGTON Leaders of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform urged the National Archives this week to digitize its records to help with a large backlog of records requests from veterans who need personnel information to secure government benefits. Leaders of the National Archives and Records Administration told lawmakers last month that they were struggling with a backlog of about 500,000 records requests from veterans who need military personnel information from the archives when applying for Department of Veterans Affairs benefits and health care. They estimated the backlog would not be eliminated until the end of 2022. The records requests grew during the coronavirus pandemic when most employees at the National Personnel Records Center were not permitted to work on site. Workers could not access records while working remotely. The center is working to digitize its records, but its not happening fast enough, lawmakers said. In a letter Monday, six members of the House committee urged David Ferriero, the archivist for the United States, to apply for funding through the Technology Modernization Fund to help with the digitization efforts. The fund is intended to help federal agencies with technological challenges. It is critical that [the National Archives] use any and all available tools to ensure we can uphold our commitments to our nations veterans, the lawmakers wrote. The letter was led signed by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., chairwoman of the oversight committee, and Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the committees ranking Republican, as well as four other Democrats and Republicans. Ferriero had told lawmakers that he had hired an additional 100 employees to work through the backlog. However, he estimated it would still take about a year and a half to clear the 500,000 requests. To get more employees back to work, the VA announced a partnership in April to offer vaccines to all National Archives staff. At the time, the VA said the employees played a vital role in processing veterans claims for VA benefits and health care. At the National Personnel Records Center, 72 employees working on site contracted the coronavirus during the pandemic, the most recent case of which was this month. With the ongoing effects of the pandemic, oversight committee members asked Ferriero focus on digitizing records and improving telework. Ferriero acknowledged in a letter to Congress this month that digitizing records was important to eliminate the backlog. He said the agency would begin digitizing records in August. Mass digitization will significantly enhance the [National Personnel Records Center]s ability to process requests remotely in the unfortunate event of a pandemic resurgence, he wrote. Lawmakers said they believe funding through the Technology Modernization Fund would speed up the process. [The agency] has identified the need to digitize records as one of the biggest hurdles to addressing the backlog of veterans requests, lawmakers wrote. Although [the National Archives] has taken some steps to begin digitization, more significant action is needed to improve the agencys IT infrastructure. Dayna Rowe looks every inch a farmer as she drives up on her motorbike in her black singlet, shorts and gumboots. She could almost be auditioning for a female Fred Dagg, except for the exchange of the floppy hat for a safety helmet with Big Ds written on the front. As soon as she opens her mouth, however, Dayna sounds anything but bucolic. In fact, the 22-year-old comes across as wise beyond her years and extremely passionate about farming, the environment, animal care and rural communities. It is easy to see why the Pongakawa herd manager is all set to take on the role of farm manager this month. During her school years' Dayna found she was a natural on the stage, appearing in both dance and theatre productions as well as playing a role in the recording of an audiobook called They of Star. So upon leaving Te Puke High School it seemed like the right fit when Dayna began studying towards a Bachelor of Arts in Wellington majoring in Theatre Studies. However, after spending the 2018 summer break working as a farm assistant Dayna decided she would rather be stomping through paddocks than treading the boards, and that 1000 dairy cows made a pretty good captive audience. The milking shed makes a great place to sing your heart out, says Dayna. I stopped performing while riding on the motorbike for a while though after I got a wasp sting in my mouth. In the farming spotlight While farming, Dayna has still managed to make appearances in the limelight. She was named the New Zealand Diary Industry Awards BOP Dairy Trainee of the Year runner-up in 2020, and this year, after taking out the regional title, she became the national NZDIA Dairy Trainee runner-up. Dayna credits her employer, contract milker Thomas Chatfield, the 2013 New Zealand Dairy Trainee and 2016 New Zealand Dairy Manager of the Year, for entering the Dairy Industry Awards. Dayna describes the competitions as awesome but nerve wracking and says she learnt so much about herself and farming during the process. One of the topics Dayna says she continues to learn about is caring for the environment. I grew up being involved in conversations where I had to think deeper regarding our sustainability, says Dayna. Im excited for future generations of dairy farmers in New Zealand as I think we are extremely capable of facilitating conversations between the right parties to create a more cohesive plan for sustainable dairying. I plan to continue to be open-minded about what we can achieve and to help to encourage people to be part of the solution. Dayna is proud of how Rowe Farm has grown and developed over the years in a sustainable way. The farm was the first in the region to install covered stand-off pads that can shelter up to 1500 cows. The shelters use sand as the base, not the usual sawdust, to absorb all of the effluent the cows produce, thus preventing run-off. The sand comes from the dredging of the nearby Kaikokopu Canal and is replaced once a year when the old fertiliser-rich sand is spread on the paddocks. The farm is set on around 300ha of land with a high water table which has the advantage of having more moisture in summer than other land but being wetter in winter. Although the land is lined with ditches, and excess water is pumped into the nearby Wharere Canal, it is still prone to pugging so the cows are kept in the sandy-floored shelters between grazing. A love for animals Calving, which takes place during the winter months, is also carried out inside the shelters. Dayna explains that as well as being more pleasant for all involved calving in the sheds reduces calf death. It is quite common for cows to hold off calving until they are moved from outside into the shed, laughs Dayna. The farm also has a two metre high tank which holds 2.7 million litres of effluent from the dairy shed, says Dayna. So we can store the waste until the water table is low enough for us to spray it out to fertilise the paddocks. As well as where the environment is concerned Dayna feels modern farmers have an unjustified bad reputation when it comes to animal welfare. All the farmers I know live and work in the country precisely because they love animals and try to do the best by them. Even before she has taken on the role of manager, Dayna has already been integral in the decision to use LIC sexed semen this calving season. Although it is more expensive, this type of AI [artificial insemination] avoids the bobby calf issue with only heifer kiwicross calves being born. Pru, a retired cattle-farm dog that Dayna has adopted, is further testimony to her animal welfare philosophy. The life of a beef and sheep farm dog is a lot harder than that of a dog on a dairy farm and these dogs are usually retired around 8 years-old the equivalent of 60 years-old in human years, explains Dayna. She admits to spoiling the old dog including helping her up on to the motorbike and letting her on the bed. Empowering women Another thing Dayna is a strong advocate for is empowering more young women to work on the land. Farming used to be a male-dominated field, maybe because they thought more strength was needed? But today its okay for women to be strong and the industry is hungry for intelligent individuals and people who are good at managing animals and staff. To encourage other young women into employment in the primary industries Dayna is set to speak at an event organised by Rural Women NZ on Empowering Rural Women to be held on October 15 at the WBOP District Council premises on Cameron Rd. The morning event, which will also include an address by the Minister for Women Jan Tinetti, will coincide with International Rural Womens Day. For more information visit www.facebook.com/rwnz.rimanui.5 or email rwnztauranga@gmail.com. People hoping to be vaccinated have been left confused by the Ministry of Healths national BookMyVaccine system, after it told them there were no vaccination centres in their cities. The Ministry says the message will change on Wednesday when the system is officially launched. Auckland-based customer service representative Felicity Cook says she was amped to find out she was eligible to be vaccinated last week, after receiving a text message invitation to book. However, when she tried to make the booking, the booking system told her there were no vaccination centres within 75km that have upcoming availability. The message then provided the Covid-19 vaccination help line, which was launched last week. Originally from Rotorua, the 22-year-old customer service representative is in Covid-19 vaccine Group 3 and is enrolled with a GP in Auckland. "Seeing a message saying there are no places to get vaccinated within 75km of me made me really confused. Why send a message out if I cant even get it done? And it also makes it look like a lie because there are obviously places in Auckland vaccinating people. She tried again on Monday to book but received the same message. She didnt try calling the 0800 Covid-19 vaccination help line number provided. I dont really have time to sit on hold on the phone with work etcetera at the moment, so just thought Id wait until things worked. Cook says she thought the vaccine roll out had been good overall, saying she acknowledged it was not the sort of thing that would happen in five seconds. I know I am going to get the vaccine at some stage and that doesnt have to be today. She says Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins and the Government have been great in the roll out of the vaccine and handling of Covid-19. Slow and steady wins the race, and as a country we are lucky to be in a position where we [can] afford to be a bit slower in the roll out and take caution with it. Screenshot of the messages received by people in Rotorua and Auckland. Photo / Screencap Rotorua resident Donna Burns encountered a similar message on Friday when she attempted to book her vaccine at Rotoruas central mall. Burns is in Group 2, with kidney failure and cancer. She claims she tried to book by calling the vaccination help line and was on hold for half an hour before she gave up. She ended up getting vaccinated at Rotorua's Central Mall vaccination centre. Burns describes the booking system as really difficult and was concerned other people might give up, forget to follow up and not get the vaccine. "It shouldn't be [hard] but it is. I'd hate for it to put people off. "We're putting so much money and investment into advertising for the vaccine, and there's enough crap around it, with people being dubious about it ... and some people are trying to do the right thing for the good of the community. Let's make it easy. There should be no hurdles for people who want to do the right thing." National Party Covid-19 spokesman Chris Bishop says the situation is all pretty shambolic and disappointing. Weve been told for many weeks now that the national booking system is under way and rolling out. This is yet more evidence the system is not actually really working as it should. Its pretty simple, if you click on a link to say book your vaccine, it should bring up the places where you can get vaccinated near to you. He says something has gone wrong in the booking system and he believes it's because the system is not functionally under way, when weve been told it is. "I get very concerned about how vulnerable New Zealand is to the [Covid-19] Delta variant because so few people are vaccinated." Screenshot of the messages received by people in Rotorua and Auckland. Photo / Screencap. He says the vaccination help line is good as a backup, but the system will get overloaded if a lot of people used it. We should have confidence in the online booking system and its just frustrating that its obviously not working properly yet. Ministry of Health Covid-19 vaccine and immunisation programme group manager - operations Astrid Koornneef says to date, district health boards (DHBs) have been managing booking invitations. "Some of these utilise the Ministrys online booking system but use local codes that enable bookings to be made only at vaccination centres in their district. This will change when we launch BookMyVaccine as the national booking tool on July 28. In the meantime, if someone in Group 3 would like to book a vaccination outside of their DHB area, the Covid Vaccination Healthline will be able to assist them. She says people could call the number - 0800 28 29 26 - between 8am and 8pm daily. Koornneef says the call centre is "very busy" over the weekend taking calls from people wanting to make a booking, which means longer waiting times for some as demand peaked. "For this reason, we ask people to please be patient and kind as the team at the national call centre is working hard to book people in Group 3 and answer their questions about vaccination. "Anyone who called and had difficulty making a booking is encouraged to call back." The Healthline received 37,873 calls from Friday to Sunday and 145,615 bookings were made in the new national booking system, she said. "We are on track to give every eligible New Zealander the opportunity to book their vaccination by the end of the year." Lakes DHB chief operating officer Alan Wilson says the Ministry of Health has implemented the national booking system and call centre a few weeks ago and is responsible for all bookings across the country. Any issues around bookings should be more appropriately directed to them. Having said that, our understanding is this message relates to using a code from another area of New Zealand. People are assigned a code for the area in which they are registered with a GP, and this code is not able to be used for another area. It only applies to the national online booking system and does not mean a person cannot book in another area, which they can do by phone. Codes are specific to DHBs and not to the district they live in, which means a person who may live in Taupo can now book for Rotorua and vice versa. Cook used a code when she attempted to make her booking. Burns did not. Wilson says the DHB appreciates people might move and contact details might change, which was why being able to book by phone was another option and one that we would recommend people use. Lakes is at 98 per cent of its projected rollout by July 18, he says. Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins is on leave and not available for comment. The Ministry of Health was approached for further clarification. Pop-up hepatitis C testing clinics are being set up across Aotearoa New Zealand on World Hepatitis Day tomorrow, to make it quick and easy for at risk Kiwis to get tested for the virus. Around 45,000 New Zealanders are living with hepatitis C. However, due to symptoms often not appearing for many years, half of them may be unaware they have it, says a statement from the Ministry of Health. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus that attacks the liver and can lead to cancer. The virus is a major public health threat in New Zealand. Around 1000 people contract hepatitis C every year and 200 people die from it. Hepatitis C is the leading cause of liver transplantation in New Zealand and the second leading cause of liver cancer (behind hepatitis B). There is now a highly effective treatment that can cure up to 98 per cent of those with chronic hepatitis C, but to achieve elimination we must ensure that everyone who has the virus is diagnosed so they can receive this treatment. At risk people include those who have ever injected drugs, received a tattoo or body piercing using un-sterile equipment, received medical treatment in a high-risk country, had a blood transfusion before 1992 or been born to a mother with hepatitis C. World Hepatitis Day will also see the launch of the National Hepatitis C Action Plan for Aotearoa New Zealand which focuses on awareness raising, prevention, testing and treatment of hepatitis C. The Action Plan will be published on the Ministry of Health website on World Hepatitis Day 28 July 2021. Pop-up clinics Refer to the Ministrys website for details of the pup-up testing clinics which will be open from Wednesday. Anyone who is at risk can also arrange a test through their GP. For 43-year-old Dennis Young, living with Left Hemiparesis can have its challenges. I am paralysed down the left-hand side of my body; it affects my walk, I cant run as fast, I cant stretch my left arm out, and I havent got as good a grip on that side either. But that hasnt stopped him from pursuing his passion for sailing and giving back to other sailors with disabilities by volunteering at Sailability Tauranga. Dennis joined Sailability Tauranga when it was first established back in 2017 after hearing about the charity from a friend. I had done a bit of sailing at Sea Scouts and school sailing, so I thought I would give it a go. I started out sailing in the Hansa boat with an experienced sailing skipper and then progressed to sailing by myself. Now I attend regattas and have been to many all over the country, including competing in the Hansa National Champs. I really enjoy the challenge, and youre racing against able-bodied people at these competitions as well. While he has progressed in his sailing, he is also using his knowledge and skills to help other sailors feel the freedom and exhilaration of being out on the water. When I started sailing, I ended up staying after and doing bits and pieces, whatever I could help out with. Then they said I could become an official volunteer, and Ive been doing it ever since. I enjoy volunteering and get so much out of it. I do all sorts of things. I help out on the Patrol Boats, towing the Hansas in and out to the open water. As a dockhand, I tie up the boats to the dock, help people hop in and off the boats, and I also do a lot of the hoisting of people from wheelchairs into the boat with a special hoist we have. Ive even progressed to teaching now. We had a training day a couple of months ago, and I did two of the courses teaching other volunteers how to rig the boats and doing a hoisting demonstration. Dennis Young. Dennis also volunteers his time as the Sailor Representative on the Operations Committee for Sailability Tauranga, meeting once a month to discuss improvements, safety and boat repairs. He says sailing and volunteering is a pretty big part of his life, one that he gets a lot out of. One week I was down here five or six days, as there were heaps of things on like a regatta and meetings. I have sailed 90 times as a sailor, and Ive volunteered at 75 sailing days. Sailing helps with my coordination and strength, making me use some things that I dont usually use. And Ive always loved being out on and around the water. I am a bit of a wildlife fan, so Ill be checking out the wildlife when Im sailing Ive had sharks as big as the boat jump in front of me, I check out the birds, and we have even seen orcas one time. But its not just being out on the water. I enjoy catching up with everybody here, too after coming for a while, Ive gotten to know quite a few people. And when Im volunteering, theres nothing better than when the sailors come back with the biggest smiles on their faces. Alistair Eagleson, Sailability Tauranga Chairman, says volunteers like Dennis are key to their work. We all feel so proud to see Dennis progress with Sailability Tauranga. He is an outstanding volunteer, regularly contributing in various roles. Volunteers are vital for our organisation as we continue to grow. Sailing days require at least 20 volunteers. A group of seven sailors, who also race like Dennis, and each having some disability, give back by regularly volunteering. Volunteering with Sailability Tauranga is an enjoyable and rewarding activity for those interested in working with people with some form of a disability. Alistair says the charity provides opportunities for people in the community who have a disability to regularly have fun and adventures, enjoying time out on our harbour. What a difference this can make to someones life, because for many of our sailors, sailing with Sailability Tauranga is their first boating experience. We are guided by the sailors giving us some direction whether they like having time out on the water just having sailing experiences, or if they have other goals they are encouraged to become involved in sailing the boat while learning to sail and maybe learning to race. Sailing experiences build self-confidence and a sense of pride in achievements, sometimes sailing with an experienced sailing skipper or extending to learning to sail independently or even learning to race. Sailors want to sail regularly if its possible. On sailing days, we can offer a sail for up to 40 sailors in summer and 30 sailors in winter. Sailing day bookings are usually oversubscribed, but we are motivated to increase the opportunities to sail by promoting Sailability Tauranga activities through organisations in the community. Dennis using the hoist to help get a wheelchair user into the Hansa boat. With Sailability Taurangas growth, it was in need of a new patrol boat a vital piece of equipment that ensures the safety of sailors and volunteers is not compromised. In April 2021, TECT approved $14,000 in funding towards the charitys new rigid inflatable boat (RIB). Alistair says suitable RIBs are required for towing the Hansa yachts to and from the marina as well as monitoring the Hansas in the sailing area. Conditions for sailing on Tauranga Harbour can be changeable and challenging with strong tides and wind conditions that can change quickly. The new RIB will be the largest Sailability Tauranga RIB with the capability of coping comfortably in a range of conditions, especially those in the higher wind range. With TECT supporting Sailability Tauranga since 2018 with funding towards yachts and patrol boats, Alistair says they are greatly appreciative. Obtaining funding for any voluntary organisation can be time-consuming, and the cost of the purchase of yachts and patrol boats is significant. The consistent support TECT has provided for Sailability Tauranga has been outstanding, allowing volunteers to focus on extending the sailing opportunities we can provide for people living in our community with some form of disability. TECTs ongoing support is an endorsement of the opportunities we offer anyone in our community living with a disability. We feel that with TECTs support, we are making a difference by providing opportunities for the disabled population of Western Bay of Plenty to sail in safety, experiencing adventure and freedom. To learn more about Sailability Tauranga, visit https://www.sporty.co.nz/sailabilitytauranga. The Ministry of Health is reporting one new Covid-19 case in managed isolation today. In a statement released this afternoon, the MOH says there are zero community cases to report. Two previously reported cases have now recovered. The number of active cases in New Zealand is 52. "A previously reported case, from South Africa who arrived on July 15, has now been reclassified as historical," says an MOH spokesperson. "A case we reported on Sunday who arrived from the USA on 12 July, has been reclassified as under investigation and has been removed from our confirmed cases tally." Since January 1, there have been 109 historical cases, out of a total of 690 cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases detected at the border is six. The total number of confirmed cases is 2507. New border cases in New Zealand Arrival date From Via Positive test day/reason Managed isolation/ quarantine location 22 July Full travel history still to be determined Singapore Day 3 / routine Auckland Taranaki Testing Daily sampling from the New Plymouth wastewater treatment plant will continue for the next week to determine whether there are any undetected cases in the city, says an MOH spokesperson. "Further test samples have also been collected from sites around the region. "Latest wastewater test results from a 24 hour period between Saturday and Sunday, from 6 sites, show no further virus has been detected. "Local PCR testing in Taranaki remains steady with around 300 swabs taken yesterday. It's pleasing to see these numbers increasing." The Ministry is continuing to encourage anyone in Taranaki with symptoms to be tested. The Ministry is also recommending that any recent arrivals from Australia, who have symptoms, also get tested, and anyone who has recently been in Australia who is now in Taranaki to get tested even if they dont have symptoms. "Additional testing capacity remains open in New Plymouth to support potential demand. "People who have recently been in Australia should continue to check the State websites for locations of interest as new locations of interest continue to be identified." Anyone with symptoms consistent with Covid-19 should call Healthline (0800 358 5453) for advice on getting a test. For Taranaki testing locations please visit the Taranaki DHB website. For a list of all testing locations nationwide visit the Healthpoint website. Mattina Update There has been no change since the update provided on Sunday on MS Mattina, says the MOH. "The ship remains in quarantine in Bluff and is inaccessible by the public. "Every safety precaution has been taken to ensure the public health risk, which has been deemed low, remains that way." Playa Zahara The crew of the Playa Zahara are now all recovered and no one remains onshore in managed isolation. The MOH says the fishing vessel remains in quarantine at Lyttelton Port. Deep cleaning on the vessel was carried out on Friday and the vessel is expected to depart tomorrow. Viking Bay Fourteen of the 20 crew members are now back aboard the Viking Bay, which remains in quarantine at Queens Wharf in Wellington. Six of the crew members remain in managed isolation in Wellington. Rolling average of cases "Recently we have been reporting a higher daily rolling average of cases now at six," says the MOH. "This is largely as a result of the confirmed cases among mariners from the Viking Bay, Playa Zahara and Mattina. This increase in reported cases at the border serves as a reminder that many countries are continuing to see surges in cases. "The last time we had a similar average rate was in mid-April. "It remains important we keep ourselves and our whanau happy, healthy and safe. "We can do that by getting vaccinated when invited to do so; staying home when sick; practising basic hygiene; wearing a face covering on public transport and flights; and getting a test if you have symptoms." Testing The total number of Covid-19 tests processed by laboratories to date is 2,445,710. On Monday, 4059 tests were processed across New Zealand. The seven-day rolling average is 5781. For all testing locations nationwide visit the Healthpoint website. NZ Covid Tracer NZ Covid Tracer now has 2,906,245 registered users. Poster scans have reached 312,842,853 and users have created 12,245,118 manual diary entries. There have been 509,610 scans in the last 24 hours to midday yesterday. "If youre already a regular app user: thank you. Your efforts are helping New Zealands response to Covid-19 and making contact tracing easier," says the MOH. "We can all help keep New Zealand Covid-19 free by using the NZ Covid Tracer App to scan QR codes and turning on Bluetooth tracing in the app.or by keeping a private digital diary of where youve been." Former NZ First MP Fletcher Tabuteau has thrown his hat in the 2022 Rotorua mayoralty ring after mayor Steve Chadwick confirmed she will not be standing again. Tabuteau is unlikely to run unopposed, however, with sitting councillor Raj Kumar also confirming he will make a bid for the mayoral chains. Fellow councillor Reynold Macpherson says he may or may not run for the mayoralty. Speaking to Local Democracy Reporting on Tuesday afternoon, Tabuteau, who was ousted from Parliament in the 2020 general election, confirmed he plans on running job, responding: yes, absolutely. He says he intends to spend the next year door knocking and talking to organisations and businesses, finding out what the people of Rotorua want. Its important we have a vision we all agree on that tells our story not just to ourselves, but to the rest of the world. Fletcher Tabuteau. Photo / NZME Asked if he has anything in mind of the first things he would do if elected, he says he wouldnt be so presumptuous. Im honoured to put my hat in the ring. Councillor Raj Kumar says he believes he has something to offer as the mayor of Rotorua and said he wouldnt double-dip by running for the mayoralty as well as for a seat at the table as a councillor. Formerly a member of lobby group Rotorua Residents and Ratepayers, Kumar said he would run as an independent candidate. Rotorua district councillor Raj Kumar. Photo / NZME. Of Chadwicks retirement as mayor, Kumar said good for her. Theres always a time for change. A time for fresh ideas, different ideas to deal with some of the beasts weve got. If youre there forever, youre a road blocker. Former mayoral candidate Reynold Macpherson, a sitting councillor who is also the chairman of Rotorua Residents and Ratepayers, said the group would be meeting on August 12 for its quarterly meeting, and candidates for the mayoralty, councillor and community board roles would be decided then. I may or may not be running. Its an intensely democratic process. I will rely on the judgment of our members. Rotorua district councillor Reynold Macpherson. Photo / NZME. Chadwick confirmed she would not be running again on Tuesday afternoon. I always said I would give it three terms as mayor and that hasnt changed," she says. We are more than a year out from the next election and there is still a massive amount of work to do before then. I am committed to continuing to put my energy into delivering the work programme we have set out, to deliver the outcomes our community needs thats where my focus will be between now and the next election. Deputy mayor Dave Donaldson confirmed he would not be running for mayor. I wont be having a crack at it, thats for sure. He says he has mixed feelings about Chadwick hanging up the mayoral chains. Its been an absolute privilege to work alongside and support her in a I think wonderful period but also very challenging period for Rotorua. Its been extremely satisfying. I think we made great progress as a city and district. He says he thought her mayoralty would be remembered for its visionary leadership, particularly the implementation of the Te Arawa partnership. It caused a bit of controversy but on balance its been tremendously positive for the district. Rotorua district councillor Merepeka Raukawa-Tait. Photo / NZME. Councillor Merepeka Raukawa-Tait says she will not be standing for mayor, despite being asked to by several people. She says she's disappointed Chadwick wouldn't run for a fourth term, as she felt Rotorua is grappling with a lot of issues both socially and in terms of unfinished projects that need her leadership. "We do require fearless leadership and Stevie will listen but she will not be bullied ... She does not tolerate bullying either around the table or outside of the council chambers." Raukawa-Tait says she's concerned a new mayor and council could "buckle" to public pressure of a "certain few" who believed "their views should be given priority". "I don't know who might be interested in the job next year but without a fearless leader we could go back to what we had in council ... years ago - no vision, no growth and a council who saw no value in engaging with Te Arawa. Stale leadership is a thing of the past ... We lost a whole decade because of poor councillors who lacked the vision that Stevie [Chadwick] has shown." She says Chadwick is not a leader who believes in popularity contests. "Everyone tends to want to be liked and that's not Stevie's style." In relation to Tabuteau's decision to stand for mayor, she congratulates him for putting his hand up and said it followed a trend of retired MPs or MPs "who had been put out to retirement" who were now getting involved in local government. "I don't know him well but I gather he was highly regarded in Wellington but to be honest I don't know how well he is linked locally." Rotorua MP Todd McClay says he will not be swapping his central government role for the mayoralty saying he feels there is too much work to do in Wellington on behalf of Rotorua constituents. "We need to get someone who knows our city well and will focus our council to the things that matter to ratepayers. People have been contacting me concerned their rates have raised by 16 per cent and our increasing levels of debt. We need a council that can balance what the priorities are against what is affordable." McClay says he hopes whoever the new mayor is, that they will see the homeless issue as being significant. "I want to see debated the significant harm that is being done to Rotorua because the Government is using it as a dumping ground for its homeless problem." McClay says he knows Chadwick well and she has served Rotorua in different capacities for more than 40 years. "I wish her well in her retirement." Councillor Mercia Yates says she's considering her options and will decide about whether to stand for mayor after the representation review has been completed. In May, long-standing councillor Trevor Maxwell confirmed he would run in the next election for his last term. He has been a councillor since 1977 and also served as deputy mayor. Highest-polling candidate for councillor in the last election Tania Tapsell could not be reached for comment. *Additional reporting by Kelly Makiha. Do you already have a paid subscription to any of the SWNewsMedia newspapers? If so, you can Activate your Premium online account by clicking here. Activation will allow you to view unlimited online articles each month. To activate your Premium online account, the email address and phone number provided with your paid newspaper subscription needs to match the information you use in setting up your online user account. If you are having trouble or want to confirm what email address and phone number is listed on your subscription account, please call 952-345-6682 or email circulation@swpub.com and we'll be happy to assist. Thank you for Reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and Purchase a Subscription to continue reading. Aravind_M92 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: MAA-BOM-DEL-THN Posts: 79 Thanked: 135 Times Re: Experience with traffic police in different cities! Anyways cut to chase, me and my friends were on a food hunt ( Bussy Street if I remember correctly). Well a car is quite easy to spot being the odd one out. And that too with a group of college guys made us a completely oblivious choice to stop. Then the following conversation took place between my friend (F) and the cop (C) C : are you all drunk? F. No sir. Sober and hungry, looking out for a new place to eat C: Licence? F: *hands him over* C : Insurance and RC book F : *hands him over* C: the names don't match. Who's car is this? F: This is my dad's car and he's given it to me for my use here C: so that you can roam around get drunk and spoil your family's reputation F : *confused* sir we were only looking for a place to eat. What's that got to do with this? C : Well whatever happens to you is your family issue. To clarify do you have a written letter from your parents to have you allowed to drive their car? F : *even more confused* Sir to drive arround, I believe that is not required. And I believe all my papers are in order. And even have documented proof that this indeed is my father's car which hasn't been transferred to my name! C : since you don't have a letter, you'll have to pay fine of 100. F : Will you give me a challan stating that I've to pay fine only because I don't have a permission letter from my parents? C: Well I'm sorry, I can't give you that. F : I too am sorry sir, being a college student I'm broke and we use cards for transction and barely carry physical cash. It's to ensure my parents keep track of my expenditure as well C: How much you have? F : *looks at all of our broke as**es* and *we all ravage our pockets for money* and * collectively bring out a lumpsum amount of 45!* Sir we only have 45 C : I'll take that and let this be a lesson for you F : If you'd told all you needed was money in the first place, we would've be gone for good! (Well that wasn't said out loud. We were baffled and quite astounded by the extent to which people droop down to make money. Well every penny counts) Another encounter was in the streets of Bombay ( well I still call it that) The cops in Bombay are a complete contrast to the ones I met Pondy. They completely acknowledge if the fault was deliberate or accidental. And yes, being courteous helps. Just like the people of Bombay This one's in Delhi. And Delhi being Delhi. Cops actually don't intervene with anything on the road. The cameras do all the work. One small mistake, a camera pops out of nowhere. The very evening there's a challan on the e-parivahan portal! Well I do believe Delhi TPs achieve much more that the set target of challans. And yes, spares the hassles of 'tu jaanta nahi mera baap kaun hai!' Madras ( I'm not calling the city Chennai) is quite a weird encounter. The TPs don't bother the general public unless it's the months end or the driver did something actually reckless. It's a total different scene for commercial vehicles. Coimbatore (not the Kongu naadu) is a mix and on the path to modernization. No-one goes uncaught here. The TPs have made people to stick to rules very well. All my experiences have been with a car. I barely used two wheelers for commutes more than 5kms. We'll both the car and scooter I use were purchased at the same time. The car has clocked 50k kms while the scooter has just completed 3k kms! Some cops are good too. These have been my encounters. I found TPs from Bombay to be very friendly and accomodating. And yes, being a doctor does have some perks on the road! My UG days were in Pondy. And Pondy at that time was an ocean of two wheelers with few cars here and there. Now the scene has changed completely. Clearly can feel the congestion there!Anyways cut to chase, me and my friends were on a food hunt ( Bussy Street if I remember correctly). Well a car is quite easy to spot being the odd one out. And that too with a group of college guys made us a completely oblivious choice to stop. Then the following conversation took place between my friend (F) and the cop (C)C : are you all drunk?F. No sir. Sober and hungry, looking out for a new place to eatC: Licence?F: *hands him over*C : Insurance and RC bookF : *hands him over*C: the names don't match. Who's car is this?F: This is my dad's car and he's given it to me for my use hereC: so that you can roam around get drunk and spoil your family's reputationF : *confused* sir we were only looking for a place to eat. What's that got to do with this?C : Well whatever happens to you is your family issue. To clarify do you have a written letter from your parents to have you allowed to drive their car?F : *even more confused* Sir to drive arround, I believe that is not required. And I believe all my papers are in order. And even have documented proof that this indeed is my father's car which hasn't been transferred to my name!C : since you don't have a letter, you'll have to pay fine of 100.F : Will you give me a challan stating that I've to pay fine only because I don't have a permission letter from my parents?C: Well I'm sorry, I can't give you that.F : I too am sorry sir, being a college student I'm broke and we use cards for transction and barely carry physical cash. It's to ensure my parents keep track of my expenditure as wellC: How much you have?F : *looks at all of our broke as**es* and *we all ravage our pockets for money* and * collectively bring out a lumpsum amount of 45!*Sir we only have 45C : I'll take that and let this be a lesson for youF : If you'd told all you needed was money in the first place, we would've be gone for good! (Well that wasn't said out loud. We were baffled and quite astounded by the extent to which people droop down to make money. Well every penny counts)Another encounter was in the streets of Bombay ( well I still call it that) The cops in Bombay are a complete contrast to the ones I met Pondy. They completely acknowledge if the fault was deliberate or accidental. And yes, being courteous helps. Just like the people of BombayThis one's in Delhi. And Delhi being Delhi. Cops actually don't intervene with anything on the road. The cameras do all the work. One small mistake, a camera pops out of nowhere. The very evening there's a challan on the e-parivahan portal! Well I do believe Delhi TPs achieve much more that the set target of challans. And yes, spares the hassles of 'tu jaanta nahi mera baap kaun hai!'Madras ( I'm not calling the city Chennai) is quite a weird encounter. The TPs don't bother the general public unless it's the months end or the driver did something actually reckless. It's a total different scene for commercial vehicles.Coimbatore (not the Kongu naadu) is a mix and on the path to modernization. No-one goes uncaught here. The TPs have made people to stick to rules very well.All my experiences have been with a car. I barely used two wheelers for commutes more than 5kms. We'll both the car and scooter I use were purchased at the same time. The car has clocked 50k kms while the scooter has just completed 3k kms!Some cops are good too. These have been my encounters. I found TPs from Bombay to be very friendly and accomodating. And yes, being a doctor does have some perks on the road! Last edited by Aravind_M92 : 27th July 2021 at 11:20 . Murugan BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 379 Thanked: 241 Times BS6 Diesels: DPF clogging issues if driven just in the city? Have any of your diesel BS6 engine cars given you any inconvenience due to DPF (diesel particulate filter) clogging, and if yes, how did you solve it? Could you mention the name(s) of the diesel BS-6 car(s)? Could you also mention the distance and duration of your usual short and long drives inside town/ city, and how often and for what distance and duration you drive on the highways regularly as part of your travel? Do you recommend a petrol or electric car to avoid this potential nuisance in diesel BS-VI cars if yes, for which category of users and for which type of vehicles (viz. hatchback, sedan, crossover, MUV, SUV etc.)? Kindly provide any other information that could help in a trouble-free drive of diesel BS VI cars to help me and other buyers. My personal dilemma is whether I should buy a diesel BS6 Toyota Fortuner 4X2 AT or a hardly ever purchased, at least in Chennai and Bengaluru, petrol 4X2 automatic version (I am told that in some years they have not sold even one petrol Fortuner at dealerships in Chennai and Bengaluru!), considering that my primary use is inside Chennai with travel up to 10 kms at a time, and highway travel limited to only 3 to 4 times a year, totaling about 5000 to 10,000 kilometers in a year. We are currently using a petrol Hyundai Creta automatic (torque converter) and a petrol Toyota Corolla Altis manual transmission which is more than 11 years old, and hence considering a replacement for the latter. Looking at the Fortuner from the 5-star crash test rating safety aspect, reliability (of the Toyota brand and the torque converter AT), SUV feel etc. We got to drive only the diesel 4X4 automatic and manual versions in 4X2 mode and enjoyed driving both, but do not know how the petrol AT drives since no dealer in Chennai or Bengaluru had a petrol Fortuner AT for test drive. Also, since hardly any petrol Fortuner is sold, we are concerned about the availability of spares, expertise in carrying out repairs, resale value etc. of a petrol Fortuner. What percentage of Toyota Fortuners sold in India are diesel and what percentage are petrol? Last edited by Murugan : 25th July 2021 at 12:22 . Reason: Removed poll options from main text. t2k4 BHPian Join Date: May 2016 Location: Chandigarh Posts: 90 Thanked: 324 Times Re: New or used car for 25 lakhs | Which one should I buy? Quote: GTO Originally Posted by 1 - 1.5 lakhs a year average. If you are fine with that, I would strongly recommend a pre-owned C-Class or 3-Series to you. Think of that 1 - 1 .5 lakhs maintenance a year as "satisfy the petrolhead in me" money. I wish Honda had continued investing in the Accord in India, their V6 was another masterclass. Accord is an almost a full-size luxury saloon with the capability to generate driver delight - the CBU route killed it. Quote: GTO Originally Posted by More options = used Kodiaq / Octavia / Superb / Passat. Get a 2 - 3 year old car, extend the warranty to 6 years and its almost zero risk. Quote: hserus Originally Posted by Dont worry about Ford part availability. Endeavour is a global model so parts wont be in short supply. I got myself a 2018 Endeavour Titanium variant instead of an A6. Just finding clean examples that havent been abused or messed up with additional installations such as locally installed aux lights, snorkels etc will take a bit of work. One thing I have discovered so far (given this will be, if it happens, our first-ever pre-worshipped purchase) is that there is no standardization of kms-driven vs price asked. It's all over the place. 3.2-spec is in short supply and people are asking almost Fortuner-level value for it. Endeavours are also more likely to have been modified significantly. Finding it hard, at the moment, to identify direct contact with sellers - it's all through dealers, which compounds matters. Quote: CEF_Beasts Originally Posted by https://Youtu.be/gfBA1HjG9aY This is one such case I came across: Quote: Bibendum90949 Originally Posted by Considering your penchant for SUV/crossover and the mentioned budget, a pre worshipped Kodiaq TDI would fit the bill. Try and find one with extended warranty intact and you would not be disappointed. It's a great car. Quote: Asoon Originally Posted by Given your inclination towards SUVs & the budget flexibility following options come to my mind, sharing my take on these cars - Tucson (Diesel) : This would be my pick, you already have Hyundai ownership experience, Tucson is superupgrade from Creta. Great combination of comfort, feature, and road presence. I think Tucson perfectly suits your requirement. I'd buy a Tucson in a second if we didn't have one in the family already. Not that I drive it / own it, but still, repeating a car that we often get to see in the family is not the first preference. Price-wise, it's approachable. Quote: fourwheels Originally Posted by Cut a long story short, went for a pre-owned GLC 220d (1.5 years old) and the heart hasn't stopped smiling since. I still look back at her each time i park her and whenever i drive her, she never fails to make me smile. . . . Good luck finding what works for you. Its a fun decision. Thank you, everyone, who has chimed-in so far.In our extended family, there is an Audi A4 2.0T Petrol, from 2010 if memory serves right. It is, by far, the most fun car I have ever driven. Triple digits on the speedometer come up before one bothers to sneak a peak at the console. Sadly, only the Germans can bring such a gem of an engine to our shores. And, the relation who owns it also talks about ownership costs often, which over a period of time has given shape to my opinion (and fostered fear of a German car ownership).I wish Honda had continued investing in the Accord in India, their V6 was another masterclass. Accord is an almost a full-size luxury saloon with the capability to generate driver delight - the CBU route killed it.Kodiaq is a lovely car - the high ground clearance, monocoque setup, European aesthetics & mannerism - there's much to like. I haven't seen a pre-worshipped one on sale in Chandigarh yet.Congratulations! Sorry, I don't know when you got the Endeavour but wishing you happy miles with your purchase.One thing I have discovered so far (given this will be, if it happens, our first-ever pre-worshipped purchase) is that there is no standardization of kms-driven vs price asked. It's all over the place. 3.2-spec is in short supply and people are asking almost Fortuner-level value for it. Endeavours are also more likely to have been modified significantly. Finding it hard, at the moment, to identify direct contact with sellers - it's all through dealers, which compounds matters.Wow! Thank you for sharing. This is very jarring. It's not that the cars were repaired or heavily driven - they are cars, they will accrue damage and are meant to ignite the tar. It's the blatant lies and deceptive behavior to take an unsuspecting buyer for a ride, that's what makes one wonder if it's worth going the pre-worshipped purchase route. As the vlogger said - if it's too good to be true, it probably is.Fingers crossed! We haven't seen one listed so far.We love Tucson. My Dad drives one. Whenever I've planted my bums on the comfy driver's seat of Tucson and pressed the smallest foot pedal of the lineup, it generates a positive vibe. The 2.0 diesel is a very capable engine and well mated to Hyundai's torque-converting AT.I'd buy a Tucson in a second if we didn't have one in the family already. Not that I drive it / own it, but still, repeating a car that we often get to see in the family is not the first preference. Price-wise, it's approachable.Thank you and congratulations on the purchase. If you'd like to, please share a bit more about this engine and the car's characteristics. Drexel University's online computer science programs are designed to prepare you for work on the cutting edge of technology. The curriculum is designed for students with any level of experience or previous knowledge. Choose the program that's right for you. Learn More. Microsoft quietly edited a document on its website over the weekend to reveal its planning to end support for Windows 10 Home and Pro on October 14, 2025. The revelation comes just before Microsofts Whats Next Windows event scheduled for June 24 and amidst hints from CEO Satya Nadella that a major new version of Windows is in the wings. Windows 10 was originally released in 2015, so 2025 would be in the typical 10-year time frame Microsoft allots to supporting an operating system version. A new version of Windows could be Microsofts way of stoking a PC market made hot by the pandemic. With more people working remotely, and likely to continue to do so in the future, there may be increased interest in replacing existing PCs or acquiring new PCs, and a new major release of an operating system can keep people interested in new hardware, observed Michael Cherry, a Windows analyst at Directions on Microsoft, an independent IT advisory service focused exclusively on Microsoft based in Kirkland, Wash. But it requires compelling features, such as improvements to security or enabling a new class of applications to really drive momentum to change an OS, he told TechNewsWorld. It cannot merely be change for the sake of change. Windows by Any Other Name In the old days, the name of the next version of Windows would be simple: Windows 11. But when Windows 10 was introduced, Microsoft declared it would be the last version with a number. Thats led to speculation about whether Microsoft will drop Windows as the name for its operating system. I wouldnt be surprised if they did. Its probably time for a branding update, Jim McGregor, founder and principal analyst at Tirias Research, a high-tech research and advisory firm in Phoenix, told TechNewsWorld. Since there is significant value in the Windows trademark, Cherry believes Microsoft will retain it in some form. They could possibly benefit from just dropping the 10, and making Windows the sole name of the OS, with some other name or code name designating a particular release or version, he said. Apple did that when it ditched OS X and went to macOS. Versions of macOS are designated by place names, like Sierra and Monterey. Keep in mind, that there are versions Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10 and editions Home, Pro, and Enterprise to keep the naming more confusing than it needs to be, he added. It would be great if they would drop the editions, but editions are used to create a feature and pricing differential, he added. Paying for Windows? Pricing could be an issue for the new Windows. Microsoft has retained the same business model because its been a cash cow, but as Microsoft moves on toward more cloud services, their model has been changing, so its not surprising to see their Windows model change as well, observed McGregor. I would try to roll it into a package where it includes other products, he suggested. So youre not just paying for Windows. Youre paying for Office and a bunch of other apps. Youre paying for a suite, much like you pay for cable TV today, he continued. You get a whole bunch of crap you dont want, but if you want cable, youre going to pay the monthly fee. I would be surprised if that isnt what ends up happening. If the OS is preinstalled on a PC, then the cost of the OS is built into the purchase price, Cherry explained. For people who have an existing device, capable of running the new OS, then it becomes a function of whether the intent is to spur new sales of the OS, or keep people on an OS versus switching to a competing OS, he said. Likely there will be some mix of free to people who are on a currently supported version, and potentially a cost for laggards who are not on a currently supported version, he added. Windows Subscription Service Although Microsoft will continue to charge PC makers who preinstall Windows on their machines because that remains a significant source of revenue to Microsoft, chances are upgrades to the new OS will be free, maintained Ross Rubin, the principal analyst at Reticle Research, a consumer technology advisory firm in New York City. Even the fee for preinstalling the OS may be averted in some cases. For example, Microsoft waived the fee for installing Windows on tablets in an attempt to cut into the iPad market. It wouldnt be surprising if there were a fee waiver for certain PC designs that were more Chromebook-like, Rubin told TechNewsWorld. He added that Microsoft might try a hybrid approach to pricing the new OS. Microsoft has a lot of versions of Windows home, professional, enterprise so a possibility is they could make a baseline version of Windows available for free and if you want more capability, then they would charge you for that, he said. Since many companies, including Microsoft, have become obsessed with charging monthly fees for software, might that be a pricing alternative for the new Windows? It would be very difficult for them to compete against Apple and Google, if they forced a subscription fee just for Windows, Rubin asserted. Flexible Sunset Although the official sunset date for Windows 10 is in October 2025, there may be some wiggle room in that deadline. After a Windows version is officially retired, they usually support it for two years or so to give enterprises time to change, McGregor noted. Consumers, though, may never convert over. Rubin explained that Microsoft has a history of extending support for versions of Windows many years beyond the announced sunset date. Given the amount of time Windows 10 has been the flagship operating system its a got a huge installed base it wouldnt be surprising to see that date pushed out, he said. Sometimes it has to do with the uptake of whatever comes after it, he continued. If the next version doesnt resonate, then Microsoft would be inclined to keep Windows 10 around longer. If it is a good solid release, supports existing applications, and enables new applications or workflows, it will likely follow a similar trajectory to Windows 7 and Windows 10, added Cherry. If the OS is unstable or the changes are too drastic or uninteresting then it will likely follow Windows 8. Drexel University's online computer science programs are designed to prepare you for work on the cutting edge of technology. The curriculum is designed for students with any level of experience or previous knowledge. Choose the program that's right for you. Learn More. Early adopters seeking a premature peek of Windows 11 via unauthorized channels may be in for a nasty surprise a dose of malware. Kaspersky Lab on Friday reported that an unofficial installer is in the wild that promises to install the next version of Microsofts ubiquitous operating system on a users computer but actually contains a malicious payload. One example cited by Kaspersky contains an executable file called 86307_windows build 21996.1 x64 + activator.exe. Adding to the files credibility is its size: 1.75 gigabytes. However, most of the file is made up a single DLL file stuffed with useless information. In the Kaspersky Daily blog, Anton V. Ivanov, the companys vice president of threat research, explained that opening the file starts an installer that looks like an ordinary wizard familiar to any Windows user. The purpose of this installer, though, is to download a second executable file. That file download manager for 86307_windows 11 build 21996.1 x64 + activator offers a simulacrum of authenticity by asking a user to approve a licensing agreement to install some sponsored software on their machine. If you accept the agreement, a variety of malicious programs will be installed on your machine, Ivanov wrote. Those other programs can be very wide ranging from relatively harmless adware, which our solutions classify as not-a-virus, to full-fledged Trojans, password stealers, exploits, and other nasty stuff, he added. Proven Technique Offering a user a free installer for Windows 11 is a perfect announcement for a social engineer, maintained Tom Brennan, chairman of Crest USA, a global not-for-profit cybersecurity accreditation and certification body. Its like Did you see what happened at the Olympics last night when so-and-so did such-and-such. People will click on it, he told TechNewsWorld. Windows has a history of attackers creating malicious installs of its operating system, noted Leo Pate, a consultant with nVisium, an application security provider in Herndon, Va. Hackers do this in order to create backdoors into a users machine, he told TechNewsWorld. By introducing this backdoor, attackers are able to control all aspects of a Windows users environment, resulting in a full loss of privacy. Jon Clay, vice president of threat intelligence at Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity company, added that disguising malware as a software installer is a tried-and-true technique for infecting computers. With Microsoft coming out with a new version of Windows, this is a big deal, he told TechNewsWorld. This news will be used by malicious actors in their attacks moving forward, as many people will want to check it out. This kind of thing has happened for years, added Andrew Barratt, managing principal for solutions and investigations at Coalfire, a Westminster, Colorado-based provider of cybersecurity advisory services. Back in the old days it was dodgy game; installers or keygens that were used by those making illegal copies of software, he told TechNewsWorld. They always ran the risk that their downloads were being wrapped with malware often trojans or other spyware. Hardware Anxiety To some extent, Microsoft may be contributing to the willingness of some enthusiastic users to download Windows 11 from sketchy sources. Microsoft has placed safeguards around people attempting to upgrade their machines to the latest platform version, Pate explained. If their machines dont meet certain requirements, Microsoft wont allow them to upgrade those machines. Among those requirements is the use of an Intel 8th generation or AMD Zen 2 processor or better, which has created anxiety about upgrading to Windows 11 among many owners of older machines. Because of this, users will look for other places where they can receive this upgrade, Pate said. Its in these places where attackers will willingly provide the software that Microsoft wont along with their own backdoors, of course. In addition, there are always users looking for ways to save money when its time to upgrade. If they are tricked that there is a cost to upgrade, and they can save money by downloading some software, theyll download the software, he noted. He added that consumers are more likely to be tempted to go outside authorized channels for an upgrade than businesses. Corporate America typically will wait six to 12 months before deployment and after testing of all associated applications that run on it and drivers, he said. The home user typically wants new and shiny stuff right away so they can be a victim of such a ruse. Some users who ought to know better may also be inclined to take shortcuts to obtain Windows 11. There is a large tech enthusiast community who will want to be getting their hands on this to learn about, critique and find flaws in it some of whom are probably IT professionals without access to the official beta or test copies, Barratt observed. Secure Supply Chain In recent months, malicious actors have successfully compromised software upgrades to spread their malware throughout a companys customers in so-called supply-chain attacks. Thats not the case with this installer. I dont believe this is an example of a supply chain attack, as Microsoft would need to have their codebase compromised, which generally results in users downloading malicious platform upgrades through legitimate Windows services, Pate explained. At this time, I havent heard of Microsofts codebase being weakened or affected by this development, he added. Mark Kedgley, CTO of New Net Technologies, a Naples, Florida-based provider of IT security and compliance software, agreed. I wouldnt describe this as a supply chain attack because the genuine Microsoft supply chain hasnt been infiltrated, he said. Instead, this is a malware producer exploiting the demand for cracked Windows licenses. Ironically, upgrading to Windows 11 is supposed to improve the security of machines running the operating system. The new added hardware requirements for Windows can provide protections against some specific attack scenarios when correctly configured, observed Chris Clements, vice president of solutions architecture at Cerberus Sentinel, a cybersecurity consulting and penetration testing company in Scottsdale, Ariz. Windows as a whole will still encounter the usual exportability risks as attackers find new methods of hacking into the system, he told TechNewsWorld. Microsofts operating systems will constantly be targeted with exploits of any new vulnerabilities found within the code. That is a fact, Clay added. Microsoft continues to improve their code and try to minimize bugs, but this is difficult when you look at the amount of code within Windows 10 or 11, he said. Blue Origin and Jeff Bezos have offered as much as $2 billion to cover in expenses to NASA, securing the Lunar Lander mission in 2024. This would go against the current contract winner, SpaceX, which has been the recent choice by the space agencies for cosmic travels. NASA has no response to this offer yet, especially as it covers missing funds in the project. SpaceX was the top choice of NASA in the recent missions, and that was seen in the Crew Dragon and cargo supply missions towards the International Space Station. Blue Origin offers $2B to NASA In the recent developments, Blue Origins is now attempting to steal the contract awarded to SpaceX, by giving NASA a whole lot of money to secure it. According to Jeff Bezos' Open Letter to NASA Administrator, Bill Nelson, this offer is to "restore competition" for NASA and its selection of companies to create the HLS or Human Landing System for the Moon. In 2024, the Artemis Moon Mission will be landing in the Moon with first woman who would walk the lunar surface and make history. Apart from this, the project currently misses out on funds, a "budgetary shortfall," says Bezos. Here, instead of a bribe under the table, Bezos and Blue Origin offers to cover budget shortage to fully secure the contract. This particular mission would give the company empowerment and validation, despite being the youngest and most inexperienced private space company compared to its competitors. It is known that Blue Origins' first and only human trials to fly to the "edge of space" was with its CEO as a passenger aboard the New Shepard. Read Also: SpaceX Super Heavy Design Features 'Full and Rapid Reusability,' Long Way from High Payloads-Elon Musk NASA Lunar Lander Contract Winner, SpaceX The current contract winner, SpaceX, has remained silent with regards to Bezos' open letter to NASA, as nothing has changed within their agreement with the company. NASA has not responded to Bezos or made any public statements with regards to the statement made by Blue Origin. Initially, Bezos and his space company have contested NASA's awarding of the contract to SpaceX. This decision became unacceptable for Blue, especially as they have already presented their initial designs and plans with regards to the HLS. Will NASA Give In? There is no knowing what NASA's response would be, but most probably, it would not revert its decision as it has already given its word to SpaceX. However, if push comes to shove and NASA would be in dire need of money, Blue Origin's offer may be worth considering. As said earlier, both NASA and SpaceX remain silent with regards to the letter, and this may suggest that nothing has changed or affected the original decision. However, business is and always will be something unpredictable, especially in the new industry of space. Related Article: SpaceX is Going to Jupiter: NASA Selects Falcon Heavy for Europa Clipper Mission, To Look at Suitable Life Conditions This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Isaiah Richard 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Google's Privacy Sandbox Initiative has moved to 2023 after it was initially supposed to be taking place and implementing its services this year. This would soon prevent the Google Chrome browsers to collect cookies from users and their internet usage, one of which slows down usage as storage gets used. Moreover, this move is also related to user privacy concerns. Chrome has had a lot of updates in the past developments, and its major one includes that of protecting one's search history, having an option to quickly delete it when needed. Google Privacy Sandbox Initiative Google has released a blog post that revealed to the world that it is achieving a lot with regards to the Privacy Sandbox Initiative, but the only problem is that there would be a delay. The internet company said there are a lot of significant improvements with regards to the initiative, but the update would not yet roll out within this year. The post said that the initiative needs "more time is needed across the ecosystem to get this right," and that signifies that it is not yet ready for a release shortly. Google said that it is also aiming for other companies to have "open standards" for web and cookie usage, especially as privacy is a rising issue in the current tech landscape. Early in 2020, Apple has already been imposing its expanded Privacy Policy which has officially debuted in iOS 14, where they have been intent on having it implemented in the technology industry. This shows that Google is not the only one in the fight for privacy, and other companies have successfully done it also without prolonging its release. Read Also: RCS vs SMS: Verizon to Adopt Google's Messages Feature, But Apple is Not On Board Google Chrome and Cookies Google Chrome is known for collecting many cookies, as well as storing them with cached files. This way, the browser loads faster and has more information on the user for their next visit. What this resulted in is the slowing down of Google's web browser, as not a lot of people know how to clear cache or cookies. Sometimes, cookies use up storage, and the app's storage uses computer memory (RAM), which in turn takes up a massive process to slow both the computer and browser. This pushed people to use alternatives like Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge, which were regarded now to be faster than Chrome. Why was it Moved? According to Android Central, the initiative falls under the company's initiative of FLoC or "Federal Liberation of Cohorts," and this was Google's move to restore user privacy, something which was taken away when cookies became rampant in data collection. Google's Privacy Sandbox, cookie collection, and FLoC initiative are not yet ready, hence, being moved by the internet company to next year. Hopefully, this brings people true answers to privacy and help them be protected online. Related Article: Google Drive Update Helps Users Block Spammers and 'Gross People' to Preserve Safety This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Isaiah Richard 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A new COVID-19 study has shown that people who had an allergy after a first dose of an mRNA vaccine can safely receive a second dose. COVID-19 mRNA vaccines available are those from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech. The study, whose co-authors include Dr. Matthew Krantz, Dr. Jason Kwah, and Dr. Cosby Stone, has been published in JAMA Internal Medicine. COVID-19 Study: mRNA Vaccine Can Cause Allergic Reaction Any COVID-19 study have been helpful in learning not just how the virus itself works, but how the human body can be best protected. The new COVID-19 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine discusses the allergic reaction that some people have experienced upon receiving a first shot of an mRNA vaccine. According to Reuters, 2.5 of every 10,000 recipients (2%) have suffered anaphylaxis, which is the most serious kind of allergic reaction. Other forms of allergy experienced by recipients of the first dose include wheezing or shortness of breath, flushing or erythema, throat tightness, tingling, hives, and dizziness or lightheadedness. COVID-19 Study Shows People With Allergic Reaction Can Receive 2nd Dose For their COVID-19 study, researchers examined the data of 189 adults who experienced any form of allergy after receiving their first shot of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. 163 of the 189 participants are women and the mean age of the patients who participated is 43 years. 130 of the 189 participants received a first short of the Moderna vaccine, while the remaining 59 people received a first shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Out of the 189 adults studied by the researchers, 159 went on to receive their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. That accounts for 84% of the total participants of the COVID-19 study. 19 of these patients previously suffered anaphylaxis after their first dose. 47 patients from the 159 who received their second dose were given antihistamine premedication. According to the researchers of the study, all 159 people who received a second dose "tolerated the second dose." It includes the patients who experienced anaphylaxis after their first dose of an mRNA vaccine. 32 of these individuals studied for the COVID-19 study reported "immediate and potentially allergic symptoms" after their second dose. The COVID-19 study researchers have said that these were "self-limited, mild, and/or resolved with antihistamines alone." Related Article: Pfizer vs Moderna: Comparing Two COVID-19 Vaccines from Side Effects to Storage Requirements What are mRNA Vaccines? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has defined mRNA vaccines as the type of vaccines that "teach our cells how to make a protein or even just a piece of a protein that triggers an immune response inside our bodies." The immune response then produces antibodies that help protect the human body from viruses. As far as COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, such as those from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech, are concerned, these vaccines instruct the cells in the body to make a harmless protein piece called "spike protein." After this protein is made, the cells break down the mRNA injected in the system when the person receives a dose of the vaccine. The "spike protein" is then displayed by the cell on the surface. Since the body's immune system can recognize that the protein "doesn't belong there," it begins to build an immune response and generates antibodies. Also Read: Moderna Begins Next Step for Vaccine, Clinical Trials for mRNA Flu Shot Ongoing This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Isabella James 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Snake venom has long been known for being poisonous and even very fatal. It's part of the reason why people avoid snakes and are even terrified of them. A new research discovery, however, has made it possible for snake venom to save lives this time around. Scientists, bioengineers, and medical practitioners have collaborated to create bioadhesive gel made using snake venom. The research that produced the bioadhesive gel has been published in the Science Advances journal. Snake Venom: The Secret Ingredient of New Bioadhesive Many people out there are afraid of snakes simply because of the idea that one bite is enough to kill. It might be such an odd concept for many that snake venom can actually save lives instead of ending it, but it has been made possible by the new research discovery. What many may not know is that lancehead snakes, in particular, have a certain enzyme in its venom. This enzyme is described as "blood clotting" and is called reptilase or batroxobin. This enzyme has been used by scientists and bioengineers behind the bioadhesive gel that has been referred to as a "super glue." Related Article: Will bee, snake and scorpion venom be the future of cancer treatments? Snake Venom-Based Super Glue: How It Was Done The international research team behind the snake venom-based super glue, which was led by scientists from universities in Canada, was able to use the reptilase or batroxobin to create a body tissue adhesive, according to Canadian news site Western News. This was done by combining the batroxobin with a modified gelatin. The resulting bioadhesive substance "seals up quickly when exposed to bright light," according to The Optimist Daily. "During trauma, injury and emergency bleeding, this 'super glue' can be applied by simply squeezing the tube and shining a visible light, such as a laser pointer, over it for a few seconds. Even a smartphone flashlight will do the job," according to Kibret Mequanint, a biochemical engineer who worked on the research discovery, as quoted in the article by Western News. Snake Venom-Based Super Glue vs Clinical Fibrin Glue This latest development in biotechnology has been compared to the already available clinical fibrin glue used as adhesive for celebral fluid leaks, among others. The clinical fibrin glue has been described by the Western News article as the "industry gold standard for clinical and field surgeons." The snake venom-based super glue is said to be more adhesive than the clinic fibrin glue. The adhesive strength of the new bioadhesive gel is pegged at 10x more, which means that it has better chances of resisting detachment once applied. The blood clotting time is also shortened to 45 seconds for the snake venom-based super glue. Blood clotting time for clinical fibrin glue is 90 seconds. The snake-venom based glue is also said to be blood-resistant, allowing the bioadhesive gel to be resistant to washout. Also Read: Gene Behind Long Body Of Snake May Help Patients With Spinal Injuries This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Isabella James 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. (Photo : Twitter) The Tesla Cybertruck is delayed once again due to supply chain issues and the limited availability of its battery cells. The announcement came from the company's second-quarter earnings report on Monday, July 26. Tesla CEO Elon Musk already warned that the battery cells would be an issue for both Tesla's Cybertrucks and the Semi. Shareholder's Letter Details The shareholder's letter contained the routine reports about where the company is, and where it might lead with the current trend based on the results. However, it also mentioned details regarding the Tesla Semi, Tesla Model Y, and Tesla Cybetruck. There were previous reports that said that the Tesla Semi is supposedly in production right now as PepsiCo was expecting their shipments. However, the letter said that the company would be moving the Semi truck program next year because of the limited battery cells and the ongoing "global supply chain challenges." Also, it seemed like the company will focus on creating the Model Y vehicles in both Austin and Berlin sometime this year. The next focus for Tesla after the Model Y is to continue the progress for the Cybertruck in full swing, leaving the Tesla Semi little room for development this year. As the company shifted its focus on the Model Y on top of its other vehicles, the Tesla Semi will likely be taking the back seat for now as its smaller siblings will take the limelight. Another Possible Reason for Delay TechCrunch has mentioned in their story that there is another reason as to why the Semi has been delayed. The media outlet mentioned in their report the departure of Jerome Guillen, an important executive at Tesla who worked with development and the eventual production of the Tesla Semi. Guillen resigned in June this year, only three months after he was transferred to the automotive president's position. The position involved oversight of all vehicle products that Tesla has to bring to the table together with the Tesla Semi. He was with the company from September 2018 until March 2021. Read More: Tesla Semi Truck to Receive First Megacharger -- 100 Units to be Accommodated, Soon: Features, Location, and More Tesla's Future Vehicle Lineup Updates The Cybertruck is now in its alpha stages of the prototype. The overall vehicle architecture and the most basic of engineering is now in the green. The beta phase will come naturally within this year after the Model Y has been all set up. Lars Moravia, Tesla's VP of Engineering, said that the Cybertruck would "be looking to ramp that in production in Texas after Model Y is up and going." Even Musk weighed in and said, "Cybertruck ramp will be difficult because it is such a new architecture ... It's going to be a great product. It might be our best product ever, but does have a lot of fundamentally new design ideas." He also mentioned that testing prototypes are very different in scale of difficulty when faced with the volume of manufacturing required for the project. Read More: Tesla Semi to Road Test its Capabilities and Features, Bringing Loads from California to Nevada This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Alec G. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Virtual Private Network (VPN) servers that were running OpenVPN were confiscated in Ukraine recently and turned out to be unencrypted, the privacy tools firm Windscribe admitted. ArsTechnica reported that Windscribe was not able to encrypt its VPN servers in Ukraine. Thus, the authorities in the region freely impersonated the servers, which eventually led to capturing and decrypting the traffic that was using the system. It is worth noting that Windscribe wrote on its blog that two of its servers were seized by Ukrainian authorities as they were undergoing an investigation of an incident that happened in 2020. VPN Servers Confiscated in Ukraine The Ontario, Canada-based privacy company revealed that their monitoring system only knew about the incident on the Ukraine servers on June 24. It turned out that the hosting provider already knew about the seizure of the VPN servers during the preliminary hearing, which happened early this year. However, Windscribe said that the hosting provider did not inform them about the decision of the authorities, adding that the privacy-tools firm stands that their servers were uncompromised even before the confiscation. The company further noted that the disk of the seized servers used an OpenVPN server certificate, along with a private key. But it also admitted that the servers in Ukraine that centered the investigation were actually running a legacy stack instead of encryption. Windscribe went on to assure that they are already addressing this problem. Unencrypted VPN Servers That said, Arstechnica suggested in the same report that such an incident raised the possibility that the plethora of VPN services out there carries the same risk. The outlet further noted that failing to encrypt the servers goes away with the standard industry practices, adding that it forgoes any security guarantee for the users. Read Also: Google Probes Carrier Linking SMS Ad For Verification--Company's Security Director Says the Ads Do Not Come From Them Windscribe's Actions The privacy-tools firm assured that its VPN services are undergoing an overhaul, which focuses on improving its security. One of the moves that the company did moving forward involved replacing OpenVPN with a counterpart that, Windscribe said, "follows industry best practices." Furthermore, the company said that it also decided to transition the entirety of its servers as in-memory, which means that it will no longer have a hard disk backup. As such, the data will only be stored in RAM. Thus, it could no longer be available once the serves have been turned off. Aside from that, Windsribe also introduced new features for its services, such as an option to replace the IP address without the need to disconnect, the ability to request for a static and specific IP, as well as a client side R.O.B.E.R.T rules that are not stored in any database. Elsewhere, a study showed that 79 out of 250 VPN apps in the Google Play Store were actually leaking the data of its users. And a hacker used another VPN service to get hold of thousands of confidential information. Related Article: Google Fi VPN Rolls Out To iPhone Ahead Of Apple Private Relay: Release Date, Features, and More This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Teejay Boris 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Recent rumors about the upcoming RTX 4090 made rounds online following many leaks from prominent chip tipsters. According to the early tweets, the NVIDIA graphics card will be released next year RTX 4090 to Adopt TSMC's 5nm Technology The demand for semiconductors stays high amid the global chip shortage that is happening. For that part, some prefer to buy RTX 3000 cards while others want to wait for the RTX 4090. The possibilities are endless for the series cards since big upgrades are coming to computers as well. When RTX 3070 Ti and 3080 Ti cards arrived, people weighed a different alternative. On the other hand, some people tested the waters by knowing more about AMD cards. The latest RTX 3090 is the most recent flagship card for gaming. Since December 2020, rumors were already swirling around about the RTX 4090 card. On top of the leaked specifications, its most notable feature would be the 5nm technology from chipmaker, TSMC. So far, what we know about NVIDIA cards is that they use the 8nm process of Samsung for the RTX 30-cards. Now, it seems that NVIDIA is moving forward to adopt new hardware that will solve the shortage issues. Will RTX 4090 Feature Ray-Tracing and Other Advanced Upgrades? According to a report by Kotaku on Tuesday, July 27, it appears that the upcoming RTX 4090 card will preserve the ray-tracing to match AMD's highly advanced series cards. Moreover, the improved tensor cores are also anticipated to be featured in the 40-series GPUs. Moore's Law is Dead, a popular leaker from YouTube, said that NVIDIA aims to compete with the RDNA 3 chips from AMD. This year, the YouTuber said that the match-up will not take place this 2021, but it will happen soon in the Q4 of 2022. "They will be able to paper launch something against AMD. They [Nvidia] aren't going to lack an answer to RDNA 3," Moore's Law said in the uploaded clip. Read Also: NVIDIA RTX 30-Series GPU Restock: Here Are The Retailers Where You Could Buy a GeForce Card RTX 4090 Card Rumored Specifications From a tweet by 3DCenter.org, here are the leaked details about the leaked NVIDIA card. TSMC 5nm 12 GPC 72 TPC 144 SM 18432 FP32 allegedly 2.2+ GHz (=81 TFlops) larger caches 384 Bit GDDR6X project plan finalized next: final design & tape-out release expected Q4/2022 performance target: GA102 x2 AMD Rumors On the Other Side Besides NVIDIA, AMD is also involved in a large-scale rumor about computer cards. According to one leaker, the AMD RX 6600 XT's price will sit at $349. Meanwhile, its non-XT variant will be cheaper at $299. The same source revealed that the AMD RX 6600 XT will not feature ray tracing, but it will fare better than the previous RTX 3060. Considering the problems about the lack of raw materials in chip manufacturing, the MSRP of the alleged cards appears to be reasonable. Apparently, there is no leak released if the non-XT variant can match the latest NVIDIA cards. Related Article: Nvidia RTX 3050 Line-up Features Ray Tracing, DLSS--RTX 3060, RTX 3070, and RTX 3080 Comparison? This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Joseph Henry 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Spotify's new feature, "What's New" is set to be available in the next few weeks on both iOS and Android platforms. The listeners can now enjoy the upcoming feed which would update them all the time. Moreover, they will also have the convenience to stream songs from their favorite musicians--from their fresh albums to the oldest songs to date. Spotify's 'What's New' Feed' to Soon Arrive in Mobile On Monday, July 16 during Spotify's press release, the company announced that users can now have the freedom to enjoy all the newest songs and podcasts from all their favorite content creators and artists that they follow. In addition, the real-time updates will tap them to listen to the songs even though those that just get launched during a particular date. The new feature will now make it easy for you to keep track of the latest songs and podcast episodes. From your Spotify app on your mobile device, you can start accessing the feature in your Home tab's top part. From there, you can see the bell icon and all you have to do is to click it. Once you're done with that part, you can check for the blue dot on the said blue icon. If you see the colored dot, it means that in your feed, there's already new content that is recently added. The Spotify "What's New" feed also works the same as any other social media feeds such as Instagram and Facebook. You can freely filter it depending on your preference. If you feel that your feed is too crowded with unfamiliar songs, you can do this so you can only see the songs or podcast clips from your favorite artists. Read Also: PS5 DualSense Can be Synced Up with Spotify--How to Play Music While In-Game? Getting Started With Empty 'What's New Feed': How to Fix That BGR reported that some people might experience that their Spotify music feed might be too boring. For that part, you can begin following your favorite podcast creators and artists, so the new releases will keep on pouring after your next click. This initial step will also ensure that once you follow many musicians and the like, your feed is set to cultivate through different varieties of content. For those who are fond of following many creators, this "What's New" feed will be your go-to place during music streaming. In the next few weeks, the Swedish firm said that it will now release the feature for Android and iOS users. In the meantime, the bell icon might be invisible for the users but it would pop out once the feed rolls out in the platforms. Some Spotify Features So Far Back in February, we witnessed that Spotify added the Live Lyrics feature, which allows the user to sing songs via Karaoke style. In May, the company said that it would introduce a new auto-transcribe feature intended for podcast users. Related Article: Apple Music and Spotify Asked by UK Parliament for 50/50 Split on Royalties With Artists This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Joseph Henry 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Johannesburg-based firm, Transnet was the recent pipeline establishment to suffer from a massive cyberattack last week. The South African company, which also manages port terminals and rails, has stopped all of its activities after a data breach that happened in its IT systems. Transnet Automatically Halts Operations in Some Terminals From an updated report by Bloomberg on Tuesday, July 27, Transnet needed to temporarily stop its operations in terminals based in Cape Town, Ngqura, Durban, and Port Elizabeth following the unexpected cyberattack that occurred. According to the note, the South African port firm has encountered a data breach. Many IT equipment has been destroyed in the process as the normal processes of TPT have been affected as well. In addition, the security information might have been compromised as a result. At the moment, the authorities have been probing the case where the hacking originated and how serious was the impact of the recent data security breach. In the morning, CNBC interviewed Transnet but it did not give any response. It was discovered that its website cannot still be accessed since the error message continues to pop up. Transnet Declares 'Force Majeure' From another report by Reuters, the South African company will be forced to declare "force majeure" after the latest IT exploitation that happened. Last week, Transnet said that it has already recognized where the disruption of the network came from. Despite identifying the source of the problem, the firm was still enduring many technical issues, which led to the implementation of "force majeure." This takes place when an unexpected scenario, like in the case of the data breach, bars the company from fulfilling a specific contract. More than 60% of the container traffic across the country has been encased in the port terminals of Transnet in Durban. Currently, the firm has been addressing the cyberattack with some mitigation measures to minimize the damage done. Read Also: Ransomware Attacks: US President Joe Biden to Take 'Any Necessary Action' Against Russian Leader Vladimir Putin Amid Tension South Africa's RFA 'Dismayed' After the Cyberattack In a statement last Friday, July 23, the Road Freight Association (RFA) of South Africa expressed dismay for the cyberattack that infiltrated the port company. According to the RFA CEO, Gavin Kelly, many goods relying on the company have experienced several delays. "The gates to ports are closed which means no trucks are moving in either direction. This has an immediate effect: the queues will get a lot longer, deliveries will be delayed and congestion will increase," Kelly said. Recently, Jacob Zuma, the former President of South Africa has been imprisoned. The abrupt riot resulted in 72 deaths. The country is juggling the huge losses in the economy following the Transnet cyberattack. Reuters noted that two people who are knowledgeable about the Transnet cyberattack have a reminder to the employees. According to the unknown sources, the company reminded some of the employees to take an immediate leave until the problem with the data breach has been solved. Last May, the largest fuel pipeline in the US encountered a cyberattack. In the same month, the global meat supplier, JBS suffered from the same problem. Related Article: Tulsa Cyberattack: Resident's Information Could Have Been Leaked to Dark Web, According to Authorities in Oklahoma This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Joseph Henry 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Samsung QD-OLED TV models are now confirmed to arrive this coming 2022. However, the giant Apple competitor hasn't confirmed that exact release date yet. Although this is the case, some rumors claimed that the new television screens could be released early in 2022. If this is true, this means that interested consumers will be able to pre-order the new Samsung OLED TVs around January or February. When it comes to features, Samsung explained that its new product would offer the combined capabilities of OLED panel's picture advantages and its popular QLED or quantum dot filters. On the other hand, some critics said they expect this innovation to offer better performance than QLED and OLED when individually integrated. Samsung QD-OLED TV's New Details The 2022 launch date was also confirmed by a reliable industry leaker called Korea Economic Daily. The speculator also claimed that the tech giant firm is developing 55-inch and 65-inch quantum dot organic light-emitting diode or QD-OLD TVs. Also Read: Samsung Releases its 1000-inch MicroLED TV Globally-But the Price is a Mystery On the other hand, the leaker added that Samsung could also release a 70-inch OLED TV model. However, its arrival date is not yet confirmed. The Apple competitor also hasn't provided an estimated launch date for this version. According to Tech Radar's latest report, Samsung would release its new hybrid screen models between its top-premium segment of Micro LED TVs, as well as the manufacturer's flagship QLED lineups. Aside from this, some speculations suggested that the new QD-LED TV models could be better than the Mini LED and 8K TVs, which are among Samsung's high-end screen models. On the other hand, Samsung could also sell its new TV products at a higher price. But, various critics still claimed that the new QD-LED TV models will still gain massive traction in the current TV market, even if they are not budget-friendly. Other Things About Samsung QD-OLED TV Models Sam Mobile reported that Samsung's QD-LED TV is the answer of the tech giant manufacturer to LG's OLED TVs, which are also expected to arrive by 2022. However, LG's OLED screens will still have the upper hand when it comes to the pricing since many critics claimed that they will definitely be cheaper. As of the moment, Samsung's new QD-LED panels could be showcased on its upcoming Consumer Electrics Show 2022, which will take place in Las Vegas this coming January. For more news updates about Samsung and its upcoming TV models, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes. Related Article: Samsung to Put Galaxy Note Features on Other Devices, Instead of Launching Note 21-Is it the Galaxy Fold 3? This article is owned by TechTimes Written by: Griffin Davis 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. (Photo : GettlyImages/ Francois Nel ) Apple Pay services Apple users can now access the health insurance cards given to Australians as part of their Health Insurance Fund or HIP membership through the Apple Pay System. The insurance cards are traditionally swiped through the HICAPS machine, an all-in-one payment and claiming system for healthcare businesses. Now, a digital version is available for Australian iPhone users. Digital Health Insurance Cards Now Accessible Through Apple Pay Apple announced that the digital health insurance cards would support major insurers. Some of the insurers that the tech giant had partnered with are Bupa, NIB, Medibank, and GU Health. The Hospitals Benefit Fund or HBP will be added in August. The digital cards will allow users to claim their medical insurance money from their provider. You can add the card to the Apple Pay function within Apple Watches and iPhones, according to 9to5 Mac. Users can have the digital cards swiped at the cash register of a hospital or clinic, removing the need to carry the physical card. Also Read: Apple Pay vs. Google Wallet: Which is the better mobile payment system? Users will need to download their health insurance app to add the health care card, after which they can simply tap to add their card to Apple Pay. The National Australia Bank, which owns HICAPS, confirmed its partnership with Apple. The NAB stated that Australian customers can claim their health insurance by holding their Apple Watch or iPhone near any HICAPS station in the country. Users can also pay for gap payments by using Apple Pay, according to IT News. Jennifer Bailey, the vice president of Apple Pay internet service, said the health insurance market in Australia is at its peak, as it covers more than 60% of the market. This is why they believe that Australia is a strong market for Apple Pay services, and the current pandemic has increased the need for contactless transactions. Apple is the first tech company to add health insurance cards into their system as Samsung and Google have yet to do the same thing, according to Apple Insider. Apple is working to cement its position in the cashless payments industry in Australia. Currently, Apple Pay has teamed up with more than 100 establishments, including the National Australia Bank, niche payment providers, retailers, corporates, and buy-now-pay-later providers. The managing director at Bupa, Emily Amos, said that their customers demanded a change in the payment system. Apple users in Australia are using their Apple Watch and iPhone to purchase groceries, ride public transport, and pay for their meals at restaurants. Now they are expecting to use their Apple products to claim and pay for health insurance. Amos added that digital membership cards accessed through Apple Pay also benefit the health insurance firms because it reduces the amount of paper and plastic used in the process, and digital access is safer and faster. Apple Pay in the United States Meanwhile, Apple is still working on expanding its Apple Pay services in the United States. Although Americans can't use the service to pay for insurance just yet, they can ride public transportation in major cities just by tapping their iPhone or Apple Watch. In 2019, Apple partnered up with Express Transit so that Apple customers can access the subway using Apple products. Related Article: Forget Your Wallet: Use Apple Pay At National Parks And For Other Transactions With Feds This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Sophie Webster 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Steam Deck vs. Nintendo Switch is the handheld console battle that many gamers are waiting for. But Valve's Gabe Newell is telling those folks to hold their horses. According to Newell, the comparison doesn't matter much because the Steam Deck isn't designed to compete with the Switch directly, writes WCCFTech. The new Valve handheld has been made to target an entirely different audience from Switch, and Newell says it's most evident on the hardware. In an interview with IGN, Newell praised Nintendo's skill at targeting the right audience with their content. And mostly, those are Nintendo's proprietary IPs that aren't too demanding on hardware. The Steam Deck, in comparison, has been built to run AAA games which require far more graphical power than the Switch can offer. As such, Newell claims that that is the main difference. He says that anybody who picks up the Steam Deck will find the handheld not as ergonomic as a Switch but is a bit more familiar to them given their days playing on high-end game controllers. Read also: Steam Deck News: Valve's Handheld Console Is Already BEING SCALPED | $2000-$5000 Asking Prices Spotted Steam Deck vs Nintendo Switch: Is It a Fair Comparison? When comparing the Steam Deck vs the Nintendo Switch, there's really not much of a fight in terms of hardware. Valve's official specs for their handheld include a custom Zen 2-based APU from AMD, with an integrated graphics chip claimed to be powerful enough to run any game from the Steam library. On the other hand, the Switch is only equipped to run mostly Nintendo's first-party games, though it's already got a few big-budget AAA titles running on it. "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" is on it, with "Kingdom Come: Deliverance" planned to come at a later date. Considering the Switch's hardware capabilities, these two games are called "impossible ports." Two Different But Still Similar Ways To Play Games If you set the hardware debate aside, the Steam Deck vs Nintendo Switch contest gets a lot more even. For instance, it's been reported that Valve's handheld will allow users to play games off microSD cards as if they're using cartridges. The Switch already allows for this by offering both physical and digital games in their stores. Valve's decision to allow users to play off of removable storage means gamers will be able to play without having to install games on the console's internal drive. This is even more useful for those who buy the cheapest model at $399, which only offers a measly 64 GB of storage. A Console And a PC There could be one way to settle the Steam Deck vs Nintendo Switch debate. Think of the Switch as a console that does nothing else major but run games. And think of the Steam Deck as a very portable all-in-one PC, which makes a lot of sense given that users can connect it to a monitor and use it as a desktop computer. Related: Valve Says the Steam Deck Can Save On Battery Power By Limiting Frame Rates This article is owned by Tech Times Written by RJ Pierce 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. COVID-19 vaccines are being handed left and right already, making almost half of the citizens in the United States fully vaccinated. But if you think fully-vaxxed folks can now ditch the face mask, hold your horses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is expected to recommend that you still wear a face mask inside any COVID-19 hotspot, even if you're already fully vaccinated, reports CNBC. This anticipated backpedaling on the mask mandate comes ahead of another projected surge in cases in the fall, which is mainly caused by the Delta variant. According to the CDC, any place with high COVID-19 transmission rates is considered a hotspot. Recent data has shown that Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, Missouri, and Nevada are among the states with the highest transmission rates thus far. It has also been found that the Delta variant has been hitting states with low vaccination rates. The CDC will meet up among themselves soon to discuss the new face mask mandate, reports CNET. It is said that federal health officials will be reviewing new evidence on the new COVID-19 surges that the highly contagious (and now US-dominant) Delta variant is now causing across all 50 states. Read also: COVID-19 Study Shows That Those Who Had Allergic Reactions to 1st Shot of mRNA Vaccines Can Get 2nd Dose COVID-19 Resurgence: Just How Potent is the Delta Variant? The so-called Delta variant of COVID-19, which previously caused widespread deaths and infections in India, is now the aforementioned dominant variant in the United States. And that's for a good reason. Contrary to what some people might believe from all those misleading social media posts, the Delta variant can be countered with just about any COVID-19 vaccine. The only problem with it is that it's extremely transmissible and can infect people faster than they can be vaccinated. That's because it's been found to be less sensitive to antibodies that the immune system throws at it. However, there is a new planned antibody treatment that researchers claim can neutralize Delta, alongside the Lambda COVID-9 variant. Furthermore, the treatment is also offering a massive 100% survivability rate. Dealing with Delta's Fallout in the U.S. However, when the CDC backpedals on its face mask mandate, it's still up to the different local officials across the country to implement it in their respective states. A few states such as California and Nevada have already seen several counties have reinstated the face mask requirement in light of the surging of COVID-19 cases. They're especially advising people to wear masks in all public indoor settings: malls, restaurants, grocery stores, and any other place where there's a high chance of virus transmission. Perhaps the reinstatement of mask mandates is very much needed. While many Americans are indeed getting vaccinated, they're mostly skipping their second doses. That second dose is critical to receive the most protection from COVID-19, assuming the vaccine taken requires two doses like Pfizer, Moderna, or AstraZeneca. Related: COVID-19 Vaccine for Kids 12 and Below are Coming, But Is It Safe? Everything You Need to Know This article is owned by Tech Times Written by RJ Pierce 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Mudslides on Norwood Hill closed that section of Highway 145 for nearly three hours Saturday afternoon. (Photo courtesy of San Miguel County Sheriffs Office) Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center and Ochsner Lafayette General have activated their surge plans to accommodate a dramatic increase in COVID-positive hospitalizations in recent weeks caused primarily by the new, more easily transmitted delta variant infecting unvaccinated people. "We've seen about a 425% increase in COVID hospitalizations in the last three weeks," Patricia Thompson, spokesperson for Ochsner Lafayette General, said Monday. "The numbers are growing at a pretty alarming rate." Both hospitals recently announced they were limiting visitors because of the surge. As of Monday, despite Our Lady of the Lake in Baton Rouge restricting surgeries, neither Lafayette hospital has officially followed suit. Our Lady of the Lake pauses scheduling new, inpatient surgical procedures amid COVID surge Facing a surge in unvaccinated patients with COVID-19, Our Lady of the Lake in Baton Rouge said Monday it would immediately pause scheduling n So far, Thompson said, the hospital has the staff and space to accommodate the surge in COVID hospitalizations, unfortunately because this is the fourth time staff have been through a surge and updated its plan. Ochsner Lafayette General is not requiring staff to be vaccinated at this time, she said. Our Lady of Lourdes is evaluating its next steps as COVID hospitalizations increase and approach the peak seen during the third wave, Elisabeth Arnold, assistant vice president of marketing and communication, said Monday. Top stories in Acadiana in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Asked if the hospital would limit surgeries or require hospital staff to get vaccinated, Arnold replied, "In this fourth wave, we are experiencing a steep increase of hospitalized COVID patients, teetering on the next level of our surge plan. We are currently evaluating all next steps. A month ago, Arnold said, Our Lady of Lourdes was seeing single-digit COVID hospitalizations. Monday morning, there were 57 hospitalizations, including 12 in intensive care. Most of those hospitalized are younger, unvaccinated and without other health conditions, a change from the early months of COVID when the elderly and those with other health problems were most vulnerable to the virus. The age group most affected by COVID to date is the 18-29 year-old group, with 109,287 cases reported since the beginning of the pandemic in Louisiana, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. The 30-39 year-old group has seen 85,560 cases, 40-49 year-old have seen 75,541 cases and 5-17 year-old have had 57,544 cases. +2 Louisiana schools will determine their own COVID restrictions, state says Unlike last year, Louisiana public school leaders are deferring to local school officials on face masks and other safety measures amid the ris Data collected Saturday and released Monday by the Louisiana Department of Health showed 133 new cases of COVID in the Acadiana region for a total of 187 cases, including 160 hospitalizations and 15 on ventillators. Statewide, there were 1,221 hospitalizations due to COVID reported Monday, including 113 on ventillators, 7,592 new cases and 14 new deaths. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Louisiana Department of Health has reported 10,914 deaths attributed to COVID and 520,435 cases, more than the population of New Orleans. A bizarre 2017 kidnapping case involving a Lafayette millionaire, his estranged wife and suspected hired kidnappers who later drowned while fleeing police came to a quiet close Monday evening after Lawrence Michael Handley accepted a plea deal. Handley, 53, has been incarcerated at the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center since August 2017, when he was apprehended at a Slidell motel and arrested in the kidnapping of his estranged wife, Schanda Handley. He appeared in court Monday shackled in an orange and tan striped jumpsuit, with a long gray beard and shoulder length graying hair. He sat calmly for hours as other cases were addressed and his team of attorneys worked with the state to reach a plea agreement; once taken up at 5 p.m. by 15th Judicial District Court Judge Scott Privat, the hearing took all of 10 minutes. Lafayette millionaire accused of masterminding 2017 plot to kidnap estranged wife goes to trial Monday A Lafayette millionaire accused in the 2017 kidnapping of his estranged wife during which the two accused kidnappers drowned while attemptin Handley was originally indicted on counts of conspiracy to commit second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit aggravated kidnapping, aggravated kidnapping, attempted second-degree kidnapping, second-degree kidnapping and violation of a protective order. The 15th Judicial District Attorneys Office agreed to waive both conspiracy charges and the protective order charge and reduce the aggravated kidnapping charge to second-degree kidnapping in exchange for a guilty plea. In negotiations, they agreed both second-degree kidnapping charges will carry a possible sentence of 15 to 35 years and the attempted second-degree kidnapping charge will carry a maximum sentence of 20 years, all to be served concurrently, Privat said. +5 Murder trial over 2017 death of 'good Samaritan' Christon Chaisson postponed to October The long-awaited murder trial for Tyler Nicholas Benoit, which was set to begin Monday, has been rescheduled to October after a key witness in Prosecutor Donald Knecht said he felt a plea deal was the right path because it secured a substantial prison sentence that the victims were supportive of, saved the victims from the pressure of a trial and put to rest a widespread and complex case that involved multiple law enforcement agencies from two states and a slew of witnesses and evidence. Im glad for the victims because the most important thing in a plea over a trial is there are no appeals...that really gives them a lot of peace of mind. The fact the victims were glad, not just satisfied but glad, and we can give them that kind of closure and ability to move on is the most important thing to me, Knecht said. Handley will next have a sentencing hearing after a pre-sentencing investigation is completed. His attorney, Kevin Stockstill, said while they were confident they could counter the prosecutions arguments, a life sentence was on the table as a possibility for the aggravated kidnapping charge, and they wanted to ensure Handley has a shot at life after prison. Top stories in Acadiana in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Mom arrested in 2019 for posting video of Acadiana High School fight got $70,000 settlement Broussard resident Maegan Adkins Barras received a $70,000 settlement last year over her controversial arrest in February 2019 for posting vid Stockstill said hes hopeful Handleys good deeds in the community, including philanthropic work and drug addiction services provided through Townsend Addiction Treatment Center, which he sold in 2015, coupled with his lack of violent criminal history, and mitigating factors like his battles to overcome addiction and mental illness, will work in his favor to secure a sentence on the lower end of the agreed upon range. Mr. Handley did a lot of good things in his life, Stockstill. You have to consider the good hes done, especially when hes been sober. We feel he was initially overcharged and that the district attorneys office was overzealous in their prosecution. Were glad we got the DA to see the light, attorney Scott Hawkins said. Handley pleaded guilty in the kidnapping of his then-estranged wife, Schanda Handley, who was kidnapped at gunpoint by two men from the couples Founders Street home on Aug. 6, 2017, and taken away handcuffed in the back of a white van. A friend of Schandas and a minor were home at the time of the kidnapping and were also corralled by the kidnappers, the adult handcuffed, arrest documents said. +4 Legal battle over right to life of Lafayette man in vegetative state gains national attention A legal case involving the potential euthanasia of a Lafayette man in a vegetative state is gaining national attention. Schanda Handley was recovered later that same day after the kidnappers attracted police attention while driving on the shoulder of Interstate 10 to circumvent a traffic crash. The duo was pursued by Iberville and West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriffs Office deputies to a Turner Industries facility near La. 1. They abandoned the van after it became trapped in mud, and Schanda Handley was found in the back. The accused kidnappers identified as Sylvester Bracey and Arsenio Montreal Haynes, two 27-year-old men from Jackson, Mississippi drowned while fleeing law enforcement and their bodies were discovered in the Intracoastal Waterway near Port Allen on Aug. 7, 2017. Handley and his estranged wife had been involved in a contentious divorce at the time of the kidnapping. In sanity evaluations conducted during the case, examiners also noted Handley reported a history of relapsed substance abuse in the months leading to the kidnapping and mental health struggles after ending long-term psychiatric care. The couple was granted a divorce in March 2018. AMITE CITY The Tangipahoa Parish Council has approved new rules for solar plant developments, capping off weeks of debate among farmers fearful about how renewable energy projects will impact agricultural land and property owners eager to cash in on a clean energy boom sweeping South Louisiana. Regulations adopted Monday require 50 feet of vegetation around utility-scale solar plants meaning solar panel farms big enough to contribute to the power grid and say they have to follow the parishs existing drainage standards, among other rules. The council voted unanimously to approve them. This achieves a happy medium on an issue where there were many interests involved, said District 8 Councilman David Vial. The vote ensures that solar panel farms planned in Tangipahoa, a parish with few zoning rules that has allowed largely-unhindered development in recent years, will not proceed completely free from regulation. The parish council acted because state lawmakers are unlikely to draft regulations before solar companies move ahead with developments in Tangipahoa Parish and elsewhere in the state. Tangipahoa doesn't do zoning. Now it's wrestling with what do about big solar power plants. AMITE CITY Under pressure from angry farmers and residents, some Tangipahoa Parish leaders want to set tighter rules on solar power plants Two companies, Florida-based NextEra Energy and Chicagos Invenergy, are planning projects in Tangipahoa Parish that could break ground by 2023. The NextEra project is slated for a 1,200-acre plot near the St. Helena Parish line, off La. 10, while Invenergy is eyeing a spot east of Amite City along La. 445. The planned developments have set off fears among neighbors of the two land parcels, voiced in public meetings and on social media, that solar panels will poison their water, lead to a surge in herbicide use and cause property values to plummet due to the visual effect of acres of gleaming black solar panels on the rolling agricultural land. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Wayne Hughes, who lives near the Invenergy site off La. 445, told District 2 Councilman John Ingraffia that he worries about solar panels reducing the value of his property. Hughes feels let down because he believes the councilman didnt oppose solar developments vocally enough on behalf of residents of his district, which includes the Invenergy site, he explained Monday. Im disappointed in you, as our elected official, Hughes told Ingraffia. The councilman replied that he had first learned about plans to bring solar power to Tangipahoa Parish at the same time Hughes did around three months ago. As discussions over the solar projects have mounted in the past two months, sustainable energy experts have worked to assuage Tangipahoa residents numerous fears about solar energy in public meetings. Residents need not worry that solar panels will poison water sources or hinder future agricultural prosperity of the land another common fear said Terry Chambers, an energy efficiency and sustainable energy expert at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, during a public meeting earlier in July. While energy produced by the plants may be directed outside of the state, solar panel farms almost always reduce energy costs in nearby communities, Chambers told residents. Tangipahoa leaders weigh local solar laws as Louisiana clashes over renewable energy AMITE CITY Ira Cleveland is anxious about a project looming over the lush, green fields near his farmhouse on the eastern edge of Tangipahoa NextEra is "excited to bring home-grown solar energy to Louisiana," said Ian Rice, a project manager for the company's Louisiana division, during the meeting. Baton Rouge could be getting a lot of money from a $26 billion national settlement with opioid makers, and those battling the city's soaring overdose death rate say it could be a huge help if the money is used for the right things. That includes outreach, treatment, data collection, and overdose-reversing drugs, treatment providers, advocates and health officials said. Louisiana stands to receive as much as $350 million over 18 years from the settlement with drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and the three largest distributors, McKesson Corp., AmerisourceBergen Corp. and Cardinal Health Inc. That amount will be split among municipalities around the state, the Louisiana Attorney Generals Office said in a news release last week. The agreement settles more than 3,000 lawsuits from all over the country accusing the companies of selling opioid painkillers despite knowing they were fueling an addiction epidemic. Baton Rouge has one such lawsuit. It's up to the Metro Council to decide whether to continue with that individual lawsuit or accept a share of this settlement. If Baton Rouge does sign on, it's not clear yet how much it might get. That's because it's not yet clear which other cities and states might sign onto the suit, said Burton LeBlanc, the lawyer representing Baton Rouge. Some governments have rejected the settlement, criticizing the size of the payout or the fact that it doesn't require the companies to admit wrongdoing. Those governments are moving forward with their own, individual lawsuits. East Baton Rouge saw 242 overdose deaths last year, a new record and that record is likely to be broken again this year, District Attorney Hillar Moore and Coroner Beau Clark said. About 95% of those deaths involved some type of opioid, according to Moores office. Im worried things are becoming worse, and this money can hopefully be put into programs and places as fast as possible so we can slow all this down, Clark said. +2 'Frightening' spike in East Baton Rouge drug overdose deaths in 2020: Over 200 lives lost At least 232 people died of a drug overdose last year in East Baton Rouge Parish almost twice the 127 fatal overdoses in 2019, which was the Programs that provide treatment for people struggling with addiction need to receive the lion's share of the funding rather than advertising and public outreach, because billboards dont save lives, Clark said. We really should put all of our money into the side of treatment finding individuals in the community that have substance abuse issues, get them the help they need so that they dont become one of the individuals where Im investigating their death, Clark said. That can be accomplished, Moore said, by sending money toward data collection so resources can be better targeted to areas in the parish with high overdose rates. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Moores grant writer, Jon Daily, said hes been working with outside groups and gathering studies on how best to address the crisis, such as studies released by Johns Hopkins University and Harvard University. Those studies have prompted the DA's office and parish government to create the East Baton Rouge Overdose Coalition, which will gather data to get help to those who need it the most. The organization will also try to help get more people into treatment and better train first responders. The coalition includes several advocate like Tonja Myles, who has been in recovery herself for more than three decades. Myles says a priority should be decreasing the time it takes to get treatment. There's a "small window," she says, when someone battling addiction is open to getting professional help. "If theres a wait time, most people are going to relapse, Myles said. Theyre going to want to use because its hard for them to stay clean during that time. Making sure they can get into a treatment provider when theyre ready is necessary." Myles pointed to the newly opened Bridge Center for Hope, a nonprofit crisis and addiction center funded by the city-parish, as a good example of meeting people in that window. Part of the issue is nobody really knows where to go when they are having a crisis situation, whether they be on substances or with mental health, said the centers executive director, Charlotte Claiborne. The Bridge Center, it takes that guesswork out. But Claiborne said her facility is just set up for short-term care, which can only do so much for someone recovering from addiction. She said Baton Rouge does not have any long term drug rehab centers, which are a necessary place for a 28-day detoxification that starts the road to recovery. Dr. Jan Laughinghouse, the executive director for Capital Area Human Services, said that 28-day detoxification process should be a key goal of any settlement funds. These companies are what caused the issue, we have these funds and we should be able to treat anybody who wants to be treated for an opioid use disorder, Laughinghouse said. While the discussions of where the money should be spent are still in early stages, Laughinghouse said she has hope they can be used to blunt the impact of the opioid epidemic. Im just glad that a terrible wrong is being righted, Laughinghouse said. It will not help all of those people who have gone on, but it will help the people who are struggling now. After Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry last week threatened legal action against a north Louisiana medical school over rules compelling students to receive coronavirus vaccines, school officials say Landry misinterpreted their policies and issued legal threats without making any inquiry into them. The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, known as VCOM, said that only three of more than 300 students at their Monroe campus have not received the vaccine. Landry and a law firm representing the three students claimed that theyve been retaliated against and discriminated against for their refusal to receive the vaccine. VCOM officials disagreed. They also took the opportunity, in a new statement, to reinforce the safety and efficacy of the coronavirus vaccines by noting that both the American Osteopathic Association and the American Medical Association stand behind vaccination efforts while coronavirus cases surge through the unvaccinated population. The AMA has gone as far as saying it supports legislation that would eliminate nonmedical exemptions from the immunizations. The intention of VCOMs coronavirus vaccine policy, is and always has been the safety of our students, the safety of our employees and workplace, as well as the safety of the patients being cared for by our students, faculty and staff, says the new statement from VCOM. Our medical students, in all years of education, will be caring for patients in the upcoming months and are considered medical providers. +2 Jeff Landry targets new Louisiana medical school over coronavirus vaccine mandates Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry is threatening to sue the states newest medical school over its coronavirus vaccine policies after thr Officials with the medical school say that they require students who are not vaccinated to wear masks in indoor spaces. Gov. John Bel Edwards recommended the same practice last week even for fully vaccinated individuals as the delta variant of the virus has wreaked havoc through Louisiana, where just 36% of the population has received the vaccine. This is not a discriminatory practice, but instead, provides protection for any student or employee who is not vaccinated, reads the statement from VCOM. There are both students and employees at VCOM who have exemptions for religious or health reasons. There are also other employees and students who wish to wear masks for their own well-being, even though they are vaccinated as there have been cases of individuals who were vaccinated who have contracted the Delta variant. VCOM also said that students can request vaccination exemptions for medical, religious or other judicially approved reasons that will be reviewed by a committee according to [federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] guidelines for such accommodations. Landry had accused VCOM of creating a waiver process that appears to have been structured to deny waivers rather than provide any meaningful mechanism for notifying the school of a students choice to opt-out. Liberty Counsel, the law firm representing the three VCOM students and known for its legal advocacy on behalf of evangelical Christian organizations, also accused VCOM of creating a snitch program that targeted the unvaccinated students. VCOM officials denied that any such program exists. The comment is ridiculous, especially since VCOM has cutting-edge technology found in VCOMs facility that allows the administration to monitor students adherence to all College policies while in the building, says the VCOM statement. Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Letters: LSU must require vaccinations, lest the new surge devastate the campus New LSU President William Tate IV has been in the job less than a month and he already is coming up on a decision that will define his tenure Landry like a handful of other high-ranking Republican officials in Louisiana has refused to answer questions about whether he has received the coronavirus vaccine. He has also targeted institutions across the state over vaccine mandates, including requesting a written response from LSU that no vaccine mandates will be issued. But while Landry insists the law is behind him in threatening anyone who mandates vaccines, other experts disagree and nationally, some momentum is coalescing around requiring vaccines. The Department of Veterans Affairs announced Monday that all medical personnel will be required to get vaccinated within the next eight weeks. And the state of California will soon require that all health care workers and state workers either get vaccinated or start getting coronavirus tests every week. Courts so far have also backed the mandates. A federal judge in Texas ruled that a hospital could require the vaccines for employees, while another federal judge in Indiana upheld a vaccine requirement at Indiana University for all students barring a medical, religious or ethical exemption. Dr. O'Neal: We're facing a different and powerful threat with delta variant The delta variant is not last year's virus. We're dealing with a different beast. I have witnessed the death, sadness and long-term impacts of Some have drawn a distinction between mandating the vaccines while they are still being used under emergency use authorization, versus once they receive full Food and Drug Administration Approval. The states largest health system, Ochsner, has said they intend to mandate vaccines once they receive full FDA approval. Joel Friedman, a Tulane Law School professor who specializes in labor law, recently told The Advocate | The Times-Picayune that mandating the coronavirus vaccine is no different from schools requiring measles and mumps vaccines, or the state requiring a drivers license to drive. This idea that, well, until the vaccine is finally approved were not allowed to require it theres no legal basis for such a claim, Friedman said. Employers whether its Walmart, Tulane University, a public school, a hospital can require their employees to be tested, to be vaccinated, in order to protect the general health and welfare of both employees and the customers they serve. He also warned that health care systems are opening themselves up to liability from people who would potentially get sick from an unvaccinated staff member. +2 Gov. John Bel Edwards recommends mask-wearing indoors in Louisiana to stem COVID surge With more than 1,000 COVID patients hospitalized and Louisiana again leading the nation in rate of infections, Gov. John Bel Edwards recommend VCOM officials alluded to similar concerns in the conclusion of their letter. VCOM has no interest in being the in the middle of any political battle, the medical schools statement reads. Their concern is, and always has been, for the health of the students, employees and patients that VCOM students will see in their early clinical experiences this fall. LSU and other higher education officials said Tuesday they will be making decisions shortly on face masks and related mandates to cope with the latest surge in cases of the coronavirus. LSU is set to hold a forum this week ahead of a final decision on whether students should be required to wear masks indoors. LSU, other colleges set to get $268 million from coronavirus relief bill LSU and other public colleges and universities are set to get $268 million from the latest federal stimulus bill, up 82% from what schools got An advisory panel last week recommended the masks for classrooms, other indoor settings and on campus transportation. The school's Health and Medical Advisory Committee also said all students should be required to undergo testing for COVID-19 before they arrive on campus. The recommendations have sparked pushback from the Faculty Council Organizing Group, which said LSU's current mask mandate has been widely ignored, that students, faculty and staff need to be "educated" on how to wear masks and that the school has the legal authority to mandate student vaccinations. Two law professors, Michael J. Malinowski and Lawrence B. Sandoz Jr., noted hundreds of universities and employers have mandated vaccines. "The LSU administration should immediately identify what Louisiana law is preventing it from acting to protect the health and safety of its community from a largely preventable, substantial treat established by verifiable science and evidence-based data on a global scale," they told the advisory panel. The fall semester begins Aug. 23. The state Board of Regents, which oversees colleges and universities statewide, is surveying campuses and will be hosting a gathering before classes begin on possible change in guidance. Regents are also set to meet with student body presidents and others to discuss how to encourage students to get the vaccine. Louisiana's vaccination rate is one the lowest in the nation, and the rate for students is said to be in the 20 percentiles. Public higher education officials generally believe they cannot mandate vaccines for students. Loyola University in New Orleans, which is a private school, has reported a student vaccination rate of more than 90% after mandating the shots for attendance. The University of Holy Cross in New Orleans is also requiring vaccinations. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up More than 95% of students at Tulane University are fully vaccinated and 90% plus of faculty and staff, according to a spokesperson for the school. Jim Henderson, president of the University of Louisiana System, said Tuesday he expects his nine schools will follow recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which on Tuesday recommended wider use of face masks while indoors for both the vaccinated and unvaccinated. The system includes the University of New Orleans, Southeastern Louisiana University and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Henderson said doubling down on efforts to get students vaccinated is another priority. "It is up to individuals to protect themselves and take responsibility," he said. Monty Sullivan, president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, said the latest surge has gotten the attention of school leaders. The system has about dozen schools with 60 campuses statewide. COVID-19 hospitalizations surge in Louisiana as delta variant preys on the unvaccinated Hospitals across Louisiana experienced a surge in COVID-19 patients over the weekend as the more virulent and transmissible delta strain of th "It is clear the numbers are climbing at a pace that is alarming," Sullivan said. "I am hopeful at this point we will be able to see this surge slowed but the data does not suggest that at all," he said. "One of the things we are considering is a mask mandate," Sullivan said, emphasizing that no final decision has been made. Enrollment at the 12 schools that make up the system dropped 12% last fall, mostly because of the pandemic. +2 How the pandemic hurt Louisiana community college enrollment, even as 4-year schools grew Echoing national trends, enrollment at Louisiana's community and technical colleges fell by as much as 28% and 11 of 12 schools showed decline More than 53,000 students signed up for fall 2020 classes compared to nearly 60,000 the year before. "Our fall enrollment looks like the fall of '19 levels, which is great news," Sullivan said. But he said concerns remain on whether the turnout will meet early expectations. At Southern University face masks remain mandatory and those living in on-campus housing will have to show proof of a vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test, according to a spokeswoman for the school. LAKE CHARLES Next to a screen with a ticking clock showing the amount of time since Hurricane Lauras devastating sweep through southwest Louisiana last year, Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter laid out his case in blunt terms. We are in the middle of a humanitarian crisis right here on American soil, he said before an audience of a couple hundred officials, community leaders, business representatives and residents on Tuesday morning, 11 months to the day after Laura, whose 150 mph winds made it the most powerful hurricane to make landfall in Louisiana since 1856. As a year approaches since that storm not to mention Category 2 Hurricane Delta six weeks later, a fierce winter storm in February and a severe flood in May, all during the pandemic southwest Louisiana officials exasperated by what they say is a lack of federal help are looking for ways to make their voices louder and drive home their point. Tuesday mornings event at a Lake Charles Civic Center ballroom was the latest such effort, and, as with many areas of the region, signs of the damage were not hard to find for attendees. The buildings sign outside remains torn apart, and the dozens of blown-out windows in the Capital One office tower across the street are still boarded up, the buildings entrances fenced off. Officials sought to pull out all the stops, including with the ticking clock 334 days, nine hours, three minutes, 27 seconds ... as well as warning messages and exhortations from a teacher, residents and a local business owner, among others. They produced a video to illustrate the message and urged the audience to send letters to Washington, directing them to a website (rebuildingswla.org). They've labeled the campaign "Help Southwest Louisiana Now." The reason for the push is because Hunter and other local officials believe that time is running out to inject badly needed funds into the regions rebuild that would help displaced residents return home and damaged businesses reopen. They say that supplemental federal disaster aid after previous catastrophes in other parts of the country has not taken this long and question why southwest Louisiana has been overlooked, particularly since its energy and petrochemical industries serve the rest of the country and beyond. Southwest Louisiana delivers more than a quarter of our country's energy, a quarter. And we now export to more than 60 countries around the world, said Clair Hebert Marceaux, director of the port in Cameron Parish, which stretches along the Gulf Coast to the Texas border and is home to major liquefied natural gas plants as well as a storage site for the nations strategic petroleum reserve. We need help to recover. We need our federal government to help us. Calcasieu Parish Police Jury President Brian Abshire said: Our community has done whats right. Now we ask our nations leaders to do whats right. +2 Calcasieu Parish finally has a hurricane recovery plan. Now comes the hard part: finding funding. LAKE CHARLES It ranges from a vision of connected greenways and bayous encircling Lake Charles to the urgent need for affordable housing. A The federal government, through FEMA and Small Business Administration loans, has provided more than $1 billion in immediate assistance linked to Laura and Delta, but regional officials say it wont come close to covering the needs. What they are asking for is a form of federal aid known as community development block grants, a common category of relief provided after disasters. Lake Charles news in your inbox Once a week we'll send you the top stories we find in the Lake Area e-mail address * Sign Up In a January letter to President Joe Biden, Gov. John Bel Edwards laid out $3 billion in unmet needs from Laura, Delta and Hurricane Zeta, which hit southeast Louisiana in late October. He has said he would expect to receive around half of that amount in federal supplemental aid, and most of it would surely go to southwest Louisiana given the scale of the damage. The needs are huge. Hunter says housing damage in Lake Charles alone amounts to $235 million, while an estimated half of all homes in wider Calcasieu Parish were damaged in some way. Lake Charless estimate of the number of residents displaced has ranged from 3,000 to 5,000, or as much as 6% of the population. But Hunter said Tuesday the number could be as high as between 7 and 10%. He would like to use federal money to establish a program to help fill the gap between what insurers are paying and what is truly needed to rebuild, similar to Road Home after Hurricane Katrina. The real question as to whether that will become permanent displacement is going to be the response from federal government, he said in comments to reporters after Tuesdays event. Affordable housing is an especially acute problem. Even before the storms, Lake Charles faced an affordable housing shortage, in part due to an influx of construction workers linked to the energy and petrochemical industries, but the hurricanes and flood took out substantial amounts of rental units and public housing. With pandemic restrictions having eased, Hunter used the opportunity to make his first trip to Washington since the storms earlier this month. The trip included meetings with Louisianas congressional delegation and White House officials. Both Biden and former President Donald Trump have visited the region, and Biden followed up with a phone call to Hunter after the May 17 floods. Hunter said the president sounded as though he sincerely cared, but he has become tired of encouraging words and wants to see action. Legislation is required, and the reasons offered for why an appropriation hasnt been approved have ranged from the long list of priorities currently facing the federal government during the pandemic to the change in presidential administration. But it makes not a lick of difference to the person thats suffering here in southwest Louisiana, Hunter said. The ASX stepped back from record highs on Wednesday as traders assumed a defensive position ahead of a US Federal Reserve meeting early Thursday morning local time. Traders were predicting that the stock and bond markets were likely to instantly react to any indication of stimulus measures being wound back. The benchmark ASX200 opened Wednesdays session flat before hitting its lowest point in early afternoon. It ended the day 0.7 per cent lower at 7379.3 points. The S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.7 per cent on Wednesday. Credit:Shutterstock Higher-than expected inflation data also sent traders running for cover, along with predictions for hundreds of thousands of job losses in Sydney due to extended lockdowns. The federal government eased concerns by increasing emergency lockdown payments. Blue chip stocks dragged away points with BHP down 1.7 per cent, South32 down 3 per cent, and Wesfarmers down 1.2 per cent. The banks were lower with Commonwealth Bank down 1.4 per cent, and buy now, pay later giant Afterpay fell 3.6 per cent as tech stocks were sold off. Spark Infrastructure gained 5.4 per cent to $2.74 after receiving an improved third bid from KKR and Ontario Teachers Pension Fund. Real estate stocks out-performed with a 2.4 per cent gain in Vicinity Centres, 2.3 per cent gain in Cromwell, and 2 per cent rise in Scentre. Hong Kong and Chinas stock markets stabilised after a multi-day decline that has seen up to 10 per cent of value wiped off in the past week due to a regulatory crackdown. In the late morning the Australian statistics bureau revealed annual inflation was running at 3.8 per cent, slightly higher than expected. Head of investments and capital markets at VanEck Australia, Russel Chesler, said the bond market was now predicting an interest rate rise in early 2023. We believe that this is still likely provided NSW emerges from lockdown by the end of August and the vaccine program ensures no major lockdowns going forward, he said. While Sydneys lockdown and Melbournes recent restrictions will halt immediate price pressures, this will not take away from longer-term inflationary pressures, which stem from many factors such as rising fuel and iron ore prices, and increasing property prices, he added. Despite the weaker afternoon, 13 stocks in the ASX200 closed at 12-year highs, including Woolworths getting to $39.73 and BlueScope Steel touching a 13-year high of $24.58. However, sentiment was muted after weak leads from overseas. US markets finished the overnight session lower despite blockbuster US tech results, as buy-the-rumour, sell-the-fact, and some pre-Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) risk trimming took the wind out of Wall Streets sails, OANDAs senior market analyst for Asia, Jeffrey Halley, said, adding he was not expecting to see any change in policy especially given the spread of the Delta variant. Markets appear to be similarly inclined and guarded against the outside chance that Mr (Jerome) Powell and friends may indicate they are starting to think about starting to talk about the possibility that they may start pondering tapering. Septembers meeting remains my favourite for that kick-off, but hey, its 2021. Theres also been a broader toughening of regulations around Chinas e-commerce businesses on consumer protection and anti-trust grounds. It looks like an assault on Chinas private sector, particularly the fast-growing digital businesses that now accounts for nearly 40 per cent of Chinas GDP businesses that for decades had been encouraged because of the growth and dynamism they had injected into an economy previously dominated by inefficient state-owned industrial and property enterprises. Under the crackdown, private education companies are banned from making profits, raising capital or going public. It also banned them from teaching foreign curriculums, importing foreign textbooks and employing foreign teachers. Credit:Getty Images That would be consistent with the tightening of the Communist Partys control of everything within China under Xi Jinpings leadership. It also, however, reflects the increasing maturity of the economy. The sectors China is now reining in experienced their explosive growth largely because they were essentially unregulated. The businesses are now of a size and the sectors and the wealth they have created so concentrated that it isnt particularly surprising that the authorities have decided to start regulating their activities. Whether the concerns are financial stability or as in the anti-trust actions consumer protections, the authorities actions arent out of kilter with how such dominant and monopolistic businesses would be regulated elsewhere. There are similar concerns in western economies about the power of Facebook, Google and Amazon and analogous efforts to regulate them. While the previous environment might have been too lax, by choking the growth of its most successful companies China risks undermining the most competitive and innovative sectors of its economy. The sheer scale of the wealth of entrepreneurs like Ma and Chen also represented a challenge to the construct of Chinas society and to the party itself. Mas outspokenness and willingness to criticise Chinese regulators has been cited as a factor in the action taken against Ant Group. Ma disappeared from public view for quite some time after the IPO was abandoned and the Chinese businessman with arguably the biggest international profile has maintained a very low profile ever since. The Party doesnt want billionaire challengers to its authority to emerge. The decision to ban foreign teachers and texts from its education sector points to another, broader, motivation for the sudden frenzy of regulatory activity in the private sector of Chinas economy. Loading Whether it is what children might be taught, or Chinese companies listing on foreign stock exchanges, the authorities want more control. Another consistent underlying theme to most of the actions taken against technology-driven companies over the past year is that the authorities want to restrict cross-border data flows they want all domestic data to be stored and protected within China and they want access to the data that the private companies have on Chinese citizens (and any others that the companies might have garnered). China, with the Great Firewall of China, is arguably the most restrictive country in terms of cross-border data flows and its recent actions are tightening those restrictions further. It isnt alone in regarding data as an asset; an economic and strategic resource that is becoming increasingly valuable as this century progresses. With land, labour, technology and capital, China regards data as a critical production factor and it wants access to and control of the data held by its private companies. Theres been a raft of legislation recently data security laws, cybersecurity regulations and privacy laws to regulate domestic data and prohibit Chinese companies from sharing their data with others offshore. Outspoken Alibaba founder Jack Ma has been keeping a low profile. Credit:AP The action against Didi was at least partly driven by fears the vast data it has on the domestic travel of Chinese citizens, including officials, might be accessed by the US, even though the data is held on servers within China. The Kings School in Parramatta has reported one of its teachers to police after they attended the anti-lockdown protest and posted about the experience on social media. In a letter to parents, headmaster Tony George said the teacher had been suspended from duties. While I appreciate that people are free to hold their own views and beliefs, this does not extend to their behaviour and conduct, Mr George said. The Kings School has reported a teacher who attended Saturdays anti-lockdown protest to police. Credit:Steven Siewert It is the mark of civil society that we should be able to engage in healthy debate and respect each others views, but this must be in a safe, lawful and respectful manner, at all times. Consequently, the matter has been reported to police by the school, and the staff member has been suspended from duties. A 32-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the shooting of a woman in Docklands earlier this month, after a lengthy stand-off with police. Police launched a manhunt for Ricky Brockdorff on Monday. Screengrabs from Nine showing the arrest of Ricky Brockdorff at a home in Point Cook on Tuesday. Credit:Nine News Police were appealing for the publics assistance to find him after a 25-year-old woman was shot outside an apartment complex on Rakaia Way at Docklands in the early hours of July 17. Officers located Mr Brockdorff on Tuesday at a home on Lemongrass Circuit at Point Cook. A lengthy negotiation followed, and nearby streets were closed off. Just before 2pm, and with the help of heavily armed officers from the special operations group, police arrested Mr Brockdorff and took him into custody. Police said his arrest followed an incident in Point Cook on Tuesday. Detectives from the armed crime squad yesterday issued an appeal for information on Brockdorffs whereabouts as part of their investigation into the shooting of a woman in Docklands on [July 17], Victoria Police said in a statement. A Hoppers Crossing woman, 25, was taken to hospital with serious injuries following the incident on July 17 and remains in a serious condition. Mr Brockdorff is expected to be charged with attempted murder, firearm offences, and a range of other offences, police said. Cafe tills were ringing and school bells chiming once again on Wednesday morning as Victorians cautiously emerged from a fifth coronavirus lockdown. The sun even made a brief appearance to welcome more than one million students back to school as cafes and restaurants served seated customers once more and gyms reopened after the states 12-day lockdown. Schools back! Students return to their classrooms at Resurrection Catholic Primary School in Kings Park. Credit:Jason South Victoria recorded nine new local cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. Eight were announced via the usual morning tweet, all linked to the current outbreaks and all in quarantine throughout their entire infectious period. However, another new case was revealed at a late-morning state government COVID briefing. Early learning centres, childcare centres and family daycare can remain open. People in higher education should continue to study from home. Masks Masks are still required inside and outdoors. Working Offices will return to 25 per cent capacity. If you can work from home, you must work from home. Cafes and dining Hospitality businesses will reopen, subject to strict density limits. Pubs, restaurants, cafes and bars can have a maximum of 100 patrons, subject to density limits of one person per four square metres. Retail Shops will reopen, subject to strict density limits. Hair and beauty Hairdressers and beauticians are also permitted to open. Sport and Entertainment Crowds will not be allowed at AFL games and other large events, including theatre performances with large audiences, for at least two weeks. Theatres can reopen with up to 100 patrons, with a density limit that only applies to non-seated areas. Entertainment venues can have a maximum of 300 people outdoors, 100 indoors. Live music venues can reopen. Social gatherings Home visits are still banned. Public gatherings can have a maximum of 10 people. Mask rules remain unchanged. Credit:Getty Border restrictions The government has tightened border rules with NSW with the local government areas of Wagga Wagga, Hay, Murrumbidgee and Lockhart excised from the border bubble. Residents of those areas will now need exemption permits to travel to Victoria. The permit system, the fact that were having to lock out Victorians from their own state, except for compassionate grounds and exemptions, that is not a decision that we made easily or lightly. But its what we have to do, Mr Andrews said. Travel within Victoria Movement between Melbourne and regional Victoria is unrestricted. Travel to regional Victorian Alpine Resorts is permitted provided visitors and workers have had a negative COVID test within the previous 72 hours. Children under 12 years are not included. Households can only travel within the state in their family unit. You cant be going away with other families, you cant be having visitors to your temporary home, Premier Daniel Andrews said. For example, if you want to travel from Melbourne to Mildura you now can, however, in booking accommodation you are limited to staying with household members, intimate partners and single bubble partners. If you are a Melburnian with a friend or a family member who lives in regional Victoria, or in reverse, you can now travel to see that person. However, you cannot visit them in their home or stay with them. Under the new rules, you may meet them at a restaurant, cafe, or park etc. Gyms Gyms will reopen. Dance classes will also be allowed. Religious, Funerals and Weddings Religious gatherings and ceremonies are permitted for up to 100 people indoors and up to 300 people outdoors, subject to density limits of one person per four square metres. Funerals and weddings will be limited to 50 people (not including people intrinsic to the running of ceremonies). Real Estate Auctions are permitted with a maximum patron cap of 100 people indoors or outdoors. Inspections are also permitted with a private appointment, to a maximum of 10 people, subject to density limits of one person per four square metres. Auctions are permitted once again. Credit:Bloomberg Physical recreation and sport Swimming pools, play centres, skateparks and trampolining centres can now open with a maximum patron cap of 100 people indoors and 300 outdoors, again, subject to density limits. Community sport is open for all ages, training and competition. However, community sport is limited to a minimum number of people required to participate in and facilitate the activity (i.e. players, coaches). Spectators are not allowed. Aged care, hospital visitors Visitors are permitted entry to hospitals for reasons that include: As a parent, guardian or carer of a child who is a patient in a hospital To provide the support that is necessary for the patients emotional or physical wellbeing As a nominated person under the Mental Health Act To be an interpreter or provide informal language support To support the residents care upon discharge As a carer of a patient with a disability Accompanying someone to the emergency department or outpatient clinic As a partner of a pregnant woman or patient in a maternity ward Non-essential contractors are restricted from entry. In a pre-pandemic world, back to school meant returning to school after school holidays from trips interstate and overseas, fun with family and friends, going to the movies and cafes. Going back to school was bittersweet the start of a new term is always exciting, but it was also sad to leave behind the carefree times. Now, coming out of Victorias fifth lockdown, back to school means freedom.It means leaving the homes that we have dutifully stayed in for almost two weeks and it means returning to the normal, sometimes hum-drum school routine. To me, and to many students around Victoria, it is a relief. Returning to school after lockdown is a relief. Credit:Shutterstock When the pandemic began, I was in year 10. When we were first told to pack our lockers and our bags to get ready for a few weeks of remote learning it felt exciting! It was a novelty in trackies all day, right next to the kitchen, no climbing stairs in the freezing cold between classes. Like many other Australians, I would obsessively refresh TheAges Live Coronavirus Updates, hoping for any new information about a virus that was still so unknown to us all. It took us all a while to adjust but I eventually settled into the routine of remote learning and enjoyed it. Battling bureaucracy Aishwarya died from a Strep A bacterial infection at Perth Childrens Hospital on April 3 after a two-hour wait in the emergency department to see a doctor, despite multiple pleas for help from her parents. Loading The family believe their daughter would still be alive had she been seen earlier. Mr Chavittuparas pleas for answers just days after Aishwaryas death shocked the city, and community outrage was compounded a month later after an internal investigation found multiple staff and resourcing failures could have contributed to her poor care that night. In addition to a coronial inquiry, her death sparked an external inquiry by some of the countrys most respected medical professionals tasked with looking at Aishwaryas case along with more than 20 other similarly severe deaths or near-misses at PCH since January 2020. The inquiry was originally meant to run for 10 weeks from the beginning of June but it took six weeks for the panel to receive more than 4000 documents from WA Health, which will mean a time blowout before the report is handed down. Mr Chavittupara said the family took some time at the start of the inquiry to grieve and let it run its course, but with a big delay looming he was furious at the Health Department. Aishwaryas died at PCH on April 3. Credit:Nine News Perth He says a promised meeting with WA Health director-general David Russell-Weisz to discuss the inquiry has not yet happened. We want everyone to know that they are using the same tricks, Mr Chavittupara said. Why are they delaying it, I just dont understand. When the inquiry panel started they should have given them all the information straight away. If you ask the government they just raise their hands and say someone else is doing the inquiry, you need to talk to them. If you talk to them they say we are waiting for the documents. It is just people pointing hands at different people. The family also feels left out of the implementation of Aishwaryas Care, a program they devised for parents to escalate concerns for their childs welfare in emergency departments. The implementation of Aishwaryas Care is being run by a government committee, which the family say has sought very little input from them. A spokesman for Health Minister Roger Cook said because the inquiry was independent it would be inappropriate to comment, but the minister had been clear in his commitment to both the inquiry and the introduction of Aishwaryas Care in consultation with the family. We want change. This should never happen again. Aswath Chavittupara A spokeswoman for WA Health said the department was working according to the timelines provided. The inquiry team sought thousands of documents, which had to be identified, located and provided to the inquiry team in an appropriate, secure format, she said. Four months on In addition to the inquiry, the family is also awaiting results of an Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency inquiry into a doctor and two junior nurses involved in caring for Aishwarya the night she died. Health bosses referred the staff to AHPRA while Mr Chavittupara and his family made their own separate referral. Aishwarya Aswath was suffering from sepsis when she died. At the time, unions panned the referrals from senior health figures as a breach of trust and made their own referrals of management to AHPRA but Mr Chavittupara said he was still very angry at PCH staff from that night. If you look at the footage you will see my wife was literally begging. She was literally begging and that should not happen, he said. It is unclear when these inquiries will be completed. AHPRA would not comment on individual cases, but Aishwaryas death uncovered broader problems. After seven months of complaints from patients and staff about the under-resourced and overworked health system, the young girls death put an innocent face to the crisis and sparked a wave of upset and backlash from hospital staff and the community. Hundreds of nurses and doctors rallied outside PCH in May and the government added 20 new beds and 16 new nurses to the hospital despite maintaining there were no resourcing issues. Aswath Chavittupara, 39, and Prasitha Sasidharan, 33. Credit:Marta Pascual juanola. A petition calling for the resignation of Mr Cook and PCH chair Aresh Anwar has also gained 35,000 signatures. But the family no longer wants Mr Cook to resign, preferring he be the one to fix the issues at hospitals and implement Aishwaryas Care. Mr Cook promised a similar system in opposition in 2016 after the death of baby Malakai Paraone, but after coming to power in 2017 he took the Health Departments advice on face value that it wasnt necessary. Loading Climbing Everest Beyond this year, Mr Chavittupara said the family intended to set up a foundation in Aishwaryas name to ensure her memory would not fade from public memory. The foundation would aim to help sick kids and improve child healthcare in WA and the family is aiming high. When we discussed setting up our foundation we said, Lets take it as a challenge. Lets build a hospital in maybe 10 years time ... after that, lets plan for a university, so its just a dream at the moment but we want to do something for the community, he said. We want to take Aishwaryas legacy forward and the foundation should help a lot of children. Being advocates for change while grieving their daughter has been tough for Mr Chavittupara, who has to take a moment when asked what continues to drive him. McLean: President Joe Biden is expected to require US federal employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Thats under consideration right now, Biden told a reporter who asked whether the administration was weighing such a requirement. US President Joe Biden at the Office of the Director Of National Intelligence headquarters discussed plans for more vaccinations. Credit:Bloomberg The Washington Post reported that Biden will announce the requirement for federal employees on Thursday (Friday AEST) and that the new rules will closely align with policies recently put in place for government officials in California and New York City. Biden spoke as his administrations health experts advised Americans fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to start wearing masks again in some circumstances due to the virus fast-spreading Delta variant. Teachers pose for a photograph with NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia, middle, after the #RedForEd Walkout, March and Rally held a news conference at the Esperanza Elementary School in Isaac School District Wednesday, April 25, 2018, in Phoenix. Arizona teachers are due to go on strike Thursday. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Up for debate: Live legislation tracker Check out the latest developments on bills pending before state lawmakers in four key topics. Medical association CEO: New Montana law provides more affordable way to gain access to a physician Students in fifth grade wear masks as they wait for their teacher in the classroom at Oak Terrace Elementary School in Highwood, Illinois. Students walk near the Donald and Lorena Meier Commons on the campus of the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Commuters head to catch trains Aug. 7, 2018, at the New Jersey Transit station in Hoboken, N.J., as a departure board shows two canceled trains. 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. Instant unlimited access to all of our E-Editions and content on thechronicleonline.com. The Chronicle E-Edition Newsletter emailed to you each week, the night before the paper hits the street! This subscription is for NEW or RENEWING online subscribers. (The charge will appear as "Country Media Inc." on your credit card statement) This is the temporary subscription pass for users returning from the Vision Data subscription process. Your subscription will be updated within 24 hours, after your information is verified. Please click the button below to get your pass. BAINBRIDGE - John Short, 87, of Bainbridge, passed away July 30, 2021, at Cooperstown Center, following a brief illness. John was born Aug.1, 1933, to James and Alta (Palmer) Short in Sidney. After graduating high school in Otego, John served in the U.S. Navy from 1951 to 1954. John married Click the image to the left and log in to get your exclusive reader perks. Bill Freeman is chairman of Freeman Webb Inc., a Nashville-based real estate investment, management and brokerage company he co-founded in 1979. Freeman is the former financial chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party and is a Democratic fundraiser. He ran for Nashville mayor in 2015. More than 11,000 data breaches, causing exposure of more than 1.6 billion personal records over a span of about 15 years, is at the core of the Unemployment Compensation (UC) fraud uptick, according to a press release from the state Department of Labor and Industry. News Candidate filing period closes SPINDALE The slate of candidates is now set for the 2021 Rutherford County Municipal Elections. The filing period officially ended July 16, but was extended for a week because there were not enough candidates for Chimney Rock Village. That has since changed. Incumbent Councilwoman April Schick, who is also mayor pro tem, filed for re-election Thursday, July 22. Before then, only one other person had filed for the two available seats, incumbent Bruce Godzik. After receiving guidance from state elections officials, Rutherford County Elections Director Dawn Lovelace said an emergency meeting was held by the Rutherford County Board of Elections. The board decided to extend the filing period for a week, only for Chimney Rock Village. This was somewhat unusual. Its not typical to not have enough candidates for a municipal election, Lovelace said. Im glad someone filed for the seat. Barring a successful write-in campaign, Schick and Godzik will retain their seats on the Chimney Rock Village Council. Other incumbent candidates who will be on the ballot are also running unopposed including the mayors of Rutherfordton, Spindale, Forest City, Lake Lure, and Bostic. Write-in candidates are still possible in any of the races, Lovelace said. Write-in candidates have occasionally been successful here, most recently in Ruth and Spindale. Voter turnout for municipal elections is typically not the highest. It is a non-presidential, non-midterm election year, with no statewide offices on the ballot. Only registered voters who live within a municipality are allowed to vote. Because the municipal elections are all nonpartisan, there are no primaries. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 8. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 2, with polls open 6:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Candidates who officially filed for the municipal elections and will be appear on the ballots are: Bostic: Incumbent Mayor Mitch Harril, incumbent councilmen Michael Hollifield, Billy Lattimore, and Wes Flynn. Chimney Rock Village: Incumbents Councilman Bruce Godzik, Councilwoman April Schick. Ellenboro: Incumbent Aldermen Lee Allen, Liz Blanton, and Pam Padgett are each seeking to retain their seats, while newcomer Allan Bunt Black is also seeking a seat. Incumbent Alderman Charles Smith is running unopposed for the unexpired two-year term. Forest City: Mayor Steve Holland is running unopposed; incumbent Shawn Moore is seeking to retain his seat (one of two available), while newcomers Dr. John Mark Bennett, Tasia Lowrance, and Kisha McDowell are also seeking a seat on the board. Incumbent David Eaker did not file for reelection. Lake Lure: Mayor Carol Pritchett is running unopposed; Jim Proctor and Scott Doster are running for a seat on the board. Incumbent commissioners John Kilby and John Moore did not file for reelection. Ruth: Mayor David Guy is challenged for his position by Richard Francis, and Denver Buchanan. Commissioner William Steppe is seeking re-election. Nick Goode is also running for commissioner. Incumbent Ron Carpenter did not file for reelection. Rutherfordton: Mayor Jimmy Dancy is running unopposed; Councilman Stan Clements is seeking reelection. Doris Crute is also seeking a seat on the council. Councilman Terry Cobb did not file again. Spindale: Mayor Mickey Bland is running unopposed. Commissioner Rosaleen Francis is running unopposed, as is newcomer Ricky Ledbetter. Commissioner Tom Roberson did not file for reelection. In the unexpired commissioner term, incumbent Lou Gilliam is running against Jennifer Cowan Spratt. Forest City, NC (28043) Today Rain diminishing to a few showers this afternoon. High 76F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. A dark cloud of smoke rises above the chemical park in Leverkusen, Germany, on July 27, 2021. (Mirko Wolf/dpa via AP) At Least 2 Killed in German Chemical Blast; 31 Injured BERLINAn explosion at an industrial park for chemical companies in Germany killed at least two people on Tuesday, with 31 others injured and several still missing hours later. Fire officials who tested the air said there did not appear to be a danger to nearby residents after authorities initially urged people to shelter inside. The explosion at the waste management facility of the Chempark site in Leverkusen, near Cologne, sent a large black cloud into the air. It took firefighters almost four hours to extinguish the fire that took hold after the explosion. Germanys Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance initially classified the incident as an extreme threat. Later on Tuesday, however, the Cologne fire department tweeted that pollution measurements do not show any kind of abnormality. They said the smoke had diminished but that they would continue to measure the air for toxins. The city of Leverkusen said the explosion occurred in storage tanks for solvents. A dark cloud of smoke rises above the Chempark in Leverkusen, Germany, on July 27, 2021. (Oliver Berg/dpa via AP) Later Tuesday, Chempark operator Currenta said that a second fatality had been confirmed. It put the number of injured at 31 and said five employees were missing. Unfortunately hope of finding them alive is fading rapidly, the head of Chempark, Lars Friedrich, said in a statement. City officials asked all residents to stay inside until the late afternoon and warned people from outside Leverkusen to avoid the region. City officials later also warned people not to let children play outside, use outside pools or eat fruit and vegetables from their backyards in the coming days. They said experts would only be able to tell in a few days how toxic the soot from the explosion would be. Currenta said the explosion happened at 9:40 a.m. and then developed into a fire. It said three big tanks were affected by the explosion, but that it was too early to know the cause. Sirens were operated to warn residents and warning alerts were sent, Currenta said. Police shut down several nearby major highways for several hours. Emergency vehicles of the fire brigade, rescue services and police stand not far from an access road to the Chempark over which a dark cloud of smoke is rising in Leverkusen, Germany, on July 27, 2021. (Oliver Berg/dpa via AP) Leverkusen is home to Bayer, one of Germanys biggest chemical companies. It has about 163,000 residents and borders Cologne, which is Germanys fourth biggest city and has around 1 million inhabitants. Many residents work at Bayer, which is one of the biggest employers in the region. The chemical park is located close to the banks of the Rhine river. Currenta has three facilities in the region. More than 70 different companies are based at the locations in Leverkusen, Dormagen, and Krefeld-Uerdingen. The mayor of Leverkusen, Uwe Richrath, called the blast a tragic moment for Leverkusen. By Kirsten Grieshaber 88 Fires Are Burning in 11 Western States, Forcing 8,400 Evacuations Eighty-eight wildfires are burning in 11 Western states as of Monday in a fire season unlike any other in recent history. So far, the fires have destroyed 1,456,925 acres. According to Inciweb, a national wildfire tracker published by the U.S. Forest Service, the five biggest wildfires by acreage, as of Saturday, are the Bootleg Fire in Oregon, the Dixie Fire in California, the Snake River Complex in Idaho, the Lick Creek (Dry Gulch) Fire in Oregon and Washington, and the Tamarack Fire in Nevada. The Bootleg Fire has engulfed an area larger than New York City, with 42 percent of the fire contained as of Saturday. Containing a fire means firefighters have created a control line around an area of the fire, with the goal of the line preventing the fire from spreading. The fire inside the line may still burn, but not spread, or it could spread depending on weather conditions. On July 6, the USDA Forest Service activated an additional military C-130 aircraft equipped with Modular Airborne Firefighting Systems (MAFFS) to join two others battling the fires. The aircraft is from the Nevada Air National Guards 152nd Airlift Wing. Three MAFFS-equipped aircraft are operating out of McClellan Airbase in Sacramento to assist with aerial fire suppression. Having military C-130 planes that can be converted into airtankers is helping personnel on the ground when commercial airtankers are fully committed or not readily available. Initially, MAFFS-equipped military aircraft were activated on June 25, the earliest activation of such aircraft in a decade, the National Interagency Fire Center reports. Since July 6, more than 401,601 acres have burned in the Fremont-Winema National Forest, 15 miles northwest of Beatty, Oregon. More than 2,000 personnel have fought to quell what is now the nations largest wildfire and third largest in Oregons history. Officials say the fire was ignited by lightning. Californias Dixie Fire in Butte County is the second largest fire by acreage. It has burned more than 181,289 acres, is threatening 10,000 homes, and after two weeks is only 21 percent contained. Ignited July 13, its cause is under investigation. Dixie is the largest fire burning in California. Various counties have issued evacuation orders, warnings and closures. More than 4,000 personnel are working to combat it. Weather conditions may make it worse, Cal Fire suggests. Chances of thunderstorms could provoke wildfires activity. Heavy rain could cause mudslides in areas where only charred dirt remains. The fire behavior conditions that were facing right now are really quite unprecedented, and at a historical level, Cal Fire deputy incident commander Chris Waters said last week. The third-largest fire by acreage, the Snake River Complex in Idaho, has burned more than 107,679 acres as of Saturday. Roughly 74 percent contained, it is raging roughly 20 miles south of Lewiston. Officials have claimed that lightning ignited the fire July 7, and more than 200 personnel have been fighting it since. On July 9, Idaho Gov. Brad Little issued an emergency declaration and called up the Idaho National Guard firefighters. Wildfire is presenting an imminent threat to life, property, and the environment, and we need all hands on deck, Little, who plans to fly over the Snake River Complex wildfire this week, said in a statement. The fourth-largest fire, Lick Creek (Dry Gulch), has burned more than 80,392 acres in Oregon and Washington. Officials claim that lightning ignited several parts of forest area southwest of Asotin, Washington, on July 7. The next day, the fires merged with the Lick Creek wildfire. Since then, more than 200 personnel have been combating the fires. The fifth-largest fire is in Nevada, where officials say lightning ignited the Tamarack Fire on July 4. Located 16 miles south of Gardnerville, the fire had burned more than 65,152 acres since Saturday. More than 1,000 personnel are fighting the fire. The fire has destroyed multiple structures and is threatening at least 2,700 homes in Douglas County, according to Gov. Steve Sisolak, who declared a state of emergency Friday. Several counties also issued road closures and evacuations and local law enforcement are helping evacuate residents and their pets to shelters. On Friday, officials said multiple large aircraft would support personnel on the ground by dropping fire retardant. By Bethany Blankley An aerial view from a helicopter shows a large wildfire that broke out near Santu Lussurgiu, Sardinia, Italy, on July 25, 2021. (Vigili del Fuoco/Handout via Reuters) 900 Evacuated in Sardinia Wildfires; Greece, France Send Aid MILANRaging forest fires in central Sardinia have forced the evacuation of 900 people as flames threatened some residential areas and others were engulfed by dense smoke, firefighters said Monday. No deaths or injuries have been reported. Currently, the situation for the people seems to be under control, said Alessandro Paola, deputy chief for Italian firefighters emergency department. France and Greece dispatched aircraft to help put out wildfires, which have consumed around 20,000 hectares (nearly 50,000 acres) in the province of Oristano. They join 10 Italian firefighting squads and 5 other aircraft deployed. It is an unprecedented reality in Sardinias history, regional governor Christian Salinas said. So far, 20,000 hectares of forest that represent centuries of environmental history of our island have gone up in ashes. Firefighters battled all night bringing under control a blaze near the town of Montiferro that displaced 400 residents over the weekend. The wildfires, which broke out over the weekend, have been spread by dry southerly winds. A firefighter battles the flames after a large wildfire broke out near Santu Lussurgiu, Sardinia, Italy, on July 24, 2021. (Vigili del Fuoco/Handout via Reuters) A Message to President Biden: Please Keep the Chinese Regime Away From American Farmland Commentary Millions of Americans believe that President Joe Biden is weak on China. As I write this, spy tools favored by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are still operating in the United States. The weak on China criticism is a fair one, and Biden could certainly do more to combat the threat from China. However, according to a recent piece published in Politico, the Biden administration is fed up with Chinese interference. Action, were assured, will be taken. The author of the piece, Ryan McCrimmon, discusses the administrations desire to drain Chinas ever-increasing influence from the U.S. economy. More specifically, there is a deep desire to remove this influence from Americas farmland. While bipartisan agreement is a rarity, congressional lawmakers from both parties are in agreement. Something must be done. They are now working on measures to crack down on foreign purchases of prime agricultural real estate. The move is a welcome one, but it should have come a long time ago. After all, the Chinese regime has been buying up American farmland for years. Beijings Buying Spree Twelve years ago, the CCP began purchasing huge swaths of farmland around the world. In the space of seven years, from 2009 to 2016, spending increased tenfold, to $3 billion from $300 million. One neednt be a high-level, political strategist to figure out why the CCP is buying up so much land. In the aforementioned Politico article, the author quotes Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), who recently issued a rather troubling statement: if things dont change soon, across America, we can expect to see the creation of a Chinese-owned agricultural land monopoly. The American problem is, in fact, a worldwide one. In 2016, for example, Hongyang Group, a major Chinese company, bought thousands of acres of farmland in central France. The purchase, rather absurdly, went completely unchecked by French authorities. As French journalist Marine Jobert noted, when Emmanuel Hyest, the president of SAFER (the French regulatory body responsible for overseeing all things land-related), was asked why the Chinese firm was purchasing the land, he admitted to not knowing what sort of activity Hongyang was engaged in. France, though, is just the tip of the iceberg, as the CCP has acquired enormous amounts of land in the Caribbean and Latin American nations. Jamaica appears to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of Beijing-backed investments. In fact, from Manaus, Brazil, to Maun, Botswana, the Chinese regime has boughtand continues to buysignificant amounts of land. What Does the Chinese Regime Actually Want? Executive director and chairman of WH Group, Wan Long, executive director and president of Smithfield, Larry Pope, and Smithfield chief financial officer, Kenneth Sullivan attend a press conference in Hong Kong on April 14, 2014. (Philippe Lopez/AFP via Getty Images) In 2013, WH Group, a huge Chinese company, bought Smithfield Foods, a major U.S. pork producer. With the purchase, WH Group also acquired 146,000 acres of prime farmland. Six years after the suspicious acquisition, NPR interviewed a sixth-generation farmer from the region. The interviewee, Angela Huffman, obviously upset, had this to say: Right out my back door here, Chinese-owned Smithfield Foods, the largest pork producer in the world, has recently bought out a couple grain elevators. The company, she argued, excels at extracting the wealth out of the community. Huffman appears to be correct. As the author Deborah J. Comstock has outlined in great detail, any profits earned by Chinese firms bypass the American commodities markets and are instead funneled straight back to China. The Chinese regimes acquisition of so much land must be viewed through a broader lens. In a piece for The Japan Times, Clara Ferreira Marques writes, The real great game is about securing a Chinese candidate at the head of the Food and Agriculture Organization; getting a friendly one at the World Health Organization; and landing the countrys first overseas military base. With Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, a man who appears to have very close ties to the CCP, heading the WHO, Xi Jinping has accomplished one of these three goals. While the purchasing of land by China is indeed strategic, its also necessary. Numerous articles have been written about Chinas falling fertility rates, but the countrys population has yet to peak. With 18.5 percent of the worlds population, and only 8.5 percent of the worlds arable land, China is facing an existential crisis. A decade ago, in Egypt and Tunisia, food shortages caused chaos. People took to the streets, violence ensued, and lives were lost. Hungry people are desperate people, and desperate people are capable of desperate things. The CCP, no doubt, is all too aware of this fact. Imagine Hong Kong-style riots across the land. This isnt outside the realm of possibility, and the CCP knows this only too well. So, one asks, what can be done? Action must be taken. In response to the recent Microsoft hack, which the Chinese regime, rather unconvincingly, denied orchestrating, the Biden administration did nothing but issue a weak statement. Chinese interference requires a strong response from Americas leaders. Across the country, only six states have laws in place that forbid foreign ownership of farmland. Considering America has almost 18 percent of the worlds arable land, and considering China is desperately buying up land, President Biden must take action now. With China, harshly worded statements wont work. They never have, and they never will. John Mac Ghlionn is a researcher and essayist. His work has been published by the likes of The New York Post, Sydney Morning Herald, The American Conservative, National Review, The Public Discourse, and other respectable outlets. Hes also a columnist at Cointelegraph. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Alternatives to the Dangers and Indignities of Colonoscopies Colorectal cancer is a prolific killer but the risks of screening can be a greater danger for many I had my first colonoscopy when I turned 50. It wasnt fun, but I did what I was told and I believed the common line that it was something I needed to endure. The prep was unpleasant, but I kept good reading material with me all day for those frequent trips to the bathroom. The results were negative. When I turned 60, and was due for my next colonoscopy, I was looking for something different. I was starting to question the risks and benefits of what I was being sold. I chose a virtual colonoscopy, which wasnt covered by insurance, and fortunately was negative as well. That led me to start diving deep into this specific multibillion-dollar medical industry and found some interesting facts. Remember, Im not giving medical advice here, just information for you to help decide what is best for you. Lets start with the heavy stuff first. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third-most-common cancer (excluding all those skin cancers) in both men and women. Its also the second-most-common cause of cancer-related deaths in both men and women, with 52,980 deaths in 2021. Its a pretty awful disease, but dont worry, I will give you some good news shortly. Some of the risk factors for colon cancer are under your control, such as eating less red meat, losing weight, exercising, quitting smoking, and drinking less alcohol. There are also risk factors you can have the misfortune to be born into, the big one being a family history of this disease. So what do we do to diagnose colorectal polyps or cancer early enough to either prevent or safely treat it? If you follow the guidelines, we should all be getting colonoscopies starting at the age of 50, and some experts even suggest starting at 45. The problem with this is, colonoscopies arent without risks. As I said, its a multibillion-dollar industry, with some 19 million of the procedures performed in the United States in 2017. The risks for major complications (perforation, hemorrhage) are small but up to 1.6 percent and are very much dependent on the expertise of the physician. This percentage may sound small, but indicates that in 2017, there were as many as 304,000 major complications from the procedure in and of itself. Tell one of those injured that the risk was small. In 2021, there were 149,500 new cases of colorectal cancer diagnosed. This makes you wonder whats going on. I am in full support for diagnosing colorectal polyps and cancers as early as possible, but Im not in support of a perforated bowel in this pursuit for the average-risk individual. High-risk individuals are a different story and colonoscopy is still the gold standardfor now. Dont get me wrong, colorectal cancer screening is extremely important and can be life-saving, but there must be a better way. Nowhere else in the world are colonoscopies used as much as here in the United States. In Canada, only 15 percent of their 970,000 colonoscopies are screening, the rest are diagnostic. That means, they get colonoscopies if they are at high risk or are in the process of being evaluated for signs of colorectal cancer such as rectal bleeding and pain. Again, I am only writing about screening testing. Its also interesting to note that Canadian colorectal cancer survival is similar to that in the United States, despite costing half as much, due in part to the cheaper costs of medications the Canadian government negotiates with drugmakers. I promised you some good news. There are some really promising new tests as well as additional current tests that can be done as alternatives to colonoscopies. Remember, these are screening tests for people without any signs or symptoms for colorectal disease, such as rectal bleeding, bloating, diarrhea, etc. Fecal immunochemical testing is one such option. Basically, you poop and spread a little on a specially treated card at home. You then send it in for evaluation, and its examined for blood from the GI tract. If positive, you go for a full workup. Virtual colonoscopy is another option. Its basically a CT scan of the colon that can identify small polyps and colorectal cancer. The plus side is there is no risk of perforation or hemorrhage (rare as that may be). The negative side is, if there is a polyp, you would need a diagnostic colonoscopy. This is different from a screening colonoscopy. Its also not covered by medical insurance. We have all seen the commercials for Cologuard. The walking, talking box asking you to poop, scoop, and mail it back to rule out colorectal cancer. Its actually a really good screening test. They recommend starting screening at 45 and repeating it every three years. It finds 92 percent of colon cancers. While there also is a 13 percent false-positive rate, if a patient gets a negative test result, theres a 99.94 percent chance there is no cancer. This is an amazing screening test. Finally, and with the most promise, there is a blood test already available that can identify colon cancer and polyps. It uses cell-free DNA blood testing and has been called a liquid biopsy test. The preliminary studies show a 91 percent early-stage colorectal cancer detection rate. Hopefully, these will become the main screening test for average-risk individuals, leaving colonoscopies as a screening test to be something soon forgotten. Dr. Peter Weiss has been a frequent guest on local and national TV, newspapers, and radio. He was an assistant clinical professor of OB/GYN at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA for 30 years, stepping down so he could provide his clinical services to those in need when the COVID pandemic hit. He was also a national health care adviser for Sen. John McCains 2008 presidential campaign. Contractors working for Cyber Ninjas, who was hired by the Arizona Senate, work during a 2020 election audit at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix on May 1, 2021. (Courtney Pedroza/Getty Images) Arizona Senate Issues Fresh Subpoenas for 2020 Election Audit Arizona senators issued a new subpoena to the states largest county on July 26 for materials related to the 2020 election. Arizona Senate President Karen Fann and Arizona Senate Judiciary Chairman Warren Petersen have ordered Maricopa Countys Board of Supervisors to turn over ballot envelopes or ballot envelope images, voter records, and routers or router images. The Republican-controlled board was also commanded to provide all findings concerning any systems breach that took place within six months of the Nov. 3, 2020, election, as well as all usernames and passwords for machines used in the election. The board was also told to appear at the Arizona State Capitol for a hearing on Aug. 2. Failure to comply may constitute contempt of the Legislature, the board was told. Fann said in a statement that the county continues to withhold vital information from the public and the auditors which has created additional costs, months of delays and a lack of transparency on their part. A board spokesman told media outlets that the county has already provided everything competent auditors would need to confirm the accuracy and security of the 2020 election. The board will review the materials requested with our legal team and respond in the coming days, the spokesman said. Senators also subpoenaed information from Dominion Voting Systems, whose machines Maricopa County leases. Dominion said in a statement to news outlets that it wouldnt comply with the subpoena, which seeks administrative passwords for the machines. Contractors hired by the Republican-controlled state Senate have been conducting an audit of the 2020 election in Maricopa County since April. The county submitted the nearly 2.1 million ballots cast in the election, as well as 385 tabulators and other items. Those items were ordered to be turned over by subpoenas issued late last year. But county officials also refused to provide some of the subpoenaed items, despite a judge ruling the subpoenas lawful after the county claimed that they were overbroad and outside the scope of the Arizona Senates authority. County officials said in May that they couldnt hand over routers or router images, because doing so would pose a security risk. Arizona senators initially threatened to issue a fresh subpoena then. It isnt clear why they waited until July 26 to do so. The Arizona Senate voted in February, before the judge ruled on the matter, on a resolution to hold the county in contempt. One Republican, state Sen. Paul Boyer, sided with Democrats, preventing the resolution from being approved. Republicans control the Senate, 1614. Boyer recently came out in opposition to the audit, after previously supporting it. Another Republican, Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, also went from supporting the audit to opposing it. I wanted to review our election processes and see what, if anything, could be improved. Sadly, its now become clear that the audit has been botched, Ugenti-Rita wrote on Twitter. She was booed off the stage at a conservative event over the weekend after her shift on the audit. Boyer and Ugenti-Rita didnt respond to requests by The Epoch Times for comment by press time. Arizona Sen. Wendy Rogers, a Republican who still backs the audit, told The Epoch Times that she thinks the breakaway Republicans will eventually support the review again. I believe both of those colleagues of mine and Democrats will see all of the data points for what they will show and will eventually get on to the right side of history, she said. Voters head to cast their ballot in the federal election at the Fairbanks Interpretation Centre in Dartmouth, N.S., on Oct. 21, 2019. (The Canadian Press/Andrew Vaughan) Officials at Risk of Becoming Targets if CSIS Warning of Foreign Interference Threat Ignored, Says Policy Expert Foreign states use bribery and blackmail to steer policy and elections to their liking, CSIS report warns An unclassified report by Canadas lead national security agency warns that foreign state actors use bribery, blackmail, and threats to influence politicstactics that one Canadian policy expert can personally attest to. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) recently released a 17-page report, titled Foreign Interference: Threats to Canadas Democratic Process, that warned politicians and the public about subversive tactics by foreign states to steer public discourse, policy, and elections to their liking. Although Canadas electoral system is strong, foreign interference is a significant threat to the integrity of our democratic institutions, political system, fundamental rights and freedoms, and ultimately, our sovereignty, the report states. Examples include attempts to covertly influence, intimidate, manipulate, interfere, corrupt or discredit individuals, organizations and governments to further the interests of a foreign state. Marcus Kolga, a senior fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and head of its DisinfoWatch program, has high praise for the report. The content itself wasnt a surprise. What was surprising to me was the clarity and the stark honesty of the reportthe fact the threat was defined as being persistent and growing, the fact that CSIS has seen an expansion of foreign interference and the intensity of it. I think thats really important for Canadians to understand, and more importantly, for the Canadian government, Kolga said in an interview. I dont think that the federal government has fully acknowledged the scope of the threat because they havent enacted policies to address it. L ongstanding Investigations Both Kolga and Canadas Communications Security Establishment have named China, Russia, and Iran as primary sources of concern. The CSIS report avoids naming states, but says the agency has longstanding investigations into specific threat actors who are believed to be targeting Canada and Canadians through clandestine, deceptive or threatening means. Kolga hopes elected and appointed officials and everyday Canadians take heed. Were a little bit naive. I dont think that we fully recognize the type of damage that these regimes are doing to our democracy right now, he said. Most of our elected officials have no idea. And if they dont have any idea, if theyre not aware of the threat, then they become a great big target for those regimes. Kolga believes Chinese influence operations led to 33 senators voting down a motion that would have recognized communist Chinas mistreatment of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims as a genocide. There were 33 senators who voted against it, and some of the statements that were given by a certain small group of senators who were against the motion directly reflect [rhetoric and narratives] that have been promoted by Chinese media and the Communist Party, he said. The CSIS report said foreign states like to target their ethnic communities in Canada to influence politics. State actors may use threats, bribery or blackmail to affect the voting behaviour of individuals inside or outside of communities, the report states. Individuals may be threatened or fear reprisal for themselves or their loved ones in Canada or abroad if they fail to comply with publicly supporting a particular candidate or contributing funds to the foreign states preferred party. They may also use flattery, promise compensation, or appeal to an individuals sense of pride towards another country to elicit the desired behaviour. Intimidation, Harassment In recent years, Uyghur activists and other Chinese human rights activists have told the House of Commons Subcommittee on International Human Rights that intimidation campaigns against them in Canada included threats of rape or even death. A report last year by the Canadian Coalition on Human Rights in China and Amnesty International Canada stated that since 2017, there have been continuing reports of individuals in Canada being subjected to rights violations further to a systematic campaign of harassment and intimidation that is often clearly linked to or backed by Chinese state authorities. The report said that a new trend points to an increased prevalence of such incidents and interference at universities and in the academic sphere. State actors may also manipulate journalism and the social media environment through similar tactics. Kolga, who is also a journalist, filmmaker, and human rights activist, said his writing and advocacy contrary to Kremlin narratives have made him the object of such tactics. I was getting threats sent to me or nasty emails and nasty Facebook messages, he said. Im used to it. Whenever I write something, these guys come at me. In May 2020, York Regional Police tracked down a Russian national who threatened Kolga a year ago. Kolga declined to press charges, though the police warned the Russian that any further action would result in prosecution. This [was] the third time I received death threatsvery credible death threats. Its grinding and its psychologically difficult. And I obviously have to tell my family and it causes stress all around, he said. Kolga said he has built up resilience over the years against such threats, but says he is concerned about his friends in the Chinese dissident community, as its pretty serious stuff. Immigrants who arrived illegally from across the Rio Grande river from Mexico make their way along a track towards a processing checkpoint set up by Border Patrol agents in the border city of Roma, Texas, on March 27, 2021. (Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images) Biden Admin Releases New Blueprint for Immigration Overhaul at USMexico Border As the Biden administration struggles to process the surging influx of illegal immigrants, the White House on Tuesday revealed a plan to overhaul immigration at the U.S.Mexico border. This new plan comes a day after the Biden administration received criticism from immigration advocates for a statement in which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said they will speed up deportations of certain family units who try to enter the United States illegally between ports of entry. Over the weekend, Brian Hastings, the Border Patrol chief in the Rio Grande Valley, tweeted about skyrocketing apprehensions of illegal migrants, saying #USBP Apprehensions surpassed the 1-million milestone in June. NOWthis week alone#RGV has apprehended more than 20K illegally present migrants. Tuesdays notice from the White House highlights a five-pronged, 21-point plan to address this crisis at the border. The blueprint begins by blaming, in large part, the current immigration crisis on former President Donald Trumps immigration policies. Success in building this fair, orderly, and humane immigration system wont be achieved overnight, especially after the prior Administrations irrational and inhumane policies, but this Administration has a blueprint to get there and is making real progress, a White House fact sheet says. There has been mounting pressure from Republicans and border communities for the administration to stop the influx of these migrants. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said that the Biden administrations policies created the immigration crisis at the southern border. Three decisions made in the opening week of this administration caused this crisis. Number one, the first week in office Joe Biden immediately halted construction of the border wall. Number two, he reinstated the failed policy of catch and release. And number three, most indefensibly, he ended the incredibly successful remain in Mexico international agreement, Cruz said during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in July. The White House said, despite the Trump-era policies, they will implement a new plan that outlines the steps federal agencies will be taking to continue implementing President Joe Bidens transformative vision for a 21st-century immigration system to secure the border. The administrations immigration blueprint comes after Biden spoke Monday to the nations largest Latino advocacy organization, UnidosUS, via prerecorded remarks. Biden promised to secure a pathway to citizenship for undocumented Americans. My administration will always have your back, Biden said. DACA recipients and their supporters rally outside the Supreme Court in Washington on June 18, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) The immigration overhaul has five goals, the first being a humane and well-managed southern border. To achieve this, the administration will take funding from the border wall to beef up technology and ports of entry. DHS will also expedite the removal of families that do not qualify for asylum, work with regional partners to stop human trafficking and drug smugglers, and send a clear message to migrants about U.S. immigration rules. The second part of their strategy to secure the border is to streamline the asylum process by appointing more judges to listen to asylum claims and rescinding Trump-era policies to establish clear and just eligibility standards that harmonize the U.S. approach with international standards. They will also pump $15 million to pay for pro bono legal fees for asylum seekers and $23 million to go to the Department of Justice to process claims. The third part of the Biden plan is to give humanitarian aid to countries, specifically in the Northern Triangle. The Biden administration will work with the U.N. to donate $255 million in assistance to meet immediate and urgent humanitarian needs for people in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, refugees, other displaced people, and vulnerable migrants in the region. As a second part of addressing the humanitarian crisis in the Northern Triangle, the U.S. government will also set up programs to process asylum cases in the migrants home countries. The Biden administration will also invest in Central America in an effort to address the root causes of mass migration to the United States. The Biden administration will work with large corporations to enhance workforce development, health, and education; and build resilience to climate change and food insecurity so individuals can find an economic opportunity at home. The plan will also address corruption that impedes democratic governance, free press issues, labor rights, and gender issues in the Northern Triangle in an effort to have the United States achieve a more secure southern border. The administration is also calling on Congress to pass two pieces of legislation through a partisan vote if need be. The U.S. Citizenship Act (H.R. 1177/S. 348) and the Dream and Promise Act (H.R. 6) and Farm Workforce Modernization Act (H.R. 1603) would create a pathway to citizenship for those illegal immigrants that are already living and working in the United States. Boutique Owner Finds Mysterious Note Tucked Inside Donated Prom Dress, Tracks Down Woman Who Wore It A Pennsylvania boutique owner stumbled on a mystery when she found a hand-written note paperclipped to a dress that had been donated to her store. Jillian Nimick, owner of Nimi Boutique in Mount Pleasant, gifts prom dresses to students who cant afford their own. While sorting through a large shipment on June 9, she found the note inside a turquoise dresswhich led her on a journey. It read: I wanted to share with you the story of how I originally got this dress. My mother and I were not about to spend $300+ on a prom dressNo way! So we found a little off-brand boutique and this dress was way in the back on a sale rack. It was VERY cheap! The note went on, telling how it almost ended up someplace very different; its previous owner had used the dresss tracking number and traced it to a train shipment bound for Chicago. The status was: Lost in route, the note read. The note continued: WOW! So I wore this dress to prom with my high school sweetheart. We are getting married in 2020. Some things are just meant to be and I didnt have the heart to just send this beauty to Goodwill. I knew it needed to have a greater purpose, since the universe seemed to work so hard to get it to me. In a bid to solve the mystery of the dresss owner, Jillian shared the note in a video on social media. I wanted to know if they got married during the pandemic, she later told Trib Live. Not only did her video garner a breathtaking 1.2 million views; it also struck gold when 24-year-old Shania Potoskynone other than the original owner of the turquoise dressreached out online, and the two arranged a meetup. (Courtesy of Jillian Nimick) Shania with her high school sweetheart Stanley Potosky before prom in 2014. (Courtesy of Shania Potosky) Shania recounted wearing the turquoise gown to her junior prom at Mount Pleasant Area Senior High School in 2014. Her inspiration for the note? Shed read about pre-depression-era wedding dressesoften donated with notes telling the original owners love story. They hoped someone who needed it got it, Shania told the news outlet. That dress had a story, [and mine] had a story. Shania and her high school sweetheart Stanley did, in fact, tie the knotin September 2020. I wanted my dress to be able to give someone else the opportunity to go to prom, make someone feel beautiful, have a sense of confidence, she explained. Some people have an aversion to things that are secondhand, I dont understand that. You never know what youll find. Leaving the dress at an Angelas Angels drop-off location in Latrobe in 2019, she had no idea it would find someone who would connect with it so deeply. Jillian Nimick (L) and Shania Potosky (Courtesy of Jillian Nimick) The store owner herself had once nearly missed her own prom, for she couldnt afford an extravagant dress. In a video update, she said she plans to include inspirational notes inside all her donated dresses. Im thinking since prom season, special occasions have ended, [the turquoise dress] will not find a new home till next year, she told Fox News. But I will say shes the dress that keeps on giving. She plans to register her prom dress donations as an official 501C nonprofit, adding that shes already begun receiving more gowns since the story went viral. 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 By Ship and Plane Across Alaskas Inside Passage Alaska is one of those places that looms large in the collective imagination of visitors. There are several reasons for this, including its historyespecially the way in which it became the unions 49th state. After all, it is entirely possible that it could have remained outside the United States had one or two moments in history gone differently. Then there is the mystique that comes with the states vast geography and its detachment from the contiguous 48 states. Earlier this summer, I went north and crisscrossed the Inside Passage, an archipelago in the panhandle of southeast Alaska. Inside the Alaska State Museum in Juneau, the capital city. (Dennis Lennox) My trip started in Juneau. One of only two state capitals not accessible by car, Alaskas capital is vastly underrated. Outside of the big cruise ships, which returned in late July for the first time since 2019, most tourists seem to use this as a base for going elsewhere. Yet, as I found, Juneau is a destination in its own right. The streets of Skagway, a remarkably well-preserved boom town from the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 19th century. Many of the towns historic buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (Dennis Lennox) Located on the mainlands coast at the Gastineau Channel, there is more than enough to do and see for two or three days. Think glaciers, including Mendenhall Glacier; mountain peaks; trails; and even whale-watching boat excursions. For a good lay of the city, take a walking tour from Juneau Food Tours, which combines sightseeing with food and drink experiences. The eight stops include Tracys King Crab Shack and the saloon within the Alaskan Hotel, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Another must is the State Museum, one of the countrys better state museums. Castle Hill in Sitka, where the American flag was first raised in 1867 following the United States acquisition of Alaska from imperial Russia. (Dennis Lennox) Leaving Juneau, I traveled about seven hours by ferry on the Alaska Marine Highway System to Skagway. Along the way, I saw pristine landscapes and fjords as spectacular as anything in Norway. The interior of the Orthodox Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel in Sitka, Alaska. (Dennis Lennox) Skagways only real reason for existence is the Klondike gold rush of 1896 to 1899, when fortune seekers arrived here only to trek a further 500 miles to what is today part of the Yukon Territory in Canada. Lincoln Street in downtown Sitka is dominated by the Orthodox Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel. (Dennis Lennox) The town is a remarkably well-preserved example of the boom towns once seen across the American West. So much so that it feels like an old prospector will stumble out of the landmark Red Onion Saloon after one too many drinks. Sitka is located along the Inside Passage, a maritime route through the channels and fjords in and around the panhandle of southeast Alaska. (Dennis Lennox) The streets of Juneau, Alaskas capital city. (Dennis Lennox) Despite all the preserved buildings, including those belonging to the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, this isnt a ghost town or amusement park. Real people actually live and work here, including at the old-school hardware store. Besides the park, which includes a very informative museum, popular things to do include hiking the Chinook Trail; a half-day trip to Dyea, a vanished town that once rivaled Skagway; and riding the narrow-gauge White Pass & Yukon Route Railway, the only land route out of town until construction of the Klondike Highway in the 1970s. Back down the Inside Passage is Sitka on Baranof Island. The waterfront in Juneau. (Dennis Lennox) Under the Russians between 1799 and 1867, this town of 8,881 souls was called New Archangel and served as the capital of Russian America until the United States purchased Alaska in 1867. Originally ridiculed as Sewards FollyWilliam Seward, secretary of state under Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson, oversaw the acquisitionit ended up being one of the all-time greatest speculative real estate transactions. The cost? $7.2 million or about 2 cents per acre. City Hall (L) in downtown Juneau. (Dennis Lennox) While much has changed since the Stars and Stripes was first raised, the Orthodox Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel still towers over the quaint downtown. What stands today is an exact re-creation of the original 1800s edifice that was destroyed by fire in 1966. Other sights and attractions include the Sitka History and Sheldon Jackson museums; a remarkable collection of old and new carved Tlingit totem poles at Sitka National Historical Park; several landmarks from when the czar ruled Alaska; and Castle Hill, where the 1867 transfer ceremony between Russia and the United States occurred. Juneau (population 31,275) is one of only two state capitals not accessible by car. (Dennis Lennox) If You Go Fly into Juneau (TravelJuneau.com), which is served year-round by Alaska Airlines and seasonally by Delta Air Lines. Consider staying at Alaskas Capital Inn (AlaskaCapitalInn.com), a quaint bed-and-breakfast about a block from the nondescript State Capitol. The nondescript Alaska State Capitol in Juneau. (Dennis Lennox) Getting to Skagway (Skagway.com) is easier since visitors can reach it by car, ship, and air. While taking the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry was a unique experience, I thought my round-trip journey took way too much time. I could have saved considerable time by flying. Stay at the family-owned Skagway Inn (SkagwayInn.com), which has operated as a boarding house, brothel, private residence, and inn since first opening in 1897. As an alternative to the sightseeing train, consider a three-hour private tour to the summit of White Pass from Billi Clem, a colorful local character who runs Klondike Tours (KlondikeTours.com). The streets of Juneau, Alaskas capital city. (Dennis Lennox) Sitka (VisitSitka.org) is best reached by air, although the state ferry does stop here. The Sitka Hotel (SitkaHotel.com), located in the heart of downtown, offers modern, well-appointed rooms. Additional trip planning resources are available on the Travel Alaska website (TravelAlaska.com). Dennis Lennox writes a travel column for The Epoch Times. Follow @dennislennox on Twitter and Instagram. A sign at the entrance to Mill Stream Bible Camp and Retreat Centre in Omemee, Ontario. A judge ruled that the youth camp was subjected to an unreasonable decision when the federal government refused its application for $45,600 to fund six camp counsellor jobs for its 2019 summer camps. (BCM International) Canada Summer Jobs Programs Penalizing of Religious Groups Very Concerning: Lawyer Court rules in favour of Christian organization that was denied funding for youth summer camps A lawyer representing the operator of a Christian youth camp in Ontario says all Canadians should be concerned about the federal governments failure to uphold the rights of religious communities. His comment comes on the heels of a second Federal Court ruling recently that the Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program withheld funding from an organization due to its religious beliefs. Canada is a country governed by a Constitution, and the very first freedom protected in that Constitution is the freedom of conscience and religion, said Marty Moore, a lawyer with the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), a non-profit legal advocacy organization, who represented camp operator BCM International Canada Inc. in court. When government begins to discriminate against individuals and to penalize individuals for the basic exercise of their religious faith in the public squarewhether thats operating a camp, whether thats asking to participate in a profession or in a government programthat part of freedom of conscience and religion is being attacked by our own federal government. Its very concerning, and it must be resisted. On June 29, Federal Court Justice Richard Mosley ruled that Mill Stream Bible Camp was subjected to an unreasonable decision when the federal government refused its application for $45,600 to fund six camp counsellor jobs for its 2019 summer camps. Mosley said the camp was denied procedural fairness as it was never given the chance to provide evidence that its beliefs did not result in discriminatory hiring practices. On the same day, Redeemer University, a Christian university in Hamilton, Ont., won its own case against the federal government for similarly having been denied its 2019 application for CSJ funding. Mill Stream, a Christian summer camp located near Omemee, about 130 kilometres northeast of Toronto, provides recreational and religious programs for youth aged 5 to 15. Its operated by BCM, or Bible Centred Ministries, an organization focused on reaching children and serving the church. Compelled Speech From 2011 to 2017, BCM successfully received grants from the CSJ program administered by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). But in 2018, the federal government required all applicants to sign a compulsory attestation declaring that they respect individual human rights in Canada, including reproductive rights, a term that encompasses abortion. On account of BCMs sincere religious beliefs, I could not sign the expansive 2018 Compulsory Attestation, wrote former Mill Stream camp director Larry Chupa in his affidavit, adding that well over 1,000 applications were rejected in 2018 compared to less than 200 in prior years. In place of signing the attestation, Chupa wrote in the application that [o]n the basis of conscience, we are unable to express the words that the Minister has required in the Applicants Guide. We are, however, able to attest that we support all Canadian Law, including Human Rights Law, according to his affidavit, referring to then-employment minister Patty Hajdu. We believe that the Minister does not have the jurisdiction under law to compel us to make a statement that conflicts with our conscience rights under the Charter. Nor does the Minister have the rights to compel speech as a condition of receiving a financial benefit from the Government of Canada. The JCCF challenged the 2018 attestation, arguing that it was compelled speech that violates freedom of expression as protected by the Charter. Facing several other court challenges, the federal government dropped the attestation requirement. The next year, it added a new mandatory question to the 2019 CSJ program, requiring applicants to specify how your organization will be providing a safe, inclusive, and healthy work environment free of harassment and discrimination. Unreasonable Decision Moore said the federal government didnt specify what it found objectionable with Mill Streams 2019 application, and the organization had to go to court without knowing on what basis they were being discriminated against. During the court process, the JCCF obtained internal government records showing that the camp had been deemed as adhering to controversial Church beliefs, Moore told The Epoch Times. The Canada Summer Jobs program staffthese are employees of Service Canadaacted by Googling, essentially, what this camp was, and in that process, they came across a staff application form for a different camp located in Nova Scotia, which is founded by the same BCM International, he said. That camp listed their religious beliefsnothing out of the ordinary in terms of Christian religious beliefsand on that basis, there was a note made in the file that these camps had controversial church doctrine and discriminating hiring practices. Mosley ruled that the federal governments decision was unreasonable and violated procedural fairness. The latter means that when a public body makes a decision about an individuals rights or interests, it has an obligation to give the person notice and an opportunity to respond, Moore explained. Moore added that the judge expressed his displeasure with the governments actions by ordering it to pay BCM the legal costs of the case, an award meant to chastise or punish reprehensible conduct. The Epoch Times asked the ESDC to comment on Moores claims that its application method may be infringing on the freedom of conscience. The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that the Canada Summer Jobs program supports quality job opportunities for youth that, among other things, take place in safe, inclusive and healthy work environments, a spokesperson replied, without addressing the question. Charter Rights Meant for All Citizens Phil Whitehead, BCM International Canadas executor director, said he is pleased with the judges decision but would like to have seen Mosley also address concerns raised in the court action about the governments violation of Charter rights. The government should be upholding the Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms for all citizensnot just certain ones, but for all. So when a government then refuses to do so its extremely negative, extremely disappointing, Whitehead told The Epoch Times. We as citizens have to [be able to] rely upon that government to be a government of integrity that has the interest of the citizens at heart. And when they dont, thats very discouraging, he added. The CSJ issue has had a significant impact on camps across the country, Whitehead said, referring to its impact on Christian-based Redeemer University as well. Redeemer, like BCM, was denied CSJ funding in 2018 when it refused to sign the attestation. And again, like BCM, it was denied funding in 2019 as a result of the federal government breaching its procedural fairness obligation. It appears that the government is continuing to discriminate against some organizations on the basis of their beliefs, and on the basis of their alleged beliefs and practices, Moore said. Whether the government is providing them with equal protection under the lawthats a valid concern that Im sure many people in religious communities across the country are raising. People wear masks while walking in Grand Central Terminal in New York City on July 27, 2021. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) CDC: Fully Vaccinated People Should Wear Masks Indoors in Some Areas A top U.S. health agency on Tuesday altered its COVID-19-related guidance once again, telling people to wear masks in some areas even if they are fully vaccinated against the virus that causes the disease. New research into outbreaks from several states and other countries indicate that on rare occasions some vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant after vaccination may be contagious and spread the virus to others. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told reporters on a call. The research indicates that vaccinated people who contract the Delta variant have the same viral load, or amount of virus, as unvaccinated people, and that vaccinated people can transmit the variant. This new science is worrisome and warrants an update to our recommendations, Walensky said. The agency did not immediately respond when asked to provide citations to the research, and had updated its web page on masking guidance. The CDC is now advising even vaccinated people in areas with substantial and high transmission of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19, to wear masks in public, indoor settings. High means more than 100 cases per 100,000 people over a 7-day period while substantial means 50-100 per 100,000 over a 7-day period. Of the nations 3,219 counties, 2,043 are at high or substantial transmission, according to the CDC. Vaccinated people masking will help prevent the spread of the Delta variant and protect others, according to Walensky. Eight out of 10 sequenced COVID-19 cases were the variant. The indoor settings includes schools, even though children are at very low risk of contracting severe COVID-19. Only 517 youth 17 or younger have died with COVID-19 in the United States, according to the CDC. A general view of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia September 30, 2014. (Tami Chappell/Reuters) The shift came about two-and-a-half months after CDC announced that fully vaccinated persons did not need to wear masks indoors because of the protection the vaccines provide. It also comes as evidence emerges indicating vaccines are not as effective as they once were against the CCP virus. Fully vaccinated refers to people who have gotten two of the Pfizer or Moderna shots, or the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. CDCs guidance is not binding, but is followed closely by health departments and businesses across the nation and has been adopted by many of them throughout the pandemic. Dr. William Schaffner, professor of medicine in Vanderbilt University School of Medicines Division of Infectious Diseases, told The Epoch Times that the updated guidance makes sense. The vaccines are excellent at keeping us out of the hospital. Theyre not quite as good as preventing infection and if youre going to get infection even though youre vaccinated you could also transmit it to others. Youre less likely to do that, but nonetheless you could do it. And so I think this new guidance helps protect the people who are vaccinated and also contributes to a reduction in transmission to others, he said. Schaffner said he could not think of a reason the new guidance would not be a good idea. But the announcement did draw pushback from some. This is not science. Its politics. Vaccines work. If youre vaccinated, you dont need a damn mask. CDC has told us that! Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) wrote on Twitter. At her daily briefing, White House press secretary Jen Psaki defended the change. The reality is we are dealing with a much different strain of this virus than we were even earlier in the spring back in May when the masking guidance was provided by the CDC at that time. That is their job. Their job is to look at evolving information, evolving data, an evolving historic pandemic, and provide guidance to the American public, she told reporters in Washington, less than a month after President Joe Biden said the United States was closer than ever to declaring our independence from a deadly virus. Number of Chicago Juveniles Arrested for Carjackings Nearly Doubles in 2021 CHICAGOThe number of juveniles arrested for carjackings during the first half of 2021 in Chicago nearly doubled compared to the same time last year, according to police arrest records obtained by The Epoch Times. During the first half of 2021, 91 juvenilesaged 17 and under, according to Illinois lawwere arrested for carjackings. For the same time last year, the number was about half, at 46. According to the arrest records, nine out of 10 carjackers are black teenagers, mostly from the South and West Sides of Chicago. Among the juvenile carjackers arrested in 2021, 70 percent allegedly threatened the car owners at gunpoint, which is a Class X felony, the most serious felony category short of first-degree murder under Illinois law. In other cases, they threatened car owners with their fists, which could also be a deadly force. On July 14, a 17-year-old juvenile and 18-year-old Frank Harris allegedly struck 73-year-old Keith Cooper in the head in an attempted carjacking. Cooper died soon after. The juvenile was arrested the day after the crime and charged with first-degree murder. According to Chicago Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan, many juveniles take part in carjackings just for fun. Its just a game for these kids. Theyre taking the cars, and they arent selling them or going to chop shops. Theyre maybe going to McDonalds and then theyre going to carjack another car. We have kids who do 14 carjackings a week, Deenihan said in a statement sent to Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). Deenihan said the juvenile carjacking surge amid the pandemic was fueled by the partial closures of two institutions: the schoolhouse and the courthouse. On one hand, more juveniles are dropping virtual classes to hang out with the wrong crowd and forcibly steal cars. According to a University of Chicago research paper released in June, the neighborhoods with high rates of carjackings in Chicago are also those with low public school attendances rates, mostly on the South and West Sides of Chicago. On the other hand, the court keeps postponing trials and sending juveniles out of jail on electronic monitoring, Deenihan said. In January, a 14-year-old juvenile was arrested in Chicago for committing at least 9 carjackings. He was on electronic monitoring at the time of arrest. During the first half of 2021, a total of 755 carjackings were reported to the Chicago police, a 60 percent jump from the same time last year. In 2020, during the pandemic, carjackings more than doubled to 1410 from 598 in 2019. Nationwide, many cities have seen a carjacking surge since the pandemic. In Washington, carjackings were up 2.5 times to 345 in 2020 from 142 in 2019. In February, PERF surveyed metro police departments in Chicag0, Washington, and Minneapolis to understand the reasons behind the nationwide surge. In Minneapolis, as in Chicago, juveniles are driving the carjacking surge, according to Minneapolis Deputy Chief of Investigations Kathy Waite. She agrees with Deehihans twofold analysis. A lot of these kids are not in school, as is the case across the nation, Waite said in the statement sent to PERF. Nobody wants to hold anybody in our jail system, especially with our juvenile offenders. Weve really gotten away from holding kids for any length of time, and the pandemic is amplifying that. In Fall 2021, Chicago Public Schools plans to fully open its 638 schools for in-person classes. On July 16, Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans also opened up dozens of courtrooms for jury and bench trials to tackle the backlog of felony cases. A resident receives nucleic acid test for the COvid-19 in Nanjing, in eastern Jiangsu province, China, on July 21, 2021. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) China Reports Most COVID-19 Cases Since January, Nanjing Starts 2nd Mass Testing BEIJINGChina reported 76 new COVID-19 cases on July 25, the highest daily total since January amid a surge of local infections in the eastern city of Nanjing, which started a second round of mass testing and banned taxis from leaving to curb the outbreak. China has taken a strict approach to COVID-19 infections, mandating testing for large swathes of its population and tracing the contacts of any positive cases. Local infections accounted for 40 of the new cases, compared with only five a day earlier, the National Health Commission said in a statement on Monday. Thirty-nine of the local cases were reported in the eastern province of Jiangsu, where Nanjing is the capital, and one in the northeastern province of Liaoning, it said. Of the 39 cases, 38 were detected in Nanjing, and one in Suqian city, the provincial government said on its website. As of the end of July 25, Nanjing had reported a total of 75 local cases since its latest outbreak emerged last week, a health official said in a news briefing on Monday. Taxis and cars on ride-hailing platforms should not leave the city, and eight long-distance shuttle bus stations will be suspended from July 27, Nanjing authorities said on Monday on social media. Residents queue to receive nucleic acid tests for the COVID-19 in Nanjing, in eastern Jiangsu province, China, on July 21, 2021. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) The number of new asymptomatic cases in Chinawhich the country does not classify as confirmed casesrose to 24 from 17 cases a day earlier. Among the symptomless cases, four were local infectionsone in Jiangsu, one in Guangdong, one in Jiangsus neighboring province of Anhui, and one in Sichuan province. Many of the positive cases in the first round of testing Nanjing launched last week were in an area close to Lukou International Airport. Nanjing city government said on Sunday it had started a second round of nucleic acid testing of its 9.3 million residents. The city has suspended a subway line linking the airport and a train station and taken other measures to control the new cluster. The true number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the country is unknown, as Chinese leaders intentionally concealed the severity of the pandemic from the world in early January 2020, according to a Department of Homeland Security intelligence report. By Colin Qian, Stella Qiu, Engen Tham, and Roxanne Liu. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman meets Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Tianjin, China, in a handout picture released on July 26, 2021. (U.S. Department of State/Handout via Reuters) Chinese Regime Turns USChina Meetings Into Propaganda Coup The Chinese regime had a field day pushing anti-American propaganda in the aftermath of high-level diplomatic talks between the two countries. On July 26, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met separately with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his deputy Xie Feng in the Chinese port city of Tianjin. Beijings confrontational manner, dubbed wolf warrior diplomacy, was on full display, with the two officials leveling a range of accusations about the United States alleged wrongdoings, according to statements emerging from the meetings. Xie accused the United States of setting Beijing up as an imaginary enemy to reignite its own sense of national purpose. Meanwhile, Wang demanded that the United States not cross the regimes three bottom linesXinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kongclaiming that the three issues had nothing to do with human rights or democracy. The communist regimes abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong are just one area of focus for the Biden administration, which has sought to rally allies to push back against Beijings various transgressions, from its state-sanctioned cyber espionage to its military activities in the South China Sea. These concerns were raised by Sherman during the talks. The Tianjin talks echoed the brazen tone set by Chinese officials during the first high-level meeting under the Biden administration in Alaska in March. In a public tirade, the regimes top foreign policy official Yang Jiechi dressed down Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan over what he described as the United States poor treatment of minorities and struggling democracy. Xie also handed Sherman two lists of Beijings concerns and demands, including requests to remove U.S. sanctions against Chinese officials and entities. For Beijing, the Tianjin talks were never about sincere engagement with the United States, according to China expert Gordon Chang. China used the meeting with Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman like it used the March meeting in Anchoragenot to work with the Biden administration, but to launch a hostile propaganda campaign against America, Chang told The Epoch Times in an email. [Chinese leader] Xi Jinping no longer wants to accommodate others or compromise with them, even Americans. Xis China lectures, dictates, and demands. Propaganda Coup State-run media outlets were quick to promote Xies aggressive comments in social media posts, setting the narrative that the regime was standing up to an arrogant United States. In a July 26 editorial, hawkish state-run newspaper Global Times heaped praise on the officials performance. We must make the American people more and more aware of how stupid they are to forcibly shape China into a strategic opponent, it stated. A day later, the paper published an op-ed defending the regimes wolf warrior diplomacy by quoting a Chinese professor. We are used to being lectured by the West and by the Western media. I think now its time for the West to get a bit used to Chinese lecturing back. This lecturing-back is now described as wolf whatever-like diplomacy. I think its time for you too, to experience what we experienced in the past, professor Zhang Weiwei, director of the China Institute of Fudan University, told the outlet. State-run China Daily ran an editorial gloating that Sherman will not return home empty-handed since Beijing gave her the two lists. Other local media articles framed the engagements as Sherman getting schooled by Chinese officials. One video by a provincial state-run broadcaster had the headline, How strong is Chinas energy field now? In front of the entire world, Xie Feng fiercely scolds Sherman. Stop Talking The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has no choice but to continue its aggressive stance toward the United States, according to Ming Chu-cheng, emeritus professor in the Department of Political Science at the National Taiwan University. Beijing fears that if Chinese officials keep a low profile in these talks, negotiations will tilt heavily in favor of the United States, he said. Taking a hard stance means that these officials can show the Chinese people how they dare to challenge the United States, they will not bow in front of the United States, and subsequently these officials are qualified to lead the country, Ming told The Epoch Times. Days before Shermans visit, the CCP placed retaliatory sanctions on former U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and other Americans in response to the Biden administrations sanctions targeting Beijing officials involved in suppressing freedoms in Hong Kong. Caving to the United States demands would also hurt Xi Jinping ahead of the all-important 20th National Peoples Congress next year, putting him in a difficult position to either name his successor or seek a new five-year term, Ming said. He said the CCP wasnt in a hurry to resolve bilateral issues in these talks because it sees itself in a better position to negotiate if the United States struggles domestically to contain the spread of the CCP virus. Hu Ping, a New York-based dissident and chief editor of the Chinese political magazine Beijing Spring, dismissed Xies accusations against the United States as laughable. Rather than being an imaginary enemy, as alleged by Xie, the CCP is in fact not only a huge threat to the Chinese people, but the same to America and the entire world, Hu said. So its only reasonable that the international society and the United States stay on high alert toward the one-party-ruled China and the Chinese government. For Chang, author of The Coming Collapse of China, these talks indicate that engagement with the regime is a dead end. Its way past time the Biden team stop meeting with Beijing, Chang said. Why should we put up with this arrogance? Stop talking, start acting. We need to begin defending ourselves in earnest. Luo Ya and Cathy He contributed to this report. Patrick Moore (back, 2nd L) poses with other crew members of the first Greenpeace voyage from Vancouver to Alaska to protest the U.S. hydrogen bomb tests in the Aleutian Islands in September 1971. (Photo by Robert Keziere) Climate Scare Story Began With Far-Left Ideology: Greenpeace Co-Founder Patrick Moore talks about why he left Greenpeace and why the the push for net-zero emissions is an unattainable goal Patrick Moore was only 24 when he co-founded Greenpeace in the early 1970s. He soon became the driving force behind the environmental activist groups many influential campaigns, such as to stop nuclear testing, protect endangered whales, and prevent toxic dumping. It began in 1971 with the first voyage to stop U.S. hydrogen bomb testing in Alaska, which we did, Moore told The Epoch Times. And then we went after Frances atmospheric nuclear testing in the South Pacific. Greenpeace would go on to launch its Save the Whales campaign in 1975, followed in 1976 by a campaign to end the killing of baby seals for their fur, and later that decade a campaign to end toxic dumping in rivers by factories in Europe. But as Greenpeace gained influence, Moore says he started to see it getting hijacked by what he characterizes as people with political ideology from the left. None of us in the original group was there to make money. We were all volunteers, he said. But the ultra-leftists took over my organization when they realized there was a lot of money and power to be had there. He said it was during the Save The Whales campaign that people started donating money to Greenpeace in larger numbers, and that was when the group started getting a bank account and renting an office. So as time went on into the late 1970s, Greenpeace turned into a kind of business, he said. Pretty soon it actually became a business where fundraising started to become more and more important. Patrick Moore drives an inflatable boat seated behind cameraman the late Fred Easton, in Greenpeaces first encounter with the Soviet Union whaling fleet in June 1975. (Photo by Rex Weyler) By the time Moore left in 1986 after being with the organization for 15 years, fundraising had now become the most important priority, and they would go ahead with a campaign for which there was no scientific basis, he said. He left Greenpeace due to philosophical and political reasons, he said, after having served as director, president, and international director. Greenpeace had started out with a strong humanitarian orientation, as well as a belief in saving the environment, he said. Green is for the environment, peace is for the people not to be killed by nuclear war, among other things, or pollution. Over time, peace was gradually dropped, and Greenpeace, along with the rest of the environmental movement, drifted into a belief that sees the human species as the enemy of nature, the enemy of the Earth, Moore said. The Epoch Times asked Greenpeace for an interview but didnt hear back. Emphasis on Fundraising Over Science In the mid 1980s, Moore, who has a PhD in ecology, says he found himself the only director with a formal science education on Greenpeaces international board, and the only director disagreeing with what the rest would propose next. They all agreed that the next campaign for Greenpeace should be to ban chlorine worldwide. They named chlorine the devils element, he said. Moore says he pointed out to the board that chlorine is one of the building blocks of the Earth, and of utmost importance for public health, as chlorine added to drinking water, swimming pools, and spas has ended waterborne communicable diseases like cholera. He also said chlorine is critical for medicine because 25 percent of medicines contain chlorine, and chlorine chemistry is essential in the making of some 85 percent of medicines. Greenpeace International proceeded to launch the campaign nonetheless, the reason being largely based on fundraising, according to Moore, and so he decided it was time to go. Moore believes this is where scare stories of impending catastrophes and doom started. It begins with the politicians and their bureaucrats funding the scientists who can be trusted to give them a good scare story. The Importance of Carbon Dioxide When it comes to climate change, the continued narrative of carbon dioxide being a bad thing and destroying the world is contrary to what the scientific community has found, Moore says. Moore currently serves as a director of the CO2 Coalition, established in 2015 to create educational material on the importance of carbon dioxide. The organization has published papers presenting scientific data to dispute that CO2 emissions are causing global warming. Contrary to what climate alarmists claim, Moore says, carbon dioxide is the basis of all life on Earth. It makes the oceans less alkaline, thus making it suitable for life, and on land, CO2 makes the greening of the Earth plus it makes plants more efficient with water. In April 2016, an article published in Nature funded in part by NASA found that CO2 fertilization has had significant impact on the greening of the planet. From a quarter to half of Earths vegetated lands has shown significant greening over the last 35 years largely due to rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, reads a post on NASAs site on the study. Studies have shown that increased concentrations of carbon dioxide increase photosynthesis, spurring plant growth, the article added. A section of the eastern slopes of the Canadian Rockies is seen west of Cochrane, Alta., on June 17, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh) Net-Zero a Political Goal Moore said the push for net-zero carbon emissions by governments around the world is purely a political slogan. Im not sure how they could reduce CO2 emissions if they didnt stop using fossil fuels virtually altogether, he said, questioning how the transportation, agriculture, mining, and forestry sectors could function without them. I believe this is an unattainable political goal for society. And I also believe it is a goal that will bring greater hardship than people have endured since the great wars, since the great disease epidemics of the past. Moore said there is a powerful convergence of interests among key elites in Western society pushing environmental scare stories. It puts [politicians] in the media, and the media makes much money from the sensationalism, and the activists then raise money, he said. Hollywood plays a big part as celebrities join to endorse the climate change narrative, he added, as well as many scientists. Nearly all the money going to the scientists who are writing these things is public money, so it all has to be approved by politicians, and bureaucrats working for the politicians, he said, adding that scientists who utter anything to the contrary get cancelled. In his latest book, Fake Invisible Catastrophes and Threats of Doom, Moore talks about how the hyped up environmental catastrophes and threats create fear. Theres so much propaganda and so many lies, but the unified theory of scare stories is what I call these, because they have something in commonthey are all based on things that are invisible or so remote that the average citizen cannot observe what these people are seeing, and cannot verify what these people are saying. A policeman stands by a barrier to prevent cars to access ChangAn Jie, Beijing's main road leading to Tiananmen Square in Beijing on July 1, 2021. (Andrea Verdelli/Getty Images) Come Back to China, Ill Put You in Jail, Too: Judge Threatens New York Resident While browsing online, a New York resident made a startling discovery: Her husband in China is due to stand trial in a matter of days for nothing more than refusing to give up his faith. Ren Haifei, 45, is a Falun Gong practitioner in Chinas northeastern port city of Dalian. The spiritual practice has been brutally suppressed by the communist regime for more than two decades. Millions of adherents have been detained or jailed. Ren is set to face trial on July 29. His wife, Wang Jing, knows what this means: a show trial almost certainly leading to a heavy sentence. Thats the same treatment given to most Falun Gong practitioners by the communist regime, she said. I want to rescue him now, Wang, a former nurse who now resides in New York state, told The Epoch Times. Wang wants to save her husband from another long stint in prison. Ren previously spent 7 1/2 years in jail, during which he suffered from numerous forms of torture. Ren was never supposed to be in that position again. He was supposed to escape the country with Wang in 2018, after enduring decades of Beijings persecution and harassment. But when the two were about to leave, Rens elderly parents fell ill. He chose to stay in China to take care of them. Fearing surveillance by Chinese authorities, the couple has limited their communications to no more than a few brief long-distance calls over the past three years. Wang was only able to find out about Rens trial from browsing Minghui.org, a U.S.-based website that documents the persecution of Falun Gong. Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline composed of meditative exercises and a set of moral teachings centered around the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. It saw surging appeal in the 1990s, with up to 100 million people practicing it by the end of the decade, according to estimates at the time. Viewing this as a threat to its totalitarian control, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched a sweeping persecution campaign against Falun Gong practitioners in July 1999, with the goal of eliminating the faith group. Seeking Help Wang sought help from her federal representative, Rep. Sean Maloney (D-N.Y.), during a recent town hall meeting. We stand for human rights, for Falun Gong, and for others, Maloney said at the meeting on July 18, where he pledged to send a letter to the U.S. Embassy in China calling for Rens release. After rounds of phoning Chinese authorities herself, Wang was finally able to get through to Judge Jin Hua, who is handling Rens case at Dalians Ganjingzi Court. Wang told Jin about her husbands poor health and asked the judge to immediately release him. She also mentioned the statement from Maloney. Do what you want, Jin told Wang. Come back to China, Ill put you in jail, too. The judge hung up, and Wang couldnt reach her again. Arrest Without Warrant A year ago, police barged into Rens apartment, confiscated his savings and personal belongings, and arrested him without a warrant. While detained, Ren was sent to the emergency room after a brutal beating by police that caused heart and kidney failure. He was hospitalized for 19 days. Then, while still in extremely poor health, Ren was imprisoned in a detention center, where guards kept giving him unknown drugs. He wasnt allowed to disclose the incident to a lawyer until months later. Rens lawyer then recounted these details to Wang. Ren has since been held by the authorities without charge, Wang said. After Rens arrest, Wang phoned every related authority in China in the hopes of connecting with her husband, but they all blocked her from reaching him. Lives Turned Upside Down In the late 90s, Wang and Ren were 20-somethings who occasionally ran into each other during morning group meditation sessions at a local park in Dalian. Ren was a warm, caring, and gentle person, Wang said of her first impressions. He was always eager to help people around him. But in July 1999, their morning routine was upended when the CCP launched its persecution against the group. From then on, meditating outdoors meant arrest and beatings by police on patrol. Wang, along with thousands of other local practitioners, went to protest two days after the persecution began. They formed a line and stood at the large field in front of Dalians City Hall. No one planned the protest, Wang said. Each of us felt like we had to do something, so we went. Then the police appeared. One by one, police dragged practitioners out of our line. Some of the practitioners were knocked unconscious and then carried away. Some were bleeding. A lot of the police were young people. They said nothing while dragging the practitioners, like theyre just clearing a mission. Wang recalled seeing plainclothes police videotaping each practitioner present. Days later, police began to show up at their doors and their workplaces, forcing them to sign declarations renouncing their faith. Even family members were harassed and threatened. Ren was arrested in 2001 while he was at home making flyers aimed at countering the regimes hate propaganda against the practice and its adherents. He ended up being jailed for 7 1/2 years. Wang lost her job as a nurse. Pressured by authorities, the hospital she worked at reassigned her to mop the floors. Her previous patients would walk by looking at her with sadness and disbelief, Wang said. Paying the Price With Blood and Tears Wang and Ren revived their friendship after he was released from prison in 2008. At first, Wang couldnt recognize Ren at all. The lively young man she remembered was gone. Ren would often weep as he recounted the brutal killings of practitioners around him in prison, she said. After a few years, the two got married and lived together until 2018. Like others, Ren had been severely tortured. He was locked alone in a three-by-three-foot room for days on end, wearing shackles and handcuffs. He struggled to find words that could describe what he went through, even to his wife, she said. My husband remained true to his belief and tried his best to face life with positivity, she said. But a dark shadow was implanted deep inside his heart. With days left before Rens trial, Wang hopes for a miracle. In China, there are a group of good people who just want to hold on to their faith. But theyre paying the price with blood and tears, she said. The CCP is destroying their lives and their familys lives. I hope kind people from the international community will lend a helping hand and side with justice. Definition of Education | Schools Out Episode 3 deals with the definition of the term education and how it has morphed over time. If we return to our earlier, more narrow definition, we see that it isnt what the schools accomplish, by a long shot. Follow EpochTV on Facebook and Twitter Department of Justice Declares COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates Legal Federal law doesn't prohibit public agencies, private business from requiring vaccines for employees The Department of Justice concluded in an opinion that federal law doesnt prohibit public agencies and private businesses from requiring COVID-19 vaccines under the Food and Drug Administrations emergency use authorization. On July 26, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, California, and New York City said they would require some of their government workers to get the COVID-19 shot or be tested weekly. Veterans Affairs, with the move, became the first federal agency to mandate the vaccine. The Justice Departments Office of Legal Counsel on July 26 wrote (pdf) that because access to COVID-19 vaccines is more commonplace, numerous educational institutions, employers, and other entities across the United States have said they will require some individuals to be vaccinated against the virus as a condition of employment, participation, benefit, service, or relationship. For instance, it wrote, certain schools will require vaccination in order for students to attend class in person, and certain employers will require vaccination as a condition of employment. The opinion, which noted that some have questioned the legality of such mandates, concluded that federal law concerning the FDAs emergency use authorizations (EUA) on COVID-19 vaccines made by Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson doesnt prohibit public or private entities from imposing vaccine requirements, even when the only vaccines available are those authorized under EUAs. With the Justice Departments statement and the July 26 Veterans Affairs mandate, it appears to leave the door open for other federal agencies to make COVID-19 vaccines a requirement for employees. Rutgers University became the first university to mandate them for both employees and students earlier this year. And last week, Carnegie Hall in Manhattan announced that it will require audience members, staff, and performers to provide proof of vaccination before entering the building. The Justice Departments opinion comes as messaging from mainstream media outlets, some government officials, and world leaders around vaccines has become increasingly forceful in recent days. Amid reports of an increase in Delta variant cases, authorities in France and Italy have recently introduced vaccine passport-type systems for entering private businesses, including restaurants, gyms, theaters, and more, a move that triggered widespread demonstrations across Europe over the weekend. Responding to the vaccine opinion, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told MSNBC: Public sector entities need to move as quickly as possible. This DOJ decision is important. I think that will be helpful. We have got to put pressure on this situation. Throughout the pandemic, the federal government has implemented few COVID-19-related restrictions and namely has targeted travel and public transportation. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued guidancenot mandatesaround mask-wearing. White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who has given conflicting statements around whether the administration supports vaccine passports, told reporters during a briefing last week that the administration isnt requiring officials to get vaccinated. No, we have not mandated it, Psaki in response to a question about whether the White House has made COVID-19 shots mandatory. She appeared to say that the White House offered the vaccines to every employee. Some Republican-led states, meanwhile, have passed laws that forbid the usage of vaccine passports in government agencies and offices. Florida went a step further in May after Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed a law that prohibits all private businesses from using vaccine passports in his state. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. Detroit Teachers Reach Reopening Agreement for In-Person Teaching Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) announced Monday it reached an in-person reopening agreement with the Detroit Federation of Teachers (DFT). The agreement recognizes the need to return all DPSCD teachers and ancillary staff to the classroom for in-person learning while following updated COVID-19 safety standards. The deal will continue many protocols implemented last year when DPSCD effectively opened schools pre-vaccine with a minimum number of outbreaks. Dr. Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of Detroit Public Schools Community District, welcomed the deal. We are all excited to have our students back in schools and classrooms in the fall. As a district, I am proud that we did everything we could to meet the needs of our employees, students, and families during the most difficult times of the pandemic, Vitti said in a statement. Everyone did their part to keep each other safe and supported. This agreement signals that we are all on the same page to restart our reform efforts that had great momentum before the pandemic. With a much-needed infusion of one-time Federal COVID Relief funding we will be able to effectively address absenteeism, learning loss, mental health, and many of our long-term facility needs. One key provision is the joint Labor-Management Committee on Schools Reopening, which will continue to meet weekly to review reopening issues driven by pandemic-related data. The agreement also provides teachers and auxiliary staff hazard pay up to $2,000 and another $2,000 if teachers need to work with students in a blended learning environment (i.e., in-person learners coupled with online learners). The Districts fall 21-22 reopening plan focuses on in-classroom teaching. However, there are provisions for a new and separately district-operated virtual school. The agreement provides additional support and sick leave for any DFT member who performs work in person and contracts COVID-19 or is asked to quarantine. Asymptomatic teachers asked to quarantine will continue remotely to ensure continuity of student learning. The district will provide full personal protection equipment, including protective gowns, face masks, face shields, shoe covers, and gloves. Supplemental cleaning services, room fans, and air purifiers are available upon request. Safety guidelines include: COVID-19 student and employee training Mandatory weekly COVID-19 testing for non-vaccinated staff and daily symptom and temperature checks for students and staff Deep cleaning of classrooms and buildings as well as administrative checks on cleaning results and regular review of procedures Ample supplies of hand sanitizers Contracted nurse on duty at each school Deep cleaning, masks, and social distance seating on school buses Access to the COVID-19 vaccine As a board, we understand it is time to make the necessary provisions to ensure all students can return to their classrooms this fall, DPSCD Board of Education President Angelique Peterson-Mayberry said in a statement. We believe our protocols are proven to work and we applaud our students and teachers who have demonstrated we can effectively perform seemingly difficult tasks. We thank the DFT for their partnership and willingness to stand with us, students first. Before the school year, the Board and Vitti conducted nearly a dozen engagement sessions with more than 2,000 participants including employees, families, students, and community members. Those engagement sessions will continue as the 2021-2022 school year begins. By Scott McClallen Drones Aid Remarkable Gold Discoveries in the Northern Territory The Northern Territory (NT) has seen an eruption in excitement over prospects of a new gold rush after exploration teams believe they have unearthed an extraordinary high-grade deposit of the precious metal. Emmerson Resources (ERM), a mineral exploration organisation, stumbled upon the remarkably rare find in the heart of the territory at Mauritania, Tennant Creek following surveying done by drones equipped with magnetic-field-detecting instruments. There is absolutely buzz around the town, NT Mining and Industry Minister Nicole Manison told reporters on Wednesday. There are companies making great discoveries. We have the real potential to bring Tennant Creek back to its glory days of being a thriving mining town. Mansion said that the NT currently had 20 mining projects working towards final investment decisions, worth a combined value of $6.2 billion (US$4.5 billion). Prior surveying technology saw planes flying at a height of 30 metres taking magnetic field measurements every 50 to 100 metres. This data was used to locate magnetite, an iron ore that is often found near gold ore deposits, and the worlds most magnetic naturally occurring mineral. A drone equipped with a magnetometer used in surveys to identify magnetite deposits. Magnetite, a common iron ore and the worlds most magnetic naturally occurring mineral, is often found near gold deposits. (Emmerson Resources) Newer techniques, on the other hand, involve flying drones equipped with the same sort of magnetometers, but which at 15 metres off the ground and taking measurements every 10 metres provide a far more detailed picture of the subterranean landscape. ERM CEO Rob Bills explained that the drones had helped in uncovering a shallow deposit near the surface, with the grade of gold found reaching up to around 40-50 grams per tonne (g/t)one of the highest concentrations found in Australia. The average grade in Australia would probably be about five, five to ten at the most, Bills told The Epoch Times. However, Bills said that the shallow deposit, known as the gold oxide reserve, was a region enriched by another primary source of gold. The shallow part of Mauritania is phenomenal, Bills said. Theres got to be a source of that. Somewhere in that area, there has to be a source to pull that gold. A drill rig used to search for gold ore deposits. (Emmerson Resources) He said that deeper drilling began in an attempt to locate the actual root of the deposit, after which they continued to find more gold of a very high grade. And with that deeper drilling, I think we found the source. The sample obtained at the new location was graded even higher, with one particular area found to contain a gold concentration of 57 g/t. The near-surface deposits will be extracted using open-pit mines, with the deeper area requiring more expensive underground operations. Bills said that further exploration of the deeper zone was needed, but that the results looked promising. Currently, the minerals hunter holds the exploration rights to 1,700 square kilometres or around 90 percent of the Tennant Creek field. ERM is set to make 6 percent of all profits, made in royalties, after partnering with Tennant Consolidated Mining Group (TCMG), a Hong Kong-based debt fund that will be responsible for handling mining operations. TCMG is also planning on constructing a gold processing mill in the region, an outcome which Bills said would greatly boost the value of the states exploration sector. House impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) speaks during closing arguments in the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Feb. 3, 2020. (Senate Television via AP) Every Member of Pelosis Jan. 6 Select Committee Voted to Impeach Trump; Most Say He Incited Capitol Incursion News Analysis When Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced which Democrats were to serve on her Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol on July 1, she told a news conference that the panels purpose was to seek and to find the truth in the most patriotic and nonpartisan way, so the American people have confidence in the results. After Pelosi rejected two of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthys five Republican picks to serve on the select committee, whose first hearing was held on July 27, he claimed that the panel had lost all legitimacy and credibility. Pelosi accused Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.) of statements and actions that would undermine the integrity of the investigation, presumably including their votes against the creation of the committee. In response, Jordan and Banks accused Pelosi of rejecting them because she knew they would demand answers as to why the U.S. Capitol Police, which is under her control, wasnt prepared for the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol despite being warned days ahead of time that trouble was brewing. McCarthy withdrew all five of his nominees, so Pelosi added Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) as the second and last Republican member of the panel, joining Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.). Both Kinzinger and Cheney voted to impeach Trump following the riot. All seven Democrats on the select committee also voted to impeach Trump a week after the Jan. 6 breach and to hold him responsible for the days events. That vote was the second to impeach Trump for several of the panel members, including the chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.). Thompson also sued Trump after the Capitol incursion, claiming he incited it. Other select committee members are Reps. Elaine Luria (D-Va.), Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.), Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.). Raskin was a member of the House impeachment team that presented the case to the Senate for Trumps responsibility for the riot and helped draft the impeachment articles that were approved by 222 House Democrats and 10 Republicans. Schiff, as chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, was the leader of the first impeachment campaign against Trump, based on accusations that the chief executive had abused his powers in making U.S. aid to Ukraine contingent upon that country providing negative information about then-former Vice President Joe Biden. Schiff also claimed to have viewed direct evidence that Trump had conspired with Russians to steal the 2016 election from Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Schiff has never provided or described any such evidence despite repeatedly claiming to have seen it. Shortly after casting his vote to impeach Trump, Aguilar issued a statement saying, When the President sent a mob to the Capitol, radicalized by his lies about the results of a free and fair election, to stop the counting of electoral votes he made it clear that he poses a grave threat to our democracy. Lofgren voted to impeach Trump in 2019 and told the House that she would support the second Trump impeachment because the President incited right-wing terrorists to attack the Congress to try to overturn constitutional government. Similarly, Murphy, who voted to impeach in 2019, defended her second impeachment vote against Trump, saying, The mob was incited by the President. With such a makeup of Pelosis select committee, two attorneys defending individuals arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 incursion told The Epoch Times on July 26 in a statement that the panel will damage the ability of the more than 500 facing charges to get fair trials. These hearings are not an objective search for truth, but rather a deliberate attempt by Nancy Pelosis House of Representatives to thwart the judicial process by creating subjective evidence for the Department of Justice to use during January 6th criminal trials and to continue poisoning jury pools beyond repair, attorneys Joseph McBride and Steven A. Metcalf said. Vials with Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine labels are seen in this illustration picture taken on March 19, 2021. (Dado Ruvic/File Photo/Reuters) FDA Asks Pfizer and Moderna to Include More Children in COVID-19 Vaccine Trials: Reports The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has asked Pfizer and Moderna to expand their COVID-19 vaccine trials for 5 to 11-year-olds in an effort to determine whether a rare side effect in the form of heart inflammation is more common among younger groups, according to reports. The FDA has asked the two pharmaceutical companies to expand their 5-to-11-year-old trial groups to include at least 3,000 children, according to the New York Times. A spokesman for Moderna confirmed to The Washington Post that the company is actively discussing a proposal with the FDA to expand its trial to enroll a larger safety database which increases the likelihood of detecting rarer events. The spokesperson added that a final number for the size of the trial has yet to be determined. The New York Times report said Pfizer is also in talks to expand its vaccine trials in younger children, with a spokesperson for the company telling CNN that it has no updates to its previous trial timelines or details. Pfizer earlier said that it planned to enroll around 4,500 children between 6 months and 11 years old in the United States, Finland, Poland, and Spain at over 90 clinical trial sites, although the size of the 5-to-11-year-old cohort is unclear. The expanded trials are meant to help regulators better understand the potential side effects associated with Modernas and Pfizers mRNA vaccines in younger populations. In a report on adverse vaccine events, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that as of July 19, health officials have confirmed 674 reports of myocarditis or pericarditis among people aged 30 and younger who received COVID-19 vaccines. Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle, while pericarditis is inflammation of the lining that surrounds the heart. Most of the cases were reported after people received Pfizers and Modernas vaccines, the CDC noted, adding that the agency and its partners are investigating these reports to assess whether there is a relationship to COVID-19 vaccination. In June, the FDA added a warning about the risk of developing myocarditis or pericarditis to its patient and provider fact sheets for Modernas and Pfizers mRNA-based vaccines. Both the Moderna fact sheet (pdf) and Pfizers (pdf) say that reports of adverse events suggest increased risk of myocarditis and pericarditis within a few days after receiving the vaccine, and particularly following the second dose. The CDC says cases of myocarditis and pericarditis after COVID-19 vaccination are rare, insisting the vaccines are safe and effective and recommending everyone 12 years and older get vaccinated as soon as possible. But according to numerous studies, the risk of death or severe illness from COVID-19 in children is extremely low. Final Death Toll From Florida Condominium Collapse Put at 98 Remains of the last person still listed as missing in the collapse of a Florida condominium tower on June 24 have been recovered and identified, bringing the final confirmed death toll to 98, Miami-Dade County officials said on Monday. Remains of the latest victim, Estelle Hedaya, 54, were found by search teams on July 20, and medical examiners had been working since then to positively identify her before making Mondays announcement, authorities said at a news conference. Estelle Hedaya at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nev., on June 1, 2021. (Liz Segel via AP) The Miami-Dade fire departments round-the-clock search for additional victims at the beachfront site of the Champlain Towers South condo, in the Miami suburb of Surfside, was demobilized last Friday. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava called the combined search-and-rescue operation and efforts to find and identify victims of the Surfside disaster the largest non-hurricane emergency response in the history of our state. Today I can report, because of the sustained heroic efforts, the last remaining missing person has now been accounted for and identified and the family notified, the mayor said. Through these tireless efforts we were able to at least bring closure to all those who reported missing loved ones. Search and rescue team members climb the debris field of the 12-story oceanfront condo, Champlain Towers South along Collins Avenue in Surfside, Fla., on July 7, 2021. (Al Diaz/Miami Herald via AP) The confirmed death toll consists of the 97 victims killed outright when the building crumbled in the early hours of June 24 as residents slept, and one victim who died while hospitalized. No one had been pulled alive from the mounds of pulverized concrete, splintered lumber and twisted metal since the early hours after the collapse 33 days ago, and authorities formally gave up hope of finding any more survivors on July 7. Although the remains of everyone who was believed to have been trapped in the rubble have since been found, police will continue to sift through the debris for additional remains of those who died and for personal effects to return to loved ones, Levine Cava said. An excavator removes the rubble of the demolished section of the Champlain Towers South building, as recovery work continues at the site of the partially collapsed condo building, in Surfside, Fla., on July 12, 2021. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo) The search for belongings was continuing through debris left when half of the building caved in on itself, as well as through rubble from the portion of the high-rise initially left standing but later demolished, Miami-Dade Police Department director Alfred Ramirez told reporters. Authorities said they were still gathering evidence for investigations into what triggered the collapse. While the cause remains undetermined, a 2018 engineering report found structural deficiencies that are now the focus of several inquiries, including a grand jury probe. The disaster has prompted officials across South Florida to study residential buildings for signs of poor construction or structural weaknesses. By Steve Gorman First Person Tried Under Hong Kong Security Law Found Guilty Trial was conducted without a jury HONG KONGThe first person to be tried under Hong Kongs sweeping national security law was found guilty of secessionism and terrorism on Tuesday in a ruling closely watched for indications of how the law will be applied as China tightens its grip on the city long known for its freedoms. Tong Ying-kit was charged with inciting secession and terrorism for driving his motorcycle into a group of police officers last year while carrying a flag bearing the banned protest slogan Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times. Rights groups condemned his conviction, and many are bracing for further such trials since more than 100 people have been arrested under the legislationpart of Beijings increasing crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong following months of anti-government protests in 2019. Police officers stand guard as they wait for Tong Ying-kits arrival at a court in Hong Kong on July 27, 2021. (Vincent Yu/AP Photo) Tong, a 24-year-old restaurant worker, pleaded not guilty to the charges, arguing the slogan itself does not call for secession. He now faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, but his lawyers are expected to argue for a lighter punishment at his sentencing hearing Thursday. The new national security legislation not only resulted in the charges against Tong, but it also spelled out how the trial would be conducted. The proceedings, which ended July 20, were held in the Hong Kong High Court with no jury, under rules allowing the exception from Hong Kongs common law system if state secrets need to be protected, foreign forces are involved, or if the personal safety of jurors needs to be protected. Trials are presided over by judges handpicked by Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam. Reading the verdict, Justice Esther Toh said Tong committed terrorist activities causing or intended to cause grave harm to the society in pursuit of a political agenda. His behavior was an act of violence aimed at coercing the central and Hong Kong governments and intimidating the public and carrying the flag constituted an act of incitement to secession, she said. Tong did not speak during the reading of the verdict. He waved to his parents and others in the gallery as he was escorted from the chamber. Tongs defense lawyer has said its impossible to prove that Tong was inciting secession merely by having used the slogan. The defense also said there is no evidence that Tong committed the act deliberately, that he tried to avoid crashing into officers and that his actions couldnt be considered terrorism since there was no serious violence or harm to society. The verdict was immediately condemned by Amnesty International, which called it the beginning of the end for freedom of expression in Hong Kong. People should be free to use political slogans during protests, and Tong Ying-kit should not be punished for exercising his right to free speech, Asia-Pacific Regional Director Yamini Mishra said in an emailed statement. It is particularly clear that he should never have been charged with a national security offense carrying a possible life sentence. Hong Kong defendant Tong Ying-Kit arrives at court in Hong Kong, on July 6, 2020. (Getty Images) Beijing has dismissed criticisms, saying it is merely restoring order to the city and instituting the same type of national security protections found in other countries. Hong Kong has long enjoyed freedoms not seen on the Chinese mainland, and Beijing committed to protecting those rights and the citys democratic system for at least 50 years after the territory was handed back to China from British colonial rule in 1997. But in recent years, Beijing has sought to exert more influence on the city, and when demonstrations broke out in 2019 to protest those moves, China tightened the screws even more. While Hong Kong has its own Legislative Council, Beijings ceremonial legislature imposed the national security law on the city after it determined the council couldnt pass the legislation itself because of political opposition. Chinas legislature also mandated changes to the makeup of the council to ensure an overwhelming pro-Beijing majority, and required that only those it determines to be patriots can hold office. Hong Kongs last remaining pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily, was forced out of business last month, and several of its journalists and executives have been arrested as part of the widening crackdown. Library books and school curricula have also been investigated for alleged secessionist messages. All the citys major pro-democracy figures have either been jailed, sought asylum abroad, or been intimidated into silence. By Alice Fung Florida Lawmaker Demands Full Forensic Audit of 2020 Election Florida state Rep. Anthony Sabatini has demanded a full forensic audit of the 2020 presidential election in the five largest counties in Florida, saying its necessary to ensure voter integrity in future elections. This is about ensuring election integrity and transparency, Sabatini told The Epoch Times via email on July 26. Sabatini said the full forensic audit of the five counties must be done immediately. The counties are Broward, Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, and Orange. This is about protecting our elections and making sure voters understand this process, Sabatini said. These election officials are not being clear with the American people. Disturbing revelations in Arizona, Georgia, and other states have made it clear that the secretary of state needs to do more, Sabatini said in a statement. Earlier this month, auditors conducting a forensic audit in Arizonas largest county reported during a Senate hearing that they uncovered major concerns about some 100,000 ballots. A still image from real-time camera footage of Maricopa Countys large-scale audit of the 2020 election in Maricopa County, Ariz. (Screenshot/The Epoch Times) An election integrity group also said this month that an in-depth analysis of mail-in ballot images showed provable fraud in the 2020 hand count audit overseen by election officials in Fulton County, Georgia. This is a non-partisan issue and is a necessary step in ensuring voter confidence in future elections, Sabatini said. These elections officials work for usWe the Peopleand its time they start showing some transparency about the 2020 election. All Floridians deserve to have confidence in our system of elections. Sabatini, who is running for U.S. Congress, also told The Epoch Times that he and other supporters of the forensic audit would create a grassroots movement and get tens of thousands of people to sign the petition. Theyre also planning a visit to Tallahassee to hold a huge rally supporting election integrity. In November 2020, Sabatini volunteered as a lawyer with the Republican National Lawyers Association to fight for ensuring transparency and election integrity in Georgia. The Florida state secretarys office didnt reply to a request from The Epoch Times for comment by press time. Gubernatorial candidates in Georgia, Vernon Jones and Kandiss Taylor, and lawmakers in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are also calling for forensic audits in their states following Arizonas audit. President Joe Biden has dismissed doubts about the results of the 2020 election, saying that no other election has ever been held under such scrutiny and such high standards. Zachary Stieber contributed to this report. Ross Cameron talks to the media before leaving the NSW Liberal Convention at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney, Australia on July 23, 2017. (AAP Image/Daniel Munoz) Former Aussie MP Quits Over Governments Support of COVID Restrictions, Joins New Party Former Liberal Party MP, and ex-Sky News commentator, Ross Cameron has joined the Liberal Democrat Party, citing disappointment with the governing Coalition and its support of using lockdowns to tackle the CCP virus in Australia. His announcement follows the decisions of fellow Liberal Party members John Ruddick and Campbell Newman to quit the party. Cameron, who served in federal Parliament from 1996 to 2004 under former Prime Minister John Howard, said the decision was sparked by disappointment with the Liberal Party saying it no longer represented values such as tight fiscal spending and greater freedoms for the individual. The former Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer is hoping the Liberal Democrats can attract high-profile candidates and is confident the party will be a viable alternative for voters. We are actively looking for the biggest, most magnetic candidate in every statea recognisable figurewith the aim of winning the last senate quota in each of them, he told The Australian. The party is enjoying quite strong financial support, and we are testing a number of different names and candidates. We will be running an anti-lockdown message like Nigel Farages single-message campaign on Brexit, he said. I was a member of the Liberal Party for 40 years, and I can say we will tear strips off the Liberals and Nationals like hammerhead sharks tearing at the carcass of a sperm whale. Cameron was ousted from Sky News Australia in 2018 over controversial racist remarks made on air. Earlier in July, former Liberal Party member John Ruddick said he would be putting his political energy into the Liberal Democrat Party, arguing that the current Coalition government was at a crisis point and only two options were available for conservatives. Ross Cameron (L), Mark Latham (C) and Rowan Dean (R) at CPAC Australia conference in Sydney, Australia on Aug. 9, 2019. (The Epoch Times) Option one is to try and reform the Liberal Party. Option two is a fresh start, he told Sky News Australia. There is a trend going on, fellow conservatives, and that trend is going against us in the Liberal Party. The Liberal Party its become the Australian Democrats, he added. The Liberal Democrats are courting former Queensland Premier Campbell Newman to join their ranks. Newman, who was the popular lord mayor of Brisbane before becoming state premier, said he was dismayed that the Liberal Party no longer stood for values such as smaller government, support for small business, and defending free speech. The last straw for me has been the destruction of peoples livelihoods, jobs and freedoms under governments heavy-handed response to COVID-19 across the nation, he said in a statement. It is important to keep Australians safe, but it is equally important to keep us free. The two concepts do not need to be mutually exclusive. Our federal and state governments have failed to honour the spirit of individual freedom that is at the heart of not only Liberal Party values, but wider Australian values. Then Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) speaks on Capitol Hill, in Washington, on March 27, 2019. (J. Scott Applewhite, File/AP Photo) Former GOP Sen. Mike Enzi Dies After Bicycle Accident Retired Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) died on Monday after a bicycle accident last week left him seriously injured. Enzis family announced his passing in a post on Twitter. Former Wyoming U.S. Senator Mike Enzi passed away peacefully today surrounded by his family, the statement read. His family expresses their deep appreciation for all of the prayers, support, and concern. They now ask for privacy and continued prayers during this difficult time. An event is planned to celebrate Enzis life, his family said, with details to be provided at a later time. Enzi was riding a bicycle near his home in Gilette, Wyoming, on Friday, when he got into an accident that left him with serious injuries, his family said in an earlier statement. He was airlifted to the UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, Colorado. Former spokesman Max DOnofrio told The Associated Press that Enzi had suffered a broken neck and ribs. DOnofrio added that Enzie remained unconscious after his accident. According to his congressional bio, Enzi graduated from George Washington University in 1966 and later earned his MBA from Denver University. He then owned and operated family shoe stores before moving into politics. Enzis political career began with two terms as mayor of Gillette, before serving in both the Wyoming House of Representatives and the state Senate. In 1996, Enzi was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served until 2020, when he did not seek reelection. In Washington, Enzi boasted a consistently conservative voting record, while also earning a reputation as a lawmaker able to work across the aisle. I like doing legislation. Ive developed a pathway that brings people together. Ive gotten to work with an incredible staff that have made it possible to do more than a senator by himself could do, Enzi said in 2019, announcing he was not seeking another term. During my life Ive followed my Moms advice, my core values: Do whats right. Do your best. Treat others as they want to be treated, he said at the time. Former Longtime California Senator Assaulted, Robbed in Oakland A former California senator was assaulted and robbed in Oakland on Monday, according to a message on her personal Twitter account. The attack, on former Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, happened in the Jack London Square neighborhood, the post by her Twitter account reads, noting that she didnt sustain any injuries in the attack. Earlier today former Senator Barbara Boxer was assaulted in the Jack London Square neighborhood of Oakland. The assailant pushed her in the back, stole her cell phone and jumped in a waiting car, according to the tweet. She is thankful that she was not seriously injured. Earlier today former Senator Barbara Boxer was assaulted in the Jack London Square neighborhood of Oakland. The assailant pushed her in the back, stole her cell phone and jumped in a waiting car. She is thankful that she was not seriously injured. Barbara Boxer (@BarbaraBoxer) July 26, 2021 The Oakland Police Department confirmed the robbery while responding to multiple media inquiries, explaining that a suspect fled the scene in a waiting vehicle. Boxer told KPIX-5 she doesnt believe the suspect knew her and described him as a male around the age of 18. He pushed me very hard and before I could follow him, he grabbed my phone, the former lawmaker told the network in an interview. I was yelling at the kid Why would you do this to a grandma? but he could care less, she added. The robbery is under investigation, police said. A reward of up to $2,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest in the case. Boxer, an 80-year-old Democrat, has represented California for more than 20 years. She was first elected as a commissioner in 1982. In 1992, she was elected to the U.S. Senate and served until 2017. She announced her retirement and did not seek another term during the states 2016 U.S. Senate election in November of that year. Former President Donald Trump released a statement condemning the mugging of the Democrat and lamented the state of law enforcement in California and elsewhere. Former California Senator Barbara Boxer was savagely assaulted and robbed yesterday in Oakland, where they defunded the police, Trump wrote. Our once great cities, like New York, Detroit, San Francisco, and so many others, have become a paradise for criminals because of Democrats. We must give power back to police or America will never be safe. We cannot let Communist Democrats destroy our great cities. If we dont stop them, our communities and our Country will be lost forever. From NTD News Good Men: Some Heroes Who Walk Among Us A preliminary note: I am well aware that many women are worthy of emulation and admiration. Here I am writing about men, as I have done on several other occasions. Please, dear readers, understand that I hold women in equally high esteem. In the film Chariots of Fire, which focuses on two British runners in the 1924 Olympics, Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, Liddell shares this thought with a crowd of admirers: So where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? From within. For Liddell, a devout Christian who would later serve as a missionary in China and who died in a Japanese internment camp during World War II, the power to which he refers is God. Certainly a belief in a higher power, as we will see below, can give a man extraordinary fortitude in the face of danger, but whatever the source of their strength, we can think of some men who persevere in their quest for truth and justice, often for no apparent personal gain, or who hold fast and fight for a just cause rather than run. Why? What constitutes the difference between that extraordinary man of deeds as opposed to the ordinary fellow, or worse, the coward? Why do some men stand on stone while others quiver on sand? Im not sure that Ior anyone else, for that mattercan fully answer that question. Though we may know ourselves and others reasonably well, in the words of novelist Thomas Wolfe, Each of us is all the sums he has not counted. Each day of our lives molds us, our memories of the past and our hopes and fears regarding the future also fire this kiln, and we are strangers even to loved ones, even in some ways to ourselves. But we can take inspiration from those who appear to possess an inner power to see the race to its end. Can We Still Honor Heroes? Today we are often guilty of misusing the word hero. During the pandemic we labeled many who were simply doing their jobs as heroes. Even worse, we now cast former heroes aside for their warts and human imperfections, disregarding their excellent character or their noble deeds. The reputation of Charles Lindbergh, for example, was besmirched on several fronts, yet the fact remains he was the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic. Robert E. Lees family did own slaves, but he also was the quintessence of a gentleman who several times fought his Yankee opponents to a standstill and who after the Civil War counseled peace and reconciliation. When we fail to account for nuance in history, we fail to understand the past. Among the living we may have even greater difficulty finding public figures we admire. All too often some of our commentators try to rip them apart or disparage their accomplishments, in part because of their political or cultural views. Make one comment on social media viewed as insensitive, as we shall see below, and your career may be destroyed. Nevertheless, here are three men whose stories make me want to become a better and a stronger person. Advocating for Vets Gary Sinise has acted in over 30 films, numerous television shows, and on stage. Hes appeared in such movies as Apollo 13 and The Green Mile, and has won major awards for his acting. Most likely, however, Sinise will best be remembered for his role as Lieutenant Dan in the film Forrest Gump. Here Sinise plays a Vietnam veteran who loses both his legs in combat and who becomes bitter and cynical about the war and the treatment he receives from his country, but who eventually makes his peace with the war, himself, and his circumstances. This role led Sinise to become involved with veterans wounded in combat when the organization Disabled American Veterans asked Sinise to appear at their annual convention. From that point on, he became committed to helping Americas wounded vets. In the article Gary Sinise Foundation Celebrates Ten Years Helping Active Military and Veterans, Alex Parker mixes commentary and video to show readers this amazing partnership and Sinises role in helping our veterans and their families. In the touching videos included in Parkers article, Sinise demonstrates the volunteerism, the commitment to others, and the sacrifice of time and treasure that helped make this country great. Stand and Face Your Executioners In June 2021, Quillette Magazine opens this story, A Conversation with Daniel Elder, the Composer Cancelled for Opposing Arson, with this paragraph: On May 30th, 2020, amid an anti-police-brutality protest in Nashville, TN, several white protesters allegedly attempted to burn down the citys Metro Courthouse. In response, choral music composer Daniel Elder, who lives nearby, wrote an Instagram post that read, Enjoy burning it all down, you well-intentioned, blind people. Im done. For this post, which most of us might consider innocuous, Elder was pilloried on social media and denounced by his publisher, GIA Publications, which primarily puts out religious music. On this occasion, his employers even wrote out the statement of apology and submission that they believed Elder should issue to his detractors. Elder refused to put his name to this letter and lost his job. As Elder, who is a centrist-leftist, told Quillette, Someone that arouses the attention of the online mob rarely escapes punishment by prostrating. Stand and face your executioner. He ends the interview with these words: I say this as an encouragement to the silent majority all around us: If youre willing to endure the painful trial of self, you will be better for it in the end. And, with enough of us, the world will be better, too. Daniel Elder elected to take the hits rather than buckle to bullies. The Hong Kong Billionaire Sitting in a Prison Cell His father fled the communist Chinese, the government sent his mother to a labor camp, and the boy made his way hawking wares in the street and carrying luggage at a train station. At age 12, he stowed aboard a ship bound for Hong Kong, found work in a garment factory, became part of the management, saved his money, and eventually opened his own clothing business, where he became a billionaire. After Chinas 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, Jimmy Lai began publishing a magazine and newspaper opposed to the Chinese Communist Party. He has spent the years since then fighting against the oppression and corruption of the Party. In the meantime, inspired in part by his pious wife, he became a fervent Catholic and found himself guided by the teachings of Christianity in all parts of his life. In late June of this year, the government arrested Lai. Today he sits in a Hong Kong prison, a prisoner of the CCP, his paper shut down and most of his fortune confiscated, taken away by means of Chinas national security laws. In The Federalists article Modern-Day Martyr: Meet The Self-Made Billionaire Who Is Sacrificing It All For God, which I highly recommend, Christopher Bedford pays homage to the courage of this man of faith. He takes excerpts from several interviews Lai has given over the years. Typical of Lais thinking are these remarks: Life, he told the Catholic Napa Institute in an October 2020 interview, is more than just bread; life has a greater meaning. Others who know Jimmy Lai praised him when contacted by Bedford: In Western universities and board rooms, souls are cheap. But Lais is not. What separates Jimmy Lai, a friend in corporate consulting wrote me, from many of this eras modern-day princes is that he deeply cares about something beyond his own money, power and status. How many of us do the same? When the Hard Path Is the Right Path In his poem Do not go gentle into that good night, Dylan Thomas included this verse: Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Men like Gary Sinise, Daniel Elder, and Jimmy Lai will have no reason to mourn frail deeds. They are flames in the darkness of this world, fighting the good fight, and offering the rest of us models in virtue and courage. When I read of such men, I wonder, as does Christopher Bedford in his essay, how many of us possess the grace to resist capitulating to the spirit of the age, to fight against the temptation to trade virtue for expediency. In regard to China, for example, Bedford asks how many of our government officials and corporate heads bow before a thieving, lying, murderous godless slave state in exchange for access to growing markets? We might add these questions: How many of us are like Daniel Elder, willing to stand and face our executioners? How many of us give of ourselves to worthy causes like Gary Sinise? When I read the stories of such good men, or even when I meet them in my own life, husbands and fathers who shine with virtue, I examine the state of my character and often find myself wanting. But heres the good news: these men make me want to be a better person, to become that person who doesnt need to rage against the dying of the light but who can instead face death with a smile on his face. When I think of such men, when I study them, they ennoble my soul. 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. Texas Speaker of the House Dade Phelan (R) gavels in the 87th Legislature's special session in the House chamber at the State Capitol in Austin, Texas, on July 8, 2021. (Tamir Kalifa/Getty Images) He Fled the State: Texas House Speaker Issues Arrest Warrant for Texas Democrat Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan on Monday signed a civil arrest warrant for a Democrat state lawmaker who left the state earlier this month and then returned to Texas last week before going back with his colleagues again to Washington, D.C. The civil arrest warrant for Rep. Philip Cortez, the Democrat, wont have an immediate impact because Texas law enforcement lacks jurisdiction outside the state. Earlier this month, Democratic state lawmakers fled the state, arguing that it was necessary for blocking the passage of a voting overhaul bill that they described as an attempt to suppress minority groups voting rights. Last week, Cortez returned to Austin, Texas, from Washington and said he wanted to engage in good faith dialogue about the voting measure, which drew criticism from other Democrats. But Cortez went back to the nations capital over the weekend, stating that talks with Republicans on the bill have not produced progress. When the nearly 60 Democrats left the state to deny Republicans quorum to start a special legislative session, Phelan and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said they would arrest and detain the lawmakers when they return to the Lone Star State. Cortezs arrest warrant was the first issued by the House speaker. In a statement Monday, Phelan said that Cortez irrevocably broken my trust and the trust of this chamber after he represented to me and his fellow members that he wanted to work on policy and find solutions to bring his colleagues back to Texas. As a condition of being granted permission to temporarily leave the House floor, Phelan added, Rep. Cortez promised his House colleagues that he would return. But instead, he fled the state, he said. Since they arrived in Washington, the Democrats have met with Vice President Kamala Harris, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and other top Democrats. At least six Texas Democrats, a Pelosi aide, and a White House aide contracted COVID-19, the illness caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, last week. According to a copy of the warrant, Phelan directed the House Sergeant-at-Arms office and any officer appointed by him to take Cortez, who is now absent from the House, wherever said Member may be found in the State, into your custody and safekeeping and bring said Member before the bar of the House instanter. Then, under the Texas Constitution, Cortez should then be compelled to attend the House session in the manner provided under the House Rules of Procedure, the warrant said. After Cortez returned to Washington, Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Chris Turner sang his praises and said in a statement our unity is our strength. We welcome Rep. Phil Cortez, who is a valued member of our Caucus, back to Washington, D.C. with open arms, Turner added. All 57 Democrats breaking quorum are just as firm in our commitment to seeing this through until the end as we were the day we left. We are united and unrelenting in our commitment to protect the freedom to vote. The Epoch Times contacted Cortezs office for comment. How to Keep the Taliban Flush With Bombs Commentary A terrorist can really express himself with 5,000 metric tons of explosives. Thats precisely why specialized teams of U.S. troops and contractors in Afghanistan helped account for and secure huge stockpiles of munitions stored at eight key sites across the country. But not anymore. Those Americans have already headed home, and any remaining folks capable of assuming the mission are withdrawing, along with all the other Americans ordered out by President Joe Biden. The Afghan National Army (ANA) colonel left holding the bag and responsible for this ammo is worried. What happens when everything turns bad, he asked, and this stuff ends up in enemy hands? His old boss, ANA Gen. Hotak, former chief of munitions management for the Afghan Ministry of Defense, may have provided the answer. There are enough explosives here to supply operations for the next 25 years, he said. Retired U.S. Army Special Forces Col. Ron MacCammon agrees. This stuff is all vulnerable to Taliban advances, and tribal and militia influences if the situation deteriorates. Some of this ammunition could easily find its way into the hands of malign actors and turn up in global terrorist or criminal networks. MacCammon should know. He spent years in Afghanistan directly involved in specific U.S. programs purposed to keep this stuff out of enemy hands. After 10 years of Soviet military presence there and 20 years of American presence, its not surprising that the stockpiles, acknowledged and clandestine, are overwhelmingly of U.S. and Soviet origin. The bulk of the tonnage is of small arms ammunition, but also included are large quantities of other classes of munitions, such as hand grenades, 82 mm and heavier mortars, RPGs, and other light anti-tank weapons, Soviet-era anti-tank landmines, and various other explosive compounds including Composition C-4. Of course, thats just whats on the books. The ANA has always maintained other munitions in other bunkers that they keep off-limits to American eyes. The locations of the eight major munitions storage sites are known to everyone, including the Taliban. Located at various points along Afghanistans Ring Road, each site contains dozens of bunkers, depots, or 40-footlong containers. We know the tonnages and types of munitions at each major site but one. That one is close to the capital, and the ANA is very reluctant to disclose the capabilities they keep close to the capital, so they havent told us much about what they keep there. Its safe to say that its quantities are substantial, and its types of munitions include specialty items. What are specialty items? Things like MANPAD surface-to-air missiles. Yeah, those. All told across all sites were talking nearly 5,000 metric tons. To make matters worse, with the departure of American expertise, so went Afghan willingness to continue using the computerized munitions accountability system we helped install. Now the state of the art in munitions accountability for the ANA is a pencil and ledger system. No joke. In fairness, an experienced international NGO supported by U.S. and EU funding is now providing munitions management assistance to the ANA. The problem is that members of this same NGO, likely in fear of running afoul of Taliban desires, have a reported history of refusing to clear IEDs emplaced by the Taliban. That doesnt exactly inspire confidence that the members of this NGO will resist Taliban desires in the future. So its not like we dont know that this stuff is vulnerable. It just seems we dont care. Heres when we WILL carewhen a platoons worth of next-generation shoe bombers get their hands on several hundred pounds of C-4, for example. C-4 is 30 percent more powerful than the so-called Mother of Satan, TATP, the explosive that al-Qaida member Richard Reid used in his attempt to bring down American Airlines Flight 63 in 2001. According to FBI sources, Reid used only 10 ounces. Imagine how creative al-Qaeda members can be should they take possession of 5,000 metric tons of explosives. We can reduce the likelihood of such an atrocity and worse from occurring, and doing so is squarely in our national interest, but doing so will require the honesty and the courage to say, You know what? I was reckless. We need to put enough American combat power back on the ground to secure these munitions until they can be destroyed or otherwise rendered safe. A man who knows more than a little about violence in Afghanistan is Ahmad Massoud, son of the late Ahmad Shah Massoud, former commander of the Northern Alliance who was assassinated by order of Osama bin Laden two days before 9/11. When I asked Massoud about the likelihood of these munitions finding their way into Taliban hands, he replied, That is certain, so we should thank God that Afghanistan doesnt have a nuclear weapon. Amen. Ernie Audino is a retired brigadier general, U.S. Army. He serves on the staff of U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz and is a senior military fellow at the Gold Institute for International Strategy and at Soran University in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. He is the only American general officer to have previously served a full year on the battlefield embedded with Kurdish peshmerga forces. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. People march during a protest against the Hungarian government for allegedly using Pegasus spyware to monitor journalists, opposition leaders, and activists in Budapest, Hungary, on July 26, 2021. (Marton Monus/Reuters) Hungarians Protest Against Alleged Illegal Surveillance With Pegasus Spyware BUDAPESTAbout 1,000 Hungarians protested on Monday over allegations that the government used Israeli-made Pegasus spyware for illegal surveillance of public figures in Hungary, drawing comparisons with the countrys communist past. Protesters gathered at the House of Terror Museum in the capital, Budapest, which commemorates victims of Nazism and Communism, and marched to the headquarters of the governing Fidesz party. Criticizing Prime Minister Viktor Orban, some chanted: Victator. The allegations of illegal surveillance were the last straw for me, said one protester, Marcell Csupor. This reminds me of communist systems, and shows that the country is breaking away from the West and drifting towards the East. A man holds up a poster showing Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban reading: We say no to your observation! Do you want me to steal our privacy? during a protest against the Hungarian government for allegedly using Pegasus spyware to monitor journalists, opposition leaders, and activists in Budapest, Hungary, on July 26, 2021. (Marton Monus/Reuters) The government has not commented on the allegations beyond saying Hungarys intelligence-gathering is conducted lawfully. A report by a group of 17 international media organizations and Amnesty International this month said the Pegasus spyware, made and licensed by Israeli company NSO, was used in hacking and attempts to hack smartphones belonging to journalists, human rights activists, and government officials in several countries. Direkt36, the Hungarian partner in the group of media outlets, said those targeted for surveillance included journalists, businessmen, lawyers, and people critical of the Hungarian government. A man holds up a poster showing Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban reading: We say no to your observation! Do you want me to steal our privacy? during a protest against the Hungarian government for allegedly using Pegasus spyware to monitor journalists, opposition leaders, and activists in Budapest, Hungary, on July 26, 2021. (Marton Monus/Reuters) Hungarian prosecutors have launched an investigation into multiple complaints received since the reports. NSO has said its product was intended only for use by vetted government intelligence and law enforcement agencies to fight terrorism and crime. In Hungary, which was ruled by communists for four decades after World War Two, the minister of justice approves surveillance in matters of national security. Miklos Hajnal, a member of the opposition Momentum party which organized the protest, called the Pegasus case the biggest scandal in Hungary since the transition to democracy in 1990. This is not acceptable in a country where people know how the socialist regime used to work, he said. There is a reason for the existence of security services, but it cannot simply be to cling to power. By Anita Komuves Police personnel pay tribute on July 27, 2021, to five officers who were killed during clashes with border state Mizoram in Assam state, India. (ANI via Reuters/Screenshot via NTD) India Police Pay Tribute to Officers Killed During Clashes With Border State State police and chief of Indias northeastern Assam state paid tribute to five police officers who were killed during clashes with border state Mizoram on Tuesday. At least seven people, including six police officers, were killed and more than 70 hurt on Monday in clashes between the two Indian states, as a weeks-long territorial dispute in the countrys northeast turned deadly. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma laid a wreath and paid tribute to the five soldiers who were killed during the clashes and also visited the injured at Silchar Medical College. Tensions on the border between Assam and Mizoram have been elevated since last month, when Assams police allegedly took control of the hilly area of Lailapur, accusing Mizoram of encroaching on the territory. The violence highlights the long-standing inter-state boundary issues in the region, particularly between Assam and neighboring states. Jan. 6 Panel Could Subpoena Trump, McCarthy: Cheney The House of Representatives committee investigating what happened on Jan. 6 could subpoena former President Donald Trump, one of its Republican members said Tuesday. It could. The committee will go wherever we need to go to get to the facts, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), a harsh Trump critic, said on ABCs Good Morning America. This Capitol was attacked, it was attacked while we were counting electoral votes, and the American people deserve the truth. The panel may also subpoena House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the chairman of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol, said last week that he planned to subpoena members of Congress and top Trump administration officials. Nothing is off limits, he told The Guardian. Communications between Trump and others, including McCarthy, would be part of the probe, Thompson also said. Most of the committee members are Democrats. Cheney agreed to serve on the panel, as did Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.). McCarthy tapped five other Republicans for committee posts but two of the selections, Jordan and Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), were rejected by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). In response, McCarthy yanked all five picks. Cheney and Kinzinger head the anti-Trump wing in the House. They were the only two Republicans to vote on Monday night with Democrats against a motion from McCarthy that attempted to condemn Pelosi for refusing to accept all of his nominations. Former President Donald Trump makes an entrance at the Rally To Protect Our Elections conference in Phoenix, Ariz., on July 24, 2021. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images) McCarthy has referred to them as Pelosi Republicans. Cheney was stripped of her House leadership post by Republicans earlier this year after repeatedly attacking Trump. She faces a host of primary challengers, one of whom will be endorsed by Trump. McCarthy told reporters on Tuesday morning that Americans want to know why law enforcement was unprepared for the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, and expressed concern about a potential role Pelosi played in the lack of preparation. But, unfortunately, Speaker Pelosi will only pick on people onto the committee that will ask the questions she wants asked. That becomes a failed committee and a failed report, a sham that no one can believe, he said. Pelosi said this week that she believes the committee must act in a way that has no partisanship; is all about patriotism. I am very proud of the members of the committee and I am certain they will accomplish that goal, she said on ABCs This Week. We will find the truth. Trump weighed in late Monday, calling on Pelosi to investigate herself and those on Capitol Hill who didnt want additional protection on Jan. 6, therefore being unprepared despite the large crowd of people that everyone knew was coming. The panel was holding its first hearing on Tuesday. Members were set to hear from Capitol Police officers who were on duty on Jan. 6. Annamie Paul, leader of the Green party, speaks during a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 1, 2021. The Green party has been split by antisemitic assaults on Paul, who is Jewish, and on her Jewish adviser. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick) North American Jews Rejected by the Left for Not Bashing Israel Commentary A problem for North American Jews, one that has only become worse of late, is that many refuse to join the left in condemning Israel and demanding that it cease to exist. By far the majority of Jews consider themselves progressives and supporters of the left. At least 64 percent vote Democrat in the United States, according to the Pew Research Center, and in Canada, most vote Green, NDP, or Liberal. Many Jews in both countries support leftist causes such as Black Lives Matter riots, abortions, and open borders. But more than half of U.S. Jews58 percent according to a Pew surveyfeel some attachment to Israel, which they see as the homeland of Jews and the port of last resort when genocide for Jews returns. For the left, Zionism equals racism, as the UN General Assembly once said, and causes the racist oppression of Palestinians, a favourite victim of the leftin spite of the hundred years of terrorism by Palestinian terrorists against Jews and explicit commitment in the Hamas Charter to destroy Israel and murder all Jews. Even now, the Biden administration gives dollars for daggers to the Palestinians. But for Jews, Zionism is the national liberation movement of Jews. And Israelis are an ingathering of a forcibly dispersed and ill-treated people. Long History of Persecution Throughout the last 2,000 years, people have always found reasons to dislike Jews. For their religious sins, Jews have been the subject of laws that restricted their lives and professions; have been repeatedly forced to work for others; and have been forcibly converted, attacked, robbed, raped, and murdered, and in some cases totally expelled from countries for being Jewish. Ignoring religion, the German Nazis found a new reasonracenot only to dislike but to exterminate all Jews, German citizens, and other Europeans alike. In America, some claimed that Jews owned all the banks and so were economic exploiters. Some African Americans, following the Nation of Islam and its fanatically antisemitic leader Louis Farrakhan, have made a practice of attacking orthodox Jews, especially in New York. Modern Politics Against Jews When it comes to reasons for vilifying Jews, creativity never falters. There has emerged a new reason for hating Jews: the Jew among nations, Israel. The entire political left, those self-proclaimed champions of minorities and social justice, has joined an anti-Israel bandwagon and condemns Jews who support Israel as traitors and oppressors. This alliance includes the U.S. Democratic Party and Canadas NDP and Green party, the legacy media in the United States and Canada, the cable news channels including the CBC, Big Tech and its social media platforms, and just about every college and university in both countries. The anti-Israel left has been bolstered by the far-right Islamists in a red-green alliance, personified in the United States by House of Representatives squad members Ilhan Omar and Rashida Talib. The Democrats in the House could not bring themselves to rebuke the antisemitic attacks of Omar and Tlaib. The Green party has been split by antisemitic assaults on its Jewish party leader and her Jewish adviser. As Paul Estrin, previously president of the party, puts it in a National Post article, The turmoil that results from allowing space within the Green party for outbursts of Jew-hatred is an example of the violent attitudes that pervade the human rights and environmental communities. When hate is allowed to fester, it further normalizes antisemitism, and is repeated by associations, unions, student groups and in society in general. The NDP has for many years had an anti-Israel and arguably antisemitic lobby. This was reflected in their April 2021 policy convention, where, according to a Canadian Press story, proposals included a half-dozen that articulate solidarity with Palestinian causes or call for sanctions and stronger condemnation of Israel. More than 40 NDP riding associations have endorsed a particularly contentious resolution that opposes a working definition of antisemitism set out by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), arguing it is used to chill criticism of Israeli policy. The IHRA definition includes denying Israels right to exist and holding Israel to standards to which no other country is held. Critics of Israel never bring their microscopes to examine Chinas occupation and oppression in Inner Mongolia, Tibet, and Chinese Turkistan; or Irans treatment of political dissidents and homosexuals; or Syrias war against its citizens in which almost a half million were killed; or ISISs systematic enslavement and gang rape of infidels or its maximally brutal murders of opponents. The accusations against Israel are so crude as to be laughable: Genocide against the Palestinians is refuted by the growth of the Palestinian population from around 1.03 million in 1970 to some 4.55 million in 2014. In search of intersectionality, the claim about racial supremacy of the white Israelis over the people of colour Palestinians is vitiated by the multi-colours of Israelis and the lack of racial differences between Israelis and Palestinian Arabs. The argument that Israelis are colonial settlers ignores the fact that Jews were the indigenous population of ancient Israel when the Romans arrived (with the Arabs invading hundreds of years later), and that those forcibly expelled by the Romans 2,000 years ago and who settled in the Middle East and North Africa were expelled from their Arab home countries when Israel was founded and came to Israel as refugees. You cannot be a colonial settler in your own homeland, and when you represent no imperial country. Rejected by Chosen Reference Group Progressive Jews have now been banished and excommunicated from leftist demonstrations, which fly the Hamas flag and chant Palestine from the river to the sea, a formula that dictates the final destruction of Israel. Israeli flags are no longer allowed in progressive venues. Jewish university students face hostile student governments and pro-Palestinian student activist groups, which lobby for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israel and which treat Jews who do not denounce Israel and Zionism as enemies. Intimidation against Jewish students is common and goes unchallenged by university administrations. Jews who refuse to denounce Zionism are no longer welcome in progressive circles, no matter how committed they are to anti-racism, socialism and communism, LGBTQ++ rights, feminism, abortion, and open borders. They have been rejected by their chosen reference group, and their virtue is no longer recognized. Their pain replicates the pain of Jews throughout the history of the diaspora. Perhaps they should have chosen a different reference group. Philip Carl Salzman is professor emeritus of anthropology at McGill University in Quebec. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Johnson Launches Plan on Beating Crimes Amid Strained Relationship With Police The UK government on Tuesday announced a new plan to tackle crimes, but the plan was met with the cold shoulder of a disgruntled police force, which said a few days ago that it has lost confidence in Home Secretary Priti Patel. The home secretary last week announced that police officers whose salary is over 24,000 ($33,300) are subject to a pay freeze, sparking anger among the police. Senior police officers have said that the pay freeze is insulting, after the force was hung out to dry during the pandemic. The new Beating Crime Plan includes contactable, named police officers for neighbourhoods; league tables for 101 and 999 call answering times; monitoring of burglars and thieves around the clock upon release from prison; trialing the use of alcohol tags to detect alcohol level of released drink-fuelled offenders; making community service more visible by using offenders to clean up public spaces, and relaxing the restrictions of police stop and search powers. It also includes new funding to train youth workers; increase targeted patrols, lighting, and CCTV; and work with councils to design out crime. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the plan is the governments action to keep its promise of backing the police and making people safer. Ken Marsh, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation representing rank-and-file officers in the capital, criticised the named officer plan as unworkable. If that officer is on a shift pattern or off sick or on holiday, that just puts added pressure on that officer, he told the PA news agency. It doesnt work in that way. You cant start singularly naming officers because by the sheer nature of their work If theyre not at work, what happens then? Reacting to Johnsons promise to back the police, Marsh said: Well hes not backing us all the way, is he? Hes treating us in a derisory way. What do we get at the end of it? As usual, absolutely nothing, Marsh said. His words are hollow and my colleagues are fed up with it now. Chairman of the Police Federation John Apter (L) and Ken Marsh, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation speak to the media after delivering a letter to 10 Downing Street in London on July 27, 2021. (Victoria Jones/PA) Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer ridiculed Johnsons plan as an ill-thought-through gimmick, saying it sounds great but wont work. The chairman of the Police Federation said he fears officers are being set up to fail by the governments new plan due to a lack of investment in policing and the criminal justice system. If you want a police service that the public [deserves], youve got to invest in it, John Apter, who represents 130,000 police officers in England and Wales, said at Downing Street after delivering a letter to No 10 detailing officers concerns over the pay freeze. Policing at the moment, despite what were being told, is not being invested in, but that goes for the whole criminal justice system. The whole criminal justice service, whether thats the courts, the Crown Prosecution Service, policing, is not being funded as it should be, Apter said. We cant deliver what we want to and some of the announcements today that the prime ministers made, as laudable as they might intend to be, I fear they set us up to fail. Thats a real concern. Pay Freeze Apter previously said quite categorically that the officers he represents had no confidence in the current home secretary after the announcement of the pay freeze, saying offices had been hung out to dry by the media, by some politicians, and by so-called, self-proclaimed experts on policing while enforcing the governments CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus restrictions. Police officers wear face masks as they patrol the city centre in Manchester, England, on Oct. 20, 2020. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images) We often hear the home secretary praise police officers but our members are so angry with this government, he said. They have been on the frontline of this pandemic for 18 months and will now see other public services given pay increases while they receive nothing. Apter said the pay freeze is the final straw for the police. He also said the federation had tried its level best to cooperate with the government, which he said cannot be trusted or taken at face value in the way we would expect. Responding to the criticisms, Johnson said the government is investing massively in the police. When I stood on the steps of Downing Street two years ago, I said I wanted another 20,000 officers on the streets of our country. And were now almost half the way there, he said during an interview with broadcasters at Surrey Police HQ in Guildford. Were putting 15.8 billion ($22 billion) into supporting our police. But, of course, its been a tough time financially for the whole country, weve had to deal with the cost of the pandemic, about 407 billion ($565 billion) supporting jobs and livelihoods across the country, he said. What were now seeing today is plans to back the police, but also to back the public, so that if youre the victim of a crime, you have a named police officer that you can go to wherever you live, who will attend you, who will make sure that the police deal with your crime. The prime minister said people need officers who understand whats going on in the neighbourhoods. Were also backing the police with more body-worn cameras, with more Tasers and more protections against those who assault police officers in the course of their duty, he added. PA contributed to this report. Gov. Gavin Newsom watches as ICU nurse Helen Cordova receives the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center in Los Angeles on Dec. 14, 2020. (Jae C. Hong-Pool/Getty Images) LA Councilman to Introduce Motion on Vaccine Mandate for City Employees LOS ANGELESWith the coronavirus surging again, Los Angeles City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas plans to introduce a motion July 28 to develop a policy requiring all city employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and to report their vaccination status to the appropriate city department. The move, if enacted by the council, would bring the city in line with other cities that have taken steps in the direction of a vaccine mandate, including Pasadena in the Los Angeles area. San Francisco and New York City have announced similar plans. On July 26 California officials announced that all state employees and all workers at hospitals and health care facilities will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or be tested at least once a week. The City of Los Angeles must lead by example, Ridley-Thomas said in a statement released late July 26. During [the July 28] council meeting, I plan to introduce a motion that would direct staff to develop a policy to require all city employees be fully vaccinated for the COVID-19 virus; and report their COVID-19 vaccination status to the appropriate city department. Plain and simple, he said, vaccinations are the only way out of this pandemic. They are the most effective way to prevent transmission and limit COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths. If we want our economy to fully recover, if we want our children to be able to go to school without masks on, and if we want the most vulnerable members of our community to not end up in the hospital, we must all do our part and this motion is a step in the right direction. With the Delta variant of the coronavirus continuing to drive up infection rates and hospitalizations in Los Angeles County, Ridley-Thomas added, I believe that now is the time to scale up our COVID-19 precautions. Los Angeles County on July 26 reported four more deaths and 1,966 new COVID-19 infections, while hospitalizations increased to 825, more than double the number from just two weeks ago. Its time to get it done, Ridley-Thomas said, regarding a vaccine mandate. Hes likely to receive support from fellow council members, several of whom have already publicly supported the city moving in a vaccine-mandate direction. I support having all city workers vaccinated, council President Nury Martinez told the Los Angeles Times. Councilman Kevin de Leon, meanwhile, told the LA Times, Theres no question in my mind that the city of LA should model to the state and the nation that we will do everything within our power to keep our city workers and neighbors safe. De Leon, however, said he hasnt yet worked out potential consequences if city employees fail to comply with a vaccine mandate. Meanwhile, after an announcement by the state on July 26, all state employees and all workers at hospitals and health care facilities across California will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccinationwhile those who are unable or refuse to do so will have to be tested at least once a week. The vaccine verification program for state employees is expected to begin as early as next week. The system for health care workers will be implemented over the coming weeks, with compliance expected by Aug. 23. It will apply to all health care settings across the state, public and private. The policy falls short of a vaccine mandate, offering employees the option of undergoing regular COVID testing instead of providing proof of vaccination. Those workers will be required to undergo testing at least once a week, possibly even twice a week. A protester is arrested by police at Sydney Town Hall during the World Wide Rally For Freedom anti-lockdown rally at Hyde Park in Sydney, Saturday, July 24, 2021. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas) Labelling Anti-Lockdown Protestors Anarchists Is Wrong: Law Professor One law professor says describing protestors as anarchists is incorrect, and instead, the thousands-strong rallies on the weekend was a reminder to political leaders that they were accountable to the public, not just health officials. On July 24, thousands of people took the streets of Sydney and Melbourne as part of the World Wide Rally for Freedom event, many of whom were protesting against government restrictions and lockdowns in response to COVID-19. While previous rallies had garnered just a few hundred attendees, the weekend protest saw the numbers spike dramatically. Many people who are suffering under the current restrictions have been driven to protest on the streets because there are few other ways for them to be heard, Peter Kurti, director of the Culture, Prosperity and Civil Society Program at the Centre for Independent Studies said. There may well have been conspiracy theorists and anti-vaxxers in the crowd, together with those looking for a fight. But the majority of people seem to have been protesting to highlight the enormous costsfinancial, emotional, and socialimposed by the lockdown, he told The Epoch Times. Protesters march along Broadway and George St towards Sydney Town Hall during the World Wide Rally For Freedom anti-lockdown rally at Hyde Park in Sydney on July 24, 2021. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas) The protest may well have been unlawful because the public health orders restrict gatherings; but the practice of civil disobedience, long established in liberal democracies, is very different from anarchy which rejects the very notion of social order bound by norms and laws, he added. Citizens have the right to protest against laws perceived as unjust; doing so does not make them anarchists. Greater Sydney is undergoing a five-week lockdown due to an outbreak of the Delta variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. Five million residents remain in lockdown and cannot leave their homes except for four reasons. Last week, construction sites were shut down as well, forcing around 250,000 tradespeople to stop work, and costing the economy around $1.4 billion a week. In response to rumours of a possible follow-up protest circulating online, New South Wales (NSW) Police Commissioner Mick Fuller was blunt: Can I just put this warning out now to everyone? We will be heavily policing that event. The community has spoken about that behaviour. The premier has spoken about that behaviour, and it wont be tolerated again, he told reporters. There are no organisers that we can take to the Supreme Court to stop the protests happening, which means theyre a bunch of anarchists, he added. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she was disgusted and heartbroken by the protestors saying they showed utter contempt for their fellow citizens. Victorian Premier Dan Andrews described them as selfish. Kurti said these premiers assumed Australians preferred a policy of zero transmission and eradication of the virus, resulting in support for lockdowns. However, many do not share this view and are angry that livelihoods and lives have been so severely curtailed, he said. Defiance of political and legal authority, in the form of open protest, is a reminder that all political leaders remain accountable to the electorateand not just at the ballot box. The language used by Andrews and Berejiklian indicates they see that public health edicts must be obeyed, and to call these edicts into question, amounts to both a legal and a moral failure on the part of the protesters. Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese speaks at a news conference after a tour of the Kwinana Nickel Refinery on March 4, 2021 in Kwinana, Australia. (Richard Wainwright-Pool/Getty Images) Labor to Back Coalition Tax Cuts and Negative Gearing Policies Both Australian Major Parties Will Go Into Next Election Supporting Stage Three Tax Cuts The Australian federal opposition party decided on Monday to drop its previous stance and deliver the same legislated tax cuts as the Coalition after six years of opposition, or two election cycles, to the policies. The Shadow Cabinet and Caucus have today confirmed that Labor in government would uphold the legislated changes to personal income taxes and maintain the existing regimes for negative gearing and capital gains tax, Labor leader Anthony Albanese and Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers said in a joint statement on Monday. Albanese said the move is providing certainty and clarity for over nine million working Australians. This means Labor now supports stage three tax cuts that will abolish the 37 percent tax bracket and see the tax rate flattened to 30 percent for everyone earning between $45,000 and $200,000. People earning over $200,000 will remain in the 45 percent tax bracket. The move comes against the backdrop of strong division within the party on supporting the policies. Previously, Labor vehemently criticised the legislation, arguing that it favoured the wealthy and would cause greater inequality. Stage three is the least responsible, least affordable, least fair, and least likely to be effective because higher income earners arent as likely to spend in the economy as workers of more modest means, Chalmers said in October 2020. Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers during a doorstop at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on May 11, 2021. (Sam Mooy/Getty Images) However, he said the party has since listened and learned from the last election. We said that we wouldnt take an identical set of policies to the next election that we took to the last election, Chalmers told ABC radio on Monday. People want us to look forward rather than try to prosecute fights from the past. In addition to stage three tax cuts, Labor has dumped its proposal to remove negative gearing on all existing properties, a policy that was aimed to improve housing affordability. Likewise, the plan to reduce capital gains concession from 50 percent to 25 percent has also been discarded. Divided Responses The housing industry has welcomed the change in approach and congratulated the party for seeing sense ahead of the next election. The Oppositions previous position on negative gearing and capital gains tax was always the wrong policy, at the wrong time, and voters at two elections knew it. The vast majority of property investors are not rich property baronsthey are everyday Australians looking to get ahead and providing the rental accommodation that is needed by the one-third of households who rent, Property Council of Australia CEO Ken Morrison said. Finance Minister Simon Birmingham criticised the move as the most half-hearted concession ever made in Australian politics and one that could not be believed. Theyve done it after months, years of bickering and arguing inside Labor, Birmingham told reporters. We know theyre divided. We know that they dont believe in it, and they cant be trusted with it. Leader of the Opposition Anthony Albanese and Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers arrive for morning television interviews at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on May 12, 2021. (Sam Mooy/Getty Images) New South Wales Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg called the change a huge internal defeat for Chalmers in a post on Twitter. The Greens party blasted Labor for capitulating to Prime Minister Scott Morrisons demands, arguing that the policies would worsen inequality in the country. These are tax cuts for people who need them the least, the Greens said. We cant afford it. We dont need it. This money should be spent on creating a better society. Australia Institute senior economist Matt Grudnoff agreed with the Green Partys stance, saying Australia already had lower tax rates than other OECD countries. As inequality worsens in Australia, we need a debate and better policy on how to properly increase wealth and reduce inequality, Grudnoff told the Canberra Times. Land of Fire: Kyushu, Japan The heatIll always remember the heat. Total, all around me, consuming, baking my body like a bit of steak in a sous vide. Climbing into a long, shallow hole dug by two industrious women, they quickly began covering me up, shovel by shovel, until almost everything, arms, legs, even neck, was underneath. With only my face and the top of my head emerging from the black, volcanic soil, I quickly began to sweat, the perspiration trickling down my face and disappearing into the ancient dirt. They told me it was good for me, great for the skina restorative process. Stay submerged for 15 minutes, minimum. But after 10, the heat still rising, I was ready, shaking off my sand bath and headed to rinse off in the onsen (the hot spring). I was on Kyushu, the southernmost of Japans main islands, and a land of hot springs, geysers, and bubbling geothermal activity. Home to the countrys most active volcano, the 5,200-foot Mount Aso, its also subtropical, lush, and green with beaches and palm trees. And theres a long history here, toothe closest island to the Asian mainland, Kyushu was home to Japans only major connection to the outside world during the centuries of sakoku, when the country closed between the 17th and 19th centuries. Riding the bullet train down from Tokyo, I arrived in Beppu, a small, mountainside city of about 120,000. A place famous to the Japanese, it remains little-known to international tourists. Here, some 2,000 hot springs flow, all over town, and vents along the sides of streets steam forth all day long, releasing just a fraction of all that roiling, boiling energy down below through pipes and chimneys and simple holes in the ground, giving the impression that the town is on fire, all the time. (Of course, in some ways, it is.) First up? The sand bath. While some opt to do this on the beach, next to the sea, my first night in town was rainy, so I headed to Takegawara. Recognized as a national historic landmark, this building, which today resembles a shrine, was originally built in 1879, over an onsen, where bathers originally gathered in tubs of stone. Rebuilt three times, it was completed in its current form in 1938. In Japan, which has 27,000 onsens, tradition says that ancient gods were healed by the power of these springs. A strict protocol governs the washing routine that must take place before you enter the bathsany traces of dirt or soap arent tolerated. Bathing is generally segregated by gender, and you wont find any swimsuits in sightthese are baths that you must enjoy in the nude. After perching on a small stool and showering thoroughly in Takegawaras small locker room, guests don a yukata, a lightweight summer robe, and proceed into a room filled with black, steaming soil. This ritual has been practiced by the Japanese since the Edo period, which began in the 17th century. Infused with minerals, the sand, which can reach temperatures of 130 degrees, is jam-packed with minerals. Known locally as suna-mashi, its said to help everything from diabetes to asthma to anemia. But theres more to Beppu than the sand, including the Hells. A series of seven pools, connected by pathways and bridges, each one of these hot pools has its own theme, with temperature readouts that top 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Super-enthusiastic guides shout out facts and commentary at each stop, but pretty much all of the interpretation is lost in translation, for me. But with each turn of the corner, youre presented with a distinct experience, from bubbling mud pots at Oniishibozu Jigoku to the Japanese version of Old Faithful, the geyser at Tatsumaki Jigoku, which shoots up into the air for about 10 minutes, every half hour or so. Strangest of all is Oniyama Jigoku, where a sign informs visitors in English and Japanese: The force of the steam is so strong here that about one and a half train cars can be pulled by its pressure, and it creates ideal conditions for breeding crocodiles. Coming as billed, the pool is filled with crocs, who nose right up to the edge of the walkway, safely fenced in. Nearby, you can order lunch at what looks like an ordinary snack bar, except instead of grills, food is placed in wooden boxes and heated over a stone oven that channels the geothermal power down below. While the menu is entirely in Japanese, helpful photos illustrate whats on offerchicken, fish, rice, dumplings. Point out your selection, and wait just eight minutes for the busy staff to serve it up. An island thats relatively small and extremely mountainous, Kyushu is easily traversed by trains, which curl along the sides of deep valleys and thunder through countless tunnels. Fukuoka, north of Beppu, is the largest city on the island and a pleasant place, home to a good art museum and a castle, plus a big park where visitors idle away the afternoon in pedal-powered swan boats. Just to the south, in Nagasaki, Peace Park flows with fountains and includes several monuments, all of it remembering the fateful day in 1945 when a nuclear bomb destroyed a huge swath of this city. A graceful, 33-foot statue points to the sky, mindful of unseen threats from above. Theres a wharf with restaurants, right on the water, and a gondola that takes you to a mountaintop, the sweep of the city at your feet. And it was here, on the fan-shaped artificial island of Dejima (literally, Exit Island) that Japan remained connected with the outside world during the Period of National Isolation from 1641 to 1859. Originally constructed to provide a place separated from the city to facilitate trade with the Portuguese, Dejima was Dutch for most of this period, bringing in silk and cotton, with ships ferrying Japanese silver, copper, and porcelain to Bataviapresent-day Jakarta. A walk around the reconstructed trading post takes you back in time, a slice of the Netherlands on the other side of the world. My journey to the island ended at the end of the line, rolling into the city of Kagoshima on the bullet train. Its a dramatic city, the high rises of the downtown skyline dwarfed by the three peaks of Sakurajimathe puffs of steam emanating from the top a constant reminder that this is still a very active volcano. After a walk around town, I took a smaller train to a ryokan (a traditional Japanese Inn) nearby, and before long I sought a little more heat. After a 10-course dinner, satiated and tired from a day on the train, I retired to my room, whose balcony was dominated by its own private hot spring bath. I stepped in the water, the light of a long evening fading, the warmth Kyushu surrounding me, immersing me in the wonders of this island. Toronto-based writer Tim Johnson is always traveling in search of the next great story. Having visited 140 countries across all seven continents, hes tracked lions on foot in Botswana, dug for dinosaur bones in Mongolia, and walked among a half-million penguins on South Georgia Island. He contributes to some of North Americas largest publications, including CNN Travel, Bloomberg, and The Globe and Mail. A screenshot from a C-Span video showing the moment Nick Dyer, Rep. Greenes communications director, announces the press conference held by five GOP lawmakers was over, as protesters swarmed the event, outside the Department of Justice in Washington on July 27, 2021. (Screenshot C-Span/The Epoch Times) Leftist Protestors Interrupt GOP Lawmakers Inquiring Into Treatment of Jan. 6 Prisoners A small cadre of Republican lawmakers gathered outside the Department of Justice on Tuesday afternoon to air concerns about the treatment of prisoners arrested for allegedly participating in the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riots. We werent even let in the lobby, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said, standing at the DOJs doorstep. They werent left alone outside of the lobby, either. After about 15 minutes, a group of what appeared to be leftist protestors swarmed Greenes podium and the surrounding area. As Greene was speaking, protestors appeared to be circling behind her and the other Republicansmuch to the concern of the staffers and security. We have to wrap it up, a man near Greene could be heard saying, before more urgently repeating, We have to go. We need to break. The left is interrupting the press conference, the man then announced to the crowd. Seconds later, the group of protestors walked through the podium area as the Republican lawmakers and others scattered. The event was being streamed on YouTube by the Right Side Broadcasting Network (RSBN), with RSBN senior correspondent Liz Willis describing the events as they unfolded in front of her. Ladies and gentlemen, what you saw here today again is the intolerant left, Willis said. RSBN and Willis were also shut down soon thereafter, with protestors playing horns, drums and other instruments that interrupted the broadcast. Willis said a man repeatedly blew a whistle in her hear throughout the broadcast, despite her repeated requests for him to stop. Despite the interruption, the Republicans did have about 15 minutes to explain why they were at the DOJ: to demand answers about how the Jan. 6 prisoners have been treated. According to numerous reports, Jan. 6 inmates have been beaten, held in solitary confinement, and denied access to evidence about their own cases. The Republican lawmakers said that they have attempted to investigate these reports, but have been stonewalled by the DOJ, as well as the Washington DC Department of Corrections and Capitol Police. A joint letter from Reps Greene, Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) lists six unanswered inquiries Republicans have sent to federal authorities. Are we housing political prisoners? Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) said at Tuesdays press conference. We need to know the answers. A former defense attorney and Texas district judge, Gohmert said hes spent his career fighting for due process for all defendants, including those on death row. During his time as judge, Gohmert said he would make unannounced visits to jails and prisons to make sure the conditions werent abusive. No matter whom you are in this country, you have the right to a fair trial and the right to see the evidence against you, including all potentially exculpatory or exonerating evidence. A plea agreement should not even be offered until these requirements are met, Gohmert said. These are basic, fundamental requirements of our law that are ingrained in the justice system of these United States. Disregarding these procedures is a violation of any American citizens civil rights. The lawmakers also have unanswered questions about the security failures of Jan. 6. Acting Capitol Police Chief Pittman has testified that her office was notified in advance that armed extremists were targeting the rally, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not call for the National Guard or other reinforcements. Nor were the Republican lawmakers notified of the threat. When the Capitol Police requested to Nancy Pelosi on Jan. 6, asking her office for the National Guard, why wasnt that request [granted]? Greene said on Tuesday. Why wasnt the National Guard brought in? The RSBN video was removed from YouTube shortly after Tuesdays broadcast, but C-Span has video of the event. People wear masks as they walk in a shopping district in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles on July 1, 2021. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo) Mask Mandate Issued in California County Where 9 in 10 Residents Are Vaccinated A mask mandate was re-implemented in Californias San Mateo County, where nearly 90 percent of residents are fully vaccinated, according to officials this week. Starting Monday, all residentsincluding those who are vaccinatedwill have to wear face masks in government offices, health clinics, and other public facilities. Masks are not mandatedbut recommendedinside other public areas such as restaurants, gyms, theaters, and grocery stores, according to a press release from the county. About 89 percent of residents aged 12 and older in San Mateo, located south of San Francisco, are vaccinated against COVID-19, county data shows. COVID-19 is the illness caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. But despite the high vaccination rate, the county officials said masking is needed due to the highly transmissible Delta variant that has become more prevalent around the United States. As a result, it explained, health officers around the Bay Area have recommended that everyone wear masks indoors, regardless of their vaccination status. The County of San Mateo, out of an abundance of caution and to protect public health, is requiring face coverings as of Monday for the public when indoors at County offices, clinics, and other publicly accessible facilities, the news release stated. The masking requirement is similar to guidelines in place before the states June 15, 2021, reopening. A day before the mandate, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases chief Anthony Fauci warned during a televised interview that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are investigating whether to change masking guidelines at the federal level amid a rise in COVID-19 cases. This is under active consideration, Fauci told CNN in response to a question about whether masks should be used again despite individuals COVID-19 vaccination status. He added, If we dont vaccinate people, the model is going to predict that were going to be in trouble as we continue to get more and more cases. Other areas that have reimposed mask-wearing include St. Louis and Los Angeles so far, although other officials around the United States have said mask-wearing shouldnt be necessary for those who are vaccinated. Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit against St. Louis over the mask mandate late on Monday, arguing that its continued government overreach. There is absolutely no scientific reason to continue to force children to wear a mask in school, he said. Back in May, I filed suit against St. Louis County for continuing to impose such unlawful restrictions, and just three days later, those restrictions were lifted. I will continue to fight this seemingly unending control and intrusion on peoples liveswe will not back down. St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, who was named in his lawsuit, said over the weekend that Schmitts lawsuit is a political ploy designed to support his campaign for the U.S. Senate seat. McCarthy, GOP Lawmakers Seek Meeting With Biden Over Cuba House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and 18 other GOP lawmakers issued a letter to President Joe Biden requesting a meeting to discuss how the administration can work with Congress to support the Cuban people as they protest against the communist regime in Havana. This is a moment in time when the United States can change the course of human history for the better, the legislators wrote on Monday (pdf). The United States is a bastion of freedom and democracy; a beacon across the globe for those seeking to toss away their shackles of communist oppression. We must support our Cuban brothers and sisters as they seek to take control of their future and liberate themselves from the communist malignancy. Lawmakers asked Biden for a meeting as soon as possible to discuss how the administration can work with lawmakers in Congress to bring an end to the oppressive communist regime in Havana and liberate the Cuban people. We are concerned that this pivotal moment is being squandered by indecision, bureaucracy, and a failure to lead, they stressed. The Epoch Times has contacted the White House for comment. The letter came on the same day that thousands of protesters gathered near the White House and held a mass rally and march to the Cuban embassy, urging the Biden administration to further support Cubans fight for freedom. #SOSCuba Mr. President @JoeBiden, my community is begging you to stand with the people of #Cuba in their fight for freedom! pic.twitter.com/D24p9irCYQ Maria Elvira Salazar (@MaElviraSalazar) July 26, 2021 Cuban activists and supporters march from the White House to the Cuban Embassy on 16th Street during a Cuban freedom rally in Washington, on July 26, 2021. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Protesters were also supporting the mass protests that broke out across the communist-ruled Caribbean island on July 11 when Cuban citizens, at great risk to themselves, took to the streets calling for greater freedoms and an end to the communist regime. The protests are the largest seen in Cuba in decades. The regime has responded with mass arrests, reportedly taking in more than 500 demonstrators, and sending communist party militants and paramilitary forces to monitor dissidents in cities and towns. Internet access was cut at the height of the protests, stopping citizens from uploading footage of the mass protests online for the world to see. It is therefore unclear as to how many further protests have played out in Cuba since July 11. People react during protests in Havana, Cuba, July 11, 2021. (Stringer/Reuters) A man is arrested during a demonstration against the government of President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Arroyo Naranjo Municipality, Havana, Cuba, on July 12, 2021. (Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images) The Republican lawmakers who signed the letter were all tapped by McCarthy earlier this month to serve on his advisory team on Cuba. The group, which includes members from both chambers of Congress, will advise House Republicans on the ongoing protests and the communist regimes suppression of freedoms in Cuba, as well as to develop policies for U.S. support of the freedoms of the Cuban people. It will also inform Americans about the tyranny imposed by the Cuban communist regime. Rep. Maria Salazar (R-Fla.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), two members in the group, both recently accused the Biden administration of having refused to meet with them to discuss options to help dissidents in Cuba. Were very frustrated. We are very upset because we have called respectfully and we have told the Biden administration this has nothing to do with political parties, Salazar said at a town hall on Fox News Hannity on July 21. He will not meet with us. Weve asked for meetings, Rubio said at the time. It hasnt happened so far. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, also joined Salazar and Rubio at the town hall to call on the Biden administration to take more action. He said that one crucial action would be to help provide internet access to all Cubans. The internet access is something we have the capability of doing. We have companies in the U.S. that want to do it, but they need the OK of the federal government, DeSantis said at the time. He [Biden] has it within his authority to do that. He can make it happen, and if hes willing to do that, I think it would make a positive difference. But Biden is basically just sitting there doing nothing and leaving these folks out to dry, DeSantis alleged. Whats gonna end up happening, if they dont get any type of assistance, is the regime will continue to clamp down, and theyll eventually stamp this out and then theyll remain even stronger in power, and that will be a huge blow to the cause of freedom, the governor said at the time. Dr. Julio Antonio del Marmol, a member of former Cuban leader Fidel Castros inner circle and defector to the United States, told The Epoch Times Crossroads program in April that U.S. leaders have been reluctant to address the Cuban crisis because the Soviet Unions nuclear missiles never left Cuba. They were relocated and covered in underground silos, del Marmol said. I took pictures after the fact and that is the reason we never, ever invade Cuba. Because every single administration thinks the missiles are still there. On July 22, the administration did authorize sanctions against the Cuban Minister of Defense and a Cuban government agency for their role in clamping down on protesters. The United States stands with the brave Cubans who have taken to the streets to oppose 62 years of repression under a communist regime, Biden said in a statement. The Biden administration also announced that it has been actively collaborating with the private sector to identify creative ways to ensure that the Cuban people have safe and secure access to the free flow of information on the Internet. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday issued a statement expressing solidarity with the Cuban people. The United States will continue to support the Cuban peoples desire for freedom and to determine their own future. This joint statement demonstrates that the Cuban people are not alone in their aspirations, Blinken said. We are joined by Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Guatemala, Greece, Honduras, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Republic of Korea, and Ukraine. Watch Next: Former Cuban Military Leader Reveals Inside Story on Castro and Che Guevara Missouri Attorney General Sues to Block St. Louis Area Mask Mandate Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit on Monday to stop the mask mandate in St. Louis City and St. Louis County, alleging that the newly reimposed masking requirement is arbitrary and capricious and violates the state constitution. Schmitt, a Republican, filed the suit (pdf) in a circuit court in St. Louis County, naming St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, along with the directors of the county and citys health departments. This continued government overreach is unacceptable and unconstitutional, especially in the face of a widely available vaccine, Schmitt said in a news release, adding, I will continue to fight this seemingly unending control and intrusion on peoples liveswe will not back down. The filing comes after local officials recently announced the city of St. Louis and St. Louis County were imposing an indoor mask mandate for anyone over the age of 5 regardless of vaccination status, citing a rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations and the spread of the Delta variant. The new rule, which went into effect on July 26, requires mask-wearing in indoor public places and on public transportation. The mandate represents a stricter posture than the mask-wearing guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which says that fully vaccinated people need not wear facial coverings indoors, although the agency defers to local rules in the matter. We need everyone, vaccinated or not, to wear masks in crowded indoor settings, Dr. Faisal Khan, acting director of the St. Louis County Department of Public Health, said in a statement. We must protect our most vulnerable residents as well as children under 12, who are not yet eligible for vaccinations. Exceptions to the mask-wearing mandate include people seated in restaurants or bars, or individuals with disabilities that prevent them from putting on or taking off facial coverings. Mask wearing outdoors, while not required, will be strongly encouraged, the mayors office said. In a July 23 order (pdf), Dr. Fredrick Echols, Acting Director of the Department of Health for the City of St. Louis, said the mask mandate would be in effect for 30 days, subject to extension. Schmitt, in his lawsuit, said he was taking legal action to prevent unlawful, unconstitutional, arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable conduct by the Defendants, while asking the court to declare the mask mandate invalid. The lawsuit, which calls the mask mandate vague and self-contradictory, also seeks a declaration that the mask mandate violates the Missouri Constitution, which prohibits government restrictions that are unconstitutionally vague. In the filing, Schmitt also argues that requiring children to wear masks in school is arbitrary and capricious given that children are at low risk of catching the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19, and when they do, they have low mortality rates and less severe symptoms. There is absolutely no scientific reason to continue to force children to wear a mask in school, Schmitt said in a statement. Schmitt also argued that wearing masks in school may harm children, citing research that indicates mask-wearing by schoolchildren may inhibit their verbal and non-verbal communication, impeding their linguistic and emotional development. Jones, the mayor of St. Louis, said she expects Schmitts lawsuit to fail. I wish that he would put more of his attention toward serving the people of the state of Missouri and holding our health and safety paramount instead of filing frivolous lawsuits that waste taxpayer dollars, Jones said at a press conference, according to local outlet KMOV4. Responding to the lawsuit, a spokesperson for St. Louis County Executive Sam Pages office told local outlet KSDK in a statement: Does Mr. Schmitt prioritize the health and safety of those he is supposed to serve or making bombastic remarks to try to elevate his run for higher office? In March, Schmitt announced that he is running for the U.S. Senate, seeking to succeed Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a fellow Republican who is retiring. A group of illegal immigrants crosses the Rio Grande from Acuna, Mexico, to Del Rio, Texas, on July 25, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Thousands of Illegal Aliens Force Proxy Ports of Entry to Form Along Border ACUNA, MexicoThe singular focus is palpable. Once migrants leave the bus station in the Mexican border city of Acuna, its a brief taxi ride or walk to the banks of the Rio Grande and to their ultimate goalthe United States. The taxi driver charges 50 pesos for the three-minute drive, double the regular fare, but no one quibbles. A rocky but well-worn path leads down to the shore, and the migrants walk briskly and with purpose. Many, especially the Haitians, pause to tear up and discard the paperwork they have with thempassports, visas, and identification cards are strewn all over the ground. Theyre told its harder to be deported from the United States if they dont bring ID. Two elderly Mexican men are raking through the trash to find anything of value. To them, the passports are trash. They end up among the piles to be burned, as evidenced by the numerous heaps of ashes. Once on the riverbank, the United States is in sighta short wade across to Disneyland, as one Haitian put it. Some quickly take off their shoes or strip down to their shorts and step into the Rio Grande. It gets waist high within the first 90 feet, but its not swift and it levels out to ankle-deep. Minutes later, they exit the river at a clearing in the carrizo cane on the U.S. side. Over a 50-minute period in one location, The Epoch Times watched 36 people cross, all from Haiti and Cuba. Many of the Cubans were ultimately heading to Miami or Orlando, while the Haitians destinations included Boston, New York, and Indianapolis. After hitting U.S. soil and changing out of their wet clothing, they walk about a mile on a dirt road to the border fence on Frontera Road in Del Rio, Texas, where they wait for Border Patrol. A proxy port of entry has formed at the fence as Border Patrol and State Troopers bring in shade tents and water, and National Guard is stationed at the gate. Two months ago, the proxy port of entry was through a private property a few miles upriver. Most of the family units will be quickly processed and released with a notice to report to their local Immigration and Customs Enforcement office within 60 days of arriving at their destination. Most of the single males will be sent back across to Mexico, to likely try again in the next few days. Back on the Acuna side, just downstream, young Mexican men can be seen walking back across the river lugging bags full of the clothes and shoes discarded on the U.S. side. One mans trash is another mans treasure. Constant Flow The buses full of migrants that terminate in Acuna often come from Monterrey, a common destination for the migrants who fly into Mexico before heading to the United States. From Monterrey in northeastern Mexico, travel is more direct to the border plazas across from the Texas cities of McAllen or Laredo, but Acuna is considered safer and cheaper. The Epoch Times learned that some Monterrey bus lines exist specifically for the migrant flow and are separate from the regular buses. Those bus lines are absolutely cartel-controlled, said Jaeson Jones, former captain of the Texas Department of Public Safety intel division and current host of Tripwires & Triggers. There is no doubt. They are not going to miss an opportunity right now to make money, Jones told The Epoch Times. Theyre not getting through without [the cartels] knowing. Monterrey is a vital location for politics as well as a key distribution location for bringing people and contraband to the United States, he said. Theyre all there. All of them, Jones said, including Los Zetas, the Gulf Cartel, Cartel del Noreste, Sinaloa, Jalisco New Generation Cartel, and Beltran Leyva Organization. Several Haitians told The Epoch Times that they had caught buses to Acuna from Tapachula, the southwestern Mexican city that borders Guatemala. The price they said they paid ranged from 2,800 to 3,600 pesos per person ($140 to $180). No one wanted to talk about any other taxes or fees they paid along the way. Record Numbers The Del Rio border sector has increasingly become a favored crossing spot, especially since the 2019 border surge. Agents are apprehending an average of 1,000 illegal immigrants per day in the area. Along the whole southwest border, Border Patrol agents are currently apprehending an average of 6,300 illegal immigrants daily. More than 15,000 Venezuelans have been apprehended in the Del Rio sector over the past four months, according to Customs and Border Protection. Border Patrol agents in the sector apprehended more than 4,000 Haitians and 1,700 Cubans in June, compared to 89 and 57 respectively in June 2020. Orange County Superior Court Reinstates Mask Mandate The Orange County Superior Court has reinstated its mask policy, requiring all visitors to wear masks regardless of vaccination status, after two people inside the building tested positive for COVID-19. The Santa Ana, California, courthouses order took effect July 26 and will remain in place until at least Aug. 6. All persons entering the Central Justice Center, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a face mask at all times in the public areas of the Central Justice Center, including courtrooms, said the order, signed by the courts assistant presiding Judge Maria Hernandez. This decision was made out of an abundance of caution, as the court was recently notified of two positive COVID-19 test results at the facility. Our focus remains the safety and health of our judicial officers, employees, justice partners, and our community. The order applies to court employees, law enforcement officers, attorneys, parties, jurors, and vendors, the order states. Refusal to cooperate will result in a warning followed by a security escort from the building, according to the order. Children under three years of age are exempt. Orange County Superior Court spokesman Kostas Kalaitzidis said that while two cases of COVID-19 is a low threshold, theyre trying to ensure that theres no outbreak. Were part of the community, were not just some set-aside organization, were part of the living body of Orange County, and it is our responsibility, its not just us trying to be nice, its our responsibility to follow the regulations of Cal OSHA, the Orange County Health Care Association and CDC, he said. The Central Justice Center is the second Orange County courthouse to revert to its previous mask mandates; the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach on July 14 did the same after two people in the building tested positive for COVID-19, with its mandate set to end July 28 if there are no further cases. Prior to the mask mandates going into place, those entering the Central Justice Center who were fully vaccinated could go mask-free in the building. For the unvaccinated, the building used the honor system and required masks. The other three Orange County courthouses are still under the honor system. We are very careful to monitor all developments in all our court facilities and make sure that we follow regulations as set forth by responsible government agencies, but also make sure that we are doing the best we can to protect the health of our judicial officers or employees or justice partners in our community, Kalaitzidis said. We are part of the Orange County community and were very conscious of that. A general view of the border post in Torkham, Pakistan, on Dec. 3, 2019. (Alasdair Pal/Reuters) Pakistan Reopens Afghanistan Border Crossing Held by Taliban QUETTA/ISLAMABAD, PakistanPakistan on Monday reopened a major southwestern border crossing with Afghanistan that is currently under Taliban control on the Afghan side, Pakistani customs officials said, allowing over 100 trucks carrying goods to cross into Afghanistan. The Chaman-Spin Boldak crossing, a key port for landlocked Afghanistan, had been closed by Pakistan for commercial traffic since fierce fighting for control of the crossing erupted between Taliban terrorists and Afghan security forces earlier this month. Pakistan has opened its border with Afghanistan at Chaman today and resumed Afghan Transit Trade which was suspended since the last one month, Arif Kakar, a senior official of the Chaman border district, told Reuters. He said it would remain open six days a week. Two Pakistani customs officials, requesting anonymity, told Reuters that Spin Boldak and the border town of Wesh were still under Taliban control, and they did not know what arrangements were in place across the border or who was clearing the goods through customs. They said Pakistani officials were under pressure by traders to let trucks pass through as the goods they were carrying would otherwise perish. Afghanistans interior and finance ministries, and the Taliban spokesman, did not respond to requests for comment. U.S. Marine General Kenneth McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, which oversees American forces in Afghanistan, told reporters in Kabul on Sunday that Spin Boldak was a contested space and the Afghan government was looking to regain control of it. The reopening came hours after 46 Afghan soldiers sought refuge in Pakistan after losing control of military positions further north along the border following advances by Taliban terrorists taking advantage of foreign forces withdrawal. The Afghan military commander requested refuge at the border crossing in Chitral in the north, the Pakistan army said in a statement, adding safe passage into Pakistan was given on Sunday night after clearance from Afghan authorities. Hundreds of Afghan soldiers and civil officials have fled to neighboring Tajikistan, Iran, and Pakistan in recent weeks after Taliban offensives in border areas. Afghan soldiers have been provided food, shelter, and necessary medical care as per established military norms, the statement said. Relations between neighbors Afghanistan and Pakistan have taken a sharp downturn in recent weeks, particularly over repeated allegations by Kabul that Pakistan is backing the Talibana charge Islamabad denies. Afghanistan recalled its diplomats from Pakistan after the brief kidnapping of the Afghan ambassadors daughter in Islamabad earlier in the month. Afghan officials did not respond to a request for comment on the soldiers crossing. The Taliban has escalated its offensive since the United States announced in April that it would withdraw its troops by September, ending a 20-year foreign military presence. Washington has said it will continue to carry out air strikes to support Afghan forces facing insurgent attacks. Peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban have failed to make substantive progress since beginning in September last year. Reeling from battlefield losses, Afghanistans military is overhauling its war strategy to concentrate forces around critical areas such as Kabul and other cities, and border crossings. The Pakistan army said the soldiers who sought refuge will be returned to Afghanistan after due process, as had occurred in the case of another batch of 35 soldiers earlier in July. By Gul Yousafzai and Asif Shahzad Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gestures as he delivers his final State of the Nation Address at the House of Representatives in Quezon City, Philippines on July 26, 2021. (Jam Sta Rosa/Pool Photo via AP) Philippine Leader Unabashedly Threatens to Kill Drug Dealers in Final State of the Nation Speech MANILA, PhilippinesPhilippine President Rodrigo Duterte unabashedly renewed his threat to kill drug dealers in his final state of the nation speech on Monday, while defending his non-confrontational approach in the countrys territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea. Duterte, 76, who won a six-year presidential term in 2016, is winding down his often-tumultuous presidency amid a raging pandemic, a battered economy, and a legacy overshadowed by his deadly campaign against illegal drugs that has set off complaints of mass murder before the International Criminal Court. While many expected him to focus on ways to combat the coronavirus, which has devastated the economy and worsened hunger and poverty, Duterte instead devoted most of a rambling, nearly three-hour televised speech to non-pandemic topics he has addressed repeatedly in the past. Duterte reiterated his threat to kill drug dealers, explaining it is tougher to fight criminals the legal way, while daring the International Criminal Court (ICC) to record his remarks. Protesters wear face masks with slogans before marching towards the House of Representative where Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is set to deliver his final State of the Nation Address in Quezon city, Philippines, on July 26, 2021. (Gerard Carreon/AP Photo) I would never deny and the ICC can record it: Those who destroy my country, I will kill you. And those who destroy the young people of our country, I will kill you, Duterte said. I will really bring you down because I love my country. You can do it the legal way, but it would take you months and years, Duterte told an audience of legislators, Cabinet members, and foreign diplomats. Duterte and police officials have denied condoning extrajudicial killings, but he has repeatedly threatened to kill suspects in his public speeches. More than 6,000 mostly petty suspects have been killed during police drug raids. In addition, a large number have also been gunned down by motorcycle-riding assassins who human rights groups suspect are linked to law enforcement. The killings have alarmed Western governments, U.N. rights experts, and human rights groups. Duterte has acknowledged that he failed to fulfill a campaign promise to eradicate the drug menace and deeply entrenched corruption within six months of becoming president. But he said he had found at least nine police generals and Bureau of Customs officials were involved in the drug trade. I did not know that I was fighting my own government, he said, although the involvement of law enforcers and public officials has long been reported. Randy Delos Santos, whose 17-year-old nephew, Kian, was shot to death in 2017 by three officers who were later convicted of murder, said the poor have been traumatized by the drug crackdown. He has not won this war on drugs, because the problem is still there, but a lot of families have lost their breadwinners, Delos Santos told The Associated Press. Were the biggest loser and we still live in fear. Policemen block protesters as they tried to march towards the House of Representatives where Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is set to deliver his final State of the Nation Address in Quezon city, Philippines on Monday, July 26, 2021. (Gerard Carreon/AP Photo) An ICC prosecutor said last month a preliminary examination found reason to believe crimes against humanity had been committed under Dutertes crackdown on drugs and sought permission to open a formal investigation. Duterte said he will never cooperate with a possible investigation. Allies have defended Dutertes record, with documentaries on state-run TV and speeches highlighting his administrations efforts to fight criminality, poverty, corruption, and decades-long communist and Muslim insurgencies, as well as build infrastructure. But increasingly vocal opponents have criticized Dutertes handling of key issues, including his refusal to confront Chinas pressing of territorial claims in the South China Sea. Duterte said he had not aggressively confronted China because a military solution is not an option for the weaker Philippines. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his 6th State of the Nation Address (SONA) as Senate President Vicente Sotto III and House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco listen, at the House of Representative in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, on July 26, 2021. (Lisa Marie David/Reuters) It will be a massacre if I go and fight a war now, Duterte said. We are not yet a competent and able enemy of the other side. Duterte thanked medical workers who are fighting the coronavirus along with private companies and foreign banks which provided help and funds that allowed the country to deal with the pandemic. He said the economy can hardly endure more lockdowns, but that if the highly contagious delta variant spreads widely he would have little option but to resort to more restrictions. I really do not know what to do. I have to listen to the task force, he said, referring to a government body of Cabinet officials and medical experts which has been dealing with the pandemic. The Philippines has reported more than 1.5 million Chinese Communist Party virus infections, also known as COVID-19, including 27,224 deaths. Months of lockdowns and natural disasters caused the economy to plummet by 9.5 percent last year. Opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros said she failed to hear clear plans in Dutertes speech for dealing with inadequate virus testing and contact tracing and the massive number of Filipinos who lost their livelihood because of the pandemic. Our people wanted to hear about jobs and health from the president. He should have focused on these most of all, Hontiveros said. By Jim Gomez Jacob Chansley, center, and other protesters are seen inside the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Manuel Blace Ceneta/AP Photo) Plea Deal in the Works for Arizonas QAnon Shaman An attorney for the Capitol-breach suspect known as the QAnon shaman said hes working in earnest on a plea deal with prosecutors given his clients fragile mental health. Arizona native and Navy veteran Jacob Chansley, 33, aka Jake Angeli, was recently diagnosed by Federal Bureau of Prisons psychologists with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other mental illnesses. Discussions regarding [Chansley] are being pursued in earnest but there are a lot of moving parts, health concerns, logistics, and cumbersome COVID protocols involved, St. Louis-based attorney Albert Watkins told The Epoch Times in an email on Monday. Health issues being experienced by Mr. Chansley also play a role in undertakings in this regard, Watkins added. There has been a significant shift in the dialog such that the government now acknowledges Mr. Chansley was not a leader or planner of any aspect of Jan. 6 and that he was not violent or destructive in any regard. Collectively these facts have altered the mix. Chansley reportedly has spent nearly six months in solitary confinement in a federal prison in Virginia after turning himself in to authorities three days after the Washington protest. On Jan. 8, a federal grand jury handed up indictments charging Chansley with civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding, entering and remaining in a restricted building, disruptive and disorderly conduct in a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. The criminal complaint alleges Chansley willfully and knowingly entered or remained on the floor of a House of Congress or in any cloakroom or lobby adjacent to that floor, without authorization to do so. Chansley, wearing a horned headdress and coyote skins with his bare torso covered in tattoos, was photographed inside the Senate chambers leading a group of protesters in prayer. His self-anointed title QAnon shaman stems from his personal belief that satanic pedophiles are running a child sex trafficking ring and conspired against President Donald Trump while in office. More than 500 protestors have been charged in connection with the Capitol breach, many of whom have remained in custody without bail. In a previous interview, Watkins told The Epoch Times that the conditions Chansley is facing in prison are gulag-like treatment. His mental health and emotional well-being are significantly challenged, Watkins said. He was not violent or destructive in any manner. He was not armed. He did not threaten. There is no end in sight. His only reliable unmonitored contact with the outside world is his attorneyme. He is alone. On July 15, the nonprofit Look Ahead America (LAA) and its local branch, Look Ahead Arizona, held a rally in Scottsdale, Arizona, attended by more than 250 conservatives calling for the release of Chansley and other political prisoners. A second LAA rally was held on July 17 in front of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Speakers including Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), attorney John Pierce, activist leader Cara Castronuova, and the father of one of the detainees joined LAA Executive Director Matt Braynard in addressing the crowd. If the prisoners are still being held in deplorable, abusive conditions without charges or without access to reasonable bail commiserate with what they are being charged with by July 17, we will rally at that prison and raise our voices in patriotic song so they know we stand with them, Braynard said in a statement (pdf) announcing the rally. An image of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) hangs on a wall in a house in Umuahia, one of the pro-Biafran separatist regions, on Feb. 13, 2019. (Cristina Aldehuela/AFP via Getty Images) Police Chief, Six Bandits Die in Clash in Southeast Nigeria YENAGOA, NigeriaA Nigerian local police chief and six bandits were shot dead during a clash in southeastern Imo State, police said on Tuesday, the latest incident in a multi-faceted insecurity crisis engulfing Africas most populous nation. The clash took place on Monday when a large group of gunmen were spotted driving into the town of Omuma in a convoy of three vehicles. Police attacked them, resulting in the seven deaths and in 11 arrests. The police gave no information about the banditsa term commonly used in Nigeria to describe a range of criminals such as armed robbers or kidnappers for ransom. Southeastern Nigeria, homeland of the Igbo ethnic group, has been tense in recent weeks since the leader of a banned organization campaigning for the region to secede was detained abroad and returned to Nigeria to face trial for treason. Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group, had been due to appear in court in the federal capital Abuja in central Nigeria on Monday, and across the southeast many people stayed at home in solidarity with him. In the past, the authorities have blamed IPOB members for attacks on police stations in the southeast. An IPOB spokesman said the gunmen arrested in Omuma were unknown to the group. Insecurity has been rising sharply across Nigeria in recent months, partly driven by economic hardship. The northwest has been hit by a wave of mass abductions of schoolchildren by ransom seekers. The northeast remains mired in an Islamic insurgency that has killed an estimated 350,000 people over a decade. Armed robberies are rife across the country, and conflict between herders and farmers is also a cause of frequent deadly clashes. By Tife Owolabi Popcorn and Inspiration: Courage Under Fire: Standing Guard Over Truth 1996 | R | 1h 56min If a movie shows a military funeral featuring the missing-man formationthat fighter-jet fly-by where one out of the four warplanes pulls vertical and disappears into the cloudsIm a mess. If the movie ends with a scene in Arlington Cemetery, with its rows of white gravestones as far as the eye can see, accompanied by Braveheart type strains or militaristic bugles and drums, Im immediately destroyed. Courage Under Fire has both. Courage Under Fire is based on the storytelling template of legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawas Rashomon (1950), which contains the artifice of relating an event via participants who have differing memories of it. Its similar to the parable of the six blind men and the elephant. They all encounter an elephant, but by touch, one blind man determines that its a python (hes got hold of the elephants trunk), and another maintains its a pillar (hes got hold of a leg). And so on. Act of Valor Army Capt. Karen Walden (Meg Ryan) is to be the first woman candidate to get the Medal of Honor, which will be bestowed posthumously for her courage under fire as a medevac pilot during Desert Storm. Capt. Karen Walden (Meg Ryan), in Courage Under Fire. (Fox 2000 Pictures) Walden first rescued a downed helicopter crew by improvising a spectacular fuel-tank-detonated-by-a-flare-gun bomb that destroyed the enemy, and then managed to lead the soldiers under her command in fighting off the Iraqis, after her own chopper got shot down. She died shortly before they were rescued. But theres a dark controversy. Assigned to investigate her medal candidacy is one Lt. Col. Nathaniel Serling (Denzel Washington), who is himself wrapped in a dark, Gulf War controversy. The movie opens with the scene where all hell breaks loose and comes down on his head. Lt. Col. Nathaniel Serling (Denzel Washington) commanding a tank in the Gulf War, in Courage Under Fire. (Fox 2000 Pictures) Serling, in the fog of nighttime tank warfare, gave the order to fire that killed several of his own men, including his best friend. That staggering weight, along with the further soul-burden of having been forced to lie about it all to the families of the dead, has left him with a deep depression compounded by a virulent drinking problem and an inability to be around his wife (Regina Taylor), and their children. Nat now works a desk job under Gen. Hershberg (Michael Moriarty), who handpicked Nat to rubber-stamp Waldens medal approval. Hershbergs military brass superiors, Congress, and White House public relations weasel (Bronson Pinchot) are infatuated with the PR potential. Since theyve got Nat over a barrel due to the coverup of his Gulf War fiasco, they expect him not to make a fuss about any controversy he might uncover during his inquiry into the demise of Capt. Walden, thus greasing the rails to a tidy PR medal-presentation package. Gen. Hershberg (Michael Moriarty, L) and Lt. Col. Nat Serling (Denzel Washington), in Courage Under Fire. (Fox 2000 Pictures) Not So Fast When Serling separately interviews the surviving crew members, he uncovers anecdotal discrepancies regarding the night and following morning during which Walden and crew were pinned down by enemy fire. Army medic Alario (Matt Damon, L) and Lt. Col. Nathaniel Serling (Denzel Washington), in Courage Under Fire. (Fox 2000 Pictures) The haunted heroin addict and former medic Alario (Matt Damon, in what was arguably the break-out role on his ascension to stardom) is a Karen Walden fan, whereas the openly hostile staff sergeant Monfriez (Lou Diamond Phillips) claims she was a cowardand here we see the main components of the Rashomon dichotomy. Staff Sergeant Monfriez (Lou Diamond Phillips) gets ready to meet his maker, in Courage Under Fire. (Fox 2000 Pictures) However, while the Rashomons intention was to illustrate the trickiness of truth, here the technique is utilized for purposes of generating suspense, because when we finally get to the bottom of it all, the facts are incontrovertible. These inconvenient truths naturally dont sit well with Gen. Hershberg, which puts Nats career immediately in jeopardy. Courage Under Fire is therefore more a story about truthfulness per se: The corrosive effects of trying to deep-six the truth, and the cathartic effects of having the courage to hew to it, regardless of the perceived outcome. And so Serling, no longer able to tolerate the cover-up of his own mistake (and also being hounded by fellow-soldier-turned-journalist Tony Gartner (Scott Glenn) to deliver an honorable report), puts his career on the line to prevent another cover-up. Former Army Ranger and current journalist Tony Gartner (Scott Glenn, L) and Lt. Col. Nat Serling (Denzel Washington), in Courage Under Fire. (Fox 2000 Pictures) Performances Denzel Washingtons charismatic, deeply grounded, and moving performance anchors the movie. Meg Ryan was trying to transition at the time out of her role as Americas rom-com sweetheart, but was fairly miscast here. Its clear shed never done any voice-work before and therefore had no ability to handle the type of yelling that being a commanding officer in the military calls for. If ever there was a role Aliens star and Yale Drama School-trained Sigourney Weaver would have knocked completely out of the parkthis was it. That said, one thing Ryans performance helps make abundantly clear is what a woman is capable of on a battlefield. Id often wondered whether women belong in the traditionally male military fighting forces. Women have certainly proven themselves to be as tough and talented as male fighter pilots. Courage Under Fire demonstrates that if a woman in command has wounded soldiers that need protecting from enemy forces, and her maternal instinct kicks inlook out. An 800-pound male African lion knows betters than to try and mess with a lionesss cubs when shes around. The deadly side of the maternal instinct is that it is absolutely selfless. A woman will endure staggering amounts of pain many men cant tolerate and fight to the death without a second thought regarding her own safety to protect the lives of those in her care. Capt. Karen Walden (Meg Ryan) gives her life to protect her soldiers, in Courage Under Fire. (Fox 2000 Pictures) As mentioned, Matt Damon (who lost a ton of weight for this role) is riveting. Similar to Scarlett Johansson in Ghost World, Julia Roberts in Mystic Pizza, Jack Black in Bob Roberts, and Natalie Portman in Beautiful Girls, it was immediately apparent in 89 that the unknown Damon was a star on a fast trajectory. Army medic Alario (Matt Damon), in Courage Under Fire. (Fox 2000 Pictures) To sum up, Courage Under Fire, interestingly, is neither an indictment of the military bureaucracy that often obfuscates truth, nor a flag-wrapped paean to the military in general. It shines, similar to Spotlight, the light of truth on the militarys sometimes disingenuous facade regarding blue-on-blue mishaps, but its clear that military values are held in high esteem. And the missing-man formation for Capt. Walden, and Lt. Col. Nathaniel Serlings visit to her grave in Arlington, and the honoring of truth all aroundbelong to the true code of the United States military. LTC Nat Serling (Denzel Washington) salutes at the grave of Captain Karen Walden, in Courage Under Fire. (Fox 2000 Pictures) Courage Under Fire Director: Edward Zwick Starring: Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan, Matt Damon, Lou Diamond Phillips, Regina Taylor, Michael Moriarty, Scott Glenn Running Time: 1 hour, 56 minutes Rating: R Release Date: July 12, 1996 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Mark Jackson is the senior film critic for The Epoch Times. Mark has 20 years experience as a professional New York actor, classical theater training, and a BA in philosophy. He recently narrated the Epoch Times audiobook How the Specter of Communism is Ruling Our World, and has a Rotten Tomatoes author page. Clouds are seen above The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington on May 17, 2021. The Supreme Court said that day it will hear a Mississippi abortion case that challenges Roe v. Wade. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Pro-Life Activists Think Upcoming Supreme Court Case Could Overturn Roe Decision News Analysis Mississippis recent call for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that made abortion lawful throughout the United States, has been warmly received by pro-life activists who say it could be the vehicle the court uses to finally right what they consider to be an egregious wrong. Mississippis petition for review says the caselaw is wrong and notes that the state enacted H.B. 1510, the Gestational Age Act in 2018, which it says protects the health of mothers, the dignity of unborn children, and the integrity of the medical profession and society by allowing abortions after 15 weeks gestational age only in medical emergencies or for severe fetal abnormality. The Magnolia State statute has been enjoined by the federal courts, prompting the appeal to the Supreme Court. Lynn Fitch, the states Republican attorney general, filed a brief with the court July 22 arguing that Roe v. Wade is dangerously corrosive to our constitutional system. She urged that the 48-year-old precedent be reversed, saying that a state may prohibit elective abortions before the unborn baby is viable for life outside the womb. It may do so because nothing in constitutional text, structure, history, or tradition supports a right to abortion, she wrote. A prohibition on elective abortions is therefore constitutional if it satisfies the rational basis review that applies to all laws. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch (courtesy Lynn Fitch) This case is made hard only because Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, a 1992 Supreme Court ruling, hold that the Constitution protects a right to abortion. Those precedents held that a state law restricting abortion may not pose an undue burden on obtaining an abortion before viability. Roe based a right to abortion on decisions protecting aspects of privacy under the Due Process Clause. but Roe broke from prior cases by invoking a general right of privacy unmoored from the Constitution. The defense of Roes result appearing in the Casey decision repeats Roes flaws by failing to tie a right to abortion to anything in the Constitution. And abortion is fundamentally different from any right this Court has ever endorsed. No other right involves, as abortion does, the purposeful termination of a potential life, Fitch wrote, quoting Harris v. McRae (1980). So Roe broke from prior cases, Casey failed to rehabilitate it, and both recognize a right that has no basis in the Constitution. Abortion Cases The justices of the Supreme Court took nearly a year to decide whether to hear the appeal, known as Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, court file 19-1392, which was filed with the court June 15, 2020. Thomas E. Dobbs is the state health officer of the Mississippi Department of Health. When it began considering the petition for review, liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was alive, but she died Sept. 18, 2020. She was replaced weeks later by then-President Donald Trumps nominee, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, and the conservative majority on the 9-member court increased from 5 to 6. When the members of the high court voted to accept the case May 17, 2021, no justices indicated they disagreed. The oral argument in the appeal has not yet been scheduled. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, hailed the courts decision to accept the appeal, saying at the time that a review of the nations abortion laws was long past due. On June 29, 2020, when Ginsburg was alive, a divided court ruled 5-4 in June Medical Services LLC v. Russo, that Louisianas Act 620 that required abortionists to have hospital admitting privileges close to where the procedure took place was unconstitutional, as previously reported by The Epoch Times. Justice Stephen Breyer wrote the plurality opinion, representing his views along with those of three other liberal justices, including Ginsburg. Breyer cited the Casey precedent repeatedly. Chief Justice John Roberts, considered to be a member of the conservative bloc on the court, wrote his own separate concurring opinion agreeing with the result. Roberts cited both the Roe and Casey precedents. Four conservative justices dissented. Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett stands during a group photo of the justices at the Supreme Court in Washington on April 23, 2021. (Erin Schaff-Pool/Getty Images) In the Dobbs case, the court said in an unsigned order that it would consider only whether all pre-viability prohibitions on elective abortions are unconstitutional, setting the stage for a legal battle over Roe and Casey. The high court also voted March 29 to hear a separate appeal that could clear the way for a future defense of a 2018 Kentucky ban on dilation and evacuation (D&E) abortions. The case, Cameron v. EMW Womens Surgical Center, court file 20-601, is scheduled for oral argument Oct. 12. Then-Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, a Republican, signed the law, the Human Rights of Unborn Children Act, which stopped D&E abortions after 11 weeks of pregnancy and was subsequently enjoined by federal courts. The succeeding administration of Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, refused to defend the statute in court, but Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, a Republican, indicated that he wanted to do so. The legal issue to be examined isnt the constitutionality of the Kentucky statute as such, but standingthat is, whether a state attorney general vested with the power to defend state law should be permitted to intervene after a federal court of appeals invalidates a state statute when no other state actor will defend the law. Racism and Abortion Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, a public interest law firm that filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case, said he is optimistic about the Dobbs case. I think that we are on the verge of potentially discarding Roe v. Wade, Staver told The Epoch Times in an interview. I have no doubt that I will see the overturning of Roe v. Wade in my lifetime. I believe this is the case that could do it, he said. The Supreme Court would not have taken the case if it wasnt considering reversing the abortion precedent, Staver said. In order to take a case, they need four justices. But in a case like this, I dont think four justices would vote to take a case unless they could rely upon or reasonably count a fifth vote to overturn Roe because this really is a direct challenge to Roe and the Mississippi statute. Overturning Roe was our focus from the very beginning, he said. The firms brief was written on behalf of: the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; the Frederick Douglass Foundation; the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tyler, Texas; Deacon Keith Fournier of the Common Good Foundation; and Rev. Alveda King, president of Speak for Life and niece of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Our case has a very unique component to it because it puts abortion and the Supreme Court decisions directly on the foundation of racist eugenics to eliminate black and brown populations, Staver said. Headshot portrait of Margaret Sanger (1883-1966), American social activist and founder of Planned Parenthood, circa 1945. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Abortion grew out of Darwinian eugenics to eliminate certain races in order to evolve a superior, quote, unquote, superior white race, he said. On the Origin of Species author and naturalist Charles Darwin was a white supremacist, and he believed that whites were more evolved than other minorities, particularly blacks and others. Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger was a follower of Charles Darwin, so was Adolf Hitler. And so Sanger with her contraception clinics wanted to eliminate these undesirable races. When the Supreme Court issued in 1973 the Roe v. Wade decision, Sangers organization, Planned Parenthood, opened abortion clinics, following on Sangers work with contraception clinics. And thats the reason why even to this day, these clinics are in predominantly black and brown neighborhoods, Staver said. Catherine Glenn Foster, president and CEO of Americans United for Life, said Attorney General Fitchs Supreme Court brief was right on the money. In Roe v. Wade, and its deadly progeny Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the Court conjured constitutional fictions to justify the unjustifiable, Foster told The Epoch Times via email. The Court rejected the first and foundational human right to life. The Court condemned millions to death by abortion and a toxic culture of moral indifference. The Court, through its abortion rulings, has done violence to the American way of life. Now the Court has the chance to set things right. The Court must ultimately restore the human right to life in our culture, law, and policy, and it starts by relinquishing control over these decisions to the American people. Narrowing Roe The conventional thinking is that while the Supreme Court could overturn Roe v. Wade, narrowing its reach seems more likely given the courts general reluctance to disturb precedent. The court could also take aim at Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which held that states cant impose significant restrictions on abortion before a fetus becomes viable for life outside the womb. The Casey ruling didnt specify when viability occurs but suggested it was at about the 24-week gestation mark. Curt Levey, president of the Committee for Justice, said the court may well uphold the Mississippi law while at the same time refusing to reverse Roe v. Wade. Its unusual, certainly, for one of the parties, at least in these cases about abortion restrictions, to openly ask that Roe be overturned. But I guess its a different day now that Barrett is on the court, Levey told The Epoch Times in an interview. The Roe v. Wade precedent will probably not be reversed, he said, adding, if I had to guess I think the court will uphold the Mississippi statute. I dont think anyone would argue that the state of the law, basically, is that theres a constitutional right to abortion up till viability. And the court could say no, its not up till viability; its up until 15 weeks, which is basically what the Mississippi statute says. Pro-choice demonstrators wave signs in front of the U.S. Supreme Court as it prepares to take up an abortion case, in Washington on Nov. 30, 2005. (Karen Bleier/AFP via Getty Images) Even if the court were to overturn Roe v. Wade, that is, if it literally said that there was no constitutional right to abortion, then it would be up to the states, except to the extent that Congress legislated in that area. In progressive states, there would be continuous abortion on demand, and in conservative states abortion would be prohibited, except perhaps in case of rape, incest, or the mothers life being jeopardized by childbirth. But the changed playing field would make things interesting because it would force some of those red states to make some difficult decisions, Levey said. Its one thing to pass a law that eliminates virtually all abortion when you know that its going to be struck down. Its another thing to pass that law when it actually will be the governing law. So I think even some of the more absolute abortion banssorry to disappoint pro-life folks but I suspect theyd be a little bit less absolute if Roe v. Wade were overturned just because they know that whatever the policy they write is actually going to be enacted. Fighting for Abortion Rights The Epoch Times reached out for comment to Hillary Schneller, senior staff attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights and counsel of record for Jackson Womens Health Organization, but had not received a reply as of press time. However, Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said Mississippi has embraced an extreme and regressive strategy as an avalanche of abortion bans and restrictions are being passed across the country. Their goal is for the Supreme Court to take away our right to control our own bodies and our own futuresnot just in Mississippi, but everywhere, Northup said in a statement. Lets be clear; any ruling in favor of Mississippi in this case overturns the core holding of Roethe right to make a decision about whether to continue a pregnancy before viability. The Court has held that the Constitution guarantees this right. If Roe falls, half the states in the country are poised to ban abortion entirely. Women of child-bearing age in the U.S. have never known a world in which they dont have this basic right, and we will keep fighting to make sure they never will. A woman helps lay 3,000 carnations to represent the approximate 3,000 abortions that occur in the United States every day, on the 46th anniversary of the Roe v Wade decision, in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on January 22, 2019. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images) Correction: In the original article the organization headed by Alveda King was incorrectly identified. On July 29 it was correctly named as Speak for Life. The Epoch Times regrets the error. A group of more than 350 illegal immigrants waits for Border Patrol after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico into Del Rio, Texas, on July 25, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Resettlement of Unaccompanied Minors Divides Michigan Town ALMA, Mich.A proposal to open a 36-bed residential resettlement facility for illegal alien teenagers in a small central Michigan city has ignited a firestorm of opposition from its citizens. An estimated 400 people attended the City of Alma Planning Commissions July 12 public hearing to voice their opinions on the issue. The planning commission is expected to make a recommendation to the city commission on Aug. 4 on whether to approve a request for the conditional rezoning of a recently closed nursing home facility owned by Michigan Masonic Homealso known as Masonic Pathwaysa fraternal philanthropic nonprofit organization. Bethany Christian Services, a nonprofit corporation based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that would operate the facility, has signed a letter of intent to lease the 6.1-acre property for an annual rent of $385,440, for the purpose of running what it calls a small group shelter for the short-term care of low-risk youth from 12 to 17 years of age. Bethanys goal is to connect the youths with relatives or place them in foster homes. The Alma shelter, and other such arrangements across Michigan and beyond, are part of the Biden administrations effort to disseminate the thousands of migrants surging across the United States southern border and throughout the interior of the country, and place them in what it calls influx sites. During the month of March, more than 19,000 unaccompanied minors were taken into custody at the southern border by Border Patrol, the largest monthly number in U.S. history. Federal law requires that such children be transferred out of border facilities and into a child-friendly location within 72 hours. The chain of custody goes from Border Patrol to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to a contracted nonprofit, such as Bethany Christian Services or Lutheran Social Services of Lansing, which received a federal grant of $2.2 million during the Obama administration for similar services. One such influx site, with the capacity to house 240 migrant children, aged 12 and under, recently opened in the small southern Michigan city of Albion. This 350-acre property, a former home for runaway boys, was leased by the federal government and is operated by nonprofit organization Community Action of South-Central Michigan as an emergency intake center, where migrant children stay for up to 30 days before being relocated to another Office of Refugee Resettlement facility. Media organizations operating in Texas have reported for weeks that unaccompanied children taken into custody at the U.S.Mexico border are being flown on U.S. military or other government-supplied airplanes to undisclosed destinations. The locations arent being divulged out of concern for the safety of the children, one federal official said. At the public hearing in Alma, a spokesperson for Bethany Christian Services explained how the process is paid for, saying: Everything is fully funded by the U.S. government. This program doesnt cost the state of Michigan anything. Bethanys mission is to demonstrate the love and compassion of Jesus by protecting children. It is a moral issue. Audience member Dr. Jeff Smith, who strongly opposes the proposed resettlement center in Alma, appeared to take offense at the claim that the issue is a moral one. Dont lecture me about whats morally right, he said. I went to these countries on medical mission trips. Im not going to be told I am morally bad by people who stand to make millions. Bethany Christian Services didnt respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment regarding the amount the organization would be paid by the federal government to operate the Alma resettlement center. A man named Michael from Alma told the planning commission that he strongly supported the new resettlement facility and that he had heard enough fascism swirling about the issue. The sole consideration of the proposal hinges on one question: Is the request consistent with Almas zoning ordinance? he said. Kelly Brown, from the nearby town of St. Louis, Michigan, reminded the planning commission: The need is great for Michigan children waiting for placement in foster homes. There is a lack of foster placements for our own children. According to the Michigan Immigration Rights Center, Michigan has one of the nations largest long-term foster care programs for illegal immigrant children. Of the more than 700,000 people born outside of the United States living in Michigan, an estimated 129,000 came into the country illegally. More than 70,000 U.S. citizens in Michigan live with at least one illegal alien. According to a 2018 study by the Migration Policy Institute, 47 percent of Michigans unauthorized population came from Mexico and Central America. Fifty-two percent were male and 48 percent were female. Between 2000 and 2020, the Michigan population of foreign-born individuals grew by 34 percent, while the number of U.S.-born residents dropped by 2 percent. In 2019, Michigan had the 10th highest rate of refugee resettlement in the nation. Robert Aaron Long enters the Superior Court of Cherokee County in Canton, Ga., on July 27, 2021. (Ben Gray/Pool/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) Robert Aaron Long Sentenced to Life in Prison After Pleading Guilty to Spa Shootings A Georgia man was sentenced to life in jail on Tuesday after pleading guilty to killing four people at Atlanta-area spas. Cherokee County Superior Court Chief Judge Ellen McElyea handed down four consecutive life without parole sentences to Robert Aaron Long, 22, after he agreed to plead guilty to fatally shooting four people at an Acworth massage parlor on March 16. Zachary Smith, one of Longs court-appointed attorneys, said in a statement that the team worked with Cherokee County District Attorney Shannon Wallace on the deal. It is our hope that the Fulton County District Attorney follows D.A. Wallaces example and agrees to a similar resolution in that county, he said. A Fulton County spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment, but Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has said she will pursue the death penalty in the case, which spanned the two counties. After killing Xiaojie Tan, 49, Daoyou Feng, 44, Delaina Yaun, 33, and Paul Michels, 54, at Youngs Asian Massage in Acworth, Long allegedly opened fire at two spas in northeast Atlanta, killing another four people. Seven of the eight victims were female. Other people were struck but survived. Wallace told a press conference after Tuesdays hearing that justice was served. Families of victims who died, and the victims who recovered from their wounds, are left knowing that this defendant will spend the rest of his natural life behind bars, she added. Wallace could have pursued the death penalty but decided against that. Victims and victims families did not want her to, she said, citing the years such a trial could have taken. Michael Webb, the ex-husband of victim Xiaojie Emily TanTan, said the family was very satisfied with the plea. In court, Wallace said evidence did not show the shootings were a hate crime. When Long walked through the first spa shooting anyone and everyone he saw, Wallace said he told investigators he was motivated by a sex addiction and his desire to eliminate sources of temptation at businesses where he engaged in sex acts. Investigators interviewed people whod known him for years, including three of Asian descent, who said theyd never heard him say anything derogatory about any racial or ethnic group, Wallace said. Robert Aaron Long of Woodstock in Cherokee County poses in a jail booking photograph after he was taken into custody by the Crisp County Sheriffs Office in Cordele, Ga., on March 16, 2021. (Crisp County Sheriffs Office via Reuters) Friends and families of the victims listen during the plea hearing for spa shooting suspect Robert Aaron Long in the Superior Court of Cherokee County in Canton, Ga., on July 27, 2021. (Ben Gray/Pool/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) Long told the court that he decided to enter Youngs, where he had been before, to basically punish the people that I could, local media reported. He described how his mind felt like it was blank when he pulled the trigger and that he believed the first set of shootings lasted no longer than five minutes. He also said he did not recognize any of the victims. Long had told police officers after his arrest that he was addicted to porn and motivated to kill by sexual addiction, not racial animus. Many of the victims were Asians. Long is scheduled to appear again next month in Fulton County, where Willis filed notice that she intends to seek what is called a hate crime sentence enhancement, as well as the death penalty. Georgias new hate crimes law does not provide for a stand-alone hate crime. After a person is convicted of an underlying crime, a jury determines whether it was motivated by bias, which carries an additional penalty. Police said that after the shootings at the two Atlanta spas, Long got back into his car, and authorities said he intended to carry out similar crimes in Florida. By then, Longs parents had called authorities after recognizing their son in images from security video that the Cherokee County Sheriffs Office posted on social media. His parents were already tracking his movements through an application on his phone so they would know if he visited massage businesses, the prosecutor said, and that enabled authorities to find him. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis departs after signing into law Senate Bill 7072 at Florida International University in Miami on May 24, 2021. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) Should Not Be Mandated: DeSantis Responds After CDC Changes Mask Guidelines for Children The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday recommended that all children regardless of their vaccination status should wear masks when they return to class, drawing pushback from Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Earlier this month, the agency had recommended that only unvaccinated children wear masks while in school, meaning that all children under the age of 12 need to wear masks in class. But on Tuesday, the agency again changed its guidelines, which are merely a recommendation, said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky in a news conference. The reason why, she said, is due to the Delta COVID-19 variant. Those guidelines, she said, are a real effort to try and make sure that our kids can safely get back to school in-person learning in the fall. Her announcement came as the agency recommended that vaccinated people in certain areas of the United States wear masks indoors in publiccoming after it announced about two months ago that they dont have to use face coverings. The CDC announcements drew immediate pushback from Republicans, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has encouraged individuals to get vaccinated rather than wear masks. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky speaks to the press after visiting the Hynes Convention Center FEMA Mass Vaccination Site in Boston, Mass., on March 30, 2021. (Erin Clark-Pool/Getty Images) In a roundtable meeting on Tuesday, the Republican Florida governor again said that mask-wearing for children should not be mandated. I know our legislature feels strongly about it, such that if you started to see a push from the feds or some of these local school districts, I know theyre interested in coming in, even in a special session to be able to provide protections for parents and kids who just want to breathe freely and dont want to be suffering under these masks during the school year. DeSantis added that vaccines offer a significant decline in mortality, and asked: Whats the point of tracking these cases the way were tracking the cases if in fact we believe the vaccines protect you from severe outcome[s] but may not necessarily protect you from testing positive? Walensky explained that the reason for the new mask mandates is due to the spread of the Delta variant, which, she added, caught federal officials by surprise. When we released our school guidance on July 9, we had less Delta variants in the country, we have fewer cases in this country. And importantly, we were really hopeful that we would have more people vaccinated especially in the demographic between 12 and 17 years old, Walensky said. Federal data shows that about 69 percent of U.S. adults have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 60 percent have been fully vaccinated. A culture of the Legionella bacteria is seen at a hospital in Ghent, Belgium, on May 17, 2019. (Nicolas Maeterlinck/AFP/Getty Images) Spike in Cases of Legionnaires Disease in Illinois, Michigan, Rhode Island Public health officials in Illinois, Michigan, and Rhode Island have reported a rise in cases of Legionnaires disease, a type of severe pneumonia caused by the Legionella bacteria, which can grow in poorly maintained water systems. The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) said in a statement that, between June 2 and July 26 of this year, there have been 30 reported cases of Legionnaires disease in the state. This is a threefold increase compared to the June-July periods between 2014 and 2020, when an average of ten cases was reported each year. Officials at the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) told The Associated Press they have recorded 49 cases of Legionnaires disease in the first three weeks of July, three times more than the same period in 2020 and 2019. Of the 49 people who got the illness in Illinois, 15 were hospitalized and two died, according to the report. Officials have not yet identified the source of the exposure. Michigan health authorities have also reported a spike in infections by the Legionella bacteria, with 107 cases recorded between July 1 and July 14. This represents a 569 percent increase compared to the same period in 2020 and a 161 percent rise relative to 2019. Michigan officials have not identified the source of the exposure. Recent weather trends including rain, flooding, and warmer weather may be playing a role in the rise of reported legionellosis cases this summer, said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, MDHHS chief medical executive and chief deputy director for health. We want everyone to be aware of Legionnaires disease, especially if they may be at higher risk for illness and we ask that healthcare providers remain vigilant, and test and treat appropriately. Of the 30 people who contracted the disease in Rhode Island, 28 have been hospitalized. Authorities there have also not yet identified the source of exposure to the Legionella bacteria, which are found naturally in freshwater environments, like lakes and streams but can also grow in building water systems, including plumbing systems, showerheads, and hot tubs. Building closures and lower use of water systems associated with the COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to the spike in cases, according to officials. We know that Legionella bacteria grow best in complex water systems that are not well maintained, RIDOH director of health Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott said in a statement. When this water becomes aerosolized in small droplets, such as in a cooling tower, shower, or decorative fountain, people can accidentally breathe in the contaminated water. This is of particular concern now as some buildings water systems have been offline for a prolonged period due to the COVID-19 pandemic and are just now returning to service. Legionnaires disease does not normally spread from person to person, according to a fact sheet (pdf) from the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC). People can get infected when small droplets of water that contain the Legionella bacteria get into the air and are breathed in. In rare cases, someone breathes in Legionella while they are drinking water and it goes down the wrong pipe into the lungs, the CDC said. Symptoms can include cough, shortness of breath, muscle aches, headache, and fever. Risk factors include being a current or former smoker, having chronic lung disease, and a weakened immune system. Parents and students gather to protest wearing masks in front of the Orange County Department of Education in Costa Mesa, Calif., on May 17, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) St. Louis Municipalities Refuse to Enforce Reinstated Mask Mandates Both the city of St. Louis and St. Louis County have reinstated their mask mandates. Masks are once again required in indoor public settings regardless of vaccination status. But three municipalities within the county announced that they will not enforce the mandate. Chesterfield, Wildwood, and Eureka have declared that they will not use law enforcement to uphold the mandates. Chesterfield City Administrator Mike Geisel responded to The Epoch Times request for comment, saying Chesterfield WILL adhere to the County Order, as we are legally required to do. All city facilities and staff will comply with the county directive. But he then went on to explain that Chesterfield does not have the legal jurisdiction to uphold a county order. It is against Missouri state statutes to enforce county ordinances, and they do not have the resources to do so. Chesterfield Mayor Bob Nation released a similar statement, but also noted, If a business establishment imposes requirements on their patrons to wear masks at in-door public places and a patron refuses to comply, our officers will respond to a call from the business to keep the peace. To be clear, our officers will only respond to calls from business establishments in order to keep the peace. Mayor James Bowlin of Wildwood has a different approach. He responded by expressing that his decision is based on more than just technicalities. He noted that if the county wants to impose a mandate, the county will have to enforce it. If thats what they want to do its up to them. In addition, he intends to sign a resolution to combat government overreach, keep businesses open, and make sure that public health concerns are based on the needs of the people. He spoke of comparing outcomes in areas with mask mandates and those without. St. Louis City and County both had strict mask mandates throughout much of the pandemic, but nearby, St. Charles County did not. Ive been looking at the data and in areas like St. Charles it shows that infection rates are the same in St. Louis County and that their death rate is actually better, its around half, Bowlin said. During the past 14 days, St. Charles County has reported 1 death and 40 hospitalizations. The City of St. Louis, by contrast, had 4 new deaths over the same period and 653 hospitalizations. The St. Louis County tracker focuses mostly on the case count. The latest 7-day average of new cases is 285. The countys daily death rate has not surpassed single digits this month, following many days without any COVID-19 deaths in June. Bowlin concluded that the data shows that we can achieve safety without mandating masks. He also questioned the future of government policy and public health concerns. If cases going up is the new benchmark for mandates, we could be required to wear a mask in perpetuity. When asked if he recognizes concerns over unwarranted repeats of 2020 measures, Bowlin declared, Im not into taking steps back. While Wildwood is taking a stronger stance than Chesterfield, no one from the Eureka government responded to requests for comment, but unlike most other municipal websites, theirs does not even mention COVID-19 at all. There are no case counts, lists of hospitalizations, no death tracker, nor any vaccine program advertisements. COVID is not at the focal point of their government relations. Eureka Mayor Sean Flower told KSDK, Its nothing we enforce, so our police arent involved with itour city hall, all that. Were at a point now where we dont see the justification for whats going on. The mask debate has been a constant point of contention between local and state governments. Schools and private businesses have all been affected by it. In Lansing, Michigan, two parents and a Catholic school are suing to remove a mask mandate on grounds of religious freedom. Similar suits have been filed in California, Arkansas, and New Jersey. Concerned parents are working to combat mandates before the start of the new school year. The state of Missouri never imposed a mask mandate. From the beginning of the pandemic, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has spoken out against government-imposed masking, and recently took to Twitter to defend his position. He said that re-imposing mask mandates regardless of vaccination status is WRONG. The CDC has again changed its guidance to advise that vaccinated people in areas with substantial or high transmission should continue wearing a mask when indoors in public to prevent spreading the Delta variant. Despite their different approaches, Eureka, Wildwood, and Chesterfield have set their own standards and are upholding the legal boundaries which prevent larger governments from presiding over their people. How businesses and individuals in these areas proceed is up to them. Survivor Recounts Escaping Flooded Tunnel A 60-foot-long bus was dragged out of a tunnel in flood-hit Zhengzhou city. It was completely submerged in water. Now, questions abound. Where are the passengers? A survivor that escaped the deadly tunnel is telling his story. He says the water rose too fast, and many people couldnt make it to safety. What made the flood in Zhengzhou so deadly? Analysts say it has to do with authorities discharging water from local reservoirs without warning. There are more natural disasters in China. The floods are continuing in central China, a typhoon hits Shanghai, and a Northwestern city is suffering a rare sandstorm. U.S. efforts to prevent Beijings technology theft are dealt a blow. The Justice Department dropped charges against five Chinese researchers. They were arrested last year, accused of hiding their ties to the Chinese military. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more first-hand news from China. For more news and videos, please visit our website and Twitter. Facebook is one of the big tech companies who are a part of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images) Tech Giants to Use Government Intel List to Police Content to Target White Supremacists: Report A private counterterrorism group formed by the worlds biggest tech companies, including Facebook, Google, and Microsoft, will use lists produced by government intelligence agencies to police content by white supremacists, militias and other extremist groups, according to Reuters. The database maintained by the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT) has, until recently, focused on videos and images from terrorist groups on a United Nations list, and so has largely consisted of content from Islamist extremist organizations such as ISIS, al Qaeda, and the Taliban. The group told Reuters that it will now vastly expand the database using lists from Five Eyesan alliance of government intelligence agencies comprised of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United Statesto target white supremacists and militias, including groups like the Proud Boys, the Three Percenters, and neo-Nazis. GIFCT did not immediately respond to a request for more details or for a comment on its cooperation with Five Eyes. According to the report released on its website this month, the group said it would target Five Eyes designated far-right extremist terrorist organizations. The members of GIFCT share hashes, unique numerical representations of original pieces of content that have been removed from their services. Other platforms use these to identify the same content on their own sites in order to review or remove it. Fourteen companies can access the GIFCT database on removed content, including Reddit, Snapchat-owner Snap, Facebook-owned Instagram, Verizon Media, Microsofts LinkedIn, and the file-sharing service Dropbox. The group recently added home-rental giant Airbnb and email marketing company Mailchimp as members. GIFCT has faced criticism and concerns from some human and digital rights groups over centralized or over-broad censorship. This expansion of the GIFCT hash database only intensifies the need for GIFCT to improve the transparency and accountability of these content-blocking resources, Emma Llanso, director of free expression at the Center for Democracy and Technology, said in a statement. As the database expands, the risks of mistaken takedown only increase. GIFCTs Executive Director Nicholas Rasmussen said that over-achievement in this takes you in the direction of violating someones rights on the internet to engage in free expression. Tech giants came together to create GIFCT in 2017 under pressure from U.S. and European governments after a series of deadly attacks in Paris and Brussels. Its database mostly contains digital fingerprints of videos and images related to groups on the U.N. Security Councils consolidated sanctions list and a few specific live-streamed attacks, such as the 2019 mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand. Reuters contributed to this report. A group of illegal immigrants wait for Border Patrol after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico into Del Rio, Texas, on July 25, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Texas Gov. Abbott Orders National Guard to Help Arrest Illegal Immigrants Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday ordered National Guard troops deployed at the U.S.-Mexico border to help state police make arrests, expanding the Guards authority. The Republican governor sent a letter to Maj. Gen. Tracy Norris, the Adjutant General of the Texas National Guard, to help the states Department of Public Safety (DPS) make arrests of individuals who face state charges. By virtue of the power and authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the State of Texas, I hereby order that the Texas National Guard assist DPS in enforcing Texas law by arresting lawbreakers at the border, Abbotts letter (pdf) said. About a month ago, Abbott said during a border security summit that illegal aliens who commit criminal trespassing charges or other state offenses, including drug smuggling and trafficking, will be arrested and jailed. The governor also announced a plan to build sections of the border wall that would plug gaps left behind when the Biden administration ordered the halt of wall construction that was carried out under the Trump administration and issued a letter to the governors of 49 states asking for law enforcement support along the border. Explaining why National Guard members should carry out arrests, Abbott on Tuesday explained in his letter that more manpower is needed to deal with the surge of individuals who are illegally crossing the border. The governor furthermore argued that the Texas Constitution gives him the powers as Commander-in-Chief of the military forces of the state. It also likewise recognizes that the governor can call on state military forces to enforce state law and to assist civil authorities in guarding [or] conveying prisoners,' said the letter. A Haitian couple with a 4-month-old baby prepare to illegally cross the Rio Grande into Del Rio, Texas, from Acuna, Mexico, on July 25, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) To respond to this disaster and secure the rule of law at our Southern border, more manpower is neededin addition to the troopers from DPS and soldiers from the Texas National Guard I have already deployed thereand DPS needs help in arresting those who are violating state law, Abbott wrote. Since President Joe Biden took office in January, hes issued dozens of executive orders that rescinded a number of former President Donald Trumps immigration rules, including the remain in Mexico policy and border wall construction. Republicans, including Abbott, have pounced on Bidens immigration mandate, saying both his policies and messaging are weak and encourage illegal immigrants to cross into the U.S. Biden, however, has characterized Trumps immigration policies as inhumane and ineffective. And this week, the White House released a plan for overhauling the immigration system. The Administration has made considerable progress to build a fair, orderly, and humane immigration system while continuing to call on Congress to make long-overdue reforms to U.S. immigration laws, a notice announcing the plan reads, adding that the Trump administration engaged in cruel and reckless immigration policies that exacerbated long-standing challenges and failed to securely manage our border. According to data provided by Border Patrol, more than 188,000 people were arrested by the agency in June, representing the highest figure in decades. The Epoch Times has contacted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for comment. The sun rises behind the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Nov. 10, 2020. (Alex Brandon, File/AP Photo) Three Senate Republicans Call on Supreme Court to Overturn Roe v. Wade Three Republican senators on Monday urged the Supreme Court to overturn its decisions in two historic abortion cases. Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in an amicus brief filing urged the high court to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision and return the power to make legislation regarding abortion to the states. In Roe v. Wade, states are prohibited from banning abortions prior to when the fetus is deemed viablethat is, potentially able to live outside its mothers wombdeemed at the time usually around the second trimester at 24 weeks. The ruling asserted that a woman had a constitutional right to an abortion in the pre-viability period and that state laws regulating abortion would have to pass the strict scrutiny standardthe highest and most stringent standard of judicial review that courts use to determine the constitutionality of laws. As such, laws that restrict or regulate abortion could be justified only if they were narrowly tailored to serve compelling state interests. In Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the court reaffirmed Roe v. Wade. However, among other provisions, it replaced Roes strict scrutiny standard with an undue burden standard, such that states generally can pass laws regulating abortion unless doing so places undue burden on a womans ability to obtain an abortion. The lawmakers said in their 33-page filing (pdf) that Roe v. Wades approach proved controversial, and conceptually flawed, from the outset. Meanwhile, they said that the Parenthood v. Casey decisions undue burden standard is ambiguous and has made it hard for courts to consistently apply it, calling it too subjective and is unworkable and unpredictable. Nearly three decades on, the undue burden test has proved so murky that courts have repeatedly fallen back on the conflicting moral and jurisprudential intuitions that Casey purported to sideline, the senators wrote. This status quo is untenable, they added. Where a legal doctrine has repeatedly failed to offer claritywhere it has proved unworkable in the past and will likely engender unpredictable consequences in the futureits existence constitutes an open invitation to judges to interpret it according to their own policy preferences, usurping the constitutional prerogatives of the legislature. Roe and Casey should be overruled, and the question of abortion legislation should be returned to the states, they concluded. The filing comes in an ongoing case involving the state of Mississippi. In 2018, the states governor signed into law a ban on abortion at 15 weeks of gestation. Less than an hour after the signing, it was challenged by the Jackson Womens Health Organizationthe only abortion provider in the stateand was blocked from taking effect by a federal judge the following day. The same judge, Carlton Reeves, an Obama appointee, in November 2018 struck down the law, saying it was unconstitutional. The state of Mississippi appealed, but the New Orleans-based Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Reevess decision in December 2019 (pdf). The appellate court later denied a request for a rehearing in January 2020. Following the setback, Mississippi asked the Supreme Court to take up the case, and the high court in May agreed to do so. The case is expected to be argued when the courts term starts in October. The case is Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization 19-1392. President Donald Trump waves upon arrival, alongside Attorney General of Texas Ken Paxton (L) in Dallas, Texas, on June 11, 2020. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images) Trump Endorses Texas AG Ken Paxton for Reelection Former President Donald Trump endorsed the incumbent Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for reelection over his primary challenger George P. Bush, son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Ken is strong on Crime, Border Security, the Second Amendment, Election Integrity, and, above all, our Constitution. He loves our Military and our Vets. It is going to take a PATRIOT like Ken Paxton to advance America First policies in order to Make America Great Again, Trump said in a statement released Monday evening. Ken has my Complete and Total Endorsement for another term as Attorney General of Texas. He is a true Texan who will keep Texas safeand will never let you down! Paxton is a staunch supporter of Trump. Last December, he filed a lawsuit on behalf of Texas in the U.S. Supreme Court, challenging the 2020 election results in four battleground statesPennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The Supreme Court refused to hear the case, noting the Lone Star State lacked legal standing. During his tenure, Paxton also filed or joined lawsuits relating to immigration and border security, Big Tech censorship, Big Tech antitrust, the Second Amendment, and other constitutional rights cases. Paxton also supports a forensic audit in Texas. We absolutely should do an audit here in Texas. Other government agencies audit their procedures all the time. Why not make sure our elections are held to this standard too? Paxton wrote on Twitter. Paxton said hes honored to receive Trumps support. George P. Bush, the current commissioner of the Texas General Land Office, is the oldest son of Jeb Bush. He announced his candidacy in June. On July 13, hours after meeting Trump in Bedminster, New Jersey, George P. announced that he had raised over $2.26 million during a 10-day fundraising event, outraising Paxton by over 25 percent. George P. Bush gives a eulogy during the funeral for former President George H.W. Bush at St. Martins Episcopal Church, in Houston, Texas, on Dec. 6, 2018. (David J. Phillip-Pool/Getty Images) George P. has already been endorsed by over 30 conservative leaders across the state, including the National Border Patrol Council. In April 2019, Trump described George P. as the only Bush that likes me. After Trump announced his endorsement for Paxton, George P. responded that, unlike Paxton, hes the candidate without existing and potential criminal indictments. Im running for Attorney General because Texans deserve integrity and honesty from the office of Texas top law enforcement official. Texans deserve a candidate without a laundry list of existing and potential criminal indictments, George P. posted on Twitter. Paxton has been facing indictments of alleged securities fraud for years. Last October, his top aides asked federal law enforcement authorities to investigate allegations of abuse of office, bribery, and other potential crimes against the states top lawyer, Austin American-Statesman reported. Paxton denied all those allegations. Tunisian soldiers guard the main entrance of the parliament as demonstrators gather outside the the gate in Tunis, Tunisia, on July 26, 2021. (Hedi Azouz/AP Photo) Tunisia on Edge as President Suspends Parliament, Fires Prime Minister TUNIS, TunisiaTroops surrounded Tunisias parliament and blocked its speaker from entering Monday after the president suspended the legislature and fired the prime minister and other top members of government, sparking concerns for the North African countrys young democracy at home and abroad. In the face of nationwide protests over Tunisias economic troubles and the governments handling of the coronavirus crisis, President Kais Saied decided late Sunday to dismiss the officials, including the justice and defense ministers. He announced a series of other measures Monday, including a nationwide curfew from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. for one month and a ban on gatherings of more than three people in public places. He denied allegations that he was fomenting a coup detat. Some demonstrators cheered the firings, shouting with joy and waving Tunisian flags. Demonstrators celebrate with a Tunisian national flag during a rally after the president suspended the legislature and fired the prime minister in Tunis, Tunisia, on July 25, 2021. (Hedi Azouz/AP Photo) But others accused the president of a power grab, and the countrys overseas allies expressed concern that it might be descending again into autocracy. In a move sure to fuel those worries, police raided the offices of broadcaster Al-Jazeera and ordered it shut down. Tunisia, which ignited the Arab Spring in 2011 when protests led to the overthrow of its longtime autocratic leader, is often regarded as the only success story of those uprisings. But democracy didnt bring prosperity. Tunisias economy was already flailing before the pandemic hit, with 18 percent unemployment, and young people demanding jobs earlier this year. The government recently announced cuts to food and fuel subsidies as it sought its fourth loan from the International Monetary Fund in a decade, further fueling anger in impoverished regions. The pandemic has only compounded those problems, and the government recently reimposed lockdowns and other virus restrictions in the face of one of Africas worst outbreaks. Angry at the economic malaise and the poor handling of the pandemic, thousands of protesters defied virus restrictions and scorching heat in the capital, Tunis, and other cities Sunday to demand the dissolution of parliament. The largely young crowds shouted Get out! and slogans calling for an early election and economic reforms. Clashes erupted in many places. I must shoulder the responsibility and I have done so. I have chosen to stand by the people, the president said in a solemn televised address. Saied said he had to fire the prime minister and suspend parliament because of concerns over public violence. He said he acted according to the lawbut parliamentary speaker Rached Ghannouchi, who heads the Islamist party that dominates the legislature, said the president didnt consult with him or the prime minister as required. The three have been in conflict. We have taken these decisions until social peace returns to Tunisia and until we save the state, Saied said. While the dissolution of parliament cheered some protesters, others in Tunisia were opposed. Police intervened Monday to prevent clashes outside the parliament building between demonstrators supporting the president and lawmakers from the dominant Ennahdha party and their allies who opposed the move. Both sides shouted and some threw stones, according to an Associated Press reporter. Tunisian police officers scuffle with demonstrators as they gather outside the parliament in Tunis, Tunisia, on July 26, 2021. (Hedi Azouz/AP Photo) Ghannouchi, the speaker, tried to enter parliament overnight, but police and military forces guarding the site stopped him. He sat in a car outside the building for nearly 12 hours before leaving Monday afternoonhis next steps were unclear. He called the presidents move a coup against the constitution and the (Arab Spring) revolution, and insisted the parliament would continue to work. Saifeddine Makhlouf, founder of and lawmaker in a coalition of hardline Islamists, also denounced the presidents move as a coup, saying, We will not let it pass. However, the president, a former constitutional law professor elected in 2019, rejected allegations during a meeting Monday with representatives of several national organizations that he was engaging in a coup. I ask how some can talk of a coup detat, Radio Mosaique quoted Saied as saying. I studied and taught law. I applied the constitution, respecting its dispositions. The president invoked a constitutional article that allows him to assume executive power for an unspecified period of time in cases of imminent danger threatening the institutions of the nation and the independence of the country and hindering the regular functioning of the public powers. Tensions between the prime minister and president have been blamed for poor management of the virus, while a bungled vaccination drive led to the dismissal of the health minister this month. To date, 7 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated, while more than 90 percent of the countrys intensive care unit beds are occupied, according to health ministry figures. Videos have circulated on social media showing bodies left in the middle of wards as morgues struggle to deal with growing deaths. Ennahdha has been a particular target, accused of focusing on its internal concerns instead of managing the virus. Security forces also moved in Monday on the Tunis offices of Al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based satellite news network said on its Facebook page. The reason for the move was not immediately clear. Al-Jazeera, citing its journalists, said 10 heavily armed police officers entered their bureau without a warrant and asked everyone to leave. The reporters phones and other equipment were confiscated, and they were not allowed back into the building to retrieve their personal belongs, the network said. Qatar and its Al-Jazeera have been viewed by some Middle Eastern nations as promoting Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood. Its offices have been shut down in other countries over that, most noticeably in Egypt after the 2013 coup that brought current President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to office. Qatars Foreign Ministry said it hoped the voice of wisdom would prevail in the turmoil and that the rule of law would be established again. Inside and outside Tunisia, from the U.N. to the United States, the European Union and beyond, concern was raised about whether the nascent democracy was taking an authoritarian turn. Former President Moncef Marzouki called for political dialogue, saying in a Facebook video, We made a huge leap backward tonight, we are back to dictatorship. Potential violence and respect for Tunisias institutions were at the forefront of concerns by allies. The already volatile region cannot bear to have more unrest than it has presently had, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said. U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke by phone with the Tunisian leader, encouraging him to adhere to the principles of democracy and human rights that are the basis of governance in Tunisia, State Department spokesman Ned Price said. Blinken also asked that Saied maintain open dialogue with all political actors and the Tunisian people. While German Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Adebahr stopped short of calling the presidential actions a coup, she said the Tunisian president appeared to be relying on a pretty broad interpretation of the constitution. France, Tunisias former colonial ruler, said it counts on respect for a state of law and the return, as soon as possible, to the normal functioning of institutions. Italy, likewise, appealed for respect of the Tunisian Constitution while Turkey hoped democratic legitimacy is soon restored. By Bouazza Ben Bouazza Maricopa County ballots cast in the 2020 general election are examined and recounted by contractors working for Florida-based company, Cyber Ninjas at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, Arizona, on May 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Matt York, Pool) Twitter Suspends 2020 Maricopa County Election Audit Accounts Twitter on Tuesday appeared to suspend several accounts dedicated to 2020 election audits, including a prominent one that made announcements regarding the audit of Maricopa County. When trying to access the Maricopa County Audit, the Audit War Room, and various war room accounts dedicated to Wisconsin, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Georgia, Twitter wrote: Account suspended. The War Room account had more than 40,000 followers and the Maricopa County Audit account had nearly 100,000 followers. The accounts then displayed Twitters boilerplate message that Twitter suspends accounts that violate the Twitter Rules. The Maricopa County Audit account, namely, would provide updates of the Arizona Senate-authorized audit of Maricopa Countys 2020 ballots and election equipment. Twitter and the audit team did not respond to requests for comment. The move is sure to fuel more Republican criticism against Twitter and other Big Tech firms over concerns that theyre working to censor conservative voices. Former President Donald Trump weeks ago filed a class-action lawsuit against Facebook, Google-owned YouTube, and Twitter for banning his social media accounts. And Twitters actions against the audit accounts come after Ken Bennett, the liaison and a former Republican Arizona secretary of state, stated Monday he was blocked from entering the audit several days ago. Bennett said that he shared information sourced from the audit with outside parties who were critical of the review. A Twitter screenshot shows the now-suspended Maricopa County Audit page. (Sreenshot taken by The Epoch Times) I shared some box counts of how many ballots were in each box and that got leaked to the press, Bennett told radio host James Harris. Thats how I got barred from the audit. Bennett added that he spoke with Republican Senate President Karen Fann and apologized to her and the Senate for sharing data with a group of election analysts. Throughout the process, which was authorized following a court-approved subpoena of Maricopa County, Democrats and Maricopas executives have denigrated the audit as partisan and add its designed to sow discord among voters. Republicans, however, argued the audit is necessary to get to the bottom of whether there was fraud in Maricopa County, while adding that it is needed to bolster voters confidence in elections. This week, Fann and Arizona Senate Judiciary Chairman Warren Petersen ordered Maricopa Countys Board of Supervisors to turn over ballot envelopes or ballot envelope images, voter records, and routers or router images in a new subpoena. The Board of Supervisors was also told to appear at the Arizona State Capitol for a hearing slated for Aug. 2. Zachary Stieber contributed to this report. The union flag and the flag of the People's Republic of China, on March 2, 2015. (Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA) UK Warned to Cool Links With China Over New Cold War Fears The UK needs to be wary about its relations with China as Beijing embarks on a new cold war, a former Australian prime minister and government trade adviser has warned. Tony Abbott, a member of the Board of Trade, said the Asian economic powerhouse was weaponising trade and urged Britain to guard against selling key businesses to the Chinese or even collaborating at a higher education level. In a speech delivered at an event hosted by think tank Policy Exchange, Abbott said: After 40 years of bide and hide, China is asserting itself aggressively in what is at best a cold peace and more likely a new cold war, only against a strategic competitor that is far more formidable than the old Soviet Union because it is being increasing embedded inside the global economy and can bring economic as well as military pressure to bear against its targets. Then Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott arrives for an International Ceremony with Heads of State at Sword Beach in Normandy to mark the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day landings, on June 6, 2014. (Chris Jackson/PA) Barring a change of dynasty in Beijing, China is likely to be the challenge of the century with big implications for economics as well as security. Abbott said the UK should not stop trading but should instead be much more careful about becoming economically dependent on China and assess where projects have far more long-term value for them than us. He said China sees trade as a strategic weapon to be turned on and off like a tap to reward friends and punish foes. The intervention of the politician comes as Boris Johnson faces growing pressure from some Conservative backbenchers to cool links with Beijing amid security concerns. The UK government has already made moves to strip Chinese technology giant Huawei from the domestic 5G network over intelligence fears, while recent reports have suggested Whitehall is looking to block a Chinese state-owned nuclear energy company from all future power projects in Britain. Abbott said that, no matter how close relations are between Chinese and British firms, the level of control exercised by the Beijing government meant it would be unwise to sell UK technology firms that aid Chinas interests, a thinly-veiled reference to the potential sale of Welsh microchip manufacturer Newport Wafer Fab. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has asked national security adviser Sir Stephen Lovegrove to examine the purchase of the company by Chinese-owned Nexperia for a reported 63 million ($87.4 million), with MPs calling on ministers to urgently intervene. Even if university collaborations between the UK and China were to advance global knowledge, Abbott warned against it, telling the online audience it probably should be seen as too much of a one-way street. He added: Im not advocating a retreat from freer trade, just the importance of distinguishing between countries that really are open for business and those where business is more politics by other means. As global citizens, we should want all countries to succeed but, as supporters of democracy and the rule of law, it might sometimes be best to preference those that share our values. International Trade Secretary Liz Truss, asked about Abbotts comments on China, said she did not think there was full transparency when it came to the dealings of President Xi Jinpings administration. Pressed during a question-and-answer session whether she agreed with Abbotts statement that China was likely engaging in a new cold war, the Cabinet minister said: I believe that there are currently practices going on, particularly in global trade, that need to be challenged. I think it is right we deal with it on a practical level, we look at what are the tools we have and we look to improve the way the World Trade Organisation is operating. The important point about trade with like-minded allies, joining organisations like the CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) is we are building up trade that is trusted with like-minded allies and supports the development of a free enterprise economy under democratic values. By Patrick Daly UN-Developed Sex Education Curriculum Sexualizes Children, Advocates Warn A sex education curriculum that promotes transgender ideology, homosexuality, and sexual disinhibition among children is being taught in American classrooms, two pro-family advocates warned in an interview with NTDs The Nation Speaks. Sharon Slater, co-founder and president of advocacy group Family Watch International, told host Cindy Drukier about harmful elements in the United Nations-developed, U.S. government-sponsored Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE), including its graphic, pleasure-focused approach toward teaching children about sexual behavior. The publication, Its Perfectly Normal, which is in many libraries and school libraries across the United States. Its very graphic with depictions of children engaging in masturbation and various sexual acts, said Slater, noting that while it is blurred out to the audience, children who read the CSE material will see different couplesheterosexuals and homosexualsengaging in sex. And theres been a million copies in print, and this is for age 10, she continued, adding that it teaches children ages 12 through 14 to share their sexual feelings through activities including oral and anal sex, masturbation, or touching each others genitals while saying I like you. The CSE curriculum, according to Slater, also encourages children to label themselves with sexual identities and needs, for example, a polyamorous queer teen who needs to know how to have safe sex and relationships with multiple partners. Were seeing it in almost all the schools, youre not safe if youre in a Christian school or a private school, because this is federally funded, she said. And now under President [Joe] Biden, theyve even increased the amount to $130 million that are pouring into the states to get these programs to the children everywhere. Slater was joined by Dr. Quentin Van Meter, a veteran pediatric endocrinologist and president of the conservative medical group American College of Pediatricians. He said that medically or surgically assisted transgenderism among young children becomes so popular that it is now a social contagion phenomenon. When asked whether kids at age 13 and 14who can legally undergo sex-change operations in certain statesactually understand the long-term impacts of the transition, Van Meter replied that they cant. Its trying to get the child to understand fertility or the fact that they will be sterile. They are sterilizing children by these processes, he said. There arent countries in the world that are called decent or moral will routinely allow children to be sterilized, and yet this is whats happening here in this country. The child cant even understand what that means. When it comes to the pro-CSE claim that youth are engaging in sexual activity anyway and that sex education is needed to avoid pregnancy and spread of STDs, Slater said recent research has shown poor outcomes from this type of education. Theres a major study (pdf) that was published in a peer-reviewed journal, which looked at 120 of the best studies out there on sex education, she said. According to the 2019 review by Utah-based research group Institute for Research and Evaluation, 87 percent of the school-based CSE programs worldwide failed to produce desired results, such as delay of sexual initiation, increased condom use, or decreased pregnancy or STDs rates. Contrary to the common claim, Slater added, American teenagers are having less sex, not more, over the past decade. Those who have had sex, however, experience more problems in their life than those who havent. The studies done by the CDC show that those that have had sexual contact are going to have more suicide, theyre going to have more depression, more problems in school, and all sorts of things, she said. So really, we are obligated to teach children to avoid sexual risky behavior, to avoid sex until marriage. UNESCOs Great Barrier Reef In Danger Listing Part of CCPs Ruthless Campaign Against Australia: MP The China-chaired UNESCO panel has given Australia eight months to submit a progress report on the Great Barrier Reef after it agreed to defer the in danger vote until mid-2022. In the committee meeting, 19 out of 21 countries agreed that there should not be an immediate in danger listing. Federal MP George Christensen who represents the federal North Queensland seat of Dawson that contains many of the coastal regions that border the Great Barrier Reef said the in danger recommendation clearly had political motivations behind it. He hoped that over the next 12 months, the UN committee would follow the facts and not follow the Chinese Communist Partys revenge streak. A report by the Australian Institute of Marine Science showed that following three major coral bleaching events over the last five years, widespread coral recovery was taking place. And thats why it is clear that the only way you could consider an in danger listing for the Great Barrier Reef is if there was some political motivation involved, Christensen told The Epoch Times. And surprise, surprise, the chairman of the committee looking at doing this listing happens to be [from] Communist China. He said this latest move was a continuation of the CCPs ruthless campaign against Australia due to domestic policies, particularly related to foreign interference laws. [The decision] is a bit humiliating to China because they wanted to do Australia over with this, Christensen said. However, Environmental Minister Sussan Ley has downplayed former suggestions Chinas beef with Australia was the cause for the listing process on July, 27. Ley told 2GB radio that in the actual UNESCO meeting, she witnessed the Chinese delegate going along with the overwhelming consensusfrom 19 out of 21 countries to delay the decision. Ley went on to say that potentially green politics may have played a part, with various countries using the process to make a broader point about climate change in Australia. There was a fair bit of green bureaucracy politics if I can call it that, which you often do find in some of these bodies, Ley said. Particularly when they are centred on a big picture without understanding individual countries as well as they should understand Australia. Assorted reef fish swim above a staghorn coral colony as it grows on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cairns, Australia, on Oct. 25, 2019. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters) Previously Ley had said that the listing process had been extremely problematic since climate change posed the biggest threat to not only the Great Barrier Reef but also 28 other reefs. So for our [reef] to be the only one to be singled out in a global call to action on climate change was a real deviation from the process, Ley told ABC radio. And that was the point that we wanted to make, and that was the point we made very strongly. The Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) said global warming still presents the greatest threat to the reef and that the decision to defer the vote did not mean the threat disappeared. Australia should ensure that all efforts continue on the ground to manage local impacts, namely water quality improvements, and adequate funding is provided, QTIC CEO Daniel Gschwind told The Epoch Times. Meanwhile, the reef remains an extraordinary place of vibrant biodiversity and immense attraction to visitors. It should also be noted that the actual management of the reef, by the agencies on the ground and by the tourism industry, has been recognised as world-leading, he said. A mission from UNESCO and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature will be invited to visit and assess the Great Barrier Reef in person. Unique-Looking Gerenuk Antelope Can Survive Its Whole Life Without Ever Drinking Water Amid the countless marvels of the animal kingdom there exists a type of African antelope, the gerenuk, famed for a unique quality: it can survive its entire life without ever drinking water. The gerenukmeaning giraffe-necked, owing to its long neckis native to Somalia, Tsavo, southern Djibouti, and the dry, arid lands of northern Kenya. In an incredible defense against its dry habitat, the gerenuk has developed the ability to get all the water it needs from foliage, Kenyas Sheldrick Wildlife Trust explains. A curious-looking antelope, the gerenuk has developed certain features to help it reach the tender shoots that its neighbors, the antelope and gazelle, cannot. A long neck with a small head, and the ability to stand tall on its powerful hind legs, enables the creature to reach the tops of shrubs and bushes up to 6 1/2 feet off the ground. Theyre even taller than humans. Large eyes and ears give the gerenuk a cartoon-like appearance, but not without purpose; its long eyelashes and sensory hairs on its snout and ears allow it to navigate the safest route through rough shrubbery. Orphaned gerenuk Nuk, at Sheldrick Wildlife Trusts Kaluku field headquarters. (Courtesy of Sheldrick Wildlife Trust) Gerenuks also have an arsenal of defenses against losing water, including adapted nasal passages which prevent the evaporative loss, highly concentrated urine, and a sedentary lifestyle. Their choice of where to roam is also strategic; preferring to stay away from permanent water sources, the gerenuk avoids competition with more water-dependent species and higher concentrations of predators. Another safety strategy is their preference for small groups. Gerenuks are often spotted alone, but groups of around five are not uncommon in Tsavo. Larger groups are more common as the land becomes more arid. In Somalia, as many as 25 to 30 gerenuks may browse together when foliage is rich and dense. Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, one of Africas oldest wildlife charities and a leading conservation organization, got the opportunity to take a closer look at this fascinating species when they rescued an orphaned gerenuk calf, Nuk, in 2013. Posting on Facebook, the Trust explained that having lost his mother, the calf surprised livestock herders by walking home with their goats. Nuk roamed free of his own volition after a year in care at the Trusts Kaluku field headquarters. He made friends with a herd of impala, but was herded away by the males after growing horns and expressing an interest in their females. Though the gerenuk is considered near-threatened because of poaching and habitat loss, it is hoped that Nuk will eventually find a gerenuk mate and start a family of his own. It seems hes having a ball of a time and perhaps established his own territory, the Trusts communications and media manager, Amie Alden, told The Dodo. Though its bittersweet not to see him, we are proud that hes clearly found his place in the wild. A complete success story. 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 German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L) and U.S. President Joe Biden make brief remarks to the press before a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on July 15, 2021. (Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images) Whither the USGerman Relationship, Indeed Commentary Former German Foreign Minister (19982005) and Green Party leader Joschka Fischer published a column on July 23 that, perhaps inadvertently, well summarizes the confused strategic worldview of the traditional German political parties, which is steadily diverging from the interests of the United States. Fischer, like more than 95 percent of other Germans who have an opinion on these things, recognizes the monstrous wickedness of the Nazi regime, and accepts the fact that it had to be destroyed and Germany had to be unconditionally and overwhelmingly defeated in World War II, ultimately for its own good as much as for the sake of any other country. He acknowledges that only the military guarantee of the United States kept Stalin and his successors out of Western Europe. Fischer glosses over that the French tried to veto German entry into NATO and even Winston Churchills Great Britain, heavily burdened as its leader was with the desperate struggles with a belligerent Germany in both World Wars, was unenthused about welcoming Germany to NATO. President Dwight Eisenhower forced his allies to accept Germany in NATO, recognizing the need to bind it as an ally to the West as the most important country in Europe, and to assist in the maturation of Germanys political judgment by tying it to such close and strong allies. I have long believed that the greatest single act of statesmanship since World War II was when Konrad Adenauer, West Germanys first chancellor, declined Stalins offer of German reunification in exchange for neutrality in the Cold War, and he carried West German public opinion with him. Eisenhowers sponsorship of Germany as a respectable and civilized ally was close behind. Fischers Version Fischers version of what followed, and here he speaks for a wide swath of German opinion, is the following: A degree of political distrust on the part of the U.S. persisted, but German trans-Atlanticists refused to see it. From their perspective, the alliance had supplanted all previous antipathy and that was that. They were wrong. Throughout the Cold War, the U.S. pursued a multi-pronged strategy, both deterring the Soviet Union and maintaining control over Germany, in recognition of its vital position at the heart of Europe. In terms of raw interests in political economy, significant differences remained. Since the mid-1950s, for example, the transatlantic perspective competed with a more distinctively European one and with German Chancellor Willie Brandts Ostpolitik in the 1970swhich coincided with the nascent detente between the U.S. and the Soviet Unionthe protector and the wards diverging interests became even more obvious. It was at this time that Germany, in particular, began to claim her right to coast altogether on the American military budget, claiming some kind of offsetting parity between greater American burden-sharing and greater European and specifically German risk-sharing, as if the United States were responsible for Germany being in the center of Europe and it was Americas duty to make up for Germanys proximity to Russia with an immense defensive umbrella. In the great subsequent debates over the deployment of intermediate-range missiles in Western Europe, the German left took the position that in the event of hostilities between the United States and the Soviet Union in Europe, intermediate-range missiles would confine the damage to Europe, and while they didnt explicitly state this, their preference was that the Americans and the Russians should settle any such problems by an exchange of ICBMs over the heads of the Europeans. The United States could have the high honor of guaranteeing the military safety of Western Europe from the Soviet Union, but if necessary would have to exercise that privilege in the direct exchange of hydrogen-warhead intercontinental missiles with Russia and not with any incrementalism of the use of less destructive weapons in Western Europe. Deterring Soviet Occupation The alliance managed through all this, but the Germans, including Fischer, were frequently hearing the forest murmurs. Fischer did graciously acknowledge that as the Soviet Union disintegrated, the Russians, the British, and the French were all opposed to the reunification of Germany but the Americans were steadfastly in favor and never wavered. The United States was the only Atlantic country that had no fear of a united Germany. Fischers perspective is widely held, but its essentially nonsense. Franklin D. Roosevelt (who knew Germany well and spoke German) and Stalin both realized that World War II would be won by whoever occupied Germany. He was always confident that once the Western allies got across the Rhine, the Germans would fight savagely in the East but surrender fairly quickly in the West in order to be occupied by the Western Allies who accepted the Geneva Convention, and would be civilized occupiers. The prearranged zones of occupation, which Roosevelt opposed but both Stalin and Churchill approved in order to assure themselves of large zones, were superseded by the secret Tehran Conference agreement to move both the eastern and western borders of Poland 200 miles to the west. Most of Russias German zone fell in Poland and 12 million Germans preceded the Red Army west in order to avoid Russian occupation. The result was that the Western allies held more than 75 percent of the German population. Germany accepted the leadership of the United States as the only force that could deter Soviet occupation. Post Soviet Union After the Soviet Union disintegrated, Chancellor Helmut Kohl (19821998), remained thoroughly loyal to the Western alliance. His successor, Gerhard Schroeder (19982005), accepted material inducements from the Russians and began the reduction of German military capability. In the long regime of Angela Merkel (2005), Germany continued to be courted by Russia. China became her greatest trading partner and under pressure from the left, Merkel shut down the ambitious German nuclear power program and has transformed Germany into a virtual energy satellite of Russian natural gas. Its defense sector has dwindled to an absurdly low position for a country that was for most of 75 years the most militaristic in the world. Fischer declares that the Trump presidency did more serious damage to U.S.-German relations than anything else since World War II, and the question for president Joe Biden is whether the U.S. can regain its allies trust. As usual in comments of this kind, no time is wasted explaining what was wrong with Trumps policy toward Germany. He was critical of the anemic German defense commitment, effectively leaving the United States to defend Germany altogether, and intervened to prevent the completion of the Nord Stream Pipeline which, Trump alleged with some reason, made the concept of defending Germany from Russia incongruous. Merkel has refused to do anything to show any recognition of the Chinese threat to the West. The real question is whether, if Germany continues to make no effort on defense and to ease Chinas way into full penetration of the European Union commercially, the interests of the United States are best served in close collaboration with Russia, if it ceased to irritate America and most of its former republics and shifted gradually into a modified containment alliance opposite China with India, Japan, the United States, and other countries. We are in an interregnum now; Merkel is on her way out, Bidens administration is immobilized but what is coming soon is a choice far more profound than Fischer realizes: If Germany is gulled by China, a profound rapprochement between the United States and Russia could result in Russia being a more worthwhile ally than Germany. The ability of Germany to fumble into such a position should not be underestimated. 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. Please follow Conrad Black with Bill Bennett and Victor Davis Hanson on their podcast Scholars and Sense. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Why the Constitution Is Vital to America and the World, and Why We Must Defend It With just four sheets of parchment, the Founding Fathers created one of the most influential texts ever written. This text would shape over two centuries of American history and would define who we are as a nation today. This text is the Constitution of the United States. Designed to replace the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution established a uniquely American form of government. Built first and foremost to protect the God-given rights of every citizen, this form of government was different from any that came before it. Toeing the line between unchecked freedom and absolute order, the Constitution managed to deliver the best of both. While the European powers had expected the American experiment to fail, the Constitution allowed the country to flourish. With extensive checks and balances and a radically new form of government that was by the people and for the people, the Constitution produced the most prosperous nation on Earth. The Founding Fathers had given this new form of government one role, to protect the God-given rights of every man, to protect every mans right to speech, protest, and property, among others. And during the Civil War, it was this principle that Abraham Lincoln used to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, ending slavery. In the ensuing decades, the Industrial Revolution and the World Wars brought America to the forefront of global affairs. But still, it was the principles of the Constitution that attracted world-class talent to America on the promise of safety, liberty, and opportunity. By the second half of the 20th century, America had become the worlds sole superpower, giving it unparalleled influence over global affairs, allowing it to spread these ideas of freedom and democracy to every corner of the Earth. Throughout the last half-century, the world experienced its longest era of peace and prosperity thanks to Americas leadership. But now, the Constitution is under attack. Radicals frame it as a system of slavery and oppression, seeking to destroy everything it stands for. A perfect example of this is The New York Times 1619 project, which reimagines American history through the lens of slavery, presenting false facts and pushing false narratives to the American public. The values of the Constitution have not been spared either. The Freedom of Speech is being eroded through continual social media censorship, and the Right to Bear Arms has been impeded through gun control laws. Should they succeed in tearing down the Constitution, we would lose the values and principles that have come to define America through its glorious history. And if America loses the Constitution, the world loses its most important champion of freedom and its most stalwart defender against tyranny. What happens then? What happens if the world loses its shining city on the hill? In America Rewritten, an exclusive special feature from The Epoch Times, we discuss this exact topic, uncovering the truth behind the systematic attack on America and its Constitution. Join host Joshua Philipps and a panel of experts as they ponder the question: What the world would lose if the U.S. Constitution was erased. Watch the exclusive documentary on EpochTV: America Rewritten Follow EpochTV on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EpochTVus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EpochTVus Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Media reports allege the unvaccinated are a breeding ground for COVID variants, but research suggests the real problem may come from viral mutations in the vaccinated. (Halfpoint/Shutterstock) Will COVID-19 Vaccines Drive Mutated Variants? Research suggests vaccine-linked COVID variants could be a problem Commentary Despite media reports suggesting unvaccinated people will drive mutations of SARS-CoV-2 (or the CCP virus, which causes COVID-19), actual research suggests that more dangerous mutations of the virus could come from the specific nature of the vaccines now being used around the world. Half of Americans have declined the vaccine. Only 49 percent of Americans more than 18 years of age are fully vaccinated, with 56 percent having received one dose of the two-dose Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. Some media reports are claiming these unvaccinated people are serving as viral factories for more dangerous variants of the virus. But this false narrative hides the fact that mass vaccinations may be putting us all in a far more dire situation than necessary. Vaccines Drive Viruses to Mutate Viral mutation as a consequence of vaccination came to wide public attention in 2018, when Quanta magazine wrote about Andrew Reads research into Mareks disease among chickens. The article, Vaccines Are Pushing Pathogens to Evolve, described how just as antibiotics breed resistance in bacteria, vaccines can incite changes that enable diseases to escape their control. The article details the history of the Mareks disease vaccine for chickens, first introduced in 1970. Today, were on the third version of this vaccine, as it stops working within a decade. The reason? The virus had mutated to evade the vaccine. Worse, research suggests this kind of vaccine-induced mutation seems to result in increasingly deadly viruses that are more difficult to treat. Reads 2015 paper in PLOS Biology, Imperfect Vaccination Can Enhance the Transmission of Highly Virulent Pathogens, shared the results of an experiment that vaccinated 100 chickens against Mareks disease and left 100 unvaccinated. All of the birds were then infected with varying strains of the virus. Some strains were more virulent and dangerous than others. Over the course of the birds lives, the unvaccinated ones shed more of the least virulent strains into the environment, while the vaccinated ones shed more of the most virulent strains. As noted in the Quanta article: The findings suggest that the Mareks vaccine encourages more dangerous viruses to proliferate. This increased virulence might then give the viruses the means to overcome birds vaccine-primed immune responses and sicken vaccinated flocks. Vaccinated People Can Serve as Breeding Grounds for Mutations In a piece titled Vaccines Could Drive The Evolution Of More COVID-19 Mutants, National Public Radio reported on Feb. 9, that vaccines can contribute to virus mutations. Part of the concern is whether the people delaying their second dose of vaccine will become a particularly effective host population for viral mutations. They might serve as sort of a breeding ground for the virus to acquire new mutations, said Paul Bieniasz, a Howard Hughes investigator at Rockefeller University. This is the exact claim now being attributed to unvaccinated people by those who dont understand natural selection. Its important to realize that viruses mutate all the time, and if you have a vaccine that doesnt block infection completely, then the virus will mutate to evade the immune response within that person. Thats one of the distinct features of the COVID-19 shotsthey arent able to block infection. They allow infection to occur and work to lessen the symptoms of that infection. This is true of other viruses as well, though the phenomenon isnt considered nearly as dangerous as what occurs among bacteria. Were not going to fall off a cliff tomorrow in terms of vaccine efficacy. What were likely to see is a slow, steady erosion of efficacy over, perhaps, quite a long period of time, Bieniasz said. If SARS-CoV-2 does end up mutating into more lethal strains, then mass vaccination is the most likely driver of that mutation. COVID Variants Are Barely Different Despite the scenario outlined above, the fearmongering that mass media are stirring over variants is just that: fearmongering. So far, while some SARS-CoV-2 variants appear to spread more easily, theyre also less dangerous. The Delta variant, for example, is associated with more conventional flu-like symptoms, such as a runny nose and sore throat, than the hallmark COVID-19 symptoms involving shortness of breath and loss of smell. In an interview for the documentary Planet Lockdown, Michael Yeadon, a life science researcher and former vice president and chief scientist at Pfizer, pointed out the fraud being perpetrated with regard to variants. He actually refers to them as simians, because theyre near-identical to the original. And, as such, they pose no greater threat than the original. Yeadon notes that the most divergent variant is hardly different from the original. If you find the most different variance, its 99.7 percent identical to the original one, and I can assure you that amount of difference is absolutely not possibly able to represent itself to you as a different virus. Your immune system is a multifaceted system that allows your body to mount defenses against all sorts of threats. Parasites, fungi, bacteria, and viruses are the main threat categories. Each of these invades and threatens you in completely different ways, and your immune system has ways of dealing with all of them, using a variety of mechanisms. Whether youre going to be susceptible to variants has very little to do with whether or not you have antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, because antibodies arent your primary defense against viruses, T-cells are. What this means is that getting booster shots for different variants isnt going to help, because these vaccines dont strengthen your T-cell immunity. The importance of T-cells has been known for a long time, and their role in COVID-19 was confirmed early in the pandemic. Scientists wanted to find out if patients who had recovered from SARS-CoV-1, responsible for the SARS outbreak some 17 years ago, might have immunity against SARS-CoV-2. As it turns out, they did. They still had memory T-cells against SARS-CoV-1, and those cells also recognized SARS-CoV-2, despite the two viruses being only 80 percent similar. Now, if a 20 percent difference wasnt enough to circumvent the immune system of these patients, why should you be concerned with a variant thats, at most, 0.3 percent different from the original SARS-CoV-2? When your government scientists tell you that a variant thats 0.3 percent different from SARS-CoV-2 could masquerade as a new virus and be a threat to your health, you should know, and Im telling you, they are lying, Yeadon said. If theyre lying, and they are, why is the pharmaceutical industry making top-up [booster] vaccines? Theres absolutely no possible justification for their manufacture. Mutations Are Good for Vaccine Business Of course, by pushing fear of virus variants, vaccine makers ensure a steady supply of people willing to participate as guinea pigs in their for-profit business model. Pfizer plans to ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization for a third COVID-19 vaccine booster shot in August, Bloomberg reports. According to Pfizers head of research, Dr. Mikael Dolsten, initial data suggest a third dose of the current Pfizer vaccine can raise neutralizing antibody levels by anywhere from five-fold to 10-fold. The company is also working on variant-specific formulations. Dolsten points to data from Israel, where Pfizers mRNA injection was used exclusively and is showing a recent uptick in breakthrough cases. This suggests protection starts to wane around the six-month mark. For now, the FDA isnt recommending boosters, but that can change at any moment and most likely will. Pfizer recently announced that it intends to raise the price on its COVID-19 vaccine once the pandemic wanes, and during a recent investor conference, Pfizer Chief Financial Officer Frank DAmelio said theres significant opportunity for profit once the market shifts to annual boosters. In an April 2021 article, The Defender reported the expected profits from current COVID-19 vaccines and boosters in coming years: Pfizer expects a minimum revenue of $15 billion to $30 billion in 2021 alone Moderna expects sales of $18.4 billion in 2021; Barclays analyst Gena Wang forecasts the companys 2022 revenue to be somewhere around $12.2 billion and $11.4 billion in 2023 Johnson & Johnson expects sales of $10 billion in 2021 Vaccine Treadmill Ahead The way things have been going, it seems inevitable that were facing a vaccine treadmill, where new variants will necessitate boosters on a regular basis. Boosters will also drive the need for vaccine passports to keep track of it all. As reported by The Defender: Annual COVID booster shots are music to the ears of investors. But some independent scientists warn that trying to outsmart the virus with booster shots designed to address the next variant could backfire, creating an endless wave of new variants. These variants could be more virulent and transmissible than their predecessors. Vaccinologist Dr. Geert Vanden Bosche, whose resume includes work with GSK Biologicals, Novartis Vaccines, Solvay Biologicals, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, published an open letter to the World Health Organization on March 6. In that letter, he warned that implementing a global mass vaccination campaign during the height of the pandemic could create an uncontrollable monster, with evolutionary pressure forcing the emergence of new and potentially more dangerous mutations. There can be no doubt that continued mass vaccination campaigns will enable new, more infectious viral variants to become increasingly dominant and ultimately result in a dramatic incline in new cases despite enhanced vaccine coverage rates. There can be no doubt either that this situation will soon lead to complete resistance of circulating variants to the current vaccines, Bossche wrote. Will COVID-19 Vaccines Save Lives? Probably Not As noted in the BMJ paper, Will COVID-19 Vaccines Save Lives? Current Trials Arent Designed to Tell Us, by associate editor Peter Doshi, while the world is betting on gene modification vaccines as the solution to the pandemic, the trials arent even designed to answer key questions, such as whether the vaccines will actually save lives. If theres a silver lining to this whole mess, its that more and more people are starting to get educated about health, biology, virology, and vaccinology. These are heady topics, but to begin to tease out the truth from fiction, many are now taking the time to listen to doctors and scientists who are explaining the science behind it all. Dr. Joseph Mercola is the founder of Mercola.com. An osteopathic physician, best-selling author, and recipient of multiple awards in the field of natural health, his primary vision is to change the modern health paradigm by providing people with a valuable resource to help them take control of their health. This article was originally published on Mercola.com Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin holds a press conference, at The Pentagon in Washington, on July 21, 2021. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images) With Eye on China, Pentagon Chief Heads to Southeast Asia U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin became the first member of President Joe Bidens cabinet to visit Southeast Asia this week, seeking to emphasize the importance Washington places on fortifying ties in the region while pushing back against China. Austin arrived in Singapore on Tuesday at the start of his southeast Asia tour. He was greeted by the countrys defense minister, Ng Eng Hen. Its the first leg of a regional trip that will also take him to Vietnam and the Philippines. The United States has put countering the Chinese regime at the heart of its national security policy for years and the Biden administration has called rivalry with Beijing the biggest geopolitical test of this century. Six months into his presidency, however, Southeast Asian countries are still looking for details of Bidens strategy as well as his specific plans for economic, trade and military engagement with the Indo-Pacific. Youll hear me talk a lot about partnerships and the value of partnerships, Austin told reporters enroute to Alaska. My goal is to strengthen relationships, he said. In a keynote speech in Singapore on Tuesday and meetings in Vietnam and the Philippines, Austin will call out aggressive Chinese behavior in the South China Sea and stress the importance of keeping the wider region free and open. His trip follows the first visit by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to China on Sunday and Monday and coincide with a trip by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to India, another important partner in U.S. efforts to counter Beijing. Experts say Austins presence is important to make clear that Southeast Asia is a vital component in Bidens efforts. The administration does understand that this region is critical, so thats a big part of it: Just showing up, said Gregory Poling, a senior fellow for Southeast Asia at Washingtons Center for Strategic and International Studies. Austin had been due to visit the region in June, but was forced to postpone due to COVID-19 restrictions in Singapore. Meat on the Bone So far the Biden administration has broadly sought to rally allies and partners to form a united front against what it says are Chinas increasingly coercive economic and foreign policies. The Pentagon has completed a study of its China policy and Austin has issued an internal directive calling for several initiatives, but few details have emerged. The U.S. Navy has maintained a steady pattern of freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea and near Taiwan but these appear to have done little to discourage Beijing. Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan all have rival claims to Beijings in the South China Sea and largely welcome a U.S. presence in the face of the Chinese regimes militarization of the waterway and its vast coastguard and fishing fleet. Abraham Denmark, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, said Washington was saying all the right things on competition with China but there were questions about how it could translate words into actions and investments. It was still unclear whats its going to look like in terms of our budget, in terms of our force posture, in terms of our investments in diplomacy and infrastructure, really putting meat on the bone, he said. Austins priority in the Philippines will be progress on renewing an agreement governing the presence of U.S. troops there, which is of vital U.S. strategic interest. A deadline for the pacts expiration has been extended several times. Analysts say Austin will need to strike a balance between stressing the China threat and making clear that Washington sees Southeast Asia as more than just a military theater. The emphasis from the region is yes, having the military around is good and welcome, but you need an economic strategy, the Asian diplomat said. The Associated Press contributed to this report ATLANTA (AP) Free from the pandemic lockdowns of last year, more shoppers are venturing into stores and relying just a bit less on brown UPS trucks. United Parcel Service said Tuesday that it earned almost $2.7 billion in the second quarter. However, domestic volume was weaker than Wall Street expected, and the company's shares tumbled nearly 7% in afternoon trading. Higher rates helped the delivery giant boost revenue, but shipping volume fell nearly 1% worldwide and almost 3% in the United States. Company executives said they couldn't match the surge in online shopping and home deliveries during the height of the pandemic. Many of our brick-and-mortar enterprise customers reopened their stores, and as economies reopened, customers went back to those stores, CEO Carol Tome said on a call with analysts. Tome said the company anticipated that shoppers would be eager to venture out of their homes and suggested UPS is moving away from a laser focus on large retail customers that pump the most packages into the company's network. Tome said UPS is no longer seeking to simply boost volume, and instead the company is focusing on lucrative markets such as health care and small- and medium-size businesses. UPS said small and medium businesses made up 20% of its revenue last year, and that is now up to 27%. Helane Becker, an analyst with financial services firm Cowen, said investors probably read the weaker-than-expected domestic volume "as an indication the pandemic-driven demand trend is slowing. For the three months ended June 30, United Parcel Service Inc. earned $2.68 billion, or $3.05 per share. Stripping out one-time costs, earnings were $3.06 per share, easily beating the $2.81 that Wall Street expected, according to 24 analysts surveyed by FactSet. A year earlier the Atlanta company earned $1.77 billion, or $2.03 per share. Overall revenue was $23.42 billion, also better than expected analysts had forecast $23.08 billion. Domestic revenue still grew 10.2% to $14.40 billion in the second quarter, with per-piece revenue rising 13.4%. However, Wall Street had projected domestic revenue of $14.76 billion. Revenue from international operations spiked 30% to $4.82 billion, which was better than the $4.57 billion analysts had expected. Last week, an Emerson College/Nexstar media poll showed the Gavin Newsom recall election within five points, which came as a surprise since previous polling in May found opposition to the recall beating support by double digits. Some shrugged off the result because Emerson College/Nexstar has typically been the poll the governor performs the worst in, but on Tuesday, a brand new UC Berkeley Institute of Government Studies/Los Angeles Times poll showed the recall within three percentage points. The poll, conducted in July among likely recall election voters, found 47% support for recalling Newsom, and 50% opposition. The last Berkeley IGS/Los Angeles Times poll in May, which was conducted among only registered voters, found support at 36% and opposition at 49%. For this July poll, Berkeley again provided the raw registered voters numbers, and found that an identical 36% supported the recall, and opposition ticked up to 51%. However, the pollster no longer considers a registered voter screen useful, since there's a wide enthusiasm gap between the two sides (90% of Republicans are highly interested in the recall election, compared to only 58% of Democrats and 53% of independents). The 47%-50% line comes from Berkeley adjusting the weighting of the poll to account for this enthusiasm gap, which now seems very likely to create a turnout gap. The recall is a special election scheduled for Sept. 14, and special election turnout is typically lower than turnout in normally scheduled elections, creating an electorate not representative of the broader population. I think the Newsom campaign really has to light a fire among the Democrats and say, Look, the outcome is in jeopardy unless you get out there and vote,'" the poll's director Mark DiCamillo told the Los Angeles Times. Like the Emerson/Nexstar poll, the Berkeley IGS poll found that a large swath of Californians are not sure what to do on the recall ballot's second question of who should replace Newsom. Emerson/Nexstar found 53% of Californians were undecided on the bottom of the ballot, and Berkeley IGS found 40% undecided. Conservative radio host Larry Elder received the most support with 18% support, and was followed by former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and businessman John Cox at 10% support apiece. Republican Assembleyman Kevin Kiley came in fourth at 5%, and reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner and Democratic YouTuber Kevin Paffrath tied for sixth at 3%. No other candidate received more than 3% support. Recall ballots will be mailed to all voters starting on Aug. 16, although individuals can choose to vote in person on recall election day instead if they choose. You can check out the full results of the poll at the Los Angeles Times. MECOSTA COUNTY Mecosta County residents saw significant tree damage from an infestation of gypsy moth this summer, leaving many asking why county and city officials were not taking action to prevent or manage the infestation. DNR forester Cheryl Nelson recently told Big Rapids city commissioners that large-scale spraying was not necessarily the best option when dealing with gypsy moths. The gypsy moth became naturalized in the 1990s it became part of our ecosystem, Nelson said. We deal with two- to four-year outbreaks every seven to 10 years. These populations are kept in check by natural predators the NPV (Nucleoplyhedrosis) virus and the Entomophaga maimaiga fungal pathogen. Spraying will not eliminate the gypsy moth from an area, and large-scale spraying can have a negative impact on the gypsy moth of denaturalizing them from an area, Nelson said. Spraying is about 80% effective and can disrupt the naturally occurring predators that control the virus on their own, she said. With that cycle disruption, the outbreaks may not naturally correct. Nelson said that without the caterpillars, the viruses and the fungus that control the populations cannot be maintained, and without those, there are no natural predators there when the new caterpillars hatch out. The natural predator-prey relationship is disrupted, she said. Btk, made from a pathogen strain known as Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki HD-1, is the only product that can be used for aerial spraying, Nelson said. Homeowners associations and local governments throughout the state conduct surveys in the fall to determine if populations are reaching outbreak levels, and if they determine that spraying an application of BTK will be used, they will target heavily infested areas. If you treat, you should treat only areas where infestations are reported, and you will need to get approval from any landowner with the stated area, Nelson said. Forest areas do not need to be sprayed. We still have healthy, thriving forests and we have not sprayed since the 1990s. Any community considering the gypsy moth spray program should seek out a licensed applicator business, who are familiar with the complex laws and permitting requirements, she added. MAINTAINING THE INFESTATION Maps developed by the DNR show the counties that were experiencing significant infestation in 2020, indicating that they could expect a significant outbreak in 2021, as well, Nelson said. For individual counties, you can see the heavily deforested areas on the maps, she said. Approximately 950,000 acres of trees were defoliated in 2020. Defoliated trees will develop new leaves, however, and we are seeing that now, she added. Typically, even completely defoliated trees will normally recover without long term effects. That is why we do not recommend spraying because it is all part of the natural life cycle and we dont see much (tree) mortality. Nelson offered some advice for homeowners to prepare for next years possible infestation. The No. 1 thing homeowners can do to help their trees is to water them regularly, especially during particularly dry periods, Nelson said. Water them once a week and soak in one to two inches of water so that the trees get every bit that they can. Nelson warned to be careful not to damage the roots or bark of the trees, because the damage can make the tree more prone to stress, which makes it harder for them to withstand the damage from the gypsy moth. You can also help your trees by fertilizing, she continued. The best time to fertilize is late spring or early fall, when the trees will be able to soak up the nutrients, which will help with the stress. If you fertilize during the summer when the leaves are already gone, that will just add to the stress. Another thing homeowners can do now to help mitigate the infestation for the next year is to destroy the moths. The moths begin to appear around the beginning of July, depending on the location, Nelson said. Because of their inability to fly, female gypsy moths can easily be spotted on trees, so another way of managing them is taking a spray of soapy water and soaking them down. The males will fly to them, and then you can scrape them all into a bucket of soapy water. In the fall, homeowners should check for egg masses and get rid of them before they hatch, Nelson said. For the egg masses, you need to look at anything outdoors where the moths might lay eggs outdoor furniture, boats, RVs, etc. and using a scrapper or hard plastic card, the egg masses can be scraped into a bucket of soapy water. Let them soak overnight and then bag and dispose of them. They can also be thrown into a fire pit and burned. Nelson added that scraping the egg masses onto the ground will not kill the eggs and they will still hatch in the spring. It is important to bag them up and dispose of them so you dont have any caterpillars coming out when the eggs hatch. Once the caterpillars have hatched, there are still things homeowners can do to help protect their trees, Nelson said. For individual yard tress, burlap bands can be wrapped around the trunk, she said. The caterpillars will hide under the flap of burlap during the day and crawl back up the tree to feed at night. As they crawl back up, they get trapped under the burlap. They can be scraped off into a bucket of soapy water to kill them. Sticky tape wrapped around the trunk of the tree will do the same thing, she added. It will stop the caterpillars from climbing back up the tree and then you can scrape them off to kill them. If warranted, residential trees can be treated with Btk, she said. Btk is a naturally occurring bacteria in the soil that must be eaten by the caterpillar to work, so it must be sprayed on the leaves or needles that the caterpillar feeds on, Nelson said. Btk is the only product recommended for spraying and should be handled by a licensed applicator. For more information about the gypsy moth and mitigation efforts, visit Michigan.gov/dnr or canr.msu.edu. FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) The fuel needle is moving closer to empty at some U.S. airports. American Airlines says its running into fuel shortages at some smaller and mid-size airports, and in some cases the airline will add refueling stops or fly fuel into locations where the supply is tight. The airline said that the shortages showed up first in the West, where they could affect efforts to fight wildfires. They are now being reported in other parts of the country and will last through mid-August, according to a company memo to pilots on Monday. It asked pilots to conserve fuel by, for example, leaving one engine off while taxiing. American said fuel supplies are being squeezed at several airports, which it didnt name, mostly because of a shortage of tanker trucks or drivers. Delta Air Lines, meanwhile, said Reno, Nevada, is the most affected location. Delta said pipelines have been devoting more space to gasoline and diesel and less to jet fuel during the pandemic. Nevada politicians worry that the situation could limit the flow of tourism dollars. Southwest said the fuel situation hasnt affected its flights, but it has added more fuel on some planes to limit the amount needed at airports with shortages. Trade group Airlines for America said it is talking to federal authorities and pipeline operators about the situation, which it said mostly affects smaller airports in the West. The jet fuel supply is being taxed by a strong recovery in travel, which means more planes in the air. U.S. air travel has reached about 80% of its pre-pandemic levels, with about 2 million people a day are flying in the U.S., double the number in early March. The American Airlines memo to pilots was reported earlier by CNBC. ALBANY Former Guilderland town justice Richard Sherwood will not be leaving prison early, regardless of how unpleasant he finds life behind bars. A federal judge on Tuesday rejected the 61-year-old convicted swindlers request to be released from minimum-security Otisville prison camp in Orange County. Thats where the former estate and trust lawyer and onetime town prosecutor is serving a four-and-a-half-year term in connection with his theft of nearly $12 million from elderly clients, including one with dementia. He is due to be released in October 2023. Sherwood told the judge in a memo last month that he experienced conditions in prison far beyond the pale from what he expected when he pleaded guilty, and referred to himself as a "victim." Attorneys for Sherwood, who is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, said he suffers from multiple health issues which place him at a greater risk of contracting coronavirus. Senior U.S. District Judge Lawrence Kahn was unmoved. Granting (Sherwood)s request of compassionate release now, when he has only served around one-third of his sentence, would not reflect the seriousness of his crimes or provide just punishment, Kahn said, adding Sherwood's release would not provide deterrence to others involved in "fraudulent, exploitative conduct." Sherwood had complained to Kahn that he spent hundreds of days alongside murderers, robbers and drug dealers in maximum-security prisons in Brooklyn and Pennsylvania. Kahn wrote that he agreed Sherwood was in circumstances that would shock the sensibilities of most anyone thrust into them, but added that such conditions are generally experienced by all federal prisoners. As a former judge and prosecutor who worked to incarcerate those accused of crimes, (Sherwoods) dismay at the reality of the prison system is telling, Kahn said in his ruling. Others who serve as decision-makers in the justice system may do well to examine and recall defendants perspective. Kahn stated, No one, regardless of which strata of society they belong to, should be granted special treatment or consideration when confronted with the inarguably stressful conditions extant in the prison system. Sherwood pleaded guilty in 2018 to conspiring to launder money and filing a false tax return, the latter conviction for underreporting his income by $4.7 million. Sherwood and former business partner Thomas Lagan who also was charged and convicted in the case had since 2006 been providing estate planning and financial advice to late Niskayuna philanthropists Walter and Pauline Bruggeman. Sherwood admitted that he schemed to steal millions of dollars from the estate of Pauline Bruggeman and her sisters, Anne Urban and Julia Rentz, both of whom died in 2013. Rentz had dementia at the time. Sherwood and Lagan also wrote a total of eight checks each for $14,000 to each other, their wives and children. They later sent tens of thousands of dollars from clients' estates to pay college tuition for Lagan's daughter. ISLAMABAD (AP) The U.S. and NATO have promised to pay $4 billion a year until 2024 to finance Afghanistans military and security forces, which are struggling to contain an advancing Taliban. Already, the U.S. has spent nearly $89 billion over the past 20 years to build, equip and train Afghan forces. Yet Americas own government watchdog says oversight of the money has been poor, hundreds of millions of dollars have been misspent and corruption is rife in the security apparatus. Monitoring where the future funding goes will become virtually impossible after Aug. 31, when the last coalition troops leave. Here is a look at some of the issues: U.S. SPENDING SINCE 2001 Nearly $83 billion has been spent to build, equip, train and sustain Afghanistans National Defense and Security Forces, which include the military, national police and the elite special forces. That figure covers a wide range of items. For example, the U.S. spent nearly $10 billion for vehicles and aircraft. It spent $3.75 billion on fuel for the Afghan military between 2010-2020. Separately, another $5.8 billion went into economic and government development and infrastructure since 2001, with the expressed goal of winning public support and blunting the Taliban insurgency. The figures are from reports by John Sopko, the Special Inspector General on Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, tasked with monitoring how U.S. taxpayer dollars are spent. The U.S. allocation for 2022 is $3.3 billion. It will include $1 billion to support the Afghan Air Force and Special Mission Wing, $1 billion for fuel, ammunition and spare parts, and $700 million to pay salaries for Afghan soldiers. It is difficult to see how the Afghan government will be able to pay to keep its military running after 2024. More than 80% of the Afghan government budget is paid by the U.S. and its allies, according to SIGAR. Economic projections suggesting Kabul could carry more of the financial burden have been either wrong or vastly exaggerated, Sopko reported. Afghanistans growth rate was to be 3.4% in 2021 but instead shrunk by 2%. In the last 4 of 7 years, Afghanistan has missed its economic growth targets. WASTE AND CORRUPTION Much of the billions injected into Afghanistan the past two decades has gone largely unmonitored, leading to runaway corruption by both Afghans and foreign contractors. Sopko has issued dozens of reports identifying waste, mismanagement and outright corruption. In one instance, the U.S. spent $547 million to buy and refurbish 20 G222 military transport aircraft for the Afghan Air Force. Sixteen of them were later sold as junk to Afghan scrap dealers for $40,257 because the American refurbishers delivered flawed and unsafe aircraft. A retired U.S. air force general, contrary to retirement rules, had links to the firm that refurbished the planes, according to a report by Sopko earlier this year. The report said the Justice Department informed the watchdog agency in May 2020 that it would not prosecute any criminal or civil cases connected to the G222 program. Of $7.8 billion provided since 2008 to Afghan civilian authorities for buildings and vehicles, only $1.2 billion went to buildings and vehicles that were used as intended. Only $343.2 million worth of what was acquired was maintained in good condition, Sopko said earlier this year. The Afghan army and police force officially have around 320,000 members, but SIGAR says the number is closer to 280,000. The discrepancy is attributed to the presence of so-called ghost soldiers, where corrupt officials pad the personnel numbers to collect money, reported SIGAR. Sopko said in one of his reports that lack of oversight allowed bribery, fraud, extortion and nepotism, as well as the empowerment of abusive warlords and their militias. Corruption significantly undermined the U.S. mission in Afghanistan by damaging the legitimacy of the Afghan government, strengthening popular support for the insurgency, and channeling material resources to insurgent groups. WHAT KIND OF MILITARY IS LEFT? For all the time, training and money funneled by the U.S. into the Afghan military as a whole, the small, elite commando forces appear to be the only units capable of standing as a bulwark against the Taliban. As Taliban swept through districts in recent weeks, regular army and police have in many instances either negotiated their surrender to Taliban or simply walked off their bases. Often, their superiors left them without resupplies of ammunition, troops and sometimes even food as they faced the advancing insurgents. Throughout the war, U.S. air support has been a crucial edge for Afghan forces on the battlefield. So building Afghan capabilities to carry out the role was vital, and the U.S. spent more than $8.5 billion to support and develop the Afghan Air Force and the Special Mission Wing. However, the Afghan air force risks being largely grounded once the coalition leaves. The Afghans fleet of fighter jets is serviced by U.S. contractors, who are leaving along with the troops. Afghan officials say the coalition never gave them the training or infrastructure to carry out maintenance themselves. The same holds for much of the arsenal of armored vehicles and heavy weapons the Americans have left for the Afghan military. Several Afghan officials who spoke to The Associated Press were deeply critical of the U.S. and NATO failure to invest in factories to make spare parts, manufacturing plants to produce ammunition and training to produce skilled Afghan mechanics. Every bullet had to come from America, said Gen. Dawlat Waziri a former Afghan Defense Ministry official. Why werent we making them here? Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said the coalition failed the Afghan government and military by making them overdependent on Western support. More broadly, the U.S. trained the wrong kind of army a Western-styled army when it needed to train an army capable of fighting the Taliban, said Roggio, who is also senior editor of The Long War Journal. The commandos, Special Forces and Air Force have performed well, but the regular Afghan Army, which make up a bulk of the fighting force, is not up to task, he said. MONITORING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS Its been several years since U.S. officials have been able to physically monitor U.S.-funded projects, because deteriorating security countrywide drastically restricted U.S. Embassy personnels movements. By 2016, U.S. advisers couldnt even meet Afghan security officials at their Kabul offices without heavily armored convoys, and later they could only go by helicopter, said Sopkos July report. Staff at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul has been reduced to mostly essential personnel since mid-April. An embassy official told the AP that 1,400 Americans remain at the embassy, mostly restricted to the compound. Roggio said the U.S. and NATO had a hard enough time monitoring aid when they were in Afghanistan; it will be virtually impossible once they leave. And with the Taliban rampaging across the country, he added, the incentive for Afghan officials to plunder the cash only increases. NEW CANAAN The Democratic Town Committee slate, which was announced at the partys caucus on Monday, includes incumbent Selectwoman Kathleen Corbet, two new councilmen and six Board of Education hopefuls, including incumbent Penny Rashin. The committee nominated Rita Bettino and Hilary Ormond for Town Council to take the two seats being left by Liz Donovan and Sven Englund. The school board nominees include five for a four-year term and one for a two-year term. The nominees are Janet Leung Fonss, Jennifer Hladlick, Erica Shwedel, incumbent Penny Rashin and Fatou Niang for the four-year term. Karen Willet is eligible to be elected for the two-year term. Many of the nominees are known for their advocacy on town issues and were endorsed unanimously by 23 of the 26-member Democratic Town Committee. The candidates expressed their love of the town, respect for the present school administration and need for the people from different political parties to work together. I think we all have the same goals, no matter what political affiliation, Bettino said. We all want great schools, we want beautiful open spaces, we want a thriving business community, we want good roads, we want to take care of our seniors, we want sustainability and of course all with a very prudent eye on spending. The Board of Education had one member, Sheri West, who decided not to seek reelection in November. Niang was nominated to the Board of Education by Vice Chairman Alyssa MacKenzie. After the murder of George Floyd in the summer of 2020, Niang created the organization Stand Together Against Racism. Through her consistent work with the very active nonprofit, Niang aims to make sure the that kids in the community learn to earn respected and have reinforcement and desires to move towards more "equality and fairness. Dathan nominated Fonns because she has a strong financial background at a time when the town is receiving an unprecedent amount of money from the federal government. Fonss thanked Superintendent Bryan Luizzi, the administration and the current school board calling their efforts nothing less than heroic, during the pandemic. Hladick works on the Health and Human Services Commission; works part time at the Carriage Barn and has been involved with schools on PTC board. She said she is impressed with the administration. Rashin is an incumbent board member and has worked on the school building committees and on the Police Department Building Committeee. She supports Luizzi and lauds him as the top superintendent in the state. Shwedel, too, has a financial background and was the president of the West School PTC. She said that when she came to town, she jumped in with two feet to volunteer. As a later school start times advocate, Willet has attended school board meetings regularly and spoke out frequently. Angela Jameson nominated Corbet for Selectwoman once more, saying that she is a shining star in the firmament in New Canaan government and the New Canaan Democratic party. Corbet has served in local government for 15 years, including on Town Council and as interim CFO for the town. I have taken the approach of being very prepared, do my research and really understand all sides of an issue, she said. Dathan nominated Ormond well-known, for starting a petition to get cameras in Waveny Park after Jennifer Dulos disappearance. She really is committed to town safety, Rep Lucy Dathan Dathan said of Ormond. Ormond is a very accomplished attorney with an overall very impressive resume, Dathan said. Dathan also said of Bettino, we both love working with small emerging companies and in that business you have to be very nimble. Bettino voiced opposition to the referendum that would have taken money out of the school budget targeted at school start times. At the end of the day, we are all on the same team, Bettino said. Team New Canaan. Jacksonville Police ARRESTS, CITATIONS Martin Lee Menard, 49, of 819 W. College Ave. was arrested at 2:48 p.m. Monday on a criminal trespassing charge after being accused of being in the 800 block of Hoagland Boulevard despite being prohibited from the location. THEFTS, BURGLARIES Items were taken during the past week from a shed on an empty lot on Oak Street, according to a report filed at 11:47 a.m. Monday. OTHER REPORTS Police are investigating a report that someone fired several shots at a vehicle about 2:15 p.m. Monday in the 200 block of East Dunlap Street while the owner was sitting inside the vehicle. Brown County Sheriff ARRESTS, CITATIONS Treyvian E. McCoy, 18, of Versailles was cited on a charge of unlawful possession of adult-use cannabis in a motor vehicle at 2:59 p.m. July 4. Joshua E. Taylor, age and address unavailable, was arrested July 6 on charges of aggravated assault and not having a valid Firearm Owners Identification related to an incident that happened July 3. Pike County Sheriff ARRESTS, CITATIONS Robert E. Willbanks, 52, of Griggsville was arrested at 10:06 a.m. July 20 on a charge of possession of methamphetamine. Shannon M. Kirgan, 38, of Griggsville was arrested at 10:47 a.m. July 20 on a charge of possession of methamphetamine. William J. Higgins, 43, of Griggsville was arrested at 8:39 p.m. Wednesday on a violation of an order of protection. Lea Ann Lewis, 48, of Hannibal, Missouri, was arrested at 2:27 p.m. July 19 on a charge of driving while license is revoked or suspended. Guage A. Akridge, 27, of Hull was arrested at 9:24 p.m. July 19 on a charge of attempted failure to register as a sex offender. Jacqueline N. Gatch, 31, of Lenoir, Tennessee, was arrested at 4:53 a.m. July 19 on a child abduction charge. Dakota L. Henry, 22, of Pittsfield was arrested at 2:12 p.m. Thursday on a violation of sex offender registration. Omar A. Arriaga, 42, of Pittsfield was arrested at 6:07 a.m. Friday on a domestic battery charge. Noah J. Turnbaugh, 18, of Pittsfield was arrested at 5:58 a.m. Sunday on a charge of driving under the influence. Pittsfield Police ARRESTS, CITATIONS William A. Ferguson, 28, of Jefferson City, Missouri, was arrested at 7:32 p.m. July 19 on a charge of possession of cannabis. Rhiannon M. Coy, 23, of Pittsfield was arrested at 8:32 p.m. Sunday on a charge of criminal damage to property. Compiled by David C.L. Bauer SEOUL, South Korea South Korea is reporting a new daily high for coronavirus cases a day after authorities enforced stringent restrictions in areas outside the Seoul capital region seeking to slow a nationwide spread of infections. The 1,896 cases announced Wednesday took the countrys total for the pandemic to 193,427, with 2,083 deaths from COVID-19. It was the highest daily jump since the pandemic began and surpassed a previous record of 1,842 announced last Thursday. The Seoul area has been at the center of the outbreak. On Tuesday, the government put much of the non-Seoul regions under the second highest distancing guidelines to guard against a nationwide viral spread. ___ MORE ON THE PANDEMIC: CDC recommends indoor masks in some parts of US, at schools Tokyo hits record 2,848 daily virus cases during Olympics Russia OKs testing on combination Sputnik, AstraZeneca shots UK spares key workers quarantine during staff shortages ___ Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine ___ HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING: BEIJING Drivers seeking to leave eastern Chinas Jiangsu province will have to show a negative coronavirus test taken in the last 48 hours or be forced to turn around, as infections in the province continue to rise. The provincial transport department said Wednesday that 93 checkpoints have been set up on highways in the province, whose capital of Nanjing is the epicenter of Chinas latest outbreak. Drivers must remain in their vehicles and wear masks while health workers carry out the checks. The National Health Commission reported 48 new cases in Jiangsu over the previous 24 hours, bringing its total to 154 over recent days. Authorities say the virus being transmitted is the highly contagious delta variant. The virus continues to spread despite China having administered more than 1.5 billion doses of vaccine exceeding the entire Chinese population of 1.4 billion. ___ LAS VEGAS Nevada officials are re-imposing a mask mandate for indoor public spaces in the states cities in an effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus amid a rise in cases and hospitalizations not seen since before the arrival of vaccines. Authorities officials said Tuesday the order will align Nevada with a new recommendation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calling for people to use masks even if they are vaccinated. The increase in cases and the mask requirement could hamper tourism industry efforts to entice visitors and trade shows that power the states economy to return following closures last year. ___ LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson says a special session to revisit the states ban on mask mandates in schools is an option as the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state has surpassed 1,000. The governor met with legislative leaders Tuesday to discuss the possibility of a holding a session on the ban enacted in April that bans local and state government entities, including schools, from requiring the use of masks. Facing growing calls to lift the ban, at least for schools. Hutchinson says he is evaluating options for changes. Legislative leaders say theyre talking with lawmakers about what action they would support. Arkansas COVID-19 hospitalizations grew by 45 to 1,025, its highest number since late January. The states virus cases grew by 2,052. ___ HARRISBURG, Pa. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf says he is not considering a statewide mask mandate as coronavirus cases increase in the state, and his administration says it will not require masks in schools. The comments came as the CDC issued a new recommendation that even vaccinated people wear masks in areas where infections are rising. Wolf told KDKA-AM in Pittsburgh on Tuesday that his strategy for fighting the spread of the coronavirus is to get more people vaccinated. The governor says Pennsylvania had a mask mandate when there was no vaccine. In Wolf's words: People have the ability, each individual to make the decision to get a vaccine. If they do, thats the protection. ___ JACKSON, Miss. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves does not plan to issue a mask mandate for schools even as coronavirus cases are increasing in the state, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the nation. A spokeswoman said Tuesday that Governor Reeves has no intention of requiring students and staff to wear masks when theyre in school this fall. A few Mississippi school districts have already started classes, and others are starting by mid-August. Some parents have raised concerns about the virus spreading among children too young to be vaccinated, and many school districts have said they will not require students or employees to wear masks because the governor has not set a mask mandate. The CDC issued a new recommendation Tuesday saying that even vaccinated people should wear face covering if they live in areas where infections are rising. ___ COLUMBIA, South Carolina South Carolina education officials say recently enacted legislation will prevent them from requiring students and employees to wear masks inside schools as a result of a new recommendation from the CDC that even vaccinated people should use face coverings in regions with increasing numbers of coronavirus cases. A budget proviso that went into effect July 1 prohibits the states school districts from using any appropriated funds to require that its students and/or employees wear a face mask at any of its education facilities. The measure was backed by Gov. Henry McMaster, who earlier this year called it the height of ridiculosity for a school district to require a mask over any parents wishes. The state Department of Education says on its official Facebook page that it can only encourage the use of face coverings and other COVID-19 mitigation strategies. ___ DES MOINES, Iowa Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is rejecting new federal government recommendations about wearing masks to help slow the rapid spread of the coronavirus delta variant. In a statement Tuesday, the governor said that the Biden Administrations new COVID-19 guidance telling fully vaccinated Iowans to now wear masks is not only counterproductive to our vaccination efforts, but also not grounded in reality or common sense. She was reacting to a recommendation from the CDC advising people in regions with increasing infections to wear masks in public indoor settings. Reynolds adds that she is concerned the federal guidance could result in mask mandates for schools. ___ TALLAHASSEE, Florida Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hasnt commented on the new CDC guidance recommending masks in schools and other indoors places in areas with rising coronavirus infections. But already this week he opposed the idea of mandating their use in schools and expressed fear the federal government might try to force their use. At a meeting Monday, DeSantis also predicted Florida lawmakers will hold a special session to be able to provide protections for parents and kids who just want to breathe freely and dont want to be suffering under these masks during the school year. A spokeswoman released a statement Tuesday saying that Governor DeSantis believes that parents know whats best for their children and thinks the decision should be left to them. It adds that fortunately, the data indicate that COVID is not a serious risk to healthy children. ___ ATLANTA Georgias largest school district has joined the growing ranks of those that will require students and employees to wear masks regardless of vaccination status as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the state. The 177,000-student Gwinnett County school district became the latest to reverse a mask-optional policy, citing new guidance from the CDC on Tuesday recommending mask use in area where infections are increasing. The Savannah-Chatham and Clarke County school systems also said everyone must wear a mask, while Emory University said all employees must get vaccinated. The state Department of Public Health reported more than 3,700 new cases. That was more than double Mondays total and the highest number since late February. The number of confirmed COVID-19 patients hospitalized statewide rose above 1,500 for the first time since early March. ___ LANSING, Mich. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has resumed wearing a mask at indoor events, citing revised guidance from the CDC and a recommendation from Michigans chief doctor. However, Whitmer added Tuesday that she does not anticipate reinstating a mandate requiring the use of face coverings not in the near future and maybe not ever. The governor is vaccinated. While daily COVID-19 cases have been rising in Michigan, the states two-week rate is lower than in all but three states. Whitmer says that I wear it not because Im worried about me but because I worry about those who arent vaccinated yet." ___ TOPEKA, Kan. Officials in two major Kansas health care systems are urging people to resume wearing masks indoors even if theyve been vaccinated against the coronavirus because of the faster spreading delta variant. The comments from administrator-doctors at Stormont Vail Health in northeast Kansas and the University of Kansas Health System came just before the CDC recommended that even vaccinated people wear masks indoors in places where the coronavirus is surging. Their comments came a day after the board of education in one of Kansas largest public school districts approved a mandate for elementary students to wear masks when classes resume in mid-August. Kansas has seen its average number of new COVID-19 cases a day increase for nearly five weeks because of the delta variant, to numbers last seen in mid-February. ___ WASHINGTON President Joe Biden says that requiring all federal workers to get vaccinated against the coronavirus is under consideration, as the more infectious Delta variant surges across the United States and a significant chunk of Americans still refuse the shot. Speaking Tuesday after delivering remarks at the office of the Director of National Intelligence, Biden affirmed that his administration was considering the possibility in response to a reporters question. His comments come the day after the Department of Veterans Affairs became the first federal agency to require its healthcare workers receive the coronavirus vaccine. Earlier Tuesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki left the door open to more agencies implementing similar requirements, saying that the administration would continue to look at ways to protect our workforce and save more lives. ___ NEW ORLEANS -- Louisianas health department is reporting 6,797 new COVID-19 cases and 20 new deaths. Tuesdays figures also show hospitalizations up to 1,390. Thats the highest hospitalization count since early February. The new figures come as state officials increasingly urge the public to get vaccinated as medical staffs again are stretched thin by the states fourth surge since the pandemic began. Meanwhile, Mayor Ronny Walker of the north Louisiana city of Ruston has been hospitalized with pneumonia related to a breakthrough case of COVID-19 after being vaccinated. Walker tells the Ruston Daily Leader that he believes his illness would have been worse had he not been vaccinated. ___ FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. In South Florida, the Broward County school board postponed a meeting Tuesday about whether students should wear masks in the classroom this fall when about 20 anti-mask protestors refused to don them. Board spokeswoman Kathy Koch told the South Florida SunSentinel that everyone who visits the districts headquarters is required to wear a mask. Most of them said they had a medical waiver, but you cannot prove it nor can you ask for it, Koch said. So for the safety of everyone, the discussion was rescheduled for Wednesday. The delay angered the protestors, who called on Gov. Ron DeSantis, a strong mask mandate opponent, and the state government to override any mask mandate imposed by Broward or others school districts. We need a special session of the state Legislature to ban this kind of crap right now, said Chris Nelson, founder of the anti-mask group Reopen South Florida. He threatened to go to the board members homes and neighborhoods to confront them directly. ___ ST. LOUIS As COVID-19 hospitalizations climb, St. Louis is offering incentives for some city employees to get immunized, while thousands are registering for a statewide vaccine lottery. St. Louis said in a news release Tuesday that nearly 6,000 of its workers will be eligible to receive $100 in gift cards and can use paid time off to get vaccinated. The announcement comes one day after a mask mandate took effect in the city and St. Louis County. Missouri has the nations fourth-worst COVID-19 diagnosis rate over the past week, with one in every 360 people diagnosed with COVID-19. To help, the state rolled out a vaccine incentive program last week that includes $10,000 prizes for 900 lottery winners. About 250,000 people have registered so far, said health department spokeswoman Lisa Cox. NORWALK Of the 35 candidates endorsed Monday night for local offices by the Democratic Town Committee for the upcoming November elections, more than half were women. Im incredibly proud if the slate endorsed by the Norwalk Democratic Town Committee last night, DTC Chair Eloisa Melendez said. We are proud to have endorsed women for 21 of the 35 positions voted on last night, including 10 incredibly accomplished women for the Common Council. This slate represents Norwalk and our commitment to our community. Kara Baekey, founder of the anti-gun violence group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in Americas Connecticut chapter; Sheri McCready Brown, a Norwalk Housing Authority commissioner; and Janine Randolph were endorsed for Board of Education at-large seats. The sole incumbent BOE member endorsed was current Chair Colin Hosten, according to the roster provided by Melendez. Ahead of the DTC meeting, BOE member Heidi Keyes, whose term will expire in November, announced Monday afternoon she will not seek reelection for a fourth term. Keyes has served on the education board since 2009. I recall vividly when I first decided to run so many years ago, Keyes said. I was just newly diagnosed with breast cancer and didnt know if I would be up for the rigorous role. But with the love and support of my family and friends, I made it. I not only beat breast cancer but also beat thyroid cancer and came out more determined than ever to run again for two more terms. BOE members are elected for four-year terms, with term expirations staggered. This year, four of the nine board members terms are up for grabs. For the Common Council, nine of the Councils 14 Democratic incumbents are running for reelection and received endorsements, according to the roster. Five of the nine were women Barbara Smyth, Dominique Johnson, Darlene Young, Diana Revolus and Lisa Shanahan. Council members Greg Burnett, David Heuvelman John Kydes and Tom Livingston were also endorsed for another two-year term. Alongside the nine incumbents, the DTC endorsed Josh Goldstein and Nora Niedzielski-Eichner for Common Council at-large, Nicol Ayers for District A, Jennifer McAllister for District C, and Diane Jellerette and Heidi Alterman for District D. Council members Manny Langella, Nicholas Sacchinelli, Kadeem Roberts, George Theodoridis and George Tsiranides are not running for reelection. I recently accepted a new job that requires my commitment and full attention, Langella shared on his campaign page. With that in mind I have made the difficult choice to not run for reelection. Im proud to have failed multiple times to have finally reached the goal I set out to achieve and make it on Council. I didnt enter politics for politics or agenda. I entered politics to make a difference for the town. Sacchinelli echoed Langellas sentiments in his post about the decision not to run for reelection. The past 6 years have been a true honor. I couldnt be more grateful. Thank you all who have supported me, Sacchinelli said. The DTC once again endorsed Mayor Harry Rilling for his fifth term. I am so honored to receive this endorsement, and I thank every one of you for your continued support to lead our city, Rilling said. This years group of candidates is one of the most diverse slates we have ever put forward. As a team, we truly represent Norwalk and reflect who we are as a community. Rillings goals for the next two-year term include completing the establishment of an elementary school in South Norwalk, expanding housing options and creating a community resources hub, he said. After years of proven leadership and commitment to our city, especially during the unprecedented events brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Harry Rilling is the best person to continue to move us forward, Melendez said. Rick McQuaid was once again endorsed as town clerk. The DTC endorsed Rosa Murray and Darlene Young for First and Second Taxing District treasurers, respectively. Sandra Stokes and Mary Mann were both endorsed for Second Taxing District Commissioners. Johnnie Mae Weldon was endorsed for Third Taxing District Commissioner and Constable. Priscilla Feral was endorsed for Sixth Taxing District commissioner, Bobby Burgess for city sheriff, and Joe Tamburri for city treasurer. Samuel Pride and Andy Garfunkel were both endorsed as selectmen; and Ernie Dumas, Jalin Sead and Beth Sigelbaum were endorsed for constable. abigail.brone@hearstmediact.com DANBURY A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday to discuss unsealing court files related to last months fatal shooting of a Danbury teen. Police announced late Friday last week they have arrested a second teen in connection with the fatal shooting of Yhameek Johnson. The 17-year-old Stratford, who police did not identify because he is a juvenile, is facing charges of first-degree larceny, tampering with physical evidence, hindering prosecution and interfering with police. He was released on a juvenile summons, according to police. The larceny charge stems from a motor vehicle theft, according to police. Police had already charged 17-year-old Elvis Agramonte with Johnsons murder. The case is being heard in adult court. Police said his identity was released to the public due to the severity of the charges he is facing. Court files in Agramontes case remain at least temporarily sealed. The hearing to discuss the sealing order is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. Agramonte, a Danbury resident, is also facing charges of criminal attempt to commit first-degree assault, risk of injury to a minor, carrying a pistol without a permit, carrying weapons in a vehicle, first-degree reckless endangerment and illegal possession of a number plate. He remains in custody on $1 million bond. Danbury police Detective Lt. Mark Williams said Monday he does not anticipate more arrests in connection with the June 20 shooting, but it's not a certainty. Because court documents have been sealed, the motive for the shooting has not been made public. Authorities were alerted to the drive-by shooting around 8 p.m. on June 20. Danbury police said they received multiple 911 calls for gunfire on Mill Ridge Road. When they arrived at the scene near Mill Ridge Drive, they found Johnson, 18, being cared for by residents. He was taken to Danbury Hospital where he died from his injuries. Police have said they believe a dark-colored SUV with New York plates was used in the shooting. EDWARDSVILLE Three people were indicted Thursday by a Madison County grand jury. Corvis D. Johnson, 36, of Bel Ridge, Missouri, was indicted July 22 for unlawful possession of weapons by a felon, a Class X felony; offenses relating to motor vehicles, a Class 2 felony; and unlawful possession of methamphetamine, a Class 3 felony. The case was originally presented by the Pontoon Beach Police Department. According to court documents, on Oct. 6, 2020 Johnson allegedly was found to be in possession of .45 caliber ammunition and body armor, a stolen 2006 Toyota Solera and less than five grams of methamphetamine. Johnson has a 2016 Buchanan County, Missouri conviction for possession of controlled substance, making him ineligible to possess weapons, ammunition or body armor. Bail was originally set at $150,000. Aaron F. Duey, 34, of Alton, was indicted for offenses relating to motor vehicles, a Class 2 felony, and unlawful violation of an order of protection (second subsequent offense), a Class 4 felony, in separate cases The cases were originally presented by the Alton Police Department. According to court documents, on April 22, 2020, Duey allegedly was found to be in possession of a stolen 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix. On May 27, 2020 he allegedly violated an order of protection by being at a protected residence. Bail was originally set at $50,000 for the vehicle charge, $15,000 for the violation of an order of protection charge. Paul W. Bollinger, 32, of Alton, was indicted for unlawful possession of methamphetamine, a Class 1 felony. The case was originally presented by the Alton Police Department. According to court documents, on Oct. 2 Bollinger allegedly was found to be in possession of between 15-100 grams of methamphetamine. He was also charged last week with unlawful possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine after a month-long investigation by the South Roxana Police Department. Several other people were also charged in that incident. Bail for the original methamphetamine charge and his latest charge were both set at $50,000. KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) Four Afghan journalists were arrested by the countrys intelligence service after they returned to the city of Kandahar following a reporting trip to a border area recently taken by the Taliban, an Afghan press freedom group said Tuesday. The four had travelled to Spin Boldak to interview Taliban commanders after the insurgents captured a border crossing there with Pakistan. A spokesman for the Interior Ministry says the four are accused of spreading propaganda for the Taliban. The Afghan media watchdog known as Nai said they returned home to Kandahar on Monday and were arrested by the National Directorate for Security. Nai says that the journalists whereabouts on Tuesday was not known. Three of the reporters Bsimullah Wantandost, Qudrat Sultani and Moheb Obaidi work for the local radio station Mellat Zhagh. The fourth is Sanaullah Siam, a cameraman for the Xinhua News Agency, the group said. Taliban spokesman Mohmmad Naeem, with the insurgents' political office in Qatar, condemned the arrest by the Afghan administration," saying the four were only doing their job, trying to follow the events and try to reveal the facts." Nai said the arrest was illegal and demanded the journalists' immediate release. Later Tuesday, Afghan interior ministry spokesman Mirwais Stanikzai said the four have been accused of spreading enemy propaganda. He insisted the Kabul government is committed to freedom of expression but cautioned it must abide by the constitution and the laws of the country. Any kind of propaganda for the benefit of terrorists and the enemy as well as against the national interest of Afghanistan, will be counted as a crime, Stanikzai added. Reporters work under extremely difficult circumstances in Afghanistan, and often face violence, threats and intimidation, preventing them from carrying out their work properly. The war-torn nation has over 2,000 officially registered media outlets. Violence against journalists was up 26% in 2020, compared to 2019, according to the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee, which recorded 132 threats and acts of violence against journalists and media workers last year. Salida, CO (81201) Today Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High near 75F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low near 55F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Instant unlimited access to all of our content on thenewsguard.com. The News Guard E-Edition Newsletter emailed to you each week, the night before the paper hits the street! This subscription is for NEW or RENEWING online subscribers. (The charge will appear as "Country Media Inc." on your credit card statement) Governor confirms Phuket Sandbox will continue PHUKET: As the number of local infections of COVID-19 continue to rise across the island, Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew has confirmed that the Phuket Sandbox scheme will continue. COVID-19Coronavirushealthtourismeconomics By The Phuket News Tuesday 27 July 2021, 03:50PM Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew has assured that the Phuket Sandbox scheme will continue, despite the rising number of infections on the island. Photo: PR Phuket The assurance comes as the island yesterday marked 114 local infections in the past seven days easily exceeding the 90 infections in one week limit set by the the Centre of COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) in Bangkok late last month as reason enough to start reviewing whether or not the Phuket Sandbox scheme should be halted. The Phuket Sandbox scheme is still continuing. The situation right now has not disturbed the opening [of Phuket to receiving fully vaccinated tourists without quarantine], Governor Narong said during a live broadcast this morning (July 27). We think that the measures to be enforced will be able to control the outbreak, he added, referring to a raft of new COVID prevention measures introduced in a new provincial order issued yesterday. Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) Chief Dr Kusak Kukiattikoon explained to the press last night the criteria set out for revising the Phuket Sandbox scheme as announced by Natapanu Nopakun, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Information and Deputy Spokesman of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, on June 22 as part of the CCSAs national COVID-situation briefing. If there were 90 persons infected per week in Phuket, that would be a criteria for reconsideration of the scheme once it has started, or for any adjustments, Mr Natapanu said last month. Also if all three districts in Phuket are affected, and in that more than six villages are affected, that would be another criteria, he added. If there are COVID cases and there are no linkages found and no contact tracing is possible, that would be another criteria, Mr Natapanu continued. Also, if the hospital bed capacity exceeds 80%, that would be another criteria, he added. If the situation becomes worse in Phuket after the opening of the province on the 1st of July with these particular criteria, then it [the box scheme] would be reconsidered, Mr Natapanu warned. Some of the reconsideration of the Phuket Sandbox scheme would be possibly to decrease the level of business activity or to conduct Sealed Route travel, and also to have more hotel quarantine, he added. Also as a worst-case scenario, they would have to halt the [Sandbox] scheme in Phuket, Mr Natapanu said. Dr Kusak explained last night, If the situation meets all five criteria, we will start enforcing strict measures respectively as follows: 1. allowing them to travel only in the sealed routes; 2. cancelling the sealed routes and allowing them to stay only in hotel areas; 3. Allowing them to stay only in their rooms; and 4. Cancelling the sandbox scheme. If we have 90 new cases in a week, but we are still able to handle the cases, we will just consider following the plan. We need to keep a balance between controlling the disease and economic recovery, he added. Governor Narong this morning noted, The situation outside of the island is getting worse, so we need to take care and control our people to be safe. However, he gave no indication that the requirements to enter Phuket will face further revisions after a slew of new measures tightening control over who may enter Phuket were rolled out last week. Asked whether the measures to close the selected venues, all schools and Central Phuket shopping mall, among others, will reduce the number of new infections, Governor Narong said, I would say this is not the first time for a situation like this. The number of cases goes up and down. We have learned from the past that closing places and locking down can reduce the number of cases, and right now we also have strict entry requirements. We have strict entry requirements for new arrivals which we think helps a lot for screening and protecting our people from infection from outside the province, he added. For inside the island, we have clear measures. If we find any areas having many new cases of infection, we immediately send our medical staff to conduct proactive screening and take high-risk people into the local quarantine, he said. This is necessary because we need to keep Phuket Sandbox going. We have reopened the island [to tourists] for only a little while and already received very good signs in terms of economic recovery, he added. Today, we discussed disease control measures that may affect some businesses. I need to ask operators and local people for understanding and cooperation. We need to protect the benefits of the overall people on the island, Governor Narong said. INFECTION SITUATION PPHO Chief Dr Kusak last night that the number of new infections was expected to remain high for the immediate future. In the coming week, I expect that the number of new cases will remain at 20-plus because one infected case can at the minimum infect five high-risk people. Right now, more than 440 high risk contacts are in local quarantine [LQ], he said. We need to work quickly to have new infected cases entered into treatment and take high risk contacts into the local quarantine, Dr Kusak continued. Right now, we have 450 rooms at LQ venues, and we are looking for about 150-200 more rooms for future high-risk contacts, he added. BOOSTER JABS Dr Kusak also pointed out that his office is pushing to further protect the public from infection through third vaccination injections to help boost immunity to the virus. For the third booster vaccines [sic], the PPHO and Vachira Phuket Hospital have already filed a request to the Ministry of Public Health to ask for the doses of vaccine. We need to prioritise groups of people to receive the third injection as we have done before, he said. Dr Chalermpong Sukontapol, Director of Vachira Phuket Hospital, last night added, We already provided a third dose of vaccine to medical staff last week. Next, [third] vaccine injections will be provided to frontline staff, including those who work in disease control and have contact with Sandbox arrivals. These groups of people will receive their third injection in early August. The general public will receive the [third injection] vaccine later, he said. HOSPITAL BEDS Dr Chalermpong said that the number of beds available in intensive-care units (ICUs) currently looked relatively healthy. Right now, we have 17 ICU rooms, and the number of beds occupied is not very high because our people have been vaccinated and have very low potential to become red-zone patients [sic], he said. Some 90% of the people in Phuket currently receiving treatment for COVID-19 infection were what Dr Chalermpong called green-zone patients. About 3-4% of patients are considered to be red-zone patients, he added, without giving any specific figures for either category. At Vachira Phuket Hospital, we will increase the number of ICU rooms to 27. If combined with other hospitals, we will have about 50 ICU rooms on the island, Dr Chalermpong said. We have about 200 normal rooms for isolation and group-patient rooms, and we can add an extra 100 rooms. At the field hospital at PSU [Prince of Songkla University Phuket campus in Kathu], we have 170 beds. Of those, 75 beds are occupied, he continued. However, right now we have a lot of green-zone patients, so we need to prepare the PRU [ Phuket Rajabhat University in Rassada] as another field hospital with 70 beds in the first phase and a total of 195 beds in the second phase, Dr Chalermpong said. Luma Solves Retirement Insurance Requirements for OA Visa in Phuket Luma has launched their new health insurance plan called Luma Long Stay Care, which meets the insurance requirement for OA Long Stay Visa. By Advertorial Tuesday 27 July 2021, 11:37AM Luma Health Whether youre already retired or planning to retire, finding the right health insurance plan is a priority for your long stay in Thailand. It provides the essential coverage for retired and retiring expats who wish to prolong their stay in or around Phuket. Luma Long Stay Care comes with extensive medical support for expats, including dedicated member support and consultation available in English, French, and Thai, as well as a qualified medical team led by an in-house expat doctor. It is highly recommended to apply for the OA Long Stay Visa if you plan to spend your retirement in Thailand. With the retirement visa, you can stay in the Kingdom uninterrupted for a year without the hassle of finding a job or getting a sponsorship. The visa also grants multiple entries, and can be renewed every year as long as the requirements are met. The OA Long Stay Visa is eligible for foreigners who are more than 50 years old and comes with a requirement to have health insurance that covers 400,000 THB in inpatient benefits, and 40,000 THB in outpatient benefits. Applying for the OA Long Stay Visa is quite simple if you follow the instructions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs . Special Arrangements for Phuket Residents If you reside in Phuket, Luma Long Stay Care includes direct billing service (cashless treatment within the hospital network) at private international hospitals on the island. If youre 65 years old or older, you will need to take a medical check-up when applying or renewing your OA Visa in Phuket. Luma can arrange the check-up within their hospital network including Bangkok Hospital Phuket and Bangkok Hospital Siriroj, exclusively for Luma members at a privileged price . All members can also benefit from Second Medical Opinion from their in-house doctor, who offers medical referral services to ensure that members receive the right medical solution. Check out some of the features of Luma Long Stay Care: Meets the OA Long Stay Visa insurance requirement, exceeding 400,000 THB in Inpatient and 40,000 THB in Outpatient coverage Accepts application up to 79 years old, and renewable until 90 years old Direct billing within the insurers medical network for cashless service Medical check-up at a member-exclusive rate within the medical network Competitive premium with a variety of deductible options In-house medical doctor to offer Second Medical Opinion and Medical Referral services Member support and consultation available in English, French, Thai Enquire about health insurance to retire in Phuket on the Luma website, or consult with Luma directly at: Phone: +66 2 494 3600 Email: consult@lumahealth.com Line: @luma Facebook www.lumahealth.com Police investigate womans death after apparent condo fall PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of a Thai woman who they believe fell to her death from the seventh-floor of her Phuket condominium in Wichit today (July 27). deathaccidentspolice By Eakkapop Thongtub Tuesday 27 July 2021, 04:52PM The Base Downtown condo in Soi Ek Wanit Uthit, Wichit where the womans body was found. Photo: Ekkapop Thongtub Lt Wuttichai Chanfai of the Wichit Police, along with Kusoldharm rescue workers, was called to the scene around 5:50am this morning. On arrival they discovered the body of the woman lying on the pavement in an area adjacent to The Base Downtown condo in Soi Ek Wanit Uthit in Wichit, immediately southwest from the darasamut Intersection. From initial examination, police confirmed the womans hands and legs were broken and she had suffered head injuries as her nose had bled. Her body was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital for further examination. Police were told that the 28-year-old woman rented the seventh-floor property and lived alone. After examination of her room, police confirmed there was no evidence of a struggle or any signs of trespass. The door to her balcony was open, with the balcony situated directly above where her body was found. A relative of the woman told police that the woman lived alone and suffered bouts of depression. She just had an argument with her Chinese boyfriend, the relative added. Lt Wuttichai explained that police believe the woman fell from her room but further investigations will be conducted including the review of footage from CCTV cameras to determine the exact cause and motivation behind her death. The incident is remarkably similar to another fatality at the same condo almost three years ago where a 48-year-old Russian lady who was on holiday fell to her death. Southern Pines, NC (28387) Today Rain likely. High 72F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. Low around 65F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Southern Pines, NC (28387) Today Showers this morning, becoming a steady rain during the afternoon hours. High 72F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Cloudy with showers. Low near 65F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Southern Pines, NC (28387) Today Rain likely. High 72F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. Low near 65F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. ALBANY The city of Troy is seeking to settle a federal lawsuit filed by the family of an unarmed man who was fatally shot by a patrol sergeant in 2016 following a vehicle pursuit that ended when the officer allegedly rammed the suspect's vehicle into a barrier. U.S. Magistrate Daniel J. Stewart on Monday scheduled a settlement conference in the case for early August. John D. Aspland, Jr., an attorney for the city in the case, wrote a letter to Stewart last month stating "a settlement conference in this matter would be agreeable to the defendants." Aspland said the city was responding to the judge's question of whether they would attend the settlement conference. Aspland's letter followed a federal appeals court decision that upheld Stewart's earlier ruling that found there were "material questions of fact" about the shooting that should be resolved by a jury trial. The appeal was filed by the city of Troy and the widow of former patrol Sgt. Randall French, who fired the shots that killed Edson Thevenin at the end of the vehicle pursuit. Although Thevenin was not armed, the city maintains his vehicle was a weapon and the officer fired in self-defense. That ruling by the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals also declined to grant qualified immunity to French, who died last year from symptoms associated with COVID-19, because eyewitness testimony called into question the officer's claim that the shooting was justified. Stewart's June 2019 ruling had rejected the city's motion to dismiss the case. He had noted in his ruling that conflicting witness accounts raised too many questions about the city's claim that French was constitutionally authorized to use deadly physical force. The city had argued that French, "in a moment of existential terror, found himself pinned between his squad car and the still accelerating vehicle of Edson Thevenin." The appellate court noted that Phillip E. Gross III, one of two civilian witnesses to the shooting, contradicted French's statement that his legs were pinned between Thevenin's revving Honda and his patrol car when he opened fire. Gross, a tow truck driver, told police the vehicles were about 4 feet apart when French, without saying anything, opened fire on Thevenin, whose vehicle then rolled slowly into the officer's legs. "Under this version of the facts, as to which a rational jury could find that Thevenin posed no significant threat of death or serious physical injury to French or others at the time of the shooting, we conclude that it would have been clear to a reasonable officer in Frenchs position that ... his conduct was unlawful," the appellate panel said. "We stand ready to defend Randy French at trial when that time comes," Aspland said in March after the appellate court ruling. The city had argued that French's split-second decision to use deadly force was based on the officer's perception that he was in imminent danger and justified to open fire. But Stewart, like the appellate court, noted that witnesses including other police officers gave varying accounts of what unfolded, and the nearby tow truck driver had sharply contradicted French's claim of being trapped against his patrol car by Thevenin's revving Honda Civic when he opened fire. An internal affairs investigation that had been concealed by Troy city officials also concluded that French was not in imminent danger when he fired the first two rounds through Thevenin's windshield. The report, which recommended disciplinary action against French, was drafted in 2018 by former Capt. Joseph L. Centanni at the end of a nine-month internal investigation. An expert also concluded that French may have lied about Thevenin crashing his car into a concrete barrier. That expert's determination was that French had sideswiped Thevenin's Honda sedan and forced it into the barrier in violation of departmental policies. The report was issued by Brian F. Chase, a former New Hampshire State Police sergeant who is considered an international expert in vehicle forensics. Chase had been hired by the Troy Police Department as part of the internal investigation. Centanni, who is now chief of the Watervliet Police Department, had determined that French gave "empirically untruthful statements" about what happened that night, including his alleged decision to force Thevenin's vehicle off the road. Troy city police officials declined to take action against French based on Centanni's report. That report sustained a total of four allegations against the sergeant, including his having engaged in "several reckless acts which dramatically increased the likelihood of a violent confrontation with Thevenin upon Sgt. French's exit from his patrol vehicle." Top officials in the administration of Mayor Patrick Madden had secretly hired a law enforcement consultant, Michael D. Ranalli, who had been recommended by Troy police officials. Ranalli composed a 19-page legal memorandum that they claim rebuts Centanni's findings. The city has declined to disclose Ranalli's report. But Stewart ordered the release of Centanni's report after a whistleblower alerted Cinthia Thevenin's attorneys about its existence. The finding of that report were first reported by the Times Union. A yearlong investigation by the state attorney general's office that was completed in January 2018 also had raised questions about French's version of what unfolded, and sharply criticized the investigations conducted by the Troy Police Department and former Rensselaer County District Attorney Joel E. Abelove. Abelove was charged with perjury and official misconduct as a result of his handling of Thevenin's killing. Last year, a Columbia County judge acquitted Abelove of all charges he had faced, including felony perjury. SEEKING WORK STUDY STUDENTS! Prompt, cheerful, students with professional attitudes are encouraged to apply to answer office phones and greet guests from behind a plexiglass COVID barrier in The Shorthorn office.Preference is given to students available to work some mornings. This in-office job offers flexible hours and plenty of time to study.Apply through Handshake for job #5030898 or call 817-272-3188 for more information. The Fantasia International Film Festival is celebrating a milestone, with its 25th edition kicking off on August 5 and running until the 25th as a mostly virtual event. Not only will the fest include a special screening of the Warner Bros. Pictures superhero action adventure The Suicide Squad, but organizers also announced other programming that includes features, virtual events, and juries. On August 5, Fantasia will officially open with the world premiere of a previously announced Quebec production: Julien Knafos Brain Freeze. It stars Roy Dupuis and Iani Bedard. The Suicide Squads in-person screening will be held on August 4th at Montreals Imperial Theatre, where the festival first took place more than two decades ago. The film comes out in theaters on August 6th. It is both written and directed by long-time Fantasia friend James Gunn, who first attended the festival in 1997 and whose former comic book blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy made its Canadian premiere there in 2014. Fantasias programming lineup has been announced in waves this past month. There will be one more announcement to reveal the films and other events that will round out of the fest. Some of the highlights that have been disclosed include: Win "existential mystery" in Maxwell McCabe-Loko's debut feature Be one of the very first to see the debut feature from Toronto-born filmmaker Maxwell McCabe-Lokos. Following his acclaimed shorts, Ape Sodom (2016), and Midnight Confessions (2017), Stanleyville follows a disillusioned office drone Maria Barbizan (Susanne Wuest, Goodnight Mommy) after she decides to drop everything and participate in a bizarre contest with other contestants that will keep you guessing till the very end. Jane Schoenbrun brings everyone to the World's Fair In this Canadian premiere a lonely teen (Anna Cobb) stares at her computer screen, partaking in a viral game that soon takes hold of her increasingly dissociating mind. Jane Schoenbruns breakout Sundance hit We're All Going To The World's Fair takes a quiet, devastating look at loneliness and despondency in the Internet age. A double dose of Japan's Studio4C, with Poupelle of Chimney Town and Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko Poupelle of Chimney Town was adapted from the popular picture book by Japanese comedian Akihiro Nishino. His tale is brought to life by veteran CG animator Yusuke Hirota and Studio4C, and the film will see its North American premiere at Fantasia. Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko is a heartwarming comedy/drama whose story offers slice-of-life scenes from an unconventional family. Prisoners of the Ghostland A notorious criminal (Nicolas Cage) must break an evil curse in order to rescue a girl (Sofia Boutella) who has mysteriously disappeared in the Canadian premiere of Japanese filmmaker Sion Sono's Prisoners of the Ghostland. Dreams on Fire Dreams on Fire tells the story of Yume, a young Japanese woman making her way into the world of dance in Tokyo. It features colourful visuals and spectacular dance scenes. It's the debut feature from Philippe McKie, a Quebec filmmaker whos been living in Japan for 10 years, and it stars popular dancer Bambi Naka in her first leading role. This is also the film's North American premiere. The Beta Test In Jim Cummings third feature, a married Hollywood agent (Cummings) receives a mysterious letter for an anonymous sexual encounter and becomes ensnared in a sinister world of lying, infidelity, and weaponized digital data. The Beta Test will have its Canadian premiere at Fantasia. Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A history of Folk Horror Winner of the Midnighter Audience Award at SXSW and having its Canadian premiere, Kier-La Janisses Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A history of Folk Horror navigates through over 200 films and 50 interviewees, including Robert Eggers (The Witch), Alice Lowe (Prevenge), and Piers Haggard (Blood on Satans Claw). It begins with the British cult classics of the '70s and travels to modern day. It's a ground-breaking, extensively researched work made over many years and leaves no stone unturned. For more information and for tickets to the Fantasia Film Fest, visit fantasiafestival.com Media Content Creator Ian Ostroff is a writer/reporter who resides in Montreal. He is passionate about getting to know the people and places that make his hometown so great. In his spare time, you can find him at the gym, eating ice cream, or working on his novel(s). GUATEMALA CITY (AP) The firing of Guatemalas top anti-corruption prosecutor and new allegations that someone close to the attorney general was soliciting bribes for protection from investigations have increased concerns that what little capacity the country still had to battle corruption is being dismantled from within. Juan Francisco Sandoval, head of the anti-impunity special prosecutors office, was dismissed Friday and fled the country that same night. Attorney General Consuelo Porras accused him of ideologically biased investigations. She had reassigned another prosecutor from his office a day earlier. Then Sunday, lawyer Marco Aurelio Alveno Hernandez said he had told Sandovals office that one of his clients, a former Guatemalan central banker, had paid a bribe through Alveno to an adviser of Porras so his corruption case was moved from Sandovals office to another prosecutor. Alveno fled the country Sunday with his family fearing potential retribution for his cooperation with Sandovals office. The point of firing the prosecutor who led the investigations is to block what was being investigated, said Elvyn Diaz, vice president of Guatemalas Institute for Comparative Studies in Criminal Science. He said the move also raises the possibility the justice system could be manipulated to punish Sandoval and the judges who ruled on the cases that he brought. Sandoval had said as much about his firing. He accused Porras of blocking his offices investigations, including those touching President Alejandro Giammattei, who has spoken of his friendship with Porras. The administration denied any involvement, saying it respected the attorney generals autonomy. U.S. officials condemned Sandovals firing. We stand with the people of Guatemala and with Prosecutor Juan Francisco Sandoval, whom I recognized this year with an Anticorruption Champion Award. His dismissal undermines the rule of law and strengthens the forces of impunity. Guatemalans deserve better, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said via Twitter on Sunday. Guatemalas government has been criticized over the past year for driving out judges known for taking a hard line on corruption. The moves are a continuation of the effort that ended the 12-year run of the United Nations anti-corruption mission in Guatemala in 2019 under then President Jimmy Morales. Porras was appointed attorney general by Morales and has continued in the position during the administration of Giammattei. Ivan Velasquez, who led the U.N. mission and worked closely with Sandoval, said the anti-corruption fight is worsening. It will only reverse if the international community suspends all aid to the Attorney Generals Office and isolates the attorney general, which is allied with all of the corrupt political power in the country, Velasquez said. It will depend on Guatemalans and their effort to defend democracy and find a way out. On Monday, rural organizations blocked three highways to protest Sandovals firing. Other groups are considering ways to pressure the government. Some lawmakers have already filed formal complaints against Porras, accusing her of obstruction of justice among other things. In June, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris visited Guatemala and pledged support for anti-corruption efforts here. She has identified corruption as one of the factors pushing Guatemalans to migrate. The firing confirms the fear from several months ago that despite having expressed an interest in collaborating on an anti-corruption agenda, ultimately, the Guatemalan government has a different agenda, said Tiziano Breda, Central America analyst for Crisis Group. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) Some Louisiana health facilities are suspending nonemergency surgeries that might require hospital admissions as they grapple with a steadily increasing influx of COVID-19 patients amid the state's latest spike in cases. Baton Rouge-based Our Lady of the Lake said Monday it will pause scheduling new, nonurgent surgeries that require an inpatient bed for at least three weeks after admitting 25 new COVID-19 patients within 24 hours. In New Orleans, the six-hospital LCMC system announced new visitor restrictions, effective Monday, and said it, too, was suspending non-essential surgeries and procedures that might require hospital admission or overnight stays. Monday's announcement on the LCMC website said the suspension would be effective Thursday. Louisiana has one of the lowest coronavirus vaccination rates in the nation, worsening this latest surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by the highly contagious delta variant. Statewide, the number of people hospitalized with the coronavirus illness reached 1,221 on Monday, according to state health department data. That's more than double the hospitalization number only 10 days ago. And medical leaders say the COVID-19 patients they're seeing are largely unvaccinated. Our Lady of the Lake which runs a regional medical center, children's hospital and smaller hospital in the Baton Rouge area said it has 112 of those COVID-19 patients in its facilities, 40% of those in intensive care. "Our inpatient facilities remain at capacity, Stephanie Manson, chief operating officer at Our Lady of the Lake, said in a statement. We made this decision to make additional beds and staff available. Previously scheduled procedures are proceeding as scheduled. We continue to schedule outpatient and new urgent surgical procedures. Health officials warn that delaying procedures such as cancer treatments, knee surgeries and other inpatient operations considered nonemergency could worsen health conditions over time. But Louisiana is seeing one of the nation's worst coronavirus surges per capita. More than 6,200 new COVID-19 cases have been confirmed with the state since Friday, and more than 15,000 new cases over the past week. Republican U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, who represents southwest and south central Louisiana, announced Sunday night that he, his wife and his son have contracted COVID-19. The congressman, who has criticized mask mandates and other coronavirus rules, said he and his wife also were infected last year. Higgins has refused to say whether he's been vaccinated against the virus. Louisiana has struggled to reach the immunization rates of other states, with only about 37% of its residents fully vaccinated and 41% starting the vaccination process. Only four states have lower vaccination rates, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Joe Kanter, the governor's chief public health adviser, said Louisiana is seeing a slight uptick in people's interest in the shots since the delta variant intensified across the state. Still, that won't be enough to combat the latest surge in the short-term because it takes weeks to get fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. Baton Rouge General Medical Center said it has 71 COVID-19 patients in its hospital, calling this summer's spike in coronavirus illness cases more drastic compared to a similar surge last July. Hospitalizations are larger among younger age groups this year, according to the hospital. Large percentages of Louisiana residents 60 and older have gotten vaccinated, while far fewer people in younger age groups have done so. Gov. John Bel Edwards on Friday urged everyone to wear masks indoors if they cant stay distanced from others, even if they've been vaccinated. But the Democratic governor didn't return to a statewide mandate. The Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles started requiring masks for all of its locations Monday, after seeing some of its offices forced to close intermittently in recent months because of COVID-19 outbreaks. ___ Associated Press reporter Kevin McGill in New Orleans contributed to this story. ___ Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak. WASHINGTON (AP) In their search for a new approach to arms control, Moscow and Washington are likely to soon encounter an old bugaboo: Russia's demand that the U.S. stop resisting limits on its missile defenses, which the Russians view as a long-term threat and the Americans see as a deterrent to war. It is likely to arise when U.S. and Russian officials open a strategic stability dialogue Wednesday in Geneva talks meant to lay the groundwork for future arms control and to reduce the risk of nuclear war. The talks are an area of modest promise in a relationship otherwise marred by disputes over ransomware attacks, Russian military intervention in Ukraine and other issues. The Geneva session is not expected to yield a major breakthrough, but it likely will lead to additional talks. Russia's point man on arms control negotiations, Sergei Ryabkov, told reporters in Moscow on Tuesday that the Russian delegation had submitted proposals in writing, although he offered no details. He said the purpose of Wednesday's session will be to analyze in detail where we have differences, and try to find directions for joint work where there is a certain opportunity, according to a Tass news agency report. The missile defense dispute has shot down past efforts to broaden the scope of arms control negotiations to include more than the traditional category of strategic, or long-range, nuclear missiles. Now it is among several disagreements magnified by mutual distrust that are likely to determine whether the world's two biggest nuclear powers can avoid a new arms race. At stake are what President Joe Biden has called "new and dangerous and sophisticated weapons that are coming on the scene now that reduce the times of response, that raise the prospects of accidental war. Biden appeared to be referring to emerging technologies such as hypersonic weapons, artificial intelligence and space weapons, which are being pursued not just by the United States and Russia but also China, whose rapid military advances have complicated the international arms control picture. Biden may also have had in mind Russia's pursuit of exotic nuclear weapons, including a nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed cruise missile, as well as a nuclear-powered underwater drone. The Russians have said U.S. missile defenses compelled them to seek new weapons that could evade those defenses, and they recently offered to include these in future arms control negotiations. That gesture is seen by some as an opening for Washington to drop its opposition to negotiating limits on missile defenses. When they met in Geneva on June 16, Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to begin mapping a new road to arms control by reopening the strategic stability talks that had faltered in the final months of the Trump administration. The idea is to explore possibilities for negotiating arms deals to succeed the New START treaty, which covers only long-range nuclear-armed weapons and is set to expire in 2026. The Russians have long insisted there can be no strategic stability without limits on defensive as well as offensive weapons. Ryabkov, the deputy foreign minister, has left no doubt that Moscow will insist that missile defense be part of a future arms control arrangement. Addressing the issue of missile defense has no alternative for us, he told an international conference June 22. He said Russia cannot accept U.S. assurances that its missile defenses are meant only to shoot down rockets fired by North Korea or potentially by Iran. Sooner or later, Ryabkov said, the U.S. will increase its defensive capabilities to the point where they will undermine the viability of Russian missiles. Therein lies the Russian concern about instability. For its part, the Biden administration wants Moscow to agree to limit its so-called nonstrategic nuclear weapons, which are not covered by the New START treaty. Some arms control experts think this presents the possibility of a tradeoff negotiations covering missile defenses as well as non-strategic weapons. Before the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, marking an end to the Cold War, the conventional wisdom was that nationwide missile defenses would make the world less safe. The thinking was that by limiting such defenses, each side was kept vulnerable and thus less likely to strike first. President Ronald Reagan upset that convention in 1983 with his star wars vision of an impenetrable shield, based partly in outer space, to render ballistic missiles obsolete. The plan was abandoned after he left office but gave rise to new Russian fears about missile defense. Russian concerns escalated in 2002 when President George W. Bush pulled the United States out the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which had imposed missile defense limits on both countries. Bush called the treaty a relic and said U.S. security demanded better protection of the homeland against limited missile attacks. Thus was born the current U.S. missile defense system, based mainly at Fort Greely, Alaska, starting in 2004. Its stated purpose is to protect U.S. territory from a potential North Korean missile attack. A smaller system based in Germany and intended to defend NATO territory against potential missile attack from Iran also is a source of tension with Moscow, which sees it as threatening Russia. Proponents of U.S. missile defense point out that Russia has its own nuclear-armed missile defense of Moscow. Prior to entering the White House, Biden was a critic of missile defense. In 2006 he derided the Bush administration's homeland missile defense system as a modern-day Maginot line a defense that is confidently relied upon despite being unreliable. In 2001 he said the Bush administration had a theological allegiance to a missile defense system that he predicted would spark a new arms race. Robert Soofer, a top nuclear and missile defense policy official throughout Donald Trump's presidency, acknowledges that the Russians will want to include missile defense in any future arms negotiations. We should offer no concessions, but rather hear them out and explore ways to reassure the Russian side through transparency, technical cooperation where practical, and other confidence-building measures that U.S. missile defenses pose no threat to Russia's formidable nuclear forces, Soofer said in congressional testimony June 9. CHUGUR, Peru (AP) The humble two-story, adobe home of the Castillo family, located in one of the poorest districts of Peru deep in the Andes, feels a little empty now. Lilia Paredes packed up the familys belongings within the last week, neatly folding her husbands shirts and picking some plates and silverware in between visits from farmers from nearby villages stopping by to say goodbye. A neo-baroque presidential palace awaits Paredes, her husband and Peruvian President-elect Pedro Castillo, and their two children should the family chose to live in the historic building. Castillo, will be sworn in as president Wednesday, less than two weeks after he was declared the winner of the June 6 runoff election. The leftist rural teacher, who has never held office, defeated his opponent, right-wing career politician Keiko Fujimori, by just 44,000 votes. Paredes is not sure where she, her husband and two children will live starting Wednesday. She also does not know where the children will go to school once classes begin. We dont have any property in Lima, she told The Associated Press last week on her foggy patio in Chugur while she rubbed her hands amid the cold of the Andean winter. We are people from the countryside, and almost always, the provincial have to wait years to have a property in the capital. If they tell me to live in another place, it would also be the same, we are not kings to live in a palace, we go to work. Castillos supporters included the poor and rural citizens of the South American nation. He popularized the phrase No more poor in a rich country, and stunned millions of Peruvians and observers by advancing to the runoff. The economy of Peru, the worlds second-largest copper producer, has been crushed by the coronavirus pandemic, increasing the poverty level to almost one-third of the population and eliminating the gains of a decade. The typical presidential transition process was derailed after Fujimori tried to overturn the result, asking election authorities to annul thousands of votes alleging fraud, an accusation she could never prove. That left the Castillo family little time to make plans and say their goodbyes. Unlike all of Perus former presidents of the last 40 years, the Castillos have no home in Lima. Paredes, also a teacher, said she and her husband have to decide whether they will live in the presidential residence, but it is likely they will call it home. She has seen it from the outside but has never stepped inside, not even on guided tours that were offered during pre-pandemic times. Choosing their home is a significant decision given Castillos anti-elite rhetoric. His campaign slogan could be called into question if the family moves into the ornate presidential palace. Paredes is taking to Lima some bags with food, including peas, beans, sweet corn flour and cheese that the family makes at home after milking their cows at dawn. The familys house - which Castillo built more than 20 years ago - will be in the care of Paredes elder sister. The family has also packed study materials for Arnold, 16, and Alondra, 9. Paredes would like her children to attend a university and a state college. She said Arnold wants to study civil engineering because he likes math. Alondrita will continue studying in a public school, but I would like it to be one of nuns, Paredes said. If that happens, it will be the first time in decades that the children of a president enroll in public education. The powerful in Peru have long preferred private schools. Some local media outlets had suggested that Paredes would wear an haute couture dress from a Lima-based designer, but she categorically denied that option. She chose Lupe de la Cruz, a seamstress from a town near Chugur, to make two suits for her. I like simple... My husband likes what I wear, and I like what he wears, she said. Paredes recently brought de la Cruz two cuts of brown and green wool fabric. The seamstress showed her a fashion magazine, and the next first lady chose the designs of two discreet suits. She does not like embellishments nor scandalous colors, de la Cruz said days later at her workshop, cluttered with fabrics, scissors, needles, threads and rulers. Before leaving for Lima, Paredes and her family attended a service in the Nazarene church that is located a few yards (meters) from their home. Pastor Victor Cieza invited dozens of pastors from other evangelical churches from the surrounding villages. The church with yellow walls and a tin roof filled up with neighbors dressed in hats and woolen ponchos like those worn by Castillo. Some sang accompanied by a guitar; others reflected on vanity and the importance of humility. Everyone knows us, we will never forget where we are from and where we have to return because the positions are not forever, Paredes said at the end of the service. LONDON (AP) British lawmakers excoriated the government Tuesday for failing victims of the Windrush scandal, accusing officials of ignoring the plight of those whose lives were torn apart when the authorities improperly questioned their right to be in the U.K. Parliaments Public Accounts Committee said a compensation program run by the Home Office was overly complex, too slow to hand out money and understaffed, initially employing just six people to deal with a predicted 15,000 claims. Chair Meg Hillier, from the opposition Labour Party, said it was important to remember how grave the errors have been. Lifetimes in this country were discounted, peoples homes, families and livelihoods were interrupted and uprooted, some were forced from the country, Hillier said in a statement Some were approaching the end of those lifetimes as this tragedy befell them. Some have died without ever seeing justice or receiving the compensation they deserve. The Windrush Generation, named after the ship that carried the first migrants from the Caribbean in 1948, came to the U.K. in response to a government call for workers from throughout the British Empire to help rebuild the country after World War II. The Windrush Scandal has rocked Britain since 2018, when long-term legal residents from the Caribbean were caught up in a crackdown on illegal immigration. Thousands lost jobs, homes and the right to free medical care, many because they arrived as children and couldnt produce paperwork proving their right to live in the U.K. Some were detained, and an unknown number were deported to countries they barely remembered. A program designed to compensate victims has been slow to process applications amid complaints that the Home Office, the agency responsible for targeting Windrush immigrants in the first place, shouldnt be responsible for resolving their claims. The Home Office in December acknowledged the slow start, but said the program had been overhauled to make it simpler and faster. The committee said Tuesday that despite the Home Offices promise to learn lessons the agency is failing the Windrush generation all over again. Far from learning and applying lessons as promised, the Windrush compensation scheme is beset with the very same issues that led to the initial terrible mistakes, she said. A Home Office spokesman said many of the issues raised by the report had already been addressed. The agency has paid almost 27 million pounds ($37 million) in compensation, up from less than 3 million pounds at the time the overhaul was announced in December, it said in a statement. Another 7.1 million pounds has been offered to victims. The Home Secretary (Priti Patel) has been resolute in her determination to put right the wrongs suffered by all those affected by the Windrush scandal, the agency said in a statement. JERSEYVILLE A Jerseyville woman was charged with felony domestic battery after striking a family or household member with a car on July 21. Tiffany N. Adams, 38, of the 600 block of N. Giddings, was charged July 22 with aggravated domestic battery, a Class 2 felony. Five oil paintings depicting landscapes of the regions past have found a new permanent home. The Everhart Museum, 1901 Mulberry St., Scranton, unveiled the newest paintings by John Willard Raught to join its collection during a press conference Tuesday. A small group gathered in the room named for Raught on the museums second floor, where they got an up-close look at the artwork by the late impressionist artist from Dunmore. The museum recently acquired the pieces Landscape with Country Road, Gone Fishing, Apple Blossoms near Moscow, PA, A Quiet Pool on the Spring Brook and A Meadow Pool from the estate of a local family it declined to identify. Robert Sayers, an attorney who has collected 17 of Raughts paintings, attended the announcement and called the pieces a good memorial to Northeastern Pennsylvania and culture and the environment. The artwork adds to John Willard Raughts view of our community and lets residents compare the past and present, noted Amanda Frieder, chairwoman of the Everharts board of trustees. I think its great for our community members to come in and see what their home looked like before, she said. Guests also viewed a short video, The Power of Place: John Willard Raughts Scranton, which Posture Interactive of Scranton produced for the museum. The video featured interviews with local historians including Mary Ann Savakinus, executive director of Lackawanna Historical Society; Richard Stanislaus, a member of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission; and Bernie McGurl, executive director of the Lackawanna River Corridor Association. The Everhart posted the video to its YouTube channel. Kathy Johnson Bowles, Everhart executive director, also appeared in the video and spoke at Tuesdays gathering. She pointed out the importance of knowing that Raught was a renowned national artist who not only lived in NEPA but also painted it. We can be inspired by the hope and beauty that (Raught) felt and that we can look to the future knowing that anything is possible, Bowles said. Dozens of the nations mayors are urging Democratic leaders to include a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants in any economic recovery legislation Congress considers this year. That includes Democrats forthcoming $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package a potential legislative vehicle for policy reforms protecting undocumented immigrants who helped the country weather the COVID-19 pandemic, advocates argue. Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti and more than 80 other American mayors signed a letter calling for a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers undocumented immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children as well as holders of Temporary Protected Status, essential immigrant workers and their families. The term Dreamers refers to recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, created during President Barack Obamas tenure, which conveys protection from deportation and permission to legally work in the U.S. Cognetti joined Oakland, California, Mayor Libby Schaaf and Tucson, Arizona, Mayor Regina Romero on a Monday press call, where they made the case for a pathway to citizenship. We already needed to deliver pathways to citizenship, as a nation, before the COVID-19 pandemic, but now it is even more clear that we need to do this for our country and for these families and these workers, Cognetti said, arguing two-thirds of undocumented workers served on the front lines of the public health crisis. They put their lives on the line during the pandemic, and to continue to threaten them with deportation after all that theyve done for our country is unconscionable. The mayors letter to President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, all Democrats, notes an estimated 5 million undocumented immigrants work in construction, agriculture, food service and production, transportation, health care and other essential industries. As our state and local communities continue to confront a public health and economic catastrophe that has claimed more than 500,000 lives and exacerbated deep racial and economic inequities, it is vital that Congress enact protections for Dreamers, TPS holders, and essential immigrant workers to secure the health of our nation and to lay the foundation for an equitable economic recovery for all communities across the country, the letter reads. Cognetti described immigrants as a key part of the economy, especially in the face of declining birth rates and amid the current workforce shortage, arguing a pathway to citizenship is right for both the countrys economic future and the immigrant families themselves. Providing the pathway the mayors are pushing for would boost the nations gross domestic product by $1.5 trillion over the course of a decade, add 400,000 jobs and increase wages for all American workers, argued Sergio Gonzales, executive director of the Immigration Hub, a national organization, and the moderator of Mondays press call. Those figures come from a recent study by the Center for American Progress and the University of California Davis Global Migration Center. Schaaf, whose husband is a Scranton native and whose in-laws live in the city, argued its inhumane to force children and families to live in fear that they or a loved one could be deported. The mayors call for immigration reform comes after a federal judge in Texas ruled earlier this month that the DACA program is unlawful and blocked the Biden administration from accepting new applicants. The judges ruling, which the Biden administration vowed to appeal, underscores the need for Congress to act now and provide a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients and others, Gonzales said. The reconciliation process could allow Congressional Democrats to pass legislation absent any Republican support and without the threat of a Senate GOP filibuster. But whether a pathway to citizenship is ultimately included in Democrats final budget reconciliation bill remains to be seen. Judge Michael Barrasse sentenced the following in Lackawanna County Court: David Cheplick, 25, 922 Dimmick St., Dickson City, to time served in county prison, a $300 fine and $1,214.55 in restitution for driving under the influence. Michael K. Bell, 22, 466 Van Siclen Ave., Apt. 2, Brooklyn, N.Y., to three years of probation and a $300 fine for firearm not to be carried without a license and harassment. Matthew Pringle, 22, 15 Rutherford St., Binghamton, N.Y., to three years of probation for firearm not to be carried without a license. Shaun Ray Wettlaufer Jr., 44, 3 North St., Watsontown, to time served in county prison and one year of probation for use/possession of drug paraphernalia. Joseph Joshua Cole, 27, 414 Beech St., Scranton, to one to six months in county prison and a $1,000 fine for DUI. Angel Timothy Berdecia, 33, 125 Oak St., Scranton, to one to two years in county prison for possession of a controlled substance and use/possession of drug paraphernalia. Michael Angelo Bruno, 30, 502 St. Frances Cabrini Ave., 2nd Fl., Scranton, to one year of probation, including three months of house arrest, for furnishing drug-free urine. James Patrick Merrill, 59, 19 Mountain Laurel Village, Moscow, to six months of probation and a $300 fine for DUI. Christopher Hughes, 47, 224 Aspen Drive, Scranton, to time served in county prison for use/possession of drug paraphernalia. Anthony Lawson, 35, 539 Linden St., Scranton, to one to two years in state prison and three years of probation for simple assault and robbery. Daniel G. Charette, 34, 3624 Winfield Ave., Moosic, to 18 to 48 months in state prison and four years of probation for flight to avoid apprehension and manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver. Terrance Fuller, 34, 539 Linden St., Scranton, to 13 to 36 months in state prison and one year of probation for manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver. Larry Wayne Ackley, 55, listed as homeless, to 21 to 60 months in state prison and three years of probation for manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver and use/possession of drug paraphernalia. Lateef Livingston, 19, 18 Lanark Ave., Newark, N.J., to two to five years in state prison and two years of probation for firearms not to be carried without a license. Corey James Goralski, 28, 209 Hillside Park, Madison Twp., to 16 to 72 months in state prison and one year of probation for fleeing or attempting to elude an officer, use/possession of drug paraphernalia, receiving stolen property and possession of a controlled substance. Nikolas Andrew Wegielewski, 29, 1010 Moltke Ave., Scranton, to 24 to 90 months in state prison, 66 months of probation, $3,047.87 in restitution and a $1,800 fine for forgery, theft by deception, furnishing drug-free urine and DUI. Judge Andrew Jarbola sentenced: Robert Michael Loschen, 28, 1426 Penn Ave., Scranton, to two years of probation for possession of a controlled substance. Antonio King, 28, 230 Lott Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y., to time served in county prison for retail theft and use/possession of drug paraphernalia. Brian J. Tress, 25, 42 Woodland Ave., Staten Island, N.Y., to time served in county prison and two years of probation for simple assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. Ryan Bonin, 25, 17B Morel St., Scranton, to 18 months of probation for recklessly endangering another person. Eric Christian Stenger, 30, 411 Cherry Wood Lane, Madison Twp., to six months of probation, including one month of house arrest, and a $750 fine for DUI. Robert E. Dugan, 52, 125 Ginsburg Circle, P.O. Box 1072, Albrightsville, to time served in county prison for criminal use of a communication facility. Kamil Dzieza, 30, 388 Winola Ave., Kingston, to one year of probation, including eight days of house arrest, and a $1,300 fine for DUI. Tracy Lynn Galbraith, 41, 310 Kirsch Drive, Mattydale, N.Y., to one year of probation for manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver. Keith Jones, 48, 435 Edella Road, South Abington Twp., to 18 months of probation, including 32 days of house arrest, and a $525 fine for accident involving damage to an attended vehicle or property, DUI and failure to stop and give information or render aid. Sheri Knowles, 31, 919 Myrtle St., 3rd Floor Rear, Scranton, to three years of probation, including five days of house arrest, for failure to register with PSP. Mikayla Marie Jones, 23, 160 Westgate Drive, Apt. M18, Carbondale, to 30 months of probation, including 33 days of house arrest, and a $1,000 fine for DUI. Judge Margaret Bisignani Moyle sentenced: Matthew Carter, 35, 1514 Cedar Ave., Apt 1, Scranton, to 14 to 28 months in state prison for manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver and resisting arrest. Judge Vito Geroulo sentenced: Erick L. Gomez, 33, 97 E. 18th St., Paterson, N.J., to 15 to 48 months in state prison and one year of probation for manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver and conspiracy to manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver. ARCHBALD The Valley View Board of Education unanimously voted Monday to fire a physical education teacher accused of possessing child pornography and accepted the resignation of a suspended administrator who appeared in an ambush-style predator-catcher video earlier this month. Effective immediately, the school board terminated the employment of Jaime Chorba, who is charged with nearly 200 counts of child pornography and disseminating photographs of child sex acts, as well as counts of open lewdness, indecent exposure, criminal use of a communication facility and invasion of privacy. The board also accepted the resignation of Christopher Mazzino, who served as the districts director of literacy, effective July 20. On July 4, Musa Harris, who calls himself the Luzerne County Predator Catcher, broadcast a video of himself on YouTube confronting Mazzino in Kingston. According to the video and accompanying chat logs, Harris said he talked to Mazzino online while pretending to be a 15-year-old boy and Mazzino believed he was meeting with a minor for what Harris called sexual pleasures. Mazzino has not been charged with any crime, according to the states online court system. Chorbas salary was $62,005 for the 2020-21 school year, according to Pennsylvania Department of Education figures. Mazzino earned $92,000 during the school year. Chorba last received a paycheck from the district March 22, board solicitor Richard Fanucci said. Mazzinos last paycheck was July 15, he said. Discussions to replace both Chorba and Mazzino are ongoing, Superintendent Michael Boccella, Ed.D., said. Boccella suspended Chorba indefinitely on Dec. 16, the day he was charged, and he suspended Mazzino indefinitely on July 4 after he appeared in the predator-catcher video. Following the meeting, Fanucci and board President Joseph Mondak addressed the districts plans for school resource officers in its intermediate, middle and high schools. During a July 8 meeting, the board opted not to select a supervisor of school police after members were unable to reach a consensus. The decision did not impact Valley Views elementary school, which is located in Blakely and has a school resource officer from the Blakely Police Department. The board first announced in April that it was looking to cut ties with the Archbald Police Department, which provided school resource officers for the districts three schools in Archbald, after borough and school officials were unable to agree on staffing costs. The district was looking to hire three resource officers, including the supervisor. Its still evolving, Fanucci said. Fanucci said their hope is to have the school resource officers in place by the time the school year starts but declined further comment regarding where the district stands on its hiring process, explaining they have to keep it confidential as its a personnel matter. Mondak said the top priority of the superintendent and school board is to make sure the children are safe. When asked what the districts plans are if they cannot hire the school resource officers, Mondak assured, Wed have people here.No doubt about it, he said, reiterating, Wed have people here. Former state Rep. Kevin M. Haggerty avoided jail and will spend three years on probation for using a womans credit cards without her permission to buy more than $950 worth of booze and other items. The ex-lawmaker expressed contrition for his actions and talked about his struggles with alcoholism as Judge Michael J. Barrasse handed down the probationary sentence Tuesday in Lackawanna County Court. Its not how I want to live the rest of my life, Haggerty, 48, Dunmore, said of his battle with alcohol. Haggerty, a Democrat who represented the 112th District in the state House for two nonconsecutive terms between 2012 and 2018, was arrested by Dunmore police in February on multiple counts of forgery and other charges. Investigators accused him of using a pair of credit cards belonging to Debra Checko, identified as the caregiver for his elderly mother, to make 30 purchases totaling $958.69 without her authorization between Dec. 30 and Jan. 11. Most of the transactions were for alcoholic beverages, food and gas, police said. Haggerty pleaded guilty April 30 to misdemeanor counts of theft by deception and possession of a counterfeit or altered access device. The former lawmakers attorney, Matthew Comerford, who noted more than half of the purchases made with Checkos credit cards were for alcohol, told Barrasse that Haggerty understands he has an addiction and is taking steps to address it. In some ways, this offense was a blessing, Comerford said. Haggerty has completed an alcohol treatment program and is now a part of a home group, four of whose members sent letters on his behalf to the court, the attorney said. Haggerty, who appeared before the court remotely, told Barrasse he deeply regrets what happened, saying he was in the throes of addiction at the time. Because of circumstances in his life, he was holding onto so many resentments that he is now letting go as he works on staying sober, he said. In pronouncing the sentence, Barrasse told Haggerty it was clear he is making an effort to change his life. He ordered the defendant to avoid drugs and alcohol and not to frequent licensed establishments. The probationary sentence was recommended by the state attorney generals office, which prosecuted the case. Deputy Attorney General Rebecca Elo told the court the office was not seeking restitution because the victim was made whole by her credit card company. Former Lackawanna County Emergency Services Director David Hahn said Tuesday county officials forced him to quit Monday for budgetary reasons. Hahn said he met Monday with county Chief of Staff Brian Jeffers and Human Resources Director Justin MacGregor . Jeffers told him the commissioners have all agreed your job has been eliminated due to the budget, effective immediately, Hahn said. He could resign with a severance package immediately or be terminated without one, Hahn said Jeffers told him. Hahn said he called his lawyer, who advised him to take the severance package deal, so he agreed and left voluntarily. He wants people to know he would not have left without giving ample notice. Anybody who knows me knows I would never do that, Hahn, 56, of Moscow, said. I would have never left abruptly. The choice to leave abruptly was not my choice. In his resignation letter, Hahn said he was resigning under no duress and with a clear mind. His salary was $78,249 a year. He had the job since June 2012. Jeffers largely confirmed Hahns account of their meeting, except to say commissioners Debi Domenick and Jerry Notarianni made the decision to eliminate Hahns job. Commissioner Chris Chermak knew nothing about it, Jeffers said. Jeffers said he told Hahn the majority commissioners plan to eliminate his job in the 2022 budget and offered him the severance package if he left now. Department budgets are due Friday, he said. We believe the 911 center (and emergency management) can run with two people instead of three, Jeffers said Tuesday. Its as simple as that. The county replaced Hahn by promoting supervisor Thomas Taylor to run emergency management, and Allen Kearney to run 911. Both are longtime emergency management/911 employees. Under the severance package, Hahn gets a months pay and agrees he wont take legal action against the county. The county agrees not to oppose Hahns application for unemployment compensation. Notarianni said Monday he did not know why Hahn left so quickly, though he referred to the matter as a personnel issue. You know what I know, Notarianni told the newspaper Monday. He did a fine job. When asked Tuesday why he said he did not know why Hahn left, Notarianni declined to comment further, again calling it a personnel issue. Chermak said Monday afternoon that he did not know why Hahn resigned but would try to find out. . However, Chermak said Tuesday he found out Monday morning that Hahn was fired when, on his way to the 911 center for a routine visit, he called Hahn, who told him. Asked today why he said he didnt know why Hahn resigned, Chermak said thats because Hahn told him he had been fired. My head was spinning, he said. I dont know whats going on. I dont know who to believe ... All I know is Dave Hahn is gone ... They obviously didnt want me in that meeting because I would have freaked out. Hahn has done a fine job and should still be running the department, Chermak said. I think out of common courtesy for the third commissioner, I should have been alerted to that, he said. Jeffers declined to comment on why Chermak was not notified of the decision. Domenick declined to discuss Hahns departure Monday and Tuesday. July 27, 1931 Former Scrantonian caught in smuggling plotMrs. James Shepherd, former Scranton resident, was found to be involved in a smuggling scheme of exclusive gowns from Paris. According to U.S. Customs officials, a French woman named Lottie Leroy, who traveled to New York City aboard the USS Leviathan, was found to have several gowns in her luggage that she failed to declare as foreign residents. The gowns were found to not fit Leroy, which aroused suspicions. She later admitted she brought the dress to New York City to be delivered to Shepherd. Shepherd was also a passenger aboard the Leviathan. Shepherd was fined a total of $30,000 by the Customs Department for bringing the gowns into the United States without paying the proper dues on the garments. She immediately paid the fine. Shepherd was the daughter of E.M. Rine, vice president of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. In her youth, she lived in Scranton with her family and attended public school in the city. Shepherds husband, James, was a former coal operator and owner of a large block of stock in the Scranton Spring Brook Water Service Co. Five women charged for loitering at Town Hall Scranton police arrested five women for loitering after they refused to leave the area in front of Town Hall on Adams Avenue in the late evening of July 26. Local members of the United Mine Workers of America were meeting inside the venue. The women were taken to police headquarters. Two men were also taken in on disorderly conduct charges after they booed district President John Boylan when he entered the building. The order to not allow loitering in front of Town Hall during the convention came about because of the violence that took place at the start of the meeting on July 20. The women were released after the convention adjourned the afternoon of July 27. Sale at American Store Three cans of evaporated milk for 25 cents, get an extra can for 1 cent; two packages of rice for 25 cents, get an extra package for 1 cent; three cans of sardines for 30 cents, get an extra can for 1 cent; and three bottles of root beer or ginger ale for 25 cents, get an extra bottle for 1 cent. SEATTLE Washington state is embarking on a massive experiment in police reform and accountability following the racial justice protests that erupted after George Floyds murder last year, as nearly a dozen laws took effect Sunday. But two months after Gov. Jay Inslee signed the bills, law enforcement officials remain uncertain about what they require, leading to discrepancies around the state in how officers might respond or not respond to certain situations, including active crime scenes, welfare checks and mental health crises. When you take the legislation and apply it, thats when you really learn how effective its going to be, said Rafael Padilla, the police chief in Kent, a south Seattle suburb. The challenge is Im going to be very frank the laws were written very poorly, and the combination of them all at the same time has led to there being conflicts in clarity and in what was intended versus what was written. The laws, passed by a Legislature controlled by Democrats and signed by a Democratic governor, constitute what is likely the nations most ambitious police reform legislation. They cover virtually all aspects of policing, including the background checks officers undergo before theyre hired; when they are authorized to use force and how they collect data about it; and the establishment of an entirely new state agency to review police use of deadly force. Strengthen accountability Supporters said they would create the nations strongest police accountability and help undo racial inequity in the justice system a mandate from the people to stop cops from violating our rights and killing people, said Sakara Remmu, of the Washington Black Lives Matter Alliance. According to the advocacy group Moms Demand Action, police have killed 260 people in Washington state since 2013. Disproportionately, they were Black including Manuel Ellis, whose death in Tacoma last year led to murder or manslaughter charges against three officers and spurred some of the legislation. Rep. Jesse Johnson, the first-term Federal Way Democrat who sponsored bills on police tactics and use of force, acknowledged some clarifications are necessary but said thats not uncommon in complex legislation. We have to create new policies, because what we were doing before was not working, Johnson said. What we wanted to do with these bills is set an expectation that officers de-escalate and that theres less lethal enforcement of the law. A lot of the pushback were getting is because its a paradigm shift. The measures ban chokeholds, neck restraints and no-knock warrants, and limit the use of tear gas and military equipment. Inspired by the officers who stood by in Minneapolis as their colleague Derek Chauvin pressed a knee to Floyds neck, they require officers to intervene when a colleague engages in excessive force and to report misconduct by other officers. They restrict when officers can engage in car chases; make it easier to decertify police for bad acts; make it easier to sue individual officers; and require police to use reasonable care in carrying out their duties, including exhausting appropriate de-escalation tactics before using force. Law enforcement officials have embraced some of the changes and said they share the lawmakers goals. But uncertainty about how to comply, combined with a greater possibility of being decertified or held personally liable in court, puts officers in a tough position, they say. Approach not universal The policing reforms may have the positive impact of reducing the number of violent interactions between law enforcement and the public, Steve Strachan, executive director of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, said in a statement. However, we owe it to the public we serve to be candid and share that we are deeply concerned that some policing reforms may have unintended outcomes that result in increased levels of confusion, frustration, victimization, and increased crime within our communities.For example, the restriction on military-grade weaponry would inadvertently ban some less-lethal impact weapons, including the shotguns police use to fire beanbag rounds. Johnson said the context makes clear the intent was to embrace, not ban, less-lethal weapons. He expected the state attorney general to clarify that until the Legislature can fix the wording next year. But in the meantime, some departments, including Spokane police and the King County Sheriffs Office, have hung up their beanbag weapons, while others, including Kent and Auburn south of Seattle, will continue using them. Even more significant is a change in when officers can use physical force a term that isnt defined in the new law, but which is typically interpreted to mean force as minor as handcuffing someone. The attorney general has been tasked with developing a model policy on using force by next July, but for now, agencies have been consulting with lawyers to determine what the new law means. Historically, police have been authorized to use force to briefly detain someone if they have reasonable suspicion a commonsense notion, based on specific facts, that someone might be involved in a crime. They could then conduct further investigation to see if there is probable cause for an arrest. But under one of the new laws, police now need probable cause a higher standard, based on evidence that the person committed or was about to commit the crime before they use force. They can also use force if theres an imminent threat of injury; they can use deadly force only to protect against an imminent threat of serious injury or death. The higher standard is designed to keep police from using force against the wrong person something that happens too often, especially in communities of color, Johnson said. But it also means police might sometimes have to let the bad guy go, at least temporarily. If officers show up at a burglary scene, for example, and they see someone partially matching the description of the suspect but dont have confirmation its the same person they can ask that person to stop voluntarily. If the person leaves, officers cant use force to detain them while figuring out if they have the right suspect, they say. An arrest would have to come later, once probable cause is established. The Criminal Justice Training Commission, which operates the states police academy, already emphasizes de-escalation tactics and began training on the duty to intervene last year even before the law was adopted. But it has had to modify its teaching to cover the probable cause requirement for using force. During a recent training scenario, instructor Ken Westphal encouraged recruits taking statements from a convenience store owner who had been threatened by a customer to ask, How did that make you feel? The officers needed to show that the owner felt fear an element of the crime of felony harassment to develop probable cause, Westphal said. Otherwise, they wouldnt have authority to detain the suspect loitering around the corner if he ran. There is nobody else in the country having to do this, Westphal said afterward. We have always worked in reasonable suspicion. Now, those force options arent there unless you have probable cause. But even that approach is not universal. Some departments, including Kent, say in cases of violent crimes or residential burglary, they will arrest suspects for obstruction if they flee, even if they dont yet have probable cause for the underlying crime. Im not letting violent felons take off, Padilla said. I understand why the Criminal Justice Training Commission is doing what its doing, but you can see how even experts who have decades in the field do not agree on what these laws mean. Other departments, including the King County Sheriffs Office, wont arrest people in such circumstances. Obstruction or contempt of cop is sometimes considered a frivolous charge, filed when officers lack evidence of other crimes, and its unclear if prosecutors will pursue it. Similar concerns abound regarding mental health calls. Police often respond to people in crisis who are not committing crimes, sometimes in the company of a designated crisis responder. Under existing law, the crisis responder can order the person to be involuntarily taken into custody for psychiatric care, but according to the advocacy group Disability Rights Washington, police are increasingly refusing to show up. Thats because officers arent sure they still have the authority to use force to detain or transport those subjects, absent imminent harm or probable cause, officials say. Further, police are now required to exhaust appropriate de-escalation tactics; that can include simply leaving the scene.These laws are taking effect as police have left the state or the profession in droves. Seattle is down hundreds of officers following clashes with protesters, criticism and talk of defunding last year. With a huge increase in early retirements and officers leaving for jobs in Idaho, Montana and elsewhere, the Kent Police Department is losing 21 of its 70 uniformed patrol officers this year, Padilla said. He blamed anti-police sentiment and the new laws. Given limited resources, departments must decide whether its worth responding to such noncriminal mental health calls when officers might only leave anyway. Several law enforcement agencies in Thurston County said Monday they intend to largely stop handling community care situations such as suicidal people, welfare checks and drug overdoses, instead letting crisis responders, firefighters or emergency medics handle such calls. Such statements drew criticism. In a blog post, Kim Mosolf of Disability Rights Washington and Enoka Herat of the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington accused some departments of dangerously misinterpreting the law. Nothing in the measure overrules the ability of police to assist on mental health calls, they said. In fact, police continue to have strong liability protections under the Involuntary Treatment Act. Sgt. Tim Meyer, a spokesman for the King County Sheriffs Office, noted that responding to new laws or court rulings is nothing new for law enforcement. As we get more familiar with the application of these bills, were going to adapt and continue to serve the community, Meyer said. Landfills will soon be required to test leachate for radioactive contaminants, Gov. Tom Wolfs administration said Monday. The state already requires landfills to test their leachate, or the liquid that percolates through garbage piles, for various contaminants before the effluent is treated. However, beginning later this year, leachate reports will include radium, according to the announcement. By requiring landfills to measure radium, the state Department of Environmental Protection will be able to evaluate the presence of the radioactive metal in landfills. Specifically, the reports will include radium-226 and radium-228. The added testing is part of an effort to further protect the states waterways and drinking water, according to the administration. The DEP identifies contaminants in leachate through reports sent from landfills on a quarterly basis, according to the Wolf administration. Previous DEP studies did not identify significant differences in radium levels between landfills that accept oil and gas waste compared to those that do not, according to the announcement. Radium occurs at trace levels in virtually all rock, soil, water, plants and animals, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Oil and gas production can concentrate it, according to the agency. Chronic exposure to high levels of radium can result in increased incidence of bone, liver and breast cancer, according to the EPA. We take seriously our responsibility and duty as an environmental steward, Wolf said in a statement. This additional requirement will improve public confidence that public drinking water and our precious natural resources are being appropriately protected. The Keystone Sanitary Landfill in Dunmore and Throop uses sophisticated radiation testing when vehicles come into the landfill, and they test their leachate for volatile non-organic compounds, landfill consultant Al Magnotta said. He was unsure if they specifically test for those radioactive isotopes. He said adding the testing could cost some money, but nothing that would be an undue hardship. The landfill is currently applying for a permit to treat its leachate to a higher degree and discharge it into Little Roaring Brook. As part of their sampling to establish preliminary criteria, they conducted a larger suite of testing, Magnotta said, explaining he believes it included radioactive compounds. Waste Management spokesman John Hambrose said the Alliance Landfill, located in Taylor and Ransom Twp., tests incoming waste for radiation something he said they have done for more than 20 years. Waste Management and the team at Alliance Landfill place a premium on environmental compliance and share the states and communitys interest in protecting our waterways and drinking water, Hambrose said in a statement. At this time, we are still gathering information about the regulation and how it will affect our operations. As part of the states announcement, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said his office urged Wolf to direct the DEP to prevent harmful radioactive materials from entering Pennsylvania waterways. Pennsylvanians living next to landfills and in the shadow of fracking wells have a constitutional right to clean air and pure water, and the improved monitoring and promised analysis by DEP is a step in the right direction, Shapiro said. Shapiros office confirmed in May it was investigating the Keystone Sanitary Landfill, though it did not disclose the nature of the investigation. Scranton resident Samantha Maloney, who is one of three locals working with the attorney generals office in its investigation, had explained the investigation appeared to be about leachate. Maloney was especially concerned over radium. Since May, she has continued to stay in touch with state investigators via email, with their emails focusing on leachate. She lauded the Wolf administration for acknowledging that radium can get into leachate, which can then get into rivers. I bet the people downstream are pretty happy, too, she said. Maloney called it a wonderful first step, but said she is still concerned with landfills self-reporting results. Id still like to see self-reporting ended, she said. Michele Dempsey, a core member of Friends of Lackawanna, a grassroots group formed in 2014 in opposition of the Keystone Sanitary Landfill and its expansion, contended Wolf and the DEP should have had radium testing data prior to the approval of the landfills Phase III expansion last month, which will allow Keystone to bring in an additional 94 million tons of waste over the next four decades. Though testing for radium is a step in the right direction, it doesnt account for how much has already been deposited and made its way into our drinking waterways, Dempsey said in a statement, calling the process of approving the expansion and then implementing radium testing backwards. Why do the residents of NEPA always seem to be seated last? Multiple coal-fueled power plants in Pennsylvania and other states have rushed to lock into their operating permits some Trump-era regulatory rollbacks. Fortunately, the Biden administration moved Monday to change the regulation that allows the plants to discharge large amounts of heavy metals in waste generated by coal combustion, including arsenic, lead and mercury. Unfortunately, the change is on a schedule that would allow the major polluters to continue doing so into 2024. On its way out the door in 2020, the Trump administration weakened EPA rules requiring power generators to heavily treat wastewater with modern filtration equipment before discharging into any waterway that provides any drinking water downstream. That prompted many generators to try to take advantage of the gift in their permit renewals this year. But Monday, the EPA announced that it will establish stricter requirements the beginning of a regulatory process that will last at least two years. Environmentalists welcomed the change but urged the administration to simply rescind the Trump-era rule, and restore the earlier, more stringent regulations. The EPA countered that rescinding the rule, rather than restarting the regulatory process, ran the risk of reinstating regulations dating to 1982, which are even less stringent than those established last year. The unduly lax regulations illustrate how, in 2021, the government continues to subsidize the coal industry by allowing it to pollute for free. Technology exists to make the plants compatible with the higher standard. It is folly to not make the polluters use it as soon as possible. Its too soon to retrieve Phoebe Snows spotless white dress from Northeast Pennsylvanias historical attic, but Amtraks decision to study the feasibility of passenger rail service between Scranton and New York City still is a major development in the long quest to restore the service. Phoebe Snow was a fictitious character created by the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad to promote its passenger service between Buffalo and New York City, through Scranton. She wore a white dress to illustrate the relative cleanliness of the anthracite coal that the DL&W used to fuel its engines. Passenger service on the line ended more than 50 years ago due largely to competition from interstate highways. But now, with those highways heavily congested and pollution reduction a major national priority, passenger rail restoration will get a serious new look. Amtrak recently signed an agreement with the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority, which operates an extensive freight railroad system in the region, to study passenger rail restoration. The authority will pay for the $400,000 study, which Amtrak is expected to complete within a year. Rail advocates, including the authority, long have pressed for passenger service. And studies have been conducted. The difference this time is that Amtrak initiated the possibility of restoring service from Scranton and Allentown to New York, and from Reading to Philadelphia. President Joe Biden, a Scranton native and ardent rail advocate who has logged more than 1 million miles on Amtrak, included Amtrak expansions in the infrastructure bill now being negotiated in the Senate. Money, in terms of line construction, operational costs, government subsidies, and likely fares, will be key to whether service is restored. Prior studies indicated that those costs will be substantial. But there are mitigating factors. Highway congestion only has worsened since the last study of more than a decade ago. Bridge and tunnel tolls into New York have risen substantially, and the city is likely to establish expensive congestion tolls on cars entering Manhattan. The window opened by the Biden presidency clearly is the best opportunity to restore passenger service. The authority is on the mark in funding the study. Shirley P. McNeil, age 85, of Corbin, KY, passed away on Wednesday, July 28, 2021 at St. Joseph Health in Lexington, KY. Born in Corbin, she was the daughter of the late Raleigh and Nancy Mitchell. In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her sister, Zelda Patterson; and three Server Katie Maloney, of Providence, R.I., center, wears a mask while assisting patrons in an outdoor seating area at Plant City restaurant, in Providence, in May 2020. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) Ryanair has seen a 'surge' in late bookings as vaccinated travellers jump at the chance to go on holiday without needing to quarantine. Boss Michael O'Leary predicted a rebound in air travel over the winter and into next summer. The no-frills airline has upgraded forecasts for the number of passengers it will carry this financial year to between 90m and 100m. It said in May it could fly as few as 80m. Taking off: Boss Michael O'Leary predicted a rebound in air travel over the winter and into next summer The Irish airline's upbeat outlook came as Heathrow revealed its total losses caused by Covid had reached 2.9billion. The UK's largest airport posted a loss of 868m for the first half of 2021, though it said it was now 'emerging from the worst effects' of the pandemic. But bosses blasted expensive testing requirements for travel and said the UK was behind Europe. Ryanair made a loss of 233m for the three months to the end of June and warned it was unlikely to turn a profit this year. The company said it would make a small loss or only just break even in the year to March. It said Covid had continued to 'wreak havoc' during the most recent quarter. Since July 19, travellers who have had both jabs in the UK no longer need to quarantine on their return to England from countries on the 'amber' list. Ryanair shares were up by 3.8 per cent, or 60 cents to 16.39 euros (14) last night. As Britain's flagship aircraft carrier sailed through the waters of the Mediterranean last month, it found itself targeted by a Russian submarine monitoring activity in the region. HMS Queen Elizabeth, the largest and most powerful warship constructed for the Royal Navy, was leading a Carrier Strike Group (CSG) to the Indo-Pacific. The Russian predator believed to be a Kilo-class diesel-powered attack submarine from the Black Sea fleet was spying on the nine-vessel group as it passed Cyprus. Military might: HMS Queen Elizabeth and the Carrier Strike Group But it was not long before predator turned prey as naval chiefs scrambled two Merlin Mk2 submarine-hunting helicopters to drop high-tech sonobuoys into the water to listen for the distinctive sounds emitted by the sub. The devices relay signals back to British aircraft and ships and are a crucial part of the UK's maritime defences. They are also perhaps the best-known piece of equipment made by Ultra Electronics for the armed forces. Along with sonobuoys, its sonar and radar systems form part of the Navy's 'eyes and ears', watching for torpedoes and other threats, while power and signature management systems keep vessels hidden from adversaries. Ultra's tracking systems also direct guns aboard Type 45 destroyers, and help F-35B Lightning jets land vertically on the Queen Elizabeth. But the London company is now being targeted by its own predator US private equity giant Advent International. Advent has proposed a 2.6billion takeover of the British firm, with the Ultra board 'minded' to accept the 3500p per share offer. The Americans made the approach through Cobham, another British defence company it snapped up for 4billion last year. And that deal is being held up by critics as a reason why the buyout firm should never get its hands on Ultra. Kwasi Kwarteng, the Business Secretary, is taking 'an active interest' and has asked officials to monitor the situation. An intervention on national security grounds is possible, should a formal bid be lodged. Yet this is unlikely to comfort those familiar with Advent's takeover of Cobham, which was allowed after security guarantees were given to ministers. For within 18 months of gobbling the company up, Advent broke Cobham i nto nine pieces and sold many of them. This is despite promises it would be a long-term investor. It has prompted calls from MPs, former ministers and military grandees for Kwarteng to stop Ultra suffering the same fate. They fear the company could be cynically stripped of assets and sold to the highest bidder, with its crucial capabilities and expertise lost overseas. Will Walker-Arnott, investment manager at wealth manager Charles Stanley, told BBC Radio 4: 'Let's make no bones about it, this is a private equity takeover of a key technological asset in the UK and it's using Cobham as camouflage.' Lord Heseltine, defence secretary under Margaret Thatcher, called for a 'proper scrutiny process', while former defence minister Sir Gerald Howarth warned the takeover goes 'to the heart of the UK's defence capabilities'. Admiral Lord West, the former head of the Royal Navy, advised against 'giving up on the UK having sovereign capability in areas that are important to the security of the nation'. And yesterday Labour's Stephen Morgan, the shadow armed forces minister, cautioned Defence Secretary Ben Wallace about the deal. In a letter the MP, whose Portsmouth South constituency includes one of the Navy's main bases, added: 'While there is a close and celebrated alliance between the US and UK, these private equity buyouts and subsequent break-ups threaten the innovation, growth and jobs that are critical for the UK economy as well as the maintenance of our national defence. It is imperative that the Government protects our ability to build British when it comes to defence and prevent the hollowing out of pioneering British companies that are critical to supporting our naval platforms.' Ultra was founded in 1920 and started out making headphones in west London. The firm has made its sonobuoys in Greenford since 1949 and now employs some 1,700 staff in the UK. Its sonar and radar technologies keep UK waters safe, along with aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines. And this expertise has made the firm a go-to partner for Western militaries. What's more, the technology is becoming more critical as the UK and its allies face down rising global threats. The Queen Elizabeth's encounter in the Mediterranean four days after destroyer HMS Defender had a showdown with Russian vessels in the Black Sea was no isolated incident. Russian activity in British waters has returned to levels not seen for almost 20 years, and China's rapid military build-up has left the country with more submarines than any other. Post-Brexit Britain is seeking to project its naval power with new aircraft carriers. It means Ultra is in a prime position to capitalise on growing defence expenditure. Advent's formal offer is now seen as inevitable. It wants to merge Cobham and Ultra to create a 'global champion'. A Cobham spokesman says: 'We have offered assurances that appropriate undertakings will be offered to the UK Government.' Since the Mediterranean incident, HMS Queen Elizabeth has led the CSG through the Suez Canal towards Singapore. The predator hunting Ultra is still very much at large, however. PORT-AU-PRINCE, July 27 (Reuters) - A top security official of slain Haitian President Jovenel Moise was arrested by police on suspicion of involvement in the assassination plot, his lawyer Reynold Georges told Reuters on Tuesday. Presidential Security Coordinator Jean Laguel Civil was arrested on Monday, Georges said, nearly three weeks after Moise was killed on July 7 in the middle of the night at his private residence in Port-au-Prince by a group of more than 20 mostly Colombian mercenaries. Many questions remain unanswered over who was behind the assassination and how the killers were able to gain access to the president's home. Georges told Reuters that Civil is innocent. "The real culprits are those who gave the authorization to these Colombians to enter Haiti; police should arrest them," he said. (Reporting by Andre Paultre in Port-au-Prince; Writing by Laura Gottesdiener; Editing by Sandra Maler) We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Submit Here Tillamook, OR (97141) Today Sunny skies. High 68F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight A few clouds from time to time. Low 53F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Cresaptown, MD (21502) Today Mostly cloudy. 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They have come now for about seven trips, a group of men and women in their 80s and 90s who survived one of humanity's darkest chapters and were being treated to a week-long stay in the Catskills, away from the heat and congestion of Brooklyn. The coronavirus pandemic scuttled the trip last year and forced the usual participants to endure months of isolation. But the annual getaway they cherish will resume next month, when as many as 25 Holocaust survivors are expected to take a charter bus to Ulster County for a five-day stay at the Hudson Valley Resort and Spa in Kerhonkson. Lillian Feintuch will be among those on board. She was a young girl in Hungary in 1944 when the Nazis sent her family to a concentration camp in Austria, where they survived for a year before being sent on a death march as Allied forces closed in. They escaped with the improbable help of a Nazi soldier, who took pity after initially mistaking the blond-haired Lillian for his own daughter and instructing them to remove their Jewish stars of David and flee to the mountains. Feintuch had attended the Catskills trip for Holocaust survivors several times with her husband, Abraham, and is keenly anticipating the upcoming visit, even more than usual. Since the last trip, she lost her husband, who died in October, and she suffered a bout of COVID-19 that weakened and pained her for more than two months, causing her to sleep 16 hours a day and lose 17 pounds. Her children left food outside her apartment door throughout the ordeal. She attributes her survival to a lifetime of careful eating and exercise. "I always had a very healthy lifestyle, and I always exercised," Feintuch said. The trip to the Catskills is organized each year by Nachas Health and Family Network, a nonprofit in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn that provides meals and other services for a few hundred Holocaust survivors like Feintuch. Throughout the pandemic, Nachas delivered about 100 hot meals a day to its homebound clients to keep them alive, and held Zoom exercise classes for them. The previous Catskills stays took place at Oppenheimer's Regis Hotel in the Delaware County village of Fleishmanns. Nachas booked the Hudson Valley Resort instead this year because it has an elevator, which will spare the elderly visitors from having to navigate flights of stairs. The trip is set for the second week of August. "We're very excited about it," said Rizy Horowitz, senior coordinator for Nachas. "I see the ladies' faces all lighting up." Past trips were funded by an organization in Manhattan, which now plans to provide matching funds but not foot the entire bill. So Nachas has launched a GoFundMe campaign, and as of last Thursday had raised more than $10,000 of the $26,000 it needed to pay for the trip. Nachas will send a couple of its staff members to oversee the trip, and clients will bring their own caregivers to assist them during the stay. The hotel has promised a lineup of activities to keep its elderly guests busy. "These are people that were locked in for a year and a half because of the virus," Horowitz said. "We're to trying to make their life a little more interesting. They're in their twilight years." ___ (c)2021 The Times Herald-Record, Middletown, N.Y. Visit The Times Herald-Record, Middletown, N.Y. at www.recordonline.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. HUDSON Controversy has erupted over a nonprofit developers attempts to get tax breaks for two planned apartment blocks as the city of 6,200 deals with an escalating affordable housing crisis. The Galvan Foundation's request for two Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) packages for the duel projects would allow the developer to forgo an estimated $8.5 million in property taxes over the next 30 years on the lower- and middle-income apartments. Some members of the Hudson Common Council have pushed back at the foundation and its requests, and questioned whether the apartments will truly be affordable for a large enough percentage of Hudson residents. The city's shortage of affordable housing has become acute: Rents tripled between 2000 and 2019 with an influx of new residents, and rental prices jumped 20 percent as COVID-19 sent downstate residents fleeing from the pandemics epicenter last year. While the members of Hudsons Common Council are unified in their desire to see more affordable housing in the city, some members do not agree Galvan should be the one to develop it. Hudson Fourth Ward Alderman John Rosenthal said he supports PILOTs for affordable housing in the city. My suspicions arent about the idea of PILOTs in particular, he said. Its just about the operator. Galvan insists that its business practices follow the letter of the law, and recently threatened legal action against Common Council members for suggesting otherwise in a scuttled resolution on the PILOT proposals, which are currently being considered by Hudson's Industrial Development Agency. Its hard to overstate Galvans influence in Hudson. The firm and its affiliates own at least 89 parcels in the city; collectively, they are worth more than $38 million, according to property tax rolls, making the company Hudson's largest property owner. The company's name combines those of Eric T. Galloway and Henry van Ameringen, who were married before the latters death at age 89 last year. The pair were listed as the Galvan Foundations board of directors with Galloway as president as well as on the boards of Galvans other nonprofit affiliates, according to tax filings. Van Ameringen was the son of Arnold Louis van Ameringen, a founder of International Flavor and Fragrances, according to his obituary in the New York Times. That company was most recently valued at $35.8 billion, according to Bloomberg. The Galvan Foundations purpose is to direct efforts toward the promotion of affordable housing and related services to low-income and otherwise disadvantaged persons in and around Hudson, according to tax filings. A major row erupted in April between Galvan and the Common Council after questions arose about the relationship between the Galvan Foundation and the for-profit Galvan Partners LLC as the nonprofit began its push to secure PILOTs for the two proposed apartment buildings. Rosenthal introduced a resolution supporting the PILOT for Galvans proposed affordable apartment block, which promises 67 units including one-bedroom apartments with monthly rents between $580 and $1,375 but rejected the PILOT for the apartment block with middle-income rents. The resolution also alleged there was a potential, ongoing, and significant conflict of interest in the Galvan Foundation due to its use of Galvan Partners LLC as "its sole construction manager and general contractor for building projects in Hudson since 2004. After the resolution was introduced, the Common Council received a scathing seven-page cease and desist letter from Galvans attorneys, the prominent firm Whiteman Osterman & Hanna, that called the resolution nothing more than a defamatory and unfounded personal attack on the Foundation and Mr. Galloway. Among other points, it noted that the proposed projects would be handled not by Galvan Partners but by a Poughkeepsie-based firm, R.L. Baxter Construction, and that the Galvan Foundation wasn't founded until 2012. The letter demanded that Rosenthal and any other council members who made such statements recuse themselves "from any deliberations or discussions" about Galvan's projects in the future, and that the Common Council scrap the resolution. The resolution was withdrawn by Common Council President Thomas DePietro before a vote was held. This is Galvans second attempt to build an affordable housing block. In August 2020, Galvan abruptly withdrew its application for a PILOT and mothballed the project during its negotiations with the Common Council. The council had voted down an earlier version of the proposed PILOT the month before, after which Galvan adjusted the terms of the tax breaks before ultimately withdrawing it. We cannot continue to risk precious foundation resources on this initiative until the city provides clear guidelines on the standards and requirements for supporting affordable housing, according to a letter Galvan Vice President Dan Kent sent to the council at the time. First Ward Alderwoman Jane Trombley said the current housing project was essentially no different than the withdrawn PILOT proposal that was presented to the Common Council. She compared Galvan's decision to put the PILOT requests before the Industrial Development Agency as sort of like, Mommy said no; Ill go ask Daddy. Trombley said she was not in favor of either of the current PILOT proposals because, in her estimation, many of the apartments would be unaffordable to most Hudson residents. Rents on both apartment blocks would be decided as a percentage of Area Median Income (AMI), which is set by the U.S. Office of Housing and Urban Development. Seventeen of the units in the less expensive block would be affordable to someone making up to 40 percent of the AMI, with rent for a one-bedroom set at $580 a month. Other apartments are priced for those making up to 50 or 80 percent of the AMI, with 21 apartments considered "middle income" for those making up to 130 percent of AMI, which comes out to $1,375 for a one-bedroom unit. Rents in the more expensive building would come to between $1,159 and $1,375 for a one-bedroom unit. The AMI amount used to calculate rents in the proposed projects, however, takes into consideration incomes from Columbia County as a whole, which are on average higher than income levels in Hudson. Though not a perfect equivalent, census data lists the median household income in Columbia County as $66,787, while the median household income for Hudson is $39,346. The nonprofit Galvan Foundation employed its for-profit affiliate on a construction project as recently as this year. The Galvan Foundation used the for-profit Galvan Partners LLC, which that lists Eric T. Galloway as its principal, as its general contractor for the project, according to the minutes of a meeting by the state Housing Trust Fund Corporation (HTFC). The HTFC was considering giving a state grant of $1.15 million to Galvan to turn the basement of Hudsons public library which Galvan already owned into a day care center. The 2019 HTFC grant application states Galvan Partners LLC "serves as construction manager" for the Galvan Foundation. (The grant was awarded.) Galvan Foundation Vice President Dan Kent said Galvan Partners LLC provides its services to the Galvan Foundation on a no-fee basis, and that neither Galvan Partners nor Galloway made any money from the arrangement. Albany Law Professor David Pratt reviewed copies of the HTFC minutes and other publicly available financial documents along with his colleague Professor Ted Barbieri at the request of the Times Union. They concluded there is no absolute prohibition against a nonprofit hiring a contractor with which it has some relationship. However, that would generally require that the relationship be fully disclosed to the board of the nonprofit, and the nonprofit would also have to comply with whatever is required by its conflict-of-interest policy, Pratt said. The board of the Galvan Foundation consisted of just Galloway and van Ameringen the year it applied for the $1.15 million grant, according to 2019 tax filings. Though the relationship between the Galvan affiliates during the day care project was legal, Pratt said the basic question the documents raised was whether it was prudent of them to give the contract to the affiliated for-profit corporation did they pay too much, did the corporation have the capacity to do the job well? In response to questions by the Times Union about the relationship between its for-profit and nonprofit affiliates, Kent pointed to Galvans charitable work. The scores of properties now owned by the Galvan Foundation were mostly purchased by for-profit affiliates, including Galvan Partners LLC, before being gifted to the nonprofit. The foundation also contributes money through its charitable trust, which gave out about $174,000 in 2019, according to its most recent available tax filings, though $100,000 was donated to other nonprofit Galvan affiliates. The remaining $74,000 was contributed to 15 other organizations, including $1,000 to a Civil War cemetery in the Bronx and $500 to a Boy Scout troop in Newburgh. Kent also sent a sheet on Galvans work in Hudson that highlights the 225 units of housing they have rehabilitated in the city. The units are either rented out or sold after construction is complete. Political opposition towards Galvan is far from universal in Hudson. Common Council President DePietro took the middle road, saying he would form an opinion on the PILOT based on an independent financial analysis being undertaken on behalf of the IDA. DePietro said he realized the necessity of PILOTs for affordable housing projects. Weve looked into it, and theres almost no developer ... that is going to build affordable housing at any level of AMI without a PILOT, he said. The independent analysis of the PILOTs came back last week and was discussed at Wednesday's meeting of the Hudson IDA. The analysis found the terms of one of the PILOTs was unnecessarily favorable to Galvan and suggested a new PILOT schedule that decreased the total property tax breaks from $8.9 million to $8.4 million. The IDA passed a resolution adopting the new PILOT schedule, which Kent said the foundation would agree to. The agency has yet to vote on formally accepting the PILOT, a decision that will be made after a public hearing tentatively scheduled for Aug. 8. Note: This story has been updated to correct the misspelling of Hudson Common Council President Thomas DePietro's surname. In the Catskills of Greene County, a home no bigger than some families kitchens sits on a three-acre parcel of land. In winter, a wood stove aptly named The Hobbit Stove warms the 240-square-foot living space to a balmy 85 degrees. The wood must be specially cut to fit the home's narrow parameters, but husband and wife Todd and Jessica Palmer dont mind. Nor did they seem fazed by the bear who visited them on a recent morning, though they often spend a lot of time outside. Jessica, 41, and Todd, 43, are among the thousands of people living in tiny homes today according to the Tiny Home Industry Association, which defines a tiny home as being 400 square feet or less in size a fraction of the average 1,725-square-foot single family home in the U.S. Instead of living the quintessential American Dream of owning a large house, the couple says they are happier living out of a page from Laura Ingalls Wilders Little House on the Prairie. I dont want to sound so cliche, said Jessica, but I feel like [when youre] a little bit closer to the elements of your home, you understand what it takes to run it. And its not just flipping a switch, its being a little bit more in tune with your existence. The Palmers have lived in their tiny, DIY-built home since 2018, which has required them to make drastic lifestyle changes and embrace a new side of life. But the couple has never looked back, even in the face of their greatest challenge, the coronavirus pandemic. While some tiny home dwellers reported feeling trapped in their cramped quarters over the past year, the Palmers are still happy with their micro living arrangements. As friends and family alike complained of being cooped up in their much larger homes at the height of COVID-19, Jessica said that they took full advantage of the outdoors, hiking often with Marco and Allie, their two rescue pit bulls. Together the couple became official members of the Catskill 3500 Club a designation for the 3,637 individuals to date who have conquered the Catskills' 35 highest peaks and reclimbed Slide, Blackhead, Balsam and Panther mountains again in the winter. Jessica and her husband said they credit these hikes with keeping them positive during the most dire periods of the pandemic. Their pint-sized home also provided financial stability, allowing them to weather COVID unscathed by job losses or struggles to pay off a mortgage, like an estimated 7.4 million adults who are currently behind on mortgage payments, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. I felt a tremendous sense of security knowing that if something happened to one of our jobs, we would have a self-sustaining roof over our heads, Jessica said. I felt we both really came of age during the financial collapse of 2008. And that has really stuck with us and has formed a lot of our personal finance decision-making. Jessica Palmer Step 1: Get rid of 80 percent of possessions For Jessica and Todd, the decision to downsize began at the height of the 2008 housing crisis, although at the time they didnt know it. That year, like many Americans, Jessica lost her job in communications and faced the difficulty of searching for a new job in a failing market. Fast forward to 2016, and the daunting experience was far from her mind. Jessica had a sterling new job promotion, Todd was starting a new role in project management and they were living in a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Albany following their marriage in 2014, the year that networks like HGTV first began documenting the tiny house trend in series like "Tiny House Hunters." They began looking at homes in Saugerties in the hopes of upsizing and following the traditional path Jessica said. But their home-buying aspirations took a detour after they traveled beyond the United States to Costa Rica, Mexico, Scotland and Ireland, where homes are often smaller. That exposure made Jessica and Todd realize they didnt need a massive house to be content. In fact, their current residence started feeling oversized. They had an entire bedroom and basement area that were going unused, and another guest room only used by their dogs. We actually said to ourselves, this is more than we need. Instead of upsizing, we could downsize, and we could actually end up shedding a lot of our possessions, saving money more rapidly, and being able to use the savings to travel more, Jessica said, adding that their decision to not have children was another big factor in going forward with the tiny home. Over the course of a year, Jessica said they went from being a couple who would lose themselves in the endless aisles of T.J.Maxx to shedding an estimated 80 percent of their possessions. They also thoroughly researched their pending decision, watching documentaries like 2015's Small is Beautiful: A Tiny House Documentary and reading books including Derek Diedricksen's Microshelters: 59 Creative Cabins, Tiny Houses, Tree Houses, and Other Small Structures. The couple also spoke to Jewel Pearson for perspective, who has been featured on HGTV's Tiny House, Big Living. Todd began looking into 400-square-foot homes but Jessica recalls thinking it was too small. The Palmer's final blueprint was 192 square feet 24 feet long and eight feet wide with additional loft space for their king-size mattress and another loft for storage. Even when they come home from visits to Jessicas family down in North Carolina who have several thousand square foot homes Jessica said they never return with regret: Ive only always been happy to come home and be in our space thats cozy and feels like us, she said. Todd said for many people taking the dive into tiny house living, the hardest part can be finding a lot for the home. In many cases a tiny home sits on a trailer that makes it easy to move, but this mobility then puts it in the category of a recreational vehicle, opening up further restrictions for parking them permanently. Jessica added the laws in New York State are vague as to what is permissible regarding tiny homes. Dan Fitzpatrick, president of the Tiny Home Industry Association (THIA), concurred, adding that the sheer number of municipalities in New York and their varying building codes mean that the state is not as popular for tiny home owners as states like California, which have far fewer townships and more uniform building codes that permit them. As a result, some tiny homeowners in less permissive states like New York will hide their lifestyle and illegally park their home in unauthorized locations. Fortunately, the Palmers had the perfect spot right on the land where Todds mother still lives in his childhood home. The setup enabled them to avoid the other difficulties of setting up water and electricity, as they utilize Todds childhood home for both, although they cover the utility bills. Early in the process, the couple determined they wanted to design and construct the house themselves with the help of a contractor. Construction began in June 2017 and by May 2018, they had moved into their new abode complete with custom cabinets, bamboo floors and the wood stove which has become the centerpiece of the sustainable home. In total, the couple estimates they spent $55,000 on their home, lower than the average investment of $65,000 to $85,000 according to the THIA, and a fraction of the cost of the average single family home in New York, which Zillow estimates is $662,535. Apart from an Instagram account storying their home life, Jessica and Todd dont always tell everyone of their home situation. Among the couples family and friends, Todds mother has been their biggest cheerleader, always happy to talk about their journey. Meanwhile, Jessicas two sisters knew the couple wanted a life packed with unconventional adventures and were not surprised to hear about their decision. One of my best friends said something like If anyone was going to do this, it was going to be you, Jessica said. Jessica Palmer Tiny home living: Whats it like? When Jessica and Todd set out to build their tiny home, they wanted to be more financially stable, have the means to live the life they wanted and to be environmentally sustainable. Both agree that this house has allowed them to achieve all three goals. For one, the couple hardly uses any electricity. Jessica said the home does not feature a dryer, which is often the most energy-draining appliance in a home. Instead, they dry clothes outside. The most drastic difference may be their toilet, which is a waterless composting unit not connected to any septic system. Unlike a portable toilet, theirs is odorless and must be emptied every few weeks. A small home also means they are able to recoup time normally dedicated to housework to doing more enjoyable activities, namely traveling. With no mortgage and lower housing costs, Todd said it has granted them the freedom to visit family for weeks at a time and jet off to Europe. Part of their vision included early retirement, and Jessica's current role as a self-employed consultant and Todd's as a project manager puts them on track to retire in their mid-40s. After retirement, both want to use the time to do volunteer work in some capacity. Once you kind of get down to the brass tacks of what you need, over what you just mindlessly consume, it actually doesnt really take all that much to live. And like live happily were really not deprived, Jessica said. While the house is small, the design was geared toward maximizing storage. Since an off-site storage container was never an option they considered, everything from the headboard on their bed to under-the-couch cushions are spaces to store possessions. One of Jessicas biggest takeaways from the lifestyle change is thinking of the outdoors as an extension of the home. Through laughs, the couple assured readers that even in the dead of winter, small-home-living never turned into a grim scene from Stephen Kings chilling novel The Shining. However, chopping wood for the stove has become a constant necessity sometimes in knee-high snow. This past year, they collected enough wood to last them for several years. And as with any home, big or small, maintenance problems arise. Todd recalled that in their first winter, they hadnt properly winterized the home, and when a pipe leaked water onto the floor, the imminent mold required immediate attention. Once again, Todd only saw a silver lining to living in a small home: If that happened in your big-size house, you would have ended up with it leaking into another floor, damaging the ceiling. Jessica said she too feels more in tune with how her house works to address any issues. As for entertaining guests, most gatherings are held outside around their fire pit, making the warmer seasons ideal. In addition to a traditional stove, Todd said they will use the top of the wood stove to cook bread or boil water or soups, another way they reduce the use of appliances. Beyond the low-hanging ceiling in the loft that makes changing the sheets an exercise in expert maneuvering, Todd and Jessica have no regrets, and encourage others to join the tiny home movement, even if its not necessarily a transition to a 200-square-foot house. But dont just watch HGTV for inspiration, Jessica said. In addition to proper research, there are several tiny house resorts in New York that allow people to test out living in smaller quarters, Todd said. And doing it with kids is possible, so long as you are careful with the design elements. Americans by and large, are so used to not having leisure time, and we did not want that life, Jessica said. This may seem like an extreme way to go about getting your time back. But its really paid off in big ways for us There are alternative ways of living, and its okay if we dont all do the same thing. -- Christopher Cicchiello is an editorial intern pursuing a degree in journalism from Syracuse University. For story ideas and inquiries, you can reach him at christopher.cicchiello@hearst.com Salt Hotels The Hudson Valley is one of the top 100 places in the world according to Time, which just released its picks for the most extraordinary destinations to explore across the globe. The region is fast becoming one of the most popular locales in New York, the magazine noted. This year, the third annual list, titled The Worlds Greatest Places of 2021, paid tribute to the travel, tourism and hospitality industries and the people and businesses at the forefront of them. The list is compiled based upon nominations of places that offer new and exciting experiences, and includes the Hudson Valley among many more far-flung destinations, like the idyllic Portuguese town of Arouca, Antarctica and others. LOS ANGELES (AP) A California sheriffs deputy was fatally shot this weekend when his SWAT team tried to rescue people held hostage inside a San Joaquin Valley home by a man armed with an AK-47-style rifle and a handgun, authorities said Monday. Four other people were also killed in the shootout, including the gunman who had been previously arrested multiple times for domestic violence offenses, according to Lt. Joel Swanson, a spokesperson for the Kern County Sheriffs Office. (Editors note: This story includes discussion of domestic violence. If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).) Swanson did not know the specifics of the 41-year-old shooter's previous arrests and he has not yet been named publicly. A restraining order against the gunman filed by one of the victims and effective June 3 was supposed to stop him from coming to the home where the killings occurred. Three people inside the home believed to be the gunman's sons and their mother were fatally shot during the standoff Sunday afternoon in Wasco, a small community in the middle of farm fields northwest of Bakersfield. The woman had filed the restraining order, Swanson said, but authorities were still trying to determine what had prompted her to seek legal action against him. The restraining order was also supposed to prevent the gunman from having firearms. The shooting has the implications of what we see in law enforcement when it comes to domestic violence and how serious it is, Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said, and, quite frankly, how a restraining order is not bulletproof. Deputies shot and killed the suspect after he began climbing onto the home's roof with the firearms. Youngblood identified the slain deputy as Phillip Campas and called him a star in our organization." Campas, 35, was a five-year veteran of the sheriff's office and had previously served as a sergeant in the U.S. Marines in Afghanistan. He was an instructor at the academy, as well as a member of the sheriff's SWAT team and the honor guard. Campas is survived by his spouse and three children, ages 6, 9 and 13, according to the Kern Law Enforcement Association. We thought he'd been here over 10 years, he's had that kind of impact, Youngblood said. He was here for five. Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statement calling Campas's death a tragic and senseless loss of this dedicated public servant" and ordering flags at the Capitol to be flown at half-staff. Deputy Dizander Guerrero was wounded by gunfire and two deputies were struck by shrapnel during the violence. The violence began around 1 p.m., and included a 911 call that had an open line into the home, Youngblood said. The activity heard on the call led deputies to believe at least one person was still alive inside the home. We felt obligated to go in and try and rescue that victim, the sheriff said. Two women and two girls were able to escape the home safely, Youngblood said. Their relationship to the shooter and the other victims was not immediately clear, but Swanson said they were believed to be acquaintances of the woman and her sons. The victims inside the home only described as the gunman's 17- and 24-year-old sons and their 42-year-old mother also have not been named publicly. The first deputies to arrive at the home, following multiple 911 calls, were met by one of the women who had escaped. She told them there was a gunman inside the house and two to three people had been shot. Within minutes, Youngblood said, the gunman started firing at the deputies from inside the house. A SWAT team, including Campas and Guerrero, approached the front door and encountered gunfire from a rifle. The deputies fired back at the shooter. Campas and Guerrero were struck and pulled to a safe location so they could be rushed to the hospital. The two deputies who were hit by shrapnel did not leave the standoff, the sheriff said. Over several hours, the suspect fired out of the house at the deputies. Around 6:30 p.m., the gunman climbed onto the roof with the rifle and handgun. Deputies fired at him, fatally striking him. Authorities found the other three victims dead inside the home. More than 100 deputies responded to the scene and 23 some on the SWAT team and others who were close with Campas are currently on administrative leave because of the shootings. The SWAT team members were off-duty and not responding to calls on Monday as they grieved. ALBANY Team Cuomo keeps pushing its newly favored narrative: Attorney General Letitia James wants to be governor and is overseeing a tainted investigation. As noted here last week, the strategy is obvious: If Andrew Cuomo & Co. can convince New Yorkers of James' ambition and bias, it may be easier to discredit the findings of her inquiry into sexual harassment allegations leveled against the governor. Or at least that's the hope. Twitter warrior Richard Azzopardi, also the governor's communications director, has repeatedly suggested, without evidence, that James is planning a run for governor. Cuomo hit a similar note on Monday, when he emerged from a week of hiding for an announcement about vaccine hesitancy and a swipe at James. "I have concerns as to the independence of the reviewers," Cuomo said of the AG's investigation, adding: "Is this all happening in a political system? Yes, that is undeniable." Ignore the nonsense. James has never indicated she's running for governor, and there's nothing to suggest otherwise. And if Cuomo is so concerned about her supposed ambitions and ulterior motives, why did he urge New Yorkers to wait for James' investigation before deciding on his guilt? "Lets get the facts," Cuomo said in February as he fought off calls for his resignation. "And thats what the investigation does and thats what the attorney general is doing. And thats what we should all respect." Did James change? Did her eyes widen when presented with a chance to sink the governor? I don't think so. What changed is Cuomo's momentary need. Then, the governor needed to buy time. Now, with time purchased, he's singing a new tune. What we're hearing is a survival tactic borne of fear and desperation and targeting not just James. The Cuomo team has also suggested that state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli is after the governor's job. That happened after DiNapoli asked James to investigate whether Cuomo criminally used state employees to produce and promote a memoir for which he was paid $5.1 million. Here was the response from the aforementioned Azzopardi: "This is Albany politics at its worst both the Comptroller and the Attorney General have spoken to people about running for governor, and it is unethical to wield criminal referral authority to further political self-interest." Again, there's no evidence DiNapoli wants to be governor or will run for the office, and it's more than outrageous to suggest the comptroller's concern about Cuomo's book is based only on self-interest. But everybody's motives are suspect, you see, except for Cuomo's. He's innocent as a newborn, with nary a political bone or ulterior motive to be found. Yup, that's our governor. Wait, though. There's more. According to the New York Post, Team Cuomo is also suggesting that Preet Bharara, the former federal prosecutor, wants to run for governor. This one is especially convoluted, but basically the idea is that Joon Kim, a former Bharara deputy appointed by James to the sexual harassment inquiry, is secretly working to boost his old boss. "It's kind of demented if you ask me, and it doesn't make any sense," Bharara said on his podcast, after stressing that he is not, in fact, planning to run for governor. You've perhaps noticed a pattern. Anyone who is a threat to the governor, or has criticized the governor, or doesn't like the governor, must want the man's job. From the Cuomo perspective, there is no other explanation. The 56 percent of New Yorkers who tell pollsters they want to vote for somebody other than Cuomo? They're running for governor! The people annoyed by Cuomo's antics or angered by his attempt to hide the full count of nursing home deaths? Running for governor! Maybe I'm running for governor. Maybe you're running for governor. Let's all run for governor! I suppose there is at least one New Yorker with little interest in the job. That would be Carl Heastie, speaker of the Assembly. During a visit to Schenectady last week, the Bronx Democrat seemed to suggest that nothing in the James report would provoke impeachment proceedings against the governor. That struck many as premature, since we don't know what investigators have found, and it lead attorney Debra Katz, who is representing one of Cuomo's accusers, to declare that Heastie intends to "obstruct efforts to hold Governor Cuomo responsible." Perhaps. Or maybe Katz and the critics are simply failing to adopt the proper Cuomo perspective. By downplaying James' investigation, and by overseeing an Assembly impeachment inquiry moving with the urgency of a sloth in a heat wave, Heastie might just be demonstrating the purity of his motives. He and Andrew Cuomo are the honest brokers, you see, while the rest of us enviously plot for the governor's job. Yes, that must be it. What other explanation makes sense? cchurchill@timesunion.com 518-454-5442 @chris_churchill ALBANY Albany County Legislator Sam Fein will again run in a primary challenge next year against Assemblyman John McDonald, D-Cohoes. Fein, who represents Albanys South End, said on Tuesday he was running to be a voice for working New Yorkers," and that state government was too focused on the demands of wealthy, well-connected people in the state. Fein said his campaign would focus on issues like developing sustainable housing, police reform, higher wages and education reform, including universal pre-k. Too many people are working too hard just to barely get by, he said in a statement. Housing is too expensive and hard to find. Jobs don't pay enough for people to plan their futures. It's time to completely change how we do government in New York. Fein previously challenged McDonald for the 108th Assembly seat in 2020, losing in the Democratic primary 6,023 to 4,303. The primary is in June 2022. ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) The mayor of the county that hosts Florida's theme park mecca said Monday that we are now in crisis mode when it comes to dealing with soaring numbers of COVID-19 infections. Florida accounted for a fifth of the nation's new infections last week, more than any other state, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Now the home to Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort is seeing about 1,000 new cases a day, said Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings. A thousand a day is extraordinary," Demings said at a news conference. We are now in crisis mode ... We as a community need to work together to slow this rate." The positivity rate for the virus in the county of 1.4 million residents has tripled to 14% from about 4.3% a month ago. More than 61% of county residents have had at least one vaccination shot, and the mayor urged unvaccinated residents to get theirs as soon as possible. Demings said central Florida hospitals are approaching capacity. A medical officer at one of the state's largest health systems said its number of COVID-19 patients is nearing an all-time high: 862, approaching the peak of 900 hospitalized patients with the virus in January. This is clearly, as has been previously described, a pandemic of the unvaccinated," said Dr. Victor Herrera, chief medical officer with AdventHealth Orlando. The hospital system went into a code red status this week, postponing elective surgeries to free up capacity for COVID-19 patients. Of particular concern is a significant increase in unvaccinated pregnant women needing hospitalization for the virus, said Herrera, who urged pregnant women to talk to their doctors and consider getting the vaccine. Some of them are very sick and intubated," Herrera said. The median age of Orange County patients who have died from COVID-19 is 59 and trending younger, with almost all the new infections in unvaccinated people, said Dr. Raul Pino, director of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County. A silver lining is that the county's death rate from the virus is the lowest it has been in a year, an indication of how effective the vaccines are, Pino said. More than 73,000 new coronavirus cases were reported in Florida over the previous week, according to the state health department, nearly seven times the 12,000 reported a month ago. Floridas numbers had been falling since mid-January when 100,000 new cases per week were reported. Florida had 341 cases per 100,000 people over the past week, second only to Louisiana, according to CDC data. Despite this latest surge, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Florida will not return to government mandates. In May, the Republican barred municipalities from imposing their own and banned businesses from requiring proof of vaccination. He said it is up to individuals on how they deal with the pandemic. Demings, a Democrat, said he hasn't ruled out reintroducing masking rules for the county, as other jurisdictions have done already. He faulted state officials for not taking more proactive measures to slow infections. Now is the time we should see some adjustments being made because the virus is quickly spreading, Demings said. We cant do the same things weve been doing and expect different results. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) The North Korean and Chinese leaders expressed their desire Sunday to further strengthen their ties as they exchanged messages marking the 60th anniversary of their countries defense treaty. In a message to Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said it is the fixed stand" of his government to ceaselessly develop the friendly and cooperative relations" between the countries, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said. Xi said in his message that China and North Korea have unswervingly supported each other, according to China's official Xinhua News Agency. The world has recently seen accelerating changes unprecedented over the past century, Xi said. I wish to ... lead bilateral relations to unceasingly rise to new levels to the benefit of the two countries and their peoples. North Korea has been expected to seek greater support from China, its major ally and aid benefactor, as it grapples with economic hardship exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic and crippling U.S.-led sanctions over its nuclear weapons program. China, for its part, sees preventing a North Korean collapse as crucial to its security interests and would need to boost ties with North Korea and other traditional allies amid fierce rivalry with the United States, some experts say. Kim said in his message that the bilateral treaty is displaying its stronger vitality in defending and propelling the socialist cause of the two countries ... now that the hostile forces become more desperate in their challenge and obstructive moves. Under the 1961 Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, North Korea and China are committed to offering one another immediate military and other aid in the event of an attack. North Korea-China ties go back to the 1930s, when Kim Il Sung, the grandfather of Kim Jong Un, led Korean guerrillas as they fought alongside Chinese soldiers against Japanese colonizers in northeastern China. The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1949, one year before North Korea launched a surprise attack on South Korea and started a three-year war that killed hundreds of thousands of people. China fought alongside North Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War, while U.S.-led U.N. forces supported South Korea. About 28,500 U.S. soldiers are still stationed in South Korea to deter potential aggression from North Korea. China doesnt deploy troops in North Korea. California and New York City announced Monday that they would require all government employees to get the coronavirus vaccine or face weekly COVID-19 testing, and the Department of Veterans Affairs became the first major federal agency to require health care workers to receive the shot. Meanwhile, in a possible sign that increasingly dire health warnings are getting through to more Americans, vaccination rates began to creep up again, offering hope that the nation could yet break free of the coronavirus if people who have been reluctant to receive the shot are finally inoculated. The announcements are the opening of the floodgates as more government entities and companies impose vaccine mandates after nationwide vaccination efforts hit a wall, said Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown Universitys School of Public Health. Some people find mask mandates annoying, but the reality is theyre temporary. We cant do them forever, he said. Vaccine mandates have to be one of the major paths moving forward because they get us closer to the finish line. Mask mandates just buy you a little more time. In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that all municipal workers including teachers and police officers will be required to get vaccinated by mid-September or face weekly COVID-19 testing, making the city one of the largest employers in the U.S. to take such action. California said it will similarly require proof of vaccination or weekly testing for all state workers and millions of public- and private-sector health care employees starting next month. The VAs move came on a day when nearly 60 leading medical and health care organizations issued a call through the American Medical Association for health care facilities to require their workers to get vaccinated. It was unclear what would happen to employees who refuse to comply. Some of the unions representing New York municipal workers said the city could not impose the requirement without negotiations. The longstanding policy in the health care industry is for staff to stay up-to-date with vaccinations, such as annual flu shots, but a general rule also allows exceptions for medical reasons, such as allergies. Elsewhere, St. Louis became the second major city to mandate that face masks be worn indoors, regardless of vaccination status, joining Los Angeles in re-imposing the orders. For those who are vaccinated, this may feel like punishment, punishment for doing the right thing, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, a Democrat, said Monday. Ive heard that, and I feel that frustration. President Joe Biden should lead by example and impose further mandates on the federal workforce and in public venues where the government has jurisdiction, including in planes, trains and federal buildings, said Dr. Leana Wen, a former Baltimore health commissioner. We need vaccine mandates and vaccine verification, she said. Were well past the time for the Biden administration to get on board with this. What were doing is not working. Doing more of the same is not the answer here. The administration has so far recommended that unvaccinated people keep wearing masks indoors, but top officials over the weekend said they are considering recommending that the vaccinated also wear them indoors. Were going in the wrong direction, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert, said Sunday on CNNs State of the Union. Wen, who is also an emergency physician and a professor at George Washington University, said public health experts have worried for months about this very scenario. We were worried the honor system would not work, the unvaccinated would be behaving as if theyre vaccinated, and people would think the pandemic is over," she said. "That's precisely what has happened, and it's incredibly frustrating." The U.S. should not have been caught off guard after watching the delta variant ravage India in May and then land in the United Kingdom, Israel and other highly vaccinated nations with force last month, added Dr. Albert Ko, an infectious disease specialist at Yales School of Public Health. We have learned multiple times to not take anything for granted with COVID, he said. Jha said Americans should brace for another rough few months of COVID, which has already claimed nearly 611,000 lives in the U.S. I really thought this would be a fabulous summer, but I underestimated the misinformation campaign that was coming, he said Monday. What were the chances that after more than half a million Americans dead, that one-third of the country would still not want to end the pandemic?" Vaccinations ticked up over the weekend, with about 657,000 vaccines reported administered Saturday and nearly 780,000 on Sunday, according to CDC data. The 7-day rolling average on Sunday was about 583,000 vaccinations a day, up from about 525,000 a week prior. Public health experts on Monday said the uptick in vaccinations is encouraging but warned that its far too early to say if millions of unvaccinated people are finally overcoming their reticence. I wish I could say yes, but I honestly dont know, said Ko. There is a lot of ground to cover. The U.S. is around 67% immune from COVID-19 when prior infections are factored, but it will need to get closer to 85% to crush the resurgent virus, Jha said. So we need a lot more vaccinations. Or a lot more infections, he said. The seven-day rolling average for daily new cases in the country shot up over the past two weeks, from more than 19,000 on July 11 to nearly 52,000 on July 25, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Health experts said they are hopeful that the prominent conservative and Republican voices that have spent months casting doubt on the vaccination effort are finally willing to help move the needle. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise and other Republicans on the GOP Doctors Caucus held a press conference at the Capitol late last week imploring their constituents to lay lingering doubts aside. Fox News host Sean Hannity declared on his popular show: It absolutely makes sense for many Americans to get vaccinated. I believe in science. I believe in the science of vaccinations. Facebook also needs to do a better job cleaning up misinformation on its social media platform, Jha said. And the Food and Drug Administration needs to fully approve the COVID-19 vaccines, which currently have emergency approval. That final step will give more companies greater confidence to impose vaccine mandates, he suggested. "FDA approval matters a lot, Jha said. Its absurd at this point. The safety and efficacy of these drugs has been well-documented. ___ Associated Press writers Lindsey Tanner in Three Oaks, Michigan; Alexandra Jaffe and Aamer Madhani in Washington; and Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas, contributed to this report. The push to mandate coronavirus vaccinations amid sharply rising caseloads nationwide accelerated Monday, as the countrys most populous state and its largest city both announced that they would require hundreds of thousands of government workers to get inoculations or face weekly testing. At the same time, the Department of Veterans Affairs became the first federal agency to require such vaccinations, by announcing that all 115,000 of its frontline health care workers must receive a coronavirus inoculation in the next two months or face possible termination. The actions by Gov. Gavin Newsom in California and Mayor Bill de Blasio in New York City reflected growing concern among many government officials that vaccine skepticism and the spread of the more contagious delta variant could lead to a new wave of the pandemic. Their orders would cover hundreds of thousands of government employees and, in the case of California, the more than 2 million health care workers in private and public hospitals, nursing homes and other congregate-care facilities, according to the state Department of Health. New cases per day have risen fourfold in the U.S. over the past month, leading some public health experts to call for stricter measures to increase lagging vaccination rates. A group of nearly 60 major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association, also issued a statement Monday calling for mandatory vaccination of health care workers. Unfortunately, many health care and long-term care personnel remain unvaccinated, the statement said. As we move toward full FDA approval of the currently available vaccines, all health care workers should get vaccinated for their own health, and to protect their colleagues, families, residents of long-term care facilities and patients. Yet the logistical challenges of implementing these mandates or anything stronger became apparent quickly in New York City when several major unions representing city workers warned that the rules had to be collectively bargained. New York City is a union town and that cannot be ignored, said Henry Garrido, the executive director of one of the unions, District Council 37, which has 150,000 members, the largest of any representing city employees. In California, the new rules were generally welcomed by health care organizations and the public employee unions, who helped elect Newsom in 2018. The California Nurses Association, which represents 100,000 nurses, did not directly address Newsoms order, but said that all eligible people should be vaccinated, while respecting the need for medical and religious accommodations. The new requirement in California, which covers 246,000 state government employees, plus the 2 million health care workers in the public and private sectors, will begin Aug. 2 and be implemented by Aug. 23, Newsom said. We are exhausted by the right-wing echo chamber that has been perpetuating misinformation around the vaccine and its efficacy and safety, Newsom, a Democrat, said. We are exhausted by its politicization of this pandemic, and that includes mask wearing that has been equated to the Holocaust. Its disgraceful, its unconscionable and it needs to be called out. California averages almost 6,400 new virus cases per day, an increase of more than 200% in the past two weeks. More than 64% of adults in the state are fully vaccinated, according to federal data. Last month, San Francisco announced that all of its workers, more than 35,000 people, would have to receive a vaccine or risk disciplinary action after FDA approval of at least one of the three vaccines now being administered under an emergency order. Several Bay Area counties, Stanford University and the 10 campuses of the University of California have also recently announced some type of mandate to help improve stalling vaccination rates. The order in New York City, affecting roughly 340,000 city workers, including teachers and police officers, would begin for most workers Sept. 13, the day when nearly 1 million students in the nations largest school district return to class. De Blasio has signaled that school reopening is critical to the citys recovery from the pandemic. September is the pivot point of the recovery, de Blasio said Monday, also referring to the number of workers who are scheduled to return to offices in Manhattan. The Biden administration has said it is not the federal governments role to impose a nationwide mandate. But for the Department of Veterans Affairs, the risk to veterans, who tend to be older, sicker and possibly more vulnerable to illness, was becoming too great, Denis McDonough, the secretary of veterans affairs, said Monday. I am doing this because its the best way to keep our veterans safe, full stop, said McDonough, whose department is one of the largest federal employers. Doctors, dentists, registered nurses, physician assistants and some specialists in the sprawling VA system will, starting Wednesday, have eight weeks to get fully vaccinated or face penalties including possible removal, he said. About 70% of workers in department health care centers have been fully vaccinated. At a news briefing Monday, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said the administration had not decided whether to issue further mandates. Short of a federal mandate, many private businesses have decided to issue their own vaccine requirements. In California, the SF Bar Owner Alliance, an industry group representing 500 bars, said Monday that its members would require customers to show proof of vaccination or a negative virus test in order to enter an establishment. Those who do not have either would have to sit in outside spaces, the group said. On Monday, de Blasio reiterated a call he made last week to private employers to set vaccine mandates for their workers. Right now, what we're saying is we're leading by example, he said. A lot of times, private sector employers say thats what they need. But de Blasios call to action has yet to show results, with surveys suggesting that mostly smaller businesses are requiring their employees to get vaccinated. Facebook, which has 4,000 employees in New York, for instance, said Monday that it would continue to encourage, rather than require, coronavirus vaccines for workers. A press officer for JPMorgan Chase, which employs about 20,100 people in New York City, declined to comment on de Blasios remarks. But last month, the banks chief executive, Jamie Dimon, warned employees in a memo that the company may mandate that all employees receive a COVID-19 vaccination consistent with legal requirements and medical or religious accommodations. Private health care companies by and large have also not moved toward requiring their workers to receive shots, with only NewYork-Presbyterian issuing a vaccine mandate, which will begin in September. A month ago, it seemed unlikely that anything could threaten New York Citys bounce back from the pandemic, as restaurants, stores and offices had all been allowed to reopen without restrictions. But recently, the number of virus cases in the city has surged, to more than 1,000 per day on some days, the most since May, which officials attribute to the spread of the more contagious delta variant. While nearly 5 million New Yorkers have received at least one dose of the vaccine, the speed of inoculations has slowed. Two million adult New Yorkers are still unvaccinated. Some health experts are concerned that the citys new rules amount to a testing mandate, not a vaccination mandate, and they are urging the mayor to take more aggressive steps. Weekly testing, experts have said, is not a strong control measure for the highly infectious variant. Dr. Sheldon Landesman, an infectious disease specialist and professor at SUNY Downstate, called on the city to move forward with a full vaccination mandate for employees and indoor masking for all. This thing is spreading like wildfire again in the city, Landesman said. The city has not really done its job on this. At a news conference Monday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo avoided supporting a statewide measure like Newsoms and argued most public-facing employees are municipal, not state workers, suggesting mandates were more of a question for localities. Eric Adams, the Democratic nominee for mayor and de Blasios likely successor, declined to comment on vaccine mandates, but said through a spokesperson that he would continue to work to get more New Yorkers vaccinated. Long term our goal must be to get the vaccination rates up and I will continue to work with the governor and the mayor to partner government and resources with credible messengers in undervaccinated areas, he said. De Blasio said the new measures were first steps and that more would follow. He could face opposition from the citys more than two dozen municipal unions. The president of one paramedics union, FDNY EMS Local 2507, which has 4,300 members, said Monday that it opposed the new measures, which he said needed to be collectively bargained. The city and the mayor cannot simply disregard the civil liberties of the workforce, the president, Oren Barzilay, said in a statement. But the United Federation of Teachers said it was on board with the new rules. New York Citys largest police union, the Police Benevolent Association, declined to comment. New York City officials are hoping that the new rules will mitigate anxieties among parents who kept their children learning from home over the past year and are still wary of the return to classrooms. De Blasio has insisted that New York Citys schools will reopen in September as planned, with no remote option. The citys Education Department estimates that around 60% of its employees are vaccinated, which is around the same rate as for employees in public hospitals. Vaccination rates appear to be even lower in the Police Department, which says it has administered the vaccine to 43% of its service members, though the rate is likely higher when including officers who got vaccinated on their own. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. ALBANY U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik on Tuesday joined other Republican leaders in blaming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi for the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Stefanik, a North Country Republican and the freshly appointed House GOP conference chair, spoke at a news conference outside of the Capitol on the first day of public hearings called to examine the attack on the Capitol. "The American people deserve to know the truth that Nancy Pelosi bears responsibility, as speaker of the House, for the tragedy that occurred on Jan. 6," Stefanik said. The North County representative said the Capitol Police raised concerns about security prior to Jan. 6, the day on which Congress was to certify the results of the presidential election as then-President Donald J. Trump held a "Stop the Steal" rally nearby on the National Mall. "Rather than providing them with the support and resources they needed and they deserved, she prioritized her partisan, political optics over their safety," said Stefanik, who called Pelosi an "authoritarian." The ongoing hearings at the Capitol are being conducted to better understand the events of Jan. 6, according to supporters of the proceedings. According to The Hill, Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries responded that it was "sick and cynical" for Republicans to blame Pelosi or any Democrat for an upheaval that he said was incited by Trump and his supporters. Stefanik's declared Democratic opponents in the 2022 election, Matt Putorti and Bridie Farrell, both put down her claims. Farrell said people deserve a leader who takes "responsibility for their own words and decisions." Putorti called it "gaslighting" and a "dangerous attempt to distract the American people from her own endorsement" of a stolen presidential election. Stefanik faced abundant criticism for her decision to vote against the certification of the electoral college vote before and after the riot, based on debunked claims of widespread fraud and her view that scores of court decisions were invalid. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's top advisor, Rich Azzopardi, called Stefanik a "traitor" in a tweet referencing a viral clip of Stefanik's comments Tuesday. Stefanik was once seen by some as a "new Republican," who would turn down the dial on political division often associated with Washington. Now, Stefanik, in a leadership role in Washington, has embraced harsh partisan rhetoric alongside other Republicans who voted against certifying the presidential election. Many Democrats have contested it was the rhetoric of GOP leadership, the president and conservative media that stoked the fire for the insurrection on the Capitol over the validity of the election results. Stefanik has risen in the Republican Party's ranks and has become one of its most vocal leaders. After her news conference, she tweeted a photo with Trump that read, "Planning the great RED WAVE," in reference to the 2022 midterm elections. She is up for reelection. She joined a chorus of other Republican leaders, including House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who repeated similar claims against Pelosi. Nearly a month before the uprising, "The leadership knew there was a problem," McCarthy said. McCarthy and other Republicans rejected the idea of a bipartisan commission to investigate the protest that turned violent, leaving Pelosi with no option but to appoint a commission to perform that work. It includes Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, an outspoken Trump critic who was deposed from the leadership position now held by Stefanik. Stefanik claimed Pelosi would not place Reps. Jim Jordan and Jim Banks on the panel tasked with investigating the insurrection because she "doesn't want the American people to know the truth or learn the fact." Pelosi previously said she would not seat Jordan and Banks on the committee because of prior statements they had made and "with respect for the integrity of the investigation." ALBANY The Capital Region in June boasted one the lowest unemployment rates among New Yorks 14 metropolitan areas, according to the state Department of Labor. The Albany-Schenectady-Troy area had a 4.7 percent unemployment rate in June, which was lower than all but the Ithaca area which was at 4.1 percent. In June 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Albany area's rate was at 10.4 percent. Statewide, the unemployment rate fell from 14.8 percent in June 2020 to 7.3 percent in 2021. Conversely, the number of people employed in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy area rose from 407,300 in June 2020 to 426,200 in June of this year. Broken down by county, 149,400 people were employed in Albany County in June 2021, with worker totals for surrounding counties at 113,700 in Saratoga, 76,900 in Rensselaer, 72,400 in Schenectady and 13,700 in Schoharie. New York City remained the market with the highest unemployment at 10.1 percent, compared to 18.7 percent in June 2020. In June 2021, 3.6 million people were employed in the city, up from 3.1 million a year ago. The Capital Region has typically fared well due to the concentration of health care facilities, colleges and universities, state government offices and tech jobs, all of which tend to lose fewer jobs in a downturn, including the pandemic. That is also reflected in Tompkins County's low unemployment rate. While a rural county, it is also home to Cornell University and Ithaca College. As in the rest of the state, jobs in the restaurant, hospitality and leisure sectors were hit hard, especially during pandemic shutdowns. Since then, restaurants have continued to struggle to find workers as many have left the field or remain on unemployment insurance. Traditionally, the education, technology, and large government sectors have contributed to a stable labor market and factors into the lower unemployment rates, state Department of Labor analyst Kevin Alexander said in an email. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518-454-5758 @RickKarlinTU ALBANY Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo trumpeted New York's rate of nursing home coronavirus fatalities on Monday as he praised the U.S. Department of Justice for its decision not to pursue a civil investigation of New York and three other states whose governors had ordered the facilities to briefly accept infected residents who were discharged from hospitals at the height of the pandemic. Casting the civil investigation as "political hyperbole," Cuomo's remarks come as his top aides have privately remarked that they believe a separate criminal investigation of the administration's nursing home policies and directives will also end with no charges. "The political environment has gotten so toxic in this country. So toxic, so mean. It was an outrageous allegation," Cuomo said. "New York followed the (U.S. Centers for Disease Control) guidance. CDC is a federal agency that's supposed to know what they're talking about in terms of health. We followed the CDC guidance when it came to how we handled people in nursing homes and when they went to a hospital, when they were brought back to a nursing home." But that assertion by Cuomo has largely been debunked: The state's order did not include a directive which the CDC's guidance did that COVID-19 patients should only be returned to nursing homes last year in facilities that were able to safely care for and segregate those residents from others. The confusion exposed many residents and employees to COVID-19 because numerous nursing facilities interpreted the state's directive as mandating they take in those residents and at many facilities the residents who were positive were in close proximity to others. Cuomo said the Justice Department's inquiry, which began in August, "was all politically motivated." "It was toxic politics. It violated the basic concept of justice in this nation, and it did a lot of harm and a lot of damage," he said. "And it went on too long. I mean, this went on for like a year until finally the Department of Justice dismissed it." His remarks came the same day that he also characterized a separate investigation by the state attorney general's office as politically motivated. The governor did not provide any details to support his assertion. The attorney general's office is examining sexual harassment allegations leveled against Cuomo by multiple women, including several who have worked on his staff. That office is also investigating allegations that Cuomo directed state employees to assist him with writing a book about the pandemic. The book deal was worth more than $5 million. Republicans expressed outrage on Friday after the Justice Department declared it would not pursue the civil investigation. In a letter on Friday to U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, the House's ranking Republican member on the Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, an attorney with the Justice Department's Legislative Affairs Office said they had declined to open an investigation under civil rights statutes related to any public nursing facilities in New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan and New Jersey. There are, however, only several dozen publicly run nursing homes in New York a fact that was pointed out when DOJ officials initially sent a letter to New York officials last summer seeking data and information specific to those facilities. A delegation of federal lawmakers from New York had requested the Justice Department conduct a wide-ranging probe of the Cuomo administration's handling of nursing homes, including the directive in March 2020 that required the facilities to take in COVID-19 residents. That directive, which was rescinded weeks later, caused many nursing home operators to take in residents who were positive for the infectious disease, leading to additional spread within the facilities. U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, issued a statement Friday afternoon calling the civil unit's decision a "gross miscarriage of justice" and noting the New York delegation's request for a broader investigation had been rejected. This decision from President Bidens Department of Justice makes President Biden complicit in the criminal corruption scandal and cover-up of deaths of thousands of vulnerable seniors," Stefanik said. In April, Cuomo's office, citing ongoing investigations, rejected a request by the Times Union to make public its correspondence with the Justice Department related to the administration's handling of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities during the coronavirus pandemic. The correspondence sought by the Times Union was triggered, in part, by an Aug. 26, 2020, letter to Cuomo from the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division that sought a trove of records from the administration regarding the relatively small number of public nursing homes in New York, including "all state-issued guidance, directives, advisories, or executive orders regarding admission of persons to public nursing homes ... as well as the dates each such document was in effect." Roughly 7 percent of New York's 630 nursing homes are run by state or local government agencies. Baby Bailey Jean Ann Huffman, precious baby girl of Hilda Scritchfield and Justin Huffman and her sister, Sophia Huffman gained her wings on Wednesday, July 28, 2021, at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital. Though she never spent time enough with us, she touched many of our lives. Our little angel w High-performance carbon black supplier Orion Engineered Carbons has announced a partnership with RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden) in which the pair will jointly develop and produce renewable carbon black. By replacing traditionally used carbon black feedstock with pyrolysis oil from biomass oil, the newly formed collaboration hopes to produce a more climate-neutral carbon black product. The biomass oil will be converted to carbon black at Orions furnace reactor in Kalscheuren, Germany, where the company says it will investigate ways to upscale the process to meet the demands of the market. ') } // --> ') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write('') } // --> ') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write(' ') } // --> ') } else if (width >= 425) { console.log ('largescreen'); document.write('') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write('') } // --> Alongside this, RISE is to evaluate the use of electro fuels at its technology center in Pitea, Sweden. It will investigate the use of plasma or hydrogen from electrolysis for use as a sustainable heat source for the carbon black process. We are committed to meeting the rising interest in renewable carbon black as the tire industry works to address its long-term goal of reducing fossil-derived feedstocks across the supply chain, commented David Deters, senior vice president at Orion Engineered Carbons. This partnership is yet another step in our sustainability strategy and we look forward to partnering with RISE on this exciting and critically important project. Previously, RISE has proved the economic feasibility of producing carbon black using pyrolysis oil from a wood-derived feedstock. Through the project, Orion aims to validate commercial production based on RISEs findings. NBC is not responding to complaints from China over how the network depicted the country's map when its athletes marched in the opening ceremony at the Tokyo Olympics Air Force takes next step in fuel cleanup at New Mexico base The U.S. Air Force says it's ready to outline its work to keep a jet fuel leak from reaching Albuquerque's water supply New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says mandating either COVID-19 vaccinations or weekly testing for the virus should give vaccine-hesitant New York City employees a strong incentive to get inoculated Lumen Technologies' Stock Rises on the Sale of Latin American Business Shares of Lumen Technologies Inc. saw a 1.7 percent rise in premarket trading at the beginning of this week on the heels of an announcement of a deal to sell the companys Latin America business for $2.7 billion to investment firm Stonepeak. The goal of the sale is to boost Lumens business services and its more strategic telecom offerings. The company said the leadership team of the Latin America business will remain in place after the deal, headed by Lumens Regional President of Latin America, Hector Alonso, and Lumen will remain a strategic relationship with the new company. Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners is a New York City-based independent investment firm focused on North American infrastructure opportunities. This transaction unlocks value for our shareholders while allowing us to maintain our global presence through our strategic relationship with the New LATAM Company, Lumens President and CEO Jeff Storey said in a statement. This transaction allows Lumen to focus investments in key areas of the business to drive future growth while providing flexibility for our capital allocation strategy. Lumen, based in Monroe, Louisiana, is a provider of communications, network services, security, cloud solutions, voice, and managed services. The companys president of global customer success, Laurinda Pang, recently told Fierce Telecom that the sale will allow the company to make expansions in other areas. We are investing globally to continue enhancing our assets and capabilities and recently announced network expansions in France, Spain and Switzerland. Lumens global value proposition remains unchanged: We will continue to meet our customers application and data needs where they operate in the world and our future investments will reflect that commitment, said Pang. The relationship between Lumen and the new LATAM company under Stonepeak will include reciprocal reselling and network arrangements in which the companys will continue to use each others extensive fiber footprints, data centers and other network assets. Upon completion of the sale, customers in the Latin America region will work directly with the new Stonepeak company or through the strategic Lumen partnership, according to the companies. Please enable JavaScript to view the Edited by Luke Bellos [July 27, 2021] BetterLife Receives Approval to Conduct COVID-19 Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial with Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BetterLife Pharma Inc. (BetterLife or the Company) (CSE: BETR / OTCQB: BETRF / FRA: NPAU ) today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Altum Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Altum), and Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile have obtained approval from the Instituto de Salud Publica de Chile to conduct their planned randomized placebo-controlled trial (IN2COVID) in COVID-19 patients. The trial, set to start in early August, tests BetterLifes proprietary inhaled interferon alpha-2b (IFN-a2b) product, AP-003. BetterLifes Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ahmad Doroudian, commented, "We are excited to initiate this trial of AP-003 in COVID-19 patients in collaboration with the Escuela de Medicina (school of medicine) at Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. The team as well as the trial center are the leaders in Chile in conducting COVID-19 trials." Dr. Arturo Borzutzky, principal investigator of the IN2COVID trial, said, "We are pleased to be partnering with Altum to bring AP-003 to COVID-19 patients. He added, There are several reasons why there is a need for an effective, easy to administer, non-invasive treatment, such as AP-003, for COVID-19. These reasons include: the time it will take to vaccinate the whole population; not knowing the duration of protection afforded by the current vaccines; emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants; and emergence of possible totally new coronavirus pandemics in the future. AP-003, being a Type I interferon, is a broad acting anti-viral agent, and therefore potentially could be effective in all these scenarios. The IN2COVID trial will have a randomized placebo Phase 1 portion in healthy subjects followed by a randomized placebo-controlled Phase 2 portion in early stage COVID-19 patients (<5 days of diagnosis of COVID-19). The IFN-a2b treatment arms will receive BetterLifes proprietary inhaled IFN-a2b product, AP-003, administered via nebulizer, twice daily for 10 days. About BetterLife Pharma: BetterLife Pharma Inc. is an emerging biotechnology company primarily focused on developing and commercializing two compounds, TD-0148A and TD-010, to treat neurological disorders such as depression, cluster headaches and anxity. TD-0148A is a non-hallucinogenic and non-controlled psychedelic candidate and is unique in that it is not regulated and therefore can be self-administered. TD-010 is a treatment of anxiety without the addictive potential of benzodiazepines. BetterLife also owns a drug candidate for the treatment of viral infections such as COVID-19 and is in the process of seeking strategic alternatives for further development. For further information please visit www.abetterlifepharma.com. About Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile: Founded in 1888, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile is currently one of the leading higher education institutions in Latin America, ranked first in the continent for two years in a row by the Times Higher Education Ranking. Universidad Catolica aspires to achieve excellence in the creation and transfer of knowledge and in providing a Catholic-based educational experience that motivates both personal growth and the development of an inquisitive and critical mind. One of its objectives is to educate persons who are committed to the construction of a more just and prosperous society. The University is an important national center for research in social sciences, natural sciences, health, economics, agriculture, philosophy, theology, arts and literature. Located in a young and geographically distant country, the University believes that maintaining an active exchange program with foreign universities is crucial for academic development. For more information, visit: https://www.uc.cl/en Contact Information: BetterLife Pharma Ahmad Doroudian, Chief Executive Officer Email: Ahmad.Doroudian@blifepharma.com Phone: +1-604-221-0595 Media enquiries: Buchanan Henry Harrison-Topham / Jamie Hooper / Ariadna Peretz Phone: +44 (0) 20 7466 5000 betterlife@buchanan.uk.com www.buchanan.uk.com Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile: Camila Diaz, Journalist School of Medicine Communications Department Email: cdias@uc.cl Phone: +569-72117700 Natalia de la Puente, Journalist School of Medicine Communications Department Email: ncdelapuente@uc.cl Phone: +569-76950837 Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements No securities exchange has reviewed nor accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release. This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to product development, licensing, commercialization and regulatory compliance issues and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as will, may, should, anticipate, expects and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve 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 Companys expectations include the failure to satisfy the conditions of the relevant securities exchange(s) and other risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulations. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by applicable law. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] CARLETON UNIVERSITY AND D2L CREATE OPPORTUNITY FOR GREATER LEARNING INNOVATION Kitchener, Waterloo, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global learning technology leader D2L announced today that Carleton University has undergone a successful implementation of D2L Brightspace, providing learners and educators with enhancements of the blended learning experience. Carleton University is a dynamic, comprehensive research and teaching institution with a tradition of leading change. Its internationally recognized faculty, staff and researchers provide more than 30,000 full-time and part-time students from every province and more than 100 countries around the world with academic opportunities in more than 65 programs of study. Recently, Carleton University fully launched D2L Brightspace to help take their programs to the next level in a blended environment by offering a range of functions and improved stability for faculty. Specifically, Carleton was looking for a trusted partner and an innovative learning platform with an intuitive user experience and around-the-clock support for faculty and students. Carletons educators are dedicated to delivering the best possible learning experiences to our students, and we need to ensure that our suite of educational tools enhances facultys ability to do so, said David Hornsby, associate vice president of teaching and learning at Carleton University. Through our implementation of Brightspace, faculty members are already seeing the benefits of using educational technology to enrich the learning experience, and our students are loving the difference. D2L Brightspace has created the conditions for greater learning innovation, and D2Ls unwavering focus on partnership has made the entire experiece exceptional. Building on the excitement and energy generated by our annual Fusion conference, were celebrating our customers and the ways in which they are changing the world, said April Oman, senior vice president, customer experience at D2L. Carleton University is already seeing great success through Brightspace as they maximize their blending learning experiences, and we couldnt be more honoured to help them by delivering fully accessible, scalable and reliable learning for their remarkable student community. ABOUT D2L BRIGHTSPACE D2L Brightspace is a cloud-based learning platform built for people who care deeply about student success and helping to prepare them for what comes next. It gives faculty across your institution tools theyre going to love, makes it easy to support exceptional student experiences in the classroom or fully online. D2L Brightspace is designed in close collaboration with clients around the world building a pedagogically rich set of features to improve engagement, retention and learning outcomes. It also makes it easier to do assessment and give feedback. D2L Brightspace is worry-free with 99.99% reliability. Its highly accessible and looks beautiful on any mobile device, making it easier for educators to reach every learner. D2L Brightspace has won multiple industry awards, including the #1 LMS Technology for next-generation online teaching and learning. To learn more, visit D2L for Higher Education. ABOUT D2L D2L is transforming the way the world learns helping learners of all ages achieve more than they 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 where 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. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] CI Financial Announces Second Quarter Earnings Conference Call and Webcast CI Financial Corp. ("CI") (TSX: CIX; NYSE: CIXX) will release its financial results for the second quarter of the 2021 fiscal year on Tuesday, August 10, 2021. CI will hold a conference call with analysts that day at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, led by Chief Executive Officer Kurt MacAlpine and Chief Financial Officer Amit Muni. The call and a slide presentation will be accessible through a webcast or by visiting the Investor Relations page on www.cifinancial.com. Alternatively, investors may listen to the discussion by dialing 1-866-248-8441 or 647-792-1240 (Passcode: 1076852). A replay of the call will be available for one year following the presentation (Passcode: 1076852). The webcast will be archived in the Financials section of CI's website. About CI Financial CI Financial Corp. is an independent company offering global asset management and wealth management advisory services. CI managed and advised on approximately C$304 billion (US$245 billion) in client assets as of June 30, 2021. CI's primary asset management businesses are CI Global Asset Management (CI Investments Inc.) and GSFM Pty Ltd., and it operates in Canadian wealth management through CI Assante Wealth Management (Assante Wealth Management (Canada) Ltd.), CI Private Counsel LP, Aligned Capital Partners Inc., CI Direct Investing (WealthBar Financial Services Inc.), and CI Investment Services Inc. CI's U.S. wealth management businesses consist of Barrett Asset Management, LLC, BDF LLC, Bowling Portfolio Management LLC, Brightworth, LLC, The Cabana Group, LLC, Congress Wealth Management, LLC, Dowling & Yahnke, LLC, Doyle Wealth Management, LLC, One Capital Management, LLC, The Roosevelt Investment Group, LLC, RGT Wealth Advisors, LLC, Segall, Bryant & Hamill, LLC, Stavis & Cohen Private Wealth, LLC and Surevest LLC. CI is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under CIX and on the New York Stock Exchange under CIXX. Further information is available at www.cifinancial.com. This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning anticipated future events, results, circumstances, performance or expectations with respect to CI Financial Corp. ("CI") and its products and services, including its business operations, strategy and financial performance and condition. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as "believe", "expect", "foresee", "forecast", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "goal", "plan" and "project" and similar references to future periods, or conditional verbs such as "will", "may", "should", "could" or "would". These statements are not historical facts but instead represent management beliefs regarding future events, many of which by their nature are inherently uncertain and beyond management's control. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements involve risks and uncertainties. The material factors and assumptions applied in reaching the conclusions contained in these forward-looking statements include that the investment fund industry will remain stable and that interest rates will remain relatively stable. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include, among other things, general economic and market conditions, including interest and foreign exchange rates, global financial markets, changes in government regulations or in tax laws, industry competition, technological developments and other factors described or discussed in CI's disclosure materials filed with applicable securities regulatory authorities from time to time. The foregoing list is not exhaustive and the reader is cautioned to consider these and other factors carefully and not to place undue reliance on forward- looking statements. Other than as specifically required by applicable law, CI undertakes no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statement after the date on which it is made, whether to reflect new information, future events or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727006049/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Cloudbeds Launches Websites, A Complete Website Design and Development Solution Sn Diego, CA, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cloudbeds, the fastest growing hospitality management platform, announced the launch of Cloudbeds Websites, a complete website design, and development service for hoteliers. Cloudbeds is the only Top 10 property management system offering independent hoteliers a full-service website solution to enhance their brand and avoid costly OTA commissions. Cloudbeds Websites is a robust website design and development solution that includes all the tools required to create unique and highly functional websites. The websites integrate with Cloudbeds award-winning hospitality management suite to provide a seamless booking and reservations management experience for guests and owners. Unlike DIY web design providers, each hotelier partners with a Cloudbeds website designer who works closely with the hotelier to design and build their website. A Cloudbeds Website is typically up and running within 30 days or less from initial kick-off to fully published on the web. Highlights include: Unique templates: Choose from professionally made, modern templates designed for the hotel industry. Safe and secure: SSL certificates and adhere to all current internet laws per region. Integrated with Cloudbeds: Customizable Cloudbeds booking engine widgets for a seamless direct booking experience. Fully Responsive: Delivers an excellent customer experience on every device - mobile, tablet, and desktop. SEO friendly: Adheres to SEO best practices to ensurethe hoteliers property ranks in Google search. Analytics: Make data-driven decisions to improve marketing strategies with our built-in analytics dashboard. Social Media widgets and the ability to connect third-party applications and widgets. 24/7/365 Support: Included support makes it easy for hoteliers to obtain in-country support. The best part of Cloudbeds Websites is that it truly enhances our guest journey. It has created a point of contact where they can find us and book directly, saving us tons of money on OTA commissions, states Yana Taylor, Owner, Bell in the Woods, USA, Plus, it looks and works beautifully. Our web designer was easy to work with. It was a great experience and a worthwhile investment in our business. I never thought creating a beautiful website for my property could be so easy, says James Schuler, Owner, from Amber Hotel, Switzerland, My web designer from Cloudbeds was quick and made the process very easy - I had an excellent experience getting my site up and running. I would recommend working with Cloudbeds Websites to any independent hotelier. Our web designer went the extra mile to find the best design and functionality for our property, says Maria Martinkova, Owner, Soller Plaza, Spain, Were happy to say that we now have a website that were proud to share that showcases our unique property in Mallorca. Plus, its seamlessly integrated with our Cloudbeds booking engine and channel manager, making reservation management a breeze. Cloudbeds Websites underscores our commitment to providing high-value tools for independent hotels to enhance their business and make their lives easier, says France Mendoza, Professional Services Manager, Cloudbeds. Websites will help them attract more guests, increase revenues, and better promote their brand in a highly competitive industry. According to a 2017 Iowa State University dissertation, Hotel websites have become a critical marketing tool as they present the hotel directly to consumers. A hotel-branded website is reported to have the lowest cost a hotel pays to acquire a new customer among all the online booking channels. Direct booking saves intermediaries fees including commissions (5% - 10%) levied by travel agencies and $3 to $5 per transaction fees charged by a global distribution system (GDS). About Cloudbeds Founded in 2012, Cloudbeds is the fastest-growing hospitality management platform in the world. Its SaaS platform provides tools to manage better properties of all types and sizes, allowing property managers and owners more time to focus on their guests while building revenue, driving bookings and increasing operational efficiencies. Trusted by more than 20,000 hotels, hostels, inns, and alternative accommodations in more than 157 countries, the Cloudbeds suite is a fully integrated platform of capabilities designed to help properties unify their management, reservations, and booking systems, grow revenue, and automate workflows with confidence and ease. For more information, visit www.cloudbeds.com. Austin Edgington CloudBeds austin.edgington@cloudbeds.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Awarded More Than $84 Million in Grants in First Half of 2021 The board of directors of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation announced today that grants totaling more than $84 million were approved in the first and second quarters of 2021. These grants were awarded to 42 organizations across the Hilton Foundation's program areas, in the U.S. and internationally. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005270/en/ "We hope the Resourcing Refugee Leadership Initiative will change the way we talk about refugees forever. No longer can refugees be viewed as passive recipients of aid, but rather, as strategists and innovators driving solutions for our communities. Our coalition invites donors, allies, and other refugee leaders around the world to join them in shifting funding and power to refugee communities," shares Sana Mustafa, director of partnerships and engagement at Asylum Access. Mustafa is a representation, inclusion, and human rights activist. After fleeing the Syrian regime, Mustafa was determined to address the hardships that come with forced displacement and exclusion. Mustafa has also launched two prominent refugee-led networks to enable effective and sustainable refugee policy: The Network For Refugee Voices and the Global Refugee-led Network. Photo courtesy of Asylum Access. "In our grantmaking, we support bold, transformative change by strengthening communities and dismantling systemic barriers," said Peter Laugharn, president and CEO of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. "In this spirit, we are proud to partner with these organizations in alignment with our evolving strategies, centering equity, and collaborating with communities to develop solutions." Following is an overview of all grants awarded in the first half of 2021: Catholic Sisters - Catholic Church Extension Society of USA was awarded $3.6 million to enable 114 Latina sisters to obtain graduate degrees while serving vulnerable migrant communities in mission dioceses in the U.S. through the US-Latin America Sisters Exchange Program. Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate was granted $685,000 to conduct research on aging sisters in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia and Mexico and propose practical and innovative activities and programs that will support religious institutes in these countries to care for their elderly sisters. Congregation of Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word received $1.8 million to create, coordinate, reinforce and expand the Catholic Sisters Inter-Congregational Network for Migrants and Economic Empowerment across the U.S. and Mexico. International Union of Superiors General was awarded $4.5 million to continue support for the education and training of sisters in interculturality, anti-human trafficking, canon law and theology and to provide ongoing pandemic support for Catholic sisters. Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar received $1.6 million to improve access to and completion of education for girls in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia. Medicines for Humanity, Inc. was granted $1.8 million to support Catholic sisters providing life-saving healthcare services in Haiti. University of Kisubi was awarded $575,000 to establish and operationalize a data center for Catholic sisters in Uganda. Foster Youth - Center for the Study of Social Policy was granted $2.7 million to support the Alliance for Racial Equity in Child Welfare in a youth leadership approach to child welfare reform and systems change. First Place for Youth received $2.1 million to improve intensive case management around employment, education and parenting outcomes for foster youth in Los Angeles. Fostering Media Connections was awarded $800,000 to support the Child Welfare Reporting Project in New York City and State with a national impact. Mount Sinai Hospital was granted $1 million to provide integrated medical, sexual and reproductive health, and behavioral and mental health services to young people with a history of foster care involvement, including LGBTQ youth, CSEC youth and pregnant and parenting young people. Regents University of California Los Angeles received $350,000 to support the California Policy Lab in helping Los Angeles County target resources for foster transition-age youth experiencing or at highest risk of homelessness by building predictive models, designing a prevention straegy and evaluating program effectiveness. Southern California Grantmakers was awarded $312,500 to support the Center for Strategic Partnerships in enhancing the ability of child welfare involved youth to access quality permanent housing by building a collaboration between the homelessness services system and the LA County child welfare system. The Door - A Center of Alternatives, Inc. was granted $2 million to support the Academy program, which provides high school education, robust college access and employment pathways for foster youth in New York City. The grant will also focus on housing and mental health services and elevating youth voice. Global Early Childhood Development - California Community Foundation was awarded $1.6 million to enable the LA Partnership for Early Childhood Investment to strengthen systems of support for vulnerable families in LA County and to reduce African-American maternal and infant mortality and morbidity. Mothers2Mothers International Inc. was granted $750,000 to support women living with HIV and their young children in Malawi. PATH received $2.3 million. Of that total, $1 million will support scale-up of early childhood development services as part of the health system in Mozambique and Kenya, and $1.3 million will support the Early Childhood Development Action Network. The Aspen Institute, Inc. was awarded $4.1 million for Ascend at The Aspen Institute to advance two-generation policies and programs that address the needs of both young children and young parents. Homelessness - Brilliant Corners was awarded $3 million for capacity building to strengthen its intermediary role in LA County's efforts to end homelessness, and to help launch a countywide prevention pilot program for single adults at highest risk of experiencing homelessness. Genesis LA Economic Growth Corporation was granted $3 million. Of that total, $1.5 million is for a program-related investment to support the PSH Flex Loan fund, and $1.5 million is for program-related investment to support the RETHINK housing initiative. Jemmott Rollins Group, Inc. received $800,000 to support primarily Black-led community-based organizations in South LA and plan a collective sustainability model that will strengthen the network and region. LA Voice was awarded $800,000 to align and mobilize faith-based leadership across LA County to leverage congregations' unique resources to decrease homelessness, displacement and housing insecurity. Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority was granted $5.8 million. Of the total, $750,000 is to establish a revolving fund for LAHSA to provide cash advances to contracted agencies in LA County to help with cash flow and $5 million will provide a Program Related Investment (PRI) to establish the fund. Regents University of California Los Angeles was awarded $350,000 to support the California Policy Lab in helping LA County target resources for foster transition-age youth experiencing or at highest risk of homelessness by building predictive models, designing a prevention strategy and evaluating program effectiveness. Southern California Grantmakers received $312,500 to support the Center for Strategic Partnerships in enhancing the ability of child welfare involved youth to access high-quality permanent housing by building a collaboration between the homelessness services system and the LA County child welfare system. United Way Inc. was awarded $2 million to identify, support and coordinate community-based organizations around shared goals focused on housing affordability and equity through the Our Future LA coalition. University of Southern California was granted $1 million for continued support of the Homeless Policy Research Institute to coordinate and amplify local research to inform policy and program decisions aimed at ending chronic homelessness in LA County. Opportunity Youth - AHLA Foundation, Inc. was awarded $1 million to support previously employed hospitality workers who were formerly disconnected to upskill and advance to higher positions in the hospitality industry upon reopening and prepare current opportunity youth for jobs upon industry reopening. Cafe Hope, Inc. was granted $550,000 to support Cafe Hope to provide hospitality training and wraparound supports for opportunity youth in the New Orleans area. Center for Law and Social Policy received $1.8 million to support CLASP and its youth advocacy team in advancing federal policy to end youth disconnection, including its New Deal for Youth campaign, a large-scale movement to center youth voice and lived experience in policy. Emerald Cities Collaborative Inc. was awarded $1 million to develop learn-and-earn model career pathway programs for 160 opportunity youth in Los Angeles. Jobs for the Future Inc. was granted $1.3 million to support policy research and technical assistance that will improve workforce outcomes for opportunity youth. Los Angeles Brotherhood Crusade - Black United Fund Inc. received $800,000 to train, place and advance opportunity youth in South Los Angeles in middle-wage employment. Los Angeles LGBT Center was awarded $2.1 million to create a model customer service and workforce training program for formerly homeless LGBTQ+ youth and those experiencing high barriers to employment. The Global Development Incubator Inc. was granted $1.2 million to advance career pathways and data strategy to strengthen GOYN Mombasa. Refugees - Asylum Access was awarded $2 million to unlock capital and enhance advocacy for, and direct funding to, refugee-led organizations through a coalition. Mercy Corps was granted $2 million to support refugee and host community livelihoods programming in Colombia, Ethiopia and Uganda, as well as funding for organizational management transition efforts. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc. received $900,000 for the Mayors Migration Council to support mayors and city leadership in Addis Ababa, Kampala, Medellin and Quito to provide COVID-19 support for refugees and migrants and to elevate their work in global fora. Sesame Workshop was awarded $2.2 million to increase inclusion and appreciation for diversity among young children, caregivers and early education practitioners in contexts affected by migration and displacement. Safe Water - IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre was granted $2 million to support a responsible transition from Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger for safe water services. Additionally, Public Health Institute was awarded $3.75 million to support accelerating the equitable vaccine rollout in California, a coordinated response by Together through Health. Africa Public Health Foundation received $2.75 million to support accelerating the Africa CDC COVID-19 equitable vaccine rollout, a coordinated response by the Africa Donor Collective. The Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association, Inc. was granted $7 million for general operating support. Alzheimer's Greater Los Angeles was awarded $3 million for general operating support. To learn more about our program areas and how we approach our work, please visit hiltonfoundation.org/program-areas. For more detailed information on our grantmaking, please visit hiltonfoundation.org/grants. About the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation International hotelier Conrad N. Hilton established the grantmaking foundation that bears his name in 1944 to help people living in poverty and experiencing disadvantage worldwide. Today, the work continues, concentrating on efforts to improve early childhood development outcomes, support older youth as they transition from foster care, ensure opportunity youth can access career pathways, prevent homelessness, identify solutions to safe water access, help integrate refugees into society and lift the work of Catholic sisters. Additionally, following selection by an independent, international jury, the Foundation annually awards the $2.5 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize to an organization doing extraordinary work to reduce human suffering. The Foundation is one of the world's largest, with $7.5 billion in assets. It has awarded grants to date totaling more than $2 billion, $207 million worldwide in 2020. Please visit www.hiltonfoundation.org for more information. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005270/en/ [July 27, 2021] Converge Technology Solutions Corp. Recognized as the Winner of 2021 North America Microsoft Surface Reseller of the Year Converge's win was announced as part of the FY21 Microsoft Surface PC Partner Awards. TORONTO and GATINEAU, QC, July 27, 2021 /CNW/ - Converge Technology Solutions Corp. ("Converge" or "the Company") (TSX: CTS) (FSE: 0ZB) (OTCQX: CTSDF) a software-enabled IT & Cloud Solutions provider, today announced it has been named the Microsoft Surface Reseller of the Year 2021 for North America. The company was honored among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating outstanding leadership and value for Converge and Microsoft's mutual clients. "Converge is proud to have been named the Microsoft Surface Reseller of the Year 2021 for North America," stated Shaun Maine, CEO of Converge. "This award demonstrates the exceptional commitment and dedication of Converge's Microsoft practice to providing innovative and unique Surface PC solutions to our shared clients. It is an honor to have been named the winner of this award out of the hundreds entered and we look forward to continuing to align efforts with Microsoft." The Microsoft Surface PC Partner Awards recognize Microsoft partners that have moved Microsoft, their companies, and our clients forward during atime of unprecedented uncertainty across the globe, ensuring Converge and Microsoft clients benefitted from the experiences Microsoft Surface solutions provide at a time they needed them the most. These awards were classified into several categories, with honorees chosen from hundreds of submitted nominations. As the North America Surface Reseller of the Year, Converge was recognized for providing outstanding leadership in delivering Microsoft Surface PC device solutions. "Just as Surface delivers the best of Microsoft, our partner award winners represent the best of Surface through their market outreach, sales success, and support of our joint customers to realize their full potential with Surface. We are honored to recognize Converge for their accomplishments in FY21 with this award," says Naseem Tuffaha, General Manager of Worldwide Sales and Go-to-Market for Microsoft. About Converge Converge Technology Solutions Corp. is a software-enabled IT & Cloud Solutions provider focused on delivering industry-leading solutions and services. Converge's regional sales and services organizations deliver advanced analytics, cloud, and cybersecurity offerings to clients across various industries. The Company supports these solutions with managed services, digital infrastructure, and talent expertise offerings across all major IT vendors in the marketplace. This multi-faceted approach enables Converge to address the unique business and technology requirements for all clients in the public and private sectors. For more information, visit convergetp.com. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/converge-technology-solutions-corp-recognized-as-the-winner-of-2021-north-america-microsoft-surface-reseller-of-the-year-301341986.html SOURCE Converge Technology Solutions Corp. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] DataRobot Unveils Major Milestones, Including $300M Series G Funding Investment DataRobot, a leader in Augmented Intelligence, today announced a $300 million Series G funding round to fuel platform innovation and enable DataRobot to bring the transformative impact of Augmented Intelligence to customers around the world. DataRobot is now valued at $6.3 billion post-money, more than double the valuation from its prior round raised in November last year. The round was led by return investors Altimeter Capital and Tiger Global and joined by new investors Counterpoint Global (Morgan Stanley), Franklin Templeton, ServiceNow (News - Alert) Ventures, and Sutter Hill Ventures. "This new investment further validates our vision for combining the best that humans and machines have to offer in order to power predictive insights, enhanced data-driven decisions, and unprecedented business value for our customers," said Dan Wright (News - Alert) , CEO of DataRobot. "DataRobot is seeing more customers across the globe choose our platform to solve their biggest challenges at scale. We are grateful to have the continued support of Altimeter, Tiger, and other world-class investors as we continue to increase our innovation lead during the next phase of our company's growth." "DataRobot is extremely well positioned to capitalize on a tremendous opportunity in the history of software as every company looks to unlock the full potential of their data to drive AI-powered business insights," said Brad Gerstner, Founder and CEO, Altimeter Capital. "We're thrilled to double down on our investment in DataRobot and partner with Dan and the rest of the superb leadership team for the long term." DataRobot's Augmented Intelligence platform is currently trusted by a third of the Fortune 50. By empowering organizations large and small across industries to use AI to help solve key business challenges, including building better products, improving customer relationships, more accurately forecasting demand, and decreasing costs, its platform helps generate tremendous value for customers. "Since day one, DataRobot has been committed to the democratization of trusted AI and delivering massive value across every industry," saidJohn Curtius, Partner, Tiger Global. "We've been impressed with the company's execution and momentum since we first invested in 2019, and we are excited to continue to build our partnership with DataRobot." In addition to strengthening its Augmented Intelligence platform, the new financing will be used to further build out the company's world-class go-to-market team, including hiring across North America, EMEA, and Asia Pacific/Japan to serve the company's growing global customer base. Sutter Hill Ventures, which was an early investor in Snowflake and integral in building out its salesforce, will support the company's robust hiring initiatives. "With the breadth of its platform and the bench of talent, we saw a unique opportunity to invest in DataRobot that we couldn't pass up -- it's actually the first time we've made an investment at this stage of a company's growth," said Chad Peets, Managing Director of Sutter Hill Ventures. "We're excited to continue accelerating its GTM activities as it scales to its next phase of growth." In addition to its new round of capital, DataRobot also today announced the acquisition of Algorithmia to further its stronghold as the leader in MLOps and allow customers to rapidly move from experimental to applied AI. The acquisition provides customers with the ability to monitor and manage all models in production while continuously updating those models as data changes to achieve unprecedented value with AI. About DataRobot DataRobot is a leader in Augmented Intelligence, delivering trusted AI technology and enablement services to global enterprises competing in today's Intelligence Revolution (News - Alert) . DataRobot's enterprise AI platform democratizes data science with end-to-end automation for building, deploying, and managing machine learning models. This platform helps maximize business value by delivering AI at scale and optimizing performance over time. The company's proven combination of cutting-edge software and world-class AI implementation, training, and support services, empowers any organization - regardless of size, industry, or resources - to drive better business outcomes with AI. DataRobot has offices across the globe and funding from some of the world's best investing firms including Alliance Bernstein, Altimeter, B Capital Group, Cisco (News - Alert) , Citi Ventures, ClearBridge, Counterpoint Global (Morgan Stanley), DFJ Growth, Franklin Templeton, Geodesic Capital, Glynn Capital, Intel Capital, Meritech, NEA, Salesforce Ventures, Sands Capital, Sapphire Ventures, ServiceNow Ventures, Silver Lake Waterman, Snowflake Ventures, Sutter Hill Ventures, Tiger Global, T. Rowe Price, and World Innovation Lab. DataRobot was named to the Forbes 2020 Cloud 100 list and the Forbes 2019, 2020, and 2021 Most Promising AI Companies lists, and was named a Leader in the IDC (News - Alert) MarketScape: Worldwide Advanced Machine Learning Software Platforms Vendor Assessment. For more information visit http://www.datarobot.com/, and join the conversation on the DataRobot Community, More Intelligent Tomorrow podcast, Twitter, and LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005431/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Deutsche Bank Appointed as Depositary Bank for the Sponsored American Depositary Receipt Program of European Metals Holdings Limited Deutsche Bank announced today its appointment as depositary bank for the American Depositary Receipt program of European Metals Holdings Limited. European Metals Holdings Limited. (OTC: EMHXY) is a vertically integrated battery metals company aiming to be Europe's first producer of battery grade lithium hydroxide and carbonate products from its Cinovec project in the Czech Republic. The Company's headquarters are in Perth, Australia. * "We are very pleased to be appointed as depositary bank for European Metals Holdings Limited's American Depositary Receipt program" said Daniel Clark, Global Head of Depositary Receipts at Deutsche Bank. "Deutsche Bank will deploy its broad range of customized services to assist European Metals in enhancing the visibility of its ADR program with the investor community". In addition to specializing in administering cross-border equity structures such as New York Shares and American and Global Depositary Receipts, Deutsche Bank provides corporates, financial institutions, hedge funds and supranational agencies around the world with trustee, agency, escrow and related services. Deutsche Bank offers a very broad range of services for diverse products, from complex securitizations and project finance to syndicated loans, debt exchanges and restructurings. * This information was provided by European Metals Holdings Limited (July 2021). Depositary Receipt Information Country British Virgin Islands Custodian Bank National Nominees Limited Effective Date July 27, 2021 Level I ADR CUSIP 29882F 108 ISIN US29882F1084 Symbol EMHXY Exchange OTC Current Ratio 1 ADR to 20 CUFS Eligibility DTC Depositary Receipt Contacts Head of Depositary Receipts New Business Development Daniel Clark Chris Bagley Tel: +1 212 250 3547 Tel: +61(3) 9270-4105 www.adr.db.com Markets Distribution adr@db.com London Tel: +44 (0) 20 7547 6500 gtb.db.com New York Tel: +1 212 250 9100 Hong Kong Tel: +852 2203 7854 Deutsche Bank provides commercial and investment banking, retail banking, transaction banking and asset and wealth management products and services to corporations, governments, institutional investors, small and medium-sized businesses, and private individuals. Deutsche Bank is Germany's leading bank, with a strong position in Europe and a significant presence in the Americas and Asia Pacific. The Depositary Receipts have been registered pursuant to the US Securities Act of 1933 (the "Act"). The investment or investment service which is the subject of this notice is not available to retail clients as defined by the UK Financial Conduct Authority. This notice has been approved and/or communicated by Deutsche Bank AG New York. The services described in this notice are provided by Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas (Deutsche Bank) or by its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in accordance with appropriate local registration and regulation. Deutsche Bank is providing the attached notice strictly for information purposes and makes no claims or statement, nor does it warrant or in any way represent, as to the accuracy or completeness of the details contained herein or therein. This announcement appears as a matter of record only. Neither this announcement nor the information contained herein constitutes an offer or solicitation by Deutsche Bank or any other issuer or entity for the purchase or sale of any securities nor does it constitute a solicitation to any person in any jurisdiction where solicitation would be unlawful. No part of this notice may be copied or reproduced in any way without the prior written consent of Deutsche Bank. Past results are not an indication of future performance. Copyright July 2021 Deutsche Bank AG. All rights reserved. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005935/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Fiber Broadband Association Honors Huntsville, Ala., as "Gig City" for Outstanding Fiber Broadband Deployment Today at Fiber Connect 2021, the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) presented a Gig City Award to Huntsville Utilities, the City of Huntsville, the Huntsville Madison County Chamber, The Broadband Group and Google Fiber. The FBA recognized these groups for their outstanding collaborative initiative that leveraged fiber to increase connectivity across communities in Huntsville, Ala., and improve economic development and quality of life. The city of Hntsville, or "Rocket City," has a history that is deeply rooted in innovation. The town supported the launch of the Space Race with the establishment of NASA, the Marshall Space Flight Center and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. The area also features Cummings Research Park, which is the second largest research park in the nation and home to world-class Genome research and a global epicenter for cyber security. Huntsville is devoted to science and technology, and ensuring its businesses and residents have access to high-performance internet connectivity is an important city objective. Recognizing the need for additional fiber infrastructure for its own internal communication and operational needs, Huntsville Utilities took matters into its own hands. Working with The Broadband Group, a leading telecommunications consulting and business advisory firm, Huntsville Utilities pioneered a Utility Lease Model where the utility aligns interests with private industry to expand fiber citywide. As electric utilities adopt grid modernization initiatives, this Lease Model enables them to build or expand fiber optic networks and include excess fiber capacity to be used by third party tenants, like ISPs or 4G/5G mobile operators. For Huntsville Utilities' fiber network, Google (News - Alert) Fiber was the first tenant to deploy multigigabit broadband services to residential and small business customers in Huntsville and surrounding areas. As a result, an analysis by HighSpeedInternet.com showed that Huntsville led the country for the biggest jump in internet speeds from February 2020 to February 2021. According to the study that was conducted in May 2021, Huntsville ranked 12th for the fastest internet speeds in the nation. "For 80 years, Huntsville Utilities provided traditional utility services, but Huntsville's city leaders knew that our smart and innovative community needed a robust technology infrastructure to stay competitive," said Wes Kelley, President and CEO at Huntsville Utilities. "Our partnership with Google Fiber was the catalyst for investment in broadband across our community. Today, we enjoy healthy competition in this market, which means our residents and businesses have abundant attractive broadband options. Importantly for Huntsville Utilities, our fiber investment is strengthening our utilities and the efficiencies of Huntsville's municipal services." "Huntsville's fiber initiative is truly commendable and demonstrates the value of citywide fiber networks," said Gary Bolton (News - Alert) , President and CEO at FBA. "Huntsville Utilities created a new model by building out the broadband infrastructure and leasing dark fiber to ISPs to deliver fiber-based multigigabit services across the entire city. It was able to create an attractive service for existing and new subscribers with a network that can easily scale to support robust connectivity that Huntsville's residents and businesses need now and expect in the future." The Gig City Award was presented to each group involved in the Huntsville fiber initiative at an awards ceremony at Fiber Connect. Fiber Connect is the leading optical fiber business and technology event in North America. The 2021 event is held July 25-28, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The Fiber Broadband Association is part of the Fibre Council Global Alliance, which is a platform of six global FTTH Councils in the Americas, LATAM, Europe, MENA and APAC. About the Fiber Broadband Association The Fiber Broadband Association is the largest and only trade association that represents the complete fiber ecosystem of service providers, manufacturers, industry experts and deployment specialists dedicated to the advancement of fiber broadband deployment and the pursuit of a world where communications are limitless, advancing quality of life and digital equity anywhere and everywhere. The Fiber Broadband Association helps providers, communities and policy makers make informed decisions about how, where and why to build better fiber broadband networks. Since 2001, these companies, organizations and members have worked with communities and consumers in mind to build the critical infrastructure that provides the economic and societal benefits that only fiber can deliver. Learn more at fiberbroadband.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005883/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Golden Star Enterprises Ltd. Provides Progress Report on Fiscal Year End Audit and Plans to Become Fully SEC Reporting Claymont, Delaware, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire -- Golden Star Enterprises Ltd., (OTCPink: GSPT) previously announced that it had engaged Pinnacle Accountancy Group of Utah (Pinnacle) as its independent auditor. Today, we are happy to update that the fiscal year-end audit is progressing, and the auditors have received supporting documents for their review. Mr. Louis Shefsky, President of Golden Star Enterprises Ltd., commented, This is exciting news for GSPT. We are progressing on schedule and striving to become a fully reporting company very soon. The next step for us will be to up-list to the OTCQB and file a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Once our audited financial statements and subsequent period review engagements are complete, GSPT will complete the requisite filings with OTCMarkets to obtain a listing on OTCQB. It is the Companys hope that it will be able to up-list to the OTCQB before the end of the year. Thereafter, the Company intends to complete filings with the SEC to become a fully reporing issuer. About Enigmai Enigmai was founded in Israel in 2009. As an Israeli tech company, Enigmai developed a unique and advanced solution to address the challenges large contact centers face with workforce management. Our solution supports the entire workflow cycle, from managing shifts and employee breaks to forecasting every days HR needs. Our system offers numerous advantages like integration with other organization systems in use, real-time information update, easy access reports, and a web-based solution. Leading financial and insurance companies in Israel currently use our system, supporting the operation of hundreds of employees daily. Email: info@enigmai.com www.enigmai.com About Golden Star Enterprises Ltd. Golden Star Enterprises Ltd. (GSPT) is a publicly-traded holding and acquisition company interested in taking technology start-ups and growing them to the next level. We actively search for exceptional investment opportunities in the technology vertical. We leverage managements extensive experience in the marketplace and tech industry connections to create opportunities for companies in our portfolio. Email: info@goldenstarenterprisesltd.com www.goldenstarenterprisesltd.com This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect the Company's current beliefs, expectations or intentions regarding future events. Any statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed forward-looking statements. Words such as "will," "will be," "anticipate," "predict," expect "continue," "future," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments may cause views and expectations to change. The Company assumes no obligation, and specifically disclaims any intention or obligation, to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Harris Williams Advises Worldwide Express, LLC on its Sale to CVC Capital Partners Harris Williams, a global investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, announces it advised Worldwide Express, LLC (Worldwide Express), a portfolio company of Ridgemont Equity Partners (Ridgemont), on its sale to CVC Capital Partners (CVC). Worldwide Express is a leading provider of third-party logistics (3PL) services. CVC will merge Worldwide Express with GlobalTranz Enterprises, LLC (GlobalTranz), another leading non-asset based provider of 3PL solutions. The combination is sponsored by a consortium led by CVC and GlobalTranz's current lead investors, Providence Equity Partners (News - Alert) (Providence) and PSG. Ridgemont, Worldwide Express management and GlobalTranz management will also retain significant stakes in the combined entity. The transaction was led by Jason Bass, Frank Mountcastle, Jeff Burkett, Jeff Kidd, Nick Petrick and Justin Icardo of the Harris Williams Transportation & Logistics (T&L) Group. "With a compelling suite of 3PL solutions, from parcel to less-than-truckload, as well as managed transportation, the combined Worldwide Express and GlobalTranz platform will serve a wide range of customers, from small- to medium-sized businesses to global enterprises," said Jason Bass, a managing director at Harris Williams. "We look forward to supporting the combined company in the years to come." "We are very proud to have worked with both of these great companies multiple times. This transaction is yet another example of the strong interest that our sector continues to generate from the investment community," added rank Mountcastle, a managing director at Harris Williams. "We have a longstanding, trusted relationship with Harris Williams. Their team's familiarity with our business model and culture, along with their unmatched 3PL sector transaction experience, made them uniquely qualified to once again serve as our lead advisor. Their guidance through the major milestones in our company's history has been invaluable," added Tom Madine, chief executive officer of Worldwide Express. Worldwide Express is a full-service, non-asset-based logistics provider offering more than 92,000 customers access to industry-leading small package, truckload and less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping solutions around the world. With an annual systemwide revenue approaching $2 billion through a network of company-owned and franchise locations, Worldwide Express, combined with Unishippers Global Logistics, LLC, is the second largest privately held freight brokerage company in the country. As the largest authorized UPS non-retail reseller in the U.S., the company is a local partner for the global supply chains of small- to medium-sized businesses nationwide. This, coupled with a selective portfolio of over 65 LTL and tens of thousands of truckload carriers, provides clients with an unmatched range of options and flexibility to meet their shipping needs. Ridgemont is a Charlotte, North Carolina-based middle market buyout and growth equity investor. Since 1993, the principals of Ridgemont have invested over $5.5 billion. The firm focuses on equity investments up to $250 million and utilizes a proven, industry-focused investment approach and repeatable value creation strategies. Ridgemont's most recent flagship fund, REP III, was formed in 2018 and has $1.65 billion of committed capital. CVC is a leading private equity and investment advisory firm with a network of 23 offices throughout Europe, Asia and the U.S., with approximately $118 billion of assets under management. Since its founding in 1981, CVC has secured commitments in excess of $160 billion from some of the world's leading institutional investors across its private equity and credit strategies. Funds managed or advised by CVC are invested in over 90 companies worldwide, which have combined annual sales of approximately $100 billion and employ more than 450,000 people. GlobalTranz is a full-service 3PL provider, bringing award-winning customer service, exceptional industry expertise and market-leading technology to shippers, carriers and logistics service providers. GlobalTranz's people-powered approach, combined with comprehensive, relationship-driven support, provides shippers of all sizes with fast and reliable, multi-modal transportation services as well as strategic supply chain solutions - enabling them to optimize efficiency and deliver on business goals. Leveraging its extensive independent agent network, GlobalTranz has emerged as a fast-growing market leader with a customer base of over 1 million product users and 25,000 shippers. Providence is a premier global private equity firm with approximately $45 billion in aggregate capital commitments. Providence pioneered a sector-focused approach to private equity investing with the vision that a dedicated team of industry experts could build exceptional companies of enduring value. Since the firm's inception in 1989, Providence has invested in over 170 companies and is a leading equity investment firm focused on the media, communications, education, software and services industries. Providence is headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island and also has offices in New York and London. PSG is a growth equity firm that partners with middle market software and technology enabled services companies to help them navigate transformational growth, capitalize on strategic opportunities and build strong teams. Having backed more than 65 companies and facilitated over 300 add-on acquisitions, PSG brings extensive investment experience, deep expertise in software and technology, and a firm commitment to collaborating with management teams. Founded in 2014, PSG operates out of offices in Boston; Kansas City, Missouri; and London. Harris Williams, an investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, advocates for sellers and buyers of companies worldwide through critical milestones and provides thoughtful advice during the lives of their businesses. By collaborating as one firm across Industry Groups and geographies, the firm helps its clients achieve outcomes that support their objectives and strategically create value. Harris Williams is committed to execution excellence and to building enduring, valued relationships that are based on mutual trust. Harris Williams is a subsidiary of the PNC (News - Alert) Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). The Harris Williams Transportation & Logistics Group serves companies in a broad range of attractive niches, including third-party logistics (3PL), automotive and heavy-duty vehicle, transportation equipment, and truck, rail, marine and air transportation. For more information on the firm's T&L Group and other recent transactions, visit the T&L Group's section of the Harris Williams website. Harris Williams LLC is a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. Harris Williams & Co. Ltd is a private limited company incorporated under English law with its registered office at 8th Floor, 20 Farringdon Street, London EC4A 4AB, UK, registered with the Registrar of Companies for England and Wales (registration number 07078852). Harris Williams & Co. Ltd is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Harris Williams & Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH is registered in the commercial register of the local court of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, under HRB 107540. The registered address is Bockenheimer Landstrasse 33-35, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany (email address: hwgermany@harriswilliams.com). Geschaftsfuhrer/Directors: Jeffery H. Perkins, Paul Poggi. (VAT No. DE321666994). Harris Williams is a trade name under which Harris Williams LLC, Harris Williams & Co. Ltd and Harris Williams & Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH conduct business. For media inquiries, please contact Julia Moore at media@harriswilliams.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005985/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] HealthSpace Finalizes New Contracts with 3rd Largest County in California and with Central Utah Health Department VANCOUVER, BC, July 27, 2021 /CNW/ - HealthSpace Data Systems Ltd. (the "Company" or "HealthSpace") (CSE: HS) (Frankfurt: 38H) (OTC: HDSLF) is pleased to announce it has finalized its contract with Orange County Health Care Agency in California ("Orange County"). On May 28th, 2021 the Company announced the award of a five year agreement with Orange County, with a total contract value of $1,292,147. On July 13th the Board of Supervisors voted to approve the new contract which is now signed and executed. The board also approved an additional $129,214.70 for a total engagement value of $1,421,361.70. The contract represents at least $915,000 in recurring revenue over the next five years with the possibility that Orange County may add additional user seats to its use of GovCall which could increase the recurring portion. In addition the company has signed a contract with the Central Utah Environmental Health epartment for five years. The total contract value is $79,900, of which $60,000 is recurring. HealthSpace CEO, Silas Garrison noted "We are excited to begin the implementation for Orange County. This partnership with the County is an example of the unique challenges that the past 18 months of the pandemic have brought. Many deals in our sales pipeline are being agreed to, negotiated, and approved, but the final steps to execute the contract and begin work have been delayed by the pandemic and subsequently the push to vaccinate and reopen; a process our customers play a pivotal role in. We are excited to see things beginning to normalize, and to be in a position to help our customers chart a path forward with cutting edge technology on the other side of this historic period." HealthSpace Data Systems Ltd. HealthSpace is a government Software as a Service (SaaS) company focused on providing efficiencies to state and local government agencies through its powerful enterprise cloud and mobile platform. Over the last decade, HealthSpace has successfully developed both cloud and mobile applications currently serving over 500 state and local government organizations across North America. HealthSpace's HSCloud Suite platform is one of the only self-serve enterprise SaaS platforms in the government space. HealthSpace is focused on revolutionizing every aspect of the regulatory process within state, provincial and local government; from licensing to inspections, to disease surveillance, to financial management. HealthSpace's platform handles it all. HealthSpace is now entering the FinTech space by developing an online and mobile payment platform that streamlines the intake of government revenue for the agencies it serves. The Company has also expanded its offerings in the realm of communicable disease tracking by creating an automated contact solution which enables public health agencies to broaden the scope and depth of their communicable disease surveillance in an automated fashion. Forward-Looking Statements This release may contain 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 HealthSpace 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 forward looking statements. HealthSpace 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. SOURCE HealthSpace Data [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Integrity Welcomes Universe Financial to Their Fast-Growing Partner Network DALLAS, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Integrity Marketing Group, LLC ("Integrity"), the nation's largest independent distributor of life and health insurance products, today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Universe Financial Insurance Services ("Universe Financial"), an independent marketing organization (IMO) based in Chicago, Illinois. As part of the acquisition, Ivan Vedrov, President of Universe Financial, will become a Managing Partner in Integrity. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. "Being able to serve more Americans is at the core of our partnership with Universe Financial," said Bryan W. Adams, Co-Founder and CEO of Integrity. "Ivan is an incredibly hard worker who has built an impressive business in a short period of time thanks to his exceptional ability to recruit and train agents, while always taking care of the client. By joining Integrity, he can continue to focus on his considerable strengths while tapping into the wide range of Integrity resources that will help him grow his agency even faster than he could on his own." Since 2018, Universe Financial has been helping Americans protect their families through life insurance products and annuities in the greater Chicago area. In 2021, Universe Financial expects to produce more than $25 million of annualized paid premium in the mortgage protection, final expense and annuity markets while serving more than 25,000 Americans annually. "When I was 21, I moved to the U.S. from Russia, with nothing but $1,000 in my pocket, a hard-working attitude and the dream of a better future," shared Ivan Vedrov, President of Universe Financial. "When I discovered the insurance industry, I knew I'd found a way to secure my future." "From these humble beginnings, I have built an agency I am proud of but to achieve the next level of growth, I knew I needed to join forces with a strong partner like Integrity," continued Vedrov. "Integrity has done an incredible job innovating the insurance space. Our partnership with Integrity will allow us to grow our business exponentially while offering our agents Integrity's best-in-class technology, top lead generation tools and access to many of the most transformative products and resources in the industry." "Ivan is a true American success story that proves with hard work and dedication you can accomplish anything you set your mind to," added Adams. "Ivan's passion for helping new agents entering into this business is inspiring and I can't wait to see what we can accomplish together." While advancing its strong development strategy, Universe Financial will now employ the complete range of Integrity's platform for support including sales, marketing, IT, human resources, legal services, compliance and other shared services. In addition, all Integrity partners become eligible to participate in he Integrity Employee Ownership Plan , which provides ownership to its nearly 5,500 employees nationwide. Universe Financial will join Integrity's increasingly diverse group of partners industry leaders who collaborate to share wide-ranging best practices and expertise. These partners include CSG Actuarial , ThomasARTS , Deft Research, Access Capital , Brokers International and Insurance Administrative Solutions' third-party administrator, as well as leading call centers Connexion Point , SeniorCare Benefits and Unified Health . "I couldn't be happier that Ivan and his team are joining Integrity," said Shawn Meaike, Managing Partner at Integrity and President of Family First Life. "With the vast offerings of the Integrity platform and Ivan's incredible work ethic and commitment to grow his business, there is no limit to the success Universe Financial Insurance Services will see in the future." For more information about Universe Financial's partnership with Integrity, view a video at www.integritymarketing.com/UniverseFinancial About Integrity Marketing Group Integrity Marketing Group, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is the leading independent distributor of life and health insurance products focused on meeting Americans wherever they are in person, over the phone and online. Integrity is innovating insurance by developing cutting-edge technology designed to simplify and streamline the healthcare experience for everyone. In addition, Integrity develops exclusive products with insurance carrier partners and markets these products through its distribution network that includes other large insurance agencies throughout the country. Integrity's almost 5,500 employees work with over 375,000 independent agents who service more than eight million clients annually. In 2021, Integrity expects to help insurance carriers place over $7 billion in new sales. For more information, visit www.integritymarketing.com. About Universe Financial Insurance Services Universe Financial Insurance Services, also known as Family First Life Universe, is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and is a leading insurance agency committed to protecting families across the nation. They ensure their agents are equipped for success by providing them with top tier sales training, compensation, and products to protect families. They specialize in final expense life insurance, mortgage protection, and fixed indexed annuities. For more information, visit www.ffluniverse.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/integrity-welcomes-universe-financial-to-their-fast-growing-partner-network-301341737.html SOURCE Integrity Marketing Group, LLC [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Investor Alert: Beware of Fake Financial Websites Trying To Steal Your Money Be an informed investor - don't be fooled by fraudsters misrepresenting themselves TORONTO, July 27, 2021 /CNW/ - The Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) is warning Canadian investors not to be fooled by fraudsters claiming to be legitimate investment dealer firms regulated by IIROC. Fraudsters are impersonating trusted IIROC-regulated institutions through many channels, including genuine-looking phishing websites, high-quality brochures and other investment documents. These fraudulent sites or documents offer and market a fake guaranteed bond fund and GICs with unrealistic investment returns. Some fake websites look nearly identical to the trusted institution's website with the same logo, brand, and likeness; others copy legitimate websites but change the firm's name and contact details. Calls to the phone numbers provided in the contact details typically reach a scammer pretending to be an employee of the IIROC-regulated firm. Other fraudulent websites claim to be a division or an affiliate of an IIROC-regulated firm. Victims of this type of scam should contact their local securities regulator. Tips to protect yourself: Before working with any investment firm, verify the firm is regulated by IIROC. Compare and confirm websites. Carefully check the domain names of any websites you visit, and cross-reference contact details on the website with other resources. Do an internet search for the company to determine if the website is legitimate or duplicates the company's site. Check for misspellings or variations on the company name on the website or email address. The Canadian Securities Administrators provide investor alerts. Investors can also check the background, qualifications, and disciplinary history of investment advisors registered with IIROC by checking out our free AdvisorReport. IIROC-regulated investment firms and individuals must meet our high standards and deal fairly, honestly and in good faith with Canadian investors. *** About IIROC: IIROC is the pan-Canadian self-regulatory organization that oversees all investment dealers and their trading activity in Canada's debt and equity markets. IIROC sets high quality regulatory and investment industry standards, protects investors and strengthens market integrity while supporting healthy Canadian capital markets. IIROC carries out its regulatory responsibilities through setting and enforcing rules regarding the proficiency, business and financial conduct of 175 Canadian investment dealer firms of varying sizes and business models, and their more than 30,000 registered employees. IIROC also sets and enforces market integrity rules regarding trading activity on Canadian debt and equity marketplaces. SOURCE Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) - General News [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Kraig Biocraft Laboratories provides Spider Silk Production Update ANN ARBOR, Mich., July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. (OTCQB: KBLB) (the Company or Kraig Labs), the biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of spider silk, today provides updates concerning the Companys spider silk production program and the impacts to its operations of the tightening COVID-19 restrictions in Vietnam and globally. The Company is pleased to announce that Prodigy Textiles, Kraig Labs Vietnamese subsidiary, has now produced enough silk to create a number of different fabric blends. These fabrics were designed in partnership with PL Kings for use in products under the jointly owned SpydasilkTM brand. The Company expected to have these fabrics produced in Vietnam by the end of the second quarter, but must now source mills outside of Vietnam. The increasing COVID-19 related restrictions in Vietnam and elsewhere are preventing the delivery of finished fabrics to PL Kings. The Company is now coordinating the export of its finished recombinant spider silk. This effort is being coordinated with PL Kings to identify alternative mills within the ASEAN region capable of producing these fabrics. The Companys technology was designed to be a direct drop-in for traditional silk production systems and operations at Prodigy have demonstrated that its specialized silkworms can be easily raised using traditional methods. At this time, the Company has not been required to close its Prodigy Textiles facility, but with lockdowns increasing in several cities, the Company is preparing for every potentiality. Travel restrictions and the required closure of many business segments of the economy, including transportation across Vietnam, have significantly slowed the Companys production operations. The additional lab and testing equipment the Company scheduled for installation is now also on hold due to shutdowns at the Hanoi-based supplier. In anticipation of these delays and restrictions, Kraig Labs US R&D headquarters amplified its support of Prodigys production operations by significantly increasing its egg supplementation capacity to ensure a stable supply of eggs. A shipment of 100,000 DragonsilkTM eggs was sent from the Companys US facility, in June, to test the efficiency of this contingency plan and boost production at Prodigy. The eggs successfully arrived in Ho Chi Minh City only to find delays caused by reduced staffing at Vietnamese customs. Final delivery to the Prodigy factory was delayed considerably by multiple COVID-19 checkpoints. This added delay starved the eggs of oxygen, killing a large portion of those eggs. If movement restrictions in Vietnam continue to increase, it may no longer be feasible to reliably import silkworm eggs in he near term. The US operations, including R&D and egg production, have greatly exceeded expectations over the last three quarters. The Company has developed four separate strains of its knock-in/knock-out nearly pure spider silk line of hybrids which we believe are almost ready for the transition to production. The R&D team in the US is now working to ensure the genetic inserts are in a stable homozygous configuration. These strains have been developed in two unique commercial silkworms lines and, when crossbred, create significantly larger cocoons that improve the finished yarn and spinning. This powerful technology has been the main focus of our R&D efforts and is nearly complete. The Company hopes to be able to transition these new and more powerful hybrids to Prodigy Textiles. However, before this shipment can happen, we must have a reliable means of delivering these new technologies to Vietnam and Prodigys factory. These new technologies and transgenics are covered under multiple PCT patent applications the Company filed in 2021. The first of these patent applications covering its core Knock-in/Knock-out system was filed in February. In July, the Company filed two additional PCT patents expanding on that original design and merged multiple provisional patents initially filed in July 2020. While Monster Silk and Dragon SilkTM are the core of the Companys current offerings, the next generation of yarns and fabrics produced by Prodigy Textiles will be built on the performance of these nearly pure spider silk transgenics. The COVID-19 related delays in Vietnam are also impacting the Companys uplisting application. Kraig Labs has addressed all of the stated requirements for listing on a national exchange. An additional hurdle, over and above the listing requirements, was then presented to the Company. A new requirement was created, forcing Kraig to demonstrate market demand for spider silk through commercial sales. The Companys partnership with PL Kings and the establishment of the SpydasilkTM Apparel brand was poised to verify demand and generate those sales in the third quarter. The shutdown of the mills in Vietnam has now caused a several-month delay in the delivery of those finished fabrics and the first finished garments. Weve been pressing hard on multiple facets of our spider silk fiber production program in order to achieve the uplisting and to bring value to our shareholders. We have also been working to create a set of contingency plans and workarounds for the constantly evolving COVID-19 restriction in Vietnam and around the world. We are very pleased with the performance of the first samples of silk produced by the factory and we are even more thrilled to have enough material to start weaving the first composite fabrics. This latest wave of COVID shutdowns is impacting our operations and our Prodigy team members more severely than anything we have previously experienced. With that said, between our teams at Prodigy and Kraig Labs, I am confident that we will weather this storm, as we have so many in the past, said the Companys COO, Jon Rice. We are working now to get our finished silk out of Vietnam so that they can be converted into fabrics and delivered into the hands of our partners at PL Kings. To view the most recent news from Kraig Labs and/or to sign up for Company alerts, please go to www.KraigLabs.com/news . About Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. ( www.KraigLabs.com ), a fully reporting biotechnology company, is a developer of genetically engineered spider silk based fiber technologies. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Information Statements in this press release about the Companys future and expectations other than historical facts are forward-looking statements. These statements are made on the basis of managements current views and assumptions. As a result, there can be no assurance that managements expectations will necessarily come to pass. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by phrases such as believes, plans, expects, anticipates, foresees, estimated, hopes, if, develops, researching, research, pilot, potential, could or other words or phrases of similar import. Forward looking statements include descriptions of the Companys business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions and goals. All such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any security. Ben Hansel, Hansel Capital, LLC (720) 288-8495 ir@KraigLabs.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Liberty Bank Selects Arriba Advisors to Lead Digital Technology Transformation Arriba Advisors, an advisory firm that provides strategy enablement and cost alignment to clients on a variety of fintech projects, announced that Middletown, Connecticut-based Liberty Bank ($7 billion in assets) has chosen the firm to assist in upgrading its technology to nurture scalable growth and innovate in the digital space. Established in 1825, Liberty Bank is one of the oldest and largest mutual banks in the country, providing stellar service in commercial banking, cash management, home mortgages, and much more. But to remain competitive and meet its customers' evolving needs, David Mitchell (News - Alert) , Liberty Bank's executive vice president, general manager and chief digital officer, said the bank needed to bolster its digital strategy-and the technology that supports it. "We knew we had to change in order to compete against nimble challenger banks and digital institutions that don't have the cost structure of brick-and-mortar branches," said Mitchell. "I wanted help from someone who specializes in digital transformation and understands the competitive landscape. They're not just consultants at Arriba. They come from the tech side, so they know who the players are, and are well-versed in product quality, implementation, service and culture." The team at Arriba Advisors worked closely with Liberty Bank stakeholders to revamp th digital strategy, carefully and thoroughly evaluate multiple technology providers and negotiate favorable contracts on behalf of the bank. "It's quite a feat to remain in business for almost 200 years while never wavering from your core principles and devotion to the community," said Tom Russell, co-founder and partner of Arriba Advisors. "We are thrilled to partner with the leadership team at Liberty Bank to empower their institution with the technology and strategy needed to reach new heights of success." About Arriba Advisors Arriba Advisors brings a fresh approach-built on more than 150 years of combined industry experience-to the technology evaluation and contract negotiation processes for banks and credit unions nationwide. Founded in 2016 with offices in Florida and Texas, the strategic advisory firm provides partner-level engagement to each client on a variety of projects, including technology assessments, vendor evaluations, contract and price negotiations, and much more. For more information, visit arribaadvisors.com, or follow the firm @arriba-advisors on LinkedIn (News - Alert) . About Liberty Bank Established in 1825, Liberty Bank is Connecticut's largest mutual bank with more than $7 billion in assets and 62 banking offices across Connecticut. As a full-service financial institution, Liberty offers consumer and commercial banking, cash management, home mortgages, business loans, insurance and investment services. Named a 'Top Workplace' for nine consecutive years, Liberty maintains a longstanding commitment to superior personal service and unparalleled community involvement. For more information about Liberty Bank, visit liberty-bank.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005085/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] livi bank launched Hong Kong's first programmatic bus shelter Omnichannel ad to reinforce the livi PayLater campaign launch HONG KONG, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Global media and technology company Verizon Media lends its expertise to virtual bank livi bank's livi PayLater campaign in Hong Kong's first programmatic bus shelter panels through the Verizon Media Demand-side Platform (DSP), joined hand with iProspect Hong Kong, part of Dentsu International network and DDB. The eye-catching thematic Ad featuring local celebrity Stephy Tang was injected into 13 bus shelters across different Hong Kong districts - all of which are prime business districts popular among people on the move. Programmatic bus shelter panels enable livi to reach out to potential customer through re-targeting. The campaign came right after JCDecaux Cityscape bring in the break through solution powered by VIOOH platform to HK recently. [LINK] Verizon is one of the connected demand-side platforms (DSPs) to provide the solution. Matthew Chan, Head of Sales, Hon Kong and China of Verizon Media, explains the technology in more details, "Verizon Media DSP offers the full-stack expertise - truly connecting publisher, advertiser and audience. When the audiences are exposed to the programmatic bus shelter panels, this group of audience will then be retargeted via display and native formats Verizon Media DSP network which drives campaign conversions. Building the success on omnichannel, advertisers can maximize their advertising yield through the transparent and advanced campaign management system." Debuting from now till the end of Aug, the livi PayLater campaign spotlights Stephy Tang playing the duo role as a relationship counselor and a financial adviser, highlight the great flexibility that livi PayLater offers. [ LINK ] livi PayLater offers a new payment concept 'Buy Now Pay Later' service with a virtual Mastercard debit card, flexible repayment periods and automatic instalments, providing a smarter way of spending that allows customers to take control of their finances and live their way. Michelle Chan, Director, Marketing, Business Development and Innovation at livi bank, says, "Consumer behaviour is constantly changing. We are excited to be the first virtual bank in Hong Kong to introduce the 'Buy Now, Pay Later' payment method. Our target audiences cover all walks of life so we are keen to adopt Verizon Media DSP to launch the first omnichannel programmatic bus shelter digital advertising campaign, which can retarget the audience on the web and other mobile sites for further engagement." Verizon Media DSP's digital out-of-home channel bridges high impact inventory from leading local suppliers with the optimal target audiences through an omnichannel management system, whereby clients can effortlessly build and manage their campaign in a holistic, cross-device experience. "Albeit the growing digital realm, OOH and DOOH campaigns still play a crucial role especially in Hong Kong," says Polly Ip, Business Director, Dentsu International Hong Kong. "Contextual targeting is in the world of online display and it is exciting that we are bringing this to the offline space, at scale and with impact. From a planning perspective, we are able to create better communication targeting and segmentation in a more integrated way, adding greater synergy across media touchpoints and building a seamless brand experience for marketers to engage with their audiences. We look forward to seeing more DSPs supporting programmatic DOOH in Hong Kong." Credit: Advertiser: livi bank Media Agency: iProspect Hong Kong (a dentsu company) Media Partner: Verizon Media Creative Partner: DDB Group Hong Kong About Verizon Media Verizon Media, a division of Verizon Communications, Inc., houses a trusted media ecosystem of premium brands like Yahoo, AOL, TechCrunch and Engadget to help people stay informed and entertained, communicate and transact, while creating new ways for advertisers and media partners to connect. From XR experiences to advertising and content technology, Verizon Media is an incubator of innovation and is revolutionizing the next generation of content creation in a 5G world. SOURCE Verizon Media [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 26, 2021] Lost Money in ATI Physical Therapy, Inc.? ATI Physical Therapy, Inc. shares plunged over 41% in intraday trading on Monday, July 26, 2021 after announcing it was lowering its 2021 guidance. The Illinois-based company further warned investors it may have to record an impairment charge in Q3 that could be material. ATI had just recently gone public via a SPAC merger with Fortress Value Acquisition Corp. II in a deal that closed June 16, 2021. Gibbs Law Group is investigating a potential ATI Physical Therapy Class Action Lawsuit on behalf of investors who lost money in ATI Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE: ATIP). To speak with an attorney regarding this class action lawsuit investigation, click here or call (888) 410-2925. On Monday July 26, 2021, ATI Physical Therapy released its Q2 results and also revised is 2021 forecast downwards. Further, ATI warned investors that this forecast revision constitutes an "interim triggering event," meaning it must analyze its potential impairment to "goodwill and tradename intangible assets." When ATI finishes this analysis, it says it may ultimately record a material impairment charge. ATI Physical had just recently finished its merger with Fortress Value Acquisition Corp. II on June 16, 2021. When the proposed merger was first announced on February 22, 2021, Reuters (News - Alert) reported the deal would value the combined company at $2.5 billion. Following news of its lowered 2021 guidance, ATI Physical Therapy's stock price plummeted nearly 41% in intraday trading on July 26, 2021, causing significant harm to investors. What Should ATI Physical Therapy Investors Do? If you invested in ATI Physical Therapy, visit our website or contact our securities team directly at (888) 410-2925 to discuss how you may be able to recover your losses. Our investigation concerns whether ATI has violated federal securities laws by providing false or misleading statements to investors. About Gibbs Law Group Gibbs Law Group represents investors throughout the country in securities litigation to correct abusive corporate governance practices, breaches of fiduciary duty, and proxy violations. The firm has recovered over a billion dollars for its clients against some of the world's largest corporations, and our attorneys have received numerous honors for their work, including "Best Lawyers in America," "Top Plaintiff Lawyers in California," "California Lawyer Attorney of the Year," "Class Action Practice Group of the Year," "Consumer Protection MVP," and "Top Women Lawyers in California." This press release may constitute Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210726005831/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Macquarie Asset Management Closes Sixth Americas Infrastructure Fund With $6.9 Billion in Commitments Macquarie Asset Management today announced the final close of Macquarie Infrastructure Partners V ("MIP V") after reaching $US6.9 billion in commitments. MIP V is Macquarie Asset Management's sixth Americas-focused, unlisted infrastructure fund. It continues the investment strategy of the MIP platform, which spans nearly two decades of local operational expertise and long-standing sector relationships in the Americas. Consistent with previous vintages, MIP V will seek to invest in high-quality infrastructure assets and will be primarily focused on the transportation, communications, waste management, utilities and energy sectors. "We greatly appreciate investors' strong support for MIP V as part of our broader global infrastructure platform," said Leigh Harrison, Global Head of Macquarie Asset Management's infrastructure and renewables team. "We remain focused on delivering for our investors and ensuring that we manage investments responsibly and sustainably for the benefit of all stakeholders." "We thank investors for their support of MIP V," said Karl Kuchel, CEO of Macquarie Infrastructure Partners. "We continue to access a range of high-quality investment opportunities across the regon as we build the MIP V portfolio and will utilize the team's sector and operational expertise to manage these investments over time." The MIP V capital raising builds on the strong investor support for Macquarie Asset Management's infrastructure capabilities over a number of years. Macquarie Asset Management's global infrastructure capital raising totaled more than $US38 billion in the last three years through 31 March 2021. About Macquarie Asset Management Macquarie Asset Management ("MAM") provides specialist investment solutions to clients across a range of capabilities including infrastructure & renewables, real estate, agriculture, transportation finance, private credit, equities, fixed income, and multi-asset solutions. As of March 31, 2021, the MAM business had $US427 billion of assets under management. MAM has over 1,900 staff operating across 20 markets in Australia, the Americas, Europe, and Asia. MAM, through its affiliates, has been managing assets for institutional and retail investors since 1980 in Australia and in the United States, retail investors recognize the Delaware Funds by Macquarie family of funds as one of the longest-standing mutual fund families, with more than 80 years in existence. This press release does not constitute an advertisement or an offer to sell any security or the solicitation of any offer to buy an interest in MIP V or any existing or future fund or investment vehicle managed or advised by MAM and/or its affiliates or any other security. None of the entities referred to in this press release is an authorised deposit-taking institution for the purposes of the Banking Act 1959 (Commonwealth of Australia). The obligations of these entities do not represent deposits or other liabilities of Macquarie Bank Limited ABN 46 008 583 542 (MBL). MBL does not guarantee or otherwise provide assurance in respect of the obligations of that entity. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727006031/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Mercury Capital Advisors Appoints Michael Ricciardi as Chairman Emeritus Mercury Capital Advisors ("Mercury"), among the world's elite global private fund placement and advisory firms, today announced that it has appointed Michael Ricciardi, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of the Firm as Chairman Emeritus. In his new role, Mr. Ricciardi will focus on business development and sourcing new client mandates. Mr. Ricciardi founded Mercury Capital Advisors in 2009 along with two of his partners as a spinoff from the Merrill Lynch Private Equity Funds Group. Since its inception and under his leadership, Mercury has completed more than 125 fundraising, secondary advisory, co-investment and direct deal placements across multiple alternative asset classes, closed over $100bn in fund commitments, and became a prominent global placement and advisory firm. Mr. Ricciardi said: "I look forward to the next phase in my career with great anticipation and excitement. I am enthusiastic about contributing to Mercury's growth as it continues to deliver exceptional fundraising and advisory solutions to our clients." Mr. Ricciardi will retire from the executive management and operations of the Firm to focus on his new role, while the day-to-day management will be handled by the Firm's Managing Partners John Franklin and Enrique Cuan. Mr. Franklin and Mr. Cuan, commenting on Mr. Ricciardi's transition, said: "The Firm has greatly benefitted from Mr. Ricciardi's passion for helping clients grow their franchises and we look forward to cotinuing to leverage his network to develop new opportunities and relationships for the Firm in the future." This announcement comes as the Firm posted very strong first half results on the back of advising on several fund closings year to date, including those of Ocean Link, MML, Valor, Gaw, Blue Torch and Investcorp. Building upon this momentum, last week the Firm announced that it has hired four senior distribution professionals. In addition to these senior hires, it also strengthened its team by adding eight other staff in recent months across different functions, including distribution, administration and project management. About Mercury Capital Advisors: Mercury Capital Advisors is a leading global private fund and investment advisory firm. Founded in 2009 as a spinoff from the Merrill Lynch Private Funds Group, the firm assists general partners and limited partners in fundraising and secondary advisory, co-investment and direct deal placement. The firm specializes in alternative assets including private equity, real estate, infrastructure, credit, venture capital, secondaries and special situations investments. Mercury has advised on over 100 fundraisings and closed over $100bn in fund commitments since its inception in 2009. With offices in New York, London, Singapore, Tokyo and New Delhi, the firm maintains strong relationships with a broad range of the world's pre-eminent institutional investors, including sovereign wealth funds, corporate and public pension plans, insurance companies, endowments, family offices, foundations, secondary funds, funds of funds and consultants. Mercury Capital Advisors is a 100% owned subsidiary of Investcorp, a global investment manager specializing in alternative investments across private equity, real estate, credit, absolute return strategies, GP stakes and infrastructure. As of March 31, 2021, Investcorp Group had US $35.4 billion in total AUM, including assets managed by third-party managers, and employed over 430 people from 45 nationalities globally across its offices in 12 countries spanning the US, Europe, GCC and Asia. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727006017/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] OpsRamp Shortlisted for 2021 SaaS Awards SAN JOSE, Calif., July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OpsRamp , the digital operations platform for the modern digital business, is a finalist in the 2021 SaaS Awards Program in the category Best Enterprise-Level SaaS Product. The OpsRamp platform offers hybrid infrastructure monitoring and observability as well as AIOps-enabled event management. Enterprise customers across the globe including Epsilon, Zebra Technologies, Markley Group, NIIT Technologies, BJs Wholesale Club, and many others choose OpsRamp for cloud migration , legacy IT operations management replacement , and tool rationalization and consolidation . Now in its sixth year of celebrating software innovation, the Software-as-a-Service Awards program accepts entries worldwide, including from the US, Canada, Australasia, EMEA, and UK. Head of operations for the SaaS Awards, James Williams, said: Just as SaaS technologies have been vital in pivoting organizational functions to respond to global crises, they will be essential as we look forward to returning to normal levels of productivity. The shortlisted candidates represent truly innovative thinkers in the SaaS industry, whether theyre freshly-funded disruptors or established names. Jordan Sher, OpsRamp Vice President of Corporate Marketing, said: It is an honor to make the SaaS Awards shortlist, which recognizes our organizations excellence and innovation in developing a modern SaaS platform. Final SaaS Awards winners will be announced on Tuesday, August 31st, 2021. Hundreds of organizations entered, with international entries coming from North America, Canada, Australia, UK, Europe and the Middle East. To view the full shortlist, please visit: https://www.cloud-awards.com/2021-software-awards-shortlist/ About the SaaS Awards The SaaS Awards is a sister program to the Cloud Awards, which was founded in 2011. The SaaS Awards focuses on recognizing excellence and innovation in software solutions. Categories range from Best Enterprise-Level SaaS to Best UX or UI Design in a SaaS Product. About the Cloud Awards The Cloud Awards is an international program which has been recognizing and honoring industry leaders, innovators and organizational transformation in cloud computing since 2011. The awards are open to large, small, established and start-up organizations from across the entire globe, with an aim to find and celebrate the pioneers who will shape the future of the Cloud as we move into 2022 and beyond. Categories include the Software as a Service award, Most Promising Start-Up, and Best in Mobile Cloud Solution. Winners are selected by a judging panel of international industry experts. For more information about the Cloud Awards and SaaS Awards, please visit https://www.cloud-awards.com/ . About OpsRamp OpsRamp is the digital operations management platform for the modern digital business. It combines hybrid infrastructure monitoring, AIOps, and process automation to monitor and manage cloud and on-premises infrastructure while efficiently identifying and resolving incidents with machine learning. Todays enterprises are hybrid, distributed, and digital-first. OpsRamp is the platform that brings it all together. More info at www.opsramp.com SaaS Awards contact: James Williams head of operations https://www.cloud-awards.com/software-as-a-service-awards/ james@cloud-awards.com OpsRamp contact: Kevin Wolf TGPR kevin@tgprllc.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 26, 2021] PCT International Secures $5 Million in Funding PCT International has received Court approval for $5 million in funding upon Confirmation of its Chapter 11 Plan from TRGP Investment Partners, LP. TRGP has a successful track record of helping companies in similar circumstances to focus on growth and opportunity. This funding bolsters PCT's Chapter 11 plan as it heads toward Confirmation and demonstrates the strength of the malpractice claim against Robins Kaplan LLP. The funding will be provided by TRGP to PCT on a contingency basis. PCT is only required to repay the funding from the malpractice case winnings upon receipt of payment on its malpractice claim against Robins Kaplan. The funds advanced by TRGP are specifically available to pay creditors under the pending plan of reorganization, which has garnered the suport of over 97% in amount and number of creditors in the case. The sole objector to the approval of the plan is Robins Kaplan. Robins Kaplan was also the only party opposing the funding and the Court approved it over their objections. PCT's General Counsel, Doug Drury noted: "We found Robins Kaplan's objections to the funding odd. If they were confident in prevailing, why would they oppose $5 million in funding that wouldn't have to be repaid if they won the malpractice case?" In August of 2019, PCT engaged Leo Beus of the nationally renowned law firm of Beus Gilbert McGroder, PLLC of Phoenix, Arizona, to represent it in its malpractice case on a full contingency basis. BGM's participation was instrumental in demonstrating the strength of the case and securing the TRGP funding. PCT continues its upward momentum and these positive developments are a direct reflection of the success, innovation, and growth that is to come. About PCT International (News - Alert) , Inc. is a privately owned company serving a significant segment of the global telecommunications infrastructure. PCT has manufactured over 1,000,000 miles of coaxial cable with its proprietary technology. PCT has also sold over three billion cable connectors around the world. PCT's patented coaxial cable and connectors have been installed in millions of homes and businesses worldwide. To learn more, visit, http://www.pctinternational.com/our-company/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210726005828/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] PemTech Offers a Fixed Gas Transmitter for Hydrocarbons Using NevadaNano's Molecular Property Spectrometer Sensor Technology NevadaNano, the world's leading innovator in gas detection sensor technology, announced that PemTech added NevadaNano's Molecular Property Spectrometer (MPS) technology into its Ultra1000 Series Fixed Gas Sensors. PemTech is a US-based global gas monitor and detector manufacturer that started operations in 1989. "PemTech has earned a global reputation for developing products and systems that are extremely reliable and cost-effective," said Ralph Whitten, President of NevadaNano. "Their selection of NevadaNano's MPS sensor to bring next-generation accuracy and performance in environments where multiple gases pose potential hazards is a testament to the advanced technology and gas detection breakthroughs we made with our MPS sensor." Th MPS sensor's environmental robustness has proven to be the most stable hydrocarbon sensor in the world's hottest and most humid environments, such as the gulf region in the USA, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. The sensor accomplishes this with the built-in environmental compensation for temperature, pressure, and humidity. Additionally, it eliminates the concern of false positive alarms due to sensor drift. With MPS technology, the PemTech Ultra1000 series of fixed gas sensors meet PemTech's customers' precise requirements and deliver unprecedented value. "Sensor accuracy is the highest priority for PemTech when selecting sensors for our range of products," said Rizwan Mistry, President of PemTech. "MPS technology delivers the most accurate results for over a dozen of the most common combustible gases with a one-time factory calibration good for the life of the sensor, referred to as TrueLEL. This extraordinary performance removes the downtime associated with false alarms and frequent calibrations. Our Ultra1000 series with MPS has performed extremely well even in our customers' harshest environments." For more information, contact NevadaNano at info@NevadaNano.com or connect on LinkedIn. For more on PemTech, visit their website, www.pem-tech.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005249/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Pendo Raises $150 Million to Help Companies Deliver Software that Meets Rising User Expectations RALEIGH, N.C., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pendo, a platform that accelerates successful product adoption, today announced $150 million in funding to help companies bridge the gap between how users expect software to work and their experience actually using it. Led by B Capital Group, with participation from Silver Lake Waterman and existing investors, the Series F round will fund aggressive global expansion, strategic acquisitions and continued innovation in Pendo's platform that helps product and IT teams drive adoption of the software they build for customers or provide to internal employees. The investment brings Pendo's total funds raised to $356 million and its valuation to $2.6 billion. The company also announced a significant revenue milestone; it has surpassed $100 million in annual recurring revenue. "The wholesale shift to digital has exposed a gap between user expectations and realityworkers expect business software to be as easy to use as their personal apps, but when was the last time someone called a helpdesk for Instagram?" said Todd Olson, CEO and co-founder of Pendo. "We built Pendo to bridge this experience gap, which is why our growth has paralleled software itself. This new investment allows us to innovate faster to serve product teams and their counterparts in IT, who are responsible for driving successful software adoption." Pendo's growth maps to the rising influence of the Chief Product Officer, one of the fastest growing titles on LinkedIn, jumping 41 percent over the last three years. Initially a more common role in technology companies, traditional businesses are now taking notice, with companies like Walmart, Mastercard, Bloomberg and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services hiring for the role in recent years. In the Forrester Research report "Research Overview: Digital Product Management", published for CIOs in July 2020, co-authors Nigel Fewick and Randy Heffner write, "As your business looks to sell new digital products, your CEO needs an executive with full revenue responsibility for the digital products." The chief product officer used to be the only member of the C-suite without a system of record, but with rising influence comes demand for better tools. Just like martech equipped the CMO with data and tools to drive smarter and more efficient marketing, a "product tech" category has formed to equip the CPO and Chief Digital Officer with data and tools to deliver better software experiences. Funding to startups serving product teams quadrupled from 2016-2020. But it's not just product teams responsible for ensuring software provides value. In distributed and hybrid workplaces, where the employee experience is increasingly digital, IT teams are responsible for ensuring employees are onboarded and trained to proficiency on the software they use at work. Failure to adopt software in this context means lost productivity, low employee morale and ultimately, attrition. Pendo's suite of digital adoption solutions enables IT teams to train this increasingly remote workforce how to use the software required to perform their jobs. Demand for those tools is also driving Pendo's growth. "Pendo is a pioneer and clear leader in the field of software for product teams, which we've seen become increasingly important to enterprises as they grow," said Rashmi Gopinath, general partner at B Capital Group. "Pendo's fundamentals, growth and ever-improving product suite further position them for success and global expansion." Joining B Cap and Silver Lake Waterman in the round are existing investors Battery Ventures, Meritech Capital Partners, Sapphire Ventures, General Atlantic, Tiger Global Management, FirstMark Capital, Geodesic Capital, IDEA Fund Partners and Contour Venture Partners. Pendo will bring product and IT teams around the world together this Fall for Pendomonium, an annual conference for learning and sharing best practices for driving software product adoption. The event will be held October 13-14 live in Raleigh, NC. Register here . About Pendo Pendo's mission is to elevate the world's experiences with software. Using Pendo, product and digital teams help people adopt software more quickly and successfully. Pendo customers include the world's leading software companies and digital enterprises, including Verizon, RE/MAX, LabCorp, OpenTable, Okta, Salesforce, and Zendesk. Founded in 2013 in the heart of Raleigh, North Carolina, Pendo is backed by Battery Ventures, Spark Capital, Meritech Capital, Sapphire Ventures and B Capital Group. Through its ProductCraft and customer communities, sponsored events and podcast, Pendo aims to support the success of product and digital leaders everywhere. For more information, visit: www.pendo.io . View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pendo-raises-150-million-to-help-companies-deliver-software-that-meets-rising-user-expectations-301342064.html SOURCE Pendo [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Pitcher's Super App Wins 2021 Product of the Year Award for Sales and Marketing Technology from Business Intelligence Group NEW YORK, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Business Intelligence Group named Pitcher s Super App as Product of the Year in the 2021 Sales and Marketing Technology Awards program, also known as The Sammys. The Sammys honor organizations and products helping to solve the challenges organizations have connecting and collaborating with prospects and customers. The Pitcher Super App is an end-to-end omnichannel sales enablement platform that gives enterprise sales teams a unified, tablet-based app that encompasses every part of the sales journey. Fortune 500 companies around the globe deploy Pitchers highly customizable platform to drive commercial excellence through field force effectiveness and customer engagement. Were extremely honored to win a Sammy, said Mert Yentur, CEO and founder of Pitcher. 2021 has been a big year for Pitcher, between celebrating our tenth anniversary, expanding our market presence in EMEA, nearly doubling our staff, and now, earning this important distinction from Business Intelligence Group. Our goal has always been to create instant value and efficiency through intutive technology and we are working harder than ever to make the enterprise B2B sales process simple, seamless, and effective. We are proud to reward and recognize Pitcher for their innovation and dedication to helping both the organization using their technology and the ultimate consumer, said Maria Jimenez, Chief Nominations Officer, Business Intelligence Group. It was clear to our judges that their efforts will improve how we all connect with the brands we love for years to come. About Pitcher: Pitcher is the leading global sales enablement provider of effective customer engagement and sales efficiency through dynamic digital tools, personalized content, and simplified user experience. Pitchers Super App, an omnichannel end-to-end unified sales enablement platform for enterprises, revolutionizes the sales process by reducing complexity and increasing ROI while empowering sales and marketing teams with the industrys most robust suite of fully integrated features and functionality. With deep domain experience, Pitcher serves as a vital partner for sales, field sales, and marketers around the world. Launched in 2011, the Pitcher Super App for sales enablement is deployed in 140 countries, and Fortune 500 companies across the life sciences, consumer goods, manufacturing, and financial services industries use Pitcher to drive customer engagement and commercial excellence. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, Pitcher also has offices in the U.S., Mexico, Turkey, Spain, Hungary, Singapore, Germany, the U.K., and China. About Business Intelligence Group The Business Intelligence Group was founded with the mission of recognizing true talent and superior performance in the business world. Unlike other industry award programs , business executivesthose with experience and knowledgejudge the programs. The organizations proprietary and unique scoring system selectively measures performance across multiple business domains and then rewards those companies whose achievements stand above those of their peers. Contact Cindy Clement PIABO for Pitcher cindy.clement@piabo.net Maria Jimenez Chief Nominations Officer Business Intelligence Group 1 909-529-2737 jmaria@bintelligence.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Review of Top-10 Mobile Brokerage Apps in Russia, 2021 Market Analysis and Trends & Benchmarking Report - ResearchAndMarkets.com The "Review of Top-10 Mobile Brokerage Apps in Russia - Market Analysis and Trends, Benchmarking, 100+ Best Practices" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The study analyzed the complete investment process of a mass investor through the mobile brokerage apps. The report contains a detailed market analysis, typical problems of digital services, key trends and more than 100 best market practices. 5 UX tests of each app for 6 user scenarios: 1. Logging in and checking the portfolio profitability right in the start of investing 2. Checking available funds. 3. Replenishing account with a bank card. 4. Searching for securities and adding them to the selection. 5. Checking profitability of the securities right after the purchase 6. Selling securities at a market price. The results will help you make digital services more attractive for a new wave of mass customers, as well as retain existing ones and improve customer experience. Also, the report will be a perfect tool with clear steps for optimizing processes for your business. Key Topics Covered: About the study Rating and key research results User profile description 100+ best practices Study methodology About the agency Companies Mentioned Tinkoff Investments BCS World of Investments VTB My Investments Otkrytie Broker Freedom Finance Alfa Investments PSB Investments FINAM Sberbank Investor RSHB Broker For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/g5vhx0 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005571/en/ [July 27, 2021] RevoTech Co-Founder Nodir Turdimatov-Ruzmatov Recognized with MAVS 100 Award from University of Texas at Arlington's College of Business Nodir Turdimatov-Ruzmatov, co-founder and CEO of the fast-growing business and knowledge process outsourcing company RevoTech, was recognized with the prestigious MAVS 100 Award from the University of Texas at Arlington's (UTA) College of Business. The annual award recognizes the fastest-growing Maverick owned or run businesses, highlighting the significant impact of alumni on regional and state economies. As a proud alumnus of UTA and native of Uzbekistan, Turdimatov-Ruzmatov credits his UTA education and experience as foundational to his success in launching a thriving business that is driving greater economic success and job growth throughout Uzbekistan. In August 2020, Ruzmatov was awarded the Shuhrat Medal from the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan for his impact on the country's economy, science and culture. Turdimatov-Ruzmatov's entrepreneurial journey began during his time as a student at UTA when he launched a successful e-commerce company from his dorm room. His drive to create continued after graduating, and instead of following the traditional path of joining a large company and rising through the ranks, he decided to bring the lessons he gained from UTA back to his home country of Uzbekistan and start a technology company--RevoTech--that would address the demand he saw in the market for outsourced services backed by technological innovation. RevoTech launched in 2018 with four team members, and soon grew to 450 employees in just three years. The company serves more than 80 United States-based customers and has seen impressive revenue growth--including more than 20-times growth over two years. RevoTech is looking ahead to continued expansion, with a new 20-floor headquarters under construction that will house up to 4,200 employees in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, along with plans to expand into new markets and grow its service offering to better support the needs of the world's top brands. The company's service offering currently includes blockchain technology, software development, call center, invoicing, dispatching, customer service, bookkeeping, accounting, and financial services. "I'm honored to be recognized as a MAVS 100 by the University of Texas at Arlington. My experience at UTA opened up the world to me, providing the education, connections and perspective necessary to bring new innovations to my home country of Uzbekistan," said Nodir Turdimatov-Ruzmatov, co-founder and CEO, RevoTech. "My entrepreneurial journey has taught me that every hardship and failure leads to experience, and ultimately leads to success. By sharing my experience and connecting with the next generation of students, I hope to let others learn from my journey and reach new levels of success as they pursue their dreams." About RevoTech RevoTech is a business and knowledge process outsourcing company based in New York, NY and Tashkent, Uzbekistan that provides office functions to clients across the United States. It serves companies in sectors that include transportation and logistics, retail, healthcare, insurance, telecommunications, manufacturing and more. Its professional workforce, strong technology capabilities and innovative practices allows its team to create customized approaches that meet customer needs. For more information, visit: https://revotechus.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005839/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP Announces Proposed Settlement in the Corrections Corporation of America, Inc. Securities Settlement The following statement is being issued by Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP regarding the Corrections Corporation of America, Inc. Securities Settlement: UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT MIDDLE DISTRICT OF TENNESSEE NIKKI BOLLINGER GRAE, Individually and ) Civil Action No. 3:16-cv-02267 on Behalf of All Others Similarly Situated, ) ) Honorable Aleta A. Trauger Plaintiff, ) ) SUMMARY NOTICE OF PROPOSED vs. ) SETTLEMENT OF CLASS ACTION ) CORRECTIONS CORPORATION OF AMERICA, et al., ) ) Defendants. ) TO: ALL PERSONS AND ENTITIES THAT PURCHASED OR OTHERWISE ACQUIRED CORRECTIONS CORPORATION OF AMERICA, INC. (N/K/A CORECIVIC) ("CCA") DURING THE PERIOD FROM FEBRUARY 27, 2012 THROUGH AUGUST 17, 2016, INCLUSIVE ("CLASS" OR "CLASS MEMBERS") THIS NOTICE WAS AUTHORIZED BY THE COURT. IT IS NOT A LAWYER SOLICITATION. PLEASE READ THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY AND IN ITS ENTIRETY. YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that a hearing will be held on November 8, 2021, at 1:30 p.m., before the Honorable Aleta A. Trauger at the United States District Court, Middle District of Tennessee, Estes Kefauver Federal Building & Courthouse, 801 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203 to determine whether: (1) the proposed settlement (the "Settlement") of the above-captioned Litigation as set forth in the Stipulation of Settlement ("Stipulation")1 for $56,000,000 in cash should be approved by the Court as fair, reasonable and adequate; (2) the Judgment as provided under the Stipulation should be entered dismissing the Litigation with prejudice; (3) to award Plaintiff's Counsel attorneys' fees and expenses out of the Settlement Fund (as defined in the Notice of Proposed Settlement of Class Action ("Notice"), which is discussed below) and, if so, in what amount; (4) to pay Plaintiff for its costs and expenses in representing the Class out of the Settlement Fund and, if so, in what amount; and (5) the Plan of Allocation should be approved by the Court as fair, reasonable and adequate. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a fluid situation that creates the possibility that the Court may decide to conduct the Settlement Hearing by video or telephonic conference, or otherwise allow Class Members to appear at the hearing by phone or videoconference, without further written notice to the Class. In order to determine whether the date and time of the Settlement Hearing have changed, or whether Class Members must or may participate by phone or video, it is important that you monitor the Court's docket and the Settlement website, www.CoreCivicSecuritiesLitigation.com, before making any plans to attend the Settlement Hearing. Any updates regarding the Settlement Hearing, including any changes to the date or time of the hearing or updates regarding in-person or telephonic appearances at the hearing, will also be posted to that website. Also, if the Court requires or allows Class Members to participate in the Settlement Hearing by telephone or videoconference, the access information will be posted to the Settlement website, www.CoreCivicSecuritiesLitigation.com. IF YOU PURCHASED OR ACQUIRED CCA SECURITIES FROM FEBRUARY 27, 2012 THROUGH AUGUST 17, 2016, INCLUSIVE, YOUR RIGHTS ARE AFFECTED BY THE SETTLEMENT OF THIS LITIGATION. To share in the distribution of the Settlement Fund, you must establish your rights by submitting a Proof of Claim and Release form ("Proof of Claim") by mail (postmarked no later than November 19, 2021) or electronically (no later than November 19, 2021). Your failure to submit your Proof of Claim by November 19, 2021, will subject your claim to rejection and preclude your receiving any of the recovery in connection with the Settlement of this Litigation. If you purchased or acquired CCA securities from February 27, 2012 through August 17, 2016, inclusive, and do not request exclusion from the Class, you will be bound by the Settlement and any judgment and release entered in the Litigation, including, but not limited to, the Judgment, whether or not you submit a Proof of Claim. If you have not received a copy of the Notice, which more completely describes the Settlement and your rights thereunder (including your right to object to the Settlement), and a Proof of Claim, you may obtain these documents, as well as a copy of the Stipulation (which, among other things, contains definitions for the defined terms used in this Summary Notice) and other settlement documents, online at www.CoreCivicSecuritiesLitigation.com, or by writing to: CCA/CoreCivic Securities Settlement Claims Administrator c/o Gilardi & Co. LLC P.O. Box (News - Alert) 43377 Providence, RI 02940-3377 Inquiries should NOT be directed to Defendants, the Court, or the Clerk of the Court. Inquiries, other than requests for the Notice or for a Proof of Claim, may be made to Class Counsel: ROBBINS GELLER RUDMAN & DOWD LLP Ellen Gusikoff Stewart 655 West Broadway, Suite 1900 San Diego, CA (News - Alert) 92101 Telephone: 1-800-449-4900 IF YOU DESIRE TO BE EXCLUDED FROM THE CLASS, YOU MUST SUBMIT A REQUEST FOR EXCLUSION SUCH THAT IT IS POSTMARKED BY OCTOBER 8, 2021, IN THE MANNER AND FORM EXPLAINED IN THE NOTICE. IF YOU REQUESTED EXCLUSION FROM THE CLASS IN CONNECTION WITH THE NOTICE OF PENDENCY OF CLASS ACTION YOU RECEIVED IN 2020, DO NOT SUBMIT ANOTHER EXCLUSION REQUEST. ALL CLASS MEMBERS WILL BE BOUND BY THE SETTLEMENT EVEN IF THEY DO NOT SUBMIT A TIMELY PROOF OF CLAIM. IF YOU ARE A CLASS MEMBER, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO OBJECT TO THE SETTLEMENT, THE PLAN OF ALLOCATION, THE REQUEST BY PLAINTIFF'S COUNSEL FOR AN AWARD OF ATTORNEYS' FEES NOT TO EXCEED THIRTY-THREE AND ONE-THIRD PERCENT OF THE $56,000,000 SETTLEMENT AMOUNT AND EXPENSES NOT TO EXCEED $2,300,000, AND/OR THE PAYMENT TO PLAINTIFF FOR ITS COSTS AND EXPENSES NOT TO EXCEED $42,000. ANY OBJECTIONS MUST BE FILED WITH THE COURT AND SENT TO CLASS COUNSEL AND DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL BY OCTOBER 8, 2021, IN THE MANNER AND FORM EXPLAINED IN THE NOTICE. DATED: June 29, 2021 BY ORDER OF THE COURT UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT MIDDLE DISTRICT OF TENNESSEE 1 The Stipulation can be viewed and/or obtained at www.CoreCivicSecuritiesLitigation.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005034/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] SignalBooster.com Offers Better Cell Signal Inside Business Offices and Retail Stores HOUSTON, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SignalBooster.com offers better a cell signal inside business offices and retail stores with a turnkey indoor cellular coverage solution for small to medium businesses that enhances cell phone reception inside commercial spaces up to 35,000 sq. ft. As businesses across the USA try to return to normalcy from the pandemic, dropped calls and slow Internet on mobile devices can cause frustration among many returning employees. Weakened wireless signals indoors are mainly due to reinforced building construction materials that typically include steel and concrete. This is the primary reason for poor quality phone calls in many business locations such as office buildings / smart buildings, standalone retail stores, shopping malls, etc. Weak signals can also be caused by other buildings and new developments in the vicinity that block line of sight signals from nearby cell towers. Many people now working at their workplace, experience this nagging problem. It has highlighted the importance of adequate cellular coverage, in urban and rural areas alike. However, most small to medium business owners and managers do not find it easy enough to buy a business signal booster system and install it on their own. User-installed cell signal boosters cost less, but may be very difficult to install for many business IT or maintenance personnel. SignalBooster.com reaches out cosistently to raise awareness that its cell phone booster solutions are available to minimize wireless disconnects. It now has a reasonably priced, affordable, and easy to implement package that consists of a powerful business signal booster as well as its professional installation service, nationwide. The cellular amplifier or booster can capture cell signals from faraway cell towers and amplify them to be broadcast indoors to provide consistent wireless connectivity for business owners, managers, and their clients / customers. While there are other kits for medium to large commercial and business applications that are more powerful and provide better cell coverage over larger indoor spaces, the value-priced kit included in this small to medium size business booster with installation package can potentially provide good cell coverage fully, inside 95% of all small to medium businesses for up to 35K sq. ft. depending on the strength of an outside signal. For larger indoor spaces, a custom integrated solution is required. With FCC certification and blanket pre-approval by all major United States carriers (post-purchase registration required with respective carrier), this small to medium business cell phone signal booster with installation service can be purchased from SignalBooster.com. About SignalBooster.com Offers distributed antenna system (DAS) equipment and installation service. Application-specific wireless signal amplification products available to serve various industries including public safety, consumer, commercial and industrial. Visit their website for more details and answers to questions regarding any cellular-amplifying product and DAS installation service for non-profit and for-profit companies, governmental agencies, industrial businesses and residential properties. Media contact: Neal Serrano, CSO neal.serrano@signalbooster.com 1 (855) 846-2654 SignalBooster.com 9099 Westheimer Suite G Houston, TX 77063 Related Images turnkey-indoor-cellular-signal.gif Turnkey Indoor Cellular Signal Enhancement Solution Better cell signal inside business offices and retail stores. Related Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAHtUnLWbcg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/signalboostercom-offers-better-cell-signal-inside-business-offices-and-retail-stores-301342446.html SOURCE SignalBooster.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Sikich Investment Banking advises American Standard Circuits in recapitalization with Gemini Investors and Plenary Partners CHICAGO, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- American Standard Circuits (ASC), a leading manufacturer of high-performance printed circuit boards, was recapitalized by management in partnership with Gemini Investors and Plenary Partners. Sikich Investment Banking served as the exclusive adviser to ASC in the recapitalization. "ASC is an innovative company with an impressive history of growth," said Kurt Estes, managing director at Sikich Investment Banking. "Our team works hard to find the best options and partners for our clients. With the capital support of Gemini Investors and Plenary Partners, ASC will be able to further accelerate growth in its key markets." Sikich Investment Banking offers capital markets advisory and mergers and acquisitions services. The team has deep experience across many industries, particularly manufacturing and distribution, technology, health care and life scienes, and business and professional services. "The Sikich Investment Banking team's expertise and guidance as we searched for an investor was invaluable," said Gordhan Patel, founder and chairman of American Standard Circuits. "The team helped us navigate the deal process and find two partners that will help us accelerate our growth." Based in West Chicago, Illinois, ASC is a full-service manufacturer of radio frequency and microwave, flex, rigid flex and metal clad printed circuit boards. The company serves a global customer base across diverse industries, including military and defense, aerospace, automotive, industrial, medical and telecom. "ASC's manufacturing capabilities and engineering expertise, combined with our connections across various industries, is the perfect recipe for success," said Jimmy Rich, managing director at Gemini Investors. "We look forward to helping ASC further penetrate these markets with its comprehensive PCB offering." "We're really excited to be partnering with Gemini on another investment. Our collective experience investing in manufacturing, and in particular EMS and chip designers, allowed us to recognize ASC as a peerless manufacturer offering quick-turn solutions for complex, mission-critical components," said Toni Pelaez, managing partner at Plenary Partners. Gemini Investors is a private investment firm based in greater Boston. The firm focuses on middle-market businesses across a broad range of industries, including manufacturing and distribution, business services, consumer products and services, health care, and technology. Gemini has invested in more than 150 companies since it was founded in 1993 and is currently investing its seventh private equity fund. Plenary Partners is a private investment firm with offices in Chicago and San Francisco, dedicated to partnering with high-growth entrepreneurial companies. "I am confident that this partnership with Gemini Investors and Plenary Partners will offer us the resources and guidance needed to achieve our ambitious growth goals," said Anaya Vardya, CEO of American Standard Circuits. Transaction terms were not disclosed. About Sikich LLP Sikich LLP is a global company specializing in technology-enabled professional services. With more than 1,000 employees, Sikich draws on a diverse portfolio of technology solutions to deliver transformative digital strategies and ranks as one of the largest CPA firms in the United States. From corporations and not-for-profits to state and local governments, Sikich clients utilize a broad spectrum of services* and products to help them improve performance and achieve long-term, strategic goals. *Securities offered through Sikich Corporate Finance LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Sikich Financial, an SEC Registered Investment Advisor. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sikich-investment-banking-advises-american-standard-circuits-in-recapitalization-with-gemini-investors-and-plenary-partners-301342046.html SOURCE Sikich [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Simplr Shortlisted for 2021 SaaS Awards SAN FRANCISCO, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Simplr, a human-first, machine-enabled customer experience platform is a finalist in the 2021 SaaS Awards Program in the Best Product for Customer Services / CRM category. Now in its sixth year of celebrating software innovation, the Software-as-a-Service Awards program accepts entries worldwide, including the US, Canada, Australasia, EMEA and UK. Head of operations for the SaaS Awards, James Williams, said: "We've seen remarkably innovative solutions across all conceivable areas of industry, and it's increasingly difficult for our team to identify the entrants that can't make it past this shortlist stage. "The shortlisted candidates announced today, however, have made it through that first round. They represent truly innovative thinkers in the SaaS industry, whether they're freshly funded disruptors or established names. "Our judges have some incredibly difficult decisions to make before announcing the final winners in each category of the software awards at the end of August." "We are in the era of the NOW customer who is always on and has little patience for anything less than exceptional customer experiences. Simplr's NOW CX platform stands to transform how customer service is delivered to meet the expectations of the NOW customer while also pending the much-maligned and stagnant contact center model," said Daniel Rodriguez, CMO of Simplr. "We are honored and excited that the SaaS Awards have recognized the incredible potential of NOW CX by naming Simplr a finalist in this year's awards." Simplr enables brands and retailers to provide rapid responses and exceptional service across digital channels, transforming CX teams into revenue drivers for their businesses. The company's flexible Human Cloud Network is bolstered by Simplr's AI technology with in-the-moment tips, on-brand tone and voice, product information and guidelines. The platform acts as an extension of a brand's customer service team, providing accurate, empathetic service. Intelligent routing from Simplr also matches a brand's customers with the best-fit customer service agent to resolve their inquiry, whether it be a Simplr agent or one of the brand's agents. Final SaaS Awards winners will be announced on Tuesday 31 August 2021 and the program will return in Spring 2022. Hundreds of organizations entered, with international entries coming from North America, Canada, Australia, UK, Europe and the Middle East. To view the full shortlist, please visit: https://www.cloud-awards.com/2021-software-awards-shortlist/ About the SaaS Awards The SaaS Awards is a sister program to the Cloud Awards, which was founded in 2011. The SaaS Awards focuses on recognizing excellence and innovation in software solutions. Categories range from Best Enterprise-Level SaaS to Best UX or UI Design in a SaaS Product. About the Cloud Awards The Cloud Awards is an international program which has been recognizing and honoring industry leaders, innovators and organizational transformation in cloud computing since 2011. The awards are open to large, small, established and start-up organizations from across the entire globe, with an aim to find and celebrate the pioneers who will shape the future of the Cloud as we move into 2022 and beyond. Categories include the Software as a Service award, Most Promising Start-Up, and "Best in Mobile" Cloud Solution. Winners are selected by a judging panel of international industry experts. For more information about the Cloud Awards and SaaS Awards, please visit https://www.cloud-awards.com/ . About Simplr Simplr offers companies a human-first, machine-enabled customer experience solution that meets the demands of the NOW Customer across all digital channels. Offering a combination of a uniquely talented, flexible, and scalable staffing pool, AI-based technology, and actionable intelligence, Simplr allows companies to immediately expand their customer service capacity and engage customers with speed, empathy, and precision. With Simplr's NOW CX solution, premium brands are eradicating customer neglect, turning browsers into buyers, and turning customers into fans. Simplr is funded by Asurion , which continues to support its growth. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/simplr-shortlisted-for-2021-saas-awards-301342186.html SOURCE Simplr [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Sintecs Joins Altium's Nexar Ecosystem For customers designing electronics, accessing the right software and tools to get the job done is paramount. Nexar, launched by Altium in April 2021, is a partner platform designed to connect printed circuit board (PCB) designers and their companies with the software, suppliers, and manufacturers who help them to turn ideas into smart and connected products. For Sintecs, an electronics design services company located in The Netherlands, Nexar affords a unique opportunity to introduce two new simulation solutions to a large audience of electronics designers: HYPERLYNX Connector: For Altium Designer users whose companies already have access to the HYPERLYNX simulation suite, the HYPERLYNX Connector allows them to prepare simulation models for signal and power integrity performance verifications without leaving the Altium unified design environment. Sintecs is making the HYPERLYNX Connector available worldwide as an application inside Altium Designer, giving Altium Designer users an option to seamlessly access advanced simulation capabilities. Connector: For Altium Designer users whose companies already have access to the HYPERLYNX simulation suite, the HYPERLYNX Connector allows them to prepare simulation models for signal and power integrity performance verifications without leaving the Altium unified design environment. Sintecs is making the HYPERLYNX Connector available worldwide as an application inside Altium Designer, giving Altium Designer users an option to seamlessly access advanced simulation capabilities. HYPERLYNX SI ALT: For Altium Designer users who do not have access to the HYPERLYNX simulation suite, HYPERLYNX SI ALT offers a powerful subset of signal integrity simulation capabilities at a very attractiv price. Up until now, the HYPERLYNX SI ALT solution has been available only to the European market; Sintecs will be releasing the tool to the global market shortly on the Nexar platform. The HYPERLYNX Connector also provides a seamless user experience that connects the Altium unified design environment with HYPERLYNX SI ALT. "With Nexar, we can bring software simulation tools into the Altium environment, so our users don't have to switch tools, import or export data. Having everything in one place eliminates all of the extra work caused by the lack of integration between design and testing tools," Klos continues. "Nexar software partners are growing their businesses while helping our customers to accelerate their electronics design, development, and manufacturing process," adds Ted Pawela, Chief Ecosystem Officer at Altium. "Together, we're evolving from isolated tool chains and disconnected processes into an integrated design to manufacturing workflow that is connected by a comprehensive data model for printed circuit boards," adds Ted Pawela, Chief Ecosystem Officer at Altium. To learn more about Nexar and to become a Nexar partner, please visit www.Nexar.com. About Altium Nexar is a Business Unit of Altium LLC (ASX:ALU). Altium, LLC, is a global software company headquartered in San Diego, California, accelerating the pace of innovation through electronics. For over 30 years, Altium has been delivering software that maximizes the productivity of PCB designers and electrical engineers. From individual inventors to multinational corporations, more PCB designers and engineers choose Altium software to design and realize electronics-based products. About Sintecs Sintecs offers its clients a faster time-to-market in high-end electronic design. Over the past 20 years the company's steady growth has come as a result of a world-class team of engineers. Sintecs services range from signal and power integrity analysis, PCB layout, embedded software, hardware design up to complete Cyber Secure products. Sintecs is headquartered in Hengelo, The Netherlands. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005412/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Sunshine Biopharma Opens Twitter Account For Increased Shareholder Engagement MONTREAL, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sunshine Biopharma Inc. (OTC PINK: SBFM), a pharmaceutical company focused on the research, development and commercialization of oncology and antiviral drugs, is pleased to announce that we have opened an official company Twitter account under the handle @SunshineBio1. We will be using this account to make more frequent updates to shareholders in between press releases. Given that Twitter is a sanctioned medium by the SEC to deliver company updates, we are happy to add this method to our communications. Sunshine Biopharmas CFO, Camille Sebaaly, stated, We have received feedback that Twitter is a preferred medium to engage with shareholders. We understand that shareholder engagement is paramount in the modern age of transparency and speed of information dissemination. We want you to hear directly from the Company whenever we can share updates with the public. About Sunshine Biopharma Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed the lives of over 4.1 million people worldwide since it first appeared in December 2019. There are currently no drugs that can effectively arrest replication of the virus in people who have contracted the illness. Sunshine Biopharma has completed the synthesis of four potential inhibitors of PLpro and subsequently identified a lead compound, SBFM-PL4. On February 1, 2021, Sunshine Biopharma entered into an exclusive license agreement with the University of Georgia for two Anti-Coronavirus compounds which the University of Georgia had previously developed and patented. The Company is currently advancing the development of these two compounds in parallel with its own SBFM-PL4 by conducting a transgenic mice study in collaboration with the University of Georgia, College of Pharmacy. The mice being used in the study have been genetically engineered to express he human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) transmembrane protein in their lungs making them susceptible to lethal infection by SARS-CoV-2. The SARS-CoV-2 virus uses the hACE2 receptor to gain entry into human cells to replicate. The goal of the study is to determine if these protease inhibitors will protect the hACE2-transgenic mice from disease progression and death following infection with SARS-CoV-2. Should these mice studies prove successful, Sunshine Biopharma plans to submit the results to the FDA for authorization to conduct testing on actual COVID-19 patient volunteers in a Phase I clinical trial setting. In addition, to working on the development of a treatment for COVID-19, Sunshine Biopharma is engaged in the development Adva-27a, a unique anticancer compound. Tests conducted to date have demonstrated the effectiveness of Adva-27a at destroying Multidrug Resistant Cancer Cells, including Pancreatic Cancer cells, Small-Cell Lung Cancer cells, Breast Cancer cells, and Uterine Sarcoma cells. Clinical trials for Pancreatic Cancer indication are planned to be conducted at McGill Universitys Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Canada. Sunshine Biopharma is owner of all patents and intellectual property pertaining to Adva-27a. Safe Harbor Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward looking statements which are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that involve risks as well as uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those anticipated or expected, including statements related to the amount and timing of expected revenues statements related to our financial performance, expected income, distributions, and future growth for upcoming quarterly and annual periods. These risks and uncertainties are further defined in filings and reports by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Actual results and the timing of certain events could differ materially from those projected in or contemplated by the forward-looking statements due to a number of factors detailed from time to time in our filings with the SEC. Among other matters, the Company may not be able to sustain growth or achieve profitability based upon many factors including but not limited to general stock market conditions. Reference is hereby made to cautionary statements set forth in the Company's most recent SEC filings. We have incurred and will continue to incur significant expenses in our expansion of our existing as well as new service lines noting there is no assurance that we will generate enough revenues to offset those costs in both the near and long term. Additional service offerings may expose us to additional legal and regulatory costs and unknown exposure(s) based upon the various geopolitical locations we will be providing services in, the impact of which cannot be predicted at this time. For Additional Information Contact: Camille Sebaaly, CFO Sunshine Biopharma Inc. Direct Line: 514-814-0464 camille.sebaaly@sunshinebiopharma.com www.sunshinebiopharma.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] UniFirst Corporation Ushers in New Era, Unveils Its Own New Delivery Uniforms for the First Time in Over 30 Years New uniforms modernize the look of an industry leader and empower UniFirst Route Service Representatives to continue their commitment to exemplary service WILMINGTON, Mass., July 27, 2021 /CNW/ -- UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF), a North American leader in the supply and servicing of uniforms, workwear, and facility service products, announced the official unveiling of its new Route Service Representative (RSR) uniforms, redesigned for the first time in over 30 years. This is an especially important initiative as UniFirst RSRs personally deliver to over 300,000 business customers every week of the year. The new uniforms were designed to improve comfort and safety, while enhancing the employee brand image for more than 2,400 RSRs across all UniFirst service centers throughout the United States and Canada. Featuring the company's signature green and charcoal colors with reflective safety accents and striping to improve visibility on service routes, UniFirst's new uniforms are available in a range of styles. Throughout the design process, the company led the effort with an employee-first mindset, ispiring uniform options for all climates throughout North America, from Miami, Florida to Edmonton, Alberta. The new uniforms were also designed to improve upon garment features like mobility and breathability to help keep up with the demands of the RSRs' day-to-day work. "Every business day, UniFirst proudly outfits over two million workers from coast to coast, so we understand the importance of feeling confident and looking great in what you're wearing on the job," said UniFirst President and CEO Steven Sintros. "UniFirst RSRs are the face of our company, and we want them to feel as empowered as our uniform-wearing customers. So, we felt it was critical to take all the time required to develop all 'the right' uniform elements, while also involving our RSRs throughout every step of the process." In fact, UniFirst included their RSRs during all development phases: from focus groups and conversations early on for open discussions and opinion sharing to wearer trials and surveys for real-world feedback after donning prototype (test) uniforms while servicing customers. For the past 85 years, since its founding in 1936, UniFirst has provided uniform and workwear products and services for customers in virtually all industries, including current customers like Costco, Goodyear, and Target. "This uniform redesign is really taking us into the future," said Cynthia Croatti, executive vice president at UniFirst. "It was important for us to not only modernize the look of our RSRs, but also to adapt to the changing demands of our essential frontline employees." As for the thousands of old-style, previously worn UniFirst RSR uniforms throughout the U.S. and Canada, the company's individual service centers will either re-purpose them for customer use or donate them to local charitable organizations thereby extending the useful life of the materials and reducing the potential impact on the environment. In an effort to develop a new holistic brand image, UniFirst has also redesigned its entire fleet of over 4,000 vehicles. Through a phased approach, the company will be rebranding fleet vehicles across all locations over the next few years. For more information about UniFirst and what the company provides to businesses, please visit UniFirst.com. About UniFirst Headquartered in Wilmington, Mass., UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF) is a North American leader in the supply and servicing of uniform and workwear programs, as well as the delivery of facility service programs. Together with its subsidiaries, the company also provides first aid and safety products, and manages specialized garment programs for the cleanroom and nuclear industries. UniFirst manufactures its own branded workwear, protective clothing, and floorcare products; and with 260 service locations, over 300,000 customer locations, and 14,000 employee Team Partners, the company outfits more than 2 million workers each business day. For more information, contact UniFirst at 800.455.7654 or visit UniFirst.com . View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/unifirst-corporation-ushers-in-new-era-unveils-its-own-new-delivery-uniforms-for-the-first-time-in-over-30-years-301342404.html SOURCE UniFirst Corporation [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] University of San Diego Health Substitute Notice of Data Breach UC San Diego Health recently experienced a security event involving unauthorized access to some employee email accounts. This notice provides up-to-date information on what happened and what we are doing. What Happened? UC San Diego Health recently identified and responded to a security matter involving unauthorized access to some employee email accounts. At no time was continuity of care for our patients affected by the event. When UC San Diego Health discovered the issue, we terminated the unauthorized access to these accounts and enhanced our security controls. UC San Diego Health reported the event to the FBI and is working with external cybersecurity experts to investigate the event and determine what happened, what data was impacted, and to whom the data belonged. This process of analyzing the data in the email accounts is ongoing. UC San Diego Health is moving as quickly as possible while taking the care and time to deliver accurate information about which data was impacted. At this time, we are aware that these email accounts contained personal information associated with a subset of our patient, student, and employee community. We estimate this review will be complete in September. There is no evidence that other UC San Diego Health systems were impacted, nor do we have any evidence at this time that the information has been misused. What Information Was Involved? While the investigation is ongoing, UC San Diego Health is notifying the community of what personal information may have been involved. Between December 2, 2020 and April 8, 2021, the following information may have been accessed or acquired: full name, address, date of birth, email, fax number, claims information (date and cost of health care services and claims identifiers), laboratory results, medical diagnosis and conditions, Medical Record Number and other medical identifiers, prescription information, treatment information, medical information, Social Security number, government identification number, payment card number or financial account number and security code, student ID number, and username and password. What We Are Doing UC San Diego Health is committed to safeguarding our community's personal information. Once the forensic review has concluded, UC San Diego Health will send individual notices to those students, employees, and patients whose personal information was contained in the accounts, where current contact information is available. UC San Diego Health also will offer one year of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services through Experian IdentityWorks to individuals whose data was impacted. In addition to notifying individuals whose personal information may have been involved, UC San Diego Health has taken remediation measures, which have included, among other steps, changing employee credentials, disabling access points, and enhancing our security processes and procedures. While we have a number of safeguards in place to protect information from unauthorized access, we are also always working to strengthen them so we can stay ahead of this type of threat activity. What You Can Do It is always a good idea to remain alert to threats of identity theft or fraud. You can do this by regularly reviewing and monitoring your financial statements, credit reports, and Explanations of Benefits (EOBs) from your health insurers for any unauthorized activity. If you ever suspect that you are the victim of identity theft or fraud, you should contact the company that maintains the account on your behalf or your local police. For more information: UC San Diego Health expects to send notices to all individuals whose data was impacted by September 30, 2021. In the interim, UC San Diego Health has established a dedicated call center to answer questions. The call center is available toll free in the U.S. at 1-855-797-1160 from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. PT Monday through Friday and from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT Saturday and Sunday. A dedicated Experian representative on behalf of UC San Diego Health will be available to assist community members. About UC San Diego Health: UC San Diego Health, the region's only academic health system, is dedicated to delivering outstanding patient care through commitment to community, groundbreaking research, and inspired teaching. Its specialty care for serious and complex conditions is consistently ranked among the nation's best by U.S. News & World Report and other organizations. The 808-bed academic health system includes UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest and Jacobs Medical Center, Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center, Moores Cancer Center, Shiley Eye Institute, Koman Family Outpatient Pavilion, and Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute, all in La Jolla, as well as primary care and same-day services at clinics throughout Southern California. For more information, visit health.ucsd.edu. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION To protect against possible fraud, identity theft or other financial loss, you should always remain alert, review your account statements and monitor your credit reports. Provided below are the names and contact information for the three major U.S. credit bureaus and additional information about steps you can take to obtain a free credit report and place a fraud alert or security freeze on your credit report. If you believe you are a victim of fraud or identity theft, you can contact your local law enforcement agency, your state's attorney general, or the Federal Trade Commission. Please know that contacting us will not expedite any remediation of suspicious activity. INFORMATION ON (News - Alert) OBTAINING A FREE CREDIT REPORT U.S. residents are entitled under U.S. law to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit bureaus. To order your free credit reports, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call toll-free at +1 (877) 322-8228. INFORMATION ON IMPLEMENTING A FRAUD ALERT OR SECURITY FREEZE You may contact the three major credit bureaus at the addresses below to place a fraud alert on your credit report. A fraud alert indicates to anyone requesting your credit file that you suspect you are a possible victim of fraud. A fraud alert does not affect your ability to get a loan or credit. Instead, it alerts a business that your personal information might have been compromised and requires that business to verify your identity before issuing you credit. Although this may cause some short delay if you are the one applying for the credit, it might protect against someone else obtaining credit in your name. In addition to a fraud alert, you may also consider placing a security freeze on your credit report. A security freeze prohibits a credit reporting agency from releasing any information from a consumer's credit report without written authorization. However, please be aware that placing a security freeze on your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prevent the timely approval of any requests you make for new loans, credit, mortgages, employment, housing or other services. A credit reporting agency may not charge you to place, temporarily lift, or permanently remove a security freeze. To place a fraud alert on your credit report, you must contact the one of the credit bureaus below and the other two credit bureaus will automatically add the fraud alert. To place a security freeze on your credit report, you must contact all three credit bureaus below: Equifax: Consumer Fraud Division P.O. Box (News - Alert) 740256 Atlanta, GA 30374 +1 (800) 525-6285 www.equifax.com Experian: Credit Fraud Center P.O. Box 9554 Allen, TX 75013 +1 (888) 397-3742 www.experian.com TransUnion: TransUnion LLC P.O. Box 2000 Chester, PA 19016-2000 +1 (800) 680-7289 www.transunion.com To request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information: Your full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.); Social Security number; Date of birth; If you have moved in the past five (5) years, the addresses where you have lived over those prior five years; Proof of current address such as a current utility bill or telephone bill; and A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver's license or ID card, military identification, etc.). You may also contact the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (" FTC (News - Alert) ") for further information on fraud alerts, security freezes, and how to protect yourself from identity theft. The FTC can be contacted at 400 7th St. SW, Washington, DC 20024; telephone +1 (877) 382-4357; or www.consumer.gov/idtheft. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Your state attorney general may also have advice on preventing identity theft, and you should report instances of known or suspected identity theft to law enforcement, your state attorney general, or the FTC. California Residents: Visit the California Office of Privacy Protection (https://oag.ca.gov/privacy) for additional information on protection against identity theft. Iowa Residents: The Attorney General can be contacted at Office of Attorney General of Iowa, Hoover State Office Building, 1305 E. Walnut Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50319, +1 (515) 281-5164, www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov. Kentucky Residents: The Attorney General can be contacted at Office of the Attorney General of Kentucky, 700 Capitol Avenue, Suite 118 Frankfort, Kentucky 40601, www.ag.ky.gov, Telephone: +1 (502) 696-5300. Maryland Residents: The Attorney General can be contacted at Office of Attorney General, 200 St. Paul Place, Baltimore, Maryland 21202; +1 (888) 743-0023; or www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov. Massachusetts Residents: Under Massachusetts law, you have the right to obtain any police report filed in connection to the incident. If you are the victim of identity theft, you also have the right to file a police report and obtain a copy of it. North Carolina Residents: The Attorney General can be contacted at 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; +1 (919) 716-6400; or www.ncdoj.gov. New York Residents: The Attorney General can be contacted at the Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341, +1 (800)-771-7755; or www.ag.ny.gov. New Mexico Residents: You have rights under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which governs the collection and use of information pertaining to you by consumer reporting agencies. For more information about your rights under the FCRA, please visit www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/pdf-0096-fair-credit-reporting-act.pdf or www.ftc.gov. Oregon Residents: The Attorney General can be contacted at Oregon Department of Justice, 1162 Court Street NE, Salem, OR 97301-4096, +1 (877) 877-9392 (toll-free in Oregon), +1 (503) 378-4400, or www.doj.state.or.us. Rhode Island Residents: The Attorney General can be contacted at 150 South Main Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02903; +1 (401) 274-4400; or www.riag.ri.gov. You may also file a police report by contacting local or state law enforcement agencies. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005337/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] UST Earns 2021 Great Place to Work Certification in the U.S. and Mexico Company once again recognized for its leadership, opportunity, and culture of growth & innovation BENGALURU, India, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- UST, a leading digital transformation solutions company, announced that it has been certified by Great Place to Work in the U.S. The company has also earned the coveted certification in Mexico for the first time. The prestigious accolade is based entirely on employees' opinions about their experience working at UST. Great Place to Work (GPTW) 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. GPTW helps organizations quantify their culture and produce better business results by creating a high-trust work experience for all employees. To be certified as a Great Place to Work, UST's USA and Mexico centers underwent a 'Trust Index Survey' and a 'Culture Brief', both of which included a deep dive into UST's values, culture, people practices, and programs, benefits, and more. Based on employee feedback and the culture assessment, Great Place to Work confirmed that UST delivers a consistently high-trust experience for all. Even with the pandemic over the past 18 months, UST's scores against critical evaluation parameters including Equity, Impartiality, Leadership Behavior, Integrity, Communication, and Collaboration were significantly higher than scores in 2019. Recognized by Great Place to Work in India and the U.K., UST has been consistently certified as a GPTW since 2019. "We are incredibly delighted by this distinguished accomplishment," said Manu Gopinath, Chief Operating Officer, UST. "In a time marked by unprecedented challenges, we are pleased to have persevered with a positive workplace culture and are grateful to our dedicated associates who strive to build meaningful relationships with our clients and the communities around us." Despite a challenging year and a half for businesses worldwide, UST continued to sustain its award-winning culture. In addition to the GPTW certification, UST was named a Top Employer 2021 in eight countries by the "Top Employers Institute (TEI)" and was honored with a Glassdoor Employees' Choice Award for being one of the Top 100 Best Places to Work in 2020. "We are committed to providing a culture of transparency and respect in the organization where there is boundless opportunity to learn, grow, and progress," added Gopinath. "We are very grateful and appreciative of our people - the foundation of our success - who have contributed to making UST a great place to grow and do meaningful work." With 26,000 employees already across 25 countries and over 35 offices, UST is looking to add technologists and creative thinkers to its expanding workforce. To learn more about UST's certification, please visit GPTW. For more information about careers at UST, please visit https://www.ust.com/en/careers About UST For more than 20 years, UST has worked side by side with the world's best companies to make a real impact through transformation. Powered by technology, inspired by people, and led by our purpose, we partner with our clients from design to operation. We identify their core challenges and craft disruptive solutions that bring their vision to life through our agile approach. With deep domain expertise and a future-proof philosophy, we embed innovation and agility into our clients' organizations-delivering measurable value and lasting change across industries and worldwide. Together, with over 26,000 employees in 25 countries, we build for boundless impact-touching billions of lives in the process. Visit us at ust.com. Media Contacts, UST: Tinu Cherian Abraham +1 (949) 415-9857 Neha Misri +91-9972631264 media.relations@ust.com neha.misri@ust.com, +91-9284726602 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1422658/UST_Logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Volocopter Takes to the Skies at EAA AirVenture OSHKOSH, Wis. and BRUCHSAL, Germany, July 27, 2021 /CNW/ -- Volocopter, the pioneer of urban air mobility (UAM), flew at the Experimental Aircraft Association's (EAA) AirVenture 2021 in Wisconsin. The Volocopter 2X flight was the first ever public crewed test flight of a fully electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air taxi in the US. This successful flight marks a key milestone in Volocopter's plan to raise awareness of air taxis among populations around the globe and is critical to the long-term success of delivering advanced air mobility (AAM) and urban air mobility (UAM) solutions. The crewed Volocopter 2X took off at 2:45 PM CST for a 4-minute flight at ~160 ft and a top speed of 18 mph over Wittman Regional Airport as part of EAA's AirVenture aviation celebration. Event attendees were able to watch the Volocopter 2X fly and take a seat in the VoloCity model at Volocopter's booth to experience these aircraft. "Volocopter successfully conducting the first US public manned test flight of an eVTOL company in the US is a milestone for the industry and a reminder that our commercial launch is fast approaching. We can talk about our lead in certification, low noise emissions, and global partnerships all we want, but nothing shows just how close we are to launch UAM as a service as does flying an air taxi in front of crowds and inviting people to sit in our aircraft. Air taxis are coming, and we are working to bring electric flights to cities around the globe in the next two o three years," says Florian Reuter, Volocopter CEO. "Oshkosh is a haven for enthusiasts and experts to embrace the pioneering spirit of aviation, and today's Volocopter flight is one for the history books. This is the spirit of Oshkosh giving our visitors the chance to experience real pioneers, who will change aviation for good, right here," says Rick Larsen, EAA Vice President of Communities and Member Programming. Volocopter is the only eVTOL developer with a family of electric aircraft for passengers and goods. This aircraft family includes aircraft for both long and short distances within cities and beyond (VoloCity and VoloConnect air taxis and VoloDrone heavy-lift drone). Volocopter's holistic approach to launching UAM services entails partnering with global industry leaders to offer the whole operating UAM ecosystem, including infrastructure and the digital backbone (VoloPort and VoloIQ) to integrate services into existing transport systems in cities. In addition to a full-service solution, Volocopter is the first and only eVTOL developer to hold Design Organisation Approval and Production Organisation Approval, two strategic certification approvals from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to design and produce aircraft in-house. Once certified for commercial launch in Europe, Volocopter is positioned for concurrent type certification approvals in the US from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), having applied earlier this year, and the civil aviation authority in Singapore (CAAS). Volocopter is an expert in urban air mobility (UAM), a subcategory of AAM. While the term AAM covers the aviation transportation system for people and goods with highly automated aircraft, UAM focuses specifically on how these advanced aircraft can thrive in and around cities. The company has ten years of experience, over 1,000 test flights, and a track record of public flights in Paris (2021), Singapore (2019), Helsinki (2019), Dubai (2017). Pictures and footage of the historic flight will be available at 5 PM CST in the Media Hub: https://mediahub-volocopter.pixxio.media/collection/46. About Volocopter Volocopter is building the world's first sustainable and scalable urban air mobility business to bring affordable air taxi services for goods and people to megacities worldwide. Volocopter leads and cooperates with partners in infrastructure, operations, and air traffic management to build the ecosystem necessary to "Bring Urban Air Mobility to Life." Volocopter has 400 employees in offices in Bruchsal, Munich, and Singapore. The company has raised a total of 322 million in equity form investors including Daimler, Geely, DB Schenker, BlackRock, and Intel Capital amongst others. www.volocopter.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1582311/Volocopter_GmbH_at_Oshkosh.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1361665/volocopter_Logo.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/volocopter-takes-to-the-skies-at-eaa-airventure-301342557.html SOURCE Volocopter GmbH [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Yanolja Cloud Enters the Turkish Hospitality Market in Earnest Signs a strategic collaboration agreement with CMH Solutions, one of Turkey's top hospitality companies, to lead the digital transformation of the Turkish travel industry The two companies will combine their technological capabilities and business expertise to expand the solutions business and collaborate for the launch of a smart hotel brand SEOUL, South Korea, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Global travel tech company Yanolja Cloud (CEO Jong-yoon Kim) signed a strategic collaboration agreement with CMH Solutions (CEO Mustafa Celepoglu), a top Turkish hospitality company, to jumpstart its entry into the Turkish market. An affiliate of CM Solution Venture Group, which is renowned for its strategic investment in the hospitality and leisure industry, CMH Solutions has operated more than 25 large hotels and resort facilities in and across Turkey and the Middle East since 1986. The company provides a one-stop service covering all aspects of hotels' operational needs ranging from construction, consulting, fixture and amenities procurement to marketing, based on all its know-how gained over the last 35 years in business. Yanolja Cloud chose CMH Solutions, one of the strongest players in the Turkish market as its partner to build a presence in Turkey, a country well known for several top-rated tourist destinations, such as Istanbul and Antalya. Under the strategic collaboration agreement, both companies will build a strong partnership for the digital transformation of the Turkish travel industry. First, Yanolja Cloud's Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions will be deployed to hotels in the Turkish market by leveraging CMH Solutions' vast business network. Yanolja Cloud plans to strengthen its competitive edge in the Turkish market with its reasonable pricing and technological scalability covering both budget and luxury hotels. Yanolja's global brand hotel business will be expanded as well. Yanolja Cloud and CMH Solutions will jointly roll out a smart hotel brand by combining Yanolja Cloud's innovative cloud technology and one of its hotel brands with that of CMH Solutions' experience in hotel management and operations. Notably, they will apply innovative technology to the traditional brand hotel business, which usually focuses on hardware and offline services, to create a cloud environment for real-time data connectivity. They aim to improve hotel operations and customer convenience while creating a smart hotel ecosystem in the Turkish market. Mustafa Celepoglu, CEO of CMH Solutions, said, ''We are happy to have formed a long-lasting relationship with Yanolja Cloud by collaborating its global market leading solutions with the new hotel brand. We also believe this partnership will make an important contribution to the hospitality industry in Turkey as the recovery of hotels in the post pandemic era will be based on productivity, automation, and technology." Andrew KIM, Head of Global Hotel Solutions of Yanolja Cloud, said, "We believe that through our partnership with CMH Solutions, who has both the local network and the necessary infrastructure, we will be able to ignite a new paradigm shift for hotels in the Turkish travel market. We will continue to spearhead the digital transformation of the global hospitality industry with our unique technology and through partnerships with major global players." About Yanolja Cloud Created to strengthen Yanolja's leadership in the global hospitality market with Software-as-a-Service technology, Yanolja Cloud is the global top cloud-based hospitality solution provider offering B2B operation solutions for approximately 30,000 clients in 170 countries in more than 60 different languages. With its Y FLUX, a fully automated hotel management solution, Yanolja Cloud plans to drive the digital transformation of hotels, leisure and residential spaces while establishing a cloud solution ecosystem that satisfies the needs of partners, booking channels and customers. Yanolja Cloud is expanding its client base by leveraging its powerful SaaS model, enabling efficient installation and operation, and is developing optimized local solutions through partnership with global leaders. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/yanolja-cloud-enters-the-turkish-hospitality-market-in-earnest-301341707.html SOURCE Yanolja [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 26, 2021] King River Capital announces first close of Fund 2 King River Capital (King River), the leading technology-focused venture capital firm with offices in Sydney and the US, today announces the successful first close of its second fund (KRC Fund 2), securing commitments of US$95million. KRC Fund 2 investors include numerous technology entrepreneurs and leaders from companies such as Xero, AfterPay, Mirror, and Palantir, reflecting King River's strong network of relationships across the industry in both Australia and the US. Other investors include leading institutions and family offices such as Ariadne Australia, Belfer Management and Marinya Capital. The firm is expecting full participation in Fund 2 from existing Fund 1 investors. KRC Fund 2 will continue the firm's strategy of working closely with exceptional entrepreneurs and management teams to build innovative, iconic technology companies in the US and Australia. King River provides founders with the capital, experience, and global networks to support expansion and scaling of their platforms and products across international markets. King River primarily makes early through growth stage minority equity investments in the software sector, across a wide variety of applications and domains. King River's first fund was committed across eleven companies spanning sectors such as fintech, digital health, logistics, industrial automation, gaming and enterprise software. King River recently had its first exit in its debut fund, with Sentropy Technologies, the leading technology platform to help digital communities protect themselves from abuse and harassment, announcing a merger with Discord, the voice, video, and text communication service used by over 150 million people. King River led Sentropy's Series A capital aise in November 2019, with King River co-founder, Megan Guy, serving on the company's board since then. King River has also just completed its first investment from the new fund, with its participation in Paystand's $50M Series C raise, announced last week. Paystand is a California-based, blockchain-enabled payment network for business that is leading the movement for an open commercial finance system. Paystand breaks the traditional payment model by automating the entire cash lifecycle so businesses can unlock cashless, feeless, real-time payments. Megan Guy, King River Capital Co-founder, commented: "We love backing brilliant, diverse entrepreneurs across the US and Australia to reimagine the world we live in and create the next category-defining technology companies. Having a concentrated and focused portfolio enables our partnership to fully support our founders at every step of their journeys as they build and scale exceptional products and teams." King River Capital Co-founder, Zeb Rice said: "King River Capital's ability to provide our portfolio companies with a bridge to high quality networks in Silicon Valley and key global markets has continued to be a key differentiator for us, not only for the founders we work with, but also for our investors. We are delighted to have had strong support from our existing investor base and are delighted to also welcome new investors into the fund." King River Capital Co-founder, Chris Barter remarked: "We are currently witnessing a once in a generation moment of world-leading tech innovation emanating from Australia. The flywheel moment has arrived with the plethora of capital, engineering talent, and successful exits embedded in a vibrant ecosystem. One could even say that Sydney is fast becoming the Palo Alto (News - Alert) of Asia." About King River Capital: King River Capital invests in post-revenue, high-growth software businesses that are solving critical problems within large markets. Since its first fund launched in 2019, King River has committed capital into eleven companies across the US and Australia, including FinClear (fintech), Sendle (logistics), OSARO (industrial automation), Sentropy (cybersafety) and Lark (digital health). The firm was founded by three partners, Chris Barter, Zeb Rice, and Megan Guy. All have a strong track record in early to mid-stage venture investing, with a legacy portfolio comprising over fifty companies across multiple markets. King River's Sydney offices are located in Surry Hills, an inner-city suburb that has become a focal point for leading tech start-ups and venture funds. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210726005818/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 26, 2021] First Cobalt to Webcast Live at Virtual Investor Conferences TORONTO, July 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- First Cobalt Corp. (TSX-V: FCC) (OTCQX: FTSSF) (the "Company") today announced that President and Chief Executive Officer, Trent Mell will present live at VirtualInvestorConferences.com on July 27, 2021 at 3:00pm ET. Mr. Mell will provide an update on the Company's Refinery Project in Canada, its longer-term ambition for a Battery Park as well as its Iron Creek cobalt-copper project in Idaho, USA. First Cobalt invites individual and institutional investors, as well as advisors and analysts, to attend real-time, interactive presentations on VirtualInvestorConferences.com DATE: July 27. 2021 TIME: 3:00pm ET LINK: http://bit.ly/3hGKd6Z This will be a live, interactive online event where investors are invited to ask the company questions in real-time. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event. It is recommended that investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates. Learn more about the event at www.virtualinvestorconferences.com. About First Cobalt First Cobalt's mission is to be the most sustainable producer of battery materials. In 2022, the Company plans to commission North America's only cobalt sulfate refinery, a critical asset in the development and manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles. First Cobalt also owns the Iron Creek cobalt-copper project in Idaho, USA as well as several significant cobalt and silver properties in the Canadian Cobalt Camp. For more information visit www.firstcobalt.com About Virtual Investor Conferences Virtual Investor Conferences (VIC) is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly-traded companies to meet and present directly with investors. A real-time solution for investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences is part of OTC Market Group's suite of investor relations services specifically designed for more efficient Investor Access. Replicating the look and feel of on-site investor conferences, Virtual Investor Conferences combine leading-edge conferencing and investor communications capabilities with a comprehensive global investor audience network. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/first-cobalt-to-webcast-live-at-virtual-investor-conferences-301341547.html SOURCE VirtualInvestorConferences.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 26, 2021] Brookfield Infrastructure has Clear Path to Acquire Inter Pipeline Ltd. - Tender Deadline of 5pm (Mountain Time) on August 6th On July 26 th the Inter Pipeline Ltd. ( IPL ) Board of Directors announced that the alternative transaction with Pembina Pipeline Corporation ( Pembina ) has been terminated after receiving Brookfield Infrastructures enhanced Offer the Inter Pipeline Ltd. ( ) Board of Directors announced that the alternative transaction with Pembina Pipeline Corporation ( ) has been terminated after receiving Brookfield Infrastructures enhanced Offer Brookfield Infrastructures Offer is now the sole option available for IPL shareholders after the companys comprehensive 4-month strategic review Brookfield Infrastructures enhanced Offer represents a 51% premium to IPLs unaffected share price 1 and has received all key regulatory and financing approvals with the ability to close within 3 business days of the Offer expiry (subject to the modified statutory minimum condition) to IPLs unaffected share price and has received all key regulatory and financing approvals with the ability to (subject to the modified statutory minimum condition) Shareholders may elect up to 100% cash consideration, totalling C$20.00 per share of IPL without being subject to proration or 0.250 of a class A exchangeable subordinated voting share of Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation (a BIPC Share ), subject to proration ), subject to proration Take Action Tender to Brookfield Infrastructures Offer prior to the August 6, 2021, deadline Tender to Brookfield Infrastructures Offer prior to the August 6, 2021, deadline Questions or Need Assistance? Contact Laurel Hill Advisory Group at 1-877-452-7184 or email assistance@laurelhill.com BROOKFIELD, NEWS, July 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. (NYSE: BIP; TSX: BIP.UN), together with its institutional partners (collectively, Brookfield Infrastructure) reiterates its offer to acquire all of the outstanding common shares of Inter Pipeline Ltd. (TSX: IPL) as outlined in the Fourth Notice of Variation and Change dated July 19, 2021 (the "Offer"). Termination of the Alternative Transaction On July 26, 2021, IPL announced the termination of its proposed transaction with Pembina. We believe IPLs Board of Directors made the right decision in withdrawing its support for a combination that was not in the best interest of IPL shareholders. This decision further affirms the merits of our Offer, which provides superior value, flexibility and certainty. Moreover, the announcement follows the clear endorsement by two prominent, independent proxy advisors, Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass, Lewis & Co., who based on their own impartial and objective analysis recommended against the Pembina transaction. Brookfield Infrastructures Offer is now the sole option available for IPL shareholders after a lengthy strategic review process, which culminated in the IPL Special Committee recommending a corporate sale. We look forward to working with the IPL Board to successfully conclude that our Offer is in the best interest of all IPL shareholders. Reasons to Tender to the Brookfield Offer Significant Premium to IPLs Unaffected Share Price : The Offer represents a 51% premium to IPLs unaffected share price 1 : The Offer represents a 51% premium to IPLs unaffected share price Flexibility of Consideration: IPL shareholders have the ability to elect the form of consideration according to their individual preferences (subject to proration) IPL shareholders have the ability to elect the form of consideration according to their individual preferences (subject to proration) Speed to Close and Immediate Liquidity: Brookfield has received all key regulatory approvals and can take up and pay for tendered shares within three business days after the Offer expiry time (subject to the modified statutory minimum condition) Brookfield has received all key regulatory approvals and can take up and pay for tendered shares within three business days after the Offer expiry time (subject to the modified statutory minimum condition) Tax Deferred Consideration: Eligible shareholders can elect a tax deferred rollover, which has been used successfully in several previous Brookfield-led privatizations, into BIPC Shares through the Offer Eligible shareholders can elect a tax deferred rollover, which has been used successfully in several previous Brookfield-led privatizations, into BIPC Shares through the Offer Opportunity to Participate in Brookfield Infrastructures Global Infrastructure Platform: Our platform offers the unique advantage of being able to invest across four key infrastructure sectors, at all points within economic cycles, and across multiple geographies to secure the best risk adjusted returns for our investors We encourage IPL Shareholders to tender to our Offer which is open for acceptance until 5:00 p.m. (Mountain Time) on August 6, 2021. (1) Premium to closing share price of IPL on the TSX on February 10, 2021 of C$13.40. Assumes that IPL shareholders select the higher value BIPC Shares resulting in 68% cash and 32% share proration and based on the closing price of the BIPC Shares on the TSX on July 26, 2021. Advisors Brookfield Infrastructure has engaged BMO Capital Markets and Barclays Capital Canada Inc. to act as joint financial advisors and McCarthy Tetrault LLP to act as its legal advisor in connection with the Offer. Laurel Hill Advisory Group has also been engaged to act s Brookfield Infrastructures strategic communications advisor and proxy solicitation and information agent. Brookfield Infrastructure is a leading global infrastructure company that owns and operates high-quality, long-life assets in the utilities, transport, midstream and data sectors across North and South America, Asia Pacific and Europe. We are focused on assets that have contracted and regulated revenues that generate predictable and stable cash flows. Investors can access its portfolio either through Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. (NYSE: BIP; TSX: BIP.UN), a Bermuda-based limited partnership, or Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation (NYSE, TSX: BIPC), a Canadian corporation. Further information is available at www.brookfield.com/infrastructure. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners is the flagship listed infrastructure company of Brookfield Asset Management, a global alternative asset manager with over US$600 billion of assets under management. For more information, go to www.brookfield.com . No Offer or Solicitation This news release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to buy or sell, or a solicitation of an offer to sell or buy, any securities. The offer to acquire IPL securities and to issue securities of Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation will be made solely by, and subject to the terms and conditions set out in the formal offer to purchase and bid circular and accompanying letter of transmittal and notice of guaranteed delivery. NOTICE TO U.S. HOLDERS OF IPL SHARES Brookfield Infrastructure intends to make the offer and sale of the BIPC Shares in the Offer subject to a registration statement of BIPC and BIP covering such offer and sale to be filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Such registration statement covering such offer and sale will include various documents related to such offer and sale. INVESTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS OF IPL ARE URGED TO READ SUCH REGISTRATION STATEMENT AND ANY AND ALL OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED OR TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE OFFER AS THOSE DOCUMENTS BECOME AVAILABLE, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THOSE DOCUMENTS, BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN OR WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. You will be able to obtain a free copy of such registration statement, as well as other relevant filings regarding BIP and BIPC or such transaction involving the issuance of the BIPC Shares and the underlying BIP limited partnership units, at the SECs website (www.sec.gov) under the issuer profiles for BIP and BIPC, or on request without charge from Brookfield Infrastructure, at 250 Vesey Street, 15th Floor, New York, New York, 10281-1023 or by telephone at (212) 417-7000. BIPC is a foreign private issuer and Brookfield Infrastructure is permitted to prepare the offer to purchase and takeover bid circular and related documents in accordance with Canadian disclosure requirements, which are different from those of the United States. BIPC prepares its financial statements in accordance with IFRS, and they may not be directly comparable to financial statements of United States companies. Shareholders of IPL should be aware that owning BIPC Shares may subject them to tax consequences both in the United States and in Canada. The offer to purchase and takeover bid circular may not describe these tax consequences fully. IPL shareholders should read any tax discussion in the offer to purchase and takeover bid circular, and holders of IPL Shares are urged to consult their tax advisors. An IPL shareholders ability to enforce civil liabilities under the United States federal securities laws may be affected adversely because Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation is incorporated in British Columbia, Canada, some or all of Brookfield Infrastructures officers and directors and some or all of the experts named in the offering documents reside outside of the United States, and a substantial portion of Brookfield Infrastructures assets and of the assets of such persons are located outside the United States. IPL shareholders in the United States may not be able to sue Brookfield Infrastructure or its officers or directors in a non-U.S. court for violation of United States federal securities laws. It may be difficult to compel such parties to subject themselves to the jurisdiction of a court in the United States or to enforce a judgment obtained from a court of the United States. IPL shareholders should be aware that, during the period of the Offer, Brookfield Infrastructure or its affiliates, directly or indirectly, may bid for or make purchases of the securities to be distributed or to be exchanged, or certain related securities, as permitted by applicable laws or regulations of Canada or its provinces or territories. NEITHER THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION NOR ANY STATE SECURITIES REGULATOR HAS OR WILL HAVE APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THE BIPC SHARES OFFERED IN THE OFFERING DOCUMENTS, OR HAS OR WILL HAVE DETERMINED IF ANY OFFERING DOCUMENTS ARE TRUTHFUL OR COMPLETE. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-looking Statements This news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian provincial securities laws and forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and in any applicable Canadian securities regulations. The words believe, expect, will derivatives thereof and other expressions which are predictions of or indicate future events, trends or prospects and which do not relate to historical matters, identify the above mentioned and other forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the terms of the Offer and the anticipated timing thereof, and statements relating to a potential recommendation in respect of the Offer from the IPL Special Committee. Although Brookfield Infrastructure believes that these forward-looking statements and information are based upon reasonable assumptions and expectations, the reader should not place undue reliance on them, or any other forward-looking statements or information in this news release. The actual outcome of future events could differ from the forward-looking statements and information herein, which are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those contemplated or implied by the statements in this news release include the ability to obtain regulatory approvals (including approval of the TSX and the NYSE) and meet other closing conditions to any possible transaction, the ability to realize financial, operational and other benefits from the proposed transaction, general economic conditions in the jurisdictions in which we operate and elsewhere which may impact the markets for our products and services, the impact of market conditions on our businesses, the fact that success of Brookfield Infrastructure is dependent on market demand for an infrastructure company, which is unknown, the availability of equity and debt financing for Brookfield Infrastructure, the ability to effectively complete transactions in the competitive infrastructure space and to integrate acquisitions into existing operations, changes in technology which have the potential to disrupt the business and industries in which we invest, the market conditions of key commodities, the price, supply or demand for which can have a significant impact upon the financial and operating performance of our business and other risks and factors described in other documents filed by Brookfield Infrastructure with the securities regulators in Canada and the United States. Except as required by law, Brookfield Infrastructure undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For more information, please contact: Media: Claire Holland Senior Vice President, Communications Tel: (416) 369-8236 Email: claire.holland@brookfield.com Investors: Kate White Manager, Investor Relations Tel: (416) 956-5183 Email: kate.white@brookfield.com Shareholder Questions / Tendering Assistance: Laurel Hill Advisory Group North American Toll-Free: 1-877-452-7184 (+1-416-304-0211 outside North America) Email: assistance@laurelhill.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 26, 2021] Raft awarded Air Force contract to support Kessel Run's "Cloud CITI" RESTON, Va., July 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Raft, LLC, a technology consulting firm dedicated to bridging the gap between humans and data, announced today that it has been awarded a $36 million contract to provide the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center's AFLCMC Detachment 12 known as "Kessel Run" with DevSecOps software engineering expertise, Kubernetes infrastructure, and multi-region platform services as part of the Cloud Computing and I.T. Integration (CITI) effort. The contract includes supporting external Department of Defense (DoD) software initiatives, promoting a culture of continuous improvement, and creating warfighter value at Kessel Run. "Raft is proud to partner with the Air Force and Kessel Run to support the secure, rapid development and delivery of combat capability wherever it is needed and when it is needed most," said Shubhi Mishra, Founder & CEO of Raft. "Kessel Run is truly a transformative force inside the Department of Defense for incremental delivery and continuous learning, and a fantastic fit for Raft's human-centered culture and obsession with the mission." The Kessel Run software factory is composed of members from the Operational Command and Control Users (OpsC2), Wing Command and Control Users (WingC2), and All Domain Common Platform (ADCP) Program Management Office (PMO) who work together leveraging industry best practices and products to rapidly deliver capabilities while simultaneously scouting for potentially disruptive IT. Kessel Run embraces change through a "smaller is better" mindset, including lean and agile methodologies combined with continuous integration ad continuous delivery (CI/CD). Underlying all of this is a culture of innovation that balances speed and safety at scale. "As a non-traditional Woman-Owned Small Business, our team brings innovative open source solutions that enable building distributed systems for our enterprise customers including the Department of Defense, Health & Human Services, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau," stated Raft CTO, Bhaarat Sharma. "We're excited to contribute to the Cloud CITI initiative at Kessel Run and build tools that enable the warfighter to develop mission plans tailored to the immediate mission needs". Raft will provide macro-level architectural solutions of a multi-region hybrid infrastructure (on-premise and commercial cloud), a cross-cutting application and integration architecture, and a data management and analytics architecture. Specifically, provide DevSecOps software engineering expertise, Kubernetes infrastructure, and multi-region platform services that help Kessel Run modernize Legacy software systems and supporting external DoD software initiatives associated with Kessel Run. About Raft: Raft is a customer-obsessed digital consulting firm specializing in creating data solutions leveraging human-centered design principles to solve mission critical, complex problems for government agencies. We accelerate and enhance their missions through rapid iteration and intense focus on "outcomes over outputs" to deliver maximum impact with everything we do. Raft is a remote-first distributed team of open source contributors and passionate experts in DevSecOps, Kubernetes management, artificial intelligence, and securely connecting humans and systems with data in the cloud, on-premise, and at the operational edge. Learn more at https://goraft.tech. About Kessel Run: Kessel Run is the operational name for AFLCMC's Detachment 12. Its mission is to deliver combat capabilities warfighters love and revolutionize the Air Force software acquisition process. From its headquarters at Hanscom Air Force Base (AFB) and with significant supporting assets in Boston, MA (Kessel Run Experimental Lab) and Langley AFB, Kessel Run builds, tests, delivers, operates, and maintains cloud-based infrastructure and war-fighting software applications for use by Airmen worldwide and delivers them on time, as needed, and with efficiency and cost-effectiveness above other acquisition methods or practices in the Air Force and DoD. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/raft-awarded-air-force-contract-to-support-kessel-runs-cloud-citi-301341562.html SOURCE Raft, LLC [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 26, 2021] The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz Announces Investigation of ATI Physical Therapy (ATIP) on Behalf of Investors The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz announces an investigation of ATI Physical Therapy, Inc. ("ATI" or the "Company") (NYSE: ATIP) on behalf of investors concerning the Company's possible violations of federal securities laws. If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate. <> On June 16, 2021, ATI completed its business combination with Fortress Value Acquisition Corp. II ("FVAC II"), a special purpose acquisition company. On July 26, 2021, ATI reported its financial results for the second quarter of 2021. The Company reduced its fiscal 2021 guidance due to "the acceleration of attrition among [its] therapists in the second quarter and continuing into the third quarter." On this news, the Company's share price fell $3.62, or 43%, to close at $4.72 per share on July 26, 2021, thereby injuring investors. Follow us for updates on Twitter (News - Alert) : twitter.com/FRC_LAW. If you purchased ATI securities, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Frank R. Cruz, of The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz, 1999 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 1100, Los Angeles, California 90067 at 310-914-5007, by email to info@frankcruzlaw.com, or visit our website at www.frankcruzlaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210726005823/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 26, 2021] BrainChip Discusses AI's Positive Impact on the Human Condition With Public Interest Technology Advocate Katina Michael BrainChip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN), (OTCQX: BRCHF), a leading provider of ultra-low power high performance artificial intelligence technology, today announced that Dr. Katina Michael, Arizona State University professor and Public Interest Technology advocate, joins BrainChip Vice President of Worldwide Sales Rob Telson on the latest "This is our Mission" podcast episode designed to provide insight on the Company's strategy and progress. The 28-minute podcast will be available through the company's website, https://brainchipinc.com/brainchip-podcasts/, as well as across all major podcast platforms August 3, at 4 p.m. PDT. Michael holds a joint appointment in ASU's School for the Future of Innovation in Society and School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, is the director of the Society Policy Engineering Collective (SPEC) and the founding Editor in Chief of the IEE Transactions on Technology and Society. She and Telson discuss the human impact of automation, the social responsibility of AI to provide public benefits, when AI should be deployed from a public interest perspective and the positive impact that AI will provide humankind in the future. "A lot of people view AI initiatives with a certain level of concern and distrust, thinking that technology and automation are going to serve as replacements for human labor and human ingenuity," said Telson. "But a different pproach to this thinking reveals the amazing ability of AI to be assistive to humans, elevate society as a whole and provide benefits for all. Katina has incredible insight into just what the world will look like when AI is deployed to help humans make better decisions and how those decisions will lead to justice, fairness and social responsibility to improve the lives of people all around the world." BrainChip's Akida brings artificial intelligence to the edge in a way that existing technologies are not capable. The solution is high-performance, small, ultra-low power and enables a wide array of edge capabilities. The Akida (NSoC) and intellectual property, can be used in applications including Smart Home, Smart Health, Smart City and Smart Transportation. These applications include but are not limited to home automation and remote controls, industrial IoT, robotics, security cameras, sensors, unmanned aircraft, autonomous vehicles, medical instruments, object detection, sound detection, odor and taste detection, gesture control and cybersecurity. The BrainChip Podcast is a monthly event intended to provide company and industry insight for the engineering community in target markets, as well as analysts, technical and financial press and investors. About BrainChip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN, OTCQX: BRCHF) BrainChip is a global technology company that is producing a groundbreaking neuromorphic processor that brings artificial intelligence to the edge in a way that is beyond the capabilities of other products. The chip is high performance, small, ultra-low power and enables a wide array of edge capabilities that include on-chip training, learning and inference. The event-based neural network processor is inspired by the spiking nature of the human brain and is implemented in an industry standard digital process. By mimicking brain processing BrainChip has pioneered a processing architecture, called Akida, which is both scalable and flexible to address the requirements in edge devices. At the edge, sensor inputs are analyzed at the point of acquisition rather than through transmission via the cloud to a data center. Akida is designed to provide a complete ultra-low power and fast AI Edge Network for vision, audio, olfactory and smart transducer applications. The reduction in system latency provides faster response and a more power efficient system that can reduce the large carbon footprint of data centers. Additional information is available at https://www.brainchipinc.com Follow BrainChip on Twitter (News - Alert) : https://www.twitter.com/BrainChip_inc Follow BrainChip on LinkedIn (News - Alert) : https://www.linkedin.com/company/7792006 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210726005833/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 26, 2021] SOR Enhances Agriculture Automation Technology PERTH, Australia, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Strategic Elements Ltd (ASX:SOR) is pleased to announce that subsidiary Stealth Technologies has achieved several key development milestones with its sophisticated weed detection technology. The spread of weeds is still a significant issue for crop yields globally, where production losses are estimated in the tens of billions and weeds are becoming increasingly herbicide resistant. Sensor hardware has been dramatically reduced in size and weight to enable sensors to be installed on a range of farm equipment such as boom sprayers or utes and even potentially drones in addition to the header of a combine harvester. has been dramatically reduced in size and weight to enable sensors to be installed on a range of farm equipment such as boom sprayers or utes and even potentially drones in addition to the header of a combine harvester. Proprietary software and algorithms have been upgraded to enable weeds to be detected in crops other than wheat (e.g. barley). Improvements have also been made to system design to allow the assembly of composite point cloud, enabling superior processing and delivering higher weed detection accuracy. Previous work with collaborators the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative and the University of Western Australia School of Agriculture and Environment assisted the Company to achieve early stage validation. A recent video published by television station GWN7 covers some of the previous material released by the Company https://www.gwn7.com.au/news/7466717-weeds-in-spotlight. Further testing and optimisation of the hardware and software upgrades will be conducted during August at two separate farms sites in Western Australia. One of these is the UWA farm research facility in Pingelly (approx. 2hrs south east of Perth) targeting one paddock of wheat. The other is in Gillingarra (approx. 2hrs north of Perth, halfway between Gingin and Moora) - targeting two separate paddocks, one with wheat and another with a different type of crop such as barley. Results of the testing will be available during September. A successful outcome will lead to aspects of the upgraded technology being included into an expanded trial to be conducted in November 021. This program will see up to 10 farms utilise the Stealth technology solution during the harvesting season. Technology Background & Opportunity Available advanced weed detection technologies typically use RGB cameras and different forms of imaging that distinguish weeds and crops via colour. This has serious limitations in broadacre cropping where weeds are often the same colour as crops. The Company is taking a different approach by leveraging the sophisticated sensor, mapping and localisation technology already built and used in its Autonomous Security Vehicle collaboration with US Fortune 100 Company 'Honeywell'. The need for excessive use of chemicals and production loss costs are significant issues for the global agricultural industry. The estimated cost of weeds in Australian cropping systems alone is at AUD$3.3 billion annually. Total annual cost of weeds in the United States are estimated at $US34.5 billion. The value proposition for Stealth is to deploy this technology to farms around the world where large-scale crop farming exists. This include not just crops such as wheat and barley but could be extended to corn, canola, and other large-scale crop types. The usage of this technology together with agronomic techniques that can leverage weed location knowledge could dramatically decrease herbicide input costs to farming whilst maximising crop yields making farming more efficient and profitable for farmers, while at the same time being more environmentally friendly. Milestones and Schedule of Work for the Agriculture Technology Hardware and software upgrades testing and validation - multiple sources of data collection using upgraded hardware, algorithms for multiple crop types, different air and ground based vehicles, and composite point cloud utilisation. Q3 Demonstration scale-up increase end user reference sites at multiple sites and in different environments. A program is being developed to deploy the weed detection technology for up to 10 potential end customer reference sites in the November 2021 harvest. Q3 and Q4 AxV Platform Stealth Technologies' has been collaborating with global Fortune 100 software-industrial company 'Honeywell' to build autonomous security vehicles for the correctional sector. Stealth Technologies developed the first 'Autonomous Security Vehicle' of its kind anywhere in the world. The parties are actively seeking to finalise a new agreement to commercialise the Autonomous Security Vehicle. Stealth Technologies is also designing and delivering an autonomous drone carrying vehicle that automates detection and sensing of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear agents. Executive Director Elliot Nicholls said "the Stealth team has been working incredibly hard to advance the AxV Platform. We are in active discussions with multiple Companies on potential deployments of the AxV Platform (automation technologies and robotics) across security, defence, agriculture, mining and other sectors. We look forward to updating shareholders on these activities where appropriate". About Strategic Elements Ltd The Australian Federal Government has registered Strategic Elements as a Pooled Development Fund with a mandate to back Australian innovation. Strategic Elements operates as a 'venture builder' where it generates high risk-high reward ventures and projects from combining teams of leading scientists or innovators. The Company has 100% owned subsidiary companies developing: Robotics and automation technology for mining, defence, security, agriculture, transport. Collaboration with Fortune 100 Company 'Honeywell' for Autonomous Security Vehicles. Further agreements with UWA and CSIRO. Self-charging battery technology in collaboration with the UNSW and CSIRO. Uses humidity in air to generate electricity. Extremely small, thin, light weight flexible battery cells. Transparent flexible memory technology working with the UNSW, CSIRO and VTT ( Finland ). Enabling flexible plastic and glass surfaces to store and process data instead of needing silicon chips. Data related technology acquisition/development has been noted by the Company as a potential area for future venture generation. Most investors in SOR pay no tax on capital gains from selling their SOR shares as the Company operates under a Federal Government program setup to encourage investment into innovation. The Company is listed on the ASX under the code "SOR". More information on the Pooled Development Program should be read on the Company's website www.strategicelements.com.au. This announcement was authorised for release by Strategic Elements' Board of Directors. SOURCE Strategic Elements Ltd [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 26, 2021] FUJIFILM Business Innovation Launches New Brand for Production Printers SINGAPORE, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp. launches two production printer models under its new Revoria brand: Revoria Press PC1120, a production colour printer for the high-end professional printing market, and Revoria Press E1 Series, a monochrome production printer for on-demand printing both for professional and office use. The two new models will be sold sequentially [Note 1] from July 27 in the Asia-Pacific region including Japan. The new brand name Revoria is derived from the blending of "revolution" and the suffix "-ia" which means country or land. By revolutionizing the production printing business, the company aims to cultivate new "lands" and create unprecedented value. The brand name also incorporates "reborn," "renew" and "refine", thus spelling Revo"r"ia with an "r" rather than Revo"l"ia with an "l"; illustrating the company's determination to reborn to a new stage. The brand logo illustrates a bird soaring across the fertile land towards a rising sun and this signifies our customers' continuous flight to success with FUJIFILM Business Innovation. Under the new Revoria brand, FUJIFILM Business Innovation will provide customers with a suite of production printing solutions that encompasses production printers, associated print servers, and print workflow software. [Introducing the Revoria PressTM PC1120] Helping printing companies in their business expansion and increased productivity with new applications, AI and automation technology. The Air Suction Feeder [Note 2] and Static Removal Device [Note 2] provide highly stable paper feeding for a wide variety of paper such as paper containing concentrated amounts of paper dust, cohesive coated paper, and film. and Static Removal Device provide highly stable paper feeding for a wide variety of paper such as paper containing concentrated amounts of paper dust, cohesive coated paper, and film. The image data is automatically divided into five colo u rs of cyan, magenta, yellow, black (CMYK) and pink. The fluorescent colours of the pink toner expands the colour gamut significantly, thus resulting in vibrant printouts especially on people images showing vivid colours and with smoother skin tones. rs of cyan, magenta, yellow, black (CMYK) and pink. The fluorescent colours of the pink toner expands the colour gamut significantly, thus resulting in vibrant printouts especially on people images showing vivid colours and with smoother skin tones. Artificial Intelligence (AI) enables automatic image corrections for photo images. Each photo image will be automatically enhanced based on its existing lacklustre condition such as image being too dark/too bright, backlight exposure, correction of skin tones, and bringing out the hues in blue skies. Prints at a high speed of 120 pages per minute (A4 horizontal) while achieving high definition, high resolution prints of 2,400 dpi with its Super EA-Eco [Note 3] toner, which boasts the smallest toner particle size in the industry. toner, which boasts the smallest toner particle size in the industry. Equipped with a one-pass, six-colo u r print engine, up to two special toners such as gold, silver, clear, white, pink, and custom red [Note 4] can be used in addition to the basic CMYK toners. These toners enable high-value, high-quality printing such as metallic colo u rs and natural skin textures. r print engine, up to two special toners such as gold, silver, clear, white, pink, and custom red can be used in addition to the basic CMYK toners. These toners enable high-value, high-quality printing such as metallic colo rs and natural skin textures. The feeder can handle paper of different thicknesses ranging from thin paper at 52 g/m 2 to thick paper at 400 g/m 2 , and the paper trays are compatible with various paper sizes for printing, from small sized paper of 98 x 148 mm to long paper of 330 x 1,200 mm [Note 5] in simplex mode and up to 330 x 729 mm for duplex printing. to thick paper at 400 g/m , and the paper trays are compatible with various paper sizes for printing, from small sized paper of 98 x 148 mm to long paper of 330 x 1,200 mm in simplex mode and up to 330 x 729 mm for duplex printing. A versatile in-line post-processing lineup that can be used for paper folding, saddle stitching, three-way trimming, and saddle stitching with square back finishing. The high-performance print server -- the Revoria Flow PC11 -- performs RIP processing at 1,200 1,200 dpi and 10 bits per colo u r (1,024 gradations), generating high-quality image data. [Introducing the Revoria PressTM E1 Series] Bringing monochrome applications to the next level with excellent image quality and wider range of application. The Air Suction Feeder [Note 3] enables high-speed, stable continuous output for a wide variety of paper types such as paper containing concentrated amounts of paper dust, preprint paper that uses powder, and cohesive coated paper. enables high-speed, stable continuous output for a wide variety of paper types such as paper containing concentrated amounts of paper dust, preprint paper that uses powder, and cohesive coated paper. Prints at a high speed of 136 pages per minute [Note 5] , while achieving high definition, high resolution prints of 2,400 dpi output resolution with its EA-Eco [Note 3] LGK [Note 6] toner with extremely small toner particle size. , while achieving high definition, high resolution prints of 2,400 dpi output resolution with its EA-Eco LGK toner with extremely small toner particle size. The feeder can handle paper of different thicknesses ranging from thin paper at 52 g/m 2 to thick paper at 350 g/m 2 , and the paper tray is compatible with various paper sizes for printing, from small sized paper of 100 x 148 mm to long paper [Note 2] of 330.2 x 660.4 mm. to thick paper at 350 g/m , and the paper tray is compatible with various paper sizes for printing, from small sized paper of 100 x 148 mm to long paper of 330.2 x 660.4 mm. A versatile in-line post-processing lineup that can be used for paper folding, saddle stitching, three-way trimming, and saddle stitching with square back finishing. Simple Image Quality Adjustment (SIQA) automatically corrects image quality by scanning a calibration chart, which improves the efficiency of image quality corrections [Note 7] . . The printers are equipped with copy and scan functions for office works [Note 7] . [Online Event: FUJIFILM Business Innovation "Revolution in Print" Webinar [Note8]] Discover the role of digital printing in customer communication and how digital press is expanding into new markets, how CMYK+ contributes to your business evolution and through FUJIFILM Business Innovation's latest breakthrough the Revoria Press Series. Please register here. Note 1: Please check with your local FUJIFILM Business Innovation office on the availability of the models Note 2: Optional Note 3: Emulsion Aggregation (EA) Note 4: Only available in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam Note 5: Revoria Press E1136/E1136 P, A4 horizontal Note 6: Low Gloss Kuro (LGK) Note 7: Excluding printer models for mission-critical data printing (Revoria Press E1136P/E1125P/E1110P) Note 8: Advance registration is required to attend the "Revolution in Print Webinar" About FUJIFILM Business Innovation FUJIFILM Business Innovation is committed to continue offering innovations to businesses globally to help maximize their organizational strengths. We have pioneered numerous technologies and accumulated expertise since our establishment as Fuji Xerox in 1962, to build an environment that encourages the use of one's creativity by effectively adopting information and knowledge. Our portfolio includes conducting R&D, manufacturing and sales of world-class multifunction printers, production printers and IT solutions, as well as business process outsourcing services. On April 1, 2021, FUJIFILM Business Innovation changed its name from Fuji Xerox to a name that embodies its commitment to continue as a company that always pursues business innovation. FUJIFILM Business Innovation Asia Pacific is the regional headquarters of the global company, FUJIFILM Business Innovation, providing corporate support and shared services for the Asia Pacific region. https://fujifilm.com/fbglobal SOURCE FUJIFILM Business Innovation [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 26, 2021] Brookfield Infrastructure Partners Submits Written Consent to the TSX as Evidence of Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation Security Holder Approval of the Inter Pipeline Ltd. Offer and Share Issuance BROOKFIELD NEWS, July 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. (BIP) (NYSE: BIP; TSX: BIP.UN), together with its institutional partners (collectively, Brookfield Infrastructure) and Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation (BIPC) (NYSE: BIPC; TSX: BIPC), announced today that in connection with the previously announced offer (the Offer, as amended on June 4, 2021, June 21, 2021, July 13, 2021 and July 19, 2021) by Brookfield Infrastructure to acquire all the outstanding common shares of Inter Pipeline Ltd. (IPL), BIP, which beneficially owns the sole class B multiple voting share in the capital of BIPC that is entitled to 75% of the total votes cast at BIPC shareholder meetings, has provided the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) with written consent confirming that it is in favor of the Offer and the issuance of class A exchangeable subordinate shares (BIPC Shares) in connection with the Offer (the BIPC Share Issuance). This written consent satisfies the BIPC security holder approval requirement of the TSX. Please refer to BIPs press releases dated June 2, 2021, June 18, 2021, July 13, 2021, July 15, 2021 and July 19, 2021 for further details of the Offer. Under the Offer, each IPL shareholder will have the ability to elect to receive, per IPL share, C$20.00 in cash or 0.250 of a BIPC Share, or, solely in the case of eligible Canadian IPL shareholders seeking a rollover for tax purposes, 0.250 of an exchangeable security (each an Exchangeable Unit) to be issued by an indirect subsidiary of BIP (Exchange LP), subject to pro-ration in respect of the BIPC Shares and Exchangeable Units. The maximum aggregate number of BIPC Shares issuable (including as a result of the exchange of Exchangeable Units issuable in connection with the Offer, including pursuant to supplementary elections) is 36,000,000 BIPC Shares, subject to any adjustments to account for rounding (representing approximately 80% of the 44,953,247 issued and outstanding BIPC Shares as at March 31, 2021). The Offer is open for acceptance until 5:00 p.m. (Mountain Time) on August 6, 2021. Under applicable TSX rules, the BIPC Share Issuance requires the approval of BIPC security holders, as the maximum number of BIPC Shares issuable in connection with the Offer (including as a result of the exchange the Exchangeable Units issuable in connection with the Offer) exceeds 25% of the total number of outstanding BIPC Shares. BIPC has relied on the exemption available in section 604(d) of the TSX Company Manual to provide TSX with written evidence that holders of more than 50% of the voting securities of BIPC are familiar with the terms of the Offer and the BIPC Share Issuance and are in favor of it, in lieu of a duly called meeting of security holders. TSX will generally not require further security holder approval for the issuance of up to an additional 9,000,000 BIPC Shares in connection with the Offer, such number being 25% of the number of securities approved by security holders for the Offer. The Offer is being effected at arms length and the issuance of BIPC Shares is not expected to materially affect control of BIPC. The BIPC Share Issuance and the Offer are expected to close not earlier than five (5) business days after dissemination of this press release. Brookfield Infrastructure encourages IPL shareholders to read the full details of the Offer set forth in the Offer to Purchase and Bid Circular (the Offer and Circular, as amended on June 4, 2021, June 21, 2021, July 13, 2021 and July 19, 2021), which contains the full terms and conditions of the Offer and other important information as well as detailed instructions on how IPL shareholders can tender their IPL shares to the Offer. Shareholders who have questions or require assistance in depositing IPL shares to the Offer, IPL shareholders should contact the Information Agent and Depositary, Laurel Hill Advisory Group, by telephone at 1-877-452-7184 (North American Toll Free Number) or 416-304-0211 (outside North America) or by email at assistance@laurelhill.com. Copies of the Offer and Circular are available without charge on request from the Information Agent and are available at www.ipl-offer.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . Brookfield Infrastructure is a leading global infrastructure company that owns and operates high-quality, long-life assets in the utilities, transport, midstream and data sectors across North and South America, Asia Pacific and Europe. We are focused on assets that have contracted and regulated revenues that generate predictable and stable cash flows. Investors can access its portfolio either through Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. (NYSE: BIP; TSX: BIP.UN), a Bermuda-based limited partnership, or Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation (NYSE, TS: BIPC), a Canadian corporation. Further information is available at www.brookfield.com/infrastructure. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners is the flagship listed infrastructure company of Brookfield Asset Management, a global alternative asset manager with over US$600 billion of assets under management. For more information, go to www.brookfield.com. No Offer or Solicitation This news release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to buy or sell, or a solicitation of an offer to sell or buy, any securities. The offer to acquire IPL securities and to issue securities of BIPC will be made solely by, and subject to the terms and conditions set out in the formal offer to purchase and bid circular and accompanying letter of transmittal and notice of guaranteed delivery. NOTICE TO U.S. HOLDERS OF IPL SHARES In connection with the Offer, Brookfield Infrastructure has filed a Registration Statement on Form F-4, Amendment No. 1, Amendment No. 2, Amendment No. 3, Amendment No. 4 and Amendment No. 5 thereto with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, which has not yet become effective, which contain a prospectus relating to the Offer. The BIPC Shares may not be sold nor may offers to buy be accepted prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective. SHAREHOLDERS AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES ARE URGED TO READ SUCH REGISTRATION STATEMENT, AS AMENDED, AND ANY AND ALL OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED OR TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE OFFER, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO ANY SUCH DOCUMENTS, AS EACH BECOMES AVAILABLE, BECAUSE EACH CONTAINS OR WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BROOKFIELD INFRASTRUCTURE, IPL AND THE OFFER. Materials filed with the SEC are available electronically without charge at the SECs website (www.sec.gov) under the issuer profiles for BIP and BIPC, or on request without charge from Brookfield Infrastructure, at 250 Vesey Street, 15th Floor, New York, New York, 10281-1023 or by telephone at (212) 417-7000 and the materials will be posted on BIPs website at www.brookfield.com/infrastructure. BIP and BIPC are foreign private issuers and Brookfield Infrastructure is permitted to prepare the offer to purchase and related documents in accordance with Canadian disclosure requirements, which are different from those of the United States. BIP and BIPC prepare their financial statements in accordance with IFRS, and they may not be directly comparable to financial statements of United States companies. Shareholders of IPL should be aware that the disposition of their common shares and the acquisition and ownership of BIPC Shares may subject them to tax consequences both in the United States and in Canada. The offer to purchase may not describe these tax consequences fully. IPL shareholders should read any tax discussion in the offer to purchase, and holders of IPL shares are urged to consult their tax advisors. An IPL shareholders ability to enforce civil liabilities under the United States federal securities laws may be affected adversely by the fact that each of the offeror, BIP, BIPC and IPL is formed under the laws of a non-U.S. jurisdiction, that, some or all of their respective officers and directors and some or all of the experts named in the offering documents may reside outside of the United States, and that all or a substantial portion of the assets of the offeror, BIP, BIPC or IPL and such persons may be located outside the United States. IPL shareholders in the United States may not be able to sue the offeror, BIP, BIPC or IPL or their respective officers or directors in a non-U.S. court for violation of United States federal securities laws. It may be difficult to compel such parties to subject themselves to the jurisdiction of a court in the United States or to enforce a judgment obtained from a court of the United States. NEITHER THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION NOR ANY STATE SECURITIES REGULATOR HAS OR WILL HAVE APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THE BIPC SHARES TO BE OFFERED IN THE OFFERING DOCUMENTS, OR HAS OR WILL HAVE DETERMINED IF ANY OFFERING DOCUMENTS ARE TRUTHFUL OR COMPLETE. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE. IPL shareholders should be aware that, during the period of the Offer, Brookfield Infrastructure or its affiliates and any advisor, broker or other person acting as the agent for, or on behalf of, or in concert with the offeror or its affiliates, directly or indirectly, may bid for or make purchases of the securities to be distributed or to be exchanged, or certain related securities, outside the Offer, including purchases in the open market at prevailing prices or in private transactions at negotiated prices, as permitted by applicable laws or regulations of the United States, Canada or its provinces or territories. To the extent information about such purchases is made public in Canada, such information will be disclosed by means of a press release or other means reasonably calculated to inform IPL shareholders in the United States of such information. The Offer is being made for the securities of a Canadian company that does not have securities registered under Section 12 of the U.S. Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the U.S. Exchange Act). Accordingly, the Offer is not subject to Section 14(d) of the U.S. Exchange Act, or Regulation 14D promulgated by the SEC thereunder, except for any requirements thereunder applicable to exchange offers commenced before the effectiveness of the related registration statement. The Offer is being conducted in accordance with Section 14(e) of the U.S. Exchange Act and Regulation 14E promulgated thereunder. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-looking Statements This news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian provincial securities laws and forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and in any applicable Canadian securities regulations. The words expect, will derivatives thereof and other expressions which are predictions of or indicate future events, trends or prospects and which do not relate to historical matters, identify the above mentioned and other forward-looking statements. Although Brookfield Infrastructure believes that these forward-looking statements and information are based upon reasonable assumptions and expectations, the reader should not place undue reliance on them, or any other forward-looking statements or information in this news release. The actual outcome of future events could differ from the forward-looking statements and information herein, which are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those contemplated or implied by the statements in this news release include the ability to obtain regulatory approvals (including approval of the TSX and the NYSE) and meet other closing conditions to any possible transaction, the ability to realize financial, operational and other benefits from the proposed transaction, general economic conditions in the jurisdictions in which we operate and elsewhere which may impact the markets for our products and services, the impact of market conditions on our businesses, the fact that success of Brookfield Infrastructure is dependent on market demand for an infrastructure company, which is unknown, the availability of equity and debt financing for Brookfield Infrastructure, the ability to effectively complete transactions in the competitive infrastructure space and to integrate acquisitions into existing operations, changes in technology which have the potential to disrupt the business and industries in which we invest, the market conditions of key commodities, the price, supply or demand for which can have a significant impact upon the financial and operating performance of our business and other risks and factors described in other documents filed by Brookfield Infrastructure with the securities regulators in Canada and the United States. Except as required by law, Brookfield Infrastructure undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For more information, please contact: Media: Claire Holland Senior Vice President, Communications Tel: (416) 369-8236 Email: claire.holland@brookfield.com Investors: Kate White Manager, Investor Relations Tel: (416) 956-5183 Email: kate.white@brookfield.com Shareholder Questions / Tendering Assistance: Laurel Hill Advisory Group North American Toll-Free: 1-877-452-7184 (+1-416-304-0211 outside North America) Email: assistance@laurelhill.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 26, 2021] Digital sidekick solves Singapore real estate agents' woes AI Chatbot, Rena, shortens cash conversion cycle, reduces paperwork and minimises human errors for real estate agencies Real estate agents can now digitally manage deals, listings, and payments in one place, improving productivity by more than 50% VIP Realtors received the Enterprise Development Grant (EDG) to adopt Rena in its digital transformation journey SINGAPORE, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Singapore-based AI startup Pand.ai today unveils Rena, an AI Chatbot to help minimise paperwork and improve productivity in real estate transactions. "Real estate is a highly regulated and paperwork-heavy industry. Agents often have to juggle between serving their customers and submitting numerous forms, letters, checklists and agreements to complete a deal. On the other hand, agencies often have to hire employees to perform manual data entry after collecting all the documents submitted by agents," explained Ezline Lee, business director of Pand.ai. "With Rena, information can now be exchanged digitally and instantaneously, cutting down on paperwork and human errors." Powered by Pand.ai's home-grown Natural Language Processing (NLP) engine, gents can now instruct Rena to perform certain tasks by sending her a text message. Some of the tasks Rena is currently capable of doing includes: creating deals and listings, performing searches on agent profiles and property details, and retrieving internal resources such as forms, brochures, and floor plans. Rena is custom-designed for the real estate industry in Singapore and comes pre-loaded with more than 1,000 frequently asked questions and nearly 600 industry terms. The bot is connected to the Public Register API from the Council of Real Estate Agency (CEA) as well as a local address directory to maximise workflow efficiency. Rena is also integrated with modern cloud-based accounting systems such as Xero, allowing an invoice to be automatically generated after a deal gets submitted. This eliminates manual entry errors and duplication of effort. "Not only does Rena save agents and companies a lot of time on admin work, it shortens our cash conversion cycle. Cash flow is especially important for small to medium-size agencies like us," said Lina Chang, owner of VIP Realtors. In the adoption of Rena, the real estate agency received the Enterprise Development Grant (EDG) from Enterprise Singapore to cover 80% of the cost. "We are already seeing significant improvement in operational efficiency from Day 1, and I expect this productivity improvement to increase by more than 50% over the next 3 months." Like all AI Chatbots created by Pand.ai, Rena understands Singlish and recognises common Singaporean terms such as "Ang Mo Kio", "HDB" and "CPF". "Real estate is a local business, so it is important that Rena understands how Singaporean real estate agents think and talk," added Lee, a Singaporean who spent over a decade in the real estate industry before making the switch to technology with Pand.ai, "we are excited to venture into proptech with Rena, and look forward to being a part of the digital transformation journey of this industry in Singapore." About Pand.ai Pte Ltd "Pandai" means clever in the Malay language. As the name suggests, Pand.ai specialises in developing custom smart AI-chatbots for enterprises in Asia. Pand.ai's customers include Schroders, Tesco, CIMB Bank, MSIG, Great Eastern, VIP realtors and others. You may find out more about Pand.ai at www.pand.ai SOURCE Pand.ai Pte. Ltd. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] BCG Digital Ventures Collaborates With Unifrax and Clearlake to Advance Silicon Anode Technology for Lithium Ion Batteries BCG Digital Ventures (BCGDV), the leading corporate innovation and business building arm of Boston Consulting Group (BCG), and Unifrax, a leading provider of high-performance specialty materials backed by Clearlake Capital Group, L.P., today announced that the two companies are collaborating on SiFAB, Unifrax's patented silicon fiber anode battery technology for improving energy density, accelerating charges, and lengthening battery life. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210726005838/en/ SiFAB, which can be added to existing battery production processes, addresses a critical barrier to mass adoption of electric vehicles and the broader transition to clean renewable energy. The technology also has wide-ranging implications for the future of electric vehicles, power tools, portable electronics, and grid storage - all of which can benefit from the superior performance, longer battery life, and reduced size and weight that SiFAB delivers. After several years of R&D, Unifrax sought collaboration with BCGDV to validate SiFAB's market opportunity and performance characteristics, establish competitive benchmarks, and confirm the company's scale-up plans. The team is now focusing on commercialization, as Unifrax works toward production of SiFAB in early 2022. In a move to advance the building of thousands of tons of long-term manufacturing capacity, Unifrax recently announced plans to establish its first large-scale SiFAB manufacturing line, at its north-central Indiana facility. "SiFAB is a major breakthrough for the battery industry and will accelerate transition to renewable energy," said John Dandolph, CEO of Unifrax. "Our collaboration with BCG Digital Ventures combines our success in manufacturing and fiber-based technology with the firm's expertise in accelerating innovative and sustainable ventures. Working together, we can create a significant impact for customers, stakeholders, and advanced industries worldwide." BCGDV goes beyond the scope of traditional consulting by teaming with its clients to imagine, build, and launch market-disrupting businesses. The company has launched and scaled more than 160 businesses to date with its corporate partners, nearly 20 percent of which are businesses tha address environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns. "Today's climate and environmental challenges are an existential threat that can be addressed only through decisive action by the world's most ambitious corporations, entrepreneurs, institutions, and investors," said Raju Sarma, managing director and partner and Social Impact global practice area lead for BCG Digital Ventures. "BCG believes that SiFAB is uniquely positioned to lead the evolution of lithium ion battery technology, in part due to the significant energy density gains enabled by its drop-in technology, as well as to Unifrax's large-scale manufacturing capabilities and facilities around the world. Our team is excited to continue our collaboration with Unifrax to bring this technology to market at a rapid pace and help advance the global transition to a zero-carbon economy." To further its commitment to its decarbonization and sustainability agenda, BCGDV recently announced the launch of BCG Green Ventures. The new offering with a dedicated team will focus on BCG's mission to accelerate climate action through corporate innovation, enabling clients to create value through their ESG initiatives while helping the world address today's climate and environmental challenges. BCG Green Ventures will leverage BCGDV's previous climate innovation work, its ecosystem of partners, and BCG's broader commitment to invest in, co-develop, and scale innovative ventures as a long-term partner. The initiative will also draw on BCG's cross-sector climate innovation expertise. "Established corporations have significant assets at their disposal-from market position, expertise, and ecosystems to their capital reserves - that put them in an advantageous position to reap the rewards in the move to the decarbonization economy. Harnessing our deep technology and sector-specific expertise, as well as our proven track record in corporate innovation, we look forward to continuing to support organizations in unlocking growth opportunities in climate innovation," added Sarma, who also leads the BCG Green Ventures team. To learn more about BCG's and BCG Digital Ventures' perspectives on climate innovation market opportunities, read "The Next Generation of Climate Innovation." For more information on BCG Green Ventures, read "Introducing BCG Green Ventures." About BCG Digital Ventures BCG Digital Ventures (BCGDV) is the corporate innovation and digital business building arm of Boston Consulting Group. The organization invents, launches, scales, and invests in industry-changing new businesses with the world's most influential companies. BCGDV's diverse, multidisciplinary team of entrepreneurs, operators, and investors work cross-functionally, rapidly moving from idea to market in less than 12 months. Founded in 2014, the organization has 11 Innovation Centers and satellite locations around the world. www.bcgdv.com About Unifrax Unifrax develops and manufactures high performance specialty materials used in advanced applications including high-temperature industrial insulation, electric vehicles, energy storage, filtration, and fire protection, among many others. Unifrax products are designed with the ultimate goal of saving energy, reducing pollution, and improving safety for people, buildings, and equipment by delivering on our commitment to our customers of greener, cleaner, safer solutions for their application challenges. Unifrax has 37 manufacturing facilities operating in 12 countries and employs 2,700+ employees globally. More information is available at www.unifrax.com. For updates, follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. About Clearlake Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. is a leading investment firm founded in 2006 operating integrated businesses across private equity, credit, and other related strategies. With a sector-focused approach, the firm seeks to partner with world-class management teams by providing patient, long-term capital to dynamic businesses that can benefit from Clearlake's operational improvement approach, O.P.S. The firm's core target sectors are consumer, industrials, and technology. Clearlake currently has approximately $39 billion of assets under management, and its senior investment principals have led or co-led over 300 investments. The firm has offices in Santa Monica and Dallas. More information is available at www.clearlake.com and on Twitter (News - Alert) @ClearlakeCap. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210726005838/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Godrej Group brands give their newest member, Godrej Housing Finance, a grand Twitter welcome MUMBAI, India, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On 23rd July 2021, Twitterati woke up to an exciting banter between all Godrej Group brands. Looking at the 124-year-old conglomerate and its brands have fun and host a virtual welcome party for the latest offering by Godrej Housing Finance (@GodrejHFC) was refreshing and exciting. The bonhomie was through the roof! Through an engaging impromptu Twitter banter, Godrej Group brands created an atmosphere of a Friday soiree and engaged its massive following by introducing the offering to the world. "We are a new digital-first brand and we wanted to reiterate our commitment to customer and employee safety through our 'Zero-touch loans' that makes their home loan experience a priority," said Manish Shah, MD & CEO, Godrej Housing Finance. The quirky banter began with the announcement of Godrej Housing Finance's latest customer centric move through a funny campaign with leading stand-up comic, Rahul Subramanian. In the video, spins a hilarious take on the awkwardness people face today in social situations, given the pandemic and everyone's concerns around safety and observing social distancing. Bringing the much needed contactless feature in the form of Godrej Housing Finance's 'Zeo-touch loans' that enable home-ownership in a safer, fast, flexible, and fair manner. Sujit Patil, Vice President and Head - Corporate Brand and Communications, Godrej Industries Ltd. & Associate Companies added, "Our Group's culture of inclusiveness has been well resonated through this banter, as the entire group welcomed our new entrant, GHF. It was a unique opportunity for all of our brands to come together. We have done this on our own handles further highlighting our own reach & the creative drive to do things differently which is embedded in our group philosophy." If one has missed this massive trend, don't sweat it. Let the scrolling begin through India's coolest, and probably the largest, virtual welcome party. One can view the video featuring Rahul Subramanian here About Godrej Group Established in 1897, the Godrej Group has its roots in India's Independence and Swadeshi movement. Our founder, Ardeshir Godrej, lawyer-turned-serial entrepreneur failed with a few ventures, before he struck gold with a locks business. Today, we enjoy the patronage of 1.15 billion consumers globally across consumer goods, real estate, appliances, agriculture and many other businesses. In fact, our geographical footprint extends beyond Earth, with our engines now powering many of India's space missions. With revenues of over USD 5 billion we are growing fast, and have exciting, ambitious aspirations. For us, it is most important that besides our strong financial performance and innovative, much-loved products, we remain a good company. About 23 per cent of the promoters' holding in the Godrej Group is held in trusts that invest in the environment, health and education. We are also bringing together our passion and purpose to make a difference through our Good & Green strategy of 'shared value' to create a more inclusive and greener India. At the heart of all of this, are our people. We take much pride in fostering an inspiring workplace, with an agile and high performance culture. We are deeply committed to recognizing and valuing diversity across our teams. For more information on the Company, please log onto www.godrej.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1004137/Godrej_Logo.jpg Media Contact: Supreeth Sudhakaran supreeth.sudhakaran@godrejinds.com 9920584295 Godrej Group [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] OneConnect Wins Two Awards for its Pioneering Fintech Solutions at the Asian Banker China Awards 2021 BEIJING, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OneConnect Financial Technology Co., Ltd. (NYSE: OCFT) ("OneConnect"), a leading technology-as-a-service platform for financial institutions and an associate of Ping An Group, won two awards at the Asian Banker China Awards during the Finance China 2021 conference in Beijing on July 22, organized by the authoritative international financial magazine the Asian Banker. OneConnect's Know Your Manager (KYM) Smart Investment & Research Platform won China's Best Retail Investment Technology Award, while its Big Data Risk Identification & Early Warning Platform won China's Best Data Analysis Technology Award in the Risk Control Category, reflecting the technological prowess of its proprietary solutions. OneConnect's KYM Smart Investment & Research Platform leverages Ping An's decades of research in outsourcing investment, combining it with the Chinese market's unique characteristics to provide an integrated platform that covers the end-to-end investment process. Incorporating in-depth research on public and private fund products and managers as well as the macro environment and assets formats, the platform conducts 3D modeling to effectively realize intelligent investment. Boosted by AI, the platform empowers fund research, portfolio construction, portfolio management, risk attribution, performance attribution, report management, and more, enabling financial institutions to iprove their asset management capabilities. OneConnect's Big Data Risk Identification & Early Warning Platform, which operates in real-time and serves banks, integrates internal and external information to provide corporate risk profiles, operating conditions, and more. Meanwhile, modeling by cutting-edge machine learning and other algorithms generate early warning signals in real-time and feedback signal processing results to help banks reduce costs and increase efficiency. By comparing key quantitative indicators before and after the implementation of client projects, the system helps institutions significantly shorten transaction times as well as reduce manpower requirements and training costs, all the while boosting the number of transactions and active customers to realize revenue growth. The Asian Banker Awards is one of the most highly-regarded annual awards ceremonies in the financial services industry. Each year, the Asian Banker undertakes a rigorous and comprehensive review of industry players, products, and solutions. OneConnect's KYM Smart Investment & Research Platform and Big Data Risk Identification & Early Warning Platform were selected thanks to their technological innovation and usability, reflecting the company's technical strengths and the value of their proprietary innovations. OneConnect highly prioritizes R&D, dedicating more than RMB 3.8 billion between 2017-2020. In the future, OneConnect will continue to invest in developing its IP, continuously enhance its core technical capabilities, and accelerate the integration of technology in a wide range of scenarios to unleash transformation across the wider financial services sector. About OneConnect Financial Technology OneConnect (NYSE: OCFT) is a leading technology-as-a-service platform for financial institutions. The Company's platform provides cloud-native technology solutions that integrate extensive financial services industry expertise with market-leading technology. The Company's solutions provide technology applications and technology-enabled business services to financial institutions. Together they enable the Company's customers' digital transformations, which help them increase revenue, manage risks, improve efficiency, enhance service quality and reduce costs. Our technology-as-a-service platform strategically covers multiple verticals in the financial services industry, including banking, insurance and asset management, across the full scope of their businesses from sales and marketing and risk management to customer services, as well as technology infrastructure such as data management, program development, and cloud services. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/oneconnect-wins-two-awards-for-its-pioneering-fintech-solutions-at-the-asian-banker-china-awards-2021-301341709.html SOURCE OneConnect [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Tencent Cloud's VooV Meeting Unveils New Features for a More Efficient, Convenient and Seamless Video Conferencing Experience HONG KONG, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Video conferencing has emerged as an essential tool under the new normal brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, and upward trends in its usage are expected to stay in people's daily work and personal routines even after the current situation. To address demands for a more integrated and convenient video conferencing experience for an easier flow of work and activities online, VooV Meeting by Tencent Cloud unveils new features, including the ability and flexibility to use the platform through web browsers allowing users to attend video conferences on any device without the need to install the app. Businesses and individuals engaging in global conferences and meetings have found VooV Meeting to be an absolute necessity due to its high-quality, reliable and secure functions, as proven by an increase in its recorded downloads and number of active users. In the first half of 2021, VooV Meeting's number of users has seen a 26 percent jump worldwide and a 29 percent increase in Hong Kong. Daily active users of Tencent Meeting, the version used in Chinese mainland of VooV Meeting, reached more than 10 million just within two months after its launch last year. It also holds the distinction of being the fastest video and audio conference platform to have reached more than 100 million users within 245 days. Increasing efficiency and convenience for users all over the globe, VooV Meeting has now introduced new features that address the rapidly evolving needs and demands of businesses as well as daily users, enabling them to join meetings safely and quickly on mobile phones, PCs, tablets, and web pages for a seamless conferencing experience across platforms. "Join from Browser" function Users can now simply join meetings from their browsers upon receiving invitations without the need for all participants to install the VooV Meeting app. Anyone can now access VooV Meeting with easier access by logging in to https://voovmeeting.com/r/ and enjoy basic functions on their browser, such as audio and video control as well as screen sharing. Breakout Rooms To organize and compartmentalize specific teams among groups, VooV Meeting users can now create a number of breakout rooms in which they can assign participants automatically or manually, or let the participants choose their preferred rooms. The new features add to VooV Meeting's reliability and security, complementing existing components such as the security check, waiting room and recurring meeting functions. VooV Meeting also provides its users a smooth HD conferencing experience through features such as 1080p HD, filters and virtual background, among others, as well as its AI-based speech enhancement function that maintains smooth audio delivery even during excess packet loss. Poshu Yeung, Senior Vice President, Tencent Cloud International, said, "With the continuous rise in VooV Meeting's user numbers and download rates, Tencent Cloud strives to provide more efficient, reliable and convenient features to businesses and individuals that use video conferencing as an important tool in their development and company communication. By giving users the flexibility to access VooV Meeting through their browsers, as well as the ability to create breakout rooms from already existing groups, we aim to make their video conferencing even more integrated with their daily and work routines, therefore making them smoother, safer and easier." Proving Tencent Cloud's capability to deliver high-quality services and features, it has been used in large-scale projects such as InfoComm China 2021, in which it provided support at the biggest professional audio-visual technology trade show in Asia-Pacific; the 75th anniversary of the United Nations (UN), where it enabled the largest global conversation via video and audio conference, strengthening the interactions and collaborations among countries and regions; the 5th World Intelligence Congress, where 4,000 meeting participants[1] appeared on the same screen; the Singapore Tourism Board's China-Ready Webinar, which utilized Tencent Cloud's digital conferencing tools to offer deeper insights on China's digital ecosystem; and UNESCO's Global Education Coalition, where VooV Meeting was recommended to about 1.2 billion students and youth for remote learning. Tencent Cloud is a secure, reliable and high-performance public cloud service provider featuring advanced infrastructure, with a wide range of market applicability and experience. Among Tencent Cloud's recent achievements in virtual conferences and events content delivery are its participation in the 127th, 128th and 129th China Import and Export Fair, Paris Fashion Week, the Global Tourism Economy Forum, and the Melon Music Awards 2020, among others. Learn more about the features of VooV Meeting and schedule a meeting at https://VooVMeeting.com/. [1] Tencent Meeting Jun 2021 About Tencent Cloud Tencent Cloud is Tencent's cloud services brand, providing industry-leading cloud products and services to organizations and enterprises across the world. Leveraging its robust data center infrastructures around the world, Tencent integrates cloud computing, big data analytics, AI, Internet of Things, security and other advanced technologies with smart enterprise scenarios. At the same time, we provide a holistic smart enterprise solution for sectors including finance, education, healthcare, retail, industry, transport, energy and radio & television. SOURCE Tencent Cloud [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Boticario Group Digitally Transforms the Manufacturing of 300 Million Products a Year with Dassault Systemes Dassault Systemes (Euronext Paris: FR0014003TT8, DSY.PA) (Paris:DSY) announced that Boticario Group, the world's largest beauty franchise with over 4,000 points of sale in Brazil and more than fifteen countries, has selected the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to digitally transform the manufacturing of more than 300 million products per year sold under its consumer brands like O Boticario, Eudora, quem disse, berenice?, and Vult. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210726005641/en/ image courtesy of Boticario Group Boticario Group will use the "Perfect Production" industry solution experience based on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to improve the shop floor management of its manufacturing operations and accelerate the manufacturing process at its two production plants in Brazil. Increased visibility and control will reduce inventory costs and defects and ensure regulatory compliance. These gains in quality and efficiency will support the company's competitiveness. "The first step in our growth strategy is to integrate manufacturing processes and improve operations with real-time monitoring and traceability. We saw Dassault Systemes' (News - Alert) success with other companies in our industry and the broader value that the 3DEXPERIENCE platform could bring to our business as our strategy matures, and made the right choice," said Leandro Balena, Industrial Director, Boticario Group. "Boticario Group identified the need to better orchestrate its manufacturing know-how to create long-term value - a key element of today's Industry Renaissance," said Philippe Loeb, Vice President, Consumer Packaged Goods & Retail Industry, Dassaul Systemes. "The 3DEXPERIENCE platform offers a new approach for CPG and retail companies to address the manufacturing complexities that lead to costly delays in new product introductions, irregular product supply and idle inventories affecting brand integrity and the consumer shopping experience." Social media: Share this on Twitter (News - Alert) : What manufacturing complexity? @GrupoBoticario transforms production of 300m beauty products/year with #3DEXPERIENCE #industryrenaissance @Dassault3DS Connect with Dassault Systemes on Twitter Facebook LinkedIn YouTube For more information: Dassault Systemes' industry solution experiences for the consumer packaged goods & retail industry: https://ifwe.3ds.com/consumer-packaged-goods-retail Dassault Systemes' 3DEXPERIENCE platform, 3D design software, 3D Digital Mock Up and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions: http://www.3ds.com ### About Dassault Systemes Dassault Systemes, the 3DEXPERIENCE Company, is a catalyst for human progress. We provide business and people with collaborative 3D virtual environments to imagine sustainable innovations. By creating virtual twin experiences of the real world with our 3DEXPERIENCE platform and applications, our customers push the boundaries of innovation, learning and production. Dassault Systemes brings value to more than 290,000 customers of all sizes, in all industries, in more than 140 countries. For more information, visit www.3ds.com 3DEXPERIENCE, the Compass (News - Alert) icon, the 3DS logo, CATIA, BIOVIA, GEOVIA, SOLIDWORKS, 3DVIA, ENOVIA, NETVIBES, MEDIDATA, CENTRIC PLM, 3DEXCITE, SIMULIA, DELMIA, and IFWE are commercial trademarks or registered trademarks of Dassault Systemes, a French "societe europeenne" (Versailles Commercial Register # B 322 306 440), or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. About Grupo Boticario One of the largest beauty conglomerates in the world, Grupo Boticario is a Brazilian multi-channel and multi-brand company present in 15 countries. It owns brands O Boticario, Eudora, Quem Disse, Berenice?; BeautyBox, Multi B, Vult, Beauty on the Web and O.u.i, which together work with the purpose of transforming the world through beauty. There are more than 13,000 direct employees, in addition to another 40,000 people who work in the franchise network, which is currently considered the largest beauty franchise in the world, with more than 4,000 retail points of sale in 1,750 Brazilian cities. Guided by responsible action towards the planet, society and consumers, the company has sustainability built into its business model. By 2030, the group plans to expand the positive impact on society through waste management with the platform "Uma Beleza de Futuro" (A Beauty of the Future), which brings together ambitious socio-environmental commitments. The history of Grupo Boticario began in 1977 in a small compounding pharmacy in Parana and today it brings together laboratory, factory, innovation, technology, logistics, marketing, and retail, in an ecosystem of 4,000 retail points of sale, partners and suppliers. The company also works on environmental, social, and cultural fronts through Fundacao Grupo Boticario and Instituto Grupo Boticario. Learn more at https://www.grupoboticario.com.br View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210726005641/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] SPJIMR celebrates first ever virtual convocation MUMBAI, India, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's S P Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR) organised its first ever virtual convocation on Saturday, 24th July, 2021. A total of 596 students graduated today, from five SPJIMR programmes. The participants, their families, faculty, alumni and staff of the Institute attended the event via a custom-made virtual platform. Ms Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairperson and CEO, Salesforce India, was the chief guest for the occasion. The Convocation was chaired by corporate leader and author Mr R. Gopalakrishnan, Member, Governing Council, SPJIMR. He was standing in for Mr Deepak Parekh, Chairman of SPJIMR's Governing Council. The students were also addressed by Dr Vasant Sivaraman, Associate Dean - Academics & Full-Time Programmes. Chairpersons of five graduating programmes, the 2-year PGDM, the 21-month PGEMP, the 15-month PGPM, the 11-month PGMPW (all at the Mumbai campus) and the 24-month alternate weekend PGPGM (at SPJIMR's Delhi campus), read out the names of students and showcased their virtual graduation certificates. They also announced the list o participants who made it to the Dean's Merit List and the Gold Medal awardees. The digital copies of the Post-Graduation certificates and Dean's Merit certificates were shared with the graduates immediately after the ceremony. In his opening address, Mr Gopalakrishnan emphasised the importance of sharing knowledge, which in turn will help them grow as business leaders. He said, "Knowledge is the only commodity which the more you share, the more you enjoy and the more you develop." He also said managers should be ready to swim in tough waters to become powerful and socially responsible leaders. Ms Arundhati Bhattacharya emphasised the need for students to keep learning and having an entrepreneurial mindset. "There is no alternative to hard work, you make your own luck failures teach more than success. Believe in yourself to reach the pinnacle of your career," she said, adding that businesses have to be agile and have "hybrid ways of working". Dr Sivaraman congratulated the outgoing students and urged them to enjoy their careers and give it their best. He said, "My wish is for you to achieve your dreams, follow your heart and be the best that you can be on a day-to-day basis." He also spoke about some of the key initiatives taken by SPJIMR in these challenging times and highlighted the prestigious recognitions that the Institute has received in recent months. About SPJIMR S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR) (http://www.spjimr.org ) is a constituent of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and is ranked among the top ten business schools in India. As a premier school of management, SPJIMR is noted for pedagogic innovations and pioneering programmes, which have helped the Institute stand out for its unique and distinctive path in management education. SPJIMR's mission is to 'influence practice' and 'promote value-based growth'. The Institute currently operates from its 45-acre campus in Andheri, Mumbai, and a campus in New Delhi. To avoid confusing us with any other institution, look for the five strokes logo and the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan association. Convocation 2021 Watch the entire recording here Contact : Mr. Abbasali Gabula abbas@spjimr.org +91-9821362495 Associate Director, External Relations, S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1535594/SPJIMR_Logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Frost & Sullivan Analyzes Top 3 Cybersecurity Trends Transforming Australian and New Zealand Enterprises SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 27, 2021 /CNW/ -- After more than a year of working from home, organizations are familiar with the challenges of securing a remote workforce. Organizations are facing expanded network perimeters, complex network environments and challenges in securing cloud environments. There is a fundamental difference in what is being secured, witnessed by the shift to cloud environments, and also how it is being delivered through the cloud. The COVID-19 pandemic has created a new environment for cybersecurity, highlighting challenges that all Asia-Pacific companies must manage. In line with this shift, over 90% of organizations in Australia are expected to increase their cybersecurity spending. However, three key trends are affecting Asia-Pacific that Australian organizations must acknowledge. Join Georgia Edell, Consulting Analyst, Security, Frost & Sullivan, for the Growth Opportunity briefing, "Top 3Cybersecurity Trends in Australia and New Zealand," on August 3 at 1:30 p.m JST. In this webinar, discover how zero-trust network access, security from the cloud and security for the cloud impact Australian organizations and how they adapt. In addition, understand where Australian businesses have invested in cybersecurity, challenges they face and plans for the future. For more information and to register for the webinar, please visit: http://frost.ly/60y Key benefits of attending this webinar: Understand the implications of Asia-Pacific cybersecurity trends in the context of Australian organizations, including zero-trust network access, security from the cloud and security for the cloud. in the context of Australian organizations, including zero-trust network access, security from the cloud and security for the cloud. Identify opportunities to help secure and protect your organization in an evolving cyber landscape through a people, process and technology framework . . Discover how organizations in Australia are contributing to cybersecurity in Asia-Pacific by investing in cloud-based security and adopting a zero-trust framework. The event will also be recorded and available on-demand at http://frost.ly/1ti About Frost & Sullivan For six decades, Frost & Sullivan has been world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models, and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion. Press Contact: Melissa Tan Frost & Sullivan P: +65 68900926 E: melissa.tan@frost.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/frost--sullivan-analyzes-top-3-cybersecurity-trends-transforming-australian-and-new-zealand-enterprises-301341774.html SOURCE Frost & Sullivan [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] RtBrick Delivers a 4-fold Increase in Broadband Performance by Adding New Open Hardware Support RtBrick's pioneering IP/MPLS routing software has been validated on the latest generation of open hardware platforms, which run on a new chipset from Broadcom (News - Alert) , known as Q2C. These high-performance bare-metal-switches take telcos into a new era of choice and scale for both their networking hardware and their software. Switches based on the new Q2C chipset have deep buffering capabilities, making them ideal for delivering complex IP services at high scale at the edge of a telco network. For example, RtBrick's software transforms them into powerful Broadband Network Gateways (BNGs) for delivering broadband internet services, or generic IP/MPLS routers. "Merchant silicon has brought Moore's Law back to networking, which has stagnated behind other areas of IT," said Hannes Gredler, founder and chief technology officer at RtBrick. "Traditional routers, built on proprietary hardware, haven't kept pace with the price and performance gains of bare-metal-switches, imposing high costs on telcos as they scale their networks, as well as locking them into a single vendor. That's why so many carriers are now looking to disaggregate their IP networks, using independent software and hardware." <> When used as a BNG, these new platforms will typically be able to support about 16,000 subscribers on each switch, with 2.4Tbps of throughput, about four times more than existing bare-metal-switches. They can then be scaled in a spine-leaf architecture to build massive broadband networks at a much lower cost than traditional routing systems. "Broadcom's Q2c chipset, a member of the Jericho2 line of products, takes the performance of bare-metal switch-routers to a whole new level," said Oozie Parizer, senior director of product management, Core Switching Group, Broadcom. "From an industry perspective, it is a significant leap forward and equally important that software vendors like RtBrick can transform it into fully-featured MPLS routers. RtBrick's BNG software and our Q2C-based switches will give operators the capability to build open and flexible broadband networks at huge scale- a win win for all." The new generation of switches supports all of RtBrick's existing service features, such as Hierarchical Quality of Service (HQoS), IPTV (News - Alert) multicast and Lawful Intercept. To learn more about RtBrick's pioneering approach to networking and the latest features of its open routing software, visit rtbrick.com. About RtBrick RtBrick has pioneered carrier routing software that runs on off-the-shelf hardware. It has applied the same approach to networks that the huge 'cloud-natives' have used to build and operate their web-scale IT services. RtBrick is a privately held company, incorporated in the USA, with staff located in Europe and India. The information was submitted for publication at 10:00 CET on JULY 27, 2021. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005153/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Eaton Attends 16th International CSR Forum SHANGHAI, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Power management company Eaton recently attended the annual GoldenBee 2030 joint conference for 2020-2021. As the kick-off event for the 16th International CSR Forum, this meeting was held both virtually and in person, and included more than a dozen companies that came together and engaged in a dynamic conversation. The forum allowed for transparent conversations about what organizations have accomplished, learned, and envision for the future of sustainable development. Anna Zhuang, director of APAC Corporate Communications, Eaton, attended the event and delivered a speech on behalf of the company. Together with executive business leaders from renowned multinational corporations such as State Grid, Sinopec, DuPont, Nestle, Yili, Fosun Group, and Sinochem, she discussed the opportunities and challenges of sustainable corporate development. The GoldenBee Global CSR 2030 Initiative is an active response to the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The initiative aims to build Responsible Corporate Competitiveness with consent on social responsibility and innovative actions, and it helps to enhance the relationship between corporations and society, hence achieving sustainable development on both sides. Eaton is one of the 16 co-initiators of the GoldenBee Global CSR 2030 Initiative. For more than ten years, while the topic of sustainable development has undergone many turnings of the tide, Eaton has been continuously expediting the goal. "We will always stay ahead of the curve and implement the 'GoldenBee 2030 Initiative' with concrete actions," Zhuang stated. When it comes to sustainable development, Eaton anchors to the UN's reference target for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and strives in three major aspects, including affordable clean energy, sustainable cities and communities, and actions against climate change. "With these as the starting points, we have been and will always be focusing on technological ascendancy, professionalization in operations, and providing more humane services in response to the ever-evolving global situation along with the challenges." While discussing the exploration of intelligent energy utilization, Anna mentioned Eaton's intelligent power management solutions, which aim to change power management via upgrades to digital technologies including interconnected devices, data models, and advanced insights. "Digitalization of mobile, Cloud, AI, sensor, and analytical technology enables Eaton to automate, protect, and optimize the modern digitalized grid," Zhuang expressed. "In this fashion, the grid could deal with the increasingly difficult challenges of moder society, therefore achieving safer, more sustainable, and efficient utilization of energythe ultimate reformation with innovations." Anna also brought up that in July 2020, Eaton announced it would join the global movement of energy conservation and planned to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. The goal is to cut carbon emissions from the company's operations by at least 50% by 2030, positioning Eaton to achieve carbon neutrality. In the meantime, Eaton will also work with our customers and suppliers to reduce indirect emissions by 15% in dedication to limiting the increase of the world's temperature to 1.5C. To ensure the right level of accountability and alignment, Eaton is establishing an executive sustainability council chaired by the company's CEO to provide oversight of the company's sustainability strategy. The company also plans to invest more than $3 billion in research and development over the next ten years to create energy-efficient solutions for customers. "The promotion of digital transformation for corporations is a top priority for Eaton." What Anna presented in the meeting is Brightlayer, a digital foundation released in October 2020 which leverages years of the company's power management expertise and also digital technologies such as connected devices, Cloud, mobile platforms, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. It is a major step in Eaton's transformation into an intelligent power management company. By leveraging Brightlayer, Eaton is enabling customers to optimize how power is used, stored, and distributed through data and insights from secure, connected, and intelligent assets. This makes power safer, more sustainable, and efficient for our customers and partners. The topic of leveraging Industry 4.0 technology to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic is the most noteworthy. Facing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Eaton's Vehicle Group envisions Industry 4.0 as both an operational and an informational technology with many applications. Displaying 3D images and connecting remotely to improve safety, enhancing training and expediting review processes through augmented reality, analyzing data to reduce costs, improve quality and reduce lead times, implementing robots to promote safe distancing and increase productivity, using digital simulation to improve production efficiency, and leveraging 3D printing tools internally to expedite processesall of these measures collectively help enable our production systems to be connected, optimized, transparent, proactive, and agile. "With Industry 4.0 technology, we are able to continue to support our operations remotely and continue the development of new products, ensuring our customer deadlines are met despite the global challenges we are all facing," Anna said. Yu Zhihong, the president and the editor-in-chief of the China Sustainability Tribune, gave an address at the joint conference. Yin Gefei, founder and chief expert of GoldenBee, summarized the CSR 2030 Initiative's agenda for the past year while also inviting the co-initiating enterprises to elaborate on their practical progress during 2020. The co-initiators also discussed and agreed on an action plan for the initiative in the upcoming year. About GoldenBee GoldenBee is a pioneer network of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable development in China and a collective brand of Chinese enterprises pursuing sustainable development. GoldenBee has gradually developed into an important CSR and sustainable development platform in China. Dedicated to motivating enterprises to take social responsibility and sustainable development practices in China, GoldenBee continuously carries out "Looking for Bee-Enterprises" campaign from 2007. The "GoldenBee Enterprises" with the "responsible competitiveness" can promote the synergies and shared prosperity of enterprises, the environment, and the society, thus contributing to common sustainability of enterprises and the society. As of the end of 2019, a total of 329 enterprises had been named as "GoldenBee Enterprises". About Eaton Eaton's mission is to improve the quality of life and the environment through the use of power management technologies and services. We provide sustainable solutions that help our customers effectively manage electrical, hydraulic, and mechanical power more safely, more efficiently, and more reliably. Eaton's 2020 revenues were $17.9 billion, and we sell products to customers in more than 175 countries. We have approximately 96,000 employees. Eaton firstly established a presence in the Asia Pacific region during the 1970s. Since then, the company's presence has grown significantly with a fast-growing network of sales and marketing offices, manufacturing plants, service centers and research facilities in the region. Eaton moved its Asia Pacific headquarters from Hong Kong to Shanghai in 2014. Today, we have nearly 20,000 employees, 6 R&D centers and manufacture in 52 manufacturing facilities in countries and regions including Mainland China, Taiwan, India, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and Australia for all of Eaton's distinct business. For more information, visit Eaton.com. SOURCE Eaton [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Star Mountain Capital Names John Ide, Former Managing Director at JPMorgan Asset Management ($2+ Trillion AUM), as Managing Director and Increases Midwest Coverage Star Mountain Capital, LLC ("Star Mountain"), a specialized investment manager focused exclusively on investing in private small and medium-sized businesses (lower middle-market), is pleased to announce that John Ide has joined as a Managing Director in Star Mountain's Chicago office. With thirty years of credit experience and of advising sophisticated institutions and family offices on their alternative investments, Mr. Ide brings a diverse skill set and a vast network to Star Mountain's focus on value-added debt and equity investing in established U.S. small and medium-size businesses that generally have between $15 million and $250 million in annual revenues as well as Star Mountain's LP investments in lower middle-market funds. "John brings tremendous experience, insights and relationships to further our overall best practices including increasing our client services as we continue to develop products seeking to optimize various objectives for a wide range of institutional and high-net-worth investors" said Brett Hickey, Star Mountain Capital Founder & CEO. "With many longstanding mutual relationships, we believe John is a great culture fit as a high integrity individual with family and community centric values and a demonstrated track record of success growing to a leadership position within JPMorgan's $2 trillion AUM asset management business." "Having been involved in credit for over thirty years first as a commercial banker and then as part of JPMorgan Asset Management and Deerpath, I find the lower middle-market to be the most compelling risk-reward proposition for investors," said John Ide. "Star Mountain has built a differentiated business that I believe presents an exciting opportunity for both large and small investors and I look forward to continuing the good work done over the past decade since Star Mountain was founded." Mr. Ide spent the bulk of his career, 22 years, at JPMorgan Asset Management, the $2+ trillion AUM investment manager that is part of the international commercial and investment banking group JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM). As a Managing Director and member of the Strategic Client Group, he oversaw some of the largest and most sophisticated institutional clients and also served on various internal management committees. He oversaw approximately $20 billion of client capital invested across a broad range of global strategies including JPMorgan's then affiliated $15+ billion AUM Highbridge Principal Strategies' private credit, mezzanine and special situations funds. Mr. Ide was most recently a Managing Director at Deerpath Capital Management, a $2+ billion AUM private credit manager focused on senior lending to private equity owned companies in the U.S. lower middle-market. Prior to JPMorgan Asset Management, Mr. Ide was a Director, Corporate Banker and lender at Banc One Capital Markets, a division of Bank One Corporation (NYSE: ONE) which was later acquired by JPMorgan Chase in 2004. While at Banc One Capital Markets, he originated, structured and underwrote more than $3 billion in asset backed credit securities. Mr. Ide was also a Credit Analyst at The First National Bank of Chicago, which was later acquired by Bank One Corporation. Mr. Ide started his career as a management consultant at Cini-Little International in the late 1980s. Mr. Ide is a graduate of Lawrence University and has an MBA from Loyola University of Chicago. Mr. Ide also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. Star Mountain was again named Best Places to Work by Pensions & Investments and one of the 2020 Best Places to Work by Crain's New York Business highlighting the firms focus on culture and community. ABOUT STAR (News - Alert) MOUNTAIN With approximately $2 billion in assets under management (as of June 2021), Star Mountain takes a data-driven approach to investing into the U.S. lower middle-market through two complementary investment strategies: (i) direct debt and equity investing and (ii) secondaries (acquiring LP interests and direct assets). Star Mountain believes these complementary strategies provide scalable and diversified access for its institutional and high-net-worth investors to established small and medium-sized businesses that generally have at least $15 million in annual revenues. Since 2010, Star Mountain has made over 100 direct investments in U.S. small and medium-sized businesses and over 20 secondaries / fund investments within its Collaborative Ecosystem , exclusively focused on the U.S. lower middle-market. With over 75 team members (including advisors/operating partners) across 20+ locations nationwide, Star Mountain believes its focus and dedication has been productive for job creation and economic development. Star Mountain is dedicated to this large market of underserved businesses purpose-built to address the challenges and opportunities of these companies. As part of its commitment, Star Mountain has trademarked Investing in the Growth Engine of America . As part of its ESG program (Environmental, Social and Governance), Star Mountain's Charitable Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)3 focuses on improving lives through economic development, including job creation, health & wellness and cancer research. Notable missions include helping match veterans and women with high quality small and medium-sized business career opportunities across the country, including within Star Mountain's portfolio. Note: This does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase interests in any investment product. Awards and recognitions by unaffiliated rating services, companies and/or publications should not be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he / she / it will experience a certain level of results if Star Mountain is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services; nor should they be construed as a current or past endorsement, testimonial endorsement, recommendation or referral of Star Mountain or its representatives by any of its clients or any other third party. Rankings published by magazines and others are generally based exclusively on information prepared and / or submitted by the recognized advisor. Moreover, with regard to all performance information contained herein, directly or indirectly, if any, readers should note that past results are not indicative of future results. The description and the selection methodologies of each award and recognition are subjective and will vary. Awards and recognitions by unaffiliated rating services, companies, and/or publications should not be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she/it will experience a certain level of results if SMFM is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services; nor should they be construed as a current or past endorsement, testimonial endorsement, recommendation or referral of SMFM or its representatives by any of its clients or any other third party. Rankings published by magazines and others are generally based exclusively on information prepared and/or submitted by the recognized advisor. Crain's two-part survey process consisted of evaluating each nominated company's workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics. The second part involved an employee survey to measure the employee experience. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking. Star Mountain must pay a fee to Crain's only for survey collection purposes. Detailed eligibility criteria can be found here: https://www.bestplacestoworknyc.com/eligibility-criteria To be named to P&I's Best Places list, all firms met Best Companies' high threshold for inclusion and were evaluated against others of similar size. Individual firm profiles, which were compiled based on survey results, reflect U.S. employment numbers and were confirmed by Best Companies in the summer. Company and employee comments were edited for space, style and clarity. Assets under management or advisement are as of June 30, unless otherwise noted. To participate, companies had to have at least 20 employees in the U.S., at least $100 million of discretionary assets under management or advisement and be in business for at least one year. An anonymous employee survey, which aimed to evaluate. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005021/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] iMDsoft selects IMS MAXIMS as their Channel Partner for the MetaVision Clinical Information System in the UK and Ireland TEL AVIV, Israel and MILTON KEYNES, England, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- iMDsoft and IMS MAXIMS are pleased to announce a channel partnership, according to which IMS MAXIMS will exclusively market the MetaVision Suite to hospitals in the UK and Ireland, and provide training, implementation, and support to MetaVision customers in these markets. iMDsoft partners with leading healthcare technology companies globally through its channel partner program, which applies to the entire MetaVision Suite for critical care, anaesthesia (perioperative) and acute care units. The program enables iMDsoft to focus on product development and enhancement of the MetaVision Suite for the benefit of clinicians and patients. On their part, the selected channel partners are empowered, as part of the program, to lead sales activities in their respective markets, and provide implementation and support services, leveraging their physical proximity to the customers. In selecting a channel partner for the UK and Ireland, it was paramount to iMDsoft to find a reputable company with demonstratable success in the implementation and support of related products, so that existing and future customers would continue to get excellent service and attention. IMS MAXIMS has been active in both the UK and Ireland for more than 30 years, with a strong emphasis on both innovation and quality of service, attributes which are closely and strategically aligned with the values of iMDsoft. Together, the two companies will have an excellent coverage of both the UK and Ireland and allow customers the choice of a state-of-the-art clinical information system with a solid track record of interoperability, either as part of a best-of-breed approach, or as a turnkey solution. "We are pleased to partner with IMS MAXIMS, a leading digital healthcare provider in the UK and Ireland. Our visions and values are closely aligned and we're confident that through our channel partners program, IMS MAXIMS will take great care of current and future MetaVision users. We look forward to working with IMS MAXIMS to deliver our advanced clinical information systems that will excite the region, advancing clinical safety, workflows, and efficiency." Shahar Sery, Executive Vice President, iMDsoft "We're really excited to have reached an agreement with iMDsoft as their distribution partner in the UK and Ireland. One of the things that has become very clear during the process has been our common values and focus on customer satisfaction and supporting them to deliver excellent patient care. As a market leading critical care solution, MetaVision is completely complementary to the IMS MAXIMS solution and we look forward to exploring opportunities across our joint user base. We're confident that this partnership will be very successful over the coming years and look forward to a bright future together." Thomas Anderson, CEO, IMS MAXIMS iMDsoft is a global leader in clinical information systems, with a specialty in critical care, anaesthesia, and acute care. Hundreds of hospitals and health networks in 24 countries, including major NHS hospitals, use its MetaVision Suite, the company's flagship product, to improve care quality and enhance financial results. The global channel partner program offers an end-to-end approach for distribution partners to deliver iMDsoft's best in class software. iMDsoft is a wholly owned subsidiary of N. Harris Computer Corporation. MetaVision has played a pivotal role in hospitals throughout the Covid-19 Pandemic with its flexible capabilities to manage Covid-19 related workflows. Learn more at www.imd-soft.com. IMS MAXIMS is an award-winning clinical technology specialist committed to improving the coordination of patient care in healthcare environments. Its expert team works in partnership with healthcare organisations to identify and deliver tailored, sustainable information sharing technology solutions supporting the provision of safer and more efficient care for current and future generations. The organisation's 35-year history of collaborating with healthcare professionals has resulted in the development of proven, flexible, user-friendly, safe and interoperable electronic patient record software. The company's approach to digital transformation also delivers better clinical engagement and empowerment across hospital wards and departments. Deployment times are fast, meaning clinicians and patients can benefit from efficiency and safety improvements in rapid time. And with an ambition to meet today's healthcare challenges, IMS MAXIMS offers flexible options to support healthcare providers with on-going implementation and maintenance. Learn more at www.imsmaxims.com Contact and queries: If you would like more information about the iMDsoft Channel Partner Program, please contact Channel.Partner@imd-soft.com If you would like more information on IMS MAXIMS and MetaVision in the UK and Ireland please contact Metavision@imsmaxims.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1490060/iMDsoft_Logo.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1579770/MAXIMS.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Medical Home Network Scholarships, Internships Set Career Track CHICAGO, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Medical Home Network (MHN), a Chicago-based not for profit focused on transforming care in the safety net and building healthier communities, is teaming up with local nonprofits to provide internships and fellowships that help young adults from under-resourced communities gain work experience and land quality jobs after college. This type of scholarship is helping our young adults stay competitive with their peers. The Francie Comer/MHN Summer Experience Scholarship matches students after their first year of college with professionals who introduce them to specific fields that include, but are not limited to science, technology, engineering and math. Through hands-on work experience and continuing mentorship, the community-based program extends scholars' long-term professional development. The first two Francie Comer/MHN scholars have begun their training this summer, and two more scholarships will be awarded each year for the next four years. Preference is given to students who are interested in healthcare and science fields. The $5,000 stipend for each scholarship, funded by MHN, primarily helps students cover living expenses associated with the internship. After their scholarship summer concludes, professional partners will continue to mentor students to help increase their chances of finding employment after graduation. Greg Mooney, President, Network for Young Adult Success, notes that only 14% of low-income students nationwide graduate from college with a bachelor's degree. "This type of scholarship is helping our young adults stay competitive with their peers," Mooney said. MHN President and CEO Cheryl Lulias said the scholarships and internships build on the company's ties to the Chcago community and to Comer family philanthropy. MHN was created through a grant from the Comer Family Foundation in 2009 with the vision to transform healthcare delivery for people on Medicaid in Chicago's south and southwest communities. "The Comer Family Foundation has been dedicated to supporting innovative programs that make a positive impact on people and communities," said Lulias. "This spirit is in our DNA, and through these programs we are continuing their legacy." The MHN/UtmostU Data Analytics Fellowship program is offered in partnership with the Comer Family Foundation and UtmostU, the signature program of the Network for Young Adult Success (NYAS). NYAS provides college persistence and workforce development services to help students obtain post-secondary degrees, jobs and financial independence, leading to a secure future. The Fellowship program places post-secondary graduates in full-time, paid jobs at MHN. The immersive, yearlong program gives fellows experience with data analytics, healthcare data, health plan operations and programming. "Students develop analytic and programming skills by partnering with a mentor and solving actual problems in the areas of population health, health plan operations, application development, and artificial intelligence," said Vice President, Data Analytics at MHN, Todd Burkard. The MHN/UtmostU program aims to introduce data analytics to a young adult population severely underrepresented in health informatics. "The mission of UtmostU is about education and empowering young adults to earn degrees, attain credentials and fulfill their career aspirations, and by doing this we can change the economic equation for Chicago's young people and the communities they represent," Mooney said. For more information on the internships or fellowships, contact David Bennett, Associate Executive Director at UtmostU, at dbennett@utmostu.org. About Medical Home Network Medical Home Network (MHN) is transforming care in the safety net and building healthier communities. MHN, which was selected as one of the 2021 Best Places to Work in Healthcare, builds partnerships in the community to connect key stakeholders, from comprehensive primary care to community-based organizations. MHN enables healthcare providers to deliver integrated care. Our care teams build trusted relationships with patients and coordinate care with a focus on whole person health. The MHN model of care is powered by proprietary technology that enhances collaboration among community-based entities, which leads to improved outcomes, lowers costs and reduced health disparities. Learn more at medicalhomenetwork.org and on LinkedIn. Media Contact: Christina Coons Purpose Brand ccoons@purposebrand.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/medical-home-network-scholarships-internships-set-career-track-301341721.html SOURCE Medical Home Network [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. Announces Gross Transaction Value for the Second Quarter of 2021 GUIYANG, China, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. ("FTA" or the "Company") (NYSE: YMM), a leading digital freight platform, today announced that the Company facilitated 36.0 million fulfilled orders with Gross Transaction Value ("GTV") of RMB74.0 billion in the second quarter ended June 30, 2021, representing 87.9% and 57.8% year-over-year growth, respectively. As previously announced by the Company, the Cybersecurity Review Office ("CRO") of the Cyberspace Administration of China has initiated a cybersecurity review of FTA's Yunmanman apps and Huochebang apps. FTA will fully cooperate with the CRO to facilitate its review process. During the cybersecurity review, Yunmanman apps and Huochebang apps are required to suspend new user registration, and the extent of the impact on FTA's business will be affected by the duration of the suspension, among others. FTA believes the review will not affect the existing users of FTA's mobile apps. About Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. (NYSE: YMM) is a leading digital freight platform, connecting shippers with truckers to facilitate shipments across distance ranges, cargo weights and types. The Company provides a range of freight matching services including freight listing service, freight brokerage service and online transaction service. The Company also provides a range of value-added services that cater to the various needs of shippers and truckers, such as financial institutions, highway authorities, and gas stations operators. With a mission to make logistics better, the Company is shaping the future of logistics with technology and aspires to rvolutionize logistics, improve efficiency across the value chain and reduce carbon footprint for our planet. For more information, please visit ir.fulltruckalliance.com. Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements which are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "potential," "continue," "is/are likely to," and similar statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs, plans, and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: FTA's goal and strategies; FTA's expansion plans; FTA's future business development, financial condition and results of operations; expected changes in FTA's revenues, costs or expenses; industry landscape of, and trends in, China's road transportation market; competition in FTA's industry; FTA's expectations regarding demand for, and market acceptance of, its services; FTA's expectations regarding its relationships with shippers, truckers and other ecosystem participants; FTA's ability to protect is systems and infrastructures from cyber-attacks; PRC laws, regulations, and policies relating to the road transportation market; general economic and business condition; and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law. For investor and media inquiries, please contact: In China: Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. Mao Mao E-mail: IR@amh-group.com The Piacente Group, Inc. Emilie Wu Tel: +86-21-6039-8363 E-mail: FTA@thepiacentegroup.com In the United States: The Piacente Group, Inc. Brandi Piacente Tel: +1-212-481-2050 E-mail: FTA@thepiacentegroup.com View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/full-truck-alliance-co-ltd-announces-gross-transaction-value-for-the-second-quarter-of-2021-301341848.html SOURCE Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] David Wertheimer and celebrity-backed venture fund announce new investment in Danish e-bike sensation MATE STOCKHOLM, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Danish e-bike brand MATE, made famous by record-breaking crowdfunding, secures multi-million euro direct investment from Mirabaud Asset Management through the Mirabaud Lifestyle Impact, and Innovation fund (MLII), prompting David Wertheimer, Founding Partner of MLII, to call MATE "by far the most fashionable e-bike brand." Existing investors Marcy Venture Partners doubles down ahead of anticipated next 'drop.' Press release, MATE.mothership A/S: Mirabaud Lifestyle Impact and Innovation (MLII), an investment fund managed by Mirabaud Asset Management, part of the CHF34bn Mirabaud Group, has entered into an agreement with Danish e-bike brand and company MATE.mothership A/S (MATE) for a 3m investment. According to the founders, the funds will help fuel further growth and enable MATE to pursue its targets, integrating a strategic vision under Mirabaud's guidance for further development of MATE's brand, products, distribution, operations and people: "Since our inception, MATE has successfully developed, launched, and sold tens of thousands of high end e-bikes that transcend the void between fashion and biking. The confidence shown by our investors is a stamp of approval; not only of our vision to bring more people on bikes and deal with today's challenges such as traffic congestion and climate change by creating cool, fun and sexy electric bicycles, but to turn MATE into a global brand leader fit for today's generation that can fulfil market potential, scale sales and grow above and beyond the +50 markets we're in," says sibling founders Christian Adel Michael and Julie Kronstrm Carton who launched their first MATE e-bike on crowdfunding platform Indiegogo in 2016, managing to raise 5.8m in its first closing. Mirabaud on the board Ever since their first launch, MATE has experienced tremendous success with marketing e-bikes on Indiegogo, securing them a 10m fundraise for their second e-bike MATE X in its first closing, which went on to break the de facto European crowdfunding record with appx. 15m raised when the MATE X campaign ended in 2019. Lately, MATE has succeeded in opening flagship stores in Copenhagen and Tokyo and is currently working with 15 partners worldwide to grow its retail sales. According to David Wertheimer, Founding Partner of MLII, it is MATE's ability to demonstrate strong capacity in rapidly building its brand equity and growing in a large number of geographies that has made MLII co-invest along existing investors such as Marcy Venture Partners (MVP) who earlier in 2021 announced their first investment in MATE. "From a fashion perspective, MATE shows iconic designs which have been recognized by consumers since the beginning. MATE already owns global celebrity clients and has recently launched great collaborations with lifestyle luxury brands, making MATE by far the most fashionable e-bike brand. Simultaneously, MATE has managed to build in this short period a solid and interactive community of users. Those users are loyal to the brand and show tremendous growth potential thanks to its constant innovation drive," says David Wertheimer, who has appointed Gael Ruiz as board member and is looking forward to embarking on new endeavours with the MATE team as well as with current investors MVP, who have used the occasion to double down and increase their investment in MATE. MATE: "Best yet to come" And new endeavours could be in store quite soon with a new model to be launched in 2021, which will be backed by popular demand, vows Christian Adel Michael and Julie Kronstrm Carton. Ever since the release of the MATE X, anticipation for MATE's next release or 'drop', as it is colloquially called online, have been higher than ever before on online fan forums. What the MATE siblings have in store this time remains a secret for now, however, the siblings note that MATE will be aiming "for the moon". "MATE's agility and ability to move fast and captivate consumer audiences with its audacious and unapologetic style is backed by popular demand with Indiegogo's audiences, and with Covid hopefully coming to an end soon and people wanting to get out there and explore the world again, the best could be yet to come with this next drop," concludes Christian Adel Michael and Julie Kronstrm Carton, noting that further information about MATE's next most anticipated product release to date will be launched this year in Q3 2021. MATE.mothership A/S, 27/7/21 For more information and enquiries, please contact pr@mate.bike or +45 20729972. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Public/14178/3389682/9b0ac786feb8cf31_org.jpg David Wertheimer 1 https://mb.cision.com/Public/14178/3389682/b8fb3dbfa1b28629_org.jpeg Julie Christian 1 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Help choose this year's Top 25 Canadian Immigrants! Cast your vote in the 13th annual Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards 2021 Get inspired by this year's shortlist of Top 75 finalists! TORONTO, July 27, 2021 /CNW/ - At a time when celebrating diversity and inclusion is more important than ever, Canadian Immigrant magazine is proud to launch the voting phase for the 13th annual Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards. All Canadians are invited to visit canadianimmigrant.ca/top25, get inspired by this year's Top 75 finalists and cast their vote for their favourites. The Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards program, with program partner COSTI Immigrant Services, has been the leader in highlighting inspiring stories of immigrants from across Canada, and honouring them with the only national award celebrating immigrant success. Past finalists and winners over the last dozen years have come from different backgrounds, professions and countries of origin, but these role models all share something in common they make Canada a better place through their work, volunteerism andcommunity spirit. This year's shortlist is no different. The 2021 shortlist of 75 were chosen from among hundreds of nominations by a judging panel composed of past winners. "Every year, we're truly amazed by the stories of the inspiring immigrants shortlisted. From entrepreneurs who have started up successful businesses, to exciting artists, to community champions, to academics and researchers who have moved Canadian innovation forward, it's clear that Canada is better because of immigration," says Sanjay Agnihotri, publisher of Canadian Immigrant. "Past winners often tell us how meaningful this award is to them. It recognizes their achievements in Canada, while understanding the many challenges they have had to overcome in their immigration journey." Established almost 70 years ago, COSTI aspires to empower newcomers who come to our country from all over the world, to succeed and achieve their full potential in their new home, Canada. "Our holistic approach to services encourages newcomers to dream beyond their immediate needs and achieve their dreams, for both their children and themselves, says Mario J. Calla, Executive Director. "COSTI is proud to be a partner of the 2021 Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards and to celebrate the achievements and success of newcomers who are the fabric of our country. In working together, we are building opportunities for Canada's ongoing and future success today!" Time to vote! The public can now vote for up to three of their favourite finalists online at www.canadianimmigrant.ca/top25 until September 17, 2021. For the seventh year, the awards will also recognize one of the 25 winners who demonstrate excellence in business with the Entrepreneur Award. And, for the fifth year, the Youth Award will recognize the achievements of immigrant youth (between ages 15 and 30) who are making a difference in their adopted country and show great potential in further building this nation. Both awards are additional honours given to a Top 25 winner. No separate votes are required. All the award winners will be announced on November 8, 2021 online on www.canadianimmigrant.ca and in Canadian Immigrant magazine. This year's media partners are CityTV, Toronto Star, Metro Newspaper, Metroland Community papers, Sing Tao and OMNI Television. About Canadian Immigrant Attracting more than 400,000 readers each month and over 100,000 visitors a month online, Canadian Immigrant is a national multimedia platform to help immigrants succeed in Canada, with content, resources and events on careers, education and settlement. Canadian Immigrant is the producer of the cross-country Canadian Immigrant Fairs. Canadian Immigrant is a division of Metroland Media Group, a dynamic media company with more than 100 community and daily newspapers in print and online, as well as innovative websites including wheels.ca, save.ca and localwork.ca. Learn more at canadianimmigrant.ca. SOURCE Canadian Immigrant Magazine [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] KBR Awarded Multiple Technology Contracts by PKN ORLEN HOUSTON, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- KBR, Inc. (NYSE: KBR) announced today that it has been awarded technology licensing contracts by PKN ORLEN (PKN) for KBR's leading Solvent Deasphalting (SDA) and Residue Fluid Catalytic Cracking (RFCC) technologies as part of PKN's Bottom-of-the-Barrel project for its Plock Refinery in Poland. Under the terms of the contracts, KBR will provide technology licensing and basic engineering design for the SDA and RFCC units. Following a PKN ORLEN final investment decision, the SDA unit will be based on KBR's market-leading supercritical solvent recovery ROSE technology and will help PKN ORLEN achieve its operating objectives, producing cleaner upgraded feedstock for the new RFCC unit. For the RFCC unit, KBR will provide its innovative, dual-riser MAXOFIN? technology, which uses conventional FCC operating conditions, KBR's proprietary catalyst additives and state-of-the-art equipment to help PKN ORLEN maximize propylene production from traditional FCC feedstocks and naphtha streams. The combination of both proprietary technologies would allow PKN ORLEN to upgrade crude residue and naphtha streams to petrochemical feedstocks and clean transportation fuels to address market demands. "Selection of KBR's energy-efficient and sustainable technologies by PKN represents continued trust in our industry-leading refinery technologies," said Doug Kelly, KBR President, Technology. "Our ROSE technology delivers 50% energy saving over conventional solvent deasphalting technologies and MAXOFIN technology helps refiners maximize feedstock flexibility to produce higher value petrochemical products." KBR's licensed process technology is found in more than half of the world's FCC units and a majority of residue upgrading units. The ROSE and MAXOFIN technologies reflect KBR's commitment to providing innovative technologies that give our customers a comptitive edge in attractive markets. About KBR We deliver science, technology and engineering solutions to governments and companies around the world. KBR employs approximately 29,000 people worldwide with customers in more than 80 countries and operations in 40 countries. KBR is proud to work with its customers across the globe to provide technology, value-added services, and long- term operations and maintenance services to ensure consistent delivery with predictable results. At KBR, We Deliver. Visit www.kbr.com Forward Looking Statement The statements in this press release that are not historical statements, including statements regarding future financial performance, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the significant adverse impacts on economic and market conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic; the company's ability to respond to the challenges and business disruption presented by the COVID-19 pandemic; the recent dislocation of the global energy market; the company's ability to realize cost savings and efficiencies relating to the streamlining of its Energy Solutions business; the company's ability to manage its liquidity; the company's ability to continue to generate anticipated levels of revenue, profits and cash flow from operations during the COVID-19 pandemic and any resulting economic downturn; the outcome of and the publicity surrounding audits and investigations by domestic and foreign government agencies and legislative bodies; potential adverse proceedings by such agencies and potential adverse results and consequences from such proceedings; the scope and enforceability of the company's indemnities from its former parent; changes in capital spending by the company's customers, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; the company's ability to obtain contracts from existing and new customers and perform under those contracts; structural changes in the industries in which the company operates; escalating costs associated with and the performance of fixed-fee projects and the company's ability to control its cost under its contracts; claims negotiations and contract disputes with the company's customers; changes in the demand for or price of oil and/or natural gas; protection of intellectual property rights; compliance with environmental laws; changes in government regulations and regulatory requirements; compliance with laws related to income taxes; unsettled political conditions, war and the effects of terrorism; foreign operations and foreign exchange rates and controls; the development and installation of financial systems; increased competition for employees; the ability to successfully complete and integrate acquisitions; and operations of joint ventures, including joint ventures that are not controlled by the company. KBR's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, any subsequent Form 10-Qs and 8-Ks, and other U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings discuss some of the important risk factors that KBR has identified that may affect the business, results of operations and financial condition. Except as required by law, KBR undertakes no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kbr-awarded-multiple-technology-contracts-by-pkn-orlen-301341584.html SOURCE KBR, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] GZ6G Technologies Appoints Larry De Cair as Smart Solutions Architect for Green Zebra Smart Networks De Cair to Develop and Implement Managed Services Infrastructure and Onboarding of Customers and Clients for IT Managed Services Based Division Las Vegas, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire -- GZ6G Technologies (OTCMarkets: GZIC), the complete enterprise smart solutions provider for large venues and cities, today announced the appointment of Larry De Cair as Smart Solutions Architect for the Green Zebra Smart Networks division, IT engineering team and devices. In this role, Mr. De Cair will be responsible for leading the IT managed services division, in addition to onboarding customers and clients related to SMART Solutions. His responsibilities include managing the software integration within physical customer sites, overseeing the Irvine, CA office IT engineering team, and business development support for the GZ6G Technologies sales teams. As cities, stadiums and venues move toward digital technologies like 5G and Wi-Fi 6 we plan to become the smart solutions provider and our Green Zebra Smart Networks division is expected to continue to grow as the demand increases, said Coleman Smith, President and CEO of GZ6G Technologies. Larrys extensive experience as an engineer as well as his knowledge of IT will drive revenue in our local wireless IT Smart Networks division and bolster our sales support and engineer client support teams in order to help GZ Networks build a scalable and duplicatable model across the country. De Cair has more than 30 years of IT and network engineering experience. Prior to joining GZ6G Technologies, De Cair was a Senior Systems Engineer at EBS Innovations, a business IT solutions company. De Cair worked in the managed service provider (MSP) space with a diverse customer base. A Navy Veteran, De Cair served as a Combat System Division Three (CSD-3) Supervisor from 1985 to 1991. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Carson State University. Its exciting to be a part of a company that understands the future of technology, all its capabilities and how it can be leveraged to assist businesses to improve and grow, said Larry De Cair, Smart Solutions Architect for GZ6G Technologies. GZ6G Technologies and its divisions are making an impact in the rapidly growing IoT sector. In this role, I will be able to develop and implement successful business strategies for the IT managed services team that will be utilized by Green Zebra Networks growing local and national clients. The Green Zebra Smart Networks division continuously workswith clients to offer a fully integrated wireless infrastructure solution for enterprise opportunities. The division will provide both wireless IT hardware and software managed services support for the Orange County, CA market, while serving national enterprise-level clients. Green Zebra Smart Networks IT wireless support services will allow companies to reduce IT costs thereby shifting their IT challenges to Green Zebra Networks with its proprietary and licensed technology solutions. Remote IT management and monitoring services are available 24-hours-a-day as a monthly service to business partners. GZ6G Technologies is the expert smart solutions consultant helping cities, stadiums, airports, campuses, resorts, and hospitals to understand the wireless infrastructure and IoT applications that will give a competitive advantage to a smarter world. Each GZ6G Technologies division provides a core area of expertise and a smart solution technology platform that can be implemented separately or combined into a complete enterprise system for businesses and cities. The Green Zebra Smart Networks division expects to onboard local clients starting August 2021. For more information on GZ6G Technologies visit GZ6G.com. About GZ6G Technologies: GZ6G Technologies is the complete enterprise smart solutions provider for large venues and cities. Focused on acquiring smart city solutions, developing innovative products, and overseeing smart cities and smart venues, GZ6G Technologies also assists in modernizing clients with innovative wireless IoT technology for the emerging 5G and Wi-Fi 6 marketplaces. Target markets include stadiums, airports, universities, and smart city projects. Ever evolving and innovative, GZ6G Technologies smart solutions consist of four divisions, Green Zebra Smart Networks: offers a fully integrated wireless and IT infrastructure solutions for enterprise opportunities. The Green Zebra technical teams will also provide both managed services support, and technical support for networking hardware and software for enterprise level clients. Green Zebra Smart Data: The Green Zebra Smart Data centers division will focus on safe and secure data management and cloud computing solutions for GZ6G Technologies divisions as well as co-location and hosting options for venues, cities, and customers. Green Zebra Smart Labs: IoT software applications integrated for commercial, industrial and user engagement technology, as well as artificial intelligence and analytics for historical data, operation forecasting and monetization purposes, to name a few. Green Zebra Smart Media, a majority-owned subsidiary of GZ6G Technology Corp: a full-service marketing and advertising division for clients that includes public relations, copywriting, branding, and all creative needs. Since 2017, GZ6G Technologies is the trusted, smart solutions provider for clients such as Governors Island, NY, and the city of New York, to name a few. For more information, visit www.GZ6G.com . Twitter @gz6tech MEDIA Contact: Arlene Bordinhao Arlene.b@brandltd.com INVESTOR Contact: Coleman Smith Cole@greenzebra.net Safe Harbor Statement: In addition to historical information, this press release may contain statements that constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release include the intent, belief, or expectations of the company and members of its management team with respect to the company's future business operations and the assumptions upon which such statements are based. Prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause these differences include, but are not limited to, failure to complete anticipated sales under negotiations, lack of revenue growth, client discontinuances, failure to realize improvements in performance, efficiency and profitability, and adverse development with respect to litigation or increased litigation costs, the operation or performance of the Company's business units or the market price of its common stock. Additional factors that would cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated within this press release can also be found on the company's website. The company denies any responsibility to update any forward-looking statements. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Ameritas Joins PlanSource Boost Program to Elevate the Employee Benefits Experience ORLANDO, Fla., July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PlanSource, a leading provider of cloud-based benefits technology, announced today that Ameritas, an insurance, employee benefits and financial services company, has joined PlanSource Boost, an innovative program that provides organizations with industry-leading benefits technology and real-time API integrations that modernize the benefits experience for employees and HR teams. Ameritas is one of the country's largest dental and vision carriers, offering a wide range of insurance and financial products and services, serving nearly 4.5 million customers. "Dental members and their dependents rely on Ameritas's innovative group coverage and vastly trusted network," said Drew Fleming, senior vice president of group distribution and national partners at Ameritas. "We are looking forward to making strategic investments to enable API integrations that will enhance the employee experience." As part of the PlanSource Boost program, Ameritas works to eliminate the complexities that HR leaders face today when it comes to managing employee benefit programs. Now more than ever, employees and HR teams need a modern, mobile-friendly and real-time benefits administration solution that allows employees to shop for and choose the best benefits for their families. PlanSource Boost offers real-time API integrations, an engaging employee shopping experience, time-saving services and preferred pricing. When employers choose products from Ameritas, they receive: An optimized employee shopping experience Consumer marketing experts optimize the shopping experience to create the best environment for employees to enroll in their benefits. Consumer marketing experts optimize the shopping experience to create the best environment for employees to enroll in their benefits. Industry-leading integrations PlanSource and Ameritas will be rolling out state-of-the-art integrations plan configuration, enrollment, provider directory and access to carrier member portals. PlanSource and Ameritas will be rolling out state-of-the-art integrations plan configuration, enrollment, provider directory and access to carrier member portals. Simplified self-billing PlanSource provides self-billing services for the products offered from Boost carriers, saving HR teams time by eliminating the need to reconcile carrier bills. "Ameritas has the same vision we do around the customer experience and the need to modernize how insurance plans are administered," said Bradley Taylor, executive vice president, strategic partnerships. "We're excited to leverage their appetite for integrations and the investments they have already made to their internal systems." About PlanSource PlanSource is a technology company that automates and simplifies every aspect of employee benefit programs, so employees and HR teams can make smarter, more confident benefits decisions. More than 7.5 million consumers receive their benefits through the PlanSource platform, which provides the best experience possible for benefits communications, shopping, enrollment, billing, compliance and ongoing administration. With an end-to-end benefits platform and suite of technology-enabled services, PlanSource helps people maximize the benefits of their benefits, so they can live happier healthier lives. Learn more at plansource.com. PlanSource is a registered trademark of PlanSource, Inc., and PlanSource owns other registered and unregistered trademarks. Other names used herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. About Ameritas Ameritas is a marketing name for Ameritas Mutual Holding Company and its affiliated subsidiary companies, including Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. and Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. of New York. Founded in 1887, Ameritas offers a wide range of insurance and financial products and services to individuals, families and businesses. These products and services include life insurance; annuities; individual disability income insurance; group dental, vision and hearing care insurance; retirement plans; investments; asset management; and public finance. Securities offered through affiliate Ameritas Investment Company LLC., member FINRA/SIPC and investment advisory services offered through the business name of Ameritas Advisory Services. For more information, visit ameritas.com . Media Contacts Jeanne Achille The Devon Group for PlanSource 732.706.0123 ext. 700 jeanne@devonpr.com Cat Miller Senior Director of Marketing, PlanSource 918.894.1298 cat.miller@plansource.com Ameritas Contact Hunter Reeves Senior Media Relations Specialist, Ameritas 402.467.7743 hunter.reeves@ameritas.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Ryan Named One of the Best Workplaces for Millennials by FORTUNE and Great Place to Work Ryan, a leading global tax services and software provider, has recently been named as one of the 2021 Best Workplaces for Millennials by Great Place to Work and FORTUNE magazine. This marks the fifth time Ryan has been named to this esteemed list. "We are appreciative for the dedication and commitment that our talented millennial team members consistently demonstrate to their colleagues, clients, and the Firm," said Ginny B. Kissling, Ryan Global President and Chief Operating Officer. "Millennials now account for the largest generation in the workforce, so we find their positive feedback on our work environment particularly valuable. At Ryan, our multigenerational workforce brings a variety of perspectives and experiences, which provides a higher level of value and results for our clients." The Best Workplaces fr Millennials list is highly competitive. Great Place to Work, the global authority on workplace culture, selected the list using rigorous analytics and confidential employee feedback. Companies were only considered if they are a Great Place to Work-Certified organization. Great Place to Work is the only company culture award in America that selects winners based on how fairly employees are treated. Companies are assessed on how well they are creating a great employee experience that covers race, gender, age, disability status, or any aspect of who employees are or what their roles are within the organization. "The best workplaces for millennials treat their employees like people, not just employees," said Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work. "These companies foster caring and respect for one another, at every level of the organization. The result is millennial employees who say they look forward to coming to work and-as our research says-are 50 times more likely to stay a long time." The full list of 2021 Best Workplaces for Millennials can be found here. About Ryan Ryan, an award-winning global tax services and software provider, is the largest Firm in the world dedicated exclusively to business taxes. With global headquarters in Dallas, Texas, the Firm provides an integrated suite of federal, state, local, and international tax services on a multijurisdictional basis, including tax recovery, consulting, advocacy, compliance, and technology services. Ryan is a nine-time recipient of the International Service Excellence Award from the Customer Service Institute of America (CSIA) for its commitment to world-class client service. Empowered by the dynamic myRyan work environment, which is widely recognized as the most innovative in the tax services industry, Ryan's multidisciplinary team of more than 3,000 professionals and associates serves over 18,000 clients in more than 60 countries, including many of the world's most prominent Global 5000 companies. More information about Ryan can be found at ryan.com. "Ryan" and "Firm" refer to the global organizational network and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ryan International, each of which is a separate legal entity. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005117/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Leste Group Recruits Josh Patinkin to Guide U.S. Real Estate Platform Expansion Leste Group, a global independent alternative investment manager, is pleased to announce the appointment of Joshua Patinkin as Managing Director of U.S. Real Estate. In his new role, Mr. Patinkin will focus on expanding Leste Group's U.S. real estate investment platform as well as manage Leste's existing U.S. real-estate portfolio, including nearly $1 billion in investments and co-investments that Leste led or participated in, across multifamily, single family homes for rent, hospitality and healthcare sectors. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005657/en/ Josh Patinkin, Leste Group (Photo: Business Wire) Over his 15-year career Patinkin has been intimately involved in the structuring of over $10 billion in real estate deals, investing across the capital stack and in a variety of asset types. He joins Leste Group from Golub & Company, a Chicago-based real estate development and investment firm where, as Senior Vice President of Capital Markets, he spearheaded the firm's expansion into western U.S. markets and led the raise of Golub's first institutionally managed real estate fund. Prior to Golub, Patinkin served as Vice President of Finance & Investments for Starwood Capital Group's retail operating affiliate and held earlier research and developmen roles with BMO Capital Markets Investment Banking Division in New York and General Growth Properties, a $40 billion Chicago based mall REIT. "This is an exciting time for Leste Group as we see significant opportunities in the U.S. to invest capital across new asset types and geographies, and we are proud to partner with Josh given his extensive network and U.S. investment experience," said Stephan de Sabrit, Managing Partner of Leste Group and Head of Credit and Real Estate. "Josh's deep financing expertise, entrepreneurialism, the relationships he has cultivated and his enthusiasm for real estate make him a dynamic leader and a tremendous fit for our firm as we position capital in the U.S. and drive performance for all our stakeholders." Based in Miami, Josh joins a team that also includes Managing Director Rodrigo Machado, Portfolio Manager Rogerio Miranda and Structured Products Director Dov Rawet, each of whom is focused on Leste's capital raising activities and the structuring and management of new and existing investments. As Leste optimizes its real estate investment practice in the U.S., Patinkin will help guide the team's work, organizing investments into a variety of acquisition and development opportunities throughout the Sun Belt region and other select U.S markets. "I am thrilled to be joining at this pivotal moment in Leste Group's story," said Patinkin. "I've thoroughly enjoyed developing a working relationship with Leste and my new colleagues as part of the existing strategic partnership between Golub and Leste, and believe we at Leste Group are set up to achieve great things." As part of the team's expansion, Leste also continues to add talent and is actively searching for a Senior Investment Associate, who will be a key team member in evaluating and organizing the Leste US Real Estate investment process. Further information on that role can be found at Select Leaders. About Leste Group Founded in 2014, Leste Group is a global independent alternative investment manager guided by core values of respect, creativity, and teamwork. The firm offers investors a diverse range of strategies across real estate, credit, venture, liquid markets and other alternative asset classes. Leste Group's investment teams leverage institutional-grade processes, a nimble, entrepreneurial approach, capital markets expertise, and exclusive networks to source unique opportunities and drive consistent risk-adjusted returns. To learn more information on Leste Group, please visit leste.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005657/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] IronNet Launches First Collective Cyber Defense Community for the Commercial Space Industry In its mission to transform cybersecurity through Collective Defense, IronNet announced today the first Collective Defense Community for Space providing real-time, automated attack intelligence to defend the space development industry against cyberattacks. IronNet is a leading provider of AI-based network detection and response (NDR) capabilities and the only cybersecurity company offering a Collective Defense platform for correlating attack intelligence across organizations for proactive cyber defense. IronNet's Collective Defense Community for Space includes industry pioneers Axiom Space and Intuitive Machines, as well as strategic partner Jacobs, all seeking to secure space technology innovation and crews for the expansion of humankind into new frontiers. With high volumes of sensitive data and intellectual property coursing through a vast supply chain, the same techniques that have been used in recent high-profile cyberattacks on commercial and physical critical infrastructure around the world can put space-based technical and human resources at risk, even from hundreds or thousands of miles away. Activating Collective Defense for the Space Industry IronNet's Collective Defense platform provides detection of new and unidentified cyberattack behaviors, and a secure environment for real-time collaboration on attack intelligence. Together, these capabilities provide enhanced visibility into the entire attack landscape for organizations within the Collective Defense community. Communities can be comprised of organizations in a state, country, supply chain or, as in the case of the space development initiative, across a specific industry sector. Axiom Space, the leading provider of space infrastructure as a service, is building - and will own and operate - the commercial successor to the International Space Station (ISS). Axiom Station is targeted to launch in sequence beginning in late 2024, first attaching to the ISS and then separating to operate independently at the end of this decade. Axiom Space President and CEO Michael Suffredini, said, "This collaboration comes at an optimal time as Axiom begins to lay down the core layer of infrastructure in orbit that will sustain humanity's expansion off of the planet. Cybersecurity is a growing concern in space and we are glad to help provide leadership along with IronNet and other leaders, to protect this critical function on the ground and in orbit." Steve Altemus, President and CEO of Intuitive Machines, a leading space services and technologies provider with a mission to develop the first spacecraft to reach the lunar south pole, said, "As space explorers and developers, our job is to demystify the unknown - and that same concept applies to the safety of our work and our people. We need greater visibility into the unknown cyberattacks that may be headed our way, and Collective Defense is an innovative approach that uses advanced technology to bring companies together for a stronger defense, which helps us focus on enabling safe, rapid transit to our space destinations." IronNet Convenes Industry Leaders to Advance Cybersecurity in the Commercial Space Industry Also today, IronNet will convene leaders pioneering the space and critical infrastructure sectors at a summit designed to accelerate cybersecurity in the space development industry. Presenters at the event, titled "Protecting the Space Critical Infrastructure through Collective Defense," will deliver forward-thinking strategies and action plans for securing the human and intellectual capital of this critical industry segment.?? IronNet Co-CEOs GEN (Ret.) Keith Alexander and Bill Welch will be joined by longtime space industry veteran Rob Meyerson, now C5 Capital Operating Partner; Andre Pienaar, Founder of C5 Capital; Christian Maender, Director of In-Space Manufacturing and Research at Axiom; Dr. Steve Arnette, Critical Mission Solutions Senior Vice President at Jacobs; and Gil C. Quiniones, President and CEO of the New York Power Authority, who will provide a case study of how Collective Defense is being applied to protect energy companies in New York. IronNet is bridging a gap in cybersecurity for space critical infrastructure by providing its Collective Defense capabilities directly to Axiom and Intuitive Machines, and via managed services through Jacobs to its client base. Through its investments in both IronNet and Axiom, C5 Capital is enabling advanced development in this critical area. Jacobs, a Fortune 250 global technology-forward solutions provider, works with IronNet to provide cybersecurity solutions for the public and private sectors. "Cyberattacks pesent security risks to both intellectual property and human safety in space development. Our mission is to help organizations keep their focus on safety and innovation by working together for a stronger defense, and our partnership with IronNet leverages our space and cyber domain expertise for protecting space systems," said Arnette. Alexander added, "I am inspired by this chapter in IronNet's evolution as we join missions with these great innovators to protect critical infrastructure in space. IronNet, C5, Axiom, Intuitive Machines, and Jacobs are all visionary companies driven by the commitment to secure the space economy and enable the possibilities for future generations." The energy industry has been a longtime leader in the concept of collaboration through its "mutual assistance" response to natural disasters, whereby it joins forces with other regional providers to mobilize resources to affected areas. During today's summit, Quiniones will illustrate how the New York Power Authority applies the practices of IronNet's Collective Defense by sharing attack intelligence with other participating energy companies to enable a more proactive defense. ??Visit ironnet.com for more information. The reference to IronNet's website address does not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained at or available through IronNet's website, and you should not consider it to be a part of this press release. About IronNet Founded in 2014 by GEN (Ret.) Keith Alexander, IronNet Cybersecurity is a global cybersecurity leader that is transforming how organizations secure their networks by delivering the first-ever Collective Defense platform operating at scale. Employing a high number of former NSA cybersecurity operators with offensive and defensive cyber experience, IronNet integrates deep tradecraft knowledge into its industry-leading products to solve the most challenging cyber problems facing the world today. In March of 2021, IronNet and LGL Systems Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: DFNS) ("LGL") announced that they entered into a definitive business combination agreement that will result in IronNet becoming a public company. Upon the closing of the transaction, the combined company will be named "IronNet, Inc." and is expected to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange and trade under the ticker symbol "IRNT." Important Information and Where to Find It This press release relates to a proposed transaction between LGL Systems Acquisition Corp. ("LGL") and IronNet Cybersecurity, Inc. ("IronNet"). LGL has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (" SEC (News - Alert) ") a registration statement on Form S-4 (the "Registration Statement") that includes a proxy statement to be distributed to LGL's stockholders in connection with LGL's solicitation of proxies for the vote by LGL's stockholders in connection with the proposed business combination and other transactions described in the Registration Statement, as well as a preliminary prospectus relating to the offer of LGL's securities to be issued to IronNet's stockholders in connection with the completion of the proposed business combination described in the Registration Statement. After the Registration Statement is declared effective, LGL will mail the definitive proxy statement/prospectus to stockholders of LGL as of a record date to be established for voting on the proposed business combination. LGL also will file other relevant documents from time to time regarding the proposed transaction with the SEC. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF LGL ARE URGED TO READ THE PRELIMINARY PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND, ONCE AVAILABLE, THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN OR WILL BE FILED BY LGL FROM TIME TO TIME WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN OR WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of the proxy statement/prospectus and other documents containing important information about LGL and IronNet once such documents are filed with the SEC, through the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by LGL when and if available, can be obtained free of charge on LGL's website at https://www.dfns.ai or by directing a written request to LGL Systems Acquisition Corp., 165 Liberty St., Suite 220, Reno, NV 89501 or to info@dfnsi.ai. Participants in the Solicitation LGL and IronNet and their respective directors and executive officers, under SEC rules, may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies of LGL's stockholders in connection with the proposed transactions. Information regarding the persons who may, under SEC rules, be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from LGL's stockholders in connection with the proposed transactions described in the Registration Statement and the interests that such persons have in the proposed business combination are set forth in the proxy statement/prospectus included in the Registration Statement. No Offer or Solicitation This communication shall neither constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which the offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. Forward Looking Statements This press release includes "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation, statements regarding IronNet's business combination with LGL. When used in this Report, the words "estimates," "projected," "expects," "anticipates," "forecasts," "plans," "intends," "believes," "seeks," "may," "will," "should," "future," "propose" and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements, including statements relating to IronNet's future financial performance. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside LGL's or IronNet's management's control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Important factors, among others, that may affect actual results or outcomes include: the inability to complete the transactions contemplated by the proposed business combination; the inability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the proposed business combination, which may be affected by, among other things, the amount of cash available following any redemptions by LGL stockholders; the ability to meet the NYSE's listing standards following the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the proposed business combination; costs related to the proposed business combination; IronNet's ability to execute on its plans to develop and market new products and the timing of these development programs; IronNet's estimates of the size of the markets for its products; the rate and degree of market acceptance of IronNet's products; the success of other competing technologies that may become available; IronNet's ability to identify and integrate acquisitions; the performance of IronNet's products; potential litigation involving LGL or IronNet; and general economic and market conditions impacting demand for IronNet's products. Other factors include the possibility that the proposed transaction does not close, including due to the failure to receive required security holder approvals, or the failure of other closing conditions. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described under the heading "Risk Factors" in the proxy statement/prospectus included in the Registration Statement, LGL's Annual Report on Form 10-K (as amended), Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and other documents filed by LGL from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and neither LGL nor IronNet undertake any 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. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005644/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr Visits Learning Alliance Corporation Learning Alliance Corporation (LAC), an organization building stronger workforce development for trades, hosted Commissioner Brendan Carr of the Federal Communications Commission ( FCC (News - Alert) ) on July 14, 2021. Carr toured LAC's campus in Tampa, climbed LAC's 150-foot training tower with students, and provided insight on telecom workforce development opportunities to local executives and workforce board members. "We wanted to bring awareness to our local community about the opportunities this industry provides our students," said Fred Arnold, LAC Director of Operations. "5G is a gateway to new jobs, and our students are on the front lines of that technology." Carr addressed the demand for qualified workers to build out the necessary infrastructure. During his tower climb, Carr experienced a job hazard analysis, safety briefing, and certification check. Derrick Francis, LAC Director of Training remarked, "It was refreshing to see how much Commissioner Carr cared about what we are doing here at our school, for our students and the industry as a whole." Cesar Ruiz, CEO of Learning Alliance explained LAC's "crawl, walk, run methodology." Before students can get out in the field, "they need the certifications, the hands-on training and the opportunity to simulate the tasks they'll need to complete while 200 feet in the air." LAC provided training station tours to all in attendance. The group saw areas dedicated to initiatives including rooftop deployment, weatherproofing, structured cabling from outside plants, and fiber splicing. Commissioner Carr spoke to students about the increased capacity within 5G systems that will lead to new innovations, "There's not a lot of people that know we have a 20,000 job void and we can fill people almost immediately and we need to make sure there's the support structure, that there are loan programs, apprenticeship programs. We're just talking, there's a lot of decisions going on right now in the state and back in Washington about infrastructure bills. We need to make sure that we include in that, pathways for people to get into these types of programs right here. So, I'm really proud of the work that teachers are doing here and of the LAC organization." LAC highlighted emerging training technology, demonstrating augmented reality use cases and LAC's training video game. Arnold explains, "By combining our virtual reality gaming components and Taqtile's Manifest software, we have produced a unique way to train and develop our students." "Many of the uses and applications of 5G are unknown to us, but virtual and augmented reality will be a large part of its growth," added the Commissioner. The day wrapped up with discussions regarding LAC's partnership with T-Mobile (News - Alert) and the NextTech Diversity Program - an initiative to help lead underrepresented candidates into the industry. For a visual overview of Commissioner Carr's visit to LAC, please visit here. For a visual overview of LAC's Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality demonstration, visit here. NextTech Diversity Program Black professionals make up just 10% of the telecom industry's network infrastructure field. With $750,000 in initial seed funding from T-Mobile and another $150,000 committed from other telecommunications partners, over the next five years, the NextTech Diversity Program aims to provide career training and placement for thousands of diverse candidates to take on roles as 5G network technicians. Telecom trade school Learning Alliance Corporation will oversee recruitment, training, certification, and job placement of candidates as they create long-term careers in roles such as tower climber, 5G small cell and field tech. About Learning Alliance Corporation Learning Alliance Corporation partners with businesses, colleges, and universities to bring U.S. Veterans and civilians stronger training initiatives that equate to solid career growth. By partnering with employers nationwide, Learning Alliance Corporation has created workshops, labs and simulation programs that align the theoretical concepts into real world application learning. This adaptable approach creates learning solutions based on the community specific goals, industry, staff skill level, and corporate culture. Learning Alliance Corporation provides quality instructors, who are highly trained and specialize in the areas they teach. Learn more at https://www.mylearningalliance.com. About FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr Commissioner Brendan Carr is the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission and served previously as the agency's General Counsel. Commissioner Carr brings over a dozen years of private and public sector experience in communications and tech policy to his position. Before joining the agency as a staffer back in 2012, he worked as an attorney at Wiley Rein LLP in the firm's appellate, litigation, and telecom practices. He litigated cases involving the First Amendment and the Communications Act. Previously, Commissioner Carr clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit for Judge Dennis Shedd. And after attending Georgetown University for his undergrad, Commissioner Carr earned his J.D. magna cum laude from the Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law where he served as an editor of the Catholic University Law Review. Much of Commissioner Carr's work focuses on expanding America's skilled workforce-the tower climbers and construction crews needed to build next-gen networks. His jobs initiative promotes community colleges and apprenticeships as a pipeline for good-paying 5G jobs. Learn more at https://www.fcc.gov/about/leadership/brendan-carr. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005211/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Enterprise Content Management Leader FileBank Expands, Hires Director of Business Development OAKLAND, N.J., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- FileBank Inc., a family-owned enterprise content management company based which has continued to expand in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, today announced the hiring of Scott Kaufman, a veteran educator and technologist, as its northeast director of business development. Kaufman brings unparalleled insight into the needs and opportunities of school districts across the region. He joins Filebank from the Garrison Union Free School District, where he served as director of technology. Scott had previously served as a Principal for Southern Westchester Board of Cooperative Education Services (SWBOCES). In addition to his administrative work, he served as an adjunct professor at Manhattanville College, teaching courses focused on the education of students with emotional and behavioral challenges. He spent nearly a decade as a special education teacher before making the transition to the executive level leadership positions within the educational space. Scott lives in Ramsey, New Jersey with his wife and two daughters ages 6 and 8. Scott has also been a member of the Ramsey School Board since January 2020. "I love helping others find their path to success. While that passion has a home in the field of education, I have also found it through working with organizations as they navigate complex issues," said Scott Kaufman, norteast director of business development at FileBank. "My role at FileBank reflects this passion and I am energized by the opportunity to connect educational leaders with the technology to make their critical jobs easier." Over the past 18 months, FileBank has grown its client roster in the government and education space, signing with clients such as the Wisconsin National Guard and South Brunswick Board of Education. Helping its pre-existing clients support remote workforces and maintain continuity during an uncertain year, FileBank expanded its services with, Lumberton Board of Education, Montclair State University, Millburn Township, Newark Public Schools, Northern Valley Board of Education, Pemberton Township Schools, South Hampton Housing Authority, and Weehawken Board of Education, among others. "We are beyond thrilled to have Scott join our growing team and operation," said Greg Copeland, President and Founder of FileBank. "His experience and expertise in education is an invaluable asset as we continue to expand across the Northeast." FileBank provides enterprise content management services and connects physical and digital infrastructure to over 300 schools and municipalities through a robust technology platform, 18 separate services from scanning to archiving to secure shredding, and a 600,000 cubic foot archive center known as "the Vault." About FileBank FileBank Inc. is a family and veteran-owned small business providing enterprise content management services for the education, government, healthcare, insurance and non-profit sectors. Our bespoke approach attracts well-known organizations like Doctors without Borders, the New York City Ballet, and the Muppets, as well as over 300 schools and municipalities, such as the Newark School District. Through a robust technology platform, 18 separate services from *scanning to archiving to secure shredding, and a 600,000 cubic foot secure archive center *known as "the Vault," FileBank has the capacity and domain expertise to help you "Save What Matters." Media Contact: Caroline Glennon (201) 564-4221 315282@email4pr.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/enterprise-content-management-leader-filebank-expands-hires-director-of-business-development-301341499.html SOURCE FileBank [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Wipro and Designit Research Shows that 68% of CMOs Say Empathy and Transparency Surpass Innovation in Brand Success Wipro (News - Alert) Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company and Designit, a Wipro company, today announced the findings from a new global Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) survey of more than 1,000 marketing leaders around the world. The study identified three types of CMOs, and how leading companies have adapted to the market disruptions caused by COVID-19. The findings offer a comprehensive look at how brands and their CMOs responded to the global pandemic, and the strategies they are prioritizing as they build momentum towards recovery. Though every CMO responded differently to the crisis, the study identified three distinct personas: The Disruptor - Approximately 9% of CMOs avoided conventional tactics and adopted radical new strategies in the face of uncertainty The Progressive - Roughly 60% adopted bold and innovative tactics, but based their decisions on past experiences The Traditionalist - The remaining 31% favored the tried and tested methodologies to reach customers "This research offers insights to marketers on how to succeed in the face of significant challenges. It revealed that disrupter personas are poised for success in an era of uncertainty and increased expectations. Guided by brand purpose, the disrupter displays an unwavering commitment to customer experience (CX), and driving actionable intelligence from data insights that allows for continued success," said Rajan Kohli, Managing Partner - Integrated Digital, Engineering and Application Services, Wipro Limited. 84% of CMOs also agreed that one of the most significant challenges in their field is the application of data and marketing technology. While they can outline the need for robust marketing technology and data, 70% still feel that there is a gap between the current capabilities of these solutions, and their vision. To complicate matters, 12% were forced to sacrifice investment in this vital area during 2020, as companies made COVID-related cuts. Other key findings from the research include: Within the next two or three years, 82% of marketing and CX leaders plan to create new types of content and generate experiences to gain a sustainable, long-term competitive advantage 62% of marketing and CX leaders cite the need for a 360-degree, data-driven view of their customers 81% of marketing and CX executives are betting on employee engagement as a competitive strategy 70% of executives are prioritizing implementing purpose-led initiatives to become or stay industry leaders 61% of companies are prioritizing design thinking as a business strategy to become leaders "Over the last 18 months, brands have had to react to unforeseen global changes. Customer and employee needs and expectations changed rapidly, and prioities were redefined. In the face of a public health crisis that pulled us in different directions, empathy and human connection became the key ingredient for brand survival. Brands that changed strategy quickly and put the human experience before commercial gains thrived the most," said Sunil Karkera, Global Managing Director, Designit. The study may be downloaded at designit.com. About Designit, a Wipro Company Designit, a Wipro company, is a global experience innovation firm. We use strategy, technology, marketing, and design to turn complex and systemic problems into new opportunities, thoughtful, holistic experiences. Together with progressive, long-term partners, we craft, launch and continuously optimize products, services, brands, and systems that turn change into progress throughout organizations, brands, and beyond. To learn more, follow us @Designit and visit www.Designit.com. About Wipro Limited Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO) is a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company. We harness the power of cognitive computing, hyper-automation, robotics, cloud, analytics and emerging technologies to help our clients adapt to the digital world and make them successful. A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, strong commitment to sustainability and good corporate citizenship, we have over 200,000 dedicated employees serving clients across six continents. Together, we discover ideas and connect the dots to build a better and a bold new future. Forward-Looking Statements The forward-looking statements contained herein represent Wipro's beliefs regarding future events, many of which are by their nature, inherently uncertain and outside Wipro's control. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Wipro's growth prospects, its future financial operating results, and its plans, expectations and intentions. Wipro cautions readers that the forward-looking statements contained herein are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated by such statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in our earnings, revenue and profits, our ability to generate and manage growth, complete proposed corporate actions, intense competition in IT services, our ability to maintain our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which we make strategic investments, withdrawal of fiscal governmental incentives, political instability, war, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our business and industry. The conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could decrease technology spending, adversely affect demand for our products, affect the rate of customer spending and could adversely affect our customers' ability or willingness to purchase our offerings, delay prospective customers' purchasing decisions, adversely impact our ability to provide on-site consulting services and our inability to deliver our customers or delay the provisioning of our offerings, all of which could adversely affect our future sales, operating results and overall financial performance. Our operations may also be negatively affected by a range of external factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic that are not within our control. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, Annual Reports on Form 20-F. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. We may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by us or on our behalf. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005699/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Noname Security Hires Cybersecurity Leader Karl Mattson as Chief Information Security Officer Former finance sector CISO joins API security leader to accelerate product innovation, add domain expertise, and drive customer education PALO ALTO, Calif., July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Noname Security , the API security company, today announced the appointment of Karl Mattson as its first Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). At Noname, Karl will be responsible for leading security and risk management initiatives, product innovation, and industry evangelism. Karl joins Noname from mortgage lender PennyMac Loan Services where he was CISO. He brings more than 25 years of information security experience spanning the financial services, retail, and federal government sectors. Before PennyMac, Karl led an innovative cybersecurity team as CISO for City National Bank. API use is exploding, and so is the need for API security,'' said Oz Golan, cofounder and CEO of Noname Security. Nowhere is this more true than in the financial services sector. When the CISO for PennyMac joins an API security company, you know its a threat worth taking seriously, and you can be sure its one Noname can address. To have Karl on our team, developing te product, working with customers, and sharing his first-hand experience, is not just a validationits a sign of things to come. Karl's legacy in technology and information security extends across multiple verticals, including president and chair for Los Angeles Cyber Lab, an adjunct faculty member at the University of Minnesota's Technological Leadership Institute, and an advisor with venture funds YL Ventures and Cyberstarts working with early-stage cybersecurity companies. Vendors have been trying to solve the API security problem for a while, deploying complex agents and connecting to API gateways, said Karl Mattson, CISO at Noname Security. But those stopgap solutions are eclipsed by a new generation that simply connects to existing systems and builds a holistic picture of the environment. I could see Noname has an architecturally better approach to address API security, and I am excited to join the team to help customers meet this escalating threat. Mattson joins amid rapid developments at Noname Security, including closing $60M in Series B funding led by Insight Partners, the hiring of Shri Chickerur as Vice President of Customer Success, and the hiring of ?? Dirk Marichal as Vice President for the EMEA region. About Noname Security Noname Security is the creator of the most powerful, complete, and easy-to-use API security platform, used by Fortune 500 companies to discover, analyze, remediate, and test their legacy and modern APIs. Noname is privately held, with headquarters in Palo Alto, California, and an office in Tel Aviv. www.nonamesecurity.com Media contact Chris Ulbrich Firebrand Communications for Noname Security nonamesecurity@firebrand.marketing 415-848-9175 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] HVR Launches Quick Start for Foundational Data Replication Solution on Amazon Web Services (AWS) SAN FRANCISCO, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HVR , the leading independent provider of real-time cloud data replication technology, today launched a Quick Start for data replication on AWS. By helping to eliminate the configuration steps in the deployment of HVRs technology on the AWS Cloud, the Quick Start helps HVR customers get up and running on AWS quickly and easily. COVID-19 forced companies to accelerate their digital transformation strategies to remain viable, urging rapid movement to the cloud to create new and ongoing opportunities for revenue, business growth, and customer service. Additionally, in a challenging and uncertain business world, opportunities to reduce expenses are of utmost importance. According to a recent IBM survey, reducing costs is the top benefit attributed to transformation initiatives. Organizations need a fast way to help deploy technologies to the cloud and continue with their digital transformation strategies. HVR exists to help organizations get large volumes of data to where that data needs to be for cloud-based analysis, in real time, for fresh decision making and strategic business planning. When organizations deploy our foundational solution to the cloud with an AWS Quick Start, they can almost immediately begin realizing the potenial of their data to better serve their customers, do resource planning, and, ultimately, improve their bottom line, said Anton Els, senior cloud architect at HVR. We're thrilled to be working with AWS to provide this service to customers. AWS Quick Starts are automated reference deployments for workloads on the AWS Cloud. Quick Starts use AWS best practices for security and availability to help customers launch, configure, and run compute, network, and storage services that are required for AWS workloads. Quick Starts condense hundreds of manual procedures into a few steps so that production environments can be built in minutes and used immediately. AWS Quick Starts were created to help organizations get started with deployments in the least amount of time and with minimal effort. They are fast, low-cost, customizable, fully functional, and designed for production, said Tony Bulding, solutions architect at AWS. With the AWS Quick Start for HVR, were excited to see furtherand fasteradoption of HVR on AWS. The HVR platform is a scalable and reliable deployment that provides the most efficient way to integrate large data volumes in complex environments. HVR facilitates adoption of AWS with Snowflake as the prominent choice on the HVR platform. Data is replicated from the most widely used data platforms, such as SAP, validated to ensure the data is delivered accurately, and readied for real-time consumption by stakeholders. The AWS Quick Start for HVR is available here: https://aws.amazon.com/quickstart/architecture/hvr-software/ Helpful Links: AWS Quick Start for HVR HVR Quick Start is a Go! Blog Read the HVR Blog Follow HVR on Twitter Follow HVR on LinkedIn About HVR HVR provides a real-time cloud data replication solution that supports enterprise modernization efforts. The HVR platform is a reliable, secure, and scalable way to quickly and efficiently integrate large data volumes in complex environments, enabling real-time data updates, access, and analysis. Global market leaders in a variety of industries trust HVR to address their real-time data integration challenges and revolutionize their businesses. HVR is a privately held company based in San Francisco, with offices across North America, Europe, and Asia. Media Contact Marta Debski Offleash for HVR hvr@offleashpr.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Infinidat Integrates with ServiceNow to Provide Visibility into InfiniBox Storage System Integration expands AIOps capabilities ecosystem in large-scale, multi-vendor environments WALTHAM, Mass., July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Infinidat, a leading provider of enterprise-class storage solutions, today announced that the InfiniBox storage platform is integrated with ServiceNow ITOM Visibility , which gives organizations a comprehensive view into their entire technology estate. The new integration extends ServiceNows out-of-the-box Discovery capabilities to provide visibility into InfiniBox systems, broadening Infinidats ecosystem of multi-vendor AIOps capabilities for large-scale enterprise and service provider environments. ServiceNow Discovery, a feature of ServiceNow IT Operations Management (ITOM) Visibility, can detect and understand all components of Infinidats storage system and add them to the ServiceNow Configuration Management Database (CMDB). This automated mechanism serves as a solid foundation for integrating ServiceNow AIOps solutions and workflows, simplifying the identification of all components in the data infrastructure, and centralizing data monitoring. Organizations that trust Infinidats high performance, 100% availability and multi-petabyte scalability can easily integrate InfiniBox into their ServiceNow environments. Our integration with ServiceNow is a natural extension of Infinidats multi-pronged AIOps strategy and value proposition for enterprises and service providers, said Erik Kaulberg, Vice President at Infinidat. Weve heard a clear need for this integration from large mutual customers, and our simple InfiniBox API coupled with ServiceNows extensible Discovery Patterns approach made it easy to get it done. ServiceNows Discovery automatically builds dependency relationships between the InfiniBox systems, their constituent components, host systems, and attached networks. This expanded functionality is designed to improve data-driven decision-making and enable organizations to streamline IT processes, including the often complex processes associatd with data storage. It further strengthens customers ability to be proactive and preventative, while minimizing the complexity of optimizing storage for applications. Infinidats integration with ServiceNow is a positive leap forward that will help our customers simplify and centralize IT operations around the InfiniBox storage they trust to run their businesses, said Jeff Guenthner, Director, West Region at Solutions II. The integration of the two companies intelligent solutions will save our customers time and create more opportunities for us. Our customers who already use Infinidat products can fit them easily into their ServiceNow workflows, and our ServiceNow customers have yet another reason to consider Infinidat storage. The automatic addition of Infinidat information into the ServiceNow CMDB forms a foundation for event correlation, log analysis, and other capabilities from the broader ServiceNow product suite. The new integration also creates the opportunity for Infinidat customers to use ServiceNow Service Mapping to comprehend what services are powered by InfiniBox. ServiceNow customers who are migrating to InfiniBox storage can take advantage of automated Service Mapping capabilities to identify and assess the services that rely on the existing storage systems to increase accuracy of migration plans. Availability The updated Discovery and Service Mapping software options with the Infinidat integration are now available for download from the ServiceNow Store. Each discovered InfiniBox requires four ServiceNow Discovery Subscription Units, available from ServiceNow representatives. To read more about ServiceNows integration with Infinidat, click here. About Infinidat Infinidat helps enterprises and service providers empower their data-driven competitive advantage at scale. Infinidats software-focused architecture delivers sub-millisecond latency, 100% availability, and scalability with a significantly lower total cost of ownership than competing storage technologies. The company was founded by storage industry pioneer, Moshe Yanai, in 2011 and has shipped over 7.1EB worldwide to date. The corporate headquarters are based in Herzliya, Israel, and U.S. headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.infinidat.com . ServiceNow, the ServiceNow logo, Now, Now Platform, and other ServiceNow marks are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Connect with Infinidat About Infinidat Read our blog Follow us on Twitter Join us on LinkedIn Visit us on Facebook See us on YouTube Be our partner Media Contact Infinidat Sapna Capoor Director of Global Communications scapoor@infinidat.com I Mobile: +44 (0) 7789684159 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] HighByte Announces Major Release of Industrial DataOps Solution for Enterprise Deployments PORTLAND, Maine, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- HighByte, an industrial software company, today announced the major release of HighByte Intelligence Hub version 2.0. HighByte Intelligence Hub is an Industrial DataOps solution enabling manufacturers to merge, prepare, and deliver modeled industrial data to and from IT systems without writing or maintaining code. With its latest release, HighByte Intelligence Hub now supports enterprise deployments with multi-hub management. Customers can remotely configure hubs, compare configurations, and synchronize models and connections between multiple hubs from a single portal. Multi-hub management enables manufacturers to easily standardize and scale the use of industrial data across the enterprise. "Our commitment to sustainability means we are continuously looking for new ways to improve efficiency and reduce waste in the manufacturing process," said Lee Hunt, Senior Director of Manufacturing IT at Georgia-Pacific. "By using HighByte Intelligence Hub as a data modeling abstraction layer, we are able to standardize data sent to the AWS Cloud. This new version of HighByte Intelligence Hub gives us the ability to explore many business use cases and scale them across our enterprise. By eliminating the need to write and maintain custom code, we are more agile and can rapidly iterate on analytics and sustainability initiatives." HighByte Intelligence Hub version 2.0 also includes additional features that support enterprise deployments, including user management, auditing, and high-volume data delivery. Administrators can now configure uniqueusers and roles with permissions that appropriately restrict access and change, create audit logs, and automatically generate project file backups. New Amazon Kinesis Data Streams and Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose connectors in version 2.0 simplify and accelerate high-volume data delivery to the AWS Cloud. Furthermore, users can now create dynamic SQL and REST requests using real-time input values from any connection, making it easy for users to assemble data from multiple systems into a single information set. "We've enjoyed working closely with our customers and the broader market to deliver an enterprise-ready Industrial DataOps solution with version 2.0," said Tony Paine, HighByte CEO. "This release makes managing and standardizing data models easier than ever for our customers." To learn more about the release and see a live demonstration of the software, please register for the "HighByte Intelligence Hub Version 2.0: Edge to Enterprise Industrial Data Governance" webinar on August 19, 2021 at 11AM ET. Additional Resources Read more about HighByte Intelligence Hub version 2.0 Download the Data Modeling Guidebook Join the free trial program View all company and product news About HighByte HighByte is an industrial software development company in Portland, Maine building solutions that address the data architecture and integration challenges created by Industry 4.0. We've developed the first DataOps solution purpose-built to meet the unique requirements of industrial assets, products, processes, and systems at the Edge. Learn more at https://highbyte.com. HighByte is a registered trademark of HighByte, Inc. Media Contact HighByte Torey Penrod-Cambra Chief Marketing Officer +1 844.328.2677 x701 torey.penrod-cambra@highbyte.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/highbyte-announces-major-release-of-industrial-dataops-solution-for-enterprise-deployments-301341245.html SOURCE HighByte [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Mastercard Launches New Start Path Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Program for Startups Mastercard announced today a new Start Path global startup engagement program dedicated to supporting fast-growing digital assets, blockchain and cryptocurrency companies. As a continuation of Mastercard's digital assets work, seven startups have joined the program, including GK8, Domain Money, Mintable, SupraOracles, STACS, Taurus, and Uphold, and together with Mastercard seek to expand and accelerate innovation around digital asset technology and make it safer and easier for people and institutions to buy, spend and hold cryptocurrencies and digital assets. Among the new program participants is Mintable (Singapore), a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace where users can create, buy and sell digital and physical assets backed by the blockchain such as digital collectibles, avant-garde artwork and even music. The Mitable platform is packed with novel features such as gasless minting and credit card purchasing that are designed to empower the everyday person to get involved with NFTs without any prior knowledge in crypto or coding. GK8 (Israel) is a self-managed end-to-end institutional crypto custody platform that offers a true air-gapped cold vault. This means that the platform is capable of creating, signing and sending secure blockchain transactions without receiving input from the internet, eliminating any potential cyberattack vectors. Taurus (Switzerland) delivers enterprise-grade infrastructure to manage any digital asset with one single platform, including crypto assets, digital currencies and tokenized assets covering issuance, custody, asset servicing and trading. Other participating startups and fast-growing digital asset and blockchain companies have been selected to join the inaugural track of the Start Path program: Domain Money (USA) looks to build a next generation investment platform, bridging the gap between digital assets and traditional finance for retail investors. looks to build a next generation investment platform, bridging the gap between digital assets and traditional finance for retail investors. SupraOracles (Switzerland) is a powerful blockchain oracle that helps businesses bridge real-world data to both public and private chains, enabling interoperable smart contracts to automate, simplify and secure the future of financial markets. is a powerful blockchain oracle that helps businesses bridge real-world data to both public and private chains, enabling interoperable smart contracts to automate, simplify and secure the future of financial markets. STACS (Singapore) provides a blockchain infrastructure for the financial industry to unlock massive value and enable effective sustainable financing. Its clients and partners include global banks, national stock exchanges, and asset managers. provides a blockchain infrastructure for the financial industry to unlock massive value and enable effective sustainable financing. Its clients and partners include global banks, national stock exchanges, and asset managers. Uphold (USA) is a crypto-native, multi-asset digital money platform offering investment and payment services to consumers and businesses worldwide. Uphold's unique 'Anything-to-Anything' trading experience enables customers to trade directly between asset classes with embedded payments facilitating a future where everyone has access to financial services. Founders of the digital asset and blockchain companies participating in the new Start Path program aim to address a host of pain points including asset tokenization, data accuracy, digital security and seamless access between the traditional and digital economy. Each startup is focused on solving a unique industry challenge and, throughout the program, will leverage Mastercard's expertise to support the continued growth and development of their solutions. Jess Turner, executive vice president of New Digital Infrastructure and Fintech, commented: "Mastercard has been engaging with the digital currency ecosystem since 2015. As a leading technology player, we believe we can play a key role in digital assets, helping to shape the industry, and provide consumer protections and security. Part of our role is to forge the future of cryptocurrency, and we're doing that by bridging mainstream financial principles with digital assets innovations." Digital Assets and Fintech Innovation Supporting the startup ecosystem is a core part of Mastercard's ethos, and more than 250 startups have participated in the Start Path program since 2014. With the expansion of Start Path to include fast-growing crypto, blockchain and digital assets startups, Mastercard is providing access to its latest tools and solutions to help these companies scale their innovations and cutting-edge technologies. These startups use the program to connect with our ecosystem of banks, merchants, partners and digital players across the globe to deliver new solutions. About Mastercard (NYSE:MA): 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. www.mastercard.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005244/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] ExecOnline Partners with Darden Executive Education & Lifelong Learning ExecOnline, the pioneer of online leadership development for enterprises, today announced a new partnership with the University of Virginia Darden School Foundation through Darden Executive Education & Lifelong Learning. The partnership will offer a collection of learning experiences that will focus on accelerating people of color in leadership, a first-of-its-kind collaboration between ExecOnline and Darden Executive Education. "We are honored to partner with Darden Executive Education to offer this life-changing learning experience for global leaders," said ExecOnline Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer Julia F. Alexander. "Leaders need to be actively involved in creating a culture of support for Black and minority communities to thrive in their career journeys. Through learned skills and enhanced perspectives on the importance of having diverse company leadership, leaders today can make a real difference in how Black and other minority professionals succeed on their own paths to leadership." Darden Executive Education courses are taught by Darden faculty members, educators routinely cited as the best in business education. Darden Executive Education has a long history in the diversity, equity and inclusion space through a range of programs, and recently celebrated 20 years of promoting the growth of leaders of color in the media and communications field. The learning experiences through this partnership will officially launch in October and will cover important capabilities, including driving organizational allyship, increasing visibility and representation, and navigating emotional and mental gymnastics. "We are eager to bring this experience to life and continue this important work with our partners at ExecOnline," said Darden Executive Education & Lifelong Learning CEO and Chief Learning Officer Ashley Williams. "This learning experience will help organizations around the world create equal pathways for more Black and minority leaders." Participants who complete an experience will earn a noncredit certificate of completion from the University of Virginia Darden School Foundation. The offering will be available to individuals whose organization subscribes to the ExecOnline Applied Experience Platform and registration is open now. Darden Executive Education & Lifelong Learning is provided by the University of Virginia Darden School Foundation. About ExecOnline As the pioneer of online leadership development for enterprises, ExecOnline has delivered transformational learning experiences to corporate leaders at over 500 global organizations since 2012. Through partnerships with elite business schools such as Berkeley Haas, Chicago Booth, Columbia, Darden Executive Education, Tuck at Dartmouth, Duke CE, IMD, Ivey, MIT (News - Alert) -Sloan, Stanford GSB, Wharton, and Yale, ExecOnline consistently provides top-tier leadership courses. As a Forbes "Technology Company to Watch," our proprietary online ecosystem combines the engagement of on-campus study with the convenience of online education, through dynamic, high-impact experiences tailored to the unique strategic, innovation and operational concerns of corporate executives. Follow ExecOnline on LinkedIn and Twitter. Visit execonline.com to learn more. About Darden Executive Education & Lifelong Learning Darden Executive Education & Lifelong Learning is a top-ranked, global provider of executive development and lifelong learning. Delivered by the University of Virginia Darden School Foundation and taught by the Darden School of Business' highly acclaimed faculty, Darden Executive Education influences organizations and leaders through development experiences that activate change and drive growth. Offering more than 35 open programs and partnering with leading organizations worldwide to develop custom business solutions, we provide personalized, transformational learning experiences at our locations in Charlottesville, Virginia and the Washington, D.C., area, as well as online. Darden shapes the way the world does business through our research - energized by 10 research Centers of Excellence - and draws upon our collective knowledge and experience to cultivate responsible, innovative leaders. Darden Executive Education is provided by the University of Virginia Darden School Foundation. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005170/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Carefeed Secures Venture Funding to Expand Digital Communication Solutions for Senior Care Facilities Carefeed, a leading provider of digital communication solutions to senior care facilities, announced today that it closed a venture financing round. The round was led by Allos Ventures, with participation by M25, and will enable Carefeed to expand its footprint in skilled nursing and senior living communities across the United States and Canada, enhance its digital communication platform, and broaden its offerings into other patient care settings. Over the past year, senior care communities learned the vital role a modern digital communication platform can play in sharing and documenting critical updates with residents, families, staff, and referral sources. Many communities discovered that their traditional communications systems and processes were inadequate, inefficient, and often non-compliant with state and federal regulations. Carefeed's HIPAA secure SaaS (News - Alert) platform digitizes the information and materials that senior communities share with their various stakeholders. The platform automates antiquated and time-consuming processes by using text, email, voice, and video to seamlessly distribute critical updates and announcements, enable e-signature of admission agreements, allow staff-to-residentfamily and staff-to-staff communication, schedule care conferences and offsite doctors' appointments, and much more. "Senior care providers are under extraordinary pressure-especially in a post-COVID-19 environment-and effective communications through a fast, reliable, secure, and user-friendly platform is critical in building trust and giving peace of mind and assurance to residents, families, staff and others," said Terry Wall, founder and CEO of Carefeed. "Our investment in Carefeed aligns with our mission to invest in industry-changing businesses that are addressing significant sources of pain for their customers. We are excited to join forces with Terry and Carefeed and to help the company expand its ability to positively impact senior care," said John McIlwraith, managing director of Allos. "It's not every day you see a company growing double-digits revenue each month in a rapidly evolving large market, and one that knows the ins and outs of the industry so well. But then again, Carefeed isn't an 'everyday' business - it's the future," said Victor Gutwein, founder and managing partner of M25. "Carefeed has transformed the way our industry can communicate," said Nicole Gonzales of NewGen Health. "Their solution has saved our staff countless hours! Carefeed is always enhancing features to make our workflow easier, we cannot wait to see what is next with this announcement." About Carefeed: Carefeed's HIPAA secure SaaS platform digitizes and enables simplified distribution of any information and materials senior communities would like to share with their residents, residents' families, staff, or referral sources. The platform automates antiquated processes like paper admission agreements and calendars, phone-based safety announcements, care conference schedules and more, and seamlessly distributes them via text, email, and voice. For more information, visit carefeed.com. About Allos: Allos Ventures invests in seed and early-stage technology companies based in the Midwest and beyond. Investments focus on B2B software companies, augmenting the capital provided by startup investors. In addition to the capital Allos provides, portfolio companies benefit from the extensive operating and business-building experience of the firm's team, who make themselves available as needed to support each portfolio company's growth. For more information, visit allosventures.com. About M25: M25 is a Chicago- and Indianapolis-based Venture Capital firm investing in Pre-Seed and Seed tech startups headquartered in the Midwest. They are the most active early-stage firm in the region with 100+ portfolio companies across various industries. For more information, visit M25vc.com or follow on Twitter (News - Alert) @M25vc. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005311/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Nintex Launches AI-Based Capabilities and Integrations within Nintex Workflow Cloud Latest release of next gen workflow automation cloud platform brings AI enhancements to Nintex Forms designer and offers deeper, more seamless integrations with SharePoint on-premises and other third-party SaaS?applications LONDON, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nintex, the global standard for process management and automation, today announced the latest enhancements to its next generation Nintex Workflow Cloud, designed for ops, IT, process professionals and power users to improve the way people work by making it faster and easier to manage, automate, and optimise business processes and workflows. Visit https://www.nintex.com/using-nintex/nintex-workflow-cloud/whats-new-july-2021/ to learn how to fully digitise operations and automate workflows with Nintex Workflow Cloud. "As innovation in the digital space accelerates at breakneck speed, software solutions are challenged to enable organisations to work faster and smarter, with less," said Nintex Chief Product Officer Neal Gottsacker. "At Nintex we are continuously reimagining the way people work, providing our global community with practical enhancements to the powerful and easy-to-use Nintex Process Platform so teams can quickly deploy digital workflows, accelerate?their digital transformation, and easily?connect?workflows?to systems of record." Highly-requested new features and functionality in the latest release of Nintex Workflow Cloud include: Intelligent PDF Form Converter - This AI-based tool instantly converts static PDFs into interactive digital forms. With just a few clicks, Nintex makes it easy to eliminate paper-based PDF forms by quickly digitising them with Nintex Workflow Cloud. Support for fillable and non-fillable PDFs, as well as full customisation options via the Nintex Form Designer, are also included. This AI-based tool instantly converts static PDFs into interactive digital forms. With just a few clicks, Nintex makes it easy to eliminate paper-based PDF forms by quickly digitising them with Nintex Workflow Cloud. Support for fillable and non-fillable PDFs, as well as full customisation options via the Nintex Form Designer, are also included. New Connectors - Extend automation further with integration to popular systems of record and productivity tools via new pre-built connectors and the Nintex Xtensions framework. The latest connectors integrate with Webex, Microsoft Azure, Jira, Okta, and more. Extend automation further with integration to popular systems of record and productivity tools via new pre-built connectors and the Nintex Xtensions framework. The latest connectors integrate with Webex, Microsoft Azure, Jira, Okta, and more. Repeating Data Support - Provide rich document templates that include tables and sections that are dynamically generated from data and object collections as part of a workflow action. Further object data tagging can be utilised to enhance newly created document templates. Provide rich document templates that include tables and sections that are dynamically generated from data and object collections as part of a workflow action. Further object data tagging can be utilised to enhance newly created document templates. People Picker - Enable participants to easily search for and leverage user information with a Form. Critical user information like name, email, and contact information are automatically populated eliminating manual data entry and improving data accuracy. Enable participants to easily search for and leverage user information with a Form. Critical user information like name, email, and contact information are automatically populated eliminating manual data entry and improving data accuracy. Nintex Gateway, with SharePoint On-Premises Support - Nintex Gateway provides a secure and easy way to access SharePoint on-premises directly from Nintex Workflow Cloud including keeping data on-premises while leveraging cutting-edge cloud functionality to deliver end-to-end automation. Today, more than 10,000 public and private sector organisations across nearly every industry are accelerating their digital transformation initiatives with the process mapping, workflow automation, robotic process automation (RPA), and document automation software capabilities Nintex offers. To put The Power of Process to work today, request a free demo of Nintex Workflow Cloud at https://www.nintex.com/request-demo/ . Media Contact Kristin Treat Nintex kristin.treat@nintex.com cell: (215) 317-9091 About Nintex Nintex is the global standard for process management and automation. Today more than 10,000 public and private sector organisations across 90 countries turn to the Nintex Platform to accelerate progress on their digital transformation journeys by quickly and easily managing, automating and optimising business processes. Learn more by visiting www.nintex.com and experience how Nintex and its global partner network are shaping the future of Intelligent Process Automation (IPA). [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Gateway First Bank Named to the 2021 Top Lenders List by Independent Community Bankers of America Gateway (News - Alert) First Bank is honored to be ranked first in the consumer and mortgage category for banks over $1 billion in assets by Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA). This is Gateway's second consecutive year placing first in this category. ICBA's Top Lenders List includes the top community bank lenders in agricultural, commercial and consumer categories and is broken down by asset size. Recognition is based on the strength of the banking services and operational efficiencies throughout the previous year. ICBA uses FDIC data to calculate lender scores for each community bank. The scores combine the average percentile rank for lending concentration and for loan growth in each lending category over the past year. The score is then adjusted for loan charge offs in each category at certain percentile thresholds. "We are incredibly proud to be recognized as a Top Lender by ICBA," said Scott Gesell, CEO at Gateway First Bank. "Thanks to our team members' hard work and dedication, Gateway continues to make great strides in becoming a leading financial institution. I look forward to our continued momentum and bright future ahead." To view the full list from ICBA, visit: ICBA's 2021 List of Top Lenders. About Gateway First Bank Gateway First Bank is a leading financial institution that provides banking and mortgage services for consumers and commercial customers. Headquartered in Jenks, Oklahoma, Gateway is a $1.9 billion asset sized bank with a strong mortgage operation. Gateway is one of the largest banking operations in Oklahoma and mortgage operations in the United States with six bank branches in Oklahoma, over 165 mortgage centers in 43 states, and over 1,600 employees. Learn more at www.GatewayFirst.com. Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender (NMLS 7233). Follow Gateway First on Facebook (News - Alert) (https://www.facebook.com/GatewayFirstBank/), LinkedIn (News - Alert) (https://www.linkedin.com/company/gatewayfirst/) and Twitter (News - Alert) (https://twitter.com/Gateway1st). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005750/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] DonorSearch Introduces DonorSearch Aristotle for Higher Education MARRIOTTSVILLE, Md., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- DonorSearch today announced DonorSearch Aristotle for Higher Education, a donor prospect analytics solution that will revolutionize fundraising for Higher Education through the power of AI/Machine Learning. Introducing revolutionary AI-Powered analytics to drive unparalleled results for Higher Education fundraising. DonorSearch Aristotle for Higher Education leverages the continuous learning capacity of AI/Machine Learning to produce custom scores and a suite of data visualization reports that accurately predict major donor generosity and drivedecisive action. As a result, DonorSearch Aristotle for Higher Education gives Higher Education fundraising organizations the power to quickly and precisely engage their most generous alumni. "DonorSearch Aristotle for Higher Education puts the predictive precision of AI-powered analytics in the hands of universities and colleges, giving them the most direct route to unparalleled fundraising results," says Bill TeDesco, CEO of DonorSearch. "This marriage of innovation and intelligence makes my vision for DonorSearch's contribution to fundraising a reality ." "DonorSearch Aristotle for Higher Education brings the unparalleled processing power of Artificial Intelligence to Higher Education fundraising. It transforms the vast amounts of alumni eperience, demographic, wealth, and giving data that Universities collect into highly predictive and actionable insights," says Nathan Chappell, Senior Vice President, DonorSearch Aristotle. "Higher Education fundraising now has the extraordinary power to target and inspire their most generous alumni." Features and benefits of DonorSearch Aristotle for Higher Education include: Comprehensive, custom, and highly predictive prospect generosity scores effectively designate prospects for specific fundraising efforts and prioritize action. effectively designate prospects for specific fundraising efforts and prioritize action. Data Visualization reports with drill-down and configuration capabilities to inform prospect management strategies and tactics. with drill-down and configuration capabilities to inform prospect management strategies and tactics. Dynamic re-scoring through the regular refresh of client data for the length of their subscription, using AI/Machine Learning to enhance predictiveness and precision of engagement. DonorSearch Aristotle for Higher Education is available now. For more information, visit www.donorsearch.net/donorsearch-aristotle. About DonorSearch At DonorSearch, we know that philanthropy markers connect what is in someone's heart - their aspirations in life - to their capacity to give to a nonprofit organization. Likewise, we believe that donor prospecting tools should help you connect your cause to more incredible people who can give to the mission. Founded in 2007 and built upon years of experience in philanthropy, our purpose is to provide nonprofits with actionable data and insights that help fundraisers connect more deeply with the right donors. With DonorSearch, identify your best donors, expand your donor pool, predict a donor's capacity to give, and connect at the right time. Our platform empowers fundraisers and takes the guesswork out of donor prospecting so that you can focus your time on relationship building. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Contact: Kristine Holferty DonorSearch 410-670-7880 info@donorsearch.net View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/donorsearch-introduces-donorsearch-aristotle-for-higher-education-301342196.html SOURCE DonorSearch [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Rite Aid Rallies for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Rite Aid will rally to change kids' health and change the future in August, when it launches its annual in-store customer fundraising campaign benefiting Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. The campaign will run Aug. 1-28. All funds donated by customers will benefit 53 local children's hospitals providing lifesaving care and services for kids in Rite Aid communities. This marks the 27th year for Rite Aid's annual campaign, with customer support helping the company and its public charity, The Rite Aid Foundation, raise and donate more than $100 million overall to CMN Hospitals. During this year's campaign, customers can donate during every in-store transaction at Rite Aid. In addition to patient services, charitable care and equipment, donations help pioneer research that transforms how hospitals care for children not just in their youth, but throughout their lives. "The ripple effects of donations impact nearly every aspect of treatment and services for children's hospitals, and without the help of caring partners like Rite Aid, many may face significant impacts in the short- and long-term," said Teri Nestel, president and CEO of Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. "Every dollar Rite Aid customers, associates and supplier partners raise truly changes kids' health and changes the future in every community our member hospitals serve." As the COVID-19 pandemic proved, children's hospials are on the frontlines when it comes to protecting the health of future generations. The need hasn't ended. All donations made during Rite Aid's campaign will stay local, supporting the children's hospitals in customers' communities. "The impact of every dollar raised goes far beyond hospital walls. When we ensure kids live healthy lives, we help them become the teachers, scientists, artists, inventors and leaders of tomorrow," said Bill Engen, senior vice president of retail operations for Rite Aid. "Every year we are deeply touched by our customers' caring commitment to children's health and look forward to rallying with them to change lives this summer." About Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Children's Miracle Network Hospitals raises funds for 170 children's hospitals that support the health of 10 million kids each year across the U.S. and Canada. Donations go to local hospitals to fund critical life-saving treatments and healthcare services, along with innovative research, vital pediatric medical equipment, child life services that put kids' and families' minds at ease during difficult hospital stays and financial assistance for families who could not otherwise afford these health services. When we improve the health of all children and allow them the opportunity to reach their full potential, we also improve our communities for years to come. Together, we can change kids' health. Together, we can change the future. To learn about Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and your local children's hospital, visit cmnhospitals.org. About Rite Aid Corporation As the trusted, everyday care connector, Rite Aid drives lower healthcare costs through better coordination, stronger engagement, and personalized services that help you achieve whole health for life. We provide an array of whole being health products and services for the entire family through over 2,500 retail pharmacy locations across 17 states. Through Elixir, we provide pharmacy benefits and services to millions of members nationwide. For more information, www.riteaid.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005743/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] $34+ Billion Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Global Market to 2030 - Identify Growth Segments for Investment - ResearchAndMarkets.com The "Hospital Daily Cash Benefit Insurance Global Market Report 2021: COVID-19 Impact and Recovery to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This report provides Strategists, marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the global hospital daily cash benefit insurance market as it emerges from the COVID-19 shut down. The global hospital daily cash benefit insurance market is expected to grow from $34.68 billion in 2020 to $35.26 billion in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.7%. The growth is mainly due to the companies rearranging their operations and recovering from the COVID-19 impact, which had earlier led to restrictive containment measures involving social distancing, remote working, and the closure of commercial activities that resulted in operational challenges. The market is expected to reach $59.79 billion in 2025 at a CAGR of 14.1%. Companies Mentioned Cigna Corporation AIA Insurance Group UnitedHealth Group Inc. Allianz SE Zurich Insurance Group Ltd. Express Scripts Holding Company AXA Aviva plc Aetna Inc. Apollo Munich Health Insurance International Medical Group Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. Star Health Insurance ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Religare Health Insurance Company Limited Reasons to Purchase Gain a truly global perspective with the most comprehensive report available on this market covering 12+ geographies. Understand how the market is being affected by the coronavirus and how it is likely to emerge and grow as the impact of the virus abates. Create regional and country strategies on th basis of local data and analysis. Identify growth segments for investment. Outperform competitors using forecast data and the drivers and trends shaping the market. Understand customers based on the latest market research findings. Benchmark performance against key competitors. Utilize the relationships between key data sets for superior strategizing. Suitable for supporting your internal and external presentations with reliable high quality data and analysis. The inability to cover the complete medical treatment expenses is anticipated to hinder the hospital's daily cash benefit insurance market's growth. Hospital cash plans only provide a daily allowance through hospitalization instead, a health insurance plan provides more comprehensive coverage. On average, the hospital's daily cash benefit insurance provides the insured with an amount ranging from $100 to $3000 per day which is not sufficient for the complete coverage of the treatment making it a supplement to the health insurance plans. This scenario is likely to act as a hindrance to the growth of the market. In January 2020, HDFC, an Indian-based provider of housing finance with a presence in banking, life and general insurance, asset management, venture capital, real estate, education, deposits, and educational loans, acquired a majority stake in Apollo Munich health insurance for $334 million. Through this acquisition, Apollo Munich health insurance is renamed HDFC ERGO health insurance to improve customer service experience with a wider range of products and a network of 10000+ cashless hospitals. Apollo Munich health insurance is an India based company formed by the collaboration between Apollo Hospitals and Munich which offers services such as life, health, accident, and travel insurance. Rising out of the pocket health care expenditure is expected to drive the hospital's daily cash benefit insurance market. Out-of-pocket payments (OOPs) are direct payments made by individuals to healthcare providers at the time of service use. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) report on National Health Expenditures 2018, the out-of-pocket spending grew by 2.8% to $375.6 billion in 2018, accounting for 10% of the total healthcare expenditure in the USA. During hospitalization, out-of-pocket hospital expenses include user fees, medicines, diagnostics, procedure charges, transportation, informal charges, and others that have to be borne by the insured. The hospital's daily cash benefit insurance provides a certain fixed amount to the insured during their hospital stay, which the person is free to use as per his/her need. Hence, an increase in out of the pocket health care expenditure aids in the growth of the hospital's daily cash benefit insurance market. Companies are collaborating with the digital payment platforms for providing hospital daily cash benefits to provide a simple and hassle-free claim process to policyholders for faster reimbursement. For instance, in July 2020, ICICI Lombard partnered with Phone (News - Alert) Pe for offering hospital daily cash benefits to Phone Pe users. Similarly, in October 2019, Religare Partnered with Ola and started the OlaMoney-Religare Hospicash Policy which offers the policyholder to avail the compensation of $70 per day of hospital cash for plans above $7000. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/v5ca8g View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005777/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] DemandLab Reports 58% Growth Domestically and Internationally and Unveils New Content Division PHILADELPHIA, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, global marketing consultancy and marketing-led customer experience pioneer DemandLab, announced their expanded product and service offerings, a new Content Division, and impressive employee growth across the U.S., Canada and Hungary in 2021. Since 2009, DemandLab has grown from a 1-person agency to an international team that helps visionary CMOs, B2B marketing leaders, and their teams lead customer experience within their organizations in the U.S., Canada, APAC, and Europe. Leading the way in Marketing-Led Customer Experience As a fully remote organization since 2018, the DemandLab team was able to continuously support its clients and their shifting needs throughout the 2020 pandemic. The consultancy aided several clients in the shift to virtual events while decreasing execution time and implementing automated reporting, and helped many clients build a solid marketing foundation to come out of the pandemic strong and resilient. "Our team has been working entirely remotely for years and we have placed a strong emphasis on putting company culture first," said Rhoan Morgan, CEO. "This allowed us to steadily grow our workforce based on new demand, support our clients as they transitioned into remote work, and maintain our standard of service excellence during a time that our clients' needs evolved and grew more rapidly than ever." The consultancy's workforce growth increased by 58% within the first six months of 2021, adding employees to their service delivery, marketing, project and account management, and content teams. The additions to the content team come as the company introduced its new content division led by Rebecca Silverman, Director of Content Marketing Services. Silverman will be responsible for developing new content products and approaches, scaling the company's content model, and leading content strategy development with clients. "I'm excited to join DemandLab and lead the next phase of growth for our content division," said Silverman. "Championing a truly customer-centric approach allows us to deliver content marketing programs with superior brand-building and conversion results for our clients." This team growth furthers DemandLab's mission to expand into international markets and support the growing demands of marketing leaders and market expectations with its new content division. About DemandLab We create marketing-led customer experiences. Through connected platforms, mastered data, and aligned content, we build marketing engines that support revenue growth, business insights, and customer engagement for B2B enterprises. By orchestrating and optimizing your most valuable marketing assets, we empower your marketing teams to re-envision the journey through the eyes of the customer, redefine the lifecycle, and transform the organization's revenue potential. Learn more about this award-winning consultancy at DemandLab.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/demandlab-reports-58-growth-domestically-and-internationally-and-unveils-new-content-division-301342144.html SOURCE DemandLab [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Flexsteel Turns a Page DUBUQUE, Iowa, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The best summer readsthe ones that top each year's bestseller listsusually combine a good story with a little romance. Not surprising then that the execs at Flexsteel Industries are betting they have a potential hit on their hands with Flexsteel.com, an entirely revamped brand website designed to make shopping for a sofa, well, a day at the beach. "Our website is about providing inspiration, information and communicating our brand story to shoppers." While we consumers can shop for just about anything, just about anywhere these days, the furniture category has long presented something of a conundrum. For one thing, a sofa is a big-ticket item, not easily returned, and something we don't typically shop for very often, especially since even a poorly constructed sofa will likely last a few years. That leaves the decorating challenged without a lot of experience in the matter, and with a lot riding on making the right decision. Choose well and prepare to sit back in satisfaction and comfort, enjoying the compliments of family and friends. Choose incorrectly, and you're saddled with a costly decorating mistake that will be a source of unhappiness and discomfort for quite some time to come. A New Decorating Ally Flexsteel is a leading furniture manufacturer determined to take the guesswork out of the decorating gamestacking the deck for consumers by loading their new website with a variety of high-tech tools designed to assist in what many see as a time-consuming, and sometimes altogether frustrating, shopping process. At first glance, the company would seem an unlikely contender for position of decorating ally in the digital age. Based not in Silicon Valley, but in Dubuque, Iowa, the maker was launched more than a century ago, when searching for just the right sofa anywhere other than inside a brick-and-mortar storemuch less while parked on a beach blanketwould have sounded like so much science fiction. Yet, the maker's journey from traditional furniture company to its recently stated goal of becoming a true omnichannel presence in the home furnishings marketplace, is a story that appears destined to become a case study in the how-to-succeed-in-business genre. It begins with a legacy of quality products, and a unique innovation that dates back to the 1920s, when Flexsteel introduced its proprietary blue steel spring, a patented ribbon of steel that revolutionized upholstered furniture manufacturing in those days and has made for a clearly defined brand story in all the years since. From the start, the manufacturer focused on telling its story to retailers across the country, for the most part relying on those dealers to convey its benefitsthe spring never actually wears out or requires adjusting over timeto their stores' customers, the furniture buying public. This marketing approach, which focused nearly all selling efforts on gaining coveted space for Flexsteel's products on retail floors, worked fine for decades. Indeed, over time, the company would grow to become an industry leader, going public in the 1960s, and eventually expanding their product offering to encompass not only upholstered goods, but major collections for every room in the home. "Then came the big shift in how we, as consumers, shop for everything," says Sharad Mathur, vice president of marketing at Flexsteel. "While nothing changed in terms of our capability to design and manufacture fashionable, quality products that will last, in little more than a decade, we moved from the industrial age to the digital. For consumers, new tools continue to appear at an ever-quickening pace, from the first time we used a Google Map to find our way, to the introduction of the iPhone, to our first Uber rides, and all the mobile apps we've learned to useand come to depend onalong the way. People now habitually start their shopping process online, no matter the product, and the pandemic has only accelerated this trend. Prior to a purchase, they expect to find all the information they require to make their buying decision on your website, on your mobile friendly app, on a screen of one sort or another, wherever they happen to be." eginning a New Chapter The challenge for a company like Flexsteel, born and bred in the industrial age, was how to evolve its very traditional marketing approach to remain relevant in this new reality. Thus, the launch of Flexsteel.com, which supplants a site that was by all accounts dated and quite corporate in appearance (read that boring). The new version is cleaner, brighter, bolder, and from a visual standpoint, much more in line with the look of a major specialty retailer. Though aimed squarely at a consumer audience, the site remains strictly B2B in support of the retailers that sell Flexsteel's products. "We recognize that the success of our business here at Flexsteel is directly tied to the success of our retail partners," says Jerry Dittmer, chief executive officer, "so our goal was to develop a seamless experience linking our digital platform and our brick-and-mortar dealers to better meet the needs of today's consumers." "Our website is about providing inspiration, information and communicating our brand story to shoppers," Mathur emphasizes. "The robust digital tools we now provide are designed to lead site visitors to retail stores to complete their purchase, and to assist those stores in positioning and promoting our brand to their customers." Get me Rewrite! One of the new tools that will no doubt curl everyone's toes in the sand (or anywhere else for that matter), is digital drapingenabling site visitors to visualize and customize furniture styles and fabrics with a click. Forget the heavy rings hung with small fabric samples that have long forced shoppers to flip back and forth from one small swatch to another, trying to imagine what a sofa might look like wearing each. Just choose a customizable silhouette from Flexsteel's expansive selection of sofas, chairs, and sectionals, and then personalize the look with your choice of more than 250 standard fabrics from the company's popular South Haven collection. Tap on a fabric and the tool immediately "drapes" your piece, fully covered in the chosen color and pattern. No guesswork necessary. Users can then rotate the resulting image 360 degrees to view their selection from all angles, zooming in and out to study it closer. Say that green floral sofa with plaid pillows is not quite what you imagined, just drape it with another fabric, changing the base cloth and/or the accent material as many times as necessary to create a look you love. Among the choices included in the South Haven collection's simplified pricing program are performance fabrics with stain resistancewe're talking to you parents of small children and petssustainable options and even fabrics with UV protection. Still determined to go old-school and insist on actually touching and feeling your chosen material in person? Tap again to request a swatch be sent for your hands-on review. When a Flexsteel.com visitor hits upon an ideal fabric and frame combination, they can add the image they have created to their favorites, email it to themselves, and/or share with friends, family members via social channels. Or simply print the image out to show a salesperson on the floor of their favorite furniture store exactly what it is they are after. Suddenly, buying furniture and decorating a spacelong considered an overwhelming task by manyis something akin to a video game. Winning is easy. Convenient. Confidence boosting. Fun! Wait, There's More As whiz-bang as all this sounds, Mathur is quick to note that the company's digital journey is just beginning. Even so, there are already more tools available here to help consumers create beautiful spaces than the company has ever previously provided. Along with the aforementioned draping tool, the newly interactive website is loaded with bolder, more inviting images, improved navigation, anda room planner. The room planning tool enables site visitors to move beyond customizing a piece of furniture, to actually placing the furniture in a space. "You input your room's dimensions, along with architectural elements like windows, doors and fireplaces, and the room planner makes it simple to choose from any of our products and design your entire room to scale," he explains. Set aside the razzle dazzle designed to engage consumers and invite play, and the company's mission becomes quite clear. These new digital tools virtually nullify the possibility of making a decorating mistake, while exponentially increasing the customer's peace of mind about prospective purchases. There is yet more to come. Virtual realitythe kind that enables users to actually move around inside a space they have createdfigures prominently in the company's plans over the coming months. The Plot Thickens Any good summer read includes page after page designed to engross and move a story forward, and the concept holds just as true here. Anyone who may have encountered the company's previous website, will immediately grasp that its sequel is far more expansive and compelling. Indeed, the company's writing team has been hard at work developing fresh, informative, best-in-class content that is conversational in tone, relatable and smart. In fact, the new site arrives with an ever-growing library of inspirational blogs packed with design ideas and advice, all aimed at helping people make more informed decisions. Read through the vastly improved copy and the underlying message of the brand's legacythe quality construction story at its very heartcontinues to beat unchanged. Additionally, all of the new content is seamlessly syndicated to the websites of Flexsteel retailers across the country, which ensures that no matter where consumers encounter the brand, the information they find will be accurate, up-to-the-minute, and most important, consistent. Although Flexsteel.com is the most outward expression of Flexsteel's transformation into an omnichannel presence, Mathur reports that it is actually only one chapter in the company's unfolding marketing plan. Others delve into brand basics like refreshed store signage and point-of-purchase materials, an updated, easy-to-use in-store kiosk, and, of course, a mobile app. As is appropriate in the current environment, there is also plenty of audience engagement already at work through improved social outreach via Facebook, Instagram, and other channels. "Our over-arching goal now is to create conversations with consumers, sharing what's new and how we're trying to position ourselves as a design leader," Mathur says. "We want to know who they are, what they think about us, and what we can do better. Rather than talk at people, we want to really communicate. And being truly omnichannel means that we need to be ready to talk whenever and wherever they want to have the conversation with us." In other words, the dialog in this story will be ongoing. "We're on a journey, and it's one that never actually ends," the executive says. "Flexsteel accomplished wonderful things for more than one hundred years, all of which were relevant for a company in the industrial age. Now, the marketplace has evolved, and we are transforming along with it. The end of our story is a long way from being written, but for us, the time has come to turn the next page." View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/flexsteel-turns-a-page-301340548.html SOURCE Flexsteel Industries, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Africa's leading blockchain infrastructure seeks to spearhead the tokenization of the rich natural resources of the continent MAHE, Seychelles, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Once in a while, mankind unlocks a secret so profound that our lives are forever altered. We have fire, electricity, splitting the atom, jollof rice, blockchain... These were some of the words of Ernest Mbenkum during his keynote speech at the launch of Bantu Blockchain - arguably the leading global Blockchain infrastructure built out of Africa for the rest of the world. Africa and in fact other emerging economies - because of their peculiar economic situations, youthful population and an affinity for adopting new technologies - find themselves at a vantage point to repurpose emerging technologies to more specific and relatable use, especially in solving their socioeconomic challenges. One only needs to look at the inception, explosion, proliferation and popularity of Mobile Money technology in many parts of Africa to fully appreciate how these demographics are able to easily take advantage of new technologies to cause rapid shifts in their way of life, social interaction and commerce. As the rest of the world engages in debates about Bitcoin (Blockchains firstborn application) and its relevance either as a medium of exchange or a store of value, many other Blockchains have been innovated to solve more specific problems. These innovations have led to breakthroughs such as decentralised finance as well as smart contracts. What is Bantu Blockchain about? Bantu Blockchain combines the best features of many of the leading technologies to address some of Africas biggest problems, and it takes a subtly contrarian approach in building for the general public first, and then for nerds and developers. Bantu Blockchain combines speed, security, reliability and includes human elements of fairness and sharing to empower participants on the network while lowering the entry barriers for participation. Unlike many other platforms that tend to benefit the early adopters; often those with a lot of money and mining rigs, Bantu Blockchain uses a fair economic incentive model to reward all participants of the network according to their contributions regardless of what time they join the Blockchain network as contributors in innovation and hardware resources. It is this contrarian - or better put - innovative approach that led to the development of adoption tools from the very first day of launch . Such tools as the Bantu Token Creator that allow users (people or enterprises) to create blockchain based digital assets with just a few clicks and without the need to hire engineers are just one of the ways Bantu seeks to enhance adoption of the technology with relatable applications. When the barrier to entry of a new technology is low, the rate of adoption and innovation can be pretty explosive. Bantu Blockchain applications and services are ready to use from Day One Some of the Bantu Blockchain applications and services that are ready to use from the get go include: The BantuPay Wallet - a simple, secure and non-custodial wallet that lets you send, receive, swap and store digital assets such as corn, coffee, buildings, CBDCs, utility tokens, NFTs etc. The BantuPay wallet is built on top of the BantuPay payment infrastructure with a free API for developers and integrators to use to plugin. - a simple, secure and non-custodial wallet that lets you send, receive, swap and store digital assets such as corn, coffee, buildings, CBDCs, utility tokens, NFTs etc. The BantuPay wallet is built on top of the BantuPay payment infrastructure with a free API for developers and integrators to use to plugin. The BantuTalk Forum - BantuTalk is the Bantu Blockchain community forum created to offer a platform for sharing ideas and collaboration on Bantu Blockchain-related projects, DApps, protocols, and activities. It is where the vibrant community of users, developers and traders come to hangout. - BantuTalk is the Bantu Blockchain community forum created to offer a platform for sharing ideas and collaboration on Bantu Blockchain-related projects, DApps, protocols, and activities. It is where the vibrant community of users, developers and traders come to hangout. The Bantu Token Creator - a simple solution that allows one to be able to create digital assets on the Bantu Blockchain network with just a few clicks; thus eliminating the need for and cost of hiring blockchain developers. - a simple solution that allows one to be able to create digital assets on the Bantu Blockchain network with just a few clicks; thus eliminating the need for and cost of hiring blockchain developers. The Bantu Network Dashboard - an easy-to-use high level overview of the entire Bantu network in real time. A major convenience for anyone to be able to see how the network is running; the nodes that support the network, recent operations on the network, and other statistics. - an easy-to-use high level overview of the entire Bantu network in real time. A major convenience for anyone to be able to see how the network is running; the nodes that support the network, recent operations on the network, and other statistics. The Bantu Blockchain Explorer - The Bantu Blockchain explorer makes it possible for anyone to browse, search and view all activities taking place on the Bantu Network transparently and in real time, this will ensure that transactions are easily tracked anytime by the users. - The Bantu Blockchain explorer makes it possible for anyone to browse, search and view all activities taking place on the Bantu Network transparently and in real time, this will ensure that transactions are easily tracked anytime by the users. <>The Bantu Laboratory - a tool for Bantu Network developers to perform tests and transactions using the network testnet and mainnet, it is like the wallet but more for developers. It enables developers to create a wallet, send and receive assets and carry out other operations. What are some use cases of Bantu Blockchain? Unlocking Liquidity from real world assets through asset tokenization. Micropayments Solutions - due to the ridiculously low fees and intrinsic support for micropayments which can be game changing in emerging economies Remittances - leveraging insanely fast transaction speeds (2-3 seconds) and ridiculously low fees. Decentralised Marketing (DeMart) - realtime incentivisation of marketers and influencers in relation to the quantitative and qualitative value of their audiences. CBDC - Platform for building Central Bank Digital Currencies Decentralised Finance (DeFi) and Social Lending Voting and multisignature use cases Rewards - e.g. reward tokens Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs) Bantu Blockchain has gone live with Institutional partners from Day One This is hardly the norm in the Blockchain space. Many projects put out a proof of concept and fancy (often compelling) whitepapers and then beat the hype drums to the highest decibels; but they end up not delivering on their promises when the hype is over. You do not need to look too far to identify such projects that are so popular but are fundamentally lightweight when one takes a closer look. Bantu Blockchain on the other hand, because of its approach to have Day One ready solutions has been able to attract industry players and certain governments to begin using its technology stack to build innovative, relatable and potentially life improving solutions. These institutions and Enterprises have also chosen Bantu due to the ease of adoption (low learning curve), ridiculously low fees and insanely fast transaction speeds (2-3 seconds), as well as support from a professional team who possess a deep understanding of Africas peculiar socioeconomic needs, and who also has huge experience with technology deployments. Among such institutional and enterprise partners who are building on top of the Bantu Blockchain stack are: Sterling - Your one-customer bank is a full service national commercial bank in Nigeria that is changing and innovating better how banking and financial services are delivered in Africas biggest economy and beyond. They have an ongoing project that will bring huge liquidity into the Bantu Blockchain ecosystem and solve one of the most obvious problems people have identified Blockchain to solve in Africas highly populated continent. - Your one-customer bank is a full service national commercial bank in Nigeria that is changing and innovating better how banking and financial services are delivered in Africas biggest economy and beyond. They have an ongoing project that will bring huge liquidity into the Bantu Blockchain ecosystem and solve one of the most obvious problems people have identified Blockchain to solve in Africas highly populated continent. Interstellar - Is an African Enterprise Blockchain Infrastructure Company. Interstellar powers critical blockchain infrastructure for digital payments and financial institutions in Africa. Interstellar is one of the major 3rd Partners for the Bantu Blockchain. Interstellar already have championed critical African Projects for companies like Interswitch , Central Bank of Nigeria , Starvolt and SystemSpecs. - Is an African Enterprise Blockchain Infrastructure Company. Interstellar powers critical blockchain infrastructure for digital payments and financial institutions in Africa. Interstellar is one of the major 3rd Partners for the Bantu Blockchain. Interstellar already have championed critical African Projects for companies like , , Starvolt and SystemSpecs. SystemSpecs - The Foremost Provider of Innovative Payment and Human Capital Management Solutions and Services. One of the leading technology companies in Africa that has processed payments to the tune of billions of dollars. Their solution will also be announced in due course. - The Foremost Provider of Innovative Payment and Human Capital Management Solutions and Services. One of the leading technology companies in Africa that has processed payments to the tune of billions of dollars. Their solution will also be announced in due course. Convexity - CHATS, a product of Convexity, is geared towards aiding the transparent distribution of conditional and unconditional voucher cash assistance or aid to vulnerable communities and families via Blockchain token and Cryptocurrencies. The platform is built to fight against fraudulent practices and give the Donors, NGO, Beneficiaries and Vendors visibility and certainty of funds reaching the desired target. Did I miss an ICO? Was there ever one? How did the team get so far without one? Bantu Blockchain did not do an ICO, nor did it raise funds from venture capitalists to build and accomplish all that it has done till date. It was built by a team of professionals who have strong conviction on the impact this ecosystem could make in emerging economies and the Globe at large. Many of these people have worked for free for most of the lifespan of the project. The Bantu Network Utility Token (XBN) The XBN is the native asset/token for the Bantu Network. It is a utility token that powers all operations and transactions on the network. Users and Enterprises leveraging the Bantu Blockchain stack and who carry out transactions on the network pay fees in XBN. Where can the Bantu Network Utility Token (XBN) be acquired? TIMBUKTU: On 19 July 2021, one of our developer community members went live with a full Non-Custodial and innovative Peer to Peer Exchange named Timbuktu where members of the Bantu Ecosystem can exchange Bantu Blockchain based tokens with one another in a peer to peer manner using a wide range of payment methods. The service has been running with constant improvements being implemented by the very innovative and capable Timbuktu team. They took this product to market within 90 days of making their announcement. BITTREX GLOBAL : Even at that, the rapidly expanding Bantu community have been campaigning for XBN to be listed on centralised Exchanges. We are therefore happy to announce here first that the Bantu Network Utility Token (XBN) will be listed on Bittrex Global Exchange today 27 July, 2021. Bittrex Global will be the first centralised Exchange to list XBN publicly. Who is the team behind Bantu Blockchain? The Bantu Blockchain Foundation (BBF) is a not for profit organisation that develops decentralized and scalable blockchain infrastructure, applications, and services that empower humanity. The Bantu Blockchain Foundation team rose up to the occasion to innovate a Blockchain Infrastructure that can address peculiar needs such as unlocking liquidity from resource rich locations which ironically are economically deficient due to prevalent extractive policies in place. The team has a remarkable combined experience in Blockchain (as thought leaders, entrepreneurs and programmers), Africa (as indigenes and residents), as well as work experience in Fortune 500 companies (as developers and deployers of enterprise grade solutions). Our team members have worked in various capacities at reputable organisations such as Apple , Dell EMC , PwC , ABB , MTN , Interstellar and Cisco Technologies. The Bantu Blockchain Foundation team members work from all across the Globe. Media Links Download BantuPay - https://bantupay.org Join our Telegram to interact with the community and admins: https://t.me/bantublockchain Follow us Twitter - https://twitter.com/bantublockchain Subscribe to our YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/c/bantublockchain Join our community forum at https://bantutalk.org Follow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/bantublockchain Follow us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/bantublockchain Media Contact Name - Bantu Communications E-mail - communications@bantufoundation.org Company - Bantu Blockchain Foundation [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Digi-Key Introduces Factory Tomorrow Video Series THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Digi-Key Electronics, which offers the world's largest selection of in-stock and ready-to-ship electronic components, today launched "Factory Tomorrow," a new video series focused on advancements in industrial automation. Sponsored by Banner Engineering and Weidmuller, the three-part video series showcases the latest innovations in robotics, automation and connectivity, as well as cutting-edge manufacturing technologies. "As machines get smarter, manufacturers must continually evolve to meet the increasingly complex environment in which they operate," said Robbie Paul, director of IoT business solutions at Digi-Key. "Growth and investment in industrial automation and digitized systems are the new normal and Digi-Key is committed to helping our customers keep pace with today's ever-changing business landscape." Banner Engineering's director of business development - industrial wireless and IIoT, Matt Negaard agrees: "The advancement of Industry 4.0 and IIoT is an exciting time for our customers who, every day, deploy our products to transform their operations, increase their profitability and accelerate their ability to connect to valuable data on both new and legacy systems, regardless of their industry." Andrew Barco, Weidmuller's director of automation products & solutions, stresses the importance of not only making these connections but also of controlling and optimizing them. "Edge computing, which brings computation and data storage closer to where it is needed, is perfect for small, stand-alone applications where our AI/ML can help improve decision-making, add value, increase efficiency and boost production." The first of three videos in the series, "Manufacturing at the Edge," is now live on Digi-Key's website, and available in all loca languages served. The second video, entitled "The Rise of Robotics," will be released in August, and the third video, "The Intersection of AI and IoT," will be available in September. To learn more about the video series, smart factories and how Digi-Key is supporting this rapidly growing sector, visit the Digi-Key website. About Banner Engineering Banner Engineering manufactures Industrial Automation products that include sensors, LED lights and indicators, machine safety components, and industrial wireless devices. These products help build the cars we drive, the food we eat, the medicine we take, and many of the things we touch every day. Headquartered in Minneapolis since 1966, Banner is an industry leader with over 30,000 active products, operations on six continents, over 1,500 employees, and 3,500 sales and support personnel globally. Every 3.5 seconds a Banner product is installed somewhere in the world. Online at: www.BannerEngineering.com About Weidmuller Weidmuller Your Solution Partner in Industrial Connectivity. Be it automotive manufacturing, electricity generation or water management there's hardly any industry that can do without electronics and electrical connectivity today. As experienced experts we support our customers and partners around the world with products, solutions and services in the industrial environment of power, signal and data. We are continuously developing innovative, sustainable and useful products and solutions for our customer's individual needs. We are a true partner with extensive knowledge and understanding of its customer and their application. Together we set standards in Industrial Connectivity. Let's Connect! About Digi-Key Electronics Digi-Key Electronics, headquartered in Thief River Falls, Minn., USA, is recognized as both the leader and continuous innovator in the high service distribution of electronic components and automation products worldwide. As the original pioneer in this space, Digi-Key provides more than 11.7 million components from over 1,900 quality name-brand manufacturers with an industry-leading breadth and depth of product in stock and available for immediate shipment. Beyond the products that drive technology innovation, Digi-Key also supports design engineers and procurement professionals with a wealth of digital solutions and tools to make their jobs more efficient. Additional information can be found at digikey.com and on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn. Editorial Contact Shelli Lissick Bellmont Partners +1 651 276 6922 digikey@bellmontpartners.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/digi-key-introduces-factory-tomorrow-video-series-301342255.html SOURCE Digi-Key Electronics [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Nexa3D Launch xMODEL 2505 Material For Dental Prosthetics Powered By BASF Forward AM Nexa3D, the maker of ultrafast polymer 3D printers, today announced the immediate commercial availability of xMODEL 2505 dental material powered by BASF Forward AM. This rigid beige color material is ideal for the ultrafast production of additively manufactured thermoformed dental models, dental removable dies, and other dental model applications. xMODEL 2505 printed on Nexa3D's NXD 200 3D printer delivers higher print accuracy that brings the total cost per model down for dental prosthetics manufacturers by reducing their printing, post-processing, and fitting time. This new dental model material requires no finishing detergents, as the printed models can simply be washed with water. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005821/en/ xMODEL 2505 (Photo: Business Wire) To learn more about Nexa3D dental capabilities, check out this media kit and watch this video. Nexa3D's collaboration with BASF Forward AM leverages their combined capabilities to deliver faster additively manufactured dental solutions for dental labs leveraging the 20X productivity advantage of its ultrafast NXD 200 dental 3D printer. No other manufacturin process offers as many possibilities for faster dental lab model fulfillment. Combining Nexa3D's productivity with Forward AM's tailor-made materials makes it possible for dental labs to optimize their dental model production, taking advantage of a material that delivers robust processing and excellent model accuracy and detail. "Our extended partnership with Nexa3D enables us to develop a broad range of photopolymers for the most lucrative and fastest-growing segment in digital dentistry," explained Francois Minec, Managing Director, BASF 3D Printing Solutions. "Together, we plan to deliver an expanded materials library across Nexa3D's rapidly growing portfolio of photoplastics (SLA) and thermoplastics (QLS) for the benefit of our customers around the globe." "For dental labs and prosthetics manufacturers that are competing for higher share, based on service levels, fast just got faster thanks to BASF's new generation of dental materials," said Kevin McAlea, COO of Nexa3D. "Both companies are committed to democratizing access to additively manufactured dental, industrial and consumer products at scale. With NXD 200 dental printers' 20X productivity gains, and up to 85 percent lower total cost of ownership, dental labs can now access higher productivity, better functionality, and exceptional cost effectiveness." The xMODEL 2505 is available through Nexa3D's growing network of resellers. Contact us to find a reseller near you, or to schedule your live 3D printing demo today via Zoom. For more information about Nexa3D and its high performance 3D printing materials, visit nexa3d.com, like on Facebook, or follow on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. About BASF 3D Printing Solutions BASF 3D Printing Solutions GmbH, headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, is a 100% subsidiary of BASF New Business GmbH. It focuses on establishing and expanding the business under the Forward AM brand with advanced materials, system solutions, components, and services in the field of 3D printing. BASF 3D Printing Solutions is organized into startup-like structures to serve customers in the dynamic 3D printing market. It cooperates closely with the global research platforms and application technologies of various departments at BASF, and with research institutes, universities, startups, and industrial partners. Potential customers are primarily companies that intend to use 3D printing for industrial manufacturing. Typical industries include automotive, aerospace, and consumer goods. For further information please visit www.forward-am.com. About BASF At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 110,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care, and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of 59 billion in 2020. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at www.basf.com About Nexa3D Nexa3D is passionate about digitizing supply chain sustainably. The company makes ultrafast polymer 3D printers, that deliver 20X productivity advantage, affordable for professionals and businesses of all sizes. The company's photoplastic printers are powered by its proprietary Lubricant Sublayer Photo-curing (LSPc) and its thermoplastic printers are powered by Quantum (News - Alert) Laser Sintering (QLS). The company's partnerships with world-class material suppliers unlock the full potential of additively manufactured polymers for volume production. The company's NexaX proprietary software platform optimizes the entire production cycle through process interplay algorithms to ensure part performance and production consistency, while minimizing material usage and waste, reducing energy and carbon footprints. For more information, please visit www.nexa3d.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005821/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] CoreStack Launches FinOps, SecOps and CloudOps Governance Solutions on Google Cloud CoreStack, a global cloud governance provider that empowers enterprises to unleash the power of cloud by enabling continuous and autonomous cloud governance at scale, today announced the launch of its three powerful cloud governance offerings - FinOps, SecOps and CloudOps - on Google (News - Alert) Cloud to boost cost optimization, security, and operational efficiencies for enterprises. CoreStack's solutions provide transformative value to enterprises: The CoreStack FinOps provides an organization-wide view of cloud-spend as well as granular details by cloud, account, subscription, department, tag (News - Alert) , region, inventory, and application. With a better understanding of cost drivers and resource utilization, enterprises can identify inefficient cloud resources and act on them to avoid cost leakages, as well as set up budgetary guardrails, and establish accountability through chargebacks to the cloud costs to respective departments or user groups. CoreStack SecOps provides a continuous cloud security posture and allows enterprises to gain visibility and insights into threats and vulnerabilities by region, resource, type, and age. The solution also provides compliance assurance against industry standards regulations, and best practices relevant to an organization, such as ISO27001, HIPAA, PCI (News - Alert) DSS, and CIS. CoreStack CloudOps allows enterprises to break operational siloes by providing a unified and comprehensive view into key cloud operational metrics. Based on ML models, the solution predicts future workload performance, identifies trends in the vital cloud metrics such as costs and budget overruns as well as optimizes threshold levels for different alerts. "Organizations today require cloud solutions that enable security and data governance at scale," said Manvinder Singh, Director, IaaS/PaaS Partnerships, Google Cloud. "We're pleased to have CoreStack's solutions available on Google Cloud and provide our customers with the technologies that help them get the most from their cloud investments." Recognized as a trailblazer in the top 10 cloud management platform providers, CoreStack's AI-powered multi-cloud governance solution, empowers enterprises to rapidly achieve continuous and autonomous cloud governance at scale. CoreStack enables enterprises to realize outcomes such as 40% decrease in cloud costs and 50% increase in operational efficiencies by governing operations, security, cost, access, and resources. Pythian, a leading data, analytics, and cloud services company as well as Google Cloud Premier Partner, Google CloudMSP and the 2020 Google Cloud Specialization Partner of the Year for Data Management Award recipient, announced its partnership with CoreStack to integrate the CoreStack FinOps solution into its cloud financial management services offering. "Our deep cloud expertise combined with CoreStack's reporting functionality and scalability creates the ideal solution to maximize our customers' cloud investment," said Lynda Partner, senior vice president of products and offerings at Pythian. "Our partnership with CoreStack enhances our FinOps services offering on Google Cloud and extends the insight and flexibility we offer to our customer base." CoreStack FinOps solution helps provide multiple value-added capabilities: Extends CoreStack's aggregation capability, allowing multi-dimension cost visibility Tight bi-directional integration with ITSM and monitoring tools such as ServiceNow (News - Alert) and Jira, enabling cost threshold breach notification, budget notification and cost anomaly notification Customizability for multi-dimension reports, such as daily, monthly cloud spend, usage, inventory, tags, region, resource type, consolidated charges report and custom chargebacks Right-sizing recommendations for workloads to drive cost improvements and savings Flexibility and dynamic future-ready roadmap catered to customer needs "The launch of our innovative FinOps, SecOps and CloudOps solutions on Google Cloud builds on our impetus to offer our customers a flexible yet robust cloud governance solution for deriving maximum efficiencies across any cloud," said Sabapathy Arumugam, CTO and Co-founder of CoreStack. "We are excited to bring costs, security and operational efficiencies to our customers on Google Cloud through these solutions." Using the FinOps, SecOps and CloudOps solutions, enterprises can leverage rule-based automation of monitoring, alerts and remediation, activity tracking, backups, restore, and patch management. The solutions have tight bi-directional integration with ITSM Tools like ServiceNow, Jira, Zabbix, Nagios, etc. About CoreStack CoreStack, an AI-powered multi-cloud governance solution, empowers enterprises to unleash the power of cloud on their terms by helping them rapidly achieve continuous and autonomous cloud governance at scale. CoreStack enables enterprises to realize outcomes across FinOps, SecOps and CloudOps such as 40% decrease in cloud costs and 50% increase in operational efficiencies by governing operations, security, cost, access, and resources. CoreStack also assures 100% compliance with standards such as ISO, FedRAMP, NIST, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, AWS CIS & Well Architected Framework (WAF). Enterprises face significant cloud challenges including unpredictable and unabated cloud costs, ever growing security risks, stringent regulatory compliance needs and operational complexities as they navigate the digital transformation journey. CoreStack helps enterprises overcome these challenges by offering deeper cloud visibility, preventative governance guardrails, and automatic remediation. With a unique Cloud-as-Code approach that uses deep AI/ML, declarative definitions, connector-less model, and a patented cloud service-chaining technology, CoreStack continually innovates to harness the real power of cloud. CoreStack works with many large global customers across multiple industries including Financial Services, Healthcare, Retail, Education, Telecommunications, Technology and Government. The company is backed by venture investors including Iron Pillar, Dallas Venture Capital (DVC) and Z5 Capital. CoreStack is a recent recipient of the 2021 Gold Stevie American Business Awards in the Cloud Infrastructure category and 2021 Gold Globee Winner of the Most Innovative Company of the Year in IT Cloud/SaaS. In addition, CoreStack won the 2021 Best New Products American Business Award in Cloud Governance as well as Golden Bridge Awards for Cloud Computing/SaaS Innovation and Cloud Security Innovation. CoreStack was recognized as IDC (News - Alert) Innovator in Cloud Management Solutions and in the Gartner Magic quadrant for Cloud Management Platforms in 2020. The Company is a three-time TiE50 Winner and a Emerge 50 League-10 NASSCOM award recipient in Enterprise Software. CoreStack is a Google Cloud Build Partner, Microsoft Azure Gold & Co-Sell Partner, and Amazon AWS Advanced Technology Competency Partner. Learn more at www.corestack.io. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005152/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Transact Releases New Emergency Hotline Capabilities As Colleges Prepare to Welcome Students Back to Campus Transact, the leader in innovative credential and payment solutions for a connected campus, today announced the release of a new mobile feature that gives college students emergency hotline and suicide prevention information at their fingertips. This addition to Transact's mobile credential platform comes at a time when the majority of college students are reporting mental and emotional trauma stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic.1 "Over the last few years, there has been a steady increase in utilization and demand for campus counseling services,2 and this year, 73 percent of college presidents identified mental health as a pressing issue3," said Nancy Langer, CEO, Transact. "We know from working closely with university leaders around the country that student health and wellbeing are of the utmost concern as campuses prepare for the start of the 2021-2022 academic year. We designed this technology to be part of the support system for students and school leaders. Our easy-to-implement tool allows students to access emergency contact information directly from the student ID credential on their smartphone." The emergency hotline and suicide prevention contact capability is available immediately to all existing Transact Campus Mobile ID customers through a simple system update. Transact's mobile platform allows university administrators to push updates to student IDs without the expensive process of reprinting and redistributing IDs. Users will also have the ability to customize their students' IDs to include national, state, local and/or school-specific hotline information. Many states are moving to require this information on student ID cards. "We hope the ease and accessibility of this feature will help keep college campuses safer and save student lives," Langer continued. Statistics show that services, such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, are effective in reducing emotional distress and suicidality.4 These serices help divert callers from unnecessary law enforcement, emergency and hospital services. This potentially life-saving capability strengthens Transact's robust and secure mobile-centric campus platform. Thanks to integrations with the nation's primary smart phone wallets, campuses that use Transact's contactless student ID credentials are incredibly secure and accessible with a tap. "We recognize that this is the future for all colleges and universities, and we will continue to provide revolutionary technology to support campus goals and improve student experiences," Langer added. For more information or to schedule a demonstration of Transact's campus solutions, visit www.transactcampus.com. About Transact Transact is the leader in innovative payment solutions for a connected campus. Its highly configurable, mobile-centric campus technology ecosystem simplifies the student experience across the full spectrum of student life. Transact's offerings include integrated solutions for tuition and other student expense payments, multi-purpose campus IDs, and campus commerce. With a long-standing reputation of serving the education community, Transact proudly assists millions of students each year with its innovative products and solutions. For more information, visit www.transactcampus.com. 1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7473764/ 2 https://www.higheredtoday.org/2021/06/28/institutions-really-know-going-students-mental-health/ 3 https://www.higheredtoday.org/2021/06/28/institutions-really-know-going-students-mental-health/ 4 https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/AFSP-Hill-Day-2017-1-pager.pdf View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005687/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Spirit Electronics Expands Value-Added Services with In-House Contract Manufacturing Spirit Electronics, a value-added microelectronics distributor, today announced that it has added a contract manufacturing line at its facility in Phoenix, Arizona. The company now offers circuit board assembly along with franchised distribution, BOM management and component and system level test all under one roof. Within their expanded 16,000sf Phoenix, AZ, facility, Spirit Electronics has 5,300sf dedicated to board assembly. Spirit invested more than $3 million in new semiconductor test equipment, environmental chambers and high-end fluorescent X-ray (XRF) imaging and measurement equipment. The new board assembly services offer the Aerospace and Defense industry the ability to buy individual components and receive a fully assembled and qualified board. "We are redefining the meaning of distribution and offering unparalleled supply chain security in our industry with procurement, test and assembly services," says Marti McCurdy, Spirit Electronics CEO. "This vertical integration allows us to fill a unique space in the market, taking a product all the way from design, to foundry, to assembly and test, and deliver a qualified product to the customer for mlitary or space applications. Our new capabilities have generated a lot of interest within our business sector." Spirit's circuit board assembly capabilities include: A leading-edge, proprietary method of robotic re-ball and solder exchange to create leaded solutions Highly accurate and versatile board assembly that can accurately place an 03015 ultra-tiny chip to the industry's largest FPGA components onto a customer's board SMT/SMD, through-hole and mixed technology PCB assemblies and the ability to trace a part all the way down to the reference designator on the board PCB sizes from 50mm x 50mm (2? x 2?) to 810mm L x 480mm W Benefits of the vertically integrated services include cost and schedule reductions, reduced material handling, robust quality oversight, consolidated documentation, streamlined processing and product care, custody and control. About Spirit Electronics: For more than four decades, Spirit Electronics has been a valued distributor and partner to key technology sectors. Spirit's status as a veteran-owned, woman-owned small business (VOWOSB, SDB) with HUBZone certification provides diversity requirement relief to defense and aerospace customers. Spirit offers electronic component distribution and world-class value-added services, including SMI, testing and contract manufacturing. For more information, visit www.spiritelectronics.com. Spirit Electronics is located in Phoenix, AZ, with sales offices in New England and San Jose, CA (News - Alert) . View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005843/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Hitachi Astemo: New Global Leader In Automotive Mobility Technology FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A major new technology company with ambitious growth and environmental goals entered the automotive marketplace in 2021. Hitachi Astemo was created on January 1, 2021, from the merger of Hitachi Automotive Systems with three former Honda affiliates: Nissin Kogyo, Keihin and Showa. Hitachi Ltd. owns a 66.6 percent share of the new auto supplier with Honda holding 33.4 percent. The company has the scale, technical depth and software capabilities to make significant contributions in rapidly changing mobility technology areas such as safety, electrification, comfort and sustainability. Hitachi Astemo's major goals include: Carbon neutral production lines by fiscal 2030; Global leadership in electric motors and inverters with annual production targets of five million units for each and, Generating economic value aiming for approximately $18 billion in sales and 15 percent EBITDA in fiscal 2025. "Building on the strength of our founding companies, Hitachi Astemo is committed to creating a sustainable future and improved quality of life," says CEO Brice Koch. "Our combined expertise, efficiencies and economies of scale will allow us to provide significant economic, environmental and societal benefits an advantage that is furter strengthened by leveraging technology and data from our Hitachi partners." Koch points out that Astemo stands for A dvanced S ustainable T echnologies for M obility, a name fully aligned with the company's plans to define the future of mobility through technologies and solutions in powertrain, chassis systems and advanced driver assistance. Globally the company employs 90,000 people at nearly 140 facilities in 27 countries enabling them to be close to their OEM customers around the world. In the Americas (the United States, Canada, Mexico and Brazil) Hitachi Astemo has 38 facilities with a regional headquarters in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The group is headed by Paul Carroll, a senior vice president of Hitachi Astemo and president and CEO of Hitachi Astemo Americas. "We are developing advanced mobility solutions that will define automobiles and motorcycles in the future," Carroll predicts. "Hitachi Astemo engineering teams today are dedicated to driving innovations that will accelerate the development of next-generation technologies." Hitachi Astemo's Chassis Division currently accounts for about 41 percent of global sales while the Powertrain & Safety Systems Division contributes 50 percent, according to Koch. The company also is a major supplier to the motorcycle industry which accounts for about eight percent of its business. Today, Hitachi Astemo is number one in global sales for hydraulic suspensions and EV components such as electric motors and inverters. It is a leader in foundation-brake sales and its motorcycle group leads the industry in the sale of calipers, throttle bodies and suspensions. Major Hitachi Astemo development programs currently underway include: Inverters with industry leading output and high efficiency performance; Highly efficient, super-compact electric drive units; Next-generation integrated chassis control systems; Integrated AD/ADAS controls that leverage sensor and artificial-intelligence technologies, and Motorcycle electrification and anti-nosedive "attitude control" systems. About Hitachi Astemo, Ltd. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Hitachi Astemo is a joint venture between Hitachi, Ltd. and Honda Motor Co. Hitachi Astemo is a technology company dedicated to the development, manufacture, sale and service for automotive and transportation components, as well as industrial machinery and systems. More information is available at www.hitachiastemo.com . A short YouTube video overview of the company also is available at bit.ly/3hdwfKZ . View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hitachi-astemo-new-global-leader-in-automotive-mobility-technology-301342096.html SOURCE Hitachi Astemo, Ltd. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] NTT and ACCESS Forge Partnership Toward Realization of IOWN NTT (News - Alert) Corporation (NTT) and ACCESS Co., Ltd., today announced a business and technology partnership aimed at promoting the realization of Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) (*1). Through the arrangement, NTT and ACCESS will conduct research and development on new user interface and user experience technology for IOWN. In addition, by leveraging the global channel ecosystem of IP Infusion (News - Alert) , a wholly owned subsidiary of ACCESS, NTT and ACCESS will set up sales channels of NTT software to global markets as a first step toward establishing a global value chain to provide the developed software products. Even with the pandemic largely behind us, there is likely to be an ongoing shift toward a decentralized society, with the continuation of social distancing and other measures. To achieve a world of seamless interconnection of real and virtual in such a decentralized society, one requirement is for an information processing infrastructure on which everyone can easily process information in many different forms, beyond digital, and create value from it. A second requirement is for innovative UI/UX technology to enable all kinds of users to simply and intuitively interact with the new information processing infrastructure. Moreover, the infrastructure supporting such a society will need to be capable of scaling quickly and providing flexible configuration, in order to connect the vast amount of data coming from people, things, virtual spaces, and other places of all kinds. The various players working to realize this infrastructure are actively developing software-based network technology, with its high affinity to automation and artificial intelligence, and are aiming for high cost-effectiveness. NTT is promoting innovative R&D that will bring about change throughout the world in alignment with its group vision: "To resolve societal issues through its business operations, NTT Group works together with its partners as 'Your Value Partner'." NTT is working with partners around the world to develop game-changing innovative technologies, setting forth its IOWN initiative as a part of its vision of building a platform for creating a wide range of services in society. ACCESS has achieved growth on the corporate vision of "connecting everything over the Internet." From the time the Internet was emerging, the company has continued to advance technologies for connecting Internet information and services with people. Its embedded software technology and knowledge have set it apart from its competition, as the company developed and provided to the world browser and other technology for mobile phone Internet connection. IP Infusion, an ACCESS Group subsidiary, is a leader in white box solutions (*2), developing and supplying the world's most advanced network technologies, capable of meeting the most demanding conditions as network traffic grows exponentially. With its white box products boasting the quality and reliability demanded by telecommunications carriers, it is working to achieve open networks and disaggregation. Under the arrangement agreed on today, research and development will be carried out making use of NTT UI/UX technology and ACCESS embedded browser technology. Additionally, making use of the technologies, knowledge, support capability and global delivery/operations framework of IP Infusion, built up through supplying its software-based network operating system (network OS) solutions to more than 350 companies, the partnership aims to achieve efficient worldwide provision of the innovative technologies born of IOWN. R&D on UI/UX for IOWN The birth of the Internet was a major advance for the world, as it made possible the expansion of information spaces on a vast scale and enabled anyone to access that information from anywhere at any time. IOWN is aimed at providing a new information processing infrastructure for seamlessly connecting the real and virtual worlds, free of communications bandwidth and latency constraints. Drawing on the UI/UX technology developed over the years by NTT and on ACCESS browser technology, R&D will be carried out toward realizing the UI/UX needed in IOWN, so that the value of the new information processing infrastructure can be derived to the maximum extent and all users can readily and intuitively learn how to use it. Establish a Global Value Chain to Commercialize NTT Software Technology NTT working with various partners and communities has conducted open R&D on white box network OS solutions Beluganos (for L2/L3 network equipment) (*3) and Goldstone (for optical transmission equipment) (*4), intended for enabling white box in telecommunications carrier networks. IP Infusion, meanwhile, has developed a global channel ecosystem for providing on-going support for a wide portfolio of its own and partner products. In addition to its own network OS for white box, OcNOS (*5) these include global integrator and customer support arrangements for the DANOS- Vyatta (News - Alert) edition, and support for the Commercial SONiC distribution. The partnership will aim for early realization of a platform for sales and support in global markets of network OS solutions making possible IOWN and other leading-edge networking. Looking Ahead The collaborative research on UI/UX based on this partnership will seek to devise new UI/UX capable of effectively presenting the many different kinds of information obtained from IOWN to each recipient, based on their characteristics and values. Toward tangible realization of IOWN, it will further aim to achieve market introduction of pioneering network OS solutions Beluganos and Goldstone in fiscal 2022. NTT and ACCESS will continue conducting open R&D with various global partners toward realization of IOWN. About NTT NTT believes in resolving social issues through our business operations by applying technology for good. We help clients accelerate growth and innovate for current and new business models. Our services include digital business consulting, technology and managed services for cybersecurity, applications, workplace, cloud, data center and networks, all supported by our deep industry expertise and innovation. As a top 5 global technology and business solutions provider, our diverse teams operate in 80+ countries and regions and deliver services to over 190 of them. We serve over 80% of Fortune Global 100 companies and thousands of other clients and communities around the world. For more information on NTT, visit www.global.ntt. About ACCESS Since 1984, ACCESS CO., LTD. (Tokyo Stock Exchange First Section Index, 4813) has been providing advanced IT solutions centered on mobile and network software technologies to telecom carriers, consumer electronics manufacturers, broadcasting and publishing companies, the automotive industry and energy infrastructure providers around the world. The company develops mobile software solutions that have been installed on over 1.5 billion devices, and network software solutions that have been used by more than 350 companies. Utilizing its network virtualization technology expertise and knowledge, the company is currently focusing on the development and commercialization of Internet of Things (IoT) and media solutions that combine embedded and cloud technology. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, the company maintains subsidiaries and affiliates in Asia, Europe and the United States to support and expand its business globally. Learn more about ACCESS at www.access-company.com. Explanation of Terminology *1 IOWN IOWN stands for Innovative Optical and Wireless Network and a concept proposed by NTT for networks and information processing infrastructure. Since January 2021, IP Infusion has been a General Member of the IOWN Global Forum (Established on Jan 2020), an international forum promoted by companies and organizations supporting the IOWN vision. https://www.rd.ntt/e/iown/ https://iowngf.org/ *2 White box Solution A network solution in which the networking software is decoupled from the hardware (disaggregation), enabling major cost savings, flexible network configuration, and rapid implementation of new functions and services. *3 Beluganos A network operating system (OS) designed for open development, aimed at accelerating commoditization and disaggregation of network hardware. In 2017 it became the world's first to implement advanced functions for telecommunications carriers on a white box. It is also contributing to administration of NTT's internal experimental network and pioneering trials in the Metro Ethernet Forum ( MEF (News - Alert) ) and the Telecom Infra Project (TIP), while promoting the spread of white box solutions. TIP is a global community of companies and organizations founded in 2016, of which NTT is a member, with the objective of bringing innovation to hardware, software, and operations. https://www.rd.ntt/e/research/NS0029.html *4 Goldstone A network OS developed in the TIP (Telecom Infra Project) open-source development project, as a software set enabling the flexible design of large-capacity optical transmission systems. *5 OcNOS A network OS for white box switches, developed and provided by IP Infusion. It is applicable to a wide range of use cases from communications service providers to data centers. It is winning adoption by carriers throughout the world who demand disaggregation based on each of the TIP specifications and open-source solutions. https://www.ipinfusion.com/products/ocnos/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005109/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Guaranteed Lifetime Income or A Fully Stocked Wine Cellar? Financial Advisors Believe Their Clients Favor the Former RetireOne, the leading independent platform for fee-based insurance solutions, and Protective Life Corporation (Protective), a wholly owned subsidiary of Dai-ichi Life Holdings, Inc. (TSE:8750), today announced the results of the "2021 RIA Protected Accumulation + Retirement Income Survey". Top findings the survey revealed are that registered investor advisors (RIAs) are staunch in their belief that guaranteed lifetime income delivers immense value to their clients, resistance to annuity solutions is seemingly waning, and too many investment advisory representatives (IARs) are outsourcing client life insurance needs to an insurance agent/agency or are ignoring their clients' insurance needs altogether. Financial advisors' clients are happy with the relief of guaranteed lifetime income. In their joint survey of nearly 200 financial professionals, RetireOne and Protective found that 84 percent of advisors whose clients own annuities agree or strongly agree that guaranteed lifetime income is more important to them than a fully stocked wine cellar. Eighty-seven percent of advisors whose clients own annuities agree or strongly agree that guaranteed lifetime income makes their clients happy, and 89 percent agree or strongly agree that guaranteed lifetime income lets their clients sleep easier. Despite the growing acceptance of annuities, more respondents recommend Certificates of Deposit (CDs) than fixed annuities or fixed index annuities to their clients in need of principal protection while payout rates for fixed annuities over five-year durations could triple the payout of CDs over the same time period. Are RIAs finally giving annuities their due? In RetireOne's survey conducted on this topic last year, a third of respondents indicated that they wouldn't refer an annuity to a client who expressed interest in life insurance as part of their retirement portfolio. This year, perhaps due to the fears spurred by the pandemic, less than a quarter of respondents indicated they were unlikely or very unlikely to refer an annuity to clients (should their needs be addressed by the features of an annuity). Primary objections from those who are unlikely or very unlikely to refer an annuity indicate that a lack of awareness about advisory annuity innovation of the last five to 10 years may be to blame. Of those, most cited fees, complexity and lack of liquidity as primary objections. "Today's insurance solutions are different from the offerings of years past that were shrouded in commissions and high fees, and we believe that the importance of educating advisors on these new advancements has never been greater," said David Stone, Co-Founder and CEO, RetireOne. "We are ready to support advisors who are awakening to the benefits of today's nnuities. Products that are low cost and offer a guaranteed lifetime solution are the way of the future and we are more enthusiastic than ever about enabling fee-only fiduciaries to properly guide their clients into and through retirement they can enjoy." Missed opportunity for IARs to show their value to clients? Half of IARs that responded either outsource client life insurance needs to an insurance agent/agency or ignore their clients' insurance needs altogether. This is a significant missed opportunity for a vast population of IARs. While 62 percent who responded are not insurance licensed, adding insurance capabilities via an outsourced insurance desk can grow their capabilities, help them reach a broader audience, deliver more complete holistic financial plans which incorporate insurance protections, and build a financial moat to thwart potential external influences who may not always have their clients' best interests in mind. "We are thrilled to collaborate with RetireOne on the 2021 RIA Protected Accumulation + Retirement Income Survey," said Jim Wagner, Chief Distribution Officer, Protective. "It is encouraging to see that more advisors are adopting annuities into their investment practice, and we are excited to partner with IARs to protect their clients' retirement funds. We are focused on delivering the protection investors are seeking at a low cost with features that fit into the fee-only advisor's practice. Our survey reinforces the need to further educate IARs on solutions that can help them deliver holistic planning experiences to their clients without outsourcing insurance needs." Why should advisors pay more attention to life insurance solutions for their clients? Not your grandmother's insurance products: Because commissions have been stripped out of advisory annuities, today's versions are lower in cost and the insurance protections have been made more valuable. Many are available without surrender penalties, and some are directly billable without impacting the living or death benefits. Advisory annuities are easier to integrate into RIA practices than ever before, and advisory annuities can be a viable alternative for advisors to consider as they construct client portfolios consistent with their fiduciary responsibilities. Data integrations with portfolio management and financial planning software solutions empower advisors to present insurance options that meet the needs of the consumer in a holistic fashion. Have your cake and eat it, too: Advisors who refer annuities to clients want low-cost, simplicity, quality investment options, the ability to turn on income when needed, liquidity, billability, and ESG options. Meanwhile, with more insurers bringing these solutions to the market, product development is evolving to rapidly meet the needs and expectations of RIAs and their clients. Liquidity, lower cost, less complexity, and transparency are the core benefits of modern advisory solutions built to meet the fiduciary standard of care. Destress your client portfolios: A lifetime withdrawal benefit can aid clients in meeting their financial goals, helping ensure they do not run out of money in retirement, but it can also lower their portfolio reliance rate. Utilizing an annuity, which typically can pay more in guaranteed income than what's generated from other investment options, will lower a client's reliance on decumulation strategies from their portfolio. Dedicated to providing advisors and their clients valuable retirement solutions that are simple to use, easy to understand, and delivered with outstanding service, the teams at RetireOne and Protective developed this survey to continue their efforts in educating advisors on the value of life insurance in client portfolios. For more insights from the "2021 RIA Protected Accumulation + Retirement Income Survey", please see the accompanying infographic and make sure to attend the Advisor Perspectives Thought Leader Summit 2021 at which RetireOne and Protective will be hosting a session to further break down the findings. About RetireOne Serving over 1,000 RIAs and fee-based advisors since 2011, Aria (News - Alert) Retirement Solutions' RetireOne is the leading, independent platform for fee-based insurance solutions. With offerings from multiple "A" rated companies, RIAs may access this fiduciary marketplace at no additional cost to them or their clients. Currently servicing over $1 billion of retirement savings and income investments, RetireOne continues to grow in its mission to provide advisors and their clients valuable retirement solutions that are simple to use, easy to understand, and delivered with outstanding service. Learn more at RetireOne.com and follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) @RetireOne. About Protective Life Corporation Protective Life Corporation (Protective) provides financial services through the production, distribution and administration of insurance and investment products throughout the U.S. Protective traces its roots to its flagship company, Protective Life Insurance Company - founded in 1907. Protective's growth and success can be largely attributed to its ongoing commitment to serving people and doing the right thing - for its employees, distributors, and most importantly, its customers. Protective's headquarters is located in Birmingham, Alabama, and its 3,600+ employees work across the United States. As of December 31, 2020, Protective had assets of approximately $127 billion. Protective Life Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dai-ichi Life Holdings, Inc. (TSE:8750). For more information about Protective, please visit Protective.com. 1Lifetime income guarantees subject to the claims paying ability of the insurance company. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005771/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Kyocera Celebrates 50 Years of U.S. Manufacturing The City of San Diego has honored Kyocera (News - Alert) International, Inc. for 50 years of U.S. manufacturing. At its founding in Silicon Valley in July 1969, the U.S. company was Kyocera Corporation's first subsidiary outside of Japan. In 1971, Kyocera International, Inc. acquired facilities in San Diego and started producing ceramic semiconductor packages, becoming the first Japanese-parented technology enterprise with manufacturing operations in the State of California. The company's history of innovation goes back much further. Kyocera founder Kazuo Inamori was just 24 when he became the first researcher in Japan to synthesize forsterite, an engineered ceramic with key applications in high-frequency electronics. Inamori founded Kyocera three years later, in 1959, building a ceramic part for use in early TV picture tubes - just as demand for consumer TVs was beginning to take off. Following that, Kyocera established a pattern of providing advanced ceramic components to solve emerging challenges in every new field of technology. Today, the company's ceramics play an integral role in aerospace and space exploration, broadband, Wi-Fi, fiber-optic and 5G networks, computing equipment, document solutions, LED lighting, medical imaging, gene sequencing, and wireless devices - including Kyocera's own line of waterproof, ruggedized 5G smartphones and feature phones. Kyocera Group Companies now employ approximately 5,700 people in the U.S., with a network of 19 U.S. manufacturing plants. "Kyocera employees have great dedication, and many of us have 0, 30 or more years of service with the company," said Kyocera International, Inc. President Bob Whisler, a 40-year Kyocera veteran. "We believe our employee loyalty results from our Kyocera Philosophy, our commitment to the principle of 'Doing what is right as a human being,' and our ability to offer challenging work that contributes to a better future for people worldwide." A proclamation honoring Kyocera International, Inc.'s 50-year manufacturing anniversary was signed by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and all nine city councilmembers. "The City of San Diego proudly applauds Kyocera for being an outstanding contributor to our economy, and our community, for half a century now," said Councilmember Chris Cate, who represents Kyocera's neighborhood in San Diego's District 6. "We are delighted to join Kyocera in celebrating its 50th anniversary of U.S. manufacturing, which began in San Diego." About KYOCERA Kyocera Corporation (TOKYO: 6971, https://global.kyocera.com/), the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of fine ceramics (also known as "advanced ceramics"). By combining these engineered materials with metals and integrating them with other technologies, Kyocera has become a leading supplier of industrial and automotive components, semiconductor packages, electronic devices, smart energy systems, printers, copiers, and mobile phones. During the year ended March 31, 2021, the company's consolidated sales revenue totaled 1.5 trillion yen (approx. US$13.8 billion). Kyocera is ranked #603 on Forbes magazine's 2021 "Global 2000" list of the world's largest publicly traded companies, and appears on The Wall Street Journal's latest list of "The World's 100 Most Sustainably Managed Companies." View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005940/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Plan for Safe Portable Generator Use During High Heat/Fire Season Forest fires are natural and having many in the mid- to late-summer is normal. Some conifers have even evolved to actually need fire to germinate. But there's no doubt that big, intense burns are now more common. And this year's fire season came about a month early and with terrifying ferocity. Power outages are imminent. Public safety personnel, government officials, and media are encouraged to use their platforms to prepare the public, not only for how to survive a fire, but also how to survive power outages. Either because of Flex Alerts, Public Safety Power Shut-Offs, planned black outs, or, at worse, downed transmission lines, the demand for portable generators will peak. They can be lifesaving devices during perilous times, but they also come with their own dangers-virtually all of which are preventable. Due to improper consumer use of portable generators, people suffer carbon monoxide poisoning. People can even start other fires as they're trying to protect their homes from a looming wildfire. To help keep owners of portable generators and their families safe, the Portable Generator Manufacturers' Association (PGMA) developed Take it Outside, a program that encourages at-risk residents to start thinking about how and where generators can be safely used. Much like preparing for any calamity, the time to plan is before a trouble strikes. The Take it Outside program emphasizes that the only safe way to operate a portable generator is by taking it outside. This planning as to, one, where you will position your alternative energy source and, two, ensuring you have extension cord length to accommodate the safe distance, is mandatory to keep people safe from the colorless, odorless threat of carbon monoxide. The program also offers tips to avoid electrical and fire hazards. Complete primer notes are available online and include a video and printable fact sheet. Inevitably power outages will happen. What can and does help is preparedness. Please consider reviewing PGMA's safety materials, make a plan, and practice the plan. About PGMA The Portable Generator Manufacturers' Association (PGMA) is a trade association that seeks to develop and influence safety and performance standards for our industry's products. PGMA members include major manufacturers of portable generators sold in North America. www.pgmaonline.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005822/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] UnityPoint Health Launches Tool Connecting Public with Local Social Services, Programs WEST DES MOINES, Iowa, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its mission to improve the health of the communities it serves, UnityPoint Health is launching a new social services resource called "Together We Care" to help individuals find assistance with food, housing, transportation, employment and more. "Access to things like healthy food and safe housing are vital to everyone's health," says Dr. Sanjeeb Khatua, president and CEO of UnityPoint Clinic. "We also know that, at times, many of our patients and families face challenges trying to meet their needs, making it more difficult to stay healthy or recover from illness. As part of our mission to improve the health of our communities, we're pleased to launch this new tool and ease some of the burden of finding help." The online tool, called Together We Care, connects individuals to area organizations offering free and reduced-cost social services and programs. The resource is completely free and can be accessed by visiting TogetherWeCare.UnityPoint.org. Quick Details: New Tool Name: Together We Care How to Access: TogetherWeCare.UnityPoint.org Who Can Use It: Anyone Cost to Use: Free Resources Provided: Free and reduced-cost social services and programs Once on the website, individuals can search for services by zip code or category. The tool then displays information and details about participating social care organizations, including how to contact them. UnityPoint Health joins organizations nationwide using the tool to help address the economic and social needs of its patients and communities. Together We Care is powered by Aunt Bertha, the nation's leading network of social service providers. In addition to public usage, UnityPoint Health providers use the tool to easily and quickly make referrals for patients, connecting them with programs and services to live healthier lives. "As care team members, we often identify patients and clients who are facing economic hardship or other conditions impacting their quality of life," says Dr. Megan Romine, medical director, UnityPoint Accountable Care. "Whether it's access to education and job opportunities, nutritious foods or reliable transportation, this resource is another important way we can help our patients find the resources they need to be safe and healthy." View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/unitypoint-health-launches-tool-connecting-public-with-local-social-services-programs-301340485.html SOURCE UnityPoint Health [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Affera, Inc. Announces Successful First-In-Human Use Of SpherePVI Circumferential Pulmonary Vein Isolation Device Using Pulsed Field Energy WATERTOWN, Mass., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Affera, Inc., a private medical device company focused on innovative cardiac arrhythmia treatment solutions, announced today first-in-human use of its circumferential Pulmonary Vein Isolation (PVI) Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA) catheter, SpherePVI. The work was conducted as part of a multi-center first-in-human study designed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the SpherePVI catheter and Affera system in patients suffering from atrial fibrillation (AFIB). The first patients were successfully treated at Vilnius University Hospital in Lithuania (PI: Gediminas Rackauskas) joined by Vivek Reddy, M.D., Director of Cardiac Arrhythmia Services for Mount Sinai Health System and Elad Anter, M.D., Associate Section Head of Electrophysiology for Cleveland Clinic. "PVI is the cornerstone of catheter ablation therapy for patients with atrial fibrillation. Circumferential ablation catheters, also known as 'single-shot' catheters, have been developed to simplify the approach for PVI, allowing a rapid and effective ablation strategy that is particularly suitable for patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation," commented Dr. Elad Anter. "The SpherePVI enables performance of circumferential PVI with minimal catheter manipulation and lesion applications. I am glad to report that a first group of patients was treated successfully ith this new catheter, achieving PVI with ease and an unprecedently short procedure time. I look forward to future work with this device and reporting long-term patient outcomes." SpherePVI is a novel 8F over-the-wire multi-segment lattice tip catheter designed to efficiently deliver circumferential pulmonary vein isolation. The catheter is integrated with the Affera system which includes the Prism-1 mapping and HexaGEN ablation system, as well as the Sphere9 focal ablation and mapping catheter. Designed to optimize procedural efficiency and efficacy across a broad range of cardiac arrhythmias, the Affera system has been used to treat over 275 patients. "Our team designed the SpherePVI catheter from the ground up to deliver on the promise of PFA therapy in a true 'single-shot' form factor," stated Doron Harlev, CEO and founder of Affera. "With an estimated $1B in annual revenue, the 'single-shot' device segment has grown significantly over the last decade. This new catheter complements the company's Sphere9, providing a complete range of tools for mapping, 'single-shot' ablation for patient with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, and focal ablation for patients with persistent atrial fibrillation, which often require tailored ablation with additional lesion sets. This latest addition to our portfolio highlights our ongoing commitment to delivering innovative solutions for electrophysiologists and cardiac arrhythmia patients." AFIB, which is an irregular heartbeat, is a condition that can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications and is the fastest growing EP market segment expected to reach $10 billion worldwide in 2025. With an estimated 37 million people currently living with this condition, 1 in 4 adults over 40 is at risk of developing AFIB in their lifetime. Affera, focused on developing comprehensive solutions for the electrophysiology market, offers superior focal and 'single-shot' ablation options with integrated mapping. About Affera Inc. Affera is a medical technology company dedicated to delivering unrivaled innovative solutions to address the rapidly growing cardiac arrhythmia market. Affera is developing a comprehensive integrated platform to efficiently deliver durable therapy for a broad set of cardiac arrhythmia patients. The Affera system, SpherePVI and Sphere9 catheters are not currently approved for commercial use. For more information, visit www.affera.com. MEDIA CONTACT: Katie Arnold SPRIG Consulting LLC +1 (408) 805-0520 katie@sprigconsulting.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/affera-inc-announces-successful-first-in-human-use-of-spherepvi-circumferential-pulmonary-vein-isolation-device-using-pulsed-field-energy-301342405.html SOURCE Affera, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Montgomery College Signs Five-Year Agreement with YuJa for College-Wide Enterprise Video Services Montgomery College, Rockville, Md., recently partnered with YuJa to provide a Video Content Management System to serve and support its 55,000 students and more than 3,100 faculty, administrators and staff. The college was seeking a robust, cloud-based Solution with an easy-to-use interface that also integrates with Blackboard (News - Alert) , its Learning Management System (LMS). Video captioning, support of additional languages beyond English and Spanish, and the ability to track analytics data through the LTI Advantage-certified LMS connector were among the reasons the college selected YuJa's Enterprise Video Platform. "Montgomery College is taking a proactive approach to its learning needs, as it can now streamline processes and develop data to aid in teaching and training, as well as enhance compliance with captioning, centralized captioning support and accessible media content for their college community," said Nathan Arora, Chief Business Officer at YuJa, Inc. "College administrators can feel confident in their ability to teach and train students as the technological landscape continues to evolve." In addition to integrating with the LMS, the YuJa Entrprise Video Platform is compatible with other third-party administrative, enterprise resource planning and student information systems, along with video conferencing and captioning services. ABOUT MONTGOMERY COLLEGE Montgomery College is Maryland's second oldest community college. The college serves roughly 55,000 students each year through credit and noncredit programs at nonresidential campuses located in Germantown, Rockville, and Takoma Park/Silver Spring and at off-campus sites throughout Montgomery County, Md. To support students' academic and professional goals, the college employs more than 3,100 faculty, administrators, and staff. ABOUT YUJA, INC. YuJa is a leader in enterprise video solutions. Its products harness the power of video to educate, engage, inspire, and collaborate. YuJa serves organizations of all sizes, within all sectors, including higher-ed, K-12, government, healthcare, non-profit and corporate delivering engaging video experiences. Its portfolio includes products for lecture capture, live streaming, video management, video conferencing, video test proctoring, digital asset management, digital compliance, and enterprise accessibility. Legal headquarters are located in Delaware, with primary U.S. offices in Silicon Valley, California, and Canadian offices in Toronto. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005972/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] LocalTrade Exchange Shares Latest Strategic Plan, Bridging The Gap Between DEX and CEX MIAMI, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- New management of LocalTrade LLC (https://localtrade.cc) has recently released a brand new development plan to make the exchange platform a key player in the international crypto market. LocalTrade is a widely recognized platform for trading cryptocurrencies, either like for like or for fiat currencies (like GBP, EUR, or USD). Its prime distinguishing feature is a novel security solution for data storage which makes it impossible to access exchange funds. A trustworthy auditing firm was invited to perform an extensive source code audit and ensure security of LocalTrade's data storage. The roadmap is ambitious as the new LocalTrade LLC aims to get into the top 30 exchanges on the CMC rankings in 2022, turning it into an exciting destination for crypto traders around the world. Users will benefit from a combination of advanced technology and compliance, as well as autonomy and flexibility guaranteed by the DEX (decentralized exchange) launch planned for 2021. The company also gives cool gifts for new users to increase activity on the exchange. You can win a new Tesla Model 3 on LocalTrade, more than 1 ETH, and each new user will receive $ 10 to his account immediately after registration. Despite being a new word in the crypto industry, the sphere of decentralized finances has some issues, making it less attractive for retail investors. High technical barriers and extra-large gas fees prevent wide publicity from entering the profitable DeFi scene. LocalTrade's CEX development is aimed to expand the DeFi ecosystem and bring new exciting products that provide simple access to high-yield financial tools in DeFi for everyone, from crypto enthusiasts to inexperienced newcomers LocalTrade DeFi Yield Marketplace and Launchpad. These products are created to break entry barriers and simplify investments in decentralized finance. Anyone with a banking card and as little as $10 would be able to access DeFi projects via the Marketplace a DeFi yield aggregator with different risk-based strategies including tokenized shares, liquidity pools and token sales. As a part of LocalTrade plan, the company also launches educational programs through LocalTrade University (providing learning materials in the crypto field for beginners and pros) and developing community-oriented projects in emerging markets. With its visionary ambition, LocalTrade paves the way with a refreshingly exciting approach to digital finance, combining opportunities from DeFi and CeFi within a single platform. LocalTrade gives the world an insider's preview on the unfolding future of finance and has already started the decentralized revolution: its native cryptocurrency token will be distributed via the company's DeFi Platform and will provide utility for DEX users and Marketplace investors, enhancing yield across all earning strategies. For more information on LocalTrade, the company's whitepaper and detailed development plans, visit the LocalTrade website: https://localtrade.cc/ Media contact: Justin Baronoff 561-750-9800; justin@transmediagroup.com View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/localtrade-exchange-shares-latest-strategic-plan-bridging-the-gap-between-dex-and-cex-301342438.html SOURCE LocalTrade LLC [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] CUPE 391 Members Ratify Tentative Agreement With Vancouver Public Library CUPE 391 members who work at Vancouver Public Library (VPL) ratified a three-year agreement with the employer on July 21. The settlement followed a challenging round of bargaining that concluded on July 6. The VPL board and the City of Vancouver have also ratified the new agreement. "We are pleased to have reached an agreement that reflects our members' commitment to reconciliation, equity, and inclusion," said CUPE 391 President Kari Scott-Whyte. "New provisions for cultural leave, Indigenous representation, and trans-affirming care leave are a positive step in recognizing and supporting the diversity of our membership, and will serve as building blocks for future bargaining rounds." The agreement, retroactive to January 1, 2020, remains in effect until Decmber 31, 2022. The compensation package was structured to be inclusive of Part-Time and Auxiliary workers and to ensure that those most impacted also benefit. The collective agreement includes wage increases of 2 per cent each year as well as improvements to lay-off provisions. Scott-Whyte noted that the past year has been incredibly challenging for library workers, as it has been for many others. She pointed out that members were disproportionately impacted by City of Vancouver lay-offs in March 2019. "Citizens were deprived of full library services for a significant amount of time," said Scott-Whyte, citing stories from the public that illustrate the critical community connections that library workers provide even during times of adversity. CUPE 391 represents over 750 employees at Vancouver Public Library, as well as public library workers in Sechelt and Gibsons. CUPE 391 members include librarians, library assistants, delivery staff, maintenance workers, graphic designers, supervisors, library technicians, corporate service clerks, and printers. cope491 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727006050/en/ [July 27, 2021] RE/MAX and RateMyAgent Link Arms to Offer Agents & Teams Compelling Client Review Technology SAN DIEGO, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RateMyAgent, the leading review and digital marketing platform for real estate professionals, today announced it's inclusion in the RE/MAX Approved Supplier program. This gives every RE/MAX agent access to a RateMyAgent profile to collect and aggregate online reviews to help build their online reputation, display all previous reviews in one place, and demonstrate true market expertise. A compelling brokerage and team solution is also available to clearly display the effort of the entire group. Agents and brokers can leverage client reviews to grow repeat and referral business and manage their online reputation. "With a large percentage of consumers searching online for local businesses, RE/MAX agents and teams need every possible advantage to stay top of mind," said Joey Glenn, Director, Strategic Alliances."RateMyAgent is a wonderful solution to not only collect reviews, but ensure they are seen online to create digital word-of-mouth referrals." After its staggering success in Australia, where RateMyAgent is used by agents who sell 80% of property, the company entered the U.S. market in 2018. In less than two years, the user base has expanded to more than 122,000 U.S. agents who are empowered to build their online reputations through client reviews and related dgital marketing activities. As one of the fastest growing real estate technology companies in the United States, RateMyAgent is quickly becoming a beloved software platform for its ease of use and effectiveness in generating digital word of mouth referrals through third party social proof. The RE/MAX Approved Supplier program gives access to its broad and rich agent base. "We build tools that agents actually use to help grow their business," said Mark Armstrong, cofounder of RateMyAgent. The RE/MAX team is a wonderful partner because they are as committed to delivering agent friendly tools as we are. RE/MAX agents will have a competitive advantage in their marketplace when they commit to managing their online reputations." About RateMyAgent RateMyAgent is a real estate review platform that boasts more than 120,000 U.S. agent users; the tool is also used by 80% of agents who sell property across Australia, where it was first launched. RateMyAgent allows agents to request, verify and promote their glowing client reviews across the web, including to Google's local search results and social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Agents can claim their free profile by going to https://www.ratemyagent.com/ . About the RE/MAX Network As one of the leading global real estate franchisors, RE/MAX, LLC is a subsidiary of RE/MAX Holdings with nearly 140,000 agents in more than 110 countries and territories. Nobody in the world sells more real estate than RE/MAX, as measured by residential transaction sides. RE/MAX was founded in 1973 by Dave and Gail Liniger, with an innovative, entrepreneurial culture affording its agents and franchisees the flexibility to operate their businesses with great independence. RE/MAX agents have lived, worked and served in their local communities for decades, raising millions of dollars every year for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and other charities. To learn more about RE/MAX, to search home listings or find an agent in your community, please visit www.remax.com . For the latest news about RE/MAX, please visit news.remax.com . Media Contact: Molly McKinley molly.mckinley@ratemyagent.com View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/remax-and-ratemyagent-link-arms-to-offer-agents--teams-compelling-client-review-technology-301342581.html SOURCE RateMyAgent [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] Visa Inc. Fiscal Third Quarter 2021 Financial Results Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) today announced its fiscal third quarter 2021 financial results through an earnings release that will be furnished with the Securities and Exchange Commission on a Form 8-K and will be available on its Investor Relations website at http://investor.visa.com/sec-filings/default.aspx. Visa will host a live audio webcast at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time) to discuss these financial results. The webcast and all related materials can also be accessed through Visa's Investor Relations website at http://investor.visa.com/financial-information/quarterly-earnings/default.aspx. About Visa Inc. Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world's leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company's relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of digital commerce on any device for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit About Visa, visa.com/blog and @VisaNews. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727006134/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] State Street Announces Resolution Plan for 2021 State Street Corporation (NYSE:STT) today announced that it has filed its 2021 resolution plan. State Street, along with other banking institutions, periodically prepares and files its resolution plan, commonly referred to as a "living will," with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The resolution plan details State Street's efforts to enhance resolvability across its business in line with applicable rules and guidance. The Public Section of State Street's resolution plan can be found in the Investor Relations section of its website, at http://investors.statestreet.com/. About State Street Corporation State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT) is one of the world's leading providers of financial services to institutional investors including investment servicing, investment management and investment research and trading. With $42.6 trillion in assets under custody and/or administration and $3.9 trillion* in assets under management as of June 30, 2021, State Street operates globally in more than 100 geographic markets and employs approximately 39,000 worldwide. For more information, visit State Street's website at www.statestreet.com. *Assets under management as of June 30, 2021 includes approximately $64 billion of assets with respect to SPDR products for which State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC (SSGA FD) acts solely as the marketing agent. SSGA FD and State Street Global Advisors are affiliated. 2021 State Street Corporation - All Rights Reserved View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727006094/en/ [July 27, 2021] $18 Million Senior Community in San Bernardino, CA Sold By TMG The Mogharebi Group, ("TMG") has completed the sale of Country Club Apartments in San Bernardino, a 79-unit community, located at 160 E Parkdale Drive. The property sold with multiple offers for $18,000,000 that equates to $228K per unit. The buyer was a private investment group out of Los Angeles. "Due to the proven value-add upside, and close proximity to San Bernardino's largest employers, the buyer pool was large," says Otto Ozen, Executive Vice President of TMG. "To maximize the value of this community, we aggressively marketed it to our robust pool of 1031 exchange buyers as well as an expansive network of private and high-net-worth investors, we were able to drive the value." Mr. Ozen concluded, "The property represented a great value with strong upside that required the right buyer to maximize its full potential." Otto Ozen and Alex Mogharebi of TMG represented the seller, a Los Angeles based private investment group. Built in 1986, Country Club Apartments is a two story, 79-unit apartment community that is located on East Parkdale Drive in San Bernardino, CA (News - Alert) . The property comprises 71,428 square feet of rentable space. The complex is situated on a 5.44-acre site. Country Club Apartments features spacious two-bedroom floor plans with a large average size of 903 square feet. The community also boasts a swimming pool and spa, garages, and reserved parking. About The Mogharebi Group (TMG): The Mogharebi Group is a brokerage firm specializing in the multifamily property sector throughout California. With unrivaled local knowledge, an extensive global network of top real estate investors, state of the art technology, and direct access to capital, The Mogharebi Group is the best choice to meet the needs of major private investors and investment funds. For more information visit: Mogharebi.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727006159/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2021] APOLLO Insurance partners with MovingWaldo to offer their members access to embedded digital insurance Apollo Insurance Solutions Ltd. ("APOLLO Insurance") (TSXV: APLO Reserved), Canada's leading online insurance provider, has partnered with MovingWaldo to offer immediate digital insurance products, specifically tailored to the millions of families they work with in Canada. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727006176/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) 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. As Canada's number 1 moving app MovingWaldo now offers home, condo and tenants insurance to its millions of users, through APOLLO. "MovingWaldo does an amazing job of turning the once arduous experience of moving into a simplified and organised process," said APOLLO Business Development Manager Yonas Alemyehu. "This partnership with Movingaldo is a perfect fit for APOLLO's digital insurance products," MovingWaldo guides millions of families through each step of their moving process, helping them save time and money, and making sure nothing gets left behind. In 2020, 25% of moving Canadians visited MovingWaldo to organize their home relocation. "By working with APOLLO, we make sure that our users have access to great insurance at a competitive rate," said Jeremy Berube, MovingWaldo Business Development Specialist. 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. Thousands of types of small businesses and individuals are able to buy online without human intervention. About APOLLO Insurance APOLLO 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 MovingWaldo We believe that moving should be nothing but an amazing experience. MovingWaldo guides millions of families through each step of their moving process, helping them save time and money, and making sure nothing gets left behind. For more information, visit: https://movingwaldo.com/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727006176/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] After a bold vaxx directive from a massive urban healthcare provider, the courthouse offers support. Here's the word with a highlight on his quote . . . Jackson County Executive issues statement on Truman Medical Centers/University Health vaccine requirement KANSAS CITY, Mo. Jackson County Executive Frank White, Jr. has issued the following statement in response to todays announcement that Truman Medical Centers/University Health (TMC/UH), Jackson Countys safety-net hospital, is the first system in the region to require all staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19: I know that being the first to do something is never easy, but in order for our community to remain strong and continue to grow, we must have leaders who are willing to step up and do what is right regardless of the pushback that might come. Thats why today, I am grateful for the leadership of Mr. Charlie Shields and his entire team at Truman Medical Centers/University Health for their decision to require all staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19. At a time when our healthcare workforce continues to battle this deadly disease, which has sadly overwhelmed our state once again, todays announcement should provide comfort to TMC/UH patients as well as pave a path that others can follow. The science is clear the most effective way to protect yourself and prevent virus spread is to get the vaccine. The health and safety of our community depends on everyone working together and taking personal responsibility. I am hopeful that the action taken by TMC/UH today reminds us all of the seriousness of our current situation, encourages all who are eligible to find a vaccine immediately and is the first of many similar announcements to come. ### Developing . . . In a screed against a bit of legislation that has already been sent back to committee to die, the Kansas City Star attempts to change local arguments and dispute an effective political talking point. Again, here's MSM perspective on a police funding dispute currently pending a verdict . . . "This money was always going to be redirected right back to the police budget, only with some strings attached by the funders, aka Kansas City taxpayers. So the idea that reducing the police budget by zero dollars was somehow tantamount to defunding was a lie from the start." That's an interesting theory but here's a persistent moment of doubt . . . IF MONEY 'REALLOCATED' BY MAYOR Q AND HIS COUNCIL SUPPORTERS IS GOING BACK TO POLICE . . . WHERE'S THE BUDGET?!? Sadly, our newsie friends won't answer this obvious question and simply take marching orders from the mayor's office instead of serving as a resource and representing the interests of voters over their political patrons. Read more via this TKC link or don't bother going past the paywall . . . It is generally agree that weather lady Yanet Garcia is the hottest meteorologist on the planet. We won't argue the point but instead admit that she has inspired us to check pop culture, community news and top headlines. Check-it . . . Kansas City Hype Machine Endures Art & music at streetcar stops + Downtown news + CID Movie Night - Downtown Council of Kansas City Art & music are popping up at KC Streetcar stops this summer By Julie Denesha, KCUR 89.3 In some ways, the fortunes and aspirations of Downtown Kansas City can be traced through the themes of the annual Art in the Loop celebration, which brings visual arts, music and dance into the Downtown districts for weeks [...] Deadly Discovery KCPD finds decomposed body off of I-35 KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City, Missouri, police were notified of a body found Monday morning. The call came in around 11:20 a.m. at Interstate 35 and 12th Street. Police said the body was found in thick brush to the east of the I-35 entrance ramp. Modeling Back Story 'World's Hottest Weather Girl' Yanet Garcia Smolders In Red Lingerie Yanet Garcia is baring it all on social media. The Mexican TV presenter took to her feed to share a very revealing snapshot, featuring her beautiful self posing indoors while wearing only a red thong and matching bra. The picture gained some immediate viral attention, garnering plenty of likes and comments. Iraq Exit Strategy After All US combat forces to leave Iraq by end of year President Joe Biden has said US combat forces will leave Iraq by the end of this year, though troops will continue to train and advise the Iraqi military. The announcement came after Mr Biden held talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi at the White House. Trump Double Down Indeed In GOP Poll From Hell, Republicans Say They Want Don Jr. to Be President in 2024 A recurring nightmare among millions of Americans is that come 2024, Donald Trump will forget the fact that he actually hated being president, decide to run again, and win. Seriously, can you think of a more horrifying scenario, except perhaps falling through a sidewalk into a rat-filled chasm, which some people might still prefer? Meth Town History Shut Down Truman Library temporarily closed due to COVID-19 case increase Posted: / Updated: INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum will close its doors once again due to the increase in COVID-19 cases in the area. Due to an increase in COVID-19 cases in Jackson County, Mo., the Harry S. Hotness Contd Joe's Weather Blog: It's going to get hotter before a break comes Friday (MON-7/26) by: Joe Lauria Posted: / Updated: KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The summer continues along in relative average fashion. Don't let the heat headlines, excessive heat warning, and heat advisory stuff fool you. This is typical summer heat for the area. For even more links, news and good stuff . . . CHECK THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE TKC COMMUNIQUE!!! Even better . . . Subscribe to the newsletter so that you don't miss and issue. The TOTALLY FREE almost-daily news blast helps us communicate more effectively with readers and share more resources. And so . . . Khalid - New Normal is the song of the day and this is the OPEN THREAD for right now. In the aftermath of a press event by prominent local civil rights activists demanding federal investigation of Kansas City police, a high-ranking elected officials echos complaints and takes her remarks one step further. To wit, TKC shares the word right from the courthouse website and incendiary remarks that local media seem to be politely ignoring . . . In an open letter Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker supports the allegations of activists and offers her own critique. More to the point . . . MEAN JEAN DENOUNCES KANSAS CITY POLICE TODAY IN SUPPORT OF A CRACKDOWN BY THE FEDS!!! Here is a quote from the letter listing her allegations . . . * Too many excessive force and deadly force incidents involving minority community members as victims exist. Currently, five police officers are facing charges related to excessive force; yet, they remain on the force with pay. * The community has no trust in the investigation of these incidents. Most excessive force cases remain under investigation by the department itself. In recent months, outside police agency agreed to investigate fatal officer-involved incidents. But the communitys belief that these investigations are not truly independent of KCPD has only grown. Such distrust promises to increase violence in our most harmed urban neighborhoods. * The overall governance of the department, a state board appointed by a governor with little support in our urban community, is deeply troubling. Kansas City is the only major city in America with no control over its police department. This simply increases distrust and offers few options for the community to address their concerns. The police board and police command can simply ignore the community. Here's the open letter finale and a SCATHING allegation against KCPD . . . "Kansas Citys police department suffers from many problems identified in cities now in turmoil about their police force. It has no accountability to our community; it has lost the communitys confidence that excessive force will be rooted out and stopped; and the harm from all of this falls in greatest portion on the citys minority community. My office stands ready to assist in your efforts." Check the links . . . Civil Rights Groups Call For U.S. Justice Department Investigation Of Kansas City Police A coalition of civil rights groups on Monday called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the Kansas City Police Department for a high rate of violence against Black and Latino people, racist hiring practices and the department's lack of local control. Activist groups call for federal investigation into KCPD KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Urban Council, along with several other civil rights organizations in Kansas City, asked the Department of Justice to conduct a civil rights investigation into the Kansas City Police Department on Monday. Local civil rights leaders want Department of Justice to investigate the KCPD Some Kansas City civil rights leaders want the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the Kansas City Police Department from top to bottom.The group says they want an investigation like the DOJ's investigation of the Ferguson Police Department in 2015. Developing . . . AWESOME TKC READERS don't have to like it but our blog community must acknowledge that red state politics have empowered an upstart Missouri politico to take a hard-line amid American culture war. The reality is that Sen. Josh Hawley is merely carrying out the will of the vast majority of his constituents and playing to his base of support. Take a look at his pro-life move today . . . Josh Hawley urges Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade in Mississippi abortion case * Missouri Independent Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley joined with two of his GOP colleagues on Monday to file an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court asking it to overturn the the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. And then rebuke against a controversial education issue . . . Sen. Hawley introduces anti-CRT Love America Act to teach patriotism in schools Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., on Monday introduced the Love America Act, which seeks to promote patriotism in public schools and prohibit federal funding to those that teach the country's foundational texts are rooted in racism. The bill would require students to read and recite portions of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Pledge of Allegiance at certain grade levels. Finally, we also share a public health message that was denied and downplayed by denizens of BOTH political factions . . . Josh Hawley Finally Does Something Right, Encourages Vaccinations for Missourians SCREENSHOT FROM YOUTUBE.COM Josh Hawley is an ambitious little weasel who will stop at nothing to further his political interests. He's calculating, soulless and seemingly without conscience. His motivations are usually transparent as hell and eye roll-inducing. He's just another empty man in a suit, ready to do anything if it means he will come out on top. You decide . . . @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 Some sun this morning with increasing clouds this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 79F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable. PRINCETON - John Edward Barbour, of Princeton, IN and formerly of West Terre Haute, passed away on July 7, 2021 while on vacation in a bowling tournament in Las Vegas. He was born on October 19, 1956 to Daniel C. Barbour and Margaret Rhyan Barbour. John was a 1974 graduate of West Vigo High Hello! My husband and I (plus 2 dogs) will be traveling from Phoenix, through Utah and Idaho, en route to a new job in Vancouver WA. It's a last-minute thing, so I don't have time for my usual travel research, so please help! We have 8 days for this (about 22 hrs of driving). Leaving this weekend. We are trying to figure out what towns to stop in, and things to see. Avoiding the big national parks because of crowds. We love hot springs, easy to moderate hikes, archaeologic and historic sites, and general oddities. Oh, and excellent local restaurants. We can go through either St. George (via Vegas) or Kanab (via Flagstaff), then up through Salt Lake area, then through southern Idaho and Boise (on 84). But have flexibility within that general route. What towns would be a good longer stop near Provo/Salt Lake? If we ventured into Salt Lake for a night or 2, what neighborhood would give us a cool perspective on the city, without being too hectic or difficult to access? Is the lake worth checking out, do people do that? Sorry if I seem ignorant, but I really am about this area. From SLC area, rest of trip will be mostly on 84, so I'd love any recommendations for places to stop/things to see along that route. I don't love heights, so want to avoid any very extreme drives. But want to see some beautiful and unique things in Utah and S. Idaho. I'd appreciate any advice! Hi, I am hoping to get clarification regarding COVID 19 Entry requirements regarding transitioning between multiple countries in a 2 week trip in late October. I'm a fully vaccinated US citizen with approved Moderna Vaccine. I will be visiting Egypt, Jordan and then Israel.I have two major questions: 1) I was reading that those flying into Amman from select countries including Egypt that only specific approved labs were accepted for a negative PCR test...would this still apply to me if I hold a USA passport. If this is true are there any approved locations in Cairo airport or Sharm Al Sheikh? 2) If I decided to fly into Tel Aviv and just do a day trip from Eilat to Petra...would I need an additional covid test? Scenario 1: 10/13/21 - Arrive Cairo from Boston, MA USA (1st Negative PCR Test and Vaccination Record) 10/21/21 - Arrive to Amman from Sharm Al Sheikh - (2nd Negative COVID PCR Test & Vaccination Record) 10/24/21 - Cross Aqaba/Eilat Border into Israel (3rd Negative COVID test and Vaccination Record) 10/31/21 - Fly from Tel-Aviv to Boston, MA ( Do I need another test before leaving Israel?) Scenario 2 10/13/21 - Arrive Cairo from Boston, MA USA (1st Negative PCR Test and Vaccination Record) 10/21/21 - Arrive to Tel Aviv from Cairo- (2nd Negative COVID PCR Test & Vaccination Record) Do I need to quarantine? Other option is can I cross into Israel via Taba border - what do i need and is it safe? 10/22/21 - Take Day Tour to Petra from Tel Aviv (do i need a covid test again?), Dropped off in Eilat on way back and rent a car for remainder of vacation. 10/31/21 - Fly from Tel-Aviv to Boston, MA ( Do I need another test before leaving Israel?) Sorry for all the questions. Your help is greatly appreciated! Thanks, Ivy If you are visiting Carpathians - in this case better skip Shatsk lakes area and move your itineary to South I.e. Lublin - Zamosc - Zhovkva - Lviv - Kyiv and go back with detour on South (I still insist you take visit of K-P and Chernivtsi into consideration) Main arguments for this "shift' on South are following; 1. Quicker crossing the border. The checkpoint Dorohusk - Yahodyn is the most busy among checkpoints of EU with Ukraine. The longest line are usually here. More Southern checkpoints with Poland are less busy. Also if you cross the border on the part of Poland - Ukraine border which is closer to Lviv you can maneuvre between checkpoints, if there is long line on one - you can quickly move to neighbour one - for example if Hrebenne - Rava Ruska is too busy - you can castle to Budomierz - Hrushiv for example. While on northern part of Poland - Ukraine border there is basically only 2 checkpoints and both are busy and quite distant from each other. 2. Qucker riding. Desptie the distance Lublin - Lviv - Kyiv is 150 km longer in km than Lublin - Kyiv via shortest way (via Kovel - Sarny), but the riding time is almost the same, because you can ride by road Lviv - Kyiv faster than by road Kovel - Kyiv. But in first case by spendng this time for riding you already cover Lviv and Kyiv, while in second case - only Kyiv and need to include Lviv in your return itinerary 3. M07 is the road providing the most boring scenery in Ukraine. Completely flat area, continuous forests, swamps around and this continues almost to suburbs of Kyiv. While more southern West-East ways will provide better scenery - constant change of short sections of forest with open terrain, some hills (along M06 - moderate ones, while the road with detour to K-P and Chernivtsi pass via very picturesque more impressive hills of Podolian Upland 4. "Sounthern" West-East routes provide more interesting and picturesque places of stopovers on your way or with tiny detour. While the most nortnern way via M07 don't have such places. 5. possible set of main destinations in case of "Southern" shift is more interesting than without it. >'ve been wondering if perhaps Slovakia is more interesting than the >northern section of Romania + Hungary it depends on how deep you plan to make detour to South-West deep into Romania and if you tell about Hungary - do you include Budapest or no (probably you've already been in Budapest so it cannot be considered as main attraction). Because 1. Budapest is more interesting than whatever in Slovaka and Romania 2. but Kosice is more interesting than anything in Eastern Hungary and anything in the piece of Romania within 100 km from Hungary (may be except Debrecen and Timisoara, which is kinda equal degree of interest with Kosice). 3. But if you'll make more deeper detour to Romania you can trap to more wild and exotic places. 4. But on other hand High Tatra (mountain area near Poprad in Slovakia) may be not so exotic as the places somewhere far in Romanian part of Carpathians but it attracts me by better state of infrastructure, for example by quality pavement of pedestrian trails and the possibility to reach it by cable car, funiculair and so on. > If Slovakia, the border crossing is the one in Uschgorod I guess probably yes. Yes, it is now OPEN! Before you get too excited, however, please note that it is not open for all flights. For example, the stopover is available for tkt/trip originating from Bangkok to Atlanta but not from Atlanta to Bangkok (although you could take the stopover on you way BACK from Atlanta to Bangkok). But if the trip originates in Atlanta, the stopover is unavailable! Don't know what the logic is behind this policy from Qatar Airways. Any idea? Fully vaccinated individuals are exempt from quarantine in Qatar. Details can be found at... Hi My wife and I are booked for a week in Fetiye from September the 13th and are hopeful Turkey will go to the amber list so we can actually go. So in preparation Ive been looking at the PCR requirements which seem to be PCR test before we leave to get into Turkey, one out there before we board the plane home, and another on day 2 after we are home. The cost for the tests at Boots are 89before we go and 99 when we get back plus a cheaper test at a hospital in Turkey at say 30? - that would tatol up to 218 each, 436 for a couple. Can someone please confirm my thoughts on what we have to do for PCR tests are correct. Im not sure I want to pay all that nor can be bothered with the hassle. Do I now want Turkey to go on the amber list at all? as if it stays red Jet2 will auto refund and if it goes to amber they will fly there and Im not sure what my options are then. Welcome to Seattle and hello to you in Greece! The Bainbridge Island ferry comes into Seattle on the waterfront near Pioneer Square historic district. In local lingo it's called a "ferry terminal" though, rather than "port" (for the cruise ships or commercial vessels). Bainbridge Island ferry is used daily by commuters coming across. It is about a 1/2 hour drive to SeaTac airport (~15 miles) from there. If this is an international flight they request you be at the airport 3 hours early. I'd want to be there at least 2 hours in advance. SeaTac has been crazy busy lately. suze A Fascinating History Of Humanity's Sprawling First Home. By Gregory McNamee Africa: A Biography of the Continent, by John Reader (Alfred A. Knopf). Cloth, $35. A CENTURY AGO, a Polish-born writer who had traveled the world reflected on the way in which fellow 19th-century explorers had enshrined even the most remote spots of the globe in atlases and military maps. Even hitherto little-known Africa, as the narrator of Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness recalled, "was not a blank space any more. It had got filled since my boyhood with rivers and lakes and names. It had ceased to be a blank space of delightful mystery--a white patch for a boy to dream gloriously over. It had become a place of darkness." A place of darkness, that is, because so much geographical ink now spilled onto the continent's outlines. For many who live outside the borders of Africa, however, the continent remains too little known. Standard European and American histories speak little of Africa save as the setting for misbegotten colonial adventures; important figures in African history and contemporary politics go unrecognized in general-knowledge surveys; even the great civilizations of Zimbabwe and Benin fail to appear in many college-level world history textbooks. Such ignorance is perhaps justifiable, if only because so few good surveys of the continent's past and present are available to general readers. It will be difficult to mount that defense in the future, however, thanks to John Reader's eminently approachable Africa: A Biography of the Continent. Reader, an English historian and journalist, does much to put Africa on the mental map of readers who live elsewhere. Writing within the framework of an ecological history, Reader carefully demonstrates how important Africa has been to the development of the human species--not only as "the tree where man was born," but also as the site of the earliest plant and animal domestication, the place where herds of ruminants and plowed fields first dotted the landscape. Africa begins millions of years before humans first appeared as Reader draws an expert geological history of the continent. It is, he remarks, "the Earth's oldest and most enduring land mass...Africa has seen it all, and preserves the evidence." Rocks in the southernmost portion of the continent have lain undisturbed for more than one billion years, giving an undistorted geological sequence nearly without parallel in the world; elsewhere on the continent, the antique landscape reveals the fossil history of nearly every kind of life form the planet has seen. The continent's mineral wealth, the result of ancient geological processes, financed the first human empires; it also fueled the conquering drive of generations of Europeans, who arrived in search of gold and gems and left with boatloads of slaves instead. Tracing the story of human evolution, Reader does an impressive job of describing the modern science of paleontology. He draws on recent mitochondrial DNA studies, for example, to provide a detailed pedigree of the human family, of whom some 50 members left the cradle of Africa three million years ago to populate the rest of the earth with their kind--which would become our kind. He also reviews past scientific efforts to construct this pedigree, reminding us of famous fossil subjects such as the australopithecine Lucy (named for The Beatles' song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," which was popular among the excavators who dug up her 3.2-million-year-old bones). The ancestral humans who remained in Africa dispersed, spreading across the continent. About 15,000 years ago, peoples who lived along the Nile came up with an important innovation: the domestication of cattle. With that change came the Egyptian dynasties, the great nomadic cultures of the Sahara, and eventually the powerful empires of various Zulu and Bantu nations. Reader hurries the pace of his history in the last half of the book, which unfolds the tale of human activity on the continent, from the time important crops such as bananas and coffee first came to be grown about 2,000 years ago, to the present day. In that space, he analyzes the slave trade, itself an African innovation seized on by Asian and European merchants; examines the commerce in precious metals and other trade goods; and considers the political fortunes of various nations--fortunes that, in places such as Rwanda and the Congo, continue to change rapidly and sometimes, it seems, unpredictably. The Africanist Thomas Pakenham likens the 50-plus-chapter Africa: A Biography of the Continent to a spreading baobab tree, with its massive trunk and sprawling branches. The metaphor is apt, for this is a vast and all-encompassing book which succeeds in its attempt to bring a continent's deepest past into view. Reader has brought a huge story to rest between the covers of his deeply learned, thoroughly researched book. And his readers will be grateful for that hard work. The 'Rewilding' Movement Has Big Plans For Arizona. By Tim Vanderpool AMERICA SPENT ITS first two centuries blasting, trapping and poisoning large predators into oblivion. So it's a tad ironic when that same national zeal--enlightened by our late 20th-century taste in coffee-table books--has turned towards restoring bears, wolves and big cats to their former haunts. But if Arizona's recent, bitter experience with the Mexican gray wolf lends any lesson, it's this: The outback just ain't what it used be. Not the same in acreage, not the same in habitat diversity, not the same in terms of buffers against burgeoning mankind. That's exactly where The Wildlands Project comes in. Spearheaded by former Earth First! firebrand Dave Foreman, the Tucson-based group aims to establish broad, connected swaths of wilderness across North America. The first would snake through our own backyard, from Arizona's Mogollon Rim all the way into northern Mexico. Those wilderness beltways would then become home to large "focal" predators, which would act as ecological barometers to each region's health. It's one very big vision, and it's about to hit the ground running. Rod Mondt calls such "rewilding" the next bend in an ecological learning curve stretching back to old John Muir. Like Foreman, Mondt is also a former EF! hell-raiser. He now directs the relatively sedate Wildlands Project, which he views as blending the aesthetics of wilderness with the calculations of cold, hard science. "First, we wanted to have all our ducks in a row, to have the most scientifically formed vision we could," Mondt says. "It's like a picture on a jigsaw puzzle box: We've drawn our biology based on that picture. Now we're reaching out to people and saying, 'Okay, how can we put these pieces in place?' " The answer involves stitching federal, state and private land into large regional habitats. "It's not exactly rocket science," he says. "Humans need the ability to get from point A to point B, and so do animals. It was the mid-'80s when conservation biologists started realizing the need for these big stretches of land, because wide-ranging predators and ungulates (hoofed prey animals like deer and antelope) couldn't survive without them. That's also when we saw the natural marriage of the activist and scientific communities." Their hard-forged relationship is steeled for its first test, as the WP unveils what's officially called the "Stewardship Proposal for the Sky Island/Greater Gila Nature Reserve Network." Taking in roughly 70,000 square miles, the network would provide space for returning large carnivores, ungulates and other species to the region. To make sure they stand a fair chance of survival, the plan includes the elimination of non-native plants and animals, and rejuvenation of remaining forests, woodlands and watersheds. The Arizona effort has relied heavily on assistance from the Sky Island Alliance, a group formed by conservation biologists to protect high-altitude niche habitats. Alliance volunteers and staffers have chipped in with scientific muscle and mapping expertise. Fortunately, the Wildlands Project is also backed by a $1 million budget, coming from a heavyweight list of contributors including the Ben & Jerry's Foundation, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and outdoor clothing giant Patagonia, Inc. That makes the Gila Reserve plan economically feasible. But it doesn't make it a political snap. Nor does it ease pressure from donors to make things happen. "There's no way in the world to change the direction of agri-business, public policy and the attitudes of land managers overnight," Mondt says. "These things are like guiding a giant warship--you've got to start turning it 20 years ahead of time. And nobody is under the illusion that this change, this turning, is going to be completed in our lifetime." Still, "the plan is proactive, which is different from the old environmental battles when we were always saying 'no' to things like logging or habitat destruction," Mondt says. That could also help it sink roots in a steadily shifting political landscape marked by proposed curbs on urban sprawl and the wolf reintroduction. "You think that 20 years ago anybody in Arizona ever conceived of putting an urban growth initiative on the ballot?" he says. "And I never truly believed--and neither did Dave Foreman, who was raised in New Mexico--that we'd ever see the Mexican wolf back on the ground. Granted, it's gone through one helluva battle to remain. But it's there." UNDERLYING THE WOLF fight is rural resentment of federal intrusion, which Mondt calls pure hypocrisy. "There are lots of economic issues rural folks face, so they tend to go after easy targets, whether it's wildlife, or the feds." He singles out Alpine, the little northern Arizona town at the heart of anti-wolf sentiment. "The truth is, Alpine, not unlike almost every other rural community in the American West, gets far more government money coming in than they ever give out," he says, "for subsidies for Social Security, education, highways--really a million different things." On the spectrum's other end are progressive elements like the Malpai Borderlands Group, a groundbreaking conservation effort between ranchers and environmentalists in southeast Arizona. "In the Southwest, you see these groups starting to pop up, because they realize the writing is on the wall," Mondt says. "(Ranchers) realize they can't simply keep doing business like they did for the last 100 years. Now you're starting to find some who've become pro-wolf. They've even started marketing predator-friendly beef products." The pay-off can be profound, he says. "It's the whole reason we came up with this concept of 'rewilding.' It's not just about the rewilding of wildlife, but also internal rewilding, of making humans realize there's a real value in wild landscapes, and in the critters that need those wild landscapes." Does TUSD Really Need A Legal Opinion On This Half-Baked Idea? By Chris Limberis RICHARD HUMPHRIES IS an ex-cop who lives on a remote spread in the hills some 15 miles outside the small southeast Arizona town of Elfrida. He has nearly shot Mexicans who have crossed the border and wandered onto his property. He has a four-point plan to make his world a better place. Seal the border, he says, with "whatever it takes to stop the millions and millions of illegal immigrants." Enable and force the Immigration and Naturalization Service to do its job. "I'd really like to see the INS that you and I pay for to round these people up and oust them. Send them back to Mexico." "Impose really hard sanctions on Mexico and its leaders." And finally, get churches and charitable organizations to help ease the plight of poor Mexicans. And, in what made Humphries a Tucson topic, he wants the Tucson Unified School District to send a bill to Mexico for the cost of educating the children of undocumented Mexican immigrants. "My concern is for my nation," Humphries says. "I'm scared to death with what is happening to our nation." Humphries says illegal Mexican immigrants "do irreparable harm" to the United States "in terms of social life, the criminal element and the monetary element. If the media would do its job and report it, if the American people knew the numbers, they would not stand for it." Humphries left Tucson, where he had an Indian arts and crafts shop following his law-enforcement career with Scottsdale and the state, for remote Cochise County. He considers himself fortunate to live far enough from the border to not suffer what he says his friends do--a nearly constant parade of illegal immigrants, trash and damage. He says he has not joined the well-publicized patrols undertaken by his rancher buddies. Instead, he patrols the Internet where he latched onto the idea that TUSD should bill Mexico for educating students whose parents are not legally in the United States. Via americanpatrol.com, Humphries learned that Harold Martin, an Anaheim police officer and member of the Anaheim Union High School District Board of Trustees, was pushing a resolution last week for that district to bill Mexico $50 million for the cost of educating who he considers illegal immigrants in that Orange County, California, district. Martin, whose work as a cop as been criticized as racist by Anaheim residents and Hispanic leaders, ignited a lengthy debate at the Anaheim school board meeting on May 27. As noted on the americanpatrol website, with its pervasive anti-Mexican and anti-immigrant articles and speeches and alarmist predictions, Humphries says "California will be Mexican in 2025." "They can call me racist if they want," Humphries says. Not Mary Belle McCorkle, the president of TUSD Governing Board and an educator whose career has spanned three decades. In a late-night e-mail on May 23 to the TUSD Board, Humphries forwarded a newspaper account of Martin's proposed resolution along with the note: "I urge you to see what you can do to have Arizona follow suit. I think this is a great idea as long as you are doing nothing to oust all illegal students from our public school system." The quick, easy and inexpensive two-part answer that even non-educators know: 1) TUSD has no authority to file a claim against Mexico, and 2) the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 17 years ago that children of illegal immigrants cannot be denied an education. Moreover, school officials may not ask about the residency status of students. Still, McCorkle hurried to answer Humphries, who lives 100 miles outside TUSD and did not ask his own school district to also follow the move by Anaheim's Martin. Famous for prefacing many of her statements and votes by imploring colleagues that they "are here for the kids," McCorkle unilaterally directed Superintendent George F. Garcia to have TUSD's legal counsel "check on this issue and advise the Board." And she told Humphries in an e-mail: "Tucson Unified School District governing Board Members received your e-mail of May 23rd with the Orange Country Register article attached. We have asked our Legal Counsel for an opinion on this subject. Thank you for writing." McCorkle, a former TUSD and Sunnyside School District administrator who is in her second term, misled Humphries. The TUSD board, which last met May 11, never discussed his letter and request. The communication violates provisions of the very Board behavior policy that McCorkle, Garcia and three other Board members pushed for earlier this year. It forbids the type of unilateral action she undertook. It also forbids Board members, including the president, from speaking for the entire Board on matters other than in the instances of retirements, congratulatory messages or condolences. Finally, the rules also state that Board members may ask for information or opinions only for items that have been or will be on Board agendas for discussion. The immigrant question has neither been discussed nor set for an agenda. McCorkle backpeddled when her oddly cheerful work in response to Humphries was discovered by first-year Board Member Rosalie Lopez, a southside native who is far from a left-wing liberal. A lifelong Republican, Lopez said it was "offensive that our Board president saw fit to waste limited taxpayer resources researching an issue we already know and one any educator should know." Raul Grijalva, a Democrat and three-term member of the Board of Supervisors who also served three terms on the TUSD Board, says the issue was settled long ago. "It's a good thing Lopez is on there or this would have sailed by everybody," Grijalva says. "They should know better. They should know the history. We dealt with this 20 years ago." McCorkle backpeddled but received support from fellow Board members James Noel Christ, Joel Tracy Ireland and Carolyn Kemmeries. But McCorkle continued to stumble. First, she said that she was just requesting a "routine" legal opinion to answer Humphries. "It's anything but routine," Lopez says. "Since I've been on the Board, we've never sought a legal opinion for a TUSD constituent, yet here we are sprinting for a person outside TUSD and outside the county who has extremist anti-Mexican views." And Jane Butler, head of TUSD's legal department, greatly inflated the number of requests her office receives from Board members wanting legal opinions. She told both daily papers that her office receives a dozen such requests each week. However, records show that there have been only 23 legal opinions sought by Board members since January 1--about one request per week. Near Elfrida, Humphries is not counting on an opinion that will make him happy--although he says the late Justice William Brennan, author of the 1982 Supreme Court opinion that struck down a Texas law that denied education to the children of illegal immigrants, relied on faulty logic. And Humphries says he feels sorry for McCorkle for encountering what he and The Arizona Daily Star, in a May 29 editorial, say is unfair criticism of McCorkle. Tobago's first drive through vaccination site was in full swing on Saturday, with over three hundred persons being facilitated at the Shaw Park Cultural Complex, car park grounds. The Agile Spirit 2021 multinational exercise with the participation of Ukrainian marines has kicked off in Georgia, according to the press service of the Ukrainian Navy. "Celebrations marking the opening of the Agile Spirit 2021 international exercise took place in the territory of the 2nd Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Georgia near the town of Senaki," the report reads. Agile Spirit celebrates its anniversary this year as Georgia is hosting the exercise for the tenth time. Agile Spirit 2021 is a Georgian Defence Forces and U.S. Army Europe and Africa cooperatively-led joint multinational exercise occurring July 26 through August 6, 2021. Agile Spirit 2021 enhances U.S., Georgian, allied and regional partner forces readiness and interoperability in a realistic training environment. The training taking place during Agile Spirit ensures that U.S., Allied and Partnered Nations maintain our conventional deterrence capability with a combination of combat-ready forward forces. More than 4,000 military personnel from 15 allied and partner forces will participate from the following nations: Bulgaria, Canada, Estonia, Georgia (host nation), Germany, United Kingdom, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine, Moldova, Italy, Azerbaijan and the United States. ish Over the first half of 2021, Russia conducted 20 military exercises in the occupied Crimea with the participation of 23,850 troops and more than 1,900 units of military equipment. Such data of the Dom TV channel were voiced by Head of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center Eskender Bariyev, Ukrinform reports. "According to our estimates (I do not claim that they are perfect, we may have missed something) during the reporting period, the Russian authorities conducted 20 military exercises in the occupied peninsula with 23,850 troops and more than 1,900 units of special combat equipment. Perhaps, there was more equipment, maybe there were more people. But the report reflects what we managed to record, we rely on our sources," Bariyev said. He stressed that militarization should be linked to the situation with the rights of indigenous peoples. "According to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the presence of armed contingents or military contingents in the territory inhabited by indigenous peoples must first and foremost be agreed with indigenous peoples, with their representative body. But in reality, the occupiers do not agree on this issue and also ban the representative body the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people," the Head of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center continued. Bariyev noted that information about violations in Crimea should be reported to all international platforms, to politicians of different countries. "We need to talk about it systematically. We need to inform our partners and politicians of these countries. Because the parliaments of certain countries renew, new policies appear. These new politicians do not always have complete information. Therefore, we must systematically demonstrate, show information in the dynamics that human rights violations do not decrease but, on the contrary, new trends and new approaches emerge," he concluded. ol The Russian Federation continues to use natural gas as a geopolitical weapon against Ukraine and the European Union, says Yuriy Vitrenko, Chairman of the Board at NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine. As proof, Vitrenko cited in a Facebook post on Monday, July 26, a recent statement by Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom that the continued gas transit through Ukraine depended on the EU companies purchasing additional gas volumes from Gazprom under new contracts. "Why can't the transit volumes under the current (!) contracts of Gazproms gas buyers in Europe be transmitted via Ukraine beyond 2024? Previously, both Germany and Russia said Nord Stream 2 was being built only for additional volumes. If these statements were honest, then the volumes under the current contracts should continue to run through Ukraine. And the best guarantee that this will be the case would be relocating gas transmission points under these current contracts to the Ukraine-Russia border, so that later European buyers of Gazprom's gas could themselves book transit through Ukraine. For our part, we assure that we will offer them competitive conditions," the Naftogaz CEO wrote. Why doesn't Gazprom have a gas transmission point on the Ukraine-Russia border on its electronic platform at the moment? For our part, at least from 2020, thereve been no obstacles to this end. Gazprom's counterparties would then be able to book transit through Ukraine themselves. Do you really want to sell additional volumes to Europe? Then why arent you? Let me remind you that Gazprom has reserved transit volumes through Ukraine in 2021 that are 25 billion cubic meters below those in 2020. So go sell these 25 bcm to European companies on the Russia-Ukraine border for further transit to Europe! Vitrenko noted. Also, according to the Naftogaz CEO, Gazprom does not allow other exporters from Central Asia and Russia to use the capacity of its gas transmission system to export gas to Europe through the Ukrainian territory. They would be happy to provide their additional volumes for transit through Ukraine, he added. According to the Naftogaz chief, Ukraine expects to receive answers to these questions in the near future. We hope our German and American partners will, as promised, take these responses (or lack thereof, which will be even more eloquent) into account when determining whether the Kremlin is using Nord Stream 2 as a geopolitical weapon and whether the project should be stopped," Vitrenko emphasized. Earlier media reports said Russian President Vladimir Putins Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov confirmed Gazprom's statement on the companys readiness to transmit gas through Ukraine beyond 2024 when the current transit contract expires thats if the Ukrainian gas transmission system proves economically feasible and technically prepared. In the recent Joint Declaration, the United States and Germany agreed that it was in the interests of Ukraine and Europe to continue gas transit through Ukraine after 2024. Accordingly, Germany undertakes to apply all available levers to ensure the extension of the gas transit deal with Russia for up to 10 years, and is set to appoint a special envoy to this end. im Ukraine has joined a statement of the democracies in support of the people of Cuba, who are suffering from the oppression of the regime due to peaceful demonstrations for the realization of common rights and freedoms. The statement was published on the official website of the U.S. Department of State on Monday. On July 11, tens of thousands of Cuban citizens participated in peaceful demonstrations across the country to protest deteriorating living conditions and to demand change, the document reads. They exercised universal freedoms of expression and assembly, rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the American Convention on Human Rights, the Inter-American Democratic Charter, and the European Convention on Human Rights. We call on the Cuban government to respect the legally guaranteed rights and freedoms of the Cuban people without fear of arrest and detention. We urge the Cuban government to release those detained for exercising their rights to peaceful protest, the statement says. Democracies call for press freedom and for the full restoration of Internet access, which allows economies and societies to thrive. The international community will not waver in its support of the Cuban people and all those who stand up for the basic freedoms all people deserve, the document says. The statement was released by the Governments of Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Guatemala, Greece, Honduras, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Republic of Korea, Ukraine, and the United States of America. As Ukrinform reported, last week the Biden administration announced new sanctions against a Cuban official and a government special brigade that it says was involved in human rights abuses during a government crackdown on protests on the island earlier this month. ish Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made a number of personnel decisions in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), dismissing the service's two first deputy heads, Ruslan Baranetsky and Vasyl Maliuk, according to a statement posted on the website of the head of state. "President Volodymyr Zelensky has made a number of decisions regarding officials of the Security Service of Ukraine. Ruslan Baranetsky has been dismissed as first deputy chairman of the Security Service of Ukraine and relieved of his duties as head of the Anti-Terrorist Center at the Security Service of Ukraine," the statement said. Zelensky also dismissed Maliuk, the first deputy head of the Security Service of Ukraine and the head of the Main Department for Combating Corruption and Organized Crime. In addition, Serhii Andrushchenko was dismissed as the SBU's deputy head and transferred to the post of first deputy head of the Security Service of Ukraine and head of its Anti-Terrorist Center. Zelensky also sacked Oleksii Korniichuk, the head of the SBU's Department for the Counterintelligence Protection of State Interests in the Sphere of Information Security, and Vitalii Monastyretskyi, the head of the SBU's directorate in Chernivtsi region. The President's Office said the main reason behind these decisions was to ensure the SBU's readiness for a systemic transformation that will meet the content of the SBU reform, and a respective bill is being worked out in the Verkhovna Rada. "There is no alternative to the reform of the service. As soon as the parliament votes for the reform, we should start the transformation on the first day, without wasting time on adapting to the decision," Zelensky said. He specified that the work of the SBU should now be intensified, taking into account future changes, and the state needs much more intensive activity of the SBU in fulfilling the tasks set by law. "The second task is to significantly intensify the fight against smuggling. The pace of work against smuggling, which we see now, cannot suit anyone," Zelensky said. The President's Office said that according to expert estimates, the state loses up to UAH 300 billion each year as a result of smuggling activities. The foundation for countering such destructive activities should be the strengthening of the SBU's work, the report said. "Concrete results should be seen both at the border and in all state institutions responsible for the purity of economic processes," Zelensky said. op Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva held an online consultation with Goce Karajanov, Special Adviser to the President of North Macedonia for Foreign Policy. According to the Presidents Office, Zhovkva informed his interlocutor about the security situation in eastern Ukraine and in the temporarily occupied Crimea. He stressed that ceasefire violations are recorded almost every day, and there is still a large Russian military presence on the Ukrainian-Russian border. Karajanov assured of the invariability of North Macedonia's support for the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. For his part, Zhovkva expressed gratitude to the Macedonian side for the solidarity position of North Macedonia within international and regional organizations, in particular, the traditional support for the resolutions initiated by Ukraine in the UN. Zhovkva told Karajanov about the preparations for the Crimean Platform summit to be held in Kyiv on August 23, 2021, and expressed hope that North Macedonia will be represented at this event at a high political level. The parties discussed the results of the NATO summit, which took place in Brussels on June 14. Zhovkva noted the importance of reaffirming by Allied leaders that Ukraine will become a NATO member and that the Membership Action Plan (MAP) is an integral part of this process. Karajanov stressed that North Macedonia supports Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration. During the conversation, special attention was paid to the steps of both countries in the context of counteracting the spread of COVID-19. The interlocutors stressed the importance of resuming tourist flows between Ukraine and North Macedonia, taking into account the epidemic situation and the pace of vaccination. ish President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky will take part in the All-Ukrainian Forum "Ukraine 30. Decentralization" on July 28-29, according to his press service. Participants of the event, including representatives of the Office of the President, the Cabinet of Ministers, MPs, Ukrainian and international experts, as well as representatives of the Council of Europe and diplomatic missions, will discuss Ukraines decentralization reform. Among other things, they will talk about the role of local self-government in the context of decentralization of powers, digitalization as a driving force for the development of communities, and decentralization in Donbas in the context of the Minsk agreements. The participants will pay special attention to the discussion of the European Charter of Local Self-Government as a basis for decentralization. In addition, there will be discussions on attracting investment, implementing infrastructure projects, developing medicine in communities, and cooperation within territorial communities. The forum will also host a meeting of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine. As reported, in December 2019, President Zelensky submitted to the Verkhovna Rada a draft law amending the Constitution of Ukraine on decentralization of power. In January 2020, after discussions by experts, local authorities and society, the proposed changes were withdrawn from parliament for revision. Since then, work has continued to develop a new version of amendments to the Constitution in terms of decentralization. ish Ukraine will be represented by three films at the Venice International Film Festival on September 1-11. "Great news from the Venice International Film Festival. Ukraine is represented there by three films at once. The world premiere of Glare by Valentyn Vasyanovych will take place in the main competition. Rhino by Oleg Sentsov and Censor by Peter Kerekes are in the Horizons section, Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine Oleksandr Tkachenko posted on Telegram. He noted that the films had been made with the support of the Ukrainian State Film Agency and the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy. According to the Agencys press service, Glare by Vasyanovych is included in the main competition program and competes for the main award of the festival Golden Lion. The film tells about a volunteer doctor who, after returning from captivity, tries to adapt to a peaceful life. He communicates with his ex-wife and a 12-year-old daughter who is also traumatized by the death of a loved one in the war. The press service reminded that the work on Rhino began in 2012 but was suspended due to the illegal arrest of Oleg Sentsov by Russian special services in 2014 and his subsequent imprisonment. The filmmaking was resumed after the director was released in 2019. The filming of Rhino took place in Kryvyi Rih, Lviv, and Kyiv and ended in December 2020. The leading roles were performed by Serhiy Filimonov, Yevhen Chernikov, Yevhen Hryhoryev, and Alina Zevakova. The film is based on the real events of the 1990s in Ukraine. The protagonist, nicknamed Rhino, enters the criminal world and embarks on a bloody path. Rhino was created in a co-production of Ukraine, Poland, and Germany. Peter Kerekes's film Censor, co-produced by Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Ukraine was also included in the Horizons section. The picture tells the story of a young woman Lesya, who was sentenced to imprisonment in one of the penitentiaries in Odesa. She has just given birth to her first child and has entered a world inhabited only by women: prisoners, nurses, and caretakers, women of all ages, wives and widows, daughters, sisters, pregnant women and women with children. If not for the color of the uniform, sometimes it would be difficult to say who is who. ol Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova has appealed to her Russian counterpart, Tetyana Moskalkova, to take measures to confirm the whereabouts of Ukrainian political prisoner Oleh Prykhodko, held by Russia. "The whereabouts of the illegally convicted Ukrainian political prisoner from Crimea, (Oleh ed.) Prykhodko, remains unknown. Since early June, there has been no official confirmation of where a Ukrainian citizen is being held in Russia, Denisova wrote on Telegram, according to Ukrinform. Preliminary data suggest Prykhodko was transferred to the Russian city of Vladimir to serve his illegally imposed sentence. The last known location was the SIZO-1 detention facility in Rostov region, the ombudsperson noted. Denisova has appealed to her counterpart Moskalkova, as well as the chief of Russias Federal Penitentiary Service, Alexander Kalashnikov, to reveal Prykhodkos whereabouts and provide information about his health condition and medical and legal assistance provided. The official has also asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to ensure proper consular protection for Prykhodko. Read also: Russian court sentences Crimean resident Prykhodko to five years in prison Denisova has once again called on the international community to pursue political and sanctions pressure on Russia to ensure that the persecution and sham trials stop, and that all illegally convicted Ukrainian citizens be released. As Ukrinform reported earlier, on October 9, 2019, in the temporarily occupied Crimea, security forces detained Oleh Prykhodko, holding him overnight at the local FSB HQ before taking him for a search at his private garage where law enforcers further claimed they "found" explosives. Prykhodko was arrested and charged with plotting a terror act and the illegal manufacture of explosives. The charges were later extended to include "illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation or carrying of explosives" and plotting a blast at Russias Consulate General in Lviv. Read also: Russia persecuting 93 Crimean Tatars for political reasons On March 3, 2021, the Southern District Military Court in Russias Rostov-on-Don sentenced Prykhodko to 5 years in a maximum-security colony, with the first year of his sentence ruled to be spent in prison, as well as a RUB 110,000 ($1,500) fine. On April 16, the prosecution appealed the ruling to increase Prykhodko's prison term to 11 years. On May 17, a Russian appeals court upheld the five-year prison sentence. The Memorial Human Rights Center recognized Prykhodko political prisoner. im Minister of Internal Affairs Denys Monastyrsky has met with Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukrainian, Metropolitan Epiphanius, and leader of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Onufriy. Thats according to the ministrys press service, Ukrinform reports. At the meeting with the leaders of Ukraines two largest Orthodox denominations, the minister discussed the issue of constructive relations between church and government, as well as the need to ensure interfaith peace, law and order. Separately, the parties discussed in detail security measures during mass processions held on July 27-28, marking the national holiday, Day of the Baptism of Kyivan Rus-Ukraine. Read also: Tomos of Autocephaly of Orthodox Church of Ukraine signed two years ago Monastyrsky assured the church leaders that law enforcers were ready to resolutely counter all possible acts of provocation during festive events, including in and around temples and other places of worship. The minister has called on OCU and UOC leaders to remain balanced and take special responsibility during mass events, expressing hope for cooperation in this regard and future constructive dialogue. According to Ukrinform, on July 27, the National Guard and police tightened security measures in the Kyiv center due to the holding of mass events dedicated to the 1033rd anniversary of the Baptism of Kyivan Rus-Ukraine. Background The Orthodox Church of Ukraine in January 2019 received from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople a tomos of autocephaly, effectively completing the process of the Ukrainian church gaining independence from the Russian Orthodox Church which traditionally sees Ukraine as part of its own canonical territory. On December 15, 2018, the Unification Church Council was held in the Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv. The clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate, the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate established a united local Orthodox Church of Ukraine, approved its charter, and elected its primate - Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv and All Ukraine. The procedure for granting autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine was completed on January 6, 2019, when the Patriarchal Church of St. George hosted the presentation of the tomos of autocephaly and the divine liturgy was co-served by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv and All Ukraine. Subsequently, Onufriy, the leader of the religious organization, which took part in the unification council, walked back on commitments to recognize the newly-created independent church alongside Russian clerics who accused Patriarch Bartholomew of abusing power and creating a schism among the Ukrainian faithful. The process of recognition of the OCU by other local Orthodox churches worldwide is ongoing, while Russian clergy has been vocally opposing the developments and rallying affiliated churches to hinder them. The Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine has also spoken up against the government's decision to mandate the renaming of religious organizations to reveal in their official title the actual decision-making centers, which would imply that Onufriys UOC would be entitled "Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine." im Forty-five percent of Ukrainians support the granting of the tomos of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, while 31% are indifferent to the issue and only 19% oppose the move. Thats according to a survey conducted by the Rating Sociological Group, Ukrinform reports. It is noted that the greatest support is seen among residents of Ukraines western and central regions, the elderly respondents, as well as those who identify as Greek Catholics and the OCU followers. According to the study, voters of the Opposition Platform for Life party, the parties led by Murayev and Sharij mostly voice a negative attitude toward autocephaly, or independence, of the Ukrainian church. The poll was run on July 23-25, 2021, and covered 2,500 Ukrainian residents aged 18 and older across all regions but the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas. The poll applied the CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews) method, based on a random sampling of cell phone numbers. Margin error in the study with a confidence level of 0.95 is within 2.0%. Read also: Interior minister meets with top Orthodox clerics As Ukrinform reported earlier, on December 15, 2018, a Unifying Council of Churches met in Kyiv where the new Orthodox Church of Ukraine was founded and Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv and All Ukraine was elected its Primate. The newly created church has absorbed the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, and individual bishops of the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate. In early January 2019, the newly formed church received a tomos of autocephaly from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. im Eritrean refugees wait for a humanitarian aid distribution at Mai Aini camp in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. UNHCR/Petterik Wiggers UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is extremely worried about the fate of thousands of Eritrean refugees currently trapped in two refugee camps in Ethiopias Tigray region as fighting between armed groups escalates in and around the camps. An estimated 24,000 Eritrean refugees in Mai Aini and Adi Harush camps in Tigrays Mai Tsebri area are facing intimidation and harassment and living in constant anguish, cut off from humanitarian assistance. We have received disturbing and credible reports in recent days from Mai Aini camp that at least one refugee was killed by armed elements operating inside the camp. This latest death is in addition to the killing of another refugee on 14 July. UNHCR implores all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international law, including respecting the civilian character of refugee camps, and the rights of refugees and all civilians to be protected from hostilities. Our staff have lost all access to the refugee camps for the last two weeks. Trapped refugees need urgent life-saving assistance. Clean drinking water is running out, no healthcare services are available and hunger is a real danger. The last food distribution to both camps was done in late June, providing rations for one month. Recent armed clashes have also displaced thousands of people in the Afar region that neighbours Tigray to the east and where an additional 55,000 Eritrean refugees are hosted. There are reports of armed confrontations close to the locations where they live. Meanwhile, the main humanitarian supply road between Semera in Afar and Mekelle in Tigray has been completely blocked since 18 July. UNHCR supplies, like those of other agencies, are stranded in Semera. UNHCR urges all parties to the conflict to give immediate humanitarian access and safety for aid workers attempting to provide life-saving assistance. For more information on this topic, please contact: In Addis, Neven Crvenkovic, [email protected], +251 948 053 450 In Nairobi, Dana Hughes, [email protected], +254 733 450536 In Geneva, Babar Baloch, [email protected], +41 79 513 9549 The #IBelong Campaign was launched by UNHCR in 2014 as a global effort to end statelessness within 10 years. UNHCR UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, applauds Togos accession to the two UN Conventions on Statelessness. Togo has now become the latest country to join the 1954 Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, helping to advance the global fight to end statelessness. Statelessness, the situation of people who are not recognized as citizens by any country, is a global phenomenon that continues to affect millions of people worldwide, leaving them marginalized and highly vulnerable. In depositing instruments of accession to both treaties on 14 July, Togo signaled its political will to tackle the root causes of statelessness as well as its support for UNHCRs #IBelong Campaign to End Statelessness by 2024. The move comes as the international community marks the 60th anniversary of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness and as UNHCR is stepping up advocacy efforts on the issue generally. I congratulate Togo for acceding to the two UN statelessness conventions, said the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi. This step demonstrates Togos strong commitment to improving the lives of stateless people throughout the country and helping to eliminate statelessness around the world. Togos accession builds on the great momentum in West Africas fight against statelessness. Togo and other West African States had previously adopted the 2015 Abidjan Declaration of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Heads of State on the eradication of statelessness in West Africa, and the 2017 Banjul Plan of Action to Eradicate Statelessness. Its accession last week to the two UN conventions is in line with its commitments to the ongoing reform of the Togolese nationality code to make it consistent with international standards that prevent and reduce statelessness, including by ensuring equal nationality rights to women when it comes to their ability to acquire, retain, and confer their nationality. Notes to the editor: There are at least 1.6 million stateless people or people of undetermined nationality, across West Africa, according to information provided by countries in the region. Worldwide, UNHCRs statistical reporting counts 4.2 million stateless people in some 94 countries. Given that most countries do not collect any data on statelessness, the actual figure is believed to be substantially higher. Stateless people are often unable to access documentation and critical services, ranging from education, health care and vaccinations, among many others. Their lack of status can negatively impact all aspects and phases of their lives, from birth to death. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Register for a FREE account to keep reading! Register now for a FREE account to keep reading. No cost and no credit card required! Access up to 5 articles per month when you register, or get unlimited access to all of our content online starting at $1.99 now! Already registered? Click the log in link below Milledgeville, GA (31061) Today A few showers early with scattered thunderstorms arriving for the afternoon. High 82F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Isolated thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%. Milledgeville, GA (31061) Today A few showers early with scattered thunderstorms arriving for the afternoon. High 82F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Overcast with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly this evening. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%. DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 27th Jul, 2021) The Customer Service Department of the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department in Dubai (IACAD) received over 4,000 requests to issue a "fatwa", the most requested services, while the request to "declare Islam" was the second most requested service, with more than 2,000 requests until the first half of 2021. The IACAD call centre received more than 10,000 requests until June as the IACAD services included 54 various services across its sectors. The semi-annual report indicated that the total requests received during the first quarter were more than 5,000 requests, while the total requests received during the second quarter were more than 4,000 requests. Adel Juma Matar, Director of Customer Service Department, said that the department is constantly seeking to provide the highest levels of service smoothly and easily to all customers of Dubai in a limited time by relying on the latest technologies. Hajar Al-Suwaidi, Head of Customer Relations section, explained that IACAD customer service deals with customer inquiries through all available communication channels. ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 27th Jul, 2021) Sheikh Sultan bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Ambassador to Bahrain, has expressed his pleasure with the ongoing cultural cooperation between the UAE Embassy in Manama and several local Bahraini entities, which led to strengthening relations between the two countries. He commended the participation of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood (SCMC), in coordination with the embassy, along with Bahrain's Ministry of Labour and Social Development and National Childhood Committee, in organising a video conference on protecting childrens rights. The UAE celebrated Emirati Children's Day on 15th March, under the slogan, "The Right to Play", Al Nahyan said, noting that since the establishment of the country in 1971, it has prioritised children and their rights and adhered to all relevant international conventions. The session discussed related laws, services and projects aimed at protecting childrens rights, as well as initiatives that support childrens rights and development and ways of raising awareness of the needs of children and the challenges they face in light of ongoing digital transformation and the rise in cybercrimes. Lulwa Al Awadhi, Legal Advisor at the SCMC, said that the UAE has prioritised children and their rights since the era of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who issued Federal Decree Law No. (1) of 2003 establishing the SCMC. The SCMC is the only Emirati authority whose statute stipulates that one of its functions is to submit reports directly to President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, including recommendations on childrens rights, Al Awadhi explained, adding that its initiatives have exceeded its geographical limitations and are being carried out in many countries, including Jordan, Yemen and Somalia. Washington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2021 ) :President Joe Biden declared US relations with Iraq would enter a new phase with American troops exiting combat operations in the country by year-end as he held talks Monday with Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi. Biden stressed that Washington remains "committed to our security cooperation" while Kadhemi reaffirmed their "strategic partnership." US troops in Iraq will "to continue to train, to assist, to help, to deal with ISIS (Islamic State) as it arises," Biden said. But, in a shift that comes as the United States pulls out of Afghanistan, the US leader confirmed that the 2,500 US troops still in Iraq won't be fighting. "We're not going to be, at the end of the year, in a combat mission," he said. Eighteen years after the US invaded Iraq to remove strongman Saddam Hussein, and seven years after a US-led coalition battled extremists who threatened the country, Washington turned its focus to other types of assistance. It said it would help strengthen electric power supplies, fight Covid-19, confront the impacts of climate change, and support private sector development. Some 500,000 coronavirus vaccine doses pledged to Baghdad "will be there in a couple weeks," Biden told Kadhemi in the White House. Biden also emphasized US support for elections in October in Iraq, saying Washington is working closely with Baghdad, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the United Nations to ensure the elections are fair. "We support strengthening Iraq's democracy and we're anxious to make sure the election goes forward," he said. Kadhemi said he was in Washington "to discuss the future of our nation.""America, they help Iraq. Together we fight, fight and defeat ISIS," he said. "Today, our relation is stronger than ever -- our partnership in the economy, the environment, health, education, culture and more." Tripoli, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2021 ) :Libya's government Monday announced a two-week overnight curfew in the areas it controls in the centre and west of the North African country, as it battles a rise in Covid-19 cases. A government statement said the 12-hour curfew would start at 6:00 pm and end at 6:00 am, during which time cafes, restaurants, shops and parks will be closed and travel prohibited. Only essential services such as the transport of goods, pharmacies, law enforcement, sanitation and electricity services will be exempted. The curfew will not apply in eastern and southern Libya, which are de facto controlled by military strongman Khalifa Haftar. Health services in Libya, a country of some seven million people, have been battered by a decade of conflict. Since the pandemic began, 236,961 cases and 3,398 deaths from Covid-19 have been recorded. Record figures nationwide have seen a few thousand new patients each day, partly due to better testing. On July 11, Libya imposed sweeping restrictions to stem the spread of coronavirus as recorded cases hit a new high. These included a ban on weddings and organised funerals with mourners. On Saturday, the authorities launched a vaccination campaign around the capital Tripoli. Fewer than 500,000 people have been vaccinated since an inoculation campaign began in April. ISTANBUL, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2021 ) :Turkish authorities Tuesday urged the citizens to get their shots done to curb the resurge of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Health Ministry, over 22 million people have not yet taken their first vaccine dose among the total population of 83 million. "The increase in the number of cases makes it difficult to keep the pandemic under control," Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on his Twitter account. Ekrem Imamoglu, mayor of Turkey's largest city Istanbul, noted that he received two vaccine doses and urged others to do the same when the daily coronavirus cases are on the rise again. "All scientific data reveals the protectiveness of vaccination," he said on Twitter. "Please, let's protect each other," added Imamoglu. In Turkey's southeastern provinces of Diyarbakir and Sanliurfa, where the vaccination ratios are significantly low, local authorities planned to offer young people a reward for receiving shots. Additionally, in the northern province of Trabzon, those who are vaccinated after July 15 will be entitled to a discount in August in the tourism facilities in the region, the NTV broadcaster said. The Health Ministry's data revealed that so far, 64 percent of the population over age 18 have been vaccinated with at least one vaccine dose. Turkey recorded 16,809 COVID-19 cases on Monday, according to the ministry. Washington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2021 ) :The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) said Monday its more than 100,000 health care personnel would have to get Covid-19 shots, becoming the first Federal agency to institute a mandate as California and New York City announced new vaccine requirements affecting workers. President Joe Biden's administration had previously been reluctant to support such measures, but is now confronted with a Delta variant-driven surge that is sweeping mainly through America's tens of millions of unvaccinated. "Whenever a Veteran or VA employee sets foot in a VA facility, they deserve to know that we have done everything in our power to protect them from Covid-19," said VA Secretary Denis McDonough in a news release. "With this mandate, we can once again make -- and keep -- that fundamental promise." The statement added that four unvaccinated VA employees had died in recent weeks, all of whom were unvaccinated. Personnel such as physicians, dentists, podiatrists, optometrists, registered nurses and others now have eight weeks to be fully vaccinated. Earlier this month, VA officials said more than 70 percent of the agency's 300,000 employees were fully vaccinated. The new order applies to 115,000 people, according to the Military Times. The move came as part of a broader shift, with New York City announcing municipal workers will need to get vaccinated or submit to weekly tests, and California ordering a similar measure for its government employees but also extending the rule to private sector health workers. New York's order will affect more than 300,000 city personnel, including police, firefighters and teachers, and will go into effect September 13, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday. California's directive will apply to almost 240,000 state workers and hundreds of thousands more private sector health workers, with full compliance required by August 21, according to a news release by Governor Gavin Newsom's office. San Francisco Mayor London Breed meanwhile said anyone hired by the city or county would need a vaccine before they can begin their job, extending the scope of a mandate on existing city workers announced last week. The United States is in the midst of a surge driven by Delta, the most contagious coronavirus variant identified to date, which now accounts for more than 89 percent of US cases, according to estimates. Some 52,000 people are being infected every day, according to the Covid Act Now tracker. Hotspots include the states of Arkansas, Florida -- which accounts for almost a quarter of all new cases -- Louisiana and Missouri. They have all lagged behind the national vaccination rate, but White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients told reporters last week that these states were recently registering higher immunization rates in light of the summer surge. Just over 49 percent of the total US population has been fully vaccinated, well below the 85 to 90 percent experts now estimate is required for population immunity. "We're at about 67% (with prior infections counted) So we need a lot more vaccinations," Ashish Jha, Dean of Brown University school of Public Health, tweeted about immunity on Sunday. Controversy is meanwhile building over mandates. On Monday, 57 medical groups representing millions of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health workers called for mandatory vaccinations for all health staff. A recent WebMD report of 2,500 hospitals showed that about one in four health care workers have not been vaccinated -- primarily nursing aides, emergency medical technicians and nurses. While Democratic-led jurisdictions are implementing vaccine requirements, several Republican-led states have instead passed laws banning such measures, particularly in schools. But with the vast majority of Covid hospitalizations and deaths occurring among the unvaccinated, and the ranks of the unvaccinated skewing politically conservative, there are now signs Republican lawmakers are coming around. "These vaccines are saving lives," Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said at a news conference last week. And on Thursday number two House Republican Steve Scalise joined the chamber's GOP Doctors Caucus, a group of 18 lawmakers who are licensed medical experts, to tell Americans to "get the vaccine." (@fidahassanain) ISPR says Pakistan will continue to extend all kinds of support to our Afghan brethren in time[s] of need. RAWALPINDI: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-July 27th, 2021) Forty-six Afghan soldiers including five officers who had been provided refuge and safe passage by the Pakistan Army on Monday were "amicably returned" to Afghan authorities today at Nawapass, Bajaur, the Inter-Services Public Relations statement (ISPR) said in a statement. The Militarys media wing said: These soldiers from the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Border Police were given safe passage into Pakistan, on their own request, by the Pakistan Army in Arundu Sector of the Pak-Afghan international border, Chitral on July 25,. It said: After necessary clearance, the Afghan soldiers had crossed into Pakistan with their weapons, ammunition and communication equipment,. "The soldiers have now been amicably returned to Afghan authorities on their request along with their weapons and equipment. Pakistan will continue to extend all kinds of support to our Afghan brethren in time[s] of need, said the ISPR. Pakistan army had earlier provided refuge and safe passage to the Afghan soldiers after they lost their military posts along the border. A local ANA commander opposite Arundu, Chitral had requested help for the 46 soldiers including five officers as they were unable to hold their military posts along the Pak-Afghan international border due to security situation in Afghanistan. The soldiers had subsequently been provided food, shelter and necessary medical care "as per established military norms. The 73rd martyrdom anniversary of the first recipient of Nishan-e-Haider Captain Raja Muhammad Sarwar Shaheed was observed on Tuesday with full honour and the martyr was paid tribute for his supreme sacrifice and unflinching resolve for the motherland RAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2021 ) :The 73rd martyrdom anniversary of the first recipient of Nishan-e-Haider Captain Raja Muhammad Sarwar Shaheed was observed on Tuesday with full honour and the martyr was paid tribute for his supreme sacrifice and unflinching resolve for the motherland. A wreath laying ceremony was held at the martyr's village Sanghori, Gujar Khan to pay tribute to brave soldier, said an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) news release. Major General Shahid Nazir, laid floral wreath and offered Fateha on behalf of Chief of Army staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa. Captain Muhammad Sarwar Shaheed, who demonstrated indomitable courage and valor in defence of motherland, embraced Shahadat at Tilpatra (Azad Kashmir) in 1948, it added. He holds the distinction of being the first recipient of Nishan-e-Haider, Pakistan's highest military award. ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2021 ) :Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Tuesday said that Captain Sarwar Shaheed's invincible courage and unwavering loyalty would forever be an example of determination. In a message on the occasion of martyrdom anniversary of Captain Sarwar Shaheed, the minister said that his sacrifice for the motherland and Kashmir further strengthened the national resolve to protect beloved homeland at all costs. He said that the nation would always remember the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for defence of the country. The bravery and courage of Captain Raja Muhammad Sarwar Shaheed will continue to inspire the youth, the minister said. Captain Sarwar, who sacrificed his life for the motherland, was a shining icon of martyrdom. Fawad said on this occasion the nation paid homage to the martyred captain who wrote story of bravery and courage with his blood in the 1948 Kashmir war. ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Jul, 2021 ) :Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri Tuesday strongly rebutted a concocted news item of Asian News International (ANI), an Indian news outlet, about withdrawal of GSP+ status to Pakistan, terming it as 'fabricated and a continuation of the India's malicious propaganda against Pakistan'. Responding to media queries regarding a report by an ANI, an Indian based news agency, the spokesperson in a statement said that currently, the European Parliament was on summer recess till autumn and there had been no discussion on Pakistan since April 2021. The spokesperson said India's malicious smear campaign against Pakistan was well-known and independent organizations including EU DisinfoLab had established India's credentials as purveyor of anti-Pakistan propaganda globally. Even after India's disinformation campaign being unearthed globally, the spokesperson said, Indian state and obliging Indian media remained busy in concocting baseless stories against Pakistan. "The recent rumours are yet another demonstration of India's nefarious designs," it was added. The spokesperson further said that Pakistan and the European Union (EU) maintained close high-level engagement through multiple dialogue mechanisms, and Pakistan remained committed for full implementation of the 27 International Conventions related to the GSP Plus. "Pakistan has successfully completed three biennial reviews of GSP Plus and the fourth biennial review is currently underway," the spokesperson added. Six police officers were killed and fifty others injured in the fresh violence that broke out at the disputed Assam-Mizoram border in India ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2021 ) :Six police officers were killed and fifty others injured in the fresh violence that broke out at the disputed Assam-Mizoram border in India. According to Kashmir Media Service, there were reports of firing from the border area which lie over Assam's Cachar district and Mizoram's Kolasib district and attacks on government vehicles, reports said. The violence took place two days after Indian Minister Amit Shah met all chief ministers of the northeast at Shillong. Mr Shah called chief ministers of both states and asked them to resolve the border issue, reports said. The chief ministers of the two states had clashed on Twitter, and tagged Mr Shah in their posts. They tweeted a video of the violence where people armed with sticks can be seen. Three Mizoram districts Aizawl, Kolasib and Mamit share a 164.6 km long inter-state border with Assam's Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj districts. There have been skirmishes at the disputed areas of the border for years, with the residents on both sides accusing each other of intrusion. YEKATERINBURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th July, 2021) Around 1,000 Russian servicemen will take part in military drills that Tajikistan will host in August close to the border with Afghanistan, with Uzbekistan's participation, the Russian Central Military District said on Tuesday. Over 1,500 servicemen and around 300 units of weapons and military equipment from the three countries are set to be involved in the drills. "Around 1,000 Russian servicemen will take part in the trilateral tactical drills of Uzbekistan's and Tajikistan's military contingents, which will be held from August 5-10 in Tajikistan's south," the Russian military said in a statement. Russian, Tajik and Uzbek servicemen will practice elimination of token intruding terrorist groups and criminal gangs. The drills will include tactical operations with the use of reconnaissance fire and scout-attack systems. Russia will be represented by motorized infantry, tank force and artillery detachment units, as well as chemical, biological and radiological defense experts and electronic combat forces. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Procuratorial organs across China handled 79,075 public interest litigation cases in the first half of 2021, up by 28.6 percent year on year, the country's top procuratorate said Tuesday BEIJING, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2021 ) :Procuratorial organs across China handled 79,075 public interest litigation cases in the first half of 2021, up by 28.6 percent year on year, the country's top procuratorate said Tuesday. The Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) released the data in a report on procuratorial work in the first half of this year at a teleconference held on Tuesday. In addition to regular public interest litigation cases concerning ecological protection and food and drug safety, procuratorates also handled 18,390 such cases in news fields including public security, personal information protection, and protection of special groups' rights and interests. The figure rose 83.8 percent from the same period last year, the SPP said. As the country continued efforts to improve the business environment, procuratorates prosecuted 6,017 individuals for intellectual property infringement in the first six months, a year-on-year increase of 12.6 percent. During the same period, procuratorates handled 26 cases involving harming the rights and interests of national heroes and martyrs. They also provided judicial assistance to 296 military service persons, their families, and veterans in need, said the SPP. (@FahadShabbir) HELSINKI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th July, 2021) Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas demanded on Tuesday that Health Minister Tanel Kiik overhaul the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive. "The National Audit Office states that there are thousands of unused vaccines in our warehouses. As of last week, there were 170,000 doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. At the same time, there are hundreds of thousands of people in Estonia who want and need a vaccine, but for some reason have not received it yet. This is unacceptable," Kallas said, adding that she had "demanded answers and deadlines to resolve the issue from Health Minster Tanel Kiik." Vaccination in Estonia has been underway since December 27, 2020. As of Tuesday morning, almost 625,000 people have been vaccinated, which makes up 47% of the country's population, with about 549,000 people having received both shots of one of four vaccines used in Estonia Pfizer/BioNtech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Janssen. A fire scorched forests at the base of Mount Penteli north of Athens Tuesday and was approaching the surrounding suburbs, firefighters and local authorities said Athens, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2021 ) :A fire scorched forests at the base of Mount Penteli north of Athens Tuesday and was approaching the surrounding suburbs, firefighters and local authorities said. Authorities have sent alerts to mobile phones of residents of the affected area, warning them to "be ready to follow instructions," but had not issued any evacuation orders. "No one is in danger," a spokesman for the firefighters, Vassilis Vathrakoyannis, told Skai radio. Earlier, the mayor of the town of Dionysos told the same station that "the fire is out of control" while his counterpart in the town of Penteli, Dimitra Kehaya, said that the blaze had spread across "several kilometres". ERT public television interrupted its programming for live coverage of the fire, the fumes of which reached central Athens, some 30 kilometres (19 miles) away where temperatures hovered at 38 Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday. Some 74 firefighters, backed by five helicopters and five planes equipped for dropping water were battling to contain the blaze, but their efforts were complicated by the 38 kilometre (24 mile) per hour winds. Forest fires regularly erupt in Greece during the summer months, including around Mount Penteli. In July 2018, 102 people died when a fire fed by winds off the mountain raced through the coastal town of Mati, near Athens, in the country's worst-ever toll from a forest inferno. A court in Tanzania has charged the leader of the main opposition party with terrorism-related offences, following his arrest that drew international concern and criticism of the country's new president Dar es Salaam, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2021 ) :A court in Tanzania has charged the leader of the main opposition party with terrorism-related offences, following his arrest that drew international concern and criticism of the country's new president. Chadema chairman Freeman Mbowe was detained last week along with 15 other members of the party in a late-night crackdown government critics said bore the hallmarks of the oppressive rule of country's late leader. State prosecutor Ester Martin said Mbowe had been charged with two counts of "economic sabotage", crimes that do not allow for bail in Tanzania. "These are terrorism financing and terrorism conspiracy," she told reporters late Monday. Chadema said Mbowe had been charged in Kisutu court with terrorism crimes without his family or lawyers present. The party chairman and the other Chadema officials were arrested in the Lake Victoria port city of Mwanza last Wednesday ahead of a planned public meeting to demand constitutional reform. Mbowe was transferred to a prison in Dar es Salaam where police said he was being held "for plotting terrorism acts including to kill government leaders". Laptops and other devices were seized during a search of his home in the city. State prosecutors, however, said the terrorism charges against Mbowe did not relate to his planned activities in Mwanza but alleged offences that occurred last year in a different part of Tanzania. "Mbowe knew that he was being investigated for terrorism, and he left to Mwanza after knowing that he would be arrested," police spokesman David Misime said late Monday. Six others were also being charged with the same offences, he added. The case will be mentioned next in court on August 5. Chadema said Mbowe's family and lawyers were told he was being transferred to hospital for health checks but was instead "taken to the court quietly" and charged without any of his legal representatives present. The charges come four months after Tanzania's first female President Samia Suluhu Hassan took office following the sudden death in March of John Magufuli, under whose autocratic rule such clampdowns on the opposition were frequent. Hassan had reached out to the opposition and vowed to defend democracy and basic freedoms, spurring optimism that Tanzania would be steered away from the heavy-handed and uncompromising leadership of her predecessor. A Nigerian separatist wanted in his country was remanded in custody on Tuesday in Benin, where he was arrested at the airport last week, judicial sources told AFP Cotonou, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2021 ) :A Nigerian separatist wanted in his country was remanded in custody on Tuesday in Benin, where he was arrested at the airport last week, judicial sources told AFP. Sunday Igboho, who advocates for independence for the southwestern Yoruba people, is accused of "criminal association," according to a judicial source in Benin's commercial capital Cotonou. "The judge placed him under a warrant of detention," said one of Igboho's lawyers, Toide Behanzin. "He is being accused of crimes against people and properties in Benin. The case is totally baseless."In early July, Nigerian security officials raided Igboho's home in the city of Ibadan, later saying he had escaped after they found military equipment and other weapons. WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th July, 2021) US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman stressed the importance of a negotiated halt in fighting between rival factions in Yemen's civil war as a key to regional security in a meeting with Oman Deputy Foreign Minister Khalifa Al Harthy in the Omani capital of Muscat, the State Department said in a readout of the session on Tuesday. "The Deputy Secretary also thanked the Deputy Foreign Minister for Oman's role in mediating peace in the region and underscored the importance of an immediate, comprehensive ceasefire to help bring the war in Yemen to an end," the readout said. Sherman credited Oman for mediating peace negotiation in other regional conflicts and cited a "comprehensive ceasefire in neighboring Yemen" as a step toward ending the war in Yemen. Yemen has been engulfed in an armed conflict between the government forces and Houthi rebels for nearly seven years. The conflict is widely viewed as a proxy war pitting a Saudi-led coalition of Arab states against Iran, which the US accuses of arming the Houthis and facilitating attacks on Saudi targets with missiles and drones from Houthi positions. In addition to the armed hostilities, Yemen continues to suffer from famine and an ongoing cholera outbreak with the COVID-19 pandemic further worsening the nation's economic and humanitarian crises. Thanks for signing up! Beacon Newsletter Get the top stories from campus and around Knoxville. Email Address Sign Up Valdosta, GA (31601) Today Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High 81F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. The Catholic Women Association of Cameroon held its 9th National Congress from 23 to 25 July 2021 under the theme: Catholic Women called to holiness for the sanctification and holistic development of the world. Donatien Nyembo Sj, Paule Valerie Mendogo and Vatican News English Africa Service. The national event, which brought together more than 500 Catholic women from different parts of Cameroon, was held in the Diocese of Ngaoundere, north-central Cameroon, Adamawa Plateau. During the closing Mass of Sunday, 25 July, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Apostles in Ngaoundere, the Catholic women pledged to plant a new seed of mutual love that would inspire other members, especially a new generation of members. They will also double up on accomplishing works of mercy within communities. Do not seek power and prestige The local Ordinary, Bishop Emmanuel Abbo, addressed the women association and encouraged them to commit and dedicate themselves even more to the different apostolates in their dioceses. Bishop Abbo, nonetheless, admonished the ladies against the temptation of seeking power, prestige and honour at the expense of their calling as lay Catholics. He warned against unhealthy tendencies that undermine others. Growing a new generation of young Catholic women National Chaplain of the Catholic Women in Cameroon, Father Giles Ngwa Forteh, for his part, expressed the wish to see a new generation of Catholic Women grow, one whose language and life would be anchored on the law of love. Rediscovering the love of God and sharing must be our goal. Indeed, the hatred we see around us clearly indicates that the human heart has become seriously hardened. Only the Word of God can soften that heart and make people take actions that can transform the world. God renews us every time we approach him, he said. Ethiopian bishops insist that it is never too late to stop the violence in the countrys conflict-ridden region of Tigray where war has been raging for over eight months. They recommend dialogue and reconciliation on the path toward peace. By Vatican News staff writer Bishops in Ethiopia have reiterated calls for an end to the violence in the nations Tigray region which has been ravaged by armed conflict since November last year. The conflict in Tigray began when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered a military incursion in retaliation for an attack on a federal army base by forces loyal to the regions' dissident Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) party. The ensuing violence has led to thousands of deaths, massive displacement and a worsening humanitarian situation. The UN has even warned that several hundred thousand people are at risk of starvation. It saddens our hearts hearing about war while we all would like to hear about peace and reconciliation, they said in a statement published at the end of their ordinary Assembly, concerning the situation in the troubled Tigray region of the country. War is not a solution In light of the widening conflict, the bishops point out that the horror of war is neither a remedy for wrongs nor a solution to a crisis because war brings untold suffering and the price that innocent people pay is incalculable. "It is never too late to stop the violence, the bishops said, inviting the parties to embrace dialogue as a path to peace. They further insisted that the only way forward, for the good of the people, is peace and reconciliation, which helps to satisfy the demands of truth and justice, to ask for and grant forgiveness, to restore mutual trust, to recognize others as our brothers and sisters, no matter who they are and how deep our disagreements are, and to settle any differences through dialogue and negotiation. Appeal to authorities The bishops went on to call on the authorities on the ground to allow access to humanitarian aid for people trapped in the conflict-stricken areas. According to a recently-released UN Tigray region humanitarian report, the situation in the region remains dire. 5.2 million people are in need of assistance while supplies and personnel fall short in responding to their needs. In addition, stocks are depleting fast and road access to the region has been greatly restricted in recent times. As Pastors, we cannot but feel the anguish and pain that the people are going through. We identify with them and their anguish is our anguish, the bishops said. They also extended their gratitude to the many people who have been working tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of the population while calling for continued support so that no one is forgotten or left out. Ordinary Assembly The ordinary assembly, held from 13 -16 July brought together bishops from all dioceses of Ethiopia except Bishop Tesfassilasie Medhin of Ethiopias Eparchy of Adigrate, which is within the war zone of Tigray. The bishops offered prayers for Bishop Medhin who could not join due to the situation in Tigray, and also for the clergy, religious men and women and the faithful who have been going through challenging times due to the conflict. The Catholic Church in Japan dedicates its annual "Ten Days for Peace" prayer initiative to the theme "Protecting all life creates peace" By Lisa Zengarini "Protecting all life creates peace" will be the theme of this years "Ten Days for Peace" initiative, the annual period of prayer held by the Church in Japan from 6 to 15 August to remember the victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Theme from motto of Popes Apostolic Journey In a message for the occasion, Bishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki, President of the Bishops Conference of Japan (CBCJ), explains that the theme is drawn from the motto of Pope Franciss Apostolic Journey to Japan (23-26 November 2019), underlining the connection between that tragedy and the ongoing threat of nuclear war which is still present today. Peace in the world under threat The prelate notes that peace and the stability of the international community are still threatened today by armed conflicts, by the refugee crisis across the world and by growing tensions between the United States and China which are leading to a new cold war". In this context, he says, "we cannot but urge countries to continue their efforts for a patient dialogue, so as to build better relations". Bishop Takami also remarks that, although the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) entered into force on January 22 this year, there are still many countries that have not ratified it. Both conflicts between countries and the existence of weapons of mass destruction are a threat to peace, the message emphasizes. The president of the Japanese bishops also recalls that in other countries like Myanmar or Afghanistan, people are denied their basic human rights and peace by "deviant powers and forces" who give priority to national security and wealth" over respect for human life. The world needs more solidarity The message further refers to the COVID-19 pandemic, reiterating the call for greater solidarity. Richer and stronger countries Bishop Takami says - should support poorer countries, respecting the dignity of all lives equally so to deepen mutual trust as brothers and sisters", as called for by the Document on Human Brotherhood signed in Abu Dhabi in 2019 and Encyclical Letter Fratelli tutti. All lives matter According to the prelate, in giving the highest priority to the protection of all lives, regardless of their backgrounds, we promote peace", because life is not just the life of an individual, but is created by human relations: therefore, protecting the former also means protecting the latter. Peace is harmony between the lives of all, the message concludes. "Ten days for peace" established in 1982 The "Ten days for peace" initiative was established by the Japanese Bishops in in 1982, following Pope John Paul IIs Appeal for Peace at Hiroshima (25 February 1981) during his Apostolic Journey to Japan, in which he emphasized that remembering the past is engaging for the future. During his visit to the Country in November 2019, Pope Francis further added that the possession of nuclear weapons is also immoral. After migrants were allegedly robbed by police in Mexico, the Jesuit Refugee Service calls for an investigation on the treatment of migrants and refugees in Mexico. By Vatican News staff writer In a note to Mexican authorities from the Jesuit Refugee Service and the Human Rights Centre 'Juan Gerardi de Torreon', the two organisations call for respect and ask that the human rights of migrants and those seeking international protection in Mexico be guaranteed. Denouncing persecution In particular, the two bodies denounce the persecution, criminalisation and arbitrary detention of migrants in Mexico, describing it as a recurrent situation. They stress that, in reality, state and municipal security forces should not participate in migration operations because their intervention is contrary to legislative provisions. At the same time, the two bodies urge the Ministry of Security to 'respect international human rights treaties and refrain from any act of intimidation, threat or obstruction of the work of human rights defenders or humanitarian workers'. The incident that triggered The note from the two organisations was prompted by what happened on the afternoon of 22 July, when twelve migrants from the centre were aggressively searched by four policemen, who stole their money and personal belongings. The humanitarian volunteers tried to intervene, but were violently repelled by an officer who claimed that the migrants were in possession of drugs. This accusation was not proven in any way. The incident triggered threats and intimidation by the police officers against the volunteers, who were also physically assaulted and had their mobile phones, which they were using to record the violence, destroyed. The Jesuits and the Centre therefore call on the Attorney General of the country, Gertz Manero, to carry out an effective investigation into what happened, while the National Human Rights Commission is asked to investigate, in general, all human rights violations against asylum seekers and refugees, as well as violations committed against human rights defenders. The centre The Human Rights Centre 'Juan Gerardi de Torreon' has been working since 1999 in the La Laguna de Torreon region of Coahuila, promoting a culture of peace and respect for human rights. Its current areas of work include Central American transmigration, water and environmental protection, and human rights education. The organisation also documents cases of missing persons and provides humanitarian support to migrants passing through Torreon on their way to the United States of America. Pope Francis encourages Brazilian Catholic communicators to be instruments of reconciliation and unity in a divided country. By Lisa Zengarini Pope Francis has encouraged Catholic communicators in Brazil to be instruments of reconciliation and unity in these difficult times of pandemic which has hardly hit the country. Building bridges to be a sign of hope and of solidarity In a message addressed to the participants in the 12th Mutirao de Comunicacao, an annual meeting of Catholic communicators co-organized by the Brazilian Bishops Conference (CNBB), the Pontiff stresses that Christians are called to be a sign of hope and of solidarity in Brazilian society inspired by their faith and confiding that the Risen Lord accompanies his disciples until the end of time (Mt 28,20). This implies being instruments of unity and reconciliation, which is the mission of the Church in Brazil now more than ever, the Holy Father emphasizes referring to the ongoing political and social tensions that are dividing the country in the present crisis. This is why "Christian communicators should be on the frontline in promoting a communication which builds bridges, seeks dialogue and overcomes ideological contradictions". Being witnesses of the truth and contrasting fake news The message, signed by the Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, therefore stresses their primary duty to be witnesses of the truth, reminding that they should be responsible for the communications they make, the information they share, the control that they can exert over fake news by exposing it (Cf Message for the 54th World Communications Day). The Pope's message was read at the opening of the on-line session by the President of the CNBB, Archbishop Walmor Oliveira de Azevedo of Belo Horizonte who, on his part, also reiterated the importance of an effective and efficient communication for the mission of the Church in Brazil. Theme of the session: "For an integral communication" A record number of 5,600 participants took part in this year's "Mutirao de Comunicacao", which was co-organized by the Catholic Radio Network (RCR) of Brazil and the Brazilian section of Signis, the World Catholic Association for Communication. Focused on the theme "For an integral communication: the human in the new media environment", the session was divided in six parts including conferences, round tables, presentations and reflections. The wide range of topics discussed included the relation between real life and digital life and its challenges for the Church in Brazil, communicating peace in times of fake news, the influence of the new media in society and Church, the challenges of the new media context for ecclesial communities in light of the Fratelli tutti and strategies for renewing Catholic communication in the post-pandemic era. The session reiterated the crucial importance of quality communication for the mission of the Church in Brazil. Send to Email Address Your Name Your Email Address Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Email check failed, please try again Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Botswana sent 296 troops to Mozambique Monday to join soldiers from other Southern African Development Community, or SADC, countries. The SADC troops are being deployed for the first time to quell a deadly Islamist insurgency in Cabo Delgado, Mozambiques northernmost province. President Mokgweetsi Masisi saw off the troops at the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in the capital Monday morning. Masisi, who is the chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defense and Security, said the deployment is part of the regions effort to promote stability in member nation Mozambique. Today, we witness yet another milestone in our set out objectives of propelling the peace agenda through our region in following through on the SADC mandate aimed at facilitating the peaceful conditions in the northern part of the Republic of Mozambique in Cabo Delgado, in particular, he said. Masisi warns the troops to brace for an unconventional war in Cabo Delgado. I am alive to the fact that you will be facing a deceptive enemy which is likely to use asymmetric warfare, unconventional and underhand war tactics against yourself and the population you will be protecting. As professionals, you stand for much more than they do, and you must avoid emulating them and sinking to their level, he said. Botswana becomes the second SADC nation to send troops to Cabo Delgado, after South African soldiers landed in Mozambique last week. Rwanda, which is not a member of the regional 16-member bloc, also sent 1,000 troops earlier this month. Adriano Nuvunga, director of the Centre for Democracy and Development in Maputo, welcomes the arrival of foreign troops but is worried about the coordination of the operation. These are troops from different nations, different cultures (and) different codes of operation. Its a further challenge for Mozambique to coordinate this. Its a further militarization, which can fuel the conflict with consequences for the local communities, for humanitarian situations and abuse of human rights, said Nuvunga. Last month, SADC resolved to send troops to fight Islamist insurgents in the oil-rich Cabo Delgado region. The civil unrest has claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people while an estimated 800,000 people have been displaced. Kenyas first female assistant commissioner of prisons, Wanini Kireri, is changing the leadership landscape in the prison system. Kireri oversees both mens and womens prisons across the country, where her leadership style has been hailed as humane but firm. Brenda Mulinya reports from Nairobi. Columbus Mavhunga Zimbabwe on Sunday received one million SINOVAC vaccines it bought from China as the African country battles to meet the demand for the COVID-19 jabs. Zimbabweans want to get vaccinated to beat a third wave facing the country. After the arrival of the doses from China on Sunday, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube told reporters that Zimbabwe had paid $92 million for 12 million jabs from China and from the COVAX the United Nations vaccine-sharing initiative. So, our vaccination program and vaccine acquisition program is going very well. For the first dose, we are already reaching about 50,000 vaccinations per day, which is good going indeed. So, all is going well. And we feel that we are well on our way of achieving that target of herd immunity which we need in order to open our economy safely so that the recovery is sustained and we can move from strength to strength with our objectives, said Ncube. In a virtual press conference this week Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organizations regional director for Africa, said the continent was going through a third wave of COVID-19 infections and should urgently ramp up COVID-19 vaccination program. Africa continues to lag behind, sadly. Yet Africas supply crunch is starting to ease. The first delivery of doses donated by the USA through the COVAX Facility are arriving in Africa and altogether nearly 60 million doses are expected in the coming weeks through COVAX from Team Europe, UK, purchased doses and other partners. African countries must go all out and speed up their vaccine rollouts by five to six times if they are to get all these doses into arms and fully vaccinate the most vulnerable 10% of their people by the end of September, said Moeti. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the coronavirus. Slightly more than 1,400,000 Zimbabweans out of a population of 14 million have received their first shot, and nearly 680,000 have received their second inoculation since the program started in February. Norman Murwizi is one of the Zimbabweans who has yet to get a vaccine due to shortages. The chances of me getting vaccinated would have increased due to increase supply of vaccines. My guess or wish will be - the service rate will actually have improved so that the number (of people to vaccinated) will plummet and the chances of people getting vaccinated does increase. So, the expectation increases of me getting a vaccine with no hassle at all. Or with minimum farce, said Murwizi. Zimbabwe had turned down Johnson & Johnson vaccines which the African Union sourced for its members with financing from the African Development Bank but changed its mind. Zimbabwe has 97,277 confirmed coronavirus infections and 3,050 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the global outbreak. On Sunday, Dr. John Mangwiro, Zimbabwes junior health minister, said with the arrival of a million jabs, the vaccination program would intensify. This article is an extract from the book Fake wars and big lies. See Contents. Francois Hollande and Emmanuel Macron had no foreign policy experience when they became president. It was not important to them. Oblivious to their responsibility, they followed the advice of their entourage and found themselves embroiled in crimes against humanity. Russias intervention The Hollande government was stunned when it learned, in September 2015, of the Russian military deployment. It had never imagined it although Russia and Syria had been preparing for three years. It would be even more surprised, in August 2016, when Russia installed another base, this time in Iran. Yet this had been concerted for a year. The Russian army presents many new weapons and uses the battlefield to promote its defense industry. In a few months, it destroyed one by one all the bunkers and fortifications that Lafarge and NATO had built. However, Paris did not immediately understand what was going on, especially since Washington was not quick to let it know. Russia had installed in Latakia a system that inhibits NATOs controls and commands [1]. The Alliance becames deaf and blind within a radius of 300 kilometers. Moreover, when its planes crossed the zone, they could no longer operate their weapons [2]. In order to allow international actors to verify the effectiveness of this new kind of weapon, Russia carried out tests over Lebanese and Cypriot space (including the large British military base) [3], and then in Iraq. The same system is deployed in Crimea and Kaliningrad. In fact, as NATOs Supreme Commander has acknowledged, Russia has become the leading conventional military power ahead of the United States. Paris is falling back on the Juppe / Davutoglu project while participating in the [US] International Coalition against Daech. The latter publishes triumphant communiques of its bombings against the jihadists. However, on the ground, many witnesses testify that it is not fighting Daech, but rather dropping weapons and ammunition on it, while the Syrian Arab Republic is sending the UN lists of oil and gas installations that the Coalition is destroying, with a view to subsequent reparations. The Russian economy has suffered greatly from European sanctions during the Ukrainian conflict, and Moscow cannot continue its bombing campaign indefinitely. While it should have stopped on January 6 (date of Orthodox Christmas), it continued until mid-March. The French leaders, thinking only in terms of interests, were convinced that the Russians had only come to Syria to fight the jihadists and extend their zone of influence. They interpreted the religious symbols that Moscow wielded as internal communication devices. It never occurred to them that anything else could move a great nation like Russia. The ancient "Silk Road" connected Iran to the Syrian coast through Iraq and on to Palmyra. It is geographically impossible to open other major communication routes through the desert. As a result, the city has become a central issue in the Syrian war. After being occupied for a year by Daesh, it was liberated by the Syrian Arab Army. It hosted two concerts, televised in Syria and Russia, to celebrate the victory of civilization over terrorism (...and its sponsors). Syria and Russias struggle for civilization is celebrated, on May 5 and 6, 2016 (Syrian Army and Allied Victory Against Nazism holidays), at concerts in liberated Palmyra. Presidents Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad both speak on a giant screen while symphony orchestras play amidst the ancient ruins. The "city of the desert" embodies the ancient resistance of the peoples of the Levant to Roman imperialism. It is also one of the most strategic places of the war: it had been occupied by Daech. Before withdrawing its bombers, Moscow signs an agreement with the State Department. The United States swore that they were acting in good faith and claimed not to know what Jeffrey Feltman was doing with Daech from the UN. John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov therefore decided to resume the Geneva negotiations. They agreed to impose a ceasefire on both sides - excluding the "terrorists" -, to deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged populations and to form the next Syrian government themselves; good resolutions that did not last long. Macron the Undecided In May 2017, the French, scalded by the catastrophic mandates of Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande, chose an unknown, Emmanuel Macron as president. A senior Treasury official, having made a notable detour through the Rothschild bank, he is a "mandarin", with no political party, but who represents the 300 members of the General Inspection of Finance. As such, he knows nothing about international politics. He therefore relies on a few advisors, some of whom shamelessly display in their office at the Elysee Palace the certificate of competence they received from a foreign authority, the US State Department. Out of nowhere - he had resigned from his position at the Elysee and was destined to become a professor at the London School of Economics and the University of Berlin - he was suddenly appointed Minister of the Economy and received strong support for his election campaign. He seems to have benefited above all from the help of his friends Henry and Marie-Josee Kravis, the reference shareholders of one of the largest investment funds in the world, KKR [4]. The former CIA boss, General David Petraeus, is putting himself at the service of the ultra-billionaire Henry Kravis. President Macron wants to maintain good relations with all. So he begins his term with a few words in favor of restoring diplomatic relations with Damascus and sends emissaries to Syria. To his great surprise, they were not received by President al-Assad. The latter told them that he would only accept a French embassy when Paris had stopped its military support to the jihadists. Emmanuel Macron then discovered the extent of Frances secret involvement in this war. Trained in Washington, ambassador Michel Duclos is one of the main relays of Western warmongering in French diplomacy. In the end, after having made pro- and anti-Syrian statements "at the same time", he did a third thing. On the advice of Michel Duclos, he left the Syrian file to his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian. The latter, when he was Minister of Defense under Francois Hollande, pushed more than any other for the destruction of the Syrian state. Michel Duclos is a neo-conservative, special advisor to the Montaigne Foundation and the Atlantic Council. He was ambassador in Damascus where he befriended great Sunni bourgeois secretly members of the Muslim Brotherhood. He only accidentally became interested in Syria again, via the Lebanese dossier. Successively, popular protests against the political class (October 2019), a banking crisis (November 2019), a health crisis (July 2020), an explosion at the port of Beirut (August 2020) caused a sudden disappearance of the middle classes and a general decline in the standard of living of around 200% [5]. Explosion of a new weapon in Syria. It caused a tactical mushroom cloud. Double explosion in the port of Beirut. One of them causes a tactical mushroom cloud. President Macron visits Beirut twice after the explosion at the port. The first time he was greeted by a petition, orchestrated undercover by the DGSE, demanding the restoration of the French "mandate" over the country. The second time he celebrated the centenary of the proclamation of Greater Lebanon by General Henri Gouraud, leader of the French Colonial Party [6]. Asked by President Michel Aoun to reveal the satellite photos of the explosion at the port, he never followed up. The disaster corresponded to the overflight of Beirut by two unidentified fighter-bombers. The explosion had caused a "mushroom cloud". Three embassies had immediately taken air filters from the vehicles present at the scene and had them analyzed in their respective countries. They are now convinced, as well as the Lebanese army, that the explosion was caused by a tactical nuclear missile. However, the judicial investigation persists in pursuing false leads, just as it did in the assassination of Rafik Hariri. In the end, French claims to re-colonize Lebanon in the absence of Syria came up against the US plan to partition Lebanon [7] and Israel [8], and then against the agreement reached between Presidents Biden and Putin [9]. Provisional assessment It is a mistake to speak of French policy in the face of the "Arab Spring. First, because Paris did not understand who was causing the events, nor why, and second, because successive French governments have never sought to defend the interests of their country. At most, we can see the erratic behavior of France, looking for good opportunities for its leaders to make easy money. On this subject, as on many others, the distinction between right and left is meaningless. Nicolas Sarkozy, Alain Juppe, Francois Hollande and Laurent Fabius have carried out the same "privatization" of national policy, even if President Sarkozy was more flexible and stopped attacking Syria when he understood the impossibility of victory. On the other hand, there is a colonialist/anti-imperialist cleavage within almost every political party and a few men who have tried to save the countrys honor. Francois Georges-Picot (1870-1951) drew with his Whitehall colleagues the map of the present-day Middle East. A tutelary figure of the Colonial Party, he was the great-uncle of President Valery Giscard dEstaing (1926-2020). The bottom of the contradictions of French foreign policy was expressed by former President Valery Giscard dEstaing, in Le Parisien of September 27, 2015 [10]. Giving his support to his left-wing successor, this right-wing man said, "I wonder about the possibility of creating a UN mandate on Syria, for a period of five years"; an elegant formula to reintroduce the mandate exercised by France, with the approval of the League of Nations, from 1920 to 1946. The mandate was a politically correct expression to designate the colonization of Syria, as planned during the First World War by Sir Mark Sykes, Francois Georges-Picot and Sergei Sazonov, representing respectively the United Kingdom, France and the Tsarist Empire (the "Sykes-Picot agreements"). Now, and this is no coincidence, Valery Giscard dEstaing is the first cousin of Francois Georges-Picot. In a court of law, if there were to be a Nuremberg for them, the members of the Sarkozy administration would have to answer for the privatization of national policy and for the 160,000 deaths of the operation in Libya (figure established by the International Red Cross). Of course, they would share this responsibility with others, mainly Americans, British, Qataris and Turks. They would, on the other hand, be given a clean slate for their crimes in Syria, given their reversal in February 2012 and their peace agreement with the Syrian Arab Republic. The Hollande administration and its accomplices should be held accountable for the 300,000 Syrian deaths (figure established by the UN Secretary General) and the 200,000 to 300,000 jihadists they supported and who were also killed (assessment established by the Syrian and Iraqi Arab armies). France and its allies should be held responsible for the events they have caused. The question of whether or not the French people were aware of the crimes committed in their name is irrelevant: in a democracy, every citizen who says nothing shares the responsibility exercised by the leaders they elected. The French and their allies should pay for the destruction of two thirds of Syria (at least 300 billion dollars, according to the World Bank), including almost all the oil and gas infrastructures as well as a large part of the ancient monuments. Madison County businessman John Roberts announced Tuesday morning he is running for Congress. Roberts is a Republican who recently served as the Business Retention and Expansion Director for the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce. He also co-founded the North Alabama Homebuilding Academy. Mo Brooks currently represents Alabama's fifth Congressional district. He is running for U.S. Senate. "In Congress, I'll put Alabama's values first: the right to life, the defense of the second amendment, and the right to practice your religion or operate your business without government interference," said Roberts. "I will help the Republicans take back the House, and fire Nancy Pelosi. I will go to Washington to fight day in and day out to stop the Left's radical and dangerous agenda." Roberts joins Madison County Commission Chairman Dale Strong, former Huntsville City Schools Superintendent Casey Wardynski and teacher Andy Blalock in the race. Huntsville Fire Department is seeing fewer applications than expected for dispatchers and firefighters. On Friday, the fire department started accepting applications for firefighters and dispatchers Recruiter, Cory Green, said hes confident the number of applications will rise in the next six weeks. On Monday, the fire department had just over 100 applicants. Green said because of the pandemic, the fire department is recruiting twice a year, to increase its number of applicants. Covid had a tremendous effect on last year's recruitment so we didnt get the numbers we desire, said Green. So hopefully, this time around will be able to have more face-to-face interactions and more things that we can do to get our numbers up higher. The fire department is looking for a training class of 15 to 30 people. A Union Grove woman is charged with murder after the discovery of a body, according to the Marshall County Sheriffs Office. Shannon Elmore murdered James Edwards Jr. when she struck him in the head with a 2x4 piece of lumber, the sheriffs office said in a Facebook post. On Saturday, deputies and investigators found Edwards body in a residence on Water Tank Road. Based on the level of body decomposition, it appeared the subject had been in the residence for several days. The body was sent to the Alabama Department of Forensics for an autopsy, which determined Edwards died of blunt force trauma to the head, the sheriffs office said. Elmore was booked in the Marshall County Jail on Monday, according to jail records. The Marshall County Coroners Office and the Marshall County District Attorneys Office assisted in the investigation. From sri lanka, 44 years old, I worked in the Association that deals with assistance to the disabled, I am committed to all types of patients. and I have also worked for some families. availability 'of shift, night or fixed. experience as a caregiver and takes care of children. reliability I can provide excellent references. 334 785 5737 Rome honours Maneskin with Lupa Capitolina award. Maneskin, the Rome rockers who won Eurovision for Italy, received the Lupa Capitolina award from the city's mayor Virginia Raggi on Tuesday morning. During the ceremony in city hall, the band made the surprise announcement that they would be performing a concert at the Circus Maximus on 9 July 2022. Before receiving the award the band appeared on the balcony of the mayor's office, which looks over the Roman Forum, to greet their fans gathered below. The Roman musicians, who began their career busking on Via del Corso in the city centre, recently reached number 1 in the global charts on Spotify with their cover of Beggin'. Maneskin's victory at the Italian national music competition San Remo, followed by Eurovision triumph with Zitti e Buoni in May, paved the way to their meteoric rise to global stardom. Recently the glam rockers from Rome broke into the top 10 in the UK charts with I Wanna Be Your Slave. Tickets for the Circus Maximus concert are on sale as of today, the band announced. Photo Il Messaggero Moise said the 1987 constitution gave the legislative branch too much power and was one of the root causes of Haitis political instability. (Since a popular uprising ended the 15-year rule of Jean-Claude Baby Doc Duvalier in 1986, the nation has churned through 20 presidential administrations.) The new constitution would eliminate the position of prime minister and create the office of the vice president. It would also collapse the Senate and Chamber of Deputies into a single, unicameral body. The new constitution would also give Haitis vast diaspora more political rights. Crucially, the new constitution sets presidential term limits at two five-year terms. Under the current document, presidents can only serve non-consecutive terms. Despite opposition fears, Moise had said he would not use the constitutional overhaul as justification to seek re-election. Still, over a running time of more than two hours, packed more tightly than the Rocks bulging shirt with slapstick violence and implausible peril, Johnson manages to carry the film to a (more or less) satisfying conclusion assuming youre a small child in need of constant distraction. For older teens, adults or anyone with higher storytelling standards, theres a romantic subplot involving Lily and Frank, and a sprinkling of naughty double-entendres. At one point, MacGregor asks Frank, after the skipper has been injured, whether hed like to bite down on MacGregors stick. Much has already been reported about MacGregors sexuality, which has nothing to do with anything, really, but is refreshing to see in a Disney film. Stock up, but dont stockpile. If theres anything the pandemic taught us, its that we should always have essentials on hand in case of an emergency, so we dont have to run to the store, Cataldo says. It doesnt take much to spark a buying panic and clear store shelves. When you find a good deal on the products you regularly use and would need, such as toilet paper, peanut butter, dried pasta or dish soap, buy about a weeks worth but dont become a part of the problem and purchase a years worth. Considerate shoppers, even those who find great deals, take only what they need, so others dont get caught short. For most emergencies, such as hurricanes or winter storms, odds are that youll be able to access your usual retailers within a few days. In research on 7- to 12-year-olds, Kang Lee, a developmental psychologist at the University of Toronto, found that lying disturbs the connections between different regions of the brain. He compares the cognitive demands of lying to the electrical system of a house: If you turn on the lights in the entire house and put a load of laundry in, then one of the areas will start to break down. As kids age, however, and their brains become better at handling cognitive tasks, this disruption decreases. An exception: Kids who have poor executive function [such as those with ADHD] find it particularly difficult to tell good lies, because the lie itself disrupts the whole process in the brain, Lee says. During the first 10 months of the coronavirus pandemic, McCue stayed on the ship in the waters around Florida until the crew members could safely return to their homes in more than 60 countries. To pass the time, she rescued an osprey trapped in a stairwell, taught herself to use TikTok, practiced yoga, watched sharks swim around the sea floor and flushed the pipes in 167 staterooms on Deck 12, one of her favorite activities. Now that she has resumed her captain duties, she has had to give up the weekly plumbing rounds. One concern was raised by Mitchell, who warned that flat warts can look like acne and would worsen if treated with a pimple patch. If you put a pimple patch on top of warts, you are providing a moist environment, which can cause more warts to crop up, she said. If you have these all over your face or on your trunk and youre not sure of the diagnosis, or, if they are still persisting, its time to see a dermatologist. On the other side, some parents have said that they would only feel comfortable with children back at school if masks were required to offer another layer of protection against the spread of the virus as cases climb and as a full return to school means less physical distancing. A tree came down on a house on Webster Street NE in the District, and in Takoma Park trees and the wires they pulled down forced the closing of several roads. A tree landed on a house in one block of Piney Branch Road in Montgomery County, Md., and another tree fell on another house in another block of Piney Branch, officials said. But Hale tested well and was steered into signals intelligence. He went to Afghanistan in 2012. When he left the following year, he said, he already had deep misgivings about the work he had done. He recalled in a letter to the judge learning after one drone strike on a car that a small child had been killed and another seriously injured. He wondered whether any of the other strikes he had helped carry out had killed innocent civilians deemed enemy combatants by virtue of being male and of military age. I just believe it may be convincing to some segment of the population to get vaccinated, Pendergrass said in an interview. Some people respond to a lottery that has money attached. But some people might respond to being scared that they are going to die. Seems like you should give people the facts. This is about transparency. Coronavirus: What you need to read Coronavirus maps: Cases and deaths in the U.S. | Cases and deaths worldwide Vaccines: Tracker by state | Guidance for vaccinated people | Kids | How long does immunity last? | County-level vaccine data What you need to know: Masks FAQ | Delta variant | Other variants | Symptoms guide | Personal finance guide | Follow all of our coverage and sign up for our free newsletter Got a pandemic question? We answer one every day in our coronavirus newsletter Show More Simmons encountered Lynch as the officer was responding to a shooting that had just occurred, according to the filing. Simmons heard what sounded like the slide of a handgun putting a bullet in the chamber and turned and saw Lynch crouching behind some shrubbery, according to the filing, which is at odds with an account from a friend of Lynch who was at the scene. Other metrics in the annual report offered a mixed view of crime in the county. The crime rate in Prince William remained about the same, according to the report, rising slightly to 12 crimes per 1,000 residents from 11.9 last year. The number of homicides fell in 2020, from 14 in 2019 to eight last year, the report said. We have come too far, and what is happening right now with the delta variant in our community is scary for so many people, McKay told his colleagues after introducing the boards directive. Keep in mind there are thousands of kids in elementary school that dont have the luxury of getting vaccinated. We need to do it for them. Most Virginians think the last election was perfectly fine and Joe Biden won it by 10 points, Holsworth said, referring to the presidents margin in Virginia. Clearly what he wants to do is simply to speak about his support for photo ID and minimize the stance he took on the broader concept during the nomination battle. But its unlikely that McAuliffe and the Democrats are going to let him do that. The second article was Dan Balzs The Sunday Take column, The lone island of bipartisanship in a sea of division, which called out the warlike, no-holds-barred political divide in this country. The consequences of not dealing forthrightly with many major policy issues faced by this country, issues that by any reasonable standard cry out for redress, are destined to have catastrophic results, nationally and globally, for a leadership and a populace that cannot seem to see the urgency of the moment. Both Ellzey and Wright said there were legitimate questions about the 2020 election, and both suggested they would vote consistently with Republican leadership. But Trumps endorsement had an effect. Jana Lynne Sanchez, the Democrat who placed third in the primary, said that most of her friends, if they were voting at all, were casting anti-Wright protest votes. The drive, based upon non-violent direct action, consisted of marching each morning for several hours with other clergy in front of the Forrest County Courthouse demanding an end to voter suppression. In the afternoons, we went from house to house, instructing Black residents on how to register despite the onerous restrictions that were placed on them. In the evenings, the rabbis and Christian clergy attended various Black churches where we heard stirring music, powerful sermons and again we offered assistance in voter registration. But Torzi kept control of 1,000 shares that gave him final say on the companys management. When the Vatican higher-ups cried fowl, Torzi allegedly asked for $17 million for the voting shares, a move that Vatican prosecutors say constitutes extortion. The Secretariat of State made the payments to Torzi but later issued an unsuccessful request to freeze his assets in the U.K., where he lives. Mary traditionally shows up whenever she is most needed. For years, apparitions of the Virgin of Guadalupe have reportedly distracted border guards to help immigrants stranded at the U.S. border slip into the country unnoticed. Similarly, the culture tends to put Mary at the center of conflict. After Mike Brown was shot in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014, Mark Dooxs Our Lady of Ferguson depicted her as a Black woman with her womb in the crosshairs of a gun with a child Christ in the center. Kehinde Wileys Mary Comforter of the Afflicted, one of the artists stained glass window images, casts the Pieta as a Black man holding a dead child. Within the past year, Kelly Latimores icon memorialized George Floyd by depicting Mary holding a broken Jesus. When asked by Democrat Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland about his repeated use of the word terrorist to describe insurrectionists, Hodges read a section of the U.S. Code that defines domestic terrorism as acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State which take place in the U.S. and appear intended to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion or affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping. I boycotted Pepsi products because Pepsi sold to the Soviet Union, thus betraying Soviet Jews, and because Pepsi boycotted Israel. The companys headquarters was across the street from SUNY Purchase, where I attended college. The company chairman, Donald Kendall, was tight with Richard Nixon. That was how I got my college friends to join me on a protest march on Pepsi. I hated them because of the Jewish stuff; I got my friends to hate them because of the Nixon stuff. Good times. I hadnt thought about this for almost a half-century. Attached to Tongs motorcycle as he careened down a street on July 1, 2020, was a flag bearing the Liberate Hong Kong slogan. The mantra was a rallying cry during citywide protests in 2019 against the erosion of Hong Kongs freedoms, which Beijing was supposed to preserve until 2047. Tong was subsequently charged with incitement to secession and terrorist activities under the security law. Of the three officers injured when Tongs bike crashed into the group, two were released from the hospital that same day. One example: people like herself. Stelzenmuller, a German citizen who works in D.C., has not been able to go home or travel to Europe for work since the onset of the pandemic. Its been maddening for her personally, she said, but she warned that it could have a broader impact on economic relations. In recent months, the government has pivoted to declaring it has won the battle against the coronavirus, even as reports of an increase in cases have multiplied on social media. When authorities denied the new surge until mid-June, some in Tajikistan took to posting their positive test results online, according to Eurasianet, while clinics reported dozens of positive cases daily. Todays Headlines The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Teresa May, 58, of New Johnsonville, Tennessee, passed away July 9, 2021. Teresa was born March 19, 1963, in Vincennes, Indiana, to Robert and Mary (McPherson) May. Teresa was a loving mother, grandmother, daughter, sister and friend to many. She had a love for crocheting and was an avid col Trusted local news has never been more important, but providing the information you need, information that can change sometimes minute-by-minute, requires a partnership with you, our readers. Please consider making a contribution today to support this vital resource that you and countless others depend on. One of a team of Sydney removalists who entered Victoria while unknowingly infected with coronavirus has been fined for not wearing a mask, but authorities have found no other evidence the trio breached any laws or public health guidelines. COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar confirmed on Tuesday morning the Department of Health had issued a $200 penalty notice to one of the movers for failing to comply with mask-wearing rules, but no other enforcement action will be taken against the men. The Ariele apartments in Maribyrnong was locked down after exposure to the removalists. Credit:Jason South The department completed its investigation on Monday, Mr Weimar said. Its report was then handed to police, who were asked to identify whether there had been any further offending beyond the breach of public health guidelines. Victoria Police reviewed the investigation and said they would take no further action. So what? He is not the first gay man to compete nor win gold at the Olympics. There is an ever-growing list. But in Daleys case, it was as much about what he said as his winning dive itself. Tom Daley is not the first gay man to compete nor win gold at the Olympics. But it was what he said as much as his winning dive that made the moment so important for so many. Credit:Getty Images I feel incredibly proud to say that I am a gay man and also an Olympic champion, he told reporters after the medal ceremony. When I was younger I didnt think Id ever achieve anything because of who I was ... There was something about me that was never going to be as good as what society wanted me to be. I hope that any young LGBT person out there can see that no matter how alone you feel right now, you are not alone. You can achieve anything. Professional sport is no longer an unconquered frontier for LGBT athletes but there has been just a handful of out-and-proud men competing at the elite level around the world in the past decade. Loading Even then, the overwhelming majority of those have been on the periphery. Some come out in their final years of competition and others that muster the courage earlier drop off in form and drift into obscurity. And thats what makes Daley different. He is at the peak of his powers. Australias most successful Olympian, Ian Thorpe, came out a decade after winning the last of his five gold medals. Like this writer and too many others, he endured a decade of his adulthood tormented, tortured and confused. Even the greatest has conceded he too often stared into the abyss and questioned whether it was worth it. Diver Matthew Mitcham, who was openly gay when he won gold for Australia at Beijing, did not appear as comfortable talking about his sexuality at the time but has since recounted his personal struggle with mental health and substance abuse. So too swimmer Daniel Kowalski on his depression and bulimia. Gay rights and community acceptance in Australia have come so far in the past decade its sometimes hard to remember what things were like before. But for those of you reading this over your breakfast, on your phone or at your desk, youll probably interact with a colleague, friend, brother, sister, son or daughter today who has not let you nor anyone else into their terrifying little secret. And it still can be the most terrifying and loneliest secret to keep. Daley knows this all too well despite the fortune of living most of his adult life as an openly gay man. Many of those athletes he competes against cannot. He and diving partner Matty Lee were flanked on the podium by Chinese and Russian competitors, with their press conference beamed into the living rooms of both nations. Neither country is a shining beacon for LGBT rights. Its why in 2018, after winning Commonwealth Games gold in Australia, Daley made a plea for more of the countries competing to decriminalise homosexuality. Loading Coming to the Gold Coast and being able to live as an openly gay man is really important in being able to feel comfortable with who you are when standing on that diving board, he said. For 37 countries that are here participating, thats very much not the case. Many feared gold would elude Daley, who is at his fourth Games. He has often been encouraged by his coaches and mentors to focus more on his day job and less on his social crusade to ensure he fulfilled his obvious talent. Thank goodness for thousands of gay men, young and old, closeted or out in the open, that he never listened. Assistant News Director Amy Cherry is the Assistant News Director and a journalist at WDEL. She joined WDEL's award-winning news team in 2010 from WBZ Newsradio 1030 in Boston and has received national accolades for reporting. Faith Turner, 25, during a court appearance on July 26, 2021. Turner is charged with murder and DUI after a crash on Interstate 64 in downtown Louisville that killed two people in June. (WDRB photo) Thank you for Reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. AGAWAM, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- For what seemed like the one and only day of sunshine recently, thousands of people flocked to Six Flags New England over the weekend, causing heavy traffic in Agawam and in the neighboring Connecticut town Suffield. Another high day of new positive COVID-19 cases was reported in western Kentucky on Tuesday by the Green River District Health Department (GRHD). The health department said Tuesday that 250 new positive cases of the virus had been identified within its seven-county area. That comes after 240 new positive cases of the virus were identified in the health department's last report on Friday. According to the health department, the new cases in the area were identified between July 23 and July 26, and brought the total number of positive cases in the area to 23,578. Here's where the new cases were identified in GRDHD's Tuesday report: Daviess County: 141 new cases Hancock County: 1 new case Henderson County: 39 new cases McLean County: 4 new cases Ohio County: 29 new cases Union County: 17 new cases Webster County: 19 new cases According to the health department, the seven-county area's daily average number of cases per day is now 70.3 - up from 34.9 new cases per day as of the health department's last report. Aside from McLean, Hancock, and Union counties, all of the counties in the health department's area are now in the "Red Zone" on the state's incidence rate map. Officials in the area are continuing to urge everyone to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The Kentucky State Police is currently searching for a Murder suspect. KSP says that instead of appearing in Trigg County Circuit Court on Tuesday, 46-year-old James W. Gentry, Jr. of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, removed his ankle monitor and fled. According to KSP, Gentry is possibly headed south in a gold Buick Regal passenger car. KSP says he should be considered dangerous as his charges include Murder, Robbery, and Possession of Firearm by Convicted Felon, Anyone with information on Gentry's whereabouts should contact KSP Post 1 at 270-856-3721. The views expressed by public comments are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the TERMS OF USE and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Your comments may be used on air. Be polite. Inappropriate posts or posts containing offsite links, images, GIFs, inappropriate language, or memes may be removed by the moderator. Job listings and similar posts are likely automated SPAM messages from Facebook and are not placed by WFMZ-TV. A relative says the last victim of the Florida building collapse has been identified This page contains all of The Williston Heralds coverage of the novel coronavirus outbreak, and the illness it causes, called COVID-19. Because this outbreak impacts public health, our coverage of the coronavirus is available to all readers. Our journalists are working hard to bring you the verified information below. Please consider supporting important local journalism with a subscription. (Click Here) Are you a Williston resident whos been affected by the illness? Send us an email: editor@willistonherald.com. Today Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 86F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Tonight A few clouds. Low 61F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow Intervals of clouds and sunshine. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. 4 Gen Logistics, L.L.C. allegedly violated the California Labor Code by failing to pay employees minimum wages. The San Bernardino employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action lawsuit against 4 Gen Logistics, L.L.C., alleging the company violated the California Labor Code. The lawsuit against 4 Gen Logistics, L.L.C., is currently pending in the San Bernardino County Superior Court, Case No. CIVSB2117886. To read a copy of the Complaint, please click here. According to the lawsuit filed, 4 Gen Logistics, L.L.C. allegedly failed to reimburse employees for required business expenses. California Labor Code 2802 expressly states that "an employer shall indemnify his or her employee for all necessary expenditures or losses incurred by the employee in direct consequence of the discharge of his or her duties..." During employment, Plaintiffs and other California Class Members were allegedly required to use their personal cellular phones in order to complete their job duties. Additionally, the lawsuit alleges 4 Gen Logistics, L.L.C. failed to pay employees minimum wages for compensable time worked. Employees are entitled to be paid minimum wages and provided meal and rest periods as required by California law. Plaintiff was also not allegedly provided accurate wage statements, in part due to the alleged underpayment of wages. For more information about the class action lawsuit against 4 Gen Logistics, L.L.C., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today. Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is a labor law firm with law offices located in San Diego County, Riverside County, Los Angeles County, Sacramento County, Santa Clara County, Orange County and San Francisco County. The firm has a statewide practice of representing employees on a contingency basis for violations involving unpaid wages, overtime pay, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination and other types of illegal workplace conduct. ***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT*** For the original version on PRWeb visit: https://www.prweb.com/releases/labor_law_attorneys_blumenthal_nordrehaug_bhowmik_de_blouw_llp_file_lawsuit_against_4_gen_logistics_l_l_c_for_alleged_failure_to_pay_minimum_wages/prweb18089154.htm BEIJING (AP) Chinese power companies bid for credits to emit carbon dioxide and other climate-changing gases as trading on the first national carbon exchange began Friday in a step meant to help curb worsening pollution. FILE - In this Nov. 28, 2019, file photo, smoke and steam rise from a coal processing plant in Hejin in central China's Shanxi Province. Chinese power companies bid for credits to emit carbon dioxide and other climate-changing gases as trading on the first national carbon exchange began Friday, July 16, 2021 in a step meant to help curb worsening pollution. (AP Photo/Sam McNeil, File) BEIJING (AP) Chinese power companies bid for credits to emit carbon dioxide and other climate-changing gases as trading on the first national carbon exchange began Friday in a step meant to help curb worsening pollution. The official Xinhua News Agency said the experimental first phase of carbon trading at the Shanghai Environment and Energy Exchange includes some 2,000 companies in the power industry that produce about 40% of Chinas emissions. Over time, other major emitters will be added, such as airlines, the building materials industry and iron and steel makers. China is the biggest carbon emitter, but President Xi Jinping said last September that output should peak in 2030 and then decline. He said China should achieve carbon neutrality, or zero total output after measures to remove carbon or offset emissions are counted, by 2060. The ruling Communist Party has resisted adopting any binding limits on carbon emissions, saying China has to focus first on economic development. At the Shanghai exchange, companies will be assigned emissions quotas and can sell the surplus if their output comes in under that level, Xinhua said. The goal is to create financial incentives for companies to reduce emissions. To start, the market should have modest transaction volumes and prices because companies have plenty of credits and there is no cap on emissions, Eurasia Group said in a June 26 report. China has had regional carbon trading markets as pilot projects for several years. Earlier, European power utilities and other companies paid for Chinese polluters to add wind, hydro and solar generating capacity in exchange for being allowed to increase their own emissions. The European Union ended that after it failed to slow the rise of Chinese emissions. The carbon market is unlikely to deliver immediate reductions, said Cory Combs, an analyst with consultancy Trivium China. This first year is about getting the process working, he said on a webinar this week. The goal is to get this thing right, because if they get it right, then for the next 40, 50 . . . years to come, this can be a huge player. The European Union unveiled a proposed revamp of its emissions trading program this week as part of sweeping legislation to cut emissions of gases that cause global warming. MEXICO CITY (AP) Two Mexican ships carrying food, fuel and medical supplies were sailing to Cuba on Tuesday and a third was getting ready to head there Wednesday, in what experts said was Mexico's biggest aid run for Cuba in almost three decades. Children play on a street that has graffiti reading is Spanish "Put your heart on Cuba," in Havana, Cuba, Monday, July 26, 2021 (AP Photo/Eliana Aponte) MEXICO CITY (AP) Two Mexican ships carrying food, fuel and medical supplies were sailing to Cuba on Tuesday and a third was getting ready to head there Wednesday, in what experts said was Mexico's biggest aid run for Cuba in almost three decades. The first ship left late Monday loaded with 100,000 barrels of diesel fuel that the Mexican government said would be used to provide power for Cuban hospitals. A second ship operated by the Mexican navy left Tuesday, and the third ship will leave Wednesday. The Foreign Relations Department said those two ships are carrying oxygen tanks, needles and syringes as well as basic food items like powdered milk, cooking oil and beans. A man walks under Cuban flags flying over a street in Havana, Cuba, Monday, July 26, 2021 (AP Photo/Eliana Aponte) The department described the shipments as humanitarian assistance to help Cuba weather the coronavirus pandemic. Rafael Elias Rojas, a Cuban historian and professor at the College of Mexico, said that this is a new phenomenon, comparable only to Cuba's special period in the early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union cut off the island's economic subsidies. There have been minor instances of aid during hurricane seasons, but the last big aid efforts of this scale or larger, were during the administration of (former Mexican president) Carlos Salinas de Gortari, when exchanges with Cuba increased significantly and when, as now, there was a deep economic crisis on the island," Rojas said. Carlos Salinas de Gortari governed from 1988 to 1994. And until Mexico's democratic transition in 2000, Mexico's old ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party had a longstanding policy of opposing U.S. interference in Cuba, in part because Mexico feared outside criticism of its own less-than-democratic regime. Lorena Ruano, a professor at Mexico's Center for Economic Research and Teaching, said Mexico's policy was to defend the sovereignty of other countries, so that 'others won't criticize me.' President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is a fervent believer in that old policy, and last week he called Cuba an example of resistance and proposed that the entire country be declared a World Heritage site. While much of Cuba seems stuck technologically in the middle of the last century, Lopez Obrador did not appear to be speaking ironically when he proposed the world heritage designation, which is usually used by the United Nations to honor historical sites. Lopez Obrador praised Cubas ability to stand up to U.S. hostility since 1959, but did not mention recent street protests that were violently repressed by the Cuban government. Lopez Obrador has in the past stated his opposition to U.S. sanctions that limit commerce with the island, and said they should be ended. On Thursday, the U.S. government tightened the sanctions on some Cuban officials over the suppression of the rare street protests earlier this month. The new sanctions target a Cuban official and a government special brigade that the United States says was involved in human rights abuses during the government crackdown. MONCTON, N.B. - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is urging Canadians who still have not got a COVID-19 vaccine to roll up their sleeves, saying that the overwhelming majority of cases are in people who haven't received their two shots. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau chats with people waiting for their shots while visiting a COVID-19 vaccination clinic, Thursday, July 15, 2021 in Montreal. Trudeau is urging Canadians who still have not gotten a COVID-19 vaccine to roll up their sleeves, saying that the overwhelming majority of cases are in people who haven't received their two shots.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz MONCTON, N.B. - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is urging Canadians who still have not got a COVID-19 vaccine to roll up their sleeves, saying that the overwhelming majority of cases are in people who haven't received their two shots. Only 0.5 per cent of new COVID-19 cases are in fully vaccinated people, Trudeau told a news conference Tuesday at a vaccine clinic in Moncton, N.B. The prime minister said the vaccines are effective and safe, having passed Canada's world-class standard for medical approvals. He also noted they are available: Canada now has enough vaccines delivered to fully immunize everyone who is eligible, working out to over 66 million doses. "With enough doses for everyone, there are no more excuses to not get your shot. Do it for yourself, because nobody wants to get sick and it's the unvaccinated and partially vaccinated who are getting sick right now," Trudeau said. "If you're not going to do it for yourself, do it for your loved ones who need to be protected including from the new variants of concern. Do it for health workers who are out there on the front lines and have been for a very long year and a half stepping up to keep everyone safe." With the Delta variant and other variants of concern circulating, it is likely Canada will see a rise in cases over the coming months, but the spike will primarily be limited to unvaccinated people, he said. Trudeau said the potential overwhelming of health authorities in some parts of the country is of "real concern." "We don't want to have to start overwhelming our ICUs and hospitals again with unvaccinated people getting cases," he said. He pointed out that many countries are only opening their borders to people who have been vaccinated. Trudeau said the federal government is working with provinces on a system for Canadians to show proof of vaccination when travelling abroad, but didn't commit to a timeline for when that system will be ready. "We're going to make sure that Canadians will have sufficient credentials to be able to travel around the world as they are fully vaccinated," he said. Trudeau also said different provinces are looking at incentive programs to persuade people to get the shot. The Manitoba government announced last month plans to hold two lottery draws in August and September for all residents aged 12 and up who have got a COVID-19 vaccine. The province is offering nearly $2 million in cash prizes and scholarships for young people aged 12 to 17. Quebec also announced plans to hold lottery draws each Friday in August where vaccinated people could win up to $150,000 in cash prize or $10,000 in scholarships. Trudeau made his remarks as the Delta variant surges in pockets of the United States where vaccination levels remain low. Canada has announced that fully vaccinated U.S. travellers will be allowed to cross the border on Aug. 9. Trudeau said he was still confident in that decision as the data shows that allowing vaccinated people to travel is low risk. He said public health officials will continue to monitor cases at the border, however. "Nobody wants to go backwards, which is why continuing to get vaccinated is so important for all Canadians," he said. The outbreak of the Delta variant in the U.S. is now so serious that public health officials want even fully vaccinated people to wear a face mask indoors if they live in an area dealing with a significant spike in cases. While the vast majority of the viral transmission in the U.S. is happening among the unvaccinated, those rare "breakthrough" cases among fully vaccinated people can result in a comparable level of transmissibility, CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told a news conference Tuesday. "In rare occasions, some vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant after vaccination may be contagious and spread the virus to others," Walensky warned. "In areas with substantial and high transmission, CDC recommends fully vaccinated people wear masks in public indoor settings to help prevent the spread of the Delta variants and protect others." Walensky also warned that authorities believe that if vaccination rates don't improve significantly, the U.S. may be "just a few mutations away" from a highly infectious variant that could evade the vaccines entirely. Procurement Minister Anita Anand told a news conference in Milton, Ont., on Tuesday than 80 per cent of eligible Canadians have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and 64 per cent have got both doses. "We are, and have been, at the top of the world for a week in terms of the share the population that has received a single dose of vaccine," she said. "Now, Canada is at the top of the G20 (countries) in terms of the percentage of our population that is fully vaccinated." Health Minister Patty Hajdu said more work needs to be done to encourage those who have not been immunized yet to do so. Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada are working on national media campaigns and a $64 million fund to community-based organizations that are helping people who have not got the vaccine yet to reduce anxiety and fears in culturally appropriate ways, she said. "We have to ensure that people have the support to get vaccinated, that people have the information they need so that everybody feels safe and comfortable getting vaccinated." Hajdu announced later Tuesday the government is funding two new projects to encourage young people to get vaccinated. The Canada Safety Council will create an education program for schools, while a youth organization will foster dialogue among young people and their families. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2021. By Maan Alhmidi in Ottawa With files from James McCarten in Washington, D.C. This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship. Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version incorrectly reported that 64 per cent of eligible Canadians have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. In fact, 64 per cent have received both doses. BERLIN (AP) Authorities in Austria said Tuesday that two young boys have died from carbon monoxide poisoning and their mother is fighting for her life after the family used an emergency generator during a power outage. Thunderstorms and heavy rain showers pass over the district of Holtenau, in Kiel, Germany, where a fallen tree is blocking a road, which is inspected by fire brigade emergency services, Monday, July 26, 2021. (Axel Heimken/dpa via AP) BERLIN (AP) Authorities in Austria said Tuesday that two young boys have died from carbon monoxide poisoning and their mother is fighting for her life after the family used an emergency generator during a power outage. Upper Austria police said they were called Monday to a house in the town of Lasberg where three seriously ill people were reported to be in the basement. First responders found high levels of carbon monoxide - a toxic, odorless gas that can accumulate in unventilated rooms - and rushed the boys , ages 5 and 2, and their 32-year-old mother to nearby hospitals. In the evening, it transpired that both children had sadly died, police said in a statement, adding that the mother remained in extremely critical condition. The heavy storm that caused the power outage also caused injuries and damage in Switzerland and Italy on Monday.. Thunderstorms and heavy rain showers pass over the district of Holtenau, in Kiel, Germany, where a street is underwater, on Monday, July 26, 2021. (Axel Heimken/dpa via AP) In Switzerland, police said falling branches killed a 6-month-old baby and injured three other people. On the other side of the Alps, a violent hailstorm in northern Italy brought part of the highway between Milan and Naples to a brief standstill Videos broadcast by Italian weather channel Meteo Weather 24 showed dozens of cars with large dents and smashed windscreens. Several people were hurt, mainly by glass shards from cracked windscreens. No one is believed to have been seriously injured. Storms have caused scores of deaths and widespread damage in Europe this month. Heavy flooding in western Germany and neighboring Belgium claimed more than 210 lives two weeks ago. JOHANNESBURG (AP) Four of South Africa's largest ports are starting to reopen after having been closed by a cyberattack, the country's state-owned rail and ports operator Transnet said Tuesday. JOHANNESBURG (AP) Four of South Africa's largest ports are starting to reopen after having been closed by a cyberattack, the country's state-owned rail and ports operator Transnet said Tuesday. The ports of Durban, Cape Town, Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) and Ngqura were forced to shut as the result of a cyberattack that started on July 22. The ports have begun functioning manually instead of through computer operations, Transnet said. The terminals are berthing vessels as planned and facilitating loading and discharge operations with the shipping lines, said the statement. It is expected that some applications may continue to run slowly over the next few days, while monitoring continues," the company said. "All operating systems will be brought back in a staggered manner, to minimize further risks and interruptions. On Monday, the company declared a force majeure, which is an uncontrollable event that releases the company from fulfilling its contractual obligations. Transnet said it plans to lift the force majeure soon, without committing to a specific date. The government is investigating the cyberattack on Transnets computer systems and views it as a separate incident from the riots which disrupted parts of South Africa earlier this month, acting Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has said. Durban handles an estimated 60% of South Africa's container traffic and is one of the largest ports in the Southern Hemisphere. The trouble at the four ports is a further blow to South Africa's economy which is in recession and has been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent violent riots which closed major road and rail routes. The government estimates damages and losses from the riots amount to at least 20 billion rand (about $1.3 billion). California and New York City announced Monday that they would require all government employees to get the coronavirus vaccine or face weekly COVID-19 testing, and the Department of Veterans Affairs became the first major federal agency to require health care workers to receive the shot. FILE - A health care worker inoculates Evelyn Pereira, right, of Brooklyn, with the first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as her daughter Soile Reyes, 12, looks on, Thursday, July 22, 2021, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The number of Americans getting a COVID-19 vaccine has been rising in recent days as virus cases once again surge and officials raise dire warnings about the consequences of remaining. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File) California and New York City announced Monday that they would require all government employees to get the coronavirus vaccine or face weekly COVID-19 testing, and the Department of Veterans Affairs became the first major federal agency to require health care workers to receive the shot. Meanwhile, in a possible sign that increasingly dire health warnings are getting through to more Americans, vaccination rates began to creep up again, offering hope that the nation could yet break free of the coronavirus if people who have been reluctant to receive the shot are finally inoculated. The announcements are the opening of the floodgates as more government entities and companies impose vaccine mandates after nationwide vaccination efforts hit a wall, said Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown Universitys School of Public Health. Some people find mask mandates annoying, but the reality is theyre temporary. We cant do them forever, he said. Vaccine mandates have to be one of the major paths moving forward because they get us closer to the finish line. Mask mandates just buy you a little more time. In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that all municipal workers including teachers and police officers will be required to get vaccinated by mid-September or face weekly COVID-19 testing, making the city one of the largest employers in the U.S. to take such action. FILE - A sign advises shoppers to wear masks outside of a store Monday, July 19, 2021, in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles. Infections are climbing across the U.S. and mask mandates and other COVID-19 prevention measures are making a comeback in some places as health officials issue increasingly dire warnings about the highly contagious delta variant. But in a possible sign that the warnings are getting through to more Americans, vaccination rates are creeping up again, offering hope that the nation could yet break free of the coronavirus if people who have been reluctant to receive the shot are finally inoculated. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) California said it will similarly require proof of vaccination or weekly testing for all state workers and millions of public- and private-sector health care employees starting next month. The VAs move came on a day when nearly 60 leading medical and health care organizations issued a call through the American Medical Association for health care facilities to require their workers to get vaccinated. It was unclear what would happen to employees who refuse to comply. Some of the unions representing New York municipal workers said the city could not impose the requirement without negotiations. The longstanding policy in the health care industry is for staff to stay up-to-date with vaccinations, such as annual flu shots, but a general rule also allows exceptions for medical reasons, such as allergies. Elsewhere, St. Louis became the second major city to mandate that face masks be worn indoors, regardless of vaccination status, joining Los Angeles in re-imposing the orders. For those who are vaccinated, this may feel like punishment, punishment for doing the right thing, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, a Democrat, said Monday. Ive heard that, and I feel that frustration. FILE - In this Wednesday, March 24, 2021, file photo, Pre-K students arrive for the school day at Phyl's Academy, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. New York City will require all of its municipal workers including teachers and police officers to get coronavirus vaccines by mid-September or face weekly COVID-19 testing, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday, July 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, Pool, File) President Joe Biden should lead by example and impose further mandates on the federal workforce and in public venues where the government has jurisdiction, including in planes, trains and federal buildings, said Dr. Leana Wen, a former Baltimore health commissioner. We need vaccine mandates and vaccine verification, she said. Were well past the time for the Biden administration to get on board with this. What were doing is not working. Doing more of the same is not the answer here. The administration has so far recommended that unvaccinated people keep wearing masks indoors, but top officials over the weekend said they are considering recommending that the vaccinated also wear them indoors. Were going in the wrong direction, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert, said Sunday on CNNs State of the Union. Wen, who is also an emergency physician and a professor at George Washington University, said public health experts have worried for months about this very scenario. We were worried the honor system would not work, the unvaccinated would be behaving as if theyre vaccinated, and people would think the pandemic is over," she said. "That's precisely what has happened, and it's incredibly frustrating." FILE - In this Oct. 29, 2020, file photo, English language arts teacher Frank Esposito submits to a COVID-19 nasal swab test at West Brooklyn Community High School in New York. New York City will require all of its municipal workers including teachers and police officers to get coronavirus vaccines by mid-September or face weekly COVID-19 testing, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday, July 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File) The U.S. should not have been caught off guard after watching the delta variant ravage India in May and then land in the United Kingdom, Israel and other highly vaccinated nations with force last month, added Dr. Albert Ko, an infectious disease specialist at Yales School of Public Health. We have learned multiple times to not take anything for granted with COVID, he said. Jha said Americans should brace for another rough few months of COVID, which has already claimed nearly 611,000 lives in the U.S. I really thought this would be a fabulous summer, but I underestimated the misinformation campaign that was coming, he said Monday. What were the chances that after more than half a million Americans dead, that one-third of the country would still not want to end the pandemic?" Vaccinations ticked up over the weekend, with about 657,000 vaccines reported administered Saturday and nearly 780,000 on Sunday, according to CDC data. The 7-day rolling average on Sunday was about 583,000 vaccinations a day, up from about 525,000 a week prior. Public health experts on Monday said the uptick in vaccinations is encouraging but warned that its far too early to say if millions of unvaccinated people are finally overcoming their reticence. I wish I could say yes, but I honestly dont know, said Ko. There is a lot of ground to cover. The U.S. is around 67% immune from COVID-19 when prior infections are factored, but it will need to get closer to 85% to crush the resurgent virus, Jha said. So we need a lot more vaccinations. Or a lot more infections, he said. The seven-day rolling average for daily new cases in the country shot up over the past two weeks, from more than 19,000 on July 11 to nearly 52,000 on July 25, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Health experts said they are hopeful that the prominent conservative and Republican voices that have spent months casting doubt on the vaccination effort are finally willing to help move the needle. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise and other Republicans on the GOP Doctors Caucus held a press conference at the Capitol late last week imploring their constituents to lay lingering doubts aside. Fox News host Sean Hannity declared on his popular show: It absolutely makes sense for many Americans to get vaccinated. I believe in science. I believe in the science of vaccinations. Facebook also needs to do a better job cleaning up misinformation on its social media platform, Jha said. And the Food and Drug Administration needs to fully approve the COVID-19 vaccines, which currently have emergency approval. That final step will give more companies greater confidence to impose vaccine mandates, he suggested. "FDA approval matters a lot, Jha said. Its absurd at this point. The safety and efficacy of these drugs has been well-documented. Associated Press writers Lindsey Tanner in Three Oaks, Michigan; Alexandra Jaffe and Aamer Madhani in Washington; and Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas, contributed to this report. DENVER (AP) A U.S. appeals court has ruled against a web designer who didnt want to create wedding websites for same-sex couples and sued to challenge Colorados anti-discrimination law, another twist in a series of court rulings nationwide about whether businesses denying services to LGBTQ people amounts to bias or freedom of speech. DENVER (AP) A U.S. appeals court has ruled against a web designer who didnt want to create wedding websites for same-sex couples and sued to challenge Colorados anti-discrimination law, another twist in a series of court rulings nationwide about whether businesses denying services to LGBTQ people amounts to bias or freedom of speech. A three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver on Monday denied Lorie Smith's attempt to overturn a lower court ruling throwing out her legal challenge. The Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents Smith, argued that the law forced her to violate her Christian beliefs. In the 2-1 ruling, the panel said Colorado had a compelling interest in protecting the dignity interests of members of marginalized groups through its law. The anti-discrimination law is the same one at issue in the case of Colorado baker Jack Phillips that was decided in 2018 by the U.S. Supreme Court. The high court decided the Colorado Civil Rights Commission had acted with anti-religious bias against Phillips after he refused to bake a cake for two men who were getting married. But it did not rule on the larger issue of whether a business can invoke religious objections to refuse service to LGBTQ people. The Scottsdale, Arizona-based Alliance Defending Freedom also represented Phillips. Founded in 1994 by Christian leaders concerned about religious freedom, the group said it would appeal Monday's ruling. The government should never force creative professionals to promote a message or cause with which they disagree. That is quintessential free speech and artistic freedom, the groups senior counsel, John Bursch, said in a statement. Lambda Legal, a group that fights for the civil rights of LGBTQ people, had submitted a brief supporting the Colorado law. This really isnt about cake or websites or flowers, Lambda Legal senior counsel Jennifer C. Pizer said in a statement. Its about protecting LGBTQ people and their families from being subjected to slammed doors, service refusals and public humiliation in countless places from fertility clinics to funeral homes and everywhere in between. In arguments before the three-judge panel in November, Chief Judge Timothy Tymkovich asked what Smith would do if she was approached by a straight wedding planner asking her to create four heterosexual wedding sites and one for a same-sex wedding. Kristen Waggoner, a lawyer for the alliance, said Smith would not take that job. Colorado Solicitor General Eric Olson questioned whether Smith should even be allowed to challenge the law since she had not started offering wedding websites yet. But if she did, Olson said, her argument would mean she would refuse to create a website for a hypothetical same-sex couple named Alex and Taylor but agree to make the same one for an opposite-sex couple with the same names. He said that would be discrimination under the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. In the case of Phillips, who owns Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Olson said the Supreme Court could not agree on whether cakes are a form of expression. However, he said a subjective decision about whether a companys service amounted to speech was not a workable way of determining discrimination. Judge Mary Beck Briscoe wrote in Monday's majority opinion that we must also consider the grave harms caused when public accommodations discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. Combatting such discrimination is, like individual autonomy, essential to our democratic ideals. In his dissent, Tymkovich wrote that this case illustrates exactly why we have a First Amendment. Properly applied, the Constitution protects Ms. Smith from the government telling her what to say or do. In 2019, a divided three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found in favor of two Christian filmmakers who said they should not have to make videos celebrating same-sex marriage under Minnesotas anti-discrimination law because the videos are a form of speech protected by the First Amendment. The court reinstated a lawsuit brought by Carl and Angel Larsen of Telescope Media Group in St. Cloud. They also are being represented by Alliance Defending Freedom. This story was first published on July 27, 2021. It was updated on July 28, 2021, to correct the name of a judge. She is Mary Beck Briscoe, not Mark Beck Briscoe. WASHINGTON (AP) The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The state of California. New York City. Hospitals and nursing homes. Colleges and universities. Employers are putting COVID-19 vaccine mandates into place and it's getting attention. FILE - In this March 4, 2021 file photo, Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington. The Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday became the first major federal agency to require health care workers to get COVID-19 vaccines. The decision comes as the aggressive delta variant spreads and some communities report troubling increases in hospitalizations among unvaccinated people. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) WASHINGTON (AP) The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The state of California. New York City. Hospitals and nursing homes. Colleges and universities. Employers are putting COVID-19 vaccine mandates into place and it's getting attention. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden said a requirement is under consideration for all federal employees. But what happens if workers refuse? Federal legal guidance out this week suggests the law is on the side of employers. Vaccination can be considered a condition of employment, akin to a job qualification. That said, employment lawyers believe many businesses will want to meet hesitant workers half-way. CAN EMPLOYERS REQUIRE A CORONAVIRUS VACCINE? Yes. Private companies and government agencies can require their employees to get vaccinated as a condition of working there. Individuals retain the right to refuse, but they have no ironclad right to legal protection. Those who have a disability or a sincerely held religious belief may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation under civil rights laws, so long as providing that accommodation does not constitute an undue hardship for the employer, said Sharon Perley Masling, an employment lawyer who leads the COVID-19 task force at Morgan Lewis. Gov. Gavin Newsom, from left, Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf listen to spekers at a news conference in Oakland, Calif., Monday, July 26, 2021. California will require state employees and all health care workers to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or get tested weekly. Officials are tightening restrictions in an effort to slow rising coronavirus infections in the nation's most populous state, mostly among the unvaccinated. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) Employees who don't meet such criteria may need to go on leave or seek different opportunities, she added. The U.S. Justice Department addressed the rights of employers and workers in a legal opinion this week. It tackled an argument raised by some vaccine skeptics that the federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act prohibits employers from requiring vaccination with shots that are only approved for emergency use, as coronavirus vaccines currently are. Department lawyers wrote that the law in question requires individuals be informed of their option to accept or refuse administration of an emergency use vaccine or drug. But that requirement does not prohibit employers from mandating vaccination as a condition of employment." The same reasoning applies to universities, school districts, or other entities potentially requiring COVID-19 vaccines, the lawyers added. Available evidence overwhelmingly shows the vaccines are safe and effective. The Justice Department opinion followed earlier guidance from the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that federal laws prohibiting discrimination in the workplace do not prevent an employer from requiring all employees physically entering the workplace to be vaccinated for COVID-19. The EEOC listed some cases in which employers must offer exemptions. People who have a medical or religious reason can be accommodated through alternative measures. Those can include getting tested weekly, wearing masks while in the office, or working remotely. WHO IS REQUIRING THE VACCINE? The Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday became the first major federal agency to require health care workers to get COVID-19 vaccine. Also on Monday, the state of California said it will require millions of health care workers and state employees to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or get tested weekly. And New York City will require all of its municipal workers including teachers and police officers to get coronavirus vaccines by mid-September or face weekly testing. A patient has her body temperature screened after showing her COVID-19 vaccine card at the Clinica Monsenor Oscar A. Romero in the Pico-Union district of Los Angeles, Monday, July 26, 2021. The clinic is a COVID-19 vaccine site. California said it will require proof of vaccination or weekly testing for all state workers and millions of public- and private-sector health care employees starting in August. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Raising expectations, Biden said Tuesday that a vaccine requirement for all federal workers is under consideration right now." He promised to lay out next steps for his administration's stalled vaccination campaign later this week. The more we learn about this virus and the delta variation, the more we have to be worried and concerned, the president said, adding that if another 100 million Americans were vaccinated we'd be in a very different world. The push for vaccines has been piecemeal in the corporate world. Delta and United airlines are requiring new employees to show proof of vaccination. Goldman Sachs is requiring its employees to disclose their vaccination status, but is not requiring staffers to be vaccinated. Michelle S. Strowhiro, an employment adviser and lawyer at McDermott Will & Emery, said there are costs for employers requiring vaccines. Theres the administrative burden of tracking compliance and managing exemption requests. Claims of discrimination could also arise. But ultimately, the rise in the delta variant and breakthrough cases in fully vaccinated people has served as extra motivation for employers to take a stronger stand on vaccination generally, she said. Employers are going to be looking toward vaccine mandates more and more. IS THERE ANY OTHER ALTERNATIVE TO MANDATES? Instead of requiring vaccines, some companies are trying to entice workers by offering cash bonuses, paid time off and other rewards. Walmart, for example, is offering a $75 bonus for employees who provide proof they were vaccinated. Amazon is giving workers an $80 bonus if they show proof of vaccination and new hires get $100 if theyre vaccinated. WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS FOR EMPLOYEES IF THEY DONT WANT TO TAKE THE VACCINE? Most employers are likely to give workers some options if they dont want to take the vaccine. For example, New York City and California have imposed what's being called a soft mandate workers who dont want to get vaccinated can get tested weekly instead. If an employer does set a hard requirement, employees can ask for an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Then, under EEOC civil rights rules, the employer must provide reasonable accommodation that does not pose an undue hardship on the operation of the employers business. Some alternatives could include wearing a face mask at work, social distancing, working a modified shift, COVID-19 testing or the option to work remotely, or even offering a reassignment. WILL WORKPLACE MANDATES TURN THE TIDE ON VACCINE HESITANCY? It's too early to tell. Every employer that decides to mandate vaccination paves the way for other employers to feel safer doing so, said Masling. A recent legal decision may help move the needle. In June, a federal district court in Texas rejected an attempt by medical workers to challenge the legality of Houston Methodist Hospital's vaccine mandate. The court found such a requirement in line with public policy. Dorit Reiss, a law professor who specializes in vaccine policies at the University of California Hastings College of the Law, said more businesses will have confidence they can mandate the vaccine. She believes most companies will go the route of a soft mandate, with alternatives for employees who remain reluctant. I think its a reasonable option, she said. Anderson reported from Nashville, Tennessee. CANTON, Ga. (AP) A man accused of killing eight people, mostly women of Asian descent, at Atlanta-area massage businesses pleaded guilty to murder Tuesday in four of the killings and was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. FILE - This March 16, 2021, booking photo provided by the Crisp County, Ga., Sheriff's Office shows Robert Aaron Long. A man accused of killing eight people at three Atlanta-area massage businesses pleaded guilty in Cherokee County on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, hoping for a sentence of life without parole to the first four of the shooting deaths. Robert Aaron Long faces still faces the death penalty if convicted in four more shooting deaths in Atlanta, where he faces charges of domestic terrorism with a hate crime enhancement in addition to murder. (Crisp County Sheriff's Office via AP, File) CANTON, Ga. (AP) A man accused of killing eight people, mostly women of Asian descent, at Atlanta-area massage businesses pleaded guilty to murder Tuesday in four of the killings and was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. Robert Aaron Long, 22, still faces the death penalty in the other deaths, which are being prosecuted in another county. The string of shootings at three businesses in March ignited outrage and fueled fear among Asian Americans, who already faced increased hostility linked to the coronavirus pandemic. Many were particularly upset when authorities suggested Longs crimes weren't racially motivated but born of a sex addiction, which isn't recognized as an official disorder. Cherokee County prosecutors had planned to seek the death penalty but decided a plea deal would bring swift justice and avoid any lengthy appeals. Thats what the victims and their families who they were able to contact wanted, District Attorney Shannon Wallace said. Bonnie Michels husband of 24 years, Paul, was the first person killed. A part of me died with him that day, she told the judge. I am shattered. Robert Aaron Long enters Superior Court of Cherokee County in Canton, Ga. on Tuesday, July 27, 2021. Long, accused of killing eight people, most of them women of Asian descent at an Atlanta-area massage businesses pleaded guilty to four of the murders and was handed four sentences of life without parole. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool) Elcias Hernandez Ortiz, who was shot in the face, also addressed the court, saying its been very hard for his family. Honestly, this man, why didnt he think before killing so many people? I only want justice, he said through a Spanish translator. On March 16, Long shot and killed four people, three of them women and two of Asian descent, at Youngs Asian Massage in Cherokee County. A fifth person was wounded. Long then drove to Atlanta, where he shot and killed three women at Gold Spa before crossing the street to Aromatherapy Spa and killing another woman, police said. All of the Atlanta victims were of Asian descent. Robert Aaron Long sits among his lawyers in Superior Court of Cherokee County in Canton, Ga. on Tuesday, July 27, 2021. The man accused of killing eight people, most of them women of Asian descent, at Atlanta-area massage businesses pleaded guilty to four of the murders. He was handed four sentences of life without parole. Robert Aaron Long still faces the death penalty in the four other deaths, which are being prosecuted in a different county. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool) In Atlanta, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has said she intends to seek the death penalty. There, Long faces charges of aggravated assault and domestic terrorism in addition to murder. Wallace reiterated Tuesday that Cherokee County investigators saw no evidence of racial bias. Long walked through the first spa shooting anyone and everyone he saw and told detectives he was motivated by a sex addiction. Investigators interviewed people who knew Long for years, including three of Asian descent, who said they'd never heard him make racist comments, she said. Her team also considered the diversity of the people shot in Cherokee County. They included a Hispanic man and a white man and woman. Robert Aaron Long has his hands shackled to his waist as he stands before Judge Ellen McElyea in Superior Court of Cherokee County in Canton, Ga. on Tuesday, July 27, 2021. The man accused of killing eight people, most of them women of Asian descent, at Atlanta-area massage businesses pleaded guilty to four of the murders. He was handed four sentences of life without parole. Robert Aaron Long still faces the death penalty in the four other deaths, which are being prosecuted in a different county. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool) Asian American community leaders said Tuesday they were concerned that the shootings continue to be blamed on a sex addiction. Long's crimes were "intended to target Asian people, specifically Asian women, said state Rep. Bee Nguyen, the first Vietnamese American to serve in the Georgia House and a frequent advocate for women and communities of color. Wallace said she would have argued at trial that Long was motivated by gender bias, though that wouldn't have extended his sentence. Prosecutors in Fulton County, where all the victims were women of Asian descent, have said they believe Long was motivated by race and gender. They plan to seek a hate crime sentencing enhancement. Elcias Rocendo Hernandez Ortiz, who was shot it the face during the spa shootings, gives an impact statement during the plea hearing for Robert Aaron Long in Superior Court of Cherokee County in Canton, Ga. on Tuesday, July 27, 2021. The man accused of killing eight people, most of them women of Asian descent, at Atlanta-area massage businesses pleaded guilty to four of the murders. He was handed four sentences of life without parole. Robert Aaron Long still faces the death penalty in the four other deaths, which are being prosecuted in a different county. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool) Georgias new hate crimes law doesn't provide for a stand-alone hate crime. After a conviction on an underlying crime, a jury determines whether it was motivated by bias, which carries an additional penalty. The American Psychiatric Association doesn't recognize sex addiction in its main reference guide for mental disorders. While some people struggle to control sexual behaviors, its often linked to recognized disorders or moral views, said David Ley, clinical psychologist and author of The Myth of Sex Addiction. Long previously underwent inpatient and outpatient treatment for sex addiction, Wallace said. In fact, it was another patient who gave him the idea to seek sexual services at massage businesses, she said. Robert Aaron Long finalizes his plea before Judge Ellen McElyea in Superior Court of Cherokee County in Canton, Ga. on Tuesday, July 27, 2021. The man accused of killing eight people, most of them women of Asian descent, at Atlanta-area massage businesses pleaded guilty to four of the murders. He was handed four sentences of life without parole. Robert Aaron Long still faces the death penalty in the four other deaths, which are being prosecuted in a different county. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool) Long signed a plea agreement admitting to all charges in Cherokee County, including malice murder, felony murder, attempt to commit murder and aggravated assault. Cherokee County Superior Court Chief Judge Ellen McElyea then handed him four sentences of life without parole plus an additional 35 years. Those killed in Cherokee County: Michels, 54; Xiaojie Emily Tan, 49; Daoyou Feng, 44; and Delaina Yaun, 33. The Atlanta victims were: Suncha Kim, 69; Soon Chung Park, 74; Hyun Jung Grant, 51; and Yong Ae Yue, 63. Long said he planned to kill himself that day and went to the massage businesses thinking that paying for sex which he considered shameful would push him to do it. But while sitting in his car outside the first spa, he decided to kill the people inside. After he was caught in south Georgia, Long told detectives he struggled with pornography and sex. He believed he was an addict and felt tremendous guilt when he viewed porn or engaged in sexual acts at massage businesses, Wallace said. Long blamed the victims for his inability to control his impulses, Wallace said. Long is scheduled for arraignment next month in Fulton County. His Cherokee County lawyers said in a statement they hope prosecutors there will follow Wallace's example and reach a similar plea agreement. Wallace said that after the shootings at the two Atlanta spas, Long intended to carry out similar crimes in Florida. By then, his parents had called authorities after recognizing their son in images from security video that authorities posted online. His parents were already tracking his movements through an application on his phone so they would know if he visited massage businesses, the prosecutor said, and that enabled officers to find him. Associated Press writers Jeff Martin in Savannah and Sudhin Thanawala in Atlanta contributed to this report. This story has been updated to correct that the shooting happened in March 2021, not 2020. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) North and South Korea have exchanged messages in communication channels dormant for more than a year and agreed to improve ties positive steps that still leave any resumption of stalled negotiations to rid the North of its nuclear weapons a long way off. FILE - In this April 27, 2018, file photo, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, poses with South Korean President Moon Jae-in for a photo inside the Peace House at the border village of Panmunjom in Demilitarized Zone, South Korea. The presidential office in Seoul said Tuesday, July 27, 2021, Moon and Kim have agreed to restore suspended communication channels and improve ties. (Korea Summit Press Pool via AP, File) SEOUL, South Korea (AP) North and South Korea have exchanged messages in communication channels dormant for more than a year and agreed to improve ties positive steps that still leave any resumption of stalled negotiations to rid the North of its nuclear weapons a long way off. Liaison officials from the Koreas had several phone conversations Tuesday including one on a military hotline and agreed to resume speaking regularly, Seoul officials said. The rivals use the channels to lay out their positions on issues and even propose broader dialogue, and the links are also critical to preventing any accidental clashes along their disputed sea boundary. While the renewed communication could help ease tensions across the worlds most heavily fortified border, its only a small first step. Pyongyang is unlikely to revive vigorous cooperation programs with Seoul or get back to the nuclear talks led by the United States anytime soon. Some experts say North Korea is instead aiming to improve ties with South Korea in the hopes it will persuade the U.S. to make concessions when nuclear diplomacy with Washington eventually does resume. Those efforts have been stalled for more than two years amid wrangling over punishing U.S.-led sanctions on the North. During the diplomatic impasse, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has threatened to enlarge his nuclear arsenal if the U.S. doesnt abandon its hostile policy, an apparent reference to the sanctions. On Tuesday, the two Koreas announced their leaders Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in have traded personal letters several times since April and decided in those exchanges to resume communication in the channels. A man holds up a banner to demand the peace on the Korean peninsula near the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, July 27, 2021. South Korea says the leaders of North and South Korea have agreed to restore suspended communication channels and improve ties. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) Moons office said the two leaders agreed to restore mutual confidence and develop their relationships again as soon as possible. The Norths state media, for its part, said Kim and Moon agreed to make a big stride in recovering the mutual trust and promoting reconciliation by restoring the cutoff inter-Korean communication liaison lines. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the announcement of the reopening of communication channels and fully supports the continued efforts of the parties towards the improvement of their relationship, sustainable peace and complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said. Tuesdays resumption of communication comes on the 68th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, which pitted South Korea and U.S.-led U.N. forces against North Korea and China. That armistice has yet to be replaced with a peace treaty, leaving the Korean Peninsula in a technical state of war, with about 28,500 U.S. troops still stationed in South Korea. In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, front center, visits a liberation war martyrs cemetery in Pyongyang, North Korea, Tuesday, July 27, 2021 to mark the end of the Korean War. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) In a speech marking the anniversary that North Korea calls V-Day, Kim vowed to overcome pandemic-related hardships and brace for any changes in the outside political environment. His speech published by state media on Wednesday made no mention of his nuclear program and didn't contain any harsh rhetoric against Washington and Seoul. During times of tensions with Seoul and Washington, North Korea occasionally cuts off communication in the channels by not replying to South Korean phone calls or faxes. The most recent cutoff came in June of last year after North Korea accused the South of failing to stop activists from floating anti-Pyongyang leaflets across their border. An angry North Korea later blew up an empty, South Korean-built liaison office just north of the countries border. FILE - In this Jan. 3, 2018, file photo released by South Korea Unification Ministry, a South Korean government official communicates with a North Korean officer during a phone call on the dedicated communications hotline at the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea. North and South Korea on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, have restored suspended communication channels between them and their leaders agreed to improve ties, both governments said Tuesday, despite a two years and a half stalemate in U.S.-led diplomacy aimed at stripping North Korea of its nuclear weapons. (South Korea Unification Ministry/Yonhap via AP, File) Many experts said the provocative action signaled the North was frustrated that Seoul failed to revive lucrative joint-Korean projects that gave the North badly needed foreign currency and to persuade the U.S. to ease the sanctions. Those sanctions, together with storms last summer and border shutdowns during the coronavirus pandemic, are battering the isolated Norths economy, creating what Kim has called its worst-ever crisis. Still, outside monitoring groups havent seen signs of mass starvation or social chaos in the country of 26 million people. Nam Sung-wook, a professor at Korea University, said the resumed communication likely wont lead to a dramatic improvement in ties in the near term but could pave the way for something down the road. Pyongyang citizens visit the Fatherland Liberation War Martyrs Cemetery in Pyongyang, North Korea, Tuesday, July 27, 2021 to mark the Korean War armistice anniversary. The leaders of North and South Korea restored suspended communication channels between them and agreed to improve ties, both governments said Tuesday, amid a 2 year-stalemate in U.S.-led diplomacy aimed at stripping North Korea of its nuclear weapons. (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin) North Korea knows it has to sit down for talks with the Biden administration one day. It thinks South Korea still has an effective value ... to make Biden move in a direction that it favors, said Nam. North Korea can also build up an (international image) that its willing to continue dialogue with the outside world. Moon, who espouses greater reconciliation with North Korea, earlier shuttled between Pyongyang and Washington to facilitate a 2018 summit between Kim and then-U.S. President Donald Trump the first such meeting between the countries leaders. But North Korea abruptly gave Moon the cold shoulder after a second proposed Kim-Trump summit fell apart in early 2019 after Trump rebuffed Kims push to win extensive sanctions relief in return for dismantling his main nuclear complex. Since taking office in January, the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has called on North Korea to return to a negotiating table. But last month senior North Korean officials, including Kims powerful sister, dismissed prospects for an early resumption of the talks. Some experts think North Korea may be compelled to reach out to the U.S. or South Korea if its economic difficulties worsen. By taking steps to improve relations with Seoul now, the North may be preparing for that moment. Park Won Gon, a professor of North Korea studies at Seouls Ewha Womans University, cautioned against reading too much into what the communication channels restoration means about the Norths economic difficulties. He cited reports that North Korea is still refusing to receive aid even from China, its major ally, due to worries that aid deliveries could spread the virus. He said North Korea may be hoping that warming ties will help South Korean liberals who support better ties with the North win next Marchs presidential elections. MOSCOW (AP) Russia's health officials have given a go-ahead to testing a combination of the AstraZeneca coronavirus shot and the single-dose version of the domestically developed Sputnik V vaccine, according to the country's registry of approved clinical trials. FILE - In this Monday, July 12, 2021 file photo, a medical worker administers a shot of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine at a vaccination center in Gostinny Dvor, a huge exhibition place in Moscow, Russia. Russias health officials have given a go-ahead to testing a combination of the AstraZeneca coronavirus shot and the single-dose version of the domestically developed Sputnik V vaccine. The countrys registry of approved clinical trials shows the small study was scheduled to start July 26 and to enroll 150 volunteers. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File) MOSCOW (AP) Russia's health officials have given a go-ahead to testing a combination of the AstraZeneca coronavirus shot and the single-dose version of the domestically developed Sputnik V vaccine, according to the country's registry of approved clinical trials. The small study, which was scheduled to start July 26 and end in March next year, will enroll 150 volunteers and look at the mixed regimen's safety and capability to trigger immune response, records show. It will be conducted in five medical facilities in Moscow and St. Petersburg. AstraZeneca developed its vaccine with Oxford University. Sputnik V was developed by the state-run Gamaleya Center in Moscow, and the Russian Direct Investment Fund bankrolled the project. Both shots use a similar technology, employing a harmless virus to deliver genetic material from the spike protein of COVID-19 into the body, which then prompts an immune response. Russian officials introduced Sputnik V last year as a two-shot vaccine using different viruses in each dose, but they also have separately marketed the first shot as a single-dose alternative dubbed Sputnik Light. The developers of Sputnik V proposed combining the shots to AstraZeneca in November, suggesting it could increase the effectiveness of the British vaccine. AstraZeneca announced a study to test the combination in December. In May, however, the ethical committee of Russia's Health Ministry suspended the process of giving the trial a green light and requested additional documents for review. According to the official Twitter account of Sputnik V, the go-ahead by the ministry this week comes as similar trials are ongoing in Azerbaijan, Argentina and United Arab Emirates. More trials of Sputnik Light with other producers are also underway in different countries in order to increase the efficacy of other vaccines, Spuntik Vs developers reported on Twitter. Russia gave Spuntik V regulatory approval in August 2020. The vaccine initially faced skepticism at home and abroad because it had only been tested on a few dozen people at the time. A report in the British medical journal The Lancet this year blunted the criticism, saying large-scale testing showed the vaccine to be safe and having a 91% efficacy rate, The one-dose version, Sputnik Light, received approval in May and was released for use last month. Russian authorities have also approved two other domestically developed jabs, EpiVacCorona and CoviVac. But no data on the efficacy of those two vaccines has been released, and Spuntik V remains the most widely used coronavirus vaccine in Russia. Researchers in Britain and elsewhere have been testing whether combining AstraZeneca's vaccine with other products, including the vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, are safe and effective. Early results have shown that combining the AstraZeneca vaccine with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine produces a strong immune response. A large U.S. study found the AstraZeneca shot to be about 79% effective in preventing symptomatic disease, but it may be slightly less effective against emerging variants, including the delta. The World Health Organization has said it's likely that mixing and matching different COVID-19 vaccines probably works, but more data is needed to be certain. TORONTO - Unifor says it has launched a strike at the Downsview facility in north Toronto as negotiations continue separately with De Havilland and Bombardier Inc. Unifor national president Jerry Dias addresses a news conference in Toronto on Thursday, November 5, 2020 in Toronto.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Carlos Osorio TORONTO - Unifor says it has launched a strike at the Downsview facility in north Toronto as negotiations continue separately with De Havilland and Bombardier Inc. The union said workers from Local 673 and Local 112 walked off the job as threatened just after 10 a.m., two days after talks resumed following a three-week cooling-off period. About 1,500 unionized Bombardier workers and 700 De Havilland employees at the plant manufacture Bombardier's Global business aircraft and, until recently, the Dash 8 turboprops for De Havilland Canada. We will remain at the bargaining table with both companies as the strike action is ongoing, said Unifor national president Jerry Dias. "Our union will continue to make every effort to reach a fair settlement but we have a number of key issues to resolve with both employers. Pensions, use of contractors and erosion of bargaining unit work are key issues at Bombardier while the future of the Dash 8 program is the focus of talks with De Havilland. Other issues relate to the sale of the Downsview site in 2018 and both companies planned exit of the facility, Dias added in a news release. Our members work hard and deserve nothing less than an agreement that values their incredible contribution to these companies and respects their hard work, said Maryellen McIlmoyle, president of Unifor Local 673 which represents technical, office, and professional workers at both companies. Bombardier says 800 of its non-union workers at Downsview remain active with some working from home due to COVID-19 protocols. "At this time, the talks continue and we are focused on seeing the process through to an agreement," spokesman Mark Masluch wrote in an email. De Havilland Canada said it was disappointed with the union's statements before the resumption of talks and at the bargaining table that "assert a position that is drastically out of step with the realities facing De Havilland Canadas business, and the aviation industry more generally." The company said it agreed to the union's request for a 30-day extension of the collective bargaining agreement in the hope that it would use the time to "adjust its negotiating posture to enable a mutually agreeable outcome." "De Havilland Canada is eager to collaborate with the Union as we chart a sustainable long-term future for aircraft manufacturing and the skilled employment it supports. But the ability to work together toward a long-term future relies on a concerted effort to transform the business to the circumstances we are facing." The company said it has put contingency plans in place in order to continue to meet all customer requirements. De Havilland announced earlier this year that it would no longer produce new Q400 aircraft at the facility beyond currently confirmed orders. De Havilland indicated two years ago that work will end at Downsview once lease agreements for the land expire. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The union wants De Havilland, whose parent company Longview Aviation Capital Corp. purchased the Dash 8 program from Bombardier for $300 million in June 2019, to commit to making the Dash 8 somewhere in Greater Toronto when production resumes. Dias has said he fears De Havilland plans to move production to its facilities in Alberta. He said the company refused to bargain any sort of scope clauses that would limit production to somewhere in the GTA, including Pearson International Airport where Bombardier has broken ground on a new facility for its Global business jets. "Their silence on the matter is very troublesome,'' he said in a Friday interview. "The bottom line is we've got a lot of people have worked there for a lot of years and have worked on this program and they deserve the right to continue to build the program.'' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2021. Companies in this story: (TSX:BBD.B) Canadians and Americans alike have been left confused by mismatched announcements from their respective countries that left Canadas border open to United States residents but not vice versa. Canadians and Americans alike have been left confused by mismatched announcements from their respective countries that left Canadas border open to United States residents but not vice versa. "It was so bewildering. It was absolutely 180 degrees from what we expected, what we believed, and the conversations that we had had," Simon Resch, owner of Emerson Duty Free, said Monday. "It's like starting your car and turning it off, and starting your car and turning it off, and stop and go and stop and go." His business has served as Canadas oldest duty free store for nearly 40 years, sitting at the border between Emerson and Pembina, N.D., and has lost the vast majority of its business without American clientele. After the U.S. government announced despite Canada opening its border to fully vaccinated U.S. citizens for non-essential travel starting Aug. 9 it would not be doing the same until at least Aug. 21, Resch said his industry is paying the price. "It absolutely leaves me with the feeling that there really is no organization or co-ordination between Canada and the United States when it comes to the border and international travel," he said. Resch said Emerson Duty Free will, should it survive post-pandemic, have non-international travel-based elements in place if the border is forced to close in a similar fashion again. Week-to-week changing orders, along with the ending of several federal support programs, have left him uncertain about the future. "If we're not ready yet to live in a world with an open border shared with the United States, I don't think then we're ready to phase out support programs," Resch said. "I think that's very unfair. I think that's very short sighted of the federal government." On the other side of the border, Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney said he was "very disappointed" with the U.S. federal governments decision, calling it a blanket response for the whole country based on high case counts in a few areas. "What we find with them is (the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) doesn't necessarily take the whole United States into account," he said. "Certain areas go up, all of sudden they get frightened. And then they kind of make rules for everybody the same way." North Dakota health officials reported 27 new COVID-19 cases out of 424 tests processed Sunday, a test positivity rate of 6.43 per cent. The 14-day average was 2.27 per cent. Not only has the dip in sale of agricultural products and lumber between Manitoba and North Dakota dealt the state a heavy blow, the summer a season that typically has Fargo "packed" with Canadian visitors will be all but over should the border open Aug. 21. "It may not seem (so) to our federal government, but that's a big deal. We're climate oriented in this community, we do things when we can, our tourist season gets pretty busy," the mayor said. North Dakota parcel service Mikes Parcel co-owner Mason Peters said he "couldnt be more shocked," after hearing Canadians wouldnt be able to come and retrieve ordered packages at the border next month. "For a week now, we've just been trying to come to grips with it, trying to get the logic, or the data, or the benchmark or the reasoning behind it. And we're still stumped," he said. Peters is keeping optimistic for now, but the business is in limbo. He noted that, at the beginning of the pandemic, Mikes Parcel was still a relatively new business paying off debt, and optimism wont last forever. "Can we make it until the border opens? I would turn around and say, I think so, but please tell me when the border is going to open," he said. malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: malakabas_ Manitoba RCMP have been investigating child sexual abuse allegations at the former Fort Alexander Indian Residential School for more than a decade. Manitoba RCMP have been investigating child sexual abuse allegations at the former Fort Alexander Indian Residential School for more than a decade. The results of the investigation which has involved 80 officers speaking to more than 700 people across North America are being reviewed by the Manitoba Crown attorneys office, which will advise police if criminal charges should be laid. The existence of the probe came to light during a recent Free Press investigation into the legacy of Fort Alexander one of 14 residential schools in Manitoba officially identified by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. The investigation is being made public for the first time, more than 11 years after the major crimes unit was sent to Sagkeeng First Nation in February 2010 to review historical records and canvas for potential victims and witnesses. "The Manitoba RCMP recognizes the significant public interest this investigation will generate. However, it is imperative at this stage of the justice process that everyone recognizes that no charges have been laid," the RCMP said in a written statement. "This is the only investigation into residential schools underway by the Manitoba RCMP." JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS St. Alexander Church ran the residential school in Sagkeeng. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press files) Allegations of child sexual abuse at the school 120 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg which was run by a Catholic order of nuns called the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate were made in public in 1990, by then-head of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, Phil Fontaine. Fontaine, a Fort Alexander survivor, revealed to the CBC during a television interview he was sexually abused by school staff. He said such abuse was rampant at the school and many of his classmates were also targeted. The Free Press has interviewed two survivors of the school who said sexual abuse of children was an open secret. The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate ran more than 50 residential schools across Canada. There have been no criminal charges against any former staff at the Fort Alexander Indian Residential School, which operated at Sagkeeng from 1905 to 1970. Despite the passing of 50-plus years, the fact RCMP sent their investigative file to Manitoba Prosecution Services for review would seem to indicate some former staff are still alive. The RCMP began its work in 2010 with "probative investigations," which is an early, information-gathering process aimed at determining the scope of potential abuse. The investigators then travelled to Ottawa, where they compiled as much archival material as they could. Additional historic records were gathered at the Manitoba Archives. JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate ran more than 50 residential schools across Canada. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press files) The Mounties reviewed thousands of documents, "including student lists, employee lists, and quarterly returns." Investigators interviewed people connected to the school and went door-to-door in Sagkeeng and the nearby community of Powerview-Pine Falls. "Officers spoke to or interacted with more than 700 people across North America throughout this investigation in an effort to locate any possible victims or witnesses a criminal investigation was launched in 2011," the RCMP said. "Seventy-five witness and victims statements were obtained by police." The Mounties have met with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, the Southern Chiefs Organization, and chief and band council of Sagkeeng First Nation in recent days to update them on the investigation. All told, children from 21 communities were sent to the Fort Alexander Indian Residential School when it was active. Last week, Sagkeeng began ground-penetrating radar searches in the community, aimed at locating possible unmarked graves associated with the former school. Elders have long believed there could be such graves in the community. Canada is currently in the grips of a national reckoning over its history of residential schools, following the discovery of more than 200 potential unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C., in late May. JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Last week, Sagkeeng began ground-penetrating radar searches in the community aimed at locating possible unmarked graves associated with the former residential school. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press files) Since then, discoveries of more potential gravesites linked to residential schools across the country have continued to pile up. "The size and scope of this investigation has meant many years of investigative work This very large and complex investigation resulted in the RCMP sending an investigative court package to prosecution services to review and provide advice regarding charges," the RCMP said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The Mounties added "victims, suspects, and witnesses have privacy rights," and asked the public for patience so Crown attorneys have the "necessary time to fairly evaluate the evidence and provide advice." Sagkeeng Chief Derrick Henderson also requested privacy for his community, asking people not to retraumatize those affected by the investigation. "Violation of the privacy rights of those involved in this investigation will not only cause further trauma to everyone involved, but also potentially compromise this highly sensitive investigation," Henderson said. "We ask that the trauma our community has experienced and continues to live every day is respected, and that those affected are afforded their privacy at this time." ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @rk_thorpe An Indigenous activist, who is also a former Christian pastor, is teaching faith groups about reconciliation. An Indigenous activist, who is also a former Christian pastor, is teaching faith groups about reconciliation. Kyle Mason, son of residential school and day school survivors, has launched a consulting service to help groups that have questions but dont know who to talk to. "There are people who want to know more, but dont know who they could have this dialogue with," said Mason, the founder and former director of the North End Family Centre, who also served as a pastor with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. Since the news broke about finding of graves of children at former residential schools, there has been an increase in the number of Canadians who want to talk about reconciliation, he said. He welcomes the sudden interest, but noted that sharing about those experiences is difficult for Indigenous people, especially survivors. "They have to relive the trauma and pain when they talk about it. Its easy for them to be overwhelmed by all the well-intentioned requests for information." For this reason, Mason decided to offer his services, even though its hard for him, too. "This is the story of my parents, and of me," he said. "Its not just a history book. The conversations can be exhausting. They take a toll emotionally and spiritually." To recharge, Mason takes time for self-care, to unwind, recharge and "connect with the creator," he said. As for faith groups that want to take time to talk about residential schools and reconciliation, Mason suggests doing some preparation before contacting Indigenous people. "There are lots of books available, a lot of information online," he said, adding the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is a good place to start. But most of all, he wants non-Indigenous people to not be worried about reaching out. "Dont be afraid," he said. "True reconciliation starts with relationships. Indigenous people want to build relationships with non-Indigenous people as a way to understand and overcome the evil that happened." At the same time, he recommends that faith groups plan to pay for the help they receive. "Generally speaking, if you dont already have an existing relationship with Indigenous people, dont expect them to talk and relive their trauma for free," he said. Expecting them to provide free education about their experiences is another example of the "colonizer mindset," he said. "Taking our knowledge, pain and trauma and walking away without paying for it is just another act of colonization," he added, noting it is common in the business, non-profit and faith worlds to pay guest speakers and consultants. Indigenous people can decide if they want to be paid or not, he said. Mason is especially interested in talking to church groups that want to de-colonize their faith. "Many Christians arent aware of how their view of Christian faith was formed from a European or western mindset," he said. "God is bigger than that. Through discussions with Indigenous people, they can become more inclusive of Indigenous views of spirituality and move away from the old missionary idea of taking God to Indigenous people." faith@freepress.mb.ca For months during the pandemic, Arlene Fages could only see her husband and one of her daughters at the Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre because of COVID-19 visitor restrictions at personal care homes. For months during the pandemic, Arlene Fages could only see her husband and one of her daughters at the Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre because of COVID-19 visitor restrictions at personal care homes. But in recent weeks, Fages has not only been able to see her daughter there, but now also her daughter from Vancouver, other family members, and even just good friends thanks to changes in the visiting restrictions put in place by Shared Health last month. "It's wonderful," said Mel, Fages's husband of 61 years. "The daughter who lives in Vancouver couldn't come here for a long time because of restrictions, and even when she could, she wouldn't have been allowed to see her mother, except through a window. So we have Skyped on the iPad on a regular basis. Now she can come have a visit outside and my son-in-law can visit and play the guitar for my wife. "A visit is a lot different when she can sit out there and hold her mother's hand." The loosening of visitation restrictions was one of the changes Shared Health made on June 18, which included allowing general visitors, not just essential or designated family caregivers, to be able to go to personal care homes as long as they showed proof they were fully vaccinated from COVID-19. General visitors are family or friends who visit for social reasons, not to look after the resident. The visitation guidelines allow up to two fully vaccinated visitors in the a resident's suite and outdoor visits with up to four fully vaccinated visitors. An outdoor visit can only be on the care home's property or nearby visits back home are not allowed yet. Essential caregivers are still able to go to personal care homes without showing proof of vaccination. To make it easier for families to distance themselves from other families, the Simkin Centre has painted blue visitation circles on the pavement in its enclosed courtyard and on the sidewalk outside, said CEO Laurie Cerqueti. "It has been really good," said Cerqueti of the new visitation rules. "There are people who haven't been able to see their loved one for some time, including grandchildren they may never have met. "It has been quite a wonderful thing. We're not quite out of the woods yet, we still have mask rules, but it has been a hard year-and-a-half and this is looking a lot better." The change in visitation is a step in the right direction after months of things going the wrong way, said Sherry Heppner, development co-ordinator at the Convalescent Home of Winnipeg in Fort Rouge. "It's so nice to have a bit of normalcy," said Heppner. "The residents are all smiling. Our biggest worry now is heat stroke, but we have to take advantage of these nice days." Visitors can see residents outside on their property, or take them on a walk in the neighbourhood, Heppner said. For the time being, the front door of the home will be locked so people coming in can be screened for the virus before entering, she said. "We can't be complacent, the variant is out there, but this is so nice." Mel Fages said his wife lives with Alzheimer's disease and moved into the Simkin Centre in September so having visits with more people is good for her. COVID restrictions meant his sister couldn't visit his wife because her husband was in another part of the Simkin Centre, but now they can, he said. "We are able to be outside as a family. There's no question this is so much better." kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca The clerk of the executive councils message to the Manitoba civil service about the need to work toward reconciliation is drawing both praise and criticism from political experts and First Nations leadership. The clerk of the executive councils message to the Manitoba civil service about the need to work toward reconciliation is drawing both praise and criticism from political experts and First Nations leadership. David McLaughlins message issued July 22 explains why the government renamed the department of Indigenous Reconciliation and Northern Affairs, and what steps it is taking toward reconciliation now that its part of a formal mandate. The information comes after MLA Eileen Clarke resigned as Indigenous relations and northern affairs minister over statements by Premier Brian Pallister seeming to defend colonialism. That move was followed by her replacement, Alan Lagimodiere, stating there were some good intentions behind residential schools. McLaughlin, Pallisters appointee in charge of Manitobas civil service, says the government is inviting Indigenous leaders to meet with deputy ministers to develop an agenda for reconciliation, encouraging conversations among civil servants about what reconciliation means to them, and offering employees courses and training opportunities. "I like the content of the message, both the ideas and the actions," said Paul Thomas, professor emeritus of political studies at the University of Manitoba. "Having a partisan figure like McLaughlin in the clerks role which is not unprecedented means there is a greater likelihood that the motivations behind messages will be mixed and that the media and commentators will raise questions about whether they are meant to serve primarily a public interest purpose," Thomas said Monday. "McLaughlin may be a partisan actor, but he brings lengthy policy experience and serious policy thinking to the job." Sending such a message to civil servants about needing to do better when it comes to reconciliation when the problem is elected officials, appears to be "blame shifting," said Kelly Saunders, Brandon University associate professor of political science. "Instead of just atoning, recognizing, and taking responsibility for their actions and trying to do better as political leaders, theyre trying to shift attention on to the civil service," said Saunders. Until Indigenous Manitobans see evidence of reconciliation in action, nothing will change, says Long Plain First Nation Chief Dennis Meeches. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files) "We all need to be having conversations in our own families and our own work spaces and community spaces about issues related to reconciliation and colonization," the Brandon professor said. "It seems a little rich, in this environment, that now, all of a sudden, we want the civil service to really step up on reconciliation," Saunders said. "Why werent we having this conversation a year ago or six months ago? The timing is a little too coincidental. "I think that a lot of people are going to be cynical about it and see this is purely a political move on the part of the government and for good reason: because theyre backed into a corner." Saunders said inviting Indigenous leaders to meet with deputy ministers is telling. "You wouldnt send the premier of Manitoba to talk to the deputy minister in Alberta. He would speak to Premier (Jason) Kenny. That is how protocol works, thats how respect works, and thats how true partnership works. Even in their attempts to try to pretty the situation up, theyre still not getting it," she said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. McLaughlin did not respond to a request for comment Monday. Until Indigenous Manitobans see "evidence of reconciliation in action," starting at the top, nothing will change, said Long Plain First Nation Chief Dennis Meeches. "Weve obviously had a very sour relationship with the premiers office since Day 1," the Treaty 1 chief said Monday. "Its top-down, tone-deaf, this is how its going to be done, come hell or high water," he said of the Pallister government. carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca Norma Wiechman does not want to move into a personal care home. Norma Wiechman does not want to move into a personal care home. The 79-year-old has watched the news unfold: COVID-19 spreading through seniors' centres while residents were forced to isolate and take meals in their small rooms. Wiechman said she has friends who wish they never moved into a personal care home. "I wouldn't want to go into one, but at some point, I know I'll have to. What else can you do?" Wiechman said from her home just outside of Winnipeg. Seventy-three per cent of Manitobans want an overhaul, or significant changes, to long-term care facilities, according to a study the Angus Reid Institute released Monday. Nationally, 76 per cent of people believe an overhaul or significant changes should be made. Only 26 per cent of the survey's 1,503 respondents believe such shifts will happen. Wiechman worries about staffing shortages at personal care homes. "They're trying their best to do as much as they can, but they can only look after so many people," she said. Three in five Manitobans believe the federal government should be directly involved in creating standards for the industry, according to the survey. Manitoba is joined by British Columbia, Ontario and Atlantic Canada. Three in five people in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Quebec responded that provinces should remain the decision-makers of long-term care homes. "What I interpret from this is that people in Manitoba are less concerned with... who's in charge, and more concerned with ensuring the improvements are made," said Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute. Forty-seven per cent of respondents said they would do everything in their power to avoid themselves and/or family members from entering a long-term care home. The largest call was for more inspections and enforcement of standards (43 per cent), followed by increasing the minimum number of staff required on duty (39 per cent). Raising pay for and recruiting workers were also concerns, with 38 per cent and 37 per cent of people citing a need, respectively. The Canadian Association for Long Term Care has spent years advocating for federal government involvement, according to CEO Jodi Hall. She called the COVID-19 pandemic a "catalyst" to create change in the industry. "These chronic, systemic issues are not new," Hall said, adding she wants shared responsibility between the federal government, provincial governments and the care-home sector. Ottawa could support sustainable funding of facilities, human resource acquisition and infrastructure renewal, she said. "The labour shortage... is absolutely reaching that crisis point, and it's critical that we all work together for a collective plan," she said. "Given the demographic transition in Canada, we know that that time has come for a different conversation." The Standards Council of Canada, Canadian Standards Association and Health Standards Organization are collaborating to create national standards on improving long-term care homes. The group plans to share a public draft in late 2021 or early 2022, according to the Health Standard Organization's website. Over 250,000 Canadians live in personal care homes. There are 125 licensed settings in Manitoba housing up to 9,765 people. For Hall, the national standards are welcome but more federal involvement is necessary. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "It can't happen fast enough. The focus really needs to be on partnerships, development (and) collaboration if we really want to refocus on how we want to experience aging in Canada," she said. There are no plans for Manitoba to share responsibilities for long-term care homes with the federal government, according to a provincial spokesperson. "We would reiterate the very clear message to the federal government that the most pressing need is to restore Ottawa's role as a true, long-term health funding partner with a substantial increase in the Canada Health Transfer," the spokesperson said in a written statement. People participated in the Angus Reid Institute survey from March 15 to 18. The poll has a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. gabrielle.piche@freepress.mb.ca COVID-19 infections may be winding down, but the Manitoba government isn't compelling civil servants to return to the workplace. COVID-19 infections may be winding down, but the Manitoba government isn't compelling civil servants to return to the workplace. It's part of a new policy that could set the tone for how Manitobans return to the office. "As hard as it was to leave the workplace, it's going to be just as hard to return to the workplace," said Michelle Gawronsky, president of the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union, which represents most public servants. The province issued a flexible work policy this month. It asks employees to submit a formal request on how often theyd like to show up at the office, and if they prefer to adjust their working hours. The Civil Service Commission introduced the policy to roughly 12,800 public servants on July 5. A total of 5,029 government employees 39 per cent of the workforce were working remotely, in part or in whole, as of June. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press files) The document asks supervisors to approve requests that dont affect productivity or cause excessive costs to the province. It includes checklists to make sure employees have adequate Internet and insurance to work from home. Central Services Minister Reg Helwer said government departments evaluated productivity as many employees worked from home. "We're just currently going through evaluating what worked for staff, and what worked for the government," Helwer said. Internal data obtained by the Free Press show 5,029 government employees 39 per cent of the workforce were working remotely, in part or in whole, as of June. Thats down from the peak, April 2020, when 5,350 staff worked from home. The number of public servants working from home has generally risen as COVID-19 case rates increased and restrictions were imposed. In May, 80 per cent of civil servants who worked from home spent six or more business days out of the office. Thirty-two per cent worked 12 to 15 days from home. The government and union say the adaptation has had mixed success. Some staff thrive at home, while others clamour to return to the office. Gawronsky said the most common issue employees have raised since March 2020 is a lack of communication from their supervisors. Managers have grappled with trying to keep in touch with employees who are in different locations, while lower-level staff have had to request virtual meetings to review minor issues. Outside Winnipeg and Brandon, unreliable Internet has hindered work, Gawronsky said. The new policy doesnt propose targets, and MGEU has not heard about staff being pushed toward working from home or returning to the office. Gawronsky hopes thats a sign the province doesn't have a predetermined plan. "I believe they're working their way through this, just as much as anyone else is," said Gawronsky. "I think they're actually doing some homework." Clerical and finance staff have become used to working remotely. In fact, employers and supervisors in multiple departments report theyve often been asked what the other expects, with neither having a clear idea of how to return to work. In May, 80 per cent of civil servants who worked from home spent six or more business days out of the office. Thirty-two per cent worked 12 to 15 days from home. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press files) "It's pretty widespread, and it is both full- and part-time work from home for permanent staff, and there might be a combination for working from home (such as) three days a week," Helwer said. The policy asks employees to verify that they have adequate heating and Internet to work from home responsibly, and shoulder the burden of paying for renovations to establish a remote workplace. Employees must agree to show up at the office "when requested for meetings, training and/or at supervisors discretion, with reasonable notice." Supervisors must check that staff follow all policies on retaining government records and keeping them secure while working remotely, and that the arrangement "does not generate unreasonable cost to government." As examples, a department can pay to expand its virtual private network to secure an employees home internet connection, but it should not buy printers for staff. The government wants everyone involved to document all work-from-home proposals and agreements in writing, and assess the arrangements monthly during a trial period. From then on, managers are asked to assess the arrangement once a year, and staff cant automatically take their arrangement into a new government job. Click to Expand No plan to sell buildings: Tories Manitobas largest union says it wonders whether the provincial government will sell office space, but the province insists has no immediate plan to do so. So far, we haven't seen a lot of changes in our footprint requirements, but those are all being evaluated, said Central Services Minister Reg Helwer, whose job involves finding efficiencies. In April, the province closed 21 agriculture offices in rural areas. Michelle Gawronsky, head of the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union, said shes worried the province will merge government offices to save costs, and possibly slash front-line staffing numbers. Manitobans currently face long wait times for services such as vital statistics and employment insurance assistance, as both often involve records that might not be available in digital form. The province is reviewing its office space needs, but theres no plan to sell buildings as a result of staff working from home, Helwer said. Sometimes we also need larger space because we need to have people separated a little bit more right now, and we don't know how long that's going to last, Helwer said, adding the immediate focus is on expanding front-line services as restrictions loosen. "Flexible work arrangements must not alter the employees terms and conditions of employment, including the overall number of hours worked by the employee or the nature of the employees work responsibilities," reads the policy. Personally, Gawronsky said she checks email at all hours, and boots up her laptop during evenings to do one more task. She worries managers and even colleagues could be pressuring employees to work at all hours, which she says will lead to burnout. "I don't want working at home to become living at work," she said. "Were going to have to really set some parameters in place, and we are all going to have to honour those parameters." Gawronsky said she expects working arrangements to become part of contract talks: employees might want to work from home a certain amount of time, there might be stipulations about whether employers must provide ergonomic equipment, she said. It might include a threshold for the number of employees required in an office, to avoid a situation where a minority of workers who cant work from home lose office space because the majority dont see the need for it. Those eager to return to the world of water-coolers and bagged lunches will have to contend with finding child care and making the daily commute, Gawronsky said. It gets murkier when it comes to whether employees should know if their colleagues are vaccinated, and if an office should suddenly go to full capacity overnight. "We are looking for government to be providing some guidelines into that, both federally and provincially," she said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. So far, federal and provincial labour ministers have acknowledged the need to provide guidance on a safe return to work, but there are few specifics. No province appears to have a detailed plan. Gawronsky wants the Pallister government to consult the public on what services they need as the pandemic winds down. "I'm certainly hoping they put away their ideologies, and do what's right," she said, urging labour leaders to similarly come to the table with an open mind. "We need to make sure we can be flexible and willing to bend for each other, to make this happen." dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca Winnipeg Coun. Vivian Santos (Point Douglas) is not vaccinated against COVID-19, citing an unspecified medical reason. Winnipeg Coun. Vivian Santos (Point Douglas) is not vaccinated against COVID-19, citing an unspecified medical reason. The Free Press surveyed all 15 city councillors, plus Mayor Brian Bowman. All have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, except Santos. "In accordance with the Personal Health Information Act, and a medical condition I am unable to provide details about, Councillor Vivian Santos has been unable to get vaccinated," her staff wrote in an email Monday. Santos declined an interview, with her staff asking "that her familys personal health privacy be respected." The email said Santos "has done everything possible to mitigate and adhere to the provincial public health measures that help to reduce the transmission and spread of this terrible disease." Last week, the medical head of Manitobas vaccine rollout said there are few reasons to not get a shot. "I want to be very clear that there are very few people who shouldn't be vaccinated for health reasons," said Dr. Joss Reimer. Manitobas clinical practice guidelines for COVID-19 immunizers, last updated July 19, does not list any medical condition where a vaccine shouldnt be given, but instead advises those patients consult with a health-care provider. Thats often over a concern they might not get adequate protection from the two shots, such as people with a recent stem-cell or organ transplant. The document suggests people receiving chemotherapy receive their shots at a certain point in their treatment cycle when the vaccine is most likely to be effective. It also noted people with certain exceedingly rare allergies (such as polyethylene glycol, a common ingredient in cosmetics and foods) should speak with their doctor. As of July 21, no Manitobans had been told to not get a shot due to allergies, Reimer said last week. This month, the Free Press surveyed all 57 Manitoba MLAs and found only Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler and Seine River MLA Janice Morley-Lecomte are not fully vaccinated. Both PC MLAs cited privacy, declining to provide an explanation for not getting a shot, or whether they had one of the two required doses. Their constituents and donors expressed a variety on views, while opposition parties said elected officials have a duty to set an example and make it public if they have a medical condition. Health researchers have warned officials declining to get immunized without an explanation can fuel vaccine hesitancy. Despite not being vaccinated himself, Schuler is urging Manitobans to roll up their sleeves. "We need Manitobans to continue to follow the fundamentals and get vaccinated, to ensure we keep on a positive trajectory to a post-pandemic Manitoba," Schuler wrote in a Monday news release, which announced another extension of the province's COVID-19 state of emergency. dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca Staring down a prison sentence for sexually assaulting a young girl, a former Lorette school teacher coerced another jailed accused sex offender to claim responsibility for the crime, a judge has been told. Staring down a prison sentence for sexually assaulting a young girl, a former Lorette school teacher coerced another jailed accused sex offender to claim responsibility for the crime, a judge has been told. Remi Dallaire had already been convicted of sexually assaulting the eight-year-old victim when he allegedly convinced Michel Bruneau to write a detailed confession to the crime. After a trial, Dallaire was sentenced to eight years in prison for sexually assaulting the girl. He is now on trial charged with one count of obstructing justice. His co-accused, Bruneau, was found guilty of the same charge last spring and sentenced to one year in prison. "Remi Dallaire told me because I already had charges against children what was one more?" Bruneau testified Monday. Bruneau and Dallaire were housed in the same unit at Headingley Correctional Centre and had become friends in September 2018 when Dallaire approached Bruneau with the scheme, Bruneau told court. "He kind of asked me to take his charges for him and he would be free to continue his teaching career," Bruneau told court as he testified by video from Bowden Institution in Alberta. A month or so later, Dallaire wrote a detailed confession in English, which Bruneau translated into French in his own handwriting, Bruneau said. He ended the 10-page signed confession with the words "GETTING JUSTICE RIGHT!" "I only translated what he told me to write," Bruneau testified. In a second, 11-page letter written at Dallaires direction, Bruneau repeated much of the same material in a question-and-answer format. "(Dallaire) said that the (confession letters) would go to the judge, the Crown attorney and his lawyer," Bruneau said. Dallaire threatened he would get people to harm Bruneau if he didnt comply with the scheme and promised to cut him in for a million dollars or more in proceeds from wrongful conviction lawsuits, Bruneau said. Days after Bruneau provided the letters to Dallaire, Dallaire was transferred to another unit. Thats when Bruneau approached a corrections officer and recanted his confession. "After Remi Dallaire was removed from the range, I knew it would be safer to tell (the officer) what was going on," Bruneau testified. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Defence lawyer Adam Hodge accused Bruneau of being the girls true attacker. "Absolutely not," Bruneau said. Last March, Bruneau was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually abusing three children from the same Manitoba Housing complex. During the trial, court was told Bruneau befriended the victims mothers to gain access to the children. At separate times, he moved in with two of the boys mothers and was considered a father figure. Bruneau repeatedly abused the children while showering together or sleeping in the same bed. All three victims reported the abuse, resulting in Bruneaus arrest in the fall of 2016. Released on bail, he was ordered to have no contact with the victims and stay away from the housing complex. But within weeks, Bruneau, disguised as a woman, returned to the complex and convinced the boys mothers that he had been wrongly accused. The two boys were convinced to recant their police statements at the same time Bruneau continued to abuse them. dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca Construction of a new 2,500-seat events centre has been announced for Steinbach. Construction of a new 2,500-seat events centre has been announced for Steinbach. The Manitoba city of about 20,000 is in need: high school students have to travel to Winnipeg for graduation ceremonies because none of the facilities in Steinbach is big enough for such gatherings. The new Southeast Event Centre will be able to host trade shows, concerts, ice events and recreational activities, officials said Monday. Mayor Earl Funk called it a "historic moment" for the southern Manitoba city. Construction on the $42.5-million project is expected to begin summer 2022. Grant Burr / Winnipeg Free Press Steinbach Mayor Earl Funk applauds as Steinbach MLA Kelvin Goertzen announces $17.5 million in funding from the provincial and federal governments to support the construction of the $42.5 million Southeast Events Centre in Steinbach on Monday, July 26, 2021. Once completed, the downtown hub will connect to the T.G. Smith Centre rink complex and Steinbach Curling Club. The federal government is investing almost $10 million in the project through its infrastructure program; the province will contribute $7.9 million; the city has pledged $10 million. The remainder will be raised through private funding. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Steinbach had applied for federal funding in October 2019. "We are excited to take our vision to the next level in creating a community meeting place where we can connect, laugh, play, rain or shine, hot or cold," said Grant Lazaruk, president of the events centre. "We want this facility to unite our community under one roof, 365 days a year." Tory MLA Kelvin Goertzen (Steinbach) attended Monday's announcement. "Local leaders and residents have dreamed of a new event centre for many years, as a place where we could cheer on our favourite team, hear local performers and hold special events," he said in a news release. The events centre will operate the venue, while the city will retain ownership. Zeitgeist is a slippery word. At best, its just a fancy German way of saying the spirit of the times; at worst, it is only pretentious noise. So maybe we should say inflection point instead. I think we are passing through an inflection point. Opinion "Zeitgeist" is a slippery word. At best, its just a fancy German way of saying "the spirit of the times"; at worst, it is only pretentious noise. So maybe we should say "inflection point" instead. I think we are passing through an inflection point. People who have taken climate change seriously for 10 or 20 or 30 years, or however long it has been since they first became sentient, often feared that this moment might never arrive. When they did dare to hope, they generally speculated that it would only arrive when there were really big and obviously climate-related disasters IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. Cyclones drowning Bangladeshis and droughts starving whole provinces in Africa didnt count, because most people in the rich countries would just see that as business as usual. And thus it came to pass not as soon as it should have, in terms of the time needed to turn the climate juggernaut around, but you cant expect these things to keep to a human timetable. At any rate, were there at last: the heat waves and the storms of this northern hemisphere summer have been so far beyond the usual that the donkeys are finally getting the message. Well, not the most stubborn donkeys, obviously, but a heat wave that is a full 5 C higher than the previous national record in Canada is clearly not "natural variability." Most people in North America now realize that something big and bad is happening to their climate. Only two weeks later, the same wake-up call came to Europe, with unprecedented downpours that washed away whole villages in western Germany and Belgium. Last week it was heat waves and huge wildfires in northern Siberia, and massive floods in Chinas Henan province. (A years worth of rain in three days in Zhengzhou.) The price of these warnings has been remarkably low as natural catastrophes go: around 300 dead each in North America and western Europe, and only dozens each in Russia and China. But the whole industrialized world has been put on notice that the climate disasters will no longer only be happening in the poorer parts of the world. Its the richer countries that most needed to take fright, because they are the source of most of the worlds emissions. Now, very late in the day, they are waking up to the peril they have drifted into, and it is probably still not too late to avoid the worst. There is almost nothing we can do to lessen the climate misery that awaits us in the next 20 years, because the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that will drive that heating are already in the air. It will go on getting hotter, and the weather will continue to get wilder for at least that long. Average global temperature is now 1.2 C above pre-industrial. It requires a great leap of faith to believe that it can be stopped at +1.5 C, or even at +1.8 C. But it is still possible to stop short of +2.0 C, and spare our children and grandchildren a lifetime of grief if the fabled "early and deep emissions cuts" finally start actually happening in the next few years. Probably. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. We are already in unexplored territory so far as climate is concerned, and more big, ugly surprises may be waiting around the next corner, but the obstacles of entrenched disbelief and denial are crumbling. We are entering a period where big political and behavioural changes are possible, and we need to take maximum advantage of it. The most important venue where this can happen is the five-yearly summit of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (actually postponed from last year, so six-yearly in this case), which is scheduled to open in Glasgow on Oct. 31. It may have to take place virtually, but COP-26, as it is called, is where the pace could really change up if everybody is now frightened enough. Frightened enough to take action, but not frightened into paralysis. Its a fine line to walk, but we will all have to walk it. And we will have to walk it for years and decades, not just until they make some big deal (if they do) at COP-26. As for me, I will be interviewing a lot of climate scientists in the coming months, writing another book about the climate crisis (Planetary Maintenance Engineers, Random House Canada, out next year), and putting transcripts of all the interviews up on the website. (gwynnedyer.com) Im even filming the interviews as I go. Its more than 20 years since my last documentary series (theyre too much like hard work), but this topic is probably worth the trouble. Gwynne Dyers latest book is Growing Pains: The Future of Democracy (and Work). The Canadian and U.S. governments are dancing a mysterious quadrille around the question of reopening their shared border to leisure travellers. It seems as though the dancers are each listening to different music or maybe they studied at different dance academies. The Canadian and U.S. governments are dancing a mysterious quadrille around the question of reopening their shared border to leisure travellers. It seems as though the dancers are each listening to different music or maybe they studied at different dance academies. Canada announced last week that fully vaccinated Americans will be able to enter Canada for non-essential purposes starting Aug. 9. This responded to the demands of Americans with close connections to Canada. Canadian businesses eager to serve those travellers have also been vociferously asking for relaxed restrictions. Two days later, the U.S. announced that its current restrictions on Canadians entering the U.S. will be extended until Aug. 21 and may be further extended beyond that date. This offers the prospect of a border that is open on one side and rather more closed on the other. Stefani Reynolds/The New York Times via AP, Pool Dr. Anthony Fauci The restrictions were first established in the early stages of the pandemic to limit spread of the virus. Both countries have been vaccinating their people with similar results. About half the people in each country are now fully vaccinated and about two-thirds of the people have received at least one dose of vaccine. From a simple reading of the epidemiologic facts of the case, the health risks would seem to be about equal and manageable in both directions. But there may be more to it than the simple facts of the case. The Biden administration is struggling mightily with the issue of migrants and refugees arriving at its southern border. The problem is that the Democrats, while in opposition, made political hay out of the former Trump administrations efforts to halt the flow of Mexicans and Central Americans crossing the border from Mexico. Want more great journalism? Get our best news and features delivered in your inbox every evening. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Now that the Democrats run the government, children are still arriving unaccompanied at the border and are still being detained and confined, in much the same way as when the Republicans were in charge. If the government relaxes restrictions at the Canadian border while continuing to apply strict measures at the Mexican border, it will face fresh condemnation from its Latino supporters and from refugee support agencies. Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Bidens top pandemic-fighting adviser, seemed puzzled last week by the governments extension of U.S. travel restrictions. "As a public health official, sometimes its difficult to figure out why policies havent changed," he told a Canadian television interviewer. The U.S. has not exactly said why it is still keeping the Canadians out, but it is probably not because they think were dangerous bearers of COVID-19. Canadians and Americans are infectious to about the same degree (though a spike in U.S. case numbers indicates a new wave of infection is building in unvaccinated populations there). Its more likely because the Democrats pilloried the Republicans for terrible management of the Mexican border and they can see where the Republicans now have the chance to do the same to them. In these conditions, there is not much Canada can do to persuade the U.S. to relax its restrictions. Its not about the virus; its about the midterm elections 16 months hence and the continuing stream of migrants fleeing poverty and violence in Central America. Canadians have survived remarkably well through a year-and-a-half without shopping trips to U.S. border cities. If the Americans want to keep us at home a little longer, that should be a tolerable sacrifice. But we need not compel them to keep their tourist dollars at home just on that account. I spent a lot of time on my week off watching paint dry. And after watching it dry, I would go back to touch up the spots that my paint roller somehow missed on that first pass. The general consensus in our household is the new and improved family room looks brighter, feels warmer. However, if I was to do it over again, I would have opted for a hint more yellow for our north-facing room. Im not sure my two-day painting project is a metaphor for the pandemic, but since this nightly newsletter is all about COVID-19, Im going to try to make it one. My pre-pandemic painting projects usually involved cutting corners to avoid the time-consuming prep work of masking the room. This time, though, was going to be different as Id learned from the past that its better to be safe than sorry. While no public health orders required me to spend hours with painters tape, there was too much woodwork, carpet and a stone fireplace at risk without properly masking the room. And heres the thing: when you pay attention to the fundamentals, theres a lot less swearing over the inevitable splatters or spills. My masking efforts also paid off when it came time to get rolling on the walls. While complete coverage on that first pass would be ideal, nothing about my painting skills, nor this pandemic, has come close to perfect. But it didnt take long to get it right on the subsequent passes. When I started my short summer vacation and all the optimism that a fresh coat of paint can muster, Winnipegs test positivity rate was 2.7 per cent as Manitoba had recorded 39 new viral cases. On my first day back in the office, the citys test positivity rate is down to 1.8 per cent as just 11 new COVID cases in the province were announced. In other words, not only are my walls looking better, so is our pandemic trajectory. Fundamentals like masking matter. Cutting corners when painting or in a global pandemic is risky. Greater vaccination uptake gives us the coverage needed to ensure the exponential decline of infections that will eventually turn this pandemic into an endemic. We arent quite where we want to be, at least not yet. But much like my painting, we are clearly rolling. Paul Samyn, Winnipeg Free Press editor THE LATEST NUMBERS Note: We have removed some graphics from this newsletter and added new ones. To see the previously included graphics -- as well as a larger selection of charts showing the state of COVID-19 provincially and nationally -- visit COVID-19 by the numbers. THE LATEST IN MANITOBA The province has recorded its lowest number of daily COVID-19 cases since September 17: just 11 cases. Two more Manitobans have died of COVID-19. A man in his 80s in the Winnipeg health region died of the alpha variant on Saturday; a man in his 50s in the Southern Health region died on Sunday. The current five-day test positivity rate is 1.8 per cent in Winnipeg and three per cent across the province. There were 62 cases reported on Saturday and 30 cases on Sunday. Of the 11 cases reported on Monday, five were in the Southern Health region, three in Winnipeg, two in the Interlake-Eastern health region, one in the Northern health region, and none in the Prairie Mountain health region. There were 528 actives cases in the province. To date, 1,172 Manitobans have died from COVID-19. Currently, 110 Manitobans are sick with the virus in hospital, including 26 in intensive care. An outbreak has been declared at the Bethesda Regional Health Centre in Steinbach, while an outbreak has been declared over at Deer Lodge Centre's L4W unit. The provincial government says thousands of vaccine appointments are available. The province says not only are there spots open to get either Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, the super site in Selkirk will take walk-ins on Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The RBC Convention Centre has walk-ins every day from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. until the end of July. There are 15 medical clinics and pharmacies giving out shots of AstraZeneca. So far almost 2.2 million doses of vaccine have come to Manitoba and 1.7 million doses are in arms. About 78 per cent of Manitobans have either received one or both doses. All physical immunization cards requested by July 11 have been mailed out and printing has resumed as additional card stock has been received. For the latest information on current public health orders, restrictions and other guidance, visit the provincial government's website. All Manitobans aged 12 and over are eligible to schedule appointments for a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Anyone who received a first dose of any vaccine 28 days ago or longer can book an appointment for a second dose. For the latest information on vaccination, visit the provincial government's website. Manitobans who have a Manitoba health card and have received all required doses of a vaccine at least 14 days ago can request an immunization card to prove complete vaccination. To request a digital or physical card, visit the provincial government's website. THE LATEST ELSEWHERE The federal government expects to receive enough doses of COVID-19 vaccine this week to fully inoculate all eligible Canadians. Ottawa is anticipating shipments of roughly five million doses of COVID-19 vaccine this week. That will bring the total number of doses received up to 68 million enough to administer two doses to all 33.2 million Canadians aged 12 and over. California and New York City announced Monday that they would require all government employees to get the coronavirus vaccine or face weekly COVID-19 testing, and the Department of Veterans Affairs became the first major U.S. federal agency to require health care workers to receive the shot. QUOTE, UNQUOTE "Driven by the Delta variant, cases are rising here at home, particularly among those who are unvaccinated, and appears likely to continue in the weeks ahead." White House press secretary Jen Psaki discusses why current U.S. restrictions on international travel will remain in place LOCAL NEWS NATIONAL NEWS INTERNATIONAL NEWS COVID-19 BASICS Following months of pleading from top execs about a dire need for assistance, Winnipegs airport is receiving crucial funding for its pandemic recovery efforts from the federal government. Following months of pleading from top execs about a dire need for assistance, Winnipegs airport is receiving crucial funding for its pandemic recovery efforts from the federal government. The $12.7 million in support, announced at a news conference in the departures lounge Tuesday, comes after a fiscal year bruised and battered by COVID-19 with lots of uncertainty still on the horizon. Winnipeg Richardson International Airport will receive the money from federal aid packages that were introduced in the stimulus recovery plan last year. Nearly $7 million comes from Transport Canadas airport infrastructure program, while $5.7 million is from Transport Canadas airport relief fund. "This is not the kind of sexy, ribbon-cutting funding for things that you might anticipate," Barry Rempel, chief executive officer and president of the airports authority, told the Free Press in an interview. "But, you know, we want it all to go towards the things we had to make immense sacrifices with over the past, really difficult year things like job creation and asset infrastructure." More than half of the money will be designated for updating and making improvements with paved access roads and the taxiway. The remainder will help the airport maintain continued operations and essential air services for residents and workers. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal and Winnipeg MP Terry Duguid all stressed the importance of how crucial airports such as Winnipegs are to the overall Canadian economy. "As Manitobas primary airport, this investment will ensure communities in Manitoba continue to have access to essential goods and health services," Vandal told reporters Tuesday. "We want to ensure that Manitobans remain connected with loved ones." But this federal "investment" didnt come without anguish. And even now, about half of the $7 million from the infrastructure program will have to be paid back. Since the federal wage and rent subsidy programs were the only supports provided to the airport in 2020, the company was forced to explore alternative methods for relief. Things were so grim that the airport authority commenced a bondholder consent solicitation process in December and secured short-term financial relief, with a year-end issuing of $100 million of bonds. Still, much of the airports financial woes can be traced back to the incredibly low traffic during COVID-19, given that about 90 per cent of revenue comes from passengers. Its a continuous problem though, because close to 80 per cent of costs are fixed items that the authority has had to keep paying (such as utilities, personnel employment and taxes); which resulted in a $73.5-million decrease for the airports revenue in 2020 and a net loss of $40.3 million, compared to a net income of $3.5 million in 2019. Due to the dearth of international travel, many airlines also stopped service at the airport altogether. It included Sunwing, Air Transat, Swoop and United Airlines some of which Rempel says hes trying to get back in service, now that restrictions are loosening. Passenger traffic in Winnipeg has now slowly ticked up to almost 4,000 people a day much higher than the roughly 100 people per day who would travel through the airport during record pandemic lows last year, but still far behind pre-pandemic levels of over 12,000 passengers this time in July 2019. "Am I completely optimistic about international travel for Winnipeg and those airlines being back by the peak time of Christmas?" Rempel said. "Not all the way. But I know well get there." As of Aug. 9, Winnipeg can accept international flights for non-essential travel from fully vaccinated American visitors. In September, immunized visitors from other countries will also be allowed. Yet, the U.S. has extended its current border restrictions until at least Aug. 21 for Canadians going to that country, which Rempel said is "completely confusing." Alghabra was defensive, however, when answering questions about that from the Free Press. He said there "was complete co-operation" between Canada and the U.S. about their decisions, despite their opposing cross-border travel protocols. "Were both deciding based on our current situations," Alghabra said. "Our vaccination rates are increasing and infection rates are decreasing and so, we felt comfortable with our August date... We cannot necessarily dictate or tell U.S. officials what is best for them, but I can tell you there were and will be no surprises." When international travel does commence though, Rempel ruled out separate lines for passengers based on their COVID-19 vaccination status, something Toronto and Vancouvers airports have tested out. "Were following what the science is telling us," he said. For now, Rempel says this is a good announcement with the indication of better days to come: "Im thankful that our voice has been heard and so excited about all our growth ahead." temur.durrani@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @temurdur The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed course Tuesday on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the delta variant of the coronavirus is fueling infection surges. FILE - This March 6, 2020, file photo, shows the headquarters for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The nations top health agency is expected to backpedal on its masking guidelines and recommend that even vaccinated people wear masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging, according to a federal official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to release the data. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to make an announcement Tuesday, July 27, 2021. (AP Photo/ Ron Harris, File) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed course Tuesday on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the delta variant of the coronavirus is fueling infection surges. Citing new information about the variant's ability to spread among vaccinated people, the CDC also recommended indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors at schools nationwide, regardless of vaccination status. In other developments, President Joe Biden said his administration was considering requiring all federal workers to get vaccinated. His comments came a day after the Department of Veterans Affairs became the first federal agency to require its health care workers receive the vaccine. Biden dismissed concerns that the new masking guidance could invite confusion, saying Americans who remain unvaccinated are the ones who are sowing enormous confusion. FILE - In this Friday, March 5, 2021 file photo, a restaurant worker holds his face mask in Biloxi, Miss. On Friday, March 12, 2021. The nations top health agency is expected to backpedal on its masking guidelines and recommend that even vaccinated people wear masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging, according to a federal official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to release the data. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to make an announcement Tuesday, July 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) The more we learn about this virus and the delta variation, the more we have to be worried and concerned. And theres only one thing we know for sure if those other 100 million people got vaccinated, wed be in a very different world, he said. The White House quickly pivoted on its own masking guidance, asking all staff and reporters to wear masks indoors because the latest CDC data shows that Washington faces a substantial level of coronavirus transmission. The CDC's new mask policy follows recent decisions in Los Angeles and St. Louis to revert to indoor mask mandates amid the spike in COVID-19 infections. The nation is averaging more than 57,000 cases a day and 24,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations. The guidance on masks in indoor public places applies in parts of the U.S. with at least 50 new cases per 100,000 people in the last week. That includes 60 percent of U.S. counties, officials said. New case rates are particularly high in the South and Southwest, according to a CDC tracker. In Arkansas, Louisiana and Florida, every county has a high transmission rate. Most new infections in the U.S. continue to be among unvaccinated people. So-called breakthrough infections, which generally cause milder illness, can occur in vaccinated people. When earlier strains of the virus predominated, infected vaccinated people were found to have low levels of virus and were deemed unlikely to spread the virus much, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said. FILE - In this Monday, July 19, 2021, file photo, shoppers wear masks inside of The Cool store in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed course Tuesday, July 27, 2021, on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) But with the delta variant, a mutated and more transmissible version of the virus, the level of virus in infected vaccinated people is "indistinguishable from the level of virus in the noses and throats of unvaccinated people, Walensky said. The data emerged over the last couple of days from over 100 samples from several states and one other country. It is unpublished, and the CDC has not released it. But it is concerning enough that we feel like we have to act, Walensky said. Vaccinated people "have the potential to spread that virus to others, she said. For much of the pandemic, the CDC advised Americans to wear masks indoors and outdoors if they were within 6 feet of one another. Then in April, as vaccination rates rose sharply, the agency eased its guidelines on the wearing of masks outdoors, saying that fully vaccinated Americans no longer needed to cover their faces unless they were in a big crowd of strangers. In May, the guidance was eased further, allowing fully vaccinated people to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings. Zhaequan Brown, 19, gets the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at Lehman High School, Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in New York. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging everyone in K-12 schools to wear a mask when they return to class, regardless of vaccination status. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) The guidance still called for masks in crowded indoor settings, like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters, but it cleared the way for reopening workplaces and other venues. Subsequent CDC guidance said fully vaccinated people no longer needed to wear masks at schools either. For months, COVID cases, deaths and hospitalizations were falling steadily, but those trends began to change at the beginning of the summer as the delta variant began to spread widely, especially in areas with lower vaccination rates. Some public health experts said they thought the earlier CDC decision was based on good science. But those experts were also critical, noting that there was no call for Americans to document their vaccination status, which created an honor system. Unvaccinated people who did not want to wear masks in the first place saw it as an opportunity to do what they wanted, they said. If all the unvaccinated people were responsible and wore mask indoors, we would not be seeing this surge, said Dr. Ali Khan, a former CDC disease investigator who now is dean of the University of Nebraskas College of Public Health. Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter applauds students at Lehman High School during a discussion about the COVID-19 vaccine, Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in New York. Some of the students have been vaccinated and some have not. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging everyone in K-12 schools to wear a mask when they return to class, regardless of vaccination status. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) Lawrence Gostin, a public health law professor at Georgetown University, drew a similar conclusion. It was completely foreseeable that when they (the CDC) made their announcement, masking would no longer be the norm, and thats exactly whats happened, Gostin said. The CDC may be seen as flip-flopping, he said, because theres been no widely recognized change in the science, he said. Furthermore, its not likely to change the behavior of the people who most need to wear masks. I dont think you can effectively walk that back, he said. The changes were sure to renew mask debates in school districts across the country. In South Florida, the Broward County school board postponed a meeting Tuesday about whether students should wear masks in the classroom this fall after about 20 anti-mask protestors refused to don them. The delay angered the protestors, who called on Gov. Ron DeSantis, a strong mask mandate opponent, and the state government to override any mandates imposed by school districts. We need a special session of the state Legislature to ban this kind of crap right now, said Chris Nelson, 38, founder of an anti-mask group called Reopen South Florida. He threatened to go to board members homes to confront them directly. If we cant be heard in public areas, and peacefully, we will go to where they are, and we will let them know how we feel about this, because we will not stand for children being masked for another year, he said. Walensky said she is aware of the criticisms and concerns, and she acknowledged that many Americans are weary of the pandemic and do not want to return to prevention measures. But she said new scientific information forced the decision to change the guidance again. This is not something that I took lightly, she said. Ken Thigpen, a retired respiratory therapist who now works for a medical device manufacturer, is fully vaccinated and stopped wearing his mask in public in May. But he started to reconsider in the last week after his job took him to hospitals in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and Florida, where he witnessed medical centers getting inundated with COVID-19 patients. That delta variant is intense. It is so transmissible that we have to do something to tamp it down, he said. I loved it when I could call the hospitals and they said, We actually closed our COVID ward today or we are down to two COVID patients," he recalled. "And now we are opening the wards back up, and the numbers are going nuts. Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani and Alexandra Jaffe in Washington and Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas, contributed to this report. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Local topical alert featured Baraboo artist paints 'Pandemonium' to represent coronavirus pandemic SUSAN ENDRES/News Republic Joan McArthur's painting titled "Pandemonium," based on the chaos the world experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, sits June 25 in the lobby at Oak Park Place in Baraboo. The painting is currently on display at McGann Furniture in downtown Baraboo. SUSAN ENDRES/News Republic Joan McArthur of Baraboo lets paint drip from a stir stick onto her canvas June 25 in her makeshift art studio in the parking garage at Oak Park Place in Baraboo. Joan McArthur saw the COVID-19 pandemic unleash chaos onto the world last year. Taking inspiration from Jackson Pollock, the longtime Baraboo resident put her observations onto a 4-foot-by-5-foot canvas. SUSAN ENDRES/News Republic Joan McArthur of Baraboo lets paint drip from a stir stick onto her canvas June 25 in her makeshift art studio in the parking garage at Oak Park Place in Baraboo. I do feel strongly that its a vision of what weve experienced, McArthur said of the painting titled Pandemonium, which now hangs on display at McGann Furniture in downtown Baraboo. A tangle of five colors, the painting represents the complexity of the pandemic and the confusion people felt and still feel trying to navigate questions of its origin, how to adapt to it and how to access the vaccines that could stop it, she said: A state of chaos. SUSAN ENDRES/News Republic Joan McArthur of Baraboo poses for a portrait June 25 with her 4-foot-by-5-foot painting titled "Pandemonium," based on the chaos the world experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, at Oak Park Place in Baraboo. McArthur hasnt considered herself an artist for much of her life. A retired pilot who served as chairperson of the Wisconsin Transportation Commission in the early 1980s under Gov. Lee Dreyfus, she said she became an artist by accident after she had retired. She said she first started in photography, which is something of a shared talent in her family. Carol Kratochwill, former Al Ringling Theatre gallery director, featured the familys work several years ago and later showed McArthur how to paint with nontraditional tools like sponges and rollers, McArthur said. I was just so excited. Ill tell you, I put my cameras on the shelf and that was it, she said. I was just addicted from that moment on and Ive just been painting ever since. Painting pandemonium McArthur said it was difficult to find space to work on a canvas as large as Pandemoniums, but she eventually found one in the corner of the underground garage at Oak Park Place. Shes been living in one of the senior apartments while her husband recovers from a broken leg, and management allowed her to set up a makeshift art studio in a vacant parking space, she said. She worked on it nearly every day until she finished around early June, spending so much time in the garage she said it felt like she lived down there, only surfacing when shed get too hot from lack of air conditioning. Its not a matter of throwing paint at a canvas or splattering it, because then the colors would run and be mixed, but there are no colors that blend together on this. Theyre all separate, and thats because every color is laid down separately until it dries, she said, noting its 10 or so distinct layers. Some of her acrylic paints came from Oak Park maintenance staff, who give her the leftovers from their work, McArthur said. She mixed her own shade of orange to put an emphasis on collections of people, communities, so that you could see that its not just the feeling of the chaos but it does have an impact in these various areas, and that was, to me, very symbolic of what actually took place, too. Among the communities McArthur observed was her friends in Florida, where she lives during the winter. She said they were notified when their names were drawn in the states vaccine rollout, but they didnt know where to get the actual shot. They ended up having to drive hundreds of miles to get to the location and then wait in a long line, only to find out the location had run out of doses. This had happened to several of them, McArthur said. While the pandemic isnt over yet, she said, eventually people will begin the post-pandemic analysis and discussions about the experience, but there wont be a compact visual picture of what chaos is really like, except what weve put together here. Michelle Burch, marketing assistant for Oak Park Place, said she likes the painting, which has gotten a lot of attention, though not all positive. It was on display in the senior living apartments lobby before being moved downtown. The painting does kind of sum up how this last year felt for me, looking at it, Burch said. McArthurs daughter, Laura Rossiter, called it an outstanding piece because it makes the viewer think. Every person looks at it and sees something else, she said. McArthur said she admires Jackson Pollocks work, which informs her own art. Painting is self-discovery. Every good artist paints what he is, she said, quoting Pollock. And thats really true. And people may not be real warm and cozy about some of my work, but thats what it is. It is what it is. BOONVILLE, N.Y. -- The Oneida County Fair is definitely a place you can learn about agriculture, but farmers also like to have their animals compete against each other. So what makes one animal better than another? Dairy Cattle Superintendent Joy Staring explains why beauty is in the eye of the beholder. "Each judge has an ideal dairy cow in mind, so when were comparing each animal in a ring, theyre comparing it to that ideal animal that they have in mind," she said. A good buzz cut is sure to dress up any cow, but Lowville Dairy Farmer Jonathan Staring explains how it also helps the judges make their decision. "It will show you all their fine edges and it will kind of help hide some of the bad stuff. Itll help show her detail. How dairy she is," he said. You dont have to be a farmer to compete. Young horses are able to strut their stuff during harness racing, and maybe even one day make it big. Jimmy Whittemore is a Driver for Whittemore Stable. He says fairs like this give the young horses a chance to get noticed. "Fairs like this are important because it gives like a somebody with not that much money able to make money with their babies, and in order for the people breeding them to get their horses sold," said Whittemore. "You know its just another outlet for people to make money." Theres also a competition to sell horse-power. The fair offers retailers an opportunity to sell all kinds of outdoor power equipment. Hammer & Wrench, LLC Co-Partner Shawn Marino came to the fair hoping to generate some sales for not only farmers, but anyone interested in what he has to offer. "Well you hope to do well. You know it all comes down to the equipment you have or dont have. So you just bring as much paperwork, knowledge you got to the table and you know hopefully that sells." The racing pigs are back for some competition, and theres a new BMX Bike show this year thats sure to draw out the party animals. For a full listing of whats going on at the Boonville Fair just click here. FLEISCHMANNS, N.Y. Three men are accused of committing a hate crime in Delaware County after allegedly harassing a Jewish man and stealing his fur hat, which is called a shtreimel. According to New York State Police, a Jewish man was walking along Main Street in the village of Fleischmanns on July 24 when one of the suspects allegedly got out of a pickup truck and took the man's shtreimel. The suspect returned to the truck and police say he and his two passengers started yelling anti-Semitic slurs at the victim before driving off. Between July 25 and 26, the following suspects were arrested and charged with third-degree grand larceny as a hate crime, a C felony: Johan P. Diamond, 21, of Grand Gorge, N.Y. Korey O. Bush, 25, of Ashland , N.Y. Wesley R. Eignor Jr., 24, of Denver, N.Y. Police were able to get the shtreimel back and return it to the owner. All three suspects are in the Delaware County jail on $5,000 cash bail or $20,000 bond. Gov. Andrew Cuomo sent out the following statement Tuesday regarding these arrests: "I'd like to commend the New York State Police on a prompt, successful investigation following a disturbing anti-Semitic hate crime that took place in Delaware County. It is unacceptable for a Jewish man walking from a synagogue on Sabbath to be singled out, have his shtreimel ripped from his head and be verbally attacked because of his religion. "This is New York, one of the most diverse collection of people from around the globe, and we will continue to stand together, united in our commonalities, and call out these vile incidents of hate whenever they occur. We will use every tool at our disposable to weed this hatred out of our state and ensure that love will always win." SYLVAN BEACH, N.Y. (UPDATED) A woman who was arrested following several drug overdoses in the Sylvan Beach area is facing additional drug charges, according to New York State Police. Autumn Schneider, 24, and 36-year-old Joshua J. Stimpson were arrested last week during the investigation into the area overdoses, one of which was fatal. Schneider was released on an appearance ticket, and was arrested again Monday just after 7 p.m. when state police executed a search warrant at Sylvan Beach Mobile Home Park on Harborview Drive, the same neighborhood where police found four people unresponsive from apparent overdoses on July 20. According to police, investigators found fentanyl, cocaine, crystal meth and cash at the home. Schneider is now charged with two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, a B felony. She was taken to Oneida County jail for arraignment, but has since been released. A total of six apparent overdoses between Sylvan Beach and the town of Vienna in 24 hours triggered an overdose spike alert from the county Overdose Response Team on July 21, which also warned of laced cocaine found in the area recently. State police are still awaiting lab test results to confirm which drugs were involved in the six overdoses. TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) -- The fall 2021 school semester is just around the corner and Tippecanoe School Corporation students can look forward to multiple free programs heading into this school year. The corporation is offering free school supplies, free lunches, and even free or reduced book fees for some kids. Kids qualify just for being Tippecanoe School Corporation students, and with that, school leaders are still urging parents to get their kids registered for this coming school year. This will help them gauge exactly how many students they'll be providing these free resources to. Superintendent Scott Hanback said right now this program is serving around 10,000 students between all the elementary and middle school students within the corporation. Every Kindergarten through 8th-grade student will be given a free school supply box kit. Each box is filled with more than 20 items that meet the school supply class requirements for the different grade levels. This is the second year the school corporation is providing these free school supply kits for students. A federally funded program is also allowing students nationwide including TSC students to be provided free school lunches no matter the household income. This program also providing free breakfast for students. Kids who would normally qualify for free or reduced lunch are now eligible to get their classroom book fees reduced or waived. Dr. Hanback said this only works for parents who are qualified and registered for the free and reduced lunch program this year. He said even though school lunches are free for all students nationwide, this free and reduced book option is in correlation with the students who are on free and reduced lunch. Hanback is happy they're able to fill a financial gap for families this year. He said on average school supplies can cost families at least $60 per child. "We know it's an exciting time, we know that people like to shop for school supplies but if there's just one less thing that they have to worry about to get this school year started, this is something that we just felt was the right thing to do for our families," said Dr. Hanback. He's looking forward to a positive school year despite the challenges caused by Covid. "Our kids and our teachers have been through so much this past school year, they've done some amazing things and we just can't wait really get to know them," said Dr. Hanback. "We are eager and we are anxious to get everybody back together for this school year." New TSC parents must register their children for school in person at whichever school they will attend. ReoccuringTSC families can register for school here. Reoccuring TSC families that qualify for free or reduced lunch can register here. This will make those students eligible for free and reduced books. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)-West Lafayette has been named one of the top 5 safest cities in Indiana. According to Safewise West Lafayettes, violent crime rate has stayed the same for two years in a row. Along with that, its property crime rate has decreased in 2021 compared to previous years. West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis says the cities progressive approach towards policing has helped curve the cities overall crime rates. "When we brought a social worker into the police department into the squad car going on calls that really changed the dynamic between the potential of people being suspicious of our police department to understand that these men and women in the West Lafayette police department are here to serve and solve problems," said Mayor Dennis. Lafayette was ranked as the 24th most safe city in Indiana. According to the Hoosiers Safewise surveyed 45 percent said they were concerned about violent crime on a daily basis. The most common violent crime in Indiana was aggravated assault which accounted for 67 percent of violent crime. Yemen is the poorest country in the entire Middle East region. To make matters worse, it is also a country that is stricken with violence. Yemeni society is a fractured society plagued by conflict. The latest strife in Yemen came on the heels of a popular uprising that deposed Yemens long-time president. The new leadership attempted to draw up a new constitution that would address the grievances of the countrys various factions. But a consensus could not be reached, and by 2015, the country was in the grips of a civil war that would lead to what is now the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. About Yemen Yemen is located in the southwest corner of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered to the north by Saudi Arabia, to the south by the Gulf of Aden, to the West by the Red Sea, and to the east by Oman. Before becoming independent, the northwest of what is now Yemen was ruled by the Ottoman Empire, while the rest of the country was controlled by Britain. In 1918, the Ottoman Empire ceased to exist, and the part of Yemen that was under its control became independent. In 1967, Britain withdrew from its part of Yemen, and a newly independent state was formed therein. From this point forward, the two Yemeni states would be colloquially known as North Yemen and South Yemen. Both states were beset by internal conflict, and also clashed with each other on occasion. In 1990, the two Yemeni states united to form one Republic of Yemen. Old city of Sanaa, the capital of Yemen. Today, Yemen has a total population of approximately 30.5 million people, the overwhelming majority of whom are of Arab descent. Most of the countrys population lives in the western part of the country. The two principle cities in Yemen are the capital, Sanaa, in the northwest of the country, and Aden, in the south, on the coast of the Gulf of Aden. Most of the population, however, lives in rural areas. Nearly all Yemenis practice the Islamic faith. A slim majority, about 56% of Yemenis, are Sunnis, while 42% are Shiites. Most of the Shiite population is concentrated in what was North Yemen, while the Sunnis dominate the south. The conflict between the two Muslim sects is reflected in the countrys current civil war. As previously mentioned, Yemen is the poorest country in the Middle East. Prior to the beginning of the conflict, about 47% of Yemens population lived in poverty. Decades of armed conflict and ineffective governance have kept Yemen poor. In addition, unlike other countries in the region, Yemen is not blessed with abundant oil and gas reserves. The country does have some oil, which accounts for 75% of its GDP, but its oil reserves are small compared to those of its neighbors. How Did The Yemen Crisis Begin? Mass crowds at Freedom Square in the Yemeni city of Taiz in the Arab Spring Revolution 2011. Editorial credit: akramalrasny / Shutterstock.com In 2011, the Arab Spring took place, in which people throughout the Arab world demonstrated against their leaders for greater freedom and democracy. This widespread movement included many Yemenis demanding the resignation of their president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, who had ruled since 1978, first as the leader of North Yemen, and then as the leader of the unified country as of 1990. Saleh eventually acceded to the demands of his people, and in November 2011, resigned, handing power to his deputy, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. Hadi subsequently formed a unity government that included members of the opposition. He then set about beginning a dialogue that was to lead to the drafting of a new, federal constitution that would satisfy the grievances of Yemens various factions. This constitution was finally drawn up in 2014, but a northern-based Shiite militia, known as the Houthis, rejected the deal, and began an offensive against the government, which ended with their complete takeover of Sanaa by the beginning of 2015. Since then, Yemen has been in the grips of a full-blown civil war. The Present Situation Unidentified Yemeni military on duty at the security checkpoint in Hadramaut valley, Yemen. Editorial credit: Dmitry Chulov / Shutterstock.com Control of Yemen is now divided between various militia groups and the internationally-recognized government of President Hadi. The northwest, including the capital, Sanaa, is controlled by the Houthis. The Houthis are a Shiite militia named for their late leader, Hussein Al-Houthi. They first emerged in the 1990s, as an opposition movement against then-President Saleh, whom they accused of corruption. In 2004, they began an insurgency against the Yemeni government after government forces killed their leader. This insurgency lasted until 2007, when the Houthis agreed to a ceasefire. Seven years later, in a stunning turn of events, the Houthis began colluding with former President Saleh to undermine President Hadis government. As much of the Yemeni army was still loyal to Saleh, he and the Houthis managed to form the most powerful military force in the country. Tank and military crews involved in fighting Houthin South Yemen north of the city of Taiz. Editorial credit: anasalhajj / Shutterstock.com Most of the south and east of Yemen is now under the control of President Hadis government, which is the internationally-recognized government of Yemen. Having been driven from Sanaa, Hadis government is now based in Aden. Among his allies are forces belonging to the Southern Transitional Council (STC). This group is comprised of people seeking independence for what was once South Yemen. In 2018, the STCs forces seized control of Aden. They now also control most of Yemens four southern governorates (provinces). In 2019, however, President Hadi concluded a power-sharing deal with the STC, which now has almost a fifth of the cabinet seats in his government. Also in the south is the Islamic terrorist group, Al-Qaeda, whose late leader, Osama Bin Laden, orchestrated the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States. In the year 2000, the group attacked an American naval ship, the USS Cole, in Aden, killing 17 US personnel. The group continued its attacks before and after the events of the 2011 Arab Spring. Another Islamist group, the Islamic State, commonly known by the acronyms, ISIL or ISIS, also has a presence in Yemen. The Proxy War All of those party to the war in Yemen have foreign backers. The Houthis are supported by the Shiite Islamic fundamentalist regime in Iran, which is known to supply the group with weapons and funding. The internationally-recognized government of President Hadi has the strong support of the so-called Arab Coalition, a group of Sunni Muslim countries, which was put together by regional power, Saudi Arabia, with the logistical support of the United States. The Arab Coalition has conducted a campaign of airstrikes on the Houthis since 2015. The members of this alliance view the Houthis as a threat since they are strongly supported by Iran, whom the Sunni states view as a long-term strategic danger to their interests. For their part, the Houthis have responded to the military efforts of the Arab Coalition by launching a series of missile and drone strikes into Saudi territory. Thus, the war in Yemen has implications for the entire Middle East region. The Humanitarian Crisis Yemeni children sit inside the rubble of their school, destroyed by the war in Taiz city , Yemen. Editorial credit: akramalrasny / Shutterstock.com The war in Yemen has made one of the worlds poorest countries even poorer. In fact, it is projected that if the conflict persists into 2022, Yemen will be the poorest country in the world. Whereas nearly half of the countrys population lived in poverty prior to the beginning of the war, up to 79% will live in poverty if the conflict continues into next year. In addition, 65% of Yemenis living in poverty will be classified as extremely poor. Even so, Yemen continues to host refugees from other countries. Indeed, Yemen hosts 137,000 refugees and asylum seekers from Somalia and Ethiopia. Other statistics paint a very grim picture of the crisis in Yemen. To date, the civil war in Yemen has displaced millions of people. According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), 4 million people in Yemen have had to flee their homes, 79% of whom are women and children. Furthermore, 20 million people, which is equivalent to around two thirds of Yemens population, require humanitarian aid. More than half of the countrys population, approximately 16 million people, suffer from hunger, and another 5 million are on the brink of famine. In light of these statistics, the UNHCR has referred to Yemen as the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. It is also a humanitarian crisis compounded by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Water crisis in Yemen worsened by the the ongoing civil war. Editorial credit: akramalrasny / Shutterstock.com Getting aid to Yemen has proven to be difficult. One reason is that promises of aid simply do not materialize. As of 2018, for example, less than 10% of the amount required for humanitarian assistance in Yemen had been collected. Another major problem is the lack of cooperation on the part of the warring parties for aid to be distributed. All parties to the conflict have been accused of hampering aid efforts. The Saudi-led Arab Coalition, for example, has been accused of not allowing aid to reach areas controlled by the Houthis. The Arab Coalition has also been accused of destroying infrastructure that is crucial for getting aid to Yemens people. In one instance, the Coalition destroyed a bridge linking the Yemeni port of Hodeidah with the capital, Sanaa, used to carry 90% of the food aid gathered by the UN. Meanwhile, the Houthis have deployed mines in the Red Sea, which hampers efforts to get humanitarian aid to the people of Yemen by sea. TotalEnergies, through Lampiris, its energy supply affiliate in Belgium, signed a Corporate Power Purchase Agreement with Air Liquide, for supply of renewable electricity. Here are TotalEnergies' solar power projects. (Representative Image) PARIS, FRANCE: TotalEnergies, through Lampiris, its energy supply affiliate in Belgium, signed a Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (CPPA) with Air Liquide. TotalEnergies will supply 50 GWh per year of renewable electricity over a period of 15 years. Air Liquide will use this renewable energy to power some of its industrial and medical gas production sites in Belgium. TotalEnergies will supply Air Liquide with this electricity from an offshore wind farm located in the Belgian North Sea. With a strong expertise across the integrated electricity chain, TotalEnergies proves its ability to provide competitive and available renewable electricity to support Air Liquide in its sustainable development objectives. This agreement also illustrates TotalEnergies commitment to contribute to Belgiums energy transition, while promoting low carbon solutions for its customers. The wind-generated electricity will save about 270,000 tons of CO2 emissions over the life of the contract. A growing number of companies are shifting to renewable energy, and we want to support them on their path towards carbon neutrality. There is a dynamic market for corporate PPAs in Europe, and we want TotalEnergies to take a strong leadership position, said Julien Pouget, senior vice president, renewables at TotalEnergies. This contract with Air Liquide follows other Corporate PPAs signed earlier this year by TotalEnergies with Orange, Microsoft and Merck. Worldofchemicals News New tech trial to monitor North Wales heart patients remotely via mobile phone Cardiac patients in North Wales are trialling innovative new technology that allows clinicians to monitor their health and recovery via mobile phone. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has teamed-up with healthtech company Huma to assess whether people with heart problems can be supported in their homes using an app that reports on their condition. The pilot programme has been funded by Welsh Government, and Humas revolutionary application means any changes in the patients health or response to medication could be identified sooner. The technology allows people to record their symptoms and vital signs, such as weight and blood pressure, which will be reviewed by the clinician and fed-back to the patient to record progress and any concerns. The technology also allows patients to have consultations by video, which can help avoid unnecessary visits to clinics or hospitals. The Welsh Governments Help Us, Help You campaign is encouraging people to use a range of different services to alleviate pressure on the NHS; they believe this cutting-edge solution is one way of doing that, particularly in lowering waiting times. Viki Jenkins, Heart Failure Advanced Nurse Practitioner for BCUHB, said We want to build on the advances made in digital technology since the beginning of the pandemic, and this is an extension of that, but we need to understand how easy or difficult it is for people to use the application, which is what this pilot is all about. This is a great opportunity to explore what health services are going to look like in the future COVID-19 has shown us we have to embrace innovation like this. As part of the trial, patients will receive equipment to take readings, including a blood pressure cuff, weighing scales and a pulse oximeter. Cardiology specialists will be able to remotely monitor each patients symptoms, progress and conduct video consultations to address any concerns. If needed, hospital visits can be arranged for further treatment and consultation. As trends continue to change nationally due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Helen Northmore, Head of Digital and AI (Artificial Intelligence) at Life Sciences Hub Wales, said the Huma app is an example of how technology will play an even bigger role in patient care going forward. The traditional pathway is for cardiac patients to regularly attend a hospital appointment and have these readings taken, she said. This application will free up clinicians time so they can be there for patients who need them more urgently, and it also saves the patient from having to travel and wait at the hospital to be seen. The pilot is one of five projects to be awarded funding as part of the 150,000 Digital Solutions Fund, looking at new and revolutionary ways to use technology in the fight against Coronavirus and beyond. Dr Jonathan Gledhill, Head of Healthcare at Huma, said: We are pleased we can make it easier for patients to get the care they need and spot any deterioration in their health, whilst saving significant time for clinicians so they can focus care where it is most needed. Our technology already helps patients on surgery waiting lists, people with acute illness like COVID-19 and chronic diseases such as diabetes. Our published research shows we can make a big difference and its exciting to test yet another way that we might be able to help patients. For more information, visit www.huma.com. Visit www.bcuhb.nhs.wales for the latest news and information from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. Please use the hashtags #HelpuNiHelpuChi and #HelpUsHelpYou to support the Help Us, Help You campaign. NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - Several of Tennessee's top hospitals aren't being fully transparent with the prices of their procedures despite a federal rule to do so, a new report claims. That report, from the non-profit PatientRightsAdvocate.org, analyzed 500 hospital websites at random and found most were not compliant with the federal rule that all hospitals must report their pricing online. 94.4 percent of those studied did not comply with the rule to complete post all of their prices online, said Cynthia Fisher, found of PatientRights Advocate.org. Patient advocates like Martine Brousse tell News4 Investigates the reason why is clear. (Hospitals) don't want this transparency. Hey hospital A, why are you charging twenty percent more for the same procedure for hospital B down the block, Brousse said. The report, which studied hospital websites between May 15 and July 8, found among the hospitals, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Ascension/St. Thomas Midtown and West, as well as several TriStar/Centennial hospitals were not complaint with the federal rule. News4 Investigates asked all the hospitals for interviews, but none made a representative available to answer questions. Instead, a spokeswoman for TriStar/Centennial emailed and wrote they now have all the required pricing online. In the attached study we are listed as compliant for having the pricing estimator tool and a few other items but not the contracted rates with insurers. At this time our TriStar Health facilities have posted all contracted rates with insurers. We are in compliance with the federal hospital price transparency rule, wrote Jill Newsham, director of marketing and PR for TriStar Centennial Medical Center. A spokeswoman for Vanderbilt did not address the reports findings but wrote that their online services provide estimated on hundreds of procedures. Vanderbilt University Medical Center is still one of few hospitals in the nation that can provide patients all-in pricing for hundreds of hospital services and physician fees through our out-of-pocket cost estimation tool, wrote Kylie Avery, public relations specialist for Vanderbilt. A spokeswoman for Ascension also did not address the report but wrote that price transparency is important. We continue to enhance our transparency tools to assist our patients in understanding the cost of commonly purchased healthcare services, wrote Anjali Bright, senior public relations specialist with Ascension/St. Thomas. If you are interested in finding the pricing tools for these hospitals, you can follow the links below. Vanderbilt: TriStar/Centennial: Ascension/St. Thomas: On June 2526, heavy rains overwhelmed the Detroit, Michigan metro areas shoddy infrastructure system, causing flash floods and power outages throughout the region. Just three weeks after the first flood, many were hit again with rain and sewage water pouring into basements for the second time in less than a month. One of the worst-hit areas is Dearborn, a working-class suburb of Detroit. The city opened up a Disaster Relief Center at the Henry Ford Centennial Library on July 23 where those impacted by the flooding can apply for assistance. Nearly 70,000 people are expected to apply for assistance. Many residents never fully recovered from historic flooding in 2014 which severely damaged homes and businesses. Most received little to no assistance from either the insurance companies or the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and many residents who spoke with the WSWS are finding the 2021 situation to be no different. Trash lines the streets. Furniture, carpets, appliances and floorboards are attracting flies. Much of the garbage, soaked in raw sewage, has been rotting in the sun on the curb in some cases for several weeks. The stench, in particular in the citys South End neighborhood, is overwhelming and a major cause of concern for the health hazard that it poses to residents and their families. On Saturday evening, just hours after these interviews were collected, severe weather hit southeastern Michigan and the same scenes emerged again. Over 125,000 households were without power through Sunday evening; major freeways were flooded, cars abandoned underwater and more sewage and rainwater gushed into homes. Trash lines the streets of Dearborn. A disaster recovery center has been set up at the local library where residents can apply for FEMA assistance. Mohamed in front of his Dearborn home. Mohamed is a mechanic. He has lived in Dearborn his whole life. He lost the entire contents of his basement in 2014 and was hit by both of last months floods. He did not receive insurance money or federal assistance in 2014 and is not expecting help this time around. He and his wife were hauling parts of their basement to the curb when he spoke with the WSWS. A sewage backup happened in the basement. It was just shooting out the toilets, the drains, everywhere it could come outit was up to my waist. Everything was damaged. We had to get rid of everything. Everything, everything, everything is gone. One guy estimated $60,000; another estimated $55,000 in damages. He explained how residents have been instructed to wait for insurance company or FEMA representatives to assess damage before tearing out waterlogged drywall, which has allowed the mold to grow. I cant sit and just wait around anymore. We sent my son to my brothers house [to get away from the mold]. Now I am clearing it all up so I dont get sick from the mold. This is a major, major health issue. Our trash had been sitting here for two weeks. In fact they just came to pick it up this morning. What are we going to do? It took too long and it got piled up so bad in the streets that I had to take it to the city dump. Everyone on this block had the same thing happen. What are people supposed to do? The City of Dearborn does not want to comply with nobody, they are all hiding. People cannot live like this. He gestured at the growing pile of debris sitting at the curb. This is just one load out of four that I took to the dump. We had to throw away everything. Mohameds basement underwater in June. He described how the floods happened. When it was going on this time they had all the sewage systems closed. They had the firetrucks going around to open them back up and after about three or four hours it slowly, slowly started to drain again. The thing about it is, Dearborn knew about the flood. But they did not warn nobody. Everybody here could tell you the same thing: the city knew it was a flood possibility but they did not mention it to anybody. In 2014 we lost everything and now again, everything. I cannot go through this again. Im honestly at the point where I am trying to move out of Dearborn. I cannot deal with it any moregetting flooded twice in one month. The first time it was rainwater and sewage, the second time it was all sewage. I stayed for a whole week cleaning all this up. The city of Dearborn does not want to do nothing about it. You cannot go by what anybody says nowadays. They do not care. Nobody cares here, Im telling you. The neighbors look out for each other, but neighbors can only help so much, you can only do so much. And look, when you are flooded and your neighbor is flooded, what can you do? Life goes on, it doesnt stop. He gestured at the Ford Motor Company headquarters across the street. They do not care. If there is money involved, they will help. But if there is no money involved, they do not care. I saw the flooding happening in China and Germany, too. It is everywhere, it is climate change, but they do not care. Residents await assistance at the disaster recovery center in Dearborn. Kamal standing in his mothers destroyed basement, three weeks after the flood. Kamal and his brother Bilal were both raised in Dearborn with their siblings. Everyone in their family, including their mother, was flooded in their respective homes. Its crazy because 2014 was brutal. But 2021 was way worse. Then two weeks later, it happened again. Similar damage was done both times, but in 2021 the water just went higher. If you count the appliances, the furnace, washing machine, dryer, refrigerator, drywall, two-by-fours, furnitureits at least $10,000. But thats a pretty low estimate. Kamal explained how many Yemeni-American families such as his make use of the basements in their homes to visit with family members and others in the community. A lot of people dont have finished basements but we do, and my brother I know spent $3040,000 on his basement. It was very, very unfortunate and it is a bad situation, not just for us but for everyone. Lucky there are many of us who can help each other, but I feel bad for those who dont have someone who can help and support them. We need to have a better sewer system. [After 2014] the city of Dearborn invested a ton of money to help the sewer system and the hope was they would do a better job, but obviously that is not how it went. There are certain areas that never got flooded. West Dearborn has like 13 sewer openings; versus the East or the South where there are only two or three openings, he said, referring to the uneven infrastructure in the city. I think everyone needs to be treated the same across the board, and I think theres a lot that needs to change. There needs to be more grass than concrete, there needs to be in general a better foundation to help the systems execute right. The leaders need to step upthe mayor, city council membersthe federal government needs to get involved and help community members. We should be getting all the help we can get. The fact that it happened twice in three weeks is scary. My wife no longer goes to the basement because she is so scared. I even got the kids asking me, Dad, did it flood? Its a shame. Old family photos saved from the floods destruction at Kamal and Bilals mothers home in Dearborn. Kamal described how residents have been left to fend for themselves. In 2014 I was accepted to get FEMA, but most recently I was declined because I have insurance. But my insurance company only covered up to $5,000 in damages. That barely pays for the furnace itself, and when you are losing the washer and dryer, carpet on the stairs, your furnitureand then, all the kids toys. Those are sentimental. You cannot take that back. The photos, pictures, all that. In 2014 I lost all that stuff. So, I do not want to say I have learned my lesson, but after 2014, I stopped fixing my basement. I am done. We were hoping that because the city said they were improving the sewage system that it would be okay. So my brother went ahead and fixed his basement after 2014. Whereas I just did not trust the system. Next door to Bilal and Kamals mothers house, a resident looks out at the trash on the curb. While it was flooding, we were just filling up buckets with water and throwing it all outside for like three hours until we just gave up, Bilal, Kamals brother, said. He explained that local big-chain hardware stores were engaging in price gouging: We had to go price our kitchen cabinets. We originally bought the top and bottom cabinets for about $6,000 but when we went to get pricing now, they said $5,000 for just the bottom ones. Bilal also explained how FEMA and the insurance companies pass the buck, leaving everyone to pay for their own restoration. We didnt get no FEMA money for my moms house. She applied and got rejected because she has insurance. The insurance companys name is Berkshire Hathaway. Then the insurance company denied my mom. The reason was they claimed that there was nothing wrong with the sewers, that Dearborn came out with a statement stating that it could only hold up to three inches but it rained seven inches, so they are claiming it as a flood and not a sewer backup. And I do believe they denied everyone through Berkshire Hathaway. Trash piling up on the curb in Dearborn. Kamal said, This was not the first time. This was the second time. They [the city of Dearborn] got a lot of money last time and they never used it wisely. Its 2021. Technology is growing. If people are paying for things, why is it like this? It is funny, I was talking to one of the politicians whos running for city council or mayor or something. They admitted it, it is a crimewhen it boils down to it, it is a crime, really, what is happening. Everybody wants to say, It is global warming. Okay well, we understand. Then, It is mother nature. Okay, we understand. But there are certain things you can do to prevent this. We have family and friends whose businesses have been ruined. Then you go and apply for FEMA, and you get rejected because you have insurance, and your insurance gives you $5,000. Well, guess what, $5,000 does not even barely cover anything. And then they want receipts! Come onI do not have receipts for something that I purchased 10 years ago. And besides, how can you give them receipts for sentimental pictures? Or my friends varsity jacket; those are memorable, priceless, I do not have a receipt for that. They have to do something. I told my family to just leave it, do not even fix it. If it happens again, they [the City of Dearborn] are not doing anything for us. We kind of gave up. My mom has dreams at night. She is thinking every time it rains, Check the basement! It can cause some serious illness, health issues. It stinks. Theres mold and pollution and all that nonsense we have been taking into our lungs. It looks bad here but where I was at before, the South End of Dearborn, I mean, manit is even worse over there. You got more senior citizens over there and less money. That is why they do not do much over there. The West End is more taken care of on that side. It is known as the rich area. Ahmed surrounded by items he is attempting to salvage from his basement. Ahmed lives in the South End of Dearborn, where many residents have protested against uneven investment in infrastructure due to residents lower income. He has lived in the city for 40 years. This neighborhood, this area here, got hit real bad. You see the new houses across the street? You could look into their basement windows and it was like a swimming pool. You could see the water all the way up to here. You could hardly walk. I had to go around the side of the house and when I went into the basement I was very sorry. It was all the way up to here, he said, touching the top of his chest. Here in the South End of Dearborn its so expensive. We have the highest taxes on our houses and look at where we at: this is the cemetery, he said, pointing across the street. Theres Ford, he said pointing to the Ford plant. The train, blowing its horn all night long, he said pointing at the train station. And the ships coming in from the river making noise all night, he said pointing at the Detroit River. All this and it smells like a dead dog. I do not know how they treat people like this. I am thinking about selling my house, to be honest with you. It is a big mess. They did not pay attention to us. The streets were all stopped up. We did not get any of the services into which we pay as taxpayers. Clean and safe motto on the City of Dearborn trash cans in Ahmeds yard. He described how the sewage has been rotting out his basement. If you go inside the house you can hardly stand up from the smell. Im getting a company now to clean up the inside because I did everything I could myself but it makes no difference. The kitchen, the walls its a big mess. He pointed again towards the river. They have a sewer over here. They have gates that go to the river and if they open those gates then we would not have drowned. But they [the city of Dearborn] worry about Ford. You understand what Im saying? They do not want Ford to drown, but for us, it is fine. I wish Ford would buy this neighborhood, just buy us out, because to be honest with you we are getting tired of it. Just pay us so we can leave. This is the second flood in the last few weeks. We wake up and the basement is all filled up. I just applied for FEMA last night and I do not know what they are going to say about it. I have insurance but they did not show up yet. I have good insurance, but it only covers up to $10,000 and I know the cost of my basement will be at least $27,000 with all the losses I have had and I am out of a job so I do not how I am going to keep up with this. My washing machine, dryer, water heater, the heater to the house Until now we did not get one single penny, no help, we call the city and make emails, they have a page to find out more infobut we did not get any answers from day one until today. We have to lock up the door to the basement and put something under the door to keep the smell out. I did not break down the kitchen yet because I have been waiting for the insurance people and the FEMA people to show up. I did not want to do too much work yet without them seeing it. Because then they say, It did not happen. The garbage piled up all over for almost two weeks. No one touched it. You could pass by the neighborhood and it smells like rot, and it still does now honestly. I am just trying to get some tools together now to start breaking apart the kitchen to try to get to where I think the smell is coming from. But I have a back problem, I am tired. This is the number one that we are worried about: the health of our families. I do not care about a basement, my family is first priority. But there is no other choice we have. Honestly if I had the money I would go somewhere else at least for a couple months until everything is cleaned up, or maybe pay someone to help break up the basement. Ahmed explained that his neighborhood is ignored by politicians and the media, and described the terrible living conditions being so close to an oil refinery and a major auto plant. Nobody wants to look at us. Nobody ever pays attention to this neighborhood honestly. I cleaned my car the other day and I wake up and my car is covered in ashes from the factory chimneys. The train when it is passing, in the middle of the night, it blows its horn and you wake up five, six times through the night. And the same with the ship when it comes from the river to Ford, it blows its horn until everybody is up. I am getting tired of it. My memories and everything is in this neighborhood and we do not want to leave but we know it is not worth it, it is poisonous. We are getting tired of it and we wish we could leave. People get cancer in this neighborhood from the toxins. If I was still young and thinking right I would not live in this neighborhood. But at this time, at my age, what can we do? The New York City Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee is fighting for a complete closure of schools in order to contain the pandemic, while demanding ample supports for remote learning and full income protection to allow parents to stay home with children. Our committee will meet this Tuesday, July 27, at 7 p.m. EDT to develop a plan to mobilize parents and educators against the full reopening of schools in September. We urge educators in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey to register here and invite your coworkers and friends. The following letter was submitted to the World Socialist Web Site by Teegan, a fifth-grade teacher in New York Citys borough of Queens. The recent news that 157 classrooms have been closed in public school buildings during summer school has deepened educators and parents opposition to the full resumption of face-to-face instruction On September 13. *** One year has passed and United Federation of Teachers members are in the exact same state of limbo as we were in the Summer of 2020. Back then, we were being told that to get the protections we needed to go back into schools safely, we might have to strike. This message was met with understandably mixed feelings. But lo and behold, at the 11th hour, our savior, UFT President Michael Mulgrew, made some back room deal with New York Citys Department of Education and guaranteed we would be safe in schools. We were promised weekly testing, ventilation systems, building closures after two unrelated COVID cases and adherence to the 6-foot separation rule. All we had to give up was preps within the school day, being in the class with unmasked children while they ate breakfast and lunch and leaving school 30 minutes later than usual. In addition, we were given the wonderful opportunity to teach both remote and in-person students throughout the day, all while making the same salary. Thank goodness, we were told, Michael Mulgrew stood up for our rights and averted a strike or we could have really been screwed. In this March 24, 2021 file photo, Melissa Jean reads "The Gruffalo" to her son's pre-K class at Phyl's Academy, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. New York City schools will be all in person this fall with no remote options, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday, May 24. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, Pool, File) However, as the year passed, each of the promised protections eroded. The only source of ventilation in most schools was open windows, even though many schools didnt have windows or if they did, the windows didnt open. Testing was not being done on the correct percentage of school population. The Situation Room, which oversaw reporting positive cases, was a mess. Regardless of what we were being told, we watched COVID spread in our schools while our union told us how schools were magical, safe places. Mayor Bill de Blasio eradicated the two-case rule and the UFT let it happen without a fight. The CDC reduced spacing from six feet to three feet and Mulgrew told us we would still be safe, since the UFT had done such a great job of getting some of us vaccinated. Friday night emails from the UFT telling us how it was in our best interest to lose another safety measure became common and predictable. Mulgrew held monthly town halls to tell us how hard he was fighting for us and how everything was the city, state and federal governments fault. Now, we are about to go into the 2021/2022 school year with no protections and no promises of safety. Our union has been silent as the Delta variant sweeps the nation. Those teachers who were so blessed to have the UFT set up a vaccine appointment for them in the winter, are now coming to the end of their immunity window. Were being promised two air filters per room, but we dont know if they will adequately filter the virus. De Blasio has completely nixed the possibility of a remote option and is demanding that all children return to classrooms, which were seriously overcrowded before the pandemic began. How are we going to maintain three feet of distance? Where will the children eat breakfast and lunch and be safely distanced the required six feet? Will those children who are not eligible for vaccines be required to wear masks? Will children over the age of 12 who may not have been vaccinated be required to wear masks? There are no answers to any of these questions and the sense that de Blasio, in his usual hubris, will take a page out of Texas Governor Greg Abbotts playbook and eliminate masks, school closures and quarantines. Where is the UFT this summer, as a new wave of the pandemic threatens the fall? I suspect where theyve been throughout this whole pandemicsafely ensconced in their well-ventilated, air-filtered offices, making closed door deals with the DOE and de Blasio that they will sell to the rank-and-file as the best they could have hoped for without once asking members for their thoughts or suggestions. And as the months pass, members spend another summer in limbo, wondering who will stand up for their rights. But here, I propose, is where we are wrong. We are waiting for our union to stand up for our rights. We must stop looking at ourselves as union members and start looking at ourselves as union activists. The days of unions fighting for workers rights are in the past. We dont need any more proof than what weve seen this yearour safety and the safety of children was repeatedly negotiated, and the winner, time and time again, was the city. Weve watched our union president tell us how lucky we were to make these givebacks. Our union seems to have its own agenda where the city is concerned, and the health and safety of members is not part of that agenda. I implore you to educate yourselves and look at where unions in this country are heading. Look at recent strikes throughout the countryVolvo and Frito-Lay are two examples where workers have been sold out by union leadership. Its time for us, as union activists, to join a global organization like the NYC Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee, which unites teachers, students, and parents who are willing to go to the street to fight for our rights. We cant sit by idly and wait for those who have their own agenda to negotiate for us. Its not going to end well. Its time for us to regroup and organize ourselves, before its too late. In the week ending July 18, 2021, the Delta variant was detected in 13 new countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In total, it has been detected in 124 countries as it continues its spread globally, becoming the dominant strain in the present phase if the pandemic. The number of reported COVID-19 cases globally is expected to exceed 200 million in the first half of August. Close to 4.2 million have perished. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general warned, This is not just a moral outrage, its also epidemiologically and economically self-defeating The pandemic is a test, and the world is failing. Nineteen months into the pandemic, and seven months since the first vaccines were approved, we are now in the early stages of another wave of infections and deaths. Additionally, the Alpha variant has now appeared in 180 countries, with eight more countries having detected this variant, first found in the UK. The Beta variant, first reported in South Africa, is present in 130 countries, up from 123 last week. The Gamma variant, which was detected in Brazil, has been found in 78 countries. Three more countries detected this variant last week. People wear face masks to help protect against the spread of the coronavirus after the COVID-19 alert rose to level 3 in Taipei, Taiwan, Monday, July 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying) Aside from the viruss greater capacity to infect, what is driving this new global wave of infections is the relaxation of public health measures in support of spurring commerce with the large number of vulnerable people who remain susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection due to the policy of vaccine nationalism that has severely limited access to these critical treatments. The two tracks pandemic, as characterized by Dr. Ghebreyesus, is not only impacting poor nations. The East Asian countries which had implemented more robust public health measures to curb rapid community spread early in the pandemic are facing a calamitous moment. Their populations remain for the most part immunologically naive and at great threat for infections by these more transmissible and deadly versions. The current surges of new cases are proving a challenge to contain, and these countries lack vaccine supplies. Taiwan, which has only fully immunized one percent of its population, and 27 percent partially, was confronted with a sudden surge of cases in mid-May that saw cases climb to a peak of 600 COVID-19 cases per day with a cumulative total of 15,600 cases. Before the explosion of cases, the death toll stood at 12. It has now risen to almost 800. Despite the comparatively small magnitude, the crude case fatality rate of 5 percent speaks to the deadliness of the contagion in an island nation where the median age is 42.5 years compared to the global median age of 29.6. The surge was blamed on the Alpha variant. For more than 12 months preceding their first wave, Taiwan had used tracing and quarantine measures to keep the virus in check, limiting total cases to around a thousand. For the most part, commerce and social activities such as markets, dining venues, and sporting events were operating just below full capacity. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, an Indonesian cargo pilot flew out of Taiwan to Australia where he was confirmed with COVID-19. Two of his close contacts were also confirmed with the coronavirus. Prior to becoming symptomatic, they had visited mosques and various venues in Taipei and Taoyuan City. The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control traced the May outbreak to the Indonesian pilot. A ten-week partial lockdownclosure of schools, restaurants, bars and gyms, mandatory mask wearing in all placed including outdoors, and the banning of non-residents entering Taiwanwas implemented to bring the outbreak under control. This is being eased as cases have declined to the low double digits. Catch-up efforts are underway to procure COVID-19 vaccines with the aim of inoculating the population by December. Vietnam, with a population of nearly 100 million people, does not have Taiwans advantage of geographic isolation, as it shares long porous borders with China, Laos, and Cambodia. It also has one of the lowest vaccination rates in all Southeast Asia, with less than 0.5 percent of its population fully vaccinated. However, until recently, Vietnam had some of the lowest rates of infections and deaths throughout the world. It was also the only economy in Southeast Asia, according to The Diplomat, to have managed a positive economic growth in 2020. With the news of the spreading infection in China in early 2020, the country rapidly moved to close off its borders and implement a rigorous public health prevention program. Years of experience with various zoonotic viruses such as SARS and avian influenza viruses had led to the development of a strong public health leadership and effective programs that involved the implementation of rigorous quarantines and contact tracing. In conjunction with the explosion of cases with the Delta variant in India, around mid-May, daily cases in Vietnam began to climb slowly at first, then exploding in the beginning of July with an almost vertical rise in new cases. The seven-day moving average has climbed from 339 cases per day on June 26, to 6,377 presently, a near 20-fold increase. Of the almost 100,000 cases of COVID-19, 85 percent were registered in the last 30 days. The rate of deaths is also skyrocketing, though in absolute terms the death toll remains still low at only 500. Despite its initial success in containing infections, Vietnam is facing a perilous moment as the government is attempting to secure COVID-19 vaccines through direct purchases from Pfizer, Moderna, Sputnik (Russia), Taiwan and from the WHOs COVAX facility. However, Vietnam doesnt expect to receive shipment until the end of the year at the earliest. Spurred by an interest in jump-starting its biotech sector during the pandemic, the country relied on developing these treatments using nationally based pharmaceuticals. Many of these vaccines still remain in phase two and three trials due to lack of cases in Vietnam needed to complete the process. But last week, Hanoi announced a 15-day lockdown as the coronavirus has spread from the southern Mekong Delta region. All outdoor activities have been suspended. There is a ban on more than two people gathering. All non-essential businesses have been ordered closed. South Korea has faced several waves of infections throughout the pandemic but was always able to stem the surges quickly. However, since the winter peak, it has been battling a steady daily number of new infections. In July new cases began to climb again, reaching a peak of more than 1,500 per day. South Korea has reported close to 200,000 cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. The death toll has only recently passed the 2,000 mark. Only 13 percent of its population has been fully vaccinated, and 27 percent have received at least one dose. Despite being one of the manufacturing centers for the AstraZeneca vaccine, South Korea has maintained its commitments to export the vaccine and has not had adequate supplies for its own population. The country is currently in the process of inoculating people aged 55 to 59. Speaking of Indonesia, which now is the epicenter of the coronavirus in East and Southeast Asia, Sean Darby of the US investment house Jefferies Group told CNBC, The reality is that youre likely to not reach full economic potential until you get to some form of herd immunity. Unfortunately, the potential for Indonesia to meet its pre-pandemic [economic] levels are probably quite low at the moment given the poor rollout of the vaccine. The cynicism of such comments is striking, and it applies to the entire region. Those countries that had successfully fought off the initial wave of coronavirus because they rejected the policy of herd immunity in favor of serious and sweeping public health measures, are now paying the price for not having allowed their population to be infected, since they cant get sufficient quantities of vaccine to catch up with the rest of the world, where the infection is raging almost without resistance. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Brazil last Saturday in a new round of protests against fascistic President Jair Bolsonaros murderous handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The protests took place in hundreds of cities in all 26 Brazilian states and also abroad. In the largest of the demonstrations, 70,000 people gathered on Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo, according to organizers. It was the fourth day of mass demonstrations against Bolsonaro since May 29, when street protests began to take place after a deadly second wave of the pandemic in March and April, and amid the Senate Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (PCI) investigation of the federal governments conduct in combating the pandemic. The PCI has already revealed evidence of both a deliberate policy of herd immunity, i.e., letting the virus spread and infect the largest number of people, and of corruption in the governments purchase of vaccines. The demonstrations have been called by the so-called Bolsonaro Out National Campaign, consisting of the Workers Party (PT) and other bourgeois parties such as the Socialist Party (PSB) and the Democratic Labor Party (PDT), along with the PTs pseudo-left satellites, such as the Socialism and Freedom Party (PSOL) and all the Brazilian union federationsincluding the PT-controlled CUT, the Morenoite Conlutas, linked to the pseudo-left Unified Socialist Workers Party (PSTU), and Forca Sindical, whose origins date back to the Brazilian military dictatorship. Mass protest on Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo, July 24. (Credit: Midia Ninja) In a statement released on June 21, the Brazilian union federations affirmed that the demonstrations are intended to pressure the president of the Lower House, Arthur Lira, who is responsible for deciding whether to open impeachment proceedings, to put on the agenda one of the more than one hundred impeachment requests. This demand reveals much of the character of these organizations and where they are seeking to direct the opposition against Bolsonaro. In 2019, the first year of the Bolsonaro government, Brazil saw the largest demonstrations in years against the federal governments cuts on education. Since then, the PT, the pseudo-left and the unions have all worked to divert this enormous popular dissatisfaction behind the capitalist state, from the presidential elections to empty appeals to Congress and the Supreme Court against Bolsonaro. And they have used the demonstrations to relieve the enormous social pressure from below and to get this potentially explosive movement under control. Since 2019, the union federations have also begun to hold joint May Day rallies, in which they have brought the most right-wing figures in Brazilian politics onto their platforms. These are politicians responsible for carrying out broad attacks against the Brazilian working class over the years and who supported Bolsonaros election, even as they would later try to distance themselves from him. This mainly includes officials of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), who joined the last two May Day rallies that featured the hated former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso. This year, the governor of Sao Paulo, Joao Doria, was also expected to attend it, but the CUT, in view of the wide negative repercussions, ended up blocking his participation. This rotten political alliance culminated in the launching of a super-request for Bolsonaros impeachment by the PT, the PSOL and the unions along with far-right parties and figures. Among Bolsonaros former supporters who signed the impeachment request delivered on June 30 were the reactionary federal deputies Alexandre Frota (PSDB) and Kim Kataguiri, of the liberal Free Brazil Movement (MBL), one of the leaders of the demonstrations for the impeachment of former PT president Dilma Rousseff in 2016 on trumped-up charges. In the next round of mass demonstrations, which took place just a week after, on July 3, the presidents of the PT and PSOL, Gleisi Hoffmann and Juliano Medeiros, as well as the PSOLs Morenoite factions Resistencia and Socialist Left Movement (MES), openly advocated the participation of right-wing parties, in order to develop a mass struggle against Bolsonaro, according to them. A new reactionary political alliance was formed for last Saturdays demonstrations, dubbed the Democratic Bloc. It includes the Maoist Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), openly right-wing parties like PSDB and Cidadania, and the political renewal movements Renova and Acredito, funded by big business and whose members in Congress supported Bolsonaros 2019 pension reform. The rotten and pro-corporate union federations, including Forca Sindical, are also part of this bloc, as are student organizations linked to the PCdoB, such as the National Union of Students (UNE). The PCdoB is the main advocate for the protests to take on a nationalist green and yellow (the colors of the Brazilian flag) character, banning red, identified with the left, in order to form a broad front against Bolsonaro. "Democratic Bloc" waving Brazilian flags in Sao Paulo (Credit: WSWS Media) This whole process is happening as the pandemic continues to rage in Brazil. The demand for controlling the spread of the virus by closing schools and businesses has been completely excluded by the political parties and the unions leading the demonstrations. These political forces are acting to give a criminal cover for the continuation of the ruling class herd immunity policy. In Sao Paulo, this has been happening through regular meetings between the union federations, including the CUT, and Governor Doria. These meetings serve the sole purpose of giving the millionaire governor a social facadeby promoting meager policies such as a subsidy for the purchase of cooking gas, at the request of the unionswhile he pushes for a full reopening of all economic activities and schools. Although the numbers of COVID-19 infections and deaths have decreased over the past month as vaccinations have increased, as of Saturday Brazil still had an average of 1,168 daily deaths and 37,885 infections. Brazil has already recorded 549,500 COVID-19 deaths, trailing only the US. Sao Paulo state alone recorded 418 deaths and 12,086 new cases last Friday. With community transmission of the Delta variant confirmed in seven states and without the implementation of lockdown measures, experts warn that Brazil may see a new rise in the coming weeks, as in the US and Europe. In the face of mass protests, the uncontrolled pandemic and revelations emerging from the COVID PCI, Bolsonaro and his allies have increased their threats of an electoral coup, adopting the same methods employed by Donald Trump in the last US presidential elections. Bolsonaro continues to advance his false claim that Brazils electronic voting system can and will be rigged to favor the election of former PT president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. A July 22 report by the daily Estado de S. Paulo revealed that these coup threats have been backed by Bolsonaros defense minister, Gen. Walter Braga Netto. He was appointed to this position as part of Bolsonaros unprecedented sacking of the entire military command with the open purpose of aligning the armed forces behind his reactionary agenda. The Estado reported that, in early July, Braga Netto, accompanied by the armed forces commanders, asked an interlocutor to warn House Speaker Arthur Lira that there would be no elections next year if there were no printed and auditable ballots. A bill mandating printed ballots is also scheduled for a vote in August by a congressional special commission. The author of this bill is the right-wing federal deputy Bia Kicis, one of Bolsonaros most loyal allies. She met last Friday with Beatrix Von Storch, a leader of the fascistic Alternative for Germany (AfD), accompanied by the presidents son Eduardo Bolsonaro, who was in Washington on January 6, taking lessons from the coup attempt. The response of the PT, and Lula in particular, to this development was one of total complacency and political opportunism. Globos columnist wrote last week that the former president was silent on the Estado report that revealed ... the [Braga Netto] threat ... so as not to place himself at odds with the military. She further stated that Lula has not spared efforts to get closer to the military. Both the PTs record and the more recent moves by the party and Lula expose the fraudulence of their supposed opposition to Bolsonaro, as well as to everything the fascistic president stands for, including the threat of dictatorship. This also applies to the pseudo-left organizations and the unions, whose reactionary claim that bringing the right wing to the protests would make them more massive was quickly exposed. In Sao Paulo, the so-called Democratic Bloc managed to gather only a few dozen union and party bureaucrats with Brazilian flags in front of their sound truck on Paulista Avenue. As in previous protests, the working class was completely absent as an organized social force. This contrasts with the intense opposition that has developed within the Brazilian working class throughout the pandemic, with protests and strikes by teachers as well as industrial, app delivery, health care, oil and transportation workers in defense of their living conditions and their own lives against the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19. This movement has been deliberately isolated and sabotaged by the unions. It is to this developing movement that the protesting youth and workers must turn, and not to the dead end of bourgeois politics represented by the PT and its satellites in the pseudo-left and the unions. For this purpose, a conscious and complete break with these organizations is required. It is necessary to construct a new revolutionary leadership, the Socialist Equality Group, which is fighting to build a Brazilian section of the International Committee of the Fourth International. The death toll following torrential rains in Henan province, in central China, has risen to at least 69 as authorities continue to clean up following the extensive flooding that took place last week. The floods have caused at least 65.5 billion yuan ($US10 billion) in damages, while raising serious questions about the dangers of climate change. A woman moves a sandbag along a flooded road in the aftermath of the heaviest recorded rainfall in Zhengzhou in central China's Henan province on Saturday, July 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Dake Kang) As of Sunday, approximately 1.24 million people in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, have been displaced. Rescue teams continued to drain flooded portions of the city over the weekend as they searched for survivors. The industrial city is home to over 12 million people. Other cities in the region have also been hard hit. Xinxiang, a city just to the north of Zhengzhou, with a population of six million, experienced similar record-breaking rains, with 260mm of precipitation falling in just two hours. The Wei River, running through the city, overflowed, leading to extensive flooding. In Gongyi, 80 kilometers west of Zhengzhou, floods and landslides killed at least four people. Scientists are warning about the increasing danger from climate change, as extreme weather events including heat waves and intense wild fires take place around the world. Chris Rapley, a professor of climate science at University College London, told the Financial Times, I think I would be speaking for many climate scientists to say that we are a bit shocked at what we are seeing. There is a dramatic change in the frequency with which extreme [weather] events occur. As Earths temperature rises, this is contributing to the increased rainfall. For each 1C of increased temperature, the air is able to hold approximately 7 percent more water moisture. This means regions with monsoon seasons are seeing an even higher amount of rain than usual. Zhengzhou, in fact, experienced more than a years worth of rain, 671.1mm in just over three days, with 201.9mm falling in just one hour on July 20. Chinese authorities are being criticized for failing to adequately plan for the extreme weather event. An emergency was declared in Zhengzhou, but little action taken to protect the population. Cheng Xiaotao, a former director of the Institute of Flood Control and Disaster Mitigation at the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, told Chinese media that, After the warnings, in what type of situation should we halt work and manufacturing? How should various departments co-ordinate? What are the actual emergency actions to take in response? The lack of preparation meant that many people were placed in danger, as waters flooded the citys subway system and highways. At least 13 people were killed on a subway train. Another victim was discovered on Saturday, raising the previous death toll. At least another four people were killed after being trapped in the Jingguang traffic tunnel in Zhengzhou, where some 200 to 300 cars were blocked by flooding water. These tragedies were entirely avoidable. The Jingguang tunnel was built in a low-lying area, prone to flooding. It was opened in 2012, the same year that 80 people died in Beijing after being trapped in a flooded underpass, following a large storm. The New York Times reported that an investigation into the new tunnels possible dangers was published in 2011, which stated, If water accumulates in the tunnel it will seriously threaten the safe operation of the tunnel. The danger from climate change is all the more acute as 98 percent of Chinas 654 major cities are vulnerable to flooding. About two-thirds of Chinas 1.4 billion people live in cities. Zhou Jinfeng, of the non-governmental organization, China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation, warned that because of global climate change, the rainfall statistics will continue to break new records in the future. The floods have called into question the viability of Chinas so-called sponge cities, supposedly meant to deal with these types of weather events. Zhengzhou was among the cities included in the first phase of this program, which includes the use of permeable asphalt and the expansion of green spaces to better drain water. In Zhengzhou, thousands of kilometres of new drainage were built to eliminate some 125 flood-prone areas and create large new green spaces, some of which were quickly inundated as torrential rains hit the city. The so-called sponges were never designed to absorb downpours on the scale of those that occurred last week. As cited by the New York Times, academic Konstantinos Papadikis at the Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University, explained: Although the sponge city initiative is an excellent sustainable development approach for stormwater management, it is still debatable whether it can be regarded as the complete solution to flood risk management in a changing climate. In recent decades, there has been a massive urban expansion, as China has industrialised and drawn in tens of millions of migrant workers from rural areas. According to one commentator, there are at least 93 cities with more than one million residents and a number, like Zhengzhou, have a population greater than 10 million. A significant proportion of these are built on river flats and thus are vulnerable to floodinga danger that will only increase with climate change. Typhoon In-fa, which was a major contributing factor to the heavy rains in Henan province, lashed the coastal city of Shanghai, with its population of more than 26 million last Sunday, before moving north to hit the city of Pinghu. No deaths were reported as of Monday evening, but the wild weather caused the suspension of above ground rail services, with some roads being submerged, along with local blackouts and the cancellation of hundreds of flights. On July 6, 55-year-old Charles Anderson spent his last day in Marion County Jail. He was arrested 28 days prior for unpaid debts regarding his failure to make monthly payments and fees associated with three court cases dating back to 2003. Upon his arrest, he was jailed with three other men in a 6-by-10-foot cell. After a long period of unemployment, Anderson found a job working as a carpenter two weeks prior to his arrest. He had intended to resume payments toward the court-ordered debts that have haunted him from a 2003 conviction on methamphetamine trafficking. On June 9, in the town of Winfield, a police officer pulled Anderson over for running a stop sign on his way to help his new boss fix a flat tire. The officer then issued him a ticket for driving without a seat belt and a warning for failing to adhere to the stop sign. However, he was arrested and taken to jail in Hamilton, which was built in 1979 and meant to house 86 men and women, but it is often overcapacity at more than 120 people. According to Anderson, he was fed nothing but white bread, bologna and peanut butter for the 28 days he was incarcerated. A handcuffed person in a prison cell (Pxfuel.com) According to the arrest report, Anderson was arrested on three counts of failure to pay. Like so many others before him, he was ultimately charged with failing to appear at a payment review hearing, which in his case was held in November 2018. Anderson was only able to be free of Marion Countys debtors prison because Linda Jacobs, his indigent 72-year-old mother, cashed her monthly $1,400 Social Security check on July 3, arriving at the circuit clerks office in the county seat of Hamilton on July 6 and paid $1,000 toward his court-ordered debts totaling more than $2,500. As a result of his arrest, his vehicle was towed, and his mother had to pay more than $200 to retrieve it. Jacobs, in an attempt to raise the necessary funds, placed the familys tractor, Bush Hog mower and a small boat up for sale. She even offered to sell her three Yorkshire terriers, but Anderson rejected that. In an interview with AL.com on July 2, Jacobs noted, I offered to pay $300, and they called and told the judge, and the judge said he had to pay $1,000 to get out. They take away your freedom, they lock you up, and you pay or they keep you locked up. Its not right. Marion County in northwest Alabama, according to a 2019 United States Census Bureau report, has a population of 29,709, of which 94 percent are white, 3.9 percent black, 2.7 percent Hispanic or Latino, 0.4 percent American Indian and 0.3 percent Asian. The median household income is $35,930, and it has an unemployment rate of 3.1 percent (up from 2.2 percent in May), according to a 2021 Alabama Department of Labor report. As a result of the coronavirus pandemic and declining hourly wages, several people remain incarcerated in Marion County Jail because they dared to commit the crime of being poor and have neither family nor friends with the financial resources to purchase their freedom. Prior to the pandemic, Alabama was rated among the poorest states in the country; in the city of Birmingham, the poverty rate is over 28 percent. One man arrested in Winfield, Alabama, has been jailed since March on three counts of failure to pay court-ordered debts. According to a court document, he would be released from custody immediately upon payment of $2,819.70. Another man met a similar fate, being held in custody since he was arrested in April for failure to pay court costs, fines and restitution of: $4,182.56. The incarceration of people over unpaid debts, particularly when these debtors do not have the wherewithal to pay, violates federal laws and constitutional protections against the operation of debtors prisons. From the colonial era to the 1830s, the United States regularly jailed people for failure to pay their debts. Imprisonment for indebtedness was so commonplace that two signatories of the Declaration of Independence, James Wilson, later an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and Robert Morris, a personal friend of President George Washington, were sentenced for failure to pay loans. However, debtors imprisonment could turn into a life sentence for those without positions which grant certain privileges. In myriad jurisdictions, debtors were not to be freed from bondage until funds were acquired in full, or they had worked off the debt through years of penal labor. As a result of economic turmoil which ravaged Southern and Northern states and colonies alike, many languished in prison, dying even more impoverished than they were prior to their arrest. After the War of 1812, so many Americans were indebted that prisons held five times as many people on charges of debt than actual crimes. Between 1821 and 1849, 12 states outlawed debtors prisons. With the advent of bankruptcy law, citizens were granted a means of escaping insuperable debt, while creditors were made to share some of the risk associated in lending funds. Bankruptcy laws were revised in 1841, 1867 and 1898, eventually requiring payment of as much debt as the debtor could afford while absolving the balance. Over the course of the 20th century, the US Supreme Court affirmed that it was a violation of constitutional rights to incarcerate those too financially straitened to repay their debts. In 1970, in Williams v. Illinois, the high court decided maximum prison terms could not be extended on account of the defendant failing to pay court costs or fines. In 1971, in Tate v. Short, it was ruled that defendants who are too destitute to pay their fines may not be jailed. Most significantly, the 1983 decision in Bearden v. Georgia compelled judges to distinguish between debtors who are too poor to pay and those who have the financial ability but willfully refuse to do so. Federal imprisonment for debt was abolished in 1833, although some, particularly Southern states were allowed to continue imprisoning debtors, even leasing prisoners, who could not buy their freedom, out to plantation owners, effectively continuing slavery after the Civil War. In places like Marion County, the justice system has a consistent stream of low-income people in and out of jail for failing to pay their debts. In my opinion, [it is a] debtors prison because I owe money and youre [going to] lock me up for it, Charles Anderson told the media. Reflecting the impact of the social crisis on the thinking of workers, Anderson continued, How is this the United States, where were supposed to have more freedoms than anywhere else in the world, and were incarcerating people for not having money? Marion County Sheriff Kevin Williams, in an interview with AL.com on July 7, said he does not draft the laws but is tasked with enforcing them, including issuing arrests for unpaid debts in accordance with judges orders. If youre sitting here and you cant pay your fines, but youre court-ordered to pay them, how do you fix that? How do you make them pay other than to throw them behind bars? According to court records, debtors have remained jailed for weeks or months in the Marion County Jail due to indigence. Marion County has incorporated a practice which relies on failure-to-appear charges, issuing arrest warrants to people with unpaid debts before demanding payment for their release. Moreover, court records also reveal many people never receive a letter informing them of their payment review hearings. Hamilton resident Daniel Ables, another victim of this vendetta against the working class, sat in Marion County Jail for more than four months without an appearance before a judge to have his case heard. On February 22, a Marion County deputy arrested the 41-year-old Hamilton resident on an outstanding warrant for failing to appear at a March 2020 hearing regarding a plan to pay down his court-ordered debts pertaining to a 2009 drug case. Typical in Marion County, Ables arrest warrant had two boxes checked. The first of which stated, [y]ou may release the accused person without taking the accused person before a judge or magistrate, and the second, [i]f the person posts a cash bond in the amount of $1915.60 with the court clerk. However, the bond equaled the exact total of all the defendants fines, fees and restitution owed at the time. When interviewed by AL.com during a jailhouse phone call, Ables said if he were wealthy, this would not have happened. Its extortion. Thats pretty much what it is, is it not? Theyre [going to] lock me up and hold me here for a year or some crap just because I cant pay? What would you call it? Ables family members tried for months to raise the amount of money the county was demanding for his release but found themselves too short. Shortly after his arrest, Ables girlfriend offered to pay $700 toward his court-ordered debts but was informed if the amount was not the full $2,000, he would remain jailed. District Attorney Scott Slatton confirmed via email that Ables was cleared to be released after he had requested judicial review as to why Inmate Ables had been in jail for 5 months. A Zoom hearing was held on the morning of July 8 to review Ables case. His required monthly court-ordered debt payment was reduced from more than $100 to $60, or $20 for each of the three cases on which he still owes fines, fees and restitution. According to three court filings, Ables is not required to begin making the payments until October. After a review of the case, Slatton claimed going forward, his office will seek judicial review of any inmate being held for [failure to appear] for payments longer than the quarter in which they should have appeared on a docket. After 137 days, Ables was released from Marion County Jail custody, paying nothing to secure his release following the hearing. In response to a query on why some people remain in jail for longer than 90 days awaiting a court hearing, Williams directed all inquiries to the judges on their respective cases and the circuit clerks office. When the inquiries were followed up, Marion County Circuit Judge Daryl Burt, who signed the orders stating that Anderson and Ables could be released if they paid off their court-ordered debts, did not respond to myriad requests for comment, including from Circuit Clerk Denise Mixon. Cody Cutting, an attorney at the Southern Center for Human Rights who litigates cases related to the criminalization of poverty in the southern United States, said there is no justification for the imprisonment of impoverished, like Anderson, and is unequivocally unacceptable. If someone who is arrested can avoid incarceration by paying if theyre able to pay their entire court debt, but someone who is unable to pay that court debt through no fault of their own is forced to languish in jail for months, that violates the Constitution. The Southern Center for Human Rights and the Southern Poverty Law Center have found that judges in Alabama consistently jail people for failure to pay without conducting inquiries or investigation into a debtors ability to make payments. It could not be clearer that it is unconstitutional to jail someone for failing to pay a fine if the ability to pay that fine is beyond that persons control, Cutting said. In spite of how clear that constitutional command is, its completely apparent that jailing people for being poor is common practice in courts across the South. Unite the union is presenting workers at Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE) Banbury plant with an ultimatum on behalf of JDE: accept the rotten deal it has worked out with the company to slash wages, terms and conditions or face the sack in September. The World Socialist Web Site is presenting information derived from the most recent financial reports and accounts of parent company JDE Peets and its British subsidiary so that workers can understand both the company and its financial situation. 1. JDE Peets and the pandemic JDEs Banbury plant is part of the giant Netherlands-based multinational JDE Peets, which says it is the world's largest pure-play coffee and tea group by revenue. The second largest coffee roaster after Nestle, it sold approximately 130 billion cups of coffee and tea in the financial year ended 31 December 2019 in more than 100 developed and emerging countries. Its brands, which it describes as our local jewels iconic in their local market include Jacobs, Senseo, Peets Coffee, Ti Ora, Kenco, Tassimo, Moccona, L'OR and Douwe Egberts, as well as several well-known tea brands, including Horniman's Tea. JDE Peets factory in St. Petersburg in Russia (credit: screenshot, JD Peets Annual Report 2020) JDE Peets profits were barely hit during the pandemic, despite lockdowns that led to the closure of offices, hotels, bars, restaurants and many of the companys coffee stores, as sales of coffee for home consumption soared and workers put in the extra hours to keep the lines running while infections and deaths soared internationally. As the company declared, Despite the challenging conditions of the pandemic and lockdowns in 2020, throughout it all, JDE Peets made significant progress across many areas in our first year as a publicly traded company. In this context, our employees resilience and dedication kept our factories running, our supply chains effective and our customers and consumers served, despite the pandemics many challenges. 2. Massive dividend payout for the shareholders Announcing revenues of 6.7 billion and an operating profit of 933 million for 2020, the company stated in its report to shareholders, The strength we experienced in our In-Home segment largely offset the reduction we saw in Away-from-Home consumption and Early on, we adapted our Away-from-Home business models, and as a result, we expect these activities to come out even stronger following the crisis. Its message for 2021 was that the future looked bright. Shareholders are set to get a 89 million handout from its profits in 2020, equivalent to nearly 4,500 for each of the companys 20,000 workers worldwide. The profit squeezed out of workers at the Banbury plant was even greater, with each of the 371 workers, including top management, delivering more than 7,600 of profit after tax and debt charges for the parent company in 2019, the last year available. This figure is probably a gross underestimate as JDE trades with its sister companies within JDE Peets on terms designed to minimize overall costs, including tax and financing charges, to the parent company. When new CEO Fabien Simon (former CFO of JDE) was appointed last year, he received a golden hello of 10 million. He will reportedly receive a gross annual salary of 1 million and a monthly expense allowance of 3,300, plus bonus opportunities equal to 250 percent of his salary. Yet JDE workers have been told the company cannot afford to pay 750,000-800,000 to avoid forcing them onto unsociable and unhealthy night shifts. 3. Who owns JDE Peets ? JDE Peets was floated on the Amsterdam stock market in May last year after a merger between JAB Holding Company, JDE, and Peets (the San Francisco Bay Area-based coffee roaster and retailer) to form JDE Peets. Two massive corporations own 77 percent of the shares. JAB Holding, a German private investment group headquartered in the tax haven Luxemburgand with holdings in companies producing well-known brands such as Coty, Pret A Manger, Krispy Kreme and Petcareis the companys largest shareholder via its shares in Acorn Holdings. The latter is a holding company that controls JDE Peets along with the Keurig Dr Pepper Group, a major producer and distributor of hot and cold beverages. Around 90 percent of JABs shares are owned by the billionaire Reimann family that supported Hitler and the Nazi party well before 1933 and profited from forced labour in their industrial chemicals company in southern Germany. The second-largest shareholder of JDE Peets is Mondelez International. The Chicago-based multinational food, confectionary and beverage company owns well-known brands such as Oreo, Ritz, TUC, Peek Freans, Cote d'Or, Toblerone, Cadbury, Green & Black's, Trident, Dentyne and Chiclets. There is a Mondelez-owned factory in Sheffieldthe largest sweets factory in Europe. Mondelez also owns the famous Cadbury factory in Bourneville. Unite has issued no appeal for support from the workers there, keeping the Banbury300 isolated. Mondelez has been mired in controversy in recent years. * NGO Mighty Earth reported in 2017 that much of the cocoa used in chocolate produced by Mondelez and other major chocolate companies was grown illegally in national parks and other protected areas in Ivory Coast and Ghana. * Greenpeace International reported in 2018 that 22 palm oil suppliers to Mondelez International cleared over 70,000 hectares of rainforest from 2015 to 2017. * In 2015, the US Commodity and Futures Commission alleged that Mondelez International and its former subsidiary was involved in wheat-futures price fixing. * Earlier this year, eight former child slaves from Mali brought a class-action suit against Mondelez claiming the company, along with Nestle and other well-known chocolate manufacturers, knowingly engaging in forced labour. 4. The purpose of the flotation JDE Peets floatation last year raised 2.25 billion in Europes biggest IPO since 2018, generating 1.55 billion for one of its parent companies, Mondelez International, that sold some of its shares. Within days of the flotation, JDE Peets shares jumped 12 percent to give it a market value of 16.8 billion, allowing those who had bought shares to sell off and make a quick profit. The company is now worth around 15 billion. Apart from enriching its former owners, 700 million would go on reducing its high debt and lay the basis for further acquisitions and capital investment, further increasing the companys capital base from which the shareholders would expect a rate of return, typically 10-15 percent, courtesy of the workforce. It signals a significant ramping up of the rate of exploitation of JDE Peets workers in the form of jobs, speed-ups and the gouging of wages and pensions. 5. JDE Peets dividend policy The company has stated that its dividend policy intends to preserve the independence of the company and this in turn will mainly depend on its financial position, including its operating results. This is code for saying that its share price, and hence its dividends, must remain high to avoid a takeover. In fact, the company declares that it intends to provide a stable and increasing dividend per share, while the pace will be determined by the companys capital allocation priorities. [emphasis added] Investment and borrowings would be adjusted to ensure this. The interests of the owners come first and foremost. 6. The attack on workers Last years flotation was hailed as good news for the firms shareholders and its lenders, but that can only be achieved by squeezing the workforce ever-harderby increasing the working day and reducing overtime payments. At Banbury, management plans to introduce a four-shift pattern, forcing staff to work 12-hour shifts, nights, weekends etc., while cutting traditional Christmas and bank holiday pay rates, and bringing in unpaid breaks and limiting them to 30 minutes. These plans would cost workers thousands in lost pay, with some losing 7,00012,000 per year. In relation to pensions, the companys financial report and accounts highlighted its defined benefits (DB) pension plan as the most significant DB plan in the UK, being more expensive than defined contribution (DC) plans and targeting it for cost reduction. The planned termination of the defined benefit pension scheme and its replacement by the inferior DC scheme will cost workers far more and save JDE millions of pounds a year. JDE Peets intends to wring every penny it can out of workers to pay its shareholders and keep the stock market happy. 7. JDE Peets relies on the unions Key to corporate cost cutting is the companys reliance and partnership with the unions. The company boasts, In many locations, we have works councils in place. Approximately 33 percent of our people are covered by collective bargaining agreements. They include employees in the UK. The Unite union is now trying to push through a filthy deal that imposes the dictates of JDE management and its shareholders. 8. JDE Peets depends on its workers JDE Peets main manufacturing plants are in the United States, France, Russia, the Netherlands, Germany, the UK, Brazil, China and Malaysia. However, because of the specialised technology needed for roasting, processing, and packaging its products, the company has consolidated its production capacity into large manufacturing sites. This, together with the high utilisation of these plants, does not permit the spare capacity necessary to serve as backup for each other in case of significant interruption. It cannot easily switch production elsewhere, which would also incur additional transport costs to service its markets. In the UK, JDE processes and packages instant or freeze-dried coffee into various formats. It also processes and packages Tassimo R & G aluminium capsules for single-serve coffee. The upshot is that workers are in a powerful position and should not be brow beaten by the union into accepting the rotten deal with a highly profitable company that is raking in billions. 9. JDE Peets workers have allies around the world Most important of all, JDE Peets has a presence in more than 140 countries with revenues of 3.2 billion. It operates in nearly 40 countries, employing about 20,000 workers. These workers have the same interests as you. They are all exploited by the same global corporation. They are your allies. 10. Unite sits on massive assets while forcing striking workers back to work on sellout contracts Unites financial assets are enormous. The unions latest financial accounts (for 2019) show the union has net assets of 439 million, including 108 million in cash, 67 million in investments and 209 million in property. In 2019, Unites income from members was 162 million, but it spent just 1.3 million on all disputes (broadly defined) across the UK. Unite officials have more in common with HR executives than with the workers they supposedly represent. General Secretary Len McCluskey earned 99,338 in salary and benefits last year. But McCluskey and other Unite officials have access to additional perks, with the 2019 accounts citing: Executive Committee (Head Office) expenses 338,000, conferences 1.8 million, committees/executive councils 3.1 million, branch and regional costs 169,000, payments to regions and branches 15 million. Len McCluskey, 2016 Labour Party Conference (credit: Wikimedia Commons) Unite held 245 ballots for industrial action in 2019, but just 25 of these resulted in strikes or action short of strikes. Unites role was to suppress industrial action in a pandemic that was killing tens of thousands of workers and with thousands more facing fire and rehire, job destruction and the slashing of conditions. Unite has a strike fund of 40 million yet its officials have told JDE workers there is no way to fight the companys threats. Unite is a strike-breaking organisation that collaborates with the companies and the Johnson government against workers most basic rights and interests. ****** The World Socialist Web Site and the Socialist Equality Party urge workers at JDEs Banbury plant to vote No to the deal agreed between Unite and JDE and elect your own rank-and-file committee to organise a fight-back against the companys fire and rehire agenda. Workers should draw up their own list of demands, including the withdrawal of all attacks on jobs, conditions and wages, appealing to your brothers and sisters across the UK, Europe and internationally who will support your fight. As of Monday the top auto parts manufacturing corporation in North America removed its mask mandates nationwide in the US declaring workers who are vaccinated will no longer be required to wear a mask. Workers who are vaccinated will need to show proof and receive a sticker to go on the back of their ID badges. Workers who spoke to the World Socialist Web Site were skeptical that the requirement for unvaccinated workers to wear a mask would be enforced and denounced the policy. On the contrary, they said, the new directive will provide the company with a pretext to eliminate safety precautions as a huge spike of cases of the highly infectious Delta variant takes hold across the country. Faurecia plant in Saline, Michigan A supporter of the rank-and-file safety committee at the Gladstone plant in Columbus, Indiana, that manufactures exhaust systems for all the major car companies, as well as truck and heavy equipment makers John Deere, Cummins and Volvo, told the World Socialist Web Site, The way the company sees it, masking is taking away from their profit. We in the plant have no way of knowing who has the virus and who doesnt, he said. I have read reports that even vaccinated people can be carriers and give it to others. A process tech at the big Faurecia factory in Saline, Michigan, spoke to the WSWS yesterday. They do not have any sanitation provisions around the plant, she said. In the beginning they had the gap leaders cleaning and sanitizing on breaks, but they have not done that for months. After a week, that sticker will not matter because nothing stays consistent and nothing is followed through, she continued. On top of that we have black particles in the air and covering everything we touch. More than 600,000 Americans have died from COVID-19. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a spike of infections driven by the Delta variant is surging across the United States. The federal agency is now categorizing the US as having high community transmission in which 62 percent of counties are reporting high (43.79 percent) or substantial (18.17 percent) transmission. And the spike is accelerating: just four weeks ago only 8 percent of counties had high transmission. Other workers from Saline were outraged by the conditions that have developed during the pandemic and especially since a rooftop electrical transformer erupted in flames, forcing evacuation of the facility at the end of June. The factory that was formerly operated by Ford Motor Company produces door panels, doors, dashboards and other interior parts for Ford, Tesla and Stellantis and is among the largest such facilities in North America employing roughly 2,000 workers. Mold contamination in base of Faurecia Saline Plant The Saline plant is notorious for its high rate of turnover, replacing roughly half the workforce annually in a process driven by low pay and abusive working conditions. A new hire makes about $14.00 an hour when a process tech at full pay receives $24.00. Thus the revolving door is a deliberate policy to hold down labor costs. Since taking over the operation in 2012, the French-based manufacturer, now ranked eighth among global auto parts producers and first in North America, has conducted a ruthless drive to increase profits for its investors by cutting wages and destroying jobs, health and safety conditions. Last winter when workers discovered that company management was, with the full complicity of the United Auto Workers, concealing the spread of infection and death from COVID-19 among their fellow workers, they formed a rank-and-file committee to fight for safety on an independent basis and link up with workers at other factories through the pages of the World Socialist Web Site. A recent meeting of the committee brought together new photographs and other information about developing conditions at the plant. The latest concern involves porta-potties that have been used by the company in place of restrooms that appear to have been damaged at the time of the fire. A worker reported that the facilities that workers are supposed to use are so filthy and nasty that she must spend an extra 15 to 20 minutes at break times just to find a decent place to go to the bathroom. They are very, very old, she added. Apparently the multibillion-dollar corporation has rented the cheapest replacement it could find and is refusing to provide proper maintenance. The restroom designated to serve the west wing of the plant has been closed. There is no place for you to wash your hands, she continued. And some of them do not have toilet paper. Furthermore, the potties are overflowing, she said. For three days straight they have not been emptied. And to make matters worse, the company placed them in the sun when they could have been put in the shade, and the contents are baking. Faurecia Gladstone A co-worker responded that the site must be rife with disease because they have created perfect conditions for bacteria to grow. Company safety officers, as well as local union officials, have ignored multiple complaints about an acute mold hazard at the main entrance that workers must pass through to enter the plant. Because of company procedures implemented during COVID-19, there is a one way in/one way out system in which all workers must pass through a long basement hallway to have their temperatures checked. When you go through that hallway, the air is really thick from the mold, a co-worker reported. You can definitely smell that heavy odor of mold. He explained that the company could open multiple doors but has refused to do so apparently because of the additional cost of bringing in more people to service them. Two rooms known as a computer lab and old break room in the vicinity of the entrance hall are used by the company for new hires to fill out applications. Both are full of mold on the plumbing pipes, walls and ceilings. The source of the contamination is no secret. Poor ventilation and wet conditions encourage the growth of mold. The factory is notorious for multiple roof leaks. Workers describe storm water pouring down on the factory floor any time it rains. Workers scoffed at the flimsy paper masks that are distributed by the company during the pandemic, comparing them to the hazmat suits and respirators that are required to remediate mold. Under conditions of a spike of COVID-19 infections, the threat of mold contamination is all the more dangerous because like viruses, mold spores are airborne and can produce life-threatening respiratory illness. A co-worker with medical training explained that black mold is terrible. It can cause all kinds of issues, she said, including, cancer, asthma, COPD, virtually any disease that attacks your lungs. Her colleague agreed. They dont care if we get sick and die, he said. They only care about their equipment. The only time they do anything about our conditions is when there is a death in the plant. They do not take safety seriouslyonly profit. The workers agreed that the union had long since gone over to the side of management. A worker who had hired in at the Saline plant more than a decade ago summed up the feelings of many in the meeting when he spoke about his aspirations of getting a well-paid job with good conditions and benefits. You believe in something, he said. And you find out you have been duped, robbed. You cant do anything about it unless you are in a rank-and-file committee like this one. The Fiji government reported a daily record 1,285 cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8 a.m. Monday. That compares to 626 cases and nine deaths in the previous 24-hour period. The seven-day average of new cases has risen to 1,046 per day. A nurse stands outside Tamara Twomey hospital in Suva, Fiji, Friday, June 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Aileen Torres-Bennett) Fifteen deaths, including that of a 102-year-old woman, and 918 cases were reported on Thursday. That followed 1,091 infections and 21 deaths on Wednesday, the sixth of seven days that had topped 1,000 cases, including 1,054 cases and 12 deaths last Tuesday. Fiji has over 18,000 active cases in isolation, with 195 deaths, all but two of them from the outbreak that started in April, and all but three unvaccinated. There have been 24,354 cases recorded during the current outbreak and 24,424 total cases since March 2020. In the whole of last year, just 70 cases had been recorded. Health Secretary James Fong said that while the recent surge was contained to the main island, Viti Levu, primarily in the Lami-Suva-Nausori corridor, the Health Ministry had seen increasing cases in the Western Division over the past week. Tens of thousands of people who live in crowded conditions in informal settlements, in the affected areas, are particularly vulnerable. The latest victims include a pregnant health worker and two other pregnant women. The health worker from Suva presented to a medical facility on July 16 with shortness of breath and chest pain. Her baby was delivered by emergency caesarean section two days later, but her condition worsened and she died five days after admission. The other two pregnant victims had been unwell with COVID-19 symptoms at home, before going to health facilities in severe respiratory distress. Physicians made the decision to conduct emergency caesarean operations, saving both babies. Fong noted that the maternal deaths were a clear indication of the severity of this outbreak. Fijis national seven-day average daily test positivity has hit 22.8 percent and continues on an upward trend. Just three weeks ago it was 7.4 percent. The World Health Organisations benchmark rate, which indicates widespread and uncontrolled community transmission, is 5 percent. A rising positivity rate signals that the virus is spreading faster than the growth seen in confirmed cases. The latest surge in cases has seen the government issue Viti Levu residents with new curfew hours, from 6:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. However, Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama continues to oppose a full lockdown, declaring such a move would cripple the economy and impact jobs. With no change to its pro-business strategy, the government is pursuing a mandatory vaccination campaign. Workers have been told they must be fully vaccinated by November or face losing their jobs. Only those who are vaccinated can obtain the paltry government income support. While 441,171 people, or 75.2 percent of the target population, have received their first dose of vaccine, only 97,268, or 16.6 percent, have received both doses. Auckland University modelling expert, Shaun Hendy, told Radio NZ that a full lockdown would be the logical way to address the crisis. He said whether Fiji had a lockdown or not, New Zealand should be moving faster to get supplies of vaccine to Suva, and offering financial assistance to support the economy. A supply of 500,000 doses of the AstraZeneca and Modena vaccines is due to be sent from NZ, but not until next month. Head of the Pasifika Medical Association (NZ) Debbie Sorensen appealed for more international medical staff, as her Fijian colleagues were exhausted and overworked. Only about 20 medical specialists, from Australia and New Zealand, are currently in Fiji. Describing the situation as grim, Christchurch anaesthetist Wayne Morriss said doctors and nurses in Fiji were working incredibly hard, often seven days a week. The main hospital was effectively closed a month ago to patients other than COVID cases. With ongoing health needs during the pandemic, theres still lots of patients with medical or surgical problems that need treatment, he said. More than 4,000 COVID-positive people have been turned away from hospitals because there are not enough beds. They are being forced to try to recover at home. There are also 87 crew members and passengers who have been placed into isolation on four inter-island ships. TVNZ Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver reported on July 23 that a leaked document from Fijis Ministry of Health showed that health workers who have tested COVID-19 positive, but have exhibited no symptoms, are being ordered to keep working. NZ epidemiologist Michael Baker said he was extremely worried as it was still possible to catch the virus from someone who is asymptomatic. There are many vulnerable people in Fijis health system, he noted. Cellphone footage from Suvas Colonial War Memorial Hospital, released to TVNZ, has highlighted the dire situation. Distressing scenes show patients sharing wards with dead bodies that have been left for hours; people in and around the COVID Care tents unmasked; and only one filthy toilet for all patients. Even the dead wouldnt want to go in there, the woman who did the filming declared. With the highest official daily infection rate per capita in the world, the Fiji government is no longer testing for COVID-19. One way of getting rid of that statistic is to stop testing. What we are seeing is a disintegrating health system, a health system in crisis, and a tragedy unfolding for the people of Fiji, Dreaver observed. The escalating economic, social and health crisis is producing sharp political ruptures within the ruling elite. At least seven opposition politicians were arrested last Sunday, following their criticism of the governments proposed amendment to the iTaukei Land Trust Act 1940, which covers the use of iTaukei (indigenous Fijian) land holdings. The parliament is due to sit this week to debate the land legislation, as well as the 2021/2022 budget. The annual budget, worth $US1.78 billion, relies on loans to make up almost 45 percent of the funds to run the country into 2022. National Federation Party leader Biman Prasad said the budget was designed to quell increasing anti-government sentiment. He called it a bogus budget that was overly optimistic and avoided acknowledging the reality of the COVID crisis, which would require deep cuts to government spending. The fresh arrests highlight the increasingly authoritarian methods of the government, which still rests on the military, following the 2006 coup, led by Bainimarama. The opposition politicians taken into custody include those who have lately criticised the governments failed handling of the COVID-19 crisis. Last week, German Labour Minister Hubertus Heil (Social Democratic Party, SPD) used a meeting with employees of the Gorillas delivery service in Berlin for an outrageous election campaign and press appearance. The Gorillas riders have been on strike and protesting for weeks against disastrous working conditions, which were created in the first place by the Hartz labour laws and the austerity measures under the SPD government of Gerhard Schroder between 2003 and 2005. Gorillias workers protest. Image credit (Gorillas Workers Collective/Twitter) Heil and the SPD are drumming up support for the election of a corporatist works council at Gorillas to keep workers resistance to the extreme exploitation under control and prevent the strikes from spreading. As in other factories, the establishment of a union-dominated works council at Gorillas would not improve workers situation but would contractually enforce their extreme exploitation. The spontaneous strikes and protests that have caused a great stir in recent weeks would be suppressed. Heils visit has further fuelled the works council debate among the Gorillas workers. The fact that the minister and management are in favour of electing a works council has made many strikers even more sceptical about this initiative. Following Heils visit, the World Socialist Web Site conducted the following interview with 29-year-old Rider Josef, who is from Britain and works at Gorillas in Berlin. *** WSWS: How do you see the outcome of the meeting with Labour Minister Heil? Josef: My expectations were low, but I was still disappointed. While we already knew that it would be essentially a press event for him and his election, we considered most of his responses to be worse than useless. We didnt agree to meet a politician to be told to organise better, or to follow the law. These people are the ones who can change the law. Although he didnt give any indication that this is a priority for him, perhaps now that weve met, we can at least call on him to follow through with the little help that he offered. WSWS: How do you judge the fact that Heil first spoke with management without the workers being involved and that he did not report on the content of the talks? Josef: That didnt shock me. Ultimately, elected politicians are in favour of the status quo; of the system that got them to where they are. Its foolish to expect them to take any risks for us. As I get older, I see that politicians have much more in common with the few who own everything than they do with the rest of us. At the end of the meeting, I asked him to film any subsequent meetings with management. My expectations here are also low. WSWS: What do you think of the fact that the Minister of Labour and management are in favour of electing a works council? Josef: Though I dont believe that the managementdespite their bizarre emailsare remotely in favour of the council, I think the ministers interest betrays the severe limitations of it as a tool for real change. As I tried to tell him, between his little speeches, a works council isnt the end of the road, its only one step. For me, the true project is the involvement and empowerment of the entire workforce. If a works council takes us closer to that goal, great, but we must not forget it is merely a means to an end. And we must not forget that the rich and powerful will try to feed us a tiny slice of cake and then tell us that we should be satisfied. WSWS: What do you think about the fact that Heil, as a top SPD politician, was directly involved in the passing of the Hartz laws? In 2003, he was on the executive of the parliamentary group that pushed through the law liberalizing the labour market and creating the conditions for todays slave labour. Josef: Im new to Germany, so this is new territory for me, but it seems like the same story is unfolding everywhere. Politicians such as Heil make all these gestures towards the left while taking decisions that ruin peoples lives. They justify their actions by reference to GDP or unemployment figures as if they indicated anything about human happiness at all. In the UK we have the same hollow politics of gestureour ostensibly left-wing [Labour Party] leader, Keir Starmer, has about as many political convictions as a dead rabbit. I am sorry to see it here too. Yet, somehow, I remain optimistic. *** The Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party, SGP) opposes the formation of a works council and proposes the formation of an independent rank-and-file committee. This would not make appeals to politicians and the trade unions, which are in fact on the other side of the barricades, but would mobilise fellow workers in other service, production, and administrative sectors. It would be oriented towards the growing struggles of the international working class, not to make capitalist exploitation bearable and humanise it, but to abolish it. We call on all Gorillas workers to read and circulate our statement and to discuss this perspective with us. Despite a surge in death rates, amid an uncontrolled outbreak of the Delta variant of COVID-19, the Indonesian government of President Joko Widodo is moving to loosen localised restrictions. Last week, deaths due to COVID-19 broke record highs on four separate days, the heaviest toll being 1,566 on Friday. Daily fatalities were 1,487 on Monday, bringing total deaths in Indonesia, since the pandemic began, to more than 84,000. As the world epicentre of the virus, the death rate remains three times higher than the global average, according to Our World In Data. Workers in protective gear lower a coffin of a COVID-19 victim for burial at the special section of the Pedurenan cemetery designated to accommodate the surge in deaths during the coronavirus outbreak in Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia, Monday, July 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) While it took over a year for Indonesia to reach 2 million infectionsa mark that was registered in early Junea million more were recorded in the past month alone. Due to dire testing levels and very limited contact tracing, the official figures likely understate real infection levels by several orders of magnitude. The positivity rate, a key indicator of the true spread, is just under 30 percent across the country. In Jakarta, the capital city and a major hotspot, it is at 43 percent, meaning that almost half of all tests return positive. World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines state that anything above a five percent positivity rate indicates substantial transmission that is going unrecorded. The surge of the virus is producing a catastrophe. On the hardest hit island of Java, hospitals have functionally collapsed, the Indonesian Medical Association has stated. Hallways are overflowing with patients, spilling out into tents outside. Gravediggers are working around the clock, and coffin makers are struggling to keep up with the demand. According to Edhie Rahmat, executive director for Indonesia at the nonprofit healthcare group Project HOPE, about two-thirds of adult patients are being forced to self-isolate at home, increasing the chance that other community and family members will be infected. This has led to the highest infection rate for children in the world, making up 1 in every 8 cases. The Indonesian Pediatric Society reports that more than 700 children have died from the virus, half of them under the age of five. As the government scrambles to fast-track its inoculation program, with only 7 percent of the adult population fully vaccinated, the country has lost ground in vaccinating for other diseases, such as measles and polo. Al Jazeera reported that thousands of puskesmas, or common vaccination centres, on Java had been converted into isolation wards and temporary morgues. This comes on the back of reports, by the World WHO and UNICEF, that last year, 800,000 Indonesian children missed out on routine vaccinations, a jump of 40 percent compared to 2019. It is true that there was a drop in routine immunisation for kids from March to December last year, because kids dont go to school, public places and hospitals, so the coverage was low, Dr. Siska Sinardja, a spokeswoman for the Indonesian Pediatrician Association, told Al Jazeera. The effect of the delay on the immunisation of children will be an increase in infectious diseases. But no data is available on this yet, because the COVID rate is still increasing and all the focus is on fighting COVID in Indonesia. In the midst of this unprecedented medical disaster, President Widodo announced the easing of localised restrictions on Sunday, despite a clamour of warnings from health experts. With our hard work together, God willing, we can soon be free from COVID, and the socio-economic activities of the community can return to normal, Widodo insisted. Under the new guidelines, restaurants, small businesses, offices and even select shopping malls have been allowed to reopen, as well as parks and mosques. These measures are being applied to the hardest hit islands of Java and holiday-island Bali, even in the worst affected areas. The limited restrictions in place have only been extended for a week, until August 2, when there may be a further lifting of safety measures. The government is seizing on a sudden drop in the number of daily cases, to press ahead with a reopening, based on the profit interests of big business. According to government figures, infections dropped from their daily highs of 50,000 late last week, to 28,228 on Monday. At the same time however, testing has reportedly decreased, making it impossible to tell if transmission is actually decreasing. The government has generally fallen far short of its stated target of 400,000 tests a day, with a daily low of 115,000 last week. Senior minister Luhut Pandjaitan, said the government factored the sociological condition of the people into its decision to wind back the already inadequate safety measures. This was a cynical reference to the social crisis facing millions of people, who have been given the alternative of starving at home or risking infection and death by continuing to work. Lifting restrictions will bring more infections and deaths, Indonesian epidemiologist Dicky Budiman told Agence France Presse on the weekend. Restrictions must be in place for a minimum of four weeks and [the government] needs to increase testing, tracing and treatment to have maximum results. Otherwise, its just the same as having no restrictions. Alexander Raymond Arifianto, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, stated: The government has never taken this pandemic seriously from the beginning. The voice of the actual experts in how to best handle the pandemic is simply not being heard. With a population of over 270 million people, the removal of minimal restrictions in place threatens an even-greater catastrophe than has already occurred, including that COVID-19 becomes widely transmitted on islands of the archipelago, where transmission has been low. Virologists are also warning of the potential for new variants to emerge, something that has previously occurred when the virus has been allowed to run rampant in countries with large populations. All I can say is that when you give an RNA virus like this the opportunity to run wild, it will accumulate random mutations more frequently, and the chances of a new variant will increase, said Indian virologist Shahid Jameel in an interview with Al Jazeera. They should learn from Indias experience, he said, referring to the emergence of the Delta variant, which ravaged that country and has driven the humanitarian catastrophe in Indonesia. Among those lessons, Jameel said, was the need for a very quick surge in hospital capacity and oxygen availability. Because unfortunately, the worst is yet to come for the region. Dr. Robert Bollinger, a professor of infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, warned that COVID-19 has the potential to mutate into a new variant every time it infects a new person. So the risk of new variants is highest in communities and countries with the highest number of new cases, which includes Indonesia. One Brooklyn Health (OBH), a state-backed health care system, ended inpatient care at its Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center at the end of June. The decision, which had been temporarily delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has resulted in the loss of about 200 hospital beds in East Flatbush, a Brooklyn neighborhood populated largely by working-class African Americans and Caribbean immigrants. Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center (Wikimedia Commons) The conversion of Kingsbrook, a 303-bed hospital, into a medical village proceeded despite protests from local residents and Kingsbrook staff alike. One Brooklyn Health claims that overall hospital beds and jobs did not decline due to the consolidation, with beds and staff transferred to its facilities at Interfaith Medical Center and Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center. These assurances notwithstanding, the end of inpatient care at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center is part of a broader wave of consolidations and closures at hospitals in New York Citys working-class outer boroughs. Prior cuts left these areas even less prepared for the pandemic, contributing to the disproportionate deaths of poor New Yorkers during the first phase of the pandemic in spring of 2020, during which New York City was the global epicenter. Moreover, with cases once again rising across New York City and with Brooklyn undervaccinated compared to the state average, New York City hospitals may once again be pushed beyond capacity in the coming months, making the shuttering of 200 hospital beds irrational at best and homicidal at worst. Workers and patients at smaller hospitals like Kingsbrook, lacking the resources of the hospitals in the New York-Presbyterian and New York University Langone Health systems, have suffered greatly from the pandemic. The New York Times found that there were staggering patient-to-staff ratios during the early stages of the pandemic at Kingsbrook and other under-resourced hospitals. Ratios in emergency rooms hit 23 to 1 at Queens Hospital Center and 15 to 1 at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, both public hospitals, and 20 to 1 at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, an independent facility in Brooklyn, whereas the recommended maximum is four patients per nurse. While wealthier hospitals did see spikes in patient-to-nurse ratios, they were not as extreme. The conditions at Kingsbrook resulted in health care workers dying, with five workers dying just by April 2020, according to a tally collected by the workers themselves. Kingsbrook has been regarded as a safety-net hospital, primarily treating patients on Medicaid or Medicare rather than private insurance. Because Medicaid pays only about 73 percent for care provided, and Medicare pays less than provided by private insurance, most hospitals rely on a payer mix to prevent losses. However, safety-net hospitals do not have enough patients on private insurance to remain afloat. The result is continual losses, made up for by cuts to staff and periodic infusions from the New York state budget. The plan submitted to the New York Department of Healths Public Health and Health Planning Council by One Brooklyn Health makes clear that the consolidation will likely result in worse care for Brooklyn residents on public health insurance, especially those who currently rely on Kingsbrook, with the aim to capture more Brooklynites with commercial insurance, who typically go to better-resourced hospitals elsewhere in the borough or in Manhattan. The proposal notes: The three OBHS [One Brooklyn Health System] hospitals account for only 16.8% of total hospital discharges from residents in their service area, and studies have noted that this high degree of outmigration to other Brooklyn hospitals as well as to Manhattan hospitals, represents an opportunity for OBHS to recapture patients. Outmigration is particularly common for high acuity services that command higher reimbursement than more routine services. Outmigration is most prevalent for commercially insured patients, with 72% leaving the service area for inpatient care. The plan to convert Kingsbrook into a medical village offering a mix of services is clearly meant to capture some of this outmigration, although the proposal does not foresee an immediate material shift in payor mix or the underlying demographics of its market area in the first three years post-merger. As for those who currently go to Kingsbrook for medical services, the plan says that it is assumed that approximately one third of the utilization will be retained at IMC [Interfaith Medical Center] and/or Brookdale, while the other utilization will either be captured by other area hospitals or will not materialize. The validity and consequences of this assumption will unfortunately be played out in the health and welfare of working-class Brooklynites over the coming months and years. One Health Brooklyns President and CEO LaRay Brown told Gothamist that converting Kingsbrook will help the systems budget, [b]ut I do not believe we will be fully financially independent or viable, given where we are in terms of our location and who we serve in terms of the payer mix. In other words, further cuts may be necessary. This entire process has been supported by the Democratic Party, which controls both New York City and the state government. Governor Andrew Cuomo directed $700 million to One Brooklyn Health upon its formation in 2018 as part of his Vital Brooklyn initiative. Cuomo combined this with cuts to Medicaid in the state budget and presided over the loss of thousands of hospital beds across the state in advance of the pandemic. State legislators from the area have denounced protests against the closure as havoc and fear-mongering as a result of bad information, in the words of Democratic Assemblywoman Diana Richardson. While the unions have largely supported the consolidation efforts, Kingsbrook workers have opposed the measures. Dr. Subhash Malhotra, at Kingsbrook since the 1980s, told Gothamist, The area is going to suffer a whole lot. When the patient is acutely ill, and they require inpatient hospitalization and care, you cannot provide them with the outpatient clinic. Additionally, some residents and workers have formed a Kingsbrook Community Action Committee to oppose the closure. The group has published information about the closure and organized protests under the slogan Beds not body bags. However, the groups perspective provides no way forward and in fact detracts from the fight for high-quality health care. The group has addressed letters to Cuomo and organized protests with local Democratic politicians to oppose what they call the racist closure of Kingsbrook, because it will impact the majority-black area residents. In reality, the provision of adequate health care is fundamentally a class question, made clear by the impact of the pandemic disproportionately on working-class people internationally, as well as hospital closures throughout the US, including in majority-white areas, during the pandemic. Meanwhile, the wealthy of all races continue to receive the best treatment. The only way forward to provide decent health care to alland to end the pandemicis through the unity of the working class. The Socialist Equality Party, the World Socialist Web Site, and the WSWS Health Care Workers Newsletter oppose such divisive racialist analyses and fight to unify workers on a class basis against the Democrats and Republicans and the capitalist system they defend. Approximately fifty people crowded the sidewalks outside a Milford, Ohio, Kroger store Saturday to protest the death of Evan Seyfried, a 40-year-old dairy supervisor. Family and coworkers assert that Seyfried committed suicide after facing harassment by the store's manager. The Evan Seyfried Memorialcomprised of Evans family, friends, former coworkers, and Kroger customers, among othersdemanded justice for Evan as passing motorists honked their support, raised their fists in solidarity, and chanted slogans along with the protesters. Participants at the Evan Seyfried memorial (Source: WSWS Media) Justice for Evan was the overriding theme of the event, a theme which also gives name to a Facebook group and Twitter hashtag by Seyfried's friends and family, who are intent on spreading the word about what was done to Evan and what is still being done to current Milford Kroger employees who are also harassed daily. Former employees, with alarming first-person accounts, were well-represented at the gathering. The tone was a mixture of somber reflection, celebration of the gentle, loving person Evan was, and angry demands that guilty individuals face legal consequences for their deplorable actions. Likewise, many in attendance voiced their outrage at The Kroger Company as a whole for not only allowing this to happen but also for fostering a toxic work environment that encourages such behavior; anger at the United Food and Commercial Workers union for sitting on grievances from Evan and a number of other employees; and disappointment at the media whose coverage of the event has been scant. Seyfrieds father, Kenneth Seyfried, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit filed against The Kroger Company detailing the harassment that started in October of 2020 when Evan opted to wear a mask during his shifts, to the outrage of store's right-wing manager, Shannon Frazee. Frazee began a campaign dedicated to ousting Evan while proclaiming her intention to make Evans life a living hell, says Kenneth Seyfrieds attorney, Austin LiPuma. According to the lawsuit, Frazees comprehensive harassment took many forms, ranging from mocking him in front of coworkers for wearing a mask to protect himself, coworkers, and customers from the spread of COVID-19, and in-store activity intent on blemishing Seyfrieds work record to pave the way for his termination, up to and including, according to the lawsuit, sexual harassment, having people follow him home from work and park for long periods outside his house, and the texting of child pornography to his phone. In short, the suit alleges Frazee attempted to torture Seyfried and create cause, whenever and however she could, to summarily terminate his employment. Courtney, a former coworker (Source: WSWS Media) Former dairy coworker Courtney Cullum called him an absolute sweetheart, who bent over backwards to help people. Cullum, who was pregnant at the time, recalls working alongside Evan to dig [her] trucks out because nobody else would help. Trevor, another Kroger coworker, remembers Evan as a really good, humble, down-to-earth person, and a dedicated and hardworking employee. He would stay extra hours if he needed to, says Trevor. He would come in for extra hours if he needed to. I mean, he did everything for Shannon [Frazee]. Trevor, a former coworker (Source: WSWS Media) Lindsay Phaneuf, Seyfrieds former girlfriend and coworker at the Anderson Township Kroger store before he transferred to Milford, said, He was a kind, caring and helpful person who enjoyed his job. An outpouring of emotion from many other friends and loved ones paints a similar picture of kindness and dedication. One cousin said of Evan, [H]e was just a gentle soul, really, in many ways, and he always had a smile on his face He was just a really happy guy He kind of would be the last one you think would be treated that way, and he would have an end like he had. Amy, Evan's girlfriend (Source: WSWS Media) Amy, Seyfrieds girlfriend, said, He was the sweetest guy Ive ever met. He was my best friendmy soul mate. I knew that it was a bad situation there, but I did not realize how bad until I read the court filings. And, I just feel horrible that there I feel like I should have known more going on, but I didnt. Seyfrieds aunt says, He was a good son to his parents. My brother tells me he did everything for them. He visited them often. Hayley Wardlaw, Seyfrieds ex-sister-in-law, says Seyfried was a good person who was excited to go into the Kroger management program. Paul, Evans neighbor (Source: WSWS Media) Linda, a Seyfried family friend, called Seyfried a good, kindhearted person, and former neighbor Paul Denu said Evan was a very gentle, kind person that would never cause any problem. Evan's uncle, Joe Seyfried, said of his nephew, I never heard a negative thing about him. Very easygoing, agreeable, hard-working. He did well at Kroger, the time he was there. Things didnt start to deteriorate until he got here [at the Milford location]. The reason he landed here was, he was accommodating another employee That person had problems at home and wanted to be closer to home, so he [Evan] switched with him. Thats just the type of person he was. Joe Seyfried, Evan's uncle (Source: WSWS Media) Phaneuf added, I worked with Evan for seven years, and he was always really happy at the Anderson Township KrogerEvan was never bullied until he moved to Milford. Trevor a former worker at the store, described the abuse Frazee meted out on employees, saying she would visit different departments and talk crap about Dairy, Evan She talked bad about everybody. Shed go to each department shed act like your best friend, and then she would just talk smack to the next person about you. She targets people just for anything and everything, Cullum said. Pretty much if youre not the type of person she wants in her store she will get you out. She targeted me when I was pregnant because I was struggling She sabotages people; thats just how she is. Former Kroger employee Carl Fortner, falsely accused of taking an unauthorized break, recalls one day in particular during which Frazee was on a mission to dispense with whomever she could. Fortner says: They were about to pay us for [the supplemental 'hero' pay], and the district manager came in here and told Shannon, Somebodys got to go today. So, youve got to go around here and see whos doing something wrong and get rid of them Everybody word got around the whole building. A girl came outside and said, Hey, Carl, youve got to be careful because theyre firing people. So, then I go in there [gestures toward store] and Im talking to them, and they tell me, Okay, were going to suspend you till further investigation. Five days later, Ellen Jackson, a Milford Kroger and 27-year Kroger veteran and Fortners mother-in-law, was fired on the flimsiest of pretexts. Fortner says, My mother-in-law comes through the door and said, Hey, they fired me. I said, Fired you for what? She said, I didnt put the meat temperature on the paperwork, and, Carl, I do this every day; I know what Im doing. Jackson suffered months of depression, Fortner said, during which she seldom left her bedroom. Joe Pigg, an assistant manager and Frazee's alleged accomplice according to the lawsuit, has also been accused of, among other things, bullying, and sexually harassing young, female employees. Fortner says: I saw a lot of abuse to the young girls. I mean, they would mess with them. Like, one girl I know named Katie She ran out of the store because they were bullying her They just kept pressing her. Like, she was doing work, but they kept, like, getting on her nerves because she was talking to the other young girls who had made something against Joe [Pigg]. At that time, I didnt know Joe was really, like, pressing the girls and talking to them the way he was doing, but there was a lot of little young girls who used to hang around him and thought he was cool. So, me, I come to work every day, and I see them in the cafeteria, and I see the total difference of them because they dont want to be around him. So, what Katie did, Katie got with the two girls who were really against Joe and helped them sign a grievance to the union. And, once she did that, then they were ready to get her out of the way. Seyfried himself attempted to aid two employees who said they had been sexually harassed by Pigg, escorting them to the union representative for the purpose of filing a grievance. Pigg was not punished but was transferred from the store, only to be transferred back to the Milford store two weeks later as security manager. Media coverage of the Evan's case, said several in attendance at the memorial, has been insufficient. Regarding the coverage, Evans uncle Joe Seyfried is disappointed as hell, but isnt surprised. Kroger, he says, is a big advertiser, especially on WLWT. Similar sentiments are expressed by Kim, a Kroger customer and Memorial attendee. Were the stations to publicize the incident, she says, Kroger would take away their add revenue. Kim vows neve to shop at Kroger again. The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), likewise, supposedly representing Kroger workers, has remained as silent after Evans death as it was during his prolonged harassment. Seyfried reported Frazee and Piggs behavior, to no avail. The union also failed to take prompt action when complaints were made by a coworker on Seyfrieds behalf. The UFCW has also failed other Kroger employees. Fortner, for example, paid dues regularly for many months and was never given a union card. During his preposterous dismissal, union reps treated Fortner as if filing the grievance was an imposition. Seyfried himself said he feared the union was working with Kroger. Significantly, the UFCW did not send any representatives to the memorial. The UFCW has been working to keep Kroger workers in Arkansas, West Virginia and elsewhere and other workers in the food industry on the job during the pandemic. This has taken a particularly grotesque form in the meatpacking industry, where the UFCW collaborated with management at a Tyson plant in Waterloo to implement a perfect attendance bonus during the initial surge of the pandemic, even as managers were taking bets on how many workers would become infected. More than 1,000 workers at the facility became sick with COVID-19, and five have died. This points to the need for workers to take their own initiative by forming rank-and-file safety committees, independent of the unions, to prevent tragic deaths such as Seyfried's from happening again. In the wake of the reopening of economies and public institutions the world over, the COVID- 19 pandemic continues to cross national borders, continually driving the spread of new and more virulent strains of the disease. With more than 194 million people having been infected worldwide, the most vulnerable populations include children and adolescents. According to the organization Long COVID Kids, over 40 children a day in the UK are being hospitalized with COVID-19, as the Delta variant has come to dominate. There has been a huge surge in the number of children becoming infected. New data shows that a growing number of children who have tested positive for the disease have gone on to develop Long COVID, with symptoms lasting beyond 12 weeks. So far, in the UK alone, 33,000 children ages 216 and 71,000 young people ages 1724 are suffering from Long COVID. Dr. Deepti Gurdasani, an epidemiologist and senior lecturer for Queen Mary University of London, recently wrote an article on the Long COVID Kids site, pointing to two studies: the Office for National Statistics (ONS) data study and the REACT-1 (Real-time Assessment for Community Transmission) data study for the evidence of Long COVID in children and young adults. He states that anywhere between 10 percent and 50 percent of those infected with coronavirus suffer from Long COVID symptoms. FILE - In this May 13, 2021, file photo, Julian Boyce, 14, gets a hug from his mother, Satrina Boyce, after he received his first Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination dose at NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File) The ONS study found that 13.7 percent of participants continued to experience symptoms past 12 weeks after initial infection. And of 400,000 who reported suffering from Long COVID, 9,000 are children. Gurdasani notes that for many children, their symptoms are not mild, but affect their lives in profound ways. Many of the children have not been able to return to some of their favorite activities. In the UK, the estimate is between one in seven or eight children have contracted COVID, or over 1 million children, and childrens hospitals are beginning to fill up quickly. In addition to new cases, some children who have been living with Long COVID have been readmitted to hospitals due to relapses in their health. Three children featured on the Long COVID Kids site had to be admitted after serious relapses in their health, including the daughter of the founder, who contracted Long COVID after having tested positive for COVID-19 in March 2020. In many of these instances, doctors cannot explain the reasons for the relapse and many of the tests ordered by doctors come back negative. In Indonesia, more than 100 children a week have died from COVID 19, the majority of whom were younger than five years of age, discrediting the myth that COVID-19 is of little consequence to young children. According to the New York Times, this represents a mortality rate for children much higher than any other country, and an infection rate for children of 12.5 percent. In southeast Asia, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Vietnam have also seen a record number of coronavirus cases and deaths among children. India experienced a similar increase in cases of COVID-19 in children in May and June, as the coronavirus overran the country. One newborn tested positive for COVID-19 only 12 hours after birth, even though the mother had recovered from the disease prior to giving birth. Additionally, more than 2,000 children so far have developed MIS-C (Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome), a condition characterized by significant levels of inflammation in the major organs, including the heart, lungs, and brain, which can be life-threatening for some children. MIS-C is a complication resulting anywhere between two to six weeks after initial COVID-19 infection or contact with a person who had COVID-19. The vast majority of children who develop MIS-C are asymptomatic, or experience mild symptoms. In the United States alone, over 4 million children have contracted the virus, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, representing 14.1 percent of all cases nationwide at the time the study was conducted. Not only is this likely an undercount, but states differ wildly in how they choose to report new COVID-19 infections, further obscuring the situation. Meanwhile, several states are recording increases in the number of COVID-19 cases they are seeing in children. Florida has seen an 87 percent rise in cases over the past week in children under 12. Hawaii has seen 188 cases of COVID-19 in kids 18 and younger, and in Alabama there have been 22 hospitalizations. While countries are busy blurring statistics and throwing open businesses and schools, sending parents back to work in an effort to revive the economy, their children are being rushed back into crowded classrooms, becoming vectors for the continued spread of the disease, either among themselves or transmitting it back into their homes. Dr. Niraj Patel, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease and Immunology at Levine Childrens Hospital, in Charlotte, North Carolina, and chair of the American College of Allergy Asthma and Immunology COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, told healthline.com on Thursday that in the United States there have been 4,087,916 cases of COVID-19 in children and a total of 10,628 deaths. Patel also noted that the number of cases of pediatric COVID-19 is rising. Given the fact that between 10-15 percent of all children who contract the virus suffer from Long COVID, this also means that anywhere between 408,000 to 613,000 children are likely suffering from Long COVID in the US alone. Adding further dimension to this global tragedy, a study last week in The Lancet reported that 1.5 million children worldwide have lost a parent, grandparent or caregiver due to COVID-19. The numbers are astonishing and criminal, given the fact that the lie has been perpetuated by the ruling classes throughout the world that children are not affected by COVID-19. Across the globe the number of children suffering Long COVID is in the millions. The long-term implications to the developing bodies and minds of an entire generation of youth remain unknown, but what is clear is that all the resources, science and technology exist to halt the virus. This can only be accomplished on the basis of a fight by the working class throughout the world for a socialist reorganization of society. James Stanback, a 19-year-old Menards worker, was killed at the Golden Valley Menards store in the morning of July 22 when a pallet of lumber in the stores outdoor lumber area fell on the forklift he was driving. According to the Hennepin County Medical Examiners office, Stanbacks death was due to mechanical asphyxia, meaning that he suffocated after being crushed under the weight of the pallet. Menards (Image credit: Flickr/Mike Kalasnik) Stanback had worked at the Menards store in St. Louis Park, a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota, for less than two months before he was killed in the forklift accident. The family is demanding answers about the circumstances under which he died, including what training he had before operating the forklift. He was the most kind-hearted young man that you would ever meet, his sister, Mystaya Stanback, told CBS4 Minnesota. I cant believe Im talking about him in the past tense. What happened at Menards was a tragedy. [Theres] a lot of questions. James Stanbacks death has left his family in a precarious financial position. As a short bio reported by CBS4 explained, Stanbacks father died in 2016, which left their working-class family without a significant source of income. After he graduated from Patrick Henry High School in north Minneapolis, Stanback was determined to help support the family financially and eventually go to college. Stanback family at press conference (Facebook) Thus far, there are no reports that Menards has offered any financial help to the grieving family. Mastaya Stanback has organized a GoFundMe page to assist with funeral costs. His mother, Meghan Klein, writes on the page, July 22, 2021 at 12 p.m., I got the worst news any mother can receive! My son left for work this morning, his shift started at 8 a.m. He got up everyday gracefully to go to work. My son had a tragic accident at work working the forklift at 10 a.m. I didnt get no call from Menards regarding my [sons] accident. Isnt that what [an] emergency contact [is] for? My son was dead for two hours before I got the news of his death. My son was 19-years-old, he was an exceptional young man, he prided his self on being great and wanted to live life the right way. His sister explained to CBS4 why her brother took the job at Menards. Thats what he chose to do, to help support my mom, to establish good credit, so that he can be in a position to eventually buy my mom a house. That was his goal in life. Go to college and take care of my mom and my little brother James was a hard worker, a compassionate young man, who only wanted better for his family. A video posted to Facebook by Rob G. of Watchdog Vizual, an independent photojournalist, captured a memorial and protest for Stanback held outside of the Menards where he was killed just one day earlier. Store management kept the store open even after he had died, as if nothing had happened. James Stanback class of 2020 (Facebook) A diverse group of working-class people, friends, family and coworkers of James, gathered to raise awareness about the unsafe conditions under which he and his coworkers worked every day and to try to persuade workers to come out of the store to join in solidarity. At the protest, family members gave moving testimony about the conditions under which James Stanback was killed, pointing to a deliberate cover-up of the truth by the company. Mystaya Stanback explained the carelessness with which Menards reacted to the death of her brother. He started his shift at eight [oclock a.m.], he died at ten. My mom didnt get informed until two [hours later] If [Menards] was trying to save him for hours, where was the medical help? Why wasnt he in the hospital? [They] still had the store open, just closed the back of the lumberyard. What sense does that make? According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Minnesota Occupational Health and Safety Administration [OSHA] began investigating the death on Friday, one day after Stanback was killed. There is no set timeframe for the investigation, according to OSHA spokesman James Honerman. Investigating the deaths of workers and holding corporations responsible are not the priority of the agency, but the protection of businesses from liability. It is likely that the investigation will result in no more than minimal fines, if any, against Menards, which the company can then challenge and quite possibly reverse. The company is a repeat offender in Minnesota. In 2017, a similar death occurred at the Burnsville Menards in which a worker was pinned to the road by a pallet of lumber pieces that fell when he turned a forklift he was driving, according to OSHA. Menards was fined only $25,000 by OSHA for the life of that worker, the minimum fine for citations connected to the death of a worker. James brother explained at the protest that improper training could have played a role in his death. You have to understand that he might have been a certified forklift driver, but that doesnt mean that he was properly trained. Not only was he not properly trained, but the machine that he was using could not properly support the weight of the object that he was lifting on his stand. He was crushed. The forklift should have something overhead so that when something fell it should have been able to protect my brother. Not only was Menards in the wrong, but whoever [made] that machine was in the wrong too because that machine should have saved my brothers life when that [pallet] came crashing down and crushed my brother. OSHA hasnt been here in five years, people have died before [from] this, and we shouldnt be having this happening. Menards sent uniformed security officers to the parking lot where the protest was taking place to prevent the protest from growing. The security detail reportedly kept customers from coming near the protest and locked the family out of the store. A video clip of the interview with the family on Facebook drew almost 100 comments, overwhelmingly in support of the protest. Several of those commenting were appalled that the store was still open after a worker died. One wrote: People over profitthis store should be boycotted. Though small in number, the protest that took place outside the store is highly significant. It is part of a growing wave of working-class protests and strikes across the US and the world that has come amid a deepening chasm of social inequality accelerated by the global pandemic. While a handful of billionaires have seen their wealth reach incredible heights, workers face falling wages, rising prices and increasing dangers on the job. These conditions have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed countless workers in the name of keeping profits flowing to Wall Street during a deadly pandemic. The crisis, intensified by the pandemic, has left millions of workers unemployed or forced to take pay cuts and more precarious jobs in order to make ends meet. An increasing number of young workers are left to take on the responsibility of providing for their families in dangerous, low-paying work after their parents have lost jobs or their lives over the past one-and-a-half years. The comments made by James Stanbacks brother reflect the growing class consciousness of broad sections of the working class, particularly the youth, of these conditions. At the end of the day, it [should be] people over profit. Just because you go in there every day and work for them, doesnt mean that they respect you they should have at least shut it down, called [his] parents and let them know whats going on. The truth about the conditions surrounding the death of Stanback must be made known in order to protect other workers from a similar fate. The conditions of speedup and increasing workloads, the result of the corporations deliberate policy to cut staffing levels and demand more and more production to feed their hunger for profits, affects all workers in all industries across the globe. An independent investigation into the death of James Stanback must be demanded by Menards workers, organized independently of OSHA and the trade unions. Such independent action has the potential to gain broad support from wide sections of the working class, which are coming into struggle against similar conditions. The shocking July 5 death of Stan Swamy, an 84-year-old tribal rights activist and Jesuit priest, after 9 months of cruel imprisonment has sparked widespread condemnation of the Narendra Modi government and Indias police, penal authorities and courts, both in India and internationally. The Indian state is undeniably responsible for Swamys death. He succumbed to complications after contracting COVID-19 while in prison awaiting trial on frame-up terrorism charges. He is yet another victim of the vicious police-state measures now firmly institutionalized by Modi, his chief henchman, Home Minister Amit Shah, and the Hindu supremacist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. Stan Swamy in 2010 (Wikimedia Commons) Swamy was arrested and thrown in jail by Indias notorious National Investigation Agency (NIA) last October under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). His arrest was based on a 10,000-page NIA charge-sheet that accused him of conspiring to bring together Dalit and Muslim forces to create an armed militia to take on what Swamy supposedly referred to as the fascist government. Swamy was also alleged to have instigated violence on January 1, 2018, at the annual Elgar Parishad event, a Dalit celebration-rally in Koregaon, Maharashtra. During its six years in office, the Modi government has used the UAPA to victimize thousands of its opponents, including left-wing student activists, lawyers, playwrights, poets, and journalists. Muslims, particularly in disputed Jammu and Kashmir, have been especially targeted. Persons charged under the UAPA or under the Modi governments other preferred legal bludgeon, sedition, can be made to rot in prison indefinitely without bail awaiting a court trial that due to Indias clogged, bureaucratic judicial procedures might come only a decade or more after their arrest. The courts cruelly denied Swamy temporary release from prison to seek medical treatment although he was in very poor and rapidly declining health. Ultimately, he died in a private hospital in Mumbai from cardiac arrest, a direct result of his having contracted COVID-19. The special NIA court which oversees and adjudicates cases filed by the NIA twice denied his request for release for medical treatment. In an act of extreme cruelty, it even refused to order prison authorities to immediately supply Swamy, who could not raise a cup since his hands shook uncontrollably due to Parkinsons disease, with a straw-equipped cup with which to drink fluids. The sixteen activists, writers and intellectuals caught up in the Indias Elgar Parishad frame-up case. From left to right, beginning with the top-most row: Surendra Gadling (lawyer and Dalit rights activist), Nagpur University Professor Shoma Sen, Mahesh Raut (rural activist), Rona Wilson (anti-UAPA campaigner). Second row: Sudhir Dhawale (Dalit activist), Sudha Bharadwaj (lawyer), Vernon Gonsalves (trade unionist and Dalit activist), Arun Ferreira (human rights lawyer). Third row: Varavara Rao (poet), Dr. Anand Teltumbde (journalist), Gautam Navlakha (journalist), Delhi University Professor Hany Babu. Bottom row: Artists Sagar Gorkhe and Ramesh Gaichor, Jyoti Jagtap of Kabir Kala Manch, deceased Jesuit Priest Stan Swamy. (Photo: Free Them All) The rejection of Swamys two petitions to the NIA court for temporary release played out over five months. Subsequently, his lawyers were able to initiate proceedings before the Bombay High Court. It too was in no hurry to act and dragged its feet for over a month before finally on May 28 granting him a measly two weeks for medical treatment. The High Court also ruled that Swamy bear the full cost of his medical care. This despite the fact that the state imprisoning him in an overcrowded prison was why he contracted COVID-19 in the first place. As soon as Swamy was shifted to a hospital, he was diagnosed as having COVID-19. As his condition worsened, the Bombay High Court kept extending his bail by two weeks with his third extension granted until July 5, the day Swamy died. The claim that Swamy was in any way responsible for the violence that ensued on January 1, 2018, during the 200th anniversary of Elgar Parishad was entirely cooked up. This yearly event commemorates the gallantry that several hundred Dalit soldiers enrolled in the British colonial army displayed in a battle against the much larger force fielded by the upper caste Peshwa-ruled kingdom, now a part of the state of Maharashtra. This defeat has come to be celebrated by sections of Maharashtras historically oppressed Dalit population as a fitting humiliation of the Brahmin Peshwas who were notorious for their ill treatment of Dalits. Swamy, however, had absolutely nothing to do with this event, let alone the violence that ensued. Living hundreds of miles away, he neither participated nor had any hand in organizing it. As for the violence, it was incited by two Hindu-communalist leaders who exhorted a mob of their followers to attack the gathering, which had tens of thousands of Dalit participants. The latter fought back. The two masterminds of the Elgar Parishad attack continue to run around scot-free, because they enjoy the protection of the Modi government. One of them, Sambhaji Bhide, a prominent Hindu supremacist leader, has been personally praised by Modi. Instead of arresting the true culprits, the police and NIA, in what is becoming an all too familiar pattern, have sought to pin the blame on 16 prominent pro-Dalit anti-Hindutva activists, including the now dead Stan Swamy. All 16 have been charged under the UAPA and accused of being what the government and police term urban Naxals, that is clandestine urban supporters of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), which for decades has been waging a guerrilla insurgency in some of Indias most remote jungle regions. The NIA has claimed proof that they are Maoists was found in the form of documents and letters on computers they seized from the activists. The accused have vehemently denied any knowledge of these documents and, from the outset, suspicion among all but government and police partisans has been that they were deliberately planted. In February of this year, the Washington Post reported that a forensic analysis performed on the computer belonging to one of 16 arrested activists, Rona Wilson, by US-based Arsenal Computing, has shown that the documents were indeed planted. This was done by an unknown, well-financed hacker using malicious software (Malware). The incriminating documents, which were injected over a span of two years, were never opened by Rona Wilson since he was not even aware of their existence on his computer. They resided in a hidden folder the malware had created to copy the documents into. Arsenal Computing in its report notes that this is one of the most serious cases involving evidence tampering that Arsenal has ever encountered. The NIA, no doubt egged on by Home Minster Shah and his cronies behind the scenes, has persisted in its now years-long vendetta over the Elgar Parishad affair. Last September 30th, it ordered Swamy to show up at its Mumbai offices within five days, although this would require he travel 1800 km from his home in Ranchi, the state capital of Jharkhand. Prior to this, police had grilled Swamy in July 2020 for about 15 hours over 5 days. The NIA claimed that it was summoning Swamy to Mumbai for interrogation about his role in the violence at the January 1, 2018 event. The tribal rights activist and priest refused, pointing out that to travel such a long distance during a raging pandemic would put his life at risk. The police agency would not relent and sent a team to forcibly arrest Swamy and transport him to Mumbai. However, having brought him there, instead of interrogating him about the Elgar Parishad event, the agency dragged him before the NIA kangaroo court charging that he had links to the banned Maoists. The NIA court promptly ordered his imprisonment in Taloja Central Jail. Swamy was targeted for his pro-tribal activism in the state of Jharkhand where tens thousands of tribals have been dispossessed of their lands due to mining activities by state and private corporations, and thousands of tribal youth have been thrown in prison for opposing the mining projects on their traditional lands. Swamy in a video states that he became a thorn in the side of the national and state governments after he formed the Persecuted Prisoners Solidarity Committee (PPSC) along with the labour lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj, one of the fifteen others targeted in that Elgar Parishad frame-up. They challenged the imprisonment of around 3,000 tribal youth by filing a case on their behalf in Jharkhand High court. In response to a question in the Indian parliament, the Modi government revealed in February that as many as 1,948 persons were arrested under the UAPA just in 2019. Between the years 2015 and 2018, over 4,000 were incarcerated. Indias Supreme Court has played a particularly foul role in giving a free hand to the NIA to carry out its Gestapo-style activities. It has struck down lower court rulings granting bail to those accused under the UAPA. A particularly egregious case involves two Muslim men, Mohammed Ilyas and Mohammed Irfan, who were arrested in 2012 under the UAPA on the basis of the most shoddy evidence. In 2019, the Bombay High Court granted Ifran bail, after observing that there was no prima facie evidence that the grave charges against him were true. But when the NIA appealed to Indias highest court, arguing that his release may [affect] the security of the nation, the Supreme Court dutifully stayed Irfans bail and he was back in prison just four months after his release. Subsequently, the NIA special court, notorious for conniving with the prosecution, had to exonerate both men. But by that point, because they were arrested under the draconian provisions of the UAPA, they had spent nine years in prison. In July 2019, the Modi government rammed through parliament an amendment to the UAPA that vastly increases the power of the NIA and permits the government to declare an individual a terrorist and seize his or her properties. While this amendment was making its way through parliament, Indias Supreme Court ruled in its July 2019 Watali judgment, that the NIAs evidence has to be considered prima facie true even if the charges are based upon evidence that would be inadmissible in a trial. This Is My Desire (Eyimofe), written by Chuko Esiri and directed by Esiri and his twin brother Arie, is a remarkable film about life in Lagos, Nigeria. It is opening in movie theaters in the US and Canada in July and August. The Esiri brothers film takes place in two chapters, Spain and Italy, named for the destinations to which the films two central protagonists would like to emigrate. The work rings true in every important aspect. In the first segment, the stronger of the two, Mofe (Jude Akuwudike) is an electrician working in a printing plant. It takes all his skill to keep a hopelessly jerry-rigged junction boxand, hence, the facilitys machineryoperating. Eyimofe (This Is My Desire) This Is My Desire is only minutes old when Mofe loses important family members to a disaster at home resulting from the generally wretched living conditions in Nigeria. Moreover, the costs of his proposed departure keep mounting. (He so wants to move to Spain that he has his name listed as Sanchez on a new passport.) His father, with the help of a lawyer, plays a dirty financial trick on him. In general, Mofes life is a series of blows. He remains upright, however, and does not indulge in self-pity. How useful would that be? He goes on fixing everything for everyone, at work and then in the evening. Until finally, on the job, after a near-electrocution, Mofe takes out his rage and frustration on the junction box, leading to his being fired by a horrible female boss (Youre going to have to pay for this!), who has obstinately, deliberately refused to have the machinery repaired and made safe. It seems unlikely, for better or worse, that Mofe will be able to leave Lagos. In Italy, Rosa (Temi Ami-Williams) works in both a bar and a hair salon in an effort to make ends meet, but they do not. She also takes care of her teenage sister, Grace (Cynthia Ebijie), several months pregnant. Part of her plan to leave the country involves receiving payment from a broker. The latter makes Grace promise, I swear Ill give you my baby. The attractive Rosa has relationships that are loving or otherwise but inevitably driven in part by money problems, with her landlord, Mr. Vincent (Toyin Oshinaike), and a well-to-do American, Peter (Jacob Alexander). Things do not turn out well in this chapter either. As Rosa tells Peter, People push people around in Lagos. Lagos in Eyimofe (This Is My Desire) And not only in Lagosa city of some 15 million souls, which the Esiri brothers consider a third character in the script. The Lagos metropolitan area, estimated at 21 million, makes it the second largest in Africa, after Cairo. The city is one of the fastest-growing on the planet. It has specific characteristics, but it also has characteristics in common with Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Mumbai, Dhaka, Chongqing and, for that matter, New York and Los Angeles. The Esiri brothers set out to make a film about the haves and have-nots, they explain, those who push and those who are pushed around. Even leaving aside the deadly pandemic, what is the essential, most general reality for vast numbers of human beings at present, especially those living in teeming urban centers such as Lagos? A precarious existence, characterized by economic insecurity and relentless pressure of various kinds. To get through a single day unscathed, while remaining housed and fed, is a triumph for tens or perhaps hundreds of millions. In an interview, Arie Esiri described Lagos as a city of twenty million people with no organized public transport system and exceptionally bad traffic, very few traffic lights at intersections and all these kinds of things. Uneven roads, inconsistent power and water supply. The script, he added, treats what everyone in the country goes through on a daily basis, particularly the everyday person. The story recounts what the quotidian here in Lagos entails. And that lends itself to the way we shoot, which is very objective, almost like documentary style, as we are just trying to convey a truth about a situation. This Is My Desire is a work that addresses life in Lagos, directly, thoughtfully and artistically. Its tone is neither artificially uplifting nor cheaply, marketably bleak. More or less following Spinozas advice, it laughs, cries and tries to understand. In an interview, Chuko Esiri commented, I remember reading James Joyces book Dubliners Joyce said that he aimed to put up a well-polished looking glass into Dublin and the Irish people, and that for me was a moment that really crystallized what I was trying to do in the story, in the screenplay of this movie. A thoroughly admirable and, under contemporary conditions, unusual ambition. The screenwriter also referred to Charles Dickens Bleak House. Dickens, he explained, did this thing where he made central locations [into] characters and tying people to those locations and that sort of led me to the idea of broadening the scope of the piece, which is really how Rosa ended up with her chapter. All in all, an auspicious feature film debut. WABASH VALLEY, Ind. (WTHI) --An Air Quality Action Day (AQAD) has been issued for Tuesday, July 27, 2021, by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). With hot, dry, and stagnant conditions settling into Indiana, IDEM is forecasting high ozone levels for several counties in the Wabash Valley. Unlike recent AQAD issuances, Tuesday's is not due to the wildfire smoke. High ozone levels occur when sunlight and hot conditions combine with vehicle exhaust, factory emissions, and gasoline vapors. According to the IDEM website, all Indiana counties in the News 10 viewing area will be impacted by these conditions. Mark Derf, a Section Chief in the IDEM Air Quality Office, told News 10 that Tuesday's air quality may impact those in sensitive groups. "We encourage people for when this action day occurs that they stay inside if they can. If they need to be out, kind of limit their exposure to the outdoor air," he expressed. According to IDEM, on 'Air Quality Action Days,' residents are encouraged to: Drive less: carpool, use public transportation, walk, bike, or work from home when possible Combine errands into one trip Avoid refueling your vehicle or using gasoline-powered lawn equipment until after 7 p.m. Keep your engine tuned, and dont let your engine idle (e.g., at a bank or restaurant drive-thru) Conserve energy by turning off lights and setting the thermostat to 75 degrees or above According to IDEM, the AQAD will be in effect until 11:59 p.m. The department will evaluate air quality decisions one day at a time. To track the air quality in your county, click here. TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - The Terre Haute Police Department released brand new information about the murder of a 15-year-old that happened last week. A new arrest has been made, a 17-year-old male suspect. Those charges include possession of a firearm by a child, possession of a controlled substance (marijuana) and theft of a firearm. News 10 reported Friday that police arrested a 15-year-old. Today we learned a bit more about what happened during the shooting that killed 15-year-old Chloe Carroll of Terre Haute. The investigation includes more than 20 witnesses across two different crime scenes. Police say everything started after a call for shots fired. We now know officers found Carroll in the back seat of a car at 19th and Poplar streets. Police say she had been shot a few blocks down in the parking lot of the Hoosier Pete Mini Mart. News 10 spoke with Vigo County Prosecutor Terry Modesitt Monday to break down what happens to juveniles in these cases. Several situations can cause these suspects to be potentially tried as an adult. First, if the minor is charged with a felony or is a repeat offender, even if those actions are less serious. This could also happen if the juvenile was also at least 14 years old when the act was committed, they are considered "beyond rehabilitation" by the juvenile center or if trying the juvenile as an adult would be in the best interest of society's safety and welfare. "There's quite a requirement here that has to be gone through before the juvenile judge before a decision is made by the judge, whether or not an individual can be waved and tried as an adult," said Modesitt. That applies if the juvenile is under 16 years old. Modesitt also said the older the suspect, the more likely they are to be tried as an adult. He would not comment on whether the suspects, in this case, will be tried as adults. The juvenile system is set up differently than the adult court. There are different circumstances that have to be met according to Indiana statutes. Modesitt tells News 10 the juvenile court system keeps names confidential in the interest of turning around criminal behavior. "The juvenile system is set up where there's a lot of different avenues for rehabilitation. There's still, you know, the juvenile system still takes the position that you know, there's still hope of rehabilitating," said Modesitt. News 10 will continue following this story and proide updates. BRAZIL, Ind. (WTHI) - The City of Brazil says the community has helped reach a fundraising goal to add a K-9 officer to the city police department. Earlier this summer, the police department started a $20,000 fundraising campaign. The department's last K-9 officer and its handler moved to another department. City leaders say several community members donated. Local businessman Greg Gibson and his family donated the remaining $17,500 to quickly meet the fundraising goal. We are grateful for all those who contributed to this program, and especially grateful for the Gibson family and their dedication to our community and its safety, states Mayor Brian Wyndham. The City Police Department is currently searching for the perfect addition to the squad. Patrolman Chandler Damon is in charge of the project. The City expects to welcome the K-9 officially to the squad in September. The pair will begin a 6-week training course beginning mid-August. The money will help cover the cost of the training, as well as outfit police vehicles with a kennel and the necessary equipment. There are so many benefits of having a dog on the squad, states Damon. It not only creates a safer work environment for our officers, but it creates an added level of safety and security for our community and its citizens. Our department is thankful for the opportunity to offer this program for our City. PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Brazil Police Department is raising funds for a new K-9 officer The fundraising campaign is still active. City leaders hope to use the additional money to help fund additional K-9s, veterinary services, food, kennels, etc. Damon says Ali Brown with AJB Designs created the new logo for BPDK9. A meet and greet for the newest member will be held upon his return from training. SELMA, Ala. (AP) An Alabama police officer was fatally shot and a woman was wounded in what a prosecutor is describing as an ambush. Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson says Selma Police Officer Marquis Moorer was on duty and went home to get a bite to eat early Tuesday when he was shot at the apartment complex where he lived. Jackson says a woman believed to be his wife or girlfriend was wounded. The prosecutor says the officer was approached by someone outside and ambushed. Further details werent immediately available. Jackson called Moorer an upstanding officer who took his job seriously." TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) - North Mississippi Health Services (NMHS) Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jeremy Blanchard provided information on Monday about the use of monoclonal antibodies in COVID-19 treatment. According to the FDA, monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune systems ability to fight off harmful antigens such as viruses. Blanchard released the following information: Vaccinated or not, there is still a risk of getting infected with COVID-19, especially with the new Delta variant. The good news is monoclonal antibodies can be given to you if you test positive for COVID-19 and help protect you from getting seriously ill. Here is what you need to know: If you suspect you might have COVID-19, vaccinated or not, please contact your provider. If you have COVID-19 and seek help early, you may quality for monoclonal antibodies and they can really help prevent you from getting severely ill. This service is available by referral at NMHS locations in Tupelo, Amory, Eupora, Iuka, and West Point, Mississippi and Hamilton, Alabama. Monoclonal antibody treatment may help limit the amount of virus in the body. This may help your symptoms improve sooner and reduce your need to go into the hospital. This treatment is for individuals age 12 and older or those who have risk factors for severe infection. Treatment is effective when given early, but certain criteria must be met. Not everyone will qualify for nor benefit from monoclonal antibodies. Only your provider (physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant) can determine if you are eligible for this treatment. North Mississippi Health Services has been designated as a COVID-19 Center of Excellence by the Mississippi State Department of Health for its commitment to three efforts: vaccination, treatment and access. JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) - A two-year, $654,000 grant aims to support nursing and healthcare students at seven Mississippi colleges. The Womens Foundation of Mississippi awarded the grant from the Bower Foundation. The funds will support the project Graduating a Healthcare Workforce. The project will be implemented in its first year through an initial investment of $280,000 at seven colleges Alcorn State University, Coahoma Community College, Hinds Community College, Itawamba Community College, Jones County Junior College, Meridian Community College and Pearl River Community College. The project aims to increase the graduation rates of nursing and health-related students. Open this link to read the full statement from The Womens Foundation of Mississippi. Please purchase a subscription to continue reading. If you have a subscription, please Log In . Your current subscription does not provide access to this content. If you believe you've gotten this message in error, please Log In. Morgantown, WV (26505) Today Some clouds and possibly an isolated thunderstorm this afternoon. High 78F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Charleston, WV (25311) Today Mostly cloudy this morning. Scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 77F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, mainly cloudy late with a few showers. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. Weather Alert ...AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM MDT TUESDAY... The following message is transmitted on behalf of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Air Quality Division and the Wyoming Department of Health. WHAT...Air Quality Alert for Wildfire Smoke. WHERE...Much of Southeast Wyoming from Douglas to Cheyenne. WHEN...Until 1 PM Tuesday. IMPACTS...Heavy smoke from Montana and Pacific Northwest wildfires. HEALTH INFORMATION...The Wyoming Department of Health recommends the elderly, young children, and individuals with respiratory problems avoid excessive physical exertion and minimize outdoor activities during this time. Wildfire smoke is made up of a variety of pollutants, including particulate matter and ozone, which can cause respiratory health effect. Although these people are most susceptible to health impacts, the Department of Health also advises that everyone should avoid prolonged exposure to poor air quality conditions. CURRENT CONDITIONS...The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Air Quality Division offers near real-time air quality data for Wyoming's monitoring stations and health effects information to help the public interpret current conditions. Current air quality conditions across the state of Wyoming can be found at http://www.wyvisnet.com/ reza baluchi Flagler Sheriff/Twitter The third time was not the charm for a man who washed up on a beach in Florida in a "bubble" as he attempted to walk on water to New York for charity. Reza Baluchi, 49, made it about 25 miles into his journey in his hydro pod, which resembles a hamster wheel installed with flotation devices, before returning to shore in St. Augustine, according to The New York Times. Fully stocked for a three-week trip, he reportedly found a day after his departure that his backup GPS device and charging cables were missing, forcing him to return to land. He was met with bewildered beachgoers when he turned up on the sand. "I open the top door and jump out," he told the Times. "They're laughing. They're taking pictures of me. I know what I'm doing. I am not dumb." RELATED: Florida Woman, 59, Killed in Skydiving Accident in Central New York Flagler County Sheriff's Office responded to a call on Saturday about Baluchi's vessel, which he calls his "bubble," washing ashore, officials wrote on Facebook. They reported that he had no injuries before the U.S. Coast Guard took over to ensure that the hydro pod is compliant for safety moving forward. reza baluchi Reza Baluchi/Facebook Baluchi a former professional cyclist from Iran who was granted asylum in the United States, per the Times said that he's experienced homelessness one of the causes to which he's trying to draw attention with his trip. "My goal is to not only raise money for homeless people, raise money for the Coast Guard, raise money for the police department, raise money for the fire department," he told Orlando Fox affiliate WOFL. "They are in public service, they do it for safety and they help other people." This was not Baluchi's first attempt at the journey. He was rescued from a hydro pod off the coast of St. Augustine in 2014, according to USA Today, and he tried once more in 2016, but had to be rescued, ABC News reported. Story continues RELATED VIDEO: Teen Who Lost Leg in Shark Attack Reflects on the Scary Incident & Says She Is 'At Peace' Now "I will show people anything you want to do, do it. Don't listen to anyone. Chase your dreams," he told WOFL. "I'll never give up my dream. They stop me four or five times but I never give up." Baluchi, who lives in Boca Raton, has a GPS tracking device with him so his friends and family can follow his journey via his website. As of Tuesday, the tracker still shows him on land in the St. Augustine area. I called him "Doctor J." He called me "Amigo." Jim Coleman, who befriended me while tirelessly pressing U.S. government officials to secure the freedom of his daughter Caitlan Coleman until she was released by the Taliban in 2017 after five years in captivity, died this month after suffering a long illness, according to his family. Jim, a Ph.D. botanist who had worked for NASA, died July 16 in Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, at the age of 75, said his wife Lynda. Originally from Chicago, he moved to Falls Church, Virginia, for high school and received a BA in history from Loyola University, an MS in ecology from the University of Tennessee, and a doctorate from the University of Florida. "Jim believed so strongly in honor, in justice, in perseverance," Lyn told me last week. "And most of all, he was my best friend for over 50 years. He knew how to be a good friend to so many." MORE: American hostage mom and family freed 5 years after being kidnapped by Taliban Anyone who encountered Jim during those long years of Caitlan's quiet captivity knew that to be true -- including this reporter. Our deep friendship was forged at his small kitchen table in rural Pennsylvania, where we met every few months. Approaching 70, he looked like a professor of poetry in his black shirts, jeans and Van Dyke beard, smoking Eagle cigarettes and sipping his favorite Natural Light beer over ice, as he strategized how to get his daughter out of the hands of the Taliban's Haqqani network in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region, almost nine hours ahead and a world away. Caitlan had been kidnapped in eastern Afghanistan in 2012 with her now-estranged Canadian husband Joshua Boyle, while she was six months pregnant. They were immediately taken into Pakistan, where they were ultimately moved to two dozen camps. Few families of hostages have the skills to grapple with such a crisis, in which the U.S. government usually becomes involved at the highest levels. But Caitlan's dad plunged into it full-fisted, spending five years juggling calls and meetings with FBI agents, diplomats and hostage negotiators, and establishing strong relationships with National Security Council officials in the Obama administration. Story continues PHOTO: Jim Coleman, his daughter Caitlan, and Caitlan's daughter Grace enjoy a teddy bear given by ABC News' James Meek to Grace, who was the last of Caitlin's three children to be born during her five years in captivity. (James Meek/ABC News) After ISIS tweeted that another woman, Kayla Mueller of Prescott, Arizona, had been killed in Syria as a hostage in February 2015, I had reached out to Jim by email for the first time about mentioning Caitlan's captivity in a broadcast story. Jim kept a photo of Kayla in his wallet in solidarity with her parents Carl and Marsha, whom he had befriended and tried to comfort. Marsha said last week that Jim's passing was heartbreaking. "I have so many memories of speaking with Jim, he was so kind to us," she remembered. Appreciative of being notified before broadcasting any information about his daughter's case, Jim called me out of the blue to share a stunning piece of information -- and pose an equally startling question. MORE: American hostage mom describes brutal treatment by Taliban captors "I want to negotiate a ransom for my daughter and my grandson. But I've never received a ransom demand," he said. This was not public information, and it was bewildering. Other Haqqani hostages had been released after ransom demands were met. Other times they held Westerners captive for other purposes such as prisoner exchanges, as with U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. "There has been no credible ransom demand or communications," Jim repeated. He asked if anyone at ABC News knew how to contact the Taliban so he could begin negotiating with them, even though he did not have a fortune to tap for a ransom. MORE: American hostage mom Caitlan Coleman leaves Canada, returns to US with children I told him that, as a reporter, I was not going to meddle in sensitive matters of a hostage in peril. But I suggested he could contact people who were in a better position to possibly help, such as British filmmaker and former Haqqani hostage Sean Langan and former ABC News reporter Gretchen Peters, who had testified before Congress about the Haqqani network. Both soon threw themselves into helping Jim and Lyn. "It's the hardest fight a father will ever face: having to stand by when you know your child is suffering and needs you," Langan said this week. "But Jim never stopped fighting for his daughter." In a modest house with a yard bordered by a field of soybeans, corn or sunflowers planted each season, Jim slept during the day and worked all night in his basement office on his daughter's strange abduction, making calls to contacts he made overseas. He told me about foreign hustlers who wanted cash to arrange a hostage release, but also about one kind Afghan diplomat who delivered proof-of-life videos of the captive couple and their two little sons. PHOTO: Jim Coleman and his wife Lynda, the parents of former Taliban hostage Caitlan Coleman, pose with ABC News' James Meek outside their home in 2015. (James Meek/ABC News) I would typically receive Jim's emails in the dead of night -- normal business hours in the dark world of kidnapping and ransom. But Jim was an optimist. He never doubted that his daughter, whom he had home-schooled himself, would come back alive -- even as the years ticked by. During one kitchen table exchange of information, Jim described a proof-of-life video the FBI had obtained early on of Caitlan with her first child born in captivity. He thought the boy looked like him, and delighted in seeing him for the first time. Over the years, Jim and Lyn would learn of the birth of their second and third grandchildren in captivity. In late 2016, Jim told ABC News in a broadcast interview that he was hopeful President-elect Donald Trump was a dealmaker who would find a way to get his daughter and grandchildren home safely. A Trump campaign placard appeared in a window of their house. But after Trump was sworn in, Coleman's faith was tested when he found that he could no longer communicate as easily with the Trump White House, whom he rarely heard from or could reach -- other than one call with Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn before he stepped down as national security adviser amid the Russia probe. "I don't even know if the president knows my daughter's name," he confided to me in the spring of 2017. MORE: FBI offers $1 million for information leading to former Taliban hostage's captors So he sent a private letter to Trump pleading for the rescue of Caitlan and her kids, which he trusted me enough to read. Yet some inside the Trump White House were indeed laser-focused on Caitlan's case, such as Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Adviser Tom Bossert, now an ABC News contributor, and military intelligence officer Col. Chris Costa of the National Security Council. "Jim inspired many of us with his unshaken faith that the United States government would bring his daughter and her kids home," Costa, then a Special Assistant to President Trump for Counterterrorism and Hostages, said this week. "Jim's mission was to campaign ceaselessly on his daughter's behalf. He did that unflinchingly." U.S. intelligence finally located Caitlan in the summer of 2017, but they couldn't tell anyone -- not even her parents -- because a rescue operation was planned, according to sources. As a team of operators from the Navy's SEAL Team Six prepared to launch from Jalalabad, Afghanistan, to penetrate Pakistani sovereign territory with a cross-border raid, Trump administration officials pressured Pakistani intelligence, who swiftly arranged for the Haqqani network to drive Caitlan to a Pakistan army checkpoint. A few shots were fired, but Caitlan and her family were finally free. The SEAL raid was called off. PHOTO: Jim Coleman and ABC News' James Meek toast the release of Coleman's daughter Caitlan after five years in Taliban captivity, on October 12, 2017. (ABC News) That day in 2017, I was welcomed into the family's rural Stewartstown home to interview Jim and Lyn. Doctor J. and I toasted his daughter and grandkids' sudden freedom. The interview was shot for ABC News by beloved cameraman Jim Sicile, who himself died just last month. At the White House, several Trump aides said they poured whiskey to celebrate the highest-profile successful hostage recovery in years. "Hostage recovery can be emotionally draining work and has the unintended consequences of bringing Americans together, sometimes tragically, to grieve the untimely deaths of hostage loved ones," Costa said last week. "But I had the good fortune of meeting Jim Coleman to celebrate the return home of his daughter Caitlan and his grandchildren from being held by terrorists in Pakistan." MORE: American hostage mom says abusive husband's Taliban sympathies led to 5-year ordeal Jim was a bit hermit-like and had a real aversion to Washington or traveling anywhere other than to see friends in Nicaragua, so I made countless drives north to Stewartstown, which continued long after Caitlan's safe return. After he passed away last week, Caitlan said she was too devastated to even contemplate the loss. Before he succumbed to his illness, Jim and I planned to reunite at a local restaurant, Messina's, to eat our usual cheesesteak specials and catch up. At his funeral on Friday, I was comforted that he had lived to see his daughter and grandkids free of their Taliban captors. Afterward, his family took me to Messina's. They insisted we sit at the same table where Jim and I always had. "Thank God that you are a serious friend," Doctor J. once told me. "I have no intention of getting rid of you." Jim Coleman, father of ex-Taliban hostage, was a man of honor: Reporter's Notebook originally appeared on abcnews.go.com JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -South Africa's Aspen Pharmacare will supply the first batch of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to the country from July 26, the drugmaker said on Monday. It will be the first set of vaccines to be manufactured in the country from active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) - substances used to make the final drug product - sourced from Europe, Aspen said. South Africa's vaccination drive suffered a major setback in April after U.S. Federal Drug Administration halted production of J&J vaccines at a plant in Baltimore run by Emergent Biosolutions Inc after it was found to be contaminated. Aspen, which has been contracted by J&J to manufacture the vaccines in South Africa in a process called 'fill and finish', had been sourcing APIs from the Baltimore plant and was asked to destroy 2 million doses as part of the finding of the FDA. The supplies will also be distributed to other African countries under the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team under which J&J has committed to supply 220 million doses of the single shot vaccine, Aspen said. Africa's dependence on imports of COVID-19 vaccine has left it vulnerable to repeated waves of the coronavirus, raising demands for vaccine production facilities in the continent. It has administered just 60 million vaccine doses in a population of 1.3 billion due to restrictions on shipments from vaccine producing nations. South Africa's Biovac Institute struck a deal with Pfizer last week for a "fill and finish" arrangement to produce 100 million vaccines by 2022-23. "Supply for Africa and South Africa is particularly rewarding, given the current global inequality in accessing vaccines," Stephen Saad, chief executive of Aspen said in a statement. "This represents a big step forward in ensuring that Africa can address its healthcare priorities." (Reporting by Promit MukherjeeEditing by Tomasz Janowski) PARIS French luxury group Kering said net profit rose 159.5 percent in the first half versus the same period last year, as revenues rebounded sharply from the lows plumbed during the coronavirus pandemic, thanks to a strong rise in retail sales in North America and the Asia-Pacific region. Organic sales at its cash cow brand Gucci, which is celebrating its centenary, continued to improve in the second quarter. Revenues totaled 2.31 billion euros, up 86.1 percent on a like-for-like basis, following a 24.6 percent rise in the first quarter. More from WWD That was above a consensus of analyst estimates, which called for a 79 percent jump in comparable sales at the maker of Jackie handbags and horsebit loafers. By comparison, organic sales at LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuittons key fashion and leather goods division rose 122 percent year-over-year in the second quarter, reflecting the resilience of its star brands Louis Vuitton and Dior. Compared with the same period in 2019, the divisions revenues were up 40 percent. Reporting first-half results after the market close, Kering said group revenues in the three months to June 30 jumped 91.1 percent year-on-year to 4.16 billion euros, representing a rise of 95 percent in comparable terms. This compared with a 21.4 percent increase in the first quarter, and was above the consensus forecast for an 83 percent sales rise. Sales were up 11.2 percent versus the same period in 2019, Kering noted. The group, whose brands also include Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta and Balenciaga, posted net income of 569.3 million euros in the first half. Recurring operating profit was up 134.9 percent to 2.24 billion euros, yielding an operating margin of 27.8 percent, up from 17.7 percent in the same period last year. Kering said recurring operating profit was almost equivalent to its level in the first half of 2019. By comparison, LVMH reported that profit from recurring operations was up 44 percent versus the same period in 2019. Story continues All our houses contributed to a sharp rebound in total revenue, which comfortably exceeded its 2019 level, with a remarkable acceleration in the second quarter, Francois-Henri Pinault, chairman and chief executive officer of Kering, said in a statement. While returning to substantial profitability and leveraging the desirability of our brands, we are stepping up the pace of our investments in our houses and strategic initiatives, notably to enhance the exclusivity and control of our distribution, he added. Online sales accounted for 14 percent of Kerings retail revenues in the first half of 2021, versus 13 percent in the same period a year ago. Luca Solca, analyst at Bernstein, sees upside for Kering shares, as the comparison basis for Gucci should ease in the second half. Kering is trading at a significant lower multiple to LVMH, and many in the market are keen to see reasons to believe in a re-rating story, he said in a report dated April 30. Solca, who has a target price of 779 euros on the Kering stock, praised Gucci chief executive officer Marco Bizzarri for beefing up the creative pipeline with a steady stream of capsule collections and collaborations that should offset the risk of consumers tiring of creative director Alessandro Micheles designs. The Kering results come on the heels of figures from Compagnie Financiere Richemont showing sales rose 22 percent at constant exchange rates in the three months to June 30 versus the same period in 2019, driven by the strong performance of its jewelry maisons, led by Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels. Meanwhile, Burberry reported retail sales at constant exchange rates jumped 98 percent year-on-year in the first quarter ended June 26, fueled by continued strong growth in Mainland China, South Korea and the Americas. Hermes International is the next big luxury player scheduled to report second-quarter results, on Friday. SEE ALSO: Marco Bizzarri on Next Chapter of Gucci LVMH Sees No Wallet Shift Away From Luxury Goods as Markets Reopen Marco Gobbetti on the Velocity of Luxury, and Building Up Burberry Moderna said Monday it may expand the size of its COVID-19 vaccine trial for younger children, as both Pfizer and Moderna plan to seek authorization from the Food and Drug Administration to vaccinate some of the youngest Americans later this year. Both drug makers based their COVID-19 vaccines on a new platform technology, mRNA, and there have been reports of rare cases of heart inflammation in people under 30 who were vaccinated with mRNA vaccines. So, health officials and FDA advisers say they hope expanding the size of the trials could help detect this and other possible rare side effects in younger children. "It is our intent to expand the trial and we are actively discussing a proposal with the FDA. The objective is to enroll a larger safety database which increases the likelihood of detecting rarer events," a spokesperson for Moderna said in a statement. The FDA has said that in the past it has looked for up to some 3,000 trial participants before licensing other vaccines for children, and because of the use of mRNA, the FDA suggested in June that "an appropriate overall pediatric safety database would approach the upper end of this range." Both Moderna and Pfizer have announced clinical trials of doses of their COVID-19 vaccine shots to be tested in children as young as 6 months old. Moderna says it could be in position to seek FDA emergency authorization by the winter for these groups, which could allow its doses to be given to younger American children as early as next year. The drug maker announced last month that it had filed for emergency use authorization to vaccinate adolescents as young as 12. A spokesperson for Pfizer declined to comment on whether it also plans to expand the size of its pediatric vaccine studies, which plan to enroll up to 4,500 participants from the U.S. and a handful of European countries. Pfizer, currently the only COVID-19 vaccine authorized in the U.S. for adolescents as young as 12, expects "initial results" from its trials in children 5 through 11 years old by September. Results for other groups as young as six months old could come "in October or November," perhaps enabling Pfizer to obtain emergency authorization to vaccinate all school-age children by the end of the year. Story continues "We are projecting that we'll have enough data by the end of the fall, early winter, as to whether or not these vaccines which we totally anticipate they will be safe and projected to be effective in children of all ages," Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden's chief medical adviser, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette last month. The expanded trial was first reported by The New York Times. A spokesperson for the FDA declined to comment, aside from saying that the regulator typically works with drug companies to ensure trials "are of adequate size to detect safety signals." While younger children generally suffer less severe cases of COVID-19 than adults, the CDC has warned that studies suggest rates of the disease's spread through children "can be comparable, and in some settings higher, than in adults." With federal and local health authorities urging schools to fully reopen for in-person teaching this fall, some officials have warned that the vast swaths of adults who remain unvaccinated could be susceptible to new surges when school returns. "Best case, it's a tough summer and we get more and more people vaccinated. And more realistic case is that the fall gets worse again, because people will be indoors more and kids will, hopefully, be back in school. And we have pockets of the country where there's a lot of people unvaccinated," Dr. Anne Schuchat, the CDC's outgoing second-in-command, told the INFORMS Healthcare Conference 2021 last week. "We need to really scale up vaccination big time," Schuchat added later. Sleep specialist discusses strategies to help combat COVID-sonmia President Biden announces Americans with 'long COVID' symptoms may qualify for federal disability Liz Cheney on January 6th commission, public battle with leader McCarthy Yankton, SD (57078) Today A mix of clouds and sun. High near 85F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. Low 62F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. Ive still been receiving questions on leaf drop in trees. For leaves such as Linden and Birch trees that have a lacy appearance of feeding on them, this is due to Japanese beetles. We hopefully are on our last week of them. For crabapple, flowering pear, ash, maples whose leaves are turning yellow/brown and dropping, this is due to fungal diseases and we wouldnt recommend you do anything for this either. Next week Ill talk about iron chlorosis and treatments for trees. Brown Leaves on Oak Trees: Browning on leaf margins of individual leaves is anthracnose, which is a common fungus of shade trees. We dont recommend that you do anything for this. The past few years around fair time, weve seen oak trees (but sometimes others such as hackberry, honeylocust, elm, linden) that get a cluster of brown leaves towards the ends of branches. This damage is caused by twig girdlers or twig pruners, different types of beetles. Basically, the adult beetles chew a circle in the bark between where the old and new wood occurs on a twig. This girdles the twig, cutting off the water and nutrient supply causing its death. Eggs are then deposited and larvae hatch, tunnel, and survive in the dead twigs. Twigs girdled by any of these insects may stay attached to the main branch for several weeks or be broken out of the tree by wind. Tunneling in the twigs may not be evident in the fall if twigs fall out of the trees before the insect eggs have hatched. Mature trees with heavy infestations can look bad, but the damage isnt a serious health problem to the tree and no chemical control is recommended. You can burn or discard infected twigs in the fall and spring that contain developing larvae to minimize the impacts for the future. A community grows stronger by connecting people and ideas, while thoughtfully developing opportunities that cultivate success. Community Conversations, funded by an American Library Association grant, are a way to tap into our community's aspirations and concerns. The goal is to authentically engage members of the community and generate concepts that can be used to make informed decisions for the future. This approach emphasizes taking steps to better understand communities; changing processes and thinking to make conversations more community-focused; becoming more proactive to community issues; and putting community objectives first. Vision 2025 was developed from lunch and evening meetings in June and July. These drew a committed group who determined six priority areas: education, social services, technology/innovation, diversity, life skills/career planning, and those objectives will lead to the final priority - space/infrastructure needs. Your story is important and you have something to share. You are invited to attend the next scheduled meeting on August 3 with both 11:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. options. Together we will explore ideas that will determine which actions need to be taken. RSVPs are encouraged at 402-363-2626 or kilgore@cityofyork.net Gold prices in Delhi dipped Rs 123 to Rs 46,505 per 10 grams amid weak international precious metal prices, according to HDFC Securities. In the previous trade, the precious metal had closed at Rs 46,628 per 10 gram. Silver also went lower by Rs 206 to Rs 65,710 per kg, from Rs 65,916 per kg in the previous trade. In the international market, gold was trading lower at $1,795 per ounce and silver was flat at $25.16 per ounce. HDFC Securities Senior Analyst (Commodities) Tapan Patel said, "Overall gold prices traded under pressure trading below $1,800, as traders and investors are being cautious ahead of the US FOMC meeting." Motilal Oswal Financial Services Vice-President (Commodities Research) Navneet Damani said, "Gold prices were steady, pinned below the key $1,800 level, as investors turned cautious ahead of this week's US Federal Reserve meeting outcome." Live TV #mute New Delhi: The newly formed Delhi Board of School Education (DBSE) will affiliate 30 government schools from the 2021-22 academic session, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced on Tuesday. Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio, said the government will launch 20 Schools of Specialised Excellence (SoSE) by August 15. The decisions were taken at the second General Body meeting of DBSE and SoSE, chaired by Sisodia. "The Delhi Board of School Education (DBSE) will affiliate 30 Delhi Government schools in the session 2021-22. We will roll out this year with 20 Schools of Specialised Excellence and 10 general schools. The 20 Schools of Specialised Excellence (SoSE) spread across Delhi to be launched by August 15," Sisodia said. "These schools will cater to students in grades 9 to 12 who have special aptitude and interest in specific domains of study such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Humanities, Performing and Visual Arts, and high-end 21st Century Skills. Of these 20 SoSEs in the first phase, 8 schools would specialise in STEM, 5 schools each specialise in Humanities and high-end 21st Century Skills, and 2 schools specialising in Performing and Visual Arts," he added. Sisodia further said that in the next academic session, a total of about 100 Schools of Specialised Excellence will be formed -- with all four domains available in every educational zone of Delhi -- so that children of all parts of Delhi can access specialised schools in their neighbourhoods. All of these schools will be affiliated to DBSE. "In order to create progressive curriculum and assessment structures for Delhi schools, the Delhi Board of School Education is partnering with the renowned research and assessment organisation Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) which is credited with designing the globally recognised Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)," he said, adding the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) will provide technical and managerial support SoSEs. Detailing the modalities, the deputy chief minister said the students at SoSEs will receive excellent learning opportunities in the area of their interest which will enable them to join some of the best universities and institutions in the country and abroad. "It is important to identify and provide specialised education to students who have a specific aptitude and deep interest. In the first year, admissions will be offered in Class 9 in SoSEs in Humanities, Performing and Visual Arts, and high-end 21st Century skills, whereas, in the STEM schools, admissions will be offered at the 9th and 11th grade levels. Students seeking admission in SoSEs will have to take an aptitude test. The schedule of admission will be announced later," he said. At present, there are about 1,000 government and 1,700 private schools in Delhi, nearly all of which are affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). In July last year, the Delhi government had constituted two committees to prepare the scheme and framework for the formation of the state education board and for curriculum reforms. The Delhi Cabinet had approved the setting up of the DBSE on March 6, following which the society for the Board was registered on March 19. Announcing the cabinet approval, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said the present education system focuses only on learning by rote that needs to be changed. He added that high-end technique will be used to teach students of the new education board. He had said that all schools in the national capital will not be brought under the new education board in one go and private schools will have an option to choose from. Live TV NEW DELHI: The Centre on Tuesday informed that 22 districts in 7 states were reporting an increasing trend in daily COVID-19 cases for last 4 weeks, which is said was a matter of concern. 22 districts in 7 states reporting increasing trend in daily Covid cases for last 4 weeks; this is a cause of concern, the government said. "There are 22 districts- 7 from Kerala, 5 from Manipur, 3 in Meghalaya among others, where an increasing trend in cases has been reported, in the last 4 weeks. It is a cause of concern,'' Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry, said during a press briefing. There are 22 districts- 7 from Kerala, 5 from Manipur, 3 in Meghalaya among others, where an increasing trend in cases has been reported, in the last 4 weeks. It is a cause of concern: Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry pic.twitter.com/Js4WQ9fHst ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2021 There are 54 districts in 12 states, UTs which reported over 10 per cent COVID positivity rate for the week ending July 26, the government added. The Centre also refuted media reports claiming that India will miss the end-July target of administering 50 crore COVID vaccine doses as "ill-informed and misrepresenting" and asserted that over 51.60 crore vaccine doses will be supplied from January to July 31. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued a statement referring to recent media reports alleging that the country will miss the target of administering half-a-billion (50 crore) doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by July-end while pointing out that the government had stated in May that it would make 516 million (51.60 crore) vaccine shots available by the end of this month. These reports are ill-informed and have clearly misrepresented the facts, it said. The ministry said that the figures of 516 million vaccine doses might have been picked up from various sources which informed about the likely availability of the vaccine doses from January 2021 to the end of July 2021 but the facts are that a total of more than 516 million vaccine doses will indeed be supplied from January 2021 to July 31, 2021. It further said that the vaccine doses are supplied to the states and UTs as per advance allocation and information to them. "Vaccines are supplied in various schedules throughout a month. Therefore, the availability of 516 million doses till the end of a particular month does not mean that every dose supplied till that month is going to be consumed or administered. There would be supplies in pipeline, which should be available for next few days till the next supplies of vaccine doses materialise in a particular State/District/Sub District to keep vaccination going on," it said. As of date, a cumulative total of 457 million doses have been supplied to the states and UTs from January 2021 till date and an additional 60.3 million doses are expected to be supplied by July 31. This will amount to a total of 517 million doses supplied from January 2021 to July 31 2021. "It should be appreciated that India has crossed the landmark of 440 million (44.19 crores) doses administered, which is the largest numbers achieved in the world and has been done at quite a brisk pace too. Out of these 9.60 crores are cases where both the doses have been administered," it added. A total of 11.97 crore doses was administered in June 2021. Similarly, for the month of July 2021 (as of July 26), a total of 10.62 crore doses have already been administered. It is the endeavour of the government to provide vaccination to eligible citizens in the shortest possible time as per the availability of the COVID vaccines, the ministry said. Live TV New Delhi: The violence at the Assam-Mizoram border, that saw at least five Assam Police personnel killed and more than 60 people injured, is turning into huge political potboiler. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attacked Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the violence at the Assam-Mizoram border, alleging that he has "failed" the country by "sowing hatred and distrust" into the lives of people and India is now reaping its "dreadful consequences". The festering border dispute between the two northeastern states erupted into a bloody conflict on Monday (July 25). "Heartfelt condolences to the families of those who've been killed. I hope the injured recover soon," Gandhi tweeted, tagging a purported video of the violence. "HM has failed the country yet again by sowing hatred and distrust into the lives of people. India is now reaping its dreadful consequences," the former Congress chief said. In a statement on July 25, the Assam government alleged that the Mizoram Police opened fire on its officials and civilians from two dominating high features with automatic weapons, including light machine guns (LMGs). However, Mizoram Home Minister Lalchamliana claimed that the state police responded "spontaneously by firing back" at Assam Police after its 200 personnel forcibly crossed a duty post manned by CRPF personnel and indulged in arson and firing and assaulted unarmed people. Later, Shah spoke to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga and urged them to ensure peace along the disputed border and find an amicable settlement. Assam's Barak Valley districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi share a 164-km border with Mizoram's three districts of Aizawl, Kolasib and Mamit. Following a territorial dispute, there were clashes along the inter-state border in August 2020 and February this year. BJP MLA Kaushik Rai, who visited the Silchar Medical College where the injured are admitted said that at least 40 people were injured including three to four civilians."40 people injured including 3-4 civilians. As per doctors, 6 policemen have died. The Chief Minister has directed State Minister Pijush Hazarika to visit the border area." However, according to Assam Minister Parimal Suklabaidya, around 80 people were injured in the firing from the Mizoram`s side."6 Assam Police personnel have died and around 80 people have been injured in the firing. There was no firing from our side. Firing from the Mizoram side was similar to that by the British at Jallianwala Bagh," said Suklabaidya (With Agency inputs) Live TV Silchar: The Assam government has decided to approach the Supreme Court seeking protection of Innerline Forest Reserve from destruction and encroachment, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Tuesday, a day after border clashes with Mizoram left five state policemen and a civilian dead and 60 others injured. Sarma told a press conference in Silchar that satellite images have shown that roads are being constructed and forests being cleared for jhum cultivation which cannot be allowed. "We will move the Supreme Court to ensure that the forests are protected," Sarma said. Jhum cultivation is a farming activity where farmland is cleared of trees and other vegetation and then set on fire. The practice is followed in most states of the northeast. "The dispute is not regarding land but encroachment of reserved forests is the issue. We have no settlements in the forest areas and, if Mizoram can give evidence, we will immediately carry out the eviction," he said. This is not a political issue. This is a boundary dispute between two states. This is a long-standing border dispute. There was dispute even at the time when Congres govt was there on both sides. This is a dispute between two states, not between two political parties: Assam CM pic.twitter.com/dhuBpwDfbq ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2021 The Assam government, he said, will also deploy three commando battalions in Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi districts bordering Mizoram to strengthen security. Assam Government will raise 3 commando battalions for Karimganj, Cachar and Hailakandi; 3000 personnel will be recruited: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2021 The Chief Minister asserted that not an inch of Assam's land could be encroached by the neighbouring state. "People have sacrificed their lives but boundary has been protected which we will continue to do at any cost," he asserted. After the vexed border dispute erupted into bloody clashes with security personnel and civilians from the two states going after each other on Monday, the Centre had directed them to move away their forces from the border post. "We have done so but Mizoram is yet to do so. Our police forces are, however, deployed 100 metres from the post," Sarma said. At least five Assam Police personnel were killed while defending the "constitutional boundary" of the state during which more than 60 people were also injured. Among those injured included a Superintendent of Police, 20 officials and civilians, while several vehicles were also damaged in clashes after which Chief Ministers of the two states sought Union Home Minister Amit Shah`s urgent intervention. Tensions have been running high ever since the Assam Police allegedly took control over an area known as Aitlang hnar about 5 km from Vairengte, accusing the neighbouring state of encroaching on its territory in June. However, fresh tensions escalated when the Mizoram Police said that eight farmers huts were set ablaze by unidentified miscreants in the Kolasib district near the Assam border. Live TV BSP general secretary Satish Chandra Misra on Tuesday accused the ruling BJP of "cheating" Lord Ram, alleging that the donations collected for the Ayodhya temple are being used for its election campaign. Attacking the BJP at a programme, he further said the foundation of the Ram temple has not been built till now and the ruling party is unable to tell till what time it will be completed. The BJP has "cheated" Lord Ram, he said. "Using the donations of the temple, the BJP is preparing for the upcoming Assembly elections. The BJP has prepared 500 election chariots using the temple donations," the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader claimed. The Rajya Sabha MP also called for the Brahmin-Dalit unity, saying both communities constitute 13 per cent and 23 per cent population of the state, respectively, and they should overthrow the BJP government in the UP Assembly polls. Misra said during the tenure of the BSP government in UP, a number of important responsibilities were given to the Brahmins. "In the 2007 Assembly elections in UP, the BSP gave tickets to 80 Brahmins, of which 45 won the polls. A number of Brahmins were made Cabinet ministers. In the current BJP rule, the MLAs feel very sad and even the ministers are not being heard," he claimed. The BSP leader alleged the harassment of the Brahmins and the Dalits in the state during the reign of the BJP. "The rape of a Dalit girl in Hathras, conducting her last rites in the night and not handing the body to her family have ashamed us before the world. The BJP should forget threatening the Brahmins and the Dalits," he said. Stepping up preparations for the UP Assembly polls, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has launched a campaign to woo Brahmin voters. The drive was launched from Ayodhya on July 23. Live TV Bengaluru: BS Yediyurappa resignation as Karnataka Chief Minister, after months of speculation, has truly brought an end to a glorious era that saw BJP establishing its footprints and forming its first-ever government in southern India largely due to the efforts of its 78-year-old Lingayat leader. Though the veteran Karnataka BJP leader has stepped down as the chief minister, he has not retired from active politics. BSY, as he is popularly known among the mases, has vowed that he will work round-the-clock to strengthen the party. He has categorically said that he will not accept any gubernatorial posts, which the BJP may offer in lieu of his loyalty and dedicated service to the party for over five decades. So, this proves that Yediyurappa, the BJP's "comeback man" in Karnataka, will continue to play a pivotal role in keeping the BJP government and the party intact in Karnataka in the days to come. The BJPs all-weather politician has been the saffron partys main face in the southern state and is credited for building it from the scratch. From the humdrum existence as a government clerk and a hardware store owner to becoming the four-times chief minister of Karnataka, Yediyurappa has navigated the choppy waters of politics with the consummate ease of a seasoned oarsman. In a repeat of sorts, it is a "cut short" tenure for the rarely smiling and ever grim-looking Yediyurappa as he quit less than two years ahead of the end of the current tenure. BSY had ascended to power, exactly two years ago after a murky legal battle and weeks of political drama. Factors behind BSYs exit For the architect of the BJP's first-ever government to the south of Vindhyas, age has been the primary factor behind his exit from the top job, which is in line with an unwritten rule in the BJP of keeping out those above 75 years from elective offices. With BSYs graceful exit, the BJP top brass has given a strong message that it wants to make way for young leadership, ahead of the assembly polls, likely by mid-2023. Among the other reasons that might have contributed to his exit include rumblings within the party with complaints about his "authoritative" style of functioning, his younger son and state BJP Vice President BY Vijayendra's alleged interference in the administration, and allegations of corruption. Yediyurappa's tenure as Chief Minister includes- seven days during his first term in November 2007; three years and two months from May 2008; for three days in May 2018, following the assembly polls, which was his third term; and finally for exactly two years since July 26, 2019, his fourth tenure. Hardboiled RSS Swayamsevak A hardboiled RSS swayamsevak, Bookanakere Siddalingappa Yediyurappa was born on February 27, 1943 at Bookanakere in KR Pet Taluk of Mandya district to Siddalingappa and Puttathayamma. Fondly called "Raja Huli" (King Tiger) by his followers, he joined the RSS when he was barely 15, and cut his political teeth in the Jana Sangh, the BJP's forerunner, in his hometown Shikaripura in Shivamogga district. He became Jana Sangh's Shikaripura taluk chief in the early 1970s. Political journey Yediyurappa began his electoral politics as Purasabha president in Shikaripura and was first elected to the Legislative Assembly from Shikaripura in 1983 and went on to win eight times from there. Widely credited for BJP's growth in Karnataka, along with being party's state unit president, he has also served as opposition Leader in the Legislative Assembly, member of Legislative Council, as also Member of Parliament. Humble beginning as govt clerk A Bachelor of Arts, he was jailed during the Emergency, worked as a clerk in the social welfare department before taking up a similar job at a rice mill in Shikaripura before he set up his hardware shop in Shivamogga. He married Maitradevi, daughter of the rice mill owner, where he worked, on March 5, 1967 and has two sons and three daughters. His elder son B Y Raghavendra is a MP from Shivamogga Lok Sabha constituency. Always seen in his trademark white safari suit, according to those close to him, he had a keen interest in watching Kannada movies. Mass leader & Lingayat strongman Yediyurappa is also seen as BJP's only leader with a "mass leader" stature in South India and wields considerable influence over the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community, which is estimated to form about 16 per cent of the state's population and is considered to be the BJPs core support base in the state. He could have landed in the hot seat in 2004 when the BJP emerged as the single largest party, but the Congress and JD(S) of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda formed an alliance, and a government was formed under Dharam Singh. Known for his political acumen, Yediyurappa joined hands with H D Kumaraswamy, Deve Gowda's son, in 2006 and brought down the Dharam Singh government. Under a rotational chief ministership arrangement, Kumaraswamy became the CM and Yediyurappa his deputy. Yediyurappa became CM for the first time in November 2007 but his term lasted just seven days as Kumaraswamy reneged on a power sharing pact and walked out of the alliance. BSY became the chief minister once again after the BJP came to power in May 2008 but had to step down in July 2011 following his indictment by the then Lokayukta N Santosh Hegde in an illegal mining case. Operation Kamala In the 2008 polls, Yediyurappa had led the party to victory, and the first BJP government in the south was formed under him, with the help of "Operation Kamala" (Operation Lotus)- an alleged attempt of the BJP to engineer defection of opposition legislators to ensure the stability of the government. On October 15, 2011, he surrendered before the Lokayukta court after it issued a warrant against him in connection with alleged land scams,and was in jail for a week. Karnataka Janata Paksha Sulking after having been made to quit, Yediyurappa broke his decades-long association with the BJP and formed the Karnataka Janata Paksha. However, ploughing a lonely furrow, he failed to make the KJP a force to reckon with in state politics but wrecked the BJP's chances of retaining power in the 2013 polls, winning six seats and polling about 10 per cent votes. As Yediyurappa faced an uncertain future and the BJP looked for a leader with a formidable reputation to lend its campaign the required heft ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the two cosied up to each other, leading to the KJP's merger with the BJP on January 9, 2014. In the Lok Sabha election, the BJP won 19 of the state's 28 seats, a remarkable turnaround for the party which had secured only 19.9 per cent votes in the Assembly polls just a year ago leading to the fall of its first government. Corruption taint Notwithstanding the corruption taint, Yediyurappa's status and clout grew in the BJP. On October 26, 2016, he got a huge relief when a special CBI court acquitted him, his two sons and son-in-law in a Rs 40 crore illegal mining case, which had cost him the chief ministership in 2011. In January 2016, the Karnataka High Court quashed all 15 FIRs against Yediyurappa lodged by Lokayukta police under the Prevention of Corruption Act. In April that year, he was appointed the state BJP chief for the fourth time. The Lingayat leader, however, continued to be dogged by controversies, with some cases against him still pending before courts. The BJP declared him its chief ministerial candidate in the 2018 assembly polls, ignoring the taunts by Congress. As the polls threw up a hung verdict, with no party getting a clear majority in the 225-member House (including Speaker), the Governor invited Yediyurappa, the leader of the single largest party, to form the government and gave him 15 days to prove the majority. However, the Supreme Court asked him to prove the majority in the House within 24 hours following a plea by the Congress-JD(S) challenging the Governor's decision to invite the BJP to form the government. The three-day-old BJP government collapsed on May 19, 2018, minutes before the scheduled trust vote, with him resigning in a tame anti-climax and hours later Kumaraswamy, the chief ministerial candidate of the newly formed JD(S)- Congress alliance, was invited to form the government. Comeback as CM In the next over one year period, the BJP under Yediyurappa managed to keep the coalition government on tenterhooks as the ruling combine constantly feared poaching of MLAs. In its best-ever performance, the BJP also won 25 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 parliamentary polls. The resignation of 17 rebel Congress-JD(S) MLAs came as a blow to the alliance and it collapsed, losing the trust vote on July 23, 2019, paving the way for his return as CM. Determined to regain the reins of power, amid uncertainties about his political future with growing age, Yediyurappa is said to have played a key role in engineering the defection of the 17 Congress-JD(S) rebels. Sixteen of them had subsequently joined the BJP. He ensured that most of them won the by-polls in December that year on a BJP ticket, and 12 are currently Ministers in his cabinet, as promised. Though in the last two years, BJP won most of the by-elections under Yediyurappa's leadership, repeated floods, alleged shortcomings in COVID management and growing disgruntlement within the party and the government, threw challenges to his administration. With growing age and strong central leadership, his declining sway over the party and administration, marred his final tenure, bringing him the criticism of being a "weak CM" from the opposition parties. (With Agency Inputs) Live TV BENGALURU: Ending months of speculation over his exit, BS Yediyurappa finally stepped down as the Chief Minister of Karnataka on Monday, coinciding with his government completing two years in office, even as suspense continues on his successor. The 78-year-old BJP veteran, who submitted his resignation to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot at the Raj Bhavan, maintained that he quit "voluntarily" and will continue to remain active in state politics. Asserting that he will "hundred per cent" continue in politics and work to bring BJP back to power from tomorrow itself, the Karnataka Lingayat strongman said "...There is no question of political retirement for any reason. I'm with the karyakartas and the people. The party has nurtured me to this level, most probably no other politician in the country has got the privileges that I have got. He has also categorically refused to accept any gubernatorial post. There is no question of becoming Governor. I will work to strengthen the organisation in Karnataka. I have not asked for any position, nor will I accept it, " he said. Suspense over BSYs successor Following his exit, the focus has now shifted to finding a successor for the BJP veteran, who could lead the government for the remainder of its term and the party to the 2023 assembly polls. Though several names have been doing the rounds, there is no clarity yet as to who the next CM would be. BJP National General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Arun Singh maintained that the decision is left to the party's parliamentary board and the legislature party. According to the party sources, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is likely to be the central observer at the BJP Karnataka legislative party meeting, where the new chief minister will be decided, party sources said. Who are probable front-runners for CMs post? "I will not make any proposal on who should be the next Chief Minister, it is left for the high command to decide. Whomever they choose, I will cooperate and work with...I don't want to take any names," he said to a question. Among the names doing the rounds are Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, BJP national General Secretary C T Ravi, the party's national organising secretary B L Santhosh and the Assembly Speaker Vishveshwar Hegde Kageri. While Joshi, Santosh and Kageri are Brahmins, Ravi, the MLA from Chikkamagaluru, is a Vokkaliga, another dominant community in the state, mostly concentrated in Southern Karnataka, where the party is trying to make inroads. If the party looks for replacing Yediyurappa with another leader from the dominant Veerashaiva-Lingayat community, the probables include Mining Minister Murugesh Nirani, Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar and MLAs Arvind Bellad and Basanagouda Patil Yatnal. While Nirani is a businessman-politician, whose repeated Delhi visits recently have raised eyebrows in party circles, Shettar had earlier served as the Chief Minister. Bellad and Yatnal are among the disgruntled legislators who were seeking Yediyurappa's ouster. Among the Ministers who were in the Yediyurappa cabinet, the names of Home Minister Basavaraj S Bommai (Lingayat), Revenue Minister R Ashoka and Deputy CM, C N Ashwath Narayan (Vokkaligas), have also been doing the rounds. Fear of Lingayat backlash The Lingayat strong man's resignation has come, despite pontiffs of various communities rallying behind him and urging the BJP leadership to allow him to complete the term. A section of leaders, mutts and pontiffs, especially from the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community and also the All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha, while supporting Yediyurappa, have warned of "bad consequences" for the BJP if he is replaced. According to political analysts, BJP, which is fearing Lingayat community backlash, will use BSY to pacify the anger brewing in the community seers. The saffron party might also bring some advantages to BSYs son Vijayendra as compensation for his exit. The ground reality is that the BJP cannot move without Yediyurappa in Karnataka and his expertise will be needed in keeping the government or party intact. Architect of BJPs first-ever govt down south Considered as the architect of the first-ever BJP government to the south of Vindhyas, there seems to be no "closure" for Yediyurappa, the party's "comeback man" in Karnataka, as he could never complete a full term in office, despite becoming the Chief Minister for four times, surmounting odds. From a humdrum existence as a government clerk and a hardware store owner to becoming the Chief Minister four times, Yediyurappa has navigated the choppy waters of politics with the consummate ease of a seasoned oarsman. Age is being seen as a primary factor for his exit from the top job as the party wants to make way for a fresh leadership, ahead of the assembly polls in 2023. Among other contributory factors include rumblings within BJP with complaints about his "authoritative" style of functioning, his younger son and state BJP Vice President B Y Vijayendra's alleged interference in the administration, and allegations of corruption. Yediyurappa, who has played an instrumental role in building BJP in Karnataka, had served as its state President, Member of Parliament, MLA and Deputy Chief Minister. Yediyurappa termed these two years as "trial by fire", pointing out that he had to run the administration without a cabinet in the initial days, followed by devastating floods and the challenge of COVID-19 management, among other issues. Thanking party leaders and the people for giving him an opportunity to serve the state, he said he had no "pressure" from the central leadership in Delhi and quit on his own "voluntarily" to make way for others to serve as CM. Live TV New Delhi: India recorded less than 30,000 new COVID-19 cases after 132 days, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed on Tuesday (July 27, 2021) morning. The country witnessed 29,689 infections in the last 24 hours and the active coronavirus caseload has now come down below 4,00,000 after 124 days. The active count currently stands at 3,98,100 and constitutes 1.27% of the total cases. The Health Ministry also informed that the national weekly positivity rate is now at 2.33% while the daily positivity rate is at 1.73%. ALSO READ | When China was reluctant to acknowledge the other coronavirus in 2002 There were also 415 coronavirus-related deaths and 42,363 recoveries between Monday and Tuesday morning. With this, the total number of fatalities has jumped to 4,21,382, whereas, more than 3.06 crore people have recovered so far. On the other hand, the total vaccination coverage has crossed the 44.19 crore mark. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare stated that More than 2.28 crore balance and unutilized COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with the states, UTs and private hospitals to be administered. Meanwhile, the overall global COVID-19 caseload has topped 195 million and the death toll has surged to more than 4.18 million, the data by Johns Hopkins University showed. The United States continues to be the world's worst-affected country with 35,287,269 infections and 6,27,039 deaths, followed by India, Brazil, Russia and France. Live TV New Delhi: Board of Secondary Education, Manipur (BOSEM) will release its class 10 results by July 31. More than 44,000 students are waiting for their Manipur class 10 results. Students who are expecting their results can check it on the official website of the board - bsem.nic.in. Manipur Board had canceled its board examination due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The examination was scheduled to take place in May 2021. However, Education Minister S Rajen Singh announced on June 2021 that the board examination for both classes 10 and 12 would be cancelled. The examination was cancelled keeping in mind the situation arising due to COVIID-19 and after feedbacks from various stakeholders. Following the announcement of the cancellation of the board examination, the Manipur government declared the assessment criteria for marking class 10 students. The assessment criteria were announced in a meeting which was presided by Education Minster S Rajen Singh and several other BOSEM officials. The pass percentage overall for class 10 results last year was more than 65 per cent. Manipur class 19 board results: Evaluation Criteria Step 1: Manipur Board to mark students on the basis of their class 9 performance Step 2: Class 9 results to have a weightage of 30 marks Step 3: Internal assessment will also be taken into consideration. It will have 20 marks Step 4: Marks obtained by students in their pre-board exams to have the weightage of 50 marks Manipur Education Minister S Rajen Singh had in a statement mentioned that as per the Supreme Court order, the board will release its results by July 31. The Supreme Court has ordered all boards to release their results by July 31, 2021. Live TV Chandigarh: Newly appointed Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu and the four working presidents met Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Tuesday demanding action on five 'key issues', only to be told by the CM that they are already in 'advanced stages of resolution'. This was the first meeting of the top Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) team since the revamp in the organisation, following a long tussle between Sidhu and the chief minister. Along with a statement on the meeting, the chief minister's office also released a picture of the two shaking hands. Separately, Sidhu's PPCC released a letter it handed over to the CM at the meeting, reminding him also of the need for a 'decisive' leadership in the state. The Congress state unit sought 'immediate action' on the 2015 desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib and the police firing on protesters, arrest of the 'big fish' in drug rackets, cancellation of power purchase agreements, rejection of Centre's new farm laws and demands by government employees. "However, the CM told the newly constituted state Congress leadership that all the key issues of concern raised by them were already in advanced stages of resolution by his government, which had been working on them in close coordination with the party," Amarinder Singh's spokesperson said. Sidhu was accompanied by working presidents Sangat Singh Gilzian, Sukhwinder Singh Danny, Pawan Goel and Kuljit Singh Nagra when he met the CM at the Civil Secretariat. In their letter, the office-bearers said, "Today, Punjab needs a stern, decisive, inclusive and compassionate leadership more than ever before to fulfil genuine demands of every Punjabi." They also referred to the to-do list earlier dictated by the party's central leadership to Amarinder Singh, who has only reluctantly accepted Sidhu's elevation. "Punjab Congress workers stand firm in their resolve with our esteemed high command's 18 point agenda our guide book to deliver justice to every Punjabi," the PPCC office bearers' wrote. According to the press release from the CM's office, he told the PPCC team that his government had already implemented 'most' of the party's poll promises and the other pending issues were also being resolved. His government was committed to the implementation of all poll promises, Singh said, describing the meeting as cordial. The CM suggested that the party office bearers and the government should work together and offered to meet them regularly. He also urged them to make people aware of the government's performance. "Your win is my win and our win is the party's win, and we need to work together in the interest of the state and its people," the CM said. Tweeting on the meeting, Sidhu said, "Echoing sentiment of lakhs of Congress Workers from across Punjab." "Nothing great was ever achieved without an act of decision. We request you to act immediately," the PPCC letter said. Referring to an issue over which Sidhu has consistently targeted Singh, the letter said people demanded justice for 'Punjab's soul' by punishing the 'main culprits' behind the 2015 sacrilege and the police firing at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan. On the Centre's farm laws, the PPCC called for their complete rejection and not 'merely' recommending amendments to a few clauses a reference to bills passed earlier in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. The delegation also came out in support of protesting government teachers, doctors and nurses. "A compassionate leadership that is ready to listen and take steps for inclusive development of all is needed. Govt. Must open doors for discussion, consultation and deliver what it can, considering its fiscal means immediately," the letter said. "Nothing great was ever achieved without an act of decision. We request you to act immediately," the PPCC leaders wrote. Live TV New Delhi: The Assam government will move the Supreme Court seeking protection of Innerline Forest Reserve from destruction and encroachment, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Tuesday (July 27), a day after border clashes with Mizoram left five state policemen and a civilian dead and 60 others injured. "We will move the Supreme Court to ensure that the forests are protected," he said. The Assam CM said during a press conference in Silchar that satellite images have shown that roads are being constructed and forests cleared for jhum cultivation which cannot be allowed. He claimed that the dispute with Mizoram is not regarding land but encroachment of reserved forests is the issue. "We have no settlements in the forest areas and, if Mizoram can give evidence, we will immediately carry out eviction," CM Sarma said. The chief minister asserted that not an inch of Assam's land could be encroached by the neighbouring state. "People have sacrificed their lives but boundary has been protected which we will continue to do at any cost," he asserted. Jhum cultivation is a farming activity where farmland is cleared of trees and other vegetation and then set on fire. The practice is followed in most states of the northeast. After the vexed border dispute erupted into bloody clashes with security personnel and civilians from the two states going after each other on Monday, the Centre had directed them to move away their forces from the border post. "We have done so but Mizoram is yet to do so. Our police forces are, however, deployed 100 metres from the post," Sarma said. The Assam government, he said, will deploy three commando battalions in Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi districts bordering Mizoram to strengthen security. NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hit out at the main opposition party - Congress - for not allowing the Parliament to function properly and causing repeated disruptions in both Houses during the ongoing Monsoon Session. The Prime Minister said this while speaking at the BJP`s Parliamentary Party meeting on Tuesday. Sources said, "The Prime Minister told the party MPs that the Congress party is deliberately disturbing the Parliament. They are neither interested in debate nor are allowing the parliament to function smoothly." Delhi: BJP Parliamentary Party meeting is underway at Parliament on the Opposition's attempts to stall business during the monsoon session pic.twitter.com/VXToggLFW9 ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2021 During his interaction with the BJP MPs, the PM blamed Congress for deliberately attempting to disrupt proceedings in Parliament, which is in Monsoon Session currently. The Prime Minister also hit out at the Congress for not participating in the meeting of floor leaders of all parties on COVID-19. The PM, while referring to the Congress party's boycott of last weeks all-party meeting to review the COVID-19 situation, said the party had also prevented others from attending it. He asked his party MPs to expose this behaviour of the Congress and some opposition parties in front of the media and the public. On July 20, the Prime Minister had interacted with floor leaders of all parties of both Houses of the Parliament to inform them of the trajectory of COVID-19 and the public health response to the pandemic. "The Prime Minister said that on one side, the Congress stops the functioning of the House and on the other hand, they did not turn up to attend the all-party meeting called on Covid. Their behaviour is against humanity. He asked MPs to expose the Congress among the people of India," sources said. It is learnt that the Prime Minister asked the BJP MPs to celebrate the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav with public participation to mark 75 years of Independence so that it does not look like a government event. Sources said that Prime Minister Modi also asked the BJP MPs to celebrate `Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav` in a big way with public participation. It is also learnt that the Prime Minister asked the BJP MPs to appeal to people to suggest ideas for the next 25 years. "He asked people to suggest their ideas and vision for the next 25 years when the country will celebrate 100 years of Independence in 2047," another MP who was present in the meeting said. The Prime Minister also asked MPs to organise various activities to create awareness and increase public participation in `Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav`. The Narendra Modi government at the Centre is trying to push several new bills, including 3 to replace old ordinances, for passage in the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament, which began on a stormy note on July 19. At least 23 bills have been listed by the Centre to be tabled in the Lok Sabha during the monsoon session. Of these, six bills have already been introduced and 17 of them will be new. So far, the Monsoon Session has witnessed uproarious scenes with the Opposition trying to disrupt the house proceeding on several key issues including the Pegasus scandal, farmers protest, fuel price hike etc. Live TV New Delhi: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday (July 26, 2021) alleged that 23 members of political strategist Prashant Kishor's Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) have been placed under 'house arrest' in Tripura. TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee hit out at Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in Tripura and blamed them behind the detention. Mamata Banerjee's nephew took to his official Twitter account and wrote, "They are so rattled by our victory in Bengal that they've now kept 23 IPAC employees under house arrest." ALSO READ | Bengal govt constitutes two-member inquiry panel to look into Pegasus snooping scandal Abhishek added that democracy in this nation dies a thousand deaths under BJP's misrule. The fear in @BJP4Tripura before even @AITCofficial stepped into the land, is more than evident! They are so rattled by our victory in #Bengal that they've now kept 23 IPAC employees under house arrest. Democracy in this nation dies a thousand deaths under BJP's misrule! Abhishek Banerjee (@abhishekaitc) July 26, 2021 However, as per reports, the team has been put under quarantine and not house arrest. "Results of their (I-PAC members) RTPCR test will come on Tuesday. They said they were here for some research-related work that is being investigated. After getting COVID-19 test results and outcome of the probe, a decision will be taken on their release," ANI quoted Manik Das, Superintendent of Police (SP) West Tripura, as saying. Sources say that the team is currently in an Agartala's hotel in Woodland Park and is in the northeastern state for the last one week to access the ground situation ahead of the Tripura Assembly polls in 2023. (With agency inputs) Live TV New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh police has busted a child trafficking racket with the arrest of 16 persons, officials said on Monday, adding six kidnapped kids were rescued in the operation. The children were rescued during an overnight operation conducted in Aligarh and surrounding areas as part of the special anti-human trafficking 'Operation Khushi', they said. Acting on a tip-off, police nabbed three persons near a crossing at village Borna under Mahuakheda police station area on Sunday evening, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kalanidhi Naithani said. They told police that four kidnapped children were being held in a house in Ganga Nagar colony under Gandhi park police station area, he said. Police immediately raided the premises and rescued them, the SSP said, adding two more kidnapped children were freed from the clutches of other members of the gang at another house in an area that falls under the Delhi gate police station area. Two of these children had gone missing from Ghaziabad and four from Aligarh, Naithani said, dubbing the overnight action as 'unprecedented'. "Sixteen people who mediated the sale and purchase of infants and toddlers have been arrested. These include nine women," he said. The male members of the gang with a nexus across the state would kidnap children and hand them over to the women, who would then sell them off to childless couples for Rs 50,000 each and sometimes even in lakhs of rupees, Naithani said. The police teams that carried out the rescue operation under the supervision of Superintendent of Police (SP) Kuldeep Singh Gunawat have been rewarded, he said. The children have been handed over to their families and further legal proceedings against the gang members are underway, he added. Naithani said 'Operation Khushi' involving the anti-human trafficking unit (AHTU) was launched in view of reports of increasing cases of abduction of children in the district. New Delhi: The BJP legislature party has elected Basavaraj S Bommai as the new Chief Minister of Karnataka. Basavaraj Bommai was the Home Minister in the BS Yediyurappa government and was among the top contenders for the Chief Minister's post. Just like the outgoing Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, who resigned on Monday, the new Chief Minister is also from the politically influential Lingayat community. "I will take everyone along with me in administration. It is going to be a pro-people government. Addressing the challenges of COVID and natural calamity will be my priority," he said. "The situation of finances in the state is not good. Will take steps to improve the situation," he said. On the Cabinet, he said that he will meet Governor Thaawarchand Ghelot on Tuesday night and later discuss the matter with party leaders. Bommai, who is seen as a close confidante of outgoing Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, said, "Yediyurappa is always going to be our leader." "I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party chief J.P. Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah for the opportunity. Yediyurappa has blessed me," he added. "Party legislators have elected me unanimously and I will live up to their expectations," he said. According to party sources, Bommai, a Lingayat leader from North Karnataka, had the backing of the outgoing Chief Minister Yeddyurappa to succeed him. Basavaraj Bommai is the son of former chief minister, the late SR Bommai. The 61-year-old leader was Minister for Home Affairs, Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Legislature in Yediyurappa's council of ministers which was dissolved on Monday. "The new leader proposal was made by senior leader B S Yediyurappa and was supported by Govind Karjol, R Ashok, K S Eshwarappa, B Sriramulu, ST Somashekar, Poornima Srinivas, and the newly elected legislature party leader and new Chief Minister will be Basavaraj Bommai," BJP's central observers and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said after the meeting. Soon after the announcement, Bommai sought the blessings of Yediyurappa, and he was greeted by other party leaders. The legislature party meeting to elect the new leader took place at a city hotel in the presence of Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and G Kishan Reddy who were appointed as central observers by BJP's parliamentary board. It was attended by BJP national general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Arun Singh, state president Nalin Kumar Kateel, national general secretary C T Ravi, among others. Known for his "clean and non-controversial" image, Bommai is considered among the close confidants of Yediyurappa. Ending months of speculation over his exit, Yediyurappa on Monday stepped down as the Chief Minister, coinciding with his government completing two years in office. Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot accepted the 78-year-old BJP veteran's resignation, and dissolved the Council of Ministers headed by him, with immediate effect. The notification from the Raj Bhavan said Yediyurappa shall continue to function as Chief Minister till alternative arrangements are made. Live TV New Delhi: Putting on her Bollywood swag, Nora Fatehi dressed up as Madhuri Dixit Nene recreating her 'Dola Re Dola' look in order to celebrate 100 years of Bollywood on a dance reality show as a judge. As the 'India's Best Dancer', dance reality show celebrates 100 years of Bollywood, Nora decided to declare her admiration for Madhuri yet again by dressing up in the latter's iconic 'Dola Re Dola' look from the former actor's film 'Devdas'. Earlier Nora has expressed her desire to star in the senior actor's biopic and her latest pictures prove she's ready for it! In her YouTube vlog, Nora had earlier shared her overwhelming experience of meeting Bollywood's 'Dhak Dhak' girl for the first time while co-judging a dance reality show along with her. Expressing her fondness for Madhuri, Nora has often regarded the veteran actor as her idol. Concluding the vlog, Nora termed herself as a hopeless dreamer for wanting to star in Madhuri's biopic. Requesting her fans to share their thoughts, Nora said, "Guys, comment if you want me to do Madhuri ma'am's biopic in future. I'm just a hopeless dreamer, I swear!" Earlier, Madhuri has also showered Nora with praises, appreciating the young actor for her talent, dedication, and passion towards her art. Meanwhile, Nora Fatehi who has carved her path to success in Bollywood is currently gearing up for the release of her upcoming next 'Bhuj: The Pride of India'. The forthcoming film also stars actors Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt, Sonakshi Sinha, Sharad Kelkar, and Ammy Virk. The film is set amid the backdrop of the 1971 Indo-Pak war. Ajay will be seen essaying the role of Squadron Leader Vijay Karnik in the film. Directed by Abhishek Dudhaiya, 'Bhuj: The Pride of India' is scheduled to release on August 13 on Disney+ Hotstar VIP. New Delhi: Aadhaar card is a 12-digit identification number issued by UIDAI to the resident of India. Aadhaar card is issued for free of cost and is very handy when you have to submit it as a document proof. There is no age limit defined for Aadhaar Enrolment. Even a new born baby can also get Enroled for Aadhaar. To enroll your child for Aadhaar, you only need the child's birth certificate or the discharge slip from the hospital and the Aadhaar of one of the parents. Here is the complete list of other documents that you can use for the child's enrolment in Baal Aadhaar: POI (Proof of Identity) documents containing Name and Photo for Aadhaar Card 1. Passport 2. PAN Card 3. Ration/ PDS Photo Card 4. Voter ID 5. Driving License 6. Government Photo ID Cards/ Service photo identity card issued by PSU 7. NREGS Job Card 8. Photo ID issued by Recognized Educational Institution 9. Arms License 10. Photo Bank ATM Card 11. Photo Credit Card 12. Pensioner Photo Card 13. Freedom Fighter Photo Card 14. Kissan Photo Passbook 15. CGHS/ ECHS Photo Card 16. Address Card having Name and Photo issued by Department of Posts 17. Certificate of Identity having photo issued by Gazetted Officer or Tehsildar on UIDAI standard certificate format for enrolment/ update 18. Disability ID Card/ handicapped medical certificate issued by the respective State/ UT Governments/ Administrations 19. Bhamashah Card/Jan-Aadhaar card issued by Govt. of Rajasthan 20. Certificate from Superintendent/ Warden/ Matron/ Head of Institution of recognized shelter homes or orphanages etc. on UIDAI standard certificate format for enrolment/ update 21. Certificate of Identity having photo issued by MP or MLA or MLC or Municipal Councilor on UIDAI standard certificate format for enrolment/ update 22. Certificate of Identity having photo issued by Village Panchayat Head or Mukhiya or its equivalent authority (for rural areas) on UIDAI standard certificate format for enrolment/ update 23. Gazette notification for name change 24. Marriage certificate with photograph 25. RSBY Card 26. SSLC book having candidates photograph 27. ST/ SC/ OBC certificate with photograph 28. School Leaving Certificate (SLC)/ School Transfer Certificate (TC), containing name and photograph 29. Extract of School Records issued by Head of School containing name and photograph 30. Bank Pass Book having name and photograph 31. Certificate of Identity containing name and photo issued by Recognized Educational Institution signed by Head of Institute on UIDAI standard certificate format for enrolment/ update. 32. Certificate of identity containing Name, DOB and Photograph issued by Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) on UIDAI standard certificate POR (Proof of Relationship) documents containing Name of applicant and Name of HoF (Head of Family) for Aadhaar card 1. PDS Card 2. MNREGA Job Card 3. CGHS/ State Government/ ECHS/ ESIC Medical card 4. Pension Card 5. Army Canteen Card 6. Passport 7. Birth Certificate issued by Registrar of Birth, Municipal Corporation and other notified local government bodies like Taluk, Tehsil etc. 8. Any other Central/ State government issued family entitlement document 9. Marriage Certificate issued by the government 10. Address card having name and photo issued by Department of Posts 11. Bhamashah Card/Jan-Aadhaar card issued by Govt. of Rajasthan 12. Discharge card/ slip issued by Government hospitals for birth of a child 13. Certificate of Identity having photo issued by MP or MLA or MLC or Municipal Councillor or Gazetted Officer on UIDAI standard certificate format for enrolment/ update 14. Certificate of Identity having photo and relationship with HoF issued by Village Panchayat Head or Mukhiya or its equivalent authority (for rural areas) on UIDAI standard certificate format for enrolment/ update DOB (Date of Birth) documents containing Name and DOB for Aadhaar card 1. Birth Certificate 2. SSLC Book/ Certificate 3. Passport 4. Certificate of Date of Birth issued by Group A Gazetted Officer on UIDAI standard certificate format for enrolment/ update 5. A certificate (on UIDAI standard certificate format for enrolment/ update) or ID Card having photo and Date of Birth (DOB) duly signed and issued by a Government authority 6. Photo ID card having Date of Birth, issued by Recognized Educational Institution 7. PAN Card 8. Marksheet issued by any Government Board or University 9. Government Photo ID Card/ Photo Identity Card issued by PSU containing DOB 10. Central/ State Pension Payment Order 11. Central Government Health Service Scheme Photo Card or Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme Photo card 12. School Leaving Certificate (SLC)/ School Transfer Certificate (TC), containing Name and Date of Birth 13. Extract of School Records issued by Head of School containing Name, Date of Birth and Photograph 14. Certificate of Identity containing Name, DOB and Photo issued by Recognized Educational Institution signed by Head of Institute on UIDAI standard certificate format for enrolment/ update 15. Certificate of identity containing Name, DOB and Photograph issued by Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) on UIDAI standard certificate format for enrolment/ update POA (Proof of Address) documents containing Name and Address for Aadhaar card 1. Passport 2. Bank Statement/ Passbook 3. Post Office Account Statement/ Passbook 4. Ration Card 5. Voter ID 6. Driving License 7. Government Photo ID cards/ service photo identity card issued by PSU 8. Electricity Bill (not older than 3 months) 9. Water Bill (not older than 3 months) 10. Telephone Landline Bill (not older than 3 months) 11. Property Tax Receipt (not older than 1 year) 12. Credit Card Statement (not older than 3 months) 13. Insurance Policy 14. Signed Letter having Photo from Bank on letterhead 15. Signed Letter having Photo issued by registered Company on letterhead 16. Signed Letter having Photo issued by Recognized Educational Institution on letterhead or Photo ID having address issued by Recognized Educational Institution 17. NREGS Job Card 18. Arms License 19. Pensioner Card 20. Freedom Fighter Card 21. Kissan Passbook 22. CGHS/ ECHS Card 23. Certificate of Address having photo issued by MP or MLA or MLC or Gazetted Officer or Tehsildar on UIDAI standard certificate format for enrolment/ update 24. Certificate of Address issued by Village Panchayat head or its equivalent authority (for rural areas) on UIDAI standard certificate format for enrolment/ update 25. Income Tax Assessment Order 26. Vehicle Registration Certificate 27. Registered Sale/ Lease/ Rent Agreement 28. Address Card having Photo issued by Department of Posts 29. Caste and Domicile Certificate having Photo issued by State Govt 30. Disability ID Card/ handicapped medical certificate issued by the respective State/ UT Governments/ Administrations 31. Gas Connection Bill (not older than 3 months) 32. Passport of Spouse 33. Passport of Parents (in case of Minor) 34. Allotment letter of accommodation issued by Central/ State Govt. (not more than 3 years old) 35. Marriage Certificate issued by the Government, containing address 36. Bhamashah Card/Jan-Aadhaar card issued by Govt. of Rajasthan 37. Certificate from Superintendent/ Warden/ Matron/ Head of Institution of recognized shelter homes or orphanages etc. on UIDAI standard certificate format for enrolment/ update 38. Certificate of Address having photo issued by Municipal Councillor on UIDAI standard certificate format for enrolment/ update 39. Identity Card issued by recognized educational institutions 40. SSLC book having photograph 41. School Identity card 42. School Leaving Certificate (SLC)/ School Transfer Certificate (TC), containing Name and Address 43. Extract of School Records containing Name, Address and Photograph issued by Head of School 44. Certificate of Identity containing Name, Address and Photo issued by Recognized Educational Institution signed by Head of Institute on UIDAI standard certificate format for enrolment/ update 45. Certificate of identity containing Name, DOB and Photograph issued by Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) on UIDAI standard certificate format for enrolment/ update Live TV #mute New Delhi: Banks across the country will be closed for 15 days in total in the month of August. The said number of days are due to regional, state, religious festivals as well as weekends. Therefore it is advisable that before visiting your bank branch in the month of August, you must note down the list of important days during which banks will remain closed. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has mentioned some days when the banking operations will remain closed in the month of August 2021, although online banking activities will continue to work. Banks will remain closed for total 15 days in the month of August-- 8 as per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) holiday calendar list and the remaining days are that of weekends. However banking activities in different states may vary from each other. Reserve Bank of India places its Holidays under three brackets --Holiday under Negotiable Instruments Act; Holiday under Negotiable Instruments Act and Real Time Gross Settlement Holiday; and Banks Closing of Accounts. However, it must be noted that the bank holidays vary in various states as well not observed by all the banking companies. Banking holidays also depend on the festivals being observed in specific states or notification of specific occasions in those states. Here is an elaborate list of bank holidays falling in the month of August 2021. Check out the list. Patriots Day: August 13 Parse New Year (Shahenshahi): August 16 Muharram (Ashoora) : August 19 Muharram/First Onam: August 20 Thiruvonam: August 21 Sree Narayana Guru Jayanthi: August 23 Janmashtami (Shravan Vad-8)/Krishna Jayanthi: August 30 Sri Krishna Ashtami: August 31 Apart from the above bank holidays, the second and fourth Saturdays of the month are falling on the following dates: August 1: Sunday August 8: Sunday August 14: Second Saturday August 15: Sunday August 22: Sunday August 28: Fourth Saturday August 29: Sunday Holidays of the mentioned days will be observed in various regions according to the state declared holidays, however for the gazetted holidays, banks will be closed all over the country. Live TV #mute New Delhi: Several rules that have a major impact in the lives of common man are going to change from August that deals with banking, financial and other sectors. These new rules are set to impact the day-to-day lives of a common man and hence it is important to know more about these changes in detail. Here are 5 rules impacting common man that will change from August 2021 New rules for salary, pension, EMI payment Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had in June announced that National Automated Clearing House (NACH) will be available on all days of the week, effective August 1, 2021. NACH is a bulk payment system operated by the NPCI. It facilitates one-to-many credit transfers such as payment of dividend, interest, salary, pension, etc., as also collection of payments pertaining to electricity, gas, telephone, water, periodic instalments towards loans, investments in mutual funds, insurance premium, etc. ATM Cash withdrawal, transaction charges The Reserve Bank of India had recently announced a couple of changes in the ATM rules. While these rules are in line with the long pressing demands by the payment services, banks and white label ATM operators for customers it also means a little more burden on their pocket. Effective August 1, 2021, banks are allowed to increase interchange fee per transaction from Rs 15 to Rs 17 for financial transactions and from Rs 5 to Rs 6 for non-financial transactions in all centres, the circular said. ATMs are deployed by banks for serving their own customers and also provide services to other banks' customers as acquirers where they earn interchange income. India Post Payments Bank Charges India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has announced changes in some of its banking charges applicable from August 1, 2021. IPPB has updated the charges related to doorstep banking and other services. Doorstep delivery service, which was being provided free of cost till now, will be chargeable.Customers will have to pay Rs 20 plus GST charge from August 1 to use doorstep banking services offered by the bank. Cash transactions (withdrawing or depositing cash) in doorstep banking service will attract 20 per transaction along with GST. ICICI Bank Cash Transaction Charges for Regular Savings/ Salary Accounts and Variants ICICI bank has announced a number limit (Sum total of deposits and withdrawals) 4 free cash transactions, per month. Charges above free limits will be Rs 150, per transaction 2) Value Limit (Sum total of deposits and withdrawals) The value limit is inclusive of both the home and non home branch transactions a) Home Branch (Branch where account is opened or ported) Rs 1 lakh. Free per month, per account. Above Rs 1 lakh Rs 5 per Rs 1,000, subject to a minimum of Rs 150 b) Non-Home Branch No charges for cash transactions up to Rs 25,000, per day Above Rs 25,000 Rs 5 per Rs 1,000, subject to a minimum of Rs 150. 3) Third Party Cash transaction (Sum total of deposits and withdrawals) - Up to a limit of Rs 25,000 per day Rs 150, per transaction. Above Rs 25,000 is not permitted. For Senior Citizen customers, Young Star/Smart Star Accounts, while the limit of Rs 25,000 per day will be applicable, the accounts will not be charged. Deadline for e-filing forms 15CA and 15CB The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has granted further relaxation in the electronic filing of forms 15CA and 15CB. It has now been decided to extend the aforesaid date to August 15 from the earlier deadline of July 15. London: How safe are you from the coronavirus even when you are fully vaccinated? As the world is hoping for a vaccine resolution to the COVID-19 crisis, a Lancet study definitely brings little cheer. According to a study in the journal, the total antibody levels start to wane six weeks after complete immunisation with Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines, and can reduce by more than 50% over 10 weeks. The OxfordAstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is sold under the brand name Covishield in India. India is in talks with suppliers to get Pfizer vaccine to the country. The researchers from University College London (UCL) in the UK noted that if the antibody levels carry on dropping at this rate, there are concerns that the protective effects of the vaccines may also begin to wear off, particularly against new variants. However, they said, how soon that might happen cannot be predicted yet. The UCL Virus Watch study also found that antibody levels are substantially higher following two doses of the Pfizer vaccine than after two shots of the AstraZeneca preventive. Antibody levels were also much higher in vaccinated people than those with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, they said. "The levels of antibody following both doses of either the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine were initially very high, which is likely to be an important part of why they are so protective against severe COVID-19," said Madhumita Shrotri from UCL Institute of Health Informatics. "However, we found these levels dropped substantially over the course of two to three months," Shrotri said in a statement. The findings based on data from over 600 people aged 18 and above were consistent across all groups of people regardless of age, chronic illnesses or sex, according to the researchers. The authors highlight that although the clinical implications of waning antibody levels are not yet clear, some decline was expected and current research shows that vaccines remain effective against severe disease. "When we are thinking about who should be prioritised for booster doses our data suggests that those vaccinated earliest, particularly with the AstraZeneca vaccine, are likely to now have the lowest antibody levels," said Professor Rob Aldridge from UCL Institute of Health Informatics. The findings support recommendations that adults who are clinically vulnerable, those aged 70 years or over, and all residents of care homes for older adults should be prioritised for booster doses, the researchers said. In addition, those who were vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine are likely to have much lower antibody levels than those vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine, they noted. "This may also need to be considered when deciding who should be prioritised when boosters are rolled out," Aldridge said in the statement. The team acknowledged certain limitations in the data, including a small sample size for some groups. The researchers noted that that each individual only contributed one sample, so they cannot yet confirm how quickly antibody levels drop for each individual, or whether these would continue to drop or reach a stable level over the next few months. They also noted that different people will have different levels of immunity depending on the virus neutralising ability of their antibodies as well as their T-cell responses. "Even when measurable antibody levels are low, there is likely to be continuing immune memory that could offer long-term protection," the authors of the study noted. They said further research will be important to establish if there is an antibody level threshold needed for protection against severe disease. (With PTI inputs) Live TV Islamabad: Amid allegations of poll rigging by the Opposition, Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party has won 25 of 45 seats in Pakistan occupied Kashmir legislative assembly elections marred by deadly violence. The PoK assembly has a total of 53 members but only 45 are directly elected. The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has won 25 general seats of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) Legislative Assembly, followed by 11 seats won by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), six by Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) and one each by two regional political parties in Sunday`s polls, as per officially announcement made on Monday, as per Dawn report. The result of one constituency, LA-16 Bagh-III, was however withheld as polling in four of its stations could not be held due to rioting and other reasons, Chief Election Commissioner Abdul Rashid Sulehria said at a press conference in the central control room in Muzaffarabad, adding that re-polling at these stations was most likely to be held before July 29. Sulehria said Sunday`s polling was "by and large peaceful" except for one tragic incident in Kotli which claimed two lives. "The arrangements we made for the polls and the way we conducted them ... I can say we have fulfilled our responsibility by holding free, fair and impartial elections," he asserted, Dawn further reported. Meanwhile, an Open revolt was witnessed in PoK as thousands of demonstrators hit the streets to protest against the Pakistan army after reports of election manipulation. Earlier, Prime Minister of PoK Raja Farooq Haider in a statement said: "The assembly elections were nothing but a farce exercise to hoodwink the people." Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz has outrightly refused to accept the results. Taking to Twitter, PML-N Vice-President said that her party fought hard but it is not easy to deal with fraud. "I have not accepted the results and will not. I have not even acknowledged the results of this fake government. Congratulations to the workers and voters. What will be the course of action on this shameless fraud, the party will decide soon, God willing," Maryam tweeted. PPP`s vice-president Senator Sherry Rehman had blamed the Centre for "systematic rigging" and said it was attempting to "steal" the elections. The PPP leader alleged PTI workers had fired on a PPP worker`s car during polling time, while police had uprooted a camp belonging to her party. PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb in a statement said that PTI "goons" had attacked her party`s workers in Gujranwala`s Alipur Chatha area to "rig" the election. Aurangzeb said despite PTI workers beating up her party workers, the police "arrested those associated with PML-N". "PTI has been allowed to engage in hooliganism with complete liberty," she said. Last year, India had criticised Pakistan`s decision to hold elections in the Legislative Assembly election in occupied Gilgit-Baltistan. New Delhi has maintained that any action to alter the status of the militarily occupied region has no legal basis. The main opposition parties had termed the occupied Gilgit-Baltistan election rigged. New Delhi: Singapore is planning to allow quarantine-free travel from September, with the aim to relax COVID-19 curbs. The country expects to vaccinate 80 per cent of its population by then, placing the nation in a solid position to move forward with the reopening, Bangkok Post reported citing Finance Minister Lawrence Wong. "While other countries may have come to terms with a certain level of Covid-19 cases and even deaths, this is not the choice we want to make in Singapore," Wong said. He also informed that the government will not wait for everyone to get vaccinated before the administration begins the easing process. ALSO READ | Singapore PM Loong sports white turban, greets by saying 'Sat Sri Akaal', WATCH "Waiting for 100 per cent population to get vaccinated would mean holding back the entire reopening timeline until much later in the year, which is not tenable," Wong added. Infected patients who show no or mild symptoms can now be housed in community-care facilities rather than hospitals which means that as many as 60 per cent of infected cases may recover in community-care facilities. "The government aims to raise the number to 80%, with some patients even recovering at home," Wong informed. ALSO READ | PM Narendra Modi lauds Singapore counterpart inaugurating historic Gurudwara While easing the curbs, the government will closely monitor all the health outcomes, especially the hospitalisation and intensive care units in the country, Bangkok Post reported. A few months back, Singapore surfaced a sudden spike of cases in April, most likely caused by undetected imported cases, causing the government to take a couple of steps back in its re-opening process.